Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 30 July - 5 August 2015 Issue 1569

ISSUENN . 1555 //3023 APRIL 2015 July- -29 5 August 2015 ISSUE O.O1569

COSTA DE ALMERÍA

YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

Almeria’s film career continues to thrive GAME OF THRONES brings a second golden era

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Regularisation at last Hope for the future of ‘illegal’ properties HOME-OWNERS welcomed news of amendments to three articles in the land property law

which would regularise thousands of ‘illegal’ homes bought in good faith. See Page 4

Hopes higher still

Dominique Sanchez

The sunny season brings record-breaking figures LATEST data indicates that August will force hotel owners to hang up the ‘no vacancies’ signs as local populations are predicted to multiply by four, thanks mainly to a rise in national See Page 5 tourism of 15.6 per cent.

More people in work Unemployment rate still high but going down AS many as 27,400 fewer unemployed people have been registered in Almeria Province as the region’s figure dips below the 100,000 mark, but 29 per cent are still out of work. See Page 7

By Linda Hall Tourism, check. Agriculture, check. Film-making? Check, because Almeria ticks that box, too. Thousands queued recently to work as extras in the next Game of Thrones series which has chosen

Almeria Province for some locations. This wasn’t the first time and nor will it be the last, because Almeria’s film career began with Lawrence of Arabia in 1962, continued with the Spaghetti Westerns and has never looked back.

Ridley Scott’s choice of Almeria for Exodus in 2013 gave the province a boost whose momentum shows no signs of slowing down. That can only increase once Kevin Reynold’s latest film Risen (originally Clavius) is released next year. Starring Joseph Fiennes, Tom

Felton and Peter Firth, scenes for the thriller set in the first century were shot in Almeria City’s Alcazaba. “We have everything: the light, the scenery, the history... but we need studios,” Almeria City’s mayor Luis Rogelio Rodriguez-Comendador said recently.

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LOCAL NEWS

A helping hand TURRE Town Hall will extend interest-free loans of up to €250 for families in financial difficulties. The amount will be adjusted to the needs and circumstances of each family and be

decided by the town hall’s Social Services department, explained Mayor Martin Morales. The loans will be repaid by standing order over an agreed period of time.

Time to chill out TIRED of waiting for the promised fall in sweltering summer temperatures, Almeria Province residents who do not already have them, have been buying airconditioning units.

Sales have soared along with the temperatures, increasing by 300 per cent since the first heat wave hit the province last June. “We can’t keep up with orders,” one supplier said.

That’s the limit! GERGAL Town Hall urged residents to use water sensibly, restricting consumption to 20,000 litres for households and 50,000 litres for businesses. The situation is not criti-

cal, the mayor said, but there would be financial penalties for consumption over these amounts. Filling swimming pools or watering crops with the domestic supply is totally banned.

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NEWS

Wetland haven teeming with wildlife and birds PUNTA ENTINAS covers 1,944 hectares of sand dunes, salt lakes and beach By Linda Hall PUNTA ENTINAS-SABINAR is to become a Special Area of Conservation (ZEC in Spanish). The re giona l gove rnment’s Environment department is completing the formalities giving European Union protection to the 15kilometre coastal strip that is a ls o a w ildlife ha ve n. The process has been a long one, as the Junta initiated the necessary procedures in 2010. Already classed as a reserve, Punta Entinas covers a 1,944-hectare area of sand dunes, freshwater pools, salt lakes and beach and is included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Intriguingly situated in an area that is otherwise much-

PROTECTED: A Punta Entinas-Sabinar lagoon. altered by man, it attracts botanists, zoologists, geologists and inevitably is ideal for bird-watching. Owing to its nearness to the Albufera nature reserve

i n Adr a and t he Cabo de Gata-Nijar national park, Punta Entinas-Sabina is another stopping-off point for migratory birds. At last count 130 differ-

ent bird species were either l i vi ng t her e or passi ng through, not to mention several types of resident reptiles, mammals, amphibians and fish.

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Farm thefts

FEATURED NEWS

Many robberies

Castellers and Falcons - Castles in the air

SO far this year there have been 479 robberies of agricultural produce, farm animals and machinery in Almeria Province. Only Valencia Province, with 681 agricultural robberies, had more.

Dolphin death Damaged by nets

Cordon Press

HUMAN towers or castles can be built as high as nine storeys

A RISSO’S DOLPHIN or grampus was found dead on Almeria City’s Costacabana beach. The three-metre male was not fully grown and its body showed signs of having been damaged by nets.

Traffic flow New roundabout GARRUCHA has its longawaited roundabout at the Ex Mari Orta school, cemetery and nearby houses. The roundabout is part of the new Lidl installation on the site of the Vista Alegre football pitch.

Body of man recovered In disused mine

Spanish gold Sunken treasure found

CLIMBING HIGH: Human towers are a Catalan tradition.

By Carol Irving BARCELONA is famous for the Castellers festival, which features human towers and other Catalan traditions. The human towers are a regular feature throughout the summer, and can be seen outside Barcelona Cathedral at 7.30pm on most Saturdays until August 29. Castell is the Catalan word for castle and this tradition of building castles out of people began in Valls, Tarragona, when different local groups called colles, began to hold competitions to build human towers. The towers have different storeys which are ‘built’ on a firm base called the pinya. This keeps

€28.2 billion is the amount spent by tourists from abroad in Spain over the first six months of this year, 7.4 per cent more than in the first half of 2014, the results of the Egatur tourist spending survey have revealed.

the structure stable. In recent years, the towers have gradually got higher and higher, with as many as nine storeys occasionally constructed. Children, and younger people are often at the top of the tower as they are more nimble at climbing and they wear helmets to protect themselves. Those taking part in the human towers are called castellers or castle-makers. Falcons are similar, but are focused on creating different shapes like pyramids. As part of the tradition, music is played at each stage of the construction. Music also accompanies the casteller, usually in the form of a flute and a small drum.

A FAMILY in Florida has recovered treasure estimated to be worth more than a million dollars from a Spanish ship which sank in the Atlantic in 1715. The find includes 51 gold coins and a 12metre-long gold chain.

Quote of the Week They’re probably confusing transsexual with homosexual as many others do; it makes no sense for the church to act this way against a faithful believer,” said Gonzalo Serrano, President of the Andalucian Rainbow Federation

Not everybody ready for naked truth THE Veraplayazul naturist association wants the Garrucha Vera Playa tourist train to modify its route. Members are weary of the reactions of some passengers as the train crosses the area’s naturist urbanisations.

Too often they are jeered at and humiliated as crass tourists play “spot the nudist,” the association complained. Municipal sources confirmed they had received a verbal complaint about the train from a

resident in the nudist zone. “We suggested formalising the complaint but he said he was on holiday and didn’t want to waste the time,” sources said. The train makes a dozen journeys a day between the two

towns but it does not have to go through the streets where nudists live, claimed Jose Manuel Zamora of the Veraplayazul association. “The train needs only to change its route over the last

two kilometres, taking the Villaricos road. It wouldn’t mean any extra cost,” he said. Action will be taken if more complaints are received from the naturists, the same municipal sources revealed.

THE body of a San Jose (Nijar) man missing for three days was found in a 20-metre disused mine shaft. He had attended a Rodalquilar fiesta and is thought to have fallen while walking home.

Easy terms Sentences suspended SPANISH judges increasingly avoid prison sentences and for less serious crimes are substituting them with alternatives. Almeria Province judges suspended 200 sentences last year and replaced them with community service.

Young blood Average age is 35 EL EJIDO, where the average age is 35, was officially declared a ‘young town’ by the regional government. There are 275 similar towns in Andalucia and 19 other municipalities in Almeria besides El Ejido.

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INDEX News 1 - 35 Featured News 3 News Desk 34

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Roofs set to remain over many Almanzora heads HOMES can be regularised if they are not involved in lawsuits By Linda Hall

European Press 36 Russian Press 37 Finance 39 - 44 Stocks 40 Leapy Lee 45 Our View 52 Colin Bird 52 Mike Walsh 52 Daily TV 54 Cassandra Nash 57 Letters 58 Time Out 59 - 62 Ric Polansky 64 Health & Beauty 66 - 67 Nora Johnson 68 Legally Speaking 69 Social Scene 70 - 72 Albox 73 - 78 Homes & Gardens 79 - 81 Pets 82 - 83 Property 84 - 85 Classifieds 87 - 89 Motoring 91 - 93 Sport 94 - 96

MANY Almeria property-owners will sleep more easily thanks to proposed changes to Andalucia’s Urban Planning Law (LOUA). Amendments to three articles in the LOUA proposed in a recent draft law would legitimise 25,000 homes in Andalucia that were unwittingly built on land not zoned for development. Not all property-owners will be let off the hook under the proposals which affect thousands of homes in Almeria and, above all, in the worst-affected area of the Almanzora Valley. This is not an amnesty or a legalisation, cautioned Jose Fiscal, who heads the regional government’s department of the Environment and Territorial Planning. The proposed amendments will allow owners who bought in good faith to regularise properties not already involved in criminal or administrative lawsuits, Fiscal said during an interview. Asked to define the difference between legalising and regularising, he explained that the homes would not be included in a

CUEVAS DEL ALMANZORA: Good news for many property-owners. municipality’s Urban Development Plan (PGOU) but could be provided with basic infrastructure including water and electricity. The amendments will not apply to houses built on flood plains or in specially protected areas. They must be more than six years old and once regularised may not be extended. Town halls have two years to

draw up an obligatory census of the properties liable to be affected. The draft law must now go through the parliamentary machinery although it is expected to have the backing of all political parties. And for thousands of home-owners, it brings to an end years of worry and uncertainty.

Pet protection bylaws in the pipeline NIJAR Council intends to introduce bylaws aimed at protecting animals and controlling their use in public spectacles. The town has a growing problem with pets that are allowed to roam the streets or are abandoned by their owners, de-

clared the deputy mayor Alexis Pineda. As regulations now stand, domestic animals are inadequately protected and are further jeopardised by a lack of official reaction to ill-treatment cases, he said.

At present Nijar has an Ownership of Dangerous Animals bylaw but nothing that guarantees the animals’ well-being or prevents their abuse in circuses, fairs and other public spectacles, Pineda remarked.

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A bright outlook along the coast

A TOTAL of 649 people needed medical attention during the first month of Operation Strait Crossing (OPE). The operation starts each year in mid-June as North Africans living and working in Europe begin their return to Morocco and Algeria for the summer. The OPE continues until SeptemPhoto Steve Slater.

THE summer season is at its height and it looks as though initial predictions could prove conservative. As July ends official figures show that in June the province broke through the 160,000 ceiling for the first time. National tourism increased by 15.6 per cent and was largely responsible for last month’s record of 161,563 visitors. Foreign tourism was buoyant but stable with a 3.2 per cent rise. Meanwhile, early estimates predict 95 per cent occupancy for Almerimar and Balerma in July, rising to 100 per cent “no vacancies scenario” in August. “Almerimar’s population has quadrupled and Balerma now has triple the usual number of residents,” said El Ejido’s Councillor for Tourism, Luisa Barranco. These excellent results were due to the joint efforts of the local government

ALMERIMAR: Population will multiply by four.

5,000 hotel beds for Cuevas del Almanzora and the town’s tourist sector, Barranco added: “Collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential if we are to make El Ejido a quality tourist destination.” Cuevas del Almanzora is al-

so looking to the future and plans to allocate land for hotels between the Quitapellejos beach in Palomares and Villaricos. The town hall believes that the area can easily absorb 5,000 hotel beds. “From Vera to Mojacar the coast is practically built-up but the Cuevas del Almanzora coast is still practically undeveloped,” said Mayor Antonio Fernandez.

Forest fires can be avoided HIGH temperatures and drought produce ideal conditions for forest fires. The p u b l i c , t o wn h a lls and administrations nevertheless have it within their power to prevent those fires, said the Grupo Ecolog i st a Me d i t e r r a n eo (GEM). As it has done each summer for the last 27 years, GEM urged maximum collaboration to prevent fires in Alm e r i a a n d t o u se th e 112 emergency number at

the slightest indication of forest or wildfire. A b o v e all, th e g roup asked the public not to cook

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Almeria does its bit for OPE

‘NO VACANCIES’ expected in August By Linda Hall

EWN

over open fires when picnicking but to take with them food ready-prepared at home.

ber 15. Although they travelled via the ports of Algeciras, Alicante, Almeria, Malaga, Motril and Tarifa, practically half of the travellers who were taken ill were sailing from Almeria. Stomach upsets were the principal causes for complaint, as well as toothache, exhaustion and headaches, Red Cross sources revealed.

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NEWS

Business booming for ice factories ROUND-the-clock output as demand rockets By Linda Hall DEMAND for ice cubes has shot up this summer. The amounts that the public are getting through are a s tronomic a l w he n c ompared with figures for the last 10 years, said Jose Calvache, Manager of a Huercal de Almeria ice production company. His company hasn’t had such a good summer since 2003, Calvache added. There are eight ice factorie s in A lme ria Provinc e and they have been working – forgive the expression – full steam ahead since June. O utput s ta rte d to ris e in May because the hot weather arrived early this year, Calvache revealed. June was very good, he said and July has been ex-

ICE: Extraordinary demand in July. traordinary. More than 80 tons of ice leaves the Huercal de Almeria factory each day for delivery throughout Almeria, other coastal provinces and even the Balearics. The com pany i nst al l ed

new-generation machinery two years ago, but this summer the factory is working t o f ul l capaci t y m or ni ng, noon and ni ght . “We’ r e overwhelmed by the brutal increase in demand for ice,” Calvache said.

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Employment rate continues to improve JOBLESS figures dip below 100,000 in Almeria Province, although 29 per cent of population still without work By Linda Hall THE number of unemployed in Almeria Province has at last dipped below the 100,000 mark. Just over 29 per cent of the population - 99,200

Boat trip ends in sickness MORE than half of 126 passengers on an Aguilas (Murcia) pleasure boat were taken ill later that day. Some of the passengers – who included a Spanish hen party – were from Mojacar, Vera and Garrucha. Sources from the Almeria 061 emergency services said they received multiple calls reporting stomachaches, vomiting and diarrhoea. It later emerged that all had been passengers on the same trip. All received treatment at health centres in Almeria and Murcia provinces as well as the La Inmaculada and Rafael Mendez hospitals in Huercal-Overa and Lorca.

TLC for beaches BEACHES are being well looked after at Cuevas del Almanzora. “We give our beaches preferential attention because they are leisure areas for the population,” said Works and Services Councillor Jose Maria Bascuñana. “They are one of the principal signs of our identity and cleaning and maintaining them is a priority,” he added. The town has put the municipal beaches plan into action, with an exhaustive and daily cleaning schedule, Bascuñana said, as well as new services incorporated at the principal beaches. “As well as new toilets at Palomares and Cala Siret, wooden walkways have been installed at the Quitapellejos beach in Palomares and Playazo de Villaricos, along with new volleyball nets,” the councillor announced.

people - are without jobs, although the province’s 60.93 per cent employment rate is one the highest in Andalucia. There are now 27,400 fewer unemployed than there were a year ago. “The figures are encourag-

ing, although much still remains to be done,” said Carmen Navarro, Partido Popular (PP) MP for Almeria in the Madrid Parliament. José Luis Sanchez Teruel, Secretary General of the PSOE socialist party in Almeria Province and a

regional MP, called for the government to be “braver.” Unemployment figures were still high, he said, and Andalucia needed an emergency employment plan that would also benefit Almeria.

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We’ll keep the Green and White Flag flying here! NACION ANDALUZA militants from Almeria recently commemorated the 142nd anniversary of Andalucia’s 1873 declaration of independence. As it was then, the event was held at Despeñaperros, one of Andalucia’s natural boundaries with the rest of Spain. Mariano Junco, representing the Almeria chapter of the Nacion Andaluza association, read out the 1873 declaration which called for, but did not achieve, a free Andalucian state composed of regional cantons. The First Republic – announced that year but which

lasted only 22 months – did not guarantee the rights of Andalucia’s population, the declaration argued at the time. Junco then read a manifesto which urged the establishment of the State of Andalucia, as well as a complete break with the ‘neo-Francoist’ past and all its institutions. The document also demanded that the workers of Andalucia should be able to exercise their sovereignty and be free to decide their future. “If we all have the same thoughts, let us all have the same heart,” the manifesto proclaimed. “Viva Andalucia Libre!”

NEWS

NEWS EXTRA

Exporting fruit and veg ANDALUCIA produced 36 per cent of all Spanish fruit and vegetable exports between January and June. Almeria accounted for 45 per cent of the regional total, generating a €1.278 billion turnover.

New school FACELIFT: Huercal’s Calle Hernan Cortes.

Roadworks complete MAYOR satisfied with results By Linda Hall WORK on the Calle Hernan Cortes area in Huercal-Overa is now complete. The town hall succeeded in recovering the customary surety that was put up by a builder before embarking on a now-halted development. This has covered the cost of

providing pavements and drainage as well as infrastructure for lighting, water and telephones. He was very satisfied with the results, said Huercal’s mayor Domingo Fernandez. “We have improved safety conditions in the neighbourhood and at the same time improved its image,” Fernandez added.

VIATOR Town Hall will provide 7,000 square metres of municipal land for a new primary school. Pupils are currently housed in prefabs owing to the previous council’s delay in deciding on a site.

More info THE municipal tourist office in Almerimar is due to open next month, El Ejido Town Hall has announced. This will complement existing information points in Punta Entinas-Sabinar and Balerma.

Balls of fire FOUR fireballs seen over the Almeria were fragments of the 169P/NEAT comet. They were photographed by the Calar Alto observatory, disintegrating as they hit Earth’s atmosphere at 80,000 kilometres an hour.

Bike friendly ALMERIA City’s nine kilometres of cycle lanes should be completed in August. All of the Levante zone will then be bicycle-friendly as well as 70 per cent of the Poniente area.

Bad service THE consumers’ office OMIC in Adra received 400 complaints about mobile and landline telephones between January and July. Next most-unpopular services were electricity and water supplies and bank operations.

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NEWS

Rethink on plaza revamp RESIDENTS’ concerns over removal of emblematic statue taken into consideration By Linda Hall ADRA Town Hall has come up with an alternative for remodelling Plaza de San Sebastian. Initial proposals were rejected by residents who complained that there would be fewer parking spaces and an emblematic statue would be removed. They were especially unhappy about moving the statue that commemorates the town’s agricultural traditions but local mayor Manuel Cortes is prepared to modify plans, he said. “Traffic flow will still be im-

DIALOGUE: Manuel Cortes (third right) explains alternative plans. proved, particularly for heavy vehicles, and the statue of the

Almeria drivers caught on camera FIVE Almeria Province radar traps were big earners in 2014 and responsible for 2,732 fines. Despite the DGT traffic authority’s entreaties to drive responsibly, last year 1,868 drivers tripped the Kilometre 404.45 speed camera on the Autovia del Mediterraneo near El Ejido. This was the biggest sneak of all, followed by the camera at Kilometre 391 near Viator on the A-92 just before the A7 intersection, which earned drivers a further 377 fines.

Speed cameras on the A334 at Kilometre 49 near Purchena and Kilometre 468 on the A-7 between El Viso and Retamar were respectively responsible for 244 and 222 fines. The fifth most-productive was at Kilometre 451 on Autovia del Mediterraneo, bringing fines to 21 speeding drivers. Almeria’s 30 speed traps were responsible for only €213,557 of the €13 million that Andalucia earned in traffic fines between January and June.

farmer will be nearer the original site. The corporation had ex-

pressly taken into account residents’ suggestions, Cortes added.

Growers thirsty for irrigation water GROWERS in the Almanzora Basin bought the rights to 40 cubic hectometres of water last February. This water came from the Negratin Reservoir and was surplus to the needs of growers in the Genil-Cabra Valley (Cordoba). Nevertheless they have yet to feel the benefit of the water. Javier Serrano, President of Aguas del Almanzora, whose members use the association’s water to cultivate 24,000 hectares of Valle del Almanzora land, revealed that they are still waiting for authorisation from the national government’s Ministry

of Agriculture. “We need the Negratin water because no transfers are arriving from the Tajo-Segura pipeline,” explained the association’s secretary Matias Gomez Cervellera, who predicted that the situation would worsen after the summer. Treated water from the desalination plant at 55 cents per cubic metre is insufficiently competitive, the Levante growers maintained. Meanwhile, 100 cubic hectometres of water are wasted each year during rice cultivation in the Bajo Guadalquivir. the same amount that Almeria Province lacks, they said.

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EURO WOMEN PAGE

Helping those who are vulnerable 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. Elaine Horton is always taking care of other people, both in her personal and working life.

ELAINE HORTON has been taking care of other people her whole life, nursing her grandmother and her mother until they passed away and also in her professional career as head of children’s services in Dorset until her retirement. Her nurturing background is what makes her the woman she is, but it also brought her to Jalon Valley Help, a voluntary charity organisation founded in 1992 to help those in need within the Vall de Pop. Elaine has been stepping in to help people for so many years she cannot understand the attitude of people who just walk away from their obligations. “During my career I have seen people walk away from children as young as two, leaving them to fend for themselves. “How can they do it? We are all responsible for those who are vulnerable and that is what Help is all about.” Up to 140 hard-working volunteers give up their time to raise funds for people who need help inspired by Elaine, whose considerable motivational skills are behind major contributions and support to individuals who desperately need a helping hand as well as other local deserving charities. Funds are raised through special annual events and also through two charity shops in Alcalali and Jalon. And it is not just about raising cash - an

NURTURING BACKGROUND: Is what makes Elaine Horton the woman she is today.

I cannot understand people who just walk away By Jan Gamm

Elaine believes that a charity’s president has to work harder than everyone else to get the job done.

Fact file Name: Elaine Horton Family: Married to Richard with two grown up boys Home Town: From Middlesex and also Dorset Lives now: Alcalali in the Jalon Valley for 12 years Pets: Two dogs and a cat called Maggie Languages: English, some German, some Spanish Book or TV: Both: I don’t like fiction but love travel and factual Favourite title: Anything on travel Strengths: Problem solving

amazing support network has been created through Help - a 24-hour Helpline, a drop-in facility, medical equipment, transport, care facilities for patients with Leprosy, Alzheimer ’s, Cancer… interpreters and even bilingual legal services when necessary. Elaine believes that a charity’s president has to work harder than everyone else to get the job done: “Our volunteers are outstanding,” she said: “When a van was needed to

Weaknesses: A bit impatient, I don’t suffer fools gladly Irritants: Egotists. And irresponsible people Biggest success: Our two boys who have grown into wonderful men Biggest Failure: My first marriage

transport people to and from hospitals, Help volunteers stepped in and worked so hard to raise the cash to buy what was needed - we now have a van and it is certainly put to good use!”

Who was the biggest influence in Elaine’s life? “Definitely my lovely grandmother. “My father died when I was only eight and my Mum had to work so Gran brought me up. Even now when

I have a dilemma I ask myself ‘What would Gran do about this?’” Elaine is a ‘big picture’ person, believing that you have to have a vision before you can attend to the detail to make it all happen. The best time of her life? “Now! I absolutely love it in Alcalali, where we have so many friends - I love the place and the people in it and in years to come it is where I want to be, still loving it and still having a blast!” Elaine’s heroes? She has hundreds! “I admire anyone who has overcome enormous disability to achieve their goals against all odds. It is so easy for people who have every advantage of money and good health to make a success of their lives. “Others have to conquer incredible obstacles, struggling with illness and perhaps financial hardship to attain a normality that so many of us take for granted. “Those people are my heroes, an example to us all. I love them and I salute them.”

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

Lotto luck A L OT T E RY c o u p o n pro c e sse d i n E l Ejid o shared a second-category prize in the internation a l E u r o Mi l lio n s

draw with seven others. Five correct numbers and one star earned the coupon’s lucky owner €182,139.

FILLING STATION: Public prefer personal service.

Unmanned garages ‘unfair’ CALLS to bring back petrol-pump attendants By Linda Hall CONSUMERS’ associations, disabled support groups and petrol station owners are calling for fewer self-service stations. Unions and the IU political party complained to Almeria City Hall that unmanned filling stations ignore the rights of the pub-

lic and in particular those of the elderly, the frail or the disabled. The city council should grant fewer of these licences, said IU spokesman Rafael Esteban. “We support any public initiative that safeguards the public interest,” agreed Maria Jesus Mata of the Federacion Almeriense de Personas con Discapacidad

(FAAM). Mata said petrol stations should respect the rights of users and guarantee basic safety conditions. Unmanned petrol stations also threatened jobs, Rafael Esteban claimed, who said that local town halls should act “with responsibility and sensitivity” when granting new licences.

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International role for light pollution expert APPOINTMENT of Calar Alto astronomer By Linda Hall CALAR ALTO astronomer David Galadi has been appointed to an International Astronomical Union (IAU) working committee. He will be the sole Andalucian on the committee and one of only seven Spanish members. The committee will be watching over the quality of the skies at all of the world’s obser-

vatories and Galadi’s inclusion is the outcome of his awardwinning work on light pollution. He is one of the international group of experts who drew up last January’s declaration, warning of the environmental drawbacks of using artificial blue-rich white lighting at night. The appointment will be officially announced during the IAU general assembly in Hawaii between August 3 and

14. Galadi, who was born in Cordoba in 1969 and has a doctorate in astrophysics, is the author of university and school textbooks. He is currently working at the Centro Astonomico Hispano Aleman observatory in Calar Alto. The IAU was founded in 1919 to promote astronomy through international co-operation and has more than 10,000 individual members.

No increase in crime rate ALMERIA’S crime rate remained practically unchanged during the first six months of this year. Violent robbery and housebreaking fell by up to 20 per cent in the province, Interior Ministry figures revealed. In contrast there was a slight rise in other offences, principally non-violent theft. Taken together this produced a minimal 0.1

per cent reduction in criminal offences compared with the same period in 2014. Police and Guardia Civil do not regard the half-year statistics as negative, since the most encouraging figures are those corresponding to serious crime, sources said. The province also had a 45.5 per cent success rate in crime-solving.

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NEWS John Perivolaris

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SOCIAL SECURITY: Almeria has the most non-EU contributors.

More foreigners paying into system THE majority in Almeria are agricultural workers By Linda Hall THERE were 46,824 nonSpanish contributors to the Social Security system in Almeria in June. The province has the second highest number after Malaga, with 59,656, and is followed by

Huelva (29,759). In Malaga the majority of foreign Social Security contributors come under the general, domestic workers and self-employed categories, unlike Almeria and Huelva where the majority are agricultural workers. Almeria Province heads the

list of non-EU workers, with a total of 30,728 employees who are practically all employed in the agricultural sector. There are currently 1,668,099 foreign workers paying Social Security in Spain, of whom 198,725 live in Andalucia.

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Bus passes in El Ejido EXACTLY 2,311 El Ejido elderly or disabled residents have one of the bus passes introduced in 2013. The over-65s account for 1,999 (86.4 per cent) of those entitled to free transport on the municipal bus network. El Ejido residents officiallyregistered as 65 per cent disabled are also eligible, with half-fares for those with less serious disabilities. Passes are available to those from either collective who are registered on the local padron. Applications can be made at El Ejido Town Hall’s Social Services Department or council offices in outlying districts.

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Breaker’s yard for fire-damaged yacht BOAT was refuelling in the Aguadulce marina

VILLAJOYOSA: An important fishing port. By Linda Hall A YACHT that caught fire recently in the Aguadulce marina belonged to Jose Marco Morell from Villajoyosa (Alicante). The luxury craft, Ocram Dos, which was refuelling at the time,

was towed away to prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby pumps. Owing to the virulence of the blaze it was taken to Almeria harbour where it sank despite the efforts of firefighters and the Salvamento Maritimo salvage unit. Only a section of the bows re-

mained above water and the boat has now been raised. However, according to the divers and specialists who brought it to the surface, it is likely to be scrapped. Fortunately the yacht’s huge fuel tanks withstood the fire and there was no oil spillage.

NEWS

Fewer organised demonstrations last year in Almeria PROTESTS and demonstrations in Almeria Province increased dramatically during the economic crisis years. People took to the streets to protest about spending cuts, unemployment, evictions, changes in the education system and law reforms. In 2008, when the economic crisis began, there were roughly 100 demonstrations, with more each year until 2013 when there were 510, according to Interior Ministry figures. Thirteen more were banned, either for not giving sufficient warning or for safety reasons, although some subsequently took place. In 2014, the number of demonstrations in Almeria began to fall, the government revealed, and last year’s 400 protests, most of

them in Almeria City, were 20 per cent below 2013’s. There were 10,300 demonstrations in Andalucia, more than in any other Spanish region and well ahead of Madrid, which followed with 4,300 protests in 2014.

400 demos last year in Almeria Almeria is considered the least ‘belligerent’ of Andalucia’s eight provinces and it is the only one where employment is not the principal motive for public protests. Instead, recent changes to Spain’s Penal Code and other legal reforms have been the principal triggers for public demonstrations.

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own in-house lawyer. Clients who are having difficulties with site owners and unreasonable rental contracts can then make a more informed choice. We can arrange all aspects of a mobile home’s purchase and sale such as the removal, disconnection, plot preparation and/ or clearance, and furniture removal both locally and internationally. We have a fully legal and insured team of contractors. When we buy a mobile home we pay for it before it is removed, we can pay in cash or by bank transfer to Spain or overseas. Call us on 616 250 727 or our UK number 01482 429718 for a free no obligation discussion or email suzicaley@gmail.com

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NEWS

New plantings give pleasure PLANTS now adorn Adra’s roundabouts and public gardens By Linda Hall ADRA residents attending the town’s Occupational Centre can now see the results of their efforts. They are putting in place

the thousand or so plants they have cultivated since September during the Vivero or Nursery workshop and which now adorn Adra’s roundabouts, plazas, public gardens and streets.

The project was instructive and enjoyable for the participants but also gives pleasure to all Adra residents, said Concha Reyes, the councillor who heads the Disabilities department.

Mothers tried to retrieve children from care home TWO African mothers were arrested after seizing their three children from the Piedras Redondas children’s home. The children, all under 10, were removed from their mothers’ care after social workers decided they were at risk of social exclusion. The women took the children with them at the end of a visit after insulting the employees.

Staff and the National Police scoured the area and located the children quickly. That was the easy part, as the mothers did not want police to hand over the children to the care staff and threatened, elbowed and bit the officers. The children are now back in the home. After spending the night in custody, the mothers were released and charged with disobedience.

Improvement works to Mojacar’s road signs

ROAD SIGNS: Works including painting signs in the parking areas. CONTINUING with the municipal renovation plan and coinciding with the summer season, Mojácar Town Hall has installed new vertical and horizontal signage in parts of the town. You can see, for example, how the town’s department of works is carrying out work painting signs in the parking area of the Plaza Rey Alabez located in the old part of

town. They have also placed signs warning of the hazardous bend on the road down from the village. Additionally, in La Paratá they have placed road signs on both sides of the road. In the Marina de la Torre area, speed bumps have been installed in Calles Finisterre and Marqués de Chavarri to prevent cars speeding. Calle Marques de Chavarri is the

location of the new hotel in Marina de la Torre which opened this summer. In the coming weeks, the council intends to place new vertical signs in the neighbourhood of Sopalmo, to mark the entry and exit into the parking area and to properly define the parking spaces ensuring that the area has improved accessibility for visitors.

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NEWS

Ranger stands his ground

ANDARAX: The upper reaches of the river. By Linda Hall AS reported recently in the Euro Weekly News an Environment ranger was declared “persona non grata” by Ragol Council. A problem exists with effluent reaching the River Andarax, admitted Partido Popular spokeswoman Matilde Diaz, but this was the regional government’s responsibility.

There was also friction over burning weeds and rushes in the riverbed, but again this was the Junta’s liability, Diaz said. There are two Environment rangers in the area but only one gave problems, she claimed: “We don’t know why this man is doing things this way. It’s necessary to work professionally without being fanatical.” In a formal letter to the Delegation, the ranger stated the

sewer had needed repairing since 2009 as effluent from Ragol, Instincion, Illar, Bentarique and Huecija was reaching the Andarax. He and other Environment officials had reported the situation, which was the town halls’ responsibility. There was no “manifest or intentional animosity in his attitude,” and he was not deliberately prejudicing the interests of Ragol, the ranger claimed.

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Summer holidays for RBL MEMBERS’ last meeting, until September 3, had a naval flavour By community reporter ROYAL British Legion (RBL) Albox members and guests were royally entertained at the branch’s last members’ meeting by the Chariman, Filip Ostrowski. Filip recounted his adventures as a young man in the Navy and had the audience laughing loudly at his exploits. Although he did his utmost to keep the talk as clean as possible, members in the audience demanded more. Part two of his adventures, Under Water in Submarines, will be given at the next meeting on September 3 because the branch, as is common practice, will not be holding any meetings during August. The new poppy co-ordinator would like to thank members and the public alike for their contributions to the poppy tins in vari-

ous local shops, which have amounted to about €200 over the last two months. The co-ordinator urged people to continue to donate, explaining that servicemen and women deserve everyone’s support. For more information on the Albox RBL’s activities and events or to become a member (being ex-forces is not obligatory to join) and help with the legion’s

excellent work for British service and exservice personnel and their families both in Spain and the UK, pop along to a branch meeting at Hotel Restaurante La Parrilla (first and third Thursdays of the month). Alternatively, contact the chairman, Filip Ostrowski, by email on: ossiesinspain@ yahoo.co.uk, or visit the branch website: www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/albox.

NAVAL ADVENTURES: Chairman Filip Ostrowski will be giving another talk on September 3.

Come to Albox, delegate urges ALMERIA Provincial Council’s tourism department has released a statement promoting the delights of Albox and encouraging people to take

the time to visit the area. After giving a brief history of the are a a n d a n o utline of s ome of its many attractions, Tourism Delegate

Javier Aureliano Garcia encouraged Almeria residents and visitors to ve nture inla nd to dis c ove r the town.

NEWS

Cigarette sales hit historic low in Spain SPANIARDS are slowly but surely shrugging off their addiction to smoking. Cigarette sales have decreased by 2.4 per cent in the first half of 2015, with a total of just more than 1.1 billion packets sold. Sales generated profits of €4.9 million for the industry, 0.6 per cent less than last year, according t o dat a r el eased by t he Market Commissioner for Tobacco. The sector continues to register a negative trend, although figures have stabilised with a slight decrease if compared with the same period of 2014. Sales of rolling tobacco decreased by 1.6 per cent, to 3.1 million kilos, while

pipe tobacco has continued registering a significant positive trend with a climb in sales of 6.3 per cent (to 344,748 kilos). Cigar sales dropped just sl i ght l y, by 0.06 per cent. Cigarette sales reached an historic low in 2014, with a total of 2.3 billion packets sold over the full year, which translated into a 1.49 per cent fall compared with 2013, linking six consecutive years of reductions and the lowest sales figures since the register began in 1989. The decrease has been mainly credited to the financial crisis, as before it began in 2008, cigarette sales amounted to more than 4.5 billion packets per year.

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NEWS

Tuna poachers apprehended TWO boats intercepted by Guardia Civil By Linda Hall THE Guardia Civil’s maritime unit has twice intercepted boats fishing illegally for red tuna. On the first occasion the Rio Almanzora patrol boat intercepted a fishing boat one sea mile (1.8 kilometres) off Roquetas, finding18 tuna which between them weighed 2,260 kilos. Since the boat did not have a licence or allocation to catch the

endangered species - also called blue-fin tuna - they were impounded and later placed in cold storage. The Guardia Civil swooped on a second boat the same day but on seeing them approach, the crew threw eight tunnies overboard. Both boats face legal action and the second boat has also been charged with obstructing Guardia Civil officers in the line of duty.

CONFISCATED: There are strict quotas for red tuna.

Lottery brings employment, too ALMERIA spent €32.93 million on the ONCE lottery last year, 1.46 per cent less than in 2013. As a non-profit-making body, the Organizacion National de Ciegos Españoles returned half of that amount - €16.27 million to the lottery-buying public. A further €13.35 million was invested in social programmes. The economic crisis, increasing competition from other authorised lotteries and online gaming have all affected sales, explained Cristobal Martinez, the ONCE delegate in Almeria. “The 20 per cent tax on prizes of more than €2,500 has taken its toll and so have illegal lotteries,” Martinez added. Nevertheless, although ticket sales fell in Almeria last year, they did not diminish to the same

extent as in Andalucia or Spain overall. ONCE emphasises rehabilitation as a means of overcoming the obstacles posed by visual impairment and to develop at social, professional and personal levels. The institution created 125 new jobs in the province last year and together with its foundation and business group Ilunion, ONCE employs 1,956 people in Almeria, of whom 83 per cent have some type of disability. With a total workforce of 27,756 in Andalucia, one out of every 272 of the region’s residents is employed by the organisation. Now one of Spain’s principal employers, ONCE was created in 1938 just before the end of the Civil War.

Ticked off about ticks ALMERIA CITY’S Loma Cabrera neighbourhood is plagued with ticks, residents complain. They first asked the authorities to do something about the ticks now abounding in the public gardens in Calle Jardineros almost three weeks ago, they said. There have also been reports of residents finding them inside their homes, even if they do not have pets. City Hall claimed not to have been informed about the ticks but said it will include Calle Jardineros in its fumigation programme.

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NEWS

Water shortage misery continues for residents EMERGENCY drought conditions in Velez Rubio By Linda Hall READER Andrea Welburn contacted the Euro Weekly News out of desperation earlier this week. She lives just outside Velez Rubio and explained that

her mains water supply has been sporadic “to put it politely.” But at least there was water sometimes and she could shower and do the washing, she said. “Then late on Friday afternoon we lost the water again.”

Fortunately she was prepared and had filled a couple of large water containers for just such an emergency: “But now it is Monday and we still have no water.” Andrea asked Velez Rubio Town Hall what was happening. The answer was simple: “There is no water,” she was told. “Apparently we are under emergency drought conditions and the town hall said they didn’t know how long it would last.” If she bought a large water deposit and phoned 950 614 015, asking for Servicio de

VELEZ RUBIO: Idyllic landscape but no running water. Aguas, they would fill it free of charge, they told her. But as Andrea pointed out, she had to ask for this information: “Many people that I know do not speak enough Spanish to elicit this information, so I am trying to spread the word.” Even Spanish friends she spoke to later were unaware of the free water deal. An indignant Andrea also told us that despite the drought,

Ve l e z Blanco just six kilometres away has a different water company - and no problems.

“We are unable to flush the toilet, take a shower or do the washing. And I am tired of washing my hair in cold water!”

(Almost) all is revealed ALMERIA City Hall recently revealed councillors’ pay. The monthly bill comes to €83,000 but does not include salaries for the mayor, Luis Rogelio RodriguezComendador or the council’s PSOE spokesman Juan Carlos Perez Navas, who are paid by the Senate. Five other councillors are also absent from the payroll as they are either national MPs, heads of Diputacion departments or are unpaid. Even the lowest paid of the 11 full-time councillors receives an annual €64,837.

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NEWS

Los Albaricoques go back to the spaghetti western TOWN became the best setting to re-enact well known scenes of the movies By Maria José Fernandez LOS ALBARICOQUES went all the way back to the golden western years to celebrate the event Mad for Spaghetti Western, and commemorate the 50th anniversary of legendary movie For a Few Dollars More. The Cabo de Gata-Nijar Cultural association, together with the collaboration and sponsoring of Nijar Council, turned the village into a unique western town, drawing dozens of visitors. The town became the best setting to re-enact well known scenes of movies For a Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More. Scenes were carried out by professionals with the original movie props and saddles, as well as the recognisable

SCENES: Were carried out by professionals with the original movie props. soundtrack which was accompanied by short narrations to get the audience immersed in the story.

The high point was reached with the duel between the three actors who portrayed Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef

and Gian Maria Volonte, together with the music by prestigious composer Ennio Morricone.

Benefactor gives her beach villa to charity RETIRED ophthalmologist Maria Angeles Carretero has given her Almeria beach villa to charity. Children from Aldeas Infantiles SOS have now been holidaying there since mid-July. As Dr Carretero told a Spanish interviewer, they are already filling it with the vitality it had when her four children

and many grandchildren were little. The 77-year-old Almeria-born doctor volunteered in Africa and Latin America for 25 years and returned earlier this year from the Sahara refugee camps. “But I’m getting tired now and the heat was too much for me,” confessed Carretero who this summer is looking after Jadijatu, a Sa-

harawi child from the Tindouf camps. Instead of selling the property and giving the proceeds to charity, she preferred to donate the house with its swimming pool and tennis court. It was designed with her children in mind and she wanted others to enjoy it, too, she said.

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NEWS FROM OUR FIVE OTHER REGIONS

NEWS

COSTA DEL SOL

A Burma war hero celebrates 100th birthday in Fuengirola HEROIC war veteran shared some of his memories with EWN

More jobs A TOTAL of 575,000 people in Malaga Province had jobs at the end of June, the highest number since 2008, according to the EPA Active Population Survey for April to June. The survey found that 25,900 new jobs were created over the three-month period.

By Carol Irving

ERNEST HALL: Celebrated 100th birthday with his family.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

MALLORCA

ERNEST HALL, a member of the British Legion and one of the last surviving former POWs from the Burma Campaign in the Second World War, celebrated his 100th birthday with several generations of his family in Los Boliches, Fuengirola on Monday July 27. Looking in the peak of good health, the heroic war veteran shared some of his memories with EWN when we were invited to join him at his party. As a POW, Ernest worked on the notorious Hellfire Pass on the Burma railway which saw hundreds of thousands of Allied POW, as well as Asian civilian labourers, worked to death under deplorable conditions. However, Ernest considers himself one of the lucky ones. He miraculously survived five incidents in which he escaped death by a whisker. The former soldier from the Second Battalion Leicester Regiment also recounted how he had to survive on just three cups of rice a day for three years.

AXARQUÍA

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Polaris to pay

Limited swimming

Road accident

Vuelta stops traffic

MURCIA courts have said Polaris World Tourist Services must pay €231,000 for the repair of damage caused by heavy rains at Torre Pacheco resort in September 2009, shortly before the Davis Cup.

THE number of people allowed to access the municipal swimming pool in Binissalem has been restricted by the town hall to 172 to avoid having it closed down by the Health Department.

THE 9th stage of the Vuelta cycling event on the N-332 will force cuts in the flow of traffic in Benidorm, Altea and Alfaz del Pi at various times during the afternoon on Sunday August 30.

Statue damaged

Horses’ suffering

A TOTAL of four people suffered injuries after being involved in a headon collision between two motorbikes on the N-340 road in Motril. The incident took place on Sunday at around 1.50pm. Victims were taken to the regional hospital of Motril.

THE cross of Santa Faz has been removed from its base in Alicante City following vandalism. The town hall says it is repairable.

AROUND 50 animal lovers held a march in the Paseo del Borne area to protest against the situation of horses which pull carts in the area all day long, facing extremely high temperatures.

Back to work THE Superior Court of Valencia has declared null and void the dismissal of a consultant in Orihuela two days before giving birth. The woman is to be reinstated in her post, receive lost salary and €2,000 compensation.

Facebook course

Museum opening HALF of the exhibition area at Mallorca Museum has been reopened to the public following refurbishment works which have cost €7.5 million.

Hotel stays

Cardiac arrest

Volleyball plans FINESTRAT Mayor Juan Francisco Pérez is holding meetings with local associations and sports clubs with the aim of creating a municipal school of volleyball, hoped to be opened next summer.

A 10-YEAR-OLD child suffered a cardiac arrest on July 23 while on board a fast ferry between Motril Port and Nador (Morocco). On Monday (July 27) health care sources informed that the boy was recovering well.

Dog tragedy

Independence proposal

POLICE in Alcoy are investigating two cases of dog poisoning in the Zona Alta and the green. Warning posters have been put up by the Civil Protection unit.

A PROPOSAL put forward by leftwing party Izquierda Unida (IU) in La Herradura could establish this Almuñecar district as a town on its own. IU is hoping to draw support from the rest of the political parties.

A SUMMER course in Torrevieja has launched the use of social networks for all ages. It will use networks such as WhatsApp and Facebook, and is run by the University Miguel Hernandez.

OVERNIGHT stays in hotels in the Balearic Islands increased by 1.2 per cent in June, totalling €8.4 million. It was the region with the highest occupancy levels in Spain, at 79.9 per cent, the most popular island being Mallorca.

Summer zumba

Death toll

Marihuana plantation

ORIHUELA COSTA is hosting free evening beach zumba sessions from 7.30pm taking place Mondays at Playa de la Glea, Tuesdays at Cala Caleta, Wednesdays at Cala Bosque and on a Thursday at Cala Estaca.

THE death toll on the roads of the Balearic Islands has risen by 50 per cent so far this year with 30 victims so far according to the State Traffic Department (DGT) while the total for the whole of last year was 28.

NATIONAL POLICE of Velez-Malaga demolished a marihuana plantation in a mango greenhouse in Sayalonga. A 26-year-old Spanish man has been arrested and charged with a crime against public health.

For more local news from our five other regions see www.euroweeklynews.com

The Fisherman THE short fiction and horror entry ‘The Fisherman’ shot in Hong Kong and directed by Alejandro Leon Suarez was the winner of the Film Festival at Elche’s Hort del Xocolater this year.

Whale watching A WHALE has been sighted very close to the shore off Cap de la Nao in Javea according to several excited whale watchers who contacted the Euro Weekly News.

Less crime CRIME rates in the province fell by 1.4 per cent over the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2014. Malaga City, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Mijas all registered fewer crimes.

Bobbies on bikes MIJAS Local Police force has created a new cyclist unit with four officers posted on bicycles on the coastal pathway to enforce beach regulations and keep crime down over the summer.

Case shelved THE case regarding the murder of Irishman Gerard ‘Hatchet’ Kavanagh by hitmen in Elviria last September has been shelved by a Marbella court due to a complete lack of evidence or suspects.

Drinking and riding A WOMAN may face a €500 fine for drinking and cycling after testing positive for alcohol following a collision with a car in Malaga City.

Parents beware THE authorities are urging parents to supervise children around water after four youngsters aged between two and seven almost drowned in Costa del Sol swimming pools in just 24 hours.

EWN top for all the news from Spain.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

Forest firefighters on strike as Spain burns THE fire risk is currently very high large wildfire in Odena, Catalunya, which has destroyed more than 1,000 AN INDEFINITE hectares, strike by Spain’s elite forstill est firefighters started on active Monday July 27 as fires and several more in the raged out of control in north of the country various parts leading to evacuations, of the destroyed property and country. farmland. T h e Another two fires are forest fireburning in Galicia, with fighting force, Las the army called in to help Brigadas de Refuerzo en in Navia, and on Sunday Incendios Forestales July 26, there were 11 (BRIF) are striking over fires burning across working conditions and Spain, in Andalucia, low pay, receiving a salary Catalunya and Galicia. of €16,000, which they FIREFIGHTERS: Striking over low pay. The abnormally high say they cannot survive temperatures in July on. means the fire risk is extremely high with no sigEarlier in July, they held a three-day strike and nificant drop in temperatures forecast in the near they have been negotiating with TRAGSA, their future. Elsewhere in Europe, France is also facemployers and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food ing major wildfires with evacuations taking place and the Environment but no progress has been in Bordeaux and Frejus on the Cote dÁzur where made. 10,000 people had to evacuate the area. Fires are currently raging across Spain, with a By Carol Irving

30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

EWN

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GERMAN

EUROPEAN PRESS SCANDINAVIAN PRESS

Parsnip advice FINLAND: The Finnish President Saul Niinisto found time to call a radio phone-in advice line to ask how to eradicate wild parsnips from the grounds of his summer home on Wednesday July 22.

Streaming success FINLAND: The number of CDs sold in Finland in the first half of 2015 was down by half but subscription streaming revenue grew 39.9 per cent from €6.4m to €8.95m.

Unpopular asylum SWEDEN: Swedish Migration Board has stated fewer asylum seekers are expected to arrive in Sweden in 2015: it is no longer seen as a good choice of refuge, partly due to its lengthy red tape system.

PRESS

Police shock statistics CONVICTED of crimes including violent assaults NEW statistics show that 309 UK police officers have been convicted of crimes including sex offences, violent assaults, drug use and possession of indecent images of children over the past three years.

BRITISH PRESS

Criminal vicar

Vicious seagulls

A CHURCH of England vicar from Farnham, Surrey is on the run after being convicted of pocketing thousands of pounds of cash handed over as fees for weddings, funerals and graveyard memorials.

A PENSIONER aged 66 from Helston sustained an injury to her scalp and a four-year-old boy from St Ives nearly lost a finger after being attacked by seagulls in Cornwall.

Illuminated cows

Hedge chaos AUTHOR JK Rowling has infuriated her neighbours by causing traffic hold-ups while she had her 30ft Cypress hedge trimmed outside her Edinburgh home. Gardeners worked on the hedge for three days.

Jobs in Wales DEFENCE company General Dynamics is to create 250 jobs in Wales after winning a £390m contract to maintain the Army’s next generation of tanks.

Equal pay BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has spoken about ending the gender pay gap saying companies will be forced to publish details.

HUNGERFORD’S mayor has come up with the idea that cows should wear fluorescent jackets and fairy lights to avoid being run over at night near Hungerford Common.

THE German government has been criticised for spending US$16 million per month to maintain Berlin’s Brandenburg International Willy Brandt Airport, mothballed due to its limited capability to accommodate the Airbus A380.

Undersea to Denmark DENMARK has secured EU approval for an 18 km undersea road-rail tunnel that will significantly cut journey times to Germany.

ON Sunday July 19 Germany’s Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel became the first senior Western official to visit Iran following an agreement to ease sanctions on the Islamic nation in exchange for concessions on its nuclear programme.

NORWAY is now leading the world’s electric vehicle market, having registered its 50,000th electric car in April of this year.

DENMARK: Queen Margrethe and Prince Consort Henrik on the second leg of their annual summer cruise were seen out on the final day of their tour of Greenland in the region’s traditional costume.

Expensive airport

Minister visit

Electric car

Royal cruise

BUS and coach holidays are becoming increasingly popular with German tourists according to the International Coach Tourism Association RDA in Cologne, with 8 per cent of holidaymakers taking to the road in buses.

HEALTHCARE tourism in Munich is reportedly continuing to grow at a staggering rate, mostly due to its outstanding medical facilities.

SWEDEN: Security police confirmed on Thursday July 23 that they arrested two Swedish citizens on suspicion of committing terrorist crimes, including murder in Syria in 2013.

NORWAY’S prisons have reached a level of occupancy of 98.1 per cent, the most crowded conditions ever recorded.

Taking the bus

Munich health

Terrorist arrests

Crowded prisons

NEWS

FINEST: Superyachts.

World’s super shipbuilders MARKET leaders DUTCH shipbuilders are now the market leaders in the design and building of the world’s finest superyachts.

DUTCH

Euthanasia rising

Unpaid fines

IN the first six months of this year, 18 people with severe psychiatric problems have been helped to die at a euthanasia clinic in Holland, more than double the total figure of 17 in 2014.

SO far this year, €500,000 in unpaid fines and taxes has been collected from passengers who are leaving the Netherlands via Schiphol Airport.

PRESS

Friendliest city AMSTERDAM has received the most votes for Europe’s Friendliest City, followed by London and Dublin.

Property boom DUTCH property prices continue to rise with June’s statistics 2.6 per cent up compared to the same period last year.

Industry concerns GERMAN industry and government leaders are concerned that underinvestment and poor recruitment is affecting small and mid-sized industrial firms that form the foundation Germany’s economy.

Lenin’s head A 3.5 TONNE granite head of Lenin buried after the fall of the Berlin Wall is to be excavated and displayed with other historical statues.

NEWS

30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

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RUSSIAN P RESS

Odessa training against crime DELEGATION of officers will train the FBI

ODESSA POLICE: Helping to combat organised crime. ODESSA police say they have agreed to send a delegation of 50 officers to train the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) in combating organised crime.

Drunken passenger PASSENGERS on board a Siberian Airlines flight from Hong Kong to Russia this week used seatbelts and tape to restrain a fellow traveller who was drunk and allegedly harassing a lady.

French visit FRANCE’S main opposition party led by Nicolas Sarkozy is to visit Russia and the Crimea in an attempt to form a new foreign policy.

Warm Moscow MUSCOVITES are feeling uncomfortable in temperatures of 30 degrees. The ‘heat wave’ is forecast to continue for at least another week.

Brave rescue IN Kaliningrad on Wednesday July 22, a 34year-old sailor who bravely went into the sea to rescue a teenager in difficulties pulled the boy to safety but lost his own life in the process.

Costly apartment RUSSIAN opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has accused a senior government official of concealing his ownership of a London apartment valued at US$18 million.

No charges

NGO pulls out

RUSSIAN prosecutors have decided not to bring charges against Varvara Karaulova, a Moscow student who may have been recruited by the Islamic State.

AFTER 20 years, USbased NGO the MacArthur Foundation has announced it will stop working in Russia due to the new laws targeting foreign organisations.

Home again A RUSSIAN Soyuz rocket returning to base with its three-man crew has been reported as docking smoothly at the International Space Station on July 23.

MH17 investigation RUSSIA is calling for tighter UN supervision of the MH17 crash investigation, questioning the impartiality of Dutch investigators.

Silvio appointment FORMER Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is claiming that Vladimir Putin wants to grant him Russian citizenship and appoint him the country’s economic minister.

ISS reprieve THE head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, Igor Komarov, has confirmed that the Russian government has agreed to prolong the life of the International Space Station (ISS) until 2024.

EWN

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FINANCE

LONDON - FTSE 100

-0.27%

P RICES J ULY 27

DOW JONES LOSING

EWN

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RESEARCH shows that more than 2.7 million working days are lost in the UK every year due to Brits who have holidayed abroad taking time off due to sunburn. A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION // WWW.EWNBUSINESS.COM

STAT OF WEEK

business & legal

LOSING

Costa de Almería

30 July - 5 August 2015

-0.92%

P RICES J ULY 27

NASDAQ LOSING

-0.99%

P RICES J ULY 27

IBEX 35 LOSING

-0.67%

P RICES J ULY 27

Spain’s unemployment rate drops

Bankinter sees rise in profits

WHICH is good news for the Partido Popular

BANKINTER has reported a net profit of €197.3 million for the first half of the year, an increase of 31.6 per cent on the same period last year. The increase is being attributed to an increase in the credit portfolio and the lowering of finance costs. Bankinter’s net interest achieved €432.2 million over the first six months of 2015. Its gross margin at end June was €806.8 million, an 8.4 per cent increase over last year.

By Jan Gamm THE governing Popular Party sees the drop in unemployment from 23.8 per cent to 22.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2015 as a saving grace in the run up to the election. The National Statistics Institute reported on Thursday July 16 that the number of unemployed dropped by

Quote of the Week

295,600 the number of unemployed dropped by this number with the creation of jobs higher than at any time in the last 10 years

295,600 and the creation of jobs has been higher than at any time in the last 10 years. The ruling government team is confident that the improvement in job stability and a better economic environment for Spaniards will be seen as a turning point and help the recovery of popularity for the presently anything

On payment terms for Greece - Debt relief is merely an “option to be considered in the future.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel

BUSINESS EXTRA

Greek bailout THE Greek government has submitted new reforms to parliament, part of the preliminaries required by the country’s creditors to begin negotiations of terms for a new bailout.

Young age INCREASE: Is partly due to the strength of sterling.

Spain’s tourism figures rocket AT the beginning of the summer season June produced record breaking statistics for visitors to Spain with 6.67 million international tourists an increase of 1.4 per cent over last year’s figures. The lion’s share of the visitors came from the UK. Between January and June 6.7 million Brits holidayed in Spain, a 2.6 per cent improve-

ment compared to 2014. Germany ran second with 4.7 million, France 4.5 million and visits from the US increased by a massive 15.7 per cent. Spain’s increase in business from tourism is put down partly to unrest in middleeastern countries as well as pocket-friendly fares and sterling’s strength against the Euro.

THE average age of Spain’s typical entrepreneur has dropped. In 2015, 52 per cent are 35 years of age or under.

False figures DESPITE the unemployment rate falling opposition parties are claiming these figures are based on part time or unstable contracts and even on one person working two or three jobs.

Energy drop SPAIN’S dependence on energy imports has decreased significantly according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), due to renewable energy generation.

Costly ATM withdrawals THE BBVA is charging a €2 fee for cash withdrawals from ATMs for non-account holders. Other banks are tipped to follow suit shortly. The Bank of Spain, however, is uncomfortable with the practice. Between the BBVA and CaixaBank there are 15,523 Servired ATMs comprising 33 per cent of the 46,449 in Spain,

with a prospective one in three machines charging €2 per withdrawal. A representative said: “Cash withdrawal is a service and should carry a single commission.” According to a study by kelisto.es, Spaniards pay 78.6 per cent more than other Europeans to withdraw money at ATM machines.

but popular PP. In the local elections in May the PP suffered enormous losses at the polls. In the service industry there are 291,700 more employed, which is typical of the summer market as jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector fall into that category. Construction workers are up by 32,300 and 23,000 in agricultural jobs.

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C LOSING P RICES J ULY 27

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3i Group 552.00 -7.00 Aberdeen Asset Management 360.85 -4.15 Admiral Group 1,488.00 -5.00 Anglo American 792.05 14.05 Antofagasta 584.00 -5.00 ARM Holdings 995.75 -5.25 Ashtead Group 932.25 -7.75 Associated British Foods 3,161.00 -19.00 AstraZeneca 4,233.50 -20.00 Aviva 516.00 -1.50 Babcock International Group 1,063.50 1.50 BAE Systems 460.05 -1.85 Barclays 280.15 -2.00 Barratt Developments 609.00 -8.50 BG Group 1,039.00 3.50 BHP Billiton 1,148.50 25.00 BP 394.68 -0.02 British American Tobacco 3,547.50 -2.50 British Land Co 828.25 -0.75 BT Group 466.33 4.03 Bunzl 1,764.00 3.00 Burberry Group 1,524.50 -15.50 Capita Group (The) 1,289.00 -8.00 Carnival 3,379.50 -25.50 Centrica 273.70 1.80 Coca-Cola HBC 1,308.00 -4.00 Compass Group 1,084.00 -8.00 CRH 1,870.00 -16.00 Diageo 1,854.50 -5.50 Direct Line Insurance Group 358.55 -1.35 Dixons Carphone 456.45 -4.55 easyJet 1,698.50 -26.50 Experian 1,159.50 -25.50 Fresnillo 632.00 13.50 G4S 268.60 0.60 GKN 296.00 -2.20 GlaxoSmithKline 1,335.75 -2.75 Glencore 211.28 1.13 Hammerson 640.75 -0.75 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,159.00 -20.00 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 2,079.50 -8.50 HSBC Holdings 564.60 -4.80 Imperial Tobacco Group 3,303.00 -3.00 Inmarsat 910.75 -7.25 InterContinental Hotels Grp 2,603.50 -21.50 International Consolidated Airs 558.50 -4.00 Intertek Group 2,346.50 -5.50 Intu Properties 331.75 -1.95 ITV 265.90 -3.20 Johnson Matthey 2,770.00 -8.00

% CHG. NET VOL -1.25 5,436.06 -1.14 4,860.39 -0.33 4,167.09 1.81 10,906.26 -0.85 5,806.70 -0.52 14,135.88 -0.82 4,731.43 -0.60 25,175.24 -0.47 53,746.32 -0.29 20,935.34 0.14 5,333.33 -0.40 14,615.09 -0.71 47,251.35 -1.38 6,125.69 0.34 35,362.02 2.23 23,729.13 -0.01 72,076.67 -0.07 66,176.78 -0.09 8,460.23 0.87 38,705.42 0.17 5,896.23 -1.01 6,849.22 -0.62 8,613.32 -0.75 7,360.02 0.66 13,525.75 -0.30 4,780.84 -0.73 18,131.96 -0.85 15,489.72 -0.30 46,769.55 -0.38 5,398.50 -0.99 5,308.24 -1.54 6,851.84 -2.15 11,712.86 2.18 4,557.69 0.22 4,158.27 -0.74 4,914.50 -0.21 65,134.19 0.54 27,483.30 -0.12 5,031.36 -1.70 5,592.22 -0.41 4,152.61 -0.84 111,108.24 -0.09 31,641.42 -0.79 4,127.10 -0.82 6,198.08 -0.71 11,471.26 -0.23 3,795.23 -0.58 4,415.25 -1.19 10,832.38 -0.29 5,692.62

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) Kingfisher 363.30 -2.70 Land Securities Group 1,294.50 -2.50 Legal & General Group 260.55 -1.55 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 84.85 -0.51 London Stock Exchange Grp 2,576.00 -28.00 Marks & Spencer Group 521.00 -4.00 Meggitt 451.40 -2.50 Merlin Entertainments 399.30 -23.80 Mondi 1,479.00 -14.00 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 182.70 -0.80 National Grid 838.60 1.80 Next 7,575.00 -40.00 Old Mutual 210.65 -0.45 Pearson 1,190.50 -28.50 Persimmon 1,921.00 -32.00 Prudential 1,502.25 -14.75 Randgold Resources 3,869.00 125.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,016.00 108.00 Reed Elsevier 1,088.50 -10.50 Rio Tinto 2,436.25 35.75 Rolls-Royce Group 731.50 -4.50 Royal Bank of Scotland Group 350.65 -3.15 Royal Dutch Shell 1,762.75 7.25 Royal Dutch Shell 1,778.00 8.00 Royal Mail 506.25 -2.75 RSA Insurance Group 445.85 -6.25 SABMiller 3,357.00 -22.00 Sage Group (The) 535.50 -5.50 Sainsbury (J) 261.90 -0.60 Schroders 3,072.50 -28.50 Severn Trent 2,161.00 -5.00 Shire 5,420.00 -75.00 Sky 1,126.50 -4.50 Smith & Nephew 1,130.00 -11.00 Smiths Group 1,129.00 -5.00 Sports Direct International 774.00 -3.00 SSE 1,513.50 9.50 St James's Place 960.00 -11.50 Standard Chartered 965.95 -2.05 Standard Life 443.80 -3.30 Taylor Wimpey 182.20 -2.30 Tesco 217.55 -1.45 Travis Perkins 2,202.00 -18.00 TUI AG 1,077.00 -5.00 Unilever 2,896.50 -1.50 United Utilities Group 873.25 -2.25 Vodafone Group 237.75 -0.70 Weir Group 1,502.00 2.00 Whitbread 5,095.00 -65.00 Wolseley 4,175.50 -27.50 WPP Group 1,452.50 -10.50

% CHG. -0.74 -0.19 -0.59 -0.60 -1.08 -0.76 -0.55 -5.63 -0.94 -0.44 0.22 -0.53 -0.21 -2.34 -1.64 -0.97 3.34 1.83 -0.96 1.49 -0.61 -0.89 0.41 0.45 -0.54 -1.38 -0.65 -1.02 -0.23 -0.92 -0.23 -1.36 -0.40 -0.96 -0.44 -0.39 0.63 -1.18 -0.21 -0.74 -1.25 -0.66 -0.81 -0.46 -0.05 -0.26 -0.29 0.13 -1.26 -0.65 -0.72

NET VOL 8,532.52 10,253.35 15,575.53 60,924.62 9,043.19 8,653.38 3,574.95 4,289.16 7,249.32 4,284.89 31,306.48 11,641.32 10,399.12 9,999.31 5,986.76 39,001.86 3,486.78 42,198.28 12,349.87 33,768.49 13,532.05 22,770.77 68,369.44 43,195.27 5,090.00 4,596.76 54,617.51 5,828.72 5,042.42 7,008.96 5,152.03 32,511.26 19,442.09 10,205.01 4,476.78 4,650.07 14,935.71 5,077.05 24,644.87 8,804.23 6,002.64 17,818.94 5,524.07 6,347.05 37,194.65 5,969.93 63,219.54 3,200.72 9,377.74 10,930.19 19,095.58

0.71345

1.40163 Units per €

US dollar....................................................................1.10702 Japan yen ................................................................136.583 Switzerland franc .................................................1.05775 Denmark kroner....................................................7.46159 Norway kroner......................................................9.04217

currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ULY 27

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 3.4M -0.11% -0.17 149.33 8.6M -1.44% -1.11 75.90 -0.53% 42.2M -0.66 124.50 2.5M -1.40% -2.05 144.06 9.2M -1.01% -0.78 76.10 -2.52% 11.2M -2.34 90.60 +1.39% 39.5M 28.40 +0.39 -0.98% 10.9M -0.40 40.44 4.3M +0.09% 118.91 +0.11 5.4M -2.63% -1.54 56.94 -1.48% 14.9M -1.20 79.94 -1.94% 31.1M -0.51 25.75 2.5M -1.75% -3.70 207.35 4.4M -0.87% -1.00 113.59 3.8M -1.22% -1.98 159.75 -1.87% 31.6M -0.54 28.06 6.5M -1.05% -1.05 99.15 -1.05% 12.4M -0.73 68.91 5.6M -1.02% -0.99 96.10 7.8M -1.14% -0.66 57.41 -0.37% 32.3M -0.17 45.94 3.0M -0.89% -1.01 112.99 -1.50% 21.4M -0.52 34.26 5.7M -0.51% -0.41 80.29 1.6M -0.03% -0.03 105.27 6.6M -1.81% -1.83 99.31 3.8M -1.16% -1.39 117.94 -0.67% 19.5M -0.31 46.04 +4.25% 21.2M 74.80 +3.05 6.0M -1.28% -0.93 71.58

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ULY 27

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Marketo, Inc. $ 30.39 NETGEAR, Inc. $ 33.80 Condor Hospitality Trust, Inc. $ 9.02 Inotek Pharmaceuticals Corporation $ 17.65 Merit Medical Systems, Inc. $ 25.17 Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 22.10 ProShares UltraPro Short NASDAQ Biotechnology$ 20.13 Calithera Biosciences, Inc. $ 9.03 Ecology and Environment, Inc. $ 11.18 Healthways, Inc. $ 13.40 LogMein, Inc. $ 72.21

5.30 ▲ 21.12% 5.05 ▲ 17.57% 1.22 ▲ 15.64% 2.28 ▲ 14.83% 3.05 ▲ 13.79% 2.50 ▲ 12.76% 2.21 ▲ 12.33% 0.97 ▲ 12.03% 1.185 ▲ 11.86% 1.27 ▲ 10.47% 6.70 ▲ 10.23%

Most Declined TrueCar, Inc. The Spectranetics Corporation Biogen Inc. Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. Vital Therapies, Inc. Forward Pharma A/S Westmoreland Coal Company TripAdvisor, Inc. Liberty TripAdvisor Holdings, Inc. Encore Wire Corporation PMC - Sierra, Inc.

$ 6.87 $ 16.30 $ 300.03 $ 75.91 $ 13.74 $ 31.27 $ 13.795 $ 80.86 $ 29.73 $ 36.05 $ 6.71

3.81 ▼ 35.67% 8.53 ▼ 34.35% 85.02 ▼ 22.08% 19.83 ▼ 20.71% 3.34 ▼ 19.56% 7.01 ▼ 18.31% 2.505 ▼ 15.37% 12.51 ▼ 13.40% 4.57 ▼ 13.32% 5.50 ▼ 13.24% 1.01 ▼ 13.08%

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

BUSINESS EXTRA

Overseas development AN analysis of 1,278 managers of Spanish companies with a turnover of at least €500,000 has shown that most large companies are considering investing abroad within the next three years to achieve higher profits.

It’s a scandal THE Japanese electronics giant Toshiba has announced the resignation of its president and other senior executives following an accounting scandal involving €1.125 billion over seven years of trading.

New position BANCA MARCH announced its new president will be Juan March de la Lastra. He replaces Carlos March Degado who has been president since 1974.

Bank ruling A BARCELONA court has issued a favourable ruling for the city of Terrassa to dismiss a Bankia SA appeal against a disciplinary ruling on houses that have been repossessed and left empty for more than two years.

Copper theft THE Catalan rail network has been victim to more copper thefts than anywhere else in Spain. Adif is seeking government help to solve the problem.

Wind tunnel SPANISH company Gamesa and the Technical Univerisity of Madrid is to design, develop and operate an aerodynamic testing tunnel 70 metres long and 50 metres wide to test turbine blades.

Rich List EBAY has published its first ‘Rich List’ comprising their top 30 wealthiest users who have coined a fortune through the eBay site.

Gold low GOLD is in a deep slump. It is down more than 40 per cent from its 2011 peak, and falling back toward €900. Gold has been in decline for the last two weeks, the longest losing streak since September 1996.

French vineyards are recruiting Spanish workers for harvesting MAJORITY of workers will be from Granada, Jaen, Sevilla, Cadiz, Cordoba, Malaga, Almeria and Murcia By Jan Gamm AN estimated 15,000 Spaniards are to work in France this year on the French grape harvest with the first workers expected to assume their duties from the second week in August, according to information provided by the Agri-Food Federation of CCOO (Feagra). The majority of those workers, a total of 11,250, will be from Andalucia with the rest sourced from Granada, Jaen, Sevilla, Cadiz, Cordoba, Malaga, Almeria, Valencia and Murcia. Workers expect a minimum wage of around €9.61 per hour for this gruelling work in intense heat but some achieve a higher wage of around €11.72 per hour, with added overtime. The typical profile of 80 per cent of workers in the French vineyards is a man or woman aged between 30 and 60 with a primary edu-

cation working around 35 hours per week. Such workers find it difficult to source work online. Twenty per cent comprises young men with a university education who are unemployed. Feagra advises

15,000 the number of estimated Spaniards who will work in the French grape harvest this year

FRENCH VINEYARDS: Workers can earn around €9.61 per hour.

prospective applicants for work in French vineyards to be cautious and beware of scammers asking for deposits for guaranteed contracts that could be fictitious.

A quarter of UK households will be renting in Europe by 2025 THE property market in the UK and the increasing difficulty for first time buyers to afford their own home is fuelling the purchase of homes in Spain and other parts of Europe. In the UK in 2001, the number of homeowners was around 10 million. This figure dropped to eight million in 2014 and market research experts predict a further fall to 7.2 million by 2025. As more and more people are unable to comply with the stringent terms of available mortgage products they instead turn to renting and ownership of property elsewhere in Europe. As property continues to value in the UK the prospect of owning a home, especially for first time buyers, becomes a remote possibility with most young buyers unable to find the required deposit. Instead, under-30s are having to renting somewhere to live and looking to long term future prospects of getting on the property ladder in Spain, France and other European destinations. The average price of a home in the UK in 2015 is projected to be around £360,000.

HOME PURCHASE: It is becoming increasingly difficult for first time buyers to afford their own home.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

EWN

43

Theme park business surroundings Talking shop Mike Walsh Mike Walsh was for 20 years Regional Assessment Manager for the Guild of Master Craftsmen, Britain’s biggest quality assurance body for businesses.

www.michaelwalsh.es • 966 786 932

AN oversight common to businessowners, the feel of your premises should lure and hold customers, not deter them. Many business-owners permit a setting, especially music that appeals to them or their staff. It never occurs to them that it may be offputting from a customer’s perspective. Having arranged to meet a client I had little choice but to call in at a café-bar. The sound of the rap was deafening. Conversation was impossible. It was wholly unsuitable for an urban bistro a little after breakfast. Needless to say, a teenage airhead impersonating a staff member was, well, I am not quite sure what she was doing. A little imaginative flair will create a business environment that brings compliments and customers. During the Spanish property boom, UK estate agents promoting Mediterranean real

TEDIOUS: Plastic framed images of villas in a clinically boring property shop.

estate were 10 a penny. How tedious their plastic framed images of villas in a clinically boring property shop. Striking out on my own, I opened for business and did so with a flourish. My showroom soon looked the business. Here was harmonious balance between its purpose in selling Spanish properties and creating an environment which made doing so the most appealing thought ever. Of course there were images, maps, brochures, and especially presenters that, used skilfully, sold properties. This was set against a backdrop of potted palms, bullfighting and flamenco promoting posters. When visiting Alicante’s arty district I acquired wall posters, a little torn, the better. Framed, these and potted wall flowers, with a rich assortment of similar Spanish symbolism, created a showroom ambience that would have done credit to a theme park. Mock, but it worked. When Spanish builders visited they were as impressed as was my bank manager. Using such atmospheric setting to build my sales, I outperformed far bigger chains.

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

EWN

The excesses of the Greeks A READER’S revelations expose some startling statistics... LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT I’D like to thank Euro Weekly News reader John for most of this week’s remarkable revelations. The next time you are feeling sorry for the Greeks, just partake of these apples. Experts, mandated by the European Union to investigate the circumstances that led to Greece’s economic situation, have apparently come up with the following information: 1. Greece allegedly falsified accounts to enter the Eurozone and since then has repeatedly juggled the facts until the whole thing finally exploded into chaos. 2. There was massive retirement at age 50. 3. At one national hospital there were, on average, 50 gardeners for one lawn with four bushes. 4. At a cost of €550 million a year, 40,000 girls were receiving monthly life pensions of €1,000 simply because they were unmarried daughters of deceased civil servants. 5. Many workers were retired at the age of

SORRY STATE: No wonder the country has gone to rack and ruin. At one national hospital there were, on average, 50 gardeners employed for one lawn with four bushes

55 if they were in one of 600 jobs considered harmful, e.g. hairdressing (dangerous dyes!), musicians of wind instruments (blowing is tiring!), TV presenters (microphones can be harmful and damaging to health, etc, etc). 6. More than 25 per cent of Greeks pay no

personal income tax whatsoever. 7. Retirees receive 95 per cent of their earlier salary (Germans receive 40 per cent, no wonder they’ve got the hump!). 8. In an apparent show of goodwill the Greek Government has recently eliminated 10,000 postal positions, 8,200 of which were revealed to be dummy positions. 9. Greece has the highest population in the world of people reporting an age of 110 years. Deaths are often not registered and pensions continue to be received. 10. Pacemakers were being acquired at a price 400 times higher than in British hospitals. And so on and so forth. If these facts are indeed proven, then Greece is a nation which has survived on corruption for so long they probably consider it the norm. I suggest they get their collective noses out of the ouzo for a while and start playing by the rules. As ye sow, so shall ye reap. But then hopefully this bunch of chancers has finally realised that. Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002 @gmail.com

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E W N 30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

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OPINION & COMMENT

Life’s perambulations

VIEW Cameron Strandberg – Wikimedia Commons

OUR

WHY am I not like normal people, its deeply depressing! 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.

I RECEIVED a complimentary email about my scribblings recently. What’s nice is that it came from a respected journalist. But it was prefaced with a comment about my tendency to ramble which was hurtful. However I should just be content with the nice bits. Still - ramble? Our neighbours are away, and tooled up with do-do bags, I am again going for pleasant walks in the cool ends of the day with their dog. She’s getting on a bit, so is content to trot gently along, stopping when she needs to answer the doggie call of nature - usually on some rubbish strewn waste ground thoughtfully provided by Orihuela town hall. Trouble is, as a non-dog owner, I am forever bumping into unfamiliar dogs and their people. The dogs always seem to know each other and after a bit of nose bumping, they progress to the less tasteful bit of socialising, with their noses glued to each other’s backsides. It’s embarrassing - well not for the dogs obviously - but what do you

FOREST FIRES: All over.

Indefinite strike starts

POOCH BEHAVIOUR: Experienced dog people seem oblivious.

As a nondog owner, I am forever bumping into unfamiliar dogs and their people.

do? If you drag yours away, then it is tantamount to cruelty because this is accepted pooch behaviour. Moreover it only emphasises the fact that you are embarrassed, whereas the experienced dog people seem oblivious. But I make a mental note not to allow my charge to lick my face when we get back. I was in the Zenia Boulevard yesterday and a tiny child stood in the door-

way of one of the big stores and screamed blue murder for no apparent reason. The parents looked on lovingly, and every passing customer smiled encouragingly. The shop assistants turned and beamed, and even the security guard, who looked as if he could eat nails, was chortling away happily. Why am I not like normal people? It’s all deeply depressing.

Not learning from history I AM well informed enough now to realise that we are experiencing action replay Mike Walsh

Just 1 per cent of America’s population are millionaires.

Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.

I WASN’T born when, in 1939, under pressure from the English and American war lobby, the world edged ever closer to war. However, I am well informed enough to realise that we are now experiencing action replay. Germany, and now Russia, was goaded by war lobby interests. In the first case, Polish anti-German rhetoric was encouraged. Today, Ukraine is used to prod the Russian bear. Change the Sudetenland or Danzig Corridor for Crimea; you have pretext for war. The well-orchestrated mainstream media vilified the then Reich. Today; Hitler has been replaced by

Putler. Economic warfare is dusted off and renamed sanctions. Prime Minister Chamberlain was reluctant to engage in yet another war. Joe Kennedy Sr, ambassador to

SMALL COUNTRY: So why does the US spend more on armaments? Britain, conceded that US President Roosevelt had repeatedly told him to ‘press a hot iron to Chamberlain’s

backside.’ Fast forward 76 years: the US war lobby bolsters Ukraine’s decrepit and reluctant armed forces. Simultaneously, the US press hot irons to the backsides of their EU marionettes to ramp up economic war against Russia. The US economy is reliant on perpetual war. A small country, place the US on Africa and it would barely cover Mediterranean Saharan North Africa. No one threatens the US or Europe. Why then does the US

AS the blistering summer heat continues, fires are breaking out all over Spain with firefighters struggling to control them. Yet this week marked the start of an indefinite strike by the elite fire-fighting force, Las Brigadas de Refuerzo en Incendios Forestales (BRIF) who fight forest fires, after their negotiations over working conditions and low pay between their employers TRAGSA and Ministry for Agriculture, Food and the Environment broke down. The salaries of the elite force averages just €16,000 per year and has been frozen for the last four years. The force, who are composed of 570 firefighters across Spain, want recognition as providing a professional service, and emphasise they cannot survive on such pay while risking their lives on a daily basis in order to serve the public. With both the government and the unions refusing to budge, the union Atbrif have called an indefinite strike. In one fire in Galicia, the army’s emergency unit had to be called in to try to control fires. While the firefighters do an incredible job protecting citizens, their property and the environment and clearly deserve a decent salary, this strike may endanger those who cannot protect themselves and destroy the environment. All involved, TRAGSA, government and union, need to act now to find an immediate solution so that firefighters can go back to work.

spend more on armaments than China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, UK, Japan and South Korea combined? A clue: just 1 per cent of America’s population are millionaires, yet 50 per cent of congressmen are multimillionaires. Might it not be an idea to force politicians to wear badges of the companies that sponsor them? Another clue: Dick Cheney, university failure was more fortunate as an arms dealer. Using neo-conservative political clout and taxpayers’ money his companies made $39,500 million out of the Iraq War. This is a drop in the ocean compared to the $75 billion war-relatNow we ed US corporations. These want to profits are again a pittance hear your news. when set against those made by the armaments YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE industries. Are you a - YOUR OPINION shareholder? You can www.euroweeklynews.com stake your lives on it.

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11:00pm

11:30pm 12:00am

9:00pm 10:00pm 10:45pm 11:15pm 11:35pm 11:55pm 12:20am

The Housing Enforcers EastEnders Panorama Britain at the Bookies BBC News Regional News Weather Have I Got a Bit More Old News for You

4:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm 12:35am

BBC News Regional News Rip Off Britain EastEnders Holby City New Tricks BBC News Regional News Weather Transplant Tales Then She Found Me

8:00pm

8:00pm

The Sheriffs are Coming The Great British Bake Off Earth's Natural Wonders BBC News Regional News Weather Cashing In Britain at the Bookies

8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 11:35pm 12:35am

8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

11:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

11:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am

Flog It! Two Tribes Eggheads The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure The Pennine Way Coast Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth The Javone Prince Show Flog It! Two Tribes Eggheads Gardeners' World Rugby League Challenge Cup The Perfect Morecambe and Wise Newsnight Artsnight Golf Cycling Proms Extra Edwardian Farm Dad's Army First Light Mock the Week Ill Manors The lives of four drug dealers, one user, and two prostitutes.

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:40pm 1:20am 3:35pm 4:30pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:15pm 7:30pm 9:30pm 10:35pm 12:00am

Locomotion: Dan Snow's History of Railways Dragons' Den Odyssey The Javone Prince Show Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy Dead Poets Society

7:35pm

Swimming Two Tribes Eggheads Carol Klein's Plant Odysseys Great British Menu University Challenge Only Connect Life in Squares Hair Newsnight

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

The Hairy Bikers Asian Adventure Great British Menu The House That £100k Built Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School Hair Newsnight Weather

7:00pm

Two Tribes Eggheads The Hairy Bikers Asian Adventure Great British Menu Horizon Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Inside the Post Office QI Newsnight Weather

7:45pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 12:20am

11:40pm 12:10am

7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:40pm 12:40am 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 11:40pm 12:40am

ITV News London ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Real Stories with Ranvir Singh Emmerdale Flockstars Britain Sees Red: Caught on Camera ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street Gino's Italian Escape Coronation Street BBQ Champ ITV News at Ten and Weather Crank Jackpot247

2:05pm 2:35pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

The Chase All Star Family Fortunes Tipping Point Catchphrase Local News and Weather ITV News and Weather Mamma Mia! The Cube The Nation's Favourite Queen Song ITV News and Weather

6:15pm 6:45pm 7:15pm 7:40pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Local News and Weather ITV News and Weather Nature Nuts Midsomer Murders ITV News and Weather Brits Behind Bars Piers Morgan's Life Stories

5:30pm

Emmerdale Coronation Street Vet School Coronation Street Travel Guides ITV News at Ten and Weather Plebs Britain Sees Red: Caught on Camera

10:00pm 12:00am

6:35pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

Local News and Weather ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Love Your Garden Abducted ITV News at Ten and Weather Benidorm Murder, She Wrote

6:00pm

Local News and Weather ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street Foyle's War ITV News at Ten and Weather Abducted Tipping Point

6:00pm

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:50pm 12:50am

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:10am

Jamie's 15 Minute Meals Glorious Goodwood French Collection Couples Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Grand Designs Prince Philip: The Plot to Make a King

3:15pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Couples Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Location, Location, Location 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown The Last Leg Rude Tube

3:15pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Channel 4 News Homes by the Sea Walking Through History The Inbetweeners Movie This Means War

5:00pm

Location, Location, Location Phil Spencer: Secret Agent Channel 4 News Grand Designs Experimental Humans 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown The American Couples Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Flying to the Ends of the Earth 24 Hours in Police Custody A Very British Brothel Tattoo Fixers Couples Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Three Day Nanny Sex in Class Not Safe for Work A Very British Brothel Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure Couples Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie's Fill Your House for Free One Born Every Minute Witnesses 24 Hours in A and E

10:00pm 11:00pm

11:30pm

6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:55pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 12:35am 6:20pm 8:00pm 8:55pm 9:00pm

10:00pm 12:35am

6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

NCIS A Killer Among Us 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Cricket on 5 The Holiday Airport: Sun, Sea and Scousers Supersized Person of Interest

11:00am 11:20am 11:35am 11:50am 1:50pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 8:00pm 10:10pm 12:40am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Football Boots 'n' All Soccer A.M. Football Football Football Boxing Gold

NCIS An Accidental Friendship 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Cricket on 5 Weather Terror 20 Moments That Rocked Comedy Lip Sync Battle

3:00pm

Royal International Horse Show Sky Sports Originals - Cloned: Creating Designer Horses Premier League Legends Premier League 100 Club The Premier League Years Premier League Legends Premier League 100 Club

The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! Cricket on 5 5 News Transporter: The Series Tut Criminals: Caught on Camera Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Cricket on 5 5 News Police Interceptors Unleashed with Vinnie Jones Tut Secrets of the Egyptian Pyramids

Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Police Interceptors Stop! Roadworks Ahead Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild Under the Dome 20 Moments That Rocked Comedy Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Police Interceptors The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies Can't Pay? Botched Up Bodies Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole

5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Trauma Doctors The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door Undercover Benefits Cheat Wentworth Prison Gypsies on Benefits and Proud

7:00pm

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:00am 1:00pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 7:00pm 9:00pm 12:30am 2:30am 4:30am 5:00am 10:30am 2:00pm 4:00pm 6:30pm 6:50pm 8:50pm 11:00pm 1:15am

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

10:00pm 3:30am 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

10:00pm 3:30am

6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:00pm 12:00am

The Premier League Years Football Sky Sports Boxing Gold 2013 GAA GAA Boxing The Premier League Years The Premier League Years Premier League 100 Club One2eleven Saturday Fight Night The Premier League Years Football Football Gold The Premier League Years Football Major League Soccer Intl Champions Cup

Premier League 100 Club Premier League 100 Club Sporting Greats Gary Newbon Interviewing Billie Jean King Tennis: Washington Sporting Greats Premier League 100 Club Premier League 100 Club Sporting Greats Gary Newbon Interviewing Martina Hingis Tennis: Washington Sporting Greats

Premier League Premier League 100 Club Football's Greatest Managers Football's Greatest Teams Football A League of Their Own Football's Greatest Teams

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

EWN

55

You’re Back In The Room will be back on TV, as it’s renewed for second series Richard Shanley

Dishing the Dirt OF EUROPA DIGITAL

MORE members of the public are about to be hypnotised to do stupid things on primetime television, because You’re Back In The Room has been renewed for a second series by ITV. The channel announced this week that they have ordered four more episodes of the show, which is hosted by Phillip Schofield. In each instalment, five strangers have to complete what seem like simple games except hypnotist Keith Barry has put them under and will make them selfsabotage as they attempt to win a cash prize. “I’m incredibly excited to be back with a second series,” Schofield said. “I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the genuinely hilarious and completely

BACK IN THE ROOM: Hosted by Phillip Schofield. I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the genuinely hilarous and completely unexpected moments.

unexpected moments that happened in the first series. “Each of the contestants was thoroughly entertaining, and I can’t wait to see what happens this time around!” The first series of You’re Back In The Room, which aired in March, picked up an average of 4m viewers a week and reached nearly

800,000 viewers in Ireland, where it was simulcast on TV3. Nick Robinson is used to hitting politicians with tough questions, but his next interview will be a much friendlier encounter. The BBC’s political editor will speak to Sir Alex Ferguson for a one-off special about the Manchester United legend on BBC One later this year. Robinson is a lifelong United fan and even named Ferguson the “greatest living Briton” during his analysis of the Queen’s speech on the Today programme. Provisionally titled, Sir Alex Ferguson, Secrets of Success, Robinson will discuss Ferguson”s career and triumphs in the documentary. The pair will get ‘up close and personal’ as Ferguson chats about his leadership techniques, having retired from football in 2013. Robinson said: “I’ve spent my career watching and analysing leaders for a living but I never saw one to match Sir Alex.”

If you would like me to answer any questions you may have on satellite TV or to expand on anything I have written about please call me on 678 332 815 or email richard@europa-digital.com. I look forward to your comments and questions. Don’t forget to listen to my radio show every weekday from 10am on Spectrum 96.1 & 106.8FM, now covering almost 3000sq kms of Costa Almeria and Calida or listen online at costaalmeria.spectrumfm.net for the latest news and views from the world of satellite television. Richard Shanley Tel No: 950 61 51 42 Mob No: 678 33 28 15 Twitter: SpectrumAlmeria Skype: spectrumfm.mojacar Facebook: Spectrum FM Costa Almeria WEB: www.costaalmeria. spectrumfm.net MSN: spectrumfmmojacar@live.co.uk

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

EWN

Own goal scored for Pep Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

FORMER Barcelona trainer Pep Guardiola who is now with Bayern Munich is clearly a nationalist, given his preference for the Catalan version of Pepe. Now he is revealed as a separatist, because his name concludes the Unity List of pro-independence candidates for the regional elections in September. Not because he is looking for a parliamentary seat but to take a stance, Guardiola explained. For the many Barça fans outside Catalunya who are unhappy about Catalan independence this will be the last straw. Guardiola played for Spain during his footballing days and the once-idolised trainer has just scored an own goal.

Less scope for scandal HISTORIAN Jose Alvarez Junco wrote recently that few corruption scandals are attached to the centrist but nationalist PNV or the far-left but nationalist Bildu. Alvarez attributed this to the omerta that he claimed reigns in Basque Region but there could be other reasons. On one hand the possibility exists that Basques are less corrupt than their more southerly neighbours. On the other it cannot be coincidence that the region’s prosperity is not founded on corruption, the prime mover of corruption and kickbacks elsewhere in Spain.

PEP GUARDIOLA: Clearly a nationalist.

municipal elections and gave out signs that things were going to change. To date he and his closest advisers haven’t been noticeably successful, as a Metroscopia poll found that not only Podemos naturally - is seen as radical but also the PP. Rajoy wants to sell the PSOE’s Pedro Sanchez as a dangerous pinko but the ploy is backfiring. Whatever the president is trying to communicate he merely sounds like a ‘Red under the bed’ scaremonger.

Sounds like a Tough luck scaremonger ECONOMY minister Luis de MARIANO RAJOY admitted that communication hasn’t been the Partido Popular’s strongest point. Spain’s president said this after the party’s poor showing in May’s regional and

Guindos’s hopes were dashed when Jeroen Dijsselbloem retained the presidency of the Eurogroup. There was consternation in Madrid, particularly as Mariano Rajoy had personally put in a good word for him. Perhaps that word was ‘kibosh.’

57

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E W N 30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

LETTERS

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

Spanish Government benefits from disillusioned expats I HAVE just read Leapy’s article in the paper. Has he ever thought of standing for the UK Parliament? If so, he has my vote. My wife and I reside in Spain, both being British. We left the UK disillusioned, fed up, having paid into the system all our lives, having both lived and worked abroad before, yet still paying our dues and happily so. My wife was working in China and myself in Africa, yet returning to the UK as we were not on the voters’ roll, we could not rent a property. As we had no UK payslips, we were continually advised to ‘sign on’, despite having our own savings and income. Yet we saw hundreds of others by simply being unemployed or, as I would say unemployable, receiving handouts, fully furnished homes, cars and all bills paid. We had returned to be a part of Cameron’s ‘wider society’ and work in doing our bit to contribute to the economy, pay our taxes, NI stamps, etc. Because we had contributed before from overseas we didn’t fit in the box, being told to go and make a claim, then the Government might help. We didn’t want or need help. As a result, the Spanish Government and King Felipe benefit as we now happily pay into the Spanish system. The UK Government’s budget is a good start, now freed from the constraints of coalition, but I am afraid it may be too little, too late. Those wanting to work hard and contribute like us are being pushed out in their thousands, whilst those who have no care for the society in which they live continue to sponge off the State. Keep up the excellent articles; a thoroughly enjoyable yet sadly true read. Jonathan Evans (by email)

Great article! JUST wanted to say how much I enjoyed, and totally agree with Leapy’s article about the layabouts. It is really good to see someone ‘tell it like it is’! This BS has been going on for way too long. Good job, mate! Bill (by email)

Photographs for possible publication should be sent by email with a full caption to: photonews@euroweeklynews.com

IT’S BACK... RUBBISH , RUBBISH and MORE RUBBISH! Recently, several people have once again complained - moaned, in fact, and rightly so - about the dumping of waste, litter, trash, whatever in various places in and around Mojacar and Turre. This photograph shows a load of unwanted builders’ rubbish which was tossed from a van on the main road between the two towns, amazingly near to a large empty council container and only 100 yards away from a huge skip which was ready and waiting for this sort of stuff. It would take at least two strong-armed people to lift one of these white bags seen in the picture, and since the photograph was snapped, quite a bit more rubbish has been added to the pile. Come on... there must be somebody who can name and shame these culprits. Please take note... ALL Mojacar and Turre councillors! Visitors who are now in the area, from all walks of life and countries incidentally, are not all impressed. I know, I spoken to some them! Tony Matthews (EWN columnist)

5-star treatment THIS year my wife and I have had to visit the hospital in Huercal-Overa. My wife broke her ankle on Easter Sunday and I myself have had to have an operation this July. On both occasions the treatment from start to finish was absolutely tremendous, and the after-care at the medico in Velez Blanco the same. So three cheers and five stars to the Spanish system. Chris Jones, Velez Rubio

Voices heard I AM a regular reader of EWN ever since your very first edition and I admire the way you allow people to voice their opinions. Leapy Lee is one such example – I think everything he says is true. Like Leapy, I worked in Saudi Arabia, in my case at the airbase in Tiaif and also in Jeddah. I witnessed the hypocrisy in

the form of sheiks drinking whisky from their hip flasks and sending cars to pick up foreign women from the airport. I, too, am sick of Human Rights, Islamic bigots and leniency towards ethnic minorities. I also enjoy Mike Walsh’s column and was dumfounded by his article about the 100 scientists who were killed in the MH17 Malaysia Airlines plane that was brought down over the Ukraine. Just how low can the trashy tabloid newspapers go to bring out a photo of our Queen as a small girl apparently making a Nazi salute long before the onset of the Second World War? The Queen is a few days short of a year older than me and I did not have a clue what that salute stood for until I was 15 and joined the Merchant Navy at the height of the German U-boat menace. It was only then, when I came ashore and met up with other young shipmates, all in their mid-teens, that we would mimic the Hitler salute. We all used Brylcreem and carried a black comb in our top pockets – we would

The second comes from the chemist and is the only one that has helped me. It is called Repel Bite Familiar. I hope this helps and you get some relief from these awful mosquitoes. Ellen Tully, Javea

UK in or out?

hold the comb under our nose, flick our hair over our right eye and do the Nazi salute – not to support them of course but to take the p…! Keep up the good work! EWN is a brilliant newspaper. Joseph Billet, Ciudad Quesada, Rojales (Alicante) PS: I spoke to the Queen and Prince Philip when I was a civil engineer in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) building a dam across the Mahaweli River near Candy. I have always been a True Blue and a Royalist.

Battling biters IN reply to the lady who wrote in to say she was being badly bitten by mosquitoes, I too had the problem and have found two remedies. The first is buy a bottle of lavender water (Lavanda Agua de Colonia) sold in Mercadona and Citronella Essential Oil from a herbal shop. Mix 50ml of the lavender with 10 drops of the oil and use a little spray bottle to apply.

IF the UK tabloids are to be believed the long-heralded in/out EU referendum may well take place in less than a year. There are upwards of two million expats living in Europe, the largest proportion in Spain, and all those who will have been here for less than 15 years will be able to vote. I am surprised therefore that the English-language press has not already started to examine the ramifications of an exit vote. I am thinking in particular of our residency status, the reciprocal health agreement and pensions - if you are an expat living outside the EU you are entitled to your pension but it remains at the rate set at pensionable age and there are no increases. Will we continue to enjoy the status quo or will our lives be made worse by leaving the EU? If the latter is the case then serious consideration should be given to a ‘No’ vote by those affected. I have written to both the MP for the area in which I used to live and to the prime minister’s office. They both replied but gave no assurances in respect of the above concerns. In fact, the MP Dr Julian Lewis, a well known Eurosceptic, suggested that my move to Spain was my choice and I would have to accept the consequences. I would ask you please to investigate and report on our options. Phil McAleer, Cacin, Granada Editor’s Note This is an interesting subject and something EWN intends to cover in the coming weeks.

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.

TIME OUT

30 July - 5 August 2015/ Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

Famous quote

This week

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

‘

The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett

in history 781 Japan’s Mount Fuji erupts, the oldest recorded eruption of the volcano. 1620 Departure of the Pilgrim Fathers from Leiden to England before the journey to America. 1718 The Spanish fleet is decimated by the English navy after the battle at Cape Passaro. 1775 Captain Cook returns to England with the ship Resolution. 1834 The British Empire declares an end to slavery throughout the empire. 1836 Charles Darwin returns to Bahia, Brazil on the HMS Beagle. 1861 A world record in the amount of rainfall in one month is set with 9,300mm falling in Cherrapunji, Assam in July. 1865 The children’s fantasy novel, Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll is published. 1893 Douglas Hyde and Eoin MacNeill establish the Gaelic League as a way of preserving the Gaelic language and culture and encouraging other Irish people to speak it. 1912 Photos and movies of prize fights are banned by the US government. 1922 The world’s first water skis are tested by 18-year-old Ralph Samuelson of Minnesota. 1928 Halina Konopacka of Poland becomes the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in track and field. 1931 More than 99 per cent of Spain’s Catalunya in Spain votes in a referendum to become autonomous. 1944 Three days before she is arrested, the teenage Anne Frank makes her last ever diary entry. 1954 Ardito Desio leads an Italian expedition to reach the top of K2 in the first ever ascent. 1961 The millionth person to emigrate to Israel arrives in the country. 1961 The Beatles appear at Liverpool’s Cavern Club for the first time as a house band. 1991 An agreement to reduce long range nuclear weapons is signed by both the US and Russia.

Women’s wit

‘

I think it’s great training for any comedian to start on cows. Because with cows, you expect them to be bored and just stare at you blankly. If you can toughen up with a cow audience, then you’ll never be worried with a human audience. Kristen Schaal

World of English

‘

The term muffin-wallopers was used in Victorian slang to describe elderly unmarried or widowed women who would meet up to gossip at a tea-table.

Almería

‘ IF YOU HADN’T GIVEN HIM THAT AWFUL SILLY SALUTE, PHILIPHE WOULD HAVE LET US OFF!’

weather

Kakuro

for next 7 days

Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

TODAY VELEZ RUBIO

TOMORROW HUERCAL OVERA

ALBOX

VELEZ RUBIO GARRUCHA ALBOX MOJACAR

ALMERIA

HUERCAL OVERA

RETAMAR GARRUCHA ROQUETAS

MOJACAR

ROQUETAS

ADRA

Alicante TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Benidorm

CLEAR MAX 31C, MIN 24C 29 24 Cl 28 24 Sh 30 24 Cl

MAX MIN

Mon - 31 24 S Tues - 31 25 S Wed - 32 25 S

SUNNY MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

29 24 Cl 29 24 S 31 25 S

MAX 31C, MIN 24C Mon - 32 25 S Tues - 32 26 S Wed - 32 26 S

CLEAR MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

29 23 Cl 27 23 Sh 29 24 S S Sun,

MAX MIN

Mon - 29 17 S Tues - 28 17 S Wed - 28 17 Sh

28 17 Cl 29 18 Cl 31 17 Cl

Madrid MAX 28, MIN 23C MAX MIN

Mon - 31 25 S Tues - 32 25 S Wed - 32 25 S Cl Clear,

TODAY: Fri Sat Sun Fog,

31 24 S 31 24 S 30 24 S

TODAY:

SUNNY MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

33 23 S 30 22 Sh 33 22 S

MAX 32C, MIN 21C MAX MIN

Mon - 34 22 S Tues - 34 22 S Wed - 35 23 S

Murcia

CLEAR

MAX 34C, MIN 22C

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

32 19 C 32 21 C 34 22 Cl C Cloudy,

Mon - 37 23 S Tues - 38 23 S Wed - 38 23 S Sh Showers,

TODAY:

CLEAR MAX 34C, MIN 26C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

35 25 Cl 32 24 Sh 34 23 Cl

Sn Snow,

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

Saturday July 25

Saturday July 25

EURO MILLIONS

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

MAX MIN

Mon - 30 24 S Tues - 32 25 S Wed - 32 26 S

Mallorca SHOWER MAX 25C, MIN 17C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

SUNNY MAX 35C, MIN 24C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 32 25 S Tues - 33 26 S Wed - 33 26 S

31 24 Sh 30 24 Sh 31 24 C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Bilbao

Almeria TODAY:

Malaga

CLEAR MAX 31C, MIN 25C

TODAY:

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

RETAMAR

ALMERIA

MAX MIN

Mon - 36 24 S Tues - 37 24 S Wed - 37 25 S Th Thunder

LOTTERY

ADRA

59

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

SPONSORED BY

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

EWN

Saturday July 25

2

4

6

11

33

Friday July 24

2

7 5

15

11

20

48

29

Saturday July 25

Sunday July 26

4

6

3

12

16

33

25

43

45

9 34

39

21

41

44

46

23

28

35

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

37

1

40

LUCKY STARS

2

11

39

REINTEGRO

18

0

REINTEGRO

9

60

E W N 30 July - 5 August 2015/ Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

The water diviner Cast: Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney, Isabel Lucas, Damon Herriman, Ryan Corr, Jacqueline McKenzie, Cem Yılmaz, Deniz Akdeniz, Megan Gale Director: Russell Crowe

Funagram

Just Joking

Unscramble the title of a song that has topped the UK singles charts on four occasions (two words): ENHANCED OILY MUD

Two grapes go on a date. At the end of the date the boy grape took the girl grape home gave her a kiss and told her that it was their only date. She started to cry and when he asked her if she was ok. She said, "No, I'm crushed!"

Unscramble the name of a current England cricketer: BY LARGE CANAL

Hexagram

The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (OBJECT) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

An Australian farmer and water diviner called Joshua Connor (Russell Crowe) travels to Turkey after the Battle of Gallipolli in 1915 in an attempt to find his three missing sons who served with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. In Turkey, he stays at a hotel ran by warwidowed Ayshe (Olga Kurylenk) and her son Orhan (Dylan Georgiades), whom he grows close to as he finds his way into Gallipolli.

ABRUPT

PELLET

ACTIVE

PIRATE

BATEAU

POSEUR

CHALET

QUAVER

EITHER

REPEAL

ESTATE

REPEAT

HERPES

ROSTER

JASPER

SHEATH

LETTER

VESTRY

OBJECT (10)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Render 2 Hasten 3 Seared 4 Rushed 5 Heater 6 Uppers 7 Sharks 8 Latter 9 Desire 10 Kettle 11 Stiles 12 Bruise 13 Retain 14 Rubies 15 Enable 16 Resent 17 Brains 18 Leered 19 Sinews

50

Writer of major bestselling success Harry Potter fantasy books. Her first novel in this series was published in 1997 and brought her worldwide success with all seven of the books being made into box-office hit movies. Lisa Kudrow, July 30, Actress, 52 Famous for her quirky and funny portrayal of Phoebe Buffay on NBC’s legendary TV show Friends, Lisa Kudrow is a California-born actress which earned a Screen Actor Guild Award and a Satellite Award for Best Actress thanks to this role. Jack O’Connell, August 1, Actor, 25 His roles as Pukey Nicholls in This is England, and as James Cook in Skins made him popular. He attended Saint Benedict Catholic School before becoming famous and debuted on an episode of British TV series, Doctors in 2005. Charli XCX, August 2, pop singer, 23 Born, Charlotte Emma. She was only 14 when she recorded her debut album which she posted on her MySpace page. She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award. She started her career performing at warehouse raves in London. Evangeline Lilly, August 3, TV Actress, 36 She portrayed Kate on the well-known TV show Lost from 2004 to 2010. Her role as Tauriel in The Hobbit gained her an Empire Award for Best Supporting Actress. Before becoming famous she served as a missionary in the Philippines. Barack Obama, August 4, US President, 54 Born in Hawaii, he became 44th president of the United States and the first African-American president. He had previously run for the United States House of Representatives in 2000, but unsuccessfully. Louis Walsh, August 5, Reality Star, 65 He became popular as a judge on the TV show The X Factor. In 2005, he won the second season of said TV show with Shayne Ward. He has appeared on several other reality shows such as You’re a Star, Popstars and Britain’s Got Talent.

YOUR STARS VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) It appears at times that you are in the middle of a play. The lights are on you, the mike’s wired, your audience awaits, then nothing. Not that you are lost for words. You know exactly what to say and do. What you are wondering is why you are there in the first place. Maybe where you are was not intended. LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) There’s a lot of buzzing going on in your head. No, it isn’t tinnitus, it’s something quite different. You know it’s a great time to get ideas and act on them. However, trying to act on too many at once is causing some confusion. Maybe there’s too much going on. SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) You’ve been working hard, maybe in the dark some of the time. This week someone shines a torch on your situation and you see exactly where you are. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Getting a creative project started has opened your eyes to many things. Perhaps you question why you did not do it before. The fact is that it doesn’t matter. You are where you are right here and not because that was where you were heading. Enjoy the feeling, the praise and the satisfaction. . CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Just imagine for one day that you have achieved everything your heart has desired. When you wake up in the morning believe

LEO

10-Star Quiz HAIR STYLES 1. According to Greek mythology, what collective name was given to the three sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, with snakes for hair, who had the power to turn anyone who looked at them to stone? 2. Derived from the French for ‘nape of the neck’, what is a ‘chignon’? 3. How are the television presenters David Myers and Simon (Si) King collectively known? 4. In which decade did the controversial stage musical Hair originally open at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London? 5. ‘On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair’ is the first line of which UK Top 10 hit single by the Eagles? 6. What is the usual Cockney rhyming slang for ‘hair’? 7. What sort of creature is the Xoloitzcuintle (Xolo for short), which is also known as the Mexican hairless in English speaking countries? 8. What was the name of the Coronation Street character who ‘died’ in January 1971 after being electrocuted by a faulty hairdryer? 9. Which famous hairdresser who was born in Hammersmith in January 1928, is credited with creating a simple geometric, ‘Bauhaus-inspired’ hair style, also called the ‘wedge bob’? 10. Who had a UK Christmas number one hit single in 1972 with the novelty song Long Haired Lover from Liverpool? 1. GORGONS, 2. KNOT OR COIL OF HAIR ARRANGED ON THE BACK OF A WOMAN'S HEAD, 3. THE HAIRY BIKERS, 4. 1960s (1968), 5. HOTEL CALIFORNIA, 6. BARNET FAIR – FRED ASTAIRE, BONNEY FAIR, TONY BLAIR, YOGI BEAR and ALF GARNETT (rhyming slang for ‘Barnet’) are also used, 7. DOG, 8. VALERIE BARLOW, 9. VIDAL SASSOON, 10. LITTLE JIMMY OSMOND

JK Rowling, July 31, Author

TIME

EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREA

FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: UNCHAINED MELODY, GARY BALLANCE

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(July 24 - August 23)

Are you looking for guidance? Maybe you are thinking that a recent acquaintance will be able to provide it. You ran something by a few friends and they are not so sure. That is because this is a situation where you need an expert, not a well-wisher. Best not to waste your time and jangle your nerves. Get that expert even if it costs a few pennies. it is so. Feel how your spirits lift and your heart sings. Carry that feeling through the week and beyond. If you believe that you are a success you can be. Why stop when it feels so good? AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Yours is a big ship. You are able to take a lot on board but you don’t have to. In this special week, when you see things so clearly, be selective. Allow into your life only that which is valuable and worthwhile. This is not selfishness, it is providing a source of inspiration for the present and the future. PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Your old shoes are comfortable and still have a lot of wear in them but someone is suggesting that you should buy some new shoes and throw the old ones away. They are no longer shiny. They are no longer fashionable. They do, however, provide all that you need. ARIES (March 21 - April 20) That little bit of extra cash has made you

realise something. Not everything is as simple as you would wish it to be, and throwing money at a problem will not make it go away entirely. There are some things that you need to come to terms with. It is much easier to incorporate the uneasy into your life if you take a more relaxed attitude. TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Sometimes, when we are making a journey, it is not the usual route that is best. Something has changed in your sphere and there is a need to adjust to it. There are other options that will bring the same result and maybe even a more convenient one. You will need to do two things. The first is to open your mind to the possibilities. GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Someone needs to learn to stand on their own two feet. It isn’t you, but it’s close. Finding a balance between helping and idly standing by while mistakes are made is necessary. It’s not easy but it has to be done. You may break into a sweat this week and it won’t suit your nerves, but you’ll get through. CANCER (June 22 - July 23) A way opens up before you that can bring wealth. Branching off from that is a path to certain happiness. Which will you take? If having that money means changing your nature (or trying to) is that going to make you happy? On the other hand, if you sidestep the money can you still be happy? Keep things simple. You know where you are.

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

TARGET: Average: 17 Good: 22 Very good: 31 Excellent: 38

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION alec alee calf caul clan clef clue elan feel flan flea flee flue fuel lace lane leaf lean luff lune ulna anele clean fecal lance ulnae uncle enlace unlace AFFLUENCE

SOUND OF THE WEEK Artist: Ducktails Title: St. Catherine Released: 24 July 2015 Record Label: Domino This Los Angeles-based band led by Matt Mondanile has crafted a collection of unique baroque pop, upbeat songs that deal with emotional topics with a unique punch to them. Noteworthy are the complex vocal harmonies intertwining string parts and electronic melodies on songs Church and Heaven’s Room. A sensitive record that includes an mp3 download card.

OUT

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AK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

Enjoy filling in the following puzzles and check the answers in next week’s edition

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

CRYPTIC

Quick

Cryptic

Across: 1 Sympathy, 4 Dent, 7 Loans, 9 Stamp, 11 Shave, 12 Stars, 13 Sarong, 15 Clasps, 19 Panes, 21 Elgar, 23 Evoke, 24 Satin, 25 Lace, 26 Generous.

Across 1 Rejoins as Wren’s doctor (7) 5 Flies the deer back north in (5) 8 Airman coming from Scandinavia to Russia (7) 9 To be former partner is Middle Eastern (5) 10 A feudal lord in Belgium (5) 11 Falls for villain in trial (7) 12 Drunken horse that’s swallowed whisky (6) 14 Country folk cook elk in soy (6) 17 Seeing aids to drinking (7) 19 Linen rope? (5) 22 The best part of Chinese literature (5) 23 A murder suspect, one hears? (7) 24 Rated new style squash (5) 25 With difficulty, steer a vessel through the locks (7) Down 1 Help to make a hide, say (5) 2 Transparency of a bit of playground equipment (5) 3 Exeter motorway crash is far away (7) 4 Trim a tree (6) 5 Consider guests with no time (5)

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Crossword

EWN

Down: Down: 1 Salvers, 2 Means, 3 Hostel, 5 Tiers, 6 Bags, 8 Spain, 10 Pears, 14 Rinse, 16 Lagos, 17 Springs, 18 Serene, 19 Pedal, 20 Shoe, 22 Ratio.

QUICK Across:

6 Inspire a Northern Ireland colleague (7) 7 These posers shouldn’t be missed (7) 12 Somehow gets men apart (7) 13 English Viscount, as I’ve found, is slippery (7)

Code Breaker

15 Outside broadcast - do watch (7) 16 Insist on rest, as manager (6) 18 Comes back up in deep sea diver’s rush (5) 20 Gets paid to give a listener some directions (5) 21 Bad start in the cats’ crypts (5)

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 7 represents Q and 12 represents Z, so fill in Q every time the figure 7 appears and Z every time the figure 12 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.

Across 1 Worried and uneasy (8) 5 Seize or grasp suddenly (4) 9 Definite but not specified or identified (7) 10 Rows or lines of soldiers or police standing abreast of one another (5) 11 Graduated series or order (5) 12 Not accepted (7) 13 Dishes served as the last course of a meal (6) 15 Mistakes (6) 18 Hold back or set aside (7) 20 Strips of potato fried in deep fat (5) 22 Two times (5) 23 Become fully aware of something as a fact (7) 24 Cause to stop (4) 25 Gifts (8)

Down 1 Competitions (5) 2 Outer boundary or face of something (7) 3 Go away from a place (5) 4 Soldier stationed to keep guard or to control access to a place (6) 6 Crosspieces that form the steps of a ladder (5) 7 Making an additional point (7) 8 Like better (6) 13 Extend in space or time (7) 14 Reference point to shoot at (6) 16 Personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty (7) 17 Overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety (6) 19 Ability that has been acquired by training (5) 20 Body of students who are taught together (5) 21 Paces (5)

English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.

1 Ask for, 4 Switch, 9 Nurture, 10 Recur, 11 Irate, 12 Passive, 13 Poltergeist, 18 Twitter, 20 State, 22 Alike, 23 Lantern, 24 Honest, 25 Mental. Down: 1 Auntie, 2 Korea, 3 Opulent, 5 Works, 6 Tactics, 7 Harlem, 8 Temporarily, 14 Opinion, 15 Essence, 16 Attach, 17 Kennel, 19 Tiers, 21 Adept.

ENGLISHSPANISH Across: 1 Clave, 4 Motos, 7 Tar, 8 Gaseosa, 9 Peon, 10 Risa, 14 Azulejo, 16 Oro, 17 Heads, 18 Sueca. Down: 1 Cita, 2 Agree, 3 Engineers, 4 Mushrooms, 5 Two, 6 Scar, 11 Smoke, 12 Bath, 13 Boca, 15 Uva.

CODE BREAKER

Across 1 Cambio (modificación) (6) 4 Glass (for drinking) (4) 8 To kiss (5) 9 Hedgehog (5) 10 Smooth (skin) (5) 11 Houses (5) 14 Llama (de fuego) (5) 16 Flood (5) 17 Vela (náutico) (4) 18 Más rápido (6)

Down 1 Buckets (pails) (5) 2 Yearning (desire) (5) 3 Germs (8) 5 Like this (3) 6 Gold (metal, commodity, currency) (3) 7 Unloading (8) 12 Principio (comienzo) (5) 13 Escalón (5) 14 Faiths (3) 15 There (near you) (3)

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TOP 10 World’s Super Yachts

Adult Coloring Book: Ocean Animal Patterns

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

App of the Week

Spain’s ports are filled with luxurious yachts at this time of year and any self-respecting millionaire will have one to entertain guests on. The super yachts, though are in a different class altogether, here we feature the 10 most expensive ones. Credit: Moshi Anahory – Flickr.

BOOKS

TIME OUT The infamous cultural-shock experienced when travelling abroad is to fade away with the new app by Pixel Bakery s.r.o. titled FailPople. The app is packed with advices on ‘whatnot-to-dos when travelling to a foreign country and help you avoid embarrassment and awkward situations: shaking hands vs bowing, to tip or not to tip, how to eat, what to wear, this app has you covered. It is free, download from the App Store.

Play on Words EASY i

Released on June 24, 2015 This book presents a unique concept which has gained large numbers of followers over the past few years: a colouring book for adults. The book was designed by the same team who crafted the bestseller ‘Stress Relieving Patterns,’ and features 100 per cent hand-drawn illustrations including sharks, jellyfish, octopi and other ocean animals. All designs were artfully created by Puerto Rican artists Carolina and Daniela Licalzi. The piece was conceived to provide stress relief and creative expression to adults through a practice traditionally earmarked only to children. Millions of adults are said to have rediscovered colouring and creativity through a new perspective, that of therapeutic, calm fun. books@euroweeklynews.com

Boggled

1. Streets of Monaco - Currently under construction,

million), it looks like something out of a Bond film

the price tag on this yacht. Owned by a Saudi

the final price is yet unknown but is estimated to cost

and features the latest technology and entertainment

billionaire, Nassir Al-Rashid, when it was built it was

about $1 billion (€916 million). With features such as

systems as well as two extra boats for adventure.

the ninth largest yacht in the world but now languishes

a private beach, man-made lake, go kart track and a

There are three swimming pools, each with opposing

at No. 28. Still the boat’s lettering and embellishments

replica of the Monaco Grand Prix track, it’s the most

currents to swim against.

are apparently made from 24-carat gold. It can

expensive yacht on the planet. The deck’s architecture

5. Al Said - is named after its owner, Sultan Qaboos

accommodate 30 guests and 60 crew members and

replicates an upmarket city, it has casinos, helipad,

Bin Said Al Said and cost $300 million (€275

has a powerful twin diesel 7,000 horsepower engine.

pools and cafes. And so it should for that price!

million). Luxury features include a concert hall which

9. Seven Seas - accommodates 12 guests in seven

2. Eclipse - belonging to Russian billionaire Roman

can accommodate a large orchestra. It has space for 70

luxury suites, which function as double cabins. Built

Abromavich, it is estimated to have cost $450 million

guests and it takes another 154 people to look after

by Oceanco, a Dutch company, the ship’s owner

(€412 million) but could be almost $1 billion (€916

them.

Steven Spielberg ‘ spent $200 million (€183 million)

TARGET:

million). It takes 70 crew to manage the yacht and has

6. Dilbar - owned by another rich Russian, Alisher

on purchasing it and so of course, there is an

Average: 35

its own private defence system to ward off intruders

Usmanov, it cost $263 million (€241 million) and

obligatory movie theatre, gym, helipad, an infinity

Good: 45

and paparazzi. In fact, it is rumoured to have light

was apparently named after his late mother. It is over

pool and a private owner’s deck should you feel

detecting technology that can block close-up pictures.

360 feet long and 50 feet high, meaning it is one of the

crowded by the other 11 guests.

Very good: 64

For a quick getaway, there are two helipads plus a

largest in the world. It includes the usual essential

10. The Rising Sun - It cost record and film producer

private submarine available for exploring under the

superyacht items, a helipad and enough rooms to

David Geffen $200 million (€183 million) to buy it

sea.

accommodate 20 guests.

from Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. There is a basketball

3. Dubai - owned by the Sheikh of Dubai, hence the

7. Al Mirqab - Rather than a billionaire entrepreneur,

court, luxury cinema, wine cellar and all 82 rooms on

name, it cost $350 million (€320 million) to construct

this yacht is owned by Qatar’s Prime Minister, making

the five storey ship are decorated to opulent,

and was originally built for the Sultan of Brunei.

Qatari politics an attractive career prospect! Featuring

billionaire standards as you would expect!

There is a swimming pool, spa, glass staircase and a

a helipad, 10 guest suites, a cinema, and exclusive

With the average superyacht costing $300 million

helipad and has room for 115 people on board. It is the

VIP suites it cost $250 million (€229 million) to

which translates to roughly €275 million, it would

second largest yacht in existence at the moment.

build.

only take a few of these billionaire’s yachts to bailout

4. Superyacht A - worth about $323 million (€296

8. Lady Moura - $210 million (€192 million) was

Greece with emergency funds!

Sudoku

How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules? The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms. No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice. No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

Excellent: 79

SCORING: 4 letters: 1 point • 5 letters: 2 points • 6 letters: 3 points • 7 letters: 4 points • 8 or more letters: 11 points

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION edit creed crew crews tide tidies decree deice deer deem dice dices dish diet iced ices emery reed reeds reset retry lice lids side silt seed secret seer sere seem slice slid slide slier mere meres merer mesh meet mews weer wees were ruth tees teem term terse tree three threw thru hurt

Word Ladder WIDE

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

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.

Answers: Easy on the eye, See you in the morning

ECLIPSE: Belongs to Russian Roman Abromavich.

ACUM

BOYS BACK

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

WIDE WADE WADS WAYS BAYS BOYS

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E W N 30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

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OPINION & COMMENT

Advertising feature

Don’t be caught out by non-disclosure David Deverson GLOBELINK INTERNATIONAL Insurance correspondent david@globelink.co.uk

EUROPE’S economic woes haven’t dented our appetite for travel. If anything, we’re intent on getting the most out of our much-needed getaways, and on the lookout for bargains. There are certainly some excellent deals to be had, as operators and destinations compete for our custom. Meanwhile, more people are turning to short breaks as a way of getting a travel ‘fix’ while spreading the budget. If you’re one of them, taking out an Annual Multi Trip policy with Globelink Travel Insurance makes obvious savings sense. But there’s one thing you shouldn’t be economical about, and that’s what you tell your insurer regarding your medical history. Every year, a significant number of Brits head abroad with a travel policy that’s invalid even before they reach the check-in desk. They’re the people who, through naivety or misplaced guile, don’t come clean about pre-existing health facts that may affect the terms of their insurance. Every year, some of them find themselves

TRAVEL INSURANCE: Be honest about any medical conditions. left without adequate travel cover, as the condition they kept mum about suddenly flares up and requires medical attention. There’s no point in hoping the insurance claims investigators won’t cotton on to the facts. They always do, that’s their job! Need to cut your holiday short due to ill health?

If your condition warrants your flying home with a medical escort, expect to run up an average bill of around £4,000 (€4,700) in Europe and that’s flying economy-class. As for repatriation by air ambulance from the US or Australia, typical costs run into tens of thousands.... Not the kind of holiday ‘splurge’

most people budget for. As of April this year, a new UK consumer law should make it harder for travellers to invalidate their travel insurance by inadvertently failing to disclose important facts relating to their health. That can only be a good thing, since it should help to cut down claims disputes. But the flip-side is that the law does expect you to fill out the online form honestly and accurately when applying for, or renewing your travel insurance. A ‘little white lie’ could leave you without proper cover precisely when you need it most. Non-disclosure makes even less sense when your condition might actually be eligible for automatic coverage. At Globelink Travel Insurance, our policies embrace a large number of pre-existing conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma, provided you have no related complications. If in doubt, contact us; we’re here to help. For an instant quote and to arrange cover securely online, enabling you to print your policy documents visit www.globelink..co.uk, the leading travel insurer for people living in EU countries. Or you can telephone Globelink on 00 44 1353 699082 or their Spanish links line on 966 265 000 or 951 242 434.

Training the Spanish to respect animals 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.

I HAD a dog one time that didn’t like me. He wouldn’t come when called. L e t o u t t h e d o o r in th e morning to wander and he always came back reeking of rolling in something foul. It was exactly at those moments that he cherished being close. In 1971 a nasty incident took place at my second home, the La Gaviota bar. At 7 in the evening, I was plumped down outside on the marble terrace enjoying ice cold beer and waiting to speak with my brother. Trusty Lobo was underneath the table. Paul joined me and we chatted then a Spaniard at the table nearest announced that I should lock u p t h e d o g . T h a t h e a s a Spaniard regretted to be in the animal’s presence. Furthermore his friends and the wives found the foreign custom of eating with their dogs repulsive and pagan. Being in a bad mood I

quickly retorted “my dog can read a n d w rite, an d tha t’s proba bly more than you can do.” Well, he got up and came over to my table and kicked Lobo. Not a normal action for a Spaniard. I le a p t to my fee t but w a s s oon pulled back by Paul. Then Paul lectured me for about 10 minutes on being a guest in this country and I also had to learn to be an ambassador too. I swigged my beer back, bit my tongue and gritted my teeth, ordering more beer. The dog kicking table began to boast and act arrogant.

In those days it truly was the Wild West with Spanish and foreigners still learning about each other. TRUSTY LOBO: He wouldn’t come when called. Then Paul got up and took his chair to their table, sat, and an-

nounc e d “ I think I know the s e whores” referring to the wives.

Well, the Dog Kicker stood offended and wanted to get into one

of those never ending Spanish arguments that consist of insults and nam e cal l i ng t o cr eat e enough noise so that others will intervene quickly to rescue both parties. Paul saw that coming so edged closer and tapped dog kicker ’s forehead with a swift but light jab, forcing the issue. Dog kicker had to defend his public honour and strike. Strike he did with a huge round house right which began somewhere from the south side of Garrucha, slow and without impact as it was deftly blocked and at the same time while Paul threw a right cross that knocked the man ass over t ea ket t l e down t he ent i r e marble stairs. I jumped up to aid dog kicker who mumbled “where is he, I’m really gonna kick his ass now.” St agger i ng t o r egai n hi s f eet then falling to his knees and crying. I left him there, came back up and ordered some more beer. The others at DK’s table ran away screaming, cursing and filling the sky with insults. In those days it truly was the Wild West with Spanish and foreigners still learning about each other. Thankfully it has changed for the better from both sides.

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TO READ MORE

Could a liquid diet help reverse diabetes? LOW calories

included soups and shakes

A LIQUID diet could help reverse diabetes. Researchers at Imperial College London are looking at the benefits of a low calorie diet of patients with type two diabetes. It comes after a recent study gave patients a low calorie diet of soups, shakes and non-starchy vegetables.

BEAUTY

&

Night night sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite THE hot sweaty nights are upon us and with the average adult sweating a pint of water a night, it creates the perfect conditions for dust mites and bed bugs to breed. Whilst dust mites themselves are harmless, their faeces and body fragments pose a risk to our health by triggering allergic reactions. They can result in coughs, dry eyes and make existing allergies worse. It is recommended not to make your bed straight away in the morning, but roll back the sheets and open windows

ONE pint of water a night is sweated out by adults

to allow it to breath and prevent hot humid conditions in between the sheets. You should also wash your bed sheets and pillow cases every week with the actual pillow and duvets being washed twice a year. Mattresses should also be vacuumed to remove mites and dead skin cells.

Further reductions in health spending

DIET BENEFITS: Normal blood sugar levels and weight loss. By Gemma Quinn

HEALTH

Three months later and seven of the 11 had normal blood sugar levels and also lost weight. The Imperial College London is now looking at trialling a low calorie diet on 90 patients who have had diabetes for up to 10 years and take insulin to treat it. Half will have nutritionally balanced soups and shakes, followed by the grad-

ual reintroduction of food with the other participants having a standard low-calorie diet and regular exercise. Meanwhile Chinese researches say chilli extract could help women who develop diabetes during pregnancy. During a study, a daily supplement of capsaicin, which gives chilli its heat, helped lower cholesterol and sugar levels.

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

MANY European countries saw further reductions in health spending in 2013, according to OECD Health Statistics 2015, released on July 7. Health spending continued to shrink in Greece, Italy and Portugal in 2013. Most countries in the European Union reported real per capita health spending below the levels of 2009. Outside of Europe, health spending has been growing at around 2.5 per cent per year since 2010. The OECD Health Database offers the most comprehensive source of comparable statistics on health and health systems across OECD countries.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Exercise to help any physical imbalances TIMES have changed and so have job roles

GENTLE EXERCISE: Will help your posture.

FitFoxy Looking Good, Staying Trim AS a Fitness Trainer it is my job not only to get people jumping up and down and keeping fit and strong, but to implement exercises and stretches to help fix any physical imbalances. Times have changed and so have job roles, as 40-50 years ago, jobs were more physical and kept our grandparents fairly fit and strong. These days many of us have desk jobs and are sat hunched over a computer several hours a day. Ever wonder why your back is consistently tight, and your neck aches? The human body was not designed to be sedentary for several hours. You will naturally lean to one side to control your computer mouse, there-

fore your spine is consistently tilted, are you getting the picture? Go to a large mirror, turn to the side and take a look at your posture. Is your upper back starting to curve like a question mark? Then it is time to implement some important exercises. Here is one of the most basic exercises I give to my clients: • Place a mat or a towel on the floor. Lay face down and position both of your hands either side of your head. • (Try not to hunch your shoulders) keeping your neck in neutral position, lift your upper body gently off the floor, squeeze the shoulder blades together and then lower it slowly. • Aim for a two second count up and down and take care not to jolt your neck. • Your lower body should not lift at all, focus is on the upper back muscles. Start with two to three sets of eight repeats.

Study suggests acupuncture really can help reduce pain THE ancient Chinese art of acupuncture has been used for centuries and more recently in the Western World, but medics have been divided over its claims. However now, research suggests the treatment really can reduce pain. A US study of acupuncture, which involves inserting tiny needles in the body to target specific problem areas, suggests there is strong evidence to show it can have genuine benefits with the study’s author claiming the research demonstrates how acupuncture can reduce stress and pain.

ANCIENT ART: Involves inserting tiny needles in the body. However critics and sceptics still claim benefits of acupuncture are all in the mind and pa-

tients benefit from a placebo effect, so think it is working and therefore reducing symptoms.

30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almeria

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Beware of operation bikini STILL trying to squeeze in to your swimwear for the summer? Then be careful. Experts have warned that the so called ‘operation bikini’ can have a negative effect on your health and a rebound effect on your weight. The Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition at Valencia’s Hospital La Fe said it would be desirable to follow a proper diet all year rather than due to aesthetic pressure trying to achieve in a month what should be done in 12 months: “Maintaining a healthy weight through good nutrition and regular exercise should be a constant and a proper diet and healthy lifestyle are life insurances against possible diseases.” The centre also stressed that whilst crash dieting quickly for the summer, important food groups can be missed leading to the loss of nutritional benefits. This may help quick weight loss but it will be temporary and can then later have an adverse effect on weight. For correct and consistent weight loss they

CRASH DIET: Temporary weight loss. recommend seeing a nutritionist to find the correct plan for you. During the summer it is recommended to drink two litres of water every day and eat smaller meals and more often, being cautious of tempting ice creams and fancy cocktails, high in sugar and calories.

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OPINION & COMMENT

How can you create more of what you want? Sally Trotman

FIERY LEO: Favours bold moves, so listen to your heart and go for it!

www.sallytrotman.com Based in Mallorca, Sally Trotman is a qualified Counsellor who works with Astrology, Numerology and the Tarot. Each month she will deliver the forecast as an intuitive tool to aid increased self awareness.

MOST of the month of August is ruled by the fiery sign of Leo. It is time to think big! How can you create more of what you want this month? Perhaps you would like more time to yourself, more like minded friends, more fun or more romance in your life. Whatever it is that you seek, the stars are lining up to help you this month. August begins under the light of the full moon in Aquarius. This outward looking sign is helping you to connect to the right people at the right time. This full moon will help you clarify your vision for the future. With the new moon in Leo on August 14 you should feel confident about what you want and know that you deserve the best. Leo the lion favours bold moves so listen to your heart and go for it! On August 23 the sun enters the sign of Virgo. This will help you tie up loose ends and pay attention to detail. Now you have all the courage

and vision you need to create what you want, Virgo will help to get you practically on track. The full moon in Pisces on August 29 brings a softer energy and will enable you to become aware of your deepest feelings. Take a walk by water on the eve of this full moon, and let your imagination wander as you gaze to

the sky. Who knows what flashes of inspiration you might receive? This month we have an 8.8.8. date, on Saturday August 8. The total of the numbers from 2015 add up to the number 8, which the Chinese believe to be an auspicious number. You may find at times that your

strength is being tested however and life may seem to be a bit of a rollercoaster (think about the up and down shape of the 8!) Actually this year is helping you to develop your inner strength so you can deal with any situation. When looking at the

Tarot, the card of Strength is the eighth card in the picture deck. This card is helping you to develop a higher level of self awareness so that you are able to master yourself and your world with more of a feeling of strength and self assurance. The picture on this tarot card is in fact of a Lion, reminding you once again to take charge of your thoughts and path, knowing you will be as happy as you allow yourself to be by changing your perspective and developing an attitude of gratitude. Consider this month how you approach every aspect of your life. Is it with fear and apprehension or with confidence, courage and positive expectation? The strong influence of the number eight and of the lion too, will help you to believe in yourself, your abilities and your ideas. Move forward fearlessly this month and know that your bravery will be rewarded. Would you like to find out how the planets affect you personally this month? I can help you make the best choices for you based on your date of birth. I offer individual sessions via Skype and also written compatibility reports. Visit www.sallytrotman.com for information.

On a roll with my rants… gripes? or is it sour 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

THIS will be all about rants! So, if rants aren’t your cup of tea, why not flick ahead to the sudoku page or go and make a cup of, err, coffee and I’ll see you back here next week … Hey, me again. Apologies for that short interruption but pleased to see most of you still here! But where to start? First off, the BBC with reports it ‘hid’ salaries of stars paid more than £500,000 from its recent annual accounts. Stars like Sir Tom Jones, allegedly paid around £1 million for The Voice UK, and James Nesbitt for The Missing.

Yes, scrap the daft shows, but the problem isn’t just the money paid to BBC stars, it’s money paid to management. A blatant sense of entitlement is rife in this institution as in so many other public bodies. Charities have also been in the news for the wrong reasons, with the Kids Company founder accused of financial mismanagement, and Save the Children having spent a third of its advertising budget with an agency run by its CEO’s brother. Charities have long been condemned for their excessively high executive salaries. Save the Children has, reportedly, at least six of its executives on more than £100,000 a year. Back in the day, I attended one or two charity fundraising events in the UK myself, con-

stantly amazed at the behaviour of some of the wealthiest guests who raided whatever caught their eye. From the gift table gifts intended for volunteers or other deserving individuals - to the floral arrangements on tables: everything was fair game as they swooped and executed, on their departure, a scorched earth policy the SAS would have been proud of! And (phew - great to get all this off my chest!) my final rant: all those ‘beach ready’ articles in the meWEALTHY RAIDERS: Helping themselves to the floral arrangements.

dia now. Why do we let ourselves be exposed to such body shaming propaganda? ‘Beauty’ editors for instance, constantly promoting the latest products - irrespective of whether or not they’re any good - that have just landed on their desks. Why can’t we just accept our bodies as they are? So, do excuse me, won’t you, while I totter off to get my body ‘beach ready’ - modelled loosely upon that of the occasional whale washed-up here on Spain’s beaches... 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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LEGALLY SPEAKING

Different coloured pedestrian crossings AS part of a new 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.

BLACK AND WHITE: The only colour for pedestrian crossings. MANY people ask about the significance and meanings of the different coloured pedestrian crossings in Spain. Most people are aware of the ‘zebra’ crossings with black and white alternating stripes across the road, but what ones in any other colours? Article 168 of the Trafico, Circulacion y Seguridad Vial states that ‘pedestrian crossings are formed of a series of wide lines arranged from the pavement and parallel to the axis forming a set across the road where drivers of vehicles or animals must let pedestrians pass.’ It states that you must not use other colours that alternate with the white ones so by legal definition the only colours that should be on a pedestrian crossing are white and the colour of the road.

A study in 2014 concluded the best way to make crossings safer for pedestrians was to “transform these pedestrian passages into eye grabbing spectacles; a school of colourful fish, a skeleton or a row of bullets.” However the study was done by an artist rather than a road safety professional but the impact was successful. By creating a surface which drivers looked out for it could improve the awareness of the crossing, but other experts suggest these could do more damage than good being a distraction. Many of the coloured crossings are on raised humps; again traffic calming measures, but a lot of these humps don’t fall within legal requirements and so many have been removed in recent years.

For more news and articles visit www.n332.es or search N332 on Facebook

Six months is legal limit for a UK car In a recent column you said that any UK plated car being driven in Spain must have current UK road tax along with a UK MOT. However, I recently spoke with a Spanish insurance company and they said it is L e t ’s p u t i t t h i s way. Regardless of what the law says, no Spanish policeman is going to issue a fine for not having paid UK road tax or not h a v i n g a c u r re n t M O T from the UK. Insurance is a different story. The law says that a vehicle must be insured in its country of registra-

not required to have UK road tax and MOT. In order to be legal in Spain, you only need the Spanish ITV. Can you tell me whether this is correct or incorrect?

David Searl You and the Law in Spain

Six months in a calendar year is the maximum limit for a foreign car to circulate on Spanish roads.

M.T. (Costa del Sol) tion. If you have an insurance company that accepts a Spanish ITV inspection sticker on a U K - p l a t e d c a r, t h i s makes me wonder if the car has not been in Spain longer than six months. Six months in a calendar year is the maximum limit for a foreign car to c i rc u l a t e o n S p a n i s h roads.

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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Flamenco summer shows to tour Cuevas del Almanzora TOUR has been designed as one of the biggest novelties of the summer By Maria José Fernandez THE summer in Cuevas del Almanzora has been packed with activities for Flamenco enthusiasts. Mayor of Cuevas del Almanzora Antonio Fernandez and Culture and Tourism councillor Indalecio Modesto presented the professional flamenco tour which is going to be celebrated during the summer season as a prelude to the ‘First Flamenco Festival of Cueves del Almanzor,’ scheduled to take place after the summer season. This tour has been designed as one of the biggest novelties of the summer to allow residents to witness some of the most acclaimed artists of the current flamenco scene. On August 7, in the Plaza Mayor in Los Lobos, there will be a performance by Anabel Veloso and her Company at 11pm. On August 14, also at 11pm in the Plaza Mayor of Villaricos, Alberto Ruiz and his ensemble will perform. Maite Beltran and her group will host a show on the Palomares Beach on September 5 at 10pm.

FLAMENCO SCENE: Residents will witness some of the most acclaimed artists.

SOCIAL SCENE

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Paella is pride of Spanish chefs ONCE cooked over an open fire By Wendy Ann Cowham PAELLA is a Valencia dish which comes from the old French word Paella, meaning pan in English and padilla in Spanish. Back in the 18th century, the Valencians used to cook their rice outdoors near the orchards of Albufera, and meat from the water vole was one of the ingredients used. A novelist named Vicent Blasco Ibanez wrote about the local fishermen and peasants eating water vole as an important part of their lifestyle. It wasn’t until a century later that the ingredients changed as many used rabbit, chicken, duck and even snails! This recipe soon caught on and in 1840 a Spanish newspaper used the word Paella to describe this dish cooked in a large pan. Paella was also a favourite dish to be cooked for

Theatrical Adra nights CULTURE-VULTURES in Almeria have the chance to participate in a magical journey of Adra’s history. ADRA Council has launched a new edition of the Theatrical Guided Tours, which will take participants on a journey to learn more about the history and culture of the town, through each civilisation that has settled in Adra throughout the years. This activity, included in the summer cultural programme organised by the town’s Culture Department will allow visitors and locals to get to know more about Adra in an interesting and unique way, according to head of the department, Elisa Fernandez. Guided visits have been scheduled for July 31 and August 14 and 21, starting 10pm at Adra Museum. The tour will continue at the Molino del Lugar Museum and the Casa de los Gnecco Tickets are €2 per person from the museum and the Tourism Office.

Lent, and along the Spanish eastern coast lots of various fish was introduced to the recipes. In Moorish Spain, rice was cooked in a casserole with fish and so it was said to have married the two cuisines together. Spanish food historian Lourdes March notes the dish ‘symbolises the union and heritage of two important cultures, the Roman, which gives us the utensil and the Arab which brought us the basic food of humanity for centuries.’ Traditionally the dish was cooked over an open fire which was fuelled by orange branches and pine cones which added to the aroma of the paella. During the 20th century, this delicious dish broke across the borders and was being cooked all over Spain. Now paella is the pride of countless chefs throughout the country!

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Wanna rock and roll all night? such as a market and a free camping site. “We are delighted as we have surpassed by far the number of foreseen visitors, and are currently expecting at least 7,000 participants per day,” said Antonio Alcaraz, one of the organisers, and added: “We have a fantastic team who are doing their outmost to finis h u p a ll de tails.”

THE third edition of The Juerga’s Rock Festival will be held in Adra for the second year in a row. This rock event is scheduled to take place between July 31 and August 1, when thousands of ‘Juerguistas’ (Spanish for ‘partylovers’) will gather up at the Playa del Censo, where a stage has been prepared for the occasion. More than 20 bands and solo artists will partici- 7,00 0 part icipa nts pate in the event includper ing Asian Dub Foundation, The Toy Dolls, Anti-Flag, Hora Zulu, Kiko Veneno, La Excepcion, Soziedad Alkoholika and Eskorzo amongst others, artists who are very wellknown in the current Spanish rock scene. On July 30, the organisers will host a welcome party where participants will be able to enjoy performances by guest artists including the Mojinos Escozios, Maniatica and Cizaña. There will also be alternative activities

by kr Flic

day

et c .n usi m de Ru

ROCK SCENE: More than 20 bands and solo artists will take part.

More information and tickets can be found at http://thejuergasrockfestival.com

Flickr by Ismael Alonso.

By Maria José Fernandez

Flickr by Thomas

THE Juerga Rock Festival is to be held in Adra for the second year in a row

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New purpose for empty flats in Olula del Rio POTENTIAL buyers were unable to obtain mortgages By Eleanor Hawkins SIXTY empty homes in Olula del Rio may be offered to families in need as cheap social housing following an agreement reached at last week’s council plenary session. The session agreed to request that the Homes and Development Council allows the building, which was built by the Andalucian Public Land Company to be sold under a special sales regime, to be moved over to a special rentals regime.

EMPTY: Since construction was completed in 2012. The 60 flats have been empty since construction was completed in 2012, as those who had ex-

pressed an interest in buying them were unable to obtain mortgages.

Future unclear for school WORKERS from the EMA Andalucian School of Marble in Fines are complaining that, for the third year running, they are owed a year’s salary and have little hope for the centre’s future providing training. Tania Sanchez, one of the affected workers, explained their situation had become unbearable as

they are left in the dark as to what will happen next. The centre remains open, and workers continue to turn up every day, although training courses were cancelled and bills and wages left unpaid. “All we want is a solution,” Sanchez said. “If they’re going to close they should just do it.”

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Old friends AFTER almost 40 years without seeing each other, former students who graduated from Albox’s Cardenal Cisneros secondary school in 1963 have held a reunion. A chance to see old friends, share memories, swap stories and once again walk the halls as they held the reunion at the school. “The reunion included lunch, dinner and the whole afternoon,” said Domingo Pallarés, ex-student and one of the organisers. “We’ve agreed to meet up every year. It’s been a long time, so it’s nice to meet up now and again,” he added.

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Beware now that summer is here wasps are the top pests THE mid-summer problem starts to appear as soon as fruit begins to ripen Dick Handscombe

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

OVER the next couple of months fruit that attract wasps start to ripen. These include grapes, late plums and peaches. At the same time, wasps hatch and fly out of their nests to hunt for food and nectar during the day and return to their nests at night. If wasps are disturbed they can attack people or pets, sometimes fatally. Where to look out for nests If you suddenly see wasps hovering around you when sitting outside or at a table, turn the chair over and check to see if there is a nest under-

WASP NEST: A favourite place is under plastic chairs or tables.

neath. A favourite place is in the strengthening framework under plastic chairs or tables. Larger nests are often under the eaves of a house or shed, in holes in walls or trees, in empty plant pots, or sometimes even in a swimming pool strimmer. What to spray them with Obtain a proprietary wasp spray from a garden or hardware shop and keep it handy. If you are unfortunate enough to have a major infestation, contact the department of medio-ambiente at your town hall. What to do if you are stung Naturally you could be anywhere from a mountain-top to a beachside restaurant, so here is a range of garden, kitchen and chemist treatments. For any others that you Turn to Page 81 might try,

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Neater Heaters, it’s best to stock up on them while it’s still hot THIS year has seen a massive upturn in the property market, with many people visiting Spain to renovate their property. Whether they are refurbishing them as a holiday home, rental business, or a new permanent home, it is evident that people can see a brighter future ahead. Tony and Richard at Neater Heater have been a god send to those who need a solution to enhance their homes either for their own economical but stylish living, or for those wishing to attract tenants. Neater Heaters are designed to set up a more efficient way of heating the home so when compared to other electric heaters, month-

NEATER HEATER DISTRIBUTORS: ALMERIA SAN JAVIER: DFS Spain. Tel. 968 334 194 ANTAS: Lifestyle Enclosures. Tel. 950 459 060 Heaters also available for purchase at our online shop with free home delivery WWW.NEATERHEATER.ES or Tel. 634 312 171 TIGHT SPACE: Will not restrict your furniture. ly bills can be reduced, which is music to anybody’s ears. The difference between a Neater Heater compared to most electric convector heaters is that most other electric heaters use their ener-

gy in getting the heater hot, whereas the Neater Heater is designed to heat the air in your room directly. The element in most electric heaters has to get unnecessarily hot in order to heat the casing, which in turn, warms the air it contacts as it slowly heats up. With Neater Heaters, the air is drawn into the heater, where it is in direct contact with a very efficient element causing the air to heat up extremely rapidly, creating a convection current. You save time and money as your room is heated within minutes at lower energy cost. Neater Heaters are designed and built in Norway, where these stylish heaters

are hailed as the first choice for quality and performance. There are many designs that are on offer which can be incorporated into your room’s colour pallet and style. Neater Heaters will not restrict your furniture layout either, as there are so many options that you can work with if space is tight. There is more good news, Neater Heater can offer their Adax and Neo ranges to their clients at a lower competitive price. Choosing your requirements in the summertime also means you have the full range to choose from, rather than suffering disappointment later in the year when the heaters are selling faster.

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Andrewlister – Wikimedia Commons

Turn your lawns green with a coat of paint! stickpen – Wikimedia Commons

LAWN painting offers a cheap solution for your grass

GREEN GRASS: Painting your lawn is better for the environment. By Carol Irving LONG, dry summers in Spain mean the garden sprinkler is working overtime to keep your lawn green and fresh, costing a fortune and using up copious amounts of water. While water restrictions have not yet been introduced here, in California, which has a similar climate to Andalucía and is currently undergoing a drought, residents have been ordered to reduce water use by 25 per cent, meaning green lawns with daily sprinklers may soon be a thing of the past. In response to this worrying situation, some ingenious entrepreneurs have come up with a solution to brown lawns - paint them green!

While drought solutions for gardeners so far have included replacing grass with artificial turf or drought resistant plants, lawn painting offers a cheap solution which, according to experts, is just as good, if not better, for the environment itself. For a lawn of roughly 1,000 square feet (304 metres square) customers pay around $250 (€228) or, of course, you could buy some lawn paint and try the DIY approach. University of California turf expert, James Baird, who has used the lawn paint in his own garden, argues that painting your lawn is better than replacing it with artificial turf or drought friendly plants, claiming these plants do not save water and that artificial turf can get extremely

hot (up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit - 82 degrees Centigrade) and have to be cooled with water. Baird also says that natural lawns are better for the environment as they reduce heat and store carbon dioxide in their roots and help reduce dust. Before you head off to your nearest paint shop, it should be mentioned that lawn paint is not your common garden paint. It contains a special blend of pigments that are non-toxic and do not fade or rub off on clothes, although paint needs to be re-applied every three months or so. Lawn painting businesses are now sprouting up everywhere on the West Coast so perhaps some budding entrepreneurs will seize the opportunity to make Spain’s browning lands green and pleasant.

There are a range of things to do if you happen to be stung by a wasp From page 79

remember the venom of a wasp is alkaline. Therefore, needs an acidic antidote. 1. Move away from the wasp that stung you or a swarm or nest. Unfortunately, wasps, unlike bees, do not normally leave their sting in your skin so they can buzz around attempting to sting you again or move onto bystanders or the pets. 2. If unusually the sting can be seen to still be there, remove carefully with tweezers but don’t squeeze the poison sack as this could inject more venom into the wound.

3. Apply an ice pack to help reduce or slow down the initial swelling. 4. Remove any jewellery near the sting. 5. If possible wash the area with soap and water to remove any surface venom. 6. Raise arms or legs if stung. 7. Rub the area of the sting with cider vinegar, a paste of salt or baking powder, a slice of lemon, olive oil, cucumber, garlic, aloe vera, crushed marigold flowers or basil leaves, crushed plantain leaves, calamine lotion or an anti-histamine

cream. 8. Wash regularly, dry and keep clean. 9. If the person is allergic to wasp stings and serious swelling starts to occur, the sting is near to or in the mouth, the tongue is swollen, the person vomits, faints or feels dizzy, contact the emergency services. 10. Put on protective clothing until the danger of further wasp attacks appears to be past, but play on the safe side. © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com

BRIGHTEN UP: Choose plants that suit your balcony.

Nurturing plants to make your balcony flourish in summer THOSE of us town dwellers who are not blessed with acres of land at our disposal can still nurture a range of plants to brighten up our balconies. But even having two or three pot plants to care for can be tricky. The direction of the balcony or terrace will clearly make a huge difference to how your plants develop, if you don’t take steps to shield them from solar rays at particular times of the day. Blinds or awnings can be useful, especially if your terrace faces south, east or west. Make sure they are pulled down at the hottest part of the day, shading them and you into the bargain. While it is tempting to fill

your balcony with overflowing plants, you can be economical with floor space, hanging plants in wall pots or along balustrades or on trellis. Choose plants that suit the direction of your balcony. South facing terraces will take geraniums, petunias, herbs, fuschias and carnations. East ones, begonias, orchids, and aloes among others. For west ones use petunias, spider plants, and miniature confers and north facing balconies can host aspidistras, cyclamen, and many indoor plants. To stop plants drying out, you can use water retaining gel in the compost of plant pots or self- watering pots, this is especially important on south facing terraces.

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Dog owners should be aware of problem leads FLEXI leads are dangerous

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

OVER the past years I have given out warnings on my radio show about the dangers of flexi-type extendable leads. I appeal to dog owners to be very wary of using extending leads on walks. Sally Flanagan from Bracknell, Berkshire, wants other pet owners to be vigilant to prevent them going through the same ordeal she suffered in June. Sally’s Jack Russell Terrier Pippin was killed when the lock on her extending lead broke suddenly. “My grandson was walking my dog; they came to a main road and he put the lock on the lead,” said Sally. “But the lock broke

and Pippin ran straight into the road and was killed by a car. She was 10 years old. I want people to think twice about using these leads.” I hope by raising awareness of this issue people will think carefully about using extending leads next to roads as it only takes a fraction of a second for their dog to run out onto the road and be hit either by a car or a cyclist.

RAISING AWARENESS: It only takes a fraction of a second for a dog to run out onto the road.

Protecting fish from the heat of summer KEEPING your tropical fish in good condition in the hot temperatures is a must, but not necessarily because, as you might think, the water is too hot. Tropical fish can cope with warmer temperatures in the short term, unlike humans, but the rise in temperatures can bring other issues.

When the water is warmer there is less oxygen available and so steps must be taken to counteract this. It is essential, therefore, that the tank is kept clean, avoiding a build-up of organic material that will further reduce the amount of oxygen in the water. Make

sure the water is well aerated. Another issue is feeding. The metabolism of the fish changes when temperatures are high and they will need more food. As a result, there may be more waste material in the tank, adding to the difficulty of keeping the tank clean.

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In the hills close to Granada… To find a pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on +44 (0)1865521508 JOHN and his wife left the west coast of Scotland some years ago and decided to find a new home with a gentler climate more conducive to retirement. They had visited Granada on a couple of holidays and fell in love with the ancient character of the place, and of course the climate. Moving over was easier than expected, and finding a property didn’t take any time at all. In fact it was the first house they saw that captured their imagination. They actually chose an ancient home of character in the hills facing the Sierra Nevada, with stunning views all around. And their dogs loved it too. Since then they have acquired two cats to add to their fur family. The one challenge they face is finding sitters who will care for their home and their pets while they are away. They have con-

nected with HouseSitMatch online and are now talking to a number of experienced sitters about dates when they plan to return to Britain to visit family. The HouseSitMatch process was straightforward. They registered as homeowners and posted a house-sit advert with photos and descriptions of the pets. The registered sitters receive an automatic email through the website if they have said they are interested in house-sitting in Spain. Then John reviews the applications and begins getting to know the sitters through the site, with his identity and contact details hidden until he chooses to take up references and then to accept the sitter of his choice. It’s easy! To find a pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on +44 (0)1865 521508

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Following the pet laws in Spain RULES can vary in different autonomous regions

WALKIES: Dogs must be kept on a lead when in public places. By Carol Irving IF you are new to Spain, or just here on holiday with your pet, you need to be aware of the main laws regarding dogs in public. Pet laws mean you must secure your dog with a lead, chain or collar when out in public and it must be micro-chipped and vaccinated. There are further restrictions for dogs which are listed as potentially dangerous, as they are

also obliged to wear a muzzle (the muzzle type depends on the dog breed). These dogs must be secured on a leash that is less than two metres long and owners can only walk one at a time. Such dogs must be registered with the local authorities and you can check your local town hall for details. However, there are variations in the different autonomous regions of Spain regarding the law, and in Andalucia, for example, all dog, cat and ferret

owners are required to register their pets on the Animal Identification Registry of Andalucia. Even at home, dogs which are not kept in an enclosed garden or patio area must be tied up or secured. This is to protect people and other animals that may be nearby. There has been a lot of controversy about dog beaches but it should be noted that dogs are not normally welcome on the beach or in public bathing areas, unless it is a beach specifi-

cally designated for them. Strict fines can be handed out to owners who do not pick up their dogs’ droppings and they should be collected in a bag and put in the nearest bin: if none is available they can be left at the curb near the sewerage gutter. Pets should be secured in the backs of cars and it is illegal to let them sit loose in the car (the same applies to cat boxes) due to safety reasons. Following these basic rules will benefit you and your pet.

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A SUPERB example of an individually styled, detached villa, built and maintained to the highest standard with quality fixtures and fittings throughout, and located close to the village of Turre. The property is bright and airy, making the most of the construction design, and features a large open plan dining room/lounge area, fitted with independent air conditioning and twin ceiling lights with fans and a traditional stone effect open fireplace. From here a door leads into a beautiful fully-fitted kitchen with a good selection of wall and base units, and there is also a separate utility room with additional work surfaces and a storage room. Still on the ground floor, there are two bright double bedrooms both with fully-fitted wardrobes and there is also a spacious family bathroom. On the first floor, accessed via an impressive marble staircase, is an upper hallway which gives access to a private master bedroom with a quality bathroom. Patio doors lead out on to the large roof terrace,

REF:B846 TURRE

184,950€ Coastal property

An individually-styled, detached villa maintained to the highest standard. which has fabulous views of the Cabrera Mountains, Mojacar Pueblo and the surrounding open countryside to the rear.

The villa also comes with low maintenance, fully-landscaped gardens, a private off-road gated driveway with access to the pool area and

a beamed front terrace with ornate balustrade to both the front and rear. There is an ample terraced area and a full-sized swimming pool.

2 floors Communal fees: €34 per month Furniture negotiable 3 bedrooms 2 bathrooms Plot size 400m² Build size 100m² Mains water Mains electricity Telephone possible Internet possible Air conditioning Private pool Roof solarium Private terrace Off-road parking Close to a golf course 8 minutes to the beach 2 minutes to the shops

Spanish Property Choice, Avenida del Mediterraneo 363, Mojacar Playa, Almeria, Spain. Telephone: 0034 950 615 388. UK cheap rate call line: 0843 313 3639 www.spanishpropertychoice.com country@spanishpropertychoice.com

PROPERTY

30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de AlmerĂ­a

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Advertising feature

Screenmasters - the No.1 provider of outdoor lifestyle solutions

IN an excellent position to advise you on the best solutions for your home and garden ONE of the major benefits to living in Spain is the ability to spend more time outdoors than back in the UK. As lovely as alfresco life is, there are some drawbacks. One of the biggest bugs (pardon the pun) is having to share that fresh air with various flying insects - all keen to have a chomp on you and your guests, a traipse over your freshly prepared dinner, or perhaps a swim in your chilled glass of wine or beer. Of course, there is a solution available, and this is where Screenmasters can help. This English-owned and managed company provides screens to protect you from the flying beasties that are trying to invade your terrace or garden. No longer do you have to impersonate a dancing ninja when trying to enjoy that barbecue with friends, because the screens keep the insects away. The company is fully reg-

DESIGN: You can see what the enclosure will look like when it is finished. istered and insured to work in Spain, and all employees are long-term residents. At the helm are Anthony Cornwell and John Humphreys - both

friendly and professional, and in an excellent position to advise you on the best solutions for your home and garden. Screenmasters use computer aided design to engineer all their structures to the highest standard. They can also superimpose a computer generated model onto a photo of the proposed area, so you can see what the enclosure will look like when finished. They purposely over-engineer all structures; therefore, all the enclosures are built to withstand high winds and other adverse weather conditions. Screenmasters provide a whole host of additional products including glass curtains, PVC and aluminium conservatories, polycarbonate roofs, tile effect roofs, car ports and pergolas, bi-fold and sliding windows and doors, motorised insect screens, plisse and pull down mosquito nets, toldos and awnings. Venta Nueva, 58, Huercal Overa, 04690 Almeria Tel: +34 677 152 911 / +34 617 877 029 Web: www.screenmasters.es Email: info@screenmasters.es

A touch of magic and your small kitchen will appear to look bigger BY following simple design tricks you should be able to make a kitchen space seem larger and more efficient John Graham The property expert WITH the average size of Spanish apartments at around 120m2, it is apartment owners who have the biggest challenge with small kitchens. The majority of home owners I have met in Spain have all made the same complaint about their kitchen, it’s far too small and the first question owners ask me is, can I design a better kitchen in such a small space? Yes, is the simple answer. I have many years of experience and like all good magicians I have plenty of tricks up my sleeve that can help you expand the appearance of depth, height and width in your kitchen. By following a few of my simple design tricks you should be able to make a smaller kitchen space seem larger and function more efficiently.

KITCHEN SPACE: Idea is to have a beautiful and functional area. The first important tip for small kitchen designs is to build up, not out. You can stack cabinets on top of one another, building all the way to the ceiling. No kitchen design can increase the physical size of your kitchen but a well designed kitchen can overcome any limited space issue and can enhance easy and simple workflows, giving

you a significant level of convenience. The focus of your kitchen design should be to give you a beautiful and functional area despite the limited space available. If you have a galley kitchen, the ideal width of the aisle should be four to six feet. You can create a more efficient space and also add design features that can expand the area visually,

to create the illusion of a longer kitchen space. Make sure the ceiling and cabinet tones match, if they contrast, the space will seem smaller. Also, lighter tones tend to create a more open, airy feel in smaller spaces. You can hide appliances entirely, behind cabinets or with panelling that mimic the look of your cabinet design. Clean lines give the impression of a larger space. The trick about clean lines also applies to cabinets, keep these as simple and unadorned as possible. Another efficient use of kitchen cabinets is door storage. Attaching racks or shelves to the interior side of cabinet doors can allow you to double the amount of supplies they can hold. A small kitchen island idea could include shelves for cookbooks, racks for wine bottles, drop-leafs or pull-out drawers for extra countertop space, and a countertop overhang providing breakfast bar-type seating for two. If you are looking for the best kitchen design and installation please contact me. Twitter @JohnGrahamFASI Gk.ipad@me.com / Tel. (44)203 900983

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30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

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Motoring shorts

Innovative car sharing RENAULT have joined forces with a French car rental company Totem Mobi to launch a car sharing rental service for those on low incomes in Marseille, France. Reserving cars through a mobile app, companies and individuals who need a car short-term can reserve one for one euro and one euro for each 15 minutes of use. Cars will be available in company car parks and at main points throughout the city.

Technology to light up your way IT can be extremely difficult to spot pedestrians, cyclists and animals when driving at night but Ford are developing advanced technology to help motorists identify such hazards more easily. The company’s Advanced Front Lighting System ‘reads’ traffic signs and widens the light beam accordingly. A GPS enabled system uses cameras to see bends in the road and spot lighting uses infra-red to help see pedestrians, cyclists and animals and can highlight up to eight potential hazards at once.

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Clarkson Quote of theWeek

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FOR BEST RATES IN MOTOR INSURANCE CALL: 952 89 33 80

We are going to have to stop penalising people for making that most human of gestures - mistake.”

Some might say...

Comfort and safety of pet passengers KEEPING your car clean is also a problem with pets on board By Carol Irving WHILE car manufacturers focus on the latest technology to keep us all entertained when we are driving, they don’t often consider the comfort of our pets. It is refreshing then to hear about Skoda’s range of accessories to keep dog lovers happy. The dog safety belt comes in four sizes from S to XL and will ensure your pet does not get thrown around, especially in the event of a collision. It also doubles up as a leash for walking or training. Keeping the car clean is another headache when you have pets, and Skoda has come up with a solution - a backseat protector which fits snugly into the backseat, attached by hooks and fasteners to the front and rear headrests, making it secure and ensuring hairs don’t get all over the place, and it is water resistant and fully washable too. Skoda has also come up with some simple solutions for maintaining a hair-free zone in your car such as rubber mats moulded to the shape of the

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boot, plastic liners and double-sided carpet water-resistant mats, which you can flip over when Fido is travelling. For large dogs in estate cars, a grille is essential and for the Skoda Fabia, Octavia and Superb Estate, their new trunk grille in the luggage compartment has a dual purpose. As well as providing space for your animal, it separates the boot into two, one side for your pet and one for luggage so any sudden turns won’t result in your loved one being hit by a suitcase. The trunk grille itself fits onto the rear headrests and will ensure safety in the backseat and boot for your family and your dog.

SEAT BELT: Will ensure your pet does not get thrown around in the event of a collision.

Credit: SKODA Autos a.s.

MOTORING

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MOTORING

The classic new Jazz with a few contemporary twists THERE’S more room for passengers and includes the Magic Seat system By Carol Irving THE classic lines of Honda’s new Jazz continue in the latest model of the hatchback but with a few contemporary twists. Released in September in the UK, the new Jazz is bigger on the inside wi t h 3 5 4 l i t r es o f b o o t space (with rear seats up) and 897 litres with them down. There’s more room for passengers and it includes the Magic Seat system that al l o ws se a t s t o b e mo v e d when you need to carry large awkward items. Honda’s City Brake Active comes with all models, helping prevent sudden low-speed accidents, and other standard fittings in the base S grade have air con, cruise control and auto lights that light up at dusk. Upgrading to the

HONDA JAZZ: Classic lines continue in the latest model of the hatchback. SE model will give you front and rear sensors, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, and 15” alloy wheels. The top grade EX model features smart entry and start, auto-

ma tic c lima te c ontrol a nd s ix speaker audio, topped off with 16” alloy wheels and front fog lamps. Honda’s Connect infotainment system, which comes in the SE or EX models as standard, has an An-

droid system pre-loaded with apps w ith a seven- i nch t ouchscr een with a ‘pinch, swipe and tap’ interface. The apps connect you with real-time traffic information, news and social media as well as music

and web browsers. You can also opt for Garmin navigation with these models. Safety features include radar sensors, forward and rear facing cam er as i n SE and EX m odel s with Forward Collision Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, Intelligent Speed Limiter and Lane Departure Warning amongst others. The new 1.3 litre VTEC petrol engine is the latest from Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology and powers up the driving performance with 102 PS at 6,000rpm, yet retains the fuel economy of the previous Jazz’s 1.2 litre engine. The new Jazz also benefits the environment - emissions are kept low (106g/km of CO2) whether you choose a six-speed manual gear box or a newl y- devel oped CVT.

Driving - a dream come true A JOINT initiative by SEAT, charity organisation for the blind ONCE and the RACE motor club organised a driving event for 60 visually-impaired people at Madrid’s Jarama race circuit, giving

them the opportunity to drive again. Instructors accompanied drivers of the SEAT Leon X-PERIENCE cars, guiding them round the track by using clock-type instructions to tell them

when to turn. One driver, Javier, who had driven in countries all over the world, lost his sight 12 years ago and described it as “one of the best experiences of my life - a dream come true.”

MOTORING

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30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

Plastic roads the way ahead Michal Manas – Wikimedia Commons

RECYCLING: Plastic bottles and other waste materials used to make the tiles.

WITH the goal of cutting time spent building and maintaining roads, a Dutch construction company is launching a project to build plastic roads. The Plastic Road project will be trialled in the city of Rotterdam with tiles being pre-fabri-

cated in factories before being laid along roads. The plastic will be made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles, and is welcomed as a more environmentallyfriendly solution to asphalt. The hope is that the new plastic roads will last longer and can be

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1 in 5 take selfies at wheel

EVEN in hot climates, there is no danger of them melting

By Carol Irving

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built and replaced quicker, with large plastic tiles slotting into the road to replace damaged ones. Even with a hot climate like Spain’s, there is no danger of roads melting since the plastic can endure extreme temperatures between 40-80 degrees Celsius.

A SURVEY by the Institute of Motorists (IAM) has discovered that as many as one in five young drivers takes ‘selfies’ whilst driving. Up to one in 10 drivers of all ages confessed to taking a photo at the wheel in the last month with 15 per cent of 18-24 year olds doing it, and 19 per cent of drivers aged 25-35 taking a snap. Women are less likely to take a selfie in their car, only one in 20 doing so compared to one in eight men. One in 12 drivers regularly use video-calling apps like FaceTime and Skype and as many as 7 per cent watched TV or videos while driving. The IAM is now calling for stricter penalties for such behaviour after the ‘shocking’ survey results. Currently in Spain, using a mobile phone at the wheel will set you back €200 and three penalty points from your licence. Research by IAM in 2012 showed that using a mobile phone while driving is more dangerous than driving at the legal alcohol limit.

MOBILE PHONES: Some people use FaceTime and Skype while driving.

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SPORTS

Froome ‘Sky’ high, V Ferrari, Asher flies ho

THIRD Ashes Test started at Edgbaston on Thursday

Forum Golf ALBORAN Golf Course, located close to Almeria airport was the venue for Forum Golf Society’s latest competition, a Pairs Stableford Scramble. This popular format was well received by the 36 players who took part, and on a day when the heat, humidity and breeze all made scoring difficult there were some really excellent performances, with the best of the lot being Andy Birch and John Stone who ran out comfortable winners with 44 points, which represented a gross score of one over Par. Keith Ryder and Mark Birkin were second with 41 points, edging out Dave and Marie Vickers (third) on countback. The same method was also needed to split Max Gonzalez and Mick Smith (fourth) from Bob Cowan and Pat Garrigan (fifth) after both pairs returned very creditable scores of 38 points, with Malcolm Sibbons and Kevin Bircher sixth with 36 points. Forum’s upcoming fixtures are: July 31, Stableford at Aguilon; August 14, Stableford at Valle del Este; August 28, Team Irish Fourball at Aguilon. For further information, contact Phil Elam on 666 847 840 / philjelam@yahoo.co.uk, or see www.forumgolfsociety.webs.com.

Bull League Trophy THE President of the Indalo Bowls Club (IBC), David Horton, and his wife Helen have won the Indalo Bowls Club Bull League Trophy. The pair took time out of their busy schedule to enter the Hong Kong Pairs Bull League competition. The trophy for this compe-

tition was donated to the club by the present Spanish Ladies Singles Champion, Jan Dando, and her husband John. After several close wins, David and Helen reached the final against Richard Swaine and Gerrard Douglas. David and Helen eventually won by three shots in the final.

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

CYCLING - For the second time in thre e ye a rs , Te a m Sky rider Chris Froome, born to English parents in Nairobi, K e nya , brought up in South Africa and coached by Dave Brailsford, won the gruelling 21-stage, 3,506 km (2,201 miles) Tour De France. Froome - the 2013 champion - is the first Brit to win the race TWICE, his second victory seeing him finish one minute and 12 seconds a he a d of the C olombia n Nairo Quantana. The other Team Sky winner was of course, Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2012. There were 160 finishers (out of 167 starters) in this year ’s race and for the record, Froome was on his bike for over 85 hours... And for that, and without hesitation, I’m nominating him as my 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. FORMULA ONE - Last

Sunday’s (July 26) dramatic Hungarian Grand Prix was won, for the first time, by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who drove superbly, leading from lap one. Daniil Kvyat (Russia) was second and Aussie Daniel Ricciardo third. It was wheel-to-wheel, bumpe r-to-bumpe r, punctures, drive throughs, and penalties galore - practically an incident on every lap - as Lewis Hamilton, starting from pole, had to settle for sixth position, but still extended his lead in the driv e r ’s c h a m p i o n s h i p t o 2 1 points (202-181). Vettel has now equalled Ayrton Senna’s total of 41 F1 race victories only Alain Prost (51) and M ic ha e l Sc huma c he r (91) have won more, and the German is now the joint highest points scorer in F1 history with Fernando Alonso (1,778). Next race: Spa, Belgium, on August 23. FOOT B A L L The women’s Cup Final between C he ls e a La die s a nd N ott s County Ladies takes place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday August 1, followed at the same venue 24 hours later by Arsenal v Chelsea in the FA Community/Charity Shield

CHRIS FROOME: First Brit to win the race twice.

SPORTS

30 July - 5 August 2015 / Costa de Almería

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Vettel wins for ome

y July 29 game. Also this weekend (August 1-2), League football starts up again i n Sc o t l a n d when SPL champions C eltic m e e t R o ss County. CRICKET - The Third Ashes Test started at Edgbaston yesterday (July 29). England won the first, Australia the second - so it’s all to play for now with two matches r e m a i n i n g , at Trent Bridge (August 610) and The Oval (August 20-24).

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Getting to grips with your game! IMPORTANT - one size does NOT fit all!

SEBASTIAN VETTEL: Drove superbly.

NORMAL GRIP: Your longest finger should just touch the pad of your thumb.

RUGBY - This weekend (August 1-2) sees the semifin als o f Ru g b y L ea g u e ’s Challenge Cup: Leeds Rhinos v St Helens and Warrington Wolves v Hull KR. AMERICA’S CUP - GB Olympian yachtsman Sir Ben Ainslie and his Landrover Bar Racing Team won last weekend’s (July 25-26) A meric a ’s C u p e v en t a t Portsmouth after officials abandoned sailing because of bad weather. Ainslie’s team came first and second in last Saturday’s two races on the Solent to secure first place. Emirates New Zealand came second overall and America’s Cup holders, Oracle Team USA third.

ATHLETICS - Dina Asher Smith (19) became the first British woman to run 100m in under 12 seconds at London’s Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium last weekend (July 25-26). GOLF - The women’s British Open Championship takes place from today until Sunday at Turnberry. DARTS - Michael Van Gerwen beat James Wade 1812 to win the World Match Play Darts final in Blackpool. HORSE RACING - The four-day ‘Glorious Goodwood’ meeting ends on Saturday.

DID YOU KNOW? Three years ago, in May 2012, all 22 players, the referee, two assistant referees, eight reserves, two officials and a number of spectators, all had the same surname - Bungay - when they played in a football match in the village of Bungay in Sussex.

Getting in the swing with Campbell Lamont

By Tony Myles HOW often do you renew the grips on your clubs? For most people it probably isn’t often enough for a number of reasons. They deteriorate gradually and so the loss of firmness is unnoticed as it tends to happen over several rounds. And of course there can be no simple equation that suggests changing grips once per year because whilst that may mean over 100 rounds for a lucky few, it could be less than 10 for many others. Then there is the question of who to entrust with the task. If your local pro-shop offers this service then that is

usually the simplest solution. Finally you must decide on the type and the size. As with buying any item of personal wear you need to ensure that the grip on your club is suitable for your hand. What size are you? (Oh and by the way - size IS everything!!) It is important to realise that One Size does NOT Fit All! One further consideration is the fact that the grips you have been using may not be the best for you. There is a simple test using your guide hand - this is the left hand if you are right handed. With your normal grip your longest finger should just touch the pad of your thumb. If you find it digging in then the grip is too slim. If it fails to touch then the grip is too fat. Fitted while you shop Campbell Lamont offers a comprehensive re-gripping service with a range of the

most popular products. If you are shopping in the centre in Ondara you can arrange to drop your clubs off at the Golf Shop and collect them when you are ready to leave. They will have the right size fitted and they are guaranteed to feel good when you next take them out. Manufacturer’s fitting days These events are always very popular and fully booked well in advance and so here is some news of an event that you will want to ensure you do not miss. Coming to El Plantio on September 25 and La Sella on September 26, the leading manufacturers will be lining up alongside each other on the driving range and affording you the opportunity of moving along the line and testing their latest products. Make a note in your diary for these dates and we will bring you more details nearer the time.

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For the second time in three years, Team Sky rider Chris Froome won the gruelling 21-stage, 3,506km Tour de France. Costa de Almería’s best guide to local sport

TO READ MORE

SPORT www.euroweeklynews.com

Marina Phoenix Golf Society THERE was a tie for first place THERE was a tie for first place on 39 points in the individual stableford on Monday July 20 at Marina Phoenix with Les Armfield winning the prize voucher on countback. Tony Cordingley took second place followed by Eddie Vaughan, 36 points, in third. Isobel Jones with 30, was the best placed lady with Carole Donoghue on 26, in next place. Better ball pairs in the match on Thursday July 23 resulted in some impressive scoring.

First were José Urroz and Jim Budd with 52 points. Mark Upchurch and Tony Cordingley (48) were second followed by Don Atkins and John Lally (45) in third. There were nearest the pin prizes for Marcos Caparros (5) and Nadie Wass (14). Marina Phoenix play Mondays (individual) and Thursdays (team game). To join us for a €25 green fee. Telephone Jim on 950 162 727 / 600 353 670 or Rosalie 950 397 117/ 697 512 882.

THURSDAY WINNERS: After the better ball pairs match.