Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 26 Dec 2013 - 1 Jan 2014 Issue 1486

EWN

GETS IT

.com

ISSUE NO. 1486

EWN FRONT EXTRA

Sentence confirmed THE Supreme Court has confirmed a sentence of eight and a half years in prison for a man who sexually abused an eightyear-old girl who lived with him in Palma on several occasions.

Skilled thieves TWO young men have been arrested in Arta charged with at least 42 thefts, which they carried out within seconds using a plastic bridle to open car windows.

26 DECEMBER 2013 - 1 JANUARY 2014

EWN WISHES

WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

READERS AND ADVERTISERS A HAPPY NEW YEAR

11m visit Balearics MORE than 11 million foreign tourists visited the Balearic Islands between January and November this year. That it 7.2 per cent more than the same period last year, according to the Tourist Movements at the Frontier survey released by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism.

In November, the islands were visited by more than 113,480 foreign tourists, which is 8.7 per cent fewer than the same month in 2012, mainly due to the fall in the number of Germans visiting. In the whole of Spain, there were 3.3 million foreign tourists in November, 9.3 per cent more than in the same

month last year. Most of the foreign tourists this year were from the UK, amounting to 13.7 million, which is 4.6 per cent more than last year, although the highest rise was in the

number of Scandinavian tourists, up 17.4 per cent to 4.49 million in total. Catalu単a was the most popular destination with 14.8 million tourists, 7.4 per cent more, followed by the Balearic Islands.

2

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

Restraining order lifted for Christmas A MAN, 82, who had a restraining order against him for abusing his wife, will be able to spend the Christmas period with her, as it has been lifted. The man, who is ill, had been given a six-year restraining order in May 2011, but said he wanted to spend the last months of his life with the woman he ‘loves most in the world’. His wife has agreed to look after him while his request for a pardon is processed despite having been the victim of abuse. The judge took into account that since the restraining order had been issued there had been no incidents against the woman, as well as the fact that there was no history of violence against her. He had also paid the civil liability and carried

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1 - 12

Finance 15 - 20

Letters 21

Daily TV 24

Leapy Lee 26

Time out 32 - 33 LIFTED: Elderly man’s restraining order. out community work to complete the sentence. At the time he was sentenced for domestic abuse in January, he admitted to the charges and accepted the sentence for injuries and threatening behaviour against his wife. The lawyer representing him pointed out that he will live two years more at the most.

Classifieds 43 - 45

Sport 48

NEWS Repairs needed MANACOR Town Hall has announced that it needs at least €1 million to properly repair potholes in local streets, but that in 2014 it can only spend €300,000. Crime up CRIME rates in the Balearic Islands have risen by more than 10 per cent over the past year, according to the Balearic Prosecutor, Bartolome Barcelo.

www.euroweeklynews.com

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

Several accident injuries GUARDIA CIVIL and Local Police in Palma are trying to locate two youths who crashed into the back of a car on the Inca motorway and fled the scene. A woman was driving correctly on the motorway near Toys ‘R’ Us when a car travelling at high speed hit her vehicle from behind, leaving her vehicle seriously damaged and

causing her slight injuries. Two men got out of the car and fled on foot. Meanwhile, on the Levante motorway, at the exit to Llucmajor, a man was seriously injured when his vehicle left the road, overturned and collided with a post for reasons which are not known. He had to be rescued from his car by firemen

and was taken to hospital. In Palma, a driver was arrested for hitting and seriously injuring a pedestrian when he was driving drunk in the early hours of the morning. He then collided with a metal barrier around a garden, knocking it down. The driver was four times over the legal alcohol limit.

Road closed THE Sa Calobra road in Escorca had to be closed to traffic after two large rocks fell onto it. It was reopened after several hours. Nativity fire FIREMEN had to put out a fire which started for unknown reasons in the Sant Miquel Church in Llucmajor, damaging the Nativity Scene.

‘

N

ews watch

Blackmail debt

A MAN, 43, was arrested in Palma, accused of blackmailing another because he hadn’t returned €3,000 which he had lent him.

PALMA firemen had to put out a fire in the sauna at a hotel which was being inaugurated that day in Can Pastilla. Smoke also entered the spa and gym.

Drugs sales

Doctor attacked A MAN has been sentenced to a year in prison and a fine of €500 for attacking a doctor who was seeing him at a health centre in Santa Maria in December 2010.

Open again FROM February, the Castell de Santueri in Felanitx will open to the public every day, after 14 years closed due to its poor conservation.

3

Bad opening

Hotel sold THE five-star Grupotel Valparaíso Palace & Spa complex in Palma has been bought by a major Chinese investment group, according to the current owner, Miquel Ramis.

Holiday rights THE High Court of Justice has ruled that Guardia Civil destined for the Balearic Islands have the right to one State-funded return trip to and from the mainland on holiday per year.

EWN

NATIONAL POLICE dismantled a drug sales point in San Dameto, Palma, and arrested three people, as well as seizing small quantities of cocaine, hashish and marihuana.

Help please

SPANISH TRADITION: Eating 12 grapes for good luck as the clock strikes midnight.

When the bell tolls

M

ILLIONS of people around the world wait to ring in the New Year when midnight strikes. In Spain, the main focus is on the capital Madrid where the chimes of the clock of the old Royal House of the Post Office, in the Puerta del Sol square, annually ring out the New Year, with the event broadcast on television. According to urban legend, the clock marks the official time in Spain. The Puerta del Sol is also home to Spain’s ‘Kilometre Zero’, marked with a plaque located in front of the clock. The plaque was accidentally turned around 180 degrees by mistake in 2002 during reformation work

Quote of the Week IT would only be because of who she is and not because there is any objective evidence’

The defence lawyers of Princess Cristina regarding the possibility of charging her in the Noos case for crimes against the tax office and money laundering.

on the square but renewed during roadworks in 2009 and placed in the right position. Before midnight, families gather for a meal and when the clock strikes 12 times at midnight, it is traditional to eat 12 grapes for good luck to welcome in the New Year, washed down with cava or cider. This is believed to have originated in Elche, Alicante, 103 years ago after an excessive grape harvest, although documentation also refers to the event dating back slightly earlier to 1897. Many Spaniards also don new red underwear on New Year’s Eve, which they later burn for good luck. In many parts of Spain, it is traditional to welcome the New Year by lighting large bonfires.

Number of the week

47,265,321

people are registered as resident in Spain, according to a report resulting from a revision of the official censuses of Spain’s towns this year. This is 0.3 per cent fewer inhabitants than were registered the same time a year earlier.

ESPORLES Town Hall has asked local residents to collaborate in the maintenance of the town, including repairs, cleaning and gardening.

Food aid PALMA City Hall has presented a card which can be used by needy locals in shops to purchase food products.

Lamb theft A MAN was arrested for stealing lamb from the Olivar Market in Palma. He and his wife were caught by police when he was pushing her in a wheelchair with the meat on her lap.

And finally... The winner of this month’s logo competition is Susan Cortes from Costa del Sol, chosen at random by staff from Discount Furniture Outlet. Susan takes home €100. How many EWN logos like this can YOU find in this week’s paper? Visit www.euroweeklynews.com to answer, for a chance to win €100 each month!

4

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

NEWS EXTRA

Good behaviour SIXTY inmates from Palma prison will spend Christmas with their loved ones after being granted several days parole for good behaviour.

Stolen goods A MAN was arrested by Guardia Civil at Consell market when he was trying to sell goods stolen from at least one property in Mallorca.

www.euroweeklynews.com

Illegal immigrants refused medical care SOME 20,000 illegal immigrants in the Balearic Islands are refused medical care, non-governmental organisation Doctors of the World says. The humanitarian organisation has claimed it has documents that confirm 287 cases in which illegal immigrants have been having problems getting medical

UNIVERSAL BOOKSHOP PORTALS PORTA ALS VILLAGE Local author Anna Nicholas’ Nicholas’ss set of 5 books for the price of 4. Wee will W will be closed cl clossed fro fr from ro om m 24 24t 24th 4th th December De Dece eceember mb mber er 2013 2013 and and op opening pen ning again agaain on 10th 10t 0th th January Jan Jaanu nua n nuary ary 2014. 2014. W Whilst hilst st closed closeed queries querriess and orders ord rders rs can cann be be made madde at: at univ versalbbooks vers kshop@yahoo.com @ya @y yahooo.ccom universalbookshop@yahoo.com universalbookshop Wisshin Wishing Wis ng all all customers cu usto omeers a Ha Happy appy y Ne New ew Year. Yeear. Y r

Spend your Xmas money heree and 20% of offf her on cookery and hobby books

Enquiries: 971-676-116 6OJWFSTBMCPPLTIPQ!ZBIPP DPN t www.portalsbookshop.com 6OJWFSTBMCPPLTIPQ!ZBIPP DPN t www.portalsbookshop.com 0 0QFO .PO 'SJ BN QN QN QN t 4BU BN QN QFO .PO 'SJ BN QN QN QN t 4BU BN QN

attention. According to the organisation, these people are not assigned a doctor after receiving treatment in the emergency department. Turning to the emergency department is the only legal way illegal immigrants can have medical attention after their health cards were revoked following cutbacks. This could lead to serious health problems and “goes against international rights,� says Amnesty International. The charity organisations claim the death of Senegalese immigrant Alpha Pam moderately changed the regional government’s health policies, but more is still needed to be

ALPHA PAM: He was thought to have been refused medical care. improved. Alpha Pam’s death from tuberculosis became a cause cÊlèbre after claims he was refused medical care.

However, according to his relatives, the illegal immigrant was not turned away and was treated - but for the wrong thing.

NEWS

Snatch suspects wanted GUARDIA CIVIL are looking for three men who allegedly tried to snatch a young woman in Sa Pobla. The North African victim, aged 18, was heading to a local school to pick up a family member when a car stopped near her. One of its passengers called her and, when she got closer, allegedly grabbed her by the hand and tried to put her in the boot of the car. The young woman resisted and attracted the attention of a neighbour, who approached the scene to see what was happening. It was then that the car fled, leaving the girl behind in shock.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

EWN

5

Communications antenna to be moved A MOBILE communications antenna installed only 60 metres away from the Son Basca public school in Sa

Cocaine hidden in rose shipment A MAN has been arrested in Palma after Guardia Civil found cocaine hidden in the packaging of a shipment of roses he received from Ecuador (South America). The detainee, a rose wholesaler, has been accused of an alleged crime against public health. According to Guardia Civil, the man had taken delivery of a total of 129 boxes containing roses from Quito. As part of routine inspection of goods coming from South America, and under the suspicion the man could be involved

Pobla will be moved next year. The phone company the antenna belongs to has agreed to move it after

Sa Pobla Council decided not to extend an agreement contract signed in 1999. The council’s decision addresses the petitions of the school’s parents association, which has been asking for the antenna to be removed since the school opened in 2006. The sports club also showed its concern as the antenna was near the local sports centre, where children train every day. The dismantling of the HIDDEN: Cocaine was found antenna will have several between the cardboard layers of the phases, with May 2014 as boxes. the expected date for the completion of the work. A new location for the in drug trafficking, Guardia Civil officers antenna hasn’t been went to the premises of his company decided yet, but it seems it and seized the boxes. could be moved to a plot After an examination they found 15 kilos of cocaine hidden between the near the cemetery which complies with the health cardboard layers that made up the boxes. and safety regulations.

Facing jail for creating fake companies SIX people are facing up to 32 years in prison altogether for allegedly setting up fake companies in the name of homeless people to defraud the Social Security. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the scam was conceived by the owner of a construction company who had debts with several public bodies. He allegedly met the managers of a legal advisory firm in order to set up fake companies in the name of homeless people. This way the business owner’s employees legally joined these companies, but kept working for him. Following this method the companies incurred a debt of more than €500,000 with the Social Security.

6

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

NEWS EXTRA

Woman rescued A GERMAN woman, aged 77, was rescued from her house in Santa Ponsa after she fell on the floor and spent a day unable to move.

On the rise THE Balearic economy improved by 0.6 per cent during the third quarter of the year, a report by the Economy department claims.

Fake threats A GIRL was arrested in Palma for sending fake bomb threats via WhatsApp messages to several people living in Toledo. She claimed she got the idea from a prank website.

www.euroweeklynews.com

Son Gotleu protest over squatter expansion RESIDENTS and businesses in Palma’s Son Gotleu area have demanded stronger police action against neighbourhood squatters. Streets most affected are Calles Indalecio Prieto, Tomas Rullan and Santa Florentina. Complaints consist of squatters

seizing empty flats and manipulating water and power supplies to obtain free utilities, raising costs for legal residents. Other squatters are accused of forging rental contracts from non-existent landlords and at times even sub-leasing empty flats, swindling paying tenants in the

process. Residents also claim some squatters’ quarters have been converted into drug houses and that a fearful atmosphere has been created due to violent responses to those who challenge their behaviour, some of which can be owed to evictions on the part of bank creditors. Those complaining are afraid of their neighbourhood going down the path of that of Cala Major, where the Pullman building has notoriously been turned into a squatting residence. Residents claim municipal representatives - who state the issue falls outside their area of responsibility have not adequately responded when they have called to alert them when YACHT CLUB: Protestors against expansion plans. empty flats are taken over. Nonetheless, residents protest banners from their ‘Mes per Palma’ coalition balconies and at the has also conducted surveys have begun collecting entrance to the port’s for passers-by to garner signatures requesting their eviction. grounds. Meanwhile, the public support.

Yacht club expansion protests THE ‘Salvem el Molinar’ platform has developed momentum in hopes of avoiding a sizeable expansion of the yacht club. Plans include a rise in the number of moorings from 75 to a projected 315 and would increase the size of club facilities seven-fold. Amongst other issues, protesters claim the plans will ‘desecrate’ the traditional figure linked to Molinar. Their rejection has led neighbours to hang

NEWS

Woman assaults family A FORTY-FIVE-YEAROLD woman has been arrested by police for threatening her husband and son in a violent outburst in their home in the Coliseo neighborhood in Palma. The incident began with her 17-year-old son reproaching her for arriving home drunk, whereupon she hit the family dog, before slapping her son and attempting to hit him in the head by throwing a vase at him. When the father returned, police say she threatened both him and the son with a pair of scissors, though neither of them was injured in the assault.

8

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

Families being evicted in Palma every day BETWEEN three and four families are evicted from their homes in Palma every day for not being able to

NEWS EXTRA

Dog DNA ESPORLES Town Hall plans to make a list of dog DNA in order to identify which animals are responsible for dog droppings in the street and fine the owners.

pay their mortgage. That is according to the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages (PAH) representative in the island, Angela Pons. Pons made a plea to the town hall to establish a dialogue with banks in order to prevent these situations and ‘open

thousands of empty houses to people who can’t afford to have a house.’ Pons made her plea during a press conference held to express the platform’s complaint after a man tried to commit suicide when he was going to be evicted from

Fight to keep parking

Big spend THE regional government is to spend €12.4 million on 15 projects to improve the tourism infrastructure of Mallorca in 2014.

his home in Palma. The man was found bleeding from cuts to his wrists by a legal committee that was going to execute the eviction. He was taken to Son Espases Hospital to receive medical treatment. His life was not in danger.

BURST: Tyres were reportedly slashed by three men.

Slashed tyres mystery solved GUARDIA CIVIL have solved the mystery behind slashed tyres in vehicles parked in the streets of Llucmajor. Three people have been arrested for reportedly causing damage to the cars. They have been accused of belonging to a criminal gang and of ‘a crime against the town’s heritage.’ Neighbours raised the alarm in May, when they found someone was slashing the tyres of cars parked in the street. Llucmajor Guardia Civil

received up to 40 similar complaints, with some of the people affected having to change the tyres of their cars more than once. Several neighbours even installed surveillance cameras outside their houses to try to identify the people behind these attacks. After an investigation, Guardia Civil eventually managed to identify the culprits: three men, two of them minors. According to Guardia Civil, the arrested always acted during night time in an organised way.

NEIGHBOURS from the Can Maiol area in Soller have launched a petition to save a parking lot managed by the town hall. The campaign started after Soller Council announced that it would give up a lease on the car park from January 1. Neighbours claim this decision will make the parking problem in the area worse, something they have to face ‘day after day.’ In 2010 the council signed a contract to lease a plot and turn it into a public parking area with capacity for 50 cars. The council decided to renounce this contract for ‘economic reasons’ in order to ‘reduce expenses.’ Mayor Carlos Simarro claimed the area has enough parking space for the neighbours and said the parking area was ‘dispensable.’

Outbreak of scabies at home THE residents and workers of the La Llar nursing home in Calvia had to undergo a preventive treatment against scabies. More than 100 people applied a lotion to their bodies to fight the infection. This was one of the measures carried out as part of an emergency hygiene protocol launched by Calvia Town Council after finding an infectious scabies outbreak at

the centre. Up to 19 people were affected, 16 residents and three workers. The manager of the nursing home, Idoia Ribas, said the daily lives of these people were not affected and that they were looked after by the home’s doctor. The origin of the outbreak is unknown, although Ribas pointed out someone could have brought it from outside.

NEWS

Hotel-hopping swindler is caught at last A SWINDLER pretended his home was being rebuilt and his insurance company was picking up the tab for extended hotel stays. He was so successful one hotel was cheated into letting him stay for 45 days. In another he ran the costs up to €6,370, before staff started to ask for the money. But as the day of reckoning approached, knowing there was no insurance company to pick up the bill, he tried one last scam. He went to an automated cash machine and made a non-existent deposit for the sum involved in order to get a receipt to ‘prove’ payment had been made. But his days were numbered, National Police arrested him, and have now charged him with at least six similar offences.

www.euroweeklynews.com

Palma police acquitted of assault charges FOUR Palma police have been acquitted of assault charges linked to a fight with four locals in a restaurant stemming from a traffic ticket. The incident dates to August 2008 when two police officers fined a 68-year-old man for a parking violation in the Plaza de Olivar, leading to an argument. Two days later, a fight erupted in the man’s restaurant as four uniformed officers returned to the venue to address the previous confrontation. According to the court judgement, an officer at one point threw the restaurant owner’s daughter to the ground with two other officers kicking her, leading to retaliation by the father, mother and a restaurant patron. Seven of those involved suffered injuries. The verdict called the police intervention “disproportionate, inadequate, unjustified and unfitting in a democratic state,” but it rejected the charges of assault brought by the prosecution. The sentence cleared all eight persons implicated, including four locals in the bar who had also been charged over the case. Judges decided that the alleged offences fell outside the Provincial Court’s statute of limitations - they happened too long ago to be tried.

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

EWN

9

10

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

Paedophile caught thanks to thief who stole from him AN alleged paedophile was arrested in Jaen thanks to a report made by a thief who stole items from his home. Police received a call in which an unidentified person said he

had stumbled upon tapes containing images of child porn which he wanted to hand over to the police. He told them he would leave them under a car in one of the city’s main streets.

They were found in a brown envelope, along with a typed and printed letter on an otherwise blank sheet of paper. It read “I have been unfortunate enough to find these

tapes and I feel obliged to give them to you, so you can do your job and put this son of a ***** in prison for life.” After watching the tapes, a man, 64, who had reported a

Train station opens two designer toilets ATOCHA train station in Madrid now has two sets of ‘pay as you go’ toilets costing €0.60 per person. The 180m2 toilet blocks at the high-speed train terminal at Adif Madrid-Puerta de Atocha station have been created by Dutch company ‘2theloo.’ The company, the first ‘toilet shop’ in the world, will manage the toilets for seven years, paying €280,000 to railway administration Adif for the authorisation. The company has already installed 120 facilities throughout Europe, including another in Madrid, at the Jardin Tropical, and one at the Maremagnum Shopping Centre in Barcelona.

PHOTO: ‘2theloo’

SURPRISING: New ‘pay-as-you-go’ facilities. Most of them are at shopping centres, train stations, petrol stations, airports and main streets. The sinks are made by Roca and have electric taps as well as walls with ‘surprising’ designs.

robbery nine days earlier, was identified. He had claimed small electric goods were stolen, but said nothing of the camera and video tapes. Police believe the man who handed them in was the thief. The alleged paedophile’s home was searched and he was arrested and remanded in prison. He would invite boys of around 10 years old to watch porn films with him, then to touch themselves in front of him, and eventually, when they were over 13, he would have sex with them, as at that age, there is no sentence for consensual sex with minors. The accused is a football coach at a local cultural and sports association, so he was in constant contact with young boys. The abuse took place at his office in the HQ of the association.

12

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

King Balthasar stolen A LIFE-SIZE figure of King Balthasar was stolen from the Nativity Scene in Plaza del Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela. The local Councillor for Security, Luis Bello, asked for whoever took it to return the figure and it has since been recovered. Images of CCTV cameras were viewed with the hope of discovering who took King Balthasar. A police officer discovered it had gone while patrolling the area, Bello said. He pointed out that the figure of Jesus had been stolen last year by a group protesting against evictions. It was returned several days later at a cash point.

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

New draft law presented with regard to abortion FURORE has been caused after a draft abortion law was presented by the government. The Justice Minister, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, presented the draft for the ‘Law for Protection

of the Conceived and Rights of Pregnant Women.’ The law establishes just two cases in which having an abortion would not be a criminal offence. That is, if the woman’s

life or physical or mental health are at grave risk during the first 22 weeks of pregnancy; or if the pregnancy is the result of ‘a crime against her freedom or sexual indemnity’ - if she has

Christmas concert to celebrate Benjamin Britten’s centenary THE theatre at Sa Taronja in Andratx is hosting a Christmas concert to celebrate the centenary of the birth of British composer Benjamin Britten. The event highlight is a performance of his ‘A Ceremony of Carols,’ which was written in 1942 and will be performed by Fiona Stuart-Wilson (soprano), Cristina van Roy (soprano) and Waltraud Mucher (mezzo-soprano), accompanied by Tamara Heideveld on the harp. The concert starts at 9pm on December 27. Tickets are €15 each on the evening of the concert from Sa Taronja, Calle Andalucia 23 in Andratx.

SINGERS: Fiona Stuart-Wilson, Waltraud Mucher and Cristina van Roy.

been raped. In the latter case, it only applies within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and only if the crime has been reported. In case of risk to the woman’s life or health, this must be confirmed sufficiently by two different doctors, which cannot be those who will perform the termination or work at the medical centre where it will be carried out. If the risk is urgent, the reports will not be requested. After 22 weeks, induced birth will be recommended except if the foetus presents anomalies which would prevent it from surviving and were not detected earlier, or if the woman’s life is at risk and there is no possibility of saving the baby. If the baby has anomalies, abortion would still be a criminal offence unless they would cause the woman mental or psychological damage, or if it would be unable to live.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

inance F A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION // WWW.EWNBUSINESS.COM

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014/ Mallorca

business & legal

Cinema boost Tax set to fall for movie-goers THERE may be relief for the Spanish film industry as the Spanish government has tentatively agreed to reduce the 21 per cent IVA (VAT) charged on cinema tickets. Members of the industry have been complaining that the move which sent the tax up from 8 per cent overnight in 2013 was ‘strangling’ the industry.

But while the Culture Ministry has agreed the measure, no figure has been set on the new rate to be applied. The move comes as part of a package of new financial measures to support the film industry in Spain, which has outline agreement between various ministries and the country’s film industry.

Spanish are still getting poorer... THE latest figures from Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency, prove that Spanish incomes are shrinking. In June, Eurostat predicted that 2012’s per capita income would be 97 per cent of the Eurozone average. This was recently amended to 96 per cent, pushing Spain back to its 1998 average. It was a very different story in 2002, when the single currency was introduced. At that point, the average Spanish per capita income was six percentage points higher than the EU’s. Five years later, although below the Eurozone’s 109 per cent average, Spain’s 105 per cent was higher than

Italy’s, prompting the then government to predict that Spain would soon outstrip France. That confident forecast coincided with the onset of the economic crisis. The property bubble burst and income spiralled downwards. Spain is not alone in this as Italy, Ireland and Greece have also given ground and all fall short of Luxembourg’s massive 263 per cent of the Eurozone average or Austria’s 130 per cent. Neither the European Commission nor the Spanish government expect 2013’s figures to bring any surprises. If the lost ground is to be made up, this will not occur until 2014, both predict.

B

usiness extra

Going it alone THE past year was ‘negative’ for 55 per cent of self-employed workers, researchers found. Thirty-six per cent believed the economy would improve next year, compared with 30 per cent in 2012.

Bond joy THERE was good news for the Spanish Treasury as its last bond auction of the year was oversubscribed. The Economy Ministry sold €2.54 billion worth of five- and 10-year bonds with the longer term yield at just 4.098 per cent.

Knock-on effect from US THE Spanish and European stock markets were given a boost when the US central bank announced it was reducing the amount of bonds it was buying by $10 billion (€7.33 billion) a month to $75 billion (€55 billion). In effect this means that the Federal Reserve is reducing its monetary stimulus programme

(or quantitative easing where it prints more money). And that was taken by the stock markets as good news. They took it to mean that the US economy is on the road to recovery. The move had a knock-on effect around the world as the US economy is hugely important to the global economy.

ACTION: Good news for film ind ustr y.

EWN

15

STAT OF WEEK SPANISH companies exported €175.1bn of goods between January and September; 126,000 firms were exporting during this time, 10.3 per cent up on 2012.

16

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

LONDON - FTSE 100

currencies direct

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 21

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 456.50 Admiral Group PLC 1240.50 Aggreko PLC 1645.00 AMEC PLC 1052.50 Anglo American PLC 1287.50 Antofagasta PLC 759.00 ARM Holdings PLC 1067.00 Associated Brit Foods 2362.50 AstraZeneca PLC 3590.00 Aviva PLC 426.00 Babcock Intrntnl Group. 1257.50 BAE Systems PLC 435.00 Barclays PLC 260.00 BG Group PLC 1245.00 BHP Billiton PLC 1802.50 BP PLC 475.50 British Amrcn Tobacco 3182.50 British Land Co PLC 610.00 British Sky Broadcasting Gr...881.50

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 5.40 0.00 11.00 0.00 28.00 0.00 9.00 0.00 -22.00 0.00 -3.00 0.00 12.00 0.00 25.00 0.00 -10.50 0.00 3.40 0.00 11.00 0.00 -19.90 0.00 2.25 0.00 -10.00 0.00 4.00 0.00 5.05 0.00 -18.50 0.00 5.50 0.00 1.00 0.00

NET VOLUME 3,566.56 1,147.54 1,243.42 958.92 8,669.20 2,388.33 4,604.16 1,329.57 4,303.71 10,878.52 920.86 18,272.77 77,354.23 9,259.50 18,278.13 64,749.07 6,549.82 5,655.33 3,708.50

www.euroweeklynews.com

COME DIRECT TO US AND START SAVING MONEY NOW- See our advert on page 19

0.83680

1.19502 Units per €

United States $......................................................1.36729 Japan Yen ¥ ...........................................................142.287 Switzerland Francs................................................1.22518 Denmark Kroner ....................................................7.45911 Norway Kroner.......................................................8.42611

currenciesdirect.com/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226 C O M PA N Y

PRICE(P)

BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Carnival PLC Centrica PLC Coca-Cola HBC AG

372.50 1262.50 1449.00 995.50 2373.00 341.50 1675.00

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G.

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 21

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 21

C O M PA N Y MMM 3M Co AXP American Express Co T AT&T Inc BA Boeing Co CAT Caterpillar Inc CVX Chevron Corp CSCO Cisco Systems Inc DD Dupont E I De Nemours & Co XOM Exxon Mobil Corp GE General Electric Co GS Goldman Sachs Group Inc HD Home Depot Inc INTC Intel Corp IBM International Business Machine... JNJ Johnson & Johnson JPM JPMorgan Chase and Co MCD McDonald's Corp MRK Merck & Co Inc MSFT Microsoft Corp NKE Nike Inc PFE Pfizer Inc PG Procter & Gamble Co KO The Coca-Cola Co TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies Corp UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc VZ Verizon Communications Inc V Visa Inc WMT Wal-Mart Stores Inc DIS Walt Disney Co

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 136.72 87.57 34.30 136.67 88.93 122.78 21.13 62.55 98.68 27.36 175.16 80.04 25.06 180.02 92.09 57.70 96.51 49.32 36.80 77.34 30.25 81.84 40.04 89.18 110.66 73.35 48.08 215.97 77.43 72.40

+0.31 +1.16 -0.15 +1.50 +1.39 -0.44 +0.06 -0.16 -0.75 +0.04 +0.39 +0.09 -0.085 -0.20 +0.11 +0.47 +1.37 +0.53 +0.55 -0.92 -0.46 -0.06 +0.18 +0.39 +1.16 +0.96 -0.35 -0.11 +0.19 -0.57

+0.23% +1.34% -0.44% +1.11% +1.59% -0.36% +0.28% -0.26% -0.75% +0.15% +0.22% +0.11% -0.34% -0.11% +0.12% +0.82% +1.44% +1.09% +1.52% -1.18% -1.50% -0.07% +0.45% +0.44% +1.06% +1.33% -0.72% -0.05% +0.25% -0.78%

5.9M 6.3M 34.0M 5.5M 7.4M 9.5M 64.1M 5.9M 23.3M 78.2M 3.8M 11.2M 55.4M 7.7M 11.3M 22.0M 8.0M 16.8M 62.7M 10.2M 62.3M 13.2M 22.2M 3.9M 4.6M 7.5M 17.7M 5.8M 9.6M 13.0M

1.70 -2.00 15.00 8.00 77.00 3.40 49.00

C O M PA N Y

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

NET VOLUME 19,701.19 739.90 1,403.66 1,074.90 2,707.92 21,642.15 728.65

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 6.50 $ 27.33 $ 3.42 $ 6.62 $ 6.43 $ 27.21 $ 7.22 $ 2.50 $ 7.03 $ 7.20 $ 18.03

2.01 / +44.77% 7.81 / +40.01% 0.55 / +19.16% 0.94 / +16.55% 0.91 / +16.49% 3.72 / +15.84% 0.97 / +15.52% 0.31 / +14.16% 0.86 / +13.94% 0.87 / +13.74% 2.10 / +13.18%

$ 2.59 $ 11.52 $ 3.35 $ 21.94 $ 28.79 $ 8.83 $ 2.23 $ 2.12 $ 2.04 $ 29.48 $ 3.78

0.46 / -15.08% 1.73 / -13.06% 0.42 / -11.14% 2.54 / -10.38% 3.21 / -10.03% 0.75 / -7.83% 0.14 / -5.91% 0.13 / -5.78% 0.12 / -5.56% 1.64 / -5.27% 0.21 / -5.26%

Most Advanced Tower Semiconductor Ltd. Responsys, Inc. Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Hong Kong Television Network Limited ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Limoneira Co BlackBerry Limited U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. TechTarget, Inc. Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. AtriCure, Inc.

Most Declined Ku6 Media Co., Ltd. Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. China Auto Logistics Inc. TIBCO Software, Inc. InterDigital, Inc. RF Industries, Ltd. Gulf Resources, Inc. The9 Limited ArQule, Inc. Canadian Solar Inc. M B T Financial Corp

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Compass Group PLC 930.00 CRH PLC 1394.50 Croda International PLC 2220.00 Diageo PLC 1950.50 easyJet PLC 1555.00 Experian PLC 1092.00 Fresnillo PLC 673.00 G4S PLC 240.30 GKN PLC 361.65 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1587.50 Glencore Xstrata PLC 304.50 Hammerson PLC 524.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 1317.50 HSBC Holdings PLC 665.00 IMI PLC 1238.50 Imperial Tobacco Group 2275.00 InterContinental Hotels 1932.50 International Cnsldatd ... 402.50 Intertek Group PLC 2725.00 ITV PLC 187.70 Johnson Matthey PLC 3175.00 Kingfisher PLC 380.00 Land Securities Group 995.00 Legal & General Group 213.95 Lloyds Banking Group PLC 77.40 London Stock Exchange 1510.00 Marks & Spencer Group 455.00 Meggitt PLC 545.00 Melrose Industries PLC 298.00 Mondi PLC 1020.00 National Grid PLC 780.00 Next PLC 5387.50 Old Mutual PLC 192.50 Pearson PLC 1312.00 Persimmon PLC 1136.00 Petrofac Ltd 1177.50 Prudential PLC 1321.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 3800.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 4614.50 Reed Elsevier PLC 869.75 Resolution Ltd 342.50 REXAM PLC 499.00 Rio Tinto PLC 3275.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings 1217.00 Royal Bank of Scotland 328.00 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2190.00 RSA Insurance Group 92.00 SABMiller PLC 3025.00 Sage Group (The) PLC 397.00 Sainsbury (J) PLC 367.50 Schroders PLC 2505.50 Severn Trent PLC 1659.00 Shire PLC 2735.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 825.50 Smiths Group PLC 1449.00 Sports Direct Intrntnl... 735.00 SSE PLC 1374.00 Standard Chartered PLC 1375.75 Standard Life PLC 348.50 Tate & Lyle PLC 810.00 Tesco PLC 327.25 Travis Perkins PLC 1797.00 TUI Travel PLC 383.70 Tullow Oil PLC 850.00 Unilever PLC 2405.50 United Utilities Group 649.50 Vedanta Resources PLC 1014.50 Vodafone Group PLC 233.00 Weir Group PLC 1975.00 Whitbread PLC 3530.00 William Hill PLC 374.40 Wm Morrison Sprmrkts 256.50 Wolseley PLC 3346.50 WPP PLC 1340.00

CHANGE 6.50 10.00 13.00 -6.00 -14.00 11.00 -1.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 -1.45 -2.60 11.00 4.30 3.00 -4.00 12.00 3.70 11.00 2.10 6.00 7.80 -2.00 3.80 -0.19 25.00 0.80 -2.50 0.30 7.00 -0.50 -35.00 1.20 9.00 12.00 14.00 6.00 -46.00 3.00 8.00 4.90 7.50 26.50 2.00 1.00 17.50 0.45 -39.50 4.90 4.10 41.00 -30.00 7.00 4.00 22.00 -9.50 -17.00 -6.00 1.10 1.50 8.35 33.00 -2.40 -1.50 29.00 -3.00 41.50 1.05 -5.00 39.00 -6.70 1.90 18.00 4.00

% C H G. VOLUME 0.00 8,208.11 0.00 2,915.07 0.00 3,101.95 0.00 6,444.99 0.00 1,039.11 0.00 2,844.35 0.00 1,576.19 0.00 5,076.17 0.00 5,061.27 0.00 15,203.49 0.00 59,070.51 0.00 3,544.89 0.00 572.87 0.00 47,445.41 0.00 1,061.20 0.00 2,495.87 0.00 1,388.92 0.00 20,940.37 0.00 814.11 0.00 17,152.01 0.00 517.53 0.00 7,024.51 0.00 3,461.51 0.00 21,689.81 0.00 142,613.10 0.00 540.95 0.00 5,943.51 0.00 1,766.60 0.00 2,472.53 0.00 3,315.56 0.00 9,968.46 0.00 726.63 0.00 14,229.55 0.00 2,719.62 0.00 1,090.92 0.00 1,382.91 0.00 5,441.22 0.00 704.75 0.00 1,400.27 0.00 4,975.05 0.00 7,275.60 0.00 1,849.88 0.00 8,272.52 0.00 4,486.51 0.00 9,176.21 0.00 7,623.69 0.00 30,721.12 0.00 3,500.59 0.00 4,421.63 0.00 10,492.83 0.00 344.59 0.00 1,553.55 0.00 2,110.38 0.00 2,723.25 0.00 1,138.26 0.00 2,748.92 0.00 4,226.78 0.00 5,975.43 0.00 5,079.67 0.00 1,129.66 0.00 42,643.84 0.00 1,137.97 0.00 3,654.43 0.00 3,958.45 0.00 3,177.81 0.00 2,316.85 0.00 5,617.73 0.00 123,194.50 0.00 1,273.06 0.00 529.86 0.00 4,510.83 0.00 7,549.32 0.00 752.74 0.00 3,868.80

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

EWN

17

SPAIN should reduce the cost of redundancy pay-offs for large businesses, according to an international think-tank. The 2012 labour reforms drastically reduced the amount long-standing workers were entitled to when made redundant. The reform cut severance pay for permanent workers from 45 days of wages for each year worked to 33 days. On top of that, the maximum they could receive was slashed from 42 months’ salary to 24 months. But, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) despite that helping to reduce labour costs, more is needed. The OECD Review of the 2012 Labour Market Reform in Spain says that, despite the still difficult economic environment, more firms have been hiring workers on permanent contracts since the law was passed. However, it adds, more needs to be done to reduce the unemployment rate that stood at

BENEDIKT VON LOEBELL - WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM - OECD

Call for lower pay-offs for sacked workers

STEFANO SCARPETTA: ‘Spain is on the right track.’

26.7 per cent in October. Presenting the report in Madrid, OECD Director of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Stefano Scarpetta said: “Spain’s on the right track to gradually reduce unemployment. The reforms are already making an impact. But further efforts to better support

job-seekers and to provide firms with greater options to adjust in difficult times are still needed.” The OECD estimates more than half of the 3.2 per cent decline in labour costs in the business sector between the end of 2011 and the second quarter of 2013 is due to the labour reform package.

The reform has also encouraged firms to hire more workers on permanent contracts, although the effect on hiring on temporary contracts appears more limited. About 25,000 additional new permanent contracts are being created each month thanks to the reform,

largely among firms with fewer than 100 employees, estimates the OECD. But half of all unemployed people have also been out of work for 12 months or more, more than double the level before the crisis. Further action is therefore required, claims the report, to boost job creation, promote the reintegration of the unemployed back into jobs and make further progress in reducing the still widespread segmentation of the Spanish labour market. Changes to collective bargaining agreements and dismissal regulations have helped give firms greater scope to use an internal adjustment strategy to respond to a shock - via wages and working hours - rather than dismissing part of their workforce, says the report. But Spain remains one of the OECD countries with the most generous severance pay requirements. The OECD suggests reducing over time the severance costs for large employers to align them closer with OECD and European averages.

18

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Seven steps to a happy 2014 Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

GET out your duster, knock those cobwebs off your piggy bank and get in gear to make next year a financial success! The start of a new year is always a great time to forget past mistakes and begin afresh, with a renewed eagerness to sort out any financial

mess that may have accumulated in 2013. The dawn of a new year calls for a fresh approach to saving, paying off debt and getting money matters in order. So, in preparation for the upcoming year of 2014, here are some handy resolutions that will promise to get your financial house in order. 1. Be informed: Track every cent of your spending. Know exactly where money is going and that way changes can be made in February and further into 2014. 2. Lighten the load:

Get rid of any holiday debt that may have built up on credit cards and the like as soon as possible. It’s hard to make financial progress if burdened down with interest-heavy debt. 3. Be smart: Don’t blow a Christmas bonus or a holiday cash windfall on Champagne to ring in the new year. Put it securely away, you never know when unexpected costs will arise. 4. Slim down: Go through your monthly bills and figure out what things you can live without - maybe a

Town hall refuses to accept estate’s new infrastructure

subscription to a music app that you never use or magazine collection that you never have time to read. 5. In case of emergency - be prepared: Start up an emergency savings fund to take the pressure off sudden expenses. 6. Winter-clean bank accounts: Get rid of any old accounts that are not used and which leave you subject to inactivity fees, potential identity theft, and other dangers. 7. Put 10 per cent of your salary away: While a 10 per cent savings target is a good goal, that figure doesn’t have to be written in stone. If you’re not regularly saving anything

BUSINESS EXTRA

Deal done SEAT will dismiss 201 of its office workers. Following negotiations with the unions, the car-maker has agreed to pay compensation of between 40 and 50 days worked per year.

Rich produce EARNINGS for Spain’s farmers and growers rose by 10 per cent this year. This was the third largest increase in the EU after the Netherlands and Romania.

Property hike GOOD HABIT: Regular saving. at all, it’s OK to start with perhaps just 3 per cent or 5 per cent. Simply getting into the habit of being a consistent saver is what’s important.

HOUSE prices rose by 0.7 per cent between July and September, compared with the previous quarter, said the National Statistics Institute (INE). This did not herald a changing trend, analysts warned.

Q. In a new development of detached villas, the town hall has refused to ‘accept’ the maintenance of the streets, lighting, water supply and sewage drains installed by the developer. It wants them improved before it takes them over. Our questioner wants to know if the town hall must control this You and the process and if so, is it then obligated Law in Spain to contribute to the yearly costs of By David Searl the community. A.E. (Costa Blanca) A. Unfortunately for the community the answer is no to both of these questions. As set out in Spain’s Land Law - Ley del Suelo - all of the power is on the side of the town hall. No, it does not have to control the process. It simply decides whether to accept the installations or not. If it decides that the lighting system is not good enough to meet the original requirements, the dispute passes to the homeowners and the developer. Who will pay for the improved system? In some extreme cases, where the developer has gone broke or disappeared, the homeowners have had to pay out thousands of euros to ensure that their services continue. In your case, you may have to go to court against the developer. Finally, the town hall has no responsibility to contribute to the community’s expenses. After all, it will

BARCELONA FOOTBALL CLUB: Under the spotlight, as well as other Spanish teams.

Ugly place for beautiful game

have to maintain these services in the future as normal municipal services.

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952-667090

THE EU is probing seven top Spanish football clubs. Financial support received by Barcelona and Real Madrid, amongst others, will be examined to establish whether it complies with state aid directives. Brussels suspects the clubs could have benefited from favourable official treatment that put them at an advantage over others both nationally and internationally. The government will “fight to the end to defend Spanish clubs,” warned Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo. Not only Barça and Real Madrid but also Osasuna and Athletic de Bilbao were accused of not complying with EU rules by becoming public limited companies.

Regarding Valencia, Elche and Hercules, the EU will examine deals struck between the clubs and Valencia’s regional government. They received loans totalling €118 million on favourable terms but have returned only €18 million. Re-zoning Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground and Athletic’s new San Mames stadium will also come in for scrutiny. A complaint was initially lodged in 2009, when it was claimed that aid given to certain Spanish clubs could be up to several billion euros. If the clubs are found guilty, they would have to repay the amount and possibly pay large fines as well. This would have a crippling effect on most of the teams and on Spanish football in general.

OPINION & COMMENT

Rights of one are harming those of many REGARDING your article about a transsexual child at a Catholic School in Malaga (Costa del Sol, Issue 1485) while I understand that the situation must be complicated for both the child and its parents, I wonder if they have stopped to think about the effect their demands could have on a number of other people? A school, which has been educating children for many years, is facing loss of funding because of this matter. This would mean that parents would have to pay more for their children to attend the school, some may not be able to do so. If the school was eventually forced to close, this would affect the lives of those who work there, as well as the other students and their families. Should this Catholic school really be forced to change its rules to suit one family? Could that one pupil not be moved to a school where their demands would be met? The matter of wearing a girl’s uniform or being called by a different name may be easy to implement, but how can a child who is physically a boy be allowed to share the girls’ toilet? I can’t help thinking that this sixyear-old should be left, with due respect, to get on with his life, as all this controversy is doing him more harm than having to wear trousers to school possibly could, and when the time comes, he can officially change his name and gender to that of a woman. Alfreda Torres Baxter, Mijas (Malaga)

Where is the loss? JUDGING by the recent wellpublished seizure of counterfeit goods in Benidorm and Mazarron, it would appear that there is a concerted effort by the authorities to clamp down on such selling. Commendable? Maybe, but I question their motives. Their overriding concern should be that such products do not contravene health standards but now it seems their principal reason for seizure is what is claimed to be the commercial loss that is being suffered by legitimate traders. Seriously, nobody who buys a watch, shirt or handbag in a

www.euroweeklynews.com

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

Letters YOURSAY@EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Letters for Your Say should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com, posted to Euro Weekly News, C/Moscatel 10, P-62, Polígono Industrial, Arroyo de la Miel, 29631 Benalmadena, Málaga, Spain or faxed to 0034 952 440 887

Photographs for possible publication should be sent by email with a full caption to: photonews@euroweeklynews.com

EWN

21

absent owners in unlicensed, unregistered and therefore illegal keyholders. Whilst some carry out this service as friends, many are paid illegally, taking black money and paying no social security or tax. Why do owners believe that someone who is dishonest with the authorities will be honest as a keyholder? Opportunities for dishonesty are easily taken. Properties let out without the owner’s consent and pocketing the cash. Properties let out by the keyholder for one rate but paying the owner considerably less. Properties let out for a longer period than the owner is aware of, with the keyholder again pocketing the difference. I have seen examples of the above, so owners beware! Bill Andrews, Mojacar (Almeria)

Another scam

EARLIER this year we went to the wonderful town of Segovia. This is a picture I took of its Roman aqueduct.

By Andy Milford, Javea (Alicante)

market believes they are buying an original designer item, so to claim that every counterfeit sale is a loss to Gucci, Prada et al is ridiculous. Nobody who could afford to buy an original would buy a fake, so where is the loss? Spain is in danger of going down the French route and making it an offence to possess fake products, a law that is enforced merely to protect the likes of Hermes and others and to maintain their exclusivity. Ken Bethell, Puerto de Mazarron (Alicante)

Perfectly safe WITH reference to your recent articles about the ‘Death Walkway’ in El Chorro, (Costa del Sol, Issue 1485) I would like to point out that I, several of my friends and family and even my 11-year-old son have enjoyed a walk along the Caminito del Rey numerous times – and thoroughly enjoyed it every time. It is perfectly safe, as long as you follow the correct safety procedures with the appropriate safety equipment. The walkway has bolts and and steel cable to

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

attach yourself to. In fact, I would recommend it to anyone as one of the highlights of a visit to El Chorro, although the inexperienced should go with a guide. You refer to “climbers who risk their lives to traverse it” as though it is a foregone conclusion that someone will fall – absolute rubbish! Local climbers are the people who take care of the walkway; they are not careless idiots with a death wish. Marc Colbert, El Chorro, Alora (Malaga) Editor's note: The Caminito del Rey is a walkway around the El Chorro gorge in Malaga which has earned notoriety on YouTube for its apparent

danger. It is to be repaired and refurbished.

Case confusion THE case of Sergeant Blackman, Royal Marines, must go down in history as the quickest yet. Tried, convicted and sentenced in record time. The case of the two British terrorists who ran down an unarmed man and then hacked him to death in front of a dozen witnesses seemed to go on for ever. As an ex-veteran of World War II, I am disgusted at the military commanders’ lack of support in this case. In the other case, I am confused with the complaint of the terrorist; he said it was against the bombing of his people? I did not know that we had bombed any towns in the UK, as he was born in England. S Anselmi, Torrevieja (Alicante)

Owners beware IT never ceases to amaze me the level of trust that is placed by

WITH respect to the person who wrote about the gypsy ladies in Malaga, warning people to be careful in last week’s Euro Weekly News (Letters). There is another scam going on in the Albox (Almeria) area at the moment. People are pretending to be deaf and dumb and shove a clipboard in your face asking for money. I have seen them at the car boot sale and around Mercadona. Be careful as it is a big con so do not hand over money to these people, and the police are on the lookout. Maureen Cavendish (By email)

Congratulations! I WOULD like to congratulate everyone at the Euro Weekly News for what has been a very informative read over the last year. Your articles are always well written and cover the local news well. Your puzzle page has kept me entertained for a couple of hours every week and I always like to read your columnists. I enjoy a lot reading the Letters page and I also find all the Street Talk matters very interesting. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all the team a Happy New Year and I look forward to reading your newspaper in 2014. Carmen Gonzalez, Moraira (Alicante)

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.

22

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014/ Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

“CATALUÑA, Cataluña, Cataluña. It’s all **** Cataluña.” So complained one middle-aged, middle-class Spaniard born and bred in central Spain. The sentiment is common in monolingual regions where there is scant sympathy with Spain’s various separatist movements. It is tempting to suggest that the national government wants everybody focusing on Cataluña and not other political issues. But Catalan independence is a huge political and constitutional issue for Mariano Rajoy. Meanwhile, Cataluña’s regional president Artur Mas has painted himself into a corner. If he wants to remain in power - and what politician does not? - Mas must placate ERC, the nationalist republican party that provides the CiU coalition with its parliamentary majority. ERC wants a referendum on the right to decide Cataluña’s future and Mas has now announced it for November 9, 2014. If Cataluña truly wanted independence Mas would have obtained an overall majority when he called early elections over the same issue in November 2012. The EU’s president Herman Van Rompuy has spelled it out time after time: if one part of a country declares independence, it

Commundad de Madrid

Making a date Cassandra Nash

A weekly look and not entirely impartial reaction - to the Spanish political scene

leaves the EU. The separatist parties might rubbish this warning, but voters will not and Mas knows it, too.

All bets are off THE national government and the Madrid regional government bent over backwards - and forwards - to accommodate Sheldon Adelson. The American casino magnate was going to locate his multi-hotel, multi-casino multibillion Eurovegas project in the Madrid suburb of Alcorcon. Now he has scrapped his plans after obtaining concession after concession. The Spanish government was even looking for ways to tailor the anti-smoking laws to his liking. Insiders hint that Adelson wanted to back out of the deal and saved face by piling on the demands. Despite the visible disappointment of Madrid’s regional president Ignacio Gonzalez, there were sighs of relief

Sheldon Adelson with president of Community of Madrid, Ignacio González. elsewhere. Complying with all of Adelson’s demands would have been the political, ethical and possibly financial equivalent of selling the government’s soul to the devil.

Rajoy is on his way IT took two years to materialise but Mariano Rajoy has at last received his White House invite. This materialised after he and Barack Obama met briefly at the gym in the Johannesburg hotel where both stayed for Nelson Mandela’s funeral. The date is set for January 13. Forget the corridors of power, diplomacy is now conducted on gym treadmills.

Reading the future THE PP and PSOE, Spain’s principal parties, view the May 2014 European elections as mini-primaries. Their respective candidates’ results will supposedly provide guidelines for making up electoral lists for May 2015’s municipal and regional elections. But what will the results prove? They are viewed with apathy at the best of times and only hard-core card-carriers are likely to vote in five months’ time. Hard-core card-carriers do not decide elections. The votes of the vague, the uncommitted and the downright capricious are the real deciders.

FINANCE

EUROPEAN PRESS 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

EWN

23

Where Are You Tax Resident? The issue of where you are resident for tax purposes can be more complicated than many people realise. If you get it wrong, you could face a tax investigation. If the tax authority wins its case, you could have to pay a large and unexpected tax bill, with interest and penalties. Even if you get it right, you may still have to argue your case, so it is important to be armed with all the facts and keep up-to-date and detailed records. Residence is a matter of fact. It is where you spend your time. Each country uses different domestic rules to work out who is resident for tax purposes. If you satisfy these rules, you are resident there for tax purposes and liable to tax there, very often on worldwide income and gains. Therefore, you cannot choose where to pay tax. You can however choose where you spend your time, to determine your tax residence.

Peter Worthington, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks You can also choose when to sell assets, to determine where you pay tax on the gains. But this is where it gets complicated. It is easy to slip up and specialist guidance is essential. In Spain, you are resident for tax purposes if you spend more than 183 days here a year. You will also be resident if your “centre of

economic interests” or “centre of vital interests” is in Spain. As a resident, you are liable to Spanish income, capital gains and wealth taxes on your worldwide income, and subject to the Spanish succession tax rules. Likewise if you are resident in the UK you are liable for UK tax on your worldwide income and gains. However, the UK residence rules are far more complex. Prior to April 2013 the concept and definitions of “residence” were not defined within UK legislation. Taxpayers had to rely on previous case law and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) guidance to determine their residence position. The rules contained many grey areas and some taxpayers inadvertently fell foul of these. The new Statutory Residence Test, in effect since April 2013, provides more certainty going forward, although it is still complex.

It is based on a combination of day counting and the number of ties you have with the UK. For three years the old and new rules work side by side. For those affected, the position during the three years prior to the introduction of the new statutory residence test is relevant to how the new test is applied. HMRC are still catching up with people over their residence position several years ago. Two recent court cases highlight the importance of taking expert advice, and following the advice carefully and keeping meticulous records. Mr and Mrs Rumblelow, living in Portugal, lost a court case with HMRC over their residence status and now have a tax liability of £600,000 to settle. On the other hand, HMRC lost a similar case against Mr Glyn, who saved around £5.5 million in tax through very careful planning and

record keeping over his move to Monaco. Unless your situation is straightforward - and you are you sure it is? - it is essential to take specialist advice from an adviser who is up-to-date and experienced with the residency and tax rules of both the UK and Spain, or whichever countries you have ties with, and, importantly, how the two tax regimes interact. 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 is advised to seek 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

24

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

Thursday BBC1/ 5:05pm Cars 2 6:45pm BBC News 7:00pm BBC London News 7:05pm Gangsta Granny 8:15pm EastEnders 8:45pm Still Open All Hours 9:15pm Death Comes to Pemberley 10:20pm Len Goodman's Perfect Christmas 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:15pm BBC London News 11:25pm Match of the Day 12:55am Have I Got a Bit More News for You

BBC2/ 4:00pm Operation Snow Tiger 5:00pm Final Score 6:15pm You Have Been Watching... David Croft 7:15pm Dad's Army 8:45pm University Challenge 9:15pm Idris Elba: King of Speed 10:15pm Ben and James Versus the Arabian Desert 11:15pm King Arthur 1:10am Dracula

ITV/ 4:00pm Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - Behind the Magic 5:00pm Off Their Rockers 5:30pm The Nation's Favourite Elvis Song 7:00pm ITV News and Weather 7:15pm Emmerdale 8:15pm Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 11:05pm I Am Britney Jean: Britney Spears' Road to Las Vegas 12:05am ITV News and Weather 12:20am Through the Keyhole

CH4/

Friday

SATELLITE CHANNELS - SkyMoviesAction/

BBC1/ 5:10pm Megamind 6:40pm BBC News 6:55pm BBC London News 7:05pm Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Miranda 10:00pm Death Comes to Pemberley 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:15pm BBC London News 11:20pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 12:00am Not Going Out 12:45am John Bishop's Christmas Show 1:45am The Lonely Guy

BBC2/ 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm The Choir: Sing While You Work 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Idris Elba: King of Speed 10:00pm Ben and James Versus the Arabian Desert 11:00pm Cast Away 1:15am Ambassadors 2:15am The Mummy

ITV/ 4:45pm The Chase 5:45pm Downton Abbey 7:35pm ITV News London 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm You've Been Framed! 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Vicious 10:35pm Bridget Jones's Diary 12:20am ITV News and Weather 12:35am The Cube 1:25am Jackpot247

CH4/

ITV2/

4:15pm Deal or No Deal 5:15pm Come Dine with Me 6:20pm The Simpsons 6:50pm Hollyoaks 7:20pm Hollyoaks 7:50pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm 4thought.tv 8:05pm Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking 9:00pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 10:00pm The Inbetweeners Movie 11:55pm Queer as Pop: From the Gay Scene to the Mainstream 12:55am Chic 1:55am Kylie Minogue: Showgirl - Live at Earls Court

5:20pm Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones 8:10pm You've Been Framed! 9:15pm Johnny English 11:00pm Celebrity Juice 12:00am Hot Fuzz 2:25am Celebrity Juice 3:25am Celebrity Juice

5:15pm Casper 7:15pm Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 10:00pm The Shawshank Redemption 12:55am Celebrity Juice 1:55am Through the Keyhole

4:35pm Deal or No Deal 5:35pm Come Dine with Me 6:35pm Hollyoaks 7:05pm Channel 4 News 7:15pm 4thought.tv 7:20pm Independence Day 10:00pm Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2013 12:05am Alan Carr: Chatty Man 1:10am Machete 3:00am Legend 4:35am A Place in the Sun

ITV2/

3:30pm Sunday •Russell Crowe •Joaquin Phoenix •Connie Nielsen •Oliver Reed •Richard Harris

Saturday

Multi-Oscar winning film about Maximus, a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor who, before his death, chooses Maximus to become heir over his own son. A power struggle leaves Maximus and his family condemned to death. Unable to save his family, Maximus losses his will to live and allows himself to get captured and put into the Gladiator games to meet his death.

Sunday

Monday

BBC1/

BBC1/

BBC1/

4:20pm That Puppet Game Show 5:00pm Comic Relief 2013 6:00pm Songs of Praise 6:35pm BBC News 6:50pm BBC London News 7:00pm Countryfile 8:00pm Antiques Roadshow 9:00pm Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 11:05pm BBC News 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm Match of the Day 2

5:15pm Mary Poppins 7:30pm BBC News 7:50pm BBC London News 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm Shrek Forever After 10:00pm EastEnders 10:30pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:10pm BBC News 11:25pm BBC London News 11:30pm Comic Relief 2013

BBC2/

ITV/ 5:05pm Off Their Rockers 5:35pm Paul O'Grady: For The Love of Dogs 6:35pm ITV News London 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 8:00pm All Star Family Fortunes 9:00pm The Cube 10:00pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:15pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm The Holiday

CH4/ 4:35pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 6:40pm Channel 4 News 7:00pm George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 8:00pm The Italian Job 10:00pm The 50 Funniest Moments of 2013 12:05am The Inbetweeners

ITV2/ 4:45pm Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 7:30pm Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 10:00pm The Bourne Supremacy

BBC2/ 4:15pm Ben and James Versus the Arabian Desert 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Force 10 from Navarone 8:15pm Porridge 9:00pm Morecambe and Wise in Pieces 10:00pm Michael Palin in Wyeth's World 11:00pm QI 11:30pm 2013: Moments in Time

ITV/ 4:35pm Love Your Garden 5:35pm Just Henry 7:35pm ITV News London 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Catchphrase 9:00pm Agatha Christie's Marple 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm The Break-Up

CH4/ 4:30pm Channel 4 News 4:55pm Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events 7:00pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 8:00pm Bear's Wild Weekend with Stephen Fry 9:00pm Speed with Guy Martin 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 11:00pm Rude Tube

ITV2/ 5:00pm Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 7:30pm Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back 10:00pm Shaun of the Dead

Tuesday BBC1/

Gladiator (Film, 2000)

6:10pm BBC News 6:20pm BBC London News 6:30pm Celebrity Mastermind 7:00pm Pointless 7:50pm Up 9:15pm Atlantis 10:00pm Death Comes to Pemberley 11:00pm The National Lottery Live 11:10pm BBC News 11:30pm Match of the Day 5:00pm Flog It! 6:00pm The Guns of Navarone 8:30pm Dad's Army 9:00pm 100 Years of the Palladium 10:00pm I Am Number Four 11:40pm Charlie Brooker's 2013 Wipe

TV LISTING

www.euroweeklynews.com

BBC2/ 5:20pm Attenborough and the Giant Egg 6:20pm Flog It! 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm A Culture Show Special 8:30pm Dad's Army 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Sacred Wonders of Britain 10:30pm The Thirteenth Tale

ITV/ 4:50pm Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed 6:35pm You've Been Framed! 7:00pm Aussie Animal Island 7:30pm ITV News London 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:30pm Quantum of Solace 11:30pm ITV News and Weather 11:45pm The Game

CH4/ 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 7:00pm Hollyoaks 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:05pm Gok Does Panto 9:00pm Jamie's Festive Feast 10:00pm Doggy Styling 11:00pm Twit of the Year

ITV2/ 4:20pm Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back 6:50pm Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi 9:30pm You've Been Framed! 10:00pm Love Actually

4:35pm Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five 5:00pm How to Train Your Dragon 6:30pm Top of the Pops 7:30pm BBC News 7:45pm BBC London News 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Two Doors Down 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:15pm The Graham Norton Show 12:15am Gary Barlow's Big Ben Bash Live 12:55am New Year's Eve Fireworks 1:10am Gary Barlow's Big Ben Bash... Continued

BBC2/ 5:05pm The Queen's Palaces 6:05pm Flog It! 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Blackpool Big Night Out 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 10:00pm Tudor Monastery Farm 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Dara O'Briain: Craic Dealer 12:30am Jools's Annual Hootenanny 2013

ITV/ 4:00pm The Cube 5:00pm The Nation's Favourite Dance Moment 6:30pm Off Their Rockers 7:00pm You've Been Framed! 7:30pm ITV News London 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Aussie Animal Island 9:00pm Mamma Mia! 11:10pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm 2013: A Funny Old Year 12:15am Vicious 12:45am ITV News and Weather 1:05am Waterworld

CH4/ 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:25pm Hollyoaks 7:55pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Deal or No Deal 9:00pm Celebrity Fifteen to One 10:00pm Alan Carr's New Year Specstacular 12:05am The 50 Funniest Moments of 2013

ITV2/ 5:30pm Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi 8:10pm Mr Bean's Holiday 10:00pm Hot Fuzz 12:25am Celebrity Juice

Wednesday BBC1/ 6:05pm Kung Fu Panda 2 7:25pm BBC News 7:35pm BBC London News 7:45pm Gnomeo and Juliet 9:00pm EastEnders 10:00pm Sherlock 11:25pm BBC News at Ten 11:40pm BBC London News 11:50pm Match of the Day 1:20am The Graham Norton Show 2:20am Weatherview 2:25am BBC News

BBC2/ 4:30pm Sports Personality of the Year at 60 5:30pm Final Score 6:20pm The Archbishop of Canterbury's New Year Message 6:25pm University Challenge 6:55pm The Terminal 9:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 10:00pm Glasgow Big Night Out 11:00pm Stanley Baxter 12:00am The Sarah Millican Slightly Longer Television Programme 12:40am The Resident 2:05am Shadow of the Vampire 3:25am This is BBC Two

ITV/ 4:40pm 50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments 6:40pm The Illusionists 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 11:30pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:50pm 2013: A Funny Old Year 12:50am The Jonathan Ross Show 1:55am Jackpot247

CH4/ 4:40pm The Simpsons 5:10pm Big 7:10pm Channel 4 News 7:20pm The Karate Kid 10:00pm David Blaine 11:20pm Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2013 1:20am Alien 3:20am The Quiller Memorandum

ITV2/ 5:00pm The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 7:10pm Johnny English 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Love Actually 12:40am Two and a Half Men 1:15am Two and a Half Men 1:40am Celebrity Juice 2:40am Celebrity Juice 3:35am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

Advertising Feature

Euro falls behind pound and US dollar

Commentary by Moneycorp EUR The euro failed to replicate the previous week’s good fortune, losing three-quarters of a US cent and falling by one cent against the pound. Euroland’s economic performance had a minimal impact on the currency. Its main problems were Britain’s strong employment data and the US central bank’s decision to scale back its money-printing stimulus. The pound and the dollar moved ahead and the euro could not keep up. USD The dollar was among the leaders but could not keep pace with sterling.

Clarisse Musselwhite is Moneycorp’s Account Manager for Mallorca

She can be contacted on Tel: +34 902 887 243 Mobile: +34 687 932 472 Email:mallorca@moneycorp.com

902887243 mallorca@moneycorp.com It lost half a cent to the pound and strengthened by threequarters of a cent against the euro. It was the Federal Reserve that set the scene for the higher dollar when it reduced its monthly moneyprinting output to $75bn. Investors

reacted positively to the news because it means the Fed will be diluting its currency more slowly. CAD The Canadian dollar failed to excel, losing half a cent to the US dollar and one and a half to sterling. Canadian manufacturing and wholesale sales put in decent results but low inflation and falling retail sales were disappointing. The main problems for

EWN

25

the Loonie were Britain’s strong employment data and the US central bank’s decision to scale back its money-printing stimulus. The pound and the US dollar left the Loonie behind with the other also-rans. AUD The Aussie was stuck in the middle of the field, fractionally lower against the US dollar and down by nearly a cent against the pound. The Reserve Bank governor again described the value of his currency as ‘uncomfortably high’ but the main problems for the Aussie were Britain’s strong employment data and the US central bank’s decision to scale back its money-printing stimulus. The pound and the US dollar left the Aussie behind with the other alsorans. NZD The Kiwi had a difficult week, losing two thirds of a cent to the US dollar and two and three-quarters to sterling. The NZ economic data were a mixed bag, including the highest business confidence reading since 1999 and the biggest current account deficit in six years. But the main problems for the Aussie were Britain’s strong employment data and the US central bank’s decision to scale back its money-printing stimulus. The Kiwi could not compete.

26

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Arrogant warlords forget Raj is over LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT

D

ONE it again, haven’t we? Poked our arrogant noses in to ‘save’ a foreign country and achieved precisely nothing. Nothing except more hatred and the deaths of more of the cream of our precious young men and women. Right at the outset of this doomed Afghan engagement, I asked why we thought we could be more successful than the might of the Soviet forces, which had to withdraw with tails between their legs. The answer is, of course, we haven’t been. We left Iraq in chaos and despair and now we’ve done the same in Afghanistan. When are our ‘masters of war’ going to realise that long gone are the ‘glory’ days of the Raj, when we

REDEPLOY: Troops should be used for better purposes.

steamed into foreign climes, slaughtered the ‘insurgents’, installed our own hierarchy, pillaged all we could carry and sailed off into the sunset, congratulating ourselves that despite robbing them of their culture, we had left behind a stable and enriched democratic population? Give us a break! Within days of the last British warrior making his/her exit from this latest conflict, all the ground they have fought for at such cost will be taken back by swarthy, bearded men in Toyota trucks, waving Kalashnikovs and screaming ‘Allah Akbar’.

Within a few months the poppy fields will be blooming and, if the left wing had its way, they would probably be subsidised by British aid. Will no one rid us of these dangerous idiots? One of the UK’s main political parties lives in a world of blissful self-satisfied ignorance and the other in a complete cocoon of jealousy. In the middle there are others who, whatever they think, will never get a majority. Which just about sums up how ignorant and confused the human race actually is. After all, we are the ones who have invented the parties we

think can run our existence! It’s time to start looking after ourselves. We need to bring all our troops home, put them in charge of our borders and use them to build up our defences. We need to withdraw all our foreign aid and let these people sort out their own problems. We simply must clamp down severely on any new immigration and tell Brussels to go take a running jump. Get out of the EU. Re-establish trade ties with our Commonwealth countries (if they’ll have us) and start to rebuild the UK back to where it was before the EU disaster and before the Blair brigade decided to use it to further their own ends. Please God, in the New Year at least begin to introduce some common sense at last. A million thanks for all your mail, interest and good wishes. Fingers crossed for our futures. And, whatever ya do in it, always keep the faith. Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com

ODDS AND ENDS

Red Facebook A YOUNG Taiwanese tourist in Melbourne, Australia was so engrossed using Facebook on her mobile phone that she walked off the end of a pier and had to be rescued by police.

Alligator trade A FLORIDA man failed in his bid to trade a four-foot alligator for a 12-pack of beer. State wildlife officials cited him for possessing, illegally taking and attempting to sell the reptile at a Miami convenience store.

Natural only TWO months before Rio’s famed Carnival gets under way, a samba school is looking for dancers ‘without silicone breast implants’ and offering a free costume in exchange.

28

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Are you on Planet Christmas? Vicki Mcleod

Family Matters EVEN in the midst of blue skies there is something inside of us that seems to long for the traditions of an English Christmas. But believe me, you don't want to be where I am at the moment: sitting in a Cafe Nero in Cheltenham. It is piddling down with rain and it’s freezing (I’ve just bought a hat). The people sitting inside Neros are all gently steaming as the rain evaporates off their coats. I was already on Planet Christmas when I received the phone call that all jobbing writers dread: “Where the beep is your copy? We go to print in an hour.” Ack. Get me to free WiFi. So it is with little fanfare that I tell you about this Christmas’s essential event: A Christmas

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: Enjoy this enchanting production. Carol presented by Isla Theatre. Please support this talented and determined company as they continue to break new ground in Mallorca. We will be going with La Gidg at the beginning of January. I’ve already bought our tickets anticipating a sold

out show. Please, it’s down to you to make it so. After all, we wouldn’t want you to follow in the footsteps of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. As Dickens lovers know he receives an unexpected Christmas visit from the three

ghosts. At this fantastic show you can go along with him on his enlightening voyage as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future, try to shed light on his past mistakes and show him what is in his power

in order to change his future. For those who don’t know what the questions are, will he resist and stubbornly cling to his cold, humbug heart? Or will he learn from his mistakes and seek the good in mankind and the love and giving that surrounds Christmas? So please do go and share in an enchanting production showcasing Dickens’ classic tale… and enjoy singing traditional Christmas Carols as part of the festivities. A Christmas Carol is a timeless, treasured tale that will make the whole family smile and will remind your heart of what the important things in life are each and every day of the year! A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens December 26 to 29, 2013 plus January 1 to 4, 2014. at 6:00 pm

Isla Theatre Project Teatro Sans, Ca’n Sanc 5 070012 Palma

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

EWN

29

ealth & beauty H TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.EWNLIFESTYLE.COM

Advertising feature

Yaduma coaching system - a fun tool for success, health and growth

WELLNESS Coach Manuela Vogt is focused on how lifestyle habits of nourishment, relaxation and conscious choices determine people’s wellbeing and success. Stage 4 melanoma in 2000 preceded by divorce, burn out, and single parenthood provided Manuela the wake-up call and motivation to pursue the dream of becoming Europe’s first Walking Coach for burned-out business executives. In 2006 the prize winning Yaduma™ coaching system was developed to utilise walking meditation as a tool for success, health,

MANUELA: Uses walking meditation. and growth. Today, Yaduma offers one to five day workshops and programmes in cooperation with trainers, nutritional counsellors and meditation teachers

specialising in Detox, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Lymphatic drainage, and alternative energy treatments. Clients benefit from stress management,

burnout prevention, psychosocial counselling, mental coaching and relaxation techniques. “Growing in this kind of empowerment is fun,” says Manuela. Services include Yaduma™ private classes, Yaduma™ group workshops, Yaduma Walking Meditation™, and Yaduma Coaching by phone or Skype. Yaduma is based in Mallorca with phone and Skype sessions available for clients outside Mallorca. Coach Manuela can be reached either by email or

Advertising feature

Kyäni: Experience more KYANI is dedicated to expanding the benefits of natural health and well-being by making a positive impact on the lives of people around the world through potent, pioneering health products. The word Kyäni comes from a native Alaskan language, meaning ‘strong medicine.’ Kyäni founders, Dick and Gayle Powell, discovered the powerful health properties of the wild Alaskan blueberry, also known by the name ‘Ky-äni.’ The ‘wonder fruit’ inspired the Powells to share its benefits with the world as they joined with the Hansen and Taylor families in their passion for the berry. Kyäni as a company was born, and Kyäni products derived from powerful plant ingredients (including noni fruit) have formed part of a healthy diet ever since. The four signature Kyäni products are Kyäni Sunrise™, Kyäni NitroFX™, Kyäni Nitro Xtreme™ and Kyäni Sunset™. These are shaped by Kyäni’s Scientific Advisory Board comprised of prestigious doctors

STRONG MEDICINE: The wild Alaskan blueberry is the inspiration. and scientists committed to the advancement of global wellness through medicinal advances. Kyäni’s 30-day money back guarantee for all customers gives clients peace of mind. And for the socially conscious, the Kyäni Caring Hands programme allows distributors and customers to give back by helping children around the world through its partnership with the Ascend Alliance. With 13 offices located through-

out Europe and North America, Kyäni ensures global access without geographical limitations. Meanwhile, its outstanding business model allows satisfied customers throughout 44 countries to be rewarded for sharing Kyäni products with others. The premium, all natural, supplements can be bought online at www.damai.kyani.net. For distribution and information contact damai.kyani@live.com.

telephone. Yaduma™ Coaching www.thewalkingguru.org Mallorca, Spain Manuela Stoerzer-Vogt yaduma@me.com Germany: +49 1520 3135 335 Spain: +34 661 682 888

EWN

30

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Mike Walsh Mike Walsh. Based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.

W

AS there ever more elegance and style than when women wore fur stoles, veils and dress gloves? I am reminded of US President Reagan’s wife Nancy Reagan when being received by the Pope. Wearing a veil, this otherwise ordinary lady is transformed into an almost saintly figure. Actress Sophia Loren expressed femininity as few can, especially when wearing a face veil or stole. Approaching her eightieth birthday she still adds to her allure by wearing a broad-brimmed hat and veil. So did countless other fashion icons such as Ingrid Bergman and Audrey Hepburn, the opera diva Maria Callas. Given these stars’ enigmatic beauty and presence, can today’s fashion icons hold a candle to them? Actresses and film stars, even at the beginning of their careers, could flaunt it immodestly. All that was necessary to turn heads and attract admiring glances was to

toss a fur stole over their shoulders with a certain élan. Pulling on filigree-laced elbow-length dress gloves underscored elegance and style. For added allure, a fashionable hat and pretty face tantalisingly half hidden by a veil. This was at its most effective when decorously done, as by Princess Diana. Dress gloves showed real taste. Their being seductively pulled on or off exposed a man’s weakness for a woman’s slim hand and forearm. A real lady never removed her glove to shake a hand, men were obliged to. It put emphasis on the difference between the genders. Shawls are another social matter. I never met a woman who wasn’t devoted to either her shawl or stole. Stoles were worn for style in high places whilst shawls were for those considered less fortunate. Popular in Spain too, flamenco artistes swirl a shawl with mesmerising effect. Of course, the donning of such fashion accessories demanded confidence without which the gesture was rather pointless. Oh, they had plenty of that too. I recall being a passenger in a New York yellow cab; I was a 16-year-old sailor at

the time. The lights changed and the world stopped for everyone in sight of her. Fascinated, we all watched a young woman, almost certainly a film star, as she crossed Fifth Avenue to approach Macy’s department store. Dressed in what passes for fashion today she would not be an exceptional woman. Not on this occasion. She was taking Errol Flynn’s advice. Walk like you own the earth. For a few brief moments she did so. With her sweet nose in the air and aware that all eyes were on her she flaunted her femininity as few can: Marilyn Monroe comes to mind. The image of her as she flamboyantly crossed that busy city avenue stayed with me all these years. The Beatles crossing Abbey Road could never match her panache. SOPHIA LOREN: Still elegant.

Credit: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

The true age of elegance

www.euroweeklynews.com

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

PALMA PORT: Looking to be busier this year.

Best Winter season for cruise ships in the Balearic Islands THE PORT Authorities in the Balearic Islands have announced their best yet winter season for visiting cruise ships, bucking the national trend. There will be nearly an 80 per cent increase in cruise ships docking in the port from November 2013 to March 2014. In the same period last

year there were 34 ships compared to 61 registered for this year, mainly due to the number of AIDA cruises beginning and ending their voyage in Palma. February is usually a quieter month for cruises, however, this season it equals the busier winter months;

increasing from only four in 2013 to 13 in 2014. In December 2012 there were only eight cruise ship arrivals, compared to 14 this month. January follows this trend with 15 for 2014, compared to seven in January 2013. The amount of cruise passengers coming into

Palma will be up to 1.2 million, a 25 per cent increase on last winter’s numbers. Alberto Pons, the president of the Balearic Port Authorities suggests these figures demonstrate they are on the right track, after several years promoting Palma on an international level.

A tasty training aid... OVER the past 45 years I have always used liver treats for training which was developed by Joyce Barker, who was an expert in training and showing dogs in the ring. Designed as the perfect dog training treat and originally only sold to dog trainers. They are small in size and can be carried in your pocket in a plastic pill box or a small container. If you have a fussy eater simply crush five/10 tablets into a powder and sprinkle on the dog’s food. As most of my readers are aware I only advocate dried food. Those that came to my schools in Spain over the past 24 years found them invaluable for training and still buy liver treats for their pets. Try them once and you will buy them forever. Majorca contact Brian 634 152 813, in Fuengirola Vet Sussane Kamu on 952 667 333, Marbella and Estepona and Nazli at Pointer Clinic East 952 804 165.

SPONSORED BY For all dog treats please email:

briangatcombe@hotmail.co.uk

David THE Dogman Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10am to 11am Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm

Boy Boy I would like to thank those readers that have written asking how Boy Boy is. The answer now is that he is back to normal and soon will be back to his normal weight. The operation for stomach torsion is serious and not many dogs survive the operation. Nazli from Pointer Clinic East has been keeping her beady eye on him. Obviously I have studied and read as much as I can on the subject of stomach torsion otherwise known as bloat. I note many scientists have made a mention of ‘stress’ which could be one of the many triggers to set this off. If your dog is anxious when left alone it might be an idea to have a chat with your vet with a view to some behaviour modification or maybe medication. At present I do not think I can take a holiday and as I write I am certain many of you feel the same. If you have a separation problem why not write to me at Euro Weekly and I will answer your emails. For your local radio frequency log onto www.talkradioeurope.com.

EWN

31

A floating piece of history visits Palma FLICKR_REINHARD SCHULDT

FLICKR_BILL WALSH

PETS/BOATING

THE DELPHIN: The cruise ship visited Palma port. A FLOATING piece of history visited Palma last week, when the cruise ship Delphin came into port. The Delphin originally came into service in January 1975 under the name Belorussiya. It was designed for the Soviet Union during the Cold War to be used as both a ferry and a cruise ship. At the time it was admired for its modern and futuristic design, although nowadays it seems small and old fashioned compared to the huge modern cruise ships. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union constructed many large ships, in theory to be used for commercial journeys; however the underlying reason was also understood to be for transportation of troops should the need occur. During the following 13 years the Belorussiya visited Spain on more than 20 occasions on behalf of the Black Sea Shipping Company, initially as part of the Soviet Union and later Ukraine. After suffering an accident in dry dock in

Singapore, the ship remained out of use for a while, until it was reformed and sent back out to sea under the new name of Kazakhstan II. It was sold to the Lady Lou Shipping Company in 1995, and then to the Dolphin Maritime Shipping Company in Malta in 1996 when the name once more changed to the current name of the Delphin. It is currently owned by the German company Vishal Cruises. The old cruise ship measures 156 metres by 22 metres, weighs more than 16,000 tonnes and can carry nearly 500 passengers in its 237 cabins.

32

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014/ Mallorca

CROSSWORDS

www.euroweeklynews.com

Time Out EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREAK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

Mallorca weather

NEW ON DVD

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

for next 7 days

Elysium In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Delacourt will stop at nothing to preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium, but that doesn't stop the people of Earth from trying to get in by any means they can. Max trires to bring equality to these polarised worlds.

TODAY

LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF

10-Star Quiz END OF PART ONE… The names of which products complete these famous advertising slogans? 1. A ------ ------ works wonders 2. Ah, -----! 3. And all because the lady loves-------- ---- ---4. ---- calling! 5. Don’t say brown, say ----6. I bet he drinks ----------- ----7. Nothing acts faster than -----8. My goodness, my ------9. Happiness is a cigar called -----10. Beanz meanz -----

ALCUDIA

POLLENÇA

TOMORROW CALA MILLOR

INCA

CALVIA

CALA d’OR

PALMA ANDRATX

LLUCMAJOR

Your Stars

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Your mind is as sharp as a razor this week, so woe betide anyone who tries to trick you. It's a great time to use your talents fully, particularly in regard to a business venture. It is possible that your strengths are a little unrecognised so don't be afraid to try something entirely new.

Joan Manuel Serrat, born December 27, 1943. Serrat is a Spanish singer and songwriter, considered by society and musicians as one of the most influential figures in popular Spanish and Catalonian music, with a discography of more than 30 albums. He has recorded several records with Joaquin Sabina, another Spanish singer.

70

LLAPISSERA/WIKIPEDIA

IF ITʼS YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK Although you may be looking for someone or something special in the months ahead, perhaps you are asking too much. When the time is right it will happen. Meanwhile, enjoy the festive season.

MAGALLUF

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Keep energy levels high by being at the hub of any social activities. Accept all invitations, however dull you feel that they may turn out and allow yourself to be surprised. Continue with any check-ups on your health, eating sensibly if you overindulged during the holiday.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) A festive social gathering turns up an old friend who makes an offer. Although you may feel unworthy, please be reminded of the times in the past when you have given them support. Certainly, it will be through others that real progress will be made.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) As you have decided to rearrange both your business and home life, it is a busy time, indeed. You enjoy a challenge so it will not worry you that other people have different ideas. LIBRA (September 24 October 23) Concentrating on hearth and home gives you great satisfaction. As a born homemaker, you relish the idea of making something beautiful. This week it may be possible to show more of your skills when someone seeks your advice.

Sudoku 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.

SCORPIO (October 24 November 22) Making a new start is not always the exciting thing that people imagine. When there are still old matters to be resolved, it takes the edge off the pleasure. It may be worth cooling off a new relationship until your social life is more settled.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 December 21) Get both business and personal plans sorted out in the coming week. Thereafter, changes to your routine may be necessary, which is disruptive.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday December 21

Saturday December 21

Saturday December 21

Friday December 20

12

18

25

28

33

40

18

20 35

32 36

1

2

6

25

30

42

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

17

13

40

Almeria

CLEAR MAX 21C, MIN 14C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

12

13 22

LUCKY STARS 3

Saturday December 21

17 43

10

LA PRIMITIVA

4

9

37

38

40

43

REINTEGRO 44

2

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA 24 43

Fri Sat Sun -

CLEAR

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 13 8 Sh Tues - 15 9 Cl Wed - 15 9 Cl

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 15 8 S Tues - 17 9 S Wed - 19 10 S

Mallorca TODAY:

18 14 Cl 15 12 Cl 13 10 S S Sun,

11 2 C 6 -1 C 5 -1 C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 14 10 Cl Tues - 14 12 C Wed - 15 12 S Cl Clear,

CLEAR

-1 Cl -1 C -1 S

MAX 22C, MIN 12C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

21 12 C 16 8 S 14 7 S

Mon - 15 7 S Tues - 17 8 S Wed - 19 8 S

C Cloud,

Sh Showers,

Th Thunder

Nonagram 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 M) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

Average: 11

Very good: 20

Good: 14 Excellent: 24 abet, able, bale, bare, bate, bear, beat, beer, beet, belt, beta, blat, brae, brat, carb, crab, abler, acerb, baler, beret, betel, blare, blear, bleat, brace, bract, caber, cable, celeb, rebec, rebel, table, beater, beetle, berate, rebate, treble, retable, bracelet, ERECTABLE, CELEBRATE

Word Ladder LEAP

36

Move from the start word (LEAP) to the end word (DAYS) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.

47

REINTEGRO 3

MAX MIN

Mon - 7 Tues - 9 Wed - 9

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 15C, MIN 11C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Mon - 13 10 S Tues - 15 11 S Wed - 16 12 S

SHOWER MAX 12C, MIN 8C

TODAY:

SHOWERS MAX 18C, MIN 14C 20 14 C 16 11 C 15 9 S

19 14 Cl 14 10 Cl 12 9 S

Madrid

Malaga Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 10 S Tues - 18 11 S Wed - 20 11 S

CLEAR MAX 18C, MIN 16C

TODAY:

MAX 13C, MIN 6C

17 11 Cl 13 8 Cl 11 7 Cl

TODAY:

21 16 Cl 17 12 Cl 15 11 Cl

Benidorm

Barcelona TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 21C, MIN 14C MAX MIN

Mon - 14 9 S Tues - 16 10 S Wed - 17 11 S

20 13 C 15 10 Cl 13 9 S

Sunday December 22

11

TODAY:

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) The repayment of a favour should see you with extra money in your pocket. Holding on to it is your best bet. Trying to change someone close is so obviously not going to work that it is surprising you tried for so long.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) This week is mainly concerned with financial matters, and it is easy to both save and make extra money. Keep your energy levels high by making the most of chances to exercise and get out in the fresh air.

Alicante TODAY:

DAYS

LAYS DAYS

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Your relationships to others linked to the home environment are going well. Aim to build on that this Christmas week because the chance to make a real change to your surroundings opens up. Comfort is top of your agenda and the continuing sales give scope.

CALA d’OR

PALMA ANDRATX

LEAP LEAS LESS LASS

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) The pleasure you will get from helping in the home this week should not be underestimated. What you have been thinking of as a chore turns out to be a great ball of fun. Youngsters may be involved at the weekend, so plan ahead to give them a festive surprise.

CALA MILLOR

INCA

CALVIA

Starring Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley. Runtime 109 minutes. Rated 15. CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Someone close has ideas about how things should be at home this Christmas. Although you wish to show an interest, and should, they may be more 'hands on' than you. Do whatever your talents allow to help because this will not be forgotten.

ALCUDIA

POLLENÇA

1. DOUBLE DIAMOND, 2. BISTO, 3. CADBURY’S MILK TRAY, 4. AVON, 5. HOVIS, 6. CARLING BLACK LABEL, 7. ANADIN, 8. GUINNESS, 9. HAMLET, 10. HEINZ (BAKED BEANS)

www.euroweeklynews.com

CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014/ Mallorca

EWN

33

SPONSORED BY

For more information about the sponsor go to www.lineadirecta.com

Cryptic

Quick

Across 1 Dance in Burma, after a fashion (5) 4 Truck going round cold polar region (6) 9 Aunt Sal became an eastern rulerʼs wife (7) 10 The same name or a presenter (5) 11 Make a phone call and get the engaged signal (4) 12 Calm down, silly sausage! (7) 13 Able to store vegetables (3) 14 Social sphere (4) 16 Biblical character in Rogetʼs Thesaurus (4) 18 Old Bob is a relative (3) 20 In a row about bar seat (7) 21 Emperor and head of state welcomed by sailor (4) 24 Amalgamate in that summer gear (5) 25 For a change, American Rick is nauseous (7) 26 Most recent set of directions, with the last given in full (6) 27 Singing John, the Spanish heavyweight (5) Down 1 Getaway destination in the Azores or Tenerife (6) 2 Fruit swallowed by some Londoners (5) 3 Not at home in Bulawayo (4) 5 Reads about his salad preferences (8) 6 Punish sailor at a blare of the horn (7) 7 Desert animal going across river in

place where Clint Eastwood was mayor (6) 8 Father backed a horse, heʼs a heathen (5) 13 Axes midwivesʼ sweetheart in clear direction (8) 15 Exotic raw rice for the flight staff (7)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 8 represents N and 16 represents V, so fill in N every time the figure 8 appears and V every time the figure 16 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.

17 Madagascar mentioned in famous opera (6) 18 Weird warts produce fodder (5) 19 Damaged gunʼs fine on the inside (6) 22 A good person isnʼt a revolutionary (5) 23 Old language discovered in Alexander Selkirkʼs story (4)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Visual, 4 Rally, 9 Raiment, 10 Party, 11 Eyed, 12 Marathon, 14 Spiral, 16 Let rip, 19 Abridged, 20 Trot, 23 Niece, 24 Echelon, 25 Pilot, 26 Nausea. Down: 1 Varlets, 2 Suite, 3 Aces, 5 Alphabet, 6 Lurcher, 7 Steak, 8 Hymn, 13 San Diego, 15 Israeli, 17 Petunia, 18 Newer, 19 Anna, 21 Rules, 22 Whoa. QUICK Across: 1 Raspberry, 4 Get, 6 Bless, 8 Stein, 9 Dance, 10 Child, 11 Secret, 13 Camera, 16 Spice, 17 Reads, 19 Steam, 20 Event, 21 Pen, 22 Mistletoe.

Across 1 Simple (4) 3 Ponder (8) 9 Smartly sophisticated (7) 10 Cloth woven from flax (5) 11 Moved stealthily (5) 12 American native (6) 14 Hidden (6) 16 Bird (6) 19 Animals (6) 21 After some time (5) 24 Similar (5) 25 Affronts (7) 26 Approximation (8) 27 Inquires (4) Down 1 Work out (8) 2 Landscape (5) 4 Gain possession of (6) 5 Compact (5) 6 Scandinavian country (7) 7 Lease (4) 8 Armed engagement (6) 13 Sightseers (8) 15 Pharmacy (7) 17 If not (6) 18 Aid (6) 20 Vapour (5) 22 Stories (5) 23 Not clothed (4)

English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across 1 Gust of wind (5) 4 Costras (médico) (5) 7 Diente de león (9) 8 Todo (en su totalidad) (3) 10 Abuchear (3) 15 Too much (excessively) (9) 17 Dueño (de casa, coche, perro) (5) 18 Stage (of a journey) (5) Down 1 Tail (of dog, bull, ox) (4) 2 Bacalao (3) 3 Ass (donkey) (4) 4 Semilla (4) 5 Notice (intimation, warning) (5) 6 Enviar (4) 9 Limón (fruta) (5) 11 Hatred (4) 12 To roast (4) 13 Vendaval (4) 14 Moon (4) 16 Wave (in sea, lake) (3)

Down: 1 Ribbons, 2 Spend, 3 Rasher, 4 Genuine, 5 Tired, 7 Sincere, 10 Charade, 12 Crimson, 14 Apostle, 15 Crumbs, 16 Sleep, 18 Sweet. ENGLISH-SPANISH

Hexagram The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter 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 (HUNTER) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

Across: 1 Regalos, 5 Buy,

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Funagram

6 Beso, 7 Carve, 9 Ham,

ADORNS

RESORT

11 Stuffing, 14 New, 15 Girl.

ASTUTE

SCARED

DARTED

SHOUTS

Down: 1 Ribbons, 2 Ganso,

DREAMS

SIDING

3 Log, 4 Stocking, 5 Birth, 8 Elf,

ENTERS

TANGLE

10 Asar, 12 Toy, 13 Fun.

ESTATE

TENDED

HUNTER (10)

TESTED

LUSTER

TITLED

NEATLY

TRAMPS

Play on Words

RATHER

Unscramble the name of a famous former Formula 1 racing driver: POLAR SAINT

Answers: Red in tooth and claw, A nose for news

Unscramble the name of a sovereign state in Eurasia and its official capital city: IT IS A BIGGER OIL

TOREDOTH CLAREDW

KNOWS KNEW KNEW KNEW KNEW

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Metres, 2 Nearer, 3 Desert, 5 Giants, 6 Girdle, 7 Seated, 9 Tweeds, 10 Tinsel, 11 Smiles, 13 Asters, 14 Centre, 15 Milder, 17 Wheels, 18 Farmer, 19 Desire

4 Erased, 8 Manger, 12 Elders, 16 Charts,

FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: ALAIN PROST. GEORGIA, TBILISI

34

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

How to get rid of that morning after the night before feeling With the party season in full swing there are many people who run the risk of a little overindulgence. We took to the streets to find out people’s favourite hangover cures... DRINKING a little bit of the last alcoholic drink you had the night before is the best hangover cure for Frank T Viedt, 67, from Moraira, Costa Blanca: “My father told me that the first time I arrived home drunk.” Luisa Jimenez, aged 35, from Alfaz del Pi, Costa Blanca, said: “First of all, I try to sleep enough hours to feel better next day and, when I wake up, SERGIY washing says having a beer is the best hangover cure.

STREET TALK

my face with cold water and drinking lots of water definitely helps. Then I like to treat myself to a Bloody Mary but, if any ingredient is missing I normally take an aspirin tablet or one small beer.” Head waiter from Restaurante Christopher in Mar Azul, Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, Sergiy Solomka, believes the best hangover cure is: “A beer in the morning.” The 31-year-old, originally from the Ukraine added: “That is what we do in my country, it is the best cure!” Retired civil servant, Sammy Lockman, on the Costa Blanca for the holidays from Scotland, had the opposite advice: “Don't drink! It has taken me many years to realise it, but really the best hangover cure is to not get the hangover, it really isn’t worth it.” Denis McAvoy, who lives in DENIS: Big breakfast is best.

LUISA JIMENEZ suggests lots of water and sleep. Arboleas, Almeria, and is retired said: “I used to have hangovers but I seem to know my limits a bit more now. My advice is to have a big breakfast and carry on drinking!” But Christina Stockdale, also retired and from Arboleas, had different advice. “Get out into the fresh air and go for a walk and drink lots of water. I am talking from experience!” Food was top of the list on the Costa del Sol. Andrea Sutton, 28, a waitress in Marbella, said: “A fried egg sandwich, glass of gazpacho and a paracetamol are what’s needed. The gazpacho replaces lost vitamins and liquids, the egg gives a protein boost and the paracetamol soothes the pain!” John Houseman, 49, on holiday in Estepona, Malaga, said: “A full English fry-up and lots of sweet tea. Nothing beats it!”

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014/ Mallorca

EWN

35

Advertising feature

Advertise your property for FREE with Balearic Rentals Direct BALEARIC RENTALS DIRECT is a brand NEW property listing website based right here in the Balearic Islands. The company was founded by a group of Balearic Rentals Direct pride themselves on their local knowledge and their friendly service. Their experts understand every aspect of the local market and can help maximise clients’ properties’ rental potential. Other similar websites list properties worldwide and tend to offer an impersonal and faceless service. Balearic Rentals Direct concentrate specifically on the islands they know and love. This means they can offer a uniquely tailored and personalised approach. It is fast becoming the go-to website for holiday rentals in the Balearic Islands. The aim of the site is to have the best selection of properties across the Balearics. The state-of-the-art website is packed with fantastic content including restaurant guides, attraction guides, beach guides and more. This island-related content brings holidaymakers directly to property owners. Top web designers have built a stylish and user-friendly website. It’s easy to create an

professionals with a vision: to bring all of their expert knowledge of the Balearic holiday rental market together in one easy to navigate website.

HOLIDAY RENTALS: Stunning apartments in the Balearics. eye-catching listing with space for up to 20 images. The company prides itself on providing a completely safe and secure platform. Every property on the website is visited so the holidaymaker can rest assured that the property is true to the listing. Because of that, owners will enjoy more bookings because holidaymakers can book with complete confidence. There have been reports recently of other

websites being intercepted by fraudsters. This website uses the latest technology to safeguard against fraud. The state-of-theart internet technology ensures that transactions are completely secure. Uploading property can be a timeconsuming process. For clients short on time the website’s staff can upload the property onto the site. And if new photographs are needed the site has professional photographers who

can reshoot the property for free. Listing on the site is completely free and they don’t take any commission; 100 per cent of the listing price goes directly to the property owner. The site does not hold on to deposits, either. Owners receive their deposit as soon as a booking is made. Even if the property is currently listed on another site, owners can still advertise with Balearic Rentals Direct. Try it out today and enjoy extra free exposure for your property. We’re confident you’ll love the results. It’s our aim to ensure that you never need to pay for another property listing again. What are you waiting for? List your property today! Visit www.balearicrentalsdirect.com Or speak to one of their advisors on 0034 610 300 999.

36

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014/ Mallorca

FOOD & DRINK

& DRINKS

ood F

www.euroweeklynews.com

Costa de Almeria’s best guide to local sport

Mallorca’s best guide for local restaurants

TO READ MORE VISIT: WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM/FEATURES/RESTAURANTS

Spanish cheeses awarded 2013 Super Gold prize ELEVEN Spanish cheeses have been awarded the Super Gold prize at the 2013 World Cheese Awards. The awarded snacks come from different locations in the country, including Cadiz, Ciudad Real, Badajoz and Cantabria. The culinary competition, held annually in Birmingham (UK), is considered the most important cheese contest in the world. A panel of 250 judges choose every year the best cheeses from different categories goat, ewe, cow, specialist and other

SPANISH CHEESES: Awarded for their flavour and texture.

cheeses - and countries. A total of 2,800 cheeses from all over the world were entered in this year’s edition.

German blue cheese ‘Montagnolo Affiné’ has been chosen as World Champion for its mild flavour and creamy texture.

Animal meat cut is new smartphone app SOCKET SOFTWARE, a small software development

company located in Australia, has created a

Mulled wine at a price THE Mayfair Mulled Wine being sold at Hush bar in London is the most festive drink on the Christmas circuit and at £50 (€58) a glass, it is likely to be the most expensive too! Award-winning mixologist Pedro Solorzano has created the drink which includes a 2008 Château Grand Puy Ducasse and an 18 year-old Dalmore whisky. Saffron and tonka beans are also used.

smartphone app to help those who feel uncertain at the butcher’s. ‘Nose to Tail’ is a convenient encyclopaedia of animal cuts with support for more than 200 cuts of meat from the cow, chicken, lamb and pig. Each cut includes indepth detail about the anatomy, preparation, history, common dishes as well as fun facts.

FOOD & DRINK

www.euroweeklynews.com

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014/ Mallorca

EWN

Culinary victory for Vitoria VITORIA has been elected as the 2014 Culinary Capital of Spain. The Basque city will succeed Burgos as the Spanish city of reference for foodies. The Spanish Federation of Catering Businesses (FEHR) and the Spanish Federation of Tourism Journalists and Writers (FEPET) have chosen Vitoria for the institutional, social and professional support the candidacy of the city received. It prevailed over Huesca, Sant Carles de la Rapita (Cataluña) and Valencia in the voting. The Basque capital has also been supported by award-winning chefs including Pedro Subijana, Karlos and Eva Arguiñano, Martin Berasategui, Elena and Juan Mari Arzak and Diego Guerrero. It’s the third year the title of Culinary Capital of Spain has been awarded. Vitoria will now have to pay a €125,000 fee and organise an events programme throughout 2014 to the value of at least €200,000 in order to keep the title.

VITORIA: 2014 Culinary Capital of Spain.

PINTXOS: Traditional Basque tapas.

KARLOS ARGUIÑANO: Showed his support for Vitoria.

37

38

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

omes&gardens

H

HOMES & GARDENS

SPONSORED BY

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

Boxing Day gardening thoughts By Dick Handscombe HAVING have had 25 Christmases in the Spanish

house and a good number in Spain before that, yearend celebrations tend to be organised around Spanish versus UK timings for celebrations. On Christmas Eve, ‘Noche Buena,’ I enjoyed preparing and eating the main Christmas meal with friends. It was almost entirely produced from selfgrown garden produce from the turkey and veg to the dried fruit in the Christmas pudding.

Christmas Day was more relaxed with a fresh air mountain walk with a call into a local Spanish hostelry for a light tapas lunch before settling in for a long evening read of a good travel book. Today, Boxing Day, this article should appear in the shops as Spanish outlets are likely to be open. By the way, if you are looking for a light read in the New Year you might enjoy the write up of my

walk from the Bay of Biscay to the Med. The Title is ‘Adventure along the Spanish Pyrenees’ and is available from Amazon. After Boxing Day there are a couple of days to start the winter cut-back before more heavy eating over the New Year. So until then enjoy your well earned seasonal rest from gardening. © Dick Handscombe www.gardeninginspain. com December 2013.

40

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

PROPERTY

roperty P TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

ISLAND APPEAL: Demand is high for property in the Balearics.

Balearic Islands leading house price increases HOUSE prices in four Spanish regions are now on the rise, according to official figures for the third quarter, The Balearics lead the way with 4.4 per cent growth year on year. Daniel Chavarria Waschke, Managing Director of Balearics Sotheby’s International Realty, explained: “The factors that kept these Mediterranean islands buoyant in recession,

are the same as those fuelling price rises today - lack of supply and appeal across the nationalities. “Ibiza and Mallorca were never overbuilt, planning controls have always been much tighter, and as a result we have never had an oversupply to ‘sell off.’ Meanwhile with British, Dutch, Germans, Danes, Swedes, you name it, keen to secure a home

in the Balearics, demand is constantly high. It’s the ‘perfect storm’ for a healthy real estate market.” Foreign ownership in the Balearics has indeed more than doubled over the past five years from 1,642 purchases by foreigners in 2008 to 3,571 in 2012. Latest data shows that up until June this year, 1,412 foreigners had purchased homes -

Man loses home over unpaid community fees

EWN

A HOME-OWNER who failed to pay his community fees for 15 years has been evicted from his house. The man, a former bookseller from the province of Cádiz, Andalucía, had been struggling financially since he had to close down his business in 2000. He also suffered personal problems and required psychological treatment, which led to him defaulting on his community fees. His debt amounted to €14,600 and under court order, police removed

him from the property, awarding it to the community, despite the fact that he had paid the outstanding debt into a court account. The president of the community affected said he was aware the fees had now been paid but pointed out the owner had ignored all payment demands for years. Community administrators see the case as a warning to people of what can happen if they default on community fees.

almost the same as the whole of 2008. In many ways they are propping up the islands’ market. The Council of Notaries reveals that Germans are out in front in this trend, making three times the number of house purchases in 2012 (1,303) than 2008 (396). Brits always feature heavily in the Balearics but Russian and Nordic house buyers are also catching up. For example, only 27 properties were bought by Swedes in 2008, rising to 168 in 2012 and already 75 in the first six months of 2013. In 2008, there were 35 Russian purchases; by 2012 this figure was 86. Growth is also evident amongst the Chinese, Romanians, Argentinians, French and Italians. Whilst the experts predict more price falls for Spain in 2014, or at best stabilisation, Daniel can only see more price rises for the Balearics.

www.euroweeklynews.com

CLASSIFIEDS

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

lassifieds C

EWN

43

FOR RESULTS EVERY WEEK

BOATS / CARS / JOBS / SERVICES / PETS / BIKES / FURNITURE / PROPERTY / MOTORING / FOR SALES

ADMINISTRATION SERVICES

BOATS

CAR HIRE

FOR SALE/ WANTED FULL SIZE snooker table. Beautiful condition. Tel 971 267 248 / 649 127 321 (216860)

FRIENDSHIP FIND LOVE IN THE SUN www.iwant2meetyou.com. Browse for free Spain’s No 1 online dating site. Bringing expats together. (219566)

CLAIRVOYANTS

HEALTH & BEAUTY

TAROT Reading. African Spiritualist solves problems - love and business. Tel: Ibrahim 626 502 803 (216597)

COMPANIONSHIP

BUILDING SERVICES

LIFE IS NO REHEARSAL. Retired widower, healthy, solvent and own home seeks mature lady to share quality time and perhaps more. Telephone/text 693 762 671

DINING OUT

INTERNET

INSURANCE

DELFINOS (Crazy Dolphin). Menu del dia - 3 courses and drink 9.95€. Dinner for 2, 19.90€. 971 676 449 (216841)

DRIVING LESSONS

AIR CONDITIONING

AUTHORS

CAR HIRE

LEARN TO DRIVE IN MALLORCA. Scottish Driving Instructor now qualified to teach in Mallorca. Classes in English or Spanish. Obtain your Spanish licence easier or have refresher lessons and get behind that wheel. Interested! Call 648 133 929 (219833)

LIVE MUSIC LIVE music with the fabulous Rosae, every Saturday night at Delfinos ( crazy Dolphin ) Tel 971 676 449 (216841)

MACHINE REPAIR

FLOORING

For daily news visit

For daily news visit

www.euroweeklynews.com

www.euroweeklynews.com

COMPUTERS

INSURANCE

www.euroweeklynews.com

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com Price per word: 0,42€ + IVA minimum 15 words - Discount: Book 10 weeks, get 2 weeks free - Deadline: 4pm Mondays Contact: Phone (0034) 971 682 795 • Fax (0034) 971 680 438 • email classifieds@euroweeklynews.com • www.euroweeklynews.com

44

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

MOTORING

MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 153, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 153 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)

PETS

POOL TABLES

PET-COURIERS.COM – If you love your pet try us first – we are the best. Door to door service throughout Europe. Specialised vehicles – bespoke service. Full legal service including documentation if required. For further information call or e-mail us: Tel: (0034) 651 033 670 or (0034) 637 066 227. Email: info@petcouriers.com or www.petcouriers.com (200622)

NEW/used pool tables. For sale/rental/shares. Tel 649 127 321

FELIX Dog and Cat Kennels. Based at Manacor. Boarding available. Home sitting Island wide. Tel 689 795 049 (216827)

PROPERTY FOR RENT

PET INSURANCE PROTECTAPET. Spain’s leading pet insurance. 965 756 371. www.protectapet.eu (216721)

PET TRANSPORT ACCOMPANY your pets to their new home. Fully licensed pet transport service. Denise www.petchauffeur.eu 952 197 187 / 696 233 848 i n f o @ p e t c h a u f f e u r. e u (215263)

PROF. SERVICES FREE FOR YOU FREE. MOBILE PHONE SIM CARD CALLS TO THE UK FOR ONLY 1 CENT PER MINUTE FREE CREDIT WORTH 12 EUROS.FREE MOBILE PHONE CALLS. CALL NOW TO FIND OUT HOW. TEL 902 887 091 WWW.TELITEC.COM (0)

LLUCMAJOR. Completely furnished first floor apartment with 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, kitchen, lounge, terrace, 450 euros/month. Ref 2940 Inmobiliaria Llucmajor. Tel 971 662 402 (215771)

www.euroweeklynews.com PROPERTY SERVICES BRITISH property services in Mallorca. Construction & home reform services. Our promise: We WILL beat any price like for like ISLANDWIDE. All work guaranteed. See our large advert in this edition. Contact us at enquiries@j-mac.es or tel 971 230 136 (216755) PROPERTY maintenance services. Renovation, painting, decorating & gardening. Last years rates! Trustworthy and high standards Bart: 634 323 062 (216822)

REMOVALS & STORAGE

STUDIO to let in Son Caliu. 450€ all inclusive. 634 388 678

PROPERTY FOR SALE OPPORTUNITY. Beach front Santa Ponsa. Completely reformed 1 bedroom apartment, 60m2, American kitchen, bathroom, terrace 10m2, wonderful sea/beach views, community pool, MUST BE SEEN 129,000€. Owner 618 280 387 (216849)

PROPERTY SERVICES MOTORING

THE Man & Van Island wide removals & storage. Cheap Cheerful and most importantly LEGAL. Tel: 626 792 037 (216798)

RUBBISH CLEARANCE DARRMAR Excavation, demolition, overgrown gardens cleared, ponds and swimming pools, reforms prepared, tree felling & landscaping. 608 790 007 (81692)

REAL ESTATE

INTERNET

REMOVALS / STORAGE

CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS

www.euroweeklynews.com

SITUATIONS VACANT

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

SATELLITE SYSTEMS

EWN

45

TELECOMS FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CONTRACT. WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (0)

XXX RELAXATION READERS OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION MAY FIND SOME OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS SECTION OFFENSIVE.

TV & SATELLITE

EXPERIENCED FEMALE HOUSEKEEPER available now for full/part time positions. All duties performed to a high quality. Trustworthy, friendly and hard working. Duties can include school runs,cooking and shopping. Flexibility and reasonable rates. Call now on 634 349 418 (216822)

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

BIZARRE DREAMS and FETISH FANTASIES Tel 670 210 581 VIP escort, Mariana www.escortsmallorca.com - 698 250 674 MANACOR, 24 hours, 6 friends, Natural French, half an hour 60€. Calle de la Pao, no 25 bajos. 647 487 486 (201624) NICE AND SEXY GERMAN GIRL MAKES YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE 661 016 936

www.euroweeklynews.com

MOTORING

26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

otoring M TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

PIVE 4 has been a success

THE fourth phase of the PIVE incentive programme to buy new cars has been a success. The programme ran out of funds last week, a month and a half after it came into force, sources at the Spanish Car and Lorry Manufacturers Association (Anfac) said. The €70 million budget has served to help finance 70,000 cars, with peaks of 5,000 units sold per day, according to Anfac. Sources said the association has already presented the national government several proposals to keep the incentive programme in 2014, although the way they would manage to do so has not yet become known. Meanwhile, the President of the Spanish Association of Car Dealers (Ganvam) Juan Antonio Sanchez Torres, has asked for incentive programmes to continue until the economy recovers. Sanchez pointed out these programmes are profitable for the country as taxes raised by the car sales are double that spent on the scheme. The Spanish government has spent a total of €365 million in the four phases of the PIVE programme, plus an additional €38 million which were intended for the PIMA Aire to buy commercial cars.

EWN

SPONSORED BY For best rates in motor insurance call: 952 89 33 80

Verso 1.6 D-4D first Toyota model with a BMW engine THE new Verso 1.6 D4D will be the first Toyota to be equipped with a BMW Groupsourced engine. The car arrives two years after the Japanese manufacturer entered into a contract with the BMW Group to source diesel engines. The arrival of the 112 DIN hp 1.6 D-4D widens the engine range available on the Verso model, which now comprises of four diesel and two petrol engines. Toyota Motor Europe’s (TME) Belgium-based Technical Centre led the development of the new Verso 1.6 D-4D, ensuring a match between the engine and the Toyota gearbox and vehicle electronics. This has been achieved while safeguarding the comfort and dynamic performance of the original Verso, the manufacturer claims. Several components were newly developed, ranging from engine mounts over a dual mass flywheel, a new gearbox housing and gearing, and a system to further improve efficiency and reduce emissions. Didier Leroy, Senior Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation, and President and CEO of TME, said: “Working together with an industry leader like the BMW Group allows us to benefit from economies of scale to reduce development costs as well as improve our time-to-market.”

PERFECT MATCH: BMW engine and Toyota electronics. A wider collaboration between the BMW Group and Toyota includes plans to codevelop a fuel-cell system, conduct a feasibility study for the joint development of a sports car platform, work together on creating lightweight vehicle body technologies or undertake joint research into lithium-air batteries. Production of the Verso 1.6 D-4D will start in January 2014 at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Adapazari (Turkey), the sole production facility of the Verso range. This facility also produces the latest generation Toyota Corolla.

DEVELOPED: At the Belgiumbased Toyota Technical Centre.

47

48

E W N 26 December 2013 - 1 January 2014 / Mallorca

SPORT

www.euroweeklynews.com

Sport

JUNE: Andy Murray is first Brit to win men’s singles title at Wimbledon for 77 years. TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Mallorca’s best guide to local sport

Murray, Rose and Froome lead British charge in a super year

Tony Matthews

International Sports 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.

Costa de Almeria

Sports review of 2013 It was another great year for sport. Andy Murray at long last breaking the British men’s jinx at Wimbledon, Justin Rose clinching the US Open in golf, the Lions’ triumphant tour of Australia, and Chris Froome deservedly winning the Tour de France were some of the British highlights. JANUARY • England’s Scott Waites became the BDO Darts Champion, while fellow darter Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor beat Holland’s Michael van Gerwen 7-4 to win his 16th World title at Alexandra Palace. • The UAE lifted golf’s Gulf Cup of Nations. • Spain won the World Handball final. • Novak Djokovic was crowned Australian Open champion while Victoria Azarenka won the women’s prize. • In football, Nigeria lifted the African Cup of

Nations. • Australia lifted cricket’s 50-over World Cup. FEBRUARY • The Czech Republic triumphed in the Davis Cup in tennis. • Wales clinched backto-back Six Nations Rugby titles and their fourth overall. • Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 to win NFL’s Super Bowl XLVII. • Swansea collected their first major trophy, whipping Bradford City 50 in the League Cup final. MARCH • In F1, Kimi Raikkonen won in Austria and Sebastian Vettel in Malaysia. • Rafael Nadal won the men’s Paribas tennis title - again! APRIL • India’s Premier Cricket League went to the Mumbai Indians. • Auroras Encore (Ryan Mania) won Aintree’s Grand National. • Cyclist Chris Froome triumphed in the Tour de Romandie. • Adam Scott clinched the Masters Golf title. • The Chinese F1 Grand Prix went to Spain’s Fernando Alonso. • Fellow Spaniards Jorge Lorenzo and rookie

he retains status! DOUBLE CHAMPION: Chris Froome triumphs in Tour de Romandie and Tour de France. Marc Marquez won the Abu Dhabi and Circuit of the Americas MotoGPs respectively. • Black Country-born Ronnie O’Sullivan successfully defended his world snooker crown at the Crucible. MAY • Cyclist Vincenzo Nibaki (Team Astana) was victorious in the Giro d’Italia. • Nico Rosberg won the Monaco F1 Grand Prix. • Dani Pedrosa powered home in the Spanish and French MotoGPs. • Chelsea beat Benfica in the Europa League Cup final, Wigan pipped Manchester City in the FAC final and Bayern Munich defeated Borussia Dortmund in the allGerman Champions League final. • Sir Alex Ferguson retired as Manchester United manager after his team won their 13th PL title. Everton’s David Moyes replaced him. • Leinster lifted Rugby Union’s European Cup and Toulon won the Heineken Cup. • GB’s Tai Woffinden became World Speedway champion. • Richard Hughes was crowned flat race jockey for 2013.

claimed victory in the Canadian Grand Prix. • Cricket’s ICC Champions Trophy went to India. • Justin Rose became the first GB golfer to win the US Open since Nick Faldo in 1996. • Brazil won football’s Confederations Cup while France lifted the FIFA U20 World Cup. • Andy Murray beat Djokovic to become the first Brit to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon for 77 years. • Chris Froome emulated Sir Bradley Wiggins’s feat by winning the 100th Tour de France. He had finished runner-up to ‘Wiggo’ in 2012.

JUNE • Ruler of the World (Ryan Moore) was first past the post in the Epsom Derby. • The British & Irish Lions won the Rugby Union series in Australia, Leigh Halfpenny (Wales) kicking a record 49 points. • Lorenzo won the Italian and Spanish MotoGPs while Valentino Rossi was successful in Holland. • Sebastian Vettel

JULY • Vettel won his home Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton triumphed in Hungary. • England’s cricketers retained The Ashes, beating Australia 3-0. • An American, Phil Mickelson, won the Open Golf Championship. • Marquez was victorious in the German and USA MotoGPs. • Mo Farah broke the European record in the 1,500m. • Matthew Fitzpatrick (18) won the US Amateur Golf Championship, gaining entry to the 2104 Masters and US Open, if

amateur

AUGUST • Farah, by winning the 5,000m and 10,000m races in Russia, became the first athlete to claim double gold in both the Olympic Games and World Championships. • Christine Ohuruogu bagged her second successive World Championship 400m gold. • USA’s Jason Dufner clinched the PGA title and Europe’s women won the Solheim Cup in America for the first time, with the competition’s youngest-ever player, Charley Hull (15) representing Europe. • USA cyclist Chris Homer won the Tour of Spain. • Marquez made it four MotoGP wins on the bounce with victories in the Czech Republic and Indianapolis. • In-form Rafael Nadal became US Open tennis champion. • Red Bull’s Vettel came first in the Belgium GP. • Bayern Munich won football’s Super Cup. More than 40 exprofessional footballers died in 2013, among them Ron Davies, Bill Foulkes, Peter Broadbent, Tony Grealish, Derek Kevan and Stuart Williams, the Greenhoff brothers, Brian and Jimmy, Brazilians Djalma and Nilton Santos and German POW goalkeeper Bert Trautmann.

Next week I will conclude my round up of the year’s sports.