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Mass for Fabiola MOTRIL paid a last tribute to Belgium’s former queen Fabiola in a Mass at the Mayor de la Encarnacion church. She was a regular visitor to Motril and popular amongst the locals.

Road works TARMACKING works at Avenida Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza in Motril have finished at a cost of €15,000 to the town council.

Santa’s visit SALOBREÑA children will be able to give their letters to Santa Claus at the municipal market on Saturday (December 20). The event will take place from noon to 2pm.

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18 - 24 DECEMBER 2014

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Rincon de la Victoria goes international A TELEVISION channel from Dubai broadcast the Boqueron festivity of Rincon de la Victoria to millions of viewers. Journalists from the popular Dubai channel Alsharquiya travelled last September to Rincon de la Victoria to take part in the Boqueron festivity, an event featuring the town’s most important fish, the anchovy. The Boqueron Festivity was held during September 26, 27 and 28, with the tasting of different sorts of anchovies recipes, a fish auction with proceeds going to the local Alzheimer’s charity association, concerts, a tapas route and activities for children. The threeday event drew around 25,000 people to Rincon de la Victoria’s promenade. The 15 minute coverage features the festivity’s history, as well as interviews with the town’s residents. The Dubai based reporters

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also stressed the great hospitality they received and showed other tourist attractions of the town. Head of the Tourism Department, Marta Martin, emphasised the importance of having the chance to share one of the town’s most popular festivities with millions of people. Alsharquiya, has main offices in Dubai, London, Cairo and Iraq and broadcast the episode via satellite TV, reaching a

wide audience including viewers in the United States and Australia. Rincon de la Victoria Mayor, Francisco Salado stressed the importance of investing in such an

event, and the importance of an advertising campaign that has taken information on the Axarquia town to many corners of the world

Golden customer A LUCKY resident of Rincon de la Victoria will win €6,000, to spend in local stores. This initiative, called Golden Client for One Day, was designed and paid for by the town’s council to give a boost to the local economy. From December 12, the residents will receive a ticket for every purchase they carry out in participating stores of €5 or above. The winner of the €6,000 prize will have to spend the whole amount in one day, and cannot spend more than €500 in each store.

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INDEX News 1 - 16 Finance 17 - 22 Letters 23 Leapy Lee 24 Thomas Allsi

Daily TV 26 Time Out 28 - 29 Health & Beauty 30 Pets/Homes & Gardens 33

Services 34 - 35 Classifieds 36 - 37 Motoring 39 Sport 40

TORRE DEL MAR: The motion is aimed at creating a better future.

Torre del Mar could become a town

TORRE del Mar could become a town in its own right. The Independent Pro-Municipality group of Torre del Mar (GIPMTM) has come forward with a proposal to turn the district into a municipality. This request has originated after two other localities, Serrato and Montecorto, succeeded in their attempt at becoming independent towns.

“This motion aims at creating a better future, to make the fate of Torre del Mar unfold and end political and economical differences that have only damaged our area, in favour of Velez-Malaga,” said the group’s spokesperson, Jesus Perez Atencia. He also added that this process began more than 30 years ago, with the residents wishing to achieve independence from Velez Malaga and be recognised as a municipality.

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Improved lighting THE lighting in La Cañada Real at la Herradura and surrounding areas has been improved by the council. Nine metre tall street lamps have been installed.

TORROX will celebrate its traditional Fiesta de las Migas next Sunday (December 21). The event is expected to attract more than 35,000 visitors who will enjoy a great variety of gastronomic and cultural activities. Migas is a traditional Spanish dish, usually made with fried dayold breadcrumbs soaked in water, garlic and paprika and served with

different kinds of meats, like chorizo or bacon, as well as salad and wine. The event was first celebrated in the 80’s, bringing together the town'’ citizens and has become one of the most relevant events, bringing employment to Torrox and contributing to the town’s tourism. In total, 200 staff will take care of the cooking, and ensure

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Merry Christmas

NEXT week all our readers will be getting an early Christmas present - the Euro Weekly News is hitting the streets a day early. It will be out on Wednesday, December 24.

Fire on board A CREW member needed medical attention for severe burns to one hand after a fire broke out in the galley of the Santa Maria ship docked at Malaga port.

Naughty snaps PHOTOGRAPHER Pilar Millan will be holding an erotic photography exhibition until December 20. Located in the Casa de la Cultura in Almuñecar, it is open between 11am and 2pm and from 6pm to 8.30pm.

Musical festivities A MUSICAL called Alice in Christmas World will be held at Salobreña’s Event Hall next Saturday (20) at 8.45 pm. It will feature popular soundtracks from movies including Nightmare before Christmas, Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands. Improvement works THE Nerja Caves Foundation will renovate and extend the Plaza de los Descubridores in 2015. In total, the foundation will spend €4 million on cultural and heritage maintenance projects.

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Almuñecar parade TOMORROW (Friday) there will be a Christmas parade around the streets of Almuñecar. It features the municipal music band and will start at 7pm.

STREET ART: Exhibition is one of the hottest art shows of the year.

Striking art - but whose work is it?

IME is running out to see one of the hottest art shows of the year in Spain; one that will have art lovers strongly divided in their opinions. Los Angelesbased artist Thierry Guetta - aka Mr Brainwash - is currently exhibiting a collection of his work at Barcelona’s Galeria 3 Puntos, and his street-art style has critics divided as to just how talented the Parisborn, self-proclaimed filmmaker and street artist is. In fact, there are strong rumours that the work of Guetta is actually the work of the world-famous Banksy, and the Mr Brainwash persona is an elaborate hoax dreamt up by the elusive and mischievous British street artist. The protagonist of the Oscar-nominated 2010 documentary film ‘Exit

Quote of the Week I had two options. One was to remain silent and wait to be killed. And the second was to speak up and then be killed,’

said Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, the 17-year-old shot by the Taliban after speaking out on education.

matt northam

Study aid NERJA’S schoolchildren will receive free courses during the Christmas holidays to learn about study techniques and managing the stress that comes with exams. Those interested can sign one at the Cultural Centre.

everyone’s safety. More than 1,100 kilos of flour, 500 litres of oil, 140 kilos of onions and 800 kilos of tomatoes will be used in the production of the traditional meal, amongst many other products. Mayor Francisco Muñoz emphasised the importance of maintaining the town’s most longstanding traditions.

Healthier minds A NEW psychology centre has been opened in Motril. Called Psik, it is located in Calle Catalanes number four and will be open to all residents of the Costa Tropical.

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Migas festivity for Torrox

Lord Jim

Theatre fun CHILDREN aged between three and six-years-old are welcome tomorrow (Friday) to a theatre and dance performance called De Flor en Flor at the Cultural Centre of Nerja.

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Through the Gift Shop,’ Mr Brainwash shot to fame by copying the styles of other street artists he saw around him, including Banksy. The movie chronicled his rise through the ranks of the underground scene to the eventual staging of a massive art exhibition in LA. Dismissed by many as a copycat, but hailed by others as a genius, the work of Mr Brainwash undoubtedly gets the art world talking wherever his attention-grabbing exhibitions take him. The Mr Brainwash exhibition will run until December 31 in Barcelona and is the perfect opportunity to see some of the world’s most famous street-art pieces, as immortalised on film. If it is all a hoax, then perhaps the works on show at Galeria 3 Puntos are a chance to see pieces by Banksy.

CREDITlev radin / Shutterstock.com

Number of the week

€31.5

million is the reputed yearly salary of Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso who will be racing with the McLaren-Honda F1 team for next year’s championship. The team will also be paying Jenson Button around €10 million after retaining his services for another year.

School carols contest TEN primary and secondary schools from Almuñecar have taken part in the traditional Christmas Carols Contest of 2014. The event took place today (Thursday) from 10am with a performance of English and Spanish songs.

Children’s advocates THE seventh edition of Child Rights Awards of Motril has awarded the association Activos TDA-H with €800. The contest was designed to reward associations which protect, promote and raise awareness of children’s rights.

And finally... SPANISH high-street fashion brand Desigual held their first ‘Semi-naked Party’ in Singapore over the weekend. In what is now a Desigual tradition, shoppers are urged to strip down to their underwear in order to get freebies and massive discounts. Hundreds of shoppers showed up to the Singapore event.

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Land value tax decrease THE land value tax has been reduced by €1.2 million for the Axarquia residents. The citizens of Axarquia will save a total of €1,233,645 this year thanks to a reduction launched by Malaga’s Provincial Council, said

head of the Commonwealth of Costa del Sol-Axarquia municipalities, Oscar Medina. The owners of 27,721 properties will benefit from this decrease by the end of the year, with a reduction of 20 per cent of the tax.

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Driver rescued A DRIVER had a narrow esape when his car plunged into a 40 metre deep gully, but its fall was stopped by a tree. The driver had to be rescued from a precarious position by the fire brigade. The incident happened last Thursday (December 11) after his car left the road in Torrox. This stretch of the road was not protected by traffic barriers, according to the fire department. After the difficult rescue operation, his condition was stabilised and he was taken to the Velez-Malaga regional hospital.

It will affect those properties with a value ranging between €5,000 and €100,000, being the less valuable properties those with a higher reduction as the initiative was designed to help families with lower incomes, according to Medina.

Food drive success is example for the year

T’S wonderful to see that the recent national food drive in the run up to Christmas exceeded all expectations and collected more than 700,000 tonnes of food to help impoverished families throughout the country. It was over 100,000 tonnes more than expected and it is an excellent indication of how generous people can be at this time of year. At Christmas, nobody wants to think of families unable to buy presents for their children or feed themselves well, of those sitting alone at home because they have nobody to talk to, or of elderly people who can’t afford heating for the home. People tend to open their purse strings more often over the festive holidays. After all, it is the season of goodwill.

While giving to charity is commendable over the Christmas period, it doesn’t take much to be as charitable for the rest of the year also. Here at EWN we are involved with charitable causes the whole year round, not just when it comes to Christmas time. It’s so important to help others who are unable to help themselves, and causes and charities need help 365 days a year. Those individuals and families who find it difficult to cope do so throughout the entire year and once Christmas is over they face the same difficult circumstances every day. So please do give generously during the festive season, but don’t forget that once the holidays are over, plenty of people’s troubles are not.

Park fire put out quickly A SMALL fire broke out on Monday (December 15) at the Parque de la Libertad in Salobreña. Local Police and Guardia Civil officers were alerted at around 4.30pm by residents of Avenida Miguel Hernandez, after they saw a smoke in the area. Despite bad visibility and heavy traffic at the time of the incident, the fire was quickly put out by Motril firefighters. Its cause remains unknown.

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Mango success MERMELADA MANGO of Malaga has used a daily 1,200 kilos of mangos grown in Axarquia to produce 100,000 jars of jam in the last 12 months. The company multiplied its production by five and boosted the economy.

Plant guide A GUIDE featuring the medicinal plants which can be found in the Salobreña area has been published by Gabriel Guirado, a Local Police officer. More than 200 different species are shown, some of them at risk of extinction.

Handball event THE Christmas Handball Tournament of Motril 2014 will be held tomorrow (December 19) at 8.15pm in the Municipal Sports Pavilion.

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18 - 24 December 2014 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

Train station gets a second chance THE old Velez-Malaga train station, built at the beginning of the 20th century, is to be renovated. The Public Works department of Velez-Malaga Council has conceived the project to answer the requests of many cultural associations and residents, who have been asking for the building’s renovation for years. With a budget of €243,000, the works will start by February.

TRAIN STATION: The 20th century building is to be renovated.

Motril food collection THE association New Generations of Motril will carry out a campaign to collect non-perishable food. Called Bad Times, Good People, the food collecting campaign will take place today and tomorrow (Thursday and

Friday). Participants can drop off the food today at Avenida de Salobreña (beside Carrefour supermarket). Tomorrow, it will take place at Rambla de los Alamos (beside Mercadona supermarket).

Volunteers will be present between 10am and 1pm and 5 pm and 8pm. They stressed the importance of donating baby food. The products raised will be donated to the Red Cross of Motril.

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Criminal caught AN OFF-DUTY police officer ran after and caught a man who had stolen a woman’s handbag in Velez-Malaga. The incident took place at around 3.30pm on Calle Robledillo. The policeman was alerted by the shouts of bystanders. He ran after the criminal and was able to catch him after a short chase. The arrested man was found to be carrying two mobile phones, a purse and other belongings of the victim.

Tourist information centre excellence ALMUÑECAR tourist information centre has received the Marca Q distinction, from the National Institute for Tourism Quality. It is a certificate denoting quality which ensures the commitment of the establishment that holds it to cover tourists’ needs and offer an excellent service. Only 19 other information centres in Andalucia hold Marca Q.

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Arrested for selling drugs TWO people have been arrested in Nerja accused of selling drugs from a town centre home.

A third person was also arrested after been caught right after a purchase. The home was being used as a sale point for marihuana and hashish. The investigation started when the National AXARQUIA farmers will benefit from an €18.5 million boost. Police were tipped off The Agriculture Ministry together with the Junta de about a large number of Andalucia regional government have agreed to contribute people visiting the with financial aid to modernise irrigation systems in the property. One of the area. detainees was carrying a The project will benefit 1,100 farmers and cover a large amount of money at surface of 2,700 hectares. the time of detention.

Boost for agriculture

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Charity time SENIOR citizens in Salobreña held a charity market last weekend to raise money for the needy. They collected nonperishable food and donated the proceeds.

Garden work ALMUÑECAR Council has carried out works to improve public gardens. Areas covered included Calle Neveria and Paseo Puerta del Mar and Gondolas.

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Police jailed for aiding traffickers TEN police officers have been found guilty of participating in a drug trafficking network. National Police and Guardia Civil officers and former officers will be jailed for up to four years for carrying large amounts of drugs into the country through the coasts of Granada and Malaga. In May 2012, some of the detainees

were caught red-handed when smuggling a 1,522 kilo haul of hashish on to La Cagailla beach of Salobreña. The leader of the group is a man called Saoud R., considered to be one of the biggest drug traffickers in Europe, who escaped from a prison in Sweden in 2003. The organisation owned high quality vehicles, which they used to hide the drugs and escape from the crime scenes.

Nerja stars in car ad NERJA has been chosen as the setting for the making of an advert for the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. The filming will take place on the national N340 road, between Maro and Granada. A team of 45 people will be involved in the film shoot, which will comply with all safety measures advised by

the National Traffic Department. For the filming cameras will be installed on the high-end Alfa Romeo itself, while at the same time cameras record from another vehicle. Representatives of the production company said they had chosen Nerja for its spectacular landscape.

Paths to improve THE Junta de Andalucia regional government will spend more than €2.6 million on the renovation of rural paths. The works will be carried out during 2015 and will affect Axarquia municipalities including Frigiliana, Nerja, Riogordo and Periana. There will be no cost to town councils.

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Council awarded RINCON de la Victoria Council has received an award from Malaga Provincial Council for its work on social issues including the inauguration of a charity supermarket in Cala del Moral.

Fruit facilities FRUIT packing company Axarfruit has opened a new 4,000m2 building in Benamargosa. The company specialises in the exportation of avocados, mangos and lemons.

New captains FIFTEEN residents of Motril have received the rescue boat captain diploma. The town council launched this course for residents aged between 19 and 53years-old, most of them unemployed fishermen.

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Cruise experts visit the Costa Tropical TRAVEL agents specialising in cruise tourism visited Motril to learn about its attractions. Mayor Luisa Garcia Chamorro presided over a meeting at the Casa de Los Bates, where the visitors had the chance to taste tropical fruits cultivated in the town, such as mangos, papayas, avocados and custard apples. Twenty guides of the Official Tourism Guide Association of Malaga (APIT) took part in the familiarisation trip and visited the Preindustrial Sugar Museum, the Virgen de la Cabeza Shrine and the Pueblos de America park. One of the main purposes of this trip was to create

MOTRIL: Travel agents visited the town to learn about its attractions. cultural and gastronomic routes that visitors could follow once their ships are docked at Motril’s port.

Food raising MORE than 750 kilos of food were collected at the third edition of Almuñecar’s Swimming for Charity event. It took place at the municipal indoor pool and the food was donated to the local Caritas.

The town’s mayor emphasised the great cultural, gastronomic and golf courses attractions of the town.

Migrant could be victim of tragic drownings A DEAD body has been found off the coast of Motril. Salvamento Maritimo (Spanish sea search and rescue organisation)

recovered the body of a sub-Saharan man aged between 20 and 25-yearsold that was found 30 miles off the town’s coast. The body was taken to

Better port IMPROVEMENT works at Motril’s port will allow two ferries to operate simultaneously. With a budget of €420,000, the renovations will protect the port from the erosion of boat propellers and restore the Muelle de Costa dock.

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DAMIAN MARLEY: Formed his first band at age 13.

International artist to visit Axarquia THE Weekend Beach Festival of Torre del Mar will feature a performance by Damian Marley, son of music legend Bob Marley. The singer, who formed his first band aged just 13, has chosen Torre del Mar to perform one of only two concerts in Spain, with the other date announced in Barcelona. Torre del Mar’s weekend beach festival has proved to be one of the most popular musical events of the Andalucian summer season and its participation level has grown during its several editions. It will be held from July 8 to 11, 2015. The Jamaican artist is internationally known in the reggae, hip-hop and dance hall scenes and is the winner of three Grammy awards.

the port and Guardia Civil police officers will now investigate. It is believed the man could have been one of 23 immigrants, including

seven babies, who were swept overboard from an inflatable boat on December 5. Survivors, including eight women were taken to Almeria port

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Run with your pets A RACE will be held on Saturday, December 20, in Motril to raise awareness amongst pet owners. Called Run with Me, it will take place from 10am at Parque de las Provincias and will welcome all pet owners to run along with their furry friends. For those who do not own dogs, the local shelter will provide running buddies as a way to encourage adoptions. This race is one of the initiatives included in the awareness project Don’t Turn Your Back on the Problem, aimed at addressing the problem of dog mess left on the streets and in public spaces. In addition, it is designed to encourage owners to practice regular exercise and keep their pets healthy.

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Nerja holds sweet and dessert contest A CHRISTMAS desserts and sweets contest will be held in Nerja on December 28. It is an initiative launched by the Popular Traditions Department and will take place in Plaza de España at 4.30pm. Those interested in participating can sign up in Calle Cristo. The only

requirement is to be aged over 14. The categories are: traditional sweets, desserts and international sweets, each of them with a prize of €100. Once the winner is chosen, visitors will be able to taste the desserts submitted to the contest.

Police launch road safety campaign A ROAD safety campaign will be launched during the Christmas holidays by Almuñecar Local Police. Alcohol and drug tests will be carried out on drivers to ensure everyone’s safety. “The national campaign will be operational until December 21, although police officers of

Almuñecar will be carrying out controls until January 6 of 2015,” said head of the Citizen’s Safety department, Juan Jose Ruiz Joya. The local authorities stressed the importance of not driving after having consumed alcoholic beverages and not getting into a car if there is a suspicion the driver has drunk alcohol.

New trash compactor A NEW rubbish compactor has been installed at Motril port. The device has been introduced to control the process of collecting and treating waste generated by the port. It will help reduce bad smells and sanitary problems caused by fish remains and other organic waste. It is the first one of its kind currently operational in the country.

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Bar owner arrested

FACEBOOK ORQUESTA JOVEN CIUDAD DE MOTRIL

CHRISTMAS CONCERT: The Youth Orchestra will play popular pieces.

Classical music THE young orchestra Ciudad de Motril will hold the first concert of the season tomorrow (Friday, December 19). It will take place in the Teatro Calderon de la Barca of Motril, to celebrate the

Christmas festivity and also the orchestra’s 10th anniversary. Under the baton of Ana Blanco, the Youth Orchestra will perform a concert full of Christmas spirit, featuring popular

pieces by Handel, Johann Christian and Carl Philipp Bach. The orchestra will be joined by the choral Armiz, a nationally recognised group from Motril with tickets €4 at the door.

Man jailed for attacking driver A MAN who attacked a bus driver in VelezMalaga will go to prison. Malaga provincial court has confirmed the sentence for the man, who has been jailed for six months and will also have to pay €4,200 to the victim.

The incident took place in November of 2011 when the bus driver asked the man to exit the vehicle, as they had reached the end of the line. The man started to argue which ended up in assault as he jumped on the driver, knocking him to the floor.

THE owner of a night club in Torrox has been arrested for allegedly forcing women into prostitution. The investigation began after an inspection conducted by Guardia Civil police officers into the club. A number of women, all of them foreigners, were allegedly working as prostitutes and paying a percentage of what they earned to the bar’s owner. Two of them were illegal residents. The detainee owns several night clubs in other Andalucian towns and has a criminal record for similar incidents. He has been charged with a crime against worker’s rights and sexual trafficking.

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Gospel concert GOSPEL enthusiasts had the chance to enjoy a magical night at Almuñecar’s Casa de la Cultura on Monday (December 15). The Granada group 3Womengospel performed classic gospel songs.

School talks THE Environment Department of Rincon de la Victoria Council is carrying out talks to raise awareness of environmental issues amongst primary and secondary school children.

New Paths AN exhibition by British painter Rowland Fade can be visited until Saturday (December 20) at Almuñecar Casa de la Cultura. Titled New Paths, it is open from 11am to 2pm and between 6pm and 8.30pm.

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Arrested for assaulting ex-wife

Making Velez-Malaga much more accessible

A MAN has been arrested by the Guardia Civil after sexually assaulting his former wife in Castell de Ferro (Granada). According to the information provided by police, the incident took place last Saturday (December 13), when the woman left her children at her ex-husband’s family home, thinking he would not be present at the moment. The man had a restraining order against her. However, the 41-year-old was in the house and forced her to enter the home, after repeatedly kicking and punching her. He allegedly assaulted her sexually as well, according to the victim’s version. The man has been arrested, accused of sexual aggression and the violation of a restraining order.

THE public monuments of VelezMalaga will soon be more accessible to people with disabilities. A project called Plan Urban with a budget of €170,000 will eliminate the architectural barriers at the town’s Palacio Marques de Beniel. In addition, a skylight will be installed above the central patio. The Palacio Marques de Beniel was constructed in the 17th century and is home to the Maria Zambrano Foundation and the town’s historical Archive. “With this project we want to keep investing in our own patrimony and culture, to turn our town into a touristic point of reference,” said Mayor Francisco Delgado Bonilla. The works will begin by next February and are included in the Plan Recupera 2011-2015, designed to preserve and restore the town’s public heritage.

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Food tasting STUDENTS at food workshops in La Tahona in Velez-Malaga carried out a tasting event. The workshops will run until December 28 and train students in two categories, restaurant service and making preserves, liquors and confectionery.

Bloggers visit

17TH CENTURY: Palacio Marques de Beniel to be more accessible.

Choirboys visit Costa Tropical THE choirboys of the Escorial Monastery of Madrid will hold a Christmas Concert in the La Encarnacion Church of Almuñecar. The event will take place at 8pm, giving centre stage to traditional Christmas songs from many places of Spain, including the Canary Islands, Galicia, Extremadura or the Basque Country.

A GROUP of eight bloggers specialising in tourism visited Almuñecar on a trip. They saw the main tourist attractions of the town and had the chance to taste local tropical fruits.

New security THE Junta de Andalucia regional government will install 26 new security cameras at 15 provincial ports.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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STAT OF WEEK EXACTLY 18.12 per cent of Spain’s total population is now over 65, compared with 17.6 per cent in 2013. There are now 112 pensioners for every 100 under16s, the national statistics office revealed.

The longest train line in the world THE Chinese freight train that arrived recently in Madrid was the first ever to reach Spain from that country. Its 13,000-kilometre direct route from Yiwu on China’s east coast is the world’s longest and the train took three weeks to cross Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France.

FREIGHT: From China to Spain.

Pepe Jeans wants to sell out PEPE JEANS sounds Spanish, 90 per cent of its capital is in Spanish hands and it is Spanishrun. Nevertheless it was British until 1998. At this point executives running Pepe Jeans’ Spanish subsidiary bought the company from three Kenyan brothers Nitin, Arun and Milan Shah - who had started out by selling jeans in the Portobello Road in 1973. The Spanish investment company 3i also entered in 1998, later selling its 43 per cent stake to Juan Abello’s investment group Torreal in 2005. Apart from its US and Canada operation, which the Shahs still own, Pepe

Jeans is present in 60 countries. The company also acquired Hackett in 2005 and is Tommy Hilfiger’s distributor in Spain. Valued at €116 million in 2005, Pepe Jeans was worth €300 million within five years and Abello now wants €800 million, multiplying his original €72 million investment several times over. Arta Capital with a 16.4 per cent stake and L Capital (11.5 per cent) will also come out smiling. Annual earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation allegedly stand at around €60 million. Why is Torreal selling? This is one question that remains unanswered.

usiness extra

Shipshape jobs SPAIN’S Navy commissioned two Maritime Action Ships (BAMs) from Navantia’s Ferrol and Cadiz shipyards. Work should start on the €335 million project within a few weeks and will provide 1,350 new jobs.

Red-faced MOROCCO’S year-onyear tomato exports to the EU increased by 66 per cent last October, Spain complained. France and Italy as well as Spain warned that Morocco was seriously ‘perturbing’ the market.

The big Bankia mistake CREATING Bankia and listing its shares in 2011 was an error, Luis de Guindos admitted. Spain’s minister of the Economy was responding to revelations that Bankia presented erroneous accounts in 2010 as well as 2011 when its shares were quoted on Spain’s stock exchange. Hundreds of thousands of small investors were affected after Bankia needed a €22 billion bailout less than

a year after being floated. Between 2002 and 2004 De Guindos was second in charge when Rodrigo Rato - later Bankia president - was Economy minister. The recently-released court documents prepared by Bank of Spain experts did not impinge on independent evaluators’ Bankia bailout calculations, De Guindos insisted.

A direct rail link will bring an enormous reduction in time and overheads for imports and exports between Spain and China, said Zhang Shuming, director of the Trade department in Xinjiang Province. These were not the only advantages, Shuming pointed out. The 3,155-kilometre journey between Malacheviche (Poland)

and Madrid generated 44 tons of carbon dioxide, compared with 114 tons emitted by lorries transporting the same merchandise along the same route. The train’s 40 containers arrived with 1,400 tons of consumer goods produced in Yiwu and for its return journey after Christmas it will carry Spanish ham, wine and olive oil.

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1.26139

0.79277

Units per €

US dollar ...................................................................1.24211 Japan yen ...............................................................147.377 Switzerland franc.................................................1.20113 Denmark kroner.................................................7.43770 Norway kroner.....................................................9.15763

currenciesdirect.com/marbella • Tel: +34 952 906 581 C O M PA N Y

PRICE(P)

British Land Co PLC BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Carnival PLC Centrica PLC

744.00 403.50 1723.00 1608.50 1010.50 2757.00 268.60

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

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 16

C O M PA N Y MMM 3M Co AXP American Express Co T AT&T Inc BA Boeing Co CAT Caterpillar Inc CVX Chevron Corp CSCO Cisco Systems Inc KO The Coca-Cola Co DIS Walt Disney Co 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 IBM International Business Machine... INTC Intel Corp 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 TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies Corp UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc VZ Verizon Communications Inc V Visa Inc WMT Wal-Mart Stores Inc

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 157.12 91.00 32.16 120.77 90.50 102.38 26.86 40.91 91.49 69.35 86.60 24.89 188.82 99.78 155.38 36.23 104.43 60.04 90.62 57.72 46.95 96.17 30.95 89.55 103.16 112.15 98.76 45.58 256.78 83.81

-2.03 -2.13 -0.55 -2.60 -2.19 -2.53 -0.135 -0.62 -0.26 -2.28 -2.60 -0.52 -4.72 -0.49 -5.69 -0.475 -2.29 -1.10 -0.35 -1.62 -0.22 -0.76 -0.70 -0.86 -1.41 -1.89 -0.97 -0.78 -6.34 -0.02

-1.28% -2.29% -1.68% -2.11% -2.36% -2.41% -0.50% -1.49% -0.28% -3.18% -2.91% -2.05% -2.44% -0.49% -3.53% -1.29% -2.15% -1.80% -0.38% -2.73% -0.47% -0.78% -2.21% -0.95% -1.35% -1.66% -0.97% -1.68% -2.41% -0.02%

2.8M 4.5M 30.1M 6.7M 10.3M 12.0M 27.0M 18.4M 7.9M 4.2M 24.6M 51.0M 3.8M 6.0M 8.6M 29.3M 8.3M 17.4M 8.7M 12.1M 34.2M 4.1M 27.5M 6.6M 2.2M 5.9M 3.1M 23.8M 3.8M 7.3M

1.00 6.20 10.00 26.00 1.00 39.00 3.20

C O M PA N Y

0.13 1.56 0.58 1.64 0.10 1.43 1.21

NET VOLUME 480.51 3,532.57 82.13 306.48 273.82 79.93 2,655.60

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Calithera Biosciences, Inc. $ 29.85 ChemoCentryx, Inc. $ 5.60 Oncothyreon Inc. $ 2.02 Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. $ 16.53 Cerulean Pharma Inc. $6 Quotient Limited $ 15.36 CNinsure Inc. $ 7.11 Tuniu Corporation $ 13.30 VelocityShares Daily 2X VIX Short Term ETN $ 3.32 Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 12.88 SeaChange International, Inc. $ 6.01

6.65 ▲ 28.66% 1.11 ▲ 24.72% 0.31 ▲ 18.13% 2.46 ▲ 17.48% 0.83 ▲ 16.05% 2.05 ▲ 15.40% 0.85 ▲ 13.58% 1.50 ▲ 12.71% 0.31 ▲ 10.30% 1.19 ▲ 10.18% 0.51 ▲ 9.27%

Most Advanced

Most Declined Caesars Entertainment Corporation Louisiana Bancorp, Inc. Liberty Broadband Corporation Momo Inc. I.D. Systems, Inc. Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. Eagle Rock Energy Partners, L.P. Zions Bancorporation Linn Energy, LLC Windstream Holdings, Inc. Vanguard Natural Resources LLC

$ 12.83 $ 20 $ 8.91 $ 15.15 $ 6.03 $ 9.73 $ 2.21 $ 2.79 $ 12.01 $ 8.47 $ 15.22

2.03 ▼ 13.66% 2.95 ▼ 12.85% 1.29 ▼ 12.65% 1.87 ▼ 10.99% 0.74 ▼ 10.93% 1.17 ▼ 10.73% 0.25 ▼ 10.16% 0.31 ▼ 10% 1.32 ▼ 9.90% 0.91 ▼ 9.70% 1.63 ▼ 9.67%

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Coca-Cola HBC AG 1263.50 Compass Group PLC 1054.50 CRH PLC 1464.50 Diageo PLC 1843.50 Direct Line Insurance 282.80 Dixons Carphone PLC 430.55 easyJet PLC 1629.50 Experian PLC 1017.50 Fresnillo PLC 736.75 Friends Life Group Ltd 358.50 G4S PLC 272.00 GKN PLC 329.10 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1367.25 Glencore PLC 290.12 Hammerson PLC 597.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 921.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 605.10 IMI PLC 1195.00 Imperial Tobacco Group 2740.50 InterContinental Hotels 2463.00 International Consldtd ... 461.40 Intertek Group PLC 2173.50 Intu Properties PLC 327.20 ITV PLC 204.70 Johnson Matthey PLC 3224.50 Kingfisher PLC 318.45 Land Securities Group 1134.50 Legal & General Group 238.65 Lloyds Banking Group 76.50 London Stock Exchange 2099.50 Marks & Spencer Group 466.30 Meggitt PLC 481.45 Mondi PLC 1040.50 Morrison (Wm) Suprmrkts 171.10 National Grid PLC 883.75 Next PLC 6405.00 Old Mutual PLC 182.70 Pearson PLC 1150.50 Persimmon PLC 1521.50 Petrofac Ltd 699.00 Prudential PLC 1465.75 Randgold Resources 4141.00 Reckitt Benckiser 5057.50 Reed Elsevier PLC 1053.50 Rio Tinto PLC 2699.50 Rolls-Royce Holdings 819.75 Royal Bank of Scotland 375.00 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2078.00 Royal Mail PLC 397.00 RSA Insurance Group 430.95 SABMiller PLC 3282.50 Sage Group (The) PLC 434.40 Sainsbury (J) PLC 229.45 Schroders PLC 2567.00 Severn Trent PLC 1930.00 Shire PLC 4530.00 Sky PLC 884.25 Smith & Nephew PLC 1039.00 Smiths Group PLC 1041.50 Sports Direct Internatnl 660.50 SSE PLC 1611.50 Standard Chartered PLC 915.00 Standard Life PLC 397.05 St James's Place PLC 776.75 Tesco PLC 168.05 Travis Perkins PLC 1781.50 TUI Travel PLC 445.45 Tullow Oil PLC 386.45 Unilever PLC 2590.50 United Utilities Group 901.75 Vodafone Group PLC 216.80 Weir Group PLC 1756.00 Whitbread PLC 4485.50 Wolseley PLC 3590.00 WPP PLC 1297.50

CHANGE 7.00 6.00 16.00 19.55 -2.00 9.20 -11.00 9.00 4.50 3.40 1.00 4.30 3.00 2.10 0.00 -0.50 1.60 4.00 30.00 9.00 4.90 19.00 -1.10 0.70 24.00 3.60 0.12 -0.99 0.37 -6.00 -1.20 0.10 7.00 0.10 1.41 20.00 2.10 12.00 2.00 21.00 6.41 -13.00 25.00 1.00 17.14 11.08 -0.50 45.50 3.30 2.20 8.26 0.90 1.90 14.00 -7.90 -2.00 -18.00 -1.00 18.00 5.50 1.00 6.60 5.57 2.00 2.29 20.00 0.00 19.30 3.81 -1.32 1.50 57.00 30.00 55.00 10.00

% C H G. 0.56 0.57 1.10 1.07 -0.70 2.18 -0.67 0.89 0.61 0.96 0.37 1.32 0.22 0.73 0.00 -0.05 0.27 0.34 1.11 0.37 1.07 0.88 -0.34 0.34 0.75 1.14 0.01 -0.41 0.49 -0.29 -0.26 0.02 0.68 0.06 0.16 0.31 1.16 1.05 0.13 3.10 0.44 -0.31 0.50 0.10 0.64 1.37 -0.13 2.24 0.84 0.51 0.25 0.21 0.84 0.55 -0.41 -0.04 -1.99 -0.10 1.76 0.84 0.06 0.73 1.42 0.26 1.38 1.14 0.00 5.25 0.15 -0.15 0.70 3.35 0.67 1.56 0.78

VOLUME 190.33 478.93 848.88 925.86 683.95 596.36 318.43 342.09 196.80 1,245.35 875.71 553.98 2,671.81 8,946.88 322.58 183.06 5,147.18 230.72 368.03 94.22 1,734.01 88.81 384.34 1,473.63 83.88 995.58 309.22 3,537.96 40,250.95 96.00 4,771.91 405.90 202.61 1,838.64 2,244.53 115.55 2,632.00 426.95 164.53 868.56 856.51 556.77 544.70 781.90 785.87 1,533.56 1,578.64 1,480.49 451.17 527.29 338.33 544.04 2,024.68 86.90 170.07 454.91 1,281.69 482.93 306.82 334.20 1,098.01 907.34 1,500.54 290.01 8,321.70 131.68 .00 1,838.51 648.34 703.50 14,341.39 281.55 76.85 236.45 724.26

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

18 - 24 December 2014 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

EWN

Therein lies the power of branding CORPORATE identities are part of today’s advertising landscape. When we are out and about, long before we can make out the detail, a company brand is identifiable. Many logos come to mind such as those of Shell, Cadbury, Virgin, car makers and television giants BBC and ITV. Corporate bodies pay telephone numbers when acquiring or changing their logos. No upstart rival, even if their product was superior, could hope to compete against established brand names. BT is a telecommunications company; it does not manufacture telephones. Yet, we often see the British Telecom

BUSINESS EXTRA

Tickets to ride CAF, which manufactures railway rolling stock, received a €500 million order for 118 trains from Holland’s Nederlandse Spoorwegen rail operator. This is their largest European order to date.

On the move WHEN the crisis began, removal firms carried out 1 million relocations a year compared with the current 700,000 average. The sector, which has an annual turnover of approximately €70 million, is gradually beginning to recover, increasing 5 to 10 per cent on last year.

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

logo on equipment we purchase. I realised why when I spotted a two-inch news story in a copy of Financial Times whilst waiting for an appointment. Any telephone manufacturing company wishing to use the BT identity

on their product first acquires a licence to do so. This does not come cheap. I seem to recall that this figure is 10 percent of the product’s price. However, the BT symbol on a product is much more likely to be taken to the check-out than is an unknown brand. Rentokil, which most regard simply as a pest control company, is in fact one of the great corporate giants of the world. With its tentacles in a myriad of global industries, Rentokil does not actually employ operators. These will be subcontracted out to the conglomerate. When vetting a pair of damp proofing specialists for the Guild of Master Craftsmen (another logo protected

species), the Rentokil uniformed two explained that they were carrying out contracts on behalf for Rentokil. Their hourly rate was about 20 per cent of what Rentokil charges the client. My son is a factory manager of a company that makes specialist bags. These are purchased by the likes of the NHS, Virgin Airlines, hotel chains, the Ministry of Defence. Such enterprises do not buy direct from my son’s company, but from an agent his company supplies. The actual manufacturing cost of each bag is a fraction of what these illustrious bodies pay for the end product. There lies the power of branding.

Google news quits Spain GOOGLE NEWS has quit Spain in response to a new intellectual property law. After the Spanish Government passed a new piece of legislation which seeks to protect local publishers by requiring online content aggregators - including Google - to pay for using their content, online search giant Google decided to shut down Google News in the country and to remove Spanish media outlets from the service. The law will also affect Yahoo News and grants authorities the power to slap fines of up to €600,000 on websites that link pirated content. According to Google, the company makes no profit from its search-based service. “This new legislation requires every Spanish publication to charge services like Google News for showing even the smallest snippet from their publications, whether they want to or not. As Google News itself makes no money (we do not

GOOGLE NEWS: Will no longer operate in Spain. show any advertising on the site) this new approach is simply not sustainable. So it’s with real sadness that on December 16 (before the new law comes into effect in January) we’ll remove Spanish publishers from Google News, and close Google News in Spain,” said Head of Google News Richard Gingras in a blog post.

Spain is not the first European country to charge online content aggregators. In fact, Germany, France and Belgium have similar legislation. The difference is the Spanish publishers do not have a say on whether they actually want to charge a fee or not, because the law makes it mandatory.

Cyber crimes on the rise MORE than 13,000 cyber incidents have been registered in Spain during 2014. The National Cryptology Centre (CCN) has managed 80 per cent more incidents in 2014 than the previous year. Out of those, 11.6 per cent were considered to be of high or critical risk, which means those cyber attacks which affect the private information of organisations. The impact and sophistication of the attacks has also increased, with hackers being able to access public administration systems and other key institutions such as energy and pharmaceutical companies or military facilities. This was revealed at a conference for Technological Patrimony Protection. The discussions revolved around cyber crimes and the large economic losses they cause each year.

Olive oil waste could be converted into clean electricity LONG an important part of the Spanish agricultural economy, a new plant promises to give olive growers another boost. The pilot plant is designed to convert toxic byproducts of olive oil production into heat and electricity. Funded through the EU at a cost of €1.1 million, the project was completed last month (November) and it is hoped it will be the precursor to a series of plants capable of turning the vast amounts of waste

from oil production into something not just useful, but also carbon neutral. The waste has long been a problem to dispose of as it can contain pesticides and poisonous organic compounds, as well as being acidic and having high levels of salinity. With the search always on to produce ‘clean’ electricity, it was decided to see if there was a way to kill two birds with one stone.

To that end the plant was built in Andalucia to develop and test innovative technology to see if the waste could be turned into electricity. The system first sees biogas produced by using microorganisms to ‘digest’ the waste. Next step is to take this gas and convert it into a hydrogen rich gas which can then be used in fuel cells to produce clean electricity to power the olive mill.

OLIVES: Waste can be a problem.

E W N 18 - 24 December 2014 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Put your spending on a diet this New Year and make a big impact Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

NEW YEAR’S resolutions can be pretty pointless. Most of the time little thought is put into them - and then, any resolutions made last minute are shortlived knee-jerk reactions to too much eating and boozing over Christmas. Yes, the muffin top waistline suddenly dictates an extreme diet plan that probably lasts about a week, while the same goes for that vow to never touch alcohol again having woken up to a thumping headache on January 1. According to studies, only one in 10 people stick to New Year’s Resolutions for a year, while most people don’t last much more than a month. And it’s a

SAVING MORE: Can have a substantial impact on your emotional well-being. shame really, because we all need incentives to really dedicate ourselves to something and the New Year is a great time to start afresh and get

things in order. So as 2015 fast approaches, you might seriously want to consider a financial New Year’s resolution regardless.

Apparently those who make commitments to start off the year on the right financial foot tend to find themselves in a better financial situation as the year progresses, than those who don’t. Research shows that simple commitments such as saving more and paying off debt can have a substantial impact on the financial and emotional well-being of a household. And like everything in life, the key to achieving long-term financial goals is to create a plan and stick to it. In order not to get too overwhelmed by a resolution, it’s important to set realistic goals. Much of the time we set ourselves massive goals, as most things worth saving for are expensive. Then suddenly, when our New Year’s Resolution buzz dies down, we don’t see enough progress to keep our motivation levels high. So we quit. Therefore set smaller goals - a goal for the end of each month for example. This way, goals will appear more attainable which helps keep up motivation. Happy 2015!

Must Administrator be qualified? Q. In our Community, the President has appointed an Administrator who does not hold You and the a Certificate from the College of Law in Spain Administrators. By David Searl She was not appointed by vote at the AGM meeting, and no one knew that she did not have the qualification to be a Community Administrator. She lives in another town and she is not even Spanish. Do we have any assurance that she can safely manage our Community funds? SJ (Costa Blanca) A. First, the Administrator who handles the paperwork and accounts for a Community of Property Owners needs no professional qualifications. Anyone who can read and write and do simple sums may be contracted to do the job. There is no requirement to be Spanish. Your only assurance will be the members themselves who keep an eye on the accounts. There is an official ‘Colegio de Administradores de Fincas’ and it is a good idea to contract a member. However, there is no requirement for this. Second, a Community Administrator is usually contracted for one year by vote of the AGM. The AGM also authorises

BUSINESS EXTRA

No answer SPANISH energy multinational Repsol renewed talks with Calgary-based oil and gas producer Talisman Energy with options that ranged from purchasing a selection of Talisman shares to the entire company. The Canadian firm claimed it has been approached by other companies and there is no assurance of an agreement with Repsol.

Fast growth

payments to the Administrator. The AGM will decide whether or not to renew this contract when it expires each year.

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

SPAIN’S economy should grow by more than 2 per cent in 2015 following 0.5 per cent growth during the third quarter. “If factors affecting the exchange rate and the price of raw materials continue, Spain will be the fastest-growing country in the European Union, the Spanish president Mariano Rajoy said.

OPINION & COMMENT

Grateful thanks to all the volunteers ONCE again the HELP Vega Baja Christmas Fayre at the Asturias Restaurant was a very successful event, raising over €3,500. Our grateful thanks to all the volunteers who worked so hard to make this event such a success, as well as all the members of the public who supported us. We hope everyone left with bargains. All money raised by this event will be used to support projects that provide support and services to the local community. Very best wishes to all our volunteers, members and friends of HELP Vega Baja for a very Happy Christmas. Pauline Yates (acting president HELP Vega Baja), San Miguel de Salinas (Alicante)

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Letters YOURSAY@EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Spain’s rival THE quote by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni relating to Uganda as an alternative tourist destination is not far off the mark. I had the good fortune to visit Uganda many times when I lived in East Africa, based in Nairobi.

TRUS

dvert T isers

our a

WE D

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Fighting spirit YOU’VE got to hand it to the Spanish. They seem to have elevated the level of football hooliganism to its ultimate form of expression. In the UK hooligans conformed to smashing up shops and bars in the opposing team’s city or fighting with rival fans wherever they could be found. In this country, using WhatsApp, they now pre-arrange not only the time and venue of the battle but also its duration and which weapons may or may not be employed. With this new state of the art ‘a la carte’ hooliganism in mind, I would like to suggest clubs stage these gladiatorial combats inside the stadiums, say two hours before kickoff, and charge an entry fee for the public to watch. Business, after all, is business and local inhabitants would be free to walk about without fear. Jonathan Allso, Valencia.

18 - 24 December 2014 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

THE Spirit of Christmas hovers over the shopping centre of Plaza Mayor in Malaga City. Ernie Barnes, Arroyo de la Miel (Malaga)

It really is a very beautiful country with a hospitable and friendly population. Among its many attractions are the fabulous Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls national parks. Coincidentally I was on a short visit to Kampala when Idi Amin overthrew the then former president, Milton Obote. Ron Godfrey, Nerja (Malaga)

WHEN YOU WRITE All letters, whether by email or post, should carry the writer’s postal address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published. Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed earlier correspondence can see all letters posted on:

www.euroweeklynews.com

Spied-on REGARDING surveillance cameras and the Spanish privacy laws, I wrote to Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) about cameras our community had installed. It was agreed that cameras be placed at the entrances to the community and that the scheme would be approved by the AEPD. Three cameras were placed so they covered the public walkway. I drew this to the attention of the president but it was claimed they were legal as we allegedly owned the walkway. After my letter to the AEPD they inspected the system and the report concluded that 11 of the cameras contravened the privacy

laws. The community could face a fine of between €40,000 and €300,000. Moral: don’t install cameras without taking proper advice. Robert Peake (by email).

Not-so-sweet charity I WAS executor of my aunt’s will. In her innocence she left the residue of her estate, after bequests, to six charities. Five were very high-profile, one was a small local organisation. The legacies were large and took two years of lengthy

correspondence and admin to complete. The large charities wanted constant breakdowns of every penny I spent, right down to the cost of skips needed to clear my aunt’s house. One even queried the cost and told me to find a cheaper firm. Another said they wanted an account of all expenses and I was only allowed 30p a mile while visiting the house to clear it. I was absolutely disgusted with their uncharitable attitude and especially their greed as they all have head offices around the UK which must cost a fortune. The only charity which caused no trouble was a small local one that was overwhelmed and so grateful for the cheque I finally sent them. If you plan to leave money to any charity try to leave a specific sum. After this unpleasant exercise dealing with high-profile charities, I would sooner give to a small local charity where you can see the good it brings. I gave up donating to big charities and now, knowing the obscene salaries they pay staff, I am glad I did. Julie Perkin, Downend (Gloucestershire, UK)

EWN

Think twice “THERE are a number of reasons for the UK to leave the EU,” says Roger Page, of Mojacar Playa, and I agree with some of the points he makes about the EU’s shortcomings. But what would happen to UK residents like him and me in Spain if the UK were to leave the EU? Would we have the right to continue living here and still have the right to free healthcare, provided we were part of the social security system, either as contributors or pensioners? Not unless Spain were prepared to negotiate a new treaty with the UK, and would Spain do that if the UK had slammed the door shut on Spanish immigrants desperate to work? These Spaniards are young immigrants whom the UK with its aging population needs. They are prepared to work in the low-paid jobs that the British don’t want and many studies have shown that immigrants to the UK aren’t a drain on the economy, in fact the reverse. We are the immigrants in Spain, and we should never forget that. I can live modestly, but comfortably, in Spain on my UK pensions, but if I were forced to return to England I could barely exist. I might very easily become a burden on the government, along with possibly many thousands of returning expats deported from Spain and as many as two million from all of the EU. People like Roger Page should be careful what they wish for, because if they get it, they might not like the effect it would have on their easy lives here. David Frost, Malaga

In black and white I READ recently in the local Spanish press that magpies (urracas) and collared doves are ousting sparrows from Alicante city. Come on! Collared doves, more than likely. But magpies? I have yet to see a magpie in this part of Spain, yet alone in a city anywhere. Puzzled, Campello (Alicante)

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

E W N 18 - 24 December 2014 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Give our children a break LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT

F you’re all sitting comfortably, I’ll begin. Today we are going to talk about the children. The little kiddiewinks. The only species that can drive you from aggravation, to adoration and back in the blink of an eye! Some weeks ago I wrote that giving the vote to 16-year-olds was ridiculous. The backlash I received for that statement was, somewhat predictably, hysterical to say the least. ‘How can you say that?’ a number of readers ranted. ‘Don’t you realise how informed the young people of today actually are? And so on. Well actually loves, as a father of six, I know exactly how informed they are. Despite the whole issue being raised again this week. (I don’t need to say by whom, but he has trouble with bacon sandwiches!) I can quite categorically say the ratio of the ‘informed,’ ‘uninformed’ and ‘don’t give a monkeys,’ teenagers is probably around 500 to one. By this

TEENAGE VOTERS: Let them be kids, most of their lives will be spent as adults. reckoning, the outcome of this experiment would mean that for every ‘informed’ teen voting responsibly for a political party, 499 would vote for Harry Styles. For heaven’s sake give the kids a break. Most of their lives will be spent as adults - with the worry and responsibility that comes with it. Let ‘em just be. Let them revel in their new discoveries; excitement of first kisses and dates.

Let ‘em enjoy their music, young energy and gift of life. To me, endeavouring to heap adult responsibilities on our youngsters is akin to child abuse. I can actually remember being young. Despite the fact that, in the aftermath of WWII we were somewhat deprived, it was a magical, innocent and wonderful experience. Robbing the children of their childhood is unforgivable.

Also, while I’m about it, I think all these ‘Tiny Tot’ beauty pageants should also be banned and indeed some of the mothers actually committed. The agony heaped on most of these tiny participants is a pure parental disgrace. Now we come to another pair of ‘saucepans’ in the news this week. The two young tykes who attempted to rob the bank. All dolled up in crash helmets, with a cleverly faked gun, they strolled into the bank like a couple of John Derringers. Apparently after their capture they were locked in a cell for the night. Quite right. Give them a taste of what to expect if they embark on this type of career. ‘Oh no,’ scream the predictable, completely misled do-good brigade. ‘They should have been treated much differently than that’. Like what I ask? Taken out for a McDonald’s? Given a trip to Disneyland? Of course they needed a sharp, short lesson. After a night on bread and water, they should have been given a guided tour of the grimmest prison around. I dunno, sometimes I do despair of it all. Keep the faith. Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

Ready to pump up the volume Colin Bird Each week, Colin brings his slightly off-the-wall view of the world to the pages of EWN in his own irreverent style.

WAS loading the car with our weekly shopping, when a grim faced chap came rushing toward me, brandishing a clip board. “UGH!” he grunted as he stabbed the clip board with his shiny Bazaar Chino ball point. The form declared it was an official document issued by the Society for the Deaf and Dumb. There were no other details except for two little flags stuck on the bottom - one Spanish, one British - supposedly to denote its authenticity, and three signatures each with a €10 donation signified, but all suspiciously bearing similar hand writing. “UGH!” he

repeated, this time more forcefully as he bayoneted the clip board with his pen. The life of this poor Oriental pen was going to be short lived. Equally forcefully and in words I am not allowed to repeat here, I told him to scarper, at which he turned on his heel muttering something to do with my parentage. It’s a miracle I

thought. The gifts of hearing and speech had been restored simultaneously. But this little incident reminded me of another some years ago. We had decided to stop for a coffee break and a respite from our round of sightseeing in

the town of Falmouth in Cornwall. It was a pleasant little cafe not far from the harbour and the prices although elevated, were not stratospheric and a short term loan was not necessary. The ambience was pleasant with soothing background muzak and waitresses who were smiley, attentive and cor! Furnishings were comfortable and I was greatly relieved to see that the tables had not been manufactured in Greece, and had legs of equal length. Then as we tucked into our sticky treats, there was a commotion as a crowd of elderly people screaming like Banshees, blew into the cafe like a geriatric hurricane. There were empty tables available HARD OF HEARING: There is no need to shout, I can hear you loud and clear.

for only half of them, the others remaining at the counter where they harangued the serving staff deafeningly with their orders. Suddenly the gentle atmosphere of the cafe had been transformed into a hell hole of noise and three figure decibels. The racket was horrendous. Looking through the window, our attention was directed to a mini bus parked across the road - Van Gogh Centre for the Hard of Hearing it proclaimed. Someone has a sense of humour I thought. Didn’t Van Gogh cut off one of his ears? Then as we were about to leave, one of the worst offenders and definitely in the running for The Bedlam Cup, approached us. “THIS TABLE FREE THEN IS IT?” he bawled. “Half past four!” I hollered back, which seemed to satisfy our loud friend, and we hurried out to the welcome sound of traffic and a police siren.

E W N 18 - 24 December 2014 / AxarquĂa - Costa Tropical

Thursday BBC ONE 4:10pm Escape to the Country 4:40pm Christmas Kitchen with James Martin 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm DIY SOS The Big Build 10:00pm Panorama 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Apprentice: Why I Fired Them 12:35am This Week

BBC TWO 5:25pm Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain 6:25pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Nigellissima 9:00pm MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00pm The Fall 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Posh People: Inside Tatler

ITV 4:00pm Secret Dealers 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 A Night of Heroes: The Sun Military Awards 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm A Night in with Olly Murs 12:40am River Monsters

CH4 4:10pm Countdown 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 Babylon 12:05am Skint

CH5 4:45pm Will You Merry Me 6:30pm 5 News at 5 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm The Railway: First Great Western 10:00pm Britain's Bloodiest Dynasty 11:00pm Pothole Britain: Drivers Beware! 12:00am Big Foot: The Missing Evidence

SKY1 4:00pm Road Wars 5:00pm Sun, Sea and A&E 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Road Wars 7:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Arrow 10:00pm Arrow 11:00pm Alien: Resurrection

Friday BBC ONE 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm The Two Ronnies Sketchbook 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Citizen Khan 10:00pm Have I Got 2014 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 12:25am Cuckoo

BBC TWO 4:55pm Restoring England's Heritage 5:25pm Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain 6:25pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:30pm Tom Kerridge Cooks Christmas 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Mary Berry's Absolute Christmas Favourites 10:00pm Canterbury Cathedral 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Never Mind the Buzzcocks

ITV 4:00pm Secret Dealers 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Text Santa 12:20am ITV News and Weather

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 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:10am The British Comedy Awards 2014

CH5 4:35pm A Christmas Kiss 6:30pm 5 News at 5 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Ice Road Truckers 10:00pm Trespass 11:50pm Shoot 'Em Up 1:30am Super Casino

SKY1 3:30pm Futurama 4:00pm The Simpsons 4:30pm Road Wars 5:30pm Sun, Sea and A&E 6:30pm Road Wars 7:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Best Christmas Movies Ever 11:00pm An Idiot Abroad 12:00am Britcam: Emergency on Our Streets

Saturday BBC ONE 3:00pm Escape to the Country 4:00pm Kung Fu Panda 5:25pm Final Score 6:20pm BBC News 6:30pm BBC London News 6:40pm Pointless 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing 8:55pm Atlantis 9:40pm The National Lottery Live 9:50pm Strictly Come Dancing 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm Match of the Day 12:45am The Football League Show

BBC TWO 3:45pm Flog It! 4:45pm Secrets of the Castle with Ruth, Peter and Tom 5:45pm Nativity! 7:30pm The Good Life 7:55pm John Le Mesurier: It's All Been Rather Lovely 8:55pm Dad's Army 9:35pm University Challenge 10:05pm QI 10:35pm Blackadder II 11:05pm Rik Mayall: Lord of Misrule 12:05am The Young Ones

ITV 3:25pm The Nation's Favourite Christmas Song 4:50pm Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium 6:35pm ITV News London 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm Celebrity Squares 8:00pm Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince 11:00pm The Jonathan Ross Show 12:30am ITV News and Weather 12:45am Bette Midler: One Night Only

CH4 5:00pm Channel 4 News 5:30pm The Simpsons 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:25pm The Simpsons 7:00pm Mission: Impossible 9:00pm Rewind the Christmas Hits 10:30pm Four Christmases 12:15am Wanderlust 2:10am Devil

CH5 3:35pm Mr Miracle 5:25pm Kris Kringle 7:05pm The Wish List 8:50pm 5 News Weekend 8:55pm Scrooge 11:10pm Rob Brydon Live 12:05am The Best of the Joan Rivers Position 1:05am Jason Manford Live

SKY1 3:00pm Last Man Standing 3:30pm Last Man Standing 4:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 5:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 6:00pm Portrait Artist of the Year 2014 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 9:00pm Hawaii Five-0 10:00pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Predator 1:05am Dumb and Dumber Special 1:35am Chickens 2:05am Chickens 2:30am Hawaii Five-0

TV LISTING

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Sunday BBC ONE 4:15pm The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe 6:25pm Songs of Praise 7:05pm BBC News 7:20pm BBC London News 7:30pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm The Apprentice 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm The Apprentice 12:00am BBC News 12:15am Regional News and Weather 12:25am Have I Got a Bit More 2014 News for You 1:10am Weather for the Week Ahead 1:15am BBC New

BBC TWO 5:30pm Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em 6:15pm Flog It! 6:55pm The Terminal 9:00pm Salmon Fishing in the Yemen 10:40pm QI XL 11:25pm Match of the Day 2 12:25am The Sarah Millican Slightly Longer Television Programme 1:05am Serendipity 2:30am Countryfile

ITV 3:50pm Tipping Point 4:50pm The Chase 5:45pm Casper 7:35pm ITV News London 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm You've Got to Love Christmas 9:00pm Surprise Surprise 10:00pm Midsomer Murders 12:00am ITV News and Weather 12:15am Vicious 12:45am Rugby Highlights

CH4 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Simpsons 4:30pm The Simpsons 5:00pm Channel 4 News 5:10pm Bugsy Malone 7:00pm Jamie's Cracking Christmas 8:00pm Men in Black 3 10:00pm Homeland 11:00pm Rewind the Christmas Hits 12:35am The IT Crowd 1:30am Peep Show 2:00am NFL 5:45am NFL

CH5 3:25pm The Christmas Shepherd 5:10pm The Family Man 7:30pm 5 News Weekend 7:35pm Space Cowboys 10:00pm Gran Torino 12:15am Unforgiven 2:45am Super Casino 5:00am House Doctor 5:25am Make it Big

SKY1 4:00pm Penguins of Madagascar Special 4:30pm March of the Penguins 6:00pm We Love Penguins 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Futurama 8:00pm The Flash 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Trollied 10:00pm Best Christmas Movies Ever 12:00am Karl Pilkington: The Moaning of Life 1:00am The Flash

Monday BBC ONE 5:00pm Cinderella 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Would I Lie to You? 10:00pm John Bishop's Christmas Show 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 12:05am Citizen Khan

BBC TWO 5:10pm Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em Classic sitcom about one-man disaster area Frank Spencer. 6:00pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm The Great British Bake Off 8:30pm Top of the Pops 2 10:00pm The Wrong Mans 11:00pm Never Mind the Buzzcocks Anarchic pop quiz. 11:30pm Brian Pern: A Life in Rock 12:00am Andy Parsons - Slacktivist

ITV 6:00pm The Cube 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Countrywise 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Tsunami: Survivors' Stories 11:05pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:45pm Notting Hill 2:00am Jackpot247

CH4 3:10pm A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Gadget Man's Guide to Christmas 10:00pm Food Unwrapped's Christmas Dinner 11:00pm Derek 12:05am Gogglebox

CH5 4:35pm Garfield 2: A Tail of Two Kitties 6:05pm Christmas with the Kranks 7:55pm World's Strongest Man 2014 9:00pm The Railway: First Great Western 10:00pm Michael Buble's Christmas 2014 11:00pm Dirty Dancing 12:55am Abba: The Image

SKY1 4:00pm Futurama 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Little Crackers 7:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Trollied 10:00pm Stella 11:30pm Trollied 12:30am Arrow

Tuesday BBC ONE 6:10pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm The Royle Family 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:40pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 12:10am Cuckoo

BBC TWO 5:20pm Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em 6:05pm Flog It! 7:00pm The Great British Bake Off Masterclass: Christmas Masterclass 8:00pm Dad's Army 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00pm The Wrong Mans 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Russell Howard's Good News 12:00am Backchat with Jack Whitehall and His Dad

ITV 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears 9:00pm Roman Britain From the Air 10:00pm Lottery Stories: Be Careful What You Wish for 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Kylie: Kiss Me Once 12:50am The Jonathan Ross Show

CH4 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm The Snowman 9:00pm Celebrity Fifteen to One 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 11:00pm Man Down 11:30pm Da Best of Ali G 12:30am Ali G in Da USAiii

CH5 7:00pm World's Strongest Man 2014 7:55pm My Crazy Christmas Obsession 8:50pm Michael Buble's Christmas Songbook 10:00pm Kids' Hospital at Christmas 11:00pm Saving Private Ryan 2:15am Super Casino

SKY1 3:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 4:00pm Futurama 4:30pm Futurama 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm Treasure Island 8:00pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Flash 10:00pm Arrow 11:00pm Britcam: Emergency on Our Streets 12:00am 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy

Wednesday BBC ONE 4:05pm Merry Madagascar 4:25pm Shrek the Halls 4:50pm The Gruffalo's Child 5:15pm On Angel Wings 5:45pm 101 Dalmatians 7:05pm BBC News at Six 7:15pm BBC London News 7:25pm Toy Story 3 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm 10:30pm Not Going Out 11:15pm The Vicar of Dibley 11:55pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 12:30am BBC News at Ten

BBC TWO 3:35pm Little Women 5:25pm To the Manor Born 6:25pm Carols from King's 7:40pm The Good Life 8:10pm Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm The Choir: New Military Wives 10:30pm Julie Walters: A Life on Screen 11:30pm Calendar Girls 1:15am Buster

ITV 4:35pm Off Their Rockers 5:05pm Santa Claus 7:15pm You've Been Framed! 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Skyfall 11:45pm ITV News and Weather 12:00am Christmas Carols on ITV

CH4 3:35pm Channel 4 News 3:45pm How the Grinch Stole Christmas 5:50pm The Muppet Christmas Carol 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:25pm Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas 8:55pm The Snowman and the Snowdog 9:30pm My Big Fat Gypsy Christmas 10:30pm Gogglebox 12:05am Rude Tube Christmas Cracker 2014

CH5 4:50pm Scrooge 6:35pm Michael Buble's Christmas 2014 7:30pm My Big Xmas Benefits BlowOut 8:20pm Britain's Craziest Christmas Lights 9:25pm The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies 10:30pm Greatest Ever Christmas Movies 1:30am Scrooge

SKY1 4:00pm Futurama 4:30pm Futurama 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm Treasure Island 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Stella 12:30am Trollied

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

18 - 24 December 2014 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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What is the best gift you have ever been given or given to someone else?

R Martin Espinosa, head of the Royal Aesthetic Clinic in Albir, said the best gifts he has ever been given have all been work related and believes that they are a great and unusual gift to give to someone special in your life: “Giving an aesthetic treatment is the best gift, as the results give the receiver a new found confidence and feeling in their lives and that is amazing.” Simon Foster from Somedo on the Orihuela Costa, says that the best gift he has ever given to anyone was from the

Tracey

STREET TALK heart to his beloved sister for her milestone 40th birthday: “It was a brother/sister necklace and quite symbolic and something she really liked.” Tracey Evans from Avalon SL. Almeria says that meeting her partner was the greatest gift she could have ever received;

DR MARTIN: His work is the best gift.

Joyce

“The best gift I have ever received was actually a late Christmas present. The gift was my other half. He has completely changed my life for the better. With him we have moved to Spain and begun a whole new chapter of our lives.” Joyce from Curiocity hair salon in Fuengirola, who also specialises in dreadlocks, says that she received an unexpected and amazing gift this week from a client! “My client had come in for the first time having been told about me by

someone else. I styled her hair and she was so pleased that the client offered to take me out for dinner with her and a friend to a lovely fish restaurant in Fuengirola as a way of saying thank you for the hair style, which she loved and because she thought I was so nice! It was so unexpected and I had such a lovely time! I felt so appreciated!” Paula Read Kenny from Sophia Wellness Centre in Arboleas said Paula that her first bike was the best gift she has ever received. “My favourite Christmas memory has to be as a child. At sevenyears-old I got my first bike, a yellow Tomahawk and was the proudest girl in the world. I only got this great present from SIMON: 40th gift to Santa because I must sister was the best have been such a good present he has given. girl all year!”

E W N 18 - 24 December 2014 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

CROSSWORDS

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

Axarquía weather

NEW ON DVD

for next 7 days

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

Guardians of the Galaxy Adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of a bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by a powerful villain with plans to threaten the entire universe. Quill joins up with a team of misfits including a gun-toting raccoon and a tree-like humanoid. The ragtag bunch must face up to one desperate last stand once they discover the true power of the orb. With the fate of the galaxy in the balance, the team must try their best to save the universe. Directed by James Gunn. Starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Vin Diesel. Runs 121 mins. PG-13.

TODAY

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA MALAGA R DE LA VICTORIA

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA

TOMORROW MALAGA

R DE LA VICTORIA

6-Star Quiz GUYS AND DOLLS

particularly true of a financial situation, so there's no sense in fussing until you understand what needs to be done. Someone who has in the past been uncooperative is more flexible. You wonder at this and try to see an ulterior motive, but it is most likely that they have seen the error of their past actions. LEO (July 24 - August 23) Your attention is needed on more than one front, and some decisions are at odds with your personal thoughts and attitudes. Being reminded that 'business is business' does nothing to relieve your conscience.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) After the 22nd it is much easier to see the path ahead. This is

VIRGO (August 24 September 23) Are you willing to take a risk on someone who has let you down before? Looking into their recent past is likely to tip the balance. What you find shows clearly if there has been a change of heart on their part or if they are trying to pull the wool over your eyes.

Sudoku Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9. There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.

LIBRA (September 24 October 23) A disagreement with a friend upsets you but is short-lived. To avoid such a situation in the future, look at how you should have dealt with it. There is always something to know that guides us to a better position.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

SCORPIO (October 24 November 22) A great feeling of joy comes over you more than once in the week ahead. Your inner child has been set free, and this is likely to be because of recent restrictions, which are now lifted.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday December 13

Friday December 12

16 23

19 25

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

15 31

LA PRIMITIVA Saturday December 13

LUCKY STARS 4

Alicante

Almeria

SUNNY MAX 19C, MIN 9C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

REINTEGRO 14

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

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

19 11 S 19 9 C 18 11 S

SUNNY

Fri Sat Sun -

9 35

Fri Sat Sun -

SUNNY

Fri Sat Sun -

21 12 S 18 12 S 18 13 C

CLEAR 18 8 S 17 10 Cl 17 9 C S Sun,

MAX MIN

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

Madrid CLOUDY MAX 13C, MIN 4C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 16 11 C Tues - 17 11 C Wed - 17 9 C

11 3 S 14 4 S 11 3 S

MAX MIN

Mon - 12 3 S Tues - 13 3 S Wed - 12 3 Cl

Murcia MAX 17C, MIN 9C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

19 12 S 19 12 Cl 17 12 S

TODAY:

MAX 19C, MIN 10C

Mallorca TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 11 S Tues - 18 11 S Wed - 18 11 C

SUNNY MAX 19C, MIN 12C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 15 9 Cl Tues - 15 9 S Wed - 16 10 Cl

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 20C, MIN 14C

Benidorm

Malaga TODAY:

19 13 S 19 12 C 18 12 S

TODAY:

MAX 18C, MIN 12C

16 11 Cl 16 9 S 14 8 C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 9 Cl Tues - 16 9 Cl Wed - 16 11 Cl Cl Clear,

SUNNY MAX 21C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

21 8 S 19 7 S 17 10 S

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

C Cloud,

Sh Showers,

Th Thunder

Nonagram How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case G) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

Average: 18

Very good: 33

Good: 23

Excellent: 40

gilt, glom, goon, hong, ling, logo, long, nigh, ting, tong, glint, gloom, igloo, ingot, light, lingo, might, night, thing, thong, tigon, holing, homing, mooing, oohing, tiglon, hooting, looming, looting, molting, mooting, tooling, MOONLIGHT

Word Ladder SETS

Sunday December 14

MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

SUNNY

TODAY:

MAX MIN

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) When discussing a holiday with others, be aware that agreement is not always easily met. Although you are not inclined to compromise, it is necessary to go with the majority decision.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Everything on the home front is emphasised and there will be a

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Who is trying to push you into a

flurry of activity. Get others involved in any changes. Work in the garden or painting is much more enjoyable and half the work if you enlist the help of someone you get on well with.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) A rather slow start to the week leads you to feel bored but be assured that the weekend will be far from dull. A recent conversation or correspondence with an old friend leads to unexpected contact.

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) It is difficult to avoid repeating mistakes made in the past. Your approach to certain situations has not changed and therein lies the problem. Someone who blames you for a mistake shows ignorance but that does not make it less upsetting.

1. Which two former England cricket captains were nicknamed Guy (the Gorilla) and Dolly? 2. Athol Guy, was the double bass player with which Australian folkinfluenced pop quartet, whose UK hit singles include: I'll Never Find Another You, A World of Our Own, Morningtown Ride, Georgy Girl and The Carnival is Over? 3. In which decade did Dolly the sheep become the first mammal to be cloned from an adult somatic cell, using the process of nuclear transfer? 4. What was the name of the British radio producer, intelligence officer and Foreign Office official who, along with Kim Philby, Donald Maclean and Anthony Blunt was a member of the Cambridge Four spy ring that passed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War? 5. In which novel Charles Dickens’ novel, largely set during the Gordon Riots of 1780, first published in 1841, did the character Dolly Varden appear? 6. Which American adult animated sitcom centres on the Griffins, a family consisting of parents Peter and Lois, their children Meg, Chris and Stewie plus their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian?

corner? Maybe it is being done so subtly that you have not even noticed. Who wants a decision from you? Appear to take pressure lightly and not give in to an irritation.

December 23, Vicente del Bosque, football manager. Former Spanish football player and current manager of the Spanish national team. Del Bosque led Spain to two European Championship titles in 2008 and 2012, and one World Cup title in 2010. He coached Real Madrid between 1999 and 2003.

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

31 48

REINTEGRO 0

FREE

FEET FRET FREE

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) The need to plan ahead is frustrating when you know exactly what ought to be going on. Patience is something that you need to cultivate, or you risk upsetting someone close. Spending time with a colleague makes you realise how good things could be, but a lot of effort is involved.

Your Stars

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Social life is important because friendships will be made that last a long time. Your popularity should not be taken for granted, but built on. As you need other people, they also need you.

SETS SEES FEES

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Travel arrangements may have to be changed at the last minute. Do not fret, however, because success is more likely later in the month. During a dream, or when reading a book, an idea comes to you. Can this really make a difference to your future?

1. IAN BOTHAM and BASIL D'OLIVEIRA, 2. THE SEEKERS, 3. 1990s (1996), 4. GUY BURGESS, 5. BARNABY RUDGE, 6. FAMILY GUY

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Crosswords

18 - 24 December 2014 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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