Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca South 21 - 27 January 2021 Issue 1855

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LAST ORDERS ISSUE NO. 1855

21 - 27 January 2021

FOLLOWING the announcement on January 19 from Ximo Puig in which he ordered a total closure of the hospitality industry, the Valencian Community Health Minister, Ana Barceló, detailed the restrictive measures that will come into force. Speaking about the municipalities with perimeter closures, Ana Barceló said: “Residents’ responsibility in the perimeter municipalities has not been sufficient. Only four municipalities have decreased their incidence somewhat, the rest have continued to rise despite [there] being a perimeter.” NEW MEASURES • Precautionary closure of centres for the elderly, youth

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and essential businesses • A 30 per cent capacity is to be established in dining rooms in student residences and visits are prohibited. • Wakes and funerals: 15 people outside and 10 people in the closed space. • Schools and universities will continue with in-person lessons. • Closure of all sports facilities, except for professional athletes.

NEW MEASURES: A total closure of the hospitality industry in the Valencian community. and toy libraries, and party centres. • Closure of the hospitality industry, takeaway/pick up food service will be permitted. Service of food will be permitted in

hospitals and hotels for clients only. • Closure of activities of bingo halls, casinos and betting shops. • Closure of shops at 6pm, except supermarkets, pharmacies

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These measures come into effect today until January 31. Ximo Puig added: “We have said at all times that we would adopt the measures to the situation. We have made an objective analysis. After 14 days we have evaluated the previous measures and they have been insufficient. If the situation improves in 14 days, we will take others.”

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Orihuela Christmas Campaign THE  Orihuela Christmas Campaign collected more than 2,000 kilos of food for Caritas. The councillor for Sports, Victor Bernabeu, announced on Monday, January 11 that “more than 2,000 kilos of food have been collected that will be destined for Cári­ tas Diocesana Orihuela­ Alicante.” The hugely suc­ cessful Solidarity Campaign for Food Collec­ tion was launched by the Department of Sports, in conjunction with CD Oriol and Clequali. The Christmas initiative was shown great support by Orihuela sports clubs and local associations, which Bernabeu said high­ lighted “the most sup­ portive side of the sports community with gestures like these.” Clequali also donated a further €3,000.

Bumbling Burglar Tailor-made offer

A BUMBLING burglar thought he could avoid capture after breaking into a house in Alcoy, by hiding under a quilt on the couch. Bemused Local Police nabbed the thief, a 21­year­old Mo­ roccan man, when they responded to a neighbour’s call and dis­ covered the lock had been forced on a house. When they ran his details at Alcoy Police Station, it was found that the man had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The thief was wanted by an investigating court in Figueres for a series of break­ins in Girona, and was also found to be an ‘irregular’ in Spain; consequently, as well as the charges for the robberies the man’s presence in Spain will also be investigated by the Citizen Security Brigade.

FOR some years now, Santa Pola has been working towards becoming a Smart Tourism Destination (DTI). This will enable it to respond to tourists who increasingly ask for products and experiences tailored to their own tastes and interests, the town hall explained. The Tourism department is currently cooperating with experts on strategic planning, Sien Consulting, and expects soon to have a master plan that will also comply with the Sustainable Development Goals (ODS) set by the UN’s 2030 Agenda. Once operative, Santa Pola’s master plan will place it at Level Three in the Valencian Institute of Tourism’s network of Smart Tourism Destinations, said Tourism councillor Julio Miguel Baeza.

Trams For Alicante Dead fish mystery

DOZENS of dead fish have appeared in Torrevieja’s Acequion canal between the beach and park. The canal, originally built in 1489, is used on the rare occasions when excess water needs to be drained from the salt lake, al­ though witnesses saw far fewer fish on the higher sections of the canal. The town hall is now investigating the incident although resi­ dents have pointed out that rubbish including discarded mattresses and other litter could be polluting the water.

ALICANTE is set to improve its infra­ structure and get 22 new trams by 2023. The Generalitat of Alicante has reported that plans are already un­ derway to purchase 22 new trams for the region at a cost of €132 mil­ lion. The Minister of Mobility, Arcadi Spain, announced on Tuesday, Jan­ uary 12, that the project, which will

divide the units between TRAM and Metrovalencia, aims to be complet­ ed by 2023. One of the most impor­ tant new routes will provide a direct route to the Hospital de San Juan. In addition to the trams, the min­ ister reiterated the council’s ‘com­ mitment’ to reforming the Alicante seafront, which is due to be com­ pleted in mid­February.

Terrace Tax Suspended IN some very good news for the Costa Blanca’s struggling hospitality and retail industries, the city council of Guardamar del Segura has announced that terrace tax will be suspended from January 1 until June 30.

In a statement, the city council said that the measure was adopted “as a re­ sult of the situation generated by the Covid­19 health crisis, which in addition to the health situation has caused seri­ ous problems in vital economic sectors

for the local economy.” The Guardamar del Segura City Coun­ cil has adopted several similar measures to support local businesses since March 2020, including the suspension of rates from March to September last year.

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Air purifiers needed PARTIDO POPULAR council­ lors called on Benejuzar Town Hall to equip local schools with air purifiers and carbon dioxide meters. Once installed, the Oppo­ sition party councillors said in their written request, classrooms would no longer need to depend exclusively on open windows to stop the spread of Covid­19. The HEPA filters and car­ bon dioxide meters would be capable of purifying more than 90 per cent of the air in classrooms, trapping viruses, bacteria, mites and dust. When schools first re­ turned in September, this did not seriously affect pupils, the letter said, but the need to air classrooms during bitterly cold weather now made it essential to provide alternative meth­ ods, the PP councillors said.

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NIBS EXTRA Vaccine doubts LESS than 5 per cent of Alicante Province residents with the custody or guardianship of relatives who live in residences for persons with psychiatric disabilities have declined to authorise their anti-Covid shots. Most refusals are based on fears of possible side effects, Health authorities said.

Pricey upkeep ORIHUELA Town Hall intends to put out to tender a €2.2 million contract to maintain 1.15 million square metres of green zones and gardens in Orihuela Costa later this year. This is double the amount of the present contract, prompted by repeated complaints from the area’s 30,000 residents.

Early days ELCHE has spent €4,000 on restoring and protecting two plaques and fragments of masonry embedded in the city hall building’s façade. The carved plaques honour the Roman consul Titus Statilius Taurus who played an important part in the evolution and construction of Ilici, which become Elche.

Nature study FIVE HUNDRED square metres of land in Orihuela’s Palmeral palm forest has been allocated to the Antonio Sequeros special needs school to use as allotments. The plot, rehabilitated after the storms of January 2019 with a €2,971 Environment department subsidy, will now be tended by the pupils.

Be prepared SAN FULGENCIO Town Hall is spending €10,905 on buying sanitising hand gel, face masks and disinfectants. This will ensure that schools and municipal buildings have long-term supplies and do not risk running out of supplies should the pandemic situation worsen, Health councillor David Vives said.

No case THE Valencian Community’s Upper Court of Justice cleared Torrevieja’s mayor Eduardo Dolon, police commissioner Vicente Gutierrez Sola and former Public Safety councillor Agustina Esteve of bullying a Local Police officer in 2010. There was no evidence he was bullied after reporting alleged ‘irregularities,’ the Tribunal ruled.

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Mind your language please! VALENCIANO, a perennial problem for the Vega Baja’s Englishspeaking parents, has raised its head again. Many know enough Spanish to help their children with homework but are flummoxed - and irritated - by the Education department’s insistence on favouring Valenciano in local state schools. This is not the predominant language in many southern Alicante municipalities and has led to past protests, including a demonstration organised by the Plataforma de Docentes por la Libertad Linguistica (Teachers for Linguistic Freedom) in January 2020. The association maintains that the Generalitat’s Education department is using the Covid-19 situation to sneak in plans to impose

2020 DEMONSTRATION: Parents and teachers protesting against imposition of Valenciano. state-school lessons taught in Valenciano. Their suspicions grew, a Plataforma spokesman said, when department heads at Vega Baja high schools were summoned to a January 14 briefing

with their respective ‘linguistic assessors.’ Expectations were high, the Plataforma explained, owing to lack of information about the imminent introduction of new instructions regarding the so-called

It’s an ill wind that blows snow

THE snow from Storm Filomena in Guadalajara will guarantee water for southern Alicante this spring. That snow will eventually reach the Entrepeñas and Buendia reservoirs which feed the Tajo­Segura pipeline bringing water to the Vega Baja and other agricultural areas. Professor Jorge Olcina Cantos, who heads Ali­ cante University’s Climatology Laboratory, ex­ plained that before Storm Filomena’s arrival, the reservoirs held between them 615 cubic hectome­ tres of water. “In all probability this will rise to 650 or even more in the next few weeks as the snow melts,” Ol­ cina told the Spanish news agency, Efe.

Online Exams TORREVIEJA has agreed to hold exams online this semester. Councillor for Education of the Torrevieja City Council, Ricardo Re­ cuero, has announced after sever­ al meetings with the Association of University Students (ADEUGT) that this semester’s exams will be held online rather than face to face due to the worrying increase in coron­ avirus infections in the community. Ricardo Recuero assures that “from the Department of Educa­ tion we are aware of the difficulty that the change of the system en­ tails, but we advocate for it as a so­ lution to the great problem that is occurring at the health level at the moment.” The announcement comes just days after bosses at the University of Alicante insisted that all precau­ tions have been put in place to en­ sure the safety of teachers and stu­ dents for the first semester exams to take place face­to­face, despite a call from thousands to have the tests online.

“The water transfers are assured,” the professor said. “The amount of accumulated snow in the Sis­ tema Iberico mountains guarantees abundant wa­ ter in the Tajo basin, particularly at the head of the river. “That’s good news for the south­east,” he added. Olcina also commented that despite comparing the Storm Filomena weather conditions in Madrid with the Christmas of 1970­71, there was nothing similar in the recent past. “At the very least you’d have to go back to the blizzards of 1904,” he declared.

No-one goes hungry

TORREVIEJA Town Hall will continue to provide food for the vulnerable until the State of Alarm is lifted in May. The Local Government Board agreed to rush through a second €780,192 contract to supply food and hygiene products to those who are at risk of social exclusion owing to the pandemic, but not eligible for other municipal assistance. Concha Sala, councillor responsible for Non­ Government Organisations and Volunteers, revealed that her depart­ ment expected to distribute 1,000 fortnightly batches of supplies ­ suffi­ cient for approximately 3,000 people ­ between now and May although this will be extended if the State of Alarm is renewed. These food parcels will be distributed by volunteers from Alimentos Solidarios Torrevieja, the local Red Cross and Caritas.

Start all over again PLANS to increase production at a car battery factory in Guardamar now await the go­ahead from the Generalitat. The factory, which has 300 employees, currently turns out 7.8 mil­ lion batteries a year and had applied for authorisation to increase this to 10 million. The regional government was on the point of authorising the request last year when environmentalists Ecologistas en Accion complained that the Environment department had not responded to objections based on potential pollution that the group had raised earli­ er. The Generalitat must now assess possible health hazards while the Public Health authority will analyse lead emissions, although the man­ ufacturers have explained that the factory has an industrial waste treatment plant and has modernised production processes.

Linguistic Project. More than 500 teachers attended different Zoom meetings but those hoping for more information were disappointed to learn there would be no questions or interruptions and their microphones were blocked. A text was read out from the Education department, prompting many teachers to abandon the meeting although those remaining were told that queries would be answered in writing later. Plataforma de Docentes por la Libertad Lingüística has now made a public call to colleagues, affected families and public opinion. “This assault on our children’s rights and the quality of their education must be questioned,” the Plataforma declared.

Autonomo

Aid ORIHUELA City Council has an­ nounced a new aid package for the self­employed. The Department of Eco­ nomic Promotion announced in the Official Gazette of the Province of Alicante on Wednesday, January 13, that applications are now being ac­ cepted for state relief for the self­employed, SMEs and mi­ cro­SMEs who have suffered financial losses due to Covid­ 19. Applicants have 10 days to claim the relief, up until Janu­ ary 23. Councillor Victor Bernabeu said that this round of relief is focused in particular on those who missed out on previous payments for any number of reasons, including falling be­ hind in social security or miss­ ing the deadline for applica­ tions. Councillor Víctor Bernabéu said in a statement: “We have found that many of the re­ quests, a total of 113 for an amount greater than €166,000, were left out due to minor infractions when com­ plying with the conditions, such as small debts in fees, etc. So these people can regu­ larise this situation and access this aid.”

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Age Concern Costa Calida OWING to the latest Covid restrictions, all of Aid Concern Costa Cali­ da’s usual monthly ac­ tivities have been put on hold. “This means that the Drop­in Centre is also closed until further no­ tice,” Age Concern con­ tinued. “However, please note that our phones will still be manned as usual.” Age Concern Costa Calida also stressed that they were still available for advice and information, equip­ ment loan, help with shopping and medicine collection. “Befrienders for our clients are still very ac­ tive,” the organisation said. “If you would like a chat with one of our team, please telephone the Drop­in Centre on 634 344 589 or email us at the ageconcerncosta calida@gmail.com ad­ dress.” Saturday February 13, Valentine’s week­ end: instead of the pre­ viously advertised artiste, the Zambuca Restaurant in El Puerto is hosting ‘Never For­ get: the Take That Trib­ ute’ from 6.30pm, a fundraising event with great raffle prizes with proceeds going to Age Concern. Tickets, €10 per per­ son, should be pur­ chased in advance. For more details see www.facebook.com/za mbucabeach or call Craig Nicholas on 711 043 703. Wednesday Febru­ ary 24: Quiz Night at The Black Bull, Cam­ posol. Full details to follow on Age Concern Costa Calida’s Facebook page.

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NEWS

ERTE Extended ChefBot Banned

THE Executive Committee of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE) met on Tuesday January 19 and have unanimously approved the document that will extend the E R T E until May 31 as offered by the government. The CEOE has also supported the request of AT A , the main association of self-employed, to provide protection and help to entrepreneurs who are being af-

fected by capacity and activity limitations by administrative order. “The governing bodies of CEOE have unanimously decided to approve the document on the extension of temporary employment regulation files (ERTEs) until next May 31,” said the statement, which will maintain in very similar terms the current regulations, in force until January 31.

THE Commercial Court of Barcelona has ordered the multinational supermarket chain Lidl to remove all of its Monsieur Cousine ‘ChefBot’ machines from the market, considering that it has breached the patent of Thermomix. The ruling comes after a lawsuit brought in the Spanish courts by the German company Vorwerk, manufacturer of Thermomix, against the Lidl supermarkets, distributors of Monsieur Cuisine Connect. The court ruled that Vorwerk has all the rights of its machine protected in Spain and it considers that Lidl has infringed on those rights with its machine. The court concluded that the machine marketed by Lidl ‘reproduces each and every one of the characteristics’ of the Vorwerk patent, thereby violating

CHEFBOT: Breaches the patent of Thermomix. the Patent Law. The court ordered Lidl to cease importing, storing, offering and marketing the Monsieur Cousine

Connect machine, and to withdraw all machines from the market, those in its possession and that of its distributors. Also, to withdraw all advertising and promotional material, including that hosted on the internet. The Barcelona court concludes that Lidl’s robot constitutes ‘an infringement of the exclusive rights deriving from the Spanish patent’ held by Vorwerk and must also compensate the manufacturer for the damage caused.

Google announces completion of its Fitbit acquisition GOOGLE has announced that its acquisition of wearable fitness device Fitbit is complete. The announcement that the multifunctional Fitbit watch is now officially part of Google was

made by Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Devices and Services for Google. The purchase, which had been announced in 2019, was made for an approximate 2.1 million dollars. The US authorities are still investigating the purchase, while in Europe it went ahead after accepting measures to guarantee that it would not further increase the hold that Google has over the digital publicity market, following fears that data from the Fitbit could be used to personalise advertising. In the release, Osterloh emphasised that the acquisition ‘has always been about the devices, not data’ to clarify Google’s intentions. Google has made commitments promising that Fitbit users’ health data will not be used for targeting ads, and they will still have the choice of keeping fitness data on a Fitbit account whether or not they want to share it to third parties (like Google Fit).

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Expensive storm MADRID was plunged under over a million kilograms of snow in just 30 hours as Storm Filomena swept across the centre of Spain. With roads, services, and businesses paralysed by the most severe weather incident in living memory, the city’s government has announced that Madrid’s recovery will cost a staggering €1.398 billion. The government has requested the declaration of a ‘catastrophic zone’ over the metropolis as the city counts the spiralling costs of the disaster. Mayor Jose Luis MartinezAlmeida said that the storm had “exceeded all the expectations” of forecasters and said that the government’s aim was “to meet the extraordinary costs of the snow tsunami.” Nearly a billion euros was lost by Madrid’s retail, service, and hotel industry while the cut of all public transport services except the Metro cost €30 million. The council said that €75 million will be needed to repair buildings damaged by snow, alongside a further €110 million for roads and pavements. Fixing schools, sports facilities, and cultural centres will cost €43 million.

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Euro Weekly News ‘On-Air’ Schofield With BBC Merseyside Radio “we’ll get CEO Michel Euesden gave a live interview on Monday morning, January 18, to BBC Merseyside Radio. She was invited on to give an insight into how Brexit has affected the lives of the many thousands of expat residents in Spain. Michel said the paper was picked up and read every Thursday and was a major source of information as to what’s going on in Spain and, more importantly, what new rules there are regarding the Covid restrictions - all ex-

An insight into Brexit. plained in English for the non-Spanish speaking reader. The interview also included expat Jan Miller, from Warrington in Cheshire, who

moved to Spain in December 2020. She goes on to describe the ‘interesting’ journey she is experiencing as she starts her new life with her partner and their two friends while they settle down in Spain. Michel Euesden was also recently interviewed by a BBC news team at the EWN offices. The short documentary was intended to explain just how life is changing on the Costa del Sol for the many thousands of expats the paper serves.

‘Non-Priority’ Officials Vaccinated THE Ministry of Health on Thursday, January 14, opened an investigation to establish why 15 people in the Alicante region who do not fall into priority groups have already received the Covid-19 vaccine. It has been reported that two mayors in Marina Alta, Local Police, Guardia Civil and eight officials of the Almoradi City Council have been vaccinated. There are currently four priority groups who are supposed to be first in line for the jab, consisting of the elderly, health and social care work-

ers and other front-line staff. Sources from the Ministry explained that the administration of vaccines is the responsibility of the health departments and there is no way of policing who gets the jabs when. Nevertheless, officials are investigating this irregularity and have requested information from the health departments of Marina Alta and Orihuela, as well as the Torrevieja department, which is privately managed by Ribera Salud.

the bill”

THIS MORNING viewers were amazed and heartened by a simple act of generosity by Philip himself, after a clearly distraught viewer rang in and explained she could not eat or sleep with intense worry over a £700 electric bill. Presenter Philip Schofield said it would be looked after one way or another referring to the outstanding amount. Patricia, the viewer who it was discovered is 73 years old, was supposed to send her readings into her new supplier, but it was a little too much for her and the bill mounted up. Money Matters expert Martin Lewis was on hand after the show to explain to Patricia how to send readings in, as it was an integral part of the agreement you sign with the energy supplier.

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PCR Demand Doubles BUSINESS in private clinics has boomed in recent weeks to dou­ ble what it was at the beginning of December, as people in Spain clamour to obtain Covid PCR tests. Meanwhile, the waiting times in public clinics for a test have now extended to over a week in many areas. “The request for tests has skyrocketed at the beginning of the year to double what there was before Christmas because people are looking for a life in the face of saturation in public health,” a spokesperson for a private Alicante clinic said on Thursday, Janu­ ary 14. A GP in Elche cautioned that many people receiving a negative result from these private clinics then continue on as normal, de­ spite coming into contact with someone who has Covid­19. “I find many times that I call a person who should be in isolation for having been in contact with a positive case and is away from home because a test has been done in private and the result has been negative,” the doctor said.

Free masks given out THE Alicante City Council began a massive drive on Friday, January 15, to distribute some five million protective face masks throughout the region. The operation, in conjunction between Sumevet Orthopedia and Correos, will deliver €576,000 worth of masks through mail boxes ‘over the next few weeks’ in shipments of 200,000 per week. “Over the next few weeks, the distribution will continue until the distribution of the million shipments announced by the Consistory is completed,” the Council said. “The adoption of preventive measures by the public authorities will reduce the risks of contagion in the short term among the population and the costs derived in the long term,” they added.

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Foreign office apology BRITAIN’S Foreign Office has been forced to apologise after emails were leaked containing offensive comments by civil servants about the family of

Harry Dunn. The Foreign Office apologised for the ‘unprofessional and unacceptable’ language used in private exchanges be-

Hero Teacher Delivers Meals

ZANE POWLES, aged 48, an assistant head teacher at the Western Pri­ mary School in Grimsby, delivered an amazing 7,500 meals to children during the first national lockdown and he has now stepped up again. After Zane saw the food parcels that families had been receiving in place of food vouchers he was ‘horrified’ and exclaimed “The original packed lunch they provide is rubbish in my opinion, I would be horrified if my kids were getting that! “I can’t believe a company is profiting from our vulnerable children.” After the public uproar over the food parcels the government has now reverted to food vouchers, which allow families to shop for their children’s lunches. Zane is a very welcome sight to many families, with his giant ruck­ sacks of packed lunches for the children. He has also been helping out by delivering laptops that have been donated. Lewis, a six­year­old fan said, “I think everyone should be more like Mr Powles. “He’s 100 per cent nice and really helpful. It’s been scary with everyone suffering from it (Covid), but it makes me happy to see Mr Powles. Most mornings I wait for him. “I like to thank him for saving the world and bringing our packed lunches and saving lives.”

tween civil servants and officials describing the family of Harry Dunn. The 19-year-old was killed when the wife of a US intelligence official, Anne Sacoolas, smashed into his motorcycle while driving on the wrong side of the road in Northamptonshire. The case sparked outrage, as Sacoolas fled to the US and cannot be extradited for manslaughter due to diplomatic immunity. The bereaved family of Harry Dunn campaigned publicly for Sacoolas to face trial, though recently leaked emails reveal what some Foreign Office officials really thought about the Dunns. One email said that calls from Dunn’s mother for Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to resign over the scandal were ‘totally excessive.’ An official wrote that the family ‘don’t understand anything at all’ and that Dunn’s parents were so convinced of ‘everyone’s bad faith that it never crosses their mind that anything of what we are telling

HARRY DUNN: Killed while on his motorcycle. them might be true.’ The family’s spokesperson was described in the internal emails as ‘evil,’ ‘aggressive,’ and ‘eratic,’ though officials also conceded that he had played a ‘media blinder.’ The comments have been slammed by many for being insensitive and extremely unprofessional in the case of a tragic loss of young life. The Foreign Office has apologised over the comments, and has said that managerial action has been taken against their authors.

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Second Dose Rollout Alicante Field Hospital AUTONOMOUS communities across Spain are already administering the second dose of Pfizer’s vaccine against Covid-19 after eight communities began the second round of the vaccination process on Monday January 18 with Araceli Hidalgo (96), said to be the first person to be vaccinated in Spain, receiving her second dose.

The second dose will be administered to residents and healthcare professionals throughout Spain, although the vaccine requires at least one week to create immunity. In a statement, the Ministry of Health recalled that prevention measures, the use of a mask, social distancing and hand washing, must also be

VAT On Masks

THE opposition has criticised the Spanish government for ‘lying’ about not being able to lower the price of face masks, which are mandatory in Spain, when the European Commission gave permission to all states in the European Union on April 3 of last year to lower the VAT on masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) required in the fight against Covid­19. The government did eventually lower the VAT on face masks from 21 to 4 per cent on November 17 after repeat­ edly insisting that the EU prohibited the reduction. “Months ago I asked the European Commission if they had really prohibited reducing the VAT on masks, as our government said. Today they have responded to me, through official channels, that since April 3 it could have been done. We deserve a government that does not lie to us,” José Ramón Bauzá of Ciudadanos (Cs) wrote on Twit­ ter.

maintained among vaccinated people. According to Health, the vaccination strategy against Covid19 in Spain is going as planned with the latest data reported on Friday, January 15, stating that 1,139,400 vaccines have been distributed and 768,950 administered - with a new weekly batch of doses of Pfizer’s vaccine which arrived from Belgium on January 18. In total, 205,727 doses will be distributed equally among the autonomous communities, ensuring that all of them can administer the second dose to the people who have it this week. In total, Spain will receive 4,591,275 doses of the Pfizer vaccine with which 2,295,638 people will be immunised. In addition, on Tuesday January 12, the first Moderna vaccines arrived in Spain, which have also been distributed since last week. In total, 599,500 doses will be distributed among all the autonomous communities in a period of five weeks, until the third week of February included.

THE Alicante field hospital, lo­ cated on the premises of the General University Hospital of Alicante, was put into opera­ tion on Sunday, January 17, to accommodate the hospitalisa­ tion of Covid patients with mild or moderate clinical con­ ditions, in order to relieve pressure in centres in the province due to the increase in cases. The Department of Univer­ sal Health and Public Health has announced this week the fitting out of 280 beds in the three field hospitals of the Community, of which a total of 80 correspond to the Ali­ cante field hospital, the Gen­ eralitat has indicated in a statement. The Alicante field hospital, like its counterparts in Castelló and Valencia, will treat patients over the age of 18 ­ who are positive for Covid confirmed by PCR ­ and who have previously been admit­ ted to an acute hospital and are recovering from the ill­ ness. The Department specifies that if they have respiratory

FIELD HOSPITAL: Is now in operation.

failure, it must be corrected with low oxygen flows. This infrastructure is divided into different hospitalisation units, which have nursing con­ trols and medical consulta­ tions, equipped with the nec­ essary equipment to treat patients individually ­ and is al­ so being used for PCR testing.

Nurses Struck Off

THE Department of Health has confirmed ‘a very serious’ in­ cident has occurred during the vaccination of disabled resi­ dents at a centre in Tortosa, Tarragona. The department has been alerted to the fact a number of Catalan Health Institute (ICS) nurses in charge of administer­ ing the jabs had given the vaccine to relatives. The authority said this is ‘totally irregular’ as vaccines are currently only being administered to residents and health professionals. A similar incident occurred at a residence in Madrid earlier this month. Catalonia’s Secretary of Public Health, Josep Maria Argi­ mon, insisted this is an isolated case and has defended the work of the vaccination teams. However, he did warn that “any incident of this type will be punishable,” and assured the staff in question “have been removed from their jobs” and the department has opened an investigation.

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NEWS

More bank cuts Masks Until 2022

BANCO SABADELL have been given the green light to allow the departure of a total of 1,817 employees in Spain, with which it has accepted the vast majority of requests to join the early retirement plan and voluntary dismissals agreed with the unions, which resulted in 1,860 requests. This has been explained by union sources, who have added that only a total of 43

people have been left out, due to an excess of applications in the north of Spain, in territories such as Asturias, Guipúzcoa or Navarra, among others. Banco Sabadell had proposed to reduce its workforce by around 1,800 people in Spain so that in the end, the number of departures was fully adjusted to the bank’s expectations. These sources

have specified that the bulk of departures will take place between February 28 and March 31, although the process has already begun with departures carrying on into April. Through these actions, Sabadell anticipates maximum savings which have been sought by the bank for some time and will achieve the efficiency objectives that have been proposed.

Ruled Out Again THE Minister of Health Salvador Illa again ruled out imposing home confinement after speaking on Monday, January 18. The Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, insisted this morning in an interview in Al Rojo Vivo that he has ruled out imposing home confinement similar to that of last spring, despite the advance of the third wave. “With the strategy that already worked in Octo­ ber we can break this wave,” he said, referring to the fact that the second wave, in autumn, was able to stop without closure, with restrictive measures by communities such as the curfew and closing of shops.

The current State of Alarm does not include home confinement and “with this package of mea­ sures we managed to defeat the second wave and I am convinced that we will defeat the third,” he said. In addition, Illa has responded that the govern­ ment has taken Castilla y León to the Supreme Court after they advanced their curfew to 8pm, which goes against the State of Alarm issued by Royal Decree. Until the Supreme Court have made their ruling, Illa said that he was not looking to battle anyone ex­ cept the virus: “My adversary is the virus, it is not the president of Castilla y León, nor the president Ayuso. It is about defeating the virus.”

T H E director of the A I D S Research Institute (IrsiCaixa) and head of Infectious Diseases at the Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital (Can Ruti), B onaventura C lotet, believes that “we will have to get used to masks” as he sees them having to be used until 2022. In statements to the programme Faqs, of T V 3 he said: “ W e have to get used to the fact that the use of masks will last until 2022,” who pointed out that after the appearance of the M E R S respiratory coronavirus in 2012, “they should have spent a lot of money to prevent a new worse variant from appearing.” The expert is committed to continuing the research on vaccines, since “in fact, it has already been published that there are coronaviruses that have mutations and characteristics that

would not be sensitive and would not be neutralised with the antibodies that are generat-

ed with current vaccines. “ I t is necessary to continue investigating vaccines,” he concluded.

Spanish Global Excellence

DESPITE the global coronavirus pandemic putting an unprecedented strain on hospitals throughout 2020, it seems that the transplant system in Spain hasn’t bowed to the pressure and maintains its ‘position of global excellence,’ according to Silvia Calzón, the Secretary of State for Health. Data released on Monday, January 18, by the National Transplant Organisation (ONT) shows that 4,425 transplants were performed in Spain last year, and a total of 1,777 people donated their organs after their death, a figure that remains much higher than anywhere else in the world. “Despite slowing down its pace of activity, we continue to be in a position of excellence worldwide,” Calzón highlighted. “We must not forget that only between 1 and 2 per cent of people who die in a hospital do so in a condition to be donors and they do so in ICUs, units that have been very saturated, especially in the most critical moments of the epidemic,” Calzón added. Additionally, 2020 saw Spain carry out the highest number of transplants on children in the history of the ONT 197.

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Guardians Voluntary Gambling Exclusions for The Alhambra THE Junta de Andalucia has set out to provide new guardians for the Alham­ bra and the Generalife in Granada, in the form of fal­ conry birds of prey. They will not only restore a cul­ tural history linked to the Nasrid times, but also pro­ tect the monuments and their surroundings from being damaged by pi­ geons. Falconer, Paulino Vázquez, is the head of the project that will project the gardens and forests along with the artistic heritage of the Alhambra. His team of guardians consists of brothers Rómulo and Re­ mo, who are Harris’s ea­ gles, two hawks and a goshawk. The birds of prey will be used to displace groups of pigeons and move them into a more appropriate habitat.

IN a bid to help both gam­ blers and their affected families, gamblers can vol­ untarily register to be ex­ cluded from gambling. The Ministry of Consumer Af­ fairs states that in 2020 in Spain, over 6,000 people chose to voluntarily be ex­ cluded from online gam­ ONLINE: Access restricted. bling. The protective mea­ sures of the registries mean addicts can be blocked from gambling if they deem that it has become a problem for them. There are both state and autonomous community registers, which serve different purposes. The state registry controls access to online gambling and the au­ tonomous community registers restricted access to physical gaming businesses, that are regulated in the autonomous communities.

Madrid’s ‘Catastrophic Zone’ THE mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, called on the Spanish government on Thurs­ day, January 14, to declare the country’s capital city a “cata­ strophic zone” following an esti­ mated €1.4million worth of damages caused by Storm Filomena. “We request the declaration of a catastrophic zone, the cir­ cumstances exist for it and I ask

the central government for speed in its response,” said Almeida. The mayor has also called an extraordinary plenary session to discuss the municipal manage­ ment of the recovery after the storm. Storm Filomena ripped through Madrid for several days, causing the worst snowstorm in half a century and causing un­ told damage in the city.

NEWS

Please help Gracie!

BIG BILLS: Gracie at the Alicante horse hospital. SUE and Rod Weeding, who run the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre in Rojales, have issued an urgent appeal. A registered charity, this supports and cares for over 120 horses, ponies and donkeys, but Sue and Rod are struggling more than ever to meet the ever-increasing costs of feeding them and paying veterinary bills. Last week Gracie, one of their rescued horses, was rushed to the Alicante horse hospital with abdominal pain and a raised heart

rate and they face another crippling veterinary bill when they are still paying off the last one. “Because of the Covid restrictions we can’t have our monthly open day so have lost the income from that,” Sue told the Euro Weekly News. “We survived the lockdown very well, but things have caught up with us again. We are back in the winter, our charity shops haven’t opened that much and we now have the cold spell.” The couple must still pay rent and overheads on the shops, but

get very little back to help the animals. And that help comes at a high price. “We have just bought one load of forage which cost €2,000 and will last two weeks. “We are using our own money to buy feed because we have no option, it’s as simple as that. The horses have to eat,” Sue said. Readers who would like to help cover the cost of Gracie’s veterinary treatment can donate to the charity via their website www.easyhorse care.net and follow her progress via the centre’s Facebook page.

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Town offering house and business A TOWN in Palencia is looking for a family with children to repopulate and already has 500 applicants from both Spain and abroad. The town, Tabanera de Cerrato, is offering a newly refurbished 85m2 house and a grocery store below to manage. They currently only have 142 inhabitants and have launched the offer for a family looking for a new opportunity in the hope of repopulating the town. The mayor, Luz Iscar, and her husband, councillor, Carlos Paillet, have said that they did not expect the offer to raise so much interest. It is important that the couple have children, because this means that there could be a school provided for the town.

NEWS

Tax Exemptions Before Aid

ALICANTE autonomos have appealed to the government to provide tax exemptions before financial aid packages Leader of the Alicante Provincial Council, Carlos Mazon, has appealed to the president of the Valencian Community, Ximo Puig, to apply more pressure to the central government to reduce tax contributions for the self-employed in the region. Speaking at a meeting on Thursday,

January 14, Mr Mazon reiterated that “the most immediate” item on the agenda should be a reduction in the tax burden. “Between all of us, we have to make a very special effort to activate funds, but it is not all about these non-refundable aid packages, since the most immediate support should be to reduce the tax burden on the self-employed,” Mr Mazon said. He added: “It is of little use starting fund

after fund, if we do not send a clear message to the government of Spain asking that it immediately eliminates the quotas for the self-employed until they are actively producing again.” Mr Mazon concluded by asking for “forcefulness” from Puig in demanding tax exemptions as the most immediate and effective measure for alleviating the financial burden caused by Covid-19.

Cooking up Falles Festival Cancelled A Story A BAR in Olivia, Valencia, was shut down on Wednesday afternoon, January 13, for having more than 20 people on the premises after the 5pm deadline. According to Covid restrictions in the Valencian region, all bars and restaurants must close their doors at 5pm, and no more than four people can socialise at one table. Not lying down easily, the bar owner claimed that they were all there at 6.30pm because they were filming a cooking show for Valencian regional television, though according to the Guardia, they couldn’t show a shred of evidence to support this. Officials collected details of everyone in the bar and they will all be subject to fines for a breach of coronavirus restrictions.

IN a not so surprising move, the Valencian government announced on Thursday, January 14 the cancellation of the annual Falles festival. Held in March each year, Falles is of the most important festivals in the re­ gion. In commemoration of Saint Joseph, the festival is marked with stunning firework displays and parades. Speaking after a meeting, the mayor of Valencia, Joan Ribó, con­ firmed the cancellation of Falles, saying: “We must wait for a more convenient situation.” During the meeting, the mayor made reference to the Covid fund agreed between the Generalitat, Provincial Councils and city councils, which will allocate €120 million to companies and freelancers throughout the Valencian Community, and assured that those per­ formers and traders who typically take part in the Fallas won’t be left out.

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NEWS

Advertising Feature

Spain’s ambitious vision for 100% renewable energy SPAIN aims to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, according to a new climate change bill, which sets out an ambitious raft of targets to tackle glob­ al warming over the next 30 years. If the bill gets the go head from Span­ ish Parliament, at least 70 per cent of the country’s energy will need to come from clean energy sources, such as wind and solar, and all new coal, oil and gas extraction projects will be banned. The new bill goes hand­in­hand with the Paris Climate Agreement, a global framework to limit global warming to well below 2ºC, and is also expected to shape the country’s economic recovery from Covid­19. While the plans are ambitious, Spain has already made great headway into shaking up the electricity market in favour of renewable energies. Con­ sumers have been given more flexibili­

ty to switch electricity suppliers, giving green energy companies the opportu­ nity to offer competitive tariffs, while supplying electricity from 100 per cent renewable sources. And, more recently, the removal of Spain’s infamous ‘sun tax’ has paved the way for more businesses and households to generate their own elec­ tricity using solar roof panels. With more than 300 days of sun per year, Spain provides the perfect location for generating electricity from solar pow­ er. The former taxes and complex legis­ lation had previously made the process of installing and using solar PV panels prohibitive, but thanks to the abolition of these taxes more and more con­ sumers are choosing to invest in solar energy as a way of saving money and taking a step towards sustainable liv­ ing.

The new legislation on solar PV pan­ els even goes a stage further and al­ lows those who generate solar energy to be financially compensated for any surplus energy they produce, which can then be fed into the National Grid. In addition to the legislative changes, which empower businesses and consumers to be able to generate and consume renewable energy, the government is also committing to in­ stalling a minimum of 3,000 MW of wind and solar power capacity, each year for the next 10 years. Speaking about Spain’s environmen­ tal aims, Laurence Tubiana, chief exec­ utive of the European Climate Founda­ tion said: “By planning on going carbon neutral, Spain shows that the battle against climate change is deadly seri­ ous, that they are ready to step up and plan to reap the rewards of decarboni­ sation.”

+34 951 120 830 I info@mariposaenergia.es I www.mariposaenergia.es

Infrared Covid Cameras THE city council of Alicante has begun the installation of 21 infrared thermal imaging cameras in some of the busier public offices which see the most footfall in their latest operation to reduce the spread of Covid-19. The highly specialised cameras, will be

placed at building entrances, measure body temperature; they can, in fact, record several temperatures at once and will sound an alarm if anybody tried to enter with a body temperature higher than 37 degrees. According to councillor for New

Technology, Innovation and Informatics, Antonio Peral, the “cameras are important and reinforce security as one more measure that guarantees greater protection for both citizens who access the city council and officials against Covid, and it joins the pro-

tocols already established since the beginning of the pandemic.” The cameras will be installed at the Department of Finance, Citizens Advice Centre and Urban Planning, as well as social and community centres, to name but a few.

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NEWS

CAFETERIA BECOMES AN ICU CAFETERIA: Prepared for an increase in patients.

Finally Reimbursed IBERIA AIRLINES has finally reimbursed €17,153 for a cancelled trip to Japan. The monies were returned to the customer and his five companions who decided to cancel the trip due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Spain’s consumer defence organisation Facua, which helped in this process. Antonio, a Madrid resident, booked six plane tickets in January 2020 to holiday in Japan with his friends. The trip, which was scheduled for the end of March and set to last for 10 days, included changes in the booking conditions allowed without penalty, in addition to the possibility of reimbursement. In March, due to Spain’s State of Alarm and home confinement, Antonio requested the cancellation of the trip and reimbursement of the amounts paid, since it was impossible to travel. Antonio said that the airline refused to return the money and would only send him a voucher for the same amount. Even though the airline ended up cancelling the flight due to the pandemic, it continued to refuse to refund the price of the tickets, offering the only option of the voucher once more. Faced with this situation, Antonio decided to go to Facua Madrid to help him manage the corresponding claim against the airline and after nine months, Iberia Airlines finally reimbursed the total amount.

THE cafeteria in Malaga’s re­ gional hospital is being pre­ pared for use as an ICU ward for incoming patients affect­ ed by the recent rise in Covid infections. This ward has been ‘in­ stalled’ before in the cafeteria when numbers of infected pa­ tients increased, and the need for another ICU arose. The whole of the hospital has undergone a restructure of varying degrees to accom­ modate what it’s believed will be a considerable rise in admissions in the next 14 days. The Hospital management confirmed Oncological surgery would go ahead de­ spite the influx of Covid pa­ tients, and as much normal practice would continue. Still, non­urgent proce­ dures may take a back seat till the facility can accommo­ date patients. It’s always a worrying de­ velopment when cafeterias are turned into intensive care wards, but it’s a neces­ sary one in these difficult times.

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Stuck fast in window

L O C A L P O L I C E in the P io X I I neighbourhood of Sevilla managed to arrest a thief with 51 previous arrests as he attempted to rob a bar on Calle Llerena in the early hours of F riday morning, January 15.

Neighbours contacted the emergency services when they heard noises coming from the premises at around 1.30am, before the security alarm started going off. When the Local Police

arrived at the address, they were surprised to find the 40-year-old burglar stuck half-in, half-out of the front window of the bar. They also found the tools with which he had managed to pry open the security shutters. Because of the thief’s unfortunate position, officers wasted no time in arresting the man. Once back at the station the officers realised that the man had been arrested on no less than 51 previous occasions, the most recent being two days beforehand, for theft.

NEWS

Fireball spotted crossing Andalucia at 65,000 km/h A BA L L of fire was seen crossing the sky between Andalucia and Morocco at a speed of 65,000 km/h at around 10.10pm on Wednesday, January 13. The rock was part of a comet which upon impacting the atmosphere at such a high speed became incandescent. Many people spotted it in Andalucia, according to astrophysicist Jose Maria Madiedo from the Andalucia Institute of Astrophysics (IAA-CSIC) who is in charge of the S M A R T project

which tracks such occurrences. The fireball ignited at around 106 kilometes above Alhucemas in north Morocco then travelled northeast and was finally extinguished 65 kilometres above the Mediterranean, some 30 kilometres from the coast of Morocco. It covered a distance of approximately 50 kilometres. It was caught by S M A R T project detectors from the observatories of Calar Alto ( A lmeria), S ierra N evada (Granada) and Sevilla.

FIREBALL: In the sky.

Vaccine Blunder THE Orihuela Health coun­ cillor, Jose Galiano, has confirmed that he re­ ceived his first dose of the Pfizer Covid­19 vaccination on Wednesday January 6, at a time when people from the four priority groups were supposed to be first in line for the jab. The councillor has insist­ ed that he was offered the vaccine by medical staff who claimed they had ex­ cess doses of the jab. “I was in the health cen­ tre and when they told me there were excess doses I agreed to get one, because if I didn’t they were going to throw them away,” said Galiano, who is in fact a qualified nurse but has been on sabbatical for a year and a half. On Thursday, January 14, the Ministry of Health revealed that it had opened an investigation to establish why 15 people in the Alicante region who did not fall into priority groups had already re­ ceived the Covid­19 vac­ cine. It has been reported that two mayors in Marina Alta, Local Police, Guardia Civil and eight officials of the Almoradi City Council have been vaccinated.

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Brit Brexit confusion Turned back at the airport.

LUCY and Adam Montgomery have been living in Barcelona for several years and both pos­ sess NIE numbers in Spain. Returning from a Christmas visit to family in Northern Ire­ land, they flew back to the Catalan capital via Manches­

Amazon Creates Jobs CORONAVIRUS restrictions and forced retail closures saw a huge shift away from traditional shopping in Spain, and online retail giant Amazon certainly made the most of the new trend, employing a whopping 5,000 people in 2020, bringing its Spanish workforce up to 12,000. The company announced on Thursday, January 14, that it now operates in 28 different locations in Spain, with new logistical centres having opened in Madrid and Sevilla in 2020. “We are incredibly proud to support thousands of people in Spain and their families in these difficult times. This is not only great news for those looking for a new job, but also a clear vote of confidence in the Spanish economy, in the hope that we can contribute to accelerating the recovery after the pandemic,” reported Mariangela Marseglia, Vice President and General Director for Amazon in Italy and Spain. “We have been overwhelmed by the trust that millions of Spanish customers have placed in Amazon and we will continue to work tirelessly for them and for the thousands of SMEs that work with us.”

ter. Upon arriving at Barcelona airport, border officials urged passengers to immediately take out their passports. The plane was divided into three lines for Spanish, EU, and British citizens. The Brits were quizzed about their residency permits by border police, who told Lucy she would not be permitted to enter the country as her TIE (registration number for non­EU citizens) docu­ ments were still being processed. She showed the police tax statements, proof of address, and other evidence that she was a resident of Spain to no avail. As her husband Adam al­ ready had a TIE number, he was permitted to enter the country. As the couple have two dogs in Barcelona, they were forced to separate and Lucy flew back to the UK. The case has highlighted the post­Brexit confusion faced by many British expats living in Spain, as overnight changes to the law brought in over the new year have caused wide­ spread travel issues.

FEATURE

Advertising Feature

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FEATURE

Guardia Civil confirm ‘It’s a scam’ A NEW scam alert has been is­ sued by the Guardia Civil re­ garding a download scam linked to the theft of bank de­ tails. The scam is sent by SMS message to your phone and suggests downloading an app to track a parcel coming to you, and it also suggests that to be sure to receive this item you must download the app to your phone. A Trojan or similar hidden software will then proceed to try and recover any bank details you have on your phone or within the commu­ nication received by third parties such as receipts, con­

SMS SCAM: Suggests there is a parcel on its way to you.

firmations and orders. This scam impersonates the post office of Spain ‘Correos’ and asks you to upload your TIE or DNI document and a photo to be able to receive a parcel. The very clear advice from the Guardia Civil is not to

download and not to give your details if you receive a message as described, but to go to your post office and show them what you have received where all will be confirmed immedi­ ately. If you are not sure, don’t click it, the best advice always.

Freezing Classrooms unbearable AS most areas of Spain experience some of the coldest weather in a decade, teachers’ unions are demanding urgent action as students and teachers alike are forced to wear hats, scarves and coats in the classroom and wrap up in blankets due to guidance to keep doors and windows open to ensure plenty of cross-ventilation in the prevention of coronavirus. However, the unions are now urgently calling on the Department of Education to install air filters in the classroom or revert to online

teaching, as the conditions in schools have become unbearable. According to one union, students are being forced to try and learn “in the heart of the cold snap with the lowest temperatures in decades, exposed to temperatures of 5 degrees Celsius, when the Law of Education states the minimum is 17 degrees, covered with blankets, with coats on, gloves, scarves and hats. What kind of system is it that condemns people to wither, get sick from the virus or catch pneumonia?”

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

GERMANY

No boycott

Passports stolen

EVEN though there have been numerous allegations of civil rights breaches in Qatar, the Danish Government has indicated that if the Danish National Football Team qualifies for the World Cup Finals, it will not ban it from taking part.

THIEVES in the city of KĂśthen broke into a register office and removed a safe weighing 750 kilos which, it has been revealed, contained a large number of identity cards and passports as well as two finger-print scanners.

BELGIUM

FRANCE

Hydrogen problem

Back off

AN experiment to introduce buses run on hydrogen (which is considered one of the better green energy sources) in Charleroi which was first approved in May of last year has been postponed due to lack of development funding.

WORKERS and unions are upset by a new rule introduced by Swedish maker of toilet paper Essity which wants to make it mandatory for staff in France to wear a device that makes a noise if they violate social distancing rules.

NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

Child benefit scandal

Meteor strike

JUST two months before the next Dutch general election, it is possible that the government may decide to resign as politicians are due to debate a report highlighting a scandal concerning the tax office treatment of families wrongly suspected of benefit fraud.

THOSE living in the vicinity of the small town of Løten saw and heard the sudden arrival of a meteorite and are tr ying to find the outer space visitor (which is estimated to have weighed less than two kilos) in the thick snow.

FINANCE Refinancing SABA, the Spanish car park group owned by Criteria Caixa, the investment holding company of La Caixa bank has suffered from the lockdown and is now refinancing debts of €465 million with a number of lenders and is extending the life of its loans.

Recession bound A REPORT from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlighted the fact that the UK gross domestic product (GDP) declined by 2.6 per cent in November. GDP at the end of the month was 8.5 per cent below its pre-pandemic peak.

Fishing for shrimp FISHING company Iberconsa is to spend €26 million to have two new vessels built in order to strengthen its fleet and these will sail to Argentinian waters to fish for shrimp which is a new area of operation for the Galician organisation.

Jobs saved A RESCUE deal has been agreed for the Edinburgh Woollen Mill with Purepay Retail, a syndicate of investors led by the former chief operating officer of the group which will save 1,450 workers and salvage both Ponden Home and Bonmarche.

UK lockdown insurance THOUSANDS of small businesses in the UK will receive compensation from their insurance companies to cover losses incurred during the first national lockdown, following a recent court ruling. It was a test case put together by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with the agreement of some insurance companies and small business protection groups. The Supreme Court ruled that small firms should receive payments under business interruption insurance policies which could now cost the insurers millions of pounds and form a precedence for future claims.

STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 21 - 27 January 2021

€3.5 billion

is the amount of money that Bankinter placed in its Luxembourg subsidiary in 2020 on behalf of clients looking to move their savings.

Covid dismissal upheld

EU Recovery Fund money ALTHOUGH the announce­ ment of the huge sums to be made available to Spain from the EU’s Recovery Fund was widely applaud­ ed, none has been received as yet and it appears that the government will have to prove that it is worthy of receiving the funds. The problem for Spain is that it needs the money in order to support the nu­ merous changes and finan­ cial aid that it has included in its 2021 budget which it­

self assumes the injection of €34 billion from the Eu­ ropean Union. Already it has been made clear that the ma­ chinery behind the two major new Tobin and Google taxes which were to generate significant in­ come for the country is lacking and this is an indi­ cation that the bureaucra­ cy behind the Spanish tax system is due for a major overhaul. The coalition govern­

LEGALLY SPEAKING

ment is committed to re­ form of some of the origi­ nal labour laws introduced by the Partido Popular but as time passes, it is clear that PSOE and Podemos have different views on how far and how quickly these changes can go. In a time of crisis with so many people out of work or on furlough, tax income falls and expenditure in­ creases and, in a bid, to re­ duce that load, the govern­ ment is looking closely at

the state pension with qualifying period to be in­ creased and incentives giv­ en to encourage workers to continue after the age of 65. The problem however is that with nearly four mil­ lion unemployed, many of them young, blocking re­ tirement might save ex­ pensive pensions, but leaves unemployed youth which may become a social and financial burden for a future government.

Selling performance

Future Residence Permits?

Credit: Ralph-PH flickr

BUSINESS EXTRA

26

We have received several similar questions regarding applications for Spanish residence permits into the next few years. Some al­ ready own holiday homes here where they intend eventually to retire. Others simply wonder how to apply for a residence permit a few years from now after the special post­Brexit regulations all expire. What documents will they need?

First you will need evidence of regular YOU AND THE LAW income to show IN SPAIN you can support yourself in Spain. This can be as low as €13,300, which is the general mini­ mum wage in Spain, for a single person. It varies on a sliding scale according to the number of family mem­ bers. If you do not have a regular income you must show a lump sum of €22,000 in the bank. Then you will need a medical certificate showing no contagious diseases. You must present a medical insurance policy with a company authorised to operate in Spain. There are other forms to fill in but these are basic. You will make your application at the Consular section of the Spanish embassy in Lon­ don or at the Consulate in Manchester and you must ap­ pear in person.

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.

IN an interview with the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation on January 14, former Chief Minister and recent­ ly appointed Minister with responsi­ bility for Financial Stability, Sir Joe Bossano made a shocking statement. He basically said that due to disrup­ tion caused by both Brexit and the Covid­19 pandemic that the Rock was no longer financially stable and that the situation is “extremely serious”

NOVEL IDEA: For someone who says he’s not a great drummer, Mick Fleetwood has done ok. MICK FLEETWOOD, British drummer and one of the founder members of Fleet­ wood Mac has come up with a novel idea which will add to his millions in the bank by sell­ ing his proportion of perfor­ mance rights to BMG music. At 73 he is clearly looking to generate additional in­ come for his successors, but unlike other musicians who have sold publishing rights re­ cently, his deal means that every time any Fleetwood Mac number (from the most successful line­up) is streamed on the internet, BMG will be paid his portion of the royalties. The recent huge success of

the Tik Tok hit featuring Dreams produced by Nathan Apodaca which had 2.8 bil­ lion views worldwide shows how important the internet and streaming has become. This deal is a follow­up to a separate arrangement done earlier whereby he sold pub­ lishing rights to a separate company, but does not ex­ clude ongoing royalties for sales of CDs and vinyl from the group’s back catalogue. Evergreen rock music has become a popular private in­ vestment option for those looking for something differ­ ent and many old rockers have sold different rights over the past 12 months or so.

Gibraltar financially unstable

with hard decisions having to be made with regards to public spend­ ing. This was after an emergency cabi­ net meeting held to discuss the forthcoming budget and he further indicated his belief that things won’t return to the buoyant times of 2018/2019 until after the next Gen­

eral Election due in 2023. Roy Clinton the opposition Shadow Minster for Public Finance remarked upon hearing this news: “We have for the last eight years been warning the government that its level of spending and borrowing were out of control. Whereas no­one could have foreseen the combined econom­

SOON after the start of the Spanish lockdown, the gov­ ernment had a Royal Decree passed which effectively stated that no­one could be dismissed due to Covid­19 related matters. Now however it is facing a dilemma as a court in Barcelona has ruled that a dismissal of an individual on July 3, 2020 had to be upheld due to Spain’s relationship with the European Union. The decision was based on the grounds that by declaring the dismissal unlawful, there would be a violation of the freedom of the company un­ der regulations governing the EU.

Mercadona coffee supplies ONE of Mercadona’s popular coffee products, the Hacen­ dado Americano range has until now been purchased from UCC Coffee Spain but actually produced by the parent company in Japan. Now with an investment of €250,000 and in accor­ dance with the supermar­ ket’s wishes to cut the envi­ ronmental impact caused by shipping, a new production line will be created at its Logroño (La Rioja) facility. The coffee, available in all of the company’s stores ex­ cept for the Canary Islands is a simple way to enjoy Amer­ icano style filter coffee with­ out the need for any special machinery. ic effects of Covid­19 and Brexit, it is evident that Gibraltar needed a big­ ger financial cushion than it currently has and its rainy­day funds are insuffi­ cient. “The £500 million loan facility guar­ anteed by the UK is only for three years and thus does not give us much room for error if we are to meet our obligations as a community. Spending needs to be prioritised and targeted.”

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C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 18

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3I Group 1.151,50 1.153,00 Admiral Group 2.936,0 2.940,0 Anglo American 2.672,5 2.679,6 Antofagasta 1.517,00 1.523,00 Ashtead Group 3.655,0 3.681,0 Associated British Foods 2.251,4 2.257,6 AstraZeneca 7.642,0 7.645,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 571,60 574,60 Avast 537,39 539,74 Aveva 3.788,0 3.846,0 Aviva 351,80 352,00 B&M European Value Retail SA507,80 511,40 BAE Systems 493,16 495,70 Bank VTB DRC 1,007 1,010 Barclays 150,38 150,50 Barratt Developments 705,20 705,20 Berkeley 4.537,0 4.537,0 BHP Group 2.117,98 2.135,50 BP 296,59 299,06 British American Tobacco 2.771,0 2.774,0 British Land Company 457,20 459,00 BT Group 137,46 138,65 Bunzl 2.450,0 2.449,0 Burberry Group 1.728,0 1.732,0 Carnival 1.295,4 1.308,0 Centrica 49,49 50,54 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.311,3 2.312,4 Compass 1.412,00 1.414,00 CRH 3.250,0 3.253,0 Croda Intl 6.332,0 6.406,0 DCC 5.662,0 5.712,0 Diageo 2.906,5 2.920,5 DS Smith 386,40 389,50 EasyJet 815,00 816,60 Experian 2.699,0 2.715,0 Ferguson 9.326,5 9.354,4 Flutter Entertainment 14.965,0 15.060,0 Fresnillo 1.090,00 1.118,50 GlaxoSmithKline 1.411,00 1.412,80 Glencore 277,45 279,38 Halma 2.558,0 2.579,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.578,50 1.580,50 Hikma Pharma 2.515,00 2.552,00 HSBC 401,75 402,70 IAG 160,31 160,95 Imperial Brands 1.635,90 1.638,00 Informa 539,20 541,80 InterContinental 4.840,0 4.865,0 Intermediate Capital 1.697,00 1.714,00 Intertek 5.584,0 5.610,0 ITV 109,75 110,40

% CHG. 1.144,50 2.926,0 2.661,7 1.488,50 3.640,0 2.234,6 7.563,0 566,40 534,50 3.785,0 347,40 505,80 490,90 1,007 147,92 692,60 4.471,0 2.112,00 296,00 2.757,0 448,00 136,85 2.436,0 1.704,5 1.280,5 49,24 2.296,0 1.403,70 3.250,0 6.332,0 5.658,0 2.888,0 383,80 795,37 2.682,0 9.242,0 14.880,0 1.081,00 1.400,60 276,58 2.554,0 1.562,50 2.500,00 399,75 156,50 1.620,75 535,00 4.824,0 1.695,00 5.548,0 109,31

NET VOL 15,53K 0,25K 7,59K 41,22K 14,92K 3,54K 10,35K 36,36K 1,98K 13,10K 295,25K 48,85K 14,15K 25,02K 806,45K 58,30K 12,76K 118,46K 664,14K 44,57K 61,15K 1,38M 0,20K 13,99K 26,21K 453,08K 1,81K 8,84K 0,02K 28,37K 2,45K 47,32K 137,72K 239,72K 36,72K 1,52K 6,73K 48,99K 53,68K 698,02K 16,44K 7,69K 1,54K 74,19K 2,26M 8,12K 55,57K 3,69K 9,88K 4,03K 49,21K

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

J Sainsbury Johnson Matthey Land Securities Legal & General Lloyds Banking London Stock Exchange Meggitt Melrose Industries Mondi National Grid NatWest Group Next Norilskiy Nikel ADR Ocado Persimmon Phoenix Prudential Reckitt Benckiser Relx Rentokil Rightmove Rio Tinto PLC Rolls-Royce Holdings Rosneft DRC Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell A Royal Dutch Shell B RSA Insurance Sage Samsung Electronics DRC Sberbank Schroders Scottish Mortgage Segro Severn Trent Smith & Nephew Smiths Group Spirax-Sarco Engineering SSE St. James’s Place Standard Chartered Standard Life Aberdeen Taylor Wimpey Tesco Tui Unilever United Utilities Vodafone Group PLC Whitbread WPP

237,42 2.741,0 668,20 273,87 36,24 9.213,5 431,60 182,65 1.806,29 871,60 161,20 8.122,0 34,70 2.510,19 2.738,0 695,60 1.434,50 6.292,0 1.826,50 523,20 614,20 5.933,0 104,30 6,79 1.457,40 1.457,4 1.397,6 678,20 566,83 1.908,00 14,99 3.461,0 1.228,00 965,68 2.333,0 1.566,50 1.499,00 11.525,0 1.521,00 1.178,50 490,90 307,10 165,45 242,80 400,19 4.386,7 930,00 126,03 3.152,0 817,60

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

238,13 2.753,0 674,30 273,87 36,26 9.213,5 438,90 183,30 1.820,50 877,80 161,20 8.130,0 35,01 2.540,00 2.743,0 704,00 1.435,50 6.324,0 1.839,50 527,00 617,20 5.963,2 105,65 6,88 1.464,40 1.464,8 1.403,4 678,60 567,20 1.914,00 15,04 3.479,0 1.232,14 968,52 2.341,0 1.575,50 1.503,50 11.630,0 1.529,00 1.178,50 491,90 307,10 165,45 243,50 400,60 4.403,7 936,40 126,78 3.197,8 819,00

236,30 2.723,0 659,70 270,51 35,68 9.186,0 429,50 180,90 1.798,48 869,60 157,35 7.998,0 34,62 2.507,40 2.688,0 689,40 1.420,00 6.280,0 1.823,00 521,40 613,80 5.913,0 104,05 6,79 1.451,75 1.452,2 1.388,0 677,00 564,00 1.906,00 14,87 3.446,0 1.220,00 961,40 2.330,0 1.554,50 1.490,00 11.485,0 1.517,00 1.169,00 485,90 302,89 163,16 239,60 385,25 4.369,0 929,60 125,76 3.147,7 808,80

35,17K 10,10K 66,71K 136,44K 7,97M 0,91K 111,45K 163,55K 0,80K 112,64K 742,53K 14,01K 18,00K 12,23K 47,03K 93,12K 114,70K 37,98K 96,96K 49,34K 20,70K 10,77K 1,34M 82,30K 25,29K 25,63K 76,73K 68,73K 14,95K 3,46K 389,60K 2,06K 226,40K 9,00K 5,99K 45,36K 10,80K 2,10K 49,33K 9,46K 137,65K 93,62K 114,00K 266,89K 270,54K 6,13K 34,83K 377,05K 2,37K 44,80K

0.89184

1.12257 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.20699 Japan yen (JPY)......................................125.238 Switzerland franc (CHF) .........................1.07634 Denmark kroner (DKK) ...........................7.43881 Norway kroner (NOK) .............................10.3834

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 J ANUARY 18

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 165,55 1.736,19 3.104,25 245,49 127,14 204,32 194,62 92,09 45,43 48,70 251,36 301,01 275,59 205,97 128,39 57,58 160,30 138,64 209,91 83,38 212,65 140,72 134,78 213,14 826,16 351,30 57,38 201,59 144,64 171,44

CHANGE CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 166,26 163,38 3,55M 1.756,00 1.721,55 1,34M 3.142,55 3.095,17 4,24M 246,84 240,02 2,86M 130,22 127,00 111,60M 209,25 204,20 11,10M 195,71 190,88 3,32M 94,31 91,71 10,24M 45,65 44,88 30,27M 49,18 48,53 24,37M 253,86 247,16 24,94M 304,86 296,88 3,86M 276,39 268,00 5,13M 207,86 205,20 3,89M 129,24 127,67 4,91M 59,65 57,50 50,27M 161,41 159,11 7,63M 141,65 137,01 27,88M 210,70 207,42 3,59M 83,50 81,56 9,74M 214,51 212,03 31,75M 142,38 139,88 6,41M 136,20 134,66 7,76M 217,87 212,99 8,53M 859,90 819,10 38,78M 353,05 345,74 3,78M 57,50 56,71 15,79M 203,26 200,43 8,76M 145,90 143,67 11,97M 174,19 170,17 12,23M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 18

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+3.59% +2.62% +2.27% +3.58% +2.13% +3.12% +1.30% +5.62% +2.69% +26.65% +33.98%

6,355 549,921 551,686 381,507 422,804 307,192 521,782 1.36M 502,443 280,262 47,496

-2.90% -15.84% -8.39% -0.74% -2.23% -2.35% -1.22% -18.03% -8.73% -3.15% -1.68%

340,760 3.58M 1.61M 4.24M 38.78M 772,848 6,940 3.82M 5.24M 869,257 211,828

Most Advanced Atrion Corp. Equinix Inc. Align Technology Inc. Abiomed Inc. MarketAxess Holdings Inc. Bio-Techne Corp. Trade Desk Inc. Cl A Seagen Inc. BeiGene Ltd. ADR BioVie Inc. Kaspien Holdings Inc.

Most Declined Booking Holdings Inc. SolarEdge Technologies Inc. MicroStrategy Inc. Amazon.com Inc. Tesla Inc. Intuitive Surgical Inc. Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A Poshmark Inc. Cl A Enphase Energy Inc. ASML Holding N.V. CoStar Group Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: Norwegian/ Photo by David Charles Peacock

Back to basics for Norwegian

Norwegian 737-800 aircraft. NORWEGIAN AIR has ad­ vised the Oslo Stock Ex­ change that it intends to concentrate on flights in Nordic areas only, to reduce aircraft numbers and sack around 2,000 members of staff. Founded in 1963, it ex­ panded from being an inter­ nal airline, to touching down first in Nordic countries, then most of Europe and fi­ nally took on intercontinen­ tal flights using modern air­ craft and charging relatively low prices. It eventually became the largest airline in Scandinavia and the fourth largest inde­ pendent carrier in Europe after WIZZ, easyJet and Ryanair, but its reliance on Boeing 787 Dreamliners for long haul flights had caused major problems before the outbreak of the pandemic. The airline had significant

debts and didn’t have the technical back up to cope with technical problems with its fleet and the out­ break of Covid­19 really was the last straw, as it had al­ most no income but debts to cover as well as the cost of parking its fleet to cope with. Having been refused sig­ nificant financial assistance by the Norwegian Govern­ ment it had to enter into bankruptcy protection in Ireland and whilst it hopes to reduce its indebtedness to Kr 20 billion (€1.9 billion) it can only achieve this by disposing of aircraft (if any­ one wants them), reducing staff and destinations. By taking this action, it hopes that the Norwegian Government will reconsider its appeal for assistance and it has been confirmed that the Norwegian Busi­

Spanish taxes delayed THE much-vaunted Spanish Tobin and Google taxes due to be reported in February and April respectively will have to be postponed due to a number of problems. Not only are the necessary orders and regulations not yet in place to make the imposition of these taxes legal, but computer platforms have not been completed to allow for their reporting and collection. What is not known at the moment is whether the taxes will be retrospective once everything is in place or those responsible for paying will be let off any back dating.

ness and Trade Minister, Iselin Nybø, is reviewing the situation.

BUSINESS EXTRA Cryptocurrency THE continued rise of the value of Bitcoins is starting to worry some regulators who whilst in favour of the concept of cryptocurrency fear that crooks will continue to be attracted to an untraceable way of moving money around.

Lockdown woe WHILST purely online card companies like Moonpig have seen business increase dramatically, those like Card Factory in the UK with nearly 1,000 stores has run into some financial difficulty as although online sales are good, the lockdown has drained income from the shops.

Anti-Covid bus GALICIAN based bus manufacturer Castrosura working with Scania has unveiled its first anti-Covid electric bus which includes foot pedals to request that the bus stop, built in temperature gauges and even mask detectors.

21 - 27 January 2021

EWN 29

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 January 2021

Organic Cuisine Championship OLULENSE chef Ángel Hernández has taken the crown at the Andalucian Championship of Organic Cuisine, in the first edition of the BioRestauración competition. Organised by Ecovalia and held at the Seville School of Hospitality, all the necessary Covid­19 security measures were followed and the final eight chefs produced their fantastic meals, all made with organic products. Each province in Andalucia was represented by a different chef. President of Ecovalia, Álvaro Barrera said the competi­ tion, “has demonstrated the high level of catering and the commitment of Andalucian chefs to organic products. In a situation like the one we are going through, from Ecovalia, we were clear that we had to support the restau­ rant sector, one of the most affected by the pandemic, and we have done so with this contest.”

200 Million Customers lost SPAIN’S airport operator Aena has suffered its worst year in history, as it carried 199,183,065 fewer passengers in 2020 than it did the previous year, representing a loss of 72.4 per cent. The first coronavirus lockdown in the spring saw a 90 per cent drop in passengers, but things slightly improved with the arrival of summer and the resumption of international travel. However, the airline sector collapsed again in September with the onset of the second Covid­19 wave. The biggest loss was unsurprisingly in international travel, with a drop of 77.8 per cent, but national airline passengers also fell by 60.6 per cent.

FEATURE

I say, each to their own LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT I’M afraid I’m rather going off this vaccine idea. At first I thought the adverse reports coming in were the work of the usual scaremongering conspiracy theorists, but this time I find myself tending toward a similar way of thinking. Computers can deliver up all the probabilities in the world, but you cannot simulate real time in a laboratory. The only way to really know the safety and effectiveness of these new vaccines is with the test of real time ­ and this they haven’t had. What is even more disconcerting is that Norway, who, sometime before the end of last year was the first to implement the vaccine, have reported large numbers of people experiencing adverse effects, and even more disturbingly, had some 23 deaths with 13 of them positively linked to vaccine side effects. Admittedly these were all elderly patients, but even so they were the first

to receive the injection and subsequently had it in their system for the longest time. Other reports, backed up by video evidence, show people having severe convulsions after receiving the vaccine and an investigation is also under way after the death of a Florida doctor, who died of a blood disorder some 16 weeks after receiving a shot. VAERS has alleged that already in the USA 33 people have died, 96 experienced life threatening symptoms and 225 were hospitalised. It’s just all a bit worrying. Whatever any of the medical ‘experts’ say, they have no way whatsoever of knowing what the long term effects of these vaccines can be. I do believe however, that although it may never actually become compulsory, the time will come when if you haven’t had the shot, you could be severely restricted; ie not allowed to travel or cross borders without showing some proof of vaccination. Hotels, bars, restaurants and places of entertainment, could also require proof before admitting customers and even find themselves refused a licence should

they fail to comply with orders laid down by their respective governments. You also will probably be unable to gain employment in certain capacities. It’s all a bit ‘Big Brother.’ If you don’t want to spend the rest of your days as a recluse, the only choice you may have is to actually have the jab. Of course if people start keeling over in droves, all of this will become moot! I just don’t fancy being an early victim. I think I’ll try and put it off as long as possible. I’m pretty sure the three weeks of debilitating illness I suffered back in February was my own personal bout of the virus, but without the test of time, even contracting the illness is no guarantee of further immunity. Ah well, as with a whole host of human experiences and occurrences, ‘only time will tell’. All this is only my opinion of course, don’t take my word for it. Each to their own, that’s what I say. Good luck all. Keep the faith. Love Leapy. Leapylee2002@gmail.com. Expatradioscotland.com Mon. Wed. Fri.

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

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Escape to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Pooch Perfect Death in Paradise The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Garden Rescue A Question of Sport EastEnders Would I Lie to You?

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Final Score To be Announced BBC News BBC London News Weather Celebrity Mastermind Catchpoint Pointless Celebrities Casualty Michael McIntyre's The Wheel

3:05pm 4:05pm 5:05pm 5:20pm 5:25pm 5:30pm

Money for Nothing A Perfect Planet BBC News BBC London News Weather Match of the Day Live: The FA Cup Countryfile A Perfect Planet The Serpent BBC News

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Escape to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News; The One Show Panorama EastEnders Katie Price: Harvey and Me

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The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Holby City Paramedics on Scene Celebrity Best Home Cook

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The Farmers' Country Showdown The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Party Political Broadcast The One Show The Bidding Room The Repair Shop Celebrity Best Home Cook

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Learning from Home with BBC Bitesize Live International Bowls Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall Inside Culture with Mary Beard Nigella: At My Table Winterwatch 2019

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ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Tonight Emmerdale The Martin Lewis Money Show: Live The Chasers Road Trip

Learning from Home with BBC Bitesize Live International Bowls Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Rick Stein's Cornwall Back in Time for... Winterwatch 2019 The Investigation The Investigation

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ITV News London Dickinson's Real Deal Lingo ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Endeavour

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Natural World Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Lose Weight and Get Fit with Tom Kerridge Mastermind Only Connect University Challenge

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Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is Sailing Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Back in Time for... Winterwatch 2019 This World

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Hidden Kingdoms Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Back in Time for... Winterwatch 2019 John Delorean: Back from the Future DeLorean: Tomorrow's Worlds

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ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale South Africa with Gregg Wallace Martin Clunes: Islands of Australia Marcella

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FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 January 2021

EWN 33

Who’s pulling your strings? ROBERT SHALLIS DO you see yourself as the puppet or the puppeteer? The person in control or the person being controlled? All too of­ ten in life, we allow our strings to be pulled in one direction or another, al­ lowing things to happen to us rather than taking control and allowing things to happen for us. However, sometimes it can feel im­ possible to control something outside of ourselves and therefore, allow it to influ­ ence and effectively manage our lives which is what many of us tend to do. ‘Oh well, it is what it is, what can I do about it?’ Is a very familiar response for those who feel they have no real influ­ ence and effectively relinquish responsi­ bility. A famous General once said: “I cannot trust a man to control others who can­ not control himself.” The key aspect of that quote is that as much as we can feel governed by our so­

BREAK FREE: Take control and start to look at things differently.

called puppet masters, we actually have more control than we think. We have control of ourselves by way of our atti­ tude towards dealing with situations. Of course, there are many things that we cannot control, but just because we can­ not control them, to varying degrees, we do not need to allow them to determine our well­being, that is entirely our choice, hard as it may seem at times, it is impor­ tant to remember. We cannot control other people’s deepest thoughts and emotions no more can they us. What we have com­ plete power over are our very own thoughts, feelings and emotions, and in turn, actions. It starts with us, so under­ standing ourselves is the key to cutting the all controlling strings that, if we allow them will determine our daily lives. So how do you free yourself from the puppet master and break free? Well firstly, it’s important to know that chang­ ing the way we view a situation can easi­ ly change our thoughts and opinions around it. With the current pandemic, many people feel trapped and helpless, buying into the constant conspiracy theories

A Close Encounter Of The Donald Kind 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

THIS week I was planning to write about the comparative differences between the philosophies of Nietzsche, Wittgenstein and Schopenhauer. Quite brief. Provoca­ tive. And thrilling. You’d have loved it. Trust me. I’m a journo… Never mind! But then I read somewhere that an elite unit of around 20 SAS soldiers is being trained to tackle a range of ‘alternative threats’ ­ including the possibility of con­ tact with extra­terrestrials. I really don’t know why some people are so certain aliens don’t exist. Personally, I’ve an open mind; just because I’ve never seen one doesn’t mean it isn’t there. For

instance, I’ve never seen Dominic Cum­ mings but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist, does it? And Boris Johnson, is he a figment of my imagination too? No, hang on, I have met him! In many early, low­budget, science­fic­ tion classics like ‘The Invaders’, ‘Invasion Of The Body Snatchers’, ‘Quatermass 2’, the alien invaders had the power to as­ sume human form. Maybe some migrants still making for the UK aren’t just from oth­ er lands, but other planets? After all, ac­ cording to the 2011 census, the UK alone underwent its biggest population surge af­ ter a decade of mass immigration. Some even believe many ‘alien mi­ grants’, collectively, are known as Mem­ bers of Parliament since they often sound like they’re on another planet. Well, per­ haps that’s because they are. Next we’ll read Europe’s bad weather is the fault of aliens. Their UFOs moved the jet stream south. Anyway, let’s hope they’ve brought their snow boots and

fleeces with them if they’re visiting the UK at the moment. Really! Stories like these ­ head in buck­ et of sand comes to mind ­ do bring the, err, crazies out. What real news are we be­ ing distracted from? Elvis has been spotted on the moon ­ again? Slebs really do write their own novels? And Donald Trump’s still refusing to accept the election result or at­ tend Biden’s inauguration? No, hang on, that is true! Yes, politicians are strange. Alien­like. And with us. And, unlike the SAS, we’ve ALREADY got the proof... 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 Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora­ johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99;£0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

and the doom and gloom surrounding it. Others are focused on a more positive outcome and choose not to buy into the everyday drama and negativity which is so prevalent at the moment. Breaking the habit of the attachment to the current drama is key because only then can you start to attach yourself to a more positive, healthier, happier out­ come. You would have then freed your­ self from that all controlling negative way of being. Our thoughts create our feel­ ings so what better time to start thinking differently in order to feel different. It’s a choice we all have. Once you start to look at things in a different way, a more positive way, then those things ac­ tually start to look different to you. This is why two different people can experi­ ence the very same thing, yet perceive it completely differently. So, take note of your behavioural pat­ tern and thoughts, especially in the cur­ rent climate. Take control and break free from the puppet master. Let go of those all too familiar negative assumptions and know that you now have a choice to cre­ ate a different reality. Rob Shallis www.robshallis.com

EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

TO THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT

From our Facebook

GOVERNMENT: Needs to take action.

Chris Shelley Palmer Not much difference. We came back to the UK last year. Spain is slightly cheaper until you have to add on the private medical insurance. Food, electricity and water are similar. Car and household insurance are dearer, but council tax is cheaper.

Heather Ullyott

OUR VIEW Inoculation is the way forward NOW that the various anti-Covid vaccines are being approved by different States and production is increasing, there seems little doubt that in the long-term it should make a major difference but it will take time. Here in Spain, those in residences for the elderly and front-line workers are the first to receive the inoculations, but it has to be remembered that it takes several days for the first of two injections to start to give some safety but it isn’t until after the second injection that most people can be considered immune. The fact that some people have succumbed to Covid-19 infection following the first injections give ammunition to those nay sayers who believe that ‘the cure is more dangerous than the illness.’ With any new drug, especially one created so quickly, there are bound to be some side effects which will appear in a percentage of those who are injected, but the world can’t simply continue with these rapidly expanding and returning spikes with economies being shot to hell and people almost becoming prisoners in their own houses. One thing is certain and that is without the vaccine, cases will continue to rise as will deaths from coronavirus so those who want to fight against the virus can only do so if there is a chance of reducing the number of people liable to catch it. It is going to take a very long time for the entire population of Spain to be vaccinated, but the only way to discover what percentage of the population will benefit is by testing the vaccine in ‘real time’ as we simply don’t have the the luxury of time on our side.

CORRECTIONS

SIR, Having read in the papers this week of the terrible toll in the tourist sector, does the government realise that at the end of March tens of thousands of British tourists will leave Spain under the 90-day rule. Some of us have enquired about getting an extended holiday visa here in Spain, only to be told we can only get one in England. I think tourism is about to get another big shock. You might want to start issuing extended holiday visas here and QUICKLY! Your sincerely S Cochrane

Shocking!! I read with interest the report in the EWN Costa del Sol edition that the Velez-Malaga Council were celebrating the success of the Three Kings Celebration in Velez. WHAT! 20,000 people attending and they say coronavirus restrictions were abided by. Traffic problems in the area were terrible and guess what? Within 14 days, Velez is closed down and coronavirus probems. Which dreamland are they living in? J McLean

Thank you, thank you, thank you Hi Leapy, Just to say thank you for having the courage to write your articles in such a positive manner and from the heart! Long may you reign! And on the matter of black women’s hair, I’ve worked with many and some keep it curly and others straighten it! Not rocket science! Keep safe! A fan ­ W Ramos

HAVE YOUR SAY All letters by email or post should carry the writer’s address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published. Readers who have missed correspondence can see all letters - which can be edited before publication - posted on: www.euroweeklynews.com.

A lot depends on where you live in both countries. A glass of wine here in southern Spain is around €2.50 and you get a free tapa. In the UK, last time I went, it was around £5 per glass. You can have a three-course meal here for between €8 - €10, I’ve yet to find its match in the UK, both north and south.

Isabel Papa Bauset I have a low disability pension so I just make it to the end of the month. I would say Spain, even though food has gone up, gas bills have doubled, the water bill is a joke, electricity is slightly cheaper because I pay it by Alterna. Really I can’t complain because I have my own property, where as a single parent in London I couldn’t even afford my rent.

Sue June Definitely Spain... All the bills are far cheaper, especially the yearly Suma bill which mine is €150 for a five bedroom old townhouse. Electric is €20 less and water is cheaper here too. I do have a pellet fire and that is expensive, costs me €3.69 a bag and I use one bag every day and all four levels of the house are lovely and warm. I bought 80 bags in October and that should last me all winter. Definitely Spain!!!!!

Roger Rosedale Depends what you are comparing. Housing is obviously cheaper than London. But then, so is the rest of the UK. Fresh fish is MUCH cheaper here in Spain, but fruit and veg, not necessarily so and I find the choice in Spain more limited, generally. Meat can be cheaper in Spain, but I miss the older lamb that one can get in the UK and is quite difficult to source here. And generally, white goods and cars etc are more expensive here in Spain. Not to mention electricity and heating/cooling. Luckily where I am, cooling need is rare, as is heating - except this last, exceptional, fortnight. Yer pays yer money and takes yer choice. Income Tax - far higher in Spain (for those of us not evading Spanish tax!). But, I’m very content living here in Spain.

At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 January 2021

GO LOCAL BUY LOCAL: By shopping locally, independent businesses can help support the local community. THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS is urging its readers to support lo­ cal businesses in the communi­ ty by going local through the lockdown and for your Christ­ mas shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and su­ perstores. This lockdown and festive pe­ riod we challenge you to redis­ cover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent 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 lockdown restrictions. The joy of shopping local means that independent busi­ nesses can help support the lo­ cal community. Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or on­ line, consider where your mon­

ey 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 spon­ sor local sports teams and in many cases the small indepen­ dent stores are actually much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s

legacy, often passed down through numerous generations and support not just the current owner, but the generation be­ fore. For those stores which are new, that extra couple of euros spent there are supporting someone’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 independent store and com­ pete with the multi­national and

EWN 35

36 EWN

21 - 27 January 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

SPENDING LOCALLY: Will make a difference to the local economy.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

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 out­ side the box can often lead to some fantastic ideas. Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a local studio, a hair cut at a local salon or an on­

line 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 bet­ ter 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 dif­

ference in the recovery of the local economy. When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strength­ ens the local economy in two ways. First, buying local keeps money circulating within the local economy. Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate 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 revenue

21 - 27 January 2021

EWN 37

38 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 January 2021

back into the local economy, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers. Money circulating through the local economy benefits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For example, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce. First, they sell to a local restaurant, which in turn pre­ pares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employees and the restaurant uses rev­ enue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbourhood hard­ ware store. This example illus­

trates how the recir­ culation of money in the local economy leads to a stronger fi­ nancial foundation for our neighbours and communities. Buying local also fuels new employment and job opportu­ nities for people within our community. Studies show, lo­ cally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and retain more employees over time. While buying local is financial­ ly compelling to our communi­ ties; the benefits to our environ­ ment are equally impressive. Buying locally reduces the pro­

cessing of goods, packaging and transportation waste, which leads to less pollution. There’s a massive cultural shift underway redefining the way people make buying de­ cisions. We’re seeing more individuals concerned about the environment, about how products are made and sourced, where materials come from, and a company’s overall social and environmental im­ pact. Many businesses are joining our Go Local campaign by offer­ ing customers special offers

FEATURE

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.

39

www.euroweeklynews.com • 21 - 27 January 2021

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YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Looking back over the past few months you will realise that fine adjustments are needed. Both your working life and diet need attention, so be determined that progress made will continue apace. Certainly, you have no qualms about facing any problems straight on. You thrive on responsibility and there is no shortage of that at the moment.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Now that you are feeling much better, it will be tempting to put aside your healthy eating and exercise, but if you remember what a difference it makes it would be silly to stop now. Enlist the help of a friend or two in keeping the momentum going.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) There are so many things to do or try that you should be spoiled for choice. No, don’t settle down in front of the TV. Get out, make some friends and aim to learn something new every day. That may only be the name of your neighbour on the bus but it counts. You are charming and urbane, so don’t keep it all to yourself.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) When your feelings are so positive, which they should be now, it is hard to remember that they have ever been any other way. You may have a plan in mind for a new activity to get the adrenalin flowing. How much more enjoyable, though, to find someone to share this with you. Book that course and maybe you will meet them there.

LEO (July 24 - August 23)

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) With so much going on, you are in danger of burning yourself to a frazzle. You won’t realise until you have done it, so make a point of getting some peace and quiet, preferably both of them at the same time. Relax and don’t even think about things that are unchangeable. Time will sort out most things for you.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Leave nothing to chance when it comes to your health. Although you are feeling good now you will soon have problems because you are more concerned with others than yourself. This can be good but can also be overdone. You know how good you can feel. Increase this by simply not accepting second-best treatment.

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 (CAMERA) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

ABSURD BICKER BUREAU CAMERA (10) CARROT CONVEY DERAIL FORMAL FOURTH GEYSER HUBRIS IDEATE KAISER MERCER SLEEPY SPARKY SUPERB SWAMPY TWINGE

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Your tendency to see yourself through the eyes of others can lead you to undervalue your worth. This could see you going pearshaped, emotionally. Try not to believe everything that you are told because there are always at least two ways of seeing things. Be positive. You are capable of so much. Take care of your needs on a daily basis.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Concentrate on your physical needs this week and spend much more time on yourself. There will be plenty of opportunities to look after others when you are feeling 100 per cent yourself. Stay in control of day-to-day plans.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY Sat 16 January

3-15-38 45-48-53

After a few recent excesses, bad habits can prove hard to shake off. Remember that any time of the year is a good time to make a fresh start. Don’t put off looking after your health any more than you would put off stashing a cheque in the bank. Use it or lose it? You know it makes sense. Think about combining health with a holiday.

Keep up the pace this week so that you have plenty to discuss and ‘write home about.’ With your mind so active, you are capable of doing in a day what would normally take a week. By-pass those who try to slow you down. There will be plenty of time to be a plod later.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23)

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)

It happens that energy is sometimes low. Take the chance to read up on why this could be. You may think that you know it all, but in this world there is no chance of that. Maybe you are out of touch generally, or just out of touch with your own needs. Give building your strength priority. How much better you will cope with extra energy.

Others may be changing their minds, and generally being a bit of a pain. That may irritate you but it is no reason to change your plans. Both you and your colleagues will be glad that you did in the longer term. You may need to find some peace and space for yourself come the weekend.

BONUS BALL

27

IRISH LOTTO Sat 16 January

12-17-22 32-38-39

BONUS BALL

40

EURO MILLIONS Tue 12 January

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)

TIME OUT

BONUS BALL

6

02-10-18 34-35

9

Fri 15 January

BONUS BALL

04-10-27 38-40

3 11

EL MILLON: JSQ24427 LA PRIMITIVA Thurs 14 January

BONUS BALL

10-12-14 39-41-45

6 3

JOKER: 5378943 Sat 16 January

BONUS BALL

1-28-30 34-48-49

42

JOKER: 7002402

0

TIME OUT

40

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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, 7 represents W and 23 represents V, so fill in W every time the figure 7 appears and V every time the figure 23 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 Similar (8) 4 Cuervo (4) 8 Pavement (for walking on) (5) 10 Gaviota (7) 11 Creamy (f) (7) 12 Mildew (4) 14 To support (6) 16 Rain (6) 19 Espuma (4) 21 Ecuador (7) 24 East (7) 25 Street lamp (5) 26 Orejas (4) 27 Mountains (8)

Down 1 To iron (8) 2 Nail (metal) (5) 3 To want (6) 5 Áspero (5) 6/23 Bien hecho (4,4) 7 Marble (6) 9 January (5) 13 Barrels (8) 15 Almendra (6) 17 Votante (5) 18 Cherry tree (6) 20 To hate (5) 22 Incapaz (5) 23 See 6

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION QUICK Across: 1 Lose, 3 Shops, 8 Carpenter, 9 Fewer, 10 Bets, 14 Hide, 15 Mouse, 18 Pronounce, 20 Often, 21 Stun. Down: 1 Lack, 2 Succeed, 4 Heel, 5/19 Put off, 6 Brief, 7 Grasp, 11 Easiest, 12 Chips, 13 Found, 16 None, 17 Grin.

CRYPTIC

Across: 1 Players, 5 Cheer, 8 Notch, 9 Realign, 10 Amnesty, 11 Title, 12 Crafty, 14 Scores, 17 Pedal, 19 Opposed, 22 Trained, 23 Isles, 24 Notes, 25 Elderly. Down: 1 Panda, 2 Antenna, 3 Ethos, 4 Strays, 5 Chaotic, 6 Exist, 7 Runners, 12 Capstan, 13 Talents, 15 Rustler, 16 Poodle, 18 Dealt, 20 Pried, 21 Dusty.

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Bowl, 3 Nubarrón, 9 Cascara, 10 Techo, 11 Perra, 12 Earwig, 14 Clavel, 16 Prueba, 19 Napkin, 21 Beret, 24 Avión, 25 Cheaper, 26 Bookshop, 27 Eyes. Down: 1 Backpack, 2 Wiser, 4 Una vez, 5 After, 6 Receive, 7 Noon, 8 Damage, 13 Pastores, 15 Abanico, 17 Rubber, 18 Inicio, 20 Kings, 22 Reply, 23 Lamb.

CODE BREAKER

BOGGLED

FUTOSHIKI

smew seem seems sees mess messes messy meson mews seer seers sews sewn egis egises gees geese gist gits resew resews resewn eyes eyer swig sties queys quod soys soak soddy yeses yesses yews wees west wigs wise wises wits ties twee tweer twig twigs nose noses nosey nosy nods noddy oyer oyers odds dyes dyer dyers dose doses dons koan koans kaon kaons

NONAGRAM airy arty hair hart hoar hour hurt riot rota rout ruth taro tart thru tiro tori tort tour tray trio trot troy tyro your yurt hairy hoary houri ratio ratty rutty tarot trait troth trout truth tutor author thirty throat throaty AUTHORITY

HEXAGRAM

WORD LADDER

1 EASIER 2 ASSERT 3 TRIUNE 4 SWEATY 5 ARTERY 6 INHERE 7 WARMTH 8 THIRTY 9 BEHEST 10 MATURE 11 HEREIN 12 TEETHE 13 EUREKA 14 SHEAVE 15 STEREO 16 REMARK 17 NETTED 18 COARSE 19 RESCUE

SENT SEAT SEAM SLAM CLAM CLAN or

KAKURO

SUDOKU

SENT SEAT SLAT SLAY CLAY CLAN

41

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Costa Blanca TODAY

DENIA JAVEA CALPE ALTEA

WEATHER

BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

TOMORROW

DENIA JAVEA CALPE

Malaga TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 5 Fri 14 5 Sat 15 5 Sun 16 6 Mon 16 6 Tues - 15 5 Wed 15 5

Alicante TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 8 Fri 17 7 Sat 17 7 Sun 17 7 Mon 16 8 Tues - 16 8 Wed 16 8

Almeria TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 8 Fri 16 8 Sat 15 8 Sun 15 8 Mon 15 9 Tues - 16 9 Wed 16 9

Benidorm TODAY: MAX 16, MIN 7 Fri 16 7 Sat 16 7 Sun 16 7 Mon 17 8 Tues - 17 8 Wed 17 9

Bilbao TODAY: MAX 12, MIN 2 Fri 12 2 Sat 11 2 Sun 11 3 Mon 12 3 Tues 12 2 Wed 12 2

Mallorca TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 7 Fri 15 7 Sat 15 7 Sun 16 7 Mon 17 8 Tues 17 8 Wed 16 9

Madrid TODAY: MAX 10, MIN 2 Fri 11 2 Sat 12 3 Sun 12 3 Mon 11 3 Tues 11 4 Wed 10 5

Barcelona TODAY: MAX 15, MIN 5 Fri 15 5 Sat 15 5 Sun 15 5 Mon 14 7 Tues 14 7 Wed 16 8

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

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

TARGET:

SCORING:

Average: 19 Good: 26 Very good: 38 Excellent: 49

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 Hit one's friends back (4) 3 Contains revised authorisation (8) 9 Carry out injured fencer to be given oxygen (7) 10 Raid outside Portugal is swift (5) 11 Silver is depressed when lit up (5) 12 Stand with old duke after journey (6) 14 In the past, not quite everyone ready to respond (2,4) 16 Peel off in the ship and good rests are assured (6) 19 General method for making a margin? (6) 21 Number you formerly had right in the middle (5) 24 Is doing nothing about foals (5) 25 Telephone permit for small band (7) 26 Rep sides made to move apart (8) 27 Eddy, possibly, changed colour (4) Down 1 Cabinet-maker crossing North Sea? (8) 2 Terrible starts for anyone who files unread letters (5) 4 Prevents vaster disruption (6) 5 Dog right in between officer and private (5) 6 Little devil may wander and get better (7) 7 Don's way of showing assent (4) 8 Hand tool for raw beginner wrapped in absorbent cloth (6) 13 Agreed, it's like it was posted to the editor (8) 15 Greek islanders can rest in resort (7) 17 Type of prayer from N Italy (6) 18 Letters from fancy Prussian to country (6) 20 Throw away a stew that's gone off (5) 22 Romeo gets colleague to perk up (5) 23 Foreign leader showed the way or took flight (4)

TIME OUT

42

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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

Down 1 Footwear (5) 2 Opposed to (7) 4 Holy book (5) 3 Summit (4) 7 Deserted (9) 4 Annoy persistently (6) 8 Short musical composition with words 5/17 Witty remark (3,3) (4) 6 Finished (5) 9 Assisted (6) 10 Ground breaker (7) 12 Small sofa (6) 11 Chief (6) 13 Digits of the foot (4) 12 Backbone (5) 16 Of the present time and place (9) 14 Closes down (5) 15 Felines (4) 18 Go in (5) 17 See 5 19 Classifies (5)

WORD LADDER

1 Low waterlogged ground (5)

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

WOOD

QUIZ BACK CAGE

LIFE’S A BEACH 1. Who delivered his celebrated ‘We shall fight on the beaches’ speech to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940? 2. Beach volleyball was introduced as a demonstration event at which Summer Olympic Games? 3. Echo Beach was a UK Top 10 hit for which Canadian rock band in June 1980? 4. In which south coast resort was Britain’s first nudist beach established in August 1979? 5. The Beach Boys have had two UK number one hit singles, name either? 6. The world famous Copacabana Beach is located in the South Zone of which South American city? 7. What connects Gold, Juno, Sword, Omaha and Utah? 8. Which British ocean liner that was launched in 1934 is now retired as a hotel in Long Beach, California? 9. Which famous American actress/singer starred alongside Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins in the 1959 American post-apocalyptic science fiction film On the Beach, based on Nevil Shute’s 1957 novel of the same name? 10. Which large bird normally found in the Antarctic, was sighted on a New Zealand beach in June 2011, the first time this had happened in 44 years?

NONAGRAM

RACHEL AND FRIENDS

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 N) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

Not a lot of people know that… in July 2008, a complete beach was stolen in Jamaica. A three-month police investigation into the missing 500 truckloads of white sand failed to lead to anyone being charged.

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Average: 16 Good: 22 Very good: 32 Excellent: 41

Answers 1. WINSTON CHURCHILL, 2. BARCELONA (1992), it has been an official Olympic sport since 1996, 3. MARTHA AND THE MUFFINS, 4. BRIGHTON, 5. GOOD VIBRATIONS (1966) or DO IT AGAIN (1968), 6. RIO DE JANIERO, 7. NAMES OF NORMANDY LANDINGS BEACHES ON JUNE 6, 1944 (D-DAY), 8. RMS QUEEN MARY, 9. AVA GARDNER, 10. EMPEROR PENGUIN

FEATURE

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Advertising Feature PROPERTY SHOP

21 - 27 January 2021

Property of the week 169,950

VILLA IN GUARDAMAR DEL SEGURA

STUNNING three bed, two bath detached villa located in El Raso. Build size of 90m2 and a plot size of 237m2 with plenty of room for a private pool. Within walking distance to local amenities. Upon entering the property you find the spacious low maintenance garden with off-road parking. On the ground floor this villa comprises of a spacious lounge/dining area with access to the front balcony, open-plan kitchen with utility room, two bedrooms and a family bathroom. Upstairs is the master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and access to a large solarium, perfect for sunbathing. There is air-con throughout via duct system plus a separate unit in the upstairs master suite. This villa has been very well maintained and benefits from not just a lovely front garden but also a quaint private back garden area. A good feature is the oil central heating throughout the property, making it

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euros

PERFECT HOME: This stunning three bedroom, two bathroom detached villa definitely has to be seen to be fully appreciated. perfect for an all year round home. Built in 2002, this villa definitely has to be seen to be fully appreciated. El Raso is a well established and pretty urbanisation located on the border of Guardamar Del Segura. Within walking distance you will find large commercial centres offering an array of amenities including: bars, restaurants, shops, vets, supermar-

ket, hairdressers and coffee shops along with a local bus route into Guardamar itself. Guardamar del Segura is a traditional Spanish coastal town where you will find some of the best blue flag sandy beaches this region has to offer, along with a great choice of amenities and services plus a large bus station for easy transport links.

Guardamar del Segura has a good amount of people living in the town all year round, but in the summer months it becomes a mecca for many tourists. Guardamar has all the charm and character you would expect to find in a Spanish coastal town, but has many modern and cosmopolitan places to eat, drink and shop along with a wonderful

seafront promenade and a fabulous Marina. In the centre of Guardamar you will find large parks and sand dunes ideal for long walks and cycle rides throughout the year as well as a bustling high street and a weekly Wednesday market. Alicante airport can be reached in 40 minutes and the new Covera airport can be reached in approx 50 minutes.

For more information or to arrange a viewing of Ref: 4657ER please contact The Property Shop on 966 718 836 / 965 501 006 or email info@propshopspain.com.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

21 - 27 January 2021

44 to read more visit

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Sleeping through after 50

PEOPLE aged 50 or over have been advised to avoid caffeine in the afternoons in order to ensure a good night’s sleep. The recommendation appears in a report by the Age UK charity, which says that although it gets hard­ er to sleep through a full night as we age, it is impor­ tant for the mind that the body gets enough rest. As well as knocking tea, coffee, and other drinks containing caffeine on the head, older people should also avoid naps of longer than 30 minutes during the day. Other recommendations appearing in the report include: • Get out of bed at the same time each day. • Don’t drink alcohol as a sleep aid. • Expose yourself to some natural sunlight each day. • Don’t eat any large meals within the last three hours before you go to bed. • Don’t look at your mobile phone, tablet, laptop,

or any other device featuring an electronic screen af­ ter getting into bed. • Don socks to keep your feet warm in bed. • Don’t allow pets in the bedroom. • Avoid arguments with your partner or spouse before bed. • Avoid over­the­counter sleeping tablets or liq­ uids. A lack of sleep can increase the risk of heart dis­ ease, obesity and diabetes, say the authors of the re­ port. Age UK spokesman James Goodwin said: “Sleep­ ing is something we all tend to take for granted, but we really have to wise up to the fact that getting the right amount of good sleep is crucial as we age, help­ ing to protect us from all kinds of problems that can affect our brains as well as our bodies. “The message is that in order to stay mentally sharp in later life ­ something we all care passionately about ­ take care of your sleep.”

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Dear Bipolar: It’s neither you nor me MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED I REALISE now that you don’t like to be forgotten. That you believe the world revolves around you. I know this because, when I had the nerve to live my life without thinking about you for a while, you came up from behind and knocked me for six. Were you happy that you ruined my lovely day, I wonder? Satisfied that I fell so hard and so fast that I sat crying in the dark for hours. I should’ve been angry with you then. But I wasn’t. I was angry with myself, and I shouldn’t have been. But I wonder if you were relieved, to be off the hook because I was blaming myself, obsessed with the idea that all of this was somehow my fault. It has consumed my every thought. But you know that, don’t you? S at here wondering if I could have stopped it sooner, if I could have handled it better, if I could have prevented it altogether. And wishing, desperately, that you hadn’t gotten so carried away. Is this what you wanted? It comes in waves you see, sometimes I

can tread water and keep my head afloat, but then other times the wave comes crashing down, spins me and spits me back. I’m giving you to much credit, Bipolar, and myself not enough. There is no denial that I can’t afford to forget you, that you’re too ‘toxic.’ I do blame you for being so relentless, so terrifying. But I’m not angry. I wonder if this was just a tragic but necessary thing that has happened to me. Did I choose you or did you choose me? Maybe in some ways, it was inevitable, with no one to blame. Maybe it isn’t your fault and maybe it isn’t mine. S o I ’m going to try and live with you, Bipolar. I’m going to be more aware so I can see you when you’re coming. Because I can spend another week obsessing, upset and looking for someone to blame. I can keep falling backwards, or I can move forward, a little wiser than I was before. So we’ll move forward, then, you and I. Because I get it, Bipolar, you don’t like to be forgotten. Well, you’ve got my attention now. Love Ms Bipolar X

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

21 - 27 January 2021

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

SOCIAL SCENE

to read more visit

Raffle for a Great Cause REAL BETIS and UCAM Murcia FC shirts (signed by their cap­ tains) are on offer in a charity raffle ­ with proceeds going to Astrapace (Association for the Treatment of People with Cere­ bral Palsy and Related Patholo­ gies). Last year was a very compli­

cated year for everyone, so the MR3 Football and the Associa­ tion of Solidarity Footballers want to start 2021 with opti­ mism. Which is why they are hold­ ing a charity event so that with a simple gesture: “We can bring joy and hope to those

Simba’s Great Adventure SIMBA’S Great Adventure by Rokuro Kubi and ARTES is a commemoration of World Dance Day. Simba’s Great Adventure, a live show based on the Disney movie and the musical The Lion King, directed by David Palazón, comes to the Grand Theatre in Elche on February 19. Rokuro Kubi has been taking this production to different stages in the city of Elche, and to other cities across Spain, for several years. He has even taken it abroad. Kubi is known for including children with disabilities in his shows, making their dreams of performing on stage a reality. Body expression, dance and theatre are the components of this show that, faithful to the message that has served as inspiration, claims the great value of friendship, the importance of family, personal growth ... Of what makes us part of a cycle in which everything is present and everything has its place. The performance begins at 9pm and costs between €8 and €10. Tickets can be bought at the Grand Theatre Box Office.

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46

who need it most.” Throughout 2021, raffles such as this one will be held throughout Spain, for the ben­ efit of different causes and charitable organisations. Astrapace, the beneficiary of this raffle, was founded by par­ ents in 1980 and was declared a Public Utility, serving People with Cerebral Palsy and Relat­ ed Disorders, for the purpose of social assistance, therapeu­ tic, educational and work treat­ ments. You have until February 12 to purchase a raffle ticket, which cost €2 (you can pur­ chase as many as you want) and the winners will be an­ nounced on February 13. Tickets are available via www.eventbrite.com ­ just search for MR3 Football. If you are lucky enough to win, you can pick up your prize at half time during the UCAM Murcia ­ Real Betis match at La Condomina stadium. Or if you cannot attend, MR3 Football will send the prize to you.

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Wonderful Backdrop ELCHE: ‘Things I Know Are True’ ­ A wonderful play set to the backdrop of the Four Seasons. ‘The things I know to be true

are shown to us as a sort of small organism preserved in an amber pearl,’ the promotional flyer reads for this wonderful looking

Show for the Whole Family

LADIES and Gentlemen - a musical comedy is being shown in Alicante. Castelvines y Monteses is a spectacular theatre festival coming to the Alicante Principal Theatre on MUSICAL COMEDY: Spectacular. Sunday, January 24. This play by Lope de Vega is putting Lope’s verse, Bandello’s story, the play of Rojas Zorrilla’s version, Shakespeare’s flight and Quevedo’s acidity at the service of a show full of humour, play, music, magic, clown and dance. It is almost a circus show, for the whole family, that brings us closer to the golden age of theatre. The show begins at 6pm and tickets cost €12 - €25 via en tradas.instanticket.es - search for Castelvines y Monteses.

play that is due to come to the Grand Theatre in Elche on Satur­ day, February 6. The show explores a constant theme in Andrew Bovell’s (Aus­ tralian writer for theatre, film and television) imagery: the rela­ tionships and links between peo­ ple and nature. Nature links the story of a middle­class family facing the passage of a decisive year in a suburban house with a small gar­ den. Through the course of the four seasons, we see the growth and change of four brothers and sisters and their ties to their fa­ ther and mother and witness the development of an organism that will mutate, become agitat­ ed and die, to continue, always, uncontainable and unstoppable, breathing and transforming it­ self. Tickets cost between €18 and €20 and can be purchased via In­ stanticket or at the Grand The­ atre Box Office. The show starts at 8pm and runs for 120 minutes.

PETS

48

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Make sure pets have fun WHILE it may seem like an age away if you have planned a trip for later this year, and you need someone to care for your pets make sure they have a fun com­ panion at home with them. Find a house­sitter who will look af­ ter them and care for them in their own home. Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house­sitters if you have trips planned this year, 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 to take: Register as a homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can get help online when needed Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house Post a house­sit advert stating

lot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ­ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house­sitter… HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house­sitter while we were away in Canada and we were delighted with the care and attention that HouseSitMatch took in helping us find the right person. Ros Morris ­ Dog owner

STAYING SAFE: Show them you care. your plans for this year’s holiday Covid permitting. 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 the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimonials ­ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpi­

How do you join? Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch. 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.

Epileptic attacks

EPILEPSY is a problem suffered frequently by dogs un­ der the age of five, which usually causes convulsions or epileptic attacks. Canine epilepsy has a genetic fac­ tor and there are breeds, including Beagles, St Bernards and German Shepherds which are more like­ ly to suffer. The first epileptic attack usually happens between the ages of six months and five years and comes com­ pletely unexpectedly in the form of convulsions, ped­ dling movements of the legs, excessive salivation, un­ controlled urination and loss of conscience. Although the attacks in themselves don’t put a dog’s life at risk, they are in danger of biting their tongues, falling or bumping into things and injuring themselves. Knowing how to react during an attack will help you remain calm and help your dog. First, lay it down on a soft surface. Avoid high places like the sofa to avoid the risk of a fall. It’s important not to try to pull your dog’s tongue out as it could end up biting it. Attacks usually last two minutes at the most. When over, let the dog rest in a quiet place as they are usually tired and confused after an attack.

Advertising Feature

A small tear in a dog’s nail can be very painful

WHY do nails break? Dogs break their nails when they jump off a chair, sofa or from owner’s arms and land on a toe in such a way that the nail bends back and breaks, by snagging them on carpet, furniture, etc. Sometimes, the nails of

older pets are so dry and brit­ tle and break very easily. Longer nails tend to get caught on things more than short ones. Regardless of the reason, a broken nail hurts and bleeds, so it requires im­ mediate attention. The nails of dogs contain

blood vessels and nerves cov­ ered by a layer of hard mater­ ial called keratin, which sur­ rounds these sensitive structures to protect them. What do I do if my dog has a broken nail? Safely restrain your dog. A helper and a muzzle may be necessary. Control bleeding by wrapping the foot in gauze or a towel and applying pres­ sure to the injured toe. If the bleeding doesn’t stop in five­ 10 minutes, go to the vet. The damaged or broken part of the nail needs to be carefully removed. Your vet­ erinarian may prescribe pain medication for a few days to keep your dog more comfort­ able and an antiseptic be­ cause prevention of infection is crucial. How do I help my dog avoid broken nails? To avoid the pain of a bro­ ken nail, keep your dog’s nails trimmed. Costablanca Sur: Centro Veterinario de Diagnóistico por Imagen de Levante

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ARCHITECTS

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)

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.aacostablanca.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_campel lo@hotmail.com (95475)

BUY vinyl records, record players, CD’s & Radios. 688 335 497 (290436)

CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA / MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462)

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

CHURCH SERVICE IN ENGLISH Tel: 950 617 549 www.givinglight.com.(1000 6)

CHARITY ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your

CARS WANTED

CHARITY

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.helpvegaba ja.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 nonmembers 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 www.icatorrevie ja.org (95476) LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English speaking church. For more information see our website w w w. l a s i e s t a e va n g e l i calchurch.org (10005) PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 693 287 614 for further information. (95459) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, www.pilarchurch.org Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) ROYAL AIR 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

53

CLASSIFIEDS

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.cuen ta@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 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 med-

FRIENDSHIP

ical 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.orihuelacostarbl.co. uk. (95457) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch. For info, contact the branch Secretary at granalacant.secretary@rbl. community ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION (Costa Blanca) The aim of the Association is to bring together not just ex Royal Marines, but ex Service personnel with an affinity to the Royal Marines. For further details 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 sup-

port 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 strokesup portgroup@hotmail.com, website: torreviejastroke support.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)

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THE SPIRITUALIST CENTRE, Benijofar will be closed for the immediate future due to COVID-19. Identification Fiscal G54713789 (95454)

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ELECTRICIAN MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (285783)

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FOR SALE WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

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NAUTICAL

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PET CHARITY EASYHORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE. We aim to rescue HORSES. If you would like to DONATE please call 965 967 033 or sales@easyhorsecare.net www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue 652 021 980 (95706) GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, de-wormed, deflead. volunteers to Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709) P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com (95708) For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

POOL MAINTENANCE Repairs, Spares and Leak Testing. Call 965 725 565 / 676 945 360 www.pooltechspain.com (283443)

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to read more visit ROAD TEST by Mark Slack ONE of the complaints I hear most about VAG products is that they all look the same. Well you can certainly spot the lineage in some design cues and shared use of parts. However they do have distinctly different characters and of course pricing structures. Having recently sampled a couple of Skoda models they do stand out as of­ fering the best of the VAG qual­ ities, while maintaining their own persona. The first of my sample cars was what Skoda say is their mid­size SUV, the Karoq. A cre­ ative thinking session from the Czech firm’s marketing depart­ ment came up with the name which is a combination of the Karaaq and Ruq, native Ameri­ can words for car and ar­ row. The Karoq is a nice­ ly understated vehi­ cle with an element of class, indeed I was accosted twice by other motorists to en­ quire about the car with

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MOTORING

Skoda Karoq - understated and very classy favourable comments. It hap­ pens with luxury or premium cars I have been driving but rarely with ‘ordinary’ fare. Prices for the Karoq start at €25,151 (£22,765) and peak at €40,908 (£37,030) with six trim levels, two petrol engines and one diesel engine with two power outputs. As ever with VAG you have a choice of man­ ual gears or the automatic DSG box. There is a four­wheel­drive option in all bar one trim level. Standard across the range are such features as powered, heated, auto dimming and fold­ ing door mirrors,

privacy glass, front fog lights, dual zone climate control, cruise control, auto lights and wipers plus rear parking sen­ sors. My SE Drive test model adds some decorative niceties but perhaps more importantly navigation, Bluetooth, front parking sensors and a rear view camera. At €994 (£900) extra it’s arguably a sensible starting point to the range. The two petrol engines are a sprightly three­cylinder 1.0­litre or four­cylinder 1.5 litre at 115PS and 150PS respectively. The 1.5­litre powering my test

Skoda Karoq.

car is probably the most versa­ tile if you do a fair few miles on longer runs, it has that bit more power and performance range. It’s a smooth and refined drive aided massively by having a

very comfortable ride that isn’t at the expense of a yacht­like ride on twisting roads. Comfortable, understated and classy probably best sums up the Karoq. It’s a delight to

drive and feels considerably more than its price tag sug­ gests. Standard equipment could be better but even with options it remains an immense­ ly attractive package.

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21 - 27 January 2021

SPORT Title Race Draw Ozil to Fenerbahce to read more visit www.euroweeklynews.com

UNEVENTFUL: Liverpool and Manchester drew 0-0 in the title race clash. LIVERPOOL and Manchester United battled to a bore draw in the title race clash at Anfield on Sunday, January 17. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side re­ main top of the Premier League table after an uneventful 0­0 draw against the champions. Alisson proved the hero for the home side denying Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba from close range as the Manchester

club stretch their winless league run against the Reds to five matches for the first time since 2002. In what was Jurgen Klopp’s 200th league game in charge, Liv­ erpool, sporting a makeshift cen­ tre­back pairing of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, controlled possession but offered little in the way of attacking threat, al­ though De Gea did tip a fierce

shot from Thiago Alcantara wide and Firmino was denied a clear goal­scoring chance from United captain Harry Maguire. The result means that Man­ chester United stay three points clear of Liverpool at the top of the table while the Anfield side sit in third a point behind Leices­ ter. The two clubs meet again in the FA Cup on Sunday January 24.

FOLLOWING news that the Gunners agreed to cancel the German midfielder’s £350,000­a­week contract in north London, which was due to ex­ pire in June 2021 ­ the 32­year­old has apparent­ ly said his goodbyes to staff and players at Arse­ nal ­ bringing to an end his seven­and­a­half­year stay in north London ­ as he heads to Turkey to complete his free transfer to Fenerbahce. Last week, the former Real Madrid star, who made 184 Premier League appearances for the Gunners, scoring 33 goals and providing 54 as­ sists, said on his Twitter account that Fenerbahce was his favourite club as a child. “I grew up as a Fenerbahce fan when I was a kid in Germany,” Ozil tweeted last week. “Fenerbahce is like Real Madrid in Spain. The biggest club in the country of Turkey.” Ozil has chosen his jersey number at Fener­ bahce. He is claimed to have chosen the number 67 at the Turkish club based on a code he up­ loaded on Twitter. Despite not releasing a formal statement, Ozil updated his Twitter profile picture and has spo­ ken to Turkish channel NTV ahead of his move. “I am very excited and happy,” he said. “I am a Fenerbahce fan. As a Fenerbahce fan, god made it possible to wear that jersey. I will do my best. “Tonight I will come to Istanbul with my fami­ ly. The flight time is not yet clear. I will be there

ARSENAL: Mesut Ozil is travelling to Turkey to seal his move to Fenerbahce, the biggest club in the country. tonight though.” Fenerbahce also confirmed the move was in progress, saying: “Negotiations have started on the transfer of professional football player Mesut Ozil.” Ozil joined Arsenal from Real Madrid in 2013 for what was then a club­record fee of £42 mil­ lion and won four FA Cups during his time at the club ­ he was also named the club’s player of the season in 2015­16.