Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca South 8 - 14 May 2014 Issue 1505

ISSUE NO. 1505

8 - 14 MAY 2014

Costa is gearing up for a busy summer THE tourism sector on the Costa Blanca is gearing up for a busy summer after a ‘very positive’ Easter. Hotels in Alicante City achieved 80 per cent occupancy over the May Day bank holiday. That’s according to data by the Provincial Hotel Association (APHA). Councillor Marta García Romeu said the figures were very positive and follow on from Easter week where the city had an average hotel occupancy of 86 per cent; 10 per cent higher than in 2013. Elche also received a boost with the manager of Visitelche, Matias Perez Such, saying the figures show “an improvement within the sector, one of the main drivers of the local economy.” Hotel occupancy also increased over Easter

from 57 per cent in 2013 to 69 per cent. Hotel employer Hosbec put occupancy in Benidorm over the weekend at an average of 100 per cent, leading to hopes of a bumper summer in other resorts like Torrevieja. Angel Valera from the Provincial Association of Hospitality also noted that tourists were spending

more and added: “There is a much bigger influx of people.”

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Tourism industry experts see the numbers as a good sign for a busy summer.

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THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1 - 38

Finance 39 - 44

Letters MOVING: Industry experts say construction could be on the up again.

Building work is slowly returning

BUILDING promoters in Alicante Province say they are confident that this year could see the end of the housing crisis. Construction has already increased by 21 per cent in the first quarter of the year. Prices are still relatively low compared to the boom in 2007; a typical 100 square metre flat built in a coastal municipality this year is now worth on average up to €60,000 less, but there is movement. In Torrevieja, the average home value has

dropped to 41 per cent, despite already having some of the cheapest prices in the Costa Blanca. The crisis and the lack of demand for workers has also caused the price of urban land in the province to fall by 60 per cent since 2007. According to INE, the national statistics institute, the average price of urban land in the province has fallen from €528 in December 2007, to €204 per square metre.

Lack of provisions in Elche General Hospital FINANCIAL cutbacks have resulted in the lack of bedding for patients and clothing for newborns at Elche General Hospital. Workers say linen stock has caused concern in changing of bedding and there

is a lack of clothing for newborn babies placed in the neonatal ICU. Staff complain that there is a lack of essential clothing in common sizes and infants are being wrapped in towels or fleece.

Hospital management, however, deny any knowledge of the scarcity of provisions and say they have not received any complaints about it, but will address any shortcomings.

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Leapy Lee 55

Daily TV Thu 46 Fri 48 Sat 50

Sun 52 Mon 54 Tues 56

Wed 58

Health & Beauty 66 - 67

Time out 69 - 72

Classifieds 90 - 92

Sport 94 - 96

NEWS Airport arrest A 24-YEAR-OLD man, wanted by police in Alicante has been arrested at Almeria Airport accused of sexual abuse of four minors. Great escape ALICANTE-ELCHE Airport was extra busy during the long holiday weekend, handling a total of 875 flights in the four day period. Saturday was the busiest day with 250 flights.

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A new Mar Menor possible A NEW Mar Menor is possible. More orderly, less polluted and safe for residents and visitors; offering more tourism and preserved natural values. Community, government and local municipalities are putting in place a new management strategy to reverse the poor and declining state of the lagoon. Working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, the new protocol includes measures such as replacing

pontoons and creating public access points for boats with trailers and ramp access; more surveillance and control in natural areas; a pedestrian walkway in the north of La Manga and improved mobility in La Manga; construction of storm tanks for flood protection and a programme to improve habitat protection. Protection measures for the marine reserves from Cabo de Palos to Calblanque regional park will also be put in place.

Colon campaign MORE than 6,000 people are being called to participate in free preventive screening for colon cancer in Santa Pola. So far, only 6.26 per cent of citizens have taken part.

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Monsters of rock THE ‘Monsters of Rock’ show returns to Reflections bar in San Luis on Tuesday. Call 634 363 366 for tickets or more information.

TORREVIEJA’S May Fair will pay tribute to the singer and actress Lolita Sevilla who had a close relationship with the city. The annual event runs from May 14-18.

MP resigns ALICANTE City mayor Sonia Castedo has resigned as a regional MP, claiming she wished to concentrate on her mayoral duties.

Weapons auction THE Guardia Civil of the Murcia Region are to auction off a total of 441 firearms. The auction will take place on Monday at 9am and are on display until Friday at the headquarters in Plaza Pintor Inocencio Medina Vera nº 5.

‘No’ to move AN extraordinary meeting was held on Saturday by members of the Cartagena and Comarca Neighbourhood Association who voted against the possible moving of the Railway Station to the Mandarache area of the city.

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May fair

Drugs haul AGENTS from the Guardia Civil in Murcia have arrested six members of a drug trafficking group based in Mazarron and Totana. At three different addresses agents found 1,020 kilos of hashish.

Cultural fire THE Hogueras fire fiesta in Alicante is to be declared as an ‘Intangible Cultural Asset’ which will protect all aspects of the bonfires and their traditions.

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Technology park EMBLEMATIC: Tio Pepe stands proud once again above Puerta del Sol in Madrid.

Return of an icon THE new neon Tio Pepe sign in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid is due to be lit in an official inauguration today (May 8). The Tio Pepe advertisement watched over the central square from the late 1950s until 2011 when it was removed. The Sherry bottle, topped with a Cordoba hat, wearing a short torero jacket and brandishing a guitar, was originally fixed to the top floor of the Hotel Paris. But the building, belonging to a Mexican property group, was leased to Apple Retail Store and the sign was removed during renovation work. Tio Pepe owners Gonzalez Byass always assumed it would return, but when they found it was absent from plans for the revamped building they challenged them, suggesting that restoration “should be obliged to include the historic Tio Pepe sign.” It emerged that the building’s owners did not want to renew the Tio Pepe contract but other sites offered a new home to the emblematic advertisement. Now, it is back with a new, improved, slim-line figure.

Quote of the Week I haven’t been paid with money in an envelope in my f***ing life,” Vice-President of the Government, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, following accusations in parliament that she had been paid almost €600,000 illegally by the conservative Partido Popular in the past years.

Up to 20 people worked on the final touches to put the advertisement in place on the top of Number 11, Puerta del Sol, with the help of a crane, causing much expectation amongst the press, local residents and tourists alike. The original Tio Pepe figure was created in 1935, coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of Gonzalez Byass, and the following year, it was used for the first time in an advertisement. The brand Tio Pepe was registered back in 1888. Luis Perez Solero designed the image, which has changed its appearance 12 times since its creation. In 2009, the sign was declared part of Madrid’s historical heritage. Tio Pepe is made in Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, and is a dry Sherry made from the Palomino grape.

Number of the week

went to Catholic charity 77,072 people Caritas in 2013 to ask for help

finding work. For the first time, there were more Spaniards (53 per cent) than there were foreigners. Just over 12,000 found a job thanks to the Caritas Employment and Social Economy Programme.

BENIDORM is negotiating with the Generalitat to build a technology park adjoining Terra Mitica. The town hall said the theme park could generate up to 5,000 jobs and be built with private money.

Free time THERE were 85 days of parliamentary activity in the Valencian Community between September and the end of April. Regional MPs had 189 per cent more free days than schoolchildren.

New mother SPANISH Mother’s Day saw the birth of three oryx foals at Murcia’s Terra Natura park. There are now 15 in the pack of this African antelope species.

And finally... AN overweight man, 46, suffered a heart attack after being caught shoplifting in a Lidl supermarket in Madrid. He was hiding packets of ham worth €12 under his clothes and attacked staff who caught him. He died in hospital shortly afterwards.

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Hot month LAST month was the hottest April in Alicante Province since 1900, recording an average temperature of 19 degrees, 3.5 above normal according to the Meteorological Agency.

Top temps THE Region of Murcia had it’s hottest April since 1941. According to the Meteorological Agency, the average temperature was 17.9 degrees Celsius, 3.7 above the average, with six days recording temperatures above 30.

Casino to close CARTAGENA’S Parque Mediterraneo casino is to close after being forced to enter into voluntary bankruptcy proceedings following a decline in the number of customers.

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Care for children of victims of violence care to the children of women treated in the network of the 24 Hours Female Centres of Valencia. Chorro said the new initiative aims at promoting and protecting children: “Promoting recovery and repair of the effects on them and to provide a comprehensive intervention and care to children exposed to violence against women.” She added these small group workshops will “offer these children the tools to learn to recognise and manage feelings and emotions and enhance frustration tolerance BAR CHECKS: Drugs and cash were seized by police in Gran Alacant. and impulse control.” Help is available throughout Valencia to A PUB owner in Gran Alacant has been arrested after drugs were found on the women suffering from premises. Santa Pola police were carrying out inspections of venues when they violence. Call free phone 900 580 888. found 15 doses of cocaine and €400 concealed in the clothing of the bar owner. NEW services supporting children of women victims of violence are to be treated in schools around the Valencia Region. The Director

General of Family and Women, Laura Chorro, has announced the commissioning of the mental health services and psychological

Drugs found in Gran Alacant bar

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Engineer arrested for forging ORA cards AN industrial engineer has been arrested in Cartagena for creating a computer system that allowed fake cards to be used for payment of the regulated parking service (ORA) in the city. Blank cards were bought online for €90 and were used in the electronic parking metres allowing unlimited use. It is estimated the fraud has cost the company operating the machines €125,000. The company sold the cards for €15 which were then topped up and recharged with cash for use in the parking machines. A police investigation began a year ago when it was found some service users were not paying any amount to use their cards.

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Murcia’s jobless decrease THE number of people out of work in the Murcia Region has fallen. Statistics representing the first quarter of 2014 reveal that on March 31 there were 200,500 people out of work; an unemployment rate of 27.71 per cent. This is 14,900 fewer unemployed than at the same point in 2013 and 6,100 fewer than in the previous quarter. Traditionally the first quarter of the year is a poor one for unemployment with the figure having risen between January and March every year since 2008 and nationally, the unemployment rate did rise this quarter.

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May Day marches MAY DAY demonstrations saw thousands of people take part in Alicante. Unions say around 10,000 attended, but Local Police put the figure at around 5,000. The march saw the secretary generals of the CCOO and UGT unions denounce the impoverishment of workers and the cutting of rights brought about by the govern-

ment’s labour reform. Both leaders demanded an end to austerity policies dictated from Europe. They also called on voters in the European elections later this month to vote to give a new direction to the politics of the European Union. In Murcia, an estimated 6,000 people took part in protests in the city, organised by workers unions.

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Footwear exports grow

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Ice cream THE ice-cream ‘season’ has begun and got off to a strong start thanks to the good weather. If this continues, local manufacturers hope to exceed 2013’s turnover of €250 million.

Taxi rules OUT-OF-TOWN taxi drivers may pick up passengers at Alicante airport only six times a month, the Generalitat regional government has ruled and more control of unlicensed vehicles.

Pox cases CHICKEN POX cases are increasing as the government ban on selling the vaccine continues. Parents are advised to obtain it “wherever they can.”

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PROMISES: PP candidate Eva Ortiz meets with youngster to announce scholarship plans.

Scholarships pledge EURO MP and PP candidate to the European Parliament, Eva Ortiz, plans to offer scholarships to high achieving students in the Valencia Region. The students with the highest marks for university entrance will get the opportunity to learn from the inside the operation of the European Parliament and other European institutions. Students will be able to supplement

and enrich their education through direct contact with MEPs and European professionals with the aim of promoting cultural exchange between European leaders, students and professionals. Ortiz announced the plans at a meeting in Alicante with youngsters from the Nuevas Generaciones de la Comunidad Valenciana.

Benejuzar mother clemency appeal A NEW clemency appeal has been made for a woman from Benejuzar who was convicted of killing her daughter’s rapist.

Maria del Carmen Garcia’s case will be heard by the Supreme Court next month, but a plea for a pardon has twice been

denied. She was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for setting fire to the man who raped her

daughter who was aged 13 at the time. The Feminist Platform of Alicante and numerous social, political, labour and professional organisations say the denial of the second petition for clemency is “unconstitutional” and must be granted for “humanitarian justice” because of her suffering caused by the attack on her daughter in 1998.

Railway loss THE lack of a rail link to the port of Alicante results in annual losses of €2.2 million per year, according to a report by the Institute of Economic Research, Alicante (INECA). The study, commissioned by the Port Authority, analysed the economic impact on businesses.

FOOTWEAR sector exports in the first two months of this year grew by 11 per cent in volume and more than 8 per cent in value. The Federation of Industrial Shoes Spain (FICE) said the largest sales increases were recorded in exports to Ireland which rose 440 per cent, South Korea (227 per cent) and Austria (224 per cent), while France remains the main buyer of Spanish shoes, acquiring in the first two months of the year more than 5.8 million pairs. Regarding the average price of exported pair of shoes, the U.S. and Chinese markets are paying more for a pair of shoes made by Spanish companies; €34.75 and €38.89 respectively. The footwear sector remains a leading industry in Alicante Province with the area renowned for its shoe factories.

15 illegal hair salons THE Labour Inspectorate of Alicante and the National Police have visited and investigated a total of 15 low cost hairdressing salons staffed by Pakistani nationals in the past four months. It is part of an operation to prevent and combat labour exploitation and has seen the arrest of a couple charged with an offence against the rights of workers as they hired up to 20 people to work in the 15 hairdressers they ran. Workers were not put on Social Security or given any payment, working in exchange for room and board.

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Unauthorised campaign rally THE Electoral Board Zone (JEZ) of the Vega Baja has warned the Popular Party (PP) in Torrevieja that the

International Auditorium in the city is not included in the approved short list of venues for rallies for the European elections.

Woman killed in crash on N-332 A WOMAN has been killed and five others were injured, two of them seriously, in an accident involving two vehicles on the N-332 in the municipality of Santa Pola. The accident took place close to urbanisation Gran Alacant and forced the closure of the N-332, with traffic diverted along the CV-851 and CV-865. One car was occupied by three people, all injured, and two passengers had to be freed from the vehicle by the fire brigade. The second car carried the female who was killed in the crash and another passenger. A fifth person was injured also, although police did not specify which car they were travelling in at the time. The injured were taken to Elche’s General Hospital, the General Hospital of Alicante and the Hospital Vinalopo.

In the 2011 elections, a similar situation arose with a request to use the venue declined by the Provincial Electoral Board and an investigation was launched. JEZ president, Judge Juan Jose Barnes said election campaign activities are only permitted in public places and the International Auditorium is owned by the Society Thematic Projects Generalitat and not the Torrevieja Municipality. The PP has requested for the election campaign to use the multi-purpose social centre of La Mata on Monday and Tuesday from 3pm-midnight and the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre on May 23.

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New tourist police team A NEW ‘tourist police’ team has been created in Alicante to specifically deal with tourists who are victims of crime. Ten officers per shift will be working the city’s streets and will be responsible for overseeing the safety of the influx of visitors. Councillor Juan Sevca said the officers will “provide a safer environment and be responsible for collaboration with government and businesses linked to tourism.”

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Question over driving abilities of local police THE driving abilities of Torrevieja’s police are being questioned. Around a dozen officers have been reported to the traffic department as being of a questionable ability to drive

based on medical grounds, with some being put on a test period for assessment. However, some say that the reports are an attempt to discredit the management of the police by the town hall as part of

the ongoing dispute over working hours and conditions. More than half of the local police force have signed a letter asking for the mayor to resolve the work disputes which have resulted in protests in the city.

Orihuela tackle sound pollution A NEW ordinance to protect against noise pollution has been announced by Orihuela Town Hall. Councillor for Town Planning, Antonio Zapata, said its aims are “improving the life of residents and a commitment to the environment.” The ordinance will replace current legislation adapting to new regulations and state and regional

NOISE POLLUTION: Ramon Peral from UMH with Councillor Antonio Zapata. requirements, although it must still be filed by

the commission before it can be adopted in full.

The University of Miguel Hernandez (UMH) has been working with the town hall in creating an ‘acoustic map’ of Orihuela taking into account the classification of land and building specifications to determine sound limiters and monitors. Fines and penalties will be in place for breaking the sanctions imposed relating to sound levels and noise pollution.

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Two projects THE new Regional President of Murcia has promised to support initiatives to restore two emblematic monuments in San Pedro del Pinatar; the Floridablanca bathing station and the Molino de Quintin windmill.

No BBQs THE lighting of any form of fire or BBQs in Murcia’s Regional parks is now prohibited. The ban came into force last Thursday and lasts until October.

Santa Faz SOME 300,000 pilgrims participated in the pilgrimage to Santa Faz, Alicante. The annual procession takes place on the second Thursday after Easter.

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Traders want a voice in planning works THE newly formed board of Traders of Alicante, say they want a voice in the planning of works. Head of the collective, Domingo Martin, said they have requested a meeting with the councillors for Commerce, Planning and Mayor Sonia Castedo to demand better organisation of the works carried out in the city. They will ask the City Council that traders are given sufficient advance notice when major works are to be started. Martin said: “A lot of traders are affected by the roadblocks. We understand that the works have to be done, but ask the council plans ahead and takes these into account when granting licences.” He said traders should know about work in advance giving them time to plan their stock, opening times or to take into account other features such as special offers to counteract the disruption.

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Alicante day of local police celebration LAST year, more than 50,000 citizen calls were received by Alicante’s police force and more than

30,000 operations carried out last year. To mark the weekend’s Day of the Local Police

celebration in the city, councillor for Security, Juan Seva and Local Police chief, Jose Maria Conesa,

Call to end hundreds of potholes THE municipalities of Guardamar and Torrevieja are asking for subsidies to put an end to the 600 potholes along five kilometres of road between the two towns. The Los Curros rural road between La

Mata and El Campico is in a state of deterioration with hundreds of potholes and is used by dozens of drivers and cyclists to avoid the N-332. A stretch of one kilometre is in Torrevieja, the rest is in Guardamar.

highlighted the important work undertaken by the Office of Victims of Domestic Violence which attended to 1,010 people in 2013. Agents were also involved in 785 cases involving minors. There were 1,414 cases of possession and use of drugs and Local Police were involved in dealing with over 3,000 accidents; of which more than 1,000 involved firefighters.

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Mines safe MAZARRON’S mines are to retain their protected status as an attempt to remove the status of ‘Item of Cultural Interest’ from the mining areas of San Cristobal and Los Perules has failed.

Police run TO mark the ‘Day of the Local Police’ a 7km solidarity race took place in Alicante. Over 100 athletes took part in the annual event.

Traffic jams THE end of the long May Day weekend saw tailbacks of up to 20km on the roads. There were traffic delays on the A-31 between Elda and Villena and more than two mile delays on the A-30 to Madrid.

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Hosbec calls for funds THE tourism sector in Benidorm took the approaching elections to the European Parliament, to be held on May 25, to demand that the European Union “pitch in” with the industry. The president of the hotel employer Hosbec, Antonio Mayor, demanded the implementation of a strategic plan from the EU to help finance infrastructure in major tourist towns like Benidorm, with a cast of funds in line with the economic relevance and seasonality of each destination. He said: “In 60 years the European institutions have not had much regard for the tourist towns which are poorly funded from Europe” even though they give “happiness and an important service to European citizens.”

FUNDING: Benidorm’s tourism sector calls for EU funding. Despite tourism being a strategic sector for Spain, Hosbec lamented about the ineffectiveness in combating illegal housing supply,

the delay in launching shuttles for a connection with the AVE from Alicante and hoteliers facing obstacles such as the Coastal Act.

Royal family celebrate in San Javier THE Spanish Royal family has been in San Javier. Princesses Leonor and Sofia made their debut in the town at their first official act as they sat next to their father Prince Felipe and mother

Princess Letizia to preside over the anniversary celebrations at the General Air Academy (AGA). The Prince studied at the academy and became a Lieutenant in 1989. He

followed in his father’s footsteps, who also attended AGA and received the same aviation training as that of his classmates. Prince Felipe returned to San Javier with his

family to mark the 25th anniversary of his graduation and watched an air display by seven fighter jets from the Patrulla Aguila and an official parade of academy students.

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Time to pay all debts ORIHUELA is to award the management of beach services to ‘Chiringuitos del Sol SA’ for four years, with the option of a three year extension. This is providing the company pay around one million euros of outstanding debt accumulated over an eight year period. It is one of the most profitable businesses on any beach in the Costa Blanca providing kiosks, tents, hammocks, skates, sailboards and jet skis, because it has no competition.

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Cyclists ruining environment THE SEPRONA branch of the Guardia Civil is working with Santa Pola Town Hall to crack down on cyclists making illegal circuits in the middle of nature reserves.

Student classes AROUND 5,000 secondary school students in Alicante Province are benefiting from extra tuition and lessons for the first time. The Valencia Regional Government has hired 300 temporary teachers as part of the measures put in place by the Ministry of Education. The classes are free and are to prepare students ahead of their final exams in July. The scheme is to try to reduce the number of pupils failing school.

The use of these trails in some areas by mountain bikers and trail bikes is damaging flora and fauna and as a result penalties are being imposed on

cyclists in violation of the regulations. Councillor Loreto Serrano said: “The vast majority of users are respectful of our environment and make

good use when circulating in the mountains, although in some cases it is not and we appeal to citizens to take care so that we can all continue to

ALS patients take part in new study THE Valencian Association of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is taking part in pioneering research being conducted by the University of Murcia (UCAM). ALS, also referred to as motor neurone disease, is a neurodegenerative disease which causes muscle atrophy, difficulty in speaking, swallowing and breathing. UCAM is carrying out a study to shorten the time to diagnosis and evaluate treatments. Professor of Human Anatomy and Biomedical Imaging, Jacinto Javier Martínez, is leading the

project which also aims to increase awareness within the scientific community about what happens to muscle and nerves in the development of the disease level, through the use of a neuromuscular ultrasound, “a safe, noninvasive and painless tool that emits no radiation.” Forty ALS patients are taking part in the trial with their ultrasound results measured and compared to data of a group of healthy people. It is hoped that by comparing the information, it will lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment of ALS.

enjoy this wonderful setting.” Santa Pola is not the only place where this type of illegal circuits and paths are used by cyclists; Seprona

are also monitoring the forest areas of Elche; the Sierra Larga near Torrellano and the Sierra del Molar, along the road from La Marina.

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Fiesta off DUE to the lack of interest, the Fiesta for Health and Wellbeing in urbanisation La Marina on May 17 has been cancelled. It is hoped to be rescheduled for October.

Jobless down FEWER people are out of work in San Pedro del Pinatar. The first three months of 2014 has seen unemployment drop by 200.

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Watch your belongings THE British Consulate in Alicante with police and tourism partners are working together to reduce petty theft which represented 80 per cent of crimes reported in Alicante Province last year. With the busy tourist season upon us, the police and consular staff met with tourism partners in Benidorm to encourage them to help keep tourists safe. The National Police prevention team gave representatives from hotels, camp sites and apartments some simple

tips to pass on to their guests to help prevent crime. The Consulate welcomed this proactive advice to avoid petty crime and also talked about the importance of working together to support tourists when something does go wrong, which can have a huge impact on how the victim of crime recovers from the experience. Mr. Rodwell encouraged the hotel staff to inform guests of the National Police’s ‘SATE’ office in Benidorm, where victims of crime will be supported and assisted in English to make a police report and make

Look out for the signs:

STAY SAFE Police explain the support given. any emergency calls they need to. “The Consulate is committed to supporting vulnerable British nationals by working closely with the Spanish National Police and

tourism partners. This event was a great opportunity to gain a greater understanding of each others’ role so that we can help British nationals more effectively.”

Mazarron town hall goes property shopping MAZARRON Town Hall has done a deal to buy the old Guardia Civil building. As part of the acquisition, improvements will be carried out at the

current Guardia Civil offices in Puerto de Mazarron. Initially the Ministry of Defence had the old headquarters up for sale at €1.2 million.

1. Beware of ‘triles’ who are groups who trick tourists with fake street games. 2. Mobile phone theft is on the up so don’t leave your phone on the table or take it to the beach. 3. Take advantage of the ‘Operación Verano’ in July and August, anyone can get a free certified copy of their passport from the police so they can leave the original at the hotel. 4. People approaching tourists to ask them to sign petitions or for money are sometimes looking for opportunities to steal from them, so be wary.

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Fields left lead to lost crops ALICANTE Province has lost 3,000 hectares of crops in one year, due mainly by the abandonment of fields. The Survey on Crop Yields and Surfaces prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture shows there were 162,756 hectares of crop in the province in 2013, compared to 165,641 the previous year. Uncultivated land increased by 21 per cent in the last five years with more and more fields left uncultivated. As a result, there has also been a reduction in some of the region’s most prominent crops; oranges and lemon fields have declined. The only citrus gaining ground in the Alicante area is the mandarin with 10 per cent more surface area in just one year.

‘Wearer of year’ event SPECSAVERS has launched their ‘wearer of the year’ competition and to mark the occasion a number of events are being held at stores across the Costa Blanca for frame styling and fashion advice. Guardamar’s store holds their event on May 21 from 11am3pm in Avenida Pais Valenciano 43-Bajo.

X-rays for health centre

MATERNITY: Trying to combat falling birth rate.

Are they planning a ‘baby boom’?

THE PIAF (government plan to support families) isn’t a government planned baby boom but it’s about as close as they can get to one without making a call to all women to give birth to more babies to ‘help the country.’ Protecting maternity, improving working conditions for mothers, tax breaks for large families and so on goes the first draft of the PIAF which harks back to

president Rajoy’s election promises in 2008 of a ‘Family Ministry.’ The government is trying to combat the falling birth rate in Spain, thought to be caused by the lack of employment due to the crisis, by trying to give larger families an easier ride. Rajoy has called them the “foundation of society” and, bizarrely claimed that “the aim of the large family incentive is to

Strictly Dance daughter third THE grand final of the X-Factor 2014 competition at the Emerald Isle, La Florida, has taken place. With a group, two flamenco dancers, a guitar/vocalist and two female vocalists the entertainment was varied in all aspects. The winner was a male flamenco dancer, the guitar/vocalist finished in second and Janelle Gaskell, daughter of ‘Strictly Ballroom’ dance class teachers Lyne and Chris, finished in third. Rather than following in their footsteps singer Janelle is hoping to copy her grandad who used to sing in clubs. Janelle will be performing on June 1 at the New Asturias and at The Orihuela Costa Resort on June 28. For information or tickets call 635 584 431 or 966 188 430.

Locusts threaten crop production FUMIGATION against locusts is being carried out on around 250 hectares of land in El Ardal, Jumilla. The main threat to land and crops in the Murcia Region is the Moroccan locust

which, if advance to cultivated areas can near enough eliminate vines, almonds and fruit trees. As fumigation takes place other areas will be accessed to see if similar action is needed elsewhere.

reduce poverty and social exclusion.” The opposition is, quite rationally, against this incentive as there is not enough work for the Spanish to support their present families without thinking of having bigger ones.

THE X-ray department at Torrevieja Hospital has agreed to install radiology equipment at Guardamar’s health centre for the benefit of the local community. The facility is expected to be open to the public in midJuly and will relieve waiting lists at Torrevieja Hospital and offer an improved service to patients.

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Voluntary potential

YOUNGSTERS are able to see first hand the potential of the European Voluntary programme, through the Erasmus programme of the European Union. Students at Cap de l’Aljub high school in Santa Pola received a talk and heard about the experiences of two young Germans currently working at youth centres in Elche as part of the European Volunteer programme and sharing experiences of volunteering in their own country. The programme is funded by the European Union.

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Mayor opens the fair TORREVIEJA’S Mayor, Eduardo Dolon, was accompanied by the councillor for Senior Citizens, Inmaculada Montesinos, in opening the Third Senior Citizens Fair in Torrevieja. Under the slogan ‘A way of life’ the fair was held in the Municipal Leisure Centre during the holiday weekend and attracted large crowds. The three day event had numerous activities such as a performance of Carnival Group ‘La Sal de Torrevieja’ as well as demonstrations by make up artists and hairdressers and yoga, tai-chi

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Autism awareness SCHOOLS in Alicante commemorated World Autism Awareness Day by hosting a series of talks and workshops to raise awareness of the condition.

Arty space GETTING ACTIVE: Senior citizens sample activities on offer to them. and ceramic displays and a festival dance workshop. Pensioner Clubs in Torrevieja were represented at the fair,

with its main objective being to help the elderly find answers to their needs and concerns while having the opportunity to enjoy

themselves. There are over 25,000 senior citizens registered in Torrevieja; nearly 25 per cent of the population.

Grants to encourage hiring youngsters AN aid programme to encourage the hiring of unemployed people has been launched in Santa Pola. The Local Development Agency (ADL) had been running employment programmes previously, but is

now specifically targeting those aged under 30 and without work and are offering companies a €500 subsidy for offering them work, lasting at least six months with a contract of a minimum of 20

hours a week. For more information about the Comprehensive Employment Plan visit www.adlsantapola.es or call in to the ADL office in Santa Pola. The grants are available until August 13.

ELCHE’S Miguel Hernández University (UMH) has opened its new cultural facility offering space for art exhibitions.

Helping families HELP Association Vega Baja donated €988 to families in Catral and through the AMICS office food parcels were gathered and distributed.

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Autism awareness SCHOOLS throughout Alicante commemorated World Autism Awareness Day by hosting a series of talks and workshops to highlight the condition.

Family aid HELP Association Vega Baja has donated €988 to families in Catral and through the AMICS office, food parcels have been collected and distributed.

Arty space ELCHE'S Miguel Hernández University (UMH) has opened its new cultural facility offering space for art exhibitions.

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Time Out helps raise money for Cruz Azul A TRADITIONAL roast and entertainment by singer Keely C were the order of the day for Time Out’s customers in San Javier.

Cruz Azul animal charity volunteers were on hand to help sell raffle tickets for a hamper, laden with wine and lots of chocolate, to raise money for the

Fête and fashion show for charity AAN, the La Marina Registered Charity which provides food and assistance for the Needy of San Fulgencio and Urbanisation La Marina, is holding a fête and fashion show on Sunday. There will be a tombola, sweets, cards, jewellery and shoe stalls as well as home baking. The fashion show, with outfits

from the charity shop will be modelled by volunteers to demonstrate the range and selection of clothes available from size 10 to 22. The event starts at 11am with the fashion show at 2pm outside the AAN charity shop on Plaza Sierra Castilla, Urbanisation La Marina.

NEWS

Local hero awards

HAMPER: Raffle raises over €100. charity. “It was a great day,” said Cruz Azul Vice President, Sue Thomason, adding: “And we’re really grateful to Sue, Gary and all customers and staff at Time Out for supporting us.” The event raffle raised €105 for Cruz Azul. The charity is run along similar lines to the PDSA in the UK and its mission is to provide veterinary care for the sick and injured pets of people in need, and to promote responsible pet ownership. In addition to fundraising events, the Cruz Azul shop, next-door to Yorkshire Linen in San Javier, is open daily Monday to Saturday, from 10am-2pm. For more information email shop@cruzazulmurcia.es or call 693 017 616 to volunteer or donate.

SAN FULGENCIO Town Hall wants to recognise local citizens for their outstanding achievements, efforts and community spirit. The first Local Hero Awards take place on June 14 at the Cardenal Belluga Theatre and nominations are now being taken. The categories are: Child of Courage; Fundraiser of the Year; Sports Achievement Award; Parent of the Year; Student of the Year; Teacher of the Year; Bravery Award; the Emergency Services Award; Good Neighbour Award and Special Recognition Award. Voting forms at San Fulgencio Town Hall and council offices in Urbanisation La Marina or local businesses. Or email localheroessanful@hot mail.com

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Spring concert

A SPRING concert with Cantabile female voice choir and soloists and La Orquesta de Cuerda Pulsada Cecilio Gallego, takes place on Saturday. The concert is being held at the Palacio de la Musica in Torrevieja from 8pm. Entrance is free by invitation from the municipal theatre box office and the venue two hours before the performance. For more information email jenmorton@hotmail.co.uk or call 966 796 866.

Chatters get talked to by chiropractor

RASCALS: Rehearsing the Bugsy Malone scene.

The best is now THE Spice Girls as you have never seen them before are performing in Rascals Variety show ‘The Best of Times is Now.’ The show starts off with a colourful scene of four numbers from Bugsy Malone and offers different genres of

song and dance interspersed by comedy items and snippets from musicals such as Oliver, Chicago and the Blues Brothers. In the scene Talk of the Town you will meet Crystal Gayle, Lady Gaga, Adele, Susan Boyle, Michael Buble and Amy Whinehouse. The show is on at the School of Music and Culture in Los Min Guardamar and on June 15 at the Virgen For more information on the workings del Carmen, Torrevieja. of the Chaplaincy including the location All performances start at of the various Church centres and other 7.30 pm and tickets are €6. planned activities and events, visit Call Sue on 966 784 874 www.c-of-e-torrevieja.com or search for to book or visit them on Facebook. www.therascals.org.

Chaplaincy Players prepare for first show with a bit of ‘Make Believe’ THE Chaplaincy Players are hosting their first production Make Believe on June 11 at the Cardinal Belluga Theatre in San Fulgencio. Tickets cost €5 available by calling Sheila and Jim Crossley on 678 914 461.

A TALK by a leading chiropractor takes place on May 21 at Bacchus Restaurant, Urb Oasis, Los Narejos at 11.30am, organised by Chatter Group, part of HAH Help Mar Menor. Dr Xavier Dutey-Harispe D.C. graduated from the Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, USA, known as the ‘fountain head of Chiropractic in the world’ and as a qualified Chiropractor, Acupuncturist and Naturopathe, he has had clinics in France, London, England and Pamplona, Northern Spain. He has travelled the world treating and educating people about the benefits of Chiropractic and along with his Algorfa clinic, he now has a second clinic in Plaza Mercadona, Los Alcazares and will be offering help and advice to people during the seminar.

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Fun run THE seventh edition of Elche’s ‘Cursa Popular Huit I Mig’ brought together over 600 runners taking part in the 8.5km fun run in the Sierra del Molar.

Charity tea CAFE UNO is hosting a charity afternoon tea on May 21 from 3pm, with tombolas and stalls with monies raised going to Gruo Parroquial de Misiones de Catral helping local families in need.

European day THE mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolon, invites all residents and visitors to this year’s European Day which takes place tomorrow (Friday) in Plaza de la Constitucion, 10.40am-2pm.

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Playa Flamenca’s grand charity event

NEWS

Smilers are naughty but nice

PLAYA FLAMENCA beach is playing host to an afternoon of entertainment in support of both the Torrevieja Alzheimer’s Association and The Royal British Legion Orihuela Costa and District North Branch. The parade starts at midday with the Torrevieja pipes and drums and a range of entertainment from singers to dancers, will be performing.

REACH OUT: The charity has a shop and drop in centre in Torrevieja.

Rocky’s to rock for Reach Out

REACH OUT charity in Torrevieja is celebrating their third anniversary with a family fun day at Rocky’s Arena in Playa Flamenca on Saturday. Day manager of Rocky’s Arena, Ria Cramb, said, “It is such a pleasure to be able to help such a worthwhile charity.” Some of the area’s top local entertainers are set to perform on the day which starts at 2pm. There are also bouncy castles, face painting and magic by Graeme Mykal.

The Reach Out team will be on hand to receive donations of cash or non-perishable food and basic hygiene products to help them continue their work helping homeless men and women and families in poverty. President of the charity, Karolina Leonard said: “We are so grateful to Rocky’s Arena for their continual fundraising for us. If we receive pledges of €2000, I am going to have my head shaved on the day.” For information call Karolina on 688 348 189.

ANOTHER originally scripted play, by humorist John Wallace, takes to the stage tonight and tomorrow (Thursday and Friday) by Smile Charity Group at El Alto, Guardamar. Skool Blazers is a comedy production about those naughty St Trinian’s schoolgirls who make a return to the school, amidst chaos and confusion. Tickets cost €10 including a meal and show, available from the venue, The Post Room, Benijofar and The Card Place in Benimar or by calling 692 866 536. Money raised will go to the Benijofar crisis appeal and AECC cancer charity.

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Free test as skin cancer rates soar RATES of malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, are five times higher in the UK now than in the 1970s, according to Cancer Research UK. Living in Spain, the risk increases further with prolonged exposure to harmful UV rays but if diagnosed early, survival rates for skin cancer are among the best for any type of cancer. As summer approaches, Medcare British GP clinic in Benijofar is offering free skin cancer checks.

Business as usual at HELP Vega Baja PAULINE YATES will take over as acting president for HELP Vega Baja following the resignation of Ron Perrin for personal reasons. Ron and his wife Pat have worked as volunteers for the charity for many years and will be missed. The committee of HELP Vega Baja would like to assure its members and supporters that the work of the association will continue to provide support and advice to the community, as it has done for more than 35 years. Pauline will be acting president until the Annual General Meeting in February 2015, when formal elections will take place for committee posts. HELP can be contacted on 966 723 733, between 10am1.30pm Monday to Friday.

Doctor Hussain said: “I am seeing a lot of cases of skin cancer and would urge everyone to be extra vigilant. Anyone with a mole or patch of skin that has changed size or colour, or becomes irritated or bleeds should consult a doctor immediately.” Medcare patient Michael Chase knows only too well the importance of checks. An itchy mole on his shoulder was diagnosed as basal cell cancer. “It was quite a shock,” said Michael,

“especially as my wife’s first husband died of skin cancer. He added: “According to Doctor Hussain I probably did the damage when I was 18 or 19 on holiday. All these years later the cancer developed. I am so glad I went to see Doctor Hussain. Had it not been for her I would have been in serious bother.” To book a free test call Medcare on 966 860 258 or email doctors@med carespain.com

Desayun-Arte in the streets THE next Desayun-Arte event in Torrevieja is on Sunday at the Marta Luisa park in Urbanisation San Luis from 10.30am. The participative breakfast is a street celebration bringing people of all nationalities together to explore the possibilities of the use of public spaces for communal events. Later in the year a public display will be organised of all the photographs taken during these unique breakfast events. Those interested in taking part should take a cup, a chair and breakfast and share your experiences.

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La gente: Professional opportunist As part of our series La Gente, Euro Weekly News reporter Gemma Quinn has been out and about to see what skills, talent and inspirational people can be found on the Costa Blanca. This week she met the Professional Opportunist... JAMES BROWN is a magician, hypnotist, author, public speaker and an all round entertainer. As the ‘professional opportunist,’ he has crafted his skill to perfection and recently wowed the audience at the Bay Radio Charity Gala in Javea. Flying over from the UK especially for the event, James started magic 20 years ago after seeing a magician: “I was fascinated by it, not so much by the trick but the reaction it got and more into the whys and how it worked.” He brought a pack of cards and on the train from Waterloo to Bournemouth he had worked out the trick and showed his father at home, getting that same reaction he had earlier seen and he was hooked. He largely taught himself and impressed other magicians with his skills. With a background of psychology and human behaviour, James became fascinated with perceptional psychology

PERFORMANCE: James with two volunteers on stage. and started to look closer at the similarities between magic and psychology and after fine tuning his slight of hand magic and misdirection, he gained the title of the JAMES BROWN: Professional opportunist.

Master of Misdirection. The Magic Circle has also awarded him the title of The Best Close Up Magician in the UK. James also recently worked on Channel 4 show Troy about a young London magician. He was approached to

be a consultant coming up with trick ideas and the methods for how they will be produced for TV, but with a number of magic shows on TV would he want to be the star of the show himself one day?: “I think I would like to do something one day but it would have to be the right thing and make sure I had creative control of it. I’m knocking close to 40 so I’m not going to be a street magician but there may be some ideas in the pipeline.” During 20 years of performance James has developed an impressive set of skills. His understanding of confidence, audience management, suggestion and psychological manipulation have led him to consult at Imperial College London on the Surgical Simulation Programme and often offers lectures, conferences and training seminars. He has also used his skills set to create a self help book ‘The Professional Opportunist Wrongless Approach’ that relates to every day life boosting people’s confidence and life performance and is available via his website www.professional-opportunist.com.

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Cycle access ORIHUELA COSTA has received a series of improvements including bicycle parking, which has been installed at entrances to all the beaches to promote a more environmentally-friendly mode of transport.

Better walk A SECTION of promenade that was missing joining La Zenia and Cala Capitan has been replaced and a hand rail installed. Extra lighting has also been added.

Big almonds MURCIA is the third largest almond producing region in Spain, behind the province of Granada in Andalucia and Aragon.

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65 year prison sentence for kidnapping two children A MAN who kidnapped a boy, eight, girl 10, raped the girl then abandoned them in a deep well has been jailed for 65 years. The horrific events took place in Algete, Madrid, in 2011 and Juan Jose, was found guilty of attempted murder, kidnapping and rape. He will also have to pay a fine of €800,000 for ‘moral damages’ to the two children. He is also banned from entering the area of Torrelaguna, where the children live, for 60 years. The Madrid court heard that Juan Jose grabbed the two children when they were playing near their house and put them in his car to take them to an abandoned farmhouse. Once there he threw the boy in a shallow well (around two metres

deep) and took the girl to the farmhouse where he raped her. He then took the boy out of the shallow well and threw him and his sister in a deeper well (around eight metres deep) and threw rocks

and tree trunks on top of them to ‘bury’ them. He then abandoned the scene with no intention of returning. The children were found, after two days, by passers-by who were

walking their dogs. The defence argued against the 65-yearsentence on the grounds that, at the time of the crime, Juan Jose was intoxicated by alcohol and drugs and was therefore

Anti violence committee keeps track of victims

out of his mind. But psychiatrists testified that he was sane enough to know exactly what he was doing. Juan Jose had received a prison sentence in 1983 for rape. The two minors testified via video in order to minimise the negative impact that seeing their tormentor would have on them.

Summer school activities VIOLENCE MEETING: Aims to protect victims. THE Coordination Committee Against Gender Violence has met to track victims of violence residing in Orihuela. Chaired by the mayor of Orihuela, Monserrate Guillen, and attended by the new coordinator of the Domestic Violence Unit in Alicante and various representatives from Callosa de Segura, Jacarilla, San Miguel de Salinas, Pilar de la Horadada and Aspe and the National Police, the meeting was about recognising and protecting those at risk. The meeting has shown there are 63 victims residing in Orihuela and 32 victims of domestic violence residing in Orihuela and the surrounding districts.

ORIHUELA COSTA has announced its fourth summer school programme. The CDM sports centre is offering the activities throughout July and August for children aged between five and 15 and will include football, tennis, swimming and multi-sport activities and are taught in the discipline in which they enrol. All instructors are certified in their field, with extensive experience and are bilingual (Spanish and English). Those interested can enrol monthly, biweekly, weekly or daily with subscription open from June 1. For more information, contact the CDM on 965 503 915 Orihuela Costa, visit the Facebook site or email info@cdmorihuelacosta.com

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Plans for health screening for immigrants entering the EU EUROPEAN Ministers of Health have spoken of the need to carry out health screening on immigrants and refugees entering the EU. At a two-day council in Athens, they discussed the impact of the financial crisis on the public health system, including the controversial proposal, which some consider

violate the fundamental rights of those checked. It remains to be decided whether screening would be the same for all immigrants or if the systems would be different depending on where they come from. European Commissioner for Health, Tonio Borg, said at a press conference “we have

legal obligations towards the immigrants, but we are also obliged to protect our own citizens and the public health system.” Regarding the loss of access to the public health system for illegal immigrants in countries such as Spain and Greece, Borg explained that European States are only obliged to fulfil minimum

services, such as providing basic health care and emergency care for children and pregnant women. The Greek Health Minister, Adonis Yeoryidais, said that Greece doesn’t want it to appear to immigrants that they can come to the country and do as they like, because it would attract millions.

Only 47 per cent of Catalonians would say ‘yes’ to absolute independence for Cataluña CONTRARY to popular opinion only 47 per cent of Catalonians would say ‘yes’ to an independent Cataluña if they were asked right now. This is the main fact derived from the political survey done by the Centro de Estudios de Opinion (CEO); 19 per cent would vote against, 8 per cent would vote ‘yes’ to Cataluña being a state but not

independent, 11 per cent would abstain and 9 per cent haven’t made their minds up. This is the preliminary report, requested by the president of the Generalitat (Cataluña regional government) Artur Mas, which is hoping to reflect what may happen on October 9 when Cataluña goes to the polls.

According to the survey many Catalonians are worried that if they become an absolutely independent state they will lose many advantages, including the right to be part of the European Community whereas if they remain a part of Spain and become an independent region they will be better off.

He added that those who had entered illegally should leave and said that migration “shouldn’t be a burden for just one country” and should be divided amongst all. That’s why the Greek government considers their country and others such as Italy, which see a high number of immigrants arriving, should be given funds sooner to help deal with the problem. However, the EU Commission proposes that immigrants need to be able to access better health care, but also need to be controlled more to prevent contagious diseases from spreading. Regarding the creation of an identification system for immigrants arriving in the EU, Borg explained that it must be voluntary, but added that he is convinced immigrants will collaborate in order to receive better care.

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UK judge backs mother over Spanish father A UK judge has sided with a British mother against her Spanish exhusband. Jennifer Jones sparked a media frenzy in 2012 when she went on the run with four of her five children on the day that they were supposed to be returned to their father at Cardiff railway station. Spanish soldier Tomas Palacin Cambra, 54, said ex-wife Jennifer Jones, 47, was in contempt of court and should be committed to prison. However, the court ruled in favour of Llanelli-born Ms Jones and spared her a jail sentence following an emotive letter from one of her children. High Court judge Sir

James Munby described Jessica’s account of her family’s trouble as ‘one of the saddest things’ he had ever heard. Daughter Jessica, 16, told the presiding High Court Family Division judge she would rather die than go to Spain to live with her father. The youngest two children, Eva, 10, and David, eight, now live with their father and eldest sister Sara, 17, in Spain but Jessica and Tomas, 14, refused to go back. All of the children were born in Britain. Jessica, who is due to sit her GCSEs this year, revealed that she is scared of her father, who has a bad temper, and would consider suicide if she was forced

to return. When asked how she would feel if her mother was jailed, Jessica replied: “I’d have a break down. There’s nothing my mum could have said or done to have made us go back to Spain. “I don’t understand why he would want to put mum in jail. This is just too much.” The custody battle has been long-running and upsetting following the breakdown of the marriage between Ms Jones and Spanish army officer Tomas Palacin Cambra in 2008. Outside London’s High Court Ms Jones said: “This victory, if that is what it is, feels very hollow, because at the heart of this terribly sad

matter are five children who are no longer together as a family as they should be. “It’s so hard on all of them. They should be together, playing and smiling and doing all the things siblings do together. “I will never give up fighting to reunite them.” A judge ruled that the children could be identified when appealing for help in tracing them in October 2012. Once they were found after a five day search Court of Appeal judges concluded that there would be no way of reapplying anonymity because of the amount of publicity the case received.

TV STATIONS: To shut due to government bungling.

Why are 9 TV stations closing? ON May 6, Xplora, Nitro and LaSiete TV stations, among others, are all closing down but the reasons behind this closure are a little obscure. According to the current government, the fault lies with the previous government which adjudicated the bandwidths incorrectly. The previous government assigned the TDT (digital terrestrial television) signals to the stations without making them go through the usual application process as stipulated by law in 2010; therefore, all stations set up in this way now have to close down and start the application process from the beginning - despite having been transmitting for several years.

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NEWS

86 per cent pay rise to buy a house

Catalan leader attacked

YOUNG Spaniards wanting to buy a house would need a pay rise of around 86 per cent and all they would be able to afford would be 53 square metres. Only one in four Spanish youths is emancipated; the rest are, economically, forced to continue living with their families. According to a study by the CJE (Youth Council of Spain) Spanish people under the age of 30 would need to spend 56 per cent of their salaries on a mortgage, and then only if they got a raise of 86 per cent on the paltry amount they already earn as they are the second-worst paid young people in Europe. Ricardo Ibarra, President of the CJE, has underscored the dramatic situation that the youth of the country are going through; in his opinion the government “has limited itself to waiting for better times” and is “doing nothing to help.”

AN unidentified woman attacked the leader of the Cataluña socialist party and called him a ‘son of a *****.’ Pere Navarro, leader of the PSC, was in the doorway of the cathedral in Tarrasa when he was punched in the face and shouted at by the woman; he was not on official business but going to the First Communion of one of his family members and, as such, had only a reduced protection detail accompanying him. The woman, who ran away, has been described as average looking, middle-aged with no distinctive characteristics. Navarro did not need medical attention but is reported to have a small bruise on his face. The socialist leader has been outspoken on the subject of Catalan independence; he is against it.

SPAIN: Longer jail terms.

Longer stays in Spanish prisons SPAIN comes sixth in Europe on the list of where prisoners receive the longest sentences. Spanish prisoners spend an average of 19 months in prison whereas their European counterparts spend an average of 10 months behind bars. A report by the European Council in Brussels, under the title ‘Space 2012,’ has revealed that Spain has a tendency to hand out longer prison sentences than other European countries; only the Ukraine (38 months), Azerbaijan (30 months), Portugal (24 months), Romania (24 months) and Moldavia (21 months) sentence their prisoners to more ‘hard time.’ The lightest sentences are handed out by Italy (10 months), France (nine months), UK (eight months) and Germany (seven months).

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Art show ALTEA announced that ‘Balconades’ pictures will be displayed on Old Town balconies between July 18 and August 31. Artists have until June 13 to present their work.

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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

Not looking

Debt settling

A WOMAN caused an accident during the Malaga Triathlon when crossing the road in front of a cyclist, who sustained a broken collarbone.

PEDREGUER Town Hall finished 2013 with a €1.7 million surplus but cannot reinvest this in improvements to the municipality. Instead, it must pay off the previous council’s debts, sources lamented.

Bitter taste THE Gandia area ended this year’s citrus fruit campaign with 30 per cent losses compared to 2013. Growers blamed low prices for oranges and rising costs.

COSTA DE ALMERÍA

Winners announced MAYOR Gabriel Amat of Roquetas de Mar has announced the winners of the recent tender for works on the market. Work begins now to be completed by summer 2015.

Truck crash TWO trucks crashed at kilometre 563 of the A-7, causing traffic diversions for three hours. Nobody was injured in the incident.

Over the limit LOCAL POLICE stopped a man in Vera last week for driving erratically. When tested, he was found to be five times over the legal limit for alcohol.

Swan Lake

A MEETING held between Malaga Bishop, Jesus Catala, and the family of a transsexual child, ended without an agreement from the bishop to apologise for his comments.

MORE than 150 people from all over the world were expected in Ronda for an Esperanto congress, which included classes and a flamenco recital.

VILLAJOYOSA Town Hall has saved €72,000 on postage in the last five years. Savings were made by improving the notification system and staff reorganisation, municipal sources said.

THE crime rate in La Nucia dropped by 6 per cent last year while police efficiency rose by 27 per cent during the same period.

No apology

Esperanto convention

Stamp of success

Law-abiding

NEWS DESK

Hunters protest CALPE: In favour of new technology.

Calpe most sought after with Trivago CALPE was the most looked-for Marina Alta location on the Trivago website in 2013. Trivago, which looks for and compares the prices of 500,000 hotels worldwide, is used by more than 45 million people a month. The Valencian Community accounted for 10.2 per cent of all Spanish searches on the internet hotel comparison site. In all, 4.6 per cent of these enquiries were for Calpe, compared to 1.7 per cent for Javea, Benicassim and Cullera (both in Valencia Province) or Denia’s 3 per cent. The average value of a Calpe booking cost €475, according to Trivago, followed by Javea (€415) and Denia (€392) although Benidorm bookings at an average €549 were the highest-priced. “Although we must not ignore the traditional promotional channels, it is obvious the use of online searches is becoming increasingly popular,” said Calpe’s councillor for Tourism Jan Van Parijs. “Calpe hotels and the Tourist department are all in favour of new technology,” Van Parijs added.

MALLORCA

Cyclist dies A GERMAN cyclist, 65, died from a heart attack on the road from Santa Margalida to Llubi. He had got off his bike and was pushing it when the attack happened.

Happy video

Bus accident FOUR women were slightly injured when a bus in Palma had to brake suddenly when a taxi crossed its path. The taxi driver reportedly fled the scene.

Dangerous riding

THE Andalucian Hunting Federation is against plans to convert the Sierra de la Nieves area into a National Park, as they say it would affect ‘social hunting.’

AXARQUIA

Almuñecar gymnasts GYMNASTS from the Almuñecar Rythmic Gym School have gone through to the finals in the individual competition. They will be held in Conil, Cadiz, on June 1.

Red Cross RED CROSS members gave the children of the Algarrobo an informal chat about the importance of reading; around 250 children between the ages of six and 10 attended the event.

Cine tourism NERJA hosted a round table on the ‘Present and Future of Audiovisual Production and Cinematographic Tourism in Nerja’. The council sees cinematographic tourism as a possible new revenue stream for the town.

€40,000 in La Herradura

A SWEDISH cyclist, 40, was injured when he lost control of his bike while overtaking a car on a downhill stretch of road in the Serra de Tramuntana.

CONCEPCION GUILLEN, from La Herradura, was the winner of €40,000 on the EuroMillons when she got five numbers right. She shared the prize with 13 other winners.

COSTA DEL SOL

Cross winners

BALLET enthusiasts were treated to Swan Lake and Sea Sing in Vera last week. The dancers were from across Andalucia.

THE Mallorca version of the ‘Happy’ video, recorded in March with the participation of hundreds of people, is now available to see online.

Blaze at Bedar

Plane drill

Train works

STRONG winds fanned the flames of a fire in Bedar last week, resulting in two hectares of scrubland being destroyed. INFOCA were supported by land and air.

A DRILL was held at Son Sant Joan Airport in Palma, simulating a plane hijacking, in which firemen, police, army, airport authorities and others took part.

WORKS on the AVE high-speed train tracks between Antequera and Granada will affect circulation on part of the A-92 motorway throughout this month.

THE Barrio Alto cross won the May Crosses competition in La Herradura with a carnation-clad, ceramic cross bringing home the €400 prize and bragging rights for the next year.

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UNDER SCRUTINY: The AVE high-speed train line construction contract.

Nine arrests in AVE corruption case

THE Guardia Civil has arrested nine people for alleged irregularities in the construction of the high-speed AVE railway linking Madrid and Barcelona, which led to improper billing of some â‚Ź6 million. Reportedly, the suspects are from Adif, the agency that manages infrastructure projects in Spain, and executives of a construction company who allegedly wrongfully made profits on the AVE project. Investigators are looking into whether

executives of contractor Corsan worked with certain Adif officials and third parties to benefit at the expense of the Spanish government. Officials said prosecutors suspect that documents were altered to make it look like the contractor had done more work than it actually had. The authorities are also examining the possibility that the contract itself was conducted under irregular conditions, according to the prosecutor’s office.

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Sexual slavery NATIONAL POLICE in Figueras, Cataluña, have freed a young woman, of Romanian extraction, who was sold into sexual slavery for a mere €1,500. The woman was forced to work as a prostitute in brothels. The young woman is aged 19 now but when she was originally bought she was a minor. She was ‘purchased’ for €1,500 by two pimps who exploited her in Italy and Spain. A few months later,

they sold her on again for €1,500, and made to work at a club in Figueras. The case came to the attention of the police when the Romanian Embassy was alerted anonymously that a young woman had been sold into sexual slavery in Spain. A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of selling the victim. Police investigations are ongoing.

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NEWS

Thousands join May Day protest march THOUSANDS of people took to the streets to protest to the government about the employment situation on May 1, officially the world’s Workers’ Day. “Without jobs there is no recovery,” was the motto under which the thousands congregated all over the country. The leaders of the Communist Party and the unions, Ignacio Fernandez Toxo and Candido Mendez respectively, took the opportunity to denounce the government’s actions to create employment as ‘propaganda’, as evidenced by the lack of growth in any sector. Toxo pointed out that “there are 27 million unemployed in Europe of

MADRID: Workers’ Day protest. which six million are in Spain and for them the crisis is not coming to an end - nor will it until they get jobs. Where is this recovery that the government speaks of?” Mendez weighed in on

the matter by asking about the pensions, grants and family benefits that are not reaching their intended recipients due to the huge amount of paperwork now requested by

the government. Both leaders agreed that there can be no recovery without more employment. Mariano Rajoy’s government has yet to answer.

NEWS

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700 storm over Spanish border AROUND 700 African migrants charged Spain’s barbed-wire border fences at the country’s North African enclave of Melilla. The migrants clashed with Spanish and Moroccan border police, with Spanish authorities confirming that 140 of the migrants managed to enter Spanish territory - despite the best efforts of border control. It was the latest wave in a tide of African immigrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean into Europe. Spain’s two North African exclaves of Melilla and Ceuta are key entry points and have proved vulnerable to repeated attacks by hundreds of immigrants over recent months. Yesterday’s migrants rushed the fences in two waves, with 500 arriving in the early hours and another 200 a few hours later. By the afternoon, more than 150 people remained near an outside border fence.

Reportedly, they fended off police by setting fire to their clothing and throwing it at them. Police resorted to the use of pepper spray to try and force the migrants down from the 20-foot high fence. Spain’s Interior Ministry statement said that some migrants were treated by Red Cross staff at the scene, with five taken to hospital. Some 12 police officers were injured. The 140 new arrivals to Spain were taken to the region’s temporary immigrant centre, which now contains more than 1,900 immigrants. The Interior Ministry statement said that this facility is now way “above its maximum capacity.” The EU has been asked to assist in the immigration situation, which is becoming increasingly more difficult and strained. The cost of border enforcement is also spiralling.

8 -14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

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E W N 8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

S CANDINAVIAN P RESS

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EUROPEAN PRESS

Stories making headlines in Europe

GERMAN PRESS Berlusconi ‘absurd’

BRITISH PRESS Homeless magazine SWEDEN - A magazine, Faktum, sold by the homeless, has caught media attention after it covered the story of homeless Swedes who beg in Spain’s most popular tourist areas.

EU drugs SWEDEN - Tabloid Aftonbladet has singled out eight European Parliamentary candidates who have confessed to using narcotics; among them two Centrists and two Greens.

Human rights NORWAY - Norway’s human rights record took a slamming in a UN hearing when Saudi Arabia and Russia highlighted its shortcomings on protecting its Muslim minority.

Arctic whisky NORWAY - A group of enthusiastic amateurs plan to launch the world’s first Arctic whisky distillery on the island of Myken, off the north coast of Norway.

Good month DENMARK - March saw the lowest ever number of traffic deaths with only 195 accidents that caused personal injuries; the second lowest figure for March in a decade.

Otter comeback TWO otters, a male and a female, have been spotted in the lake area of Nieuwkoop, raising hopes that the species could be making a comeback to the busiest part of Holland after an absence of 30 years.

Shakespeare high

Capital UFO

A COMEDY troupe has taken Shakespeare to new heights and marked the 450th anniversary of his birth by performing an abridged version of one of his plays on an easyJet flight from Gatwick to Verona.

A BIZARRE object was spotted hovering above North London prompting some to speculate that it could be a UFO. The object appeared to be black in colour and was rotating.

Celine Dion punishment GARETH DAVIES, from Kent, has been fined £3,000 and had his sound equipment confiscated for playing Celine Dion’s power ballads too loudly in his council flat.

Duck walk

THE German government has dismissed remarks made by former Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi as ‘absurd’. He said Germans did not believe that the concentration camps had existed.

Rottweiler vote

Sick days

RUSSELL HOYLE, from Teesside, is alleged to have provided false information to the electoral register after his pet Rottweiler, Zeus, was issued with a voting card.

WORKERS in the north-east of Germany are the sickliest with an average of 18.5 days off a year in Mecklenburg. In the south-east, the average was 12.1 days per year in Bavaria.

PASSERS-BY in Peckham, London, were surprised to see a man walking two ducks on a lead down the busy high street; apparently nobody in the area seemed to think it was weird.

Nutella gang A GROUP labelled the ‘Nutella Gang’, so named for stealing 2,500 jars of the chocolate spread, have been imprisoned for a total of 15 years and six months.

RUSSIAN PRESS Three bodies THREE dismembered bodies have been found in St Petersburg. The bodies, thought to belong to a woman and two boys, were found in cardboard boxes in a vacant lot in the Krasnogvardeysky district of the town.

Junk rating CREDIT rating agency Standard & Poor’s has cut Russia’s credit rating to near junk status and has now turned its sights on the country’s blue chip companies including Gazprom and Rosneft.

Unrelated sanctions PRESIDENT PUTIN has said that the new punitive measures taken against Russia by the West are based on false claims of supposed interference in Ukraine.

RUSSIA ONLY: Internet to be named after children’s character.

Luxury Berlin

Ten dead A WILDFIRE raging in Siberia caused an explosion at a munitions depot, killing at least 10 people and forcing the temporary closure of a section of the Transsiberian railroad.

Cheburashka net A RUSSIAN senator has proposed the creation of a Russia-only internet, which would be separate from the US and EU. He wants to name it after the popular children’s character Cheburashka.

NUTELLA GANG: Jailed for stealing the choc spread.

DUTCH PRESS Funny king AFTER the first year of his reign, the Dutch consider King Willem-Alexander as more charming, more humorous and less formal than his mother Beatrix when she was queen. Beatrix is considered to be more

FOREIGN tourists in Berlin are spending more than ever, with the rich Chinese leading the way followed closely by the Russians and Middle Eastern countries.

compassionate and more concerned, a survey by Maurice de Hond shows.

them fatal. They include all kinds of violence like mistreatment, rape, kidnapping and murder.

Honour crimes

Bike parking

LAST year there were some 500 notifications of so-called ‘honour’ crimes in The Netherlands, 20 of

BUILDING company BAM has received an assignment from Utrecht to build the world’s

biggest bicycle park. The threestorey building near Central Station will hold 12,500 bicycles.

Suicide attacks TWO jihad fighters from The Netherlands committed suicide attacks last year. One attacked a civilian target in Iraq with a rucksack bomb, the other committed suicide with a car bomb in Syria.

NEWS

Banana thrower freed A YOUNG man who threw a banana at Barcelona football player Dani Alves, causing a storm about racism in Spanish football has been freed pending a court appearance. The man, 26, was detained by National Police and after being interviewed he was allowed to leave. He stands accused of provoking discrimination, hatred and/or violence against a person or persons for racial motives. Villareal Football Club identified him, withdrew his membership and gave him a lifelong ban from the grounds. A judge will decide whether to prosecute the case in court or just apply a fine.

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8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

Housework for Spain’s children, by law UNDER a new draft law approved in the Spanish Parliament last week children will be legally obliged to do housework and respect their schoolteachers. The Child Protection Bill would mean that Spanish parents and teachers have a weapon in the war against disobedient children. If the bill is passed, children under 18 in Spain will be legally obliged to do household chores “in accordance with their age and regardless of their gender.” Children and young people will also have to “participate in family life” and respect “their parents and siblings,” according to Spain’s ABC newspaper. And when it comes to school there are obligations there too, with children having to “respect school rules” and “study as required.” The law also states that Spain’s youth should take a responsible attitude towards public property and the environment.

CHORES: Children reminded of responsibilities.

Even though the draft law doesn’t set out penalties for children who fail to fulfil these requirements, it does mark a shift in legislation, with its focus on the responsibilities of children. The draft law also means that all

job applicants wanting to work with children will have to provide a copy of their criminal record. The bill seeks to establish a list of those who should not be allowed to work with children and youngsters.

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More EU candidates THE BOE (official state news bulletin) has published the details of the 39 Spanish candidates for the European elections on May 29; there will be four more than in the 2009 elections. The electoral committee has rejected the proposals of only two parties, the Canary Unity Party and the Green EcoPacifists due to irregularities in their paperwork. Neither party had presented their list of individual candidates and the Greens presented photocopies of their proposals rather than the originals. The most popular are thought to be the PP and the PSOE, although minority parties including the VOX party and the Partido X (Xparty) are gaining ground the nearer the elections get.

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A note from the

Editor

The green, green, grass of home

I

s the grass greener on the other side? It would appear not with recent reports saying 90,000 British expatriates have moved back to the UK in recent years. Another survey, admittedly of a very low sample group, suggests people moving to Spain and other Mediterranean countries are more miserable abroad then they were at ‘home.’ There is no doubt that many people who move to Spain fail to settle in. Difficulties with the language and culture of what is after all a foreign country, can lead to loneliness, and even depression. For those who have to earn a living difficulties can multiply, with generally lower wages and high rates of unemployment.

But for most of the estimated 1.2 million Britons who have set up home in this country Spain is all it is cracked up to be. Yes there are downsides - stifling bureaucracy being chief amongst them - but most expatriates find the benefits far outweigh the problems. Not just the weather (though that is certainly a huge advantage) but the general lifestyle. Just a little effort in learning a few words of Spanish can take people a long way to making the most of their life in Spain. Expatriates have to realise it is not Bournemouth in the sun (no insult intended to that wonderful city), and an attempt, no matter how small, to integrate into the Spanish way of life can reap huge dividends. Yes, some fail to settle, but for the vast majority the grass is greener in Spain.

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business & legal

EWN

STAT OF WEEK ORANGE ESPAÑA’S turnover fell by 1.2 per cent in the first quarter of this year. Mobile earnings were reduced by 16.2 per cent to €621 million but income from landlines improved by 9.9 per cent.

Fish firm could still be afloat THE Pescanova board has submitted a new restructuring plan to the Spanish courts. Banks owed money by the company would replace brewers Damm and financial holding company Luxempart as owners of the company. The proposal is the outcome of an agreement between Pescanova - whose frozen fish

Jobless queues shrank in winter THE number of people out of work in Spain fell by 2,300 people in the first three months of this year. The improvement was a minimal 0.04 per cent but this was the first time that the number of jobless fell in the first quarter of the year since 2005. That was the apparently good news, but the unemployment level rose to 25.93 per cent of the working population. Unemployment figures might have fallen during four consecutive quarters but the number of people newly in work once more has also fallen.

regulator CNMV. Creditor banks would take over ownership of Pescanova while board members Jose Carceller of Damm and Francois Tesch of Luxempart would resign. The banks will retain €1 billion of debt, while injecting €115 million of capital, according to sources quoted by Bloomberg. The banks will also retain €300

products are still a household name - Damm, Luxempart and the banks. The agreement would not modify the write-off conditions, said Pescanova’s bankruptcy administrator Deloitte. Instead, it would involve replacing the stakeholders financially supporting the company’s bailout, Deloitte assured financial

In the second quarter of 2013, unemployment diminished by 230,900; the third quarter saw a reduction of 103,900 and the fourth a fall of 7,800. By the first quarter of this year, unemployment fell by just 2,300. Worse still, the reduction owes less to creating employment than despondent jobseekers no longer actively and officially registering as looking for work, analysts said. In the meantime, the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 per cent between January and the end of March because the working population decreased by 187,000.

B

usiness extra

Taxman’s IT probe SPAIN’s tax office plans to examine small shopkeepers’ cash registers to determine whether they use software aimed at tax avoidance. Farmacias (chemists) will also be targeted, Hacienda announced.

Payback time GERARDO DIAZ FERRAN will stand trial for plundering the Viajes Marsans travel agencies. He and seven collaborators must meet a civil responsibility bond of €1.67 billion to cover a possible guilty verdict.

Deoleo loses its Spanish flavour BANCO MARE NOSTRUM (BMN) has sold its 4.85 per cent stake in the Deoleo cooking oil company for €21.2 million. The BMN stake was bought by private equity firm CVC, which also purchased Bankia’s 16.5 per cent. Both previously needed cash from the Spanish government and were obliged to sell their Deoleo holdings under the bailout terms. The Dcoop olive co-operative, which initially tried to block the CVC deal, is

also selling an 8.64 per cent holding. The private equity firm intends to back a refinancing deal for Deoleo, which still has a €500-million debt despite recapitalising and a slimming down operation since 2010. Sources said CVC expects to acquire more than 50 per cent of Deoleo despite the Spanish government’s misgivings that a foreign firm could eventually control a ‘nationally strategic’ company.

39

CREDIT: HombreDHojalata/Wikipedia

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

HOPE: Pescanova’s Galicia plant in Cha pela, Redondela.

million of super-senior debt, €400 million of senior borrowing

and €300 million of junior facilities.

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LONDON - FTSE 100

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US

C LOSING P RICES M AY 6

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 430.65 Admiral Group PLC 1396.00 Aggreko PLC 1652.00 Anglo American PLC 1549.50 Antofagasta PLC 798.25 ARM Holdings PLC 893.50 Ashtead Group PLC 882.50 Associated British Foods 2916.00 AstraZeneca PLC 4743.25 Aviva PLC 528.50 Babcock International 1223.00 BAE Systems PLC 403.70 Barclays PLC 246.65 Barratt Developments 379.65 BG Group PLC 1255.00 BHP Billiton PLC 1916.50 BP PLC 501.45 British Amrcan Tobacco 3396.25

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -15.30 -3.43 5.00 0.36 8.00 0.49 -15.50 -0.99 8.00 1.01 7.50 0.85 9.00 1.03 15.00 0.52 -65.00 -1.35 5.50 1.05 15.00 1.24 2.50 0.62 -11.75 -4.55 4.50 1.20 3.50 0.28 -15.00 -0.78 -0.20 -0.04 -1.00 -0.03

NET VOLUME 661.28 25.01 76.65 140.56 248.15 320.05 144.60 36.32 351.07 700.31 95.14 327.26 11,371.03 281.57 1,008.25 239.86 1,026.80 198.22

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Units per €

US dollar..................................................................1.39135 Japan yen ...............................................................141.935 Switzerland franc ................................................1.21776 Denmark kroner ................................................7.46402 Norway kroner...................................................8.26035

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PRICE(P)

British Land Co PLC British Sky Broadcasting BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Carnival PLC

690.00 886.00 379.35 1659.00 1481.00 1099.50 2384.50

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES M AY 6

C LOSING P RICES M AY 6

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 E I du Pont de Nemours and 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 140.61 87.36 35.76 131.96 104.52 125.36 22.96 67.39 102.91 26.58 156.35 78.69 26.17 191.26 100.00 54.22 101.14 58.63 39.43 73.29 29.96 81.70 40.76 90.65 116.82 75.23 47.39 207.13 78.62 81.22

+0.49 +0.43 +0.13 +2.02 -0.49 +0.64 +0.015 +0.54 +0.90 -0.10 -2.53 -0.71 -0.24 -0.18 +0.69 -1.36 -0.29 +0.41 -0.26 +0.30 -0.79 -0.22 -0.19 -0.35 +0.30 +0.20 +0.27 +2.71 -0.50 +0.91

+0.35% +0.49% +0.36% +1.55% -0.47% +0.51% +0.07% +0.81% +0.88% -0.37% -1.59% -0.89% -0.91% -0.09% +0.69% -2.45% -0.29% +0.70% -0.66% +0.41% -2.57% -0.27% -0.46% -0.38% +0.26% +0.27% +0.57% +1.33% -0.63% +1.13%

2.7M 3.3M 15.9M 4.0M 3.2M 4.2M 17.9M 3.1M 7.6M 16.6M 3.0M 3.5M 20.7M 2.2M 5.4M 25.2M 3.5M 8.1M 22.5M 2.3M 54.9M 4.6M 10.2M 1.9M 2.8M 4.5M 12.6M 3.4M 4.6M 5.7M

1.21657

0.82198

DOW JONES C O M PA N Y

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 3.50 -3.00 1.80 7.00 -11.32 5.00 5.00

0.51 -0.34 0.48 0.42 -0.76 0.46 0.21

NET VOLUME 69.17 236.17 456.10 14.23 123.59 41.27 38.64

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Cadiz, Inc. $8 China Mobile Games and Ent Grp Limited $ 20.38 Medical Action Industries Inc. $ 7.07 Arotech Corporation $ 3.73 Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. $ 29.14 B/E Aerospace, Inc. $ 97.22 AAON, Inc. $ 31.57 Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. $ 12.33 Atlanticus Holdings Corporation $ 2.77 IntriCon Corporation $ 7.26 pSivida Corp. $ 3.95

1.82 ▲ 29.45% 2.86 ▲ 16.32% 0.75 ▲ 11.87% 0.36 ▲ 10.68% 2.49 ▲ 9.34% 8.26 ▲ 9.29% 2.67 ▲ 9.24% 1.02 ▲ 9.02% 0.22 ▲ 8.63% 0.571 ▲ 8.54% 0.30 ▲ 8.22%

Most Advanced

Most Declined Tecumseh Products Company BroadSoft, Inc. Ambassadors Group, Inc. Universal Display Corporation China Auto Logistics Inc. SciQuest, Inc. Lifetime Brands, Inc. Biota Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Jive Software, Inc. Benefitfocus, Inc. The KEYW Holding Corporation

$ 6.06 $ 20.16 $ 3.63 $ 23.67 $ 2.2999 $ 17.66 $ 15 $ 3.32 $ 7.82 $ 32.60 $ 11.43

1.68 ▼ 21.71% 4.84 ▼ 19.36% 0.45 ▼ 11.03% 2.55 ▼ 9.73% 0.2201 ▼ 8.73% 1.59 ▼ 8.26% 1.30 ▼ 7.98% 0.27 ▼ 7.52% 0.60 ▼ 7.13% 2.39 ▼ 6.83% 0.80 ▼ 6.54%

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Centrica PLC 325.80 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1475.00 Compass Group PLC 949.50 CRH PLC 1743.00 Diageo PLC 1833.25 easyJet PLC 1653.50 Experian PLC 1121.00 Fresnillo PLC 825.50 G4S PLC 239.00 GKN PLC 384.10 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1636.50 Glencore Xstrata PLC 318.72 Hammerson PLC 577.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1188.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 604.70 IMI PLC 1533.00 Imperial Tobacco Group 2531.00 InterContinental Hotels 2182.00 International Consldtd 408.70 Intertek Group PLC 2943.00 ITV PLC 185.60 Johnson Matthey PLC 3338.00 Kingfisher PLC 423.85 Land Securities Group 1063.00 Legal & General Group 214.90 Lloyds Banking Group 79.56 London Stock Exchange 1830.50 Marks & Spencer Group 442.50 Meggitt PLC 478.25 Melrose Industries PLC 289.35 Mondi PLC 975.00 National Grid PLC 838.50 Next PLC 6562.50 Old Mutual PLC 203.90 Pearson PLC 1107.00 Persimmon PLC 1368.50 Petrofac Ltd 1473.50 Prudential PLC 1373.75 Randgold Resources Ltd 4760.00 Reckitt Benckiser Grp 4840.00 Reed Elsevier PLC 874.25 Resolution Ltd 302.65 REXAM PLC 504.25 Rio Tinto PLC 3220.50 Rolls-Royce Holdings 1027.50 Royal Bank of Scotland 334.55 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2519.50 Royal Mail PLC 541.50 RSA Insurance Group PLC 97.67 SABMiller PLC 3221.50 Sage Group (The) PLC 422.90 Sainsbury (J) PLC 321.80 Schroders PLC 2615.00 Severn Trent PLC 1843.50 Shire PLC 3446.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 917.25 Smiths Group PLC 1327.00 Sports Direct Intrntnl... 787.50 SSE PLC 1534.50 Standard Chartered PLC 1283.25 Standard Life PLC 388.60 St James's Place PLC 788.75 Tesco PLC 287.00 Travis Perkins PLC 1769.00 TUI Travel PLC 432.50 Tullow Oil PLC 884.75 Unilever PLC 2611.50 United Utilities Group 796.00 Vodafone Group PLC 225.25 Weir Group PLC 2671.00 Whitbread PLC 4110.50 William Hill PLC 357.10 Wm Morrison Sprmrkts 197.90 Wolseley PLC 3484.00 WPP PLC 1292.50

CHANGE -3.27 -8.00 4.00 16.00 6.50 10.00 -3.00 -6.50 0.90 1.40 9.32 -0.50 5.00 -5.75 -1.00 10.00 17.00 -9.95 2.10 12.00 1.10 31.00 -2.50 4.00 0.63 -0.06 6.00 1.50 1.10 3.80 1.50 0.00 -45.72 1.30 13.00 41.00 10.00 5.00 20.00 0.00 -2.50 1.60 0.78 -27.00 1.64 3.00 -13.00 3.14 0.00 -31.00 0.40 0.22 2.00 11.00 -21.00 -0.50 7.00 -0.10 4.00 -5.00 4.00 3.50 1.55 10.00 0.60 1.00 5.00 1.62 2.35 17.00 41.00 1.42 1.60 9.00 6.00

% C H G. -0.99 -0.54 0.42 0.93 0.36 0.61 -0.27 -0.78 0.38 0.37 0.57 -0.16 0.87 -0.48 -0.17 0.66 0.68 -0.45 0.52 0.41 0.60 0.94 -0.59 0.38 0.29 -0.08 0.33 0.34 0.23 1.33 0.15 0.00 -0.69 0.64 1.19 3.09 0.68 0.37 0.42 0.00 -0.29 0.53 0.15 -0.83 0.16 0.90 -0.51 0.58 0.00 -0.95 0.09 0.07 0.08 0.60 -0.61 -0.05 0.53 -0.01 0.26 -0.39 1.04 0.45 0.54 0.57 0.14 0.11 0.19 0.20 1.05 0.64 1.01 0.40 0.82 0.26 0.47

VOLUME 909.18 16.57 158.49 36.11 215.67 52.59 72.13 40.77 191.94 200.37 331.58 1,174.19 44.76 87.07 2,226.50 28.43 125.93 73.01 204.01 27.65 509.50 24.54 202.21 39.00 264.76 7,616.14 3.49 158.63 24.19 58.78 35.38 207.95 17.85 330.78 181.87 726.78 90.28 104.04 26.46 46.50 273.72 197.17 50.68 239.09 170.70 1,667.83 291.40 78.79 444.96 87.45 40.86 953.79 2.56 18.74 101.19 389.36 15.26 10.52 165.15 201.82 292.25 79.68 1,340.57 13.40 33.48 142.24 92.02 69.59 3,805.83 22.45 15.37 231.53 969.49 36.09 146.48

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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41

European Central Bank easing in the spotlight ANOTHER European Central Bank (ECB) meeting has come and gone with no action taken. The ECB has left the door open for more easing should the need arise; the ammunition is loaded and ready to be fired. The ECB could look to cut the deposit rate into negative territory or possibly introduce Quantitative Easing for the Euro area or another LTRO programme. The fact that inflation is falling and well below the 2 per cent target is the main reason why expectations are increasing for more action to come from the ECB. The Euro has so far managed to shrug off the expectations of a move by the ECB and has kept hold of most of its recent gains. If we do see further policy action from the ECB, it is expected that the single currency will weaken against the USD and the Pound. This Euro weakness could be

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

magnified if the market continues to perceive that both the UK and the US are on the path to raising interest rates in early 2015. Recently we have seen mixed economic data from the US but regardless the FOMC has continued at a pace of $10 billion per month. US growth came in at a very disappointing 0.1 per cent for the first quarter against a forecast of 1.1 per cent but this still does not look likely to detract from the current plan of tapering. As we stand, the Euro is trading strongly against the USD but more certainty on the US recovery and the timings of rate hikes would quickly erode these gains. For the short-

The Pound is nicely positioned for further gains against the Euro. term it looks likely that the Euro will not come under pressure against the USD. In the UK the Pound is trading firmly on the heels of the UK’s strong recovery witnessed in the last six months. UK Industrial Production data released in April came in well above expectations, giving the Pound a boost across the currency markets and first quarter GDP was only marginally below expectations but still at a

healthy 0.8 per cent. This bodes well for the manufacturing sector and growth moving through 2014. There is still a concern that UK data after a very good run could start to disappoint and subsequently weigh on the Pound; however, this latest release moves some way to dispel this fear. UK data will need to come in at or above expectations to maintain the rally into the Pound. If the strong data run

does play out, we will move towards an environment where the Bank of England will need to hike interest rates earlier than expectations of a rise in spring 2015. The Pound is nicely positioned for further gains against the Euro if the expected scenario of ECB easing and strong UK growth plays out. Ongoing economic data from the UK will be key and inflation data from the Eurozone will be closely watched. Recent data for Euro area inflation was still weak for March and this leaves the yearly total for inflation at just one third of the ECB’s target. The activity of the ECB is going to be the main driver to GBP/EUR; as it stands they are trying to avoid policy action but the tipping point looks to be approaching whereby they will have to act further and this should reinforce a marked decline in the Euro’s fortunes.

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

I RECALL a boss telling me that if his staff If a job has been done well then thank worked as hard as he did they would not them for it privately and publicly. be working for him but Your staff are working against him ambassadors. If as business rivals. I employees are unfairly couldn’t argue with treated or have Mike Walsh that. negative opinions Mike Walsh was for 20 years Regional Many employers about your business Assessment Manager for the Guild of Master Craftsmen, dream of how sucthey will broadcast Britain’s biggest quality assurance body for cessful their business them. Why not give businesses. would be if staff could them a reason for www.michaelwalsh.es • 966 786 932 show the same saying how wonderful commitment as they their business is? do. Some bosses do get more out of their Staff are partners. If they are treated staff than do others. How do they do it? with respect, if unexpectedly rewarded for This can be down to having a personality having done well, they will respond well. and an empathy that inspires commitment Staff are shareholders in your business. and loyalty. Sadly, such qualities are not Why not treat them as shareholders and shared by all. There are, however, ways by show them how they as well as you benefit which you can motivate staff to be more from their business’s success? impassioned about their jobs. A profit-sharing scheme is always a good Encourage staff to work with your idea but not always practical. This doesn’t business instead of for it. Remind mean you can’t set targets and offer employees that they are a vital part of the rewards for meeting targets. team necessary to make it successful. The entire sales industry thrives on If you give them tasks explain why they commission and rewards based on sales’ need doing. turnover. Think, does the salaried If you have a business strategy why not salesman work as conscientiously as does let them know about it. Thank staff, the commission only salesman? This recognise their contribution. There are few answers your own question. better incentives than appreciation shown. It might also inspire you.

Talking shop

Credit Zarateman Wikimedia Commons.

Staff stimulus

SELL-OFF: Iberdrola is divesting itself of 25 per cent of its Spanish distribution network for €3 million.

Power company’s ‘Spanishness’ in decline IBERDROLA is set to divest itself of 25 per cent of its Spanish distribution network for around €3 billion. Investment bank Morgan Stanley will handle the deal which according to Iberdrola is the result of the Spanish government’s reforms to the sector. The decision underlines comments from the group’s president, Ignacio Sanchez Galan, last February when he emphasised the need for “predictable and stable” regulation. “We are now more British, Mexican and Brazilian than

Spanish,” Sanchez Galan declared in a moment of rash honesty. He afterwards hastened to defend the reforms introduced by Spain’s President Mariano Rajoy and was careful to emphasise Iberdrola’s ‘Spanishness’. This is now brought into doubt following the news of the sale, although in the past Iberdrola also examined the possibility of selling part of its UK distribution network before shelving the plan. Iberdrola wants to balance the books, observers say, and cash in on its Spanish network following the adverse effects of government reforms.

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Does your wardrobe hide a gold-mine? IT has suddenly got hot so I’ve changed the bed covers to the summer duvet, and the gas burner has been packed away. Next on the list: a wardrobe change! Out with the woolly jumpers and in with shorts and flip-flops. It’s at this time of the year with the usual wardrobe changeover that it’s often revealed just how much money is wasted on clothing and accessories that have barely or never been worn. Stuff that once screamed out as essential ‘must-haves’ in a shop or

BUSINESS EXTRA

Healthier FCC SPANISH multinational construction company FCC cut its losses by 78 per cent to €31 million in the first quarter of 2013. This was due to refinancing and strategic planning, the chairman Juan Bejar said.

Turnaround

Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

magazine is now gathering dust. My wardrobe isn’t exactly the French Riviera of highfashion, but if we imagine all the closets of all the women in Spain or Europe or America combined, there must be trillions of euros

CASH GENERATOR: Sell your old handbags and clothes. worth of goods just sitting around unused. So what’s a girl to do? Either get rid of some clothes or get a bigger wardrobe. In the States an app called ‘poshmark’ is available whereby women can upload photos of their unwanted gear and sell it on. It works a lot like Facebook and with Instagram quality pictures

Can he alter façade without consent? Q. I am the president of a community of 16 houses, eight pairs of semi-detached houses. You and the One owner wishes to build an extension to his facade. All but one member has voted against Law in Spain the project, as based on my understanding of By David Searl Article Seven of the Law of Horizontal Property. This one member sent an email to all 16 owners saying: “According to my lawyer, ‘Communidad’ only has an effective vote about ‘alterations’ until the 10th year of the houses being built. Since the houses were officially built in 2005, after 2015 any negative decisions to alterations of any type can be overruled by the town hall.” Can you confirm that this is not correct? M G (email) A. Yes, I can. For any alterations which affect the exterior of a building or complex of attached houses, two conditions are necessary. One of these is a favourable vote by the Community of Property Owners and the other is a building permit from the local town hall. There are two possible exceptions to the need for approval by the community vote. If the town hall itself or other building authority has ordered repairs or work carried out, this work does not need community approval. This does not include extensions. The other possibility exists only in Catalonia, where such a provision can be written into the original Statutes of the Community. Catalonia has its own set of community rules. Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

that are attractive and fun to navigate. You create a page where you post pictures of everything from tops and dresses, to shoes and handbags. Shoppers can follow you, ‘like’ your items and make a purchase. It’s not available in Europe yet, but a pioneering young techie could create a similar one, as the app is a massive

success in the US. Meanwhile, for women in Europe with lots of clothes and accessories clogging up the wardrobe there is always eBay or sites like Asos Marketplace, where fashion-hungry women can snap up bargain-priced designer handbags, while finance conscious girls can get rid of unwanted items and make a little profit for themselves along the way.

AIR EUROPA has backtracked on plans to lay off staff. The high court upheld a clause in the collective agreement that vetoes redundancies while outsourcing to other firms.

Share offer SANTANDER BANK is offering €4.686bn in shares for the remaining 25 per cent of Santander Brasil. It will issue around 665 million shares - 5.8 per cent of its total - in an offer representing a 20 per cent premium over the subsidiary’s last closing market price, Santander said.

Financial crisis causing more identity theft CRIMES arising from identity theft have evolved during the financial crisis. “We’ve gone from house purchase to internet fraud,” said a spokesman for the National Police’s Economic and Fiscal Unit (UDEF). “We also see everything from using a stolen ID for a mobile phone contract to buying a top-ofthe range car on instalments,” said a spokesman for the police’s Economic and Fiscal Delinquency Unit (UDEF). Victims of ID theft often find they are burdened by debt, he added, and it is vital to officially report the loss of an ID card or passport as soon as it has been stolen. Victims also need to consult the RAI, Spain’s official list of debtors, to check whether their ID has been used to

incur hire-purchase or other debts. Not only are loans now harder to come by but banks require extensive documentation precisely to avoid being stung by professional identity thieves. They work in small groups, the police said, and tend to be young and Spanish. “A mugger who snatches Crimes range from your bag or house purchase to wallet containing an internet fraud. ID is unlikely to use it but knows there is a market for stolen IDs. The price varies, but it’s rarely more than €50 per document.” Often it is used over a period of time to create a false identity and win the confidence of the person or entity to be targeted.

OPINION & COMMENT

Dogged resolve needed to go to tourist beach THE new dog beach in Fuengirola (Malaga) - who on earth came up with that one? Has Fuengirola recruited a Tourist Prevention Officer? Let me say straight away that I am a dog lover. However, come on, this dog beach hasn’t been thought through at all. Let’s start with the location. It is only about 100 metres along the beach from the fourstar IPV Palace Hotel. Then we have the many hundreds of tourists staying at Club La Costa and taking advantage of their direct access to the beach. Which beach? The dog beach! So this new dog beach is sandwiched directly between two of the biggest-volume holiday destinations in town. You can see it on TripAdvisor in a few weeks’ time, can’t you? “Don’t go to Fuengirola, there’s a dog beach where dogs fight and go to the toilet. It is not only unpleasant, but also very dangerous.” I couldn’t believe it when I went down there a couple of days ago. There was a pit bull terrier, a Staffordshire bull terrier, an Alsatian and even a Rottweiler, and none of them was either on a lead or wearing a muzzle. The greatest worry of all is that there are young children on this very same beach. It seems to be a disaster waiting to happen. Someone is likely to get badly mauled here! To make things worse, this dog beach is around 10 metres from the main coastal dual carriageway, which already has an atrocious reputation for accidents. Is there a fence or barrier to stop dogs running off the beach directly onto the road? Er, no! If Fuengirola truly has employed a Tourist Prevention Officer, he or she is doing a fine job with the new dog beach. You really couldn’t make it up. Stuart Wright (by email)

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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

“A GENTLEMAN only ever wears black socks,” the Spanish say, so whoever lives in this modest village house must be quite a gent! F Ashman (by email)

EWN

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copy of the Euro Weekly News and was quite disgusted by the letter from Tom Hawksworth, ‘Supply and demand is nature’s way’. I expect you will have received many letters from readers equally outraged by this man’s attitude to people in developing countries. He is fortunate enough to have received an education and good healthcare, but appears to begrudge people in less well-off countries even the right to exist. I was so furious that I kept the page and brought it back to the UK with me so I could write to you. On a more positive note, I have just looked at the Euro Weekly News online and was impressed enough to save it in ‘My Favourites’. Jane Everitt (by email)

Grim futures

Wrong song A WADE from Benahavis (Malaga) wrote about the ‘nuisance’ of the birdsong from sparrows (Letters, Issue 1503). He should just be grateful he can hear some birds and is not plagued by constant road noise or aircraft flying low as some people are. Or he could try living on the South Coast of England where we are, and being plagued with constant screeching from seagulls almost 24 hours a day! He should be grateful he has his hearing, not like many who would love to hear birdsong from whatever species. J Rogers, Fuengirola (Malaga)

Rough justice A LANDLORD asking for the rent of his apartment was attacked by the tenant with a crowbar, leaving him with head injuries and hospitalised. The police were called and the landlord denounced the tenant, but when the case went to court the tenant was fined €200.

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

Is this all the protection the police can give? The tenant is still in the same apartment and the rent has not been paid. Jack Threlfall (by email)

Lights out EARTH HOUR has recently passed with more countries joining every year. The idea is that we all switch off our lights and electrical appliances for one hour in a bid to save Mother Earth and to heighten people’s awareness that we need to take care of our planet. Spain was part of this with town halls, cathedrals and monuments right across the

country switching off but, sadly, not Rojales Council who continue to burn lights unnecessarily. Just one example of this – and I doubt that it is the only one – is the sports centre next to the Norwegian school in Ciudad Quesada, Rojales (Alicante). This sports centre is open from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday. You would think that lights only need to be on during the hours of darkness or twilight when the centre is open. Rojales Council prefers to burn the 14 streetlamps all night every night. Why? If it is a question of security there is already a security camera, linked directly to the police station, covering this area. Apart from the environmental aspect there is also the financial one. With so many people having their homes repossessed and being fed by Caritas and other charities this council needs to rethink its priorities. J Billet, Rojales (Alicante)

Harsh verdict WHILE in Spain last week with my husband, I picked up a

IT was very heartening to read the letter from Tom Hawksworth about the constant need to feed children in Africa that really should never have been born into a life of misery. In the big scheme of life, Mother Nature - or God, depending on your beliefs allows them to be born to people who have little hope of ever sustaining them. People, especially those who have never been to such places merely dig into their pockets for a small amount to send off. The kinder thing is either not to send anything or to encourage new colonisers to go and live there to govern and guide the people to a better life. Tom is to be admired for not being scared in these silly times of being called ‘racist’ for speaking the truth. Well done, Mr Hawksworth, for stating the obvious about those being wrongly born to parents who have no hopes of bringing them up on their own. Thank you, Euro Weekly News, for having the courage to print his letter and hopefully this one. Brian Deller, Manilva (Malaga)

The views expressed and opinions given in Letters are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. They accept no responsibility for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements, and reject claims arising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.

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American Pie 2 (Film,2001) Action-packed teen comedy sequel in which a group of friends are reunited after their freshman year of college and embark upon a series of comical adventures when they rent a summer house on Lake Michigan.

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Jonah From Tonga (Comedy) BBC 3 from 11:00pm to 11:30pm Comedy series about 14-yearold rebellious schoolboy Jonah Takalua. Banished to Tonga to live with his uncle after misbehaviour at school, Jonah is still causing trouble. His father Rocky and Aunty Grace take him back to Sydney to start a new life at a Catholic high school. Six weeks later and Jonah is the leader of his new Year 9 gang 'Fobba-liscious' who defend their turf against their enemies 'The Rangas' and Jonah's nemesis Graydon the school captain. The boys attend Lazarus House for learning difficulty students run by Mr Joseph, a vocationalbased programme where he uses violence and unorthodox methods to control the class. Jonah and 'Fobba-liscious' allegedly dominate the school as they partake in breakdancing, graffiti and flirting with teachers. After school Jonah reveals he's been in trouble with the law and loiters with local Polynesian gang 'The Soldierz'. But at home, despite the loss of his mother at a young age, Jonah's supportive family believe his future looks bright.

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FINANCE

EUROPEAN PRESS

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UK Pensions – All Change The UK government took everyone by surprise in March by announcing a series of radical changes to pensions. This is the most significant pension reform since 1921, and gives retirees much more freedom over their pension pot. Your pension funds are probably a significant part of your wealth; retirement planning is an essential component of your life here in Spain. Chancellor George Osborne wants “people to be trusted to make the right decisions about their future,” but you need to be armed with all the facts, understand how the options affect you, and review what you have to enable you to make the best overall decision for your situation. The reforms provide more options and opportunities, making specialist advice more important than ever before. Some reforms have already been introduced for Defined Contribution Scheme members, while others will start next April. From 27th March 2014, the capped

By Neil Jenkins, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks

drawdown limit increased to 150% of an equivalent annuity. You can take a higher income from your pension fund, generally at your next annual review, but also need to consider how this could affect your pension pot in later years. Another key change was the reduction in the minimum income requirement for flexible drawdown to

£12,000. Flexible drawdown allows you to take as much of your pension fund as cash as you wish. However, it is important to consider the Spanish tax implications. Besides income tax in Spain, when you withdraw funds from your pension schemes you lose the inheritance tax protection that offers; the capital will form part of your estate for inheritance and succession tax purposes. The government also launched a consultation on more pension reforms. It intends to remove all remaining restrictions on how retirees have access to their pension pots. The key change here is that the tax rate on cash taken out of defined contribution pension funds on retirement will be reduced from the current prohibitive 55% rate. If this goes ahead, the withdrawal (after the 25% tax free lump sum) would instead be taxed at the individual’s marginal rate of income tax. Remember, this is under UK tax rules.

These changes will not apply to Defined Benefit Scheme members, but a consultation has been launched regarding transferring out of public and private Defined Benefit Schemes into Defined Contributions Schemes. These proposed conditions have wide implications for retirees. Again, it is very important to consider the tax implications in Spain, as well as the fact that the cash would become exposed to inheritance/succession tax. For larger funds, there is a need for sound financial planning and advice. The taxation, if structured correctly, could allow you to achieve a number of financial aims that may otherwise not have been possible. In some cases it may be beneficial to suffer tax on the funds to enable you to invest in something that suits you better, but this would have to be very carefully considered. You need expert advice to ensure you do what will work best for you in the short and long-term. Much can happen between now

and April. The proposed rules could change under consultation. A new government could well revise the rules - the General Election is currently scheduled for May but could happen before. Overseas schemes and jurisdictions need to consider whether to adapt to these new conditions. Specialist advice is therefore important for you to keep up-to-date on all the changes, as well as to establish the most suitable options for your personal situation. 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

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7:45am Will and Grace 8:10am According to Jim 8:35am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Frasier 11:00am Undercover Boss USA 11:55am Come Dine with Me 12:25pm Come Dine with Me 12:55pm Channel 4 News Summary 1:00pm Come Dine with Me 1:30pm Come Dine with Me 2:00pm Come Dine with Me 2:30pm Channel 4 Racing 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Draw it! 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:35pm Unreported World 9:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:05am Rude Tube 1:05am Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1:30am The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult 2:55am Random Acts

7:00am Emmerdale 7:25am Emmerdale 7:55am You've Been Framed! 8:25am You've Been Framed! 8:45am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 9:30am Dinner Date 10:30am The Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30am The Real Housewives of Miami 12:30pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 1:30pm Emmerdale 2:00pm Emmerdale 2:30pm You've Been Framed! 3:00pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 4:00pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 6:10pm The Real Housewives of Miami 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 American Pie: The Reunion 11:55pm Take Me Out 1:10am Two and a Half Men 1:40am Two and a Half Men

SkyMoviesAction/

Hellboy (Film,2004)

11:25am

SATELLITE CHANNELS/ Sky1/ 9:00am Modern Family 9:30am Modern Family 10:00am Futurama 10:30am Futurama 11:00am Hawaii Five-0 12:00pm Hawaii Five-0 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 3:00pm Emergency with Angela Griffin 4:00pm Last Man Standing 4:30pm Last Man Standing

5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Star-Crossed 10:00pm Modern Family 10:30pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Intelligence 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

1:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00am Hawaii Five-0 3:00am Hawaii Five-0 4:00am Road Wars 5:00am Emergency with Angela Griffin

SkyMoviesComedy/ 10:40am The Incredible Burt Wonderstone 12:25pm The Hangover Part III 2:10pm A Fantastic Fear of Everything 3:55pm Boat Trip

•Ron Perlman •John Hurt •Selma Blair •Rupert Evans •Karel Roden •Jeffrey Tambor

5:35pm Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo 7:15pm The Cable Guy 9:00pm The Incredible Burt Wonderstone 10:50pm The Hangover Part III 12:40am Boat Trip 2:20am The Cable Guy 4:00am As Cool as I Am 5:35am Roxanne

SkyMoviesAction/ 5:15am Speed 2: Cruise Control

Though the Nazis fail to open the gates of Hell, one little devil gets through. Raised at a secret FBI lab, Hellboy is a cigarchomping, crimson demon with a breezeblock for a right hand and a gift for fighting otherwordly beasts. Lively action fantasy based on the cult comic book.

7:25am The Lone Ranger Unmasked 7:55am The Marine: Homefront 9:40am Resident Evil: Retribution 11:25am Hellboy 1:45pm Fast and Furious 6 4:00pm Back to the Future 6:05pm Back to the Future Part II 8:00pm Back to the Future Part III 10:00pm Fast and Furious 6 12:15am Total Recall

BBC3/ 8:00pm Great Movie Mistakes 8:15pm Doctor Who 9:00pm How to Win Eurovision 11:00pm Russell Howard's Good News 11:30pm EastEnders 12:00am Family Guy 12:25am Family Guy 12:45am Family Guy 1:10am Family Guy 1:30am Family Guy 1:55am Family Guy 2:20am Orphan Black 3:00am Sweat the Small Stuff 3:30am Some Girls 4:00am Some Girls 4:30am Some Girls

How to Win Eurovision (Entertainment,2013) BBC 3 from 9:00pm to 11:00pm Greg James and Russell Kane present an entertaining look at all the ingredients needed to become a Eurovision winner, adding a strong gimmick to what not to wear and throwing in a pinch of out-of-tune singing for good measure. They celebrate the UK's Eurovision success stories and delve into the depths of our Eurovision hall of shame, all in the name of finding out how to win Eurovision. Featuring interviews with Graham Norton, Bucks Fizz, Scott Mills and Daz Sampson.

BBC4/ 8:00pm World News Today 8:30pm BBC Young Musician 2014 10:00pm The Rolling Stones Return to Hyde Park: Sweet Summer Sunday 11:10pm The Rolling Stones at the BBC 11:55pm When Rock Goes Acoustic

SkyMoviesDrama/ 5:20am Anastasia 7:15am All Good Things 9:05am The First Time 10:45am Cinderella Man 1:20pm Cruel Intentions 3:05pm Hyde Park on Hudson 4:50pm Legends of the Fall 7:10pm Birth 9:00pm Hitchcock 10:45pm Million Dollar Baby 1:05am Cruel Intentions 2:50am Borrowed Time

12:55am Acoustic at the BBC 1:55am The Rolling Stones Return to Hyde Park: Sweet Summer Sunday 3:10am The Rolling Stones at the BBC

SPOTLIGHT

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8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

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Advertising feature

Plan for next winter with a stylish Neater Heater IN today’s climate of austerity and rising fuel prices, it is more important than ever to research your heating options. Many people wait until winter has arrived before rushing out to get a heater and by that time all the good, affordable and reliable ones have already been sold and you are put at the bottom of a long waiting list. The time to buy heaters is before they are needed, so you can get what you want without compromise. Neater Heater has a plentiful supply in stock so install them now and you can be happy in the knowledge that when next winter arrives you won’t be cold. Neater Heater is the direct importer to Spain of the

EFFECTIVE: BEHA convection heaters. Norwegian ADAX range of electric heaters. “The ADAX standard panel heaters offer the customer a cheaper option to the stylish BEHA heaters, without compromising on the running efficiency and reliability that we have come to associate with

Norwegian systems,” said Tony from the company. Neater Heater can also offer the stylish Neo range for people with a more colourful outlook on life. At the moment the customer can choose to have their Neo heaters in one of six colours:

white, black, silver, red, pink and light blue. “By offering the ADAX range as well as the BEHA range, we believe that we have all bases covered when it comes to electric convector heating,” explained Tony. “Customers can now browse our website, or visit one of our distributors, and select a heater that totally suits their circumstances, whether it is a stylish BEHA or Neo heater or a more utilitarian, but cheaper, ADAX standard panel heater. “Our heaters can be used for full central heating of the home or can be purchased individually for one or more rooms with a large variety of models available and can be freestanding or fitted direct to the wall,” added Tony.

Heaters also available for purchase at our online shop with free home delivery. WWW.NEATERHEATER.ES OR Tel. 634 312 171

HER own personal passion for crafting has led to a successful business for Olive Hamilton, who has helped hundreds of others fulfil their passion for the hobby. Ollie Doodles craft shop in Avenida Espuña, Los Altos, is a treasure chest of everything the keen paper crafter could want or wish for, whether they are just starting out or have been crafting for years. It has thousands of items in stock and more able to be specifically ordered for customers. Olive took over the business seven years ago. A former local government worker in the UK, she used to attend craft classes during trips to her holiday home on the Costa Blanca. When the opportunity arose to purchase the business, Olive and her husband George saw it as the push they needed to make the permanent move to Spain. Since then Ollie Doodles has been reborn in bigger, better premises in Los Altos with a large, light and airy room for workshops and classes. This month, Olive is also launching a new series of workshops for those interested in mixed media, heat embossing and alcohol inks, amongst others.

NEATER HEATER DISTRUBUTORS: COSTA BLANCA SOUTH • BENIJOFAR: Vincent Real Estate. Tel. 966 712 440 • QUESADA: The Electrical Shop (Euronics). Tel: 966 188 169 • NORTH TORREVIEJA: For home inspections call Colin 636 537 338 • TORREVIEJA: S J & A. Digital. Tel. 966 319 253 • BLUE LAGOON: The Electrical Shop (Euronics). Tel. 966 188 170 • PLAYA FLAMENCA: Buster’s Bar. Tel. 678 063 268 • SOUTH TORREVIEJA: For home inspections call Edmund. Tel. 966 765 552 • BALSICAS/SAN JAVIER: Sierra Golf. Tel. 968 018 257 • SAN JAVIER: DFS Spain. Tel. 968 334 194 • MAZARRON Camposol B: La Red Solutions (Mapfre). Tel. 968 199 025

Advertising feature

Get creative and be inspired at Ollie Doodles in Los Altos Olive uses her years of experience and passion to keep fully updated with new skills and techniques and hosts weekly craft classes in papercraft and scrapbooking, and quilting classes are held every Wednesday. They are also able to repair grand calibre diecutting machines. Hobbyists travel from all over for the classes and workshops at Ollie Doodles or to simply stock up on affordable, quality products which are difficult to find elsewhere. Some regular customers come from as far afield as Gran Alacant, Mazarron, Albacete, Crevillente and Orihuela. So to find out for yourself the delights of Ollie Doodles, the

OLLIE DOODLES: For all your crafting needs. PAPER CRAFTING: Classes and workshops are available to learn new skills. shop is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10am to 4.30pm and on Wednesday from 10am to 4pm.

Ollie Doodles Avenida Espuña, Los Altos, Torrevieja Tel: 966 707 223 www.olliedoodles.com

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7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm Football Focus 1:10pm BBC News 1:15pm Weather 1:20pm F1: Grand Prix Qualifying 3:30pm Bargain Hunt 4:30pm Monkey Planet 5:30pm Bolt 7:00pm BBC News 7:10pm Regional News 7:15pm Weather 7:20pm Pointless 8:10pm The National Lottery: In It to Win It 9:00pm Eurovision Song Contest 2014 12:25am BBC News 12:40am Weather 12:45am Agnetha: Abba and After 1:45am Once 3:05am Weatherview 3:10am BBC News

7:00am The Dark Mirror 8:25am Great British Menu 8:55am Great British Menu 9:25am Great British Menu 9:55am Great British Menu 10:25am Great British Menu 10:55am F1 the Spanish Grand Prix 12:05pm To be Announced 12:30pm Spring Kitchen with Tom Kerridge 1:15pm Spring Kitchen with Tom Kerridge 2:00pm Spring Kitchen with Tom Kerridge 2:45pm Deborah Kerr Talking Pictures 3:20pm From Here to Eternity 5:15pm The Prisoner of Zenda 7:00pm Natural World 8:00pm Flog It! 9:00pm Dad's Army 9:30pm A Culture Show Special 10:30pm Generation War: Our Mothers, Our Fathers 12:05am Generation War: Our Mothers, Our Fathers 12:45am Telstar: The Joe Meek Story 2:35am This is BBC Two

7:00am CITV 9:25am ITV News 9:30am Weekend 10:25am The Hungry Sailors 11:20am Murder, She Wrote 12:20pm ITV News and Weather 12:30pm The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 1:25pm Beethoven's 2nd 3:05pm Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover 4:05pm All Star Family Fortunes 5:05pm Off Their Rockers 5:35pm Tipping Point 6:35pm Local News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm Let Me Entertain You 7:30pm You've Been Framed! 8:00pm Britain's Got Talent 9:00pm Amazing Greys 10:00pm Prey 11:00pm The Americans 12:00am ITV News and Weather 12:15am Eiegar Sanction 2:40am Jackpot247 4:00am Dinner Date Australia 4:45am ITV Nightscreen

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7:05am The Hoobs 7:30am Transworld Sport 8:30am Mobil 1 9:00am The Morning Line 10:00am Weekend Kitchen with Waitrose 11:00am Frasier 11:25am Everybody Loves Raymond 11:55am The Big Bang Theory 12:25pm The Big Bang Theory 12:50pm The Simpsons 1:20pm The Simpsons 1:45pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2:45pm Channel 4 Racing 5:05pm Come Dine with Me 5:40pm Come Dine with Me 6:05pm Come Dine with Me 6:40pm Come Dine with Me 7:15pm Come Dine with Me 7:40pm Channel 4 News 8:05pm For the Love of Cars 9:00pm Grand Designs 10:00pm The Wolfman 12:00am Dorian Gray 2:05am To be Announced 3:55am Hollyoaks Omnibus 5:55am Superscrimpers' Challenge

7:00am Emmerdale Omnibus 9:45am Coronation Street Omnibus 12:05pm Tom Daley Goes Global 1:10pm Britain's Got Talent 2:30pm Britain's Got More Talent 3:35pm You've Been Framed! Top Ten 4:40pm Totally You've Been Framed! 5:45pm You've Been Framed! 6:15pm Star Wars 7:15pm FYI Daily 7:20pm Star Wars 9:00pm Britain's Got More Talent 10:00pm You've Been Framed! 11:00pm Celebrity Juice 11:50pm Viral Tap 12:35am Britain's Got Talent 1:40am Britain's Got More Talent 2:40am Dads 3:00am Dads 3:25am Life's Funniest Moments 3:45am Teleshopping

SkyMoviesDrama/

Amistad (Film,1997)

7:20pm

SATELLITE CHANNELS/ Sky1/ 9:00am The Fantasy Football Club 10:00am Sky Sports Game Changers 11:00am Soccer A.M. 1:00pm F1: Grand Prix Qualifying 3:00pm World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars 4:00pm Futurama 4:30pm Futurama

5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm Modern Family 8:00pm Futurama 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Storm City 10:00pm Revolution 11:00pm 24: Live Another Day 12:00am 24: Live Another Day 12:00pm to 1:00pm: Every

1:00am Arrow 2:00am Hawaii Five-0 3:00am Road Wars

SkyMoviesComedy/ 7:25am The World's End Special 7:55am So Undercover 9:35am The Guilt Trip 11:25am Pitch Perfect 1:25pm This is the End 3:20pm Ghostbusters II 5:15pm Kindergarten Cop 7:15pm The Guilt Trip

•Morgan Freeman •Nigel Hawthorne •Anthony Hopkins •Djimon Hounsou •Matthew McConaughey

9:00pm Pitch Perfect 11:00pm This is the End 12:55am Bad Neighbours Special 1:15am You, Me and Dupree 3:15am Someone Marry Barry 5:00am Ghostbusters II

SkyMoviesDrama/ 4:25am Evita 6:50am The Top Ten Show 2014 7:05am Struck by Lightning 8:35am Medicine Man

Epic drama following the legal battle over a shipload of slaves who overpowered their captors at sea and landed on the shores of America. Initially, the argument in the courts revolves around the issue of property to whom do the slaves belong? It is only gradually that even the lawyers for the defence come to truly understand and appreciate the humanity of the men turned into cargo by the evils of slavery.

10:30am Anna Karenina 12:50pm Beautiful Creatures 3:00pm My Big Fat Greek Wedding 4:40pm Cold Mountain 7:20pm Amistad 10:00pm Lincoln 12:40am Dangerous Minds

SkyMoviesAction/ 5:50am Back to the Future Part II7:45am Alexander 10:45am Dante's Peak

12:40pm The Poseidon Adventure 2:45pm Man of Steel 5:15pm Mean Machine 7:00pm The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 10:00pm Man of Steel 12:30am Commando 2:10am Hammer of the Gods 3:55am Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior 5:40am The Poseidon Adventure

BBC3/ 8:00pm Great Movie Mistakes 2: The Sequel 8:05pm Top Gear 9:15pm Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 11:30pm Russell Howard's Good News 12:00am Family Guy 12:22am Family Guy 12:44am Family Guy 1:06am Family Guy 1:28am Family Guy 1:50am Family Guy 2:15am American Dad! 2:37am American Dad! 3:00am Sweat the Small Stuff 3:30am Some Girls 4:00am Some Girls 4:30am Some Girls

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Film,2003) BBC 3 from 9:15pm to 11:30pm Eccentric Captain Sparrow is on a mission to rescue the Governer's beautiful daughter, Elizabeth, and his ship, the Black Pearl, both of which have been captured by curse-ridden pirate, Captain Barbossa. They brave the deadly seas and head towards the mysterious Isla de Muerta in an attempt to stop the skeleton pirates from spilling Elizabeth's blood to lift the curse that keeps them in limbo.

BBC4/ 8:00pm Britain's Natural World 9:00pm Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities 10:00pm Alan Bennett at 80: Bennett Meets Hytner 11:00pm Talking Heads 11:40pm Talking Heads 12:30am The Many Faces of Les Dawson 1:30am To be Announced 2:00am Top of the Pops 2:40am Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities 3:40am Britain's Natural World

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7:00am Breakfast 10:00am The Andrew Marr Show 11:00am The Big Questions 12:00pm Sunday Politics 1:00pm BBC News 1:10pm Weather for the Week Ahead 1:15pm F1 the Spanish Grand Prix 4:15pm Final Score 6:30pm Points of View 6:45pm Songs of Praise 7:30pm BBC News 7:50pm Regional News 7:55pm Weather 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm The Crimson Field 11:00pm BBC News 11:15pm Regional News 11:20pm Weather 11:25pm Match of the Day 12:55am Reggie Yates' Extreme South Africa 1:55am Weatherview 2:00am BBC News

7:00am Preview 7:15am Murder at the Grange 7:50am Dangerous Mission 9:00am Countryfile 10:00am Gardeners World 10:30am The Beechgrove Garden 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:30pm Spring Kitchen with Tom Kerridge 1:15pm MOTD2 Extra 2:00pm An Ideal Husband 3:30pm Badminton Horse Trials 5:30pm Inspire: The Olympic Journey 6:00pm Flog It! 7:00pm Escape to the Continent 8:00pm Australia with Simon Reeve 9:00pm Top Gear 10:00pm Hidden Treasure: The Comedy Vault 11:00pm QI XL 11:45pm A Beautiful Mind 1:50am Expired 3:30am Countryfile 4:25am Holby City 5:25am This is BBC Two

7:00am CITV 9:25am ITV News 9:30am Weekend 10:25am May the Best House Win 11:25am Columbo 1:20pm ITV News and Weather 1:30pm Big Star's Little Star 2:35pm All Star Family Fortunes 3:20pm Britain's Got Talent 4:20pm Let Me Entertain You 4:50pm You've Been Framed! 5:20pm Midsomer Murders 7:20pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 7:45pm Catchphrase 8:30pm Off Their Rockers 9:00pm Vera 11:00pm Perspectives 12:00am ITV News and Weather 12:15am Aviva Premiership Rugby Highlights 1:10am The Store 3:40am Motorsport UK 4:30am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 5:15am ITV Nightscreen

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7:15am Avon Tyres British Championship 7:40am How I Met Your Mother 8:05am How I Met Your Mother 8:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Sunday Brunch 1:35pm Secret Eaters 2:40pm The Big Bang Theory 3:10pm The Big Bang Theory 3:40pm The Simpsons 4:10pm Ever After 6:30pm Deal or No Deal 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Posh Pawn 9:00pm For the Love of Cars 10:00pm Fargo 11:05pm Season of the Witch 12:55am To be Announced 3:10am Southland 3:55am The Hotel 4:55am Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners 5:50am 4seven

7:00am Beauty and the Geek 7:45am The Hot Desk 7:55am Emmerdale Omnibus 10:55am Coronation Street Omnibus 1:30pm You've Been Framed! 2:00pm The Iron Giant 3:00pm FYI Daily 3:05pm The Iron Giant 3:45pm Zookeeper 4:45pm FYI Daily 4:50pm Zookeeper 5:45pm Britain's Got Talent 6:45pm Britain's Got More Talent 7:45pm You've Been Framed! 8:15pm Star Wars 9:15pm FYI Daily 9:20pm Star Wars 11:00pm Viral Tap 11:50pm License to Wed 12:50am FYI Daily 12:55am License to Wed 1:40am Viral Tap 2:20am You've Been Framed and Famous! 3:10am The Vampire Diaries 3:55am Teleshopping

SATELLITE CHANNELS/ Sky1/ 9:00am Glee 10:00am Hugh Jackman: Becoming Wolverine 10:30am The Amazing SpiderMan 2: Special 11:00am World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars 12:00pm WWE Experience 1:00pm Road Wars

2:00pm Futurama 2:30pm Futurama 3:00pm Modern Family 3:30pm Modern Family 4:00pm Modern Family 4:30pm Modern Family 5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm The Simpsons

7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm About a Boy 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm Futurama 10:00pm Hawaii Five-0 11:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 12:00am 24: Live Another Day 1:00am 24: Live Another Day

•Tom Cruise •Philip Seymour Hoffman •Ving Rhames •Billy Crudup •Michelle Monaghan

SkyMoviesComedy/ 11:50am American Pie: The Reunion 1:50pm Maverick 4:05pm Scary Movie 5 5:40pm Blazing Saddles 7:25pm Idiocracy 9:00pm Maverick 11:15pm American Pie: The Reunion

Mission: Impossible III (Film, 2006) Super spy Ethan Hunt is enjoying retirement with his new fiancee, when an old colleague is kidnapped by psychotic arms dealer Owen Davian. Hunt must race into action to save his friends, and the world.

1:20am Scary Movie 5

SkyMoviesAction/ 10:10am Catwoman 12:00pm Mission: Impossible III 2:15pm The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 5:20pm The Mask of Zorro 7:45pm Tombstone 10:00pm Mission: Impossible III 12:10am Fire with Fire

8:00pm F1: Grand Prix 8:40pm Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 11:00pm In the Flesh 12:00am Family Guy 12:22am Family Guy 12:45am American Dad! 1:10am Jonah From Tonga 1:40am In the Flesh 2:40am The Call Centre 3:40am Great Movie Mistakes V: Revenge of the Fifth 4:00am In the Flesh

Family Guy (Animation,1999) BBC 3 from 12:00am to 12:22am Animated comedy series about family life. After an accident lands Brian in the hospital, he has a near-death experience that leads him to take a new lease on life. He finds a passion for singing and develops a new nightly gig with Frank Sinatra Jr, but his lifestyle only goes so far. Meanwhile, Meg's sexuality swings the other way.

BBC4/ SkyMoviesAction/

10:00pm

BBC3/

8:00pm The Wooden Horse 9:45pm Wild Scotland 10:00pm An Englishman Abroad 11:00pm The Sky at Night

11:30pm Byline: Dinner at Noon 12:10am Krakatoa Revealed

SkyMoviesDrama/ 5:45am My Big Fat Greek Wedding 7:30am Losing Isaiah 9:25am New Year's Eve 11:30am Steel Magnolias 1:35pm Sense and Sensibility 4:00pm The Top Ten Show 2014 4:15pm Cinderella Man 6:45pm Dead Poets Society 9:00pm New Year's Eve

1:00am The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney 1:30am When Rock Goes Acoustic 2:30am Acoustic at the BBC 3:30am The Rolling Stones at the BBC 4:15am Sounds of the 70s

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7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Fake Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Caught Red Handed 12:30pm First Time on the Front Line 1:00pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm The Link 4:00pm Countdown to Chelsea Flower Show 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm The Storms That Shook the South West 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm DIY SOS The Big Build 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Party Election Broadcast by the Liberal Democrats. 11:40pm Have I Got a Bit More News for You 12:25am The Graham Norton Show 1:10am Weatherview

7:00am Preview 7:20am Homes Under the Hammer 8:20am Animal Park 8:50am First Time on the Front Line 9:20am Countryside 999 10:05am Permission Impossible: Britain's Planners 11:05am Real Lives Reunited 11:35am Click 12:00pm BBC News 12:30pm World News 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm A to z of TV Cooking 2:15pm Life in Cold Blood 3:15pm Pallisers 4:05pm Coast 4:45pm Great British Garden Revival 5:45pm Raymond Blanc's Kitchen Secrets 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 6:55pm Party Election Broadcast by the English Democrats Party 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 8:30pm Great British Menu 9:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 10:00pm Copacabana Palace Hotel 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Newsnight

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 12:25pm ITV News 12:30pm This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV News and Weather 3:00pm Jo Frost Family Matters 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Ejector Seat 6:00pm The Paul O'Grady Show 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Gino's Italian Escape 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Prey 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Benidorm 12:35am Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey 1:35am Jackpot247 4:00am UEFA Champions League Weekly 4:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 5:10am ITV Nightscreen

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7:45am According to Jim 8:10am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:35am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Frasier 11:00am Undercover Boss USA 12:00pm Come Dine with Me 12:30pm Come Dine with Me 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Come Dine with Me 1:35pm Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Come Dine with Me 2:40pm A Place in the Sun 3:40pm Countdown 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Draw it! 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Britain's Most Extreme Weather 10:00pm The Island with Bear Grylls 11:00pm Miracle Hunter 12:00am Gogglebox 1:05am Random Acts 1:10am Fargo 2:05am Scandal 2:55am Southcliffe 3:50am Mr Drew's School for Boys

7:00am Emmerdale 7:25am Coronation Street 7:55am Coronation Street 8:25am You've Been Framed! 8:45am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 9:30am Dinner Date 10:30am The Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30am The Real Housewives of Miami 12:30pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 1:30pm Emmerdale 2:00pm Coronation Street 2:30pm Coronation Street 3:00pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 4:00pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 6:10pm The Real Housewives of Miami 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 Mom 10:30pm Mom 11:00pm The 40 Year Old Virgin 12:00am FYI Daily 12:05am The 40 Year Old Virgin 1:25am Two and a Half Men 1:55am Two and a Half Men

SkyMoviesComedy/

Sky1/ 9:00am Modern Family 9:30am Modern Family 10:00am Futurama 10:30am Futurama 11:00am Hawaii Five-0 12:00pm Hawaii Five-0 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 3:00pm Emergency with

Angela Griffin 4:00pm Last Man Standing 4:30pm Football's Funniest Moments 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons

8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm About a Boy 10:30pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Star-Crossed 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

•Judy Davis •Flavio Parenti •Roberto Benigni •Alison Pill •Alec Baldwin •Penelope Cruz

SkyMoviesComedy/ 10:55am Scary Movie 3 12:35pm Monsters University Special 1:05pm The Dukes of Hazzard 3:05pm The Wedding Video 4:55pm To Rome with Love 7:00pm Stir Crazy 9:00pm Stand Up Guys 10:45pm The Dukes of Hazzard

9:00pm Don't Tell the Bride 10:00pm Barely Legal Drivers 11:00pm Russell Howard's Good News 11:30pm EastEnders 12:00am Family Guy 12:23am Family Guy 12:46am Family Guy 1:10am Barely Legal Drivers 2:05am In the Flesh 3:05am Russell Howard's Good News 3:35am Great Movie Mistakes V: Revenge of the Fifth 4:00am Barely Legal Drivers

Barely Legal Drivers (Documentary,2013) BBC 3 from 10:00pm to 11:00pm Series in which young drivers take to the road in the family car, unaware that their parents are watching every manoeuvre through state-of-the-art cameras placed in the cars.

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To Rome with Love (Film, 2012)

4:55pm

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Four sets of strangers experience life, love, fortune and fame in the Italian capital. Romantic comedy.

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9:30pm Only Connect 10:00pm Hinterland 11:35pm The First Georgians: The German Kings who Made Britain 12:35am The Toilet: An Unspoken History 1:35am Only Connect 2:05am The Golden Age of the Coach 3:05am Hinterland

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

EWN

55

Fostering rules plain ridiculous

T

HE UK Social Services’ recent decision to bar a white couple from fostering a black baby didn’t surprise me in the least. These departments are awash with staff, who are themselves of ethnic origin and often emerge as the worst racists of all - people who treat the rules of political correctness as a blueprint for their very existence. I wonder what sort of outcry there would have been had they denied a white child to a black family on similar grounds? Before you accuse me of racism (yawn), I’ll cite you a couple of personal experiences. The first concerns two, quite comfortably off, married friends of mine. This couple, who had already adopted and fostered a number of children, approached their local authorities, with regard to adopting an eight-year-old young man of Mid-East origin.

To cut an extremely long and frustrating story short, they reluctantly had to finally give up on the idea. They simply could not comply with all the rules and stipulations the authorities confronted them with. The main issues were schooling and almost unbelievably, diet. The department insisted that instead of my colleagues enrolling (and paying substantial fees) for the lad to attend a local, highly respected private school, they wanted him driven over an hour away to a public school, which was predominantly attended by Muslim children (sound familiar!). Among many other stymies and stipulations, the final nail came when they declared he must have an Halal diet, insisting the couple’s kitchen must be ‘cleansed’ and completely changed to accommodate this directive. The last they heard, this young lad was still in the

children’s home awaiting someone more ‘acceptable’ to come along. The other case I experienced was when my dear, then 90-year-old mum, was placed in a care home in the South of England. It soon became clear she was obviously not happy. Although racism was not even in her vocabulary, the fact that there were no Caucasian people employed, made her feel confused and somewhat out of place. One day I purposely turned up unexpectedly and was disgusted with what I discovered. The residents were unkempt and the whole place was mucky and simply reeked of urine. I decided to move her as soon as possible. Over the next couple of weeks every home I visited was run by people of ethnic origin. It was for some (and probably still is) a very lucrative racket, with the residents simply regarded

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT

NO SENSE: Fostering rules no surprise.

as a means to an

end. We simply have to stop listening to these pathetic

cries of racism as an excuse for any form of common sense. You know it makes sense. Keep the Faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com

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7:40am According to Jim 8:05am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:30am King of Queens 8:55am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Frasier 11:00am Undercover Boss USA 12:00pm Come Dine with Me 12:30pm Come Dine with Me 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Come Dine with Me 1:35pm Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Come Dine with Me 2:40pm A Place in the Sun 3:40pm Countdown 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Draw it! 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Embarrassing Bodies 10:00pm Mr Drew's School for Boys 11:00pm 16 Kids and Counting 11:55pm Coppers 12:55am Random Acts 1:00am Pokerstars.Com EPT London 1:55am KOTV Boxing Weekly 2:25am Transworld Sport

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•Ben Whishaw •Francesc Albiol •Gonzalo Cunill •Roger Salvany •Andrés Herrera

6:20am The Top Ten Show 2014 6:40am After Earth Special 7:00am The Scorpion King 8:45am The Italian Job 10:45am Four Brothers 12:45pm Pain and Gain 3:00pm Fast and Furious 6 5:15pm The Scorpion King 7:00pm The Italian Job 9:00pm Pain and Gain 11:15pm Fast and Furious 6 1:30am Four Brothers 3:25am Any Given Sunday

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, an orphan in 18thcentury Paris, is born with an unnaturally overdeveloped sense of smell. When he becomes obsessed with the scent of young and beautiful virgins, he turns to murder to satisfy his passion.

10:40am The Break-Up 12:35pm Medicine Man 2:30pm Sparkle 4:30pm Perfume: The Story of a Murderer 7:05pm The Break-Up 9:00pm Les Miserables 11:45pm Perfume: The Story of a Murderer 2:20am Gorillas in the Mist 4:35am Down the Shore

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American Dad! (Animation, 2005) BBC 3 from 12:45am to 1:05am After realising that he has missed every milestone in Steve's life, Stan makes a desperate attempt to bond with his son by creating a busty blonde bombshell alias, Phyllis, whom he sends Steve's way. When Stan oversteps his boundaries, Francine intervenes. Meanwhile, Roger starts his own limo service, and when a group of guys "drive and dash," he goes on a manhunt to get his revenge.

BBC4/ 8:00pm World News Today 8:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 9:00pm Horizon

8:40am Gunsmoke 9:40am King Richard and the Crusaders 11:55am The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw 1:50pm Gunsmoke 2:55pm Gunsmoke 4:00pm Gold Fever 5:15pm Invitation to a Gunfighter 7:00pm Westbound 8:20pm Waco 10:00pm Pale Rider 12:15am The Missouri Breaks 2:35am Pale Rider 4:35am The Forty-Niners

10:00pm Talking Heads 10:30pm Screen Two: 102 Boulevard Haussmann 11:45pm 4000 Year Old Cold Case: The Body in the Bog 12:45am Britain's Natural World

1:45am Krakatoa Revealed 2:35am Horizon 3:35am 4000 Year Old Cold Case: The Body in the Bog

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7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm 24: Live Another Day 1:00pm to 2:00pm. 11:00pm Storm City 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00am Hawaii Five-0 3:00am Hawaii Five-0

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•Adam Sandler •Christopher McDonald •Julie Bowen •Frances Bay

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Happy Gilmore (Film, 1996) Happy Gilmore has a slapshot to die for but a tinderbox temper. Banned from the rink, he finds that his ice hockey shooting makes him an amazing golfer. Can he match up to top pro Shooter McGavin?

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2:15am Lost Cities of the Ancients, the Cursed Valley of the Pyramids 3:15am Alex Higgins: The People's Champion 4:15am Great British Railway Journeys

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www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Has the sun set on expats? Nora Johnson

Breaking Views A Costa del Sol resident for a number of years, Nora is the author of psychological suspense and crime thrillers. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/nora-johnson

I

S SPAIN, the most popular EU destination for expats, losing its appeal? Last year, one in four British expatriates said adiós to the sun, sand and sangría, according to recently released data from the Spanish National Institute of Statistics. A five-year, double-dip recession with unemployment at 26 per cent is given as the main reason for the British exodus. Thousands of Britons who headed to Spain during its decade-long building boom have headed back in search of work following the property market crash of 2008. Tortuous legal disputes with the Spanish authorities over property rights are another reason, plus changes to tax laws affecting nonSpanish residents. However, those who migrate to the Mediterranean are actually less happy than if they had remained behind,

ADIOS: One in four UK expats left Spain last year, according to recent data. according to recent survey data conducted by a university on 329 migrants from Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, France, and 73 from the UK, who resettled in Spain, Portugal, Greece and Cyprus! Asked how happy they were on a scale of 0-10, they scored 7.3 on average, compared with 7.5 for 56,000 people

studied back home. Reasons given for this: language and cultural problems. Now, to take this ‘research’ at face value, isn’t this simply another instance of people, already unhappy with some aspects of their lives, believing their problems will all melt away in the Mediterranean sun? Sadly, after the honeymoon period, their

unresolved issues return with a vengeance, exacerbated by the fact that they’re living in an unfamiliar country with a language they’ve probably never bothered to learn. For those who are genuinely ‘happy’, it probably wouldn’t make the slightest difference whether they lived in Tajikistan, Timbuktu or Tesco’s. Anyway, I’m sure those returning will be welcomed with open arms in Blighty, except for London and the south-east where, from all accounts, it’s standing room only. And a final word on that ‘research’. Out of around five million Brits who live overseas, the researchers combed the four countries mentioned and identified only 73 British respondents? Maybe they visited one bar in each country? (Which makes you wonder how the rest of the time was spent. Break in the sun behind a façade of conducting research, surely not!) There are so many slips here that, as as a survey, it’s pointless. But isn’t that true of any social ‘science’ survey? Nora Johnson’s thrillers Retribution and The De Clerambault Code (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.89; £0.77) and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.

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www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

When institutionalised theft is legalised Mike Walsh Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.

W

HY are service providers, in particular banks and utility companies, so bad at doing the simplest of tasks? Let’s face it, with computerisation it has never been simpler to collect and manage data on water, electricity, financial transactions, telephone and internet usage. Can they get it right? Does a rocking horse have a wooden willie? Newspapers publish topics of public interest. One of these is crime, which includes institutionalised theft. How else do you describe the deliberate complexity and lack of

accountability in direct debit bank raids carried out by water, electricity, banking and telecommunications companies? As Woody Guthrie surmised: “As through this world I’ve wandered, I’ve seen lots of funny men. Some rob you with a six gun, and some with a fountain pen.” Unscrupulous and arrogant, the anti-customer attitudes displayed by service suppliers are a constant bone of contention. Yes, mistakes are part of the human condition, as are coincidences. However, we notice that when these hapless quasi-criminal institutions make mistakes they are invariably made to favour their bank accounts, not ours. Have a nice day! If I hear that idiotic remark one more time from a utility, bank or telecoms company, I swear I will swing for the consequences. I do not know if I have ever met anyone out of

a military uniform more intent on making certain I have a bad day. I was recently billed three times for two months’ internet use. Between supplier and bank visits there was a maze of obscurity that would try the patience of a saint. Buck passing. They invented it, they live by it. How about a computer error that puts money into my account? Then I too can set up an impenetrable wall of confusion to stop them reclaiming it. No, for them it is a case of ‘heads I win, tails you lose’. They cut off your internet, your water, gas or electricity, they freeze your bank account. You sort it. How did they end up controlling our lives as they do? Who allowed them to? My poor wife spent unproductive days working her

LEGAL ROBBERY: Banks and utilities that steal. way through a confusing system of money transfer. Earlier, she lost an hour’s work sorting out a computer scam. Perhaps the newspapers would be better employed scrutinising the shareholder lists of these thieving magpies. I am sure they will find the state’s legislators and the otherwise elite have their scummy fingers predominantly in these institutions, too.

The only thing that changes over the years is that bandits also move with the times. “When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living in society, they create for themselves, in the course of time, a legal system that authorises it and a moral code that glorifies it.” Frederic Bastiat, (1801-1850) French economist, statesman, and author

Rajoy flying solo E

X-PRESIDENT Jose Maria Aznar recently lamented his exclusion from the PP’s European election campaigns. He should have seen this coming, given his frequent sniping at his one-time protégé, the current president Mariano Rajoy. Jose Maria Aznar began to lose his grip when Rajoy lost the March 2004 general elections. Wanting to emulate the Americans, the former president decided to serve only two terms, naming Rajoy as his successor. Aznar failed to achieve the lofty financial and personal status awaiting Tony Blair as repayment for backing George W Bush’s Iraq invasion, but neither has the ex-president done too badly. A seat on Murdoch’s board was amongst his spoils and unlike Blair, Aznar presumably had no problems keeping Wendy Deng at arm’s length. But Aznar lost his chance to

Cassandra Nash

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

The sound of music CATALUÑA’S regional police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, barracked regional president Artur Mas not long ago. They were complaining about cutbacks affecting the force and hit back in the one way they knew would be especially wounding for Mas: they sang ‘Viva España’. continue shaping Spanish events from the shadows because Rajoy did not move into the Moncloa until 2011. And by then he had learnt to fly solo: that’s always a danger with protégés.

A load of old cobblers MIRIAM GONZALEZ DURANTEZ, Nick Clegg’s Spanish wife, was applauded recently. She told her husband in public that men who helped their wives with household and child-raising have more ‘cojones’ than those who don’t. A Spanish woman does not need a large dose of cojones to use the word, even – or especially – if, like Gonzalez Durantez she is married to someone like Clegg. No-one would argue that his wife isn’t a ballsy woman, but people swear more and they swear far more anatomically in Spain. Public figures are especially given to cussing and Esperanza Aguirre, who swears like a trooper, has more cojones than your average Spanish politician. Except when it comes to getting booked for a traffic offence, that is.

EXCLUDED: Former President Jose Maria Aznar.

Trickle-down effect EDUARDO TORRES-DULCE, Spain’s equivalent of Attorney General, has criticised Spain’s inadequate anti-corruption laws. He cited “acquittals that are hard to understand” as well as “pardons for the corrupt” and “sentences that do not reflect the gravity of the offences perceived by the public.” Legislation is complicated and insufficient, complained the Fiscal General. Corruption has always been

an endemic Spanish disease but while it had a trickle-down effect most members of the public happily ignored it. Things are different now that the economic crisis and austerity conspired to ensure that few ill-gotten gains trickle down to provide work and prosperity for the non-corrupt of modest means. If corruption is ever tackled and eradicated in Spain it will be because of outrage and exasperation at the bottom of the heap, not the top of the pile.

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

EWN

The weakest to the wall: Spain in crisis T

HE Spanish crisis is generally discussed, alongside those of Italy, Greece and Portugal, presenting dubious statistics indicating usurious rates of interest paid on the loans and the variations of the same. When examined in a little more depth the effect of the economic policy being carried out to chastise the frivolous ‘PIGS’ (an extraordinary term to employ with regard to the birth places, respectively, of democracy, mathematics, medicine, western philosophy, art, architecture and navigation, to mention just a part of their contribution to European culture) is not only morally wrong, but ineffective. The protestant pastor’s daughter, born in the privations of the Eastern Block, at some deep level of her puritan psyche, is out to punish these wine-drinking siestasleeping Latins with her draconian cuts. Impervious to the arguments against her economic illiteracy, she presses on and in so doing ensures not only acute suffering for all, but that the weakest are going to the wall. Just how economically smart is it to allow a generation of children from the poorest families to go hungry (now including the middle classes, as Spain follows Romania in the child poverty pecking order)?

Author: Eternal Spain: Crisis and Corruption. Available on Amazon.

There is evidence of children arriving at school on an empty stomach and of teachers arriving with sandwiches to feed them. This is no rumour, but televised interviews with parents and head teachers discussing this outrageous situation. Long term unemployment in Spain immediately implies poverty and hunger, as those who had previously enjoyed full employment come to the end of their two year dole period (a word implying small portion and also ‘painful,’ or ‘doleful’) have no more benefits available to them. They have to pay all their local taxes, school fees, medicine without the least aid, at a time when local governments in many regions hit by corruption scandals are heavily in debt. They are, of course, losing their houses, as hundreds of thousands of dispossessions are carried out because the government refuses to follow the EU rulings that many of these are illegal. The Law of Dependency (Ley de la Dependencia 2007) was unanimously voted in, giving rights to disabled people, including benefits to patient and carer. They also received contributions to pensions and other benefits, but 75,000 women carers have

One woman recently interviewed on Spanish TV cared full-time for her mother, waiting five years for a pension she never received. Life is reflecting the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whose Colonel waited years for a pension that never arrived.

had contributions stopped and payments reduced. Moderate dependency has been removed from the waiting list. Many of those on the waiting list have since died and their descendents, who maintained them and gave up work to do so, are not to be paid what is owing to them. Woman are, of course, heavily prejudiced against, as their traditional role as mother/carer creates expectations both at family and state level, as the requirements of the dependency law are not met. Grade 3 is the maximum grade of dependency and not granted lightly. One couple interviewed on the show, applied three years ago for the maximum €600 payment and finally received €400, without the possibility of back pay for the waiting period. The physiotherapist costs €300 a month and the carer who comes daily, to do what the wife is unable to, costs €500 monthly. This means that the payment received hardly

covers the basics. Juame is a young man suffering from a degenerative disease which has left him in a wheelchair, in the care of his ageing parents, able only to use his hands. He wrote to the PM, Mariano Rajoy, explaining his case. He received a reply from the head of the PM’s kitchen cabinet, quoting the law in an inhumane manner, without any individual recognition or empathy. Celebrated investigative journalist Jordi Evole’s Sunday night programme is rumoured to be under threat, despite the highest ratings, because of his outspoken and daring revelations on the Sexta channel. On hearing Jaume’s plea, he rang the mobile of the civil servant in question and taped his replies, which went out on a programme watched by millions. The (not overly bright) bureaucrat played right into his hands, with a series of set phrases to fob the boy off and an Oscar-winning performance as the cruel baddy who refused the boy an interview. It’s not difficult to see why Jordi Evoli is unpopular with the government. Nice one, Jordi! Paul Krugman appears to be the only economist capable of taking into account the total panorama and factoring in the deleterious effect of poverty in his economic assertions. Poverty is, as European governments are now demonstrating, relatively easy to create and extraordinarily difficult to eradicate. The hungry kids, weakened or made ill by malnutrition, are not going to be the entrepreneurs of tomorrow. It would be interesting to hear comments from the expat community regarding their experience in this matter.

Dovidena/Flickr

JORDI EVOLE: Taking civil servants to task.

By Dr Trish Watson

SOUP KITCHEN: Many relying on charity to eat.

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FEATURE/PETS

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Solid start for Murcia’s Supermoto racing MAT FORD-DUNN: Qualified in pole position for the SM35 Master Championship.

TIM: Abandoned by his owners.

Tim needs home SPANISH Mastin Mix, DOB 15.01.2011 - 56 cm. Tim’s first year was very unlucky. He was abandoned by his owners and ended up at the pound. He was then adopted but sent back to the pound again. Tim is a very good dog, but he has a lot of energy. His last family brought him back, because they did not trust him with their very small children. We will never know if that was the real reason, because at the pound he behaves like a young dog and we have not seen anything to be scared about. Nevertheless, we do not recommend him to a family with very small children, because he surely needs some training. If you want to give him a permanent home and let him forget the past, please consider Tim now while he is still young! For more information call 618 754 635. APASA animal charity is based in Javea.

BOTH Anthony and Mat Ford-Dunn were in action at the weekend at the first round of the Spanish Supermoto Championships held in Villena, Alicante. The action for the brothers had already started the week before, when they both travelled to France to compete in the first round of the Supermoto Grand prix’s. The brothers both faired well with Anthony finishing 12th in the world championships and Mat finishing 23rd in the European Championships, but it was clear that they were outpaced by superior factory machinery.

FIRST ROUND: Anthony at the start of the race. Although they struggled for pace against the superior factory bikes the team learnt a great deal and have many things to test to improve the ‘Advance Moves International Removals’ sponsored, Supermotoland race bikes. The racing at Villena, Alicante was held in sunny but blustery conditions and both brothers got their championship challenges off to a solid start. Anthony qualified 3rd in the Premier SM Open championship class, and finished 5th, 2nd and 4th in his three races to come away with a 3rd overall for the days racing.

The results could have been even better but the Villena circuit is notoriously difficult to pass on and a lot of the race depends on how good a start you get. Anthony had the crowd on its feet in Race 2 when he put in an almost impossible overtaking move on the last lap to take 2nd place at the flag. Older Brother Mat qualified in pole position for the SM35 Master Championship and finished his two races in 2nd and 3rd position that gave him a 3rd overall for the days racing. Once again his results could

How to introduce cats to cats or even to dogs! NOT many people are able to introduce a new cat into the home of a resident cat that has been with a family for years. Often the advice is to keep the new cat in another room and not allow it to roam around the home and to change over the sleeping cloths so that the cats are able to scent each other. This works but one must be patient and this takes much time. My daughter Sarah, who has seven llamas, two horses, two Shetlands, two donkeys and two old cats, decided it was time to look around for another two cats. Sarah did not want kittens because they are

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Listen to David Costa del Sol on TRE every Saturday 10 (San Roque to(Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fam to 11am m (Calahonda to Calahonda) 91.9fm Costa Blanca Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida (To 92 .7fm rre vie ja to Elche) 10 (Elche to Calpe 5.1 (Denia to Valen ) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandiafm cia & ) Ibiza) 104.6fm 95 .3f m Mallorca 103.9 , fm

DOGS AND CATS: Can be friends. apt to be destructive, she found a pair of males that were about 18 months old. My daughter has 10 acres of land and devotes her entire day to the animals which are all her pets, she has a lot of work

have been even better but a crash on the first lap of race two whilst leading saw Mat have to remount in last position and fight through the pack to get a well deserved 3rd place. Team Sponsor Shane Stratton from Stratton Motorsports had flown in especially to watch the racing and was happy to see both his riders on the rostrum with some good championship points under their belts. The brothers next race is on May 11 at Menarguens in Catalunya. www.supermotoland.com

with grooming. There is much work in picking up stools - she has a special miniature tractor with a skip which is also good for moving poo, feed and hay. It is a long day but she also makes time to groom all

her animals every day. Sarah decided to take the hair which she had groomed from one of her resident cats and put this hair on the new cat and vice versa, this way they got used to each others' scent and within a few days the cats were all getting on well with each other. This will also work with dogs so why not give it a try especially if you are introducing cats to dogs or dogs to cats. For your local radio frequency log onto www.talkradioeurope.com

LA FINCA SPECIAL

EUROPEAN PRESS

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Discover all that

La

L

A FINCA lies just minutes outside of the Spanish village of Algorfa and is home to the prestigious La Finca Golf Resort. Designed by José Gancedo this 18 (+ 1) hole, par 72 course, opened in 2002 bringing with it a whole host of new developments, residents and jobs to the area. It offers spectacular views of the whole Vega Baja area and if golf is not your thing, there is the spa and beauty centre along with La Finca shopping centre. This is home to some well established and popular restaurants, along with supermarkets, butchers, property agents, cafés and clothing boutiques. It is easily reached by the newer urbanisations of La Finca, Montemar and Montebello, built to accommodate the influx of European residents and the spread of Algorfa. Archaelogists believe that the first settlers in Algorfa date back to

3,000BC. King Alfonso II granted it a privilege and founded it as a municipality when there were just 15 houses that had been given permission to be built on the land by rural estate

owners. It survived throughout the centuries on agriculture before witnessing the tourism explosion that many Costa Blanca towns and villages have enjoyed since the late 20th century and now, along with La Finca, makes it

8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

a c n i F

has to offer

an attractive destination for people of all nationalities looking to relocate to the Costa Blanca or enjoy a break in the sun. La Finca is easily accessible from Torrevieja, Los Montesinos, San Miguel and Quesada and also the AP-7 motorway.

EWN

EAT OUT: La Finca commercial centre is home to some of the area’s best restaurants. LA FINCA: Welcome to the world of La Finca. GOLF: Home to a prestigious golf course and spa resort. SUMMER: La Finca Golf is the perfect place to hang out in the summer.

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

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

Go natural for everyday holiday health complaints NOT got a medicine cabinet or a pharmacy to hand? Try these simple natural remedies to deal with everyday holiday health complaints: Honey: Honey has been used for centuries to treat minor wounds or burns. It helps to kill the bacteria that may cause infection and triggers the production of antibacterial hydrogen peroxide. Dab a little honey on the infected area and cover with a clean dressing. Teabags: Cooled teabags applied to an

insect bite helps to relieve the inflammation, stinging and swelling, acting as an astringent. Oatmeal also has a cooling effect on a bite. Cucumber: This is already used as a common ingredient in many beauty products as it is known for its soothing properties. As well as helping tired and sore eyes it can also bring relief to sunburnt skin because it contains vitamin C and an antioxidant - also found in coffee - which both have anti-inflammatory effects. Bananas: Overdone it the night before? Try eating a banana. Whilst drinking water will help hydrate you, bananas will gradually help to raise depleted sugar levels giving a more sustained recovery. Bananas are also gentle on the stomach, which may be irritated by the alcohol.

Spectacle Wearer of the Year SPECSAVERS OPTICAS have launched the first Spectacle Wearer of the Year Awards in Spain. The campaign is to recognise specs as a fashion statement as well as a visual aid and celebrate the millions of ordinary people in Spain who look amazing in their glasses. They are searching for

specs-wearing champions who make their specs a part of their identity, no matter what their age or style. The competition is open from May 1-31 and entries can be made via Facebook specsavers opticas or online at Specsavers.es/loveglasses. Entrants simply need to submit a recent colour

photograph of themselves wearing glasses. The person crowned the overall Spectacle Wearer of the Year will win a makeover, photoshoot and a pair of designer frames. There will also be eight semi-finalists who will win a pair of designer frames each. Details about the

competition can be found on the website specsavers.es/loveglasses The competition will be launched officially in all of their eight Spanish stores this month, with a frame styling day. Specsavers will also be collecting unwanted glasses for Lions Club International to donate to those in need.

Anxiety and depression increase ON THE RISE: Anxiety and depression in the Spanish population.

ANXIETY and depression affect 40 per cent of the Spanish population. Dr Jose Antonio Lopez-Rodriguez, Vice-president of the Spanish Association of Private Psychiatry (ASEPP), said these are the two most common mental disorders and warns that in recent years psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder have also increased due to lifestyles. It is estimated that one in five adults may suffer some psychiatric disorders throughout their lifetime. Lopez-Rodriguez said the fundamental cause of the increase in cases has been lifestyle: “This does not mean we are weaker than previous generations but we live faster, sleep less so we’re more tired and suffer more stress.”

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

Advertising Feature

Losing weight the fast track and easy way By Jonathan Gilchrist Costa Blanca’s top hypnotherapist SUMMER is the most uplifting time of year and it’s coming up fast. However, for people who are overweight, summer can be an extremely depressing season. Be it a few pounds or a few stones, the extra weight is unknowingly affecting your life and forcing you to make certain decisions, such as selecting the baggy top that shrouds your bingo wings over the shortsleeved shirt that is cooler. The Fast Track 30-minute weight control session boosts your willpower and trains you into maintaining a diet until it becomes part and parcel of your daily routine. It also encourages you to be more active. Fast Track weight control, or the 30-minute gastric band session, is about making your body at one with your mind, about giving you the strength to say no to that bag of crisps and to say yes to a new, slimmer you. With it, you’ll soon shed the pounds and

as such, your selfconfidence will flourish as will your self-esteem. You’ll not only look like a brand new person, you’ll also feel like one too! One patient, Jacinta, said: “I came for Fast Track Hypnosis after having gained weight after giving up smoking on my own, and the following August I had lost four stone (25.4 kilos). I have been honest with people and told them ‘it was easy to lose the weight’. I didn’t feel I was missing out. I didn’t feel I was depriving myself. I didn’t feel miserable. I felt great and the more weight I lost the better I felt. So just try the Fast Track weight control now!” Jonathan holds his Fast Track Hypnosis sessions at Cabo Roig, Quesada, and Benidorm. For an appointment, brochure, or free of charge initial consultation, call now. Jonathan Gilchrist Tel: 691 784 954 jonathangilchristbh@ gmail.com www.jonathangilchrist inspain.com

Married life can be a drag SINGLE? Then make the most of it as you could be happier than your married counterpart as a new study says being married makes you more depressed. Previous research has shown married people to be, in general, happier and healthier than singletons, but now, a new study contradicts it. The University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US carried out an 11-year study of married people which revealed that constant nagging by partners triggers deep-rooted stress. They found that tension in marriage also showed people to be less responsive to happy experiences.

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OPINION & COMMENT

Is the grass greener in Spain or UK? A RECENT survey of expatriates has revealed that those who migrate to Spain and Mediterranean countries are actually less happy than those who stayed at home. Are you happier here than in your home country or do you miss it? Or is it simply a case of the grass is always greener on the other side?

C

HARITY volunteer Jean McNeil, aged 73 from La Marina, Costa Blanca, has been living in Spain for 12 years and loves it. She is happier than when she was in the UK. “I’m definitely happier here. It is cheaper to live here and the sun shines, that makes it all so much better,” she said. Fifteenyear-old PAUL BRIGGS has the best of both worlds.

STREET TALK Gary Wilkinson, also from La Marina, has lived in Spain since he was five, but in August he will return to the UK to continue his studies. “There are more opportunities there and I want to do accountancy. I will stay in the UK for a few years,” he explained. His father agrees with his choice, saying: “It can be cheaper to live here but if you have to work and earn money it is difficult and I know a lot of people are going back for various reasons. “They come on holiday, think it’s great but daily living and holidays are very different.” Plasterer Paul Briggs, aged 40, has the best of both worlds. With a second home in Formentera he is able to see both sides and treat his two young sons to holidays on the Costa Blanca, but doesn’t believe the

grass is greener in Spain and wouldn’t want to make a permanent move realising the difficulty of the work situation. He said: “I’m glad to be going home this week. We all hate work but you’d miss it really and all people seem to do here is drink.” Chef Jason Owens, 32, from Marbella, Malaga, is happy to live in Spain. “In the catering trade hours are long and unsocial wherever you are. At least in Spain I am almost guaranteed sunshine when I am off and can enjoy it. In England I always seemed to be stuck indoors because of the rain. “I don’t miss England at all. The grass is definitely greener in Spain!” JEAN MCNEIL loves her Spanish life.

Welcome to the 2050 vintage Ulrica Marshall

Expat Strife Swedish-born Ulrica is a freelance journalist living in Mallorca with her family. Her debut novel $Expat Wives is available on Amazon and iBooks. To comment on any of the issues raised in Ulrica’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ulrica-marshall

ulrica@euroweeklynews.com

“ONE minute you’re wearing woolly jumpers and overcoats and the next it’s tee-shirt weather,” someone told me when I first arrived in Mallorca. I didn’t believe him until, indeed, someone flicked the summer switch and overnight winter became but a blustery memory. Now, according to locals, this switch scenario happens earlier each year, with each of the two seasons more extreme. In the past few weeks, an iceberg-sized mountain of studies on the subject have been published and I will do my best to summarise them for you here. Oxford University’s Rowlands

WARMING UP: In 2050, Spain will be hotter than ever. study predicted a rise of up to three degrees Celsius by 2050, which would wipe out 30 per cent of animal and plant species. It would also render many African and Asian territories uninhabitable, with low-lying countries like Bangladesh under water. The displacement of population would in turn create political unrest. The study echoes releases

from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as well as the Red Cross. It seems that the next generation will live in a world of food shortages on a global scale, lack of drinking water and, in many cases, in unlivable climates. The message is that we have to reduce emissions. Yet there is little political interest to take a long-term approach.

“We have a planetary emergency. We have to… create, in the generation of those alive today, a sense of generational mission,” Al Gore commented. But amid economic woes across the world and a race for economic supremacy in China and India, the climate remains at the bottom of the pecking order. On a local level, Spain in 2050 will be hotter than ever, losing

some of its touristic appeal. It will also face a tide of environmental refugees from Africa. Agricultural production conditions will be poor, especially impacting the wine industry. Ever wondered why the alcohol level in your bottle of tinto has crept up to 14 or 15 per cent? The answer is climate change, which is also why England is now able to produce some excellent wines. By 2050, the best vintages may well come from Sweden. What we do matters; environmentalists urge us to reduce the use of the car, or switch to a hybrid or electric version. Avoid flying (video conference and holiday near home) and choose renewable power if possible. We should pull the plugs on electrical equipment when not in use, recycle and avoid both dairy and meat, whose production causes 18 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a tall order, but if we can avoid an apocalyptic future, it is surely worth the effort…

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CROSSWORDS

8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

Time Out

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SPONSORED BY

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

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

Famous quote

‘

This week

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it’

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Women’s wit

in history

Why is it that all cars are women?’ he asked. ‘Because they’re fussy and demanding,’ answered Zee. ‘Because if they were men, they’d sit around and complain instead of getting the job done,’ I told him.’

‘

1945: Herman Goering, commander of the Luftwaffe, head of the Gestapo and president of the Reichstag, is captured by the US Seventh Army in Bavaria. 1950: L. Ron Hubbard publishes Dianetics; with this book Hubbard introduced a branch of self-help psychology which morphed into the belief system of Scientology. 1957: Petrol rationing is ended in Britain. There is widespread relief across the country as the Paymaster General announces the end of restrictions imposed during the Suez crisis. 1963: The first Bond movie opens. Sean Connery stars as the first ever 007 in Dr. No; this immortal character, created by Ian Fleming, would go on to make many more films. 1967: Two Rolling Stones arrested on drug charges. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards appeared before magistrates in Chichester charged with drug offences after a raid on their Redlands house. 1968: The Kray twins are held on suspicion of murder. Reginald and Ronnie are arrested after dawn raids by police in London. 1971: Britain’s oldest tabloid closes; the Daily Sketch, sister paper to the Daily Mail, which was founded in 1909, was published for the last time. 1972: Israeli commandos storm a hijacked jet in Tel Aviv. Twelve soldiers disguised as maintenance crew stormed the Sabena Boeing at the Lod airport; two of the hijackers are shot dead and two captured. 1978: “Son of Sam” pleads guilty to murders. The man alleged to have murdered six people in a killing spree in New York pleads guilty to all the charges against him. 1981: Thousands see Pope shot in Rome. The Pope was shot four times, two in the stomach, as he blessed the crowds in St Peter’s Square in Rome. 1984: Soviets announce boycott of Olympics. Claiming that its athletes will not be safe from protests and attacks, the USSR announces that it will not compete in the Los Angeles Olympics.

Patricia Briggs, Silver Borne

World of English During an interview on US television with Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Kruschev, the interviewer used an idiom to say he thought the Soviet leader's statements were not logical, saying that Krushchev was 'barking up the wrong tree.' Krushchev's interpreter couldn’t find an equivalent Russian expression and told Krushchev that the interviewer had said he was 'baying like a hound.' Krushchev was not amused!

‘

K a k u ro

Costa Blanca weather for next 7 days JAVEA

DENIA JAVEA

CALPE CALPE ALTEA ALTEA BENIDORM BENIDORM

ALICANTE

ALICANTE

TORREVIEJA

TORREVIEJA

ORIHUELA

ORIHUELA

Alicante TODAY:

Benidorm

SUNNY MAX 23C, MIN 15C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 24 16 S Tues - 24 16 Cl Wed - 24 16 Cl

24 16 Cl 24 17 Cl 25 17 Cl

SUNNY

MAX 25C, MIN 17C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 26 18 Cl Tues - 26 18 Cl Wed - 26 18 C

25 18 S 26 19 S 28 19 S

Mon - 23 17 S Tues - 23 18 S Wed - 22 18 S

23 18 Cl 23 19 Cl 23 18 Cl

SUNNY

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 21C, MIN 16C

21 16 S 21 16 Cl 21 15 Cl S Sun,

MAX MIN

Mon - 20 14 Cl Tues - 20 15 Cl Wed - 22 16 Cl Cl Clear,

TODAY:

Fog,

Fri Sat Sun -

23 16 S 24 18 Cl 27 18 S

MAX 22C, MIN 16C MAX MIN

Mon - 25 17 S Tues - 27 17 S Wed - 27 17 Cl

TODAY:

SHOWER MAX 37C, MIN 26C

Fri Sat Sun -

36 26 Sh 25 26 Sh 36 26 Sh

MAX MIN

Mon - 29 13 S Tues - 29 13 S Wed - 30 13 Cl

29 16 Cl 30 15 Cl 29 13 S

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Mon - 36 26 Sh Tues - 36 26 Sh Wed - 36 26 Sh

Murcia

CLEAR

MAX 25C, MIN 15C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

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Mallorca CLEAR MAX 28C, MIN 15C

TODAY:

SUNNY

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Madrid

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Fri Sat Sun -

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Barcelona TODAY:

MAX MIN

Bilbao

Almeria TODAY:

Malaga

CLEAR MAX 22C, MIN 17C

TODAY:

31 15 Cl 31 14 Cl 29 12 S C Cloudy,

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 29 13 S Tues - 29 13 Cl Wed - 31 13 Cl Sh Showers,

CLEAR MAX 29C, MIN 15C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

30 16 Cl 31 18 Cl 32 17 Cl

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

Mon - 29 16 S Tues - 31 16 S Wed - 29 17 Cl Th Thunder

LOTTERY

DENIA

Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

TOMORROW

TODAY

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

LA PRIMITIVA

Saturday May 3

Saturday May 3

Saturday May 3

Friday May 2

Saturday May 3

10

4

1

7

8

11

20 9

27

23

30

48

32

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA Sunday May 4

4

5

1

14

16

21

45

49

53

30 17

39

31

41

43

42

31

2

38

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

28

9

32

LUCKY STARS

2

11

37

REINTEGRO

37

1

REINTEGRO

6

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CROSSWORDS

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

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) The brick wall that you start banging your head against this week is not an illusion. It is, indeed, true that others are not responding to you in an expected way. By Wednesday this wall will start to fall and people will be more receptive. GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Everything seems an effort at the beginning of this week but as energy levels pick up you will gain momentum. Tackle one thing at a time and realise that Rome was not, indeed, built in a day. As the weekend approaches you will begin to realise that you have been far more effective than you thought. CANCER (June 22 - July 23) You really do need to come to an understanding with friends over a social matter, although this may take a little effort this week. It is clear that there are those who are less helpful than others, but this could be because of a misunderstanding. LEO (July 24 - August 23) Be a social animal this week and you will strengthen both people and business contacts. After being busy last week, you may be inclined to take it easy. If it is the case that you really are low on energy, then use the telephone or email to full advantage to keep in touch. VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Someone well and truly treads on your toes this week and it really puts your teeth on edge. There are some bridges that may not be mended at the present time and are best left alone. Show your generous side but resist the urge to give in on an important issue because you are likely to regret it later. . LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) What a lovely surprise to find that something you have always wanted is coming your way at last. Keep a firm hand with finances and take control if you want to organise things for the better.

May 10, Bono, 53. Singer. Born Paul David Hewson he is the front man of the Irish band U2 which has sold over 150 million records worldwide. He is also a well known philanthropist who champions many causes. May 11, Ace Hood, 25. Rapper. This American rapper is best known for his hit single “Hustle Hard” and “Bugatti” the latter of which peaked at 15 on the Hot 100 charts. SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Be cautious this week with your money. You have been aware for some time now that a change in your finances is likely. You have this in common with many others in your situation. Seeking professional help can be free and can make a big difference. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) A special chance to try something new should not be passed over. No one expects wonders from you, they are happy just to see you enjoying life. A recent change in your attitude to your future is already showing. Luck is just waiting for you to invite her in.

RESORT

CLEVER (10)

SEATED

CURSED

SEEING

DEVICE

SPEARS

DRAWER

STEEDS

ELDERS

VEERED

GREASE

WEALTH

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

GREASY

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Invert, 2 Waters, 3 Recede, 4 5 Closer, 6 Assure, 7 Cheers, 8 9 Cackle, 10 Cobble, 11 Spears, 12 13 Barely, 14 Saying, 15 Lonely, 16 17 Bairns, 18 Shrill, 19 Soiled

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Many things have changed in recent months and you will need to bend with the wind in the months to come. You do not have to give up all that you hold dear; however, you may have to realise that an era has passed. See what beckons.

May 9, Albert Finney, 77. Actor. Esteemed British actor who co-starred in Erin Brockovich made his acting debut with the Royal Shakespeare Company and his film debut with Saturday Night and Sunday Evening.

REELED

CELLAR

Elders, Usable, Cheery, Seared,

Your Stars

May 12, Tony Hawk, 45. Skateboarder. This Californian sports icon is known for redefining vertical skateboarding and launching a successful video game series – he is nicknamed the “Birdman” for his aerial stunts.

May 8, Marta Sanchez. Singer. This Spanish singer has often been called the Queen of Spanish pop after being the lead singer of Ole Ole and one of Spain’s biggest sex symbols of the 1980’s. Her father was an opera singer and she began her career with Cristal Oskuro before being discovered by Ole, Ole.

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CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Your home life gives you the most satisfaction at the moment even though someone seems to be challenging you. Some things are best ignored until they go away of their own accord and that also often applies to people. There is a time for everything and choosing it will make a task that could be difficult that much easier. AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Involvement in a situation connected with someone close may not be the best option this week. Giving advice is all well and good so long as you are sure of your facts.

1. By what stage name is the Israeli singer Sharon Cohen (born Yaron Cohen), whose song Diva, won the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in 1998, better known? 2. Cliff Richard has represented the UK in the ESC on two occasions (1968 and 1973); name the two songs he sang? 3. In which country was the first ever ESC held, in May 1956? 4. What was the title of Abba’s 1974 ESC winning song? 5. What was unusual about the result of the 1969 ESC? 6. Which actress, best known for playing the role of Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders, represented the UK at the 1991 ESC? 7. Which country has won the ESC the most times (seven)? 8. Which country will host the 2014 ESC? 9. Which Irish singer won the ESC in 1980 with What's Another Year and again in 1987 with Hold Me Now? 10. Who, in 1967, was the UK’s ever first winner of the ESC?

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

TARGET:

May 13, Robert Pattinson, 27. Actor. Actor, producer and model he first came to fame in the ultra-popular Twilight series as the vampire who we all love. He also played Cedric Diggory in the Harry Potter series. May 14, George Lucas, 69. Director. Director, producer and screenwriter who created Star Wars and the Indiana Jones franchises; he originally wanted to be a race car driver and his debut film was American Graffiti (1973). PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Some disruption to your plans annoys you but there’s no point getting in a huff. Outside influences cannot be stopped but you are able to keep calm yourself. Rising to the bait will play into someone else’s hands. Although a situation must be dealt with, do it in your own time and in your own way. ARIES (March 21 - April 20) It seems that you are putting a lot of effort into whatever you do without getting as much out as you would like. However, as the week goes by, you will realise that it is only a temporary situation. Sometimes, it takes others a period of adjustment before they are ready to accept changes of a personal nature.

Average: 7 Good: 9 Very good: 14 Excellent: 17

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION cede, clod, code, cold, cord, cred, deco, deer, dele, doer, dole, dolt, dote, lode, lord, redo, reed, retd, rode, teed, toed, told, trod, cered, coder, cored, credo, creed, décor, deter, dolce, doter, elder, erode, older, treed, colder, decree, delete, leered, recede, reeled, retold, teredo, elected, erected, ELECTRODE

Word Ladder PART

WITH

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

PART PARS PATS PITS WITS WITH

The running time is 100 minutes and it is rated for all audiences.

LEERED

ARENAS

PART PARS PATS PATH PITH WITH or

THE Lego movie is an AmericanAustralian computer animated adventure comedy co-written and directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller. It stars Chris Pratt and Will Ferrel and is based mainly on the Lego line of construction toys. The wizard Vitruvius attempts to protect a super weapon called the Kragle but fails... what will happen?

ACORNS

10-Star Quiz

1. DANA INTERNATIONAL, 2. CONGRATULATIONS (1968) and POWER TO ALL OUR FRIENDS (1973), 3. SWITZERLAND (Lugano), 4. WATERLOO, 5. FOUR COUNTRIES (Spain, UK, Netherlands and France) WON THE CONTEST, 6. SAMANTHA WOMACK (JANUS), 7. IRELAND, 8. DENMARK (Copenhagen), 9. JOHNNY LOGAN, 10. SANDIE SHAW

The Lego Movie

H ex a g r a m

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 (CLEVER) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

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Crosswords

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Cryptic

Quick

Unscramble the name of a famous Football League Championship team (two words): SIGN FOR TOTTENHAM

Across 1 Bishop puts a stop to diver’s danger (5) 4 Set off, and without a meal (6) 9 Drove back at speed to let you know (7) 10 Reduce Mayflower stores (5) 11 God of war espied (4) 12 King surrounded by menservants or knaves (7) 13 Poem for odd oldies (3) 14 Look! A fish bone one discarded (4) 16 Some insane Roman (4) 18 Worry about a tap (3) 20 Press or key source of metal (4,3) 21 Where one may eat food providing calcium and iron (4) 24 Delete from Opera search engine (5) 25 Nice tax break is incorrect (7) 26 Pushes steamship around East Sussex resort (6) 27 Stuff being vandalised (5)

Unscramble the name of a famous 1946 American comedy-drama film (four words): NULLIFIED SOFTWARE FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: NOTTINGHAM FOREST, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

Play on Words

7 Badger one animal almost and another (6) 8 Go on holiday and cook oriental veal (5) 13 Old fashioned oboe? Let’s go beserk (8) 15 Advocate replacing alien with nothing will bear fruit (7)

17 Remove centre of timbers to make clocks (6) 18 Country’s kind dropping head of government (5) 19 Fellow the French say is kind (6) 22 A profit once more (5) 23 Rosemary, perhaps, in a feather bed (4)

Code Breaker

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 1 represents H and 11 represents F, so fill in H every time the figure 1 appears and F every time the figure 11 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.

Across 1 Hold dear (7) 5 Wharf (4) 8 Method (5) 9 Make more coarse (7) 11 Memo (4) 12 Military post (8) 15 Exasperated (3,2) 16 Fundamental (5) 19 Rural (8) 21 Large brass instrument (4) 23 Person’s natural height (7) 25 Avoid capture (5) 26 Pull, as against a resistance (4) 27 Factory, school or business restaurant (7) Down 2 Lacking in feeling, pity or

warmth (9) 3 Pause for relaxation (4) 4 Brook (6) 5/24 Military identification (3,3) 6 Set of beliefs (5) 7 Correct (5) 10 Loud confused noise from many sources (6) 13 Cause to be alert and energetic (9) 14 Number puzzle (6) 17 Equipment for taking photographs (6) 18 Engraving or carving in low relief on a stone (5) 20 Make different (5) 22 Something owed (4) 24 See 5

English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.

REVIRD TAES

Answers: Banana split, Backseat driver

Down 1 Prohibit any form of fig tree (6) 2 Scandinavian boatmen or seafaring characters (5) 3 Cork discovered in Japanese allspice (4) 5 Appealing for gull I ran around (8) 6 Were any revised at the end of December (3,4)

Funagram

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Regain, 5 Pretty, 8 Hero, 9 Carbines, 10 Generate, 11 Ibex, 12 Atlas, 14 Yearn, 18 Nabs, 20 Chairman, 22 Likeness, 23 Ahoy, 24 Bereft, 25 Roses. Down: 2 Element, 3 Alone, 4 Nectar, 5 Parley, 6 Edifice, 7 Theme, 13 Austere, 15 Reasons, 16 Accent, 17 Caesar, 19 Aside, 21 Roams. QUICK Across: 1 Christmas Eve, 7 Aura, 8 Portions, 9 Battle, 10 Images, 11/16 Run dry, 12 Fever, 14 Usual, 18 Triple, 20 Excess, 22 Biennial, 23 Pale, 24 Once in a while. Down: 1 Courage, 2 React, 3 Supper, 4 Margin, 5 Spirals, 6 Venue, 13 Expunge, 15 Absolve, 16 Design, 17 Yellow, 19 Reign, 21 Capri.

Across 1 Química (9) 7 Cuerdas (gruesas) (5) 9 Rio (corriente de agua) (5) 10 Equipo (deporte) (4) 11 Strawberries (fruit) (6) 13 Pala (para cavar) (5) 14 Smooth (skin) (5) 15 To answer (reply) (9)

Down 2 Table (4) 3 Sorpresas (9) 4 Magazine (journal) (7) 5 Británico (7) 6 Cepillos (para ropa, dientes, pelo) (7) 8 Banana (7) 12 Izquierdo (4)

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Empleador, 5 Taste, 7 Sacar, 9 Seiscientos, 10 Motos, 11 Tired, 13 Reservoir. Down: 1 Eat, 2 Exercises, 3 Despertar, 4 Caras, 6 Skirt, 8 Citar, 9 Sumar, 12 Dar.

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THE TEN MOST POPULAR BREEDS OF DOG

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FROM pups that fit into purses to those that need stabling, dog breeds run the whole range of sizes, shapes, temperaments and overall looks but they all have one thing in common - they all come from the gray wolf. Here are 10 breeds that are mainstays on the most popular dog’s lists. 1. Labrador Retriever These athletic dogs are originally from Newfoundland where they 1 worked alongside fishermen to help pull nets and catch fish. They were then crossed with retrieving breeds making them into very successful gun dogs. 2. German Shepherd This breed is the gold standard when it comes to police, guard and military dogs. They are derived from a mix of herding and farm dogs originated in 1899 in Karlsruhe, Germany and are a mainstay on all ‘most popular’ lists.

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THIS is the sixth book in the Shadowhunter world. As their New York society falls apart around them Clary, Jace, Simon and their collected friends must club together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother whom nothing in the world can defeat. They must journey to another world where lives will be lost and

love sacrificed. The Nephilim are humanangel hybrids that walk among us but cannot be seen; they are the invisible protectors from the interdimensional parasites known as demons. The whole world has changed for this instalment of the epic six-book young adult fantasy series known by its fans as the Shadowhunter

3. Yorkshire Terrier Part of the toy group they weigh between 1.8 and 3.2 kilos. Named for the city in Britain where they originated, they were originally used to catch rats in the clothing mills. 4. Golden Retrievers This intelligent dog was bred into existence by Lord Tweedmouth who wanted a skilled retriever which was suited to the Scottish climate, terrain and game, he crossed a Labrador with a Tweed Water Spaniel and the ‘golden’ was the result.

BULLDOG: Lovable nature.

App of the Week GLANCE This location app will keep you in touch wherever you are. You sign in with your Facebook details and it then alerts you to the presence of people with similar friends and interests - you never need miss an important connection again!

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5. Beagles This breed’s hunting acumen and cheery temperament have made them one of the most popular breeds. Originally they were used to track everything from deer to rabbits.

8. Daschunds Known as ‘sausage dogs’ this fearless, lengthy, canine can dig into badger burrows and fight to the death with them. First bred in Germany in the 1600’s they didn’t become popular until the 1900’s. 9. Poodles These come in many sizes from toy, at around 1.5 kilos, to standard, at around 50 kilos. This is not a fluffy toy but rather a dog breed with major smarts which excels at training; they are thought to be one of the cleverest dogs.

Chronicles. This book has already won the South Carolina Book award for young adults.

6. Boxers These dogs stand on their hind legs to ‘duke it out’ with their opponent; this gave them their name although they are a gentle breed and known to be very good with families that have children.

10. Shih Tzus This toy dog was cherished by Chinese royals as a house pet for over a thousand years during the Ming Dynasty. They were brought to the UK by soldiers during World War 1.

7. Bulldogs This breed owes its popularity to its lovable nature and adorable appearance. The bulldog gets its name due to its connection with bull baiting in Britain in the 1700’s.

LABRADOR: Athletic: GERMAN SHEPHERD: Military.

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.

Boggled How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules? The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms. No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice. No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

TARGET:

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Average: 21

Just Joking Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until they speak. He who laughs last thinks slowest. Why didn’t the blonde want a window seat on the plane? Because she just had her hair done!

Good: 27 Very good: 40 Excellent: 49

SCORING: 4 letters: 1 point • 5 letters: 2 points 6 letters: 3 points • 7 letters: 4 points 8 or more letters: 11 points

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION oxen, toxin, tiro, tire, tine, tier, trio, trip, tripe, troy, trope, yore, inert, inner, riot, ripe, ripen, rope, rein, opine, open, nitre, next, neon, exit, pine, pier, port, pore, pert, peon, pone, crop, core, copier, cope, cone, comp, comport, nope, mopier, mope, moper

FOOD & DRINK

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Costa de Almeria’s best guide to local sport

Costa Blanca’s best guide to local restaurants

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Cereal increases survival rate after heart attack RESEARCHERS claim a bowl of breakfast cereal every day increases the chances of living longer for people who have had heart attacks. A research team, based in Boston, found that people who ate the most fibre had a 25 per cent lower chance of dying in the nine years after their heart attack, with the risk being reduced by 15 per cent for every 10 grams per day increased fibre intake. The researchers behind the study, published on bmj.com, analysed data from two major US studies, the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professional Follow-up Study, looking at 2,258

women and 1,840 men who survived a first heart attack. They were followed for an average of almost nine years, during which 682 women and 451 men died. Those who ate most fibre had a 25 per cent lower chance of dying from any cause during the nine years after their heart attack, but only higher cereal fibre intake, not fruit and vegetables, was linked with an increased chance of long-term survival. It has been previously found that people who have a high intake of dietary fibre are less likely to develop coronary diseases.

BREAKFAST BOWL: Dietary fibre good for the heart.

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FOOD & DRINK

Cherry juice to get more sleep DRINKING cherry juice may improve sleep patterns amongst older people who suffer from insomnia. Researchers from Louisiana State University in the United States found that drinking tart cherry juice in the morning and evening may help people to sleep better at night. Drinking the juice twice a day for two weeks helped increase sleep time by nearly 90 minutes it was revealed at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nutrition. Insomnia - defined as trouble sleeping on average more than three nights per week - is a common problem among older adults, and can seriously affect their health. It is linked to a higher prevalence of chronic pain, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and a decline of cognitive function, or dementia. CHERRY JUICE: May help people to sleep better at night.

Some bad habits to avoid at home STICKING to a healthy diet is never easy, especially in the fastpaced society in which we live, but if you can change some habits in the kitchen, you’re taking a

step in the right direction. Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian and wellness manager for Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, proposes six easy changes just to get

you started with your weight loss plan. • Adding a splash or a pinch of certain ingredients may work on cooking shows, but it’s always better to measure

EGGS: Come in all colours and sizes.

Eggs: How much do we know about them? THE average human will eat around 13,345 eggs in their lifetime. We all eat eggs, be they duck, chicken, goose, plover or even ostrich, but what do we know about them? We keep eggs in the fridge yet they are always sold at room temperature. This is because a brusque or frequent temperature change (cold, hot, cold) could allow for the formation of fungus between the shell and the inner membrane. You can tell if an egg is fresh or not by submerging it in water;

the greater the buoyancy the fresher it is. Brown or white - it makes no difference to the egg itself, the colour is entirely dependent on the breed of chicken it comes from. Double yoke eggs happen when two ovulations happen simultaneously and continue their development together. This is often hereditary but some breeds produce these double delights more often than others. However you eat them, boiled or fried, they are delicious and nutritious.

ingredients with cups and spoons. The ‘splash’ of olive oil you add to the cooking may look OK, but it’s probably more than you need and adds extra calories to the menu. • When you are greasing pans make sure you don’t overdo it. Better still, use non-stick cookware so that there are no extra calories. • Don’t eat food straight from the package, as you’re more likely to eat the whole thing, instead, put everything into portions before tucking in. • When you’ve been cooking, store the extra portions in containers ready to go in the fridge before you sit down to eat. This should stop you from heading into the kitchen and refilling your plate with what’s left over. • Don’t hide fruit and vegetables in a drawer. Keep them in sight, either in the fridge or in a fruit bowl, so that you are more likely to consume them. • If you can’t live without a ‘treat bowl’ in your home with sweets, nuts or other goodies to pick on, choose snacks which are harder to eat in excess, like nuts with their shells still on.

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Pre-pregnancy diet can affect baby’s health RESEARCH suggests that a woman’s diet before she becomes pregnant affects the genes of her future child and may have a lifelong impact on the child’s health. Researcher Andrew Prentice, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “A mother’s nutrition before she becomes pregnant is super-critical.” This could lead to women who want to start a family being advised to take a cocktail of vitamins and other food supplements ahead of pregnancy. Working with the Medical Research Council’s unit in the Gambia, Prentice measured the concentration of various nutrients in the blood of nearly 170 newly-pregnant women. Half conceived at the height of the rainy season and half at the peak of the dry season.

He also scrutinised the DNA of their babies and quizzed other local women about their diet. The results showed that

it is what the women ate before pregnancy that was important, not what was eaten when carrying the child.

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omes&gardens

H

HOMES & GARDENS

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The dry weather may stay so keep your garden watered WHICHEVER coastal weather forecast I check the same thing comes up, another two weeks of dry weather. This is ominous for gardeners, for with little or no winter and spring rain, the water tables are dropping and some inland reservoir resources are already under pressure. So walk your garden three or four times a week to check that nothing, plant shrub or tree, is showing signs of drying out. If it is, give it a really good soaking. With such conditions only

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Dick Handscombe

Gardening Corner By Dick Handscombe Spain’s best known expat gardening author about to start his 26th winter cut back.

plant to hide visible gaps in otherwise pristine gardens, but do use drought resistant plants and improve the soil where they will be planted. If you are about to plant a new garden consider delaying most of the plantings until the autumn rains unless you have a few days of heavy rain.

Twenty five years ago many areas could expect a storm a month and one could get away without an irrigation system and just use a hose between storms. Then 10 years ago May opened in many years with heavy storms that raised garden water tables just before planting times of flowering plants and the sowing and planting of summer vegetables. We know this for sure as several walking and camping weekends were washed out and one had to wait for the veggie plot to

dry out for a few days before planting summer squash. Today, light machines make no impression on the rock hard soil outside our village and only heavy deep machines can plough the soil. Having suffered heavily from drought and drying winds last year, hillside olive groves are again in trouble with no rain, long hot days and dried up springs. Only those planted on the flat valley bottom - the best agricultural land - with full irrigation are likely to yield good crops. So against that background consider sowing and planting vegetables through holes in black plastic sheeting laid over the entire growing. If you plant new fruit trees in the autumn, again plant them through black plastic that helps maintain moist soil al the year round. One thing that can still be done to reduce summer watering needs is to mulch under and around plants with deep layers of compost, ground volcanic ash, small stone chippings, composted manures, nut shells, and wood chippings. If planning a new garden plan, plant high hedges and spreading trees to provide semi and dappled shade and reduce considerably the percentage of the garden which will experience full sun all day. Lastly, if you are not sure of which possible plants, shrubs and trees are spreading and drought resistant, have a look at the tables in our book ‘Your garden in Spain.’ © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com May 2014.

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PROPERTY

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Website gives list of Spain’s 10 most expensive streets to buy a property SPANISH property website Idealista.com has released a list of the 10 most expensive streets in Spain to buy property. Spain has two versions of popular board game Monopoly, one for Madrid, on which the most expensive property is in the Paseo de Prado, and the other for Barcelona, where in the game, the Passeig de Gracia tops the list. However, neither of these tops Idealista.com’s list of the top 10 most expensive streets in the country; in fact, surprisingly, neither city has the most expensive street. Instead, it has been named as the Paseo de Miraconcha in the Basque city of San Sebastian, overlooking La Concha Beach, with prices of €9,453 per square metre.

SAN SEBASTIAN: Most expensive street in Spain.

The second and third most expensive streets are in Barcelona, in Passeig Garcia Faria, where property would set you back €7,303 per square metre, and at just €350 less, the Passeig de Gracia. The next three are on Madrid’s Golden Mile, and are Calle Velazquez, Calle Ortega y Gasset and Calle Serrano, with prices between €6,260 and €5,962, and the seventh most expensive is also in Madrid, Calle Almagro, where the price is €5,934 per square metre. The next is Bilbao’s Paseo Uribitarte, at €5,723, followed again by Barcelona, where a property in the Carrer de Sentmenat costs €5,598 per square metre, and finally, another Madrid street, Paseo de Pintor Rosales, at €5,450.

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY: Cave-houses are popular with tourists keen on the outdoor life.

Wish to be a cave-dweller?

AN earth-house is an architectural style characterised by the use of natural terrain. In Spain, they are known as ‘casascueva,’ or cave-houses. One of the main benefits of cave-houses is their natural insulation, which cools them down in summer and keeps them warm in winter. Most have huge log-burning fires. One of the areas in Spain where there are most cave-houses is in the province of Granada. Those in the regions of Guadix and El Marquesado and the Baza-Huescar area are particularly famous and have become a huge tourist attraction since many have been refurbished and used as rural accommodation. Cave-houses have been the traditional homes in this area, where the climate is hot and dry in the summer and extremely cold in the winter, for centuries, although most were carved in the 19th century by farmworkers. Nowadays, a good number of foreigners have headed inland to this little-known area of Granada to purchase cave-houses for a fraction of the cost of a villa in coastal areas located within just a few hours’ drive.

As well as living in them, they are a great business opportunity, as they are popular amongst tourists who are aware of the importance of protecting the environment, keen on outdoor sports or simply want to experience something different. One such opportunity is currently available at La Atalaya complex in Huescar (pictured). For more information, contact lachenni81@yahoo.es. The Granada Plateau, in the north of the province, is a region of contrasts, with a huge plateau surrounding the mountains, lakes and natural parks. The plateau is dotted with towns with cave-houses which in some areas look like something out of The Hobbit, with chimneys poking out of grassy roofs and doors and windows cut out of the rocks. Once inside, however, you may not believe you are in a cave. Prices for one of these charming abodes can start from about €20,000, although the average for a small cave-house is about €50,000. They are very energy-efficient, and upkeep is relatively simple.

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PROPERTY

After crisis, things can only get better! PROPERTY prices in Spain could be about to hit rock bottom in 2014,

according to credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P); in their opinion

More companies are buying properties IN 2007 only 5 per cent of property purchases were made by companies; this figure contrasts heavily with a total of 22 per cent in 2013. Purchases made by individuals went from 95 per cent in 2007 to only 78 per cent in 2013. This change in the profile of buyers is one of the variables analysed by the Estadistica Registral Inmobiliaria (ERI), which gathers information from the principal lenders on the market. According to the ERI, this change in profile is not homogenous to all regions; the Canary Islands, La Rioja and Cataluña are the regions in which more companies are buying, whereas in Extremadura, Cantabria and the Basque Country private, individual buyers are still the norm. Foreign buyers are also on the up; with only 4 per cent of purchases in 2009 they are now up to 11 per cent for 2013.

Spain’s ‘brick crisis’ could finally be coming to an end. S&P have revised the ratings of the 12 biggest banks in Spain after considering that they have now absorbed the majority of their losses due to property and the double recession. In the opinion of S&P “the end is in sight.” After the revision, the BFA has gone from ‘B-’ to a ‘B’ and Cecabank has gone to a ‘BB+’ with a positive perspective. Caixabank has achieved a ‘BBB-’ with a negative perspective and La Caixa has gone to a ‘BB.’ Bankinter and Sabadell have remained at ‘BB’ with positive perspective and Bankia has stayed at ‘BB-’ also with positive perspective.

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

ALARMS

ALARMS: All types, quality systems, very reasonable, guaranteed. Tel: 966 797 370 / 600 237 223 (222219)

BOATS

ZODIAC inflatable boat 3.10m x 1.64m beam. Excellent cond i t i o n . Ya m a h a o u t b o a r d 4 stroke engine, 3.95 horsepower. On purpose built trailer, very easy to launch with new tyres & bearings. €1,400 or nearest offer. 965 562 500 / 664 103 152 (220187)

CARS WANTED

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.es BUY & SELL

CHARITIES/CHURCHES

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life – damaging everything that is important to you. Englishspeaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: *648 169 045* or Costa Blanca South: *625 912 078* or Costa Calida *679 385 105*. All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 679 212 535; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. www.aacostablanca.org (93323) ROUNDABOUT CHARITY SHOP. We are now into summer and very soon we will be feeling the heat! It is time therefore for another visit to the shop where you might find a bargain or two. Choose from the clothing selection, jewellery, household goods, books or bric a brac. There is usually something there for everyone —- but not always. Charitable donations have recently been made to The Alzheimers Centre, Cancer Research and The Amigos Ambulance Service. We still need your help with donations etc. Please keep them coming in! During July and August the shop will only be open Wednesday to Saturday from 09.30 until 13.00. We are situated on Avenida Del Furs close to the Fountain Roundabout and immediate left by Don Colchon bed shop. (93325) THE SPIRITUALIST CHURCH OF QUESADA, meets at new premises, Hamiltons Bakehouse, Calle Vicente 62, Blasco Ibañez, Benijofar. Sunday Service at 11.30am. A Tuesday evening of Mediumship at 7.30pm and every Thursday there is an opportunity to develop your skills at the Open Circle at 7.30pm. Spiritual Healing is available Sunday and Tuesday. Contact Wendy on 965 323 028. (95454)

THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION, Torrevieja Branch, meet at 17.00 on the first Wednesday of each month at the Restaurante El Paraiso, Urb. Jardin del Mar 3 (behind Carrefour), Torrevieja. Contact Mike Wright, Chairman 966 722 895 or Margaret Forshaw, Secretary 966 921 996. (95455) HELP VEGA BAJA. We help anyone, any age and any nationality, 24hr helpline. Offices based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega and in Torrevieja on Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4. You can contact us on 966 723 733 between 10am and 1:30pm or online at www.helpvegabaja.com. For emergencies 24hr helpline 965 704 282 (95456) THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Orihuela Costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier. The branch meets at Olympia restaurant, Mil Palmeras on 3rd Thursday of each month at 19.00 - 19.30pm. More info can be found on branch website www.orihuelacostarbl.co.uk. (95457) THE BAKER FOUNDATION for SPIRITUAL AWARENESS. 16 Nicolas De Bussi Ave, Playa Flamenca. Sunday Service every week 11am to 12 noon, everyone welcome. For further details please phone/fax 966 760 665 (95458) THE PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB meets every Friday in the Bar Catorce, Benijofar. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 653 066 919 for further information. (95459) CHARITY BOOK STALL PEGO THURSDAY MARKET. Selection of over 500 books, all proceeds given to the elderly/disabled of Pego and local Animal Rescue. More stock always required please contact Chrissie 965 977 228/617 647 395 (95460) THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188 (95461) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 (95462)

CHARITY

PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH, Calle Canalejas, 3. Pilar de la Horadada. Sunday Service at 11am & Thursday at 5pm for Prayer and Praise and Worship. Home groups meet during the week. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information, contact PilarChristian.CommunityChurch@g mail.com / 968 575 417 / 966 848 806. Reg No: 2009-SG/A (95463) TCF is a multi-national English speaking church now located on Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 68, Torrevieja. The Sunday Service, including Communion and Creche/Sunday School, commences at 10.30am with a Bible Study/Prayer Meeting on Wednesday evenings at 6.00pm. Telephone 966 700 391 or call in to the Church any day between 9.00am until 1.00pm. Monday to Friday to find out more about Church activities. (95464) THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.acacostablanca.org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 (95465) HELP MMM CANCER SUPPORT GROUP Appointments for cervical, breast and prostate screening in the Murcia area, please ring 680 393 257 (95466) THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION JAVEA BRANCH meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month @ Scallops Rest on the Arenal at 11.00am. Everyone is welcome to attend as a visitor and join the branch if they wish. Anyone needing any help or advice on welfare, or any information regarding the branch can contact either Sheila on 965 791 270 or Roger on 965 790 123 (95472) TORREVIEJA STROKE SUPPORT GROUP meets each Friday 3pm to 5pm in The Annex, (behind Age Concern Centre), Calle Paganini, Urb. La Siesta. Our aim is to support stroke survivors and their carers by a range of facilities from speech therapy, rehabilitation exercise, group discussion etc. For

info: Louie 96 671 8964 or Carol, Secretary: 966 765 488, e-mail: strokesupportgroup @hotmail.com Donations and further voluntary helpers are needed and guest speakers with relevant knowledge or experience are very welcome. (95473) THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant Branch meets 1st Tuesday of every month at The Norwegian Club on Sierra Mar Urbanisation at 7pm for 7.30pm prompt. For further info contact Barbara Turnbull, Branch Secretary on 608 994 456 or email b_dmt1966@yahoo.co.uk (95474) CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer has opened a charity shop at C/Virgen de los Desamparados No 13 (next door to Mas y mas) El Campello. The shop is open Mon-Fri 10 2pm and is run by unpaid volunteers and all monies raised goes to the AECC. We urgently need donations of clothes, books, large and small furniture etc, and we will arrange collection of large items. We need volunteers to help out in the shop and also clothes rails, shelves etc. for display. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please stop by at the shop. Contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hotmail.com

ELECTRICIAN UK ELECTRICIAN Fully qualified all aspects of electrical work. Free estimates. Also pool cleaning services. 965 725 445 / 616 226 083 (207750) MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (201515)

GARDENING GARDENER, 25 years working in Spain. English/Spanish spoken. Private gardens and communities. Free quotes, billthegarden er@hotmail.es. Tel 699 682 630 (215525)

GEN. MAINTENANCE QUALIFIED TRADESMAN - Electrical, plumbing, fencing, painting, balustrades, satellite tv installation and general maintenance. Tel 965 328 361 or 680 934 549 (219789)

GOLF GOLF Power Caddy equivalent, 33 amp batteries with adaptors available, in stock, quantity discounts. www.hispavan.com 687 845 730 (222034)

INSURANCE

International Christian Assembly Calle Pilar de Horadada 5, Torrevieja Evangelical non-denominational Sunday services 11am Children’s church 11am House groups in Torrevieja, Los Balcones, San Javier Ladies meeting Thursdays 11am. Pastor, Rafael Restrepo All nationalities welcome 966 799 273 / 660 127 276. (95476)

CHIMNEY SWEEP PROFESSIONAL CHIMNEY SWEEP. Family business established over 60 years. 660 478 881 (206390)

COMPUTER REPAIRS MobilePCRepairs.Info from 35€ 628 241 038. (223795)

DAMP RISING DAMP! We can cure Rising Damp, Leaking Flat Roof or Terrace. We can make your Underbuild Dry. Villa Repainting Due? We can protect your villa and stop PENETRATING DAMP with a Protective Coating. You can also pay in Sterling. Phone/email us now for a FREE survey. Tel 965 050 065 or 634 322 672 www.dryzone-espana.com (221700)

SOS <http://www.sosinsur anceinspain.com> Insurance in Spain. Best prices available. CALL US FIRST for all your insurance needs, including best deals on Funeral plans. Buildings and contents cover from just 82 euros per year and cars from 120 euros. Tel 966 787 123 / 622 275 561 / 686 116 297 / email in fo@sosinsuranceinspain.com (222293)

Price per word: 0,42€ + IVA minimum 15 words - Discount: Book 10 weeks, get 2 weeks free - Deadline: 4pm Mondays Contact: Phone (0034) 952 561 245 • Fax (0034) 952 440 887 • email classifieds@euroweeklynews.com • www.euroweeklynews.es

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CLASSIFIEDS

LIMESCALE PROBLEMS LIMESCALE REMOVAL FOR LIFE Single Homes to Urbanisations for under 20 cents per week. For more information call Scalewatcher 952 857 680/687 760 038 or visit www.hardwater problems.com (215661)

MAINTENANCE MAINTENANCE, HOME IMPROVEMENTS, REPAIRS. Painting, tiling, plastering. Call Denjo 693 371 136 (222344)

METAL WORK METAL WORKS, REJAS, GATES, automatic gates, general welding and fabrication. Reliable service 638 449 944 (223767)

MOBILE HOMES INTERNET

WE BUY, Sell, Remove all types of Mobile Homes. We pay CASH and cover all of Spain. More details call Suzi Caley 616 250 727 / 951 063 059 or email suzicaley@gmail.com (215521)

MOTOR HOMES SMALL selection of motorhome and caravan accessories now available at great prices. Motormovers, solar panels, inverters, leisure and engine batteries, reversing cameras, 12 volt LED televisions, air-conditioners and Aqua Kem. www.hispavan.com 687 845 730 (222034) WANTED motorhomes and caravans, any condition, age or registered country considered. www.hispavan.com 687 845 730 MOTORHOMES and caravans for sale. Interesting selection. Part exchange considered. www.hispa van.com 687 845 730 (222034)

MOTORING

MOTORING SCRAP YOUR CAR LEGALLY. Cash paid for newer cars, but all cars taken and legally disposed of for free and Baja Final issued. Call 667 711 380 (216565) WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

WANTED WANTED Cars, vans, caravans, 4 X 4’s British Spanish 600 781 873 ibuyany car@hotmail.com (215783)

NURSERY HIRE KIDEASE NURSERY HIRE. Wide range of Children’s Equipment FOR HIRE. FREE DELIVERY 7 DAYS A WEEK. Family business. Tel: 966 764 267 / 665 124 448 www.kideasenurseryhire.com (222176)

PERGOLA COVERS TAILOR made, durable canvas, sails, umbrella, spa and BBQ covers. Mazarron based, and at Procomobel Market, Guardamar Saturday mornings. 667 879 399 krugercanopies@in.com

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

PETS

8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South PET TRANSPORT INTERPAWS: 20 years’ licensed pet transportation. Competitive rates. Difficult dog? Effective behavioural training in your home. www.interpaws.com janette@interpaws.com 689 742 289 (204958) PET TRAVEL UK family pet transporters Spain/UK. Travel with your pets for free. All air conditioned vehicles (no vans) www.pettravel.co.uk / UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 960 130 537

PET CHARITIES EASYHORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE We aim to rescue HORSES. If you would like to DONATE please call 965 967 033 or sales@easy horsecare.net www.easyhorse care.net or call Sue 652 021 980 SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 animals awaiting re-homing. Shelter open 7 days a week 12noon - 2.00pm & 3.30pm - 7.00pm. (Spanish speaking staff) or phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spama.org and view our new blog at www.spa ma-safor.blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707) P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog, or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com EURO WEEKLY NEWS CLASSIFAX AGENT (95708) GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, dewormed, de-fleed. We also need volunteers to help Car boot sale in Polop on Sundays Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709)

PLUMBER MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (201515) 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.pet-couri ers.com

INSURANCE

INTERNET

PROPERTY

POOL SERVICES YES YOU CAN HAVE A POOL - We design & install Wooden AboveGround Pools. Pools installed from 1,185€. With above ground pools there is “No Planning Permission Required”. You can also pay in Sterling. Phone or email for a FREE BROCHURE NOW. info@piscinasmadera.com - Tel: 965 050 064 / 634 322 672 www.piscinasmadera.com

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MAN AND VAN UK - Spain. 2 vans travelling twice a month, Murcia North / South UK. Tel 610 846 260 or 0044 751 918 6355 email van.man@hotmail.co.uk (222084) CAR TRANSPORTER. Call for excellent rates, fully insured, professional service. 951 319 320, email move@freinternational.com / www.focus-transport.com (215605)

PROPERTY FOR SALE MOBILE HOME, near Guardamar. Fully legal site. Lots of extras. €9,950. 628 743 688 / Noj1955@hotmail.co.uk (208552)

PROPERTY TO LET

REMOVALS/STORAGE EUROPEAN removals and transport with scheduled UK routes. UK Company, fully legal, taking loads from 5kg to 24,000kg. Lowest prices and the best service. 952 816 582 or www.focustransport.com (221351) UK-SPAIN-IRELAND. Removals with the personal touch. Pets transported 965 696 750 / 0044 (0) 7447 918 589 e-mail chrisy ounge73979@aol.com (206333) CAR TRANSPORT AND RECOVERY. UK-SPAIN-UK. Established 5 years. Do you need your car transported? We also transport boats, plant and machinery. Fully insured. Call Martin on 0044 7970 861141 or email martin.emer aldfreight@gmail.com SPANISH MOVES. Small removals and deliveries. Spain/UK Budget prices. Last minute jobs undertaken. www.spanish moves.net. Telephone UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 960 130 537

REMOVALS / STORAGE

INTERNATIONAL and European Removals. Expert removals worldwide. www.uni versalremovals.com. Tel: 951 247 834 (206460)

SEWING QUALIFIED SEAMSTRESS 40 years experience, turn-ups to tailoring patterns taken from your favourite cloths, reasonable prices. Torrevieja, Sandra: 966 799 188 / 680 486 336 (221097)

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SITUATIONS VACANT WE are looking for qualified Nursery Staff to join us in Lorca, please email your CV along with details of your experience & expectations to ramon@anywaycon sulting.es (221454)

SOLAR LOWEST PRICES IN SPAIN. www.solarmegastore.es (222286)

BAR STAFF required for evening shifts in Guardamar. Both English and Spanish speaking. Contact 650 706 725 (217166)

SITUATIONS VACANT

JACUZZI, SPAS, HOT TUBS WANTED. Working or not 650 722 905 (221518) WANTED Quad Bike and Jet Ski. Call 650 722 905 (221519)

SPAS/JACUZZIS

XXX RELAXATION Readers of a sensitive disposition may find some of the advertisements in this section offensive.

ENGLISH speaking staff required to assist with weekend activities for Spanish nationals, Saturdays & Sundays in Lorca. The activities are varied and do include sports and workshops. Please call Ramon for more in-depth detail 619 417 077 or alternatively email ra m o n @ a ny wayc o n s u l t i n g . e s (221453) COOK REQUIRED. Full time, must have experience and Spanish hygiene certificate. BAR STAFF REQUIRED. Must have experience. Part time hours. Bar situated El Raso nr Guardamar. Contact 672 929 585 (208553)

TAX AFFAIRS

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TELECOMS

OFFICIAL CALDERA SPA MAIN DISTRIBUTOR FOR SOUTHERN SPAIN. SALES AND SERVICE. GET A FANTASTIC DEAL ON NEW, ECONOMICAL TO RUN MODELS AND PART EXCHANGE CONSIDERED FOR YOUR OLD, TIRED MODELS. www.hispavan.com 687 845 730 (222034)

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)

TV & SATELLITE UKTELEVISION.EU - 632 862 658, SKY - fault finding. We will BEAT any comparable price. (223795)

WANTED

SOPHIE, elegant, slim, sexy, naughty lady. Home, hotel, in and out services 693 357 526 GORGEOUS ENGLISH BLONDE 45 years, gives discreet massage, 1 hour or overnight stay. 15 mins Alicante airport. Tel Karen 662 049 021 www.chicosorihuela.com. Guys, transvestites, complacent, feisty. We are eager and hot. DARE!!! 616 804 411 (201559) GENERIC Viagra extra strength 120mgs. Also Kamagra 100mgs and Weekenders (Cialis). www.costablues.com or phone Colin 680 878 735 (220434) BEAUTIFUL Dutch girl, 32, slim, blonde hair, big breasts, all fantasies. Campoamor, 676 067 381

CLASSIFIEDS

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MOTORING

8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

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

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

White is the new black... SPAIN, Greece and Italy attract millions of visitors every year to their sun-drenched beaches, but a new Ford Motor Company study on buying trends in Europe shows that residents in some of the region’s hottest countries are among the least likely to buy a new car with a sunroof. This is one of several findings from Ford Car Buying Trends 2014, a study of new car buying habits in 22 countries across Europe, highlighting regional trends and national differences that both conform to and confound expectations. The study shows that white surpassed black last year as the most popular car colour across Europe, according to an analysis of more than 500,000 Ford vehicle purchases in Europe in the past year. The fast-growing car colours in recent years have been brown and orange. “When it comes to car buyers’ tastes there are a few things that remain consistent over the years and many aspects that change and evolve,” said

TOP SELLER: Across Europe the most popular colour is white. Roelant de Waard, Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. “We study these changes and some can be surprising - in order to better serve customers across Europe.” Among the counterintuitive findings were national

preferences for sunroofs. Buyers in Norway, more known for snow than sunshine, were the most likely to choose a new Ford with a sunroof (15 per cent), just ahead of France (11 per cent) and Germany (10 per cent). Drivers in sunny countries meanwhile were

New Vivaro and Movano THE new Opel light commercial vehicles have made their first public appearance. The Vivaro generation made its debut while the Opel Movano also presented its powerful, all-new yet exceptionally frugal engines at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, UK.

RE-PLATE MATE Don’t take a chance! Don’t break the law! Take the hassle out of re-registering your vehicle onto Spanish plates We endeavour to better any genuine quotation 490 Euro + Road Tax + CO2 emission tax if applicable

Alan 662 249 159 www.replatematecostablanca.com

The Opel Vivaro is more practical, more efficient and more appealing than ever before. It is also extremely economical. The Movano now also features stateof-the-art BiTurbo diesel technology and like the Vivaro, the Movano is also improved in terms of safety.

among the least likely to specify sunroofs: Spain (5 per cent), Italy (3 per cent) and Greece (2 per cent). Buyers in chilly Norway were also the most likely to buy a new Ford with automatic air conditioning (80 per cent), ahead of Belgium (77 per cent)

and Netherlands (71 per cent). Some of the most likely to buy cars with manual air conditioning were drivers in sunny Turkey (96 per cent) and Spain (92 per cent). Not surprisingly, drivers in Scandinavia also were the most likely to specify heated seats, with 99 per cent of Ford cars bought in Sweden, Norway and Finland featuring the technology. Heated seats were rare in Turkey (1 per cent), Greece (2 per cent), and Spain (3 per cent). The countries whose buyers are most likely to specify a cigarette lighter as part of a smoking pack: Greece (73 per cent), Spain (53 per cent) and Romania (35 per cent). Across Europe, the most popular colours are white (23 per cent), black (20 per cent) and grey (17 per cent) - with one of the three colours the top choice for every single country except Ireland, Poland and Romania, where silver the fourth most popular colour in Europe (14 per cent) - is the preferred option.

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A turbulent match for Montesinos AN anticipated match lived up to everyone’s expectations apart from the final result as Montesinos went down to Rafal 0-3. Monte started well with good chances from Fernando and Vaz, But Rafal were too quick for Monte. Their passing and fast closing down caused Monte problems. Goalkeeper Christian made several good stops before a free kick was dispatched with ease to give him no chance. Vaz went close near the interval but the teams went in 0-1 In the second half Rodrigo came on for Ruben and his muscular presence gave the opposition concern, then Jaunpe swapped Paredes for Darafalio. It then started to get silly, a 50 -50 challenge saw Monte’s Dimitry sent off. The vast Rafal support were happy as the away side took control, that was until Rafal cleared the ball and for an unknown reason the

Rafal Number 4 punched Vaz and the referee was the only person in the 380 crowd who didn’t see it. This sparked a brawl which even had the police on the pitch to diffuse the situation. Vaz and the opposition Number 4 were both sent off. Although Monte showed great spirit they soon went further down 0-2. Two minutes later Monte’s fate was sealed, a great break away saw the Rafal Number 10 easily seal a win that sees Rafal as this season’s champions. There were disturbing scenes after, as the Guardia Civil were called to allegations of racial abuse on Monte players Dimitry and Vaz who are Brazilian and Ukrainian respectively. Next week Monte are away to near friends and rivals Racing San Miguel.

More information: www.cdmontesinos.com or email thefullmonte2011@hot mail.com.

www.euroweeklynews.com

SPORT

Who will be champion Liverpool - and can Alon 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

WHICH team will be crowned 2014 Premiership champions and who will be relegated along with Cardiff and Fulham, Norwich perhaps? All will be revealed on Sunday when Liverpool take on Newcastle who last Saturday demoted Cardiff while Manchester City, 3-2 winners at Everton last Saturday, host West Ham, 2-0 victors over Spurs. The odds are on City after Liverpool could only manage a 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace. The Canaries, who dented Chelsea’s hopes with a 0-0 draw at The Bridge, face Manchester United, beaten 1-0 at home by a revitalised Sunderland, who themselves meet Swansea. There’ll be plenty of nail-biting fans (even managers and coaches) and as always it will be celebration time for some and heartache for others. FOOTBALL Last weekend, Doncaster Rovers were officially relegated from the Championship which was won by Leicester with a club record 102

points. Birmingham City stayed up courtesy of a 93rd minute equaliser at Bolton; FL1 champions Wolves also amassed a record 103 points by beating demoted Carlisle who drop down a division along with Tranmere, Shrewsbury and Stevenage; Chesterfield rise from FL2 while Bristol Rovers sadly lost their Football League status after 94 years. In Scotland, Hamilton ran up their biggest-ever win, crushing Morton 10-2 and The New Saints won the Welsh Cup final. * La Liga leaders At. Madrid lost 20 at Levante as both Real Madrid (2nd with a game in hand) and Barcelona (3rd) both drew 2-2 with Valencia 2-2 and Getafe respectively. Cristiano Ronaldo with a superb back flip, saved a point for Real with his 150th goal for the club in the 92nd minute. * Police arrested four men after three fans were

shot before Napoli’s 3-1 Italian Cup final win over Fiorentina. Kick-off was delayed by 40 minutes. * This season’s two European finals will feature three Spanish clubs and one from Portugal. The Champions League final in Lisbon on May 24 will be an all-Madrid affair involving Atletico and Real when Cristiano Ronaldo will return to his homeland. This will be the first time a final will

Grand Prix Also this weekend, 100,000 spectators will attend Barcelona’s Catalunya circuit for the Spanish Grand Prix. Last year’s winner, Fernando Alonso, will be aiming to retain his ‘crown’ on home soil. ALONSO: Hoping to keep crown.

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SPORT

8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

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s - Manchester City or Busters golf nso win in Spain, again? Round 9 Colin Turkington won round nine of the 2014 BTC Championships at Thruxton Park. Mat Jackson was second and Fabrizio Giovanardi third. Andrew Jordan leads the overall standings. 2014 BTC Championships. feature two clubs from the same city. In the Europa League semi-finals, Benfica defeated Juventus 2-1 on aggregate, Sevilla scored a late goal to beat Valencia on the away goal rule after a 3-3 draw. The final is in Turin on May 14 and for Benfica, it will their first in Europe for 52 years. * Cambridge United will play Gateshead in the Conference play-off final at Wembley on May 18. The winners will return to the Football League with Luton Town. * The FIFA World Cup starts in five weeks time and England manager Roy Hodgson will name his squad on Monday. Theo Walcott and Andros Townsend are out and possibly Kyle Walker as well, but Jack Wilshire will be fit for Brazil. * Former WBA, QPR and PNE winger Clive Clark has died in a Scarborough nursing home, aged 73. A good friend and near neighbour of

mine when he was at The Hawthorns (1961-69), ‘Chippy’ scored 98 goals in 353 appearances for WBA, gaining League Cup and FA Cup winner’s medals and one England U23 cap. R.I.P. top man. SHORTS * Marc Marquez, riding in his 100th MotoGP, won his fourth race of the season here in Spain. Valentino Rossi was second and fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa third. * Freddie Flintoff could return to action with Lancashire in the 20/20 tournament; Kevin Pietersen is set to open cricket academies in Dubai and India and ex-Surrey cricketer Graham Thorpe is set to replace Graham Gooch as England’s batting coach. * Kieran Fallon, riding 40-1 outsider Night of Thunder, won the opening classic of the year, the 1,000 Guineas to give trainer Richard Hannon his first ‘big race’ success.

Did You Know? Two Trinidad & Tobago bowlers were both struck by lightning in separate incidents during a game in Barbados in 1976. * American sprinter Tyson Gay has been banned for a year and told to return the Olympic silver medal he won with the USA 4x100 relay team after failing a drugs test. * In the final of the World Snooker Championships... Mark Selby fought back to beat Ronnie O’Sullivan 18-14 to win his first world snooker title. During the tournament, Neil Robertson became the first player in history to score 100 centuries in a season. * Last Thursday, at the Imola track, 200,000 Brazilians attended the 20th anniversary of the death of Ayrton Senna, one of the greatest F1 drivers of all-time who was killed in the San Marino GP in 1994. * On the 60th anniversary of being the first athlete to run a mile in under four minutes (1954) Sir Roger Bannister admitted he is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. * And sadly former GB female number one tennis player Elena Baltacha has died from cancer at the age of 30.

DON’T FORGET MY FOOTBALL/SPORTS QUIZ at The Loft, Mojacar Playa on FA Cup final day, May 17.

Ignorance is bliss as Levante find Alenda in excellent condition WHO says you need to know a course if you want to score well? Certainly not Levante member Michael Morley who found that ignorance was bliss on his first visit to Alenda. Unaware of the dangers which lay in wait if shots go astray, Michael amassed 41 points playing off a slope handicap of 16 - an outstanding achievement and one which sees his handicap reduce to 12.7. This was Levante’s first visit to Alenda for several years and members found the course is in excellent condition, a credit to the staff who provided a warm

LEVANTE: Winning members at Alenda. welcome on and off the course. Second behind Michael was Brian Clark-Sutton (28) with 38 points

ahead of Alan Turpin (18) and Dave Geeson (20) who both had 37 points.

BUSTERS GS returned to Alenda golf course for a Stableford competition. As usual the course was in excellent condition, the fairways were lush and the greens a bit slower but true to form. In the match best front nine was won by Barry Grinsell with 20 points, taking the prize for the best back nine was Dave Ryan with 18 points. Overall in third was Steve Edwards (35), behind Aidan Byrne (36) with Alan Gifford (37) the winner. After the game, players returned to the Mini Golf Bar, Quesada for their prize-giving. The bar collects for the poorest families in Benijofar working hand in hand with the social services. The cash raised for these families by the bar last year amounted to €3,851.

An impressive debut from young Pablo DESPITE giving a below par performance for the second week running, Mazarron gained a 2-0 victory away to bottom of the league Santiago de la Ribera. One encouraging feature for the visitors was the performance of the young goalkeeper Pablo who made a number of excellent saves on his debut for Mazarron. He was named man of the match with the award presented by former England star Tony Currie. Both teams struggled to get to grips with the effect the strong wind had on the artificial playing surface but Mazarron took the lead after 16 minutes. Pablo made two good saves in the 23rd and 25th

minutes to keep Mazarron in the game and, when he was beaten after half an hour, a linesman’s flag denied Santiago de la Ribera an equalising goal. Santiago started the second half with only 10 men. However Pablo was soon forced to make a brave double save to prevent the home team levelling the scores. Mazarron came more and more into the game but their usual prowess in front of goal was lacking. Ruben was denied by the home goalkeeper before Tico burst into the penalty area and his pass found Tolo who made no mistake from 10 yards to score his 23rd goal of the season.

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E W N 8 - 14 May 2014 / Costa Blanca South

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Confusion for SAMMS AT the last SAMM sailing race day, the Race Officer set a ‘Sausage and Triangle’ course for the first time, but this proved too much for some crews to get their heads around and a number failed to sail it correctly. The race was therefore abandoned after three laps, much to the annoyance of the helm (Robert Hudson) and crew (Ernie Foster and Linda Coates) of the Sailfish ‘Mistral’ who believed they were in the lead at the time. The race restarted with eight boats, but with the wind increasing, the two Laser 2000s, Shoestrings Dos and Tres, collided and had to retire, whist

SHOESTRING UNO: Led and could not be caught. the Laser 13, Shoestring Quartro, again took a wrong course and was deemed ‘dnf.’ The race was finally won by Don

Clarke (Hartley 12.2), with ‘Mistral’ a close second and the Faversham 14 (David Belcher) third.

The wind had increased further and was gusting at 20 knots plus for the second race, but five boats eventually got away. ‘Shoestring Uno’ with John Down at the helm, got a great start, led the fleet throughout and could not be caught. ‘Mistral’ decided to set reefed sails and was lying third at the jibe mark on the last lap, when the crew of the ‘Shoestring Quartro,’ who were sailing under full sail and overpowered, lost control and the boats collided, forcing both to retire. Uno held on to record a well deserved win, with the Faversham 14, second and the Martin of Tony Jones third.