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ISSUE NO. 1551

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26 MARCH - 1 APRIL 2015

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DON’T MISS OUR PROPERTY SUPPLEMENT INSIDE, PAGES 25-32

Easter comes to life with El Paso in Riogordo By Maria Jose Fernandez EL PASO, a re-enactment of Jesus’s crucifixion with a cast of 600 locals in the Axarquia village of Riogordo, is one of the most unique and wellknown religious events in Spain. The Semana Santa (Holy Week) tradition was established in 1951 and some consider it the best Passion of Christ reenactment in Europe. The Riogordo play is characterised by the quality of its interpretations, with actors and actresses who rehearse for months before the big day. Each detail is carefully attended to, including perfecting the sound, costumes and stage area. The organising board pride themselves on seamless planning and organisation, realised with the unselfish collab-

oration of hundreds of locals. “I have been watching El Paso since I was a child,” said Cristian Garcia, the actor who currently plays Jesus, speaking to Andalucian TV channel Canal Sur. The role has been his lifelong ambition. “I used to think, ‘When I grow up I want to play Jesus.’ It took me years to learn the script. But it

is not just learning words, it is hours of rehearsal, you cannot become Jesus overnight.” The play will reflect scenes from both the Old

and New Testaments, including the repentance of Mary Magdalene, the Last Supper, the betrayal by Judas and the final

Crucifixion scene. This year, El Paso is expected to draw around 10,000 spectators at the El Calvario outdoor auditorium Out of the more than 2,800 inhabitants of Riogordo, 600 are part of the El Paso cast, more than a fifth of the total population participating directly in the event. The event was awarded the title ‘Festival of Tourism Interest of Spain and Andalucia’ and takes place in two acts on April 3 and 4, Good Friday and Easter Saturday, at 4.30pm. Tickets to attend the event are €8 for adults and €5 for children, retired citizens and pensioners. They can be obtained in advanced at Riogordo Town Hall (952 732 154), at Rural Andalus (Calle Montes de Oca in Malaga), in the

Pasatiempo book shop in Torre del Mar (Calle Infantes), or at the box office in El Calvario the same day of the play from 1.30pm. Riogordo is a must-see event for Semana Santa enthusiasts who also have a taste for outdoor theatre.

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INDEX News 1 - 18 Finance 19 - 24 Leapy Lee 33 Daily TV 36 Time Out 38 - 39 Letters 40 Health & Beauty 46 - 47 H&G/Pets 49 Services 50 - 52 Classifieds 53 - 54 Motoring 55 Sport 56

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DOING WELL: Marbella doctors confirm Ashya King is free from cancer.

Positive news for brain tumour boy

MARBELLA doctors have confirmed declarations by Brett and Naghemeh King to The Sun newspaper that their five-year-old son Ashya is free from cancer. The British parents, who were arrested in the Axarquia after removing their son from a hospital in the UK last summer to search

abroad for treatment he had been denied, happily announced that after proton beam treatment in Prague and subsequent therapy in Marbella, scans showed no evidence of tumours. A hunt for the family was launched after an international arrest warrant was

issued. The parents were detained and taken to Madrid before being released following a public outcry. After returning from Prague late last year, Ashya received therapy sessions at the hospital in Marbella, where doctors said he was doing and feeling very well.

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No discrimination MORE than 450 schoolchildren in Motril participated in a project called ‘Citizens of the World’ on International Day against Discrimination (March 21), which was aimed at encouraging intercultural education.

26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

FOREIGNERS living in Nerja have until next Tuesday, March 31, to renew their padron registration (census). The town hall receives around €150 for every person on the padron every year from the central and regional governments. Every two years all foreigners must confirm that they should still be on the padron, otherwise they

will be considered as not living in the town any more. Consequently, they would not figure on the population list for the town to receive grants. Also, residents who are not registered on the padron cannot benefit from certain rights, like tax discounts. Foreigners can renew their padron by sending an email to the council’s Foreigners’ Department at

extranjeros@nerja.es stating their name and NIE number or passport number, or visit the Foreigners’ Department on the ground floor. It can also be carried out at the town hall’s main reception. Residents need to bring a photocopy of any kind of identification, preferably their NIE, but passports, identity cards, driving licences or medical cards are also accepted.

Custody protest A PROTEST was held last Thursday, March 19 (Father’s Day in Spain) outside Malaga City courts to demand changes to the law to give parents equal rights and joint custody in divorce cases.

Access costs AS much as €120,000 has been spent by Malaga Provincial Council on the creation of a new access road to the industrial site in Riogordo. Top buyers ITALY is the country that imported the most food and drink (20 per cent of the total) from Malaga Province in 2014, the Junta de Andalucia regional government has announced.

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watch

It’s time to spring forward!

THIS Saturday night, March 28, it’s time to put the clocks forward an hour. Losing an hour’s sleep is the price we pay to welcome back those long, sunny evenings.

New padel courts A NEW padel court was inaugurated on Monday, March 23, in Almayate by Mayor of Velez-Malaga Francisco Delgado Bonilla and other council representatives. The courts are located next to the municipal football pitch.

Roman route

Classic concert THE Casa de la Cultura of Almuñecar will host a concert featuring Mozart compositions on Saturday, March 28, at 8pm. Changing jobs MORE than 29,000 employees in Malaga are searching for another job. The data provided by Randstad showed that the number of people with a job looking for a different one has grown for the first time in six years.

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Last call for the padron

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Theatre works MUNICIPAL inspectors visited the construction works on the Lope de Vega theatre in Velez-Malaga and confirmed that they were on track to be finished by January 2016.

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AN archaeological tour will be held on Saturday, March 28, at 10.30am following a route around Almuñecar’s Roman remains.

Painting winner

RELIGIOUS SPECTACLE: Holy Week processions take place throughout Spain.

Prepare to be amazed! FOR the last week of Lent (leading to Good Friday) and throughout Easter, Holy Week or ‘Semana Santa’ will be celebrated throughout Spain. Semana Santa is an event that truly envelopes Spain’s love of religious pageantry, and one that should be experienced at least once in a lifetime. Holy Week is the annual commemoration of the ‘Passion of ‘Christ’, celebrated by Catholic brotherhoods and fraternities, draped in hooded robes that date back hundreds of years, who undetake the ‘Penance Processions’ on the spectator-crammed streets of almost every Spanish town and city. The passionate roll of the costaleros bearing the huge floats, and the mournful trumpets that accompany images of Christ and the Virgin Mary evoke

Quote of the Week We had reserved our tickets for the tour, but we missed it. When we arrived back at the ship they told us about the attack and we were in shock. It was chaotic,’ a couple from Mallorca explained upon arriving in Palma on board the Costa Fascinosa cruise ship, involved in the terrorist attacks last week in Tunisia.

another world, and the ambience and aroma lingers over the cries of the wailing saeta singers. The stars of the show are the processions. Every brotherhood’s penance is to carry the magnificent ´’pasos’ or floats. These masterpieces (many sculpted by artists and some hundreds of years old) typically weigh more than a ton, and will normally be accompanied by sorrowful marching bands. Don’t be surprised if for a moment the parade stops as an outburst of flamenco song wails out in the night air. It is sung from one of the balconies in the narrow streets by a saeta singer, who in times gone by spontaneously cried out when so totally overcome with fervour that only a flourish of flamenco would be enough to convey their emotions.

Number of the week

6.5

million is the number of tourists that visited Spain from abroad in the first two months of this year. The UK produced the most visits, followed by France and Germany.

THE sixth edition of the painting contest Ramon Portillo of Motril was one by Leonor Solans with a painting called La Victoria. More than 160 contestants submitted works.

Young orchestra JOPMA, the Young Provincial Orchestra of Malaga, will perform at Riogordo’s Señora de Gracia Church on Saturday, March 28, at 8.30pm.

Works stopped RENOVATION works in Plaza de Madrid and Puerta del Mar in Almuñecar will be temporarily interrupted during the Easter festivities to allow better traffic and pedestrian circulation around the town’s inner centre.

And finally... A man out partying with friends in Madrid decided six stab wounds received during a fight were certainly not a good enough reason to ruin an evening out, and continued to drink at a bar until his friends eventually called for an ambulance hours later.

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Axarquia children stay home in learning support protest By Maria Jose Fernandez MORE than 20 children

from Gregrorio Marañon Primary School in Cala del Moral (Rincon de la Victo-

ria) stopped going to school for three days due to attacks and insults from one of their classmates. Parents of the children, who are currently in the fourth year of primary school, aged around nine years old, have explained that their classmate is a girl with special needs, and that the solutions proposed by the Junta de Andalucia regional government’s Education Department have so far not made any difference. “Our first complaints arose in May of 2014 and for now the only solution proposed has been to hire a companion for the girl to watch her 25 hours per week,” said spokesperson for the families affected, Stella Robles. She added: “Her attacks have not

ceased, our children are unhappy.” The families claimed that they had tried to contact the girl’s parents, but to no avail. The regional Education Department responded that the parents had been informed of the measures taken on March 6. “The orientation and special needs teams are involved, as well as a companion that stays with the girl during the five hours of class,” the Junta declared in a statement. It continued: “These measures will be maintained until the end of the academic year and will be revised to decide whether or not a new intervention is needed.” In a statement released by their legal representative, the girl’s parents said: “It is

completely untrue that they [the parents] have tried to contact us to approach the situation of our daughter. Since 2011 we have been requesting adequate assistance for our child, who has special educational needs and a disability.” The parents claimed that the recommendations of experts, who had been able to deal with their daughter’s behavioural problems outside school, had not been taken up by other professionals working in school. “They are stigmatising our daughter, our family, stating untrue facts, injuring our honour and our private lives. We will respond by taking the legal action we deem appropriate,” the statement concluded.

NEWS EXTRA

Effective measures THE amount of electricity the Malaga-Costa del Sol airport has saved since efficiency measures were adopted in 2012 is enough to supply a village with 9,000 inhabitants for one whole year, according to government figures.

Restaurant excellence RESTAURANT Arxiduna in Archidona has received the distinction ‘Sabor a Malaga’ (Malaga Flavour) bestowed by Malaga Provincial Council in recognition of its high quality dishes created with local products.

Our View

Ready for Easter?

HIS week will see the start of major transformations in our towns and villages as Semana Santa approaches and the biggest festival season in Spain this side of Christmas bursts onto the streets. Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Easter is a time of year that literally transforms towns and cities across this region. But while we think about spending time enjoying the spectacle, there is a price to pay. If you are one of the millions of people living here amongst the splendour of the parades and need to get to work, or have a hospital appointment, or need to get the kids to school, you might want to think about the difficulties that may arise when you discover a one-tonne float standing outside

your garage one morning. You will need to be a little prepared to avoid frustration this week, as everybody involved in the celebrations will be oblivious to the fact that you need to work. Because of the changes that occur before the festival - temporary street barriers, road closures, diversions and such that will surely be put in place - moving around may be difficult. Typically most small shops close for the whole week, and from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday traffic is closed off in city centres. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say. If you think that Holy Week will interfere in anyway with your daily routine (getting to work, etc) ask at your local town hall for a guide. And be sure to do your shopping early!

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Get dancing ALL residents of Algarrobo over 40years-old are now able to benefit from free dance classes, starting on April 7. Those interested should apply at the town hall before April 6.

Free visits ART fans will be able to visit the new Pompidou Centre museum in Malaga City free of charge after 4pm on Sundays this spring.

Role model THE association for young women UNICA has given Torrox figure skater Ana Sanchez an award for being a role model thanks to her hard work and for making women in sports more visible.

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26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

Opening up more of the Nerja caves TWO new spaces in the Nerja Caves may soon open to the public, if Mayor Jose Alberto Armijo has his way. Mr Armijo, vice-president of the Nerja Caves Foundation, has put forward a plan to the foundation president, Jorge Hernandez Mollar, to open caves La Torca and La Mina which are currently closed to the public. If the proposal is approved, these two new spaces, considered the heart of the caves because of their importance, would be open to the public for the first time since the caves became a tourist attraction in 1960. He will be able to discuss the proposal in the town hall once a scientific board has authorised it. The mayor explained the visits would be carried out in small groups. Participants would be able to enjoy a guided tour and learn about the caves’ history.

NERJA CAVES: Became a tourist attraction in 1960.

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Get a taste of the best seafood THE first Fish and Seafood Day ‘Sabor a Mares’ (Sea Flavour) of Velez-Malaga will take place on April 4. The deputy mayor of the district Caleta de Velez, together with the councillor for Agriculture and Fishing, Mari Carmen Diaz, and the mayor of Algarrobo, presented the event, which will open at the port of Caleta at around 12pm. The day will begin with an official event that will gather council representatives and figures from the business world. After that, an exhibition of photographs depicting the town’s fishing history from the past to the present will be inaugurated. Tastings will begin at around 1pm, and participants will be able to enjoy fried fish and other typical food while listening to live music from local bands. “The main goal of this event is to promote consumption of local fish and help local fishermen,” Ms Diaz explained.

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Volunteers train NEW volunteers with the Civil Protection Unit in Almuñecar will participate in three courses to train them in the skills needed to become fully-fledged members of the team. The courses will take place in April, covering basic training in fields such as water rescue operations, rescue techniques at beaches and first aid.

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Locals say play park poses a safety risk By Steve Walsh WITH the tourist season about to sweep across the beaches of Nerja, who’s sweeping Nerja’s beaches? When the local council was awarded €135,000 by Malaga Province last November to renovate the beaches of Nerja, people thought they might see a bright, new seafront in 2015. However, locals say it would appear that very little, if anything, has been done. Ken Dobell, a grandfather who lives in Nerja, said he believes the children’s play park area on Burriana beach, just beside Ayo’s, poses a serious health and safety risk, and is simply unusable. Residents with small children are very upset that the area their children love to play in every day is, they say, a dangerous disgrace that appears to have been totally neglected by the council’s cleaning department. Ken and Sue Dobell, whose granddaughter plays in the park on a reg-

BURRIANA BEACH: Children’s play area is ‘dangerously neglected’. ular basis, said they had to clean the park each time she and her friends wanted to use it. Ken added: “There appears to be no upkeep or monitoring of the area. “It’s never raked or cleaned, consequently many undesirable items accumulate like animal excrement, cigarette butts, broken bottles and litter, which cover the ground. All that would be needed is

a small fence around it, and raking once in a while.” The Euro Weekly News tried on several occasions to ask different departments within the council if they would like to comment on the problem, but nobody was available. Mr and Mrs Dobell have asked the council if they intend to use a little from the €135,000 renovation fund and maybe put in a

swing or two, or upgrade the equipment in some way. While they, and the patrons of the play park, wait for a response, the mayor of Nerja, José Alberto Armjo, has just announced that Malaga Provincial Council and the Ministry of Environment will be investing more than €1 million for improvements in Nerja, specifically in the area around El Playazo beach.

Brighter nights for Torrox streets LIGHTING will undergo a comprehensive upgrade in Torrox thanks to the replacement of more than 400 street lamps in the town centre. Mayor Francisco Muñoz explained that council experts had detected that the street lamps were not supplying enough light due to old age.

In total, 402 lamps will be placed around the streets of Torrox’s centre and it is expected the upgrade will reduce electricity consumption by 25 KW per hour and save 70 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. The work will cost €19,698 and is expected to save the council a total of €15,672 per year.

UPGRADE: Better street lighting to be installed.

Compensation for expropriated homes THE Spanish Government will compensate owners of homes expropriated to construct the A-7 and A-44 roads with a total of €23.2 million. The A-7 (Mediterraneo Motorway) and A-44 (Sierra Nevada-Costa

Tropical) will force 320 Motril residents to leave their homes. They will receive a total of just over €8 million before June. Eighty-four Salobreña owners will receive €1.9 million, €2.1 million is

earmarked for Albuñol owners, and the same amount for owners in Gualchos-Castell de Ferro. Velez Benaudalla owners will receive €1.2 million and those in Almuñecar will obtain almost €1 million.

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Nerja students take study trip STUDENTS and teachers from Nerja secondary school El Chaparil visited the UK for the first oneweek meet-up in the ‘Erasmus +’ educational programme. The event, called ‘New Waves: the sea and water as a focus for innovation in teaching and learning,’ took place in Bath thanks to the Erasmus initiative, which grants scholarships to students at schools and

universities to study abroad. Six second-year students and two teachers from Nerja took part in the activities organised by St Gregory’s Catholic School in the English city, and had the chance to share the experience with students from many countries including England, Italy, Latvia, Turkey and Greece. Water was the theme chosen for the meeting.

Students prepared a presentation on flooding problems, which was shown in front of their host families, teachers, students and the mayor of Bath, Cherry Beath. As part of the project, students had previously attended a talk on sea catastrophe protection and prevention systems across the south of England, as well as a talk with victims of the 2014 floods in Somerset.

A makeover for homes

MEETING UP: Nerja Council will help the project.

Spanish Association Against Cancer to open Nerja office THE AECC (Spanish Association Against Cancer) has contacted Nerja Council to express their interest in opening an office in the town. Nerja mayor, Jose Alberto Armijo, and other council representatives have already held a meeting with the association as they believe the service provided by such an office would be greatly positive for the town, helping people suffering from the illness as well as their families. “Nerja Council will do its best to make this project a reality,” said head of the Health Department, Nuchi Moreno.

AS many as 254 subsidised homes in Velez-Malaga will undergo improvement work paid for by the Junta de Andalucia regional government. The news was announced by Junta delegate, Jose Luis Ruiz Espejo, and other government representatives. Mr Ruiz Espejo explained the Velez-Malaga homes that would benefit from these renovations were located in the districts of Pueblo Nuevo de la Axarquia, Cuesta del Visillo and Primavera-Verano. In total, 743 homes in Malaga Province will be renovated at a total cost of €1.3 million in a project that is aimed at improving common areas of the buildings (façades, sewage systems, cladding, etc) as well as some elements of the homes’ interior. The main goal was to improve quality of life.

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Green Motril A NEW free service has been launched by Motril Council to help agriculture-related companies dispose of plastic waste, such as greenhouse tents.

Road works CONSTRUCTION work on the new road to enter VelezMalaga’s industrial park will soon be put out to tender as the project has been unblocked by the Junta de Andalucia regional government.

Earth tremor A SMALL earthquake was felt last week in Almuñecar. It measured 2.4 on the Richter scale and had its epicentre in Lentegi (Granada).

Port funds MOTRIL Port Authorities are to spend €480,000 on a series of improvements on the maritime station used by passengers travelling to destinations such as Melilla and Moroccan cities Nador and Alhucemas.

Home repairs SALOBREÑA Council has performed improvements on subsidised homes in the area of La Caleta. Plans have covered street paving and other improvements.

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Two men robbed bar from the inside TWO men from Adra in Almeria have been arrested by the Guardia Civil for allegedly faking two burglaries at a bar they owned in La Rabita, in Albuñol.

The arrested men, a 40 and a 44-yearold, told police in December 2014 that someone had broken into their bar in Costa Tropical and had stolen several professional loudspeakers, as well as the takings of slot machines, which amounted to more than €3,000. After that, in February, both issued a complaint claiming that another MAYOR of Velez-Malaga, Francisco Delgado Bonillo, break-in had taken place. launched a charity campaign called ‘Building their future,’ The suspects said that the which aims to collect old mobile phones in order to raise thieves had taken alcoholic drinks, a complete sound funds for education projects in the Dominican Republic. During the presentation Mr Delgado was accompanied system and a laptop comby the Education councillor, Aurora Diaz, and other council puter, valued at a total of €9,800. representatives. However, Guardia Civil Four of the town’s schools will participate in collecting phones, and after April 30 the centre that has collected officers started an investigation, which found that most will win a prize. “We not only want schools to join the campaign, but al- the entrance of the bar so each and every member of the Velez-Malaga communi- had been broken from the ty, as this is a project that deserves our support, “said the inside of the property. Both men have been mayor. He thanked the Axarquia school and its director for organising the campaign and locals for making the effort charged with two crimes of to recycle their old phones for the charity. For every mo- theft, two crimes for theft forgery and one for fraud. bile phone collected, Orange will donate €2.50 to UNICEF.

Schools encourage recycling of phones

26 March WE DO!- 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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Flamenco show A FLAMENCO show by dancer Ana Morales will be held next Saturday (March 28) at 9pm in Nerja’s Cultural Centre. Tickets are €15 from www.mient rada.net or at the centre between 10am and 2pm.

Green light ENVIRONMENTAL approval has been received to add a 1.8 kilometre stretch of metro line in Malaga City between the El Corte Ingles area and the Hospital Civil.

Dump home ANDALUCIAN party of Motril has complained about an abandoned home in Calle Buen Pastor, which is affecting neighbours as it is used as a tip and toilet.

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Frigiliana stars in music video THE streets of Frigiliana were chosen once again to be the setting of a music video by singer Alvaro Soler, member of Barcelona band Urban Lights. The video was recorded on Saturday (March 21), and some Frigiliana residents had the chance to take part in the filming as extras. The song was ‘Bajo el mismo sol’ (Under the same sun), the first solo single released by the artist.

Father’s day lottery draw

A German production team and a Malaga company were in charge of the project. Tourism councillor, Maria Jose Caravaca, emphasised the positive impact of having renowned artists shoot their videos in the town, not only for the promotional nature of these projects, but also in augmenting Frigiliana’s role as a sought-after recording spot for audiovisual productions.

THE ‘Dia del Padre’ ONCE lottery draw spread luck around Axarquia, resulting in eight winning tickets. The draw, which took place on March 19, the day Spaniards celebrate Father’s Day, saw a total of €320,000 (€40,000 for each ticket) won in Velez-Malaga. The vendor of all the winning tickets, Diego Mateos Piña, sold them to residents of Calle Blas Infante, in the Parque de Andalucia area. More than €1.1 million was won by people in the Andalucian provinces of Cadiz, Cordoba and Malaga.

Alvaro Soler of Urban Lights.

Work put out to tender WORK to improve Calle Aduana in Motril has already been put out to tender. Mayor Luisa Garcia Chamorro, explained that the budget for the project had been priced at €84,000, with work expected to be completed in a period of two and a half months. Plans are to fix damaged parts of the street, and improve sewage and water supply systems.

Adverts to tempt Easter visitors FORTY strategic points in Spain have been chosen by Velez-Malaga to promote the tourism attractions of the town’s Semana Santa (Easter week). Tourism councillor, Rocio Ruiz, explained the promotional campaign had begun on Monday (March 23) and would run for 15 days.

An advertising poster has been designed using three representative pictures. “The main goal of this campaign is to promote our Semana Santa festivities, but also our town’s other attractions, such as beaches, nature, gastronomy or traditions,” said Ms Ruiz.

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Makeover for Rincon de la Victoria streets TWO residential complexes in Rincon de la Victoria will get a longrequested makeover. With a total cost of €500,800, the work on urbanisations Añoreta and Sierramar is aimed at improving the quality of basic services across several streets. Plans in Añoreta cover the rehabilitation of water supply and sewage systems in Calle Belice and Calle Estados Unidos. The Avenida Manuel Altolaguirre will undergo a comprehensive series of renovations to modernise its appearance and infrastructure.

STREET WORKS: Pavements will be completely renovated. Telephone lines will now be placed underground and pave-

ment and public lighting will be completely renovated.

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Pool and fantasy theme park plans MORE than 100 people participated on Tuesday (March 24) in the presentation of Rincon de la Victoria’s two big, new leisure projects, an indoor pool and a theme park based on a fantasy world. Mayor Francisco Salado explained the projects would have a combined cost of €5.5 million. By the end of the year, locals and visitors will be able to enjoy Andalucia’s first fantasy theme park. Originally billed as being inspired by the ‘Tolkein uni-

verse,’ it is now said to be based on the ‘universe of elves and fairy tales,’ after copyright concerns were raised. It will be located in Torre de Banagalbon. “The facilities will have a surface of eight hectares and are expected to become one of the main tourist attractions, thanks to its landscapes and leisure services,” said the mayor. The park will cost €1.7 million, €500,000 of which will come from Malaga Provincial Council.

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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Solidarity for Down’s MOTRIL joined the World Down Syndrome Day events held last Saturday (March 21) launched by the United Nations under the slogan ‘Life’s not about chromosomes’, to raise awareness amongst citizens and promote integration.

In Chinese QUIRON Hospitals in Malaga, Marbella and Campo de Gibraltar are offering a new service to Chinese expatriates. Doctor Nong Chyau Cheng Lee will ensure that patients are attended to in their own language.

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Weekend Play comes to Rincon de la Victoria ‘WEEKEND PLAY’, an event to promote video games and young people’s interests, will be held in Rincon de la Victoria on April 4 and 5. More than 1,000 young people from across the Axarquia and other regions are to attend the event, which will be hosted at the municipal pavilion Ruben Ruzafa in Torre de Benagalbon. Councillor for Youth Borja Ortiz (pictured far

right) unveiled a number of leisure activities specially targeted at youngsters.

During the two-day event, visitors will be able to play computer games

like League of Legends and Call of Duty. There will also be board games, exhibitions of comics, live music and tournaments to entertain the whole family, as well as an information stand to raise awareness amongst youngsters on the responsible use of videogames. Tickets for Weekend Play are €3 for one day and €5 for two. The event will take place between 11am and 8pm.

Migrants rescued off the coast of Motril SEVENTEEN sub-Saharan migrants have been rescued 25 miles off the southeast coast of the Scratif Cape in Motril. Amongst those on board the craft were two women and a baby. The rescue operation was carried

out by Salvamento Maritimo (Spanish sea search and rescue organisation) at around 7.48pm on Monday, March 23, when a ship that was sailing in the area noticed a dinghy and alerted the authorities. They had previously been made

aware of the situation by a port worker in Nador (Morocco). Upon their arrival at Motril Port, the immigrants received medical treatment from the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) and were then handed over to the National Police.

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Upgrade for sewage plants WATER treatment plants in several towns in Axarquia will undergo a series of improvements, paid for by the Commonwealth of Axarquia-Costa del Sol municipalities. Sewage plants in Velez-Malaga, Rincon de la Victoria, Torrox, Algarrobo and Benamocarra will benefit from the renovation project, which will be divided into two phases. Facilities in Algarrobo and Rincon de la Victoria are already undergoing works. The first phase has a budget of €200,000, although it is expected that the total cost of the project will reach more than €1 million.

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DO!26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

Socialist Party wins Andalucian elections THE Socialist Party (PSOE), led by Susana Diaz, clearly won Andalucia’s regional elections on Sunday, keeping hold of 47 seats, with the Conservative Popular Party (PP) coming second and hanging on to only 33 of their 50 previous seats. The Andalucian parliament is made up of 109 seats in total. Podemos, the new, anti-austerity-focused party, seemed to have been gaining ground in the opinion polls in the last weeks. But when it came to the vote, the party took 15 seats, failing to overtake either of Spain’s two major parties. Their result was nevertheless significant, and in Cadiz, the home town of regional presidential candidate Teresa Rodriguez, Podemos won the highest percentage of the vote. The Socialists might well have cause to celebrate in the Andalucian elections, but they failed to gain an overall 55-seat majority.

VICTORIOUS: Susana Diaz is greeted by supporters. They may look to Podemos as they sound out potential partners for coalition or ad hoc agreements, or to the other new party, Ciudadanos, who won nine seats in

their first time contesting elections in Andalucia. The election was considered to be one of Spain’s closest, hardestfought campaigns in many years.

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Mourning Alps crash victims SPAIN is holding three days of mourning for the victims of the Germanwings flight that crashed into the Alps with the loss of all those on board. One hundred and fifty people, including 51 Spanish and three British people died in the Tuesday, March 24, tragedy. The Spanish government started a period of official morning yesterday, Wednesday, with it finishing tomorrow. The small village of Meolans-Revel in France became the focal point for the emergency services, as by 4.30pm searches of the local area revealed pieces of fuselage, wreckage and dead bodies. Aviation and police officials stated that, with the rugged terrain and adverse weath-

er conditions hindering the rescue operation, and the fact that darkness falls at about 6.30pm in the area, the rescue services felt it was likely the operation would take many days. The Germanwings Airbus took off from El Prat in Barcelona at 9.35am on Tuesday, but disappeared off radars at around 11am and crashed into the mountains near Barcelonnette, in Alpes-de-HauteProvence, according to French media outlets. Amongst the victims were 16 German schoolchildren on their way back from an exchange trip in Barcelona. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, told reporters: “This is the hour in which we all feel deep sorrow.”

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical COSTA DE ALMERÍA

Cut prices ALMERIA Province exported 2.34 million tons of fruit and vegetables last year. Although this was 3.1 per cent up on 2013, earnings fell almost 2 per cent to €1.745 billion.

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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

Novice voters

TENDERS were invited for the PulpiCuevas del Almanzora section of the highspeed AVE Almeria to Murcia line. The €86.246 million project will take two years to complete.

In the dark THIRTY PER CENT of Almeria Province’s night sky is an officially-designated ‘dark area’. Most areas protected from light pollution by the Environment Department coincide with national and marine nature reserves.

Tourist draw CABO DE GATA’S fishing boats need younger crews and more experts to repair nets. Freshly-caught red mullet, snapper and bream are as important to tourism as apartments, fishermen said.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Whale of a time TWO large whales have been spotted swimming off the coast at San Juan. A woman recorded the animals from her balcony just a few metres from the shore.

Gang trial THE trial has begun this week in Alicante of those accused in the shooting between two rival family clans, which occurred in San Vicente del Raspeig in July 2013. Police initially made 21 arrests.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Top marks ONLINE travelogue company Minube has ranked the Mirador del Castillo in Benidorm one of Spain’s top 25 beauty spots. The Old Town viewpoint boasts panoramic views of the Levante and Poniente bays.

Fiesta ban?

A TOTAL of 17,992 of Almeria Province’s young residents voted for the first time in the regional elections. They accounted for 3.60 per cent of the 487,000 people registered to vote.

Fast work

NEWS DESK

ALFAZ opposition PP Councillor Maite Huerta has sparked outrage suggesting that age-old fiesta La Crueta, celebrating the arrival of spring, should be scrapped.

Happy actor

AIRBORNE: Osaia practises off Mojacar coast.

Osaia aims to fly high in France ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD Osaia Reding has been selected for the European Junior Freestyle Kitesurf championships in France next month. Osaia will compete in the Ladies’ nine to 19 category in the competition to be held between April 10 and 13. This will be her first European championship although last year Osaia competed in the Junior World Kitesurf championships in San Pere Pescador, Catalonia, coming third in

her category. Osaia, who practises off the Mojacar beaches whenever the wind is right, has high hopes, she said. Kitesurfing is a rapidly expanding sport, believed to be practised by around 1.5 million people worldwide. There are different styles of the sport, including racing, but Osaia’s specialism of freestyle involves using the kite and surfboard to jump into the air, performing various tricks while airborne.

tions; one at the University of Dhaka and the second at the Shilpokala Academy of Chittagong.

Works are expected to start by the end of the year and will be completed in a period of approximately 15 months.

Flamenco teaching

Altruistic teaching

THE Virgen de la Puerta school in Orihuela, one of the poorest schools in the province, has won the Award for Teacher Action with a project to instil poetry in the classroom through flamenco.

THE fourth edition of the English Course tailored to the needs of the hotel industry, launched by Algaida Council, has finished. It was conducted free by teacher Sylvia.

MALLORCA

Investment boom

Pets allowed

Visits increase

DISABLED pets are now allowed on public transport in Murcia. The change in law is following a campaign about a dog called Moma who uses a set of wheels after being left partially paralysed.

THE Bellver Castle in Palma received a total of 292,617 visitors in 2014, which generated revenue of almost €560,000, 8.7 per cent more than the previous year.

Travelling art

Better facilities

TWO Elche artists have travelled to Bangladesh to participate in two art exhibi-

A NEW maritime station will be built in Palma Port at a cost of €14.8 million.

INVESTMENTS in the construction industry increased by 29.9 per cent in the Balearic Islands in 2014 (€991 million). More than 4,000 jobs were created during last year within the sector.

Wine success WINERIES in the Balearic Islands registered an 11.3 per cent increase in sales in 2014, compared with the previous year.

ACTOR Tony Maudsley, currently filming ‘Benidorm’ has tweeted his delight that he can now get his Prawn Rings and Fish Fingers thanks to Iceland next door!

Portuguese party AROUND 7,500 young Portuguese are in Calpe celebrating at Calpe Festival Village organised by XTravel. They will spend an estimated €1.5 million over their seven-day stay.

COSTA DEL SOL

Top buyers ITALY is the country that imported the most food and drink products (20 per cent of the total) from Malaga Province in 2014, the Junta de Andalucia regional government has announced.

Custody protest A PROTEST was held last Thursday, March 19 (Father’s Day in Spain) outside the Malaga City courts to demand changes to the law to give parents equal rights and joint custody in divorce cases.

Effective measures THE amount of electricity the MalagaCosta del Sol Airport has saved since efficiency measures were adopted in 2012 is enough to supply a village of 9,000 inhabitants for one whole year, according to government figures.

Salad to go ANDALUCIA’S first registered healthy fast-food brand, Lettus, is doing such a roaring trade at its new stand in Fuengirola that following its success, the three local entrepreneurs who came up with the idea are considering opening more branches.

For more local news from our regions see www.euroweeklynews.com … EWN top for all the news from Spain.

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

S CANDINAVIAN P RESS

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Stories making headlines in Europe

Bell bottomed bygones

DENMARK: Danish toy maker Lego has sparked a sexist row in the USA with their new range of figures aimed at girls. The new product suggests how girls should wear their hair to complement their face.

FOR the first time in 70 years, the Royal Navy have had a fashion makeover and said goodbye to the famous bell bottom trousers. A new uniform has been issued and the official opinion is that, although they look boring, they allow the sailors to do their job effectively.

Killer bear

A GOVERNMENT IT system to process EU subsidies for farmers has been scrapped. Again! The IT system costing £154 million, had to be dumped for the second time because it was inoperable. The first system in 2005 cost £350 million.

NORWAY: A man was killed by a Polar bear while waiting to watch the Solar eclipse. The Czech tourist was with a group who had travelled to the north when he was dragged from his tent and mauled to death.

Glove slap DENMARK: The country suffered a glove slap to the face from the Russian Ambassador when he advised in reports that Denmark would be at risk of nuclear strikes if it joins the NATO missile programme.

In hot water SWEDEN: The country is in hot water with the Arabic world as the Foreign Minister kicked up a sandstorm saying: “Saudi Arabian policy violated women’s rights. They may not even drive a car, and the Royal family has absolute power. There is no other word for it than a dictatorship.”

Super trains NORWAY: The Norwegian Government has just secured an order with Spanish train makers CAF for eight new high speed trains. The famous trains will form part of the airport expansion programme.

Help wanted DENMARK: SWEDISH Superstar Benny Anderson from ABBA will be opening his new musical ‘Help Wanted’ in Copenhagen, Denmark.

GERMANY is setting up a new elite anti-terror unit for emergency operations in response to recent attacks in Northern and Western Europe.

Equal wages

Useless IT

Immigrant smuggling NOT satisfied with smuggling illegal immigrants into the UK from Europe, gangs are now smuggling them out as well. A lucrative business for the smugglers has developed enabling illegal immigrants to avoid deportation from Europe.

Why not vote? WITH the UK General Election on the doorstep, only a small percentage of expats in Spain have reg-

FASHION MAKEOVER: New uniform for the Navy.

istered to vote. UKIP’s Nigel Farage believes he knows why. “Basically, the first past the post system of voting is bust. We need to rethink the whole system.”

Holy ginger hair DID you realise Jesus Christ had red hair? No? It would seem that Holy Trinity Church in Sunderland thinks he might. The depiction of a red haired Jesus in a 19th century stained glass window was released by the Churches Conservation Trust to coincide with National Ginger Awareness Day this week.

RUSSIAN PRESS

TIGER CUBS: Released back into the wild.

A MANUFACTURER is in the process of putting together a contract to supply clean, emission-free trains to the district of Calw in Germany, close to the Black Forest.

Under attack

FOUR out of five tigers cubs nursed to health and released back into the wild seem to be doing well and have adapted to their natural environment. Three of the tigers were released personally by Vladimir Putin.

FORMER Soviet Union leader Mikael Gorbachev has called on Russia to help in preventing ‘Global Chaos,’ recalling the major reforms he initiated to end the ‘cold war’ between the East and West more than 30 years ago.

INDIAN Motor manufacturer Tata Motors will work together with German Company Marquardt to supply a ‘keyless’ entry system in cars. A new factory is setting up in Pune, India in 2016.

Clean trains

Sanctions go on

‘Chaos’ fight

Tata deal

GERMANY has sold almost 3.2 million CO2 carbon dioxide allowances as part of the EU Emissions Trading system .

US car giant General Motors is closing down its Opel factory in Saint Petersburg with the possible loss of up to 1,000 jobs. Russia’s car market has contracted significantly over the last year.

Tiger success

CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel has given her support to a proposed equal pay law between men and woman in Germany. It has caused controversy amongst German businesses, which have a pay gap between men and woman of similar skills of around 7 per cent.

Green sales?

Car shutdown

ECONOMIC sanctions against Russia will continue until the end of 2015 said the EU. The sanctions were initially initiated due to the conflict in Ukraine and specifically Crimea.

GERMAN PRESS Anti-terror

BRITISH PRESS Lego row

EUROPEAN PRESS

Arms concern DESPITE an arms embargo to Russia due to ‘humanitarian’ concerns Britain is still tied into £168 million worth of arms contracts. Overall Britain has more than €6 billion worth of deals outstanding to countries on the government’s ‘human rights concern list’.

POLICE are investigating an attack on the Bundestag Building in Berlin. A group of unknown attackers threw a Molotov cocktail at the buildings early in the morning on Monday 23. The buildings were undamaged.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

inance F

business & legal Ortega richer than ever AMANCIO ORTEGA, founder of Inditex and the Zara label, has a fortune topping €60 billion. Recently relegated from third to fourth on the Forbes Rich List his fortune had not shrunk, the magazine stressed, but the euro had depreciated against the dollar. Now the Galician, president of

the world’s largest retail clothing chain, is richer than ever with sales increasing by 8 per cent last year. Days before Bloomberg put a €59.55 billion price tag on Ortega’s 59.2 per cent holding of 1.848 billion Inditex shares. Two days later this increased to €60.75 billion when the shares

Temporary halt to bankruptcy BANCO DE MADRID’S request for a creditors’ meeting - an overture to bankruptcy proceedings - has been put on hold. A Madrid court handling the case suspended the application until Spain’s Bank Restructuring Fund (FROB) decides whether the bank should be liquidated or restructured. Banco de Madrid - not to be confused with scandalhit Caja Madrid which merged with other savings’ banks to create Bankia in 2011 - is the small Spanish offshoot of Banca Privada d’Andorra (BPA). The latter was accused in a US government report of money-laundering on behalf of government officials in Venezuela and

organised crime groups in China and Russia. This triggered a €76 million run on Banco de Madrid, the board walked out and Spain’s supervisor Banco de España intervened, appointing an interim board which suspended operations and requested a creditors’ meeting. FROB’s entry into the picture responds to legal formalities rather than the likelihood of rescue, said insiders who are conversant with the case. Banco de Madrid’s situation does not imperil Spain’s financial system, they said, and FROB will leave the way clear for the Madrid court to go ahead with liquidating the bank’s assets.

jumped to a record €28.81. In October 2012 Inditex shares rose above €100 for the first time but last summer a fivefor-one share split made them more affordable to encourage trading. The strategy paid off and the present €28.81 is equivalent to a pre-split value of more than €144 per share.

usiness extra

Job choices SPANIARDS would happily work for Google, L’Oreal and Mercadona in that order, they told human resources consultants, Adecco. The Spanish chain also headed job preferences in the supermarket sector.

WiFi on high BUDGET AIRLINE Vueling will be the first European airline to offer free high-speed broadband on flights. Passengers will receive a 20 megabyte per second connection provided by Telefonica.

Chickenfeed profits for farms IN 2011 there were 8,800 chicken farms in Spain and now there are 5,000. Andalucia, the Valencian Community, Murcia and Galicia are worst-hit, with a knock-on effect on hatcheries and feed suppliers. An average 11 million chickens are slaughtered each week in Spain where even in 2011 the ministry of Agriculture calculated that it cost

around €2.70 to produce a kilo of supermarket chicken. Feed is now cheaper, but energy and labour costs have risen and intensively-raised supermarket chicken sells at between €2.15 and €2.20 a kilo or - in a minority of cases - at around €2.30. With these prices they cannot cover overheads, producers complained.

STAT OF WEEK SALARIES continued to fall in 2014, with an average wage of €1,991.84 a month during the last quarter of the year, 0.2 per cent below the same period in 2013.

GUOZHONGHUA / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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

EWN

INDITEX: Zara is part of the world’s largest retail clothing chain.

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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LONDON - FTSE 100

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 23

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) 3i Group 502.25 Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 474.25 Admiral Group 1,552.00 Aggreko 1,571.00 Anglo American 1,084.00 Antofagasta 712.25 ARM Holdings 1,197.50 Ashtead Group 1,132.00 Associated British Foods 3,026.50 AstraZeneca 4,837.50 Aviva 568.25 Babcock International 987.50 BAE Systems 543.00 Barclays 257.43 Barratt Developments 530.00 BG Group 877.60 BHP Billiton 1,529.00 BP 445.08

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 5.55 1.12 -1.35 -0.28 11.00 0.71 -7.00 -0.44 -16.50 -1.50 -2.25 -0.31 -4.50 -0.37 -0.28 -0.02 -11.50 -0.38 -9.50 -0.20 -1.75 -0.31 -8.00 -0.80 -2.50 -0.46 2.13 0.83 -1.50 -0.28 -6.40 -0.72 -10.00 -0.65 -5.92 -1.31

NET VOLUME 4,829.09 6,333.16 4,294.61 4,041.55 15,370.37 7,043.95 16,879.79 5,697.85 24,051.06 61,228.20 16,825.21 4,999.37 17,202.31 42,125.25 5,272.26 30,182.25 32,504.79 82,266.05

See our advert on opposite page

Units per €

US dollar ................................................................1.07930 Japan yen ..............................................................129.555 Switzerland franc..............................................1.05830 Denmark kroner ................................................7.45424 Norway kroner ..................................................8.68494

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

PRICE(P)

British Amrcn Tobacco British Land Co BT Group Bunzl Burberry Group Capita Group (The) Carnival

3,655.25 869.50 467.18 1,870.50 1,836.00 1,190.50 3,136.50

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 23

C O M PA N Y MMM 3M AXP American Express AAPL Apple BA Boeing CAT Caterpillar CVX Chevron CSCO Cisco KO Coca-Cola DIS Disney DD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co XOM Exxon Mobil GE General Electric GS Goldman Sachs HD Home Depot IBM IBM INTC Intel JNJ Johnson & Johnson JPM JPMorgan Chase MCD McDonald's MRK Merck MSFT Microsoft NKE Nike PFE Pfizer PG Procter & Gamble TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies UNH UnitedHealth VZ Verizon V Visa WMT Wal-Mart

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 166.49 82.70 125.90 154.50 81.19 107.03 28.44 40.65 108.43 74.34 84.54 25.40 193.13 117.49 162.88 31.31 102.40 61.75 97.05 58.58 42.88 101.98 34.25 84.74 109.73 119.46 119.14 49.56 67.41 83.24

+0.83 +1.16 -1.59 +0.39 +1.10 +2.28 +0.18 +0.63 +1.06 -0.17 +0.13 +0.07 +3.16 +2.33 +3.07 +0.57 +0.71 +0.55 +1.07 +0.37 +0.60 +3.66 +0.10 +1.36 +0.62 +0.08 -1.62 +0.26 +0.60 +1.72

+0.50% +1.42% -1.25% +0.25% +1.37% +2.18% +0.64% +1.57% +0.99% -0.23% +0.15% +0.28% +1.66% +2.02% +1.92% +1.85% +0.70% +0.90% +1.11% +0.64% +1.41% +3.72% +0.29% +1.63% +0.57% +0.07% -1.34% +0.53% +0.90% +2.11%

4.4M 9.3M 68.7M 4.5M 8.2M 14.1M 37.6M 31.6M 8.7M 8.5M 36.1M 50.6M 3.5M 8.4M 9.0M 64.8M 12.4M 18.4M 10.0M 26.1M 71.9M 14.9M 59.2M 22.6M 4.4M 8.2M 7.2M 26.3M 15.4M 12.4M

1.37554

0.72698

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -1.75 2.50 1.78 -7.50 -40.00 -0.50 -64.50

C O M PA N Y

-0.05 0.29 0.38 -0.40 -2.13 -0.04 -2.01

NET VOLUME 68,170.57 8,841.38 37,907.46 6,285.84 8,341.46 7,882.76 6,914.69

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 38.66 $ 57.58 $ 5.75 $ 12.36 $ 6.65 $ 4.91 $ 14.31 $ 15.75 $ 3.14 $ 21.12 $ 2.68

9.43 ▲ 32.26% 11.44 ▲ 24.79% 1.01 ▲ 21.31% 1.70 ▲ 15.95% 0.81 ▲ 13.87% 0.55 ▲ 12.61% 1.55 ▲ 12.15% 1.68 ▲ 11.94% 0.32 ▲ 11.35% 2.11 ▲ 11.10% 0.25 ▲ 10.29%

$ 4.63 $ 7.31 $ 53.1227 $ 8.46 $ 2.62 $ 10.63 $ 24.86 $ 3.32 $ 14.20 $ 14.63 $ 46.94

0.71 ▼ 13.30% 0.99 ▼ 11.93% 7.0643 ▼ 11.74% 1.04 ▼ 10.95% 0.28 ▼ 9.66% 1.12 ▼ 9.53% 2.51 ▼ 9.17% 0.33 ▼ 9.04% 1.40 ▼ 8.97% 1.43 ▼ 8.90% 4.40 ▼ 8.57%

Most Advanced Prothena Corporation plc Ctrip.com International, Ltd. Vascular Biogenics Ltd. Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Cnova N.V. Gordmans Stores, Inc. Tuniu Corporation Calithera Biosciences, Inc. SAExploration Holdings, Inc. VelocityShares 3x Long Silver ETN linked Cumulus Media Inc.

Most Declined Erickson Incorporated Veracyte, Inc. VelocityShares 3x Inverse Silver ETN Nexvet Biopharma plc Tecumseh Products Company 1st Constitution Bancorp (NJ) Vital Therapies, Inc. Arotech Corporation TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. Zafgen, Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Centrica 256.70 0.90 Coca-Cola HBC 1,194.00 -7.00 Compass Group 1,191.50 -11.50 CRH 1,835.00 -5.00 Diageo 1,917.00 -7.00 Direct Line Insurance 327.80 -1.00 Dixons Carphone 422.20 -5.00 easyJet 1,860.00 -10.00 Experian 1,148.50 5.50 Fresnillo 698.50 -8.00 Friends Life Group 432.80 -0.40 G4S 296.80 -2.90 GKN 370.35 -5.25 GlaxoSmithKline 1,624.25 -10.75 Glencore 297.80 -1.50 Hammerson 686.75 1.75 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,187.00 -8.00 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 2,148.50 -36.50 HSBC Holdings 583.45 -1.25 Imperial Tobacco Group 3,110.50 5.50 InterContinental Hotels 2,664.00 -34.00 International Consolidtd 590.75 -2.75 Intertek Group 2,562.00 -8.00 Intu Properties 356.65 1.45 ITV 255.35 -1.45 Johnson Matthey 3,361.50 -27.50 Kingfisher 368.80 -1.20 Land Securities Group 1,275.00 -1.00 Legal & General Group 291.70 -1.60 Lloyds Banking Group 80.81 0.18 London Stock Exchange 2,565.00 -18.00 Marks & Spencer Group 533.75 -3.75 Meggitt 561.00 -13.50 Mondi 1,330.50 -17.50 Morrison (Wm) Suprmrkts 205.30 -1.00 National Grid 888.05 -1.15 Next 7,205.00 -70.00 Old Mutual 230.50 -1.20 Pearson 1,481.50 -10.50 Persimmon 1,689.00 1.14 Prudential 1,742.50 -5.00 Randgold Resources 4,831.50 -43.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5,965.00 5.00 Reed Elsevier 1,170.50 -2.50 Rio Tinto 2,901.00 -13.50 Rolls-Royce Group 984.00 -3.50 Royal Bank of Scotland 355.65 -0.65 Royal Dutch Shell 2,072.25 8.25 Royal Dutch Shell 2,178.75 7.75 Royal Mail 444.50 -1.90 RSA Insurance Group 432.95 -3.05 SABMiller 3,679.50 -30.50 Sage Group (The) 476.80 -3.50 Sainsbury (J) 272.00 -0.10 Schroders 3,280.00 -5.00 Severn Trent 2,077.00 9.00 Shire 5,592.50 -92.50 Sky 1,024.00 -8.00 Smith & Nephew 1,152.00 4.00 Smiths Group 1,199.50 -4.50 Sports Direct Interntnl 643.00 -6.00 SSE 1,558.50 4.50 St James's Place 983.50 5.00 Standard Chartered 1,112.50 41.00 Standard Life 479.10 -7.50 Taylor Wimpey 154.20 -0.50 Tesco 245.05 0.20 Travis Perkins 1,985.00 1.00 TUI AG 1,170.00 -9.00 Unilever 2,884.50 -15.50 United Utilities Group 957.00 8.00 Vodafone Group 227.05 -1.20 Weir Group 1,807.00 -34.00 Whitbread 5,395.00 -35.00 Wolseley 4,215.00 0.00 WPP Group 1,572.50 -7.50

% C H G. 0.35 -0.58 -0.96 -0.27 -0.36 -0.30 -1.17 -0.53 0.48 -1.13 -0.09 -0.97 -1.40 -0.66 -0.50 0.26 -0.67 -1.67 -0.21 0.18 -1.26 -0.46 -0.31 0.41 -0.56 -0.81 -0.32 -0.08 -0.55 0.22 -0.70 -0.70 -2.35 -1.30 -0.48 -0.13 -0.96 -0.52 -0.70 0.07 -0.29 -0.89 0.08 -0.21 -0.46 -0.35 -0.18 0.40 0.36 -0.43 -0.70 -0.82 -0.73 -0.04 -0.15 0.44 -1.63 -0.78 0.35 -0.37 -0.92 0.29 0.51 3.83 -1.54 -0.32 0.08 0.05 -0.76 -0.53 0.84 -0.53 -1.85 -0.64 0.00 -0.47

VOLUME 12,710.45 4,376.13 20,061.82 14,992.54 48,396.26 4,932.00 4,918.05 7,427.79 11,314.34 5,206.15 6,104.01 4,650.13 6,236.95 79,522.82 39,188.69 5,372.42 5,668.11 4,340.11 112,357.75 29,717.67 6,370.44 12,100.86 4,147.00 4,677.41 10,353.94 6,944.66 8,697.88 10,087.19 17,428.09 57,548.64 8,961.89 8,789.49 4,595.68 4,950.41 4,817.27 33,436.08 11,121.55 11,368.52 12,232.65 5,176.12 44,871.96 4,517.26 42,772.21 13,296.73 41,215.30 18,494.78 22,681.69 80,414.78 52,981.31 4,464.00 4,427.52 59,871.56 5,171.80 5,208.57 7,424.84 4,955.61 33,543.64 17,740.26 10,262.71 4,752.84 3,884.04 15,347.67 5,082.79 26,494.89 11,651.02 5,033.11 19,889.15 4,934.27 N/A 37,220.32 6,471.12 60,507.98 3,928.35 9,854.17 10,961.07 20,785.56

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / AxarquĂa - Costa Tropical

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Advertising Feature

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EWN

Milking an intelligent debate ANOTHER survey has just been released claiming that breastfed babies grow up to have higher IQs and earn more money. The study followed 3,500 newborns for 30 years. At the age of 30 all the participants were given an IQ test and the breastfed babies scored the highest. The researchers maintain that the presence of long-chain saturated fatty acids (DHAs) found in breast milk are essential for brain development - and that the longer the child is breastfed the more benefits experienced. I can just feel my good friend

Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

Claire’s blood boiling as I gaze over this most recent ‘breastfed good formula bad’ study. Claire is probably one of the most intelligent women that I know - she’s a director of a multinational company, a history scholar and an all-round smart cook-

ie, who didn’t receive even a drop of breast milk her entire life. And her brother, who also wasn’t fed breastmilk, works for the British intelligence agency, MI5. As she would quite rightly argue, it’s important to also consider in these studies the intelligence of the parents and their social status, as well as point out that genetics play a major part in a child’s IQ. That said, of course, breastfeeding is a beautiful thing. It helps to protect babies against stomach bugs, chest infections, asthma and allergies, while also helping new mums lose their extra baby pounds more

quickly. And if a woman wants to breastfeed - that’s great! Go ahead! But what isn’t fair is the ‘guilt’ that these studies instil in expectant mothers. Breastfeeding is a choice. But for some mothers it’s just not an option, so they shouldn’t be made to feel that their child will grow up to have lower intelligence and less potential to get a good job than those that are breastfed. Whether your child ends up being a highflying business entrepreneur or the CEO of Microsoft has more to do with love, nurture and a good education than it has to do with a bottle or breastfeeding.

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PROPERTY Fighting for the rental property owner GLOVES ON: Spain’s Monopolies Commission steps into the ring. to being forced into officially approved establishments. For this reason it has delivered a blow to Madrid’s belly by

lodging an appeal to Decree No. 79/2014 10 July, which regulates tourist properties in the region.

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IN the boxing match that has become the long-running battle between rental property owners and the government, which wants to regulate them, a new champion has stepped to the fore. The controversy over plans to regulate the privately-owned rental market appears to be set for a 15rounder. Especially now as the CNMC, (National Commission for Markets and Competition) has jumped into the ring on the side of the owners. The CNMC, which is basically the Spanish version of the Monopolies Commission, is concerned that one of the main reasons underlying the initiatives to limit private holiday home rentals is the competition they represent to the hotel sector. It adds that the move to regulate tourist rentals in Madrid is obstructing free competition and restricts customer choice. The commission in going toe-to-toe with Madrid, saying the public should be allowed to choose whatever kind of accommodation they want as opposed

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It is also appealing against Article 17.3 which states: “Only rentals of five days or more will be allowed, any length of time less than that will be deemed illegal.” The most popular rental period in Madrid, and lots of other tourist destinations alike is two or three days, (the classic weekend away). The regulation would make it impossible to have a weekend away unless it was in an officially approved hotel. Acting on the wishes of hotel owners, the same kind of idea has been implemented by the Government of the Balearics, despite the fact that the right to rent out property is part of the Spanish Constitution. The other argument in favour of the short-term rental market is that, if the largely empty coastal property developments that stretch along the coast are ever to be sold, then those wishing to ‘Buy to Rent’ should be actively encouraged, not legislated against.

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Spanish property market sees a 10 per cent increase in January J A N U A RY wa s t h e b e s t month in years for the Spanish property market, growing an impressive 10 per cent, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE). T h e a r e a o f t h e m a r ke t which is showing the biggest signs of growth is the resale s e g m e n t , w h i c h wa s u p a staggering 51 per cent compared to the same time last year. RE/MAX Top are specialists in the Costa del Sol property market, with offices in Malag a a n d M a r b e l l a a n d h ave been seeing a huge increase in buyer interest. They recently attended property exhibitions in Sweden and the UK where there were double the visitors present, clearly indicating a renewed interest in overseas property.

PROPERTY SPECIALISTS: RE/MAX Top have been seeing a huge increase in buyer interest in Spanish property. “We saw a lot of interest in the areas East of Malaga from UK buyers in the over 50s’ segment who were looking for relaxed, tranquil areas where they could enjoy their retirement,” commente d J e n n i fe r S a ra h f r o m RE/MAX Top. “ T h i s i s g r e a t n e w s fo r

property owners in the Axarquia region and we’d like to encourage owners interested in selling to contact us so we can meet demand.” O n e r e a s o n fo r t h e i n crease in over 50s buyers is that clients are now able to release funds from their pensions to invest in property.

T h e r e h ave a l s o b e e n t a x cuts announced for 2015, including a 2 per cent reduction in Capital Gains Tax for non-residents. As the UK Pound is so strong against the Euro, British buyers are getting a lot more for their money. H o w e ve r, R E / M A X To p

wa r n s s e l l e r s t h a t w h i l s t there are now more buyers around, they are extremely cost-sensitive, so prices are not rising and the demand is for the lower end properties in the more affordable areas such as East of Malaga. RE/MAX Top offer vendors excellent customer service, support and exposure. They employ a professional photographer, market throughout Europe via property exhibitions, ensure maximum online exposure with national and international property portals, give the right valuation to sell and support sellers every step of the way. Contact them to find out how they can help you sell. Tel: 952 906 201 Email: charlotte@remaxtop.es www.remaxtop.es

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OPINION & COMMENT

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Just let them go! LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT

OW! Just read a report about even more ‘radicalised’ individuals being returned to the UK after being stopped at some Mid East border or another. Great. That’s a few more, now severely disgruntled extremists in our midst, no doubt prepared to strap on a suicide bomb or spray innocent shoppers with the contents of an Uzi or Kalashnikov at the drop of a burka. As I stated a couple of weeks ago, why do we insist on and indeed appear to crow about bringing these demented people back into a place they obviously hate and simply don’t want to be?

FLYING OFF: Runaways must learn the hard way. For God’s, and indeed all our sakes, let them go. The money these operations must cost is probably mindboggling. Of course I feel sorry for the parents of these misled youngsters, but I’m afraid that’s the way it goes. If your kids are old enough to make these decisions and act on them, so be it. Kids run away from home all the time, for various reasons. It’s a tragic fact of life and believe me, forcibly getting them to return is NEVER the answer. If these misguided parents and guardians think that bringing them back to the family abode will result in

everything in the garden being rosy, then they are more demented than their offspring. Teenagers are notoriously difficult at the best of times; the idea of sitting on the sofa or at the breakfast table with one who would rather be fighting alongside, or become the third or fourth wife of someone who, among unimaginable atrocities, also beheads and burns his enemies alive, is to me positively horrific. I mean what on earth do you talk about? Have these misfits anything in com-

mon with any reasonably-thinking civilised person, family or otherwise? Of course they haven’t. Kids of this type can only learn the hard way. So, parents, the next time your little loves appear to be endeavouring to flee the coup (and they will), give ’em your blessing, give ’em a few quid and drive ’em to the airport. Hopefully, if they’re still alive and manage to finish up in a tent with a computer, they’ll Skype you and show you how well they’re doing - but don’t

hold yer breath. Well, by the time you read this, the ol’ boy will have once more disgraced himself on OAPs Behaving Badly. Swore I’d never do it again. Ah well, in for a pound as they say. As a final word on the saucepans, I’ll leave you with a quote from Dean Martin who informed guests in an afterdinner speech that he had seven children and the three words he heard most around his house were: ‘Hello’. ‘Goodbye’ and ‘I’m pregnant!’ Yep.

Keep the faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com web: leapylee.co.uk

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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OPINION & COMMENT

Spanish corners - An occasional look at hidden gems

A chilled view of the Sierra Nevada

By Steve Frankham

DURCAL VALLEY: With access to snowy peaks and Nigüelas. valley from the north and south, and you’ll find yourself walking in a landscape of small flower meadows and woods. A driveable track also heads up the valley - good if you have a four wheel drive car. However energetic you’re feeling, the valley offers some

magnificent vistas, whether you want a short stroll or wish to turn your journey into a multi-day hike amongst the 3,000 metre peaks of the Sierra Nevada National Park Whether you just want to explore a traditional ‘white village,’ get away from the big

ISTORY is the propaganda of the victors. We have all been conditioned to accept the conventional version of events; Germany was the bad guy, we sacrificed all to liberate Europe from Nazi dictatorship. Whoa. Not so fast. Modern Russia is seething because no significant Western heads of state will be present at the 70th Victory Day anniversary to be held in Moscow on May 9. The snub is seen as lack of recognition of Russia’s part in defeating the Reich; at worst an ambivalence that quietly exonerates Germany from its past. Not guilty as found, Ivan. The Russian President has a point. On March 16 an event took place in Latvia, as did similar in other Baltic States. The parade was held to commemorate the Latvian Legion that fought on the side of Germany during World War Two. Such marches usually receive front page

cities for a day or have a multi-adventure, Nigüelas is a village worthy of further exploration! For further information on buses and times ALSA’s website www.alsa.es has detailed timetables.

Moscow’s victory parade Mike Walsh Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.

disapproval. Not this year. Across the board, mainstream media seems to have toned down the antiNazi rhetoric. Is it orchestrated? Is Russia’s President Putin right in saying history is being re-

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Demonised as the new Hitler. written? Was the recent murder of a Russian politician, the downing of an airliner over Ukraine, the new Reichstag fires? As Western hostility towards Russia increases, could there be a return to the post-war view that a strong Germany is needed to curb Russian ambitions. In 1946, Winston Churchill remarked, ‘we have killed

the wrong pig,’ too quick to destroy the main bulwark between Britain and the expansionist USSR. In 1946, Britain’s wartime leader, in conversation with US President Harry Truman at Fulton, surmised, “The war wasn’t only about abolishing fascism, but to conquer German sales markets.”

In 1992, US Secretary of State James Baker, agreed: “We made a monster, a devil out of Hitler. Therefore we couldn’t disavow it after the war. In no way could we have pointed out to our people that the war was an economic preventive measure.” Today, it is Russia not the Reich that threatens the trade interests of the

FREDERIC LEGRAND - COMEO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

NIGÜELAS, in the Durcal Valley is the beautiful ‘white town’ giving access to snowy peaks and the spectacular river valleys of the Sierra Nevada. Little visited, but easy to access off the main Malaga to Granada road, the town also has daily buses connecting to Granada’s central bus station and to the larger town of Durcal. Small as it is, Nigüelas boasts a myriad of beautiful winding cobbled streets opening out onto a lovely central Plaza. In the main square itself, there’s a couple of friendly café/bars, all placed around an elegant church. Both Nigüelas and Durcal have some bed and breakfasts and hotels if you want to stay the night. Beyond the village itself some clearly marked hiking trails lead into spectacular valley of the Rio Torrenta. Steep rocky mountains hem in the

US, EU and UK. History appears to be repeating itself. Now Vladimir Putin is demonised as the new Hitler, Russia the new Reich. About turn, Tommy Atkins. This is where that extraordinary prophet, George Orwell made his point in his great novel, 1984: ‘This government department spent its time around the clock falsifying the past. It did so by excising all uncomfortable previous events from the public record and burning them, and reprinting continuously revised editions brought up to date in harmony with the latest twist in the political line of his fictional, but terribly real, in fact, regime.’ I doubt very much that New York’s Central Park or London’s Whitehall will be renamed to honour Adolf Hitler. However, don’t be surprised if the laundering of Germany’s image now goose-steps in harmony with the character assassination of Herr Putler and the Russian Reich. Pick up, tha’ rifle, Sam.

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Thursday BBC ONE 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm MasterChef 10:00pm The Truth About Calories 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:45pm Question Time 12:45am This Week

BBC TWO 5:15pm Three Up, Two Down 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Portillo's State Secrets 8:00pm Britain's Got the Builders In 9:00pm Natural World 10:00pm Banished 11:00pm Inside No 9 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Eat to Live Forever with Giles Coren

ITV 5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Double Decker Driving School 10:00pm The Triplets are Coming! 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Late Debate 12:10am ICC Cricket World Cup Highlights

CH4 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Richard III 10:00pm Coalition 11:35pm Britain's Benefit Tenants 12:35am Raised by Wolves

CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Classic Car Show 9:00pm The Killer Next Door: Countdown to Murder 10:00pm Holiday Love Rats Exposed 11:00pm The Mentalist 12:00am Aidan: The Rarest Boy in the World

SKY1 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 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 Arrow 10:00pm Forever 11:00pm Quiz Nights 12:00am Flintoff: Lord of the Fries

Friday BBC ONE 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Rooms, Rogues and Renters 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm MasterChef 10:00pm The Musketeers 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm New Tricks 12:35am EastEnders Omnibus

BBC TWO 5:10pm 'Allo, 'Allo! 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Portillo's State Secrets 8:00pm Britain's Got the Builders In 9:00pm An Island Parish 9:30pm Gardeners' World 10:00pm Mastermind 11:00pm Blackadder the Third 11:30pm Newsnight 12:00am Artsnight

ITV 5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:15pm ITV News and Weather 7:45pm Emmerdale 8:15pm Euro 2016 Qualifier Live 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Euro 2016 Qualifier Highlights 12:40am Coogan's Bluff

CH4 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:35pm Unreported World 9:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:10am Troy 1:05am 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 The Gadget Show 9:00pm Mysteries of the Bible 10:00pm NCIS: New Orleans 11:00pm NCIS 11:55pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 12:50am True Crimes: The First 72 Hours

SKY1 4:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 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 The Simpsons 10:00pm Stella 11:00pm Quiz Nights 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Saturday BBC ONE 5:00pm Over the Hedge 6:20pm Celebrity Mastermind 6:50pm Pointless 7:40pm BBC News 7:50pm Regional News 7:55pm Weather 8:00pm The Voice UK 10:05pm Casualty 10:55pm The National Lottery Live 11:05pm BBC News 11:20pm Weather 11:25pm Meet the Parents 1:05am Rogue

BBC TWO 4:00pm Growing Up Wild: Natural World 5:00pm Athletics: World Cross Country Highlights 6:05pm Flog It! 7:05pm Gardeners World 7:35pm Kew on a Plate 8:35pm Dad's Army 9:05pm Pavlopetri - The City Beneath the Waves 10:05pm Looper 11:50pm Apocalypto

ITV 3:00am This is BBC Two 4:30pm River Monsters 5:00pm Off Their Rockers 5:30pm Big Star's Little Star 6:30pm Local News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:00pm Saturday Night Takeaway 9:25pm You're Back in the Room 10:25pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:25pm ITV News and Weather 11:45pm Nutty Professor II: The Klumps 1:40am Jackpot 247

CH4 5:05pm Channel 4 Racing 6:35pm The Simpsons 7:05pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Stonehenge: Walking Through History 9:00pm The World's Weirdest Weather

CH5 5:25pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 6:25pm The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 7:20pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 8:10pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm 5 News 9:05pm NCIS 10:00pm NCIS 10:55pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 11:55pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 12:50am True Crimes: The First 72 Hours

SKY1 4:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 5:00pm The Simpsons 5:30pm The Simpsons 6:00pm Greatest Disney Songs 7:00pm Cinderella Special 7:30pm Wild Things 8:30pm Modern Family 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm Alien Autopsy 11:50pm Hawaii Five-0 12:50am NCIS: Los Angeles

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Sunday BBC ONE 5:00pm The Truth About Calories 6:00pm Songs of Praise 6:35pm BBC News 6:50pm Regional News 6:55pm Weather 7:00pm The Big Painting Challenge 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm Poldark 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm Regional News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Have I Got a Bit More Old News for You 12:10am Déjà Vu

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Monday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Panorama 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm The Ark 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm The Richard Dimbleby Lecture 2015 12:30am Live at the Apollo

BBC TWO 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Portillo's State Secrets 8:00pm Racing Legends: Vic Reeves on Barry Sheene 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Only Connect 10:00pm Kew on a Plate 11:00pm House of Fools 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

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BBC TWO 4:45pm Are You Being Served? 5:15pm 'Allo, 'Allo! 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Portillo's State Secrets 8:00pm Alex Polizzi: The Fixer 9:00pm Back in Time for Dinner 10:00pm Dara and Ed's Great Big Adventure 11:00pm Nurse 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Italy v England Friendly 11:10pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:50pm Italy v England Friendly Highlights 12:50am Carry on Matron

CH4 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm Burger Bar to Gourmet Star 10:00pm One Born Every Minute 11:00pm Teens 12:00am First Dates

CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm Costa Del Casualty: Benidorm ER 10:00pm 40 Kids by 20 Women 11:00pm Nanna Love: 50 Shades of Granny 12:00am OAPs Behaving Badly

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 Flash 10:00pm Critical 11:00pm Forever 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 MasterChef 10:00pm The Billion Dollar Chicken Shop 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm A Question of Sport 12:15am No Strings Attached

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CH5 3:15pm NCIS: New Orleans 4:15pm Deadly Revenge 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 9:00pm The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 10:00pm Oaps Behaving Badly: Grannies on the Loose 11:00pm Grand Theft Auto: UK 12:00am 40 Kids by 20 Women

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The Imitation Game. The Imitation Game, a multi-Oscar nominated movie to be released on DVD at the end of the month is based on the story of Alan Turning, a mathematician who’s employed by the British government to break the German Enigma Code. An elegantly scripted story, the movie features some excellent performances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. Directed by: Morten Tyldum and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Beard and Charles Dance. Runtime: 1 hr 56 minutes. Rated PG-13.

TODAY

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THE GREATEST 1. According to the CIA Factbook, which Latin American country has the greatest number of Roman Catholics? 2. Philip Van Doren Stern’s 1939 short story The Greatest Gift was the basis for which famous 1946 American Christmas fantasy comedy-drama film starring James Stewart? 3. Greatest Day, released in 2008, was which band’s 11th UK Number One hit single? 4. The 1977 film entitled The Greatest, was about which boxer? 5. What kind of entertainment was ‘the Greatest Show on Earth,’ established by Phineas T Barnum in the 19th century? 6. Which American group’s Greatest Hits (1971–1975) album is the best-selling greatest hits compilation by a group and also one of the 10 best-selling albums in history? 7. Which American swimmer has won the greatest number of Olympic medals, 22 (18 gold, two silver, two bronze)?

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 18 12 S Tues - 19 13 S Wed - 21 12 S

21 14 Cl 21 13 S 20 11 S

CLEAR

Y S

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Be a social animal this week and you will strengthen both people and business contacts. After being busy last week, you may be inclined to take it easy. Use the telephone or email to full advantage to keep in touch.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Be cautious this week with your money. You have been aware for some time now that a change in your finances is likely.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Someone well and truly treads on your toes this week and it really puts your teeth on edge. There are some bridges that may not be mended at the present time and are best left alone.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) A special chance to try something new should not be passed over. No one expects wonders from you, they are happy just to see you enjoying life.

Sudoku

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 20) Your home life gives you the most satisfaction at the moment even though someone seems to be challenging you. Some things are best ignored until they go away of their own accord and that also often applies to people.

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.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

AQUARIUS (January 21 February 19) Involvement in a situation connected with someone close may not be the best option this week. Giving advice is all well and good so long as you are sure of your facts. PISCES (February 20 March 20) Some disruption to your plans annoys you but there’s no point getting in a huff. Outside influences cannot be stopped but you are able to keep calm yourself.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday March 21

Friday March 20

8 14

12 18

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

14 42

LUCKY STARS 1

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

REINTEGRO 19

Fri Sat Sun -

SUNNY

15 42

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23 14 S 24 13 S 24 13 S

18 9 S 19 11 S 18 8 Cl

CLOUDY MAX 14C, MIN 7C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

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19 7 S 22 7 S 21 6 S

TODAY:

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Mon - 19 9 S Tues - 19 10 S Wed - 19 10 S Cl Clear,

CLEAR MAX 19C, MIN 13C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

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24 14 Cl 27 13 S 26 12 S

Mon - 24 12 S Tues - 25 12 S Wed - 26 13 S

C Cloud,

Sh Showers,

Th Thunder

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

TARGET:

Average: 7

Very good: 14

Good: 9

Excellent: 17

cede, code, cord, cred, deco, deer, doer, dote, redo, reed, retd, rode, teed, toed, trod, cered, coder, cored, credo, creed, decor, derro, deter, doter, erode, erred, order, treed, decoct, record, retrod, teredo, coerced, CORRECTED

Word Ladder STOP

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

36 48

REINTEGRO 4

MAX MIN

Mon - 23 8 S Tues - 23 7 S Wed - 24 7 S

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 14C, MIN 8C

S Sun,

MAX MIN

Mon - 20 13 S Tues - 21 13 S Wed - 21 13 S

Madrid

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

21 13 Cl 21 13 S 22 13 S

TODAY:

MAX 19C, MIN 13C

Mallorca TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 20 13 S Tues - 21 14 S Wed - 22 14 S

CLEAR MAX 18C, MIN 12C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 19 12 Cl Tues - 19 13 S Wed - 20 12 C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 16C, MIN 12C

Benidorm

Malaga TODAY:

18 14 Cl 21 14 S 21 13 S

TODAY:

MAX 17C, MIN 9C

19 12 Cl 21 13 S 18 12 Cl

Sunday March 22

Saturday March 21

37 48

LA PRIMITIVA

Fri Sat Sun -

SUNNY MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) What a lovely surprise to find that something you have always wanted is coming your way at last. Keep a firm hand with finances and take control if you want to organise things for the better.

tars

TODAY:

MAX MIN

our

7-Star Quiz

MAX MIN

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GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Everything seems an effort at the beginning of this week but as energy levels pick up you will gain momentum. Tackle one thing at a time and realise that Rome was not, indeed, built in a day. CANCER (June 22 - July 23) You really do need to come to an understanding with friends over a social matter, although this may take a little effort this week. It is clear that there are those who are less helpful than others, but this could be because of a misunderstanding.

Almeria

CLEAR MAX 17C, MIN 12C

DEAD

DEED DEAD

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) The brick wall that you start banging your head against this week is not an illusion. It is, indeed, true that others are not responding to you in an expected way.

Alicante TODAY:

STOP STEP SEEP SEED

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) It seems that you are putting a lot of effort into whatever you do without getting as much out as you would like. However, as the week goes by, you will realise that it is only a temporary situation.

1. BRAZIL (127 million), 2. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, 3. TAKE THAT, 4. MUHAMMAD ALI, 5. CIRCUS, 6. THE EAGLES, 7. Michael PHELPS

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CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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Cryptic

Quick

Across 1 Medicine man has transformed an isle (6) 4 Beat the one at the crease? (6) 9 Deal with skilled occupation (5) 10 Bats are hidden when side by side (7) 11 Hit friend’s back (4) 12 Sally’s pear tree chopped down? (8) 13 Took out old hat (5) 15 Birds begin getting extra essentials surprisingly easily (5) 18 If they’re paid last, you’re dead! (8) 21 Armour in the post (4) 24 Tie a tag around whisk (7) 25 Like a made up uniform (5) 26 The merchant is in the basement we hear (6) 27 Game with first of threes and nines at sixes and sevens (6) Down 1 If Spanish set back places (5) 2 A Los Angeles graduate’s mother in the US (7) 3 Abraham Lincoln’s first murder victim in good book (4) 5 Braise a stew in a military installation (3,4) 6 Grilled bread for health? (5)

7 Row in London park is deplorable (6) 8 Cabbage is an ingredient of cock-aleekie soup (4) 12 Colour a point in the road (3) 14 Lift characters at levee (7) 15 Games without me will result in idle chit-chat (3)

16 Class Australian sheep farm (7) 17 Fears make it sadder (6) 19 Saint, not well yet (5) 20 River in the north of England used by golfers (4) 22 Yorkshire city is first to be heard (5) 23 Passion in fashion (4)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 2 represents J and 20 represents T, so fill in J every time the figure 2 appears and T every time the figure 20 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 Duplicates, 7 Entreat, 8 Teems, 10 Airgun, 11 Camera, 13 Aussie, 15 Rattle, 16 Scones, 17 Stigma, 20 Larks, 22 Everest, 23 Celebrated. Down: 1 Deter, 2 Prejudice, 3 Iota, 4 Art, 5 Element, 6 Metatarsal, 9 Spare parts, 12 Apartment, 14 Scourge, 18 Greed, 19 Bear, 21 See. QUICK Across: 5 Beach, 8 Previous, 9 Open, 10 Corridor, 11 Basic, 14/18 Fun run, 16 Rumba, 17 Unite, 20 Basil, 24 Treasure, 25 Ibex, 26 Familiar, 27 Unity. Down: 1 Speck, 2 Learn, 3 Limit, 4 Sudoku, 6 Emphasis, 7 Consider, 12 Creation, 13 Imminent, 14 Far, 15 Nun, 19 Uproar, 21 Cabin, 22 Humid, 23 Beard.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Sound, 3 Types, 7 Postre, 9 Hake, 10 Traveller, 13 Asar, 14 Agosto, 16 Abeto, 17 Globo. Down: 1 Sopa, 2 Nut, 4 Prayers, 5 Seed, 6 Recetas, 8 Surname, 11 Baya, 12 Mono, 15 Owl.

injury (6)

17 Humped beast (5) 19 Utter a sudden loud cry (6)

22 Play (5)

20 Freed from illness or

24 Conscious existence (4)

English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across 1 Houses (5) 4 Silver (metal) (5) 7 Goose (domestic) (3) 8 Customer (7) 9 Semilla (4) 10 Más rápido (6) 14 Tattoo (7) 16 Y (3) 17 Paz (tranquilidad, no guerra) (5) 18 Arriba (indicando situación) (5) Down 1 Cruz (figura) (5) 2 Esclavo (5) 3 Sack (bag) (4) 4 Spring (season) (9) 5 Still (even) (3) 6 Bird (large) (3) 11 Cloth (for cleaning) (5) 12 Caballete (de tejado) (5) 13 Carrera (4) 14 Punta (de dedo, lengua, pincel) (3) 15 Té (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 (GUTTER) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues. BARELY

MOTHER

BILLED

MUSTER

BORROW

SEARED

CLEATS

SEATED

ENTERS

SECURE

FINELY

SILVER

FOURTH

STEEDS

GUTTER (10)

UNSURE

INSERT

WELLED

LINGER

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Funagram Unscramble the name of a popular 1990s computer game (one word): SLIM G-MEN FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: JOHN CONSTABLE, LEMMINGS

Unscramble the name of a famous English Romantic painter: CLASH ON JOB TEN

Across 1 Clearly defined (5) 5 Skull (4) 8 Isn't active (5) 9 Person engaged in military service (7) 10 Share (7) 11 Places to sleep (4) 12 Faucet (3) 14 Round object (4) 15 Intense anger (4) 18 Affirmative response (3) 21 Calculates a total (4) 23 Small house (7) 25 Look at closely (7) 26 Savage (5) 27 Feel concerned about (4) 28 Firm and stable in shape (5) Down 1 Scratch repeatedly (6) 2 European country (7) 3 By chance (8) 4 Being away (6) 5 Fifty per cent (4) 6 Come into existence (5) 7 Alloy of copper and zinc (5) 13 Safeguards (8) 16 Proceeding in small stages (7)

1 Portal, 2 Millet, 3 Learnt, 4 Metres, 5 Island, 6 Streak, 7 Flares, 8 Reeled, 9 Hearts, 10 Fierce, 11 Cheery, 12 Leader, 13 Lector, 14 Mutter, 15 Deacon, 16 Chinks, 17 Burden, 18 Events, 19 Gander

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

Vanishing act keep an eye on your passport! REGARDING your article ‘Passport theft alert,’ I was in a group of four people travelling to Luton airport from the old Alicante airport a few years ago. We handed over four passports together at the check-in desk but only three were handed back with four boarding cards. No matter how we queried this with the check-in employee, he denied giving us back only three passports. We went to the police to report a missing passport and they weren’t interested at all. With the clock ticking on we were aware that we didn’t have much time before boarding the plane, which we all did. On arriving at Luton, officials there couldn’t understand how someone could board a plane with only a boarding pass or why they were not notified in advance. The person without a passport was the youngest in our group and he had a great deal of difficulty in obtaining a replacement. So beware of the person you hand your passport to at the airport! Ireti Olusanya, Catral (Alicante)

Yellow peril REGARDING the yellow flowers that a reader mentioned, the first year we arrived to live in Spain I spent hours dead-heading them. Then I realised they were growing wild all over the area where we live. Aargh! Pretty as they are they are definitely weeds and not easy to control. Jacquelin Mawson, Albox (Almeria)

Trust required SORRY if I’m monopolising your columns these days! In reply to Peter Fletcher, I do appreciate that he has his own experience, as do I. All I ask is that we should not gen-

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eralise about Muslims, who are a very varied set of people coming from different cultures and backgrounds, as do Christians and the members of other faiths. I stick to what I said about what other Muslims think about Saudi Arabia. I have heard Sudanese Muslims who have worked in Saudi complain bitterly about the hypocrisy they saw there. And Pakistanis who were really embarrassed to see that Christians in Saudi were not allowed to practise their religion openly. I take on board what Peter says about the reported sympathy with the Paris attacks, and it worries me too, but we have to stop the mutual distrust from escalating. Whatever one thinks about those attacks, the fact is that a large number of French and probably British Muslims have the impression that we are failing to understand them and they do not see a good future in our society. Seeing some of the Islamophobic rants that have appeared since then, I cannot say that I am surprised that some should hit back by saying they support the attackers, though in my view very few would really take any such action. To Jonathan Allso, I would only ask “How often do you sing the National Anthem yourself ?” Most people stand up, but don’t sing.

known. However, I must tell you that if they post the ballot papers four days before the election they are worth absolutely nothing in the election. Before the last election I was chairman of Conservatives Abroad and I received phone calls on polling day asking me when I was going to pick up the votes, which was totally impossible. If you want to vote, and I know many do, you should organise someone to vote for you by proxy in the UK. Philip Sadd (by email)

SUCH a vertigo-inducing photo of my nine-year-old grand-nephew and friends on his birthday outing! Whatever happened to jelly, ice-cream and musical chairs? Biddy Kearns (by email) I have often seen Muslims standing alongside everyone else, and that should satisfy you! Bill Campbell (by email)

Small mercies HAVING stirred up some readers with my comments, perhaps I can make some recompense by listing a few things that the UK government does not advertise widely. Firstly, the new Marriage tax allowance from April 2015, not to be confused with the existing Married Couple’s version that only applies to those born before 1935, God bless them. If you are younger, you can transfer £1,000 of a spouse’s unused tax allowance: £212 profit. With regard to inheritance tax, don’t forget that the surviving spouse acquires the deceased spouse’s tax-free allowance. This could affect future financial planning for some, but you have to apply for it. If you are away from the UK for more than six months a

year, you can register for tax in the country of your choice. In Europe where double tax regulations apply this isn’t so necessary but in the US, for instance, it can get messy. Finally, all dog owners should note that the laws have been tightened up and it is now an offence if your dog causes another dog or its owner to ‘worry’ that it might be attacked, even on your own private property! I learned all these things on the grapevine recently, but you can check online at the UK GOV website and choose the appropriate link. Michael Warren, Vera Playa (Almeria)

Snail mail I HAVE now read all the letters re the heating allowance taken back by Iain Duncan Smith. When does bad news come out? After the election, usually, so this is an own-goal for the party. Hundreds of thousands of expats should register and vote in May to let their feelings be

PERHAPS the BBC should focus their cameras more closely on Ed Miliband during his speeches in the House of Commons. Then we can all avoid looking at Ed Balls oscillating between an impersonation of Noddy and Woody Wood Pecker. It is excruciatingly annoying. God forbid that he ever becomes Chancellor! Richard Beames, Los Boliches (Malaga)

Heartless airline WELL, Ryanair has reached an all-time low, not helping the young boy at Gran Canaria airport who needed urgent transplants. He was struggling for life, how on earth could the company not reply to the request to travel to Madrid to have a kidney and liver transplant? Time is of an essence on these occasions and Michael O’Leary and his company failed miserably to help. I did not think Ryanair could get any lower in my estimation but they have with this. If a customer can only book an internal flight online what happens to the millions of old people who have never even seen a computer, never mind ordered air tickets through the Ryanair website? The Ryanair charm offensive will come to a shuddering halt once readers see this, and rightly so. Well done to Air Europa, and shame on Ryanair Malcolm Wise (via Euro Weekly News website)

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

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

OPINION / FEATURE

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One way Yellow Brick Road

T was always a good idea to get to our favourite nightspot before the pubs called time on a Saturday night. It was a cellar club and previously used as a ‘storage’ area for a firm of undertakers, but because of its popularity and strictly limited capacity, it was sensible to get there extra early. On a particular Saturday night in 1970, we arrived before the crowds and to kill time we tucked into scampi in the basket whilst watching ‘In Concert’ - a regular Saturday night BBC programme - on the small television at the back of the bar. Sitting at the piano was a nerdy-looking guy with big glasses that we had not seen before, and when he started to sing, the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention - this was something special. The song was ‘Your Song’ and the man of course was Elton John. We were all trans-

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

fixed and our scampi went limp. I mention this, only to emphasise my credentials as a massive fan of the man and his music. Following the comments of Dolce and Gabbana in the magazine Panorama , Elton saw fit to lambast the pair publicly and criticised them for being out of step with the times, ‘just like your fashions.’ And, he continued: “I shall never wear Dolce & Gabbana again.” The Italian fashionistas stated they were opposed to gay adoptions and that in their opinion, the only family is the traditional one. More controversially, they referred to: “Children of chemistry being

synthetic. Rented uterus, and semen chosen from a catalogue.” Some of those comments were ill-judged, to say the least and were bound to attract a tsunami of protest, but others were only echoing the thoughts of many people - in spite of Elton’s assertion that they are out of step with the times. It was significant that these were the views of two gay men, thus depriving the usual suspects of crying homophobia from the rooftops. I do not necessarily go along with the Italians’ views, and it’s not important, because what is at issue here is their right to say it. It is also the right, of course, for members of the public to turn their backs on the D&G brand if they so wish, but let’s stop and think.

It is only in recent times that gay people have been able to emerge from the shadows and proclaim their sexual-

ity openly. They of all people should embrace the Yellow Brick Road of tolerance. And here’s an extra thought. If a woman expressed the desire to have children in her late 60s, she would be labelled by many as selfish. Not so it seems with Sir Elton.

ELTON JOHN: Following the comments of D & G has vowed never to wear their fashions again.

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Going walking? Globelink will cover you David Deverson

GLOBELINK INTERNATIONAL Insurance correspondent david@globelink.co.uk

LOOKING at the present popularity of walking holidays, the less we have to walk, the more we seem to want to. And it is easy to see why - no other type of holiday lets you experience your surroundings quite so intimately, while boosting your mental and physical fitness. At Globelink Travel Insurance, we cover all sorts of itchy feet. Planning a leisurely ramble around the vineyards of Alsace? No problem - we have policies for people aged up to 84. Out to conquer Kilimanjaro? We’re with you all the way. Unlike many insurers, our specialist trekking policies cover you up to an altitude of 6,000 metres. Should you be unlucky enough to have a medical emergency at altitude, our policy covers helicopter rescue along with other essential cover when ‘stuff’

HIKING THE GREAT WALL: Gives an insight into a very different China. happens. And stuff can happen, no matter how fit or experienced you are. More of us are living longer, fuller, fitter lives, hence the demand for challenging treks in Nepal or the Machu Picchu. Hiking a stretch of the Great Wall of China is also increasingly popular. Hikes take around 7-10 days, enough to give you a genuine insight into a very different China beyond the bustle of Beijing.

With some of the best hiking on our doorstep, many of our clients are choosing Europe. Madeira’s volcanic scenery and rushing levadas make it a walker’s paradise - and not all of the day trails are ‘a piece of cake’ either! For many, France has it all. Iconic trails, like Corsica’s gruelling GR20 or the Tour du Mont Blanc, put even the best to the test, and are well-served by all-inclusive packages. On the other hand, when it

comes to softer hiking, tailoring your own walk couldn’t be easier. Just map out your route from a 180,000km network of well-signed footpaths, and munch your way around the Loire Valley or the beaches of Brittany. Slovenia is a good bet, offering sparkling alpine and lake scenery in Triglav National Park. Croatia - in the limelight this year - offers stunning hill walking, with the Adriatic as a backdrop and a stay in Dubrovnik a highlight on most tours. And look out for Albania; it’s already emerging as an outstanding destination for discerning hikers. Wherever you’re headed, go safely with the three essentials - a first aid kit, the right equipment and a decent travel insurance policy. Enjoy your trip! Globelink Travel Insurance: for people living in Spain and all other EU countries. For an instant quote and to arrange cover securely online, enabling you to print your policy documents immediately, visit www.globelink.co.uk - the leading travel insurer for people living in EU countries. Or you can telephone Globelink on 00 44 1353 699082 or their Spanish links line on 966 265 000 or 951 242 434.

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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OPINION & COMMENT

Gone girl - plus baby! Health tourists’ poorly excuses for not paying their bills I

AM angry. Again. So angry I need to lie down in a dark room for a bit to calm down. Meanwhile, why not flick ahead to the crossword page or go and make that cup of coffee… Hey, me again. Apologies for the short break but pleased to report my blood pressure’s just about stabilised. But why so angry? The reason is the article I just read about yet another ‘health tourist.’ Caroline Nyadzayo, an advertising executive in Zimbabwe, is still being chased for £3,000 after giving birth in a Norfolk hospital way back in 2013 - all part of a £62 million unpaid bill for health tourism. One London hospital

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

trust alone is owed more than £17 million. One patient owes over £420,000, several patients over £100,000 for dialysis, bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy while another £15,000 for treatment for alcoholism! NHS treatment is not ‘free.’ It’s paid for by the UK taxpayer and a ‘health tourist’ like Ms Nyadzayo isn’t one. She’ll never repay a penny and doubtless will be back again for the next birth. Now, any Brit knows

HEALTH TOURISTS: Should understand NHS treatment is not free. that payment in advance for medical treatment, or proof of ability to pay via medical insurance, is the norm in most other countries. People like Caroline Nyadzayo go to Britain with the sole purpose of taking advantage of the NHS - knowing they don’t

have to pay upfront a huge incentive. Unless the individual falls ill during their visit, the NHS should insist on payment first and treatment second. Health administrators need to be much more vigilant and proactive in recouping these costs as a

matter of principle. Especially at a time of strict constraint on budgets in the public sector - with the NHS itself on life support. What’s particularly interesting about these unpaid bills, however, is the fact that these so-called ‘visitors’ apparently remain

resident in the UK for a considerable period of time in order to receive continuous medical treatment. You really have to wonder if they receive full benefits and free housing for the duration, too. Is it really surprising that individuals like the Zimbabwean ‘health tourist’ above effectively ‘steal’ from the British taxpayer when the UK’s International Health Service is not only still keeping the door open for them but carrying them over the threshold? Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.89;£0.79) and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.

All over bar the shouting Cassandra Nash

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

ANDALUCIA’S regional elections are all over bar the shouting but unfortunately for voters, shouting counts in Spanish politics. Election promises have been swallowed and will either be digested or regurgitated but one big question remained unanswered and will not be answered in the next round of elections. When will politicians stop accusing and counter-accusing each other and concentrate on the job in hand? And fight the electorate’s corner instead of their own?

Another Iron Lady ESPERANZA AGUIRRE, who hopes to become Madrid’s next mayor, is a survivor. She has survived breast cancer and a helicopter crash. She emerged bare-

foot from the Taj Mahal hotel in Bombay during the Islamist siege that killed 90 in 2008. Her political career survived even after she tried to topple the PP leader Mariano Rajoy and she remains standing while politicians close to her during her spell as Madrid regional president have fallen. She almost mowed down a Madrid traffic policeman as she sped off to avoid a fine. All of this could win her votes but not her politics which are to the right of Right. No wonder Rajoy ignored his misgivings to give her the candidacy.

Split loyalties PODEMOS appeared out of nowhere to win five seats in last year’s European elections. Its Euro-MPs recently voted against a call for Venezuela to release jailed opponents to the practically totalitarian system. Not surprising for a party whose leaders were close advisers to

In a manner of speaking DESPITE chuntering in the wings from Podemos and IU, the PSOE socialists welcomed substituting ‘imputado’ for ‘investigado’ in the early phases of court cases. It’s only semantics but ‘imputado’ with its meaning of ‘attributed, imputed, implicated, accused, charged’ whiffs of prejudgement. As an instructing judge’s investigations progresses, someone called to declare either walks out of chambers or sets out on the road leading to prison. Predictably the governing PP conservatives are grateful for the change. Both parties have countless politicians imputed for the late president Hugo Chavez and his hapless successor Nicolas Madura.

PODEMOS CO-FOUNDER: Juan Carlos Monedero. corruption and are confident the subtle shift will be appreciated by voters come May and November. That confidence Even less surprising when we know Podemos co-founder Juan Carlos Monedero has made a

could be misplaced, however, as Spain’s miscreants are guilty in the public mind until proven otherwise. pretty penny out of it. Just a little something to bear in mind next May and November.

OPINION & COMMENT

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26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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Plastic rubbish, polluted seas? Plastic rubbish is thrown on the street with incredible regularity in Spain and often ends up in our oceans, affecting hundreds of marine species. Would you pick it up or comment if you saw someone throwing rubbish on the street? ALAN, owner Of Eurodog Kennels and Caravan Hire, Camino de Coin, Mijas Costa: said: “I think some people are generally lazy all round. I hate to see any kind of rubbish thrown on the floor when it is so easy to use the appropriate bins. Why do some people think that others are going to pick it up for them? When I go to

ALAN: People should use the appropriate bins.

STREET TALK the bins, if I see any on the floor I end up picking that up too! As for plastic and pollution in the sea, that again is a result of people being lazy and inconsiderate. Rubbish pollutes seas and attracts all kinds of vermin.” Jason Hutchinson from Airbox TV is against littering and fly tipping and its effects and

believes it is a growing problem: “I would absolutely tell someone if I saw them deliberately drop litter, they would tell me and I think the Spanish are the worst culprits.” Meanwhile Anne Bowles of the Diabetic Support Group and President of La Cala Lions, Malaga, said: “I hate to see rubbish on the streets, but don’t think I would confront anyone if I were on my own. However they say that wet wipes contain plastic and are not bio-degradable and they are found all over in the sea, sewage and on the beaches. “Most of these are thrown down the toilets. Why don’t the manu-

JASON: Would tell someone if he saw littering.

facturers make them so they are biodegradable? Maybe we should only use those that are? As Eamonn Holmes said on Sky TV - only the three Ps should go in the loo. Pee, Poo and Paper!” ANNE: Manufacturers should make wet wipes so they are bio-degradable.

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Big relief after a strange week but a little more tired than usual Erica Russell Watson: My journey – and I’m driving

20th March WELL I mentioned in my last blog that I felt like I was in a boat paddling madly upstream, and at some times against the current, but today I feel I have emerged. The sunshine hasn’t quite come out for me which I think is more down to the torrential rain we have been having! Never mind I am certainly not going to complain because you can count the number of days it rains a year on two hands here in Andalucia!

I had a strange week all in all. The biggest relief was that I didn’t succumb to a fever and the aches and pains were much lighter than the effects of the last chemo treatment. I have noticed I am a little more tired than usual, but I imagine that must be an accumulative effect of nearly five months of chemotherapy, so to be expected.

I have had a strange week all in all I think I have about three eyelashes left and hardly any eyebrows now, so I look a little strange! The hair on my head is sprouting away and I look like a little gosling! All fluffy and a dif-

ferent colour! Too many greys for my liking, but I have sustained a huge amount of pressure and stress over the last few years so something has to give! I can always experiment with new hair colours in the future but it is obviously not advisable until the hair growth is much stronger. It is hard to believe that all things being well I will finish my chemo next month. I have an appointment with my surgeon next month too so I feel like I am making progress. I am a patient person, but at times it is difficult because all you want to do is get better and get on with life. It is the same for the children. We are in a holding pattern at the moment taking each week as it comes. The mind, heart, body and soul are strange things.

You think you know yourself but when you suffer a trauma of some kind you find yourself reacting in ways completely foreign to you. I am normally in control at all times and very philosophical and realistic.

I will spend the weekend doing ‘fun things’ This week, however, has been a roller coaster of emotions for me primarily as I watch my children struggle to come to terms with losing their father. I too have had teary moments. My daughter has become anxious and very clingy emotionally, which is understandable. My son has his distant moments and then returns from the blue yonder when things

come back into focus for him. Both continue to keep their heads down, study hard and press on with life. I admire them hugely, but each day there is always an event or a moment that threatens to tumble them. Yesterday was Father’s Day here in Spain. So they had to endure a day at school with everyone making presents and cards for their dads. Then there were the endless TV adverts. The stark reminders went on at every turn. They got through the day and I am thankful it is Friday today so they can rest as they both are mentally and physically exhausted. I will spend the weekend doing ‘fun things’ with them and look forward to Easter and the imminent arrival of spring which always brings so much hope.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

EWN

DIABETES: The number of sufferers is set to soar.

Diabetes epidemic DIABETES has been described as a global epidemic affecting one in 12 adults around the world. Scientists say the number of sufferers is set to soar by 55 per cent in the next two decades unless the human population drastically changes the way it eats and exercises. A study by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UK) estimates that 382 million people had diabetes in 2013 and at current rates, that figure is expected to reach 592 million by 2035. Around 10 per cent of sufferers have Type 1 diabetes, an auto-immune disorder that is usually present from childhood. But the other 90 per cent have Type 2 diabetes which derives from an unhealthy lifestyle and diet. The study cited data from the International Diabetes Federation estimating that 8.3 per cent of adults aged 20 to 79 now suffer from diabetes.

DO you copy recipes made by TV chefs? If so, it could be to blame for you putting on weight. Research shows that women who make the dishes they see on TV shows are larger than others who don’t, being an average 11lb heavier; the equivalent of two dress sizes. Researchers from Cornell University in New York State asked 500 young women where they got new recipes from; word of mouth, magazines, cookery classes or TV shows. The women were also asked how often they cooked from scratch and how much they weighed. It found that women who watched TV cookery shows weighed 11lb more on average, but only if they tried to make the dishes themselves. Those that watched celebrity chefs, but didn’t follow their recipes were no larger than those that didn’t watch the shows. It is believed the ‘naughty’ ingredients used by television

Mr Pics / Shutterstock.com

Copying TV chefs can make you put weight on

JAMIE OLIVER: Those that only watched celebrity chefs were no larger. chefs to make their meals more tempting, such as butter and cream, could be to blame or that

Liquid gold for beauty ARGAN OIL is pressed from the nut of the fruit of the argan tree, which is only found in Morocco. The argan tree lives to be about 150 years old and does not start producing the fruit until it is 30 to 50 years old. Because the tree is found only in a limited area, the oil itself is quite rare. Known Argan Oil Beauty Benefits Many would declare that argan oil is the best beauty ingredient ever. So here are some easy ways you can include argan oil in your beauty regimen. • Hair: Argan oil is a great product to calm frizzy ends, add moisture to dry hair as well as add a little shine. Apply to your hair while it is still damp for an all over treatment or apply just to your dry ends after your hair is dry.

• S c a l p : If you’re dealing with dry scalp, apply some oil to a cotton ball and dab your scalp with the oil. If you do this before bed, you’ll give the oil plenty of time to moisturise your scalp before you wash your hair in the morning. • Face: It might seem scary to apply a pure oil to your face, especially if you have finicky skin, but people that have used it on their skin found it completely turned it around. Many find their complexion becomes smooth, clear and radiant, thanks to using oil as the daily morning moisturiser. • Body: You can use argan oil for a full body moisturiser, applying just as you would a body lotion or cream. Apply the oil right after you get out of your shower for best moisturising results. • Hands: Argan oil is

a great oil to use on your hands, especially on your cuticles and on your nails if they are prone to cracking and peeling. ARGAN OIL: Can be used in many ways in your daily beauty regimen.

you simply eat more or eat because of the gratification of cooking it yourself.

E W N 26 March - 1 April 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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FEATURE

Thornbury Castle Kevin Pilley Pilley’s Planet Kevin is an ex-professional cricketer and the former chief staff writer of PUNCH. He is the UK's most published travel writer. His work appears worldwide. He once went to Vienna and dressed up as Mozart.

HERE is an atmosphere to Thornbury. It is hard to pin down. Until the staff tell you. It’s a combination of boiled-up molehills, mashed conkers, gin and brown ale. A former staff member, who enjoyed upholstery and respected history, used to make his own woodstain. He didn’t believe what it said on the tin when it came to looking after the oak panelling, floorboards and woodwork throughout the only Tudor castle hotel in the UK. So he made his own eccentric lustre. And preservative. His is not the only presence that lingers on at Thornbury Castle in South Gloucestershire, not far from Bristol and the Slimbridge bird reserve. After dinner, thanks to chef Mark Veale, his Gordon Ramsay roots, his candle-lit grown, lovingly forced rhubarb and signature rhubarb and beetroot dessert, his Brixham fish, totally local lamb and wine pairing proposals from sommelier Jerome (‘Armagnac’ with the foie gras and game terrine), I returned - goutishly - across the courtyard and up the spiral stone stairwell to my bed chamber. To find Henry VIII and his six wives sitting on my pillow. After dinner, turn-down mints unwrap the history of Thornbury, the only town in the world with a fish and chip shop in a wedding registry office. Read your en suite, handmade ‘House of Dorchester’ complimentary chocolates and you learn about the Tudors from Catherine of Aragon to Catherine Parr, the only monarch buried in a public

HENRY VIII: Came to the throne at the age of 17 and had six wives.

church, in St Mary’s Chapel at Sudeley Castle near Cheltenham. Don’t bother with George, the concierge at the front desk. He is the one in full body armour. The gorget, pauldrons, spaulders and chainmail gusset. He doesn’t say much for the castle’s official meeter and greeter. Talk instead to Jenni, Faye or Katrina and you hear about Henry VIII. And his Thornbury disconnections. Henry beheaded the castle’s original owner, Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. A man who perhaps had more right to the

throne than the betterknown bald, adipose, 54-inch waister, hunter-humanist cuckolding Renaissance prince with a pronounced joustingrelated limp. And renowned fertility difficulties. Losing your head ran in the Buckingham family. Richard III executed Edward’s father. Henry VIII honeymooned for 10 days at Thornbury Castle with his second wife, Anne Boleyn, as part of their lengthy nuptials tour in 1535 which also took in Dover, Sittingbourne and innumerable four posters and coronet beds in between. There was no ‘Voya’ Irish hand-harvested seaweed luxurious bath gels and hand wash or perfectly behaved monsoon showers then. Nor an on-call massage therapist offering warm bamboo treatments, eyebrow tidying, groom facials, bridal hair trials

and French pedicures. Doubtless, on her honeymoon at Thornbury, newly-wed Anne nee Boleyn stared up at the same ornately carved ceilings, mused at the tapestries, pulled the tasselled ropes, stared into the open fireplaces and whistled lute rifts and hummed virginals while dreaming of treasonable adultery. She was executed in 1536. Arguably, Boleyn and Thornbury Castle (as well as the ‘last orders grill’ in the Tower of London) patented the ‘dining in a dungeon’ concept. Thornbury has a special occasion dungeon restaurant and wine cellar, as well as the Great Hall conference, banqueting and function room where Henry VIII held court. Reportedly the infamous syphilitic, diabetic Henry’s legitimate daughter Mary (later Queen Mary I) by Catherine of Aragon also visited the castle, bringing her dogs. The castle has been pet and ghost friendly for over 500 years.

As well as reported canine spectres, there is the obligatory grey lady and very occasional sightings of a transparent man, possibly Jasper Tudor, the first owner’s stepson. Thornbury has it all. From arrow loop windows and a minstrel gallery to a hexagonal dining-room and cuddly, jovial local ladies dispensing buttergrilled kippers and porridge with strawberry and maple syrup at breakfast. And the petits fours, scones and huge cake-stands at afternoon tea. Thornbury was the first restaurant outside France to earn a Michelin star and the sticky toffee pudding has remained on the menu since the 60s. A three-course dinner costs £50. Lunch £20. The roasted monkfish cheeks, seared scallops and venison haunch carpaccio with juniper baked celeriac make you forget you are a commoner for a while. Nothing much else has been changed over 500 years. The turrets and crenellations remain. The parapets are embattled. The gilding is 24-carat gold. There are mullions, applewood chandeliers, wrought-iron candelabras, clanking thick arched doorways, portraits of rakes in ruffs, silks and tapestries, bee boles, gargoyles, heraldic knots and antelopes, secret passageways, priest holes and hidey-holes. There are 26 authentic bedchambers including one in the tower up a 77-step spiral staircase and looking out over the Severn and into the Principality of Wales. Historians agree that Henry VIII may have urinated off it. Henry, who came to the throne when he was 17, was a keen hunter and didn’t have to hunt very far to find Stafford’s ‘palace within a castle’. Although, in those days, maybe there was no eggy bread for the children. Or Knickerbocker Glories for anyone. The ‘H’ depicted in stone on the lawn stands for ‘helipad’. Rather than the portly king.

Thornbury Castle, BS35 1HH 0044 01454 281182 www.thornburycastle.co.uk

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