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Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 15 - 21 July 2021 Issue 1880

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News

The people’s paper 15 - 21 July 2021

EU grant BENITACHELL has received €252,685 from Brussels which will be spent on regulating vehicle access to the Moraig cove with a car park and a shuttle bus down to the beach.

Always open THE Generalitat agreed to renew Alfaz’s status as a Much-visited Tourist Area (ZGAT) which will allow its shops to open on Sundays and national holidays for a further four years.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH • WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

FAREWELL CIRCUS

Photo credit: Primadomus

Issue No. 1880

Wave action COASTAL AUTHORITY Costas will spend €67,000 on regenerating the beaches in Oliva, Daimus, Bellreguard and other La Safor towns to halt the erosion that is eating away at their sands.

No case A BENIDORM court has temporarily shelved the case against Altea’s mayor Jaume Llinares and Urban Development councillor Jose Orozco, accused of turning a blind eye to allegedly illegal building work.

Turn to page 4 » KYRA: Rescued after a circus sold her as a cub to a private owner.

FREE • GRATIS

Half full glass JUST over 92 per cent of Hosbec hotels, excluding Benidorm, are open on the Costa Blanca. Occupancy is creeping up‐ wards, with 63.7 per cent occupancy between June 28 and Ju‐ ly 4, while weekend figures rose to 78.2 per cent. Following the continuing trend as hotels await the return of British and other foreign tourists, 87.3 per cent of visitors were Spanish. Ironically, although more establishments be‐ longing to the Hosbec hoteliers’ association are now open in Benidorm, the resort’s 51.9 per cent occupancy between June 28‐July 4 was apparently less encouraging than the previous week’s. Benidorm’s 59 per cent weekend figures were also below the regional average owing, once again, to 89 now‐open ho‐ tels and a relatively unchanged number of visitors.


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Discover Calpe

Don’t waste it

ALTEA now belongs to the Network Against Food Waste. Town and city halls including those of Valencia, Malaga, Oviedo, Torrelodones (Madrid) and Zaragoza have joined forces to prevent food from being unnecessarily thrown away in industry, commerce, the catering trade and private homes. Instead they are working towards reusing and distributing excess food for human consumption. “The initiative focuses on food waste in industry and commerce,” said Altea’s Citizens’ Participation councillor Maria Antonia Lavios . This will also involve instructing volunteers at social dining rooms and from nongovernment organisations in hygiene and the safe handling and storing of food. The network hopes to introduce good practices in the catering industry to prevent waste while reminding the public - particularly children and young people - of the importance of rediscovering the value of food and making good use of it, Lavios said.

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Photo credit: Calpe town hall

OLD CALPE: Free conducted tours, twiceweekly throughout the summer. CALPE Town Hall is offering free conducted tours in different languages. The hour-long visits to the Old Town each Wednesday and Sunday until September 15 are organised in groups of up to 20. They set out at 8.30pm in front of the Casa de Cultura, but participants are asked to meet up there 15 minutes beforehand. The tour brings the opportunity of learning about Calpe’s history, visiting picturesque and typical spots like the town walls, the defence system including Torreo de la Peça and Plaça dels Mariners which recalls the town’s seafaring roots. Readers who would like to take part should ring the 965 836 920 or 965 838 532 telephone numbers or email turismo@ajcalp.es while specifying their preferred language.

Stabbed father remanded

A TWELVE-YEAR-OLD who stabbed her father as he tried to strangle her mother is now at home. The woman has now recovered from her injuries, but her 61-year-old-husband was transferred from Elda hospital to a secure ward in Alicante General hospital for treatment for the four

stab wounds in his back which also affected a lung. Once recovered, an Elda judge has ordered that he should be remanded in custody without bail. The girl was held overnight in a young people’s centre where she was assisted by a psychologist but, being under 14, she cannot face criminal charges.


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NIBS EXTRA Balcony music

Left out LA JARA’s new school primary school finally replaced deteriorated prefab classrooms, but six months later 164 pupils were still using their old playground. Local sources explained that the constructor is questioning a €300 payment, allegedly not mentioned in his contract, and is refusing to finish the play area.

Pool tragedy A BRITISH tourist (64), died in Benissa after hitting his head when diving into a friend’s swimming pool, unaware that the water was only a metre deep. Despite the prompt arrival of Local Police officers and an SVB ambulance with doctor, all efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

New look VILLAJOYOSA’s Technical Services department is renewing the decking that separates the promenade from the beach at Playa Centro. Residents had repeatedly requested improvements to the Paseo Maritimo whose image had deteriorated owing to planks that were visibly affected by the weather and sea air, the department explained.

Walk there THERE are now 3,000 free parking spaces in Denia in Torrecremada, Bosc de Denia, the Les Marines and Les Rotes. The car parks are all within a 10-minute walk from the centre in an initiative to avoid traffic jams and provide more space for pedestrians in the most-visited streets.

Pool contract JAVEA Town Hall has accepted a €4.679 million tender to build the long-awaited covered and heated municipal swimming pool. The contract has been awarded provisionally and must first be confirmed at a plenary council meeting once the company involved has provided all the necessary paperwork, municipal sources revealed.

Prevention better SOCIALIST members of the provincial council, the Diputacion, maintained that the Marina Alta needs more fire stations. The Denia fire station and Benissa’s sub-station cannot cover an area that has suffered catastrophic forest fires in the past and is at risk every summer, they pointed out. Javea and Calpe need their own fire brigades, suggested Oscar Mengual - who is also a Javea Town Hall councillor - at the Diputacion’s last plenary meeting. “The Alicante Province Consortium of Fire Brigades’ personnel committee has been

Photo credit: Javea town hall

CALPE’S Culture department is again organising recitals from the balconies of three municipal buildings in Plaza Miguel Rosello, at the old Ajuntament Vell Town Hall, and in Calle Llibertat. Each mini-concert will be held at 8.30pm and again at 9.15pm on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout July and August.

15 - 21 July 2021

FIRE WATCH: Volunteers will be on the alert throughout the summer.

asking for fire stations in these two Marina Alta municipalities for some time,” Mengual pointed out. “Both would also help to cover fires in the Marina Baja, El

TEULADA‐MORAIRA FISHING CLUB held their last Summer League match on July 7. Twelve contestants turned out for a day’s fishing on Section B3 of the River Ju‐ car with Steve Hartwell landing 8.775 ki‐ los, the best total weight of the day , fol‐ lowed by Graham Sewell’s 7.725 kilos. There was no flow on the river again, which was probably responsible for two dry nets and only 38 fish caught, of which just 19 were carp.

Comtat and L’Alcoia, reducing the response time in an emergency,” he added. Meanwhile in Javea, Proteccion Civil, who have been on fire-

Last of the summer matches “Overall, not a good day’s fishing,” said the club secretary Jeff Richards. The competition was very close‐run, with any of the top three anglers in the running to win the Summer League, which finally went to Frank Povey with 80

watch since June, are now joined by the Balcon al Mar volunteer firefighters as vigilance increases at Portitxol, La Guardia, Costa Nova and Granadella. Volunteers from both bodies, in collaboration with the Local Police and the local fire brigades, keep watch morning and night, patrolling the municipality. “This is not only extremely important in terms of prevention,” Pepa Gisbert, Javea’s Public Safety and Fire Prevention councillor said. “It is equally important when responding to any fire alert in a large municipality like Javea that has extensive wooded areas.”

points, followed by Jack Janssen (77 points) and Jason Lawson (74 points). “The next match will be held on September 22, all being well with Covid rules, although there is a friendly next week,” Jeff said. “We are a very friendly club and al‐ ways happy to welcome new members.” For further information, contact Frank Povey on 966 490 338 or frank.povey@ btopenworld.com or call Ray Craig on 966 492 083.

Cat sailing Take a ticket to ride SAILING takes many forms, from sedate cruising to fun‐filled dinghy sailing. For many people, the most ex‐ hilarating version of the sport is sailing a small catamaran, particu‐ larly the popular Hobie cat. “When the wind is right and the sails are filled, these catama‐ rans literally fly,” said Dave Proc‐ tor from the Costa Blanca Yacht Club. “You could easily end up hiked out on a trapeze as you race across the sea, providing a counter‐balance to the sails. There is nothing more exciting, trust me.” With the Costa Blanca Yacht Club, members can now en‐ joy sailing these catamarans. They meet every Friday at 3pm during the summer at Las Antipo‐ das Watersports, Los Bassetes, Benissa for a fun‐filled afternoon with experienced skippers to show you the ropes. See the https://cbya.org/ for membership plans and for details of all of their activities, which in‐ clude dinghy sailing, cruising and numerous social events.

TRAM passengers who buy their entrance tickets to Benidorm theme parks at any staffed station this summer can travel free. The price includes a return TRAM ticket and the connecting bus from Benidorm station to Terra Natura, Aqua Natura, Aqualandia and Mundomar. Terra Mitica

is not taking part in the scheme, a Gener‐ alitat communique announced. The offer stands for all staffed TRAM stations between Alicante City and Denia, until the end of the summer season, re‐ gional rail operator FGV explained. More information is available from 900 720 472 and the TRAM website.

A perfect destination A treat for for digital nomads opera lovers SPANISH doctors living in Sweden were recently received by Alfaz’s mayor, Vicente Arques, at the town hall. They explained during the meeting, which was also attend‐ ed by councillors Martine Mertens and Rocio Guijarro, that internet consultations have been common for years in Swe‐ den. All the doctors expressed their interest in living and working in Alfaz without severing their working relationship with Sweden. This would be a private initiative enabling Swedish resi‐ dents to continue their treatments and healthcare with their usual practitioner, they explained. The local government said it was more than receptive to health and other professionals who, thanks to new technolo‐ gies, could work remotely while enjoying a digital nomad lifestyle. This was a growing trend, agreed Arques and the councillors who head the town hall’s Foreign Residents and Citizens’ Participation departments.

SPANISH soprano Ainhoa Arteta returns to Altea’s Paulau de la Musica on August 12 at 9pm. Arteta will be accompanied by the pianist Javier Carmena with the recital Por el aire van (Through the air they go). The singer js one of the few so‐ pranos invited to sing at the White House and has appeared at Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan and the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Full details and ticket reserva‐ tions are available from the www.palaualtea.es website.

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App tells all info BENIDORM is develop‐ ing a pilot scheme that promotes healthy leisure recommenda‐ tions. It is doing this with Nereo, a system devel‐ oped especially for the resort as well as for Sevilla and Orense (Galicia) by the Context Broker programme fi‐ nanced by the Euro‐ pean Commission. Nereo enables real‐ time monitoring of en‐ vironmental conditions related to popular pur‐ suits that include cy‐ cling, walking and visit‐ ing the beach, recommending the most suitable activities in line with the prefer‐ ences of visitors and residents. “The programme al‐ so focuses on discover‐ ing formulas that can be applied to other Eu‐ ropean cities,” Benidorm’s Innovation councillor Aida Garcia Mayor explained. The project will be available as an app, re‐ ceiving information that Nereo obtains from the town hall’s existing data monitor‐ ing network as well as a future system in the Avenida del Mediterra‐ neo and further instal‐ lations by Everis, the town hall’s technologi‐ cal partner in the pro‐ ject. “A user will have immediate information on beach occupancy, water temperature, sea conditions, humidity, the temperature in specific parts of the town or conditions on bicycle lanes,” Garcia Gomez said. “At this initial stage the pilot scheme will be available in the Levante Beach and the Avenida del Mediterraneo ar‐ eas, but once up and running satisfactorily it can be extended throughout the munici‐ pality,” the councillor added.


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Dog fighting ring brought to justice

ALMERIA is named in a Madrid court case that will bring to trial 23 alleged members of a dog‐ fighting ring. When the hearing begins in February 2022, the Pub‐ lic Prosecutor will recommend prison terms totalling 102 years for the network’s members who were active in Madrid, Canarias, Almeria, Alicante, Murcia and Malaga. The organisation bred dogs belonging to dangerous breeds, teaching them to be aggressive, doping them with testosterone to strengthen their muscles and training them on treadmills “to the point of exhaustion,” ac‐ cording to the Public Prosecu‐

tion department. Dogs that were seriously in‐ jured during fights were later used as sparring partners in train‐ ing sessions and killed when they were of no further use, the court will hear. The National Police dis‐ mantled the ring in 2017 follow‐ ing a raid on a dog fight in Guimar (Tenerife), arresting eight of the accused and rescuing 226 dogs. Most were in very bad condition and 42 eventually died. The remainder were taken to Salvando Angeles sin Alas (Saving Angels without Wings) and the Public Prosecutor is also asking for considerable compensation in this respect.

New restrictions

VALENCIA has imposed night time curfews in 32 districts as Covid‐19 cases in the com‐ munity surge. President Ximo Puig request‐ ed power to do so last week but had to wait until July 12, to be granted legal permission. The 32 areas affected by the 14‐day re‐ strictions are: Almassera, Bunol, Puig, Tav‐ ernes Blanques, Vilamarxant, Benicasim Alb‐ oraya, Benaguasil, Benetússer, Benifaio, l'Eliana, Meliana, Moncada, Picanya, Picas‐ sent, Pucol, Requena, Riba‐roja de Turia, Se‐ davi, Silla, Utiel, San Vicente del Raspeig, Alaquas, Aldaia, Burjassot, Catarroja, Quart de Poblet, Xirivella, Gandia, Mislata, Paterna and Valencia. Valencia’s Health Minister, Ana Barcelo, said of the curfews, “It is necessary to adopt these measures aimed at protecting the health of citizens. “The epidemiological situation is not what we would like and, therefore, the Valencian government has decided to act forcefully to stop the chain of infections,” she added.

The Generalitat have also limited the number of people who can meet at home to 10, and halted the sale of alcohol in shops and supermarkets after 8pm. The court agreed to the curfew after it found the measures ‘balanced’ and of wider benefit while remaining consistent with the concept of ‘constitutional judgement of pro‐ portionality.’ “The practical experience that we now have, and it is evident in the reference justi‐ fications, is that measures more lax than those in question here have not worked cor‐ rectly in relation to the obvious objective be‐ ing pursued,” the ruling stated. As of Saturday July 10, night clubs in Va‐ lencia must close at 12.30am and hotels and bars have reduced capacity with a maximum of six people per table inside and 10 outside. The restrictions remain in place until July 25. More than 63 per cent of Valencia’s new cases are among people between 15 and 34 years of age.

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Continued protection for animals THE Valencian Communi‐ ty’s new Animal Welfare Law reinforces the exist‐ ing ban on wild animals in circuses. Mireia Molla, who heads the Generali‐ tat’s department of Agri‐ culture, Rural Develop‐ ment, Climate and Environment, confirmed the continuing veto when she visited the Primado‐ mus wild animal rescue centre in inland Villena. Molla could not have chosen a more appropri‐ ate setting as the centre’s residents are big cats and primates. Molla was shown round Primado‐ mus by the centre’s direc‐ tor, Marta Merchan, who explained that all the ani‐ mals there had been res‐ cued from situations of abuse and ill‐treatment. Also present was Vil‐ lena’s mayor Fulgencio Cerdan who reminded his companions that his town hall was one of the re‐ gion’s first to bar circus performances that includ‐ ed wild animals. The Con‐ sellera revealed during her visit that the text of the new Ley Valenciana de Bienestar Animal has been drawn up with co‐ operation from animal protection associations and public institutions. Thanks to considerable input from so many dif‐ ferent bodies, Molla com‐ mented that she was con‐ fident of unanimous support from all political parties when the law reached the regional par‐ liament, Les Corts. The new law also protects do‐ mestic animals and pets from being exploited for trade or publicity purpos‐ es or given as a free gift in a commercial transaction.


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Homophobic attacks in Valencia A 32-YEAR-OLD man has reported‐ ly suffering a homophobic attack when he was kissing a man in the Turia garden, in the Alameda. The National Police has opened a report for two hate crimes and in‐ juries, and also launched an investi‐ gation to identify the perpetrator and find out the motive and cause, police sources have confirmed. On the same night, Thursday, July 8, a report was filed at the Maritime Police Station of the National Police for an attack at around 2am. It was reported that an individual assault‐ ed two men while they were kissing, with the perpetrator allegedly

shouting “S****y f**s!” and “in Spain men don’t do these things,” as well as calling them “F*****s.” One of the victims apparently tried to calm the man, however, was slapped and punched in the face, causing a broken nose. The other victim was also slapped in the face, causing him to fall onto the ground. The perpetrator then fled the scene. This is the third homophobic at‐ tack in less than a month in Valen‐ cia, and the second in just one week, after two men aged 21 were reportedly attacked by a dozen peo‐ ple when they were with friends in

the Plaza de Honduras area of Va‐ lencia on Saturday, July 3. On the night of San Juan, a 17‐ year‐old man took to social media to say that he had been attacked when he was holding hands with another man, a group of men called him a “f*g”, beat him and then stole his mobile phone. Last Saturday, Samuel, 24, was killed in A Coruña after being beat‐ en to death. Citizens throughout Spain took to the streets to protest against the murder of the young man and to demand justice for what they have considered an act of ho‐ mophobia.

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Working hand in hand PATROLLING: The areas see a large number of summer tourists. THE Alicante Guardia Civil has wel‐ comed for yet another year officers from different countries who will help patrol certain areas and make tourists feel extra welcome. This ini‐ tiative is part of the ‘Plan Turismo Seguro 2021’ ‐ the Safe Tourism Plan for 2021. This summer Alicante police offi‐ cers will be joined by both German and French police officers, and to‐ gether they will carry out mixed pa‐

trols. The mixed patrols will see members of the Alicante force from Altea and El Pilar de la Horadada joined by the foreign officers. These areas see a large number of tourists visit during the holidays and this includes French and Ger‐ man citizens. The collaboration will be carried out from July 1 until Au‐ gust 31. It is hoped that the foreign officers will help tourists feel very welcome in the area.


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Cheers to beers!

ACCORDING to a study carried out by a group of Spanish researchers from the Spanish National Research Council CSIC, in collaboration with the Forum for Beer and Lifestyles Research (FICYE), and published in the current edition of medical journal Nutrients, one or two beers a day is the amount that has been established as ideal, according to the study. Dr Ascension Marcos is the director of the Immunonutrition group of the Department of Metabolism and Nutrition of the Institute of Science and Technology of Food and Nutrition (ICTAN), of the CSIC, and one of those responsible for the study into moderate beer consumption and cardiovascular health. “The available scientific evidence supports the health benefits of moderate beer consumption in adults, and according to the review, a moderate alcohol consumption of 196g a week for men, and 112g a week for women would set the daily margin on one or two beers - between 400ml and 700ml - if you break the weekly total down into well-distributed amounts,” the researcher said. Moderate beer consumption leads to a lower cardiovascular risk, and lower mortality in general, a lower risk of diabetes in men, an increase in the density of bone mass, reducing the risk of fractures, especially in the elderly. And they say beer is not associated with general or abdominal obesity.

New national service

NEW GUIDELINES: A document outlines the reform of the National Security Law. ANY person residing in Spain of the legal age shall soon be obliged to carry out so‐called ‘personal tasks or benefits’ as required by the authorities, following new guidelines being drawn up by the National Security Council ‐ if a state of crisis is declared in the country. Should this happen, again, all

citizens ‘without exception’ must comply with the orders and in‐ structions issued by their local au‐ thorities. This order is being established in a document outlining the reform of the National Security Law that is being prepared by the government which incorporates some of the lessons learned during almost a

Sanchez condemns Haiti death THE President of Spain, Pedro Sanchez condemned the assassina‐ tion of Jovenel Moise, the president of Haiti. He has called for unity in the country in a bid to overcome the crisis. Moise died during an attack on his residence by a group of unidentified people. Sanchez took to Twitter on Wednesday July 7 and voiced his condolences to Moise’s family. “Spain firmly condemns the assassination of the President of Haiti, Jovenel Moise,” said Sanchez and expressed Spain’s solidarity “with the Haitian people”.

year and a half of the health crisis. In the event that a state of crisis is declared in Spain (‘situation of in‐ terest to National Security’ is the name given by law), the authori‐ ties may seize any type of proper‐ ty. What the articles do make clear is that the measures adopted will be gradual and proportionate to the situation to be faced and will be limited to the time strictly nec‐ essary to overcome the crisis situa‐ tion. The duty concerns not only all citizens but also companies and le‐ gal entities to collaborate with the authorities to overcome whatever crisis faces the country. The text is based on Article 30 of the Constitu‐ tion, according to which ‘Spaniards have the duty and right to defend Spain’.

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Investment scam OFFICERS of the Spanish National Police and Mossos d’Esquadra, in an operation coordinated by Eurojust and Europol, have dismantled a boiler room scam that used the name of famous Spanish celebrities and others to lure investors into their fraudulent money schemes. Eight individuals have so far been arrested, two of them in Malaga and Madrid, five in Bulgaria and one in Israel. All have been accused of fraud and money laundering throughout Europe using fraudulent investment schemes after having more than 300 complaints registered against them in Spain. Investigators estimate that the total amount of money netted by the criminals exceeds €8 million in Spain and €30 million across the rest of Europe and was obtained between 2018 and 2019. In business, the term boiler room refers to an outbound call centre selling questionable investments by telephone. It usually refers to a room where salespeople work using unfair, dishonest sales tactics, sometimes selling penny stocks, private placements or committing outright stock fraud. The investigation began with the receipt of several complaints, through Euuopol and from different countries throughout the European Union - all of them regarding investment scams involving cryptocurrencies and diamonds.


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€2m of drugs A BELGIAN national has been arrested by Nation‐ al Police officers from Elche in Alicante. The man was wanted by Ger‐ man authorities after he had allegedly trafficked nearly 500 kg of mari‐ huana worth over €2 million. He was wanted for transporting drugs from the Alicante Province to Germany. The man was caught out during a control by the Prevention and Re‐ action Unit of the Na‐ tional Police in Elche. The controls were in place as normal at the start of summer to keep both locals and tourists safe as they travel through the Valencia community. At the checkpoint, of‐ ficers decided to stop a vehicle as it did not slow down as it approached. Once they were able to stop the car the officers discovered that the pas‐ senger had a European arrest warrant in force which had been issued in Germany in April. The man was transferred to the National Police Sta‐ tion in Elche before be‐ ing taken to the Central Court of Instruction number two. This court will be responsible for the proceedings includ‐ ing executing the extra‐ dition order if needed.

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Rashford responds to abuse A MURAL of the young star was defaced in his hometown of With‐ ington, Manchester, but it was quickly covered up with messages from supporters. Rashford tweeted, “The mes‐ sages I have received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears. “The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up. I’m Marcus Rashford, 23‐year‐old, black man from Withington and Wythen‐

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Business meals now an expense

YOUNG STAR: Mural was defaced.

shawe, South Manchester. “If I have nothing else, I have that. For all the kind messages, thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger. “I can take critique of my perfor‐ mance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in, but I will never apologise for who I am and where I came from. I’ve felt no prouder moment than wearing those three lions on my chest and seeing my family cheer me on in a crowd of tens of thousands,” he added.

Rashford was one of three Eng‐ land players who missed penalties on Sunday night, all of them suf‐ fered racist abuse online. Twitter said there is “no place” for the racist abuse of English play‐ ers after their loss to Italy in the EU‐ RO 2020 finals on July 11. “In the past 24 hours, through a combination of machine automa‐ tion and human review, we have swiftly removed over 1,000 tweets and permanently suspended a number of accounts for violating our rules.”

Readers divided over Spain’s ‘national service’ plans SIXTY‐FIVE per cent of our readers do not agree with Others said that it is “bl**dy disgusting” and Spain’s plan for a so‐called ‘national service’ in the called it a “cross between a dictatorship and com‐ event of a crisis. munism at its worst. All about power and control Under a new security law reform anyone over 18 over of the masses for the benefit of the elite.” residing in Spain would be obliged to carry out ‘per‐ One reader predicted “This will happen the world sonal tasks or benefits’ as required by the authori‐ over, it’s what it's all about.” ties. We asked ‘Do you think the State should be able to seize personal assets and force citizens to carry out tasks if there is a ‘State of Crisis’?’ While those who think it is a good idea said that it never did anyone any harm and recalled that “they had conscription a few years back in Spain, I think it’s a good thing in this day and age with what’s going with other rogue countries threat‐ ening peace.” DIVIDED: Over new national service plans.

THE Supreme Court has ruled that autonomos can deduct meals with clients as an expense, until now it was a grey area for freelancers. The ruling was made in March but only released on July 10. “Expenses that are colloquially known as customer service or per‐ sonal and promotional services are deductible,” the ruling said Lawyer Andrea Torner said the ruling is a “great advance”. “Before any inspection, businesses will only have to prove to the Administration official that the person they had invited to eat, or to whom they have sent a gift, is someone who either collaborates in their activity or with whom they want to start a business, even if it doesn’t end up being carried out later. “These demonstrations are as simple as an email, a message or WhatsApp, a phone call or having their name appear in your portfolio of regular customers,” Torner added.

Donkey rescue in fire THE Guardia Civil in Cordoba’s Vil‐ la del Rio have rescued a donkey from a fire in an agricultural part of the town. Officers were alert‐ ed to the fire at around 1.30pm on June 26, having broken out in the area of Poligono del Pelicano. An officer went to the area to check out the reports of a fire and discovered a stable with a donkey inside where the flames were starting to burn and the donkey needed to be rescued immediately. Luckily, he had previously been stationed at the Cavalry Squadron of the Guardia Civil, so had knowledge of this type of animal and saw that the an‐ imal was very nervous. There was a fence around the orchard, the officer climbed over so he was then able to open the stable door which was already being hit by the flames. The donkey was then freed and lead to safety with the help of another officer.

Officers from the Guardia Civil have been thanked personally by the owner of the donkey for their efforts in rescuing the animal.


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Can coffee reduce risk of Covid? A STUDY led by Northwestern University in the United States has revealed that certain foods can protect against the poten‐ tially deadly coronavirus. Scien‐ tists discovered that drinking a minimum of two to three cups of coffee each day can reduce

the chance of becoming ill with the coronavirus by around one‐ 10th. Drinking more coffee than this could pose other health risks though. Other dietary factors were also found to help reduce the risk of Covid and this includes

eating vegetables. Having been breastfed as a baby also featured in the study and proved to lower the risk of Covid. Scientists discovered that eat‐ ing processed meat such as sausage and bacon could possibly increase the risk of severe Covid. “Although these findings war‐ rant independent confirmation, adherence to certain dietary be‐ haviours may be an additional tool to existing Covid‐19 protec‐ tive guidelines to limit the spread of this virus,” said researchers. The study was published in the Nutrients journal and said that: “nutritional status influences im‐ munity, but its specific associa‐ tion with susceptibility to Covid‐ 19 remains unclear.” The study had looked at the

“the association of specific di‐ etary data and incident Covid‐19 at the UK Biobank (UKB).” The records of around 40,000 adults had been used and factors such as daily intakes of coffee, pro‐ cessed meat and fruit and veg‐ etables were analysed. “Individual exposure to Covid‐ 19 was estimated using the UK average monthly rate of positive cases by specific geo populations. Logistic regression estimated the odds of Covid‐19 positivity by ad‐ justing dietary status for baseline sociodemographic factors, medi‐ cal history and other lifestyle fac‐ tors,” said the study. Scientists believe that coffee provides certain health boosting chemicals that can enhance the body’s immune system. COFFEE: A minimum of two to three cups per day can reduce the chance of becoming ill with Covid.

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Police brings down internet fraud THE Guardia Civil has arrested 16 people from a criminal organisa‐ tion dedicated to internet scams. The organisation allegedly infected the computer equipment of the victims and impersonated the Post Office, the Tax Agency, the Treasury or the DGT. The organisation would use malicious software that would be installed in victim’s computers using a technique known as ‘email spoofing’. They then would be able to steal large amounts of mon‐ ey from the victim’s account. In the operation, known as Aguas Vivas, officers were able to block transfer attempts of €3,500,000, after analysing over 1,800 emails. Twenty crimes of fraud have been found, with a total amount of €276,470, of which €87,000 have been recovered. They also carried out two searches in Madrid in which docu‐ mentation, mobile devices and computer equipment have been seized. The investigation began over a year ago following several complaints filed by various official bodies across Spain of the infec‐ tion of their computer equipment with some type of malicious software.

Officer killed in helicopter crash A POLICE officer has been killed in a helicopter crash while chas‐ ing an alleged drugs boat in San Roque, Cadiz. The incident took place at 12.20am on Sunday, July 11, next to Sotogrande beach. The 60‐year‐old customs surveillance officer reportedly died after the helicopter they were using to carry out surveillance crashed into the water to prevent drug traffickers from entering the coast of Cadiz. Despite wearing a life jacket the deceased of‐ ficer was trapped inside the helicopter without being able to get out while it sank. A Customs Surveillance boat, which was also participating in the pursuit, rescued the two survivors and recovered the body of the officer.


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Parties are on hold THE Leisure Association of Ibiza has acknowledged the fear that the sector ‘will continue to stop’ and that the reopening of the clubs may be now delayed until the end of July. Association manager Jose Luis Benitez had hoped that premises could fully reopen in mid‐July after verifying the re‐ sults of a pilot test held in Ibiza almost two weeks ago. “ In Ibiza, we have not opened,” he said on July 7. “We are closed and we have done a pilot test that has been wonder‐ ful, but it is true that things are getting complicated due to ex‐ ternal causes and the only thing we will do is abide by what [the authorities] tell us.” Benitez said he is “rather pes‐ simistic” about being able to open for at least two months this summer. “It has been shown that things if you want, can be done well, but if what is being done wrong is not controlled, in the end, we all pay,” he added.

Renewing your UK passport WHILST there have been horror stories of people waiting months for a new passport and even the UK Gov website warns that it could take up to 11 weeks, the reality appears to be much better at the moment. There are a number of ways of apply‐ ing for a new passport and many large towns have businesses which for a rea‐ sonable fee will facilitate the re‐ newal on your behalf, but if you are computer savvy, then it is al‐ so possible and fairly easy to re‐ new online. Provided that you are a British National and want to simply re‐ new your expiring

passport, then visit https://www.gov.uk/ overseas‐passports. You will be asked a number of short questions and then taken to the actual application form where you will be re‐ quired to complete and submit an ac‐ ceptable digital photograph (which you can either take yourself or ob‐ tain from a local photog‐ rapher). There are very clear rules about what is ac‐ ceptable and you can even check if the photo you have is ok and it will either be accepted

Credit: Andrew Parsons / No10 Downing Street

EASY TO APPLY: Boris Johnson has his own new passport.

or what is wrong with it. Once you have completed all of the documentation and submitted your pho‐ to, you need to pay the current fee of £86.00 + £19.86 return courier fee for a standard adult passport if submitted on‐ line (paper applications may cost more). Once all of that is done, you will receive a confirmation that the order has been ac‐ cepted and an address to which to return the passport being replaced which in‐ cludes the reference number of your ap‐ plication. To be on the safe side, it is best to send the passport via some form of registered postal delivery or courier. Once received by the passport office, they check that you are entitled to a re‐ placement and issue the new passport. At all times, they will keep you updated on developments from the date of apply‐ ing for the passport to actual receipt which most recently have been just three weeks. There are slightly different require‐ ments for the replacement of lost passports, first time passports and children’s passports, but all are clearly explained on the web‐ site and it is even possible, al‐ though expensive, to ob‐ tain a temporary, one use only, passport for emergencies.

NEWS

Water issues IN less than 10 years 65 per cent of Spain will have problems with drinking water supplies and this is something that is affecting the world all over. According to the World Health Or‐ ganisation (WHO) the world is experi‐ encing an increased scarcity of water. The organisation believes that one half of the population of the world will suf‐ fer from restricted access to safe and clean drinking water in only a few years’ time. In Spain, by 2030 65 per cent of the population will have diffi‐ culty with their supply of fresh water. The Korea Institute of Civil Engineer‐ ing and Construction Technology (KICT), have a possible solution to this problem. They have developed a way of speeding up water desalination with a new method using nanofibre mem‐ brane. The membrane can filter out 99 per cent of the salt in seawater, and this could mean that humans are able to get clean drinking water in a matter of minutes. It is hoped that the new technology could ease the water crisis across the world. The new technology would need to be commercialised first though. At this moment in time the World Health Organisation believe that nearly 785 million people across the globe do not have access to safe drinking water.

Netflix scouts Spain

NETFLIX is scouting for more filming locations for The Crown after shooting key scenes for the series in various parts of Spain pre‐ viously. The Crown, which costs

$13 million to produce per episode, kicked off in 2016 with Claire Foy starring as a young Princess Elizabeth. Seasons 3 and 4 fast for‐ ward in time to Prince Charles’ early years and ill‐

fated marriage to Diana Spencer. In 2019 it moved filming to Spain taking advantage of varied landscapes to stand in for Australia, Greece, and even parts of America. The area around Taber‐ nas in Almeria was the set‐ ting for Charles and Di‐ ana’s getaway weekend in rural Australia during a gruelling tour of the coun‐ try. El Toyo, also in Alme‐ ria, was used to stage shots of Brisbane airport. The Palacio de Congre‐ sos in Torremolinos made a convincing Los Angeles Airport. Sotogrande and several towns in Cadiz were also used as locations for Princess Margaret’s tour of America in 1965. In Jerez, the Finca La Penuela was used as a set for homes in America and the Convent of Santo Domingo set the stage for Prince Philip’s mother’s time in Greece.


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15 - 21 July 2021

Sanchez questions Catalan fund PRESIDENT Pedro Sanchez said Madrid will study the legality of a Catalan public fund cre‐ ated to cover the fines imposed on ex‐officials by the Court of Auditors. If the €10 million fund is legal, the courts can accept the money; if it is not, it cannot be used to pay fines imposed on dozens of offi‐ cials for their roles in promoting and facilitat‐ ing Catalonia’s 2017 independence bid, Sanchez said. “We have always maintained that every‐ thing that is approved by all the regional gov‐ ernments has to be subject to the law. There‐ fore, we are going to study the decision that has been taken and, from there, if it is subject

to the law, we have no objections; and if it is not subject to law, then obviously we will have to appeal it. It’s been subjected to an objective study right now. I cannot say anything else,” Sanchez said on July 6. Meanwhile opposition to Barcelona’s pro‐ posal is mounting among Spain’s opposition parties charging that it amounts to a great swindling of the Spanish public purse. On July 7, the government of Catalonia cre‐ ated a €10 million fund to cover fines meted out to former officials. The Court of Auditors in Madrid said they have until July 15 to pay up. Forty former officials were handed fines, some in excess of €2.5 million on June 30.

Health experts curfew THE Alert Report of the Ministry of Health has pro‐ posed that Spain close nightlife and study the pos‐ sibility of applying a new curfew in the face of rising coronavirus infections. Health technicians on July 5 said they consider it nec‐ essary to take measures “urgently” to stop the trans‐ mission of the virus, and

they want to limit operating hours for bars and restau‐ rants. In addition, they advocate suppressing the celebration of mass events if compli‐ ance with prevention mea‐ sures cannot be guaran‐ teed. The health experts also said that hotels and other areas of accommodation

should be used to quaran‐ tine people if they can’t property isolate at home. “While the increase in transmission continues, the action protocols must be adapted to a mitigation sce‐ nario that allows the priori‐ tisation of resources and flexibility of processes for adequate monitoring of the situation,” the experts said.

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NIGHT CLUBS in Andalucia could face closure in August if people do not exercise “pru‐ dence,” the President of the Junta de Andalucia has warned. The President of the Junta de Andalucia has warned night clubs across the region could face closure in August if peo‐ ple do not act to halt the

Clubs shut in August? spread of the fifth wave of Covid that is sweeping across Spain. Juanma Moreno said on July 8 only “prudence” can prevent

the imposition of new restric‐ tions and he called on young people to be especially careful and vigilant. Moreno’s com‐ ments come as Valencia will impose fresh restrictions on night clubs beginning at mid‐ night on Saturday, July 10. On July 8, Valencia re‐intro‐ duced restrictions and is urging people to wear masks out‐ doors. The Generalitat is also seek‐ ing powers to impose curfews in high‐risk areas between 1am and 6am, limit the num‐ ber of people who can meet at home to 10, and halt the sale of alcohol in shops and super‐ markets after 8pm.

NEWS

Masked students in September SCHOOLS in Andalucia are planning on reopening in September with face‐to‐face classes but students will have to wear a mask during classes and recess. Online education will only be available to students in the third year of ESO or for schools in areas where the health alert is level three or four. The An‐ dalcuian Ministry of Health and Sports said on July 9 it will publish its directives soon in order to give schools time to prepare ahead of September. Like the last academic year,

IT has been estimated that nearly 2,100 mi‐ grants have died trying to reach Spain in the first six months of this year. The death toll is close to figures recorded for the entire year of 2020, according to the non‐governmental organisation Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders). In a report published on July 8, the organ‐ isation found that 2,087 people had died or disappeared at sea while trying to reach Spain in the first half of this year. The mi‐ grants were from 18 nations, mainly in West Africa but also from Bangladesh, Syria and

BUBBLES: Students will stay in same physical space. students will also be organised in ‘bubbles’, “the students will occupy the same physical space in the classrooms and complementary services ‐ desk, seat, workplace, school cafeteria ‐ in order to be able to identify contacts in the

2,100 migrants perish at sea Yemen. The majority of the deaths (1,922) were because of shipwrecks en route to the Canary Islands, according to Info Migrants. “It’s been a horrendous year,” Helena Maleno, an activist who leads the NGO, said at a news conference held to present the organisation’s report. The NGO pointed out that the death toll is five times higher than those registered in

event of contagion more pre‐ cisely. The classroom that the coexistence group uses and the recreation spaces, the use of the toilets or the use of common areas must be clearly delimited,” the ministry de‐ creed last year.

the first six months of last year and the high‐ est it has ever been since it began recording migrant deaths at sea 14 years ago. The dangerous conditions on the notori‐ ously dangerous Atlantic archipelago is part of the reason for the increase in deaths. Maleno also blamed this year’s increase on the use of inflatable boats to cross the route and inadequate cooperation between the rescue services of Spain and Morocco. She added that there is also a lack of rescue at‐ tempts to save boats even when the NGO raises an alarm.


NEWS

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15 - 21 July 2021

13 held for trafficking A SEX trafficking gang who lured people into prostitution has been brought down by Spanish and Romanian police. The network, who used the

‘loverboy method’ had been lur‐ ing in victims by seducing them and promising them a better life overseas. Thirteen people were arrested

Correos and Renfe join up SPANISH postal service Correos is reported to be studying the creation of a joint company with railways operator Renfe to make a parcel delivery service by train, while at the same time allegedly analysing the viability of also directly providing an air transport parcel service. PwC Asesores de Negocios (PwC) has been commissioned by Correos to prepare a business plan that analyses the possibility of creating a new entity owned 50 per cent by Correos and 50 per cent by Renfe, with both being public companies. The project, as published on the state contracting portal, and as stated in the award certificate, has a budget of €224,445, and an execution period of two months, without the possibility of modification or extension. This possible move by Correos looking to form this new ven‐ ture, comes at a time when the government, together with ADIF and Renfe, has said it wants to promote the transport of goods by rail.

and 16 buildings were raided by the Spanish and Romanian Na‐ tional Police in two crackdowns that took place in Spain in Febru‐ ary and in Romania in June. On Thursday, July 8, Europol announced that 25 victims ‐ 24 Romanians and one Bulgarian ‐ had been identified. Nine of the victims were located in Romania and 16 in Spain. The gang would traffic the vic‐ tims to Spain where they would be taken to nightclubs and sexu‐ ally exploited. The criminals would then take the victims’ earnings and leave the country, avoiding travelling by plane. During the raids, police also seized mobile phones, digital equipment, €40,000 in cash and five bank accounts. A similar network was brought down in October last year by French and Romanian police in which three women, who were said to be the sus‐ pects’ girlfriends, had been traf‐ ficked to France to work as pros‐ titutes. The suspects used the victim’s money to buy them‐ selves real estate and luxury cars in Romania.

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FEATURE

Family law in Spain. Stop the child maintenance. No relationship between father and children IN today’s article we are going to deal with the child mainte‐ nance stop. The child mainte‐ nance is the economic contribu‐ tion that some relatives pay in favour of others. Normally, fathers or mothers in favour of minor children, in cases of divorce or separation. We are going to speak, more specifically, about its finalisation, when children do not want to have any relation with their par‐ ents. That is, with those obliged to pay them the maintenance. Spanish Supreme Court Precedents Requesting the child mainte‐ nance stop, to be paid to a child, because the child does not want to know anything about the fa‐ ther, is possible. This has been said by the Spanish Supreme Court itself, in its judgement of 19 February 2019, number 104/2019. Based on this ruling, we are going to structure this article. Legal justification for child maintenance stop That a child does not want to

see his father or mother, or does not have a good relationship; it does not justify, by itself; the fa‐ ther or mother, to stop paying al‐ imony. But there is a legal justifica‐ tion, which could justify the child maintenance stop, for this rea‐ son, in some cases. 1. Article 152 of the Spanish Civil Code. It says that the obliga‐ tion to pay maintenance ends when the beneficiary commits a fault that results in disinheri‐ tance. 2. Among the causes of disin‐ heritance, is the mistreatment, abuse, serious insult, etc. Thus, it can be understood that ignoring the father, not wanting to know anything about him, denying any type of rela‐ tionship, etc. It can be assimilat‐ ed to this abuse, mistreatment. 3. Especially, in the case of maintenance for children of legal

age. In these cases, its justifica‐ tion is only for reasons of true necessity. Well, they are no longer minors. Thus, their right to receive maintenance is not because they are assimilated to minors. A need to receive help, must be proven. Null relationship attributable to the beneficiary In addition to the require‐ ments indicated, that is, the inex‐ istence of a relationship, etc. The Supreme Court understands that it is essential that this is at‐ tributable to the child, the main‐ tenance beneficiary. Therefore, it will not be enough to prove that there is no relationship between parent and child. It will be necessary to prove that their lack is due and is the consequence of the children. And not the responsibility of the

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

parent, obliged to pay alimony or child support. Summary and conclusion If a child (beneficiary) who re‐ ceives maintenance from the parent. Does NOT have any relation‐ ship with them (the one obliged to pay). And he refuses to have it. Being the child responsible for the total lack of relationship. The person obliged to pay the maintenance can claim the ex‐ tinction of his obligation. Well, legally, it could be un‐ derstood as a figure close to abuse. That could justify a disin‐ heritance. And therefore, ac‐ cording to article 152 of the Civil Code, it could justify the extinc‐ tion of the alimony, and the child maintenance stop. If you have questions about family law, you can check our website www.white‐baos.com , and do not hesitate to contact us. 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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NEWS

Ryanair schedules 70 routes Drowning for Alicante-Elche airport boy saved from pool

SUMER is well and truly here and temperatures are set to soar across southern Spain, and the director of Costa Blan‐ ca Tourist Board, Jose Mance‐ bo met with Ryanair on Wednesday, July 7 to discuss its

plans for the region. Mancebo met with two Ryanair directors ‐ the Director of Marketing Dara Brady, and the Head of Sales and Marketing, Chiara Ravara. They discussed connecting Alicante Province

Five involved in ditch rescue FIVE police officers rescued a woman from drowning in a dangerous irrigation ditch in Alicante’s Orihuela on July 7. The five police officers quickly stepped in to help save the 65‐year‐old woman. A family member reported that she had gone missing from her home and suspected that she could be in danger, possi‐ bly in a deep irrigation ditch. When police arrived, she had been found by neighbours but was clinging to a ladder. Three of the police officers jumped straight into the fast ‐ flowing water and were able to help her to a point where they thought it would be possible to rescue her from. One of the officers became stuck against the wall of the ditch and suffered injuries to their arm. Thanks to the efforts of everybody involved the woman was able to be rescued safely. She was treated for hypother‐ mia and was then transferred to a local health centre to be assessed further.

with destinations in which Ryanair operate. The director of Alicante‐Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport, Laura Navarro also attended the meet‐ ing. It confirmed Ryanair’s com‐ mitment to Alicante airport and a staggering 70 plus Ryanair routes this summer from the hub. Connections from the Alicante airport are said to include Belfast, Teesside, Venice, Treviso and Bari amongst others. On behalf of the Provincial Tourist Board and the Alicante Provincial Council, Mancebo thanked the travel company for its commitment to both the Cos‐ ta Blanca and Alicante. “We would like to thank Ryanair for its commitment to the Alicante aerodrome and the Costa Blanca, a firm commit‐ ment, motivated by the capacity of our destination to attract tourists from all over Europe, as well as the potential of the air‐ port’s area of influence, with more than five5 million passen‐ gers,” Mancebo said.

EMERGENCIAS SEVILLAS has reported via their social networks accounts, the rescue at around 11am on T hursday J uly 8 of a fiveyear-old boy who was in the process of drowning in a swimming pool in the grounds of the Santa Clara Social Club, in Sevilla. B y t h e t i m e t h e e m e rgency services arrived the boy had already been pulled from the swimming pool by members of the public, who were performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation manoeuvres on him. T he boy reportedly regained consciousness after vomiting the water he had swallowed, but despite the fact that he was breathing by himself again, an ambulance from 061 took him to a medical centre to assess his condition.


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NEWS

No bulls in Pamplona ‘Treat all regions fairly’ THE streets of Pamplona were empty on July 7, as the San Fermin bull-running festival was cancelled. The streets of Pamplona would usually be packed as people celebrate the famous San Fermin bull-

running festival. However, authorities cancelled the fiesta for the second consecutive year because of Covid concerns. The eight-day festival attracts hundreds of thousands of people from around the world each year,

where people would drink, dance and run with bulls. After last year’s fiesta was cancelled because of the health crises, it was also decided in February that to hold the fiesta this year would be too risky. Veteran bull-runner Antonio Manzanera, 55, from Murcia said he felt an “immense sadness” at the cancellation. “Running is what we like the most… But we understand that due to the pandemic it has been cancelled, and we came with the same hopes this year and next year we will continue.” The cancellation is also causing businesses, some of which rely on the fiesta for nearly a fifth of their annual income, to struggle. “The streets are empty, the balconies are empty,” said Roberto Bueno who owns a traditional cafe in the old town of Pamplona. Although, for others, another bull-free San Fermin is a cause for celebration. “There will be no bullfights, which fills us with satisfaction. We believe they are not necessary to enjoy the festival,” said animal rights group AnimaNaturalis.

Moreno criticised the government’s decision.

THE President of the Junta de Andalucia, Juanma Moreno, has called on Madrid to treat all autonomous communities fairly amid claims that it is preparing to offer tax incentives to companies to return to Catalonia. “It is unavoidable and urgent to restore a climate of understanding, cooperation and solidarity in Spain that avoids territorial inequalities and fosters

Andalucian university students THE president of the Junta de Andalucia, Juanma Moreno has announced that Andalucian university students who study abroad will be vaccinated soon. Moreno, reported on Thursday July 8, that the Ministry of Health and Families will activate the vaccinations “as soon as possible,” also meaning that the process that had been start‐ ed with Erasmus students is extended. Those over 18‐years of age who meet some of the follow‐ ing criteria will get the Janssen dose: • Who have travelled before September 15 outside of Spain for work or study reasons for a long period (minimum time of 21 days) • Residents of Andalucia who are pursuing university stud‐ ies in another autonomous community and are going to carry out Erasmus or similar studies abroad • Monitors for summer camps and campuses “Our wish is that, before the new course begins, most of the university students are vaccinated. We work on that plan‐ ning, although it will depend on the number of vaccines that we receive,” Moreno added. In relation to the pandemic, Moreno has affirmed that dur‐ ing this time universities have been forced to accelerate the transition towards a more flexible and open approach to teaching, with technologies playing an essential role. “Let us go deeper into digitisation and move towards Zero Paper in all administrations, also in university administrations and in bureaucratic simplification, to avoid overloading offi‐ cials,” he added.

convergence, economic and social, in the country,” Moreno told the Andalucian parliament on Wednesday July 7. Madrid owes Andalucia €10.835 billion in debts accumulated since 2009 and he criticised the government for dispersing Covid 2020 fund by GDP not population. By doing so Madrid was “giving more to those who have the most” Moreno said. Andalucia received €2.199 billion in Covid funds, 13.7 per cent of the total despite having 18 per cent of the Spanish population. Each Andalucian received €261 while the average for Spain was €340 per inhabitant. Covid 2021 funds will be distributed according to population, and Andalucia will get €2.357 billion extra. “At this decisive moment, all communities should have the same opportunities for recovery,” he said. “The logical question, which the government must answer, is why was the same criterion not followed in 2020? Why is the adjusted population criterion not maintained in the rest of the financing of the autonomous communities? Even more so when the current Minister of Finance was the main defender of this criterion and admits that the distribution punishes Andalucia,” Moreno added in reference to Finance Minister Maria Jesus Montero who previously was head of Andalucia’s finances.


NEWS

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15 - 21 July 2021

Delta variant dominant

THE Delta coronavirus vari‐ ant is now dominant in at least four regions in Spain, and it is spreading rapidly despite the ongoing coron‐ avirus vaccination pro‐ gramme. The strain was originally discovered in India and is now spreading throughout Spain at astonishing speeds.

The delta variant is domi‐ nant in at least four regions of Spain: Valencia, Navarre, Madrid and Catalonia. Reports from the Ministry of Health regarding coron‐ avirus variants on June 14, show that from the samples they analysed 11 per cent of infections were due to the strain. Many experts though

England charged by UEFA UEFA have launched an investigation after Kasper Schmeichel, the Danish goalkeeper appeared to have been targeted with a laser pen at the Euro 2020 semi-final on July 8. A laser pen apparently targeted the goalkeeper shortly before England’s Harry Kane took a penalty. England are being investigated for other issues too such as crowd disturbances and fireworks going off during the game. England will also be investigated as fans booed the Danish national anthem. European football’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body have confirmed that they have launched disciplinary proceedings against England. If England are found guilty of the offences, then the English FA could face a variety of fines from €500 for each firework that went off, up to an €8,000 fine for the laser pen. The fact that the Danish national anthem was also booed by England fans could gain a further financial penalty too.

think that the strain is spreading at a faster rate. But the situation has changed drastically in the following 14‐day reporting period. The number of young peo‐ ple being infected by the coronavirus is rising rapidly and the 14‐day cumulative incidence rate per 100,000 inhabitants is 814 in the 20‐ 29 age group. According to data collated by Spain’s autonomous re‐ gions it is believed that the Delta strain is actually re‐ sponsible for 32 per cent of new infections. This is con‐ siderably higher than the Ministry of Health’s figure of 11 per cent. Experts worry that young people will spread the virus onto elderly people. “The point that’s worrying is that young people could spread the virus to the elderly, even if they are vaccinated,” said the head of Microbiology at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona, Tomas Pumarola.

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NEWS

UK labour shortage UK employers are struggling with the worst labour shortage since 1997 as the number of overseas workers drops due to Brexit and Covid. The labour market is also being hit as the

UK reopens from lockdown. Employers in Britain are strug‐ gling to recruit staff as British businesses reopen after lock‐ down. Businesses are also seeing recruitment issues as the number

Climate change fears A NEW Eurobarometer survey shows that European citizens believe climate change is the single most serious problem facing the world. More than nine out of 10 people surveyed consider climate change to be a serious problem (93 per cent), with almost eight out of 10 (78 per cent) considering it to be very serious. When asked to pick out the single most serious problem facing the world, over a quarter (29 per cent) chose either climate change (18 per cent), deterioration of nature (7 per cent) or health problems due to pollution (4 per cent). In terms of policy response, nine out of 10 Europeans (90 per cent) agree that greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced to a minimum while offsetting remaining emissions to make the EU climate-neutral by 2050. The survey was released on Monday July 5. Close to nine in 10 Europeans (87 per cent) think it is important that the EU sets ambitious targets to increase renewable energy use.

of overseas workers has dropped too. The Recruitment and Employ‐ ment Confederation (REC) and the accountancy firm KPMG have both issued warnings over the potential risk to the UK economy and its recovery. The UK is currently experiencing acute labour shortages the likes of which had not been seen since 1997. Many areas of the economy are facing this issue and top of the list are areas including trans‐ port and logistics, hospitality, manufacturing and construction. The issues are also found in high‐ er paid sectors such as IT, finance and engineering. “We need action from busi‐ nesses and government to reskill and upskill furloughed and prospective workers now more than ever, as the increasing skills gap in the workforce has the po‐ tential to slow the UK’s economic recovery,” said the head of edu‐ cation, skills and productivity at KPMG UK, Claire Warnes.

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NEWS

£40 billion Brexit bill Everard

BRITAIN’S Brexit divorce bill topped a staggering £40.8 billion, and £6.8 billion must be paid by the end of this year. The final bill was initially be‐ lieved to have come in at around £35‐39 billion to cover the UK’s share of payments for projects and benefits before it left the bloc. British and EU negotiators bat‐ tled hard over the potential cost of leaving the EU before a deal was finally sealed in December 2019. The figure first came to light when Ireland’s member of the

BREXIT DIVORCE: The UK is likely to challenge the bill. court of Auditors, Tony Murphy, said that the costs the UK faces are unlikely to change. “While the 2020 EU consolidat‐ ed accounts published by the Commission are as of yet provi‐

Bankrupt Katie gets bum lift KATIE PRICE appeared on GMB on Friday July 9 to reveal details of her new plastic surgery, which included a ‘bum life’ and facial surgery such as eye and lip lifts. Since having the surgery last month in Turkey, Price has hidden her face on social media posts and hasn’t been seen in public until yester‐ day when she was seen walking her pet chihuahua. Those who saw Price on GMB talking about her most recent surgery took to Twitter to give their opinions ‐ not only on how she looks after the surgery, but the fact that Price had flown over to Turkey to have the procedures. One Twitter user said said “Katie Price flies to a ‘red’ country, gets plastic surgery, flies to an ‘amber’ country to isolate in a private villa for a week, flies back to the UK and gets the spotlight on national TV. Not bad for someone who is bankrupt, apparently.”

sional the Court has completed its audit work on these accounts,” he said in a statement. “Following internal adoption procedures the Court is set to is‐ sue an unmodified opinion on the reliability of the 2020 EU consoli‐ dated accounts, as we have in pre‐ vious years. Therefore, for all in‐ tent and purposes the figures published by the Commission are definitive,” he added. The UK is likely to challenge the Brexit divorce bill. “This is just an accounting esti‐ mate, and does not reflect the ex‐ act amount the UK is expected to pay to the EU this year. We will publish details on payments to and from the EU made under the financial settlement in the EU fi‐ nances statement later this year,” a UK government spokemans said on Friday July 9.

guilty plea LONDON Metropoli‐ tan Police officer Wayne Couzens has pleaded guilty to the murder of Sarah Ever‐ ard. Last month, Couzens, 48, from Deal in Kent, accepted responsibility for the murder of Sarah Everard and pleaded guilty to her kidnap and rape. Couzens has now pleaded guilty to mur‐ der at the Old Bailey on July 9. Sarah, 33, disappeared on March 3 whilst walking home in Clapham, South London. Her body was found in woodland in Kent a week later following the launch of a major police investigation into her disappear‐ ance. A vigil was held for Sarah on March 13 at Clapham Common, in which Met Police offi‐ cers were accused of acting inappropriate‐ ly. Hundreds of people turned up to pay their respects and lay flow‐ ers on the bandstand, despite Reclaim These Streets failing to agree with the Met on how the vigil could be held with regards to the current lockdown restrictions. The vigil started off peacefully, however, things turned south within a few hours af‐ ter a number of wom‐ en were held on the ground and arrested. A report later stat‐ ed that: “officers re‐ mained calm and pro‐ fessional when subjected to abuse” and “did not act inap‐ propriately or in a heavy‐handed man‐ ner.”


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Children learn faster

SMALL children learn language at a pace far faster than teenagers or adults. One explanation for this learning advantage comes not from differences between chil‐ dren and adults, but from the dif‐ ferences in the way that people talk to children and adults. For the first time, a team of re‐ searchers developed a method to

experimentally evaluate how par‐ ents use what they know about their children’s language when they talk to them. They found that parents have extremely precise models of their children’s lan‐ guage knowledge, and use these models to tune the language they use when speaking to them. The results are available in an advance

45M tourists expected this year SPAIN’S government has said it is set to welcome nearly 45 million international tourists this year, despite the travel restrictions in place across Europe. Tourism Minister Maria Reyes Maroto said Spain will receive a large number of international tourists later this year. “We expect around 17 million international tourists during the summer, and many will be British because it is a market that is very faithful to Spain,” the minister said on Thursday July 8. The government’s figure of 45 million tourists is around half the 83.5 million visitors the country received in 2019.

online publication of the journal of Psychological Science. “We have known for years that parents talk to children differently than to other adults in a lot of ways, for example simplifying their speech, reduplicating words and stretching out vowel sounds,” said Daniel Yurovsky, assistant professor in psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. “This stuff helps young kids get a toehold into language, but we didn’t know whether parents change the way they talk as chil‐ dren are acquiring language, giv‐ ing children language input that is ‘just right’ for learning the next thing,” he added on July 4. Adults tend to speak to children more slowly and at a higher pitch. They also use more exaggerated enunciation, repetition and simpli‐ fied language structure. Adults al‐ so pepper their communication with questions to gauge the child’s comprehension. As the child’s language fluency increases, the sentence structure and complexity used by adults in‐ creases.

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Fish fats ease migraines A DIET higher in fatty fish helped frequent migraine sufferers re‐ duce their monthly number of headaches and intensity of pain compared to participants on a diet higher in vegetable‐based fats and oils, according to a new study published in the BMJ on

Friday July 2. The study of 182 adults with frequent migraines expanded on the researchers’ previous work on the impact of linoleic acid and chronic pain. Linoleic acid is a polyunsatu‐ rated fatty acid commonly de‐

New pacemakers can dissolve and disappear

THE first-ever transient pacemaker has been created which dissolves into the body when it is no longer needed and disappears. The stunning new technology means less danger for the patient and potential cost savings too. The device is wireless, does not require batteries and is fully implantable for temporary use. The technology is expected to greatly improve patient care in the future. The stunning new pacemaker was revealed by scientists at Northwestern and George Washington Universities on Tuesday July 6. The transient pacemaker is battery free, has no wires and disappears when the patient no longer needs it. The tiny device can be used in patients who only need a pacemaker temporarily. This could be when they are waiting for a permanent pacemaker or after having surgery and need a helping hand for a little while.

rived in the most Western diets from corn, soybean, and other similar oils, as well as some nuts and seeds. They found that a diet lower in linoleic acid and higher in levels of omega‐3 fatty acids, like those found in fish and shellfish, could soothe this pain pathway inflam‐ mation. Participants all received meal kits that included fish, vegetables, hummus, salads, and breakfast items. One group received meals that had high levels of fatty fish or oils from fatty fish and lowered linoleic acid. A second group re‐ ceived meals that had high levels of fatty fish and higher linoleic acid. The third group received meals with high linoleic acid and lower levels of fatty fish to mimic average American intakes. The diet lower in vegetable oil and higher in fatty fish produced between 30 per cent and 40 per cent reductions in total headache hours per day, severe headache hours per day, and overall headache days per month com‐ pared to the control group.

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Mum’s fear over Samuel TENSIONS are high after the recent death of Samuel Luiz in La Coruña, with one mother sending a shocking message to her gay son that shows her fear for him and for others. So far, police have arrested four people as alleged perpe‐ trators of the horrific attack. According to some the crime

Samuel was beaten.

Jet2 targets Amber countries JET2 has announced it is reopening flights and holidays to amber list countries following the government’s announcement that vaccinated travellers will not need to quarantine after coming back to the UK. The airline confirmed it will be offering holidays to 40 green and amber list countries this summer. “This is the news that UK holidaymakers have been looking forward to, as it finally signals a meaningful restart to international travel,” CEO of Jet2, Steve Heapy, said. “We will be restarting flights and holidays to all Amber List destinations from July 19 onwards and we are ready for the wave of demand that this long-awaited and very welcome news will bring. We know how many customers want to jet off on our flights and ATOL protected package holidays, and we are ready to fly them away. “Our team of colleagues could not be more excited to take customers on their much-awaited holidays and to deliver our award-winning VIP customer service.” “With the government looking to unlock restrictions from July 19, we have been calling for international travel not to be left behind,” he said.

JET2: Restarting flights.

is not being considered as a homophobic attack, but Samuel’s friends said that he was beaten while his attack‐ ers shouted ‘faggot’. His friends certainly consider the attack to have been homo‐ phobic. Samuel had his whole life to live and was working as a nursing assistant helping oth‐ ers. He had been out with his friend Lina and the pair had decided to make a video call to another friend Vanessa and this was when everything went wrong. The reaction of the LGBTI community saw thousands of people take to the streets on Monday, July 5, to condemn discrimination and the shock‐ ing crime which took place at the weekend when Samuel was beaten to death. Many people in the LGBTI community are now afraid and they have shown this in messages posted across social media networks. Families are also fearful for their loved ones. One son took to Twitter to share a message that his mother had written to him via WhatsApp. It reveals the shock that many people are feeling at the moment, and their fear. “In Coruña they have killed a boy for being homosexual. Please, no kissing in the street, no holding hands, no nothing,” said the message from the young man’s moth‐ er.

NEWS

Doses for 70% of EU THE European Commission says that it will have enough doses of the vaccine against Covid-19 to be able to vaccinate 70 per cent of the adult population of the EU by the end of July. “We have set a goal of vaccinating 70 per cent of the adult population,” said Stefan De Keersmaecker, Health spokesman for the Community Executive said on Tuesday July 6. “We believe that a sufficient number of doses will be administered this month to allow the member states to achieve this goal,” he said. Almost 62 per cent of the adult population in the EU already received at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 40 per cent of those over 18 years of age are fully vaccinated, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. But there are disparities. Belgium leads the table among the EU states, having already vaccinated 88 per cent of the adult population with at least one dose, Bulgaria has only some 17 per cent of first doses administered. Spain, for its part, has vaccinated about 65 per cent of those over 18 years of age with at least one dose.


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15 - 21 July 2021

Rare albino stag

A RARE albino stag has been spotted by hunters in forests in Malaga Province. The video which Club de Caza, Spain’s largest hunting magazine obtained, shows the stag in all his glory, his coat com‐ pletely white and his antlers are pale pink as opposed to the usu‐ al brown. According to Jera y Sedal the stag is extremely rare as it is esti‐ mated that only one in 30,000

deer suffers from albinism and they are highly prized among hunters. As far as the magazine knows the video was shot in Malaga Province. It is not the first time the animal has been seen, but the magazine says this is the best recording of it they have seen. Albinism is the result of cells that cannot produce melanin, the pigment needed to colour skin, scales, eyes and hair. This

genetic condition gets passed to offspring when both parents carry the recessive gene. When albinism is present, the animal can appear white or pink. Aside from appearance, these animals often have problems re‐ lated to albinism, such as issues with eyesight. Melanin helps eye development, so without it, irises, retinas, eye muscles and optic nerves may not form prop‐ erly.

PSOE wins Granada mayoral race PSOE candidate, Francisco Cuenca, has been elected mayor of Granada after a tumultuous month in the Nasrid city. Two Ciudadanos (Cs) councillors, former mayor Luis Salvador and his deputy, Jose Antonio Huertas, voted against their own party’s instructions for PSOE and now face being expelled from the Cs over the July 7 vote. There were no abstentions. Fifteen votes in favour of Cuenca, 10 from the PSOE, three from Unidos Podemos and two from the Ciudadanos, compared to 12 for the Partido Popular (PP) candidate Francisco Fuentes, who had

six from his own party, three from Vox and the remaining three from independent councillors. Vox’s candidate, Onofre Miralles, who put himself up as runner just 24 hours before the ballot, voted for Fuentes in the end. Cuenca is now Granada’s fourth mayor since 2016. The political crisis which led him to power was precipitated by the Partido Popular (PP) abruptly withdrawing from a coalition with the Ciudadanos (Cs) in June when the Cs mayor, Luis Salvador, refused to rotate the post with the PP.

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NEWS

Reality is reality

THE Archbishop of Granada, Javier Martinez, believes that Spain is “on the way to a third dictatorship, in one way or an‐

other, because laws are im‐ posed that go against the com‐ mon good.” He also said Spain’s new eu‐

Carer emptied senior’s bank account

NATIONAL POLICE in Madrid have arrested a domestic worker who, when the elderly man she cared for died from coronavirus, emptied more than €35,000 from his account and used his bank card for online shopping. The pensioner’s family denounced the fraudulent transactions from the bank account of their relative, who died in March 2020, in the middle of May of this year. The fraudulent purchases were made between the months of March and September 2020 when the funds ran out. The complaint was filed late because of pandemic-related delays. The researchers found that the card charges came mostly from purchases on the internet that included appliances, furniture and food. The investigations targeted a 45-year-old Spanish woman of Ecuadorian origin who had cared for this person for a long time. The woman was charged with fraud and other offences on Wednesday July 7.

thanasia law was “an offence to human reason.” The archbishop made the re‐ marks in his sermon on Sunday July 4 in Granada. “The trans law, for example, converts sentiment into a legal category. It is not the first time it has happened. In the 30s and 40s of the last century, the feel‐ ing of superiority of the Aryan race resulted in millions of deaths when it became law,” he argued. Believers, he said, must start “learning anew to be free in the face of these two laws, which are also an offence to human reason in many ways.” “This does not mean any judgement on any person, of any kind, or transsexual of any kind. But reality is reality, it cannot be changed. Whoever is born a man will always be a man. Whoever is born a woman will always be a woman. Regardless of the hor‐ mones that they put in them, or the operations that they do to them,” he added.

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T H E reason why men are now more likely to get Covid than women in the UK has been revealed. According to scientists, Euro 2020 may be the reason why men are now one third more likely to catch the potentially deadly virus than women. Imperial College L ondon have performed a study and this

15 - 21 July 2021

Why men are more likely to get Covid shows that between June 24 and J uly 5 one in 170 people in England were infected with the virus. This is the first time that an infection rate difference has been spotted between men and women. Scientists

believe that this difference may be due to men having ‘more social activity than usual’ due to Euro 2020. Steven Riley, professor of infectious disease dynamics at Imperial College London believes that the increased

rate currently seen in men is linked to several factors. “There’s lots of evidence that mixing inside is more likely to result in transmission than mixing outside,” said Professor Riley on July 7.

“If I had to speculate about the impact of the Euros, I would first think about the possible impact - much, much more broadly than when we are around London - I would think about the increased probability that peo-

Cyber gang wants €60M HACKERS are demanding companies pay them almost €60 million to restore encrypted data held by them after launching a massive cyberattack last week. The hackers suspected to be behind a mass ransomware attack that affected hundreds of companies worldwide late on July 4, have demanded almost €60 mil-

Hundreds were affected.

Germany lifts UK ban A COVID-RELATED travel ban on people from the UK and four other variant-hit countries was lifted by Germany on Wednesday, July 7. The restrictions, which also applied to people from Portugal, Russia, India and Nepal, were relaxed, with fully vaccinated travellers not required to quarantine. The countries will now be reclassified as “high incidence areas”, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said. However, non-vaccinated people will still be required to quarantine for up to 10 days, with the option to end their isolation early with a negative test on the fifth day. The five countries have until now been classified as ‘virus variant areas’ because of the spread of the Delta and Delta Plus variants, which were first identified in India. Although German citizens and residents were exempt from the ban, they were required to quarantine for 14 days when they arrived in the country.

STARTERS Soup of the day Mousse of trout, cucumber and raspberry dressing Oriental salad with duck Beef carpaccio with pine nuts, bacon, capers, rocket salad, Parmesan and pesto Pear with Serrano ham, Gorgonzola, rocket and honey dressing Tuna carpaccio, bacon, capers, rocket, Parmesan and tomato (+€3.00)

lion to restore the data, according to a posting on a dark website. The demand was posted on a site typically used by the REvil cybercrime gang, a Russia-linked group that is counted among the cybercriminal world’s most prolific extortionists. The gang has an affiliate structure, occasionally making it difficult to determine who speaks on the hackers’ behalf, but Allan Liska of cybersecurity firm Recorded Future said the message “almost certainly” came from REvil’s core leadership. The group has so far not responded to any attempt by authorities to reach it for comment. REvil’s ransomware attack, which the group executed on July 2, was among the most dramatic in a series of increasingly attention-grabbing hacks. The gang broke into Kaseya, a Miami-based information technology firm, and used their access to breach some of its clients’ clients, setting off a chain reaction that quickly paralysed the computers of hundreds of firms worldwide.

MAIN Fish stew with salmon, hake, shrimps, mussels and mashed potatoes es Cod fillet 'Tandoori style' raitaa cucumber Pasta with chicken, bacon, tomato and mustard sauce Dutch steak with mustard or peppercorn sauce Pork schnitzel with onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and au gratin with blue cheese Beef tournedos stock with sauce of your choice (+€12.00) Sirloin steak with sauce of your choice (+€8.00)

DESSERT Key lime pie Mango sorbet ice White chocolate mousse Coffee icee cream with coff coffee liquor fee liqu uor Cheese plate late with red Port rtt (+€7 (+€7.00) .00) 00) Coffee orr tea

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ple are mixing inside more frequently than they otherwise would,” he said. “So, my first thought wouldn’t immediately be to the stadium and the immediate surrounds, it would be about the more general behaviour of the population, but we don’t have results that address that directly in this study,” he said.


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NEWS

Ryanair sets up customer panel Farmers fury at meat campaign RYANAIR has announced its Customer Advisory Panel, comprising seven customers from six European countries. Having received over 10,000 applicants from 16 countries across Europe Ryanair’s seven successful candidates will travel to Dublin for the

first of the Customer Advisory Panel meetings in September 2021, coming together to provide feedback and recommendations that will help Ryanair continue to improve its guest services. While interest was strong across all markets, the UK trail-

blazed ahead with almost a third of applicants, closely followed by Ireland (20 per cent) Although the airline has not revealed the participants’ second names, the group includes Jaime, 47, from Ibiza and Naomi, 34, from Belfast, now living in Madrid.

A NEW campaign launched by the Minister for Consumers, Alberto Garzon, encouraging Spaniards to eat less meat has been met with stiff resistance and ridicule. Spain’s Minister for Consumers, Alberto Garzon, on July 7 launched a Twitter campaign

#MenosCarneMasVida - less meat more life - however the move has angered the Minister for Agriculture Luis Planas, the opposition, the Junta de Andalucia, and livestock farmers across Spain. Garzon told media outlets that livestock farming is bad for

New Picasso at the Prado

THE Prado Museum in Madrid has unveiled a newly acquired painting by Pablo Picasso, Buste de Femme 43, painted in 1943. The painting is a donation to American Friends of the Prado Museum from the Aramont Art Collection of the Arango Montull family. The Prado Museum has also been gifted the Portrait of Philip III by Velazquez by American Friends of the Prado Museum. “American Friends’ actions are certainly great news for Spain and all those who visit our country attracted by our artistic and cultural heritage. A painting from one of our greatest artistic geniuses which up to now had been in a United States’ private collection will be displayed in public thanks to the Arango Montull Family’s and American Friends’ generosity, for all of those who love Picasso’s work, our museums

the environment, that people should eat meat less frequently and only buy quality meat from sustainable farms. Agriculture Minister Luis Planas was quick to point out that Garzon had not consulted him ahead of launching the campaign. Planas, a member of PSOE, said the campaign “does not make sense” and “this campaign is as wrong as the one that sugar kills.” Garzon is the leader of Izquierda Unida, who joined the government as part of Podemos, who in turn formed a coalition with PSOE placing Pedro Sanchez as President.

PICASSO: A newly acquired painting. and culture,” said Javier Solana, Chairman of the Board on Tuesday July 6. Because of Covid-19, the Prado’s revenues declined 75.5 per cent from €33.1 million to €8.1 million due to an 84 per cent decline in ticket sales from an all-time record of visitors in 2019 and a 90 per cent decline in Prado Store and restaurant revenues. GARZON: Eat less meat.


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FINLAND has been named the best country in the world for Quality of Life, according to the latest C EOWORLD magazine 2021 report. Scandinavia did very well in this report with Denmark second and Norway third, Belgium fourth and then Sweden fifth. The rankings measure global perceptions of 165 nations chosen because they contribute most to the world’s GDP.

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Quality of life is tops in Finland More than 258,000 people around the world are asked to evaluate the countries based on 10 metrics ranging from stability to transparency to equality The C EO W O R L D report explained that being safe, politically stable, and having a well-devel-

oped public health system drove Finland’s quality of life ranking to the top of the Best Countries 2021 list. Sixth to 10th places were taken by Switzerland, Netherlands, France, Germany and Japan respectively with the UK coming in at

Bye-bye plastic ear buds and straws EU’s Single-Use Plastic (SUP) Directive came into effect on Saturday July 3, which means that many common items made with single-use plastics are now banned in the bloc. Cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, stirrers, chopsticks, straws, expanded polystyrene single-use food and beverage containers, and all oxo-degradable plastic products are on the list of products that are banned from being placed in establishments across the EU. The objective of the EU Directive is “to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in particular the aquatic environ-

No more plastic straws. ment, and on human health, as well as to promote the transition to a circular economy with innovative and sustainable business models, products and materials.”

Single-use plastic products are used once, or for a short period of time, before being thrown away. The 10 most commonly found single-use plastic items represent 70 per cent of all marine litter in the EU, and up to 85 per cent of all marine litter in the EU is plastic. “This is the latest in a series of measures we’re taking to reduce plastic waste and better manage the waste we do produce. Our future depends on us rapidly changing the way we produce products; this will contribute to a much wider effort to address climate change,” said TD Alan Farrell, Fine Gael Climate Action Spokesperson.

11 and Spain 20, whilst the worst countries included Syria, Sudan, North Korea and surprisingly the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat which is placed 50 lower than war torn Yemen. In order to determine the rankings, researchers at the C E-

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OWORLD magazine analysed and compared 165 countries across 10 key categories: Affordability, Economic stability, Family-friendly, A good job market, Income equality, political neutrality and stability, Safety, cultural influence, Well-developed public education system, and Welldeveloped public health system. Each attribute was graded on a 100-point scale.


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NEWS

New sexual consent laws SPAIN’S government has ap‐ proved tougher laws on sexual consent with the new bill known as ‘Only yes means yes’. The government hopes to crack down on sexual harass‐ ment and sexual violence with this new legislation. The ‘Only

yes means yes’ proposed law in‐ cludes laying out the offences related to sexual consent and it is hoped that the sexual culture of Spain will change with the proposed law. “Consent is recognised only when a person has freely

9,000 called violence hotline in June

OVER 9,000 calls were made to the phone service for victims of gender violence in June. The telephone service for victims of gender violence 016 received 9,049 calls in June, 10 per cent more than in May and 6 per cent more than in the same month of 2020, a figure that is the second-highest since this phone service started operating in 2007. The minister against Gender Violence, Victoria Rosell, said that the highest figure was registered in August 2016, when 9,916 people called the service. Couple or ex-partner issues account for the majority of calls - 87 per cent - Rossell said on Wednesday July 7. Support is also provided through WhatsApp on the number 600 000 016 and minors can contact the ANAR Foundation telephone number 900 202 010.

demonstrated it through ac‐ tions which, in the context of the circumstances of the case, clearly express the person’s will,” says the new bill. The bill went to Parliament to be voted on after it was ap‐ proved by Spain’s cabinet on Tuesday, July 6. It will probably take several months before it passes through Parliament though. Maria Jesus Montero, a spokesperson for the govern‐ ment considers the proposed law to be “a decisive step for‐ ward” to protect women. She also believes that it will “make us, without doubt, better as a society.” “We have to transform our sexual culture, placing women’s consent at the centre of how we see things,” said Montero. With current laws in Spain victims need to prove how dur‐ ing an attack they were the vic‐ tim of violence or prove how they fought against their attack‐ er. For many this new bill can‐ not come soon enough.

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EUROPEAN PRESS

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EUROPEAN NIBS DENMARK

FRANCE

Tree huggers

Fire damage

AFTER activists occupied a tree for three weeks on Amager Fælled a 223-hectare nature reserve in Copenhagen protesting about planned construction, they were removed by police but the Planning Appeal Board ruled that work must be halted until January to protect vulnerable wildlife.

AS if losing Notre Dame Cathedral to fire wasn’t bad enough, the Paris city authorities and public health officials have been named in a legal complaint for failing to safeguard the health of people living nearby due to lead pollution caused by the fire.

THE NETHERLANDS Musseling in THE Dutch mussel industry has been granted €900,000 by the European Union in order to fund a marketing campaign to persuade youngsters in the Netherlands to include the crustacean in their diet. Some 10 million kilos of mussels are gobbled up each year mainly by those over 50.

BELGIUM

NORWAY High flyers NORWAY’S Trade Minister Iselin Nybø took the unusual step of publicly criticising the senior management of Norwegian Air after it transpires that despite using public money to support the airline and making segments bankrupt, two directors were each paid bonuses of Kr11 (€1) million.

FINLAND Nasal vaccine

TWO armed men entered a camp run by the Flemish scouts and guides for children aged nine to 11 in the early hours of July 6 and stole credit cards, wallets and mobile phones from various adults who were awake using threats of violence before escaping.

ROKOTE Laboratories has been promised some €9 million to enable further development and to start clinical trials on a nasal spray which will act as a Covid vaccine. The vaccine has been formulated by the University of Helsinki and the University of Eastern Finland.

GERMANY

SWEDEN

Big Brother

Suspected murder

FROM August 2, the authorities will require all German citizens applying for a new government-issued ID card (currently 62 million exist) to give their fingerprints which will be stored electronically on the card. Until now, this was a voluntary procedure for ID cards although obligatory for passports.

AN express train running from Malmö to Hässleholm, travelling at around 180 kmh hit and killed an adult and two children who were on the track. Although Swedish police have been reticent to release much information, they are investigating the possible murder of the children.

Be prepared

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FINANCE BUSINESS EXTRA Corte Ingles card IN order to take advantage of the resurgence of consumer spending in Spain, Financiera El Corte Ingles (which is 51 per cent owned by Santander Bank) wants to expand its in store credit card so that it may be used to purchase goods from other companies.

Inflation target FOR the first time in more than a decade, the European Central Bank has reviewed its economic strategy and confirmed that although it wants to keep inflation at 2 per cent, it concedes that this may not be possible and can fluctuate.

Bank merger HAVING received shareholder approval four months ago, the merger of Unicaja and Liberbank is still pending as although it has now received approval from the CNMC, it is still awaiting the formal Spanish government ok but hopes that it will be forthcoming by the end of July.

Ocado expands UK grocery technology company Ocado has signed an agreement with the Alcampo group in Spain to develop a Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) to serve the Madrid region from 2024, with additional CFCs to be announced. They will also co-operate on improving delivery to online customers.

Italian problem ALTHOUGH highly successful, Barcelona based food delivery company Glovo is rarely out of the news as different governments take exception to some of its activities. Having been told by a Spanish court that its workers should be treated as employees not self-employed it now finds one of its overseas arms under scrutiny. A report by Reuters reveals that the Italian Data Protection Agency has given its subsidiary Foodinho 150 days to change its computer algorithms in order to avoid discrimination against staff.

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STAT OF WEEK

www.euroweeklynews.com • 15 - 21 July 2021

€12.877 billion

is the amount that the Spanish Tax Agency says that it collected in 2020 through its actions to fight fraudulent tax evasion.

Morrisons may soon be American AMERICAN money seems destined to find a home in Britain’s fourth largest supermarket chain Mor‐ risons which unlike oth‐ ers mainly generates its own produce. Last month it turned down a bid from private equity firm Clayton, Du‐ bilier & Rice (CD&R) worth £5.5 billion (€6 bil‐ lion) claiming it did not accurately reflect the worth of the company. This month however it

has accepted in principle, subject to shareholder approval, a £6.3 billion (€6.9 billion) bid from an‐ other US equity firm Fortress Investment Group. Fortress in particular appear to be anxious to ensure that they are not seen as pirates or asset strippers and their pro‐ posal appears to be couched in terms which will satisfy both the unions representing the

LEGALLY SPEAKING

supermarket’s 110,000 staff as well as the UK Government. Now, a third US in‐ vestor, Apollo Global has indicated that it may be interested in launching its own bid but has not as yet made a final decision. In the meantime, in an‐ ticipation of a higher price, Morrisons shares have risen from around £1.80 (€1.98) in January to £2.67 (€2.94) on July 5, the day after the offer

was made which was 5 per cent higher than the offer price. One of the many at‐ tractions to investors is the fact that Morrisons hold a contract with Amazon UK for same day grocery supply to cus‐ tomers ordering online and with Amazon already opening its own super‐ market in London, there are some expectations that it too may enter into the bidding fray.

Planning your own funeral

Was policy mis-sold? For 10 years I entrusted an insurance agent with my household and two car policies. Pre‐ miums increased after a few claims for burst or leaking pipes. My agent reduced my premium by reducing the building value. When claiming for a burst pipe 10 months later, they deducted 17.5 per cent due to un‐ der insurance. The agent’s calculation was under‐val‐ ued by 17.5 per cent. In other words they under‐sold the policy, but the agent ducked the error. To add fur‐ ther insult, the agent sent me a renewal policy for the following year which showed the same mis‐selling er‐ ror. What are my rights against the agent?

Your rights against an insurance company YOU AND THE LAW include seeking com‐ IN SPAIN pensation if they have underpaid a claim or if you can prove that they failed to inform you fully. In your case, the first misunderstanding is that your ‘agent’ is not an agent; he is an insurance broker. He may deal with several different insurance companies. There is no error of calculation here. However, if the broker did not ex‐ plain to you that under‐valuing your property means that your payment is reduced by the same percentage, then you have a possible case.

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.

THE British Financial Institutions are looking for ways of attracting money back to London and on Wednesday July 7, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) saw a historic first. Following a practice which is not unknown in the USA , a Fintech company simply called Wise be‐ came the first ever direct listing of a tech company on the LSE.

ONE of the advantages of having a pre‐ paid funeral plan with Golden Leaves is being able to arrange the funeral that you real‐ ly want. By planning your own funeral, not only will you get the send‐off you want, you will relieve your family of the burden, both financially and with regards to making decisions. Planning the details of your own funeral will give you more time to think about what you want, including the following: Where would you like it to be held? Do you want it to be religious or not? Who do you want to lead the service? What readings or music would you like? Do you want a theme? What would you like to be wearing? Do you want any special flowers and/or donations? Do you prefer burial or cremation? What type of coffin, headstone or urn do you prefer? Where do you want to be buried or want your ashes to go? Most importantly, let your family know you have a funeral plan and give them a list of contacts you want to be informed of your death.

www.goldenleavesinternational.com enquiries@goldenleaves.com Facebook: goldenleavesspain

Wise now worth £8 billion The founders of the company, two Estonians took the company public using a direct listing, which does not involve raising new capi‐ tal or bringing in new investors like in a formal IPO launch. Many investors remember the recent relative failure of the tradi‐ tional IPO launch of Deliveroo

which due to its structure did not attract investment by large institu‐ tions. This was effectively a three‐hour long auction which saw prices start at £1 and shoot up to £10 for shares priced at £8 and this raised a staggering £8 billion (€8.8 bil‐ lion).

Sanchez under pressure SPANISH President Pedro Sanchez is under pressure to provide tax breaks to encourage companies to return to Catalo‐ nia after an exodus to Madrid following the region’s 2017 inde‐ pendence bid. He has a political dilemma as a failure to do so could cost him the support of Catalan national‐ ist parties who prop up the PSOE in government, Spanish daily ABC reported on July 8. Any tax breaks will rankle Madrid which recently re‐elect‐ ed Madrilenian president Isabel Díaz Ayuso of the Partido Popu‐ lar as the community has bene‐ fited from the exit from Barcelona. Other autonomous commu‐ nities such as Andalucia are also unlikely to be impressed. Catalonia’s debt is also con‐ cerning, as the region is €79.1 billion in the red.

Spain and UAE AS President Pedro Sanchez visits the Baltic States, his Secretary of State for Trade, Manuel Muñiz held a virtual meeting with his op‐ posite number from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi on July 7. With the participation of pro‐ fessional bodies from both coun‐ tries, a memorandum of under‐ standing was signed to confirm the wish that the UAE has to work more closely with Spain to organ‐ ise cross investments. “The signing of this agreement will contribute to achieving sus‐ tainable growth in investment flows between the two countries, and allow the creation of perma‐ nent channels of communication between Emirati and Spanish business owners,” said Dr Al Zey‐ oudi. According to Kristo Kaarmann and Taavet Hinrikus who founded the company in 2010 when they were both working in London, Taavet was being paid in euros and Kristo in sterling, but both hated the thought of paying exchange commission to banks so created their own exchange and transfer company with low customer charges.


36 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

15 - 21 July 2021

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US

LONDON - FTSE 100

See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES J ULY 12

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) 3I Group 1.195,00 1.202,00 Admiral Group 3.220,0 3.316,0 Anglo American 2.913,5 2.977,5 Antofagasta 1.395,50 1.440,00 Ashtead Group 5.564,6 5.570,3 Associated British Foods 2.140,0 2.180,0 AstraZeneca 8.706,0 8.711,0 Auto Trader Group Plc 648,80 649,80 Avast 500,40 500,60 Aveva 3.973,0 3.975,0 Aviva 400,20 406,90 B&M European Value Retail SA552,20 553,20 BAE Systems 533,33 537,48 Bank VTB DRC 1,284 1,318 Barclays 169,32 172,87 Barratt Developments 692,20 708,60 Berkeley 4.737,0 4.772,0 BHP Group 2.231,00 2.255,00 BP 305,92 310,50 British American Tobacco 2.768,0 2.773,5 British Land Company 507,20 518,60 BT Group 185,00 187,95 Bunzl 2.570,0 2.571,0 Burberry Group 2.036,0 2.092,0 Carnival 1.519,4 1.557,2 Centrica 52,04 52,40 Coca Cola HBC AG 2.570,0 2.572,0 Compass 1.488,00 1.527,00 CRH 3.578,0 3.641,0 Croda Intl 7.694,0 7.704,5 DCC 5.886,0 5.968,0 Diageo 3.441,5 3.452,5 DS Smith 418,40 426,80 EasyJet 895,62 946,81 Experian 2.974,3 2.976,3 Ferguson 10.365,0 10.400,0 Flutter Entertainment 12.660,0 13.000,0 Fresnillo 795,20 808,20 GlaxoSmithKline 1.429,60 1.430,79 Glencore 312,30 318,90 Halma 2.815,0 2.814,0 Hargreaves Lansdown 1.661,00 1.667,00 Hikma Pharma 2.622,00 2.632,00 HSBC 405,68 411,10 IAG 177,95 184,96 Imperial Brands 1.588,00 1.591,50 Informa 495,90 509,00 InterContinental 4.726,0 4.832,0 Intermediate Capital 2.142,00 2.149,00 Intertek 5.612,0 5.622,0

% CHG. 1.191,00 3.182,0 2.904,0 1.389,00 5.525,2 2.139,0 8.614,0 638,60 495,60 3.915,0 399,10 543,80 529,60 1,282 169,02 692,00 4.727,0 2.225,00 305,85 2.756,5 505,40 184,60 2.550,0 2.030,0 1.518,8 51,70 2.559,0 1.488,00 3.575,0 7.633,2 5.858,0 3.425,0 417,30 895,26 2.941,8 10.300,0 12.660,0 792,60 1.418,61 310,87 2.768,0 1.650,50 2.615,03 405,68 177,81 1.580,66 495,50 4.723,0 2.133,00 5.578,0

NET VOL 89,83K 96,02K 332,03K 218,25K 6,58K 151,34K 336,35K 297,97K 169,58K 38,92K 1,16M 340,82K 78,37K 61,76K 1,59M 208,26K 25,70K 720,58K 934,53K 276,97K 212,56K 2,14M 77,73K 89,77K 196,90K 1,52M 45,39K 349,51K 60,74K 8,90K 22,44K 267,93K 398,61K 427,40K 16,18K 20,19K 31,14K 107,01K 224,59K 1,07M 80,08K 78,92K 8,70K 385,82K 1,74M 39,51K 502,85K 36,41K 37,46K 28,00K

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

122,05 280,70 3.089,0 683,00 264,50 46,00 7.945,8 436,10 155,35 1.966,50 942,24 200,10 7.764,0 33,15 1.937,00 2.948,0 687,20 1.353,00 6.491,0 2.021,00 511,06 654,40 6.046,4 97,44 7,64 1.443,4 1.443,20 1.416,2 698,80 1.743,00 16,16 3.591,0 1.323,22 1.181,00 2.652,0 1.561,50 1.619,36 14.127,9 1.538,50 1.524,50 446,10 280,50 160,50 234,17 347,87 4.290,0 1.039,00 118,14 3.051,0 959,20

CHANGE(P)

% CHG.

NET VOL

124,22 284,90 3.157,7 690,40 265,40 46,65 7.958,0 445,70 159,25 1.976,00 945,20 202,90 7.882,0 33,15 1.942,00 3.016,0 692,00 1.377,00 6.512,0 2.021,00 511,20 654,80 6.118,5 100,74 7,71 1.459,4 1.458,31 1.429,2 700,00 1.757,50 16,34 3.607,0 1.326,00 1.182,50 2.660,0 1.570,00 1.633,48 14.128,6 1.543,00 1.527,00 452,70 283,40 164,05 238,36 358,00 4.305,9 1.041,00 119,06 3.142,0 968,60

121,75 280,70 3.089,0 681,40 262,70 45,92 7.858,0 434,80 155,05 1.955,95 938,00 200,00 7.762,0 33,05 1.908,00 2.946,0 682,95 1.350,50 6.418,0 2.003,00 507,84 647,94 6.023,0 96,63 7,60 1.443,0 1.443,00 1.411,8 690,01 1.740,00 16,14 3.579,0 1.313,50 1.170,50 2.608,0 1.559,50 1.610,42 13.959,3 1.525,50 1.515,75 445,90 279,50 160,20 234,10 346,27 4.270,0 1.027,40 117,78 3.047,0 959,00

148,37K 883,58K 8,50K 38,72K 612,91K 10,55M 58,16K 258,36K 998,48K 7,44K 953,51K 2,54M 16,57K 0,19K 146,43K 43,67K 168,26K 312,86K 119,98K 37,35K 30,21K 23,81K 38,15K 6,40M 230,71K 844,98K 46,69K 1,45M 40,44K 5,62K 149,60K 20,48K 404,64K 42,80K 65,45K 291,82K 24,75K 4,31K 179,96K 14,17K 827,57K 511,46K 353,01K 1,36M 409,58K 38,83K 50,52K 8,03M 95,07K 210,90K

1.16777

0.85519

Units per €

US dollar (USD) ......................................1.18524 Japan yen (JPY)......................................130.495 Switzerland franc (CHF) ...........................1.0855 Denmark kroner (DKK) .............................7.4372 Norway kroner (NOK) ...............................10.344

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 12

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 201,00 2.591,5 3.719,34 245,20 145,11 239,59 217,42 104,07 53,74 54,46 350,42 371,76 322,09 224,34 141,52 55,99 169,75 155,77 235,68 77,99 277,94 161,00 137,03 245,06 656,95 412,11 56,07 238,47 140,30 177,04

CHANGE 201,90 2.597,0 3.748,00 245,93 145,65 240,38 218,59 104,23 53,93 54,52 350,71 372,15 323,31 224,60 141,98 56,11 170,37 156,15 236,23 78,69 278,05 161,96 137,65 248,00 658,91 413,25 56,23 239,45 140,84 177,52

CHANGE% VOLUME(M) 199,25 2,45M 2.578,9 755,47K 3.693,40 3,75M 241,71 1,61M 142,65 99,89M 236,22 12,39M 214,40 3,16M 102,36 8,57M 53,29 14,67M 54,18 10,85M 345,27 13,02M 364,95 2,64M 320,18 2,59M 220,74 2,16M 140,84 3,90M 55,31 18,71M 169,24 6,12M 152,58 13,69M 233,06 2,56M 77,94 6,01M 275,32 23,92M 160,51 5,00M 136,84 5,95M 244,09 4,21M 644,69 18,14M 410,64 2,08M 55,62 13,76M 237,42 5,62M 139,93 5,06M 173,93 7,87M M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ULY 12

COMPANY

CHANGE NET / %

VOLUME

Most Advanced Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Cl A Texas Pacific Land Corp. Biglari Holdings Inc. Cl A Shopify Inc. Cl A Markel Corp. AutoZone Inc. Direxion Daily Retail Bull 3x Shares BlackRock Inc. Direxion Daily Regional Banks Bull 3X Shares Snowflake Inc. Graham Holdings Co.

2.47% 3.41% 5.83% 2.16% 2.31% 1.76% 11.39% 2.83% 12.67% 7.67% 2.80%

1,187 41.02K 1,150 1.258M 75.89K 177.50K 64.19K 764.50K 477.45K 9.867M 28.27K

Most Declined U.S. Bancorp Dep. Pfd. -1.80% Capital Senior Living Corp. -8.90% Cable One Inc. -0.19% Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. -6.62% PIMCO 25+ Year Zero Coupon U.S. Treasury Index ETF-2.06% ResMed Inc. -1.22% MediaAlpha Inc. -6.57% Vanguard Extended Duration ETF -1.75% Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3x Shares -8.34% S&P Global Inc. -0.57% Eli Lilly & Co. -0.90%

425 17.22K 29.94K 62.594M 44.55K 623.35K 366.31K 122.22K 2.547M 1.535M 4.030M


FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Credit: WH Smith Press Centre

WH Smith’s airport stores

AIRPORT-BASED: InMotion is a major presence in the USA. IT was announced on July 8 that WH Smith will open 18 technology and accessories stores at UK airports. Following the decision by Dixons Carphone to close all of its UK airport concession stores in April of this year, WH Smith applied to take over some of the vacant outlets and will operate its InMotion subsidiary in a number of ma‐ jor UK airports including Lon‐ don Heathrow, London Stanst‐ ed, Manchester, London Luton, Birmingham and East Midlands. InMotion is the largest air‐ port‐based digital accessories retailer in North America, comprising 117 stores across 43 airports in the United States, with a presence in nine of the top 10 and 22 of the top 25 busiest US airports. It sells a range of technology

and digital accessories from the leading brands in the cate‐ gory, includes premium head‐ phones and earbuds, travel ac‐ cessories, mobile power, portable speakers and action cameras from suppliers such as Apple and Samsung. The company expects to in‐ vest around £15 million (€16.5 million) up to August 2022 in refitting and stocking the shops but says that in a fully recovered travel environment, it anticipates that these stores will deliver sales of c.£60 mil‐ lion (€66 million) per year. Although business has suf‐ fered in its travel division with sales running at around 48 per cent of 2019, its High Street shops are seeing much better results at 86 per cent of 2019 turnover. The liquidity position re‐ mains strong and at the end of

Looking up THE Spanish economy is forecasted to grow by 6.2 per cent in 2021 and 6.3 per cent in 2022, according to the EU’s latest interim economic forecast. The EU’s economy is forecast to rebound faster than previously expected, as activity in the first quarter of the year exceeded expectations and the improved health situation prompted a swifter easing of pandemic control restrictions in the second quarter, the European Commission said in a statement on Wednesday July 7. “The EU economy is set to see its fastest growth in decades this year, fuelled by strong demand both at home and globally and a swifter-than-expected reopening of services sectors since the spring,” said Paolo Gentiloni, Commissioner for Economy.

June 2021, the company had cash in hand of £95 million (€105 million) and their re‐ volving credit facility of £250 million (€275 million) remains undrawn.

BUSINESS EXTRA Huge fine THE European Commission has imposed a fine of €875 million on three German car manufacturers, Audi Porsche, BMW and Volkswagen, all part of the same group, accusing them of violating anti-cartel regulations with regards to their technology to reduce diesel emissions.

Pandemic profit ON July 8, UK based Watches of Switzerland reported full-year sales of more than £905 million (€995 million) and increased profits as sales of luxury watches increased by 16 per cent. It now plans to expand into Europe and strengthen its position in the UK and USA.

First purchase BRITISH investment fund Stirling Square Capital Partners has made its first major venture in Spain by purchasing Sustainable Agro Solutions (SAS), a Catalan based natural fertilizer group for an undisclosed amount which is understood to be in excess of €150 million.

15 - 21 July 2021

EWN 37


38 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

15 - 21 July 2021

FEATURE

DO YOU BELIEVE UFOS EXIST?

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT I BELIEVE that to deny there are other forms of intelligent life in the universe is either breathtakingly arrogant or an almost frightening naivity. The human brain is not actually geared to take in the vast numbers of planets and stars, or even conceive the sheer volume of galaxies that exist in the endless expanses that we refer to as ‘space.’ If you could count the grains of sand on this planet of ours, which includes all the deserts and vast depths of our oceans, you still wouldn’t even be coming close to the sheer magnitude of stars that could be capable of sustaining some form of life in the infinite reaches of the universe. It stands to reason that these beings could be thousands, possibly millions of years in advance of us in intellect and intelligence. To the manifestations existing in these unknown dimensions, travelling through time and space would be a mere bagatelle. Distances themselves

Trip to Pluto anyone?

would have no meaning and even time, as we perceive it, would have ceased to exist. Is it not then perfectly feasible that these advanced races would welcome some time to chill out, in much the same way as we need to occasionally switch off and relax? Vacations and scientific expeditions would, I think be something of a priority in the worlds of these ancient wonders of creation, and I can truly visualise some holistic ‘Happy Holidays’ brochure informing its

customers that you can partake of the ‘Grand Planetary Tour,’ which takes in a selection of other worlds at different stages of their evolution. Naturally, any set of beings advanced enough to have access to this type of holiday, would be far too intelligent to ‘interfere’ with any other primitive races they would be observing on their galaxy cruise. This is why I believe that most of the thousands of UFO sightings reported over the years have probably been glitches or errors on

the part of the organisers. (These cheapo travel companies are all the same!) The wonders of creation are fully intended to be beyond our wildest imagination; but to maintain we are the only cluster of beings that exist and there are no other ultra‐ intelligent manifestations ‘out there’ I actually find totally inconceivable! ‘Where shall we go this year darling? Shall we do the Earth, Pluto, Sun all inclusive? Too passé? Well what about a trip down that newly

discovered Black Hole’? ‘Ok, that’s a great idea; just make sure we don’t have to isolate when we get there!’ Is this Patel woman for real? Her new mind boggling smoke and mirrors solution to the ‘boat immigration’ problem is to introduce prison sentences of up to four years for those deemed guilty of this ‘offence’. At the moment it costs £45,000 a year to keep one person incarcerated. This amount could probably be tripled if you take into account the legal fees and court cases that, due to the UK’s ludicrous ‘uman rights policies, would automatically precede any punishment. Just what planet does this particular alien exist on? ‘Beam me up Scotty.’ Keep the faith. Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com expatradioscotland. Mon. Wed. Fri. 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.

Advertising Feature

We’ve been waiting for this CHRIS HARE’S Crabbe in All Innocence may not rival the heavy tomes launched on the world by other writers who’ve dodged 20 years of washing up to sit and write, but whenever a book is born that oozes wit and charm like a warm English crumpet oozes melted butter, the endeavour deserves a celebratory drink and tapas. Besides, we could do with a laugh. Think 1950s and English publicschool but not rotundo Billy Bunter. Instead, picture gawky, short-sighted Lancelot Crabbe who, in all innocence, is just trying not to be noticed, which can be tricky when you’re marked as a plaything of the gods. This is a funny book. Perhaps the funniest, according to Hare, barring traditions that strengthen upper lips, habitual corruption and an old queen’s buttocks, Chris Hare tells a Bambi of a tale. It’s suitable for all - even prim maiden aunts seeking baked bean recipes and even though we all know

Chris will be signing copies. what happened in Bambi. Even so, start by sitting comfortably, enough for Hare to reach in and tickle your funny bone with this literary raspberry aimed right in the eye of every post war establishment going. It’s easier. Relax with a wonky Reverend intent on aiming high and a rummy old seadog aiming for somewhere quiet just off Calais. Experience how Macbeth should have been written, how eventually it was, and then how it wasn’t and find out why and when a neces-

sary is necessary and what that smell was (either one), as Crabbe nobly deals with having his strings pulled fulfilling his destiny seeking the perfect photograph. Chris Hare, who also writes under the pseudonym Bothered of Benissa, is launching his epic Crabbe in All Innocence from Polly’s Bookshop on the Moraira to Calpe Road on Saturday July 24 and signing copies in Polly’s Bookshop, Javea Port on Saturday July 31. Both dates are from 11am onwards.

Copies of Crabbe in All Innocence can be reserved by calling Polly’s on 711 101 439 or 965 314 404 and are also available in soft cover and eBook formats at very reasonable prices on Amazon.


FRIDAY 16/07

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Escape to the Country My Unique B&B Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Would I Lie to You? Not Going Out EastEnders Death in Paradise BBC News at Ten

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Weather for the Week Ahead Songs of Praise International T20 Cricket BBC News BBC London News Weather Countryfile Antiques Roadshow Baptiste BBC News

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Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Panorama EastEnders Garden Rescue Gold Rush BBC News at Ten Regional News Weather

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Pointless BBC News at Six; Weather BBC London News; Weather The One Show EastEnders Eat Well for Less? Our NHS: A Hidden History BBC News at Ten Regional News

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Great British Menu Gorilla Family and Me Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Animal Park Monty Don's Japanese Gardens Golf: The Open Highlights Live at the Apollo: The One About Newsnight

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Great British Menu Great British Menu Gorilla Family and Me Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Animal Park Monty Don's Japanese Gardens Golf: The Open Highlights I'll Get This Newsnight

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Great British Menu Great British Menu Gorilla Family and Me Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Animal Park Monty Don's Japanese Gardens Golf: The Open Highlights I'll Get This Newsnight

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Classic Mary Berry My Million Pound Menu Best Bakes Ever West Side Story West Side Stories - The Making of a Classic Flog It! To be Announced The Tropic of Cancer Golf To be Announced Mayans M.C.

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Horizon Scott of the Antarctic Elephant Family and Me Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Animal Park Gold Town Only Connect University Challenge Killing Escobar Newsnight

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The Man in the White Suit Elephant Family and Me Flog It! Richard Osman's House of Games Animal Park The World's Most Extraordinary Homes Secrets of the Museum Forensics: The Real CSI Cunk on Britain Newsnight

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Discovering Graal Theatre - Kaija Saariaho The Golden Age of Steam Railways World War Two: Behind Closed Doors Williams: Formula One in the Blood James May's Cars of the People Discovering Graal Theatre - Kaija Saariaho

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The Joy of Painting Coastal Path Yes, Minister The Good Life Hemingway Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure Philly DA Philly DA Flights of Fancy: Pigeons and the British Museums in Quarantine

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15 - 21 July 2021

EWN 41

ARE MASK-DITCHERS THE NEW ANTI-VAXXERS 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

WITH the government easing Covid restric‐ tions, is England being condemned to be split into two hostile tribes between mask‐wear‐ ers and mask‐ditchers ‐ beset by distrust and maybe violence? But then this is an age when people define their identity not by what they are for, but who they are against ‐ ‘the other’. Once more, it's Leave / Remain; Right / Left; Nanny State / Libertarianism; Pro‐Vaxxers / Anti‐ Vaxxers. All the good people are on one side. Again. Whether you’re a right wing culture war‐ rior or a left wing libertarian, invariably ‘the other’ is not only ‘stupid’ but ‘malevolent’. Any vital nuanced thinking and debate are buried under an avalanche of lazy, polarised opinion. Basically, accept risk and accept the conse‐ quences! If you’re considered at a level of risk

TWO SIDES: Don’t belittle others for being cautious. and aren’t jabbed (voluntarily) and become infected: tough luck. Don’t blame others or the system. If your employer demands you are jabbed and lose your job: tough luck. You made a choice ‐ don’t blame them for doing what they also feel is right.

If you wish to wear a mask still, do that. It’s absolutely OK. If you chose not to, then that’s OK too. Don’t belittle others for being cautious. They may have lost loved ones in the most painful and loneliest way. It may also have

been your actions (or lack of) indirectly that killed them. Finally, I’d like to see more police on the streets to provide a reassuring face to this re‐ turn to ‘normality’. To push back against any rise in personal physical attacks in a poten‐ tially toxic atmosphere of acrimony, distrust and quite possibly violence and to be able to recognise the troublemakers walking down the streets. People with agendas can bleat on about convenient ‘facts’ to support an argu‐ ment, but they’d be better off spending their energy looking forwards not backwards. This is a steady walk to victory not a race for the finish line. So, as the great face mask face‐off begins in England, which camp are you in? 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. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity. 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.

ROSE TINTED GLASSES Dear Leapy, Your article Rose-tinted glasses, has echoed observations myself and many others have noticed over the last few years. This is a very worrying trend which in no way reflects real life. Well done and keep up the good work. P Manser

Brits in Spain

Authorities’ view is clouded.

The way in which some Brits are being treated by the Spanish authorities is a disgrace. Consider. An English couple who are keen to move to Spain receive an email which is in Spanish, is protected so that one cannot copy and paste it to a translation site. The couple are told by telephone that their application is rejected and there is no right of appeal. Their application was rejected because they were one day late registering with the Padron. One day late because the office was closed. They meet all the requirements to support their application but because of the one day when the Padron’s office was closed they now have to return to England and start the whole application process again. Sadly, although most Spanish people are caring and considerate, there are some who are ‘not very nice’. Kind regards Tony Gee

Council Tax Exemption for Prayer Rooms In reply to G Nicholson’s letter asking whether it is true that ‘any Muslim in the UK who declares his house a place of worship is no longer required to pay council tax’. This is in fact untrue. Such rumours have been spreading across social media and forums for well over a decade, and over the years have inspired a number of different versions. However, despite this rumour’s persistence, it isn’t based on reality. In 2013 this rumour sparked a petition on the No 10 website which garnered 272 votes before it was removed as being misleading and factually incorrect. In 2018 this rumour surfaced again with a question in the House of Commons. The reply is available in the House of Commons Library and states that this claim and others like it have ‘no basis in Council Tax law’. It added: ‘It is not possible for owners of domestic property to avoid council tax by claiming that their property, or part of it, is used for religious purposes’.

NOT THIS TIME IT seems unlikely that Gareth Southgate will receive a knighthood which would have been a good bet had England not been defeated once again by penalties. Love it or hate it, the football has been a pleasant (for most) distraction from the problems that continue to affect most of the world. There is also a major learning opportunity as to whether allowing such large crowds at both Wembley and Wimbledon will see even greater spikes in Covid-19 infection and either way, those who were effectively guinea pigs will have helped the scientists construct new

CORRECTIONS

From our Facebook

In 2021 this rumour was given another lease of life after a TikTok video of someone asking a smartphone assistant the question as to whether Muslims can avoid paying Council Tax via the aforementioned loophole went viral. In the video the smartphone assistant appears to confirm the rumour. However this video - if anything - demonstrates the unreliable nature of asking questions to smartphone assistants. In this case the voice assistant merely parroted the archived and discredited petition mentioned above, giving the impression that the assistant was answering the question and using the UK government as its source. It is true that ‘places of worship’ are exempt from Business Rates in the UK. However, those looking to become exempt and wish to certify their building as a place of worship have to register according to the ‘Places of Worship Registration Act 1855’. This Act requires that those registering provide comprehensive details regarding the property including a floor plan and details of an average weekly timetable of events taking place in the building must be provided. In addition details of fire precautions and access, ventilation and lighting and other health and safety issues normally associated with public access would be required under the Health & Safety At Work Act. It is also likely that planning permission would be required as this is a change of use and this would require details of issues such as parking and access and the council would have to take into account the effect on the amenity of the area. It is worth noting that in general only Public places of worship are exempt from Council Tax and that this exemption applies to all religions. There are other exemptions relating to accommodation attached and used solely to support the act of worship to cover things such as convents and monasteries. The reality is that merely setting aside a room in which to worship in an otherwise residential address doesn’t exempt you from Council Tax, regardless of which religion you follow. Best regards C Browning

OUR VIEW

ways of planning for contagion. By and large it was a relatively trouble-free event although how ticketless ‘fans’ could break in to Wembley and stay to watch the match is beyond belief. Apart from the disappointment for England with the result, the worst thing has been the racial abuse on social media to the three black players who did not score from the penalty spot. This is sadly an example of how cowardly fools hide behind computer screens to spew out hatred assuming that they will remain anonymous and let’s hope that the

police will discover their identities and charge them. Here in Spain, those bars and restaurants offering access to watch the matches have certainly done very well out of the campaign and certainly the British spend will have been a very welcome boost for the owners who suffered so much from lockdown. There is at least one consolation for the three lads who didn’t score as Gareth Southgate alongside teammates Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle earned a decent crust from their Pizza Hut advert in 1996.

RACIAL ABUSE: Followed the penalties of the EURO 2020 final.

Kate Faet Smith Absolutely disgraceful behaviour.

Sharon Terry Ban all of them from social media, and fine them.

Avril Butt Not a football fan but guys you all did your best, so well done for your achievement.

Brian Francis If they absolutely have to blame anyone it should be the manager who failed to see the obvious. That the Italian substitutions were taking the game away from us. He failed to bring on a couple of pacey players until it was too late. Well done Mancini for having the courage to go for it. You made your own luck.

Elke Bailey Unbelievable. There are too many hooligans calling themselves fans.

Linda Tubb They are not football fans, they are ignorant racist morons. By all means criticise a footballer for missing a penalty but I fail to see what that has to do with the colour of their skin!

Antonio Aragonés Don’t pay them the compliment of calling them fans. They aren’t interested in the football. It’s just a vehicle for their xenophobia and ignorance.

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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It’s absolutely disgusting! MIKE SENKER IN MY OPINION Views of a Grumpy Old Man WELL it’s not coming home - unless you live in Italy - and that’s all I was going to say about that. But it can’t be left at that because of the absolute scum that went on social media to racially abuse the young black players that were involved in the penalty shootout. They should have their accounts banned immediately and the people involved should be found and nicked. It’s absolutely disgusting! They are the same people that boo the opposition’s national anthems and probably went on to social networks to say how disgusting it was that none of the Spanish players sung their national anthem. Of course, being so stupid, they didn’t check or know that the Spanish national anthem doesn’t have any words! Lawyers, accountants, estate agents, management agents - people forget they work for us and unless I go for a specific piece of advice, should do what they are asked to do and do it in a reasonable time scale. My daughter, back in November, asked her management company for per-

mission to install an electric car charging unit. The snotty person she’s dealing with still hasn’t got round to making a decision. So now, because of his inaction, lawyers will have to get involved which is more expense for everyone, all because one person just won’t do the job they are paid to do. I am about to sell a property but because of travel restrictions the buyer has given his lawyer Power of Attorney. We know the purchaser and his family and he knows the property. We are selling it complete as it’s a rental apartment and the agent has taken photographs of all fixtures and fittings and sent the lawyer 49 pages of coloured photographs. We printed out the last page and signed it. Next day we get a ‘phone call telling us that the lawyer, not his client, won’t accept it and we have to print out all 49 pages and sign each item individually. I, of course, said no problem, my pleasure - no, hold on what I actually said was no, go and do one! If it’s not acceptable don’t buy the apartment and we will all move on. The point is it’s not the client asking this, it’s the lawyer who has got busy all the way through the transaction with nit picking what should be a very simple deal. I haven’t heard anything more so I presume all is OK. Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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

15 - 21 July 2021

EWN 47


48 EWN

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15 - 21 July 2021

By Clinica Britannia

By Clinica Britannia

Natural solution YOUR body’s hormones control most of your basic bodily functions. They serve as an internal communication system, coordinating every‐ thing from digestion, appetite, immune func‐ tion, moods, and libido. So, when your hormones become unbal‐ anced it can affect the well‐being of the body. There are various treatments available when this happens, one being Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT). This is a more ‘natural’ solution to hormone issues but is not suitable for everyone, so it is important to get the advice from a specialist in this field. Symptoms of perimenopause and menopause like thinning hair, lowered sex drive, vaginal dryness, unusual weight gain, chronic fatigue, mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety and male hormone inbalances can all be successfully treated with BHRT. Bioidentical hormones are different from those used in traditional hormone replace‐ ment therapy (HRT). They mimic the hormones that our bodies produce naturally and are de‐

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Available in pill form or creams/gels. rived from plant oestrogens. It increases the levels of the hormones that have dropped and helps to moderate symptoms. BHRT can be administered in pill form or through the skin using gels, patches or person‐ alised creams made in specialised pharmacies to treat each person’s individual needs. Contact your Health provider for advice on whether this treatment would suit you.

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

Check out hormonal imbalances I EXERCISE regularly and eat healthily but still fail to lose weight, What could be the cause? If you eat a good diet and exercise reg‐ ularly but find it hard to lose weight then the reason could be a hormonal imbal‐ ance of thyroid or cortisol. Cortisol is very important to our body because it causes us to react when we see or feel that we are in danger. Howev‐ er, a continued high level of cortisol can trigger a series of problems. It is also known as the stress hormone as it is over produced by the body when a person is under extreme stress. This over produc‐ tion can destroy the muscles and nega‐ tively alter the metabolism, generating weight gain and fatty tissue deposits on the neck and mid‐section. Some of the common symptoms of high cortisol are mood swings, anxiety, headaches, hypertension, extreme changes in appetite, diarrhoea, superflu‐ ous facial hair and a swollen face. With a thyroid imbalance there are of‐ ten no symptoms except weight gain, so

Seek advice from a Nutritionist. it is essential to contact your GP who can perform the relevant tests to positively diagnose your disorder. Seeking advice from a Nutritionist is extremely benefi‐ cial, to discuss diet and lifestyle changes that can be made to stabilise the hor‐ mone levels.

If you have a question, you want answered email Dr Mera personally on 545152@gmail.com.


50 EWN

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15 - 21 July 2021

Tan-tastic:

how to stay bronzed WE spend hours in the sun trying to get bronzed and look good, but after a few days back in the colder weather, any reminder of the endless hours patiently sunbathing soon fade; here are a few tips to help keep you looking tanned and healthy. Preparation of the skin is vital to achieve a glowing tan, always moisturise the skin daily, there is no such a thing as

over moisturising. Days before take time to exfoliate the skin thoroughly and apply liberal amounts of moisturiser. Apply as often as possible, peeling skin is not attractive! Once you are happily settled at your holiday destination, use sunscreen. Higher factors for the first few days are recommended until you have the basis of a tan then you can lower the factor. Always use an after-sun cream, preferably one con-

taining A loe V era that helps repair the skin. W hen showering use cool water. Hot water can strip the skin of oils essential to retain a good tan. It is advisable to use a hydrating shower cream or oil rather than a gel or a foam. If you need to exfoliate after your holiday, do so very gently. Dead skin cells can make the skin appear dull but do not scrub! Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. STAY MOISTURISED: Always use after sun.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Choc milk boosts recovery CHOCOHOLICS will be happy to learn that chocolate milk is one of the best drinks to boost recovery after exercise. According to a recent survey, chocolate milkshakes allow athletes to exercise for six minutes longer than advertised sports drinks as well as improve heart rate and lactic acid levels which could cause cramping. The chocolate and milk combined contains carbohydrates, proteins, fats and electrolytes unlike the more traditional drinks which often do not contain proteins. The research was conducted at the Sadoughi University in Iran, Study author Dr Amin Salehi-Abargouei said, “Chocolate milk contains carbohydrates, proteins, fats, flavonoids, electrolytes, and some vitamins which make this drink a good

WHILST we may have read about Meghan Markle’s strict meditation routine in the days leading to her wedding or Goldie Hawn’s summer holiday to a retreat in Greece, the relatively new practice of mindfulness is still an unknown practice that most of us are still unacquainted with. Rooted from ancient Buddhist traditions, the modern version of the mindfulness movement began in 1979. Kabat-Zinn; a professor from Massachusetts Medical School who worked on pain relief in his patients discovered that patients tried to mentally escape or avoid the pain, but this inner struggle resulted in creating more problems, mental anguish and exhaustion. By teaching them a mindful approach to the pain, he could relieve distress and improve overall health.

choice for recovery in athletes. “The take-home message is that chocolate milk is a low-cost, delicious and palatable option for recovery and provides either similar or superior effects compared with commercial drinks.” One-hundred-and-fifty participants were used in the experiment and asked to complete a number of tasks from running and cycling to gym work. Their post-recovery process was then analysed with tests done on heart rates, levels of lactic acid and tiredness. Kim Spaccarotella from Kean University in Union, New Jersey, was not involved in the study, but agreed with the research, saying, “Any food that provides carbohydrate, protein, fluid and electrolytes and is well-tolerated will help promote recovery.

All in the mind Mindfulness is a natural quality that we all possess, we just need to focus on the art of creating space for ourselves - time to think, breathe and be aware of our actions at that present moment. The benefits of practising mindfulness in adults, children and in the workplace are overwhelming. Proven positive outcomes include the following: Decreased stress, better health, more energy, reduced depression symptoms, assistance in recovery, improved academic success and enhanced ability to deal with illness. To learn the art of mindfulness needs consistent practice as quoted by Buddha - ‘Each morning we are born again. What we do to-

MILKING IT: One of the best after exercise. “In addition to chocolate milk, other popular choices are cereal with milk, smoothies, sandwiches or soup. A small meal will even work, if the athlete is feeling hungry.”

day is what matters most.’ So, to begin the process set a time limit each day that will be viable, take a seat in a place that makes you feel calm and start by noticing your body. Feel the sensation of your breath as you inhale and exhale. When you notice your mind beginning to wander and your attention leaves the sensations of the breath to think of other things simply return your attention to the breath. Don’t be judgemental to yourself or obsess over the content of your thoughts, just go back to experiencing the awareness of your breath so you too can feel the amazing benefits of this calming form of meditation. Remember - ‘Mindfulness is the act of being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling at every moment - without interpretation or judgement.’


52 EWN

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15 - 21 July 2021

DAVID WORBOYS THERE are plenty of reasons for pride in one’s country without being jingo‐ istic, arrogant or naively hopeful. During my lifetime, my country’s greatest achievement took place not on English soil but in the skies above it. The heroes of the Royal Air Force, supported by the Royal Navy, who fended off the threat of hostile occu‐ pation by winning the Battle of Britain in 1940, take my top spot. For the last 50 years I have realised that, to the majority of our popula‐ tion, national pride is identified as pride in the England football team, based simply on victory in one match 55 years ago. For so many people this was our greatest national success of the last century and led us to believe we are a leading footballing country. And sadly, we cling on to it. To set this brutally in context, the victorious 1966 team played all its matches at Wembley while the great Portuguese side (14 goals in four matches), whom we beat in the semi‐final, had to trav‐ el around the country to Manchester

FOOTBALL CRAZY

GARETH SOUTHGATE: An inspiring leader and only one tragic blunder failed him. and Liverpool for two matches in each. Their semi‐final match against England was scheduled for Liverpool but changed to Wembley to spare the hosts leaving their home‐base. For the final against Germany, Eng‐ land remained at Wembley. And in the recent Euro 2020, only one of

England’s seven matches was not played at Wembley! Is this what is meant by ‘football’s coming home’? All the other World Cup winners have succeeded on foreign soil. Apart from Spain, they have all won it more than once ‐ and they have also ap‐ peared in more than one final. Since

1966, the great rivals, Germany and Italy, have each prevailed four times. UEFA Euro has been won by Denmark and Greece, but not England. Gareth Southgate, an inspiring leader, has over‐achieved. He reached the 2018 World Cup semi‐fi‐ nal away from Wembley in Russia and

FEATURE

the UEFA final this year, which Ger‐ many, France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium failed to do. Only one tragic tactical blunder failed him ‐ the last‐ minute substitutions. These penalty‐ takers had hardly kicked the ball. Pride in one’s national football team, regardless of its achievements, can be visibly and passionately ex‐ pressed (often with violence and hooliganism). There are many other potential sources of pride in one’s country. People would not drink, roar, hug each other and wave flags in eu‐ phoric, inebriated crowds at the thought of having litter‐free streets and a low crime rate. It would be nice to be able to show pride in a statesmanlike Prime Minis‐ ter, an efficient and reliable health service, no slums, no homelessness, a mature media and a healthy and edu‐ cated population. It’s all a matter of proportion. By contrast, the RAF fighter command, outnumbered in aircraft and pilots, battled against the odds to preserve our liberties and our way of life. 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.


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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

15 - 21 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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15 - 21 July 2021

FEATURE

Keep those biting bugs at bay EMMA WALLSWORTH SUMMER has arrived and so have our biting bugs, mosquitoes and stinging insects, so make sure you are prepared. Make your own bite and wasp sting relief soft salve at home. Ingredients: • 17g of organic beeswax •   cup of organic olive oil •   cup of organic coconut oil • 5 drops of lavender essential oil • 5 drops of calendula essential oil • 5 drops of peppermint oil Method: 1. Add water into a pan and heat. 2. In a glass jug add grated beeswax 3. Place jug into pan of hot water (water should only reach halfway up your jug) 4. Melt wax and stir with a wood skewer. 5. Once wax is melted add your olive oil and coconut oil 6. Once all melted take off the heat and add your chosen essential oils 7. Pour into heatproof jars and leave to set.

STING RELIEF: You can make at home. Essential oil health benefits: Lavender essential oil can erase nervous tension, increase blood circulation, cure res‐ piratory problems, sanitise skin and scalp and calm pain. Calendula oil blends well with other floral oils and oils that also provide good antibacte‐ rial and antiseptic properties.

Peppermint can be attributed to the pres‐ ence of menthol and other biochemicals which have been tested to repel bugs, cock‐ roaches, and mosquitoes. You can always prepare a safe bug repellent with the use of peppermint oil as a base, although it can be applied directly to keep the bugs and mosquitoes away.

Emma Wallsworth’s opinions are her own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.


PETS

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SPONSORED BY

Do you need 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 homeowner on HouseSitMatch.com 2. Choose a Premium ac‐ count (£89 per year) to ensure you can help online when need‐ ed 3. Create a profile with ph‐

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Do you need a house-sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either house-sitter or homeowner with a 20 per cent discount using coupon code P2020 - an exclusive offer for readers. To find a house or pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com. FOR years it has been medically documented that companion an‐ imals, like dogs, cats, rabbits and birds, help people live longer and healthier lives. Being responsible for caring for an animal often gives new mean‐ ing to someone who is living alone or who is far from loved ones. Pets can help elderly people keep an active lifestyle and may help fill a void left by living alone.

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Imaging technology is critical for adequate diagnosis and staging in human and veterinary oncology SENSITIVE detection of lesions is necessary to deter‐ mine appropriate therapy and to monitor therapeutic results. New technology in digital radiography, ultra‐ sound, computed tomography (CT) and MRI scanning are now widely available in veterinary medicine. Diag‐ nostic imaging plays an essential role in the diagnostic workup and/or staging of small animal cancer patients. For some tumours, it is also an essential tool for surgi‐ cal and radiation therapy planning. CT is often the preferred method to evaluate a vari‐ ety of cancers including lung cancer, thoracic, abdomi‐ nal and bone tumoors as the images allow confirming the presence of a tumoor, measure its size, precise loca‐ tion and the extent of the tumoor’s involvement with other nearby tissues. MRI is especially useful in imaging the brain and spine, as well as the soft tissue of joints and structures of bones. High‐quality diagnostic imag‐ ing plays an important role in providing an accurate di‐ agnosis, which is why Anicura Marina Baixa Veterinary Hospital has heavily invested in the best, state‐of‐the‐ art imaging equipment in veterinary medicine.

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Rescue pets For working families taking on a rescue pet should take into con‐ sideration that they have time for a new family pet. Children should be encouraged to help and go to dog training classes which are ed‐ ucational, social and a lot of fun. Seniors may want to consider

adopting an older adult animal in‐ stead of a puppy or kitten or ram‐ bunctious ‘teenage’ pet. Older pets are more likely to be calm, al‐ ready house trained and less sus‐ ceptible to unpredictable be‐ haviour. Animal shelter staff can help potential adopters find the most suitable animal. Seniors should not be encour‐ aged to take on a large dog, many seniors take on a dog far too pow‐ erful for them. Obviously if you live in an apartment then you have a small dog. Dog’s lives evolve around odour; I always recommend bathing a rescue pet as soon as possible. By doing this you wash away the old identity and allow the dog to get his new identity. Take your new pet for a walk around the area of yourhome as soon as you are able. This allows your new pet to learn the new smells of the area. Ensure all doors, gates etc to the home are secure and that you have a microchip or tab on the collar with your phone number. Try not to smother the dog and keep in mind that now is the time to set the rules of your home.


SERVICES

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AIR CONDITIONING

REMOVALS & STORAGE

15 - 21 July 2021 PLUMBERS

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58 EWN PLUMBERS

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

INSURANCE

AIR CONDITIONING

SERVICES


SERVICES

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

INSURANCE

15 - 21 July 2021

EWN 59


60 EWN

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

TV & SATELLITE

TV & SATELLITE

SERVICES


15 - 21 July 2021 • www.euroweeklynews.com

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AIR CONDITIONING

ARCHITECTS

THE SALVATION ARMY English Speaking Church of Denia Worship Service. Sunday 10:30 am Followed by a time of Fellowship Everyone is welcome. Come as you are! For more information: Dieter Zimmerer +34 698 609 658 or Barbara Zimmerer +34 652 319 810 Email dieter zimmerer@hotmail.com, www.centrosaron.com (10008) www.helpbenidorm.org and on Facebook VOLUNTEERS NEEDED, particularly Spanish speakers for interpreter service, and car owners. Tel President 607 387 040, Welfare 607 386 964, Interpreters 607 385 842, Equipment 663 495 396. We are an English speaking charity that assists residents and tourists of all nationalities in times of crisis, we also organise social events for members. We meet every Thursday at 10.30 in Jose Llorca Social Centre C. Goya s/n. Benidorm. It is opposite the Foietes Car Park where there is a Wednesday market. Everyone welcome. It is 400m from Benidorm tram station and on bus routes 1 and 8. We loan out mobility and medical equipment including oxygen concentrators on a short-term basis. (288658)

CLUBS/SOCIETIES

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

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15 - 21 July 2021

Vehicle sales increase REGISTRATIONS in Spain for electric, hybrid and gas vehi‐ cles (cars, quadricycles, com‐ mercial and industrial vehi‐ cles and buses) increased in June 2021 by 126.8 per cent compared to the same month in 2020, to 35,413 units, 34,457 of which were regis‐

trations for passenger cars. Total sales for the year saw the purchase of these vehicles rise by 134 per cent, to 149,014 units. For the passenger car mar‐ ket, the figure was 133.41 per cent in the first quarter, main‐ taining a growing rhythm that

with 141,878 registered units already account for one out of every three passenger car sales, managed to surpass for the first time purchases of diesel cars. The increase in registrations up to June this year places the total share of this type of vehi‐ cle at 26.7 per cent of the glob‐ al market in Spain. The regis‐ tered sales of 110,118 units of non‐plug‐in hybrids this year, represented 19.73 per cent of the total market. Compared to June 2020, all types of alternatively powered vehicles managed to increase their sales, representing 31 per cent of the total market. Pure electric vehicles registered the highest increase in the month, with a growth of 226.8 per cent, with 2,967 units. Similarly, plug‐in hybrids and conventional hybrids follow the trend of recent months, with a growth of 206.7 per cent and 122.2 per cent, respective‐ ly. For their part, gas vehicles (LPG, GN and LNG) achieved a lower increase than the rest of the alternative vehicles, with a growth of just 7.7 per cent.

MOTORING

Huge fines for BMW THE European Commission found that Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen group, Volk‐ swagen, Audi and Porsche, breached EU antitrust rules by colluding on technical devel‐ opment in the area of nitro‐ gen oxide cleaning. The Commission has im‐ posed a fine of €875,189,000. Daimler was not fined, as it re‐ vealed the existence of the car‐ tel to the Commission. All par‐ ties acknowledged their involvement in the cartel and agreed to settle the case. “The five car manufacturers Daimler, BMW, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche possessed the technology to reduce harmful emissions beyond what was legally required un‐ der EU emission standards,” said Executive Vice‐President of the Commission Margrethe Vestager on Thursday July 8. “But they avoided to com‐ pete on using this technology’s full potential to clean better than what is required by law. So, today’s decision is about how legitimate technical coop‐

eration went wrong. And we do not tolerate it when com‐ panies collude. It is illegal un‐ der EU Antitrust rules. Compe‐ tition and innovation on managing car pollution are es‐ sential for Europe to meet our ambitious Green Deal objec‐ tives. And this decision shows that we will not hesitate to take action against all forms of cartel conduct putting in jeop‐ ardy this goal,” she added. The car manufacturers held regular technical meetings to discuss the development of the selective catalytic reduc‐ tion (SCR)‐technology which eliminates harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx)‐emissions from diesel passenger cars through the injection of urea (also called ‘AdBlue’) into the ex‐ haust gas stream. During these meetings, and for over five years, the car manufacturers colluded to avoid competition on cleaning better than what is required by law despite the relevant technology being available. More specifically, Daimler,

BMW and Volkswagen group reached an agreement on Ad‐ Blue tank sizes and ranges and a common understanding on the average estimated AdBlue‐ consumption. They also ex‐ changed commercially sensi‐ tive information on these elements. They thereby re‐ moved the uncertainty about their future market conduct concerning NOx‐emissions cleaning beyond and above the legal requirements, so called ‘over‐fulfilment’, and AdBlue‐refill ranges. This means that they re‐ stricted competition on prod‐ uct characteristics relevant for the customers. That conduct constitutes an infringement by object in the form of a limitation of techni‐ cal development, a type of in‐ fringement explicitly referred to in Article 101(1)(b) of the Treaty and Article 53(1)(b) of the European Economic Area (EEA)‐Agreement. The conduct took place be‐ tween June 2009 and October 2014.


MOTORING

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ROAD TEST by Mark Slack

IT’S one of those cars that’s been a staple of city streets for decades, the preserve of young first time drivers and more mature drivers who have downsized as their mo‐ toring requirements lessen. In its latest form though the Nissan Mi‐ cra bears no resemblance to its forebears. Gone are the rather dumpy, bug eye looks in favour of a modern, sharply styled city car. Prices start from €16,711 (£14,340) with four trim levels, just one engine, a 1.0‐litre, three‐cylin‐ der turbocharged petrol, and a choice of five‐speed manual or CVT automatic gearbox. All have four doors and the Micra looks particularly snazzy when you open the door. My top‐line Tekna model was finished in optional Passion Red

A sharply styled car.

15 - 21 July 2021

Nissan Micra Tekna paintwork (€670/£575) with an in‐ terior that had light grey highlights on the seating and dash. Standard fare is good with even lead‐in models equipped with au‐ to lights and wipers, Bluetooth, air conditioning, power door mirrors, tyre pressure monitoring system and a plethora of safety kit. My Tekna model (€22,614/£19,405) added a Bose sound system, navi‐ gation, Apple Car Play and Android Auto, parking sensors, cruise con‐ trol, rear view camera, automatic air conditioning and keyless entry and start. It’s a smart place to be with plenty of room at the front and, considering its diminutive size, reasonable space for the rear pas‐ sengers, so the Micra fits a lot in to its small frame. The steering is a

little light on the move, better in town, but responds well enough and the ride is pretty decent even over rough surfaces. The CVT au‐ tomatic gearbox is a smooth oper‐ ator but rather slow to respond

and lengthens the 0 to 100 kph dash by two seconds over the al‐ ready moderate performance of the manual. Ease the right foot and the auto box is fine, but try a more spirited start and things get

quite noisy and not much in the way of forward motion. Personal‐ ly, I would opt for the manual gear‐ box to make the Micra a really use‐ able and likeable city car. With such a lot of competition

EWN 63

the Micra has its work cut out against the likes of Ford’s Fiesta and Vauxhall’s Corsa, to name just two. However, the Micra beats, significantly in some cases, the competition on price. It also has the more edgy and unusual looks, plus higher levels of tech. It’s moved into a car for the young and trendy with equipment to match.


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