News
The people’s paper 8 - 14 July 2021
Jazz date XABIA JAZZ returns this summer with concerts at 10.30pm on August 8 and 9 in Javea’s Plaza de la Constitucion. Audience capacity is limited to 2,000 and entry is free.
Stop appeal CAMPELLO councillors backed a complaint to the regional Ombudsman after the Public Works, Transport and Mobility authorities ignored written requests to restore the Cala d’Or tram halt, removed in 2003.
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SUMMER PLANS
Photo credit: Benidorm town hall
Issue No. 1879
Better parking LA NUCIA is spending €516,000 over the next three months, building another car park on a 5,758-square metre plot outside the Estadi Olimpic sports stadium, providing another 125 parking spaces.
Rates rebate CALPE Town Hall is again lowering IBI rates for pensioners and the long-term unemployed with rebates of up to 75 per cent or 85 per cent for those with disabilities.
Turn to page 4 » WORKING TOGETHER: Regional travel chief, Francesc Colomer with Toni Perez sign collaboration agreement.
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8 - 14 July 2021
Elderly man goes missing AN elderly Alicante man has been rescued after he became disorientated and fell after he left his house in the El Vergel district. The 85-year-old man left his house and fell down a bank after he became disorientated. The Alicante Provincial Fire Brigade were able to rescue the man and ensure that he received appropriate medical treatment. The accident occurred in Alicante on the evening of July 3 when the elderly man had left his home to get grass to feed his chickens. When the firefighters found the elderly man he was disorientated and dehydrated. Luckily though he had not sustained any serious injuries from his fall. The man had been missing for three hours from the time of his reported disappearance until the Fire Brigade were able to find him.
Smart cameras will monitor Alicante’s Albufereta beach
TOURISTS and locals alike will be able to know how full the Albufereta beach is, thanks to a new system, before heading to the beach. The new camera system allows users to see how full the beaches are in almost real time, using a simple traffic light sys-
tem. The system will monitor the capacity and occupation of the beach. The system will monitor the beach every five minutes and complies with European legislation. The information will be displayed via the municipal website of the City Coun-
cil. There is also a new control panel on the Albufereta beach which was installed on Tuesday June 29. The mayor, Luis Barcala said that: “This is a new commitment by the city council and Aguas de Alicante to safety and quality tourism. With this
Happy End for Kitten RECENTLY a tiny kitten found its way into The Original Charity Shop in Javea’s Arenal… and refused to leave. A call to Claire of Catland and Liz of Javea Feral Cat Association brought in the rescue team. A cage with food and water was set up overnight and the kitten was happily sitting inside the next morning! As a Thank You for this rescue operation The Original Charity Shop decided to donate €1,000 which will go to the Javea Feral Cat Association
THANK YOU: A donation was made to the Javea Feral Cat Association. for their neutering programme. The Original Charity Shop is situated on Carrer de Nancy 1, in the Arenal area. They are open from 10am to pm Monday to Saturday. For more information see their web page: charityshoplibrary.com or contact us at info@charityshoplibrary.com.
new system, users will be able to know in real time the degree of occupation of the beach to better plan their visits and trips, while providing essential information to the Local Police and Civil Protection to anticipate responses in case of need. He also highlighted that: “This pioneering innovation project, which is already being applied with great success on El Postiguet beach, consolidates the strategy of Alicante, Smart Tourist Destination.” The deputy mayor, Mari Carmen Sanchez spoke of the system and said: “We are making progress in our commitment to being a smart tourist destination thanks to the agreement we signed with Aguas de Alicante last year.” Sanchez added that: “We not only have five blue flags for the quality and services of our beaches, but also for our commitment to safety in these bathing areas.”
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Tapas and Titters from Javea Players THE Javea Players held their first post-Covid performances with a series of cheeky Tapas and Titters nights. After tapas at a local restaurant in Javea, the Casa de Cultura hosted performances of pieces for the audience to titter to, with skits from Victoria Wood, Fascinating Aida, Joyce Grenfell and a short play, Knightsbridge, by John Mortimer. The theatre had to obey the rules and spaces were limited and distanced, but the Players still managed to sell out the shows in a week. These fun evenings were directed by Cherry Cabban and giggles were provided by Jen Kellow-Ward, Roger Brown, Pauline McGough, Leigh Patterson, Paul Hunter, Alastair Wallace, Tony Sim, Lesley Davis, Rosemary Brown and Ian Hunt. Future Javea Players’ events include a return for Roger Brown to the Casa de Cultura in a tribute to the swing era entitled From Bing to Buble from July 14 to July 16. The play Love letters will be performed at the Studio from September 20 to September 25. See www.javeaplayers.com for full details.
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NIBS EXTRA Ongoing help
Unique light THE Sorolla Museum in Madrid will loan the Sorolla en su Paraiso (Sorollo in Paradise) exhibition for Javea events celebrating the first visit of Joaquin Sorolla (1863-1923) in 18896. Javea’s landscapes and light belong to his paintings’ DNA, said Enrique Varela, the Sorolla Museum and Fundacion Sorolla’s director.
Sail away RESIDENTS of the Canuta and Maryvilla urbanisations in Calpe which adjoin the Puerto Blanco marina are concerned that adding extra moorings, including 50 for jet-skis, to the long-neglected installation will produce pollution and noise. The project will impact negatively on quality of life in the area, they maintained.
Drink up BENIDORM is again participating in Ecovidrio’s glass recycling campaign this summer, hoping to regain its Green Flag as a leading recycler. Even during the 2020 season with a comparatively low summer population, the resort still recycled more than 1,750,000 kilos of glass, well above Spain’s national average.
Mountain high PUPILS in their second year at Finestrat’s Puig Campana’s primary school have given their pictures of the namesake Puig Campana mountain to the town hall, thanking the local corporation for its assistance and collaboration with local schools. The pictures are on display at the town hall throughout July.
Plea bargain LAWYERS representing four men who received sentences ranging from 15 to 18 years for the 2019 gang rape of a 19year-old in Callosa are negotiating to reduce their terms. They have paid €60,000 compensation to the victim and are prepared to admit their guilt, their legal team explained.
Les Rotes barrier VEHICLES are now barred from the section of Les Rotes beach between the Mena and Can Nano restaurants. A barrier will bar the way at the end of the Les Rotes road to prevent traffic saturation until August 31 while a minibus service will ferry beachgoers from the public car park. This has been introduced on a temporary basis, operating every quarter of an hour between 8am and 6pm, although the town hall explained that the service has been intro-
Photo credit: Javea town hall
THE National Police’s Tourist Attention Office (SATE) has reopened for the summer in Gandia, giving personalised attention to national and international tourists who have been victims of a crime or other episodes. The office is open from 9am to 9pm on weekdays as well as at the weekend.
8 - 14 July 2021
VEHICLES BARRED: There is no restricted access to part of the Les Rotes beach.
LA NUCIA is once again holding its Medi‐ aeval Market between July 8 and 10. The market has been held annually since 2005 when the municipality cele‐ brated its 300th anniversary as an inde‐ pendent town, but had to be cancelled last year owing to anti‐Covid regula‐ tions. Rather than big shows and perfor‐ mances, the town hall has preferred to organise a craft fair with 40 stalls with demonstrations and workshops, asking Amata to organise the event.
A virtual visit to Valencia JAVEA U3A meetings have been held via Zoom during the pandemic and the last was watched by 50 members. Former History group leader Pe‐ ter Atkinson’s informative talk, il‐ lustrated with excellent pictures, traced the history of Valencia City, Spain’s third‐largest after Madrid and Barcelona. Valencia suffered numerous at‐ tacks by advancing and retreating armies during its history as well as serious flooding in the late 1950s, Peter explained. This led to diverting the River Turia to avoid further destruction, with a dry valley created in its place. Peter’s presentation featured Valencia’s contrasting architecture, from its beautiful old buildings to the ultra‐modern City of Arts and Sciences, constructed during the last 20 years. Any person who is retired from full‐time work and interested in finding out more about the U3A should visit the www.u3ajavea. com website.
Choice of craft fair stalls
duced on a temporary basis to assess its usefulness and viability. Exceptions include propertyowners with a resident’s parking permit, although their relatives and visitors will need to identify themselves if there are no private parking facilities. Other exceptions include clients of the Mena and Can Nano restaurants, persons with reduced mobility, motorcycles, taxis, tourism companies dropping off and picking up clients and delivery vehicles.
More craftspeople will be showing and selling their work in front of the Raco de l’Albir beach each evening be‐ tween 6pm and midnight until Septem‐ ber 5. Fifteen stalls are selling wares that include ceramics, paintings, jewellery, accessories and decor items. Oscar Perez, Alfaz’s Markets council‐ lor, stressed the fair’s craft orientation. “This includes weekly workshops where the public can see how the prod‐ ucts are made and admire the skill of the artisans and artists,” he said.
Regional association Amata is inter‐ ested in maintaining and improving craft standards, only admitting good quality products made by the craftspeople themselves. There is nothing from big or little fac‐ tories, nothing is imported and every‐ thing is original, which is why Amata us‐ es the ‘Artesanía de Autor®’ slogan.
Manslaughter charges for lifesavers TWO lifesavers were found guilty of manslaughter after a woman drowned off Vil‐ lajoyosa’s Basseta de l’Oli beach in July 2019. The Alicante High Court confirmed the sen‐ tence and payment of €132,000 compensation for the victim’s five children. The tribunal rejected an appeal against an earlier ruling, stressing that the drowning was not the outcome of “mere distraction,” as the lifeguards had claimed. The Basseta de l’Oli beach is adapted for the elderly or those with mobility problems and the victim was clearly a
user of the accessible beach facility, the judges said, as she had arrived in a vehicle belonging to the DYA Asociacion Ayuda en Carretera, which provided the lifesaving and accessible beach service. The lifesavers were present on the beach to ensure safety there, but were un‐ aware that the victim had died until a beachgo‐ er reported seeing a body floating 50 metres from the shore, the tribunal pointed out. The High Court also increased the initial com‐ pensation from €103,000 to €132,607 and fined each lifesavers €2,160.
Crackdown on street vendors CALPE Town Hall is stepping up police patrols to discourage the street traders who have appeared in recent weeks. “We shall use all our resources to tackle this prob‐ lem that is growing worse with the arrival of sum‐ mer,” declared Calpe mayor Ana Pastor at the latest meeting of the local Security Committee. The vendors are most noticeable along the seafront promenades and Pastor revealed that the Guardia Civil is collaborating with surveillance and controls. At the same time, the mayor lamented that re‐ gional laws prevented town halls from engaging Lo‐ cal Police officers on temporary contracts. “Calpe’s population quadruples in the summer but our resources remain the same, as we are not al‐ lowed to take on more personnel,” she said.
Summer break U3A CALPE recently held its last general meet‐ ing until September 16. As well as reports from the treasurer, Travel group, member‐ ship secretary and the groups co‐ordinator there was a talk via Zoom by Ian Gunn from Scotland on Organised Crime, which mem‐ bers thoroughly enjoyed. The Travel group is planning short trips, day trips, away days and other events includ‐ ing a Summer Ball which all start in Septem‐ ber. The next JUGS (Just Us Girls) meet today, Thursday July 8, for lunch at Restaurant Costa at 1.30pm for 2pm. Call Anita on 639 432 947 for more information. For details of the next men’s Dining lunch, contact Arthur on the arthurandfreda@yahoo.com address. For the latest information on groups con‐ tact Pam on groupscoordinator @3uacalpe. org and for membership contact Jan Luxton at membership@u3acalpe.org or the www.u3acalpe.org website.
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Hand of Friendship U3A MARINA BAIXA provides opportunities for making new friends, taking up new hobbies and travelling to learn more about Spain. The association cur‐ rently has about 200 members, holding gen‐ eral meetings on the fourth Monday of ev‐ ery month, except Au‐ gust and December, at the Casa de Cultura in Alfaz del Pi. No transport? No problem, as the Num‐ ber 10 bus stops out‐ side. Membership costs €10 a year and any‐ one may join provid‐ ing they are no longer in full time employ‐ ment. Friday July 9 sees a Wine and Dine meet‐ ing at Xorta Restau‐ rant, Guadalest and on July 30 the Marina Baixa U3A are bound for Valencia to visit the Klimt Immersive Multimedia Experi‐ ence. Further ahead, there will be a second Valen‐ cia trip on September 3 for the Fallas, which were postponed last March, with more get‐ aways planned for November, Christmas and March 2022. “There really is something for every‐ one but most impor‐ tantly, the opportunity to make new friends and get you out of the house after such a long time adhering to lock‐ downs,” said U3A Ma‐ rina Baixa’s secretary Joan Flint. More information and the latest Newsletter is available on the www.u3amari nabaixa.com and their Facebook page. “Our next meeting will be on Monday July 26 beginning at 11am, when you will be made very welcome,” Joan said.
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Readers asked: Is Statue of Diana ‘disappointing’? ONLY 24 per cent of our readers claimed to like the statue of Princess Diana which was unveiled last week at Kensington Palace. The statue, designed by Ian Rank‐Broadley, has not proved popular, and criticism has ranged from the religious overtones of the statue to the unlikely masculinity of Diana’s face. Meanwhile, our readers generally said it was disappointing and not a good likeness, adding that it was drab and not lifelike, while others were unsure of the significance and had expected to see Diana with her sons, not depicted with other children. Some said that it is not very flattering and that her hair, clothes and face aren’t those of “the smiling lady we all know.” Some described it as dark and cold, and a “hideous waste of money.” Some of our readers asked why it was needed, saying that it was pointless. Those who liked it pointed out that the statue shows her “on one of her missions” and “doing what she did best,” and others added that they like what it represents, pointing out that it was a “memorial to the children’s charities she helped” and that it shows her love for children and the
NEW STATUE: ‘Drab and not lifelike.’ fact that she was a true “people’s person.” Many said that whatever the statue looks like, she will “live on in our hearts and minds” and “will always be loved and remembered.”
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Working together positively AS summer gets under‐ way, the Valencia region’s hotel occupancy rates are gradually climbing. Hosbec, the association that represents hoteliers in the region’s three provinces, announced that more hotels contin‐ ued to open during the last week of June throughout the Valencian Community. In Benidorm, hotel occupancy rose above 60 per cent for the first time since Hosbec be‐ gan keeping this season’s records in May 2021. “This is positive news, since the offer has also in‐ creased with 80 hotels currently open in Benidorm, 71 per cent of all those that belong to Hosbec,” the association pointed out. There has been no change in clients’ nationalities, as 92.2 per cent were Spanish and just under 8 per cent for‐ eign tourists. Meanwhile in Benidorm, Toni Perez ‐ who is president of the Visit Benidorm Founda‐ tion as well as local mayor ‐ signed a €310,000 collab‐ oration agreement with Francesc Colomer, the Va‐ lencia region’s Tourism secretary. This will take shape with pilot schemes to revitalise the tourist sector, analyse the direc‐ tion and evolution that the situation is taking while launching media campaigns, events and sponsored activities. At present, both bodies are working on publicity campaigns online and through the travel indus‐ try’s wholesalers with fur‐ ther initiatives aimed at national and international tour operators.
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City is beach cleaning ALICANTE Council is ramping up its beach clean‐ ing ready for the imminent arrival of tourists. Manuel Villar, the councillor for Street Clean‐ ing and Waste Management, supervised the start‐up of the operation, which from the begin‐ ning of July consists of 30 operators and 20 vehi‐ cles operating daily. He said this will “extend the bathing season until mid‐October, to ensure that both Alicante residents and the tourists who visit us can enjoy the sandy beaches and coves of the coast for longer in the best conditions of cleanliness and safety.” The operation will be carried out mainly at night while also maintaining a surveillance ser‐ vice during the day to prevent containers and bins from becoming overloaded with rubbish. UTE Alicante will allocate 30 workers this summer to clean all beaches and coves of the city.
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Rape gang facing 200 years RAPE TRIAL: Is being held being closed doors. THE four gang rapists who are facing nearly 200 years in prison have asked their victim for for‐ giveness. The four men known as the ‘manada’ or pack of Callosa, have acknowledged that the gang rape took place and have asked their victim for forgiveness. The men are accused of gang rape on December 31 in 2018 at an Alicante home in Callosa d’en Sarria. Dur‐ ing the first session of the trial which is being held at the Provincial Court of Alicante, they have acknowledged the events and have apologised to their victim. The de‐ fendants were aged between 19 and 24 years old when
the event took place and they have been ac‐ cused of a variety of crimes. Together they are facing nearly 200 years in prison. The leader of the gang had four separate sexual assault complaints against him by the time he turned 22. The defendants claim that they were under the influence of alcohol and drugs in ‘notable quantities’. The trial is being held behind closed doors in the Sec‐ ond Section of the Alicante Court of Appeal. The possi‐ bility of the gang leader taking a plea for an 18‐year sen‐ tence and the other men taking a plea for 15 years is being considered, but the public prosecutor’s office is opposed to this.
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Girl helps mum NATIONAL POLICE in Alicante are investigating an alleged case of sexist violence that occurred Mon‐ day July 5, in an apartment in the Alicante municipality of Elda, dur‐ ing which a man tried to strangle his partner, a 45‐year‐old woman, after hitting her on the head. The woman’s 12‐year‐old daughter then allegedly stabbed the man to defend her mother. The 61‐year‐old man was admit‐ ted, as a detainee, to hospital, with stab wounds to his back, while the woman, originally from Brazil, was also hospitalised with bruises, and trauma to the head, with a police source reporting that the little girl is ‘above suspicion, because she is less than 14 years old’ and has since been admitted to a centre for minors, for her protection.
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Recovered Picasso dropped by police A PICASSO painting was dropped by officers after they recovered pieces stolen in a 2012 art heist in Athens. The Cubist Picasso piece, ‘Head of a Woman’ (1939), was personally donated to Greece by the Spanish master in recognition of the country’s resistance to the Nazi Germany regime. However, an art heist in which many famous pieces were stolen saw the painting disappear until now. During the press conference, where it was revealed that artworks had been found, footage shows officers letting the painting drop to the floor. Luckily, there was no damage caused to the piece! The painting slid off its perch and an officer swiftly picked it up from the ground. Police said that a builder, 49, had confessed to the 2012 art heist and has now been arrested, claiming his motives were his love of art and that he did not intend to sell the paintings. He had initially hidden the pieces in a house before recently moving them to thick vegetation at a local gorge. “This painting is of particular importance and sentimental value to the Greek people, as it was personally dedicated by the great painter to the Greek people for their fight against fascist and Nazi forces,” Mendoni said. TEN European countries, including Spain, will accept the Indian‐made AstraZeneca vaccine, also known as Covishield, after it was initially not included the EU’s Covid vac‐ cine passport scheme. At least five million Brits could have been prevented from travelling as a result. The vaccines have still not been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and
Tragic Tenerife search ends
TOMÁS GIMENO: Disappeared along with his two daughters at sea. THE judicial authority investigat‐ ing the case of the girls Anna and Olivia allegedly murdered by their father in Tenerife is expected to call for the cessation of the track‐ ing operations of the oceano‐ graphic vessel Angeles Alvariño. The captain and the vessel’s head of search operations came to the conclusion that it is “impossi‐
Indian-made vaccine do not qualify for the EU’s vaccine passport scheme under its current rules. But on July 2, eight EU states including Spain, plus Ice‐ land and Switzerland, said they would ac‐ cept the Indian‐manufactured vaccine at their borders. On Friday, the European Commission said it was exploring options
ble” to continue with the tracking in the face of the rugged and diffi‐ cult to negotiate underwater ter‐ rain. The head magistrate of the Court of Violence against Women number two of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the body in charge of the case, made the decision on June 30, after having received a report
for accepting the Covishield vaccine across the bloc but warned this could take time. “In order to ensure a coordinated ap‐ proach, the Commission is in discussion with the member states to see which is the best approach to follow,” a spokesperson for the Commission said. “I don’t think you can say it will not be possible to come to the EU with this vaccine,” he added.
from the ship that described the search as “completely unap‐ proachable.” According to the technical report, in the course of the search, the Judicial Police were able to collect and analyse new in‐ formation. Officers discovered that the boat had drifted for a long while after Tomás Gimeno’s mo‐ bile phone signal had been lost, af‐ ter which the engines started working again and he sailed for around three minutes before they cut out again. Thus, “the point where the en‐ gines stopped again becomes the most probable point where Thomas could have thrown him‐ self into the sea,” surmised the team.
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Baby boomers pension bust? JOSE LUIS ESCRIVA, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations is suggesting that those from the ‘baby boom’ generation - those born from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s might end up getting a smaller pension. The minister explained that the generation is “wider” and will have to assume “some of the effort that must be made to moderate pension spending during a specific period of time.” He said on July 1 that to facilitate this, the government would have to choose between “a small adjustment in their pension” or alternatively, they could “work a little more.” Escriva said Spain “does not have an acute pension problem” but rather “a temporary problem” to face an increase in spending that the retirement of the baby boom generation would entail.
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Vox councillor Train hits car, killing 4
A VOX councillor surprised his al orientation,” he said. “The Con‐ colleagues by coming out during stitution already reflects in its arti‐ a Zoom meeting and defending cle 14 that all Spaniards are equal his party as tolerant. before the law,” he continued. Burjassot councillor Jose Vin‐ “We are not against gay, trans‐ cente Aguilar told a plenary ses‐ sexual, bisexual or heterosexual sion held on June 29 that he was people. We are against the beach gay and that calling Vox a “ma‐ bars that are set up to get votes, cho and homophobic” party was and that is what you do,” he said untrue. to Andres. Aguilar’s family knew The revelation came as Aguilar he was gay, but he had not felt towed the party line and voted the need to reveal it to is political against signing the ‘Institutional party colleagues in Vox. Declaration of the Spanish Feder‐ ation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) for the celebra‐ tion of the International Day of LGTBI Pride.’ “Your party thinks of an ideal of very macho men who on a day like today must be writhing in their chairs,” said the councillor for social welfare, Yolanda An‐ dres. Councillor Aguilar’s reply stunned his colleagues. “You don’t have to be heterosexual to belong in Vox. I invite you to my house one day to meet my husband and then JOSE VICENTE AGUILAR: discuss Defended his party as tolerant. my sexu‐
Man injured in canal A MAN has been injured after his car fell into the water in an Al‐ icante canal. The accident occurred on Sunday July 4, in the ear‐ ly hours of the morning. The accident happened in the area of the Saladar neighbour‐ hood according to the Provincial Fire Brigade Consortium. The neighbourhood is in Alicante’s Almoradi district.
FOUR people died on Friday after‐ noon, July 2, when a train hit a car on a level crossing at Cami de Castilla in the municipality of Nov‐ elda, in Alicante Province. A Samu unit and a Basic Life Ser‐ vice unit were dispatched to the scene of the incident, although nothing could be done to save the lives of any of the vehicle’s passen‐ gers. Three women and one man died at the scene. One passenger on the train had to be treated by the medical team for an anxiety attack, but she was discharged and rejoined the rest of the passengers. According to Adif, the railway infrastructure manag‐ er, the level crossing is equipped with lights and acoustic signals,
plus automatic semi‐barriers. The stoppage affected the Eu‐ romed 1192 Alicante‐Barcelona, and the 18523 Valencia‐Cartagena Media Distance trains and Renfe arranged alternative transport for the stranded train passengers. Adif has announced that it has opened
an investigation to determine the causes of the accident, and is “at the disposal of the authorities,” whilst conveying condolences to the families and friends of the vic‐ tims and thanking the emergency teams for their work. José Luis Ábalos, the Minister of
Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda, posted on Twitter that he deeply regretted the “tragic” acci‐ dent and expressed “all his sup‐ port and solidarity” to the families of the deceased and his “gratitude to the emergency services for the work done.”
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Spanish rental prices fall SPANISH rental prices have fall by 5.6 per cent year-onyear. At the end of June 2021, renting a home in Spain now costs an average of €10.70 per square metre. The decrease is more pronounced in large rental markets, led by a decline in Barcelona where prices have fallen by 13.2 per cent in one year and followed by Madrid (-12.4 per cent), Palma (-8.5 per cent), Malaga (-8.1), Sevilla (-7.6 per cent) and Valencia (-6.3 per cent). “During the pandemic we have realised that stock is the factor that most directly influences rental prices, so we will have to be aware of how it evolves in the coming months to know what can happen with the rents,” said Francisco Inareta from Idealista. “In any case, all the policies that bring more supply to the market will be helping to lower or contain prices, while all punitive or coercive legislation run the risk of obtaining the opposite results to those desired, that is product withdrawal and rise in prices.” Despite the national fall, the price increased in 11 Autonomous Communities. The highest increase occurred in Cantabria (5.2 per cent), La Rioja (4.9 per cent), Castilla-La Mancha (4.9 per cent) and Galicia (4.7 per cent). With also significant increases were Navarra (3.8 per cent), Extremadura (3.6 per cent), Murcia (3.5 per cent) and Asturias (1.9 per cent). The Balearic Islands, for their part, registered the largest drop in the last 12 months at 10.7 per cent. They are followed by the decreases in Madrid (-10.5 per cent) and Catalonia (-9.3 per cent). Madrid and Catalonia are the most expensive communities to rent a home.
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Child surnames allowed
EXPAT parents in Spain will now be able to register their chil‐ dren’s surnames to match patronymic or gendered sur‐ name systems from their home countries. This basically means that the child’s name will be able to be registered as if they had been born in their own nation, accord‐ ing to the national ombudsman. All the civil registries in Spain have now been informed of the changes which were championed by the national ombudsman. In many European countries surnames agree with the gender of the child. To give an example, the Russian President Vladimir
SURNAMES: Now allowed to match systems from home. Putin’s wife is named Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Putina. Lyudmila’s first surname is tak‐ en from her father’s name, Alek‐ sandr, so became Aleksandrovna,
and the name Aleksandrov would be used if she had a brother. Juan Josa Ferrer Carratala, is a lawyer based in Murcia and he has dealt with many cases where
Spain puts food on the menu
THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched its first Guide to Gastronomic Diplomacy, and Spain has a lot to boast about. Spain has the largest number of chefs on the ranking of the Best Chefs Awards, 15 out of 100, and the most restaurants
on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, seven out of 50. It has 217 restaurants with at least one Michelin star in the 2021 Guide, which places Spain as the fifth ranked country, be‐ hind Germany and ahead of the US. All Spain also boasts the Mediterranean diet, designated as an Intangible Cultural Her‐ itage in 2013 and considered to be the healthiest diet in the world by the magazine US News & World Report. The aim of the guide is to boost gastronomy as an ele‐ ment of Spain’s international image. “The Guide aspires to strengthen the knock‐on effect
of gastronomy in such sectors as tourism and exports. The gas‐ tronomy sector accounts for ap‐ proximately 33 per cent of Spain’s GDP, and our country is one of the largest exporters of food at a global level,” the Min‐ istry said in a statement The document, drawn up by Global Spain in coordination with leading chefs says that “gastronomy is one of the finest assets in the creation and pro‐ jection of Spain’s reputation abroad.” Spain joins other countries in‐ cluding Japan, Thailand, France and Peru, which already have launched gastronomic diploma‐ cy strategies.
people have “suffered problems” as they tried to register the name they wanted for their baby. If traditional naming conven‐ tions have not been used, when children return to their native country they can face stigma and social problems. This can badly af‐ fect girls if they have been forced to have a male version of a sur‐ name, as it means they have a boy’s name. Previously in Spain a first child could have their name placed in the correct gender but the other children in the family would have to be given the same surname, as this was considered to be “in the interests of the child.”
Courier stole victims’ identities THE Guardia Civil have arrested a woman for scamming more than €80,000 from various clients of the courier company where she worked in the town of Isla Cristina, Huelva. Authorities say she stole their identities to commit the scams. The investigations be‐ gan in February when a person said that there was a loan of €43,000 in his name without his authorisation. Investigating officers were able to figure that all had sent their documentation previous‐ ly to a courier company. They say the suspect used those papers to obtain loans and financial services in their names.
Baby dies in fall from window
AN 18‐month toddler died in a fall from a window on July 1 in Zaragoza. The little girl fell through a window of the home in the Oliver district of Zaragoza and landed on the street about three metres below. She was hospitalised with multiple serious injuries and never recovered. National Police are now try‐ ing to determine if the relatives who were in charge ‐ the acci‐ dent happened at her grand‐ mother’s residence ‐ were negli‐ gent. Police say no charges have been laid yet.
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10 held in holiday scam
MORE than 300 people, many of them from the Basque Country, have been scammed by an international online plot that offered false accommoda‐ tion and tourist packages in the province of Cadiz, as reported
by the Guardia Civil on July 2. In ‘Operation Cheat‐Stay’, run jointly between the Guardia Civil and the Ertzaintza, 10 people have been arrested: five in Madrid, two in Guipúzcoa, two in Mala‐
ga, and one in Sevilla, with at least another 20 people under investigation in Madrid, An‐ dalucia, and the Basque Coun‐ try. Those arrested had made an estimated profit of more than €4 million, money which was then moved via vulnerable people whom they had con‐ tacted through adverts, who cleaned the money by putting it through their bank accounts.
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Regions want more sway at EU REGIONAL leaders have com‐ mitted to a new alliance for greater impact at the EU level, including regions from Spain. Presidents of regional parlia‐ ments with or without legislative powers, including the Canary Is‐ lands and La Rioja, have en‐ dorsed a declaration which will enhance regions’ political impact on the European decision‐mak‐ ing process. The declaration also calls for the Conference on the Future of Europe to discuss the role of re‐
To address citizens’ needs. gions in the EU institutional ar‐ chitecture and to improve it to better address citizens’needs.
Embassy warns of qualifications THE British Embassy in Spain is warning expats of a deadline in having their UK qualifications recognised in Spain. The embassy took to its Facebook page to warn expats that they only have months left to have their UK qualifications recognised by Spain. Those with qualifications from the UK that they may want to use in Spain have until Octo‐ ber 31 to have them validated, in a move which is likely to affect many Britons working in Spain.
“For most of us there is no need to have our UK degree qualifications officially recognised. But there are some who do, for example if you want to enrol for further study in Spain or those who work in a regulated profession,” the em‐ bassy said. “The procedure for recognising for‐ eign qualifications in Spain is known as homolo‐ gation. It is carried out by the Spanish Ministry of Education. Until October 31 the process will be exempt from the requirement of what is known as the ‘Hague Apostille’.”
“We all know that our Union is diverse,” said Apostolos Tz‐ itzikostas, President of the Euro‐ pean Committee of the Regions. “Some member states are more centralised, whilst others re‐ gions hold legislative powers. But every region, regardless of their power, has a crucial impact on the national and European level. “Regional and local authorities implement 70 per cent of all EU legislation and represent one‐ third of public spending and half of public investments. Therefore, we cannot accept forever that others will make decisions on our behalf,” he added. Gustavo A Matos Exposito, President of the Parliament of the Canary Islands and President of the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies said “regional parliaments and legislative assemblies of the EU represent the citizens of their re‐ gions, through their elected rep‐ resentatives, therefore they are fundamental tools to achieve the involvement of citizens in the process of redefining the EU.”
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New Alzheimer’s drug on trial ELEVEN patients from the Victoria Eugenia Hospital in Sevilla are participating in the clin‐ ical trial of a drug against Alzheimer’s that modifies the evolution of the disease, unlike current treatments that are purely symp‐ tomatic. The drug has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the US. The hospital said the drug Aducanumab has been shown ‘to cleanse the brain of these pathological amyloid proteins.’ Alzheimer’s disease is characterised by the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain. The drug is an intravenous treatment and patients receive a monthly dose. The new drug “represents a before and af‐
ter in the way of approaching this disease and above all a way of hope for patients and their families,” said Felix Viñuela, the director of the Neuroscience Service at the hospital. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated in the most initial phases of the disease, whether in the phase of mild‐cognitive im‐ pairment or in the phase of mild dementia, Dr Viñuela said. In mild‐cognitive impairment “there is an objective memory impairment but the pa‐ tients do not have any functional repercus‐ sions, since they continue to carry out all their daily activities, including the most com‐ plex ones such as handling financial matters or continuing to work,” the doctor said.
82-year-old off to space EIGHTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD pi‐ lot, Wally Funk, will join Jeff Bezos in a trip to outer space next month. Funk was denied her chance to become an astro‐ naut decades ago due to her gender. Now, at the age of 82, she will finally have her opportunity to travel to out‐ er space.
She will be an honoured guest on the Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket that will lift off from West Texas on the 10‐minute trip to space on July 20. Funk will join Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, his brother and the secret win‐ ner of a charity auction. Bezos, fellow billionaires
Elon Musk and Richard Bran‐ son have been investing bil‐ lions of dollars on their rock‐ et start‐ups, but Bezos will be the first of the three to actually travel into space on a rocket developed by his own company. Bezos will be stepping down as Amazon CEO on Ju‐ ly 5.
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UK says antigen tests are OK TRAVELLERS: British Embassy has issued new advice.
FOLLOWING reports of confu‐ sion among travellers over which tests would be allowed when en‐ tering Spain, the British Embassy has confirmed that expats will be allowed to use antigen tests when coming in to the country.
Last week’s announcement that UK travellers would not be able to use antigen tests to enter Spain af‐ ter new entry requirements came into force sparked travel chaos, with tourists unclear over which tests to buy before travelling to Spain. The British Embassy has now published advice setting out that expats will be able to use the tests. It said: “Update on entry re‐ quirements for Spain for travellers from the UK: We know that there has been some confusion about the tests that will be accepted for people travelling from the UK to Spain. We have now received up‐ dated information from the Span‐ ish Government: ‐ Passengers trav‐ elling from the UK to Spain will
need to have either evidence of a negative Covid test issued within 48 hours before arrival or proof of double vaccination at least 14 days prior to arrival… You will also need to complete a Health Control Form. ‐ Antigen tests will not be ac‐ cepted for the majority of trav‐ ellers from the UK. There are some exceptions, which include UK Na‐ tionals who are resident in Spain. The news comes after the Spanish government had announced that British travellers would be able to enter Spain restriction‐free from May 24, before the rise in UK infec‐ tions forced officials to require Britons entering the country to have a test or be vaccinated.”
NEWS
Tourism still low ANDALUCIA saw the ar‐ rival of 379,253 internation‐ al tourists in the first five months of the year, which is 75.2 per cent less than in the same period of 2020, because of the Covid pan‐ demic. According to data from National Institute of Statistics (INE) on July 2, tourist spending decreased by 77.4 per cent in year‐on‐ year terms to €377 million. In May, 166,330 interna‐ tional tourists visited the re‐ gion, 44,981 came from France, and 16,849 from Germany. The total expen‐ diture made by internation‐ al tourists who arrived in Andalucia in May amount‐ ed to €162 million, while the average expenditure per tourist stood at €975, with an average daily ex‐ penditure of €111. The average duration of travel by international tourists in Andalucia in May was 8.8 days. As a whole, Spain was visited by 3.2 mil‐ lion international tourists in the first five months of the year, which is 69.7 per cent less than in the same peri‐ od of 2020, when more than 10.6 million tourists visited the country. The to‐ tal expenditure made by in‐ ternational tourists who ar‐ rived in Spain in May amounted to €1.4 billion.
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Searing heat only a matter of time WESTERN CANADA and the north‐western United States are currently being hit by an un‐ bearable heatwave and meteo‐ rologists have warned that “sooner or later there will be episodes of 50ºC in Spain.”
Unbearable heatwave.
Man jailed for neglecting horses A COURT in Malaga has sentenced a man who neglected 21 horses and two dogs he owned at his home to 22 months in prison. The man will also be forced to pay €98,000 to two associa‐ tions which took care of the animals and he has been banned from working with animals for eight years. The animals were found at a farm in Villanueva de Algaidas where the man had left them in their own urine and faeces and surrounded by metal spikes, “which posed an obvious risk to their safety.” Among the animals, police found seven dead horses and a dead dog at the home, while a donkey found at the property lat‐ er had to be put down due to its condition. Other animals showed signs of injuries as well as deformed hooves and were later taken to animal associations to be cared for. The man who owned them was convicted of two crimes of animal neglect as well as one of abandonment.
Western Canada and the north‐western United States, in particular Oregon and Washing‐ ton, have been hit with unbear‐ able heat for several days. The Canadian province of British Columbia is being hardest hit by the heatwave and this has proved deadly. The average ex‐ cess death toll for the time of year has been exceeded by hun‐ dreds of deaths. “Basically, we are talking about a mass of very warm air that concentrates in a certain area and, in the absence of a persistent wind strong enough to move it, remains stationary. This is what is known as a high pressure ridge,” Jose Miguel Viñas, a meteorologist at the weather website Meteored, said: “What is normal for this time of year in these northern territo‐ ries is for temperatures to range between 20 and 25ºCs. It’s as if Santander suddenly reached 46 or 47ºC. “Sooner or later there will be episodes of heat in Spain where temperatures will reach 50ºC, predictably in the southern part of the peninsula,” Viñas said.
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FEATURE
Bankruptcy in Spain. Express insolvency process. Requirements IN today’s article we are going to talk about the Express insol‐ vency process and bankruptcy in Spain. That is, what it consists of, and what are its main char‐ acteristics, requirements, etc. What is the Express insolvency process? It is known as Express insol‐ vency process, the process regu‐ lated in articles 470 to 472 of the Spanish Insolvency law. It is known that way, because it is agreed the declaration of the in‐ solvency process and its conclu‐ sion, at the same time. Objective of this type of pro‐ cedure The aim is to avoid a long, ex‐ pensive judicial procedure, etc. Thus, it is allowed to end the procedure immediately, declar‐ ing insolvency, and that the as‐ sets are not sufficient. This hap‐ pens when it is evident that there are no assets, or they are of very little value. Thus, it would not make sense to start a long bankruptcy procedure, when the
result is already known. It is about minimising time, costs, etc. Requirements Thus, the following require‐ ments must be met: ‐ The judge should appreciate that there are not enough assets to cover the costs of the bankruptcy procedure. ‐ And that is not foreseen, reintegration actions, etc. That is, that assets could be recovered, etc. ‐ Nor should it be foreseeable, that the bankruptcy is classified as guilty. That happens when there is bad faith of the debtor. Request or application It may be requested by natu‐ ral persons, that is, individuals; and also companies in a situation of insolvency. And they must meet the requirements outlined
above. Therefore, the documen‐ tation must be provided, proving that they comply with them. The documentation to pre‐ sent in these cases is the normal one. That is, the general one pro‐ vided for in the bankruptcy law. Specifically in its article 7, which says that it must be presented: 1. An expressive memory of the economic and legal history of the debtor. Regarding your activ‐ ity or activities developed during the last three years ... 2. Full inventory of the assets and rights part of the debtor wealth ... 3. The list of creditors, in al‐ phabetical order, stating their identification, amount of the debt ... 4. Number of employees … Effects in the case of natural persons. Individuals
Carlos Baos (Lawyer) - White&Baos Tel: +34 966 426 185 info@white-baos.com White & Baos 2021 - All Rights Reserved.
When the debtor and bankrupt is a natural person, if there are no assets, the proce‐ dure will conclude. If there is any property, a bankruptcy administrator will be appointed, who will be in charge of the liquidation of the assets. And with the proceeds of its sale or liquidation, the existing credits will be paid. After liquidation, the debtor may request forgiveness of the debts. What is known as the ex‐ oneration of the unsatisfied lia‐ bility. Conclusion If you need advice on bankruptcy in Spain. Or, about the express insolvency process, visit our bankruptcy and insol‐ vency law services; on our web‐ site: www.white‐baos.com. Contact us and we will help you. The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, it merely conveys in‐ formation related to legal issues.
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Unjabbed US citizens can now come to Spain SPAIN has announced that travellers from the United States will now be able to en‐ ter the country without being subject to any Covid testing and quarantine requirements ‐ regardless of what their vac‐ cination status is. Effective immediately, the new measure applies to all US
US travellers welcome.
Covid passport now in use THE new Covid passport came into force on Thursday July 1 and has been promoted by the European Union to make travel within the EU easier. So far in Spain 2.7 million of these Covid passports have al‐ ready been issued by the Ministry of Health and the au‐ tonomous communities. The idea for the Covid passport was put forward by Greece early last year. The aim of the passport is to help the tourism industry during the summer and the ‘digital green certificate’ or Covid passport was approved in May 2021. All member states of the EU will use this system from July 1. The passport comes as both a digital and paper version and has a QR code. The Covid passport shows if a person has been fully vaccinated, has recovered from the coronavirus or has a negative test.
citizens who do not visit any other country before arriving in Spain. Connecting flights without leaving the airport are still allowed. Now that travellers from the US no longer need to un‐ dergo Covid‐19 testing or stay self‐isolated upon their ar‐ rival in Spain, the only re‐ quirement they have to fol‐ low is to fill out a Health Control Form. The form can be filled out electronically, and once com‐ pleted, travellers will receive a QR code which must be shown to the Spanish health authorities upon their arrival. If the travellers justify such an action, the form can also be provided in paper format. The US has been placed on a list of non‐risk countries not affected by the temporary re‐ striction of non‐essential trips. Other countries current‐ ly listed include Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, and the UK.
NEWS
Portugal ends quarantine for minors MINORS under 18 who are travelling to Portugal will not need to quarantine as long as they are with a parent or guardian who has had both doses of a Covid vaccine. Adult travellers to Portugal must be able to prove they have had both jabs, but the rules about minors were unclear. However, children older than 12 will need to provide a negative PCR test to avoid quarantine. The rules apply to mainland Portugal, which remains on the UK’s amber list. Travellers returning from Portugal to the UK must quarantine at home for 10 days. Madeira, which was added to the UK’s green list in June, has different rules. In Madeira, there is no quarantine for holidaymakers with both vaccines or have recovered from Covid and will not be required to take a Covid test.
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More return to the workplace
T H E number of employed people in Spain has returned to pre-pandemic levels. President Pedro Sanchez said that the number of people employed and paying social security had reached 19.5 million in June. T he P resident said the number of employed people was now at “levels higher than those we had before the pandemic.” At the end of July 2019 there were 19,533,211 people in employment and registered to pay social security, while that in the last pre-pandemic month, February 2020,
PRESIDENT SANCHEZ: “Levels higher than before Covid.” there were a total of 19.2 million people employed in Spain. “This is very important, because in the previous crisis it took us 10 years to regain membership levels before the financial crisis,” Sanchez said. The number of people registered as unemployed in Spain decreased in May for the third consecutive month of declining unemployment figures in 2021
and by the largest amount since records began. Labour Ministry data showed a decrease of 129,378 against April’s figures, with unemployment standing at 3.78 million. The regional data showed that the biggest declines were reported in Andalucia, with a decrease of 28,561, followed by Catalonia at 15, 368 and V alencia recording a decrease of 12,385.
Marin worried over Delta variant THE Vice President of the Junta de Andalucia, Juan Marin said the Andalucian Government is concerned over the spread of the Delta variant of Covid‐19, especially with more tourists due to visit this summer. Speaking on Wednesday June 30, Marin stressed that the Jun‐ ta is “in permanent coordination” with the authorities of both Portugal and Gibraltar in the face of “the opening of tourist bor‐ ders” and has demanded that the same happen with the Cabinet of President Pedro Sanchez. He said offiicials needed to remain “very alert” to stop any further spread.
NEWS
Jihadist has manuals on bombs A JIHADIST has been arrested in Toledo with hundreds of manuals on making poisons and explo‐ sives. The joint operation by the General Infor‐ mation Commissariat (CGI) of the National Police and the Na‐ tional Intelligence Centre (CNI) has ar‐ rested a 49‐year‐old man from Morocco who is considered to be a ‘dangerous and radicalised jihadist’. The man was ar‐ rested on June 30 and had been living in Santa Olalla in Tole‐ do. He had been in Spain for around 10 years. Officers said he had manuals on making poisons, night combat tactics and sniper techniques. He also had manuals to show him how to make ex‐ plosives. Sources confirmed the man was a lone wolf and did not at‐ tend mosque, but had strict religious beliefs. He had also taken many precautions to avoid being captured.
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FEATURE
Advertising Feature
makes spectacular comeback on the Costa Blanca Benidorm Palace, the hottest live entertainment venue on the Costa Blanca, has made a spectacular comeback with a sell‐out premiere of Terra ‐ an exhilarating tribute to Mother Earth.
T
HE second show in the four‐part Ele‐ ments series, following on from the hugely successful Aqua, Terra takes the audience on a breathtaking musical journey around the different corners of the earth in an exuberant celebration of civilisations and culture. Benidorm Palace was forced to close twice in the last 15 months due to restrictions rolled out across Spain ‐ the first time the doors have been closed to the public in 30 years ‐ but raised the roof as it made its return, bigger and better than ever on Saturday as interna‐ tional artists, the resident orchestra and singer Ami welcomed guests for the first time in months. Delight‐ ed to be back in business after a
CALL US TO RESERVE YOUR TABLE AT TEL. 965 851 660
TERRA: Takes the audience on a breathtaking musical journey. tough year, owner Chrissie Climent said: “It’s wonderful to be back, everyone has worked so hard to put on a fantastic show for the whole family to enjoy.” Fabulous costumes and incredible choreogra‐ phy is mingled with mind‐blowing illusions, aeri‐ al dances and acrobatics, ensuring an unforget‐ table trip around the continents, stopping off in Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and north and south America. Reaffirming its position as the hottest venue around, the dedicated and committed team of performers wowed with a sharp
and fresh performance, while Chrissie’s son David, an incredibly talented internationally‐acclaimed magician, brought gasps of disbelief from the crowd as he pulled off spectacular illusions. The Palace’s remodelled stage with sophisticated high‐tech mo‐ bile screen, 50 metres wide and seven metres high, now boasts 250 sqm of custom‐made LED HD dis‐ plays, with an 8K resolution, unveiled at the weekend. “Combining lighting, video, sound and special effects, scenic and architectural ele‐ ments, we want to give our audience an experi‐ ence that reflects the latest trends in popular culture, music, costume design, choreography and multimedia.” The Terra experience can be enjoyed until Saturday, August 3 and to book tickets, it is rec‐ ommended to contact Benidorm Palace box of‐ fice on 965 851 660 or visit www.benidorm palace.com ticketmaster. These are the official ticket outlets, and any others should be avoided. Every effort has been made to ensure health and safety at the Palace, with social distancing and hand sanitiser and masks must be worn when not seated.
WWW.BENIDORMPALACE.COM
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Supermarkets sign EU code of conduct Under 30s spreading Covid
SPANISH and English household names are among 65 compa‐ nies to sign up to the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Prac‐ tices under the bloc’s Farm to Fork Strategy. The code is an essential part of the EU’s efforts to increase the availability and affordability of healthy and sustainable food options that help reduce the overall environmental footprint and Carrefour, Tesco, Diageo, Coca‐Cola, Nestle and others have signed up. The code was developed with EU associations and companies, with active involvement and in‐ put from other stakeholders, in‐ cluding international organisa‐
HOUSEHOLD NAMES: Reducing environmental footprint. tions, NGOs, trade unions and trade associations, and together with the European Commission services. “Associations and com‐ panies in the food sector that sign the code commit to acceler‐ ate their contribution to a sus‐ tainable transition,” the EU said in a statement.
Gang selling fake fags NATIONAL POLICE and the Guardia Civil, working with Portugal’s National Republican Guard, the Tax Agency and Europol, have broken up a gang selling counterfeit tobacco and cigarettes. More than 11 tons of raw tobacco were recovered from a series of locations. The gang had set up a logistics centre in Zamora, shipping the counterfeit product between Spain and Portugal.
The companies have agreed to “ambitious commitments with measurable outcomes” covering a wide range of areas, from animal welfare, to sugar re‐ duction and cutting greenhouse gas emissions in their full prod‐ uct range. Companies will report progress by submitting a sum‐ mary of their sustainability re‐ port on an annual basis. “We need to make our food system sustainable and we need to do it soon. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions and halt biodiversity loss related to food production, and shape a food system that makes it easier to choose a healthy and sustain‐ able diets,” said Executive Vice‐ President Timmermans on July 5.
JUANMA MORENO, has warned that Andalucia has a problem with the spread of coronavirus among those un‐ der 30 years of age and in their leisure, of which he has said that “they have com‐ pletely relaxed” the protec‐ tion measures. The incidence rate in An‐ dalucia, based on data re‐
leased on July 3, rose by seven points, from 166.3 to 173.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants with 2,007 new infections and five deaths. “Let us remember young people who are not immor‐ tal, who sadly die as the rest can die,” said the president of the Junta at a commemo‐ ration on the centenary of
More whales off Catalonia THE number of whales spotted off the coast of Catalonia has doubled since 2019, a group dedicated to whale watching said. The Edmaktub association released the results of its an‐ nual survey on Monday, July 5, covering the Catalan‐Balearic Sea. It says that in 2021 there has been a high number of whales sighted in the region compared to few in 2019 and 2020 data lacking because of the pandemic. One factor could be that the rains and cold of winter and early spring have been determining factors to increase plankton and krill ‐ essential food for fin whales. This year, the association started using drones to identify the whales. They successfully identified 75 fin whales, al‐ most double the 45 seen in 2018, and the 43 in 2017. The group also uses satellite data to help locate the mam‐ mals. It also enlists help from professional fishermen who are eager participants in the scheme and provide more key data and help warn ships of the whales’ presence.
the Guadalhorce dam. Moreno stated that “we have” a localised problem in those under 30 years of age, in youth leisure and in a sec‐ tor of the population that un‐ derstands that the virus “has passed, that it will not happen to them and that they have completely relaxed the pro‐ tection measures.” After describing the data as worrisome, he explained the Andalucian government works on awareness cam‐ paigns, especially aimed at the younger demographic and that it maintains a dialogue with leisure entrepreneurs and with mayors so that, “without criminalising young people, let’s be rigorous with protection measures.” “I am confident that the community will have the prospect of a relatively nor‐ malised summer, it will not be normal because there will be no feria in many municipali‐ ties and other activities that were carried out before, but a relatively normalised activi‐ ty,” the president said.
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NEWS
Covid-19 common in cats and dogs COVID‐19 is common in pet cats and dogs whose owners have the virus and they should avoid contact with their animals in the same way they would with hu‐ mans, according to new re‐ search. Cases of owners spreading the disease to their dog or cat have been documented before, but are considered to be of negligi‐ ble risk to public health. Howev‐ er, as vaccination and other measures reduce human‐to‐hu‐ man transmission of the virus, it is becoming imperative that we understand more about the po‐ tential risk posed by animal in‐ fections. To find out more, Dr Els Broens and colleagues at Utrecht
CATS & DOGS: Owners can spread Covid to their pets. University studied dogs and cats of people who had tested posi‐ tive for Covid‐19. A mobile vet‐ erinary clinic visited the homes
EU wants end to caged farm animals THE EU will propose phasing out of cages for farm ani‐ mals in a document that will be ready by 2023 and in force by 2027. The move comes after a European Citizens’ Initia‐ tive (ECI) ‘End the Cage Age’ was signed and support‐ ed by more than one million citizens across the EU. The EU will now plan for a legislative proposal by 2023 to prohibit cages for a number of farm animals. The proposal will come as part of the ongoing revision of the animal welfare legislation under the Farm to Fork Strategy. While all farm animals benefit from current legisla‐ tion on the protection of animals, only laying hens, broilers, sows and calves are covered by rules on caging. In its response to the ECI, the Commission commits to table, by the end of 2023, a legislative pro‐ posal to phase out, and finally prohibit, the use of cage systems for all animals mentioned in the Initia‐ tive. Hens, pigs, calves, rabbits, quail, ducks and geese stand to benefit from the proposed changes.
of owners who had tested posi‐ tive in the past two to 200 days and oropharyngeal and rectal swabs and blood samples were
taken from their cats and dogs. Some 156 dogs and 154 cats from 196 households were test‐ ed in total. Six cats and seven dogs (4.2 per cent) had positive PCR tests and 31 cats and 23 dogs (17.4 per cent) tested posi‐ tive for antibodies. Eleven of the 13 owners whose pets had positive PCR tests agreed for them to under‐ go a second round of testing one to three weeks after they were first tested. All 11 animals tested positive for antibodies, confirm‐ ing they had had Covid‐19. Three cats still had positive PCR tests and were tested for a third time. Eventually, all PCR‐positive an‐ imals cleared the infection and became PCR negative.
Stress can turn hair grey, but it is reversible, researchers find LEGEND has it Marie Antoinette’s hair turned grey overnight just before her beheading in 1791. Though the legend is inaccurate, hair that has already grown out of the follicle does not change colour. A new study from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physi‐ cians and Surgeons is the first to offer quantitative evidence linking psycho‐ logical stress to greying hair in people. And while it may seem intuitive that stress can accelerate greying, the researchers were surprised to discov‐ er that hair colour can be restored when stress is eliminated, a finding that contrasts with a recent study in mice that suggested that stressed‐in‐ duced grey hairs are permanent.
The study has broader significance than confirming age‐old speculation about the effects of stress on hair colour, says the study’s senior author Martin Picard, associate professor of behavioural medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physi‐ cians and Surgeons. “Understanding the mechanisms that allow ‘old’ grey hairs to return to their ‘young’ pigmented states could yield new clues about the malleability of human ageing in general and how it is influenced by stress,” Picard said “Our data add to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that human ageing is not a linear, fixed biological process but may, at least in part, be halted or even temporarily reversed.”
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Rise of online scams
GOOGLE has confirmed it will clamp down on fake online com‐ panies in an effort to prevent fi‐ nancial scams. According to Reuters, the in‐
ternet giant announced that from September 6 all financial services companies will need to be verified by regulators before Google will show their adverts.
Weather quip lands man in jail
AN Egyptian man has been arrested in Kuwait after he complained about the weather in an online video. The Egyptian man who is a resident in Kuwait was arrested after he posted a video where he ranted over Kuwait’s run of bad weather. The country is known for its restrictions on freedom of speech and the arrest highlighted this again. Many took to social media to criticise the arrest. The Ministry of the Interior in Kuwait said that the man behind the video has been arrested as the video was considered to be “offensive.” They also said that the relevant authorities would “take the necessary legal action against him.” On the video he said: “I’m inside a dust storm right now, I literally can’t see anything in front of me,” as dust can be seen to cover the road like fog.
Last year, the Financial Con‐ duct Authority (FCA), the UK’s fi‐ nancial services watchdog, issued more than 1,200 warnings over scam adverts online ‐ twice the figure in 2019. “While this is an important step from Google, we think a permanent and consistent solu‐ tion requires legislation,” an FCA spokesman said. The FCA added that it will as‐ sess whether the move has helped cut down on the number of online scam adverts once the new measure comes into effect. The news comes after earlier this month the FCA refused to say whether it would accept Google’s offer to pay back the £600,000 the regulator had spent on online adverts warning con‐ sumers of scams. The issue of fake online ad‐ verts has seen thousands of con‐ sumers lose money after signing up to fraudulent financial ser‐ vices companies, with critics now calling on the government to in‐ tervene to prevent the adverts being shown in the UK.
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NEWS
Planning a comeback
HAPLESS Matt Hancock is planning a comeback accord‐ ing to pals, but angry locals in his West Suffolk constituency want the disgraced ex‐Health Secretary to resign from the House of Commons.
According to the UK press, Hancock is genuinely sorry for breaking Covid rules and wants to maintain a good re‐ lationship with his three children after he dumped their mother, Martha Han‐
53 arrested in Spain OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have arrested 53 people accused of swindling €50 million from investors in Spain. The group now face trial for fraud and organisedcrime links after being accused of setting up more than 700 false companies before scamming their victims into putting money into the businesses, eventually making more than €50 million. Police began investigating in 2018 after receiving complaints from several banks claiming that the gang had managed to defraud them of €1.3 million. According to officers, the money made by the gang was then stashed in accounts in Switzerland and Panama. During the investigation, officers seized more than €1 million in cash from one member of the gang who worked for the group transporting large amounts of cash earned from the sale of drugs inside and outside Spain.
cock, by phone on June 24 when he realised pictures of him kissing his tax‐funded aide, Gina Coladangelo, would appear on the front page of The Sun the next day. “He blames himself for ev‐ erything ‐ this is no‐one else’s fault. For now, his chil‐ dren are his priority and he is going to take some time away. But he knows he has to re‐emerge at some point. It is going to be a long way back ‐ he knows that ‐ but he is going to try,” a friend said. The backlash against Han‐ cock in his constituency is being led by Conservative councillor Ian Houlder. Houlder told The Tele‐ graph, “I am furious. I do not include his personal affair, which in anybody’s mind is quite sordid, but he has been standing up there for a year pontificating to every‐ body in the country. That’s what I found really con‐ temptible.”
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New animal centre to open at Heathrow AIRLINES, pet owners, and logistics or travel operators, will be able to benefit from a new London Heathrow Airport animal reception centre, which is due to open later this year. The specialist facility, Safe movement of pets. operated by Animal Aircare Ltd, will double as an approved border control post and state-of-the-art animal reception centre. Services will include assistance with airline approvals to carry animals, transit of animals through London Heathrow Airport, boarding, travel boxes, and processing the necessary documentation to ensure the safe and comfortable movement of pets and other animals internationally.
NEWS
First steel cut for HMS Belfast
THE first steel has been cut for HMS Belfast, the third ship in the Royal Navy’s fleet of next generation Type 26 anti‐sub‐ marine frigates. Prince William officially cut the steel for the UK’s newest warship, at a ceremony held at BAE Systems’ Govan ship‐ yard on the River Clyde. The steel cut marks the official start of build on the third of eight Type 26 warships. The steel cut represents an important milestone for the Type 26 programme, the Roy‐ al Navy, UK defence and ship‐ building in Scotland. All eight Type 26 frigates will be built by BAE Systems on the Clyde, sustaining around 1,700 jobs
Prince William attended. in Scotland and 4,000 jobs across the wider UK maritime supply chain. “Scotland is a world leader in shipbuilding and it’s great to see construction of the British military’s latest war‐ ship beginning by the River
Clyde in Govan,” said Alister Jack, the Secretary of State for Scotland. “When complete, HMS Belfast ‐ and the rest of the seven strong Scottish built Type 26 fleet ‐ will help pro‐ tect the UK and our NATO al‐ lies 24/7. In the meantime, the anti‐submarine frigate building programme is boost‐ ing our country’s prosperity through the investment and skills footprint defence pro‐ jects bring,” he added.
The Type 26 is an advanced warship whose primary pur‐ pose is anti‐submarine war‐ fare to protect the Continuous at Sea Deterrent and Carrier Strike Group. The UK’s first three Type 26 ships ‐ HMS Glasgow, HMS Cardiff and HMS Belfast ‐ were ordered for £3.7 billion. HMS Birmingham, HMS Sheffield, HMS Newcastle, HMS Edinburgh and HMS Lon‐ don will form the second batch of Type 26 warships.
Martin Lewis furious after teacher scammed
MARTIN LEWIS has been left in a ‘cold fury’ after a retired teacher was scammed out of £125,000. Theresa is a retired teacher and made an appearance on Good Morning Britain, and revealed how she had been scammed by an illegal advert which used Bear Grylls’ face. The scam involved Bitcoin, and left her facing thousands of pounds’ worth of debt and has badly hit relationships with family and friends. On the show host Susanna Reid said: “They were just milking you for money and you couldn’t withdraw. “The thing is, not only did you lose a huge amount of money £125,000 in all - but it’s damaged the bond you have with friends and family, which must have had a massive impact on your support system and your mental health.” Theresa commented: “Yes, absolutely. The friend that lent me the money - I think it affected our relationship after. It’s very hard, with my daughters it was hard because they tried to advise me.” Martin explained to Theresa how the scam was not a surprise to him and had left him in a cold fury. Martin said: “Can I just say to you you said it was astonishing. It’s not for me - I had someone lose £100,000 this weekend, I had someone lose £200,000. I cannot tell you how many people there is in your position.” Luckily, Theresa has been able to get half of the money back with the help of her bank, but she has still been left thousands of pounds out of pocket.
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Enforcers to visit seniors HUNDREDS of thousands of pensioners could see ‘enforcers’ turn up at their door to clawback TV li‐ cence fees. After a row between the government and the BBC, pensioners aged over 75 sadly lost their free TV licence entitlement. This happened 11 months ago and now the BBC are ready to ensure that they get their money. Capita have been instructed by the BBC to start making ‘customer care visits’ and these will begin in the autumn to pensioners’ homes. Pensioners were given a reprieve during the pandemic, but
Indiana Jones AS revealed in the UK press, the latest Indiana Jones filming has had to be put on hold for maybe as long as three months after veteran star Harrison Ford injured his shoulder and will need an operation on it, when he was apparently hurt filming a stunt scene recently. This stoppage comes after the fifth installment in the franchise had already been delayed due to the pandemic, with an insider saying, “It is Harrison’s last outing as Indiana and everyone thought it would be plain sailing. After the initial delays, everyone was raring to go. But now Harrison is injured and it is worse than first thought.”
this is set to end on July 31. Anyone over 75 could face prosecution if they do not arrange payment. A spokesperson for the BBC said: “From the autumn, subject to Covid restrictions, customers who have not made arrangements may receive a customer care visit from a specially trained support team to assist them in becoming correctly licensed. “We are now planning how we arrange cus‐ tomer care visits and are looking at a range of op‐ tions.” The BBC also said that: “In line with general poli‐ cy, anyone who watches or records live TV pro‐ grammes on any channel, or downloads or watch‐ es BBC programmes on iPlayer, must be covered by a valid TV licence.”
Pesetas are now officially history SOME two decades after the euro became the common currency of much of Europe and Spain, the Bank of Spain has officially stopped exchanging old pesetas into real money. The Bank of Spain had been offering €1 for 166.386 pesetas up to June 30, and were generally accepting the old notes dated after 1939. Now, the notes and coins are worthless.
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NEWS
Watch your speed
S P A I N’S traffic cops are planning more radars, more speed drones and more checkpoints this summer. The Directorate‐General for Traffic (DGT) has un‐ veiled a three‐prong plan for more intensive policing over the summer months. And that means more speed con‐ trols, more drink‐ and drug‐ driving tests, and increased
checks on motorcycle travel in the coming busy weeks. The DGT estimates there will be 91.2 million journeys on Spanish roads during the months of July and August alone. In June this year, 110 peo‐ ple have lost their lives, 64 more compared to June last year, and 40 more than in June 2019.
Do you know how to react in a traffic emergency? WORRYINGLY, half of the people driving in Spain do not know how to react when they have to perform an emergency traffic stop, not knowing how the emergency red triangles are used. And 14 per cent don’t know they are required to wear reflective vests when getting out of their vehicle. A study prepared by the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE) and the energy company BP, reveals that three out of four Spanish drivers have had an emergency breakdown or an accident during a trip, yet 22 per cent did not use their emergency triangles.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande‐Marlaska is deter‐ mined to improve those numbers, saying “vaccines make us immune to the virus, not to traffic acci‐ dents.” The DGT expects a very significant increase in week‐ end travel and short‐term trips, with national mobility similar to that of summer 2019. Given this, three large special control campaigns will be established by the DGT, in addition to the tradi‐ tional motorway and dual‐ carriageway exit and entry operations carried out by the traffic police. The traffic police plan ex‐ tensive patrolling operations every weekend. As well as increased patrolling and surveillance, the traffic po‐ lice will be deploying 780 fixed speed control radars, 545 mobile radar devices and 12 helicopters.
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Pet shop manager sold endangered animals
A PET shop manager in Sevilla has been convicted of selling up to 14 endangered animals. A local court convicted him of selling threatened species that included a crested gecko, a Madagascar day gecko, a panther chameleon, a Harris eagle and eight python snakes. The crimes fall under the regulations for the protection of flora, fauna and domestic animals.
PYTHONS: Only one of the animals on sale.
Half time called on sausage wars THE UK and EU have called half time on the so-called sausage wars with the UK securing a three-month extension on exports of chilled meat to Northern Ireland. Chilled meats from Great Britain, such as sausages and chicken nuggets, which would
otherwise be prohibited in Northern Ireland, will continue to move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland after the UK and the EU agreed to extend the grace period allowing this until September 30. The extension means that Northern Ireland consumers will
EU probes Spanish airlines THE EU has opened an in-depth investigation to assess the proposed acquisition of Air Europa by IAG, two of Spain’s biggest airline groups, under the EU Merger Regulation. What happens next could reduce competition and cause the price of domestic and international flights from Spain to increase. The EU Commission is concerned that the proposed transaction may reduce competition in the markets for passenger air transport services on Spanish domestic routes and on international routes to and from Spain. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, responsible for competition policy, said, “IAG, which flies with Iberia and Vueling among others, and Air Europa are leading airlines in Spain. They are also key providers of connectivity between Spain, the rest of Europe and Latin America. We will carefully assess whether the proposed transaction would negatively affect competition on domestic, short-haul and long-haul routes to and from Spain, possibly leading to higher prices and reduced quality for travellers. IAG and Air Europa are respectively the first and third largest providers of scheduled passenger air transport services in Spain.
be able to buy chilled meat products from Great Britain, and allows for further discussions to continue on a permanent solution. The UK’s minister for Brexit, David Frost, said, “We are pleased we have been able to agree a sensible extension on chilled meats moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland - one that does not require rules in the rest of the UK to align with future changes in EU agri-food rules. “This is a positive first step but we still need to agree a permanent solution. Northern Ireland is an integral part of the United Kingdom and its consumers should be able to enjoy products they have bought from Great Britain for years. The British government proposed to the EU that it would “be sensible” to extend the chilled meats grace period, on certain conditions. “Crucially, the agreement does not require the rest of the UK to align with any changes in EU agri-food rules during the grace period - there is no dynamic alignment,” the government added in a statement.
All the animals had been kept by the pet shop manager who failed to comply with regulations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the European Union regulation on the protection of wild fauna and flora. Officers from the Guardia Civil had initially inspected the pet shop in January 2019 and discovered that there were ‘up to 14 animals of
endangered species for sale’ in the pet shop according to the local press who accessed the man’s sentence, which was issued by Sevilla’s 15th Criminal Court. The man has been sentenced and fined €1,200. He has also been disqualified from being employed in animal-related jobs for two years and banned from hunting or fishing for the same period.
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A race against Delta surge EUROPE is racing to vaccinate people, particularly the young, as fears mount that the Delta variant may crash across the continent. French region Landes, a favourite with surfers, has delayed lifting restrictions until July 6 because of a high number of Delta in-
fections. “We do not want to take the risk of having a restart of the epidemic. We have all the cards in hand to avoid a fourth wave of the epidemic,” said Gabriel Attal, a French government spokesman, said on June 30. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said recently that the
Delta variant is likely to account for 90 per cent of all cases in the EU by the end of August. In Germany, Delta accounts for 15 per cent of all Covid cases and the rate of infection is doubling by the week. Italy also fears the Delta variant will become dominant and Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, has expressed concerns that the EURO 2020 final is being held in Wembley given the UK’s problem with the variant. Anna Teresa Palamara, an Italian epidemiologist, said, “Our epidemiological monitoring shows a rapidly evolving picture that confirms that also in our country, as in the rest of Europe, the delta variant of the virus is becoming dominant.”
THE UN said tourism in Europe could recover in the second half of this year. The research carried out by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN’s World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) found that, despite some recovery this year, the tourism sector will not fully re-
NEWS
Sanchez shuts door on Catalan vote PRESIDENT Pedro Sanchez has warned there will never be a Catalan independence referendum but a separatist leader shot back “give us time.” Speaking in parliament after his meeting with the President of Catalonia, Pere Aragones, Sanchez said, “There will be no referendum, unless those who defend it manage to convince three-fifths of this House to modify Article 2 of the Constitution and then those changes are ratified. But I already anticipate that the PSOE will never accept it.” However, the spokesman for Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, a left-wing pro-independence party, Gabriel Rufian, quickly shot back at the President, “Mr Sanchez, you say that there will be no referendum. You also said that there would be no pardons. Give us time.” It was a clear dig at Sanchez who has been
SANCHEZ: Has been criticised. criticised by opposition parties for saying prior to his election that he would not grant pardons. In an interview with La Sexta, Aragones said that he and Sanchez are yet to find a middle ground. "The positions are very far apart. We defend independence and the government defends the unity of Spain,” he said.
Tourism set to recover ‘in second half of the year’ bound until 2023. According to the report, vaccinations and vaccine passports will this year see an increase in tourism after international arrivals across the world fell by 73
per cent last year. “The outlook for this year doesn’t look much better,” said Ralf Peters of UNCTAD’s trade analysis branch. “There is an expectation of a certain recov-
ery in the second half of the year, at least for North America and Europe to a certain extent.” Spain’s vaccination rollout has so far seen more than half the population receive at least one dose of a jab, while several age groups, including the over 80s, have been completely immunised.
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NEW technology can diagnose infections in minutes which means patients will be able to receive confirmed diagnosis at the doctor’s office. The idea of visiting the doctor’s office with symptoms of an illness and leaving with a scientifically confirmed diagnosis is much closer to reality because of new technology developed by researchers at McMaster University in Montreal.
8 - 14 July 2021
Diagnosis in minutes Engineering, biochemistry and medical researchers from across campus have combined their skills to create a hand-held rapid test for bacterial infections that can produce accurate, reliable results in less than an hour, eliminating
the need to send samples to a lab. T heir proof-of-concept research, published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Chemistry, specifically describes the test’s effectiveness in diagnosing urinary tract infections from real
UK phasing out coal in ‘24 THE UK will end using coal power in October 2024. It is a key step in the UK government’s plans to decarbonise the power sector and eliminate their contribution to climate change by 2050. From October 2024 Great Britain will no longer use coal to generate electricity, a year earlier than planned, Energy and Climate Change Minister AnneMarie Trevelyan announced. The move is part of the government’s commitments to transition away from fossil fuels and decarbonise the power sector in order to eliminate contributions to climate change by 2050. The UK went 5,000 hours
without coal-fired electricity in 2020, and earlier this year broke a new wind power record, with just over a third of the country’s energy coming from wind.
In 2020, the UK generated 43.1 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources, including wind, bioenergy, solar and hydro.
Flying cars a reality by 2030? THE idea might seem like something out of a sci-fi movie but flying cars are expected to be seen in cities around the world by the end of the decade. According to leading car manufacturer Hyundai, flying cars will be a reality and they will even help the environment by lowering vehicle emissions and reducing congestion. The chief executive of the European operations for Hyundai, Michael Cole, has revealed that the firm have invested heavily in the future of flying cars and said: “We believe it really is part of the future. We think that by the latter part of this decade certainly, urban air mobility will offer great opportunity to free up congestion in cities, to help with emissions, whether that’s intra-city mobility in the air or whether it’s even between cities,” he said.
clinical samples. The researchers are adapting the test to detect other forms of bacteria and for the rapid diagnosis of viruses, including Covid-19. They also plan to test its viability for detecting markers of cancer.
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The new DNA-based technology uses a handheld device similar to a blood-glucose monitor. A microchip analyses a droplet of bodily fluid such as blood, urine or saliva, using molecules that can detect the specific protein signature of an infection. The device, about the size of a U S B stick, plugs into a smartphone, which then displays the result.
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NEWS
Scientist Whitty harassed UK Government Ministers have led calls for Professor Chris Whitty to be offered po‐ lice protection after a string of attacks on the scientist by members of the public have heightened fears for his safety.
Police launched an investi‐ gation over two men who ha‐ rassed England’s Chief Medi‐ cal Officer after video footage emerged of him on social me‐ dia being heckled as he walked through St James’s
Comedian Lee Hurst kicked off Twitter COMEDIAN Lee Hurst has been kicked off Twitter for abusive Chris Whitty tweets. Lee Hurst’s tweets caused much controversy on Twitter when he said the attack on Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, was ‘not enough’. The shocking attack happened last week and Hurst has now seen his Twitter account suspended over the abusive tweets. Video footage came out last week which showed Whitty walking through Saint James Park in London and being grabbed by two men. Whitty attempted to free himself from the men who also filmed the incident. Comedian Hurst shared his opinion of the attack with some 18,000 followers on Twitter before the account was suspended after users reported him to Twitter officials. Not only was Hurst reported to Twitter but also to the police as followers claim that he was ‘inciting hatred’.
Park in London at 7.20pm on Tuesday June 27. In the viral video, Professor Whitty appeared to be grabbed by two men who are shouting and laughing. He at‐ tempts to walks away and cross the road before the men grab him again and shout “oi oi” “"one photo, one photo please.” The professor himself is un‐ derstood to have dismissed the park incident as “school‐ boy behaviour” and said he would not have told anyone if the footage had not already spread online. He has said not to want to take the matter any further. A statement released by the Metropolitan Police said that the incident has been record‐ ed as “common assault”, and that officers took down the details of the two men at the time of the attack. The men were apparently ‘robustly’ warned about their behaviour then ordered to leave the area.
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EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK
FRANCE
Moroccan visit
Digital currency
THE Danish foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, visited Morocco to discuss a number of matters including the fact that many illegal migrants pass through North Africa as they attempt to enter Europe and Denmark wants to find a more just and humane asylum system.
WITH the rapid move away from hard cash and into payment by card, the Governor of the Bank of France warns that Europe needs a digital euro and a European payment system sooner rather than later, especially as Visa and Mastercard are American companies.
THE NETHERLANDS Pulse fishing A DEMAND for information from the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries by broadcaster NOS has shown that officials knowingly fed incorrect information to the European Union in order to obtain large numbers of pulse fishing licences. Use of electric pulses to catch fish is now banned.
BELGIUM USB deal
NORWAY Whale’s hearing A CONTROVERSIAL plan to capture whales off the coast of Norway and spend four days testing their hearing has finished for this season as not a single whale was tempted into the ‘traps’, but scientists from Norway, Denmark and America will try again later
FINLAND
IN order to avoid being charged with assisting customers to evade tax in Belgium, Swiss investment bank UBS has come to an arrangement with the Belgian authorities to pay over €50 million and this compares well with the reported €4.5 billion previously paid to France.
Scooter scare
GERMANY
SWEDEN
Birth right
Today’s moose
THE German federal parliament has passed a bill which grants German citizenship to descendants of Jews, Roma and Sinti, and political opponents whom the Nazis had stripped of citizenship or prevented from acquiring it thus restoring rights to some who had been deprived of German passports.
THE Swedish Transport Department was forced to issue a major warning about the likelihood of a number of moose straying onto the road and affecting traffic in both directions on the E4 between the junctions Ättekulla and Helsingborg S. Happily the animals wandered off again and no-one was hurt.
NEARLY 70 per cent of those who responded to a recent survey created by the Finnish Road Safety Council said that they believe electric scooters are a threat to pedestrian safety. Almost one in four confirmed that they had found themselves in a dangerous situation.
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FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Airport city AFTER an understandably quiet year, airport manager AENA has announced that it plans to look for investors to help it develop land around Madrid Barajas airport with a view to creating what is referred to as a new airport city in the surrounding area.
Gummy bears CONFECTIONERY giant Haribo has warned that it is finding it difficult to meet UK demand for its products at the moment due to a shortage of lorry drivers caused by the pandemic and the increasingly difficult customs requirements following Brexit.
Bacardi promotion IN an innovative promotional campaign to help existing customers in Barcelona and Madrid to recover some of the lost business, the Bacardi spirits group which owns such brands as Bacardi rum, Bombay Sapphire gin and Dewar’s whisky will give a 50 per cent subsidy to 750 establishments.
Anthony Joshua invests TWO-TIME Heavyweight Champion of the World and Olympic Gold Medallist, Anthony Joshua OBE, has invested in Manchester based percussion muscle therapy and recovery brand, Pulseroll. Joshua, who is a regular visitor to the Costa del Sol has been using Pulseroll’s full range of vibration massage devices for nearly five years and will also join the company’s board of directors in an advisory capacity. On the partnership, Joshua said; “Joining the Pulseroll family as an investor and ambassador is just the start. I am looking forward to helping with the development of the next generation of recovery technologies. I’m always using the products even when not training.”
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STAT OF WEEK
€300 million
is the amount Spanish investment fund GPF received when it sold The Natural Fruit Company, Spain’s leading distributor of citrus fruits to Femman Capital.
El Corte Inglés’ new acquisition IN a short statement re‐ leased on Thursday July 1, El Corte Inglés announced that it had completed a transaction to take over Madrid‐based gourmet su‐ permarket chain Sanchez Romero for an undisclosed sum. Supermercados Sanchez Romero is a Spanish com‐ pany founded in 1954, which specialises in food and consumer product re‐ tailing, with a number of its products already on
sale at El Corte Inglés’ own supermarket chain Super‐ cor and Hipercor super‐ stores. The year 2020 was not a good one for the depart‐ ment store, except for on‐ line and instore sales of grocery products and by taking over this company, it says that the “transac‐ tion strengthens El Corte Inglés’ foothold as the leader in high‐end super‐ markets, with a broad and unique sales proposition.”
LEGALLY SPEAKING
Sanchez Romero has 10 supermarkets in Madrid, with over 9,000 square metres of combined sales floor. It also owns a 4,000 square metre distribution hub in Alcala de Henares (Madrid), where the com‐ pany also has its offices and headquarters. The company is noted for its broad, varied and unique product and ser‐ vice offering, as well as the type and formats of its
What are the rules for garden apartments with a sea view which have fences 1.5m high between them. Is it permitted to install a pergola two and a half metres high close to the fence, which blocks the sea view of the neighbour? Do you have to have permission from the neighbour to do that? I’ve heard that permission is needed whenever you are closer than two metres from the neighboor. Is that correct? R M (by email) Yes, there are some situations where a YOU AND THE LAW two‐metre distance IN SPAIN must be maintained but your situation is different. All of your gardens are in fact on community of property owners’ land. Everything outside the building walls in effect belongs to the community. You are assigned the private use of it, but the garden area itself belongs to the community. This means that your neighbour must obtain permission from the AGM in order to make any change in his garden. This would include permission from the neighbour whose view is being blocked. If he does not have this permission the community can order him to re‐ move the pergola.
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.
US fashion giant Gap has confirmed it plans to close all of its 81 stores in the UK and Ireland and will continue to operate the business online only. The firm said it would close all its stores “in a phased manner” be‐ tween the end of August and the end of September ‐ 19 stores which were already scheduled to close in July as their leases were expiring will close as well.
stores, and the high quali‐ ty of its fresh products. It currently has 419 em‐ ployees and reported €61 million of revenue with €6.2 million net profit in 2020. The company’s current manager, Enric Ezquerra, who took over the compa‐ ny in 2017 is staying on and there are likely to be plans to expand the chain into other major cities throughout the Spanish peninsula.
Funerals and coronavirus
Can he block view?
Aldi expansion GERMAN supermarket group Aldi continues to target Spain as a major area for growth having opened 23 new stores in 2020 and will now increase its logistics capacity by 61,000 square metres to support the 340 existing stores and 5,500 employees.
34
FUNERALS: Restrictions still in place.
Biel Glasses A SMALL Spanish start‐up company Biel Glasses has just won a prize for innovation at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona for their glasses aimed at those with low vi‐ sion. The founders, a married couple found that their two‐ year‐old son had very poor eyesight and he was diag‐ nosed with low vision which cannot be corrected with nor‐ mal glasses or operation. With a lot of effort and nearly €1 million spent in de‐ velopment, relying on crowd funding and their own invest‐ ment, they have created a pair of glasses which incorpo‐ rates computer technology, 3d vision and artificial intelli‐ gence to allow anyone with low vision to be able to im‐ prove mobility and autono‐ my.
Global tax deal MANY restrictions which ap‐ plied to funerals and memo‐ rial services throughout the coronavirus pandemic have now been lifted, but recom‐ mendations and regulations still remain in place to pre‐ vent Covid from spreading. Depending on where the funerals or memorial ser‐ vices will be held, it is impor‐ tant to know what restric‐ tions are in place at the time. Failing to comply with regulations could lead to fines. Don’t attend a funeral or memorial service if you have Covid‐19, and if you have symptoms or have been in
contact w i t h someone who tested positive, you should get tested too. If you attend a funeral, keep your hands clean and your face covered, and make sure you avoid get‐ ting too close to others. Limit the number of people you come into contact with and try to stay outside as much as possible. If you have to be inside, check that the room is well‐ ventilated. If you are at high risk of complications from coronavirus, it may be best to stay away.
www.goldenleavesinternational.com enquiries@goldenleaves.com Facebook: goldenleavesspain
Mind the Gap The company has not disclosed ex‐ actly how many employees the clo‐ sures will affect but said it intends to shortly start a consultation process with the staff. In a statement, Gap said: “Due to market dynamics in the United King‐
dom and the Republic of Ireland, we shared with our team today that we are proposing to close all company‐ operated Gap Specialty and Gap Out‐ let stores in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in a phased manner from the end of August until
AFTER several years of dis‐ agreement between the Trump Administration and European Union states, a deal has finally been agreed with regards to tax payments by global corporations. An announcement from the Organisation for Econom‐ ic Co‐operation and Develop‐ ment (OECD) confirmed that officials from 130 countries have agreed to review the global tax system to ensure big companies pay tax wher‐ ever they operate. According to the OECD, there should be a minimum corporate tax rate of 15 per cent and it believes that this deal could raise an additional €120 billion in revenue. The only negative is that Hungary and Iceland have de‐ clined to sign up for the deal. the end of September 2021. “We are thoughtfully moving through the consultation process with our European team, and we will provide support and transition assis‐ tance for our colleagues as we look to wind down stores.” The firm said it was “not exiting the UK market” and would continue to offer a web‐based store when all the shops had closed.
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COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.202,50 1.203,00 Admiral Group 3.122,0 3.131,0 Anglo American 2.992,5 3.002,0 Antofagasta 1.466,50 1.478,00 Ashtead Group 5.466,9 5.468,0 Associated British Foods 2.327,0 2.332,0 AstraZeneca 8.713,6 8.776,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 646,20 647,00 Avast 496,20 497,00 Aveva 3.846,8 3.904,4 Aviva 412,60 412,90 B&M European Value Retail SA572,00 575,12 BAE Systems 524,74 527,40 Bank VTB DRC 1,332 1,332 Barclays 175,72 175,86 Barratt Developments 710,40 713,60 Berkeley 4.686,8 4.705,0 BHP Group 2.175,50 2.185,00 BP 323,64 323,95 British American Tobacco 2.822,2 2.833,5 British Land Company 518,90 521,00 BT Group 195,80 196,35 Bunzl 2.438,0 2.440,0 Burberry Group 2.046,6 2.055,0 Carnival 1.669,2 1.681,2 Centrica 52,81 52,94 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.624,0 2.646,0 Compass 1.593,00 1.594,00 CRH 3.638,0 3.648,0 Croda Intl 7.458,0 7.465,2 DCC 5.946,0 5.980,0 Diageo 3.457,2 3.478,8 DS Smith 427,20 429,29 EasyJet 942,46 944,80 Experian 2.846,0 2.866,2 Ferguson 10.185,0 10.205,0 Flutter Entertainment 13.575,0 13.575,0 Fresnillo 812,44 815,95 GlaxoSmithKline 1.432,07 1.442,77 Glencore 320,20 321,15 Halma 2.750,0 2.755,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.610,00 1.611,00 Hikma Pharma 2.526,00 2.555,00 HSBC 421,75 423,00 IAG 187,56 188,30 Imperial Brands 1.566,89 1.577,50 Informa 522,60 529,40 InterContinental 4.904,4 4.913,6 Intermediate Capital 2.183,00 2.183,00 Intertek 5.550,0 5.584,0
% CHG. 1.192,50 3.101,5 2.945,5 1.451,00 5.432,9 2.309,3 8.688,0 641,20 493,80 3.827,0 406,60 570,12 521,80 1,314 172,32 705,60 4.678,5 2.153,00 320,43 2.808,8 515,33 194,40 2.427,0 2.039,4 1.657,0 52,54 2.621,0 1.580,00 3.625,0 7.428,3 5.934,0 3.456,0 425,56 913,97 2.837,3 10.140,0 13.375,0 806,11 1.427,60 316,06 2.738,0 1.600,00 2.524,00 417,93 180,32 1.564,50 518,80 4.867,8 2.158,00 5.544,0
NET VOL 70,14K 7,51K 289,97K 78,71K 10,29K 11,59K 28,06K 141,19K 20,78K 6,26K 787,07K 69,17K 274,01K 51,37K 6,69M 263,99K 2,67K 480,26K 744,52K 29,91K 32,26K 1,97M 45,36K 14,05K 29,41K 510,25K 21,32K 138,16K 6,27K 2,56K 7,27K 37,69K 142,14K 196,03K 29,26K 36,40K 47,34K 58,64K 224,67K 1,30M 11,97K 34,81K 17,29K 235,12K 3,85M 54,25K 298,75K 3,07K 31,98K 8,16K
COMPANY
PRICE(P)
ITV 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 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
129,10 277,60 3.097,0 700,72 264,00 47,43 7.900,0 470,60 162,33 1.933,00 921,70 204,00 7.924,0 34,20 1.957,00 3.015,0 681,40 1.394,75 6.434,0 1.977,14 501,40 659,00 6.009,0 103,66 7,66 1.486,8 1.486,31 1.445,2 686,69 1.773,00 16,64 3.502,0 1.323,00 1.117,00 2.552,0 1.587,64 1.613,50 13.740,0 1.513,00 1.528,50 457,80 274,84 162,80 228,00 376,20 4.240,8 992,40 122,04 3.241,0 991,60
CHANGE(P)
% CHG.
NET VOL
130,64 277,70 3.107,0 705,71 264,30 47,55 7.904,0 470,80 162,33 1.938,50 927,70 205,00 7.966,0 34,35 1.993,45 3.034,0 681,40 1.395,00 6.469,0 1.983,03 501,80 659,00 6.057,0 103,85 7,72 1.487,8 1.487,61 1.446,4 687,48 1.779,00 16,79 3.506,0 1.324,25 1.117,00 2.556,2 1.598,00 1.622,50 13.775,0 1.519,50 1.530,50 460,09 276,00 163,80 228,60 376,60 4.259,5 996,40 122,28 3.241,0 1.000,50
128,80 273,60 3.084,0 697,68 261,70 46,91 7.854,0 462,60 160,38 1.926,50 920,50 202,20 7.914,0 33,98 1.956,80 3.004,0 674,80 1.381,00 6.408,0 1.974,63 498,80 650,60 5.983,0 101,51 7,64 1.468,6 1.467,70 1.425,0 683,39 1.772,00 16,61 3.473,0 1.313,30 1.108,39 2.540,6 1.587,64 1.608,00 13.715,0 1.508,50 1.507,50 456,50 271,30 161,30 225,37 363,90 4.231,1 987,80 121,66 3.188,6 986,60
296,32K 4,96M 27,93K 20,34K 1,58M 7,83M 26,01K 95,59K 246,36K 11,53K 522,30K 1,58M 25,38K 94,85K 23,30K 33,89K 454,03K 43,80K 69,92K 15,21K 212,88K 86,14K 270,99K 3,45M 154,35K 542,93K 542,53K 1,41M 30,67K 1,28K 132,04K 18,95K 629,34K 18,49K 8,89K 42,01K 32,33K 5,02K 127,25K 153,91K 316,37K 423,55K 1,64M 2,83M 1,10M 89,53K 114,99K 1,23M 20,63K 149,63K
1.16636
0.85715
Units per €
US dollar (USD) ......................................1.18755 Japan yen (JPY)......................................131.624 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0938 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4362 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.187
currenciesdirect.com/moraira • Tel: +34 966 265 072 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ULY 5
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 199,89 2.574,4 3.510,98 248,70 139,96 236,68 217,76 106,07 53,54 54,18 354,70 374,16 322,70 221,32 140,02 56,76 168,98 156,03 233,63 78,60 277,65 159,74 135,90 248,20 678,90 409,36 56,44 238,63 140,11 177,11
CHANGE 200,29 2.577,0 3.511,72 249,90 140,00 240,11 218,37 106,40 53,62 54,45 356,44 376,60 323,12 222,05 146,95 56,99 169,30 156,32 234,11 78,77 278,00 159,97 136,64 248,96 700,00 409,87 56,57 238,78 141,08 178,36
CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 197,94 1,61M 2.535,4 1,06M 3.436,92 3,18M 246,25 1,94M 137,75 78,95M 233,47 15,72M 215,58 2,43M 105,04 7,11M 52,84 15,07M 54,00 10,61M 352,62 11,52M 372,42 1,60M 321,35 2,20M 219,71 1,54M 139,46 16,83M 56,32 17,22M 165,64 9,06M 155,12 11,43M 232,44 1,85M 77,76 7,67M 272,50 26,47M 157,64 6,40M 135,42 5,57M 245,84 4,06M 673,26 27,10M 403,88 1,98M 56,26 11,39M 235,82 4,38M 139,35 8,76M 174,62 11,10M M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ULY 5
COMPANY
CHANGE NET / %
VOLUME
Most Advanced NVR Inc. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. AutoZone Inc. Mettler-Toledo International Inc. Credit Suisse FI Large Cap Growth Enhanced UBS AG FI Enhanced Large Cap Growth ETN BlackRock Inc. Cable One Inc. Danaher Corp. 4.75% Mandatory Conv. Paycom Software Inc. Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A
1.86% 1.83% 1.55% 1.45% 2.69% 2.35% 1.64% 0.70% 0.70% 2.75% 1.27%
40.15K 225.78K 144.51K 99.49K 345 409 430.35K 20.49K 0 575.69K 79
-0.24% -1.41% -1.31% -3.68% -4.64% -3.96% -7.09% -2.11% -2.81% -6.27% -4.52%
1,257 21.17K 313.34K 293.32K 16.828M 50.54K 732.93K 1.218M 212.02K 549.54K 1.150M
Most Declined Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A Texas Pacific Land Corp. Boston Beer Co. Cl A Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bull 3X Shares International Business Machines Corp. Lindsay Corp. Laredo Petroleum Inc. Wayfair Inc. Cl A TopBuild Corp. Sturm Ruger & Co. Lemonade Inc.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com
Credit: Treasury Twitter
UK financial strategy
KEY POLICIES: Rishi Sunak gives Mansion House speech. NOWADAYS it seems that no senior British politician can give a speech without some‐ one ensuring that the contents are revealed in advance. This is exactly what has hap‐ pened with Rishi Sunak who was due to give his first Man‐ sion House speech on Thurs‐ day July 1 which is considered the Chancellor’s key policy speech of the year. According to the BBC he in‐ tended to announce that he will make the UK the most “advanced and exciting” finan‐ cial services hub in the world even though Amsterdam took over from London as the largest financial trading centre in Europe as Brexit changes fi‐ nally came into force. The full speech was actually released on Twitter by the Treasury with teasers several hours before the Mansion
House event and contained a number of promises and statements of intent. There will be action to en‐ sure that companies report the effects on the environ‐ ment that their businesses have and what they plan to do to mitigate damage over the long term via the new Inte‐ grated Sustainability Disclo‐ sures Requirements. He has also given an under‐ taking that Britain will be able to compete equally with members of the European Union, especially in the finan‐ cial sector, but also confirmed that the USA is now one of Britain’s most important mar‐ kets for finance and that posi‐ tive discussions are ongoing with China. He looks to the future with young leaders and en‐ trepreneurs taking the stage
Cryptocurrency AS the European Central Bank (ECB) expresses its wish to see a digital euro at some time in the future, the European Union is worried about uncontrolled cryptocurrency. At the same time, as part of its programme to increase expertise in new technology, the Spanish Government has been contemplating issuing some form of crypto exchange mechanism, although the Chairman of the Bank of Spain has warned against investment in that form of online currency. Now, according to Spanish financial news outlet Cinco Dias , the EU intends to charge the ECB, Bank of Spain and National Stock Market Commission (CNMV) to supervise crypto-related activities in Spain with effect from 2022.
and said “As the baton passes to a new generation of leaders in finance, I feel optimistic about the future. Ambitious at home. Confident internation‐ ally.”
BUSINESS EXTRA Profits up UK based JD Sports has increased its full-year profit outlook to ‘no less than’ £550 (€605) million, compared to £324 (€356) million the previous year. With 3,300 stores in 29 countries, including a new Spanish subsidiary, turnover has grown substantially in the past year.
Bounce back WITH Spain in a major lockdown situation in the second quarter of 2020, the economy was in a difficult situation, but in accordance with expectations, the second quarter of 2021 has seen a bounce back and in fact economic output rose a record 18 per cent.
Back to work MORE than one million workers in the UK came off furlough in May thanks to the reopening of the economy and with 2.4 million workers still on the furlough scheme which ends in September, this is the lowest number since the start of the pandemic.
8 - 14 July 2021
EWN 37
38 EWN
www.euroweeklynews.com
8 - 14 July 2021
LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT THE only colours that do truly worry me are the rose‐coloured hues that tint the glasses of authorities when they view the true problems that beset many of our great cities ‐ no matter how they try to generalise those responsible for the lawlessness that prevails; no matter how they carefully fail to mention any particular creed or section of the public at fault. Irrespective of how many advertisements they produce on TV showing everyone living happily together in environments of multicultural diversity, the true circumstances indisputably reveal that most of the problems originate firmly at the doors of the black communities. Last week the LBC revealed that 74 per cent of young people awaiting trial in London prisons are black. Couple this with the inescapable fact that 90 per cent of all knife crimes are committed by young blacks. And the black community makes up 13 per cent of London’s population.
FEATURE
Rose-tinted glasses Until the wokes and PC brigade are put firmly in their place and the whole situation can be openly admitted and honestly approached by reasonable people with no fear of racist accusation or threats of retribution, it will NEVER be sorted. The disinformation and downright lies perpetrated by the media MUST be addressed. The UK is not a Shangri La of happily integrated communities with all ethnicities and nationalities living together in spacious and prosperous environments. This deceptive propaganda is a blatant insult of the public’s intelligence. A large section of black citizens lives in overcrowded run‐down areas with no hope of EVER integrating with the white indigenous population. Existing within these environments are numbers of one
Authorities’ view is clouded. parent families, consisting of children who will never know or even see their absent fathers. Consequently, children run wild, often spilling over into what they observe as the ’privileged’ white areas, where even more hatred is spawned. They find companionship and a sense of belonging in the lawless drug gangs that become the ‘family’ they have never experienced. They are then instilled with a warped sense of loyalty to their gang leaders,
many of whom have been raised in the same unloved and dysfunctional way as they themselves. In other words, it is a vicious circle that simply MUST be broken. Special policing efforts need to be taken to infiltrate these violent gangs and incarcerate their leaders. Morally decent black families, unable to escape these areas, must be encouraged to inform on criminal gangs and given adequate protection
and secure accommodation for their efforts. Stop and search must be a priority too for police, and slum areas must be cleared. Billions need to be invested. More youth clubs and citizens advice points must be established. Successful minority professionals must be encouraged to visit these areas and give a message of hope to these young people. Freedom of speech must be seen as a priority and most importantly the disgraceful media distortion has to stop. Falsification of the facts is the most evil travesty of them all. Keep the faith Love Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
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EWN 41
WHAT REALLY IRRITATES ME ABOUT TV SHOWS NORA JOHNSON BREAKING VIEWS
Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson
FOR starters, characters always find a park‐ ing space, or plonk their car down anywhere without acquiring a ticket in streets unusual‐ ly devoid of traffic for the time of day. And ever see anybody in a TV show pay the taxi driver before leaving the cab? Characters who are interviewed by the po‐ lice in a murder enquiry, particularly at their workplace, where, though they’re clearly be‐ ing considered as suspects, they continue to work ‐ unpacking boxes or cleaning a car or fiddling with a computer keyboard. If you were being interviewed by the police could you keep working at the same time? And what about characters talking to themselves about what they’re thinking/do‐ ing (so that the viewer knows what’s happen‐ ing), but who does that in real life? Phone calls that are over in five seconds and usually don’t involve ‘Hello’ or ‘Goodbye’? Charac‐
TV SHOWS: Just how realistic are they? ters who apply for a job for which they’re patently under‐qualified, but which they get anyway in a show where the plot holes could accommodate an ocean liner drifting side‐ ways? Let alone characters coming home where ALL the lamps are already on. Who put them
on? Did they leave them on all day? Female characters waking up in nanoseconds looking beautiful with full, perfect make‐up. Eye shadow, lipstick the works! Who goes to bed like that? Conversely, when detectives use their flashlights to check out a crime scene instead
of switching the lights on. Or when the victim goes into a dark house, yet fails to turn the lights on! I mean, who looks for an axe mur‐ derer in the dark? Finally, on a completely different note, many thanks to all of you who’ve purchased my just‐published thriller, The Sentinel, the latest in my ‘DI Barbara Forster and Alice My‐ ers Crime Thriller Series.’ What’s more, now available in audiobook format narrated as be‐ fore by my good friend Rayner Bourton who created the role of ‘Rocky’ in the original Lon‐ don production of ‘The Rocky Horror Show.’ Thanks, too, for helping my other novels sell so fantastically well. And keep those great comments coming to my website and dona‐ tions to Cudeca! Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Sentinel’, ‘No Safe Place’, ‘Be‐ trayal’, ‘The Girl in the Woods’, ‘The Girl in the Red Dress’, ‘No Way Back’, ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora‐johnson.net) available online as eBook (€0.99; £0.99), Ap‐ ple Books, paperback and audiobook.
To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Nora Johnson’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
EW YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.
SMOKING BEACH GOERS From our Facebook
I HAVE an apartment purchased in 2002 by Carvajal beach, Benalmadena, Malaga. I have written to you before (about five years ago) and the letter was published. I am writing again to reiterate what I said then. I am a considerate smoker always aware of who might be affected by my bad habit. I always discard my butts responsibly, ie, coke can or empty water bottle with a little sand inside, when I am on the beach. But time and again I see, predominantly Spanish tourists, putting their cigarettes out in the sand, they seem to have no regard for the environment. In Portugal they have signs at the entrance to the beaches, telling everyone not to use the beach as an ashtray. The beaches there (the ones I have seen anyway) are in pristine condition. I am sure this would work in Spain. If the town hall can afford to put up signs all over telling us the bleeding obvious about Covid, then why not a few signs about the environment. I do not agree with banning smoking, there’s enough restriction as it is. But maybe with the threat of a fine, if caught, they just might show some consideration for the environment. BW
For Leapy Lee. In the past couple of weeks I have noticed that the UK adverts are now dominated by black people - why? The 3 per cent of black people in the UK are now occupying between 30 per cent and 100 per cent of adverts. What has changed? Also, I am reliably informed that any Muslim who declares his house as a place of worship is no longer required to pay Council Tax. Is this true? Can a white Anglo Saxon declare that, as a devout Christian, he has prayer meetings at his house and get the same treatment? If the answer is no then this is a racist arrangement-correct? Please do your
HOPEFULLY MOVING FORWARD IT seems incredible that despite all of the evidence, not just scientific but through personal experience and in many cases loss that people are still suggesting that coronavirus and its variants are a myth, no worse than flu. Many of us thought at the beginning of 2020 that press reports were over exaggerating the dangers of the approaching pandemic and that the virus would soon peter out but here we are 18 months later and it is still with us. Conspiracy theorists suggest that the vaccines secretly contain microchips which will allow governments to keep tabs on everyone who is vaccinated, but that
CORRECTIONS
BEACH: Should not be used as an ashtray.
homework on our behalf and keep up the good work! G Nicholson
TIME OUT PUZZLES - TAKE TWO!!! Dear Euro Weekly, following on from our last email of June 2, we would just like to let you know that since our last email, the ‘Quick Crossword’ has got a lot better. There are now a good mix of clues offering much greater opportunities to find the correct answers. My Wife, particularly, has now been engrossed in solving the clues and enjoying the challenges that the better clues are offering than the totally one word clues offered prior to our email. The other items in the ‘Time Out’ section do seem to be a little more balanced than they had become earlier and so we are very pleased to be taking on those challenges again. We are not sure whether our earlier email caused you to make any changes or whether the changes are just ‘coincidental’. However, whatever the reasons are, we are fully enjoying the Time Out section again as well as the rest of your great newspaper so - hopefully all will remain well for the future. Regards,
OUR VIEW
suggests a level of scientific excellence across the world which has not been demonstrated previously. What is sure is that there are more unvaccinated people still catching the virus than those vaccinated and although there are some serious side effects for a very small number of those injected, this really had to be expected, recognised and then controlled. Individuals and businesses want and need to continue a return to some form of normality and whilst many may disagree with the decision to allow large events to take place with signifi-
cant crowds, it does seem one way of testing whether the socalled herd immunity does work after vaccination. If large numbers of spectators do develop symptoms of the virus, then clearly herd-immunity will be seen to be the wrong path to follow. Some wonder whether it was wise to allow Prince William and Prince George to be seen at Wembley not wearing masks and only time will tell whether this was an example of foolish bravado or a calculated risk to show the public that things are starting to look up. Let’s hope so.
NO MASKS: Such events are tests to see what will happen.
Readers divided over crowds at sporting events without masks WE asked our readers their opinion on crowds being allowed at football matches and sporting events like Wimbledon or the Grand Prix with no masks. The general opinion is that this sort of event will help us get back to some sort of normality and open things up. EWN readers think that we need to learn to live with Covid as it’s not going away and said that it was great to just see people enjoying themselves. One reader said that if things like this are not allowed “the vast majority of people will end up with mental health problems and no future at all.” Another said “Yes, it’s time we learned to live with this; masks didn’t stop the Chinese or the Koreans or the Japanese catching the virus, did it? And they have been wearing masks in public for many decades.” Another reader pointed out “Of course it should be allowed, most of the UK, especially the old and vulnerable are now double jabbed, the number of deaths is at pre-pandemic levels.” Several pointed out that such events are tests to “see what impact large crowds will have on the spread of the virus. Everyone attending will have tested negative. They also have to test afterwards to see if any virus has transmitted.” There were, however, some who were totally against it being allowed, saying that it was “total madness” and that the interests of economy outweighed those of people’s health. The problem, they pointed out, is that a lot of people think that “it can’t happen to them.” Some suggested that football “seems to get away with any and everything” and were angry about it when at some schools, parents weren’t allowed to attend their children’s Sports Day events. A few readers said that it’s too soon to start allowing large gatherings without masks, especially when people travelling “from Spain to the UK are required to quarantine for 10 days and pay for two tests whilst in quarantine.” Some were, in their own words, “seething” and said “I have not seen my daughter for two years with all these restrictions and there they are running wild by the 1,000s. Money talks!” Others complained that while 60,000 were allowed at a football match “only 150 for a British speedway meeting which is more distanced than sitting in a football stadium. Teams having to suspend fixtures because they can’t make a living. Bloody disgusting!”
At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com
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FEATURE
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8 - 14 July 2021
EWN 47
The Power of Progress
ROBERT SHALLIS DO you feel you are making progress in your life or feel as though you are just treading water to stay afloat whilst tackling the daily challenges that life presents? George Bernard Shaw, the influential Irish playwright once wrote ‘’Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds, cannot change anything.’ In other words, if we choose to accept things the way they are then that is all we will ever experience. You cannot make progress if continually choosing the exact same approach. But by the same token, choosing to take steps to improve and create something better for ourselves, is the start of making progress. This is the start of taking control and changing outcomes. It sounds rather easy, doesn’t it? It is easy; however, it is easier not to change because we are creatures of habit and therefore the majority of people regress and slip straight back into their old patterns of behaviour. A good reminder to keep moving
SMALL STEPS: To a better way of being.
forward and give you extra drive and determination is to understand that to achieve and get what you want, you must be willing to do what many others do not, which is do ‘something.’ One of the mistakes that many of us make when trying to move forward and progress is that we listen to the wrong
people, the people that try to put obstacles and excuses in your way and tell you all the reasons why you cannot succeed at something. These are people who are very good at finding problems to a solution, rather than solutions to a problem. The right people to listen to are those who have achieved what you
want, the ones that have broken through the pain barrier, believed in themselves, overcome the challenges along the way and are happy to help you do the same. It’s up to us who we listen to. Of course, if anything is worth achieving, it will undoubtedly present challenges along the way. The key is to trust in your ability and focus on the end result. The headlights of a car will only light up a very small distance in front of you but you know that you will always be able to see far enough in front of you in order to reach your final destination. So, break it down, take each step at a time, that is key to the process of progress. Eventually you will reach your desired destination in life whatever that may be, however big or small, it’s your journey and it’s your choice. Always focus on the final goal and don’t allow the bumps in the journey to cloud over it. The miraculous thing about making progress, however small and however challenging is that it creates a happier way of being ‐ you are progressing
towards the realisation of a worthwhile dream. It’s exciting to know that you are heading towards where you want to be, following your desires, this will fill you with a wonderful sense of bliss. We’ve heard the quote ‘getting there was half the fun’ so enjoy the process and the journey in doing so. By taking the decision to start making progress, you would have already created a successful way of being. Your new strength of character will show your true measure of success in ways that you may not have thought possible before. If you tread water all your life, you will eventually drown in your own disappointment having never reached your destination, so don’t let that be you, start by making a small step today and progress to a better way of being. Rob Shallis www.robshallis.com To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
Robert Shallis’ opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
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8 - 14 July 2021
By Clinica Britannia
HEALTH & BEAUTY
By Clinica Britannia
Athlete’s foot
STOP SMOKING & EARLY CANCER DETECTION TEST-LUNG
I AM a regular runner and last month I noticed on my left foot a scaly rash. I am very careful with the health of my feet as I run several km every day. Sometimes I feel my foot burning and itching. What should I take care of? Athlete’s foot (tinea pedis) is a fungal infection that usu‐ ally begins between the toes. It commonly occurs in peo‐ ple whose feet have become FOOT HEALTH: Prevent fungal infections. very sweaty while confined within tightfitting shoes. can get athlete’s foot ‐ especially if you don’t Signs and symptoms of athlete’s foot include dry your feet completely after each washing. a scaly rash that usually causes itching, stinging Without treatment, athlete’s foot will make and burning. Athlete’s foot is contagious and your feet even itchier and more miserable. It can be spread via contaminated floors, towels can also turn into a more serious infection if or clothing. you don’t take care of it. Antifungal creams and As you tell us athlete’s foot has nothing to pills are the best treatments for athlete’s foot. do with cleanliness. Even if you wash your feet Make an appointment with your Podiatrist with soap and water several times a day, you or Chiropodist to seek further advice.
I AM a smoker and i am short of breath? I have been feeling chest pain for the last three weeks. What are the early signs of lung cancer? Smoking can cause serious respiratory conditions such as emphysema or chronic obstruc‐ tive pulmonary disorder. These STOP SMOKING: Not easy, but can be done. conditions can lead to problems with your lung capacity. tion of lung cancer for high‐risk individuals. Some of the early warning signs of lung Unfortunately, 80 per cent of lung cancer cancer are: cases are diagnosed in the latest stages of • A cough that doesn’t go away the disease. Nowadays, the so‐colled Early‐ • Chest pain CDT Lung is a simple blood test to identify • Hoarseness people with a heightened risk of lung can‐ • Weight loss and loss of appetite cer for triage into CT scanning. • Bloody or rust‐coloured sputum A finger prick or blood draw can be col‐ • Shortness of breath lected in a GP or hospital setting. • Fever without a known reason EarlyCDT‐Lung can on average detect • Recurring infections such as bronchi‐ lung cancer four year prior to normal and tis or pneumonia has shown in a large NHS trial that it can EarlyCDT‐LungTM is a commercially‐ reduce late‐stage lung cancer presenta‐ available blood test to aid in early detec‐ tion by 36 per cent.
Appointments Landline: 965 837 553 / 965 837 851 • 24H/365D Emergency Number: (+34) 607 255 755 • Opening Times: Mon - Fri: 9:00am / 5:00pm
Clinica Britannia Calpe Av. Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor, Calpe S U P E R FO O D S and the vegan trend are dominating the latest food fads in magazines and trendy new restaurants, but are we willing to sustain such a limited diet in the future without the need for bacon butties or cheeseburgers? T he fashionable plant-based diet, proven to result in younger looking skin, boost energy levels and reduce the risks of certain
If you have a question, you want answered email Dr Mera personally on 545152@gmail.com.
Just the veganning? life-threatening diseases like diabetes and cancer is slowly pushing aside meat-based foods in the hope of a healthier lifestyle and less obesity - but is it sustainable in this modern age?
Experts agree that a truly vegan lifestyle, although difficult to p l a n o u t a n d m a i n t a i n c a n r educe weight but they also look at the potential downfall of going totally plant-based. Calcium, omega-3, fatty acids
and Vitamin B12 are all key nutrients that a vegan diet can lack. Over a length of time, these key elements to keep the body strong can result in loss of bone and muscle mass and inefficient running of the nervous
s y s t e m . V i t a m i n s a n d s u p p l ements can only be taken in small doses otherwise they can cause toxicity in the body. The bottom line, say experts is to avoid fad diets that are promoted on the internet, try to balance out the pros and cons of becoming a vegan, but most importantly stick to a healthy regime that gives your body good healthy food.
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HEALTH & BEAUTY
Time for a hip-op? FRESH AIR: Major study findings probably surprise nobody. ANYONE living in Spain will probably be among the first to agree with the following statement ... ‘spending time outside is good for you.’ This has also been backed up by a major study undertaken from almost 300 million people who were analysed as part of a review into the supposed benefits of nature. The researchers found that an outside lifestyle can dramatically cut the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stress and high blood pressure. Those behind the research which has taken place over a number of years - hope that the discoveries will encourage doctors to recommend patients spend more of their time in green and open spaces. Data was studied by the University of East Anglia from 20
PAIN RELIEF: A hip replacement is often the only option.
Healthy outdoor lifestyle countries around the world, including the UK, to come up with their one sentence conclusion. Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett, a PhD student and lead author of the study, admitted they are unsure what causes the benefits found. She said: “Spending time in nature certainly makes us feel healthier, but until now the impact on our long-term well-being hasn’t been fully understood. “It reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death and preterm birth, and increases sleep duration.” Miss Twohig-Bennett added: “We hope that this research will
inspire people to get outside more and feel the health benefits for themselves. Hopefully our results will encourage policymakers and
town planners to invest in the creation, regeneration, and maintenance of parks and green spaces.”
Don’t nod off! WE hope you can get to the end of this article without yawning .... To yawn is an almost impossible feeling to resist and control, and yet some of the world’s top scientists are still uncertain of the biological reasons for it. In the past, there have been many theories as to why we yawn, and indeed go back as far as Hippocrates in 400BC who believed that yawning actually removed bad air from someone’s lungs before a fever. Many centuries later - in the 1600’s and 1700’s - medical professionals thought yawning increased the amount of oxygen in the blood, blood pressure, heart rate and the actual flow of blood itself. In more recent times, the consensus has moved toward the idea that when somebody yawns, the brain cools down. Therefore, if the air temperature and indeed the temperature of the brain itself rises, the episodes of yawning increase. Actually, if the truth is known ... scientists have no idea why we yawn, but what they do know is that almost every species does it. Animals do it when they’re tired and it can often be used by some as a form of threat. There are even suggestions that the wide-open mouth that comes with a yawn can be contagious and set off a series of networks in the brain that are responsible for empathy, this explains why when someone yawns others follow. Be honest, how many of you yawned when reading this?
IF you’re experiencing pain in your hip due to an injury or arthritis, you understand the affect that it has on your everyday life. When arthritis or injuries are severe, many times your only option is to have a hip joint replacement. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint and is one of the largest joints in the body. It’s made up of the acetabulum which is the part of the pelvis bone that forms the socket and the femoral head which is the upper end of the femur that forms the ball. The surfaces of the ball-andsocket are coated with articular cartilage that provides cushioning for the joint as it moves. The synovial membrane, the tissue that surrounds the hip, creates fluid that lubricates the cartilage
to reduce friction during movement. In a damaged hip, the articular cartilage becomes worn down so that the ends of the bones rub against each other without any form of cushioning. This causes a great deal of pain for the patient. There are many diseases and conditions that can cause a hip injury severe enough to warrant a hip replacement. Arthritis can cause the synovial fluid to become inflamed and results in cartilage wearing away too. If you’re dealing with severe hip pain and stiffness that persists even when at rest, you may need to undergo a hip joint replacement. This surgery will relieve your pain and help you return to the activities you enjoy most.
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FEATURE
VOLUNTARY SELF-ISOLATION DAVID WORBOYS WHEN it has not been compul‐ sory, many of us have voluntari‐ ly self‐isolated during Covid, thus surrendering freedom of movement. In a sense, others have been doing this all their lives. Outside our office on a street in Barcelona in the 80s, an elder‐ ly man known as Martin was en‐ sconced in an ONCE kiosk where you could buy lottery tickets. Ap‐ parently, he had been there ev‐ ery weekday for the past 40 years and had never been no‐ ticed as absent. He was always there, confined to a space of about one square metre. Likewise, my barber, whose salon had a kitchen and bath‐ room attached. From 1977 to 1995, I was travelling extensive‐
Self Isolation may be voluntary - or involuntary. ly. At any time from Monday to Saturday between 10am and 6pm, I knew where Franco was. I could be in an office, a hotel, an airport or a restaurant anywhere in Europe, the Americas, Japan, South‐East Asia or Australia but, unless he were ill, Franco would be merrily snipping away in his Berkshire village salon ‐ until he
hung up his scissors in 2018. Martin and Franco had chosen a presumably contented lifestyle within a very limited environ‐ ment. Like shopkeepers and pub‐ licans, they can get out in the evenings, travel at weekends or take holidays, but the fisherman on the beaches of Axarquia and the tillers of the surrounding soil
rarely stray far from their famil‐ iar world. Most careers involve restric‐ tion of free movement. We may spend most of our days in an of‐ fice, a factory or a warehouse, but at least there is space to move around and a change of scene in the evenings. Even airline crews, flying ev‐ erywhere, may have a routine, being confined most of their working lives to a small space and repetitive routes. But they experience a variety of restau‐ rants, hotels and cultures in their free time. The president of a company I worked for frequently flew from London to New York spending one night there and returning the following day. On several oc‐ casions he did this twice in one week! Otherwise, assuming he was awake, he was in his or somebody else’s office or tuck‐ ing into a business lunch or din‐ ner.
Self‐isolation is not always vol‐ untary. It could be a result of one’s economic or financial situ‐ ation or it may be a temporary requirement of Covid law for travellers returning to the UK. Prisoners are denied freedom to come and go as they please, as are many modern‐day slaves. The parrot locked in a cage outside a restaurant on Nerja’s Burriana beach suffers a pitiful existence as a sacrifice to the oc‐ casional amusement of a passing child. It can’t even flap its wings. What is it thinking as it watches the seagulls gliding freely in the infinity of the sky above? The dog permanently tethered day and night by a rope no longer than a metre probably senses that it is missing out on exercise, nutrition and affection. To read more articles from our columnists and to have your say in the comments go to www.euroweeklynews.com
David Worboys’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
It’s a ludicrous situation MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man WHAT’S going on in the world? Outdoor Covid ‘test’ events are taking place in football stadiums and crowds at Wimbledon. There are still rules about going to restaurants, cinemas and theatres and when it rained at Wimbledon and they closed the roof didn’t that then become an indoor event? All nonsense. If people want to go on holiday, let them. Have tests to leave and return but stop making money on the tests. It’s costing families thousands just for testing. If the government wants people tested let them pay. You have the ridiculous situation of millions of people being tested for a disease they have no symptoms of. My ITV needs renewing at the end of July. I was aware that you now have to book in advance but I didn’t realise what a horror story it actually is. I went in my garage, which always does my pre-test check-up then take it for testing, in May to book for July. He said he couldn’t get an appointment, come back in June. I did - same problem - told me to come
back in July which I did today and now he is telling me to come back in August - after it’s run out which of course I pointed out. He just shrugged and said don’t worry about it, won’t be a problem - yeah not for him! It’s a ludicrous situation. With Mrs S’ car they at least gave me a booking date and a piece of paper to show the police that there was an appointment booked. This time nothing, just a shrug and told not to worry. Is this happening everywhere? Two thugs attacked Chris Witty in the street and videoed themselves doing it. One’s been sacked from his job as an estate agent and once again there are people saying that it’s wrong he’s been fired. I’ll tell you what’s wrong is that a bloke, regardless what you think of him, because he’s been on the telly, can’t walk along the street without being attacked, just because these thugs decide they want a selfie with him. The police should have got involved and nicked them. Poor guy looked terrified. The ridiculous thing is that if it had been someone a bit lively and he knocked them both out, people would be saying he overreacted. Totally no win situation for him. My opinion is they should have been nicked and at least fined for assault. Email: mikesenker@gmail.com
Mike’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
FEATURE
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THE EUROWEEKLY NEWS is urg‐ ing its readers to support local businesses in the community by going local now that the lock‐ down has ended and for your all your shopping this year, instead of feeding online giants and su‐ perstores. We challenge you to rediscover your local high streets, markets, butchers, greengrocers and all of the wonderfully quirky indepen‐ dent businesses in your area. Now that the Covid‐19 pan‐ demic appears to be under con‐ trol, it is a good idea to try and support many local businesses by ordering online and making use of any click and collect services they can operate, especially if you are unable to get out due to health reasons or any other restrictions. The joy of shopping local means that independent businesses can help support the local community. Although it may be a euro or two cheaper elsewhere or online, consider where your money is ac‐ tually going. By shopping at an independent store you’re putting food on a lo‐ cal 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 local
8 - 14 July 2021
GO LOCAL
charities, support and sponsor lo‐ cal sports teams and in many cas‐ es the small independent stores are actually much more than just a small high street shop, they’re a family’s legacy, often passed down through numerous genera‐ tions and support not just the cur‐ rent 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 mon‐ ey to set up an independent store and compete with the multina‐ tional and chains. So be sure to pre‐order your meat from a local butcher and get your spuds from a local greengro‐ cer, let us revive that community spirit and get to know our neigh‐ bours 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 fi‐ nances thinking about what friends and family may actually need is important too. Whilst it’s nice to give a glamourous gift per‐ haps pre‐paying a family mem‐ ber’s phone bill for the month
would actually be a better gift. Helping people alleviate stress and worry, give the gift of peace of mind through these difficult times. Choosing to spend your money locally will really make a difference in the recovery of the local econo‐ my. When we buy local, our mon‐ ey stays local, and it strengthens the local economy in two ways. First, buying local keeps money cir‐ culating within the local economy. Studies have shown that local businesses recirculate a greater share of every euro as they create locally owned supply chains and
invest in their employees. Data shows that local retailers return 52 per cent of their rev‐ enue back into the local economy, compared to just 14 per cent for national chain retailers. Money circulating through the local economy benefits everyone who is a part of each transaction. For example, let’s look at a local farmer growing produce. First, they sell to a local restau‐ rant, which in turn prepares the fresh produce and sells it to local customers. The farmer pays its lo‐ cal employees and the restaurant
EWN 53
uses revenue from sales to buy supplies from a neighbourhood hardware store. This example illus‐ trates 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 em‐ ployment and job opportunities for people within our community. Studies show, locally owned businesses employ more people per unit of sales and retain 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 still follow the latest government advice and any guidance businesses have to keep everyone safe in the future.
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FEATURE
Prevention’s better than cure
LETTER FROM
CANARIES
DEAR reader, How goes it up there on the main‐ land? There’s no news at all from you, though you’ve got my email. You must be very busy? Don’t overdo it, now it’s get‐ ting hot. Prevention’s better than cure. For goats too. This is St John’s Eve, the ancient ritual of dunking goats in the sea took place, maintaining a tradition that dates back to the original, pre‐Spanish islanders, the Guanches. Four hundred goats were herded down from Valle de La Orotava to ‘en‐ joy’ an early summer health and fertility‐ boosting bathe in Tenerife’s Puerto de La Cruz. As recent statistics reveal the overall Canarian (human) birth rate to have plummeted, perhaps islanders might join in next time? Interestingly, birth rate drops are a big island phenomenon. Small islands (La Gomera, El Hierro, La Graciosa) not only maintained normal birth rates, but in‐ creased them. Various theories occur to
TENERIFE: Youths are continuing to party. me, but lack of space spares you them. Here in La Gomera, we’re awash with pregnant ladies and happily free of Covid, while 39km away Tenerife’s short on fecundity, but so overloaded with new Covid cases that Level 3’s been re‐ imposed, delivering the coup de grâce to Canarian tourism. Other countries don’t differentiate. There may be very little Covid on most islands but Tenerife’s figures put them all out of bounds. The Baleares are on Britain’s green list, but all eight Canary Is‐ lands remain amber. Tenerife’s high percentage of under
40s are apparently indifferent to the damage their partying does. Emergency measures, like the first open‐24‐hours, walk‐in vaccination centre in the Pabel‐ lón Santiago Martín in Santa Cruz, pro‐ posals to suspend student grants and benefits of rule‐breakers and stricter policing ‘will be implemented.’ Cabildo president Pedro Martín insists: “Tenerife can’t continue like this,” but the horse has already bolted. I was up in your neck of the woods re‐ cently, doing the spectacular Caminito del Rey, wearing not only a helmet, but an obligatory mask there in the open air,
CAMINITO: Masks were obligatory even in the open air. suspended above the abyss. Super care‐ ful. The Malaga to Tenerife flight arrived too late for the last ferry home, so I stayed there and witnessed the other extreme. There was such a total ab‐ sence of all the measures we’ve faithful‐ ly adhered to elsewhere that I retreated to the hotel, avoiding drunken tourists partying unchecked. Had Señor Martín got on the case before, thousands of tourism jobs throughout the Canaries would’ve been saved. Tourists may be scarce, but the tide of Africans in perilously small boats trying
to get to Europe via the islands contin‐ ues. Locals in Órzola, Lanzarote, saved lives after a boat capsized at night just off the coast. “We heard screaming and shouting out there and ran to help. People weren’t far out, but they were too weak and scared to try to get in, so we had to carry them in,” said Marcos Lesmes from Órzola. “It breaks your heart to see mothers with small children in such dis‐ tress.” May your heart, dear reader, remain unbroken. Enjoy July! Barbara Belt. barbarabelt@gmail.com
Barbara Belt’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
PETS
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Who needs a pet-sitter this summer?
IF you are planning a trip later this year you still need to plan early for pet and house‐sitters. Perhaps you are already mak‐ ing plans for a staycation get away. Even if you are planning just a short trip, you’ll know that you simply can’t travel with some pets. Young pets in particular may benefit from staying behind so they can fol‐ low 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 philosophy is that we are all in this together. These are the steps to take: 1. Register as a homeown‐ er on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac‐ count (£89GB per year) to en‐ sure you can help online when needed 3. Create a profile with
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One in 10 pets will develop a tumour in their lifetime CANCER is one of the biggest concerns for dog and cat owners. It is the leading cause of death in geriatric ani‐ mals. For this reason, owners and veterinarians have been becoming aware of the need to provide special care for their pets. There have been great advances in veterinary medicine and surgery, especially in the field of cancer treatment. Early diagnosis is essential. The checkup that is carried out on your pet every year should be more exhaustive from six years of age. Any patient suspected of having a malignant process should be thoroughly investigated by the veterinary team. This information will help us to know which treat‐ ment to use and will inform us of the prognosis, time and cost necessary for the treatment. We can only establish a complete therapeutic proto‐ col and with probability of success if we have informa‐ tion on the extent of the process. This way we can an‐ swer the pet owner’s questions about the prognosis and quality of life. Specific laboratory tests, ultrasound, endoscopy, CT or MRI may be necessary.
In Costablanca Norte: Anicura Marina Baixa Hospital Veterinario www.veterinariamarinabaixa.com
Taking in a stray ONE of the many things British people in Spain will automatical‐ ly apprehend is that stray cats and dogs seem to be more of a normal sight. The problem is of course intensified by the lack of services and financial support available to the dedicated shel‐
ters across Spain which prevents early neutering and excessive breeding of more feral felines. The belief seems to be a stray cat will undoubtedly be feral and therefore impossible to tame. This is not strictly the case. Stray cats can make wonderful pets
and even with a tendency to‐ wards more ‘wild’ behaviours, there are solutions. Taming a more feral stray cat is no easy feat and patience is re‐ quired. After making sure the physical needs are dealt with (vaccinations, registration, chip‐ ping and neutering), the next stage is developing trust. Gloves may be an essential at first as stray cats can be fearful and bite or scratch in self‐defence. To create security for the cat, the house should become its home little by little by designat‐ ing areas to it and giving it its own corner, bed or feeding space. Don’t worry if the cat decides to hide frequently or doesn’t al‐ ways show great affection. This will come with time. Food and treats will help the cat trust its new owner and see them as a friend instead of a threat and consistency here is truly the key. To prevent further straying, keep the cat inside for a longer period and make sure it knows where its best interests are by of‐ fering it a good life and loving en‐ vironment.
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CLUBS/SOCIETIES SPIRITUAL FRIENDS Costa Blanca is a non-religious group of spiritually minded people who meet on Wednesday afternoons. Each week different - clairvoyance, discussions, talks and demonstrations on spiritual or holistic subjects. email sp.fr.cb@gmail.com website www.spiritualfriendscostablan ca.com or contact Jan. 600 837 054 (10000)
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SUMMER is upon us in Europe, and drivers should be aware of the way in which rising temper‐ atures can reduce the perfor‐ mance of their vehicles, while increasing fuel costs. Driving with a heavily laden vehicle will increase fuel con‐ sumption dramatically as the engine toils to deal with the extra payload, and on a long journey, this can be costly.
Save money in fuel Air conditioning is one of the most costly items for drivers, bad use can cost you between 5 and 20 per cent ac‐ cording to data from Acierto.com, which recom‐ mends only using the aircon in your vehicle when it is neces‐ sary, with continual use of the
aircon apparently costing you, on average, an extra 8 per cent they reckon. Their advice is to turn the aircon off when you are driv‐ ing at low speeds in the city, and to open the window in‐ stead, whereas once out on the open road, having the win‐ dow open creates more resis‐ tance, and you will consume more fuel, but it is advisable to open the windows to at least lower the internal tempera‐ ture before opening the air‐ con, depending of course on the temperature outside at the time. Driving in the city with the window open can expose you to other vehicles’ fumes, that choice is entirely up to you! Keeping filters clean, and adjusting the aircon tempera‐ ture to between 20 and 24 de‐ grees is something else ad‐ vised by Acierto.com, because once you drop below that temperature, your costs can apparently increase by around 10 per cent. Also, parking your vehicle in the shade whenever possible helps you to not have to use aircon as much when
entering the vehicle. General vehicle mainte‐ nance plays a big part in cut‐ ting fuel costs, as you will al‐ ways save on fuel when the engine is running smoothly, as well as all the vehicle systems and components, including lu‐ bricants, fluids, and so on, and you should always use the oil recommended by the vehicle manufacturer as well. Tyre pressures will also af‐ fect fuel usage, as apparently, a pressure 0.3 bar below that recommended by the manu‐ facturer will increase fuel con‐ sumption by 3 per cent, and also increase tyre wear. Speeding is the best way to use more fuel, as allegedly, for every 20kmh you increase speed, you increase fuel costs by 44 per cent, which means, for example, that when you exceed 100kph and increase your speed by 20kph, fuel con‐ sumption goes from eight litres per 100km, to 11.5 litres per 100km. This difference created by increasing your speed by just 20kph, could create an in‐ crease of almost €1,000 per year in petrol costs, or €700 in diesel, for drivers who clock up a lot of mileage.
MOTORING
Seat belt law reminder THE General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has made a point of reminding pregnant women that the seat belt laws also apply fully to them as well after several articles had appeared recently online, saying otherwise, writ‐ ing in its magazine, “In internet forums, we can see recommendations for pregnant women about the seat belt that are real outrages. Don’t pay any attention!” Pere Navarro, the head of the DGT reminds women in the magazine, “Pregnant women must fasten the seat belt in all the seats of the vehicle fol‐ lowing very simple rules,” accompanied by a series of images explaining how to position the seat belt when pregnant. He continues, “The lower band should go below the abdomen, adjusting as much as possible to the bony part of the hips, never above the ab‐ domen,” proceeding to explain about the diagonal strap, “which will always go on the shoulder, without touching the neck, between the breasts, with‐ out leaning on any of them and surrounding the abdomen.” Finally, he emphasises that the belt must always be tight, “No slack. None of the belt bands should be loose.” This information from the DGT is designed to not only raise awareness, but to save money, because pregnant women do not have exemption for wearing the seat belt because of their condition, and in fact, failure to use the seat belt can lead to a €200 fine and four points off their driving licence. As with pregnant women, people who suffer with pain from previous ac‐ cidents should also take care how they fasten their seat belt, as they too are not exempt, stressing that you should never wear the belt “above your ab‐ domen, twisted, or with slack and without checking, in the event that you have previously suffered an accident.” The DGT has what it calls the six rules, when it comes to seat belts, three have been mentioned, the other three are that users must be careful with coats and clothes with a lot of volume, “Do not use bulky garments, such as coats. Do not put anything under the belt, such as cushions or pillows.” Then, “The position of the seat must be taken into account. Almost at a right angle, never too inclined, since this positionmakes it easier for the belt to strangle you in the event of an accident. And finally, of course, never ever place your feet on the dashboard.”
MOTORING
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Audi A6 Avant Black Edition ROAD TEST by Mark Slack IF you’re talking premium cars then as far as we Brits go that invariably means German. There’s a good reason for that, the Germans do know how to properly bolt a car to‐ gether to give that premium
feel. My test Audi A6 Avant 55 TFSI quattro S tronic lived up to those German premium ex‐ pectations, but then at a shade under €81k (£70k) as tested it should match up to the highest levels of quality. The A6 is a large car nor‐ mally but in Avant form it is huge, I can’t imagine anything that wouldn’t be swallowed
whole by the capacious load area. The only problem, as with all estates, is load height but the Audi is still a per‐ former on that dimension too. There are acres of proper car‐ peting, even in the luggage area. None of your cheap un‐ derfelt covering here, and that feeling of quality extends throughout the car.
Power from the 3.0‐litre turbocharged petrol V6 is im‐ pressive, but even more im‐ pressive is the economy of cir‐ ca 32‐33 mpg during my week with the car. The Black Edition I was test‐ ing comes with kit aplenty, even so there was over €10.4k (£9k) of options including a superb panoramic glass roof at €2,268 (£1,950). As with all VAG products digitalisation has arrived but to be fair the A6 has a quite intuitive sys‐ tem even though buttons
would be simpler and easier. On the road the Audi is a smooth and very refined per‐ former and despite the Black Edition having stiffened and lowered suspension, the ride is pretty decent even over rougher surfaces. If your ulti‐ mate wish is for comfort though then the non‐Black edition suspension is probably a better choice. Flappy paddle gear changes, superb engine and steering means the A6 handles surprisingly well for such a large car. My only real criticism of the Audi is the over nannying
specification of the driver as‐ sist, in particular the fact that it decides to slow the car, quite dramatically in some in‐ stances, for no reason. A car waiting perfectly safely to turn right across my path caused the Audi to panic, like‐ wise a parked car with barely a wheel’s width on the road. On the plus side the cruise control that adjusts to the speed limit of the road is a great idea. However, most of the time I switched everything off! Verdict, a near perfect, very classy, sports holdall.
Facts at a Glance Model: A6 Avant 55 TFSI quattro Black Edition S tronic Engine: 3.0-litre, V6-cylinder, turbocharged petrol Gears: 7-Speed automatic Price: €67,345/€80,279 as tested (£57,900/£69,020) Performance: 0-100 kmh (62 mph) 5.3 seconds/Maximum Speed 250 kmh (155 mph) Economy: 8.6/100km (32.8 mpg) Combined driving WLTP Emissions: 196 g/km WLTP Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.
A refined performer.
Eight High-End Sports Cars I ALWAYS catch my breath when I see a high‐end sports car driving by, that unmistakable roar of a high‐powered engine, the gleaming paintwork, the sleek shape, it’s just so captivating. Many of course are a limited edition, which have to be ordered well in advance, but most of us are realistic and know we will never be able to own one of these cars, unless we have that lucky lottery ticket! Here are the top eight most expensive cars in the world right now. No1. Bugatti La Voiture Noire: Priced at €16.7m (£14.4m), it was built as a tribute to the Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic. No2. Rolls Royce Swep‐ tail: This Rolls Royce is priced at €13m (£11.2m) and was a personal order from a client, and took four years to build, so it is the only one of its kind in the world. No3. Lamborghini Ve‐
neno Roadster: The most exclusive model of Lam‐ borghini, made to cele‐ brate the 50th anniver‐ sary, comes in at a cool €7.6m (£6.5m). No4. Bugatti Divo: €5m (£4.3m) is another limited edition, with only 40 ever made. N o 5 . Ko e n i g s e g g C C X R Tr e v i t a : A c a r b u i l t f r om carbon fibre, which is not easy, hence the reason only two were ever made by the Swedish company, costing €4.5m (£3.9m) each. No6. Bugatti Chiron Su‐ per Sport 300+: Capable of reaching 490kph (304mph), this is one of the fastest cars on the planet, and comes with a price of €3.5m (£3.02m). No7. Aston Martin Valkyrie: Only 150 of these cars were built, in collaboration with Red Bull Racing, and were all sold in advance, at a price of €3.4m (£2.93m). No8. Lamborghini Sián: At a p r i c e o f € 3 . 3 m
(£2.84m), only 63 of this completely modifiable hy‐ brid sports car were made. The name ‘Sián’ translates as ‘flash of lightning’. Anyway, I am just off to buy my lottery ticket!
TOP PRICE: The Bugatti La Voiture Noire.