Crowds will return to Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic next month for a charity bullfight to raise money for matadors left jobless by COVID-19, officials said on Saturday.
Almost all of Spain’s bullrings, or plazas, have remained closed for the last year due to lockdown restrictions – plunging the controversial spectacle and its matadors into financial crisis.
A maximum of 6,000 people will be allowed in to watch the May 2 bullfight, Madrid’s regional government said. That is equivalent to 40% capacity as the arena, considered the world’s most important bullring by fans.
Face masks will be mandatory and strict social distancing measures will be in place at the event.
Major bullfighting festivals such as San Isidro, Sevilla’s April Fair, and Pamplona’s San Fermin in July were cancelled last year, with bulls being sent from ranches straight to the slaughterhouse.
But even before lockdown bans brought bullfighting to a virtual standstill, the traditional emblem of Spanish culture had been struggling for survival in recent years.
Attitudes towards bullfighting differ among Spaniards with some considering it an essential part of the culture while others say it is a cruel spectacle.
A 2019 poll for El Español, an online newspaper, found 56.4% of Spaniards opposed bullfighting, while 24.7% supported it and 18.9% were indifferent.
In recent years, local governments have cut funding for fiestas, left-wing politicians oppose it, and a highly vocal anti-bullfight movement has grabbed headlines.
Dozens of partygoers danced on Friday on a popular beach near central Barcelona, some without wearing masks or observing social distancing in defiance of COVID-19 restrictions, police said on Saturday.
The impromptu party took place on Barceloneta beach and police said they had advised revellers they were breaking health regulations.
“Barcelona is the perfect place to party, to drink, but this is a big problem – the police – they are stopping people enjoying themselves,” a British reveller who gave only his first name Liam, 32, and who was wearing a mask, told Reuters.
Meetings of more than six people in public areas are banned in Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia
and offenders can face fines of 300 to 600 euros ($350 to $700), police said.
“Our officers advise people where there are big groups of people that they are contravening restrictions and sometimes if they do not put on masks or move away, they can face fines,” said a spokesman for Catalan regional police. He did not say if anyone had been fined in this instance.
Miquel Samper, Catalan regional interior minister, told RAC1 radio on Saturday people should wear masks if they are mixing with others on the beach, but did not need to do so if they are sunbathing or swimming in the sea – guidance which differs from national law.
Catalonia is one of several Spanish regions to defy a law brought in on Wednesday that requires people to wear masks outdoors regardless of whether the 1.5 metre safety distance is being observed.
After mounting criticism, the Spanish government has said the mask law would be revised, but has not said when any revision would take place.
A Hungarian community lives freely in Tenerife, in a barren area next to the airport, in cave dwellings carved into a hillside, or as they call them, “Rabbit Holes”. How did they get there, how do they live, and what is their purpose?
Utazómajom news portal interviewed the colony leader, Pálmester, to find the answers. The conversation revealed many exciting pieces of information about the life and activities of this small Hungarian community.
When was the last time you visited Hungary?
In the summer of 2019. I usually return to Hungary in the summer to visit my mom and friends and to help build the S.U.N. festival.
How did it all start, where did the idea to live in cave dwellings in Tenerife come from?
In the summer of 2011, I decided to “maverick”, because I no longer wanted to work as an engineer in Hungary. I travelled by hitchhiking in southwestern Europe, spending a lot of time in Spain. Then, after being encouraged by these experiences and accounts of my friends in the Canary Islands, I decided to spend my next “winter” here with my sweetheart at the time. In the summer of 2013, we found the old cave dwellings that had been abandoned for a long time. I have been thinking for many years to find or build a home, a community space, and this terrain seemed perfect for my plan.
Community courtyard. Photo by Pálmester kidsofthesunorg.wordpress.com
Did you live in a paid accommodation, and then, after finding the cave dwellings on a trip, did you simply move there the next day?
No. Since I left with a friend in the direction of Barcelona in August 2011, we didn’t pay for accommodation. I haven’t paid for housing ever since. We used to sleep in a tent or a hammock. Many times it was uncomfortable, but I am an experienced hiker, and I have already slept many times outside in nature anyway.
We volunteered at a place that wasn’t going well, but it was too trashy and boring, so we were looking for an alternative, and then we found the caves. Not long after that, we started cleaning them up and moved in soon.
The Rabbit Holes. Photo by Pálmester kidsofthesunorg.wordpress.com
How do you sustain yourself?
We basically follow a freegan lifestyle. Most of the things we use are things that others have already thrown away or want to throw out, so it is unnecessary to them. We spend money on very few things. I definitely live better out of the trash, garbage here than I could at home as an engineer. Plus, I’m my own master, I don’t harm anyone – I can’t say that about my previous work. Almost all of us do something to make some money to meet individual needs: we help acquaintances with construction and renovation, or we sell discarded, functional or repaired things, but we often craft or juggle. And of course, some do “normal” work because that kind of work can also be found here if somebody wants to be occupied.
How is everyday life there?
It is quite varied. Every day is different. We are in a state between community life and vacation, with plenty of opportunities.
Taurus party (Ramon’s birthday). Photo by László Ocskó kidsofthesunorg.wordpress.com
Is there democracy among you? Are there mandatory tasks?
Yes, we decide democratically, by vote, on important issues, about our rules and our projects. We have our basic rules, as well as everyday tasks that we have to do almost every day and that have to be shared, like bringing food, bringing water, collecting firewood, cleaning the kitchen and the yard, tidying up the toilet, cleaning in the warehouse (go through the stored food and assort it), cooking for the community (usually dinner is the main meal, where everybody participates), taking out the trash, cleaning up the caves – these are the basics. Still, there are other things to do, such as gardening, community building, repairs, decorating work, internet or official activity.
Need-to-do list in the community area. Photo by Pálmester kidsofthesunorg.wordpress.com
Why doesn’t this bother local authorities? Do they know about you at all?
Of course they know about us. We are clean and tidy, we are pacifists, we do not steal, we do not sell drugs, and those who have problems among us are sent away. I am sure the authorities are familiar with our project, Kids Of The Sun, which aims to run a non-profit cultural community that strives for a sustainable life.
And what do the locals think about you? How do they relate to your community?
Many of them are a little scared of us because it may seem “abnormal” to live in a hole dug into the ground? But we have a good relationship with the locals, we already have a lot of local friends, and they really like what we do.
How do you solve your electricity and water needs?
We solve the electricity problem with a solar system. We can use 1-2 laptops and other smaller 230V gadgets during the day, and there is a 5V USB phone-power bank charging option, LED lighting, community hi-fi all day. We carry the drinking water, and we have a 1000 litre tank for domestic water. We can fill that, but we also carry the water from the mountain or from the taps of our friends in 8-litre bottles. Fortunately, we often get help from locals with cars. We collect rainwater as well, which can be used at buildings and the garden also likes it more than chlorinated tap water.
Community courtyard. Photo by Pálmester kidsofthesunorg.wordpress.com
Have you ever felt in danger?
No, not really. It’s a safe place. As long as there is no “zombie apocalypse” or “mad max”, we don’t have to feel particularly in danger. There were two smaller fights in seven and a half years, but we finally managed to settle without problems. Once there was a fire in the yard too (possibly arson), but we solved that also. A bigger problem is that there is a lot of theft and burglary in the area. Although such worms tend to steal from the wealthy, for safety’s sake, there’s always someone home.
What are your long-term goals?
We want to continue our activities and realise our dream of building a non-profit cultural association.
Would you like the readers to visit you?
Not really. Firstly, we are not a holiday destination. Secondly, we cannot have many people now due to the viral situation, and thirdly, frequently, there are too many of us, and it can get uncomfortable. So we don’t really want tourists. On the other hand, yes, those interested in what we do and those who would like to participate (let’s call it volunteer work) for at least a month.
As we wrote before, some of the flights suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic were restarting in January and Tenerife as well was listed among the destinations. Read more about the list of renewed flights HERE.
Zoltán Nagy, who lives in Barcelona, won the prize of Spain’s oldest and internationally most recognised magazine, called the Club de Gourmets.
The writer of Hungarian origins is one of Spain’s most famous wine professionals and a member of many juries at wine competitions. His presence and professional activity is significant both in the Spanish wine regions and on the internet. On the course of 5 years, he has tasted and made people taste 10 thousand wines.
His book, titled Wine Queens, which was published back in 2018, has been chosen as 2021’s best gastronomic book of Spain by the magazine Club de Gourmets. The monthly issued magazine that plays a vital role in gastronomy, wine culture and tourism, was founded in 1976 and has been choosing the best of the best in gastronomy for ten years now, based on professionals’ and readers’ reviews. Chefs, restaurant managers, sommeliers, writers, restaurants, hotels, businesses and products are competing every year to win at the award ceremony, which will be held in 2021 in Madrid’s Salón Gourmet, one of Europe’s most important markets and exhibitions of foods and drinks.
Hvg.hu interviewed him asking about his book that presents 50 women whose lives are somehow, in different ways connected to wine in a South-European country where the industry itself is considered overly masculine. He said
“This has been the best news in 2020. I was surprised that my work was appreciated outside of Catalunya as well, and that I contributed to the Spanish wine culture.”
His mission is to make people understand that wine is a branch of culture; it always needs to be consumed responsibly and joyfully.
He talked about his year, how the pandemic influenced wine tourism, and how he had the time to work on a new project related to his book.
His plan for the next year, apart from publishing another work on wine-vinegar, is to make a documentary out of his award-winning book.
Before he can do all these, he will spend the holidays with a friend in Barcelona, eating great food and tasting fine wines while watching movies. He hopes that soon we can travel freely again and that he can return to Fiesta de vino, a Spanish wine festival organised in Budapest every September.
Justice minister Judit Varga discussed the European Union’s next seven-year budget, the bloc’s recovery package and the migration pressure faced by the EU, with Spain’s state secretary for the EU in Budapest on Tuesday.
Varga said on Facebook that her talks with Juan Gonzalez-Barba Pera in the justice ministry also addressed the EU’s future.
In that regard Varga called for launching a series of conferences focusing on the future of the bloc.
“Hungary’s position is that in future, national parliaments must be given a sufficient role, the principle of sovereignty must be respected and priority must be given to finding concrete solutions that help people better cope in life rather than running abstract ideological debates,”
Varga said.
“This is why it is important that member states most in need should have access to funds as soon as possible,” the Hungarian justice minister said.
A number of European countries are putting into place new restriction measures as a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates across the continent.
France reported a daily record of 52,010 new cases on Sunday, two days after becoming the second European country to register more than 1 million coronavirus cases, according to the Public Health Agency.
The grim second wave of the epidemic has forced the French government to impose curfews in a majority of regions across the country, requiring more than two-thirds of the French population, or around 46 million people, to stay home between 9 p.m. (2000 GMT) and 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) for six weeks.
The spokesmen for Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and President Sergio Mattarella both said that they tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday,
when the number of COVID-19 infections topped 20,000 for the first time in Italy in a 24-hour span.
Struggling with an explosive rebound, Conte announced on Sunday in a nationally televised press conference that pubs, bars, restaurants and ice cream shops must shut down at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) as part of new measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic, effective through Nov. 24.
The prime minister added that the government will promote smart working in public administration and that it “strongly recommends” the private sector do the same in order to reduce crowding on public transportation.
Spainish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Sunday announced a state of emergency,
days after the country became the first EU member to pass the 1-million-infection mark. The State of Alarm, effective from Sunday, is due to run 15 days. But the prime minister said his government aims to keep it in force until May 9 next year, a move that needs the support of a majority in the country’s 350-seat congress.
Also on Sunday, another 19,790 people in Britain tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the national tally to 873,800, with 44,896 coronavirus-related deaths, according to official figures.
The latest figures came as British doctors raised grave concerns about the pandemic situation in the autumn and winter period.
On Oct. 12, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out details of a new three-level COVID-19 alert system that will be implemented across England, with the level being decided according to local infection rates.
The alert system entails the closure of pubs and bars in the region unless they serve substantial meals while different households are banned from mixing indoors and outdoors, including in private gardens.
Meanwhile, cases have also risen strongly in Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria and Lithuania, some of which have reported record daily surges in infections in recent days.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on his Facebook page on Sunday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
Having reported record daily increases in COVID-19 cases for five consecutive days as of Sunday, Croatia’s National Civil Protection Headquarters announced new measures that will take effect midnight Monday.
The measures include mandatory physical distancing, a ban on all public events with more than 50 people, and a new limit on the number of people attending weddings and funerals.
Countries in Europe saw their daily coronavirus infection numbers set new records yet again on Wednesday as Spain’s total cases reached 1,005,295, becoming the first country in the European Union (EU) whose COVID-19 cases have topped one million.
In the past weeks, daily records of COVID-19 cases in many European countries have been smashed repeatedly as the continent took the brunt of surges in the second wave of the pandemic.
Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga said late Tuesday that she tested positive for COVID-19. On Wednesday, German Health Minister Jens Spahn was reported to have tested positive.
Britain, Poland, the Netherlands, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Lithuania all reported on Wednesday their new records of daily cases since the novel coronavirus outbreak, while Germany has registered more than 50 coronavirus infections per 100,000 inhabitants over a one-week period, the first time the country has breached its own critical limit for tackling the pandemic.
RECORDS SHATTERED
UK reported 26,688 daily coronavirus cases on Wednesday, its highest ever, taking the country’s total cases to 789,229. Meanwhile, coronavirus-related deaths in Britain rose by 191 to 44,158, according to official figures.
England’s South Yorkshire, where the case rates of COVID-19 infections are among the highest in the country, from 285 to 402 people per 100,000 inhabitants, will move its local COVID-19 alert level to the top restriction level from Saturday, the British Department of Health and Social Care announced Wednesday.
Poland’s daily number of confirmed coronavirus cases broke the 10,000 mark for the first time on Wednesday, standing at 10,040, with 130 deaths. The tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country has risen to 202,579, while 3,851 people have died since the start of the pandemic.
COVID-19 infections in the Netherlands kept climbing and reached a new daily record of 8,764 cases in a 24-hour span, bringing the country’s total to 253,134, official data showed on Wednesday. Fifty-nine patients had died in the 24 hours, taking the country’s toll to 6,873.
Another 105 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospital for treatment in the 24 hours, raising the number of COVID-19 patients currently in hospital to 2,013. Of those hospitalized, 465 patients were in intensive care.
Austria reported its biggest daily increase of COVID-19 cases as a further 1,958 people tested positive in the past 24 hours. There are currently 960 people in hospital for coronavirus treatment, 147 of them in intensive care units.
Croatia and Slovenia also reported their new high of 1,424 and 1,504 new cases respectively in the past 24 hours.
“The virus is spreading dynamically throughout Europe,” the Hungarian government’s coronavirus information website stated while releasing the new figure of 1,423 COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour span, adding that the goal of the Hungarian government was to keep the country functioning and not let the virus paralyze everyday life.
MORE RESTRICTIONS
The Lithuanian government decided on Wednesday to put 12 municipalities under a two-week lockdown as of Oct. 26 due to COVID-19 spikes. Lithuania reported 311 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the biggest daily spike since the country confirmed its first case on Feb. 28
The Czech government on Wednesday decided to close most shops and services in the country and strictly restrict the movement of residents as of Thursday to curb one of the world’s fastest growing COVID-19 infection rates. On Tuesday, the country reported 11,984 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily number since the pandemic outbreak.
As part of the new measures, which will remain in force until Nov. 3, gatherings of more than two people who are not in the same household or work together will be banned.
The measures — which resemble those in force during the first lockdown this spring — allow people to visit shops to buy essential items, make necessary family visits and travel to parks and the countryside.
To curb the spread of coronavirus and prevent a second lockdown, the Austrian government introduced tightened measures including a limit on indoor gatherings to six people and allowing states to impose regional restrictions such as curfews. These measures will come into effect from Friday and apply for at least four weeks.
In Belgium, where an average of 8,975 new cases per day were reported from Oct. 11 to Oct. 17, a new testing strategy came into effect on Wednesday. People with COVID-19 symptoms will be tested more to allow the testing to be more precise in order to break the chains of coronavirus transmission. The strategy applies to people returning from the red zones abroad. Those at low risk or who are asymptomatic will be tested less, according to spokesman Yves Van Laethem.
To ease the burden on its health system, the Polish government is building a temporary hospital containing 500 beds, with a possible expansion to 1,000, in the National Stadium. Poland is also making efforts to contain the pandemic. One candidate medicine, developed from blood plasma of recovered patients, is now undergoing testing in the eastern Polish town of Lublin.
As the world is caught in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries including France, Italy, China, Russia, Britain and the United States are racing to find a vaccine. According to the website of the World Health Organization, as of Oct. 19, there were 198 COVID-19 candidate vaccines being developed worldwide, and 44 of them were in clinical trials.
Ferencváros struck a post and had a goal disallowed within the first twenty minutes of their opening UEFA Champions League encounter away against Barcelona, but were ultimately outclassed as the Spanish giants overcame Gerard Pique’s second-half red cardm to ease to a 5-1 triumph.
Serhiy Rebrov’s team lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Dénes Dibusz in goal behind a back four of Ćivić, Kovaćević, Blažić and Botka and two central defensive midfielders in Laïdouni and Kharatin. Isael and Zubkov provided width either side of Sigér with Tokmac Nguen ploughing a lone furrow upfront.
It was striker Tokmac who troubled Barcelona most in an eventful first 20 minutes, first breaking clear and finishing superbly only to see the strike ruled out for offside, before then teeing up winger Isael for a first-time, angled drive which rattled Barcelona’s left post.
Those moments of danger served as warnings to Ronald Koeman’s team and they soon heeded them, the incomparable Lionel Messi dribbling into the Fradi penalty area and drawing a foul which led to the referee pointing to the penalty spot, the Argentinian legend dispatching the ball into the bottom-right corner of the net in the 27th minute.
Fifteen minutes later, youngster Fati volleyed Barca into a two-goal lead and that advantage was further extended seven minutes into the second half through Coutinho’s low, deflected effort.
Then came another Tokmac highlight though, his surging run onto Zubkov’s lofted pass halted by Gerard Pique’s shirt-pull, the referee having no hesitation in awarding a penalty to Ferencváros and dismissing the Catalan defender from the field of play. Ihor Kharatin coolly converted the spotkick to make the score 3-1, but while it seemed for a few minutes that the reigning Hungarian champions might yet spring a real surprise, instead it was the hosts who executed their remaining attacks superbly, Pedri and Dembele adding further goals as Barcelona ran out deserved 5-1 winners, despite Ferencváros’ courageous performance.
Although the game will give Barca confidence ahead of Saturday’s ‘Clasico’ against Real Madrid, Barca should not be carried away by this win against a much weaker side in a game which saw Gerard Pique sent off and subsequently suspended for next week’s away game against Juventus.
Rebrov’s side will now look forward to their first home match of the group stage next Wednesday against Dinamo Kiev in the Groupama Aréna in Budapest.
FC Barcelona look to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Getafe in La Liga on Saturday night when they entertain Hungarian side Ferencváros in their first game in the Champions League group stage.
It is just over two months since Barca’s last European adventure ended in disastrous fashion as they were humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in a defeat that began a chain reaction that ended with Quique Setien being sacked as coach and replaced by Ronald Koeman and players such as Luis Suarez and Ivan Rakitic shown the door.
Koeman’s reign began promisingly with energetic wins against Villarreal and Celta Vigo, but Barca looked flat in a 1-1 draw at home to Sevilla before the international break, and in Saturday’s defeat to Getafe.
The Dutchman rested Philippe Coutinho and Ansu Fati at the weekend and presumably they will both start against a rival Barca should have few problems in beating.
Antoine Griezmann’s place is probably in doubt after he disappointed again in Getafe, days after questioning the role he plays in Koeman’s side, while teenagers Pedri or Francisco Trincao also have chances of starting.
Both Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets disappointed at the weekend and that could give a chance to Miralem Pjanic in the heart of the Barca midfield, while injuries to Jordi Alba and Junior Firpo will probably mean Sergino Dest continues at left back.
Koeman is likely to have one eye on Saturday’s ‘Clasico’ against Real Madrid and may feel some temptation to rest Gerard Pique for the weekend, in which case Ronald Araujo will partner Clement Lenglet in the heart of the Barca defense.
After seeing his side’s positive start to the season run out of steam in their last two games, Koeman needs a comfortable win against the Hungarians, but he and everyone associated with the club knows that this is merely the warm-up, and the game he will really be judged on will take place Saturday.
Commemorations will be held in Budapest on Thursday to honour Spanish diplomat Ángel Sanz Briz, who saved the lives of some 5,200 Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust, the Spanish embassy said on Wednesday.
Briz (1910-1980) served as charge d’affaires in Hungary in 1944, and without prior authorisation from Madrid, he rescued Hungarian Jews, housing them in the protected Spanish mission and by providing them with Spanish papers.
The diplomat was awarded Israel’s highest honour, the Righteous Among the Nations, on October 18, 1966.
On Thursday at 10am, Spanish Ambassador Anunciada Fernandez de Cordova and Jozsef Toth, the mayor of the 13th district, will unveil a plaque at 48 Pannonia Street, a house put under the protection of Spain during WWII, the embassy said in a statement.
The ambassador will then plant another maple tree in the Park of Peace and Understanding at a memorial erected in memory of Briz in 2015 in the street named after him.
The event will be joined by László Kiss, the mayor of the 3rd district.
In Zaragoza, Briz’s home town, an online conference on the methods of teaching the Holocaust will be organised on Oct 22-23 at the local university. The events mark the anniversaries of the Spanish diplomat’s 110th birth and 40th death, the embassy said.
With an occupancy rate over 75%, Etele Plaza has already attracted some of the major fashion tenants. Inditex Group will be present in Buda’s largest shopping and entertainment centre with all of its brands available in Hungary, including Zara fashion store featuring a brand new design concept. Hungary’s first smart plaza located in the immediate vicinity of Etele square is going to open its doors in the third quarter of 2021.
Amid the challenges raised by the pandemic, the development of Futureal’s EUR 300 million Etele Plaza is still in progress with full capacity and expected to open by autumn next year. Meanwhile, to date, more than three quarter of the rentable area has been leased to high-profile tenants including some of the largest fashion retailers.
Spanish fashion giant Inditex Group’s international brands available in Hungary including Zara, Zara Home, Stradivarius, Pull&Bear, Bershka, Oysho and Massimo Dutti have joined Etele Plaza as anchor tenants. They will bring their latest store design concepts on a total floor area of more than 6,300 sq m. On the Buda side of the Hungarian capital only Etele Plaza is going to have Inditex Group’s full portfolio in one place.
Photo by Futureal
Zara will open its largest store in Buda with its brand new Soft concept, that has not yet taken over all the world’s metropolises, thus the shopping centre can boast that Zara store in Etele plaza is one of the first to introduce it alongside those in Dubai, Madrid, Istanbul and Croatia. As part of Zara’s commitment to improving the quality of service and shopping experience, the new store will be equipped with advanced RFID technology that helps to quickly and accurately track the location and movement of the clothing.
“We proudly introduce Inditex Group’s well-known brands as Etele Plaza’s anchor tenants. Due to its excellent location as well as the unique digital, sustainability, health and safety features there is a huge demand among retailers for the unique business opportunity and experience Etele Plaza can offer to them. As a result we have already successfully leased most of the rentable space and we are in negotiation with many promising partners. We are also open to cooperate with potential tenants that can make our state-of-the-art shopping centre an even more exciting and attractive place for customers,”
said Tibor Tatár, CEO of Futureal.
With a rentable area of 55,000 sq m, realised in the meeting point of the Kelenföld railway station, underground line 4 and the approach section of M1-M7 motorways, Etele Plaza can be easily accessed from both downtown and suburbs.
Photo by Futureal
The huge variety of shops and services, the smart digital solutions and the next generation of plaza design will all add to the uniqueness of the centre and bring a brand new shopping experience to Hungary.
The complex is being developed under Futureal’s Stay Safe initiative designed to respond to the changing market demand due to the epidemic.
Regions along the northwestern Mediterranean, particularly in France and Spain, have recorded the longest life expectancy in the European Union (EU), according to the EU’s statistical body Eurostat on Wednesday.
The report, which makes life expectancy comparison across the EU regions based on statistics of 2018, was published to mark the International Day of Older Persons to be observed on Oct. 1, said Eurostat.
In 2018, the life expectancy of a newborn in the EU was 81 years. This figure was 5.5 years higher for women (83.7 years) than men (78.2 years), according to Eurostat.
The highest levels of life expectancy were recorded in “a band of regions running from northern Spain through much of western and southern France and into northern and central parts of Italy, as well as the north-western Greek region of Ipeiros,” according to the report.
The report did not elaborate on the reasons for the result, but it is well-known that European Mediterranean areas attract retirees thanks to the proximity to the sea and the pleasant weather.
The livable belt happens to be the areas that have witnessed severe COVID-19 situation, with high infection rate and mortality, according to the EU pandemic updates.
The coronavirus has caused 35,851 deaths in Italy, 31,411 deaths in Spain and 31,808 deaths in France since the beginning of the pandemic in Europe, according to the latest official figures from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has called on the Hungarian Football Association (MLSZ) to order the UEFA Super Cup match scheduled for Thursday to be played to an empty stadium.
The match between Bayern Munich and Sevilla in Budapest’s Puskás Arena will be the first UEFA match to be played in front of spectators since the novel coronavirus outbreak in March.
Erzsébet Gy. Németh, a deputy mayor of Budapest, called
the match a “human experiment courtesy of [Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán”,
who, she insisted, refused to put the event behind closed doors “in service of his hobby”.
The municipality will increase the capacity of public transport in the area “to breaking point” in order to protect the health of spectators, she said. The public should wear masks and keep distance from each other at bus stops, she added.
According to current plans, 20,000 people, a third of the arena’s capacity, will be allowed to attend. Sevilla has announced it will use only 500 of the 2,500 tickets allocated to the team.
In response, MLSZ said
stringent safety measures will make the Puskás Arena “the safest spot in the country, possibly in all Europe, during the match”.
The match is played out of doors, therefore it is much less dangerous for spectators than indoor events, the statement said.
MLSZ called on spectators to comply with health and safety regulations.
Budapest Airport: information for fans arriving for the Super Cup
Entry to Hungary for the spectators of the Super Cup match arriving from abroad is subject to the following conditions: ➡️ Valid ticket ➡️ 1 negative coronavirus test result not older than 72 hours (in Hungarian or in English language) ➡️Foreigners must leave the country within 72 hours. ✈️ Spectators arriving by aircraft will have their body temperature and documents (including the test result) checked upon arrival at Budapest Airport. (It is highly likely that fans can expect a similar document check before boarding, at their airports of departure, but that is up to the airport in question to determine.) UEFA’s official fan guide is available here.
After visiting 19 countries in his iconic Trabant, Zsolt Vadász now embarks on a different journey to raise awareness of the environmental issues of our planet.
Zsolt Vadász has earned international fame with his extraordinary road trips around the world: the Geonauta Friendship Society has been circling the globe with a 30-year-old Trabant, and so far, it has visited 19 countries on three continents, including the Budapest–Bamako route three times. You can read more about the Trabant Expedition here.
This time Zsolt Vadász leaves his iconic Trabant behind Photo: https://www.facebook.com/Trabant-expedició-1635252533384048
Only this time, Zsolt has taken a whole different route. With a single backpack and a trash bag in hand, he has embarked on a journey to walk through the world’s most famous pilgrimage route, El Camino de Santiago.
“The border closures and armed conflicts in Mali have made it impossible to engage in any humanitarian activity in Africa,” said Zsolt in an interview with Blikk. So, he parked the Trabant in France and started yet another project under his mission of raising awareness of environmental issues.
In his tour of 80 days, he is planning to pick up litter on the GR65 pilgrimage routes and other hiking trails. He collects it in large trash bags and leaves them at containers outside the cities.
Unlike most pilgrims, he lives a completely nomadic lifestyle on the route and refuses to spend any night in “comfortable hostels” – if it rains, he will seek shelter at churches or in caves. He only makes sure that his backpack of 17 kg always contains enough food for two days and beverage for one day.
Photo: Pixabay
After the first ten days, Zsolt collected more than 500 l of litter. He said that some other pilgrims liked the idea so much that they joined him in his project.
In recent years, El Camino de Santiago, the most popular pilgrimage route leading to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, has become immensely popular around the world. Every year, nearly 300,000 people decide to walk through the 800-kilometre-long route, which has a major environmental impact on the area.
To follow Zsolt’s journey on El Camino or his other adventures around the world, visit his Facebook page or YouTube channel.
Diego Lago Mendoza became interested in the world-famous “Magic Cube” in 2015. Since then, the young man has gained thousands of followers on social media sites where he shares his new acquisitions and the methods to solve them as quickly as possible.
The idea of Rubik Squad was created by the young man, Diego Lago Mendoza from A Coruña whose Instagram profile has gained almost 12,000 followers so far. As the Spanish news portal El Espanol reports, Diego became interested in the Hungarian logic game in mid-2015 when he was 16 years old, and found the 3D puzzle quite relaxing. Accordingly, resolving the Magic Cube has become a hobby for him.
“A friend of mine bought one and I thought I had to improve myself. I started and did not stop until I finished it. I became interested when I found a Youtube channel of another Galician who had many cubes and tutorials on how to solve them.”– commented Diego regarding the beginnings.
Initially, he created the Instagram account to share photos of the cubes, and show the different models he collected of the popular Hungarian 3D puzzle. Rubik Squad, whose name came from a clan of the Clash of Clans video game has become so popular that Diego plans to start a Youtube channel to make his collection even more popular. The young man has many videos, including the algorithms to solve the standard 3×3, 2×2 and 4×4 cube cases; however, he only shared a few of them on YouTube due to lack of time.
Most of his followers are from South America and Asia, meanwhile, #rubiksquadofficial counts almost 12,000 followers so far.
In his collection, we can discover several types of the Magic Cube, including the typical 3×3 cubes and other modifications. There are numerous methods of solving the Rubik’s Cube, but their difficulty is not determined by the number of pieces or the shape. Diego, who has several favourite categories (2×2, 3×3, 4×4, 5×5 and 3×3 with one hand), shares some of the ways how to resolve the game on his social networks.
The 3D puzzle of Ernő Rubik has become so popular all around the world that series makers were also inspired by the logic game.
The Speed Cubers is a documentary on Netflix that tells the lives of the two best Rubik’s cube players in the world, Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs.
According to Diego, this is quite important for this world as it provides visibility. “Let us see if people begin to understand that it is not just children’s game and that there are even tournaments in which people win valuable prizes.” – explained the young man.
Wizz Air has suspended flights from Budapest to several destinations in Ukraine and the Balkans for about a month. The low-cost airline has cancelled flights of the affected flights until the second half of August. The reason behind this sudden change and lockdown is the Hungarian government’s new restrictions to enter Hungary introduced recently.
According to AIRportal’s information, Wizz Air suspended and cancelled flights due to travel restrictions introduced in Hungary recently. This will affect several routes to and from Budapest, with no flights to Lviv, Sarajevo, Odesa, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Pristina, Tirana, Podgorica, Skopje and Zaporizhia in the following month.
According to the data shown in the airline’s reservation system when this article was published, flights from
Budapest – Kyiv were suspended until 17th of August, Budapest – Zaporizhia were suspended until 17th of August, Budapest – Sarajevo were suspended until 17th of August, Budapest – Pristina were also suspended until 17th of August, Budapest – Lviv, although they said that it will be suspended as well, yet it can still be booked, Budapest – Tirana, although the airline said that flights will be suspended, it can still be booked, although there are only two flights a week in July, Budapest – Odesa were suspended until 18th of August, Budapest – Kharkiv were suspended until 18th of August, Budapest – Podgorica were suspended until 19th of August, Budapest – Skopje flights are suspended until 19th of August.
Turizmusonline said that Wizz Air will continuously review the duration of suspensions by monitoring the entry restrictions of each country and the airline will decide according to those measures whether to resume their flights. Although the company’s announcement did not mention it, the airline has also suspended two flights to Bulgaria which is in the ‘yellow’ category of Hungary’s travel restrictions.
Budapest – Sofia flights are suspended until 17th of August, Budapest – Burgas flights are suspended until 18th of August.
Despite Spain being in the ‘green’ category of Hungary’s travel restrictions, Wizz Air postponed the departure of the Budapest-Santander flight, to 15th June 2021. This flight was originally planned to be live from the 2nd of June this year. Additionally, the flights between Budapest and Castellón, which opened last year, will only continue from the end of March 2021.
According to the current information in the company’s booking system, flights to Russia (Moscow, Kazan, St. Petersburg) will only resume around the 20th of August. Additionally, Wizz Air’s last flight between Budapest and Glasgow will depart on the 24th of July, and the flight will be suspended after that until the end of March 2021.
Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso is to return to the sport in 2021 with Renault, the French team announced on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old Spaniard will partner Esteban Ocon and replace Daniel Ricciardo, who is set to join McLaren at the end of the current season.
Alonso will be returning to familiar ground having previously spent six seasons with Renault across two spells, winning his two championships with the “Regie” in 2005 and 2006.
He also narrowly missed out on another three titles — in 2007 with McLaren, and in 2010 and 2012 with Ferrari.
Widely regarded as one of the world’s best drivers, Alonso has not won a Grand Prix since 2013, and initially walked away from F1 at the end of 2018, seemingly frustrated at driving a succession of uncompetitive cars.
Outside F1, the Spaniard has twice won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and has also competed in the Indy 500, seeking to add to his previous Monaco Grand Prix wins to become only the second driver to win motorsport’s Triple Crown.
But despite achieving success in other categories, Alonso was long rumored to be looking to return to F1, and his former manager Flavio Briatore revealed in May that the Spaniard was “motivated and ready to return” to the sport.
The World Health Organization (WHO)’s repeated warning of a possible resurgence of COVID-19 in the European region has now become a reality, Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said Thursday.
“Last week, Europe saw an increase in weekly cases for the first time in months,” Kluge said at a press conference here.
The WHO official noted that 30 countries in the region had seen increases in new cumulative cases over the past two weeks, and “in 11 of these countries, the accelerated transmission has led to a very significant resurgence.”
Poland, Germany, and Spain recently saw a resurgence of COVID-19 clusters at schools, coal mines, and food production facilities, according to Kluge.
Despite commending these countries for their “controlled, rapid and targeted interventions,” he warned that health systems are being brought to “the brink once again in Europe.”
However, Kluge saw a light of hope in the messages he received from health ministers in Europe that more and more people were being socially responsible and “adhering to physical distancing and wearing facial masks.”
Moreover, Kluge urged authorities in the region to use digital tools wisely while building trust by respecting privacy and addressing the digital gap.
“The full potential of digital health is yet to be realized. It is about empowering people to make healthy lifestyle decisions to create a European culture of health,” he said.
