Costa Blanca South 3 - 9 November 2022 Issue 1948

CHRISTMAS FOR KIDS

ELCHE Children’s Care Home charity (ECCH) is launching its Christmas Gift Bag Appeal in the hope it can give the chil dren gifts from Father Christ mas this Christmas.

In previous years they have collected individual shoe boxes with lots of little treats for children aged be tween 12 and 17 which have been received with so much joy.

If you and your friends have a big enough heart to fill a little Christmas bag ei ther individually or as a group please contact Richard on (+34) 633 655 180 or e‐mail info@ecch.es.

The Elche Children’s Care Home charity was founded to provide funding for the Baix Vinalopo Children’s Centre in Elche.

The ECCH is a registered charity managed entirely by unpaid volunteers which raises money to supple ment the needs of the chil dren and provide the things

that the home would not otherwise be able to afford.

The director and care workers who take care of the children work closely with the ECCH to make sure that every opportunity is provided for these young

people to lead a happy, ful filling life.

The staff very much ap preciate the donations re ceived and are very aware that they would not be able to do many things for the children without that

support.

The children are also aware of the work the char ity does for them and not only appreciate the dona tions but knowing that peo ple care makes them feel loved which is priceless.

CHRISTMAS APPEAL: It is hoped that the children will receive gifts from Father Christmas.

AN investigation by Spanish and British universities probed what would prompt Britons living in Spain to return to the UK.

Few were prepared to budge, they found. Participants, 53 per cent of whom were women, were located throughout Spain, although the majority lived in Malaga Province (almost 34 per cent) and Alicante Province (25 per cent).

Sixty‐eight per cent owned their Span ish home, while 80 per cent no longer owned a UK property.

Ninety‐four per cent were registered on their municipal Padron, usually living near a town or on an urbanisation, with 16 per cent choosing rural areas.

Thirteen per cent were fluent Spanish speakers, 29 per cent were ‘quite fluent’, 47 per cent had ‘some knowledge’ but 10 per cent had ‘only a few words’.

Eighty‐six per cent had no plans for re turning permanently to the UK and most would stay, despite deteriorating health,

MEMBERS of the public visit ing the Torrevieja‐La Mata na tional park recently heard shots near a popular spot with ramblers.

They claimed that on the day the shots were heard, sev eral people walking their dogs preferred to turn round and leave. This part of the park is

Here to stay

Torrevieja U3A

Anna Ellis

STAN AND OLLIES restau rant at El Raso in Guardamar played host on Friday, October 21, to 36 members of Torrevieja U3A who filled the upper room. The staff quickly and effi ciently served the diners with a ‘menu del noche’ comprising a pleasant selec tion of enjoyable courses and drinks.

under Margaret Thatcher’s government until her retire ment from the service in the 2000s, Lynda entertained the group with details of her many travels around the world and some of the un usual events that she had ex perienced during her travels. Lynda now works as a speak er and is also an author.

reduced income or inability to drive.

Those taking part were unbothered by Spain’s corruption scandals and would ‘defi nitely’ remain during another Covid out

break or if their state pensions were frozen.

A return to the UK ‘would never hap pen’ for 51 per cent, while others would go only if it were ‘absolutely necessary’.

Shots heard

particularly busy at the week end, they said, and only a few metres away from a country road with continuous traffic.

Many old agricultural prop erties remain in this area which straddles Torrevieja and

Guardamar and is popular with hunters. Groups of them organise shoots in the zone near Casa de Les Palmeres in Guardamar, located outside the national park but inside its protection perimeter.

Much of the land is privately owned but not fenced and, ac cording to reports in the local Spanish media, there are no signs to warn the public that this is a private reserve or a zone where hunting is permit ted. Hunting is always banned within 25 metres of paths, roads and houses as well as in side national parks.

After the meal was fin ished and the tables cleared away, the members were treated to an interesting talk by Lynda Brettle, formerly of the UK Foreign Office de partment.

Starting with her tenure

For details on upcoming events that are on offer to the Torrevieja U3A mem bership as well as all other groups within the associa tion plus details on how you can join the association and take part whilst making new friends, log into the website torreviejau3a.org.

Linda Hall

UPCOMING EVENTS: Log into the U3A website.

Image: Torrevieja U3A

EXPAT SURVEY: Joint investigation by the Valencia University and University of Birmingham.

Spain’s Hollywood

Historical findingsAir rescue

A FIRE BRIGADE helicopter rescued an injured paraglid er trapped 30 metres above ground on the Sierra de Santa Pola on Friday Octo ber 28. Owing to the steep and inaccessible terrain, he was evacuated by air to the San Vicente fire station where a waiting ambulance took him to hospital.

Officially deserts

ACCORDING to a recent study by the State Meteoro logical Agency in Spain (Aemet), three municipali ties in Murcia, Mazarron, Lorca and Aguilas are offi cially classified as ‘desert’ due to the increase in tem perature and decrease in the amount of rainfall over the last 70 years.

Dear rubbish

THE Vega Baja’s 27 munici palities will pay just over €75 for each ton of rubbish that is taken from the Do lores waste transfer plant to landfills in Elche, Villena, Ali cante and Jijona. Transport will cost €12.62 per ton while eliminating or recy cling the rubbish will ac count for €62.49.

Equal footing

ALMORADI Town Hall’s So cial Welfare department in collaboration with ADA and APSA is helping seven young people with function al diversity to enter the job market with municipal posts. This will protect them from social‐economic exclu sion and help them join so ciety on equal terms, the Social Welfare councillor said.

Trash dilemma

THE home of a British wom an of 82 who died surround ed by rubbish in her Torre vieja home in June 2021 remains uncleared, owing to uncertainty regarding whether this is the responsi bility of the town hall or her family. Meanwhile her neighbours fear the accu mulated garbage poses a fire risk.

ALICANTE takes up the dream of becoming Spain’s ‘Hollywood’ as the Ciudad de la Luz studios reopen after a decade of not hosting filming.

The return to life of the Alicante film sets comes after the European Com mission decided to lift the sanction for illegal aid which prevented any eco nomic activity in the stu dios of the Generalitat.

This sentence had been in place for 10 years and was supposed to last until 2027. During this time, most of the facilities, which cost more than €420 million, have been gathering dust, with the exception of three build

Tasty servings

THE Auditorium of Torrevieja hosted the best of what was on offer at GastroVegaBaja 2022 from Friday, October 28 un til Sunday, October 30.

The three fabulous days involved tastings, show cooking, art, photography, cinema, music and children’s entertain ment together with the cuisine of a dozen restaurants from all over the region.

GastroVegaBaja, was the perfect gastronomic-cultural fes tival that stimulated every one of the senses.

The festival featured short film screenings, concerts, work shops and tastings of more than 25 different dishes made with fruit, vegetables and other ingredients from the Bajo Segura.

The Association of Hospitality Businesses of Torrevieja and Region confirmed that: “This event has already established itself as an essential appointment in the cultural and leisure calendar of the province of Alicante.”

THE renovation work on Calles Madre Elisea and Meca in Orihuela has offi cially been declared com pleted.

The roads have now been opened to traffic, although traffic has been removed from the roundabout on Avenida Alcalde Vicente Es cudero towards the town centre of Orihuela.

According to councillor for Infrastructures Angel Noguera these changes have been necessary “to widen the pavements in Calle Madre Elisea and make it safer for pedestri ans, who had to get off the pavement because it was too narrow and this com promised their own safety.”

Job done

The councillor added that, with the widening of the platforms, the street is now accessible to people with physical disabilities: “Before, wheelchairs could not use this street which is ironic as it is one of the streets that gives access to the health centre. It also ac cesses the Ociopía shopping centre and the Palacio del Agua.

“The height of the pave ment has also been low ered, as it was too high and made it difficult for the el derly or people with mobili ty difficulties to get around,” he added.

panies in what it called the Digital District, as well as for other purposes such

as hosting Ukrainian refugees.

The business plan drawn up by Ciudad de la Luz envisages the venue hosting around 220 pro ductions over a period of five years. An activity that would generate an eco nomic impact of €850 mil lion during that period, with around 4,900 jobs and 22,800 service con tracts linked to all the paraphernalia of the show, from image and sound technicians to light ing technicians, carpen ters and hairdressers.

Under new management

ALICANTE University ex perts have finished this year’s campaign at the La Alcudia site in Elche.

The Dama de Elche sculpture, 2,500 years old, was found here in 1897 and investigators have now discovered 50 metres of wall and signs of habita tion very near the spot where the bust was found.

The dig led by Alberto Lorrio, Professor of Prehis tory at Alicante University, had hoped to discover more about Iberian pres ence in the La Alcudia site’s south‐eastern section, us ing georadar to identify former constructions.

“Next year we shall con tinue excavating this sec tor to see if we can find the entrance to the city,” Pro fessor Lorrio explained.

“We have uncovered some 50 metres of wall, which is not continuous. We are still waiting on the georadar’s specific results but this has already al lowed us to detect breaks,” he said.

DR JOSE CANO, the Torre vieja Health Department’s new manager, recently em barked on a round of talks with the mayors of the 10 municipalities that are cov ered by Torrevieja’s Health Department.

These began with Eduar do Dolon, Torrevieja may or, who was accompanied by the town hall’s Health councillor Diana Box.

Both sides stressed the importance of working to gether for the good of the patients, providing them with the best possible stan dards regarding personnel, assistance, technology and quality medical attention.

Consolidating the inte gration of the Depart ment ‐ formerly out sourced to Ribera Salud ‐into the region’s publicly‐owned was his principal

objective, Dr Cano said.

“Listening to all parties with the aim of improving attention and reinforcing resources so that we can offer the best care available is essential,” he insisted.

“La Dama de Elche has to be associated with a town, but in La Alcudia we had found no previous signs of this,” the professor added. “Discovering these first vestiges of habitation will help us to put the Iberian bust into context,” he said.

ings that the Valencian government reallocated to locate technology com

STUDIOS REOPEN: Creating around 4,900 jobs.

Image: gnepphoto/Shutterstock.com

WORKING TOGETHER: Diana Box, Dr Cano and Eduardo Dolon pledged future cooperation.

All at seaTreasure Island

ONLY a few weeks to panto time and Rojales Pantomime Group has set the scene at The Ad miral Benbow where various seafaring ne’er do wells and their girl friends are discovered enjoying a rousing singsong, so come and join them for merry jests and happy laughter, you won’t want to miss it........ oh no you won’t!!

For a thigh slapping entertaining few hours why not join the crew and set sail on Decem ber 1 and 2, at 7.15pm or December 3 at 2.15pm at The Cardinal Belluga Theatre in San Fulgencio.

Tickets are only €10

for adults and €5 for children and can be pur chased from various lo cal outlets, for further information of where or how to buy tickets, please email voreilly16 @googlemail.com

Donations from tick et sales will be allocated to various local charities.

THE 14th Euromarina Regatta organised by the Real Club Nautico de Torrevieja will be held from January 26 until January 29 next year.

Entries are now closed, with 25 countries taking part, including Argenti na, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Fin land, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine and the USA.

This figure is close to 400 sailors.

The United States will have 10 boats taking part, while other coun tries have increased their number of partici pants, including Croatia with 20, the same as

Remembering the fallen

TWO EVENTS: Are being held at Campoverde Church.

Greece, Hungary with 25, the Netherlands with 18 and Switzerland with 23.

Boats from Andalucia, Galicia, Euskadi, Cantabria, Catalonia, Va lencia, Murcia, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands will also take part.

No easy catch

SOMETIMES , fisher men have off days, sometimes the venue can have an off day.

TWO events are being held at Campoverde Church in the Community to commemo rate the fallen. The first is on Saturday November 12 when Pip and Mike Shail are giving a presentation of songs and readings for reflection entitled ‘O Soldier, Soldier’. This will start at 6.30pm in Campov erde Church, admission is free but there will be a retiring col

lection for the Royal British Legion.

On Sunday evening, November 13, there will be a short ‘Act of Remembrance’ starting at 6pm in Campov erde Church Garden, to which everyone is welcome.

For more details contact the Church Warden on 623 016 231 or e-mail maggie ruthdew@hotmail.com.

On Thursday Octo ber 27, at Argos, it was one of those days. Carp‐R‐Us were fishing round eight of the Murcia Series there and, in what looked like perfect conditions, everyone was ex pecting a good day’s fishing.

That was not the case and almost half of the 11 anglers who fished strug gled to get one or two fish.

Clear winner was Alan Smith who, de spite the presence for almost half the match of some row dy neighbours, man aged 12.84kg caught on the method feed er with 8mm pellets from peg 11.

Carp‐R‐Us are meeting next today, Thursday November 3 at El Bosquet pegs 8‐16 and 26‐4.

For further infor mation about this match or about the club this can be found on its website www.carp‐r‐us.wee bly.com or on the Facebook page Carp‐R‐Us Fishing Costa Blanca.

EUROMARINA REGATTA: Twenty five countries will take part.

Image: Nikiforov Alexander/Shutterstock.com

Rojales pantomime group.

Filmmaker tribute

ELCHE City Council has paid tribute to the filmmaker Gudie Lawaetz for her con tribution to spreading the story of Elche’s Misteri all over the world by naming a square in her honour.

Gudie Lawaetz was a journalist and filmmaker with a passion for the Mis teri d’Elx who, in 1978, to gether with Michael Dodds,

directed the feature film that spread the Elche As sumptionist drama all over the world.

The Mystery of Elche is a cultural treasure of the peo ple of Elche and one of the most outstanding jewels of the Valencian cultural her itage. It was pronounced a National Monument in 1931, and in 2001 was in

PROVIDING health care for residents from other au tonomous re gions and abroad has cost the Valencian Community €803 million since 2012.

cluded in the first Proclama tion of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Gude’s niece-in-law, Cecil ia Casas, said: “One of the nicest things that her hus band, the historian Joaquín Romero, told me about my aunt is that her idea of par adise if it existed on earth, was Elche.”

€803m Bill

The Generalitat now wants reimburse ment from the central government, an nounced regional vice‐president and Generalitat spokeswoman Aitana Mas.

The €803 million remains unpaid ow ing to Madrid’s delay in activating com pensation mechanisms set out in a Royal Decree‐Law of 2012.

Together with other tourism centres, the Valencian Community has for years

been asking the central government to address the “econom

ic imbalance” involved in providing healthcare for visitors from other com munities who are living temporarily in the region, Mas said.

The Valencian Community is also owed another €144.6 million for treat ment for patients from other countries. Although each region bills the country in question, payment from the EU’s Cohe sion Fund is sent directly to the central government.

This too, has failed to arrive, Mas said.

ELCHE City Hall approved a building permit for the mu nicipality’s first solar power plant in a bid to bring clean electricity to hundreds of lo cal homes.

The €1.2 million installation will be located in the Perleta district. This is one of at least 24 plants planned for Elche which heads the list of munic ipalities awaiting authorisa tion from the regional gov ernment.

To obtain permission, Isis Power first needed to navi

Sun powered

gate two years of paperwork, demonstrating the future plant’s integration into the lo cal landscape. It also had to produce a document to certi fy the environmental impact and even plans for eventually dismantling the plant and restoring the land to its origi nal state.

The company is now au thorised to operate for 30

years, paying an annual fee of more than €25,000 to Elche City Hall.

Earlier this year an applica tion for another solar plant in Salades near Elche’s Business Park was turned down be cause the Lorca‐based com pany involved was unable to guarantee that the installa tion on non‐building land was environmentally‐friendly.

TORREVIEJA

Town Hall has terminated its contract with the municipality’s fumigation and pest control company after it reportedly could not provide the required services

Bug problem

The town hall has faced increasing criticism following a plague of mosquitoes caused by heavy rain in ear ly October, followed by relatively high temperatures.

The contractor had only one vehicle to cover the spate of daily calls from all over the town when four or five were needed, Dolon said.

In a Questions and Answers session

during a coun cil meeting on Saturday, Oc tober 28, Health councillor Diana Box insisted that the present town hall team’s prede cessors were responsible for the current situation.

When the contract came up for re newal in 2020, the present town hall had to agree to conditions and an annu al €57,000 outlay that were insufficient for the municipality’s needs.

“More investment will not eliminate these plagues in a marshy built-up ur ban environment, but it can at least re duce their impact,” Box said.

Hospital extension

Linda Hall

THE contract for the Vega Baja hospital extension has been awarded to Rover‐Germania after it put in a €62.5 million bid, a saving of €6.3 million on the original contract.

“This is very good news for Orihuela and for all Ve ga Baja residents who use the hospital,” said the city’s mayor Carolina Gra cia.

“This means there will be more beds, more ser vices and, in general, an improvement in health care for everybody.”

The mayor also revealed

that she believed work, which will take 30 months to complete, could begin soon. City hall would co

Fabulous photos

Anna Ellis

ARE you a budding photogra pher? Alicante City Council has announced its ‘Photo graphic Autumn in the Old Town of Alicante’ Contest.

The contest is created to publicise and promote Ali cante’s emblematic historic centre through black and white photography as seen through the eyes of its citi zens. The theme of the photo graph competition is the Old Town, and photographs taken from the Santa Barbara Castle towards the delimited area will be accepted.

The three winners will re ceive prizes of €300.

Councillor for Housing Jose Ramon Gonzalez has high lighted that “the contest al ways has a lot of participation, and it is an initiative created to value the Old Town and revi talise one of the most beauti ful and historic corners of our city.” Twenty‐four of the best photographs will be on dis play at the El Claustro munici pal building from December 14 until January 6. People and fans of the art of photography aged over 16 years of age who want to participate can do so until November 20 at 11.59pm. Only two digital or analogue photographs may be submitted per person.

operate “wherever neces sary” with the Generalitat to ensure that the exten sion was built as rapidly as

possible, she said.

The new two‐storey buildings will be connect ed to the existing hospital, one of which will be used for outpatients, a mental health centre and day hos pital.

The other building, which will include operat ing theatres and areas for haemodialysis and endo scopies, will adjoin the ex isting operating theatre block.

The extension will also free up space for beds on the wards, which will in crease from the present 330 to 382.

Books galore

ALICANTE Council have do nated 560 kilos of used books to the Alicante associ ation La Hormiga Poeta to be used by schools, libraries and other entities. The tomes were donated by the people of Alicante at the city’s mobile eco point.

Mostly children’s books, they were collected during September and October in the different locations of the mobile Ecopoint that travels around Alicante helping lo cals to recycle.

The council said: “The do nation of these books made

by the residents of Alicante has not only prevented them from ending up in the container but, by being do nated to this small associa tion of reading lovers, La Hormiga Poeta, they will now have a second life, in serted back into the frame work of the circular econo my.”

CONTRACT AWARDED: Orihuela mayor Carolina Gracia with Health department officials.

credit:

Books were donated.

Play it with music

LOS MONTESINOS is com bining football and music at the local football ground on Saturday, November 5.

The town hall’s Sports department recently an nounced the first edition of the Football 8 Tournament for Bands in honour of Santa Cecilia, patron saint of musicians.

“People can enjoy a great football event which will be original and unusu al,” said Los Montesinos Sports councillor, Ana Be len Juarez, who was ac companied by Jose Fran cisco Parades Perez, director of the Agrupación Musical de Los Mon tesinos.

Musicians from 13 Vega Baja brass bands will start playing - football, not mu sic - at 9am, with the final phase beginning at 4pm and the winning team de cided at 7pm.

There will also be a giant paella for the participants

and their companions.

“Events like these are important because they demonstrate that culture and sport are compatible, and don’t need to be en joyed on separate occa

sions,” Juarez said.

Meanwhile, Francisco Parades Perez said that he was sure the tournament would become a regular sporting and leisure event for the area’s bands.

Alicante makeover

ALICANTE’S Calle Marques de Molins is set for a facelift.

The works are designed to give more space to pedestrians by doubling the width of its pavements and will incorporate bike lanes in some sections, as well as trees and efficient column lights that will re turn to the aesthetics of the old classic lamp posts of Alicante.

The works will boost the area’s commerce by facil itating the pedestrian flow and reducing the intensi ty of traffic.

Councillor for Town Planning, Adrian Santos, ex plained: “These are important works in the En sanche Mercado area, where the headquarters of the Official Language School is located. The aim of the works is to contribute to the recovery of local commerce, giving it a friendlier, more comfortable and accessible appearance whilst considering pedes trians and the environment.”

Linda Hall

Better menus

CÁMARA ORIHUELA has or ganised an event focused on the promotion of sustainable local produce on menus in tourist hotels and restaurants. The activity will take place on Tuesday, November 8 at the Los Angeles restaurant of the Campoamor Yacht Club start ing at 6.30pm.

As indicated by Pedro Mancebo, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, the objective of the event is to

“enhance menu content using local and seasonal products as main ingredients.” In this way, “we manage to unite two of the sectors with the greatest economic strength for the re gion, such as tourism and agri‐food.”

People interested in at tending this event can con tact the Chamber by phone 966 743 502 or by email ad ministracion@camaraori huela.org.

In remembrance

COME and join the members of the Ori huela Costa Branch of the Royal British Legion as they pay their respects to our nation’s war veterans on Sunday, November 13, at 10.30am.

The service will be held at Capilla Mil Palmeras Church, Urb Mil P Dotaciones, 3, 03191 Mil Palmeras, Alicante.

There will be a march led by the Tor revieja Pipes and Drums followed by a Wreath Laying Ceremony in the Garden of Remembrance.

For more information call: (+34) 634 363 288.

Town transparency

SANTA POLA Town Council has taken a fur ther step forward to be coming one of the most transparent in the Va lencia Region after it created a new online tool to allow residents to see information, in cluding the council’s budget.

The information is now available in a clear, user‐friendly and under

standable way, organ ised into 13 categories. The councillor for Transparency, Jose Pe dro Martínez said: “The portal was created with the aim of becoming a tool for daily use by resi dents, groups and enti ties. In addition to al lowing access to active and passive advertising from a single platform, it shows data with graph ics.”

Anna Ellis

ONLINE PORTAL: For daily use by residents etc.

Image: Santa Pola City Council

On menus in hotels and restaurants.

shutterstock

Ryanair strikes

RYANAIR ground staff announced on Wednes day, October 26 they will be striking through out November and December, with two strikes also confirmed for January.

Airports including Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Ibiza, Mallorca and La Pal mas, will all be affected.

A statement issued by the union said that the collective agreement needed to be renego tiated with discussions having been put on hold since 2020.

Partial stoppages will take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in November from 4 to

A DEFECTIVE DGT speed cam era could result in speeding fines for thousands of people in Spain being annulled and re funded.

A Spanish judge ruled on Wednesday, October 26 that a radar located at 13.4 kilome tres on the A66 between Gijón and Avilés, was not compliant and therefore the fines issued using the equipment were not enforceable. At issue in the case which began back in

7am, from midday to 3pm and 9 to 11pm.

Similar strikes will be held in December on 6, 10, 16, 17, 18, 22 and 23, whilst 24‐hour strikes will take place on December 8, 30 and 31.

Finally 24‐hour strikes have been called for January 6 and 8.

Unions have demanded the regularisation of allowances and shift publication to provide reg ular days for full‐time workers, as well as paid leave for attending medical appointments and court cases.

Similar strike action will also be taken by staff at Vueling Airlines.

Speeding refunds

February, is the number of photographs taken by the cam era. In terms of the law all speed cameras are required to take a minimum of two im ages, with this unit only taking one at a time.

The driver who took the DGT to court, was fined for driving at 133 km/h in a 120 km/h zone. He was caught on camera, but

when the fine arrived he re alised it had only one picture on it and not two as prescribed and a court has now cancelled it. The case now calls into ques tion all fines issued by the radar unit, as it does more than 7,000 objections raised regarding the legality of fines. That means the DGT could have to repay €737,600 in fines.

RYANAIR: Various airports in Spain will be affected by the upcoming strikes.

UKRAINE’S Defence Minis ter Oleksii Reznikov has thanked Spain’s Defence Minister Margarita Robles for the new support from the Spanish military.

Speaking at a news videoconference meeting between the two on Thurs day, October 27, Reznikov and Robles discussed the

Ukraine gives thanks

current situation in Ukraine and various as pects of the Spanish mili tary support provided to the war‐torn country since the beginning of the Rus sian invasion.

Spain’s Robles gave an

update on current ship ments of material and equipment and detailed the forecasts for future de liveries over the coming weeks.

She said that Spain would maintain “all the

necessary effort, as it has been doing throughout these eight months of war” and revealed that Spain “feels very proud of the courage of the Ukrainian people and armed forces.”

Reznikov shared his grat itude to Spain for its sup port over the past eight

months.

He added that he “great ly appreciated the speed of

Spain’s reaction to the new needs that have arisen on the ground.”

Economic excitement

SPAIN is set to eventually recover pre‐pandemic eco nomic activity levels, in 2024. The Independent Au thority for Fiscal Responsi bility (Airef) announced its forecast on Monday Octo ber 24, as part of its macroeconomic analysis and budget report.

The authority predicts that the Spanish economy will enter a technical reces sion in the fourth quarter of this year, and will contin ue to experience a falling GDP in the first quarter of 2023.

However, it expects the economy to make a recov ery to end 2023 with a 1.5 per cent growth rate in GDP and recover pre‐pan demic economic activity levels by 2024.

The Director of Economic Analysis, Esther Gordo ex plained that the technical recession does not mean that the Spanish economy is actually in recession,

highlighting that employ ment is increasing and GDP has grown this year.

With falls in GDP being forecast for other Euro

pean countries in 2023, in cluding Germany and Italy, Gordo added that it will be hard for Spain to avoid the trend.

Out of fashion

SPANISH fashion retail group Inditex has sold its Rus sian stores after suspending sales in March of this year following the invasion of Ukraine.

It has now written to the National Securities Market Council advising that it has reached an initial agree ment for the sale of its business in the Russian Federa tion to Daher group based in the United Arab Emirates.

Daher has significant interests in the retail and real estate industry and the currently unreleased full terms of the transaction, which is subject to government ap proval, will enable the preservation of a substantial number of jobs generated by Inditex Group in Russia.

This is not a simple way of ‘white washing’ continued trade in Russia by supplying branded goods to Daher and the agreement anticipates the takeover of the 515 stores and their staff.

Daher will (subject to agreement of landlords of the properties where leases are being transferred) rename the stores and stock their own brands which are com pletely unrelated to Inditex.

DEFENCE: Ukraine thanks Spain for continued support from Spanish military.

Forecast fortunes

Betty Henderson

SPAIN’S famous weather boy, Jorge Rey, has released his weather predictions for the upcoming winter. And we don’t have long to wait for rainfall and even snow, which is due in November ac cording to the aspiring mete orologist.

Appearing on Telecinco on October 24, Rey announced that he expects ‘significant’ rainfall during November that will put an end to months of drought in some areas of the country. He also expects some snowfall in

medium to high altitudes during November.

He expects further snow fall in December and Janury, hinting at the possibility of a repeat of 2021 Storm Filome na which brought unusually high snowfall to Spain and Portugal.

The 16‐year‐old from a

A FUTURISTIC aero‐taxi service was tested in a town in Jaen on October 26. The air taxi proto type is part of the European Uspace4UAM pro ject, which advocates for sustainable and alter native forms of public transport.

The drone‐like air taxi has been developed by Umiles Next and Tecnalia technology com panies and took its maiden public flight at the Atlas Experimental Flight Centre in Villacarrillo. Air taxis could speed up journeys and could be particularly useful for emergency services.

The aero‐taxi has been developed with in vestments from the European Horizon 2020

small town near Burgos has a passion for the weather and has been rapidly gaining fans from all over the country with fascinating predictions.

His methods of prediction are not scientifically‐sound, opting to use the traditional cabañuelas system of pre dicting the weather by ob serving nature, but that hasn’t stopped him from amassing more than 14,000 social media followers.

Rey learned the ancient system from a local shepherd and has been developing his passion ever since.

Flying taxi

fund as part of the European U‐Space system which is investigating ways that drones could be used in urban environments for everyday tasks.

Representatives from technology and trans port industries watched the aero‐taxi launch alongside members of the regional govern ment, including Luis Miguel Carmona, who highlighted that safety is a priority with the in ventions.

Persistent prices

THE Spanish property market defies European trends of property val ue, as values in Spain remain high despite Eu ropean dips in value.

Economists at the Eu ropean Central Bank re ported a general fall in house values in the Eu rozone in early Octo ber, but Spain is flout ing the trend as property values remain stable.

The news comes as a report revealed that non‐resident foreigners are still keen to spend money on Spanish property, and pay a lot more than foreign resi dents or Spanish na tionals on property.

Furthermore, proper ty experts in Spain say that supply of proper ties is likely to remain below demand, so a steep drop in property value will be avoided in Spain.

A report by the Span ish Notary Council re vealed that foreign non‐residents spend an average of €2,522 per square metre on prop erty in Spain, compared

with foreign residents who spend an average of €1,622 per square metre, and Spanish na tionals who pay €1,560 per square metre for property.

Weather boy is forecasting significant rainfall.

A MILESTONE was reached on Oc tober 26, as Spain announced it has now welcomed more than 150,000 Ukrainians fleeing war fol lowing the Russian invasion.

The announcement means that Spain has been one of the most welcoming countries to Ukrainian refugees in Europe.

More than 64 per cent of the

Landmark for Ukrainians

Ukrainian refugees granted asy lum in Spain are women, and al most 35 per cent are children ac cording to figures from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. A total of 150,078 asylum applica

tions have been processed and granted in the eight months since the scheme opened on March 10.

Statistics revealed that the Va lencian Community led in terms of numbers of Ukrainian refugees re

settled with 38,873. Catalonia closely followed with 34,070, then Madrid with 22,002 and Andaluc’a with 21,305 Ukrainians wel comed. An emergency scheme to deal with asylum requests created

in March has been responsible for the rapid resettlement. Authori ties have a maximum of 24 hours to decide the outcome of asylum applications from Ukrainian refugees which has sped up the process.

Temporary protections granted to successful applicants include residency and a work permit.

Cancer breakthrough

Betty Henderson

A MONUMENTAL moment was achieved for cancer re search on October 27 as sci entists in Barcelona devel oped a drug that successfully targets a can

cer causing gene. The drug showed promising results in phase one clinical trials.

The drug targets the gene ‘MYC’, which causes and maintains most com mon types of cancer, in

cluding breast, lung, ovari an and prostate cancers.

Scientists at the Vall d’Hebron Institute of On cology in Barcelona devel oped a mini‐protein called OMO‐103 which can reach the nucleus of cells. It en tered clinical trials in April 2021 and was tested on a range of cancers.

Dr Elena Garralda, Direc tor of the Early Drug Devel opment Unit at the oncolo gy institute explained why the finding was significant saying, “To date, no drug that inhibits MYC has been approved for clinical use.” The drug will now progress to phase two clinical trials, which is unprecedented.

The drug does not have any significant side effects except one case of pan creas inflammation which will be further tested.

Scientists said that can cer is most effectively tar geted through a ‘multi‐pronged approach’ and a drug like this could be revo lutionary.

KING CHARLES has moved to increase the number of work ing royals by extending the number who can act as coun sellors of state in a move that could act as a reprieve for Prince Andrew.

Announced on Wednes day, October 26 it is believed that the move is designed to bring about greater family harmony by not replacing

Prince Andrew’s reprieve

those that have been dis graced or side‐lined.

According to sources, the Regency Act is expected to be amended to allow the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Roy

al to take on counsellor roles.

That means the king will not have to relieve either Prince Harry or Prince Andrew of their duties, whilst main taining the level of support

that the king needs in con ducting official business and in his absence, using letters patent. The Regency Acts of 1937 and 1953, says that the spouse of a monarch and the

Charity at home

MORE of the UK’s foreign aid budget is being spent in Britain rather than in poor developing countries, according to a report by the Centre for Global Devel opment (CGD).

The report released on Saturday, Oc tober 29 said that is because a large percentage of the money set aside for aid is being spent on housing and sup porting refugees.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak when Chancellor, changed the rules slashing the budget from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent as well as allowing the Home Of fice and other departments to redirect funds intended for international aid. That meant these funds can be spent locally but still be classified as interna tional aid.

next four in line to the throne aged over 21 can act as coun sellors. Currently that is the Queen Consort, the Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beat

rice, however this move would now allow the Earl of Wessex and Princess Royal to take on counsellor roles with out replacing Princes Harry or Andrew.

84 years late

A BOOK that was borrowed from a library back in 1938 has finally been returned after 84 years, as reported by a national news agency on, Thursday, October 27. The grandson of the man who took the book out was sub sequently hit with a fine of £18.27 for bringing it back late.

Captain William Humphries originally borrowed a copy of the nature book ‘Red Deer’ from the Earlsdon Carnegie Communi ty Library in Coventry. He took it home for his daughter Anne to read and went unnoticed on the shelves of his home.

Mr Humphries passed away in

1957, and his daughter also died recently. While going through his grandfather’s belongings, Paddy Riordan happened upon the book.

He promptly returned it to the Coventry library where he was informed of the fine of one old penny for each week that the book was overdue.

If a fine had been issued at to day’s current rate of 25p per day a book is overdue, then Paddy would have faced a stiffer penal ty of £7,673.

A copy of the same book can be found on Amazon for just un der £4.

THE UK is experiencing a GP exodus amid soaring demand for health ser vices, with the number of doctors now almost 2,000 less than in 2015.

Despite pledges by the government to recruit more doctors and more health workers, the Royal College of GPs told one publication on Friday, Oc tober 28 that patients were finding it increasing ly difficult to get appoint ments.

In some areas patients are said to be waiting weeks for appointments, with demand making it difficult to get through by phone and even then, there are no available slots.

Prof Martin Marshall, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “While GPs and our teams work hard er and harder, the number of fully qualified, full‐time equivalent GPs has fallen

since the government’s 2019 manifesto pledge.

“It is a service at break ing point. GPs and our teams are burning out, struggling to manage a workload that is escalating

GP concerns Royal windfall

both in terms of volume and complexity.”

That Prof Marshall said is resulting in some reduc ing their hours whilst oth ers are taking early retire ment.

KING CHARLES has earned in excess of £1 million from the sale of 14 of the late Queen’s beloved horses.

In total, Her Majesty’s beloved horses were sold for £1,075,500 at Tattersall’s October sales in Newmarket. They included Just Fine, the horse with which Charles gained his first winner in the Royal Silks. The racehorse reportedly sold for £300,000.

Her Majesty herself was no stranger to selling some of her horses at the same Newmarket event. Her son col lected £200,000 for Theme Park, a two‐year‐old colt, with another £185,000 coming from the sale of the three‐year‐old gelding Naval College. At the lower end of the scale, Charles got £4,000 for Tack, a three‐year‐old colt.

Tactical, ridden to victory in 2020 at Royal Ascot sold for £150,000, with three others going for six‐figure sums. Tattersall’s October sales had a bumper record‐breaking three‐day sale, with more than £36 million generated by the sale of horses.

Brit kayaker rescued

A BRITISH kayaker who was trying to paddle across the English Channel to France has been res cued after his inflatable capsized.

On Friday, October 28 the man was found in just his swimming trunks cling ing to a buoy by Dutch fisherman. The man told crew that he had been

there for nearly 48 hours after his kayak capsized.

Captain, Teunis de Boer, said he spotted him as they were sailing across the sea. He said he saw him “waving like a mad man.” The crew hauled the man aboard and gave him lifesaving assistance, with his body temperature having dropped to 26ºC.

He was also covered in bruises and said to be de hydrated.

The man was given a Snickers bar and wrapped in blankets. They then con tacted the coastguard, which resulted in the French sending a heli copter out to rescue the man, who was taken to a hospital in Boulogne.

Cult show returns

LEGENDARY quiz show Deal Or No Deal is reportedly set to return to tele vision screens eight years after being axed, with Stephen Mulhern replacing Noel Edmonds as host.

The show ran originally for 11 years. Stephen Mulhern will reportedly now be in charge of the 22 sealed red boxes containing unknown varying sums of money, which contestants must eliminate as the game progress es. They are also up against the anony mous ‘banker’ who tries to tempt them into gambling their potential prize away.

“Deal Or No Deal was absolutely huge back in the day and pulled in mil lions of viewers,” the source told one publication, “ITV think there is still a huge appetite for it and thinks they could make a huge success of the show if they brought it back.

“Plans for the reboot are in the very early stages and the details of when it could come back are being closely guarded,” they explained. “There have been discussions around Noel possibly returning, but ITV decided they want to give the show a completely fresh look and feel.”

Fat cat taxes

THE new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is said to be plan ning a windfall tax grab as he struggles to balance the books following his prede cessor’s disastrous mini bud get.

According to reports on Fri day, October 28, Sunak is said to be considering a range of options that in cludes expanding the wind fall tax on energy companies. The news comes the day af ter Shell once again an nounced record profits for the quarter, more than dou ble its profits for the same period last year.

A spokesperson for the prime minister told one pub lication: “No options are off the table given the economic circumstances.” The existing windfall tax for energy com panies will raise around £17 billion in 2022 and 2023, however, it is due to end in December. Currently levied at 25 per cent, one of the op tions being considered is an

increase in that rate. The Chief Executive of Shell Ben van Beurden, has acknowl edged the case for windfall taxes but said that producers should be “at the table” to make sure any new taxes were designed in a “correct and appropriate” way.

Truss badly hacked

LIZ TRUSS’S personal mobile phone was reportedly compromised by foreign agents suspected of working for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The news was revealed on Saturday, October 29 with private messages between Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng said to be among those accessed by foreign agents. According to sources of the two journalists who conducted the investigation, up until the time the breach was discovered during the Conservative Party leadership campaign this summer, the hackers downloaded messages for at least a 12‐month period. There is no specific mention of the exact type of messages the hackers stole, but top‐secret negotiations be tween the Foreign Secretary and international allies could well be among those that were taken. It is thought that messages criticising then‐Prime Minister Boris Johnson could also have been download ed. Messages detailing arms shipments, or other highly sensitive dis cussions with foreign counterparts regarding the conflict in Ukraine are also feared to have been stolen. Truss’s phone was so badly com promised that according to the source, it has been taken to a secure government location and locked away in a safe.

SUNAK: Said to be considering the options.

Simon Walker No 10 Downing Street flickr

Choral concert

AN exciting choir, Coral 152.8, are coming to Ali cante to showcase their choral talents.

Choral music is becom ing more popular due to the promotion of choirs through TV programmes like Britain’s Got Talent and is increasingly being used in films or sound tracks.

With this in mind, Escena D’Aci has prepared a reper toire of varied Acappella choral music.

Eight singers travel through different styles, from the renaissance to the present day and from sacred music to modern chart topping choral hits. This show will take the au dience on a time hopping journey full of different harmonies and melodies.

Date: Saturday, Novem ber 19 at 6.30pm.

Location: Community So cial Centre, Calle Isla de Cu ba 40, Alicante.

Broadway beckons

Saucy scenes

ACTORS COMMUNITY THE ATRE will be taking to the stage on Thursday November 17 to Saturday November 19 inclusive, at Casa de Cultura, Benijofar for their autumn production.

to increase the libido of older women. When Bud’s Viagra and Henry’s new pill some how become mixed up, the fun really starts and very strange things begin to hap pen.

ARE you looking for a night of fabulous entertainment? If so then look no fur ther!

Studio 32 are looking forward to per forming what has proved to be the most challenging production that they have done so far.

A Night on Broadway will consist of nine mini‐productions with 27 musical numbers from shows that they have put on over the past 13 years.

In that time Studio 32 has donated over €40,000 to local charities.

A great cast has been assembled to bring you an extravaganza of musical numbers and dance.

The show will run at the Cardenal Belu ga Theatre in San Fulgencio, on Novem ber 10, 11 and 12.

For more information or to book tick ets email tickets@studiothirtytwo.org or call 679 062 272

Studio 32 is always looking for people to join their group (especially men) who can, or have aspirations to sing, dance and act. Or anyone who has experience working in the theatre backstage, in lighting, sound etc and in particular who has experience working with costumes.

If you are that person and would like further information on the theatre com pany and rehearsal times, go to the web site: www.studiothirtytwo.org.

Mrs Stancliffe’s Rose Cot tage bed and breakfast busi ness is very successful, with her lady guests returning year after year due, it seems, to the randy attentions of her neighbour, Bud ‘The Stud’ Davies, silver haired and silver tongued, and aided by Viagra.

Enter Henry, a retired chemist and another neigh bour to Mrs Stancliffe, who has invented ‘Venusia’, a pill

Don’t miss the hilarious re sults in this fast‐paced come dy written by Michael and Su san Parker and directed by Deborah Locke.

Tickets are €10 and avail able from various shops in the area, more information can be obtained from ACTS Actors Community Theatre on Face book, actstheatre@icloud. com or by calling: 602 683 925.

Calling doggie fans

A CHARITY dog show will take place on Sunday, October 30, to be held at El Rancho (Los Mon tesinos) in aid of three deserving charities, SAT Protectora de Animales, Paradise Kennels, and Easy Horse Care.

Chris Dyson from TKO Radio will be MC and presenter on the day, and Smart Dog Academy will be presenting a Ca nine Hoopers Exhibition. Judging will be by Pedro (Pawsome dogs) and Ben (Dog Training Costa Blan ca).

Overall there will be 10 Cate gories, with rosesettes for the first six in each category (see the poster) and the winner from each category goes into Best in Show/Re serve. Entry to the show is only €5.

Registra tion for the show will commence at 10.00am, and the show starts at midday.

There will be a host of stalls to browse and buy, a raffle, and a tombola stall.

All money raised will go to the three named charities. So come along and have a fun‐filled day and let us raise as much

as possible.

For further information contact Keith Oakes on 711 017 534 or Angela Holt on 696 428 783

To book a stall tele phone Lois on 603 229 629 and anybody willing to donate to the tombola stall please call Jan on 603 152 730.

Anna Ellis

CAST MEMBERS: (left to right) Paige Charleton, Julie Cartwright, Katy Pearl, Carol Spence and Ashelie Oxley.

HILARIOUS: Don’t miss this fast-paced comedy.

Image: Studio 32

Ancient ambition

AN ancient dream to construct a bridge from mainland Italy to Sicily has been revived by new Minister for Infrastructure, Matteo Salvini. The minister announced a bridge as one of his objectives in the role on Monday October 24.

A bridge across the Strait of Messina was also a priority for ancient Romans, who al legedly constructed a bridge of barrels to transport 140 elephants captured from the Carthaginians during the Punic Wars from Sicily to the mainland.

The plans are controversial due to the dan ger involved. The area in the Strait of Messi na is the site of a 1908 earthquake that killed more than 120,000 people and has one of the biggest seismic risks in Europe, so a bridge is considered impractical and danger ous. Engineers also say a bridge would be hugely costly and would have a negative en vironmental impact.

Salvini however said that the construction scheme would create 100,000 jobs and cut costs from ferry trips.

First female PM

ITALY’S first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni gave an inaugural speech on Tuesday Oc tober 25, in which she said she felt “a burden weighing on my shoulders” as the first woman to lead the country.

During the speech, the new prime minister reiterated her stance against illegal immigration as well as endorsing NATO and support for Ukraine. Meloni also distanced herself and the rul ing coalition from Mussolini‐era racial laws and past fascism.

Meloni still needs to pass votes of confidence in both chambers of the house of parliament, but is likely to do so due to popularity of parties in the coalition. Meloni received 70 rounds of applause during the speech which lasted more than one hour.

Despite having described herself as against ‘pink quotas’ of female representation, and be ing criticised by feminists who have called her politics patriarchal, Meloni opened her speech by listing 11 inspirational Italian women from throughout history.

International intimidation

ILLEGAL Chinese ‘police sta tions’ were identified in the Netherlands by Dutch au thorities on October 25.

China is accused of setting up illegal ‘police stations’ to track and silence dissidents in Europe.

‘Overseas service stations’ that purported to offer diplo matic services are accused of tracking and harassing Chi nese dissidents in Europe.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry

Art attack

A BIZZARE climate protest saw activists in Potsdam, Ger many throwing mashed potato at a Monet painting on Sun day October 23. Protestors from the Letzte Generation (Last Generation) targeted Monet’s Les Meules (Haystacks) paint ing at the Museum Barberini, before gluing themselves to the wall.

The stunt was posted on the group’s social media pages afterwards describing it as a wake‐up call about the climate crisis saying, “People are starving, people are freezing, peo ple are dying,” adding “Does it take mashed potatoes on a painting to make you listen? This painting is not going to be worth anything if we have to fight over food.”

The controversial protest shocked many in the art indus try, but museum staff announced that the painting did not appear to be damaged due to a glass screen in the frame.

A spokesperson for the gallery said that police came to the scene and removed the protesters from the wall “rela tively easily.”

said that at least two unau thorised ‘police stations’ it found in the Netherlands were illegal. An investigation into Chinese policing in Eu rope was launched following a Spanish report by an NGO which uncovered intimidat ing practices from the sup posed diplomatic assistance centres.

One Chinese dissident, Wang Jingyu, alleged that Chinese police were illegally pursuing him in the Nether lands, including making threats about his family in China. Jingyu received threat ening phone calls from au thorities claiming to be based in Chinese ‘overseas service stations’ located in the Netherlands.

Police authorities from two Chinese provinces have es tablished ‘overseas service stations’ across Europe, in cluding nine locations in Spain and four in Italy.

Chinese authorities reject ed the accusations as untrue, with the Chinese Embassy saying it was unaware of these ‘police stations’.

Everyone gets 15 minutes of fame

ANDY WARHOL said that everyone gets 15 minutes of fame, but according to Ra mon Hervey II, whose new book is out, he said that is not quite true.

Ramon, a publicist turned artist and brand manager, has worked with some of the best that the world of acting, music and sport have to offer. Speaking exclusively to Euro Weekly News he said that there was some truth in what Warhol said in that fame can arrive in an in stant, but it can go just as quickly.

Speaking about how the entertainment world has changed, he said “it now takes much more than talent to become famous.”

For a starter he said fame doesn’t come by accident. It takes hard work, dedication and an understanding and commitment to what comes

@delphinediallo

with being famous. And that commitment he said is something not everyone is willing to make.

Ramon said that over the years he has turned down many artists either because they have not giv en any thought to the steps that need to be taken to be famous, or because their ob session with fame got in the way. Artists he said, are the entertainment world’s businesses. That means having an understanding of where you want to be and how you are going to get there. Drawing on his experience with the likes of Mohammed Ali, Bette Midler and Quincy Jones, Ramon outlines in the book how you can achieve fame and most importantly how

you can nurture it. When asked what advice he would give someone who is starting out, he said “you need to un derstand what fame involves and you need to be comfort able with that.” He said that is particularly important in today’s world where fans want access to artists they never enjoyed before.

The rise of social media means that fans want to know everything about you, where you have been and what you do and that he said, is not for everyone. Having a good manager who can partner with you in plan ning your path and in man aging your fame can help you through the ups and downs of the entertainment business.

The book - ‘The Fame Game - An insider’s play book for earning your 15 minutes’ is out now and is available from book stores and online.

Peter McLaren-Kennedy

RAMON HERVEY II: His new book is available from book stores and online.

‘White gold’ rush

A LITHIUM mine is due to be built in the centre of France, as European coun tries race to find alterna tive energy sources to fossil fuels. Minerals company, Imerys announced the ‘Emili Project’ on Tuesday October 25 which is set to mine the metal for use in electric batteries.

Lithium, often dubbed ‘white gold’, is an essential component in the produc tion of electric vehicles, as it is used in batteries.

The EU currently imports most of its lithium, with President Ursula von der Leyen expressing concern that “China controls the global processing industry,” as 60 per cent of the world’s lithium is pro cessed there.

This French project could be particularly lucrative, as European industry seeks al ternative lithium sources.

Imerys explained that the site at the existing Beauvoir kaolin quarry con

tains one million tonnes of lithium, which would allow 34,000 tonnes of extraction every year for 25 years. The lithium extracted could be used to produce more than 700,000 electric vehicles

per year.

Project leaders are in the last stages of a technical evaluation for the project which is set to receive €1 billion in capital invest ment.

Cargo queues

AS the global energy crisis continues, ships carrying gas are building up in the waters around Europe. Energy experts an nounced on Tuesday October 25 that a bottleneck situation had been created as huge oil tankers wait to unload off the coasts of Europe.

As European countries rushed to stock up on gas ahead of winter, storage facilities are now more full than usual. In fact, the latest data suggests that gas storage facilities in Europe are at 95 per cent of their capacity, on average.

Some ships carrying gas are being unloaded, but demand for facilities to turn the liquified gas back into gas is high. Eu rope usually relies on pipelines to Russia, so doesn’t have many heating facilities to complete the process. Some coun tries including the Netherlands and Germany have invested in new conversion facilities, but they are yet to become func tional.

The weather in Europe has also been unseasonably mild in to autumn, which means less gas has been required for heat ing. Experts hope the situation will be resolved as the gas is used and supply and demand is brought back under control.

PRESSEUROPEAN

DENMARK

Green question

THE European Union has granted €8.5 million to researchers from the University of Copenhagen to help them investigate how long-ago Greenland was actually green as by drilling deep ice cores, they can gauge when there were forests and what trees they consisted of.

THE NETHERLANDS

Asian invader

MODERN technology is being used in the Dutch Government’s fight against the invading Asian hornet which kills and eats honey bees and other insects, as for the first time ever scientists managed to attach a tiny transmitter to an individual that returned to its nest.

BELGIUM

Chip crisis

INFLATION has hit one of the nation’s favourites as the president of the Belgian Frites Association has announced that the price of a single portion of frites will probably rise by between 10 and 20 per cent by the end of this year.

GERMANY

High time

TAKING over from Holland as the most liberal country with regards to cannabis in the European Union, the German government has announced that it will legalise the possession for personal use of up to one ounce of cannabis as well as allow its sale from regulated shops.

FRANCE

Supermarket sweep

POLICE in the south-west town of Lons were called to a supermarket where staff had discovered that a 47-year-old Parisian man had stayed there overnight, consuming prawns, crisps, sausages and a bottle of whisky before trying to abscond with six computers worth €3,000.

NORWAY Suspected spy

POLICE have arrested an academic working at the University of Tromsø in the Arctic Circle on suspicion of secretly spying for Russia and they have told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that although he claims to be Brazilian, they believe he is a Russian with fake papers.

FINLAND

Gender equality

THE most recent index compiled by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has ranked Finland fourth in the European Union trailing Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, but still significantly higher than the EU average and a significant advance on 2010 results.

IRELAND

Open all hours

A SUDDEN decision reportedly made by the Irish Justice Minister to recommend that nightclubs in the Republic be allowed to remain open until 6am without apparently any consultation with the Gardai (police force) is causing significant concern as officers fear that they will be under resourced.

ITALY

Cliff hanger

PERHAPS he was watching the movie Speed but a bus driver on Rome’s 32 bus service has been suspended without pay by public transport company ATAC after a passenger posted a video of the driver watching a film as he manoeuvred through Rome’s busy streets.

PORTUGAL

Brewers droop

BREWERS and beer drinkers are not happy with the Portuguese government as beer currently carries a 23 per cent tax as opposed to wine which is 13 per cent, but a 2023 proposal sees a further 4 per cent added to beer prices whilst wine escapes.

UKRAINE

Twin towns

VISITING Kyiv and having to spend time in an air raid shelter due to fear of attack, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced that the Bavarian town of Waldkirchen, would become twinned with Koriukivka in Chernihiv as a sign of German support and friendship with Ukraine.

SWEDEN Snakes alive

PROBABLY the most venomous reptile in the world, a King Cobra initially named Sir Vas (Sir Hiss) and now known as Houdini has escaped from the Skansen Aquarium in Stockholm after discovering that newly installed low energy bulbs were not too hot to squeeze past.

STAT OF WEEK €4.84 billion

is the amount that Spanish bank BBVA earned in the first nine months of 2022, an increase of 46 per cent over the previous year.

ECB rate hike FINANCE

BUSINESS EXTRA

50p coin

THE UK Royal Mint has start ed producing the first coin featuring the effigy of King Charles III to be put into gen eral circulation. The 50p coin which carries the same de sign as the Queen’s Corona tion coin of 1953 on its re verse will start to circulate in December.

GDP stalls

THE initial forecast from the National Institute of Statis tics (INE) suggests that busi ness growth in the third quarter of 2022 has almost stalled and Spain’s GDP has increased by just 0.2 per cent even though the summer saw a large influx of tourists.

Empty shops

ALTHOUGH some UK High Streets especially in the North and Wales are a little like ghost towns, a report by BRC and Local Data Compa ny suggests that there are slightly fewer empty shops in the third quarter with the figure standing at 13.9 per cent.

Saudi relations

THE third Saudi‐Spanish Joint Committee meeting in Madrid ended with a com mitment from both govern ments to continue to work together to allow Spanish companies to assist Saudi Arabia in increasing its indus trial and technological base and for Saudis to increase in vestment in Spain.

M&S news

THE ongoing question con cerning the flagship Marks and Spencer building in Ox ford Street continues as the company has now warned an enquiry that it will close its shop location if its plans to demolish and rebuild the property are refused, accord ing to the BBC.

Spain’s 2023 budget

THOSE with money to invest in the eurozone will be pleased that on Thursday October 27, the Eu ropean Central Bank (ECB) decid ed to raise interest rates again to try to stem the problem of infla tion.

Adding 0.75 per cent to make the new loan rate of 1.5 per cent the highest since 2009, the ECB in dicated that there is likely to be at least one further increase before the end of the year.

In addition, and as forewarned by the Governor of the Bank of Spain, the bank is also trying to call in loans taken at low rates by commercial banks throughout the 19 eurozone member states.

Girl’s best friend

SPAIN’S 2023 Budget overcame its first approval hurdle on Thursday October 27 when proposed amendments were rejected by the Lower House.

Having to rely on the support of po litical parties that do not form part of the government is to some extent a gamble but it appears that at the mo ment the government can rely on support from the minor parties.

In Parliament the Minister of Fi nance and Public Administration, María Jesús Montero, thanked the political groups that voted against the amendments to the public accounts and said that she would continue,

during the coming weeks, to negoti ate with those parties in order to en sure approval of the Budget, incorpo rating any improvements that may be agreed upon during the process.

During the full debate that took place in Congress, Minister Montero argued that the 2023 General Bud gets are essential to send a message of economic stability in a context of uncertainty due to the Russian inva sion of Ukraine.

It prioritises social justice, by strengthening the Welfare State and will allocate six out of every €10 to so cial spending and economic efficiency

that will promote inclusive growth, the creation of quality employment and the transformation of industry thanks to the European Recovery Fund.

During her speeches, the minister made it clear that the 2023 Budget valued as €274.445 billion include measures that benefit the middle and working class, protect vulnerable groups and help the productive fabric.

At the same time, the accounts maintain the commitment to fiscal consolidation by reducing the deficit and public debt, which will continue their downward path.

Quirky idea that might sell

A UNIQUE new sparkling wine will be available in Spain in the New Year as it comes in three forms, Sin gle, Married and Divorced.

This is a new private label sparkling wine from France created by Irene Patar who believes that everyone should be encouraged to celebrate their relationship status.

Launching first in the USA for the Holiday Season and New Year, Patar said “I con ceptualised Single Married Divorced as a way for all of us to raise a glass to cele brate who we are. I know it’s not easy out there. I know. I’ve been married to my husband for almost 20

years and sometimes I feel like all three in one day!”

She laughingly added “Nobody’s perfect. But de spite all that, I believe it’s

time for all of us to live it up and celebrate who we are and be proud of it!”

Speaking about the jour ney to create the label, she

explained “In the last 20 years, I’ve evolved so much.

“In the beginning of my marriage, I lived my life through my husband’s eyes. I wasn’t being me. Eventual ly I had an awakening and started taking control of my life and the person I wanted to be. And I celebrate that every day.”

Regardless of your rela tionship status, if you need to celebrate or commiser ate, then you can choose to enjoy being Single, Married or Divorced with the fizz which will be available in Spain from Bodega Maes trazgo in Barcelona from next year.

THE two words ‘blood diamonds’ brings to life the horror of coun tries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone torn apart by civil war, with diamonds being one of the main targets of rebels.

In theory, a code exists where by jewellers can trace the history of a diamond to ensure it hasn’t been extracted by slave labour, but a company in the UK Opsydia is now able to use its invention to penetrate the surface of any dia mond and micro engrave its provenance.

This is even more important now that man made diamonds are so good that they can easily confuse all except for experts.

Taking off

DESPITE all of the doom and gloom forecast by airlines dur ing the pandemic, the latest fig ures from IAG which owns Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling make good reading for shareholders.

Leisure travel has bounced back in the first three quarters of 2022 and the group has de clared an operating profit of €770 million as opposed to a loss of €2.487 billion in the same period of 2021.

Income continues to grow even though it has been restrict ed in the number of flights that it can run out of London Heathrow and many of the Asia‐Pacific routes are still closed.

YOU: Minister Montero in black dress celebrates the vote.

3I Group 1.177,50 1.179,46 1.162,00 21,31K

Abrdn 155,30 155,75 153,55 371,25K

Admiral Group 2.013,0 2.013,0 1.970,5 37,99K

Anglo American 2.715,5 2.730,0 2.674,0 312,88K

Antofagasta 1.218,50 1.230,50 1.203,50 169,14K

Ashtead Group 4.516,0 4.560,0 4.429,0 92,48K

Associated British Foods 1.371,5 1.374,0 1.360,0 79,90K

AstraZeneca 10.010,0 10.097,6 9.984,0 10,57K

Auto Trader Group Plc 528,60 528,60 515,40 151,82K

Aveva 3.143,0 3.147,0 3.128,0 31,08K

Aviva 416,10 416,80 412,70 493,83K

B&M European Value Retail SA328,10 328,10 321,70 191,89K

BAE Systems 807,41 818,60 807,20 294,52K

Barclays 150,20 151,30 148,94 3,83M

Barratt Developments 382,20 382,40 373,80 352,18K

Berkeley 3.593,0 3.591,0 3.526,0 18,09K

BHP Group Ltd 2.174,50 2.202,50 2.172,00 267,45K

BP 473,70 478,80 466,45 7,90M

British American Tobacco 3.442,5 3.456,0 3.417,5 205,61K

British Land Company 370,00 370,00 361,80 345,50K

BT Group 126,50 127,10 125,95 843,24K

Bunzl 2.851,0 2.850,0 2.815,0 33,84K

Burberry Group 1.885,2 1.884,0 1.866,5 44,56K

Carnival 674,7 676,4 664,0 204,09K

Centrica 70,00 70,16 69,46 446,32K

Coca Cola HBC AG 1.903,0 1.907,0 1.875,0 61,88K

Compass 1.844,00 1.847,00 1.830,50 140,37K

CRH 3.075,5 3.080,5 3.049,5 40,63K

Croda Intl 6.932,0 6.954,0 6.866,0 15,91K

DCC 4.937,0 4.944,0 4.889,0 18,09K

Diageo 3.588,5 3.603,5 3.557,0 200,33K

DS Smith 294,81 295,70 291,80 684,61K

EasyJet 340,95 341,30 331,00 460,09K

Experian 2.797,0 2.800,0 2.766,0 102,87K

Ferguson 9.562,0 9.668,0 9.514,0 62,73K

Flutter Entertainment 11.580,0 11.605,0 11.325,0 16,42K

Fresnillo 748,00 749,40 736,00 46,35K

Glencore 510,50 515,60 508,70 3,81M

GSK plc 1.394,39 1.398,00 1.388,00 291,86K

Halma 2.189,0 2.197,0 2.168,0 82,86K

Hargreaves Lansdown 774,00 780,60 772,00 23,43K

Hikma Pharma 1.256,50 1.256,50 1.244,00 38,90K

HSBC 447,75 448,65 442,50 3,68M

IAG 119,93

116,98 1,68M

Intermediate Capital 1.071,00 1.071,50 1.043,50 75,90K

Intertek 3.843,0 3.846,0 3.756,0 29,42K

ITV 69,06 69,12 67,62 885,17K

J Sainsbury 195,65 195,80 191,80 468,03K

Johnson Matthey 2.038,0 2.043,0 2.016,0 37,21K

Land Securities 580,60 580,60 564,40 230,06K

Legal & General 233,70 233,80 231,20 1,44M

Lloyds Banking 41,91 42,32 40,87 43,09M

London Stock Exchange 7.524,0 7.536,0 7.473,0 2,75K

Melrose Industries 112,65 112,85 111,10 1,02M

Mondi 1.515,00 1.522,50 1.507,00 64,36K

National Grid 934,80 936,12 925,40 36,26K

NatWest Group 243,60 244,50 240,00 1,10M

Next 5.150,0 5.156,0 5.062,0 26,66K

Norilskiy Nikel ADR 9,10 9,10 9,10 0

Ocado 503,40 506,00 495,20 181,27K

Persimmon 1.329,0 1.331,0 1.297,5 148,82K

Phoenix 550,00 550,40 544,80 257,72K

Prudential 822,60 822,60 807,60 389,70K

Reckitt Benckiser 5.610,0 5.702,0 5.597,5 13,38K

Relx 2.332,00 2.334,00 2.307,00 223,00K

Rentokil 542,00 543,60 535,40 802,72K

Rightmove 507,00 507,00 500,60 203,53K

Rio Tinto PLC 4.722,5 4.785,0 4.709,5 361,68K

Rolls-Royce Holdings 75,17 75,23 73,88 3,44M

Rosneft DRC 0,20 0,20 0,20 0

Sage 739,60 741,80 735,40 111,92K

Samsung Electronics DRC 1.041,50 1.043,50 1.034,00 4,23K

Schroders 398,3 398,9 394,6 81,28K

Scottish Mortgage 748,30 750,00 740,60 177,83K

Segro 808,20 809,80 784,40 438,23K

Severn Trent 2.466,0 2.466,0 2.437,0 21,36K

Shell 2.370,0 2.401,0 2.293,5 428,61K

Smith & Nephew 1.019,50 1.021,00 1.012,00 101,91K

Smiths Group 1.554,00 1.560,00 1.547,50 85,72K

Spirax-Sarco Engineering 11.115,0 11.130,0 10.890,0 12,11K

SSE 1.523,59 1.529,00 1.510,00 133,56K

St. James’s Place 1.070,50 1.073,00 1.053,50 136,03K

Standard Chartered 534,20 535,20 523,40 748,68K

Taylor Wimpey 97,16 97,41 95,22 578,31K

Tesco 214,80 214,80 211,00 1,17M

Tui 130,35 131,30 129,40 389,15K

Unilever 3.868,5 3.908,0 3.849,0 464,88K

United Utilities 931,80 931,80 918,60 133,47K

Vodafone Group PLC 98,97 99,57 98,43 7,48M Whitbread 2.605,0 2.613,0 2.567,0 54,59K WPP 755,60 760,60 750,00 408,72K

DOW

3M 122,70 123,29 4,62M

American Express 146,88 149,50 146,47 3,36M

Amgen 266,66 267,98 261,51 3,00M

Apple 149,35 151,99 148,04 87,53M

Boeing 133,79 150,14 132,21 29,31M

Caterpillar 196,96 199,58 194,57 3,54M

Chevron 177,09 178,48 175,17 6,85M

Cisco 44,38 45,23 44,28 20,04M

Coca-Cola 59,39 59,78 58,86 15,81M

Dow 47,99 48,55 47,89 6,02M

Goldman Sachs 335,69 338,67 334,14 2,17M

Home Depot 290,15 291,87 286,17 2,61M

Honeywell 190,27 192,95 189,76 4,20M

IBM 135,01 135,86 132,81 5,10M

Intel 27,21 27,80 26,99 36,93M

J&J 172,21 172,57 170,52 6,11M

JPMorgan 124,11 125,20 122,88 10,74M

McDonald’s 256,61 260,69 256,12 3,58M

Merck&Co 98,41 99,28 98,00 10,37M

Microsoft 231,32 238,30 230,06 82,20M

Nike 92,39 94,35 90,70 8,54M

Procter&Gamble 131,78 132,57 130,40 6,60M

Salesforce Inc 159,91 164,12 158,70 6,54M

The Travelers 176,40 177,24 174,10 1,93M

UnitedHealth 543,17 547,64 540,21 2,70M

Verizon 36,43 36,71 36,20 20,24M

Visa A 203,33 206,37 196,50 15,45M

Walgreens Boots 35,51 36,13 35,44 5,66M

Walmart 141,14 142,04 139,82 6,91M

Walt Disney 104,63 107,43 103,53 9,15M

Most Advanced

ESSA Pharma +180.23% 115.17M

SVF Investment +47.95% 48.71K

Natural Order Acquisition +46.00% 65.53K

Oneconnect Fin +45.78% 5.72M

RLX Technology +42.98% 68.24M

Cipher Mining +42.56% 2.50M

Epiphany Technology Acquisition +39.64% 46.13K

Loyalty Ventures +39.60% 4.39M

Eqonex +38.24% 2.87M

Mobileye Global +37.95% 27.97M

Freight Tech +37.44% 11.94M

Most Declined

Golden Falcon Acquisition -53.57% 74.86K

Thermogenesis Holdings -49.56% 14.71M

Fednat Holding Co -30.98% 7.26M

Stride -29.35% 4.42M

Taysha Gene -27.52% 8.64M

Y mAbs Therapeutics -27.42% 2.10M

Sierra Metals Inc. -27.42% 1.76M

Meiwu Technology -22.27% 914.38K

Healthcare Triangle -21.50% 1.44M

Revelation Biosciences -21.41% 4.42M

Starry Holdings -19.64% 3.37M

Currency outlook: Pound rocked by UK fiscal and political turmoil, Euro undermined amid escalating Ukraine conflict

Euro

EUR/GBP: Down from £0.89 to £0.86 EUR/USD: Up from $0.96 to $0.98

The euro has struggled to attract support over the past month amid renewed concerns over the conflict in Ukraine.

Given the pressure the war has already placed on the Eurozone economy, EUR in vestors were unsurprisingly spooked by the ap parent escalation of the conflict in recent weeks.

Also weighing on EUR sentiment were fresh concerns over European energy security, follow ing an apparent attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

However, helping to temper the euro’s losses has been the expectation that the European Central Bank (ECB) will deliver another aggres sive interest rate hike at the end of October.

Looking ahead, the immediate focus for EUR investors will be the ECB’s upcoming interest rate decision. With a 75bps hike largely priced in, any movement in the euro is likely to be tied to the bank’s forward guidance. Signals the bank will continue to raise rates aggressively could bolster the single currency.

Pound GBP/EUR: Up from €1.11 to €1.14

GBP/USD: Up from $1.08 to $1.13

It’s been an eventful few weeks for the pound, which traded with extreme volatility since the unveiling of the government’s much criticised mini-budget.

The initial fallout of the budget saw GBP/USD strike a new record low, with a full-blown Ster ling crisis only being narrowly avoided following a timely bond market intervention from the Bank of England (BoE).

A series of U-turns regarding the budget in fused further volatility into GBP exchange rates through the first part of October. As the govern ment sought to calm market jitters.

The sacking of Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and the scrapping of almost the entire budget by his successor Jeremy Hunt, offered some respite for the pound. Before Liz Truss’s resigna tion as PM injected fresh volatility into the cur rency.

The coming month is likely to see trade in the pound remain highly erratic. Political uncertainty remains a key risk to Sterling, while an oversized interest rate hike from the BoE could also infuse volatility into GBP exchange rates.

US Dollar

USD/GBP: Down from $0.87 to $0.88 USD/EUR: Down from €10.3 to €1.01

UK Budget postponed

In work

THE number of people em ployed in Spain increased by more than 514,00 during the last year and by 77,700 in the third quarter, which allowed employment to reach 20,545,700 workers, the highest since 2008.

Keep calm

WORRIES about how to pay for essentials, let alone luxu ries in the UK has, according to ITV and the Retail Trust, led to reports of a rise in abuse by the public on shop workers with some 70 per cent of employees saying things were getting worse.

Expansion

THANKS to booming turnover and profits, Span ish energy company Repsol continues to expand and has just announced it has ac quired a 27 per cent stake in the waste management company Acteco.

NO scary UK Halloween budget as it is postponed until November according to a release from Downing Street on Wednesday October 26.

Clearly new PM Rishi Sunak who has decided to continue to support Jeremy Hunt as Chancel lor won’t fall into the trap of a hurried budget, but wants to en sure that he will have input into the plans.

Having spent so long as Chan cellor himself and having stood against Liz Truss as the tax pru dent face of the Conservative Par ty, he will want some input espe cially as Jeremy Hunt has no background in finance, but is gen erally thought to be in favour of orthodox Treasury thinking, look ing to balance budgets and follow fiscal discipline.

Following confirmation that he would remain Chancellor, Hunt tweeted “It is going to be tough. But protecting the vulnerable ‐and people’s jobs, mortgages and bills ‐ will be at the front of our minds as we work to restore sta bility, confidence and long‐term growth.”

The decision to postpone the

autumn statement until Novem ber 17 was announced at the first full Cabinet meeting with the Chancellor sitting next to the Prime Minister, where it was also confirmed that there would be a new set of economic forecasts from the Office for Budget Re sponsibility.

Whilst this decision gives the government breathing space to

tweak the plans, which may in clude a review of stamp duty cuts as well as affordability of the triple lock pensions, it has put the Bank of England in a slightly diffi cult position.

Their next interest rate review is due today, Thursday Novem ber 3 and will have to be decided without the benefit of knowing all of the government’s plans.

The US dollar continued to draw support over the past four weeks, as skittish investors continued to favour the safe-haven currency.

This souring mood was attributed to the UK’s fiscal chaos, ongoing global recession fears and concerns over the war in Ukraine.

Federal Reserve interest rate hike bets also continued to underpin demand for the US dollar in recent weeks. USD investors expect the Fed to continue raising rates aggressively through the end of 2022.

However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the ‘greenback’, with some underwhelming US data releases weighing on USD exchange rates at certain points throughout the month.

Going forward, the US dollar is likely to re main well supported as global recession fears continue to dictate market sentiment, with the prospect of another 75bps rate hike from the Fed also likely to underpin USD exchange rates.

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Back to Africa

Accompanied by Spanish Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto and a delegation of business men, this was a two‐nation whistle stop tour to promote friendship and the interests of Spanish companies.

On Wednesday October 26, the Spanish delegation met with Kenyan President William Ruto and expressed their joint support, signing several memorandums of un derstanding.

Then off to a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa as the following day they were in South Africa, an impor tant market for Spanish companies as 150 have invested in that country and bilateral trade between South Africa and Spain has almost quadrupled in the past 10 years.

Coping with prices

SPEAKING at a conference run by Spanish supermar ket chain Consum, Bernardo Rodilla, retail business di rector at Kantar which specialises in data analysis said that just over two thirds of Spanish households are ac tively trying to save money due to the cost‐of‐living crisis.

With prices on average increasing by 12.7 per cent so far this year, Rodilla indicated that in the grocery world, companies are trying to make foodstuffs as af fordable as possible and the cost of around half of all basic necessities has only risen by around 8 per cent.

Another way in which Spaniards are approaching the problem is to try to ensure that less food is wasted thus reducing their spend.

PRESIDENT Pedro Sánchez visited Kenya and South Africa as he continued to attempt to align Spain with countries across the continent.

Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt at the first Cabinet meeting.

Credit: Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street flickr

SINGLE CURRENCY: Could be bolstered by continuing to raise rates aggressively.

Advertising Feature

SHOULD YOU PAINT YOUR HOME BEFORE SELLING IT?

REBECCA SERWOTKA ‐ “We sell houses!

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BY the time you read this British poli tics will probably have completed half dozen new triple somersaults.

Re selecting Boris, whose ambi tions were quashed by the Covid pan demic, would of course have been one of the best decisions the Conser vatives ever made. Gleefully support ed by the BBC, they actually managed to rid themselves of the biggest dan ger the Labour party would have had to contend with in the next election.

Have no doubt; this antigovern ment media rhetoric is all a part of the left wing hierarchy plot to achieve victory. Their incensed bias reporting has become relentless. Sub jects and situations they can plausibly blame on the government, are filling their analyses to such an extent, that any news item capable of possibly raising optimism among the British public, is relegated to the bottom of a barrel of leftie gluttony, that can only be scraped up after all its contents of doom and gloom are totally dished out.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe the whole system is in complete chaos.

No vote from me

Frankly I wouldn’t vote for any of them. As an almost lifelong follower of spiritualism, I have always be lieved that the whole misinformed process of guiding and cultivating the inhabitants of our planet is wrong. I believe we are still in the dark ages of human evolution; the solu tions of which will probably, assum ing we last that long, not be accom plished for at least another thousand years.

British TV has of course, just about hit rock bottom. Recently I watched repeats of ‘The Kenny Everett Show’, ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ and a number of others. These brilliant presenta tions, showed just how low the pre sent offerings have now sunk. All that you see for your licence fee these days are a multitude of quiz pro grammes, cooking twaddle, garden ing manure, housing purchases and utterly racially influenced vote seek ing adverts, screening mixed mar riages living in luxurious homes.

Almost unbelievably last week the long running series ‘Loose Women’ was substituted by ‘Loose Men,’ actu ally presented by four men!

Just how much longer are we going to put up with all this objectionable twaddle, which continually insults and demeans the majority of UK citi zens that are allowing themselves to be lured into surrendering their much loved country to the left wing hierar chy by a bunch of shadowy traitorous individuals, fully aware the majority of the British public are right wing supporters?

This power mad squad are utterly mindful that the only possible way to reverse the destruction the Conserva tive party inflicted in 2019 was to get shot of Boris and subsequently turn the country into a mixed culture soci ety they can inveigle into voting for the left.

Keep the faith. Love Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com. Expatradioscotland.com. Mon. Wed. Fri.

Big, splashy weddings

NORAJOHNSON

BREAKINGVIEWS

THE average cost of a British wedding last year was £17,500, according to wedding website Hitched, while the average house price was around £300,000 this April, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Post‐lockdown, ev eryone deserves a party but if, with the cost‐of‐living crunch, it’s now a choice between a big wedding or house de posit, I know what I’d choose.

Expensive weddings are a rip off. The bride and groom are a sales person’s dream and the more add‐ons they can sell you the better their bonus. Who needs bits and pieces on the tables and fancy chairs. None of

that will make you happier or the day more memorable. Unless you can easily afford the expense, keep it small and simple and make sure it’s relaxed and fun.

Anybody who considers a big, splashy party to be more important than a roof over your head is bad news. A wedding day only lasts 24 hours. A marriage can last a lifetime (though frequently doesn’t). It makes far more sense to spend potentially limited funds on property as the length of marriage is invariably inversely proportional to the amount spent on the wedding itself. Sim ples!

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THERE is nothing worse than lying in bed, feeling exhausted, but unable to sleep, tossing and turning for hours.

Removing electronic de vices from the bedroom and avoiding caffeine late at night are all popular rec ommendations to assist in a peaceful night’s sleep, but there are other things you can do:

Get a routine:

Try and manage your day so that you get into the routine of finishing ev erything within 16 hours, so you can have the all im portant eight hours sleep.

The body clock thrives on regular habits so try and keep to the same bed time.

Limit stress:

It can be easier said than done, but try leaving your work or any big issues out side of the bedroom. Deal with the day’s problems in the day and put the day to bed before you go to bed.

Restless sleep

To be or not to B12

Healthy lifestyle: Exercise and a healthy work‐life balance is key to a restful night’s sleep, but try and avoid exercise too close to bedtime as it can

be too stimulating.

Don’t eat late:

The Spanish are famous for late night meals and eating late is preferable during the long hot sum mer months, but be careful what you eat. Big heavy meals do not aid the sleep pattern and can cause indi gestion too close to bed.

Bedroom:

Reserve the bedroom for sleeping and marital affairs and avoid watching TV or being on electronic de vices. This will help pro gram the brain into know ing that the bed is for sleep. Keep the room cool and dark for comfort and a better night’s sleep.

B12 is an essential vitamin which until recently was rela tively unheard of. B12 is an important factor for the health of red blood cells and your nervous system.

B12 deficiency can be caused by several factors in cluding medications that sup press stomach acid, such as proton‐pump inhibitors, H2 blockers, or other antacids.

B12 deficiency is also promi nent in people who adhere to a vegan and vegetarian lifestyle as meat, especially beef and lamb, contain higher quantities of the vitamin.

Even though symptoms de velop gradually, when they do finally show themselves they can include weakness and fa

Lowering the pressure

HIGH blood pressure, or hypertension, is a very common disease through out the world and affects one third of the Spanish population aged over 18. It affects over 20 per cent of adults aged between 40 and 65 years and as much as 50 per cent of those aged over 65, but you can help keep it under control by eating healthily.

Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, spring greens and watercress, should be eaten daily with a serving classed as around half a cup.

Spring greens; kale, young salad greens, sorrel, spinach, Swiss chard. Two servings a day is the pre ferred amount to keep blood pressure lower. A serving is one cup raw or half a cup cooked.

Try eating two portions a day of asparagus, beet root, peppers, carrots, corn, courgettes, garlic, mushrooms, okra, onions, pumpkin, sugar snap peas, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and a serving (half a cup) of berries such as grapes, raisins, black

berries, cherries, raspber ries and strawberries.

Flaxseeds and nuts are also ideal to snack on throughout the day. One study found that eating just a few tablespoons of ground flaxseeds a day re sulted in a falling of blood pressure readings.

tigue, confusion, balance prob lems and bruising and pale ness include shortness of breath, feeling dizzy and a rapid heart rate. A lack of B12 can also cause low mood and symptoms similar to depres sion.

Later stages can result in a tingling in your extremities, called neuropathy, or a red irri tated tongue and loss of taste. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or think you might have a Vitamin B12 deficiency you can be tested to know for sure. In the mean time, it might be worthwhile to speak to your pharmacist about the best way to supple ment your diet with multivita mins.

around

THIRD-HAND smoke is made up of pollutants that linger inside on walls and furniture and settles on clothes and soft fur nishings when tobacco is smoked and remains long after a cigarette or other tobacco products have been extinguished, putting our health at risk. Accordingly to re search, third‐hand smoke is just as deadly as first‐hand smoke with a toxic legacy that may raise the risk of health problems ranging from diabetes to lung and liver problems and cancer, with the young and elderly particu larly at risk. Infants are al so vulnerable as they fre quently crawl on carpets and touch objects ex posed to smoke.

TO SLEEP:

with the day’s problems before you go to bed.

simple blood

is

Photo

FLAXSEED:

A woman’s beauty

Well groomed

A GOOD skin care routine is not exclusive to women, men need one too. Only cleansing and moisturising is not enough to keep male skin healthy and clean.

Men tend to have oilier and thicker skin, so it’s ad visable to choose a good fa cial cleanser that works on all kinds of skin.

ances and tightens.

Moisturising prevents cracks and dry and dull skin, and sunscreen is a must, with a minimum SPF of 30.

cles for a smoother shave

BE NATURAL: True

DISCOVERING EMOTIONS WITH

is within you.

story.

A man doesn’t look for a sexy princess.

Cleansing sanitises and eliminates dead skin cells without drying. It also helps

Exfoliation is crucial to eliminate dead skin cells from accumulating and causing bacterial infection. Used once a week, a gentle but granulated face scrub will smoothen skin, eradi cate dullness and soften hair folli

The skin around the eyes lacks in sweat and oil glands, making it highly sus ceptible to under‐eye dehy dration. This shows itself as fine lines and wrinkles. Dab bing a little hydrating eye cream each morning and before bed can help prevent this.

A good lip balm with a high SPF is a must to help keep them soft, sup ple and protected from the sun.

INNER beauty is the most beautiful and sensitive part of us, however negative experiences for women can cause the belief “I am not good enough”. These feelings of unworthiness can some times lead to toxicity in relationships with men.

My advice is be natural. True love is within you, and this is what will attract a man. Live a true life for a true love

A man looks for a partner for life, where he will feel loved, respected and safe.

Self‐confidence is a blessing to heal the emotional field.

Love Betina www.mindovers.com 0034‐699 327 363

Clean beards are more likely to be soft beards. Beauty experts ad vise using face wash or shampoo when cleans ing facial hair, taking care not to over sham poo as this can strip the hair of natural oils. Try ap plying beard oil with fragrance after washing.

Photo

studios

CLEAN BEARDS: Apply beard oil with fragrance after washing.

BETINA VON HOHENDORFF

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: euroweeklynews.com

Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

PLEASE COVER UP

CAN somebody in authori ty in Mallorca explain to me why it is legal for Ger mans to strip naked on beaches in front of chil dren! Surely indecent ex posure is a crime !

Mallorca has nudist beaches all over the island. This obscene practice is to tally outrageous. Spain is beating the drum for peo ple to dress ‘appropriately’ ie no bikinis whilst walking around certain areas, yet these people stand there naked and I mean MEN AND WOMAN!

I have owned property on the island for 40 years and have watched this practice increase every single year.

Is indecent exposure in Mallorca a crime ? If not, WHY NOT?

Susan Farrell Hannah

Do the sums

His maths are as accu rate as Johnson, his 102 was actually 60 and Leapy Lee claims thousands of our soldiers were killed in Iraq, 179 British service personnel died, but that gets in the way of his rant.

Garry Turner

Just saying

I totally agree with the comments made in your article Complete chaos. I find your views honestly refreshing. You are not scared to say what most of us are thinking. Maybe if politicians adopted your policy of saying it

how it is, and not worry ing about political cor rectness, the UK would be in a far better national

and global position. Keep up the good work.

Bill Johnstone

OUR VIEW

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

WORKERS in Spain enjoy 12 National Holidays, plus some extras depending on which Province, City, Town or Pueblo they live in.

Of the National Holidays, eight are religious holidays based on Catholicism, which in today’s multi-cultural society may seem to be somewhat outdated.

Most European countries celebrate Easter and Christmas, but for Spain to add the Three Kings, As sumption of Mary, All Saints’ Day, and the Immacu late Conception may appear to be somewhat unbal anced in what is heading towards being a secular society.

No-one (except perhaps some employers) wants to reduce the number of days people can take off, but in a modern industrial country to then have additional days off for local Saints and to practise the concept of puente (bridge) to make an extra-long weekend can’t be beneficial to the economy.

The Spanish love to party and of course there is nothing wrong with that and they have now adopted Halloween, so at least they can recover on All Saints’ Day!

This leads us to Christmas and in this time of everincreasing costs as well as potential electricity shortages, one must consider whether councils should put up their Christmas lights and if they do whether they should only keep them on for a limited number of hours each night.

Families are finding it difficult to cope, yet many children now expect a Christmas present as well as one on Three Kings night and will be disappointed if they don’t receive both.

This year, as in the past, many charities and con cerned individuals will be collecting toys for those chil dren whose parents genuinely can’t afford them, so please help if you can.

Peace of mind that your insurance company will not cancel your policy

FACED with the possibility of running a risk, people naturally take preventive measures. With this in mind, ensuring your health should be of the utmost importance, even more so than pro tecting material goods, such as a home or a car, which can be replaced. Health is irreplaceable, therefore its protec tion will be crucial in the long term.

Any time is an ideal time to take out insurance, but it is advisable to do so as soon as possible, as we can’t antici pate unforeseen events and must en sure our health is protected when the time comes.

When making a decision, it is essen tial to be previously informed of all the guarantees that are included in the general and particular conditions of the policy, especially the duration of the

contract and whether the com pany can oppose its exten sion.

If this were the case, the insured would be faced with the unpleasant surprise of being left without insurance and with the dif ficulty of being accepted by an other company due to their age or the illnesses they have con tracted.

It is important to know in detail the guarantees that the com pany makes available to us,

With ASSSA your health is truly well insured.

in order to know how long they offer cover age and at what price, so that we can be sure that they are commit ted to the long‐term care of our

At ASSSA we differ entiate ourselves by communicating with total transparency those aspects that are relevant in the contract

ing of health insurance, both in our in formative documents and contract as well as when we personally advise the client.

We truly care for the health of our in sured clients. Proof of this is our com mitment to not cancel any policy, of fering this lifetime guarantee contractually and giving the policyhold er the sole decision of choosing to re new their insurance with us.

Our philosophy is based on providing total peace of mind to our insured clients, for this reason we do not in crease the insurance premium for ad vancing in years and we respect the lifetime discounts agreed at the time of contracting.

With ASSSA your health is truly well insured.

Private health insurance alternative

CONSULAR MATTERS

AT my law firm I act for a number of clients seeking residency here in Spain, usually when they are buying a property in Spain. To have residency you need a visa if you are not an EU citizen. Usually this is the non lu crative visa sometimes abbreviated to the NLV. To obtain any visa or residency as an EU citizen in Spain you also need private health insurance.

If you been a resident in Spain for more than one year you may be entitled to apply for ‘Convenio Especial’ which translates as special agreement, it is an agreement that you can have with the Spanish health sys tem if you are already legally resident in Spain, and you are not covered by the health system of your own country. (Eg if you are a UK pensioner you may be covered under the S1 agreement). You can pay the Spanish health system a fee and be covered by the health system here.

This applies to anyone in the world, and it allows them to have access to the health system with almost the same service as a Spanish citizen in your particular region, pre

vention, diagnosis, treatment, physiothera py and emergency transfers are covered. You have to pay for your prescriptions in full at the chemists, orthopaedics and prosthet ics and non‐emergency transport. If you visit another region on a temporary basis, you are also covered.

What are the requirements? You need to be a legal resident for a year before making the application, to be registered on the padron in your town hall in the same region and to not have any other public health cov erage. So if you are not resident here in Spain you will need to have private health care insurance for at least the first year of your residency.

The cost of the health ‘Convenio Especial’ is around €60 a month for people aged un der 65 and €157 a month for people aged over 65 (2022 prices). Of course, check your private health insurance as it may be cheap er. Always take advice from a Spanish lawyer like myself and always get their bar registration number.

Marisa Moreno Castillo senior lawyer at Just Law Solicitors and Consul for Denmark. www.justlawsolicitors.com contact@justlawsolicitors.com - Malaga - Fuengirola - Marbella & online.

Exploring outdoors

CAMPING with children can be so much fun if it is done right. Living in a very small space for any amount of time can be demanding, let alone keeping track of little ex plorers outdoors. So, bear these tips in mind when planning your next adventure.

Don’t rough it

Car camping and vans are the best way to go, offering more comfort. If you’re going to use a tent, go to a campsite with parking and good amenities like bathrooms and kitchens.

Plan ahead

Campsites can fill up quickly, so it’s best to book in advance to avoid disappointment!

Do pack for all weath ers

Saying this, it’s best to pack for all weather, it can get chilly at night

even on hot summer days! Pack really lightweight waterproof jackets that can fold up small, an extra layer for the evenings and socks are always a good idea.

Set up when it’s still light

It’s best to unpack and set up while it’s still light. That way, you can get

the children involved in the chores and tasks such as gathering kindling and setting up the sleeping bags.

Don’t unpack electrical devices

Stash your smart phones and tablets in the car for emergencies, take this time to switch off, enjoy nature and relax.

Why a campsite in Spain?

SPAIN continues to be one of the best destinations that has a good relationship with Eu rope. With beautiful beaches, numerous activities, good food, culture and incredible nature, Spain is a great holi day destination. Statistically, Spain is the sunniest country in Europe.

The Mediterranean coastal towns enjoy on average, 300 days of sun a year. With more than 8,000 kilometres of coast and 577 beaches, Spain offers

golden beaches complete with dolphin spotting and promenades. The Mediter ranean Sea has many activi ties on offer, like sailing, snorkelling, kayaking and swimming. Spain offers a rare combination of spectacular mountains and beaches in close proximity. You can enjoy high pastures and then drive for 30 minutes or less to gor geous sandy coastlines.

There are many beachside campsites in Spain, offering

additional facilities such as, pools and Jacuzzis, Wifi, restaurants and even onsite entertainment. As well as beachside spots to pitch your tent, Spain also boasts camp ing havens nestled between captivating, cascading moun tains. If a chalet seems more your speed than a tent, but you still have a burning desire to immerse yourself in the Spanish countryside, consider sites offering wooden bunga lows or glamping facilities.

Camping veggie style

TO camp or travel in a campervan can be incredibly freeing and full of infinite op portunities. It’s also lovely to reconnect with nature, and what better place to adopt a more plant‐based diet than when surrounded by lush green trees or beautiful gold en beaches.

Start your day with easy pancakes to make a nice

Feature

change from the same old boring cereal. Mix a mashed ripe banana with two eggs and fry on an oiled pan on a camping stove, flip then serve with fresh berries or jam.

For lunch pumpkin soup is an easy, flavourful option sure to keep you going until dinner time. Pumpkins are in season in autumn so ingredi

ents shouldn’t be difficult to source. You could even pre pare your soup in advance and take it with you on hikes in a flask to keep it warm.

A family favourite, jacket potatoes and a whole host of veg can be done on a BBQ, veggie hotdogs are always a crowd pleaser, simply by re placing the sausage for a car rot.

High quality gifts

FINISHING TOUCHES opened its doors in Novem ber 2021 in Cabo Roig and has never looked back. The home décor and gift store is very unique and has an amazing selection of up market, high quality, inter esting and unusual items suitable for that perfect present. There are exclu sive gift items including retro wall art, clocks, dia mante items, decorative photo frames, candles and incense sticks, unusual fig urines, cushions, rugs, can vases, mirrors, greetings cards, jewellery, jewellery boxes, keyrings, lots of tree of life gifts and decor, fra grance oils, diffusers and much much more!

You are spoilt for choice and there are items for all

FINISHING TOUCHES: You will be spoilt for choice.

occasions. New stock ar rives each month from sup pliers all over Europe and the UK and they now have a huge range of mirror/ crystal accent furniture and

décor. You can also pur chase online from over 3,000 items. Why not pop in and have a look at the Christmas items!

Open Monday to Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday 10am-2pm Calle Del Mar, Playamarina 1, Nº15 Cabo Roig, Orihuela Costa 03189 Tel: 604 406 032 - www.finishingtoucheseu.com

LOTS OF FUN: Outdoor living for everyone.

United Postal Group: World shipping from just 99 cents!

UNITED POSTAL GROUP (UPG) offer their customers shipping at a much low er cost compared to established mail or der companies, including worldwide postage starting from just 99 cents!

Due to the many expats in Torrevieja and the surrounding areas, UPG gives more access to much‐needed postal and shipping services at a considerably lower cost than bigger companies, of fering its customers insured shipping for parcels weighing up to 31kg to any where in the world.

The experienced and friendly staff at UPG will prepare all of the necessary documents required for customs for sending to non‐EU countries, always in consultation with the customer. Since Brexit, they have seen how complex the process and paperwork has be come and are always happy to help with any questions or concerns.

UPG also allows customers the op tion of UPG Direct Service, where you

can get your mail sent directly to the shop, saving you the stress of arranging for someone to be at home to pick up parcels and important letters.

You can also rent mailboxes in the shop, where UPG will safely store your parcels for a longer period of time, for example, if you are going on holiday for a while or visiting family back at home.

In addition to accepting letters, parcels and registered mail, UPG also offer scanning and printing services, computer workstations with internet access as well as packaging and cush ioning materials for all types of mail ‐making it your one‐stop‐shop for all of your postal needs! These scanning and printing services are particularly effi cient if you are applying for residency,

your NIE number or in need of hard copies of any documents or paper work.

Continually innovating their services and keeping up with market changes, UPG is integrating additional interna tional postal companies, fine‐tuning warehouse management, and integrat ing the Amazon interface and the app for iOS and Android ‐ making sending and receiving your mail even easier!

With over 30 years of working for the MD Publishing Service GMBG ‐ a lead ing magazine mail‐order company used by publishers all over the world ‐ UPG has extensive and unrivalled experi ence of the post and parcel industry. The result is a unique comparison por tal that offers companies, logistics providers and private customers the most favourable prices in each case ‐rounded off by a helpful and profes sional service that leaves nothing to be desired.

Entertaining pets

A leopard gecko is one of the easiest reptiles to look after and make friendly and fascinating pets. They do not require a great deal of space and are happy liv ing in a size appropriate terrarium. They do like a warm cli mate so you will require a

schedules is needed.

You will need to put a substrate (reptile carpet) on the floor of the terrari um and have a hiding place, climbing material and rocks in order for the terrarium to feel more like home.

Leopard geckos eat main

along with a reptile multivi tamin once a week for younger geckos and twice a month for adults.

Leopard geckos drink water from a large shallow dish and will also bathe in their dish to maintain hy dration. Be sure you empty, clean

every day.

Some interesting facts: they can live for as long as 20years and can grow to 10inches in length. They don’t have ‘sticky’ fingers and toes like other geckos and they are not able to climb or walk on oth er vertical sur

Insect supper

IF you are a cat owner in Spain, chances are you have seen your beloved pet chase, maim or even consume a cock roach or two along the way.

The UN may encourage the human race to eat insects to help save the planet, but just how good are creepy crawlies for our four‐legged companions?

Cats have a prey instinct that encourages them to chase down and often eat creatures that draw their attention and the fact that cockroaches are mainly active at night means that there is often little we can do to prevent this occurring.

A vet said:

“It is normal for a cat to chase down and eat its prey. It is their hunting instincts from their feline cousins. They might eat cockroaches and vomit the exoskeleton. It can be gross to look at, but it’s alright. All in all, you should not be wor ried about your cat.”

It is advised that you use insecticide sprays sparingly, but if your feline has consumed a roach which you believe to be poisoned, you should take them to the vet to be on the safe side.

Advertising Feature

IT is recommended you clean your dog’s teeth at least once a day, although research sug gests only a third of owners bother to do so.

Two‐thirds of vets say that owners are risking their dogs’ health by neglecting to keep their teeth clean, with one in seven suggesting a twice daily brushing.

This may seem extreme, but fewer than 30 per cent of own ers say they brush their four‐

dental care

legged friend’s pearly whites at all, which can lead to problem atic, and expensive, doggy den tal care.

Although many dog own ers assume that halitosis comes with the territory, it is often the first sign of tooth and gum disease, and can be easily prevented via regular brushing and an improved di

et, according to vets.

Poor nutrition is the leading cause of periodontal issues, which can induce more serious issues such as tooth loss, blood poisoning, and even disease in other organs.

It seems that many owners believe that a chew stick is a suitable alternative to getting stuck in with the toothbrush and paste, of which specialised products are available, while others say that the process is too time‐consuming, or that their dog only receives dry food so there is no need.

Please ensure you buy tooth paste and brushes that are dog gie friendly as human tooth paste can contain fluoride, sodium lauryl sulfate and a sug ar substitute called Xylitol, all can be toxic to your dog.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

IT affects older or middle‐aged dogs and its prevalence is increasing.

It is estimated that one out of every 100 dogs that reach 12 years of age will de velop diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is caused by a problem with the production of a hor mone called insulin and as a consequence an alteration of the metabolism of carbo hydrates, fats and proteins.

The signs are: Increased thirst, increased urination, increased hunger, weight loss, tiredness, poor coat quality and diabetic dogs may also go on to develop cataracts in their eyes, suffer fits and collapses, and have a range of chronic health is sues. These clinical signs are not enough to diagnose a dog with diabetes so your vet will need to carry out tests to confirm diabetes: a urine test to look for sugar in urine, a blood test to mea sure sugar levels in blood and check the status of oth er organs.

The blood test should in clude fructosamine.

Treatment: As your dog cannot produce their own insulin giving insulin via in

jection is the only way their blood sugar levels can be managed. Your veterinarian will monitor your dog’s re sponse to insulin treatment and adjust the dose. This can take weeks or even months and frequent checks will be necessary because the dose of insulin will need to be readjusted over time.

It is important to follow your veterinarian’s instruc tions on your pet’s diet. The diet should have a high level of palatability to guarantee spontaneous and regular food consumption, a limited level of starch, starch sources with a high glycemic index, such as rice and bread, should be avoided.

It is better to use cereals whose starch is digested more slowly, which makes it possible to slow down ab sorption of glucose such as corn, wheat, barley and sorghum.

An important supply of proteins helps to compen sate for protein catabolism is recommended.

Exercise is important for pets with diabetes. It can help avoid high blood sugar levels and may improve in sulin absorption.

In Costa Blanca Sur: www.resonanciaveterinaria.es

Veterinario de Diagnóstico por Imagen

Rojales.

Diabetes mellitus is a fairly common endocrine disease and requires lifelong treatment

Smile for the camera.

Image: Shutterstock.com/DWI YULIANTO

Photo

DRAINS ENERGY

GATES

LOCKSMITHS

GRILLS

POOL MAINTENANCE

METALWORK

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

& STORAGEMOTORING

GLASS CURTAINS & SCREENS

INSURANCE

CLASSIFIEDS

J & J PAINTERS. Insideoutside - clean - fast - low cost. Torrevieja - Orihuela Costa and surrounding ar eas. Tel: 650 363 159 (294244)

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to ex cess not only affects your health it can spill over into ev ery other aspect of your lifedamaging everything that is im portant to you. English-speak ing 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 Ger man: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www.aa-costablanca. org (93323)

You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegaba ja.com. We also have a 24hour 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-de nominational church. Sunday morning Services at 11.00am. All nationalities welcome - Con tact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 www.icatorrevieja.org (95476)

.uk/branches/orihuela-costacovering from Punta Prima to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.orihuelacostarbl.co.uk.

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch. For info, contact the branch Secre tary at granalacant.secretary@ rbl.community

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

CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Asso ciation Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Can cer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mi na 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 EN GLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.givinglight.com.(10006)

LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English-speaking church. For more information, including de tails 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 COMMUNI TY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463)

ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIA TION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring to gether not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service person nel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details con tact Hon Sec P S Wilkins Tel: 966 194 158 email: inkin spain@yahoo.co.uk (10004)

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

MOVERS AND SHAKERS We are a non-profit organisation that supports people and their families with neurological dis eases 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 informa tion. The club is held at O’Briens Bar in El Raso, Guardamar del Segura (except July and August). For more de tails, 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)

ELECTRICIAN

MR FIXIT. For all your electri cal, plumbing, general & appli ance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (290228)

PERSONAL TRAINER, WEIGHT LOSS, TONING, RESULTS GUARANTEED. CERTIFIED WITH 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE. FORMER US KICKBOX CHAMPI ON. CALL 747 438 225

BATHROOM & KITCHEN Con versions Costa Blanca, contact 698 320 434. (291660)

WE buy, sell & transport all makes of static caravans for more information contact 630 055 418 or Elsyd7@hotmail. com (294686)

FREEMASONRY . Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca? There are various Lodges meet ing up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Ma son or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact sec@glp valencia.com Tel 600 841 064 (95477)

ROYAL Air Force Association Costa Blanca Registered Mem bers 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 peo ple 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)

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

FOR SALE/WANTED

WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel678 716 693 (288662)

GOLD WANTED

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 INSUR ANCE. WE CAN EVEN IN SURE YOU FOR UP TO A €1,000 OF WATERLOSS. CALL 686 116 297 (WHAT SAPP TO) OR VISIT www.sosinsuranceinspain. com or email tracey@sosin suranceinspain.com

BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SER VICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insur ances available. Policies in En glish. BEST rates, covers & ser vice. Immediate quotes. Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (What sApp) info@beneficialinsuran ceinspain.com or visit www.beneficialinsurancein spain.com for online quote.

CARE home in Torrevieja, full care, full board from €800 per month. Call 747 438 225 (295552)

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), Tor revieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegaba ja.com and also on Facebook.

ROYAL BRITISH LEGIONWhy not make this year the year you volunteer? See how you can help either as a case worker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also vis it beneficiaries who are house bound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyh hvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serv ing, and you feel you need help or support then contact us us ing the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talk ing to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or infor mation on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we can not 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

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

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

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

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.spiritualist centre-benijofar.com . Tele phone 711 060 171. Email martindroute66@hotmail.com Fiscal G54713789

STAY SAFE! Abbeygate Insur ance Call 971 277 455 For your security www.abbeygatein sure.com

travel to all areas. 693 357 526 (295405)

FRENCH, ELÉGANTE , slim, Sophie, 3 languages spoken. Experienced in a large variety of full body massages. Villamartin apartment

CHARITY

EXPERIENCE the best with a 1hr unique massage with Veronica. Shaving or permanent hair removal available. For ap pointments call 679 292 678 (295446)

CLASSIC SPANISH LADY , Playa Flamenca area, private premises, all massage services from 40€. Ana 657 603 495 (302112)

ATTRACTIVE, Girlfriend, Professional Masseuse relax ing and therapeutic Masseuse. Tel: 693 357 526 (295448)

RELAXING MASSAGE FOR MEN - Mario qualified masseur in Alicante - Spe cial Massage for Men - 7 days 10am to 10pm - AP POINTMENTS visit : www.masajeyrelax.es/en or WHATSAPP 649 761 607 (296490)

DIANA from Greece. Masseur. Call for relaxing & therapeutic massage. Torrevieja. Call 663 817 943 (302072)

LA ZENIA AREA English Masseuse offering therapeutic one to one massage. Also En glish Masseuse/Masseuser available for Men/Women. Ap pointments at nice apartment or visits within 20kms of La Zenia. Call 711 059 849 (302322)

MISCELLANEOUS MOTORING

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

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

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

MOTORHOMES MUSIC TUITION

PIANO , Keyboard, Organ, Qualified Teacher. Please call 606 984 535 (294805)

OTHERS

KAMAGRA Gold 100mg plus Kamagra Jellies. Collection or Delivery. ROY HAS A NEW TEL. - 613 584 915 (295447) tp

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

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: Kruger Canopies.com WhatsApp: 667 879 399 kruger canopies@yahoo.co.uk (293646)

PET CHARITY PLUMBERS

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 wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, de-wormed, deflead. 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 in formation browse our web site: www.pepaspain.com (95708)

SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 ani mals awaiting rehoming. Phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spama.org and view our new blog at www.spamasafor.blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707)

MR FIXIT. For all your electri cal, plumbing, general & appli ance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (290228)

POOL MAINTENANCE

POOL MAINTENANCE Repairs, Spares and Leak Testing. Call 965 725 565 / 676 945 360 www.pooltechspain.com

REMOVALS/STORAGE

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE IN CLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CON TRACT. WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (2001)

SPAS / JACUZZIS

The LEGAL way to scrap your vehicle

HAVING worked in the trade on the Costa Blanca for over 12 years, the staff at Bradley Breakers could tell a horror story or two about people who thought they had scrapped their ‘old banger’ only to find that the car was still registered many months later.

There are individuals who have faced large fines after the vehicle they thought they’d seen the back of was still driving around.

Unfortunately as long as your name remains on the document of ownership you are legally responsible for that ve hicle. Here in Spain the system of scrapping a vehicle is far more complex than anything you are likely to face back in Ireland or the UK.

You also have the added complica tion of the language barrier so it is im perative that when considering dispos

ing of a vehicle, you use a company in which you have complete trust.

You will find one such company in

Bradley Breakers, they are experts in the field and they can make the whole process as simple and uncomplicated

as you might wish.

Simply make the call, they will make you a cash offer for your vehicle and if accepted they will collect it on a tow truck from your home.

They will leave you with the neces sary legal documentation advising that they have taken ownership of your car and then following its scrapping, you will be issued with the official DGT Cer tificate (Baja).

It’s important when selling/scrapping your car that you are provided with all the correct and legal paperwork, this is something you will always receive from Bradley Breakers.

Do be aware that if this is something that you are currently considering, you need to ensure that your vehicle is scrapped by December 31 to avoid any further SUMA bills.

Bradley Breakers will supply you with all the correct paperwork

ROAD TEST byMarkSlack

THERE was a time when driving a Korean car meant most drivers would look at you with either pity or the view that you don’t have much money or taste in cars. Move for ward and today

Kias are trendy, cutting edge with hybrid and elec tric vehicles and a well‐deserved reputation for reliability and build quality.

The Kia look has evolved into one which is striking and head turning with many less informed drivers thinking they are far more expensive than is actually the case.

Kia’s range is a wide one with everything from a small city car in the Picanto through to a large SUV in the Sorento and the won derfully named Stinger that looks like a futuristic GT car with added practicality.

In the latest Sportage

Kia Sportage - head turning

sion offers enough equip ment to make you feel comforted, but at a price that doesn’t break the bank.

ward and unnecessarily fussy.

Kia’s mid‐size SUV strikes a head turning pose and of fers a myriad of power op tions which encompass petrol, diesel, mild hybrid (even in diesel form) and plug‐in hybrid along with manual and automatic gears plus two and all‐wheel‐drive.

Prices start from a mod est €32,343/£27,750 and in lead‐in form comes with LED lighting, front and rear parking sensors, auto lights

and wipers and more.

My mid‐range ‘3’ with manual gears and two‐wheel‐drive doesn’t benefit from hybrid power but does have an impressive ar ray of standard equipment that includes heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, multi‐zone climate control, cruise con trol and neat little touches like hooks on the back of the front seats. Priced at €37,239/£31,950 this ver

On the road the Sportage’s 1.6‐litre petrol engine offers useable perfor mance and mpg with a nicely slick six‐speed manual gearbox. Soaking up the worst of the bumps the Sportage is never going to live up to its sport moniker, but nonetheless it’s far from disappointing on cross country roads.

The car comes with auto hold, a useful feature that requires one press of the footbrake to hold the car stationary without apply ing the handbrake. Which is a good job as the hand brake is operated via a but ton on the right hand side of the dashboard. It’s the one thing that feels awk

The Kia is a delight to live with and very easy and un fussed to drive. It also turns heads as one of the

more striking cars you’re likely to see on our roads, and wonderfully doesn’t conform to the norm where all cars tend to look the same.

KIA RANGE: With everything from a small city car to a large SUV.

WALKING FOOTBALL - TORREVIEJA TRIUMPH FOR PORTOBELLO

PORTOBELLO CAMPOVERDE followed on from their League and Cup double by winning the Torrevieja Trophy at the Sports City Walking Football Tournament on Saturday, Oc tober 29. They defeated Cam posol 3‐0 in the play off Semi‐Final while all Spanish team El Cañadon defeated Athletic Club on penalties in the other Semi‐Final.

Ironically both beaten semi finalists had not lost a qualify ing game!

In the Final, Portobello con tinued their dominance and brought to an end the Spanish team’s unbeaten run with a convincing 3‐0 win to become the first winners of the Torre vieja Walking Football Tourna ment Trophy.

Host club, Esquina Park Rangers, defeated local rivals Formentera to clinch the third place.

The bottom team from each group played off for the Conso lation Plate with Hondon Valley Flyers defeating Malaga 3‐0.

All 10 teams agreed the tournament had been well organised by host club Esquina Park Rangers and an excellent day enjoyed by the play ers and the large number of spectators who attend ed.

The teams had paid an entry fee and once pitch, insurance and trophy ex penses had been deducted, €330 was donated to the chosen charity ‘Asociacion Charity Torrevieja’.

After match raffles and donations from teams raised a further €250 donat ing a total of €580 to the charity.

An exceptional effort from all involved and for a worthy cause. Much appreciated by the Asociacion.

Many thanks to the Euro Weekly News for their contin ued support for walking foot

Make sure you get YOUR copy.

Portobello Campoverde with the Torrevieja Walking Football Tournament Trophy.

The Group Tables above.

Judy Russell (left) accepts the cheque for €580 on behalf of the Asociacion Charity Torrevieja.