THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 26 - 29 ISSUE NO. 1865
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The people’s paper
1 - 7 April 2021
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VERA AND DISTRICT LIONS CLUB made a cash donation and offered future support to the newly-established Arboleas C ommunity Food Bank. T his is included in their programme of ongoing support for many Food Banks across their area which has intensified since the start of the pandemic, with donations totalling close to €8,000 so far. The Arboleas Food Bank opened on M arch 5 this year, bringing together several local organisations that have previously worked to alleviate food poverty in the community. Sol Yoga Centre and the AFA charity shop previously worked with Cecilia Molino V erdu at the Farmacia to provide much-needed provisions for local people in need.
Photo credit: David Elliott-Binns
THE LIONS SHARE PLEDGING SUPPORT: Chris and Ceri Normal present Vera Lions’ donation to the Arboleas Community Food Bank volunteers.
W orking with the town hall, the volunteers have created the Arboleas Community Food Bank, with a dedicated space at the municipallyowned Guadalinfo building in Calle Huelva (behind and above the Local Police station). Chris and Ceri Norman of Vera and District Lions recently visited the Food Bank and presented the Sol Yoga C entre volunteers with a cash donation, pledging their future support. Chris, as Vice-President of the Vera Lions, said: “We appreciate the work being
done by local Food Banks at a time of great financial hardship. We felt it was important to support this new venture which complements the work we have done as a club to help other Food Banks across our area.” Details of how to help the new organisation can be found on the Arboleas Community Food Bank’s Facebook page. Food donations can also be dropped into the collection boxes at the Guadalinfo Building, the town hall, Farmacia and the Arboleas Coviran supermarket.
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NEWS
Night Visibility Drone Roquetas, a city-laboratory RECENTLY Local Police officers in Almeria’s Huércal‐Overa have received a horde of new technology to help keep citi‐ zens safe and help police in dai‐ ly tasks including investigating accidents and controlling traf‐ fic. Recently they have received
taser pistols along with digital transmission systems and a new vehicle. The latest piece of kit to be added to the Local Police’s ar‐ senal is a stunning drone which comes complete with powerful thermal and visual cameras.
The kit is aimed to aid in search and in emergency such as search and rescue operations. So far only four of the police officers have been trained to fly the drone, but it will not be long before other officers are trained too.
EACH year Valencia University’s Geography and En‐ vironment department used to visit Roquetas de Mar. The connection dates back to 2017 when the Va‐ lencian investigators concluded that “what is hap‐ pening in Roquetas occurs nowhere else,” owing to its rapid growth, economic development that has overcome environmental obstacles and an exem‐ plary integration policy. After last year’s obligatory halt, the university de‐ cided to renew this year’s visit, albeit virtually. Roquetas’ mayor Gabriel Amat and Jose Juan Ro‐ driguez, councillor for Internal Governance, Culture and Sports, recently spoke to students via Zoom ex‐ plaining the reasons behind the municipality’s trans‐ formation. Amat commented that the provinces of Valencia and Almeria shared many similarities and difficul‐ ties, citing their common problems regarding water.
ZOOM MEETING: Gabriel Amat and Jose Juan Rodriguez reveal some of Roquetas’ secrets Rodriguez also emphasised the important role and policies of the Municipal Integration Office as well as Roquetas’ ‘perfect symbiosis’ between agri‐ culture and tourism. Both Amat and Rodriquez thanked the university for its interest in Roquetas which provided students with a ‘city‐laboratory’ that demonstrated how to transform a zone without damaging the environ‐ ment.
Damaging Wastewater GUAZAMARA students speak out against damag‐ ing wastewater that is affecting the local environ‐ ment in Almeria’s Cuevas del Almanzora. Students from the educational centre, which promotes sustainable development, even went so far as to meet with Antonio Márquez, the council‐ lor for the Environment of the Cuevas del Alman‐ zora Council in order to air their concerns. The children have created a blog that shows how the wadi which they consider to be ‘the most beautiful corner of Guazamara’ is being polluted. The wadi comes complete with an old bridge, and
ALMERIA Province’s largest company, Cantoria-based marble company Cosentino, finished 2020 with a €65.3 million net profit. This was 7 per cent below 2019’s €69.8 million net profit
an enchanted cave called ‘La Encantada,’ which has his own place in local folklore. The students: “There is something that spoils this wonderful landscape: a very long pipe that runs through Guazamara and is broken, so that sewage is discharged into the wadi.” The meeting was a success and the students ex‐ plained. They had learnt that the project was al‐ ready underway, that a commitment had been signed with the Junta de Andalucia and that they were going to choose a company to carry out the project.”
Written in stone although the operating profit of €214 million before inter-
est, tax, depreciation and repayments was its highest ever. Cosentino employs more than 2,600 people in Spain and 4,740 worldwide, of whom 93 per cent are on permanent contracts.
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NIBS EXTRA Park outing
Cold case REPEATED power-cuts and an unmistakable smell of marihuana led police to a Pampanico (El Ejido) house whose shutters and windows were permanently closed. Officers finally found what they were looking for on opening what looked like a refrigerator door and finding a concealed marihuana plantation with 278 plants.
Books balanced CARBONERAS Town Hall finally settled its 2020 Budget, clearing a pending €4.3 million that included €2 million owed to suppliers, many of them local. Town hall spokesman and Finance councillor Ramon Soto stressed the great effort required, owing to the situation that the local government inherited from its predecessors.
Beauty spot TABERNAS is one of the seven most-visited towns in Spain with populations of under 10,000, according to travel company Civitatis. Setenil de las Bodegas (Cadiz) was the only other town in Andalucia, with the remainder in Chinchon (Madrid), Trujillo and Guadalupe (Caceres), Peñiscola (Castellon) and Albarracin (Teruel).
Normal hours ALL Almeria Health District centres are now opening their habitual timetables with the option of an in-person or telephone consultation, although this does not apply to auxiliary centres which cannot guarantee the double Covid-19 safety circuit. In-person appointments are also increasing in the Levante and Poniente districts.
Build up TWENTY-FOUR bids were received for the €2.286 million contract to build the multipurpose installation housing at Roquetas’ new harbourside fish market. The project, aimed at integrating the port with the town and making it more accessible, will be 80 per cent financed by the EU’s Regional Development Fund (Feder).
Big surprise for Maria Luisa MARIA LUISA NAVARRO MARTINEZ, Arboleas’ policewoman, celebrated her birthday recently. Local residents also made sure that it was one to remember by organising a clap in Maria Luisa’s honour. “She is a wonderful, caring person,” Arboleas resident Mark Drew told the Euro Weekly News, explaining that Maria Luisa does the work of two people as the town should theoretically have another Local Police officer. “She has been working singlehanded 24-7 for over two years. She never stops and is never off-
Photo credit: Mark Drew
ANDARAX park in Almeria City was temporarily closed to the public after a wild boar was spotted. Experts were called in from Centro Zoozanitario to capture the animal and release it in a rural area before it caused damage to itself or the park.
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MARIA LUISA: Arboleas’ much-respected and very popular policewoman. duty, although she has a family to look after as well.” Everybody likes Maria Luisa
MUNICIPAL employees have spent several days, preparing Adra’s beaches for the East‐ er break. After removing natural and man‐made debris washed up by storms during the win‐ ter months, the sands were raked and lev‐ elled and beach equipment including litter bins, renewed. New walkways have been installed, lifesavers’ towers were repainted while the showers were overhauled, replac‐ ing seven that were faulty.
Dog-owner came a cropper A NIJAR man who cropped the ears of his three dogs faces charge of animal cruelty. Because he carried out the banned practice without any veterinary qualification, he is al‐ so accused of professional intru‐ sion. The 67‐year‐old came to the notice of the Guardia Civil after his dogs were seen running loose without muzzles in Nijar. One was an Italian mastiff but two were Argentine dogos, offi‐ cially classed as a potentially dangerous breed. After identifying the owner and inspecting the dogs’ papers, the Guardia Civil officers noticed that not only did the owner lack a dangerous breed licence, but all three dogs had cropped ears. Their owner explained that he had docked their ears himself at home when the dogs were 10 weeks old because he liked to maintain the traditional aesthet‐ ic standards for these breeds. Afterwards, he took all three dogs to the vet to be mi‐ crochipped, he said.
for the marvellous job that she does, Mark told us, not least because even in situations where
Spring clean for beaches The Paseo, where the benches were re‐ placed, also came in for attention. Elisa Fernandez and Francisco Lopez, re‐ spective Beaches and Municipal Services councillors visited the town’s urban beaches as work progressed.
there is potential for conflict, she always finds the right solution. Throughout his working life in the UK Mark was in contact with the police at all levels “and Maria Luisa stands head and shoulders above them all,” he added. Groups met to clap for Maria Luisa in at least two Arboleas neighbourhoods as well as outside the town hall where they also sang Happy Birthday. “This is the best birthday I have had in 41 years,” she declared. “She cried on my shoulder and that started me crying as well,” Mark said. “What a lovely lady.”
“The good weather is coming and our beaches need to be in good condition so that the public can enjoy the sun on our in‐ credible coast,” Fernandez said. The councillor stressed the need to con‐ tinue respecting anti‐Covid health and safe‐ ty regulations. “We can go on enjoying our town but al‐ ways with a responsible attitude, to protect ourselves and the people we love,” she de‐ clared.
Science at ground level BERJA residents were recent‐ ly invited to join an investi‐ gation into regenerating the Sierra de Gador following last January’s fire. This destroyed almost 600
hectares of land and the invi‐ tation was included in the first of the Citizens’ Science Days organised by Berja Town Hall and Almeria Uni‐ versity’s CECOUAL Investiga‐
Decent accommodation NIJAR councillors voted in favour of solving the problem of housing for temporary agricultural workers. The town hall, which is basing its solution on a study carried out by Granada University, will eliminate their settlements of lean‐to shacks and provide collective accommodation. This is likely to be located in Los Grillos where the municipal‐ ity intends to buy 3,000 square metres of land. “Obviously we cannot give anyone a house, but we can pro‐ vide accommodation that allows them to live in decent condi‐ tions,” Nijar’s mayor Esperanza Perez Felices said. “We are not trying to find a standard solution,” Perez Felices added. “We are limiting ourselves to Nijar, but if our method is of use to anyone they are welcome to copy it.”
MOJACAR’S new health centre will occu‐ py a strategic location in Rambla de Cam‐ pos. “This is an ideal position between the Old Town and beach area and will be near the future bus station,” Mojacar’s mayor Rosmari Cano said, explaining that the lo‐ cation was jointly decided by Andalucia’s Health Service and the town hall.
tion Centre. It was the first activity to be carried out at the site of the fire and followed on from a seminar at the begin‐ ning of March detailing how the iNaturalist association functions. This is a social network of naturalists, citizen scientists and biologists who work to‐ gether to map and share bio‐ diversity worldwide. The Berja participants were asked to collaborate with the network by record‐ ing their observations of veg‐ etation and wildlife in the zones affected by the fire. This in turn will help the experts to assess and plan a recovery project, Berja Town Hall and the university ex‐ plained.
Health centre location Construction will be financed by the re‐ gional government although Mojacar will be responsible for installing sanitation,
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Treasure trove of photographs ALBOX has been left a stunning collection of photographs and nega‐ tives that show the mu‐ nicipality through the years. The family of photog‐ rapher Miguel Romero donated the collection to the cultural associa‐ tion, Somos Albojenses. This includes a record of a visit from former Spanish King Juan Car‐ los and Queen Sofia and images of the floods that Albox has suffered from in the past. The photographer died in 2020 but his legacy lives on in the thousands of donated negatives that Somos Albojenses have worked tirelessly to de‐ velop and bring into the public domain. “The photographer Romero left us an im‐ mense legacy of hu‐ man, artistic and ethnographic her‐ itage, with several thousand photographs which the Romero family put in the hands of Somos Albo‐ jenses for classifica‐ tion and digitisation.” The final collection is not yet complete, but it will soon be shared via ‘Archivo Fotográfico Romero’ on Facebook. “There are pho‐ tographs of the markets of the 70s and 80s in colour, views of Albox and its streets, the floods of 72 and 73, the Sanctuary of the Saliente and the ‘Pe‐ queñica,’ and the visit of the then princes in 1973 amongst many others,” the association explained.
electricity, water, roadworks and urban services. The €1 million cost to the municipality was necessary expenditure, Cano de‐ clared. “Buying urban land was ruled out ow‐ ing to its high cost and the chosen area did not have any of the necessary infras‐ tructure,” she added.
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Mystery Monolith
YET another monolith turned up on Tuesday March 30 on a beach in Girona, on the Costa Brava. The metal monolith, more than two metres tall, and similar to the one which first appeared back in November 2020 in the Utah desert and several others since then, was spotted on Sa Conca beach in the town of Castell‐Platja d’Aro. A spokesperson for the town hall confirmed it was on the beach although it is not known where it came from. Since the first one, several sim‐ ilar metal monoliths have ap‐ peared in different areas of the UK, Romania, Holland, Canada or Poland, as well as Segovia in Spain.
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BBC TV New series
TV series Smoking Gun - A Murder Mystery hopes to film in Almeria’s Tabernas Desert this June. The New Street Pictures show created by former BBC executive Sutish Sharma, has now begun filming again after the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic resulted in a near year-long halt to production. T he show’s producers have asked the S panish government to allow them to film from June 1 to June 14 in A lmeria’s T abernas
Elite Unit First Female Officer SPAIN’S Rapid Action Group (GAR) of the Guardia Civil has made history as they have now been joined by their first female officer. The GAR is an elite unit within the Guardia Civil which car‐ ries out anti‐terrorism oper‐ ations. Lieutenant María Sol Ro‐ dríguez has become the first female to join the elite unit. The closing ceremony of the ‘LI Curso de Adiestramien‐ tos Especiales’ (ADE) was at‐ tended by the Director Gen‐ eral of the Corps, María Gámez. Gámez spoke of the intense and demanding training course that officers have to go through, that tests not only their physical endurance but also the ca‐ pacity of officers to adapt psychologically. She went on to highlight that the Guardia Civil works towards equality and that Rodríguez joining the elite unit was another step for‐ wards towards equality. She also commented on the fact that all positions are open to women based on merit and ability, and that women are just as capable as their male colleagues.
Desert. The show aims to use the Tabernas Desert as a backdrop for a military location. I f approved, the desert will be used to shoot scenes for the show’s head-
quarters of the Nicaraguan Counterrevolutionary Armies. T he show is based around an FBI investigation and is set during the 1980s.
Prices rise again
THE price of electricity is rising again this month in Spain and will be 12 per cent higher at the end of March than it was in February. The electricity bill of an average user is up to around €55.20 per month in March, which is 12.6 per cent more GAS BOTTLES: Also to increase. than in February and 16 per cent more than in March last year, according to the National Markets and Competition Committee. The reasons behind the rising electricity prices in March, according to a report in national Spanish press, are the fact that wind production of electricity has fallen and had to be covered by combined gas cycles, an expensive raw material which must also compensate for CO2 emissions. It also happens when less energy is being produced by renewable sources such as wind and water, as it has to be made using fossil fuels such as gas or coal. The price of petrol also influences production costs. Comparing with last year, another reason is because demand fell during the State of Alarm. Electricity began to rise in April 2019, although this was followed by 19 months of falling prices, then two months of rises, in December 2020 and January 2021, and then another drop in February this year. Meanwhile, the price of butane gas bottles in Spain is also continuing to rise, and is now at €13.96, the highest since January 2019, and it is expected to continue to rise. The Consumer Organisation, OCU, has recommended that families who are having financial difficulties should check if they are entitled to benefits to help pay their energy bills.
Baby Boom GRANADA City is offering a unique cash incentive to prospective par‐ ents in a bid to increase the population. A municipality in Granada has come up with a unique initiative to try and increase its ageing population by offering a cash incentive to people who give birth or adopt a child. Cuevas del Campo has just over 1,700 residents and only one in 10 is under the age of 14, while three in 10 are aged over 75. In an attempt to avoid the further de‐ population of the area, which unfortunately continues to occur in many other regions in Granada, the city council has decided to en‐ courage population growth by offering a payment of €500 for each birth or adoption in the municipality.
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Easter Troops
THE Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that an additional 64,200 troops, consisting of both National Police and Guardia Civil officers, will be deployed throughout Spain to ensure compliance with the perimeter restrictions over Holy Week. The head of the department, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced the measures at a meeting of the Interterritorial Council on Wednesday, March 24, adding that some 9,539 sanctions were handed out to travellers over the San Juan Bridge. The restrictions, which remain in place until April 9, mean that people will not be permitted to travel outside their autonomous communities, except for essential reasons. The minister warned all drivers ahead of Holy Week that an abundance of officers will be patrolling borders to “ensure the effectiveness” of the control measures.
Covid laws will be extended until September UK MPs on Thursday March 25 voted staggeringly in favour of coronavirus laws remaining in place until September, despite Tory rebellion. Despite Matt Hancock admitting he can’t rule out try‐ ing to renew them again, The Commons voted 484 to 76 which is a majority of 408. The Health Secretary was unable to guarantee that it was the final time MPs would be asked to roll‐over the powers. Thirty‐six Conservative MPs voted against the renewal of the Coronavirus Act, while 21 Labour MPs also voted against it. It was questioned by Tory rebels why the laws needed to be kept in place when the lockdown is set to end in June. The law can only be extended for six months at a time.
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Airline Controversy STRUGGLING airline Plus Ultra is in the news again, this time for offer‐ ing so‐called repatriation flights from Spain to Venezuela at an eye‐wa‐ tering €1,200, despite the fact that the Spanish Government put a stop to the return journey last month. The carrier, owned by Venezuelan business‐ men and given a contro‐ versial bail‐out of €53 million by Spain, has ad‐ vertised the flights from Madrid to Caracas begin‐ ning in the first week of April. A complaint has been filed by Vox with the Supreme Court in March as the deputy of Vox claimed that the airline did not meet the require‐ ments to avail of the state aid since “it is not a strategic company with relevance in its sector nor are its losses caused by Covid‐19.”
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Revolutionary Treatment THE Hospital Clínico de Santiago in Galicia has become the first cen‐ tre in the public health system in Spain to successfully complete a treatment with HIFU (high frequency ultrasound) on a patient with Parkinson’s disease, which has been shown to reduce symptoms such as tremors by up to 80 per cent. The revolutionary method produces almost immediate results with a new ultrasound machine that doesn’t require surgical inter‐ vention. Rather, the technology creates a burn of no more than three millimetres in the part of the brain that controls movement. The entire treatment lasts between just 30 and 45 minutes and there is no age limit. According to experts, “spectacular results are achieved, with great safety and with hardly any contraindications.” What’s more, the results last. In Galicia about 4,000 people, mainly elderly, suffer from Parkin‐ son’s disease. Almost half of them fail to see improvements with conventional treatments and or, when they do, suffer side effects.
Less plastic on shelves
AS part of its 6.25 Strategy to reduce the use of plastic by 25 per cent by 2025, supermarket Mercadona has eliminated all singleuse disposable plastic products from its stores and replaced them with more sustainable materials. Through this initiative, the company will invest some €140 million to make all packaging recyclable and, in turn, recycle any plastic waste it might generate. In January, the grocery chain
Hidden epidemic
THE use of drugs such as painkillers among older people globally has risen in recent years and countries must act to address this “hidden epidemic,” the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) has warned in its annual report. “The pandemic has caused great harm to the health and the well-being of older people. However, there is also a hidden
DRUGS: Are being used more by older people. epidemic of drug use affecting this population group,” said Cornelis de Joncheere, Presi-
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dent of the INCB. The reports claims that as the world grows older, drug use among people over 65 has also grown. It found increased use of pain relievers, tranquilisers and sedatives among this demographic. Older people with substance use problems also face unique age-related issues, including isolation or physical challenges.
stopped using plastic bags in its physical stores and online deliveries, replacing them with compostable bags made from potato starch, resulting in a 3,200 tonne reduction in plastic. Having now done away with
the likes of single-use picnic plates and cutlery, Mercadona has introduced new kitchenware made from environmentally friendly materials such as cardboard, wood and sugar cane. The new products are dish-
washer safe and 100 per cent recyclable. Through their commitment to the environment, this new action will reduce the amount of plastic used by 3,000 tonnes per year - the equivalent of 120 lorry-loads.
40 YEARS IN PRISION
PABLO CAMPOS CASTILLO, a 29‐year‐old aid worker from Sevilla, is going to trial on April 20 in Greece for the alleged crime of human trafficking after he picked up a Pales‐ tinian family who was hitchhiking. He faces a possible 40‐year prison sentence (10 years for each family member ‐ the parents and their two children). Mr Castillo told the press that he had been working in Greek refugee camps for four years and nobody in authori‐ ty had told him about the law prohibiting people picking up refugees in their cars. This happened on a rainy, cold night on December 9, 2018. “I stopped without think‐ ing twice,” he said. “I didn’t ask for their pa‐ pers because they wanted to go to Thessa‐ loniki and I had space in my van.” When he stopped to pay a toll, police searched his van and accused him of traffick‐
ing the family. They threw him and his girl‐ friend to the ground, took their mobiles and searched them “from top to bottom while they called us gangsters and traffickers.” Despite the fact that the Palestinian fami‐ ly corroborated his story and a prosecutor acknowledged that a mistake had been made, the Spaniard spent a month in a de‐ tention centre before being deported back to Sevilla and issued with a five‐year ban from Greece. Mr Castillo said that he has paid more than €10,000 in legal costs so far but has been at least able to overturn the five‐year ban, meaning that he can soon travel to Greece to see his girlfriend. “They have stripped me of the most hu‐ man thing a person has, which is to help an‐ other human being,” he concluded.
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IN what is set to be a new first for NASA, they have plans to fly a helicopter for the first time on Mars in April. NASA is set to use the Ingenuity Mars Rover to make the helicopter flight at‐ tempt possible. The aim is to fly the heli‐ copter three vertical metres into the air which due to the Mar‐ tian atmosphere is extremely thin. The helicopter weighs in at
Helicopter On Mars TUI And Jet2 Steam Ahead
around 1.8 kilograms and the first flight is planned for April 8. Farah Alibay, Mars Heli‐ copter integration lead for the Perseverance Rover spoke to Sky News about the flight and explained how all the activi‐ ties are interlinked, and that once started there will be “no
going back.” If everything goes to plan and the flight is successful NASA hopes to carry out a further five flights in the space of a month. Each flight will see the heli‐ copter fly for longer and gain more height in the Martian at‐ mosphere.
THE UK’s two biggest tour operators, Jet2 and TUI, have said that they are going ahead with plans to restart holidays abroad on May 17, despite huge uncertainty over whether British trav‐ ellers will be free to avail of the flights. TUI, the UK’s largest tour operator, insisted “holidays this summer will be possible,” but both companies said they will wait for the situation to be clarified by the UK govern‐ ment’s Global Travel Taskforce on April 12. On Tuesday, March 23, Spain’s Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, announced that travel restrictions on UK tourists would be eased; however, the news was somewhat dampened by the UK government’s an‐ nouncement of the in‐ tention to introduce a law on March 29 which includes a ban on any‐ one leaving the UK without a ‘reasonable excuse,’ and with the risk of a possible £5,000 (€5,805) fine for flouting the new rules.
UK PRESS
EURO W E E K LY N E W S CEO Michel Euesden has been quoted by the UK press in an article showing Spanish authorities have denied claims 500 expats will be de‐ Michel quoted in UK press. ported. The Express newspaper has this morning claimed Spain’s government is not planning mass deporta‐ tions of unregistered UK expats, as suggested by the British press. They quote the Spanish interior ministry as say‐ ing: “Following the UK’s departure from the Euro‐ pean Union, and in accordance with the Brexit agreement with EU countries and international con‐ ventions, British citizens are subject to the same rules as citizens of other third‐party countries. The same article quoted Michel as commenting on reports of large numbers of expats leaving Spain. Meanwhile, Sue Wilson, chair of Bremain in Spain, a group campaigning for the rights of British migrants living in Spain, claimed people face a 90‐ day deadline to leave the country. She said: “These are people who have been flying under the radar for a long time when they should have registered their residence in the country and didn’t for whatever reason. “Many are still planning to do the same and think the Spanish will either turn a blind eye or will take time to get their act together to enforce the law.”
Thousands attended concert FIVE THOUSAND music lovers attended a massive rock concert on Saturday March 27, after undergoing a same‐day Covid‐19 test to under‐ stand its effectiveness in stopping outbreaks of the virus at large events. The Love of Lesbian rock concert had been given spe‐
UK Branches to Close SANTANDER bank has announced plans that will see 111 branches closed throughout the country as more and more people use mobile and online banking rather than visiting their bank in person. The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the shift to online banking too. The closures will see around 840 staff affected although Santander have committed to trying to find them alternative positions within the bank. Santander confirmed that the Coronavirus pandemic has increased the ongoing trend which has seen branch visits reduced.
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Adam Bishop, head of branches at Santander spoke about the difficult decision to close branches and explained that, “Branch usage by customers has fallen considerably over recent years so we have made the difficult decision to consolidate our presence in areas where we have multiple branches relatively close together.” There are also plans afoot to move the bank’s headquarters to Milton Keynes from London. The decision will see the floor space rented out and the capital reduced. Other office closures are planned before the end of the year too.
cial permission from Span‐ ish Health Authorities. The event took place as the rest of the country was unable to have gatherings of more than four people in closed spaces. Although masks were mandatory at the con‐ cert, the people attending were able to mix freely. It is the first commercial event, which was also sold‐ out, of this size to be held in Europe during the pan‐ demic, organisers said. The concert was backed by experts of Barcelona’s The Fight AIDS and Infec‐ tious Diseases Foundation and the local authorities. The foundation also or‐ ganised a case study around a smaller concert in December with 500 people. They concluded that the preliminary case study showed that pre‐screening, antigen tests and the use of face masks was successful in preventing infections within the concert even without social distancing rules.
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Ill Puppies OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil arrested five people on suspicion of selling ill puppies in Castilla‐La Mancha. The gang have been charged with the crimes of animal abuse, document fal‐ sification, fraud and belong‐ ing to a criminal organisa‐ tion. According to police, the puppies fell ill with parvovirus within days of their sale, many of them dying shortly after. Police say they received around 35 complaints from people buying the ill dogs with the first complaint re‐ ceived at the end of 2019, when police discovered the existence of several shops specialised in the sale of pup‐ pies, many of them sick with parvovirus. After that, the Nature Pro‐ tection Service (Seprona) of the Guardia Civil began an in‐ vestigation in which they found that the organisation was engaged in the purchase and sale of puppies who had not been given the correct health treatment.
An update for UK Nationals FROM January 1, UK Nationals have been able to spend 90 days out of every 180 within the Schengen area for tourism or other specific purposes, such as business meetings, without needing a visa. Any stays beyond the 90 days will be dependent on Spain’s visa and immigration rules and any UK Nationals who would like to discuss extending their stay should contact their local extranjería office or call 060. All foreign nationals intending to stay in Spain for longer than three months have always been obliged to register for residency whatever their nationality. Therefore if you arrived in Spain before January 1, you must take steps to become resident if you consider your home to be here. Otherwise, you should be arranging to return to the UK. If you are trying to become resident and are in the process of registering or appealing against your application having been rejected, the 90-day rule does not apply to you. HMA Hugh Elliott said: “I’m aware that many second home
DEAL DONE: Boris Johnson with Jean-Claude Juncker. owners are concerned about overstaying as we reach March 31. “The Spanish Government has been clear that it will take a pragmatic approach to anyone who is stuck in Spain due to circumstances beyond their control, so I don’t want people to be overly worried on that count. However, if people do not intend to become resident here in Spain and see the UK as their base, we do expect them to take steps to return to the UK as soon as they can.” A Spanish Ministry of Inclusion spokesperson said: “The Spanish
Government is working to provide maximum legal certainty for British citizens resident in Spain. Throughout the negotiations, the issue of citizens’ rights has been, and remains, one of the main priorities. Spain is the country of residence of the largest community of UK nationals in the EU. “The Spanish Government has no plans to deport British citizens who have made Spain their home and, for this reason, Spain has been one of the first EU countries to establish a documentation procedure under the Withdrawal Agreement, which consists of a declaratory system to apply for the new residence permit (TIE). We remind British citizens that, although there is no time limit, it is important to make this application as soon as possible as, among other things, it will facilitate the administrative processing and the crossing of the external borders of the European Union.” If you are in the UK and considering travelling to Spain or are
in Spain and have friends or family wanting to visit, you should be aware of the continuing travel restrictions on both leaving the UK and entering Spain. UK Nationals must make sure that they meet both the requirements to leave the UK and those to enter Spain, bearing in mind that they are not the same. From March 30, entry to Spain will only be granted to those passengers who can demonstrate that their journey is essential, as well as to those who are already legally resident in Spain. Entering merely to visit, even if you have a second home here, is not a justified reason for entry. You may be questioned on arrival by Spanish border authorities to ensure you meet the entry requirements and they will only grant entry if they are satisfied that your journey to Spain is essential and reserve the right to deny passage. Ultimately, the decision on whether to grant entry into Spain is made by Spanish border officials as set out in our Travel Advice. For the latest information and links to the restrictions on leaving the UK and entering Spain, we advise people to visit our Travel Advice page on gov.uk and sign up for alerts, so that they are notified of any changes: https://www.gov.uk/foreigntravel-advice/spain.
NEWS
Asylum Seeker Prison IN a move that has caused some contro‐ versy, the Home Office has defended plans for a new prison style facil‐ ity to be built near Con‐ sett, in County Durham. The new de‐ tention facility is set to home asylum seekers and will be built on the Medomsley Detention Centre site. The Home Office have defended the scheme that is set to house around 80 women, and will be called the Has‐ sockfield immigration re‐ moval centre. They claim that the new site will not only create jobs but will also help control immigration. Speaking to the House of Commons Chris Philp, a Home Of‐ fice Minister responsible for immigration spoke of how valid asylum seek‐ ers will still be looked af‐ ter, but explained that the new site is needed. Philip explained that, “When people have valid asylum claims, we should of course look af‐ ter them, but when they do not, we should en‐ sure that they leave. “It will create local jobs, and only people with no right to stay in the country will be there.”
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Sánchez Visits ‘Supercomputer’
CIRRUS: Will be operational in May.
PEDRO SÁNCHEZ, the President of the Spanish government, on Thursday March 25, attended the headquarters of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), to visit the new supercomputer ‘Cirrus’ and the National Prediction Centre, where he chaired the meteoro-
logical and coordination briefing, and met with key members from the units that make up the SNP. ‘Cirrus’ will be the second most powerful supercomputer in Spain, only surpassed by the MareNostrum of the National Supercomputing Centre of Barcelona, and will be operational in May. Cirrus will be the ‘brain’ of AEMET, and be the information base of its weather predictions, and in addition to making meteorological predictions with the use of prediction models, the computer has been fed with all of the climatological data from the last 125 years. The computing power of ‘Cirrus’ is such that it makes it possible to generate much faster weather predictions, which is essential for providing advance warnings of adverse weather events, aiding air navigation for the likes of AENA and ENAIRE, with air traffic control, plus services for Defence, among others, in addition to the new climate services and early warning services established in the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change (PNACC).
NEWS
Heroic Save of Boy OFF-DUTY firefighter Russ Jones, aged 24, has been praised by the West Midlands Fire service for his ‘swift and selfless actions’ which saved a young boy’s life.
Russell had been off duty on Thursday, March 18 but when a Birmingham house caught fire on Farren Road in Northfield, he did everything he could do to help.
Moroccans may go home this summer THE Moroccan government has told Spain that it intends to welcome back its citizens living abroad this summer. Last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the operation, known as ‘Paso del Estrecho’ (Crossing the Strait) in Spain and ‘Operation Marhaba’ (Welcome Operation) in Morocco, did not take place. It was cancelled by Morocco, which has had its borders closed to passengers for a year, allowing only goods to enter. In the summer of 2019, when the operation (OPE) took place as normal, more than three million Moroccans returned to their homeland to spend the summer holidays, travelling through Spain and leaving mainly from Algeciras and Tarifa in Cadiz, as well as other ports in the south of Spain. According to the Moroccan press, citing Assahifa Arabic, have reported that the Moroccan government has transmitted their plans to the Spanish government, although, of course, it will ultimately depend on the epidemiological situation.
Being off-duty firefighter Russ did not have any of his firefighting equipment, but after hearing screams coming from the property he knew he had to save the young boy, of only four years old, that he knew to be trapped in the property. Speaking of the young boy trapped in the fire Russ explained that, “As soon as I saw the fire and was told a young child was missing in the property, I had to do something. The fire was too intense upstairs and because I could hear the screams I knew the boy had to be on the ground floor. Russ has been praised by the West Midlands Fire service and Marc Hudson Group Commander said, “The swift and selfless actions of Firefighter Jones represent the very best of West Midlands Fire Service. “We’re very proud of Russ for saving the young boy’s life, had he not acted so quickly and professionally, this incident may have ended in tragedy.”
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
THE European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, assured that Brussels will provide to Spain “what it needs” to achieve immunisa‐ tion of 70 per cent of the adult population by the summer. He made this vow while visit‐ ing the site of the new Janssen vaccine plant in Barcelona with Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, on
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Brussels Will Deliver
Friday, March 26. The Sant Joan Despi plant, operated by phar‐ maceutical company Reig Jofre, will begin manufacturing the new vaccine in June and will be capable of turning out one mil‐ lion doses a day. The Commissioner said that
Brussels doesn’t consider the use of Russia’s Sputnik V Covid jab necessary at the moment, since there are already four ap‐ proved vaccines, with a fifth, Novavax, on the way. He added that they are con‐ stantly working to improve the
supply from the 52 pharmaceu‐ tical companies currently pro‐ ducing the jabs, and that by mid‐July some 420 million dos‐
es will have been delivered throughout Europe. Ms Maroto added that 5.5 million doses of the one‐shot Janssen vaccine are due to ar‐ rive in Spain in April, which will go a long way to accelerating the vaccination process.
Ibuprofen in Rivers
IT is no secret that our rivers and oceans are becoming ever more polluted due to agriculture, industry and wastewater treatments in particular, but it may come as a surprise that we now need to begin worrying about the amount of over‐the‐counter and prescrip‐ tion drugs that end up in Spanish waters. A scientific team from the University of Landau in Germany has carried out an in‐depth study of the huge existing data bank on the state of surface waters in Europe, and found a high level of Ibuprofen and other anti‐inflam‐ matory medications in Spanish rivers. Scientists have only been monitoring pharmaceuti‐ cal products since 2010, but they discovered that these products occurred at a much higher frequency than any of the other chemicals being recorded, par‐ ticularly in Spanish waters. Given that some of these drugs have detrimental ef‐ fects on aquatic systems, the authors believe “contin‐ uous monitoring of these substances is essential.”
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Suez Canal traffic resumes
THE stranded 200,000‐tonne container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for almost a week has been refloated. However, this is going to af‐ fect the Spanish economy, ac‐ cording to Jordi Espin Vallbona, Secretary General of Transprime and policy manager for maritime transport at the European Ship‐ pers’ Council. Around 12 per cent of the world’s freight and oil tanker traffic passes through the canal, and the jam will result in Spanish imports and exports having to take a more circuitous route, a cost which is sure to be passed on to the consumer, Mr Espin told Spanish daily 20 minutes. Freighters could not pass through the canal, they had to go around the the southern tip of Africa to reach European ports. This detour extended travel by a week, naturally cost‐ ing more in fuel and man hours, something that shipping compa‐ nies are bound to pass on to their European customers, ac‐ cording to Mr Espin.
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
1 - 7 April 2021
Lockdown pets
THE Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA) has released its annual pet population data confirming that 3.2 million households in the UK have acquired a pet since the start of the pandemic. Two thirds (59 per cent) of new owners are aged 16-34 and 56 per cent of new pet owners have children at home. Although 74 per cent claim their pet has helped their mental health through the pandemic, the study raises pet welfare concerns. There are now 34 million pets in the UK including 12 million cats and 12 million dogs, 3.2 million small mammals such as guinea pigs and hamsters, three million birds and 1.5 million reptiles. There are also five million aquaria. Notably, over a third (38 per cent) of new owners claimed that having a new pet was like having a new baby and almost a fifth (17 per cent) of families with children admitted that training was more challenging than expected. Sadly, 5 per cent have already had to give up a pet and this figure increased to 11 per cent among families.
PET OWNERS: Have increased during lockdown.
Covid Test Providers COVID-19 test provider Collinson has announced it is expand‐ ing its operations with the launch of a drive‐through testing fa‐ cility in APH’s long‐stay car park located near Gatwick airport. The company said it will also increase testing capabilities with in‐terminal facilities at Luton airport next month, adding to its existing drive‐through offering. This follows the announcement last week of the drive‐ through and walk‐in centres at the O2 Arena’s car park. Collinson already has testing operations supporting all major hubs in England including Heathrow, Manchester, Stansted, London City and East Midlands airports. David Evans, joint chief executive at Collinson, said: “Our ongoing work with the aviation and travel industry, coupled with our investment in creating the most flexible, convenient testing processes for passengers coming in and out of the UK, goes hand in hand with our commitment to helping the travel industry recover.
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NEWS
Twenty-eight people arrested A CRIMINAL organisation specialising in the theft, modification and distribution of vehicles has been dismantled in a joint operation between Guardia Civil and National Police. In an operation codenamed Eleanor-Tejar, 28 people have been arrested and 22 vehicles have been recovered in Madrid, Toledo and Gijon. Around €20,000 in cash, a pistol, ammunition, taser guns, diagnostic machines, switchboards, speedometers, licence plates, hashish and cocaine have also been seized.
Organisation dismantled. The investigation began in August of last year after the theft of a vehicle in the Madrid town of Alcobendas. In October last year another
Bizarre New Covid Nose Mask
SCIENTISTS in Mexico have created a new nose‐only mask de‐ signed for people to protect themselves from Covid‐19 while they eat and drink. Like most face masks, the so‐called ‘eating mask’ has two straps to fasten behind each ear but covers just the nose. Some observers cheered the idea on Twitter, saying it would “reduce transmission,” while others poked fun at its goofy look. “Hardly a new invention, clowns have been wearing them for years,” one user posted along with a photo of a bright red clown nose. Human cells that give people a sense of smell are a key en‐ try point for coronavirus, making nose coverings important, ac‐ cording to Johns Hopkins University.
vehicle theft with a similar modus operandi was perpetrated at a dealership in Tres Cantos, leading police to believe that they were linked and to launch an investigation into other similar crimes which could have been perpetrated by the same gang. Another branch of the organisation transferred the stolen vehicles to a warehouse in Arganda del Rey, to carry out the so-called ‘twin’ method, which consists of placing chassis numbers on the stolen cars taken from others exactly the same which they acquired in a scrap yard. Yet another branch would sell the chopped vehicles. They would also advertise the cars for sale on internet sites using false data and front men for the sales. Police report that they also orchestrated insurance scams reporting the theft of vehicles that they later chopped and sold. They had state-of-the-art technological equipment and people with extensive knowledge and experience in the automotive world.
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NEWS
Historic first visit
T H E King and Queen of Spain are on a state visit to Andorra, the first official visit by a Spanish monarch in the country’s 700-year history. Don Felipe V I and Doña Letizia, accompanied by the Foreign Minister, Arancha Gonzalez, were received by the co-princes at the Casa de la Vall, the old headquarters of Parliament in the capital. The archbishop of La Seu d’Urgell (Lleida), Joan Enric Vives, and Patrick Strzoda, the representative of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who is the other head of state of Andorra, welcomed the monarchs, who arrived by helicopter. The reception with honours on the esplanade of the Casa de la Vall was also attended by the President of the Andorran Government, Xavier Espot, and the general trustee, Roser Suñe. Spain established formal diplomatic relations in 1993
ANDORRA: The King and Queen were on a state visit. with Andorra once it was recognised as a State by the United Nations. Until now, the highest authority that had visited Andorra from Spain was the President, Mariano Rajoy, in
2015, four years after Spain stopped considering Andorra a tax haven. A shopkeeper waiting outside his business to see the King and Queen told them, “you are welcome here.”
Alliance between Amazon and Dia THE alliance between Amazon and supermarket chain Dia has now reached eight cities in Spain. In the past nine months, the service, which allows users to buy products from Dia via the Amazon app, has expanded to Sevilla, Malaga, Alicante, Bilbao and most recently to Zaragoza. The project began in Madrid in 2016, with Barcelona fol‐ lowing in 2017 and Valencia in 2018. The head of Amazon Fresh and Amazon.com in Spain, Camille Bur, highlighted that the initiative allows for an “im‐ proved shopping experience” on the internet. The fast delivery service allows for products to be delivered to the user’s home in two‐hour slots on the same day or the following day. Dia offers Amazon customers more than 5,500 articles of its white label, as well as fresh products and other brands; orders received via Amazon are prepared by staff of the chain of supermarkets in their stores and delivered by Ama‐ zon. In 2020 it doubled its income in this way, to €139 million.
Held Hostage and Tortured SOLDIER Cobhan McLelland, aged 19, has suffered from hor‐ rific knife wounds, broken bones, burns and stab wounds after he was allegedly abducted and held hostage during a horrif‐ ic three‐hour ordeal during a Tinder date. The young soldier left the Dreghorn Barracks in Edinburgh on Saturday night, March 21 as he set off to meet a woman for a date. Sadly, the soldier was lat‐ er rushed to hospital after he was held hostage and tortured for several hours. According to Cobhan’s family
he was “held hostage in an un‐ provoked attack.” Due to the horrific injuries that Cobhen sus‐ tained he will need specialist care for his burns and wounds in the future. The family have reached out via a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for Cob‐ han’s long road to recovery. The family also told of how their “funny and humorous boy” is now scared to sleep at night. Police have been able to con‐ firm that a 19‐year‐old man has been arrested, and that he has been remanded in custody.
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NEWS
Future health threats Mauled By Five Dogs A NEW UK Health Securi‐ ty Agency (UKHSA) to plan for, prevent and re‐ spond to external health threats such as infectious diseases, such as Covid, was announced by the government on Thursday,
March 25. Deputy Chief Medical Of‐ ficer, Dr Jenny Harries, will become Chief Executive of the ‘mission‐driven body to harness the UK’s public health protection, science, intelligence, testing and
delivery expertise.’ The UKHSA ‐ previously the National Institute for Health Protection ‐ will be the UK leader for health se‐ curity, providing intellectu‐ al, scientific and opera‐ tional leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage, said the government in a statement.
A 65-YEAR-OLD man from Tavernes Blanques suffered serious injuries when he was attacked by five dogs while taking a walk on a quiet country road in Valencia, and was saved from a worse outcome by a quickthinking cyclist. According to Spanish daily Informacion, the gentleman was making his way to his mother-in-law’s house for lunch along the road to l’Alqueria el Grande, which he does every day, when he was set upon by the five animals. “I saw five large dogs approaching,” the
Ryanair Masks RYANAIR boss claims masks will remain compulsory on flights until 2022. Irish airline giant Ryanair announced on Wednesday, March 24, that masks are here to stay, at least until next year. Chief Michael O’Leary said that as the company gears up to a bumper summer flight schedule with 2,300 additional trips planned, the airline will continue to require all passengers to wear masks until at least 2022. His comments come after the airline announced a big expan‐ sion to its summer schedule, with 26 new routes available to and from the UK with more flights to tourist destinations including Rhodes, Crete, Ibiza, Milan and Alicante. To celebrate their new routes, the airline has announced a sale which includes fares from £19.99 (€23.17) each way this sum‐ mer.
distressed victim recalled. “I thought they would pass by but when they were three or four metres away they began to bark at me and they surrounded me,” he said. They then began to close in, biting at his legs. “I tried to get rid of them, I tried to move but it was impossible. When one of them moved away, another one bit me and another pounced. They were savages,” he said. Although the road he was walking on is a popular route for hikers and cyclists, the lane was deserted and the retiree feared the worst. “I tried to avoid falling because I knew if I did they would kill me. I saw death up close,” the traumatised victim recalls. Right at the critical moment, a cyclist happened along and began kicking out at the dogs scaring them away. He then called an ambulance which transferred the man to hospital. According to the victim, the owners of the dogs are now being investigated and he has received support from dozens of locals online, many of whom claim to have been attacked by the very same dogs. The man’s family is trying to locate the cyclist, who they believe saved the man’s life. “Thank you very much, angel saviour. We would like to meet you. Also to the people who stayed with me for an hour or so until the ambulance arrived. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
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EUROPEAN PRESS
EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK
FRANCE
Working hours
Space wine
ACCORDING to a report prepared by UK healthcare software provider Vantage Technologies, Denmark has the shortest working week amongst all European Union countries at 37.8 hours and 36 days annual leave with Spain clocking in at 40.4 hours and the UK 42.3 hours.
RESEARCHERS in Bordeaux have been given the job of tasting and analysing wine that spent a year on the International Space Station and one bonus is that there were 12 bottles of the legendary Petrus Pomerol each of which sells for several thousand euros.
NETHERLANDS Hacked off
NORWAY Silent engines
HACKERS are offering for sale 7.3 million names, addresses and telephone numbers which they claim were taken from the data base of Dutch IT company RDS which runs a service to garages allowing them to remind drivers that they are due for a check-up.
THE Norwegian Government has decided that Bergen Engines (owned by Rolls Royce) may not sell its silent engines to a Russian company (whose owners have links to Vladimir Putin) as national security interests may be compromised since the engines are in use by the Norwegian Navy.
BELGIUM
FINLAND
Name calling
Crossing borders
A FLEMISH couple (who speak Dutch) were initially told by a registration official in Brussels that they couldn’t call their child Hannes which is short for Johannes because it sounded too much like French word ânesse the name for a female donkey.
DESPITE the fact that the Finnish government has tightened entry restrictions there is still significant traffic from Estonia with some 10,600 visitors arriving at the port of Helsinki in one week alone, all mainly cross border workers, with just 64 passengers refused entry.
GERMANY Citizenship ALTHOUGH Germany has made it easier for the descendants of Jews who fled Nazi Germany to gain citizenship, there were still loopholes in the law which will now be changed as a symbolic gesture of apology to those who may have been refused in the past.
SWEDEN Emission fees IN the same way that some electric cars pay less road tax, the Swedish Government has decided that aircraft landing and taking off from Stockholm and Gothenburg airports will be charged fees based on their emissions, so the greener the fuel, the lower the charge.
FINANCE Equal pay SOME 42,000 staff at ASDA have moved another step forward in what could be a long legal battle as the UK Supreme Court ruled that store workers (who are mainly women) should be entitled to compare themselves to distribution staff (mainly men) for equal pay purposes.
Production down ALTHOUGH there are considerably more home deliveries across the world, UK commercial vehicle production fell 45.4 per cent in February, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders due to parts shortages, new customs processes and international lockdown measures which have made production difficult.
Greater spend THE Spanish Social Security Department allocated a record figure of €10.119 billion to the payment of contributory pensions for March 2021 which is 2.4 per cent more than in the same month of 2020, according to an announcement by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
Meal box IF you have ever wondered what it would be like to enjoy the luxury of a first class meal on a British Airways intercontinental flight, now is the time to find out as the airline is offering £80 (€90) meal boxes for two to cook at home.
Price cuts AS Carrefour in Spain starts work on assimilating the recent Supersol takeover into its family, it has also announced further price cuts as the competition with other supermarkets intensifies. Some 1,000 own products have been reduced in price and a further 600 in a mix between own products and national brands have been repriced at 99c. The supermarket chain has identified the most popular products with customers and has also reduced the amount of sugar, saturated fat and salt added to 380 of its own brand products.
STAT OF WEEK
www.euroweeklynews.com • 1 - 7 April 2021
€2 billion
is the latest market valuation for Glovo, the Spanish start-up which competes with Deliveroo and Uber Eats in the fast food delivery market.
Spanish support schemes
New low-cost airline ONE of the founders of the now partially bankrupt Norwegian Air, Bjørn Kjos is looking to return to the cheap intercontinental air‐ line market. The 74‐year‐old retired as CEO of Norwegian two years ago, but could now benefit from its demise as he is talking about leasing 12 of the Norwegian Air Boeing 787 Dreamliners which were purchased dur‐ ing his tenure.
He wants to create Norse Atlantic Airways with an initial investment of 1.5 bil‐ lion Norwegian Krone (€147.6 million) working with former colleagues in‐ cluding Espen Høiby, a for‐ mer SAS pilot and brother of Crown Princess Mette‐ Marit. He told NRK “We’ll start with 12 of Norwegian’s for‐ mer Dreamliners. The dif‐ ference between us and Norwegian is that we don’t
LEGALLY SPEAKING
have any debt, and we can get the aircraft for half‐ price.” In the meantime, credi‐ tors of Norwegian including more than 30,000 passen‐ gers as well as former staff are left unpaid due to the bankruptcy protection granted to the airline in Ire‐ land and Norway. Some critics argue that it was the speed in which Kjos grew the airline and the massive purchase of
aircraft which it couldn’t re‐ ally afford that spelled doom for Norwegian which was suffering financially even before the advent of the Covid‐19 pandemic. Time will tell whether there is going to be a viable market for transatlantic travel in the near future, al‐ though Norse Atlantic Air‐ ways hope to float on the Norwegian stock market within a month or so and start flights in December.
Suppliers slashed
Clean Cars Get Stickers
Credit: Boohoo.com
BUSINESS EXTRA
26
Various readers have inquired about ob‐ taining ‘ecological stickers’ for their cars of low carbon emissions. One reader was told that the stickers were already being sent out as early as 2017 and he wonders if he will get one.
In theory he should receive his sticker YOU AND THE LAW in the post be‐ IN SPAIN cause the DGT, the traffic department, already has access to all of the vehicles’ data on the In‐ ternet. The ‘Cero Emisiones’ sticker is dark blue with a big black Zero on it and it applies to all‐electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles that can plug into chargers and some others. The next level is green and blue and is called ‘Eco’. It includes vehicles driven by natural gas and some battery‐run. The ‘C’ sticker is green and is issued to gasoline‐powered vehicles registered after January 1, 2006, and diesels registered from 2014. The ‘B’ sticker is yellow and is issued to gasoline‐driv‐ en vehicles registered after 2000 and diesels after 2006. The easiest way for you to speed up the process is to go with your car papers to the post office and order a stick‐ er. This will cost you €5.
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.
SPANISH supermarket group DIA announced on Thursday March 25 that it has agreed to convert debt owed to its main shareholder LetterOne in‐ to equity. It intends to offer new shares to existing share‐ holders worth €1.028 bil‐ lion of which the bulk will
ONLINE: Fashion aimed at those aged 16 to 30. THE value of shares in online UK fashion retailer Boohoo dropped dramatically in the second half of 2020 after The Sunday Times accused it of buying goods from companies which didn’t pay the minimum wage. Similar accusations followed from other newspapers and on social media which prompt‐ ed the company to completely review its supply line and con‐ sider opening its own factory. The company which also owns a number of other on‐ line retailers such as Pretty Lit‐ tle Things recently purchased a number of labels including Burtons, Debenhams and Dorothy Perkins following the
demise of Arcadia. A review of the working conditions of its network of factories, some of which were alleged to pay staff just £3.50 (€4) an hour has resulted in a decision to drastically reduce its suppliers from an estimated 500 to just 78, the majority of which operate out of Leicester. The report which was pre‐ pared under the guidance of a barrister revealed that some of the top people at the company were aware of the problems before they were reported in the press and had also used the opportunity of lockdown to benefit financially from the opportunities arising out of lockdown.
DIA supermarket equity be converted from the debt of €769 million it owes to Luxembourg based LetterOne which is owned by Russian billion‐ aire Mikhail Fridman. The balance of shares
valued at €269 million will be offered to other shareholders and replaces an earlier plan to convert just €500 million of debt to equity. The supermarket chain
continues to operate at a significant loss although its 2020 figures showed that the loss more than halved compared to the previous year at €364 mil‐ lion thanks to a signifi‐
THE European Commission has agreed three existing Spanish schemes to support the econo‐ my following the coronavirus outbreak to be in line with the State Aid Temporary Frame‐ work. Executive Vice‐President Mar‐ grethe Vestager, who is in charge of competition policy, said, “The amendments we have approved today will help Spanish companies preserve economic activity in these diffi‐ cult times by adapting and en‐ hancing existing Spanish schemes already in force. “We continue to work in close cooperation with Member States to find workable solutions to mitigate the economic impact of the Coronavirus outbreak, in line with EU rules.”
Canadian contract ITP Aero, a Spanish sub‐ sidiary of Rolls Royce En‐ gines will provide mainte‐ nance services for Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW814 and PW815 engines. It will become the exclu‐ sive provider of a range of services and this is the first time that it has obtained such a contract in the civil field and work will be car‐ ried out at its Madrid facili‐ ties. Having experienced fi‐ nancial setbacks, like many other companies in the avi‐ ation industry, due to Covid‐19 and huge reduc‐ tions in flights and sales of engines, this is welcome news. cant increase in purchases during the State of Alarm. It now hopes with a sig‐ nificant reduction in debt and with the support of its shareholders that it can follow its roadmap to return to profitability, es‐ pecially as it now has no significant debt repay‐ ments due until 2025.
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C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 29
COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.175,00 1.175,00 Admiral Group 3.018,0 3.051,0 Anglo American 2.815,5 2.836,0 Antofagasta 1.667,50 1.685,00 Ashtead Group 4.317,0 4.334,0 Associated British Foods 2.406,0 2.406,0 AstraZeneca 7.298,0 7.299,7 Auto Trader Group Plc 568,60 569,20 Avast 468,00 468,00 Aveva 3.434,0 3.437,0 Aviva 400,50 401,60 B&M European Value Retail SA539,00 540,60 BAE Systems 497,80 497,80 Bank VTB DRC 0,970 0,975 Barclays 180,04 182,08 Barratt Developments 766,46 767,42 Berkeley 4.449,5 4.452,0 BHP Group 2.091,00 2.093,00 BP 299,24 301,60 British American Tobacco 2.812,5 2.813,0 British Land Company 511,60 512,60 BT Group 150,59 152,10 Bunzl 2.308,0 2.308,0 Burberry Group 1.904,0 1.905,5 Carnival 1.569,5 1.595,1 Centrica 51,60 52,16 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.330,0 2.330,0 Compass 1.469,30 1.478,20 CRH 3.350,0 3.353,0 Croda Intl 6.420,0 6.420,0 DCC 6.514,0 6.524,0 Diageo 3.005,5 3.007,5 DS Smith 410,94 411,94 EasyJet 948,47 962,02 Experian 2.516,0 2.516,0 Ferguson 8.840,0 8.850,0 Flutter Entertainment 16.395,0 16.525,0 Fresnillo 912,20 916,80 GlaxoSmithKline 1.300,74 1.304,32 Glencore 282,54 284,99 Halma 2.397,0 2.397,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.540,14 1.540,14 Hikma Pharma 2.239,00 2.239,00 HSBC 420,45 421,90 IAG 194,05 196,32 Imperial Brands 1.506,50 1.508,00 Informa 565,20 565,80 InterContinental 4.946,0 4.961,0 Intermediate Capital 1.880,00 1.880,00 Intertek 5.658,0 5.658,0 ITV 126,84 127,80
% CHG. 1.169,00 2.998,0 2.814,5 1.664,00 4.310,0 2.390,2 7.282,0 560,60 458,00 3.407,0 400,10 539,00 496,10 0,970 180,00 761,40 4.436,4 2.081,00 298,87 2.786,7 510,00 149,10 2.303,0 1.890,6 1.569,5 51,56 2.305,0 1.469,30 3.339,0 6.380,3 6.478,0 2.987,5 408,78 948,11 2.495,0 8.792,0 16.385,0 902,80 1.299,40 282,41 2.383,0 1.524,70 2.223,00 420,31 193,49 1.494,00 563,80 4.922,0 1.880,00 5.608,0 126,53
NET VOL 13,05K 1,91K 52,47K 10,20K 19,66K 0,87K 5,04K 12,49K 9,00K 2,79K 88,65K 9,12K 10,63K 10,54K 2,33M 7,23K 2,69K 83,00K 209,23K 3,04K 10,41K 1,37M 5,58K 8,92K 3,98K 120,86K 7,69K 2,21K 27,22K 0,75K 1,70K 56,12K 30,42K 42,33K 27,73K 4,99K 4,44K 5,50K 20,71K 186,09K 3,19K 3,74K 3,22K 20,80K 303,84K 20,03K 19,38K 3,98K 0,04K 2,11K 33,52K
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
245,50 3.046,5 703,20 277,80 41,96 7.122,0 469,90 167,65 1.917,50 867,60 190,45 7.914,0 29,62 2.117,39 2.990,4 732,80 1.555,50 6.460,0 1.836,00 495,40 596,86 5.554,0 105,50 7,59 1.441,0 1.440,75 1.371,0 682,00 613,20 1.806,00 15,31 3.460,0 1.129,40 941,20 2.325,0 1.371,00 1.557,00 11.590,0 1.448,50 1.267,00 499,40 290,00 182,32 228,98 352,20 4.081,0 918,60 132,52 3.420,0 928,40
CHANGE(P)
% CHG.
NET VOL
246,00 3.046,5 706,50 278,45 42,13 7.162,0 482,50 168,05 1.917,50 867,60 191,65 7.932,0 29,65 2.123,00 2.995,5 734,00 1.562,00 6.460,0 1.836,00 497,80 598,36 5.555,0 106,94 7,60 1.450,6 1.446,40 1.374,6 682,80 613,20 1.812,00 15,38 3.460,0 1.134,79 941,20 2.325,0 1.371,00 1.568,00 11.605,0 1.449,59 1.267,00 499,77 290,00 182,68 230,06 358,90 4.081,0 918,60 133,98 3.450,0 929,00
244,30 3.030,6 699,80 276,50 41,80 7.088,0 469,90 167,45 1.912,93 860,60 190,25 7.900,0 29,20 2.087,14 2.964,2 730,80 1.554,50 6.416,0 1.813,50 493,30 593,34 5.522,0 105,50 7,59 1.439,8 1.440,20 1.368,8 681,80 611,40 1.799,00 15,28 3.446,0 1.113,11 934,63 2.288,0 1.359,69 1.552,50 11.515,0 1.438,50 1.260,00 498,90 285,40 180,93 228,74 351,80 4.048,0 909,40 132,32 3.420,0 925,00
53,09K 0,27K 13,57K 79,45K 2,77M 27,94K 4,24K 37,50K 0,70K 105,62K 274,36K 1,03K 66,18K 6,22K 4,63K 17,59K 130,03K 24,54K 232,66K 85,88K 2,24K 4,92K 453,68K 3,07K 309,35K 4,02K 35,72K 245,90K 4,26K 0,88K 57,04K 3,07K 100,79K 5,12K 8,76K 5,17K 14,72K 1,28K 9,92K 1,06K 19,06K 24,60K 146,38K 133,15K 306,54K 14,05K 42,85K 3,18M 3,85K 31,91K
0.85546
1.16799 Units per €
US dollar (USD) ......................................1.17865 Japan yen (JPY)......................................129.147 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.1065 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4361 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.112
currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 29
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 194,88 2.035,55 3.052,03 252,86 121,21 244,87 229,50 107,48 52,57 53,04 283,02 327,39 303,81 218,53 136,38 64,87 164,93 155,09 225,21 77,39 236,48 132,99 135,45 209,09 618,71 376,48 58,18 213,53 135,13 185,92
CHANGE 194,95 2.050,99 3.056,66 253,28 121,48 250,90 229,84 107,54 52,64 53,11 284,50 335,45 304,00 218,69 136,48 64,97 165,10 155,45 225,28 77,47 236,71 133,19 135,61 209,41 643,82 377,06 58,25 213,70 135,20 188,98
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 192,21 2,68M 2.014,02 1,49M 2.996,00 3,31M 245,54 2,64M 118,92 94,07M 240,30 17,16M 225,21 3,04M 105,36 9,82M 50,56 32,00M 51,76 17,13M 277,77 17,63M 322,69 3,08M 296,03 5,87M 214,14 2,54M 133,12 5,57M 61,77 34,71M 161,38 7,62M 152,55 16,75M 222,42 3,26M 75,85 9,91M 231,55 25,48M 129,77 10,01M 132,48 10,82M 204,77 7,33M 599,89 33,85M 370,29 2,96M 57,38 19,63M 207,70 7,40M 133,42 9,55M 182,57 10,20M M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 29
COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
+1.55% +2.41% +3.52% +7.14% +6.61% +4.10% +2.10% +3.73% +107.45% +6.86% +4.41%
4.63M 377,006 191,708 1.93M 1.87M 114,983 584,593 569,255 2.59M 1.65M 2.89M
-3.39% -27.31% -25.60% -27.45% -29.55% -3.40% -3.56% -15.57% -8.52% -8.43% -0.43%
33.85M 216.63M 1.31M 106.07M 45.68M 5.16M 257,651 7,282 1.53M 5.49M 1.49M
Most Advanced Amazon.com Inc. Booking Holdings Inc. Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A ASML Holding N.V. Lam Research Corp. First Citizens Bancshares Inc. Cl A MercadoLibre Inc. Intuitive Surgical Inc. Design Therapeutics Inc. KLA Corp. Broadcom Inc.
Most Declined Tesla Inc. ViacomCBS Inc. Cl B ViacomCBS Inc. Cl A Discovery Inc. Series A Discovery Inc. Series C Roku Inc. Cl A arGEN-X SE ADR Discovery Inc. Series B Fulgent Genetics Inc. JOYY Inc. ADR Alphabet Inc. Cl C
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com
Currency outlook: US dollar soars amid surging yields, euro tumbles on renewed coronavirus concerns
EUROZONE: Data has been mixed over the past month.
ASK THE EXPERT Peter Loveday
Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com
Euro EUR/GBP: Up from £0.85 to £0.86 EUR/USD: Down from $1.21 to $1.18 The euro continued to struggle to attract sup‐ port through March with the EU’s sluggish vac‐ cine rollout remaining a key source of pressure for the single currency. Further diminishing the appeal of the euro for investors in the past couple of weeks has been the startling resurgence of coronavirus cases across the continent, with Europe’s third wave forcing countries to tighten restrictions once more. Meanwhile, data coming from the Eurozone has been mixed over the past month, with some positive releases offering temporary respite for the single currency, but unable to re‐ verse the prevailing selling bias. Looking ahead, barring a dramatic improve‐ ment in Europe’s vaccine rollout or a sharp drop in local coronavirus cases, it’s likely we could see the euro remain on the back foot through much of April. Pound GBP/EUR: Down from €1.16 to €1.15 GBP/USD: Down from $1.41 to $1.36 March has seen the pound struggle to main‐ tain the highs hit back in February as a key pillar of support for Sterling through the start of 2021, its successful vaccination programme, now ap‐ pears to be under threat due to shortages and potential export bans from the EU. This has stoked concerns that the UK govern‐ ment will need to alter its roadmap for easing lockdown, something which Boris Johnson also warned about when schools reopened at the start of the month.
However, Sterling has still been able to find some support through the past month, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s budget providing a lift after he announced a more generous than ex‐ pected stimulus package and opted to defer tax hikes until 2023. Turning to April, the focus for GBP investors will be on whether the government moves for‐ ward with its plans to reopen more of the econ‐ omy on April 12, with any delays due to the vac‐ cine shortage or Europe’s third wave ‘washing up on UK shores’ likely to negatively impact GBP exchange rates. US Dollar USD/GBP: Up from £0.70 to £0.72 USD/EUR: Up from €0.82 to €0.84 The US dollar has stormed higher over the past month, with the currency garnering signifi‐ cant support amidst a sharp rise in US Treasury yields, which have surged on expectations for a robust US economic recovery and a rapid accel‐ eration of domestic inflation. The safe‐haven ‘Greenback’ has attracted ad‐ ditional support in the second half of March due to a notable souring of market sentiment fol‐ lowing the coronavirus resurgence in Europe and renewed tensions between the West and China. The US dollar’s rally in March didn’t come without its hiccups however, with USD ex‐ change rates slumping sharply following the Federal Reserve’s latest policy meeting, in which it struck a more dovish than expected tone. Looking ahead, the US dollar may maintain its upward trajectory through April so long as yields continue to accelerate as investors re‐ main skittish over the global economic recovery in 2021. Currencies Direct have helped over 325,000 customers save on their currency transfers since 1996. Just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more about how you can save money on your currency transfers.
Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca. Telephone UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com.
1 - 7 April 2021
EWN 29
30 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
1 - 7 April 2021
FEATURE
Time to step back and smell the roses LEAPY LEE SAYS IT
OTHERS THINK IT I THINK the time has come to step back and smell the roses. I’ve come to the conclusion that if some people were in the middle of the black plague, listening to the cries of ‘bring out your dead’ and watching bodies being piled up on handcarts ‐ or standing in the middle of Auschwitz surveying the horrors of Nazi genocide, they would still be in denial. Relatively speaking, those among us who insist that Covid is not happening are only a small minority, but they are still there. When you consider there also exists a Flat Earth society you do realise that, no matter what the evidence, when certain members of the public have made up their minds NOTHING is going to change them. To disagree invites arguments, ill feelings and disintegration of friendships. So I’m gonna revert to partaking the pollen and chilling a bit. With all this Covid dissent, plus the racist bigotry and civil disobedience that is being allowed to flourish, UK society is
NOTHING: Is going to change some people’s minds. plunging headlong into the hands of the leftie politicians at an alarming rate of knots. They are all of course rubbing their hands in gleeful anticipation of as much social upheaval as they can possibly instigate and, as I mentioned last week, utilise it to seize the reins of power for Labour at the next general election.
I also notice that London’s Mayor Khan; the man who has allowed many parts of London to fall into a crime ridden, gang infested, third world anarchy; banned the use of many female models in public advertising, advocated the removal of historical figures and generally stood by while this great metropolis
experiences more racial discrimination than it has endured since the Roman occupation ‐ is actually 29 points ahead in popularity in the run up to the election of a new mayor! Obviously this man is not favoured because of his achievements. With London’s Asian community at an all‐time high, he is a front runner purely
because of his roots and ethnic background. With this same utterly undemocratic ideology being echoed in cities all across the UK, I’m afraid that within a couple of generations the culture and face of the UK will have been changed forever. This week a teacher in Batley is in fear of his life and under police protection, while a mob of masked Islamic bully boys picket the school he taught at. His ‘crime’? To breach the Islamic blasphemy laws by showing his pupils a depiction of the prophet Mohamed! (Since when was this Sharia law written into British legislation?) This was a popular well respected Yorkshire teacher working in a British school, delivering a serious lesson on the historical events surrounding the Charlie Hebdo atrocity. Showing a complete lack of cajones and a disgraceful disregard for the freedom of speech, the appeasing school governors, suspended the teacher, shut the school and issued a grovelling apology to the local Islamic community. Heaven help us all. Keep the faith • Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com excpatradioscotland.com. (alter ego!)
Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
Advertising Feature VOSS HOMES
Property of the week 164,950
The Amazing Villa Elite near Zurgena for EXCLUSIVE TO VOSS HOMES - A beautifully presented, two bed (could be three), two bath corner plot villa with integral tiled and decorated utility room / garage, H&C aircon and 8m x 4m swimming pool on an established, landscaped garden of 521m2. Four minutes drive to a popular cafe / restaurant. Eight minutes drive to La Alfoquia and Zurgena villages with a variety of shops and restaurants etc, 12 mins drive to Huercal-Overa and 30 mins drive to the coast at Mojacar. The villa has quality fixtures, fittings and tiles etc and some of the furniture is also for sale. The extra beauty of this villa is that it was built with two bedrooms and two bathrooms but off the kitchen is a tiled and fully decorated room which was originally a garage but is now used as a utility / storage room with sink, washing machine, electricity and water and could easily be made into a third bedroom,
euros
VILLA ELITE: This property is beautifully presented and has lovely landscaped gardens with mature trees and a private seating area. study, hobby room etc or even a garage again. To the front is the private seating area with pull over sun shade and amazing views over the pool and countryside. Next is the very spacious living room and dining room with gas fire and H&C air con. The large dining area has curved bay windows. To the right is the quality fitted
kitchen with plenty of worktop space and storage, granite worktops and intergrated appliances. A door leads in to the previously mentioned utility / storage room / third bedroom. Also from the living room is an archway leading to the two bedrooms and bathrooms. The master has an ensuite bathroom and next to the guest bedroom is the shower
room. Both bedrooms have large, quality built fitted wardrobes and H&C air con. To the front is a driveway for two cars, the 8m x 4m swimming pool which is surrounded with attractive wooden decking and seating area. To the sides and rear are beautifully landscaped gardens with mature trees, shrubs, orange trees and a private seating area.
Voss Homes is a British family-run business with offices in the thriving, market town of Huercal-Overa and La Alfoquia village. We specialise in selling properties around HuercalOvera, Zurgena, La Alfoquia and Taberno. We look forward to helping you find your ideal property in Spain and supporting you with our after sales service.
For more information and to arrange a viewing of VH1808 Villa Elite please contact Voss Homes on 0034 950 616 827 or email at enquiries@vosshomesspain.com.
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
I’m ok with the rules and regs MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION
Views of a Grumpy Old Man AS I’ve said many times I’m not a believer in conspiracy theories with maybe the exception of Princess Di, perhaps JFK, oh and Aids. But after a year of what’s been going on I’m beginning to think some things we are being told need investigating. One problem is that you’re not allowed to question anything without being labelled an anti-vaxxer or a member of QAnon. I want to know why there is a lack of information. What happened to all the people that got locked up in UK hotels when they came back from the red zones? Massive publicity the day it started then nothing. How many had Covid? What happened to the ones that couldn’t or wouldn’t pay the £1,700 for being banged up when there was absolutely nothing wrong with them? How about the UK government being held to account for the billions of pounds that’s gone in the direction of their mates? I’d need 4,000 words here, not 400, to ask what I want to ask. I have UK friends that keep asking me what’s happening here and have I had the
jab yet and who get quite animated when I tell them no I haven’t and don’t know anyone here that has and I’m not that fussed about having it yet. I’m OK with the rules and regs here that let me go out for coffee, lunch and now dinner and I can go shopping. I saw today that easyJet turned away a 79-year-old woman from getting on a flight because there was a slight error on her paperwork. The problem I see here is that too much power is being given to the wrong people. The person working behind the check-in desk should immediately hand over to a customer service expert to try and fix the problem any way they can instead of being a total jobsworth and just saying ‘computer says no.’ And if it’s fixable, like in this case there was allegedly just a spelling mistake, get it fixed ffs. I just read this - In less than a week, two gunmen in the USA separated by 1,400 miles have taken 18 lives. And experts, who study and chronicle mass killings, warned that there could be more as the nation reverts to a more normal way of life. If this is what getting back to normal means you are in a bigger mess than I thought! Sort your effing gun laws out you morons!!!! Email: mikesenker@gmail.com
Mike’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
1 - 7 April 2021
EWN 31
5:30pm 6:15pm 6:35pm 6:40pm 6:45pm 9:35pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 11:29pm 11:30pm
The Repair Shop BBC News BBC London News; Weather Weather The Sound of Music EastEnders MasterChef Would I Lie to You? BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather The Graham Norton Show
8:00pm
5:35pm
Julie Andrews: Talking Pictures Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade MOTDx Pilgrimage: The Road to Istanbul Great British Menu Gardeners' World Easter Special
8:00pm
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The Repair Shop BBC News BBC London News Weather The Sound of Music EastEnders MasterChef Would I Lie to You? BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather Weather
SATURDAY 3/04
5:40pm 6:25pm 6:35pm 6:40pm 6:45pm 7:15pm 7:45pm 8:30pm 9:20pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:15pm
Garden Rescue BBC News BBC London News Weather Celebrity Mastermind Catchpoint The Wall Pointless Celebrities Casualty Keeping Faith BBC News Weather
12:30pm 1:30pm 2:50pm 5:05pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:15pm
Great British Menu Great British Menu Death on the Nile Evil Under the Sun ENO Messiah Easter from King's Top of the Pops: The Story of 1981 Freddie Mercury: A Life in Ten Pictures Queen: The Legendary 1975 Concert
8:00pm
Money for Nothing The Boat Race BBC News BBC London News Weather Countryfile Antiques Roadshow Top Gear Line of Duty BBC News BBC London News Weather
4:05pm 6:00pm
The Vikings Remarkable Places to Eat The Real T. Rex with Chris Packham The Day the Dinosaurs Died Brazil with Michael Palin Eye of the Storm Red Joan Heroes
8:00pm
SUNDAY 4/04
3:35pm 4:00pm 6:30pm 6:50pm 6:55pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 11:25pm
MONDAY 5/04
6:15pm 7:00pm 7:15pm 7:20pm 7:25pm 8:25pm 9:10pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm
Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Weather Sort Your Life Out Garden Rescue Enders Fawlty Towers MasterChef BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather
3:20pm 6:15pm 7:00pm
Fall of the Roman Empire Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Saved and Remade Mary Berry Everyday Mastermind Mastermind University Challenge NewLouis Theroux: Shooting Joe Exotic Highlander
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The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Party Election Broadcast The One Show EastEnders Holby City Island Medics The Syndicate BBC News at Ten
6:15pm 7:00pm
Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games NewSaved and Remade Your Home Made Perfect Remarkable Places to Eat Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Live at the Apollo
8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm
Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Party Election Broadcast The One Show The Bidding Room The Repair Shop This Is My House BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather
3:20pm
Fall of the Roman Empire Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games NewSaved and Remade Your Home Made Perfect Great British Menu The Terror Rick Stein's Long Weekends
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TUESDAY 6/04
FRIDAY 2/04
THURSDAY 1/04
Ready, Steady, Cook The Repair Shop Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News; The One Show EastEnders Dragons' Den MasterChef BBC News at Ten Regional News and Weather
WEDNESDAY 7/04
4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:35pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 6:35pm 6:40pm 6:45pm 9:35pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:20pm
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Sacred Songs - The Secrets of Our Hearts Sounds of the Sixties Top of the Pops: 1990 Top of the Pops: 1990 Fleetwood Mac's Songbird: Christine McVie Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop Fleetwood Mac: A Musical History
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Judge Rinder Tenable Tipping Point The Chase In for a Penny CITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale Coronation Street Vera ITV News ITV London Weather
2:05pm 3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm
Sacred Songs - The Secrets of Our Hearts Sounds of the Sixties Top of the Pops: 1990 Top of the Pops: 1990 Fleetwood Mac's Songbird: Christine McVie Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop Fleetwood Mac: A Musical History Sounds of the Sixtie
3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:45pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 11:20pm 11:34pm
Judge Rinder Tenable Tipping Point The Chase In for a Penny ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale Coronation Street Vera ITV News ITV London Weather
3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm
Patagonia: Earth's Secret Paradise Voyages of Discovery The Young Montalbano Italy's Invisible Cities Collective: Unravelling a Scandal - Storyville Patagonia: Earth's Secret Paradise Voyages of Discovery
5:25pm 6:30pm 6:45pm 7:00pm
Tipping Point: Lucky Stars ITV News and Weather ITV News London Catchphrase Celebrity Special Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Take Away Alan Carr's Epic Gameshow - Celebrity Special It's Clarkson on TV ITV News and Weather
4:20pm 4:50pm 5:25pm 5:55pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm
Britain's Got Talent: I Wasn't Expecting That! Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Chase: Celebrity Special ITV News and Weather ITV News London Tipping Point: Lucky Stars Midsomer Murders ITV News and Weather 21 Jump Street
3:15pm 3:40pm 4:10pm 4:40pm 6:25pm 6:55pm 9:00pm
The Chase In for a Penny ITV Evening News ITV News London Emmerdale Coronation Street Alan Titchmarsh: Spring into Summer Coronation Street Agatha & Poirot: Partners in Crime ITV News
6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm
The Chase ITV News London Party Election Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale For the Love of Britain Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Britain's Tiger Kings - On the Trail with Ross Kemp ITV News at Ten and Weather
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The Chase ITV News London Party Election Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs Coronation Street The Day Will and Kate Got Married
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Beautiful Eggs: The Genius of Carl Faberge The Two Ronnies Sketchbook The Two Ronnies: The Studio Recordings The Two Ronnies: Talking Comedy Between the Lines Between the Lines Between the Lines
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Canal Boat Diaries The Joy of Painting Fake or Fortune? The $50 Million Art Swindle Art of France Timeshift: Mods, Rockers and Bank Holiday Mayhem The Joy of Painting Canal Boat Diaries Fake or Fortune?
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Canal Boat Diaries The Joy of Painting Yes, Minister The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin Catching Britain's Killers: The Crimes That Changed Us Crime & Punishment - The Story of Capital Punishment NewLights Up: Half Breed
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Find it, Fix it, Flog it Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Food Unwrapped Gets Chocolatey Grayson's Art Club
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Countdown A Place in the Sun A New Life in the Sun Four in a Bed The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Location, Location, Location First Dates Hotel The Circle
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Countdown to Murder: A Morning Show Mystery 5 News Update Countdown to Murder: A Morning Show Mystery 5 News Tonight Neighbours Home and Away Secrets of the Royal Train World's Most Scenic River Journeys Churchill: The Long Grass
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EWN 33
Advertising Feature
Funeral etiquette - What is expected IF you are going to attend a funeral, you may not be sure what is expected of you, here are some tips which will help you to feel more comfortable that you are doing the right thing. Dress code Most of us would wear black or dark colours at a funeral, unless specifically told otherwise. Although the dress code is not as strict or for‐ mal nowadays and casual attire is acceptable, make sure that you are dressed appropriately and that you are showing respect for the de‐ ceased and their family. Sunglasses are acceptable for both men and women when used to hide the face and emo‐ tions, but should be as plain as possible. People will also understand if you wear them indoors, but try to remove them if you are talking to someone, as eye contact is very important. Sympathies Make sure to express your condolences to the bereaved relatives at the funeral or memorial service, even if you have already contacted them and/or sent a sympathy card. Many people find it hard to approach somebody who has just lost a loved one as they are not sure what to say, which is un‐ derstandable, but do not avoid taking a few
minutes to show them your support. Helping hand When you are talking to the relatives of the deceased, this is a good time to ask what you might do to help or to offer your assistance on matters such as providing them with food, of‐ fering to take care of children or pets, helping to clean the house, do their shopping, do some gardening or take them to appointments. They are likely to appreciate your gesture although they may refuse help. If they do refuse, don’t be offended, they most likely don’t want to put you out, but if you are close, look out for clues to what you could do for them anyway and try to help out over the coming weeks. Children at funerals Unless they were immediate relatives or very close friends, it is best to keep small children, especially babies and toddlers, away from fu‐ nerals, as it can be difficult for them to remain quiet and settled, which could be disruptive and upsetting for others. On the other hand, older children should at‐ tend as it is important for them to get a better understanding about death and what is expect‐ ed from them at a funeral. If you do bring a child to the funeral, if he or she becomes disrup‐
tive, leave immediately and keep to one side. Where to sit The first few rows of seats at a wake, memori‐ al or funeral are for the immediate family, after that, it is OK to sit in any of the remaining places. Make sure you get there on time so there is no difficulty finding a seat. If you’re not sure, just ask if a seat is taken and sit where you can. After the funeral Most funerals will end with a gathering, often for lunch at a restaurant or at the home of the family. Whenever possible you should attend, but don’t stay for too long. The rules of eti‐ quette are more casual at these events and children as welcome, but it is im‐ portant to remember why you have all got together and not engage in inappropriate or disrespectful be‐ haviour. While it is a nice opportu‐ nity to remember the life of the de‐ ceased and the good times you have shared with them, and it’s OK to smile and laugh, unless something different has been arranged by the family, keep the conversation subdued and respectful. Later on Although the pain of losing a loved one never
goes away, the weeks after the funeral will continue to be par‐ ticularly painful for the family. Make sure that you don’t just disap‐ pear after the event and take some time to check in with them periodically to see how they are. Do not avoid speaking of the deceased when you are with them, but do so when ap‐ propriate.
www.goldenleavesinternational.com • enquiries@goldenleaves.com • Facebook: goldenleavesspain Advertising Feature
Not all solar is the same THE new solar energy FIT (Feed In Tariff) in Spain, means that solar is once again at the forefront of planet preserving and money saving options. With over 300 days of sun per year and ever in‐ creasing energy price costs, this is a great time to consider solar. There are a plethora of solar companies to choose from for residents of sunny Spain, howev‐ er, it is important to realise not all solar is the same. The long‐term benefits and savings of solar power can be fantastic, but a poorly designed, badly installed or low quality system can cause a long‐term headache. A wrong choice can cost dearly in the long run. The quality and range of products as well as the advice and expertise of your supplier are critical in making a choice which you will live with for many years. It is vital that your new system is high quali‐ ty, reliable, cost effective and you are dealing with a reputable company. As the saying goes choose in haste, and repent at leisure! Covering the areas of Almeria, Murcia and Granada, Ecocorp Solar has 15 years of experience
BEST SOLUTION: Whether you want a warm winter pool or to simply cut costs and go green.
in design and configuration of bespoke solar pow‐ er systems for our clients. We are experts in designing and supplying sys‐ tems for all types of properties, for use in conjunc‐ tion with the mains or totally ‘off grid’ systems; with or without batteries, even the latest incorpo‐ rating remote monitoring and automation. We can also create a solution to provide the power re‐ quired and heat your pool for free! The new ‘FIT’ means that you can ‘send back’ power directly to the grid for credit and Ecocorp can not only configure a solution to meet your in‐ dividual requirements, but can do all the relevant paperwork on your behalf. We work with leading manufacturers and Eco‐ corp are proud to have been appointed exclusive Norsup dealer and as regional Distributor for PSG and Megagroup. Whether you want a warm winter pool, de‐ mand 30 degrees all year round or simply want to cut costs and go green, contact the experts. Visit our website or give us a call and our friendly and knowledgeable team can discuss all your require‐ ments and advise on the best solution for you.
Let us find out how much you could be saving • www.ecocorp.solar Call us on: 950 096 166 or 671 716 597 • Visit ecocorpshop on Facebook
34 EWN
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1 - 7 April 2021
FEATURE
GO LOCAL
THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urg‐ ing its readers to support local businesses in the community by going local through the lock‐ down and for your all your shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and su‐ perstores. During this lockdown and with Easter this weekend, we challenge you to rediscover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky inde‐ pendent businesses in your area. Due to the Covid‐19 pandem‐ ic, you may have to support many local businesses by order‐ ing online and making use of any click and collect services they can operate if you are un‐ able to get out due to health reasons or lockdown restric‐ tions. The joy of shopping local means that independent busi‐ nesses can help support the lo‐
cal community. Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or on‐ line, consider where your mon‐
ey is actually going. By shopping at an independent store you’re putting food on a local family’s table, and there is no better time than now to give back to your community by making a small gesture and shopping in this way. Many local stores support lo‐ cal charities, support and spon‐ sor local sports teams and in many cases the small indepen‐ dent stores are actually much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often passed down
through numerous generations and support not just the current owner but the generation be‐ fore. For those stores which are new, that extra couple of euros spent there are supporting someone’s dream and ambi‐ tion, 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 compete with the multina‐ tional and chains. So be sure to pre‐order your
FEATURE
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SPENDING LOCALLY: Will make a difference to the local economy.
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 pur‐ chasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking out‐ side the box can often lead to some fantastic ideas. Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a local studio, a hair cut at a local salon or an on‐ line study course for someone looking to change their career path. As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift perhaps pre‐paying a family member’s phone bill for the month would actually be a bet‐ ter gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry , give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times. Choosing to spend your mon‐ ey locally will really make a dif‐ ference in the recovery of the local economy. When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local econo‐ my in two ways. First, buying lo‐ cal keeps money circulating within the local economy. Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they cre‐ ate locally owned supply chains and invest in their employees. Data shows that local retailers return 52 per cent of their rev‐ enue back into the local econo‐ my, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers. Money circulating through
the local economy 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 pre‐ pares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employ‐ ees and the restaurant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbourhood hardware store. This example illustrates how the recirculation 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 opportuni‐ ties for people within our com‐ munity. Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and re‐ tain more employees over time. A fantastic example of how to support your local community is with a Charity Gift certificate, why not donate to your loved one’s favourite cause. Just remember to follow the latest government advice and any guidance businesses have to keep everyone safe.
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1 - 7 April 2021
Hay fever affects younger population ALMOST half of Brits (48 per cent) aged between 16-24 have experienced a seasonal allergy, such as hay fever or an allergy pollen, in the past year. That’s according to a report from Mintel, the world’s leading market intelligence agency. Their research found that
whilst 48 per cent of the 16-24 age group had suffered an allergy, just 25 per cent of those aged 55 and over had experienced an allergy. But it isn’t just age which shows a significant impact, region also plays a role. Whilst you may expect the rolling hills and wildflower meadows of the countryside to
be a nightmare for sufferers, it seems that the pavements of London are a common place to encounter a hay fever sufferer as some 46 per cent of Londoners have experienced a seasonal allergy in the past year, compared to a national average of 39 per cent. Over half of allergy sufferers experienced a stuffy or runny nose, 57 per cent suffered with sneezing and 47 per cent were plagued with itchy or watery eyes. However, while a third (32 per cent) of consumers choose to treat seasonal allergies, a long-suffering quarter (26 per cent) of Brits suffer in silence. Almost half (47 per cent) of hay fever sufferers keep track of pollen levels during the pollen season and residents in Spain can do the same with pollen counts able to be viewed at www.meteovista.com. Andalucia and central areas are known to have high olive pollen counts and grass counts are often high but go down by mid July. Grass counts also lessen in mid July in northern Spain and the Costa Brava. Low to moderate pollen counts are found in the Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria and Costa Dorada.
HEALTH & BEAUTY
Dear Bipolar Disorder: We need to agree on a few things MS BIPOLAR UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED DEAR Bipolar, We’ve had a relationship for a decade now. Happy Anniversary! Although it’s a relationship I never chose to be in. Yet here we are, no way of getting out of it, so we might as well learn to live with it the best we can. To tell the truth, I can’t even remember when we met exactly. Was it at eight years old when I remember being petrified that my Mama was going to leave me and obsessing over that thought, or was it at 13 years old when I would start to selfharm, or was it at 18 when I would drink myself silly just to escape my head and my thoughts. Gradually, you just moved into my life and have stayed there ever since. So I guess we’re stuck as partners for the rest of my life. That being said, there are some things I need to talk to you about. We’ve never been friends. We never will be. I have some issues with you; there are compromises we need to make. I’ll take my pills every day without fail , I promise to not mess with them, and take what is prescribed, no more no less. I’ll
pay for those pills, as long as you back off enough to let me keep working and earning money so I can look after myself. Just leave me enough energy to do that. I will try to minimise the stress in my life , if you will cut out the physical symptoms when there is stress anyway. You know the ones I’m talking about. Feeling sick or being sick, or the cold sores I get after a panic attack. Please, if you can, give me some non anxiety days so that I can go out and enjoy things with my friends and while we’re on the subject of enjoyment, I would appreciate it if you would give me back my libido, it would be nice to be able to feel excited when someone asks me out on a date! Don’t even talk to me about hurting myself. I won’t listen, no matter how loud you get. No more screwing with my memories. I’ve already lost enough. You can keep the ones of everything stupid I’ve ever done. Please stop making me feel guilty. The past is the past. Now that I’ve finally got some self-esteem back, you just keep your claws off it. I need it and you don’t. No love, Ms Bipolar x
msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
1 - 7 April 2021
EWN 43
Can the Government of Spain force me to rent my unoccupied home? CONSULAR MATTERS
THE alarm has been raised amongst the expat community and other people who have a second home here in Spain that is used on a temporary basis. The Central Spanish Government published a ministerial order autho‐ rising the governments of each re‐ gion so that they can make owners who have unoccupied second homes to rent them to people who are victims of gender violence, to people who are homeless and other particularly vulnerable people who have been evicted from their habit‐ ual residence, for example due to non‐payment of their mortgage. However, from a legal point of
HOUSE RENTAL: New aid for the payment of rent. view it is an order without execu‐ tive value. The central government itself recognises that the norm does not allow expropriations. This norm points to the obligation of regional
governments to make publicly owned housing available to these unprotected groups. But what if there are not? It is a ‘ministerial order’, which does not
have the status of law and, further‐ more, it does not have any norm of that level on which to rely, there‐ fore it is not mandatory. Sources from the Ministry itself recognised that despite what the text says, that it is not the will of the government to open a door to the expropriation of private hous‐ ing. However, they recognised the clumsiness of the drafting of said rule that leads to confusion and alarm amongst second homeown‐ ers. This rule does not allow expropri‐ ation of private homes or protect ‘squats’ or other illegal practices. What it says is it allows the creation of a plan that can be used to pay the rent of a house. The Ministry itself has confirmed that the ‘Aid Programme for victims of gender violence and evicted peo‐
ple’ does not allow the expropria‐ tion of empty homes or second homes from privates. Also, the Ministry explained that they enable regional governments so that in urgent circumstances of extreme vulnerability determined by social services, they can resort, for example, when renting a home or offering a room in a hotel and being able to pay for it with the ‘State Plan Aid’. The ministerial order, which de‐ velops in the State Housing Plan the new aid for the payment of the rent of habitual residence to vulnerable tenants who have occurred due to the Covid‐19 epidemic, includes a programme of direct aid to victims of gender violence, people evicted, homeless and especially vulnerable to provide housing through finan‐ cial assistance.
Marisa Moreno Castillo Danish Consul and Senior Lawyer at Just Law Solicitors www.justlawsolicitors.com / contact@justlawsolicitors.com Advertising Feature
Neater Heaters now even Neater
C H O O S I N G the right electric heating system for your home in Spain has always been a daunt‐ ing task, but the recent electric‐ ity price increase has made it even more important to choose wisely. Many elec‐ tric heaters on the market are so inefficient, especial‐ ly the cheaper ones, that using one could land you with eye watering electric bills. Neater Heater was estab‐ lished 12 years ago to intro‐ duce chilly expats to these efficient, economical to run, and stylish Norwegian con‐ vector heaters. Obviously there is a cost to running any heating system, but with Neater Heaters your euro goes further as we can heat a larger area with a smaller heater than our competitors. In recent years Neater Heaters have had many advanced func‐ tions added to the basic designs
and adjusting the thermostat to your desired setting, but several can be programmed like an alarm clock, and some models can even be controlled remotely via your Wi‐Fi. The latest innova‐ tion, available since January, is a BEHA heater that you can man‐ age from your phone using Blue‐ tooth. As long as you are in Blue‐ tooth range you can override your manual settings from the comfort of your armchair. Many of your questions can be answered by visiting www.neaterheater.com and viewing our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. You will also be able to find the location of your nearest agent, or even purchase your Neater Heater di‐ rectly through the online shop.
in order to assist with economy, efficiency, and giving our customers greater control. All models can be operated manually by switching them on
NEATER HEATER DISTRIBUTORS: ALMERIA ANTAS: Lifestyle Enclosures.
NEATER HEATER: Giving our customers greater conrol.
Tel. 950 459 060
Heaters also available for purchase at our online shop with free home delivery. WWW.NEATERHEATER.ES or Tel. 634 312 171 (WhatsApp available)
PETS
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Who’s looking after your pets when you go away? ARE you tentatively planning to get away later this year? 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 House SitMatch.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 next year’s 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 holiday. House‐sitters see your advert, they respond and you choose the sitter. Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excel‐ lent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us ‐
Some cats love company, it’s true!
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?
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Let those Why Do Dogs Sneeze? sleeping dogs lie HERE is a list of possible causes: Allergies: Sometimes sneezing can be an indicator of underlying environmental allergies. You may notice sneezing in addition to other allergy signs, such as tearing, scratching or licking their fur. Airborne Irritants: Certain dogs can be sensitive to irritants, such as dust, pollen, smoke, scented candles, cleaning products, per‐ fume or air fresheners. Reverse Sneezing: This is an interesting phenomenon that usu‐ ally occurs in response to excitement, irritants, or inflammation and they exhibit sudden, repeated inhalations through the nose that sounds like a goose honking. Foreign Body: Occasionally, dogs will get a piece of foreign ma‐ terial stuck in their nose, such as blades of grass, foxtails, or sticks. This is extremely irritating, so you will see sneezing and discom‐ fort. Nasal Infection: Normally you will usually see additional symp‐ toms, such as a bloody or mucoid discharge and lack of appetite. Nasal Tumour: In older dogs (usually above six/seven years of age), nasal tumours are a possible cause of sneezing. Brachycephalic or flat‐faced dogs: These dogs are more prone to sneezing due to the anatomical compression of their nasal pas‐ sages. Occasional sneezing in dogs does not usually require a vet visit but if you see increased frequency, nasal discharge/blood, nasal swelling, itching, licking, scratching, sometimes it is necessary to resort to endoscopy, CT or MRI for diagnosis.
THE structure of a dog’s sleep is very similar to a human be‐ ing’s sleep. There are stages of wakefulness, rapid‐eye‐ movement REM sleep and non‐rapid eye‐movement sleep. While asleep, the dog’s brain is trying to find shortcuts or connections between things that they have experienced. The events of the day are put into categories, when in non‐REM sleep. In REM sleep there is an opportunity for the dog to ex‐ plore, in an environment that’s free of consequences. Dogs enter REM sleep about 20 minutes into a snooze ses‐ sion and might stay there for two to three minutes. People and dogs dream in both stages of sleep mentioned, but most dreams are remembered through REM sleep. Dogs, of course, dream about things that dogs normally do, while small dogs have more frequent but shorter dream periods and larger dogs have less frequent but longer dreams. Dogs probably also have nightmares, they can get nar‐ colepsy, which is a disorder that causes the brain to fall into a sudden state of sleep. Unlike some of their human owners, they don’t suffer from sleep paralysis, which is when some‐ one becomes conscious, but are unable to move their body. When dogs sleep, they quiver, make leg twitches and even growl or snap at something chasing them in their dreams. If dogs are having trouble sleeping, it may also be due to pain or fear, which they express through anxiety at night.
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CHURCHES LOCAL ANGLICAN (C of E) Church Services Mojacar, Sundays at 11am Llanos Del Peral, Sundays at 11am Aljambra Chapel, 1st Thursday monthly at 11am Priest in Charge, Rev. Vincent Oram 603 659 139. For directions, details and to find out more about our church activities please see our website http://www.almeriaanglican.com (10002) ROYAL BRITISH LEGION - Why not make this year the year you volunteer? Call and see how you can help either as a caseworker (with full training) or as a Telephone Buddy. We also visit beneficiaries who are housebound or in hospital. If you feel you could support us here in Spain, and you have a Spanish phone number then why not email
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Honda Civic Type R - just for driving JEREMY CLARKSON called it re‐ volting, Richard Hammond called it hideous, so is Honda’s Civic Type R really that bad? It’s cer‐ tainly eye‐catching with its overly large rear spoiler, red seats and on my test car (a GT model cost‐ ing €42,230 (£36,320) matching red paintwork. The Type R is a true Honda icon, arguably as much as the NSX, and from its original back in 1997 it has pretty much been the company’s affordable halo mod‐ el. Built in Swindon for many years, sadly Honda are leaving the UK despite the undoubted quality that Swindon produced. The plant closes this year but, un‐ like fellow Japanese car maker Mitsubishi, you’ll still be able to buy right hand drive Hondas. The latest Type R is priced from €39,904 (£34,320) with three model lines, the Type R, GT and Sport Line. Power comes from a 2.0‐litre VTEC Turbo petrol engine that produces 62 mph in 5.8 seconds and carries on to a top speed of 169 mph. It feels quick, very quick! Yet de‐ spite this you can still get high 30s mpg in mixed driving if
you’re careful with your right foot. Difficult, very difficult! Sharp steering and three drive settings ‐ comfort, sport and in‐ sane ie R mode ‐ makes for a very entertaining drive. In com‐ fort mode it’s a, perhaps surpris‐ ingly, comfortable and useable machine for the daily commute. It’s practical too with decent in‐ terior space and a good boot. Standard kit is generous with all the usual accoutrements such as auto lights, wipers, climate, au‐ to high beam, heated and pow‐ ered door mirrors, Alcantara, rear view camera, privacy glass and lots of safety kit. On the perfor‐ mance front there are Brembo brake discs and callipers, adap‐ tive damping, limited slip differ‐ ential, rev match and stability and handling assist. It all goes to make the superb package that is the Type R. Then there’s the Marmite question. Its looks are certainly divisive, which is why Honda have introduced a slightly down‐ tuned version in terms of looks with the Sport Line. Surely though if you’re want‐ ing a performance machine like the Civic Type R then you want
the looks to go with it. The an‐ gles, accentuated curves, mad looking spoiler, triple exhaust and overly bright seating is all part of the Type R look. Even if you wouldn’t want to drive it all the time, I guarantee when you do drive it, you won’t be able to stop grinning.
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Spain Snatch Victory In The Final Minutes To Win Away In Georgia SPAIN needed a good result in the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Sunday March 28, in their Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B qualifying match, after their 1‐1 draw at home to Greece last Thursday, and they left it very late. In fact, until the dying minutes, to beat a very spirited Georgian team who looked to be on course for a great result. Spain are ranked 83 places a b o v e G e o r g i a i n t h e F I FA r a n k ‐ ings, who are 89th, and their 15,000 fans cheered them on for every minute of the game, no more so than when 20‐ year‐old winger, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, shot them into the lead just before half‐time, controlling a through ball from Otar Kiteishvili before confi‐ dently slotting into the far bottom corner be‐ yond the reach of Spain keeper Unai Simon.
Spain have not lost a World Cup qualifier in 28 years, and thankfully, Man City winger Ferran Torres was on hand after 56 minutes, as he slid in to send a Jordi Alba cross into the roof of the net, after Alvaro Morata had failed to connect with the ball. It was Alba who provided the assist again after 92 minutes, for Dani Olmo to find the back of the net with a long‐ range effort, to grab the three points for Spain, and to top the drama, Levan Shengelia was then sent off for Georgia, in the 94th minute, seconds before the final whistle blew. Next up for Luis Enrique’s men was a home game against Kosovo, on Wednes‐ day March 31, when Georgia headed to Greece.
DANI OLMO: Grabbed three points for Spain.
British cyclist Adam Yates wins Vuelta a Cataluña BRITISH cyclist Adam Yates has won the Vuelta a Cataluña. This is the first victory of the year for Yates, who is with Ineos team, af‐ ter coming second in the UAE Tour last month. Following the seventh and last stage of the Vuelta a Cataluña on Sunday, March 28, which started and ended in Barcelona, the British cy‐ clist was crowned champion, although the stage winner was Belgian cyclist Thomas de Gendt. Yates came second in the Volta 2019, which was won by Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez, and was delighted to have won this year, which is the 100th time it has been held. Last year it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Ineos team filled the podium, with Australian Richie Porte coming second, 45 seconds behind the winner, and another Welshman, Geraint Thomas is third place, 49 seconds behind Yates. Yates said it had been a “marvellous day.” The fourth place was for Spanish Mo‐ vistar rider Alejandro Valverde.
ADAM YATES: His first victory of the year.