Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 15 - 21 January 2015 Issue 1541

ISSUE NO. 1541

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15 - 21 JANUARY 2015

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WINTER FUEL DEBATE PAGES 14-15 FLICKR BY KENO PHOTOGRAPHY – KENAN ŠABANOVI

Luxury hotel planned INVESTORS are making plans to build a luxury hotel in Palma Port. The cost of the construction project would amount to €5 million.

Helping out A GROUP of Capdella women and the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Mount Carmel collected 600 kilos of food for local families in need.

Clerical error NEARLY 1,000 Inca residents are being asked to pay their overdue water bills from July, August and September 2014, which were not sent out due to a computer error.

Higher sales HOME sales on the islands increased by 15.9 per cent in November 2014, yearover-year totalling 760, said the National Statistics Office.

The Balearics unite to say: ‘Je suis Charlie’ A LARGE crowd gathered in Palma to show their condemnation of the terrorist attacks in Paris that left 17 innocent people dead. More than 400 people took to the streets in Palma - and 200 more in Ibiza - on Sunday (January 11) to show their support for the victims of the armed attack on the Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Twelve people died in the attack, as well as a police officer, and a

further four were killed in the hostage situation at a Jewish supermarket. Organised by French citizens living in Mallorca, the event in Palma attracted people from different nationalities who wore black and

white and carried signs reading ‘Je suis Charlie’ (I am Charlie). They sang the French National Anthem in tribute Honorary Consul of France on the Balearic Islands, Michiel Magnier, expressed his heartfelt

thanks to the people of Mallorca and called for permanent and peaceful coexistence amongst all creeds and ideologies. In another solemn event, Palma Mayor Mateo Isern, President of the Balearic Government Jose Ramon Bauza, and other government officials took part in a minute’s silence at the Government’s Delegate Office on Thursday (January 8) at noon, to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attacks.

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INDEX News 1 - 16 Finance 17 - 22 Letters 23 Leapy Lee 24 Daily TV 30 Time Out 32 - 33 Health & Beauty 34 Food 37 Homes & Gardens 38 Property 41 Classifieds 42 - 43 Boating 44 - 45 Motoring 46 Sport 48

BUS STOPPAGE: Action affecting rush hour could be followed by day-long strikes.

Transport strikes loom next week STRIKE action scheduled for next week looks likely to go ahead as workers at the Municipal Transport Company (EMT) don’t believe an agreement will be reached with management. The first of a series of transport strikes is scheduled for Monday, January 19 – a day before the start of the Sant Sebastia festivities – from 8am until 10am and again from 7pm until 9pm. Similar strikes will be staged on January 21, 26, 28 and 30, and day-long strikes

have been organised for February 3 and 5. Members of the workers’ committee of EMT will meet the company’s management to try to reach an agreement regarding the minimum transport services that will be provided during the strikes, but they have criticised management for not sitting with them at the negotiating table to avoid the strike action. If no agreement is reached by February 5, an indefinite strike could be called by the trade unions, starting on February 9.

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Woman rescued A 40-YEAR-OLD woman was rescued by firefighters and taken to Son Espases Hospital by a Guardia Civil helicopter after suffering head injuries in a fall in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range.

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Prison for hungover pilot A BRITISH pilot was sentenced to nine months in prison after he flew a private jet between Palma and Norwich while hungover. Ian Jennings, 47, was detained after flying a Canadair CL601-34 Challenger with 12 people on board from Son Sant Joan Airport to Norwich Airport on October 30. During the flight, one of the passengers who noticed he was

behaving strangely, called the emergency services and said she thought the pilot was drunk. Once on the ground, a breath test detected 31 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit for pilots is nine microgrammes. Jennings’s licence was suspended by the Civil Aviation Authority. “The public must have 100 per

cent confidence that pilots in this country are 100 per cent sober,” said the judge after sentencing him. “The devastation you could have wreaked, not only to passengers but also on the ground goes without saying. It is my duty to send a clear message that any pilot who commits this kind of offence must expect an immediate custodial sentence,” he added. NASA ISS012E11144

Going underground FIGURES released by the National Statistics Institute show that 105,000 people used the Palma underground during November 2014, a 0.9 per cent increase compared to the same month the year before.

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More visitors MORE than 22,000 people visited the Parc Natural de Llevant in north east Mallorca during 2014, said the Balearic Nature Institute. This represents a 20 per cent increase compared to 2012.

International conference A DELEGATION from the French Government met representatives of the Balearic Regional Government at an international conference in Palma to talk about education, investment, innovation and technology. Serious crash A MOTORCYCLIST, 35, sustained serious injuries after colliding with a car on the Santa Maria-Consell motorway on Thursday (January 8) just before 7am.

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Reinforced security

SECURITY has been increased at Balearic airports, ports and in popular public areas in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks.

Foggy Sunday MALLORCA residents woke up last Sunday morning (January 11) to thick fog that covered most of the island and limited visibility. The Spanish Met Office AEMET advised people against driving.

No licence A 25-YEAR-OLD man who jumped a red light on Calle Andreu Torrens was detained after police discovered he had been driving without a licence. Three other men were arrested in similar incidents last week.

Balcony collapse A MAN was injured after a second-storey balcony collapsed on Calle San Isidro Labrador in Palma last Monday (January 12) at 11am. He was taken to Son Espases Hospital. Unemployment down THE employment rate increased in all autonomous communities during the first quarter of 2014, especially in the Balearic Islands, Extremadura and Aragon, according to the National Statistics Institute.

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SUCCESSFUL SEASON: The Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Spain, as seen from the International Space Station.

So far so successful for Sierra Nevada

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HE Sierra Nevada ski resort enjoyed its best Christmas season for five years, welcoming around 135,000 ski and snowboard enthusiasts over the holiday period. The resort - dubbed the “sunniest ski resort in Europe” - saw its average hotel occupancy rate reach 77 per cent during the Christmas break, with snow-seekers flocking to enjoy the pistes and après ski while gazing down on miles of sunny Andalucian coastline. The incredibly good weather throughout late December and early January resulted in 19 per cent more visitors making the trip to the resort than in the same period last year. Skiers like nothing more than whizzing down mountains under azure skies and dazzling sunlight, and Sierra Nevada offers a ‘sun ‘n snow’ experience unlike anywhere else.

Quote of the Week The existing mobility in the European Union is facilitating the movements (of jihadists) to any country and also to our country,’ said Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz, who wants border controls restored in the Schengen Zone in the aftermath of the terror attacks in France last week.

The resort kept as many pistes open as possible and it’s reported that around 27,000 visitors availed themselves of the Mirlo Blanco family activity zone, complete with ice rink, toboggans, mini-ski and minisnowboarding facilities. Given its popularity with families, the Three Kings even paid a visit this year, displaying their little-known but extremely impressive skiing skills. Depending on conditions, the season at Sierra Nevada can sometimes last until as late as early May, when it’s possible to ski in the morning and then make the trip down to the Costa del Sol to enjoy an afternoon swimming in the waters of the Mediterranean. As the height of the 2015 ski season is approaching, the resort can expect further good figures to complement its successful Christmas period.

CREDITlev radin / Shutterstock.com

Number of the week

35%

is the amount of Spaniards who ‘never’ or ‘hardly ever’ read books, with nearly half of this amount putting their lack of reading down to being ‘not interested,’ according to recent government research.

Corruption case PUBLIC Safety councillor Guillermo Navarro and the Chief of Local Police in Palma Joan Miquel Mut testified before a judge on Tuesday (January 13) for their alleged involvement in a police corruption case.

Burglar sought A SERIES of break-ins have alarmed Alaro residents. They started on Christmas Eve and there have been around 12 in 15 days. Police have beefed up their presence in the area.

Lotto winner LADY LUCK smiled on a Palma resident who won €30,000 in the lottery last Friday (January 9). The winning ticket was sold on Calle Aragon, said ONCE.

And finally... A FAMILY in the UK got a shock when they found a live gecko in a pack of supermarket broccoli. The lizard had survived a journey from Spain, a spell on the shelves of Sainsbury’s in Powys, Wales, and four days in the Martin family shed, before they discovered him. The Martins are keeping the gecko and have named him ‘Broc’.

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Outraged over the rubbish THE increasing accumulation of rubbish and the overflowing rubbish bins in some areas of Palma have sparked outrage among local residents. “Palma is now one big rubbish

bin,” said Coloma Ferrer talking to the media. “This is now becoming a common occurrence,” complained Toni Ballester, who lives in Molinar. This emblematic area of Palma is very dirty and it takes days before

the rubbish bins are emptied, he complained. These are now all too common complaints in Palma, and the Christmas season - especially the Three Kings Day - made the

problem much worse because of all the cardboard generated. The service provided by Emaya is deficient, said neighbours and called on the municipal government to increase its workforce.

Palma to pay tribute to its patron saint THE festivities held in honour of Palma’s patron saint kicked off on Saturday, January 10. Until Sunday January 25, Palma is celebrating its annual Festes de Sant Sebastia with concerts, exhibitions, sports events and much more. Legend has it that Saint Sebastian saved the island from a plague in 1523 which coincided with the end of the Germania revolt and decimated the soldiers that were resisting from within the city walls. It is believed a fragment of bone from one of his arms - brought to Palma from the Greek

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Banning bullfights ARIANY is the 17th Mallorca municipality to ban bullfights. The decision to ban the traditional Spanish spectacle was made by the Council on Monday (January 12). Mallorca Sens Sang coordinator Guillermo Amengual said they were pleased with the move.

Shoot-out suspect CELEBRATING: The annual Festes de Sant Sebastia. island of Rhodes by a priest - miraculously put an end to the plague and the devotion to Saint Sebastian grew more and more until he was named

patron saint of Palma in 1634. The council has invested more than €412,000 in this year’s event.

POLICE are looking for a 23-year-old man who was involved in a shoot-out in Son Roca on Monday (January 5). The investigation was launched after police found a car riddled with bullet holes.

Our View

EWN: Yo soy Charlie

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HE tragic events in Paris last week have served to conjure up all sorts of conflicting emotions in right-minded people. As events unfolded, we were – in a short space of time – shocked, saddened, bewildered, angered and dismayed, not just at the horrible events that were taking place in France but at the mind-set of the terrorists carrying out the awful atrocities that left 17 innocent people dead. These were people who were going about their daily business but were never to return home because of the distorted, radicalised views of a handful of brainwashed murderers. We have unfortunately seen this type of thing before: in New York and Washington in 2001, in Madrid in 2004 and in London in 2005, not

to mention the countless acts of violence committed in the name of Islam every day in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere. The fear in the West is that more and more ‘lone wolves’ will arm themselves and kill innocent people indiscriminately in the name of religion. The threat that the world faces in this age – from large scale attacks to this newer individual form of terrorism – is a constant worry, but we cannot let these jihadists and bullies ruin our way of life. We are all entitled to our own beliefs despite being branded ‘infidels’ by those who would have it otherwise. The Charlie Hebdo attack and its aftermath has saddened the world, and as we try to come to terms with this latest horrific act of terrorism, we at the EWN are proud to say: ‘Yo soy Charlie.’

NEWS NEWS EXTRA

Waste treatment THE Insular Council of Mallorca has approved a waste treatment plan which seeks to reduce waste on the island by up to 10 per cent and increase selective waste collection by up to 50 per cent.

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Police move to evict squatters NATIONAL POLICE have begun evicting squatters who have been occupying the rural property of a British woman in Palma

Burning car PALMA firefighters were called to put out a burning fourwheel vehicle on Via de Cintura in Palma on Tuesday (January 13). The fire started at approximately 5pm and caused traffic jams.

Marathon first THE first edition of the Palma Marathon will be held on the Sunday October 18. The event will mark the beginning of a new era for sports in the city, said Deputy Mayor for Culture and Sport Fernando Gilet.

Blood plea THE Balearic Blood Bank is calling upon healthy people between 18 and 65 years of age and weighing more than 50 kilos to donate blood in an effort to bolster diminishing supplies.

Noise woes PEOPLE living on Calle Fabrica and Llotja in Palma are calling for steps to be taken to reduce the noise levels coming from local restaurants and bars. On Calle Fabrica, for instance, they want such establishments to close at 11pm.

OFFENSIVE: The comment

since September last year. A group of officers from a Palma Court arrived at the property located in s’Aranjassa on Tuesday (January 13) with an eviction order. The eviction process is expected to take several days, as the squatters must remove their belongings and close to 30 horses. The current proprietor a British woman who had to leave the island for a few days to attend to family matters - is posted on Facebook. reportedly back in Mallorca. According to the complaint she lodged with the police, the squatters later he could not resist arrived in a van, forced commenting on her open the locks and took possession of her home. Facebook profile picture. The country property is His sarcastic ‘a la vete a enseñarlo guapa’ (showing valued at over €2 million what you have, beautiful) and occupies more than was enough for a Palma 30,000 square metres. “All I want is to get my court to jail him. He appealed saying the court home back,” said Marian talking to could not know that it Porter, was him who had sent the ultimahora.es, days before message, but the court police started evicting the squatters. rejected his application.

Post leads to jail A FACEBOOK comment has cost a man nine months behind bars. The unnamed man has been told he must serve the sentence after he sent his ex-girlfriend a message despite being issued with a restraining order. He had been banned from contacting her in anyway by a court in Palma in 2012. But just five days

Detained protesters face one year behind bars THE Public Prosecutor is seeking a oneyear prison sentence for each of the four people detained during a protest against a visit by the president of the Balearic Regional Government, Jose Ramon Bauza, to Bunyola in 2012. They stand accused of disobeying the authorities, inciting violence and attacking a Guardia Civil convoy. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the convoy was on its way to the restaurant where it was supposed to

meet Bauza when it was stopped by more than 400 people in the church square in Bunyola. Once the convoy managed to make it to the train station, 60 protesters would not let it through. Four of them are accused of leading the protest and encouraging the rest to stand their ground, disobeying police orders. One of the detainees reportedly resisted arrest and bit one of the officers, something he has always disputed.

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Motorist faces jail for running over woman A MOTORIST accused of running over a woman in Palma could be facing a lengthy prison sentence.

The incident occurred in September 2012 on Calle Manacor, when a 61year-old woman was reportedly crossing the street when she was run over by the taxi driver – who was driving a private car at the time – and dragged for 14 metres. It appears he did not stop to help her but fled the scene. The defendant refused SERIOUS CRASH: Guardia Civil are investigating. to testify during the trial but did apologise, saying: “Not a single day has gone by that I do not go to bed thinking about what happened.” According to an eyewitness, the man had TWO teenagers sustained severe injuries following a been driving erratically serious accident on the Soller-Fornalutx motorway. before he got to Calle The 17-year-old girls were riding a motorbike Manacor and came very when they crashed into a tree in the early hours of close to running over Monday (January 12). Local Police and the Guardia another pedestrian near Civil are looking into the causes of the accident, but Plaza de España. it appears the driver – who was taken to Son Llatzer The Public Prosecutor Hospital – lost control of the motorbike. The other is seeking an eight-year girl was taken to Son Espases Hospital. prison sentence.

Teens injured in motorbike crash

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BUYING a bottle of Champagne in Palma de Mallorca costs a pretty penny. According to a study conducted by residential and commercial property consultancy Knight Frank, Champagne is more expensive in Palma than in many other cities around the world, at a cost of, on average, €140 per bottle. Madrid is the only Spanish city where it

(Flickr by Sergey Melkonov)

Expensive bubbly in Palma

CHAMPAGNE: More expensive in Palma. costs more to buy a bottle of bubbly, at €250 per bottle.

Dipper jailed ONE of Mallorca’s most famous pickpockets will spend the next 18 months in prison for robbing two tourists last year. A Palma de Mallorca court sentenced 59-year-old Virgilio JM to one-and-a-half years behind bars for stealing a purse containing €250 and several credit cards from two Scotswomen in Plaza de España on September 28 as they about to take a bus.

The study goes on to say that the cost of living in Palma is among the highest in the world, which puts the city alongside Ottawa, Cyprus, Madrid and Dubai as the most expensive places to live. However, the good news is that Palma ranks high among the cities with the best quality of life, with Copenhagen, Auckland, Madrid and Geneva.

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Twist in domestic violence case A DOMESTIC violence victim has denounced the police officer who saved her from her abusive husband. The wife of Francisco CB has lodged a complaint against the police officer who

saved her, saying he assaulted her husband when he detained him earlier this month and that the alleged abuser could not defend himself. The 58-year-old man was arrested at his residence on Calle Joan Carle I in Sa Pobla after he reportedly beat up his wife and then pulled a hunting rifle on the Local Police and the Guardia Civil, opening fire at least 12 times. The police took cover and TWO badly neglected mares have been fired back, but one of the rescued by environmentalists in Llubi. officers was injured by Following a tip-off from an unidentified shrapnel. individual, members of the environmental The abusive husband faces non-profit organisation, Fundacio Natura Parc, charges of attempted and Local Police officers arrived at a rural homicide, attacking police property last Saturday (January 10) and found officers and domestic violence the two animals on the brink of starvation. and was taken to police One of them was found lying on the ground, headquarters in Inca. too weak to even stand up, and remains in a Although it appears many very serious condition. had witnessed the abuse she The starving horses were attended to at the had been subjected to, the scene and then taken to Natura Parc’s wife is said to be reluctant to headquarters where they are being looked bring charges against her after. husband for fear of reprisals.

Neglected mares saved from death

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Almeria pilgrimage THOUSANDS of people participated in this year’s Torregarcia pilgrimage. Fifty police, five firefighters and 15 civil protection officers were on hand to support the walkers on their journey.

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

MARBELLA Council announced that there were 908 fewer unemployed people registered in the town at the end of 2014 than at the end of the year before.

More greenery

MORE than 20,000 people attended the Three Kings in Roquetas, one of the largest in the province. Councillor for Sports and Leisure, Jose Juan Rubi, called the event the best yet.

Sun centre reopens TABERNAS solar centre has reopened its doors. The centre is used for solar research and utilised by schools, colleges and universities. The latest visitors were from the University of Jaen.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Italian job AN investigation into the history behind Villajoyosa streets has revealed that the town was an entry port for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. It was used chiefly by Italian travellers.

Long ship UNDERWATER excavations have found that a wrecked Roman galley off Villajoyosa is bigger than originally believed. It is 33.5 metres long, seven metres more than first calculated, with a nine-metre beam.

Fast work CALPE was chosen for the 2015 presentation of Belgian cycling team Etixx-Quick Step. The team, which includes British sprinter Mark Cavendish, hopes to surpass last year’s 68 victories.

Freewheeling CLIENTS of San Vicente’s bike-sharing service used it 21,534 times in 2014. The free scheme was introduced in 2007 as a

Smuggled tobacco

Fewer jobless

VICAR has released its population figures for 2014. Although the population dropped to 24,391 at the end of 2013, it has now increased to 24,739 with native and foreign residents.

Kings’ crowds

miles south of Malaga carrying almost 17 tonnes of hash last March, cut its ties and left port without authorisation, leaving a debt of €3,000.

TWO people were arrested for smuggling and 7,900 packets of illegal tobacco confiscated by Guardia Civil officers in San Roque.

Population increase

BENAHADUX now has an additional 450 aleppo pines and 1,000 herbs, including thyme, lavender and rosemary, in its rural areas as part of an initiative spearheaded by the Junta de Andalucia regional government.

NEWS DESK

PEACEFUL: French residents met to denounce terrorist violence.

French-speakers unite to honour Paris dead MARINA BAJA’S French-speaking association took to the streets in memory of France’s victims of terrorism. They congregated in Benidorm’s Plaza de Sus Majestades los Reyes de España to denounce terrorism and show support for Charlie Hebdo magazine. More than 300 people formed a circle and observed a one-minute silence in honour of their fellow countrymen who sustainable alternative to driving, the town hall said.

Seasonal cheer THE 22 per cent difference between Benidorm’s high and low season occupancy was a further indicator of economic recovery when compared with 2013’s 27 per cent difference, hoteliers have claimed.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

All shook up NO damage was reported following an earthquake that shook the Vega Baja with a magnitude of 3.2 on the Richter Scale. The epicentre was in Los Montesinos.

New president THE PP in Orihuela has appointed Jose Francisco Perez as their new interim president, following the expulsion of Pepa Ferrando after refusing to vote in an anticorruption motion.

were slaughtered in the two Paris attacks. A manifesto was read out in defence of democracy and freedom of speech. The act concluded with the singing of ‘La Marseillaise’ (French National Anthem) with ‘Je suis Charlie’ placards held aloft, together with outsized pencils symbolising freedom of speech and the press.

Busy city TOURIST occupation in Murcia grew by 19 per cent in 2014, with the city receiving 478,000 overnight stays last year.

Year of weddings SANTA POLA has set a new record for weddings with an average of 30 civil ceremonies being officiated each month in 2014 in the town, thanks in part to the speed of issuing the paperwork and ceremony date.

Channel rescue TWO police officers helped rescue a man and prevent a possible drowning. The man had fallen into the irrigation channel in Beniel, Orihuela.

COSTA DEL SOL

Runaway ship A SHIP has disappeared from Malaga Port. The Mayak, which was caught 30

Medical improvements MALAGA’S Carlos Haya and Clinico hospitals have received updates valued at almost €800,000 to high-resolution angiograph and magnetic resonance equipment, which specially trained staff use to diagnose thousands of patients each year.

Guide training MALAGA Cathedral is to give training courses to tourist guides to ensure they have sufficient knowledge to explain the important characteristics of the city’s first Christian temple to visitors.

AXARQUIA

Tropical innovation THE Subtropical and Mediterranean Fruit and Vegetables Institute ‘La Mayora’ of Axarquia has grown custard apples with barely any seeds after 20 years of investigation. They will start being grown commercially within a few years.

Council help VELEZ-MALAGA Council solved 15,755 incidents related to public spaces, services and electricity systems since 2012, when an app for incidents management called Gecor was first launched on www.velezmalaga.es.

Winner announced THE Salobreña Film Noir Festival poster contest will announce its winner today (January 15). The prize will be €500 and the festival will take place between March 17 and 22.

Taekwondo success THE Taekwondo Championship of Andalucia was held in Rincon de la Victoria for the first time last Sunday (January 11). It was held in the Municipal Sports Centre and drew more than 500 participants.

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Clinic ordered to pay compensation for using faulty breast implants A PALMA aesthetic clinic has been ordered to pay two women thousands of euros in compensation after they were given faulty silicone breast implants. The two Palma residents underwent surgery in 2006 at €6,000 each and – unbeknownst to them – were given PIP breast implants manufactured by the now defunct French company Poly Implant Prothese. These implants were later recalled from the market after it was found they could rupture. Five years later, when health authorities started urging women with breast implants to verify what kind of implants they had been given and to get an X-ray if they had the PIP model, the women went to a different clinic in Palma for an ultrasound, which determined their implants had indeed ruptured and they needed surgery. The new operation was performed at the same aesthetic clinic by the same surgeon at a cost of €1,690 each.

Suicide foiled FIREFIGHTERS in Palma saved the life of a woman who tried to kill herself. The woman called the emergency services and told the operator she did not like her sofa and was going to set it on fire. The operator called the firefighters who rushed to Calle Mestre d’Aixa. The police got there first and knocked on the door several times without success. Seeing thick smoke coming from inside, the officers broke down the door to gain entry. Firefighters put out the flames and rescued the woman who was threatening to jump from the balcony.

The patients denounced the clinic, saying it had given them faulty implants

and failed to properly inform them of the related risks of the product they

were getting. Furthermore, they claimed nobody told had them that

they would need regular check-ups. The clinic must now pay one of the

patients €4,000 compensation and other €1,690.

in the

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FEATURE

A heated debate over W MANY expatriates in Spain are crying foul after the UK Government axed winter fuel payments. Chancellor George Osborne has decided to apply a ‘temperature test’ to entire countries to see which pensioners should get the payment. Spain is one of those

Thermostat means-testing WHEN the Winter Fuel Allowance was first introduced in 1997, I assumed that I was excluded. At first I was too young and once I reached pensionable age I still believed I didn’t qualify as I had paid tax and National Insurance for such a short time back in the 60s. By the time I realised that I was entitled to it, the opportunity was snatched from under my nose. But was I morally entitled to claim that £200? Fortunately, Messrs Cameron, Osborne and Duncan Smith spared me that dilemma by telling me I’m not going to get it anyway.

Most of us who chose to live in this country did so because it promised more affordable living and an enhanced quality of life, which says little for the mother country and its pitiful state pensions. The Winter Fuel Allowance is a pension right, not a handout, and if the proceeds from our National Insurance contributions were used wisely, there would not be a shortage of funds. How dare Smith and his profligate pals refer to these payments as an obscene waste of taxpayers’ money! We have been, and many still are, UK taxpayers. With most retired expats retaining the right to vote in the UK elections, but the majority not bothering, we pose little threat to the government and are therefore seen as a soft target.

Expats are seen as a soft target

We’re not all in this together!

COLIN BIRD I WRITE this with radiators full on and a steaming mug of rumenhanced coffee at my elbow. Does Tory millionaire George Iain Duncan Smith (plain George Smith if he hadn’t had grandiose pretentions) not realise that even in Spain, the late afternoon temperatures drop significantly, and prolonged heating is very much required? Obviously not. Have the British Consulates, whose staff are aware of this fact, lobbied on our behalf? Doubtful.

FUEL PAYMENTS: Iain Duncan Smith says they are a waste of taxpayers’ money.

KEEPING WARM: In many areas of Spain, especially those inland, temperatures can drop to below freezing.

NORA JOHNSON SO, with the loss of the Winter Fuel Allowance, all those pensioners who, over the years, paid taxes and NI contributions thereby helping to pay for hospitals, schools, nurses, teachers, etc - will lose a little help towards the costs of keeping themselves warm in winter here in Spain. Just because they move to a CORDON PRESS

CASSANDRA NASH

that fails the test. A spokesman from the UK’s Department of Works and Pensions confirmed to the Euro Weekly News that the current payments are the last expatriates in Spain will be able to claim. From September 2015 they will have lost their

cheaper and/or warmer country to live shouldn’t mean their entitlements are summarily cut. Unlike those who stay behind, pensioners who live abroad make no demands on the UK for medical expenses, local services, welfare, etc, yet many still pay tax to the UK Government through their pensions. Indeed, research by the pressure group, Oxford Economics, found that emigrating pensioners save the Government £2.3 billion (€2.95 billion) a year in social care costs. Seems we’re not all in this together! With the NHS currently on life support and a General Election looming, it’s clear the Government needs to make savings somewhere. But it’s also clear it could save a lot more if it stopped all handouts to those who aren’t entitled to be in the country – particularly child benefit payments for children who don’t actually live in the UK.

Hey Britain! It does get cold in Spain IAIN DEMPSEY AS a 30-something-year-old Irishman living on the Costa del Sol, the decision to abolish the Winter Fuel Allowance for UK expats is one that (thankfully) doesn’t affect me. But my sympathies do lie with those who will no longer receive their payments as a result of Iain Duncan Smith’s decision. Contrary to popular belief and British tabloid spoutings, the Costa del Sol does get cold during the winter months, particularly at night. While the sun can and often does remain warm during the day, it may come as a shock to those in the British

FEATURE

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Winter Fuel Allowance eligibility. He said: “The regulations have been laid in Parliament and will become law.” Designed to help with the cost of winter heating in the chilly UK, critics said people in warmer climes should not receive it. It has caused much controversy over the years, but

one thing is certain, for many people losing the cash payment of between £100 and £300 (€128 to €385) will be a blow. In this special Euro Weekly News report we asked people in the street what they thought of the move, and some of our columnists give their personal opinion.

COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY We have paid all our taxes for over 40 years in England. In Spain the only benefits we are entitled to are with healthcare as we are pensioners. Anybody going to England from other countries seems to be entitled to everything from the word go. It DOES get cold. We do have frosts.’ Patricia Stooks, Aljambra, Albox, Almeria It’s like giving a child pocket money to save up for something to enjoy later and then, when the time comes to spend it, taking it away again. Totally unfair. Next they will be deducting their pensions!’ Lisa Sadleir, Mijas, Malaga It seems totally reasonable that I do not get any allowance here in Spain. I have chosen (15 years ago) to leave the UK. I think their resources should be spent IN the UK on the National Health, which seems at bursting point.’ Steve Hall, Fuengirola I have a problem with the Government’s decision to penalise many of us who have paid in to receive benefits when they retired, to possibly use this money to pay out to many people who have never contributed at all.’ L Clarke, Costa Blanca

Paying winter fuel payments to British expat pensioners in Spain is NOT offensive - it is their right.’ Sandra Piddock, Algorfa, Costa Blanca We would like Iain Duncan Smith to come and live with us for a week in January while we switch off the heating! Our nearest town is Chirivel in Almeria at an altitude greater than the top of Mount Snowdon!’ Tina Charles, Chirivel, Almeria I would say approximately 90 per cent of our purchasers do not ask for or know what an Energy Performance Certificate is, and the results on the efficiency of a property do not form part of their decision process. So I take from this that the clients do not put heating/energy saving as a priority on their property purchase. However, I really feel for the people who are losing the allowance.’ Sharon Garner, Director, Spanish Property Choice I feel that people who have moved to a warmer clime should stand on their own two feet. Why should they be supported by the UK Government? Maybe it would be fairer if it was means-tested so people on the breadline got some help.’ Phil Langley, Director PLC Inter-Communications advertising and marketing

A slim chance of a reversal THERE is a possible loophole in the Statutory Instrument, the piece of legislation that the British Government used to take away the Winter Fuel Allowance. There is a parliamentary technique, which is rarely used, to halt the implementation of the Statutory Instrument, otherwise known as a ‘prayer’. It must be activated within 40 days of tabling of the Statutory Instrument. In order to have a chance of overturning the Statutory Instrument, the clerk must receive a large number of submissions, then action may be taken to stop the implementation. You must send an email to The Clerk, Work and Pensions Committee, workpencom@parliament.uk at outlining your objection to the Winter Fuel Allowance Statutory Instrument and asking for it to be annulled.

Have your say Is your blood boiling at the axing of the Winter Fuel Allowance? Or do you think it was the right thing to do? Let us know your views by sending an email to editorial@euroweeklynews.com. Parliament that it is not sunny all the time in Spain, particularly in inland areas and those at higher altitudes. From personal experience, I know what it’s like to shiver at home at night during the winter in a Spanish home that isn’t built to withstand the cold. Sure, most of the year it’s roasting, but come late November the temperatures drop and though it may not be as cold as it is in the UK, heating is definitely needed until at least early March. And that heating is expensive, be it central heating, hot air conditioning or fuel for fires. I can only imagine how much colder it can feel to an elderly person, a person who has paid their UK taxes and has the right to live in a warm home.

The problem is much bigger MIKE WALSH BRITAIN’S Foreign Aid bill this year is expected to rise to £11.3 billion (€14.5 billion). Foreign ‘Aid’ buys into products and services in which the elite have a financial interest; it is a misnomer for governmentapproved money laundering. Britain’s oil-based wealth is 19th on the world scale. Norway, drawing on similar oil fields, is not far ahead. The Norse nation has so much oil-related wealth its problem is how to spend it. Norway has no national debt. Britain is one of the most indebted countries in the world. Britain ranks shockingly high in social

deprivation, crime, abysmal educational performance, child poverty, and a ramshackle transport infrastructure. The British pension is the lowest in Europe save that of Latvia. The problem is far more than pensioners being deprived of their paltry heating allowance. Nothing will change until we wake up to the fact that Britain and its wealth are managed by one of the most corrupt and inept pseudo-democratic regimes in the developed world. We either change or change will be thrust upon us.

No choice at all DILIP KUNER IT is a bit rich for the UK Government to say that pensioners living in Spain somehow don’t deserve a winter fuel

payment. Take the example of my retired father. His home in Mijas has gas cooking and solar heated hot water. His electricity bills still come in at more than €240 a time. He also spends €100 a month on wood at this time of the year for the one open fire in his house. And that is a necessity, not a luxury. Now he may well have to economise on wood even if that means going cold. If not, something else will have to go. And what else is there? Food? Clothes? Thousands of expatriates will face the same choice that is really no choice at all. Isn’t that why the payment was originally brought in, to stop people in that position from having to make such a decision? So why should British citizens living in Spain have to choose to stay warm or not, whilst those back in the UK don’t have to? The cradle-to-grave promise of the UK Social Security system would appear not to apply if you live in Spain.

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S CANDINAVIAN P RESS

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Stories making headlines in Europe

Sales slump forces Tesco to close 43 stores

DENMARK - Denmark has been ranked by Forbes Magazine as the best country in the world for doing business.

TESCO is to shut down 43 of its stores across the country, including its head office, following a sharp slump in sales over the Christmas period. The supermarket chain also plans to cut jobs and sell off parts of its business.

Wind power

Driving sales

DENMARK - 2014 was a record year for Danish wind energy, with 39 per cent of the country’s electricity covered by wind power.

THE sale of new cars in the UK hit a 10-year high during 2014. In total, 2.47 million new cars were registered last year, which is up 9 per cent on 2013 and the best annual performance since 2004.

Drink problem

Prices rising

DENMARK - One in five Copenhageners has an alcohol dependency problem according to a health report drafted by the city.

Rare find SWEDEN - A team of Swedish archaeologists has discovered a rare 2,500year-old wall painting depicting two Egyptian gods in a quarry south of Cairo.

Luxury home SWEDEN - Minecraft creator Markus Persson has bought a Beverly Hills mansion for $70 million (€59.5 million), the highest price ever paid for a home in the area.

Slacking off

HOUSE prices in the UK rose by nearly 8 per cent during 2014, according to Halifax. The average price of a home in Britain now stands at £188,858 (€241,744), up £14,600 (€18,688) on 2013 prices.

Too expensive A SURVEY has revealed that a fifth of parents would consider quitting their jobs or slashing

PRO-RUSSIA computer hackers have claimed to be behind a recent attack on German government websites, including the website of Chancellor Angela Merkel. They demanded Berlin end support for the Ukrainian government.

Photo: Steven Depolo

GERMANY is receiving more asylum applications than any other country according to the UN. Nearly a fifth of asylum seekers are from wartorn Syria.

Bomb scare SHOWERING: Brits take on average 227 showers per year.

Bath or shower? A THIRD of all Britons take only four or less baths each year, despite three-quarters of people having a bath in their home. New research shows the average person in the UK has 227 showers a year.

allowing foreign citizens to serve in the Russian army and Interior Ministry troops on condition they can speak Russian and have no criminal record.

Rugby coach

Less workers

BILLIONS SPENT: Christmas shopping in Norway

THE Berlin Senate believes that up to 3,000 unexploded World War II bombs could be buried in the German capital’s earth.

Queen’s visit THE Queen of England and Prince Philip have announced a state visit to Germany in June 2015. It will be their first visit to the country since 2004.

Berlin support

Foreign soldiers

Big spenders

A RECENT survey shows that 57 per cent of Germans feel that Islam is a threat in the country. Numbers attending anti-Muslim rallies have increased recently.

Asylum seekers

THE Russian rugby team has announced Alexander Pervukhin as the new head coach. He takes over from Frenchman Raphael Saint-Andre, PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin has signed a decree who has been in charge of the team since May 2014. The team narrowly missed out on Photo: Jon Olav Eikenes qualifying for this year’s World Cup.

SWEDEN - Research has found that Swedes spend on average two hours per day at work ‘slacking off’ by surfing the net or chatting with friends online.

NORWAY - Shoppers spent more than NOK 50 billion (€5.5 billion) in the lead up to Christmas between December 1 and December 25.

their hours to look after their children because of high childcare costs. Costs have risen by 30 per cent since 2010.

RUSSIAN PRESS Hacking Germany

GERMAN PRESS Islam threat

BRITISH PRESS Business leader

EUROPEAN PRESS

MORE than 1,000 people attended a rally in Berlin to show their support for the victims of the Charlie Hebdo killings in Paris. Berlin politicians expressed their sympathy with France.

Factory orders INDUSTRIAL orders in Germany dropped by 2.4 per cent in November 2014, but experts have insisted that the trend will not continue.

United front

THE flow of migrant workers to Russia dropped by 70 per cent in the first week of January compared with 2014. The drop has been put down to the devaluation of the ruble and the difficulty in finding jobs.

DURING her recent visit to Britain, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she and British PM David Cameron were united on a whole range of policy issues.

Asian tourism

Google faves

RUSSIA saw a boost in Asian tourism in 2014, but had less visitors from Europe and the USA. Tourism from China, Japan and South Korea rose in the first nine months of last year thanks to the weakening of the ruble.

THE most googled terms made by Germans during 2014 were ‘World Cup,’ followed by ‘Michael Schumacher’ and ‘iPhone 6’.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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

15 - 21 January 2015 / Mallorca

business & legal

EWN

17

STAT OF WEEK THE 35 firms on Spain’s Ibex stock market index were worth €563.64 billion at the end of 2014, a €27.17 billion increase on 2013. Banks contributed to €20.44 billion of this.

Taxing situation for Hacienda employees HACIENDA and State Administrator IGAE employees insisted that another 26,718 workers are needed to combat fiscal fraud. Gestha, the union representing them, claimed that without more personnel it will be impossible to pursue evaders efficiently. Nor can they meet the target of reducing by half, Spain’s €253 billion submerged economy which is

UNDERSTAFFING: A problem for Hacienda.

Canaries’ drilling results due soon REPSOL expects to finish test drilling off the Canary Islands this Sunday, January 18. Despite local opposition the Spanish multinational began surveying the Sandia oil field, 54 kilometres from Fuerteventura and 61 off Lanzarote, on November 18. Should the search for oil or gas give negative results, Repsol will go no further and abandon the Canaries project. If these are positive, the company will have to decide whether to move on to the Chirimoya field for more explorations. A third option involves a temporary halt to all prospections while the Sandia field results are

examined in depth and future strategy is decided. This would leave the drilling ship Rowan Renaissance free to depart for Angola to carry out new prospections. According to unofficial sources, this is Repsol’s favoured choice as the ship costs $1.2 million (approximately €1 million) to run each day. Prospecting off the Angola coast would be preferable to having it lie idle, the sources said. If a temporary halt is called, this could last between three and five months, depending on the quality of the Canaries’ results and the duration of the Angolan explorations.

B

usiness extra

New shoes US accessories firm Coach bought out upmarket shoe manufacturer Stuart Weitzman, now owned by Sycamore Partners, for €481 million. All the firm’s shoes are made at 11 Elda (Alicante) factories.

More AVEs THE AVE high-speed train will reach Zamora, Leon, Palencia and Burgos this year and connect Galicia’s main cities. Valencia will link with Castellon, Alicante with Murcia and the Sevilla line will extend to Cadiz.

Employment on the increase BY December 2014 there were 253,627 fewer jobless in Spain than at the beginning of the year. The number of contributors to Social Security also rose for the fifth consecutive month with 417,574 more people in system. It was the first time that this had happened since 2007 when the first symptoms of the economic crisis began to be felt. There is still some way to go, however, as 2.6

million jobs have been destroyed in the last six years. The fall of 253,627 in registered unemployed during 2014 was the greatest in 15 years and Minister of Labour Fatima Bañez predicted that 2015’s employment figures would outstrip official estimates. “The greater part of Spanish society is confident of finding work in the coming months,” she said.

now equivalent to 24.6 per cent of the country’s GDP. Understaffing is one of the Spanish system’s greatest problems, a Gestha communiqué stated. In European Union countries there is a tax administration employee for every 970 taxpayers, compared with Spain where there is one Hacienda employee for every 1,958 taxpayers, the union said.

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E W N 15 - 21 January 2015 / Mallorca

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LONDON - FTSE 100

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US

C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 12

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) 3i Group PLC 432.55 Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 425.85 Admiral Group PLC 1360.00 Aggreko PLC 1534.50 Anglo American PLC 1157.25 Antofagasta PLC 739.00 ARM Holdings PLC 998.75 Ashtead Group PLC 1145.00 Associated Britsh Foods 3110.50 AstraZeneca PLC 4597.75 Aviva PLC 493.00 Babcock International 1034.00 BAE Systems PLC 470.55 Barclays PLC 231.78 Barratt Developments 430.00 BG Group PLC 825.70 BHP Billiton PLC 1375.75 BP PLC 394.90

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 2.00 0.46 4.00 0.95 7.00 0.52 6.00 0.39 5.00 0.43 -11.00 -1.47 19.50 1.99 5.00 0.44 34.00 1.10 9.50 0.21 2.60 0.53 4.00 0.39 2.80 0.60 0.74 0.32 -1.40 -0.32 -4.20 -0.51 -0.76 -0.06 -3.90 -0.98

NET VOLUME 40.26 55.72 17.68 10.12 485.26 235.30 164.99 142.06 34.67 108.84 399.14 38.83 211.01 1,794.96 364.12 339.65 254.49 1,927.63

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Units per €

US dollar..................................................................1.18203 Japan yen..............................................................140.329 Switzerland franc..............................................1.20096 Denmark kroner.................................................7.43923 Norway kroner ....................................................9.10247

currenciesdirect.com/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226 C O M PA N Y

PRICE(P)

British Amercn Tobacco British Land Co PLC BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Carnival PLC

3501.75 778.50 396.20 1827.50 1652.50 1082.00 3087.00

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 12

C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 12

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 161.62 90.42 33.40 131.54 87.65 108.21 27.79 43.03 94.25 73.50 92.10 24.03 187.35 104.89 159.11 36.76 104.94 59.34 93.21 62.56 47.19 95.99 32.65 90.25 105.83 114.02 103.72 46.76 260.53 89.35

-2.01 -1.16 -0.10 -0.26 -1.06 -2.20 +0.28 -0.48 +0.46 -1.03 -0.13 -0.34 -2.92 -1.83 +0.69 +0.07 -1.45 -1.05 -1.15 -0.29 -0.40 -1.07 +0.15 -0.85 -1.35 -0.63 -0.98 -0.42 -3.92 -1.12

-1.23% -1.27% -0.30% -0.20% -1.19% -1.99% +1.02% -1.10% +0.49% -1.38% -0.14% -1.40% -1.53% -1.71% +0.44% +0.19% -1.36% -1.74% -1.22% -0.46% -0.84% -1.10% +0.46% -0.93% -1.26% -0.55% -0.94% -0.89% -1.48% -1.24%

2.4M 3.7M 21.5M 3.1M 4.9M 9.6M 33.6M 12.7M 8.6M 7.0M 14.5M 43.1M 2.0M 5.7M 4.5M 22.9M 7.4M 15.4M 4.3M 12.6M 23.9M 2.3M 24.7M 4.9M 1.4M 3.8M 3.4M 13.0M 2.6M 8.5M

1.27858

0.78211

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

C O M PA N Y

30.00 5.50 3.70 16.00 5.00 4.00 72.00

0.86 0.71 0.94 0.88 0.30 0.37 2.39

NET VOLUME 104.30 28.73 420.75 21.60 24.86 26.86 32.06

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 2.16 $ 2.91 $ 5.29 $ 7.21 $ 12.84 $ 8.51 $ 9.06 $ 74.63 $ 79.14 $ 4.83 $ 31.75

0.47 ▲ 27.81% 0.59 ▲ 25.43% 1.04 ▲ 24.47% 1.01 ▲ 16.29% 1.69 ▲ 15.16% 1.05 ▲ 14.08% 1.06 ▲ 13.25% 8.05 ▲ 12.09% 8.11 ▲ 11.42% 0.48 ▲ 11.03% 3.11 ▲ 10.86%

$ 6.19 $ 5.65 $ 6.51 $ 5.02 $ 35.18 $ 4.59 $ 3.22 $ 10.16 $ 12.42 $ 27.71 $ 2.41

4.14 ▼ 40.08% 3.16 ▼ 35.87% 3.10 ▼ 32.26% 1.51 ▼ 23.12% 8.445 ▼ 19.36% 0.90 ▼ 16.39% 0.57 ▼ 15.04% 1.45 ▼ 12.49% 1.53 ▼ 10.97% 3.40 ▼ 10.93% 0.2899 ▼ 10.74%

Most Advanced Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc. EDAP TMS S.A. Alcobra Ltd. Optibase Ltd. SCYNEXIS, Inc. Vimicro International Corporation Arrowhead Research Corporation Helen of Troy Limited Kite Pharma, Inc. Dot Hill Systems Corporation Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Most Declined Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. E2open, Inc. Argos Therapeutics, Inc. Star Bulk Carriers Corp. Five Below, Inc. Knightsbridge Shipping Limited MediciNova, Inc. Tesco Corporation Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. Golar LNG Partners LP Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Centrica PLC 264.45 -4.30 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1130.00 1.00 Compass Group PLC 1093.00 12.00 CRH PLC 1548.50 25.00 Diageo PLC 1840.50 17.00 Direct Line Insurance 301.50 2.30 Dixons Carphone PLC 457.25 1.90 easyJet PLC 1629.50 -0.15 Experian PLC 1098.00 5.00 Fresnillo PLC 819.25 3.00 Friends Life Group Ltd 372.75 1.10 G4S PLC 274.50 2.60 GKN PLC 343.90 6.30 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1412.25 2.50 Glencore PLC 285.47 -0.80 Hammerson PLC 621.25 2.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 959.00 11.50 HSBC Holdings PLC 605.75 3.70 Imperial Tobacco Grp 2938.50 4.85 InterContinental Hotels 2620.00 21.00 International Consoldtd ... 473.85 8.40 Intertek Group PLC 2447.50 -12.00 Intu Properties PLC 337.65 3.50 ITV PLC 213.20 -0.30 Johnson Matthey PLC 3525.00 19.00 Kingfisher PLC 322.55 1.10 Land Securities Group 1189.00 7.00 Legal & General Group 245.65 1.37 Lloyds Banking Group 73.48 -0.25 London Stock Exchange 2235.50 21.00 Marks & Spencer Grp 447.90 -0.10 Meggitt PLC 520.75 3.00 Mondi PLC 1056.50 6.00 Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts 174.10 -2.30 National Grid PLC 923.10 0.87 Next PLC 6952.50 55.00 Old Mutual PLC 190.25 1.20 Pearson PLC 1184.50 8.00 Persimmon PLC 1468.00 9.00 Prudential PLC 1490.25 12.00 Randgold Resources 4953.00 21.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5282.50 40.00 Reed Elsevier PLC 1102.50 12.00 Rio Tinto PLC 2980.75 -3.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings 872.50 10.50 Royal Bank of Scotland 366.80 -0.80 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2142.50 -17.50 Royal Mail PLC 423.10 1.00 RSA Insurance Group 433.20 1.50 SABMiller PLC 3366.50 45.00 Sage Group (The) PLC 466.15 3.40 Sainsbury (J) PLC 240.40 -1.40 Schroders PLC 2642.50 8.00 Severn Trent PLC 2061.50 9.00 Shire PLC 4769.00 28.00 Sky PLC 889.25 5.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 1186.50 4.00 Smiths Group PLC 1078.50 2.00 Sports Direct Internatnl... 701.75 9.00 SSE PLC 1562.00 -32.00 Standard Chartered PLC 931.90 -13.20 Standard Life PLC 390.55 2.10 St James's Place PLC 788.50 5.00 Taylor Wimpey PLC 126.40 0.70 Tesco PLC 202.62 -1.44 Travis Perkins PLC 1791.50 11.00 TUI AG 1119.50 8.00 Tullow Oil PLC 384.30 -2.80 Unilever PLC 2653.50 27.00 United Utilities Group 941.75 3.08 Vodafone Group PLC 226.82 1.85 Weir Group PLC 1752.50 -16.00 Whitbread PLC 4747.00 35.00 Wolseley PLC 3710.00 12.00 WPP PLC 1375.50 18.00

% C H G. -1.60 0.09 1.11 1.64 0.93 0.77 0.42 -0.01 0.46 0.37 0.30 0.96 1.87 0.18 -0.28 0.40 1.21 0.61 0.17 0.81 1.80 -0.49 1.05 -0.14 0.54 0.34 0.59 0.56 -0.34 0.95 -0.02 0.58 0.57 -1.30 0.09 0.80 0.63 0.68 0.62 0.81 0.43 0.76 1.10 -0.10 1.22 -0.22 -0.81 0.24 0.35 1.36 0.73 -0.58 0.30 0.44 0.59 0.57 0.34 0.19 1.30 -2.01 -1.40 0.54 0.64 0.56 -0.71 0.62 0.72 -0.72 1.03 0.33 0.82 -0.91 0.74 0.32 1.33

VOLUME 910.01 20.45 165.37 51.86 175.39 111.86 100.43 76.27 53.08 79.11 158.47 128.56 278.05 234.12 967.76 14.87 27.38 1,819.84 104.31 22.60 614.71 28.35 52.77 854.90 33.20 205.35 47.83 233.57 7,665.55 15.81 236.34 55.49 35.25 795.99 257.65 20.61 505.50 64.02 62.70 134.35 24.17 30.85 57.32 243.82 271.23 433.95 449.76 34.10 137.60 184.62 94.90 346.21 15.45 18.66 185.93 77.62 153.37 27.87 27.12 216.98 587.73 102.41 69.95 1,748.21 1,670.98 5.14 43.56 618.44 119.87 113.03 2,143.64 30.69 14.51 36.88 164.35

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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15 - 21 January 2015 / Mallorca

EWN

19

Using social media to sell IF you don’t yell, you won’t sell.’ It matters not how good your product is, if people don’t know about your service it will stay on the shelf. Advertising, and now social forum interaction, are essential components of selling. Businesses traditionally turn to conventional media. Many, including the major car makers, now add social online media to support their more formal forms of advertising. The true value of the internet is that it gives the astute small business owner a level playing field with the big hitters. It is hard to believe that Facebook, founded only 10 years ago, today operates from 48 international city hubs,

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

employs 8,348, and is used by 1.567 million people each day. The number of those signed up to Facebook comes to 20 per cent of the world’s population. The arts have always been the most difficult of livelihoods. Musicians, artists and artistes, the literati, sculptors and

models; many suchlike, found doors closed in their faces. Facebook and Twitter are a lifeline for many callings seeking work or orders. Social media offers advertising opportunities for the cash-strapped. Its value cannot be underestimated for those whose products or services are cold-shouldered by ring-fenced elite that is for most difficult to penetrate. They now post their interactive profiles on Facebook. By doing so, they reach far larger audiences than they could hope to present to in theatre, art gallery, catwalk or publishing house. New authors often use social media exclusively to sell their books.

Most businesses, restaurants to travel agencies, solicitors to estate agents, supplement their advertising with a working Facebook presence. Publishing houses, cultural associations would be isolated without this media. Conventional mainstream media, such as our own Euro Weekly News, value their formidable Facebook presence. This keeps users up to the minute with local and international news, offers an opportunity to have their say, or comment on various sections. One thing for certain, social media is very much a part of the ‘if you don’t yell, you don’t sell’ culture.

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E W N 15 - 21 January 2015 / Mallorca

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Where there is willpower there is a happy financial future H

OW are those New Year Resolutions going? Despite best intentions it can be very difficult to stick to new commitments. Goals to save money each month, pay off debt, or stop using that credit card aren’t that easy to achieve, are they? And although everyone tells us that all we need is a little bit of

Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

willpower - it seems that actual willpower is not as common as the word itself is so frequently thrown around. Self-control is not something that just magically appears when we want to be successful; it is in fact, something that takes training. So how do we train ourselves to have the ability to follow and

MEDITATION: Focus your mind on your goals.

Cash bid from banking giant THE eurozone’s biggest bank, Santander, has surprised markets by trying to raise €7.5 billion in fresh funds. The announcement of the recapitalisation move, which is worth about a 10th of its market value, was held after an extraordinary meeting of the board. Although no explanation was given for the move, some media have said that new

chairman Ana Botin was reacting to some investors’ worries that capital reserves were weaker than they should be. “This operation will be carried out through an accelerated placement,” said Santander, in a statement. It is a huge sum being raised, topping the €7.2 billion it raised in the midst of the financial crisis in 2008. Athough not as badly hit as some other banks, it still had to write off billions of bad property loans, SHARES in carbon fibre manu€19 billion in 2012 facturer Carbures plummeted alone. by 66 per cent after it restarted But generally the trading following a three-month banking giant has a suspension and admitted it was good reputation in not in profit, but making a loss. the market, and The Cadiz firm requested the was one of the few suspension last October to banks not to need a address questions raised by its governmental bail auditors regarding its viability. out.

Owning up

achieve our goals and secure a more content financial future? Well here are a few tips on where to start. Be mindful: Something like meditation is a great way to help build up willpower. Meditation is about sitting still, focusing your mind on an idea or phrase and having the patience to sit there and clear your mind of all other things apart from this goal. If you can train your mind to concentrate on a particular goal through meditation, you’ll see a remarkable change in your willpower. Make small deadlines: It’s important not to overwhelm yourself. By putting too much pressure on your plate, it’s possible to overexhaust your willpower to the point where you give up. Instead take little,

but significant steps. For example, if your goal is to save, start off by putting a small amount away, then each week or month, increase this figure slightly. This way you ease yourself into saving, without giving yourself the shock that might force you to quit. Be aware of impulses: Every time an impulse arises, encouraging you to perhaps blow all your savings or skip this month’s savings quota, try to remember why you set yourself these goals in the first place. Think of your long-term goals, and compare them to the shortterm satisfaction you get from caving into temptation. A whim impulse is not as important as the goals you spent time constructing previously, so don’t let them ruin your future.

“One man, one vote” or is it? Q. With reference to your article in EWN last week, it seems each property in a Community You and the does not have a vote, as you state. Instead it is the owner who has the vote and he has only Law in Spain ONE VOTE, regardless of how many flats he By David Searl owns. Your view is in conflict with that of Jose Luis Navarro who writes the Community Corner. If you were right, it means a property developer who still owns more than 50 per cent of the apartments, can run the Community to suit himself. R.B. (Costa del Sol) A. Well, we are both right. And, yes, it is confusing. Firstly, the Horizontal Property Law states that a majority vote in the Community needs a majority of the owners, who must also represent the majority of the ‘cuotas,’ or property shares. The need for this ‘double majority’ is clearly stated in the law. Now we come to the confusing part. Just as you say, one owner of many properties can dominate the proceedings. When some owners feel their interests are harmed, they can go to court. Spanish courts normally rule in favour of the small owners. As a result, some Communities have installed a system of ‘one owner, one vote,’ as the Community Corner points out. Nevertheless, this system remains contrary to the Horizontal Law. Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Cash in pesetas SOME €1.664 billion in peseta notes and coins are still lying around in Spain, roughly equivalent to the spending cuts recently demanded of Greece. They can be redeemed until December 31, 2020 and the Bank of Spain is currently exchanging notes and coins at the rate of approximately €1 million a month.

Not-so-pretty CORPORACION DERMOESTICA, specialists in cosmetic surgery, has gone into voluntary liquidation and is preparing to lay off staff. The chain, whose 43 clinics in Spain and Portugal will close, has short-term debts of €15.5 million and a diminishing turnover that fell by €6 million to €23 million in 2013.

OPINION & COMMENT

Hard-won right to vote AT 12.30pm on December 2, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP proposed a Bill that would give back to 1.5 million expatriates in Europe their right to vote. The Speaker called for opposition. There was none and the Bill now goes forward to be considered again at the next stage on March 6. I shall be in the House as I was on December 2. It could be that the timing of the General Election blocks all the Bills passing through the House. That would be a cruel fate after all the campaigning, but it can only delay the inevitable regaining of our right to vote. Arguing whether we vote at the 2015 or 2020 election means we have won and it is now just a matter of time. So that is how we enter the New Year, knowing that our campaign is nearly over. Harry Shindler MBE, London.

Home truths ELIZABETH COVINGTON’S letter contains some often-repeated but nevertheless false statements. How could anyone imagine that trade with the 30-odd million people in Australia and New Zealand, at the other end of the world, could possibly make up for endangering our access to the 500 million who live in the EU, just across the Channel? Also, it is misleading to imply that we gave up all trade with the Commonwealth when we joined the EU. There is still a good deal left! And we don’t need to leave the EU to trade with rest of the world. All the EU countries already do that, so that if we left the EU, we would simply be competing against our present EU partners, on the same or more probably worse terms than now. We are not the ‘most populated country in more than Europe.’ Germany has about 20 million more than we have, and France and Italy have about the same. The Netherlands have more people per square mile. Our services are not at breaking point because of mass immigration but because our governments have failed to

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Letters

15 - 21 January 2015/ Mallorca

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our aRUST dvert isers

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O!

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from 5.30pm until any time up to 2am. There can be four or 24 and their behaviour varies between texting, talking or playing music on phones to running around screaming, shouting and drinking. This happens on Fridays and Saturdays in term-time and every night during holidays. I have spoken to parents, the mayor and sat with the children trying to explain that their behaviour is anti-social and lacks respect for elderly retired people, all to no avail. I would be pleased to hear from anyone who has been in a similar situation. Stuart Burnley, Torremendo (Alicante)

Things to come?

THEY say you don’t get real twilight in Spain like this beautiful Hampshire scene in my son’s photo. For myself I’ll forgo the sunset and stay (comparatively) warm.

D Cochrane (by email)

anticipate demand and invest sufficiently. Elizabeth forgets that all calculations show immigrants put more into our benefits system than they take out, besides playing an indispensible role in staffing our hospitals. I agree if jobs are available, British people should take them and lose benefits if they don’t. However, it is not easy to refine the system in such a way as to push the able-bodied into work without punishing those who cannot work because of their medical condition, or because they are too busy looking after dependants. Bill Campbell (by email)

Long way to go I READ with some dismay the letter in last week’s Euro Weekly News the assumption that old trading partners such as Australia would resume business with the UK if we left the EU. Australia and New Zealand have established highly profitable trading links with countries in Asia such as China,

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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Japan and India where the distances are much less. Any imports or exports would have a premium added for the cost of travel to and from the UK. As for the NHS, there is a problem (mainly in the south of England), but the cost of addressing it will not be helped by leaving our biggest trading partner and striking out alone. Far better working away inside the EU with our natural allies within the structure such as the Dutch and now, increasingly, the Germans to curb the excesses of Brussels. Lewis Rudge, Bellreguard (Valencia)

EU flipside MY regards and a big kiss to Elisabeth Covington who wrote what many Danes have been fighting for years. This goes for many Swedes and Germans too. My mother was Swedish, my father was German and I was born in Denmark. I was against the Common Market in 1972, but it was moderate then. Each country should belong to itself and not to greedy and egotistical politicians. Let us hope that many people wake up in 2015. Carl-Heinz Feddersen, Torrox Costa (Malaga)

Noisy children I WRITE in the hope that readers may be able to help me with what I know is a Spanish problem. My wife and I live in a ground floor apartment in a small Spanish village. We are the only foreign residents and for health reasons my wife need periods of rest. For several years the local children aged between seven and 16 congregate under our window

IS this a sign of things to come? One day after Boxing Day a local supermarket increased their jars of Dolmio Sauce by 12 per cent from €2.75 to €3.08. Ann Paterson, San Fulgencio (Alicante)

Keeping abreast WHY does Leapy Lee just think of himself all the time? Being married, he is in a position to see and feel a breast any time of the day or night. Does he never think of single men (we cannot help being ugly) who never see or feel a breast at all? When we do catch sight of a woman breastfeeding her child it is a sight for sore eyes to us and brings us joy and happiness. Thank you, ladies. Leapy wants to ban the breast, I want to beautify it and you can carry on when and where you like. Bob Mitchell, Torremolinos (Malaga)

Split them up HAVE just read about the lady who had her purse stolen. Mine was stolen several years ago in Baza where I use to live and when we went to the police to report it, I was told off for having my cards, money, driving licence all in the same purse. They advised me to put them in a separate purse and holders, since then I have done this and have recommended to my friends that they do so, too. Ann Davis (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

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Oh for a direct answer! LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT

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ERE we go again. Months of screeching Kay Burley and political purgatory. Neverending queues of pontificating politicians, filling us with insincere claptrap, and predictably evading any embarrassing questions. Oh for a politician who answers a direct question with a direct answer. It’s an art, you know. It’s a parliamentary ploy, honed over many years by people who really don’t give a damn about you or me. Cold mercenaries, who simply use any political platform they can to further their own careers. Perhaps we should all try it. WIFE: ‘What were you doing in a restaurant, dining with a young blonde last night?’ HUSBAND: ‘No no darling, you really have to look at the broader picture. A recent poll revealed that it was far more intellectually beneficial to dine out in company than singularly. We must also do all we can to encourage small

VOTING TIME: May the outcome be beneficial to us all. businesses by bringing them as much custom as possible. We really must all learn to move forward... etc.’ Alright, I know I’m not too good at it, but you get my drift. Delighted to see UKIP growing more popular by the hour. Especially when it was over two years ago I advised everyone to look out for them. (Another ‘Leapy rant!?’) To tell the truth, with all

the other parties and media constantly discussing the UKIP threat, the added bonus of so much free publicity must be very welcome indeed. Ah well, at least it’s democracy. Let the contest begin and may the outcome be beneficial to all. My TV is stuck displaying the subtitles for the deaf. Actually with my tinnitus worse than ever, it can actually help with the odd words I don’t catch. I assume it’s

triggered by some voice recognition process, which is all well and good, but does sometimes produce some hilarious mistakes. For example, in a football game yesterday it gleefully informed us that a shot was fired at an ‘open goat!’ We were also told that ‘a vessel would write itself,’ ‘a poster had sunk off of cows’ and some poor unfortunate had had ‘a shot across the bowels!’ Lovely stuff. In the normal run of things, having experienced ‘post incarceration problems,’ I would come out on the side of footballer Ched Evans; after all, he didn’t receive or deserve a life sentence for his criminality. But surely, for this young man to get a more sympathetic ear from his peers, a step in the right direction would be to simply apologise. He doesn’t even have to admit his guilt. ‘If I misread the young lady’s intentions and behaved inappropriately, then I apologise unreservedly for any suffering I have caused both her and her family.’ Job done. If his young arrogance doesn’t allow him to do even that, then he deserves everything he gets. S’there! Keep the faith, Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently?

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INA JARRETT of Lifestyle Interiors, in Portals Nous, Mallorca: “There were a few funny things that happened during the Christmas holidays. My parents have been staying with us and after Christmas Day lunch, I decided to make us all Irish coffee. I spent ages over the preparation, fresh coffee, fresh whipped cream, and the best single malt. We all took our first sip, which my husband promptly spat out across the table - I had put salt in the coffee instead of sugar!” Tony Roig of Bar Rositas, in Calvia, Mallorca: “We went to the UK over the Christmas holidays. We still had some gifts to buy, but the shops were so busy, we got back quite late and wrapped the gifts. After a few vinos we realised no one had written out the name tags. It was quite funny when my daughter opened an El Divo CD, and my mum got One Direction. How to disappoint two people at the same time!” Claus of the Longhorn restaurant, in Benalmadena, Malaga, is always being mistaken for the Italian referee, Collina: “When I am asked if I am the famous Italian referee, it makes me chuckle,

STREET TALK although being bald is all Collina and I have in common as football is not a hobby of mine. Recently a football team from Benalmadena gave me a very nice football shirt with the logo of my restaurant Kirsty (right); Tina (far right) and Claus with his football shirt (below).

Peter of PN TV.

Longhorn on it. I shall wear it next summer.” Kirsty Gordon from Bar Boru in Calahonda, Malaga, told us: “When a client bought a Bar Boru Gold Card over Christmas, getting her two for one evening meals all year long… the client asked me if it was also usable as a credit card!” Kirsty went on to reply “No... But it will give you a great interest in Bar Boru!!” “We were going on a cruise from Valencia, and couldn’t find the car park,” said Peter Savage from PN TV Services. “We had pre-booked the car park, so ended up abandoning the car on wasteland and leaving it with some guy. I gave him €10 and said if it was still there in a week with all the tyres I’d give him another €10. And it was! He was waiting by the car when we got off the ship. It was stressful at the time but we laugh about it now.”

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OPINION & COMMENT

Shake, rattle and roll . . . Cool! Colin Bird

MODERN TECHNOLOGY: Manufacturers don’t build things to last like they used to.

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

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like my computer. I can have a good old chat with friends who live on the other side of the Atlantic - complete with a live image - and it’s great for researching things I need for work. But I positively detest the thing when it goes wrong, which is as frequent as the issue of yet another EU regulation. Anyway, I had a bit of trouble a couple of weeks ago when it began to cut out at inopportune times. Yes, I know the term is ‘crash’, but being firmly anchored in the pre-computer age, I prefer the term ‘cut out’, thank you. This happened with increasing regularity until it simply would not, um... reboot dammit. So I took it to my local computer shop. I have to say that I take my faulty hardware in as a last,

not a first, resort. Not because I have problems with the staff, who are always helpful and professional but, due to my own failings, I invariably emerge from the place feeling like a prize turnip. They use Klingon when trying

to explain things to me, you see, and although I nod sagely, the truth is I don’t understand a darn thing they are saying. On this occasion I was told to leave the offending beast and they would get back to me, which they did, promptly.

It’s the power supply, I was told by the friendly young man. I was puzzled, everything else in the house seemed to be working perfectly and I told him so. No, the power supply, he repeated. I was getting agitated. Yes, I heard what he said the first time,

and I reiterated that all the lights in the house were working, as too were the TV and that other thing that burns bread whenever I use it, so how come? The power supply in the computer, he pointed out patiently. But could it be fixed? Of course, and less than an hour later and €60 poorer, I had the treacherous machine back on my desk. The problem, apparently, is that my computer is two years old and I must expect this sort of thing to happen. My parents only ever owned one fridge purchased during the 50s and although it would shake, rattle and roll in keeping with its vintage, it was still doing its job 30 years later. So why are today’s manufacturers not able to build things to last? Well, they could, of course, but when hundreds of people queue round the block for the latest model of things like smartphones at 500 quid each, why should they?

Name change but the same high standards Vicki Mcleod

Family Matters IN September 2009, Julie Staley and Jay Herons opened the Kip McGrath Education Centre in Son Quint Golf in Palma. It wasn’t long before I got to know and respect them for their professionalism, standards and ambitions. They set out to offer a high standard in educational tutoring for children who either spoke English as their mother tongue and needed help maintaining a good level, or children who were learning to speak English as a second language. I’m guessing that the first few years were challenging; it’s not easy to establish yourself on this little island, so many people come and go, and you have to keep working hard.

EDUCATORS: (From left) Jay, Rosheen, Julie, Caroline and Salma. But these gals certainly did that as they have just celebrated five years in business and rebranded themselves in the process. Just last week Kip McGrath renamed themselves Mallorca Tutoring Academy (MTA), with a new logo and new ideas. “We learnt so much about running a business here on the island,” said

Julie. “Together with this knowledge and support from the franchise, we have been able to develop the business you see today, and become a well-known part of the Mallorca educational community.” The business formerly known as ‘Kip’ manages to cater for a diverse range of clients from the age of four up. Over the years of taking

my daughter La Gidg to have educational support sessions there I’ve met kids who hail from all over the world that are now living in Mallorca. The reason I take my girl to the centre is to get some help with her reading and writing in English. I didn’t want her growing up spelling things phonetically as that’s a difficult habit to get out of.

She can get help with maths, Catalan, Castellano, sciences, study skills, take her SATs and Cambridge language exams or study for A levels. MTA are now developing new services which include drama classes, a cinema club, and an expanded Senior Academy with a wide range of exams available for the students to take. All of this

as a support and supplement to normal school activities. One of the things I really love about this service is that it means Gidg gets the benefits of being part of our local community as she goes to her fantastic local school where she’s taught in Catalan, Castellano and (to a lesser extent) English. She has Spanish mates as well as all the international kids who seem to live in Port Andratx. We also have kids from all over the world studying at her primary school. But because of MTA she gets the benefits of 1:1 tutoring and bags of confidence. They’re celebrating their rebranding this Saturday January 17 from 2pm at their centre when you can meet the MTA team, and loads of other educational specialists who will be available for free advice. More info on www.familymatters mallorca.com

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OPINION & COMMENT

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De Visu Shutterstock.com

The great patriotic war MK.2 Mike Walsh Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.

I

have more Russian friends than you could shake a stick at. I have no wish to do so, but my friends firmly believe the US and EU carry a big stick. They don’t take kindly to it. Stung by their being stigmatised, offended by hypocritical posturing, our hurt and exiled fellow Europeans turn east to China and south to India. The Russians now merge their diplomatic, defence and trade relationships with the monolithic BRICS trading bloc. BRICS control almost 40 per cent of the GDP/PPP in the world. That is more than the US and EU together. Given the minuscule size, troubled and shrinking economies of the EU and US, one wonders if the EU and US in fact exile themselves. The West certainly seems to be now hooked on its own sanctimonious petard. At home, offended Russians now resort to strident nationalism. In Russia today

STALIN: Russians are oblivious to or forgiving of his enormous crimes. there is a heady mix of Soviet patriotism and Third Reich symbolism, the goosestep parades are back. The serried sea of flags and massive arms’ displays are now eerily reminiscent of the Reich during the 1930s. President Vladimir Putin’s standing is at an all-time high, Russian opinion of the EU and US is at an all-time low. The Russians have good memories. They don’t like sieges, they know how to survive them and turn them on their foes.

The Russians are particularly embittered by America’s ousting of the legitimate government of their neighbour and partner, Ukraine. Imagine American mortification had the Russians invested $7 billion on ousting the Mexican or Canadian governments. Our Russian friends are aghast that the West openly supports pro-Nazis in Kiev. These swastika-flaunting Banderistas are not Nazis. When the Reich occupied

Ukraine in 1941 Banderistas were thrown into concentration camps; Stalin released them. They are Ukrainian xenophobes. Their use of the swastika is no more reflection on their agenda than it is on the stationery of Skinheads United. Before the war use of swastikas was widespread. America’s Boeing aircraft manufacturers used it as did Coca-Cola who displayed the ancient symbol of good fortune. Few in the West realise how effective the Russians’ ‘Great Patriotic War' brainlaundering is. Like the Americans and British, the Russians believe they alone defeated the Nazi meat-grinder and saved the West. Russians are oblivious to or forgiving of Stalin’s enormous crimes. They are blissfully unaware that ‘victim’ Russia in 1941 was poised to attack the Reich from the east when Germany preemptively struck with disastrous effects for the USSR. The Russians firmly believe they were the victims. They forget about Stalin’s wars on Finland, Poland, etc. They now see the US and EU as being the new Nazis. The West should be under no illusions. Don’t mess with the Russians. This is not 1939 and the killing fields are now much more even.

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Thursday BBC ONE 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Watchdog 10:00pm Death in Paradise 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Question Time 12:35am This Week

BBC TWO 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Masters Snooker 9:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 10:00pm The Super-Rich and Us 11:00pm Never Mind the Buzzcocks 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Masters Snooker Highlights

ITV 5:00pm Mel and Sue 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm The Kyle Files 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Birds of a Feather 10:00pm Bring Back Borstal 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Brits are Coming 12:40am Ade at Sea

CH4 3:10pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Location, Location, Location 10:00pm Cyberbully 11:20pm My Granny the Escort 12:20am 24 Hours in Police Custody

CH5 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 Benefits 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Botched Up Bodies 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

SKY1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm David Attenborough Conquest of the Skies 10:00pm David Attenborough Conquest of the Skies 11:00pm A League of Their Own 12:00am A League of Their Own

Friday BBC ONE 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Room 101 10:00pm The Musketeers 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:25am Bluestone 42

BBC TWO 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Masters Snooker 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Food and Drink 10:00pm The Big Allotment Challenge 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Never Mind the Buzzcocks

ITV 5:00pm Mel and Sue 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm The Martin Lewis Money Show 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Couples Retreat 1:50am Jackpot247

CH4 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm The Last Leg 12:05am Brooklyn Nine-Nine

CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Race to the Pole 9:00pm Ice Road Truckers 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Show Me Your Garden 10:00pm Ascension 11:25pm Britcam: Emergency on Our Streets 12:25am Gremlins 2: The New Batch

TV LISTING

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Saturday BBC ONE 5:30pm Final Score 6:20pm Pointless 7:10pm BBC News 7:20pm Regional News 7:25pm Weather 7:30pm Now You See It 8:00pm The Voice UK 9:25pm The National Lottery 10:15pm Casualty 11:05pm BBC News 11:20pm Weather 11:25pm Match of the Day 12:50am The Football League Show 2:10am Phantoms 3:40am Weather for the Week Ahead

BBC TWO 4:30pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Masters Snooker 6:30pm Flog It! 7:30pm Dad's Army 8:00pm Masters Snooker 11:30pm All Good Things 1:05am Masters Snooker Coverage of the Masters snooker tournament. 3:05am This is BBC Two Highlights of programmes on BBC Two.

ITV 3:35pm The Secret of My Succe$s 5:35pm Off Their Rockers 6:05pm Local News and Weather 6:15pm ITV News and Weather 6:30pm You've Been Framed! 7:30pm Planets Got Talent 8:00pm Stars in Their Eyes 9:05pm Take Me Out 10:20pm Bridget Jones's Diary 12:10am ITV News and Weather 12:30am Always 2:35am Jackpot 247 4:00am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 4:40am Nightscreen

CH4 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:30pm The Restoration Man 8:30pm The World's Best Diet 10:00pm The Sweeney 12:15am Greg Davies: The Back of My Mum's Head

CH5 3:05pm Ice Road Truckers 4:00pm Columbo 5:35pm Columbo 7:25pm NCIS 9:00pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 9:55pm 5 News 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Bad Boys 1:15am Super Casino Feeling lucky?

SKY1 3:00pm Last Man Standing 3:30pm Last Man Standing 4:00pm Greggs: More Than Meats the Pie 5:00pm Last Man Standing 5:30pm Last Man Standing 6:00pm Ashley Banjo's Secret Street Crew 7:00pm The Fanatics 8:00pm Show Me Your Garden 9:00pm David Attenborough Conquest of the Skies 10:00pm Gremlins 2: The New Batch 12:05am A League of Their Own 1:05am Hawaii Five-0 2:05am NCIS: Los Angeles 3:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Sunday BBC ONE 3:40pm Escape to the Country 4:25pm Lifeline 4:35pm Songs of Praise 5:10pm Shrek The Third 6:35pm Celebrity Mastermind 7:05pm BBC News 7:20pm Regional News 7:25pm Weather 7:30pm Countryfile 8:30pm Still Open All Hours 9:00pm Call the Midwife 10:00pm Last Tango in Halifax 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm Regional News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Match of the Day 2 12:20am The Apprentice USA

BBC TWO 3:00pm Masters Snooker 6:15pm Ski Sunday 7:00pm The Tea Trail with Simon Reeve 8:00pm Masters Snooker 9:00pm Masters Snooker 12:00am Last Orders

ITV 3:00pm Midsomer Murders 5:00pm Live and Let Die 7:20pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 7:45pm Get Your Act Together 9:00pm Foyle's War 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm Perspectives 12:15am The Undriveables

CH4 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:25pm The Simpsons 3:55pm The Simpsons 4:25pm Mighty Joe Young 6:40pm Channel 4 News 7:05pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 8:00pm Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 9:00pm The Hotel 10:00pm Walking the Nile 11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 12:05am The Pact 1:50am The Last Leg

CH5 4:20pm The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain 6:15pm Did You Hear About the Morgans? 8:05pm My Super Ex-Girlfriend 9:55pm 5 News 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Gone 1:00am He Left Me for My Mother and and Other Betrayals

SKY1 3:00pm Ashley Banjo's Big Town Dance 4:00pm Last Man Standing 4:30pm Emergency Animal Rescue 5:00pm Emergency with Angela Griffin 6:00pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Futurama 8:00pm Modern Family 8:30pm Modern Family 9:00pm A League of Their Own 10:00pm Karl Pilkington: The Moaning of Life 11:00pm Show Me Your Garden 12:00am Micky Flanagan's Detour De France

Monday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Waterloo Road 12:35am The Graham Norton Show

BBC TWO 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Great British Garden Revival 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Only Connect 10:00pm Winterwatch 11:00pm Backchat with Jack Whitehall and His Dad 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Kate Humble: Into the Volcano

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 Richard Wilson on the Road 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Broadchurch 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Exposure 12:40am The Kyle Files

CH4 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm Food Unwrapped 10:00pm The Undateables 11:00pm Catastrophe 11:35pm Bodyshockers 12:35am The American Football Show

CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Criminals: Caught on Camera 8:30pm Car Crash TV 9:00pm Storage: Flog the Lot! 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm NHS Crisis - The Live Debate 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

SKY1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm A League of Their Own 10:00pm 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy 11:00pm Air Ambulance ER 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Tuesday BBC ONE 4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Count Arthur Strong 12:05am Film 2015

BBC TWO 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Great British Garden Revival 9:00pm Winterwatch 10:00pm The Eichmann Show 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Kate Humble: Into the Volcano

ITV 4:00pm Tipping Point 5:00pm Mel and Sue 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 9:00pm Britain's Best Back Gardens 10:00pm Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Mighty Mississippi 12:40am Secrets From the Sky

CH4 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Weighing Up the Enemy 10:00pm 24 Hours in Police Custody 11:00pm Ramsay's Hotel Hell 11:55pm Angry, White and Proud 12:55am Pokerstars.Com and Monte-Carlo Casino EPT Grand Final

CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm My Big Benefits Family 9:00pm Cats Do the Funniest Things 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Suspects 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

SKY1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm Air Ambulance ER 11:00pm An Idiot Abroad 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Wednesday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Pets 10:00pm Crimewatch 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Crimewatch 11:45pm A Question of Sport 12:15am The League Cup Show

BBC TWO 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Great British Garden Revival 9:00pm Winterwatch 10:00pm Wolf Hall 11:05pm Up the Women 11:35pm Newsnight 12:20am Weather

ITV 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Tipping Point 5:00pm Mel and Sue 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Coronation Street 8:30pm National Television Awards 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Bring Back Borstal 12:40am I Never Knew That About Britain

CH4 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Restoration Man 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm Bodyshockers 12:00am The Undateables

CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Cowboy Builders 9:00pm North Pole Ice Airport 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Suspects 12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Fanatics 10:00pm 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy 11:00pm Karl Pilkington: The Moaning of Life 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00am Hawaii Five-0 3:00am Hawaii Five-0 4:00am Road Wars 5:00am Airline USA 5:30am Airline USA

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Left Behind THIS Apocalyptic thriller tells the story of the entire earth being thrown into chaos when millions of people disappear without a trace. All that remains are their clothes and their belongings. Planes begin falling from the sky and unmanned vehicles start crashing. Riots and lootings soon begin as panic sets in. Airline pilot Ray Steele must fight to keep his flight in the air after several passengers mysteriously disappear and those remaining begin to panic. Directed by Vic Armstrong, stars Nicolas Cage, Chad Michael Murray and Cassi Thomson. Run time 111 mins. PG-13.

TODAY TODAY

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Fri Sat Sun -

tars

the last minute. If energy levels are not as high as normal, use this week for planning. With holidays in mind, the summer seems far away but maybe a weekend trip will fill the gap.

mystery surrounds a close friend and your opinion may be sought. Hold fire until all the facts are known and you are sure a person has been honest with you.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Although health should be good, energy may be a little low. A bit of a

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Social activities are likely to change at

7-Star Quiz

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) The temptation to run round like a headless chicken is strong this week.

Sudoku

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) A lost cause tries to demand your attention, but you must try to see the situation for what it is. Sentimentality should not come into business or be allowed to upset your home life. What is past should remain so, do not torture yourself.

TODAY:

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Are you suffering from winter blues? Although it is a common feeling at this time of the year, keep optimistic. There is so much to look forward to, in fact, that you are spoilt for choice. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 December 21) Recent events have perhaps left a gap in your social life that is hard to fill. Patience is needed because it would be foolish to rush into something new if your heart is involved. Concentrating on work and other people will alleviate any loneliness.

LOTTERY UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday January 10

Saturday January 10

Saturday January 10

Friday January 9

13

14

16

24

41

43

14

20 34

22 38

6

7

25

30

37

45

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

39

10

8

6

21 32

LUCKY STARS 1

11

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

18

27

37

41

42

49

REINTEGRO 20

2

3

12 20

17 6 C 16 6 S 16 6 C

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 6 S Tues - 17 7 S Wed - 18 8 Cl

Madrid

13 6 Cl 15 7 S 14 7 C

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

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

MAX MIN

S Sun,

9 1 C 9 0 S 11 2 S

MAX MIN

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

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 11C 15 7 C 13 7 C 14 7 C

SHOWERS MAX 12C, MIN 3C

TODAY:

MAX 19C, MIN 10C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 15 6 Sh Tues - 16 7 S Wed - 16 7 C Cl Clear,

SUNNY MAX 21C, MIN 7C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

17 6 Sh 17 4 S 17 4 S C Cloud,

MAX MIN

Mon - 18 6 S Tues - 18 5 S Wed - 19 6 S 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 V) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

Average: 9

Very good: 18

Good: 12

Excellent: 22

amen, amid, amir, dame, damn, deem, dime, dram, emir, idem, made, maid, main, mane, mare, mead, mean, meed, mend, mere, mien, mind, mine, mire, name, neem, ream, rime, admen, admin, aimed, aimer, ameer, amend, amide, amine, anime, armed, denim, derma, dimer, dream, edema, emend, enema, maned, media, mined, miner, mired, named, namer, ramie, rearm, rimed, admire, airmen, amende, demean, ermine, maiden, marine, marred, meaner, meanie, median, medina, mender, minder, reamed, reamer, remade, remain, remand, remind, rename, admirer, amender, dreamer, ermined, mariner, married, meander, rearmed, renamed, dreamier, remained, reminder, REMAINDER

Word Ladder SLOW

Sunday January 11

Saturday January 10

24 45

LA PRIMITIVA

Fri Sat Sun -

Mallorca Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 8 S Tues - 17 8 S Wed - 18 9 S

CLEAR MAX 19C, MIN 10C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 13 7 Cl Tues - 14 7 S Wed - 14 8 Cl

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 19C, MIN 12C

Benidorm

Malaga SUNNY

17 7 Sh 16 8 S 15 7 C

TODAY:

MAX 17C, MIN 11C

15 6 C 14 6 S 13 7 C

TODAY:

LIBRA (September 24 October 23) Ruts are awful things to get into but even more difficult to get out of. Being cosy is one thing, but getting bogged down, mentally and physically, is another. All you need is to keep your optimism alive and use your imagination.

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

Fri Sat Sun -

LEO (July 24 - August 23) A situation could become complicated if you do not plan ahead. With a little thought and planning, matters can be kept simple which is always desirable. Be choosy about the company you keep because a bad character could taint by association.

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.

Fri Sat Sun -

Barcelona CLEAR

SUNNY MAX MIN

Mon - 16 7 Cl Tues - 17 7 S Wed - 17 7 Cl

16 6 C 16 4 S 16 5 S

TODAY:

There seem to be so many demands on your time that things become confusing. Be sure you are getting enough rest because this time of the year can be fraught for you.

Y S our

TODAY:

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Extra pressures at work leave you feeling less than energetic. Check on your health and don't go overboard with the physical activities. Set out to become more active, socially, and maximise on relaxation.

1. By what score did Germany beat Brazil to go through to the final in the biggest margin of victory in the FIFA World Cup's semi-final history in July? 2. Which ‘surreal comedy group’ performed their last ever comedy show at the The O₂ in London in July? 3. Which famous English electronic pop duo made a guest appearance on the longrunning BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers in August? 4. Which British athlete won the 10K gold medal at the 2014 European Championships in Zürich in August at the age of 40 years and 325 days? 5. Ewa Kopacz became which country’s second female prime minister in September? 6. Who announced his resignation as first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party following the Scottish independence referendum in September? 7. Queen Elizabeth II sent her first what on October 24?

MAX MIN

www.fiduciarywealth.eu

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) There may not be enough time to do everything you want, so why can't you just reorganise your life so there is? Not as easy as it sounds, Pisces, unless you learn the magic word: no. Know your limits and stick to them.

THAT WAS 2014 THAT WAS… (PART TWO)

Almeria

SUNNY MAX 19C, MIN 8C

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

19 52

REINTEGRO 3

DOWN

SOON SOWN DOWN

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) A feeling that you should totally commit yourself to something or someone this week should be avoided. You will come up against a brick wall if a situation is forced.

Alicante TODAY:

SLOW SLOT SOOT

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) A loss of patience with a situation shows this week but is not to your advantage. Whatever you feel, be subtle in your approach. Try to see your position clearly and the result will be that you realise you have more control than you thought.

1. 7-1, 2. MONTY PYTHON, 3. PET SHOP BOYS, 4. JO PAVEY, 5. POLAND, 6. ALEX SALMOND, 7. TWEET.

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Crosswords

15 - 21 January 2015 / Mallorca

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Cryptic

Quick

Across 1 Track official appetiser (7) 5 Weep, the Queen is like a judge (5) 8 Covets a redistribution for such birds (7) 9 Embarrassingly holds drapery (5) 10 Function in the mid-seventies (5) 11 We stare at sea for Jersey (7) 12 Apportions company stock (6) 14 Carpet beater moving (6) 17 Can I be pleasant? (7) 19 Second team leader and get up (5) 22 Brings up rare point by mistake (5) 23 Housing monarch in a little row of houses (7) 24 Andres Segovia reveals his clothes (5) 25 Hart’s partner gores Dr Wild (7) Down 1 Criticise pub credit (5) 2 Make amends by altering a note (5) 3 Badly written letters of support (7) 4 Make a stand against Twisted Sister (6)

Across 1 Disagree (6) 4 Win a victory over (6) 9 Reduce in length (7) 10 Revolves (5) 11 Scope (5) 12 Observe closely (7) 13 Not needed (11) 18 Reached destination (7) 20 Round fruit (5) 22 In the middle of (5) 23 Zero (7) 24 React verbally (6) 25 Author (6)

5 Two ways to get staff (5) 6 Tear bit off cleric’s cap (7) 7 Second string player showing some reticence (7) 12 Free traders had leading parts (7) 13 Stir it in quartz (7) 15 Guaranteed to be safe in goal (7)

16 A stove is included in what he ate, really! (6) 18 Ruins sculptures (5) 20 Informed about a Hertfordshire town (5) 21 Figures will show how well they are working (5)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 7 represents C and 10 represents W, so fill in C every time the figure 7 appears and W every time the figure 10 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Teak, 3 Sandwich, 9 Airfare, 10 Ruler, 11 Steer, 12 Themed, 14 Parish, 16 Hassle, 19 Facile, 21 Unlit, 24 Aroma, 25 Spectre, 26 Hostelry, 27 Cons. Down: 1 Transept, 2 Agree, 4 Agents, 5 Dirge, 6 Illness, 7 Hard, 8 Madras, 13 Restless, 15 Reasons, 17 Amused, 18 Teaser, 20 Irate, 22 Lotto, 23 Bath. QUICK Across: 1 Slapped, 5 Lends, 8 Remains, 9 Force, 10 Extra, 11 Respond, 12 Chases, 14 Closer, 17 Shampoo, 19 Seals, 22 Later, 23 Knowing, 24 Sides, 25 Descent. Down: 1 Serve, 2 Admit, 3 Private, 4 Desire, 5 Lifts, 6 Nervous, 7 Slender, 12 Castles, 13 Adapted, 15 Lessons, 16 Locked, 18 Parts, 20 Alike, 21 Sight. ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Heart, 4 Tyres, 7 Margarine, 8/10 Bin bag, 15 Over there, 17 Otoño, 18 Tarea.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Down: 1 Haba, 2 Arm, 3 Toro, 4 Team, 5 Reina, 6 Seed, 9 Ileso, 11 Rojo, 12 Otro, 13 Belt, 14 Acta, 16 Ear.

English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across 1 To find (9) 8 In the same way (5) 9 Mancha (de aceite, pintura, etc) (5) 11 Mushroom (flat-topped) (4) 12 Flat (apartment) (4) 14 Straw (agriculture) (4) 16 Envolver (4) 19 Acordar (5) 21 Now (at this time, immediately) (5) 22 Siglos (9) Down 2 Nombre (lingüística) (5) 3 Búhos (4) 4 Prueba (4) 5 Handle (of basket, bucket, jug) (3) 6 To clean (7) 7 To pack (in boxes) (7) 10 Grifo (de agua) (3) 13 Deber (3) 15 Arriba (indicando situación) (5) 17 Alquiler (de inmueble) (4) 18 Pareja (4) 20 Laughs (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 (NICHES) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues. ADVICE

REACTS

CHARMS

REGARD

DREAMS

SLAYER

GREEDY

SOUNDS

HAMMED

STORMY

MASSED

UNITED

MEEKLY

WAGONS

NICHES (10)

WARNED

NOTION

WINGED

OWNERS

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Funagram Unscramble the name of an American jazz rock band (two words): TENSE LADY FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: CHRIS EUBANK, STEELY DAN

Unscramble the name of a famous former British boxing world champion: I SNUB HACKER

Down 1 Have a wish for (6) 2 Expression of displeasure (5) 3 Outermost (7) 5 More than necessary (5) 6 At a previous time (7) 7 Samples (6) 8 Free from external control and constraint (11) 14 Easily agitated (7) 15 Disperse (7) 16 Yellow fruit (6) 17 Mendicant (6) 19 Ill-defined (5) 21 Sharp end (5)

1 Tested, 2 Pitted, 3 Defend, 4 Hammed, 5 Fronts, 6 Baited, 7 Thence, 8 Endure, 9 Patron, 10 County, 11 Resent, 12 Storey, 13 Render, 14 Racoon, 15 Steeds, 16 Owners, 17 Events, 18 Leered, 19 Weeded

34

E W N 15 - 21 January 2015 / Mallorca

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

Women are ‘sadder’ in the winter WOMEN are 50 per cent more likely to suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). A new report shows that women suffer more than men from winter blues with one in five males saying they are not affected in any way by the changing seasons. The survey was conducted on over 2,000

people in the UK and concluded that women are also more likely to comfort eat during the winter months, with 33 per cent indulging in extra snacks. Of those questioned, 37 per cent of women said they struggled to get motivated in the winter months compared to 28 per cent of men.

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We need structure in life, but never be afraid of change Erica Russell Watson: My journey – and I’m driving

7th January THE first few days of the New Year had been spent catching up with family and being looked after. January 5 was a great day in Malaga watching the Christmas processions for the Three Kings. We had a marvellous view from high up on the balcony of the Malaga Palacio hotel. The Reyes January 6 was spent quietly at home. We cut the traditional ‘Rosco de Reyes,’ a typical Spanish cake eaten in most households on this day. I was lucky enough to get the king figurine in my slice so was crowned the king for the day, which also brought me luck. My daughter got the broadbean… not so lucky as the recipient is supposed to pay for the cake but we let her off, naturally! January 7 and it was round three for my chemo treatment. I drove to Malaga for the routine blood test very early in the morning and then off to breakfast. Due to the large amount of blood analysis, chemo treatment and Cat scans, my poor veins were acting up and I came home with four different bandages instead of two, but that’s life. We got there in the end! My oncologist was very happy with my blood test results and the fact that I hadn’t succumbed to infections or colds and my defence system was holding up, meaning I could continue on track with my treatments because the sooner they were over, the happier I would be.

FAMILY VISIT: Having my sister here made a difference. The chemo session took three hours and then it was time to go back to Jorge’s house for some TLC and delicious Spanish home cooking courtesy of his mother. I rested and then felt well enough to have a little stroll around Malaga, a few tapas and an ice cream and then back home for a video and bed. I had a slightly restless night but was so relieved in the morning that I didn’t feel as sick as the last time. It seems that every session is a new experience, you just don’t know how you are going to react. I am positive having my family here has made the difference as they have taken the strain on the cooking and washing and just looked after and loved me. I owe them all so much. What a joy it is to be united! Special thanks to my lovely brother-in-law who has driven us all about and been a saint in general. January 8 was a delightful day spent in Frigiliana, a typical whitewashed town with cobbled streets, and then off to the beach for a bite to eat. My sister bought me a lovely handbag too. I was thoroughly spoilt. My next treatment would be on

January 28, marking the halfway point of my chemotherapy. This would be quite a landmark and also the last in the first batch of treatments. Session five would mean a change in dose and type of chemo. I would have no idea how I would react to this, but there is no point worrying about that. Each step draws you closer to the finishing post. Emotionally I remain extremely positive and there are days I totally forget that I have an ‘illness’. I have such a busy life with children and so much still to achieve and so many people to see and things to do that it gives me direction and focus. I have started to make a list of the things that I would like to do when I am fully recovered including walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, hiking, running a minimarathon and a million and one other things. I also have a lot of thank you letters to write and good deeds to return to people. I think that people regard difficult news, hard times or illness as a bad thing, but I truly believe that a change, no matter how tough it may seem to start with, good always comes out of it. We need some structure in life but we must never be afraid of change as it breathes life into our very existence. Otherwise that allimportant discovery might never come about, that life-changing trip might never be made, a true love not met or ambition achieved. I’ve said it before, we are on this planet for such a short time that we really should try and be as kind to others as possible and do our best, but most of all be happy. Having regrets in life is one of the saddest things I think, so don’t just talk about what you wish you could be or how you wish your life could change. Make a positive step towards your goals, no matter how small, you will find it really is worth it and you will grow in confidence and self-belief.

36

E W N 15 - 21 January 2015 / Mallorca

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Spain top for Your animal’s health is at deserted pets risk when it is overweight

ALL around Spain animal lovers have set up associations to look after unwanted and stray pets. They do it because of their love of animals, but one thing is for sure, they need help. Many expatriates have pitched in to help, but the supply of dogs and cats that need care and new homes seems endless. And there is a good reason for that. It would appear that Spain is the country with the most abandoned pets in Europe, according to a study by the Affinity foundation. Latest figures available show that 140,000 animals, the vast majority dogs, were abandoned in Spain in 2013. That was a drop of 2.3 per cent from 2012, but still an enormous figure.

The high numbers have been partly blamed on the financial crisis with families being unable to afford the upkeep of the dog. But it simply moves the problem elsewhere. Many municipal pounds will only hold animals for a limited time before destroying them, which is where charitable homes come into the equation. They always need help, whether financial, volunteer workers or people to take in unwanted animals. Affinity would like people to think before they abandon pets, pointing out that in many parts of Spain it is a crime with fines of between €400 and €20,000 possible. It is much better to put some effort into finding a new home for your pet rather than simply abandoning it.

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

MANY people like to ‘treat’ their cat or dog with extra food and snacks, but they really should take care with the amount they feed their pets. It is unfortunate that just as the human population is getting fatter, the rate of obesity in our pets is also on the rise. It is usually down to spoiling them with unhealthy treats or overfeeding them. Take care when measuring the food out, and use healthy treats specially formulated for your animals using good

quality ingredients. There are many health risks to overweight pets including diabetes and liver problems. This can be particularly serious when it comes to cats, who for any reason stop eating, lose weight quickly or are stressed as their reduced liver function can then prove to be fatal. The risk of lameness and arthritis in heavy or obese dogs and cats is three to five times that of

pets at the correct weight. Obese cats are twice as likely to develop nonallergic skin conditions, possibly due to an inability to groom themselves adequately, which can lead to skin problems developing as well. On top of that, if your pet needs an operation, which is more likey as it is overweight anyway, then vets need to take extra

precautions when anaesthetising and performing surgery. Many anaesthetics are ‘soaked up’ by fat so an overweight animal will take longer to come out of anaesthesia as the drugs are retained by the fat in its body. As well as that, a fatty liver may not be as efficient at breaking down anaesthetics and other drugs, so again, recovery may be delayed. So owners are not being kind when they give their pets an extra helping of food or unhealthy treats whenever they beg for them. It is better to be firm and watch what their animals eat. OBESITY: Becoming common in pets as well as humans.

Daisy digs her dog-sitters By Lamia Walker of HousesitMatch AS some of you might have experienced, Cocker Spaniels can be charming little scamps, and somewhat emotional, to say the least. As a Spaniel owner myself, I understand their almost human charms and wiles. But what never ceases to amaze me is how the dogs find ways to channel their emotions when they are upset, or a routine is changed or indeed they feel unusually defensive or protective. So this is what Daisy’s owner told me about her recent

experience when the dog-sitters came to stay to care for her muchloved puppy. Julita, Daisy’s owner, had found that kennels did not suit Daisy’s temperament. Returning from a two-week holiday last year, she found that despite having carefully chosen a very well-respected kennels for her young puppy, the dog had lost a frightening amount of weight in the 14 days she had been left there, and had sore paws from trying to dig her way out of the compound every day! Realising that despite her previous dogs being perfectly happy in similar quality kennels,

she needed to find an alternative solution. So, she went online and found house-sitters through HouseSitMatch.com, an online collaborative network. Daisy could stay at home, her sitters were experienced with puppies (and understood the emotional needs of a young and flirty Cocker Spaniel) and cared for her in her own home while Julita enjoyed a well-earned break. Julita retuned to a happy Spaniel with a healthy appetite and a bouncy tail and demeanour. Download your Free Easy Guide to Housesitting from here www.bit.ly/eurown001

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Mallorca’s best guide to local restaurants

Lloyd Wade to judge final AROMA Restaurant in El Toro are extremely proud to announce that for the upcoming Mallorca’s Got Talent competition starting in January, they have secured Lloyd Wade as senior judge for the grand final on February 28. Lloyd is the present vocal coach on the X Factor and has performed on the show, he has also performed at the O2 arena with Take That and had a chart topping hit with Eliza Doolittle ‘Pack Up.’ He will be flying in from London specially to judge Mallorca’s Got Talent Final.

TO READ MORE VISIT: WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM/FEATURES/RESTAURANTS

Bar Rosita’s - It’s Tony’s birthday party this Saturday! TONY and Anne invite you all to come on down to Bar Rositas for Tony’s birthday party, this Saturday January 17! They will be putting on some great live music and a free buffet to help Tony celebrate his birthday with all of his regular customers and friends! All are welcome and they look forward to seeing you there! You all know Bar Rositas! That place where there’s always a little taste of home on offer and where you will be spoilt for choice with their delicious menu options. If you fancy more local fare, then don’t forget their selection of gorgeous tapas, available in three different sizes to suit any appetite! If you haven’t yet been to Bar Rositas, then make sure you get yourself down there to try it out for yourself! Friday Night special features

BAR ROSITA: All are welcome to join in Tony’s birthday celebrations. Fish and Chips with mushy peas and Saturday nights host the home-made burger special.

Everyone knows that a traditional Sunday Lunch on a cold winter’s day is just the

Do you have news for our readers? AT EWN we have our clients’ best interests at heart. Getting your news out to the public can sometimes be a struggle, but we here at EWN want to help. Have you changed your menu, recently renovated or won an award? Do you have an upcoming charity event you’d like to publicise? Do you have a new member of staff?

Maybe you’d like to take part in our ‘Restaurant’ experience? Your establishment provides a meal for two which we will review and publish - with pictures in your local edition. If you have any news of interest that you would like to get out to local readers, then please let us know. We cannot promise to publish everything, but we will do our best.

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best thing in the world and Tony and Anne present this great British fare in true style, with a choice of two meats with all the trimmings and a choice of home-made puddings to choose from. These Sunday Lunches sell out fast, so please make sure you book to avoid disappointment. The menu also offers other selections such as Beef and Guinness pie, Chicken and Mushroom pie, Chicken Curry. As if that wasn’t enough, Tony and Anne put on a host of events and entertainment in this friendly and relaxed family run bar, details of which can be found on their Facebook page, such as a two for one evening on Tuesdays where you buy two meals and the cheaper of the two is free! Bar Rositas Calvia Village 662 204 859

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HOMES & GARDENS

H Attacking those unwanted weeds SPONSORED BY

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THE long 2013 drought has caused more weeds to grow in the countryside and in gardens than normal for two reasons. More ripe dry weed seeds than normal were distributed by winds and then lay dormant until the late autumn rains. So what could have been done to prevent the germination of unwanted seeds in the first place or deal with those that do start to grow. Here are 15 handy ideas, each except one, avoiding the use of weed killers. 1. Enlarge terrace areas This will reduce the areas of soil in which seeds can germinate. 2. Widen paths The same benefit as number ‘1’. 3. Lay plastic sheeting over unplanted areas and mulch Solid plastic sheeting is more effective than woven plastic. Hide the

Dick Handscombe

Gardening Corner By Spain’s best known expatriate gardening author living in Spain for 25 years.

TACKLING WEEDS: Plant ground cover plants or widen paths. plastic with attractive mulch such as various colours and sizes of stone chippings. 4. Mulch other nonplastic areas Mulch bare earth areas under and around plants to hinder the germination of unwanted seeds and at the same time reduce the evaporation of moisture from the surface of soil during hot weather. Section 4.7 of the book ‘How to Use Less Water in Your Garden - A practical guide to waterwise Mediterranean style gardening worldwide’ lists 18 useful ways of mulching ranging from

ground volcanic rock, stone chippings, compost old carpets and rock slabs. 5. Leave rotting leaves to create a natural mulch This will reduce your garden maintenance work, attract worms, fertilise the soil naturally and reduce moisture losses as well as deterring

weed growth. 6. Use a butane weeding flame gun This garden tool is especially useful for clearing drives and old chipping areas. 7. Grow vegetables in easy to weed raised beds or builders buckets Additionally if you grow vegetable plants so that they touch after a few weeks of growth you won’t get weeds anyway after the first few weeks. 8. Plant plants close Leave no bare earth! 9. Use sacrificial plants in early days To achieve ‘8’ from day one, plant temporary ground cover plants between intended permanent plants recognising that they will eventually be smothered as the permanent plants spread and join up. 10.Plant ground cover plants Mulched soil in front of medium sized plants or under taller plants can be usefully planted with a variety of ground cover plants. Some 25 are described in the book

‘Your Garden in Spain’ for starters. 11.Don’t plant seeds that self-seed easily and spread Some plants like morning glory can become a nuisance and become a real pest, weed, unless you use it carefully to hide an unsightly wall or shed or stabilise an earth bank. 12.Harvest edible ones Unless you have pet dogs or cats prowling the garden wild dandelions, purslane and the white flowered wild rocket make useful additions to salads. 13.Weed kill just individual weeds The wide use of chemical weed killers such as Round-Up does permanent harm to the structure of soil as it kills off beneficial microbes that help soil particles to aggregate and produce a crumbly easily worked soil and also enable roots to extract essential nutrients from the soil. An alternative natural weed killer is a 5 per cent vinegar water solution.

This can be sprayed but is more eco if only applied weed by weed by painting it on the leaves with a medium size paint brush. 14.Rotovate large areas in orchards Do this a few times a year to work weeds into the soil as a natural soil improver. 15.Hoe them when young This week’s column is dedicated to the owners of the busy El Mojito English bar in La Carihuela where on Christmas Eve I ate a large breakfast to build myself up after my hospital stay. On entering I saw the previous week’s and that day’s edition of the Euro Weekly News, so I could update myself with two week’s news. When I showed my articles to the owner Terry, he asked if I could I do a special article on weed control. The answer was yes and if other readers have special requests for the topics of future articles send them into EWN.

© Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com January 2015.

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OPINION & COMMENT

A grexit tragedy or a European farce 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

A

ccording to reports, Germany believes a Greek exit from the euro is almost inevitable if the left-wing party, Syriza, triumphs in this month’s election but that such an outcome no longer threatens the eurozone. This is merely classic brinksmanship. Syriza, ahead in the polls, is deliberately staking out an extremely defiant negotiating position to entice Greek voters so that, if elected, its government can demand more EU bailout money while refusing to honour Greece’s current debt. For its part, Germany is dropping equally defiant hints that any non-compliance by a

GREEK VOTERS: Germany believes an exit from the euro is almost inevitable. Greek government with honouring its debts would result in ejection from the euro, an outcome which, they’re keen to let the Greek people know before they vote for Syriza, would now cause Germany no major headaches. Needless to say, each side is being economical with the truth because each has every reason to issue misleading statements: Syriza to bid high in order to

win votes - and more concessions from Germany; Germany to talk up the odds of Greek ejection as a threat to Greek voters (and any other eurozone nation unhappy with austerity), although this unravelling of the EU project is the last thing Germany (or the rest of the EU) wants. The underlying worry would remain that if Greece leaves the eurozone but remains in the

EU, the domino effect might result in the exit of other nations. Cyprus might, for instance, follow Greece and the market vultures would doubtless then turn the spotlight on other austeritystricken countries like Italy and Portugal to test their market strength. The eurozone could experience a gradual breakup resulting in a smaller but more viable EU. Quite apart from the

UK’s own election outcome this May, the EU could face a concatenation of surprises in 2015 transforming it for ever. As for Spain and its own general election in 2015, the governing party (the Partido Popular) is drawing comfort from the fact that the left-wing, equally successful Syriza-like party, Podemos, would be badly hurt by comparisons with Syriza if Syriza is elected and Greece subsequently defaulted and/or exited the eurozone. Ultimately, though, the situation will inevitably be addressed neither with Grexit nor with debt default, but with lashings of the EU’s favourite confectionery: fudge. So, maybe less a Grexit tragedy than an EU farce?

Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.

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PROPERTY

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Euribor drop means lower mortgages GOOD news for those paying a mortgage has come in the form that the 12-month Euribor fell to a record low of 0.329 per cent in December 2014. The Euribor - the main mortgage reference for variable rate mortgages - in December 2013 stood at 0.543 per cent and at the time, the average mortgage value for the purchase of a home was €101,494. Applying the December 2013 Euribor meant that a monthly mortgage repayment was €361.87.

RATE FALL: Homeowners to save money.

Property hot spots leading the way MADRID and Valencia have been pinpointed as two potential property hot spots that will help lead the housing market to recovery. Madrid is currently undergoing a revival following a rocky ride during the last seven years. With prices having fallen by as much as 40 per cent as the property bubble burst, its property market is starting to bounce back. Its regional economy is forecast to grow well above the national average (2.8 per cent according to Spanish bank BBVA), unemployment is falling and the property market is reactivating. Official figures show that the number of transactions was up 17 per cent in 2014 over 2013 and have also signalled the first property price rises since 2007. “Five years ago, Madrid was a city in decline due to the meltdown of the financial sector and bursting of the property bubble, two sectors upon which the Spanish capital was very much dependent,” said

Rod Jamieson, Director of Lucas Fox Madrid estate agents. “Today, following several key structural reforms and an important price correction in the property market, Madrid is back on the map as one of the best places in which to invest. The last year has seen a large increase in foreign investment from many different parts of the world.” Also recovering is Valencia. The area’s position as a key tourist destination and business and investment hub has helped property sales recover by up to 30 per cent compared to 2013. “Valencia has developed into one of Europe’s most exciting and progressive cities. Known as the ‘California of Europe’ thanks to its long stretches of coastline, balmy temperatures, gastronomy, rich cultural heritage and architecture. It also offers excellent accessibility to Madrid, Ibiza and Barcelona, so is increasingly becoming a target for overseas property investors,” said Lucas Fox.

With this new rate, the monthly mortgage repayment now stands at €352.46. Homeowners save €113 a year on their mortgage repayments. According to El Mundo, those paying mortgages in Madrid and the Basque country will benefit the most from the drop in Euribor, saving €170 and €130 per year respectively. Other regions to benefit from mortgage payment discounts of over €100 a year include the Balearic Islands (€121.69), Navarra (€120.96) and Cataluña (€117.12).

New housing prices drop, but at a slower rate THE price of new housing in Spain continued to drop during 2014, but at a slower rate than the previous year, according to latest statistics. The new data would lend further credence to the opinion that the Spanish property market is reaching bottom, which is good news for homeowners wishing to sell and at the same time a wake-up call for those hoping to buy a Spanish property before prices rise again. According to a report from the Sociedad de Tasacion, the average price of new housing in the country fell by 2.2 per cent in 2014, which is much lower than the 7.8 per cent decline in 2013. The data also highlights that prices declined at a slower rate in the last six months of 2014. New housing prices fell in all regions during last year, with Andalucia registering a 2 per cent drop and La Rioja the highest drop of 3.7 per cent. According to the Sociedad de Tasacion, the slow in the price decline has coincided with an increase in activity due to relaxation in the difficulties of obtaining financing and improvement of the economic forecast.

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‘iYacht’ - Jobs’ superyacht spotted

Futuristic solar pow Instagram/woodsholeinn

THE €100 million luxury superyacht commissioned by Apple founder Steve Jobs before his death had heads turning in the Caribbean in the early New Year. Named ‘Venus,’ the futuristic floating vessel is designed by French designer Philippe Starck and was spotted sailing around the Virgin Islands over the holiday period. Pictures were posted on the Woods Hole Inn Instagram account, with photographer Beth Colt describing the boat as something “suitable for a villain in a Bond movie.” Commissioned in 2007 by Jobs, the boat wasn’t finished until after his death in 2011. Jobs used to meet with designer Starck at his home in Palo Alto to pore over the plans. It is rumoured that there are 27

VENUS: Sailing around the Virgin Islands.

iMac computers on board and a Jacuzzi on the deck. Writing on the Woods Hole Inn blog, photographer Colt - who was snorkelling at the time said: “From a distance it appeared that the bow was square, like the whole thing was a floating Bauhaus inspired cube. More like something you would see in the Malibu hills than on the ocean. More like an Apple store.” She continued: “The illusion of a box from afar

was created by a polished chrome bowline that reflected the water. The whole boat was like a mirror... We circled peeking into what was clearly an exercise room… Several crew members were in there, polishing the chrome, scrubbing the deck and rearranging the bicycle collection.” The 256-metre yacht is said to have six rooms on board and it’s believed that the boat is still owned by Jobs’ wife Laurene.

BOATING

PLANS for a revolutionary new solar powered luxury yacht have been unveiled. The futuristic Fresnel Hydrofoil Trimaran - designed by architect Margot Krasojevic - can be powered by both the wind and the sun, and at a cost of $15 million (€12.6 million), has been created for Holden Manz wine estate in South Africa. Combining self-harvested energy, a mast made out of carbon-fibre hydrofoils, and a galactic-like design, the new yacht promises to be one of the most innovative, eco-friendly and eye-catching yacht creations ever. The vessel can convert from a racing trimaran into a single-hulled cruising boat with a set of fold-out hydrofoils to lift the hull out of the water for a faster and smoother ride. Tiny solar cells cover the sail, allowing it to harness the sun’s rays for energy and power. “The yacht attempts to run selfsufficiently,” Krasojevic told MailOnline. “The smart materials and vacuum formed PVcU cladding is currently being tested for solar efficiency with the aim of starting build in April 2015. The boat transforms from racing multihull

SOLAR POWERED: The Fresnel Hydrofoil Trimar trimaran to a cruise boat for leisure and it harnesses renewable energy to run its motors.” Unique, energy-harnessing projects

BOATING

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RECENTLY married British sailor Sir Ben Ainslie has announced that his team’s headquarters for the 2017 America’s Cup is to be powered by

solar energy. The Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) HQ in Portsmouth, England, has entered into a long-term partnership with

BAR HQ: 2017 America’s Cup base.

renewables investor Low Carbon to provide the team with clean energy. Currently under construction in Portsmouth, the HQ will be powered by the latest high-efficiency solar photovoltaic technology. “We’re delighted to be on board with Low Carbon and this new partnership takes us a long way towards our goal of sustainable clean FRENCH SAILORS: Today the team is supporting ‘Je Suis Charlie.’ energy for our new base,” said Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history. Ninety per cent of THE French sailors on board Dongfeng Sailors Thomas Rouxel and Eric the team’s electricity power Race Team - currently leading the third Peron were pictured on board holding will be initially supplied by leg of the Volvo Ocean Race - took time ‘Je suis Charlie’ cards, as was the technology, increasing to out from their sailing duties to Dongfeng Race Team skipper Charles 100 per cent once energy condemn the terrorist attack on the Cuadrelier. “Any other day we are monitoring is in place. Charlie Hebdo magazine offices in Paris Dongfeng Race Team, but today we Ainslie’s America’s Cup last week that resulted in the deaths of are Charlie #JeSuisCharlie,” said the base is due to be completed 12 staff members. team. this summer. © Sam Greenfield / Volvo Ocean Race

Photo: © Dr Margot Krasojevic

Ainslie goes for wered yacht solar power

Support from miles away

ran yacht from above. are a trademark of London-based Krasojevic, who has also designed a floating wine bar in Paris that harnesses natural light, and a ‘jetway hotel’ that can be wheeled to the door of an aircraft.

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MOTORING

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IN a sign of better times ahead, sales of commercial vehicles rose by a third in 2014. As the year ended final figures showed 113,782 units were sold across the country, the best figures since 2010. Much of the credit for the sales surge has been given to the Plan PIMA Aire which encouraged drivers to swap older, more polluting vehicles for new models by giving them a minimum trade in value. It still shows an increasing confidence in the future of the economy as businesses invest in new vehicles. The increase in sales has been across the board with a similar rise for small businesses as well as larger PLCs. The car rental sector saw an annual rise of 31.5 per cent with it accounting for 21,052 units, with a 70.7 per cent rise in sales in December.

IN spite of the difficult economic environment, 2014 ended on a high for Opel/Vauxhall with the carmaker recording its best sales figures in recent years. According to preliminary figures, the company delivered around 1.076 million vehicles in Europe last year. This is equivalent to an increase of 35,000 cars or 3 per cent compared to overall growth in the European market of just 2 per cent. Opel’s share of the overall European vehicle

Picture copyright GM

Commercial Good year for Opel as it sales increase records 3 per cent growth

NEW CORSA: Hopes riding high at Opel. market was up for the second year running - by 0.1 per cent to 5.74 per cent. Opel achieved its best sales figures and market share since 2011. “We recorded growth in more than 15 markets. Our modern range of cars managed to impress especially in the most important European markets,” said Peter Christian Küspert, Vice President Sales & Aftersales Opel Group.

Amongst others, Opel grew in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain. Opel booked its largest sales volume increases in Poland (+42 per cent), Ireland (+33 per cent) and Portugal (+28 per cent). The market share grew in more than 12 European countries. The company is hoping to continue its sales growth this year, and with 85,000 orders for the new Corsa,

due for delivery later this month, it has made a good start. The new entry-level model KARL will follow in the summer and the compact model Astra will arrive at the end of the year. “We will be able to offer our customers the best small car portfolio of all time with KARL, Corsa and ADAM. And our bestsellers, Corsa and Astra, which make up 50 per cent of our sales will be renewed,” explained Küspert. Opel’s massive investment in development will see 27 new models and 17 new engines brought to market by 2018 and the company wants to increase its sales figures further in the years to come. The carmaker has targeted a market share of 8 per cent in Europe by 2022.

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SPORT

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port S Rugby season returns

Cristiano Ronaldo Picked up his third Ballon d’Or World Player of the Year award.

Mallorca’s best guide to local sport

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THE second half of the rugby season kicked off after the holidays for the players and teams in the Men’s Senior League. All teams in the Men’s Baleares Senior League were in action at the weekend. An El Toro RC team depleted by injury headed to S’Arracco to play Bahia RC at home. During the first half the home team found it difficult to break through the visitors’ defences who, however, were struggling to make headway when they had the ball. Bahia RC was the first to put points on the board and were 10 up by half time. It was throughout the second half that Bahia RC made their mark on the match and kept possession

DANIEL SEGREDO, RAÚL MONTES DOMINGUEZ, EL TORO RC.

By Lynda Demangeat

Tackle by Dimonis RC on an RC Ponent B player - Daniel Segredo of the ball for much of the time, adding to their score to finish at 21 points to 0. A disappointing match for El Toro RC who went away with added determination for the next encounter.

In other matches in the League, Ibiza RC lost at home against RC Ponent A by 15 points to 31. The B RC Ponent team beat Dimonis RC in Manacor by 22 points to 36

and Shamrock RC made a very good effort at home against Corsaris RFC, scoring 15 points to 21 for the visitors. El Toro RC host Ibiza RFC in Son Caliu. Shamrock RC are to meet RC Ponent A in Principes de España, followed by RC Ponent B against Bahia RC, and Corsaris RFC will play Dimonis RC in Pollença. Agora Portals are organising the next Rugby Day and also the next matches in the Michel Rodier U14 series. The first matches in the U18 Baleares League kick off in Son Caliu, organised by El Toro RC, who also host the next matches in the Michel Rodier Trophy for the U16 teams. The girls’ teams also kick off the second half of their season.

A sad farewell

IT was with great sadness that rugby players around the Balearics received the news that Michel Rodier died after Christmas after a long illness. Michel Rodier was instrumental in introducing rugby to the islands and was a founder of El Toro RC 25 years ago. In 2010, he was named as an honorary president in recognition of his work for the club. He coached the El Toro RC teams for many years and the Michel Rodier Trophies for the U14 and U16 teams in the Balearics were introduced as an acknowledgement of his influence on the local game. His presence at matches will be greatly missed.