Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 25 February - 3 March 2021 Issue 1860

News

The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1860

25 Feb - 3 March 2021

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 26 - 29 FREE • GRATIS

A GENERALITAT LIFELINE BETTER news at last for the Valencia Community’s beleaguered nightlife industry. Pubs can expect direct aid of €7,000 from the regional government while discos will each receive €28,500. Of all the region’s sectors, these have been hit hardest by anti-Covid restrictions, opening for barely three months since March 2020. “The Valencian government wants to provide an urgent response to this sector’s exceptional circumstances,” the region’s vice-president Monica Oltra announced. “We want to help the sectors and the people that have been most impacted by the health

allocated to the other. Speaking recently during a visit Castellon, Generalitat president Ximo Puig also admitted that the nightlife sector had “suffered especially” during the Covid crisis. “The ERTE temporary redundancies have helped a lot,” he said, “but after so much time, direct help was also necessary to ease the situation.” HELP NEEDED: Generalitat president Ximo Puig admitted that the nightlife sector has suffered. restrictions,” she said, adding that the leisure industry has been “tremendously affected.” Alicante Province has 230 registered pubs with and without live music or entertain-

ment, and 70 discotheques, dance halls and night clubs. The €7,000 grant covers venues licensed as pubs as well as those with live music or entertainment. Discos and similar

will receive €28,500 each. The Generalitat has allocated €8 million in aid, of which €3.5 million - 44 per cent of the total - goes to Alicante Province.

Applications can be made between March 2 and April 2. Generalitat sources revealed that if funds set aside for one of the two categories are not used up, these will be

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25 February - 3 March 2021

Sorolla on Zoom SOROLLA’S MURAL: A Vision of Spain.

THE Arts Society Marina Alta is to present its second Zoom lecture live from the UK. This will take place on Thursday, March 4 and not March 11 as originally an‐ nounced. The waiting room opens at

10.45am for registration of members and guests, with a prompt 11am start for the lec‐ ture by Arantxa Sardina, Sorol‐ la Enlightens Manhattan. Arantxa is an official guide at the Tate whose dissertation for her MA in Art History fo‐ cused on Valencia‐born Joaquin Sorolla (1863‐1923). He is regarded as the mas‐ ter‐painter of Mediterranean light, but believed painters could never reproduce sun‐ light but ‘only approach the truth of it.’ In 1909 Sorolla was invited to exhibit his work at the His‐ panic Society of New York, which was an immediate suc‐ cess and visited by more than 150,000 each day. He returned in 1911 to paint a large mural, Vision of Spain, for the Hispanic Society, depicting the customs, cos‐ tumes and traditions of the country’s different regions. For more information and to join the Zoom presentation, visit www.marinaaltaarts.com or contact tasma.programme @gmail.com by email.

NEWS

Calpe U3A meeting cancelled CALPE U3A issued a statement re‐ gretting the cancellation of their next meeting which was due to be held on Thursday February 18.

“The venue, the Casa de Cultura, was closed because of the Covid re‐ strictions,” David Stockton ex‐ plained.

Lighthouse patrols PROTECCION CIVIL volunteers are helping Alfaz’s Local Police to ensure that regulations are observed on the Albir Faro (lighthouse) road. They are reminding pedestri‐ ans that they need to maintain social distancing and, apart from families that habitually live together, groups should not exceed two. Masks, needless to

say, should be worn at all times. Patrols have been stepped up, particularly at the weekend, Alfaz’s Public Safety councillor Toni Such announced. Such called for “common sense” and compliance with an‐ ti‐Covid measures introduced for the general good, while stressing the “civic response” of the majority of Alfaz residents.

Breathing space THE deadlines for voluntary payment of municipal taxes in Benidorm has been extended. The car tax (IVTM) and the charge for rubbish collection that would normally have to be paid by March 25 can be deferred to June 14. The IAE tax on economic activities, IBI rates and the fee for a Vado (permanent access to a garage or gated property) can now be paid between August 2 and November 5. “This is a response to the effects of the Covid‐19 pandemic on the local population’s employment circumstances and is one way of assisting their finances,” Benidorm’s Treasury councillor Aida Garcia Mayor said.

“Many of our activities are sus‐ pended although we had a Zoom talk by Ian Gunn on January 28 which was a great success and we are hoping that we will be able to repeat this success with another Zoom talk in the future.” On a posi‐ tive note, Calpe U3A are putting out a warm welcome to new members and all those who sign up in 2021 will have free membership. For more details contact Jan Lux‐ ton at the membership@u3acalpe. org email address or check Calpe U3A’s Facebook page.

Return of the gargoyles ARTISTS nationwide have until April 15 to submit a modern gar‐ goyle for a project created by Al‐ tea’s Taller de Creacion Lecuona. This original initiative has town hall backing, explained Altea’s Cul‐ ture councillor Aurora Serrat. From June onwards, the pre‐ sent‐day gargoyles will be dis‐ played on house fronts in the Old Town, with a prize for best sub‐ mission. For more information visit the www.elregresodelasgargolas.com website or ring 640 763 136.

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NIBS EXTRA Kitted out LA NUCIA Town Hall allocated €5,000 for new uniforms for 45 employees in the Technical services department to substitute those issued five years ago. The fluorescent red and yellow uniforms have reflective bands and are adapted to the new regulations for working safely on public roads.

Cycle race THE Vuelta Ciclista a Alicante three-day cycle race that finishes on May 30 will come to an end on the Campello seafront. Alicante Cycling Bike, who are organising the race, recently signed an agreement with Club Nautico’s committee after choosing the sailing club’s esplanade for the finish line.

Freak accident TWO agricultural workers were injured when an out-of-control tractor crashed into a rural building on the Parcent-Benigembla road. The property, built on a slope, had a fibre-cement roof at road level and firefighters needed to extricate both men from smashed uralite and rubble before transferring them to hospital.

Flower power BENIDORM Town Hall is organising a popular vote to decide which plants should decorate the garden areas along the Poniente beach promenade. Votes can be cast on the town hall’s social media pages or www.benidorm.org throughout February with participants also entering a draw for two Low Festival tickets.

Class conscious TEACHERS at a Calpe primary school complained that they do not have a permanent janitor. They pointed out that they have done everything within their power to comply with anti-Covid regulations to guarantee safety in the school’s classrooms but have had four temporary caretakers between September and February.

Line-up BENITACHELL Town Hall is using non-toxic products to treat local pine trees inside the municipality and outlying urbanisations to eliminate the processionary caterpillars that appear at this time of the year. As well as trees they can also affect domestic animals and humans who come into contact with them.

25 February - 3 March 2021

Turn down the volume A FINESTRAT survey concluded that noise from the AP-7 motorway exceeded permitted levels. Noise pollution for those living close to the motorway increased considerably since tolls were lifted in January 2020 and the survey confirmed that levels were excessive in some parts of the Terra Marina urbanisation. “We met the residents, listened to their requests and promised to measure sound levels,” he continued. Measurements were made between December 4 and 11 at four different Terra Marina sites

MEETING: Finestrat’s mayor and councillors with representatives of Terra Marina residents. at different times of the morning and afternoon, Perez Llorca said. “Now we have told them that the survey proved them right, because levels are above 65 deci-

bels, the maximum allowed by the Valencian Community and the Ministry of Public Works,” he admitted after the meeting. Finestrat Town Hall will now

pass on their findings to the Ministry and ask them to come up with a solution as soon as possible. “It should be remembered that these levels are excessive at an atypical time owing to the pandemic,” Perez Llorca pointed out. “This situation will worsen once the present restrictions are lifted,” he added. As well as the noise measurements, the town hall will also be sending a document signed by 200 residents, asking for the motorway noise to be reduced, the mayor revealed.

An unholy row about time JAVEA Town Hall wants explanations from the parish regarding restoration of the 16th century San Bartolome fortress‐ church. “This does not correspond to the li‐ cence that was issued for its rehabilita‐ tion,” the town hall said. The department of Urban Control has listed five procedures that differ from

Potentially strategic projects ENLARGING Villajoyosa hospital and a new Rincon de Loix health centre should be treated as strategic, Benidorm’s mayor Toni Perez maintained. Perez cited the Health service action plan that the regional president Ximo Puig announced recently, pledging to fast‐track strategic procedures and build‐ ing projects. “To date, the Consell has still to define ‘strategic’ infrastruc‐ tures as regards the present pan‐ demic and providing the best at‐ tention for the public in the post‐Covid phase,” Perez said. Both the hospital and the Rin‐ con de Loix health centre, which directly affect the local popula‐ tion, should be classed as strate‐ gic, Perez declared. They were included in the Generalitat’s 2021 Budget with respective allocations of €7 mil‐ lion and €800,00, he pointed out. “If these were considered nec‐ essary before the pandemic, the Covid crisis has revealed that they are even more urgent and should not be postponed.”

the original plans in a report that has also been sent to the General Directorate of Culture and Patrimony. The church is a protected Asset of Cultural Importance (BIC) and this is the body responsible for supervising its restoration. One of the most controversial features is the new clock. This was badly dam‐ aged by Storm Gloria in January 2020

and it was understood from the plans that the original timepiece with a large round face would be repaired. Instead it has been replaced by a much smaller square clock of minimalist de‐ sign, with no numerals. Not only does it look entirely out of place but it is impos‐ sible to tell the time by, its critics com‐ plain.

Visit the Village online

SIX months ago the craft association Amata created its Virtual Craft Village www.puebloartesano.es web‐ site in English and Spanish. This is an alternative to the craft markets that were cancelled because of Covid and since then Amata has continued improving the Village with workshops, tutorials and virtual fairs. Purchasing has now been simplified with one single shopping cart for all the different craft shops. Amata participants may only sell their own work, and most of them are at work on their stalls in the Virtual Village where they invite the public into their workshops to share their love for their craft. “This makes the website into more than a mere online store, as it it is a complete village with many delight‐ ful corners to explore wherever you live and whenever you want,” Amata said.

U3A Marina Baixa meeting postponed THE U3A Marina Baixa committee has post‐ poned its Annual General Meeting until March 22. “Our priority is ensuring the well‐being and safety of members and we hope that in another five weeks’ time, the Covid numbers will have shown even more improvement than over the last week or so,” the committee explained. The U3A Marina Baixa is also seeking to ap‐ point a vice‐president and a press officer at the March 22 meeting and asked members interest‐ ed in taking on either of these positions to let the secretary know. Readers who would like to learn more about the U3A Marina Baixa will find more information on the www.u3amarinabaixa.com web page. Those without internet access should con‐ tract the secretary Joan Flint on 966 808 591 or 663 637 167.

Rude interruption A ZOOM gender violence discussion in San Vicente was hacked by cyber‐thugs who threatened participants. The town hall’s Equality department initiative was held online owing to Covid restrictions, and participants’ screens were suddenly filled with Nazi symbols and mes‐ sages ranging from ‘You’re all going to die’ to ‘Get back in the kitchen.’ The interruption was at first believed to be a technical hitch but is now being investigated by the Guardia Civil.

Winter sale THE Charity Shop of Calpe reopened on Thursday Febru‐ ary 18 with a half‐price sale on all winter clothing. The shop needs support during this difficult time and will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am until 1.30pm. All the necessary Covid hygiene and safety measures will be in place. “You can find us in Galerías Mar Azul, halfway up Avenida Gabriel Miró on the right‐hand side. Just follow the signs from the street,” the Charity Shop said.

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Easter mobility THE Valencian Communi‐ ty will enforce mobility re‐ strictions over Easter to prevent a surge of infec‐ tions Generalitat president Ximo Puig, announced his intention of discouraging travel and containing the spread of Covid‐19. It would be a very com‐ plex time, as the Commu‐ nity would run the risk of losing the ground it had made up in reducing coro‐ navirus numbers, he said. Puig revealed that agreement will be made between the various re‐ gions and the government at the Interterritorial Council meeting today, Thursday, February 25. “We think that there should be agreement amongst everyone be‐ cause it is very important to consolidate now. If we consolidate, we will proba‐ bly have more opportuni‐ ties in the coming months towards normalisation with more vaccinations and greater capacity to contain the pandemic,” he explained.

TM Lions shop open The TM Lions charity shop is now opening to receive donations only every Monday be‐ tween 10.00 and 11.30. They have Covid secure procedures to handle the donations and store the goods until they are able to offer them for sale. The Den is beneath the Pepe La Sal super‐ market on the Centro Comercial, Moraira. PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE DONATIONS OUTSIDE THE SHOP. They are not there every day and some donations have ‘gone astray.’ If you are interest‐ ed in finding out more about their work or joining Teulada‐ Moraira Lions, visit their web page ‐ www.tmlions.com.

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Mars to Spain SCIENTISTS from Spain, are playing an active role in the NASA mission to Mars. Spain’s Laserlab houses a high-tech instrument known as a Supercam, which will transmit sound waves and data of Perseverance’s impact with rocks and minerals from the surface of the red planet to be reproduced in the UMA’s simulation chamber. The chamber measures 12 metres in length, two metres in diameter and weighs 20 tonnes, and simulates the temperature, pressure and solar radiation on Mars. The UMA Laserlab, based at the University of Malaga is headed by Professor Javier Laserna who told Sur In English, “This mission is an intellectual challenge of the first magnitude.” He explained that the calibration card mounted on the Perseverance, contains the names of all the scientists who have participated in that part of the mission, which means, “Our name, and that of Malaga is already on Mars.” The professor added, “The rover will send a lot of data during its mission. Simulating them here and analysing them by reproducing the conditions on Mars will take a long time.”

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New charity shop

GIVING4GIVING has now opened a new charity shop in the heart of Benidorm at C/La Rioja 1 local 4 at the bottom of the Ruzafa. We hope our new premises will help us to raise more funds for local charities and help the local community during these diffi‐ cult times by offering pre‐loved cloth‐ ing etc at reasonable prices. G4G has now donated €186,000 to charities in Spain and looks forward to making more donations in March. We have a fantastic team of dedicated vol‐ unteers, without them none of this would have been possible and a mas‐ sive thank you to all the generous peo‐ ple who donate to our charity and of

SHOP: Offering pre-loved clothing.

course the people who shop with us. Giving4giving always needs dona‐ tions and offers a house, apartment clearance service and if you can spare a few hours a week to volunteer please call Gary on 603 137 697 or contact us on Facebook.

Not ‘high risk’ GERMANY has removed Spain from its list of ‘high risk’ countries as of February 21. Spain is no longer considered a high incidence area classed as a ‘regular risk zone.’ The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) of virology together with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Interior included the amend‐ ment in their weekly update. The German government lowered Spain’s risk, although it will continue to require travellers to take a negative test after at least five days in quar‐ antine. The move will include the whole of Spain, including the Canary Is‐ lands and the Balearic Islands. Since January 24, Spain had been classed as a ‘high incidence area,’ with travellers banned from entering the country, exceptions included essential travel, transnational workers or those with residence in Germany.

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Plan for ‘Feminist School’ SPAIN’S Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, has announced her intention to launch a novel ‘femi‐ nism entrepreneurship school’ as part of her Strategic Subsidy Plan with the aim of offering ‘per‐ sonalised advice and support to women from a feminist perspective.’ Spain saw the biggest growth in unemployment among women in the entire European Union during 2020, at 18.4 per cent. Last January unemployment grew by 27,962 among men compared with a stag‐ gering 48,254 women. “If you are a woman or a girl, you are going to find, even today, many more difficulties to dedicat‐ ingyourself to an area of study or a profession linked to the scientific field. Even to believe that you can dedicate yourself to it. Some of the barriers that you are going to encounter have to do with roles, with macho stereotypes and, also, with a great absence of female referents, visible to the whole of society and recognised by society,” Ms Montero said.

Spain Picking Up Speed WITH only five other countries across the globe having fully immunised more people, Spain has es‐ tablished itself as one of the forerunners in admin‐ istering the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Israel, which is setting the pace for the rest, is in the lead with almost a third of its population fully vaccinated against Covid already. Next comes the US with 4.83 per cent, followed very closely by Denmark according to the figures published by Our World In Data at Oxford Universi‐ ty. However, experts warn that there is a downside to prioritising the administration of the second vac‐ cine. Since countless studies have shown that just one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna jab, for instance, provides effective immunity against the virus. It could be argued, therefore, that it would be wiser to increase the time between vaccines in or‐ der to immunise more people in less time.

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Moftag carries on MOFTAG COMMITTEE: Calpe’s longest-running club was founded in 1978. MOFTAG took Valentine’s Day presents to 41 members, contain‐ ing chocolates, a teabag and a smiley‐face magnet. There was al‐ so a rhyme telling them to enjoy the treat, sit back, relax, and drink to Moftag. Moftag (Mighty Oaks from Tiny Acorns Grow), which was found‐ ed 43 years ago this year, is Calpe’s longest‐running club and is also a registered charity.

They focus on raising money for Calpe charities and also pro‐ vide company and social events for their members, many of whom are ladies living on their own. Despite the challenges that the pandemic has brought, Mof‐ tag has stayed in touch with all members each week. Despite not being able to hold their two Fayres this year, they have continued fundraising, do‐

Royal Vacancy FANCY a change in career? Queen Elizabeth II has posted an advert on Linkedin, looking for a new housekeeping assistant to work at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and other royal residences. The successful candidate will receive £19,000 per year, 33 holiday days and swanky accommo‐ dation at the Palace. The royal household is looking for someone who is ‘practically minded, with great attention to detail’ and someone who ‘takes pride in their work’ and aims for the ‘highest standards.’ The new staff member will embark on a 13‐ month training programme, leading to an ap‐ prenticeship; when completed, the candidate will become a permanent member of the Queen’s staff.

nating over €1,000 to the Red Cross to help families buy school‐ books, with €800 each going to Caritas and the Red Cross for food vouchers that were distributed to needy Calpe families. New members are always wel‐ come and readers who would like to know more about Moftag should contact the charity’s presi‐ dent, Jenny Godfrey on 639 139 518.

Tit-For-Tat ‘Water Wars’ UK Government ministers are in discussions to ban Euro‐ pean bottled water imports into Britain, after EU officials banned the import of live shellfish, including mussels, oys‐ ters, clams and cockles, to EU member states. ‘Water Wars’ might be only the beginning, with a senior government source telling The Telegraph, “There is thought being given to where we can leverage in other areas. We have continuity arrangements, we can stop these which means they won’t be able to sell their produce here.” The EU had also secured a temporary agreement on the importation of seed potatoes until the end of June, but now the UK looks set to end a number of continuity arrange‐ ments with Europe. This ‘escalated contingency planning’ comes as a direct result of Stella Kyriakides, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety refusing to meet George Eustice, the UK Environment Secretary when re‐ quested, in an attempt to resolve the shellfish dispute.

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Crimes Against The Crown THE Local Police in Murcia have launched an investi‐ gation into a 40‐year‐old man from Alhama for al‐ leged crimes against the Crown. An ‘ex officio’ investiga‐ tion ‐ where no official complaint has been made ‐ was begun, after the indi‐ vidual posted a photo on Facebook of the monarch, accompanied by the com‐ ment ‘guillotine for King Felipe VI.’ The man has not been arrested. The matter will be investigated further before being hand‐ ed over to the courts, who will decide if legal action should be taken. In Spain, slandering or insulting the monarchy is a serious offence, carrying a custodial sentence of be‐ tween six months and two years, or a hefty fine, de‐ pending on the severity of the crime. The law was very recently implement‐ ed with the incarceration of Catalan rapper Pablo Hasél on February 16 for glorification of terrorism and insults to the Crown The Ministry of Justice recently announced its in‐ tention to reform the law, establishing ‘dissuasive’ rather than custodial penalties for crimes against the Crown.

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25 February - 3 March 2021

Vaccine Passport

Driver caught on film THE Guardia Civil are investigating a bus driver who allegedly drove more than 33 kilometres using his mobile phone. The bus driver could face between six months and two years in prison if found guilty and also faces losing his licence for between one and six years. A passenger recorded the driver using his mobile phone, and handed

the video to police. The officers later handed the evidence over to the Segovia Court. The 33‐year‐old man is suspected of a crime against road safety for driving a passenger bus using his mo‐ bile phone for 33 kilometres. The Guardia Civil have called on citizens in a similar situation to notify the police or send any recordings to the police.

No 112 emergency call EFFECTIVENESS: New evidence is coming through all the time. EXPERT Dr Sarah Chan, a bioethicist at Edinburgh University, has warned of concerns over proposed vaccine passports, saying the jabs are, “not 100 per cent effective in 100 per cent of cases.” Speaking to one media outlet, she said: “Proof of a person’s having been vaccinated doesn’t at the moment 100 per cent guarantee that they can’t catch Covid. Vaccines offer some protection, but they’re not 100 per cent effective in 100 per cent of cases. “But more importantly, it doesn’t,

on the evidence that we have at the moment, mean that these people don’t still pose a risk to others in terms of passing the disease on. However, Dominic Wilkinson, professor at Oxford University, said: “I think there’s evidence coming through all the time about the effectiveness of the vaccine and its reduction in the spread of the virus. “There’s evidence released earlier this month on the Oxford vaccine and its influence on the spread of the virus.”

A MAN working without a contract died after falling from scaffolding when his boss refused to call the emer‐ gency services in Alboraia, Valencia. Luis Victor Gualotuña, aged 55, from Ecuador, fell six metres while disman‐ tling scaffolding at a three‐storey build‐ ing, according to Las Provincias. He was not wearing a safety harness and suffered head injuries. His colleague alerted the owner of the company, who decided not to call Emergency Services. According to a witness, their boss told workers to take the victim inside and wait for him. When he arrived and saw the work‐ er was unconscious, he took him to hospital in the company van, allegedly dumping him unconscious outside the

No safety harness was worn. Valencia Clinic and leaving without providing any information. Despite resuscitation attempts the victim died within minutes. The police have begun an investigation. The vic‐ tim was unconscious for about 45 min‐ utes before receiving medical care.

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Tourism Is Key THE Minister of Industry, Com‐ merce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, announced that 2021 would be the year Spain begins to recover from the economic impact of the coronavirus pan‐ demic, with tourism a key factor. “Without tourism, there will be no recovery,” she said, “and if there is, it will be slower.” At a SER Andalucia meeting on February 18, she went on to say that with the current target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the population by summer, herd im‐ munity could be achieved and thus the Central Government is now focused on developing the options of vaccination passports, safe travel corridors and the opening of international borders in order to “recover international tourism.” Finally, the minister an‐ nounced that the Spanish Gov‐ ernment is working closely with the European Union, OECD and the World Tourism Organisa‐ tion to develop a global action plan around the re‐establish‐ ment of tourism and with the aim of making travel “safer, more sustainable and of higher quality.”

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Speed Bust DRUGS: Had a street value of around €1m. POLICE from the Guardia Civil have intercepted 23 kilos of speed which was about to be distributed from northern Spain. Officers arrested two men in Spain after seizing the drugs, with a street value of around €1 million. The detainees are two brothers, aged 41 and 34, residents of La Rioja Baja who used their parents’ home as a nursery for the drugs that they later sold. ‘Operation Kinoko’ seized drugs equivalent to more than 90,000 doses of speed with which they could have earned close to €1 million, and arrested two men for drug trafficking.

Police power MADRID has tightened its control of tourist accom‐ modation to combat ‘pandemic phenomenon’' of ille‐ gal parties breaching Covid regulations. “This activity violates the current regional regula‐ tions, which strictly prohibits meetings of non‐resi‐ dents in homes and is framed within the regional gov‐ ernment’s measures to prevent the spread of Covid‐19,” said the regional government. The Minister of Justice, Interior and Victims, En‐ rique Lopez, signed an order that empowered Local Police to carry out inspections of tourist accommoda‐ tion. “In this way, as the order states, officers from the region’s 112 Local Police Corps will be able to carry out ‘verification tasks’ and surveillance in order to en‐ force compliance,” added the goverment in a state‐ ment.

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Islands Pilot Trafficking Ring Dismantled possible REGIONAL governors of Mallorca and Ibiza were reportedly in meetings in Madrid with Maria Reyes Maroto, the Spanish Tourism Minister, on Friday February 19, where they asked her to allow a pilot scheme to be trialled this summer, to get British holidaymakers back to the islands. Iago Negueruela, the islands’ tourism minister who attended the meeting with Francina Armengol, the region’s president, confirmed, “We have offered to become one of the first parts of Spain where the vaccine passport is trialled.” He added, “We showed with last year’s pilot that we can work effectively and the Spanish government’s response to our proposal was very positive. We will focus our efforts from now on in becoming a lead region in the implementation of immunity certificates to facilitate mobility.”

Ski & Snowboard successful return SOME 7,400 skiers visited Sierra Nevada on its reopening weekend. With most of the province now open to move between towns, 4,900 visitors were registered on its sunny reopening on Saturday February 20, and a further 2,500 on a cloudy Sunday, which ended with a fall of snow. Visitors are still not allowed from other provinces. According to Cetursa, the company which manages the Sierra Nevada ski resort, there were between eight and nine slopes open, amounting to 47 skiable kilometres over five of the six areas that make up the complex. The Spanish Snowboard Cross and Ski Cross Cup will be held this weekend after the earlier Club Nazari ‘Baches’ (bumps) Trophy and the Reyes Santa Olalla Baches Trophy had to be cancelled due to high winds.

THE National Police in conjunction with Europol have succeeded in dismantling a nationwide people trafficking ring. In total, 17 members of the gang have been arrested and two trafficked women were released. The huge criminal organisation allegedly trafficked women of Russian and Polish nationality for sexual exploitation. The base of operations was in Alicante and Valencia, but had branches in Poland,

Germany, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Russia. The investigation began when a victim came forward. She told officers that the girls and young women were lured to Spain, Germany and the UK with the promise of work; and were immediately put to work as prostitutes. Police discovered that the criminals paid large amounts of money to obtain medical certificates showing that their victims had to travel for essential health reasons.

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Victim Turns Detective Covid TikTok STOLEN PUPPIES: Found in the Welsh countryside.

Fake Amazon scam THE Guardia Civil’s cybercrime team is warning the public to be aware of a new scam. The con involves a mass emailing appearing to be from Amazon, which looks authentic but links to a fraudulent website. The emails use Amazon’s logo and what appears to be an Amazon customer service email address, with the subject ‘You have a package located in the Amazon distribution centre,’ among other lines. The recipient is asked to take part in a survey to be eligible for products for a nominal amount, but in order to benefit, they must provide personal and bank details. According to the cybercrimes team, this is the sole objective. “If you have received an email of these characteristics, you have accessed the link and provided your credit card details, contact your bank as soon as possible to inform them of what happened. “In addition, we recommend that you remain vigilant and periodically monitor the information that is published about you on the Internet to prevent your private data from being used without your consent.”

B R E E D E R, Tony Cronin decided to turn amateur detective after five of his dogs and two litters of puppies were stolen. Not only did he find his own dogs, but recovered many others. After receiving a tip-off about where the suspected criminal gang was located, he drove out to C armarthenshire, W ales in search of his missing pooches, where he made the shocking discovery of around 70 dogs, all stolen, many of them valuable pedigrees and worth up to £40,000. Tony said, “It was really very well hidden which is why they use it, and as we were going up the track a huge group of dogs came out to greet us. “Right in the middle of the group was one of my own dogs running towards me, her tail was between her legs as she was frightened.”

Phenomenon

BENJAMIN GEORGE is a 31year-old English man who moved to the Costa del Sol as a young child, going to school in Spain, learning the language and culture, and developed a passionate love for his adopted country and its way of life. After contracting Covid BenBen’s videos have gone viral. jamin installed TikTok on his mobile and taught himself to use it. He uploaded his first TikTok video, on January 20, which instantly went viral. Benjamin’s outspoken video criticises British compatriots who, he says, unfairly criticise Spain and its government, whilst continuing to live in Spain, enjoying all that it has to offer. The video has made Ben something of an online phenomenon, going from five followers to over 23,000 in just one month and with further TikTok videos going viral. Benjamin who is the Regional Sales Manager at Euro Weekly News, has been contacted by several Spanish national newspapers, wanting to interview the young British man, who so vehemently defends Spain and its culture. Benjamin’s videos are not to everybody’s liking, leading to ‘hate messages’ on his social media, but he is unperturbed and says he will continue posting videos and messages about things that he is passionate about, and ‘his country.’ He states in his publications, ‘This account is for Spanish patriots, if you are not, do not come here.’ Benjamin George @b.George.89

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Clear Approval THE USE of clear face masks to aid lip reading has been approved by the Spanish government. The Spanish Confederation of Families of Deaf People (Fiapas) has greeted the news of the new ministerial order from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs with approval. According to Ideal, the order released in the Official State Gazette (BOE) establishes a framework for transparent masks. Fiapas, explained, “The order means having a legal framework of reference to ensure the health and safety of consumers in this area, and also does not leave a vulnerable group such as the hearing impaired unattended.” Traditional non seethrough masks create accessibility challenges for people that are hard of hearing, deaf or have other disabilities.

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25 February - 3 March 2021

Worst incidence worries easing THE Community of Madrid lifted border closures in 31 basic health ar‐ eas and seven localities on Monday, February 22. The announcement was made on Friday February 19, by Deputy Minister of Public Health and Covid‐19 Plan, Antonio Zapatero who said, “The downward trend is consolidating. Today’s accumulated incidence data is 427 per 100,000 inhabitants. We registered a decrease of 52 per cent compared to two weeks ago.” The Community of Madrid recently relaxed Covid measures put in place to limit the spread of the virus de‐ spite being the Community with the worst cumulative incidence rate in the last 14 days, according to the Ministry of Health.

NEWS

Drivers Paid MI6 LGBT+ Apology to Go Green IN an attempt to reduce congestion, a new govern‐ ment initiative will offer drivers £3,000 in ‘credits’ to give up their cars, which they can then use on elec‐ tric scooters or bikes, as well as public transport. A two‐year trial will begin this spring in Coventry funded as part of the ‘future transport’ initiative. Those with diesel cars manufactured before 2016 and petrol before 2006 will agree to give up their ve‐ hicles for the duration of the trial and be given ‘cred‐ its’ instead. Many people, including AA president Edmund King, question the timing of the initiative. On Febru‐ ary 17, US car giant Ford announced its plan to only sell electric passenger vehicles in Europe by 2030. Mr King said: “The money would probably be bet‐ ter spent on providing electric charging points for those without off‐street parking rather than giving mobility credits for services that people will use when they need to or feel safe to.” A STATEMENT released by Buckingham Palace on Febru‐ ary 19 confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are formally stepping away from their roles and responsi‐ bilities as part of the British monarchy. The Buckingham Palace statement read: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have

THE new head of MI6 has apologised publicly to officers who were dis‐ missed from the spy agency before 1991. Richard Moore, also known as C, ac‐ knowledged that “committed, talent‐ ed, public‐spirited people had their ca‐ reers and lives blighted” when MI6 operated a “wrong, unjust and dis‐ criminatory” ban on LGBT staff in its ranks. The practice of dismissing openly homosexual agents ran across Britain’s three spy agencies, most notably in the case of Alan Turing. The mathemati‐ cian and codebreaker was forced out of GCHQ in 1952 after he was convict‐ ed for having a gay relationship. He was subjected to chemical castration

APOLOGY: From the new head of MI6, Richard Moore. and subsequently killed himself years later. MI6 still had work to do to become a “fully inclusive employer,” he added, where people could “always bring your true self to work. Diversity makes us more effective; inclusion makes us stronger,” added Mr Moore.

Stepping Down confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be re‐ turning as working members of the Royal Family. “Following conversations with the Duke, the Queen has written confirming that in

stepping away from the work of the Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public ser‐ vice. “The honorary military ap‐

pointments and Royal patron‐ ages held by the Duke and Duchess will therefore be re‐ turned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of the Roy‐ al Family. “While all are saddened by their decision, the Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.”

NEWS

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25 February - 3 March 2021

EWN 11

Third Refuse Deficit Shame Epic Bronze document

ACCORDING to Pentagon officials, one in three US military are declining the Covid vaccine de‐ spite high infection rates within the forces. At a Congressional hearing, Major General Jeff Taliaferro revealed the US Defence Department maintains the classification of Covid vaccines as optional, as the Federal Drug Administration has yet to give its full approval. Stressing that the figures are based on ‘very early data,’ he said that so far ‘somewhere around two‐thirds of the territory’ had been immunised. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told re‐ porters that the “military basically mirrors the acceptance rates of American society,” adding that whilst most vaccinations are mandatory for military personnel, the fact the Covid vaccines have been approved on an emergency level, means they cannot be forced upon people.

SIR PHILIP GREEN’S fashion retail Arcadia Group Ltd, according to financial documents seen by The Guardian, apparently had a pension deficit of £510 million when it collapsed last November. Creditors were reportedly owed £800 million when the company called in administrators, as shown in a statement prepared by Arcadia’s board, which was sent to all creditors this week. The news comes as administrators begin consul‐ tations on the closure of three of Arcadia’s distribu‐ tion centres, which could lead to more than 1,000 job losses. Jake O’Malley, from workers union GMB, said, “A century of history and hundreds of good jobs down the pan while Philip Green is living it up on his private yacht and the administrators pick the bones of the business clean. GMB will fight tooth and nail to make sure workers get what they deserve from this mess.”

NATIONAL POLICE in Madrid have recovered a unique legal document made in bronze which is more than 2,000 years old. The bronze epigraphic plate of Roman origin is an imperial decree from the Emperor Tiberius, regulating the privi‐ leges and financing of soldiers and veterans, promulgated im‐ mediately after the death of Caesar Augustus. An investigation began when it was spotted online through an auction house. The current own‐ ers, from an antique shop in Sevilla, lacked documentation to

Television Takedown NATIONAL POLICE have dismantled an organ‐ isation illegally providing paid television ser‐ vices over the Internet. They have arrested five people who, according to the police, could have obtained illegal profits of around €1 million per year. Police carried out three searches in which they seized 10 decoders, seven smartphones, two computers, two tablets, 28 Ethereum cryptocurrencies and €1,250 in cash

The network included a content provider, in Barcelona, and resellers, around Spain who bought the signal and sold it to about 20,000 people, at a higher price, advertising the ser‐ vice on websites, social networks and sales portals. The content provider had satellites dishes and decoders from national and foreign sup‐ pliers to obtain content which he mixed and resold.

More than 2,000 years old.

support its legal provenance. The bronze piece had also not been included in the inventory of archaeological assets estab‐ lished by the Historical Heritage Law. A judge agreed for the bronze plaque to be seized as a precau‐

tion and ordered that the plaque be studied and a suitable final destination for it be found. The presence in the Iberian Peninsula of such documents, of enormous legal, historical and archaeological significance, is scarce.

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25 February - 3 March 2021

Beaches Smoke-Free Trial BEACHES in Barcelona will be smoke-free this summer as the city council plans to ban smoking citing public health hazards. Initially, it will be banned in four of the 10 city beaches - Sant Miquel and Somorrostro, in Ciutat Vella, and Nova Icària and Nova Mar Bella, in Sant Martí. The pilot scheme will be in operation during high season between May 29 and September 12. Authorities explained that the ban is not focused on punishing those who smoke on the beach - and won’t directly result in fines - but is more about raising awareness. Instances of non-compliance could be handed over to the Guardia Urbana Local Police

who will be able to instruct people that smoking is banned in the area. However, if the beachgoer then still does not comply, the Local Police could hand out a fine, but for disrespecting authorities rather than breaking the smoking ban. BANNED: Smoking on the beaches in Barcelona.

En Masse #DeleteFacebook AFTER Facebook banned the sharing of news from Australian pub‐ lishers, #DeleteFacebook and #BoycottZuckerberg were trending as outraged users shared their final posts before leaving Facebook for good. Facebook announced it would prevent Facebook’s 13 million monthly Australian users from reading and sharing news, in response to Australia’s proposed Media Bargaining law, which would force tech companies like Facebook and Google to compensate news compa‐ nies to feature their content. Google has already come to an agree‐ ment with the government. Facebook say the Media Bargaining law could become an expen‐ sive precedent that other countries are likely to follow. However, mil‐ lions of Australian users who rely on Facebook as their primary source of news were outraged at the move, sparking the massive backlash.

NEWS

Teen arrested A 15‐YEAR‐OLD boy has been arrested by the Guardia Civil as the alleged perpetrator of libel and slander in Burgos, after falsely accusing his teachers of being ‘rapists’ and ‘pae‐ dophiles.’ During the 2019‐2020 aca‐ demic year, he posted an image of a teacher, with a girl who had injuries, insinuating that they were caused by the teacher. He used obscene phrases and false claims, in posts referring to the school and teachers, such as: ‘student rapists’, ‘let them go you damned paedophiles’ or ‘the rapists who work in that brothel’ accompanied by photos which were sexual in nature. An investigation discovered that the publications all came from the same account man‐ aged by a single person on a sin‐ gle network. The teenager was detained and will appear in a Mi‐ nors Court.

China And Russia To Sign A Deal CHINA and Russia are reportedly about to sign a historic deal to build the Inter‐ national Lunar Research Stations (ILRS), a moonbase, that theoretically by the early 2030s should be able to provide a base for a long‐term robotic presence on the Moon, with the possibility of short‐ crewed missions. This first moonbase will allegedly be located at the lunar South Pole, and has the potential for other nations to get in‐ volved, who would contribute their own spacecraft. If rumours of the European

Space Agency’s interest in joining the project are true then that would be an‐ other segregation blow for the United States, with NASA and Rocosmos, Rus‐ sia’s state corporation for space activi‐ ties, both vying for the top spot as the international leader of space pro‐ grammes. NASA spearheaded the Artemis Ac‐ cords scheme, which proposed a global legal framework for mining on the moon, which the Russians had compared to ‘colonialism.’

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25 February - 3 March 2021

FEATURE

Requesting modification of child maintenance

due to the birth of a new child Approach IN today’s article we are go‐ ing to talk about whether the birth of a new child can cause a modification in the child maintenance or alimony pay‐ ment previously agreed be‐ tween the parties or by a judge which is normally due to di‐ vorce, separation proceedings, etc. This situation is very com‐ mon. Thus, it is usual that after the break‐up of a couple with children, the parents rebuild their lives and they may have new children with their new partners. Consequently, it is possible that the father or mother obliged to pay maintenance to the minor wants to request that this provision or compen‐ sation be reduced as they have a new child, with its own needs for care. Initial position. The truth is that, until recently, the answer was not at all clear as many courts held that the birth of a

new child should not affect the obligations and the agreed child maintenance, in relation to previous children but this position has been changing. There are already numerous judicial precedents, which con‐ firm that it may be an accept‐ able cause for modification of the agreed amount to be paid. From a legal point of view: Several legal considerations must be taken into account: 1. Obviously, parents have the right to rebuild their lives and consequently to have new children. This being a basic freedom of the individual. 2. Legally, all children are equal, whether the parents are married or not, therefore, new and previous children have the same right to be looked after by their mother and father. 3. From the legal point of

view, the fulfilment of the maintenance obligations agreed for the children must be guaranteed. In other words, the courts must take care that alimony is paid. Spanish courts and tri‐ bunals. In general, it is now ac‐ cepted that the birth of new children implies a change of circumstances which may therefore lead to the modifica‐ tion of what has been agreed in relation to payments to mi‐ nors. Obviously, the birth of new children implies a necessary redistribution and readapta‐ tion of the economic resources of those obliged to pay for child maintenance. It is clear that the requirement to feed a new child means that more costs are incurred, but this does not imply that an auto‐

Carlos Baos (Lawyer) - White&Baos Tel: +34 966 426 185 info@white-baos.com White & Baos 2021 - All Rights Reserved.

matic modification in mainte‐ nance will occur. Conclusion. The birth of a new child presumes a substan‐ tial alteration of circum‐ stances. Consequently, it may be a reason for the reduction of alimony to be paid to other children, but this need must be proven before a judge who may impose new measures and provisions. For this, it is necessary to take into account the econom‐ ic situation of the person who must pay alimony and the cir‐ cumstances of the parent and their need to care for both a new child and children from a previous relationship. If you have questions about child maintenance modifica‐ tion, visit the family law area of our website: www.white‐ baos.com. The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, it merely con‐ veys information related to le‐ gal issues.

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NEWS

Brexit, currency transfers and the law

AS we adjust to life post‐Brexit there are many things to con‐ sider, but if you need to move money abroad there is one par‐ ticular change that it’s essential to be aware of. The free movement of ser‐ vices came to an end at the close of the transition period, with service providers instead having to comply with the dif‐ ferent rules of the EU member states in order to operate legal‐ ly. Of particular note to people making international money transfers is the fact that UK fi‐ nancial service firms lost their fi‐ nancial services passports on January 1, 2021. What is a financial services passport? Before Brexit the ‘passport‐ ing’ of financial services meant that firms were able to operate in the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) under a UK‐based licence. For example, a company au‐ thorised by the Financial Con‐ duct Authority (FCA) in the UK could use this licence to work with customers based in any other country in the EEA. However, as the UK has now lost these passporting rights, any financial services firm (in‐ cluding currency transfer providers) must have a valid EU licence if they want to continue

working with customers in the EU/EEA. The Royal Decree On December 29, 2020 the Spanish Royal Decree‐Law 38/2020 was published. This Decree outlines mea‐ sures for the adaption to the status of a third State of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland af‐ ter the end of the transition pe‐ riod. The Royal Decree came into force on January 1, 2021 and includes a specific section about financial services and how firms from that sector can work with customers based in Spain mov‐ ing forwards. According to the Royal De‐ cree: ‘From January 1, 2021, UK authorised entities will be sub‐ ject to the relevant Spanish leg‐ islation and applicable regimes in respect of third country firms. UK entities will have to obtain a new authorisation to operate in Spain.’ The Bank of Spain (Banco de España) is the FX supervisory authority in Spain and can im‐ pose penalties on any currency providers who fail to comply with the decree in order to safeguard the interests of cus‐ tomers. Understanding equivalence You may have heard some

discussions in the media about ‘equivalence’ ‐ whereby the Eu‐ ropean Commission can open up market access for some UK‐ based service providers. The European Commission can grant a country equivalence if it views the country’s laws as being similar in intent and pur‐ pose to the laws of the EU, but it can also withdraw equiva‐ lence on 30 days’ notice if the situation changes. While this is good news for some sectors, financial services are subject to different equiva‐ lence regimes and the level of access offered is far narrower than passporting permitted. It should also be noted that equivalence operates in fewer areas, covers fewer services and is less secure than pass‐ porting. International currency trans‐ fers are one of the financial ser‐ vices not covered by equiva‐ lence, so the provider you use must still have a valid EU li‐ cence if you’re going to contin‐ ue working with them. What do you need to know? Any currency transfer provider offering their services to customers based in Spain must be regulated by a relevant EU authority. If they aren’t licensed appro‐ priately and in accordance with the Royal Decree they cannot renew contracts with existing customers or solicit new cus‐ tomers. They must also have concluded working with exist‐ ing customers based in Spain by June 30, 2021. If you’re using a currency transfer specialist to move money to or from Spain and they haven’t sent you any com‐ munications regarding a change of licensing post‐Brexit, get in

touch with them to find out whether or not they have a valid EU licence. This is a simple question and something they should be able to answer in‐ stantly. As mentioned previously, this licence must be with a rele‐ vant EU‐based regulator, like the Bank of Spain (Banco de Es‐ paña), and your provider should be able to tell you their licence number. If your provider is only autho‐ rised by the FCA they will be un‐ able to continue servicing your requirements from June (and should inform you of that fact) so you will need to find a new currency transfer company in order to ensure the security and continuity of your pay‐ ments. When switching providers find a currency company that is licensed to operate in Spain. You may also want to check things like their online reviews, whether or not they’ve won any industry awards and when they were established. You may find that by moving providers you actually end up working with a company whose customer service and range of products is better suited to your needs, so start looking into your options now. Residents of Spain choosing a currency exchange company post‐Brexit If you don’t currently have an FX company to work with and you’re a Spanish resident please ensure you only enter in‐ to an FX agreement with an EU regulated FX company. As a Spanish resident you won’t be covered by the FCA or Bank of Spain post‐Brexit if you enter into a new contract with a non‐ EU regulated company.

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FEATURE

Advertising Feature

Golden Leaves

recognised as the leading choice for consumers with BSI Kitemark Customer Service Accreditation LEADING funeral plan provider, Golden Leaves, has been recognised as the top choice for consumers after becoming the first independent firm within Europe to se‐ cure the prestigious BSI Kitemark Customer Service Accreditation. Launched in 2017, the BSI Customer Ser‐ vice Kitemark Accreditation was created to help consumers easily identify organisations that are proven to deliver an exceptional customer service experience, whilst award‐ ing deserving businesses with a prestigious accreditation that proves they can adhere to relevant British and International standards. Widely recognised as a reputable FPA reg‐

ulated funeral plan provider, Golden Leaves is committed to educating consumers on the real value of funeral plans and their capabili‐ ty to help control rising funeral costs, whilst ensuring their customers can plan for the in‐ evitable without anxiety and concern. Now the only independent firm within the funeral planning industry to secure the BSI Kitemark Accreditation, Golden Leaves was awarded the accreditation in December 2020 following a rigorous assessment pro‐ cess, where the firm was required to demonstrate its competency against BS 8477: 2014 Code of practice for customer service, ISO 10002:2014 Quality manage‐

ment Customer satisfaction Guidelines for complaints handling in organisations, ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, as well as validating its own customer service feed‐ back metrics. This comes just six months after Golden Leaves were successfully shortlisted for both the UK Customer Experience Awards and SME National Business Awards, and nearly two years after the firm became the only in‐ dependent funeral plan provider to achieve BSI ISO 9001 for Business Excellence. Barry Floyd, Managing Director for Golden Leaves, confirmed: “At Golden Leaves, we are dedicated to delivering the highest stan‐

dards in customer service and feel incredibly proud that this has been recognised by our new prestigious and globally recognised BSI Kitemark Accreditation. “For decades, we have worked tirelessly to establish our reputation as a stand‐out fu‐ neral plan provider that genuinely cares for our customers and their loved ones, and we are proudly confident that this latest accred‐ itation will reinforce our reputation for the provision of quality, innovative and cost‐ef‐ fective funeral plan products for both exist‐ ing and future customers.”

Golden Leaves has been at the forefront of the funeral planning sector both in the UK and Europe since the late 1980s and has played a major role in the development of FPA (the Funeral Planning Authority). For more information, visit www. https://www.goldenleavesinternational.com/

www.goldenleavesinternational.com • info@goldenleavesinternational.com • Facebook: goldenleavesspain

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NEWS

Best Effort Mystery IT would appear that the UK’s contract with AstraZeneca contains the same clause that caused controversy after it was blamed for difficulties with the EU vaccine campaign. The contract does not guarantee supply and instead states that ‘best reasonable efforts’ will be used in the supply of the vaccine to Britain. Britain is expecting 100 million doses of the Covid-19 vac-

VACCINE CAMPAIGN: Is not a commitment, it’s a best effort. cine to be delivered. Last month, AstraZeneca announced that due to production problems in Belgium it would be

reducing deliveries to the EU and Pascal Soriot, chief executive said “It’s not a commitment we have with Europe, it’s a best effort.”

Stolen Identities ‘Cheeky’ Fund A MAN was arrested for using 44 false identities to commit fraud in shopping centres and scam up to €1 million. An investigation began after a department store reported fraud in a store card application. Police identified the man who had extensive knowledge on financial markets and techniques used by credit card companies. He produced false docu‐ ments, and lived under false identities making it diffi‐ cult to identify him or connect him to his crimes. The National Police report that he got credit cards using details belonging to dead or non‐existent peo‐ ple, and used them to defraud between €250,000 and €1 million in Madrid, Murcia, Almeria and Sevilla. Officers searched his address in Almuñecar, Grana‐ da, and found computers, laser printers, plastic card printers and a hydraulic press used to make forged documents.

A FURLOUGHED dad set up a ‘Cheeky’ GoFundMe page to pay for a wild week in Las Vegas. Bar manager Josh Hodder, from Paignton, Devon, has been on furlough since November. Josh created the GoFundMe page when he ‘was bored’ and is asking for £7,000 in donations to pay for the trip. The Vegaslover, has visited the city three times already and describes it as ‘Disneyworld for adults.’ Any money received will go towards outlandish plans such as trips to a gun range, dune buggy rides, limousine and helicopter rides - and no doubt to pay for a hefty alcohol bill! Josh has so far not received any donations.

NEWS

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25 February - 3 March 2021

EWN 21

Spain’s budget and taxation in 2021 Taxpayers in Spain are affected by two annual government budgets: the state budget and the regional one. The autonomous communities in Spain can adjust the local half of the income tax rates and adapt rates and allowances for wealth tax and succession tax. The Spanish General Budget Law for 2021 was approved in December and applies from 1 January. This was the first state budget to be approved since 2018. It is forecast to raise an additional €5.5 billion in tax revenue, which will be welcome after its collection shrank by 7.6% in 2020 due to the pandemic. Income taxes Previously, the top rate of personal income tax applied to income over €120,000. Now the government has introduced a new income band for general earnings over €300,000. The state tax rate for this band is 24.5% for income received in 2021, compared to 22.5% previously. This is only the state half of the

Over €200,000 – 26% If you expect to earn a high level of investment income, it is worth taking specialist, personalised advice to find out if you can use compliant arrangements to reduce your tax liability. Wealth tax

By Brett Hanson, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks

income tax rates and around the same is applied again at regional level. The combined top rate in Valenciana is now 54%, while in Murcia it is 47.4%. Savings income is taxed separately to general income and a new 26% rate has been introduced for income over €200,000 The 2021 rates are: Up to €6,000 - 19% €6,000 to €50,000 – 21% €50,000 to €200,000 – 23%

The state budget introduces a higher rate of taxation for those with substantial wealth. Worldwide wealth up to €10,695,996 is taxed the same as last year, with progressive rates from 0.2% to 2.1%. But now the top state rate for wealth above €10,695,996 has increased from 2.5% to 3.5%. This increase only applies where the local autonomous community does not apply its own rates, which may or may not change from last year depending on the local budget. Valenciana now also has a top rate of 3.5% and in Murcia it is 3% (no change from 2020).

There are two state allowances per taxpayer: a main home allowance of up €300,000 plus an individual tax-free allowance of €700,000. Note however that in Valenciana the individual allowance is reduced to €500,000.

able for individuals who become Spanish tax resident as a result of an assignment to Spain. Whereas last year they paid income tax at a flat 24% rate, from 2021 income over €600,000 is taxed at 47%. Reducing your tax liabilities

Wealth tax will now be applied indefinitely. This tax was effectively abolished in 2008 but reinstated on a temporary basis during the financial crisis in 2011. It has been extended in successive budgets and will now be considered a permanent tax. Inheritance tax There are no changes to Spanish succession and gift tax at either state or regional level. Again, it pays to review your assets and take specialist advice to understand how the rates and allowances in your region will affect your heirs and establish how you can reduce this liability for them. Beckham law This is a special tax regime avail-

It is certainly worth asking a specialist, cross-border adviser to review your investment portfolio, pensions and other assets. They can evaluate your current tax liabilities, consider your personal situation and objectives, and look at what Spanish compliant arrangements would work for you and how much tax you could save. The tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice. You can find other financial advisory articles by visiting our website here www.blevinsfranks.com.

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ADVERTISING

NEWS

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Sweet Surrender A MAN in the UK has handed himself in to police so he could get away from the people he was living with in lockdown. Inspector Darren Taylor from Sussex Police said the man was wanted by police and turned himself in to get some ‘peace and quiet’ from the people he lived with. He said: “Peace and quiet! Wanted male handed himself in to the team yesterday afternoon after informing us he would rather go back to prison

Man handed himself in. than have to spend more time with the people he was living with! “One in custody and heading back to prison to serve some further time on his own.”

Divorcees auction Dog A DIVORCING couple put their dog up for auction after they were unable to agree who would keep it. The dog, a Boston Terrier called ‘Boss’ was valued at almost €3,500 in a court in Lugo, but an animal rights associa‐ tion wants the auction stopped, claiming that it is ille‐ gal. The auction is scheduled to end on March 3. The minimum bid has been set at €1,715. The couple can stop the process if they change their minds. The Franz Weber Foundation, claim it is against EU regulations which classify animals as ‘sentient beings.’ However, the court in Lugo has said the auction is legal, and as it is common to auction cows and horses, so a bid cannot be stopped just because we find dogs ‘cuter than other animals.’

25 February - 3 March 2021

EU Students 40 per cent drop STATISTICS from the Uni‐ versities and Colleges Ad‐ missions Service (UCAS) show a 26,010 drop in the numbers of students from the European Union look‐ ing to study in the UK this September. A 40 per cent drop in EU applicants since Brexit. It is suspected the figures have been impacted by the removal of tuition fee loan and grant support for Euro‐ pean students, amend‐ ments to post‐study work rights, and the slashing of ‘home’ status for fees charged to those in the EU. However, a rise in appli‐ cations from students from Ireland, and non‐EU coun‐ tries like India, China and America, has led to an over‐ all rise in UCAS applications of 8.5 per cent.

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EUROPEAN PRESS

EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Bomb scare

Extremism

FOLLOWING reports that a suspicious package had been found outside the US Embassy in Copenhagen, the road was closed and a bomb disposal unit using a special robot attended the scene and safely removed a bottle wrapped in duct tape.

THE French Government is tackling radicalism at both ends of the spectrum and after tightening up laws against Islamic extremists it has now vowed to close down anti-migrant organisation Generation Identity which sits on the right wing of French politics.

NETHERLANDS

NORWAY

Curfew law

Scooter accident

THE Dutch Parliament is being recalled prior to the March General Election in order to pass emergency legislation after a court ruled that the imposition of a curfew in Holland was illegal and existing legislation did not allow it to be enforced.

A MAN driving an electric scooter who collided with a female pedestrian in Oslo last year has been sentenced to 18 days in prison and banned from driving for a year in the first case of its kind.

BELGIUM Tragic accident

FINLAND Baby boom

IN Roeselare, a 76-year-old was pumping water from a well when his dog jumped in and as he tried to save the animal, he too fell in. By the time that a member of his family discovered him, the man had drowned.

DOCTORS in Southern Finland have indicated that they expect the number of February and March births to increase by at least 10 per cent compared to last year and put this down to the pandemic and lockdown, although rates in Oslo are normal.

GERMANY

SWEDEN

Safer walking

Bad alcohol

FOR years, cars in Berlin have been driving faster and with almost no laws protecting pedestrians, politicians believe it is time to change the rules. From now on, traffic signals will give pedestrians more time to cross the roads.

POLICE in the area of Uppsala have taken to social media to warn youngsters about the danger of what they refer to as ‘bad alcohol’ as counterfeiters are selling fake bottles of Smirnoff Vodka which are filled with dangerous methanol.

FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Business rates DUE to the vagaries of the financial situation thanks to the pandemic, the UK Treasury has announced that it will postpone publishing its final report on business rates from July to much later in the year when it expects there to be greater clarity in the economic future.

Bank loss THE NatWest Group, formerly RBS with majority shareholding still with the British Government has revealed that it had an operating loss of £351 million (€386 million) for 2020 but despite this, it has decided that it will proceed with payment of a dividend as future trading is positive.

Hotel sale FACING significant debts estimated at around €200 million, Catalan family-owned hotel chain Selenta is trying to sell five of its hotels in Spain at an asking price of €400 million to allow it to settle outstanding debts and inject liquidity into the business which has suffered from the pandemic.

Santander venture NOT content with being one of the most successful banks in Europe, the Santander Group has decided to enter online retail under the Santander Boutique brand name in Portugal, offering a range of locally sourced goods such as bags and jewellery as well as fitness equipment.

Employee vaccinations THE UK Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said that it may be legal for companies to insist on new staff being vaccinated against Covid-19 as a condition of their employment. His view, shared by Downing Street, according to the BBC is that it would be discriminatory to insist that current employees should be inoculated as this would not be covered in their current contracts of employment. It was during an interview with ITV that the Justice Secretary indicated his view about both existing and new staff vaccinations.

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STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 25 February - 3 March 2021

€11.2 million

is the amount that Danish company Podimo which launched in Spain last year has raised to fund competition with Amazon and Spotify podcasts.

‘They’ve never had it so bad’ WHILST Vice President of the Government and Min‐ ister for the Economy Na‐ dia Calviño is doing the rounds talking about the future, the Bank of Spain has revealed that the country’s debt is the high‐ est in more than 100 years. Understandably, like so many other countries around the world, Spain has had to cope with the huge losses of revenue caused by the Covid‐19

pandemic and the need to support industry and workers for nearly one year. This means that with al‐ most no tourism and the hospitality industry in tat‐ ters, the government has run up its national debt to €1.31 trillion, that’s €131,000,000,0000, an in‐ crease in the year of €112.438 billion. Prior to the pandemic, the European Union was highly critical of the Span‐

LEGALLY SPEAKING Can he work in the garden? Our apartment is on a large urbanisation. We live on the ground floor. Since we owned it the gardeners have worked mini‐ mal time in our part of the gardens. Our part of the gardens seldom looks attractive whereas the rest of the estate does. We have complained many times but nothing changes. I started working in OUR part of the gar‐ dens and improved it a lot. Now I am told that I am not permitted to work in the gardens anymore, one of the reasons being that I was not insured, I do not use machinery here only my own hand tools. So I would like to know whether I am breaking the actual law by working part time in our garden to keep it in good order? P C (by email) You your‐ self are not breaking any YOU AND THE LAW law, but the ad‐ IN SPAIN ministrator and president of your community would be in violation of the law if they allowed a person who is not an em‐ ployee and therefore not insured to work in the gar‐ den.

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.

ITALIAN energy company E ni has signed an agreement with X - E lio for the acquisition of three photovoltaic (solar power) projects in southern Spain. The companies have also entered into discussions for a larger strategic collaboration for the development of renewable pro-

ish debt ratio which crept above 100 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and by 2019, this had been reduced to 95.5 per cent, but by December 2020 it had shot up to 117.1 per cent and could continue to rise. There are great plans ahead for the economy but so much depends up‐ on the European Union transferring money from the Emergency Relief Fund and despite promises no

significant amounts have been received, only sug‐ gestions that Spain needs to implement additional policy changes. Whilst this is being con‐ sidered, debts can only continue to mount and ac‐ cording to EURACTIV, with a population of 46.9 mil‐ lion, if each Spanish resi‐ dent is responsible for the debt, then the individual owes €29,700, which is more than the average an‐ nual wage!

Cryptocurrency warnings

Funds could flow from euro to bitcoin. HOT on the heels of warnings against cryptocurrencies from the Bank of Spain and Nation‐ al Securities Market Commis‐ sion (CNMV), Spanish Minis‐ ter Ana de la Cueva joined in. During the recent Online Fintech Summit 2021, the Sec‐ retary of State for the Econo‐ my and Business Support warned against currencies like Bitcoin saying they carry “a risk of default, given that the user does not have the pro‐ tection offered by traditional payment systems against a default by the counterparty.” As her statement contin‐ ued, she made it clear that the Spanish Government did‐ n’t just worry about the risk to investors but also disparaged the fact that such holdings

can be neither supervised nor sanctioned. Clearly worried that those with money to disguise could well invest it in cryptocurren‐ cies, which have shown a sig‐ nificant growth in value over the past years, the Spanish Government has indicated that legislation will be intro‐ duced to require Spanish resi‐ dents to declare their hold‐ ings and gains made. This is bound to become an increasingly more vexing problem for the government as it seems likely that Spanish commercial banks will in the not‐too‐distant future look to either introduce their own blockchain currency or try to partner with an existing pro‐ ducer.

Italian energy company jects in Spain, where Eni is aiming to grow its renewable sources. According to the agreement, the transfer of the projects will be subject to customary authorisation starting from the second

quarter of 2021 and E ni will be responsible for the construction of the plants and for the sale of the electricity. This agreement adds to the other recently signed by E ni gas e luce, a sub-

sidiary of Eni, with Grupo Pitma for the acquisition of 100 per cent of A ldro E nergía Y S oluciones S L , which operates in S pain and Portugal selling electricity, gas and services to household customers as

Uber decision UK Supreme Court justices have ruled against ride‐hailing giant Uber and said that drivers should now be classed as work‐ ers. Seven justices ruled on the latest round of a long‐running fight between Uber operating companies and drivers on Fri‐ day, February 19 after a previous hearing in July. Uber operating companies, who said drivers were contrac‐ tors and not workers, appealed to the Supreme Court after los‐ ing three earlier rounds of the fight. Justices dismissed Uber’s appeal in a decision that the GMB union said was “historic.” Lawyers said the ruling will have widespread implications for the gig economy. An employ‐ ment tribunal ruled in 2016 that Uber drivers were workers, and were entitled to workers’ rights.

Awaiting refunds CONSUMER organisation WHICH has advised that as many as two million potential holidaymakers are still out of pocket due to the Covid‐19 pan‐ demic which saw many flights cancelled. Last year the British Govern‐ ment was advising people not to travel, but if they took that ad‐ vice and the flights they were booked on still took off, then they will have problems in trying to obtain refunds. Looking to the future, the group suggests that it would be unwise to make any bookings until it becomes clear that travel will go ahead and suggests it would be prudent to choose package holidays which may be safer than flights only. well as large, medium and small businesses. Moreover, Eni is about to finalise agreement for the amicable settlement of a dispute relating to Union Fenosa Gas, after which it will begin direct supply of natural gas in Spain to the industrial and thermoelectric sectors.

28 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 February - 3 March 2021

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C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 22

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.125,50 1.132,00 Admiral Group 3.062,0 3.062,0 Anglo American 2.897,5 2.925,0 Antofagasta 1.892,00 1.907,50 Ashtead Group 3.946,6 3.971,2 Associated British Foods 2.360,0 2.360,0 AstraZeneca 7.233,0 7.260,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 601,48 601,48 Avast 475,40 482,94 Aveva 3.708,1 3.713,2 Aviva 364,60 365,90 B&M European Value Retail SA573,40 574,40 BAE Systems 462,00 462,00 Bank VTB DRC 0,950 0,950 Barclays 152,50 153,32 Barratt Developments 675,00 676,00 Berkeley 4.313,0 4.313,0 BHP Group 2.316,00 2.337,00 BP 272,10 273,10 British American Tobacco 2.541,0 2.546,5 British Land Company 464,16 464,90 BT Group 129,00 130,80 Bunzl 2.258,6 2.274,0 Burberry Group 1.826,2 1.827,5 Carnival 1.453,0 1.471,0 Centrica 51,64 51,82 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.293,6 2.300,3 Compass 1.408,50 1.414,00 CRH 3.090,0 3.138,0 Croda Intl 6.412,0 6.458,0 DCC 5.984,0 5.984,0 Diageo 2.946,5 2.976,1 DS Smith 376,60 379,70 EasyJet 842,38 851,00 Experian 2.436,0 2.460,0 Ferguson 8.634,0 8.670,0 Flutter Entertainment 13.935,0 13.970,0 Fresnillo 978,80 988,00 GlaxoSmithKline 1.206,40 1.213,60 Glencore 305,56 309,80 Halma 2.441,0 2.468,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.498,00 1.500,50 Hikma Pharma 2.333,00 2.341,00 HSBC 428,05 428,90 IAG 167,80 168,72 Imperial Brands 1.386,71 1.386,71 Informa 502,80 502,80 InterContinental 5.102,0 5.140,0 Intermediate Capital 1.878,00 1.883,00 Intertek 5.600,0 5.629,4 ITV 108,80 109,65

% CHG. 1.125,50 3.043,0 2.882,5 1.872,50 3.946,6 2.341,0 7.206,0 596,60 475,40 3.706,8 362,60 570,60 457,04 0,950 149,15 668,00 4.282,0 2.310,00 270,80 2.530,1 460,50 127,70 2.256,0 1.818,5 1.430,5 51,21 2.279,1 1.398,50 3.090,0 6.400,0 5.952,0 2.926,4 375,20 827,00 2.435,0 8.606,0 13.605,0 974,80 1.201,80 303,39 2.435,6 1.486,00 2.325,00 426,00 163,95 1.366,50 499,00 4.997,0 1.859,00 5.600,0 108,50

NET VOL 15,89K 0,55K 10,13K 123,72K 2,82K 6,90K 130,38K 1,74K 4,89K 3,52K 424,09K 61,01K 50,15K 3,30K 669,68K 124,56K 0,73K 439,29K 2,29M 11,99K 6,42K 985,98K 2,43K 7,23K 20,59K 340,13K 3,29K 121,46K 22,80K 1,89K 0,59K 13,86K 65,88K 99,11K 123,86K 4,61K 35,01K 16,18K 62,07K 475,99K 0,86K 43,78K 4,71K 120,59K 1,49M 20,40K 48,43K 10,11K 12,01K 0,20K 51,06K

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

229,50 3.106,0 613,80 263,45 37,99 9.762,0 410,20 169,53 1.788,50 848,20 179,85 7.582,1 35,00 2.463,00 2.758,0 702,20 1.405,50 6.036,0 1.735,00 487,10 622,60 6.373,0 97,92 6,79 1.391,70 1.392,0 1.340,7 676,31 587,70 1.848,00 14,59 3.467,0 1.322,44 974,60 2.243,1 1.425,00 1.471,50 11.165,0 1.401,50 1.205,50 492,90 324,30 161,95 226,40 361,90 3.868,7 905,60 130,66 3.419,3 832,60

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

229,50 3.120,0 617,20 263,60 38,12 9.798,0 411,20 169,55 1.797,50 848,40 180,15 7.642,0 35,03 2.495,03 2.758,0 702,20 1.410,50 6.058,0 1.744,00 493,00 633,60 6.406,0 99,58 6,81 1.398,50 1.401,2 1.345,6 676,60 591,00 1.857,00 14,60 3.467,0 1.331,00 987,40 2.249,0 1.428,50 1.480,50 11.230,0 1.401,50 1.207,00 494,00 326,50 162,05 226,80 362,61 3.888,1 912,20 130,72 3.432,0 833,40

227,60 3.090,0 608,90 261,20 37,53 9.669,0 406,10 166,90 1.785,50 840,80 178,35 7.560,8 34,76 2.381,40 2.719,0 695,00 1.384,50 6.004,0 1.712,50 465,00 622,40 6.352,0 96,38 6,78 1.388,40 1.388,4 1.335,8 676,31 585,31 1.846,00 14,55 3.467,0 1.316,00 971,00 2.231,5 1.407,00 1.471,50 11.160,0 1.394,55 1.200,50 491,10 323,80 159,15 225,12 356,40 3.848,3 901,60 129,98 3.364,0 826,20

55,23K 14,66K 18,56K 29,59K 3,00M 16,14K 25,46K 13,86K 13,49K 238,88K 265,55K 0,53K 161,57K 14,39K 15,58K 18,11K 173,00K 53,46K 150,41K 214,07K 43,83K 162,46K 1,16M 27,29K 5,20K 205,14K 71,92K 0,05K 11,52K 0,56K 59,14K 2,21K 174,58K 54,05K 6,81K 98,56K 7,21K 2,60K 17,49K 15,74K 117,29K 82,00K 296,55K 136,32K 180,18K 24,52K 7,55K 1,26M 1,65K 41,27K

0.86575

1.15489 Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.21169 Japan yen (JPY)......................................128.175 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0897 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4365 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.289

currenciesdirect.com/moraira • Tel: +34 966 265 072 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 22

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

PRICE 176,54 2.101,14 3.249,90 231,69 129,87 217,47 209,91 95,80 45,68 50,11 261,56 315,62 279,64 203,56 118,99 63,01 162,98 148,02 212,24 74,31 240,97 142,02 127,12 246,56 781,30 324,58 56,45 204,73 138,34 183,65

CHANGE 180,77 2.130,53 3.333,50 233,15 130,71 217,64 211,46 96,38 46,61 50,83 270,27 316,78 283,91 206,83 120,76 63,26 165,96 148,84 215,73 75,51 243,86 145,50 129,44 249,39 796,79 328,85 57,40 209,53 139,42 184,78

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 176,20 2,99M 2.097,41 1,46M 3.245,75 4,31M 230,85 2,47M 128,80 87,67M 209,15 12,42M 202,70 4,94M 94,65 8,91M 45,58 25,12M 49,97 15,97M 260,15 25,62M 310,23 2,75M 279,44 4,08M 203,32 2,43M 118,38 6,58M 61,85 28,29M 162,91 8,19M 145,86 11,97M 211,97 3,18M 74,26 11,82M 240,18 25,26M 141,50 7,49M 127,02 8,28M 245,98 4,65M 777,37 18,96M 324,11 2,31M 56,35 18,69M 203,76 15,01M 137,67 12,20M 182,79 8,83M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 22

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

+6.72% +14.06% +5.12% +3.87% +1.47% +1.65% +13.89% +3.57% +14.52% +31.22% +1.02%

2.38M 17.15M 40,658 1.15M 353,821 16,902 16,952 1.70M 3.57M 3.93M 475,667

-2.35% -13.09% -2.26% -0.81% -0.76% -6.87% -2.01% -5.90% -5.21% -2.84% -5.14%

4.31M 2.51M 746,343 1.90M 1.46M 974,131 4,099 2.11M 1.21M 1,856 463,197

Most Advanced Trade Desk Inc. Cl A Baidu Inc. ADR First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A MicroStrategy Inc. Booking Holdings Inc. Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A Sabre Corp. 6.5% Pfd. Lam Research Corp. Everbridge Inc. The9 Ltd. ADR MercadoLibre Inc.

Most Declined Amazon.com Inc. Quidel Corp. Intuitive Surgical Inc. Alphabet Inc. Cl A Alphabet Inc. Cl C Stamps.com Inc. Atrion Corp. Appian Corp. Cl A Universal Display Corp. Daily Journal Corp. Kinsale Capital Group Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Smart City Cluster expands Roadmap for the Smart City.

UNICAJA BANCO and the Spanish based Smart City Clus‐ ter, an alliance of more than 150 companies and institu‐ tions have entered into an agreement for the develop‐ ment of smart cities. The organisation is already in collaboration with about 50 Spanish cities and this tie‐up looks to promote technology and innovation initiatives as well as sustainable finance, within the framework of pro‐ moting smart cities. Smart cities are those based on sustainable urban planning and the application of technol‐ ogy and innovation to their management and services to achieve more efficient, sus‐ tainable and comfortable cities. The intention is that Unicaja which is committed to sustain‐ ability will be assisted by Smart City Cluster to seek op‐ portunities to finance projects which requirable investment in sustainable programmes.

The objectives of this re‐ cently signed agreement are to define policies and actions of common interest around smart cities, strategically plan future development paths for cities and promote research, development and innovation of products, processes and services associated with smart urban infrastructures. The agreement looks to pro‐ mote the exchange of scientif‐ ic‐technical knowledge be‐ tween the Cluster, universities, technology cen‐ tres and the bank in order to promote training activities re‐ lated to smart urban infras‐ tructures. There are also plans to or‐ ganise events for the promo‐ tion of smart cities and urban technologies, as well as collab‐ oration in environmental poli‐ cy, low carbon economy, ener‐ gy efficiency, sustainability, sustainable cities and the pro‐ motion of the information so‐ ciety.

New payment App OPERA, a Norwegian company has launched a new fintech called Dify in Spain which allows virtual payment and access to a virtual debit card issued by Mastercard. Dify provides customers with a free payment solution for online shopping including cashback and there are plans to add many more personal finance features to the operation. When customers use the Opera browser to shop on partner websites, they will receive cashback and if they pay for goods using their Dify cards - which can be managed with Google Pay - they will receive additional cashback.

This initiative, is part of Uni‐ caja Banco’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy and re‐ flects its ongoing commitment to social and environmental sustainability.

BUSINESS EXTRA 2021 job losses THE Centre for Retail Research has revealed that UK retailers with 10 or more high street outlets, have laid off 27,096 staff and announced closure of 1,023 stores since the start of the year and it looks as if this could be the ‘tip of the iceberg.’

Fishy figures FIGURES released by the Catalonian Department of Agriculture suggest that since the lockdown the amount of fish consumed at home in the region has increased dramatically with many respondents saying that they miss eating fish in restaurants and that it is relatively easy to cook at home.

Yacky don’t THE UK supermarket Iceland has sacked its director of corporate affairs, Keith Hann, after he made a series of offensive Twitter comments about Wales and the Welsh, as the group has no wish to upset or alienate any of its customers.

25 February - 3 March 2021

EWN 29

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 February - 3 March 2021

FEATURE

Hypocrisy is the worst offence of all LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT SO hundreds of young African boys have been kidnapped in Nigeria, I wonder what fate awaits these poor innocents? Ransom, death, slavery? The last time this happened was a couple of years ago, when over 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped from another school in that unfortunate country. Despite ransoms being paid, over a hundred still haven’t been returned. It’s a fairly safe bet to assume they have found their way into the hands of traffickers or sex slave traders. So where’s all the outcry from the BLM and ‘wokers’. Where all the hysteria and recriminations of the UK government for not DOING something? Is it only certain black lives that matter? Too far away to bother about? Not really. When you consider the furor surrounding George Floyd in America, the difference in the distance from the UK is a mere couple of thousand miles or so. Nothing at all in these days of travel and instant communication.

BLACK LIVES MATTER: However, I wonder, is it only certain black lives that matter? No it’s all too selective for my liking. When you consider black society in America preferring to be called African Americans and those in the UK constantly

referring to their African heritage, you truly would think there would be some kind of outcry for the country of their ancestors. Hypocrisy is what it’s called; in my opinion

one of the worst offences of all. Anyway I was delighted to see that several clubs, including Brentford have discontinued the racist provoking ‘knee’ at

their football matches. I think it would be an idea for other teams to take note. When the fans are allowed back, I believe they’ll find they have no choice! It is racial instigating nonsense and causing far more unrest than it quells, the sooner it is outlawed the better. It was brought to my attention last week that people of BAME (black asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds, accounted for more than 26 per cent of all on screen TV presentations ‐ despite representing just 12 per cent of the population. Interestingly, there are however only 5 per cent of minorities working on the production side. Is it not beyond the realms of possibility, that by casting a whole glut of ethnic actors ‘on camera,’ those of the profession involved in off camera activities, ie production and executive management etc, are protecting their own corridors of power? After all how can they be accused of any racism or ethnic exclusion if they are able to point out the high numbers of minority performers they are casting on screen? Just a thought. 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.

32 EWN

25 February - 3 March 2021

www.euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

Advertising Feature

Ashes to ashes? Not necessarily. There are many special ways to use them WHILE we typically think of cremation as a way to send off a loved one who passes away, with their ashes either kept or scattered after that there are now many different special options, some of which you may never have imagined. Some people may dream of going into space throughout their lives, but of course only a few ac‐ tually do so. However, now, space burial is an op‐ tion that could allow them to fulfil that dream and spend eternity in space. Space burial consists of launching samples of cre‐ mated remains into space. This doesn’t mean that the remains are simply scattered in space so as not to cause space debris, instead, the ashes remain sealed in small capsules until the spacecraft burns up upon re‐entry into the Earth’s atmosphere or reach their destinations, such as the Moon. Only small amounts are used, to avoid causing mass in space and also to make costs more afford‐ able. As well as cremation jewellery, which is a popu‐ lar option to carry a little bit of a loved one with us

forever, a less known option exists, called Memory Glass. This is a solid glass orb infused with a loved one’s cremated remains. Hand‐made and available in a variety of different colours, each orb uses only a small amount of ashes, so multiple family mem‐ bers can request them as a keepsake. This is not the only form of art which can be made using ash‐ es, as they can be added to paint and used to cre‐ ate a painting depicting a significant place or mo‐ ment, or a popular option is to have it included in a portrait of the deceased. Another option is solidifying the cremated re‐ mains of a loved one to create a stone. The cremat‐ ed remains can be made into smooth stones that can be given to family members. The polished rocks can then be carried in a pocket, displayed on a shelf at home or in another significant place and they can be kept close always. The number of stones created will depend on the amount of ash provided and the appearance of them will vary nat‐ urally in shape, colour and texture, making each one uniquely special. The solidified remains are an alternative to conventional ashes which can be car‐

ried with us or seen at all times. Many people get a tattoo in memo‐ ry of a loved one, but it is also possible to have tattoo ink made which con‐ tains a small amount of their ashes, so when it is used to create a tattoo, it will mean that the person can be carried close to use for ever after. Ashes can surprisingly be compressed into a vinyl record which can hold a recording of your choice and can actually be played to remember that person. This can be an ideal way to remember a music lover, include a track which had special meaning or also hold the recording of the person’s voice. For those who prefer the more traditional scat‐ tering of ashes but want to give it a more original feel, there is the option of doing a skydive and scat‐ tering the person’s ashes over a specific landmark or location while doing it. Travelling around the world or to a specific place is many people’s dream, but unfortunately, it is one that can’t always be realised during life. If your

loved one had a place they wanted to go, you can try and take them there. If you have a memorial object containing their ashes, you can carry it with you, but even if you have a traditional urn with remains, although you will have to see what the policies of airlines are on letting you travel with them, it is an option. You may then want to scatter the ashes in that place. While holding a celebration of the person’s life, why not let off fireworks? Ashes can be added to them and will then be scattered over the area once the fireworks go off. Finally, especially for children who have lost a loved one, there are memorial stuffed toys which have a compartment in which to place a small amount of ashes in a bag and can also be person‐ alised with a recording of the person’s voice.

www.goldenleavesinternational.com • info@goldenleavesinternational.com • Facebook: goldenleavesspain

THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY

FRIDAY 26 FEBRUARY

SATURDAY

4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:35pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Escape to the Country Jay and Dom's Home Fix The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Pooch Perfect Gordon Ramsay's Bank Balance

4:30pm 5:30pm 5:50pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

Jay and Dom's Home Fix The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show A Question of Sport Gavin & Stacey EastEnders Gordon Ramsay's Bank Balance

4:30pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm

Garden Rescue Live Six Nations Rugby Union BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Wall NewCasualty Line of Duty BBC News

2:25pm 3:25pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 8:00pm

6:30pm 6:50pm 6:55pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Weather for the Week Ahead Live Six Nations Rugby Union BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather Countryfile NewLife in Colour Antiques Roadshow Bloodlands

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Escape to the Perfect Town Ready, Steady, Cook The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Citizen Khan EastEnders Would I Lie to You? MasterChef

5:15pm

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Ready, Steady, Cook The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Holby City Island Medics Why is Covid Killing People of Colour?

4:30pm

Ready, Steady, Cook The Bidding Room Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Party Political Broadcast The One Show The Bidding Room MasterChef Gordon Ramsay's Bank Balance BBC News at Ten

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27 FEBRUARY

SUNDAY 28 FEBRUARY

MONDAY 1 MARCH

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Life Meerkat Manor Meerkat Manor Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Inside Culture with Mary Beard Nigella: At My Table Your Garden Made Perfect

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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 Piers Morgan’s Life Stories

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Cheers King of Queens Live Test Cricket Mend It for Money The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Lose a Stone in 21 Days with Michael Mosley Stand Up and Deliver Back

Life Royal Recipes Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Lightning Inside the Zoo Gardeners' World Raiders of the Lost Past with Janina Ramirez Later - with Jools Holland

4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 11:20pm

NewTenable ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Vera ITV News at Ten and Weather

7:45am 8:05am 8:35am 9:00am 9:30am 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Mike & Molly Cheers Cheers King of Queens Live Test Cricket Mend It for Money The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Grayson's Art Club Gogglebox

5:00pm

Behind Closed Doors Brideshead Revisited Final Score Flog It! Interior Design Masters Perry and Croft: Made in Britain My Hero Dad's Army Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland

2:29pm 2:30pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 6:45pm 7:00pm 8:00pm

ITV London Weather Six Nations Live Tipping Point: Lucky Stars ITV News and Weather ITV News London Celebrity Catchphrase Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Take Away The Voice UK ITV News and Weather ITV London Weather

7:20am 7:40am 8:05am 8:35am 9:00am 9:30am 6:00pm

The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons Live Test Cricket Location, Location, Location Channel 4 News Star Trek: Into Darkness Star Trek Beyond

3:50pm 3:55pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 6:20pm 7:30pm 7:35pm

Songs of Praise Flog It! This Beautiful Fantastic The Real Marigold Hotel Cornwall: This Fishing Life The Americas with Simon Reeve This Farming Life Chris Packham's Animal Einsteins

3:04pm 3:05pm

8:30am 9:00am 9:30am 6:00pm

7:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 11:14pm

ITV London Weather The Lost World: Jurassic Park ITV News and Weather ITV News London The Chase: Celebrity Special Dancing on Ice McDonald & Dodds ITV News and Weather ITV London Weathe

The Simpsons A Taste of Italy Live Test Cricket A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun Grand Designs Channel 4 News A New Life in the Sun: Road Trip The Great Pottery Throw Down

4:10pm 5:10pm 5:15pm 6:00pm 6:05pm 7:05pm 7:10pm 9:00pm

The Great Rift: Africa's Wild Heart Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games My Unique B&B Mary Berry Everyday Mastermind Only Connect University Challenge

3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm

Judge Rinder Tenable ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Love Your Garden Coronation Street

4:00pm 5:00pm

A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun: Where Are They Now? Four in a Bed Drawers Off The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Dispatches Jamie: Keep Cooking Family Favourites

2:45pm 3:15pm 5:00pm

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is The Great Rift: Africa's Wild Heart Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games My Unique B&B Inside the Zoo Interior Design Masters DNA Family Secre

4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale For the Love of Britain Million Pound Pawn Marcella ITV News at Ten and Weather

4:00pm 5:00pm

A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun: Where Are They Now? Four in a Bed Drawers Off The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Secret Safari: Into the Wild 24 Hours in A&E

3:15pm 5:00pm

Bitesize Daily for Secondary The Nine to Five with Stacey Dooley Royal Recipes Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games My Unique B&B Inside the Zoo My Hero The Terror The Terror

3:00pm 4:00pm 4:59pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

Judge Rinder Tenable ITV London Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London Party Political Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury

3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm

Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun: Where Are They Now? Four in a Bed Drawers Off The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Extraordinary Escapes

3:15pm

10:00pm

9:30pm 11:15pm 11:34pm

5:35pm 5:55pm 6:00pm

7:00pm 7:30pm 10:00pm

6:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

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6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

9:00pm 10:00pm

10:00pm 11:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Killer Cove Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight How to Garden with Carol Klein This Week on the Farm Murder in a Small Town

11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm

Cruising with Jane McDonald 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Gadget Show Kate Humble's Coastal Walks Gregg Wallace's Fun Weekend

10:00am 11:00am

Access About Time Me Before You 5 News Update Me Before You 5 News Weekend Cruising with Jane McDonald Inside the World's Greatest Hotels Zara and Anne

8:15am 8:25am 10:25am 10:30am 11:30am 1:00pm 3:45pm 6:00pm 8:45pm 11:30pm

My Icon Live NRL Super League Gold Saturday Social Soccer A.M. Live EFL Live Premier League Live Premier League Live Premier League One Punch: Whyte v Povetkin

FilmMiss Potter Access Miss Potter 5 News Weekend Film2012 5 News Update Film2012 Million Pound Mega Motorhomes Rich House, Poor House Gibraltar: Britain in the Sun

10:00am 11:00am 12:30pm 3:00pm

Goals on Sunday Super Sunday Matchday Live EFL Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live Renault Super Sunday Live World Golf Championships

Neighbours FilmA Lover Betrayed Cruising with Jane McDonald 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Gallagher Premiership Rugby Highlights Traffic Cops

8:00am 9:00am 10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm

A Stolen Past Cruising with Jane McDonald 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight GPs: Behind Closed Doors Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild

1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:30pm

Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Gillette Soccer Special Live EFL Whyte v Chisora: Bad Blood

Murder, She Baked: A Deadly Recipe Cruising with Jane McDonald 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The World's Most Scenic Railway Journeys The Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders

7:00am 8:00am 9:00am 10:00am

Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Pakistan Super League Sky Sports News Live Pakistan Super League Live Premier League Live Premier League The Gloves are Off Fight Night

7:00pm 12:00am

3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 11:30pm

5:00pm 8:00pm 11:00pm

7:00pm 8:00pm

2:00pm 3:00pm 7:00pm 9:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am

The Football Show The Football Show Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live World Golf Championships Live World Golf Championships Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Pakistan Super League Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live World Golf Championships Live World Golf Championships Live EFL Sky Sports News

Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News The Football Show The Football Show Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live Pakistan Super League Sky Sports News Live MNF

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 February - 3 March 2021

EWN 35

36 EWN

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25 February - 3 March 2021

FEATURE

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

THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urging its readers to sup‐ port local businesses in the community by going local through the lockdown and for your all your shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and super‐ stores. This lockdown and with Mother’s Day and Easter up‐ coming, we challenge you to rediscover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the

wonderfully quirky indepen‐ dent businesses in your area. Due to the Covid‐19 pan‐ demic, you may have to sup‐ port many local businesses by ordering online and mak‐ ing use of any click and col‐ lect services they can oper‐ ate if you are unable to get out due to health reasons or lockdown restrictions. The joy of shopping local means that independent businesses can help support

the local community. Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or online, consider where your money is actually going. By shopping at an inde‐ pendent store you’re putting food on a local family’s table, and there is no better time than now to give back to your community by mak‐ ing a small gesture and shopping in this way. Many local stores support local charities, support and

sponsor local sports teams and in many cases the small independent stores are actu‐ ally much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, of‐ ten passed down through numerous generations and support not just the current owner but the generation before. For those stores which are new, that extra couple of euros spent there are sup‐ porting someone’s dream

25 February - 3 March 2021

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 chains. So be sure to pre‐order your meat 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 purchasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking outside 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 online study course for someone looking to change their career path. As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift perhaps pre‐paying a family mem‐ ber’s phone bill for the month would actually be a better gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times. Choosing to spend your money locally will really make a difference in the re‐ covery of the local economy.

When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local econo‐ my in two ways. First, buying local keeps money circulat‐ ing within the local econo‐ my. 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 re‐ tailers return 52 per cent of their revenue 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 exam‐ ple, let’s look at a local

farmer growing produce. First, they sell to a local restaurant, which in turn prepares the fresh produce and sells it to local cus‐ tomers. The farmer pays its local employees and the restaurant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbourhood hard‐ ware store. This example il‐ lustrates how the recircula‐ tion of money in the local economy leads to a stronger financial foundation for our neighbours and communi‐ ties. Buying local also fuels new employment and job oppor‐ tunities for people within our community. Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and retain more em‐ ployees over time. A fantastic example of how to support your local community is with a Charity Gift certificate, why not do‐ nate to your loved one’s favourite cause. Just remember to follow the latest government ad‐ vice and any guidance busi‐ nesses have to keep every‐ one safe.

EWN 37

38 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 February - 3 March 2021

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

DURING the pandemic everything’s gone on‐ line. From virtual meetings and teaching on‐ line to socialising on a screen, many of us have spent a lot of time logged on. But with inter‐ ruptions from pets and children ‐ and even someone catching fire during a virtual meet‐ ing ‐ not everyone’s completely mastered it yet. As meetings across the UK have been forced onto Zoom, proceedings were bound to get fractious. But one Cheshire parish council meeting went viral after it descended into ab‐ solute chaos as power‐hungry councillors ac‐ cused each other of ‘appalling behaviour’ and acting like ‘laughing hyenas.’ This surely beats all those canny school pupils who have been logging in for their 9am Zoom lessons then switching off their cameras and having a snooze! Zoom meetings join a long legacy of enter‐ taining digital blunders. Last year, we wit‐ nessed the curse of the over‐zealous toddler in‐ terrupting a Sky News correspondent during a live recording to demand a biscuit. And who can forget his embarrassment when Robert

FEATURE

ZOOMING OUR WAY OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC

ZOOM MEETINGS: Have become a way of life for many people. Kelly’s small daughter interrupted his earnest BBC interview about South Korea in 2017? But if that wasn’t enough, last year Zoom ‘jazzed’ itself up by adding a wacky filter mode. Now you can add a cartoon overlay that effort‐

lessly transforms you into a rabbit, pirate, pig, Frenchman, chef... Or a cat. By now the whole world must have seen the video of the Texas lawyer entering in‐ to a virtual legal hearing only to realise that a

filter had turned his entire face into a wide‐ eyed kitten. “I’m not a cat!” he pleaded with poker‐faced colleagues as his huge kitten eyes darted around, stricken with feline panic. So your Zoom filter, like your Zoom back‐ ground, can now instantly reflect your entire personality. Apart from the animal filter, there’s the black‐and‐white and the default zoom filters. But if you can’t be bothered with all that but still want to ‘glow’ on‐screen, all is not lost. Switch on your Zoom beauty setting (bottom left hand corner of your screen), pinch your cheeks, and sit well back. Job done. Here to help as always! 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.no ra‐johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Apple Books, paperback and audiobook. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

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

39

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YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) You are in a romantic mood but something is missing from the picture. It is not that you are feeling the need of having more than one string to your bow, it is more that you are tired of using the same old arrows. So, what is out there to fire your imagination? Something really new will not miss the mark with you.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) This is a brilliant week for money and business. Mars is influencing you to be more upfront and practical in your approach. You may feel changes coming on that you would rather deny. Burying your head in the sand is not an option. Take the bull by the horns and you could be surprised at your success.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) You will see the lighter side of life this week when you discover that someone is holding a torch for you. You are flattered and vaguely interested. Your combination of intelligence and humour make you a delightful companion. Venus smiles on all your close relationships and you seem to be able to do no wrong. .

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) There is much to be tackled this week, but you are wary of making full-on decisions. Taking things one step at a time is the best policy because it gives you space to consider the options. There is a restlessness about you that is hard to pinpoint. Perhaps you are feeling positive but have to hold fire because of others. This is frustrating, but try to relax.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Energy levels go up and down and you seek to ration yours by not going all-out physically. It is still possible to be quite dynamic while planning. Indeed, your clear vision impresses a colleague. If you are due for promotion then some good news is likely. Blow your own trumpet rather than wait for others to do it for you.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) The changes affecting you for the past few weeks continue but you are now getting better at managing their direction. Someone wanting you to take

a logical action should not be allowed to push you forward. When to act will be clear to you.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Someone who has been unhelpful in the past suddenly steps forward. Could you have been wrong about them? Probably not. Keep a clear mind when with them. Saturn influences you to be more organised before a bout of indecision strikes.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) The influence of Venus and Jupiter brings you the influence and status that you deserve. It’s not that you haven’t worked towards it but now you start to see the benefits. There is an urge to improve your appearance and surroundings to fit in with the ‘new you.’

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) During the past few weeks you may have gained a different perspective on life. Your need for a close attachment and harmony in your life should not be underestimated or denied in the name of practicality.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) To be truly happy you need to build on your partnerships. Keep these in balance and everything else will fall into place. Life has taught you some rather harsh lessons recently. The upshot of that is you now feel more in control and more secure.

SAGITARIUS (November 23 - December 21) There is an all-consuming need to see some reward for all your efforts. There will be those who will tell you that you need to push harder for success. Perhaps you need to be with more like-minded people. Certainly being with the wrong colleagues can bring your spirits down.

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

ALLURE APIECE BATEAU BONNET CARROT COLEUS CURFEW DEAFEN EMPLOY ESCORT FEALTY FIXATE FOLLOW (10) HOBBLE INHERE LATTER SOLEMN TEETER TROUPE

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY Sat 20 February

3-16-18 24-36-56

BONUS BALL

10

IRISH LOTTO Sat 20 February

16-27-34 35-37-45

BONUS BALL

28

EURO MILLIONS Tue 16 February

BONUS BALL

6

05-09-25 29-30

7

Fri 19 February

BONUS BALL

04-12-25 46-48

7 12

EL MILLON: KTN12745

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) When needed you are sure to be positive this week. On a project, ‘striking while the iron is hot’ springs to mind. There is much fun to hand but it must be ‘work first’ at the moment. Some opportunities do not come twice and you need to be aware of them when they present themselves. Spend some quality time with your loved ones.

TIME OUT

LA PRIMITIVA Thurs 18 February

BONUS BALL

01-03-09 29-36-41

37 3

JOKER: 0202869 Sat 20 February

BONUS BALL

02-05-07 38-43-44

37

JOKER: 0624146

1

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, 3 represents J and 24 represents T, so fill in J every time the figure 3 appears and T every time the figure 24 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 Many (6) 3 Voces (6) 8 Tie (neckwear) (7) 10 Baile (pieza, arte) (5) 11 To bring (5) 12 Más sucio (7) 13 Never (5) 15 Season ticket (5) 20 Ya (7) 22 Codo (5) 24 Mitos (5) 25 Desconocido (7) 26 Cazador (6) 27 Coñac (6)

Down 1 Flowerpot (6) 2 Burden (5) 4 Más viejo (5) 5 Song (7) 6 Father-in-law (6) 7 Fall (physical action) (5) 9 Sour (f) (5) 14 Squeeze (hug) (7) 16 Recreo (escolar) (5) 17 Calor (afecto) (6) 18 Jarabe (líquido) (5) 19 Veinte (6) 21 Nave (de iglesia) (5) 23 Marrón (5)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION • LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION QUICK Across: 1 Students, 8 Again, 9 Chain, 10/15 Ball gown, 11 Latest, 13 Repeat, 18 Erase, 19 Ideal, 20 Starting. Down: 2 Trail, 3 Deny, 4 Nectar, 5 Share, 6 Constantly, 7 Hamburgers, 12 Camera, 14 Peaks, 16 Ocean, 17 Gift.

CRYPTIC

Across: 1 Limp, 3 Passport, 9 Mustang, 10 After, 11 Paste, 12 Endear, 14 Shrank, 16 Cuckoo, 19 Patron, 21 Wants, 24 Acton, 25 Allowed, 26 Stressed, 27 Tsar. Down: 1 Lamppost, 2 Moses, 4 Angles, 5 Sward, 6 Outback, 7 Tern, 8 Tavern, 13 Consider, 15 Realtor, 17 Unwell, 18 Inmate, 20 Ranks, 22 Newts, 23 Pays.

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Solapa, 4 Cows, 8 Rubio, 9 Acuerdo, 10 Promise, 11 Thick, 12 Desempleado, 17 Espía, 19 Look for, 21 Bañista, 22 Ancho, 23 Ella, 24 Horses. Down: 1 Stripe, 2 Labio, 3 Profile, 4 Court, 5 Worried, 6 Caterpillar, 7 Rocky, 13 Español, 14 Enojado, 15 Herbs, 16 Brooms, 18 Ansia, 20 Faces.

CODE BREAKER

BOGGLED

FUTOSHIKI

uteri uric duet drip drips tier tree true trick trip trips trig tapir taps tire tick tics tips rete retie rite rick rips rigs kiss atrip cruet crud cite citer cigs writ write wood hate hater hair hairdo haps hire hick hips pate pater pair pita picture pick pics pigs phat gird gips scree scrip scrips shire shirt shirk ship spat spate spit spite spire spirt spick

NONAGRAM agar aged agin bang berg bing brag brig dang ding drag dreg egad gain garb gean gear gibe gird girn grab grad gran grid grin raga rage rang ring adage again anger badge barge began begin being binge bring deign dirge garda gibed giber grade grain grand grind raged range reign ridge agenda baaing badger banged banger barged baring binged bridge danger daring earing engird gained gainer gander garbed garden girned graben grande ranged reding regain ringed abridge bandage barding bargain beading bearing brigade brigand grained reading abrading badinage bearding breading drainage gardenia BARGAINED GABARDINE

HEXAGRAM

WORD LADDER

1 INGEST 2 HITHER 3 TROUPE 4 CAREER 5 SPLASH 6 TROPHY 7 STANCE 8 ALLURE 9 TANNER 10 TALCUM 11 TREBLE 12 DYNAMO 13 SCALAR 14 BEYOND 15 ODIOUS 16 TABLET 17 SODIUM 18 MORTAR 19 MARAUD

LOCK LACK LARK PARK PART CART

KAKURO

SUDOKU

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Costa Blanca TODAY

DENIA JAVEA CALPE ALTEA

WEATHER

BENIDORM ALICANTE

ORIHUELA TORREVIEJA

TOMORROW

DENIA JAVEA CALPE

Malaga TODAY: MAX 20 MIN 9 Fri 19 9 Sat 19 10 Sun 19 11 Mon 17 11 Tues - 18 10 Wed 18 11

Alicante TODAY: MAX 20, MIN 9 Fri 19 9 Sat 19 10 Sun 19 11 Mon 17 11 Tues - 18 10 Wed 18 11

Almeria TODAY: MAX 21,MIN 10 Fri 19 9 Sat 19 10 Sun 19 11 Mon 17 11 Tues - 18 10 Wed 18 11

Benidorm TODAY: MAX 20, MIN 9 Fri 19 9 Sat 18 10 Sun 18 11 Mon 17 11 Tues - 18 10 Wed 18 11

Bilbao TODAY: MAX 20, MIN 9 Fri 19 9 Sat 19 10 Sun 19 11 Mon 17 11 Tues - 18 10 Wed 18 11

Mallorca TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 9 Fri 17 8 Sat 16 7 Sun 17 7 Mon 17 8 Tues 17 9 Wed 17 10

Madrid TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 9 Fri 17 8 Sat 16 7 Sun 17 7 Mon 17 8 Tues 17 9 Wed 17 10

Barcelona TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 9 Fri 16 8 Sat 16 7 Sun 15 7 Mon 15 8 Tues 16 9 Wed 16 10

41

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: 20 Good: 28 Very good: 40 Excellent: 51

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 Late returning from feud revolutionaries caused (7) 5 Refuse to fight (5) 8 Sixth in examination of little importance (7) 9 First Lady in France creating excitement (5) 10 Reportedly located and named (5) 11 Opens Sunday People first and reads (7) 12 Examiner from Australian states territory (6) 14 Assume running wild makes one smile (6) 17 The state of a man not getting upset (7) 19 Conservative requests sizeable wine vessels (5) 22 English horse little Edward urged on (5) 23 Tale Eve spins to bring cheer (7) 24 Some useless information for a tennis champion (5) 25 Ship's cooking pot (7) Down 1 Revised topic relating to the eye (5) 2 Decree cited in error (5) 3 Dead breeze, the French taper off (7) 4 Silent characters sign up (6) 5 Fears about becoming more secure (5) 6 About the meat, son discloses (7) 7 Sherpas translated groups of words (7) 12 Moderates fits of anger (7) 13 Eagles drifting round North African country (7) 15 Cheat me out of a knife (7) 16 Rotter set out with trainee soldiers (6) 18 They assist in the formulation of ideas (5) 20 Crowd on move in Foyle's War maybe (5) 21 Lead the way for the ranch animal (5)

TIME OUT

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SUDOKU

QUICK

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

Across 1 Deliver a quick blow to (5) 4 Permit (5) 7 Recalls (9) 8 Provide evidence for (in law) (4) 9 Place of worship (6) 12 Attach firmly (6) 13 Automobiles (4) 16 Kin (9) 18 Tall, narrow building (5) 19 Conceals (5)

Down 1 Chooses (5) 2 Easily agitated (7) 3 Religious song (4) 4 Military forces (6) 5/17 Keep out of sight (3,3) 6 Squander (5) 10 Expressed approval of (7) 11 Preferable (6) 12 Foremost (5) 14 Closes (5) 15 Nocturnal flying insect (4) 17 See 5

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

LOST

QUIZ BACK BATH

NOTTINGHAM 1. Built by Sir George Coppin in 1605, which royal residence in London was formerly known as Nottingham House? 2. Kevin Keegan was a member of which German football team that lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in the 1980 European Cup final? 3. The county of Nottinghamshire borders South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south and which county to the west? 4. What is the name of the home ground of Notts County FC, who have played there since 1910? 5. What is the nickname of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club's limited overs team? 6. Which actor played the part of the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves? 7. Which actor, born in Nottingham in 1949, is best known for her role as chalet maid/Yellowcoat Peggy Ollerenshaw the 1980s sitcom Hide-Hi? 8. Which English novelist, poet and short-story writer, born in Nottingham in 1928, is best known for his debut novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and his early short story The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, both of which were adapted into films? 9. Which river, the third-longest in the UK, flows through Nottingham? 10. Which UK beauty retailer and pharmacy chain was established in Nottingham in 1849?

NONAGRAM

RACHEL AND FRIENDS

Not a lot of people know that… every single Bramley apple is descended from the same tree in a Nottinghamshire garden. Bramley apples are so popular in Japan that in 2012 a group of Japanese tourists flew to the UK

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

TARGET:

audreyquinton99@gmail.com

Average: 11 Good: 16 Very good: 23 Excellent: 29

Answers 1. KENSINGTON PALACE, 2. HAMBURG (full name HAMBURGER SV), 3. DERBYSHIRE, 4. MEADOW LANE STADIUM, 5. NOTTS OUTLAWS, 6. ALAN RICKMAN, 7. SU POLLARD, 8. ALAN SILLITOE, 9. RIVER TRENT, 10. BOOTS UK LIMITED (formerly BOOTS THE CHEMISTS), trading as BOOTS

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.

TRANSFER FEE BY SPANISH BANKS

Hello, Just to say that I too have been charged a transfer fee of €18 by my bank for a small private pension of £53, quite outrageous. I only arranged to have it transferred to my bank in Spain after Christmas because I thought my Barclays Bank was going to close my UK account which they don’t appear to be doing. I just can’t win! Jean Girard Dolores, Costa Blanca

Covid Centagenarian Dear Editors! We thought you might be interested in this little bit of good news A very popular and well-known resident of Moraira, Mrs Peggy Bloomfield, received her first dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccine yesterday (February 19) at Teulada Medical Centre at the grand age of 100 years old! Her second jab is booked in three weeks and Peggy will be celebrating her 101st birthday in April! Many thanks, Shirley Young

My Go To I first moved to Calpe in 2001 and later to Javea in 2006 and am still here. I often purchased the CBN for local information but then a number of free press publications caught my eye. EWN has been my go to publication for a number of years particularly as they offer regional issues. When the Olive Press appeared in Costa Blanca North I welcomed another publication with limited but interesting features. Very soon after the Olive Press started attacking the EWN for numerous reasons including ratings and fake news. I followed the diatribe between the publications over the last few years where Olive Press attacked and EWN positively defended and I read every word. To cut a long story short, I no longer bother to pick up the free Olive Press. S Burton

Looking forward IT’S always dangerous to make assumptions, but the last few weeks have seen some dramatic reductions in the number of infections across Spain and just possibly we are heading for a semblance of normality. The Balearics have seen cases drop dramatically and in Andalucia many of the municipalities are now well below 500 per 100,000 cases allowing for movement across municipalities. Vaccinations whilst slow in some places are taking place and much depends now upon the Spanish Government’s ability to guarantee regular deliveries of stocks to allow it to keep its

CORRECTIONS

From our Facebook

Importance of masks Dear Editor, We were delighted to read about the lifting of restrictions, and would like to thank Euro Weekly News for keeping us updated through these difficult times. I have, as have my neighbours and wife, been following all of the restrictions that have been in place. We are lucky enough to live on the Paseo, near the beachfront. What is alarming us is the number of weekend walkers and joggers, who are still not wearing masks properly. Some are using their masks as a chinstrap, dangling it from one ear, or from the wrists - many joggers are not wearing one at all, and breathing heavily! Can they not exercise on the beach where there is more space during a pandemic? Surely we must all make small sacrifices. My wife and I used to spend every Sunday enjoying a stroll down the prom. Now we are afraid to go out at the weekends - and fear it will get worse as restrictions are reduced. By now people should know the importance of masks. My wife and I have lost two members of our family already, we are both at retirement age and m y w i f e h a s C O P D . We d e s e r v e a f e w g o o d y e a r s yet - and this sort of ignorance could kill us vicariously! I am also amazed that even when people are wearing masks - they take their masks off and on with no care and then touch their faces and even eat. It has been more than a year since the beginning of this pandemic, which has crippled our economies, stopped us from travelling, closed people’s businesses and killed hundreds of thousands of people. When will people learn? We would love if EWN would publish a guide on how (and why) to wear your masks properly and safely - and a reminder that hand washing to save lives was not just a fad! Thank you again for keeping us up-to-date, we appreciate all that you do. Kind regards from, Ron and Pat

OUR VIEW

promise that everyone in the country will be inoculated. The economy is currently fragile in the extreme and there a tightrope to be walked as people become more disenchanted with restrictions yet many of us do appreciate that if they are reduced too quickly rates could sky rocket. It’s a vicious circle where there really isn’t an obvious answer and much still depends on the population as a whole keeping calm and any protests (if they believe them appropriate) should be conducted in a manner which is not likely to encourage further civil unrest as has been seen in Madrid

and Barcelona. Somehow or other, the economy has to recover but that is easier said than done as the European Union after making promises of distribution of the Emergency Recovery Fund keeps imposing requirements which have to be met before the money is released. We want to see tourists returning as they are part of the lifeblood of Spain and there are plenty of potential customers across Europe who want to return so if the number of infections continues to drop, both at home and abroad, maybe the summer will be one to enjoy.

Sheree Ruiz The new definition of bullying these days is someone either stating a fact about you that you don’t like or asking a valid question that you don’t want to answer. It just allows someone to hide behind their mother’s skirts. Really some countries are so pathetically PC and wimpy.

Martin Nerja I just can’t understand why people support him, he has this lot as friends, he hacked a murder victim’s mobile, he told lies about British soldiers, he criticises people for breaking lockdown except when they are friends of his - Kay Burley and over Christmas tells us to stay home, be sensible and then he jets off to Antigua.

Colin Brooks Then there’s no one to question the government, he is a bit of a bully but no other interviewer keeps trying to get answers, Hancock just said he won’t resign over unlawful deals!

Jose Willows He should have been sacked ages ago, so very very rude, that isn’t journalism or information of any kind, just a big headed bully.

Pat Somers He is the only one that has stood up to the government and their trying to bluster through the answers that have been asked. Keep him, the country needs some people like him.

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

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 February - 3 March 2021

Going loco for coconut oil LOVED by models Gisele Bund‐ chen and Miranda Kerr, co‐ conut oil is becoming some‐ thing of a beauty must‐have on the dressing tables of fash‐ ionistas around the globe. This yummy‐smelling oil is being praised by beauty editors for its soothing and moisturis‐ ing properties; and there are lots of ways to use it. First, the science bit. Co‐ conut oil contains high levels of several beneficial acids; lauric, caprylic and capric acids. These chemicals have antifun‐ gal, antibacterial and anti‐viral quali‐

ties, making the product a bril‐ liant natural cold‐sore remedy. These acids also reduce inflam‐ mation, helping those who suf‐ fer from acne. Taken internally; either eat‐ en straight off the spoon or used in cooking, coconut oil boosts levels of ‘good’ choles‐ terol, helps to fight infection and improves the immune sys‐ tem. The product, which has a sol‐ id, frosting‐like texture at room temperature, melts with the warmth of your hands and makes an excellent all‐round moisturiser. Its natural antioxi‐ dant levels will

help ward off the effects of pol‐ lution and delay wrinkles on both the face and body. The oil makes a gentle and effective eye make‐up remover and a great natural lip balm. Used before going in the sun, it provides natural low levels of SPF, and will nourish your skin at the same time. Used on nails, coconut oil will mois‐ turise your cuticles, and mas‐ saged into the ends of hair will tame frizz and soften split‐ ends. Better still, the whole family can enjoy this multi‐purpose natural remedy. The oil is bril‐ liant as both a shaving and af‐ ter‐shave cream and when used on beards will soften bris‐ tles. Babies’ bottoms will also benefit as coconut oil helps clear up nappy rash. Gargled in the mouth, a 2015 study found it can decrease plaque levels and reduce gum disease. Fans also claim it helps to whiten teeth.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous and want to have a go at some kitchen sink chemistry, why not try mixing equal parts of sugar and co‐ conut oil to make a natural body scrub? If you have a favourite aromatherapy oil, you could also try adding a cou‐ ple of drops to a handful of co‐ conut oil and make a massage lotion, or mixed with pepper‐ mint oil in a small pot you can create your very own lip balm for on the go. If you’re thinking of trying coconut oil for any of its uses, though, it’s worth bearing in mind there are several differ‐ ent qualities, and organic, vir‐ gin products will give you the best results. Hydrogenated co‐ conut oil is unhealthy to cook with and oily rather than mois‐ turising if used on the skin or hair. Browse local chemists though and you’ll find most medium‐sized shops should of‐ fer a good quality oil.

COCONUT OIL: A beauty must-have.

Food allergies are on the rise FO O D a l l e r g i e s a r e i n c r e a s i n g amongst the Spanish population and the country is not alone. According to the EACCI (European Academy of Al‐ lergy and Clinical Immunology), it is estimated that by 2025, one in every two Europeans will suffer from some form of allergy. President of the the Spanish Associ‐ ation of People with Food and Latex Allergies (AEPNAA), Angel Sanchez, said: “The impact of food allergies on patients themselves, on the family and society is very important, since it seriously limits the social, school and work activities of those who suffer from them. Everyday activities be‐ come truly complicated for those af‐ fected.” Food allergies, which occur when a person reacts to contact, ingestion or the inhalation of a food, may result from minor reactions such as a rash, hives, itching, cough, diarrhoea or vomiting, to more severe or serious reactions including respiratory dis‐ tress, asthma, hypo tension, palpita‐ tions or anaphylactic shock. Hospital admissions in children due to anaphylactic shock have risen in re‐ cent years. Although the data varies according to the age group or geo‐ graphical area, in Spanish children,

NUTS: One of the most common allergies in Spaniards. eggs and cow’s milk are the most common allergies, followed by fish. Some 1.3 million Spaniards are af‐

fected by allergies of some sort with nuts and seafood the most common amongst the adult population.

EWN 45

Still tired? STILL waking up feeling tired and groggy despite going to bed early? Well it could be that you woke up during your sleep cy‐ cle. Scientists say an average adult has sleep in 90‐minute cy‐ cles meaning there are five or six a night and if you wake up during this cycle it can leave you feeling tired and lethargic, so to try and optimise your sleep it is important to work out the best time to nod off and a ‘sleep cal‐ culator’ predicts just that.

Blind retailer Web Blinds cre‐ ated the ‘sleep calculator’ based on it taking an average of 14 minutes to fall asleep, which aims to help people know when the best time to go to sleep is for when they have to get up, ensuring they wake up re‐ freshed. For example, if you need to wake up at 7am, the sleep cal‐ culator believes that you should try and sleep at the beginning of a sleep cycle at either 9.46pm, 11.16pm, 12.46am or 2.16am.

Wine’s flavour is formed in the brain

A REPORT suggests that wine could give your brain a work out. A leading neuroscientist believes that drinking a glass of wine sparks a reaction in the sensory and emotional parts of the brain and it is this brain activation that actually constructs the taste of the wine. The neu‐ roscientist believes the flavour is constructed in the brain but is also im‐ pacted by the drinker’s emotional connection to the wine as it conjures up memories and emotions. Factors such as gender, age and even the genetic make‐up of saliva can impact how wine tastes, in a term called ‘neurogastronomy’ which describes how the brain creates the percep‐ tion of flavour.

46 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 February - 3 March 2021

By Clinica Britannia

Sleep disorders SLEEP APNEA is a potentially serious sleep disorder where periods of shallow breathing occur whilst asleep often hap‐ pening up to 30 times an hour and for seconds to minutes at a time causing the deprivation of oxygen to the brain. When the brain becomes aware of this, it triggers the body to arouse for long enough to gasp, choke, or snort to take in air, keeping you alive by re‐ opening the airways. There are three main types of Sleep Apnea. • Obstructive Sleep Apnea: This is the most common and occurs when the throat muscles relax. • Central Sleep Apnea: This occurs when your brain does not send signals to the muscles that control your breathing.

Smartphone sensor. • Complex Sleep Apnea Syn‐ drome: This occurs when you are suffering with both above. Indicators are snoring, morn‐ ing headaches and a dry mouth. A new revolutionary test can be performed which will check whether you have apnea by measuring signals from the tip of your index finger with a small

light sensor that connects wire‐ lessly with your smartphone. Once you have a positive di‐ agnosis your Dentist can craft a personalised Mandibular splint that is used to reposition the jaw and tongue to improve the airflow reposition with no side effects, enabling a healthy night’s sleep.

Appointments Landline: 965 837 553 / 965 837 851 • 24H/365D Emergency Number: (+34) 607 255 755 • Opening Times: Mon - Fri: 9:00am / 5:00pm

Clinica Britannia Calpe Av. Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor, Calpe

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Don’t you think we would, if we could MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED “TAKE care of yourself so you can get healthy.” I know this is said with love, but it can be damn frustrating. Don’t you think if we could somehow stop having symptoms, we would? Society wants us to exercise more, eat a balanced diet and stay positive to help stop those depressive and manic symptoms. However, telling us to sleep eight hours when we are manic or think positively when we are depressed feels impossible. We are doing the best we can in a complicated and exhausting situation. Ever thought about helping us celebrate what we have achieved? Sleeping five hours instead of three, getting through one day without crying, healthy eating one meal instead of none or seeing life is worth living after weeks of not wanting to be here. They might not be what society deems healthy, but it’s our reality. We spend our time thinking if we trick ourselves into believing that if we force ourselves beyond what we are physically and emotionally capable of, we can be ‘normal.’ This often ends with out-of-control symptoms and can cause more damage, whether it’s exhaustion caused by going out with friends when depressed, or sleeping three hour naps just to escape the million thoughts running through our minds. To appear healthy, we stubbornly push through the symptoms, is a car crash waiting to happen. We

desperately want to work more than 30 hours a week and not have to take seven pills a day to curb the symptoms, wake up feeling happy everyday, but that’s how it is. We spend most of our time imagining magically waking up and being considered healthy. What if healthy meant being patient and gentle with ourselves? Crying without feeling weak or experiencing unprovoked irritability without guilt? Accepting we are not always going to be well enough to leave the house when we are anxious or do laundry when we are exhausted, but loving ourselves anyway? Maybe if healthy could be more about patience, acceptance, compassion. Let me know if you can relate, email me your story on the email below or follow me on Facebook @mswillowbipolar. Love Ms Bipolar X

msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com

Exercise a load of hot water? RESEARCH at the National Centre of Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Loughborough in the UK has concluded that soaking in a hot bath achieves similar health benefits to that of exercise, such as a 30‐minute walk or jog. Dr Steve Faulkner conducted the study in which 14 men cycled for one hour and then soaked in a 40ºC bath for the same duration; both activities intended to raise participant’s body temperature, allowing the study team to moni‐ tor and compare the calories burned between the two tests. Although cycling was shown to burn more calories, the hot bath burned as many calories as a 30‐ minute walk, which is around 140 calories. Dr Faulkner told UK charity The Conversation that “Many cultures swear by the benefits of a hot bath, but only recently has science began to understand how passive heating (as opposed to getting hot and sweaty from exercise) im‐ proves health.”

48 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 February - 3 March 2021

DAVID WORBOYS SHEEP are widely regarded as more stupid than humans. There is nothing wrong with that. But they have a ten‐ dency to follow rather than lead. In this respect they are not so different from us. During my lifetime we seem to have developed an increasing tendency to follow not just the dictates of fashion in dress but any characteristic, any be‐ haviour or any belief that is started by one person and is then adopted by the masses. What happened to the rela‐ tive individuality of the post‐war years? Pupils at school have always been teased or bullied for refusing to con‐ form to the practices or tastes of the majority. In the age of social media this has become even more common. And so, at an early age, we learn to keep our heads down, act like sheep and safely graze. There used to be a plethora of colourful eccentrics in public life and a general tendency to express outra‐ geous but very funny opinions and

FEATURE

GRAZING SHEEP ECCENTRIC: Just like Spike Milligan used to be. anecdotes. Like Spike Milligan. Then along came political correctness which stifles much of the humour of yesteryear. Since the restrictions imposed for Covid‐19, a huge proportion of televi‐ sion interviewees appear at home or

in their office rather than in a studio. Presumably, one of the first decided it would look erudite to pose in front of strategically placed shelves of books. A few months later, over 90 per cent now present themselves in this pose. Among the biggest culprits is

Channel 4’s news presenter, the ego‐ centric John Snow, whose book collec‐ tion is dominated by a conspicuous tome, entitled ‘BYZANTIUM’. How im‐ pressive! Who initiated the idea that male pop singers should sound indistin‐ guishable from women? In the late 50s, crooners such as Pat Boone and Jim Reeves were obviously men. In those days confusion about sex was virtually unknown but, in the 70s

we had women’s lib, then same‐sex marriages and, more recently, the transgender issue. Somewhere along the line some artist must have decided he ought to sing like a woman. The sheep, I mean fans, loved it and it has been accepted ever since. Why, in the last few months, does the response to a question start with the word ‘so:’? Who started the trends to mutilate the English language? ‘She went’ instead of ‘she said’ and the meaningless use of the word ‘like’ in‐ serted in the middle of sentences? One person invents an alternate meaning or resuscitates a word or ex‐ pression, such as ‘cool’ or ‘woke’ or ‘chutzpah’ and millions of sheep follow on blindly. Of course, cults do require a sheep mentality in order to develop and ex‐ pand. But there must be one person or a small, intimate group that conceives them. And so it has been with Teddy Boys, Bohemians, Beatniks, Flower People, Hippies; Goths, Hell’s Angels, Skinheads, Rockers, Mods, Punks and a host of phenomena of our times.

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

PETS

50

www.euroweeklynews.com • 25 february - 3 March 2021

SPONSORED BY

Even Covid puppies need a hug or two

IF you are one of the many households that took in a new puppy during the Covid pan‐ demic, then your young pet will need special care and attention when you go on holiday. Even if you are planning a short trip, plan ahead. Take a moment to plan ahead for pet and house‐sitters, if you have trips planned later this year. 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: 1. Register as a homeowner on HouseSit Match.com 2. Choose a Premium account (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with photos of your pet and the house 4. Post a house‐sit advert stating your plans for your next holiday Covid permitting. Do you need a pet sitter in 2021? Then get started right now. How does it work? HouseSitMatch can help you find suitable sitters. Join our network for a small annual fee. You get ID checked for safety and then build your advert saying when you are going on holi‐

Look for a pet-sitter well before you leave on holiday. day. House‐sitters see your advert, they re‐ spond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ‐ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐ sitter… HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐ sitter 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 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 sub‐ scription to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £89

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.

Our chatty feathered friends PERHAPS not the best choice for anyone with a feline prowling the house, a bird can be a fantastic, life‐long companion. With their cheerful and inquisitive natures, many people don’t realise how much a bird can add to the home. They are incredibly social animals, often compared to human toddlers in terms of their big personalities. The most popular feathered pet is the common parakeet, or budgie, and it makes a wonderful companion for anyone new to keeping birds. They are gentle, docile, and quieter than oth‐ er parrots, but can learn to mimic speech. The budgie is also budget friendly, their diets extending to fresh fruits and vegetables. Their smaller size also makes them a little easier to clean up after than their larger cousins. For those that don’t mind a noisier home environment, a cu‐ rious Cockatiel is ideal. Caring for a bird is a life‐long respon‐ sibility, with average life expectancies span‐ ning from 10 to 20 years.

BUDGIES: Gentile and docile.

Chiari Syndrome SCRATCHING the neck or rub‐ bing his face incessantly without apparent reason can be a sign of a major neurological disease Chiari Syndrome is a malfor‐ mation of the hindbrain, or brainstem associated with myelomeningocele, and can cause hydrocephalus and sy‐

ringomyelia. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are the most affected breed. There are actually several breeds such as Brussels Griffon, York‐ shire Terrier, Chihuahua, Mal‐ tese and Staffordshire Bull Terri‐ er. A change in their mental ac‐

Advertising Feature tivity, extreme sensitivity to touch in the neck, chest, shoul‐ ders, head, and back and simple anticipation of pain upon being handled. They may begin to cry out when jumping or running, when defecating. Now that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is readily available, the deformity associated with Chiari Malformation may be demonstrated. MRI may help to predict the expected severity of clinical signs. Radiographs are generally not very useful for di‐ agnosing the Chiari Malforma‐ tion. For more information scan the QR.

In Costablanca Norte: Anicura Marina Baixa Hospital Veterinario www.veterinariamarina baixa.com

SERVICES

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CHIMNEY SERVICES

REMOVALS & STORAGE

INSURANCE

PLUMBERS

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52 EWN

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TV & SATELLITE

EWN 53

CLASSIFIEDS ARCHITECTS

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CAMPING

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www.helpbenidorm.org and on Facebook VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly Spanish speakers for interpreter service, and car owners. Tel President 607 387 040, Welfare 607 386 964, Interpreters 607 385 842, Equipment 663 495 396. We are an English speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis, we also organise social events for members. We meet every Thursday at 10.30 in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n. Benidorm. It is opposite the Foietes Car Park where there is a Wednesday market. Everyone welcome. It is 400m from Benidorm tram station and on bus routes 1 and 8. We loan out mobility and medical equipment including oxygen concentrators on a short-term basis. (288658)

CLUBS/SOCIETIES

CARE HOME

SPIRITUAL FRIENDS Costa Blanca is a non-religious group of spiritually minded people who meet on Wednesday afternoons. Each week different - clairvoyance, discussions, talks and demonstrations on spiritual or holistic subjects. email sp.fr.cb@gmail.com website www.spiritualfriend scostablanca.com or contact Jan. 600 837 054 (10000)

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CHARITY El Campello Christian Community Evangelical Church Life and Family Sunday Service in English at 10.00 a.m. and a Spanish Service at 11.45am. C / San Bartolomé 35 bajo, No.6 campellocc@gmail.com www.elcampellochristiancom munity.org For more information call Juan Zuniga – 686 203 183 (Spanish) or Sue Bishop - 610 63 94 26 (English) THE SALVATION ARMY English Speaking Church of Denia Worship Service. Sunday 10:30 am Followed by a time of Fellowship Everyone is welcome. Come as you are! For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email di

ELECTRICIAN MB ELECTRICS. Approved electrician. Any electrical repair. Iberdrola paperwork. Affordable prices. Miquel 655 282 175 www.mbelectrics.es (288732)

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GARDENING SERVICES DAVID THE TREE GUY Cutting, trimming & removal of trees. Torrevieja, Alicante, Benidorm areas. 722 652 173 (289581) www.euroweeklynews.com

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GENERAL SERVICES MISTER Fix-It handyman, available in Jalon Valley area, hourly rates, 657 189 519 (290302)

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LEGAL

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DECORATORS W.D. GILMOUR. Painter & Decorator. Established 35 years in Moraira. ESTIMATES FREE. Call William on 609 691 776 or 966 490 602 (290369)

PROPERTY

SUPPORT for a better present and happier future. Call Tanya, Counsellor/Psychologist 634 354 892 www.feel goodcs.com (291137)

WWW.WIGS-R—US.ES Indoor Market Rincon de Loix, Benidorm. Monday-Saturday 10-3. We also have Scrunchies, Extensions, Ponytails. Catalogue orders. Private appointments after 3pm. 681 049 502 (290625)

SITUATIONS VACANT

RIGHT PLUMBER - plumbing & drainage for a honest, affordable, professional service call 656 303 236 (288474)

COUNSELLING

WIGS

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

RETIRED couple looking for long term rental in La Marina Baixa – prefer two beds. Needed urgently – call Janice on 0044 7736 251 800 (279523)

QUALITY LHD & RHD Vehicles bought & sold. All paperwork undertaken quickly & professionally. Immediate payment for all purchases. Mobile / WhatsApp +34 600 726 221 Office +34 965 687 946 www.fwreurocars.com info@fwreurocars.com 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)

MARK PADDON BSc Hons. MCIOB, CAAT - LOCKDOWN REMOTE WHATSAPP VIDEO ADVICE available for reduced fee Tel: 653 733 066 / 962 807 247 www.costablancasurvey ors.com (288711)

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

TRANSLATIONS SPANISH INTERPRETER for all your appointment needs, has car. Effective, Friendly & Affordable service. Call 609 679 808

WANTED REMOVALS/STORAGE KLF TRANSPORT REMOVALS AND STORAGE. VAN GOING TO ENGLAND AND BACK TO SPAIN. SPACE AVAILABLE BOTH WAYS. ALSO, LOCAL REMOVALS FROM A SINGLE ITEM TO FULL HOUSE. TEL: 604 129 344 (290323) BENIDORM and surrounding areas. Two-man removal. 678 067 163 (289675)

AUTO BASTIAN mobile mechanic. Tel 608 860 725.

STRUCTURAL SURVEYS

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REFURBISHMENT REFURBISHMENT We specialise in refurbishing homes and restaurants. For more information please visit us on www.muxasari.com/english/ or Tel: 687 070 164

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MOTORING

www.euroweeklynews.com

ROAD TEST by Mark Slack A LT H O U G H to most of us €34k (£30k) seems a lot of money for a car, it’s no longer the preserve of pres‐ tige models, there are more than a few top‐end ‘ordi‐ nary’ models that tip the fi‐ nancial scales at €34k (£30k). A case in point is Toyota’s RAV4. Their longstanding SUV (or Recreational Activi‐ ty Vehicle) has been a fea‐ ture of the price lists since 1994. Its present incarnation is a world away from that first model, as you would expect given it’s over 25 years since the original was launched. Five trim levels with the option of all‐wheel‐drive on four of them and a single petrol 2.5‐litre, four‐cylinder engine. Prices start from €35,534 (£31,090) with a good level of standard equipment including auto lights, wipers and mirrors which are powered, heated and auto folding. There’s cruise control, reversing camera, reclining rear seats

25 February - 3 March 2021

EWN 55

RAV4 has a premium feel to it and Apple Car Play/Android Auto along with DAB and Bluetooth. All the RAV4s are a mix of that 2.5 litre, four‐cylinder petrol engine with electric assistance, both plug‐in and non‐plug‐in. In standard hy‐ brid form ie non‐plug‐in you can choose between all elec‐ tric or hybrid and the reas‐ surance of knowing that there’s a petrol engine to take away any range anxi‐ ety. In non‐plug‐in hybrid form you won’t go very far on pure electric, so it is probably better to leave the car to decide. My test model was the mid‐range Excel in two‐ wheel‐drive form, non‐plug‐ in hybrid and priced at €40,431 (£35,375). It’s no‐ ticeable from the moment you slide behind the wheel there’s a quality feel with tactile materials and a re‐ finement that could easily see the RAV4 carry a much more premium badge. Standard fare includes all

the aforementioned items as well as heated leather seats and steering wheel, front and rear parking sen‐ sors, satellite navigation and adaptive cruise control in a very decent equipment list.

On the road there’s a de‐ cent amount of power and the CVT works well with lit‐ tle of the racing engine revs you sometimes get with this kind of automatic box, un‐ less you floor the throttle of

course when it becomes all too obvious. The ride quality over the worst surfaces is a little fid‐ gety but the larger wheels on the Excel don’t help, but it’s something that certainly

won’t concern most people. It’s a smooth and refined drive with a superb driving position, excellent fuel economy and plenty of space for passengers and luggage.

SPORT

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25 February - 3 March 2021

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Premier League Results And Round-up For Sunday, February 21 THE Premiership’s surprise package of the season, West Ham United, moved up into the fourth Champion’s League spot with a fine 2‐ 1 derby day win over Tottenham at the Lon‐ don Stadium, thanks to goals from Michail Antonio after only five minutes, and Jesse Lingard once again on target for his new club on 47 minutes. Lucas Moura managed to head a goal to reduce the deficit for Jose Mourinho’s men after 64 minutes, but the Hammers survived a late onslaught to climb up into that all‐im‐ portant fourth spot. In the match at Villa Park, it was the visi‐ tors Leicester City who nicked the three points with a 1‐2 victory over Aston Villa, to go up to third, four points clear of West Ham. Goals from the usual sources of James Maddison on 19 minutes, and Harvey Barnes after 23 minutes, secured the points, with Bertrand Traore volleying home a loose ball after 48 minutes, but Leicester totally con‐ trolled the game, with Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers saying his squad has a “greater calmness” this season. Over at the Emirates, leaders Manchester City stay 10 points clear after a 0‐1 win over Arsenal, extending their record‐breaking un‐ beaten run to 18 matches, with Raheem Ster‐

England Women Win

ST GEORGE’S  PARK: Ellen White scored a hat-trick.

PREMIER LEAGUE: West Ham surprised. ling scoring the only goal of the game with a rare header after only three minutes, as Ar‐ senal stay in 10th position. Manchester United were comfortable 3‐1 winners at Old Trafford against Newcastle, with Marcus Rashford opening the scoring af‐ ter 30 minutes, only for Allan Saint‐Maximin to score a deserved equaliser. The match turned on 57 minutes when Daniel James re‐established the lead for United before Rashford then earned a penal‐ ty as he drew a foul from Joe Willock, with Bruno Fernandes stepping up to notch his 22nd goal of the season, leaving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men 10 points adrift of neigh‐ bours City.

ENGLAND marked interim boss Hege Riise’s first game in charge with an emphatic 6‐0 win against Northern Ireland on Tuesday, February 23. Riise, who took over from David Beckham’s new Inter Mia‐ mi manager Phil Neville, will be encouraged by the team who showed no sign of rust despite not playing together for 11 months. Playing on the Sir Bobby Charl‐ ton pitch at St George’s Park,

Ellen White helped herself to a wonderful hat‐trick in a game that marked Jill Scott’s 150th cap for her country. Goals from Lucy Bronze, Rachel Daly and Ella Toone se‐ cured a significant victory over their home nation’s opponents. Riise will lead the England team until Sarina Wiegman ar‐ rives after the Olympics. Wieg‐ man, named FIFA women’s coach of the year in December for her work with the Netherlands, was

appointed last August to lead England at the EURO and through the qualification pro‐ gramme for the 2023 FIFA World Cup. England Women next face Canada on April 13 in a friendly at a venue to be decided. Qualifying for the 2023 Wom‐ en’s World Cup, to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, should also commence this year. However, there is still no offi‐ cial date for the draw.