ISSUE NO. 1437
17 - 23 JANUARY 2013
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.ES
Driver who killed three British tourists jailed A MAN who crashed his vehicle into one being driven by a British tourist family has been jailed for three years. The accident happened on July 25, 2006, in Menorca. The family were travelling in a Ford Ka along the Mao to Cuidatella road. A 40year-old woman was driving with her husand and two sons aged seven and 13 in the car. Reports state that the man, identified as DFM, took a bend at kilometre 32.37 at such a speed that it was impossible for him to see the victims’ vehicle until it was too late to overtake and he ended up crashing into the back of them. The victims’ car was
pushed into the oncoming lane, hit on its side by an oncoming Seat Ibiza, also being driven by a British family, a couple and their two children. The collision with the oncoming vehicle killed the 40-year-old woman driving the Ford Ka and
the two children, while the husband and the Seat Ibiza’s occupants survived with serious injuries. Apart from the threeyear prison term, DFM will also have to compensate the dead victims’ husband and father with €379,186 as well as €8,856 to the
dead woman’s mother’s legitimate heirs. The Seat Ibiza family members will also be compensated with a total of €8,610 as well as €11,820 and €9,500 to the Ford Ka’s and Seat Ibiza’s rental companies respectively.
NEWS EXTRA
First lady FRANCISCA MORA (Convergencia per les Illes) has become Porreres’ first female mayor after Bernat Bauça’s resignation.
Baby payout THE Balearic Health Service (IB-Salut) will pay €97,848 to the parents of a baby who died shortly after birth due to medical negligence at Palma’s former Son Dureta University Hospital in 2009.
False alarm
ELUSIVE: Attempts to catch the boar alive failed.
Beast of Inca shot dead A LARGE wild boar has been shot dead by police marksmen after it charged at people out running. Inca’s Guardia Civil was notified that the boar had been chasing joggers and trekkers in the Santa Magdalena Mountain over the previous few days.
Guardia Civil Nature Protection Service agents tried in vain to catch the elusive beast alive. But the animal’s aggressive behaviour dissuaded them from the attempt. Instead it was shot dead with a rifle after fears were raised that it could seriously injure someone.
PALMA METRO stops Son Fuster Vell, Son Castello and Via Asima were closed for approximately an hour on Sunday after a smell of gas was reported.
Mill scheme ES CASTELL Town Hall will buy the 7,500square-metre site of an old flour mill at the town’s entrance for €60,000 in order to restore the structure.
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NEWS EXTRA
New banks filling up PALMA has gone from not having a single charitable container for used clothes and shoes a year ago to currently boasting 125. FLYING HIGH: Summer plans
Vueling pledge summer flights SPANISH airline Vueling, has pledged to put on the same number of flights as last year to keep Menorca connected to the mainland. That is despite strong competition from Ryanair which last summer was offering similar flights at similar times but at lower prices on the Barcelona route. From next summer, the Catalonian airline will offer a total of 639,520 seats in flights to or from the island, out of which 520,000 will serve Barcelona. It was the Barcelona – Menorca
service where Vueling faced the most competition from Ryanair. Vueling will increase its Barcelona Menorca service from the current two daily flights in each direction to five in May and will keep increasing the service to reach a maximum daily schedule of 12 flights in each direction in August. It will also offer two daily flights from the island to Madrid between June and September, as well as nine weekly flights to Bilbao, and two weekly flights to Rome during the four summer months.
Bishop debut JAVIER SALINAS conducted his first mass as newly appointed Bishop for Mallorca at Santuari de Lluc monastery last weekend.
Men accused FIVE Moroccans aged between 17 and 28 have been arrested by Guardia Civil in Sa Pobla for allegedly committing six burglaries in the town since the turn of the year.
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17 - 23 January 2013
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IMPROVEMENT works on the Selva to Inca road are predicted to be completed by the Mallorca Insular Government in two months, after being halted for a year.
Helping Pau INCA’S Ponent School’s Fathers and Mothers Association (APIMA) will hold a charity basketball event on March 9 to raise funds for Pau, a pupil suffering from a rare disease.
Mallorca
Girl groomed by text GUARDIA CIVIL have arrested a 44-year-old church volunteer for allegedly sexually ‘grooming’ a 10-year-old girl via WhatsApp text messages. The girl had recently got a new mobile phone bought by her parents as her Three Kings’ present. She had given the man – who had met her during Sunday mass at an undisclosed Mallorca
In shape JOSEP TORRES has won this year’s Es Cubells’ Cross Duathlon event. He completed two three kilometre runs and a nine kilometre cycling section in 40minutes 56 seconds.
Court arrest TWO Moroccan men have been arrested by Sant Antoni Guardia Civil for allegedly selling cocaine and hashish near Ibiza Town’s Courts building.
Lost battle CARLOS FABREGUES, who made the opening speech at Mao’s Gracia festivities for 27 years, has died aged 77 after a long battle with illness.
No divorcee MENORCA Bishop Salvador Jimenez will not allow a divorced man to lead Mao’s Nuestra Señora de la Piedad y San Juan Evangelista (‘Our Lady of Mercy and St John the Evangelist’) Brotherhood.
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S Placido Domingo set to become recognised as a pop star as well as a global opera singer? This seems a fair question as the renowned Spanish baritone and tenor prepares to celebrate his 72nd birthday next Monday. The Madrid-born opera singer is currently conductor, director, producer and composer of the Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera in America. But he recently released a pop album - his first for 20 years - and now admits that he feels more ‘exposed’ singing this type of song because “with opera, there are not so many people who sit at home and say ‘well I could sing that too’ as there are with pop.” In Songs - his latest album - the Madrid-born star sings in four languages and performs several duets including with his son Placido Domingo Junior, and with British singing sensation Susan Boyle. Domingo, who debuted in 1959 in Mexico, three years later joined the Tel Aviv in Israel Opera which launched him to fame. He debuted at an international level in Hamburg in1967, and obtained greater recognition worldwide in 1981, when he recorded Perhaps Love with US star John Denver. In 1982, he recorded the track for the Football World Cup in Spain and eight years later formed
Quote of the week
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Civil. He was arrested for allegedly sexually harassing a minor. The man – who appears to be ‘very ashamed’, according to judicial sources – was released with charges after appearing at an Inca court and was warned not to approach the girl nor attempt to contact her again. He will be called back to court at a later date.
Domingo switches to pop as birthday nears
Pay up SES SALINES’ drinking water supply company Sorea will have to pay the council €180,000 if it wants to renew its contract.
church, where he served as a volunteer – her number after he asked for it. Over the next few days the man allegedly sent her several WhatsApp text messages in which he said: “I am very much in love with you” as well as urging her to meet him. The messages were ultimately discovered by her parents, who reported the man to Guardia
Closing hospital emergency rooms at night puts people’s lives at risk’
Francisco Parra, Albacete Medical Association President, regarding plans to do so in 20 towns proposed by the Castilla-La Mancha Regional Government.
Nwatch ews
100 years celebration SANTA EULALIA Council is to hold sporting and cultural events throughout the year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ‘Mallorca’ steamboat shipwreck’s successful rescue off the town’s coast on January 17, 1913.
Jobs hope SIXTEEN uemployed Sant Josep (Ibiza) residents are attending two garden and hotel maintenance employment workshops organised by the council.
Fair game CIUDATELLA Town Hall will start charging bicycle and motorbike rental businesses to display vehicles on the pavement.
Featureflash / Shutterstock.com
Works restart one year on
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Don’t clean
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Domingo the celebrant and Susan Boyle (left). The Three Tenors. On his 70th birthday in 2011, a gala concert was held in his honour in Madrid, attended by Queen Sofia, who accompanied him from the Royal Box. In the past decade he has performed and recorded albums with many stars including Carlos Santana and Michael Bolton.
Number of the week in Spain demand that the 20 towns government modify the current
legislation regarding marihuana plantations. One is Rasquera, Cataluña, which last year granted seven hectares of land to a cannabis association for two years.
RESIDENTS of Vila’s Ses Feixes area have complained that the council cleaned weeds and trimmed bushes on a privately owned site with ‘protected rustic terrain’ status.
Handy rebate PENSIONERS will finally get back €351,095 in prescription charges. The 14,824 pensioners had to pay in advance and then claim back excess charges.
and finally... TWO lieutenant colonels of the Spanish Army are on trial for accessing the email of a sergeant and demanding that he send them photographs of himself naked. They reportedly pretended to be women on a adult contact site to which the sergeant subscribed.
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Card-cloning gang members face 41 years in prison A MALLORCA credit card cloning gang faces a total 41 years in prison after a €45,000 scam. PALMA’S Prosecutors Office is demanding the jail term for the three Romanians who allegedly operated a criminal scheme between November 2006 and May 2007.
Prosecutors say that the gang installed small devices in cash machines to steal information held on cash and credit card magnetic strips. They would then ‘clone’ the cards and use them to buy tobacco, clothes and jewellery. Their ill-gotten gains were then
smuggled off the island to be sold on the black market. A police raid on a flat at Palma’s Augusta urbanisation discovered cloned card manufacturing equipment including card readers and presses. Three gang members were allegedly caught with
merchandise while embarking on a Barcelona-bound ship. The trial, which was supposed to start at Palma Provincial Court on Tuesday, was postponed until May due to the absence of two defendants. A warrant for the arrest of one of them has been issued.
Insults hurled as gypsies clash in major drugs trial AN alleged drugs queen demanded that members of gypsy clans calm down
‘and respect the court’ when bedlam broke out at a massive drugs trial. Tensions were running high at the start of the biggest Baleraric drugs trial in history. As well as clan matriarch ‘La Paca’ 54 other defendants are being tried for a string of offences. On the opening day of the case accused members of different gypsy clans hurled insults and accusations at each other across a makeshift court room. One female defendant stood up to a male one and screamingly blamed him for being responsible for “having brought the
drugs” to Mallorca and Ibiza. Another woman fainted as arguments raged between defendants. Due to the large numbers of accused the Balearic School of Public Administrations has had to lend the court bigger premises, which have been specially fitted out for the trial. Metal detectors are in abundance and the court’s leading judge has ordered all defendants be kept hand cuffed as the building does not fully meet security requirements. A 17-year prison sentence is requested for
‘La Paca’ real name Francisca Cortes Picazo, already serving 19 and a half years in prison. Her daughter, Manuela Fernandez Cortes faces 10 and a half years while son Francisco Fernandez Cortes faces 10 years, as do Barcelona based members Enrique Molina Navarro, ‘El Kike,’ Simon Montero Jodorovich, Jose Ortega Santiago and ‘El Farru’. Fifteen years is requested for Isidro Cortes, 12 years for Dolores Santiago and Jose Manuel Ramos. Ten year sentences are also requested for a further 35 defendants.
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Stories making headlines from the United Kingdom
Breast inquest SOLIHULL Hospital as well as two Spire Healthcare-owned private ones are being investigated over alleged partial or unnecessary mastectomies carried out between 1994 and 2011.
Private rehab LOW and medium risk offenders could be put under the supervision of private probation companies. The Ministry of Justice said they would be paid according to rehabilitation success rates.
Pro-gypsy A WELSH law change to force councils to justify in court the eviction of gypsy and traveller families from public land has been proposed by Welsh Equalities Minister Jane Hutt.
Family search THE family of a British man who disappeared in Budapest (Hungary) – where he was studying medicine – on January 1 after leaving a bar, has flown to the city to search for him.
Touchy issue BELFAST City Hall flew the union flag for the first time on the Duchess of Cambridge’s 31st birthday after a December 3 decision not to display it permanently.
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SAFER CITY: Crime rates in Palma fell last year.
Fewer burglaries in Palma city THERE were fewer burglaries reported in Palma last year, but more on the rest of the island. According to official figures published by internet daily Ultima Hora, while there were 1,195 business and 213 house burglaries in Palma in 2011, just 869 store and
131 house burglaries were reported last year. However, for the rest of Mallorca, there were significantly more burglaries reported last year than in 2011 due to a more spread out population as well as an allegedly insufficient number of police.
Costly wish FULFILLING a postScottish Independence wish to remove nuclear submarines from Faslane Naval Base would cost billions of pounds and thousands of jobs, according to the UK government.
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Airport parking moans PALMA AIRPORT employees protested against increased car park fees. They gathered on the check-in floor of Son Sant Joan Airport to demonstrate against the €3 monthly increase introduced on January 1 this year. Trade unions UGT and CCOO said the rise – from €20 to €23 a month – imposed by Spain’s Airport Authority (AENA) is excessive. The move could affect more than 10,000 airport workers but it does not apply to AENA employees. The main complaint is that affected staff will have to pay the full monthly €23 despite not going to work every day. Workers also complain that mediocre security measures and quality of service cannot justify such an increase.
Residents shame driver into returning to scene LOCAL residents shamed a driver into returning to the scene of an accident after he fled on foot. The Bolivian man had overturned his van and hit three parked cars.
As he tried to leave the scene residents in Palma’s Calle Isidoro Antillon followed him. Feeling harassed he returned to the scene and waited for police to arrive. He
was arrested after an alcohol breath test allegedly showed him to be three times over the legal limit. He is also alleged to have no Spanish driving licence.
CHARGING UP: There are charging stations in several locations.
Electric vehicles surge on islands THE demand for electric vehicles in the Balearic Islands keeps growing despite the 2013 regional purchasing incentives pending approval by the central government.
Renault-Dibauto dealer Amador Garcias states that “there is an increasing demand for electric cars because of the region’s climate and distances.”
INCA
CALA MILLOR
CALVIA PALMA
CALA d’OR
ANDRATX
LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF
ALCUDIA
CALA MILLOR
CALVIA CALA d’OR LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF
Sh Showers,
Alicante TODAY: CLOUD Fri - 19 9 Cl Sat - 18 8 Cl Sun - 18 8 Cl
Th Thunder
Madrid
MAX 18C, MIN 11C Mon - 17 11 Cl Tues - 16 10 Sh Wed - 16 9 C
TODAY: SUNNY, Fri - 18 11 Cl Sat - 18 12 C Sun - 18 11 Cl
MAX 11C, MIN 14C Mon - 13 6 Cl Tues - 13 6 Sh Wed - 14 6 Cl
TODAY: CLEAR, Fri - 13 3 C Sat - 16 5 Cl Sun -16 6 S
MAX 19C, MIN 8C Mon - 18 8 Cl Tues - 17 7 Sh Wed - 16 7 Cl
TODAY: CLEAR, Fri - 17 7 C Sat - 18 72 Cl Sun - 18 7 Cl
MAX 11C, MIN 4C Mon - 10 3 C Tues - 8 2 Sh Wed - 8 2 C
Malaga MAX 17C, MIN 11C Mon - 18 9 Cl Tues - 14 8 Cl Wed - 16 8 C
Mallorca MAX 12C, MIN 3C Mon - 16 7 S Tues - 15 7 Sh Wed - 16 7 Cl
Murcia
Benidorm TODAY: CLEAR, Fri - 18 8 C Sat - 18 8 Cl Sun - 18 8 Cl
Sn Snow,
C Cloud,
TODAY: CLEAR Fri - 11 4 C Sat - 13 4 C Sun - 12 3 Cl
Barcelona TODAY: CLEAR Fri - 13 4 C Sat - 13 5 Cl Sun - 13 5 Cl
Fog,
MAX 19C, MIN 9C Mon - 18 8 Cl Tues - 17 8 Cl Wed - 16 7 Cl
Almeria TODAY: CLEAR Fri - 18 11 C Sat - 19 11 Cl Sun - 19 11 S
A NEW process which transforms garden waste like leaves, grass and plant debris into a type of coal has been developed by German scientists.
ROADS in Western state North RhineWestphalia are the country’s busiest with 50,000 hours and 161,000 kilometres worth of traffic jams reported last year.
A TOTAL of €128 million has been contributed by the states of Hesse, Bavaria, BadenWürttemberg and Hamburg to help poorer states through the Länderfinanzausgleich Fund since 1990.
No means no ENVIRONMENT Minister Peter Altmaier ruled out a return to nuclear energy, in response to doubts over the country’s decision to be nuclear plant-free by 2022.
Bomb alert
POLLENÇA
Cl Clear,
Coal from the garden
Home charity
ALCUDIA
S Sun,
Stories making headlines from Germany
ACCORDING to the Balearic Institute for Family Policy (IPFB), 40 per cent of residents in the region get some kind of help from their families. Now the group is asking for the regional government to develop more “family-oriented policies which would put the family at the centre of the political agenda.”
POLLENÇA
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PRESS
Road delays
MALLORCA TODAY AND TOMORROW
ANDRATX
GERMAN
Helping hand
Local weather for next 7 days
INCA
Mallorca
MAX 18C, MIN 7C Mon - 17 7 Cl Tues - 16 6 Cl Wed - 16 6 Cl
AN EIGHT-HOUR home evacuation affected 25,000 residents in Hanover following the discovery of several unexploded Second World War bombs by police.
Only one left PRESUMED neo-Nazi terrorist Beate Zschäpe’s prison conditions have been softened by a Munich court. Her two alleged accomplices committed suicide before capture, meaning she is the last National Socialist Underground member alive.
17 - 23 January 2013 www.euroweeklynews.es
Station robbed at gunpoint MASKED men forced a petrol station attendant to reopen the business at gunpoint so they could rob him. The 60-year-old employee had just finished locking up the Felanitx station when the two masked men approached him. When he told them the station was closed they knocked him to the floor and down an embankment. On climbing back up he was attacked again until he finally agreed to open the doors. The robbers then ransacked the business. They made off with an unknown amount of money, as well as the employee’s wallet, car keys and mobile phone. Police say Monday night’s incident is the fourth time the petrol station has been robbed.
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One million sign mortgage petition A MILLION signatures have been collected nationwide to change the mortgage law. The Ibizan branch of the Platform for those Affected by Mortgages (PAH) estimates that double the minimum 500,0000 needed for a Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) have already been collected. In an ILP when enough signatures are collected from the public central government has to consider a change to the law. The ILP is calling for two main changes. Firstly it wants those evicted
to have their debts cancelled. They still have to make outstanding mortgage payments after losing their homes. Secondly they want defaulters who can not pay due to no fault of their own to be allowed to stay in the property and pay a ‘social rent.’ This would be a monthly figure of no more that 30 per cent of their income for five years. Official figures for the number of signatures raised will be published nationwide on January 24. Despite its optimism, Ibiza’s PAH is not holding its
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SIGN HERE: Changes needed. breath for action. All the previous nine ILPs with more than 500,000 signatures collected in the history of Spain have been ignored by the different central governments.
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Car thief stopped TWO parking attendants prevented a car theft outside a shopping centre in Nervion, Sevilla. The two men, who are homeless and earn some money helping people to park in the area, saw a man approaching a BMW in which a woman was waiting for her husband. The man aged 41, got into the driver’s seat and attempted to start the vehicle. Passers-by and the two car park attendants nearby were alerted by the woman’s screams. The two men forced the criminal out of the car and held him until police arrived.
THE streets of Palma will be filled with BBQ smoke and crowds of people will throng the streets to celebrate Palma’s patron saint on Saturday. It will be the eve of Sant Sebastià, the biggest festival in the city’s year. Starting at 7pm in Plaza Cort the traditional Gegants, Capgrossos and the Dragon Na Coca will set off marching towards Plaza Mayor accompanied by a typical Mallorcan Xeremiers band in order to light a bonfire and officially kick off the festivities. This year Palma will be hosting live music in eight different squares. And the Sant Kanut venue, in the Ses Voltes plaza below the cathedral will be celebrating its 16th year of alternative music. Inauguration of the fiesta: 7pm The Gegants and the Capgrossos along with the Dragon Drac de Na Coca, accompanied by the Xeremiers musical band will leave the Plaza de Cort in the direction of Plaza Mayor where a bonfire will be lit . Plaza Mayor: 8pm Traditional Mallorcan dancing by Balls/Tonades de Mallorca, Oliva Trencada and Carambau Plaza de Cort: 8pm The Raals,
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AIRLINES could soon have new software installed to check passengers’ residency to qualify for a 50 per cent discount. That will mean that Islands dwellers will no longer have to get special residency certificates from local town halls. The complete implementation of the new online system called SARA by Spain’s main booking software Amadeus may arrive as early as the end of this month. The Amadeus software is the most widespread ticket selling software in the world as well as in Spain, and all of the 23 travel agencies in Menorca use it. SARA was created by the Ministry of Public Works to remove the need for islanders to produce a resident’s certificate to benefit from a 50 per cent discount in sea and air domestic travel fares. SARA-implementation tests by Amadeus started last week and have so far proved successful. Travel agencies will soon be able to check resident status at the very moment of an online ticket purchase.
Get set for fun as Palma celebrates the patron saint
Setze Cordes, Marga Pocovi Amb Orchestra, Calypso, Mishima, DJ Juan Campos with DJ Txema Sanchez and Tormenta. Plaza Sant Francesc: 10pm Ballet Español Medea, Josemi Carmoni and Rumberitos De Palma Plaza de Olivar: 9pm Base Sur, Grupo Folklorico Ayelen, Frank, Pregon Colombia, El Galán De La Canción, Lili El Fantastic, El Charro Barraza and Yoraima Show. Plaza Joan Carles I: 8pm Hyde XXI, The Prussians, Aires De Jupiter, McRoyal and Pitingo. Plaza Santo Domingo de La Calzada (Paseo Marítimo) 8.30pm Youth Rock, Avalon
Palma will be hosting live music in eight different squares with fireworks and bonfires at the biggest festival of the year.
REIDRAC
Software tested for airlines
Mallorca
(tribute to The Police) Ojos De Serpiente (tribute to Fito Fitipaldis) Led Zepp (tribute To Led Zeppelin and The Billy Young Band (tribute To Ac/Dc) Sa Llotja: 10pm Enric Pastor & Co, Le Carromato, Tracey Reid and The Sweet Rhythm King
Plaza España: 10pm Vuit, Victoria Maldi, Jarabe de Palo, DJ Quique Tejada and DJ Tiago Darty. Ses Voltes ‘Sant Kanut’ : 7pm Hermanos Brothers, Los Impresentables, Valtonic, El Niño Alcalino and others.
Search for children cost €140,000 THE search for the two children reported missing from Cordoba in October 2011 cost the government more than €140,000. This amount could have been saved if Jose Breton, the father of Ruth, six, and Jose, two, had confessed instead of claiming they had been snatched from a local park. But more importantly, it could have been saved if the forensic scientist who first analysed remains found on a bonfire on a property belonging to the children’s paternal grandparents had not described them as
CAMPAIGN: Poster used in the search. being, without doubt, animal bones. All evidence pointed to Jose Breton, and police searched the property belonging to his parents on several occasions, as
well as the surrounding area and the Guadalquivir River. Specialists were brought in from Madrid who had to be accommodated and fed
for eight months, fuel had to be purchased for the vehicles used in the searches, and the studies and reports carried out in the case had to be paid for, all amounting to more than €140,000. However, Breton has claimed he is bankrupt, so will not be able to pay the cost of the investigation or any compensation to the children’s mother which could amount to €1 million for each child. Her lawyer plans to ask for 40 years in prison for the murders of the two children and a fine for making a false report.
Jobless with no benefits ALMOST half of all unemployed Balearic residents – 70,480 out of 158,916 – have used up all their benefits and are currently without any state benefits. And the number of long term unemployed - jobless for more than nine months - is on the rise with 4,808 more than a year ago. Meanwhile there were 7,060 fewer short term unemployed than a year ago.
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As easy as a handstand SO we’re well into 2013 now. How is it going for you? Have you already broken your resolutions or did you even bother making any this year? I am a complete sucker for resolutions. I love the beginning of a New Year, it’s like opening a fresh notebook and using your very best handwriting on the first page, with colour coding and highlighted areas to be super organised. But then, the equivalent of the second week of January would be the random scribbles and halffinished sentences which you will find if you flick a few pages inside the notebook. It’s a bit depressing really. So many good intentions and yet such little progress. I have discovered why this is the case though. If you are doing your notebook just for yourself it doesn’t really matter if it is a bit scruffy, but if you have to hand in your notebook for marking by your teacher, then that is an entirely different story. And that is how I
Family Matters Mallorca
Vicki Mcleod
Let the yoga class begin and help me achieve my goal. discovered that I do not really have the self discipline to change things on my own, I have to have someone standing looking over my shoulder (not in a bad way, but in a ‘come on you can do it’ sort of way) and then I can achieve my personal goals. So with that in mind I have made a resolution that by the end of this year I will be able to do a proper handstand. It’s a strange resolution I know, but being able to do a handstand symbolises a lot of things to me. Firstly there is zero hope that I could do one at the moment so it would mean that I have become physically strong enough and light enough to
support myself on my arms. It’s about being balanced and working hard towards a goal. It’s quite a thing. When I was a
child I couldn’t do a handstand either so this isn’t a laughing matter. I am blessed to have already
Mallorca
have the help of an amazing Yoga teacher Kevin McDonnell (www.yoga4health.es) and the support of a great bunch of people in my yoga class. And that’s what I mean by having someone who stands over your shoulder and just gently keeps prodding you to get better: Kevin is that sort of person, and he does it with an infectious enthusiasm and humour. It is quite incredibly difficult, and just when you think you have nailed a posture you discover there is another level of difficulty to try to master. It’s fantastic and I love it. It’s certainly not as easy as standing on your proverbial head. We meet every Tuesday and Thursday in Portals Nous at the Bodhana Wellness Centre. It’s about improving your strength and balance, and learning stamina and patience. And given the state of the world I think those are all really good resolutions to aim for in this year. Visit www.familymatters mallorca.com for updates.
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Writer in court for shooting ‘joke’ A WRITER who pretended to shoot at the King on Catalan regional TV has been summonsed in court. Jair Dominguez and the presenter of the programme, Bibiana Ballbe, could be charged with crimes against the
FORGERIES: €70,000 in €200 notes circulated in Spain.
Police swoop on gang of banknote forgers SEVENTEEN alleged members of a network which distributed forged €200 notes throughout Spain have been arrested. The arrests were carried out by National Police and the Catalan Regional Police, Mossos d’Esquadra, in Madrid and Barcelona. Almost €46,000 in forged notes was seized in nine searches, as well as nine firearms, falsified documents and equipment to forge the money. Most of the detainees were Spanish who were part of a gang in which the leader acquired the notes and gave them to other members to complete the process of forgery. They later used them to purchase cheap items in small shops and get change in legal currency. In the past year they had allegedly put around €70,000 into circulation in €200 notes.
Crown for the programme in which he pretended to shoot a silhouette of King Juan Carlos and other famous people, including Prince Charles of England. They have not been charged but they are recommended to attend the
hearing accompanied by their lawyers. The programme aired on October 9, 2012, and was reported by union Manos Limpias. The director of the programme resigned after it came to light, saying
that the images were against ethical and democratic principles. The TV channel said it rejects “all references to violence”, removed the images from its website and promised not to show them again.
17 - 23 January 2013 www.euroweeklynews.es
Stat of week FUEL prices increased 1.9 per cent at the start of the year, with petrol rising to €1.40 and diesel €1.36 per litre.
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A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 8 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION
Bosses gain most as pay triples AVERAGE salaries throughout Europe have tripled since the late 1970s. But in the same period management salaries have risen eightfold. This is revealed in the latest Europe Survey of the BAT Foundation for Future Studies, in which more than 11,000 people from 10 countries - including Spain - were interviewed. The survey also showed that during the last three years, despite the tough economic times the number of regional millionaires has risen 19 per cent, with 10 per cent of the total European population owning 60 per cent of the total assets. Also 5 per cent of the European people own as much real estate property as the other 95 per cent. All across Europe the trust in political representatives has reached a new low with just 12 per cent now feeling politicians are preparing
well for the future, while two years ago that figure was 14 per cent. Danish people are the only ones still believing to some degree in the appropriate behaviour of their elected representatives. In Poland and Greece, Germany and Britain, on the other hand, only a small minority trust the politicians. Almost seven in every 10 people in Europe expect further crises in the future, especially in Spain and Greece, who are suffering particularly from the current economic situation. But also three-quarters of the French and two thirds of the German people display a pessimistic view of the future. Even among the usually positive-thinking Dutch people, almost half of them dread a continuation of insecure times.
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www.ewnbusiness.com FLYING HIGH: 2012 was a record year.
14.8 million give Vueling record year SPANISH low-cost airline Vueling carried a record 14.8 million passengers last year. This was 20 per cent more than in 2011. Occupancy levels for the year
Top firms to sack 30,000 THIS year 30,000 workers will be dismissed by 20 of Spain’s leading firms. Staff cutbacks will come at AENA (the airports authority), the Valencian Railway Department, the Paradores and companies dependent upon the Ministry of Public Works. Regional TV channels will also cut back staff. Iberia, the nation’s airline, also plans to dismiss 4,500 people. Meanwhile, BFA-Bankia has plans to axe up to 6,000 jobs, and further dismissals are planned by Novagalicia, Banco de Valencia, Caja3, BBVAUnnim, Sabadell-CAM, and Banco Santander, following its fusion with Banesto.
A boost from sunny thoughts TRAVEL firms in the UK braced “This week is always our busiest as themselves this week for bumper people tend to run out of money business as Britons tried after an early payday in to drag themselves out of December, feel guilt winter depression by perpetuated by broken seeking breaks in the New Year’s resolutions sun. and are knocked by the “Every year we see inevitable sun depthousands of Brits in a rivation that creeps up mad rush to book SUNNY BREAK: Many Britons on many. January breaks in a bid suffer from winter depression. “Even just the idea of a to cheer themselves up,” holiday can help some said Directline Holidays CEO, Maria through the dour January and February months,” Whiteman added. Whiteman.
reached 77.7 per cent on 108,433 flights. In December alone, 967,456 passengers used the airline, which is 14.3 per cent more than in
December 2011. Vueling continues to expand internationally, with a flight planned between Alicante and the Russian capital Moscow from June.
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Taxman’s snooping is an anti-fraud measure
Q. WE have been seeing articles in the Englishlanguage Press here and adverts from lawyers and tax consultants that all residents of Spain must declare to Hacienda any assets they hold outside Spain by March 31 this year. I know a number of Brits who are resident in Spain and who have investments and property back in the UK. They bring You and the into Spain enough income for their needs and they Law in Spain By David Searl declare this for Spanish tax. Nevertheless, the majority of their assets are outside Spain and have never been declared to the Spanish Tax Agency. These people are very concerned about what might happen in the future if they declare. Will Spain start to tax them on these assets? SD (Costa del Sol) A. The new law, part of an anti-fraud package passed in November, is drawing criticism precisely because it does not contain any reference to the future use of the data. In fact, even the forms for making the declaration are not yet available only 10 weeks before the due date. Let’s look at a few points. The penalties for not declaring are extremely harsh, starting with minimum fines of €10,000. If your assets outside Spain do not exceed €50,000, you do not need to declare. At the moment, you are required to make this declaration only once. If the Spanish taxman chooses to come after you in the future, he will only be able to claim on income arising from these assets, not the assets themselves. For example, if you own a property in the UK which you rent out and pay tax on the income in the UK, you still owe the Spanish tax agency because, as a resident you are subject to Spanish income tax on your worldwide income. It is a disturbing thought that Spain’s tax agency should have all this information about you, but on balance it seems safer to make the declaration. Yes, you should use a tax consultant to assist you. David will respond to queries but reserves the right to select letters which will be of interest to the greatest number of readers. You can also consult David through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola. ask@lawtaxspain.com or call 952 667 090.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
17 - 23 January 2013 Mallorca
Tesco back on form after festive feasts TESCO Chief Executive Philip Clarke claims the supermarket giant is ‘back on form’ after seeing a 1.8 per cent rise in like for like sales over the Christmas period.
B
ritish usiness riefs
£££ Coopers, recently called in by STORE closures and job the struggling camera retail losses at Jessops are chain. inevitable say administrators £££ PricewaterUK car sales saw a houseOPTIMISTIC: Tesco’s Philip Clarke. 5.3 per cent rise last
year with 2.04 million vehicle registrations, the highest figure since 2008, reported the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
£££
THE Bank of England has decided not to extend its quantitative easing programme, which injected £375 billion (€456.75 billion) into the UK economy by printing money. It is also keeping its key interest rate unchanged at 0.5 per cent where it has been since March 2009.
Red lights flash as EU High Command considers Britain ONE can imagine the High Command of the EU huddled down as it meets in secret conclave to decide what’s to be done about that turbulent and troublesome United Kingdom. Red lights are flashing, ticker-tapes rattle and messengers scamper to and fro, while a haze of smoke from cigarettes and fat cigars hovers above the table. Possibly that’s only a product of my fevered mind, but it does seem rather as though the EU is flapping its collective hands and running around in small circles at the very idea that the UK might one day decide to wave goodbye. On December 18, 2012, David Cameron moved away slightly from his habitual stance that: “Britain must remain in the EU, fighting its corner from within,” to admit that an exit is now a possibility. “All futures are imaginable,” he said in answer to a question from his MPs. “We are in charge of our own destiny; we can make our own choices,” adding, “but Britain’s departure is not my preference.” The problem with which he is forced to wrestle is that his coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, are for the most part staunch Europhiles, determined not only that Britain should remain as a member of the EU, but also that at some future date
ANTI-EURO: Most Britons polled want the UK to leave the EU.
Jim Collins Costa Blanca
will it will embrace the euro. That is despite recent independent polls that show a clear majority of Britons would like to see the UK leave the EU forthwith. Prior to all this, and perhaps tiring of Cameron’s insistence that he would ‘fight for a better deal for Britain’, seeking to claw back certain powers previously handed to Europe, the French president François Hollande said: “Britain cannot repatriate powers from Brussels.” Even earlier, on December 8, Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council, insisted the Britain could not ‘cherry-pick’
which laws from Brussels it wished to follow. What’s really scaring the EU barons is that any successful repatriation of powers might pave the way for a British exit, thus encouraging other countries to examine similar deals. Van Rompuy has warned that “countries must not seek to undermine the EU, since such actions could cause the entire European project to fall apart.” That may, of course, be political rhetoric to frighten possible backsliders into standing straight to salute the blue EU banner. Following all this, on December 24, Germany strode into the fray, with Wolfgang Schauble, the country’s finance minister, stating that Germany will not allow itself to be ‘blackmailed’ by the threat of a possible British exit. Further, he urged (demanded?) that Britain should not hold a referendum on EU membership, since that would create ‘uncertainty’. It’s come to something when the finance minister of a foreign power feels he has the right - not to dictate perhaps, but certainly to influence - British foreign policy! Perhaps the holidays, intervening so fortuitously, will have provided the EU barons with the sorely-needed opportunity to ‘just calm down’.
17 - 23 January 2013
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.es New reporting law The big story here in Spain is the new asset reporting law. This is a significant game changer. The government warned it would get tough on tax evaders once the amnesty closed at the end of November, and will now impose very high penalties on anyone failing to declare their offshore assets. The first reporting deadline is 30th April 2013, and reports can be submitted in March and April. In future years it will be 31st March, with reports to be filed from January. Under this new obligation, all Spanish residents, whatever nationality, have to declare assets held abroad if the value of each class amounts to €50,000 or more. This includes bank accounts, shares, bonds, funds, life assurance, property etc. You will need to report assets if you are the owner, beneficiary or authorised signatory. It includes assets held in trust. A new form will be released for this purpose, to be submitted on top of your annual income tax and wealth tax returns. The penalties for failing to comply can be devastating. It is possible, for example, that you would need to pay more than the total sum held in your offshore bank account. You need to make sure you get it right. A tax advisory firm like
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What Does 2013 Have In Store, Tax Wise? by Bill Blevins, Financia l Correspondent, Blevins Franks
Blevins Franks, which specialises in tax planning for British expatriates in Spain, will guide you on what you need to declare, and advise on steps you can take to make your assets more tax efficient. 2013 budget Those with worldwide chargeable assets above the wealth tax threshold (residents have an individual allowance of €700,000 and main home allowance of €300,000), will be hit by the tax for another year. Wealth tax has been extended to apply for assets held as at 31 December 2013. This also applies to residents of Valenciana and the Balearic Islands, which had initially continued applying the 100% credit before dropping it for 2012. From 1st January 2013, capital gains on assets held for less than 12
months are taxable at your marginal income tax rate. This is up to 52% (54% in Andalucía and 56% in Cataluña) instead of the current fixed rates (21% to 27%) applicable to investment income and gains. Lottery winnings over €2,500 are now subject to tax at 20%. 2013 income taxes Income taxes in 2013 remain high. An additional contribution of between 0.75% and 7% is added to the scale rates of income tax for 2012 and 2013 income. Additional tax of between 2% and 6% applies to savings income for the same period. You may well see a noticeable increase in your tax bill when you prepare your 2012 return. Speak to an adviser like Blevins Franks to find out what you can do to reduce tax on your savings, investments and wealth. UK statutory residence test Until now HMRC has only provided guidelines as to what makes a person resident or not resident for tax purposes in the UK, as there has been no statutory guidance.
This has caught some people out. The situation should improve when a new UK statutory residence test comes into effect on 6th April. There will be definitive tests to determine if you are UK resident or not resident. If you do not fall into either category, your residence status will depend on the number of connecting factors you have with the UK and how many days you spend there in a tax year. While the test is a big improvement on the current situation, it is still very detailed and complex so you should take advice to make sure you get it right. It will not override the UK’s double tax treaty provisions with Spain, so you also need to be clear on Spain’s residency rules and how they interact with the UK’s. Other UK news The UK’s new tax agreement with Switzerland came into effect on 1st January. Any UK resident who does not authorise their Swiss bank to disclose their assets to HM Revenue & Customs will have a one-off levy of between 21% and 41% deducted on 31st May 2013 to clear past tax
liabilities. Future income and gains will be subject to a withholding tax of 48% on interest, 40% on dividends and 27% on capital gains, paid over to the UK exchequer on an anonymous basis. Over the coming years I would expect other countries to strike similar deals with Switzerland as a pragmatic way of collecting tax revenue from hidden assets. Austria has a deal starting this year as well. The Future? There is a general worldwide move towards exchanging information and levying taxes at rates not seen for many years. The world is changing, but there are still ways to protect your assets, and these are becoming more and more important as countries adopt austerity budgets. Seek advice from an established professional tax and wealth manager in Spain like Blevins Franks. The tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual should take personalised advice. To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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LONDON - FTSE 100 C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 6.20 1.58 -9.00 -0.76 -31.00 -1.74 -4.00 -0.37 -5.50 -0.27 -6.00 -0.46 3.00 0.34 -30.00 -1.96 12.00 0.40 -3.30 -0.87 -3.50 -0.35 -1.10 -0.31 -0.75 -0.25 -5.50 -0.52 -0.50 -0.02 -2.65 -0.57 -5.00 -0.16 -2.50 -0.44
NET VOLUME 4,903.36 234.83 606.38 764.25 2,471.69 903.83 5,621.78 2,194.38 1,510.11 8,417.70 770.57 3,247.93 44,798.61 5,247.24 3,939.23 15,946.81 2,337.90 2,293.87
CU RR EN CI ES
C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 14
PRICE(P) C O M PA N Y Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 397.75 Admiral Group PLC 1183.50 Aggreko PLC 1748.50 AMEC PLC 1082.00 Anglo American PLC 2037.25 Antofagasta PLC 1298.00 ARM Holdings PLC 873.00 Associated Brit Fds PLC 1500.00 AstraZeneca PLC 3029.50 Aviva PLC 376.85 Babcock Intl Group... 990.25 BAE Systems PLC 348.50 Barclays PLC 298.85 BG Group PLC 1048.00 BHP Billiton PLC 2075.75 BP PLC 459.45 British Am Tobacco PLC 3144.50 British Land Co PLC 567.00
0.83180
Units per €
United States $......................................................1.33702 Japan Yen ¥ ...........................................................119.442 Switzerland Francs................................................1.22691 Denmark Kroner ....................................................7.46236 Norway Kroner.......................................................7.36554
C O M PA N Y
PRICE(P)
British Sky Broad Gr BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Capital Shopping Cnts Carnival PLC Centrica PLC Compass Group PLC CRH PLC
774.75 243.35 1065.50 1324.50 779.50 364.65 2445.00 332.85 745.50 1237.50
C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G.
DOW JONES
NASDAQ
C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 14
C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 14
C O M PA N Y
PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME
MMM 3M Co 96.88 AA Alcoa Inc 8.95 AXP American Express Co 61.00 T AT&T Inc 34.11 BAC Bank of America Corp 11.46 BA Boeing Co 76.10 CAT Caterpillar Inc 94.71 CVX Chevron Corp 112.13 CSCO Cisco Systems Inc 20.82 DD E. I. du Pont de Nemours and C... 46.46 XOM Exxon Mobil Corp 89.50 GE General Electric Co 21.14 HPQ Hewlett-Packard Co 16.75 HD Home Depot Inc 63.62 INTC Intel Corp 21.80 IBM International Business Machine... 192.57 JNJ Johnson & Johnson 72.71 JPM JPMorgan Chase and Co 45.89 MCD McDonald's Corp 91.64 MRK Merck & Co Inc 43.27 MSFT Microsoft Corp 26.83
+0.60 +0.005 -0.24 -0.16 -0.175 +0.94 -0.48 +0.40 +0.34 +0.31 -0.11 +0.01 +0.59 -0.08 -0.20 -1.88 +0.36 -0.25 -0.09 +0.04 0.00
+0.62% +0.06% -0.39% -0.47% -1.50% +1.25% -0.50% +0.36% +1.66% +0.67% -0.12% +0.07% +3.65% -0.13% -0.91% -0.97% +0.50% -0.54% -0.10% +0.09% 0.00%
113.1K 575.4K 258.8K 934.2K 5.7M 178.6K 121.2K 311.6K 3.5M 346.3K 344.8K 1.2M 1.7M 303.8K 2.1M 182.0K 341.2K 1.2M 135.4K 507.5K 1.8M
1.20220
-5.50 -2.70 4.00 20.00 5.00 -1.20 25.00 -3.00 -2.00 1.00
C O M PA N Y
Most Advanced
-0.70 -1.10 0.38 1.53 0.65 -0.33 1.03 -0.89 -0.27 0.08
PRICE
NET VOLUME 2,016.00 12,330.32 507.52 1,332.51 1,192.55 882.21 773.06 6,630.20 2,420.29 885.79
CHANGE NET / %
Adept Technology, Inc. $ 3.9602 0.6502 / +19.64% Colony Bankcorp, Inc. $ 5.07 0.70 / +16.02% Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. $ 8.18 0.97 / +13.45% Research in Motion Limited $ 15.032 1.472 / +10.86% Crimson Exploration Inc. $ 3.09 0.29 / +10.36% Aviat Networks, Inc. $ 3.64 0.32 / +9.64% RRSat Global Commnctns Network Ltd. $ 7.24 0.63 / +9.53% Ixia $ 19.1999 1.5399 / +8.72% ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. $ 5.44 0.43 / +8.58%
Most Declined Education Management Corporation Transcat, Inc. Willdan Group, Inc. Cirrus Logic, Inc. Waterstone Financial, Inc. Flamel Technologies S.A. Francesca's Holdings Corporation Luminex Corporation SunPower Corporation
$ 3.86 $ 6.0001 $ 2.11 $ 29.09 $ 6.576 $ 4.30 $ 26.61 $ 17.35 $ 7.76
0.45 / -10.44% 0.5599 / -8.54% 0.1899 / -8.26% 2.49 / -7.88% 0.494 / -6.99% 0.28 / -6.11% 1.62 / -5.74% 1.04 / -5.66% 0.43 / -5.25%
C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Croda International PLC 2293.00 -15.00 Diageo PLC 1789.00 -0.50 Eurasian Nat Resources 334.05 11.40 EVRAZ PLC 282.00 1.10 Experian PLC 1027.00 -3.00 Fresnillo PLC 1748.50 6.00 G4S PLC 270.30 2.60 GKN PLC 241.20 1.80 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1372.50 -10.00 Glencore Intnl PLC 391.70 0.25 Hammerson PLC 486.05 0.70 Hargreaves Lansdown 729.25 -1.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 675.95 -1.90 IMI PLC 1117.00 -13.00 Imperial Tobacco Gr PLC 2470.50 22.00 InterCntnntl Hotels Gr 1767.50 -6.00 International Consldtd 210.50 2.80 Intertek Group PLC 3054.00 -47.00 ITV PLC 111.60 1.70 Johnson Matthey PLC 2242.50 -7.00 Kazakhmys PLC 786.00 -23.00 Kingfisher PLC 287.05 1.90 Land Securities Gr PLC 827.00 -4.50 Legal & General Gr PLC 149.75 -1.30 Lloyds Banking Gr PLC 54.92 0.88 Marks & Spencer Gr PLC 367.25 -5.30 Meggitt PLC 425.05 -6.20 Melrose Industries PLC 244.00 -1.20 National Grid PLC 687.75 0.50 Next PLC 3955.00 -35.00 Old Mutual PLC 185.30 0.10 Pearson PLC 1182.50 -17.00 Petrofac Ltd 1697.00 18.00 Polymetal Intnl PLC 1135.50 -22.00 Prudential PLC 925.50 4.50 Randgold Resources Ltd 5882.50 -15.00 Reckitt Benckiser Gr PLC 3949.50 -46.00 Reed Elsevier PLC 659.25 -1.00 Resolution Ltd 266.80 5.80 REXAM PLC 456.95 -2.60 Rio Tinto PLC 3474.50 5.50 Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 898.25 7.50 Royal Bank of Scotland Grou...364.55 4.10 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2213.00 -3.00 RSA Insurance Group PLC 126.50 -1.10 SABMiller PLC 2917.00 -16.50 Sage Group (The) PLC 309.95 -3.60 Sainsbury (J) PLC 325.60 1.60 Schroders PLC 1869.00 49.00 Serco Group PLC 552.00 2.50 Severn Trent PLC 1549.00 -23.00 Shire PLC 2042.00 9.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 691.50 5.00 Smiths Group PLC 1218.50 5.00 SSE PLC 1435.50 -14.00 Standard Chartered PLC 1682.75 2.50 Standard Life PLC 352.60 -0.30 Tate & Lyle PLC 758.75 -10.00 Tesco PLC 351.15 -2.00 TUI Travel PLC 282.50 -0.80 Tullow Oil PLC 1172.00 -14.00 Unilever PLC 2378.50 -6.00 United Utilities Group PLC 685.25 -10.00 Vedanta Resources PLC 1202.00 -9.00 Vodafone Group PLC 163.88 -1.35 Weir Group PLC 1938.00 -5.00 Whitbread PLC 2414.00 -48.00 Wm Morrison Sprmrkts 252.15 -0.50 Wolseley PLC 3033.50 -5.00 Wood Group (John) PLC 783.75 -17.50 WPP PLC 945.25 5.50 Xstrata PLC 1174.75 -0.50
% C H G. -0.65 -0.03 3.53 0.39 -0.29 0.34 0.97 0.75 -0.72 0.06 0.14 -0.14 -0.28 -1.15 0.90 -0.34 1.35 -1.52 1.55 -0.31 -2.84 0.67 -0.54 -0.86 1.63 -1.42 -1.44 -0.49 0.07 -0.88 0.05 -1.42 1.07 -1.90 0.49 -0.25 -1.15 -0.15 2.22 -0.57 0.16 0.84 1.14 -0.14 -0.86 -0.56 -1.15 0.49 2.69 0.45 -1.46 0.44 0.73 0.41 -0.97 0.15 -0.08 -1.30 -0.57 -0.28 -1.18 -0.25 -1.44 -0.74 -0.82 -0.26 -1.95 -0.20 -0.16 -2.18 0.59 -0.04
VOLUME 368.06 3,465.39 4,139.33 4,512.30 2,131.02 373.60 2,840.59 4,732.40 4,802.23 8,747.74 1,194.09 540.24 16,060.61 310.52 1,342.72 709.15 7,321.11 250.36 11,709.83 824.18 1,817.58 5,206.71 1,152.36 19,094.23 166,771.60 4,013.38 1,475.49 2,343.95 4,078.18 331.76 6,676.26 1,922.46 900.88 276.10 3,043.46 233.80 859.91 2,166.13 4,839.05 1,199.84 3,194.90 3,029.50 11,894.17 2,036.88 12,109.53 1,046.87 3,185.86 4,079.82 397.60 798.53 912.59 1,320.94 925.27 733.18 1,145.24 2,916.06 4,857.43 2,168.35 23,789.36 1,445.69 1,984.03 2,249.27 2,190.17 504.18 60,445.13 491.77 435.46 4,721.74 392.25 997.29 2,935.85 3,031.25
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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Horse meat more popular on the menu THE financial crisis has led to more horse meat being consumed in Spain. From January to October 2012, 12,900 tons of horse meat was produced for consumption, while the amount for the whole of the previous year was 11,265 tons. One of the main reasons for this is that horses are expensive to maintain and there is no market for their sale, hire or training, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. Production has increased the most in Andalucia, with 3,197 tons, a rise of 255 per cent. In the first 10 months of 2012, 60,391 horses were slaughtered in Spain, mainly in Andalucia with 16,608. Consumers purchase horse meat for stews and other meals, with markets selling it at an average of €2.05 per kilo.
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IZ Tax demand FINNISH phone giant Nokia’s Chennai (India) factory was swooped on by Indian tax officers demanding outstanding payments totaling 30 billion rupees (€419 million).
Crude forecast ALHAMBRA: Spain’s most popular monument saw visitor numbers decrease.
Alhambra has fewer visits VISITS to Spain’s most popular monument, the Alhambra Palace and Generalife Gardens, fell by 2.28 per cent in 2012. The total number of visitors to the Alhambra in 2012 was 2.26 million, of which 48.69 per cent were Europeans, 8.08 per cent more than in 2011. There were 73,099 visitors to cultural activities held at the
Alhambra, including the Granada International Music and Dance Festival and the celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the Alhambra’s naming as a World Heritage Site. The day on which most people visited the Alhambra was October 12, on which 100 per cent of available tickets were sold, and the day with the
fewest visitors was January 16, with just 1,784 tickets sold. The most popular month was April, with 249,876, and the least popular, January, with 10,995. Most of the visitors are European, aged between 30 and 44, have a university degree and are very satisfied with their visit to the Alhambra.
US oil production is predicted to increase from 6.4 million barrels a day last year to 7.9 million a day next year - the highest since 1988 - thanks to the discovery of large shale oil reserves.
Gallic fall FRENCH car alliance Peugeot Citroen’s worldwide sales fell by 16.5 per cent last year, from 3.55 million vehicles in 2011 to 2.97 million last year.
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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
Mallorca
The ghastly price of being a guest makes a wedding just too costly WHEN it comes to a wedding I really want to say ‘I do’ but sometimes I just can’t. I mean I want to get dressed up in a beautiful outfit. I want to walk up the aisle and take my place. I want to enjoy the party with all my friends, but the A look thing is - with finances at finance as they are at the for females moment - I just can’t afford to be a guest at Jane Plunkett so many weddings. jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews. This year, my brother com is getting married in Ireland. A friend is getting married in Spain, while not two other very, very, very good be possible to attend. friends are getting wed in A new mortgage, bills, living Dubai. expenses and our average It’s become a bit of a financial Spanish salaries mean that we conundrum. My brother’s live comfortably to our means wedding is a must and while I’d each month, but there is never hate to miss out on any of the much left for extravagant other three, financially it might expenses.
17 - 23 January 2013
Loose change
EXPENSIVE: Weddings mean the cash till rings, too. A wedding in Spain could be less harsh on our wallets, but it still racks up quite a bill, considering stag and hen parties, a wedding gift, clothes, travel, accommodation and drinks. Meanwhile, the overseas weddings in Dubai are filling us with dread - financially speaking - and we despair at the fact that
we might not be able to attend. Two return flights to Dubai cost an average of €1,200 and then there’s all the extras like accommodation and gifts. Getting married is definitely an expensive affair, even when you are only a guest. In fact, research from the UK recently revealed that 6 per cent of us resent the amount we have to spend to attend and a further 13 per cent refuse to go to some weddings because they cost too much. The study also calculated that 1.6 million people have actually gone into debt in order to attend a wedding. Such debt can be very hard on first-time homebuyers, like us, or those still burdened by student debt. So, while we want to please everyone and support our friends, sometimes we might just have to watch the wedding video!
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Cash hoard SPANIARDS still have €1.69 billion worth of pesetas which they have not exchanged at the Bank of Spain. The peseta was withdrawn on March 1, 2002.
Fewer notes THE number of €500 notes in Spain has fallen by 17.5 per cent since the onset of the financial crisis.
Magic deal BANK La Caixa has sold the Isla Magica theme park in Sevilla to French company Looping Group, which runs Pleasurewood Hills in the UK.
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W EEKLY
ROUND - UP OF REGULAR AND OCCASIONAL TOPICS
E XPAT EXTRA
LETTERS LEAPY HEALTH & BEAUTY
FOOD TIME OUT HOMES & GARDENS
PETS TV
The older man I love in my life...
DADDY’s flying in this weekend and it couldn’t have come at a better time. My heart needs repairing after finding Crispin in the arms of another woman, and what better way to fix my shattered soul than to hopefully stitch it up with sparkling presents, adorned with
As I see it... Ana Jefferson-Smith takes an irreverent look at life as a singleton expat in Spain dazzling ribbon. In Marbella on business next week, I see Daddy about four
times a year; twice when he flies here and the other when I join him in the most exotic place I can
identify with on his business schedule. His IT company has really done well and he is always jetting off somewhere or other, and when in Europe, aboard the company plane. As chairman he obviously has lots of responsibilities, and I know
MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE
COMMENT Deadly delay THE PSOE will take no decision regarding party leadership until late 2014. This is not procrastination by current Secretary General Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba or the party heavyweights backing him. It is denial. The boys at the top are happy, but to appreciate Rubalcaba’s qualities it is necessary to be a fervent PSOE supporter and they are not the people he must win over. Undecided voters decide elections, not cardcarriers.
Nice work RODRIGO RATO, having scuppered nownationalised Bankia, is going to Telefonica. Admitted, his talents will not be let loose in Spain as he is to be a special adviser for Europe and Latin America. His appointment is part of Telefonica’s ‘global vision’, according to a spokesman. It can only be hoped that he does not touch its finances, or the company’s global vision will soon need its eyes tested.
Pros look to score in World Cup! PROSTITUTES in Brazil are receiving free language classes in preparation for foreign visitors during the 2014 football World Cup. *** THE US congress is currently less popular than cockroaches and lice, a survey by Public Policy Polling has revealed. *** ICELANDIC girl ‘Blaer Bjarkardottir’ is suing her country for the right
JUST FANCY THAT... to use her own name because it does not appear on the list of the 1,712 male and 1,853 female ones approved . *** PRINCESS, a lovesick macaw parrot should be reunited with her male partner after fasting when separated, a Bangladeshi court has ruled. ***
A SWISS court has cleared a farmer of responsibility for a 655-year debt established when an earlier landowner who killed a man in 1357 vowed to finance the sanctuary lamp of a local church for eternity. *** A ROMAN CATHOLIC priest in Holland is to
display the names and photographs of parish members trying to leave the Church in the hope that they will decide to stay. *** McDONALD’s restaurants across Australia plan to temporarily change their signs to ‘Macca’s’, the name given to the chain by 50 per cent of inhabitants, to mark Australia Day later this month. ***
when I was growing up he was always working, and I rarely saw him. Because of his work commitments we may not meet as often as I would like, but he phones regularly, and always wants to shower me with gifts when we spend quality daddydaughter time together. And I’m never going to complain about that! Throughout his visit, he will be staying in his usual residence, the Royal Suite in the Marbella Club Hotel. While he checked out my own two-bedroom penthouse - which he kindly pays all the bills for - I can’t put him up as it is just too small, and my pooch Stella isn’t going to be kicked out of her bed to accommodate him. I’ll make the most of his Marbella Club surrounds and stay with him one evening, grabbing at the same time the chance to relax in their Thalasso Spa and savour only the finest in their Champagne Bar. Whenever Daddy is staying there I get treated like royalty and this time around it will be the perfect pick-me-up after a not-so festive Christmas. He’ll also have a driver on hand all day every day which should aid some shopping trips together. As his little princess I simply cannot wait to see him. But in his eyes I cannot do any wrong, so will consequently not delve into my escapes with Crispin. Daddy arrives by the company jet at Malaga tomorrow, just in time for a relaxed work-free weekend before he focuses more on business. Luckily my puppy-dog eyes still work, and he just can’t say no to his precious angel. I truly do love him.
22 EWN
17 - 23 January 2013
www.euroweeklynews.es
Mallorca
Youngsters are 75 per cent safer in rear-facing child car seats REAR-FACING children’s car seats save lives and reduce the risk of injury by 75 per cent. That is the message from a study carried out by a Spanish motoring organisation. Last year 39 under 14s died in Spanish road accidents. It was an increase of 13 over 2011, despite the number of deaths amongst all age groups falling 180 over the same period. In Spain, 1,304 people died in out-of-town road accidents during 2012, the General Traffic Management (DGT) reported. Deaths on urban roads were not included in the statistics. The only other age group that showed a rise in accident deaths was the 75-84 year-old group
SHUTTERSTOCK
Life in Spain
Boost for children
- Out of 1,000 drivers surveyed by RACE, 95 per cent said they use booster seats for their children, with 52 A weekly focus aimed per cent equipped with international standard IsoFIX anchorage at keeping expatriate readers points. informed on various aspects of - Grandparents are sharing the wheel with 19 per cent now Life in Spain regularly driving their grandchildren - mostly on the school run - up from 10 per cent in 2011. By Raul Candela - 19 per cent of drivers reported experiencing an accident or hazardous situation with children on board. - 54 per cent think it safer to have front-facing child ‘HEY, MUM’: Fitting the booster seat in the opposite direction seats, rear-facing seats got the vote of 21 per which saw 10 more killed for a can be safer for the child. cent of drivers. 25 per cent did not total of 141. know. The Royal Spanish Automobile
Club (RACE) and car seat manufacturer Cybex sponsored a DGT backed study into rear-facing safety seats with passenger airbags turned off. Currently all children
using Group 0+ boosters, designed for children up to 13 kilos, must face rearwards by law.
RACE commissioned an independent laboratory to perform crash tests with Group One rear facing and forward facing seats for children between nine and 18 kilos.
Inspections to keep homes safe and sound
Q AND A
MORE councils around Spain are insisting older buildings be inspected for safety reasons. And the cost of that will fall on the shoulders of property owners. By national law, buildings over 50 years old in towns with a population over 25,000 must undergo periodic Building Technical Inspections (ITE). But regional governments, and even local town halls, can come up with their own regulations. Mijas in Malaga, for example, has recently declared that all buildings over 25 years old must pass the ITE tests. “We do not want to generate the type of news coming from other places, where a corner falls off a building killing a passerby,” Manuel Navarro, Urban Planning Councillor for the town, said. He added that 10,200 local
What’s the damage? Owners whose properties need an inspection should keep in mind that inspectors can charge what they want. Architect Daniel Trujillano said: “In several municipalities, town halls have signed agreements with official architects’ associations, establishing estimated fees. But this usually is for the town hall’s benefit. The agreed charges are only applied when the owner fails to carry out the test and the town hall becomes responsible for the ITE.” But the Malaga Official Association of Architects and Technical Architects (COAAT) suggests a fee of €30 for the report. Trujillano points out that repair costs may be covered by insurance depending on the cause of damage and the insurance contract. Grants from local or provincial public authorities are sometimes given. “They usually cover part of the technician’s fees or the repair costs and are normally means tested.” But, he added, it is always worthwhile asking the town hall’s Council of Works (Concejalia de Urbanismo) if grants are available.
RUSTY: This building definitely needs some repairs to be done. buildings will be inspected throughout 2013. In Mijas, buildings over 25 years old will need to be inspected every seven years. Those over 50 years old will need to be inspected every four years.
What about people like myself that come What about people like myself that come to Spain for the winter in campervans and caravans? We stay longer than three
The regulations vary throughout Spain, but normally the local town hall will notify property owners when an inspection is due. There are two reasons for these inspections:
1. To assess that a building complies with building regulations. 2. To check for structural soundness and list any repairs needed. When notified of an ITE, the property owner must hire a qualified inspector an architect or technical architect - to do a report. “It usually takes no longer than a week, unless
months but do not own property here. Do we have to register on the padron? If you keep travelling you do not have to register
difficulties arise when inspecting the building or getting the title deeds proving ownership and age,” architect Daniel Trujillano said. The inspector takes pictures of the building and writes a description of any damage found. The owner must take care of any repairs and apply for a works licence.
The results, after performing 64kph head-on collision tests, revealed rear-facing seats reduce the chance of injury by as much as 75 per cent. In normal forward-facing booster seats children are at more risk because their head is unprotected and jerks violently with whiplash. This, safety experts found, can severely injure the neck and spine and even lead to death. But in order to fix a rearfacing Group One booster the car should be fitted with not just an IsoFIX system, but also a special seat adapter. IsoFIX is the international standard for attachment points for child safety seats in passenger cars. Many older cars do not have it, and not all child seats can use the system. A child’s height is also a factor. RACE’s study does not specify the maximum height a child can be to comfortably fit in a rear facing seat. So it will be up to parents to decide if the child’s height and weight, as well as the size of the car make rear-facing safety seats suitable. More information: www.race.es.
on the municipal register (padron). However, if you sign a long-term rental contract on a legally registered camping ground, then it is advisable to register. Registration can be done by producing a
Send your questions to: raul@euroweeklynews.com
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L etters OPINION & COMMENT
24 EWN
Down to earth shock over high security! IF it wasn’t true, it would be laughable. A Dutch neighbour has just flown back to his main home in Rotterdam from Malaga Airport... travelling on his partner’s passport. It seems after she dropped him off at the airport he discovered the passport he had in his jacket pocket was not his own. With no time to return home, and unable to contact her by phone as she was driving, he decided to chance his luck and continue his journey. While I do not have full details, I know that in total his journey included three passport checks though I use the word ‘checks’ loosely - for he was allowed through on each occasion, arriving safely on time at his final and foreign destination. MR, El Faro (Malaga)
Deadly river MORE than 20 dogs have died due to drinking the water of the River Quisi in Benissa. Some pets have been saved as their owners have managed to get them to the vet quickly. I have advised people walking their dogs in the area not to allow their animals to drink this contaminated water. Even the weeds have turned red in places. The Guardia Civil had been advised at the time but I don’t think anything has been done. Apparently hunters put down poison to eradicate foxes which destroy their game. This river water is crystal clear with no visible signs of poison. Marion Fisher, Benissa (Alicante)
Pricey order MANY people have recently received notification from Mijas Town Hall that urbanisations must bury all electric cables. In 2004, our small urbanisation received a quotation for similar work which would have cost us about €4,000 per household. These days not many people have that amount spare. Surely this work should be the responsibility of the people who installed the cables, SevillanaEndesa. If this is principally for
Snapped! By Sarah Simpson
P pub hotog r l em icati aphs pho ail w on sh for p o ton ews ith a f uld b ossibl e es @e ull e c uro wee aptio nt by klyn n to ews : .com
17 - 23 January 2013 Mallorca and take their rubbish home. The litter I see is either dumped or washed off the decks of passing commercial ships and fishing boats. Name and address supplied, Javea (Alicante)
Sad for charity IT is sad to hear that a very worthwhile charity finds it is unable to keep going, as is the case of the cat charity called PAWS. They state they are not officially registered (Letters Issue 1436). One of the easiest and very inexpensive things to do in Spain is become a nonprofit association. All one need do is go to the town hall, fill in the forms and for less than €20 become legal. Raquel Peña Sirvent (By email)
Stay away TAKEN from Calpe, this photo shows the sun setting over Benidorm after another beautiful day in Spain. It certainly beats the torrential rain we’ve experienced in the UK!
WHEN YOU WRITE
All letters, whether by email or post, should carry the writer’s postal address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published. Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed earlier correspondence can see all letters posted on:
www.euroweeklynews.com
tourism, then why not limit it to the village as 90 per cent of tourists to Mijas only visit the old town. I think that the hanging cables give personality to the village. James Binyon, Mijas (Malaga)
Staff praised PLEASE be assured, NJ from Mijas, (Letters Issue 1435) that there are some wonderful staff at Malaga Aiport dedicated to helping people. My flight from Gibraltar was relocated to Malaga for technical reasons. Upon arrival at Malaga Airport, passengers had to queue at the desk to have their tickets changed. I have a disability and was directed to the information desk in the middle of the vast terminal. The gentleman at the desk took me to a seat and said everything would be done for me and I should not worry. Very soon, new paperwork was given
to me and another gentleman came and wheeled me to the aircraft. I could not have asked for more. They were so kind. GDC (By email)
Fraud alert A MAN speaking broken English phoned, asked for me by name and said he was from electricity company Endesa. He claimed I owed them €700 and could I pay on the telephone with my credit card. I refused and then phoned Endesa. They told me I did not owe any money. No way would they ask for payment over the phone asking for bank details. A proper bill would be sent for payment. I hope this letter may stop readers paying any money to fraudsters. G Bulmer (By email)
Clean boaters AS a resident of Javea and a boat owner I agree that a large amount of debris and rubbish is regularly washed up on the pebble beach, including palm tree trunks! But it is not correct to say (Costa Blanca North, Litterbugs, Issue 1433) this is caused by owners of small boats. Most leisure craft owners that anchor in Sardine Bay are respectable people
ABOUT the letters from people complaining about churches, (Issue 1435), well, the answer to me seems obvious, stay away. The whole religious, superstitious, nonsense thing is a big deception, and the sooner people realise this the better. Fortunately, the majority of thinking people have already arrived at this conclusion, hence the ever faster emptying pews. I renounced all links with religion a few years ago and feel much better for it. Alan (By email)
Gas query THE Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism has set the maximum price for butane gas as €16.10 a bottle. Yesterday I was charged €16.75 at the new BP petrol station at Rio Padron, (Estepona) 4 per cent more. I wondered if you know if the announcement by the ministry is mandatory or recommendatory. Tony Bolton (By email)
Editor’s note: The figure announced by the ministry is the official maximum price charged at gas depots. Resellers may increase the price.
Bird answer WITH reference to the picture from Phil Holman (Letters Issue 1436) I think the bird might be a Black Redstart. Angela Lane, Casares Costa, (Malaga)
The views expressed and opinions given in Letters are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. They accept no responsibility for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements, and reject claims arising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.
OPINION & COMMENT
26 EWN
17 - 23 January 2013
www.euroweeklynews.es
A
Y
Death knell sounds for NHS as floodgates open in Romania and Bulgaria is an insult to the intelligence. The idea of millions of Brits rushing to obtain jobs, have their heart by-passes and receive free housing in these ‘Eastern blocs’ EAPY EE is an example SAYS IT of how OTHERS THINK IT gullible and mentally impaired most British politicians consider BITTER PILL: Demise of Britain’s NHS. their constituents to be. All I can say is thank God you a life-threatening couldn’t even get hold of a we live in Spain. Apropos illness than a cure is packet of Rennies in their the medical treatments horrific. A service now countries of origin, fills me over here, I do remember littered with incompetent with dread. years ago people scurrying staff, where 70 per cent of And now there’s another back to UK for their struck-off doctors were 20 million potential operations, ailments and those who had received ‘patients’ on the horizon. new births. Not any more. their training in ‘other’ Well, as far as I’m Frankly, to me the idea of countries, and waiting- concerned the Brits going for treatment in rooms jammed with deserve all they get. If they hospitals more likely to give hypochondriacs, who are prepared to roll over
ESTERDAY afternoon, covered in paint and surrounded by folders, sketchbooks, lesson plans and artist biographies, I realised I was happy. It has been a long time since I have been able to immerse myself in something that I feel real passion for (and no, George Clooney does not count). Just one week into my new job and I know I have made the right decision. How often can one say that (and mean it!)? The moment my son was born, the day I told Alex to sling his hook, leaving the UK for Gibraltar, moving to Lancaster, making the heartbreakingly difficult decision to give up the quest to encourage my son’s father to become a part of his life (I did that for my own sanity) and the one that enabled me to exorcise a particularly demanding ghost thus being able to move forward with my life, have all ultimately been good decisions. How wonderful it would be if decisions were made for us by a third party or one of those answer balls played with enthusiastically on Christmas Day and never again. Unfortunately, as I have commented on before, it is part of
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and accept the unacceptable then on their own heads be it. Thank the Lord it won’t affect the wellbeing of my children, who are perfectly integrated and secure in a country that at least retains a fair slice of common sense. Finally, I’d like to pay tribute to a friend and colleague who passed over after a short, devastating bout of cancer. Leo Klein was a wonderfully talented performer, who entertained millions of fans during his 35-year stint on Mallorca. He was the unsung hero of countless charity events for which he neither intended, nor indeed wanted, to receive any personal recognition. RIP Leo Klein. Keep the faith. Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com
Chicken raid TWO men broke into a fried chicken restaurant by mistake instead of a jewellery store, but staged an impromptu hold-up of the KFC branch in Australia, escaping with $2,600 (€1,900).
Cash only VATICAN tourists are limited to cash transactions after card payments for museum tickets, souvenirs and other services were blocked by Italy’s central bank over money laundering fears.
END COLUMN
T the end of this year Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) will finally commit harikari. Indeed, as we speak, millions of Bulgarians and Romanians are listing their malaises, carbuncles and ingrowing toenails in the build-up to an onslaught on this already mortally wounded institution. When the floodgates open to allow some 21 million (you ‘eard!) more immigrants to work freely in the UK, it will also create a scarcity of housing. This will result in the pavements of our once beautiful country of origin being littered with beggars and spongers the like of which have not been seen since Victorian times. It is almost beyond belief that this situation is being allowed to happen without the beleaguered British public having even the smallest say. For the government to point out that by the same token British people will also have the same facilities available
Mallorca
Bee-zinga A NEW species of bee in Brazil has been named 'Euglossa Bazinga' after a catchphrase from US sitcom character Sheldon Cooper in ‘The Big Bang Theory’.
Slings and arrows on life’s great expedition the human condition to face certain dilemmas that require a response in the affirmative or negative. Unlike a quiz show the wrong answer can lead to an experience far worse than having to listen to Noel Edmonds for an hour or so (which segues effortlessly into a little known fact that my headmaster at secondary school was Noel Edmond’s father). In order to live in a free society we must be leaders of our own expeditions, taking into account winds and tides and all manner of rocks and glaciers, knowledge of
Suzanne Manners With a degree in Fine Art and an MA in Writing Suzanne is currently teaching in Alicante and writing a book for teenagers. To comment on any of the issues raised in this column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/suzanne-manners.
which have thankfully been charted by brave souls before us, either in our own lineage or those of friends. We can choose to ignore the maps and charts and throw
CHARTING A COURSE: Throw caution to the wind. caution to the wind setting off blindly and unprepared, or we can mull and muse and pay attention to the bold text that declares ‘Here be dragons’. I don’t know about you but if I can avoid dragons then avoid them I will. The expedition can be gloriously exciting, branching off in all directions with little aforethought or planning, or it
can be a gentle meander down a well charted river on board a yacht filled with beloved people. No chart can ever fully explain all the dangers and pitfalls awaiting us on our journey but one can always, as Conrad writes, ‘…come to and wait for the turn of the tide’. So enjoy your journey make your decisions and relish the outcomes, good or bad.
TV
17 - 23 January 2013 www.euroweeklynews.es
THURSDAY JANUARY 17
BBC1 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 8:57pm BBC News and Regional News 9:00pm Waterloo Road 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Question Time 12:35am This Week 1:20am Skiing Weatherview 1:25am BBC News
BBC2
7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Masters Snooker 9:00pm Winterwatch 10:00pm Winterwatch Unsprung 10:30pm Married in Britain 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Masters Snooker Highlights 1:10am Masters Snooker Extra 3:10am Panorama 3:40am Queen Victoria's Children
ITV
6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Nursing the Nation 10:00pm Inside Death Row with Trevor Mcdonal 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The Jonathan Ross Show 12:45am The Late Debate 1:10am Jackpot247 4:00am Tonight 4:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:20am ITV Nightscreen
Channel 4
6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm Location, Location, Location 10:00pm The Restoration Man 11:00pm Rude Tube 12:05am The Undateables 1:05am Random Acts 1:10am Don't Blame Facebook 2:05am Irish Dancing Triplets 2:35am Dispatches 3:05am Time Team
Channel 5
6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Benidorm ER 9:00pm Great Northern Cookbook 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Gareth Thomas Coming Out: My Secret Past 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 1:00am Super Casino
FRIDAY JANUARY 18
BBC1 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Room 101 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:20am Tropic Thunder 2:00am Weatherview 2:05am BBC News
BBC2
7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Masters Snooker 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein 10:00pm Italy Unpacked 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:00am The Review Show 12:50am Masters Snooker Highlights 1:40am Masters Snooker Extra 3:40am Question Time
ITV
6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Wild Britain with Ray Mears 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Great Night Out 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Raw Deal 1:35am Jackpot247 3:55am The Fugitive
Channel 4
6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm First Time Farmers 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 10:30pm The Last Leg 11:00pm Paddy's TV Guide 11:50pm Alan Carr: Tooth Fairy Live 12:55am The New Normal 1:20am The Big Bang Theory 1:40am Random Acts 1:45am Happy Endings 2:10am Bob's Burgers 2:35am Bob's Burgers
Channel 5
6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News National and international news. 8:00pm The Great Falklands Gamble 9:00pm Ice Road Truckers 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm American Idol 11:55pm Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 12:55am Inside Hollywood 1:00am Super Casino
SATURDAY JANUARY 19
BBC1 5:30pm Final Score 6:15pm BBC News 6:25pm Regional News 6:28pm Weather 6:30pm Animal Antics 7:00pm Richard Hammond's Secret Service 7:45pm Britain's Brightest 9:00pm The National Lottery: In It to Win It 9:50pm Casualty 10:40pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:10pm BBC News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Match of the Day 12:50am The Football League Show 2:05am Weatherview 2:10am BBC News
LISTINGS
SUNDAY JANUARY 20
4:20pm Chatsworth 5:20pm Lifeline 5:30pm Songs of Praise 6:05pm Africa 7:05pm BBC News 7:20pm Regional News 7:25pm Weather 7:30pm Blandings 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Call the Midwife
ITV
4:35pm River Monsters 5:05pm Garfield 6:30pm Local News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:00pm Splash! 9:30pm Take Me Out 10:45pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:45pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 12:00am The Game 2:20am The Store 3:50am In Plain Sight 4:30am Pushing Daises 5:15am ITV Nightscreen
Channel 4
5:10pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 5:40pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 6:10pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 6:45pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 7:10pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 7:40pm Channel 4 News 8:10pm 4thought.tv 8:15pm The Simpsons Movie America's favourite family make their debut on the big screen in David Silverman's comedy. 10:00pm World Without End 11:00pm Saving Private Ryan 2:15am Exit Through the Gift Shop 3:40am Hollyoaks Omnibus 5:50am Countdown
Channel 5
4:25pm Operation Crossbow 6:45pm Operation Daybreak 8:50pm 5 News 8:55pm NCIS 9:50pm NCIS 10:45pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:45pm Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 12:45am Comedy Kings - Best of Just for Laughs 1:15am Super Casino
MONDAY JANUARY 21
BBC1 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Miranda 10:30pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Have I Got Old News for You 12:05am Blandings 12:35am The Graham Norton Show
BBC2
ITV
Starring Emma Thopmson 4:55pm Nanny McPhee 10:00pm Ripper Street 11:00pm BBC News 11:15pm Regional News 11:20pm Weather 11:25pm Match of the Day 2 12:25am Room 101
BBC2
5:45pm Ski Sunday 6:30pm Flog It! 7:30pm Orbit: Earth's Extraordinary Journey 8:30pm Fawlty Towers 9:00pm Snooker 12:00am There Will be Blood
ITV
4:55pm Nanny McPhee 6:45pm Local News and Weather 7:00pm ITV News and Weather 7:15pm Dancing on Ice 8:45pm All Star Family Fortunes 9:30pm Dancing on Ice 10:00pm Mr Selfridge 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:15pm The Bourne Ultimatum 1:15am The Store 3:20am Monk
Channel 4
6:25pm Time Team 7:25pm Channel 4 News 7:55pm 4thought.tv 8:00pm Come Dine with Me 9:00pm The Hotel 10:00pm It's Complicated 12:20am Utopia 1:35am Chatroom 3:15am The Last Mitterand
Channel 5
6:50pm Pearl Harbour 9:55pm 5 News 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 12:00am The House Bunny
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BBC1
BBC2
4:00pm Coast 4:30pm Flog It! 5:30pm Snooker 6:30pm The Big Freeze 1963 7:30pm Dad's Army 8:00pm Snooker 11:30pm Doubt 1:10am Masters Snooker
EWN
7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Heir Hunters 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm The Great Comic Relief Bake Off 10:30pm Natural World Special 11:30pm 12:20am Locomotion: Dan Snow's History of Railways 1:20am American Football 2:20am Bowls
ITV
7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Cornwall with Caroline Quentin 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Lewis 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm My Child's Not Perfect 12:35am Monk 1:25am Jackpot247 4:00am The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:55am The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:45am ITV Nightscreen
Channel 4
7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm The Wild Things 10:00pm Embarrassing Fat Bodies 11:00pm What Happens in Kavos... 12:05am One Born Every Minute 1:10am Random Acts 1:15am The Shooting Gallery 1:45am Scandal 2:25am The Promise 3:50am Supersize v Superskinny
Channel 5
6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Cowboy Builders 9:00pm The All New Gadget Show 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Botched Up Bodies 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 1:00am Celebrity Wedding Planner 2:00am Super Casino Live interactive gaming featuring roulette, blackjack and autowheel.
TUESDAY JANUARY 22
BBC1 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Death in Paradise 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Allotment Wars 12:30am Greenfingers 1:55am Weatherview 2:00am BBC News
BBC2
7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Heir Hunters 9:00pm The Great Comic Relief Bake Off 10:00pm Locomotion: Dan Snow's History of Railways 11:00pm The Sarah Millican Television Programme 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Why the Industrial Revolution Happened Here 1:20am Bowls 2:20am The Battle for Malta 3:20am Nature's Weirdest 5:00am Acting Around Words 5:30am Making Media
ITV
5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 9:00pm Who Wants to be a Millionaire? 10:00pm Great Houses with Julian Fellowes 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 12:35am The Cube 1:30am Jackpot247 4:00am Loose Women 4:50am ITV Nightscreen
Channel 4
5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm Supersize v Superskinny 10:00pm The Undateables 11:00pm Utopia 12:10am 8 Out of 10 Cats 1:10am Random Acts 1:15am Pokerstars.co.uk and MonteCarlo Casino EPT Grand Final
Channel 5
6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Monkey Life 8:30pm Highland Emergency 9:00pm Benidorm ER 10:00pm Body of Proof 11:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 1:00am Botched Up Bodies
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23
BBC1 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Food Inspectors 10:00pm Africa 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm A Question of Sport 12:05am The League Cup Show 12:50am Film 2013 1:25am Cabaret 3:25am Weatherview
BBC2
6:10pm Vintage Antiques Roadshow 6:55pm Party Political Broadcast Conservative Party 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Heir Hunters 9:00pm The Great Comic Relief Bake Off 10:00pm Funny Business 11:00pm The Culture Show 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Tankies: Tank Heroes of WW2 1:20am Bowls 2:20am Dara O Briain's Science Club
ITV
5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Coronation Street 8:30pm National TV Awards 2013 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Trevor Mcdonald: Inside Death Row 12:35am Safari Vet School 1:05am Jackpot247 4:00am Midway
Channel 4
4:30pm Face the Clock 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm Gok's Style Secrets 10:00pm One Born Every Minute 11:00pm 16 Kids and Counting 12:05am Random Acts 12:10am Embarrassing Fat Bodies 1:15am Launched at Red Bull Studio in Association with Lacoste! 1:30am Launched at Red Bull Studio in Association with Lacoste!
Channel 5
7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Ice Road Truckers 9:00pm Charley Boorman's South African Adventure 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:30pm Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 12:30am Alien Hunter 2:15am Super Casino 4:55am House Doctor 5:20am House Doctor 5:45am Michaela's Wild Challenge
28 EWN
17 - 23 January 2013
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For solutions: http://www.euroweeklynews.com/puzzle-answers.html
Time Out NEW ON DVD
Regime change with a new hero 10-star quiz
In the futuristic action thriller Looper, time travel will be invented, but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a ‘looper’ – a hired gunman, like Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) – is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good, until the day the mob decides to ‘close the loop’, sending back Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) for assassination. 1h59m Starring: Bruce Willis, Joseph GordonLevitt, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano
AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Being at the forefront of a learning experience is pleasurable this week. An unexpected offer seems small but could have a big effect. A friend in need may go over the top and annoy you. It may be necessary to distance yourself and give help through others. .
PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Even as you prepare to go on a trip or start something new this week, the future beckons. In small things there are clues to the way forward. A chance encounter brings humour and opens your eyes to a friendship lately neglected.
BOOKS books@euroweeklynews.com
Available from El Corte Ingles in Marbella, autographed by the author, The Man details how a new type of hero can influence and change the course of world affairs. The subject of Iran and how to curb its nuclear ambitions fills our news daily now. Yet, other than the two extremes of diplomacy or a strike on its nuclear facilities, no one has
IF ITʼS YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Meeting a stimulating person is both surprising and delightful. A few busy months see you burning the candle at both ends. A spring holiday can recharge batteries.
Y our S tars
demands that you find unacceptable and you will need all your tact to avoid unpleasantness, but any resistance by you will only gain you respect.
ARIES (March 21 - April 20)
TAURUS (April 21 - May 21)
Emotional and monetary wealth go hand in hand at the beginning of this energetic week. Someone is likely to make
provided a solution. In The Man, Eric Jordan offers us an exciting and audacious alternative that kills two birds with one stone. The hero, Rick Sterling, is a man who both mingles with global policymakers and business leaders and leads a secret life as the
You may feel a bit like Sherlock
one who tackles global threats when others can’t, or won’t. Written by someone who ‘has been there and done that’, and brimming with the latest technologies, sexy hit-women, drug lords, and spies, The Man offers a real and lively contemporary alternative to James Bond.
Pep Guardiola, born January 18, 1971. He is a Spanish football manager and former player. As a player, he spent most of his career in FC Barcelona, winning one Championsʼ League among other titles. In 2008, he signed in as Barcelonaʼs manager winning 13 trophies during the four seasons in charge.
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Holmes when you solve a tricky dilemma. With your intellect soaring, it is little surprise others come to you with problems.
very well if you are willing, but if not keep your distance. As thoughts turn to summer, it is not surprising that a holiday is on your mind.
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)
CANCER (June 22 - July 23)
Someone with a romantic interest in you starts buzzing around. This is all
Small matters start to clog up the emotional works. You would rather be somewhere else, but grit your teeth and deal with necessary matters. Finances certainly must be watched most carefully. Get your glad rags on at the weekend and really let your hair down. Of course, there are more serious matters to be considered but not all the time.
SU DOKU
LEO (July 24 - August 23) Mutual plans are exciting but make sure others know your needs exactly. As a Leo, you will never willingly accept second best but how can others know your standards? Your needs and desires are close to your heart but are sometimes held so close others cannot see and respond to them.
HOW TO PLAY Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9. There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.
VIRGO (August 24 - September 23)
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
Putting your thoughts and feelings on a par with someone else will help you to understand their point of view. As painful as it seems, there will need to be some compromise if everyone is to be happy.
LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Sometimes, you retreat into your shell and your normally gregarious personality takes a back seat. Although you may not have received the expected response to a question recently, it is no reason to brood. Show yourself in your true colours.
1. Acinonyx jubatus is the scientific name (binomial nomenclature) for which longlegged spotted cat of Africa and southwestern Asia? 2. Anura ranidae is the scientific name for which tailless amphibian? 3. Capra hircus is the scientific name for which hardy domesticated ruminant mammal? 4. Chiroptera is the scientific name for which flying mammal? 5. Hymenopetera formicidae is the scientific name for which social insect? 6. Pan troglodytes is the scientific name for which great ape? 7. Puma concolor is the scientific name for which large cat native to the Americas? 8. Rangifer tarandus is the scientific name for which ruminant mammal? 9. Ursidae carnivora is the scientific name for which large, heavy mammal? 10. Vulpes vulpes is the scientific name for which omnivorous mammal?
TARGET: Average: 16 Good: 21
Very good: 30 Excellent: 37
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
cedi, clod, code, cold, cord, dice, diol, dire, doer, dole, door, idle, idol, lido, lied, lode, lord, odor, olid, ride, rodo, cider, credo, dicer, dolce, olor, doric, droil, drole, drool, idler, oiled, older, rodeo, coiled, cooled, docile, doolie, colored, CROCODILE
How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case H) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.
Word ladder
SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22)
LOTTERY
UK NATIONAL UK LOTTERY THUNDERBALL Saturday January 12
7
3
Saturday January 12
6
IRISH LOTTO
EURO MILLIONS
Saturday January 12
Friday January 11
13
2
4 22
26
11
12
27
24
24
22
30 31
39
BONUS BALL
THUNDERBALL
13
12
LA PRIMITIVA Saturday January 12
EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA Sunday January 13
2
3
17
19
20
44
27
29
37 32
33
BONUS BALL
25
41
29
LUCKY STARS
4
45
7
37
REINTEGRO
1
4
51 REINTEGRO
9
DARK
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Look ahead to see how exactly you can make this spring special. Making your plans clear to others means a smooth journey as opposed to unnecessary delays. A particular place brings back memories of a love long past.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20)
There is an incredibly romantic week ahead if you only enter into the spirit of it. Let your feelings be seen and felt, showing appreciation for loved ones. You do not need the excuse of a birthday or anniversary to give a gift, just a heart full of love. Contentment surfaces several times this week and is down to your own past efforts.
MEAT
Move from the start word (DARK) to the end word (MEAT) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.
DARK PARK PERK PERT PEAT MEAT
The way to bring energy levels up this week is to spend time with energetic people. You may feel a little on the fringes initially but, at the end of the day, your spirit will be lifted. Fresh air and group activities bring the most satisfaction.
Just joking Why do seagulls live near the sea? Because if they lived near the bay, they’d be called bagels. What’s small, red and whispers? A hoarse radish. What’s black and white and eats like a horse? A zebra.
BINOMIAL NOMENCLATURE
Nonagram
Action and Adventure
1. CHEETAH, 2. FROG, 3. GOAT, 4. BAT, 5. ANT, 6. CHIMPANZEE, 7. COUGAR, 8. REINDEER or CARIBOU, 9. BEAR, 10. RED FOX
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Sponsored by
Crosswords CRYPTIC
ENGLISH - SPANISH
Across 1 Saw heʼd, by accident, got the dirt off (6) 4 Diabetes is not turning into an argument (6) 7 A name for time spent in an office (4) 8 Disappears if he is in vehicles (8) 9 Joins a union, arise Mr Dance (7) 12 Chime in with a load of twaddle (3) 14 Friends for whom gangster tells tales (6) 15 Has a trying experience of stormy States (6) 16 Sign of agreement appears in no doubt (3) 18 Spread new form of car test (7) 22 Strange clue: ʻPair offʼ (8) 23 Some wombats are loopy (4) 24 Slumbering when former PM returns (6) 25 Rotates head of states troops (6) Down 1 Ate in warm, damaged subterranean pipe (5,4) 2 Confused Marcʼs returned to find 50 in bed (9) 3 Tom Daley is the new Verdi (5) 4 Thick, of French North/South divide, lastly (5)
The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across 1 Principio (comienzo) (5) 4 Needle (5) 7 Aire (3) 8 Smoked (f) (7) 9 Maletín (portafolios) (9) 13 Trillizo (7) 15 Costilla (3) 16 To peel (fruit, vegetable) (5) 17 Cuttlefish (5)
Co d e B r e a ke r 5 Bottom in Cubaʼs easy listening chart (4) 6 Starting tax returns every night, daft craze (5) 10 The right fish and the means to catch them (5) 11 Begin the jump (5) 12 Alert Etna about replacement (9)
13 Has misgivings about Old Bob, trust Sid (9) 17 Begins to write in circles (5) 19 Credit is power snack (5) 20 Rolls goes off (5) 21 Expected to carry money for fool (4)
Down 1 Conflict (5) 2 Nettle rash (5) 3 Admire (7) 4 Stern (6) 5 Large wild ox (5) 6 Real (7) 7 Landscape (7) 12 Outrage (7) 13 Inactive (7) 15 Choose not to vote (7) 16 Postpones (6) 18 Requires (5) 20 Nimble (5) 21 Fragment (5)
CRYPTIC Across: 7 Salami, 8 Latvia, 9 Nets, 10 Cleaning, 11 Loathes, 13 Nails, 15 Yearn, 17 Loudest, 20 District, 21 Bear, 22 Divine, 23 Grocer. Down: 1 Came to, 2 Bags, 3 Air crew, 4 Fleet, 5 Standard, 6 Signal, 12 Turn tail, 14 Pottage, 16 Elixir, 18 Spared, 19 Given, 21 Book. QUICK - Across: 1 Dusk, 3 Spotless, 9 Surplus, 10 Again, 11 State, 12 Rancid, 14 Elapse, 16 Accede, 19 Ramble, 21 Start, 24 Rides, 25 Example, 26 Sinister, 27 Fees. Down: 1 Disaster, 2 Syria, 4 Pastry, 5 Train, 6 Examine, 7 Send, 8 Pliers, 13 Restless, 15 Abandon, 17 Casual, 18 Severe, 20 Basis, 22 Ample, 23 Iris. ENGLISH - SPANISH Across: 1 Stamp, 4 Perro, 7 Margarine, 8 Eternidad, 12 Martillos, 14 Roses, 15 Snail. Down: 1 Sand, 2 Arm, 3 Portraits, 4 Platillos, 5 Reina, 6 Obey, 9 Tyres, 10 Amar, 11 Azul, 13 Sea.
Play on Words SLAP L3 and
tickle,
1. Unscramble the name of a famous Scottish-born actress: CREATE BONNIEST 2. Unscramble the name of a football club that plays in Football League Two: POLAR VET
13579 WHELMING Answers: Slap Overwhelming odds
Funagram
Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 17 represents C and 23 represents H, so fill in C every time the figure 17 appears and H every time the figure 23 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS
QUICK Across 1 Cronies (7) 5 Fake (5) 8 Consultant (7) 9 From that time (5) 10 Hurry (5) 11 Restrict (7) 12 Staid (6) 14 Not often (6) 17 Organise (7) 19 Pointed (5) 22 Male duck (5) 23 Analyse (7) 24 Water lily (5) 25 Genuine (7)
Down 1 Mares (4) 2 To open (5) 3 Viajero (9) 4 Avocados (9) 5 Grape (3) 6 Abbot (4) 10 Jarabe (líquido) (5) 11 Paso (4) 12 Work (4) 14 Enfermo (3)
Quote
‘
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Thomas Edison (1847-1931) American inventor and businessman
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
Hexagram The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 sixletter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (GLIDER) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.
ASIDES
FLANKS
SAGGED
AWARDS
FRIGHT
STALLS
BAIRNS
GLIDER(10)
WATERS
BOARDS
GUILTY
WHEELS
CALLER
HARDLY
WRISTS
CLOSER
LEMURS
DESERT
MAIMED
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Relief, 2 Ruined, 3 Chafed, 4 Dangle, 5 Ruffle, 6 Trench, 7 Girdle, 8 Placid, 9 Fleets, 10 Depend, 11 Grains, 12 Seldom, 13 Abated, 14 Awaits, 15 Months, 16 Braver, 17 Hammer, 18 Charge, 19 Escort.
FUNAGRAM SOLUTION ANNETTE CROSBIE PORT VALE
17 - 23 January 2013 www.euroweeklynews.es
HEALTH & BEAUTY
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BORED?: The brain needs to have some ‘down time’ to be more productive. SOFT DRINKS: May lead to depression.
Thirst quenchers’ depression risk A STUDY has linked soft drinks to depression, with diet versions particularly problematic. Researchers in the USA studied the drink consumption of 265,000 men and women aged from 50-71 and found that those who drank more than four cans of soft drinks a day were 30 per cent more likely to have had depression than those who drank none, with an increased
risk among those who preferred diet drinks. However, those who drank around four cups of coffee a day were 10 per cent less likely to become depressed than noncoffee drinkers. The British Soft Drinks Association urged caution over the findings and pointed out that the scientists themselves said that more research was needed.
Daydream to help be creative DAYDREAMING at work could help boost the brain’s activity and help you become more creative. Two studies carried out by researchers at the University of Central Lancashire (UK) gave volunteers a deliberately boring task to complete followed by another task to measure their creativity. It was found they did better than those who had not performed the boring task beforehand. To see if daydreaming
was a factor in this effect, a second boring task was introduced that allowed even more daydreaming than the boring first task. Senior psychology lecturer Dr Sandi Mann said having a stimulating job that never allowed the brain any ‘down time’ could be counterproductive. “Boredom at work has always been seen as something to be eliminated, but perhaps we should be embracing it to enhance our
creativity.” So don't worry too much the next time your brain wanders during that meeting at work, call it being creative.
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PROPERTY
32 EWN
17 - 23 January 2013 Mallorca
www.euroweeklynews.es Advertising Feature
NO matter how enthusiastically UK expats embrace the Spanish culture, many us of will always want to have the choice to sit down in the evening and watch Coronation Street or EastEnders. Having lived in Spain for nearly 10 years we’ve seen many systems available to offer the Brits a solution to their TV requirements... some ‘alegal’ some just downright illegal. It’s a disappointing situation that most of us find a bit of a minefield. Why it has to be this way is a mystery to us all. We believe most would be willing to pay a UK TV licence fee or even a Sky subscription through our Spanish bank accounts if it meant getting a quality television service. Sadly, that’s not an option. In the last year we here in Spain had a little miracle and have been able to receive Freeview. In layman’s terms this happened simply because of a realignment taking place with Sky. They are using a ‘holding’
Reliable UK TV via your internet
GREAT SERVICE: High quality, legal UK TV. system which has worked out well for us expats. Unfortunately, this is coming to an end this year, although again in which month it will happen is not clear. The good news is that nearly three years ago at Telitec, we pre-empted this scenario and looked into the IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) solution, a UK TV system which ran via internet There is no denying there were some frustrating teething problems. However, our perseverance paid off and we can now offer the most amazing, high quality and versatile UK TV service in
Spain today. It is quite simply a plug in and play system which even the most untechnical of us can operate. A set-top box is required (from 160€*) which connects to your ADSL internet router, and of course your TV with a HDMI or three-pin connection and, hey presto, high quality UK TV. The box is wireless so no unsightly cables or wires! Don’t tell anyone, but you don’t even need Telitec’s ADSL service, any 3mb ADSL service works! • WATCH LIVE • REWIND/CATCH-UP TV
(don’t miss any programme from the last seven days) • NO DISH, NO CONTRACT • WIRELESS CONNECTION (from router to set-top box) • BUILT-IN WHAT’S ON GUIDE • 25+ CHANNELS Better still this service is the only one in Spain to offer a rewind facility with our unique software. So never again do you have to miss your favourite programmes. When your visitors leave or you return home from that meal out, sit down, scroll back (up to seven days) and catch up. No dishes are required and better still there is no contract. If you are only here for six months of the year why pay for 12? We now have thousands of happy clients using the service and it is the future of high quality, legal UK TV, not just in Spain but all over the world. • EXISTING CLIENTS:
19.99€/mth + 160€ for SETTOP BOX • NEW COMBO OFFER: 54,99€/mth + 160€ for SETTOP BOX includes up to 4MB ADSL, telephone landline, 120 free call to EU, monthly UK TV subscription • NOT WITH TELITEC? 24,99€/mth + 200€ for SETTOP BOX Don’t wait until you lose your UK TV to make the switch. Contact us now and we’ll get you sitting down in front of a reliable UK TV service in no time at all**. Simply call 902 88 90 70 (or 965 743 473), email sales@telitec.net or visit www.telitec.com and fill out the ‘Tell Me More’ form. We’ll take it from there! *Subject to terms & conditions. ** Minimum System Requirement: 3mb ADSL connection. TV with HDMI or RCA 3 pin connection, 4 port router (cable or wi-fi), UK postal address (friend or family). ***All prices subject to IVA
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&
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OMES Gardens
Gardening Corner
By Clodagh and Dick Handscombe
Spain’s best known gardening authors who have lived and gardened in Spain for 25 years. www.gardeninginspain.com
For more information about the sponsor go to www.lineadirecta.com
Winter cutback TASKS: 1 Lantanas have done their job of flowering from spring to Los Reyes but now need pruning. Flowering growth will be cut back just leaving one or two budding points on each stem. Standards
need cutting to shape to stimulate side shoots and create a round head. 2 Bougainvillaeas of all sizes and colours will benefit from pruning. Lightly prune young plants but be harder on established mature plants to stop them getting out of control. Cut out the water shoots which tend to have lighter green bark, larger leaves and bigger thorns. After pruning check ties are not too tight or loose. 3 Oleander require pruning to prevent them getting too tall and leggy. 4 Cersis Judas trees need trimming to shape and a size suitable for their situation and the stripping of the numerous seed pods from last year’s Easter flowerings. 5 Roses growing alongside our fruit growing area provided a last good bunch for a new year vase but have now been pruned back to two buds, weeded and mulched with horse manure. 6 Grapevine leaves have now fallen so it’s time to prune them to stimulate strong growth buds for the spring. Cut back bushes and standards to three or four eyes/ buds on four main branches. If you are training a young plant to grow up the supports of a
gazebo, retain just the strongest branch when it reaches the required height.
©Clodagh and Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com January 2013
PROPERTY
34 EWN
17 - 23 January 2013 Mallorca
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S
Subsidence and heave in Spain
ome of the building work undertaken in Spain during the past few years has not been very good. This was particularly true of construction during the glory years of the boom. At that time there were simply not enough skilled building workers to meet demand. Meanwhile, of course, any building control on behalf of local authorities in Spain was often dismal, certainly when compared to the rigour applied in the UK. Overwhelmed by the amount of buildings being constructed, local authority building control often ceased to function in any meaningful way. Indeed, the building project architect rather than the town hall architect would normally be ultimately responsible for defects. So, the town halls typically left it up to the builder and his architect to produce the house. In some cases, inexperienced architects were put in charge of signing off projects with some constructors encouraging their own sons and daughters to qualify as architects, resulting in all the signing off being completed ‘in house’. The end result has been that structural problems with Spanish properties are not uncommon. Indeed, deliberate cost cutting, lack of knowledge or little supervision has meant that some properties have inadequate foundations or an inherently defective structure. Of course, poor foundations can adversely affect a property and make it subject to either subsidence or heave. These problems can affect any badly constructed building and
BUILDING WOES: Poor quality workmanship always leads to problems.
Nick Snelling Web master www.culturespain.com and author of 5 books including: ‘How to Buy Spanish Property and Move to Spain – Safely’ and ‘The Laptop Entrepreneur’
are not restricted to just villas on steep hillsides. Subsidence can occur regardless of the type of property, with it equally affecting blocks of flats, town houses or casitas. Furthermore, properties do not have to be located on a hillside to suffer movement. Some areas of level ground can cause subsidence, depending upon the substrate concerned. Areas of infill or clay are notorious for causing problems, unless the foundations laid are properly done, to the correct specification. What are the signs of movement and what should you do? If you notice the following then you would be wise to obtain professional advice, as soon as possible: 1. Cracking where the crack is wider at one end than the other. 2. Vertical, horizontal or
diagonal cracking to house walls or roof eaves areas. 3. Cracking to floors; the separation of a floor from a wall at skirting level. 4. Cracking to ceilings; separation of a ceiling from a wall 5. Sticking windows or doors. Doors that swing shut or open on their own. Sticking blinds. 6. Damp filtration via cracked areas in walls or
roof structure. 7. Rotating steps or balustrades. 8. Swimming pool water that is not level with tile lines. 9. Damp filtration via cracked areas in walls or roof structure. 10. Leaning walls or sloping internal floors. Of course, not all movement is serious and you should not panic, if you see some of the above indications in your own home. There may be no problem or only a minor one that is easily remedied.
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ACCOMPANY your pets to their new home. Fully licensed pet transport service. Denise www.petchauffeur.eu 952 197 187 / 696 233 848 info@petchauffeur.eu (204880)
LLUCMAJOR: Small chalet with 2 bedrooms, shower room, lounge with fireplace and kitchenette. No electricity, water by tanker delivery, living area about 45m2. Plot 1,500m2. €370 / month. Inmobiliaria Llucmajor. Tel 971 662 402 LLUCMAJOR: 2 bedroom apartment of 65m2, 1 bathroom, lounge with American kitchen, community pool. €475 pm Inmobiliaria Llucmajor. Tel 971 662 402 (200576)
TOLLERIC: Furnished apartment of 50m2 plus 8m2 terrace. 1 bedroom, bathroom, lounge with American kitchen. €550 pm Ref 2807A. Inmobiliaria Llucmajor. Tel 971 662 402 (200576)
Property for Sale NICE cultivated townhouse in Pto Pollenca / Mallorca.100m2 living space, 40m2 living room with fireplace, 2 terraces, 2bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1shower, 1 bath) heating with gas, fitted kitchen, 105m2 property. Price 232,000€ Tel. +34 971 866 026 (200867) HOUSE/VILLA for sale in AlaroMallorca. 1,700m2 plot, 200m2 house, pool, 4x8 garage for 2 vehicles. 599,000€. Tel 661 427 008 (Juan) (201447) PLOT for sale in Alaro-Mallorca. 3,500m2 with small house 83m2, with refurbishment project and licence, pool. 150,000€. Tel 661 427 008 (Juan) (201447)
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FELIX Dog and Cat Kennels. Based at Manacor. Boarding available. Home sitting Island wide. Tel 689 795 049 (201091)
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MOTORING
17 - 23 January 2013 www.euroweeklynews.es
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Mallorca For best rates in motor insurance call: 952 89 33 80
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Mercedes’ new E-Class unveiled L
IKE the Saloon and Estate models, Mercedes-Benz has completely revised the Coupe and Cabriolet members of the E-Class family. New additions include powerful BlueDIRECT four-cylinder engines featuring new injection technology and assistance systems, which come under the heading ‘Intelligent drive.’ These are systems which can help to prevent accidents with crossing vehicles or pedestrians, like the Active Lane Keeping Assist and the anti-glare, permanent high-beam headlamps, for example. The E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet have a base price of €40,450 and €44,100, respectively. The main feature of the new look E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet is the revised front with new headlamps comprising a single headlamp lens over all functional elements.
VISUALS: Both the Coupé and Cabriolet draw on the new Mercedes-Benz design. The headlamps are fitted with antidazzle LED lights as standard, with full LED technology. Flowing light elements within the headlamps reinforce the ‘twin-headlamp’ look which is typical of the E-Class. New front bumpers with a more pronounced V-shape and large air intakes give the cars a more dynamic look.
Inside the vehicles, stylish materials dominate alongside clean-cut surfaces and the two-part trim which stretches across the entire dashboard. It can be selected in a wood or aluminium look, thereby rounding off the high-quality overall impression made by each interior.
SINCE the financial crisis broke out in 2007, illegal car sales have risen by 20 per cent in Spain. According to the Ganvam national assoc-iation of vehicle dealers, of the overall annual sales between individuals, around 10 per cent are fraudulent. This means some 95,000 vehicles at an estimated value of €300 million every year. Most illegal sales are done in shopping centre car parks used as if they were some sort of show-room, Ganvam reported. This blackmarket is considered unfair compet-ition for car dealers, the association said. These private
flickr, Nemigo.
Dangers of buying a used vehicle from street dealers
ATTENTION: Street car sales do not guarantee administrative and technical reliability, dealers say. dealers operate with no municipal licence, do not pay taxes and are not registered on the IAE trade income tax list.
Selling a car on the driveway in Spain can be allowed or forbidden by law – with fines of up to €3,000 in Alicante city, for example depending on the town’s regulations. In some towns, councils need to be notified before displaying a for sale sign. of fun with an urban edge. The motorcycle is powered by a wellproven 125cc fuelinjected four-stroke engine, which has been tuned for better economy and smoother torque and power delivery in the tradition of all Hondas.
Fun and edgy design THE new MSX125 carries on the tradition of the original, small-wheeled leisure motorcycle, defined by Honda in 1963 with the iconic Monkey. It is small enough to be nimble, yet has a fully-fledged feel thanks to a selection of standard sized
motorcycle parts. Honda’s MSX125 is due on sale in European markets in late spring 2013. No prices are known yet. It is part mini-bike, part motorcycle, with engaging performance matched to confident handling and styling that combines a sense
One special benefit of the new E-Class Cabriolet is that, thanks to the acoustic soft top with its particularly high-grade insulation, the vehicle has the lowest noise level in its class. As standard, the Coupe and Cabriolet are fitted with the Agility Control suspension with selective damping system. The shock absorbers adapt to road surface conditions, thereby ensuring a high level of ride comfort. Mercedes-Benz is offering a wide choice of petrol and diesel engines for the E-Class Coupe and Cabriolet.
SPORT
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Heineken Cup action hots up T
HE last round of Heineken Cup rugby group matches will be played this weekend. Biarritz, Clermont, Leicester/Toulouse, Leinster, Montpellier, Munster, Northampton/Castres, Saracens, Toulon and Ulster will round off their Heineken Cup group games ahead of the quarter-finals. Moving to football there are London derbies involving Arsenal and Chelsea and West Ham and QPR. Elsewhere, WBA play Aston Villa at The Hawthorns, Tottenham meet Manchester United and Manchester City, seven points behind their near-neighbours, play Fulham. Many teams will have to do without their star African players as the African Cup of Nations gets under way in South Africa this weekend. * Southampton won last weekend’s Premiership ‘relegation’ sixpointer 1-0 to send Aston Villa into the bottom three; Reading came back from 2-0 down to beat WBA and QPR drew with Spurs. * Both Arsenal and Manchester City finished with 10 men as the visitors won 2-0 while
RECORD-HOLDER: Lionel Messi’s list of achievements goes on and on. Natu rspo rts / Shut terst ock. com
Marvellous Messi
SPORTS SCENE By Tony Matthews A former football player and the world’s most prolific author of football books (more than 100 published), Tony is also the sports reporter for Spectrum Radio and lives in the Cabrera mountains.
Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford, Robin van Persie netting his 20th goal of this season.
PELE: “Messi is the greatest footballer ever.”
* Jonathan Waters, making his 100th appearance for Stoke, ‘scored’ twice against his own team and missed a penalty, in Chelsea’s 4-0 win in the Potteries. * Leicester won 4-0 at Bristol City to go third in the Championship behind Cardiff and Hull. * The big League One clash ended Bournemouth 1 Swindon 1 while League Two leaders Gillingham lost 2-1 to second-placed Port Vale.
* Michael Appleton is Blackburn’s fourth manager this season, following Steve Kean, Henning Berg and Gary Bowyer (caretaker). * England’s rugby coach Stuart Lancaster has selected two uncapped players Calum Clark and Billy Twelvetrees - in his squad for the first Six Nations match of 2013 against Scotland at Twickenham. * Malaga, suspended from European football for a year, must pay off huge debts before March 31 or face another 12month ban. * After 13 successive away defeats, England finally beat India by nine
runs (325-4/3169) in the first of five ODIs. * Next month, Darren Clarke will play in India’s new Golf League (modelled on cricket’s 20/20 game). * The Masters Snooker championship is under way at London’s Alexander Palace. * Brilliant Scott Waites beat Tony O’Shea 7-1 to win his first World Darts title. * Lance Armstrong will ‘reveal all’ on the USA’s Oprah Winfrey show tonight (Thursday).
Football enthusiasts know that Lionel Messi has won the Ballon d’Or (World Footballer of the Year) trophy for an unprecedented fourth time, beating Johan Cruyff’s triple success in the 1970s, but did you know these facts regarding the 25-year-old Barcelona magician: • Most goals scored in a calendar year: 91 • Most goals scored in a season: 68 • Most goals scored in a European Cup competition: 14 • Most goals scored in a La Liga season: 50 • Most goals scored in a single European Cup game: 5 • Most goals scored in the Spanish Super Cup: 10 • Barcelona’s top goal-scorer of all-time with 286 • Barcelona’s record goal-scorer in Champions League: 56 • Scorer of most La Liga hat-tricks: 15 • So far this season, scored 41 goals in 32 games.
* Luka Modric (Spurs to Real Madrid) and Alex Song (Arsenal to Barcelona) were the two ‘worst’ signings made by La Liga clubs in 2012, said Spanish newspaper Marca.
* The Australian Open started on Monday with Olympic and US Open champion and number three seed Andy Murray starting with a first round win over Dutch-man Thomas Haas. * The funeral of former WBA, Chelsea, Manchester City and England centre-forward Derek Kevan (77) takes place at Sutton Coldfield on Monday. The ‘Tank’ scored 235 goals in 440 games, won 14 England caps (8 goals) and played in the 1958 World Cup. He died in Birmingham, aged 77.