Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 18 - 24 February 2016 Issue 1598 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

SSUENN 1555 //18 23 29 APRIL 2016 2015 IISSUE OO . .1598 - 24- February

COSTA DE ALMERÍA

YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

As the vote approaches

English Flamenco Queen MOJACAR siren lights the flames of passion

SPAIN supports the British government over the EU CONSIDERING the belligerent position that the acting Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo has taken with regards to Gibraltar, his positive comments on Britain and the EU following a meeting with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on February 15 have come as something of a surprise. In simple terms, he concedes that both Spain and the EU would be worse off with Britain leaving the Union than if it remains following a number of changes to its terms of membership. It is very important to the British government that it obtains as much support for its proposals before the European Summit due to take place on February 18 and 19, when leaders of the member states will debate the reforms demanded by Britain to stay in the European Community. Understandably, there is an element of self-interest in the Spanish comments as their economy is massively helped by the influx of British tourists, and there are an estimated 200,000 Spaniards liv-

Photo Credit United Nations

By John Smith

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KNOWN as the English Gypsy, a British-born woman is taking the Flamenco world in Mojacar by storm, selling out events as the legendary dance form is honoured by a host of spectacular performances across Almeria. See page 4

Carry on camping TOWNS welcome motorhomes A DELUGE of campervans and motorhomes is expected across two beautiful villages as an enormous Scandinavian delegation swaps Viking longships for a more peaceful invasion. See page 10

I see trees of green VIBRANT project on par to transform Albox AN ambitious plan to enhance the beauty of Albox will soon take effect, as hundreds of trees are set to be planted as part of a

wider strategy of developing the area. The wellbeing of residents will take new priority in the expensive makeover. See page 68

Illegal homes judgement BRITISH owners lose Albox appeal

ing and working in Britain. It seems to some extent a rather strange situation when an acting government, which is likely to be either thrown out or will have to stand in new elections in June, is able to make such a far-reaching decision, but as the Spanish acting government is making such positive noises there is no doubt the

British will be happy with the position they are taking. Clearly the next few days are going to be pivotal in the future of Britain and its membership of the EU, as if the Cameron proposals are rejected, there is no guarantee that the conservative party will even recommend a ‘remain’ vote when the referendum does takes place.

Equally, it is possible that no final agreement or refusal of the Cameron plan will be the result of the meetings taking place over the next few days, but all UK passport holders who are entitled to vote in the referendum when it eventually comes should act as quickly as possible to at least ensure that they are registered.

AFTER years of legal wrangling, British families have lost out in a court judgement in their quest for compensation. Albox Council won its appeal against awarding financial recompense See page 69 in a case that will surely inflame passions.

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LOCAL NEWS

School go-ahead CONSTRUCTION of El Toyo secondary school in Almeria City will be going ahead as the regional Education department has now awarded the necessary permits.

The project was awarded to Canval construction company, for an amount of €3.4 million. Once contracts are signed the company will have 16 months to complete the work.

Road improvements TRAFFIC delays are expected next week as one of the main roads in the Levante area undergoes a series of improvements. The A-370 between Los Gallardos and Las Buganvillas roundabout in Vera is scheduled to be resurfaced, with work beginning on February 22. It is expected to continue until February 26 and diversions may be in place.

Weather damage STRONG winds wreaked havoc across the province at the weekend with gales of up to 90 kilometres causing damage particularly in coastal areas. The weather caused the final day of Carnival to be cancelled

in some towns in the Levante, including Pulpi and Garrucha. Emergency services were called to remove tree branches from roads around Mojacar and numerous businesses had signage damaged.

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Almeria is crossing the iron curtain DELEGATES will travel to Prague to promote the capital By Matthew Elliott A DELEGATION from Almeria will journey all the way to the historic central European city of Prague to promote the capital and the Alboran golf course at the Holiday World Fair this weekend from February 18 to 21. It will be the 25th edition of the renowned fair which last year saw more than 31,000 visitors and 659 exhibitors across 19,000 square metres. Almeria Promotion Councillor Lola de Haro said: “We believe that it is simple to contact tourism professionals and customers in their home country. We hope to create long-lasting bonds with them in the future.” Two days will be devoted to professionals and two days to the general public as Almeria seeks to bolster its touristic potential across the continent. The agenda also envisages meetings with Delfin Travel tour operator, special-

Photo by Mariia Golovianko via Shutterstock

PRAGUE: Delegates will promote Almeria’s touristic potential.

ising in senior tourism and golf. Central Europe is being earmarked as a tourist reservoir full of potential as Almeria hopes to tempt its citizens, who suffer extremely cold winters, to escape to the

sunshine for relaxation, leisure and even the lure of beaches. Almeria Council is strongly focused on attracting new tourist markets in a bid to capitalise on a record breaking 2015.

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Your papers, your views

Featured News 3

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Mojacar’s very own English Gypsy dancer SPREADING the passion of Flamenco

Finance 33 - 40

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Stocks 34

Leapy Lee 41

Our View 42

Colin Bird 42

Letters 50

Daily TV 52

Time Out 55 - 58

Health & Beauty 60 - 61

Social Scene 63 - 66

Albox 67 - 73

Homes & Gardens 74 - 75

Pets 76

Legally Speaking 78

Classifieds 81 - 83

Motoring 84 - 85

Sport 86 - 88

STAR-STUDDED: ‘The English Gypsy’ Francesca performing in Mojacar. By Adele Land A BRITISH-BORN Flamenco dancer is fast becoming a local celebrity, as venues hosting her events sell out within hours of advertising. Francesca Girone, described by a local Spanish newspaper as ‘La Gitana Inglesa’ (The English Gypsy) began Flamenco lessons when she first moved to Spain a number of years ago, saying that it helped her integrate into Spanish life. Ms Girone, along with her accompanying musicians and singers, has taken

part in a number of Flamenco extravaganzas throughout Mojacar, including a recent star-studded gala at the multi-use centre in Mojacar Pueblo. More than 260 people enjoyed the sold-out event, which showcased the talents of dancers from across Andalucia, together with Mojacar’s very own English gypsy. Another event is planned for May and information is due to be released in the coming weeks. Ms Girone’s regular fellow artists are stars in their own right, hailing from the

La Chanca district in Almeria they include Edu Garcia on vocals, Edu - El Sosio on guitar, Rafa - El Falito on percussion and fellow dancer, Luis Santiago El Moreno. In order to pave the way for people interested in learning more about the dance, Ms Girone has set up a Facebook page. She hopes the page will help people enjoy the passion of Flamenco and get involved themselves. Visit the Facebook page, Facebook forum for English speakers.

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Burglaries investigated in Cantoria RESIDENTS warned to be vigilant By Adele Land GUARDIA CIVIL officers in Cantoria are investigating a string of burglaries which have occurred since the start of the year. The first reported incident took place on New Year’s Eve at a house in the town centre, followed a few weeks later by a similar crime in the El Badil

neighbourhood. A third burglary took place last week at a property on the edge of town. One of the homeowners reported the burglars broke into a weapons safe containing hunting rifles in addition to stealing money and items of jewellery. Mayor Puri Sanchez, warned residents to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the Guardia Civil.

Racing reaches Pulpi MORE than 60 cyclists divided across three different categories were presented by the Primaflor-Orbea racing team at the El Cuartel Cultural Centre in San Juan de los Terreros near Pulpi. First among them is the Pro squad, made up of five cyclists and registered in the International Cycling Union. The second includes 14 sportsmen from youth categories to professionals while last but not least is the Bicilocura Cyclist Club squad, composed of more than 40 children.

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Illegal hunting in reserve JUNTA DE ANDALUCIA regional government Environment department officers found numerous illegal hunting instruments in a private reserve in Sierra Alhamilla. Among these objects there were cages, traps of different sizes and snares,

all of which are forbidden and absolutely illegal. These traps were found in a building on a private reserve by officers who were investigating the death of a fox trapped in a snare following a complaint by a repre-

sentative of the Asociación Serbal. Environment department representative Antonio Martinez said the officers did a fantastic job as they spent hours searching the area until they found the building.

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Valentine’s night shooting BAR owner arrested after Mojacar lady hit by gunfire in adjacent premises By Adele Land A WOMAN was shot during an evening out in a bar in Mojacar on Sunday night. The 68-year-old Icelandic woman was said to have been enjoying a Valentine’s night celebration in a beach bar at the south end of the resort when shots were fired in the adjacent bar. According to reports, bullets passed through a partition separating the two establishments and hit the woman in the chest. The woman was rushed to La Inmaculada hospital in Huercal-Overa where her condition is described as stable. A 32-year-old French bar owner, named as RHJA, was arrested just after midnight on suspicion of firing the shots and will appear in court in Vera. The suspect is said to have been alone in the next door bar when the shots were fired and it is thought that it was an unfortunate accident that the woman was hit.

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So windy GUSTS of wind reached 90 kilometres per hour in Almeria on Valentine’s Day inspiring the Spanish Meteorological Agency to raise the orange alert. Police and firefighters helped remove fallen branches.

War games A COORDINATED operation saw the Spanish Navy, Army and Air Force carry out drills to test their readiness and vigilance. Fighter bombers, anti-aircraft military units and the Blas de Lezo warship took part.

Vandals hit SHOOTING: The alleged scene of the incident. Tito del Amo, owner of Tito’s Cantina, confirmed on social media that the incident occurred in the location of his establishment and added that he

and his family were doing everything they could to help their friend and customer who was injured. The incident, although unrelated,

comes less than a year after a man was injured when another man opened fire with a pellet gun in a nearby Mojacar disco.

A SCULPTURE outside the Almeria Museum has been mutilated and another smashed by unidentified vandals. Both are now completely unrecognisable and police are searching for the culprits.

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Improvements for Garrucha coast BEACH area is important to the town’s economy By Adele Land GARRUCHA’S seafront is to undergo a facelift. The project is a joint effort between the provisional coastal service and the town council and was agreed during a series of meetings. Improvements will include replenishment of

sand to the beaches, following destruction caused by winter storms. Also on the agenda is restoration of the jetties and improvement to the access road to the Villajarapa beach area. Mayor Maria Lopez said the beach area was important to the town’s economy and was a big attraction for tourists and residents.

In hostile territory SPANISH military exploits in the NATO invasion of Afghanistan will be the subject of a new film currently being shot in the Tabernas desert. ‘In Hostile Territory’ is inspired by alleged real life events and sees more than 70 soldiers, Chinook helicopters, and military vehicles take part in the ‘super-production.’ Although the Afghan desert is still too dangerous for a Spanish film crew, the team are lucky that Tabernas has a long history of standing in for rugged desolate terrain, being a favourite of Sergio Leone for his spaghetti western series.

Going green in Arboleas A BRAND new recycling scheme awaits the residents of Arboleas in just a few months, or even weeks. The facilities will be capable of digesting oils, electronics, batteries, photography and x-ray materials, furniture, and other debris. Costing the hefty sum of €349,857, the construction was financed by the Junta de Andalucia regional government.

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Children lead stirring tribute ASSOCIATION was created in 1995 Photo by lenetstan via Shutterstock

CHILD CANCER: An Almeria school led a tribute to sick children worldwide. By Matthew Elliott AN Almeria school led a stirring tribute to sick children across the world to commemorate World Child Cancer Day on February 15. Students at La Salle-Virgen del Mar were the stars of the event as they demonstrated

their support for their sick peers by reading out a positive manifesto and singing a group song. The slogan for the worldwide event was “8 reasons for hope.” The activities were led by the Association of Parents of Almeria Children and Teenagers with Cancer, which was created in 1995 by a group of parents of

children with cancer. Since then, they have worked hard to improve the life quality of the patients and their families. The president, Estefania Mendez said “it is a very special day as it is the 21st anniversary of the creation of the association. In total we have looked after more than 350 children.”

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Help for crime victims THE Victims’ Assistence Service (SAVA) attended to 1,183 people in Almeria Province during 2015, of whom 66 per cent were women, according to an assessment carried out by the Council of Justice and the Interior. SAVA is a public service that offers legal, social, and psychological support to the victims of crimes. Last year it carried out a total of 7,659 missions in Almeria Province. The majority of the users are women between 30 and 44 years old, although it is open to all ages. More than 200 gender violence reports were processed last year, and the service attended to 56 children.

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Fourwheeled fraud A MAN and woman from Mojacar have been arrested on suspicion of vehicle fraud. The couple allegedly borrowed a car from a friend and failed to return it. According to reports the friend subsequently discovered that the car ownership had been transferred into the couple’s name. The Guardia Civil officers investigating the alleged crime found forged paperwork relating to the vehicle transfer, along with a fake receipt for the sum of €2,000 for the purchase of the car. The couple will appear in court in Vera.

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Fighting for the local economy COUNCIL to get involved so the best solution can be found

OPENING TIMES: Some establishments are having problems renewing their licences. By Matthew Elliott THE Almeria Hospitality Workers Association (Ashal) has complained about the requests to limit their opening times and to forbid terraces to certain establishments. They also claim they are having serious problems renewing their opening licences this year. This association has organised an assembly on

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Something is bad in the air Photo by Jack via Shutterstock

February 22 in order to analyse the situation and take measures to defend their business activity. They asked Almeria City Council to become involved in these issues so they all can find the best solution. According to the workers, maintaining the current opening times and terraces means a minimum of 500 jobs which help to create activity in a city that needs the hospitality sector to survive.

ENVIRONMENTAL pressure group, Ecologistas en Accion, has urged the Junta de Andalucia regional government to implement plans to reduce the level of ground-level ozone being expelled into the air in the Levante Region. According to data captured by air-quality monitoring stations in the area between 2013 and 2015, Bedar suffered the worst air pollution, with some 55 incidences of above average levels. Rodalquiler in the Cabo de Gata also had poor results, with 39 incidences of high levels. The Mojacar monitoring station has not supplied valid data for the last three years and the environmental group urged that this be corrected. While high ozone levels

in larger cities are produced by heavy volume of traffic, the group explained that in Almeria’s case, the burning of fossil fuels is the cause of increased levels of pollution. Singled out in the report were the Endesa station in Carboneras, the Holcim cement factory also in Carboneras and the Abengoa plant in Villaricos. In 2014 the power station in Carboneras was listed as the most polluting in Spain. Prolonged exposure to ground-level ozone can cause loss of lung function and other respiratory illnesses. The group also lamented the effect of pollution on crop production, adding that productivity in the growing of beans, watermelons and tomatoes was affected.

Happy campers converge on Huercal-Overa and Mojacar MOTORHOMERS from across Scandinavia will converge on Huercal-Overa in the coming weeks.

More than 50 vehicles are expected to arrive at the municipal camp ground with some 100 campers participat-

ing in the annual bowling championship. Most of the campers are members of the Swedish, Husbilsklubbe motorhome club and will travel from other sites in Almeria, Murcia and Alicante. The club has more than 12,000 members and promotes the event on its website. Mayor Domingo Fernandez, welcomed the motorhomers, adding that they were important to the town’s economy. In similar news, members of the Hymer motorhome club arrived in Mojacar this week. The annual rally is held at the El Cantal campsite on the beachfront and more than 20 motorhomes are currently in situ. The Hymer club members usually stay in Mojacar until March and have held annual rallies in the town for almost a decade.

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Hogar Factory hitting home Photo by p_ponomareva via Shutterstock

THIRD edition of the prestigious commercial fair will begin on February 19 By Matthew Elliott ALMERIA is set to welcome the third edition of Hogar Factory, a prestigious commercial fair which will be a meeting point for customers and small retailers, with the best offers and the latest news about the home universe including decoration, furniture and kitchenware among many others. After the success of previous years, bringing together almost 40,000 people, the fair will be celebrated again this weekend until February 21 in the El Toyo Conference and Exhibition Centre. The event will kick off on Friday February 19 and it will be best not to miss it as there will be a €300 voucher to spend in the fair for the first visitor. There will be more surprises as the organisers expect to give away up to €6,000 in vouchers. Apart from the first one, the next 10 visitors will get a €50 voucher.

LATEST NEWS: About the home universe including decoration and furniture. In addition, those who attend the event within the happy hour (between 3pm and 4pm) will have another present as well as free entrance. There will be many other at-

tractions including food trucks. Entry will cost €1 and the opening times are 12pm to 9pm on Friday and 11am to 9pm on Saturday and Sunday.

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Cartage crusade MONDAY February 15 saw the launch of a vigilance campaign by Spanish Traffic Police across Almeria Province. The aim of this campaign is to check vehicles carrying goods for documentation, authorisations and safety conditions. Besides, driving licences and driving times will also be checked. The move comes after traffic experts expressed concern that drivers of large vehicles travelling at slightly slower speeds feel cushioned by their relative safety, and therefore pay less attention to the road.

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Carnival week comes to a close HUNDREDS turned out to celebrate the end of the event

PARTY TIME: Children get into the spirit for partying. By Adele Land HUNDREDS of people turned out to mark the end of the carnival week in towns across the province. One of the largest in the Levante area was held in Cuevas del Almanzora where adults and chil-

dren from local towns paraded and danced the night away in elaborate costumes. A total of 29 decorated floats drove through the streets with music booming from massive speakers. Revellers partied until the early hours of the morning, marking what was hailed as one of the best carnivals in recent years.

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Sorry sites A SCREED has been drawn up of the most damaged, neglected, abandoned, decayed, decrepit, sorry sites blighting the cultural landscape of Almeria by an association dedicated to restoring Spanish monuments. Cortijo del Fraile is ‘ruined,’ La Torre de los Alumbres ‘sinking little by little,’ Palacio de los Marqueses del Almanzora ‘lamentable’ and Convento de San Pascual Bailon ‘in danger of being completely lost.’ Luckily for the four sites, the Asociacion Hispania Norte has a track record of middling success with 12.4 per cent of the places on its list being restored.

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Rape threat man sentenced A NINE-MONTH prison sentence has been handed down by a court in Almeria, to a Moroccan man who accosted a woman and tried to force her into his car. He apparently claimed he was going to rape her like he ‘had already done to many women’, while also stating that he had killed before so she should obey. The victim refused and managed to escape despite him grabbing forcefully at her clothes. He accepted the nine-month sentence after the prosecutor adapted his original three and a half year request.

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Abnormal weather to blame for the caterpillar plague THE insects are leaving their nests early By Adele Land MOJACAR residents have reported large amounts of processionary caterpillars in gardens throughout the town. Unseasonably warm weather has meant the insects are leaving their nests early and making their way to the ground. The Pine Processionary belongs to the Thaumetopoeidae moth family and is one of the most destructive insects to pine trees across Europe. The hairs from the caterpillars cause ter-

rible damage to humans and especially animals. If a dog or cat treads on the insects and then licks its paws, sepsis can occur on the tongue resulting in the need for amputation. In some cases the animal will die from kidney failure. The nests are found in trees of the pine and cedar families, and are easily spotted due to their resemblance to wads of cotton wool. When the insects leave the nest they travel in long lines, nose to tail and can live for up to two years. According to the Biodiversity Study Centre (SERBAL), the plague has affected the whole of the province. President Emilio Gonzalez, said the number of insects could exceed all previous years, due to the abnormalities in the winter weather system. One of the worst affected areas is the Los Filabres mountain region near Bedar, where up to five nests per tree have been observed. The association has recommended that town councils fumigate the trees as soon as

DANGEROUS: Caterpillars can cause fatal injuries to pets. possible, before the problem worsens. The situation is exacerbated by a Spanish law which prevents aerial spraying of insecticides.

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CHARITY: Money raised for dog rescue centre.

Great turnout for fourlegged photo shoot DOG of all shapes and sizes posed for the camera to help raise money By Adele Land DOZENS of animal lovers turned out for a charity pet-photo shoot in Mojacar. Dogs of all shapes and sizes said cheese (or should that be chews) for the camera to help raise money for the Dog House Foundation.

Organiser Brad Swift said he was delighted with the response and confirmed that a total of €275 was raised. He thanked everyone who took part especially photographer Frank Millar for giving up his time and Ally Tabernas for printing the photos. Photos will be available for collection on Thursday February 18 from Bar 353 on Mojacar playa.

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Propaganda row over newspaper THE leader of opposition group, Partido Popular (PP) in Lubrin has accused the t own’s m ayor, Dom i ngo Ramos, of using the municipal newspaper as a ‘propaganda sheet’ for the ruling socialist, PSOE party. Roci o Mañas sai d t he mayor had used public money as a PSOE newsletter and not for the purpose it was created, which is to provide information to resi-

dents. The publication, Lubrin Actual, costs some 2,000 euros per year to produce and Mañas lamented that no information from the PP is included in the newspaper. Mañas went on to say that it was “shameful” and displayed a lack of transparency, denying the residents access to information relating to the opposition council.

‘Visualise me’ THE headquarters of the Andalucia Women’s Institute (IAM) in Almeria held a conference entitled ‘Visualise me’ about women and human rights. In the conference, the abuse that women go through were discussed through short films showing the violence that millions of women suffer daily in the world. It was the fifth annual edition of the film conference. An IAM provincial coordinator said “when human rights are violated, women are always an especially vulnerable group, as they endure double the violence, discrimination or lack of freedom.”

Ice and snow A SPECIAL force is at the ready in Almeria Province as the authorities prepare to tackle bad weather conditions on roads across the region. Four squads will operate across both the northern and southern territories and will have a bulldozer and shovel at their disposal. The council have emphasised that no snow nor ice related incidents have yet been registered and that this is a preventative measure. It is, however, advised to drive with snow chains through the shaded areas of the road leading to Calar Alto.

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NEWS EXTRA

Fashion guru FASHION designer Patricia Rosales has developed the Andalucia Fashion and Business Superior School which has opened in Almeria. It hopes to draw worldwide attention to the city amid international fashion gurus and followers.

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Community helps sick boy FAMILY are grateful to all those involved

Two arrested POLICE swooped on a residence in the La Chanca neighbourhood of Almeria City, found a quantity of marihuana and made two arrests. Six homes were searched.

Farm fair AN agricultural fair in Nijar began modestly but has now evolved into a thriving event lauded across the farming community. There is now a waiting list for the next edition in April with more than 100 businesses participating.

SIBLINGS: Leo the lion with his sister Sophia. By Adele Land PEOPLE living in a small coastal town have pulled together as a community to help one of the town’s youngest residents. Young Palomares boy, Leo, aged three, was originally diagnosed with, and treated in Spain for non-cancerous Teratoma Inmaduro. On seeking a second opin-

ion, at Liverpool’s Alder Hey children’s hospital, the boy’s parents, Karen and Jorge, were devastated to learn that Leo in fact had a Primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET) which was apparently growing by one centimetre each week. Since the diagnosis, Leo has had numerous sessions of chemotherapy and has just undergone a stem cell transplant. PNET is very rare and as few as 10 cases per year are diagnosed, the survival rate for children is as low as 20 per cent. It is a difficult time for the family as Leo is continuing his treatment in the UK with his parents by his side while his sister Sophia is staying with her grandparents so she

can attend school in Palomares. Despite him being in the UK, Leo hasn’t been forgotten by the community, fundraising events have been taking place with funds going to help support him and his family. The children at the local primary school ran a race around the town collecting donations from local businesses and local bar Los Angeles put on a special dinner event with all proceeds going towards Leo’s cause. Almost €4,000 has been raised by the events and Karen expressed her thanks to everyone who has supported the family. Follow Leo’s story on Facebook/Leo the Lion’s fight for survival against PNET.

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Young criminals caught red-handed INVESTIGATION began after detectives noted similarities in break-in methods By Matthew Elliott BURGLING seven homes and shops, scaling metal fences and slipping through blinds to relieve properties of their loot, a criminal

gang was finally captured in Almeria City in a joint National and Judicial police operation. Three youngsters have been arrested, the leader just 18 years of age, with two caught

red-handed clamouring through a fence in a news stand near Carretera de Ronda. Police had initiated an investigation after three shopkeepers reported break-ins and detectives noted the similarities in method.

Four other crimes were resolved following the arrests. The minors have been dispatched to the relevant authorities, while the 18-year-old may face the full brunt of the law.

Cycling affair A MAJOR increase in bicycle usage has been seen in Almeria as a cheap, sustainable, ecological and effective means of urban transport. A healthier, more active lifestyle and the improvement of bicycle infrastructure have

also contributed to the rise. Precise figures are not likely to be available until spring, but preliminary estimates suggest incomes generated by bike businesses have increased by more than 10 per cent each year for the past five years.

Almeria animal exports WHETHER insects, fish or pets, Almeria has a surprising aptitude for shipping animals abroad, with a burgeoning industry seeing expansion for four years straight, and necessitating 27 per cent more inspections last year than in 2014. More than 1,000 were carried out last year by the Almeria Animal Sanitation Services. Fresh fish and meat were sent to Algeria, insects to Morocco and Turkey, where they are used in the cultivation of vegetables, and bees to the Arabian nations for pet control. Cats, dogs, tortoises and birds of prey were also dispatched to wealthy foreigners, as Almeria continues to make an international name for itself.

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Cooking school in competition CHEFS must demonstrate their skill and creativity By Matthew Elliott YOUNG Almerian cooking prodigies are competing to win the 4th Premio Promesas de la Alta Cocina which is organised by prestigious school Le Cordon Bleu. The six are all students at the cooking school IES

Almeraya de Almeria and will join a total of 50 participants in 27 teaching centres which have representation in this phase of the competition. A professional jury, made up of chefs who are professors at Le Cordon Bleu Madrid, will evaluate the

video recipes presented by the candidates in order to choose the 10 who will make the final. In this edition, the people selected must demonstrate their skill and creativity by making their own recipe, using sea bass and potatoes as the main ingredients.

Nine years for abuse The future THE Supreme Court has sentenced a man from Almeria to nine years in prison for sexually abusing a two-year-old child in 2013 after rejecting the appeal by the defence. The accused, who was a friend of the mother, occasionally picked the child up from the day care centre and took care of her for a few hours. The incident occurred in the motherâ€™s house in Almeria City. When she arrived home from work, she found her daughter in her room with injuries on her face. Quickly taking her to Torrecardenas hospital, the child remained hospitalised for a week, and could not speak or open her eyes for five days.

is now THIS week the University of Almeria will be hosting the third edition of its Computer Science Conference until February 20. New technologies and their influence in communication and social relations are among the main aspects that will be discussed.

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Health app is working wonders OFFERS a 24-hour service through an enquiries facility By Matthew Elliott MORE than two million doctor appointments were made electronically in 2015 across Almeria Province, a 20.7 per cent rise on the previous year. Meanwhile, a mobile app designed expressly for the pur-

pose continued its success with a 177 per cent usage increase, clocking up more than 794,000 appointments, roughly double those made by telephone. The application has seen 67,955 individual downloads and offer a 24-hour service through an inquiries facility.

Workshops for the elderly MORE than 66,000 elderly people of Almeria will benefit this year from the workshops and training programmes by the 16 Centres of Senior Residents Active Participation in Almeria Province. The Andalucia Ministry of Equality and Social Policies has invested â‚Ź74,331 in this programme, which is hoping to get senior citizens actively involved.

By simply registering their health card number, year of birth and identity card number, the system will remember users, increasing efficiency. There are also language services, and advice features to help manage people with chronic health issues.

Sandwich chain AN American multinational sandwich chain is set to open up a new front in its emergent European empire by opening a shop in Almeria. Subway has 44,000 stores worldwide and has recently begun expanding into Spain, adding another fast food opportunity for residents bored with the Mediterranean diet. A major sight on British high streets with thousands of stores from Aberdeen to Cornwall, Subway has a mere 55 restaurants in Spain.

Your Belgian Belg estate agent at the coast!

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de AlmerĂa

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NEWS

Plaza protest RESIDENTS say council neglected the area By Matthew Elliott A CITIZEN protest took place in the historical quarter of Almeria at the Plaza Munoz, as residents complained the council had completely neglected the area. There is significant frustration at the squareâ€™s retreat from a beautiful space after remodelling to a state of abandonment due to lack of maintenance since September.

That month had seen a sizeable inauguration ceremony to celebrate the remodelling following a grant from the Andalucian government. Enthusiasm was in abundance at the time, with plans to make it a unique citizen area furnished with recycled materials. Now the feeling among residents, as they survey the dying vegetation, is that the council squandered a golden opportunity.

Arid Almeria ONE of the hottest years of the century is seriously impacting Almerian farmers, who sent representatives to Madrid to look for solutions with the Agricultural and Environmental Ministry. The c onc lus ions w e re clear, without rain or some cold weather Almeria would slowly die and the livelihoods of thousands of farm-

ers would be savaged. Key issues are drought, plagues being carried by the heat, and the early blooming of fruit and almond trees interfering with natural cycles. The entire region is prophesised by the UN to be a barren desert by the turn of the century, unless science and technology can make a difference.

Cardiac devices PACEMAKERS these days can include personal and customised software to patients, and that technology is now widespread in the Almerian medical community, as Torrecardenas installed 240 of the cardiac devices just last year. The hospital also has a specialist cardiac department which saw more than 12,000 people in 2015.

NEWS

18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de AlmerĂa

www.euroweeklynews.com

The dog house still needs your help

CHARITY faces closure after its founder died last month By Adele Land A LOCAL dog-rescue charity remains desperate for financial help following the untimely death of its founder. The Dog House Foundation, in HuercalOvera, is still home to more than 20 dogs despite a rigorous campaign to raise funds and rehome the animals. The charity faces closure after founder, Paul Tighe, died last month, leaving the facility in the hands of volunteers. According to a string of emails seen by this reporter, a charity in Holland was due to take some dogs but the offer was declined due to apparent confusion regarding funding for vaccinations and paperwork. Supporters took to social media to vent their frustration but were told the situation for the dogs was currently stable thanks to donations and fundraising efforts and sending the dogs to Holland was not feasible. Volunteer Chris Clement told Euro Weekly News that she was frustrated with the sit-

REHOMED: Princess, one of the lucky dogs heading for the UK. uation but urged members of the public to continue to support the charity for the sake of the dogs. In more positive news, six dogs will be heading off to their forever homes in the UK at the end of the month.

If anyone can help by offering a home to one of the many dogs, they should visit the website www.thedoghouse-huercalovera.webs.com, or to make a donation via PayPal at shirlcrawford@hotmail.com.

EWN

Cave houses in study CAVE houses in Cuevas del Almanzora will be involved in a study by the university of Madrid. The dwellings are considered to be of great interest in the field of energy-efficient housing. Mayor Antonio Liria signed the agreement with the university and said the houses formed an important part of the townâ€™s heritage and every effort should be made to conserve them.

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de AlmerĂa

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NEWS

War of words over contracts By Matthew Elliott POLITICAL factions at the Almeria Council have indulged themselves with a war of words over alleged favouritism in construction contracts. The Socialist group has claimed that a select group of

businesses were awarded more than half the allocated budget under the Popular Party rule from 2013 to 2015. PSOE delegate Rafaela Ortega said that just 11 businesses received contracts worth at least â‚Ź33.8 million, amounting to 51.6 per cent of the budget.

Travel help SPANISH residents who are originally from sub-Saharan Africa account for a majority of the travellers who use the Almeria International Vaccination Centre. It saw a 14 per cent rise in the number of people assisted, with 3,701 looked after last year. Recommendations are given and, if necessary, vaccinations administered, to people travelling to risky zones near the equator. Just visiting one of these countries for a few days can dramatically raise the possibility of infection should no precautions be taken.

PP representative Oscar Liria has denounced his rivals for sowing doubt among Almerienses, and said it represented profound ignorance. He also pointed out that there are a limited number of businesses in Almeria specialising in asphalt and road surfacing.

Wild boar is killed A WILD boar stumbled upon the human madness of Almeria airport and ran amok, causing mayhem in its wake until the authorities decided the best course of action was to shoot it dead. The boar came charging onto the runway and a specialist marksman was recruited by the Guardia Civil to kill the unfortunate animal.

FINANCE

Costa de Almería

18 - 24 February 2016

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El Corte Ingles to take on Amazon COMPANY has announced it will extend its internet service By John Smith HAVING first trialled its internet shopping site in larger cities in Spain before Christmas, El Corte Ingles has now announced that it will extend its service to include Alicante, Marbella, Murcia and

is the number of products which El Corte Ingles will offer through its website.

FINANCIAL CRISIS: Germany have been the most critical.

Greeks mock Germans SINCE the financial crisis in Greece, the German government has been the most critical as far as the Greek economy is concerned, and has insisted that stringent financial policies be followed if a ‘bailout’ was to take place. Now, in a typical example of what the Germans call schadenfreude (plea-

Palma, whose stores will join Malaga, which was part of the initial launch. The plan is certainly to take part of the Amazon business, by offering a wide range of products with the possibility of supply within two

“I found the comments deeply upsetting,” Marc Zuckerberg when Facebook board member Marc Andreessen said India’s block of Facebook’s ‘free’ internet scheme was ‘anti-colonialism’.

flickr by European Council

Quote of the Week

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sure derived from someo n e e l s e ’s m i s f o r t u n e ) , Greeks are taking to social media to taunt Germany over the enormous losses and low share price of its major bank, Deutsche Bank. The amusement may not last for long, but at least it lifted the financial gloom a little.

BUSINESS EXTRA

US interest rates stable HAVING introduced a rise in interest rates in late 2015, the US Federal Reserve has indicated through its chairperson Janet Yellen that as the current economic situation in the US remains unclear, it was unlikely that rates would be increased in the foreseeable future.

BBVA relatively optimistic ECONOMISTS working for BBVA are relatively upbeat about the Spanish economy for the next 12 months, despite the political uncertainty. They believe that the Spanish economy should grow by 2.7 per cent with the creation of a large number of new jobs, although they warn that the longer the country exists without stable government, the more chance there is of the growth target being missed.

Wanda put a landmark building up for sale AS previously forecast in the Euro Weekly News, Chinese company Wanda has put on sale the Madrid landmark Edificio España building that it purchased in 2014. The reason for the sale is that the company is unable to change the

$27.67 (€24.41) is the lowest per barrel price of oil in 13 years, and it hit this low in early February due to falling demand.

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exterior of the building, although it has seen some significant losses in recent weeks due to the fall of the Chinese stock market. The company hopes to recover the price it originally paid for the building.

hours. This service will now be available to up to 10 million consumers in Spain. To make life even easier they offer their own dedicated site in English at http://www.elcorteingles.eu /shop/uk/en.

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New board for Nueva Pescanova A FORMER deputy prime minister during the Zapatero government years, Elena Salgado, will join the administration board of Nueva Pescanova, the fishing company which ran into serious financial difficulty. Following its call for bankruptcy protection, it reported earnings of €82 million in 2015, but is still trading at a significant loss as it has a large number of creditors.

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almeria

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 392.80 18.85 Associated British Foods 3,106.50 54.50 Admiral Group 1,709.00 35.00 Aberdeen Asset Management 227.90 18.60 Ashtead Group 817.50 12.50 Antofagasta 442.95 9.65 ARM Holdings 900.75 40.25 Aviva 429.85 9.85 AstraZeneca 4,120.50 111.50 BAE Systems 473.35 13.65 Babcock International Group 880.00 11.50 Barclays 161.65 4.45 British American Tobacco 3,777.00 68.50 Barratt Developments 554.25 9.25 Berkeley Group Holdings 3,215.00 34.00 British Land Co 670.00 17.50 BHP Billiton 710.40 76.30 Bunzl 1,827.00 37.00 BP 337.38 4.88 Burberry Group 1,207.00 33.00 BT Group 457.43 9.18 Coca-Cola HBC 1,328.50 25.50 Carnival 3,145.50 39.50 Centrica 191.10 7.50 Compass Group 1,205.50 -0.50 Capita Group (The) 1,089.50 15.50 CRH 1,719.00 14.00 Dixons Carphone 439.65 8.55 DCC 5,420.00 65.00 Diageo 1,782.00 24.00 Direct Line Insurance Group 365.30 7.50 Experian 1,119.50 17.50 easyJet 1,513.00 27.00 Fresnillo 870.50 -26.50 GKN 263.85 7.35 Glencore 101.15 2.69 GlaxoSmithKline 1,394.25 30.75 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 1,891.00 41.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,168.00 38.00 Hammerson 548.50 13.50 HSBC Holdings 444.95 4.55 International Consolidated Air 502.75 22.95 InterContinental Hotels Group 2,301.50 27.50 3i Group 411.45 10.55 Imperial Brands 3,617.50 64.00 Intu Properties 284.45 4.95 Inmarsat 963.50 -6.00 Intertek Group 2,713.00 45.00 ITV 245.30 4.20 Johnson Matthey 2,306.00 58.00

% CHG. 5.04 1.79 2.09 8.89 1.55 2.23 4.68 2.35 2.78 2.97 1.32 2.83 1.85 1.70 1.07 2.68 12.03 2.07 1.47 2.81 2.05 1.96 1.27 4.08 -0.04 1.44 0.82 1.98 1.21 1.37 2.10 1.59 1.82 -2.95 2.87 2.73 2.26 2.22 3.36 2.52 1.03 4.78 1.21 2.63 1.80 1.77 -0.62 1.69 1.74 2.58

NET VOL 4,445.22 23,762.10 4,655.52 2,768.39 3,861.91 3,851.25 12,144.09 16,269.98 50,555.77 14,568.64 4,326.01 24,950.42 68,719.43 5,405.31 4,107.23 6,677.81 13,404.26 5,910.76 56,938.99 4,957.67 37,598.39 4,664.23 6,597.00 9,173.04 19,501.82 7,036.09 13,650.01 4,910.41 4,609.40 43,910.57 5,259.75 10,645.36 5,801.23 6,468.08 4,107.78 12,730.84 65,708.40 3,745.90 5,255.45 4,203.91 82,244.30 9,792.88 5,218.19 3,809.62 34,378.70 3,572.42 4,193.41 4,246.24 9,558.33 4,587.08

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) Kingfisher 330.30 2.40 Land Securities Group 1,016.50 20.50 Legal & General Group 212.90 3.20 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 59.71 1.23 London Stock Exchange Grp 2,354.00 67.00 Merlin Entertainments 401.35 6.95 Marks & Spencer Group 424.45 7.05 Mondi 1,247.50 26.50 National Grid 950.90 13.50 Next 6,867.50 107.50 Old Mutual 166.10 6.00 Provident Financial 3,103.00 84.00 Prudential 1,195.75 38.25 Persimmon 1,928.00 33.00 Pearson 774.25 13.25 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,237.50 271.50 Royal Bank of Scotland Group 246.35 6.25 Royal Dutch Shell 1,528.75 74.25 Royal Dutch Shell 1,523.00 -3.00 RELX 1,159.00 20.00 Rexam 599.75 5.75 Rio Tinto 1,852.75 5.25 Royal Mail 433.25 10.85 Rolls-Royce Group 611.75 5.75 Randgold Resources 5,972.50 -182.50 RSA Insurance Group 397.45 8.25 SABMiller 4,157.00 9.00 Sainsbury (J) 244.45 8.05 Schroders 2,443.00 60.00 Sage Group (The) 574.50 8.50 Shire 3,732.00 93.00 Sky 995.25 18.75 Standard Life 343.10 -1.70 Smiths Group 931.50 15.50 Smith & Nephew 1,084.00 19.00 Sports Direct International 386.30 10.50 SSE 1,365.50 19.50 Standard Chartered 445.05 16.05 St James's Place 850.50 20.50 Severn Trent 2,100.50 40.50 Travis Perkins 1,759.50 35.50 Tesco 179.20 2.20 TUI AG 1,022.50 14.50 Taylor Wimpey 173.95 3.15 Unilever 2,984.50 40.00 United Utilities Group 923.50 18.00 Vodafone Group 209.03 3.58 Wolseley 3,445.50 138.50 Worldpay Group Ord 3p Wi 289.65 2.35 WPP Group 1,419.00 28.00 Whitbread 3,766.00 113.00

% CHG. 0.73 2.06 1.53 2.10 2.93 1.76 1.69 2.17 1.44 1.59 3.75 2.78 3.30 1.74 1.74 4.55 2.60 5.10 -0.20 1.76 0.97 0.28 2.57 0.95 -2.97 2.12 0.22 3.41 2.52 1.50 2.56 1.92 -0.49 1.69 1.78 2.79 1.45 3.74 2.47 1.97 2.06 1.24 1.44 1.84 1.36 1.99 1.74 4.19 0.82 2.01 3.09

NET VOL 7,422.83 7,798.71 11,932.72 39,955.02 7,478.69 3,909.51 6,662.28 5,700.40 34,957.91 10,158.45 7,482.83 4,141.16 27,967.19 5,749.19 5,918.38 41,805.44 14,371.71 56,327.38 35,324.94 12,748.80 4,151.15 24,108.49 4,148.50 9,790.52 5,697.22 3,806.74 66,796.94 4,541.06 5,304.75 6,006.49 20,784.73 16,751.82 6,423.49 3,474.04 9,422.41 2,238.56 13,177.99 9,885.95 4,193.86 4,878.50 4,184.11 14,595.26 5,951.09 5,495.10 37,284.50 6,106.31 53,210.99 8,489.56 5,403.00 17,875.19 6,653.47

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US dollar.......................................................................1.11981 Japan yen .................................................................127.529 Switzerland franc .................................................1.10059 Denmark kroner ..................................................7.46405 Norway kroner.....................................................9.63636

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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 153.96 +3.29 +2.18% 2.3M 52.66 +1.55 +3.03% 6.1M 93.99 +0.29 +0.31% 40.4M 108.63 +0.19 +0.18% 13.0M 63.15 +1.74 +2.83% 4.3M 85.43 +2.44 +2.94% 9.8M 25.11 +0.43 +1.74% 49.8M 43.11 +0.70 +1.65% 15.2M 91.15 +0.84 +0.93% 10.8M 58.40 +1.78 +3.14% 5.4M 81.03 +1.43 +1.80% 16.7M 28.26 +0.81 +2.95% 57.6M 146.13 +5.44 +3.87% 9.0M 116.32 +3.05 +2.69% 5.4M 121.04 +3.19 +2.71% 4.9M 28.64 +0.42 +1.49% 19.7M 101.82 +0.12 +0.12% 9.0M 57.49 +4.42 +8.33% 37.0M 117.93 +1.20 +1.03% 8.6M 49.03 +0.18 +0.37% 13.6M 50.50 +0.81 +1.63% 34.2M 56.42 +0.42 +0.75% 10.2M 29.36 +0.23 +0.79% 32.5M 80.99 +1.09 +1.36% 9.3M 107.49 +3.72 +3.58% 2.1M 85.95 +1.29 +1.52% 5.9M 111.82 +1.20 +1.08% 2.6M 50.11 +0.72 +1.46% 21.0M 70.42 +1.95 +2.85% 8.7M 66.18 +0.86 +1.32% 9.7M

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COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Mercer International Inc. Groupon, Inc. Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Connecture, Inc. NewStar Financial, Inc. Genocea Biosciences, Inc. Memorial Production Partners LP Moneygram International, Inc. Varonis Systems, Inc. Rovi Corporation Wowo Limited

$ 8.13 $ 2.89 $ 120.22 $ 2.75 $ 6.27 $ 3.66 $ 2.28 $ 5.63 $ 16.16 $ 20.84 $ 5.7524

1.99 ▲ 32.41% 0.65 ▲ 29.02% 25.93 ▲ 27.50% 0.50 ▲ 22.22% 1.125 ▲ 21.87% 0.65 ▲ 21.59% 0.37 ▲ 19.37% 0.88 ▲ 18.53% 2.34 ▲ 16.93% 2.96 ▲ 16.55% 0.7924 ▲ 15.98%

$ 16.50 $ 15.58 $ 4.13 $ 3.03 $ 32.78 $ 17.61 $ 21.45 $ 44.49 $ 11.69 $ 2.03 $ 28.12

8.76 ▼ 34.68% 4.93 ▼ 24.04% 1.06 ▼ 20.42% 0.49 ▼ 13.92% 3.96 ▼ 10.78% 1.81 ▼ 9.32% 2.17 ▼ 9.19% 4.28 ▼ 8.78% 1.05 ▼ 8.24% 0.18 ▼ 8.14% 2.40 ▼ 7.86%

Most Declined LPL Financial Holdings Inc. Select Comfort Corporation Amkor Technology, Inc. Presbia PLC CyberArk Software Ltd. Qlik Technologies Inc. Dermira, Inc. ProShares UltraPro Short NASDAQ Biotech region Bellerophon Therapeutics, Inc. Activision Blizzard, Inc

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

Price of gold looks stronger WITH the continued uncertainty over the price of oil and the overall losses in the stock markets around the world, gold is beginning to attract investors again, and 2016 has seen the price rise quite consistently, it has put on over $50 (€44.32) an ounce since the start of the year. There are still plenty of pundits who suggest that it will gain even more ground over the coming months, but investors need to be cautious as not only does the spot price change twice a day, but a movement in exchange rates can also affect costs and profits.

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Fears over UK interest rates GOOD for those who borrow money, but bad for those who have invested By John Smith AS the pound declines against the main currencies, money flows towards the USA, employment figures aren’t quite as healthy and rumours abound of either increased cuts in government spending or increase in taxation, the former city regulator Lord Turner has entered the discussion warning that without radical policies, the UK economy could be stuck with low interest rates “almost indefinitely.” Low interest rates are clearly good for those who need to borrow money but bad for those who need to see their investments grow, and as banks seem to pay very low rates of interest whilst charging much higher rates to those borrowers who they accept, the overall situation does not, according to Lord Turner, assist the economy. In an interview with the BBC after observing “interest rates in the UK may not go up beyond 2 per cent by 2020,” he also commented on peer-to-peer lending, which is one of the fastestgrowing areas of financial services. It appeals to borrowers who have been turned down by High Street banks and

Photo Credit Niccolo Caranti Wikimedia

LORD TURNER: Indicated that leaving the EU “would be adverse for the UK economy.” savers prepared to take greater risks to make bigger returns. “The losses which will emerge from peer-to-peer lending over the next five to 10 years will make the worst bankers look like lending geniuses,” he predicted.

“You cannot lend money to small and medium sized enterprises without someone doing good credit underwriting.” He also indicated that in his opinion, the possibility of the UK leaving the European Union “would be adverse for the UK economy” and was already “causing

major destabilisation at a global level.” “There is a great deal of nervousness that a UK vote for Brexit (to leave the EU) is another layer of uncertainty in an extremely uncertain world, uncertain economically and uncertain politically,” he said.

Government retains Lloyds shares Photo Credit Barry Barnes Shutterstock

FINANCIAL STAKE: The government has decided to postpone the sale of its shares in Lloyds Banking Group. CHANCELLOR George Osborne has decided to postpone the sale of the government’s final stake in Lloyds Banking Group, after admitting that the global turmoil in stock markets and slowing growth was the reason for the delay. With an expected ‘windfall’ of £2 billion (€2.6 billion), this was to be a useful addition

to the government’s finances, as well as confirmation that the banking sector had returned to normal, and the sale was part of the conservative party manifesto at the last election. There was some serious criticism of the sale of the first tranche of Lloyds shares in October last year, when the government was accused of

pitching the price to corporate investors too low, but since that time, the price of its shares has fallen and banks are not performing as well as expected. Prices then were in the region of 78p per share, which seemed to show a profit for the government which had invested large amounts to support

the bank, but they are currently trading around 65p, so there could be a considerable loss if the government allowed the sale to go ahead. If that wasn’t bad enough, the government’s other bank, the Royal Bank of Scotland, has had to make huge provisions to cover fines and expected legal actions.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Call to phase out high-value bank notes ACCORDING to a report it will make it more difficult for criminals to move funds around the world Photo Credit Borislav Bajkic Shutterstock

By John Smith AFTER the EU announced that it was to review the need for a €500 bank note, former chief executive of Standard Chartered Bank, Peter Sands has authored a report, which suggests that all high value bank notes should be phased out in order to make it more difficult for criminals and terrorists to move funds around the world. His main targets are the €500 (said to have been introduced at the behest of Germany which previously had a 500 mark note), British £50 and US $100, although he has suggested that the world’s 20 largest economies should consider their own situation and review the proposal at the next G20 summit to be held in China in September. According to the report, each year the movement of ‘dirty’ money exceeds $2 trillion (€1.77 trillion), and rather than spend time catching the criminals, his report argues that governments

HIGH-VALUE NOTES: Play a crucial role in the underground economy. should now target the cash itself, and starve those who try to move it illegally.

High-value notes issued by rich countries are the “currency of corrupt elites, of crime of all sorts

and of tax evasion,” Mr Sands said. “They play little role in the

functioning of the legitimate economy, yet a crucial role in the underground economy,” he added. “The irony is that they are provided to criminals by the state.” He accepts that banning the

Rather than catching the criminals, the governments should target the money itself. notes would not stop crime in itself, but it would make it more difficult and time consuming if criminals could only use small denominations. There is a question as to whether this is a realistic proposal, as if Britain was to remove the £50 note, then Europe would have to consider removing the €200, €100 and €50 notes, and Gibraltar of course would have to remove its £100 and £50 notes.

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Massive fraud action in Madrid Court against Brazilian oil company A COMPLAINT will be filed as investors have lost billions of dollars, euros and Brazilian reals By John Smith MANY Spanish investors were attracted to purchase shares in Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, when shares were launched on the world’s stock exchanges in 2010 to raise $72.8 billion (€63.5 billion), which was the world’s largest ever share launch and made it the fourth largest company by capitalisation in the world. All appeared to be going well with the company, reported profits grew and it soon overtook Microsoft in value but by late 2013, Merrill Lynch reported that it was now the world’s most indebted company. By late 2014, its debts were estimated by Moodys as having reached $170 billion (€150 billion) and that effectively the company could only go from bad to worse. In response, an investigation under the code name Operation Car Wash was initiated, which suggested that contracts worth up to $22 billion (€19.4 billion) were issued ‘suspiciously’ and the fingers of corruption were observed throughout the company. Naturally, these problems had an adverse effect on share prices and a number of Spanish investors have lost quite large amounts of money because of the alleged activities of the company and its management. The Asociacion de Afectados de Petrobras, a Madrid-based shareholder association, International Securities

PETROBRAS: By late 2013 Merrill Lynch reported it was the world’s most indebted company. Associations and Foundations Management Company for Damaged Petrobras Investors (Bolsa Madrid) ISAF Petrobras, and a coalition of international law firms, including Cremades Calvo-Sotelo, Motley Rice, and Lowey Dannenberg Cohen & Hart, announced on February 10 that they have prepared a substantial

criminal complaint against Petroleo Brasileiro SA, certain Petrobras group entities and (formerly) high-ranking Petrobras officers (collectively ‘Petrobras et al’), and intend to file it in the Criminal Court in Madrid in the coming weeks. The complaint will be filed on behalf of all Petrobras investors who bought s h a r e s

through Bolsa de Madrid (LATIBEX index), and all investors who bought shares through BOVESPA in Sao Paulo, but brought back those shares to Spain clearing through Iberclear and kept and custodied the shares in Spain thereafter, suffered losses as a result of the allegedly long-running fraud perpetrated by Petrobras et al. Petrobras is majority-owned

Photo Credit RHL Images Wikimedia

It’s an ill wind for popular tour operator Tui

COMPANY has experienced a massive drop in tourists travelling to Turkey TUI, operators of Thomson Airways amongst others and now the largest travel operator in the world, has experienced a massive drop in holidaymakers travelling to Turkey following the attack on tourists in Istanbul earlier this year. According to chief executive Friedrich Joussen, almost one in seven of its customers travelled to Turkey in previous years, but rather

TUI have indicated that Spain and the Canaries are ‘pretty much sold out’ as far as summer holidays are concerned.

than cancel summer holidays, many of its customers are simply switching destinations, which will replace the missing income for the company. The company is now seeing more bookings for Spain and the Canary Islands, and despite the fact that they have access to more hotels than any other operator because of their Riu chain, he has indicated that Spain and the Canaries are ‘pretty much

sold out’ as far as summer holidays with Tui are concerned. The company, which is now based in Germany, was originally formed by an amalgamation of a German and British company, and owns and operates six different airlines. Its Thomson Airways is the biggest airline in the group and largest charter airline in the world.

by the Brazilian government. The complaint will allege that when years of complex fraud and bribery schemes orchestrated by management and officials of Petrobras were finally revealed to the public in 2014, investors lost billions of dollars, euros and Brazilian reals, resulting from significant asset write-downs and precipitous declines in Petrobras share prices. Their argument is that when inviting investors to purchase their shares, Petrobras undertook to comply with European stock market rules, and therefore provided that the shares were either purchased in Spain or were transmitted back to Spain then investors are entitled to take action under Spanish law. The first investor lawsuit was filed as a class action in the United States on behalf of investors there, but is only able to include those who invested in the USA. In Spain the laws are different and those who have lost money must ‘opt in’ to a joint lawsuit. It is suggested that investors (a) who purchased common and preferred shares of Petrobras anytime between 2004 and July 28, 2015 and (b) suffered and/or are in danger of suffering (further) damages as a consequence of the alleged fraud, contact ISAF Petrobras so that it can determine eligibility to pursue claims in the Spanish court system.

OPINION & COMMENT

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18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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His credibility has been knocked 360b / Shutterstock.com

ALTHOUGH a Conservative supporter, at present UKIP is looking far better alternative LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

I SUPPOSE I should actually find it flattering. Well, be that as it may, I would like to take this opportunity to inform those people, who look at me with incredulous disbelief and ask if I actually write this column; I most certainly do. It’s all my fault! Ok? Right, moving on. What a load of complete and utter, intelligence insulting baloney Cameron has been trying to foist on us all this past couple of weeks. His so-called ‘deal’ with the EU members amounts to just about zilch. There are only two things that truly worry the public at large. One: Control of our borders and the present policy of virtually unrestricted immigration. Two: The rules and regulations emanating from the power mad, non-elected PC, ‘Uman rights bureaucrats of Brussels. And what has he achieved toward a solution of these two most crucial causes of public concern? Nada! Apart from a four year period of non-benefit

DAVID CAMERON: His so-called deal with EU members amounts to just about zilch.

for new immigrants, which he has never stopped crowing about and is apparently based on some vague sliding scale, plus the insipid child benefit ‘charade,’ a highly complicated and no doubt expensive procedure, which can actually result in some immigrants getting even higher benefits than they are receiving now he may as well concede to the ‘out’ vote without even bothering to call a referendum. It’s the arrogant and brazen way he underestimates and insults our intelligence that sticks in my craw. No I’m sorry Dave, the credibility you have lost over this debacle could not only lose you the ‘in’ vote and subsequently lead to your resignation, but may well do the party such irreversible damage they could well lose the next election. The spectre of Prime Minister Coburn is hovering nearer Dave, and it’s all your fault. The same as this column is mine. I have always supported the Conservatives, but frankly at this moment UKIP is looking a far better alternative. For God’s sake get a grip and show some ‘cojones.’ I hate to add before it’s too late, because I fear it already is! Keep the faith. Love Leapy. Leapylee2002@gmail.com

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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OPINION & COMMENT

Time travel on the N332

OUR VIEW Chad R Hill Wikimedia

Foto: flickr by Bob Bekian

BY the time I reached Guardamar, I was belting out the lyrics like a good ‘un Colin Bird A weekly look Each week, Colin brings his slightly off-thewall view of the world to the pages of EWN in his own irreverent style.

WE have all experienced the power of music and its ability to take us back to special places and key moments in our lives. I was returning from Alicante airport, having dropped off old friends who, until my visit to the UK last year, I had not clapped eyes on for 30-odd years. Theirs was an obscenely early morning flight and I found myself on the deserted N332 at half past stupid with just some light mist, a chunky Kit Kat and an all night radio station for company. 1968 was a helter skelter year, with deep ravines of depression that slowly turned into a new and hap-

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: A legend of the 1960s. pier phase in my life. My marriage that had terminated abruptly and brutally in the early summer of that year after a whole 18 months, had left me badly

mauled, but an introduction by my friend’s wife (the one I had just delivered to the airport) to her brother, marked the start of my return to normality and a new

circle of close friends. It began with the excellent Jose Feliciano singing Light My Fire - always a passport back in time which was followed by

good old Leapy Lee dodging Little Arrows. Then Aretha Franklin came on to assure me that she would Say A Little Prayer on my behalf. Obviously this was the 1968 music hour, because along came the sandpaper tones of Joe Cocker and the legend that is Dusty Springfield, and when Mary Hopkin reminisced that Those Were the Days, I confess there were goose bumps as I nodded to myself in fervent agreement. By the time I reached Guardamar via Gary Puckett, Marmalade and The Doors, I was belting out the lyrics like a good ‘un. And when the intro to Jesamine by The Casuals oozed silkily out of the speakers, the metamorphosis was complete and I was back in the bar of The Boars Head or on the dance floor at the Thingumajig Club, reborn and thankful to be alive.

Exit from EU could be damaging World Economic Forum Wikimedia

EUROPOL is involved in over 10,000 cross-border investigations each year John Smith Random thoughts... THIS may sound a little like scaremongering but one negative benefit of Britain leaving the Union would be that it would automatically have to leave a little known organisation called Europol. It is not a large operation, it does not have the power to initiate investigations, cannot arrest anyone, is not affiliated to Interpol (which has a completely different role) but is vital to the protection of member states against organised crime, money laundering and terrorism. Europol is the European Union’s law enforcement agency whose main goal is to help achieve a safer Europe for the benefit of all EU citizens. They do this by assisting the European Union’s Member States in their fight against serious international crime and terrorism. With almost 800 staff at headquar-

ROB WAINWRIGHT: Director of Europol. ters in The Hague, it works closely with law enforcement agencies in the 28 EU Member States and has contacts with other non-EU partner states such as Australia, Canada, the USA and Norway. Analysis is at the core of their activities and Europol employs around 100

criminal analysts who are among the best trained in Europe and it is they who constantly update European police agency knowledge based on the flow of information that is transferred through their offices on a day to day basis. It doesn’t always work as is clear

Eternal Fire at Baba Gurgur, Iraq.

Problems still being faced SEVENTY-FIVE years ago, parts of the world had been at war for more than two years and the USA was about to align itself with the Allies following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Britain was still holding out against the Axis forces and there was heavy fighting in North Africa with Montgomery managing to defeat both the Italians and Rommel’s panzers in Libya before Britain moved on to Iraq, Syria and Iran to take possession of the oil fields there. During the same period, Greece and Yugoslavia were being invaded but at least the Allies had some wind of this because of the code breakers at Bletchley Park. In the meantime, in what turned out to be a major error, Hitler invaded Russia which was a major reason for his defeat, but it also led to the arms race and the Cold War. Although the timelines are slightly askew, there is certainly a feeling of déjà vu as here we are now, watching an invasion of Greece and many of the former Yugoslavian states albeit from a different direction and there has been continued fighting not only in Libya and Iraq but all over the Middle East. Relationships between Russia and Europe are beginning to break down and economies are suffering albeit for slightly different reasons. There is an old saying that, the more things change, the more they stay the same and we have to hope the current situation is going to resolve itself so rather than continue to stagger into one crisis after the other, politicians decide to try to work together.

from the terrible events in Paris in late 2015, but the blame rests unfortunately with intelligence services in Belgium and France and other countries which have closely guarded their information about suspects. Much has been learnt from the breakdown of communications then and action is being taken to persuade intelligence agencies to improve their communications. What is clear, however, is the Europol is involved in over 10,000 crossborder investigations each year and basically is positioned in many cases to take a piece of information from one country and by computer analysis match it with information from one or more other countries in order to predict or solve crimes. The head of Europol, Rob Wainwright, a former British intelligence officer has confirmed that in the event that Britain does decide to leave the Union, it will have to leave Europol Now we and although it may well be able to want to take a similar position to other non-EU hear your views. partners, at a time when the threat of terrorism is increasing, noYOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE one knows how such a change - YOUR OPINION will affect the safety of Britain or www.euroweeklynews.com indeed the whole of the EU.

OPINION & COMMENT

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18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

EWN

Delaying tactics delayed HAVING lost two general elections, Rajoy wasn’t prepared to set out on a hiding to nothing Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

AS the most-voted candidate in the December general elections, acting president Mariano Rajoy was invited by the King to form a government as custom demands. Rajoy declined, aware that he wouldn’t survive an investiture debate. Having lost two general elections before his 2011 triumph, he wasn’t prepared to set out on a hiding to nothing. What Rajoy neither wanted n o r e x p e c t e d w a s t h e K i n g ’s decision to ask Pedro Sanchez, the PSOE candidate, to give it his best shot or for Sanchez to accept. Political sources hint that discreet pressure was put

Time to say goodbye ROSA DIEZ resigned from Union, Progreso y Democracia (UPyD) which she co-founded in 2007 after leaving the PSOE in disgust. The party won five seats in the national parliament in 2011, but since then it was downhill all the way until last December when, upstaged by Ciudadanos, UPyD won no seats at all. Diez has now requested a “dignified end” for the party although sadly everyone else assumed that it had already gone to the great polling station in the sky long ago.

see and do as little as possible’ strategy has stood him in good stead on the home front. This

RICHARD FORD was an English gentleman who lived in Sevilla between1830 and 1833. Whilst there he travelled extensively throughout Spain and wrote in great detail about his experiences. Discussing the bandits and bandoleers supposedly rife on Spanish roads he claimed never to have encountered one. “They are more easily found in government offices and ministries,” he maintained. That’s something that hasn’t changed, then.

Namesakes

ROSA DIEZ: Has requested a dignified end for the party. on the Zarzuela Palace not to do so. Until now Rajoy’s ‘wait and

Plus ça change...

time he overestimated its value and he definitely underestimated Felipe VI.

IT is agreed that there are only eight authentically Basque surnames and a recent study by the ex-rector of the Universidad del Pais Vasco claimed that they were “excessively represented” in Basque politics. That’s a bit like complaining that blue sea is product placement for the Partido Popular.

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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How best to negotiate roundabouts IF you are unsure about the correct way to negotiate roundabouts, here are some simple rules to help you enter and exit roundabouts safely and in the right lane. • APPROACHING ROUNDABOUTS It’s important to remember to give way to traffic already on the roundabout. If the roundabout is outside urban areas of towns or cities, keep right. If the roundabout is in a built-up area inside a town or city and the lanes are clearly marked, you should use the lane that best corresponds to the exit you need to take. • LEAVING ROUNDABOUTS This causes the most confusion amongst drivers. Which lane to choose? Why do I get beeped at if I’m in the right lane? Drivers must exit roundabouts from the right hand lane, because the only way to leave the roundabout is by turning right. This doesn’t mean we always have to enter the roundabout from the right hand lane. It depends on the exit we need to take. However this simple rule, in practice, can be more complex. Let us see some examples. • 1st EXIT RIGHT Enter roundabout keeping to right hand side lane. Stay in lane until exit is reached. Indicate and exit roundabout. • CONTINUING STRAIGHT ON (e.g. 2nd EXIT STRAIGHT AHEAD) Enter roundabout keeping to right hand side lane. Stay in lane until exit is reached. Indicate prior to exit and leave roundabout. • TURNING LEFT OR CHANGING DIRECTION (e.g. 3rd OR FINAL EXIT) Enter roundabout keeping to left hand side lane. Stay in lane until you have passed the exit before your turn off, then change lane by indicating right and giving other road users sufficient time to anticipate your manoeuvre. Don’t forget that drivers circulating in the outside lanes have priority, so use your mirrors to ensure you are not blocking them as you change lanes.

We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Línea Directa please call 902 123 309 More information on Línea Directa online at: www.lineadirecta.com

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Letters for Your Say should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments straight on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com

Caminito complaints are totally out of proportion

Caterpillars are dangerous DEAR Editor, On the story that appeared about the processionary caterpillars, three dogs in our area ended up in intensive care and lost part of their tongue s a f t e r t o u c h i n g o n e o f these. Thanks for highlighting this problem, it might prevent a fatality. Lis via the Internet

Angels and Age Care DEAR EWN, Thank you so much for publishing the a r t i c l e o n t h e d o n a tio n from the Angels and amalgamating it with the news about the new coffee morning venue at Fuengirola. Age Care appreciates your help very much. It is really important to us that we keep people aware of what Age Care do. There are so

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Flights and the facts Credit Claudio Divizia Shutterstock

vDEAR EWN, People really irritate me over the access and cost of entrance to the Caminito del Rey. First they complained that they couldn’t get tickets even though it was relatively easy to go online and book ahead, then they were up in arms over allocation to hotel and restaurant owners (which was admittedly a bit naughty), who then only handed them over if you had a meal. Now, because the whole thing is being h a n d e d o v e r t o a p riv a te company to release council workers for hopefully more important matters, they are all complaining about a €10 charge! It costs more or less the same to see a film and the walk cost a heck of a lot to get ready and now keep safe and open for visitors. Let’s put things into perspective and find real problems to worry about, not the price of a tourist attraction. Pauline, Malaga City

knitted knockers Spain and Maggie, who set up the group, and her friend Karen is making me a ‘knocker.’ They need more knitters in other parts of Spain and I thought that maybe you could mention them in the EWN as you are known for getting involved with charitable work and knitting ‘knockers’ is such a wonderful, positive thing to do free of charge for a stranger. Thank you for taking the time to read my message. Susan, via email.

Taxi strike DEAR EWN, With regards to the forthcoming Malaga taxi strike, I really have no sympathy left for local taxi drivers. I used to get them up to and back from Malaga airport before, but now prefer to use the train and try to avoid them at all costs. I find them expensive nor do I not think they merit their charges... but I am sure others will love them ;-) Mike via the Internet

DEAR All, I am impressed with the trouble that you all take to keep us up to date with all of the developments along the coast and it was particularly good news to hear about the extra service that BA are going to offer from Stansted to Malaga. Whilst flights are still pretty expensive compared to the halcyon days of the late 70s and early 80s when there was plenty of competition, the more options there are, the better it is for all passengers. From a selfish point of view, I like to use Stansted as it is closest to my home and to have another option is great. Keep on informing us every week. Harold from Cabopino

man y e ld erly p eople w ho ne e d support and if we can, we will help them. Once again, thank you. Regards, Bobby, Costa del Sol

Fantastic work DEAR Euro Weekly News, I w o u ld lik e to a le rt you a nd your readers to the fantastic work

that is done by the 4 Paws charity which particularly looks after the rehoming of older dogs which are much more difficult to help than cute little puppies. They handle a large number of dogs each year, but costs are very high, especially when many of the animals are rehoused in other parts of Europe. For more information or to offer assistance please visit https://www.facebook.com/4-pawsadoptions-127264347404435 Kind regards, Caroline in the UK via e-mail

Knitted knockers DEAR EWN, I recently had a lumpectomy followed by a mastectomy and have been provided with a prosthesis, which weighs 450 grammes, but the thought of wearing that in the summer filled me with horror. I remembered hearing about ‘knitted knockers’ on a radio programme so contacted knitted knockers in the UK. They put me in touch with

What good news DEAR Sir, What good news it was to read about the action of the National Police in conjunction with the British National Crime Agency to uncover the huge drug factory in Costa Blanca. It is a great shame to think British criminals were heavily involved in the production of this evil and addictive drug but at least the UK was involved in helping to catch them. Let’s hope that there will now be a few less new addicts because of the action that has been taken. Edward from Denia

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

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

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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OPINION & COMMENT

What is older than historic Spain? Well it’s the Indalo of course! IT was discovered prehistorically therefore it has no cursive reference or explanation 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.

IT’S called the ‘Indalo’, and everyone that has seen it has given it a meaning and clothed its history. In reality it was discovered prehistorically therefore without cursive reference or explanation. The site is referred to as the ‘Cueva de los Letreros’ (cave of the signs) near Velez-Rubio and contains other anthropomorphic figures. Guesstimates project that it was painted probably about 4,000 years ago but not discovered until 1868 by one Antonio Gongora. The totem was forgotten then for another 80 years until a group of intellectuals in Almeria in 1946 decided to create their own renaissance, to rejuvenate the populace with new

ideas and expressions. This society of literary and artistic savants wanted to shake the area awake following almost a decade of warfare, Spanish Civil War included. Their idea was to bring culture to the weary throngs craving something innovative. So, in accordance with the blossoming industrial era they needed a name and a logo. Reflecting back upon their own cultural history they found just such a solution within their Catholic selves. Of the famed seven Saints that came to spread Catholicism to Spain, all were foreign other than the one that settled in Almeria, San Indalecio. His name in Latin being derivatives of ‘Indal’ (powerful God) and ‘eccius’ (messenger). Even in the ancient tongue of Iberians ‘Indan’ or ‘Indal’ similarly meant the principal, powerful protector and many of their regional gods had a similar prefix to their names.

THE INDALO: Belongs to Mojacar as much as the universal consciousness does to the truth. So were named the ‘Indalinos’ of Almeria, next was a logo. That riddle was solved by a young member archaeologist Juan Cuadrado, who had recently reinvestigated in the Cueva de los Letreros complex. He pro-

posed the etched human figure with his arms extended and united above his head with legs wide apart. At a meeting it was given the moniker of ‘El Indalo’. In the early 50’s one Jesus de Perceval, who had roots in Mojacar, became a prominent personage in the Indalinos along with famed painter from

Huercal-Overa, Canton Checa. Frequent visits by the two to Mojacar soon had the image sprouting throughout the town. What better way to ward off the evil eye or bad luck. The adapted symbol was embraced with an eerie passion not just by the literate anymore but by all. Usually painted in the form near the front door of any and every house, the totem came to life. It was the Hippie revolution of the early 70’s that made it into jewellery and history. When I arrived in 1969, the older women still dressed in black and veiled their faces. The town psychic needed just such a totem, a mystical symbol to ward off evil eyes, nasty storms, and above all… ‘protection’ from the new invading world creeping its way into the village. It seems as if the ‘Indalo’ belongs to Mojacar as much as the universal consciousness does to truth.

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18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Famous quote

This week

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

‘

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.. Arthur Ashe

in history 1478: George, the Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV, is murdered in the Tower of London. 1516: Queen Mary I, also known as Bloody Mary for her persecution of Protestants is born. 1564: Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti-Simoni, Italian painter and sculptor, died. 1701: Philip V of Spain makes his ceremonial entry into Madrid. 1797: The last invasion of Britain takes place when some 1,400 Frenchmen land in Wales. 1804: British engineer Richard Trevithick demonstrated the first steam engine to run on rails. 1857: Lord Robert BadenPowell, founder of the Boy Scout Movement was born. 1878: Thomas Edison received a patent for his phonograph. 1885: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is published in New York. 1906: William Kellogg established the Battle Creek Toasted Cornflake Company. 1932: Manchurian independence is formally declared. 1945: US Marines storm ashore at Iwo Jima. 1986: MIR space station (USSR) launched. 1987: Andy Warhol died. 1991: US and UN ground offensive began against Iraq. 2006: The Rolling Stones stage the world’s largest rock concert at Copacabana Beach.

Women’s wit

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Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.

Julie Andrews

World of English

‘

No matter how much you push the envelope, it will still be stationery.

‘TYPICAL MAN - I SUPPOSE YOU PREFERRED THAT SKINNY MANNEQUIN FIGURE I HAD BEFORE I WENT TO THE GYM’

Kakuro

for next 7 days

Costa de Almería

weather

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 ALBOX

HUERCAL OVERA

VELEZ RUBIO GARRUCHA ALBOX MOJACAR HUERCAL OVERA ALMERIA

RETAMAR GARRUCHA ROQUETAS

MOJACAR

RETAMAR

ALMERIA

ROQUETAS

ADRA

Alicante TODAY: Fri Sat Sun -

Benidorm

CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

13 9 Sh 15 8 C 16 9 Sh

Mon - 17 11 Cl Tues - 19 11 S Wed - 18 10 S

SHOWERS MAX 14C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

13 8 Sh 14 9 Sh 16 9 Sh

Mon - 17 9 C Tues - 18 10 S Wed - 18 11 S

Fri Sat Sun -

14 7 Cl 16 8 S 18 11 Sh S Sun,

11 4 C 13 7 C 16 7 C

MAX MIN

Mon - 14 8 Sh Tues - 14 8 Sh Wed - 15 8 Sh

Madrid

CLOUDY MAX 13C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 18 11 C Tues - 19 11 S Wed - 17 11 C Cl Clear,

TODAY:

Fog,

TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 14C, MIN 7C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

13 7 Sh 16 7 S 18 9 Sh

CLOUDY MAX 7C, MIN -1C

9 -1 C 12 2 Cl 13 3 S C Cloudy,

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 13 4 Cl Tues - 14 4 Cl Wed - 16 4 Sh

MAX MIN

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

Sh Showers,

CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

15 8 Sh 16 9 C 17 10 Sh Sn Snow,

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

Saturday February 13

EURO MILLIONS

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

MAX MIN

Mon - 19 10 C Tues - 20 11 S Wed - 20 10 S

Murcia

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

14 9 Sh 17 9 C 16 9 Sh

Mallorca

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

SHOWERS MAX 14C, MIN 8C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 12 C Tues - 18 11 C Wed - 18 11 Cl

SHOWERS MAX 9C, MIN 3C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

13 9 Sh 14 10 Cl 16 11 Sh

Bilbao

Almeria TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Malaga

CLOUDY MAX 15C, MIN 9C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

MAX MIN

Mon - 20 10 Cl Tues - 21 9 S Wed - 21 9 C Th Thunder

LOTTERY

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Saturday February 13

Friday February 12

5 23

Saturday February 13

Sunday February 14

20 21

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

LUCKY STARS

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E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Freeheld Directed by: Peter Sollett Starring: Julianne Moore, Ellen Page, Michael Shannon, Josh Charles

Funagram

Just Joking

Unscramble the name of a television series first broadcast on BBC Two in January 2005 (two words): DONNED RAGS Unscramble the name of a famous British politician: MAN SOLD AXLE

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 (SHIMMY) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

DEMURE DETOUR DITHER ENSURE ENTITY FIERCE FREEST HEREBY INHERE KINDLE

Freeheld is the true love story of Laurel Hester [Julianne Moore] and Stacie Andree [Ellen Page] and their fight for justice. A decorated New Jersey police detective, Laurel is diagnosed with cancer and wants to leave her hard earned pension to her domestic partner, Stacie. However the county officials, Freeholders, conspire to prevent Laurel from doing this. Thereafter follows their struggle for equality.

Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo , February 18, Fashion designer Better known as Paco Rabanne, the popular fashion designer was born in the Basque Country on February 18, 1934. He is well known for his fashion creations and the brand of perfumes which carries his name. PHOTO: kojoku / Shutterstock.com

John Travolta, Actor, February 18, 62 Actor who starred in the 1970s hit films Saturday Night Fever and Grease. He later went on to play Vincent Vega in the critically acclaimed 1994 film Pulp Fiction and he also starred in Get Shorty, Ladder 49, Wild Hogs, Hairspray and Swordfish. Prince Andrew, Royalty, February 19, 56 The third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He is also known for his success with the Royal Navy, particularly during the Falklands War. Charlotte Church, Singer, February 21, 30 Welsh soprano singer-songwriter who has sung classical and pop music and has sold more than 10 million records internationally. She released the #2 hit single ‘Crazy Chick.’ Bruce Forsyth, Game Show Host, February 22, 88 English comedian, television personality and game show host of UK’s The Price is Right and Strictly Come Dancing. He was named Male TV Personality of the year from 1975 to 1978, and was Knighted in 2011. Peter Fonda, Actor, February 23, 76 Best known for starring in the classic film Easy Rider, he also received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination alongside his co-stars for Outstanding Performance by a Cast for 2007 film 3:10 to Yuma. Bill Bailey, Comedian, February 24, 52 Zany English comedian who is best known for his role in Black Books and for his appearances on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You and QI.

LEADEN LINDEN OXCART RANSOM RETIRE SERVER SHIMMY(10) UMLAUT UPDATE

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Butane 2 Mentor 3 Presto 4 Infirm 5 Assert 6 Recall 7 Morbid 8 Teasel 9 Inside 10 Beacon 11 Nettle 12 Casein 13 Thence 14 Theism 15 Confer 16 Cheery 17 Marrow 18 Fecund 19 Inbred

YOUR STARS ARIES (March 21 - April 20) There is something comfortable about your life at the moment. Even though there seems to be a good reason to change it, you hesitate. A situation seems to have become outdated and no longer works well. TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Starting on a new hobby or job has opened your eyes to much that is round you. You ask yourself why it was not so clear to you before. This does not matter. This is where you are and where you need to be at the moment. GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) The buzz in your head is not a mysterious thing. It is the sound of something quite different. Clearly, it is time to act on an idea held for a long time. The buzz will not go away until you are satisfied. Get with the yoga and plan your approach. One step at a time avoids confusion. CANCER (June 22 - July 23) An emotional journey which you made last year comes to mind again. Although there are adjustments to be made, you are now more at ease. Whichever way you go now will be a lucky improvement in your sphere. LEO (July 24 - August 23) A branch is dangling in the wind.

PICSES

(February 20 - March 20)

It’s both a vertical and horizontal week. What goes right somewhere could easily go wrong elsewhere. Sensitive Venus conspires with touchy Mars to trigger tensions and troubles. If you’re aware of where others are coming from, you’ll be fine. You’ll have fun, but don’t let your spending splurges rule your head.

You feel that, if you grasp it, finances will improve. Your hesitation is felt as weakness but it is good to check. See this branch from all angles. The last thing that you want is to tug on it and find that it is too much to hold. VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Are you hoping that a recent acquaintance will provide the answer to a question? Your friends have given their opinions but you are still not convinced. Here is a situation where expert advice is needed, not a random opinion. LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) There is a lot to take on board this week. At times, you may feel that it is too much to cope with. You, however, are made of stronger stuff. Are you telling me that Fred down the road is better than you? No, of course not. Show everyone what you are made of this week by getting it sorted.

TIME

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10-Star Quiz

I decided to change my computer password to ‘incorrect’ because if I type it in wrong, my computer will remind me, ‘Your password is incorrect.’

FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: DRAGONS’ DEN, ALEX SALMOND

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SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Yours is a big heart, but be more selective about what and who you let in. As you are currently seeing things so clearly, make some choices. Your quality of both life and work will change for the better. You are not being selfish. You know there is such a thing as necessary self-preservation. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Sometimes you feel you are on a stage. Attention is on you, lights shining bright, people waiting. There is no problem with doing what is expected, but maybe an uneasy feeling about where you are. We can all end up in the wrong place, so do what is necessary to get back to where you want to be. CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) There is a difficulty with someone not standing on their own two feet. It's someone close, but it’s certainly not you. It is not possible to stand by and see bad mistakes happen. On the other hand, there needs to be a balance so as not to enforce dependency. A friend may help, but you will manage this. AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Working in the dark is not your favourite thing. Blazing lights on everything is more your style. Why, then, do you not have control of the facts? Maybe hiding in the shadows and avoiding something has put you where you are.

EXPLORERS AND ADVENTURERS 1. According to French author Jules Verne, what was the name of the eccentric British adventurer, who, along with his valet Passepartout, attempted to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a £20,000 wager set by his friends at the Reform Club? 2. Named after an Inca sun god, what was the name of the balsa wood raft that Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl rowed across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands in 1947? 3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) was the first in a series of films to star actor Harrison Ford as which fictional college professor of archaeology/adventurer? 4. The capital of North Carolina is named after which famous English adventurer, a favourite of Elizabeth I? 5. What was the name of the Welsh-born journalist who began his expedition to find the missionary and explorer David Livingstone in March 1871? 6. Which 19th century English explorer who, with John Speke, was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika, shares his name with a famous Welsh actor? 7. Which British naval officer and explorer who led the ill-fated second expedition to reach the South Pole, died there on March 29, 1912? 8. Which famous 20th century explorer was the first person to visit both the North and South Poles by surface means and the first to completely cross Antarctica on foot? 9. Which famous American luxury vehicle manufacturing company founded in 1902, is named after a 17th century French explorer who founded Detroit? 10. Which famous Italian explorer discovered the island of Hispaniola, now Haiti and the Dominican Republic, in December 1492? Not a lot of people know that… the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama has a city in India named after him, as well as three Brazilian football teams, several ships, a crater on the moon and several places in Lisbon 1. PHILEAS FOGG, 2. KON-TIKI, 3. Dr Henry Walton ‘INDIANA’ JONES, 4, SIR WALTER RALEIGH, 5. HENRY MORTON STANLEY, 6. RICHARD BURTON, 7. ROBERT FALCON SCOTT, 8. RANULPH FIENNES (Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes), 9. CADILLAC - named after Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, 10. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, also known as CRISTOBAL COLON

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 R) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET: Average: 18 Good: 23 Very good: 33 Excellent: 40

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION aged dang doge dong drag dreg egad ergo gean gear gnaw goad goer gone gore gown grad gran grew grow ogre rage rang wage agone anger argon dodge gonad goner gored grade grand groan grown orang organ raged range waged wager wagon wodge wrong danged danger dodger dragon gadder gander garden gnawed gnawer goaded gowned graded grande onager orange ranged dowager groaned wagoner wordage wronged DOWNGRADE

SOUND OF THE WEEK We Are King By: KING Released by: Self

IT’S not very often that a group arrives fully-formed, with a sound that belongs completely to them and nobody else, It’s a rare thing indeed. But that’s what made KING, the Los Angeles R&B trio, so special when they self-released The Story, their three-song debut EP, in 2011. Now available on iTunes.

AK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

Crossword

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

Down 2 Flat fish only (4) 3 Endless oriental holiday in spring (6) 5 Scruffy diners are hosed down (6) 6 First of November poem, Bud (4) 7 A nice temple built on shelf over fireplace (11)

Code Breaker

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

CRYPTIC

Quick

Cryptic Across 1 Former president’s railroad measure (6) 4 Drink on the way, I hear, in sultanate (6) 9 Health resort in a European country (5) 11 Leaf covering (5) 13 Deep South coming back fast (5) 15 Earth spins after the French hide (7) 16 Strangely regal composer (5) 17 Someone who gives a fellow gold (5) 18 Thanks after Dad’s Italian food (5) 20 Europeans found in the Arctic and Antarctic? (5) 21 Fires possibly singe it (7) 22 A Scot translating one of Puccini’s operas (5) 24 Minor official concerned with First Lady (5) 26 Dismisses for reordering casks (5) 27 Referee seen in photos for a starter (6) 28 Revolutionary actors for Cuban leader (6)

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OUT

18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Across: 1 Ankara, 4 Status, 7 Sartorial, 9 Opts, 10 Rota, 11 Front, 13 Staple, 14 Gentle, 15 Abates, 17 Oscars, 19 State, 20 Teem, 22 Asia, 23 Menagerie, 24 Adders, 25 Scamps. Down: 1 Actors, 2 Alas, 3 Attire, 4 Spring, 5 Ajar, 6 Sedate, 7 Stratagem, 8 Lost cause, 11 Flees, 12 Tense, 15 Attila, 16 Steals, 17 Otters, 18 Shades, 21 Mere, 22 Aida.

QUICK Across:

8 Poet’s oath about therapist (9) 10 Letter recipient scattered seeds, dear (9) 12 Material from the last Ice Age (7) 14 Put forward a motion in favour of the position (7) 19 Former tennis star is a gas, funnily (6) 20 Worshippers, I assume, embracing Iran formerly (6) 23 Aphrodite’s child came back hurting (4) 25 Rewrite diet (4)

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 6 represents Z and 24 represents B, so fill in Z every time the figure 6 appears and B every time the figure 24 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 Summits (5) 4 Vocation (6) 9 Understand (7) 10 Requires (5) 11 Minuscule (4) 12 Departing (7) 13 Heavens (3) 14 In this place (4) 16 Final (4) 18 Weep (3) 20 Ignorant of (7) 21 Quick (4) 24 Porcelain (5) 25 Seeing (7) 26 Cricket team (6) 27 Melodies (5)

Down 1 Buccaneer (6) 2 Once more (5) 3 Slender (4) 5 Yearly (8) 6 Foes (7) 7 Quit formally (6) 8 React verbally (5) 13 Divide (8) 15 Analyse (7) 17 Brawn (6) 18 Prison rooms (5) 19 Phases (6) 22 Foreign (5) 23 Playthings (4)

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

1 Peculiar, 4 Pale, 7 Reads, 9 Snail, 11 Meets, 12 Boats, 13 Subtle, 15 Chosen, 19 Finds, 21 Whale, 23 Stout, 24 Scare, 25 Half, 26 Shelters. Down: 1 Perhaps, 2 Charm, 3 Assist, 5 Exits, 6 Lamb, 8 Steal, 10 Leaps, 14 Bonus, 16 Heals, 17 Nucleus, 18 Switch, 19 Fresh, 20 Soon, 22 Erase.

ENGLISHSPANISH Across: 1 Advice, 3 Apio, 7 Lip, 9 Platano, 10 Higo, 11 Item, 14 Enfermo, 15 Uva, 16 Owls, 17 Naipes. Down: 1 Aula, 2 Cupboard, 4 Plateau, 5 Olor, 6 Mariposa, 8 Painful, 12 Beso, 13 Hats.

CODE BREAKER

Across 1 To marry (5) 4 Melocotón (5) 7 River (3) 8 Soldado (7) 9 Earthquake (9) 13 Campesino (familia, revuelta) (7) 15 Pero (uso adversativo) (3) 16 Grandson (5) 17 Oveja (5)

Down 1 Priest (4) 2 Piedra (material) (5) 3 Cold (infection) (9) 4 Popcorn (9) 5 There (near you) (3) 6 Daño (4) 10 Mesa (mueble) (5) 11 Abierto (4) 12 Paso (4) 14 As (naipes) (3)

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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The Road to Little Dribbling

By: Bill Bryson A LOVING and hilarious - if occasionally spiky valentine to Bill Bryson’s adopted country, Great Britain. Prepare for total joy and multiple episodes of unseemly laughter. Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to discover and celebrate that green and pleasant land. The result was Notes from a Small Island, a true classic and one of the bestselling travel books ever written. Now he has travelled about Britain again, by bus and train and rental car and on foot, to see what has changed and what hasn’t. With his matchless instinct for the funniest and quirkiest and his unerring eye for the idiotic, the bewildering, the appealing, and the ridiculous, he offers acute and perceptive insights into all that is best and worst about Britain today. books@euroweeklynews.com

ON average, a person speaks somewhere between 7,000 and 20,000 words every day. Most of these are just fillers like ‘and,’ ‘so,’ and ‘on.’ But the words that are used to convey a message often carry stories of their own. Here we take a look at the origins of the common word. 1. OK. ‘Okay’ has one of the most complicated word origins to track down. Although there are dozens of theories, nobody’s sure which one is correct. Some of the best suggestions are: Omnis Korrecta is Latin for ‘all correct.’ Another would be: Och Aye or O Qu’oui, Scottish and French, respectively for ‘Ah, yes.’ Alternatively, ‘Oll Korrect,’ a common misspelling in the US of ‘all correct’ back in the 1800s is attributed to Andrew Jackson, the seventh US president, and John Jacob Astor. 2. Spirit. Speaking of spirits, have you ever stood close to someone who has bad breath? Believe it or not, these two have a connection. By that, we mean that the words ‘spirit’ and ‘breath’ have common roots. The English ‘spirit’ comes from the Latin ‘spiritus,’ which can mean ‘breath,’ ‘breathing,’ or ‘soul.’ We can even take it one step further: Spirare has its origins in an Indo-European word that means ‘to blow.’ 3. Influenza. Most of us just call it ‘flu,’ but the full-length word ‘influenza’ actually carries some history on its back. It was originally Italian, where it means ‘influence.’ The name refers to the cause of the disease rather than the illness itself, as the old Italians had the same explanation for illnesses as for disasters. They blamed both on unfortunate astrological constellations. 4. Poison is directly borrowed from the French, who rewrote the Latin word potionem. The Latin word first and foremost meant ‘a drink.’ But it gathered more ominous meanings such as ‘magical potion’ and ‘medicinal potion’ before finally translating into ‘poisoned drink.’ 5 Pants. The mystery of the plural

Sudoku

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Amazing histories behind common words

App of the Week Slide Slide lets you create faux3D GIFs. Every major social network now lets you post videos, but not every photographic situation is improved by video. With this week’s App of the Week, you can add a little depth to a still image just by moving your phone a little. Slide is an app by Little Pixels that lets you easily create a stereoscopic-like GIF with your iPhone. Just tap your screen, slide your phone and then tap your subject. Slide will create a GIF that looks like it’s in 3D.

Play on Words EVERY

OK: There are dozens of theories. ‘pants’ has fascinated us all at some point. Why more than one pant? What is a pant? Little did we know that the word actually has a fascinating background. Some people already know that ‘pants’ is an abbreviation of ‘pantaloons.’ The type of tight trousers that used to be called ‘pantaloons’ were named after a famous character, much like celebrities get fashion items named after them today. Pantaleone was his name, and this wasn’t any old trouserwearing man. He was a well-known character in 16th-century Italian comedies. Due to his thin legs, he wore full-length tights instead of the popular knee breeches. 6 Whiskey. Countless are those who have drowned their sorrows in a bottle of Scotch, but did they know that whiskey is called ‘whiskey’ in countries that have an ‘e’ in their name, like Ireland, and ‘whisky’ in countries without an ‘e,’ such as Scotland? The Gaelic were well aware of this and named their favourite beverage uiscebeathadh (‘water of life’). This was shortened to uisce (‘water’). Try saying uisce out loud, and you’ll find that it sounds quite similar to our ‘whiskey.’ 7 Avocado. The word ‘avocado’ originates from the Nahuatlan word ahuacatl, which was used for describing the fruit. The word ahuacatl underwent a series of misinterpretations. The Spanish changed ahuacatl to

‘aguacate,’ which was then changed by the English to avogato in the 1600s. 8. Robot. We use our machines as slaves! and really, why shouldn’t we? They don’t feel fatigue or hunger, and they can’t complain about bad work conditions. Maybe that’s what went through Karel Capek’s head in 1920 when he gave the name ‘robots’ to the emotionless, mass-produced workers in his play Rossum’s Universal Robots. The Czech word robotnik means ‘slave,’ as does the Old Slavic robu and rabota. 9. Disaster. Today, there are few of us who blame the stars when something goes wrong. The old Italians probably also complained a lot too, but they had one major excuse when things were going south. If you were born under certain stars, you were prone to bad luck and misfortune. From that belief came the word disastrato (‘born under an ill star’). 10. Hazard. Have you ever played a game of dice? Most of us know that little rush of adrenaline when you let go of the small cubes, hoping that they will roll in your favour. ‘A game of dice’ has long been one of the principal meanings of the word ‘hazard.’ It was derived from the Old French word hasard, a word for all sorts of dice games. Hasard came from the Spanish azar, ‘an unfortunate throw of dice.’

HEPLS

Boggled 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.

TARGET: Average: 23 Good: 29 Very good: 42 Excellent: 52

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 iota item items imps deism deist demit demits demist demise dement dements demesne deaf deem deems deva defat date emit emits eaves eves atop aves spied emptied evade feist feta feat fees fate fated fade fave feces cense cent cents cento cess cesspit cement cements cots cote cotes

Word Ladder TIDY

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.

TIME OUT

LOVE BACK

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

TIDY TIDE HIDE HIVE LIVE LOVE

TOP 10

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You need self-belief to change your own body and your life FitFoxy Looking Good, Staying Trim

THE majority of people I meet in my profession seek my services because they have bodyweight issues or feel that they have lost control of their fitness, and are subsequently suffering structural physical and medical problems. Our initial conversation is based on their background and lifestyle and includes aspects of their lives they feel they no longer have control over. Setting goals for them right at the beginning of their journey with me is purpose driven to give them a direction with a definite target to reach.

SETTING GOALS: Gives people a definite target to reach. By the time I have persuaded a client to sit down and chat with me about how they plan to change and improve their life, they often already have their aspirations and a fairly clear picture of what they want to look and feel like in six - 12 months time. There are other people that

regardless of how many words of encouragement you offer them, will simply not buy into themselves and accept that they can achieve their goals. I have weighed clients and given them their medical statistics that are realistically set targets for them. Common responses:

• There is no way I could ever be that weight again. • That’s far too hard for me I won’t be able to cope. I have found over time, that if I was unable to help a client to see what they could achieve and how they had all of the capabilities to reach the goals they clearly wanted to reach, then we were fighting a losing battle from the beginning. Instead of looking ahead to the fit attractive person that they are slowly emerging into, they cling onto their picture of an unattractive overweight being that is continuously falling back and never able to climb upwards and on to the next positive level of their journey. There is truly nothing more self-gratifying than to see a client taking ownership of themselves.

HEALTH BEAUTY

Ask The Doctor

Brought to you by Helicopteros Sanitarios.

Loss of hearing

SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte. This week one of our readers has asked the doctor about hearing loss.

DEAR doctor, For some time now I seem to have been suffering from loss of hearing, my family say I turn the TV up far too loud and that I can’t hear them when they talk to me. My doctor says this is normal at my age (65) and that I shouldn’t worry about it, however my children tell me I can’t go on like this as it could be dangerous, for example they say I can’t hear properly when I’m driving. Who is right? Doctor responds: - One of the parts of our bodies which are most affected by the passing of time is our ears, causing loss of hearing which is often minor but in some cases can affect normal daily life. It can be quite dangerous under certain circumstances, such as while driving, as drivers must be able to hear properly to avoid causing harm to themselves and/or others. I think you should be evaluated by an ear, nose and throat specialist and

also get yourself checked out at a drivers’ medical centre to see whether you can continue driving or not. Reader continues: I also hear a ringing sound in my ears which comes and goes, why is this? Am I going to need a hearing aid? Doctor replies: - Ringing sounds are usually a consequence of an abnormal functioning of the inner ear, which is not always linked to a loss of hearing. There are certain exercises and training which, along with medication, can help reduce the intensity of these sounds. If your hearing loss is important and stops you leading a normal daily life, you should go to a specialist doctor who will consider whether a hearing aid would help you hear better. Occasionally, depending on the cause, it is impossible to recover lost hearing but only a specialist at a medical centre can ascertain this.

The Coast’s Home GP service - wherever you are - at home - in the office - in the car - on the golf course your GP will get to see you any time, anywhere. A priceless service at an affordable price.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

18 -24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Housework exercise DO the household chores to achieve your workout goals NO time to exercise? Don’t worry, just do the housework. A new study has found that doing the household chores burns more than 2,000 calories a week with cleaning the bath and doing the washing able to amount to the equivalent of doing a gym session. The findings also researched which chores are best for working out certain areas of the body. So what jobs around the house are the most beneficial to burn calories and tone? Scrubbing the bath Cleaning the bath with a bit of added elbow grease for 15 minutes can burn up to 100 calories, which is roughly the same as 30 jumping squats. This chore is great for toning arms and shoulder muscles. Laundry Factoring in loading and unloading the washing machine, hanging up the clothes and putting them away, doing the

DOING THE WASHING: Equivalent of doing a gym session.

laundry can burn 78 calories which is the same as doing 100 sit-ups. Washing up Scrubbing away at the dishes can burn over 500 calories over a week if you spend 15 minutes doing it every night, around the same as swimming 2,500m. Hoovering Giving your carpets a good clean can burn 90 calories in half an hour, which is the same as 15 minutes of kick-boxing. Depending on the size of your house, hoovering can also get you nearer to the daily recommendation of walking 10,000 steps. Mopping and sweeping Cleaning the floors for 30 minutes can burn 145 calories, which is equivalent to 15 minutes of gardening. Half an hour of pottering in the garden can burn 213 calories, which is the same as 45 minutes of cycling on flat terrain.

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Burns victim creates her own treatment A MOTHER, who was covered almost head-to-toe in burns after a freak accident, has created a soothing skin cream to help others feel confident despite having scars. The 56-year-old had 75 per cent burns to her body after an accident around a campfire when she was nine. She lost her ear and breasts, her neck was fused to her chest and she was lucky to have survived the accident. Now, decades later, the British survivor has invented her very own treatment and

launched a new business with her 25-year-old daughter. Their cream ‘Sea Creme’ is a mix of sea salt, carrot seed oil and beeswax, and was created after she realised her scars felt softer following a dip in the sea. Working alongside scientists at Star Laboratory, she developed ‘Sea Creme’ which went on sale in January. She has 10,000 pots ready to go and plans to pitch to UK high street stores Boots and Superdrug.

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

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FEATURE

Murder, Mystery & Mayhem: Book signings on the Costa del Sol THE names for characters have to be handled with real care, but the ones that I eventually create are composites 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

BEFORE ebooks, if you didn’t fancy the book you were reading, you could quietly bin it and nobody would know. But ebook sellers can tell which books you finish and which you give up on. Surprisingly, Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning The Goldfinch was completed by only 44 per cent of British readers. The highest-rating categories for completion were romance and crime thrillers - the categories many feel embarrassed about admitting they prefer. Aren’t we supposed to say we can’t wait to get our hands on the Booker shortlist and anything else (so-called ‘airport fiction’) is a ‘guilty pleasure’? Well, it was precisely about my own crime thrillers that I was recently asked to give a talk by the Benahavis Decorative and Fine Arts Society (BDFAS). The inspiration for them, the writing

BOOK SIGNING: Was brilliantly organised and hugely enjoyable. process, and how to avoid plotlines more complicated than the directions for assembling IKEA’s finest or dénouements as exciting as filling in income tax returns. Both the event and subsequent book signing brilliantly organised by BDFAS were hugely enjoyable - lots of friendly people there - and con-

tributed to a good cause since profits from the sale of my novels go to Costa del Sol charity Cudeca. I’m often asked if much of me and my personal experience go into my books. To give a brief but balanced answer: ‘yes and no.’ Well, I did say brief! Yes, because, inevitably, those you meet do influence you. No, because the characters eventu-

ally created are composites. The names for characters have to be handled with real care. Take names like Trump, Clinton or Cameron. Give any one to a quiet, self-effacing character and all the preconceptions predominate. And in your mind’s eye, all you’ll see is Trump/Clinton/Cameron as, in psychologists’ jargon, feelings of transference take over. Which brings me on to that old chestnut: writer’s block. Here I’m reminded of (Raymond) Chandler’s Law: “When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand.” Good grief! And, finally, what about the actual writing? Grammar and so on. Which reminds me. Once one of my readers graciously offered to proofread my manuscript and pinpoint any errors in punctuation, spelling and style. Of course i spel perffecttly and theres never no punktuation, erors! so her job was like, :- easy! 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. All profits to Cudeca charity.

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is the investment being funded entirely with other people’s money? Has there been any trouble in the past? What is their track record? Are the investments asset backed? Who are the people behind the offer? CPI exists to protect people and therefore it is people they have in mind. Services are easily affordable, with a free review of Spanish mortgage deeds on offer. Legal fees are paid only after successful completion, and they do not charge for time, they work with you on an agreed price. CPI offer a conditional fee agreement on all aspects of legal work (written details on request). They have had incredible success in battling for the rights of many British people in Spain, who may have fallen into serious debts without their assistance. Call now from Spain on freephone number 800 600 125, visit www.cpiltd .co.uk or email contact@cpiltd.co.uk. Look after your financial future with CPI.

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Costa de Almería

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Shakespeare in English

Andalucia Day will bring colour to Almeria FLAG hung on balconies Photo by Naughty Nut via Shutterstoc k

By Matthew Elliott THE weight of the rainbow will descend on Almeria City party-goers as they gear up to celebrate the second edition of Andalucia Day on February 28. The spectacle will dramatically overhaul last year’s event, with an estimated 800 kilograms of coloured powder expected to rain down on ecstatic participants. The event features a race with cannons blasting hundreds of kilograms of colour at the runners. It will be a circular five kilometre run, starting and finishing in the fairgrounds. This year’s party will see a brand new itinerary and wholesome activities and the registration period is already open. There will be a huge party at the race’s completion, with a massive stage, DJ, children’s activities and live raffles. The price of registration is €12 for adults and €7 for

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youngsters between 12 and 18. Children under 12 are invited free of charge. Andalucia Day has been celebrated each year on February 28 since 1980 when the region became an autonomous community of Spain following a referendum. People across the region celebrate by draping the Andalucian flag over their balconies and singing the regional anthem. A classic Andalucian breakfast of toast, olive oil and orange juice is enjoyed on the Friday before the day.

NESTLING just below the Sierra Nevada in Granada and about two hours drive from Albox or an hour from Almeria is the little town of Laroles. Outwardly, there is little to distinguish it from other Spanish towns in this area, but it has a unique feature - an amphitheatre, built around the old threshing circle and commanding spectacular views of the Alpujarras. The amphiteatre project is the brainchild of an Englishwoman, Anna Kemp, and the story can be found on the website, www.unteatroen tretodos.com. Included in last year’s programme at this venue was a production of Lorca’s ‘Bodas de sangre,’ staged by Tribueñe - a professional theatre company from Madrid - and this year, on July 30, the Sudbury Dramatic Group from Suffolk are staging Shakespeare’s, ‘The Tempest’ - in English. Tickets start from just €7.50 for the performance and there is also the opportunity to participate in a week-

end workshop. Information about this and other past and forthcoming productions can be found on the website, www.mevuelves

lorca.com, where you can also purchase your tickets. If you intend to stay overnight, there is also information about local accommodation.

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PINK RIBBONS: On sale.

Annual pink ribbon event TH E A E C C p i n k r i b b o n event takes place this weekend (F e b r u a r y 2 0 - 2 1 ) in Mojacar. Dozens of stalls will line the paseo at the south end of Mojacar to raise money for the AECC Mojacar cancer support charity. Pink ribbons are on sale in various outlets throughout Mojacar and the ribbons will be tied together to create a lo n g r i b b o n d r ap ed along the paseo. Orga n i se r s e x p e c t th e event t o b e v e r y p o p u lar and invite everyone to come along and enjoy the fun.

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World Tomato Day celebrates the fruit VAST majority are exported to other Spanish or European markets By Matthew Elliott L A S T S atu rd a y F e brua ry 13 w a s World Tomato Day, a celebration of the versatile fruit which has conq u e re d fo o d ma rk ets a nd c uis ine fundamentals across the globe. Thousands of people a c ro s s A lmeria Province poured onto th e s tree ts to pay tribute to the h u mb le p la n t w h ic h is to d ay o n e o f th e ma in p ro d u c ts o f th e region’s agricultu re. O rig in ally from South America, the tomato be-

came a staple of Spanish farming following the empire’s colonisation of the Americas. In 2015 alone, approaching 800 million kilograms of tomatoes were produc e d throughout the

province generating an economic benefit of more than €400 million. The vast majority of those produced are exported to other Spanish or European markets.

VERSATILE FRUIT: One of the main products of the region.

Mojacar latest venue for organised hike WALKERS are invited to join the latest in a series of hikes organised by the provincial sports council. The next hike, on Sunday February 21, will take place in Mojacar. Starting at Somberico beach, the 12-kilometre route will continue along the lower slopes of the

Cabrera mountains to Playa Macenas. The estimated time for the walk is three hours with a maximum height of 150 metres. Coaches will leave from Almeria, but walkers local to Mojacar can find out how to join by visiting: www.dipalme.org.

NEXT HIKE: Will continue along to Playa Macenas.

SOCIAL SCENE

Garfield comes to Almeria GARFIELD, the rambunctious and hugely popular cartoon cat has crossed the Atlantic and arrived in Europe to commence his Spanish Tour with the show aptly named Garfield Live and has Almeria marked down on his schedule this weekend. Organisers promise a funny, educative and entertaining performance where the little ones will learn while they have a grand old time. The show is sure to bring happy memories to anyone who enjoyed Garfield’s cynical laziness and lasagne fuelled adventures as a child or with their children and grandchildren. Garfield Live is a theatre play designed and overseen by the Garfield brand. Known as a musical with cattitude it promises to be a f ant ast i c day out f or t he chi l dr en and a f i ne wal k down memory lane for the adults. The show will take place this coming Sunday February 21 at 5pm in Maestro Padilla Auditorium, Almeria. Tickets prices vary from €10 to €15 and can be found in the municipal box offices and the Almeria Cultura (Almeria Culture Department) web page. Different scenarios will be part of a must-see story that will make the wonders of adults and children.

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SOCIAL SCENE

Lent is celebrated in Almeria by many gastronomy fans THE arrival of Lent is much awaited by Christians preparing for Easter, but also by gastronomy fans. When the Carnival ends, Almeria recipe books become filled with tradition and elegant tastes symbolise the imminent celebration of one of Spain and Christianityâ€™s most important days. Lent is a very popular tradition on the Almeria coast and it is considered a Cultural Interest Celebration in many spots of the province. This celebration comes accompanied by top quality cuisine which includes some of the most awaited dishes of the year. Cod is the king of Lent as many different dishes can be cooked with it. Cod with tomato, ajoarriero cod (in oil, garlic and pepper sauce), and even cod omelette are among the most famous recipes. Legumes are another popular element in this period of the year. The star legume dish in Almeria is the Potaje de Semana

Photo by fanfo via shutterstock

UNIQUE dishes can be experienced throughout the province, so prepare yourself for a heartily filling time Santa, which is a kind of stew made up by chickpeas, beans, onion, tomato, potatoes, cooked eggs, cod and peppers. Specifically, Almanzora area is very famous for having the best Potaje de Semana Santa in Almeria. Last but not least, orange is present on almost every table during Lent. Its capacity of combining with sweet and salty ingr edi ent s m akes i t t he st ar of m any recipes. Towns like Gador and Santa Fe de Mondujar are very well-known for the excellent oranges grown there. Unique dishes can be experienced in every spot of the province, so prepare yourself for a heartily filling time.

POPULAR TRADITION: Accompanied by top quality cuisine and star dishes.

Wind rains on parade TWO performances of the The Hole 2 festival were cancelled over the weekend due to the strong winds of February 13 and 14. Organisers have contacted the ticket holders of the cancelled sessions to help them switch to another day should they wish. Strong winds reaching more than 100 kph were registered across the Almeria coast. The Hole 2 has been a key feature at the Winter Culture Festival in Almeria, with daring acrobatic and artist performances gracing the Maestro Padilla auditorium. The show will continue in Almeria until February 21.

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Blossom disrupts almond trails THE annual almond blossom walks in Albox and Abla were brought forward this year due to early flowering of the trees caused by the unseasonably warm weather. More than a hundred hikers from across southern Spain took part in the walks which took them on a nine kilometre route through numerous villages and into the almond groves. Participants enjoyed breakfast including typical local fayre made from products produced in the area, including almond cakes. Temperatures averaging 19 degrees caused the trees to bloom a few weeks earlier than usual and the weather threw another spanner in the works when torrential rain on one day in February caused one of the walks to be cancelled. Despite the freak storm, some 50 hikers turned up and enjoyed a meal with the organisers.

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18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Albox nuns at the centre of political row over nursery MAYOR accused of giving contract to former colleague, something which he later denied By Adele Land AN order of nuns which has run a nursery school and charitable organisation in Albox for more than four decades is to leave the town. From September, the El Saliente group will take over the running of the Jesus Maria religious nursery and school, in the hamlet of La Loma de Albox. The facility also offers support for residents living below the poverty line. The decision comes after months of wrangling between the Ministry of Education and the diocese of Jesus Maria, followed by a series of meetings to discuss who would eventually take over the management of the facility. The school is attended by children aged up to eight-years-old and has found itself at the centre of a political row between the ruling PSOE

NEW MANAGEMENT: El Saliente group to take over nursery. party and the Partido Popular (PP) opposition. PP spokesperson, Juan Perez, ac-

cused Albox mayor, Rogelio Mena, of creating ‘jobs for the boys’ by handing over the running of the fa-

cility to the El Saliente group which is managed by former PSOE councillor, Matias Garcia. Mena denied the accusations, adding that the situation was “not a political competition.” The religious order announced last year that it was leaving the area at the end of this school year and the future of the facility remained uncertain for many months. The reason for leaving was attributed to the decline in religious interest in the town. The El Saliente association is said to have experience in running schools and the takeover was approved by the Ministry of Education. All the personnel working at the school will keep their jobs and a new position in the toy museum will also be created. A spokesperson for the El Saliente group thanked the nuns for their dedication over the past 40 years.

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Albox gets a green facelift TREES to be planted in the streets By Adele Land

ALBOX town centre will be transformed over the next few months with the addition of trees along the streets. More than 300 trees are to be planted along the edge of the rambla in the La Loma district.

The project is part of a €22,000 improvement package which includes the enhancement of public spaces. Mayor Rogelio Mena, said the rambla was an important meeting point for residents of all ages who use the area to play sports and walk their dogs.

System to protect threat of eviction ALBOX Council is to set up a new system to protect people under threat of eviction from their homes. The town has long been associated with foreclosures by the banks and Mayor Rogelio Mena said he is “no longer prepared to do the bank’s dirty work.” The initiative will include assistance in mediation with the banks in collaboration with the Local Police and social services. Albox hit the headlines in 2013 when Mena forbade the Local Police to participate in evictions.

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

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Owners of illegal homes denied damages pay-out COURT revoked sentence issued in September 2014 By Adele Land ALBOX Council has won an appeal against a judgement which ordered it to pay compensation to British owners of illegal homes in the Las Palmeras neighbourhood. A court in Almeria revoked the sentence which had been issued in September 2014, and also dropped the civil liability charges against two of the promotors of the development. Construction began on the homes in 2004 and planning permission was granted by the then Partido Popular (PP) council, despite the land being classed as rural. A total of four British fami-

lies were affected by the case and the threat of demolition hung over the homes for a number of years. In the original 2014 ruling, Judge Maria Teresa Vidaurreta deemed the homes illegal but rejected a demolition order saying there was no benefit and any such ruling would only add to the suffering of the families. The same judge ordered the town council to pay compensation totalling some €135,000 to three of the affected families, the council immediately launched an appeal which resulted in this latest decision.

A decision to compensate a fourth family to the amount of €7,000 was upheld in the new ruling as the family had to pay for rental accommodation and subsequently returned to the UK. Maura Hillen, town councillor and president of homeowner’s group AUAN was unable to comment as she was out of the country at the time of going to print. AUAN has long campaigned for justice for people affected by the building of illegal housing. The case is expected to be pursued through the civil courts.

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Hot wheels in the Almanzora valley RALLY took place around Tijola, Macael and Olula del Rio By Adele Land LAST weekend’s Almanzora valley Rally was hailed a huge success. The second edition of the event attracted some 40 teams from throughout Spain and was the first in the 2016 Spanish rally calendar. The rally took place around towns including, Tijola, Macael and Olula del Rio. The Porsche 997 took first prize with Peter Perez and Alberto Chamorro at the wheel, followed by runners-up Miguel Ángel Clemente and María Jesús Bonillo in

second place and Cantabrians, Amadeo Aguirre and Javier Polidurra, in third.

Sports minister is proud at how the competition has grown. Deputy provincial sports minister, Angeles Martinez, said she was proud at how the competition has grown and the fact that it brings together drivers from across the country.

Music event for APSA THE boys are back in town. Impulse will be performing in a charity gig at Maloan’s bar in Albox on Saturday February 27. Tickets for the event are €5 and the evening is expected to be packed with fun,

music and dancing. Proceeds from the event will go to APSA dog rescue charity. Tickets available from the APSA charity shop and the APSA market stall.

Robbers targeting the elderly TWO people have been arrested in connection with a string of robberies across the province including the Almanzora area. The detainees are suspected of robbing elderly people using various means of deception. The pair allegedly approached elderly people in towns including Albox, Cantoria and Chirivel, asking for directions to places and then stealing bags and jewellery from the victims. More than 20 similar cases have been reported and the suspects will appear in court in Vera.

Brightened up THE Jardines de Almanzora district of Zurgena has been given a new look with the planting of new trees to add colour and beauty to the town. Some 28 saplings of different varieties were planted in the area as part of the Almeria provincial council’s ’green plan.’

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

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Carnaval even more popular

THERE was a great atmosphere at every event By Eleanor Hawkins THIS year’s Carnaval celebrations were more popular than they had been for years, Albox Council has reported. More than 1,000 people took part in the various activities organised by the town hall, which began with a parade and costume competitions for children and adults.

Pupils from the three local schools, Francisco Fenoy, Velazquez and Virgen del Saliente took part in the festivities with song and dance routines and participated in a children’s competition at the Las Ventas municipal pavilion. Local Culture councillor Aurora Cerdan said: “there was a great atmosphere during each

and every one of the activities we planned for Albox Carnaval 2016. The originality and festive spirit of local residents were very apparent and we had record participation rates with residents, schools and associations all taking part." Cerdan also wished to thank Local Police officers for their hard work.

Pigeon owners get a new place to practise their sport PIGEON fanciers in Albox have a new place to practise their sport following the opening of a new exercise ground. The facility is located near the San Roque area and can accommodate regional and national competitions.

In order to comply with pigeon-racing regulations, the facility has been equipped with more than 100 niches to keep the birds before and after the races. Hundreds of pigeon fanciers flock to the Albox area to enjoy the sport.

18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Ecologist group blames authorities for 2012 flooding CLAIMS it was clearly built in an area of ‘high flood risk’ By Eleanor Hawkins THE 2012 flooding of the Bajo Almanzora desalination plant could have been avoided, Ecologists in Action group has announced, blaming the Junta de Andalucia regional government, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, the town hall and FCC. In September 2012, torrential rain caused a swell of nearby rivers which flooded the plant and left it useless, with damages amounting to between €10 million and €15 million. The group has reported that it has drawn up a report which has been sent to the Environ-

mental and Town Planning Public Prosecutor’s office and the High Court Prosecutor’s office, as it considers that the aforementioned entities could have committed an offence by allowing the plant to be built at the location, catalogued as at high risk of flooding. If the plant had been built somewhere else, the ecologists’ group claims, a later claim for €40 million in compensation by the construction company, which to date remains unpaid, after repairs were made would have been avoided. The desalination plant, the group stated, was built where two waterways, the Almanzora

and Canalejas, meet, meaning the flooding in September 2012 was to be expected. The report sent to the prosecutor ’s office includes photographs of the area before and after construction of the facility, which Ecologists in Action claims clearly show it was built in an area at ‘very high flood risk.’ A photo from 1973 has also been included which shows the Almanzora river carrying a large amount of water. In fact, according to the report, if the swell of 2012 had been as high as that of 1973, the damage to the desalination plant would have been much worse.

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GARDENS

An early explosion of colour

THERE has been an almost seamless transition from a mild autumn to the beginning of spring Dick Handscombe

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

ALTHOUGH it is still officially winter, there has been an almost seamless transition from a mild autumn to the beg i n n i n g o f sp r in g , without a real winter, so the spring explosion of colour from trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals and bulbs is coming early. The earliest flowering trees in c l u d e d e c i d u o u s trees such as pears, quince, cherry, apricots and evergreen citruses. Plant orange, mandarin and lemon trees in the garden and the spring air will be filled with the sweet scent of the profuse hatch of white flowers. Plant a ‘Luna’ lemon and you can achieve a similar effect e v e r y si x t o eig h t weeks of the year, but on a smaller scale. Then there are the more s pecta c u l a r m i d a n d la te spring flowering trees such as the callistemon (bottle brush tree), oleander, jacaranda, magnolia, schinus (mock pepper tree), the

LEMONS TREES: Having these in your garden fills the spring air with a sweet scent. spring flowering mimosa, p h ila d elp h u s (mo c k orange), viburnum, the miniature and full size waxy red flowered pomegranate and showy tamarisks. B elo w a n d a ro u n d the tre e s o n e c a n p la n t ea rly flowering bushes and climbing shrubs, such as camellia s , y ello w b ro o ms , low growing purple lantanas and plumbago.

These will be closely followed by bougainvilleas, solanums, wisteria, honeysuckle, hibiscus, the taller red, orange and yellow lantanas, rock roses, and of course roses if you have a suitable soil rich in humus and water retaining. Moving down to smaller plants, a dedicated bed of perennials or plants mixed in w ith s hrubs c a n give a

very colourful display. Try planting the elegant bird of paradise flower (strelitzia), echium with its impressive leaves and spires of blue or white flowers, purple, red and yellow margaritas, brilliant coloured rudbeckias and valerian with continuous pink flowerings. Traditionally spring was the time to plant geraniums already in flower, but the

need t o spr ay t hem weekl y agai nst t he dreaded geranium moth from the day you purchase them, has led many gardeners to stop buying them. Less troublesom e ar e gazani as and mesembryanthemums. In the herb garden, rosemary, thyme, sage and rue will start to flower as will

flower succulents on a rockery or in some terrace pots. © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com Facebook ‘Gardening in Spain – Handscombe’ February 2016

HOMES & GARDENS

Is it time for a spring makeover? IF we are to listen to the latest style gurus, they tell us that gold is the new black when it comes to making our homes ‘Instagram perfect’. Whether it’s to help sell the house or just for a spring makeover, apparently, this season we should ‘Go for the Gold’. Bye-bye brushed nickel and patinated bronze, glittering gold is taking centre stage. From lighting fixtures to gilded furniture, this hot hue has taken the design world by storm. Even a few small touches like swapping out kitchen cabinet hardware or working in a few gleaming accessories will give your home an on-trend update. It would seem that designers have fallen back in love with colour. But, like anything, too much of a good thing can be, well, too much. To create a pleasing palette, limit your main colours to three choices. However, to be a little different, reclaimed wood walls are hot, hot, hot! But, they can also be oh-so-cool as designer Brooke Wagner proves with a small bedroom and kitchen, where silvery grey boards installed in a timeless herringbone pattern create a dreamy backdrop. To set off the wooden walls, say it with signage! Whether it’s a faux-plaque you crafted yourself or a real deal antique, vintage-looking signs are a sure way to add a quirky bit of character to any space. Check local boot sales, estate sales and auctions for legitimate trade signs.

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18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Advertising feature

Estate agents to be fined for advertising properties without energy performance certificates THE ‘Generalitat de Catalunya’ Catalonian Government (Catalonia is located north of Valencia), through the Catalan Consumer Agency (ACC ) has officially published (on January 12, 2016) that disciplinary proceedings have started against 42 Real Estate Agencies for advertising properties without having the obligatory Energy Performance Certificates (EPC). We are waiting to receive confirmation if these fining processes are also to be extended to the property owners. The Public Department informs that inspections found these Agencies advertised properties without the obligatory Energy label, in violation of the Law and the rights of consumers. In some cases, Estate Agents have been advertising that the certificate is ‘pending,’ as a mechanism to avoid the obligation. But authorities informed that the 42 fining processes started subsequently after the agencies failed to

DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS: Have been started. demonstrate that the certificate was being processed, according to sources of the ACC. Please visit the official information at the Government website following this link: http://bit.ly/1Q94 D1m. Please be aware that ultimately the responsibility of having an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is down to the owner of the property (fines depend on the kind of infraction: marketing without an EPC, falsifying an EPC or not using a competent technician to issue the document).

So if your Estate Agent is advertising / marketing your property without an EPC (to sell or rent) please be advised they are risking themselves to be fined and also potentially risking their clients and owners to receive a fine. Also be aware you have the right to choose a technician to have your EPC done. Martinez de la Casa Architects will provide you with your property’s EPC guaranteed within a strict 48 hours deadline after their survey, and provide a prompt and trouble free service for only €121 all inclusive of IVA, official regis-

tration with the authorities and the registration tax. The same fixed price applies to any size build and is valid for 10 years. They also offer substantial discounts for Estate Agents or group visits, so please ask your Estate Agent to contact them to get the most competitive rate possible for your EPC. Only Martinez de la Casa Architects can guarantee all services within stated deadlines and fixed prices. With over 4,000 clients in south east Spain including the most reputable law firms and Estate Agents, Martinez de la Casa are considered one of the most prominent and respectable architecture practices. They also offer unbeatable discount services combining your EPC with Habitation Licences (from €118 IVA included, town hall fees not included) or Certificates of Antiquity/Retrospective Licences for pools (€190 +IVA) and extensions (€270 +IVA).

For all enquiries or to arrange an appointment please call 665 810 411 or visit www.martinezdelacasa.com to see an impressive ever-growing list with over 150 testimonials by different clients.

E W N Costa de Almería

18 - 24 February 2016

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Kyara’s new pleasures

PETS PAGE www.euroweeklynews.com

Housetraining tips for your puppies THEY need a lot of care, especially at home

HOUSETRAINING: You should supervise your puppy at all times.

SPANISH LIFE: KYARA loves the swimming pool and the beach. Having a housesitter can be a win win for pet owners and the sitters. To find a pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on +44 (0)1865521508 SINCE moving to Spain with his family, Kyara the spaniel has discovered a number of new pleasures. He loves the swimming pool, and the beach, and he really loves chasing the stray cats who have adopted their new villa and garden. But he misses the lawn from their house in Scotland. As a puppy he would nip at the grass, and then sit in the sun literally chewing the

cud. In Spain, he has a wonderful time in the family’s new garden. He loves leaping in the pool with a splash alongside the children. But he does miss the green grass from home near Aberdeen. When house-sitters are asked to care for him in Marbella when the family go back to Aberdeen for the holidays, they are warned to watch out for Kyara’s grass

nibbling habit. A little too much digging the dirt for grass can upset his tummy. The lawn where they live in Marbella is not the same as the velvety lawn in Aberdeen. The lawn is patchy and more scattered with earth and pebbles which he tends to inhale as he nibbles. The family prepare a house-sitter’s guide for the care and feeding of Kyara before the sitters take residence. They use the ‘Easy sit guide’ a template available on the HouseSitMatch site. It is where they can put all the information the sitters will need from his daily habits and eccentricities, his favourite brand of food and treats, to the vet’s telephone number and neighbours’ contact details.

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

PUPPIES are adorable with their softness, big eyes and lovable ways! For sure, everyone loves puppies but these cuddly, furry creatures require so much care, especially at home. Here is some important information on housetraining your puppy: Feeding Feed your puppy with a superior brand of dry puppy food. Do not give him table scraps and as much as possible, do not change brands. If you need to change, introduce gradually over a period of four to seven days. Do not feed him with tinned food as it loosens stools and makes housetraining more difficult. An hour after eating,

most puppies will defecate so you can control his elimination time based on your feeding schedule. Close Supervision In order to housetrain your puppy, you have to supervise him at all times especially when outside his crate or newspaper covered area. When he starts sniffing the floor, circling or running around, he is giving signs that he needs to eliminate so bring him immediately to your properly designated area. If your puppy defecates in the wrong place, stop him by saying NO in a loud and assertive tone. Apply deodoriser on places where he eliminated so he will not go there again. The potty place must be free of distractions, your pup must not consider play a part of potty. Confinement When your puppy is left alone in your home it is recommended that he be placed in a crate or confined area. Confinement is a good way to keep your puppy safe and prevent housetraining accidents. However, it should not be used as a form of punishment,

for isolating pets for a long time can be very detrimental to them. Confinement can be the source of behavioural problems like excessive barking, self-mutilation, digging and hyperactivity. Puppies also need the essentials like exercise, daily companionship and playtime. Safety zone, grey zone and danger zone In a puppy’s daily life, there is a thing called temporary ‘safety zone’. It is the time that the owner can trust the puppy to hold his urine after he has defecated or was taken for a walk. To know your puppy’s safety zone, you should first record for several days your puppy’s urinating and defecating schedules. After that, deduct 15-30 minutes from the period of minimum interval between elimination. Do not let your puppy drink a lot of water during that time to make sure the safety zone works. Grey zones and danger zones are those outside this safety zone. Also, closely supervise your puppy when he is not confined in his crate.

PETS

18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Advertising feature

The best kennels for your pets THEY will find ample stimulation, fresh air, freedom and companionship at The Five Bone Hotel THE FIVE BONE HOTEL TURRE which re-opened last October under the new (ish!) ownership of Anita and Mark, has enjoyed a phenomenally successful first four months due to overwhelming support from customers old and new. The couple attribute this to the fact that they l o v e t h e i r w o rk a n d th is s h in es through, plus their combined 41 years of professional animal care experience. Anita has been a dog groomer for 20 years and was a British trained veterinary nurse. Mark has run the kennels now for 16 years. They take their kennels very seriously and it is their vocation as well as their livelihood. The kennels are their life, and their dedication reflects this. D u e t o t h i s a n d th e time th e y s p en d there, it is unnecessary to book an appointment to view the kennels and refurbis h e d c a t t e r y. Ju s t v is it d u rin g o p en hours 9.30am – 12.30pm and 6pm – 7pm, seven days a week. Set within extensive gardens, what is on offer for your pets is a secure, super clean, individual space, where they can have thei r o wn c o m f o r ts fro m h o me . It is a

CHALLENGE: Intelligent animals.

TOP PRIORITIES: Hygiene, cleanliness and comfort are amongst them. wonderful environment where your pets will find ample stimulation, fresh air, freedom and companionship. Hygiene, cleanliness and comfort are among the top priorities at The Five Bone

H ote l Turre , w hic h e mploys a hi ghl y trained and professional staff ready to cater to all of your pet’s needs. The value of dedicated training and expertise can never be overestimated when it comes to

Looking after parrots PARROTS have s o me th in g of a troublesome reputation, with only the boldest of p et ow ne rs willing to take u p th e c ha llenge. M an y of the ir p erc e iv ed problems are, however, slightly unfair on our colourful frie n d s . For ins ta n ce , the s c re a ming of a parrot can be one of the most agonising, antagonis-

ing s ounds a round, but it’s not something they typically do in the wild. A call across the forest is usually answered and a parrot isn’t forced to sit a nd s c re a m for ha lf a n hour to get a little attention. H uma ns e s s e ntia lly teach parrots to scream and should endeavour to tutor a diffe re nt nois e that will have the same effect of attracting us. O the r is s ue s a re the care that parrots require. This is often heavily underestimated by humans, who then shift the blame

over to parrots unjustly. Of course they are messy c re a ture s , the y ha ve beaks and claws to find food and like to use them. If you want them to beha ve the ms e lve s the n you’d do w e ll to a llow the m s ome of the fre e doms of the wild. Provide a va s t va rie ty of w ood and toys to play with. Parrots are highly intelligent animals with a wild history stretching back millions of years. If you’re going to have one , the n ma ke s ure you’re up to the c ha llenge.

the health and happiness of your pets. For dogs, there is a huge paddock for running free, set apart from the kennels, and for the cats there is a completely wired-in garden for individual exploration under supervision. As The Five Bone Hotel is one of the few government registered and licensed animal boarding establishments in Almeria, the facilities meet and exceed all legal requirements. There are complaints books available (never been used!) and it is subject to inspections (never failed!). Go and see for yourself! One would expect so much dedication and experience to be expensive. However, in order to regain the top spot on the best pet hotel list, The Five Bone Hotel has kept its prices the same as in 2010! So, for the best professional care for your pets at the best prices available, call Mark or Anita today on 630 234 556 to book your pet’s holiday.

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

It’s the parents, not the children! Mike Senker

In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man BEFORE I start this, I have to say that I like children. Well, let me qualify this, I like wellbehaved children. The ones I’m not too fond of are the ones that are allowed to do what they like, when they like, where they like, with parents that do not give a monkeys what inconvenience it causes others. Come to think of it it’s not the children that tick me off; it’s the parents that let two-plusyear-olds run round a restaurant screaming at each other. The parents sit there totally oblivious of the noise. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t be having fun. They should be, but not at the expense of the other punters. Then all of a sudden, they decide they have had enough and start yelling at the child which then starts the poor little so and so crying and screaming and then mum or dad start shouting even more. Then the idle threats start. “If you don’t stop I’m sending you on the next plane back to England!” You can almost see the child

thinking “No you aren’t! I’m five... you have to come up with something more believable than that... but in meantime I’ll just carry on screaming.” I was in a supermarket recently and there was a woman with a five or six-year-old child and he was kicking off like a thing possessed and she was totally ignoring him. Obviously she had read somewhere that this is the correct way to deal with this situation, but I have to tell you, even though I’m no expert it’s not! At that point a woman walked up to her and said, “Excuse me, can you control your child or at least stop and ask him what’s wrong.” Well, all of a sudden it became quite apparent where this small person developed his temper because his mum went berserk at this woman telling her, in no uncertain terms, to mind her own business. But what did happen was the child, all of a sudden, stopped screaming to watch his mum take over the tantrum. I walked off and left them all but having a full blown punch up. My last plea is to the passengers on aircraft. It is not acceptable to let your little precious constantly kick the back of my seat and yes I will turn round and I will ask you to get them to stop and no it’s not their fault or mine it’s YOURS!

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OPINION & COMMENT

LEGALLY SPEAKING

More safety rules BELOW are some other common traffic offences 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.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY: Pedestrians are vulnerable and need protection. ALL traffic rules and laws are aimed at one thing; to make the roads a safer place. The penalties associated with infractions are mostly intended to be a deterrent, which is why repeat offenders in some cases face harsher penalties. Following on from our article last week, here are some more of the most common traffic offences, and the fines and sanctions for committing them: Offence: Failing to respect the priority of pedestrians Pedestrians are the most vulnerable of all road users and so need the most protection. Failing to respect the priority of pedestrians and the fact they take precedence will result in a fine and, depending on the potential risk to those pedestrians, the loss of four points. Fine: €200 Offence: Failing to give way. Junctions are dangerous places. Vehicles

which have priority and are already moving mix with other vehicles which try to join the flow but at generally lower speeds. Forcing any vehicle to deviate from its course, speed or direction creates a hazard which is dangerous. Failing to give way to another vehicle when that vehicle has priority and forcing them to brake or manoeuvre sharply will result in a fine and the loss of points. Fine: €200 and the loss of four points Offence: Driving on a motorway in a prohibited vehicle. Vehicles which are unable to reach a minimum threshold of speed are banned because if a slower vehicle is in the path of one moving at high speed there is less time to deal with that hazard. Driving on a motorway in a prohibited vehicle, such as a horse or hand drawn vehicle, a cycle or moped for example, will result in a fine. Fine: €200

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

What exactly is ‘plus valia’ tax? I read your article in a recent edition of the Euro Weekly regarding Spanish Capital Gains Tax, with your explanation for exemption for the over 65s who sell their principal residence. Surely the ‘Plus Valia’ Tax is Your logic is impeccable. The ‘plus valia’ tax is indeed very similar to the capital gains tax. We must dig a little deeper however. The national capital gains tax is charged on the profit made when a person sells an asset. If there is no

also a Capital Gains Tax, but this tax is taken by town halls even when a property seller over 65 qualifies for Capital Gains exemption. Can you explain this? P R (Costa del Sol)

David Searl You and the Law in Spain

profit there is no tax. The ‘plus valia’ is a municipal tax which is charged every time a property changes hands. It is based on the

length of time which has passed between the exchanges, not on any profit. It is even charged on an inheritance. This tax is usually low, but if a property has been held by the same owner for many years, it can be substantial.

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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AIR CONDITIONING

Costa de Almería

18 - 24 February 2016

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WE BUY, Sell, Store, Remove all types of Mobile Homes. We pay CASH and cover all of Spain. More details call Suzi Caley 616 250 727 / 951 063 059 or email suzicaley@gmail .com (237117)

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THE FIVE BONE HOTEL, TURRE. Still at 2010 prices! Cats 5€, Big dogs 7.25€, med dogs 6.50€, little dogs 5.75€, per day. 630 234 556 / the5bonehotelturre@gmail.co m (237845)

INTERNET DRAINAGE GET YOUR business noticed online! Make sure that expats in Spain can find your product, service, restaurant, bar or shop. Contact Spain’s newest and brightest online directory TODAY. Call 952 561 245 or email mark.w@euroweek lynews.com for more details.

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THE FIVE BONE HOTEL, Special Offer - bookings made between Jan 7th - Mar 31st, dogs over a 7 night stay get a complimentary wash, Cats over 7 nights stay get free pen upgrade (if available). 630 234 556 or the5bonehotelturre@gmail .com (237845)

E W N 18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

PLUMBING SERVICES

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KNOWLES PLUMBING. No 1 for plumbing! Central heating, solar hot water and water deposits. Tel: 950 137 197 or 606 807 797 (234826)

PROPERTY FOR SALE FOR SALE. Farmhouse apartment with 900m2 garden, 4 beds, 2 kitchens, 2 bathrooms and 4 lounges. 50 Km Airport, beaches. 98,000€. 678 527 602 (244636)

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2ND HAND FURNITURE

ARE you self motivated and hard working? We are looking for administration/telesales candidates. Experience not essential as full training is given. Applications by email with full CV should be sent to recruitment@euroweek lynews.com WRITER required for Almeria region. Applications by email with full CV should be sent to recruit ment@euroweeklynews. com

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

Staying strong THE Renault-Nissan Alliance sold 8,528,887 vehicles in 2015, up almost 1 per cent from the previous year, thanks to record sales in the United States, China and Europe. Combined sales for the world’s fourth largest car group, which includes Renault Group, Nissan Motor Co Ltd and Russia’s AVTOVAZ, held steady from the calendar year 2014, despite sharp declines in the overall Russian and Brazilian markets.

Clarkson Quote of theWeek

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You don’t get paint on a TVR, it’s woad. And instead of being made from steel or aluminium, it’s wattle and daub. It’s an Iron Age fort with a Bronze Age engine. It’s Boudica, only with less femininity and more rage in its heart. Some might say...

Porsche on a roll at Le Mans

TWO 919 Hybrids will carry the starting numbers one and two AFTER the successful 2015 season when it took overall victory in Le Mans and won the constructors’ and drivers’ World Championship titles, Porsche finds itself in the role of the title defenders in 2016. Accordingly, the two Porsche 919 Hybrids with

around 900 hp will carry the starting numbers one and two. This was confirmed at last week’s press conference in Paris by the Le Mans organisers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Team Principal Andreas Seidl said: “Competing with the starting numbers one and two is an honour and a challenge at the same time. “We expect even stronger competition in 2016, but still want to be able to fight for race victories and try to

defend our titles.” However, for Porsche’s third season since their return to the prestigious top category of Le Mans prototypes, the cutting-edge 919 Hybrids will be running with the same basic chassis structure and powertrain concept.

TOP CATEGORY: The cutting-edge Porsche 919 Hybrid.

MOTORING

18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almeria E W N

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RE-PLATE MATE Don’t take a chance! Don’t break the law! Take the hassle out of re-registering your vehicle onto Spanish plates We endeavour to better any genuine quotation 490 Euro + Road Tax + CO2 emission tax if applicable

NEW: BMW M2 Coupe.

The new BMW M2 Coupe THE new BMW M2 Coupe sets the benchmark in the segment of rich boy racers compact high-performance sports cars when it comes to driving dynamics and performance, and now you can make it look like it as well. Its extrovert design further underscores the car’s highly dynamic character and outstanding suitability for the race track. From March 2016, the dynamic qualities and the visual appearance of the BMW M2 Coupe can be further enhanced with the newly presented range of

BMW M Performance Parts. They comprise components derived from motor racing for the areas of aerodynamics, engine, cockpit and suspension which not only look great, they do the job too. The very extensive range of aerodynamic components made of carbon fibre will include front and side sill attachments, rear diffuser and mirror caps that are perfectly harmonised in their aerodynamic effect, and beef up the ‘mean look’ of the compact high-performance sports car.

Alan 662 249 159 www.replatematecostablanca.com

SPORT

18 - 24 February 2016 / Costa de Almería

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St Valentine’s Day massacres in Rome and at Villa Park! WINS for England, Wales and France Tony Matthews International Sports A former player and now the world’s most prolific author of football books with almost 150 published since 1975, Tony is also the sports correspondent for Spectrum Radio and lives on La Pilica in the Sierra Cabrera Mountains overlooking Turre. Costa de Almeria

FOOTBALL • In the Premiership last Sunday, Liverpool inflicted upon ‘hopeless’ and seemingly doomed Aston Villa their heaviest home defeat for 81 years with a 6-0 victory… Arsenal scored very late to beat leaders Leicester City 2-1 as did secondplaced Tottenham Hotspur who beat fading Manchester City by the same score at The Etihad Stadium. • Twenty-four hours earlier, improving Chelsea whacked dismal Newcastle United 5-1… Sunderland stunned Manchester United 2-1… WBA won 1-0 at Goodison Park despite having only 25 per cent of the play while EverRUGBY: England crushed Italy 40-9 in Rome.

ton had 34 attempts at goal… then Stoke City (3-1 at AFC Bournemouth), Southampton (1-0 at struggling Swansea) and Watford (2-1 at Crystal Palace) also won on the road and resilient West Ham United earned a 2-2 draw at Norwich. • Hull City won 2-0 at Blackburn to go top of the Championship ahead of Middlesbrough … Nigel Clough’s Burton Albion and Northampton Town lead Leagues 1 and 2… Celtic head the SPL… and CF Barcelona, with a new club record of 30 matches unbeaten now secured, remain in pole position in La Liga after hammering Celta Vigo 61. Real Madrid, 4-1 winners over Athletic Bilbao, stand second. • On Tuesday, the first leg of the Champions League last 16 encounter between Chelsea and Paris St Germain took place in France; last night AS Roma met Real Madrid in the same compettion. • This evening,

it’s Augsburg v Liverpool, Fiorentina v Spurs, Midtyjlland v Manchester United and holders Sevilla v Molde in the first legs of the round of 32 in the long-running Europa League. • There are eight 5th round FA Cup-ties coming up: Arsenal v Hull City, AFC Bournemouth v Everton, Reading v WBA and Watford v Leeds United on Saturday; Blackburn Rovers v West Ham, Chelsea v Manchester City and Spurs v Crystal Palace on Sunday, followed by the minnows of Shrewsbury Town against Manchester United on Monday. • Also this weekend, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, out-of-sorts Derby County and Middlesbrough will be chasing vital ‘promotion’ points in the Championship; Southend United v Burton and Walsall v Wigan Athletic are the two big games in FL1, while in FL2 it’s Crawley Town v Plymouth Argyle and leaders Northampton Town v Wycombe Wanderers. • Former England international Adam Johnson has been sacked by Sunderland after pleading guilty to

LIVERPOOL: Had a 6-0 victory over Aston Villa. grooming and sexual activity with a child. • And for those interested, on Saturday, Newcastle United play Swedish side Lillestroem in a friendly at the La Manga golf complex (free admission). RUGBY UNION • The three latest Six Nations matches saw England crush Italy 40-9 in Rome, Wales beat Scotland 27-23 in Cardiff (their ninth win in a row over the Scots) and France stun reigning champions Ireland 10-9 in a ‘bruising battle’ in Paris. • It’s still Saracens, Exeter Chiefs and Leicester Tigers 1-2-3 in the Aviva Championship and Ulster, Connacht and Leinster likewise in the pro-12 League. RUGBY LEAGUE • Hull FC ran in seven tries as they won 38 points to 10 at Catalan Dragons to shoot to the top of the Super League, ahead of Wigan Warriors.

CRICKET • England won the first two ODIs in South Africa but then lost the next three and with it the five-match series by 3-2. Despite excellent centuries by Joe Root and Alex Hales in matches four and five, skipper Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Jason Roy and Moeen Ali all failed as England simply did not register enough runs in those

final two fixtures. There are two T20 matches still remaining. CYCLING • The ‘Manx Machine’ from the Isle of Man, Mark Cavendish, won the first ‘big’ race of the year, The Tour of Qatar , and said afterwards: “I’m back on track and ready to collect more medals. Bring on Rio!”

DID YOU KNOW? The oldest footballer to ever appear in a League game is Salvador Reyes who played for Mexican club Chivas against Pumas in 2008, aged 71. And Leicester City’s boss Claudio Ranieri has been in football for 28 years and has managed eight top-line clubs but has never won a League title yet!

E W N Costa de Almería

18 - 24 February 2016

EX-REAL Betis star Trifon Ivanov, who won 77 caps for Bulgaria, has died, aged 50.

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Preview of the 2016 F1 Season by Tony Matthews THE 2016 Formula One season will be the 67th in the history of the FIA World Championship. Teams and drivers are scheduled to take part in 21 Grand Prix races, making for the longest season in the sport’s history. The first race will take place in Australia on March 20 and the last, some eight months and virtually 250 days later, in Abu Dhabi on November 27. There will be 22 cars starting on the grid in 2016 following the addition of the Haas F1 Team, and the calendar has also been expanded with the return of the German Grand Prix and the revival of the European Grand Prix in Azerbaijan. Lewis Hamilton will start the season as the defending Drivers’ Champion for the second year running, after clinching his third World title at the 2015 USA Grand Prix. And his team, Mercedes, will once again start the season as the defending Constructors’ Champion, having secured its second title in Russia last year. Well before the first race gets underway in Australia, all participating cars will have completed their respective launches, which began at the start of this month with Renault RS16 in Paris. In fact, Ferrari chose to launch online, followed a week or so later by McLaren MP4-31, also online, and thereafter by Red Bull RB12, Haas, Manor, Williams FW38 and Sauber C35 all in Barcelona. Pre-season testing has already taken place at the Paul Ricard wet-weather running track, while there will be similar tests carried out in Barcelona in late February and early March.

This is the full 2016 F1 calendar, and all races will be covered live on Sky Sports: *20 March: Melbourne, Australia * 3 April: Bahrain, Bahrain *17 April: Shanghai, China *1 May: Sochi, Russia *15 May: Barcelona, Spain * 29 May: Monte Carlo, Monaco * 12 June: Montreal, Canada * 19 June: Baku, Azerbaijan * 3 July: Spielberg, Austria * 10 July: Silverstone, UK * 24 July: Budapest, Hungary * 31 July: Hockenheim, Germany * 28 August: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium * 4 September: Monza, Italy * 18 September: Circuit Park, Singapore * 2 October: Sepang, Malaysia * 9 October: Suzuka, Japan * 23 October: Austin, USA * 30 October: Mexico City, Mexico * 13 November: Sao Paolo, Brazil * 27 November: Abu Dhabi, UAE NB: The start time of the Baku Grand Prix in June will be scheduled to avoid conflict with the conclusion of the Le Mans 24-hour race, while the start of the GP in Texas in October is subject to agreement with the promoter and the ASN.

Driver line-ups: MERCEDES: Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg Engine: Mercedes FERRARI: Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen Engine: Ferrari WILLIAMS: Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa Development driver: Lance Stroll Engine: Mercedes RED BULL: Daniel Ricciardo and Daniil Kvyat Reserve driver: Pierre Gasly Engine: TAG Heuer-branded Renault FORCE INDIA: Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez Development drivers: Alfonso Celis and Nikita Mazepin Engine: Mercedes RENAULT: Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen Reserve driver: Esteban Ocon Development driver: Carmen Jorda Engine: Renault TORO ROSO: Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Engine: Ferrari (2015 version) SAUBER: Felipe Nasr and Marcus Ericsson Reserve driver: Stoffel Vandoorne Engine: Ferrari MANOR: To be confirmed Engine: Mercedes HAAS: Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez Engine: Ferrari Major ins and outs regarding drivers: IN: Renault - Magnussen; Force India - Alfonso Celis OUT: Renault - Pastor Maldonado; Williams - Susie Wolff (test driver); McLaren - Kevin Magnussen.