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ISSUE NO. 1513
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London gets taste of Spain REGENT’S PARK in the UK’s capital enjoyed a culinary treat when international chefs prepared delicious dishes for visitors. Hortyfruta from Almeria delivered more than 1,500 plates of food like stuffed cucumbers and gazpacho.
30,000 jobs ALMOST 30,000 jobs have been created in Almeria since the inception of a programme for forestry and the environment last year, at a total cost of €5.8 million.
New school A UNANIMOUS decision was passed this week for the provision of a new school on land donated by the city of Almeria back in September 2010. The land covers an area of approximately 14,000 square metres
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Extra cash to provide boost for tourism IN a boost for tourism an extra €400,000 has been earmarked to promote the Almeria area. The Council for Almeria unanimously approved the extra fund in a bid to attract more tourists, and that is good news for towns like Mojacar (pictured) which rely on holidaymakers. The government team which led the plenary session suggested modifying the current budget and had the support of the opposition. The team also gave the goahead for an ‘international day against homophobia, lesphobia, transphobia and
biphobia’. The date is yet to be announced. The PP and PSOE political parties agreed measures to alleviate the
Hit-and-run ALBOX was left shocked after a Spanish boy, 14, was knocked from his bike in an alleged hit-and-run incident with a British holidaymaker aged 17. The holidaymaker was claimed to be in a stolen Mondeo close to the local school when the incident occurred. The victim’s friends filmed part of the incident. Instead of stopping, the driver manoeuvred, throwing the lad from the windscreen, resulting in a head injury which proved fatal, said police.
damage caused by drought across the province, including adding subsidies for agricultural insurance. Vice-president of the council, Javier Aureliano Garcia, said he would support the measure if
the Junta de Andalucia regional government not only “collected, but invested.” Another motion submitted, but in this case refused, was the partial privatisation of AENA airports.
Bigger and better THE Euro Weekly News just keeps on growing. Our commitment to readers and businesses led us to, in January, open an office in Albox to be at the heart of the local community. It has been such a success we keep getting bigger and better: 96 bumper pages this week. To promote your business, pop into our Mojacar or Albox office to meet the team. See Page 2 for contact details.
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Almeria millenium celebrations start JULY 1014 marked the creation of the Kingdom of the Taifa of Almeria by Jaran the Amiri. To celebrate the 1,000th anniversary, Almeria City this week announced that the ensuing 12 months will include a large number of free activities in the city for all the family to enjoy. Sonia Ferrer, delegate from the government of Andalucia, met with the administration in Almeria this week to discuss some of the activities planned. A website has been
launched to showcase the activities at www.elmilenio.es. Events include street parades, music concerts, workshops, theatrical tours and poetry readings. A book will be developed by the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture to mark the anniversary, with the collaboration of various businesses. There will also be an exhibition held at the Museo de Almeria.
THIS WEEK IN
EWN News 1 - 44
Finance 51 - 56
Letters 57
Daily TV 62
Time out 64 - 65
Leapy Lee 66
Property 86 - 87
Classifieds 89 - 91 HISTORIC: Almeria celebrates rich culture.
Sport 95 - 96
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Hate crime RICARDO, 68, and his partner Luis Guillermo, 54, were attacked by a father and son as they sunbathed during International LGBT Pride Day at Cabo de Gata.
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THE PSOE party in Velez-Rubio has demanded the resignation of Deputy Mayor Juan Chacon, after it was revealed that his land was being irrigated with water destined for human consumption. The Socialist councillors maintain that “out of respect”, the deputy mayor should resign immediately, and if he does not
do so the mayor should dismiss him. In a meeting, the PSOE threw a barrage of questions at the mayor and his deputy, regarding an alleged order that employees should install a water supply from the public supply network to water his land. The deputy mayor has admitted to using public water
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Centre reopened THIS weekend saw the reopening of Vera sports centre by Mayor Jose Carmelo Jorge Blanco. with a new paddle tennis court amongst the improvements.
Bell tolls? AGUADULCE church Nuestra Señora del Carmen has raised the idea with its parishioners for the construction of a bell tower. So far the response has been very positive. Kindergarten places ALHAMA, Arboleas, Carboneras and San Jose are to receive new kindergarten buildings, adding 303 new places for children aged three and above. Agreements come into force September 1. New square WORK begins in the Carboneras area of Llano de Don Antonio with the construction of a new square at a cost of €200,000.
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Heading off ALMOST 570 children from 15 schools in Almeria headed to Sierra Nevada to educate them on global change and to voice the needs of natural areas.
Cash grants FIFTY municipalities in Almeria with less than 1,000 inhabitants will each receive a share of €500,000 for infrastructure.
Dredging call ADRA has made urgent calls for the harbour to be dredged after a catamaran ran aground at the entrance. Fire damage FIRE destroyed eight hectares at the weekend between the towns of Roquetas de Mar and El Ejido. The fire was a year to the day since the last in the area which is normally unaffected by forest fires.
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supply, but “has not made any hint of resignation,” said a PSOE representative. Socialists insist that the deputy mayor “should not continue any longer in office out of dignity and respect for the farmers in the community, especially as they have been suffering a drought that has ravaged the whole of Los Velez.
Oil recycling BERJA has become the next town in Almeria to get orange bins for the recycling of household oil. Eight bins are in the town, with a free collection service for the disabled.
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Deputy Mayor under fire
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Licence probe TWO courts have opened investigations into former Mayor of Vera, Felix Lopez, regarding licences issued during his tenure against the advice of technical reports.
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Start announced AGE-OLD TRADITION: The running of the bulls in Pamplona.
Running the bulls… A
T midday on Sunday, July 6, the official ‘chupinazo’ (firework) will be set off, marking the start of one of Spain’s most internationally known festivities: the San Fermin, or Sanfermines, as they are known locally. People from all over the world go to Pamplona, Navarra, to test their mettle in the age-old tradition of the running of the bulls. This is 849 metres, or two or three minutes, of pure adrenalin for those who take part, trying to outrun the beasts which have never been known to show mercy. The festivities go back several centuries but have become of world interest since Ernest Hemingway gave them so much publicity in his book ‘The Sun Also Rises’. Apparently, he was intrigued by the fair when he first went to it in 1923 and returned many times up until 1959. San Fermin, the patron saint of Pamplona, was the first bishop of Pamplona in the third century and the festivities associated with him came when cattle merchants arrived in the town to
Quote of the Week The Popular Party (PP) is the least popular party.’ Pablo Iglesias, leader of the Podemos political Party.
take their bulls to market. The bull running dates back to the 17th century when it was first reported, with concern for the excessive drinking and ‘dissolute behaviour’ associated with the fair.
Number of the week
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people took out membership of the new bicycle hire scheme in Madrid only to find that hackers had inserted photos of a naked man with an erect penis on the touch-screens that people have to use to rent the bike.
WORK is to begin in early 2015 in El Toblerone in Almeria City. It will include preparation of a plot for up to 1,230 homes and accompanying infrastructure.
Knifeman arrested GUARDIA CIVIL officers have arrested a 32-year-old man who threatened pedestrians and occupants of a nearby building. The screaming man lunged at officers before his arrest. See page 34
Child abductor POLICE are seeking a man with grey-blonde hair, with a height of between 1.65m and 1.8m who has abducted two girls in AlmeriaCity since April. Both girls are safe with their families again.
And finally... Party island Ibiza is suffering a spate of ‘cannibalistic attacks’ due, possibly, to a new drug which induces extreme violence in its users. MDVP was originally one of the chemical components in bath salts
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New office for hamlet PULPI mayor, Juan Pedro Garcia, has announced the opening of a municipal office in the hamlet of San Juan de los Terreros to serve residents during July and August.
Day out FOUR hundred young people with disabilities descended upon Pulpi beaches for a day of sporting activities including beach volleyball.
Step forward ARBOLEAS Council has opted for electronic management. Cristobal Garcia, mayor of Arboleas, said: “We understand the need to take a step towards modernisation in local government, through new technologies.”
Music nights COLOGNE’S Chamber Philarmonic orchestra is heading to Almeria with three concerts: August 2, Carboneras, August 3, Almeria and August 14, Mojacar.
Garrucha school awarded grant THE Mediterranean Garrucha IES school is one of seven in Almeria to receive government funding for renovation. The grant comes as part of a new regional investment plan for educational infrastructure during 2014/2015 which is providing a total budget of €4.5 million. IES Mediterraneo is budgeted at a cost of
€1.6 million and includes the construction of a new building of 190 square metres. The parking area and open spaces are also set to increase. The mayor of Garrucha, Juan Francisco Fernandez, stated: “After long delays, we hope that finally this important work for the educational community will be done.”
Just a few weeks ago, Fernandez met with the Delegate for Education, Isabel Arevalo, to impress upon her the importance of the educational needs of the municipality. He once again asked for the Junta de Andalucia regional government to commission improvements to the building that has temporarily housed a nursery.
Workshop diplomas DOMINGO FERNANDEZ, Mayor of Huercal-Overa, has congratulated the students of Guadalinfo for gaining their diplomas at their summer workshops. The workshops covered subjects like digital literacy, word processing, spreadsheets, and programming. Guadalinfo technology centre is a public internet access service in which information, IT support for enterprises and entre-
WELL DONE: Mayor with Guadalinfo students. preneurs, workshops and non-formal education are provided. More than 2,000 people have used the services.
It is also a hib for crowdfunding where people can raise funds to get their new business projects off the ground.
Extra cleaning for Nijar NIJAR Council has reached an agreement with company Cespa to reinforce cleaning and maintenance measures throughout the town during the summer. Coastal areas that see increased visitor numbers at this time of year are being especially targeted. The agreement will mean three new full-time and two part-time employees, plus sweeping machinery. Mayor of Nijar, Antonio Jesus Rodriguez, said: “Our priority is to
improve maintenance services. Once we have the necessary infrastructure in place, we can concentrate on the street cleaning and maintenance with more improvements following in the coming months.” Environment Councillor Pepe Requena commented: “We have a proliferation of green areas where basic criteria are not adhered to, including the existence of species that are invasive and destructive like the ficus trees which are unsuitable for small spaces such as pavements.”
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FACE night market FACE is holding a night market at the Kubatin courtyard (behind the meson) Arboleas on Friday, July 4, from 7pm until late. There will be stalls, a raffle, a tombola, and a cake stall.
Sporty Almerimar JULY 4 to 6 will see Almerimar hosting a variety of sporting activities including football, beach volleyball, paddle tennis and rugby.
RBL lunch ZURGENA’S branch of the Royal British Legion has its next lunch meeting at Restaurant el Alcauzon, HuercalOvera tennis club on July 8.
Roadworks HUERCAL-OVERA has started scraping and improving more than 40 kilometres of rural roads this week, reacting to requests and suggestions from residents
Lucar funding LUCAR has been promised €94,000 in funds for improvements to public areas. First to benefit are Calle Juan y Medio and Camino de Nacimiento which will receive new paving.
No fun MAYOR of Mojacar, Manuel Zamora has accused the PP council of “acting against” the municipality by forcing businesses to close at 3am on the night of San Juan.
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Hashers up ‘Sugar Loaf Mountain’ INDALO HASH HOUSE HARRIERS gathered at Bar la Ermita recently, in Santa Maria de Nieva, but not all enjoyed a nice cup of coffee; the drive down through the steep, twisting mountain roads had left some feeling a bit queasy! After the hares had explained their route, off went the ‘runners’, with gleeful shouts of on-on, only to break into a walk at the first hill, whereas the walkers just strolled along casually! Along the route was a hill, not unlike the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One of the harriers climbed up and did a vague impression of Jesus Christ. It was said that “this hash has to be known as the ‘drought hash’; not because it was in an official drought area, but because no one was
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ON TOP: But it’s not quite Sugar Loaf Mountain.
SETTING OFF: Runners and walkers. caught watering the campo!” Welcoming refreshments and nibbles greeted them on their return, and then the hashing circle was formed, where downdowns were awarded, and virgin hashers were welcomed. But shock horror, no one had brought the song sheets, so they got by with the few in their heads, or
just mumbled to the tune. Then it was back to the bar for lots of laughter and conversation, and some of the best tapas in the area.
If you want to know more about the Indalo Hash House Harriers, see the website www.indaloh3.com or email indaloh3@gmail.com
Demolition concerns A COURT case against developers has raised the spectre of demolition for homeowners in Albox. On July 9, H.A.G. and A.G.G. of Construcciones Alto Almanzora, C.D.B. of Grupo Nazcar and the works technical director, A.G.F., stand trial for alleged planning crimes relating to the construction of seven houses, some never completed, on the Las Palmeras urbanisation in the area of Llano de los Olleres in Albox. The prosecution is seeking penalties of one year’s imprisonment, disbarment from their profession for one year and six months, a fine and the demolition of the houses at a cost to the accused of €63,391.77. The former planning councillor for Albox, J.L.W. (deceased) is also cited in the case with charges of allegedly failing to prosecute a planning crime and for authorising the provision of water and electricity to the properties.
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SPECTRE: Demolition orders in Albox. Maura Hillen, President of the homeowners association, AUAN, said: “The homeowners are fully aware that there is no guarantee of compensation if those accused are convicted. “Some paid up to €140,000 in stage payments for homes that were never even completed whilst, of course, the owners of the completed houses paid even more.” AUAN is calling for the law to be changed.
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Summer activities on agenda EL EJIDO Council has stated that if we all thought last summer was successful, then this one will be even better. The council has more than
200 activities planned, running from early July until the end of August. The events are to be predominantly in Almerimar, Guardias Viejas,
San Agustin and Balerma. Films, concerts, festivals, parties, sports, gastronomic events, children’s entertainment and music
€1.5 million water plant PRESIDENT of the Junta de Andalucia, Susana Diaz, has inaugurated a new water station in Albox. The facility, which has received investment of €1.5 million, will supply 15,000 local residents, enabling a better quality of water to be supplied. Diaz was accompanied by the mayor of Albox, Rogelio Mena. Mena praised the opening, describing the services as “a before and after solution for this great historic town.”
events are just some of the goodies on offer. El Ejido mayor, Francisco Gongora, said: These activities contribute to coastal
tourism development at a time when austerity is very present and it is important for us to work hard with enthusiastic creative, collaboration.”
Family hospitalised in fire TWO adults and three children, including a baby, were rushed to hospital after a fire broke out at their home in El Ejido. Emergency services received several
calls from neighbours to alert them to the fire in Calle Alvaro de Bazan in the Santo Domingo district of El Ejido. According to early reports, all members of the family suffered smoke inhalation, while the father of the family also suffered burns on one arm. Inhabitants of the neighbouring property were also being treated for smoke inhalation. ALBOX streets have been filled again for Noche en The fire originated in Blanco with a host of activities. the kitchen of the firstDozens of business owners opened until the early floor property, and all hours of Saturday morning to offer massive three floors were discounts to the shoppers who had ventured out. evacuated as a safety The streets and bars provided entertainment and measure. Residents stalls to keep visitors fed and watered, as well as were able to return once poetry readings, fashion shows, performances, films the flames were and an astronomical observation on the roof of the extinguished. town hall at midnight.
A great response to Albox’s Noche en Blanco
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Son of Vera awarded THE town of Vera has posthumously named Antonio Carmona Gallardo as a ‘Son of Vera’ by a unanimous vote during a recent plenary council meeting. Carmona tirelessly promoted the area during his lifetime
Teachers hold rally TEACHERS and employees from the Escuela de Marmol in Fines have held a rally to protest against the non-payment of wages. Some of the protesters have not received their salaries for six months.
Auryn success TEEN heart-throbs Auryn delighted Almeria this week, holding a concert for hordes of screaming fans. The popular boy band performed in Spanish and English.
SEIZED: 28 kilos of hashish.
More drug arrests at Almeria Port
AGENTS of the Guardia Civil at Almeria Port have arrested two men for crimes against public health. The Civil Guard’s canine unit located the hashish by smell, and was able to alert officers who inspected the vehicle more closely. The vehicle contained 28 kilos of
hashish, stashed behind the dashboard. The two male detainees (AM, aged 41 and RB, aged 37) were both residents of Girona, and had hidden 75 packets of hashish inside balloons before placing them behind the dashboard. However, the trained sniffer dog was not easily fooled and went straight to the drugs.
Chainsaw thieves detained GUARDIA CIVIL have arrested four men on suspicion of theft in Huercal Overa. Officers observed a man (CGP, aged 20) as he attempted to steal a chainsaw from a farmhouse.
The young man, from Huercal de Almeria was soon joined by a Viator resident (CGP, 20), and two Pechina men (FJER, 23, and JRP, 18) who were also placed under arrest. The detentions are part of an ongoing investigation by the Guardia Civil into the theft of agricultural and livestock facilities. The investigation includes strategic monitoring and regular spot checks. It was on one of these checks that officers noticed several people, all with a history of theft and known to the officers, in a car.
The car was joined by a van. After a short conversation, and all the occupants were seemingly released. Officers monitored both vehicles at a safe distance and were able to observe the theft in progress and stopped the vehicles again. Officers discovered various agricultural tools, and because none of the occupants could explain the origin of the tools, and had contradictory stories and alibis,they were escorted to the police station. The detainees have been handed over to an Almeria Court.
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Albox mayor tells PP to keep quiet PEDRO PEREZ QUILES, spokesman for the PP in Albox, criticised the president of the Junta de Andalucia, Susana Diaz, this week.
He said that she missed an opportunity in her recent visit to the area to connect with the population. He described it as a “lost opportunity”. Rogelio Mena, PSOE mayor of Albox, responded almost immediately however, saying: “The most sensible thing they could have done is to be quiet and stop poisoning political life.” Mena described the visit as being CARBONERAS mayor, Salvador Hernandez has part of a “day of joy for announced the go-ahead this week for work to begin Albox,” in reference to on El Plaza Simon del Fuentes Ridao del Llano de Diaz’ inauguration of the Don Antonio. new water plant and visit The project, to cost €200,000 will include a to the motorway works. He completely new look and will incorporate new continued: “The president parking areas, signage, equipment such as benches of the Junta de Andalucia and litter bins, as well as a large pedestrianised area has granted permission for where children may play without risk of passing cars. Albox to use part of the The area covered is 470 square metres. flow of the transfer from Work will also include improvements to nearby Negraton to solve our streets Calle Cantina, Calle Fuente and Calle Mayor water problem, and then providing new paving, the installation of bollards and for her to come back to designated loading areas for commercial vehicles. town to celebrate the Tender bidding starts this week at the town hall. outcome can only be a source of satisfaction.”
Plaza due for a new look...
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Embassy visit MAYOR of Cuevas del Almanzora, Jesus Caicedo, has visited the US Embassy for a second time to discuss various aspects of the nuclear accident in January 1966, specifically removal of contaminated soil
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Water fit for consumption COSTA LEVANTE, Bajo Almanzora and Bedar have drinking water (supplied by Galasa) declared “fit for consumption” by the Territorial delegate for Equality, Health and
Social Policy. The welcome announcement affects a total of 83 villages in the municipalities of Antas, Arboleas, Bedar, Carboneras, Cuevas del Almanzora,
Garrucha, Huercal-Overa, Los Gallardos, Mojacar, Pulpi, Turre, and Zurgena. This has been the result of activities undertaken by the supplier, Galasa, to meet
requirements set by Andalucia. The results have been verified by Public Health Service, who are satisfied that the parameters analysed are within the limits established by law.
A tennis club with a real heart
Hiker rescue GUARDIA Civil have rescued a disoriented hiker walking through the natural park of the Sierra Nevada. HEART: Everyone had fun at tennis club.
ALBOX Tennis Club has hosted a twilight fair to raise funds for good causes. The evening was well attended, with a good mix of British and Spanish visitors, eager to browse the many stalls and enjoy the entertainment including performances from Dusty Boots Line Dancers and Kris Kelly, as well as tuck into the delicious paella supplied. Money raised was split between local
charity FACE and to help with rehabilitation and physiotherapy for Maurice Beeson, who suffered a stroke several months ago. He also benefitted from donations at a coffee morning the same day. Organisers would like to thank everyone who made the event a success. FACE was presented with €110 and Maurice’s wife Connie with €350.
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Fancy treading the boards?
MANY of us will have seen the film One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, with Jack Nicholson in the lead role as Randle McMurphy, The film is set in a mental institution, and focuses on Randle who faked a mental illness to avoid prison. The story contains a number of colourful characters, including Chief, a Native American Indian who is befriended by Randle, and Nurse Ratched who was chillingly portrayed by Louise Fletcher. This is being made into a play, and the casting team is holding auditions for a number of characters in the cast. Auditions are being held at The Kimbrick Theatre in Mojacar on Tuesday, July 8 and 6pm, with performances planned for May or June 2015.
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Water interpretation centre now open MAYOR of Huercal-Overa Domingo Fernandez was accompanied by National Delegate Rafael Hernando, General Secretary of Agriculture Jeronimo Perez and the president of the Community of Irrigators, Fernando Rubio for the inauguration of a new Centro de Interpretacion del Agua (Water Interpretation Centre). In the opening ceremony, the mayor stressed the importance “of water in our lives, and also for in our town where agriculture is one of the main economic driving forces. Therefore, we are essentially an irrigation community in spirit. Let’s push this Interpretation Centre as it boosts tourism not only in the town, but also in the province. Water
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Pulpop festival HEAD to Roquetas de Mar on July 4 and 5 with your dancing shoes for the Pulpop festival, celebrating its 10th year of pop festivals in the town
Fun weekend SAN JUAN brought throngs of people to the streets of Tabernas last weekend to enjoy the processions and activities. INAUGURATION: Dignitaries at the opening ceremony. is our past, our present, and our future, and so schools especially can visit to see how water flow has been before and how it is today. And of course it is open to any resident or visitor who wishes to learn more about our history.” Huercal-Overa Council
PSOE declares betrayal over electricity tariffs FUENSANTA COVES, Almeria’s PSOE representative, announced this week her regret at the “betrayal” of farmers and irrigators by the refusal to approve fair electricity tariffs for them. She pointed out that the new legislation will cause the cost of electricity for farmers to be multiplied by four. Coves lamented: “The PP has demonstrated that it does not care about the future of farmers and irrigators in this country. With the latest amendments approved by Rajoy’s government, it will see the cost of electricity multiplied by three or four times, which will threaten the profitability of many farms, and therefore their viability.” Coves has put forward a motion that allows farmers to pay only for the power used, not contracted, and to modify the rules so that farmers and contractors could produce renewable energy consumption with a view to striking a balance between production and consumption.
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BACKING FARMERS: Fuensanta Coves. Coves explained that in Almeria, irrigation is the second industry suffering most with electricity, behind only transportation, and that with the new pricing the cost “will represent 41 per cent of farming overheads.”
believes that the work of the irrigation community, including the opening of the water museum, is in the public interest, in the building and promotion of tourist attractions, and enhancement of cultural awareness. With this in mind, it has agreed to
cover part of the running costs and maintenance. The council also plans guided tours to encourage interest and participation. The inauguration was emotional for many because some people were honoured that are no longer alive.
Murder trial MONDAY saw the start of a jury hearing against a couple accused of shooting dead a Gambian man in Cuevas del Almanzora at close range
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El Ejido fair in closure drama EL EJIDO nearly didn’t have a fair this week when a discussion between the council and the owner of five attractions, including the Cloud and the Viking Ship, resulted in all rides being switched off. Angel Martinez, the owner of five attractions, and who has been “coming to this fair for 26 years,” explained that agents of the Local Police, and technicians from the local and national councils arrived on the Thursday night and demanded “rudely” to shut it all down. According to Martinez there was a misunderstanding regarding how much space he was supposed to have for the Cloud ride, including its box office. He said that according to permissions, eight metres was to be used, but he had paid for 10, to include room for the box office. In response to the discussion, Martinez closed his five attractions and encouraged the other attraction
owners to do the same. His colleagues switched everything off, and supported Martinez in his stand. However, the Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Public Works Maintenance and Services, Angel Escobar, stated that “at no time did our representatives act rudely but simply told him that the Cloud did not meet adequate safety distances, and therefore the owner of the Cloud attraction was told to switch it off until safety arrangements had been adhered to.” People on social networks, including Facebook and Twitter, as well as residents of the town immediately started speculating on the reasons, and the fate of the fair. There were a number of claims made that an accident or mishap had already occurred, which was not the case.The fair reopened on the Friday night to the relief of visitors and the owners of the rides and attractions.
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Carboneras mayor likens hotel to an aborted baby CARBONERAS mayor Salvador Hernandez has lashed out at the Junta de Andalucia, regarding the doomed Algarrobico hotel, saying: “One the baby was born, you wanted to abort it because of how it turned out.” The mayor described Andalucia as the “father” of the “baby”, and said that the hotel “is a political problem, not a judicial one,” and could be solved if the administration “wanted to, although there seems there is very little political will on the part of government.” He said there “has been no political responsibility for the alleged misbehaviour.” He responded to recent comments by Juan Cano Bueso (President of the Advisory council of Andalucia), describing them as “very interesting, but although there is much talking about Algarrobico, it is still there and the problems persist.” The mayor said the hotel was “born
sponsored by the board as a project respectful to the environment. How can it be that a project supposedly meets all environmental requirements to protect the natural park when it is unfinished? This attitude is typical of a country that leaves much to be desired in regard to legal certainty.” Bueso had stated that the Algarrobico hotel, in the natural park of Cabo de Gata, would “never have been built if the dossier had gone through the correct channels and it is an unfortunate situation that needs fixing.” The hotel was recently targeted by environmental activists who painted a large slogan ‘Illegal Hotel’ in black paint on the outside of the hotel walls, to point out the eyesore that it has become. The battle rages on with both sides of the discussion continuing to blame the other.
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More road-works as budgets set SUSANA DIAZ, president of the Governing Council of the Junta de and form part of road and Andalucia, visited Albox improvements and the surrounding construction of new bus areas and confirmed a stations – at a cost of number of works in the €13.5 million. The Garrucha port area, drawing particular attention to roads and access has a budget of €7.4 million and is at a motorways. little more than In addition to 53 per cent of viewing the completion, motorway at Millions being and will Albox, Diaz spent on receive its also local roads outstanding confirmed the €6.08 million resumption of work in the to finish the second half of works. 2014 on the access The conditioning of roads to Garrucha port, the A-334 between and improvements to Purchena and Caniles, the A-334 from Caniles which stands at 68 per (Granada) to Purchena cent completion and will (Almeria), at a cost of take three months to €8.5 million and with a finish, is the repair and completion date in 2015. reinforcement of 38 These works are approximately subject to the approval kilometres of road
surface. This work had a total budget of €6 million. The A-334 has a daily average of almost 7,000 vehicles using it, of which 500 are heavy industrial trucks due to the commercial activity in the Almanzora valley. This heavy traffic has led to the rapid deterioration of the road surface. Improvements also include the replacement of damaged signs, better drainage, and the replacement of road markings. Diaz commended the works and promised that it will bring, “in the very near future a network of infrastructure that will allow travel times to be competitive, and enable everyone to stay connected.”
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Top three benefits abroad cheats jailed MORE than £5 million (€6.26 million) of UK taxpayers’ money lost to benefit fraud abroad is now being recovered by Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) investigators in Spain. The team in Madrid has investigated more than 1,250 cases of benefit fraud by British residents over the last five years. ‘Abroad fraud’ is now the fourth largest type of benefit fraud, up almost 90 per cent in the last three years – and Spain is the top of the list, with 769 cases investigated last year alone. The free and confidential hotline to use in Spain to report suspected benefit cheats is 900 554 440.
The top three benefit fraudsters in Spain who have been convicted so far this year had claimed some £217,000 (€270,180) between them. All three have now received jail sentences. Janice Purdie, 62, from Hove, this month pleaded guilty to over £130,000 (€162,000) of benefit fraud and received a 12-month prison sentence. She failed to tell DWP that she owned a property in Spain and had numerous different bank accounts whilst she was fraudulently claiming Income Support, Pension Credit, Disability Living Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax
Benefit over a nine-year period. Jimmy Rickner, 72, from Exeter, was this month jailed for six months for fraudulently claiming almost £50,000 (€62,570) of disability benefits and Pension Credit over eight years, when in fact he was living with his partner in one of two properties he owned in Spain. Thomas Wadham, 73, of Aylesbury, falsely claimed £37,000 (€46,350) of Housing Benefit and Pension Credit between 2007 and 2010 while he was living in Spain. He was sentenced to six months in jail in January and ordered to pay back all the money.
NEWS
Sand pledged for Adra’s beaches COSTA ALMERIA is one of the areas most affected by shoreline regression in Andalucia. Particularly affected are beaches including Guainos and El Lance de la Virgen in the town of Adra where sand completely disappears during the winter. The Ministry of Environment has pledged €200,000 to help with the costs of replacing sand in Almeria, and 27 per cent of this is awarded to Adra. It is a lower amount than previous years in total, although the amount for Adra is similar to before. The government has stated that the study of the effects will still be a priority.
Carmen Crespo, the delegate from the Andalucian government has visited the area, and acknowledged that Adra is “one of the most difficult areas” of the coast. The former mayor of the town continued to Poniente where sand is collected. To compensate for sand loss, almost 15,000 cubic metres of sand will be given to the beaches of Adra (9,000 for Guainos, 3,500 for El Lance de la Virgen, 1,000 for La Caracola and 1,200 for Censo). Crespo explained: “We are making a special effort and contribution to the beaches, severely affected by storms.”
She concluded: “The government supports the tourism industry in the province, which is of course of fundamental importance to our economy.” Miguel, Angel Castillo, provincial head of the Costas acknowledged that replacing sand does not solve issues longterm. He said: “The sand is being deposited on hard beaches. These actions are costly and socially unacceptable as the money loses its usefulness. “The goal is to give the coast more stability, and we believe that solutions lie in creating breakwaters to protect the sand.”
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NEWS
More book releases from Turre author FOLLOWING the release of her book The Black Widows earlier in the year, part-time Turre resident Jane Finch has just released two further books. She says she finds the mild winter Almeria weather and view of the Cabrera mountains from her apartment conducive to writing, and has completed a total of five books so far this year. Lucky 13 is a compilation of short stories drawn from the author’s experiences over the years, coupled with a highly active imagination. The first story in the selection, The Camel Boy, reached the top five in the best sellers chart for Youwriteon.com and received numerous five star reviews.
Lucky 13 is available from Amazon as an ebook and in print. The short story The Camel Boy is also available from Amazon as a single ebook
download. Curse of the Dogwood explores the legend of the dogwood and follows the plight of a family in 1880s’ America, struggling to
survive against prejudice and tradition, who become reluctant victims of the curse of the dogwood tree. There is a Christian legend of unknown origin which proclaims that the cross used to crucify Jesus was made from part of the dogwood tree. The full story of the legend is included in the book. Curse of the Dogwood is available from Amazon and from the publisher’s website at www.solstice publishing.com Since writing The Black Widows, earlier this year, Jane has signed a contract with a New Zealand agent who has both print and film rights for her work. A book trailer is now in production for The Black Widows.
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NEWS
PIRdA Open Day in Arboleas PIRdA (Proyecto Informacion Reciclado de Arboleas) is to hold an open day in Arboleas on Wednesday, July 16 from 11am until 4pm. PIRdA rehabilitates older, donated computers (and related items) and then donates them to deserving causes of all types. PIRdA is a section of the Albox
GALICIA: Pilgrims outside
Computer Club, a registered non-profit association with the Junta de Andalucia. Their aim is to be ‘green’ by recycling that which can usefully be re-used, and to help deserving causes and families with free computers. PIRdA operates a workshop in Arboleas, provided courtesy of Arboleas Town Hall. PIRdA has been operating for over four years now and has already donated systems to many organisations and deserving individuals, both Spanish and English, over a wide area in northern Almeria, and as far away as refugee camps in North Africa (via a Spanish organisation). The Open Day at their workshop will allow local people to see what they do. It will also be useful to seek further places to donate systems to, and also to let people know where they can safely and helpfully dispose of old, unwanted and even broken computers. On display will be a selection of computers in Spanish and English (other languages on request), and also a chance to look the cathedral. around the workshop, where volunteers have constructed the whole working area, with the help of donations and funds from the Albox Computer Club (ACC). manage, as they cruised The Open Day will be at past the fishing platforms. the Centro Multi-Usos de They also felt the pain of Arboleas, in between the locals as they shared Sophia’s Wellness Centre octopus in a spit and and the Pool Bar. sawdust bar as Spain were They can accept any knocked out of the World donated equipment during Cup. this time, and at other Some people attended times by arrangement. the Pilgrims Mass in the Donations towards general cathedral, which was running costs are always standing room only. welcome, and they As if four nights in guarantee they will be put Galicia were not enough to good use. Volunteers to they had night stops in the help at the workshop are magnificent walled city of also welcome – they open Avila as well as San virtually every week on Lorenzo de El Escorial, the Tuesday and Wednesday historical residence of the mornings. More information email King of Spain, but also a visit monastery, mausoleum, pirda@outlook.com, royal palace, museum, www.pirda.org, or phone David Shear on 950 064 311. and school.
The path of the pilgrims
A BUNCH of merry pilgrims from the Almanzora Group of Friends travelled 2,764 kilometres on a pilgrimage. They spent seven weary but ‘thoroughly satisfying’ days as they followed the Camino de Plata towards the UNESCO World Heritage city of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, the final destination on the ‘Way of Saint James’ pilgrimage route. In Galicia they also travelled along the ‘Coast Of Death’ to the ‘End of the World’. They scoffed as many mussels and as much local wine as they could
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Couple detained for lying to police A MARRIED couple has been arrested for fraud after claiming their car was stolen. The couple apparently lodged a deceitful car theft complaint with the police to collect insurance. Police sources indicate that their car had not been stolen. The couple had actually sold it to a French car dealer a month before lodging the complaint for €4,000. The investigation started on May 20 when French law enforcement officials asked Spanish police to help locate the previous owner of the vehicle, which was sold in February 2014. It appears
the car dealer could not get the car’s papers in order since it was registered as stolen in Spain. Spanish police found out the detained had lodged a car theft complaint and owed money to the insurance company. A local firstinstance criminal court had ordered the seizure of the vehicle. The investigators traced the couple to Roquetas del Mar, where they lived, and placed them under arrest. Police sources indicate that fraudulent deceptions of criminal offenses carry fines of up to 12 months.
FOREST FIRES: prevention goes a long way towards preventing them.
Fire awareness AN Almeria ecologist group have presented a new edition of their annual anti-forest fire campaign. According to the Mediterranean Ecologist Group (GEM), 60 per cent of forest fires are the direct result of negligence or carelessness. Forest fires destroy hundreds of hectares and natural spaces every year as well as animal and plant species, says the group. It is therefore important to raise awareness about fire prevention because “the easiest fires to put out are those that do not break out.” said Antonio Rubio Casanova, coordinator of the campaign. In light of the extreme drought currently facing Almeria, GEM says it is fundamental for hikers
and tourists in general to be aware of some basic anti-forest fire measures. Barbecues, fireworks and bonfires are especially dangerous and should be avoided in areas and municipalities that are close to forests. GEM submitted to local councils a series of recommendations, including stepping up surveillance in areas at high risk of forest fires. Almeria is experiencing one of the most extreme droughts of the last century. As a result, the smallest fire could result in an environmental catastrophe. As part of their campaign, GEM presented a book titled “Recipes against fire”, which contains more than 60 tasty examples of fire-safe cooking for a lovely picnic day, including
B-52: similar to the one involved in the 1966 crash
Nuclear incident still alive THE tragic 1966 Palomares B-52 crash has not been forgotten. Cuevas del Amazora Mayor Jesus Caicedo and
Palomares Mayor Juan Jose Perez Celdran met with Amy Tacho, Political Affairs Advisor of the United States Embassy. The meeting, held in the American Embassy and also attended by the embassy worker in charge of the Palomares issue, covered various aspects related to the 1966 nuclear accident and especially measures aimed at cleaning up areas contaminated with radioactive material. The Mayors voiced their
concern about how long it is taking to find a definitive solution. The Political Affairs Advisor of the American Embassy discussed the progress that is being made and the complexity inherent to it, given the number of people involved in the process. The Palomares incident took place on January 17 1966 when a US Air Force B-52G bomber collided during mid-air refueling with a KC-135 tanker off the coast of Spain.
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NEWS EXTRA
Popular classics THE Almeria Municipal Band will perform a free concert on Plaza del Mar (El ToyoRetamar) on July 9 at 8.30pm. Entrance is free.
Fire Dance ON Saturday, the San Indalecio Music Ensemble presents ‘Fire Dance’ at the ‘Maestro Padilla Auditorium. Tickets are €5. The concert starts at 9pm.
Kick-off UD Almeria will play Cordoba on Sunday August 17 at the Juegos Mediterraneos Stadium, one week before the start of the new football season.
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NEWS
Tax reform is ‘unfair’ THE tax reform in Almeria is “unfair” and “does not benefit everyone.” According to Antonio Hurtado, PSOE spokesman in the Economy and Competitiveness Commission
of the lower house of the Spanish Parliament, the tax reform “only benefits 18 per cent of the population that earns more than €33,000 and big companies.” Hurtado thinks that “it does not
help small or medium sized companies.” General Secretary of the PSOE in Almeria, Jose Luis Sanchez Teruel, said that “the reform will not benefit 80 per cent of Almeria
residents who pay their income tax every year.” On the contrary, “they will be affected given the lower tax collection, which will result in new cuts in health and education,” he added Teruel argues that the reform only benefits those who earn more. According to his data, including a round-the- “256,573 taxpayers in clock toll free number Almeria – 40 per cent – are not obligated to pay (900 200 999). ‘Protect yourself and income tax because they protect her’ is part of the make less than €11,200 a prevention, attention and year.” In his opinion, 42 per detection system created by the Junta de Andalucia cent – 108,273 people make between for women in the region. who It also includes €11,200 and €33,000 a psychological help, legal year – will be “affected by counselling, shelters for the proposal of the Rajoy victims, comprehensive administration” because attention for victims, their income tax will economic help and “increase between 0.25 and 1 per cent.” employment Teruel says only 18 per programmes. So far this year 29 cent of taxpayers will pay women have lost their less income tax since they lives as a direct result of make “more than €33,000 a year.” domestic violence.
Protect yourself and protect her THE Junta de Andalucia and the Almeria Pharmaceutical Association have launched a campaign against domestic violence. Under the motto ‘Protect yourself and protect her’, the campaign seeks to raise awareness in society against the scourge of domestic violence, so that victims do not feel alone and know what resources they have at their disposal. The 330 pharmacies in Almeria will participate in the campaign and distribute 7,500
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Victims are not alone. informative leaflets among their customers. The campaign was first launched in Malaga with extraordinary results.
The leaflets contain information about the resources women can resort to if they fall victim to domestic violence,
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NEWS
Fruit machine thieves caught SEVERAL members of an organised gang which was dedicated to robbing slot machines have been detained in Almeria. The gang is suspected of carrying out more than 25 crimes of the same sort in Navarra, Burgos, Alava, La Rioja, Madrid and Almeria – among other places. Guardia Civil have dismantled the gang under an operation codenamed ‘Cowboy’ which aim was to bring down the perpetrators of the repeated attacks which were happening on a national scale. Five people have been detained between Miranda del Ebro in Burgos and Almeria and four searches of the residences of the detainees have produced some tools, which were used in the commission of the robberies, a vehicle used to transport the thieves and their tools as well as an unspecified amount of cash.
SUMMER SALES; chamber of commerce optimistic this year
Shops forecast a sales bonanza...
SLOT MACHINES: targeted by gang of thieves Investigations began when the Guardia Civil became aware that there was a spate of similar crimes going on up and down the country. The MO was the same for all of them: the thieves would break into a bar and, in less than 30 seconds, open the slot
machines and take any money that was in them. Police have not yet released any information as to how the members of the gang were caught as they suspect there are more members at large and evading justice.
BUSINESSES in Almeria are expecting to takel more than €16 million in the summer sales this year. Many business people in the area think that this may be the last year of “traditional” sales in which most shops start their sales until July 1; many shops start before this date. Sumer sales estimates are optimistic this year in the province of Almeria. This optimism is based on data released by the INE (national institute of statistics) in which they state that there is a slight recovery in private spending which “has begun a moderate climb in the last quarter”.
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Knife-wielding man threatens Roquetas residents THE Guardia Civil in Almeria have detained a man for threatening behaviour with a knife. The suspect had had an argument with some of his neighbours and was threatening them with a large knife. When the Guardia Civil arrived and tried to talk him down, he also threatened them with the knife. The incident took place in
Roquetas de Mar-Aguadulce, in the province of Almeria; the police received a call about a neighbour who was threatening the occupants of a building in the village. He was, apparently, belligerent and shouting threats at not only the people in the house but also at anyone who happened to walk by on the street. The man’s attitude was violent and aggressive at all times.
When he became aware of the presence of the Guardia Civil he tried to run away and hide in the building, evidently to avoid detention by the police. The Guardia Civil immediately set up a ring around the property, made sure nobody came out of their flats, and started a conversation with the man to try to calm him down. They tried repeatedly to get
Storms batter harvest ANDRES GARCIA LORCA, government sub delegate for Almeria, has visited the farmers and wine growers affected by the hail storms in Laujar de Andarax, Almeria. Lorca went to the area to get a better idea of how the storms have affected the crops and what it means to the farmers dealing with it. On his visit Lorca spoke with several people affected by the storms, which took place on June 24; all those affected had the same story to tell – the hail had ruined their almost ripe fruit, battering it until it was almost useless, and now they were at the mercy of the insurance companies and trying to salvage what they could from the storm’s rampage through their vineyards and orchards. Francisco Vargas, president of ASAJA (farmers’ association) and the mayor of Laujar de Andarax, Emilio Jose Romero Lopez, also met with the government representative to discuss the impact of the storms on the local economy and what could be done about it.
ROQUETAS: The normally tranquil resort was the scene of a frightening incident. him to leave the building but he refused seeming to get ever more angry and violent; he continued to threaten the police, waving the knife around in front of them in a menacing manner. Eventually, after an hour and a half, the man became so aggressive that the police
gave up on trying to calm him down and when the man made a move against them they subdued him and handcuffed him for everyone’s safety. The man is being held on suspicion of threatening behaviour, resisting arrest and disobeying authority.
SHAMEFUL: The mess on the streets of Turre.
Litterbug alert FARMERS AND GOVERNMENT: Discuss the storm’s impact.
By Tony Matthews WHEN you thought all was getting better and the litter louts had learned a lesson, it has all turned sour again... and this is what some locals in Turre woke up to the other day!
This is absolutely disgusting and with the help of various people I intend to name and shame the inconsiderate, trashdropping folk who are responsible. We are on your case... watch this space!
7 million ecstasy tablets seized ONE ton of PMK glycidate, enough to make seven million ecstasy tablets, has been found in Barcelona Port. The shipment arrived from Shanghai, China, and was intercepted at the port from where it was bound for Maastricht in Holland. PMK glycidate is a precursor compound used in the fabrication of MDMA (ecstasy). So far five people have been arrested; three Dutch, one Bulgarian and one Spanish. This is the biggest find of its kind in Spain and investigations started in August of 2013 when several international law enforcement agencies became aware of a large shipment of the controlled substance, believed to be bound for Europe. Inquiries were centred on finding the company responsible for the importation and
this was rapidly identified as being in El Papiol in Barcelona. The representative of this company, a Dutchman, was in contact with another company in China, which was producing the substance and arranging for its transportation to Europe disguised as a pigment for paints. Police located the lorry carrying the 25 vats, weighing 40 kilos each, which was supposed to go to a company in Benalmadena, Malaga, but was really going to Holland. Police investigations are ongoing as they suspect there are more people involved in such a large operation. The five people arrested have all been sent to prison where they will remain on remand until their case can be heard.
MASSIVE FIND: 25 vats were found in a lorry
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Expats flee homes as forest fire rages
Bulls provoke naked protest MAX MALIN
MORE than 500 people, including expatriates and holidaymakers had to flee a forest fire that swept towards an urbanisation in Southern Spain. The blaze, which broke out near Competa in Andalucia, was fanned by stong winds and high temperatures and swept towards Las Colmenillas urbanisation, according to Andalucia’s emergency services. Infoca, a service put in place by the Junta de Andalucia to combat forest fires, reduced the alert level from 1 to 0 after the fire in the Axarquia had been brought under control. Around 500 people from Las Colmenillas and Cruz del Monte had to be evacuated as 100 hectares of forest land was destroyed. The majority of homes evacuated were holiday homes, with the holidaymakers taken to the Balcón de Cómpeta hotel while the blaze was fought. The critical point of the fire was reached at around 4.30pm when the flames reached Urbanisation Cruz del Monte and came perilously close to
WATER-BOMBING: A helicopter swoops in to douse the flames. three houses. In total 18 firefighting aircraft, including two amphibious aircraft and two helicopters, as well as 200 members of the emergency services on the ground – divided in 16 different groups – were drafted in to fight the fire and try to protect property. By 6pm the flames were under control with firefighters remaining on the scene in case the high winds
fanned the fire back to life. In fact, one of their main concerns was keeping the flames from fully spreading to the Sierras Tejeda Natural Park and Almijara. The cause of the fire is still unknown and five homes were reportedly destroyed by the flames in Cruz del Monte. This was the worst fire to break out in the municipality in the last 40 years.
NEWS
A 42-YEAR-OLD Danish animal rights activist is scheduled to pose naked on the streets of Pamplona, Spain, in protest at the Running of the Bulls. In the demonstration organised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Spanish group AnimaNaturalis, Naja Bjørnlund plans to bare all and paint her skin to resemble a bull a day before the start of the famous San Fermín festival. Bjørnlund said: “Tormenting and butchering animals can never be justified as entertainment. I’ll gladly bare my skin if it will expose the cruelty of the Running of the Bulls and bullfighting.” The festival of San Fermín is a deeply rooted
Spanish tradition, celebrated annually in the city of Pamplona, where more than one million people come to participate in the Running of the Bulls from Sunday (July 6-14). The festival, famous worldwide, was central to the plot of The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway, who brought it to the general attention of Englishspeaking people. “Each year, approximately 10,000 bulls die in bullfights, an inaccurate term for events in which there is very little competition between a nimble, sword-wielding matador and a confused, maimed, psychologically tormented, and physically debilitated animal,” according to the PETA website.
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Too much telly could be deadly WATCHING telly for more than three hours a day could double the risk of premature death. This is one of the terrifying conclusions that arise from a recently conducted study at the University of Navarra. Its results are in fact consistent with
previous studies suggesting that there is an inherent link between mortality and the number of hours people watch TV. “Watching television is a popular sedentary behaviour. There is an increasing tendency towards a sedentary lifestyle,”
said Miguel A Martinez-Gonzalez, co-author of the study. The researchers looked at 13,284 healthy Spaniards holding under-graduate degrees, 60 per cent of whom were women and whose ages averaged 37 years.
The study aimed at determining the relationship, if any, between the risk of death and three common sedentary behaviours, namely watching TV, working on the computer and driving. The subjects were followed
Spain’s multimillion drugs business DRUG-TRAFFICKING in Spain is a €6 billion business. As recently stated by Minister of the Interior Jorge Fernandez Diaz in a press conference, G6 countries and the United States will work together to beef up their ongoing war on the illegal drugs trade. Established in 2003 with the purpose of dealing with immigration, terrorism and law and order issues, the G6 comprises six European Union member states: Poland, Spain, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany. Minister Diaz talked to the
COCAINE: Part of a multi-billion-euro illegal trade. media following an intensive meeting of G6 Ministers of the Interior in Barcelona to convey the results of the session.
According to some studies conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime drugtrafficking is a €300 billion
business worldwide, which gives an idea of how big of a threat illegal drugs trade really is, said Minister Diaz. In Spain, drugtrafficking is a €6 billion business – €18 million a day. Minister Diaz said that 40 per cent of the cocaine and 75 per cent of hashish seized in the European Union by law enforcement officials are confiscated in Spain. He added that money from the illegal drugs trade funds organised crime, illegal immigration networks, money laundering operations, as well as arms, human and sex trafficking.
for 8.2 years and there were 97 deaths during that period: 19 for cardiovascular diseases, 46 for cancer and 32 for other reasons. When analysing the data, researchers found that the risk of death was twice as high in those subjects who watched three or more hours of television a day, compared to those who only watched 60 minutes or less. However, they found no link between the risk of premature death and the number of hours spent behind the wheel or working on the computer, but still say more studies should be conducted to confirm these findings. “As people get older, their sedentary behaviour becomes more frequent, which increases many of the health problems associated with ageing,” explained Martinez-Gonzalez. He said adults should increase physical activity and avoid watching more than one or two hours of television a day.
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Ticket to ride A TICKET on the Malaga underground system will cost €1.35 to get anywhere; this is only five cents more than the bus fare.
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News from our editions With six editions and read by more than half a million people, EWN is Spain’s largest free local English-language newspaper
NEWS DESK COSTA BLANCA SOUTH
Drug spending PRESCRIPTION drug spending fell by 0.4 per cent in May in the Murcia Region. The figure is 14.03 per cent lower than the same month in 2012.
Scandalous!
Payments approved
THE mayor of Malaga, Joaquin Villanova, has termed the Junta’s (regional government) airport village plans as “scandalous” - the plans would leave many homes at risk of repossession by the government.
TORREVIEJA has had all invoices approved indicating the proper provision of services. Previous outstanding bills amounting to €1.93 million will now be paid for municipal services.
Yecla crash
City social council THE formal constitution of the Marbella City Social Council took place at the Hospital Real de la Misericordia and the mayor, Angeles Muñoz, qualified the project as important to the future of Marbella.
Taekwondo event BENALMADENA has hosted the fourth Taekwondo championship in the Pabellon Mayor of Arroyo de la Miel; more than 300 competitors took part in the annual championships.
Even cleaner MARBELLA has begun a new campaign for an even cleaner town. The initiative aims to make residents more aware of the need to recycle and keep the town looking good.
AXARQUIA
Sport activities CLOSE to 1,000 children from the municipal sports schools in Almuñecar participated in a myriad of activities celebrating the end of the 2013-2014 school year.
Playground upgrade ALMUÑECAR Council has provided funds, estimated at €100,000, to pave the playground at the Las Gaviotas public school.
Shopping spree
A BIKER, 39, died after colliding with a car in Yecla on the N-344. The two car occupants suffered minor injuries.
RESCUE: Rod and the team from EHCRC try to save the starved mare.
Horse rescue comes too late
THE rescue of an abandoned and starving horse in the Campo de Guardamar came too late. Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre (EHCRC) in Rojales received a request for help from Seprona, the Guardia Civil’s animal welfare arm, and rushed to the property. “We found a very young horse starving and completely dehydrated,” said EHCRC co-founder Sue Weeding: “She was lying in full sun and had had nothing to eat or drink for four to five days. She was far too weak to get up.” After constant attention and assistance from EHCRC vet Dorothea, it was decided that nothing more could be done but put the horse out of its misery. EHCRC also discovered six starving dogs locked in dark cages on the property. All are now being cared for by the Cats n Dogs Aid Association in Quesada. EHCRC is continually looking for volunteers and donations to cover the cost of feeding and caring for the 82 horses, ponies and donkeys that live at the centre. For more information call 652 021 980 or email info@easyhorsecare.net
Arabic music
Theatre praised
EGYPTIAN composer and guitarist Ali Khattab put on an amazing performance combining flamenco and Arabic music in the La Najarra Palace in Almuñecar.
INTERNATIONAL ballet star Angel Corella recently gave master classes in Teulada’s auditorium. Its “continuing and ambitious cultural offer” and equipment make it one of Spain’s best, Corella said.
COSTA BLANCA NORTH
Favourite names
IN an effort to stimulate the commercial sector, Almuñecar Council and local stores have organised three ‘shopping nights’ (July 5, 19 and August 2 from 8pm to 2am).
THE Valencian Community registered 101,152 dogs between January and June. The most popular names were Luna (18,000) and Linda (9,000) although there were 13 Rajoys and one Camilla Parker Bowles.
Paying homage
Licence snub
ALMUÑECAR paid homage to English poet Laurie Lee (191 –1917). Lee lived in the city between 1936 and 1952 and immortalised it in ‘A Rose for Winter: Travels in Andalusia’ (1955).
BENIDORM Council intends to revoke Enrique Ortiz’s permit to develop the unbuilt Armanello area. Ortiz failed to spend a promised €17.5 million on infrastructure and services, the town hall claimed.
Body identified A DISMEMBERED body found in Pego belonged to a 45-year-old Gandia man who disappeared in early May. Investigators were led to the body by three recently-arrested suspects, sources revealed.
Little extras TWENTY Benidorm families requested places in the social dining room for pupils during the school holidays. Children will also receive packed meals to ensure that they eat over the weekend.
School investment CARTAGENA is investing €300,000 to improve the municipality’s schools with work being carried out throughout the summer. The main investment will be focused on replacing toilets and repairing electrics.
Guilty verdict A JURY has found a man guilty of murdering his ex-partner in Catral in 2010 after their five-year relationship ended. The prosecution has called for a 20-year prison sentence.
MALLORCA
Impending lawsuit THE family of Nuria Balcells, 66, who died during the Sant Joan festival in Ciutadella after being run over by a horse, has decided to sue the council.
Immigration matters THE National Police has launched a system of pre-booked appointments for all immigration matters processed in Palma and Ibiza.
Football camp MORE than 150 sport-loving children participated in the first week of the FCB Escola Camp Illes Ballears football camp held at the CIDE school.
Expensive tourism The Balearic Islands are the most expensive tourist destination in Spain this summer. Average costs for a single person are estimated at €65.7 per day.
Real Mallorca ALMERIA winger ‘Rafita’ is not likely to play for his current club next season and said he would like to “help Real Mallorca return to the First Division” of La Liga.
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Stories making headlines in Europe
S CANDINAVIAN P RESS
GERMAN PRESS Speeding horse
BRITISH PRESS Twiplomacy
Royal selfie
Green Devon
NORWAY - Prime Minister Erna Solberg is the most likely Western politician to reply to a tweet from a follower; 74 per cent of her tweets are replies.
A CHEEKY teen named Jack took advantage of the relaxed security on the Queen’s visit to Belfast and managed to snap himself and the monarch in a selfie shot.
THE golden sands of some Devon beaches have turned bright green due to the massive amounts of seaweed currently floating in the waters and washing up on the beaches. Preston beach has been particularly hard hit.
Bite bet NORWAY - A football fan has won 5,600 kroner (€700) after making a bet that Luis Suarez would bite somebody during the World Cup in Brazil. The bet was paid out at 175/1.
Racism worry SWEDEN - Four out of five Swedes are concerned about the increase in racism in Sweden. They are worried about other people’s attitudes towards immigrants and refugees.
Bomb threat SWEDEN - A man who shut down central Stockholm with a bomb threat said he did it as a move to protest against the government’s stance on the asylum process his application for refugee status was rejected.
400m kroner DENMARK - Mogens Jensen, the trade and development minister, has announced the government’s intention to raise aid for educating the world’s poorest children of 400m kroner (€536m).
Hellish neighbour RESIDENTS of Cornwall Drive in St Paul’s Cray, London, have had to put up with a giant mound of rubbish for three years now. The 40ft-high mound is part of a tip which cannot be moved due to a council battle with the company responsible.
Expensive tea
Scratch and sniff POLICE are distributing A5 sized scratch and sniff cards as part of a national campaign against growing marihuana. The cards emit the smell of growing cannabis, although they do not contain any active element of the plant.
WIMBLEDON bosses have banned spectators from bringing Thermos flasks into the club due to terrorism worries; the concession stands are selling cuppas for £2.20 (€2.75).
EXPENSIVE CUPPA: Tea at Wimbledon.
Kinky secrets in library
KICKED OUT: Pensioner for smoking.
No clients
MORE than 70 Russian universities are being checked on amid rumours of students being locked out of their dorms at night and having to bribe their way back in or sleep on the streets.
DESPITE a bumper grain harvest in the Crimea nobody is buying. Agriculture minister Nikolai Polyushkin commented that international buyers were being banned.
Hate crime
Less addicts
A FOREIGN tourist has died in the Crimean town of Yevpatoria. Police are investigating the death as a possible homophobic crime as the victim was not of ‘traditional sexual orientation.’
ALTHOUGH the number of drug addicts has stabilised for the first time in years in Russia, incidences of HIV are on the rise which suggests that the battle against drug abuse is still not over.
THE university of Twente received a gift of $7.5 million (€5.51 million) from the Bill Gates fund in order to execute a 20 month research project to improve smallscale agriculture in Asia and Afrika.
Road death A KNIFE-wielding man was run down on a motorway in western Germany. The unidentified man was thought to have attacked at least three people, one of whom is fighting for his life.
Not qualified
Smoked out
Poor students
Gates’ €5.1 million gift
A HORSE was snapped by a speed camera in Eppstein, Hesse, but he was not going at 59kph as some reports have suggested - the camera was set off by a car behind the horse.
THE man who designed the fire safety system at the scandal ridden Berlin airport has admitted that he is not a real, qualified engineer. The system is the main reason for the delays to the blighted project.
RUSSIAN PRESS
ACROSS the road from the Kremlin is Russia’s kinkiest secret: a pornographic treasure trove library. The library was founded by the Bolsheviks as a store for the aristocracy’s erotica collections it is off limits to the general public.
EUROPEAN PRESS
DUTCH PRESS Car found
Young abuse
World Heritage
SPANISH police have found the burnt out car of Dutchman Martin Verfondern, who has been missing from Petin in Galicia since 2010. Some human remains were also found.
A 14-YEAR-OLD boy in Hardinxveld-Giessendam is being interrogated suspected of abusing a seven-year-old girl in the Westpark. He allegedly forced her into sexual acts.
THE Van Nelle factory in Rotterdam, built in the 1920’s by entrepreneur Cees van Leeuw with the concept of ‘light, air and space,’ has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
A PENSIONER has been evicted from his home of 40 years for smoking. Friedhelm Adolfs, 75, must leave his rented home after neighbours complained of the constant fumes from his cigarettes.
Plane crash ONE person has been declared dead and another missing after a plane went down in Sauerland. The aircraft crashed into a Eurofighter on exercises over central Germany.
Home garden socialism STATE Secretary for Social Affairs Jetta Klijnsma of the Labour Party (PvdA) has advised pensioners to grow their own fruit and vegetables as the value of their pensions diminishes.
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E W N 3 - 9 July 2014 / Costa de Almería
Troubled waters over Gibraltar MEMBERS of the Spanish nationalist group DANAES attempted to ‘siphon’ away concrete blocks submerged off Gibraltar. In a joint operation between Spanish fishermen and divers affiliated to the Spanish patriot group, they were trying to remove an artificial reef placed by the Gibraltar authorities, which they claim could damage nets and affect the fishermen’s livelihoods. A lorry hired by the group had been waiting in the port of San Roque, Cadiz, and was prepared to tow away the concrete block once it hit the coast, but they were caught by the Spanish Guardia Civil before completing the stunt. Several members are being held responsible by the Spanish authorities and Maritime Security for threatening the fragile relationship between Spain and the UK.
A note from the
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NEWS
Spanish teachers are ‘losing out’ JUST because they are native speakers it doesn’t mean they have the ability to teach the language. Teaching unions are angry with the government’s announcement that it wants to hire more native English teaching assistants for the 2014/2015 academic year. The unions are saying that the native teachers are getting an unfair advantage
EDUCATING: Some native English teachers have no qualifications.
as they are not required to have the same teaching qualifications as a Spanish
national to teach English; also they aren’t required to speak any Spanish.
Carlos Iglesias, head of the primary and high schoolteachers’ union (FSIE) commented that there are six million unemployed in Spain; among them many teachers who would be more qualified to teach than a native speaker.
Editor
Make sure visitors Thanks and have insurance
brickbats…
T
HE fire season has well and truly started. Already there have been forest and bush fires right across Spain. The latest of these has just hit the beautiful area around Competa in Andalucia, where 500 people had to be evacuated and five homes were destroyed. While everyone’s sympathy should go to the owners of those homes, our thanks should go to the brave emergency workers who tackle these fires on a regular basis. And make no mistake it is dangerous, with firefighters having been killed when an unexpected change of wind left them trapped. In Competa, 200 men and women on the ground and 18 aircraft combined to tackle the blaze. Thankfully no one was hurt as an emergency plan was put into action.
Those residents and tourists most at risk were taken to safety as the flames approached and the brave firefighters managed to save many homes. The authorities had a plan, and they used it well, for which we should all be grateful. But elsewhere things are not quite so rosy. In Andalucia, people left homeless after a massive blaze swept through Mijas, Alhaurin el Grande and Ojen two years ago are still waiting for the help promised them by the Junta de Andalucia regional government. So there we have it, on the one hand a rapid response to a fire, on the other Spanish officialdom moving with the speed of a sloth. Thanks go to the authorities for their immediate action, and brickbats for their inaction and disinterest after the event.
MAKE sure that visitors have adequate travel insurance when they visit you if you don’t want to risk hefty medical bills Travelling abroad uninsured can cost thousands if a trip goes wrong. Yet according to new research issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), more than one in three young Brits think it is unnecessary to take out insurance when they travel overseas, often leaving their families to pick up the pieces. The findings from research conducted by
ABTA come as the British Embassy urges expats living in Spain to encourage their young visitors to be fully prepared for their visits to Spain and ensure they are properly covered. Costs arising from uninsured accidents abroad can be significant, and it is often parents who are presented with an unexpected and large bill with no hope of reclaiming the money. One in five young people think that a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) acts as a full insurance policy when abroad. In fact, an EHIC only provides access to state
medical care in the European Economic Area. It’s important to realise that it excludes any other costs such as getting an individual back to the UK, which can run into thousands. Consular Director for Spain, Will Middleton, said: “If you have friends or family coming to visit, especially youngsters, make sure that they take out adequate insurance before they arrive. It is also important that they check that the policy covers them for everything they want to do while on holiday and that they have declared any medical conditions – or the insurance could be invalidated.”
46
E W N 3 - 9 July 2014 / Costa de Almería
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OPINION / COMMENT
The super big 4th of July party! WEEKS before the event, everyone was shouting out: “Have you got your invite yet?” The venue was a poolside party in the Mojacar castle/castillo at the top of the hill. It was at that time rented by a retired American soap opera actor, Charles Baxter. He was a Yank and proud of it. He naturally made a big thing about America’s Independence Day, the 4th of July. From early spring, the English and all would pander to Charles in hopes of receiving one of the cherished “invites” to attend his party. Not more than 50 folk fit in and, if too crowded, half ended in the swimming pool. As there were so few authentic, bonafide Americans around, the guest list became an international mix but mostly English. We were invited our first year here. When I heard you had to dress up, something on the outrageous side of red, white and
LOOKING BACK IN MOJACAR
Ric Polansky Ric Polansky moved to Mojacar in 1969 as a pioneer developer. He reads extensively and has travelled in South America panning gold and looking for El Dorado.
blue, and arrive with a great deal of patriotic ‘attitude’, we discussed maybe not to attend. We could sit at home and wave Old Glory by ourselves just as well. Maybe we could light a sparkler or two for our boy and relax without all the fawning, over gracious, and poised talk. It was a day off for our American-owned company. Why wreck it with all that verbal swordfighting one had to endure speaking with the British? The conversations were almost always the same concerning how we Americans were “colonials” and had much to learn. But out of curiosity, we went.
POOLSIDE PARTY: To mark Independence Day.
Topics hovered around American vocabulary and spelling, manners and customs, the stiff upper lip, drinking tea with cucumber sandwiches, cricket, rugby, bowls, not to mention the war. I eventually had to ask if they had seen the colonial graves in France of those
who died defending Europe and the British. When we were asked about our background, no one really knew where in the world Wisconsin and Iowa were, so we settled on being from Chicago along with Al Capone and all other imaginable monster types. That fact alone delighted them. Nevertheless, that particular July fiesta was the summer fete for the entire village for weeks leading up and at least another 10 days afterward. The feast (a la picnic American-style) consisted
of cold baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, hamburgers, hotdogs, jello salad topped with marshmallows, lashings of catsup and mustard, brownies, apple pie and ice cream. Drink was anything liquid. Red, white, and blue flags were shipped in from Madrid’s Torrejon Airbase along with some fireworks. But the real scoop was scoping out those precious few with their cherished invites. How had they behaved? Lots fell (or were pushed) into the pool. Most were numb with celebration. All publicly displayed themselves with as much ostentatious glory as possible. We never went again.
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3 - 9 July 2014 / Costa de Almería
business & legal
EWN
STAT OF WEEK NON-RESIDENT foreign buyers acquired 15,402 Spanish properties – 20 per cent of all sales – between January and April. Britain bought most (13.8 per cent) followed by France (10.5 per cent) and Russia (8.4 per cent).
Good timekeeping by Spanish airlines SPAIN’S Air Europa and IAG are the world’s third and fourth most punctual airlines. Just over 89.6 per cent of Air Europa flights were on time in May, according to the report on scheduled passenger airlines compiled by FlightStats each month.
Iberia was close on its heels in third place, with 89.3 per cent punctuality. The Russian airline Aeroflot was the best timekeeper in May on 91.1 per cent, followed by the Scandinavian SAS with 90.8 per cent. Lufthansa, after months
Santander goes Scandinavian BANCO SANTANDER will buy GE Money Bank AB, the Scandinavian consumer finance division of General Electric. The transaction, which is expected to cost approximately €700 million, should be completed during the second half of this year subject to regulatory approval, said Santander. GE Money Bank has loans of €2.35 billion, corresponding to direct loans and credit cards, the bank stated. Sweden accounts for 55 per cent of the loans, Norway for 26 per cent and Denmark for 19 per cent. Santander Consumer Finance, meanwhile, leads in financing vehicle purchase, with a total volume of €8.9 billion in loans.
“Acquiring GE Capital’s business in Sweden, Denmark and Norway is an important step in Santander Consumer’s growth strategy,” said Santander chairman Emilio Botin. This would increase its geographical diversification and reinforce its position as Europe’s foremost consumer finance provider, he added. Santander is looking to benefit from the economic recovery by boosting returns from lending. It agreed to pay approximately €140 million for 51 per cent of El Corte Ingles finance unit last October and is now negotiating with PSA Peugeot Citroen to sell loans and create a joint venture to boost the manufacturer’s finance network.
amongst the leaders at the top of the list, fell to 19th place. Taiwanese Eva Airways’ 52.77 per cent punctuality record was the second worst while China Airlines with 51.33 per cent was at the bottom of the heap.
B
usiness extra
Cars bring jobs CAR factories created 1,800 jobs last year, said the Anfac manufacturers’ association. The trend continued this year, with a further increase of 6,000 new jobs between January and April.
Gas goes KUTXABANK has sold its 5 per cent holding in Enagas, which owns Spain’s natural gas grid, for €274 million. The Basque bank’s holding has now been reduced to 0.018 per cent.
More foreigners paying social… BY last May 1,608,221 foreigners were registered with Spain’s Social Security system. This was 44,600 more than in April, but 43,169 fewer than during the same month last year. Of these, 855,356 were male and 752,875 female. Most Social Security contributors – 960,895 in all – are from outside the EU, while the remaining 647,326 come from EU member states. The majority were General Category
workers, who accounted for 1,369,005 of the total and included 212,465 from the agricultural sector while 216,641 were domestic workers. Romanians and Moroccans were the most numerous in this category. There were 234,566 self-employed foreigners, of whom the majority were Chinese. A further 4,356 foreigners worked in the maritime sector and 294 were employed in Spain’s mines.
51
Markus Mainka / Shutterstock.com
PUNCTUAL: Air Europa third best at keeping to schedule.
52
E W N 3 - 9 July 2014 / Costa de Almería
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C LOSING P RICES J UNE 30
C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) 3i Group PLC 404.35 Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 447.25 Admiral Group PLC 1544.50 Aggreko PLC 1653.50 Anglo American PLC 1438.50 Antofagasta PLC 762.00 ARM Holdings PLC 879.25 Ashtead Group PLC 875.25 Associated British Foods 3051.00 AstraZeneca PLC 4381.00 Aviva PLC 513.25 Babcock International 1158.50 BAE Systems PLC 431.95 Barclays PLC 215.60 Barratt Developments 373.95 BG Group PLC 1243.75 BHP Billiton PLC 1889.00 BP PLC 518.65
C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -1.50 -0.37 0.00 0.00 5.00 0.32 11.00 0.67 7.50 0.52 -2.50 -0.33 -2.50 -0.28 2.00 0.23 9.00 0.30 11.00 0.25 0.82 0.16 0.00 0.00 0.60 0.14 -0.35 -0.16 -0.70 -0.19 -2.50 -0.20 -24.00 -1.25 3.87 0.75
NET VOLUME 53.45 152.70 17.76 35.05 258.03 35.41 133.55 37.95 18.97 97.18 283.91 66.15 272.26 4,441.95 292.30 219.36 598.43 725.48
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0.80243
Units per €
US dollar.................................................................1.36547 Japan yen..............................................................138.439 Switzerland franc ................................................1.21547 Denmark kroner ................................................7.45638 Norway kroner ...................................................8.38081
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PRICE(P)
British Amercn Tobacco British Land Co PLC British Sky Broadcasting BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC
3473.75 707.50 902.50 388.00 1635.00 1483.00 1139.50
DOW JONES
NASDAQ
C LOSING P RICES J UNE 30
C LOSING P RICES J UNE 30
C O M PA N Y MMM 3M Co AXP American Express Co T AT&T Inc BA Boeing Co CAT Caterpillar Inc CVX Chevron Corp CSCO Cisco Systems Inc DD 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 143.69 94.93 35.41 128.54 108.78 130.36 24.70 65.44 101.21 26.43 166.78 81.13 30.93 181.71 104.99 57.53 101.46 57.53 42.25 77.68 29.67 79.02 42.19 93.92 116.58 82.00 49.32 209.28 75.34 85.30
-0.04 +0.63 +0.15 +0.52 +0.26 -0.56 +0.05 -2.26 -0.82 +0.14 -1.23 +0.38 +0.15 +1.34 -0.66 +0.14 -0.05 -1.00 +0.53 +0.82 +0.08 +0.40 +0.16 -0.49 +0.83 -0.29 +0.11 +0.32 +0.43 +0.85
-0.03% +0.67% +0.43% +0.41% +0.24% -0.43% +0.20% -3.34% -0.80% +0.53% -0.73% +0.47% +0.49% +0.74% -0.62% +0.24% -0.05% -1.71% +1.27% +1.07% +0.27% +0.51% +0.38% -0.52% +0.72% -0.35% +0.22% +0.15% +0.57% +1.01%
2.0M 3.6M 20.9M 3.7M 3.6M 8.7M 35.0M 16.2M 15.1M 35.2M 3.1M 5.0M 30.8M 4.6M 6.5M 10.2M 2.8M 17.3M 74.6M 9.1M 30.7M 9.0M 18.7M 4.1M 9.1M 4.8M 12.4M 3.2M 14.0M 17.9M
1.24620
C O M PA N Y
C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -2.50 0.29 8.50 -1.00 7.00 8.00 2.00
-0.07 0.04 0.95 -0.26 0.43 0.54 0.18
NET VOLUME 173.52 78.67 184.27 558.35 23.29 31.80 24.46
PRICE
CHANGE NET / %
$ 17.46 $ 7.74 $ 6.50 $ 35.76 $ 2.51 $ 9.96 $ 5.14 $ 3.439 $ 4.97 $ 27.79 $ 42.89
4.01 ▲ 29.81% 1.01 ▲ 15.01% 0.82 ▲ 14.44% 4.42 ▲ 14.10% 0.31 ▲ 14.09% 1.11 ▲ 12.54% 0.54 ▲ 11.74% 0.3585 ▲ 11.64% 0.49 ▲ 10.94% 2.73 ▲ 10.89% 3.98 ▲ 10.23%
Tarena International, Inc. $ 12.21 Parnell Pharmaceuticals Holdings Ltd $ 6.95 Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation $ 25.18 Learning Tree International, Inc. $ 2.28 Pain Therapeutics $ 5.47 Empire Resorts, Inc. $ 7.06 First Mid-Illinois Bancshares, Inc. $ 20.38 Gibraltar Industries, Inc. $ 15.30 Trade Street Residential, Inc. $ 7.07 VisionChina Media, Inc. $ 16.95 Clearfield, Inc. $ 17.23
1.74 ▼ 12.47% 0.85 ▼ 10.90% 3.03 ▼ 10.74% 0.2475 ▼ 9.79% 0.59 ▼ 9.74% 0.66 ▼ 8.55% 1.85 ▼ 8.32% 1.31 ▼ 7.89% 0.60 ▼ 7.82% 1.42 ▼ 7.73% 1.30 ▼ 7.02%
Most Advanced Amedisys Inc Argos Therapeutics, Inc. Aware, Inc. GoPro, Inc. Intermolecular, Inc. Dyax Corp. TGC Industries, Inc. BTU International, Inc. Trevena, Inc. Qunar Cayman Islands Limited China Biologic Products, Inc.
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C O M PA N Y Carnival PLC Centrica PLC Coca-Cola HBC AG Compass Group PLC CRH PLC Diageo PLC easyJet PLC Experian PLC Fresnillo PLC Friends Life Group Ltd G4S PLC GKN PLC GlaxoSmithKline PLC Glencore PLC Hammerson PLC Hargreaves Lansdown HSBC Holdings PLC IMI PLC Imperial Tobacco Group InterContinental Hotels International Consldtd Intertek Group PLC Intu Properties PLC ITV PLC Johnson Matthey PLC Kingfisher PLC Land Securities Group Legal & General Group Lloyds Banking Group London Stock Exchange Marks & Spencer Group Meggitt PLC Mondi PLC Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts National Grid PLC Next PLC Old Mutual PLC Pearson PLC Persimmon PLC Petrofac Ltd Prudential PLC Randgold Resources Ltd Reckitt Benckiser Grp Reed Elsevier PLC REXAM PLC Rio Tinto PLC Rolls-Royce Holdings Royal Bank of Scotland Royal Dutch Shell PLC Royal Mail PLC RSA Insurance Group SABMiller PLC Sage Group (The) PLC Sainsbury (J) PLC Schroders PLC Severn Trent PLC Shire PLC Smith & Nephew PLC Smiths Group PLC Sports Direct Interntnl... SSE PLC Standard Chartered Standard Life PLC St James's Place PLC Tesco PLC Travis Perkins PLC TUI Travel PLC Tullow Oil PLC Unilever PLC United Utilities Group Vodafone Group PLC Weir Group PLC Whitbread PLC Wolseley PLC WPP PLC
PRICE(P) CHANGE 2236.00 12.00 314.10 1.37 1360.50 7.00 1014.00 -2.28 1514.50 -6.00 1868.25 20.00 1400.00 -60.00 985.00 -0.50 856.25 1.00 314.40 2.10 253.55 -0.20 368.15 1.00 1572.50 -1.50 325.28 1.15 580.25 -1.50 1260.00 -2.00 595.30 -1.78 1496.50 0.00 2628.00 -4.00 2414.00 17.00 383.55 0.00 2729.00 -2.00 311.15 0.70 178.00 1.83 3078.00 16.00 362.70 2.50 1042.00 2.00 225.85 -0.30 75.17 -0.19 2002.50 11.00 431.15 -0.70 507.00 0.00 1070.00 -2.00 183.20 -0.70 840.50 3.00 6532.50 50.00 197.10 1.10 1136.50 1.50 1274.50 -5.00 1211.00 3.00 1341.75 3.00 4868.00 -24.00 5117.50 30.00 936.00 0.50 533.00 5.50 3120.25 -3.00 1063.00 -5.00 330.25 3.30 2559.00 8.00 499.80 0.00 480.10 0.15 3391.75 26.00 385.50 0.80 315.50 -1.36 2513.50 9.00 1930.50 14.00 4650.50 80.00 1038.00 3.00 1308.50 13.00 717.50 -6.50 1567.00 2.00 1194.50 2.50 375.00 0.10 773.50 1.50 283.18 -0.63 1644.50 -9.00 404.05 0.70 857.50 4.15 2644.50 7.00 884.50 4.00 197.47 1.25 2649.50 10.00 4405.00 28.00 3230.00 19.00 1280.50 14.00
% C H G. 0.54 0.44 0.52 -0.22 -0.39 1.08 -4.11 -0.05 0.12 0.67 -0.08 0.27 -0.10 0.35 -0.26 -0.16 -0.30 0.00 -0.15 0.71 0.00 -0.07 0.23 1.04 0.52 0.69 0.19 -0.13 -0.25 0.55 -0.16 0.00 -0.19 -0.38 0.36 0.77 0.56 0.13 -0.39 0.25 0.22 -0.49 0.59 0.05 1.04 -0.10 -0.47 1.01 0.31 0.00 0.03 0.77 0.21 -0.43 0.36 0.73 1.75 0.29 1.00 -0.90 0.13 0.21 0.03 0.19 -0.22 -0.54 0.17 0.49 0.27 0.45 0.64 0.38 0.64 0.59 1.10
VOLUME 43.99 536.29 6.35 84.77 52.21 369.45 598.47 57.85 47.57 161.48 134.36 163.98 252.07 801.69 61.77 46.24 1,506.09 11.26 47.56 28.22 144.65 12.58 36.07 933.70 7.74 290.75 22.16 433.59 7,299.93 21.47 80.72 69.78 98.69 350.81 286.42 17.98 132.85 166.98 38.75 19.97 131.37 8.95 47.26 162.79 107.04 210.30 128.53 443.33 95.37 110.28 38.63 101.67 187.61 188.80 7.88 8.51 1,125.83 64.96 72.69 101.30 87.11 245.39 122.42 52.06 864.57 22.16 787.39 50.42 86.18 61.80 4,824.52 12.34 8.82 10.58 144.22
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53
Sterling soars to a high as Euro collapses JUNE has seen the euro weaken massively as Sterling - Euro saw record highs in 18 months surpassing the 1.25 mark. This commenced due to a good run of UK economic data, also showing that the unemployment rate had fallen to a five year low. However, the biggest news in the Eurozone came from the European Central Bank (ECB), finally announcing major moves in interest rates and starting on the long path to eliminating fears of deflation. Having experienced just 0.2 per cent growth in the first quarter of 2014 and falling inflation levels - from 0.7 per cent in April to 0.5 per cent in May pressure mounted on the ECB at the start of the month to finally take a long-awaited action. On June 5, The European Central Bank announced a set of measures to promote growth and soften deflationary pressure currently affecting the Eurozone economy. These involved the cutting of all interest rates.
Ask the expert Peter Loveday Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com
In a milestone move, the ECB lowered the main refinancing rate from 0.25 per cent to 0.15 per cent and cut the deposit rate for banks from 0 per cent to -0.1 per cent. This is the first time the central bank has set a negative rate. This means that banks in Europe will be required to pay the ECB for the right to park their reserves with the central bank. By charging banks interest it hopes to motivate them to lend to businesses, which should help stimulate growth in the Eurozone economy. This is an extraordinary move that has never been tested before on such a large scale and it is the boldest step that the ECB has taken, so far, to stimulate growth and inflation in the region’s economy.
JUNE: Overall a dismal month for the Euro. Mario Draghi, the President of the European Central Bank, also introduced €400 billion of cheap credit in the form of Longer-Term Refinancing Operations (LTRO) and suspended sterilisation of government bonds previously bought, which should inject about €170 billion into the economy. Although the ECB has not gone as far as introducing a quantitative easing programme (as implemented by the US Federal Reserve), Draghi stated that the
central bank is willing to consider more measures to raise inflation, if necessary, by stating “we are not finished,” hinting very clearly that more stimulus was possible and that Quantitative Easing might follow shortly. Mid June - we saw the GBPEUR rate increase further by hitting the 1.25 mark as Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England, warned that UK interest rates could increase sooner than the market had expected.
Meanwhile, the Euro has continued to tackle its problems, which were highlighted in manufacturing readings from Germany, France and the broader Euro region on June 23 as they fell short of expectations, adding to current weakness in the shared currency. ECB chief Mario Draghi has also hinted that interest rates are likely to stay at record lows for at least another 18 months as inflation rates remain at a dismal 0.5 per cent way off the targeted 2 per cent level. On a more positive note for the Euro - we saw Sterling weaken slightly against the single currency towards the end of June as Mark Carney met with the Treasury Select Committee where it was mentioned that stimulus would not be removed as there are risks to economy and rates will continue to rise. Overall, a dismal month for the Euro - one of the worst months to sell Euros and best months in 18 months to purchase Euros!
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MOST of us realise the importance of advertising in newspapers. A tried and tested partnership, the relationship between newspaper and business seems unassailable. If newspapers were to lose advertising revenue the cover price could be as high as €5 per copy. Advertisers subsidise our weekly read. We owe their community a great deal. Cynics point out that advertisers are powerful enough to influence editorial. I know this to be true with mainstream media. The heavies are dependent upon government infrastructure for both advertising and news feed. Government can kill a newspaper or television broadcaster simply by withholding advertising or re-
ADS: Can let a business down. directing news content. Owners and advertisers of independent regional newspapers don’t give a tinker’s cuss about political influence or commercial one-upmanship. All they want is reader response when setting their stall out. Advertising departments are managed by geniuses. Mind reading is an essential on the CV, as is multi-tasking, empathy, marketing nous, graphics, debt collection, taking the blame,
foregoing kudos and much else. Advertisers often let themselves down. They rarely change the content of their advert. Many pay little attention to content then blame the ad’ department for a poor response. Remember to give clear contact details to make sure new customers can find you. So many times I have to ask locals where a place is. Customers want to know if parking is available, booking a table or appointment is necessary, an idea of prices, child or wheelchair friendly. It is not enough to blandly advertise your business. Give readers a clue as to why your business should be favoured over rivals. A special offer, the ambience: Is entertainment available and if so whom? I have seen world-class performers billed merely as ‘flamenco.’ Artistes have their fans who do follow them to your restaurant or watering hole if you have the nous to put their name in lights and sex up their performance. The difference to the till can pay the artiste’s fee and your advertising.
Amazon sales in Spain - no one’s saying a word AMAZON is tight-lipped Spain’s version of regarding its Spanish Companies House. internet sales which are Turnover rose to €17.46 billed through million last year, Luxembourg and enjoy compared with €10.59 low taxes. million in 2013, a 65 per The online giant has cent increase. Outlay on two Spanish subsidiaries, personnel rose from €4.8 Amazon Spain million to €7.5 and Services, and its Amazon million assets logistics division has two increased by Amazon 206 per cent to Fulfilment Spanish €16.7 million. based in San branches Amazon Fernando de Fulfilment finished Henares (Madrid). 2013 with a net profit This delivers to Spain as well as to clients of €43,877. Amazon Fulfilment and outside the country for whom the San Fernando Amazon Spain Services paid centre is the nearest respectively distribution point. €256,893 and €295,868 While Amazon discloses in corporation tax. “Amazon pays its taxes nothing regarding its Spanish website sales, in all countries in Amazon Fulfilment accordance with local accounts are available at legislation,” a spokesman the Registro Mercantil, intoned.
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Loose change A look at finance for females
Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com
IT’S that time of year. Holiday time - where here in Spain the sun is shining,
BUSINESS EXTRA
FCC go-ahead FCC shareholders ratified the construction and services’ refinancing plan, agreed last March. The plan includes a €450 million convertible bond issue and refinancing the group’s €4.51 billion bank debt.
Fewer births ONLY 425,390 babies were born in Spain last year, 6.4 per cent fewer than in 2012. This was the fifth consecutive fall in births, following 2008’s record 519,779.
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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
Friends are saving money by staying at yours - but are you? the sardines are slow cooking on wood fires and chunky ice-filled goblets of Gin and Tonic are being enjoyed as the last rays of sunshine disappear into the evening sky. Having a ‘place’ in Spain is a beautiful thing, but so much so that guests from cooler climates are prone to pop over for a holiday. Depending on your own disposition and how close you are to these potential house guests it can either be an enjoyable experience or a complete nightmare. Good friends may be a delight to have for a couple of nights but distant family or friends who decide to arrive on your doorstep and take advantage of your life and home in Spain can be hard work to tolerate and entertain.
HARD WORK: Entertaining house guests.
The trouble with house guests is that, however good friends they might be, they cramp your style and privacy. You can’t sleep in till midday, walk around in your underwear, shout at the television or slouch on
Is Plus Valia Capital Gains Tax? Q. I have digested your book ‘You and the Law in Spain’ and other material. All agree that You and the foreign owners resident in Spain, over 65 years Law in Spain of age and having lived in the property for By David Searl more than three years as principal residence, are exempt from Plus Valia tax. A friend is selling his house. He satisfies the above conditions, but the Ayuntamiento says he will have to pay about €50,000 in Plus Valia. The cadastral value is raised periodically, so this official rated value now exceeds the real market price. Is it normal? A. In fact, I do not say in my book that these older sellers are exempt from Plus Valia tax. I say that they are exempt from Spanish Capital Gains Tax, the Impuesto sobre el Incremento de Patrimonio, and I bet your other sources say the same. On page 147 of the 2013 edition, in the discussion of Plus Valia, I remind readers not to confuse the two taxes. The full name is Arbitrio sobre el Incremento del Valor de los Terrenos, which is why it is always shortened to Plus Valia. You pay this tax to the town hall and the Transfer Tax when property is sold. Later, you declare and pay your Capital Gains Tax on the profit you have made. You are right to point out that the Cadastral Value, the Valor Catastral, which is the rated value, has increased
to more than the real value in today’s depressed market.
Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.
the couch and watch TV all night if Cousin Mary and Uncle Fred from America are lurking in the wings. And on top of all this house guests are expensive to host. The fridge needs to be filled and we often end
up buying pricey patés, fancy cheeses and hams to show off the local cuisine. The drinks cabinet needs to be restocked and if the corners are fraying on the bedlinen some of us might be tempted to buy new
covers – even if our budget doesn’t allow it. Because we don’t want to look bad! Then there’s entertaining. A relaxed weekend reading and going for a walk won’t suffice for guests, so lunches out, taxi rides home and loads of cash spent on ‘enjoyment’ is usually the norm. For the host this can be a big drain on finances. So what should we do if we can’t afford unwanted guests landing on our doorstep? Well, first off, don’t ever advertise that you have a spare room. Make up a nice excuse to keep them away - “we are having terrible problems with the plumbing at the moment!” Or just be brutally honest. It might just be rude enough to keep them away for good.
Brussels eyes Spain’s tax cuts with caution SPAIN’S knuckles were rapped for lowering income and corporate taxes in 2015. Brussels should have been consulted first, the European Commission (EC) complained, despite conceding that “some aspects” of Mariano Rajoy’s tax cuts are acceptable. Generally speaking, however, Spain’s initiative was not applauded. Spain had ignored its recommendation of increasing the VAT added-value tax in order to reduce workers’ social contributions, Brussels lamented. It also criticised the increased number of tax breaks, a move that directly challenges targets for simplifying tax structures. And by no means last,
the EC believes that the reductions will make it harder for Spain “to fulfil its fiscal consolidation targets.” This last objection directly refutes the claims of Spain’s Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro, who insisted that lower taxes will not entail reduced revenue. On receiving fuller details of the Spanish government’s reforms Brussels will “carefully analyse” the implementation of tax objectives, sources said. Meanwhile, Spain is also counting on France and Italy to ease the fiscal pressure imposed by Brussels, government sources revealed. It is confident that economic recovery will continue and offset the lost revenue.
“The time has come to lower taxes for everybody, for the Spanish to receive compensation for the efforts they have made during the crisis,” Montoro declared. He is convinced that the reform can raise national output by up to 0.55 per cent over the next two years, he said. Brussels sees things differently. Some EC sources made no attempt to hide what they readily described as “scepticism” regarding the reasons for the tax cuts. “Elections are looming,” they said. The same sources also warned that if revenue diminishes, Spain could once again have problems owing to its hefty deficit.
OPINION & COMMENT
Disenchanted with the system that insults home owners IT made me sad to read about a recent Save Our Homes Axarquia (SOHA) meeting with politicians. As a fluent Spanish speaker I truly wish I had been present. To say “it was very gracious of them to come and listen to us” shows a great lack of understanding of the Spanish mentality because they are not gracious people. They are experts at manipulation and deceit. The responses they gave were a clear insult to the thousands who have invested in good faith. A country that will knock down a house and leave people like Len and Helen Prior living in a garage for being victims of that country’s own corruption is a country of little humanity. To say “the truth has not been told in the past” is a paltry way of referring to a practice that in any civilised society would be known as s******g on people from a great height. In Spain it has been going on for donkey’s years and will continue to go on forever. Extreme pressure must be applied to the EU and their court of human rights because the British government won’t do anything. Forget Spanish politicians, they are laughing at you. Gary Verbickas, Granada
Round trips FOR 59 years I have driven practically every vehicle you can think of. Britain has had roundabouts for nearly 100 years and we have learned how to use them. Spain has had them for five minutes - okay, about 10 years and of course they know best. Teaching drivers to stay in the inside lane when they wish to go left round the roundabout is a recipe for disaster. If I am on the outside lane on a dual carriage way roundabout, I do not want to be wiped out by some idiot coming across my bows. Spain is the only country I know that teaches this way. Bob Heaven, Busot (Alicante)
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3 - 9 July 2014 / Costa de Almería
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our aRUST dvert isers
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O!
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SPAIN is different, as we know. Even privet is different, as this photo of a tree (no hedges here!) and self-seeded saplings proves. Bill Stocker, Bedfordshire and Alicante.
Policy-making I CAN’T make my mind up about Bill Campbell’s letter. Is he serious or taking the C5H4N4O3 as my biology professor was prone to exclaim? Or is he purposely trying to provoke some idiot with time on their hands into responding. Hang on... er... I meant some other idiot, not me. His letter ‘False alarms’ is either very astute or just the opposite. I mean, come on, for a start I agree with Leapy Lee when he says UKIP have no policies apart from their views on Europe. How many policies do we need? Every election we are promised policies by the bucket load. Very few, if any, are for our benefit and most are quietly binned immediately after the election. Vote for those who promise least and that way you won’t be too disappointed. If Bill Campbell believes for one heartbeat that people voted UKIP because some Busy Archer is constantly warning them not to, he deludes himself. Conway Owen Jones (by email)
WHEN YOU WRITE All letters, whether by email or post, should carry the writer’s postal address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published. Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed earlier correspondence can see all letters posted on:
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Free-for-all HOW can Desiree Bishop run down the UK health system if she doesn’t live there? At least you don’t pay there. A friend who arrived from Australia broke her foot and she said the service and the nurses were brilliant. Don’t knock the system and the UK if you don’t know it. Lily Lucy (by email).
Taxing ordeal IN late December 2013 I received two brown envelopes from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. Being retired I ignored them, but taking a second look I discovered that they had changed
the goal posts. They also informed me that I am deemed to owe them £273 back tax. I have paid tax and national insurance all my working life. Now Her Majesty’s Government wants to tax me at 65 years of age on my private pension. How many millions of pensioners are Her Majesty’s Government taxing? Having retired to Spain it seems awfully unfair that at 65 I am being asked to contribute to the British economy but I suppose someone has to pay for the immigrants and asylum seekers flooding in and sponging off the UK. This is only one voice and I can rant and rave but it won’t change a thing. How many people out there feel the same way? Allan David Duhig, Mazarron (Murcia).
Wet blankets I HOPE the people of Fuengirola, Marbella and Estepona had a better San Juan night than the people of Mijas Costa. The local police walked the beach in La Cala de Mijas and made everybody put their bonfires out. Usually the beach is crowded with Spanish families, expats and
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tourists having a wonderful time, but not this year thanks to someone who decided to ban bonfires on the beach. I know where I will be for next year’s San Juan night: sitting at home, keeping my money in my pocket. Alex Burridge, Calahonda (Malaga)
Fracking shame I AM completely against fracking anywhere. Once a water-table is contaminated there is no way back and the companies applying for these ecological disasters know it but don’t care. There is enough evidence from the USA to show this. I’m appalled that leaders can see no further than their bank balances, and that is all this ‘rush to frack’ is. Money, and the devil take the hindmost. If it was safe, France and Germany would be on to it like a shot. What is needed is a law saying that for every frack contamination, all directors of the company involved get a mandatory 10-year jail sentence. Then we’ll see who is willing to take the chance! Keith Hallam, Blackpool (UK)
Bad impression I WRITE to bring to the attention of your readers a very nasty practice carried out by Spanish banks. If a customer tries to pay a bill of an amount in excess of the account’s daily limit, the transaction is refused by the bank with the printed explanation ‘saldo insuficiente.’ I have confirmed with Spanish friends that this suggests that the balance in the account is less than that needed to pay the invoice. In my case I had indeed exceeded the daily limit on the debit card, but had to endure the embarrassment of the trader believing I was short of the sum needed to pay for the goods or service. I cannot think of any good reason why the banks are unable to say that a transaction exceeds the daily limit on a card. At my request the bank immediately wrote a letter to the trader concerned, stating that there certainly were sufficient funds in the account. Andrew Gore, La Herradura (Granada)
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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NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
The biter bit… was Suarez ban fair? Uruguayan star Luis Suarez has been thrown out of the World Cup, banned from ‘all football-related activities’ for four months and fined just over €82,000 for biting an opposition player. It was the third time he had been caught biting another player. Was his penalty excessive, or not harsh enough?
J
ULEA DAVIES of Roy Trevor Removals on the Costa del Sol said: “All I know is that if I was a professional footballer, I wouldn’t think that the fine was high enough. They are all paid an obscene amount of money.” George Rae of Complete Holiday Care, Mojacar Playa, Almeria, said: “I certainly don’t think the punishment reflected the crime. This was his third offence, and he should have been banned for years rather than
STREET TALK the slap on the wrist that he received. This was a disgrace to football.” Anthony and Tammy Bowen from The Chippy, in La Alfoquia, Almeria, were not impressed by the incident: “Suarez’s behaviour was disgusting. He should definitely have been punished more. If I could
have decided the punishment he would have faced a much larger fine and a much longer ban.” In Mallorca Nigel Singleton of Singleton International said: “I think it’s about right. You can’t go around just biting shoulders or any part of another player. I wonder if he is in any way related to Mike Tyson – as he liked to bite too!” Also on Mallorca Donna Mann of Little Britain, Alcudia, agreed the punishment fitted the crime. She
said: “I think it’s a fair punishment considering he’s done it before. The ban is right and the fine is about right, too. FIFA have to make a stand and say this is not acceptable for someone who is a role model.” Clinton Daynes of The Dog Grove on the Costa Blanca thought the penalty could have been more severe. “It needed to be harsh as at the end of the day he is a role model, and he has stepped out of line again. We are taught at a very young age – no biting, no kicking, no hitting so it’s probably not harsh enough,” Clinton believed. Lyal Taylor of the Costa Blanca’s OP Group agreed. “The ban is not long enough – plain and simple. Hand in hand with that, the fine should be more as well. It’s the third time after all,” she said.
Anthony and Tammy Bowen from The Chippy (left). George Rae of Complete Holiday Care (centre). Donna Mann of Little Britain (right).
London-born journalist and author, Peter spends his time between Paris and Madrid. His novel ‘1066 The Conquest’ available on Amazon or www.1066TheConquest.com
www.pfieldman.blogspot.com
MICHAEL O’LEARY, boss of the people’s favourite airline everyone loves to hate, has finally succumbed to the mounting criticism of his company’s policies. This is good news for expats. While some of the bad publicity and complaints have been more than justified, others are unfounded and often due to passengers failing to understand the terms and conditions or navigate the internet. As a regular user of the low-cost companies I have experienced both the good and bad sides and the changes are welcome. Both Ryanair and easyJet’s policy of not allotting seats was doomed to fail. It caused log jams at the gates as well as boarding the aircraft. Having to pay extra to reserve a seat might annoy some
passengers but they have a choice and so far I have always been happy with my unpaid seat. At long last Ryanair is allowing a second piece of hand baggage. I never understood this idea since it made no difference to the aircraft’s weight. Navigating the internet sites and printing out boarding cards can be daunting at first and the cause of many complaints. They are designed by clever computer programmers to catch the unwary with all the options, products and services the airlines offer and
Northfoto / Shutterstock.com
Peter Fieldman
Christian Mueller / Shutterstock.com
How to love Ryanair (and other low-cost airlines)
BUDGET TRAVEL: Good as well as bad experiences. would like you to purchase. But once you know where to click it is very efficient and nice Mr Leary will now not punish passengers for errors. The other major
problem is weight. Passengers always complain about having to pay for hold baggage and other items. But what travellers should look for is the total cost of the journey and not each item, and the low-cost airlines are unbeatable with or without the extra costs. Too often I have watched passengers open their cases by the check-in desk to remove
belongings to reduce the weight or try unsuccessfully to push oversized hand baggage into the holders provided, which then get stuck. True these measures can be strict; however, the terms and conditions are clearly spelt out and if they are respected travellers have no problems. Perhaps what travellers detest most is leaving and arriving late or not at all, but I believe the low-cost airlines generally have an excellent record. The fact is millions of travellers regularly use budget airlines, which take them where they want to go in modern aircraft at very reasonable prices. They have been a boon to the travel industry, opening up routes to a large number of desirable locations providing considerable economic benefits to the airports, resorts, cities and countries concerned while enabling expats, tourists and business passengers to visit places they previously might not have been able t.
(c) Peter Fieldman
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OPINION & COMMENT
John Hurt to play Siegfried Sassoon in ITV First World War drama JOHN HURT will play Siegfried Sassoon in The Pity of War: The Lives of Loves of the War Poets, a one-off 60-minute drama. The drama will be centred on the relationship between Sassoon, Wilfred Owen and Robert Graves while they wrote about their war experiences. It is part of a series of programmes marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. Olivia Colman will narrate a four-part series titled The Great War: The People's Story, which tells the stories of personal accounts collected from archives and libraries. Alison Steadman, Daniel Mays, Claire Foy and Brian Cox will also feature in the series, alongside others. “This programme gives the stage to the authentic voice of the British people as they endured
Richard Shanley
DISHING THE DIRT OF EUROPA DIGITAL
RIGHT: John Hurt to star in new drama. FAR RIGHT: Kenny Ireland is battling cancer. over four years of the greatest violence in human history,” said Richard Klein, ITV director of factual programming. “The diaries, letters and memoirs of privates and officers, wives and mothers, working-class and the well-to-do all brilliantly and emotionally document the journey, from the patriotism and positivity at the start of the war, to the gradual understanding of the deadly and mind-shattering
realities of modern warfare to the final days of simple endurance and exhaustion. Meanwhile, The Pals Army will be a one-off documentary about the million young men who served in the Pals Battalions. The three programmes will air on ITV from August. Kenny Ireland is reportedly battling cancer. The Benidorm star is said to have been
written out of the latest series while he fights the disease, according to reports. The actor - who plays Donald Stewart in the ITV comedy - is being supported by his family as he undergoes treatment. The 68year-old is also known for his roles in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Victoria Wood’s As Seen On TV. Ireland is yet to make an official statement regarding his health and future on the
show. Benidorm star Steve Pemberton recently revealed that he will not return to the series as part of the Garvey family. “We’ve left Benidorm,” he told What’s On TV. “We filmed our scenes early on this year so we’re going to be in the first episode or two of the new series, but then the whole Garvey family are leaving. It’s a very sad time, really, but I felt the time was right for us to move on and do different things. And I’m sure the show will go on from strength to strength."
If you would like me to answer any questions you may have on satellite TV or to expand on anything I have written about please call me on 678 332 815 or email richard@europa-digital.com. I look forward to your comments and questions.
To fly or not to fly? That is the question… I
T’S summer and that can mean only one thing for tourists - strikes! French air traffic controllers just staged one (later calling it off) only to be joined by the Belgians. Why? To protest against budget cuts due to a Europewide reform of the air traffic control system. The Association of European Airlines strongly condemned “this unjustified industrial action which holds the entire industry to ransom during one of the busiest passenger traffic weeks of the year.” French air traffic controllers had warned of “a heavy disruption of flights” during their strike. Some 17.1 million UK citizens travel to France each year, mostly during the peak summer months. However, as a large proportion of UK flights cross French airspace, British airlines travelling to Spain are also badly affected by knockon delays. Strikes like these are turning what used to be regarded as a not altogether unpleasant
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
experience into something of a nightmare. Flying used to be fun, but I’m talking about the ‘80s and even earlier. Since that time, flying’s become increasingly painful as the seat cushions in cattle class have become thinner like some absurd time lapse torture. So thinner seat cushions, less leg room and skimpy food service plus lengthy waits on the tarmac have all eroded what used to be a reasonably convenient and pleasant form of travel. You now have to arrive at the airport two hours before your flight, stand in line to check your bag, submit to inspection of yourself and your hand luggage and be subjected to one of the most wretchedly
CATTLE CLASS: Air travel not comfortable. uncomfortable places in the world: an airport terminal. Of course, if you have to change planes at one of the major hubs, you’d better hope your flight is on time and you have the energy to traverse the sprawling wasteland of said hub. And don’t get me started on the squalling babies,
screaming kids, harassed parents, sick co-passengers, and the seatmate who won’t share the armrest and glares at anyone who dares to - the way Tony Soprano might, if told they’d placed their hand on his wife’s thigh at Mass. This won’t be the last we’ve heard of strikes. Far from it. Looks as if air traffic controllers
are digging their err, chocks in for the, err, long haul...
Nora Johnson’s thrillers Retribution, Soul Stealer, The De Clerambault Code (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback /eBook (€0.89; £0.77) and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.
GUIDE WORLD CUP
EUROPEAN PRESS
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3 - 9 July 2014 / Costa de Almería
EWN
BRAZIL TV GUIDE WORLD CUP 1
Quarter Final Friday 4th July 2014
France v Germany
Brazil v Colombia
18:00
2
22:00
Saturday 5th July 2014
V Belgium Argentina or or Switzerland 18:00 USA
Netherlands v C. Rica 22:00
Semi Final Tuesday 8th July 2014
Winners Quarter Final “1” 22:00 Wednesday 9th July 2014
Winners Quarter Final “2” 22:00
World Cup 2014 On TV will be shown live in the UK on both BBC and ITV. England v Italy on TV will be shown live on BBC1 / BBC1 HD, England v Uruguay on TV will be shown live on ITV / ITV HD and England v Costa Rica on TV will be shown live on ITV / ITV HD. BBC will have 1st pick of the Second Round matches and 1st pick of the Semi Finals, whilst ITV will have 1st pick of the Quarter Finals. The 2014 World Cup Final will be shown live on both BBC1 and ITV.
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Thursday BBC ONE 3:00pm Wimbledon 2014 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm Regional News and Weather 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Traffic Cops 10:00pm Celebrity MasterChef 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm Regional News and Weather 11:35pm Question Time 12:35am This Week Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and guests discuss the week's top political stories.
BBC TWO 3:00pm Wimbledon 2014 6:00pm Wimbledon 2014 9:00pm Today at Wimbledon 10:00pm The Honourable Woman 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Hot Property: Business Boomers
ITV 3:00pm Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Inside Asprey: Luxury by Royal Appointment 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm We Own the Night 1:40am Jackpot247 Join the presenters live and play roulette on your telly.
CH4 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 10:00pm Beauty Queen or Bust 11:00pm The Secret Life of Students 12:00am One Born Every Minute
CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm World's Busiest Train Station 9:00pm Child Soldiers of WWII 10:00pm The 70-Stone Man: The Final Chapter 11:00pm Big Brother 12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Side
SKY1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm Glee 11:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles
Friday BBC ONE 3:00pm Wimbledon 2014 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm Regional News and Weather 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Celebrity MasterChef 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Match of the Day Live 12:10am BBC News at Ten
BBC TWO 3:00pm Wimbledon 2014 6:00pm Wimbledon 2014 9:00pm Today at Wimbledon 10:00pm Gardeners' World 10:30pm The Machine Gun and Skye's Band of Brothers 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Glastonbury 2014 Highlights
ITV 3:00pm Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm You've Been Framed! 9:30pm FIFA World Cup Live 2014 12:15am ITV News and Weather
CH4 3:40pm Countdown 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Draw it! 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm James Corden Does Deal or No Deal 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm Friday Night Dinner 11:30pm The Inbetweeners 12:05am The Inbetweeners 12:40am The Inbetweeners
CH5 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm The Trail to Hope Rose 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 9:00pm Flight MH370: 118 Days and Counting 10:00pm Big Brother: Live Eviction 11:30pm Big Brother's Bit on the Side 12:30am Stand by Your Man
SKY1 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm Glee 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm An Idiot Abroad 11:00pm Trollied 11:30pm Trollied 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles
Saturday BBC ONE 5:30pm Match of the Day Live 8:10pm BBC News 8:20pm Regional News and Weather 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:10pm The National Lottery 10:00pm Casualty 10:50pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:20pm BBC News 11:40pm Live at the Apollo 12:30am Match of the Day 1:10am D.O.A.
BBC TWO 3:30pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm Flog It! 5:30pm Wimbledon 6:00pm Wimbledon 9:00pm Today at Wimbledon 10:00pm QI XL 10:45pm Last Chance Harvey 12:10am A Single Man 1:45am Match of the Day Highlights and reaction to all of the latest football action.
ITV 3:00pm Tour De France 6:00pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 7:00pm Off Their Rockers 7:30pm Local News and Weather 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm Tipping Point 9:30pm FIFA World Cup Live 2014 Qf 4. 12:15am ITV News and Weather A round-up of the latest news headlines and a national weather forecast. 12:30am Fletch 2:15am Jackpot 247
CH4 3:00pm Channel 4 Racing 5:10pm Come Dine with Me 6:40pm Come Dine with Me 7:40pm Channel 4 News 8:10pm Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 11:00pm Attack The Block 12:40am Paul Chowdhry: What's Happening White People? 1:40am The Last Exorcism
CH5 4:00pm Anzio 6:15pm 5 News Weekend 6:20pm Columbo: Suitable for Framing 7:40pm Columbo: Murder by the Book 9:00pm She's 78, He's 39: Age Gap Love 10:00pm Big Brother 11:00pm Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole 12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Psych 1:00am Super Casino
SKY1 3:30pm Futurama 4:00pm Futurama 4:30pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm Futurama 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm A League of Their Own 10:00pm Fantastic Four 12:15am Hawaii Five-0 1:15am A League of Their Own
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Sunday BBC ONE 3:00pm Wimbledon 6:45pm BBC News 7:00pm Regional News 7:05pm Weather 7:10pm Countryfile 8:10pm Antiques Roadshow 9:10pm Casualty 10:00pm Common 11:30pm BBC News 11:50pm Regional News 11:55pm Have I Got Old News for You 12:25am Sliding Doors 2:00am Weather for the Week Ahead Detailed weather report.
BBC TWO 4:30pm Racing Legends: Stirling Moss 5:30pm Escape to the Country 6:15pm Flog It! 6:45pm Wimbledon 9:00pm The Quest for Bannockburn 10:00pm A Cabbie Abroad Egypt Risk. Episode 3.
11:00pm Mock the Week 11:35pm Today at Wimbledon 12:35am Heavenly Creatures
ITV 3:00pm Tour De France 6:00pm Tipping Point 7:00pm You've Been Framed! 7:30pm Local News and Weather 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Despicable Me 10:00pm Nations Favourite Motown Song 11:30pm ITV News and Weather 11:45pm The Cube 12:45am The Unforgettable... 1:15am The Store
CH4 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Simpsons 4:00pm The Simpsons 4:30pm The Simpsons 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm A Knight's Tale 8:35pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Johnny English Reborn 11:00pm Sean Lock 12:00am Get Him to the Greek 1:50am This Boy's Life 3:50am Swimming
CH5 3:15pm Space Jam 4:55pm A Goofy Movie 6:20pm The Fox and the Hound 7:55pm 5 News 8:00pm Rush Hour 10:00pm Big Brother 11:00pm Lethal Weapon 4 1:25am World's Scariest Plane Landings
SKY1 3:00pm Futurama 3:30pm Futurama 4:00pm Modern Family 4:30pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm Futurama 10:00pm Hawaii Five-0 11:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 12:00am Cop Squad 1:00am Brit Cops: Frontline Crime
Monday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm How Safe is Your House? 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm John Bishop's Australia 11:00pm BBC News & Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Guilty by Association 12:35am Commonwealth City
BBC TWO 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Flog It! 8:00pm Paul Hollywood's Pies and Puds 8:30pm University Challenge Audition Shows 9:30pm The RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 10:00pm Scotland: For Richer or Poorer? 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am A Cabbie Abroad Egypt Risk. Episode 3.
ITV 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Countrywise 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Cube 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:35pm You Cannot be Serious 12:05am Ray Mears Deadly Dozen
CH4 6:00pm Couples Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm Jamie's Money Saving Meals 10:00pm The Armstrong Lie 12:35am Random Acts 12:40am Beauty Queen or Bust
CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Skyscraper 9:00pm Police Interceptors 10:00pm Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole 11:00pm Big Brother 12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Side 1:00am She's 78, He's 39: Age Gap Love
SKY1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm Trollied 10:30pm Trollied 11:00pm Fantastic Four 1:15am NCIS: Los Angeles
Tuesday BBC ONE 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Room 101 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Match of the Day Live 12:10am BBC News
BBC TWO 5:15pm Frozen Planet 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Flog It! 8:00pm Paul Hollywood's Pies and Puds 8:30pm Mary Berry Cooks 9:00pm University Challenge Audition Shows 10:00pm Shop Girls: The True Story of Life Behind the Counter 11:00pm The Sarah Millican Television Programme 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Scotland: For Richer or Poorer?
ITV 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 9:00pm You've Been Framed! 9:30pm FIFA World Cup Live 2014 12:15am ITV News and Weather
CH4 5:30pm Ultimate Dealer 6:00pm Couples Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Kirstie's Fill Your House for Free 10:00pm Embarrassing Bodies 11:00pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 11:55pm The Secret Life of Students 1:00am Random Acts 1:05am Pokerstars.Com PCA
CH5 4:15pm Shattered Silence 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Whale Adventure with Nigel Marven 9:00pm The Dog Rescuers 10:00pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 11:00pm Big Brother 12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Side
SKY1 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm Glee 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm An Idiot Abroad 11:00pm Glee 12:00am 24: Live Another Day
Wednesday BBC ONE 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Match of the Day Live 12:10am BBC News
BBC TWO 5:15pm Frozen Planet 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Flog It! 8:00pm Paul Hollywood's Pies and Puds 8:30pm Mary Berry Cooks 9:00pm The RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 10:00pm Coast Australia 11:00pm Episodes 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Shop Girls: The True Story of Life Behind the Counter
ITV 3:00pm Peter Andre's 60 Minute Makeover 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm You've Been Framed! 9:30pm FIFA World Cup Live 2014 12:15am ITV News and Weather
CH4 3:40pm Countdown 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Ultimate Dealer 6:00pm Couples Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm This Old Thing: The Vintage Clothes Show 10:00pm One Born Every Minute 11:00pm 16 Kids and Counting 12:00am Britain's Youngest Carers 1:00am Random Acts
CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Cricket on 5 9:00pm Brand New House for £5k 10:00pm The Hotel Inspector Returns 11:00pm Big Brother 12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Side 1:00am Super Casino
SKY1 4:00pm Glee 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm 24: Live Another Day 11:00pm A League of Their Own 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 Stargate Atlantis
E W N 3 - 9 July 2014 / Costa de Almería
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EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREAK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE
Almería weather
NEW ON DVD MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE
for next 7 days
DIVERGENT DIVERGENT is the first instalment in a series of science fiction action films based on the books by Veronica Roth. It stars Kate Winslet, Shailene Woodley and Theo James, among others and was directed by Neil Burger, produced by Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher. It tells the story of a dystopian post-apocalyptic future where people are divided into factions based on their virtues. The heroine of the film is Beatrice Prior who is warned that she does not fit into any of the factions.
TODAY
VELEZ RUBIO
TOMORROW HUERCAL OVERA
ALBOX
VELEZ RUBIO GARRUCHA ALBOX MOJACAR
ALMERIA
HUERCAL OVERA
RETAMAR GARRUCHA
ADRA
ROQUETAS
MOJACAR
The film has a run time of 139 minutes and is rated 12A.
RETAMAR
ALMERIA
ROQUETAS
ADRA
Your Stars
into place and you realise that you are on your way to completing an ambition. The trick is to manage it without upsetting people on the home front.
VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) A personal decision needs to be made. No major changes are necessary so long as you have a firm plan. It is not so much that caution is required, rather more that you should give yourself time to consider.
SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Are you putting off a decision affecting others? This is a good time to take the bull by the horns. Keep an eye on finances involving younger people. Sometimes, you are better able to help in other ways.
LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) This is a week of planning and making changes. Some things click
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Your activities this week may seem to be ones best done alone. To a
7-Star Quiz TOUR DE FRANCE 2014
July 4: Miguel Angel Muñoz. Actor and singer. This film actor and singer is also famous in Mexico and the US where he has made many films. He studied acting in Madrid and Los Angeles and made his debut on the silver screen at only 10 years old. He has won two Goya awards for his work in cinema.
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certain extent this is true. However, if you wish to make others feel important and gain their support in the future, you should involve them.
by casting doubt on a relationship or plan? Something is going on so make sure that you have all the facts. It would be gullible of you to take everything at face value. You have good supportive colleagues and may seek their advice.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Are you feeling less positive than usual? We all do at times. If energy is low get out for a long walk in a relaxing place. Perhaps watch a film that raises your spirits. There is about you a kind of regret and fondness for the past, but there is nothing wrong with sentimentality so long as it does not cloud your picture of the future.
PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Showing confidence means others see you as being very much in control. They need to see that you can be trusted. If a plan is not going in the right direction, be prepared to change tack. Changes should not be made to financial plans until you are sure of your ground.
AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Is someone trying to sidetrack you
ARIES
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.
(March 21 - April 20) It is all go for you at the moment. Not only will you be particularly clear-thinking but your intellect will be sharp as a knife. Your enthusiasm spills over from your business life to personal matters, leading to a hectic and eventful time all week. TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) It is now important that you are clear about the person you wish to spend your time with because you may have more than one option. Plans that you started last week are now showing progress. Keeping the pace growing is essential to beat rivals.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) A tendency to be emotional because of a setback should be avoided. When you feel the pressure rising, remember that nothing is worth risking your health for. Sound out friends and colleagues to avoid over-reacting. It is a week when you realise how someone close is able to be a great help.
LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
UK THUNDERBALL
IRISH LOTTO
EURO MILLIONS
Saturday June 28
Saturday June 28
Saturday June 28
Friday June 27
12
28
30
43
49
6
18 33
23 36
1
5
29
31
34
37
BONUS BALL
THUNDERBALL
BONUS BALL
42
14
12
Almeria
CLOUDY MAX 27C, MIN 21C MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
28 21 S 29 21 S 31 22 S
31
33 39
LUCKY STARS 2
10
EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA
15
18
30
39
45
46
REINTEGRO 41
9
Fri Sat Sun -
Mon - 28 22 Cl Tues - 28 22 S Wed - 28 21 S
5
8 22
SUNNY 27 21 S 29 21 S 30 22 S
SUNNY
Fri Sat Sun -
29 19 C 32 20 S 32 21 C S Sun,
27 23 S 28 23 S 29 23 S
MAX MIN
Mon - 28 23 S Tues - 27 23 S Wed - 27 23 S
Madrid SHOWERS MAX 27C, MIN 15C
TODAY:
MAX 27C, MIN 18C
MAX MIN
MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
Mon - 30 22 S Tues - 31 22 C Wed - 31 22 Cl
28 17 C 32 18 S 33 18 Cl
MAX MIN
Mon - 34 18 S Tues - 34 18 S Wed - 34 19 S
Murcia MAX 30C, MIN 21C
MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
MAX MIN
Mon - 31 23 S Tues - 31 22 S Wed - 30 23 Cl
SHOWERS MAX 26C, MIN 22C MAX MIN
MAX MIN
Mon - 27 21 Sh Tues - 26 21 S Wed - 27 21 S
Mallorca TODAY:
MAX 25C, MIN 19C
Benidorm
MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
27 20 S 28 21 S 29 23 S
TODAY:
Malaga TODAY:
TODAY:
MAX MIN
Mon - 31 20 C Tues - 31 21 Cl Wed - 30 22 S Cl Clear,
CLOUDY MAX 29C, MIN 20C MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun Fog,
Sn Snow,
MAX MIN
33 21 S 34 21 S 36 22 S
Mon - 33 22 S Tues - 32 21 C Wed - 32 21 S
C Cloud,
Sh Showers,
Th Thunder
Nonagram How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case C) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.
TARGET:
Average: 8
Very good: 14
Good: 10
Excellent: 18
abet, able, bale, bare, bate, bear, beat, beer, beet, belt, beta, blat, brae, brat, carb, crab, abler, acerb, baler, beret, blare, blear, bleat, brace, bract, caber, cable, celeb, rebec, rebel, table, beater, beetle, berate, rebate, treble, retable, bracelet, CELEBRATE, ERECTABLE
Word Ladder PURE
Move from the start word (PURE) to the end word (GOLD) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.
12 46
REINTEGRO 3
Fri Sat Sun -
CLOUDY MAX 26C, MIN 22C 26 21 S 27 22 S 27 22 S
SUNNY MAX MIN
Barcelona TODAY:
Sunday June 29
Saturday June 28
34 45
LA PRIMITIVA
TODAY:
MAX MIN
MAX MIN
Sudoku
8
Alicante TODAY:
GOLD
PORE WORE WORD WOLD GOLD
LEO (July 24 - August 23) When someone asks you this week where you are going, will you know the answer? You will make progress if you do. If you're not sure, then there is no point in going full steam ahead. This is a week to consider your options on all fronts, particularly in business.
IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: The rest of this year deals more with practical matters than spiritual. You need determination not to be sidetracked, especially financially. Recently acquired friends will play a big part and be most helpful in November.
SOLE SOLD GOLD or PURE
CANCER (June 22 - July 23) There is sensitivity in your chart. It is possible to overlook someone who needs your time and consideration. You are not a mind-reader and they may not directly seek your help. Be aware, then, of how others are faring.
1. In which East African country was Chris Froome, the winner of the Tour de France in 2013, born? 2. The Tour de France was first organised in 1903 to increase paper sales for the magazine L’Auto, true or false? 3. There has been an official competition for young riders since 1975. Excluding the years 1989 to 1999, the leader of the young rider classification has worn what colour jersey? 4. What is a ‘contre la montre’? 5. Which British rider has won 25 Tour de France stages putting him third on the all-time list and fourth on the all-time list of Grand Tour stage winners with 43 victories? 6. Which English county will host the initial stages of the 2014 edition of the Tour de France? 7. Which cycling team sponsored both the 2012 winner, Bradley Wiggins and the 2013 winner, Chris Froome?
T
isers
PURE SURE (PORE) SORE (POLE)
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1. KENYA, 2. TRUE, 3. WHITE, 4. INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL (it means ‘against the watch’), 5. MARK CAVENDISH, 6. YORKSHIRE, 7. TEAM SKY
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Crosswords
3 - 9 July 2014 / Costa de Almería
EWN
65
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Cryptic
Quick
Across 1 Icon's car damaged coming from a Mediterranean island? (8) 4 Consul possibly coming back, partly for bonus (4) 7 Greet exotic bird (5) 9 Encourage Eric he errs in writing (5) 11 Alter afterwards (5) 12 Instrument on top of tree or shrub (5) 13 Sunnier end of leather on willow (6) 15 In Himalayas, but not his country (6) 19 Big smiles gymnasts turn on? (5) 21 Grub of a popular variety (5) 23 Implements for repairing broken stool (5) 24 Found idea germinated, showing keen interest (5) 25 Comic episode involving second gear? (4) 26 I am nasty, really nasty, but a big supporter (8) Down 1 Leave in credit with a sharp knife (7) 2 Foremost Russian mountain range in the country (5) 3 Agreement that might be struck, it’s said (6) 5 Demonstrated how to get between two poles (5)
Across 1 Afraid (6) 4 Assault (6) 9 Humiliate (5) 10 Answer (5) 11 Invalidate (5) 12 Clerical robe (7) 13 Hint at (6) 15 Have an influence on (6) 19 Lawlessness (7) 21 Happen again (5) 23 Antisocial type (5) 24 Unpleasant (5) 25 Aim for (6) 26 Improved (6)
6 For warmth, sunbathe at noon, inside (4) 8 In the past it helped the church survive (5) 10 South American city, and yes, German red wine (5) 14 Stylish, second trading place (5)
16 Awfully eager to assent (5) 17 Odd, all-grey rash (7) 18 Baked state? (6) 19 American money for small county (5) 20 Block diverted post (4) 22 Exchange groat for patois (5)
Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 15 represents B and 8 represents X, so fill in B every time the figure 15 appears and X every time the figure 8 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Scarf, 3 Roses, 7 Realist, 9 Acrid, 10 Notes, 11 Express, 12 Scared, 14 Vassal, 18 Climate, 20 Upset, 22 Ozone, 23 Theatre, 24 Aisle, 25 Ernes. Down: 1 Sprints, 2 Apart, 3 Ratted, 4 Sharp, 5 Screens, 6 Aides, 8 Issue, 13 Arizona, 15 Amuse, 16 Letters, 17 Settle, 18 Chore, 19 Avers, 21 Satin. QUICK Across: 1 Bogus, 3 Decade, 6 Calypso, 8 Cocky, 10 Lag, 11 Precede, 12 Utter, 13 Cargo, 18 Acerbic, 20 Mat, 21 Darts, 22 Magenta, 23 Chosen, 24 Depth. Down: 1 Buckle, 2 Suppose, 3 Droopy, 4 Cycle, 5 Hyper, 7 Light-year, 9 Clergyman, 14 Alleged, 15 Dandy, 16 Acumen, 17 Attach, 19 Basis.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across 1 Melocotón (fruto) (5) 3 Monday (5) 6 Broken (object) (4) 7 Blood (6) 9 Adornos (9) 12 Ring (on finger) (6) 13 Expensive (4) 14 Corazón (5) 15 Outside (5) Down 1 But (contrasting) (4) 2 Antarctica (9) 3 Líder (6) 4 Pesadilla (mal sueño) (9) 5 Semilla (4) 8 Cartera (billetera) (6) 10 Lavar (4) 11 Wedding (4)
Hexagram The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (GLAZED) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues. ADVICE
LEARNT
ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Charco, 4 Saws, 8 Mirar, 9 Dense, 10 Jellyfish, 13 Doors, 15 Chica, 16 Solo, 17 Poesia.
AWARDS
REELED
BOLTED
SALUTE
DEGREE
SEATED
DESERT
STEALS
DESIRE
TALLER
Down: 1 Como, 2 Agree, 3 Careless, 5 Aun, 6 She, 7 Edificio, 11 Skies, 12 Nada, 13 Dos, 14 Oil.
DRIVES
THEIRS
GLAZED (10)
TILTED
HAZELS
WEARER
HERDED
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
Funagram Unscramble the name of a South American country and its capital: CURE VIA BOILS FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: MEDICINE CABINET, BOLIVIA, SUCRE
Unscramble the name of an item often found in the bathroom (two words): INCITED AMBIENCE
Down 1 Seedless raisin (7) 2 Once more (5) 3 Empowered (7) 5 Revolves (5) 6 Judge favourably (7) 7 Small canoe (5) 8 Arrive at (5) 14 Novice (7) 16 Anticipate (7) 17 Hunting dog (7) 18 Bearing false witness (5) 19 Apportion (5) 20 Cut up (5) 22 Church vault (5)
1 Solely, 2 Millet, 3 Screws, 4 Clothe, 5 Tallow, 6 Cherry, 7 Helped, 8 Asters, 9 Degree, 10 Pastel, 11 Averse, 12 Wheels, 13 Mortar, 14 Naught, 15 Desert, 16 Harmed, 17 Tweeds, 18 Stormy, 19 Steeds
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E W N 3 - 9 July 2014 / Costa de Almería
S
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OPINION & COMMENT
Grunters are a real turn-off…
OMETHING really must be done about those appalling grunters at Wimbledon. Frankly, the orgasmic screams from the women and the Neanderthal grunts of the men are really starting to get to me. I mean what on earth is it all about? I have always been a tennis fan. In the good old days (mine that is) when I could get on Centre Court and into the bar, I didn’t miss a single day of this wonderful competition. At no time during that period do I recall the likes of Chris Evett, BillieJean King, Jimmy Connors or any of those wonderful past champions, screaming like banshees or imitating the mating call of chimpanzees to achieve a successful outcome. What do these spoiled, extremely fortunate people think when they see recordings of their matches and hear themselves uttering these primitive ejaculations? Personally, I would be extremely embarrassed; some of their utterings almost seem like too much information - if you get my drift! I saw an article the other day from someone who had recently watched a number of players practising,
LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT particularly Sharapova - to my mind one of the worst offenders. This person reported that there was no sign of the noise projected during their actual matches. By this token it must imply the whole phenomenon is a part of the player’s strategy and completely intentional. In this case the noise limiters must be brought into play and anything over an agreed level penalised by loss of points or a number of warnings that could culminate in fines or even disqualification. Come on, you tennis authorities, show some teeth so this ol’ boy can turn the sound back on and enjoy the commentary, without suffering what sounds for all the world like a backing track of London Zoo! I know Cameron’s stand in the recent EU presidential elections has just about been done to death, but can anyone tell me who the alternate
candidates were? As far as I can discover there was actually no one else to vote for. I dunno, perhaps it’s me. I’ve no doubt somebody will write in and enlighten me! As far as I’m concerned, disgraced footballing animal Suarez should have been banned for life for his recent biting incident. It was his third offence and it should be without question three bites and you’re out. But he won’t be, will he. No, I’m afraid in the world of the beautiful game, money speaks far louder than words - as certain wealthy Qataris have also discovered! And that’s about it. Unfortunately, lost another friend this week. Estelle Hatt, long-time resident of Mallorca and one of life’s true characters, passed on. RIP Estelle. Sadly missed. Thanks for all your mail. Love the feedback. I can take it. Have a good week and, whatever ya, do always keep the faith. Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com WORST OFFENDER: Maria Sharapova.
Rent or buy winners and losers Mike Walsh Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.
M
ARITAL break-up and businessrelated challenges brought me to homelessness in the sense that I no longer own property. Do I feel deprived? Far from it. ‘With one leap Jack was free.’ During Spain’s property boom, in which house values could double annually, I put a deposit on an apartment in Murcia. However, due to my then relationship breaking down I opted out and licked my wounds. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. Had I gone ahead with the purchase I would have been more or less isolated in a back o’ beyond concrete urbanisation near Vera. Obliged to meet mortgage
repayments on a loan twice that of the apartment’s value today, I would have been the unfortunate owner of a property I could neither let nor sell. I have since pondered our obsession with home ownership. Renting is common in mainland Europe. In Berlin 90 per cent of properties are rented, in Munich 80 per cent. Only in Saar-land and Rhineland is home purchase more popular. However, at 60 per cent it is more or less level pegging. The Spanish are the keenest to buy rather than rent. At the last count, 83 per cent were home owners. Perhaps this explains why each week 500 are evicted from homes they thought they owned. The figure for Britain is 70 per cent. This could be less today due to the near impossibility of
getting a mortgage. In France 45 per cent and Germany and Switzerland respectively only 44 per cent and 38 per cent purchase. Obliged to rent since 1999, I consider myself fortunately mobile and
financially better off. For wonderful years I rented a palatial wow-factor annex in a parkland manor, the mortgage of which I could never hope to meet. Retiring to Spain I rented at less than the owner’s mortgage. When circumstances left her little choice but to sell, she pocketed half of what she had paid for her property. Lawyers and notaries, the tax system partied. When later I had an opportunity to spend a long summer in Latvia, the Canada of Europe, I simply gave a month’s notice RENTING: No maintenance or bureaucratic paperwork. For me, it’s a ‘no-brainer.’
and caught the plane. On my return I rented an apartment in Mijas Pueblo. The views were out of this world. Sunsets to die for. I drooled over the Strait of Gibraltar and beyond the African coasts and mountain ranges. Due to her mother’s death my wife is frustratingly ensnared in the entrails of bureaucracy. She negotiates rightful ownership through a maze of expensive legal and local government departments. Had I fallen off the perch and left my Spanish property to my sons they would have had good reason to curse the transfer of my ‘assets.’ I no longer need to bother myself with home maintenance, purchase furniture or mess with bureaucratic paraphernalia. If tomorrow, my editor in his wisdom, calls and says: “Come here, boy: I am going to make you a star,” I go tomorrow. Rent or buy? To me it’s a no-brainer.
HEALTH & BEAUTY
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Stress takes its toll on the body STRESS is the body’s natural way of preparing to meet a tough situation and responding to any demand. When the body is under stress, it releases chemicals in the blood, which give it more energy and strength. While this can be beneficial when facing a physical danger, it may spell trouble if there is no outlet for all that extra energy and strength when the ‘threat’ is more emotional.
Excessive levels of stress may reduce immunity and increase the risks of getting sick. It can also affect the brain and result in loss of focus. Chronic stress has also been shown to cause erectile dysfunction in men and can reduce sexual desire in both men and women. Those who are under a lot of stress may also have trouble falling asleep or difficulties staying asleep. Dermatologists have
warned that excessive levels of stress can worsen skin conditions such as psoriasis and rosacea. In fact, while they are genetic in nature, some skin problems like vitiligo may be triggered by chronic stress. Excessive and sustained stress has also been shown to induce hair loss. EXCESSIVE STRESS: It can wreak havoc on the body.
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Tiny human hearts being grown in lab to test
SALMON: Rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 essential for good health OMEGA-3 fatty acids are essential and necessary for human health. But here is the catch: people have to get them through food, because the body just cannot produce them. For instance, these healthy acids are found in halibut, tuna, salmon, krill, algae, sardine, mackerel, walnuts, cod liver, soybeans, tofu,
canola oil and flaxseed. Studies have shown that Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in brain and cell functions. They also reduce inflammation and could help lower the risk of heart disease, arthritis and cancer. In addition, they are crucial for growth and normal development. Health experts agree
that people who follow the delicious Mediterranean diet, which has a healthy balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, are less prone to develop heart disease. In fact, Mediterranean diet fans also tend to have higher good cholesterol levels. A diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids may also lower blood pressure in patients suffering from hypertension, according to some clinical studies. Other research has even suggested that Omega-3 fatty acids could increase levels of calcium in the human body and help fight osteoporosis (thinning of the bones).
A SCOTTISH lab is growing tiny human hearts. Scientists at Abertay University are growing the small, beating organs from stem cells and have developed them specifically to find a cure for heart hypertrophy; a form of heart disease that can lead to sudden death. Although healthy to begin with, the scientists are using chemicals to simulate the physiological conditions that will make them become hypertrophic and are then using newly developed medications to see if they can prevent the damage from occurring. Heart hypertrophy causes the muscle to thicken making it harder for blood to pump around the body. It can be hereditary or can be caused by diseases including diabetes and even by too much strenuous exercise. The team said hearts had been grown in laboratories before but this was the first time it had been possible to induce disease in them.
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Added protection from the sun’s rays THERE are a number of skincare tips that are common knowledge. For instance, staying hydrated and drinking plenty of liquids have been shown to help the skin stay moisturised and soft. And everyone knows how important it is to apply sunscreen half an hour before stepping out the door during the summer. However, some people may not know there are foods which help repair UV damage caused by the sun. They are photo-protective and may improve the way the skin looks while decreasing redness. Watermelon and tomatoes, for instance, are rich in lycopene, which has been shown to reduce skin cell damage and relieve redness caused by the sun. Antioxidants top the charts for their freeradical neutralising properties, which can be applied
to sun exposure and damage. As a rule, vegetables and fruits are high in antioxidants and can therefore help fight sun damage. Oranges, lemons, blueberries, strawberries, apricots, sweet potatoes and carrots can all help alleviate sundamaged skin. Salmon and tuna can help
the body reap the benefits of an Omega-3 fat derivative called EPA, which gives moisture to the skin and prevents damage from UV rays.
WATERMELON: Rich in lycopene, reduces skin cell damage.
DRY SKIN: Can feel scaly and sometimes itchy and painful.
Dry skin and some of its causes THE skin is basically the body’s barrier against the environment. Dry skin is a very common problem that can in fact occur at all ages. It can sometimes be difficult to treat. It tends to appear peeled, inflamed and dehydrated. It feels scaly and sometimes itchy and painful. Dry skin is more common in winter, because humidity levels drop. Since the air outside is cold and dry, the skin’s water evaporates at a faster rate, thus leaving the skin feeling tight and dry. It can also be the result of long hot showers and baths, which may in fact deprive the skin of its protective oils. Dermatologists say many soap bars contain detergents that also remove the natural oils of the skins, thus making it more sensitive and leaving it dry. They also warn that central heating, space heaters and wood-burning stoves can considerably reduce humidity and dry the skin.
Nearly 83,000 adolescents have cannabis problem IN Spain almost 83,000 adolescents have a problem with cannabis use. According to the Government Delegate for the National Plan on
Drugs, Francis Babín, this can lead to more youngsters becoming dependent on drugs. He said: “Obviously we have a problem with cannabis,” but stressed
the “excellent” co-operation the Ministry of Health has advocated in highlighting drug use with other departments and with society.
Too much television can double risk of an early death WATCHING too much TV can double your risk of dying early, according to Spanish researchers. A new study to investigate the links between television
viewing and computer time and death, adds to evidence that time spent in front of the TV is potentially life threatening. They say three hours a day can double your
risk of an early death. Professor Miguel MartinezGonzalez at the University of Navarra in Pamplona, said: “TV viewing is a major sedentary behaviour and there is an
increasing trend toward all types of sedentary behaviours. Our findings are consistent with previous studies where time spent watching television was linked to mortality.”
Out of every 10 teenagers who have tried cannabis, eight have consumed it in the last year and five in the last month. A third of those who habitually consume the drug will develop an addiction. Babin said the main problem is its availability in Spain. The average price per gram of hashish in Europe is between €3-18 but in Spain the average price is €5.90. Of all children admitted to treatment in 2011, 93 per cent were for cannabis use but cocaine remains the leading cause of emergency room visits.
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RUITARIANS advocate a diet that only comprises fruits, seeds, nuts and vegetables. Though the logic behind someone’s decision to embrace fruitarianism may vary from person to person, fructarians, as they are also called, often have political, health, environmental and even religious reasons. As a rule, followers of fruitarianism make sure that 75 per cent of their food intake comes from raw fruit. Sometimes they even go so far as to disregard anything that was picked, preferring fruits that have fallen naturally.
Of course, some fructarians are more flexible than others. But in general terms, their diet includes the seven basic fruit groups: dried fruits (raisins, dates), oily fruits (olives, avocados), seeds (pumpkin, sunflower), sweet fruits (melons, grapes), nuts (cashews, hazelnuts), acid fruits (cranberries, pineapples) and sub-acid fruits (figs, raspberries). While some may think that there is not such a thing as ‘too much fruit,’ given the fact that they are packed with healthy vitamins, the truth is that fruits alone cannot supply all the
nutrients the human body requires, according to health experts. Humans also need proteins, carbohydrates and fat so that the body can work properly. It may come as a surprise, though, that famous people throughout history have lived on fruits alone, at least for a while, including Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, as well as Leonardo Da Vinci, Idi Amin, and Gandhi. FRUITARIANISM: Advocating a diet that only comprises fruits, seeds, nuts and vegetables.
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FOOD & DRINK
Maori cooking style pit dug in the grou
TILL practised in modern day New Zealand, hangi is a traditional Maori style of cooking, in which fish, chicken and vegetables such as sweet potatoes are cooked in a pit dug in the ground. Recipes have changed, however, and now include mutton, lamb, pork, cabbage and pumpkin. Interestingly enough, this peculiar style of cooking can also be found, although with slight variations, all around the Pacific. To ‘lay a hangi’ Maoris first dig a pit in the ground. Then they heat stones in the pit with a large fire until they are white hot and place baskets of food on the stones, covering everything with earth for hours until it is time to uncover the hangi. Of course, laying a hangi
MAORIS: Traditionally use an open-air cooking pit.
takes a little know-how. The rocks need to absorb enough heat. Not every rock will do. They need to be volcanic. Other rocks can
crack and explode. For the fire it is important to gather the right type of wood. That means wood that will burn for a long time -
between three or five hours and gather lots of heat. But, of course, the amount of time depends on how much food needs to be
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- in a nd MUCH DESIRED: Char-grill marks.
How to barbecue with no barbecue cooked. The pit does not need to be that deep. The hole just needs to be deep enough to fit the stones as well as the food baskets.
NO barbecue, no problem. Here are two ways to ‘barbecue’ indoors that shouldn’t require the presence of the fire brigade. Rediscover your grill. OK it cannot achieve those much desired grill marks which make the food prettier and it cannot achieve the smoky taste of charcoal, but it can get a decent char
on the food. So provided you have marinated your food with the right ingredients you can get a barbecue style taste. If you are using a grill incorporated into an oven, remember it is often best to leave the door slightly open to let steam escape and keep the heat dry for the food to cook properly.
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FOOD & DRINK
DEEP FRYING: Not all oils are the same.
Tips for deep-frying crispily DEEP frying is classified as ‘dry heat’ as no water is involved, the same is true of sautéing or pan frying, but if you want things to be crispy then the deep fryer is for you. Here are a few pointers
to make it easier: Not all oils are the same. The first step in frying anything is to choose the oil by taking into consideration the taste and the smoke point (temperature at which it smokes). Olive oil has a relatively low smoke point and vegetable oils have a relatively high one - the crispier you want something, the higher the smoke point you should aim for. Get a deep fry thermo-meter. The difference between the smoke point and the ignition point is sometimes very small so get one which handles oil. Never salt the food before deep frying. Oil and water are not friends and salt should be added later. Get a heavy bottomed pan. You don’t need a deep fryer just a decent pan with as thick a bottom as possible - this guarantees even temper-ature of the oil. Fry quickly. Once the food is cooked it will start to absorb oil so fast and furious is the key. Drain the food well. As before; once the food is cooked it will absorb oil so drain it quickly.
OPINION & COMMENT
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Not-so-sound advice Cassandra Nash
A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene
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ABLO IGLESIAS, whose Podemos party won five seats in last May’s European elections, is losing some of his shine. He and other Podemos high-ups received at least €3.7 million from Venezuela since 2002 via their Centro de Estudios Politicos y Sociales (CEPS). This not-forprofit foundation assessed the country’s late president Hugo Chavez and still assesses his successor Nicolas Maduro who is making a ham-fisted job of holding the country together. One of the foundation’s remits is to promote the redistribution of wealth, but in Venezuela poverty is once again increasing as violence and repression grow. Not the best advertisement for the achievements of those at CEPS or for the party that wants to bring Bolivarian revolution to Spain.
What are they afraid of? THE Catalans want a referendum on the right to decide whether to remain inside Spain. Many people young and old want a referendum to choose between Republic or Monarchy. Nevertheless a Metroscopia survey found that most of those wanting a President vs King referendum would vote for the monarchy. Surveys in Cataluña show that more than half of those in favour of the right to decide do not want independence. Still fewer would back it if this meant leaving the EU. Both prospects are greeted with horror by opponents to republicanism or Catalan sovereignty who pre-suppose that no-one would vote for the monarchy or for remaining inside Spain. They can’t see that they, too, are becoming part of the problem.
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A family affair
Righting a wrong FELIPE V, Spain’s first Borbon king, was hated by many. His portrait hangs upside down in Xativa (Valencia) because the town was burnt to the ground and much of the population slaughtered on his orders on June 19, 1707. Like Cataluña and most of Levante the town backed the wrong side during the War of Succession. Xativa’s mayor offered to right the picture in 1995 in exchange for an apology from the current House of Borbon, but none PABLO arrived. Instead Felipe VI’s proclamation took place exactly 307 years later on June 19, a coincidence that did not
EWN
IGLESIAS: Lost some of his shine. go unnoticed in Xativa. Will Felipe Mark Six decide the time has come to make amends?
TEN PER CENT of employees at Tribunal de Cuentas are related to highly- placed officials there and 14 per cent related to each other. The tribunal, which audits public bodies and political parties, sets the entrance exam questions. Most of the examiners are either high-ranking officials or union representatives who also have relatives working there. The personal interviews that are part of the selection process for jobs that average €3,000 a month are also conducted by Tribunal executives. Despite the transparency laws announced soon after the present government took over, much remains as opaque as ever. And in time-honoured Spanish custom it stays in the family, too.
In search of good news 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
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T’S always the same, isn’t it? You have to brace yourself when picking up a newspaper, because they generally leave you with the certain conviction that the world as we know it is coming to an end. War, violent crime, accidents, and natural disasters literally spill out of the pages and I often find myself shielding some articles from the curious eyes of my children or quickly flicking past photos of out-of-focus war corpses. Of course, there is good news: lots of it, but it is rarely reported unless it involves some national sporting triumph. Remember the extensive coverage of motor
GOOD NEWS: A product of hard work.
racing champion Michael Schumacher’s ski accident? Of course you do, even if you didn’t know who he was beforehand. Well, last week he finally came out of his coma, yet this was conveyed in a 40-word News-inBrief, a long way into one of the UK’s leading newspapers. Journalist Charles Moore explains that bad news - the usual kind - typically happens suddenly and is as such ideal news material, while good news tends to be the product of hard work over a period of time. But I suspect this is only half the story. They say that happiness is strongly linked to how we feel about ourselves in relation to others and reading of their misery may well leave us relieved and thankful for what we have. On the other hand, do you cheer jubilantly when reading about a lottery winner scooping millions or do you mumble under breath; “That should have been
me!” Yep, thought so. Add to this the fact that newspaper reporter was voted the worst job last year in a survey by CareerCast.com - pay is relatively low, stress is high, hours are long and often involve shift work, and that is before they send you off to Afghanistan. So, these long-suffering reporters may be forgiven for venting doom and gloom ahead of jolly little feel-good stories. Attempts to redress the balance by highlighting good news stories have rarely ended well. Veteran journalist Martyn Lewis has longsince stoically attempted to promote good news, yet he turned down the opportunity to present a show dedicated to good news. He argued that news, be it good or bad, should be part of a whole. He also said often good news is found as additional reporting online or on Twitter, but less so in traditional media. If we readers really wanted the good news, it would be readily available. Good news, it seems, is no news.
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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS
Advertising feature
Hostal Meson Arboleas - perfect for enjoying summer evenings HOSTAL MESON is a well known landmark in Arboleas providing accommodation, food and entertainment in the area. The hostal is ideally located to explore the Almanzora Valley and close to good motorway links to the main airports and is just a 30-minute drive from the coast. Hostal Meson provides a good base for people who are house-hunting in the area and has 11 fully equipped double rooms, complete with the all important air conditioning for the summer months, as well as a TV, minibar and private bathrooms, complemented with free parking and free WIFI. A unique service offered
BAR KUBATIN: Perfect for summer evenings and available for hire. by Hostal Meson is that of bike hire for guests, allowing people the opportunity to explore the lanes and nearby countryside in the summer evenings. With the popular villages of Arboleas and La Alfoquia nearby, it is a good way to enjoy a drink and not worry about driving; maps are provided and also a guide if required. The day starts early at Hostal Meson for Agustin and his friendly team. The kitchen opens at 7.30am through the week providing a full English breakfast, and remains open right through until 1.30am. So whatever
your schedule, for business or pleasure, guests are guaranteed a meal at any time of day. The downstairs area has a busy and popular bar serving more than 20 varieties of tapas, pizzas, ‘platos combinados’
and a good range of beers including Belgian brands. Attached to the busy bar is a spacious and comfortable dining room where guests can try a varied Menu del Dia for just €10.
On the lower floor, to the rear of the premises, you can find Bar Kubatin with a huge and attractive terrace area. The bar and terrace are available for hire for private parties, functions,
barbecues and special events such as the Fundraising Evening on behalf of FACE, when a Night Market takes place tomorrow (Friday) starting at 7pm. Hostal Meson is easy to find, located on the Albox to Arboleas road a few hundred metres down from the roundabout of the A334 heading towards Arboleas on the righthand side. For more information about accommodation or hiring the bar telephone 950 430 137 or call in and see Agustin. Open Monday to Friday 7.30am to 2am. Saturday and Sunday 9am to 2am. Avenida Venta Mateo Albox 04660.
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March 2015 for Albox motorway PRESDIENT of the Junta de Andalucia Susana Diaz has visited the motorway works, recently resumed by the Andalucian government. She announced that its completion was due for March 2015, with a continuation of 22 kilometres in the Almanzora Valley. Diaz visited to view the work, recently resumed in the hamlet of La Molata, and was accompanied by
the Minister for Public Works and Housing, Elena Cortes, as well as several territorial delegates, mayors from the local area, and representatives of the PSOE. The work will finish the Albox section of the overdue motorway, which is allegedly 88 per cent complete, with an investment of €6.8 million, and has led to the creation of 85 jobs. “It’s a project that extends and multiplies the
motorways of this autonomous community and a very important infrastructure for the Almanzora Valley,” stressed Diaz. The president concluded by outlining the “benefits” of the new infrastructure for the industrial and economic fabric of the area marked by the mining of natural stone. “We need to take control of this situation,” she concluded.
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Time to be insulted HELLO and welcome to CanDu Computer Bytes. Today, I’m going to insult you! Today, you will come to understand how you are ‘victims in waiting’. Today, you will be belittled at my hand. Today, you will see how your lifetime and world gained experience means NOTHING. Anyone still reading? Well for the few of you with lesser egos – well done :-) No! I am not being patronising, I genuinely mean well done! I suggest to you put the kettle on and make yourself a cuppa before we continue. If you have got this far, then you are halfway to having the tools to prevent being ‘taken in’ by the ‘bornagain’ master builders; the “my
Trevor Spencer
Computers neighbour – the computer expert” and the double-glazing sales ‘person’ (mustn’t be sexist). I regularly get people contacting me about emails and calls from ‘authorised agents or …’ telling them that their various accounts have been compromised and they ‘need’ information. They definitely ‘need’ information because without it, they can’t have what rightfully isn’t theirs! We, from our earliest days, have
been told to trust and share, and we do just that! Then words like ‘gullible’, ‘naive’ and worse ‘stupid’ are used to attack our egos and belittle our actual importance by those who have already been conned or are just plain manipulative (find better friends)! So let’s make things clear:FACT! You are wise enough not to get ‘caught out’ by these insignificant worms! FACT! You know real ‘right from wrong’ (not this ‘political’ nonsense). ABSOLUTE FACT! You are not stupid, gullible or naive. I’m now off to Jack’s Bar in Albox for my Friday afternoon computer clinic! (See you there :-)
canducomputing@hotmail.co.uk
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Storms cause chaos along the ramblas HOUSEHOLDS located along the rambla between Oria and Albox suffered heavy rains last week, leaving many without the ability to vacate or access their homes. Heavy downpours washed away much of the rambla, including a number of driveways, causing huge quantities of muddy waters, tree trunks and refuse bins to be swept towards the town centre. Much of the area was unaffected by the rains, but for some it was a day of despair as many people could not cross the rambla at de Oria or at Llano del Espino to return to their properties and families. Cars waited for hours, hoping the waters would subside enough to cross
safely. The water level dropped approximately three hours after the rains stopped. Electricity cuts were commonplace, and parts of Albox town were without power for much of the following day. Residents were said to be relieved that it wasn’t as bad as the storm of September 2012.
WASHED AWAY: Much of the rambla.
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FEATURE
Zurgena and La Alfoq offer on both sides
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URGENA is situated on the right bank of the Almanzora River, and La Alfoquia on the left bank with the two linked by a bridge. It has approximately 3,000 inhabitants and is well known for its lively fiesta in August which is well worth a visit. Zurgena’s claim to fame is that the painter Gines Parra was born there in 1896. Parra’s work is rooted in the liberation of colour and
Alfoquia feature
shape and is influenced by Fauvism and Cubism. Although Zurgena is a quiet and quaint village, the streets spring to life on a Friday morning with the local market and the local square is used for a variety of community events.
Further down the village at the base of the cliff are two English businesses, Alo Services and Zeta Services, who faced adverse conditions last year when the cliff collapsed and they had to be temporarily relocated. Although initial work has been undertaken and both businesses are back in their original locations, the final stage of preventative measures has yet to be completed Seth at Zeta Services is on hand to service and repair
Renfe Building in La Alfoquia Municipal swimming pool any electronic items you have, TVs, radios, satellites, amplifiers, PCs. Nothing is thrown away in Seth’s workshop as he believes you never know when you might need something! Amanda at Alo Services is there to help with general legal matters and conveyancing. She is an exceptionally busy lady
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quia have lots to s of the river due to the steady growth of her business through customer referrals so it’s always best to call and book an appointment. Hostal Marquesado is a tastefully restored hotel built in 1816 in the centre of Zurgena. It has an impressive rating and comments on Booking.com and the owners Mari and Fernando invite you to read the story of this beautiful building on their website. For a delicious Indian meal or just a quiet drink on the patio, go to Tiger Bar. The owner Ali also has the popular Chilli Restaurant in Turre and serves a variety of tasty Indian dishes at reasonable prices to eat in or to take away. So why not visit some of these local businesses and prepare to be impressed.
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Screenmasters – quality solutions for your home and garden from the professionals... ONE of the major benefits to living in Spain is the ability to spend more time outdoors than back in the UK. As lovely as al fresco life is, there are some drawbacks. One of the biggest bugs (pardon the pun) is having to share that fresh air with various flying insects – all keen to have a chomp on you and your guests, a traipse over your freshly prepared dinner, or perhaps a swim in your chilled glass of wine or beer. Of course, there is a solution available, and this is where Screenmasters can help. This English owned and managed company provide screens to protect you from the flying beasties that are trying to invade your terrace or garden. No longer do you have to impersonate a dancing
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ninja when trying to enjoy that barbecue with friends, because the screens keep the insects away. The company is fully registered and insured to work in Spain, and all employees are long term residents. At the helm are Anthony Cornwell and John Humphreys – both friendly and professional, and in an excellent position to advise you on the best solutions
to the highest standard. They can also superimpose a computer generated model onto a photo of the proposed area, so you can see what the enclosure will look like when finished. They purposely over-engineer all structures; therefore all the enclosures are built to withstand high winds and other adverse weather conditions.
for your home and garden. They work remotely, enabling them to react quickly, and service you easily and professionally, rather than increasing your costs by hosting in a showroom, but are always happy to show their products in action, rather than a sterile environment. John and Anthony use computer aided design to engineer all their structures
Public spaces as well as our gardens could be so green and colourful IT is now summer and the best of home gardens are stimulating arenas of colour, perfume, summer herbs, fruits and vegetables. Others are bland with no flowering shrubs and parched brown lawns, especially where there has yet to be the first heavy rain of the year. Equally some public parks and streets vary to the same extent, and so do apartment terraces and outdoor restaurants - whether on the pavement or within an inner courtyard. Within an urban setting plants in the earth or in containers not only make walking, resting, working and eating out more pleasurable to the eye, but they also help reduce air-
Dick Handscombe
Gardening Corner By Spain’s best known expatriate gardening author living in Spain for 25 years.
borne particle and gas pollutants as well as noise. Readers of EWN have knowingly or unknowingly contributed to the barren environment in many town centres, suburbs and urbanisations by putting up with the failures of developers and town halls to plan to increase the percentage of green spaces and see that they are developed and maintained, including
in their own front gardens and on apartment terraces and rooftops. It is interesting that Curitiba Brazil has 52 square metres of green public spaces per inhabitant, Rotterdam, Holland 28.3, Paris 11.5 and here in Spain, Madrid in spite of tree lined streets and the wonderful central Retiro Park 14.0 and Barcelona 5.6. However, the midweek insert Buenavida in the Pais newspaper last week was encouraging in highlighting the best and the worst of worldwide city conurbations in an article titled ‘Vegetation reconquers asphalt.’ © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com July 2014
Screenmasters provide a whole host of additional products including pool enclosures, PVC and
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ALMERIA PROPERTY FINDER is located in the Organic Garden Centre, next to Longo ferreteria on the Albox industrial estate. With many years experience, the Anglo Spanish team has a wide knowledge of the area and, due to successful collaborations with other key estate agents, access to a vast range of property. Whether our clients are looking for a coastal apartment, a mountain retreat or a country villa, we are here every step of the way to help them find and buy their dream Spanish home as easily as possible.
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• Arboleas • Ref: APF1246 • Ref Price: €139.950
THE TEAM: Always happy to help. We pride ourselves on our ability to listen to what our clients are saying, and then give our honest opinion regarding the most suitable properties for their needs. We spend time
developing a relationship with our clients before they
come to Spain to view property and, when here, ensure we show them the areas and properties that they want to see. Once a property has been found we help with the various stages of the purchase, and introduce
our clients to lawyers to help with the legal aspects and obtain all paperwork including obtaining an NIE number. We also offer a full after sales service! We actively promote the area and our properties for sale by advertising both in the local press and
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internationally via the major property portals. Following our two successful exhibitions earlier this year in Belgium and Holland, we are now starting to prepare for the next exhibition in Brussels in September. Call into the office and we will be happy to help. 950 431 624/658 811 628 or email info@ almeriapropertyfinder.com.
PROPERTY
Landlords’ dilemma THERE are advantages and disadvantages to only renting out one or more bedrooms instead of the whole flat. In such cases, the lease is not regulated by the Urban Rentals Law (LAU), but by the Civil Code, because the tenant is only renting part of the flat. Therefore, the rental is not protected by the guarantee system set forth in the LAU for the landlord and the lessee. The proprietor is obligated to write a contract for each tenant and its duration is agreed upon by the landlord and the lessee. In these cases, there are no mandatory extensions and the proprietor can only rent out bedrooms as long as the whole flat is furnished. For that reason, both the landlord and the lessee must come to an agreement regarding the use of the property’s common areas. Proprietors renting out whole flats enjoy more tax benefits than otherwise. They are exempted from paying VAT and can subtract between 60 and 100 per cent of the rent when filling out a tax return. But if the tenant only rents one bedroom, then the landlord is obligated to declare his or her rental income. The duration of the leases can be a problem and finding the right people who will take care of the property.
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Not as many self-employed foreign workers as before SPAIN’S construction sector does not seem to attract as many selfemployed foreign workers as before. In the last five years, the sector has suffered a considerable loss of selfemployed foreign workforce, estimated at 41 per cent, according to the Federation of Professionals, Self-Employed Workers and Entrepreneurs (OPA). In 2009, there were 45,038 foreign workers in Spain’s construction sector, compared to the 26,531 in 2014. On the other hand, as stated in an analysis conducted by OPA, the number of self-employed foreign workers in Spain’s car repair businesses has
SPAIN’S CONSTRUCTION SECTOR: There are fewer self-employed foreign workers than before. increased by 32 per cent (23,445 more in the last five years). Spain’s hotel industry has also been able to strengthen its self-
employed foreign workforce with a 19 per cent increase in the same five-year period. According to OPA, most self-employed
Spanish real estate sector no longer high and dry SPAIN’S real estate sector was left high and dry by the crisis for such a long time that its first signs of recovery were met by some with scepticism. Others welcomed the first transactions from the summer of 2013 with open arms, though they were few and far between. Either way, in almost a year there have been close to 50 real estate transactions involving big investment companies. The trend seems to be changing from a complete lack of interest in Spain to investors flocking to its real estate sector.
The situation reportedly started to change in the second half of 2013 for several reasons. “Transactions accelerated throughout the second half of 2013, coinciding with the recovery of the most important macroeconomic variables and especially with the reduction of the risk premium,” said Mikel Echavarren, IREA’s Managing Director. The change seems to have been started by the sale of 1,800 council flats to the Blackstone investment fund for €120 million.
foreign workers are Chinese, whose numbers increased by 43 per cent between May 2009 and May 2014. With 43,697 Chinese workers currently employed in Spain, it is estimated that one out of five selfemployed foreign workers are from China. Five years ago, workers from other EU member states greatly out-numbered workers from non-EU countries.
But that seems to have changed since 2009, considering the fact that there are now 121,279 workers from non-EU nations compared to the 114,285 from EU member states. Many workers from South American countries returned to their homelands when the construction industry collapsed, but so too have many EU citizens who struggled in the economic crisis.
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Some hints on dealing with pet fleas control David THE Dogman
Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10am to 11am Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm
IT is impossible to know how long fleas have been living on your pet, so it is also impossible to locate all the areas within the house where the fleas may be living. Not only do you have to treat your pet, but you also have to treat your entire house. Before buying every flea-destroying product on the market, thoroughly vacuum your house. “Fleas, as eggs, larvae and pupae, may spend 90 per
DESTROYING FLEAS: Shampooing and extensive use of a flea comb are vital. cent of their time off the pet [and] on the carpet or furniture or in your bed,” reports the Cornell Cooperative Extension Insect Diagnostic Laboratory. Remove the vacuum bag, seal it and destroy it immediately - fleas are hearty parasites and will continue to live in the vacuum bag if not
destroyed. For dogs and cats (they can share fleas) - a specially formulated flea bath product, available at your vet or pet store, will do the trick. Shampooing will have to be accompanied with extensive brushing with a flea comb. For household flea extermination, there are
numerous products available. The most important thing to look for in a household anti-flea product is one that will effectively kill all stages of a flea’s lifecycle, not just the adults. Female fleas can lay hundreds of eggs at one time. For your local radio frequency log onto www.talkradioeurope.com
Pining pets need a helping hand... By Lamia Walker of HousesitMatch I AM often asked what can keep pets happy when their families go on holidays.
From personal experience with a dog years ago, any change in a pet’s routine can give cause to fret. So consistency at home helps keep the pet on an even keel, regardless of any changes. An owner’s unexpected absence can lead to some form of anxiety. ‘Dolly’ a Tree top Spaniel we had raised from a puppy was always happy, furiously wagging her tail end to show it. We only realised how nervous she could be when we left her in kennels one holiday. We had found
a friendly well-kept kennel and were delighted with our choice. However, we returned to find a much thinner dog with sad and downcast eyes. Her sorrowful mood persisted for weeks. We put it down to a first separation experience. The next year we consulted a neighbour and placed Dolly in the kennels they used for their dog at the same time, thinking she might enjoy it more with a friend. We hoped perhaps that this time it would be easier. However, we returned to an
emaciated dog who couldn’t bark. It took her a full two months to get her happy demeanour back, to say nothing of her voice. Some dogs just do better staying at home when the family goes on holiday. I’d be happy to help you find the right pet solution for you. Download your Free Easy Guide to Housesitting from here www.bit.ly/eurown001 To find a pet sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on +44 (0)1865 521 508
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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)
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RENAULT SCENIC, 2005 model. In need of some attention. Will consider any offer. Steve 628 463 656 (224826)
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Ford Reveals the New Focus ST THE new Focus ST has made its global debut today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, U.K. Ford chose it as “- the ideal location to showcase the speed and enhanced driving dynamics of the global performance car.” The manufacturer says it is the the most advanced Focus ST yet, and offers new chassis control technologies, tuned suspension and steering, and bespoke tyre specification that ensure an even more responsive, balanced and refined driving experience. And for the first time, it will be offered with the choice of two powerful engines - one petrol and one diesel. The first diesel Focus ST takes day-to-day usability and sportiness to a new level by delivering the most fuel efficient and lowest CO2 Ford performance car ever; 185 PS 2.0 litre TDCi achieves 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.1 seconds, 4.4 l/100 km (64.2 mpg), and 114 g/km CO2.
W W W . E U R O W E E K L Y N E W S . C O M
For customers who prefer petrol, the 250 PS 2.0-litre EcoBoost delivers 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 6.5 seconds, fuel efficiency of 6.8 l/100 km (41.5 mpg), and 158 g/km CO2. Both models offer AutoStart-Stop for the first time that improves the EcoBoost version’s fuel efficiency by 6 per cent and help make it the most fuel-efficient petrol Focus ST ever. “The new Focus ST delivers an even more sophisticated balance of performance, driving dynamics, refinement and style - the core of Ford’s Sports Technologies DNA,” said Joe Bakaj, vice president, Product Development, Ford of Europe. “Even more enjoyable and rewarding to drive and with the choice of diesel power for the first time, the new Focus ST is in a class of its own.” The Focus ST also will benefit from technology and craftsmanship first revealed earlier this year for the new Ford Focus.
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The Adam Rocks is ready to roll… RECENTLY it captivated visitors to the Auto Mobil International (AMI) show in Leipzig, and now in just a few days it will be available to order: the Opel ADAM ROCKS is ready to roll! Open-air driving fun is an essential part of the ADAM ROCKS repertoire with a Swing Top canvas roof fitted as standard, all for €15,990 (RRP incl. VAT in Germany). But before customers can enjoy this stylish mini-crossover in the city and beyond, Opel engineers have once again put it through its paces at the Opel Test Center in Dudenhofen. With its muscular proportions, encapsulated by bold side-sill plates and distinctive body cladding, the ROCKS likes to show what it can do beyond the urban landscape. Key to its purposeful stance is a 15mm increase in body ride height, giving greater ground clearance and a wide, robust appearance. Numerous components have been modified or retuned to guarantee (almost) limitless driving fun. These include dampers, springs, the front and rear suspension geometry, steering and the electronic stability control programme (ESC). To prove the effectiveness of all these changes, it was time to ‘hit the track,’ of course with expert guidance. The Opel engineering team took the ADAM ROCKS to its limits at the Test Centre. Be it on the
NEW OPEL: Open air fun. torture track, the highspeed circuit or the hill track - the ADAM ROCKS had to cover around 40,000km at Dudenhofen. This tough test is equivalent to covering 160,000km on particularly demanding real roads. Vehicles at the Opel Test Centre are exposed to levels of stress and strain in just 24 weeks that correspond to an entire vehicle life experience under normal road conditions. For example the torture track: here the auto industry’s first urban three-door mini-
crossover proved its durability. That’s because the track delivers exactly what its name promises: more than 900 metres of potholes, humps, the ‘washboard,’ a cobbled section and a pavé track. It’s a really tough test for the chassis, which will most probably never go through such torture in real life.
But it was not a problem for the ROCKS. After all, the small ADAM ROCKS’ design and durability were inspired by the exploits of agile ‘Parkour’ athletes, who use the city landscape as their playground and easily overcome every obstacle. On the newly-expanded high-speed circuit, the saying is: “Only flying is better.” Thanks to its 40 degree banking, speeds of up to 250km/h can be achieved without lateral forces. This enables Opel engineers to test their calculated target values, such as top speed, while being able to relax and release the steering wheel once in a while. To put the steering, transmission and brakes to the test, the ADAM ROCKS also successfully completed the hill track. This undulating, man-made circuit has rising and falling gradients, ranging from 8 to 30 per cent, with different road surfaces and a serpentine section including hairpin turns similar to conditions found in alpine mountains. It was another stage that the newest Opel family member effortlessly rocked through. Opel’s agile urban athlete really showed off its strengths, particularly in curves. The newly-tuned steering underpins the ADAM ROCKS’ agility, impressing with its direct responsiveness and sporty driving style.
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Lexus RC F makes world-first driving appearance at Goodwood speed festival THE crowds at the Goodwood Festival of Speed were treated to the world-first driving appearance of the Lexus RC F, the high-performance coupe that has already generated huge interest in its motor show appearances around the world. The RC F moved off the show stand and on to the track to give a taste of its performance potential, making speed runs during the ‘first glance’ sessions
LEXUS RC F: Has generated huge interest around the world. on the festival’s hill course. The Lexus LFA also stormed the hill as one of
the festival’s supercar competitors. The RC F, due for market
launch at the end of the year, has at its heart the most powerful V8 engine
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Lexus has yet produced for a road car. The 5.0litre, 32-valve unit developing well in excess of 450 DIN hp and more than 520 Nm of torque, is matched to a specially calibrated, eight-speed Sports Direct Shift transmission. The new technology that makes the RC F a great handling car as well as out-and-out fast includes the world-first use of a torque vectoring differential in a front engine/rear-wheel drive configuration. Three operating modes - Standard, Slalom and Track - let the driver adjust the system to provide to gain the optimum degree of traction and control. The coupe’s highly rigid body is a fundamental element in delivering outstanding grip,
constructed using a number of specialist manufacturing techniques, including new body adhesives, laserscrew welding and multispot welding. The RC F has evolved from the new Lexus RC coupe, which will follow it to market in 2015. As well as benefiting from a more advanced and powerful engineering package, the RC F has even greater visual impact, reflected in an emphatic treatment of the Lexus spindle grille and cues directly inspired by the LFA supercar. These notably include bonnet air outlets and front cooling ducts. The bodywork includes carbon fibre elements to help keep weight down, including the roof, bonnet and active rear wing.
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Super Marc first again, as Brazil and Holland get oh so lucky! THERE’S plenty of sport to please everyone and I mean everyone, over the next week or so. Today we have the start in Yorkshire of this year’s Tour de France cycle race (which continues until July 27) and the Diamond League Athletics meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland… on Saturday there’s a similar athletics event in Paris… Wimbledon fortnight ends with all the respective singles and doubles finals (Saturday and Sunday)… we have the British F1 Grand Prix at Silverstone, also on Sunday… the first cricket Test between England and India starts at Trent Bridge next Wednesday… and the World Cup continues in Brazil with the two quarterfinals taking place tomorrow (Friday) and two more on Saturday, followed by the semi-finals on July 8 and 9. We’re into the knockout phase right now, with the possibility of extratime and then a penalty
DID YOU KNOW?
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
shoot-out. All tense stuff. FOOTBALL - Brazil had QPR reject Julio Cesar to thank for beating Chile! The goalkeeper saved two spotkicks as the hosts scraped through 3-2 on penalties. In the quarter-finals, Brazil play Colombia, 2-0 conquerors of Suarez-less Uruguay, and Holland, who scored twice in four minutes late on to defeat a plucky Mexico 2-1, meet Costa Rica who squeezed past Greece, also on penalties (5-3). The four other last 16 ties were ArgentinaSwitzerland, GermanyAlgeria, Belgium-USA and France-Nigeria. CRICKET - Having lost the recent series against Sri Lanka, England have the chance to put things right when
they play India in the first of three Tests in a week’s time. Alastair Cook remains as captain but expect a few changes down the order. In the County Championship, Yorkshire and Notts are joint leaders in Division One while Hampshire head Division Two. In the T20 bash Essex, Lancashire and Worcestershire are doing well but not Derbyshire and Middlesex. Damien D’Oliveira (son of Basil) has died aged 53. He scored over 9,000 runs for Worcestershire: 1982-95. TENNIS - Reigning champion Andy Murray and past winners Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, along with Maria Sharapova, all started week two of Wimbledon. However, the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus are out. MOTOR SPORT - Last Saturday, Spain’s Marc Marquez won his eighth successive MotoGP in Holland; Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa came second and third. ‘MM’ (Mighty,
Italian Giacomo Agostini, riding his MV Agusta, won every motor cycle Grand Prix he entered (total 58) in the 350cc and 500cc classes between 1968 and 1971. His record included six victories at the fearsome Isle of Man TT.
Masterful) goes for his ninth straight victory in Germany on Sunday week. CYCLING - Sir Bradley Wiggins won the men’s Time Trial at the British Road Championship in Wales; the women’s road race was won by Laura Trott ahead of Dani King and Lizzie Armistead. Wiggins, by the way, is NOT in this year’s Tour de France. IN BRIEF: London Broncos, bottom of Rugby’s Super League, have lost all 18 games this season, conceding 737 points… Australia, the 8-1 on favourite, ridden by Joseph O’Brien, became the 11th winner of the Irish Derby for his father/trainer Aidan (Australia also won the Epsom Derby)… Neil Robertson beat Joe Perry 10-9 in China’s Wuxi Classic snooker final… and Hickstead’s Equestrian Derby was won by Ireland’s Trevor Breen on a one-eyed horse in a jump off. SUAREZ MY THOUGHTS He’s an absolute idiot, a mad man. I’ve been involved in
SUAREZ: an absolute idiot!
19th Hole were having a Waltz TWENTY members of Cucadors's 19th Hole GS made their way up the A7 to the Hacienda del Alamo golf complex near Murcia to compete in a four ball Team Waltz. The course, beautifully laid out with more sand than the Sahara Desert, is a demanding test of player’s ability and patience. The team that led the rest a
merry dance were Geoff Smith, Nigel Greenwood, Ian Postles and Andy Mitchell with 71 points. Ian and Geoff also scooped up nearest the pins with second shot to complete their success. Christine Dow showed the men how to maintain accuracy with a long shot by taking nearest the pin on the long par three 15th.
Geoff Smith, Nigel Greenwood, Ian Postles and Andy Mitchell (71) were second and Ray Wicking, Nick Pogson, Ron Curtis and Gary Grey (70) were third The 19th hole G/S plays weekly games at various courses, with their home course being Aguilon. More information: 610340653 or email gs19thhole@hotmail.co.uk.
soccer for many years as a player, coach, statistician, author and reporter and before the Uruguayan’s cannibalism acts of 2010, 2013 and 2014, I’d never seen anyone bite an opponent on the field of play. His sentence is correct - it could have been bigger! And reflecting on his last ‘meal’ against Italy, Suarez tweeted: “I lost my balance and fell on Chiellini”. He lost his mental balance more likely! I’ve seen rugby players dig their teeth in, also boxers (Mike Tyson for one) but surely Ian Botham never bit Dennis Lillee, Sebastian Vettel hasn’t yet gnawed Lewis Hamilton and Andy Murray doesn’t like the taste of Rafael Nadal! Oh, six million people welcomed Suarez home to Montevideo! What a joke!
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Marina’s scene of triumph JOHN Kavanagh came to the fore in Monday’s individual competition at Marina Phoenix as he won with 41 points. Next best was Les Armfield (35) in second followed, in third, by Jim Budd (34). In the ladies division Ann Kavanagh kept the winning vouchers in the family as she won with 36 points. Margaret Budd (34) was second followed by Isobel Jones (31), in third. Brian Couper won the only two’s prize. Texas scramble was the format for Thursday’s team game. The winning team of Hylton Smith, José Ramon and Jim Budd scored 62.6. In second were Ali Mahmud, Ann Kavanagh, and Antonio Ubeja (65.1) followed by John Lally, Tony King and Peter Warnham (66.5), in third.
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Sport
Next up... WORLD CUP: Holland’s next game is against Greece. Brazil meet Colombia. Turn to Page 95
Costa de Almería’s best guide to local sport
Badgers brave Aguilon heat
BADGERS Golf Society visited Aguilon Golf for their weekly competition. The course itself was in great condition and the weather was on the hot side. Winning score for the day was 34 pts scored by Rod Goff. Mike Wade (31) was second and in third was Richard Jones (30). Nearest the pins went to Steve Dodd, Mike Wade, Graham Hume and Richard Jones. There were two two’s on the day, these going to Rod Goff and Mike Wade. Saturday’s competition was held at Marina and was won by Steve Casburn(38) with Rod Goff (33) second. Badgers Golf Society plays every Wednesday at various courses in the area and every Saturday at Macenas for their weekly roll-up. Please book in at Badgers or by phone on 950478525/ 6860388259. Fixtures can be found on www.badgersmojacar.com
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Good result for Forum’s Malcolm FORUM Golf Society returned to Aguilon to play an individual stableford. Despite the near perfect condition of the course and benign weather no one managed to play to handicap or better, although the top 12 players all scored 30 or more stableford points. Malcolm Tilley was the winner with 35 points, with Ann Lawrence second on countback from Louise Douglas and Anne Holder after all three ladies scored 33 points. Nearest the pin prizes went to John Mills, Richard Swaine, Mike Duckham and
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PUTTING OUT: Forum played a stableford. Anne Holder, with Tony Morgan claiming the day's longest drive. For further information, contact Phil Elam on
666847840. or email philjelam@yahoo.co.uk, or visit the website www.forumgolfsociety.webs. com.
Mick takes the win... VILLARICOS Golf Society played a singles stableford competition at their home course of Aguilon. There was a good turnout and despite the odd drop of rain it was an enjoyable day. Unfortunately the scores didn't reflect this, apart from Mick Gardner who easily outshone the other members and won Division One with a score of 32 points.In second place was Mike Oulton (26). The winner of Division two was David Ward and second was Dave Bower. Closest to the pin on the 8th hole was Mick Gardner and on the 17th it was Sid Jones. Anyone interested in joining the society should call Tom on 674 783 261 or Dell on 693 945 587.