Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca South 3 - 9 December 2020 Issue 1848

The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1848

3 - 9 December 2020

News

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

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RESOUNDING SUCCESS

THE Marina Bar’s Christmas Fayre turned out to be a resounding success. On this occasion the popular Torrevieja bar was raising money for the H elp at Home charity, whose volunteers offer short-term support and assistance for people of all ages in their own homes. T he charity covers the area between Pilar de la Horadada and La Marina and includes Torrevieja, Quesada, R ojales, S an L uis, L a Zenia, Playa Flamenca and all Orihuela Costa areas. Experienced fundraisers David and Loraine Whitney said afterwards that they were “thrilled to bits” with

the Christmas Fayre’s takings of €1,285.70. This had surpassed their expectations at such a trying time, they admitted. With a tombola, raffle, mini-auction, Name the Bear and several other stalls, people were able to enjoy the afternoon, knowing that they were in a safe environment. C arols played by the Phoenix Band added to the ambience and once Father Christmas made an appearance, children seemed to pop up out of nowhere to give him their wish lists and receive chocolate Santas. Rita and Dave, proprietors of the Marina Bar, together with their staff, were also on

FUNDRAISER: Marina Bar’s Christmas Fayre raised €1,185.70 for the Help at Home charity.

hand to ensure that the afternoon was a success while serving up delicious food and drinks. David, Loraine, Rita and D ave were amazed by the generosity of the people who gave gifts and money donations. “We’d like to thank everybody who contributed to making the event so successful,” they said. N ext on the calendar is the ever-popular M ingle B ells event, a C hristmas lunch with quiz, raffle and spot prizes on F riday D ecember at 2pm. This will also be held at the Marina Bar and once again donations will be going to the

Help at Home charity. Bookings are already being taken for this and as space is limited it is advisable to reserve places as soon as possible, with further details available on 965 705 907. F or more information about Help at Home, email charitycentre.helpathome cb@gmail.com or ring 965 328 794.

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Santa Pola’s past Adding flavour to life SANTA POLA’S Portus Ilicitanus open­air museum is due to open within the next few weeks. Financed by the EU’s Regional Development Fund (Feder), the museum covers a small area of what was once the town of Portus Ilicitanus at a time when Santa Pola was Elche’s access to the coast

The archaeological site was discovered by chance in 1982 during property development and digs were carried out sporadically in the following decades. More key zones have now been excavat­ ed to put what has already been discovered into context and to consolidate the remains before opening the site to visitors as an open­air museum.

Brassed off CALLOSA’S Local Police arrested a 54­year­old­man carrying a back­ pack with 17 door handles and a monkey wrench. He was detained shortly after midnight on November 28 after police had received alerts from three different local streets where he had allegedly removed the or­ nate brass fittings. He was making a rapid getaway on a bicycle with a haul that he later intended to sell to a scrap metal dealer. A French national, he was al­ ready well­known to the Callosa police and has an extensive record, sources said. The Local Police are now advis­ ing the owners of approximately 40 properties where handles have been removed that they are now free to press charges.

THIS year has not turned out as anyone could ever have expected. That included Salt Church in Los Alcazares, a new church that was set up espe­ cially for English­speaking people on January 5 this year. Meetings were held in Bar­ Restaurante Las Claras in the town’s Los Narejos area but since then Covid­19 restric­ tions have seen the congre­

gation switch to virtual church services. They have now met more online than in person but Pastor Andy Neale is not de­ flated by this situation. “We believe the timing was right then and so the timing is right now to contin­ ue online,” he said. Salt Church are a friendly group of people from a vari­ ety of church backgrounds who gather for Bible­centred

A recycled Christmas FOR the third consecutive year, Bigastro Town Hall is promoting a sustainable Christmas. Environment councillor Antonio Meseguer ex­ plained that following the success of previous years, the town hall will again bedeck Bigastro with recy­ cled materials and panels decorated with Christmas motifs by pupils at the local schools. “We have worked a lot with plastic, paper and cardboard, but this year we are including metal cans,” the councillor announced. “Our object is to reduce spending on Christmas decorations, as we have managed to save €2,000 each year, reusing those from the previous year,” Meseguer said.

teaching and contemporary­ style praise and worship. “Everyone is welcome and if you would like to join with us or sneak in the back for a look, then contact us for the link and password,” Andy Neale said. For more information, visit the www.la.saltchurch.es website, the Salt Church Los Alcazares Facebook page or Salt Church Los Alcazares on YouTube.

Social housing priorities ALMORADI Housing councillor Alfons Garcia recently had a meeting with Al­ berto Aznar, the regional government’s Housing and Land director general. Social housing and emergencies aris­ ing from the need for accommodation was high on their list of priorities but Garcia and Aznar also reviewed ongoing repairs and infrastructure renewal at the Asuncion Cruañes social housing complex. Work began last September on the 50 properties there, where the General­ itat is spending a total of €659,450.

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NIBS EXTRA Slim pickings ELCHE’S income from its beaches fell by 4.5 per cent this summer, with Visitelche obtaining only €25,000 of the expected €546,000. Despite lowering charges for sunbed, beach bar and water sports concessions, there were few applications this year while city hall had to pay more than €500,000 for the lifesaving service.

Charged up REGIONAL president Ximo Puig recently attended the presentation of the Mustang Mach-E, Ford’s new electric car at Valencia City marina. Stressing the need for eliminating fossil fuels, Puig was confident Ford’s Almussafes plant would play a fundamental role in vehicle electrification strategies.

Jail avoided

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Worth their salt water

THE 29 employees at Torrevie­ ja’s salt lakes are back at work after being laid off last August. Salt has formed again and the NCAST company has resumed extraction after production came to a halt in August owing to cir­ cumstances that had nothing to do with the Covid­19 crisis. Exceptional measures needed to be taken following episodes of torrential rain that began in 2016, continued in 2017 and 2018 and were followed by the DANA (Isolated High Altitude Depression) of September 2019. The salt lakes’ problems were not over as they had to contend with Storm Gloria at the begin­

Photo credit: Magnum 35

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SALT PRODUCTION: Extraction has recommenced after August layoff. ning of this year, as well as huge quantities of rainwater that had drained off from the centre of Torrevieja. Rainwater has always reached the salt beds, but streets and houses now occupy the open spaces that absorbed

much of it in the pre­develop­ ment past. The DANA and Storm Gloria produced such huge amounts of freshwater that levels rose to two metres instead of the normal one­and­a­half, delay­ ing the crystallisation process

Mad About Dogs

AN Arneva (Orihuela) man avoided prison by agreeing to a two-year suspended sentence and payment of €50,000 compensation to a man he blinded in one eye during an argument in 2011. Should he fail to make a stipulated monthly payment, he will have to serve the prison term, he was warned.

Nativity scene TORREVIEJA’S traditional Nativity Scene has now been set up in the town centre where strict health and safety measures are in place and hand sanitising gel is available. The town hall has also installed a cordoned-off pathway for viewing the tableau with clearly marked one-way directions. CHARITY SHOW: Show support for the Big Reds shoebox appeal.

Bad picture RESIDENTS living near the seafront in Santa Pola’s eastern areas are complaining about bad television reception, with pixelated images on practically all channels. Telecommunications experts explained that this is a common problem owing to high temperatures and humidity but would be solved with a relay transmitter on high ground.

Big asks AT a recent meeting of Elche’s Federation of Residents’ Associations, the most frequentlyasked questions centred on the planned Palacio de Congresos conference centre although there were 14 other points on the agenda. Those present wanted to know where it would be located and if it would be available for social purposes.

THE Mad About Dogs Charity Show invites you to come along to the Olympia Pool and Gardens in Pilar de la Horadada to show your support for the Big Reds shoebox appeal. Pop along to the venue located on Calle Alcarra 1, Mil Palmeras, on De­ cember 13, do a little Christmas shopping and enter your family pooch into one or more of the class­

es! You’d be barking mad to miss this wonderful event, with 14 classes of the dog show available. To enter your dogs in the show, it’s €4 an entry or €10 for four en­ tries. The money raising event begins at 11am and runs through until 5pm with all pooches and parents wel­ come.

by 10 weeks. High temperatures towards the end of the summer and much of the autumn helped and, together with the levanter east wind, combined to finally allow production and employ­ ment to recommence.

Test run AN AVLO train, Renfe’s low­cost version of Renfe’s high speed AVE, had a trial run in the Vega Baja recently. The train was trying out the track between Elche and Murcia, but although tests began at the end of last year the coronavirus crisis has held up the Ministry of Public Work’s inten­ tions of inaugurating the link this year. Strong opposition from Murcia residents held up work by obliging the Ministry to modi­ fy the route and lay part of the track under­ ground. Early on there was also organised hostility in the Vega Baja to the original ­ and now dis­ carded ­ AVE route which would have bisected the zone from north to south. The AVLO was seen crossing the Cox agricul­ tural area and approaching the two­kilometre tunnel through the Sierra de Callosa, one of the project’s most spectacular structures. The section between San Isidro and Orihuela alone has cost €182 million and as well as the tunnel includes two viaducts and the new Cal­ losa­Cox station for cercanias local trains. In fact, Vega Baja residents are less anxious about seeing the AVE up and running than en­ joying a modernised cercanias service, which will be more­used by the local population.

Fish market makeover Slow payers lately THE regional government has spent almost €1.7 million on improve­ ments at Santa Pola’s fishing port. These focused on remodelling the zone where catches are un­ loaded, with an air­conditioned installation to ensure that fish re­ mains in optimum condition. New electronic equipment incorporates a double conveyor belt, cutting auctioning times by half. Improvements included rehabilitating the Santa Pola fishing guild building which, together with the Customs House and the Civil War bunker, is a protected Asset of Local Relevance.

TORREVIEJA Town Hall took up to three months to pay suppliers dur­ ing the third quarter of this year. Pablo Samper, spokesman for the Suena Torrevieja party pointed out during the last plenary council meeting that despite the long in­ terval, the municipality’s finances are healthy, with more than €100 million in bank deposits. Finance councillor Domingo Paredes explained that the town hall had to take on numerous payments arising from the Covid pandem­ ic, adding that the switch to the online administration system was partly responsible.

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Guardamar warrior transferred CENTURIES’ old re­ mains discovered in the Guardamar’s Castillo last year have been transferred to the Casa de Cultura. Eduardo Lopez Segui and Maria Paz Lopez Martinez, the archae­ ologists directing the investigation, stressed the importance of con­ tinuing to examine the find and learning more about the long­dead man. His death was vio­ lent, the result of 25 sword thrusts and multiple spinal in­ juries, Lopez Martinez said. Carbon­14 dating has revealed that the unknown man died during the second half of the 14th century, coinciding with the War of the Two Pedros ­ Pedro de Castilla and Pedro IV of Aragon ­ in which Guardamar played an important part.

Reedclearing concerns ENVIRONMENTALISTS and political parties questioned the need for clearing all reeds from the banks of the River Segura. This does not necessarily improve the Segura’s drainage capacity in the event of a flood, they said, as the native carrizo flattens and does not impede the flow of the water. The main problem, the Cambiemos en Orihuela party argued, are plastics and other refuse, much of which come upriver from Murcia. Using heavy machinery also removes both the carri­ zo as well as invasive species while mass removal also destroys the habitat of wildlife and wildfowl, the party pointed out.

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Sánchez Booed in Madrid

THE President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, were received with boos during their visit to La Paz University Hospital in Madrid on Friday morning, November 27. Sánchez announced the lastminute visit on Thursday to the Central Unit for Clinical Research and Clinical Trials. He was accompanied by the Health minister and the Head of Science and Innovation, Pedro Duque. A crowd had gathered out-

Sánchez visited La Paz. side the hospital to watch their arrival, and people could be heard booing and shouting ‘Out, out’ as they went in. Again, as the president and his colleagues were leaving, peo-

ple chanted ‘scoundrel.’ “The disloyalty of the Prime Minister with Díaz Ayuso is an absolute shame. The same ones who have not visited a single hospital during the nine months of the pandemic, the same ones who have declined to visit for the inauguration of the Isabel Zendal hospital next Tuesday, take advantage of the fact that Díaz Ayuso is out of Madrid to visit the hospital of La Paz and show off,” commented general secretary of the PP in the Community of Madrid, Ana Camíns.

Furloughed mothers FURLOUGHED mothers may not be entitled to childcare payments legal advisors have warned. Depending on the type of ERTE (furlough) they have, by ceasing to carry out work for an employer, the requirements to receive childcare are no longer met and the mothers are no longer entitled to it. This affects the payment of €100 per month which working mothers, both employed and self-employed, are entitled to until the child is three years old. This also applies to any amount that they may

receive for sending the child (if under the age of three) to daycare or infant school. If a woman receiving these benefits is put on ERTE (furlough) and receives payment due to this suspension of her employment contract, she is in a situation of total unemployment, and therefore, she does not meet the requirements to be entitled to it. In that case, it will be suspended until she is working again. This does not, however, affect large families (three or more children) or families with disabled children.

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‘Big Ben’ activist ‘EXTINCTION REBELLION’ activist Benjamin Atkinson, 44, scaled Big Ben’s tower and unfurled banners calling for action on the climate emergency during a protest on October 18, 2019. He had been taking part in the demonstration out­ side the Palace of Westminster before he climbed over the fences and climbed the scaffolding of the Queen Elizabeth Tower. The tree surgeon from Ambleside, Cumbria, was up on the scaffolding for three hours while specialist police units from the protest removal team negotiated how to get him down. He had planned to do a live radio broadcast from the top of the tower, while wearing fancy dress, to “high­ light government inaction on the climate and ecological emergency.” On coming down from the tower, Atkin­ son was arrested and then later charged with trespass on a protected site contrary to section 128 of the Seri­ ous Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. He was convicted on Wednesday, November 25, and sentenced to 250 hours of unpaid work and handed fines of £865 (€970).

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Covid tests in Pharmacies 32,000 THEME

JOBS GONE

Training course provided. THE regional government of Madrid has proposed allowing pharmacies to carry out Covid19 tests from December, though this has yet to be agreed by the Ministry of Health. Minister of Health Enrique Ruiz Escudero said this would be a huge step forward “to continue the massive test strategy in our region.” Ministers have taken inspira-

tion from Slovakia, who rolled out mass testing and have managed to contain the virus as a result. Before starting the test, a training course will be provided to pharmacists. The Deputy Minister of Public Health, Antonio Zapatero, trusts that some 600 pharmacies can collaborate, which would mean being able to carry out “many tests.”

THE worrying trend, for all things entertainment to suffer first in the pandemic, continues as Walt Disney has announced 32,000 job losses from its theme parks. This follows on from a previous announcement that substantial amounts of jobs may have to go due to falling attendances and forced closures due to the pandemic. T he layoffs will take place in the early part of 2021 Disney announced, and this follows losses of nearly $680 million (€569 million). Theme parks formed the bulk of that loss - however, its online subscription streaming service made further progress by achieving a 16 per cent increase in revenue.

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Cheaper tests to encourage travel EASYJET and easyJet holidays announced on Monday, November 30, that they have partnered with two testing firms, Confirm Testing and City Doc, as the airline is continuing to explore ways of working with different governments and industry partners to test the efficacy of more rapid testing. The partnerships mean that preferential prices can be accessed for both companies using a unique code provided when

they book through the easyJet.com and easyJet.com/holidays sites. Customers will receive a reduced rate of £75 (€84) per home test with Confirm Testing or £100 (€111) per home test or £150 (€167) for an in-clinic test with CityDoc. Both testing companies aim to provide results within 48 hours of the test being returned to them. Confirm Testing is managed via Royal Mail and their Pri-

ority Postboxes and CityDoc offer a courier service. easyJet is also working to identify suppliers in Europe to be able to provide this across its network. Testing has become a requirement for entry for a number of easyJet’s key destinations such as Germany, Spain and Italy. and so this partnership is focused on helping customers get their required test ahead of travel more conveniently and at more affordable rates.

SONY PS 5 OR A GRILL? AMAZON has recently apologised for a mix up in orders which meant several other customers received cat food, an electric grill and a foot massager instead of the prized all-new Sony PS 5 console. Social media is awash with stories of long queues and increased waiting times as fans of gaming anticipated the delivery of their new console. Websites were crashing and almost all retailers claimed they were out of stock. Amazon said it was dealing with several complaints where it’s believed some users may have had consoles stolen, although there was no proof of this. Amazon pointed out customers did have a support line they could call.

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Brit Instagramer arrested

A BRITISH Instagrammer, identified as RT, has been arrested by National Police in Marbella, Malaga. The 27­year­old, who posted videos and images on Instagram in which he was committing criminal acts such as dangerous dri­ ving and pushing a vehicle into the river, has been charged with crimes against road safety and against the environment, as well as doc­ ument forgery. He was known for driving dangerously and on one oc­ casion, put the Guadaiza River at serious risk of cont­ amination by pushing a BMW into the water, ac­ companied by four other men and a woman. They abandoned the vehicle after removing the licence plates. At the time of his arrest, the police found two cars near his home with the same licence plate belong­ ing to the detainee, which had featured in some of his videos. The investigation began when the police removed

VIDEO: Shows crime.

the vehicle from the river and identified the owner af­ ter seeing the video. Several other people have been charged in the investi­ gation and all of the videos on his Instagram account which constituted a crime have been removed.

Break down, just flash TRIANGLES have been part of breaking down for years, but in the DGT shake up, their time could be up. The DGT traffic authority of Spain has decided that a flashing light on the roof of a car, attached by a magnet is a far safer idea and will be a substitute for the cus­ tomary triangle. Before this measure, deemed safer by the DGT, it was necessary to get out of the car, assemble the triangle and place behind the car at some distance so as to warn others your vehicle was there and had broken down. The DGT now agree that this endangers the life of the motorist in the sense that it’s possible the driver could be run over by another vehicle. Hence, the light on top of the car is the way forward. Its use will not be mandatory until January 2024, and it is not sure who will manufacture the emergency light and how much it will cost but it’s expected to be around €40. The device will be able to connect to your mobile phone to ask for assistance by way of connecting to an emergency network.

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LYNX CUBS Puerta del THRIVING Sol Chase THE Iberian Lynx breeding programme has just announced that 32 new cubs are doing very well. Although the numbers expected are only very slightly down from the breeding pairs, they are year on year increasing numbers, and this is the most encouraging news. There are 18 male and 14 female cubs at the end of this year’s programme which means the cubs will eventually bolster the number further on their maturity. Lynx cubs can be retrained for the wild, and from this programme, there are 27 cubs destined for reintroduction to their natural habitat. Breeding programmes are in Huelva and Extremadura, and the Iberian Lynx is thought to be over 1.5 million years old as a species.

A POLICE chase through the Puerta del Sol in Madrid was a strange sight to be seen as an unlicensed driver sped into the pedestrian area. A man, aged 21, was arrested by the Municipal Police of Madrid for multiple crimes including stealing a car, driving in the pedestrian area, and skipping traffic lights. The chase occurred at around 10pm on Tuesday November 24, after police saw a fast-moving car on Calle Mayor. The police tried to detain the driver who ignored them before skipping several sets of traffic lights and driving into the pedestrian area, thereafter abandoning the vehicle. The pursuit then continued on foot before the arrest was made despite the driver putting up considerable resistance.

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Damm Grimbergen Partnership

DAMM is set to distribute Grim­ bergen beer in Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar which sees an extension to the agreement signed with the Carlsberg Group in July, when it began to distribute Carlsberg beer in mainland Spain. In a statement from Damm on Thursday, No­ vember 26, Spain’s lead­ ing beer and beverages company will also distrib­ ute Carlsberg in the Ca­ nary Islands, Andorra and Gibraltar from January 2021. The new contract also ex­

pands the geographical scope of the initial agreement that grants Damm the distribu­ tion rights to the Carlsberg brand. Grimbergen beers will be available through retail sales and in the hospitali­ ty industry in all these geographical areas and Damm will also be re­ sponsible for the sales and marketing of Grim­ bergen, including com­ munication, consumer activations, and direct promotion at the point of sale.

Attenborough quits Instagram SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH has shut down his record­breaking Insta­ gram account, after only joining the social media platform in Septem­ ber. The 94­year­old broadcaster, who joined the platform to spread his message about climate change, broke a record previously held by Jen­ nifer Aniston­ he managed to attract one million followers in just four hours. In Sir David’s last post, he said: “And that’s it. I’ve passed on the things I wanted to share. There are others on social media who can pick up the threads from here. We have brought ourselves onto the brink of disaster the likes of which we have never seen before. I’ve witnessed it with my own eyes.” In the clip, he explained that “saving our planet is now a communications challenge. “I am making this move and exploring this new way of communica­ tion to me because, as we all know, the world is in trouble,” he said.

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Two arrested against terrorism

NATIONAL POLICE have ar­ rested two people, reported­ ly of Syrian and Moroccan origin, in Madrid and Toledo in the latest operation against jihadist terrorism. This operation comes after several others last month, in­ cluding the arrest in Cullera of a 24­year­old Spanish con­ vert to Islam who was re­ manded in prison for wanting to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State. She managed to get to Turkey in January and paid €4,600 to fund the Jihad. Before that, three people were arrested in Guipuzcoa for their alleged involvement with a network supporting Daesh which recruited young people to indoctrinate them with terrorist ideals with con­ tent they shared on social networks. They had more than 10,000 followers.

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Scottish Christmas Bubbles

SCOTLAND has announced an eight­person limit for Christmas ‘bubbles’ of three households which should contain no more than eight people over the age of 11. Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has an­ nounced the new rule as part of the government’s guidance which temporarily relaxes some Covid­19 re­ strictions for five days over Christmas. The easing of Covid rules, which also states that chil­ dren under the age of 12 do not count towards the total number of people in the bubble, will apply across the UK from December 23 to 27. A UK­wide deal was agreed on Tuesday, Novem­ ber 24, to permit people to meet up in ‘bubbles’ over

STURGEON: ‘Stay at home.’

the festive period, with trav­ el restrictions also being lift­ ed across all four home na­ tions. However, Nicola Sturgeon has said the “default advice” and “safest position” was still that people should avoid contact, with the “safest way to spend Christ­ mas and the festive period [being] to stay within your own household, in your own home and your own local area.”

easyJet Bookings Rise ACCORDING to the airline’s chief executive Johan Lund­ gren, easyJet saw bookings rise last week compared to the previous week, albeit starting from a low base. Under the current lockdown restrictions, only essen­ tial travel is permitted, however, the UK is due to relax them as the end of England’s second lockdown draws near. easyJet said bookings for flights from London and Bristol to Belfast and Edinburgh had gone up as Christ­ mas flight restrictions are also set to be eased further across the UK allowing families to mix for five days. In a statement on Thursday, November 26, Lundgren said: “We know underlying demand is there, which we see every time travel restrictions are lifted. “We continue to closely review our flying pro­ gramme to ensure we are aligning our schedule with customer demand,” he concluded.

Brave Grandma Fights Off Burglar MICHELINE S T E P H E N, known as Michelle to her friends, fought off a burglar only two days before her 90th birthday. Micheline, from Cupar in Fife, Scotland, walked into her kitchen on November 20, to find someone there. She initially thought it was her grandson, before soon realising that someone had broken into her house. According to Edinburgh Live, Micheline “tried to yank him by the rucksack he was wearing to stop him escaping through her window calling him a ‘wee sh**e,’ but he

managed to get away.” The grandma originally born in France has not let the robbery phase her, although she is worried that the rob­ ber may strike another house in the area. “How dare he come to an old person’s home to do that? “I’m old, but some people are much worse than I am and would not have put up a fight. “I want other people to stay vigilant.” The robber made off with Micheline’s lighter and ciga­ rettes and police investiga­ tions continue.

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RECORD BREAKING NATIVITY NATIVITY scenes are commonplace in Spain and ultimately traditional, but where is the largest? Alicante is bidding to become the place with the largest nativity scene ever, right in front of the town hall

square. The idea was announced earlier in the year, but it is now being assembled in the prominent Calle Raphael Altamira. The scene has Joseph as possibly the tallest character at

over 18 metres high and the virgin Mary next to him in the square in front of Alicante Town Hall. The mayor of Alicante Luis Barcala of the PP said this spectacle was initiated to draw attention to the city and help

tourism and local business. Mexico currently holds the record for the largest nativity scene, at 5.3m for the main figurines. This particular arrangement is being measured to see if it warrants a Guinness World Book of Records entry.

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Local police busy IT was a busy weekend for police in Alicante, who were forced to file 24 complaints for a multitude of offences. On Friday night, November 27, they were called to break up six separate parties in the city. As well as the house parties, the Local Police had to break up a fight in a bingo hall and arrest a motorist who caused a traffic accident while riding a stolen motorcycle. If that wasn’t enough, five people were caught drink driving in the tunnel of Avenida de Dénia, and officers responded to two other traffic accidents, one involving a bicycle.

Memorial service

A STREAMLINED memorial for health workers who have died of Covid in Madrid was held at Alumudena Cathedra on Saturday, November 28. To date, 80 health personnel have died after being diagnosed with the virus since the pandemic began. President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the capital’s mayor, José Luis Martínez Almedida, and Minister of Health, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, attended the service, organised by the College of Physicians of Madrid (ICOMEM). During the event, names of the medical colleagues who lost their lives during the coronavirus pandemic were read out, and some family members participated in the liturgy readings. The ceremony was streamlined so that everybody could pay their respects.

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First Golden Eagle Spotted prey is indeed a LOCALS are optimistic for the re­ golden eagle, turn of the species after the and said, “When first Golden Eagle was spot­ golden eagles are ted in the skies of Albox in young, the first year Almeria. they have very character­ The sighting has istic plumage. Looking at been confirmed them from below they as a young eagle, have two white wing that leaves locals opti­ spots that are mistic that the very notice­ species has re­ GOLDEN EAGLE: Is a able, and they turned. There has al­ protected species. also have a so been an adult small white stripe on the tail.” golden eagle spotted in the same The Golden Eagle is a protect­ area. ed species and sightings have Elena Jiménez, a graduate in been reported to the authorities Environmental Sciences tells us to help ensure the birds’ safety. how to confirm that the bird of

Costa Blanca millionaire

A NEW overnight millionaire was declared in Murcia as one winner on Tuesday, November 24’s Euromillions was drawn. Overall, Spain had a successful lotto week with lucky winners of the second category based in Sagunto in Valencia and Alfaro in Valencia scooping an impressive €176,840.50 each. The winning ticket for the million euros was purchased in Águilas in Murcia and carries the code: GSB80134.

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Fine exchange THE number of offenders who swap fines for cleaning the streets in Madrid has skyrocket­ ed by 66.8 per cent since Sep­ tember 2019. According to the city council, the profile of the offender who typically opts for community type work as opposed to paying a fine is male, aged between 18 and 29, of Madrid origin and studying at university. And the highest number of fines exchanged for cleaning in this programme are the result of urinating on public roads, an of­ fence classified as ‘serious’ which carries a fine of €751. The city council wants to pro­ mote these exchanges to “achieve greater awareness of citizens about the importance of keeping the capital clean. “The Substitute Environmental Provision (PAS) programme man­ aged by the Environment and Mobility Area has progressively more followers,” said its manag­ er, Borja Carabante. He added: “Participation has increased by 66.8 per cent since September 2019.”

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First of its kind MADRID is to open Spain’s first centre for homeless women who are victims of gender violence in 2021. The centre will have up to 40 places and will combine the care received by homeless people with that provided to women who have suffered sexist violence. Madrid City Council has sup­ ported 832 women and their children in the Municipal Net­

work of Attention to Victims of Gender Violence in 2020, twice as many as in 2019. Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez­Almeida, reiterated the “firm and unwavering” commitment of the city coun­ cil to “develop public policies to fight against sexist vio­ lence.” He recalled the “41 women murdered in Spain so far this year, two of them in the Com­

munity of Madrid, which makes us reaffirm the firm and unwavering commitment”: Deputy mayor, Begoña Vil­ lacís, explained: “The new re­ source will be a reception cen­ tre to serve homeless women who are victims of gender vio­ lence, who are three times more likely to suffer this type of violence. “It the first centre of its kind in Spain and very necessary.”

Driving schools unable to reopen TEN per cent of driving schools have been unable to reopen since the start of the ‘new normal’ meaning that people taking lessons to obtain their driving licence were badly affected by the State of Alarm, lessons, both theoretical and practical, had to stop and exam dates were postponed. In May, the schools were able to reopen and the General Traffic Department resumed exams, but around 10 per cent remain closed. According to a report by Dribo in National Spanish newspaper 20minutos, 15 per cent of driving schools are in danger of having to shut

down because of waiting for exams unless they change their business plan and introduce online options. This would account for 1,300 driving centres across the country, without online learning techniques, driving schools could be facing losses of up to €3,500 per month. Dribo meanwhile, promotes digitalising driving lessons so that students do not have to physically go to a classroom. It is now working in 37 cities in Spain helping driving schools to modernise their methods to avoid closures.

Possible 100,000 jobs lost

GENERAL DIRECTOR of Seat, Mikel Palomera, warned on Tuesday, November 24, that thousands of jobs could be lost when the new registra­ tion tax comes into effect across Spain in January. In the New Year, 50 per TAX INCREASE: Will be a cent of cars on sale will have strong blow to the industry. to pay the registration tax, which will make them 4.75 per cent more expensive, thereby reducing demand, Palomera said. Speaking at the sixth Deia Automobile conference, the CEO of Fiat Chrysler, Alberto de Aza explained that a tax increase, de­ rived from the application of the WLTP, would be “a very strong blow,” which will translate into “a fall in demand” and will have “without any doubt, an impact in employment and, ultimately, in the economy.” The WLTP procedure ( World Harmonised Light­duty Vehicle Test Procedure ) is a global standard for determining the levels of pollutants, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of tradition­ al cars, hybrids, and pure electric cars.

Teeside to Spain RYANAIR announced on Wednesday, November 25, that it is returning to Teesside in sum­ mer 2021 with the launch of two routes to Alicante and Mallorca, both operating two flights per week, commencing on June 1, 2021, as part of their British

summer 2021 schedule. British consumers and visitors can now book a summer break to Alicante and Mallorca ­ two of Spain’s most popular beach des­ tinations ­ as far away as October 2021, always flying on the lowest fares.

NEWS

Convicted terrorist citizenship revoked HOME MINISTER Peter Dut­ ton announced on Wednes­ day, November 25 his decision to revoke the citizenship of Al­ gerian­born convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika, also known as Abu Bakr. He was jailed in 2005 for 15 years, after originally being ar­ rested with 17 other suspect­ ed terrorists, when multiple plots were uncovered to bomb Australian landmarks in Sydney. Bakr was considered to be the spiritual leader of those arrested. He has 90 days to appeal the cancellation of his visa and his deportation to Algeria. Speaking to international media reporter in Brisbane, Dutton said, “If it’s a person who’s posing a significant ter­ rorist threat to our country, then we’ll do whatever is pos­ sible within Australian law to protect Australians.”

FEATURE

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3 - 9 December 2020

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Advertising Feature

Avalon wins award for ‘Best Funeral Plan Provider’ for the second year in a row at this year’s Personal Finance Awards AVALON FUNERAL PLANS is celebrating a cov­ eted award win after being named ‘Best Fu­ neral Plan Provider’ at the 2020/21 Personal Finance Awards for the second year running. Now in its 23rd year, the Personal Finance Awards has long been recognised as a bench­ mark for excellence in the consumer finance market. Voted for by 20,000 consumers based on their experience of outstanding products or customer service in the industry, it reflects their choice of the top financial providers. With 26 years’ experience providing funeral plans to more than 85,000 customers across the UK and Europe, this award recognises Avalon’s dedication to caring for its customers, as well as the high standard of its range of fu­ neral plans, in what has been a very unique and challenging year for all. Avalon lead the funeral planning industry in exceptional customer feedback, with over 2,500 reviews and a rating of ‘excellent’ on Trustpilot, as well as a five­star rating on De­ faqto. Time and time again, expats and their

families thank the team at Avalon for providing peace of mind with their funeral plans and their care and compassion at what can be a very difficult time. Customers like Anne, living in Spain: “I want to thank Mike from the bottom of my heart for his sincerity, calmness and the sympathetic way he was able to make the whole process so easy and stress free. Living in Spain is daunting when you lose a loved one. Mike took away all the weight and worry off myself and my family.” Avalon is the fastest growing provider of fu­ neral plans for expats in Europe, providing spe­ cialist expat plans in Spain, the Canaries, Portu­

gal and Cyprus. Avalon funeral plans are spe­ cially designed to help make planning your fu­ neral as an expat simple, with unique features compared to other providers. Their team pro­ vide local support for customers and their fam­ ilies, working with independent Funeral Direc­ tors in the country. They can also provide repatriation if expats would prefer to have a funeral back in the UK. Their 24/7 English­speaking expat bereave­ ment helpline is of vital support for families when the time comes, particularly in countries where the funeral process can be unfamiliar and complicated. For example, funerals in the EU can happen within 24­48 hours and there is the language barrier to contend with. The company has also adapted quickly to the challenges of this year and customers can now speak to a specialist funeral plan advisor in the comfort of their own home face to face, or via a video consultation, as well as over the phone and online. The award win follows a challenging year for

expats and companies providing services to ex­ pats alike, as they faced the Coronavirus pan­ demic. Speaking about the award win, Aval­ on’s CEO, Susan Stevenson, said: “We are so proud to have won this award in a year when our colleagues and funeral direc­ tor partners have faced the unique challenge of maintaining a high standard of exceptional care for our customers and their families amidst a global pandemic. “We like to think we’re different to other fu­ neral plan providers in that we go the extra mile in helping customers and their loved ones when they perhaps need it most and have re­ ally shown this to be true this year. We have supported thousands of bereaved families throughout 2020 with the same level of care and compassion that has come to be expected of us. “The fact that we’ve been recognised for our efforts ­ particularly by such a widely renowned awarding body as the Personal Fi­ nance Awards ­ really means the world to us.”

Regulated in the UK by the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA), Avalon operates across the UK, Spain, the Canaries, Portugal and Cyprus. For more information, visit www.avalonfuneralplans.com or call +34 966 799 070

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NEWS

Ban on Tate Modern Evictions Attacker Appeal THE attacker that threw a six­ year­old boy off the viewing platform of the Tate Modern is set to appeal his sentence. The horrifying attack took place last year in August when Jonty Bravery, 19, went through with his plan to throw a stranger from the platform and get in the news. Jonty selected the boy after spending some time on the platform before choosing who would be his victim.

The boy suffered exten­ sive injuries from the fall which the side of the Tate Modern only partially broke, before landing on the roof of the fifth floor. The injuries sustained in­ cluded spinal damage. The magistrate court has been told that Jonty will appeal the decision to send him to prison, as he believes that he should be at Broadmoor Hospital instead of in prison.

Youth Covid Fund THE UK government announced a £16.5 million (€18.5 million) youth covid­19 support fund on Wednesday, November 25, that will be open to grassroots youth clubs, uniformed youth groups, and national youth and umbrella organisations. It will help to miti­ gate the impact of lost income during the winter period due to the coronavirus pandemic and ensure services providing vital support can remain open. The funding will be allocated from the government’s unprece­ dented £750 million (€842 million) package of support which is benefiting tens of thousands of frontline charities, so they can con­ tinue their vital work.

THE Spanish government is to announce measures to ban evic­ tions without alternative hous­ ing for the most vulnerable. Second vice president and minister of Social Affairs and the 2030 Agenda, Pablo Iglesias (Podemos), revealed in Congress: “In the coming days, I hope that we do not take more than two weeks, the government will pre­ sent a measure to avoid evictions without housing alternative for vulnerable people.” Iglesias stressed that evictions of vulnerable families “continue to occur in the middle of the sec­ ond wave of the pandemic,” be­ cause the decree in force at the moment “does not have the ca­ pacity to stop it.” For this reason, he said, the Ex­ ecutive is working “to end all evictions during this emergency. “My job is to ensure the gov­ ernment’s social policy and com­ pliance with the agenda, there­ fore, I have to do everything in my power to prevent any family from being evicted from their home during a pandemic like the one we are experiencing.”

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TMAS SH S I R H C E O H P T

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

Eurostar needs support THE cross­Channel rail operator has appealed to the UK govern­ ment for more financial support as it has been forced to slash its timetables since travel restric­ tions have drastically reduced their customers. Before the pandemic Eurostar ran more than 50 services a day; it is currently operating only one train between London and Paris, and one between London and Amsterdam. Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union general secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT is calling on the government to

Financial support needed. step in immediately to give life­ line financial support for the im­ portant international infrastruc­ ture role fulfilled by Eurostar and the thousands of jobs supported

both directly and indirectly by the service.” Eurostar has criticised the gov­ ernment for treating the rail op­ eration unfairly, after it an­ nounced on Tuesday, November 24 that up to £8 million of busi­ ness liabilities at each major Eng­ lish airport will be covered. In a statement Eurostar said: “The new scheme of rates relief for airports puts Eurostar at a di­ rect disadvantage against its air­ line competitors. We would ask this scheme to be extended to in­ clude international rail services.”

Paramedics on e-bikes TWELVE London Ambulance Service para­ medics are taking part in a new London trial which sees medics deliver care in the com­ munity on electric bikes. The six month Merton pilot aims to take pressure off GPs by providing home care to patients for a range of ailments, including those who have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Khadir Meer, chief operating officer at LAS, said: “Winter is an extremely busy time for our health service and with the ex­ ceptional year we have had, we hope this

pilot will help relieve pressure on GP surg­ eries and ensure ambulances go where they are most needed. “Nobody wants to go to hospital unless they have to and with finite resources, our highly­skilled clinicians are well placed to assess whether patients need care at home or if hospital treatment is required.” Merton Health says another benefit to this pilot is that medics can spend more than the average GP time of 10 minutes with patients.

FEATURE

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Advertising Feature

WHAT LEGAL DOCUMENTS CAN HELP PROTECT YOUR ASSETS?

THE Spanish judicial system has different legal structures in place, to ensure that the wishes of an individual’s will are met, should they suffer (in the future) from an illness or any situation that impedes their ability or capacity to express their wishes (for example: Alzheimer’s, stroke, etc). Preventive powers, custody order or a last Will and testament are the most known and used. 1) PREVENTIVE POWERS This is a notarial document that allows a person to appoint another person, to act on their behalf and in their best interests, if they were to lack the ability to express their own wishes. One of the great advantages of signing this power is for managing the assets of the incapable person, without resorting to incapacitation judicial proceedings. Different types of preventive powers: A) Using the power from the moment in which the grantor / representative suffers from a disabili­ ty. B) Using the power from the time of signing. This is used more frequently, particularly with dis­ eases when the transition to ‘state of incapacity’ is difficult to assess.

How is a preventive power drafted? Drafting and revising it by an Attorney / Legal Advisor / Notary clearly specifying what powers are allowed, together with a registered and au­ thorised signature before the notary. 2) THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT The advance directive is a legal formula by which a person states what level of medical inter­ vention/ healthcare they want, if they are deemed to be in a state in which they are unable to express their wishes. This can be a privately signed document (for example in a law firm, pro­ vided with two witnesses) which has to be regis­ tered in the Registry of last wishes, or before a Public Notary. What kind of content / information is usually included in this document? A) The medical treatment you wish to receive; or not receive. This document is frequently signed in relation to the rejection of all medical interven­ tion, to be kept alive artificially. B) Appointment of one or more representa­ tives, for the purpose of communicating the wish­ es to the medical team. C) Donation of organs.

PELLICER & HEREDIA C/San Fernando, 46-1º izda. Alicante 03001 info@pellicerheredia.com Tel : 965 480 737 Offices in Alicante-Hondón de las Nieves-Ciudad Quesada-Jávea-Moraira

3 - 9 December 2020

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NEWS

Who will get the vaccine and when? AMID fears of there being a critical third wave of the coronavirus in Spain, following the lights, Black Friday shopping, bank holidays and then Christmas and New Year, the vaccination plan is as follows: Phase 1 ­ January to March (2.5 million people) Residents in care homes Healthcare workers

Non­institutionalised dependants Phase 2 ­ March to beginning of June (order not yet known, but attending to the risk of them getting ill or dying with Covid, based on whether they are ex­ posed to it, the social and economic impact, and the risk of transmitting it) People aged over 64

People in conditions which put them at risk People who live or work in closed communities People in vulnerable groups of the population due to their social and economic situation People with essential jobs Teachers Children

Teenagers and youths Adults People living in areas where there are outbreaks Pregnant and lactating women People who are seropositive to SARS­CoV­2 Phase 3 ­ Summer As more vaccines are available, more groups will be added.

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

GERMANY

Little Mermaid

Scalped

ALTHOUGH sculptor Edvard Eriksen has been dead for 61 years, his Little Mermaid in Copenhagen is protected by copyright until 2030 and his heirs have won damages of Kr285,000 (€38,300) against newspaper Berlingske which used a zombified image on its front page.

AFTER six years of discussion and the involvement of the US State Department, the Karl May museum, dedicated to the German writer of westerns has agreed to repatriate to America a scalp which may have been taken from a member of the Chippewa tribe.

NETHERLANDS Uber frustrated THE ‘mini cab’ company Uber has been told by the Dutch jobs’ agency UWV that it may not sack 10 workers at its Amsterdam Head Office who refused to apply for redundancy when it wanted to lose 200 workers since it had acted improperly.

BELGIUM New blinds A MAN from Diepenbeek who claimed he was taking a shot of the moon has been given a 12-month suspended sentence, ordered to pay €1,500 and purchase new blinds and curtains for his neighbour after he was convicted of photographing her in the nude.

FRANCE Eco-Museum BRITISH sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor who specialises in under water installations has produced six giant heads which have been sunk to the bottom of the sea off the coast of Cannes to create what is described as Europe’s first ‘eco-museum.’

NORWAY Electric VAT FOLLOWING years of promoting the purchase of electric cars, Norway’s politicians are considering returning to a 25 per cent tax on all electric cars which cost more than Nk600,000 (€56,700) which would hurt brands like Mercedes and Tesla.

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FEATURE

GO LOCAL BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local community.

THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS is urg­ ing its readers to support local businesses in the community by going local through the lock­ down and for your Christmas

shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and super­ stores. This lockdown and festive peri­ od we challenge you to rediscov­

er your local high streets, mar­ kets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky inde­ pendent businesses in your area. Due to the Covid­19 pandem­ ic, you may have to support many local businesses by order­ ing online and making use of any click and collect services they can operate if you are unable to get out due to health reasons or lock­ down restrictions. The joy of shopping local means that independent busi­ nesses can help support the local community. Although it may be a euro or

two cheaper elsewhere or online, consider where your money is actually going. By shopping at an independent store you’re putting food on a local family’s table, and there is no better time than Christmas to give back to your community by making a small gesture and shopping in this way. Many local stores support lo­ cal charities, support and sponsor local sports teams and in many cases the small independent stores are actually much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often passed down through numerous

3 - 9 December 2020

SPENDING LOCALLY: Will make a difference to the local economy. generations and support not just the current owner, but the gen­ eration before. For those stores which are new, that extra couple of euros spent there are supporting some­ one’s dream and ambition, and also the courage it took them to step out alone, which is no easy task. It takes quite a large chunk of money to set up an indepen­ dent store and compete with the

multi­national and chains. So be sure to pre­order your turkey from a local butcher and get your spuds from a local greengrocer, let us revive that community spirit and get to know our neighbours again. You could also consider pur­ chasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking outside the box can often lead to some

fantas­ tic ideas. Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a lo­ cal studio, a hair cut at a local sa­ lon or an online study course for someone looking to change their career path. As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift

perhaps pre­paying a family member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a better gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry, give the gift of peace of mind through these dif­ ficult times. Choosing to spend your mon­ ey locally will really make a differ­ ence in the recovery of the local economy. When we buy local,

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our money stays local, and it strengthens the local economy in two ways. First, buying local keeps money circulating within the local economy. Studies have shown that local businesses recir­ culate a greater share of every euro as they create locally owned supply chains and invest in their employees. Data shows that local retailers return 52 per cent of their rev­ enue back into the local econo­ my, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers.

Money circulating through the local economy bene­ fits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For example, let’s look at a local farmer grow­ ing produce. First, they sell to a local restau­ rant, which in turn prepares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employees and the restau­ rant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbour­ hood hardware store. This exam­ ple illustrates how the recircula­ tion of money in the local

economy leads to a stronger fi­ nancial foundation for our neigh­ bours and communities. Buying local also fuels new employment and job opportuni­ ties for people within our com­ munity. Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and re­ tain more employees over time. While buying local is financially compelling to our communities; the benefits to our environment are equally impressive. Buying lo­ cally reduces the processing of goods, packaging and transporta­

FEATURE

tion waste, which leads to less pollution. There’s a massive cultural shift underway redefining the way people make buying decisions. We’re seeing more individuals concerned about the environ­ ment, about how products are made and sourced, where mate­ rials come from, and a compa­ ny’s overall social and environ­ mental impact. Many businesses are joining our Go Local campaign by offer­ ing customers special offers and discounts throughout the festive period, more details to follow here soon. Just remember to follow the latest government advice and any guidance businesses have to keep everyone safe.

FINANCE Christmas present AS there will be a temporary relaxation of UK Covid-19 rules to allow families to get together Marks & Spencer has announced that it will close on Boxing Day, normally one of the busiest shopping days of the year, so staff can enjoy two days off.

Madrid benefits THE exodus from Catalonia to Madrid continues, despite the fear of Covid-19 with some 433 companies relocating so far this year as they consider that their long-term financial health will be better in a centre with lower taxes and no calls for Independence.

Saturday delivery TO remain a sustainable business, Royal Mail has been advised by its regulator that if it cut out Saturday postal deliveries it would still be able to fulfil its obligations to consumers and save up to £225 million (€247 million) per year.

Finance round ONLINE Spanish employment agency Jobandtalent which concentrates on recruiting temporary workers, is looking to raise up to €60 million through a round of financing and if this is successful will be the largest startup funding raised this year.

OHL construction AS Spanish construction company OHL sees its losses increase to €114 million due to the impact of the pandemic, major shareholders, the Mexican Amodio brothers have allowed a share option to lapse. They currently own 16 per cent of the company (with Luis Amodio holding the post of President) and had an option to purchase a further 9 per cent from Grupo Villar Mir but as the current share price is lower than the option price, they have let it lapse.

STAT OF WEEK

€9.95 billion

is the amount of contributory Social Security benefits paid in Spain in November, an increase of 2.26 per cent over November 2019.

Fisheries funds

Bank Merger Called Off ON November 16, BBVA and Sabadell announced, after several months of speculation, that they were entering into talks with the intention of agreeing to a merger which would have creat­ ed the second strongest bank in Spain. Now, just two weeks later, both banks have ad­ vised the National Securi­ ties Market Commission (CNMV) that due to a number of serious stick­

ing points, they were un­ able to agree a basic un­ derstanding with regards to value of shares and therefore the proposed merger has been called off. Whilst organisations such as the European Central Bank and the Bank of Spain have made it clear that the current fi­ nancial situation calls for the strengthening of banks’ finances by merg­ er, this will not be the

LEGALLY SPEAKING

case for these two. BBVA is by far the stronger of the two banks and having recently sold its subsidiary in the USA for a reported €9.7 bil­ lion, it was clear that the merger, would really be a takeover in all but name. Sabadell saw its share price rocket as the merger talks were confirmed, but they reversed immediate­ ly upon the announce­ ment of the break down of talks and it seems

more than likely that they will now try to divest themselves of overseas assets such as TSB Bank, which has not generated significant profits for them. With a large amount of money in BBVA and a wish to increase its share of established business rather than relying heavi­ ly on emerging business, it seems likely that it will be sizing up other Spanish banking merger options.

Recycling bikes

Can he be empadronado?

Credit: Pink Albatross

BUSINESS EXTRA

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30

I live in a caravan parked at the bottom of a friend’s land. I look after the land and do not pay rent. I make my living as a gardener. I would like to be empadronado in my town, but they tell me I must have a proper fixed address in order to register. I have heard that in some places they are registering even homeless persons who live on the street. What can I do?

SPAIN is one of the major beneficiaries of the current European Maritime and Fish­ eries Fund (which expires at the end of this year) and was allocated €1.089 billion out of a total budget of €6.4 bil­ lion. According to Bird Life Inter­ national, the purpose of the fund is to assist in creating en­ vironmental, economic and social sustainability in fish­ eries, but the organisation has serious doubts about the ef­ fectiveness of the spending of some of the money. Figures are only available to the end of 2018 but show that €55 million was spent on subsidies considered harmful to the marine environment and just €5.8 million was spent on artisanal (tradition­ al) fishing whilst €315 million went to industrial fishing.

New UK watchdog

C F (Costa del Sol) Yes, you are enti­ tled to be em­ YOU AND THE LAW padronado, that IN SPAIN is, registered as a resident of your municipality. You can start the process by going to Social Services in your municipal­ ity. Your legal justification is the Resolución del 16 de Marzo de 2015 de la Presidencia del Instituto Na­ cional de Estadistica. You want Article 3.3 which sets out instructions to the various town halls. These in­ structions make it clear that a caravan can be accept­ ed as a valid residence if there is ‘reasonable expec­ tation’ that official notifications can be delivered there. You start with Servicios Sociales only because they help with many problems like yours, including even the homeless.

DAVID SEARL

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

FOR the first time in three years it appears that a Spanish Budget will be approved after the minority government obtained support from both Basque and Catalan leaders in Parliament. On this occasion, Ciudadanos decided that it could not support the budget and it only won a sin­ gle concession, but the combined opposition of centre and right­

GOOD CONDITION: A brand-new recycled bicycle. A DUTCH company formed in 2011 has come up with a re­ cycling idea which is really what it says, as the owners re­ alised that in Holland tens of thousands of bicycles are thrown away every year and the majority of them have very usable parts. The Amsterdam­based Roetz Fair Factory not only us­ es up to 30 per cent of all of the discarded bikes it collects but also has a policy of em­ ploying those who have fallen on difficult times and need to get back into the job market. In the case of the OV­fiets bike rental fleet, Roetz say

that they can reclaim up to 70 per cent of the bicycles passed to it and they even of­ fer to customise bikes to satis­ fy individual customer re­ quirements or needs. In almost every case, the frame of discarded bicycles is in perfectly good condition, requiring mainly repainting and whilst Holland is admit­ tedly a huge market for com­ muter bicycles, when one considers the number of rac­ ing bikers there are in Spain, this appears to be a market that could be exploited and would be good for the envi­ ronment.

THE British government has decided to launch the Digital Markets Unit (DMU) as part of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in order to create and oversee a new code of practice for digital platforms. This new watchdog which will go live in April of next year intends to keep a close eye on Facebook and Google in order to ensure that smaller compa­ nies and consumers are not adversely affected by these and similar giant tech corpora­ tions. There will also be an at­ tempt to support the news in­ dustry by reviewing the rela­ tionship between publishers and platforms.

Spain’s 2021 budget wing parties including the Partido Polular and Vox have insufficient seats to vote it down. It is known that Podemos in particular are sympathetic to Cat­ alonia’s call for independence, al­

though they do not give it out­ right support, but no doubt acting President of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès, who has thrown his weight behind the decision, ex­ pects to receive some conces­

sions in the long term. Now, Spain must wait to see money distributed by the Euro­ pean Union recovery fund, which is a vital component in the 2021 budget funding.

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PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3I Group 1.087,50 1.088,50 Admiral Group 2.878,0 2.886,0 Anglo American 2.288,5 2.288,5 Antofagasta 1.258,50 1.258,50 Ashtead Group 3.199,0 3.212,0 Associated British Foods 2.144,0 2.165,0 AstraZeneca 7.905,0 7.944,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 561,45 562,00 Avast 502,00 503,50 Aveva 3.363,0 3.397,0 Aviva 326,50 327,67 B&M European Value Retail SA480,26 481,10 BAE Systems 510,40 513,00 Barclays 137,78 140,04 Barratt Developments 637,60 637,62 Berkeley 4.680,0 4.680,0 BHP Group 1.728,20 1.735,20 BP 256,40 258,88 British American Tobacco 2.656,2 2.675,5 British Land Company 470,80 475,60 BT Group 119,20 121,50 Bunzl 2.380,0 2.391,0 Burberry Group 1.757,5 1.759,0 Carnival 1.385,6 1.418,0 Centrica 45,15 45,58 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.186,0 2.192,0 Compass 1.389,00 1.417,50 CRH 3.042,0 3.069,0 Croda Intl 6.046,0 6.072,0 DCC 5.714,0 5.756,0 Diageo 2.921,0 2.943,5 DS Smith 340,60 342,12 EasyJet 800,66 828,83 Experian 2.707,0 2.720,0 Ferguson 8.364,0 8.400,0 Flutter Entertainment 13.565,0 13.745,0 Fresnillo 1.059,50 1.100,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.391,00 1.396,65 Glencore 216,00 217,05 Halma 2.248,0 2.253,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.452,00 1.460,00 Hikma Pharma 2.663,00 2.670,00 HSBC 397,10 402,65 IAG 158,21 162,31 Imperial Brands 1.397,00 1.411,50 Informa 541,80 543,40 InterContinental 4.711,0 4.755,0 Intermediate Capital 1.663,00 1.679,00 Intertek 5.644,0 5.670,0 ITV 94,92 95,94 J Sainsbury 216,80 217,60

% CHG. 1.076,00 2.828,0 2.231,0 1.238,50 3.132,0 2.103,0 7.750,0 544,20 491,20 3.342,0 319,70 473,70 503,00 136,90 619,17 4.623,0 1.718,20 252,50 2.647,7 462,90 118,20 2.308,0 1.706,0 1.357,0 44,88 2.160,0 1.385,50 3.012,0 5.906,0 5.654,0 2.905,0 335,80 799,40 2.578,0 8.264,0 13.275,0 1.047,08 1.381,60 212,65 2.204,0 1.418,00 2.613,03 395,80 157,80 1.394,00 535,00 4.704,0 1.642,00 5.482,0 94,14 215,30

NET VOL 85,81K 42,05K 402,92K 184,63K 79,85K 20,86K 508,00K 29,76K 204,73K 136,17K 503,93K 106,61K 694,65K 5,11M 85,38K 27,16K 540,47K 2,57M 46,35K 296,64K 5,56M 53,55K 153,70K 221,15K 2,16M 33,59K 340,71K 123,67K 41,23K 14,87K 760,96K 162,48K 629,38K 589,74K 35,34K 145,67K 128,11K 183,55K 1,19M 137,69K 122,57K 5,65K 4,83M 4,11M 265,86K 315,42K 91,17K 55,16K 17,98K 259,48K 1,01M

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Johnson Matthey 2.273,0 JSC MMC Norilsk Nickel ADR 28,54 JSC VTB Bank DRC 0,955 Land Securities 669,40 Legal & General 255,90 Lloyds Banking 37,38 London Stock Exchange 8.060,0 Meggitt 398,60 Melrose Industries 158,90 Mondi 1.692,50 National Grid 871,00 NatWest Group 162,35 Next 6.626,0 Ocado 2.252,60 Persimmon 2.711,0 Phoenix 770,00 Prudential 1.213,53 Reckitt Benckiser 6.639,4 Relx 1.776,50 Rentokil 503,60 Rightmove 638,80 Rio Tinto PLC 4.916,0 Rolls-Royce Holdings 109,15 Rosneft 5,93 Royal Dutch Shell A 1.317,40 Royal Dutch Shell A 1.317,0 Royal Dutch Shell B 1.279,3 RSA Insurance 675,20 Sage 606,20 Samsung Electronics DRC 1.519,00 Sberbank 13,35 Schroders 3.217,0 Scottish Mortgage 1.113,96 Segro 918,80 Severn Trent 2.413,0 Smith & Nephew 1.463,50 Smiths Group 1.481,00 Spirax-Sarco Engineering 11.240,0 SSE 1.375,29 St. James’s Place 1.025,00 Standard Chartered 459,80 Standard Life Aberdeen 275,90 Taylor Wimpey 159,95 Tesco 227,40 Tui 511,00 Unilever 4.653,0 United Utilities 907,40 Vodafone Group PLC 124,92 Whitbread 3.127,0 WPP 748,00

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

2.288,0 28,67 0,961 675,90 257,20 37,98 8.120,0 402,80 161,10 1.700,64 883,00 163,30 6.646,0 2.270,00 2.717,0 794,20 1.220,50 6.650,0 1.784,00 505,00 640,40 4.920,5 110,30 5,99 1.326,31 1.330,6 1.290,8 677,60 613,20 1.519,00 13,51 3.238,0 1.117,00 923,20 2.419,0 1.473,00 1.492,50 11.260,0 1.385,70 1.030,50 464,30 276,70 160,05 228,90 527,60 4.666,0 913,20 125,05 3.169,0 750,80

2.229,0 28,40 0,955 661,30 252,15 36,79 7.932,0 391,40 156,65 1.667,00 870,20 159,50 6.468,0 2.195,00 2.657,0 769,00 1.192,00 6.508,0 1.727,00 488,40 623,80 4.880,0 106,05 5,93 1.301,61 1.301,6 1.262,9 674,60 602,80 1.513,00 13,34 3.194,0 1.095,00 899,40 2.375,0 1.449,50 1.457,50 10.830,0 1.372,39 1.010,60 455,30 269,50 155,85 226,62 510,40 4.522,0 896,40 123,65 3.120,0 738,00

45,44K 218,49K 44,49K 138,74K 477,87K 22,99M 14,46K 292,36K 1,03M 21,02K 1,71M 1,76M 30,96K 38,38K 112,84K 672,26K 54,29K 120,78K 316,26K 401,99K 268,80K 251,06K 4,18M 150,60K 78,59K 1,04M 275,92K 682,99K 78,72K 2,20K 451,82K 84,32K 674,23K 490,84K 92,79K 200,13K 135,88K 16,38K 39,07K 60,49K 685,12K 122,95K 2,70M 445,25K 716,80K 1,79M 178,61K 1,23M 65,11K 213,33K

0.89902

1.1125 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.19848 Japan yen (JPY)......................................124.705 Switzerland franc (CHF) .........................1.08201 Denmark kroner (DKK) ...........................7.44161 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.5648

currenciesdirect.com/la-zenia • Tel: +34 965 994 830 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 30

COMPANY 3M Alphabet C Amazon.com Amgen Apple Boeing Caterpillar Chevron Cisco Coca-Cola Facebook Goldman Sachs Home Depot Honeywell IBM Intel J&J JPMorgan McDonald’s Merck&Co Microsoft Nike Procter&Gamble Salesforce.com Tesla UnitedHealth Verizon Visa A Walmart Walt Disney

PRICE 176,89 1.793,19 3.195,34 224,81 116,59 216,50 175,08 91,31 42,70 52,70 277,81 235,40 275,99 209,41 124,35 47,45 144,00 121,22 218,33 79,86 215,23 134,25 138,61 247,63 585,76 337,94 60,58 211,00 151,60 147,13

CHANGE 179,63 1.804,00 3.216,19 226,21 117,49 219,93 175,92 92,59 42,98 53,19 279,13 237,30 276,58 209,42 125,31 48,10 144,66 122,35 220,40 80,68 216,27 136,13 138,89 251,84 598,78 338,90 60,74 212,03 152,72 150,35

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 175,57 1,27M 1.772,44 884,92K 3.190,05 2,39M 221,39 1,70M 116,22 46,69M 216,04 9,97M 173,88 976,86K 90,54 4,63M 42,64 10,77M 52,61 8,50M 274,82 7,81M 233,79 1,05M 274,36 1,63M 207,60 1,43M 123,91 2,09M 47,36 15,92M 143,22 3,06M 121,08 5,98M 217,66 1,39M 79,56 5,39M 214,04 14,51M 133,34 3,51M 137,53 4,25M 247,03 7,40M 578,45 37,56M 331,84 1,56M 60,41 5,76M 208,81 3,51M 151,10 3,67M 146,53 5,31M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 30

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+2.23% +6.29% +22.50% +1.30% +1.23% +8.23% +7.09% +3.80% +10.85% +16.35% +6.07%

286,797 7.28M 11.78M 739,507 884,916 346,648 467,992 136,566 4.51M 43.44M 79,115

-0.54% -1.76% -1.32% -8.62% -1.58% -22.25% -22.32% -1.36% -9.42% -2.55% -3.08%

117,204 12,415 569,393 3.42M 13,875 10,193 5.93M 70,803 5.48M 5,475 305,974

Most Advanced MercadoLibre Inc. Zoom Video Communications Inc. Novavax Inc. Alphabet Inc. Cl A Alphabet Inc. Cl C BeiGene Ltd. ADR Monolithic Power Systems Inc. MarketAxess Holdings Inc. Appian Corp. Cl A Moderna Inc. arGEN-X SE ADR

Most Declined Booking Holdings Inc. First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A Charter Communications Inc. Cl A Sage Therapeutics Inc. Amerco Newborn Acquisition Corp. Un Newborn Acquisition Corp. Bio-Techne Corp. Corsair Gaming Inc. Omega Flex Inc. Cardlytics Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Fading Brexit optimism limits the pound

SUBDUED START: But the GBP/EUR exchange rate has steadily recovered ground.

ASK THE EXPERT Peter Loveday

Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

STAYING on top of the latest currency news can help you time your transfers more effec­ tively, so find out what you should be look­ ing out for over the next few weeks… Latest currency news After a subdued start to November, the GBP/EUR exchange rate has steadily recov­ ered ground, climbing from lows of €1.10 to highs of €1.12. Meanwhile, EUR/GBP fluctuated from highs of £0.90 to lows of £0.88. GBP/USD also edged higher this month, rising from $1.28 to a high of $1.33. What’s been happening? The euro suffered a setback this month af­ ter France and Germany re­entered strict lockdowns to curb the spread of Covid­19 in­ fections. Moreover, fears for the Eurozone’s econ­ omy, which looks increasingly likely to plum­ met into recession in the fourth quarter, have dampened demand for the single cur­ rency. Adding further pressure to the euro was the EU’s Covid­19 budget being vetoed by Poland and Hungary, throwing the bloc’s economic situation into a heightened state of uncertainty. The release of the Eurozone’s latest flash PMI manufacturing and service sector data for November also weighed on the euro as worse­than­expected figures confirmed business activity is contracting in the bloc. Meanwhile, the pound benefited from news that AstraZeneca announced a Covid­ 19 vaccine with up to 90 per cent efficacy, of which the UK government has pre­ordered

up to 100 million doses. This news, combined with news of a pos­ sible rollout of coronavirus vaccines in the next few months, boosted GBP exchange rates. Nevertheless, Brexit uncertainty has con­ tinued to clip some of the Pound’s gains due to a lack of news over positive progress on key obstacles, while Bank of England gover­ nor Andrew Bailey suggested that a no­deal Brexit could prove more severe for the UK economy than the coronavirus pandemic. What do you need to look out for? Looking to the weeks ahead, EUR in­ vestors will continue to monitor the Euro­ zone’s economic developments as countries emerge from national lockdowns. Upcoming manufacturing and unemploy­ ment data from Germany for November will likely drive EUR movement as any significant downturns in the Eurozone’s largest econo­ my would indicate worrying fourth quarter growth in the Eurozone. Meanwhile, GBP traders will continue to monitor Brexit developments between the UK and the EU as the end of the transition phase rapidly approaches. As a result, we could see Sterling suffer if there are any further signs that the UK could be leaving the EU without a trade agree­ ment at the end of the year. However, any further news of a possible Covid­19 vaccine rollout across Britain in De­ cember would prove GBP­positive. At Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your cur­ rency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.

Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca. Telephone UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com.

3 - 9 December 2020

EWN 33

34 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

3 - 9 December 2020

FEATURE

What about positive praise? LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT DON’T you think it’s time we cut Boris and Co a little slack? This present Conservative cabinet was originally selected with one overriding purpose ­ to steer the UK through the UK’s biggest economic and historical transition since 1973, ie Brexit. Instead, in what amounted to hardly more than the blink of an eye, it was faced with the country’s greatest crisis since the Second World War. The goalposts were not only moved, but positively transported! Well, I for one think that in the light of a truly unprecedented situation ­ which is still changing virtually by the day ­ they have so far managed to achieve an effectively competent result. In a fairly successful effort to prop up the population, including those in business, they have injected billions into the economy, while at the same time managing to reduce infection levels to controllable proportions. They have made mistakes, but frankly

the sheer weight of daily problems and the responsibilities they have had to contend with simply defies the imagination. Across the full gamut these ongoing assessments must be a positive nightmare. Many senior members appear daily on national TV and radio, endeavouring to openly and very publicly explain the reasons for decisions they have made. They are constantly in the unenviable and impossible position of trying to please ‘all of the people, all of the time.’ And what do they get for it? Well certainly no praise from the left wing media that’s for sure. It is actually almost intelligence insulting to see the likes of the BBC and its cronies, desperately trying to gain the political kudos they clearly hope may one day rescue their beloved Labour party. When Sky’s awful Kay Burley was interviewing Rishi Sunak, who I happen to believe has been one of the most eloquent and capable members of all, she asked him how, in the light of his intention to reduce our ludicrous overseas aid budget, he slept at night knowing that thousands of children would

starve because of his decision! I was delighted to see the way he dealt with her derisory suggestion, reducing her to the final sarcastic comment she always mumbles when she has lost an intelligent argument. All their interviewees are carefully chosen, predominantly to echo their own sentiments and agenda. For every rare guest who considers the government is coping with the situation, they will deliver a dozen ‘experts’ who don’t. And as if all this isn’t enough, through it all this beleaguered government is also trying to negotiate the almost immeasurable problems of Brexit! Well all I can say is thank the Lord it is Boris and his Cabinet that are at the helm. For all their faults, the idea that it could have been Jeremy Corbyn and the likes of Diana Abbott trying to sort it all out is nothing short of horrific. So what about a little positive praise and encouragement? Remember, strong leadership is never popular; it isn’t that kind of contest. Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland Mon. Wed. Fri.

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

Renting in Spain? CONSULAR MATTERS AS a lawyer and Danish Consul, I have seen a massive increase in clients ask­ ing about renting here in Spain. Everyone will of course be aware that the transition period comes to an end on December 31, 2020 for the Brits. Realistically there is not much time to purchase a property before the end of the year, especially with UK citizens having to quarantine in the UK for 14 days when they return to the United Kingdom from Spain. There are also those people who simply do not want to invest in the Spanish property mar­ ket and prefer the freedom of renting. There is a school of thought that the property prices will go down next year, but who knows. This means that people who have

decided not to buy in Spain are turn­ ing to renting as an option to show that they are living in Spain and are therefore able to make an application for residency or residencia as it is called in Spain. There are of course a number of reputable agents who can help you find a place. There are also numerous private advertisements on sites. Sadly, there are a few scams that are out there, and you must take care. The most popular are fraudsters rent­ ing a property on somewhere and tak­ ing deposits and rent in advance be­ fore disappearing. There are even criminal gangs breaking into proper­ ties and doing the same thing. Make sure that you see an indepen­ dent lawyer in order to guard against these scams and to make sure that the contract is legal and negotiated in your favour. For example, you may need a notice clause that allows you

to leave early, as you may be looking for a property to buy in the not too distant future. There are three different property rentals contracts in Spain. The first is where you rent a house for a holiday like on Airbnb, Booking.com or others. The second is where you take a rental contract for up to six months, this may because you are working or studying away from home. The third is long term rentals for 12 months or more, these are contracts where it is your main place of resi­ dence. If you follow the terms of the agreement, then you can extend the term to five years even if the landlord does not agree. This of course is not legal advice and again as always seek independent ad­ vice from a registered lawyer before signing or paying any monies. You can obtain a list of lawyers from the Con­ sulates.

Marisa Moreno Castillo, Senior Lawyer at Just Law Solicitors and Consul for Denmark.

Website: www.justawsolicitors.com email: info@justlaw.es

THURSDAY 3 DECEMBER

FRIDAY 4 DECEMBER

SATURDAY 5 DECEMBER

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MONDAY 7 DECEMBER

TUESDAY 8 DECEMBER

WEDNESDAY 9 DECEMBER

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Doctors Impossible Escape to the Country Money for Nothing The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders DIY SOS

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Live Snooker: UK Championship Final Score BBC News BBC London News Weather Pointless Celebrities The Hit List Strictly Come Dancing Michael McIntyre's The Wheel

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Escape to the Country Talking Pictures Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger! Blue Planet II BBC News BBC London News Weather Countryfile Strictly Come Dancing His Dark Materials

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Impossible Escape to the Country Money for Nothing Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Panorama EastEnders The Vicar of Dibley The Vicar of Dibley

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Money for Nothing Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Holby City My Family MasterChef: The Professionals

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Impossible Escape to the Country Money for Nothing Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Still Open All Hours The Repair Shop MasterChef: The Professionals

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Steph's Packed Lunch Countdown A Place in the Sun Escape to the Chateau: DIY Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Ugly House to Lovely House with George Clarke

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Dickinson's Real Deal Winning Combination ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Griff's Great Australian Adventure

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Ninja Warrior UK Celebrity Supermarket Sweep ITV News and Weather ITV News London Catchphrase: Catchiest Moments The Chase: Celebrity Special It'll Be Alright on the Night

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Extreme Cake Makers Heston's Feasts George Clarke's Old House, New Home Channel 4 News Jungle Mystery: Lost Kingdoms of the Amazon Britain's Most Historic Towns Britain's Wildest Weather Formula 1

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ITV London Weather Midsomer Murders Apollo 13 ITV News and Weather ITV News London 5 Gold Rings Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Gary Barlow's Night at the Museum

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Channel 4 News Father Christmas The Snowman The Snowman and the Snowdog Peter Rabbit Rugby Union: Autumn Nations Cup Highlights Jamie: Keep Cooking at Christmas Escape to the Chateau

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Dickinson's Real Deal Winning Combination ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Coronation Street: 60 Unforgettable Years

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Dickinson's Real Deal Winning Combination ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale For the Love of Britain The Royal Variety Performance

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Live Snooker: UK Championship Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Live Snooker: UK Championship 12 Puppies and Us New Elizabethans with Andrew Marr

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Live Snooker: UK Championship Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Strictly: It Takes Two Live Snooker: UK Championship Waterhole: Africa's Animal Oasis Top of the Pops: 1988

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Find it, Fix it, Flog it Escape to the Chateau: DIY Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Including sport and weather. Luxury Christmas for Less

2:30pm 4:10pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

Countdown Find it, Fix it, Flog it Escape to the Chateau: DIY Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Great British Bake Off

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Steph's Packed Lunch Countdown Find it, Fix it, Flog it Escape to the Chateau: DIY Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country

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Neighbours Baking Christmas Another Christmas Coincidence 5 News at 5 Neighbours Friends 5 News Tonight Jo Brand's Cats & Kittens Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railway Journeys

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Sky Sports News Live European Tour Golf Live European Tour Golf Live European Tour Golf Live European Tour Golf Sky Sports News Live British Basketball Live British Basketball Live PGA Tour Golf Live LPGA Tour Golf Sky Sports News

Countdown A Place in the Sun Escape to the Chateau: DIY Kirstie's Handmade Christmas The Simpsons The Simpsons Channel 4 News Grayson's Art Club Gogglebox

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Live European Tour Golf Live One-Day International Cricket Live FNF Live Fight Night DANZ Present ‘One Night” Live: Total Access Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News

A Very British Christmas The Christmas Cottage 5 News Update The Christmas Cottage Cruising with Jane McDonald 5 News Weekend Secrets of the Factories Inside Sandringham: Holidaying with the Queen

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FEATURE

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3 - 9 December 2020

EWN 37

38 EWN

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3 - 9 December 2020

FEATURE

Advertising Feature

UK bank closures how we can help IN September thousands of expats living in Europe were told that their UK bank accounts or credit cards would be closed by the end of the year as a result of Brexit, with Lloyds, Halifax and Barclaycard among the banks planning to close accounts. Other big name banks have also refused to rule out account closures for expats. The reason for the potential ac­ count closures is the likely impact of Brexit on ‘passporting’ arrange­ ments. Passporting refers to UK banks providing services to customers based in other states of the Euro­ pean Economic Area (EEA) without direct authorisation. As it stands, passporting rules as we know them will end on Decem­ ber 31, 2020 unless a new agree­ ment with the EU is reached. This means that UK banks will need to have separate authorisation in every EEA country they want to operate in, resulting in some banks deciding to close their accounts in some countries. It has been estimated that around 13,000 accounts will be closed by Lloyds, Halifax and the Bank of Scot­ land, but many more accounts could be affected in time. The situation can vary depending on where you live in Europe, but it is understandably unsettling with many expats now scrambling for an alternative means of managing their finances. In light of this, we wanted to outline some of the ways we at Currencies Direct can help you manage your international fi­ nances.

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At Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 325,000 customers save time and money with excellent exchange rates, no fees and expert support. With 20+ global branches, including 17 across Spain and Portugal, we’re never far away when you need us. Give us a call to find out more. *The information provided was correct as of 30/10/2020 but could be subject to change. ** Currencies Direct’s bank providers do not monitor the funds they place on safeguarding accounts or how they operate these accounts. It is Currencies Direct’s responsibility to segregate funds.

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YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS ARIES (March 21 - April 20) There is a strong urge to be up and doing something to further your artistic needs. Be sure that you know what is important. Keep it simple and aim straight for it. There may be other options to be explored, but do not go off at a tangent. To do so would see you have many fingers in many pies but making little real progress. Trust your instincts.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Although you are feeling more confident in many ways, there is also a secret insecurity. There is a strange emotional atmosphere this week, which perplexes you. An unusual feeling that you need to change your surroundings cannot be put down to a seasonal ‘nesting’ instinct.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Waiting for just the right time to do and say things this week can produce miracles. Spontaneity may be your watchword but forward planning is where real progress is at the moment. It’s not a week to expect cooperation from others.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) If you are James Bond, I see no surprises in the week ahead. If you are not, then I certainly do. Something quite shocking crosses your path, so be cautious in your approach to new situations. Keep your eyes and ears open and be prepared to seek advice.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) At last it is clear that the future holds something quite exciting. Looking back during the past few years there has been a build-up to this moment. Treading a new path is half the story. There is much to be discovered both outside and inside your sphere.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Your heart is saying ‘Let’s get out and have some fun.’ Your head is saying ‘Okay, but let’s leave it until later.’ Which is right? Well, one thing is for sure, emphasis on finances is restraining. You are, however, building on something strong for the future.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) What others see as our way ahead is not always the path which we want to tread. It would be easy to be cosy and not take a chance. Is that what you really want? Outside influences are heavy and pressing at times.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Be sure not to put up with tedious comments. Someone is trying to rile you. Who are they to think this way? It is foolish and impossible to please this person. Avoid them and move on to something out of their sphere. A few days away clears your head and gives a more balanced picture.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Who wants you to go where and who wants you to do what? Each day seems to be spoken for before it arrives. Spending your life like this means running out of credit on your health. Do not neglect your well-being for the wishes of others.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) There are plenty of people who will tell you that what you seek does not exist. They will also tell you that what you feel is unsustainable. This is, however, no time to compromise your dreams or emotional needs. Taking a bright view and a chance now seems unusual to those round you.

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) The last time that you sat down and thought about your finances it was confusing. Things are a lot simpler now. Keep emotions and the needs of others out of the equation. Balance is what this week is all about. Get the percentages right now and it is plain sailing for the immediate future.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Something comes to your attention that makes you feel both anger and injustice. As you are urged to speak out and put your cards on the table, you hesitate. Be sure to have the true facts of the matter because this gives you real confidence.

TIME OUT

HEXAGRAM The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (GARDEN) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

ADVENT CLOUDY CORRAL DIGEST DIPOLE EMERGE ENERGY FILTER GARDEN (10) GENIAL ILLUME INLAND INTENT PUPPET RELIEF REPEAL TEEING UMPIRE UPTAKE

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY Sat 28 November

9-27-35 45-46-57

BONUS BALL

32

IRISH LOTTO Sat 28 November

5-6-16 18-45-47

BONUS BALL

41

EURO MILLIONS Tue 24 November

BONUS BALL

8

25-33-38 42-50

12

Fri 27 November

BONUS BALL

2-05-08 14-16

8 9

EL MILLON: HGG28522 LA PRIMITIVA Thurs 26 November

BONUS BALL

17-22-26 29-31-44

20 9

JOKER: 2287293 Sat 28 November

BONUS BALL

2-04-13 21-25-28

32

JOKER: 7671945

9

TIME OUT

42

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CODE BREAKER

ENGLISH-SPANISH

The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 1 represents Z and 15 represents B, so fill in Z every time the figure 1 appears and B every time the figure 15 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Across 1 Lavado (7) 5 Cisnes (aves) (5) 8 Cuero (piel) (7) 9 Oferta (5) 10 To ring (telephone) (5) 11 Enamel (7) 12 Abades (6) 14 Treinta (6) 17 Briefcase (7) 19 Deporte (5) 22 Meeting (5) 23 Sentence (linguistics) (7) 24 Mirar fijamente (5) 25 Renacuajo (7)

Down 1 El país de Gales (5) 2 España (5) 3 Heredar (7) 4 Jardín (6) 5 Tormenta (5) 6 Pin (sewing) (7) 7 Cirugía (7) 12 Clams (7) 13 Scales (instrument) (7) 15 Marido (7) 16 A pie (2,4) 18 Suit (for man) (5) 20 Rust (5) 21 Tenso (5)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION QUICK Across: 1 Basis, 4 Poker, 7 Renovates, 8 Seek, 9 Snooty, 12 Dither, 13 Open, 16 Albatross, 18 Argue, 19 Sadly. Down: 1 Bogus, 2 Serpent, 3 Song, 4 Paving, 5/17 Kit bag, 6 Risky, 10 Opposed, 11 Beetle, 12 Drama, 14 Navvy, 15 Boss.

BOGGLED

FUTOSHIKI

Across: 1 Reloj, 3 Muebles, 6 Pumpkin, 8 Grace, 10 Rocks, 11 Sisters, 14 Anoche, 15 Cartel, 17 Scandal, 20 Perro, 21 Dress, 22 Believe, 23 Riqueza, 24 Scots. Down: 1 Ropería, 2 Jokes, 3 Menos, 4 Edges, 5 Stews, 7 Microwave, 9 Afeitarse, 12 Inch, 13 Yema, 16 Lioness, 17 Sudor, 18 Desde, 19 Libra, 20 Pills.

amen ament tame tamp tent temp teen teem enema neem pate paten patent mate mete meet meow meows moms moos mown mows gent gene genet goof goos gown befog feta fete feet feign feint foment foemen omen tiny twig twin twos twosome elms moment moon moony women womb woof woos wino winos winy wont nowt nows coomb coombe cooee coign coigne coin comb combe come cows coos clef smog some sown socle soon swig swoon scow sonic

CODE BREAKER

NONAGRAM ahem ghat hair hang hare harm hart hate hear heat heir hint hire math meth nigh

CRYPTIC

Across: 1 Encased, 5 Tasks, 8 Stern, 9 Montana, 10 Repulse, 11 Cited, 12 Manse, 14 Offer, 19 Roses, 21 Abridge, 23 Car wash, 24 Moron, 25 Shame, 26 San Remo. Down: 1 Ensure, 2 Cheap, 3 Singles, 4 Damsel, 5 Tunic, 6 Startle, 7 Shandy, 13 Austria, 15 Fireman, 16 Erects, 17 Gashes, 18 Lean-to, 20 Stake, 22 Dirge.

ENGLISH-SPANISH

rhea tanh than them then thin earth eight garth girth harem hater heart hinge might mirth neath neigh night right thane thegn their therm thine thing anthem anther aright gather hanger haring hating hegira hermit hernia hetman hitman menhir rehang hairnet harming hearing heating hematin megahit earthing NIGHTMARE

HEXAGRAM

WORD LADDER

1 SCHEME 2 TOWHEE 3 ODIOUS 4 TROPHY 5 CURATE 6 RADIAL 7 FERRET 8 RAMROD 9 FLORIN 10 FAMOUS 11 ERRATA 12 RABIES 13 COARSE 14 BEATEN 15 STRUCK 16 EXCUSE 17 NEATER 18 UNLIKE 19 RESIDE

MUST MAST MALT MALE SALE SAVE or

KAKURO

SUDOKU

MUST RUST RUSE RASE RAVE SAVE

43

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Costa Blanca TODAY

DENIA JAVEA CALPE ALTEA

WEATHER

BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

TOMORROW

DENIA JAVEA CALPE

Malaga TODAY: MAX 18 MIN 8 Fri 17 10 Sat 15 10 Sun 14 9 Mon 17 8 Tues - 16 9 Wed 15 9

Alicante TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 12 Fri 16 10 Sat 17 13 Sun 16 12 Mon 16 11 Tues - 19 11 Wed 19 12

Almeria TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 7 Fri 19 9 Sat 15 8 Sun 14 10 Mon 15 11 Tues - 16 12 Wed 17 11

Benidorm TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 11 Fri 19 12 Sat 18 11 Sun 17 12 Mon 19 12 Tues - 17 11 Wed 17 159 Mallorca TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 11 Fri 19 13 Sat 17 12 Sun 17 11 Mon 18 11 Tues 17 12 Wed 19 11

TIME OUT

FUTOSHIKI Fill in the squares so that each digit from 1 to 6 occurs exactly once in each row and column. Greater-than and less-than signs indicate the relationship of the two adjacent squares. There is only one solution, and you can find it without guessing.

BOGGLED How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules? • The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally. • Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms. • No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice. • No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

ALTEA BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

SATURDAY

DENIA JAVEA CALPE ALTEA BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

S: Sun

C: Cloudy

Th: Thunder

Cl: Clear

Sh: Showers

Sn: Snow

Bilbao TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 10 Fri 17 9 Sat 16 11 Sun 14 11 Mon 15 10 Tues 16 13 Wed 15 15 Madrid TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 13 Fri 16 15 Sat 15 12 Sun 14 12 Mon 16 13 Tues 17 14 Wed 17 16

Barcelona TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 11 Fri 17 11 Sat 16 12 Sun 15 11 Mon 16 11 Tues 18 9 Wed 19 10

Euro Weekly News strives for accuracy, but cannot be held responsible for any errors in published forecasts

TARGET:

SCORING:

• Average: 17 • Good: 23 • Very good: 33 • Excellent: 43

4 letters: 1 point 5 letters: 2 points 6 letters: 3 points 7 letters: 5 points 8 or more letters: 11 points

KAKURO Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

CRYPTIC Across 1 Small charts for the horses (7) 5 Row about head of ginger cat (5) 8 Part of book showing group of clergymen (7) 9 Quiet law-breaking garment? (5) 10 Argument at badger's den gains nothing (3-2) 11 Cousin is upset about hard pillow (7) 12 Broken ribs on birds (6) 14 Electricians leave car aboard ship (6) 17 Give insincere praise that's less sparkling (7) 19 Tatty rag on musical instrument (5) 22 Clip of quiet organ (5) 23 Many getting slimmer, and smarter (7) 24 Start looking after the machine (5) 25 Loose rocks by church make an unpleasant sound (7) Down 1 They are used for holding coal fires (5) 2 Sailor a foot nearer the stern (5) 3 Disappointment of a flat tyre? (3,4) 4 Collided with stop-start vehicle (6) 5 The trials and tribulations of international games (5) 6 Craftsman less inclined to work after midnight (7) 7 Gives in to the French about rents (7) 12 Rejection of damaged seal fur (7) 13 Showing two undergarments is most valiant (7) 15 Landing includes solitary colonist (7) 16 Ruins the king, it's said (6) 18 Rich cake a part of breakfast or tea (5) 20 Spiritual benefactor that is after information (5) 21 Direction given in Babylon or Thebes (5)

TIME OUT

44

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SUDOKU

QUICK

Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9. There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.

Across 1 Not busy (9) 6 Before the appointed time (5) 7 Thoughts (5) 9/14 Informant's warning (3,3) 10 Suitcases (7) 11 Childhood disease (7) 14 See 9 16 Necessities (5) 17 Rub or scrape out (5) 18 Unknowns (9)

Down 1 Watchful (5) 2 Powered flying vehicle (9) 3 Faithful (5) 4 Take along (5) 5 Squander (5) 8 Turn from liquid into vapour (9) 11 Repairs (5) 12 Unsuccessful participant (5) 13 Back of a boat (5) 15 Gives food to (5)

WORD LADDER Move from the start word (DINE) to the end word (HALL) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.

DINE

SPANISH LESSON BACK HALL

Christmas Time Christmas presents – Regalos de Navidad

NONAGRAM

Christmas tree – Arbol de Navidad Baubles – Bolas de decoración Tree lights – Luces de arbol de navidad

RACHEL AND FRIENDS

Wrapping paper – Papel para envolver

How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case R) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

Sellotape - Fixo Ribbon - Lazo Scissors – Tijeras Poinsetta plant – Flor de Pascua Father Christmas – Papa Noel

TARGET:

Sleigh – Trineo Reindeer - Reno

audreyquinton99@gmail.com

• Average: 10 • Good: 14 • Very good: 20 • Excellent: 26

46 EWN

3 - 9 December 2020

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FEATURE

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Madrid Hospital Shortage THE new Isabel Zendal emergency hospital in Madrid, due to open on December 1, did not receive enough requests for voluntary transfer from existing staff, so the Ministry of Health has said ‘forced displacements’ of existing staff will have to be made if the hospital is to open its doors. The Ministry invited health personnel to apply for a voluntary move to the 699 positions in the new hospital, but on the closing date for applications on Monday, November 23, only 111 out of Madrid’s 70,000 health workers had applied. For this reason, the Madrid government has indicated that the General Directorate of Human Resources and Labour Relations will fill the vacancies by deploying staff from 11,324 existing contracts which are due for renewal. Regional President, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced on Wednesday, November 25 that these contracts will now be extended until June 30, 2021.

War Dead To Be Martyrs I T was announced by the Vatican, on Tuesday, November 24, that Pope Francis, following a meeting with Cardinal-designate Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, has declared that 127 men and women from the Archdiocese of Cordoba, executed during the Spanish Civil War which lasted from

1936 to 1939, have been recognised by the Catholic Church, and they should be declared martyrs, and will now be beatified. The founder of the schools of Ave Maria, in Granada, Spanish Fr Andres Manjon, born in 1846, and died in 1923, was also recognised by Pope Francis, for his heroic virtues.

3 - 9 December 2020

DAVID WORBOYS SOME decades ago, I remember being buttonholed by a drunk at a large party in Brighton. He may well have been a gate­ crasher, as he seemed to lower the gener­ al tone. Breathing alcoholic fumes into my face (no masks in those days!) he was ram­ bling on about how his brother frequently advised him to watch his drinking and how his brother was wrong. He knew better than all those trying to give him advice. How smart he was! How successful his life had been. How he had overcome being bullied at school. When he started boasting about his sexual con­ quests, I concluded that he was deluded, frustrated and egocentric. But most of all, I thought, what a bore! And so we come to Trump. There are many ways I can think of to describe him. Self­obsessed, lacking in judgement, impul­ sive, immature, power­crazy and inconsid­ erate. But for me the best description would involve reference to a part of the anatomy between the buttocks. This boring little man leaves his country in turmoil because he cannot accept that anybody can beat him at anything or be more capable of doing anything than he is, despite being a proven failure as a man, as

EWN 47

WHAT A BORE! TRUMP: Selfobsessed, lacking in judgement, impulsive, immature, power crazy and inconsiderate.

a businessman, as a leader and as Presi­ dent. At the time of writing, he plays golf or sulks in his beloved Oval Office, refusing to face the world, admit defeat and co­oper­ ate in the transfer of power in the interests of the health, economy and security of the millions he is supposed to lead. He moans, boasts, tweets the same old nonsensical grievances over and over again, well aware of the fact that he is not wanted. What a bore! The culture of lies, cheating and juvenile insults and the fomenting of racism and di­ vision continues. And why, as I write, has nobody been willing or able to remove him, kicking and barking, from the White House to a psychiatric unit? The President has as­ sumed the power of a mad dictator ­ firing anybody who disagrees with him and

breaking the law or amending it by control­ ling the Supreme Court. Is this really democracy? Even King George III had a re­ gent during his 10 years of insanity. The longer Trump stays in power, the greater the danger to the USA and the world in general. It’s time to look forward and restore val­ ues. The country desperately needs leader­ ship in order to activate control of the pan­ demic, the consequent rebuilding of businesses and the global economy. There needs to be trust in individuals and institu­ tions and mature dialogue with allied coun­ tries as well as those posing a threat to se­ curity. Proper legitimate trade deals need to be implemented rather than random embargos and punitive trade wars. It looks as if Biden and his team are on the right track.

HEALTH & BEAUTY Do you have a right to voice your opinion?

DIONE LOCKYER THE definition of opinion ­ A view or judgement formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge. The meaning of opinion, as stated above, is the view of either yourself or others. An opinion is not necessarily based on fact, but rather based on an individual’s experience or feelings. The year 2020 has seen more opinions than ever. Whether you are for or against a vaccine, whether you are a Boris or Trump supporter, whether you are for or against Brexit. It is all based on YOUR opinion, YOUR lifestyle/circumstances and YOUR past or present experiences. There are two very popular sayings: ‘Other people’s opinions are none of your busi­ ness,’ and, ‘Keep your opinions to yourself.’ My question to you is do you have a right to voice them? Opinions are important, and in some ways, im­ portant for our mental health, if done in the cor­ rect manner.

For example: Woman A ­ A lady who has quite clearly stated that she and her family will not have the latest vaccine. She genuinely feels that there is not enough research and whilst she believes there is a virus, she does not believe the vaccine is neces­ sary. Woman B ­ A lady who is pro vaccine. She is adamant that the vaccine will save hers and the world’s lives. She strongly believes that if she does not have the vaccine, she is at risk. You would have read each of the above exam­ ples, and already based your opinion on one of these ladies, without either knowing them person­ ally, nor knowing their reasons behind their deci­ sions. Some of you may have decided to judge them and voice YOUR opinion on THEIR decision. Now I believe that EVERYONE is entitled to an opinion, the same as everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. But I also believe that other people’s opinions should be respected. When you judge or argue the opinion of others, it is ALWAYS based on your own fears. So before you respond. Start by asking yourself: Is this kind? Is this necessary? And most importantly. What AM I AFRAID OF!

You are in charge! No one else can do this for you, you HAVE to do it for yourself. If you are ready to take the step, join my wonderful women-only membership https://dionelockyermindsetmentor.com/membership-offer/

3 - 9 December 2020

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Women more likely to suffer illness ARE women really the weak­ er sex? A survey by retail analysts Mintel said that women were more likely to report having suffered various ail­ ments, with 81 per cent re­ porting suffering a headache in the past year, versus 68 per cent of men. It found 57 per cent of women have suffered back pain, com­ pared to 50 per cent of

men and one in three women; 34 per cent said they had experienced five or more different types of pain in the last 12 months versus one in four men. Some 57 per cent of women who suf­ fered a cold or flu said they

coped by going to bed and resting, compared to a lower 44 per cent of men. The study found that 78 per cent of women are happy to turn to over the counter medi­ cines when they are ill, com­ pared to 66 per cent of men. Mintel’s Consumer Lifestyles Analyst said the research showed that women are notably more likely to experience more types of pain as well as ex­ periencing a greater range of pains. This could be due to the fact that women contin­ ue to multi­task in terms of running the household, car­ ing for the children and holding down a job leading them to feel run down and more susceptible to bugs and illness.

HEADACHES: Women suffer from pain.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Bipolar obsessions MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED THE symptom that every person with bipolar avoids talking about, because we know we are obsessing but we can’t stop it! Whilst juggling the depression with the mania, often enough a third ball to juggle with gets thrown into the mix : anxiety. Is she ignoring me? What time are we meeting? Why isn’t anyone telling me! Are they avoiding me? I need more information. Why doesn’t someone tell me what is happening? Are they angry with me? They are quieter than usual , what is going on? What are they not telling me? I need to plan for Christmas. I need to write a list, I need to write another list, I don’t like my handwriting in this one, maybe use another pen? This thinking can be so physically painful. Compulsively checking social media or your phone. Calling and leaving more than one message and not waiting for a reply. Getting upset when people don’t call back or message back. Uncertainty is painful for the bipolar mind. We want answers NOW! in order to feel better. If we can’t get the answers, our bodies choose repetitive behaviours as a calming tool. We then go into overdrive thinking of every possible worse case scenario. This doesn’t work! Sometimes we need someone to

look us in the eyes and tell us that we are worrying beyond anything we could possibly control. Once I start obsessing over something I find it difficult to stop. From little insignificant non-issues to the larger things in life It’s not just thoughts that I can’t keep up with, and then the most insignificant thing will make me explode. For example : I am waiting for results from some blood tests back from the Doctor to check all my levels are okay, so my mind automatically is expecting the blood tests to come back terrible. I am waiting for results back from the vet because my dog has had a lump on his back for a while now that won’t go away, automatically I am thinking how much an operation is going to cost and will he be okay, I can’t begin to imagine my boy not to be around, my fridge decided to pack up on me over the weekend, it has an alarm that goes off when it goes over a certain temperature , the sound was piercing. Next thing I know I am sat on my kitchen floor crying over my fridge not working!! Bless him, my dad came round to my house as he knew I wasn’t right and sat with me whilst I sobbed over a fridge, reality of it all, I wasn’t just crying over a fridge - I had reached breaking point. It doesn’t have to be the bigger things in life, often I worry about literally nothing. Anxiety takes over. It starts with worry, then turns to anxiety and I struggle with obsessing over ridiculous or irrelevant things. Follow me on Facebook @Mswillowbipolar Love Ms Bipolar X

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

3 - 9 December 2020

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Brain changes RESEARCHERS in Barcelona have identified brain changes 20 years before Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Scientists at the Hospital Sant Pau studied 300 peo­ ple, and, using new magnet­ ic resonance imaging tech­ niques, detected brain alterations in healthy pa­ tients two decades before the the disease was diag­ nosed. The new magnetic reso­ nance technique ­ devel­ oped at the hospital ­ allows them to measure the move­ ment of water in the brain and to estimate at what point in their lives the par­ ticipants would develop the first clinical symptoms of the disease. The researchers claim the data “proves there are changes in the cerebral cor­ tex about 20 years before the first alterations in mem­ ory appear.” This “allows us to understand better the disease, studying the trajec­

tory of these alterations long before the clinical symptoms appear.” According to neurologist Juan Fortea, main re­ searcher of the project, “the

new data obtained will have a great implication when de­ signing future studies to un­ derstand unexpected find­ ings of clinical trials with antiamyloid therapies.”

Update on food, drink, entertainments, what’s on and weekly happenings

SOCIAL SCENE Raffle for Caritas

to read more visit

GOOD PRIZES: Are on offer at the raffle event as well as food, bingo and various other activities.

C A R I T A S , a charity in Guardamar that helps the most vulnerable in the area, gets some good prizes for its raffle event hosted at Alannia Resorts in Guardamar del Segura. The fundraising event, being held on T uesday, D ecember 8, will also feature

some lovely food, a game of bingo, happy hour at the bar and a variety of activities to raise money for the worthy cause. Food will be served from 1.30pm and the bingo will be called from 2pm, followed by the raffle at 3pm and an eagerly anticipated

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happy hour. A lannia R esorts in Guardamar del Segura is located next to the impressive pine and eucalyptus forests that make up the P arque natural de las Dunas, close to the extensive beaches of fine sand that are more than 20km long.

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Tina Turner in Concert LET legendary singer and entertainer Tina Turner entertain you as the Tina Turner in Concert event is set for the Aurora Bar and Lounge in Quesada. On Friday, December 4, come along and join the Aurora Bar and Lounge crew for a great night of entertainment from the legendary Tina Turner shown on our 100� screen from 7pm. Aurora Bar and Lounge, located on Avenida Antonio Quesada in Quesada, is a classy stylish bar offering a wide range of drinks and a full home-made menu that will be offering table bookings for this unique event available. UNIQUE EVENT: Let the singer entertain you. All strict hygiene and social distance measures will in place so you can enjoy the comfortable bar inside or the stunning decked terrace outside.

SOCIAL SCENE

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Christmas Tapas Trail LA FUENTE presents its Annual Christmas Tapas Trail on Saturday, December 5, as the festive fun comes to the Champagne Bar, La Fuente, Campoamor, Orihuela. The Christmas food feast will allow diners to enjoy a small beer or wine and tapas for just €2.50, while children can visit Santa’s Grotto for only €5, including a gift. The fun and Xmas festivities, which will be running from 2pm to 8pm, don’t stop there though as there are also prizes being awarded for Best Christmas Hat, Most Festive Group and even for Best Dressed Dog. People in attendance will also get the chance to enter and hopefully win the Christmas Hamper Raffle.

xxx

Bee Rumble in The Jungle FORGET the famous boxing bout, this is Bee Rumble in The Jungle at the Rioja Centre in Los Dolses, Orihuela on Saturday, December 5. In her first time performing in the Jungle, not the I’m a Celeb jungle, The Jungle in Los Dolses, Orihuela, Bee Rumble will be belting out some 60s, 70s, 80s, Soul, Motown, Northern Soul, Disco and pop classics! In a musical masterclass, the show-stealing singer will be taking to the stage at the jungle-themed bar in Orihuela from 6pm to 8pm. You don’t want to miss this.

3 - 9 December 2020

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PETS

52

www.euroweeklynews.com • 3 - 9 December 2020

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Care for pets in the holidays and beyond! Aquarium answers

HOWEVER much we’ve all en­ joyed extended time at home, we all fancy a change. Some peo­ ple are already looking to later in 2021 for a holiday and booking house­sitters to take care of pets and home while they are away. Others are planning a trip over the winter holidays. Have you made your plans yet? We’d like to encourage you to plan ahead for house­sitters if you have trips planned over the holi­ days to see family and friends or just to get away. Now is the time to get ready. We will help you as much as we can. Our philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps one client has taken so far: 1. Registered as a homeown­ er on HouseSitMatch.com 2. She chose a Premium ac­ count (£89 per year) to ensure she could get help online when need­ ed 3. Created a profile with pho­ tos of Daisy and the house, inc fea­

While you’re away over the holidays, they will need company. tures of the property (ie swim­ ming pool) 4. Posted a house­sit advert stating the plans for a holiday in the winter, subject to Covid per­ mitted travel Do you need a pet­sitter in 2021? Then get started right now.

How does it work? HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our net­ work for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holiday. House­sitters see your advert, they respond and

you choose whom you’d like to care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimonials ­ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ­ HouseSitMatch found us a per­ fect house­sitter… HouseSitMatch found us a per­ fect house­sitter while we were away in Canada and we were de­ lighted with the care and atten­ tion that HouseSitMatch took in helping us find the right person. Ros Morris ­ Dog owner How do you join? Please register online via our website www.Housesit match.com ­ Choose a membership plan ­ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscrip­ tion to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £89 pa

Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner with a 20 per cent discount using coupon code P2020 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com.

I HAVE snails living in my substrate ­ lots of them. They have a cone­like shell and sometimes if I watch closely I can actually see the substrate moving about. Are they going to cause any prob­ lems? Should I leave them or try (!?!) to eradicate them? It sounds as though you have a colony of thiarid snails, proba­ bly Melanoides tuberculata (aka Red­rim Melania, Malaysian burrowing/ trumpet snail or simply MTS) or possibly Tarebia granifera (Quilted Melania). These are often referred to as aquarium pests since they can reproduce incredibly quickly when there is a consistent excess of food. As you’ve seen they spend the majority of their time within the substrate but do emerge occasionally, particularly at night. They’re often said to be hermaphroditic, ie, possessing both male and female sexual organs but in fact they reproduce by parthenogenesis; females produce embryos which develop un­ fertilised and give birth to live, fully­formed young. Males do ex­ ist but in relatively small numbers compared with females. In reality these snails are beneficial in the majority of aquaria since they eat detritus trapped within the substrate and their movement helps prevent anaerobic spots developing, particu­ larly useful in planted set­ups. They will not harm live plants but do consume algae when they emerge at night, and if their num­ bers do increase quickly the usual cause is overfeeding of fishes and/or insufficient cleaning of the substrate. If you do wish to remove them please don’t use a commercial product (most are harmful to shrimp and some fishes) or add a ‘snail­eating’ fish such as a Botiid loach species (most grow rela­ tively large, exhibit complex social behavior meaning a group of six to eight or more is required and shouldn’t be relied upon to eat snails) rather reduce feeding and remove them manually at night or using a ‘snail trap.’

Advertising Feature

EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER EARLIER intervention and treatment of cancer allows for the best long­term out­ come and potential for cure. Usually it is not possible for the vet to tell whether an ani­ mal has cancer just by look­ ing. Blood tests to screen for

cancer are still in their infan­ cy. Further tests, such as blood samples and x­rays, are often needed. Ultrasound, CT or MRI scanning may be sug­ gested. These may help in staging (discovering whether the cancer has spread to oth­

er areas of the body). They can also give an indication of your pet’s general health, which affects the ability to re­ sist treatment. A biopsy (taking a small sample for examination under a microscope) may help to identify the tumour and see if it is cancerous. If new lumps or bumps are noted, obtain­ ing a fine needle aspirate (FNA) can provide valuable in­ formation in an affordable and non­invasive way. Reaching a definite diagno­ sis can sometimes be difficult; for example, biopsies do not always contain enough good quality material when exam­ ined under a microscope. The most important thing is to go to the vet as soon as possible in case of suspicion. Centro Veterinario de Diagnóstico por Imagen de Levante. Los arcos 23 Cuidad Quesada Rojales Tel: 966 716 176 • www.resonanciaveteri naria.es

FEATURE

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NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

YES, right! I have transitioned from feeling disappointed to feel­ ing ‘pretty’ disappointed. Err, let me explain. I’m referring to Broadway’s latest revamp of the musical West Side Story. This has dropped, amongst other things, I Feel Pretty, the jubilant song of the heroine Maria, because its di­ rector is after a rendition ‘for the 21st century.’ Maybe ‘I Feel Sexy’ would fit the bill for him? Well, instead of the Sharks and the Jets, perhaps we can do a British version with the Bojos and the Starmerites? ‘It’s alarming how harming we are,’ nicely sani­ tised with the knife fight scenes removed and replaced with some ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ street con­ test ... Thank goodness! Maybe now we can look forward to a happy end­ ing for Romeo and His Juliet. (Transgender by the time you see it: Romeo and Their Juliet, if you

3 - 9 December 2020

I HAVE TRANSITIONED

THIS YEAR!

please.) As for the balcony scene, Juliet would have to wear a safety harness and Romeo would have to go on a ladder­climbing course. Not to mention a Broadway reimagining of Hamlet 2020 ­ Hamlet: ‘To be or­.’ Director: “Cut, that’s a wrap, let’s keep it rele­ vant. Hey, would it be OK for this Hamlet guy to do less talking? Can’t understand a word he’s say­ ing anyway through that mask of his.” Yes, it’s about time those archa­ ic plays by the Bard were updated. For starters, Desdemona needs to do a runner and get the hell away from her abusive and disturbed husband ­ she should run away with Cassio. Lady Macbeth should be more sympathetic to her husband’s am­ bitious but weak personality and tell him to accept his lot. Henry V should avoid so much warmongering. And Caesar should

simply listen to his wife and stay at home! It’s PC gone mad, I tell you! Also woke, virtue signalling and snowflakery. If, according to Broadway, ‘the classics needed re­ freshing to maintain their rele­ vance,’ how do they become clas­ sics in the first place? Answer: by not being messed about by individuals hitching a ride on their excellence. Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘No Safe Place,’ ‘Betrayal,’ ‘The Girl in the Woods,’ ‘The Girl in the Red Dress,’ ‘No Way Back,’ ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Steal­ er,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora­johnson.net) avail­ able online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cud­ eca cancer charity.

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EWN 55

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56 EWN

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BUSINESS OPP. Coyote Street Food bar, business opportunity for sale. Modern container installation. Tacos , pancakes, waffle, gofre,Smoothie Coctails, Yogurt Ice cream ( best Italian Gelmatic machine), display fridge , fully equipped. 648 603 343 michaelmaj11 @gmail.com (290080)

BUILDING SERVICES J & J PAINTERS. Inside outside - clean - fast low cost. Torrevieja - Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas. Tel: 650 363 159 (287797)

BUY & SELL BUY FUR Coats & Jackets, handbags, designer bags, oriental & Persian carpets, jewellery & watches. All kind of Silver, sliver plated 90/100/800. Cutlery, tin, amber, coral, coins, medals, porcelain. Radio, musical instruments. Military items until 1945, photos, medals etc. Fair price paid in CASH. Phone 688 335 497 (290436) BUY vinyl records, record players, CD’s & Radios. 688 335 497 (290436) PRIVATE collector will buy your Gold, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)

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

English-speaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: 648 169 045 or Costa Blanca South: 625 912 078 or Costa Calida 679 385 105 All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www.aa-costablanca. org (93323) CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hotmail. com (95475) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462) CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 w w w. g i v i n g l i g h t . c o m . (10006) FREEMASONRY. Are you aware that Freemasonry is thriving on the Costa Blanca? There are various lodges meeting up throughout the Valencia region. If you already are a Mason or simply wish to know more about Freemasonry in Spain please contact Harry Palmer Membership Committee. Tel: 966 712 326 or email: 2palmers.quesada@gmail. com (95477) HELP VEGA BAJA. We are a non-profit making organisation that helps and supports anyone, without prejudice, in times of need or crisis within the Vega Baja area. Our offices are based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega 46 (Tel 966 723 733), Torrevieja at Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4 (Tel 965 704 282). We are online at www.helpvegabaja.com and also on Facebook. You can email the San Miguel Centre at office@helpvegabaja.com. We also have a 24-hour Emergency help-line which is available to both members and non-members on 966 723 733 (95456)

INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY, TORREVIEJA Calle Urbano Arregui, 23, Torrevieja 03185, Alicante Evangelical non-denominational church. Sunday morning Sevices at 10am and 11:30am. All nationalities welcome - Contact 966 752 543 / 966 799 273. For other church matters phone: 966 799 273 / /617 215 463 w w w. i c a t o r r e v i e j a . o r g (95476) LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English speaking church. For more information see our website www.lasiestae vangelicalchurch.org (10005) PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH 1359. The association supports the welfare needs of ex-members of the RAF and their dependents. Due to covid19 restrictions we cannot hold General Meetings at the moment however, we were able to comply with regulations and hold a Battle of Britain Service and a Dinner Dance (without dancing)! We also provide a social hub for members and hold lunches every month. To fund Welfare we raise money through the Wings Appeal. To find out more contact Chairman Tony at tony.elaine.cuenta@gmail. com. For Welfare contact David on 615 048 892. For general information on RAFA visit www.rafa.org.uk. (238593) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Why not make this year the year you volunteer? See how

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you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail.com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, http://branches.britishle gion.org.uk/branches/ori huela-costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier. More info can be found on branch website www.ori huelacostarbl.co.uk. (95457) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch. For info, contact the branch Secretary at granala cant.secretary@rbl.commu nity ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details Hon Sec 692 938 664.(10004)

ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION For information please contact Chairman Paul Edwards on 618 644 934, Vice Chairman Danny Kay on 966 716 274 or Secretary Margaret Forshaw on 966 921 996. (95455) STROKE ASSOCIATION Spain (formally known as Torrevieja stroke support) Our aim is to help and support stroke survivors and their carers. With rehabilitation, speech therapy, OC therapy and a very active social group. For info please contact 654 801 260 or email strokesupportgroup @hotmail.com, website: tor reviejastrokesupport.org. We are always looking for volunteers who have the skills and knowledge to support. (95473) THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.aca costablanca.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 Spiritual Centre Playa Flamenca. Calle Luis Gordillo, 1 Playa Flamenca Alicante 03189. You can join us on Facebook, The Baker Foundation spiritual centre. Or contact Linda Schug Tel. 606 990 665 for more details (95458) THE PATIENCE LODGE No 2177 of the R.A.O.B Please call Secretary Dave Tonge on 688 704 091 for further information. (253807) THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar will be closed for the immediate future due to COVID-19. Identification Fiscal G54713789 (95454) For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

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DECORATORS EX-PAT PAINTER available for painting jobs in Santa Pola, Gran Alacant, El Altet & La Marina areas. No job too small. Very clean & reliable. Free quotes & good rates. Tel 711 073 074 / 447960 606 684 (290428)

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

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POOL MAINTENANCE Repairs, Spares and Leak Testing. Call 965 725 565 / 676 945 360 www.pooltech spain.com (282232)

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Please note that in Spain there is NO legislation banning adverts in this section. Neither regional nor national governments are able to pass such a law due to rules governing freedom of publication and printing. READERS OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION MAY FIND SOME OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS SECTION OFFENSIVE.

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3 - 9 December 2020

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MOTORING

Confidence inspiring Subaru Forester ROAD TEST by Mark Slack DESPITE their last wins be­ ing over a decade ago Sub­ aru are still known for their numerous wins in the icon­ ic WRC Impreza mod­ els. However, the company has al­ ways had more appeal than just rallying with models defined by their flat­four boxer engines and all­wheel­dri­ ve. Originally a traditional estate car the Forester has morphed into a crossover and a very capable one that can tackle surprisingly tough off­road situations. It’s permanent all­wheel­ drive offers power to the wheels that have most trac­ tion. It also has additional tricks in its armoury with

FORRESTER: A proper lifestyle vehicle for all conditions.

what Subaru call X­Drive that includes hill de­ scent control and manage­ ment of everything on the all­wheel­drive, so you just steer your way through the off­road terrain. While no Land Rover I know from personal experience, this is a very capable machine.

The Forester is available in a very mild hybrid form. Even with this it isn’t the most economical though and ri­ vals will offer better figures. The mild hybrid has a small battery and electric motor which recov­ ers energy under deceleration from braking and coasting, and then deploys it to assist the

petrol engine as you accelerate. Considering its size, it is big, the Forester doesn’t feel unwieldy on the road. With tidy handling it feels light and responsive and has one of the better CVT transmissions. It’s not go­ ing to set your driving senses alight but this is a very comfortable, excep­ tionally practical and well

equipped car. Prices start from £36,335 for the 2.0­litre e­Boxer model and that nets you all­wheel­drive, keyless en­ try and start, steering lights with high beam assist, the usual function filled sound and Bluetooth features, heated front seats, pow­

ered and heated door mir­ rors, windscreen wiper de­ icing, cruise control and satellite navigation to name a few. There are only two trim levels and the next level up gains leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats and steering wheel. The entry level mod­ el arguably looks the better bet on price and equipment. Me­ chanicals stay the same irrespective of model. This is one of those cars that just grows on you and inspires confidence on the road. I don’t think there are many cars, as opposed to off­road SUVs, that you would feel able to take on any terrain and conditions the weather can muster. The Forester is more of an intelligent choice, a proper lifestyle vehicle for all con­ ditions.

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3 - 9 December 2020

LOTIS invited the influential car photographers, and some social media stars from the car indus­ try, to shoot its new electric hy­ percar, the firm’s first. The British performance car brand invited them to the show­ room, which sits in a converted 1930’s soap factory in West Lon­ don, to take photos of the new Evija, which promises an aston­ ishing 2,000bhp.

Stunning Lotus Evija The shoot was commissioned to celebrate its overall victory in the Automotive Transportation category of the 2020 Muse Glob­ al Design Awards and each pho­ tographer was given one hour with the car after being invited to

make the surrounding areas rep­ resent their own unique style. Photographer Alex Carmichael said: “A huge thanks to Lotus for giving me the opportunity to spend time with the Evija. It’s not every day you get the chance to photograph the next generation of electric hypercars. I hope my photos do the car justice, and I’m looking forward to the next steps in its development.”

MOTORING

Packs a Punch

THE flagship Volkswagen Golf has been re launched for the model’s eighth­generation, and the new Volkswagen Golf R really packs a 316bhp punch. The R, which now includes a special ‘drift mode,’ has earned a reputation as one of the best hot hatches on sale, thanks to a grippy all­wheel­drive system, impressive perfor­ mance and affordable finance deals. Volkswagen has given the R more power than before, with the 2.0­litre turbocharged petrol unit making it almost 20bhp than be­ fore and it can accelerate to 60mph (0­ 97km/h) in 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 155mph (249km/h). The Golf has also been given a sporty makeover, with an R­specific body kit, high­ gloss black elements, and an illuminated blue bar above the grille, whilst it also includes

GOLF R: With a sporty makeover and more power than before.

18­inch alloy wheels, matt chrome mirror housings, blue brake calipers, and lowered ride height. Buyers can choose to have 19­inch wheels with two different finishes or semi­slick track tyres. Inside the R, there’s a 10­inch infotainment system, digital instrument cluster, sports seats, leather steering wheel and carbon­ look panels. The all­wheel­drive system is a new design that can distribute the torque between the axles to give the most grip and make the car more agile. Selectable drive modes change the way the system works, with a new Drift mode that can put all power to the rear. As well as dropping the ride height by 20mm, the suspension system has been up­ dated to be stiffer than before, while the dri­ ving dynamics software has also been im­ proved.

SPORT

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3 - 9 December 2020

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Lescott to Murcia FORMER Everton, Manchester City and England defender Joleon Lescott has come out of retirement to join Spanish fourth­tier side Racing Murcia. The 38­year­old, who played more than 600 professional ap­ pearances and won 26 caps for England between 2007 and 2013, was confirmed to have joined the club, who also tried to sign Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o, via an announcement on Twitter. “Our president Morris Pag­ niello and Racing Murcia are happy to announce the signing of English star Joleon Lescott, who will play in our Copa del Rey fixture against Levante,” the club said on Twitter. In a statement on their web­ site, the club said: “This first and historic signing allows the Racing Murcia project to be known internationally and to give relevance to a squad prac­ tically made up of players from the city of Murcia and the

Lewis Hamilton Tests Positive For Covid-19

HAMILTON: Reported ‘mild symptoms’ and tested positive for Covid-19.

JOLEON LESCOTT: Has come out of retirement. towns of the region. “In the coming days, the club will announce other star players and professionals who will help the team achieve its goals, both in the league and in the Copa del Rey.”

Racing said Lescott, who re­ tired in 2017 and won two Pre­ mier League titles, the FA Cup and League Cup with Man City, will play in their Copa del Rey first­round tie against La Liga side Levante on December 16.

LEWIS HAMILTON will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain after a positive test for Covid­19, it has been announced. The recently­crowned seven­time world champion is now in quarantine and has been ruled out of Sunday’s race in Bahrain. Hamilton, who reported ‘mild symptoms’ on Monday morning, becomes the third driver to test positive for the virus this season after Ser­ gio Perez and Lance Stroll. A Mercedes statement said: “The Mercedes­ AMG Petronas F1 Team regrets to announce that Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for Covid­19 and will be unable to take part in this

weekend’s Sakhir GP.” Mercedes say a replacement will be named in due course. “Apart from mild symptoms, he is otherwise fit and well and the entire team sends him our very best wishes for a swift re­ covery,” a statement said. Mercedes said Hamilton, 35, was tested three times last week, including on Sunday at the Bahrain Internation­ al Circuit, and returned a negative result on each occasion. However, as well as waking with mild symp­ toms on Monday, he was also informed that a contact “prior to arrival in Bahrain” had tested positive.