THE BEST FINANCE NEWS ON PAGES 26 - 29 ISSUE NO. 1868
22 - 28 April 2021
Joyful disc ALMERIA’S own David Bisbal collaborated on a new version of Ode to Joy sung by 40 Spanish artists prominent on the music scene, and accompanied by Brian May. All proceeds will go to the music sector, hard-hit by the pandemic.
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Good figures JUNTA figures announced in the Official Bulletin revealed that thanks to the vaccination programme, only 8 per cent of new Covid infections affected over-65s in Almeria Province last week, while there were no Covid-positives amongst care home employees or residents.
Tomato fest ALMERIA City is World Tomato Capital this week although all events, deliberately organised for the open air and centring on the city’s Paseo, were adapted to the present circumstances in keeping with the ‘A different year, a different celebration’ slogan.
HISTORIC AGREEMENT: A year-round permanent fire service for Nijar.
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Madrid debut for Ciavieja EL EJIDO is promoting its cultural heritage on digital displays in Madrid’s Plaza Callao and the Gran Via. A total of 1,176 spots in two of the most‐visited pedestrian ar‐ eas in Madrid will show clips of the Roman remains at El Ejido’s Ciavieja archaeological site. There will also be images of the spectacular modern entrance to the Yacimiento de Ciavieja installation where Almeria Univer‐ sity has been carrying out work for the past year, revealed El Eji‐ do mayor, Francisco Gongora. “This will enable many more people to learn about the ex‐ traordinary work that is being carried out to protect, recover and promote this site,” Gongora said. “It has produced important finds that we are making every ef‐ fort to make known and also visitable.”
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H&M redundancies 1,000-Year-Old Oak Tree less announced the possibility of relo‐ cating or transfers. The UGT union criticised the move, maintaining that H&M hopes to re‐ duce overheads by substituting the Almeria employees for others “on shorter hours and more precarious jobs.”
A FAMOUS 1,000‐year‐old oak tree in the municipality of Serón, in the province of Almeria, is the subject of a research and scientific study called the ‘Dendrological Botanical Study for the Restoration of the Natural Monument Encina de la Peana,’ after it has recently shown signs of deterioration.
To aid in this study, the local associa‐ tion ‘Monumento Natural Encina la Peana,’ has hired the services of renowned Monumental Trees, Forests and Biodiversity expert botanists, Bernabé Moya, and José Moya, who, through different instrumental tests can hopefully provide a diagnosis for
the tree’s treatment. Their team is already carrying out tests to determine the resistance of the tree’s oak wood, with the objective of finding out what proportion of it re‐ mains solid or which part is most at risk of breaking, and hope to have results of their tests in a few weeks time.
Another ‘Made in Almeria’ film BILL PORTER, a popular US actor, began film‐ ing ‘Marked ‐ The Unforgiven’ in Malaga and arrives in Almeria on Thursday April 29. Following a casting call in Los Angeles that included several high‐profile actors, Bill Porter was chosen for the role of Michael Cork, a Boston‐based criminal investigator. Cork, assigned to a task force that works against organised crime in Ventura (Califor‐ nia), is an honest police officer with a big se‐ cret. He is also the closest friend of the group’s leader played by the Puerto Rican ac‐ tress Tracy Ann Hoyos Lopez.
Porter, who was invalided out of the US Army with multiple injuries sustained on ac‐ tive duty, eventually went out to Hollywood where he studied at the Van Mar Academy of Motion Picture and Television Acting. “Bill did a fantastic audition for another part, but when we asked him to read the Michael Cork script he gave so much life to the character,” said Jill J Todd, casting direc‐ tor for Wanda‐Halcyon Television. “We are very excited to have Bill with us in Spain for what is going to be a great production,” Todd said.
No hotel for national park THE Junta de Almeria rejected an application for a hotel near Cala de San Pedro inside the Ga‐ ta‐Nijar national park. The proposed building was in‐ compatible with the park’s uses, the Junta’s Sustainable Develop‐ ment delegation declared. The existing partially‐ruined structure that developers had hoped to convert into a bou‐ tique hotel did not appear on the Culture department’s in‐ ventory of listed buildings, the Junta pointed out. Conse‐ quently it could not be classed as apt for rehabilitation and,
Photo credit: Jorge Roman
AS reported previously, the H&M clothes shops in Almeria City, Roque‐ tas and El Ejido will remain open. They are excluded from the 30 shops that the Swedish chain intends to close throughout Spain, although their 75 employees will soon be made redundant. The company neverthe‐
furthermore, according to the Catastro property register, the ruins were not located on same the plot as the proposed build‐ ing. The proposed building would also be sited within the 500‐me‐ tre maritime strip where build‐ ings for residential or hotel use
SAN PEDRO: Located inside the Cabo-Nijar national park.
are not permitted, the Junta stated. The regional government al‐ so revealed that it had not been possible to analyse the project’s environmental or scenic impact as the developers had failed to provide the required documen‐ tation.
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NIBS EXTRA Swim time
More safety A €262,000 ROUNDABOUT at the intersection between the A349 and the A-334 in Olula del Rio will eliminate a notorious traffic blackspot with numerous accidents and even deaths. The 45-metre wide roundabout will help to control a daily 8,064 vehicles, of which 4 per cent are heavy lorries.
Crystal clear THE provincial Spanish media revealed that the Pulpi Geode will be declared a Natural Monument of Andalucia. Also known as the Giant Geode and located inside the Mina Rica silver mine, it is one of the largest crystal caves ever found, and is the world’s largest accessible geode.
Too soon MARIA FERNANDEZ, who heads the province’s Addiction Prevention Service, lamented that parents give mobile phones to their children as First Communion presents. They give access to too many things, she said, while pointing out that “nobody would put a child of that age in charge of a car.”
New posts RAMON FERNANDEZPACHECO, mayor of Almeria City, was named secretary general of the Partido Popular party for Almeria Province. The party’s next provincial president will be Ramon Fernandez-Pacheco, president of the Diputacion, and the only contender following an announcement that Roquetas mayor Gabriel Amat would not seek re-election.
Social Budget HUERCAL-OVERA’S €12.221 million Budget for 2021 was approved at the last plenary meeting, although PSOE and IU councillors voted against it and VOX abstained. “It is the most social Budget ever and this year’s spending will focus on alleviating the effects of the pandemic,” mayor Ismael Torres declared.
Roquetas backs its cabbies TAXI DRIVERS, Roquetas Town Hall and the Local Police have joined forces to eliminate illegal transport from the municipality. Their awareness campaign Mejor en taxi (Better by taxi) reminding the public of the dangers involved in using the services of unlicensed drivers, has been prompted by the increase in ‘pirate’ cabs in the town.
Credit: Roquetas town hall
URGING the public to ‘Pick up the beat and get into action,’ Adra Town Hall announced that the municipal swimming pool will now be open each day from 7.30am until 9pm. Swimming lessons for months’ old babies up to adolescents of 16 have recommenced with some vacancies remaining.
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AWARENESS CAMPAIGN: Roquetas taxi drivers with Gabriel Amat and councillor Rocio Sanchez. As well as pointing out that a cheap ride could be expensive
TIJOLA and Lucar landowners are appeal‐ ing against the compulsory purchase of plots to make way for three wind farms. Five turbines are planned for the Parran‐ canas area, four in Arce and five more in Es‐ pilo. The land is currently used for pasture or to cultivate vines, almonds, olives and fruit trees but one owner, Joaquin Terron, told La Voz de Almeria that pylons to transfer the electricity produced by the turbines have already been installed. “They acted without warning and with‐ out going through the expropriation pro‐ cess,” he complained.
Back you go ALMERIA’S National Police arrested a man who failed to return to prison after he was granted weekend leave in September 2020. The Almeria‐born prisoner possessed an extensive record and had been arrest‐ ed on multiple occasions since 1982, police sources revealed. At the time he absconded, he was serving a sentence in Jaen prison for resisting ar‐ rest and disobedience in an incident that went back to 2017. When the prisoner did not report back to Jaen follow‐ ing the temporary release authorised by the prison au‐ thorities, a warrant was is‐ sued for his immediate ar‐ rest, the same police sources said.
in the event of an accident, the campaign also sends out a clear
Tilting at windmills The company in question is owned by Jesus Martin Buezas, former son‐in‐law of Florentino Perez, who is president of ACS and also Real Madrid football club. The windfarm project was launched with a €57 million investment, obtaining Junta permission in 2010. It came to a halt in 2013 before recommencing in 2017. According to the Tijola and Lucar landowners, the Environmental Impact studies have now expired although the
THE Federation of Hotels and Restaurants of Andalucia (Hosteleria de Andalucia) has com‐ plained bitterly about the decision to close bars and restaurants in Level 3 at 8pm. This decision by the Junta de Andalucia on April 15, saw the provinces of Almeria, Cordo‐ ba, Granada and Sevilla move from Level 2 to Level 3 which meant that bars and restaurants have to close two and a half hours earlier than before. The Federation immediately issued a strongly worded response saying that this de‐ cision is unacceptable as the sector is not to
TWO brothers, both botanists, are fighting to save the La Peana, a monumental holm oak in Seron. The tree, which the Junta de‐ scribes as the largest and one of the oldest trees in Andalucia, has stood there for more than 1,300 years. It earned its name of La Peana owing to the girth of its trunk at the base, where it re‐ sembles a plinth. Bernabe Moya, a specialist in Monumental Trees, Woods and Biodiversity, together with Jose Moya, a graduate in Environ‐ mental Science and Agricultural
MARIA ISABEL LOPEZ, currently Turre’s deputy mayor, could be barred from holding any public post for 12 years. In 2018, when Lopez was mayor, she allegedly prevented a turron‐seller from setting up his stall at the San Francisco fair in the same spot that his family had
message to the illegal drivers who face hefty fines and confiscation of their vehicles. Roquetas mayor Gabriel Amat emphasised the importance of the Mejor en Taxi initiative: “Taxi drivers have been hit hard by the present situation,” he said. “But they also reflect our municipality and projecting a good image to visitors is fundamental,” Amat added.
company maintains that they have been renewed. The Di No a las Torres (Say No to the Towers) platform is calling for a ‘fair’ eco‐ logical transition that generates dispersed renewable energy, based on energy‐con‐ servation and self‐supply. The platform also warned that installa‐ tions like the proposed wind farms could help to depopulate rural areas ‘while bene‐ fiting big business.’
Closing times blame for the contagion and is not receiving proper support from the regional government. In energetically rejecting this decision, Hosteleria de Andalucia contends that this de‐ cision not only goes against companies and workers, but also the evidence of other Euro‐ pean countries such as France and Germany whose hospitality industry has been closed for months, yet their infection rates are skyrock‐ eting.
Saving La Peana Engineering, have been brought in to study the tree to assess its structural resistance and suggest suitable treatment. The Monumento Natural Encina la Peana association, which has commissioned the in‐ vestigation, is a non‐profit‐mak‐ ing organisation that is deter‐ mined to keep La Peana alive. Members of the association, which is presided by Manuel Perez Sola from the Grupo Ecolo‐ gista Mediterraneo, include the
owners of the land where the mighty holm oak is located, envi‐ ronmentalists and Sierra Filabres residents. The Moya brothers explained that they are aware of La Peana’s serious condition, having visited the tree on several occa‐ sions. They are also familiar with the resistance and longevity of trees like La Peana, they said, pledging to work tirelessly to make a diagnosis and provide treatment.
To-do over turron occupied since 1949. The ex‐mayor’s reasons were ‘arbi‐ trary,’ according to the Fiscal (Public Prosecutor) in her submission prior to
Lopez’s November trial at the Almeria High Court. Lopez knowingly contravened the way that stalls were habitually allocated at
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Ombudsman
launches river probe ANDALUCIA’S Ombuds‐ man will investigate rub‐ bish ‘systematically’ dumped on the banks of the River Aguas in Mo‐ jacar. Reports in the provin‐ cial Spanish media and residents have traced the rubbish to gravel and ag‐ gregate firms that al‐ legedly leave tons of rub‐ ble on the riverbanks. A communique from the Ombudsman’s office referred to ‘possible per‐ missiveness’ on the part of the Public Administra‐ tions for tolerating the practice for years, which itself was sufficient to warrant an investigation. The Ombudsman also announced that should an investigation confirm the presence of large quantities of rubbish this would infringe the right to a ‘an adequate environ‐ ment’ set out in Article 45 of the Spanish Constitu‐ tion. The Ombudsman’s communique arrived af‐ ter the Junta’s Environ‐ ment department an‐ nounced that it would spend €6 million on clean‐ ing and restoring the Aguas riverbed in Bedar, Los Gallardos and Mo‐ jacar. Visiting Mojacar at the end of March, Environ‐ ment chief Carmen Cre‐ spo said that it would be the most extensive riverbed regeneration project carried out in Almeria in recent years. This, Crespo said, in‐ cluded removing rubbish from the river and its banks, eliminating inva‐ sive non‐native vegeta‐ tion and replacing it with 20 different species of 51,000 native plants.
the fair, based on tradition and seniority, the Public Prosecutor maintained. As well as being prevented from hold‐ ing a public sector post for 12 years, Lopez will also, if found guilty, be or‐ dered to pay compensation to the stall‐ holder.
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Set for improvements.
Adra Beaches ADRA is yet again set to im‐ prove beach access for lo‐ cals and tourists alike. The town council has an‐ nounced that they will be spending about €18,000 in a new investment for beachgoers.
Tourism vs Nature
HUNDREDS of thousands of people have added their names to a petition against two new hotels which are planned to be built in the Cabo de Gata natural park in a bid to prevent tourism winning out over nature. Both expats and Spaniards alike feel that the natural park should be preserved, rather than be‐ ing built on in order to bring in more tourists. The natural park already brings in many tourists every year to take part in activities such as kayaking,
hiking and exploring the natural beaches or just bathing in the sun. In fact, the Cabo de Gata natural park is home to many sustainable ecotourism activities which includes birdwatching and field trips along with diving and boat trips. The natural park is also home to many traditional arts and crafts includ‐ ing pottery, painting and handmade jewellery and clothes. The coastline is also home to won‐ derful secluded beaches and restaurants.
Last year the Adra beach‐ es saw investments in walkways and this year the investment has now dou‐ bled, thanks to the govern‐ ment team’s aim of im‐ proving access to the town’s beaches. The ongoing improve‐ ment of access infrastruc‐ tures will see 130 linear metres of rollup walkways procured for Adra beaches. These new walkways will not only improve beach ac‐ cess but are also said to be sustainable and ecological due to the material which they are made of. Not only are the walk‐ ways made from recycled plastic which comes from urban waste, but they are set to help fight the ongo‐ ing Coronavirus pandemic. The recycled plastic means they are good for the environment and the preservation of the planet and they are also both easi‐ er and quicker to clean too, which helps combat the Coronavirus.
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Station go-ahead NIJAR will soon have a fire station of its own. The agreement signed between Nijar’s mayor Es‐ peranza Perez and Rosmari Cano ‐ President of the Levante Consortium of Fire Brigades as well as Mo‐ jacar mayor ‐ has given the go‐ahead to an installa‐ tion in the Campohermosa district. “Thanks to this agreement, Nijar can have a ser‐ vice that will be on call for Nijar residents 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” declared Javier Aureliano Gar‐ cia, president of the Diputacion provincial council. Garcia went on to thank both Perez and Canio for understanding the importance of signing an agree‐ ment that would benefit more than 31,000 residents in the area, while cutting response times from 44 to 20 minutes in outlying San Jose or as far away as Carboneras.
Government Aid THE hotel sector of Andalucia is about to receive some long-awaited financial help from the J unta de A ndalucía, who from Tuesday April 20, will launch an initiative that sees hotels get direct aid of €200 per hotel room in its space. J uan M arín, the vice
president of the Junta, and M inister of T ourism, announced on Monday April 19, that the measure had been given the green light, saying, “Tomorrow, grants will open to the accommodation sector, which until now had not received aid due to a legal issue.” H e continued, “ A s the hotels asked us, we are going to subsidise the number of beds so that an establishment with 1,000 beds will receive €200,000, which is the maximum contemplated.” A total budget of €60 million is going to be made available in funding, which will include tourist apartments, although tourist homes and the rest of regulated accommodation are reportedly left out of these benefits. Hotel sector sources are said to have received the news well, but stipulated that the figures spoken of are far below the actual losses incurred after being closed for 12 months, with one stating the average loss to a 100-room, fourstar hotel, is around €50,000 a month.
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APSA is looking forward to continuing its successful work with animals after the difficulties of the pandemic. The charity continued to help and home dogs during 2020 despite the shop being closed for periods and there being no fundraising events, times were hard with little revenue but food and vets’ bills still needed to be paid said Dianne Reid, President of APSA. Di was instrumental in setting up the charity and became President in 2008, she has had a lifetime of involvement in rescuing and training dogs and has led APSA in homing over 2,000. Di runs the helpline on 663 762 642 and has a vast amount of knowledge and experience in caring for dogs, legal requirements, help in choosing a pet etc. The charity has had three shops, the present one in Avenido Lepanto next to Harrisons, APSA no longer has a stall at Los Llanos but the shop is open six days a week and is always grateful for donations of clothes, bric-a-brac etc. Manageress Val and her many shop volunteers provide the main income for the charity. Membership, €5, is due now and can be paid at the shop, this provides a welcome boost to the charity’s finances, the monthly
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APSA charity
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newsletter giving a charity update to members. Looking to the future, Di has contacts to facilitate the homing of dogs in other countries, podencos, for example, are popular in the UK where there is safe home checking. The charity is seeking a kennel manager to join the team, homing and fostering continues. Liaison with other charities, the vets, and the high profile of APSA
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Di set up the charity. Facebook help the charity to assist the many abandoned dogs in the area. The charity is always seeking volunteers to assist in the shop, kennels, dog walking, fundraising etc, if you are interested in helping a worthwhile cause please contact Di at the helpline 663 762 642.
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Vaccine Side Effects
A MAGNIFYING glass has been put on the side effects of getting vaccinated against Covid-19, due to the rare blood clots reported amongst some who have received the AstraZeneca, Vaxzevria and the Janssen doses. It has been recommended to visit a doctor if you begin with symptoms that do not improve or subside after two days. One EWN reader, Sarah, reported: “I had mild side effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine and I am 26 years old. Side effects lasted for two days and mine included feeling very tired and a slight headache. I think getting the vaccine outweighs the risk of these mild side effects.” These are the common side effects for each vaccine: AstraZeneca • Fever • Injection site reactions such as pain, swelling of the lymph nodes on the same side as the injection, swelling, redness at the site of puncture. • Vomiting and diarrhoea • Rare thromboembolic events Moderna • Injection site reactions such as pain, swelling of lymph nodes on the same side as the injection, swelling, redness at the puncture site • Fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, pain in joints, chills, nausea, fever and vomiting • Rarely, a severe reaction would include swelling of the face and throat, shortness of
breath, fast heartbeat, severe skin rash on the body, weakness and dizziness Pfizer-BioNTech • Injection site reactions such as pain, swelling of lymph nodes on the same side as the injection, swelling, redness at the puncture site • Fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, pain in joints, chills, nausea, general discomfort, fever and vomiting • Rarely, a severe reaction would include swelling of the face and throat, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, severe skin rash on the body, weakness and dizziness • A very small possibility of allergic reaction which would cause breathing difficulties, swelling of the throat and face, fast heartbeat, a severe rash on the body, weakness and dizziness Janssen • Fever • Injection site reactions such as pain, swelling and redness at the puncture site • Headache, tiredness, nausea, muscle aches and fever • A very small possibility of allergic reaction which would cause breathing difficulties, swelling of the throat and face, fast heartbeat, a severe rash on the body, weakness and dizziness • Rare thromboembolic events The Janssen vaccine has been halted in Europe due to investigations by the United States into rare thromboembolic events.
THE World Health Organization’s Emergency Committee announced on Monday, April 19 - maintaining its stance on an issue that is under growing debate among governments and the travel sector experts worldwide - that the outcome of their meeting on Thursday April 15 was a recommendation that proof of vaccination should not be required by the government of any country as a condition of international travel. The independent experts, said in a statement, that the facts and data discussed in their meeting last week cited limited evidence on whether vaccination against Covid-19 reduces people’s ability to transmit the virus and ‘the persistent inequity in global vaccine distribution.’ With this in mind, the emergency panel of the WHO has recommended that states should recognise that requiring proof of vaccination deepens inequities and promotes unequal freedom of movement, which can only come as welcome news to people who want to travel this summer, and who are still waiting patiently to know exactly what the rules will be.
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WHO’s stance THE WHO: Welcome news for people wanting to travel.
General Election AS the pre‐election campaigns begin to heat up ahead of the May 4 elections in Madrid, relations between the PSOE and Podemos are becoming increasingly strained, so much so that many autonomous communities are gearing up for an announcement that the general elections will be moved forward. The Spanish general elections, during which all 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies will be up for grabs, as well as 208 of 265 seats in the Senate, can be held no later than December 2023. But recently, Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo hinted that they could take place as early as October this year, with members of the PSOE suggesting they will definitely happen “before the spring of 2022.” One of the main concerns of all political parties in Spain at the mo‐ ment is the economic and tax future of the country, which currently faces a deficit of €80 billion in 2021 alone. The socialist ranks in partic‐ ular are nervous that no matter how much of a positive spin the gov‐ ernment puts on economic recovery, the EU may step in if they de‐ tect further financial difficulties.
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Child Protection Law Pregnant women
SPAIN’S lower house of parliament took another step forward on Thursday, April 17 in approving the pioneering new legislation which aims to better protect children and adolescents in Spain, with 268 votes in favour, 57 against and 16 abstentions. The Social Rights Commission of the Congress of Deputies approved a draft bill of the groundbreaking Rhodes Law on Wednesday, April 7, and it will next pass to the Senate for final approval. It is hoped that the new legislation will be published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) by June. Lucai Munoz of the Unidas Podemos party said on Thursday that the approval of the law puts Spain at the forefront of the protection and promotion of the rights of children. Driven by the Department of Social Rights, the new legislature will extend the statute of limitations on serious crimes against minors until they are 30 years of age, whereas it currently runs out when they turn 18. Additionally, the law will prohibit the hiring of anyone who has been previously convicted of
PROTECTION: For the legal rights of children. abusing a minor to jobs dealing with children, such as schools and leisure centres. A specific article is included to prevent parents gaining joint custody of a child in a family environment where gender violence has been observed, and a comprehensive care package will be provided for children who have been subject to violent crimes of a sexual or genderbased nature. Specialist units within the authorities will be developed to deal with victims of abuse and
dedicated training will be provided to judges and prosecutors. One of the major changes will be the removal of the use of the socalled Parental Alienation Syndrome (SAP), which has long been accused of allowing undue parental influence over abuse cases. Guarantees will also be strengthened so that minors can participate in legal proceedings; a judge will therefore be prevented from rejecting the testimony of a minor ‘due to lack of maturity.’
THE Joint Committee on Vac‐ cination and Immunisation (JCVI) in the UK has now ad‐ vised that pregnant women can be offered the Covid‐19 vaccine. This change to the guid‐ ance comes after data from the United States shows that 90,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated with mRNA vaccines (such as the Pfizer vaccine being used in Gibral‐ tar) without any specific safe‐ ty concerns being raised. Dr Krishna Rawal, Medical Director of the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA), said: “The Covid‐19 vaccine we are using in Gibraltar has under‐ gone extensive clinical trials and has been approved as safe for use by the UK’s Med‐ ical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as well as European Health‐ care Regulators. “Recent data shows that although uncommon, severe illness due to Covid‐19 is more likely in later pregnancy and that pregnant women
who do get symptomatic Covid‐19 infection are two to three times more likely to give birth to their baby pre‐ maturely.” Whilst this information was released and targeted at
pregnant women in Gibraltar, the opinion coming via the UK Health Authority follow‐ ing trials in the USA appears to be appropriate for all, al‐ though local advice should al‐ so be sought.
Green List ready ROBERT BOYLE, a former British Airways strategy chief, was com‐ missioned to conduct research into the potential travel movements after the non‐essential travel ban is lifted in the UK after May 17, by studying data that is currently available. Mr Boyle’s report predicted that only eight countries would actually be in the government’s ‘green list’, and free for British travellers to visit. Under the government’s proposed ‘traffic light’ system, green‐listed countries will be free to visit, while returning from an amber country will require 10 days of self‐isolation, and Mr Boyle predicted that most of Europe would only be in the amber list, including Spain, Greece, and Italy, according to the Daily Telegraph. Of course, this is only his analysis report, and by May 17, many countries’ situations can change, with the good news today that Spain currently has the fastest‐growing vaccination rate in mainland Europe, which can hopefully go from strength to strength, and land Spain in the green list. His list of predicted ‘green list’ countries are Gibraltar, the USA, Is‐ rael, Malta, Iceland, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, and even tipped Turkey, France, and Croatia to end up in the ‘red list’, but he said he thought the government might not red list them due to political and economic reasons.
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EXPATS face ‘up to six hour’ waits at UK Covid checkpoints due to people not having the correct documentation to return home. Footage that has emerged showing a woman collapsed at Heathrow after reportedly waiting seven hours in a queue for a Covid test has led to widespread concern in the expat community wanting to return to the UK. After Heathrow chief solutions officer Chris Garton confirmed that the Home Office has not increased the number of border control staff, excessive waiting times in crowded airports are now added to concerns of pricy coronavirus test kits and complicated paperwork.
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UK Covid Checkpoints
BORDER DELAYS: Together with complicated paperwork. One worried Facebook user posted on a local information site on behalf on an elderly friend soon to travel back to the UK who is concerned about ‘scare stories’
IN a huge about‐turn, the Min‐ istry of Health in Spain has sug‐ gested delaying the period be‐ tween the first Covid vaccination and second from 21 days to 42, after previously insisting they would follow the guidelines of the jab manufac‐ turers to the letter. Now, ministers have back‐ tracked and feel that expand‐
she has heard about waiting times. Many helpful expats replied to confirm that while leaving Spain had been a breeze in most cases, it was a different story once they
landed in the UK. One Euro Weekly News reader told the paper that he was not allowed to board a flight at Alicante airport at the end of March as he had neglected to complete the traveller locater form, and had to book another flight a few days later. Yet another traveller posted in a popular Facebook group for expats and explained that, while her experience was positive, she witnessed people being refused entry at the UK border for not having a reference number for their booked Covid tests on their forms.
Gap Between Vaccines ing the time between doses would allow for more people to receive the first vaccine in a shorter period of time. According to the press, the proposal was to be put to the appropriate representatives of the autonomous communities on Tuesday, April 20. The Min‐
istry of Health has denied that the decision is already a done‐ deal, but the Ministry of Health is recommending that the space between inocula‐ tions with the Pfizer and Mod‐ erna vaccines be doubled, from three weeks to a month and a half.
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Bookings take a Surge
THE president of Spain’s govern‐ ment, Pedro Sanchez, an‐ nounced recently that May 9 is the date when the State of Alarm ends in the country. This has led to a rush in hotel reservations shooting up 122 per cent from one week to the next. There is a breath of air for the tourism sector and it seems that the Canary Islands, Andalucia and the Balearic Islands are the desti‐ nations preferred by the Spanish when it comes to starting what is already known as ‘the great stam‐ pede.’ But, as Ricardo Fernández
HOLIDAYS: May still happen for the summer period. (Destinia’s CEO) advises, “you have to be prudent.” The majority of fresh bookings are for local regional stays as bor‐
ders still remain closed in most communities. However, it is ex‐ pected that by May, many of these restrictions will be lifted.
Tolls for future income
IN its latest bid to appease the European Union and assure Brussels that Spain is on top of its financial plan to cover the bailout, the government of Pedro Sanchez has amended its recovery plan to include the introduction of tolls on so-called ‘high-capacity’ roads in order to contribute toward the €140 billion expected from the EU. The plan, due to be submitted on April 30, has committed to generating an income that will guarantee the funds necessary to preserve the road network. “The financing of high-capacity roads will be reviewed and an income system will be estab-
lished that guarantees the necessary funds for the conservation of the state road network,” the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan states. Spain currently has one of the lowest investment rates in its roads in all of Europe, only spending around €22,489 per kilometre, according to the latest available data from the Association of Infrastructure Conservation and Exploitation Companies (Acex). In fact, this country spends around half the amount on infrastructure as other European giants such as France, Italy and Germany.
A Lack of Accountability Vaccination Race
CRITICISM is being levelled at Spain’s President Pedro Sanchez over a lack of accountability over the State of Alarm after he last year extended the State of Alarm to six months from the normal 15 days set out. The politician is also being slammed for only giving three hours of speeches over the State of Alarm in six months. Pedro Sanchez has now said that the State of Alarm in Spain will end on May 9. The decree establishes restrictions for the movement of people that the autonomous communities have been applying. Among these limitations have been the curfew to limit mobility at night and the perimeter closures of autonomous communities, provinces or municipalities, as well as confinements of certain ar‐ eas.
Mask warning
ON Wednesday April 14, the Professional Union of the Ertzaintza (SiPE) has requested the immediate withdrawal of the FFP2 masks because of the pulmonary risks due to graphene being found pre‐ sent. An investigation has begun by the AEMPS into the risk present when inhaling these nanoparticles because of pulmonary toxicity and has found that the type IIR surgical masks with graphene are being marketed in Spain. After Canada raised the alarm over the masks, autonomous communities of the Basque Country and Castilla y Leon ordered the precautionary removal of masks made with this material. Fol‐ lowing this, Madrid City Council then requested the withdrawal of the masks after they had been administered to municipal staff. The specific mask models are the FFP2 Healfiber mask manufac‐ tured by Shandong Shengquan and distributed by Iturri SA. Also the IIR surgical mask from the same manufacturer and distributed by Amevisa SAU.
AFTER a painfully slow start, Spain has upped the ante in recent weeks in its vaccination rollout plan, to the extent that it is now above the Euro‐ pean Union average. According to the latest information released by Our World In Data (OWID) which has gath‐ ered figures from most of the countries around the globe, Spain has pushed ahead of France, Germany, Italy and Por‐ tugal in terms of the number of people vacci‐ nated. The most recent data available from OWID re‐ lates to April 14 and 15 and shows that Spain is now in the ‘top 10’, while the UK continues to streak ahead and is now among the coun‐ tries in the world that have vaccinated the most people with the first dose.
NEWS
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Covid-19 Predictions AIRPORT border check
Symptoms vary widely.
IN a bid to beat the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic in April 2020 the ‘More unstoppable than ever’ campaign was launched by Spain’s José Carreras Foundation. In a study that has been carried out by the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute in collaboration with the Bellvitge Biomedical Re-
Economic transformation ACCORDING to Spain’s President Pedro Sánchez, €140 billion in EU funds could lead to the greatest economic transformation that Spain has seen since the 1980s. Full details of the recovery plan have not been released but on Tuesday April 13 Sanchez hinted of how the money could be spent in the forthcoming years. In what will be the biggest public investment in recent history Sanchez aims to modernise Spain’s economy with an intensity that has not been witnessed since the late 80s, when Spain joined the European Union. It is expected that around €72 billion could be handed out in the form of grants, and the remaining amount in loans. Back in the 1980s European cohesion funds to the tune of €8 billion were received by Spain. The current plan is still to be finalised and member states have been given until April 30 by Brussels before plans need to be submitted. It is expected though that 29 per cent of the fund will be used for digital transformation, while 39 per cent will be used for ecological transition.
search Institute researchers have discovered that a person’s genes could be used to predict the severity of Covid 19 in an individual. There is a dramatic variation in how Covid 19 affects people, from them being asymptomatic and showing no clinical symptoms, all the way up to those who require I C U support. The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has claimed over one million lives across Europe already. Researchers now believe they have discovered a potential indicator of why these symptoms vary so dramatically between people. The researchers carried out a study on around 400 people who were not considered to be in any of the normal “at risk groups” for the virus, and who had tested positive. The expert explained that, “We found that there were epigenetic variations, in the chemical switches that regulate D N A activity, in those positive for the virus who developed severe Covid-19.”
SUMMER holiday fears for British travellers have an‐ other problem on the hori‐ zon as while giving evidence on Wednesday April 14 to the Commons Transport Se‐ lect Committee, Chris Gar‐ ton, the Chief solutions offi‐ cer at Heathrow, told MPs passengers are being forced to queue for up to six hours due to coronavirus checks at the border. Explaining the situation to the committee of MPs, Mr Garton told how the short‐ age of staff for processing passengers at the border had always been a problem, but that now, the pandemic “has just made that so much worse than it was before.” He continued, “We want to see that bottleneck re‐ moved as quickly as possi‐ ble. It’s a problem today, it will become a much bigger problem after May 17, when foreign leisure travel from England could re‐ sume,” saying that he be‐ lieves the solution could be that every passenger’s entry
to the UK is “assured” be‐ fore they begin their jour‐ ney. Passenger locator forms should be checked for errors and corrected in advance, and the documents should be checked by eGates auto‐
matically, he told the MPs, which would allow arriving travellers to “flow as you would normally through the eGates, rather than having to line up and present your paperwork to a rather over‐ stretched border official.”
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Booster Shot will be likely THOUSANDS of British and Spanish nationals have already received their vaccinations, some were administered with the A stra Zeneca vaccine and others with the P fizer/ B iontech drug. P fizer I nc’s C E O is now
saying he believes people will most ‘likely’ need a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. During a panel discussion hosted by CNBC in conjunction with C V S Health that aired on Thursday April 15, Albert Bourla said a poten-
tial booster shot would be administered six to 12 months of being fully vaccinated. Bourla added that he thinks it is possible that people will need to be immunised against coronavirus annually. R esearchers still don’t know how long protection against the virus lasts once someone has been fully vaccinated.
Vaccination Passports IN an enormous boost to summer tourism in Spain, the general secretary of Digi‐ tal Health, Information and Innovation Alfredo González, confirmed on Thursday, April 15 that travellers from Eu‐ rope to Spain that hold valid
Lower Fares SPANISH Rail Operator Renfe has announced it will lower the rates for the AVE and long‐distance trains throughout the summer. Renfe is to scrap its previous 148 rates and come down to just three, the new simpler rates and discounts ap‐ ply for seniors, families and young people. The president of Renfe, Isaís Táboas, explained that this new system ‐ matching that of aviation ‐ will also solve the problem that many people now face who cannot apply the discounts to which they are entitled to in the lowest rates. The new system establishes three ticket options: Basic (the cheapest), Choose (the most flexible) and Premium, (all‐inclu‐ sive), which can be customised with additional services. Renfe already offers the possibility of buying one‐year tickets, which will be added to the new system ‐ managers hope to encourage advance purchases of these lucrative tickets as much as possible.
vaccination cards ‐ or Digital Green Certificates as they are to be officially known in the EU ‐ will not have to go the expense of getting a Covid test done or enter into a period of quarantine on ar‐ rival. Speaking at a National Health System meeting, the secretary said that the cer‐ tificate, which will take the form of a QR code, will be rolled out in Spain in June and will open up the country to “more people in a safer manner.” “This certificate is not a passport, it’s not a travel doc‐ ument, and it’s not a require‐ ment for travel,” the general secretary clarified. “It’s a mechanism that will facilitate mobility in the European Union. It will respect data protection, safety and priva‐ cy. It is planned so that it will not be discriminatory, and that is one of the major ad‐ vantages,” he added.
NEWS
New Speed Limits IN a bid to cut down on the number of road traffic acci‐ dents in Spain, new laws will come into force throughout the country on May 11, dras‐ tically reducing the speed limit on city streets. On November 10, 2020, the Council of Ministers ap‐ proved a package of legal re‐ forms with the aim of reduc‐ ing the number of road deaths and serious injuries by 50 per cent. The modification of the Traffic Regulations means that from May 11, the speed limit on one‐way streets in urban areas will be reduced to 30km/hour, while larger vehicles carry‐ ing dangerous goods will circulate at a maximum of 40 km/hour on city roads of two or more lanes. On all other crossings, the maximum speed limit will be 50km/hour, while munic‐ ipal councils may be able to increase the speed on one‐ way streets in exceptional circumstances.
No ‘calling cards’ please HUERCAL‐OVERA is taking a tough line with dog‐owners who fail to clean up after their pets. A Local Police campaign is currently reminding own‐ ers that while having a dog is great, allowing it to leave a ‘calling card’ will earn them a fine. Officers are keeping an eagle eye on streets and roads, plazas and parks and public gardens, revealed Domingo Fernandez, Huer‐ cal‐Overa’s mayor. The campaign will be car‐ ried out in all Huercal‐Overa areas and applies to any‐ body who fails to comply with the by‐law’s Article 54.1 and allows a dog to foul a public area ‘without taking opportune mea‐ sures.’ Municipal sources stressed that as always, the fault lies not with the dogs, but with those who own them. The fines range from €60.10 to €300.51.
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Barcelona Virtual Concert IN a first for the musical world in Spain, Barcelona has held a concert that fea‐ tured live, in‐house perfor‐ mances as well as musicians from around the globe tak‐ ing part virtually, through the use of an artificial intel‐ ligence tool called Cantā‐ mos. The groundbreaking event was held in Barcelona’s Santa Maria del Pi church and organised by vocal group Cantoría, the European project TROMPA, Pompeu Fabra University and the Catalan College of Music. Catalan College of Music students performed live at the venue, while musicians from around the globe per‐ formed two songs in unison through the Cantāmos on‐ line learning tool, which al‐ lows people to practise and record the song, which is then put together by the ar‐ tificial intelligence system so that all those taking part are heard as one seamless choir.
New legal status
ON Tuesday April 20, the plenary of the Congress of Deputies were to consider a proposal of the law of the PSOE to modify the Civil Code, the Mortgage Law and the Civil Procedure Law to provide animals with a legal status to be considered as ‘living beings endowed with sensitivity’ and not goods or things. The initiative was approved unanimously in 2017 by the Plenary of Congress, however, it was declined due to it not completing its full parliamentary pro-
cess when the Cortes Generales was dissolved in March 2019. Currently, the Civil Code endows animals with the legal status of things, specifically under the condition of ‘moveable property.’ The new proposed law introduces an article in the Civil Code that will consider animals ‘are living beings with endowed sensitivity’ and that owners must have a duty of care over them, as well as ‘ensuring their wellbeing, according to the characteristics of each species.’
Masks after the vaccine
THE vaccination campaign is progressing around Europe and the UK, but when will we really be able to return to ‘reality’? It is a complex question and it seems there is no short‐term answer, however, we do know that we will not be able to return to normal without continuing some of the protective measures we have adopted over the past year ‐ such as the use of masks, washing hands regularly and safe social distancing. According to health authorities, it is important that we contin‐ ue these protective measures since most people who have been vaccinated will be protected from the virus but can still transmit it, even without presenting any symptoms. It is important to note that until we have reached group im‐ munity, we will need to continue these safety measures. It appears we could all be wearing the mask for some time to come.
NEWS
Rights Campaign FOLLOWING an outpouring of during the pandemic it is a prioriconcern from expats that the ty for Britons here for tests to be high prices being charged in the affordable enough to see their UK for PCR tests to travel could families again. prevent loved ones seeing each “The many Britons here with other again, the EWN has begun tourism-related businesses are ala campaign to help make a difso eager to ensure that UK travMichel & Steven Euesden. ference. ellers are not deterred from visitAccording to reports, the price of PCR tests for ing Spain this summer due to the high price of travel can range from £60 (€69) to £214 (€246). tests. And while the UK requires tests on both entering “I would be very grateful, therefore, if you could and leaving, this could add hundreds to the price of please tell me if the government has any plans to travel for many hoping to see their friends and introduce a cap on the price companies can charge family again this summer. UK travellers? Or whether it plans to introduce a After the Euro Weekly News ran a poll asking standard test price to help UK nationals reunite readers whether they believed the UK government with their loved ones?” should introduce a price limit on the cost of tests, a The EWN is now waiting for the government’s whopping 85.2 per cent agreed prices should be response and is encouraging Britons in Spain concapped. cerned about the impact of high costs on seeing Now CEO of the EWN, Michel Euesden, has family and on business to get involved with its camwritten to the UK’s Secretary of State for Transpaign via our petition here. port, Grant Shapps MP, calling on him to introduce Trish in Vera, who signed the petition, said: “I a price cap on PCR tests making them more affordlive alone in Spain after my husband died. I am a able for Britons in Spain looking forward to seeing pensioner on a fixed income and all my family live their loved ones again when international travel is in the UK. I would like the chance to go and see permitted. them and vice versa without it causing any of us fiIn her letter, Michel wrote: “With around nancial hardship.” 360,000 Britons in Spain, many of whom still have To make your voice heard and to support all family, homes and businesses in the UK, readers Brits hoping to see their families again, as well as have been getting in touch concerned about the our tourism industry, join our petition now at price of UK PCR tests for international travel. www.euroweeklynews.com and work together to “After such a long separation from loved ones help bring families together again this summer.
Your Belgian estate agent at the coast!
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Estate planning for UK nationals in Spain British expatriates living in Spain need to be aware of, and plan for, a number of inheritance issues.
Spanish succession and gift tax
Your last will and testament If you live in Spain, it is advisable to make a Spanish will to deal with your Spanish based assets. It will save your heirs time, trouble and money. A UK will may be effective in Spain, but a major disadvantage is that it will have to go through the UK probate process. This can create long delays and high costs, and it has to be notarised and translated before being accepted in Spain. If you have assets in the UK you can have two wills, one for each country.
By Fiona Keogh, Private Client Manager, Blevins Franks
two thirds of an estate’s assets, so under Spanish law you cannot leave everything to your spouse. This Spanish succession law will apply to foreign nationals living in Spain by default.
Spanish succession law In the UK you are generally free to distribute your estate as you wish, but Spanish succession law imposes ‘forced heirship’ rules. In general terms, children are entitled to receive
You can however use a European Succession Regulation, ‘Brussels IV’, to opt for the succession law of your country of nationality to apply on your death instead. You must specifically state this in your will.
Inheritance tax in Spain works very differently to UK inheritance tax. Tax is paid by each recipient, not the estate, and tax rate varies depending on the relationship between the person passing the money and the person receiving the money. There is no blanket spouse to spouse exemption. The state tax rates range from 7.65% to 34%. Multipliers based on the familial relationship and beneficiary’s net worth can take tax rates much higher. Reductions and allowances are low. Spouses, descendants and ascendants generally only receive a reduction of €15,957; it is generally lower (or nil) for everyone else. There is a 95% reduction against an inherited main home, but only for spouses or descendants who keep the property for at least 10 years, capped at €122,606 per inheritor.
However, the autonomous communities can adjust the tax rates, allowances and reductions to make them more beneficial for habitual residents, so you need to establish the rules for your region (eg, Murcia, Comunidad Valenciana or Almeria). Spanish succession and gift tax is due if the asset being inherited or gifted is located in Spain or if the recipient is resident in Spain.
you want to control how they receive their inheritance? What can you do to make the inheritance process as easy and costeffective as possible for them? Then seek specialist crossborder advice on how you can achieve your wishes for your heirs, while keeping inheritance taxes as low as possible. Estate planning for Spain and the UK can get complex, but with careful planning you can get peace of mind that you have the most suitable approach in place, for yourself and your family.
UK inheritance tax Many British expatriates remain liable to UK inheritance tax since it is based on domicile rather than residence. Your estate could be liable to both UK and Spanish inheritance taxes, but credit is given in Spain for tax paid in the UK.
Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice.
Succession planning Start by establishing your goals. Who would you like to benefit from your estate? Do
You can find other financial advisory articles by visiting our website here www.blevinsfranks.com
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NEWS
ITV car sticker colours
ON Saturday April 17, the N332 posted information on ITV car stickers and colours, saying on their Facebook page: “Remem‐ ber that once you get the new ITV sticker, you must remove the old one before placing the new one in its place. “The ITV sticker is classified as sign ‘V‐19’ in the Spanish Traffic Law. It is compulsory to show it on the right‐hand side of your windscreen. Please, dis‐ play only the last one.” The website goes on to ex‐ plain the stickers are colour coded “on a three‐colour cycle of green, yellow and red.” As long as you are displaying only one sticker on your vehicle in the required place, which is in the upper right corner of your windscreen as you are looking out, it is then clear to traffic and police officers who are carrying out roadside checks that you have the cor‐ rect sticker displayed. Known as the V‐19, your sticker indicates to officers that your vehicle has passed its peri‐ odic technical inspection and displays when the next inspec‐
Must be displayed correctly. tion is due. This sticker is self‐adhesive and should be stuck to your windscreen, however, in vehi‐ cles that do not have a wind‐
screen it must be in a clearly visible place. As well as the sticker, it is al‐ so mandatory to have the ITV report in your vehicle.
Compulsory Sterilisation
IN a highly controversial move, the Junta de Andalucía has drawn up a preliminary draft of its new animal welfare law which would require pet owners to sterilise all companion animals. The legislation has been welcomed by animal welfare societies and shelters, who want to see the “establishment of guarantees for the sterilisation of animals and their purchase, breeding and responsible sale to avoid overpopulation, abandonment and, ultimately, their sacrifice.” This same animal protection law actually came into force in La Rioja in 2018. In 2020, the Constitutional Court made some amendments but left in the section covering the mandatory sterilisation of private pets, something which the government maintains is still “constitutionally legitimate,” and therefore will mostly be adopted by other autonomous communities before too long. The new draft proposal states that “companion animals that are the object of sale, transfer or donation must be previously sterilised before reaching one year of age and, preferably, before their first heat.” The legislation proposes stricter registering methods for breeders and explicitly prohibits the “reproduction, breeding and sale of companion animals by private persons outside the breeding and sale centres that meet the legal requirements, as well as their transfer or donation without being previously identified and registered in the name of the transmitting person.”
Spain Extends Quarantine WITH the ending of the State of Alarm next month and renewed hopes that Spain might be ready to welcome back tourists in the near future, the government is taking no chances with countries it believes to be high-risk, particularly from the more contagious Covid variant. To this end, Spain has decided to extend its quarantine requirements for travellers returning from 12 countries for the third time. The order, which was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) by the Ministry of Health, will be in force until May 3, and imposes a mandatory 10-day quarantine on people coming to Spain from Brazil, Peru and Columbia, as well as from nine countries in Africa.
Far from being a bad sign, the Ministry insists the measures are necessary to reduce the spread of infections and overcome this latest wave of coronavirus so that international travel can open up again as soon as possible. Travellers from the affected countries will be required to self-isolate for 10 days following their arrival, or for the duration of their time in Spain if the trip is shorter than the quarantine period, and can only leave home for essential reasons, such as to buy food or seek medical attention. According to the BOE, quarantine in these cases “can only be suspended on the seventh day if the person undergoes a diagnostic test for active infection with a negative result.”
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FEATURE
Roaming confusion Exit hits food exports
FOLLOWING the UK leaving the European Union, there have been many questions and queries, one being how data roaming will work with UK phone companies. Many are still confused about using their UK phone contracts in Spain and the charges it may incur. One confused Facebook user asked: “Has anyone recently found their U K contract phone provider has updated their fair usage policy
ROAMING: Many are confused about using UK phone contracts in Spain. following Brexit? I’ve been hit with a £40 data charge on top of monthly paid contract because I have been in Spain for longer than 63 days. It seems this was changed at
Trips For Elderly REYES MAROTO, the Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism for Spain, has reaffirmed that her department is already working to accelerate the reactivation of the Imserso programme, which allows the elderly to go on trips planned by the government, and is confident that it can be resumed in October. She said, “The elderly population has not only been the population most at risk, but at the moment it is the one that perhaps needs more affection and more encouragement when it comes to travelling. They are the first to be vaccinated and therefore the conditions are in place, so that our elders begin to travel.” The government has reportedly allocated a budget of €118 million for the Imserso programme in 2021, and they are now busy working on a calendar of dates, although the contract has to be reapproved, as the last one was terminated due to the pandemic.
the start of January. “Is it worth using this to escape from the contract early, as going through any policy updates this was never mentioned?” Although having a Spanish SIM can be much easier when joining a new bank in Spain or applying for internet in your property, some users prefer to keep their old SIM contract and telephone number. Vodafone claimed in January that they had no plans to change roaming fees, and 02 said: “We’re committed to providing our customers with great connectivity and value when they travel outside the U K. We currently have no plans to change our roaming services across Europe,” according to the BBC website.
SPANISH imports from Britain have been hit in the first two months since their exit from the European Union as new EU rules disrupt trade across the channel. In the first two months of this year, Spain’s imports from the UK have dropped by 49 per cent
when compared with the same period last year. In contrast to this, trade data shows imports between EU countries and Spain only dropped by 7 per cent, according to the Spanish industry minister. A breakdown of the type of
goods by country was not provided by the ministry, however, they pointed out that sectors with the largest weight in exports were capital goods, food, beverages and tobacco, with each accounting for around 20 per cent of the total.
Human And Monkey hybrid SOUNDING like something from a sciencefiction story, Spanish scientist, Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte, the director of the Gene Expression Laboratory of the Salk Institute of California, in La Jolla, and his team of scientists from various countries, has just successfully carried out in laboratories in China, the cultivation of 132 ‘chimera embryos’ with a mixture of monkey and human cells. Within six days of development, each of the monkey embryos in the blastocyst phase was injected with 25 human cells, specifically, reprogrammed pluripotent stem cells - capable of copying all types of cells in the body with a fluorescent protein. One day later human cells were detected in 132 embryos, as the cells had survived and integrated into the embryo, and 10 days later, 103 of them were still developing, al-
though, survival soon began to decline, and 19 days later only three chimeras were still alive. Izpisúa stressed, “Our goal is not to generate any new organism, any monster. And we are not doing anything like that. We are trying to understand how cells from different organisms communicate with one another.” Adding, “This knowledge will allow us to go back now and try to re-engineer these pathways that are successful for allowing appropriate development of human cells in these other animals. We are very, very excited.” Professor Julian Savulescu, a director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and co-director of the Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, University of Oxford, told Irish News that the research “opens Pandora’s box to human-nonhuman chimeras.”
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EUROPEAN PRESS
EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK
FRANCE
Vaccine ditched
Notre Dame
DESPITE the fact that the World Health Organisation has declared that the risk of death from use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to blood clots was minute, the Danish Government has decided to stop using that vaccine completely but will continue with the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.
WHEN Notre Dame Cathedral was devastated by fire two years ago, French President Macron promised that it would be open for worship again by 2024, but despite a spend so far of €165 million to reinforce the structure, no actual restoration has even been started.
NETHERLANDS Rain Forests
NORWAY First murder
ACCORDING to a new report released by the World Wide Fund for Nature the use of soy in feed for the Dutch livestock industry means that the Netherlands is the largest European contributor to destruction of tropical forest cleared for soy production.
WHILST many countries report murders on an almost daily basis, Norwegian Police have just confirmed that Norway’s first murder of the year took place on April 13 and already a 30-year-old man has been arrested for shooting another man in a quiet Oslo suburb.
BELGIUM
FINLAND
Brazen beaver
Gender law
AS she wandered into her garden, a woman in a suburb of Leuven was amazed to see a beaver happily using her swimming pool. It took three volunteers from the local animal protection service to catch the beaver and return it to the wild.
A NEW report in Helsingin Sanomat reveals that the Ministry of Social Affairs is considering giving the right to employees to be able to access information regarding salaries paid to their co-workers if they suspect that they are being discriminated against due to gender.
GERMANY
SWEDEN
Lufthansa plan
Hot line
ANXIOUS to ensure that all of its 63,000 staff in Germany are inoculated against Covid-19, Lufthansa has announced that it plans to set up vaccination centres in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich to arrange staff vaccinations but now awaits allocation of vaccine.
THE Swedish Navy is setting up a hot line for residents who live near its 48,000-kilometre coastline to call in if they spot any unusual activity at sea. In 1981, coastguards were contacted by a boat owner and found a Russian submarine which had run aground.
FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Matchbox cars NOW owned by Mattel, Matchbox cars are still being produced but are moving into environmentally friendly territory with the launch of a new all electric vehicle collection which starts with a Tesla model alongside an electric charging station and they will contain some recycled material.
Taking off AFTER founding Clickair which became part of Vueling, Bilbaoborn Alex Cruz was recruited by IAG eight years ago and most recently was the non-executive president of British Airways. The 55-year-old has now parted company with IAG and it is rumoured is looking to become SAS CEO.
Kerb to kitchen FOOD delivery company Ocado has announced it will support driverless vehicle software startup Oxbotica by investing £10 million (€11 million) to help create self-driving vehicles as well as what are referred to as ‘kerbto-kitchen’ robots which if successful will help to greatly reduce the cost of delivery.
Greater liquidity SANITAS, the Spanish subsidiary of BUPA has decided that with an end of year surplus of €259 million, it will transfer €218 million to reserves in order to ensure that it has additional liquidity to cope with any significant call upon insurance funds due to Covid19.
One Stop Shop THE Gibraltar Ministry for Business has announced that the Business Liaison Team’s One Stop shop has reopened for faceto-face meetings from April 19. It exists to provide support and guidance to individuals on the business start-up process for those wishing to set up on the Rock. With internal Covid-19 restrictions relaxed, these meetings will allow new start-ups to collect all paperwork from one source rather than have to visit different government departments. Those interested in booking an appointment may call + 350 200 59801.
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€315 million
was the 2020 turnover of Spanish/Portuguese law firm Cuatracasas which was just 0.3 per cent down on 2019 figures.
Línea Directa goes public THE National Securities Market Commission (CN‐ MV) has approved the list‐ ing of shares in Línea Direc‐ ta Aseguradora on the Spanish Stock Markets on April 29. Currently owned by Bankinter, which will retain a minority shareholding in the company, Línea Directa is the fifth largest insurer in Spain and currently has more than 3.2 million clients and an annual
turnover of close to €900 million in premiums. Originally set up as a mo‐ tor insurer, it now has the largest market share in the country, but after adding home and health insurance to its offerings, it also en‐ joys a growing share of those markets. Arguably, Línea Directa is the company that leads the digital transformation of the insurance sector with its commitment to ad‐
LEGALLY SPEAKING
vanced technology and says that more than 60 per cent of its new policyholders ar‐ rived via digital channels and that around 80 per cent of clients use the inter‐ net to review policies. Initially to be launched at €1.3175 per share, the company is valued at €1.434 billion, but it is an‐ ticipated prices may fluctu‐ ate quickly as Bankinter is giving shares to current bank shareholders by way
of bonus dividend and it may well be that they will wish to sell some or all of their holding. “Listing Línea Directa is a natural step given the ma‐ turity and profitability achieved by the company. This milestone is a source of pride for us and we are very excited to soon become the third largest Spanish insurer listed on the Stock Ex‐ change,” commented CEO Miguel Angel Merino.
The cost of dying in Spain
Is it IBI or Community? I pay Community fees for two plots in my Community. Both have the same square metres but one has my house on it. The other is vacant. I pay €204.75 each plot for the first semester plus €204.75 for the second semester each year. Total is €409.50. Last year I had €258.37 deducted from my bank for each plot, totalling €517.74. That’s an in‐ crease of €107.26. I have questioned the difference, but the Presi‐ dent replied that it’s an administration query and she passed my e‐mail to the administrator who never replies. A J (Costa Blanca) Has your communi‐ ty voted at the YOU AND THE LAW AGM to raise the IN SPAIN fees? I suspect that the sums taken from your bank are not community fees at all, but municipal property tax charges. This is the IBI, the Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles. This is equivalent to the ‘rates’ in English. This tax is charged on the sur‐ face area of the land, no matter what is standing on the land. It seems that yours have been raised. Check with your bank. If your president and administrator would not inform you of this, they are not serving you well.
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.
MARKS & SPENCER has launched an intellectual property claim in the UK against supermarket giant Aldi, citing alleged similari‐ ties between its Colin the Caterpillar cake with Aldi’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar. M&S, which lodged the claim with the High Court, is arguing that the similarity of
Arrangements have to be different. WHEN a loved one dies in Spain, there are costs and procedures which need to be covered, which is why having a pre‐paid funeral plan elimi‐ nates the stress and worry at such a difficult time. Prices will depend a lot on the location, but incineration costs a lot less than burial. If you want your remains returned to your country of origin, this will mean an extra cost, whereas if you are buried in Spain, the norm is to ‘rent’ a niche for 10 years at a price of between €150 and €600 per year. At the
end of this time, there is also a fee to remove the remains. Other costs generally tak‐ en into account in Spain in‐ clude: the coffin, which varies a lot in price depend‐ ing on the style; the funeral parlour, which depends on the number of hours the re‐ mains stay there; transfer to the cemetery; headstone, which depends on the de‐ sign; flowers, guest book and memorial favours; obituar‐ ies, and finally the adminis‐ trative procedures such as registering the death, getting a death certificate, etc
www.goldenleavesinternational.com enquiries@goldenleaves.com Facebook: goldenleavesspain
Caterpillar Wars! Aldi’s product leads con‐ sumers to believe they are of the same standard and “ride on the coat‐tails” of M&S’s reputation with the product. An M&S spokesperson
said: “Because we know the M&S brand is special to our customers and they expect only the very best from us, love and care goes into every M&S product on our shelves,
so we want to protect Colin, Connie and our reputation for freshness, quality, inno‐ vation and value.” It is understood that M&S has three different trade‐
Trade agreement close TWO important European Parliament committees have overwhelmingly approved the UK’s post‐Brexit trade deal with the EU according to the BBC. Although there are still some concerns about the sit‐ uation in Northern Ireland, it is recognised that the De‐ cember provisional Co‐oper‐ ation Agreement is far bet‐ ter for both sides than the implementation of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. The final ratification of the deal (which will still make it more onerous for Europe and the UK to trade than be‐ fore Brexit) is due to be placed before the European Parliament before the end of April.
Going naked worked NAKED WINES (formerly associ‐ ated with Majestic Wines) has confirmed that the pandemic has given the company a real fi‐ nancial boost with profits up by more than two thirds. According to CEO Nick Devlin, its decision to return to its roots and supply only online turned out to be the right one as it now has 885,000 regular customers, an increase of nearly 50 per cent over the previous year. Whilst results for 2021 are difficult to forecast, he believes that growth, particularly in the USA will continue.
marks against Colin the Caterpillar. It believes Colin has a distinctive character and reputation that will en‐ sure the courts will rule in their favour. With numerous Aldi stores in Spain and very few M&S outlets, caterpillar cake con‐ noisseurs may wish to check locally.
28 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
22 - 28 April 2021
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C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 19
COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.265,50 1.266,00 Admiral Group 3.212,0 3.237,0 Anglo American 3.204,0 3.218,4 Antofagasta 1.887,60 1.902,50 Ashtead Group 4.665,0 4.680,0 Associated British Foods 2.414,9 2.430,3 AstraZeneca 7.393,0 7.419,5 Auto Trader Group Plc 578,40 580,26 Avast 470,30 470,60 Aveva 3.844,0 3.852,0 Aviva 408,69 410,70 B&M European Value Retail SA565,80 566,00 BAE Systems 519,20 524,90 Bank VTB DRC 1,182 1,206 Barclays 188,61 189,32 Barratt Developments 790,77 793,00 Berkeley 4.621,4 4.634,8 BHP Group 2.225,50 2.240,00 BP 302,00 302,53 British American Tobacco 2.894,4 2.900,5 British Land Company 514,56 519,26 BT Group 154,92 154,90 Bunzl 2.507,5 2.512,0 Burberry Group 2.078,0 2.083,0 Carnival 1.660,9 1.665,3 Centrica 56,84 56,92 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.521,0 2.522,0 Compass 1.589,50 1.601,74 CRH 3.504,0 3.516,0 Croda Intl 6.785,2 6.808,0 DCC 6.452,0 6.484,0 Diageo 3.232,4 3.245,5 DS Smith 423,50 425,60 EasyJet 990,17 1.001,50 Experian 2.752,0 2.755,0 Ferguson 9.378,0 9.420,0 Flutter Entertainment 15.560,0 15.650,0 Fresnillo 930,76 933,12 GlaxoSmithKline 1.348,40 1.353,00 Glencore 302,80 304,55 Halma 2.568,0 2.580,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.678,50 1.678,50 Hikma Pharma 2.388,00 2.390,00 HSBC 427,42 427,95 IAG 207,09 209,65 Imperial Brands 1.591,90 1.592,48 Informa 595,80 598,00 InterContinental 5.214,0 5.228,0 Intermediate Capital 2.005,00 2.023,00 Intertek 6.144,0 6.149,9 ITV 122,25 123,50
% CHG. 1.256,00 3.202,0 3.200,5 1.880,86 4.648,0 2.411,0 7.330,6 576,00 464,50 3.811,0 407,75 559,40 519,20 1,182 187,41 783,60 4.613,6 2.222,00 299,70 2.884,1 514,20 153,20 2.503,8 2.047,0 1.651,8 56,43 2.492,0 1.589,50 3.496,0 6.749,7 6.428,0 3.225,4 420,00 982,57 2.712,0 9.322,0 15.520,0 923,04 1.338,00 302,15 2.562,0 1.661,49 2.367,52 426,33 205,71 1.576,50 593,20 5.184,0 2.001,00 6.100,0 122,00
NET VOL 63,83K 29,11K 6,74K 6,30K 23,62K 8,11K 23,38K 15,51K 202,44K 6,84K 78,39K 44,40K 70,00K 32,83K 1,75M 92,43K 0,49K 168,21K 451,92K 27,57K 9,44K 1,24M 2,28K 19,93K 10,53K 133,77K 10,66K 3,40K 29,24K 1,52K 4,16K 13,42K 157,25K 104,15K 93,99K 16,76K 8,14K 28,88K 536,38K 1,47M 16,80K 44,84K 3,70K 51,31K 742,18K 24,46K 61,11K 9,58K 12,70K 1,15K 306,31K
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
251,60 3.204,0 720,00 277,94 43,62 7.739,7 476,30 178,30 1.981,00 904,80 199,10 8.252,0 33,36 2.206,41 3.206,3 757,20 1.549,00 6.685,0 1.935,00 526,00 611,25 6.071,0 105,18 7,17 1.402,51 1.403,0 1.342,1 683,00 648,00 1.865,00 15,03 3.630,0 1.244,98 987,80 2.443,4 1.438,50 1.643,50 12.210,0 1.509,29 1.342,50 493,10 288,40 192,50 233,08 394,05 4.157,0 964,60 135,10 3.524,0 976,40
CHANGE(P)
% CHG.
NET VOL
252,50 3.231,0 724,94 280,09 43,70 7.816,0 485,00 183,64 1.993,00 909,50 199,80 8.294,0 33,69 2.207,94 3.223,0 763,20 1.552,25 6.710,0 1.941,00 526,20 613,86 6.099,0 106,96 7,22 1.407,31 1.408,4 1.346,8 683,80 649,20 1.875,00 15,09 3.636,0 1.252,00 993,40 2.450,2 1.453,00 1.650,50 12.245,0 1.513,50 1.343,00 493,60 291,05 192,70 233,33 396,94 4.176,5 967,39 135,88 3.549,0 982,80
247,10 3.191,0 719,40 277,70 43,27 7.698,0 475,30 177,73 1.969,50 901,80 198,45 8.052,0 33,27 2.181,81 3.196,8 756,40 1.545,50 6.648,0 1.934,13 521,00 610,03 6.059,0 104,83 7,15 1.395,01 1.394,6 1.333,9 682,80 642,60 1.865,00 15,02 3.610,0 1.240,19 984,40 2.442,0 1.438,50 1.636,50 12.090,0 1.495,00 1.338,73 491,00 288,40 190,70 231,00 392,67 4.135,0 959,20 134,63 3.505,0 973,20
882,29K 14,05K 5,41K 254,89K 8,89M 49,25K 28,10K 100,44K 37,38K 210,38K 314,02K 36,94K 49,21K 8,35K 4,60K 43,67K 28,30K 33,67K 15,81K 69,91K 14,74K 109,34K 5,38M 186,92K 24,30K 407,66K 65,40K 58,76K 84,13K 1,42K 4,81K 4,02K 317,09K 56,48K 1,73K 149,10K 15,21K 4,41K 11,37K 3,26K 94,95K 53,81K 427,03K 533,68K 260,43K 129,34K 12,55K 331,36K 3,37K 190,27K
1.15695
0.86485
Units per €
US dollar (USD) ......................................1.19069 Japan yen (JPY)......................................129.956 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.1021 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4363 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.007
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 A PRIL 19
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 198,58 2.297,76 3.399,44 255,71 134,16 248,18 233,36 102,96 52,80 53,68 306,18 342,31 328,08 232,11 133,59 64,75 162,24 153,30 233,08 77,47 260,74 134,31 137,25 231,91 739,78 391,01 58,28 226,41 140,61 187,26
CHANGE 199,67 2.306,44 3.406,80 258,82 134,67 253,05 235,94 104,36 53,18 53,80 308,95 343,74 328,67 232,35 134,10 65,52 162,51 154,51 234,26 77,75 261,00 134,77 137,90 234,00 749,41 393,92 58,48 227,80 140,96 189,47
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 197,98 2,77M 2.284,45 1,13M 3.355,59 3,19M 254,67 2,77M 133,28 84,92M 246,23 14,61M 232,27 2,13M 102,43 7,46M 52,26 28,33M 53,38 17,97M 304,61 13,06M 338,62 4,23M 323,94 6,21M 230,05 4,10M 132,95 5,29M 64,57 24,63M 160,56 9,05M 152,69 13,77M 232,31 2,69M 76,82 11,94M 257,60 24,88M 133,73 6,85M 136,88 7,71M 229,89 5,09M 724,60 27,98M 385,46 4,53M 57,80 19,87M 225,76 6,83M 139,71 8,83M 186,20 9,45M M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 19
COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
+1.80% +12.50% +0.60% +5.96% +73.89% +1.95% +3.34% +6.84% +7.69% +1.63% +1.32%
783,479 4.51M 3.19M 22.65M 5.69M 3,047 83,837 19.04M 4.62M 995,161 1.04M
-6.29% -2.20% -9.52% -3.12% -0.76% -30.40% -1.49% -36.85% -1.39% -0.92% -14.56%
762,793 499,563 6.86M 2.67M 4,636 9.10M 383,441 247,336 8.38M 148,549 1.48M
Most Advanced Booking Holdings Inc. Novavax Inc. Amazon.com Inc. Coinbase Global Inc. Recursion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Atrion Corp. Credit Acceptance Corp. Moderna Inc. BioNTech SE ADR O'Reilly Automotive Inc. Charter Communications Inc. Cl A
Most Declined MicroStrategy Inc. Trade Desk Inc. Cl A Splunk Inc. Roku Inc. Cl A Broadcom Inc. 8% Pfd. Series A Esports Technologies Inc. Equinix Inc. Sequential Brands Group Inc. NVIDIA Corp. CoStar Group Inc. Veracyte Inc.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com
Credit: Ibercaja Press Centre
Ibercaja Bank reveals future plans
GOING ALONE: José Luis Aguirre and Víctor Iglesias announced the plans. WITH the merging of Spanish banks being recommended by the Bank of Spain, Zaragoza based Ibercaja Banco has just confirmed that it intends to continue alone. It started as a savings bank 145 years ago and expanded in 2011 by taking over other savings banks which allowed it to grow significantly. The President José Luis Aguirre and CEO Víctor Igle‐ sias have now revealed their strategy to take the bank for‐ ward by publishing their 2021‐2023 ‘Challenge Plan’. In this, they are looking to continue to offer a wide range of customer services which includes, banking, mortgages, insurance, pen‐ sions and much more with the aim of adding an addition‐ al 50 per cent of customers in personal, business and pri‐ vate banking.
Another target sees a de‐ termination to exceed a 7 per cent return on investment with a new focus on the de‐ velopment of technological knowledge to help increase customer satisfaction and to reduce costs. There is also a plan to strengthen the bank’s finan‐ cial position to ensure that it is able to cope with any new and unexpected problems which may arise as Spain emerges from the pandemic and it has over the past three years reduced the burden of non‐performing assets by al‐ most €5 billion. A statement from the Presi‐ dent makes it clear that he and his board have every con‐ fidence in the future of the Spanish economy for the fu‐ ture. According to the Expansion website, there are also plans
Product recall SAINSBURY’S supermarket group in the UK has issued a product recall warning with regards to the possibility of Taste the Difference Medjool Dates being contaminated with Hepatitis A. The packs which are being recalled are 200g and 500g, with supplier/site code K0014EW on the date label. Readers with UK relations, especially Muslims who eat dates during Ramadan are advised to warn them of the problem. Whilst there have been no reports of any customer falling ill, Hepatitis A is an unpleasant infection and the company could be open to a claim for damages should anyone be infected.
for Ibercaja to be floated on the Madrid Stock Exchange, either in 2021 or 2022 de‐ pending upon the state of the share market.
BUSINESS EXTRA Beer goggles THE Revolut beer-ometer™ showed that English pub spending was up by 200 per cent when pubs reopened compared to a normal Monday. It said that £2,086 (€2,295) was being spent every minute with the biggest boozers being men aged 25 to 34, quaffing an average 4.8 pints.
O2 merger NOW that the UK Competition and Markets Authority has given a provisional green light for the merger of the O2 and Virgin mobile phone groups, Spanish owner of O2, Telefónica can look forward to reducing its debt burden by nearly €5 billion.
Renewable power WITH renewable power the next big money spinner in Spain, the Canadian group Northland Power has entered into a €1 billion deal to take over a number of projects in Spain from Helia, a fund controlled by Plenium Partners Asset Management and Bankinter.
22 - 28 April 2021
EWN 29
30 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
22 - 28 April 2021
FEATURE
True problem lies in the home
LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT I’M utterly sick and fed up with the media and woke brigade endeavouring to make us feel sorry for thugs and criminals. George Floyd was a habitual criminal, out and about breaking the law. Had he been a law abiding citizen, legally going about his business, the police would have had no reason to arrest him and he would be alive today. The case of a 13‐year‐old, shot dead by police at the weekend was undoubtedly a tragic event, but he was out at night, with his friend, both carrying loaded guns! What do you think they were up to, charity work? In that particular circumstance I actually feel sorry for the police officer, who I understand was in tears after the event. Apparently a second before he was shot, the police video showed the boy was actually holding a gun. He then raised his arm to discard it. The officer had a split second to decide whether or not the boy was about to shoot him, what was he supposed to do, let the boy take the first shot!? He was simply protecting himself.
NO CONTROL: Why are they carrying guns to begin with? Naturally the popular media are not showing the young man actually with the gun in his hand, merely the split second after he had discarded it. After all, the more hatred and trouble they can whip up the more newsworthy content they can glean for their sensationalist hungry viewers. And why is there always such a
kerfuffle when many black drivers are ordered to put their hands on the wheel or the dash where they can be seen? The majority of these drivers’ immediate reaction seems to be frantic jerking around, shouting protests, waving their arms and generally escalating the whole event
which then often culminates in screaming police dragging them from the car. If they would simply comply immediately there would be no need for all the violence and possible tragedy that often ensues. I know if I was shouted at by an armed officer to put my hands on the wheel, they would be glued to the
steering wheel in a heartbeat. Returning briefly to that shot teenager, no doubt his tearful Mother will soon be telling all who are prepared to listen what a ‘wonderful son’ and ‘good boy’ he had always been! If anyone is to blame here it is (as usual) the parents or, more often than not, the ‘absent father family,’ who have so little control or care for their offsprings that they are actually allowed to run amok at night carrying guns and knives. That is where the true problem lies; in the home. Far too many ‘ladies’ from these so called ‘deprived’ areas appear to be so free and easy with their favours, they often end up with a whole brood of children from multiple fathers ‐ all absent and totally untraceable. No wonder their children are out of control. It’s time these people got their own houses in order before blaming society and the police for the wrongdoings of their errant offsprings. Keep the faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland Mon. Wed. Fri.
Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
How can you confuse a gun? MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION
Views of a Grumpy Old Man A POLICE officer who shot and killed a driver during a traffic stop in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, on Sunday afternoon, meant to deploy her Taser instead of her gun, police said. In a press conference on Monday, Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said he believes the female officer intended to deploy her Taser when she ‘accidentally’ shot 20year-old Daunte Wright. How do you accidently confuse your gun with a Taser? To me an accident is knocking over your drink or maybe driving into the back of someone’s car, but shooting someone when you are a trained police officer isn’t an accident especially when your gun and Taser are on different sides of your belt. My point here is that the USA is an absolute mess where guns and killing people are concerned apart from gawd knows how many mass shooting there are. Their police forces are particularly gun happy. We live in a country where all police are armed, but I can’t think of one instance here where a police officer has pulled someone over for a traffic violation and finished up
shooting them dead. Never heard of any mass shootings either. The reason might be that the average punter here can’t buy a gun, never mind ones that fires 10 to 20 rounds a second like the AR15. Let’s see if Biden will finally do something about it or will be bought off by the NRA. Shame about Prince Philip dying, totally politically incorrect bloke, but all in all he did a good job and was a great partner for the Queen. He was after all 99 years old and had a pretty good innings. But I do think the coverage of his death went overboard especially the BBC. The total blanket coverage of BBC1 and BBC2 was well over the top and other stations too with looped broadcasting hour after hour. Then all the Royal correspondents were wheeled out giving their views. They even invited members of the public to email in if they had met him. So basically anybody could have said they had met him without any confirmation just to get a shout out on the telly! I think it backfired as people turned off in their millions after a couple of hours and, in fact, Gogglebox, a TV programme about people watching TV programmes got higher ratings. But their biggest mistake, as far as Mrs S was concerned, was postponing the final of MasterChef! Email: mikesenker@gmail.com
Mike’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
22 - 28 April 2021
EWN 31
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Four in a Bed Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Grand Designs Channel 4 News VE Day in Colour: Britain's Biggest Party The Great British Spitfire Restoration War for the Planet of the Apes Fantastic Four
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Lights Up: The Winter's Tale Coast Between the Lines Between the Lines Scuffles, Swagger & Shakespeare: The Hidden Story of English Sold! Inside the World's Biggest Auction House Sold! Inside the World's Biggest Auction House
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The Channel Tunnel - Life on the Inside The Joy of Painting Live Snooker: The World Championship Lights Up Festival Fighting for King and Empire: Britain's Caribbean Heroes Colour: The Spectrum of Science The Joy of Painting
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34 EWN
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22 - 28 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 super‐ stores. During this lockdown, we chal‐ lenge you to rediscover your lo‐ cal high streets, markets, butch‐ ers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky independent 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 unable to get out due to health reasons or lockdown restrictions. The joy of shopping local means that independent busi‐ nesses can help support the local community. Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or on‐
line, consider where your money is actually going. By shopping at an independent store you’re putting food on a local family’s
table, and there is no better time than 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 ambition, and also the courage it took them to step out alone, which is no easy task. It takes quite a large chunk of money to set up an in‐ dependent store and compete with the multinational and chains. So be sure to pre‐order your meat from a local butcher and get your spuds from a local greengrocer, let us revive that community spirit and get to
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
22 - 28 April 2021
SPENDING LOCALLY: Will make a difference to the local economy.
know our neighbours again. You could also consider pur‐ chasing gift vouchers from local businesses to help them over the coming weeks, thinking outside the box can often lead to some fantastic ideas. Why not buy a meal for two, an hour’s tattoo time at a local studio, a hair cut at a local salon or an online study course for someone looking to change their career path. As people are struggling with finances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift perhaps pre‐paying a family 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 differ‐ ence in the recovery of the local economy. When we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local economy in two ways. First, buying local keeps money circulating within the local economy. Studies have shown that local businesses 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 example, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce. First, they sell to a local restau‐ rant, which in turn prepares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its local employees and the restau‐ rant uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbour‐ hood hardware store. This 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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22 - 28 April 2021
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HEALTH & BEAUTY
To My Shadow Bipolar MS BIPOLAR
UP AND DOWN WITH BALANCE UNEDITED
IT’S been 10 years since being diagnosed with you. Ten years of struggling to tame the violent chaos you’ve hurled into my mind. I wasn’t aware you had already started building camp at a young age. I thought you were nothing but a phase all teenagers go through. So I ignored you, thinking you’d eventually go away if I pretended you didn’t exist, I didn’t know any different. But just like a shadow, you followed me everywhere I went. I tried to be oblivious to the self-destructive thoughts you constantly whispered into my ear. For a long time, I survived this constant battle with you. Little by little, I was successful keeping you quiet - the monster living inside of me. It wasn’t easy; I had to be really careful so I wouldn’t wake or upset you. Maintaining that mask was stressful; but for a while, everything seemed to be under control. That was until a traumatic, lifechanging experience triggered you to explode. It was utterly devastating. You wreaked havoc in every area of my life. No matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to keep you out.
I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t get out of bed and couldn’t stop my mind from racing. I felt alone, worthless and unloved. Some days I just felt nothing , numbness. Ten years ago you were given many names: clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder. Bipolar 1 disorder. Finally. Your real name. After a long, frustrating journey, I now know who you really are and how I’m going to manage you. It’s definitely not been an easy ride - and it took a lot of time to get the right mix of medications to tame you - but I won’t let you destroy me again. Thank you for showing me how much my family loves me, and how amazing my friends are. Without their support and understanding, I wouldn’t have been able to survive all the sh*t you put me through. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to help and reach out to people who are like me. You gave me the chance to show compassion, kindness and understanding to people who are also struggling with an invisible war inside their heads. Finally, thank you for making me realise how strong I am Love Ms Bipolar x
msbipolar@euroweeklynews.com
PETS
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www.euroweeklynews.com • 22 - 28 April 2021
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New puppies? They need company while you are away IF you have recently brought home one or more puppies then you need to plan more carefully than usual when you go away. Moreover, are you tentatively planning to get away later this year? Even if you are planning just a short trip you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Puppies especially usually need to stay be‐ hind so they can follow their routines at home. So, 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 philoso‐ phy 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,
New puppies always need company, and a guiding hand when you are not there. they respond and you choose the sitter who’ll care for your pets. Trustpilot Testimonials ‐ 4.8 / 5 Excellent rating (New Trustpilot rating scale) Here’s what members have said about us‐ HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐ sitter… HouseSitMatch found us a perfect house‐ sitter while we were away in Canada and we were delighted with the care and attention that HouseSitMatch took in helping us find
the right person. Ros Morris ‐ Dog owner How do you join? Please register online via our website www.Housesitmatch.com ‐ Choose a membership plan ‐ Please note prices go up soon so sign up now on subscription to secure these prices: • Standard (DIY option) = £69 pa • Premium (with support at each step) = £89 pa
Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner with a 20 per cent discount using coupon code P2020 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com.
Top cat toys PLAYING is essential for kittens, to develop their hunting and fighting skills. It is also a well‐known fact that cats love to play, and usually with the simplest of toys, includ‐ ing boxes, paper bags, plastic balls, twists of paper and cotton reels. However, it is worth having a look at some updated and more stylish alternatives that are available for the cat and of course, the owner to enjoy! The latest toys are colourful and look good but are also very practical, and the first is a ‘Toys R Us colourful Tri‐ Tunnel toy,’ which pops up, folds down and has a dangle toy inside for when your cat ‘wants to be alone.’ Next, there is the ‘Kong Crisscross Rolling Cat Toy,’ which rolls along the floor, with a bell that rings and a rolling ball inside or you could go for a ‘Petlinks Wild Thing Motion Cat Toy,’ that does all the work with its electronic motion ball, that moves and spins around dangling a feath‐ er. Other toys include the ‘SmartyKat Crackle Chute Col‐ lapsible tunnel’ and the ‘Cat1st Ninja Cat Cube’ that can easily be stacked and connected to more cubes with Vel‐ cro. As cats get older, like humans, they need more of an in‐ centive to get up and jump around for the sake of it, whereas kittens are young and have boundless amounts of energy. It is worth investing in new toys, so your cat doesn’t get bored.
My dog keeps falling over, what does it mean and what should I do? IF your dog suddenly los‐ es their sense of balance they could be suffering from a serious health problem that requires immediate veterinary at‐ tention. The condition relating to a sensory dys‐ function that results in a loss of coordination in the dog’s head, limbs, or rear is called Ataxia. There are three types of ataxia commonly seen in dogs: cerebellar, propioceptive and vestibular. Cerebellar ataxia in dogs occurs when the cerebellum is af‐ fected and the main symptoms are loss of coordination, tremors, falling, and weakness. Proprioceptive ataxia is diag‐ nosed when the spinal cord is slowly compressed due to an in‐ tervertebral disk herniation, a tumour, trauma or a vascular in‐ farct. This cause from an inability to properly place a foot on the ground when walking to a paralysis. Vestibular ataxia is the result of a problem in the inner ear or brainstem and the main symptoms are loss of balance, head tilt, nystagmus (rapid eye movements) and leaning or circling to one side. A neurological exam, blood tests are required and in most cases a CT scan or MRI will be necessary.
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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.almeria-angli can.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 us for more info tbuddyhhvisits@gmail. com. If you or your partner served or are serving, and you feel you need help or support then contact us using the details on the card, we are here for the small things as well as the big, sometimes talking to someone is the first step to feeling more in control. It can be a personal need or some help with your home or information on what or who to speak to on a medical issue, we help with signposting if we cannot help directly, just call and have a chat with Pam who will try to guide you to where you need to be. If you would like to go to a branch meeting then find your nearest one at, www.britishle gion.org.uk/counties/spain-north ZURGENA Branch meeting on the first Thursday, Coffee Morning on the third Thursday and Buffet & Quiz Night on the last Tuesday of the month all at The Heathers La Alfoquia, for further details please email zurgenarblsecretary@ya hoo.co.uk - (253989)
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ESTATE AGENT VOSS HOMES are a professional, British family-run Estate Agents with an office in Huercal-Overa town. They specialise in selling and renting properties in the Huercal-Overa, La Alfoquia, Z u r g e n a & Ta b e r n o a r e a . A n d y, A n n a , J e s s , A d e l e , Hannah, Amy & Karen look forward to helping you buy, sell or rent your ideal prope r t y. P l e a s e c a l l 6 7 8 0 0 2 006 for more information (283824) WANTED Gold, Silver, Rolex & Patek Philippe Watches Tel – 678 716 693 (288662)
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VW Arteon - for modern times AS estates go VW’s Arteon Shooting Brake has a presence, the wide frontal look, muscular rear and sleek lines makes for a stylish driveway addition. Based on the Passat the Arteon shoot‐ ing brake is aimed at being a mix of the practical with added style. It certainly turns heads and usu‐ ally for all the right reasons. The term shooting brake is a delightfully old fashioned one harking back to a time when cars had little space and upper class shooting parties needed transport for all their kit. This German inter‐ pretation of the shooting brake, although not without compromis‐ es, is an appealing one. Prices start at €40,759 (£35,395) and peak at €50,070 (£43,480) for the top‐line version with all‐wheel‐drive. As with all German automotive machines the prices can reach even headier financial heights if you make a start on the options list. My R‐ Line with 2.0‐litre TSI petrol pow‐ er, was listed at €44,243 (£38,420) but had a whopping €9,212 (£8,000) worth of extra cost options. Although the test car was not my favourite in terms of colour,
dark grey with black interior, a much brighter and classier colour palette is available and makes the car look much more than its circa €46k (£40k) price tag. If you’re looking for a capa‐ cious load carrier then the Arteon Shooting Brake is not for you. Its striking lines means the load practicality, while better than an equivalent saloon, is not the best but then that really isn’t the point of the Arteon. Your walking gear, picnic paraphernalia, children’s travel accoutrements or other outdoor activity kit can easily be accommodated. Manufacturers have become expert at smaller capacity, more efficient engines that still possess decent performance. My Arte‐ on’s 2.0‐litre, four‐cylinder petrol engine passes the benchmark 100 kph in 7.8 seconds and a 233 kph maximum speed while re‐ turning, during my week of most‐ ly local driving, 8.3 litres/100 km. There’s even the option of a plug‐ in hybrid. The Arteon Shooting Brake isn’t a small car, in fact it looks even larger thanks to its design, and inside it feels spacious. Stan‐ dard kit is good with such fare as
keyless entry and start and tail‐ gate, a superb panoramic sun‐ roof and much, much more. There’s the usual VW solid, quality feel, it’s a car that com‐ bines the very best of practical SUVs and traditional estates without their bulk and boxiness. It’s a car that’s a very class act.
22 - 28 April 2021
EWN 47
SPORT Grand Prix IN an announcement that will disappoint many fans the Spanish Grand Prix will now be held without spec‐ tators in attendance for the second season in a row. Racing fans who have al‐ ready paid out for tickets though will be issued with a refund. With only weeks to go before the planned event that is set to be held at the Circuit de Barcelona‐ Catalunya on May 7 to May 9, many fans will be disap‐ pointed by the news that spectators will not be able to attend. Spain is set to host the fifth round of the 2021 campaign. According to event or‐ ganisers, government bod‐ ies have told them that with only weeks to go before the event is set to take place, ongoing Coronavirus restric‐ tions which limit public gatherings are unlikely to change before the event takes place as reported Mo‐ torsportweek.
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Real Madrid Shock
The Snooker Club Mojacar celebrates its 8 year anniversary!
SERGIO RAMOS: Leaving the club. FLORENTINO PÉREZ, the president of Real Madrid, appeared on Monday night (April 19) at El Chiringuito de Jugones, to talk about the bombshell caused by the announcement of the formation of the new breakaway European Super League that will involve 12 of the biggest clubs in the world of football, and that he himself will pre‐ side over. In the closing minutes of his interview with Josep Pedrerol, just as the mood was coming back to a more calming state, a harmless question from the interviewer about any Real Madrid news sudden‐ ly turned the atmosphere bad again, as Pérez dropped the shocking news that after 15 years with the club, their enigmatic captain Ser‐ gio Ramos will definitely leave at the end of the season. At that point, the president, clearly agitated, refused to elaborate more, simply saying, “I’m leaving. We have come here to talk about the Super League,” but then seemed to relax and said, “I love him very much, but we are in a very bad situation, and in Madrid, no‐ body puts the money. We have to be realistic with what happens to us. Right now we are all very bad and Madrid too. For now, we have to fix this season.”
SNOOKER CLUB: Members enjoy a good atmosphere. IAN and Wieland started the adventure of opening The Snooker Club Mojacar in 2013. During this time members have come and gone, but all of them have enjoyed the good atmosphere, the quality of the tables, equip‐ ment and the service of Danny the Dice. Many players use the club to meet their friends, have a game, a chat and a drink. Other members love the Snooker Club Tournament, a handicap tournament played four times a year in Round Robin groups of
five or six players and then it is played best of five in the quarters and the semi‐finals. The next tournament begins on Saturday May 1. In 2018‐2019 the club hosted the interna‐ tional Spanish amateur knock out stages (LASE) and Ian made it to the finals in Madrid reaching the quarters. The Snooker Club Mojacar is located just on the side of the well‐known ‘Mercadona Supermarket’ at Mojácar ‐ beach at the ‘El Zoco.’
The One-Year-Membership is only €20 and Holiday members are admitted. (Tel. Landline 950 473 041 or mob. Ian: 634 364 311 and mob. Wieland 609 026 526)