ISSUENN . 1555 //25 23 - 29 PRIL 2015 2015 ISSUE O.O1564 June - 1A July
COSTA DE ALMERÍA
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
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AVE on the way
Raised hopes for the Almeria high season
Autumn start for work on Almeria-Murcia line PLANS for Almeria’s AVE high-speed connection were put on the back burner three years ago, with only two of six sections completed, and it’s finally been announced that work will get under way on See Page 4 the line between Pulpi and Cuevas del Almanzora.
Mind your manners
RECOVERY more marked than on other Spanish Costas Photo: Lutmans
City Hall issues guide to beach behaviour WHILE all rules were out for the San Juan festival celebrations this week, by the weekend it’ll be best to read up on what’s expected on Almeria
beaches in the council’s guide, which bans barbecues, shampoo and cigarette ends, amongst other faux pas. See Page 8
A voice for Almeria The province has a representative in the Junta FOR the first time since 2010, an Almeria representative has a role in the cabinet of the Junta de Andalucia, as Fiñana-born Maria del CarSee Page 10 men Ortiz Rivas becomes Head of Agriculture.
By Linda Hall THE summer season is called the high season with good reason. Hopes are high as the tourist sector prepares for an influx of visitors and the in-
crease in summer rentals for apartments and villas on the coast reflects this optimism According to holiday experts TripAdvisor, Almeria Province holiday rentals have risen 30 per cent this year, comfortably outstripping the
average 7 per cent increase anticipated elsewhere on Spain’s Costas. This comes as particularly good news to business-owners in Almeria Province. Having felt the full impact of the fall in summer visitors
during the crisis years, they are now among the first to benefit from the recovery. The increase in national visitors is especially noticeable but foreign tourism is holding up nicely, too, say holiday bosses.
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LOCAL NEWS
Bullet hits girl A GIRL of nine was shot in the abdomen while near a window in her first-floor home in El Puche. During a street clash between well-known rival clans, n e i g h b o u r s h e a rd
“eight or nine” shots, one of which shattered a window, injuring the child. She was pronounced out of danger after an emerg en cy o p era tio n a t To rrecardenas hospital.
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Summer restrictions safeguard national park PAID parking between 8am and 7pm at €5 per vehicle
Letting it go LAST year 9,578 Andalucia residents - four times more than in 2007 - passed up on a legacy because they did not want, or could not afford, to pay death duties.
Partial figures for Almeria Province revealed that 302 people failed to claim an inheritance between January and July in 2014, compared to 358 throughout 2013.
At cross purposes SALVADOR PEREZ, whose daughter attends Madre de la Luz state school in Almeria City, asked for a cross to be removed from the playground four years ago.
Told that it belonged to a separate school residence and could not be removed, Perez said he is continuing to fight “because crosses belong in churches, not schools.”
NEWS
Juan Carlos Molina Gimenez
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LOS GENOVESES: Worth protecting.
By Linda Hall SUMMER is here and vehicle access to beaches in the Cabo de Gata national park is once again restricted. Until September 20 the regional government’s Environment department is allowing
only 500 vehicles to park at beaches between Playa de los Genoveses and Cala Carbon. To compensate for the transport restrictions, a car park is now operating at the Monsul, Genoveses and Barronal beaches, with some spaces reserved for those with mobility
problems. Parking is charged between 8am and 7pm at a daily rate of €5 for each vehicle. Once the car park is full the barrier has to come down but is raised periodically to allow more cars in as others leave. There is also a bus service to
the beaches that operates a round trip starting and ending in San Jose with tickets costing €2 and singles €1.50. There are reductions of between 20 and 50 per cent for large families and pensioners between now and September 20.
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Dried up
FEATURED NEWS
Hamming it up at San Juan water festival THE Granada town of Lanjaron celebrates by getting soaked to the skin
Running on empty THE Alcaudique spring in Berja dries up each summer but this has happened early this year. Persistent drought and depletion of it subterranean source for crop irrigation are responsible, townspeople said.
Overstretched Closing too early TOO many Almeria Province health centres close in the afternoon during the summer, said regional MP Rosalia Espinosa. This overburdens hospitals’ A & E departments affected by staff absences for holidays, she warned.
Pedal power Call for a solution PROVINCIAL cycling association Alpedal called for a solution to Almeria City’s unpopular bicycle lanes. The official ‘Plan de Bicicleta’ was important in changing concepts of innercity mobility, it said.
Pay attention
Go, baby!
Preparing for pram race
WATER FIGHT!: Anybody is considered fair fame in this friendly yet crazy fiesta.
By Steve Walsh THE Lanjaron water and ham festival has just taken place at the home of the famous natural springs of the Alpujarras in Granada. It adds a strange twist to the San Juan fiestas elsewhere in Spain. Coastal towns typically celebrate San Juan by setting up camp on the beach and indulging in all-night parties and barbeques with music and dancing to accompany the bonfires. But the locals of Lanjaron celebrate June 23 by staging a huge water fight, saturating anyone and everyone who dares to cross their
6.5 million tourists from abroad visited Spain in May, 6.8 per cent more than in the same month of 2014, according to the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism’s Frontur survey.
path. The festivities normally last four or five days. Impromptu water fights take place in the daytime but the main event, the Fiesta del Agua y Jamón, sees battle commence at midnight on June 23, where buckets are filled and water pistols primed, hosepipes directed from balconies and everyone waits for the clock strikes. In the welcoming frenzy of water fight-mania that ensues, anybody is considered fair game in this friendly yet crazy fiesta. Once everyone has dried off, the party gets going with abundant amounts of beer washing down copious amounts of the area’s famous ham (jamon).
THIS Saturday, Alcobendas in Madrid is hosting Spain’s first Babyton pushchair race. The only requisites for the race, which has various distance options, is that teams must include an infant in a pram or pushchair.
Quote of the Week Pablo Iglesias’s group have a problem if they don’t know that the tragedy in Spain is the 800 people killed by ETA, not the 400 jailed terrorist group members,’ said the PP’s Javier Maroto in response to Iglesias declaring it was a tragedy that jailed ETA members could not be moved closer to their homes.
Scramble and traffic jams for teaching posts APPROXIMATELY 3,800 aspiring teachers recently sat ‘Oposiciones’ in Almeria City. They and many thousands of others throughout Andalucia were taking the equivalent of Civil Service exams, hoping for
one of 1,431 permanent teaching posts in a regional infants or primary school. “There are very few places. So few it’s demoralising,” an applicant told a Spanish interviewer.
Another hopeful was more optimistic. “I think I did well, I’m happy with the questions I was asked,” she said but added that with so few places she would not build her hopes up until the results arrived.
For some Almeria hopefuls merely getting to the exam-hall for the Sunday start at 8am was an ordeal. The Line 11 and 12 buses that normally go out to the university at Nueva Almeria on a Sunday and the Line 18
bus which goes all the way did not start out until 7.34am. Driving was the best option but the thousands of cars making for the university caused one of the biggest tailbacks ever seen.
Ten deaths TEN pedestrians died in Almeria Province accidents over the last three years, principally from inattention, said the DGT traffic authority. Many ignored traffic lights but others were distracted by smartphones or radios.
Out to sea Catamaran fishing A TWIN-HULLED fibreglass boat built in Garrucha is Andalucia’s biggest catamaran. It will be used to feed and catch farmed tuna, gilt-head bream and sea bass in Lanzarote (Canary Islands).
Ibi pledge Land to be rezoned HUERCAL-OVERA Town Hall hopes to reduce IBI rates for farmers with land rezoned for building. As they are now unlikely to build this should be reclassified as rural, said Mayor Domingo Fernandez.
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INDEX News 1 - 32 Featured News 3 News Desk 34 European Press 36 Russian Press 37 Finance 39 - 44
AVE: Almeria wants one too. Stocks 40 Leapy Lee 45 Ric Polansky 52 Street Talk 52 Daily TV 54 Nora Johnson 55 Our View 56
Autumn start been agreed for renewed AVE project WORKS on the high speed connection were halted three years ago By Linda Hall WORK on Almeria’s AVE high speed connection was halted three years ago. Spending cuts by the central government in Madrid instead redirected investment in high
speed infrastructure to other parts of the country. The AVE should arrive in the provinces of Cadiz, Granada, Murcia, Castello, Burgos, Palencia, Leon, Zamora and Salamanca this year, but Almeria is not on the list.
Although the Almeria-Murcia AVE was included in three earlier budgets, the province has received no money, which prompted leading businesses to call for renewed investment. Their efforts paid off and it was announced in March that
the Ministry of Public Works was putting the 12.5 kilometre Pulpi-Cuevas del Almzora section of the line up for tender. The contract has been awarded but work will not commence before September at the earliest.
Colin Bird 56 Mike Walsh 56 Cassandra Nash 57 Letters 58 Time Out 60 - 61 Health & Beauty 65 - 67 Food 68 - 72 Albox 74 - 78 Homes & Gardens 79 - 81 Pets 82 - 83 Property 84 - 86 Classifieds 88 - 90 Motoring 92 - 94 Sport 95 - 96
Promoting peace through music THE Barenboim-Said Foundation is organising a course for children between September 1 and 4. The course, an introduction to music, will be held at the Almeria City Conservatorio. The Foundation is financed by the Junta
de Andalucia and is a reference for intercultural conciliation, promoting peace and dialogue through music. Centuries of peaceful coexistence between different cultures in Andalucia is a central feature of the Foundation as well as the Sevilla-based Western-
Eastern Divan Orchestra. Founded by the Jewish-Argentinian conductor Daniel Barenboim and the late Palestinian academic Edward Said, the orchestra is made up of young musicians from Middle Eastern countries including Israel.
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No proof of fraud by Testi THE Almeria provincial high court cleared Italian actor Fabio Testi of fraud. Testi’s former wife Maria Dolores Navarro had accused him and a business associate of cheating her out of her Almeria City apartment. Navarro claimed Testi invented a 200 million lira debt arising from two promissory notes she
HUERCALIDA: Standing room only for opening festival.
Culture starts off ACTIVITIES have been arranged for everyone to enjoy By Linda Hall HUERCAL-OVERA recently inaugurated its summer schedule of cultural events, Huercalida, with an Intergenerational Folklore Festival. The display in the Plaza de la Constitucion began with pupils from the Huercal-Overa Municipal School of Dancing who were followed by the Third Age Music and Dancing Workshop and the
Virgen de las Huertas folklore group from Lorca in neighbouring Murcia. “Once again we are taking culture into the streets of the town and its outlying districts,” said Culture councillor Antonio Lazaro. “We shall be reaching all members of the public, from elderly to young, with free events in the town’s squares and streets. We want to take activities to every corner of the town,” Lazaro said.
Rise in Almeria evictions THE regional government plans to buy repossessed properties and rent them to those who lose homes through eviction. This news will come as a relief to many people in Almeria Province where the courts issued 563 eviction orders in the first three months of this year, 24.8 per cent more than in 2014. Not all of these evictions were finally carried out, as in some cases agreement was reached between banks and the homeowners. In others they could not be carried out owing to demonstrations by the anti-evictions group, PAH.
According to figures from the General Council of Judicial Power, 243 properties were finally repossessed after owners fell behind with mortgage payments or tenants were evicted for rent arrears. There have been 4,623 evictions in Almeria Province since 2008, although these latest figures are the highest yet for Almeria Province. Although repossessions by the banks are in line with the national average, the number of tenants evicted from rented properties was 22 per cent more than the national average.
allegedly signed in his favour in 1994. He sold these on to the associate who called in the debt in 2001, receiving Navarro’s apartment to settle what she owed. It was later sold for €146,000. The court ruled Navarro provided insufficient proof that 73-year-old Testi and his associate plotted to share the €146,000 between them.
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Minding your manners when on the beaches! TURN down the volume and definitely don’t feed the cats By Linda Hall ALMERIA City Hall recently issued a list of what is and is-
n’t acceptable on its beaches. Although most rules were overlooked during the St John’s Night celebrations on June 24, Almeria’s corporation has outlined required etiquette in black and white.
Sound systems and musical instruments must not be loud enough to disturb other beachgoers at any time of the day. Sound systems and musical instruments must not be loud enough to disturb other beachgoers at any time of the day, the municipal ordinance declared. All noise loud enough to be heard inside properties on the front line
and second line of the beach is prohibited after midnight. Unlicensed vending is banned on promenades and cooking and barbecues are not allowed on the beaches. Bath gel and shampoo may not be used in the beach showers and life is made tougher for smokers who may not stub out cigarette ends in the sand. Together with motor vehicles, all printed and audio-visual advertising is barred from the beaches while ball games are restricted to specially-designated areas. Animals, including pets are banned, and horses may not be ridden on the beach or in the sea. Cats are also out of luck as the mayor’s edict reminded members of public that they should refrain from feeding the colonies that inhabit the breakwaters on health grounds.
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A bonfire that proved expensive A VICAR man received a six-month prison sentence and a fine for causing a forest fire in 2010. He admitted during the hearing that negligence and his reckless behaviour while burning weeds and unwanted plants were responsible for the fire. Owing to high winds blowing at the time, this spread from his own property, Cortijo El Llano, to adjoining plots and devastated 1.46 hectares of woodland. He had behaved in a “totally careless and negligent manner” by lighting the bonfire in an inappropriate place, the judge said. As well as paying a daily fine of €2 for six months, he must also pay €3,690 to the regional government’s Environment department to cover the cost of extinguishing the fire which involved firemen, firefighting helicopters and an aeroplane. The presence of a nearby irrigation deposit allowed the aircrafts to take on water without delay, the judge noted. She also ruled that the six-month prison term could be substituted with a €720 fine.
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NEWS
New role for old mines TRIBUTE: The monument to miners in Bedar.
UNDERGROUND museums to attract tourism By Linda Hall BEDAR’S disused mines no longer produce iron ore but they could still boost the local economy. French students from Lorraine University are now charting the Mulata and Higuera mines following two previous field trips. The project is important educationally but their present task could also help to turn the mines into underground museums. The initiative developed from collaboration between Bedar Sostenible and Lorraine Univer-
30 Spanish mines are now museums sity’s Earth Sciences Department, said Juan Antonio Soler. The courses are part of the Bedar Sostenible programme to promote sustainable economic activities in the town. The local town hall as well as the Asociacion de Amigos del Argar (AAA) archaeological society are also collaborating.
“There were already plans to turn some of the mines into museums and they were included in election programmes,” Soler said. “It’s not a new idea but although there are 30 old mines that can be visited in Spain, there are none in Almeria.” At present funding is the responsibility of Bedar Sostenible, the town hall and the AAA but the museum project will be expensive. The next step will involve applying for grants and subsidies to cover the cost of converting the mines, explained Soler.
A bigger say for Almeria in the regional government THE Junta de Andalucia regional government has finally been sworn in and an Almeria woman heads the Agriculture Department. Fiñana-born Maria del Carmen Ortiz Rivas has promised “dialogue and teamwork” in all areas, as the department also covers Fisheries and Rural Development. Almeria has welcomed Ortiz’s appointment, which growers said they saw as recognition for the importance of the province’s fruit and
vegetable sector. Almeria has not had a representative inside the Junta de Andalucia’s Cabinet since 2010 and not only the agriculture sector expressed satisfaction. Ortiz’s presence at the weekly meetings was seen as positive, drawing attention to the problems and needs of the province with relation to Andalucia’s economic policies as well as local agriculture.
NEWS EXTRA
Accessible beach CABO DE GATA beach is a finalist in the Thyssenkrupp ‘Accessible beach’ competition. The public can vote on the www.laplaymasaccesible. es website until July 24.
Down-sized ALMERIA City Hall’s newly-elected corporation remains in Partido Popular (PP) hands but with 10 councillors, five fewer than before. Departments will merge without any “super-councillor” co-ordinators, the mayor confirmed.
More study ALMERIA University library remained open at the weekend so students could prepare for their exams. Although only a pilot scheme, it could be repeated in future, the rector said.
Not cheap ACCORDING to a TripAdvisor survey, Almeria Province hotels are amongst Andalucia’s dearest. They charge an average of €108.6 per night, compared with the regional average of €94.84 per night.
Photo by Lutmans.
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Dolphins hit by pollution and starvation FOLLOWING the discovery of another dead dolphin off Almeria’s coast, experts blame heavy metals in the sea and overfishing By Linda Hall ANOTHER dolphin was found dead on the coast recently. The 2.1-metre male had washed up on Almeria City’s Costacabana beach and Equinac, the environmentalist organisation which takes charge of marine wildlife casualties, was called in. The dolphin looked in good condition and the Equinac experts took the carcass away for dissection in order to clarify the cause of death. Twenty dolphins have been washed up at different points along the Almeria coast this year, said Equinac’s co-ordinator Eva Maria Moran. They were all very ill owing to pollution and the accumulation of
Fathers and sons clash violently TWO men were arrested in Almeria City’s Pescaderia neighbourhood after shots were fired into the air. The incident occurred following a fight between their sons aged 13 and 14 when one attacked the other with a knife. He inflicted a wound that needed attention at Torrecardenas Hospital and the fathers allegedly continued the boys’ quarrel. This resulted in shots being fired but although no-one was injured, the police were called. Both boys tried to conceal what had happened, particularly the victim, who told medical staff that he had fallen over. The fathers were taken into custody and released on charges.
Lightning strikes chapel THE Emita de Layon chapel was badly damaged during a storm. Practically everything inside was destroyed, including a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, after the belfry was struck by lightning. The door, flooring and walls were affected and the steeple was found 25 metres away.
heavy metals in the sea, and the majority were suffering from starvation, she added. “There is nothing for them to eat because
of overfishing, especially by drift-net trawlers which impact negatively on the ecosystem,” Moran explained.
She called on members of the public not to throw rubbish in the sea or on the beaches and asked them to call the 112 emer-
gency number whenever they see a washed-up marine animal. “We have a great response capacity and can help them.
They should never be returned to the sea because if they approach the coast it is because they are unwell.”
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EURO WOMEN PAGE
Leading by example Our Euro Women series is featuring women who have made a success of their lives in Spain. These outstanding ladies have been shattering glass ceilings whether in business, charity work or sports. Valerie Williams has the ability to inspire others to bring out the best in themselves.
HAILING from Anglesey in lovely Welsh Wales, Val Williams, with her natural ability to make people smile, has lived in Spain for more than 30 years. Her bubbly ‘let’s get things done’ attitude to life has ensured that not only has she made great things happen for people, she also makes other people want to make thing happen as well. This is what some call natural leadership, the ability to inspire others to bring out the best in themselves and achieve things for the general good, to lead by example and encourage those who follow to do the same. Not that Val would see it that way, she’s a little too modest to see the effect she has on people around her. Her philosophy of being able to cope and just get on with things when others don’t has become her trademark, and the reason 900 people turned up for a sold-out 30th anniversary concert this month for her Salon Varietés theatre. More than 30 years ago when Salon Varietés in Fuengirola, opened its doors to the public, Spain was very much in vogue. Thousands flocked from all over Europe to soak up the continental lifestyle and be a part of the big social picture that was the Costa del Sol. Unfortunately, some years later the bubble bust, and for various other reasons, people fell out of love with the beautiful venue. The Friends of the Theatre Association (FOTA) at that stage was
Val has brought Salon Varietés back to life
CAN-DO ATTITUDE: Valerie Williams works tirelessly to make great things happen.
Making everyone around you happy is key By Steve Walsh
My university professor told me: ‘If you make yourself useful to people and your country, you will always be happy.’ And he was right.
Fact file Name: Valerie Williams Age: 76 Profession: President of FOTA Family : Widow, three children Home town: Anglesey, Wales Where now: Mijas, Malaga Pets: None Languages: English and a little Spanish Book or TV: TV Favourite tv programmes: True-life stories
only a couple of dozen diehard actors needing help. This is where Val saw her calling. Not long after selling her large hotel in Anglesey and moving to Spain, she found herself with some time on her hands, and when asked to volunteer her marketing expertise in order to rebuild the
theatre, she willingly set to work. “I have never forgotten what my professor at university told me: ‘If you make yourself useful to people and your country, you will always be happy.’ And he was right. I am happy,” she chuckled.
“I have always found that the best way to get something done, no matter how big the task, is to just get on with it and be happy to do so. Pretty soon, either others join in and help or they walk away,” Val said.
Maybe this is why she finds herself surrounded by helpful and happy friends. Val’s philosophy has obviously proved to be successful; even though it has taken a lot of hard work over the years, FOTA now has more than 500 happy members who enjoy regular functions, excursions, holidays and events all personally organised by Val. The theatre is a roaring success, and regularly puts on fantastic shows for adoring full houses. The 76-years-young widow and proud mother of three has now spent the best part of three decades bringing a dead culture back to life. To speak of live theatre on the Costa del Sol and not mention Val’s name isn’t possible, nor is it possible to think of FOTA or Salon Varietés without thinking of Val Williams; they are one and the same, a shining example of what can be achieved in the face of adversity with a determined, cheerful spirit.
Do you know a Euro Woman? If you do please drop us a line at eurowomen@euroweeklynews.com giving full contact details and why you feel they deserve to be honoured. As well as being featured in the EWN a book is being produced for Christmas with all profits going to charitable organisations.
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NEWS EXTRA
Early start JULY 1 is the traditional start for summer sales but some Almeria businesses are already displaying the ‘Rebajas’ sign. First amongst them were H & M, Cortefiel and other franchises.
Mayor split FOLLOWING the municipal elections, Turre’s PSOE mayoral candidate will hold office for the last 28 months of the 48-month term. The Somos Turre candidate will be mayor for the first 20 months.
Annual veg WITH the vegetable season ending, Almeria Province growers have the annual problem of disposing of unwanted vegetation. They have been after a solution for years as existing treatment plants cannot cope.
National park plans still remain parked TABERNAS desert is a favourite area with filmmakers By Linda Hall PLANS to make the Tabernas desert a national park were first announced 15 years ago. Officially described as subdesert, it is unique in Europe and fascinating to geologists, tourists and film production companies alike. It is so appealing to the latter that countless films have been shot there since 1999 when the national park proposal was formally submitted to Madrid . Fifteen years later, however, Tabernas is no closer to becoming a national park. The plan would have affected a protected 24,822hectare area, most of it located within the municipal boundaries of Tabernas. This entire zone answered all the conditions for a national park,
the Junta de Andalucia regional government argued at the time, although the scheme was not so attractive to neighbouring municipalities. Many councils suspected political motives and were less convinced about the benefits to their towns. Meanwhile the European Commission has begun an enquiry into the absence of conservation measures on the Junta’s part. This has at least prompted the regional government to declare the area a Special Area of Conservation (ZEC in Spanish). “Years have passed and we have not been able to protect and launch the Tabernas desert as it deserves,” lamented Dr Hermelindo Castro from the Department of Biology and Geology at Almeria University.
DESERT: Unique in Europe.
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All’s well with wells A 20-YEAR battle over rights to subterranean water ended in victory for the Tierras de Almeria irrigation syndicate. These rights, acquired in the 90s by El Ejido growers for crop irrigation, were sold separately from the land where the wells were located. Malce, the compa-
ny which purchased the land, later sued Tierras de Almeria, maintaining that the water beneath it should be legally theirs. In 2011 the courts ruled in favour of Tierras de Almeria, and Almeria high court has now confirmed this verdict, while closing the door to a further appeal.
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NEWS
Rabbit pie off the menu
IMPOUNDED: The unlicensed .22 carbine which was hidden in the undergrowth. By Linda Hall MAKING a hasty exit when a Guardia Civil patrol car appears usually means that something is going on. So when officers from Huercal-Overa saw that a car parked in Rambla de los
Reyes started up and drove off they immediately flagged it down. There were three men inside the car with no identity papers, a dead rabbit at their feet and a box of cartridges for a .22 carbine. No-one could explain how the rabbit or the ammunition came to be there
but a search revealed a .22 carbine rifle hidden in the undergrowth three metres from where the car had been parked. Once identified, one of the men admitted the rifle was his and he did not have a licence. He has been charged with illicit possession.
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Mojacar Press Notice
A third term for Mayor of Mojácar HAVING obtained an absolute majority in the elections held on May 24, with a total of 1,332 votes, the inaugural plenary session of the new municipal corporation was held at the Centro de Usos Múltiples on Saturday June 13. Rosa María Cano Montoya (Partido Popular), was sworn in along with her six councillors, Aguero Emmanuel Leclerc, Maria Luisa Lopez Agustin Montoya, Diego Garcia Montoya, Ana Maria Garcia and Raquel Belmonte de Haro. Also attending were the councillors of the opposition, Manuel Zamora Fernandez and Rosa Maria Bartholomew (PSOE), Jessica Dee Simpson and Carlos Rodríguez (Somos Mojácar). As in 2011, the two elected councillors rep-
resenting Unión Mojaquera Diez did not attend. The act of incorporation and inauguration began with the establishment of the constitutional table, formed by the eldest councillor, in this case Agustin Montoya (PP) and the youngest councillor, Raquel Belmonte (PP), after which each of the councillors swore an oath to uphold the Constitution. Then, Rosa Maria Cano was re-elected as Mayor of Mojácar by the newly assembled councillors and began her third term as leader of the town council. She vowed to work for the municipality and its residents during the ensuing four years with the same energy and willingness as she has demonstrated since first be-
ing elected as mayor eight years ago. In her own words: “The great support we have received from the mojaqueros renews my commitment and enthusiasm to work in the development of the town and its people.” After receiving the ‘bastón de mando’ (ceremonial baton), the mayor gave an emotional thank you for the love and support received from local residents in the last two elections. She also thanked her party colleagues for the work done in recent months, as well as all the hard work done over the years by members of her administration. Mojácar is one of the few councils in the province of Almeria that achieved an absolute majority.
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NEWS
All aboard for the Turre Dames THE ladies had a day out in Caravaca de la Cruz
CARAVACA: It’s quicker by train! By Community Reporter THE Dames in Turre recently spent the day in Caravaca de la Cruz (Murcia). After breakfasting in the town, they boarded a tourist train for the climb through the narrow
streets up to the castle-sanctuary at the top of the hill. Next stop was the Fiestas Museum to see the costumes and regalia used during the celebrations before going on to Moratalla and lunch before setting out or the journey home.
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Malaga expats show their ‘bandolero’ side in Mojacar STUART GREGORY and Brendan Cook found themselves at the head of the Moors and Christians parade By Linda Hall SOME years back Arroyo de la Miel (Malaga, Costa del Sol) resident Stuart Gregory and some friends visited Mojacar during the Moors and Christians fiestas. Since then they have returned for the fiestas each year and the party has grown so much in size that this time, 84 people set out from the Costa del Sol town for Mojacar. The manageress of the hotel where they always stay is one of the Moors and Christians organisers and over the years the group has become more and more involved. So much so that to Stuart’s delighted surprise, he and another member of the party, Brendan Cook, were asked if they would like to take part this time. “What a question!” Stuart later told the Euro Weekly News. “We both jumped at the chance.” The next question was “Moors or Chris-
RE-ENACTMENT: Moors and Christians parade in full swing.
tians?” and that didn’t require much deliberation either, as both Stuart and Brendan immediately answered: “Moors, of course!” In fact, they were eventually assigned to the Christian band and kitted out as ‘bandoleros’. “The costumes were really great,” Brendan said, “but really hot, too.” The two new bandolero recruits asked the parade organisers where they would be located in the procession so that friends and family would know when and where to look out for them. “No problem,” they were told. “You’ll be easy to spot because you’re going to be opening the bandoleros group.” And so that’s how two Arroyo expats happened to find themselves dressed as bandits at the head of Mojacar’s Moors and Christians parade. They are already looking forward to next year when – if 2015 is anything to go by – anything can happen.
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NEWS
No clues to crashed helicopter puzzle MORE questions than answers By Linda Hall THREE months after it was found, the crashed yellow helicopter abandoned near Nijar remains a mystery. Although a Guardia Civil enquiry is ongoing, investigators revealed only that the helicopter was used to transport drugs after sniffer dogs found hashish traces. No-one has claimed the helicopter and if investigators know who piloted it, where was it going and where had it come from they are not yet saying. Neither is it known if the air-
craft was on its way to pick up a cargo although the helicopter’s position suggested it was making for the coast, sources claim. The bright yellow helicopter’s rotors were clearly damaged when it was discovered, yet there was no call for help from the crew. The black boxes have been examined and were expected to reveal whether the helicopter made an emergency landing or planned to land in the field where it was found. The national government’s sub-delegation to Almeria and the Guardia Civil said the investigation continues.
Calling folk singers and musicians ALMERIA STRINGS has guest spots available for musicians who would like to play at their monthly Folk Night. Musicians who play folk, Celtic, Bluegrass, old-time or other forms of acoustic music
as well as singer-songwriters should email Nadine and Andy at almeriastrings@gmail.com. Alternatively ask for a spot when you arrive. The Folk Night is held at Romerijo in Turre and there is a
practice session every Thursday from 1pm to 4pm except when the Folk Night is on. For further information about Almeria Strings, visit the http://www.almeriastrings.org/ styled/index.html website.
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NEWS
Shack settlement finally flattened OPERATION occurred without incident when demolitions were carried out By Linda Hall EL EJIDO Town Hall evacuated and demolished 30 shacks in the Tierras de Almeria district. The demolition was ordered
at the end of April but halted after the mediation of charities and the SAT trade union. SAT unsuccessfully attempted to halt the operation once again, explained the union
spokesman Spitou Mendy. The bulldozers and the Local Police arrived very early at the site without any previous warning to the people living there, Mendy said.
“These are people who work and sweat in the greenhouses but they have nowhere to go because no-one provides the wherewithal and they can’t pay rent,” the spokesman claimed.
Social workers were on hand to help when the demolitions were carried. “The occupants who were there knew what was happening and went of their own accord,” said police.
Six teams compete in this year’s Wacky Races THANKS to the fundraising event, cheques for €750 each were presented to Villaricos church and the school. “We would like to thank the entrants, sponsors, advertisers and supporters for their generosity,” the organisers said afterwards. A provisional date - May 14 - has already been sent for next year’s edition.
FUNDRAISING: A cheque for €750 was presented to the local church and school.
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NEWS
LUNCH: Last lunch of the season for the Dames in Spain.
Dames in Spain end of season beach lunch A VISIT to Garrucha’s maritime museum was also included on the day By Community Reporter THE Dames in Spain recently organised a Beach Lunch, the last of the season, in Garrucha. They began the morning with a visit to Garrucha’s Nautarum Centre maritime mu-
seum located in the Jesus Nazareno castle. The guide gave an interesting talk and explained the history of the castle, where there was much to see and learn about the area and its sea heritage. This was followed by lunch where chairwoman Irene Bensen presented Ann Grego-
ry with a plant, thanking her for the use of her home for the Dames’ garden party last month. Meetings begin again on September 21 at the Parador with a meet and greet. For more information contact Irene (950 529 399) or Margaret (626 303 849).
FINANCE
25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
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Another Crackdown On QROPS Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS) were introduced in April 2006. They can offer various benefits and quickly became popular with expatriates. However, the situation has changed significantly since 2006 and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has got much stricter, issuing new regulations and guidance over the years. The QROPS market today provides less choice and more complexity than many realise. Where HMRC deems that its rules have been broken, it can apply a 55% penalty charge of the amount you transfer. The new UK pension freedom also opened up many new opportunities for UK schemes, and QROPS is just one option which should be considered along with all the others. In the latest crackdown on QROPS, the registered overseas pension rules were changed in line with those brought in for UK pensions. HMRC sent a “legal request letter” to all global QROPS providers, dated 17th April
By Bill Blevins, Financial Correspondent, Blevins Franks but backdating the rules to 6th April 2015. The letter requests that the provider must satisfy itself that it meets the rules for Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (ROPS), and seeks confirmation that the schemes are still compliant with the rules. Specifically it asks three questions: (1) Does the scheme satisfy the ROPS conditions? (2) Does it meet the minimum age test (age 55)? (3)
Does it wish to appear on the public lists of QROPS? One of the rules for an overseas pension scheme to qualify as being recognised as a QROPS is that it follows UK pension rules. The minimum age for taking benefits from a pension is therefore 55, unless the member is in severe ill health. HMRC wants confirmation that either the laws of the country where the scheme is established prohibit payment of benefits to member under 55, or scheme rules prevent this where UK tax relief has been paid. The letter is perceived as an attack on Australian and New Zealand QROPS schemes, since although they meet local national rules, benefits can often be accessed before the age of 55 for reasons other than ill health. This raises the prospect of British expatriates in these jurisdictions facing a penalty charge. The move has not gone down well
with QROPS providers in Australia and New Zealand. If QROPS schemes do not comply with the rules, transfers into the scheme could suffer penalty charges of 55%. New pension freedom and QROPS In March, HMRC confirmed that non-EU QROPS have to temporarily continue to apply the rule where 70% of the transfer value made to a QROPS has to provide an income for life. Therefore non-EU QROPS cannot currently offer the same new pension freedom as UK pensions. EU QROPS schemes can offer the flexibility, and Malta became the first QROPS jurisdiction to change local legislation to allow full flexibility. Malta also meets the new conditions for ROPS. Overseas pension transfers are complicated at the best of times, with a myriad of rules, which frequently change. You need to be
extra careful when moving into a QROPS and choosing which one would best suit you. The only way to ensure that a QROPS is the best solution for you is to explore all your other pension options and weigh up the pros and cons of each. This includes looking at the tax implications in your country of residence. You need specialist and personalised advice, and from a firm which has both UK pension specialists and Spanish and UK tax specialists. Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice. To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com.
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NEWS
Cutbacks can affect postal services WORK force can be reduced by 33 per cent in the summer By Eleanor Hawkins ALMERIA Correos workers and union representatives held a protest to demand agreements defending their rights are signed and cutbacks cancelled. The postal company’s workers gathered outside the main office on Almeria City’s Calle San Juan Bosco to once again ask Correos to stop stalling negotiations on a trade agreement and to stop reducing the work force. Correos Public Sevices Federation Union
Secretary Maria Victoria Saez Lara said: “These cutbacks have a negative effect on citizens and postal service users’ rights. In Almeria, in July, August and September the work force is reduced by 33 per cent due to holidays, yet stand-in employees have not been contacted meaning the quality of the service over the summer cannot be guaranteed.” Areas worst affected by the cutback policies, which have meant postmen and women have had their routes extended, include Roquetas de Mar, El Ejido and parts of Almeria City, Saez Lara said.
Sailing close to the wind AN Almeria criminal court found five people guilty of selling skippers’ tickets for pleasure craft. Another 15 were charged with obtaining the certificates without tests or a medical checkup after paying between €250 and €350. Through the group’s mediation the tickets were later issued by the Andalucia Speedboat Federation, the Madrid Sailing Federation and
the Murcia Region Sailing Federation. The ringleader, a former spokesman for the Andalucia Speedboat Federation, issued the necessary paperwork proving the tests were taken. Each received a 14-week sentence and a daily €3 fine for three months. The 15 people who bought a skipper’s ticket received six-week sentences and a daily €3 fine for the same period.
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NEWS
Elvis tribute champ helps raise money for charity EVENT will help to raise funds for Puppy Rescue, SAS and Helping Hands Spain (SAS) and Helping Hands, which all work to make a difference to the lives of animals and people alike. Tickets cost €20 to include the show and buffet from 7pm, or €12 for the show only. For tickets and more information call 634 456 701 (English) or 634 328 422 (Spanish).
By Gemma Quinn THE European Elvis Tribute Champion, Simon Patrick is performing at Hostal Rural in Turre on July 12 for charity. Having previously performed in Aguilas for the Helping Hands charity, Simon Patrick is returning with his winning performance, showing the crowds exactly why he won the title of champion Elvis tribute. He will also be joined by DJ Steve King. The event is helping to raise funds for Puppy Rescue, Saving Animals
ELVIS: Champion tribute artist Simon Patrick is performing at Hostal Rural for charity.
Luvvies are ‘Dinner Ladies’ REHEARSALS for the Luvvies Theatre Group’s production of Dinner Ladies are revving up towards performance day tomorrow, Friday June 26. This play requires a considerable number of props, not least of which are sandwiches, toast and tea. So the cast were faced with a problem, how, with two rehearsals a week, could the cast manage without consuming a great num-
ber of sandwiches and toast, and drinking a lake of tea? Answer: White cardboard sandwiches, brown cardboard toast, and water! Now the pinnies are on, everything is prepared, the tea urn is full, and on Friday June 26 the shutters will go up at the Teatro Pedro Gilabert, Arboleas. Performances are on Friday 26, Saturday 27 at 7.30pm and Sunday 28 at 3pm.
Tickets are available from: Cat Services, Alfoquia, 1-Stop Pools and Colin the Card, Longos, Total Entertainment, Albox and Arboleas, Girasol and The Corner Shop, Albox, Ideal and I-net Café, Huercal-Overa or on the door before each performance. For more information phone 634 346 309, or email The Luvvies at info@theluvvies.com.
NEWS
25 June - 1 July 2015/ Costa de AlmerĂa
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New meters may help burglars LIGHT flashes depending on electricity used By Eleanor Hawkins CONSUMERS’ associations warn that new electricity meters could be helping cause burglaries and complain that the Spanish government has so far done nothing to address the problem. The Facua-Consumidores en Accion Association has said new electricity meters are helping burglars discover whether
properties are occupied or not thanks to a light which flashes at varying speeds depending on electricity being used. The association has claimed the government has taken no notice of repeated warnings on the meters, which are easily visible from outside homes meaning owners are put at extra risk. Following complaints which started in 2012, the Spanish Da-
ta Protection Agency confirmed the meters provide real time information on electricity usage, which will show whether a property is occupied, meaning they can encourage burglars. One of the main providers installing the meters has said a possible solution would be to programme the new version of meters to allow the lights to be switched off after installation.
On hunger strike FIVE Moroccan women in Almeria who were sacked by an agricultural company after appearing on a television documentary have gone on hunger strike. The women, who had worked for the company for between six and 13 years, said the company had been trying to get rid of them for years and
the documentary on industrial biological production, aired on German TV, was the perfect excuse. Although SAT Andalucian Workers Union attempted to negotiate, the company has so far refused to budge. Although the women were offered severance pay and other jobs, they have refused both and insist on their original jobs back.
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NEWS EXTRA
Next in line TWO Union Mojaquera councillors renounced their Mojacar Council places after losing the party’s third seat. Feeling they lacked voters’ backing, they resigned in favour of the next two names on the Union Mojaquera list.
Medal time THE academic year drew to a close with Almeria University’s usual closing ceremony. Medals and trophies were awarded for sports achievements in all fields, particularly tennis, basketball and athletics.
Work plan VIATOR is, as promised, organising an employment scheme. The town hall will mediate between jobseekers registered on its database and prospective employers.
www.euroweeklynews.com
NEWS
Salaries earned in Spain DATA reveals the best and worst paid sectors with electricity and gas companies coming out tops By Maria José Fernandez LOOKING for a career change? You may want to consider which sectors offer the best pay as the latest data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) shows that salaries in the worst paid sectors are up to four times lower than the best paid industries. Electricity companies, banks and the oil industry maintain their status as the sectors with the highest wages. At the other end of the spectrum, service-related sectors such as gardening, bars and restaurants and other personal services, such as hairdressing, pay the lowest wages. In a different study also by the INE, data showed that sectors with the lowest productivity were laundries, hair salons, vet clinics, food and drink services, building management and gardening, precisely the ones that showed lower salaries. The IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the Spanish National Bank identified recently the small size of the country’s companies as one of the rea-
LOW WAGES: Hairdressers are amongst the lowest paid professions in Spain.
€3,751 is the average salary per month in the top companies of electricity, gas and air conditioning
sons for measuring such a low productivity. Larger companies are more productive and allow for better wages, according to these institutions. The sector shown to provide the best salaries was electricity, gas and air conditioning companies, with an average salary of €3,751 paid per month, followed by banks, with €3,403 and the oil industry, where staff are on an aver-
age of €3,385 per month. Other sectors with high wages are air transport companies (€2,837 per month) and telecommunications (€2,782). On the other hand, workers in laundries and hair salons earn an average of €896 per month, building management and gardening staff earn €833 per month and cooks and waiters an average of €887 per month.
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NEWS FROM OUR FIVE OTHER REGIONS
COSTA DEL SOL
BBC’s The Travel Show comes to Denia to film a documentary Flickr: Jose A
SIGNS are that the Costa Blanca property market is recovering which is good news for the economy
BBC presenter Ade Adepitan will throw the spotlight on the Costa Blanca’s property market recovery.
COSTA BLANCA SOUTH
MALLORCA
By Jan Gamm THE Costa Blanca is to get a UK TV boost as a BBC documentary is being filmed about the recovery of the property market. With signs that the market is picking up it is more good news for the local economy and seen by travel and property professionals as a welcome fillip. BBC World’s ‘The Travel Show’ crew met up with local estate agents in Denia to film the show, as well as busy British house hunters including Lynne Dodwell, who was in town looking for her ideal home on the Costa Blanca. The BBC’s interest is yet another indication that the property industry in the region is at last on the up. Statistics show that popular coastal communities of the Costa Blanca show a healthy upturn in sales over the last year, such as Javea with an increase in sales at 11 per cent. Local estate agent Emma Higginson of Villas-Plots.com confirmed: “It is true that sales have increased substantially, with apartments at €75,000 selling regularly and also costlier properties right up to €2.9 million.
AXARQUÍA
COSTA BLANCA NORTH
Free concerts
Bad parenting
Candle fire
Giraffe Day
MURCIA has announced a programme of 41 free, open air summer concerts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, in various plazas in the city from 9.30pm.
OFFICERS of the Family Attention Services of National Police (SAF) arrested in Palma de Mallorca a father and stepmother of several children, accused of beating them with sticks and belts.
A FORGOTTEN candle left on a terrace in Torre del Mar (Velez-Malaga) started a fire at around 4am last Sunday (June 21). Five other homes had to be evacuated, although there were no casualties.
ELCHE’S Rio Safari celebrated World Giraffe Day on Sunday June 21 with 76 other wildlife parks around the world, showcasing two of the park’s male giraffes.
Shoulder prosthesis Deadly fall
Slippery puddle
Reinstated worker
TORREVIEJA hospital has reported they have carried out a pioneering operation using two prostheses to replace a patient’s shoulder.
A 42-YEAR-OLD man died on Sunday after falling down a cliff on the road between Valldemossa and the port. According to a witness, the man was taking pictures before he fell down 40-metres.
A LARGE fuel puddle in the area of Almuñecar’s Calle Guadix, caused two accidents injuring two motorbike riders. The fuel and water slick went from Calle Torres Quevedo to San Cristobal Bridge.
AN employee of Elche Bus Station has been reinstated after being sacked to make way for a machine operated service. The union also negotiated back pay for the worker through rallies and protests.
Lucky number
Cleaning flotilla
A LUCKY resident of Palma has won €122,938 in last Friday’s Euromillions raffle. The ticket was sealed at Palma’s Lottery Administration Number 36 located in Calle Cardenal Rosell de Coll den Rabassa.
THE Axarquia Region will this year have 10 boats working on keeping its coasts spotless for tourists and locals. The service will run until September 15, having been awarded to local company Servimar Axarquia for under €300,000.
Sacred month
Air festival
Promotion help
AROUND 35,000 Muslims began the celebration last week of the Ramadan festivities in Mallorca, with the traditional inauguration event ‘Tarawih’ celebrated in the 34 mosques on the Island.
ALL eyes were on Motril’s sky on Sunday as it celebrated its International Air Festival with a record-breaking attendance of more than 50,000 people. There were displays by international air forces.
THE Tourism Foundation is to help promote pubs and clubs along the ‘Golden Mile,’ the old N-332 connecting Benidorm with L’Alfas and Altea, to help them emerge from the crisis.
Two expelled THE national leadership of Ciudadanos has expelled two Santa Pola councillors and four others in the Region, for breaking the party line and supporting municipalities governed by Compromis.
Best science ELCHE’S science park, part of the University Miguel Hernandez (UMH), has won first prize for ‘Best Practice in Science Parks’ less than 10 years old for their entrepreneurial initiatives.
Pony returned LOCAL POLICE of Orihuela have returned a pony to its owner in Malaga. The pony was stolen from an exhibition in La Murada three months ago. A neighbour took care of the animal until the owner was found.
NEWS
No fireworks JAVEA residents were deeply disappointed that there were no fireworks to celebrate the San Juan festival from June 13 to 24 this year due to the risk of fire.
Rick Astley visit
Car smuggling
Disabled barriers
ENGLISH legendary singer Rick Astley has announced a Spanish tour which will be arriving in Palma de Mallorca on September 26. The location has not yet been released.
GUARDIA CIVIL officers have arrested two men at Motril Port for reportedly using counterfeit documents to take a vehicle across the border. The two arrested men are Italian and Moroccan.
THE Association for People with Functional Diversity of Alcoy has made a denouncement of the council regarding restricted access to the Industrial School of Alcoy known as El Viaducto.
For more local news from our five other regions see www.euroweeklynews.com
Hot dogs THE Junta de Andalucia regional government has banned dogs from using any beaches where bathing is permitted from July 1 to September 30, regardless of whether they are designated dog beaches.
Free visits EUROPEAN Youth Card holders will be able to see the work on display at Malaga City’s Russian Museum free of charge thanks to an agreement with the management, the Andalucian Youth Institute (IAJ) has announced.
Time for change MARBELLA’S new council will be removing names of people involved in fascism or corruption from the city’s streets. A stained glass window at the town hall bearing a pro-Franco shield will also be replaced.
Airport thefts TWO men have been arrested in Fuengirola suspected of being behind at least two thefts reported by passengers at Malaga-Costa del Sol airport. The two, aged 33 and 29, were found to have previous records for similar crimes.
On your skates ONE of the first things Torremolinos’ new Mayor Jose Ortiz did after taking over the post was to cancel a controversial bylaw banning skating and skate-boarding in the town.
More visits BY the end of June, Malaga port will have received more than 184,000 cruise passengers this year, an almost 10 per cent increase, port authority president Paulino Plata reported.
EWN top for all the news from Spain.
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GERMAN
EUROPEAN PRESS SCANDINAVIAN PRESS
Media backlash DENMARK: Steakhouse chain Jensen’s Bofhus has tripled losses after a social media backlash when it forced a small seafood restaurant to drop Jensen’s from its name.
Striking scent SWEDEN: Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is releasing his own fragrance and is following in the steps of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo who both have their own scents.
Finland online FINLAND: More than half of Finnish people now get their news from online. The increase in the sales of tablet PCs is thought to be responsible.
PRESS
Caped man confronted
Was it you? THE winner of the EuroMillions’ £94 million has collected the money and gone on holiday. Their identity is secret but they are said to be very happy.
Top Evans
BRITISH
BABY, an escaped African elephant from a circus in Heilbronn, killed a man who was walking in some woods.
PRESS Waiting for the crowds TWO million strawberries, 17,000 bottles of champagne and 190,000 sandwiches are ready and waiting for the crowds at Wimbledon. Visitors are also expected to drink 300,000 cups of tea.
paid presenter. He will continue to present the Radio 2 breakfast show.
You shall not pass A TOURIST who was in the path of the Queen’s guards was summarily swept out of the way. The man said he was unaware he was causing an obstruction.
Drill inside ALISON SOUTHWOOD of Leamington Spa still has part of a drill that broke off during surgery in her jaw. If removed she could have paralysis on one side of her face.
Ghost included A HOUSE in Liverpool has all the usual modern amenities with one added extra - a 130-year-old poltergeist. The estate agents have had to confess to its presence under full disclosure.
Student demos
CHRIS EVANS’ role as the new host of Top Gear will make him the BBC’s highest
FINLAND: More than 2,000 people gathered in Kansalaistori in Helsinki to protest at proposed cuts to the education budget of over €600 million. Students joined the protest.
Calls to ban the booze bike TWENTY litres of beer can be carried for passengers FacemePls Flickr.
Cheap help
Elephant kills
ALSO dressed in ladies underwear and high heels A MAN dressed in a long cape, ladies underwear and high heels was confronted by horse riders in Micheldever Woods near Winchester. The man drove off at speed.
NORWAY: The country’s leading trade union has condemned the au pair system as a cheap way for families to have a maid or babysitter under the guise of cultural exchange.
NORWAY: Romanian beggars have been kicked, spat on and punched as they begged on the streets of Oslo. It is believed that many are trafficked into Norway by criminal gangs.
FINLAND: A children’s theatre group in Helsinki has changed its name from Isis to Osiris to avoid being associated with the extremist Islamic State militia.
A GERMAN pensioner in Damstadt took a wrong turn and ended up on the Autobahn driving his mobility scooter. The 87year-old was rescued by police.
Queen to visit Belsen THE QUEEN will have a Luftwaffe escort as she arrives on a State visit to Germany. Her Majesty will visit Belsen and Anne Frank’s grave during her visit.
Eternal red light A TRAFFIC light at an intersection near the river Elbe has remained red for nearly three decades. The light was designed never to change by the city traffic planners.
Sexy Hamburg
Fare jumping PEDAL POWER: Can carry 20.
Live weather
Name change
Mobility scooter chaos
ELITE PARTNER, a dating website, has revealed that people in Hamburg are having more sex than anywhere else in Germany. Lower Saxony was also very active.
Beggar trouble
SWEDEN: A climate portal has been installed at Stockholm Airport in which live data is used to simulate temperatures in different parts of the world.
NEWS
A LARGE pedal powered bike in Amsterdam that can carry 20 passengers as they drink beer is under review after a 6,000 strong petition to ban it. It can carry 20 litres of beer.
Against drugs KATWIJK, which is run by an all Christian council, has increased its drug prevention policies. Hundreds of hours of police surveillance have resulted in six arrests.
DUTCH PRESS Eduart before Rachid EMPLOYERS in The Hague are more likely to offer employment to a person with a Dutch name than an ethnic one. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) sent out fake job applications to 176 vacancies.
3D bridge over canal MX3D, an Amsterdam technology company, plans to print a delicate and ornate bridge over a canal in the city. The live printing will start in 2017.
Less meat more pulses DUTCH households are turning to pulses and fish over meat. Over half the households surveyed have three or more meatless days a week..
A MAN from Munster who did not have a ticket jumped from a moving train to avoid the ticket collector. He injured his leg and collapsed on the track.
Pooh death HARRY ROWOHLT, the man who translated Winnie the Pooh into German, has died. He had the distinction of being the first translator to have his name printed alongside the author.
NEWS
25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
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RUSSIAN P RESS
Space shuttles are left to rot ALAN WILSON FLICKR
PROGRAMME started in 1974 was never completed
SPACE SHUTTLES: Rotting away at Baikonur Cosmodrome.
THE Russian space shuttle programme which was started in 1974 was never completed and now the half built shuttles are rotting away at Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Military attractions PATRIOT PARK in Kubinka has been opened by Vladimir Putin. The attractions include military vehicles and heavy armaments. The souvenirs are mainly focused on Russian heroes and national icons.
Head transplant VALERY SPIRIDINOV who suffers from Werdnig Hoffman disease is preparing to have his head transplanted onto a healthy body. Dr Sergio Canavero says there is a 90 per cent chance of success.
Alpaca ranch flourishes ILYA SMIRNOV from Moscow has said how happy Alpacas are in their new home at a Russian ranch. It took 18 months to arrange their importation but they are now settled and thriving. NATO spies. Britain has reportedly already removed some of its operatives as a precautionary measure.
Reporter removed PAVEL KANYGIN has been arrested and beaten in Ukraine. The reporter works for the opposition paper Novaya Gazeta and was detained by security agents in Donetsk.
Bye Bye Fabio? A GROUP of Russian football fans are trying to raise funds to pay off Fabio Capello’s contract and remove him as the Russian manager. They need €21.4 million.
Camouflage theatre RUSSIAN troops have been practising covert operations in Siberia. They set up camps and completed training using state of the art camouflage techniques.
Airline boost VOLGA-DNEPR, the Russian cargo operator, has agreed to buy 20 747-8 freight planes at the Paris air show. The total cost is around €6.6 billion.
Spy concerns THE Kremlin has cracked Edward Snowden’s ciphers and could expose
ALPACAS: Settled and thriving in Russia. ARBUTUS FLICKR
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LONDON - FTSE 100
A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION // WWW.EWNBUSINESS.COM
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Amazon chooses Spain as external base to focus on its commercial arm By Jason Bailey
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MADRID has been chosen by internet giant Amazon as the only base outside the USA that will solely focus on its commercial arm, Amazon Business. The company will employ more than 30 specialised software professionals, sourced in Spain rather than
Quote of the Week
number of employees in existing Amazon offices
from other countries. Amazon’s director general, Francois Nuyts, said Spain had ticked the boxes for many reasons, it had outstanding innovators, and a vast resource of technology professionals. The business hub in the existing Amazon of-
WE mustn’t hesitate to cut corruption at its roots. King Felipe VI Casa de America Flickr
BUSINESS EXTRA
Front runner DESPITE recent doubts on the likelihood of Spanish Finance Minister Luis de Guindos being given the chair of the Eurozone he is still tipped as front runner for the role.
School clean PREFERENCE: People in Spain prefer paying by cash.
Cash not cards is preferred payment SPAIN is a country where cash has always been the preferred form of payment. The culture of the hidden economy means there is a large amount of currency that cannot be deposited in the usual way. Eighty per cent of private purchases are made using cash with only 20 per cent using electronic transfer systems. Data collected by the Central Bank show that €111 billion was withdrawn in 2014
and €105 billion was used on cash purchases. Spain’s preference for cash is the total inverse of the rest of Europe where around 60 to 80 per cent of all transactions are completed using cards or other payment systems. For Spain this means there is a huge amount of currency unaccounted for. The effect of this is that when figures are analysed for growth there is a black hole in the results.
THE new leftist mayor of Madrid, Manuela Carmena, has suggested that cleaning groups of mothers should be paid to clean state schools.
Fuel price THE difference between the price of diesel and petrol per litre has reached 15 cents, the highest since 2007, petrol at €1.33 and diesel at €1.18.
Labour rights THE Global Rights Index published by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has put Spain in a group of countries regularly violating labour rights.
Enjoy the best of both worlds WITH the combination of a euro that has devalued against sterling, food and housing prices and the temperate climate, Spain is one of the most reasonable places for expatriates to live. Mercer, the worldwide consulting company, has revealed that Barcelona and Madrid are
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GOVERNMENT air authority ENAIRE’s five control centres and 22 control towers manage around 1.8 million flights a year, making it one of the four largest flight navigation managers in Europe.
STAT OF WEEK
business & legal
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among the top 10 affordable cities in Europe. The survey took into account many factors and although some were positive, the underlying reason why Spain is such good value is that the economy is fragile with fluctuating interest rates, so there has not been a true decrease in the cost of living.
fices in Pozuelo de Alarcon, which already has 600 employees, will be the third in the world after Seattle and Texas. Nuyts also stated that Amazon had great faith in the Spanish economy and that it already had plans to continue investing in the country and in its citizens.
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Architects shortlisted A GROUP of Spanish architects are shortlisted for their design of the new Guggenheim art and design museum in Helsinki. Urtzi Grau and Cristina Goberna, who entered the competition under their design collective name Fake Industries Architectural Agonism, are one of six finalists out of 1,715 entrants. After visiting Helsinki Urtzi Grau said she was amazed at the way the discussion of the new museum had stimulated interest.
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C LOSING P RICES J UNE 22
PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3i Group 535.75 9.25 Aberdeen Asset Management 418.25 11.25 Admiral Group 1,446.00 11.00 Anglo American 980.45 -6.15 Antofagasta 710.75 -2.25 ARM Holdings 1,129.50 11.50 Ashtead Group 1,140.00 20.00 Associated British Foods 3,052.00 2.00 AstraZeneca 4,210.25 21.25 Aviva 510.75 5.75 Babcock International Group 1,111.50 5.50 BAE Systems 475.30 0.90 Barclays 268.88 3.13 Barratt Developments 632.25 7.75 BG Group 1,093.25 16.25 BHP Billiton 1,330.75 5.25 BP 437.98 6.63 British American Tobacco 3,581.25 34.25 British Land Co 822.75 10.25 BT Group 460.30 6.05 Bunzl 1,877.50 31.50 Burberry Group 1,662.00 16.00 Capita Group (The) 1,259.50 27.50 Carnival 3,306.00 138.00 Centrica 277.50 1.20 Coca-Cola HBC 1,424.00 23.00 Compass Group 1,120.50 14.50 CRH 1,898.50 41.50 Diageo 1,901.50 22.50 Direct Line Insurance Group 340.70 3.10 Dixons Carphone 462.95 6.15 easyJet 1,591.00 10.00 Experian 1,202.50 15.50 Fresnillo 705.50 -7.00 G4S 284.15 2.95 GKN 357.95 6.65 GlaxoSmithKline 1,370.25 13.25 Glencore 271.73 0.18 Hammerson 636.50 6.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,223.00 14.00 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 1,939.00 -8.00 HSBC Holdings 597.70 6.90 Imperial Tobacco Group 3,258.00 44.00 Inmarsat 955.75 12.25 InterContinental Hotels Grp 2,739.50 41.50 International Consolidated 521.25 15.75 Intertek Group 2,452.00 -1.00 Intu Properties 315.20 5.00 ITV 270.65 4.75 Johnson Matthey 3,185.00 71.00
% CHG. NET VOL 1.76 5,120.01 2.76 5,419.67 0.77 4,005.20 -0.62 13,830.48 -0.32 7,029.16 1.03 15,788.13 1.79 5,637.45 0.07 24,146.06 0.51 52,931.31 1.14 20,429.65 0.50 5,554.29 0.19 15,010.61 1.18 44,504.86 1.24 6,195.13 1.51 36,779.24 0.40 27,995.51 1.54 78,769.37 0.97 66,120.86 1.26 8,291.84 1.33 38,031.45 1.71 6,180.83 0.97 7,320.66 2.23 8,181.65 4.36 6,847.74 0.43 13,744.63 1.64 5,105.15 1.31 18,364.42 2.23 15,251.54 1.20 47,247.30 0.92 5,064.00 1.35 5,259.88 0.63 6,279.86 1.31 11,732.62 -0.98 5,250.37 1.05 4,363.08 1.89 5,789.62 0.98 66,034.44 0.07 35,513.16 1.03 4,941.16 1.16 5,734.51 -0.41 3,872.19 1.17 115,284.07 1.37 30,760.90 1.30 4,241.74 1.54 6,370.44 3.12 10,308.84 -0.04 3,958.20 1.61 4,104.31 1.79 10,703.56 2.28 6,381.14
COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) Kingfisher 369.30 5.00 Land Securities Group 1,249.00 17.00 Legal & General Group 257.25 2.95 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 87.06 0.56 London Stock Exchange Gr 2,444.00 40.00 Marks & Spencer Group 550.25 6.75 Meggitt 466.50 0.90 Merlin Entertainments 445.70 7.20 Mondi 1,432.50 22.50 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 177.30 1.00 National Grid 857.40 0.90 Next 7,447.50 72.50 Old Mutual 209.05 4.55 Pearson 1,268.50 20.50 Persimmon 2,029.00 31.00 Prudential 1,595.25 24.75 Randgold Resources 4,412.50 -85.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5,679.50 92.50 Reed Elsevier 1,070.50 18.50 Rio Tinto 2,737.75 5.75 Rolls-Royce Group 918.00 12.00 Royal Bank of Scotland Group 353.20 3.60 Royal Dutch Shell 1,872.00 28.50 Royal Dutch Shell 1,898.00 28.00 Royal Mail 506.75 4.25 RSA Insurance Group 418.90 2.80 SABMiller 3,393.00 53.50 Sage Group (The) 548.25 9.25 Sainsbury (J) 263.50 0.60 Schroders 3,276.50 44.50 Severn Trent 2,133.50 78.50 Shire 5,287.50 42.50 Sky 1,076.50 38.50 Smith & Nephew 1,082.50 0.50 Smiths Group 1,160.50 16.50 Sports Direct International 692.00 8.50 SSE 1,630.50 23.50 St James's Place 899.50 8.00 Standard Chartered 1,049.75 4.75 Standard Life 477.25 4.25 Taylor Wimpey 192.55 4.15 Tesco 211.65 0.80 Travis Perkins 2,192.50 43.50 TUI AG 1,163.50 7.50 Unilever 2,837.50 65.50 United Utilities Group 974.25 22.25 Vodafone Group 238.65 5.00 Weir Group 1,783.00 -8.00 Whitbread 5,282.50 137.50 Wolseley 4,200.00 48.00 WPP Group 1,487.50 24.50
% CHG. 1.37 1.38 1.16 0.65 1.66 1.24 0.19 1.64 1.60 0.57 0.11 0.98 2.22 1.64 1.55 1.58 -1.90 1.66 1.76 0.21 1.32 1.03 1.55 1.50 0.85 0.67 1.60 1.72 0.23 1.38 3.82 0.81 3.71 0.05 1.44 1.24 1.46 0.90 0.45 0.90 2.20 0.38 2.02 0.65 2.36 2.34 2.14 -0.45 2.67 1.16 1.67
NET VOL 8,492.89 9,739.50 15,112.01 61,738.28 8,348.63 8,958.31 3,667.10 4,445.28 6,846.31 4,116.77 32,043.50 11,274.43 10,073.99 10,237.20 6,124.71 40,377.34 4,188.98 39,905.52 11,821.71 38,431.79 16,657.67 22,500.45 71,796.67 45,635.68 5,025.00 4,230.73 53,979.04 5,807.17 5,050.11 7,305.04 4,888.01 31,032.13 17,843.40 9,677.32 4,516.25 4,090.51 15,958.57 4,658.97 26,605.25 9,314.25 6,129.52 17,155.81 5,347.40 6,781.13 35,577.49 6,491.58 61,946.93 3,821.65 9,350.48 10,797.56 19,095.58
0.71653
1.39560 Units per €
US dollar ....................................................................1.13429 Japan yen ................................................................139.873 Switzerland franc ................................................1.04626 Denmark kroner ...................................................7.46106 Norway kroner .....................................................8.77865
currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J UNE 22
COMPANY 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 3.3M -0.42% -0.67 158.95 -0.72% 13.1M -0.58 80.19 -1.00% 54.7M -1.28 126.60 4.8M -0.17% -0.25 145.13 3.9M +0.09% 87.52 +0.08 -0.78% 10.5M -0.78 99.47 -0.62% 32.0M -0.18 29.03 -0.62% 23.6M -0.25 40.40 9.6M -0.53% -0.60 112.62 5.1M -0.44% -0.31 69.84 -0.32% 16.1M -0.27 85.21 -0.47% 60.3M -0.13 27.24 4.2M -0.66% -1.41 213.19 9.3M +0.52% 112.43 +0.58 7.1M -0.75% -1.26 166.99 -0.96% 39.0M -0.31 32.07 -0.50% 11.7M -0.50 99.86 -1.02% 21.6M -0.70 68.08 8.3M -0.09% -0.09 96.08 -0.94% 12.6M -0.55 58.04 -1.33% 63.8M -0.62 46.10 3.6M +0.50% 106.53 +0.53 -0.55% 28.9M -0.19 34.18 -0.35% 15.6M -0.28 80.54 3.0M -1.99% -2.02 99.45 4.2M -0.87% -1.01 114.89 4.2M -0.46% -0.56 120.33 -0.65% 26.9M -0.31 47.46 8.7M -1.17% -0.81 68.69 -0.33% 14.6M -0.24 72.74
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J UNE 22
COMPANY
PRICE
CHANGE NET / %
Most Advanced AirMedia Group Inc Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc. TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Calithera Biosciences, Inc. Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. Willdan Group, Inc. NewStar Financial, Inc. IPC Healthcare, Inc. Erickson Incorporated Biotie Therapies Corp. Sphere 3D Corp.
$ 5.02 $ 15.82 $ 13.20 $ 8.66 $ 19.49 $ 11.84 $ 11.41 $ 57.82 $ 4.50 $ 24.03 $ 4.94
1.50 ▲ 42.61% 2.53 ▲ 19.04% 1.82 ▲ 15.99% 1.19 ▲ 15.93% 2.05 ▲ 11.75% 1.18 ▲ 11.07% 1.12 ▲ 10.88% 5.49 ▲ 10.49% 0.42 ▲ 10.29% 2.23 ▲ 10.23% 0.44 ▲ 9.78%
$ 12.40 $ 3.22 $ 13.25 $ 4.63 $ 40.31 $ 7.56 $ 19.88 $ 26.84 $ 10.67 $ 26.74 $ 7.71
3.13 ▼ 20.15% 0.49 ▼ 13.21% 1.75 ▼ 11.67% 0.57 ▼ 10.96% 4.87 ▼ 10.78% 0.91 ▼ 10.74% 2.27 ▼ 10.25% 3.02 ▼ 10.11% 1.19 ▼ 10.03% 2.96 ▼ 9.97% 0.84 ▼ 9.82%
Most Declined Healthways, Inc. Atlanticus Holdings Corporation Lake Shore Bancorp, Inc. SteadyMed Ltd. Flexsteel Industries, Inc. Bellerophon Therapeutics, Inc. Finisar Corporation NN, Inc. Apigee Corporation Cowen Group, Inc. Carbylan Therapeutics, Inc.
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E W N 25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
BUSINESS EXTRA
Cutting down on booze A LIST of economies made by Spanish families during the economic crisis from 2007–2014 includes hairdressers, restaurants, new furniture, clothing and even food. The most stringent cuts were on bar bills.
www.euroweeklynews.com
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
Building versus austerity
Spain loves the EU SEVENTY-FOUR per cent of Spaniards feel EU membership is beneficial
More support PRESIDENT of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB) José María Roldán has defended the banking institutions that are refinancing 500,000 families in financial difficulties. He called for more support from local authorities.
Short term JEREZ businessman Jose Maria Ruiz-Mateos, aged 84, who was arrested for fraud on Wednesday June 17, spent only one night in prison. He was transferred to hospital on medical grounds.
Scientific ideas not fulfilled RESEARCH and development are essential for new technology to be fine-tuned before going into production. Spain has award-winning scientists and is constantly financing projects to improve machinery and therefore economic output, but the ideas and inventions rarely go into production, and if they do they are developed abroad. The COTEC report collated by the Foundation for Technological Innovation focuses on the reasons why Spain falters at the crucial stage of producing prototypes. The report states that there is a conflict between the administration of projects and the technical ability to bring the products to market. Spanish universities have specialised departments to assist in technology transfer but the report suggests that the civil servants who run them lack the relevant business skills to make them effective.
MEMBER STATE: Spain is positive about remaining within the EU. By Jason Bailey DESPITE the seven hard years of the economic crisis, which some believe was worsened by Spain’s membership of the EU, Spanish people are proud to be European and determined to remain in the EU. The wide-ranging changes since Spain joined the EU in
1986 with regards to freedom of movement and trade are at the heart of Spain’s affection towards Europe. The slight financial recovery has also been a contributing factor to the positive feeling about remaining within the EU but it is not just economic factors that are relevant.
Metroscopia, a trend assessing company, states that there is an emotional aspect to be considered. Its findings show that 74 per cent of Spaniards feel membership is beneficial and are proud to be part of the union. They also feel that Spain has grown and developed into a modern, forward-
thinking country as a result. Another interesting fact from the survey was that 70 per cent of Spanish felt more secure within the EU, not only from those outside the union but from those within, as they believed it was unthinkable that there would be military conflict between members.
THE election of extreme farleft mayors in two of Spain’s major cities, Madrid and Barcelona, has caused shares in Spanish building companies to plummet. It was thought that construction would pave the way for focused and positive economic growth in Spain. The favourable exchange rates, especially with regards to sterling, have encouraged a resurgence in the property market but that could all end very soon. The new mayors were voted in on an austerity ticket and both have promised to halt the urban renewal projects which would have transformed the wastelands that have sat decaying since the property bubble burst in 2008. The shares in Spanish construction companies have faltered since the elections in May.
Getting old and grey but still with some mortgage to pay Loose change Jane Plunkett A look at finance for females jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com
GROWING up there appeared to be a progression of events to follow in the world. Leave school, go to university, travel the world, get a job and then settle down and buy a house. Today our ambitions haven’t changed that drastically, most 30-somethings want to own their own home, but it’s no easy feat. And to add salt to the wound, a new study reveals that paying off a mortgage before retirement is no longer a reality, so it looks like we’ll be pretty old and grey by the time we can wave goodbye to that debt. The traditional 25-year mortgage term is being replaced by 30, 35 and even 40-year terms, while the application process is much more rigorous al-
so, as borrowers now have to contend with strict affordability assessments that factor in other financial commitments. Banks would once bend over backwards to give a mortgage. They would usually finance up to 100 per cent of the cost of the property NO LONGER A REALITY: Paying off a mortgage before retirement.
and then throw in a few thousand to get you started on furnishings. But long gone are those days! When my husband and I were buying our first house, it was a challenge. The bank would finance 80 per cent of the price, which
meant that we had to find the other 20 per cent. Luckily we had some savings from working abroad, but it made us realise how difficult it is for first-time buyers these days. Saving 20 per cent of the price of a home on the average Spanish salary is a daunting task. And because of having to wait longer to save a deposit, the average age of many first-time buyers nowadays is 36. Therefore, like everything when it comes to finance, an ability to save is crucial for those who want to jump on the property ladder. Start saving as early as possible and stay focused. Don’t be tempted by properties beyond your financial reach and make sure to shop around for the best possible mortgage.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
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Advertising feature
Bond-Based Investments – are yours really tax efficient? By Mark Davies of The Fry Group There has been a clear change in Spain with “the system’s” approach to the declaration and tax assessment of investments and income in recent years. This has been driven by austerity measures and what for many used to be a relatively benign (or grey) tax declaration/assessment process has become largely black and white. While this is to be welcomed as it brings certainty in relation to what is required and correspondingly what planning is effective, the amount and speed of change has caught many expats on the hop. Insurance investment bonds are one example. These investment vehicles were and are widely held, with policies being Spanish qualifying or non-qualifying. While the rules were always clear, in the past little attention was paid by many local tax advisers to the qualifying status
of policies and most were afforded (one way or another) the favourable tax treatment as “Spanish Qualifying Policies”. This allows gross rollup of growth and income inside the policy, with attractive return of capital allowances where income was being taken. Non-qualifying policies do not enjoy gross roll-up, with income and gains being taxable annually. As tax advisers have become more diligent, policies previously assessed as qualifying are being reviewed critically. This is an ongoing process and I suspect that many investors with non-qualifying legacy policies will have received or will be receiving a much less favourable assessment in due course. The worry is that many who have been wrongly guided in the past and whilst acted in good faith will be held accountable for any under/mis-declaration. With Draconian tax penalties available to the taxman there may be un-
foreseen danger for many around the corner. Correspondingly, if you have any doubt in relation to your investments and their status, we are here to assist. There will be many readers already aware of the non-qualifying issue and are already paying the extra tax. This group may well have considered the potential tax savings of placing assets into a new qualifying policy but have been loath to pay the cost of re-organising their affairs. Cost inertia is understandable in many cases given the set-up charges experienced by investors on existing policies is as high as 9 per cent spread over several years. While charges of this order are still being quoted, the good news is that The Fry Group are able reduce new policy establishment/initial charges to as little as 1 per cent, which virtually removes any cost reason for inaction.
The Fry Group are aware of the size of this problem and wish to assist in ensuring peace of mind as well as tax efficiency for investors. If you are uncertain about the status of your insurance-related investments and how they should be taxed in Spain, we will be pleased to review them free of charge. If you are already aware of the status and found your investments to be non-qualifying, we are able to offer cost-attractive alternatives.
The Fry Group are a UK Chartered Financial Planning company with offices in Spain providing tax planning, pension and investment advice to expatriates. For further information contact Mark Davies: mark.davies@thefrygroup.co.uk Tel - 952 768 450
The Fry Group of companies comprises Wilfred T. Fry Ltd – Taxation Consultants, Wilfred T. Fry (Executor and Trustee) Ltd, The Fry Group (H.K.) Ltd, The Fry Group (Belgium) SA, and Wilfred T. Fry (Personal Financial Planning) Ltd. The last company is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority is also passported under EU regulations and is authorised to act as a financial adviser by the Monetary Authority of Singapore-license number FA095023. The Fry Group (H.K.) Ltd is authorised to conduct investment business by the Securities & Futures Commission (SFC) in Hong Kong and are members of the Hong Kong Confederation of Insurance Brokers. The Fry Group (Belgium) SA is regulated in Belgium by the FSMA (Reg. No. 23345 A-B) and is also passported under IMD EU regulations.
OPINION & COMMENT
www.euroweeklynews.com
25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
EWN
Hoax reveals a darker message KNEE-JERK reaction showed just how Muslim populations alienate others LEAPY LEE SAYS IT
OTHERS THINK IT INTERESTING reaction on my Facebook this week. Some wag posted that the police would be overlooking Muslims speeding in their cars during Ramadan. This was, they added, due to the fact that during fasting, it’s possible to become somewhat disorientated and could subsequently lead to Muslim drivers being unaware they were actually breaking the law. Well, I’m surprised the reaction didn’t crash the computer. The messages simply poured in. Messages of disgust, anger, and even vitriolic hatred avalanched the site. A site, I may add, which is normally full of understanding folk, with quite a broad spectrum of love toward their fellow human beings. It was of course a hoax. It was the knee-jerk reaction that I found interesting. It basically showed just how the Muslim populations are alienating those around them. They continually refuse to integrate. Well of course they do.
SYMBOL OF FAITH: All you need is a headscarf, not an intimidating burka. Unless governments act, one day all our women will be clad in the revolting black symbol of Islamic oppression
That’s not the idea at all. It is my understanding that the Koran tells them it is their purpose in life to spread the word of Islam. Many Muslims may not approve of the methods of some of their peers, but, in my opinion, many have the same goal.
To me the burka is the true symbol of their non-caring attitude toward the West. It is provocative, alien, and an affront to our cultures. It has no religious significance whatsoever and should, to my mind, be completely banned from public display. If these people want to show a symbol of their faith, a headscarf is a completely adequate way of expressing their leanings. I also have an answer to those who ask why Islamists don’t go to countries where their customs and ways of life are accepted as the norm. The reason is that those countries already follow the teachings of Islam. They don’t need to be there. They want to be in countries they can convert, thereby carrying out the instructions of their prophet and his Koran. Believe me, unless governments begin to introduce rules and regulations that put Western values and democracy firmly back in the driving seat, all our women will one day be clad in what to me is the revolting black symbol of Islamic oppression. Keep the Faith, Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com www.leapylee.co.uk
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E W N 25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
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OPINION & COMMENT
Understanding Spain with a godfather! There he would introduce me to the finer elements of Spain, eating and drinking just the right condiment for just such an hour of the day. He also introduced me to the music of popular singer, Manolo Escobar.
Ric Polansky Ric Polansky moved to Mojacar in 1969 as a pioneer developer. He reads extensively and has travelled in South America panning gold and looking for El Dorado.
SPAIN is a difficult place to live if you wish to get involved in what’s happening around you. Most of it is incestuously complicated, if not impossible to believe and most assuredly Sur-real at the end of the day. That’s just the way it is. A constant head shake reality if your mind had been taught any analytical progression. I was lucky. I had a Godfather who guided me through the perils of beginning to understand the cultural deportment and business process. I was fortunate in that my Godfather found me, struggling but willing to work all hours of the day to progress and that’s why (I presume) he adopted me. We could end a night drinking in the Puntazo at midnight and he’d go back to Murcia yet return by 7am to meet me the next day. He was scared of our small toothless dog so would announce his arrival by blaring his horn from the beach road to my little house near Kimrick. Then we would
SEGUNDO: Guided me through the perils of the business process.
STREET TALK
drive off on adventures, places unknown to me but where he was asphalting roads. Villages that weren’t on the map or restaurants in the most secluded and lost corners of Spain. There he would introduce me to the finer elements of Spain, eating and drinking just the right condiment for just such an hour of the day. While we drove about he played for me his most popular singer, Manolo Escobar so I learned to love that music too. I would ask him questions about life, business, love and living. He didn’t know the answers to everything, but showed me in a lifestyle how to solve them. He emphasized how most good deals took a year or two to negotiate so it was imperative you had a game plan and started negotiating early. I
got a photographic assignment once which took me to the beaches of Javea. While unloading my car with all the camera gear…WHAM-0, my Godfather Segundo showed up. He immediately whisked me off to the first bar where we tried every type of tapa they had, and every drink and combination thereof. Laugh until the sun started to dim and I slid off the chair. Somehow I drifted upstairs, but Segundo had business to do and drove off into the sunset. I slept long and dead drunk. When I woke up in a tiny darkened room I gazed about. All my camera equipment was gone. Eh, well, at least it wasn’t in the room. I tried to think, it was cloudy and the constant beating drum distracted me. Where could I have left it? I staggered about, downstairs at the bar? Then our table where we ate tapas? I stumbled from the hotel toward the parking. My heart leapt into my mouth There was my car in a lonely parking spot with the trunk (boot) still open. I rushed to it and was aghast. My cameras, lenses and tripods were still there. Franco be praised and of course a Godfather called Segundo.
YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION
A name written in the stars ASTRONOMERS have named a newly-discovered galaxy CR7 after footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese super-star. Do you think this befitting or who do you feel would be worthy of this honour from among today’s icons? NATALIE DE WAELE, Assistant Manager of Alberts Restaurant, Cabopino said that you should name something as big as a galaxy after someone who has made their mark in history for the right reasons. “There are far more important people that deserve to be remembered, rather than a celebrity. In 50 years time who knows if a footballer will be remembered. I think if you wish to honour anyone by naming a galaxy after them it should be someone who had done something for mankind. “It should be named after a person who has done something that matters, not just someone famous.” It seems like Veronica White, PR
Secretary at Eurodog Kennels has the same feelings as Natalie as she added: “A footballer is not worthy of such a gesture, there are many other people who have either done good things for charity or made a
breakthrough scientifically. Those types of icons really deserve to have something like a galaxy being named after them. I would select somebody such as Mother Teresa, she was a person that made
a difference in life.” This is a sentiment agreed by Graham Jordan from HFS Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms: “I’m not a big football fan so I don’t think it is particularly relevant to me, but I think it
should be named after the people that found it.” AECC cancer charity volunteers, Joyce Da Silva and Harry Waters feels footballers are not worthy of such accolades: “They make loads of money but that is it.” Harry added: “It should be someone who has done something good for humanity and mankind, someone like Mother Teresa. Footballers get enough credit in their payslips!”
Left to Right: Natalie de Waele, Graham Jordan, Veronica White and Harry Waters.
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E W N 25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de AlmerĂa
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TV LISTING
THURSDAY 25 JUNE
FRIDAY 26 JUNE
SATURDAY 27 JUNE
SUNDAY 28 JUNE
MONDAY 29 JUNE
6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:35pm 12:35am
Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Watchdog Celebrity MasterChef BBC News at Ten BBC London News Question Time This Week
2:00pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:20am
6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:35pm 12:25am
Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Would I Lie to You? EastEnders Celebrity MasterChef BBC News at Ten BBC London News The Graham Norton Show Suntrap
6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm
7:55pm 8:00pm 9:05pm
Weather Prized Apart The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins Casualty The John Bishop Show BBC News Weather Not Going Out Room 101
7:30pm 8:30pm
Nature's Greatest Dancers BBC News Regional News Weather Countryfile Antiques Roadshow Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell BBC News Regional News Weather
12:05pm 12:35pm 1:35pm 2:35pm 4:30pm
9:55pm 10:45pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 11:50pm 12:20am 6:30pm 7:30pm 7:50pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 11:25pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm 12:05am
TUESDAY 30 JUNE
WEDNESDAY 01 JULY
10:00pm
11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm 12:55am 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm 12:05am
8:30pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am
Tennis Antiques Roadshow Eggheads Kangaroo Dundee Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial Rick Stein's German Bite Protecting Our Foster Kids Mock the Week Newsnight Kate Humble: Living with Nomads
7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
Antiques Roadshow Eggheads Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial Glastonbury 2015 Gardeners' World Arthur Ashe: More Than a Champion Glastonbury 2015 Newsnight Glastonbury 2015
7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm
11:40pm 12:40am
11:40pm 12:10am
Edwardian Farm Japan: Earth's Enchanted Island Dad's Army Classic sitcom. Mock the Week Glastonbury 2015 Live coverage of the popular music festival. The Infidel
7:00pm 7:10pm 7:30pm 8:00pm
7:15pm 9:00pm 10:15pm 11:40pm 2:00am
The Box Alex Polizzi: Chefs on Trial Wimbledon Review 2014 From Here to Eternity Rugby League Challenge Cup Glastonbury 2015 Top Gear Odyssey Glastonbury 2015 Treacle Jr.
EastEnders Panorama The Met: Policing London BBC News Regional News Weather Have I Got Old News for You Have I Got Old News for You
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OPINION & COMMENT
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25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
EWN
55
The rise and (continuing) fall of prominent British institutions… Nora Johnson
Breaking Views Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson
MY, how some great institutions in their heyday in the last century have already imploded (like Jimmy Savile) while others seem to have completely lost their way - like Marks & Spencer, Tesco and the BBC. As for M&S, where to start with this 131year-old retailer? Despite a recent modest rise in sales, I can only repeat what’s been asked of it again and again. Listen to your core customers, get back to basics with good quality, well-made clothes and leave the sequins, netting (why is M&S so obsessed with netting?) and gaudy colours to others. You really can’t be all things to all people! And Tesco? During the 1990s, it built itself into the biggest retailer in Britain and the second biggest retailer in the world. However, along the way, this ‘Tescopoly’ alienated suppliers, local communities and, finally, consumers
SURVIVAL PLAN NEEDED: The BBC is damning itself into extinction. alike. Only time will tell if it manages to claw back its market share. And the BBC? Well, Auntie’s been accused, yet again, of “mind-blowing” inefficiency after its latest accounts suggest it spends less than half of its £5.1 billion annual budget on programmes, the remainder spent on offices, mid-
dle managers and services. You’ll recall the BBC’s been criticised before by the National Audit Office for the costs of running its HQ and huge payouts for departing staff. But who’s the least surprised by this? The BBC’s been managed for years by overpaid mediocrities who believe the label ‘public ser-
vice’ means it’s the duty of the licence-paying British public to provide them with enormous salaries for minimum ‘talent’. Even by public sector standards, this massively bloated and wasteful bureaucracy seemingly exists for its own good. Slowly damning itself into extinction, the BBC is politically-biased and rapidly losing out to others with respect to quality, productivity and general coverage. Far superior drama and nature production is evident on other channels, news reporting is so dumbed down it’s meaningless and, frankly, it’s ‘Pointless’ discussing the licence fee when, reportedly, so many under-30s get their content on their tablets/laptops either free (iPlayer, YouTube, etc) or paid (Amazon, Netflix, etc). In 10 years, there’ll be hardly anyone left to fund it! Like M&S and Tesco, the BBC, too, needs to start thinking long and hard about how it’ll survive in the 21st century... 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.
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www.euroweeklynews.com
OPINION & COMMENT
Father Christmas alive and well
OUR VIEW
Colin Bird A weekly look Each week, Colin brings his slightly off-the-wall view of the world to the pages of EWN in his own irreverent style.
NOT far from the North Norfolk coast and midway between Fakenham and the small market town of Holt, there is an almost insignificant turning off the A148. If you look carefully you might spot a sign that points the way to the village of Thursford. More prominent though at this time of the year, are the signs directing the way to The Thursford Collection - a steam museum - the largest and one of the most important of its kind in the world. Forget all that North Pole nonsense, because behind the scenes and away from the working carousels, traction engines, the Mighty Wurlitzer organ and bustling restaurants, Father Christmas is busy here, laying his plans for the festive season, months ahead. It would be useless to look for red and white robes or the trade mark flowing white beard, because right now clean shaven and casually dressed - he blends into the crowds of tourists thronging the exhibition and grounds. That is, if he is still in the area because there is a very good chance the
Spanish royal family.
A royal reform
CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR: A festive wonderland will be on show in the Norfolk landscape. man himself is over 100 miles away in London busily recruiting the scores of performers he will need later in his Christmas production, that transforms the bleak Norfolk winter landscape into a festive wonderland. This very real Father Christmas is in fact John Cushing, managing director of Thursford and the producer and director of what is the biggest and most breathtaking Yuletide show in the coun-
It is a heart warming explosion of festive cheer, produced by people determined to keep the true meaning of Christmas alive.
try and perhaps the Universe, and auditions are held in the capital during June. Commencing on November 11th and running until December 23rd, with two performances daily seven days a week, a staggering 130,000 people regularly attend this brilliant extravaganza - The Thursford Christmas Spectacular. It is a heart warming explosion of festive cheer, produced by people determined to keep Christmas alive.
Toni Muldoon, the penitent Arena Photo UK / Shutterstock.com
NOTORIOUS timeshare bogeyman committed most of his crimes on the Costa del Sol Mike Walsh Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.
WHEN notorious timeshare bogeyman, Toni Muldoon, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court in 2013, he was handed down a seven year, five months sentence. His despicable crimes were committed mostly but not exclusively on the Costa del Sol. The trial, which had scores of witnesses, including 35 Trading Standards Officers, lasted 11 weeks. The court heard sordid details of how Muldoon and his cronies duped 17,300 innocent investors. From spacious offices situated in Fuengirola the master conman is said to have netted €6.6 million. The true number of victims, and the amount of loot squirrelled away by Muldoon and his
FUENGIROLA: Where his spacious offices were situated. henchmen, will never be known. When Muldoon plundered people’s bank accounts he did so on an industrial scale. Many were involved, some were innocent, others collaborators. The crook boasted: “I am the most successful time
share scam artist on the Mediterranean.” Such was his audacity that Muldoon later set up a company that charged substantial fees for investigating timeshare scams his company had committed. The timeshare scam was only one part of an
empire built on deception. Muldoon ran escort agencies, boat trips and much else. Part of his cockiness was due to his belief that he was untouchable. Self-delusional, he had been arrested, charged, and sentenced for several crimes, and a lengthy period
IT has now been a year since the abdication of Juan Carlos in favour of his son King Felipe VI of Spain. That year has marked a transition from the old guard perspective of the monarchy as an untouchable, unapproachable, overseeing secret clan, to a warmer and more open institution that is a part of the people as opposed to being over them. King Felipe has made no secret of the fact he is not his father. By openly admitting that the monarchy needed to change its image, after his coronation he deliberately set about the task of ‘normalising’ his status and his title. Aided greatly by his wife Queen Letizia and their children, the public have warmed to them even quicker than Felipe could have imagined. The latest polls from the Spanish press say over 80 per cent of the Spanish population believe he is doing a great job, and 75 per cent approve of Queen Letizia. What with Queen Elizabeth seemingly taking steps into the shadows whilst giving Charles more space to move freely, and the very popular Wills and Harry stealing the limelight at every opportunity, could it be that the role of Royalty is changing the world over? Given Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip (whose sister Victoria married her personal trainer) and his former topless model and reality TV star wife Sofia, this month boogied down the aisle to Coldplay songs. Maybe it is!
in jail earlier in his life for a vicious assault. Now, Muldoon’s confessional as a master conman has been published on Amazon Books and Kindle. When I interviewed him Muldoon was self-effacing; extraordinarily candid. When I asked Muldoon why he was so freely spoken on matters that could earn him lengthy sentences, he merely shrugged. Muldoon’s candid revelations reveal a colourful life of pilfering, fraud, violence, deceit, and illicit affairs. Had Muldoon reached a point in his life when he felt the only way to face his creator was to face up to his past? Due to be released in 2016, tourists and residents of CosNow we ta Spain will be looking for want to more than sunshades to take hear your news. cover under when Muldoon returns. It can only be YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE hoped that prison taught - YOUR OPINION him a lesson rather than www.euroweeklynews.com taught him new tricks.
OPINION & COMMENT
www.euroweeklynews.com
25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
EWN
Royal family misfortunes Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene
KING JUAN CARLOS abdicated a year ago in favour of his son Felipe for several reasons. Prominent amongst them was his daughter Cristina whose husband Iñaki Urdangarin is charged with fiscal fraud and siphoning off public money. Cristina is accused of having some knowledge of what went on but protests that she is being victimised because of who she is. The couple now live in Switzerland and Felipe VI recently stripped Cristina of her title of Duchess of Palma de Mallorca. Determined to have the last word in what is more than a family quarrel, she claimed to have renounced the title before her brother took it away. This is clearly untrue as the letter, although dated earlier, was emailed after the public announcement.
Not so funny now GUILLERMO ZAPATA was the Madrid corporation’s shortest-lived Culture Councillor. Opprobrium rained on the Podemos member when offensive jokes about Jews and terrorism victims that he made on Twitter four years ago were disin-
If Cristina dissembled about the letter, then it’s beginning to look likely that she could have been economical with the truth in other respects, too.
Real option MINORITY parties Ciudadanos and Podemos wield a lot of clout but both must live with recent decisions that shored up some parties to form local and regional governments and undermined others. They’ll have to decide before the general elections later this year whether they want to
terred by political rivals. Zapata resigned from the Culture Department after learning the hard way that voters demand better behaviour than their own from those they elect. Once politicians are in office they have to be Caesar’s wife, not Cleopatra.
make it as genuine government options or continue to act as red-cardwaving referees.
Thrill over SOME local councils and regional parliaments are in power thanks to double and triple alliances. Sighs of relief can still be heard in town halls and Spain’s regional parliaments, but what will happen when the thrill of the partnerships and threesomes begins to pall and the squabbles start?
DISSEMBLING? Princess Cristina claims she renounced her title before her brother took it away.
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LETTERS
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OPINION & COMMENT
YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION
Letters for Your Say should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments straight on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com
A possible double blow for expatriate pensioners AFTER reading Mike Butcher’s letter about pensions (EWN Issue 1563) I feel that we will be hit with a double blow. If the UK decides to leave the EU there is a possibility that our pensions will be frozen, as has happened to expats in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc. I have emailed the Pensions Service and asked if this is the case and they replied that if this does happen, it would be the decision of the government. Given that Iain Duncan Smith has saved department costs by stopping our Winter Fuel Allowance, we would be very vulnerable (easy meat)! Anthony Coldwell, Orxeta (Alicante)
Photographs for possible publication should be sent by email with a full caption to: photonews@euroweeklynews.com
Strong protest I AM writing to strongly protest an editorial in your pages about the FIFA scandal that somehow manages to slur against Jews and Arabs. The editorial signed by Leapy Lee is offensive, irresponsible, outrageously anti-Semitic and inappropriate for any newspaper that expects to be taken seriously. I am astonished. Pamela Rolfe, Vice-President, Comunidad Masorti Bet El (Madrid)
Making a crime report in Spain ON May 26, 2015, the process of making a crime or loss report to National Police (a denuncia) changed. Previously the victim signed five copies of the report and was then given one as confirmation. Now there are four copies and the victim is not given a copy. If they insist on confirmation that they have made a report, all they get is a ‘certificate’ that a report was made. It will show the crime report number, but not any details. If, say, Trafico, DVLC, an insurance company, etc, either in Spain or another country, require details of what was in the report, they will have to contact the National Police. Despite asking the police, I cannot discover any plausible reason for the change, which will cause considerable inconvenience for victims and additional work for the police and other entities such as insurance companies. NB: The Guardia Civil still provide copies. Julian Ward (By email)
A good read I HAD the privilege and the opportunity to read the Euro Weekly News in
Are we now going to be targeted as wealthy people and have fingers pointed at us as happened in Nazi Germany? Thank you very much, Mr Lee. Name and address supplied
It’s good to know the fire service is gearing up for the summer fire risk. This is Lake Vinuela. I thought there was a fire somewhere at first but the plane dumped the water it had picked up a couple of minutes later. Practise makes perfect... Keith Hallam, Alcaucin (Malaga) Altea (Alicante) and I found it so interesting that I’d love to know if you have some distribution points near to Valencia City. Your digital issue is a great one but I prefer the real touch of any issue. I am currently living in Mislata, near to Valencia City, and I was wondering if you distribute the newspaper around here. It will motivate me to continue the study of the English language. Francine Peinado (By email) Editor’s note: As part of our commitment to being at the heart of the community, we are very conscious that as many people as possible can pick up a copy of the EWN in the Costa Blanca North and South, Almeria, Costa del Sol, Axarquia and Mallorca. We are expanding our distribution as part of our 2015 growth plan, so along with the three new offices recently opened on the Costa Blanca, and Nerja opening in the next week, you will see more and more places stocking Spain’s
favourite English-language newspaper.
Apathy regrets THIS is what apathy will get you. Now we have a PP minority government. With PSOE in charge of Valencia this will make for lean years in Orihuela City (Alicante) and famine for the coast. Why did the Extranjero voters only have a 20 per cent turn-out? Obviously it did not help to send 80 per cent of foreign voters to the Calle Cipres voting station. Most people did not know where it was and the rest could not find it. In the UK it would have been electoral fraud. Here it is just the foreigner’s fault for not looking on Google. But do the voters on the coast not think that the children on the coast deserve a decent school, older residents a care home, an ambulance stationed on the coast during the night? The list of shortcomings is endless,
almost like the apathy. Now you get what you deserve - four more years of nothing. A coastal resident (By email)
Anti-Semitic rant I WOULD like to take issue with the disgraceful, anti-Semitic and racist article in the Leapy Lee column (Issue1563). As if there are not enough troubles in the world and rampant anti-Semitism and racism, this type of irresponsible and uninformed article is a disgraceful diatribe. He is putting the thought into people’s minds that all Jews have money. What absolute rubbish. In all religions there are people with money. In all races and nationalities there are corrupt people. Why point the finger at Jewish people? I am a pensioner living on a government pension as are the 200 or so other Jewish pensioners in my area of the Costa Blanca.
Inflaming hatred RE Leapy Lee’s column, whilst what he says may contain an element of truth, statements like ‘Jews and Arabs are the biggest investors/share complete power’, will only serve to inflame anti-Islamic/anti-Semitic sentiment, which is already rising alarmingly. What has race or religion got to do with the matter? Ninety-nine per cent of Jews and Arabs are not bankers! Furthermore, you fail to mention that the Catholic Church, in particular the Vatican, invests billions in the world’s powerful corporations and banks and has as much influence. Leapy, continue to write well and speak your mind but please be mindful of comments that are irresponsible and potentially dangerous. Name supplied, Alhaurin El Grande (Malaga)
WHEN YOU WRITE All letters, whether by email or post, should carry the writer’s postal address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published. Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed earlier correspondence can see all letters posted on:
www.euroweeklynews.com
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.
FEATURE
www.euroweeklynews.com
A RBOLEAS S PECIAL F EATURE
Medieval Arboleas NAMES derives from an Arabic writer ARBOLEAS is a municipality of Almeria, a province in the community of Andalucia. The municipality covers 66 square kilometres. It is 120km from Madrid and located on the dry banks of Almanzora River. The name Arboleas derives from an Arabic writer, Abu Ben Abdalacis Al Arboli, who was born in the village in the 14th century. It has a strong agricultural economy with lemons, oranges, olives, almonds, wheat and barley. Today, the village benefits from many facilities including a post office, banks, a health centre, a community swimming pool, and many bars and restaurants serving a variety of local tapas and other AndalucĂan dishes.
There is a strong agricultural economy with lemons, oranges, olives, almonds, wheat and barley growing in the area.
There is also a community theatre which puts on productions in Spanish and in English. On Saturday mornings, the town holds a local market. There is also an annual fiesta, this year from Thursday August 13 to Sunday August 16.
25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de AlmerĂa
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Move from the start word (WEAK) to the end word (SPOT) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.
WEAK BEAK BEAT SEAT SPAT SPOT
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MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE
TOMORROW
TODAY VELEZ RUBIO
HUERCAL OVERA
ALBOX
WEAK WEAR SEAR SEAT SPAT SPOT or
WEAK
TIME
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VELEZ RUBIO GARRUCHA ALBOX MOJACAR
ALMERIA
HUERCAL OVERA
RETAMAR GARRUCHA
‘HANG ON TO OUR KENTUCKY FRY, PAPA - THIS IS A POPULAR TAKEAWAY AREA!’
ADRA
ROQUETAS
MOJACAR
RETAMAR
ALMERIA
ROQUETAS
ADRA
LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) You are being shown a great deal of affection which may be taken
SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) By deciding now that you will not rise to the bait on a certain matter you are taking the best option. Much as you would like to confront someone head on, it is possible that this is just what they want you to do. Be a little bit canny here.
Average: 5 Good: 7 Very good: 11 Excellent: 14
How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case G) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION able ably bale bane bean been bene bola bole bone bony ebon lobe obey banjo beano beany belay boney ebony noble nobly baleen enable baloney ENJOYABLE
Alicante TODAY: Fri Sat Sun -
27 21 S 28 22 S 29 23 S
Mon - 29 22 S Tues - 29 22 S Wed - 31 22 S MAX 28C, MIN 21C Mon - 33 24 S Tues - 33 24 S Wed - 33 24 S MAX 27C, MIN 21C MAX MIN
278 22 S 28 22 S 29 23 S
Mon - 30 23 S Tues - 29 23 S Wed - 29 22 S
Benidorm TODAY:
31 22 S 32 23 S 31 23 S
Mon - 32 23 S Tues - 32 23 S Wed - 32 23 S
S Sun,
Cl Clear,
Sh Showers,
10-Star Quiz
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.
Saturday June 20
1
6
23
25
32
35
UK THUNDERBALL
IRISH LOTTO
EURO MILLIONS
LA PRIMITIVA
EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA
Saturday June 20
Saturday June 20
Friday June 19
Saturday June 20
Sunday Sunday 21
30
11 33
31 37
11
20
30
34
36
39
BONUS BALL
THUNDERBALL
BONUS BALL
27
5
10
7
14 31
20 42
LUCKY STARS
3
9
9
17
21
31
34
41
REINTEGRO
39
3
CLEAR MAX 27C, MIN 19C
TODAY:
MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
MAX MIN
29 21 S 31 22 S 32 23 S SUNNY
TODAY:
Mon - 32 22 S Tues - 31 22 S Wed - 31 22 S MAX 31C, MIN 18C
MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
MAX MIN
30 19 S 31 19 S 33 19 S
Mon - 34 20 S Tues - 34 20 Cl Wed - 34 20 S
10
11 25
21 48
REINTEGRO
1
SUNNY MAX 32C, MIN 21C
TODAY:
MAX MIN
MAX MIN
Sudoku
UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
Mon - 39 24 Cl Tues - 40 23 S Wed - 38 23 Cl
Murcia
SUNNY MAX 29C, MIN 21C MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
MAX MIN
36 22 S 37 23 S 39 24 S
Mallorca
SUNNY MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
Fri Sat Sun -
MAX MIN
30 23 S 32 24 S 32 24 S
Barcelona TODAY:
MAX 33C, MIN 21C
MAX MIN
Malaga
SUNNY MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun -
SUNNY
TODAY:
MAX MIN
Almeria TODAY:
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) It’s not so difficult this week to get exactly what you want. Being sure is another matter, however. There are plenty of people who will cast doubts on where you are going and what you are aiming for. What do they know? Be guided by facts this week, certainly not by the opinions of others.
PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Don't ask a question unless you want to be told the truth this weekend. Go on, you’re a big person and you can take it. How can you not go ahead having come this far? Of course, you
Madrid
SUNNY MAX 26C, MIN 20C MAX MIN
TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Somehow you seem to be going every which way round a situation but getting nowhere. Rather than burn yourself out and fray your nerves, just stay still. At the end of the day, someone else wants to solve this dilemma as much as you do. When they see that you have stopped bothering, maybe they will start.
AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Are you still in a very positive frame of mind? Okay, then. It is time to decide what is to be done about that problem. If you really can’t see a way round this then seek help. Even if you don’t agree with the reply, you will feel that you have made a step in the right direction.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Are you being asked to open your heart? What are you most afraid of about that? On the other hand, what would the rewards be if you did? Sometimes, we have to take a chance that others will not let us
Nonagram
TARGET:
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) As you try to control someone else’s life, it could be that your own is slipping past you. Have you recently given up on a relationship or job that you dearly would have loved?
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) You seem to be in a ‘plodding’ situation that is starting to cause you some irritation. That is all that it is though, irritation. See it as a big dilemma and it throws up all sorts of anxieties. Let’s not go there. I am sure that there are lots of things that your mind and body can work on while you wait.
ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Sometimes you wonder why people make promises when they find them so hard to keep. However, losing your temper with someone midweek will not help at all because the person you are dealing with is not very sensitive. Patience will pay off and, by the weekend, a weight will have been lifted from your mind.
down or, at least that if they do, they will let us down gently.
for granted. Even you are capable of putting people’s backs up. As you dislike making enemies, I suggest that you take a little more time with family and loved ones. Perhaps you were recently asked to be part of a group activity but did not have the inclination?
LOTTERY
LEO (July 24 - August 23) Something has come to your attention and, quite frankly, you don’t understand what is going on. It is possible that, if you don’t react, the situation will just go away. Equally, you may want to influence the outcome and fear that it will not be to your advantage. That is fine so long as you really do try and get all the facts first.
(June 22 - July 23)
Fri Sat Sun -
F Fog, Sn Snow,
MAX MIN
35 22 S 37 22 S 37 23 S
Mon - 37 23 S Tues - 36 22 S Wed - 36 23 S
C Cloudy, Th Thunder
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM 1. According to the 1984 UK Top 10 by the Toy Dolls, what was the name of the elephant that ‘packed her trunk and said goodbye to the circus’? 2. Edward Trunk is the elephant friend of which famous children’s comic strip character? 3. Now almost exclusively bestowed on royalty and heads of state, the Order of the Elephant is the highest order of chivalry of which Scandinavian country? 4. The national football team of which West African republic is nicknamed The Elephants (Les Éléphants)? 5. The use of the elephant as a symbol of which US political party began with an 1874 cartoon by Thomas Nast? 6. What name is usually given to the young of an elephant? 7. What is the name of the fictional elephant in the Winnie the Pooh stories by A A Milne, who is mentioned, but never appears, in Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) and The House at Pooh Corner (1928)? 8. Which English actor played the part of the title character in the 1980 biographical film The Elephant Man? 9. Who or what is a howdah? 10. Whose Just So Stories, first published in 1902, includes The Elephant’s Child/How the Elephant got his Trunk? 1. NELLIE, 2. RUPERT BEAR, 3. DENMARK, 4. IVORY COAST (COTE D’IVOIRE), 5. REPUBLICAN PARTY, 6. CALF, 7. HEFFALUMP, 8. JOHN HURT, 9. SEAT FOR RIDING ON THE BACK OF AN ELEPHANT (or camel), 10. RUDYARD KIPLING
YOUR STARS
could change your mind and just walk away.
As you are in the middle of a plan, it would be a shame to stop now. Yes, I realise you have given it lots of time and thought. Even so, events midweek bring a new perspective. Your involvement in something entirely different may be brought to bear on your current situation. Killing two birds with one stone comes to mind. Be efficient by approaching the problem from a novel angle. CANCER
OUT
25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
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page
AK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE
Enjoy filling in the following puzzles and check the answers in next week’s edition
Quick
Code Breaker
Across 1 Carries (5) 4 Large strong box (5) 8 Hair cleansing agent (7) 9 Hold firmly (5) 10 Move rhythmically to music (5) 11 Imagine to be the case, true or probable (7) 12 Warmest season (6) 14 Defeats (6) 18 Any amazing or wonderful occurrence (7) 20 Pay a call on (5) 22 Determine the direction of travelling (5) 23 Method (7) 24 Bladed weapon (5) 25 Exclamation indicating an apology (5) Down 1 Making an additional point (7) 2 Once more (5) 3 Greatest in status, authority or power (7) 4 Make a selection from a number of alternatives (6) 5 Borders (5) 6 Undertakes a journey or trip (7) 7 Catch sight of (4) 13 Areas or arenas in which commercial dealings are conducted (7) 15 Clearly or plainly evident (7)
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Crossword
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Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 12 represents B and 16 represents Z, so fill in B every time the figure 12 appears and Z every time the figure 16 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 Cushions, 4 Cane, 7 Slang, 9 Trait, 11 Shine, 12 Knave, 13 Sachet, 15 Upsets, 19 Rheas, 21 Irons, 23 Smart, 24 Stale, 25 Sewn, 26 Leverets.
Down: 1 Castles, 2 Snaps, 3 Nutmeg, 5 Elude, 6 Dank, 8 Grime, 10 Trade, 14 Chews, 16 Plots, 17 Showers, 18 Little, 19 Rolls, 20 Stay, 22 Stake.
QUICK Across: 7 Favour, 8 Amazed, 9 Here, 10 Specific, 11 Scatter, 13 Usual, 15 Aimed, 17 Trusted, 20 District, 21 Last, 23 Banned, 24 Spoken. 16 Meet the requirements or expectations of (7) 17 Assisted (6)
English - Spanish
18 Covering to disguise or conceal the face (4) 19 Goods carried by a large vehicle (5) 21 Utter obscenities or profanities (5)
1 Bare, 2 Modest, 3 Dressed, 4 Baked, 5 Habits, 6 Delicate, 12 Critical, 14 Protest, 16 Eating, 18 Seldom, 19 Finds, 22 Seek.
The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.
Across 1 Motorway (9) 7 Ajedrez (5) 8 Nube (de humo, insectos, polvo) (5) 9 To fall (4) 10 Mouth (of person, animal, bottle) (4) 14 Sheep (5) 16 Nickname (5) 17 Peligroso (9)
ENGLISH-SPANISH Across:
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
1 Bache, 3 Sordo, 8 Plancha, 9 Carne, 10/6 Bin bag, 14 Enemigo, 15 Tia, 16 Loose, 17 Ships.
Down: 1 Baby, 2 Expensive, 3 Soap, 4 Receipt, 5 Ojal, 7 Granero, 11 Bell, 12 Logs, 13 Mats.
Down 1 Globe artichoke (9) 2 Thirteen (5) 3 Flat (apartment) (4) 4 Enfermo (4) 5 Garlic (3) 6 Radiadores (9) 11 Autumn (5) 12 Amanecer (4) 13 Fecha (día preciso) (4) 15 Fin (3)
Hexagram
Down:
Cryptic The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 sixletter 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 (LEARNS) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.
AFRESH
METERS
APPEAL
MILLET
BARBEL
NAUGHT
BARREL
RAGGED
BEASTS
RAISED
DEGREE
REELED
KITTEN
ROUBLE
LARGER
SHELLS
LATTER
WAGONS
LEARNS (10)
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Reason 2 Prints 3 Deacon 4 Topped 5 Prince 6 Metres 7 Racoon 8 Spears 9 Report 10 Appeal 11 Treats 12 Circle 13 Barest 14 Duties 15 Reared 16 Batter 17 Decree 18 Seared 19 Shreds
Across 1 Priests drunk some spirits (7) 5 Sends off vessels (5) 8 Albert and I have become animated (5) 9 Spice or an ego trip (7) 10 Streak without South African tramp (4) 11 Not a positive denial (8) 13 Rewrote resort schedule (6) 15 Outdoor event that starts with people in caftans nattering in pubs (6) 18 And Craig produced a jumper (8) 19 Handover in Justice Department (4) 22 Aristocracy agree changes in gym (7) 23 Constellation seen from Mediterranean or Ionian Sea (5) 24 Eagles that are found in higher nests than most (5) 25 Guard rank surrounding lieutenant (7) Down 1 Rearrange car test and flee (7) 2 Up the stakes for more pay (5) 3 Meet up at stream (4) 4 Nicks records (6) 5 Written outline shows no care, is sloppy (8)
6 I talk endlessly with Ian from Rome, perhaps (7) 7 Lifted an ecclesiastical vestment (5) 12 Is claret drunk at these performances? (8) 14 One might make nurse go to work! (7)
16 Could start with getting slimmer and smarter (7) 17 Pet socialist leader following worries (6) 18 Trees manage to conceal skinhead (5) 20 Decree cited in error (5) 21 End of Autumn poem, Bud (4)
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OPINION & COMMENT
Advertising feature
Why not try home swapping for your holiday this year? David Deverson GLOBELINK INTERNATIONAL Insurance correspondent david@globelink.co.uk
HAVE you thought of holidaying at home this year? That might seem an odd statement coming from a travel insurance consultant, but I didn’t mean your own home, which might not be too much fun. I was thinking more about doing a swap with another homeowner looking to holiday in your area. Home swapping has been around for decades, and these days there are more and more agencies giving a much wider choice of destinations for that dream holiday. For instance one of the largest online specialists - homeexchange.com - registered 75,000 swaps in 150 countries, with offers ranging from
HOME EXCHANGE: Globelink can arrange the necessary insurance cover, giving you piece of mind. modest flats to designer lofts and luxury condos. In fact any sort of home you could think of was catered for. That means what was once a tiny minority ‘alternative’ holiday scheme has now become a mainstream travel concept that even appeals to riskaverse people like you or me.
This year, the take-up could be higher than ever, as people look for ways of fulfilling their holiday dreams without blowing the budget. At Globelink, we’ll be there to cover them on their travels. Certainly, the economies of home swapping are an incentive. While
some agencies charge a modest sign-up fee, others are free until a deal is sealed. You pay for your travel but the rest is up to you, minus hotel bills, and even car hire if you decide to go the whole hog and swap car keys too. For would-be first-timers, the good news is that the majority of home swaps pass off happily. They stand an even better chance of running smoothly if exchange partners take the time to get to know more about each other and their expectations. As that suggests, home swaps involve a good deal more preparation than a book-and-fly deal. That includes taking obvious precautions, such as checking with your house insurer that you’re covered for the ex-
change, and complying with any extra conditions. Should you decide to swap cars, arranging guest driver car insurance is an absolute must. As your departure date approaches, you’ll want to put together an at-a-glance folder containing emergency numbers, security instructions and any other details you consider important. Decent travel insurance should, of course, be right at the top of any checklist. From lost or stolen passports to accidents or illness, things can and do go wrong. For an instant quote and to arrange cover securely online visit www.globelink.co.uk, the leading Travel Insurer for people living in the EU. Or call Globelink on 0044 1353 699082 or their Spanish links line 966 265 000 or 951 242 434.
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FEATURE
Advertisers’
Advertising feature
The solution for UK TV
Corner
SIMPLE to use, straight from the box, requiring no specialist skills or engineer’s visit to set it up WITH the advent of improved internet connections across Spain and 4G internet widely available, watching British TV has never been easier with set top boxes from Android TV Solutions. All you need is a minimum of 2 Mbps internet speed and you can enjoy all the terrestrial UK TV - more than 70 sports channels, films, series, radio… you name it!. Their boxes plug into your TV, and have a VPN connection built into them which gives them a UK internet address in Spain. As such that allows you to receive content directly from the broadcaster, instead of relying on third party apps that buffer a lot causing the picture to freeze annoyingly. Because it gives you a UK internet address you get free access to the 30-day catch up facilities on the BBC and ITV players too, so you can watch your favourite programmes whenever you want. It is very simple to use and works straight out of the box, requiring no specialist skills or engineer’s visit to set it up. All you have to do is plug it in and turn it on. With prices from £165 including top name
ENJOY TV: Watch all your favourite sports channels, films, series and radio. courier delivery in 72 hours, you could be enjoying British TV quicker than you thought possible. And despite it being a one-off cost with no monthly subscriptions to pay, Android TV Solutions have UK support staff at the end
of the phone with remote access facilities to assist you if needed. So confident are they that you will be delighted with their products, Android TV Solutions offer a money back guarantee. That is something you do not often
get from eBay sellers who offer inferior products shipped direct from China. Call 951 190 321 or (0044) 161 432 5427 or in UK Freephone 0800 772 0125
HEALTH BEAUTY
&
Costa de Almería
25 June - 1 July 2015
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65
VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.EWNLIFESTYLE.COM
TO READ MORE
getting more hectic day by day
18th Life June
MACHINE breakdowns, fashion dilemmas and endless form filling Erica Russell Watson: My journey – and I’m driving
LIFE has been very hectic the past week. As the end of term approaches, the form filling increases! My daughter will be graduating and going to the Institute next year so she is a bundle of excitement. I took her shopping yesterday to buy a dress for her special day. The transformation was remarkable. The girl became a woman before my very eyes. Her brother also agreed that his ‘look’ left a lot be desired and we managed to get him into some smart but ‘fashionable’ clothes. He also has his football dinner and trophy presentation to attend so it’s all go in our household. Once school finishes things should calm down a little and we can enjoy a visit from family at the end of the month. I am also hoping to get to the end of my treatment but machine two has not been behaving itself and has bro-
ken down practically every day I have been. This has meant I have missed a few radiotherapy sessions thus delaying things. The tension is palpable in the waiting room as each person arrives hoping that ‘their’ machine, as everyone has different treatments, is working. The last thing you want to see is a nurse opening the door with a familiar
...each person arrives hoping that ‘their’ machine is working. The last thing you want to see is a nurse opening the door with a familiar yet apologetic look on their face...it means only one thing...the machine has broken down again.
yet apologetic look on their face…it means only one thing…the machine has broken down again.
On one of the occasions that I managed to get my session in without a problem I also had to see the doctor to review how I was doing. Frankly this was a waste of time. All he did was ask me how I was and if I was tolerating the treatment. It’s true to say that my skin is holding up very well and so far I have not experienced any burning, change in colour or discomfort. I just thought it was a little strange that he took my word for it and didn’t even examine me. I was in and out in three minutes! I am about to dash off to the hospital now for what will hopefully be my eleventh treatment. I am keeping everything crossed for a quick session and then back home. I am a little tired but the side effects are negligible in comparison with my chemotherapy. My toes, parts of my feet and fingers are still very numb after chemo. On the bright side I have acquired two more eyelashes and the hair on my head is starting to grow quite well. Not a fan of the white hairs though! Such a shock to see how the stress of illness and bereavement have taken their toll. Little steps! Day by day and things should start to get better.
Health Food Shop & Community Centre Are you looking for inspiration? You’ll be surprised at the range of natural & organic products available to inspire you.
In the Community Centre Kids Karate, kids Gymnastics Art classes, Pilates, Yoga, Tai-Chi, Salsa-size Spanish lessons and health screening
C/Malaga s/n, Albox, Almeria, Tel: 639 089 170 Mon-Fri 10am-6pm Sat 10am-2pm email: alboxgirasol@hotmail.com
APPENDICITIS: May no longer require surgery.
Antibiotics may make appendicitis surgery a thing of the past ANTIBIOTICS have been found to be just as effective in treating appendicitis as removing the appendix. It means that routine appendectomies, a common surgical procedure, could be a thing of the past. The operation is carried out when the appendix becomes inflamed and infected. If untreated, it can be fatal. But now, doctors are calling for operations as a first course of treatment to be scrapped after a study found that antibiotics worked just as well. The results of the trial found the majority of patients who were treated with antibi-
otics did not require later surgery. The study involved 530 patients with appendicitis being divided into two groups. Half received an appendectomy, with all but one recovering successfully. The other half were instead given antibiotics for 10 days, after which 73 per cent recovered fully while the remaining 27 per cent then had their appendix removed. The researchers said that of these patients who later went on to have the surgery, there was no complications or adverse effects for having the surgery delayed due to the antibiotics.
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Mirror, mirror on the wall A RECENT survey has concluded that men are the vainer sex. Conducted by lifestyle website Avaj the report showed that men admitted to looking in the mirror to admire their bodies, while women mainly look for selfassurance. The results of the survey showed that men look at their reflection 23 times a day. In contrast women only glance in the mirror around 16 times per day. Male participants of the survey revealed that they mainly looked at their appearance to admire themselves and to look at the
MEN: Admire themselves. body parts that they like the most. On the other hand, the majority of the women surveyed said they looked at their appearance for reassurance, specifically focusing on areas that they were most self-conscious about.
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HEALTH & BEAUTY
Happy days! Chocola be really good for our STUDY shows it boosts our health, keeps us smart, youthful, alert and relaxed By Gemma Quinn FINALLY, the news all chocoholics have been waiting for, chocolate can be good for us! A 12-year study of the snacking habits of 21,000 people has shown that chocolate can cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes and it’s not just dark chocolate that has the effects, milk chocolate can also be good for the heart. The latest study, from the universities of Aberdeen, Manchester, Cambridge and East Anglia in the UK, found that people who eat up to 100g of chocolate a day are 11 per cent less likely to have a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problem than people who eat none at all. It is believed the flavonoids, a type of antioxidant found in chocolate and also in tea and red wine, are the reason for the benefits as they can help stimulate blood flow and reduce the free radicals, which can cause disease. But what other benefits can be found?
SWEET TREAT: Just a small amount can boost concentration.
A skin care guide for men SO, like millions of other guys, you think you’re taking care of your skin by shaving first thing in the morning, throwing on some aftershave, and your done for
the day right? Wrong! It’s about time us guys learnt the basics of skin care. We generally don’t spend a lot of time worrying about skin care. So much so in
CLEANSING: Use a face cleanser twice a day, it will work wonders.
fact, according to a new study by a consumer market research company the NPD Group, only 25 per cent of us currently use any facial cleanser, moisturiser, or other skin product. Most just splash some cold water on their face, shave, and leave it at that. But maybe we should think twice about what we’re doing to our fizogs. While we are unlikely to ever get to the stage of mastering the elaborate skin care rituals that women do, there are many products available that are quick and simple to use that will protect and nourish your skin, while keeping it looking younger longer. Good tips would include: Using a face cleanser twice a day, a good cleanser will work wonders just by itself. Avoid razor burn by choosing a quality shaving foam, and some aftershave lotions contain antiseptic and a moisturiser, consider changing your brand. Moisturisers while doing what they say on the tin can also help anti-aging if they contain antioxidants like vitamins A, C, and E. And of course as we live in Spain, sunscreen is a must.
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25 June - 1 July 2015/ Costa de Almería
ate can be r health Brain function Chocolate is one of the richest natural sources of magnesium, a mineral essential for brain health. Eating just a small amount of one or two squares a day, can help boost concentration and alertness.
Slows ageing Scientists found that a diet rich in antioxidant foods helps protect the brain against the build-up of amyloid plaques, which can interrupt normal brain function and can cause dementia. A 1998 Harvard study of 8,000 people found that those who ate chocolate three or more times a month lived for almost a year longer than those who didn’t.
Fights colds A study revealed that naturally occurring
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67
Shock therapy as a new heart treatment Anti-oxidants can reduce skin damage caused by pollution.
antioxidants found in chocolate, boosted the immune system helping to rid us of coughs and colds.
SHOWING heart patients pictures of their own blocked arteries can prompt them to be healthier
Tooth decay Chocolate can actually be good for your teeth. Theobromine, found in chocolate, hardens tooth enamel more effectively than fluoride, and can protect teeth against erosion by acids. It can also help fight oral bacteria.
Reduces stress Stress can be caused by the improper function of the pituitary gland but chocolate can supply magnesium, which helps it function properly and lowers the production of the ‘stress hormone’. Chocolate also helps stimulate serotonin, the ‘happiness hormone’.
Beauty benefits Cocoa-based products are often used in beauty items. The antioxidants reduce the skin damage that can be caused by sun, pollution and alcohol. Raw cocoa powder can increase natural collagen making skin younger and healthier. Need any more reasons to go and grab a bar?...
BlueRingMedia
HEALTH & BEAUTY
LETTING heart patients see their scan images which show their blocked and diseased arteries can prompt them to change their ways and take up a more healthy lifestyle. In a new study, researchers found that those patients who looked at images of their calcified coronary arteries were more likely to stop smoking, lose weight and take measures to reduce their cholesterol, compared to patients who were just given a standard follow-up consultation with their GP or practice nurse.
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TO READ MORE
FOOD
D R I N K
&
Try meat ‘Empanizado’ KITCHENS throughout the world serve their own version of this versatile food By Wendy Ann Cowham THE Spanish word ‘Empanizado’ in Englis h me a ns frie d in bre a dc rumbs a nd ma ny re s ta ura nts s e rve up s ome ve ry popula r versions of breaded meat dishes. These flat fritter type meat cakes are known as schnitzels in Germany, Cotoletta or Scaloppine in Italy and Katsu in Japan, so the variations are worldwide and devoured by every nationality. In Cuba the breaded cutlet is prepared with a thin slice of sirloin, breaded and fried and topped with cheese and a tomato sauce. In Mexic o thinly s lic e d me a t is bre a de d, fried and then used in sandwiches, (tortas) and usually sold at burger bars and street stalls. The trend to bread and fry meats was also practised very much in Texas back in the 19th century due to the arrival of German and Austrian immigrants who made the schnitzel with boneless meat thinned with a hammer. In Panama chicken is more commonly
BREADED MEAT: Has been around for centuries, so is a good dish to sample.
used as a filling where the fillet is seasoned with salt and pepper dipped in egg and crumbs and then fried. In Portugal they call a breaded fillet ‘Panado’ and the meat is heavily seasoned with garlic, pepper and lemon juice and is served as a main dish with potatoes, rice or spaghetti. So many kitchens throughout the
globe pride their own version of this versatile food which has been around for centuries, so it seems like a good dish to sample. Spain has also been a forerunner in history with this dish, so why not try your f avour i t e f i l i ng i n som et hi ng ‘Empanizado,’ it may become your breaded favourite.
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FOOD & DRINK
Let’s go nuts in Spain with the great selection that’s now available ALMONDS are the most widely consumed nuts as they are eaten fresh and used in many cakes and dishes By Wendy Ann Cowham IF you are a nut lover, then it is good to know that you have a great selection here in Spain and they are an excellent source of protein and energy. The most widely consumed nuts are almonds as they are not only eaten fresh but are also used in many cakes and dishes. Spain is the second largest producer of the almond after the United States. Pine nuts are probably the most expensive type of nut as they are eaten as a delicacy and around 30kg of pine cones are required to produce only 1kg of nuts. Some varieties of walnuts are native to Spain, but the Romans were known to bring an Asian species of the walnut tree and cultivate it here. Chestnuts originally came from Italy, also via the Romans, this nut has similarities to the acorn as they both contain a lot of starch. Hazel nuts are grown in the Mediterranean, and as the negra variety is cultivated in Tarragona they carry the PDO (Protected Designation of
NUTS: A source of protein and energy. Origin). The cashew nut is mostly produced in Vietnam, Nigeria and India, but the cashew tree is native to Brazil. The cashew tree was used on the coastline of Mozambique to control the disappearing shore, and subsequently the seeds were widely spread by the wildlife there. The common peanut is said to have been first cultivated
in Paraguay, but farmers around the world were buying seeds in abundance in market places as they were mainly grown and used for animal feed. Whether common or a delicacy, nuts worldwide are eaten to maintain a healthy diet, but for those with a nut allergy, here are nuts that you
should take note of in Spanish: Peanuts are cacahuetes, Hazelnuts are avellanas, Walnuts are nueces, Almonds are almendras, Cashews are anacardos, and Pine nuts are piñones.
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FOOD & DRINK
Cuarenta Y Tres is hailed as The Jewel of Southern Spain THIS year saw the launch of a new label on the bottles to appeal to a younger market By Wendy Ann Cowham CUARENTA Y TRES is so called as this liquor 43 is made up of 43 ingredients combining herbs, spices and citrus fruit that are selected from the Mediterranean. It was produced by the Diego Zamora Group which is a Spanish family owned company and was first established in 1946.
The company is still family owned and today the production of Cuarenta y Trez continues to distribute from the city of Cartagena. With the infusion of the herbs the flavour results in a similar taste to that of vanilla, caramel and honey and the liquid is a wonderful golden colour. The alcoholic content by volume is a little less than some spirits, with a rating of 31 per cent which also makes the liquor 62 proof. The original recipe was said to have been discovered by the Romans over 2,000 years ago and went under the name of Liqvor Mirabills which means miracle liqueur, but the recipe was lost in time. One true fact in history regarding that tale is that all of the ingredients that make up Cuarenta y Tres were
commonplace in Spain during the Roman Empire, but not readily available in the rest of Europe. Cuarenta y Tres is similar to an aged rum, many of the native Spanish enjoy it with coffee, and it is hailed by them as ‘The Jewel of Southern Spain.’ It is Spain’s best selling export and is heavily stocked in supermarkets and bars. It is internationally distributed to more than 60
countries including the Netherlands, Mexico, Germany, United States and Brazil. This year saw the launch of a new label on the bottles
which have appealed to a younger market, which is enjoyed by many as a longer cocktail drink or as an ingredient in punch recipes. However you wish to take this finely produced liquor, be thankful that we live in the country of origin and that we have the first shout!
LIQUOR 43: Made up of herbs, spices and citrus fruit from the Mediterranean.
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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS
Advertising feature
Going from strength to stre as long friendship bears fru SALES staff would like to invite everyone to pop in to their office to say hello By Staff Reporter SINCE the opening of Immo-Carlos’s new office in February 2015 (La Plaza Nueva, numero 10, Albox) the agency has seen an increase in both leads and new properties. Estate agent Carlos has been focusing on the Belgian market for some time now and this has been a good steady flow, allowing him to ride through the crisis. However, now that the business has grown (with the new office and new English salesman, Gavin) they are finding themselves just as busy with the British market. This is partly due to the pound bouncing back, but it is also down to their combined experience of 16 years here in Spain, their attention to detail and their professional attitude. “My new salesman, Gavin, and I have known each other since I arrived here in Spain some eight years ago,” said Carlos, “and we are in fact best friends. We have
BEST FRIENDS: Estate agent, Carlos with his new salesman, Gavin.
planned and chatted about this for a long time and it is wonderful when things come together as you visualize them. This gives a fantastic atmosphere in the office, which comes across to both buyers and sellers alike.” The sales staff at Immo-Carlos is very
pleased with the results from the new office so far and would like to invite everyone to pop in and say hello! “If you want to get the right price for your home or you are still trying to find your dream home,” said Carlos, “just look us
ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS
ength uit
up, you won’t be disappointed!!” So… looking to purchase a property in Spain or to sell here? Pop in and find out what ImmoCarlos can do for you! Call 950 090 875.
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Mena aims to remain ROGELIO MENA, mayor of Albox, has announced that he will continue in his post as long as his recent ban from public office is not confirmed. The mayor, who is believed to have appealed the ban he claims is all down to an administrative mix-up, told La Voz de Almeria in an interview that he had never even considered standing down and that he fully intends to continue to work for his town and citizens.
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English speaking councillo the team to promote touri IMMEDIATE priority is to improve the avenues of communication between expats and By Eleanor Hawkins AS RECENTLY announced, Albox now has a new English speaking councillor for Tourism and International Relations. Maura Hillen, an Irish national and former IT director, has lived in Albox for almost eight years and is well known for her work as president of AUAN home owners’ association, where she leads a campaign on behalf of those who bought illegal properties in good faith. Maura said: “This is a new challenge for me. My immediate priority is to improve the avenues of communication between the English speaking community and the town hall.” To this end, and until official sites can be set up, the councillor has provided the following ways for residents to contact her: Email: Maura.Hillen@yahoo.com Blog:
MAURA HILLEN: Has lived in Albox for almost eight years.
MauraHillenAlbox.blogspot.com Facebook: ‘Maura Hillen’ “As councillor for Tourism I will be working closely with the new councillor for
Culture, Aurora Cerdan, to develop and promote various activities in Albox for the benefit of the community as a whole as well as visitors to the area, and of course, given my
back in al eral expl
ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS
or joins ism the town hall
kground, I will be taking a keen interest l matters housing related as well as genmatters concerning residents,” Maura ained.
Requests for summer meals THE opposition in Albox has presented a motion urging the council to leave at least one school kitchen open over the summer to guarantee meals for children in need. Partido Popular spokesman Juan Pedro Perez Quiles said that families in need in the village rely on childhood nutrition support programmes to ensure their offspring received at least one wellbalanced meal per day and that if all school kitchens close the children will go hungry. The party has also complained that whereas in other nearby areas including Cantoria, Fines or Arboleas the councils run their own municipal summer schools at affordable prices, whereas in Albox the only summer school services available are privatelyrun, pricier options many families cannot afford. “The Albox Council is the only one in the Almanzora area that does not have its own summer school, meaning people here have to pay twice as much for services as those in nearby towns and villages,” he said.
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Controversy over nasty smells in Albox HOPES that new board will be more sensitive to the problems By Maria José Fernandez ALBOX residents are no strangers to bad smells as they have previously denounced the Council for the disturbances produced by the Almanzora rubbish tip. Town Mayor Rogelio Mena confirmed the bad smells are produced by the recycling plant located at the Terdiguera industrial site and emphasised the impact
on the residents’ quality of life due to this infrastructure . “I would like mayors across the region to learn about the bad smells that arrive in our town due to the wind,” said the mayor: “It is surprising and unacceptable that the Waste Consortium of municipalities refuses to pay a fee to the Council for being home to the rubbish tip, and a compensation to all Albox residents to combat the negative impact.”
Back in 2014, the town council approved a fee on the Consortium to pay €12 per tonne of waste deposited in the plant. However, they appealed to the measure, described by Mr Mena as a “historical justice” action. “With the new term in office, there will be changes in the management and I expect the new directing board to be more sensitive to the problems,” said the mayor.
Third Noche en Blanco ALBOX celebrated its third Noche en Blanco last weekend. The Association of Business owners of Albox Valle del Almanzora (AEPA), together with the town council, organised this event with the aim of boosting local businesses, which stayed open until the evening. The two-day event was full of activities related to leisure, tourism, and gastronomy, with restaurants and bars which have flooded streets with its specialities.
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Sofa & Sofa has the most innovative styles to suit your lifestyle TOP Italian designs at very reasonable prices By Wendy Ann Cowham SOFA & SOFA is a newly-opened designer showroom in Villaricos, Vera Playa, where you can expect to find quality furniture at very reasonable prices. They are suppliers and stockists of Fabbri Salotti, one of the most innovative and famed Italian designers of stylish furniture. All sofas, sofa beds and beds come direct from Italy so the designs carry that unique standard which contributes to the style of your home. As there is a good selection of fabrics to choose from, your furniture can be tailor-made to enhance your room, or you can view the many designs already within the showroom to give you a little more inspiration. You will probably be lost for choice, as
Sofa & Sofa are offering designs that have been created by experts in their field and have more than 50 years in the business. Fabbri Salloti designs have been manufactured with individual lifestyles in mind. At Sofa & Sofa the staff are eager to help you find your own individual style, Matthew and his staff welcome you to browse and ask advice on what would suit your home and pocket, and both English and Spanish are spoken. The elegant showroom has been long overdue in arriving in the enterprising area of Villaricos. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm on Saturday 10am to 2pm and Sunday closed. Please see advert below for more information.
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COMFORT AND STYLE: You’ll be spoilt for choice at Sofa & Sofa.
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Paint effects back in fashion THE latest ideas explore interesting colour combinations By Steve Walsh PAINT ideas that will transform your room can be created more easily than you think, and according to House to Home, it’s back in vogue. Although the 1990s might not seem that long ago to us, consider this: we were watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on TV, and listening to Pulp singing about ‘Common People’ in our new Ford Escort (on cassette tape). That was the last time painting effects such as rag-rolling and marbling were all the rage. The painting trend (although now more refined) is already coming back around. It’s hitting fashion in a big way with crop tops, chunky platforms and bum-bags (yes, they are actually back on the high street!). And it won’t be escaping interior design, either; paint effects are back! OK, we’re not talking Carol Smillie style where we were convinced we could change our lives by taping black plastic sheeting over the house, try out the paint ideas we learned in 15 minutes like sponging, rag-rolling and panelling, and frighten our neighbours with a big reveal. But the latest ideas explore interesting colour combinations, using colour
in unexpected places and simple layering as well as skilled effects. Amazing feature walls can be obtained with paint, without structural change, using some clever tricks and techniques. Unless you are an experienced and skilled painter, it’s probably
Amazing feature walls can be obtained with paint, without structural change, using some clever tricks and techniques.
To make something stand out that never did before may give an ‘unexpected’ surprise best not to try this at home, as they say, purely in this case because paint isn’t cheap, and getting it wrong will mean starting again. ‘Tone on Tone’ is a new effect, layering different tones of the same colour that can create a subtle but effective finish. When painting woodwork, a good rule of thumb is to go for darker tones for a smart, contemporary look. Try painting adjoining walls in different shades of the same colour. ‘Unexpected’ is also a trend predic-
tion for this year, which is about paying attention to those spaces in-between, the neglected areas that usually go unnoticed or low
traffic areas. To make something stand out that never did before may give an
‘unexpected’ surprise. ‘Zoning’ is a procedure where paint can be used to create zoned areas within one room by layering colours and shapes, adding focal points using geometric shapes within a space. There are far too many styles and effects to list, but when you feel the need to revamp that lounge, a little research on the web will open up this new world of ideas available for the home this summer. Failing that, speak to your local interior designer, I’m sure he or she will bring out your inner Jackson Pollock.
HOMES & GARDENS
25 June - 1 July 2015 / Costa de Almería
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Ten hints for helping the garden survive the long heat of summer CHECK plants twice a day, increase watering time for drooping plants and beware fire risks Dick Handscombe
Gardening Corner By Spain’s best known expatriate gardening author living in Spain for 25 years.
ALTHOUGH the longest day of the year is past and evenings have already started to be a few minutes shorter each day gardens now face the 10 to 15 hottest and most challenging weeks of the year. So here are a dozen ideas for helping your garden survive the summer without major disasters. 1. Walk the garden each evening and water any plants that have a serious droop. Check in the morning that they have recovered their strength overnight. 2. If these plants are on a drip watering system turn up the pressure slightly or increase the watering time by five minutes a day. 3. Set up shade over delicate summer herbs and lettuces. 4. Remove non-essential leaves off tomato, pepper and aubergine plants to reduce their water needs. But do leave sufficient leaves to give shade to forming fruits. 5. Stop feeding plants so that they grow slower and demand less water. 6. Keep ponds topped up to provide for cooler water at the bottom of the pond and underwater plants for the fish to rest out of the sun. Leave fountains on for longer if on a timer. 7. Only water in the later hours of the evening if possible so that the maximum of water soaks into the soil and minimum evaporates soon after watering. 8. If containers suffer unduly from the heat it is not too late to work some TerraCottem soil improvement gel into the compost around the circumference of the containers by making deep holes down to the bottom of the root balls with a narrow trowel or specially designed TerraCottem gun. 9. For the really hot days move containers into the shade or provide shade with old umbrellas.
Keep ponds topped up to provide for cooler water at the bottom.
MORNING CHECK: Make sure drooping plants have recovered their strength overnight. 10. If in doubt about how much more to water, dig holes alongside some plants to check when the soil begins to become damp. A soil moisture metre is useful in this respect. Recently I noticed that the gardening section of a major El Cortes Ingles store had a good stock of these.
Enjoy your summer garden for midday siestas and evening alfresco wining and dining, as well as for cooling dips in the swimming pool
11. Don’t be tempted to plant new plants before the autumn rains. 12. Recognise the fire risks and summer regulations. Don’t light garden bonfires or use wood fires for barbecues. Use gas barbecues,
paella cookers and solar cookers. I used mine today to cook a wild boar stew. The sun was so hot it was ready in under two hours. Yesterday I cooked a dozen fat sardines on it in an earthenware skillet. A kit for a metre-diameter solar cooker such as mine can be purchased from www.alsol.es for immediate delivery. With that, do enjoy your summer garden for midday siestas and evening alfresco wining and dining, as well of course for timely cooling dips in the swimming pool. If you are about to start to lay out a new garden or revamp an existing one may I advise you to first read the booklet ‘How to use less water in your garden - A practical guide to waterwise Mediterranean gardening worldwide.’ It is available from Amazon Books for less than €5.
© Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com June 2015
One of my helpful booklets.
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PETS PAGE www.euroweeklynews.com
Abuse that strikes family and pets alike THE statistics are frightening
David THE Dogman Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10am to 11am Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm
WHEN looking at abuse suffered by pe ts it is be c oming more a nd more recognised that it is part of a bigger picture. Research has shown that where animals are being maltreated it is also highly like ly tha t a bus e of huma n members of the family is also occurring. “There is no doubt that there is a link between animal abuse and human abuse,” said Dr. Rhonda Schulman, a veterinarian at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital. “The statistics are frightening, but it is important that everyone, including veterinarians, recognise this serious problem because animal abuse in a home is very likely a sign of an even bigger problem within that family.” Some estimates suggest that up to 90 per cent of animals living in a home where domestic abuse happens end up
FAMILY PET: Where animals are being maltreated, often humans are too.
being abused or killed as abusers look to use the pet as an extra tool to harm or psychologically abuse their human victims. In the USA some studies say that nearly 60 per cent of women who seek a s s is ta nc e from shel t er s t o escape a bus e ha ve ha d a pet ki l l ed by an abuser. That is because the family pet is often used by the abuser as leverage to control the person being abused. Indeed many women in the USA have reported that they are reluctant to leave the abuser as they are scared that the pet will be harmed. “Abuse can also be self-propagating within a family,” said Dr. Schulman. “For instance, the mother or father abuses the child and then the child abuses the pet. This is sometimes the
only way that the child can assume any sense of personal power.” Witnessing the abuse of a family pet can influence children to become abusive later in life, because they have learned the behaviour through observing and through identification with the abuser. Studies have also shown that children who torture animals are at higher risk than others to grow up to use violence against people. Many adults who have committed serial murders or mass violence tortured animals as children. “This means that if a child is exhibiting this sort of behaviour, it is extremely important to take it seriously and i nt er vene whi l e t her e i s st i l l a chance t o posi t i vel y i nf l uence t he child’s development,” said Dr. Schulman.
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The best possible service from Llanos de Rosa THE premises have been recently extended to offer new enclosures for pets By Gemma Quinn HAPPY CAT: Being looked after by a pet-sitter.
House-sitter and Interior Designer discovers a new skill - training cats! By Lamia Walker of HouseSitMatch HouseSit Match (www.housesitmatch.com) PAULA-MARIE, an Australian interior designer w i t h a w a n d e r- l u s t , o n l y recently discovered the urge to travel. Originally from the Isle of Wight in England, after 3 5 y e a r s i n We s t e r n A u s tralia she was beginning to feel a wander-lust to discover life beyond the stunning beaches and comfortable lifestyles of urban Perth. Paula and her husband had been pet owners for many years and with the passing of their last dog Finco it seemed the right time to plan a tour of Europe. Pet-sitting was something they had done for friends occasionally over the years. What a great idea to house-sit as a way to travel without accommodation costs. Going on ahead of her husband to get established Paula found herself looking after a number of independently minded young cats. Ever mindful of the care for the wellbeing of her charges and the presentation of the homes she had been entrusted with, Paula found herself training a couple of her charges not to use an indoor litter tray
but to go outside instead. On a daily basis the litter tray would be moved a couple of steps closer to t h e b a c k d o o r, u n t i l t w o weeks later the cats found themselves happily outside. One of the homeowners was so thrilled on her return because not only had she saved on kennel fees for four young pets, but she could get a refund on four 10kilo bags of cat litter that had remained unopened! Whether you are a homeowner or a house-sitter register for your Free 60 Day Trial and secure your Free Easy Guide to Housesitting.
To find a pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on +44 (0)1865 521508.
MANOLO and Mercedes at Llanos de Rosa Kennels would like to thank all their clients, old and new, for their custom. In an aim to continue offering the best possible service to pet-owners planning to go away on holiday or needing a kennels for any other reason, the premises have been extended to offer new enclosures for pets which are like real miniature houses. The facilities include spacious patio areas to enable pets to get plenty of exercise and avoid them feeling cooped-up. All types of dog, whether large or small, will find the kennels to be like a second home whether they come alone or as part of a family group. Personalised attention means dogs and cats get the same menu they are used to at home, and those under veterinary treatment are given their medication at no extra cost.
FACILITIES: Include spacious patio areas for exercise.
As everything possible is done to ensure dogs and cats settle in and feel at home, we don’t mind animals bringing their beds, toys and treats with them, in fact we recommend and encourage this. For cats, we have a special housing area where they can feel safe and comfortable. Admission rules for new clients include presentation of veterinary docu-
ments with all vaccinations including kennel cough jabs up-to-date and correct anti-parasite treatment. We also offer a dog training service with a trainer with English qualifications and 25 years of experience in the field. Visits are very welcome, although we do request that you call us first on 629 448 073 to make an appointment to ensure we’re available to show you around. Manolo speaks perfect English and is happy to deal with visits or respond to any queries you may have. Our rates are extremely competitive, feel free to call us and ask for prices.
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Sell4LessSpain.com - the number one choice to sell your property NO commission is charged, the sale price achieved is all yours! TODAY most people search for property online. They see a property and contact the estate agent to arrange a viewing. With Sell4LessSpain.com the exact same happens, however, they put you in direct contact with the buyer saving you €1,000’s in sales commission. Their business de-
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Kyero, Zoopla Overseas, Prime Location, Homes Overseas, HUISenAABOD.nl and many more. At Sell4LessSpain.com they also use social media to promote every property on Facebook and Twitter using groups and forums to gain maximim interest. If you are wondering if that works, the answer is YES! - Sell4LessSpain.com recently sold the villa pictured in Estepona. This was on the market for over three years and in just 24 days Sell4LessSpain.com found the client a buyer saving them €96,511 in commission! Sell4LessSpain.com are achieving excellent results, why use a ‘traditional’ estate agent again? For more information and full details of their services visit www.Sell4LessSpain.com or call 951 402 445. ESTEPONA VILLA: On the market for three years and Sell4LessSpain.com managed to sell it within 24 days.
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LEGALLY SPEAKING
Rules on tinting vehicle windows AS part of our series, we answer some common driving questions, kindly provided by members of the Guardia Civil based in Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, who set up the N332 website and Facebook page to help break down barriers.
WINDOW TINTING: A manufacturer’s certificate is required. WINDOW tinting is popular on cars, both as a form of privacy, and to keep out the heat, but there are rules that must be applied when getting vehicle windows tinted or laminated. Tinted windows are created when dark sheets are glued to the original glass providing shade for the occupants, protecting from UV rays and creating a cooler climate within the vehicle. There are added benefits in that the window will have extra protection from shattering as the sheet often keeps the glass together. When it comes to approval of the tinted windows during the mandatory vehicle inspection, the legal requirements are clear. The vehicle must have a certificate from the manufacturer of the laminate which must be
completed by the installer. Another prerequisite is that all laminates are properly sealed on car windows. However, the law changed recently which now means that tinted windows are no longer considered a major reform of the vehicle, so an extraordinary inspection is no longer required so long as all other requirements are met. It is always advisable to check with your local ITV station before having laminate tinting, just to be sure. As for the law and enforcement, firstly, it is illegal to have the front windows tinted in any way and both the windscreen and side windows must remain clear as per the manufacturers’ specifications. This same rule applies to stick-on sunshades.
For more news and articles visit www.n332.es or search N332 on Facebook
How are AGM votes counted? I have just read your article ‘Can he enclose his terrace?’ Ten years ago we enclosed our terrace, and we now wish to legalise the extension. At the time we submitted sketches to the community president and committee, who gave full written permission. You say, following the revision of Article 10 of the Horizontal Property Law (2013), that two-thirds of the owners “in attendance” at an AGM
Yo u c a n rela x. First, I wrote that the authorisation to enclose a terrace requires a threefifths majority, not twothirds. Votes at the AGM are cou n t e d t h i s w a y: if thre e - f i f t h s o f o wn er s
need to cast a favourable vote for the work we had done. Or does this mean two thirds of all owners, whether attending the AGM or not? If the latter, would it be the task of the administrator to contact all owners? As there are 150 owners on our community and many of them are absent for most of the year, this could be a long process. R H (Costa Blanca)
David Searl You and the Law in Spain
If three-fifths of owners vote in favour, the motion is passed
present or by proxy vote in favour, the motion is passed. If no abs e nt ow ne r s protest within 30 days of being reliably informed of the vote, their votes are c ounte d as favourable.
Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.
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www.sell4lessspain.com require commission based salespeople to sell our property marketing services. With prices from just €199 we save homeowners €1000’s in agents’ commissions making this an easy sale! Clients pay on signup – we pay you as soon as payment received. If you think you can sell this service email us for more information. You could make €1000’s every week! contact@sell4lessspain.com (238237) SUMMER WORK EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITY. Volunteer position (expenses paid) for English speaking student aged 16 or over to gain practical skills in digital marketing. Please email CEO lyndabrettle@aim.com by end of June. www.samari tansin spain.com
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Motoring shorts
Two for the price of one TOYOTA got in gear and pulled out all the stops as it was asked to deliver not one but two new models at the same time. Toyota manufacturing proved itself up to the task when its Burnaston, UK workforce successfully completed the simultaneous start of production of both the new Auris and Avensis.
Volvo XC90 takes the biscuit CAR Magazine has named the XC90 as The Best 4x4, at the Car of the Year awards this year. The judges were so impressed with some of its main features they called it “perhaps the most significant new car in the company’s 88-year history.” While singing its praises and noting the engineering, driving dynamics, interior quality, powertrain and design innovations, they marvelled at the starting price of £45,750 (€64,000).
Clarkson Quote of theWeek
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We all know that small cars are good for us. But so is cod liver oil and jogging!” Some might say...
Maximum luxury and the latest technology JAGUAR launches revised XJ range By Steve Walsh WHAT with the launch of the new revised BMW 7 series, Jaguar doesn’t want to be left out of the fight in th e lu x u ry saloon car segment. Hailed as a s y mp h o n y of leather and technology, from next autumn we will have a revised XJ range for 2016. New versions R-Sport and Autobiography benefit from an extra 25 horses w h ile red u c in g fu e l consumption by 6 per cent. Not only that, but a push o n th e in -ca r te c h n o lo gy front will see a multimedia computer premiere with multi-touch screen among other techno bells and whistles.
MORE POWERFUL: New version Jaguar R-Sport.
6% reduction in fuel consumption for the new versions of the R-Sport and Autobiography
The maximum luxury and advanced equipment will c e rta inly be a bonus , but with special emphasis on the performance of the three-litre V6 diesel, having
been been thoroughly renovated to meet anti-pollution regulations of ‘Euro 6’, e c onomy w a s a de fining re a s on in the re nova tion package. A new higher pressure injection system, injectors, a nd a ll ne w turbos , c omplete with their own with thermal management system improve efficiency, all help to up the performance figures from 275 to 300bhp,
while at the same time reducing consumption from 6.1 t o 5.7 l i t r es per 100 kilometres. The pet r ol engi nes of 340bhp 3.0 V6 and 5.0 V8 550bhp wi l l r em ai n unchanged, and as wi t h t he diesel, are mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission. However, the allwheel drive option is only available for petrol engines
Traffic laws THE LATEST traffic legislation for motorists and cyclists in Spain may be common knowledge for some, however, what with the roads filling up for the summer, a reminder of some key points of law are highlighted here. 1. Helmets mandatory in cities for cyclists under 16. Not doing so could lead to fines of €200 for parents. 2. Small children may not ride in the front seat. Police will be able to stop and fine drivers carrying children under 1.35 metres in the front passenger seat, unless all the back seats are already taken up by other children also under the height limit (or the car has no back seats at all). 3. Fines for driving after taking drugs. The law eliminates the need to prove that drug use influenced a person’s driving. Now, all it takes is a saliva test; prescription drugs are excluded. 4. New speed limits. While the current speed limit on highways and freeways is 120km/h, the reforms contemplate raising this to 130km/h. Penalties will be the same. 5. Ban on speed camera detectors and jammers. The new legislation expressly prohibits the use of speed camera detectors: drivers caught using them will be liable to fines of €200 and the loss of three points on their licence. Speed camera jammers are considered much more serious and entail penalties of €6,000 and six points off the permit. Drivers with GPS devices incorporating speed camera detection capabilities will have to deactivate this option.
MOTORING
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Audi on show A RECORD 35 cars on its stand at Goodwood AUDI will have a record 35 cars on its stand at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed this year, ranging from classic racers to the latest production models. The motoring circus kicks off today, Thursday June 25, and runs throughout the weekend.
The masterpieces of engineering on display will range from race cars of the 1930s up to this year’s 7 R18 e-tron Le Mans entrant, not to mention the new R8 supercar. Tickets are available from Goodwood.com or via the Goodwood ticket office on + 44 (0) 1243 755055.
SUPERCAR: The Audi R8 will be at the Festival of Speed.
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MOTORING
Modball fever MODERN-DAY Cannonball Run By Steve Walsh SATURDAY, June 20, saw the official start of this year’s European Modball rally in London. The Modball rally is not so much a rally in the WRC sense, more like a modern-day reincarnation of the Burt Reynolds’ classic The Cannonball Run, but within the law. The petrol-head rally brings 180 soupped-up, modified, customised cars from over 20 countries for a jolly jaunt from London to Spain via Italy, and all in aid of charity. At the head of the start grid
were the Ferrari La Ferrari, a McLaren P1, and the Porsche 918 Spyder. The ‘Holy Trinity’ Top Gear couldn’t get together. But with a field that’s open to all that pay a €2,500 entry fee and have at least two modifications to their car, the variety of machinery on display was phenomenal. With their ‘Drive all day, party all night’ heads on, the Modballers are due to arrive in Barcelona today, Thursday June 25, after spending five funpacked days (and nights) driving through Paris, Milan, Rome and Monaco.
SPORTS
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Jonny be good, and he was, likewise Andy, Ryan and Jordan JONNY BAIRSTOW steered England home against New Zealand Tony Matthews International Sports A former football player and the world’s most prolific author of football books (more than 100 published), Tony is also the sports reporter for Spectrum Radio and lives in the Cabrera mountains. Costa de Almeria
FORMULA 1 – It was Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa 1-2-3 in the Austrian Grand Prix. Starting on pole for the 45th time in his career, for the sixth time in seven races this term and his first in Austria since James Hunt, Hamilton couldn’t catch his Mercedes team-mate after an early mistake but still leads the driver’s championship by 10 points. The GB Grand Prix from Silverstone is on July 5. GOLF – Jordan Spieth (21) won the US Open at Chambers
Andy Murray gets his fourth win at Queen’s.
Bay course. He is the youngest player to win the title for over 90 years. Tiger Woods missed the cut for the first time since 2006; Ian Poulter holed the best putt of the competition and Aussie Jason Day battled vertigo to complete all four days. TENNIS – Andy Murray beat Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-4 in the final at Queen’s. This was Murray’s fourth win in this tournament as Anderson served 103 aces to no avail! Earlier, Ivo Karlovic smashed a world record 45 aces in ONE game when beating Tomas Berdych in the Weber Halle tournament which Roger Federer won for the eighth time, defeating Andreas Seppi. Meanwhile, GB’s Laura Robson, back on court after 17 months, lost 6-1, 6-0 and has been granted a wild card entry to Wimbledon which starts next Monday. CRICKET – England beat World Cup runner’sup New Zealand in the final ODI by three wickets to win the series 3-2. Set
GETTING SHIRTY! Congratulations to Benji Jackson from Camping Los Gallardos, who was successful with a bid of €275 for the officiallysigned 2015 Manchester United shirt which was presented to him earlier this week. The money goes to the PAWS cat neutering unit. And also... has anyone got a spare Scalextric train set (or even some odd parts)... for a local children’s hospital?
Mercedes took first and second at Austrian GP. 192 to win in 26 overs ‘Man of the Match’ Jonny Bairstow smashed 83 not out from 60 balls to steer England home after his side had been 45-5. The series produced 3,151 runs at 7.16 per over; there were only seven maiden overs bowled (a record); an aggregate of 103,776 spectators saw the action and Kiwi batsman Kane Williamson was voted ‘Player of the Series’. England who played a T20 game against the Kiwis on Tuesday, fly to Spain on Saturday for a short ‘break’ ahead of the Ashes series against Australia as follows: July 8-12 (in Cardiff), July 16-20 (Lords), July 29-August 3 (Edgbaston), August 6-10 (Trent Bridge) and August 20-24 (The Oval). FOOTBALL – In the Czech Republic, England U21s lost their European championship opener 1-0 to Portugal, won the second 1-0 v Sweden and played Italy for a place in
the quarter-finals last night. England’s women lost 1-0 to France and beat Colombia 2-1 in their first two World Cup encounters in Canada... they played Norway in their third. Brazil captain Neymar has been banned for the rest of the Copa America after being sentoff for head-butting an opponent at the end of his country’s 1-0 defeat by Colombia. And Peru, Argentina and Uruguay are looking strong , heading towards the semi-finals. Ex-Chelsea and England star Kerry Dixon has been jailed for nine months for assault. The incident took place in a London bar last year. The opening PL games of 2015-16 are Arsenal-West Ham, Aston Villa-
Bournemouth, ChelseaSwansea, Everton-Watford, Leicester-Sunderland, Manchester United-Spurs, Newcastle-Southampton, NorwichCrystal Palace, Stoke-Liverpool and WBAManchester City. In the Championship, QPR travel to Yeovil while in Scotland it’s Partick v Celtic and Rangers (with new manager Mark Warburton) v St Mirren. GENERAL ROUND-UP • The 2015 MotoGP season continues this weekend in Holland. • Jockey Ryan Moore rode nine winners at Royal Ascot last week, beating the post WW2 record of eight achieved by Lester Piggott (1965) and Pat Eddery (1989). Fred Archer
DID YOU KNOW? Ninety years ago Cardiff City had a record 17 full internationals on their books... and between 1959 and 1968 Manchester United played 15 away FA Cup-ties without defeat.
holds the overall record with 12 wins in 1878. And Frankie Dettori rode his 50th Ascot winner of his career. • GB’s women’s hockey team have qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics by beating China twice last week. • The Almanzora cricket team lost its first two matches, are struggling to get players and have cancelled more games than they’ve played. Anyone interested in boosting the ranks can contact Dave on jo.bloggs79@yahoo.com.
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25 June - 1 July 2015 Tiger Woods missed the cut for the first time since 2006 at the US Open at Chambers Bay.
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3rd Plas-Tech challenge IN conjunction with Forum Golf Society attracted 80 players to Aguilon Golf Course THE biggest local golf event of the year, the third annual Plas-Tech challenge organised in conjunction with Forum Golf Society attracted over 80 players to Aguilon Golf Course on June 19, and was a huge success. Prizes to the value of €2,500 were donated by Plas-Tech, who also made a very generous donation of €1,000 to the AUAN. The players not only enjoyed a golf course in absolutely stunning condition, but for a total cost of only €20 per person including their green fee and a buggy, received a bacon roll and coffee on arrival, plus a barbecue and free beer afterwards, as well as a commemorative shirt. Many thanks are due to Howard Tyers and his Plas-Tech team, and to Aguilon’s Jose Javier Serano and all his staff for ensuring that the day went so smoothly. The day’s biggest smile, however, belonged to the winner, Joy Blake, whose score of 42 points was enough to nudge John Evans, on 41 points into second place. Robin Hawkins with 40
MEMBERS: Played the long tricky and testing course.
Marina Phoenix visit La Envia WINNER: Joy Blake with Howard Tyers from Plas-Tech. points in third place was the only other person in the field to better their handicap. With 43 prizes up for grabs the list of winners is too long to detail, but honorable mentions should go to Terry Moore (35 points, fourth), Richard Price (34 points, fifth) and Marie Vickers (34 points, sixth).
Forum’s upcoming fixtures are: June 26, Stableford at La Envia July 10, Double Par Medal at Aguilon July 24, Pairs Two Person Scramble at Alboran. For further information, contact Phil Elam: 666 847 840 / philjelam@yahoo.co.uk, or visit: www.forumgolfsociety.webs.com
MARINA PHOENIX played away on Thursday June 18 with a visit to La Envia, a long, tricky and testing course, where the main event was a team competition played between groups of 12 players. The team captained by Les Armfield, won by a single point, to hold bragging rights until the next event. Individual winners were Don Atkins with 41 points and Isobel Jones on 38. The individual event, on Monday saw John Kavanagh win with 37 points, followed by Gordon Mahon on 36. Howard Roper secured third spot with 36 on count-back. Janet King (34) won the ladies division with Margaret Budd (32) second, and Jackie Dale (30) in third. Carole Taylor won the only two’s prize. Marina Phoenix play Mondays (individual) and Thursdays (team game). To join them for a €25 green fee. Call: 950 162 727, or 950 397 117.