Mission Statement: to assist the integration of foreign residents living in Spain and this is never more accurate than when you establish yourself as a foreign resident in a new country Being able to quickly familiarise yourself with the culture and customs can help ease the transition during a challenging time This is why Euro Weekly News makes it our mission to provide you with a free news resource in English that covers both regional and national Spanish news – anything that we feel you will benefit from knowing as you integrate into your new community and live your best life in Spain you can forget about translating articles from Spanish into awkward English that probably don’t make much sense Let us be your convenient and essential guide to all things that will likely affect you as a foreign resident living in Spain It was a day to remember in Castalla as 18 lucky residents found themselves €35,000 richer thanks to Monday’s ONCE Daily Draw the small town in Alicante saw more than €630,000 handed out — not in one big prize but spread across a bunch of fortunate winners The man behind the surprise? Blas Sánchez Gallego, a familiar face to many in the area. He’s been selling ONCE lottery tickets since 2019 and this time his route through the town’s industrial estate brought a wave of joy unknowingly delivering life-changing slips of paper The winning number, for those keeping track, was 31395, with reintegro digits 3 and 5, and series 034. While Castalla didn’t take the top €500,000 prize the fact that so many people shared in the luck gave the town something even better — a feel-good story everyone’s talking about ONCE draws always come with a bit of heart given their mission to support people with disabilities across Spain planning a holiday or just enjoying a little peace of mind 18 neighbours now have 35,000 reasons to smile — and probably to give Blas a warm thank you next time they see him Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain by delivering news with a social conscience we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP) Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall) All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE Download our media pack in either English or Spanish A group of residents from Castalla Internacional an urbanization in the municipality of Castalla has taken up the gauntlet in the fight against ACS a Madrid superpower that carries out many large infrastructure projects in Spain Through a feasibility study carried out by Grupo Cobra various projects have been created and presented for approval throughout the country Submissions have been made to various authorities in order to plan the construction of several mega-large photovoltaic installations (Photo Voltaic Plates) Residents in the area have been informed about the “FV Castalla” project purely by chance and have learned that their residential area with hundreds of families will be almost completely surrounded by a sea of solar panels The project covers an area 7 times larger than the urbanization itself Residents have never officially been informed of such plans by any of the organisations concerned and it now appears that there are only a few weeks left to reach a full formal objection to the plans The impact of such a large facility on the enjoyment of life on and tourism will be enormous and irreversible So it is clear that such solar power projects are completely out of the so-called ‘green’ solution A green lung is sacrificed to come up with an environmentally friendly solution to a problem that is playing out on a national and global scale It is clear that there are other interests here than the so-called “better future for the country.” There is a lot of money involved in these types of projects and investors can achieve considerable returns The argument that farmer owners can also benefit because solar panels offer more than crops often affected by drought or heavy downpours can be convincing but unfortunately it turns out that once again it is the large landowners who can make the beneficial deals with investors and that the small and medium-sized local landowner has no chance to enjoy it it is only the large investors and owners who will reap the profits and the local population who are suffering with the destruction of an often green and natural living environment That is why these communities have decided to take action not only to save their own living environment but also to mobilize the rest of the population against such patriarchal practices that are nothing more than money machines for the rich if allowed to go ahead it will be an absolute nightmare for the residents who are now appealing for your help In order to build this mega plant It will also completely destroy the natural habitat of countless animals not to mention hundreds and hundreds of trees They are asking everyone to protest by signing the petition they have recently opened at Change.org against this type of megaproject and in this case to save the natural beauty of the VALLE DE CASTALLA but NO to the MACRO PLANTS LOCATED IN AREAS THAT WILL DEVASTATE THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF LOCAL RESIDENTS Log in to leave a comment © 2021 The Leader Digital Kaden Hopkins got his second season competing in Spain off to the perfect start after claiming a maiden victory with a dominant display in the Interclubs Castalla Road Race in Alicante on Saturday The 21-year-old only returned to Spain last week from a break back home in Bermuda over the festive period after he was handed a new one-year contract late last month by the Equipo Essax hierarchy having impressed in an encouraging first campaign with the elite under-23 team of the Sax Cycling Club building on the momentum of his silver medal-winning display at the Junior Pan Games in Colombia in early December wasted no time in repaying the faith shown in him seizing an opportunity to breakaway on one of the climbs with 20km to go maintaining his advantage to cross solo over the finish line saw him finish comfortably ahead of the field of 103 riders it definitely gives me a lot of motivation for the season to really kick off,” said Hopkins “It really was the best way to start and I hope to be in even better shape come the bigger early season races.” Hopkins was ultimately satisfied with his endeavours throughout his first season with the team he did concede the transition of relocating and competing at a higher level proved a baptism of fire after initially struggling to adjust to the intensity of the European circuit instead of dwelling on the disappointments at certain points last season determined to return and give a true reflection of not only his willingness to learn and develop within the team With his efforts already paying early dividends Hopkins is confident he is much better prepared both mentally and physically for the challenges that lay ahead especially in terms of the level that I have to be at to be competitive here,” added Hopkins “Last year it was really like jumping into the blind with never having raced in Europe before “I said going into this season that I wanted to make sure I was coming in at a level where I wouldn’t be playing catch-up like last year and so I’ve done my preseason a little differently “I’ve still included all the volume training and strength work I normally would but I tried to throw in some intensity a few times a week so it wouldn’t feel so foreign “Last year in races I found I was always racing defensively because I wasn’t comfortable waiting for it to get hard so I would always burn my matches too early,” he said I used the first two laps of the race to watch for strong riders and parts of the course that always seemed to put pressure on the race “In the last lap with 20km to go there was a lull in the peloton and I made my attack and stayed away till the finish.” Having enjoyed the ideal start to the season Hopkins ― who will begin a 12-day training camp with his team mates from tomorrow – will be hopeful of building further on the foundations of his first victory in Spain it promises to be a busy campaign for the Bermudian rider with the Vuelta Independencia Caribbean Championships and UCI Road World Championships all on his racing schedule He will also have one eye on representing the island at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham having already met two of the three qualifying standards You must be Registered or Signed in to post comment or to vote Which of the Throne Speech promises is the Government best equipped to deliver on View Results Giochi Preziosi Group has acquired the doll and accessories business of Muñecas Arias the Spanish doll brand created more than 45 years ago in Castalla The acquisition is in line with the strategy of the Group to create a solid broad baseline of own property brands that will allow the business of Arias to grow in the Spanish Giochi Preziosi Group is continuing its investment strategy in the Spanish market looking for product and operational excellence in order to enrich its portfolio and cover different segments of the toy market The Arias dolls have become another important asset in the Group’s portfolio beauty and care embedded in each of the Arias dolls now has the opportunity to expand into new markets and to steadily grow “We’re so happy to welcome the Arias dolls into our family,” said Enrico Preziosi “We believe that a bright future is in front of all of us after this acquisition The Giochi Preziosi Group is once again showing the ability to bring on board assets that keep adding value to the company and can help shape a solid and everlasting future Although the market environment is currently challenging the Group is committed to investing for the future.” “I am really excited to start this new journey” José Antonio Arias and María-Luisa Martínez we have realised that in order to develop our brand We see a tremendous opportunity in front of us and will share with the Giochi Preziosi Group our passion and commitment to bringing a smile and quality products to children around the world.” an Italian multinational with more than 40 years of history is currently one of the largest European players in the traditional toy industry with direct sales in the six major European countries and in Turkey operations in the Far East and distribution agreements all over the world Muñecas Arias has been manufacturing handmade dolls and accessories of great quality and realism in Spain which are distributed in more than 30 countries it is one of the first companies to produce on a large scale Reborns Babies dolls that perfectly simulate reality and are created using laborious an autonomous region on the east coast of Spain Chefs around the world execute this popular rice dish in an array of styles smoky Valencian-style paella has guidelines The ingredient list traditionally includes saffron and a medley of local beans (broad string ferraura And many who come in search of the epicurean specialty aren't just in town for eating; this meal is just as much about the show Often made in laughably humongous portions Valencian-style paella is perfect for food festivals and cook-offs Visitors flock to the region to revel in the grandiosity of the culinary ritual: Cooked outdoors in a pan designed for the likes of a fairy-tale giant there are Spanish companies that specialize in turning a giant paella into a collective eating party They partner with local governments that put on community festivals then travel from town to town on a mission to bring out large ranging from local gatherings to international competitions culminate in free handouts of giant paella for anyone in attendance the small town of Castalla honored Valencia Day in 2018 by serving a massive Celebrants lined up for more than two hours just to get a taste an annual paella contest that features multiple giant rice-filled pans touts itself as the birthplace of paella. Chefs around the world execute this popular rice dish in an array of styles And many who come in search of the epicurean specialty aren’t just in town for eating; this meal is just as much about the show the finished marvel can feed hundreds. Today Sign up for our newsletter and get the best of Gastro Obscura in your inbox The paella contest has been going strong since 1961 Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders His gory trophy haul of 11 ears and one bull's tail from a single afternoon's fight on Sunday made him one of the greatest matadors ever deemed too noble and brave to kill at the end of the fight added to the legendary nature of a bullfight that propelled Tomás's face to the front page of El País El Mundo and other major Spanish dailies on Monday "Extraordinary," wrote Nobel prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa "I have never seen a bullring so packed "Some of us wept at the sight of such excellence of perfection," wrote El Mundo's respected bullfighting critic in the arts pages of newspapers which still treat the bullfight as culture Tickets had long ago sold out for the rare opportunity to see one of the greatest living bullfighters face six bulls. Most bullfights see three matadors take on two bulls each but, as the beleaguered bullfight seeks salvation from an onslaught of criticism over cruelty and dwindling public funding in crisis-hit Spain fans saw this exceptional fight as an opportunity to stem the anti-taurine tide "Catalonia is here!" was one of the cries heard from fans who had crossed the border from Spain's northeastern region – where bullfights no longer take place – to watch a pastime that also has roots in southern France The Catalonian parliament banned bullfighting at the start of the year in response to a popular petition but opponents questioned whether the ban was about protecting animals or about identity politics with nationalists and separatists seeking to differentiate the region from the rest of Spain fought at Barcelona's La Monumental bullring a year ago in Catalonia's last bullfight bringing to an end what fans said were six centuries of bullfighting in the region critics agreed that Tomás deserves a place in the pantheon of great matadors "José Tomás is an exceptional bullfighter his courage and his art," wrote Vargas Llosa in El Mundo "There have always been stars in bullfighting but José Tomás is different to them all." Tomás has long been the darling of bullfight-loving artists and entertainers which shares the tradition of bullfighting with Spain and some South American countries In recent years the number of Spanish bullfights has fallen by a third as town halls But bullfighting has received a boost from the new conservative People's party government of Mariano Rajoy which has allowed it to be broadcast live once more on state television had not shown a bullfight for six years until it recently changed its code of conduct which now allows bullfights to be shown during children's viewing time Tomás has only fought a few fights this season keeping fans yearning for more opportunities to see their idol "The aim is to have only a few fights making quality the most important thing and to generate expectation and excitement," his manager Tomás is also believed to charge the most for his services "The obvious question now is whether fans in Madrid Seville or Bilbao will be able to see anything similar," commented Andrés Amorós the bullfight critic for the newspaper ABC But those who think Tomás might save the bullfight from decline are worried that the exact opposite could happen Rather than providing further legendary fights Taryn Kaur PedlerPublished: Invalid Date THIS is the horror moment a raging bull bounced a teen on his horns and tossed him like a rag doll during a terrifying Spanish bull run attack The 19-year-old was gored by the massive beast in Castalla, Alicante, as he tried to outrun the furious animal Gruesome footage from the event shows a group of men sprinting down a narrow street as a raging bull charges towards them Then one teen in a black T-shirt can be seen slipping on the road while attempting to flee the bull but shockingly does't manage to get back onto his feet in time he is caught instantly on the bull's razor-sharp horns and thrown around the dark street The huge animal repeatedly crushes the teen - not named in local media - against the terraced street walls before lifting him up with its horns again Screaming onlookers try to distract the raging bull as it drags the man across the floor, shoving him into the wall with its head. He is then tossed to the other side of the road again before managing to escape when he is hurled towards a door where he staggers behind a security grille. The terrifying clip was recorded on August 12 at the five-day Fiestas de Vaca - or Cow Festivities - in honour of Saint Roch. Reports said the teen was in a stable condition when he was rushed to hospital where he is being treated for four horn wounds and multiple bruises Local official Jose Rico commented: "It's as if a train ran over him but the wounds are minor and the boy is in better condition than expected." Spanish animal welfare party PACMA took to Twitter to condemn the event It wrote: "'Bous al carrer' [bulls in the street] events not only cause stress for the bulls but also pose a danger to people "This 19-year-old man has been hospitalised with four horn gashes in Castalla after being charged by a bull we will spare ourselves from these tragedies." It comes after a man was gored by a baby bull in front of hundreds of festival goers in Spain last year The 47-year-old was left with a gushing wound after brawling with the animal in the closed arena in Pinoso An American tourist was also attacked by a bull last year during the fifth bull run at Pamplona's San Fermin Festival. And in 2017, a man was gored up the backside by a raging bull during one of Spain's renowned bull running fiestas Graphic footage shows the moment the man was brutally stabbed by the bull's horn in the buttocks and legs before being tossed around the streets in front of horrified onlookers in the town of Salamanca. Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/ Spanish police have destroyed the Albanian drug trafficking gang in the province of Alicante while it has arrested 9 people who were part of this gang led by a man and his nephew. In relation to this gang the investigations started in December of last year when the Civil Guard received information about the presence of a criminal organization of Albanian origin dedicated to the cultivation of marijuana indoors in the province of Alicante. Immediately the main Posts of the Civil Guard of Ibi and Altea jointly and to confirm the information received launched the operation Florenpapa-Scouts. In the first phase three marijuana plantations were established at home in the exclusive areas of Altea where criminals sought to go unnoticed. After careful observations the agents have managed to identify the members of the criminal group and clarify their roles and functions. At the head of this gang were two Albanians for whom there was also an international arrest warrant from Italy. Meanwhile during four simultaneous controls that were carried out in Alicante cultivation material and 2 high-end vehicles were seized. In the apartments to make the plantations more efficient and profitable the criminals had made clandestine connections to the electrical network causing an economic damage of 196,782 euros to the electrical companies. At the time of the arrest one of the leaders tried to escape from a balcony but was finally stopped by agents on the terrace of a nearby house. The arrested have been charged with drug trafficking and cultivation money laundering and belonging to a criminal organization. On its part the Court has ordered the imprisonment of 8 of the gang members Plenary Session Terminated after Tensions in Assembly Hall Opposition MPs Climbed through Windows to Enter Assembly Offices Tirana-Besiktas Match Suspended Due to Incidents Strong Security Measures for Bill Clinton's Visit in Tirana DP Accuses PM of Ignoring Albanians Living in Survival Conditions {{gallery.imageDetails.images.0.description}} Kaden Hopkins is determined to build on the momentum of his strong start to the new season in Spain ahead of competing in the La Vuelta Guadelentine on Friday The 21-year-old heads into the three-day event fresh off the back of successive podium places following up victory in the season opening Interclubs Castalla Road Race in Alicante with an encouraging third-place finish in the Vinalopó Interclub competition in Yelca Those performances have given the Bermudian rider renewed confidence and belief ahead of the first big race of the campaign “I felt very in control of my effort the whole race so it was a very motivating feeling,” said Hopkins who is in his second season with Equipo Essax the elite under-23 team of the Sax Cycling Club “I am really motivated by the form I have right now and I am hoping to perform in the first big race of the season punchy road stage and finishes with a mountain stage.” Reflecting on his previous outing – in which he completed the 95.8 kilometre course in 2 hr 5 mins 25 seconds of Gsport and Equipo Essax team-mate Oscar Moscardo – Hopkins was satisfied with his endeavours among a strong field of more than 200 riders “Going into the race there was 215 starters so I knew it was going to be very hectic because the race had lots of sections on very narrow roads that were not in great condition at points,” he added “I didn't want to risk any crashes so I worked hard to stay near the front the whole race there was an attack from four riders that I followed I thought it might be the move that would stay away but after about 10 minutes the teams working in the group pulled us back in “After that my team-mate went in a counter move that stayed off the front into the last climb which had a serious pinch point at the start of it “I managed to get into the last climb in the front and followed an attack of another rider who I then distanced half way up the climb “Overall I was really happy with my race again,” Kaden Hopkins extended his strong start to to the new domestic cycling season in Spain with an encouraging performance in the La Vuelta Guadelentine race series Fresh off the back of successive podium places ― following up victory in the season opening Interclubs Castalla Road Race in Alicante with an encouraging third-place finish in the Vinalopó Interclub competition in Yelca ― the 21-year-old was hoping to build on that momentum in the three-day event in the overall general classification with an accumulative time of 6hrs 58min 36secs just 32 seconds adrift of winner Abel Balderstone Roumens Hopkins was well in contention for a top-three finish after the first two days of racing Having claimed a second-place finish in the opening time-trial he went on to finish 12th in the road race to stay in third place in the general classification heading into the final day of competition a 136 kilometre course in Puerto Lumbreras Having endured a gruelling 400 plus feet of climbing Hopkins battled his way to a creditable 22nd place but well within the front pack of riders as they crossed the line That ultimately saw him drop out of the top-ten but Hopkins would have been content with still claiming a highly respectable finish overall and continue his encouraging start to the domestic campaign Philippine InSomnias’ dreams finally came true when Dreamcatcher brought its Invitation to Nightmare City to Manila on March 24 at SM North EDSA Sky Dome staging electrifying performances and gifting fans with heartwarming moments The septet kicked off the night with a fiery performance of “What” before keeping up with the crowd’s energy with intense stages of “Sleepwalking” and “Chase Me” and Gahyeon expressed their excitement over tonight’s performances during the introductory ment much to the delight of their adoring fans who have waited years and weeks to see them live for the first time in Manila the girls treated the crowd with “Wonderland” They then kept the energy pumping with an equally lively performance of “Good Night” The crowd gamely sang along and cheered — matching the girls’ playful energy onstage Dreamcatcher also set the mood with calming serenades the girl group sweetly serenaded SM North EDSA Sky Dome with “Daydream” and “Lullaby” the girls broke up into sub-unit performances which were specially prepared for their Asia tour Each sub-unit staged a unique performance of covers of popular songs SuA and Yoohyeon took the stage first with a cover of Charlie Puth’s “Attention” and Gahyeon then took the baton and wowed the crowd with covers of Justin Bieber’s “As Long As You Love Me” and “Boyfriend” Playful duo JiU and Dami wrapped up the unit stages with a cover of Flo Rida’s “I Don’t Like It I Love It” Dreamcatcher took the stage as a group once more with “Piri” the girls expressed their gratitude for the energy of the Philippine crowd the girls found a home in SM North EDSA Sky Dome They also delighted Philippine InSomnias when they promised to return soon The girls ended their debut Philippine show on a high with passionate performances of “Full Moon” and “Wake Up” [#드림캐쳐] 아시아 투어 마닐라 콘서트도 잘 마무리 했습니다 ~~~😝😝 열정이 넘치는 마닐라에서 잊지 못한 추억을 남겼어요~~ 썸냐들 정말 고마워요 우리를 예쁘게 봐주셔서 더 빛나게 됐어요🌞~~~~ 잘자요! 굿밤#Dreamcatcher pic.twitter.com/JgfETkMhmt — 드림캐쳐 Dreamcatcher (@hf_dreamcatcher) March 24, 2019 Dreamcatcher Concert “Invitation from Nightmare City” is presented by MyMusicTaste and Happy Face Entertainment Hellokpop extends gratitude to MyMusicTaste for the invitation to the event Covered by: Emylyn Castalla and Angela Suacillo better known to fans as Yeri of Red Velvet is officially beginning a new chapter in.. 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