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30 OCTOBER - 5 NOVEMBER 2014
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€2m for Palma waiter A PALMA waiter has won a fiveyear battle to establish his identity and has inherited €2 million in the process. Esteban Marchena Garcia (pictured) has claimed for years that he is the illegitimate son of a wealthy Sevilla landowner, and has now been awarded his slice of a multi-million-euro inheritance. The result of an affair between 17-year-old servant girl Encarnacion Marchena and wealthy aristocrat Juan Velez Utrera, the infant Esteban was not recognised by his father as he was illegitimate. Encarnacion was working on Utrera’s Sevilla estate when she gave birth to Esteban in 1955. His mother was forced to put Esteban
up for adoption because of lack of money, but later kept in contact
and told him who his father was. When Utrera died in 2001, his estate was divided up among his three legitimate sons, and Esteban – seeking justice for his mother – started legal proceedings in 2009 for his share of his father’s fortune. The 59-year-old waiter obtained a court order for the exhumation of Utrera’s body in order for DNA testing to be carried out, but the family had secretly dug up the corpse and had it cremated. Utrera’s three legitimate sons also refused to provide their DNA for testing to see if they were related to Esteban – who works as a waiter in Palma de Mallorca – or not. However, a judge in Sevilla Turn to Page 4
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INDEX News 1 - 30 Finance 31 - 36 Letters 37 Leapy Lee 38 Daily TV 40 Time Out 42 - 43 Health & Beauty 44 - 45 Food 48 - 49 Homes & Gardens 50-51 Property 53 - 56 Classifieds 58 - 59 Boating 60 - 61 Motoring 62 Sport 64
INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS: Spent a whopping €9.3 billion up until September.
Tourists spend €9.3 billion
THE Balearic Islands ranked second among Spain’s autonomous communities in international tourist expenditure with €9.3 billion until September. This represents a 2.3 per cent decrease year-over year, according to figures from the survey on tourist expenditure (Egatur) conducted by the Industry, Energy and Tourism Ministry. On a national level, foreign tourist expenditures totalled €50.6 billion between January and September, which represents a 7.3 per cent increase compared to the same nine-month period in 2013.
Between January and September, the average daily expenditure registered a 0.2 per cent increase, totalling €108, whilst the average expenditure per tourist decreased slightly to €966 (-0.1 per cent). In September, international tourists spent €7 billion, 6.8 per cent more than in September 2013 with an average daily expenditure of €114 (+0.4 per cent). Britons were among the biggest spenders with €10.4 billion until September (20.6 per cent of the total), closely followed by Germans (€7.9 billion) and the French (€5.2 billion).
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Wastewater plant A NEW wastewater treatment plant is to be constructed in Can Picafort. The Environmental Advisory Committee has given a green light to the project which awaits final approval.
30 October - 5 November 2014 / Mallorca
A €225 MILLION shopping mall for Palma has been given the green light. Property giant UnibailRodamco - which already manages a total of 16 shopping centres on the Iberian peninsula - plans to spend the multi-million euro figure on developing a 75,000 square-metre mall located at Playa de Palma.
It’s planned that the shopping centre will consist of around 200 shops, with key brands such as Zara, Mango, Bershka and Massimo Dutti, as well as a 12screen multiplex and around 35 restaurants. Chief executive officer of Unibail-Rodamco, Christophe Cuvillier, said: “We are openminded about new investment
opportunities in Spain if the price is right. We strongly believe in the Spanish economy and we definitely see potential for further growth.” The Unibail-Rodamco company’s 16 Spanish shopping centres are valued at €2.5 billion and the Mallorca project is expected to open its doors in autumn 2016.
Oil prospecting THE Ministry of the Environment is currently drawing up a report on the possibility to carry out offshore oil prospecting in the Balearic Sea. The report is scheduled to be released in November.
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A mega mall for Palma
Photo by Miquel Bohigas Costabella
Rubble returns MORE rubble has been found in Cami de Sant Jordi only a few months after being cleaned. Tonnes of waste were removed from the area due to several complaints.
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Poster exhibit
THE movie poster exhibit at Inca theatre inaugurated on October 16 will be open until November 29 at the exhibition hall of Claustro de Santo Domingo featuring movie posters from 1936 to 1994.
Bronze medal LOCAL sailor Albert Torres was a member of the Spanish team that brought home a bronze in the Optimist class World Sailing Championships in Argentina.
Young promises
Caught red-handed FOUR men carrying illegal drugs were detained at Palma Airport by Guardia Civil officers. One of the detained is a Brazilian caught red-handed with two rum bottles containing liquid cocaine.
JOAN CARDONA and Aina Bauza - members of RNCP sailing team - both placed in the Laser Radial Europa Cup Spain competition bringing medals home to Palma.
Empty piggybanks ACCORDING to data from rastreador.com, 12.2 per cent of Balearic Islands residents said they have no savings, while 22.5 per cent reported having saved around €3,000, and 16.3 per cent have less than €1,000 in savings.
THE musical based on the greatest hits of Spanish pop rock band Hombres G will not be shown in Palma due to the 21 per cent VAT levied by the Government on cultural events, said the promoter Coral Europa.
Raging fire A FIRE that broke out in the early hours of Wednesday (October 29) scorched an illegal rubbish tip on Calle Peru in Palma. It appears the blaze started shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Poetry Slam THE Es Baluard Museum in Palma is hosting the 2nd International Poetry Slam until tomorrow Friday (October 31). Eight poets will take the stage and recite their poems for five minutes. Poems in foreign languages will be translated.
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Stunning pyrotechnics at Sant Narcis festival
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NE of the most visually spectacular Spanish festivals of the year takes place in Girona this week. In a country renowned for its weird and wacky festivals - where people will do anything from pelt each other with tomatoes to build dangerously unstable 10-storey human towers - the Fires de Sant Narcis is probably the most striking, and loudest, festival on the Spanish holiday calendar. The highlight of the week’s festivities is the ‘correfoc’ - Catalan for ‘fire-run’ - a celebration featuring a cacophony of drum beats and exploding fireworks set off by revellers dressed as devils and demons. Fire crackers and stunning light
Quote of the Week ‘I know biting appals a lot of people, but it’s relatively harmless,’ says Barcelona player Luis Suarez in his new book ‘Crossing the Line: My Story’ which is published this week.
shows fill the Girona skies and streets all in the name of Sant Narcis, the patron saint of the city. Sant Narcis is celebrated each year with traditional Catalan customs, food, music and culture. Market stalls attract families, revellers and visitors keen to enjoy the biggest festival of the year in Girona. Malaga flamenco-electro band Chambao has already played as part of the Sant Narcis festivities this year, and more top name acts are pencilled in to keep the party going until Sunday. While some aspects of the festival are definitely not for those who enjoy their peace and quiet, it is nevertheless an unrivalled pyrotechnic spectacular.
CREDITlev radin / Shutterstock.com
Number of the week
€250
million is the sum involved in a mass corruption case involving local government construction contracts in Spain. Fifty one people have been arrested in the operation codenamed ‘Punica.’
Fashion weekend PUERTO PORTALS hosts a weekend of glamour on Saturday/Sunday November 1 /2 featuring Spanish designers Lidia Delgado, Jose Miro, Angel Schelesser, Roberto Torretta and Juan Vidal.
Suspicious calls RESIDENTS of Calvia have been receiving phone calls asking their opinion on PP candidate Jose Manuel Ruiz and their voting intention. The council has been asked to explain such dubious activity.
And finally... Nearly one in three flights from the UK to Spanish sun spots are delayed. So far this year a total of 8,826 flights from UK airports to Tenerife, Palma, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura have been delayed. UK passengers are eligible for compensation if their flight is delayed by more than three hours.
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Red tape cut for islanders to get travel discounts AS of November 1, Balearic Island residents will no longer need to present their municipal registration certificate (certificado de empadronamiento) to travel by air or sea and benefit from discounts on fares. The new system, however, does not apply in the case of children
AIR TRAVEL: Balearic Island residents will continue to benefit from a 50 per cent discount on fares. under 14 who do not have a DNI (Spanish national identity card). An automatic system called SARA – developed by the Ministry of Development and first
A note from the
launched in the Canary Islands as a pilot project – will allow airlines, cruise
Editor
Bienvenido little Ashya
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E’D like to extend a warm Spanish welcome to the brave five-yearold cancer sufferer Ashya King and his parents, who arrived in Marbella this week. Little Ashya is undergoing further treatment at the HC Marbella Hospital in Andalucia, following an incredible story that has gripped both Spain and the UK. Brett and Naghemeh King triggered an international manhunt in August when they took their son from Southampton Hospital without the consent of his doctors, and brought him to Spain for treatment. Believing that proton beam treatment would be more effective than the radiotherapy offered in Britain, they came to Marbella but Brett and Naghemeh were arrested and held in a Madrid prison for three days, while Ashya was hospitalised
in Malaga. Thankfully, common sense prevailed and they were released without charge. His parents then took Ashya to Prague in the Czech Republic for proton beam treatment and he is now back in Spain where his condition is said to have improved. Cancer is a disease that affects so many families across the globe, and it is particularly upsetting when diagnosed in someone so young. Ashya has known little of a normal childhood to date and everyone following this heartbreaking tale can only hope that everything goes well for Ashya and the King family. Too afraid to return to the UK at the moment, they have decided to rest up in the quaint village of Casares where they have a home. We wish the Kings all the best during their stay – and beyond – and extend a genuine ‘bienvenidos to Andalucia’ once again.
operators and travel agencies to verify if passengers are indeed Balearic residents, which entitles them to benefit from a 50 per cent discount on fares. To get the discount, however, the name on the ticket issued to any given Balearic resident must match the name on his or her DNI, said the Ministry of Development. Nevertheless, the discount will not be applicable on tickets for flights between the peninsula and the Balearic Islands or to Ceuta and Melilla, where the price exceeds a limit to be set by the Ministry
of Development. It is not normal for the government, given the current economic situation, to subsidise €600 plane tickets for flights to the Canary Islands or €550 tickets to the Balearic Islands, when, according to their data, the average price is around €70 and €120, said General Secretary of Transportation Carmen Librero. The official launch of SARA – Spanish acronym for Automatic Residence Certification System – had originally been scheduled for April 2013, but was later postponed until November 1.
Waiter wins case From Front Page last week awarded Esteban his €2 million share of Utrera’s fortune deciding that the “extraordinary obstruction” of the three brothers and the strong family resemblance were enough to prove Utrera was Esteban’s biological father. Esteban, whose mother died just two months ago, said it was a great shame she had died not knowing this news. In 2006, Spain changed its inheritance laws to allow children born outside marriage the same right to inherit family fortunes as legitimate sons and daughters. Since then dozens of cases have emerged involving illegitimate children claiming their right to inheritance.
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Mortgages in demand THE number of mortgages taken out on properties included in the islands’ land registries increased by 83.4 per cent in August year-overyear. The increase can be attributed to the improving economic situation on the islands, said the Govern.
Broken pipe A WATER pipe burst on Wednesday (October 29) in the Palma water treatment plant, causing an interruption of supply in some areas of the north and northeast of Mallorca.
Rain woes A STORM caused serious damage in Migjorn on Wednesday (October 29). The most affected areas were the industrial complexes Son Noguera and Llucmajor.
More police PALMA COUNCIL will increase police deployment for All Saints Day (October 31) and step up bus services. Four free parking areas will be made available to avoid congestion in the area.
Miro on show ARTWORKS by Spanish artist Joan Miro are being exhibited at the Palma Station venue on the Ferrocarril de Soller. The exhibition can be visited Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm.
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Animal cruelty A GERMAN SHEPHERD was shot dead on October 25 in Can Rullan, Soller. The shotgun was reportedly fired from the street. Police questioned a neighbour. Councillor Joan Ruiz said the council would get to the bottom of dog’s death.
Scorched car A FIRE that broke out around 2.30am on Sunday October 26 on Calle Joan Burgues Zaforteza scorched a car and caused serious damages to another. Police suspect an arsonist could be behind the blaze.
Music festival TEATRE PRINCIPAL in Palma is hosting a concert dedicated to the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, on Saturday November 1 at 7pm. Tickets are €55, €45, €30 and €20. More info at www.teatreprincipal .com
Tapas route FOOD connoisseurs will be delighted to know a tapas gastronomic route is taking place in Calvia every Friday, Saturday and Sunday between October 31 and November 16. Maps and more information at www.fundacion calvia.com
Passing out A MARE passed out on Saturday October 25, on Avenida Jaume III. A veterinarian arrived on the scene to determine its condition.
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Islands get budget rise THE 2015 budget of the Balearic Islands amounts to more than €4 billion. This represents a 4.14 per cent increase yearover-year. The funds are to be invested in speeding up the growth of the Balearic economy and consolidating essential public services, said Tax and Budget Councillor Jose Vicente Mari during
a press conference. As stated by Mari, 80 per cent of the budget has been earmarked for social policies. The Health Department is to be allocated €123 million more than in 2014 (up 10.29 per cent), while the budget of the Education, Culture and Universities Department is to increase by €39
BALEARIC ISLANDS: Budget to be invested in speeding up economic growth. million (up 5.12 per cent) and the Family and Social Services Department is to be allocated €21 million more than in 2014 (up 17.58 per cent). The budget for 2015 is based on a positive growth projection.
Santanyi Council pour funds into local sports facilities SANTANYI Council launched an ambitious €1.1 million project to restore and extend the local municipal sports facilities located at the end of town. The works – fully funded by the council – are scheduled to begin in early 2015 and the project includes modernising all the facilities, building bathrooms, changing rooms, a sauna, a gym, a
lobby, offices and a waiting room, and fixing the small swimming pool. Once built, the gym is to be open every day of the week, said council sources talking to diariodemallorca.es. The general conditions of tender were published in the official bulletin of the Balearic Islands and several companies have submitted their bids.
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FLICKR BY PRAIA DE MAGALUF
Moroccan flag hung from police station in Manacor TWO Moroccan minors jumped over the fence of the Local Police station in Manacor and hung a Moroccan flag from the building. The minors, aged 16 and 17, were identified and found by police in less than two hours. They will be accused of disturbing the peace and face fines of up to €15,000. It appears they both have a police record. “They are troublesome minors. They are habitual thieves. In fact, a judge ordered them to perform community service, which in this case meant cleaning National Police cars, but they decided to open one of the vehicles, put on a bulletproof vest, take pictures and put them online. The problem is that judicial authorities are very lenient toward minors. They know they are untouchable and do as they please,” said a source close to the investigation talking to ultimahora.es.
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MAGALUF: Malen Zoe Ortiz was last seen here in December 2013.
Never forgotten IT has been almost a year since Malen Zoe Ortiz went missing in Calvia. Her mother sent a touching letter to the media to remember her missing daughter, who would have
turned 16 on Tuesday (October 28). “Every day without news of my little girl is a struggle, but especially today. She went missing 11 endless months ago and I do not want this day to go by as if by daughter did not exist,” she said. “I have taken the liberty of sending this letter to the media because I want her to know, wherever she is, how important she is to the people that love her,” said her mother, adding she will not give up until she finds out what happened on that
fateful December 2. “Just one word from her would be enough to bring me back to life, because every day this black uncertainty kills me a little bit more,” she said. Ever since Malen Zoe Ortiz disappeared, her relatives and friends have organised demonstrations to keep her memory alive and urge law enforcement to keep looking for her. Malen was last seen in Magaluf when she was on her way to her boyfriend’s house in Son Ferrer, who claimed she never made it.
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Fine stays PALMA High Court has confirmed the sentence from last November condemning the International Canine Centre (CCI) to pay €68,500 to members of a nearby family for physical and moral damage due to the dogs barking and to remove the animals.
Country theft BALEARIC Islands have registered 66 thefts from agricultural and livestock premises in the first six months of the year, compared to 134 registered in 2013.
Expert forum ALMOST 120 experts in cerebral palsy treatment attended a forum in Palma’s Melia Palas organised by the Balearics Cerebral Palsy Association (ASPACE).
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Advert complaint by Mes per Mallorca MES complained about an advert, which, they say, is denigrating to women. Mes per Mallorca submitted a document to the Balearic Women’s
Institute (IBD) voicing a complaint over an advert located on Calle Jaume III in Palma showing two men putting a woman in a bin. Not only does the political coalition deem it denigrating
to women, but they are also asking IBD to encourage the store to take it down. “This kind of advertising denigrates the image of women and is not justified from a commercial or social point of view, so it must be immediately withdrawn,” said MES delegate Fina Santiago in a statement. BAG-SNATCHER: To “What would happen if it serve two years and showed a politician or a eight months in prison. public figure instead of a woman?” she asked. “Sexist advertising is a old victim required medical attention for injuries to her form of chauvinist violence we must also eradicate. Not left shoulder. The accused, currently in only does this advert prison in Palma, confessed portray the woman as an to Palma judge Juan object the two men play Manuel Sobrino that he had with, but it also shows committed the violent them throwing her in the attack making the most of bin as if it were a game and his superior strength and the slogan reads ‘made for the fact that they were mischief,” complained MES alone in the building councillor in Palma Neus Truyol. entrance.
Jail for bag-snatcher A COURT in Palma has condemned a dangerous burglar to two years and eight months in prison for grabbing an elderly lady’s handbag outside her front door at the beginning of the year. The attacker asked her to let him into the building, which she did - assuming he was a new neighbour at which point he attacked her then ran away. The bag-snatcher took a handbag containing documentation, a small purse, €80 in cash, medicine and a
pair of gloves and was later arrested by National Police officers. Meanwhile the 76-year-
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS: Scheduled for May 2015.
Europeans eligible to vote next year AS many as 840,000 nationals from EU member states living in Spain are eligible to vote in the upcoming municipal elections scheduled to take place in May 2015. Data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) shows that 113,000 live in Madrid, 108,000 in Alicante, 76,000 in Barcelona, 70,000 in Malaga, 45,874 in the Balearic Islands and 47,000 in Valencia. According to the INE, 160,000 come from the UK, 150,000 from Romania, almost 90,000 from Italy, more than 70,000 from Germany, almost 60,000 from France and close to 50,000 from Bulgaria.
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Blind crew sail Mediterranean A TEAM of 30 blind and visually impaired sailors stopped off in Mallorca as part of a six-day trip along the Spanish coast. Using a talking global positioning programme to help them navigate, the crew and passengers of the ‘Kapitan Borchardt’ made their way from Alicante to Barcelona - with stops in Ibiza and Mallorca - in order to give visually impaired people a chance to experience the sea and meet people from around the world. The group - made up of German, Latvian, Polish, Lithuanian and Italian people with sight difficulties - formed part of the Imago Maris project, designed to promote the idea of sailing for blind people and to integrate blind sailors from all over Europe. The Polish schooner had to navigate through busy Mediterranean waters helped by sighted crew members for safety reasons. “I asked the deck officer to warn all the fishing boats
that I was steering,” said Koralewska, a Polish masseuse who took part. “So far I’ve managed not to ram into any of them.” Maciej Sodkiewicz, captain of the schooner and president of Imago Maris, told Agence France Presse: “Blind people are often withdrawn. Here they open up to others, they feel part of a group. “We notice the change sometimes at the end of the trip.” Another member of the group, Andrei Skirins from Latvia, said: “You have the feeling of freedom. It shows you that you can do whatever you set your sights on. Ever since I lost my sight, I’ve been dreaming of going sailing. “I derive a lot of satisfaction and energy from it and I learn a lot.” The Imago Maris project operates boating trips for the visually impaired to give them a taste of life at sea, including carrying out duties as well as helping to navigate and steer the ship.
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Muro to dig in first archaeological site THE Culture and Heritage Department of Muro Council is taking the first necessary steps to organise the municipality’s first archaeological dig. Though the project is still in its early stages, the council could invest
€10,000 in the endeavour’s first phase. Following multiple studies and analyses, a group of scientists chose ses Cases in Son Serra as the site of the excavation, not only because of its archaeological wealth but also because of its
Castello chapel still at risk of collapsing THE continuing degradation of the small Castello chapel - built in the 17th century - has put the building at risk of collapse. Located on a historic road between Soller and Deia municipalities, the chapel has stood abandoned for decades and it has not completely collapsed thanks to an iron ring installed in 2000. At that time, local authorities started to consider restoring it. However, the restoration works have not started yet, even though a €259,000 budget was approved for the project in December 2013.
accessibility. The site is located in a private property close to a rural hotel managed by a German national named Dieter Süssman, who is reportedly delighted with the project. “Twenty years ago a teacher from a town named Gabriel Barcelo came to see me and told me that there was this prehistoric site in my property. He showed me some documents that confirmed what he said and he even showed me where it was,” said Süssman talking to the media. Though an official agreement remains to be signed, the council and the owner of the property are reportedly willing to cooperate in the archaeological project.
30 October - 5 November 2014 / Mallorca
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Many find it hard to make ends meet THE number of Balearic households that find it hard to make ends meet by the end of the month registered a 48.76 per cent increase since the outbreak of the crisis.
Data from a study conducted by Kelisto shows the percentage of Balearic families that can hardly make ends meet by the end of the month has increased by 15.3 per cent since 2008, while the percentage of families unable to tackle unforeseen expenses grew by 22.1 per cent in the same period. On the other hand, the number of households that SOME of the events planned for the Dijous found it difficult to pay their Bo Swimming Tournament held in Ciutat de mortgages, rents, gas bills Inca on Saturday October 25 had to be or community fees on time cancelled due to facility deficiencies. in the last 12 months has The referee of the Balearic Swimming registered a 16.2 per cent Federation called off some of the events increase since 2008, 9.5 per because not all of the lights of the indoor cent over the national swimming pool - only three out of 17 - were average (14.8 per cent). working. According to Kelisto, 3.9 The pool reopened its doors last month per cent of Balearic after undergoing improvement works. The households cannot afford attendees complained about the ‘awful light meat, chicken or fish at least system,’ which resulted in half of the events every two days and 44.4 per not being official. cent of families cannot The tournament - organised by Imaf and afford to holiday for at least Club Natacio Inca - attracted close to 600 one week a year. children and their families.
Swimming event marred by lights
30 October - 5 November 2014 / Mallorca
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JOURNEY’S END: Cyclists reach EWN offices. Inset: Tomas with Paul and Steven.
Thank you to EWN
MY wife Jill and I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the Euro Weekly News owners, Michel and Steven Euesden, and all of your staff especially Dilip Kuner and Jenni Leighfield. We are so very grateful for all your support over the years and appreciate all that you have done for us in helping publicise and report on events in aid of Tomas Leighton Care, and keeping your readers up to date with Tomas’s ongoing challenges and progress.
Tomas could not have progressed so well and come so far without your help. It was very emotional for us all at the finish line in front of the Euro Weekly News offices on Friday October 17. It was a fabulous welcome for the cyclists finishing ‘From Rain to Spain’ and really wonderful to have everyone come out and greet Tomas and the cyclists. Once again, thank you to you all. With best regards, Jon and Jill Leighton
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Man sentenced to 20 years for mum’s murder A MAN is to serve 20 years behind bars for murder. A Palma Court sentenced a man, identified as A.L.I.P, to 20 years in prison for murdering his mother in 2013 and to pay his grandmother €80,000 and his two
aunts and the children of a third deceased aunt €60,000 each in compensation. The victim’s husband, identified as A.L.I.M, was sentenced to three years in prison for habitual abuse. The woman was hit several times on the head with a dumbbell and asphyxiated with a cable at her home in Palma on February 28, 2013. During the trial, the son admitted to having killed his mother hitting her with a dumbbell after a quarrel but said he did not intend to take her life. The victim’s husband said he did not hear anything because he had been sleeping at the time of the murder. According to the son, he did not get along with his mother and she would berate him for having a child at 17 and destroying his life. He also admitted to having abused his mother.
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Upcoming match AFTER beating CE Sabadell 1-0 last week, RCD Mallorca will play Lugo on Saturday November 1 at 4pm at Iberostar Stadium. So far this season, the club has won three matches, drawn two and lost five. VACCINATION CAMPAIGN: Until December 5.
Flu-jab campaign launched
HEALTH centres started giving flu-jabs on Tuesday, October 28 to keep those considered to be at risk safe from the contagious virus. The campaign will last until December 5 and this year 137,800 doses have been prepared, 2,000 less than in 2013. Of the doses, 133,000 are reserved for over 65-year-olds and for younger people in risk groups - people with chronic diseases, immune system problems or extreme obesity, pregnant women, health workers - and the remaining 4,800 will be for residents in old peoples’ homes. Health authorities declared that flu-jabs are important for people at risk and informed that
14,608 cases of flu were registered in the Balearic Islands in 2013. Health service representatives also reassured members of the public that although people may be alarmed by the similarity in symptoms between flu and Ebola, a number of conditioning factors help to distinguish the viruses, including having visited a high risk country in the 21 days beforehand or having had direct contact with someone already suffering the illness. They also pointed out that Nigeria - country of origin of the largest African community in the Balearic Islands had been declared free of the virus following at least 42 days with no new cases registered.
Heavy rain TORRENTIAL rain fell in Llucmajor shortly before 2pm on Tuesday (October 28). It reportedly rained for about an hour and the large amount of rainwater that accumulated around the roundabouts slowed down traffic in the municipality.
Jellyfish alert PORTALS VELLS beach in Calvia was closed on Monday (October 27) due to the large number of jellyfish detected in the area. The lifeguard decided to fly the red flag and warned beachgoers against potential jellyfish stings.
Teen hurt POLICE are to investigate an accident that occurred during the Caimari festivities in Selva, in which a 14year-old was run over by a cart. The teen was taken to Hospital de Inca. The complaint was lodged by the teen’s father.
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FEATURE
Advertising Feature
Strong week for Canadian dollar while euro suffers
Clarisse Musselwhite is Moneycorp’s Account Manager for Mallorca
Commentary by Moneycorp EUR The euro suffered on Tuesday when Reuters reported that the European Central Bank might buy corporate bonds. Were it to do so the ECB could print far more money than is possible under its current asset-purchase programme. The euro recovered slightly when data showed euro zone business activity growing more strongly than expected but it still had a losing week, down by a cent against sterling and by one and a half US cents.. USD Because the dollar did nothing wrong it had a reasonable week, strengthening by a third of a cent against sterling and a cent
and a half against the euro. Sterling's transgression was a set of disappointing UK economic data, including falling retail sales. The euro's problem was a rumour that the European Central Bank might print money to buy corporate bonds. Although the ECB denied the story it was enough to send the euro lower.. CAD The Canadian dollar was one of the week's top performers, strengthening by a third of a cent against the US dollar and one cent against sterling. The only Canadian data showed stronger-thanforecast wholesale sales and an unexpected fall in retail sales. It was the
She can be contacted on Tel: +34 902 887 243 Mobile: +34 687 932 472 Email:mallorca@moneycorp.com
902887243 mallorca@moneycorp.com Bank of Canada, not the numbers, that sent the Loonie higher. In its monetary policy statement it omitted the word "neutral", encouraging investors to think higher interest rates were a possibility. AUD After the previous week's agitation a return to normality in financial markets tended to help the commodity-related currencies. News that China's economy
expanded at an annual pace of 7.5% in the third quarter also helped because it meant faster-than-expected growth for Australia's biggest customer. With Australian inflation exactly on target at 2.3% investors were inclined to favour the Aussie; it was steady against the US dollar and strengthened by three quarters of a cent against sterling and the pound. NZD After the previous week's agitation a return to normality in financial markets tended to help the commodity-related currencies. News that China's economy grew by more than expected in the third quarter also helped because the country is one of NZ's biggest customers. But inflation scuppered the Kiwi when it fell from 1.6% to 1.0%, killing any chance of higher interest rates. The Kiwi lost a cent to the US dollar and two cents to sterling.
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CLASSIC music concert will be held tomorrow at 7pm in Palma’s Teatre Principal. The performance will be conducted by director Michael Roth.
Vicens fined HEAD of the Balearic Islands Workers’ Commission (CCOO), Katiana Vicens will not go to prison but has to pay a €4,000 fine for allegedly damaging a public bus during a general strike.
POLICE detained a woman for allegedly faking an armed robbery. A very nervous woman called the National Police on Monday May 5
claiming her jeweller’s on Calle Marbella in Can Pastilla had just been robbed by a man brandishing a gun. The alleged victim,
identified as Ricarda S., told police a young man wearing a scarf and a cap arrived at her jeweller’s at 9.30am, pointed the gun to her head, told her to lie
Towels were fake Katie Belle Flickr
Music festival
Fire out FIRE brigade and Civil Proteccion voluntary workers extinguished a fire last Tuesday (28 October) in the area of Maria de la Salut, near carretera de Llubi.
Baby tragedy
TARGETED: Pirates show was victim of counterfeit goods seller.
A TWO-month baby died on Tuesday (28 October) at Son Espases hospital. The baby’s head was brushed past by a car while being carried by the father through a narrow lane in Costix.
A MAN is to serve 16 months in prison for importing counterfeit goods. The Provincial Court of Palma upheld the 16-month sentence pronounced on a shopkeeper convicted of crimes against intellectual property after he imported beach towels from China that copied the logotype of the Calvia ‘Pirates’ show. The Court dismissed an appeal lodged by the shopkeeper against the ruling handed down by a Palma Criminal Court which sentenced him to spend one year and four months in prison and to pay a €3,600 fine. The man was reportedly sent 1,584 cotton beach towels from China, which he intended to sell. The towels showed a skull with two sabres and a logotype reading ‘Pirates,’ a trademark of a Balearic company that sells similar products at ‘Pirates Adventure’ in Malaguf. The convicted shopkeeper - alleged to have made around €1,220 - claimed the trademark seen on the seized beach towels was not identical to that of the original goods because it had different colours.
Lawsuit filed BALEARIC environmental and animal rights group GOB will file a lawsuit related to the use of a dangerous pesticide called dimilin.
30 October - 5 November 2014 / Mallorca
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Woman arrested for allegedly faking armed jewel robbery
Katie Belle Flickr
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Palma children learn about basic road safety MORE than 27,000 children learned about road safety through an education programme launched by Local Police in Palma during the 2013-2014 school year. The officers visited 61 local schools where they gave one-hour talks supervised by teachers and pedagogues and adapted to the students’ educational level and age - to the children on basic road safety. The children aged between three and
five were taught how to safely cross the street with the help of their parents, while the talks delivered to ESO (Obligatory Secondary Education) students focused on how to safely ride a motorbike or a skateboard without putting pedestrians in danger. During the 2013-2014 school year, the police also gave 104 talks about social media and online safety, which were attended by 3,900 students.
on the floor, cut the alarm system wires and stole an undisclosed amount of jewels, wristwatches and €300,000. While the police dusted the jeweller’s for fingerprints, the jumpy victim went to a nearby bar to have a lime blossom tea and calm down. “I thought he was going to kill me,” she told local Spanish press. She and her husband were later questioned by the
officers at the police station. Five months after launching the investigation into the robbery, the case took a surprising turn when police placed Ricarda S. under arrest for allegedly faking an armed robbery. The police came to the conclusion she had cut the alarm system wires herself and taken the money and the jewels to commit insurance fraud.
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Parents concerned over number of rats A GROUP of parents in Colonia de Sant Jordi have voiced their concern over the growing number of rats seen at the local public school in the past few days. “In the last couple of weeks the schoolchildren have seen big rats running around in the playground and they have even seen them coming out of the bins,” warned the parents. Rats and mice had
RATS: Urine responsible for spread of leptospirosis. already been seen in the school during the summer
and even in some of the classrooms, they said. Parents are especially concerned about the risk of Leptospirosis, a bacteria-caused infection otherwise known as field fever or rat catcher’s yellows that can cause muscle pains, fever, headaches and even bleeding from the lungs or meningitis in severe cases. The bacteria are known to multiply in the liver,
kidneys and the central nervous system. Personto-person transfer, however, is rare. “Everyone knows that rat urine contains toxic substances that can even be deadly because of bacteria and microorganisms,” they remarked. Some of the parents have stopped taking their children to school and wrote a letter criticising the new school board, AMPA and ses Salines Council for their ‘negligence, neglect and apathy in the face of such lack of control and indifference.’ Furthermore they called upon the Education and Culture and the Health Department to coordinate efforts to tackle such a serious health problem.
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Successful food drive collects almost 20,000 kilos of food A MALLORCAN food bank has collected almost 20,000 kilos of food.
The Fundacion Banco de Alimentos de Mallorca collected 19,500 kilograms
of staple food donated by Mercadona customers as part of Operacion Kilo held
on Saturday (October 18) in nine Palma supermarkets. Mercadona donated a further eight tons of staple foods. The donations are to be distributed between 114
charities helping 30,000 impoverished people. President of the Food Bank Jose Falco and Head of External Affairs of Mercadona in the Balearic
Islands Barbara Ordas were pleased with the success attained by the food drive. In 2013, Mercadona donated 40 tons of food to Balearic charities.
FOOD BANK: Donations help 30,000 impoverished people.
Ashya King doing well and due back in Spain BRAIN tumour patient Ashya King is back in Spain after receiving his final dose of proton beam therapy in Prague. The five-year-old had 30 irradiation treatments in a bid to cure his rare form of cancer.
Doctors say he is doing well and will continue to be treated at a hospital in Marbella. His family have a holiday home on the Costa del Sol. Ashya’s case hit the headlines when his parents took him out of a hospital in Southampton, UK, and went to Spain. They had consistently said they wanted to have him treated abroad as the UK did not offer the therapy they wanted on the NHS. Ashya was declared a ward of court and an international arrest warrant was issued for his parents. The family was finally tracked down to a hostel in the Axarquia. His parents were arrested and taken to Madrid for an extradition hearing while Ashya was taken into hospital in Malaga. After a public outcry the warrant was withdrawn, Ashya’s parents Brett and Naghemeh King released and the family flew to the
Czech Republic for the course of treatment. Iva Tatounova, director of the PTC medical centre in the Czech capital, told the BBC: “Ashya has been very well. I don’t know if you remember the pictures when he was transported here - just lying on his bed in the ambulance. Now he can sit on his own, he can play with the toys and his motorics improved dramatically. He can also react to his surroundings.” The advantage of Proton Therapy treatment over radiotherapy, according to the PTC, is that it limits the collateral damage. Vital organs, like the heart and liver suffer less damage, which has long-term advantages in restricting severe side effects. Although the treatment is not available on the UK’s health service, the NHS has since agreed to cover the cost of the therapy.
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Marbella winner A TICKET-HOLDER won €68,459.35 in the Bonoloto lottery drawn on Monday, October 27. The ticket was stamped at the Number 13 lottery office in Marbella and was one of three winning tickets.
Police training SAN ROQUE Local Police officers completed a two-day training course to improve response times to 112 emergency services.
Navy visit THE Castilla Spanish navy ship with capacity for up to six helicopters and a special operations unit including an extensive medical centre docked at Malaga Port on Monday, October 27, for a two-day visit after taking part in NATO operations in the Mediterranean.
Coin helps out LUNA NUEVA charity sent its sixth delivery of items including medical supplies, food, toys and an ambulance to Senegal on Tuesday, October 28, and will help to build installations for children in need.
Health education MIJAS secondary schools received visits from the Cancer Prevention Caravan on Monday, October 27, and Tuesday, October 28, with informative talks on healthy living and disease prevention.
COSTA BLANCA SOUTH
Brit house fire A BRITISH couple and their two children, aged four and five, were treated at Torrevieja Hospital for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out at their home in El Galan, San Miguel de Salinas
Roman ruin
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
La Alfoquia community fair is a great success LA ALFOQUIA’S Renfe building was the venue for the town’s first annual Community Fair. Hundreds of people visited the fair on October 25, and a large number of them entered the competitions as an opportunity to show off their skills or their home-grown produce. Euro Weekly News (EWN) sponsored the paper craft section, and it was with pleasure that Ruth Reily from EWN’s Albox branch presented Gill Kelly with her trophy for that section. This really was a community event, with both English and Spanish residents and businesses coming together to support the day with prize donations for the tombola and raffle, as well as corporate sponsorship for various competitions. Neptune Insurance, Storage Solutions, Voss Homes, Cat Services and Avalon were among the many businesses keen to support the event with sponsorship and to show La Alfoquia how much they backed this event. There were other events and presentations in addition to the craft competitions. Four-legged pals pranced proudly with their owners during the dog show, and children loved getting their faces painted. Car enthusiasts were enthralled by the number of classic cars on display from Amigos Classic Car Club. There was
Pest control
ONE HUNDRED demonstrators gathered around Cartagena’s old Roman amphitheatre to protest about its state of disrepair. Improvement work has stalled due to the economic situation.
REDOVAN has set aside €10,000 to treat and eradicate the Tomicus pest that is killing pine trees in the Vega Baja.
Winning tickets
COSTA BLANCA NORTH
TICKETS for the Loteria Nacional sold in Petrer and Sax have won prizes totalling €7.2million.
Camino improvements ROJALES is to pave the roads around the Camino de los Huertos to improve safety for farmers and upgrade infrastructure. The work has an investment of €60,000; half will be funded by the town hall.
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Good payers DENIA Town Hall settles suppliers’ bills within 56 days instead of the obligatory 60, compared with 120 days in the past. It now intends to reduce this to 20 days.
Road rage A PETREL motorist needed hospital treatment after being confronted and attacked by the father of a boy he had
NEWS DESK Clean-up VOLUNTEERS cleared one ton of rubbish from the River Serpis in Alcoy. Environment councillor Paco Agullo criticised residents lacking in public spirit who debased the area’s outstanding fauna.
AXARQUIA
Car blaze A CAR burst into flames in Almuñecar as it was being driven along Calle Tenis. No one was hurt, but the blaze spread and affected 40 square metres of land.
Jaen Tourism Fair ALMUÑECAR’S tourist attractions were advertised at Tourism Fair ‘Tierra Adentro’ in Jaen. The fair, which closed last Sunday, October 26, attracted more than 400 exhibitors, and 10,000 visitors.
Swimmer rescued MARITIME Rescue saved a 27-year-old swimmer with hypothermia symptoms in Velez-Malaga.The man was taken to Hospital Comarcal and is reported to be in good health.
Traffic accident TOP ATTRACTION: Face painting. entertainment from Appassionata and Dave Sharp, a hog roast and a bar to help visitors keep cool in the heat. The Renfe building was perfect for the event, with stalls and displays adorning the historic building, inside and out. Aside from demonstrating the amazing community spirit so prevalent in La Alfoquia, the day was also about raising funds for local charities and community support. At the time of going to press, €800 had been counted, although the final figure is yet to be confirmed. almost hit. The father has a record, police sources later revealed.
Port compromise ALTEA Town Hall and the regional government are discussing a future leisure centre at the port. This would suit those wanting entertainment activities and those preferring tranquillity, sources said.
No excuse THE town hall in Benidorm has offered the regional government 15,000 square metres of land for the new Rincon de Loix health centre. This should help to avoid threatened delays, the mayor said.
THREE women and two men were injured as a result of a collision between their cars on the A-356 at Velez-Malaga. The injured were taken to Hospital Comarcal in Axarquia.
COSTA DE ALMERÍA
Stolen donations MACS (Mojacar Area Cancer Support) is asking that donations are not left outside the shops as they are being rifled through and stolen.
Airport shuttle ALICANTE Airport now receives shuttles from Mojacar and the surrounding areas. The service comes in addition to Exclusive Airport Shuttles’ provision for Almeria Airport.
Centenary songs THE First World War centenary is being marked with a performance by the Rose Singers at 7.30pm on Thursday, November 6, at the Living Water Church at Camping Los Gallardos. Tickets €8.
Forklift horror IN La Redonda, El Ejido, a worker suffered serious injury after falling from a forklift cage. While he remains in hospital, the accident is being investigated.
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Multiple assets, multiple identities, multiple frauds - abuse of the system THE Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has just released a new campaign in the UK targeting benefit thieves in their local areas and reinforcing an ongoing effort to get back the millions that are taken from the tax payer - 82 million for last year alone for abroad fraud cases. There is no one ‘type’ of benefit thief, but the one thing they have in common is that they are all taking advantage and abusing the system. For example, Peter Fischer claimed over £85,000 (€107,885) in benefits using multiple identities. Not only was Mr Fischer claiming benefits while living abroad, he was also working in both the UK and Spain, where he had tried to operate a business, without informing the DWP. He also owned undeclared property in Spain. In July of this year Mr Fischer’s case went to court and he was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment and suspended for 15 months. In another recent case, 74-year-old Dennis Troubridge, who was living in Murcia while claiming benefits, was sentenced to 16 months in prison, in
BENEFIT FRAUD: New and improved methods are in place to target thieves. September of this year. Mr Troubridge had been living in Spain from 2009, and had claimed over £135,000 (€171,347) in benefits with the assistance of his daughter, Poppy Bowling. Ms Bowling
was sentenced to a Community Order for 12 months after providing her address in Dagenham as a benefit claim address for her father. She also dealt with benefit mail at her address and had
control of one of her father’s bank accounts allowing her to withdraw cash from one account and transfer it to an account he had control over. In both cases, the benefit thieves had been claiming Income Support, Pension Credit, Disability Living Allowance and Housing Benefits, all of which are not exportable when living abroad. New and improved methods are in place to target benefit thieves wherever they are and government departments are working together to catch anyone abusing the system. This also includes the traditional benefit fraud hotline, where DWP receives allegations from the public. The Spanish hotline [900 55 44 40] is free and confidential, and members of the public can call to report suspected benefit thieves in Spain. The line is open from 8am-4pm Spanish time.
For further information on benefits you can receive while living abroad please visit https://www.gov.uk/living-inspain#state-pensions
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S CANDINAVIAN P RESS
EUROPEAN PRESS
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Stories making headlines in Europe
GERMAN PRESS Getting confident
BRITISH PRESS School breaks
SWEDEN - A date has been set for the wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist. The couple will tie the knot on June 13 in the Royal Chapel in Stockholm.
HEAD teachers should be able to grant term-time holidays for special occasions without parents facing fines for taking their children out of school. The Local Government Association has called for a ‘common sense approach’ to term-time holidays.
SWEDEN - Students at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm are being helped to build Sweden’s first satellite by the country’s first astronaut. Christian Fuglesang, 57 went into space in 2006 and is helping the students who hope to launch in 2017.
Budget cuts NORWAY - Proposed budget cuts to benefits for parents of disabled children will save 590 million kroner (€70.9 million).
Lifting ban NORWAY - A ban on professional boxing could be lifted by the New Year. A law passed in 1981 banned the sport forcing Norwegian professionals to fight abroad. Now proposals to permit the professional sport could go before parliament before Christmas.
Ebola pledge DENMARK - The government has committed another 115 million kroner (€15.45 million), a military supply ship and health workers to the fight against Ebola. The new contributions bring Denmark’s total spend so far to 190 million kroner (€25.52 million).
British jihadist A STUDY has found that British jihadis fighting in Syria and Iraq are being killed at the rate of one per week. Twenty-three Britons are believed to have so far died after travelling to fight in the civil war. It’s believed that all 23 are second-generation immigrants from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
Replica jersey ban SHEFFIELD UNITED has banned the sale of replica shirts bearing the name of former player Ched Evans. Evans was recently released from jail after serving half of a five-year sentence for rape. The Sheffield United club store is refusing requests from fans for the number nine shirt with Evans’ name printed on the back.
Unemployment dropping UNEMPLOYMENT in the UK has fallen below the two million mark for the first time since the financial crisis. Latest figures show that 1.97 million people in Britain are currently unemployed. The figure - that equates to 6 per cent of the population - is the lowest figure for the last six years.
A CRIMINAL gang in Manchester has been using James Bond-style tracking devices to stalk cannabis growers and steal their produce. The gang used
CANNABIS: Being stolen by a criminal gang.
RUSSIAN PRESS Sub hunt cancelled
third in terms of quality of the working environment.
SWEDEN has called off the hunt for a suspected Russian submarine in waters off Stockholm. Sweden mobilised 200 troops, helicopters and stealth ships following foreign ‘underwater activity,’ believed to be a Russian submarine.
Expats in Russia RUSSIA has ranked 17th on HSBC Bank’s annual list of the world’s best countries for expats. Encompassing 34 countries, Russia came out top for expats in terms of quality of social life and making friends, and
CONSUMER confidence is due to recover, according to a report by marketing company Gfk. A succession of falls in confidence has been halted and the consumer confidence index is forecast to rise to 8.5 in November, up 0.1.
Refugee plan BERLIN city bosses plan to use two huge inflatable tents and six shipping container ‘villages’ to house a total of 2,600 refugees. The city is struggling to cope with the numbers of people seeking asylum.
Training plan
Cannabis trackers
PHOTO BY MIRALUZ06
Astronaut aid
hidden GPS trackers to track the farmers’ movements and work out when would be the best time to steal their drugs. Police in Manchester fear the ploy could spark a gang war.
PHOTO BY DAVE H
Royal date
Bank protests sanctions SBERBANK, Russia’s top bank, has protested Western sanctions against the bank in a European Union court. The EU imposed sanctions on Sberbank, restricting its access to international capital, in a decision linked to Russia’s role in the Ukraine crisis.
Dual citizenship MORE than 600,000 Russians have declared they hold dual citizenship. Those with foreign passports or resident status abroad were asked to disclose their status to the authorities or face a fine of 200,000 rubles (€3,700). Activists have criticised the move and say it is a stepping stone for the government to ban dual citizenship altogether.
Teen held
Oldest bear dies
DENMARK Lebanese authorities are holding a Danish born teenager for fighting alongside ISIS. The teen has been held for four months with no charges.
THE world’s oldest brown bear has died at a zoo in St Petersburg. Varvara, the mother of 29 cubs, died at age 35. Varvara lived almost twice the normal length of time for wild brown bears.
SBERBANK: Russia’s top bank.
FOREIGN Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said Germany is sending a mission to Northern Iraq to examine the possibility of expanding its training of Kurdish forces for their fight against Islamic militants. Germany has already approved humanitarian aid and the delivery of weapons.
Market forces GOOGLE’S market power has forced German publishers to allow the search engine giant to show news snippets in search results free of charge. Google had stopped showing them, instead displaying only a headline and link, when publishers started legal action to try to get compensation from the search engine for republishing their content.
Beer wage ESSEN has started paying alcoholics in beer to clean the city’s streets. Depending on their needs the alcoholics get a small hourly wage and up to three bottles of beer in an effort to get them to rejoin society. Not everyone gets beer - just those who can't work without it.
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STAT OF WEEK SPAIN’S Synthetic Index of Export Activity (ISAE) registered 7.6 points between July and September, 15.5 less than in the second quarter. Despite this setback short-term export prospects are still good, the government said.
SPAIN’S theme parks have never lived up to their promise. Only Port Aventura in Salou (Barcelona, 1995) has been a consistent success. It had a €164.5 million turnover last year and profits of €9.96 million in return for a total investment of €1 billion. Isla Magica (Sevilla 1996),
PORT AVENTURA: Consistent success for theme park.
Board agrees FCC rights issue FOMENTO DE CONSTRUCCIONES Y CONTRATAS (FCC) announced an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting for November 20. The Barcelona construction and services company whose investors include Bill Gates and George Soros expects to raise €1 billion through a new rights issue. This will then be used to repay its debt and shore up the capital reserves of units outside Spain. The announcement hinged on an agreement between majority shareholder Esther Koplowitz and the banks regarding loans tied to her holding in FCC which has belonged to her family for more than 50 years.
Koplowitz will cut her 50 per cent controlling stake to around 25 per cent to refinance her own debt which is estimated at €1 billion, according to insiders who asked to remain anonymous. The company now seeks to cancel the €1.35 billion payment-in-kind loan that was introduced as a temporary measure earlier this year during restructuring amounting to almost €5 billion. Assets have been sold and jobs cut to counteract more than two years of losses. These stemmed from the economic crisis and the collapse of Spain’s property as well as the insolvency of FCC’s Austrian subsidiary, Alpine.
B
usiness extra
Sure thing JUAN ROSELL, current president of Spain’s business confederation, CEOE, has sufficient backing to be re-elected in December. Opposition from the metallurgical and construction sectors cannot obstruct his re-election, sources said.
Unfair fine ANDALUCIA’S regional govenrment fined ‘bad bank’ Sareb €120,000 for obstructing the Junta’s anti-eviction measures. It will appeal against the fine, which Sareb’s chairwoman Belen Romana said was “unjustified.”
The customer is not always right BANKS in only five eurozone countries comply with the rulings of users’ protection agencies. Apart from Ireland, France, Slovenia, Greece and Lithuania, 13 EU countries including Spain ignore their conclusions. When a customer is dissatisfied with their Spanish bank’s handling of a complaint this is passed on to the Bank of Spain. Eight-two per
cent ignore the supervisor’s recommendations when these are in the client’s favour, found comparison website Kelisto.es. In 2012, Barclays in Spain made no rectifications at all while Citibank complied with 1.3 per cent and Cajasur 2.3 per cent. Deutsche Bank was more compliant, rectifying in 61.1 per cent cases, as was Sabadell (51.1 per cent).
CHRISTIAN BERTRAND / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Some major variations on a theme costing the equivalent of €85 million, has been on the brink of closing on several occasions and last year’s €2.1 million profit was its first ever. Terra Mitica (Benidorm 2000) cost €425 million of public and private money when the Valencian Community was in the grip of
the mega-million building boom. Last year it had a turnover of €14.44 million but made just €790,000 and will have a ‘make or break’ 2015. Other regions refuse to be deterred by such mediocre results and Murcia optimistically plans to open a Paramount theme park in 2016.
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C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) 3i Group PLC 380.70 Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 405.45 Admiral Group PLC 1295.50 Aggreko PLC 1502.00 Anglo American PLC 1299.00 Antofagasta PLC 679.75 ARM Holdings PLC 809.50 Ashtead Group PLC 993.25 Associated British Foods 2728.50 AstraZeneca PLC 4358.00 Aviva PLC 509.25 Babcock International 1074.50 BAE Systems PLC 442.45 Barclays PLC 224.03 BG Group PLC 1040.75 BHP Billiton PLC 1613.75 BP PLC 431.75 British Amricn Tobacco 3383.25
C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 1.10 0.29 -6.00 -1.46 19.00 1.49 -34.00 -2.21 -9.00 -0.69 -13.00 -1.88 -7.50 -0.92 -2.50 -0.25 17.00 0.63 31.00 0.72 2.18 0.43 1.00 0.09 0.90 0.20 -2.35 -1.04 -2.00 -0.19 -13.00 -0.80 -1.05 -0.24 21.00 0.62
NET VOLUME 516.87 1,583.71 391.91 363.21 2,061.18 1,100.36 1,554.86 809.11 234.34 733.42 2,995.43 328.70 1,104.70 29,998.28 2,230.98 3,265.63 6,148.76 750.44
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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 148.59 86.40 33.87 122.24 99.44 115.91 23.78 69.00 94.49 25.64 183.35 94.99 33.18 162.08 103.13 58.74 91.67 57.61 46.13 90.90 29.11 85.16 41.03 97.73 103.82 91.64 48.77 213.48 76.38 88.61
+3.54 +0.79 +0.21 +0.21 +0.17 -0.28 +0.215 +0.41 +0.38 +0.20 +3.29 +0.19 +0.49 -0.10 +0.50 +0.68 +0.65 +0.98 +1.11 +0.53 +0.51 +1.93 +0.17 +0.96 +0.64 +0.98 +0.55 -0.80 +0.13 +0.62
+2.44% +0.92% +0.62% +0.17% +0.17% -0.24% +0.91% +0.60% +0.40% +0.79% +1.83% +0.20% +1.50% -0.06% +0.49% +1.17% +0.71% +1.73% +2.47% +0.59% +1.78% +2.32% +0.42% +0.99% +0.62% +1.08% +1.14% -0.37% +0.17% +0.70%
4.5M 3.6M 29.8M 4.0M 4.1M 5.5M 19.9M 4.5M 9.7M 20.6M 2.9M 4.8M 27.8M 6.7M 6.0M 13.8M 5.3M 8.6M 61.1M 2.5M 28.4M 13.5M 13.4M 2.4M 3.7M 3.0M 13.5M 2.7M 4.5M 4.9M
C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G.
711.75 871.25 369.10 1653.50 1493.50 1157.00 2364.00
DOW JONES C O M PA N Y
1.26983
0.78750
C O M PA N Y
-2.18 9.80 -0.90 5.00 -1.00 8.00 15.00
-0.31 1.14 -0.24 0.30 -0.07 0.70 0.64
NET VOLUME 1,162.60 692.94 4,031.35 126.28 383.83 354.60 168.64
PRICE
CHANGE NET / %
$ 25.65 $ 42.15 $ 17.33 $ 14.89 $ 24.45 $ 25.52 $ 18.34 $ 96.69 $ 31 $ 14.89 $ 11.04
8.27 ▲ 47.58% 8.95 ▲ 26.96% 2.79 ▲ 19.19% 2.01 ▲ 15.61% 3.26 ▲ 15.38% 3.22 ▲ 14.44% 2.22 ▲ 13.77% 11.61 ▲ 13.65% 3.67 ▲ 13.43% 1.61 ▲ 12.12% 1.14 ▲ 11.52%
$ 6.31 $ 62.105 $ 13.09 $ 3.63 $ 7.30 $ 34.37 $ 16.26 $ 27.08 $ 30 $ 71.91 $ 2.54
1.85 ▼ 22.67% 11.165 ▼ 15.24% 2.17 ▼ 14.22% 0.57 ▼ 13.57% 1.14 ▼ 13.51% 4.64 ▼ 11.89% 2.05 ▼ 11.20% 3.21 ▼ 10.60% 3.19 ▼ 9.61% 7.24 ▼ 9.15% 0.25 ▼ 8.96%
Most Advanced Digital River, Inc. BJ's Restaurants, Inc. Regulus Therapeutics Inc. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. SodaStream International Ltd. Columbus McKinnon Corporation RealPage, Inc. Strattec Security Corporation The Spectranetics Corporation Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. Calithera Biosciences, Inc.
Most Declined Layne Christensen Company Synaptics Incorporated Lakeland Industries, Inc. Alcobra Ltd. First Niagara Financial Group Inc. Hub Group, Inc. NIC Inc. QIWI plc TESSCO Technologies Incorporated GoPro, Inc. Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Centrica PLC 295.85 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1327.50 Compass Group PLC 975.00 CRH PLC 1363.00 Diageo PLC 1776.75 Direct Line Insurance 277.80 Dixons Carphone PLC 379.60 easyJet PLC 1442.00 Experian PLC 916.00 Fresnillo PLC 749.75 Friends Life Group Ltd 301.15 G4S PLC 251.75 GKN PLC 302.45 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1416.00 Glencore PLC 312.35 Hammerson PLC 593.25 Hargreaves Lansdown 934.50 HSBC Holdings PLC 625.20 IMI PLC 1171.50 Imperial Tobacco Group 2592.00 InterContinental Hotels 2271.00 International Consolidtd ...385.85 Intertek Group PLC 2560.00 Intu Properties PLC 331.60 ITV PLC 197.95 Johnson Matthey PLC 2870.00 Kingfisher PLC 294.40 Land Securities Group 1086.50 Legal & General Group 223.50 Lloyds Banking Group 74.86 London Stock Exchange 1918.00 Marks & Spencer Group 412.60 Meggitt PLC 440.35 Mondi PLC 1002.00 Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts 151.80 National Grid PLC 895.00 Next PLC 6442.50 Old Mutual PLC 184.15 Pearson PLC 1139.50 Persimmon PLC 1401.50 Petrofac Ltd 1053.00 Prudential PLC 1369.25 Randgold Resources Ltd 3980.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5022.50 Reed Elsevier PLC 993.75 Rio Tinto PLC 2980.75 Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 784.75 Royal Bank of Scotland 359.50 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2284.00 Royal Mail PLC 454.05 RSA Insurance Group 469.00 SABMiller PLC 3399.25 Sage Group (The) PLC 367.35 Sainsbury (J) PLC 238.90 Schroders PLC 2294.00 Severn Trent PLC 2001.00 Shire PLC 4072.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 982.00 Smiths Group PLC 1128.50 Sports Direct Internatnl 630.50 SSE PLC 1545.50 Standard Chartered PLC 1109.75 Standard Life PLC 385.85 St James's Place PLC 671.00 Tesco PLC 167.88 Travis Perkins PLC 1586.50 TUI Travel PLC 372.40 Tullow Oil PLC 489.70 Unilever PLC 2424.50 United Utilities Group 846.50 Vodafone Group PLC 198.70 Weir Group PLC 2220.00 Whitbread PLC 4326.00 Wolseley PLC 3193.50 WPP PLC 1178.50
CHANGE 3.10 7.00 8.00 -12.00 5.50 1.30 2.10 3.64 -6.00 -16.50 -0.40 0.80 -5.20 0.88 -4.50 0.00 -8.50 -4.70 -17.00 9.00 54.00 2.50 -6.00 0.70 0.30 -11.00 1.60 3.00 0.90 -1.85 2.00 -1.60 -2.40 -1.00 -0.68 4.00 -55.00 -0.60 0.23 6.00 -15.60 -5.00 -33.00 44.00 16.00 -31.08 -9.67 -4.70 -3.00 -3.80 2.20 42.00 0.50 0.70 -16.00 12.00 22.00 0.92 -24.00 0.50 9.05 -5.50 -1.11 -9.00 -0.91 0.00 6.50 -5.00 18.90 8.50 -1.75 -31.00 15.00 -17.00 0.75
% C H G. VOLUME 1.06 7,097.83 0.53 146.05 0.83 797.94 -0.87 909.41 0.31 997.55 0.47 1,312.14 0.56 1,081.44 0.25 337.81 -0.65 801.77 -2.15 497.03 -0.13 967.78 0.32 730.10 -1.69 1,981.95 0.06 2,774.07 -1.42 8,538.06 0.00 698.32 -0.90 306.43 -0.75 28,714.05 -1.43 797.68 0.35 492.25 2.44 368.69 0.65 5,432.39 -0.23 76.92 0.21 459.51 0.15 4,305.51 -0.38 143.63 0.55 2,301.56 0.28 866.90 0.40 3,655.56 -2.41 107,017.20 0.10 151.45 -0.39 1,406.78 -0.54 654.12 -0.10 375.29 -0.45 2,548.39 0.45 1,532.29 -0.85 196.83 -0.32 5,353.56 0.02 1,162.00 0.43 448.13 -1.46 887.07 -0.36 1,068.72 -0.82 151.58 0.88 367.05 1.64 1,531.92 -1.03 1,807.08 -1.22 1,914.05 -1.29 4,872.12 -0.13 795.04 -0.83 1,016.63 0.47 935.43 1.25 656.30 0.14 445.06 0.29 2,076.64 -0.69 110.43 0.60 212.37 0.54 1,324.74 0.09 415.12 -2.08 518.85 0.08 553.70 0.59 575.01 -0.49 1,956.69 -0.29 1,221.68 -1.32 668.54 -0.54 13,101.75 0.00 232.11 1.78 1,289.76 -1.01 1,120.94 0.79 1,440.37 1.01 710.77 -0.87 23,799.37 -1.38 301.38 0.35 103.72 -0.53 515.92 0.06 1,112.77
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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The secret art of a successful business SOME business owners see customers as sheep to be fleeced whilst others try to increase profits by maximising prices whilst minimising service. Balancing the books is essential to running a successful business. To get it right is an art form. We have all endured caferestaurants that have more in common with a workhouse canteen or dock road café. For some strange reason they think they can compete on price with restaurants offering real value for money. There is a Spanish saying; “Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” If customers don’t
Talking shop Mike Walsh Mike Walsh was for 20 years Regional Assessment Manager for the Guild of Master Craftsmen, Britain’s biggest quality assurance body for businesses.
www.michaelwalsh.es • 966 786 932
perceive the service as being equal to the bill they will not return. I once had the privilege of spending an hour or so with Pam Morgan, then the marketing head of Redrow Homes. Having started as a one-man business, she and her
husband, Steve, created Britain’s largest privately owned housebuilders. I asked Pam what she put down to the company’s success. “We built homes when others were building houses,” she told me. “These were basic budget designed and built with no thought for the woman or her family. Yet, ironically, the lady of the house is a far bigger influence than the husband when choosing their home.” “Those houses were boxes,” she told me. “I realised that minor changes to home fascias; a curved roof line, bay window, arched door, didn’t add to the building costs but added individuality.”
Pam went on to tell me that show homes of rivals had nightmare deeppile white carpets, anti-child tubular steel, and glass furniture. Electric sockets were at a minimum, no glory hole for toys and prams; “A coat rail? There wasn’t even a hook to hang an ironing board on,” she added. She then explained that she designed show homes that real people could identify with. “The expression I heard most often was from the young mum-to-be: “This is just the way I want my home to be.” Tip: Find out what your customer wants and then sell it to him.
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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
Don’t let cybercrime drag you down - change your passwords regularly Loose change A look at finance for females
Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com
OCTOBER is Cyber Security Awareness Month and while most recently the press have been running numerous reports about how some celebrities have had private pictures of themselves hacked into, what’s a lot more important than their nudity is ensuring that your money is safe online. Cyber crime is big business and it doesn’t just affect the rich and famous, every single one of us, regardless of the amount of money we have in the bank, is a target. Cybercrime comes in many forms online identity theft, financial fraud, hacking, email spoofing, information forgery, and intellectual property crime.
BIG BUSINESS: Cyber crime doesn’t just affect the rich and famous. It can cause a lot of stress for a victim, while at its worst, cybercrime can even lead to financial ruin. In the UK it’s said that someone is ripped off by a fraudster or loses money to an online crime, every two minutes of every day. Therefore learning how to
prevent such crime is essential. Keep a clean machine. Whether it is a PC, mobile device or laptop, make sure security software is current and up-todate. How many times have you delayed security updates when they pop up on the screen? Exactly. But remember that
having the latest software on all devices can be one of the best defences against viruses, malware and other online threats. Change passwords regularly. When changing your password, make it complicated, with a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Don’t use the same password for many accounts. By keeping various passwords you lessen the risk of multiple accounts being compromised. Connect with care. Be cautious when connecting to public Wi-Fi hotspots and if you decide to purchase something online send personal information only to websites that are fully encrypted. Be aware of suspicious texts, emails and links. Unsolicited emails and pop-up ads can be full of computer viruses designed specifically to steal user names and passwords from your computer. Just for the sake of curiosity they are not worth opening. Close and delete dubious messages. Report it. If your identity has been stolen or compromised, contact your bank immediately.
Can husband be President? Q. Article 13 of the Law of Horizontal Property states that, ‘The President You and the shall be chosen from among the Law in Spain owners in the Community.’ In our list By David Searl the wife of the President is named as the owner. The Property Registry names the wife as owner and says: TITULARES ACTUALES: ‘Maria… Participación… Pleno Dominio para la sociedad conyugal, casada con Don Francisco…’ My question is whether a spouse can be classed as an owner and so be the President of our Community? J.P. (Costa Blanca)
BUSINESS EXTRA
Oil find GENEL ENERGY has found oil off the Moroccan coast at Agadir, 200 kilometres from the Canary Islands. It is too early to make technical interpretations, the Anglo-Turkish consortium cautioned, and even if the quality and quantity of the oil were commercially viable, it would require up to six years to extract under good conditions.
Vice pays out A. The key to your question is ‘full ownership for the matrimonial entity,’ or ‘sociedad conyugal.’ If their partnership is ‘gananciales,’ they are co-owners. If their scheme is ‘separación de bienes,’ then only the wife owns. Most couples in Spain have property sharing. The husband’s name does appear. In the case of two or more owners, one of them must be named to exercise their Community rights. If they choose to name the
husband, then he can legally be President.
Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.
PROSTITUTION and drugs contributed 1.7 per cent of Spain’s GDP in 2010, compared to the EU average of 1.3 per cent. Cyprus benefited most from vice-generated money, with an 8.4 per cent contribution to the economy, followed by the Netherlands (5.9 per cent), Portugal (2 per cent) and Italy (1.9 per cent).
OPINION & COMMENT
Callous owners who abandon their dogs WE Brits can easily be misled when we see a stray dog wandering around with no collar, dirty, emaciated and unchipped. We assume it has been abandoned and out of the kindness of our hearts might be inclined to take it into our homes after having first taken it to the vet. Then we discover it belongs to someone who allows it to roam the streets in this condition and sees nothing wrong with that. This has happened to two friends of mine and indeed almost happened to me. I found a Labrador-type dog wandering in the middle of Turre a few months ago. It was terrified and emaciated, covered in mud and obviously pregnant. I bought a collar and lead for it and, as it was hungry and thirsty, gave it food and water. I waited until the vet was open and was about to walk it up there to be checked out when I was stopped by a Spanish chap who told me it was his and had escaped from his compound. He also said he wasn’t bothered about the dog and maybe I could have it after it had the pups. In the event both the dog and the pups ended up at Paws Patas. We now have another dog from Paws Patas and as she was left at their gates I suppose it’s safe to assume someone didn’t want her. Steve Clarke, Turre (Almeria)
Great treatment I WANT to share some good news with your readers! I have been admitted twice to Malaga University Hospital Clinico in the last few months and each time I have been treated so well by everyone in A & E and doctors, nurses and cleaners. My sheets, towels and nightgown were changed every day. Floors and bathroom cleaned twice a day. As we all know, this helps towards recovery. So special thanks to all in A & E, on Floors Four and Six and especially to Dr Carlos de la Cruz Cosme who listened to me and got my all tests completed so I could get home for my big party!
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Soon after reading a Euro Weekly News article about cycling teams training in the Costa Blanca mountains, I met these toiling stalwarts. Rather them than me! Maurice Cousins (by email)
Five-star treatment in a National Health Hospital: thank you all so much. Mary Margaret Hopkins, Torremolinos (Malaga)
Quieten down I HAVE to wonder at people like Mr Gregory who like noise. Some Spanish people and maybe Mr Gregory seem to have hearing difficulties and talk at a volume that in any other race would be called shouting. All through the summer months I had tourists from elsewhere in Spain walking past my apartment block on the ninth floor at gone 2am and talking loudly enough to be heard a few hundred yards away. And drunks talking equally loudly till gone 6am. What is pleasant about such people who don’t give a damn about others? Obviously even other Spanish people complain about them rather than just a few Brits, as some noisy late-night places were shut down in Velez-Malaga a while back.
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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As to Mr Gregory’s comment on Japan, I’ve been there a few times and found it and its people quiet. Michael Hill, Torre del Mar (Malaga)
Fly away I WORK in a hotel near the promenade in Palma. Summer has just finished although it’s still hot, but in my opinion the regional or the central government could promote the islands better. Everybody on the mainland is wrong in thinking that Baleares
are only beaches. For example there are a lots of very beautiful small villages like Deia, Valldemossa, Fornalutx. An idea would be to reduce taxes when flying because it’s very expensive and tourists with three or four free days in winter could visit other places in Spain. Carlos Felix Carrascosa Medina, Palma de Mallorca.
Taken for a ride WE went to the port of Algeciras last week to take a ferry. On arrival no English signs were visible and we were pleased when a man waved us down. He told us to park at a lower level and charged us €50 for two days’ car parking. Then a police car stopped and told us long term parking was up the ramp and the man who previously helped us was a fraudster! Beware: these men disappear in seconds. What a racket! Linda (by email)
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Mobility bullies READING Street Talk on the state of driving on Spanish roads prompts me to make the following observation on the use of mobility scooters. I am happy that the quality of life for those with mobility issues has been improved by the invention of the mobility scooter. In Benidorm there seems to have been an explosion in their use, and not just by those less fortunate. It seems to have been forgotten that the users of these scooters are still pedestrians. They frequent pavements and pedestrian areas which are, especially in Benidorm, heavily trafficked by walkers. Pedestrians travel at different speeds and have to patiently negotiate their way around slower walkers at opportune moments. The same should apply to mobility scooters. In the past weeks I’ve witnessed users sounding their horns, whistling, shouting and even knocking into pedestrians in order to get past. What gives them the right to do this? I am sure if pedestrians barged through other walkers or shouted abuse to clear a path they would soon feel the wrath of the law. Maybe the issue could be alleviated by making these scooters use roads and banning them from the generally slowermoving pedestrian areas. Nigel Lewis-Davidson, Benidorm (Alicante)
No sale GOING back a few months there was division of opinion in Your Say regarding Looky Looky street vendors. I now know how I feel about them after recently refusing to buy a bracelet as I enjoyed my morning coffee and read the daily paper. “No, gracias,” I answered politely. The vendor thrust his face too near mine and fiercely demanded to know why not, to which I replied sharply and less politely, “I said no.” I’m sure some of these chaps are good sorts, but I can well imagine that others could be intimidating if given the chance. S McNamara (by email)
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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OPINION & COMMENT
Deals to protect the powerful? LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT
A
T the start of the Pistorius trial I forecast he would get six to eight years for manslaughter. Not far out was I? Around that time I also wrote there was an extremely big name ‘waiting in the wings’ to be brought up on historical child abuse charges. I was of course referring to Rolf Harris. Well now I can tell you there is at this moment another bunch of names facing the dock. A group that will only escape child molestation charges if, as is highly possible, there is a cover up of Profumo proportions to get them all out of it. Will these people receive their just desserts? I’ve no idea. What I do suspect, however, is that, as we speak, there is a veritable hive of hierarchy, whirling like dervishes to protect their backsides. The phrase ‘if I go - you go’ is probably being more bandied about than ‘bring down the deficit’ in certain high places at the moment. Watch this space - but don’t hold yer breath.
W
HICH common courtesies have gone? A lot of them, according to Ilde Casanova from Park and Go airport parking at AlicanteElche Airport. He said: “When customers arrive we would open their doors, help carry their bags but that was not something the company had trained us or told us to do, it was just politeness and being helpful to people. But now the boss has installed it as policy and made all employees do the same thing; however, he shouldn’t have to, really, it should come naturally and I think that is a shame. Now, it is normal not to be necessarily polite or courteous.”
ILDE: Now it is more common not to be courteous
OSCAR PISTORIUS: Sentenced to five years in prison. You know why the EU is never going to work? Because it’s communism, pure and simple. Why do you think Miliband and his bunch of lefties are so up for it? The £1.7 billion, demanded by the coffer keepers of Brussels, simply because Britain has been so successful in restoring the economy, shows up the whole rotten conspiracy with all its
devious left-wing intentions. Communism, which runs on the premise that all men and women (and countries) are equal, simply doesn’t work - unless its participants are brainwashed into the marionettes and robots that dwell in countries akin to North Korea and China. This being the case, there is no chance whatsoever that the citizens of
GB are going to fall into the EU line. I also cannot believe that Germany could actually fail to envisage such an obvious outcome to the whole ill-fated scheme. When you ‘even’ everyone up you don’t lift them up to your living standards and way of life, you get dragged down to theirs. The more participants in this whole grand EU scheme, the lower all our standards are going to end up. When we’ve finally sunk to the ‘every country is equal’ level, we’ll all be working for two bob an hour with the EU hierarchy driving their limos to work in special lanes. Give us a break. Let’s get out while we can and reap the benefits of our free enterprise and sacrifices. I dunno, sometimes I really do despair of it all. Delighted we’ve finally pulled out of our war in Afghanistan. Any idea who won? Finally, when are these terrorists going to get into their heads that the more atrocities they carry out the more resolved the West will be to wiping them out? Let the hostages go. We have been known to respect a little compassion. Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com
Manners matter Good manners cost nothing; it is the little things that matter. What is a common courtesy that nowadays people seem to have forgotten about?
STREET TALK Claus van Mierlo from NICLA Casas in Almeria said: “I think some people have forgotten how to be up front and honest in their dealings. They feel the need to tell a different story to change a situation when they could just tell the truth. It is impolite.” Paul Mentessi from Gold Rush in La Zenia agrees that courtesy is a dying form. “Courtesy in general has gone and I think Claus van Mierlo
the most obvious one for me is respect for people’s jobs and profession. Some question their position and have no respect, and I find that really disrespectful.” Nick Holland with He added that Stephen Lloyd-Morgan one nationality in particular had no common courtesy, finding them ruder than any others he deals with. things that are Nick Holland, Manager for well- important, but it is nice to get a thank known tenor, Stephen Lloyd-Morgan, you for making the effort. If we are said: “Please and thank you. Steve and getting paid, or it is a reciprocal I were only talking about this the other agreement, then that is a different day. We do a lot of work for charity, we matter, but it is nice. Manners cost love to help and get involved with nothing!”
FINANCE
EUROPEAN PRESS
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UK Pension Reforms and Drawdown
THE new pension regime coming into effect on 6th April 2015 provides much more flexibility for drawdown pensions. Many people will want to take advantage of this, but it is important to consider all the implications to establish what will be most beneficial for you. Current rules You can start to take an income from your pension funds from age 55 under the “drawdown pensions” regime. The alternative is to buy an annuity. You have a choice of “capped” or “flexible” drawdown. With capped drawdown, your pension remains invested and you take an income. The amount of income is capped at 150% of an equivalent annuity. Under flexible drawdown, you can withdraw as much of your pension as you like, including the whole amount. To be eligible you must meet the “minimum income requirement”
By Peter Worthington, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks of £12,000 of secure pension income. UK residents receive the 25% tax free pension commencement lump sum, but the rest is taxable. For those living outside the UK, tax would be chargeable dependent on taxation in your country of residence. With capped drawdown, you can contribute up to £40,000 per year into a pension fund, tax free. With flexible drawdown you are no longer able to contribute.
British expatriates are able to continue to contribute to a UK pension and get tax relief, provided they had a suitable plan in force before they left the UK. The amount they get relief on is capped at £3,600 per annum for five years following departure, or 100% of net relevant earnings. However some providers will not accept contributions from overseas residents. When the balance of the fund is paid to your beneficiaries on death, there is a 55% tax charge if you are aged 75 or over, or if you have started taking benefits. New rules from 6th April 2015 The 55% death charge will be abolished. If you die under the age of 75 your pension pot will pass to your beneficiaries tax free, even if it is in drawdown. If you are over 75, your heirs will pay their marginal rate of tax. If they
take it as a lump sum, a 45% fixed rate will be charged (the government hopes to change this to their marginal rate from 2016). Both capped drawdown and flexible drawdown will be replaced by a new “flexiaccess drawdown,” which has no upper limit on how much members can take. It works similar to flexible drawdown, but with no minimum income requirement. As before, expatriates can continue to contribute to their existing UK pension. However, under this new regime you can only contribute up to £40,000 tax free a year if you have not taken any benefits from the fund. If you take anything, the allowance drops to £10,000. It is important not to rush into anything when the new rules come into effect. You need to carefully consider all
the options and how they affect you personally from a tax and long-term financial security point of view. Specialist, professional advice is essential to make sure you understand all the implications, including the Spanish tax ones, and make the best decision for you. For peace of mind, your adviser should be authorised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice. To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com.
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Thursday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Watchdog 10:00pm Life Story 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Question Time 12:35am This Week
BBC TWO 5:50pm Great British Railway Journeys 6:20pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm The Great Interior Design Challenge 9:00pm Autumnwatch 10:00pm Peaky Blinders 11:00pm Russell Howard's Good News 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Afghanistan: The Lion's Last Roar?
ITV 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 Paul O'Grady: For The Love of Dogs 10:00pm The Great Fire 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm My Grandfather Dylan 12:15am Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears
CH4 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm Scrotal Recall 11:30pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 12:20am The Sex Clinic
CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Underground Britain 10:00pm The Sham Wedding Crashers 11:00pm Inside Holloway 12:00am Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!
SKY1 5:30pm Emergency with Angela Griffin 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Arrow 10:00pm Forever 11:00pm The Last Ship 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles
Friday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Citizen Khan 10:00pm Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Not Going Out 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:20am The Secrets
BBC TWO 6:20pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Mastermind 8:30pm Autumnwatch Unsprung 9:00pm Autumnwatch 10:00pm Tom Kerridge's Best Ever Dishes 10:30pm Gardeners' World 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Later... with Jools Holland
ITV 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Secrets From the Sky 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Lewis 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Job Lot 12:10am Paranormal Activity
CH4 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:35pm Unreported World 9:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:05am Scrotal Recall
CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm World War II in Colour 9:00pm Rome: The World's First Superpower 10:00pm Alex Polizzi's Secret Italy 11:00pm Body of Proof 11:55pm NCIS: Los Angeles 12:55am Poltergeist
SKY1 4:30pm Greatest Little Britons 5:30pm Emergency with Angela Griffin 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Last Ship 10:00pm A League of Their Own 10:30pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Freddy vs Jason 12:50am Modern Family
Saturday BBC ONE 3:00pm Homes Under the Hammer 4:00pm Escape to the Country 5:00pm Final Score 6:25pm BBC News 6:35pm Regional News 6:38pm Weather 6:40pm Pointless 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing 9:15pm Doctor Who 10:00pm Casualty 10:50pm The National Lottery Live 11:00pm BBC News 11:15pm Weather 11:20pm Match of the Day 12:45am The Football League Show
BBC TWO 3:45pm Show Boat 5:30pm Great Interior Design Challenge 6:30pm Flog It! 7:30pm Gardeners' World 8:00pm Restoring England's Heritage 8:30pm William the Marshal 9:30pm Dad's Army 10:00pm Frankenstein and the Vampyre: A Dark and Stormy Night 11:00pm F1: Grand Prix Qualifying 12:15am QI XL 1:00am TOTP2
ITV 3:00pm Doc Martin 4:00pm Keep it in the Family 5:00pm The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:15pm ITV News and Weather 7:30pm You've Been Framed! 8:00pm The Chase 9:00pm The X Factor 11:00pm The Jonathan Ross Show 12:05am ITV News and Weather
CH4 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 5:30pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:35pm Come Dine with Me 7:05pm Come Dine with Me 7:35pm Channel 4 News 8:05pm Speed with Guy Martin 9:00pm Walking Through History 10:00pm Red 12:10am Rude Tube 1:15am Psycho 3:10am Hollyoaks Omnibus 5:15am Location, Location, Location
CH5 4:35pm A Carol Christmas 6:15pm The Town Christmas Forgot 8:00pm 5 News 8:05pm Marilyn Monroe: The Missing Evidence 9:05pm World War II in Colour 10:00pm Gotham 11:00pm The New Daughter 1:05am Super Casino
SKY1 4:00pm Inside RAF Brize Norton 5:00pm The Middle 5:30pm The Middle 6:00pm Greggs: More Than Meats the Pie 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 9:00pm Hawaii Five-0 10:00pm Miracle on 34th Street 12:10am An Idiot Abroad: A Commentary
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Sunday BBC ONE 3:00pm Holiday of My Lifetime 3:45pm Lost Treasures of the Sikh Kingdom 4:15pm Escape to the Country 5:00pm Points of View 5:15pm Songs of Praise 5:50pm Life Story 6:50pm BBC News 7:10pm Regional News 7:15pm Weather 7:20pm Countryfile 8:20pm Strictly Come Dancing 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm Death in Paradise 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm Regional News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm F1: Grand Prix 1:00am The Apprentice
BBC TWO 4:30pm Flog It! 5:00pm Inside the Animal Mind 6:00pm Rugby League Four Nations Highlights 7:00pm Britain's Classroom Heroes 8:00pm Human Universe 9:00pm Wonders of the Monsoon 10:00pm Afghanistan: The Lion's Last Roar? 11:00pm Match of the Day 2 12:05am Russell Howard's Good News
ITV 3:30pm The X Factor 5:30pm Downton Abbey 6:30pm Tasty Travels with Lynda Bellingham 7:30pm Local News and Weather 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Keep it in the Family 9:00pm The X Factor Results Show 10:00pm Downton Abbey 11:05pm ITV News and Weather 11:25pm Harry's Southpole Heroes 12:25am Rugby Highlights
CH4 3:25pm The Simpsons 3:55pm The Simpsons 5:50pm The Simpsons Movie 7:35pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm WW1's Forgotten Soldiers 9:00pm Speed with Guy Martin 10:00pm Homeland 11:00pm Shame 12:55am Alan Carr: Chatty Man
CH5 4:35pm The Canterville Ghost 6:25pm The Witches 8:10pm 5 News 8:15pm Beetlejuice 10:00pm The Cabin in the Woods 11:50pm Piranha 1:30am Campus P.D.
SKY1 3:00pm Bite Size Brainiac 3:10pm Futurama 3:20pm Miracle of 34th Street 5:30pm The Simpsons 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm Futurama 8:30pm The Flash 9:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm Hawaii Five-0 11:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 12:00am Hawaii Five-0
Monday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The Passing Bells 8:30pm The One Show 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Gareth's All Star Choir 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Have I Got a Bit More News for You 12:20am Citizen Khan
BBC TWO 6:20pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Tom Kerridge's Best Ever Dishes 8:30pm Children's Hospital 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Only Connect 10:00pm Intruders 10:45pm Some People Telling Jokes 11:00pm Never Mind the Buzzcocks 11:30pm Newsnight 12:10am Weather
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 Grantchester 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Agenda 12:20am The Jonathan Ross Show
CH4 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm Sarah Beeny's How to Sell Your Home 10:00pm Make Leicester British 11:35pm Toast of London 12:05am The IT Crowd
CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away Jake has plans for Brax - plans that will 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Conspiracy: The Missing Evidence 10:00pm Gotham 11:00pm Under the Dome 11:55pm Once Upon a Time in Mexico 1:50am Campus PD
SKY1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Trollied 10:00pm Micky Flanagan's Detour De France 11:00pm Arrow 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles
Tuesday BBC ONE 5:30pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The Passing Bells 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm The Missing 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Imagine... 12:40am In the Valley of Elah
BBC TWO 5:50pm Great British Railway Journeys 6:20pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Great Interior Design Challenge 9:00pm MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00pm Human Universe 11:00pm Later Live... with Jools Holland 11:30pm Newsnight 12:10am Weather
ITV 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 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 UEFA Champions League 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm UEFA Champions League: Extra Time 12:40am The Cube
CH4 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners 10:00pm You Can't Get the Staff 11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 11:50pm Gogglebox 12:50am Pokerstars.Com Shark Cage
CH5 4:15pm Garage Sale Mystery 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 9:00pm Britain's Worst Crimes 10:00pm Miracle Babies 11:00pm NCIS
SKY1 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm Greatest Little Britons 5:00pm Emergency with Angela Griffin 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Flash 10:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 11:00pm Road Wars 12:00am Legends
Wednesday BBC ONE 4:45pm Holiday of My Lifetime 5:30pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The Passing Bells 8:30pm The One Show 9:00pm Waterloo Road 10:00pm The Apprentice 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm England: What Next? 12:15am Film 2014
BBC TWO 4:50pm Who Do You Think You Are? 5:50pm Great British Railway Journeys 6:20pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Great Interior Design Challenge 9:00pm MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 11:00pm The Apprentice: You're Fired! 11:30pm Newsnight 12:10am Weather
ITV 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 Surprise Surprise 10:00pm Broadmoor 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Through the Keyhole 12:40am Fool Britannia
CH4 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Supervet 10:00pm Grand Designs 11:00pm Grayson Perry: Who are You? 12:00am 24 Hours in A and E
CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm Gibraltar: Britain in the Sun 10:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 11:00pm Wentworth 12:00am Inside Holloway
SKY1 5:00pm Emergency with Angela Griffin 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm An Idiot Abroad 10:00pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Legends 12:00am Forever
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Profit-making war machine Goran Bogicevic / Shutterstock.com
Mike Walsh Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.
T
HE Western Powers are now engaged in perpetual war. Few Britons or Americans have known a month when their country was not directly or indirectly involved in conflict. Rudyard Kipling, Britain’s greatest poet, who lost his only son in World War One, was scathing: “If any question why we died, Tell them, because our fathers lied.” Disregard Orwellian mantras such as ‘The War on Terror’ and similar smokescreens. Conflict is fuelled, not by idealism, but by pursuit of market share, territory and raw material. Global war is the most profitable venture of all man’s pursuits. Western economies are largely based upon arms related investment, raw material acquisition and profits. Britain’s history of piracy and pillage is abysmal. Of the world’s 200 plus nations, Britain has invaded all but 22 of them. There is not enough room to list the number of conflicts Britain has been involved in since 1945.
CONFLICT: US economy depends on military. The piratical record of the United States is equally grim. Since 1776, a period spanning 238 years, the US has been at peace for only 21 years. Henry Labouchere, Liberal MP and journalist: “We are without exception the greatest robbers and marauders that ever existed on the face of the globe. We are worse than other countries because we are hypocrites also, for we plunder and always pretend to do so for other peoples’ good.” The United States has more than 1,000 bases spread over 153 countries. They are
not there to defend our freedoms. It is said that war and arms manufacture is not only America’s biggest industry, the entire US economy is based on it. The US spends more on arms than China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, France, UK, Japan and Germany combined. Most of us prefer the comfort of our illusions to the truth, which is, one supposes, understandable. The fact remains that we no longer have government of the people for the people but government by corporates
for corporates. During 2009 and 2010 household name oil, gas and coal companies spent $347 million (€274 million) on political campaigns and lobbying bribes. A profitable investment. Big oil gets a 5,800 per cent return on every dollar it spends on Congress. US senators who voted to attack Syria received 83 per cent more campaign money from military contractors than lawmakers voting no. Politician Dick Cheney has been cited as the most powerful Vice-President in American history. His arms manufacturing related companies made over $39.5 billion (€31.25 billion) US taxpayer funded dollars from the Iraq War alone. US taxpayers saw $2 trillion (€1.58 trillion) of their hard-earned cash spent on the War in Iraq. Ninety per cent of that money ended up in the bank accounts of 1 per cent of the population. You guess which 1 per cent. British parliament is every bit as corrupt. Only 0.7 per cent of Britons are millionaires yet 78 per cent of British parliamentarians and 50 per cent of Congressmen are millionaires. If you think such wealth is salary-based, you are likely to believe in fairies at the bottom of your garden.
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Voluntary Organisations etc. We will always try to find a solution for your needs. Why not come and see our travel insurance experts Tracey Paul and Sarah Baines on Stand 32 at the Over 50’s Show in Estepona on the weekend of November 8 and 9? We will be running several Prize Draws throughout both days and will have four Kindles to give away to the lucky winners. Don’t miss your chance to ask a few questions and to win a prize. We look forward to meeting you at the Over 50’s Show at the Palacio de Congressos y Exposiciones, Estepona on Saturday and Sunday November 8 and 9, from 11am until 6pm on both days. Globelink are the leading providers of Travel Insurance for people living in EU countries. For an instant Travel Insurance quote and to arrange cover securely visit www.globelink.co.uk, or call (UK) +44 1353 699082 or our Spanish link lines on 966 265 000 or 951 242 434.
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MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE
Into the Storm During a single day, the town of Silverton, Oklahoma is ravaged by tornadoes that cause unimaginable death and destruction. With the town facing complete annihilation, groups of terrified townspeople, professional storm chasers and amateur thrill-seekers must keep on the move in order to survive. Into the Storm is from the ‘found footage’ genre of movie making, with events depicted from camcorders and cameras as if they are real. Directed by Steven Quale. Stars Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies and Matt Walsh. Run time 89 mins. Rated 12A.
TODAY TODAY
ALCUDIA
POLLENÇA
CALA MILLOR
INCA
CALVIA
CALA d’OR
PALMA ANDRATX
LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF
ALCUDIA
POLLENÇA
TOMORROW CALA MILLOR
INCA
CALVIA
CALA d’OR
PALMA ANDRATX
LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF
Visit the stars, for details on our expanded range of services
PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Your very nature can lead to internal struggles. In the coming months, however, the truth becomes clear. What
1. By what name is actor William Henry Pratt, best remembered for his roles in horror films and especially for his portrayal of the monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939), better known? 2. In the 1984 supernatural horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, what is the name of the burnt serial killer who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams, played by Robert Englund? 3. Salem’s Lot (1975), Pet Semetary (1982), Cujo (1981), Misery (1987) and Carrie (1974) were all novels by which American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy? 4. The 1978 American independent ‘slasher’ horror film Halloween was produced on a budget of $325,000 (£160,250) but grossed $47 million (£22.5 million) at the box office in the US and $70 million (£33.75 million) worldwide, true or false? 5. What was the nationality of Bram Stoker, the author of the famous 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula?
Fri Sat Sun -
Mon - 23 16 C Tues - 22 14 Th Wed - 22 14 C
25 15 S 26 16 S 23 14 C
tars
is outside of your experience now will become a part of your make-up. Any fear that you had of the unknown gradually diminishes.
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) You are a great charmer but it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Is there the possibility that your romantic life needs tidying up? Perhaps the number of irons that you have in the fire is causing problems?
thoughts have been deeper than usual and the sense that there is more to life is acute. This, therefore, gives an impetus to everything that you do this week.
CANCER (June 22 - July 23) The ever-inquisitive part of your brain is in high spirits. Clearly there is much to be known and enjoyed over the coming months. Begin at the beginning though. Before you throw yourself into a spiritual or business endeavour, get the facts.
TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) In the last few weeks there may have been a sense of being not quite in
Fri Sat Sun -
Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9. There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.
VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) The changes that have already started in the way that you see your life have given pause for thought. You are sure that you could have done better but maybe it is not clear how. Take a step back now and see where you came from.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) It becomes clear to you that some friends are drifting away. We all have to make changes as life itself is a constantly shifting event. You prefer to hold on to what is familiar and you are not alone in that. At the moment, however, there is much for you to experience, see and feel.
LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
UK THUNDERBALL
IRISH LOTTO
EURO MILLIONS
Saturday October 25
Saturday October 25
Saturday October 25
Friday October 24
11
15
17
30
43
49
9
10 27
17 30
3
5
8
15
16
23
BONUS BALL
THUNDERBALL
BONUS BALL
3
12
43
3
9 30
LUCKY STARS 1
6
8
15
23
35
36
37
REINTEGRO 44
6
EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA 35
36 48
Mon - 23 16 C Tues - 22 15 Sh Wed - 22 15 C
Madrid
CLEAR 23 13 Cl 23 13 C 23 13 Cl
SUNNY
MAX 24C, MIN 9C
MAX MIN
MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
Mon - 19 13 Sh Tues - 19 12 Sh Wed - 20 13 C
MAX MIN
24 10 S 22 9 S 21 10 C
Mon - 16 8 Sh Tues - 17 6 Sh Wed - 17 8 Sh
Murcia MAX 22C, MIN 14C
MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
MAX MIN
24 18 Cl 25 17 S 23 17 C
TODAY:
MAX 24C, MIN 14C
23 15 S 23 16 S 22 14 C
TODAY:
MAX MIN
Mon - 23 14 C Tues - 22 13 C Wed - 21 13 Sh Cl Clear,
SUNNY MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun Fog,
Sn Snow,
MAX 26C, MIN 13C MAX MIN
26 14 S 27 14 C 25 13 C
Mon - 24 13 Cl Tues - 23 12 Sh Wed - 22 12 Sh
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 D) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.
TARGET:
Average: 16
Very good: 29
Good: 20
Excellent: 36
alar, alee, anal, earl, elan, lane, late, lean, leer, lent, rale, real, reel, tael, tala, tale, teal, alate, alert, altar, alter, anele, areal, elate, later, latte, leant, learn, natal, ratel, renal, altern, antler, antral, elater, lateen, latent, latten, latter, leaner, learnt, letter, nettle, rattle, relate, relent, rental, talent, enteral, eternal, ALTERNATE
Word Ladder SASH
Sunday October 26
Saturday October 25
20 42
LA PRIMITIVA
Fri Sat Sun -
Mallorca TODAY:
SUNNY MAX 24C, MIN 18C MAX MIN
MAX MIN
Mon - 21 15 Sh Tues - 19 14 C Wed - 19 13 Sh
MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
MAX MIN
Mon - 22 16 C Tues - 19 15 Sh Wed - 21 14 C
Benidorm
22 17 Cl 22 16 C 22 16 Sh
SUNNY
MAX 26C, MIN 16C
26 17 S 25 17 S 23 16 C
TODAY:
CLOUDY MAX 22C, MIN 15C
S Sun,
LEO (July 24 - August 23) Certainly there have been times that you felt crestfallen. Sometimes circumstances bring us down. Avoid believing in the myth of ‘what should have been’. What you are is not what others see but what you feel inside.
Sudoku
Fri Sat Sun -
Malaga TODAY:
SUNNY MAX MIN
Barcelona TODAY:
control. That is something to deal with this week. Real progress will only be made when you have faced what is not wanted. You will rid yourself of any negative emotions quickly by facing them.
Y S our
TODAY:
MAX MIN
MAX MIN
ARIES (March 21 - April 20) There has been a very strong feeling through these last few weeks. This feeling has been one of spirituality. Your
5-Star Quiz THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
MAX MIN
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CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Your practical streak is in full force. Over the next months you will bring much benefit to those around you, in financial terms perhaps, but also spiritually. AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Your lot is to be optimistic and positive. Perhaps in the last few months there was the need to take on the problems of others. However, you absolutely must get a balance here.
Almeria
SUNNY MAX 24C, MIN 14C
Move from the start word (SASH) to the end word (LINE) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.
38 50
REINTEGRO 8
LINE
WISE WINE LINE
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) You of all people understand the importance of the spiritual side of life. Despite being successful in your own right there is the need to bring this to other people. In sharing your experiences this year you come to a better understanding yourself.
Alicante TODAY:
SASH WASH WISH
SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) With a lot of pent-up energy and not a little determination the month is off to a strong start with you. Be aware, however, that treading on the toes of influential people is not to be advised.
1. Boris KARLOFF, 2. Freddy KRUEGER, 3. Stephen KING, 4. TRUE, 5. IRISH (born in Clontarf, Dublin)
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Crosswords
30 October - 5 November 2014 / Mallorca
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43
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Cryptic
Quick
Across 1 Powerful goddess is buried in Teheran (4) 4 Cargo ship hired by a promiscuous woman (5) 9 Elsewhere in Dali biography (5) 10 Two items used in table tennis game (7) 11 Surprisingly tautest act (7) 12 Create nearly identical copies one hundred and fifty one (5) 13 Ken’s is funny, like Hank’s (6) 15 Playtime corner (6) 18 Rent easel in error (5) 20 Keep us confined in a bad spot (7) 23 English reason for showing a lot of feeling (7) 24 Map book can be found in that last cupboard (5) 25 Built laser for lords (5) 26 Attorney volunteers facts (4) Down 2 State of being a measure angry (7) 3 So, long cube is surrounded by gold (5) 4 Vehicle used in Tibetan demonstration (6) 5 Account of claret I drunk (7) 6 Philosopher began playing lute at
Across 1/23 Avoid humiliation (4,4) 3 Get in the way of (8) 9 Living room (7) 10 Happen or occur again (5) 11 Excessively fat (5) 12 Ornamental hanging tuft of threads (6) 14 Stir up (6) 16 Not according with the facts (6) 19 Terpsichorean (6) 21 Respond (5) 24 Following (5) 25 Set apart from the rest (7) 26 Income (8) 27 Charges (4)
two o’clock (5) 7 Mocks tabloid newspapers (4) 8 Tool’s unusual perils (6) 13 The supplier is in the basement we hear (6) 14 Poorer born, then pass on, right (7) 16 Eastern apostle and French
decoration (7) 17 Rushes funny looking guides (6) 19 An advance, we hear, on its own (5) 21 By the sound of it, remained very serious (5) 22 Bill returns in ‘For Your Eyes Only’ (4)
Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 7 represents Q and 11 represents M, so fill in Q every time the figure 7 appears and M every time the figure 11 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 4 Ancient, 8 Avocets, 9 Coterie, 10 Theatre, 11 Nervous, 12 Elated, 14 Career, 18 Assuage, 21 Timpani, 22 Elegant, 23 Lineage, 24 Austere. Down: 1 Lattice, 2 Moses, 3 Lecture, 4 Ascend, 5 Cater, 6 Earlobe, 7 Teems, 13 Answers, 15 Anemone, 16 Recited, 17 Settle, 18 Arena, 19 Agate, 20 Banal. QUICK Across: 1 Succeed, 5 Scrub, 8 Excites, 9 Rules, 10 Share, 1 1 Replace, 12 Career, 14 Access, 17 Reached, 19 Tasks, 22 Front, 23 Imagine, 24 Lasts, 25 Guesses. Down: 1 Seems, 2 Cocoa, 3 Extreme, 4 Desire, 5 Scrap, 6 Release, 7 Baskets, 12 Careful, 13 Reasons, 15 Cottage, 16 Adding, 18 Hates, 20 Skips, 21 Seeds. ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Hailstorm, 8 Enero, 9 Saber, 10 Team, 11 Otro, 15 Snore, 17 Llave, 18 Strongest.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
Down: 2 Arena, 3 Leon, 4 Test, 5/16 Rub out, 6 Ventoso, 7 Arboles, 12 Tears, 13 Beso, 14 Flag.
English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across 1 Langosta (insecto) (6) 4 Hatred (4) 8 Estrellas (5) 9 Ira (de persona) (5) 10 Emerald (stone) (9) 13 Guante (5) 15 Anchor (5) 16 Cerca (indicando proximidad) (4) 17 Penknife (6) Down 1 Último (4) 2 Abrigos (5) 3 To hold (8) 5 See 13 6 Remo (pala) (3) 7 Pumpkin (8) 11 Shower (in bathroom) (5) 12 Cow (farm animal) (4) 13/5 Perro de caza (3,3) 14 Goose (domestic) (3)
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 (TICKED) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues. BASICS
PRIEST
BOLTED
REARED
BRINGS
SALTED
CHASTE
SISTER
ESTATE
STILES
FACTOR
THANKS
HASTEN
TICKED (10)
HAZELS
TILTED
KILLED
VOLLEY
MORSEL
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
Funagram Unscramble the name of a British rock band, formed in 1978 (one word): HAS KEEN WIT FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: THE PELICAN BRIEF, WHITESNAKE
Unscramble the title of a 1992 legal-suspense thriller written by John Grisham (three words): RETAIN CHIEF PLEB
Down 1 Mistakenly believed (8) 2 Region marking a boundary (5) 4 Censure severely or angrily (6) 5 Agreement details (5) 6 Poorly stated or described (7) 7 Ripped (4) 8 Secret or hidden (6) 13 Worried and uneasy (8) 15 Talk idly or rapidly (7) 17 Not wide (6) 18 Demanding attention (6) 20 Welsh breed of dog (5) 22 Conscious (5) 23 See 1 Across
1 Invest, 2 Tested, 3 Prices, 4 Decent, 5 Causes, 6 Trench, 7 Speeds, 8 Traits, 9 Cheers, 10 Purity, 11 Thresh, 12 Storey, 13 Writer, 14 Orders, 15 Stroke, 16 Cherry, 17 Tender, 18 Slowed, 19 Tinkle
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Day of the operation - time to get my compression socks on Erica Russell Watson: My journey – and I’m driving
19th
SEPTEMBER: operation day. I was booked in for the second slot of the morning which gave me time to have a shower, get my compression socks on and to look longingly at my roommate’s breakfast. No food for me! Then I was wheeled down to the radiology section where they inserted a metal wire or ‘harpoon’ as the Spanish refer to it, into the tumour in my breast as it was difficult to find and the surgeon wanted to have it perfectly located in order to operate. Then I had a mammogram with said harpoon in, which was not the most pleasant experience I have ever had but was over quickly and made much better by the fabulous medical team. By the end of the experience
I had given an English lesson to one of them, promised to have tea with another’s children and told them about my life abroad to encourage them to travel and told them how lucky I was to have the doctor that I had… because in his own words he was much easier on the eye than the other specialist! Just the Spanish way of relaxing you. I was then whisked back up to my room and shortly after, they came for me to transport me down to surgery. It felt like the films; lights flashed above my head and the nurse complained that whoever had designed the bed had given little thought to dimensions as we scraped through doorways and into lifts. She was an expert and manoeuvred me around well until I was in a holding area where I was wished luck by my loved one. Once inside I was asked all the pertinent questions by my anaesthetist and then wheeled into surgery. After a few deep breaths with the mask on, I was under.
The operation lasted about three hours. Seventeen lymph nodes were removed from my right armpit, the tumour in my breast and additional micro tumours that had not shown up on the mammogram, but were regarded as suspicious by my surgeon. I came to, felt cold but in quite good shape and was given an update by my surgeon and then taken back to my room. The rest of the day was spent feeling ravenous, but after having some tea and biscuits and holding that down well, I was given lunch. Some people react badly to the anaesthetic and are very ill when they first eat. Not me! If they hadn’t given me lunch I was going to nip down to the hospital café and grab a sandwich… either that or start eating my bed sheets. Thirty-six hours without food is not ideal! The ensuing days were spent looking forward to visitors, lots of cakes, chocolates and flowers, meal times and general updates on my progress.
The nurses changed my dressings and controlled the two drainage globes to check the levels were dropping. The drains were the most awkward things as it made it difficult to shower, as the bandages had to be kept dry and I had to be careful that the drains did not come out. I wasn’t in a great deal of pain, but the staples in my armpit were uncomfortable. Being bored and in need of a pen to do a crossword I went down to the shop in the entrance of the hospital. I was shooed back upstairs as I really shouldn’t have been down there, but I was a little fed up with the circuit on my ward. I think it essential to carry on as normally as possible. It’s what the Brits do, isn’t it? Keep calm and carry on. I insisted they took my drip out the day after my operation and didn’t take any more painkillers. I got up and moving about as soon as possible. I got to know the staff well and enjoyed joking with them and they even kept my surplus
of cakes in their fridge. I can’t speak highly enough of the care I received. People often complain about the service in general in Spain, but if you are respectful and polite, they are the kindest and most helpful people you could ever wish to meet. The most amusing thing for me was being woken up in the middle of a blissful sleep and being asked if I wanted a sleeping tablet at 11.30 at night. If you have any procedures in Spain remember that their timetable is different. They come round with tea at 11pm! Finally one drain was removed and the other was left in. I had had enough of hospital and opted to go home. The doctor gave me the ‘alta’ or permission to go home. This gave me a huge boost. I was desperate to see my children and basically be in my own home. I was given various instructions to follow and then had to wait for the results of the operation to see what the next step would be.
Men are feeling more and more pressure to remove body hair WHILST once it was the preserve of elite athletes including professional cyclists or swimmers, it seems that more men are plucking up the courage
to achieve a hair-free body. Half of all British men say there is more pressure for men to remove or groom body
hair following the example of sports stars. For today’s modern man, hair removal has extended past a simple shave of the face. Over the last 12 months, some 55 per cent of men say they have removed hair from their head, this is followed by the pubic region at 29 per cent, chest at 13 per cent, underarms at 12 per cent, back at 9 per cent, bottom at 6 per cent, arms at 5 per cent, legs at 4 per cent and feet 2 per
SHAVED: Fashion is for no body hair. cent. Just 30 per cent of men say they have not removed hair from their body in the last year.
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Ginkgo and magnesium A useful combination of active substances keep us fitter for longer HOW fit you feel as you get older depends mostly on the condition of your heart, circulation and brain. Forgetfulness, concentration problems, higher irritability, aggressiveness, rapid tiring, nausea, tinnitus and a lowering of joy of living can all be caused by a narrowing of the blood vessels (e.g. arteriosclerosis) leading to the brain. The brain only makes up 3 per cent of the body’s weight and uses about 22 per cent of all the oxygen the body has at its disposal. Through a narrowing of the vessels the oxygen supply to the brain is often obstructed, which normally causes a decrease of brain function. Changes in the blood vessels already begin to appear at the age of 35, without the person noticing. Beside other factors, there might be also be a hereditary tendency towards this sort of disease. For that reason, prevention is very essential for people with such a tendency, as especially in the early stages the effect of natural remedies is most noticeable. In supplementing a health-conscious way of life with the regular intake of Ginkgo biloba extracts, one can
stimulate the circulation and improve the oxygen supply to the brain. THE GINKGO TREE (ginkgo biloba), which can reach a height of 40 metres, is related to our conifers. It comes from China and Japan, where it has always been cultivated as a temple tree. For the application as a natural remedy, an extract of the ginkgo leaves is made. The active substances of the ginkgo leaves improve the circulation, because it widens especially the deep-seated middle and smaller arteries and thus improves the micro-circulation in the brain and other organs. On top of that it speeds up the velocity of the blood flow in the capillaries and stimulates the formation of by-pass arteries. MAGNESIUM is a mineral that plays a key role in the metabolism. With normal daily nourishment the need of magnesium is only partially filled. Because of the intensive cultivation of the soil and acid rain, even in a varied diet the magnesium supply is not sufficient. The vital mineral magnesium feeds and relaxes the heart, nerves, muscles and blood vessels and improves the oxygen absorption in the brain and other organs.
COENZYME Q10 The vital way to old age COENZYME Q10 belongs to the vitamin E series and has two important functions in the human body: It helps to convert nutritious energy into kinetic energy, takes part in the building up of 95 per cent of the body’s energy and thus is a very important element in the energy supply to the heart muscle. Q10 acts furthermore as a ‘catcher of free radicals.’ Q10, just like vitamin C, vitamin E, the mineral selenium and betacarotene, can bind free radicals (the aggressive waste products of the metabolism that damage cell membranes) and thus prevent the cells growing old. Coenzyme Q10 is partly taken in with food and partly produced by the body itself. The modern treatment and preservation of food reduces its nutritious value and consequently its Q10 content, which can lead to Q10 deficiency. Besides which the production of coenzyme Q10 in
the body decreases after the age of 40. This explains why especially middle aged people benefit from taking additional Q10. Often medical science is powerless in the face of functional disorders of the organs, such as the heart, that occur in the course of the aging process. However, it is becoming more and more clear that an optimal supply of coenzyme Q10 not only protects the body from decline in performance, but also produces a higher vitality in old age. To prevent under-supply and to maintain proper energy levels, it is recommended that additional coenzyme Q10 is taken. Even quite a number of experts recommend a preventive intake of coenzyme Q10 in order to conquer the decline in performance. Taking coenzyme Q10 is absolutely without risk. Previous experience shows that a permanent result can only be obtained by a regular intake. Sanct Bernhard
Av. Rey Jaime 1, 117 – Santa Ponsa Mallorca 971 69 83 97 Email: info@sanctbernhard.es
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OPINION & COMMENT
Suspended for just doing their jobs Safer choice
Cassandra Nash
A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene
THE Gurtel corruption case sounded the death knell to Baltasar Garzon’s career as a judge. He ordered wiretaps of conversations between remanded prisoners and their lawyers, but for his pains Garzon was found guilty by his fellow judges of abusing his authority and was suspended for 11 years. Another judge Elpidio Jose Silva also heard the tocsin after twice remanding Miguel Blesa, the former chairman of Caja Madrid. The examining judge ordered Blesa’s arrest while investigating losses resulting from Caja Madrid’s purchase of a Florida bank in 2008. He also attempted to probe a Caja Madrid loan to Gerardo Diaz Ferran, once head of Spain’s Confederation of Business Owners. Ferran, whose
RODRIGO RATO: Is in the sights of the judge. businesses were all bankrupted, is now imprisoned for concealing assets and moneylaundering. He was also a Caja Madrid board member. Blesa was released from prison on both occasions, but Silva was eventually suspended for 17 years for ‘violating his constitutional rights and those of Diaz Ferran.’
BLESA’S successor at Caja Madrid, which later evolved into Bankia, was Rodrigo Rato, a former Economy minister and managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Rato, like Blesa before him, had practically limitless credit on a card that he was never expected to repay. He too is in sights of judge Fernando Andreu who set off the whole shooting works by investigating Bankia which later needed nationalisation and a €22 billion government rescue. Interestingly, former president of the Spanish government Jose Maria Aznar once considered naming Rato as his successor. Aznar instead chose Mariano Rajoy who was safer, sounder and never known for flashing the cash. Blesa is once more in the news. Together with 82 other Caja Madrid and Bankia executives, he lived high off the hog with an opaque Caja Madrid credit card for ‘expenses,’ a euphemism for undeclared earnings. Once more he is under investigation but still at large. Messengers like Garzon and
Silva don’t get shot these days, but they do find themselves out of a job even - or especially when their suspicions are proved correct.
Own safety THE proposed Public Safety Law is feared only by “the
violent and criminals” according to the Interior ministry. That is not strictly true, as it is also feared by those who want to retain hard-won freedoms like the right to protest. Many of this law’s critics are unlikely ever to demonstrate or want to, but they know that restricting that right is the first step towards protecting politicians, not the public.
Hair today PABLO IGLESIA who heads newly-hatched Podemos revealed that he is after the centre vote, a seemingly impossible task. The politically disaffected and disenchanted made Podemos the third most-voted party in last May’s European elections. If he starts two-timing them he’ll alienate them without managing to attract the centre. Unless he cuts off his ponytail, that is.
The astro forecast for November WHAT will you throw onto the bonfire this November? As we move into the darkest period of the year, it is time to make peace with your past, enjoy the present, and expect the best for the future. Between October 31 and November 2, the veil between this world and the next is said to be thinner. With Halloween and All Saints Day occurring over these days, it is a time to remember those who have passed, and to acknowledge the parts of yourself which need to be laid to rest. This is a time of death and rebirth. Only by recognising what aspects of yourself no longer serve you, will you be able to connect to the light of your soul. All too often we are drawn off into a world of strong emotions and mental turmoil, but this month is giving you the opportunity to hear your soul’s song. What is your song and where is it taking you? Bonfire Night falls on the eve of the full moon in Taurus. This is a particularly good time for
Sally Trotman Based in Mallorca, Sally Trotman is a qualified Counsellor who works with Astrology, Numerology and the Tarot. Each month she will deliver the forecast as an intuitive tool to aid increased self awareness.
www.sallytrotman.com
clarity and cementing ideas. This steady earth sign is offering the opportunity to commit more fully, possibly to a new direction. Anything started around the full moon in this sign promises to be lasting and enduring. November is the 11th month of the year. This master number is giving you the opportunity to see life from a different perspective and overcome fears. When added together the number 11 becomes 2. This represents partnership, balance, and duality. In the major arcana tarot, the second card in the deck is the High Priestess. This intuitive female is helping you to connect to your inner voice, wisdom and ancient
11TH MONTH: Moving into the darkest period of the year. knowledge. The 11th card in the tarot deck is the card of Judgment. Consider decisions carefully and use your intuition to guide you. There may even be a choice this month or fork in the road. If this is the case let your inner wisdom guide you and keep your long-term plans in sight. Whenever making a decision, ask yourself, will this take me a step closer to fulfilling my wishes? Go in a
direction which excites you and brings a feeling of inner strength. The new moon in Sagittarius on November 22 will bring light relief from searching Scorpio. This upbeat fire sign will restore a renewed sense of energy in the lead-up to Christmas. Enjoy the sociable, extrovert energies of Sagittarius. You may feel bolder and more confident under this influence, and this
may even be a good time to take a short trip. Whilst you may be hanging out for the feel-good vibes at the end of this month, the inner work must be done in order to reap the rewards. So take time to reflect on your deepest yearnings as Scorpio will help you discover your own truth. Give thanks to this powerful sign for guiding you into the shadows of your psyche, for it is only when we delve into the dark that we can truly find our light. Sally Trotman offers onehour guidance sessions via skype, working with Astrology, Numerology and the Tarot, as a tool to aid personal development. Working intuitively, she will guide you to understand the more complex aspects of yourself so that you can bring your mind, body and spirit into alignment to create the life you desire and deserve. Please visit her website for more information: www.sallytrotman.com 07944 744493
OPINION & COMMENT
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Why we hate politicians ... and end up with those we deserve 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
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HE UK’s less than a year from a General Election but just look at the choice offered by the main parties! Is there anyone near the top in any party that you’d want running the country, let alone trust? Politicians these days regard their ‘job’ as an all-expenses paid hobby, with a few tedious interludes when they gather to barrack whoever’s speaking in Westminster that day and even more tedious surgeries when they have to pretend to listen to the plebs. There may be some honest, decent, conscientious
WESTMINSTER: Modern politicians lack real-world experience and can never say it as it is!
ones amongst them, but they soon learn what the party line is! Basically, modern politicians many lacking real-world experience - can never say it as it is, never use common sense and hedge everything (except possibly for UKIP’s Nigel Farage, which maybe accounts for his popularity?). Not to mention their peculiar way of talking (usually
‘down’ to the plebs) whilst trying to appear sincere - is there some elocution school they’re forced to attend? If so, Ofsted should shut it down immediately. Obsessing over focus groups, they’re forever promising something - anything - so long as they’re re-elected. How about proper governance in the first place, eh? All people want,
generally speaking, is a safe environment to live in, clean water, decent food and enough money to live comfortably. But so many politicians today simply don’t tell the truth or deliver what the people, who elected them, want. They have their own agenda, very often increasing their own self-worth at the expense of those they’re
supposedly ‘representing’ whilst simultaneously forcing ridiculous PC values on them. And in this age of political correctness, nobody wants to hear the truth and so politicians are only too happy to oblige by failing to address it - either by ignoring it or being ‘economical’ with it. End result: voter apathy and so we end up not with the politicians we really need but those we deserve. Speaking about truth, many thanks to all who purchased my recently published thriller, Landscape of Lies, following my piece about it here recently. Thanks also for helping my other novels, Retribution, Soul Stealer and The De Clerambault Code (available from Amazon) sell so well, too! And keep those great comments coming to my website and donations to Cudeca! (www.nora-johnson.com)
The enemy within - do you fight a daily battle with your breakfast? WHEN I was growing have in our house are muesli based up breakfast time was and not the sugary options that Vicki Mcleod always a battle. A perhaps she would really like to daily war would be eat, so occasionally we have a Family fought between my tussle about what I think she Matters brothers and I about should be having for her brekkie, who would get the top and what she wants. of the milk and who www.familymattersmallorca.com “Mummy! I am not going to would get the toy out eat this! It has black bits in it!” I instantly think of my middle of the cornflake packet. brother and his firm stance If you were having a good day you about not eating unidentified could score both, an okay day would weird bits in his cereal, and I be at least the others not getting a transform into my grandma. toy, and if you were having a really “Just eat it babe, it won’t bad day then you would be the person hurt you,” I with the black cornflake or rice krispie plead. “No, it in your bowl. What is it about that? has black bits Even though there is probably nothing in it, and wrong with the offending nugget of they’re cereal you probably wouldn’t ever eat MOVING.” it, would you? “Don’t be so silly,” we would be told by our grandma, “just WEIRD CEREAL: Not appetising with black bits in it. That makes a bit of a eat it.” But there would be squeals of disgust and in some cases a bona fide a bit more of a random affair. La Gidg, difference. I investigate. I pick up the reason to completely abandon who is now nine, is getting quite self- bowl and immediately drop it on the breakfast all together. At least that’s sufficient with breakfast and I am floor. There’s a moth in my daughter’s how we would see it. trying to train her to make healthy breakfast. I cannot tell you how foul Breakfast in my house these days is choices. Some of the cereals that we that is.
“Yes chick, you don’t need to eat that.” Once I have got over the disgust of finding a creature I try to work out where it has come from. I have a look in the cereal packet, nothing. Then I start to look in the cupboard and notice that yes, there does seem to be something living in there. Straight off down to the ferreteria, “I have “polillas” in my kitchen, what do I do?” The man rolls his eyes, shrugs and points me to an aisle with a variety of sticky bits of cardboard which are designed for the moths to accidentally fly on to. “That’s all you can offer me?” I think, surely if we can put a man on the moon we can control some moths in cereal with a bit more aplomb. But no, that’s it. So now we are on moth patrol in our house. Every single dried food packet is in a sealed Tupperware container, as if it’s in an Ebola isolation tank. Thankfully, like the rest of Spain we seem to have been successful so far in containing the issue. La Gidg on the other hand is now a big fan of toast. www.familymattersmallorca.com
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Family run Churchills Bar in Santa Ponsa caters for all sporting events CHURCHILLS Sports Bar in Santa Ponsa has always been a family run business and when Kandy took over four years ago she did not want this to change so with her best friend Darren for near on 20 years, and her parents and on occasions other family members, such as her nieces and nephews coming in to help out with games, competitions and parties, they have tried to keep the bar the same and welcoming all ages... Kandy has lived on the island for 11 years and originally comes from Essex. Having previously worked in the stock market back in the UK, it was a total change to come here and work in a bar/cafe but has loved every minute of it. Churchills was her local for an after work drink and to watch all sporting fixtures so it was a perfect transition to just hop to the other side of the bar and see
KANDY: Loves every minute. CHURCHILLS: Open every day during summer and winter. the same faces... but just from another angle !! Churchills is open every day through summer and winter covering all sporting events having six TV screens and they open the doors early for any sports request like F1 at 5.30am
and stay open late for any boxing fixtures... There is also a full menu and specials that are available throughout opening times either eat in or take away, some of their best sellers from the menu are Burgers, Chicken Goujon wraps, home-made pies
and quiches, jacket potatoes with all types of fillings from Cajun Chicken, or try everyone’s favourite a nice Ploughmans. Some nights in the winter they have games, pool and darts competitions, any daily activities are a written on the boards outside the bar and updated on their Facebook page, feel free to
request any sports or TV programmes as they are more than happy to accommodate everybody’s requirements, from Strictly Come Dancing to Boxing. Don’t forget the Halloween Party on the 31st starting at 8pm. Prizes for best adult and child costume. Games including apple bobbing, donut eating race, dress the mummy. Halloween punch for adults and children, first one free. Kandy also runs a Book Swap where you can either swap a book or you can buy a book for a Euro, the money raised from this goes to two charities here on the island. One being Charlie’s Fundraiser and the other being the local Alzheimer’s Society. Tel: 871 572 877
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Every Tuesday night is special at Aroma AROMA restaurant in El Toro, is making history, every Tuesday night is now a very special night of music with the ‘Rony B’ Experience. This is a special night when the best musicians in Mallorca
gather and perform together not knowing each other, in recent weeks there has been between 12 and 14 different musicians performing live and all directed by music director ‘Rony B’ who manages the evenings.
Aroma present a special, now famous ‘Sticky Ribs with Cajun wedges’ supper for just €6.95 which is mega popular and the evening always sells out so reserving is very important (971 232 842).
DELFINO’S: Book your table now.
Delfino’s for Christmas ARE you thinking of having a Christmas party / lunch or dinner, for your office, work, yacht etc? We will cater for up to 48 people, from the December 10 until Dec 24. Our intention is to be flexible and suit your personal requirements, i.e. A Christmas carvery, (roast turkey and ham etc.) or a two, three, or four course
a la carte or perhaps just a traditional Christmas lunch. Christmas Day LUNCH: there are still a few tables available for Christmas Day, four Courses €40 per head. Reservations essential! Please call Alastair on: Mobile 639 601 410 or the Restaurant 971 676 449.
Also throughout the winter we are privileged to have radio 2 DJ Shorty playing hits from the 80’s with a great mix of Northern Soul and Motown... also an evening not to be missed
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Olive trees have so many benefits from stocking fires to infusions
MANY readers will have one or two olive trees and a few will be lucky enough to have healthy high yielding olive groves. But not everyone makes maximum use of their benefits, so I review them in this week’s column. Brainstorming I could think of 15. They are described below. 1. They are interesting evergreen trees especially if pruned annually in January or February to keep their shape and open up the centre to let the air in to prevent olives from rotting. 2. Hundred, 1,000 and 2,000 year old trees add majesty and special interest to any garden. If you have several do keep them and don’t be tempted to sell them abroad as the millennium plus ones are part of Spain’s dwindling
Dick Handscombe
Gardening Corner By Spain’s best known expatriate gardening author living in Spain for 25 years.
heritage. 3. If you have just one or two you can harvest the olives each autumn and pickle them for eating as described in ‘Growing healthy fruit in Spain.’ The most popular process is as follows. a. Soak olives in cold water for five to six weeks changing the water every few days. This extracts the bitter taste of raw olives. b. Then collect a bunch of thyme leaves preferably the round leaved pebrella variety. c. Prepare brine by two thirds filling a saucepan or bowl with lukewarm
OLIVE GROVE: Olive trees are part of Spain’s dwindling heritage. water, then adding salt tablespoon by tablespoon and whisking to dissolve it until a fresh egg floats towards the surface rather than lying on the bottom. d. Then fill jars with olives with a few thyme
leaves between every two or three layers. Fill the packed jars with brine and float two or three carob leaves on the surface. Seal the jars and place in a cool dark place for three to six months. e. When you want to try
your olives, open a jar and remove some olives into a bowl and rinse them with cold water to remove excess salt. You can then eat them raw or improve the flavour by adding a selection of rosemary and thyme leaves, oregano leaves, anise seeds, sesame seeds, chopped garlic, slivers of orange and lemon rind, or honey and then just covering with olive oil. Stir the mixture, cover the bowl with kitchen paper and set to one side for a couple of days. 4. If you can harvest 200 kilos or more, or add to a neighbour’s larger harvest, you can take your olives to an olive mill to have them processed into olive oil. 5. The shape and leaf cover is attractive to nesting birds such as blackbirds. 6. Pruned thick suckers and strong thin branches can be used to repair old
wicker baskets. 7. Remove long thick branches when doing a major pruning. 8. Dried twigs are useful when lighting a log fire or log burning stove due to the oil in the woods. 9. Likewise olive logs are excellent to establish a good strong fire. 10. Thick logs are also excellent for wood turning if that is your hobby. 11. A line of olive trees or a thick grove makes a good privacy and security screen. 12. Being evergreen olive trees make good wind and rain breaks. 13. A mature tree can offer deep shade. 14. Young seedlings/ saplings can be trained into interesting bonsais. 15. To help you enjoy your olive trees for many a year, add a few olive leaves to your morning herbal infusion. The ingredients in olive leaves are said to have antiaging, antibiotic, antioxidant, anticancerous properties. I started to add leaves to herbal infusions a few days a week after my cancer scare 20 years ago. This was the stimulus to writing the book ‘Living well from our garden Mediterranean style’. Incidentally this book will be published in Spanish before Christmas and will join the English version on the bookshelves of Amazon Books.
© Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com October 2014
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It is getting colder - for your pets too! NOW the temperature has dropped many older pets will be grateful for a warm bed. You will notice your cats snuggling up inside and spending more time inside. Like us humans, wear and tear will lead to painful joints, aches and pains with age. Your senior dog might have trouble getting up, stops during the walks, sits down all the time or is just reluctant to walk or play. Your senior cat will have difficulty jumping on your bed, sofa or chair and is lying around sleeping all the time. They might appear to be incontinent as they are too sore to get up. After a visit to the vet your pet might be prescribed an anti-
inflammatory for the pain and products like glucosamine and chondroitin for the cartilage of the joints. This makes their lives easier and more fun. Also they will move better therefore using the muscles they really need to keep going. Sometimes these muscles need a little help with androgenic drugs. Magnetic beds and collars have proven to have a beneficial effect. This is the time of the year when you (re)start giving your senior pet the help it needs. By Nazli of the Pointer Clinic, Estepona. Tel: 952 804 165 www.pointerclinic. com
Are you ready to have a dog?
OFTEN I am asked ‘What is the best age to get a dog for my children? Cats and dogs are not toys, I recommend you reconsider when they are teenagers. The decision to buy or to adopt a dog is not one that should be taken lightly. It is a serious commitment and there are several factors to consider. Are you really ready to have a dog? As fun as dogs can be, it is a serious decision. You are planning to take responsibility for a living creature that is completely dependent on you. Dogs require food, shelter, DOGS: Some require more attention than others.
David THE Dogman
Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10 thru 11. 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
health care, exercise, attention, love, time and money. If you’re not completely prepared to provide all of these things, you’re not yet ready to own a dog. Your lifestyle should probably be one of the biggest factors to consider when planning to get a dog. All dogs require attention, but some need much more than others. If left alone, these dogs
will not do so well and are more likely to destroy items in your home. The same can be said for exercise. Some dogs require much more time to run around, while others can get by with less physical activity. If you’re the type of person who is away from home more often than not, you should choose a dog that will manage well in your absence - independent breeds like Dachshunds, Mastiffs, or the Yorkshire Terrier. Everyone loves puppies. They’re adorable. But how adorable will you think your puppy is when you find him in the middle of a mess that used to be your favourite pair of shoes. Puppies, like babies, require an enormous amount of attention and effort - from housebreaking and socialising to teaching acceptable manners. If you don’t have the time to keep a steady training schedule, perhaps you should look into getting an adult dog. However, adult dogs can come with their own ‘baggage.’
American catsits for stray in Fuengirola By Lamia Walker of HousesitMatch DEREK and Jenny love their villa by the sea, and until this spring they had lived there alone, without pets. Last April a stray cat began to visit at meal times. After several weeks they realised she was indeed a fixture in their lives, popping in daily for meals and cuddles.
When the time came to go on holiday they weren’t quite sure how to manage with this stray, that had become a much loved pet. After reading an article in their local newspaper they decided to register with a new service, an online network for pet owners and house sitters. There was a free introductory offer and so lost nothing by registering
to try it out. Within weeks they had a list of prospective sitters all keen for the month long housesit by the sea. “I am writing to say that our holiday to Scotland, when we were away for nearly a month, went very smoothly, due in great part by our house sitter, namely Alison, all the way from Florida who did a fantastic job. Many thanks
to Ali and to HouseSitMatch for your help in making our holiday such a success,” Derek, Fuengirola, Spain.
Download your Free Easy Guide to Housesitting from here www.bit.ly/eurown001. To find a petsitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on +44 (0)1865 521508.
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PROPERTY Look no further for a home. 4-page special starts here...
Low interest rates here to stay for home buyers HOME buyers in Spain can take advantage of historically low mortgage interest rates. In the UK the property market recovery has been encouraged by the low interest rates, and mortgages in the Eurozone remain at historic lows with signs that foreign banks are opening up more to lending to foreign buyers in 2014. “In Spain, for example, banks realise that foreigners are vital to the revival of the property market in certain areas of the country and are willingly offering up to 75 per
cent loan to value mortgages making it a cheap time to buy to qualifying applicants,” said there. “Using a broker, rather than Angelos Koutsoudes, Head of the Overseas Guides Company. going direct to a foreign bank, often will save buyers “Right now, rates in money as well as time Spain for a lower and stress. value mortgage are Speak to a “Not only will a typically between specialist good, English3 to 3.5 per cent, currency firm speaking broker pegged to the Euribor rate and guide clients to avoid updated annually through the financial losses higher LTV application process, purchases will get they will also have even better rates, as low as good relationships with 2 per cent. certain banks and frequently And in France, fixed rates be able to offer foreign clients start at around just 3 per cent, better deals than if they went
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direct to the lending bank. “Buyers should also consider how they will service a foreign mortgage, and if using sterling-based income to service it, speaking to a specialist currency firm to avoid financial losses here is highly advisable.” MORTGAGES: Banks are offering loans of up to 75%.
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UK-Spain home loan enquiries rocket MORTGAGE ENQUIRIES: On the up.
UK ENQUIRIES into obtaining a mortgage in Spain rose by a whopping 95 per cent between January and September of this year. The strength of sterling against the euro has led to a 37 per cent increase on
overseas mortgage enquiries year-on-year, and Spanish enquiries account for almost half of all, according to overseas mortgage specialists Conti. One pound currently buys €1.27 - the highest value for two years - and this means that UK money goes
Goldman set to buy more in Spain MULTINATIONAL investment banking giants Goldman Sachs are in talks to buy a portfolio of 38 Spanish properties. Bloomberg has reported that the Goldman Sachs Group is negotiating with Bankia for the sale of around €300 million worth of Madrid-based property. The portfolio, called ‘Lakes’, is made up of 27 apartment blocks and 11 office properties. Last year Goldman Sachs spent €201 million on a portfolio of Spanish property. PORTFOLIO: Madrid-based property.
further when purchasing a Spanish property. “When you combine the strong pound with the low property prices to be found in many European property markets, together with historically low mortgage rates, affordability is better than it has been in years,” said Conti director Clare Nessling. “With buyers’ budgets stretching that much further, the purchase of that place in the sun could seem even more tempting, especially when you compare the cost with overheated parts of the UK market.” Conti went on to say that given the current exchange rate between the pound and the euro, a €200,000 property in Spain is now almost £18,000 (€23,000) cheaper.
PROPERTY
Recovery starts to build IN a sign of everimproving prospects for the housing sector, Spanish construction figures are showing strong growth. Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, showed construction production in Spain rose 22 per cent year-on-year in August and by 2.7 per cent month-on-month. That made it the biggest increase in not just the Eurozone, but also the EU as a whole. Spain’s positive figure dwarfs the pro-duction in the construction sector in the eurozone, which increased by 1.5 per cent over the previous month. It was the second consecutive month of increases in construction, following a rise of 1.5 per cent in July.
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PROPERTY
Time to invest in one of Europe’s last bastions of good value property global financial crisis, many investors are seeing now as the
perfect time to put their funds into Spain’s housing market. Spanish real estate and construction accounted for around 18 per cent of Spain’s GDP in 2007, with a market capitalisation of more than €30 billion. It is now about a tenth of that, with the result that economists and investors alike are looking at Spain as being one of the last bastions of good value property in Europe. European Portfolio Manager Dean Tenerelli of T Rowe Price said: “We are at an interesting juncture as real estate in Spain has reached a trough since the crisis; rent prices are historically low and there is an
abundance of low-cost property on sale.” Figures from a recent Property Hotspots Report confirm the interest that foreign buyers are currently taking in Spain. The latest report saw Spain tie in first place with France as the destination of choice for buyers, garnering some 35 per cent of the vote. Additionally, the National Statistics Institute has confirmed that home sales are rising, up 8.8 per cent in June 2014 compared with a year earlier, while Spain’s society of notaries has reported that foreign buyers favour coastal areas. The breakdown of foreign buyers included
15 per cent Britons, 10 per cent French, 9 per cent Russians and 7 per cent Belgians.
Investors see now as the perfect time to put funds in Spain While the influx of foreign property investors is good news for Spain’s economy, the situation for domestic buyers is also looking up. Deloitte’s fourth annual analysis of the Spanish housing market has shown that the average price of housing is now 4.4 times the individual gross salary.
This compares with an EU average ratio of 6.1, rising to 7.9 in France and 8.5 in Britain. Interestingly, many of the ‘domestic’ buyers benefiting from this situation are foreigners already living in Spain. According to data from the Ministry of Development, 89 per cent of foreign buyers in the second quarter of 2014 were already living in Spain. The figures reveal that Malaga is one of the most popular parts of Spain when it comes to home sales to foreigners, which reached a total of 2,499 transactions during Q2 2014 - a level not seen since 2007 and an increase of 30 per cent over Q2 2013.
Madrid set to lead the way MADRID is set to become the best performing European market for offices within the next two years. That is the forecast of property consultant Knight Frank which says the strong recovery seen in the Spanish capital will continue. The commercial property sector suffered a crash, along with the housing market, with freehold prices and rents plunging, but renewed confidence in the market is filtering through. A dearth of new buildings in the capital over the last few years helped stabilise the number of vacancies at 11.5 per cent generally, but at just 2 per cent for ‘quality’ offices. Rents touched bottom in 2013 but have since risen 14 per cent to €28 per square metre a month. In the first half of this
IR Stone / Shutterstock.com
WITH property prices in Spain having fallen significantly since the
HIGH RETURNS: New, quality office space. year office investment rose to €700 million from just €400 million in the whole of 2013. With not much development in the pipeline it is expected by Knight Frank that rents will continue to rise as the economy picks up and vacant quality office
space becomes even scarcer. It is forecast that many companies which put expansion plans on hold during the recession will soon be looking for larger premises, particularly in the higher end of the market, which will also
put pressure on rents to rise. Investors are being attracted by the fact that property prices are still low, but quality office space is relatively scarce, leading to the prospect of high returns for those willing to bank on an economic recovery.
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Something in the works at Fairline FAIRLINE fans are foaming at the mouth with the news that the company is shaping up for a new product range following the appointment of two senior engineers. The company announced the appoint-
ment of the positions last Friday and claimed that it was preparing for ‘an extensive new product introduction programme’. The British boat-builders were the only company not to launch a brand new model at the
Southampton Boat Show in September, so speculation was rife that they had something up their sleeves. And the appointment of Stefan Whitmarsh as head of engineering and Ben Harrison as engineering
manager would indicate that Fairline has some big plans for the future. Whitmarsh was the project manager for the launch of the first Sunseeker 155, Blush. According to Motorboat & Yachting magazine,
Cleaner seas around Mallorca RUBBISH-COLLECTION boats around the coast of Mallorca have helped keep the waters and coastline in pristine condition after collecting a large amount of debris floating in the ocean. Yacht owners and boating enthusiasts can now enjoy cleaner seas following the news that 36
tonnes of rubbish were collected from the sea around the Balearics over the summer. The Balearic Government increased the number of rubbishcollection boats this year from 22 to 33, 15 of which covered the coastline of Mallorca. Most of the rubbish collected was plastic,
accounting for 38.7 per cent. The boats also collected wood, algae residue and other organic waste on their patrols. As a result, the seas of Mallorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Menorca are now cleaner, which is great news for all boating enthusiasts and swimmers.
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‘FAIR-LINE’: A line of Fairlines. Fairline has stated that what Fairline and its new Stefan will be “responsible appointees have up their for driving the new product sleeves, and if they will introduction programme have anything ready for the and developing the design 2015 London Boat Show in and engineering systems January. The luxury boating world waits with bated across the product range.” The Fairline range breath. The Fairline company currently consists of two different models, the Fairline was set up in 1963 and launched the Squadron range yachts are first boat in and the Targa synonymous 1967, a 19-foot range. The river cruiser. In Squadron range with an 2010, the consists of larger upmarket 12,000th Fairline yachts while the lifestyle – a Squadron 55 – Targa range delivers a sportier style was completed and shipped. Renowned for their of boat. It remains to be seen just exclusivity and elegance,
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SUPER SLEEK: A luxury Fairlin e yacht.
Fairline yachts are synonymous with an upmarket lifestyle and are on the wish-list of most boating enthusiasts.
COMFORT AT SEA: Interior of a Fairline Squadron 50.
RICHARD MCDONALD-PROCTOR
PHOTO BY MIKE OLIVERI
A ‘Who’s who’ of yacht racing THE European Boating Industry has announced Barcelona as the venue for the seventh edition of the World Yacht Racing Forum. The event will see professionals working in the yacht-racing industry gather together to both network and witness new developments within the sport. Now a firm part of the annual racing calendar, key players in world yacht racing will attend to discuss issues facing the sport and share best practice. The main theme of the 2014 event will be ‘Growing the Business of Yacht Racing’, with speakers and topics focusing on what sports professionals of every level can do to increase their brand, business potential and engagement levels. More than 300 are expected to attend and the show will feature around 30 speakers and 20 exhibitors. Representatives from the world’s major yacht-racing events will attend, including the Volvo Ocean Race, the America’s Cup and the Vendée Globe. This year’s event will be held in partnership with the Fundacio Navegacio Oceanica Barcelona, organisers of the Barcelona World Race, and will take place on December 10 and 11 at the Hesperia Tower. Visit www.worldyachtracingforum.com for more information and to register.
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Look - no driver
WHO needs a driver? Audi demonstrated its latest ‘piloted driving’ car The Audi RS 7 with a lap on the Grand Prix track in Hockenheim - at racing speed, without a driver. It took the car just slightly over two minutes to complete a lap on the Grand Prix track - piloted with high precision and accuracy to within centimetres in the finale of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) meeting. “The top performance by the Audi RS 7 today substantiates the skills of our development team with regard to piloted driving at Audi,” said Prof. Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Board Member for Technical Development at AUDI AG. The technology uses specially corrected GPS signals to see where the car is on the track. This GPS data is transmitted to the vehicle via WiFi according to the automotive standard and redundantly via high-frequency radio. In parallel to this, 3D cameras in the car film the track, and a computer program compares the camera’s image information against a data set stored on board. This is what makes it possible for the technology pioneer to orient itself on the track.
FORD MONDEO: Will feature the ground-breaking Inflatable Rear Seatbelt.
Inflatable rear seatbelt to make debut on Mondeo FORD Motor Company’s ground-breaking Inflatable Rear Seatbelt - which
combines attributes of an airbag and a conventional seatbelt - will make its European debut on the allnew Mondeo later this year. Ford’s Inflatable Rear Seatbelt is designed to reduce head, neck and chest injuries for rear-seat passengers, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to such injuries. In the event of an accident, the belt rapidly expands to disperse crash forces across a body
area five times greater than that achieved by a conventional seatbelt. “We’ve tested the system extensively using our entire crash test dummy family and it offers extra protection over the standard rear seatbelt system,” said Joerg Doering, core engineering seatbelts engineer, Ford of Europe. “Bringing together the attributes of an airbag and a seatbelt is a significant development.”
The inflatable belts operate like conventional seatbelts and, in Ford’s research, more than 90 per cent of those who tested the inflatable seatbelts found them to be similar to or more comfortable than a conventional belt. The technology was first offered on the 2011 Ford Explorer in the US and proved immediately popular, with 40 per cent of buyers choosing the option. As with an airbag, Ford’s Inflatable Rear Seatbelt is activated when crash sensors detect an accident. This forces compressed gas out of a cylinder housed below the rear seat, through the buckle and into the belt and is deployed in less than 40 milliseconds. It will be available on the Ford Edge which makes its European debut in 2015.
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Sport Mallorca’s best guide to local sport
SPORT
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Magical Marc World champion Marc Marquez equalled Michael Doohan’s 1997 record of most MotoGP victories in a year by winning in Malaysia. Valentino Rossi was second, Jorge Lorenzo third. Magical Marc can now set a new record of 13 wins in Valencia on November 9. TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
Rugby for girls and youngsters
By Lynda Demangeat INCA and the Mallorca Bocs were hosts to the Second Rugby Day on a sunny Saturday. There was a great atmosphere as more and more girls and boys join in these days for the younger categories. In the U8 league an improved El Toro RC team won the day’s series of matches followed by Agora
Portals, RC Ponent who presented two teams, RFC Dimonis and Mallorca Bocs. In the U10 series RC Ponent finished ahead of teams from Agora Portals, El Toro RC and a combined Dimonis and Bocs team. RC Ponent was victorious in the U12 series too, ahead of a combined El Toro RC-Bocs team and the combined efforts of Agora Portals and Dimonis RFC. Three teams participated in the next leg in the Michel Rodier U14 Trophy series, also organised by Mallorca Bocs in Inca. The outright winners were the players from RC Ponent who beat each of their opponents by two tries or more. The combined El Toro RC and
Mallorca Bocs team has made great progress, playing better than their coaches expected and scored three tries in their two matches. Principes de España stadium saw two teams taking part in the U18 trophy in an equal battle that was not decided until the end. By the close of the match RC Ponent were finally ahead and went on to win against a very strong El Toro RC. Pollensa saw the second leg of the Michel Rodier 7s Girls’ Trophy in which four teams took part. RC Ponent again proved to be a strong team to beat although El Toro RC, who played a much better passing game,
CLOSE FIRST HALF: RC Ponent v RFC Corsaris seniors. had a very good go. Hosts RFC Corsaris scored their first victories in this tournament and newcomers, Shamrock RFC, although yet to win a match, are working hard to improve. The match postponed
from the Senior League at the beginning of the month between RC Ponent B and RFC Corsaris took place in Principes de España. RC Ponent had a nervous start, making plenty of errors in their ball handling which kept the game close during
the first half. The hosts eventually woke up and thanks to the hard work of their forwards put the first points on the board. After half time the home team began to dominate and finished with 39 points. RFC Corsaris were unlucky not to score a point after all their efforts. Next weekend The planned matches in the Baleares Senior League league will see RC Dimonis at home to RFC Corsaris in Manacor, RC Bahia will play RC Ponent B, RC Shamrock will play hosts to RC Ponent A and El Toro RC travel to Ibiza RC. The youngsters and girls get a rest until the following weekend.