Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 9 - 15 January 2014 Issue 1488 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

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ISSUE NO. 1488

Oldest woman THE oldest woman in the Balearic Islands, Catalina Torres, died just two weeks after her 107th birthday. She was also amongst the 100 oldest people in Spain and was born on December 23, 1906.

Grant returned THE National Court has ordered Palma City Hall to repay a €3.8 million grant from the national High Council of Sport which they received to build the Palma Arena stadium, plus interest estimated at more than €200,000.

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Duchess of Palma is charged in Noos case THE Infanta Cristina has been charged with money laundering and tax fraud and is due to appear in court on March 8. Judge Castro, handling the Noos corruption case, has decided to charge the King of Spain’s youngest daughter for the second time since the case began, once again without the support of the anti-corruption prosecutor. He maintains that the Duchess of Palma benefited personally from funds from the Aizoon company, which she owned jointly with her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, and which is believed to have been

OEA OAS

EWN FRONT EXTRA

9 - 15 JANUARY 2014

created with the sole purpose of laundering funds obtained illegally through the Noos Institute.

Her defence lawyers have said that the decision will be appealed before Palma Provincial Court and the official statements from the Royal Household have always maintained that Cristina knew nothing of the illegal activities allegedly carried out by her husband, despite her signature appearing on many documents. However, in the 227-page order, Judge Castro says that the Infanta was knowingly used by her husband as a ‘shield against the tax office’ and that the personal expenses of both parties show she benefited from the funds obtained.

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NEWS

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THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1 - 14

Finance 15 - 20

Letters 21 UNWANTED PREGNANCIES: A high percentage had not used contraceptives.

Abortion rate dip in the Balearics IN the Balearic Islands, 3,065 women had abortions in 2012, 506 fewer than the previous year. Of the women, 1,800 were Spanish, and almost 44 per cent of the abortions were carried out by the public health service. The previous year, the figure was only 5.4 per cent. Almost 44 per cent of the women who had abortions admitted that they had not used any contraceptives. These figures have been released coinciding with a draft abortion law recently

put forward by the government. The draft substantially modifies current abortion legislation by establishing just two cases in which abortions would not be a criminal offence. That is, if the womanâ€™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 rape. More than 94 per cent of women who decided to have abortions in the first 14 weeks did so of their own free will.

Daily TV 24

Leapy Lee 26

Time out 32 - 33

Classifieds 43 - 45

Sport 48

NEWS Racist attack FOUR men were arrested for attacking a Dominican man in Palma. They beat and kicked him while threatening to kill him, allegedly because he had started going out with the exgirlfriend of one of them. Deadly fall A MAN, 39, died in the Intensive Care Unit at Son Espases Hospital four days after falling down a stairwell of the apartment block where he lived in Palma.

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9 - 15 January 2014 / Mallorca

Fugitive’s death plunge A GERMAN man, 48, died after falling from the 10th floor of a hotel in Palma when attempting to escape from the police. The man, identified as Georg S., had an international arrest warrant against him issued in Germany for theft. When it was checked by National Police in the Balearic Islands, it showed up that he was

staying at the Tryp Bellver Hotel on Palma seafront. Two plain-clothes police officers went to the 11th floor of the hotel, where the man was staying and knocked on the door. He must have realised they were police officers, because instead of opening it, he climbed over the balcony to the storey below.

However, the strong winds and the rain which had fallen made him lose his balance. Police heard a shout and a bang, and when they entered the room and looked over the balcony, saw the body on the ground below, by the pool. They called paramedics but the man was already dead.

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watch

Jealous rivals

A GIRL, 16, was arrested in Palma, for stabbing another, aged 18, with a kitchen knife in the street in Manacor when they were fighting over a boy.

Prolific thief A MAN, 47, was arrested by Guardia Civil in Llucmajor for allegedly stealing tools from at least 28 different cars in the area.

Score settling

Wrong direction A MAN was arrested for allegedly driving in the wrong direction on the road from Palma to Manacor. The drunk driver was seen by Local Police who had to swerve to avoid his vehicle.

Kiddy cocaine PALMA Customs Surveillance Service seized 100 grammes of cocaine which had been sent from Venezuela hidden in children’s books to a man in s’Arenal who was arrested.

ews

TWO youths, aged 14 and 15, were arrested in Palma for allegedly setting fire to a car outside their school causing damage estimated at more than €800.

Leather goods POLICE arrested a man in Inca for allegedly stealing three leather garments worth €6,000 from a local secondhand shop.

Burn victim A MAN, 55, was seriously injured when a carafe of petrol exploded in his hands when he was lighting a fire in Santa Margalida.

Young arsonists

Brutal intruders A GERMAN man, 78, died in hospital, after being attacked in his home in Pollensa by intruders who tied him and his wife up and beat them while demanding their money.

Rotten meat GUARDIA CIVIL seized 538 kilos of rotten kebab meat from a vehicle which disembarked at Palma Port from Bulgaria. It broke down in Italy and the meat defrosted.

EWN

Online encyclopaedia is 13 on Wednesday.

Happy anniversary to Wikipedia

EEKERS of knowledge are celebrating the 13th anniversary of Wikipedia. The free internet encyclopaedia, supported by the Wikimedia Foundation, was launched on January 15, 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. The name comes from ‘Wiki’ (a type of collaborative website/the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning ‘quick’) and encyclopaedia, and it has become the web’s largest and most popular work of general reference, with an estimated 365 million readers. Volunteers worldwide write Wikipedia’s 30 million articles in 287 languages. The English Wikipedia alone has more than 4.4 million articles.

Quote of the Week We respect the legal decisions’ The Royal Household, after learning that Judge Castro, who is handling the Noos corruption case, has decided to charge the Infanta Cristina with tax fraud and money laundering. She will be called to testify on March 8.

Wikipedia’s departure from the traditional style of encyclopaedia creation by experts has received extensive attention in the media. It has also become a news source because of how quickly articles are updated. However, its open nature has led to concerns about the content, as anyone who can access the site can edit almost any of its articles, meaning it can fall victim to pranks, vandalism and inaccuracies. However, a 2005 investigation in Nature showed that science articles came close to the level of accuracy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. The Spanish Wikipedia was launched in May 2001 and has 1,067,597 articles. It is the eighth largest Wikipedia for the number of articles and the third most popular Wikipedia for the number of page views.

Number of the week

per cent of Spaniards and 69 per cent of Britons admit that they have stolen items from hotels, according to a study by Jetcost. Meanwhile, 88 per cent of Danes claim that they have never stolen anything from a hotel.

FOUR people were arrested in Manacor for taking part in an attack with guns and knives to settle a debt with rival drug traffickers.

Balcony fall THE balcony of a house collapsed in Arenal de Llucmajor onto the street below. No-one was injured and firemen cleared away the debris.

Causing trouble A HOMELESS German man, 44, was arrested in Palma after threatening several people with a knife and exposing himself.

Violent partner A MAN, 36, was arrested in Palma, for allegedly abusing his partner and sexually abusing her 17year-old daughter.

And finally... SPAIN’S first baby of the year 2014 is a boy called Tanai, born at the Joan XXIII University Hospital in Tarragona, who came into the world just after clocks struck midnight, the Catalan Regional Health Service announced on their Twitter account.

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Island youths leave home earlier

THE Balearic Islands is the Spanish region where most people under 30 have left their parents’ home. According to a study by the Spanish Youth Council, during the third quarter of last year, more than 32 per cent of people under 30 in the Balearic Islands had left home. No other region in Spain even reaches 30 per cent, as the second on the list is Aragon, with just 25.2 per cent, and the Spanish average is 21.3 per cent.

Immigrants swear allegiance to Spain ALMOST 1,780 immigrants in the Balearics obtained Spanish nationality in 2013. According to a report by the General Council of

Notaries, in the whole of Spain, more than 71,380 people swore allegiance to the King and Spanish Constitution to obtain Spanish citizenship. Most of them were Ecuadorians, Colombians, Peruvians and Moroccans. The province where most obtained nationality was in Cataluña, with 32,267. More than 62,853 new Spaniards preferred to keep their name and 51,181 also preferred to keep their first nationality.

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A theft too far A YOUTH, 14, with more than 2,500 thefts to his name, has been sent to a detention centre. The boy, known as ‘El Juanito’, appeared before a minors’ judge in Palma

who decided to send him to the Es Pinaret internment centre for juvenile delinquents. He will live there, although he will take part in work, leisure and educational activities outside the centre. Police said he made an average of €500 per day stealing from shops, sports centres, banks, hotels, shopping centres and other premises, with which he supported part of his family. He once stole almost €12,000 from a tourist attraction in Palma; on another occasion he took almost €1,000 worth of perfume from a shopping centre and, several years ago, stole a Malen Ortiz yacht which he crashed Several items have and had to be rescued. He was recently been found which have been sent to Madrid to caught stealing from determine whether they hotels in Palma Beach, belong to Malen, most of and now he is 14, he can be charged. them pieces of clothing.

Malen test hope GUARDIA CIVIL are hopeful that test results will help them advance in the investigation into the disappearance of 15-yearold Malen Ortiz from Calvia on December 2. The search for the girl continues, and although the Guardia Civil have not ruled out any possibilities, while they initially thought she had left home voluntarily, the Government Delegate in the Balearic Islands, Teresa Palmer, said that there has been a ‘change in evidence’ which now makes them think it is more likely she was taken against her will.

NEWS NEWS EXTRA

Serious accident A MAN, 25, was seriously injured when he was involved in a collision with a vehicle on the Via de Cintura in Palma.

Wife injured A MAN, 35, was arrested in Palma, for punching his wife, who is four months pregnant, and kicking her in the neck and chest, because she accused him of flirting with a woman using phone text messages.

Emergency calls THE emergency services received almost 770 calls on New Year’s Eve throughout the Balearic Islands, including six regarding fights in Mallorca.

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NEWS

UNEMPLOYMENT: Figures are still high.

Unemployment down in Balearics THE Balearic Islands closed 2013 with 91,215 unemployed people, 4,620 less in relation to the previous year. According to data from the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, unemployment decreased by 283 people in December 2013. This is a 0.31 per cent decrease in relation to November 2013, and represents a year-on-year decrease of 4.82 per cent. These figures place the Balearics as the

Spanish region where unemployment decreased more compared to December 2012. In the Islands, 46,722 of unemployed are men, 10,028 are under 25 years of age and 81,187 correspond to different age ranges. There were 19,238 unemployed foreign people in the Balearic Islands in 2013, most of them coming from countries outside the European Union (12,030).

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Good month for fashion shops DECEMBER was the best month of 2013 for Mallorca’s clothing industry, according to Mallorca’s Association for Small and Medium-Size Commerce (Pimeco). The upturn noted at the beginning of December was confirmed by the end of the month, where 59 per cent of the island’s clothing, shoe and accessory merchants claimed to have sold more than in the same month of 2012, with

the percentage in Palma being even higher (61 per cent). December 2013 was the best sales month in the last three years of economic crisis. Pimeco describes, however, how the market remains constricted by extremely low demand as customers continue to tighten their belts and by the discounts merchants are forced to offer in order to make sales.

LASER POINTERS: Their misuse can be dangerous.

Powerful laser pointers seized SOME 10,000 laser pointers were seized in the Balearic Islands during 2013. These lasers have become more available in recent times, and are often maliciously used to distract or temporarily blind people.

The confiscations were carried out by the Directorate General of Public Health and Consumption, the Customs and Border Patrol from the Guardia Civil, and Palma Local Police. These bodies started to

cooperate after they found out laser pointers were being sold without complying with the safety and labelling regulations. Pilots reporting people were trying to blind them using the lasers also triggered inspections.

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NEWS

Germans take refuge ASIDE from the usual hotels, tourist apartments and short-term housing rentals, Mallorcaâ€™s mountain refuge sites are quickly growing in popularity as a tourist lodging option. In fact, more than half of the visitors to the Xarxa de Refugis in the last year - 59 per cent were foreign visitors. The representation of Germans was especially high, representing a full 36 per cent. Spaniards, meanwhile, constituted 41 per cent of the total visitors to the tourist locales. The next largest

TOSSALS REFUGE: Popular with German tourists. representation was by French visitors with a

mere 6 per cent, followed by British with 4 per cent.

False report to cover tracks A MAN, aged 23, was arrested for causing a serious car crash and then trying to cover it up with a false police report. After crashing in Marratxi on the Inca highway, the accused abandoned the vehicle and hurriedly made his way to a local police station claiming the same car

had been stolen. Suspicious Guardia Civil officers tracked down a witness from the scene who identified the 23-year-old as the same driver who was the cause of the accident. The driver then admitted the false theft claim in addition to causing the accident.

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NEWS EXTRA

Filming in Spain FILMING of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ will be taking place in Tenerife in February. Members of the team will also visit Madrid.

Violent death POLICE are investigating the violent death of a woman, 86, who was found with a head injury in her home in Jaen by her son.

No licence TWO lion cubs being shown at a private party in Sevilla had to be removed by the owners, Mundo Park Zoo, when Guardia Civil officers found they weren’t licensed to exhibit them.

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Locals concerned over murderer’s return RESIDENTS in Almaden de la Plata, Sevilla, are concerned as a killer has returned to the town of 1,600 people after being released from prison. His release came after the European Court of Human Rights decided to partially annul the Parot Doctrine. This established that time reduced from a prison sentence for good conduct should be subtracted from the total sentence, not from the 30-year limit stated by Spanish law. Manuel Gonzalez, known as the ‘tracksuit madman’ was sentenced in 1997 to 169 years in prison for murder, attempted murder and sexual assault, and served 16. He attacked 16 women and girls between 1991 and 1993, one of whom died. He stabbed

GONZALEZ: ‘Could still commit a sex crime’. them with knives and arrows in their buttocks and genitals.

Gonzalez, a butcher, has a tendency for abnormal and sadistic sexual activity

and has refused to undergo treatment. A team of prison experts has said that he could commit another sexual crime which could easily result in loss of life. The mayor, Jose Luis Vidal, has said they don’t want him there. He drove 1,046 kilometres from Barcelona in an old Peugeot 306 with his brother, his mother and a friend whom he allegedly met in prison. Some women in the town say they won’t leave the house alone, especially at night, since he got back and have demanded increased police protection. He is reportedly only in the town, where he has relatives, temporarily. Meanwhile, police are also having to protect him, as he has received threats.

NEWS

Pensioner killed by intruders AN elderly woman found dead in her home in Barcelona is believed to have choked on a stocking put in her mouth by intruders. Thieves entered the house when she was inside, tied her to the bed and gagged her by putting a stocking in her mouth. They fled when they realised the woman was not breathing, which would explain why the house had been searched but the safe was not touched. Police are waiting for the results of a postmortem examination, but the woman is believed to have suffocated or had a heart attack. Her body was found by her daughter and son-in-law.

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NEWS

WELL HIDDEN: The packages of drugs were sown under the wigs.

Cocaine hidden under their wigs TWO Portuguese women, aged 18 and 28, were arrested at Madrid-Barajas Airport when they were attempting to bring drugs into Spain hidden under wigs. They arrived at the airport on two

different flights from Sao Paulo in Brazil, each of them carrying 1.2 kilos of cocaine in six oval packages which were sown to their real hair, and then hidden under a black stocking.

King said in 1983 that Spain didn’t really want Gibraltar IN July 1983, King Juan Carlos told British ambassador at the time, Sir Richard Parsons, that Spain “did not really want” Gibraltar back. Newly declassified documents from the 1980s released by the Foreign Office and revealed by the Daily Telegraph show that King Juan Carlos made the admission privately in a meeting, saying that it was “not in Spain’s interest to recover Gibraltar in the near future.” He explained that this would lead to claims from Morocco for the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa. Details of the meeting were released by the National Archives in Kew as part of secret government papers declassified under the 30-year rule. At the time King Juan Carlos preferred “confidential talks” over Gibraltar to be conducted between the two foreign ministries to ensure Spain’s path into the European Economic Community. Ambassador Parsons told the Foreign Secretary, Geoffrey Howe, that the King emphasised that Spain would “not seek an early solution to the sovereignty problem” and that steps would be taken

to “keep public opinion quiet for the time being.” Spain had been warned that the UK would oppose their membership of the EEC until all restrictions at

its border with Gibraltar were lifted. Franco had sealed the border in 1969, it was partially opened in 1982 and completely opened in 1985.

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EWN

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NEWS

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Spanish expected to spend more in the sales this year SPANIARDS are expected to spend €3.9 billion in the winter sales, which is slightly more than last year. The Spanish Confederation of Commerce (CEC)

has said that each person will spend an average of €60 in the sales, which will end on March 7, mainly on clothes. However, the Independent Users and

Consumers Federation (FUCI) estimates an average expenditure of €85 per person. Shops will be offering discounts of between 30 per cent and 50 per cent,

coinciding with the first two weeks of the sales, and later increasing the discount to 70 per cent. More traders are optimistic and say that over Christmas, for the

first time in years, sales have risen, and that although they remain cautious, they hope the positive figures will also be seen throughout the sales.

Palma Aquarium trip WHAT are you doing on Sunday January 19? Fancy a free trip to the Palma Aquarium? Brad Roberston, the owner of Ondine Experience, a fantastic dive school and general Mallorca adventure organiser has put together a very interesting programme for both adults and kids at the Aquarium. The object of the gathering is to bring likeminded people together who have an interest in the welfare of Mallorca, of the amazing ocean we have on our doorstep and the works

OCEAN VIEWING: Very much will be a family event. Brad and his team are doing to conserve this. As many people in Mallorca are working in an ocean based industry, this

is massively important for them. This is very much a family event, the kids will be taken on a fascinating

tour of the Aquarium by the trained professionals, not something you get to do very often, whilst Brad quickly goes through, with the adults, what his team have achieved and need to achieve. This is not a fund raiser event, but an awareness day and is free! So, on a potentially wet and windy winter’s Sunday when we are all looking for something different to do, especially with the children, this is a must!

If you would like to come and join in, please RSVP to linda@asociacionondine.org

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COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Car fire investigation THE interior of a luxury car was burned in Torrevieja. Firefighters extinguished the blaze before it spread to other cars. The Guardia Civil is investigating as they found traces of accelerants.

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News from our editions With six editions and read by more than half a million people, EWN is Spain’s largest free local English-language newspaper

NEWS DESK Trunk crash THREE trains were delayed after one covering the route between Algeciras and Madrid via Ronda hit a tree trunk which was on the tracks. None of the 169 passengers were injured.

COSTA DE ALMERÍA

King’s accident

Christmas run

THE car that was carrying King Gaspar at the Alicante Three Kings parade suffered brake failure. The driver was forced to crash to avoid hitting spectators. Nobody was injured.

MORE than 700 runners took part in the 26th San Silvestre run in El Ejido, with 500 taking part in the 10 kilometre race.

Hospital treat

Lottery win THE special New Year lottery from ONCE (National Organisation for the Blind in Spain) had a second prize winning ticket sold in Torrevieja, worth €40,000.

Torrevieja carol singing THE Residential Home Visiting Team and the Rascals musical show group, accompanied by Just Brass, entertained the residents from Jardin de Clara Residential Home with carol singing.

Longer hours THE Municipal Library ‘Ruben Dario’ in Aspe has extended its opening hours from January 7 to 31 to help students prepare for their exams.

Dark ages A PRE-CONFESSION aide memoire by Beniarres’s parish priest made national headlines by prompting churchgoers to ask themselves if they had committed bestiality or practised witchcraft.

AXARQUIA

Stowaways stopped FIFTEEN youths under 18 were arrested at Melilla Port on New Year’s Eve, when they were trying to board a ferry to Motril as stowaways.

Save the castle THE Costa Tropical Association for Sustainable Tourism has asked the regional government to give Salobreña Council an extension to return a €600,000 grant to refurbish the town’s Moorish castle.

Fire scare A FIRE in a scrubland scared the neighbours of the Los Marinos area in Almuñecar on New Year’s Day. The blaze, the origin of which is unknown, was quickly put out by firemen.

THE footballers of UD Almeria paid a visit to the Torrecardenas Hospital in the city to hand over toys and gifts on the children’s ward. TO THE RESCUE: USAR13DYA members and their dogs with Altea councillors.

Altea retrievers to the rescue! ALTEA is collaborating with the USAR13DYA association on a rescue and therapy unit using dogs. The town hall has made a €1,000 donation to the group. USAR13DYA is a not-for-profit organisation whose members come from search-and-rescue units, fire brigades and civil defence groups. All have training and experience both in rescue procedures using dogs and their use in therapy. Social Services Councillor Gregorio Alvado underlined the invaluable service provided by USAR13DYA. The unit played an important part some months ago in the search for an Altea resident and has helped in international rescue operations following earthquakes and other natural disasters.

Sporty honour THE Almuñecar Sports Board paid tribute to the best local sportspeople of 2013 in an event held at the Casa de la Cultura.

Mobile MOT THE mobile MOT unit will be in Nerja from January 27 to 31, as well as on February 3. It will be located on the market site near the Avenida de la Constitucion from 10.05am to 2.30pm, and from 4pm to 4.45pm.

COSTA DEL SOL

Killer sentenced A MAN has been years in prison transsexual partner a row in November

sentenced to 11 for killing his in Fuengirola after 2012.

Wanted man AN AUSTRIAN man, 51, who was wanted in Germany for fraud through false investment companies amounting to €2.73 million, was arrested in Marbella.

Surprise visitor THE wall of a house in Cuevas Bajas sustained damages after a car left the road, fell down an embankment and crashed into the house. The driver was injured.

More flights MALAGA-COSTA DEL SOL Airport has increased the number of direct flights connecting with European destinations by 20 per cent this winter.

Battery charge A 32-YEAR-OLD man from Viator has been arrested by Guardia Civil agents for the alleged theft of 28 batteries from lorries parked in an industrial estate in the town.

Blood banked A TOTAL of 145 people gave blood at the Health Centre in Vicar during the Christmas period.

Not cool A MAN, aged 29, from El Ejido was arrested by police after he was found pushing a shopping trolley loaded with 25 kilos of cucumbers which he had allegedly stolen from a nearby greenhouse.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Debt dispute CONTRACTORS Parking La Via are suing Denia Town Hall for €1.9 million. The company claims this amount was incurred by modifications to the underground car park it completed in 2005.

New role THE Central Cinema in Javea’s Old Town is to be restored. Acquired 13 years ago, it will be turned into a cultural centre, the town hall announced.

Calm changeover UNDER an agreement following a 2012 no-confidence vote in the former council, socialist Salvador Fuster has taken over as Oliva mayor. He substituted David Gonzalez of the BlocCompromis party.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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

business & legal

EWN

STAT OF WEEK SALES of second-hand cars rose by 6.5 per cent last year to 1,680,000 vehicles, representing 49 per cent of the national market. Sixteen per cent were deals between private owners.

Flocking to the city Old meets new in heart of Madrid SOME Madrid streets are trails originally used for herding sheep to winter and summer pastures. Periodically they regain their original use as during the Transhumance Fiesta last year, when flocks were driven along the Calle de Alcala. The sheep, photographed in front of a Tommy Mel’s restaurant, were

chosen by The Wall Street Journal as one of the most memorable photos in 2013. The juxtaposition of Spain’s past and present economy in the Andres Kudacki/ Associated Press photograph would not have been lost on the New York paper. Time was when the Honoured Council of the Mesta was the only commercial

The allure of FCC attracts big name SPAIN’S FCC has attracted new suitors. George Soros, the Hungarian-born American magnate, investor and chairman of the Soros Fund Management hedge fund, now owns 3 per of the company. He reputedly paid around €72.39 million and now owns the third-largest individual FCC holding. Soros follows Microsoft founder Bill Gates who acquired a 6 per cent FCC holding for approximately €110 million last October. The rise and fall of FCC followed the same pattern as Spain’s property boom-and-bust economy. Forty per cent of FCC’s revenue from construction, infrastructure and services comes from Spain itself

and both have had a difficult year. The group was badly affected by the burst property bubble through its real estate company Realia, jointly owned with Caja Madrid. Realia succeeded last September in avoiding a creditors’ meeting, the customary prelude to bankruptcy proceedings. Instead it pulled off an €847 million refinancing deal, now reduced to €792 million thanks to BBVA, Santander and CaixaBank, although ‘bad bank’ Sareb also took on part of the Realia debt. Despite FCC’s problems, Gates and Soros are now shareholders. Money talks, it is said, but their actions speak louder than words about the future.

usiness extra

On-piste EXPERTS recommended properties in Spanish ski resorts as a good investment. Rented by the week during the ski season, they bring a 5.5 per cent gross return.

Rail lay-off RAILWAY infrastructure operator Adif and the CCOO and UGT unions reached agreement over voluntary redundancies for 2 per cent of staff. The 250 employees will receive 20 days’ gross salary per year worked.

Better times are ahead SPANISH Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has predicted that 2014 will be the year of economic recovery for the country. He said that a strengthening economy will help reduce dole queues. He added at a news conference: “If 2012 was the year of cutbacks, 2013 was the year of reforms, then 2014 will be the year

of the start of economic recovery in our country. We have seen a clear change in the situation.” He was backed by figures from the Bank of Spain which showed that a tentative improvement in the economy as the country dragged itself out of recession had carried on into the final part of 2013.

BACK TO THE FUTURE: Sheep trot past a Tommy Mel’s. concern with which a well-born Spanish gentleman would allegedly sully his hands. This powerful association of sheep

farmers in central Spain created in 1273 was one of the most important guilds in mediaeval Europe.

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C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 07

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 137.63 89.70 34.96 138.41 88.64 124.02 22.01 62.96 99.66 27.26 179.37 81.10 25.46 186.00 92.33 59.00 95.85 49.74 36.13 77.43 30.55 80.64 40.27 88.92 112.79 74.24 48.69 219.83 78.21 75.82

-0.82 -0.04 +0.16 +0.79 -1.18 -0.33 +0.03 -0.82 +0.15 -0.22 +1.22 -0.79 -0.32 -0.64 +0.48 +0.34 -0.69 +0.01 -0.78 -0.60 +0.03 +0.19 -0.19 -0.24 -0.11 -0.86 +0.27 -1.33 -0.44 -0.29

-0.59% -0.04% +0.46% +0.57% -1.31% -0.27% +0.14% -1.29% +0.15% -0.80% +0.68% -0.96% -1.24% -0.34% +0.52% +0.58% -0.71% +0.02% -2.11% -0.77% +0.10% +0.24% -0.47% -0.27% -0.10% -1.15% +0.56% -0.60% -0.56% -0.38%

2.7M 2.8M 20.8M 4.2M 5.2M 4.3M 34.2M 3.7M 11.8M 29.4M 3.0M 11.2M 31.8M 4.1M 7.5M 17.6M 5.0M 9.9M 43.6M 3.0M 24.0M 7.2M 11.0M 1.8M 3.0M 3.4M 16.1M 2.1M 7.3M 6.8M

9.00 0.10 -13.00 -25.00 -3.00 10.00 -2.80

C O M PA N Y

1.08 0.03 -0.90 -1.66 -0.29 0.40 -0.82

NET VOLUME 647.36 1,325.10 54.46 246.02 37.58 84.71 2,686.60

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 2.56 $ 2.08 $ 2.27 $ 6.81 $ 6.63 $ 2.01 $ 46.32 $ 7.10 $9 $ 9.56 $ 31.01

0.721 / +39.21% 0.23 / +12.43% 0.24 / +11.82% 0.68 / +11.09% 0.64 / +10.68% 0.19 / +10.44% 3.91 / +9.22% 0.55 / +8.40% 0.67 / +8.04% 0.70 / +7.90% 2.21 / +7.67%

$ 11.59 $ 17.28 $ 20.22 $ 4.38 $ 51.26 $ 12.07 $ 8.06 $ 18.77 $ 10.93 $ 22.33 $ 2.22

2.98 / -20.45% 4.07 / -19.06% 2.77 / -12.05% 0.50 / -10.25% 5.48 / -9.66% 1.22 / -9.18% 0.74 / -8.41% 1.67 / -8.17% 0.97 / -8.15% 1.95 / -8.03% 0.19 / -7.88%

Most Advanced Origin Agritech Limited USA Technologies, Inc. Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. Exelixis, Inc. Jiayuan.com International Ltd. Life Partners Holdings Inc Verint Systems Inc. PRGX Global, Inc. Pacer International, Inc. Flamel Technologies S.A. RetailMeNot, Inc.

Most Declined Brightcove Inc. Select Comfort Corporation VisionChina Media, Inc. Intermolecular, Inc. First Solar, Inc. Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. PMFG, Inc. Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. American Independence Corp. Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Coca-Cola HBC AG 1756.00 Compass Group PLC 965.00 CRH PLC 1580.00 Diageo PLC 1984.00 easyJet PLC 1577.50 Experian PLC 1116.50 Fresnillo PLC 722.25 G4S PLC 252.65 GKN PLC 379.30 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1622.50 Glencore Xstrata PLC 306.20 Hammerson PLC 500.25 Hargreaves Lansdown 1465.50 HSBC Holdings PLC 666.85 IMI PLC 1543.50 Imperial Tobacco Group 2337.00 InterContinental Hotels . 1995.50 International Conslidtd ... 415.95 Intertek Group PLC 3105.50 ITV PLC 199.10 Johnson Matthey PLC 3270.50 Kingfisher PLC 390.15 Land Securities Group 970.75 Legal & General Group 229.15 Lloyds Banking Group 81.40 London Stock Exchange 1731.00 Marks & Spencer Group 446.35 Meggitt PLC 533.50 Melrose Industries PLC 301.20 Mondi PLC 1018.00 National Grid PLC 784.00 Next PLC 6192.50 Old Mutual PLC 192.00 Pearson PLC 1321.00 Persimmon PLC 1289.50 Petrofac Ltd 1225.00 Prudential PLC 1344.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 3775.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 4724.50 Reed Elsevier PLC 902.75 Resolution Ltd 350.10 REXAM PLC 513.25 Rio Tinto PLC 3229.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings 1279.00 Royal Bank of Scotland 346.95 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2260.50 Royal Mail PLC 566.75 RSA Insurance Group PLC 97.70 SABMiller PLC 3040.75 Sage Group (The) PLC 392.65 Sainsbury (J) PLC 366.25 Schroders PLC 2632.50 Severn Trent PLC 1661.50 Shire PLC 2859.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 862.75 Smiths Group PLC 1474.00 Sports Direct Interntnl... 745.75 SSE PLC 1359.50 Standard Chartered PLC 1322.00 Standard Life PLC 363.85 Tate & Lyle PLC 795.00 Tesco PLC 333.07 Travis Perkins PLC 1885.00 TUI Travel PLC 411.90 Tullow Oil PLC 848.25 Unilever PLC 2450.00 United Utilities Group 671.50 Vodafone Group PLC 237.72 Weir Group PLC 2092.00 Whitbread PLC 3781.50 William Hill PLC 405.20 Wm Morrison Suprmrkts 252.65 Wolseley PLC 3439.50 WPP PLC 1366.00

CHANGE 3.00 2.50 0.00 7.00 -19.00 -4.00 -13.00 -2.00 0.58 5.50 -0.05 0.00 -25.00 6.80 -7.00 -10.00 7.00 2.00 -8.00 1.40 2.00 -1.40 10.00 3.20 1.30 -14.00 6.10 -1.50 -1.20 2.00 -1.36 20.00 2.20 2.30 -1.00 -6.43 6.00 -11.00 -29.00 -0.50 0.30 -2.50 -37.50 -9.72 2.70 3.50 -5.50 -0.20 14.50 -2.70 -1.60 9.00 -44.32 15.00 -4.55 4.00 5.95 0.00 -8.50 3.90 3.00 0.90 -11.00 -3.50 1.50 9.00 -1.50 1.95 0.00 -6.00 1.60 -3.00 -3.00 5.00

% C H G. 0.17 0.26 0.00 0.35 -1.19 -0.36 -1.77 -0.79 0.15 0.34 -0.02 0.00 -1.68 1.03 -0.45 -0.43 0.35 0.48 -0.26 0.71 0.06 -0.36 1.04 1.42 1.62 -0.80 1.39 -0.28 -0.40 0.20 -0.17 0.32 1.16 0.17 -0.08 -0.52 0.45 -0.29 -0.61 -0.06 0.09 -0.48 -1.15 -0.75 0.78 0.16 -0.96 -0.20 0.48 -0.68 -0.44 0.34 -2.60 0.53 -0.52 0.27 0.80 0.00 -0.64 1.08 0.38 0.27 -0.58 -0.84 0.18 0.37 -0.22 0.83 0.00 -0.16 0.40 -1.17 -0.09 0.37

VOLUME 30.23 739.00 276.43 420.50 284.14 104.76 171.35 802.21 296.07 610.91 4,141.23 426.73 175.91 5,252.57 118.28 232.58 83.72 1,196.05 17.43 751.48 19.47 661.91 287.26 2,777.36 38,583.62 59.06 1,041.89 39.53 124.39 156.95 445.64 90.19 1,012.47 129.27 113.24 151.09 356.40 51.56 232.13 255.11 305.42 168.40 965.17 403.79 1,233.59 603.89 211.70 5,089.23 179.09 191.24 3,625.64 29.13 308.42 172.29 153.38 57.78 113.54 230.35 967.59 762.75 272.76 3,308.34 82.39 465.17 172.71 203.52 234.21 6,460.37 92.86 120.99 1,574.93 1,768.85 53.89 320.15

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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FOREIGN EXCHANGE

UK economy finally gaining momentum AFTER lagging behind the eurozone and USA economically since the financial crisis, the UK economy finally generated some momentum in the last two quarters of 2013. Strong growth was driven by the return of the British consumer to the UK high street after a long period of household deleveraging. At least in the near term consumers are once again spending money aided in part by a very strong housing market, particularly in London. Britain’s manufacturing and service sectors also showed improvement driven by an easing of credit conditions and a lower pound earlier in the year. Continued low interest rates from the Bank of England and a commitment to keep them on hold until unemployment is below 7 per cent has aided an overall improvement.

Ask the expert Peter Loveday Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

The Pound has mirrored the improving economic picture in the UK and is the best performing currency across the major pairs in the last six months. Against the Euro Sterling has risen 4 per cent and against the Dollar it is up 10 per cent since July. Across the eurozone things continue to slowly improve. The European Central Bank (ECB) cut interest rates and is much more dovish in tone, following other central banks in announcing forward guidance of interest rates over the next few years. That is positive for the Euro in the longer term, however, it is the current relative speeds of

POUND: Best performing currency in the last six months. recovery that matter for currencies and the UK is simply growing at a faster rate than the eurozone as a whole. That trend is likely to continue at least for the first quarter of 2014. Looking further ahead, both Ireland and Spain exiting formal bailout programmes is a very positive step. Key to both countries’ progress has been

breaking the negative feedback loop between a country’s overall solvency and that of its banking system. The ECB must be applauded in doing this with its OMT programme. Germany remains the key country within the Euro. German elections passed without major upheaval, with Angela Merkel remaining in power.

The key to how long the PIGS take to return to growth remains the willingness of Germany to adjust, which looks as far away as ever. We can expect several more years of pain across southern Europe before growth returns. What the long term scars of this policy will be in terms of longterm unemployment and lost growth potential is unclear, but it is unlikely to be positive. 2014 is set to be the year that the highly accommodative monetary policy in place across the western world starts to be wound down. Interest rates are likely to rise, only gradually at first but expectations of higher rates tend to be reflected quickly in prices. How consumers and business cope with higher rates will be the main theme in 2014 and will be a major driver of the value of the Pound, Euro and Dollar over the coming months.

Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca. Telephone: UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email: euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com

Renfe gets some speed up DEMAND for Spain’s AVE high speed train increased by 20.94 per cent over the last 10 months. Rail operator Renfe has had a record year, one of its best ever, the ministry of Public Works announced. Twenty-five million passengers used the AVE and intercity trains between February and the end of December, according to ministry figures. Demand for both trains increased by 13.4 per cent and 20.9 per cent for the AVE alone. Most of Spain’s transport systems have seen a

RECORD YEAR: Renfe Passengers’ director Alberto Garcia congratulates Felix Rodriguez, who brought numbers up to 25 million. drop in passengers but reversing the tendency of recent years, this has not affected rail travel.

Increased use has remained steady since Renfe introduced a sales policy based on ‘dynamic

tariffs’ and generalised discounts for the AVE and long distance trains, said minister Ana Pastor.

Canal threat

Sales up

THE consortium building a third set of locks on the Panama Canal, led by Spanish company Sacyr, has threatened to down tools over huge cost over runs. It wants the Panama Canal Authority to pay more after the price tag ballooned by 50 per cent from an initial €2.27 billion.

NEW car registrations in Spain rose 3.3 per cent in 2013. Sales in December were 18.2 per cent higher than the same month in 2012. Total new car registrations were 722,703 in 2013 compared to 699,549 in 2012.

Bank bailout exit is praised SPAIN has been congratulated for exiting a European bank bailout programme having used less than half the money available to it. The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) financial assistance programme for Spain expired with the Spanish government making a successful exit. Since the programme started in December 2012, the ESM had lent a total of €41.3 billion to the Spanish government for the recapitalisation of the country’s banking sector. Originally up to €100 billion had been made available. Spain will not request any follow-up assistance from the ESM. Klaus Regling, Managing Director of the ESM, said: “Spain’s exit after one year is an impressive success story. Our financial assistance programme has proven instrumental in recapitalising and restructuring Spain’s troubled banks, which are today on a sound footing. Despite the challenges ahead I am confident that the ESM’s support, combined with structural reforms, will allow the Spanish economy to achieve stability and sustainable growth.” ESM financial assistance was provided in the form of debt securities to FROB, the bank recapitalisation fund of the Spanish government, and then channelled to the financial institutions concerned to be paid back over an average 12-and-a-half years. The financial assistance in Spain was the first programme carried out by the ESM.

E W N 9 - 15 January 2014 / Mallorca

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RG-VC / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

The unwanted Christmas gift dilemma Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

IT may be all smiles and delight on Christmas morning, but in every household there are always a few insincere ‘thank yous’ also vocalised, as gifts that weren’t on any wish list suddenly stare up at you from torn wrapping paper. Be it a crazy Christmas jumper from Grandma, a DVD from Uncle Bob that you’ve already downloaded or a toaster from Mum, the big question is: how do you get rid of unwanted presents? If you are too embarrassed to ask for the receipt, there really is no point just hiding the unwanted gifts in a drawer in the hope that one day a use will be found for them, just try to return them. By law, shops don’t have to entertain your unwanted gift if you don’t have the receipt, but as it’s the holiday season and we should be spreading joy and goodwill to all, many retailers will do a direct swap for another similarly priced item. To better your chances of a return or an

DIY tariff THE government plans to hold monthly power auctions to determine the price of electricity. This month’s bills will rise by 2.3 per cent instead of the planned 11 per cent.

Fraud fight THE Ministry of Labour will pay private consultants to set up guidelines for fighting ‘irregular employment’ and Social Security fraud. Tenders have been invited for €5 million or less.

Jobless fall NOT ON WISH LIST: A jazzy festive jumper. exchange just make sure that the tags are in place and that there are no Christmas turkey crumbs on the unwanted jumper! Remember, even if a particular present doesn’t appeal to you, there are many people out there in this world who will pay good money for such items. One man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure. So why not try to sell unwanted presents online?

Check out websites like eBay or Amazon and see if you can transform an unwanted gift into a few euros. Remember that there are also specialist websites which look for particular items, like electronic devices. If all this sounds like too much hassle as Christmas holidays are a time for relaxing and watching movies in a comfortable armchair,

then why not give the unwanted presents away to someone who wants and deserves them. Many charities collect unwanted gifts and use them to brighten up the days of sick children and other needy people. You might not get a financial reward for just giving stuff away but you will receive a jolly good feeling in your heart that you made someone else’s Christmas!

Good news at factory gates THERE was good news for the Spanish economy as manufacturing output bounced back from a dip in November to post a rise last month. The Spanish manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) saw an improvement in operating conditions in December as output and new orders rebounded from a fall in November. But employment and purchasing activity were reduced further. Input cost inflation remained relatively muted, but firms raised their output prices at a solid pace which was the strongest since May 2011. The seasonally adjusted Markit PMI - a composite indicator designed to measure the performance of the manufacturing

BUSINESS EXTRA

economy - moved back above the 50.0 no-change mark in December, posting 50.8 following a reading of 48.6 in November. Modest improvements in operating conditions have been recorded in four of the past five months. Commenting on the data, Andrew Harker, senior economist at Markit and author of the report, said: “The return to growth of the Spanish manufacturing sector at the end of 2013 was a positive sign, largely as it allayed fears that the decline seen in November heralded the start of a new downturn. Rises in output and new orders lay a platform that firms will hope to build on during the new year should tentative improvements in client demand strengthen.”

Manufacturing output increased in December following a fall in the previous month. Moreover, the rate of expansion was solid and the fastest since March 2011. Growth was sharpest at intermediate goods firms, while consumer and investment goods producers also raised output. Increased production was supported by a rise in new business, which also rebounded from a fall in November. Meanwhile, new export orders increased solidly, albeit at a reduced pace. Growth in production outpaced that of new orders in December, and panellists linked this to a fall in backlogs of work. Outstanding business has decreased in four of the

DOLE queues shrank by 107,570 to 4.7 million people out of work in December. The 2.2 per cent fall was the second biggest for the month since records began, Labour Ministry figures show.

Unbelievers A SURVEY by El Mundo newspaper shows that 71 per cent of Spaniards do not believe Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s assertion that the economic recovery will start this year. Most think the country will have to wait until 2015 before things get better.

Prices edge up

NISSAN: Spanish factory helped manufacturing output figures. past five months. Manufacturers continued to reduce their workforces during the month, although the rate of job shedding eased to the slowest in six months. Purchasing activity also decreased at a weaker pace, but firms still lowered their input buying for the second month running. Some panellists reported having lowered purchasing activity as part of attempts to reduce stocks.

Pre-production inventories declined markedly in December, and at the sharpest pace since September. The rate of depletion of stocks of finished goods also quickened. Respondents indicated that the delivery of products to clients had contributed to lower postproduction inventories. Although manufacturing cost inflation rose slightly in December, it remained modest.

SPAIN’S annual inflation rate rose to 0.3 per cent in December. In October prices had actually fallen for the first time since 2009, the year in which the economy shrank by 3.7 per cent.

Gloomy stats ACCORDING to consultancy agency Rentrak, Spanish cinema earnings plunged to €508 million in 2013 from €606 million in 2012, down 16 per cent. A hike in IVA tax to 21 per cent from 8 per cent is thought to be largely to blame as 13 million fewer tickets were sold.

OPINION & COMMENT

Season of goodwill, not greed... IT was lovely to see whole families out on the streets on the evening of January 5 to watch the Three Kings parades. However, what I think should be discouraged is the greed demonstrated by those catching sweets, not only children, but also adults. Twenty-five years ago when we first started going to the parades in Spain, children would be happy to catch a few sweets and those who didn’t would often be handed some by others who had been luckier. Nowadays, they carry bags and umbrellas to attempt to catch more; there is no sharing and I have even seen adults squabbling over a boiled sweet which one was quicker to pick up off the floor. Some parents have very little control over their children and do nothing to keep them from misbehaving or putting themselves in danger. It’s a miracle that there are not more children lost or injured on a night which should be joyous for the little ones. Janis Jamieson, Benalmadena (Malaga)

Help needed IT was surprising to read the letter from Pedro Rodriguez from Benalmadena (Malaga) in last week’s Issue 1487. He commented about how many local Spanish businesses had closed down but noticed that those which were open were managed - and supported - by British people and felt there was a lesson to be learned by Spanish people. Whilst I do not like to generalise, I agree with him that some Spaniards do not do enough to support their local cafés and bars. Often when out walking in Benalmadena, I see Spanish couples and families sitting on public benches eating their own food and drinking their own drink, when within just a few feet of them are comfortable and inviting Spanish bars. I appreciate that times are hard but if each of these ‘self-

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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

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I WAS walking in Paloma Park, Benalmadena, on New Year’s Eve when I saw this couple. They were busy building a nest in the warm sunshine but took time out to pose just like expectant parents do! By Dave Richards (By email) caterers’ just went in once a week and bought a coffee or a beer, I’m sure it would make a big difference to local trade. In the long-run, this would benefit all as a lively café scene is always a big draw to potential tourists, who I am sure would be happy to while away a few hours and spend some cash as they lap up the local atmosphere. P C Mellars, Benalmadena (Malaga)

Pay the price RE Leapy Lee’s article ‘Arrogant Warlords forget Raj is over’ (Issue 1486). While I entirely agree that the Afghan engagement was doomed from the outset, it is much too complicated a situation, especially a whopping 12 years in, to simply say that we ‘start looking after ourselves’ by withdrawing all foreign aid in order to ‘let these people sort out their own problems’. That approach is entirely too elementary for a complex international dilemma with serious implications for

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:

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Afghanistan’s people and its neighbours too, among whom are strong western allies. I fear the international community is doomed to bear the consequences of its abysmally poor choices since 2001, a price that will slowly and painfully be paid through indefinite engagement. In Afghanistan there is no resolution of the conflict, only its management. This bleak assessment is unfortunately shared by top international conflict resolution experts in both developed and developing countries. Francesca Leky, Alhaurin de la Torre (Malaga)

Too right... COULDN’T agree more wholeheartedly with Leapy Lee’s article. Once again he has hit the nail right on the head! What a terrible and tragic total loss of lives, money and time wasted on Iraq and Afghanistan under the once again noble ideal of ‘bringing democracy’ to the masses! When will we ever learn? And what the UK has suffered goes in spades for the US thanks to the likes of Bush, Cheney and his cronies. Time to stay home and take care of our own problems: ‘Charity Begins at Home’. Richard M McBride, Benidorm (Alicante)

Watch out! I WOULD like to inform your readers not to be complacent when shopping during the sales. My wife and I went to La Zenia Boulevard, Orihuela, to do some shopping. We first went to Media Markt to buy

EWN

some electrical goods. We purchased three items, decided to put them in the boot of our car before returning to another store to buy some clothing. When we returned to the car park, we noticed that the rear car door window had been smashed and the three electrical items stolen from the boot. We had obviously been spotted by undesirables loitering in the car park. So do not be complacent while shopping at La Zenia Boulevard, and don’t do your shopping in two or more goes. Don’t let your guard down. When you get back to your car go home and complete your shopping on another day. If you are offered a cheap microwave oven, electric kettle or Brita water filter in the pub tonight, beware they might be my stolen items. Happy New Year to you all! Peter Row, San Miguel de Salinas (Alicante)

Thanks EWN I WOULD like to thank the Euro Weekly News team for their excellent work. I’m an English teacher based in Almeria and often use the stories in the newspaper to design and carry out new tasks in the classroom. Not only can they be used to teach grammar, but also to start interesting debates with my students. In addition, they get to see their reality from a different point of view, something that certainly widens their horizons and helps them become better citizens. My students particularly enjoy controversial topics such as the new abortion law, although they also like to read about charity events in the province. I would definitely recommend any English teacher out there, and anyone interested in learning English, to have a go and use your newspaper as teaching material. Thanks again, Euro Weekly News Team, and happy New Year! Robert Williams, Almeria

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.

E W N 9 - 15 January 2014/ Mallorca

Cassandra Nash

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

‘W

HO am I to judge?’ said Pope Francis about gays. In contrast Spain’s Constitutional Tribunal, its ultimate legal voice, is paid to judge and rejected the Partido Popular’s earlier appeal against the 2010 law legalising gay marriage. Riding roughshod over these two opinions based on two entirely different concepts, the Archbishop of Castellon, Casimiro Lopez wrote in a pastoral letter that homosexual marriages cause “grave perturbations” in their offspring. They also “foment a violent family climate,” he said. Cardinal Rouco later blamed

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OPINION & COMMENT

Accentuate the negative “bothersome intellectuals” and the media for the break-up of the traditional family. So while the Pope declines to pontificate on homosexuality, Spain’s hierarchy jumps in with both feet. Once again it’s all about telling people what they should and should not do and once again the pronouncements are based not on evidence but bile, bias and bigotry.

NON JUDGMENTAL: Pope Francis.

Drive-through THE National Police - the force that polices towns of more than 25,000 inhabitants - has fewer vehicles. Its fleet has been reduced over the last two years, eliminating 405 vehicles that were underused or not worth the maintenance costs involved. A commendable cost-cutting exercise but what about underused vehicles allotted at local, regional and national level? If asked their opinion, most members of the public whose taxes pay for official cars would probably prefer a cull of the vehicles used by politicians and their elusive, expensive ‘special advisers’ than the police. At least the latter supply a visible service.

New law fallout THE storm over the Abortion Law - not unanimously subscribed to even within the PP - is doomed to rage long and loud. Although passed by the Cabinet, it must

Message received, but barely listened to KING JUAN CARLOS’S Christmas message was the least-viewed in 15 years. It was seen by 6,580,000 of Spain’s population of approximately 47 million. Juan Carlos is a prime example of the decline of monarchies everywhere. During the Transition to democracy on Franco’s death in 1975 he did what kings were always supposed to do. He defended his realm and JUAN CARLOS: Out of job? his people and had he not done so during those first precarious years, things would be considerably different in Spain today. By ensuring decades ago that Spain enjoyed a democratic parliamentary system with a parliamentary monarchy Juan Carlos has gradually done himself out of a job. now go before parliament where it will possibly receive amendments. But if it goes through in its present form, with foetal development no longer providing automatic grounds for termination,

who is going to look after the children? If health service cuts are already affecting the able-bodied, how will it look after an increased number of disabled babies?

E W N 9 - 15 January 2014 / Mallorca

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CH4/ 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Supersize v Superskinny 10:00pm The Undateables 11:00pm What Happens in Sunny Beach...

ITV2/ 4:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:10pm The Real Housewives of Orange County 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Tricked 11:00pm Fake Reaction 11:50pm Forgetting Sarah Marshall

BBC2/ 5:15pm The Great British Winter 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Great British Garden Revival 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Kangaroo Dundee 10:00pm Italy Unpacked 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm The Martin Lewis Money Show 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Piers Morgan's Life Stories 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The Americans

CH4/ 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm David Blaine

TV LISTING

www.euroweeklynews.com

11:10am Sunday •Daniel Craig •Judi Dench •Javier Bardem •Ralph Fiennes •Naomie Harris

Saturday

Skyfall (Film, 2012) Veteran MI6 agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) is off the map. After dropping seemingly to his death on a failed mission, his presumed demise leaves the job of boss M (Judi Dench) on the line. Back in London, her tenure is scrutinised further when a bomb decimates the MI6 building, forcing their operation underground.

Sunday

BBC1/

5:30pm Final Score 6:15pm BBC News 6:25pm BBC London News 6:30pm Dynamo: Magician Impossible 7:15pm Reflex 8:00pm The Voice UK 9:30pm The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins 10:20pm Casualty 11:10pm BBC News 11:30pm Match of the Day

4:15pm Escape to the Country 5:00pm Songs of Praise 5:35pm Dolphins: Spy in the Pod 6:35pm BBC News 6:50pm BBC London News 7:00pm Countryfile 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm Antiques Roadshow 9:30pm Sherlock 11:00pm BBC News 11:15pm BBC London News

BBC2/ 5:30pm Darts 7:00pm Flog It! 8:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 9:00pm Dad's Army 9:30pm Morecambe and Wise in Pieces 10:30pm QI XL 11:15pm Burke and Hare

ITV/ 4:55pm Show Me the Telly 5:55pm ITV News London 6:05pm ITV News and Weather 6:20pm Ice Age: The Meltdown 8:00pm Splash! 9:30pm Take Me Out 10:45pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:45pm ITV News and Weather

CH4/ 5:05pm Channel 4 News 5:35pm Come Dine with Me 6:10pm Come Dine with Me 6:40pm Come Dine with Me 7:10pm Come Dine with Me 7:45pm Come Dine with Me 8:15pm Crocodile Dundee 10:00pm Hostages 11:00pm Wanted

ITV2/ 5:30pm You've Been Framed! 6:00pm You've Been Framed! 6:30pm You've Been Framed! 7:00pm You've Been Framed! 7:30pm Evan Almighty 9:30pm Tomorrow Never Dies 11:50pm The Magaluf Weekender

Monday BBC1/ 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Fake Britain Special 10:00pm I Want My Baby Back 11:00pm BBC News at Ten

BBC2/

6:00pm Ski Sunday 6:45pm Darts 9:00pm The Tea Trail with Simon Reeve 10:00pm Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow 11:00pm Let Me in

7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Great British Garden Revival 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm The Great Sport Relief Bake Off 10:30pm Sacred Wonders of Britain 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/

4:50pm All Star Mr and Mrs 5:50pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 6:50pm ITV News London 7:00pm ITV News and Weather 7:15pm Dancing on Ice 8:45pm All Star Family Fortunes 9:30pm Dancing on Ice 10:00pm All New It'll be Alright on the Night's Best of the Worst 11:00pm ITV News and Weather

5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Bletchley Circle 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather

BBC2/

CH4/ 4:00pm The Simpsons 4:30pm 27 Dresses 6:40pm Deal or No Deal 7:35pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast 9:00pm Speed with Guy Martin 10:00pm Fast Five

ITV2/ 4:30pm Step Up 6:45pm The Incredible Hulk 9:00pm You've Been Framed! Top 100 Holidays 10:00pm The Magaluf Weekender 11:00pm The Butterfly Effect

CH4/ 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Dogs: Their Secret Lives 10:00pm Benefits Street 11:00pm Dave: Loan Ranger

ITV2/ 5:10pm The Real Housewives of Orange County 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm The Sweetest Thing

Tuesday

Wednesday

BBC1/

4:00pm Perfection 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Death in Paradise 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Motorway Cops

4:00pm Perfection 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Waterloo Road 10:30pm Live at the Apollo 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm A Question of Sport

BBC2/

12:30pm BBC World News 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Masters Snooker 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Great British Garden Revival 9:00pm The Great Sport Relief Bake Off 10:00pm Wild Brazil 11:00pm House Of Fools 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Masters Snooker Highlights

ITV/ 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm River Monsters 9:00pm Weight Loss Ward 10:00pm Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Sports Life Stories

CH4/ 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Location, Location, Location 10:00pm The Taste 11:00pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 11:55pm The Undateables

12:30pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Masters Snooker 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 9:00pm The Great Sport Relief Bake Off 10:00pm Wild Brazil 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The Jonathan Ross Show

CH4/ 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Restoration Man 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm Finding Mum and Dad

FEATURE

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9 - 15 January 2014 / Mallorca

Advertising Feature

No good start for European currencies

Commentary by Moneycorp EUR Despite ending 2013 on a high note the European currencies did not begin the New Year well. Over the second holiday week the euro lost a cent and a half to the US dollar and nearly a cent to the pound. All three were left behind by last year’s big losers, the Australian dollar and the Japanese yen. USD Roughly in the middle of the field after the New Year week the dollar lost ground to the commodity-related currencies and made headway against the

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

Europeans. It strengthened by nearly two cents against sterling and by a cent and a half against the euro. Investors remain uncertain about the Federal

Reserve’s stimulus programme. They are pleased it will be printing less money but are concerned that it will still be churning out $75bn every month. CAD The Canadian dollar was in the leading group after a New Year shake-out. When they returned to work after the holiday, investors

EWN

decided to buy the currencies they had trashed in 2013 and to sell the ones they had been keenest to buy. As a result the commodity dollars moved higher while the Europeans headed lower. The Loonie went up by a cent against sterling and by a fifth of a cent against the US dollar. AUD The AUD and NZD were the two top-performing currencies over the New Year holiday week. They moved sharply higher during a shake-out that took place when investors returned to their desks January 2. The Aussie strengthened by a cent and three quarters against sterling and by a half cent against the US dollar. It was a shot across the bows for anyone who thought it was a oneway street south for the Aussie dollar. NZD The NZD and AUD were the two top-performing currencies over the New Year holiday week. They moved sharply higher during a shake-out that took place when investors returned to their desks on January 2. The Kiwi strengthened by three cents against sterling and by nearly a cent against the US dollar.

E W N 9 - 15 January 2014 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

An insult to our intelligence LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT

HAT on earth was that arrogant, selfimportant, complete pain in the butt, Keith Vaz thinking of when he elected to greet Eastern Europeans immigrants at Heathrow? What an insult to our intelligence to expect us to perceive this as anything more than a cynical publicity stunt, which actually backfired by showing us all what a pompous, publicity-seeking idiot he is. Perhaps he could be given the job of shaking hands with the hordes who will be pouring into the UK over the next few years. At least it would keep him out of everyone else’s hair for a bit. Why not allow him to host a vast welcome party in Hyde Park, for example? Well, it would be conveniently close to where most

OUTFLOW: Immigrants will drain UK coffers. of ’em will be dossing down! They could arrange a lucky dip for social security numbers. Hand out computers so they can Skype loved ones back home. How to claim benefits’ guides could be handed out, housing lists, jobs bingo, food vouchers, ‘Pick a Doctor’ stalls. The list is endless. And to top it all the chance for the BBC to send half of their interviewing force to hear all their hard-luck stories. I did also wonder in the light of

this wonderful open border policy, just how many British, or indeed French or Germans, landed in Bulgaria or Romania this week to take advantage of the opportunities on offer there. Give us a break! This is once again slashing open another vast wound in the UK’s torso, through which to haemorrhage money. If half the 200,000 expected this year manage to send money back to their families, even at the conservative estimate of some

£400 a month, this amounts to £40 million a month or £480 million a year. Add to this the child benefits they can claim for dependants in these countries and you’re looking at untold millions pouring out of the British coffers. It’s a joke. A cruel joke on the UK populace. The lily-livered politicians in their, up to now, non-immigrant impregnated country retreats should be ashamed of themselves. But they won’t be, will they? Nothing will be done until a few years’ time when they find them actually camping on their own doorsteps. When that happens watch ’em all rush to emigrate themselves. The rats will leave the sinking ship in droves. And they won’t be bound for the EU, that’s fer sure. Watch out Maldives and the likes of the Caribbean, the UK ‘fat cat’ immigrants are coming! I dunno, I really do despair of it all. Keep the faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com

LEAPY LETTERS In Issue 1486, Leapy called for a halt to military intervention in foreign countries by our ‘arrogant warlord’ politicians…

Don’t get it LEAPY’s article should be posted in the most frequented place in the Palace of Westminster, the Members Bar. Every bloke down the pub has been expressing the selfsame opinion for years. How come those dummies don’t get it? David Harris (By email)

No winners I FEEL UK politicians entered wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with the best of motives. But, it led to suffering and loss of life. No one has been a winner, except the extremists, the opposite of what was intended. P Lawson (By email)

Stuck between a rock and a hard place Vicki Mcleod Family Matters I WENT to see Isla Theatre Project’s production of A Christmas Carol last weekend in Palma. Did you catch it? You may have because the theatre was packed out the night I went. You can get more information about the company at their website: www.islatheatreproject.com. Small but ambitious, I like their grit and determination and they deserve everyone’s support, so please pop over to their site and sign up for their newsletter. The production was a highlight of our festive season, but I’ve got to tell you that my lowest point was shopping in the kidparadise, parent-hell that is Toys R Us. It happens every year: I think I’ve aced Christmas and got all the presents and done all the jobs; we get past New Year’s Eve, I think I’m home and dry. I think that I’ve spent all the money on dumb stuff that I am going to have to spend, and then WHAMMO! There’s Three Kings. It wasn’t on my radar, but was certainly on my daughter’s. Somehow this year she had already written a letter to the Three

NIGHTMARE DECISION: Buy monster dollies or Disney princesses? Kings AT SCHOOL and that the kings ‘knew’ what she wanted and that it was a secret. This then triggered a covert operation where my husband and I had to figure out what she wanted in order that we could support a belief that we don’t share because we didn’t want to upset her.

What she wanted is what I loathe the most: those dreadful skinny ugly/ beautiful Mattel dolls from Monster High. She already has six of the things, bought for her by a variety of doting relatives. Have you seen them? They are truly awful. They’re characters from a cartoon

which are supposed to be teenage monsters at an American high school. I know that ‘Draculaura’ and ‘Clawdeen Wolf’ and ‘Frankie Stein’ probably aren’t going to look like regular teenage girls, because they are monsters, zombies, and vampires: the undead, after all. But these dolls have size zero figures, ridiculously long legs, enormous eyes and trout pouts. They are dressed like strippers in teetering heels and they all have fabulous hair, although that could be green or blue rather than a luscious blonde. The worst bit of all is that they cannot stand up on their own. What does that say about the design? How is that teaching her to be a smart, independent, healthy young woman? This was all in my mind when I was in Toys R Us. So I asked myself, what are the other options? What alternative could I give her which she would like? To be honest, there was none. The other choices were simpering, sweet, perfectly pink dolls, or Disney Princesses which are just as unrealistic as the monster dollies. So being stuck between a rock and a hard place, which do you choose? Little miss perfect or ugly/beautiful? Bite the bullet, McLeod, and pay up. Welcome to the family ‘Abbey Bombinable’! You can contact me through my blog www.familymattersmallorca.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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9 - 15 January 2014 / Mallorca

ealth & beauty H

EWN

TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.EWNLIFESTYLE.COM

Colour of the year for 2014 GLOBAL colour authority Pantone has chosen a tone of purple as colour of the year for 2014. Their 18-3224 Radiant Orchid has been elected to ‘intrigue the eye and spark the imagination,’ the New Jersey-based company claims. “An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink

undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm,” said executive director of the Pantone Color Institute Leatrice Eiseman. The colour is already making its way onto the red

CINNAMON: Comes from the aromatic inner bark of ‘Cinnamomum’ trees.

Health benefits of cinnamon sticks OH, the smell of cinnamon simmering in a hot drink or baking in the oven… few aromas are more inviting and raise the spirits more, while also providing health benefits. Research at the University of Toronto has found cinnamon consumption to significantly reduce blood pressure in certain diabetic and pre-diabetic patients. Since cinnamon aids glucose control by enhancing the effectiveness of insulin, it also seems the household spice has a beneficial impact on blood-sugar levels. Traditionally, cinnamon has been widely used in Indian ayurvedic medicine. The now-common spice comes from the aromatic inner bark of several trees within the Cinnamomum genus. Its Spanish name canela is derived from the Latin cannella, meaning ‘small tube’, based on how it curls up while it dries. Cinnamon is good for oral health as well, killing bacteria associated with gum disease. Perhaps the Sri Lankan custom of using cinnamon sticks as toothpicks might catch on here too?

carpet, with fashion designers including Emerson by Jackie FraserSwan, Juicy Couture and Yoana Baraschi incorporating it into their spring collections. Radiant Orchid will also be the colour for 2014 in make-up. The purple hue is said to enliven the skin, and gives a seductive look when combined with red.

PURPLE HUE: Making its way onto the red carpet.

Excessive spicy snacks could be harmful to young children

AS spicy snacks like extra hot nachos get more popular, doctors are warning of the possible ill effects they can have on children when eaten to excess. Doctors claim that some snacks are starting to send children to A&E. The damage happens with inflammation of the stomach lining which can cause severe abdominal pain. Dr Martha Rivera of White Memorial Medical Centre in Los Angeles speaks of kids unknowingly being “set up for ulcerations, erosions and… peptic ulcer disease.” Gastritis is another common outcome, one associated with bloating and vomiting. Despite the health risks, these kinds of snacks appeal to children due to their addictive nature.

SPICY SNACKS: Can cause ill effects. Parents can help by replacing these snacks with tasty but healthier alternatives in order to protect their children from the harmful effects of too-spicy snacks.

E W N 9- 15 January 2014 / Mallorca

PETS/BOATING

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Real Club Nautico de Palma are all set for the start of the regatta season JANUARY 11 (Saturday) marks the start of the 2014 regatta season for the Real Club Nautico de Palma (RCNP). The January 11 date also marks the beginning of the first Saturday contests, or ‘sabatinas’ for the ORC and J80 classes. The club’s regatta official Gaspar Morey explains the new RCNP philosophy as it relates to the upcoming sabatina events, which is primarily that of “progressive technological advancement.” The aim for the upgraded emphasis on technological improveents is for all other types

‘SABATINAS’: Purely for informational purposes. of boats within the fleet to be able to compete in high-level regattas,

Sunseeker 75 makes its debut THE Sunseeker 75 made its debut at the 60th annual London Boat Show this past week. The Sunseeker firm was playing on its home turf, so to speak, as it revealed the latest generation of boat in the Sunseeker 75, a luxury mini superyacht carrying an authentically British stamp. Sunseeker’s general director Stewart McIntyre announced that he was delighted to unveil the Sunseeker 75 at the first European nautical exhibition of 2014, saying “we couldn’t think of any better way to begin the year.”

Measuring 75 feet 9 inches (22.98 metres), the medium-length yacht boasts three en suite bedrooms accommodating up to eight people in maximum comfort. Furthermore, an independent crew cabin also allow for up to a fourperson crew. With extraordinary attention paid to even the smallest corners, the Sunseeker 75 is in the vanguard with respect to design and privacy. The key standouts of the new boat are its sleek design and the brightness afforded by the high ratio of lateral glass along the ship’s hull, along with its special flybridge that allows direct continual vistas of the water. Its C32 CAT motor gives the Sunseeker 75 a top speed of up to 34 knots with a range of up to 325 nautical miles. With respect to price, the mini superyacht weighs in at a cost of €2.6 million.

should they wish. The RCNP plan to organise a series of training conferences and seminars for sailing and navigation professionals to impart their

knowledge and expertise. They expect to have these same professionals available to carry out practice sessions alongside on-board

expert sailing instructors. Saturday ‘sabatina’ days are scheduled for

January 11, February 8 and 22, April 5 and 26, and July 19. Practice regattas for each sabatina will begin at 1:00pm, each ending with an informal postsabatina assessment aimed at analysing what transpired during the event. Each session will consist of two tests conducted on various sorties. The activities and results achieved during all Saturday sabatina events will be purely for informational purposes, as there will be no competition prizes awarded.

Husky horror A THREE-YEAR-OLD girl, Maddison, needed 80 stitches after she was set upon when she went to stroke the family pet just before she was taken to bed. The husky called Zeus jumped forward and bit the toddler on the cheek. Maddison was taken to hospital where she underwent a two-hour operation. The stepfather refused to have the dog put down, stating: “Zeus is like a child to me and there is no point.” More than 200,000 people a year are estimated to be bitten by dogs in England, with the annual cost to the NHS of treating injuries about £3 million (€3.61 million). More than 6,400 people a year are admitted to hospital in the UK for micro-surgery to life-changing injuries caused by dogs. One in six of these victims is under 10. Half the children in the world are bitten by a dog before the age of 12. These figures are recorded statistics, but what about the injuries which are not recorded?

SPONSORED BY For all dog treats please email:

briangatcombe@hotmail.co.uk

BEWARE: Any breed can attack. Anyone who has a dog irrespective of breed and however well-behaved should never leave a child with a dog without supervision. From my research I have found that more often than not a child will play with a dog, by pulling the tail, ear, leg or pinching, poking fingers in the dog’s eyes or down the dog’s ear. Many generally are found to be teasing the animal. All dogs need space and I emphasise breed has no importance.

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

For complete safety no dog, irrespective of size or breed, should ever be allowed in bedrooms and certainly never on a bed. Toys should be lifted from the floor when the dog is not playing with them as often a child will go near ‘his’ toy. For your local radio frequency log onto www.talkradioeurope.com

E W N 9 - 15 January 2014/ Mallorca

CROSSWORDS

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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

Bullet Ballet Goda is a documentary filmmaker. While his work may seem intriguing to some, his life is average, until he returns home to find police cars and ambulances surrounding his apartment building. He's told his girlfriend Kiriko has committed suicide with a bullet to her head. Goda goes on a quest into the gritty criminal underworld of Tokyo to find out why Kiriko took her life.

TODAY

ALCUDIA

POLLENÇA

CALA MILLOR

INCA

CALVIA

CALA d’OR

PALMA ANDRATX

LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF

ALCUDIA

POLLENÇA

Starring Shinya Tsukamoto, Kirina Mano and Tatsuya Nakamura. Directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. Runtime 87 minutes. Rated 15.

TOMORROW CALA MILLOR

INCA

CALVIA

CALA d’OR

PALMA ANDRATX

LLUCMAJOR

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) In this your birthday month, your mind is positively buzzing with ideas. There has been so much progress in your personal life during the past year that it is hard to believe. However, you are capable of being very dynamic and single-minded.

7-Star Quiz

1. Capellini, fusilli, vermicelli and ziti are all varieties of what? 2. Dolmades (or dolmas) are Greek and Turkish delicacies in which ingredients such as spiced rice, meat, and bread are wrapped in what? 3. If food is described as ‘en brochette’, how would it be served? 4. The hot appetiser known as ‘angels on horseback’ consists of what wrapped in bacon and served on toast? 5. What is the name of the Russian pancake made of buckwheat flour and yeast and usually served with caviar and sour cream? 6. Which adjective used to describe food, typically pasta, cooked so as to be still firm when bitten, comes from the Italian for ‘to the tooth’? 7. Which popular breaded cutlet dish of boneless chicken breast pounded and rolled around cold garlic butter with herbs, then breaded and either fried or baked, is named after a city in Ukraine?

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Keeping up the activity level physically is really in your best interests this week. It is a pivotal point where your resolutions in this area could fail. With life very busy, it is still important to retain your priorities.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) An authority figure may also be seen as a possible romantic attachment. Your talents and charm serve you well when approaching this person. Opportunities need approaching with eyes wide open, however, because they could be time-consuming and disruptive.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) The chance to travel seems

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Does someone in the family need your attention? Don't begrudge time spent with them, even if you are busy. Consider what you would want others to do if you were in the same position. LIBRA

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.

(September 24 October 23) With your enthusiasm socially at a peak, now is the time to get involved with anything that takes your fancy. A project involving music or painting will give you the chance to make new friends. SCORPIO (October 24 November 22) This week will see more progress on a health issue. Maybe you have recently given up something or taken to the gym. Recent weeks may have conspired to upset your best efforts.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 December 21) Avoid like the plague people who would dampen your spirit. It may not be deliberate but, if you are near repressed or depressed people, it may rub off. Find positive, active people to be near. If you have not started a form of exercise, then now is as good a time as any.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday January 4

Friday January 3

6 38

10 39

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

Alicante

Almeria

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 11C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

27 38

LUCKY STARS 3

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

REINTEGRO 49

21 44

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 14 8 C Tues - 13 8 Sh Wed - 13 8 C

14 10 Cl 15 8 C 16 9 C

Fri Sat Sun -

18 11 Cl 19 11 C 19 11 C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 17 9 C Tues - 16 9 C Wed - 16 10 Sh

Mallorca 18 10 C 17 11 C 16 9 Cl S Sun,

17 4 Cl 14 4 C 12 5 C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 10 C Tues - 14 10 Sh Wed - 14 11 C Cl Clear,

CLOUDY MAX 20C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

19 8 C 18 8 C 22 9 S

Mon - 19 8 C Tues - 16 8 C Wed - 17 8 C

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

TARGET:

Average: 15

Very good: 27

Good: 19

Excellent: 34

acne, acre, arco, cane, care, cave, ciao, coin, coir, cone, core, corn, cove, cran, icon, narc, nice, once, orca, race, rice, vice, acorn, cairn, caner, canoe, carer, carve, caver, ceria, corer, coven, cover, crane, crave, crier, crone, crore, erica, nacre, narco, nicer, ocean, racer, recon, ricer, vicar, voice, carven, carver, cavern, coiner, cornea, corner, corrie, craven, craver, novice, racier, rancor, voicer, carrion, cornier, corvine, veronica, CARNIVORE

Word Ladder LENS

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

REINTEGRO 9

MAX MIN

Mon - 10 2 C Tues - 9 3 Sh Wed - 8 4 Sh

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 17 11 C Tues - 15 11 C Wed - 15 11 C

CLOUDY MAX 16C, MIN 4C

TODAY:

MAX 18C, MIN 11C

MAX MIN

TODAY:

MAX MIN

16 12 C 16 12 Sh 17 13 S

Madrid

Malaga CLOUDY

Mon - 18 11 C Tues - 16 10 C Wed - 17 11 C

CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 12C

TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 16C, MIN 9C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

19 12 C 17 12 C 19 12 Cl

Benidorm

Barcelona TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 20C, MIN 12C MAX MIN

Mon - 18 9 C Tues - 16 9 C Wed - 17 9 Cl

18 10 C 18 11 Sh 19 11 S

Sunday January 5

Saturday January 4

31 44

LA PRIMITIVA

TODAY:

MAX MIN

exciting but can be made even more so by including a few people who are on your wavelength. So busy have you been on the more mundane aspects of life that the 'big picture' may have faded into the background.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Bring more zip to your life by putting the spotlight on your health. Getting out and about lifts the spirits, while perking up the diet with new foods brightens the system. As energy levels come up this week, be aware of what is happening around you.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) There are moments of boundless energy which really

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

urge you to 'get up and go'. Make use of this at work, where most progress is to be made this week. Be you a politician, pensioner or anyone in between, the opportunities are there to be had.

Ana Rosa Quintana, born January 12, 1956. Quintana is a Spanish journalist and TV host. She started her career in the Spanish National Radio (RNE) as an intern, to eventually become one of the most influential journalists in Spain. In 2000 she published her first novel ʻSabor a Hielʼ (A Taste of Bile), which was withdrawn from bookshops.

HOOD

FOOD HOOD

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Don't chance your plans being disrupted by ill health. Get any problems sorted out now even if you think they are 'nothing'. When you are feeling good it is easy to take that for granted.

Your Stars

IF ITʼS YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: The fact that you are so at home working in a group is indicative of your cooperative nature. Capitalise on this by applying your people skills to your work. In a busy world, relaxation counts.

LENS LEND FEND FOND

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 20) Romance will find you this week if only you are in the right frame of mind. You may be inclined to refuse social gatherings that hold no prospects for you, but don't close the door on anything.

MAGALLUF

1. PASTA, 2. VINE or CABBAGE LEAVES, 3. ON A SKEWER, 4.OYSTERS, 5. BLINI (also called BLINTCHIK or BLINTZ), 6. AL DENTE, 7. CHICKEN KIEV

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CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

9 - 15 January 2014/ Mallorca

EWN