Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 10 - 16 March 2016 Issue 1601 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

ISSUE NO. 1601

10 - 16 March 2016

AXARQUÍA - COSTA TROPICAL YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

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Ask, and answers shall be given

CITIZENS discuss Touristic Rentals Decree in Velez-Malaga

Hotel project

By Sam Croft Mayors, tourism councillors, private landlords, and real estate proprietors were just some of those in attendance at a meeting that took place in Velez-Malaga on March 7, where attendees were given a much-needed chance to get into the nitty gritty of the recently announced Touristic Rentals Decree. The meeting played out in the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol Axarquia, and was the second instalment offered in the Province of Malaga by the Junta de Andalucia regional government. Landlords were able to use the opportunity to assuage any doubts that may have accumulated since the new decree was approved on February 2. Hot topics included the application to legalise residences and the consequences of not having registered dwellings. Many answers were given to the queries raised, with representatives from the Commonwealth making it abundantly clear that the new law will only affect residential dwellings which are rented out habitually and intended solely for tourism purposes.

Residents urged to renew registration NERJA Town Hall’s Foreign Resident’s Department has urgently asked all residents to renew their padron registration before the end of March in an attempt to avoid census cuts which could mean fewer funds. See page 2

€50 million investment expected SALOBREÑA may, after a 2-year wait, become the tourism centre of the Axarquia-Costa Tropical as a major hotel development project has been relaunched. See page 4

Thing of the past Water problems could be coming to an end RESIDENTS of Nerja urbanisations could see an end to exhorbitant water bills and problems with the supply as

Rentals which are let out to the same person for periods of more than two months are exempt from the new decree as these are already governed by the Law of Urban Rentals. The new decree aims to crack down on landlords who are renting out their residences for short periods of time. Anyone engaging in this practice who has not registered their residence by May 11 could be subject to hefty fines of up to €150,000. However, President of the Commonwealth of Municipalities Gregorio Campos was em-

phatic in his declaration that the decree has also been designed to provide protection to both proprietors and renters, and that the new rules and conditions will guarantee a higher degree of quality control. Campos has stated that the

new measures “are fundamental because they are going to allow for an organised record of residences that are rented out for touristic uses, a method that is becoming more and more widespread among travellers, especially on online platforms.”

the council has agreed to try and help resolve their situation. See page 8

Break in Investigations into town hall burglary POLICE are investigating after a break-in was reported at Nerja Town Hall. Thieves are believed to have climbed in

through a window and stolen official documents and other items. See page 10

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LOCAL NEWS

Baby feeding room requested CIUDADANOS members in Rincon de la Victoria have petitioned for there to be a baby feeding room in the town hall. The room would theoretically

be used by workers of the town hall, breastfeeding mothers, or fathers looking after their babies whilst having to wait for various appointments.

More offices needed PSOE party has presented a motion in order to create more customer service offices for the foreign residents of Malaga Province. These spaces, expected to be set by Malaga Provincial Council in collaboration with the towns of the province, aim to inform and answer the enquiries of foreign residents and visitors to the area.

No quick sand for Axarquia beaches THE Los Rubios Beaches in Torre de Benagalbon and La Cala del Moral will not be receiving more sand until after Easter. Winter storms,

particularly the one in November, hit the beach hard, causing a huge loss of sand that even left sewage pipes exposed.

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NEWS

Planet is paramount in Torre del Mar SHOW features a variety of attention-grabbing panels which are bilingual By Sam Croft A NEW exhibition in Torre del Mar is aiming to get people thinking about what the planet means to them. The environmental association Protecma has unveiled the EcoScientia Planet exhibition, which is currently taking place in the Azucarera Museum. Through eight didactic spaces covering a surface of more than 1,300 square metres visitors will be educated and encouraged to think critically about such pressing environmental topics as renewable energy, global warming, endangered animals, noise pollution and microecology. The show features a variety of attention-grabbing panels, which are bilingual and have been designed so that children can understand

MICROECOLOGY: EcoScientia Planet exhibition is currently taking place. them as easily as adults. There will also be photographs displayed from the fi-

nalists of the first edition of the Ecology and Environmental Photography Contest organised

by Protecma for this exhibition. The show is open from 9am to 3pm daily until April 30.

NEWS

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Featured News 3

Finance 19 - 26

Stocks 20

Leapy Lee 27

Daily TV 28

Letters 32

Health & Beauty 33

Legally Speaking 34

Time Out 36 - 37

Our View 38

Colin Bird 38

Social Scene 39

Property 40

Homes & Gardens 41

Pets 42

Services 44

Classifieds 45

Motoring 47

Sport 48

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Salobreña to get a boost with huge hotel investment DEVELOPMENT is expected to provide a boost to the economy By Sam Croft AFTER a 20-year wait, Salobreña will be launching the biggest hotel investment in the history of the Costa Tropical: a project that comes with a price tag of more than €50 million. For many years, council members have attempted to draw up plans for the proposed project, but until now they were unable to bring them to fruition. The development is expected to provide a huge boost to the economy of Salobreña and the surrounding areas, and will additionally create various employment opportunities because of the manpower that will be needed to execute the project. More than 200,000 square metres have been set aside between Salobreña’s El Peñon (the Rock) and the La Guardia Beach for the construction, which will include two huge resorts. As a part of the project, it is anticipated that some sections of the beach will be drastically remodelled, although the hotels themselves will be built 100 metres away

flickr by Jaime Perez

EL PEÑON: Construction area has been set aside close to the Rock. from the water in order to respect coastal regulations and the environment. Although the exact duration of the construction will depend on a variety of fac-

tors, it is hoped that within the next three years the hotels will be up and running, and that Salobreña will be a new reference point in the world of Spanish tourism.

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Couple devastated as house is demolished BUILT in 2002 without local planning permission By Sam Croft THE Nerja Council has demolish e d t h e h o u se o f a young couple which was apparently built without a licence on a green area near the town. The h o u se wa s b u i l t in 2002 without local planning permission and the present owner, I v a n C e n t u r i o n , a 26-year-old man from Nerja, lives in the house with his pa r t n e r a n d h i s o n e year-old daughter.

He expressed his indignatio n a n d s aid h e f e lt like a scapegoat when there are hundreds of houses in the same situation in Nerja an d th o u s a n d s mo re in the same situation in Andalucia. Centurion claimed that he has tried everything, to no avail, and that the town hall indicated there was nothing th a t c o u ld b e d o n e a n d it was just bad luck. However, the owner wondered why similar actions

have not been taken against the many other homeowners w ho a re in s imila r s itua tions, both in Axarquia and throughout A nda luc ia in general. The hous e w a s built by Ivan’s father, Miguel, who expressed his bitterness over the situation. “First we paid the urban fees, then later a fine to the town council and another to the c ourt, a nd a fte r tha t right up to the demolition costs,” he said.

An underwater museum THE Nerja Council is studying the possibility of creating an underwater museum, not unlike the Atlantic Museum of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, which was inaugurated a little more than a month ago. The museum could be another important

attraction for the town, and at the same time could help with the preservation of the maritime ecosystem. Council members recently met with members of the Nerja Diving Centre in order to discuss the viability of the project.

EWN

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New language centre for La Herradura LA HERRADURA’S Las Gaviotas primary school is to become one of 10 new public bilingual education centres for the 2016-2017 school year. The Andalucian multilingual programme has reached its 10th anniversary having created 119 public centres in Granada Province offering foreign languages including French, German or English. Many of the centres previous-

ly offered a second language programme before converting to the multi-lingual learning systems. The bilingual programmes will begin at the 10 new centres with the start of the 20162017 academic year and will form part of the Andalucian multilingual plan’s aim to achieve more than 1,500 bilingual centres before the end of the current legislation.

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Street work gears up for San Jose ANNUAL celebrations coincide with start of Easter By Sam Croft LA HERRADURA is ready to launch its annual celebrations in honour of the town’s patron saint, San Jose. This year the day (March 19) happens to coincide with the beginning of Easter. From March 17 to 20 the town will offer up a wide and varied

programme of activities and events for all ages, including a huge fair that will feature rides, foods, and different stands. La Herradura civil servants have recently been carrying out improvement work and signposting on the town’s streets, both in anticipation of the fair and to improve the flow of traffic in general.

Local boy is picked YOUNG football cadet Jorge Carrion Hernandez from La Herradura, an active member of the Atarfe Industrial team this season, has been called up by the Granada football selection to take part in the 31st Cadet and Juvenile Championships of Andalucia, held in Chiclana, Jerez and San Fernando in Cadiz Province. The footballer generally plays central defence, is just 15 years old, 1.9 metres tall, weighs 80 kilos and has become a very important part of the Granada team.

LA HERRADURA: Improvement works are being carried out.

NEWS

Traffic fine stats are inaccurate AFTER a national newspaper proclaimed that more than €1 million in traffic fines were collected in Almuñecar in 2015, the local Traffic councillor Juan Jose Ruiz Roja has published a report that outlines the amount of money collected from traffic fines in the area. The councillor has claimed that the news report, published by the ABC newspaper and subsequently by other media, was inaccurate, as the information collected within it corresponded to data taken from the budgets of local entities collected by the Treasury Ministry. Among these figures was a tax collection of around €1,100,000, or around €40.16 per inhabitant. The report submitted by Ruiz makes it clear that the actual amount collected was more than €300,000, which is considerably less than the numbers indicated in the newspaper.

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NEWS

Fighting teenage addictions A MEETING to get the ball rolling on an addiction prevention scheme for teenagers was held in Torrox last week. The meeting, presided over by local mayor Oscar Medina and attended by Social Services councillor Sandra Extremera and

representatives from provincial social services departments, education centres, health centres, charities, security forces and alcohol vendors, served to discuss the current situation with regards to consumption of d rin k , toba c c o a nd c a nna bis a mongs t

teenagers and alert of the need to act. The prevention plan will be running in local municipalities with less than 20,000 inhabitants. A study carried out by the provincial addictions centre in collaboration with the

University of Malaga’s Medicine Faculty found that 40.6 per cent of first and second year students at secondary schools had tried alcohol, and 35.7 per cent of those who had tried it admitted they had got drunk at least once.

Water problems could be nearly over RESIDENTS have been receiving exorbitant bills By Jill Pickering NERJA urbanisation residents who have for years been putting up with problems regarding their water supply may soon see their situation improve. The more than 2,000 residents of the oldest urbanisations in Nerja, including

Punta Lara, Tropicana or Casablanca have for more than two years been receiving exorbitant bills of up to €900, due to a deteriorated supply network having constant leaks which residents have been expected to cover. This could all change over the next few months as the Water Councillor, Jose Maria Rivas, has attended a meeting with home owners and residents from Punta Lara urbanisation to try and find solutions to their problems. Residents presented various complaints on the water supply, including the fact that there are frequent breakdowns and leaks, and the councillor expressed his in-

WATER SUPPLY: Could change over next few months. tention to work with Aguas de Narixa SA water compa-

ny to “avoid the leaks costing the residents money.”

Funding of projects ELEVEN social associations in the east of Axarquia met on March 4 in an official act of distributing subsidies of more than €40,000 on behalf of la Obra Social de la Caixa, together with presenting their projects to receive financial help. Funding of these projects to take into account include office furniture, counsellors, assisting with transport, a CT scanner or home intervention programmes among others. Velez-Malaga Town Hall has received a grant of €10,000 from la Obra Social de la Caixa to set up a multi sensory disorder hall in the Centro de Atencion Infantil Temprana.

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Windows to watch THE eighth Easter Window Dressing Competition in VelezMalaga will see some 30 establishments participating, making this edition even more successful than the ones in previous years. The event will be Easter-themed. Judges from the town council, the Brotherhood of las Angustias and the Business Owners Association of Velez-Malaga (Asociacion de Empresarios de Velez-Malaga – ACEV) will visit each display. A winner will be decided on March 18, and the displays will be on view until April 3.

Man charged for making false emergency calls A VELEZ-MALAGA resident is in hot water after he made various calls to Emergency Services 112 to report false traffic accidents. The middle-aged man called to report a traffic accident in the area of Riogordo. Emergency Services immediately initiated emergency protocol by alerting the Local Police, but upon investigation the officers eventually realised it was a joke as the in-

dividual had called various times and had reported the accident had taken place in a different location each time. The next day, the Local Police of Riogordo and Guardia Civil Officers from Colmenar began to conduct further inquiries, and by using the recordings from the phone calls they were able to locate the man, who they have subsequently handed over to the legal authorities.

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Beach clean up just in time for Easter in Rincon de la Victoria TASKS have included the clearing up of rubbish and weeds By Jill Pickering THE Rincon de la Victoria Council has been working around the clock to reverse damage to the area’s beaches in an effort to have them cleaned up in time for Easter. Three observation towers have been repaired, and another has been replaced. Additionally, four showers have been changed and relocated and four more have been repaired because of sand obstruction. Meanwhile, many palm trees have been tidied up and drain covers have been installed to prevent blockages. Also, concrete breakwater blocks have been relocated after being pushed away by the sea. Other tasks have included the repainting of pergolas, the unblocking of drains and the clearing up of rubbish

BEACH DAMAGE: Council has been working around the clock. and weeds in the area. The reparation work and touch-ups were a long time

coming. Significant chunks of the coastal area of Rincon de la Victoria were badly

damaged by harsh storms that hit the area in November of last year.

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THE Spanish Association of Tropical Fruit Producers, based in Velez-Malaga, has indicated they are closing the avocado harvest with a loss of at least 30,000 tonnes. President of the Association, Jose Linares, stated: “Europe demands 350,000 a year. It’s a disaster.” Trops, the Velez-Malaga based company which is the main European supplier of avocados and mangoes, blames much of the damage on drought. There are no promises from the government to resolve the water shortage immediately but on March 29, for the first time, there will be a technical meeting, where more than 500 people are expected to attend in the Casa de la Cultura in Almuñecar. Four technical experts from Trops are currently in Colombia, learning where the principal competitors are heading.

Nerja town hall is burgled and documents stolen GUARDIA CIVIL are investigating the incident By Sam Croft AN unusual crime took place in Nerja in the early hours of March 4, as an unknown perpetrator or perpetrators broke into the town hall and reportedly stole documents, records, and computers. The person or people gained access through the rear window of the building, where the Foreigners Department is located. They then exited via the front door. At the time of going to print, the Guardia Civil were still fingerprinting, conducting interviews, and investigating the incident, but for the time being no arrests have been made.

TOWN HALL: Documents and computers were stolen.

NEWS

Wine and goat cheese market for Velez LOVERS of cheese and wine will have the perfect option available on Sunday March 13, when Velez-Malaga hosts the 5th Axarquia Wine and Goat Cheese Market. The event will take place on the Paseo de Larios in Torre del Mar from 11am to 6.30pm. Thirty-four vendors

will exhibit their cheese and wine, all of which are made in Axarquia and surrounding areas. In addition to wine and cheese, stalls will offer up various other products, like honey, traditional cakes, raisins, garlic dried cod and craft beer from Axarquia.

Basketball for beginners level FROM March 4 to March 6 the 11th FYM italcementi Basketball Tournament took place in Rincon de la Victoria. The tournament is one of the most important competitions at national level for beginners. Sixteen teams participated with a pool of young players from Gran Canaria to Murcia. About 250 youngsters took part, as did more than 100 referees and other officials, as 48 matches were played over the three day period. Photo credit: wikipedia commons

Drought is blamed

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Photo credit: shutterstock by VLADJ55

CONNECTING TRAM: Ran between Velez-Malaga and Torre del Mar.

Ciudadanos on a mission to resurrect local tram CIUDADANOS Representatives have stated that their party will do everything possible to bring back the tram connecting VelezMalaga with Torre del Mar. Velez Mayor Antonio Moreno (PSOE) recently met with Ciudadanos representatives to discuss the issue.

A few months ago, a board was established to discuss the possibility of bringing back the tram, which originally operated from 2006-2012. Recent reports have indicated that many feel that bringing back the tram is a solid option that would be a huge benefit for many of the residents of Velez.

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NEWS

Centre offers patients second chance GRADUATION ceremony held for four recovering drug addicts who have been treated at private addiction centre By Jill Pickering FOUR recovering drug addicts recently participated in a ‘graduation’ ceremony after having spent several months inside a private addiction

treatment centre in Moclinejo. In six years, around 500 people have passed through the doors of the Monte Alminara Treatment Centre to combat their addictions to different substances, including alcohol, cocaine and

marihuana. The centre has also just opened up a specific unit for addiction to new technologies, and is known as a pioneer in the region for offering bilingual attention to foreign patients. During the graduation ceremony last week, one

of the ex-patients, a 36-year-old man named Ivan, talked about his experiences battling drugs. He said: “you think you are in control, you are not hooked, but in reality drugs take you away from everything and wipe you out completely.”

Velez-Malaga streets turned into gigantic pages of book VELEZ-MALAGA was converted into a city-book last Friday (March 4) and home to the commemoration of the fourth century of the death of Miguel de Cervantes, whereby some of the streets were transformed into gigantic pages in which quotes were written taken from the book ‘El Quijote,’ where the town was mentioned. The event was perceived as a public performance and the starting point began at the Casa Cervantes, where according to tradition the author stayed to recover outstanding taxes on behalf of Felipe II.

MIGUEL DE CERVANTES: Stayed in Velez-Malaga.

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NEWS

By Clemente Ferrer HIS name is Luke Culhane, he is an Irishman who at only 13-years-old has created, produced and edited an excellent campaign, where he is also leading actor. The video, which is two and a half minutes long, tells the story of a child, and a tough fight against their harassers through social networks. With the hashtag ‘#CreateNoHate’ Culhane wanted to transform his bad experience into helping other children who are in the same situation. With a clean photograph, a clear message and a clear look, this child does an excellent anti-bullying advertising campaign.

Thus, every insult he received on his mobile or computer becomes a hit, a cut or a scar. Shocking images based on a true story that serves as an example of strength and how social networks can be transformed from a destructive weapon to a platform of great persuasive power. Cyberbullying is the use of electronic information and digital media such as e-mails, social networks, blogs, text messages, mobile phones and defamatory websites to harass a person by personal attacks. The famous actor Tom Cruise is more susceptible than others, since he had a difficult childhood. He went to 15 different schools as his family home changed many

times. Throughout his school years he was beaten and teased by his peers for his dyslexia. In his recent remarks to the magazine Parade he says he suffered harassment from his schoolmates. In recent years we have witnessed a remarkable increase in cases of bullying in schools and out of them among increasingly younger children. This is a social problem of the first order we must tackle through education and social awareness. Although these situations are increasingly being denounced, there are still many who for fear of worse consequences silently endure a constant and permanent humiliation.

Photo credit: flickr by niittymaa

Boy creates and stars in a video against bullying ALCOHOLIC DRINKS: Encouraging pubs and restaurants to be aware.

New ‘be responsible’ programme for businesses in Velez ESTABLISHMENTS can share free training By Sam Croft VELEZ-MALAGA has launched a new programme aimed at pubs, discotheques and restaurants that sell alcoholic drinks, in which awareness and prevention of alcohol abuse is encouraged. Social Services Councillor Zoila Martin and programme coordinator Africa Bermudez highlighted the need to make social establishments conscious of the risks associated with the abuse of alcohol. Establishments can share free training with their staff to help convert their premises into safe, healthy and relaxing places. Martin indicated that “all those who comply with this requirement will obtain an ac-

credited distinction by participating in this programme, which supposedly will add value to the service they offer their customers.” Letters about the programme will be sent out to various establishments, including the Hospitality School, ‘Castillo del Marques’ located at Valle-Niza, to inform future professionals in this sector. Africa Bermudez added that “this course will show personnel of these establishments how to prevent customers from driving a car when drunk and possibly avoid accidents or conflicts that might arise when people are under the influence of alcohol.” Those looking for more information about the programme can contact the Community Social Services Centre, on 663 999 965.

Rincon gets a good pruning MORE than 20 districts in Rincon de la Victoria have undergone a major effort in the last few months to tidy up the green areas in the town and get them back into good condition by pruning trees, cutting grass and cleaning gardens. The work has been carried out by workers of the public company EMVIRIA after constant demand from neighbours, especially in urbanisations and internal streets, some of which were completely overgrown and neglected. The town hall recognised that these areas had been untouched for four years and there was a lot of work to be done.

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Dancing with the wolves

EWN

Alaska Tundra Wolf.

LEARN all about the fascinating details of their universe, similar to ours

LOBO PARK: Guided tours are available. Spain. You can see videos and read all about them on the Euro Weekly News website. Perhaps the best detail about the Lobo Park, however, is the honest welcoming attitude which you’ll find there. Prices are incredibly reasonable for what is on offer, while the staff care intensely

Lights, camera, action Rincon THE First Noctiluca Short Film Competition is hoping to convert Rincon de la Victoria into a film set. One of the requirements of the new contest, now taking place in Rincon, is that participants must use streets and unique places from the town in the filming of their short productions. They will then have the opportunity to present their work to a judging committee. From March 7 to 11 a series of workshops and conferences are being carried out at local secondary schools of

the town with the aim of encouraging Rincon youths to get involved. These chats will be headed by notable figures from the world of film. The mayor of Rincon de la Victoria, Encarnacion Anaya, has underlined the importance of encouraging creativity in young people. Those interested in participating in the Noctiluca Short Film Competition can register on Facebook at the contest’s official page: www.face book.com/noctilucafest. Entries must be in by March 28.

Driver arrested at port with drugs THE Guardia Civil have arrested a 53-year-old man, originally from Morocco but living in the Netherlands, as the presumed perpetrator of the crime of drug trafficking. The man was pulled over at Motril Port and the officers discovered 16 kilos of hashish stashed in the false bottom of his van.

for their charges. All proceeds go simply towards the upke e p of the par k and its honourable goal of helping wolves flouris h a ga in a s they bat t l e against extinction. If you’d like to really push the boat out for an intriguing day distinct from the hustle and bustle of the coast, a trip to Antequera, just an hour inland, is well worth cons ide ra tion. The gui ded tours take place throughout the day and you can always check in advance if you have any questions. The team are entirely bilingua l a nd c a n be r eached on +34 952 031 107. For a taste of the adventure to come, your first stop should be the Lobo Park’s website which you c a n find on w ww.l obopark.com while you can always simply email Alexandra on info@lobopark.com and she will be delighted to answer any queries you may have.

FOR A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, OR FOR A DAYTIME GUIDED TOUR: contact the Lobo Park in Antequera today on +34 952 031 107, email them at info@lobopark.com, or visit their website www.lobopark.com. A lifetime of memories awaits.

Guided tours are at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 16:30 every day except Wednesday.

Motril at the forefront of recovery of the coot MARSH is one of four places that is launching the initiative By Sam Croft FOR the last few years, the Charca de Suarez Marsh in Motril has had some unusual residents. They have black plumage, a dash of white on their heads, and two small protuberances like horns. There are eight of them living in the marsh. This resident, an unusual bird, is known as the redknobbed coot. The Enviromental Board of the Junta de Andalucia regional government is looking to protect and increase the coot population, as this species is considered in danger of extinction in Spain. The Motril marsh is one of four places in which the Junta is launching this initiative. There are two established

Photo credit: flickr by eleda 1

READERS of the Euro Weekly News may be familiar with the Lobo Park in Antequera, an ambitious scientific park devoted to the study of wolves which makes for a fascinating and adventurous day out. Offering exciting and informative guided tours every day, except Wednesdays, the centre provides a unique opportunity for adults and children alike to educate themselves about wolves, which have captured our imagination throughout history. The most astonishing feature of the Lobo Park is the ability of guests to move (completely safely) within close distance of the different wolf packs. It is something entirely impossible to replicate in nature for wolves actively avoid human contact, or in a zoo where they have lost their wild nature. Aside from guided tours in either English or Spanish, there are a wide variety of ways you can explore the lobo world, whether as an interested professional or with your partner or family. Wolf seminars will allow you to spend four hours learning all the fascinating details about their universe, eerily similar to our own. Specialised VIP or photography tours are also available for those who really want to make the most of a once in a lifetime opportunity. For those in the mood for a real adventure, howl nights are perhaps one of the most enchanting and exciting experiences you can find in all of

RED-KNOBBED COOT: With black plumage and a dash of white on their heads. pairs of the birds in the marsh, and workers have their fingers crossed that baby coots will soon be on

their way. One potential obstacle facing the coot recovery is the behaviour of the birds them-

selves. They are often so aggressive towards their young that only a few are likely to survive to adulthood.

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Rincon woman gets €25,000 for hair removal burns to legs AN aesthetic centre in Rincon de la Victoria has been ordered by a Malaga Court to award one of its clients €25,000 after she suffered painful burns following hair removal procedures. The wo m a n a p p a r e n tly went to t h e c e n t r e t o g et hair removed from both of her legs. The first six sessions went smoothly. However, on the seventh, she ended up experiencing intense p a i n a n d b u r n in g during the treatment. She communicated this to the employ e e wh o wa s in charge of the procedure but the worker pushed forward regardless. At the end of the session the wo m a n we n t t o h er home and discovered that her legs were riddled with burns. She went back to the aesthet i c c e n t r e a n d t h e n eventually to the casualty ward, where she was diagnosed wi t h f i r st - d e g ree burns. In th e c o u r t c a se , th e judge ultimately ruled that the woman should be compensated for both the physical and emotional damage incurred as a result of the experience.

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Periana mayor thanks Brits for their support SCHOOLS and colleges will be visited in an effort to transform attitudes By John Smith FOR years feral or at least abandoned cats have been seen as either a nuisance or useful targets in the town of Periana, but the untiring work of a few expatriates has not only changed the view of the majority of local people but will have a really positive affect on the lives of cats in the area. On February 29, a day deliberately chosen as this is to be a great leap forward, Periana mayor, Raphael Torrubia Ortigosa, presented a generous donation to Axarquia Animal Rescue’s Diane McClelland and Sam Matthews McCartney, before a crowd of wellwishers. This donation will help fund the cat sanctuary on the infamous Helipad, the first of many proposed sites in the pueblo. In a very genuine speech, the mayor thanked the British community for teaching the village how to love and care for animals. He went on to describe this as one of his proudest achievements and one which could not have been achieved without the tireless support and initiative of Robin George, Fiona Bond and Axarquia Animal Rescue. Fiona said, “for years this colony of abandoned cats had been used for dog baiting and target practice, they were poisoned and their kittens thrown in

Photo Credit Robin George

HELICATS SANCTUARY: The first of many proposed sites. bins. Attitudes have changed for the better over recent years, as locals now realise that healthy, neutered, friendly animals are not only a pleasure to live with in harmony, but are our most effective weapon for clearing the environment of rats, mice, snakes and insects. Now, we can change their world and continue to neuter, feed and protect these beautiful cats. “It’s fantastic to have the full support of Rafa and the town hall. Whilst

you can’t go around obeying the law willy nilly, it’s great not to have to skulk about surreptitiously saving little lives,” said musician, Robin George. Axarquia Animal Rescue, Periana Town Hall and Local Police will all be involved in a scheme to visit schools and colleges across Axarquia in an effort to transform attitudes in the young whilst spaying, vets’ bills, cat housing and even a vet’s surgery are all included in plans for the future.

NEWS

Over 40 sculptures at new Nerja art show THE Nerja Museum has unveiled a new exhibition featuring the work of renowned sculptor Luis Manuel Garcia Cruz. The show, Itineraries, includes 40 sculptures, modelled in terracotta and bronze, in addition to numerous drawings, collages, and digital images. It will run until May 20 between 9am and 4pm every day of the week. Garica Cruz has extensive experience working as a sculptor or illustrator. His work has been featured in various shows and publications. Currently he runs the Dionisio School of Art in Cordoba, where he has been working as an art professor since 1996.

Forest fire in La Viñuela A FOREST fire broke out in t he m i ddl e of t he day on Sunday Mar ch 6 i n La Viñuela. Firefighters were mobilised and went to the area to extinguish the blaze, as di d aer i al t r oops f r om INFOCA, a forest fire prevention and control serevice.

FINANCE

Axarquía - Costa Tropical

10 - 16 March 2016

LONDON - FTSE 100

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3.8 per cent is the drop in GDP for 2015 of Brazil which was worse than any of the other major world economies according to their national statistics agency IBGE.

STAT OF WEEK

business & legal

EWN

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

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NASDAQ

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IBEX 35

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Ortega is the second richest man

Problems at Barclays Bank

ACCORDING to Forbes magazine’s new rich list

DESPITE having divested itself of its Spanish and Portuguese operations, Barclays Bank finds itself with a drop in profits, a need to cut dividend and a very poor position in Africa where it is desperate to sell the bulk of its investments. Shares fell after the bank revealed its 2015 profits, even though they were only down by 2 per cent over 2014 at £5.5 billion (€7 billion), but it also has to make provisions of £1.45 billion (€1.88 billion).

By John Smith EVERY year Forbes magazine produces its list of the richest people in the world and according to them, Amancio Ortega, owner of Inditex which includes the Zara Group, is the second richest man in the world

Quote of the Week

€68 billion is the estimated value of the worth of Bill Gates of Microsoft according to Fortune Magazine.

with a personal fortune estimated at just under €61 billion. He is now catching up with the richest man, Bill Gates of Microsoft. There is then a very long space between the number two spot and number 178, the

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Brexit does not only affect your country but our country.” Steffen Kampeter politician and CEO of the Confederation of German Employers’ Association.

Photo Credit Maly Designer

BUSINESS EXTRA

Airport sale stalls IT is reported that just two offers were received by the deadline for the Ciudad Real Airport of €55 million and €200 million, whilst the estimated cost was in excess of €1 billion.

Pizza profit

EROSKI: Wants to sell 36 of their stores around Spain.

Supermarket sales AS part of its programme of disposing of supermarket properties that do not fit in with its development plans, Basque-based Eroski wants to sell 36 stores around Spain, including two in Mallorca, to Carrefour for €205 million. The stores involved are con-

tinuing to trade whilst awaiting government approval for the deal. Eroski wants to upgrade its remaining stores to become more citycentric, as those to which this has been done have shown a marked increase in return per square metre.

CONSUMERS are gobbling up Domino’s pizzas and the company recorded excellent profits of €91 million in 2015, 18 per cent up on the previous year. The company says that profits were helped by low cheese and fuel prices, and that more and more sales are made via the internet or its app.

Figure rises THE number of unemployed in Spain rose by just over 2,200, which was the highest February rise since 2013, taking the total number to 4.15 million. It is still an enormous reduction from the six million unemployed in the first quarter of 2013.

Qatari investment in Spain CATALAN real estate company Colonial, which already has strong investment from the Qatar Investment Authority, its largest individual shareholder, has announced that the two organisations are discussing the possibility of the Qatari group transferring some of the shares it holds in the

French subsidiary of Colonial. The announcement goes on to confirm that in the event that this possible deal is approved, the Qatar Investment Authority will still hold less than 30 per cent of the shares of the parent group.

next richest person in Spain, his daughter Sandra Ortega Mera who can boast just €5.9 billion. It is interesting to note that the bulk of the wealthiest men in the world come from the USA, but China and India are beginning to spawn more billionaires.

E W N 10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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LONDON - FTSE 100

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3i Group PLC 444.70 -0.40 Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt PLC 284.30 -1.16 Admiral Group PLC 1957.00 13.00 Anglo American PLC 620.45 28.30 Antofagasta PLC 564.50 14.00 ARM Holdings PLC 999.75 -17.00 Ashtead Group PLC 903.00 1.00 Associated British Foods PLC 3338.00 -3.00 AstraZeneca PLC 4009.00 -12.50 Aviva PLC 466.00 -0.10 Babcock International Group 963.00 4.50 BAE Systems PLC 506.75 -0.50 Barclays PLC 172.07 -2.20 Barratt Developments PLC 559.50 5.00 Berkeley Group Holdings 3056.00 46.00 BHP Billiton PLC 874.70 6.51 BP PLC 365.65 -2.25 British American Tobacco PLC 4057.00 13.00 British Land Co PLC 682.50 -3.50 BT Group PLC 463.22 -6.65 Bunzl PLC 1961.00 -1.00 Burberry Group PLC 1378.50 -1.00 Capita PLC 1023.00 0.00 Carnival PLC 3442.00 -16.00 Centrica PLC 224.60 0.57 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1385.00 0.00 Compass Group PLC 1232.00 -3.00 CRH PLC 1903.00 -2.50 DCC PLC 5702.50 -20.00 Diageo PLC 1873.00 -1.00 Direct Line Insurance Group 400.90 2.30 Dixons Carphone PLC 433.60 -2.40 easyJet PLC 1534.50 -18.00 Experian PLC 1214.00 11.00 Fresnillo PLC 945.50 -13.00 GKN PLC 289.90 -3.80 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1373.75 4.16 Glencore PLC 159.82 -0.15 Hammerson PLC 553.25 -3.40 Hargreaves Lansdown PLC 1262.00 -10.00 Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC 1788.00 -5.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 449.65 -3.85 Imperial Brands PLC 3686.75 11.00 Inmarsat PLC 912.75 -19.00 InterContinental Hotels Grp 2674.50 -61.00 International Consolidated 540.75 -4.00 Intertek Group PLC 3110.00 16.00 Intu Properties PLC 301.35 -0.40 ITV PLC 233.20 2.60 Johnson Matthey PLC 2602.00 -11.00

% CHG. -0.09 -0.41 0.67 4.78 2.54 -1.67 0.11 -0.09 -0.31 -0.02 0.47 -0.10 -1.26 0.90 1.53 0.75 -0.61 0.32 -0.51 -1.41 -0.05 -0.07 0.00 -0.46 0.25 0.00 -0.24 -0.13 -0.35 -0.05 0.58 -0.55 -1.16 0.91 -1.36 -1.29 0.30 -0.09 -0.61 -0.79 -0.28 -0.85 0.30 -2.04 -2.23 -0.73 0.52 -0.13 1.13 -0.42

NET VOL 40.07 308.79 56.02 2,789.08 682.04 308.23 121.15 19.63 161.54 483.14 27.19 174.62 3,306.50 172.46 44.08 1,885.36 4,017.51 183.82 63.30 1,323.67 16.95 35.25 44.34 12.03 757.03 8.48 125.97 51.10 7.21 127.56 348.96 57.00 55.00 180.21 127.88 285.22 536.88 17,545.70 30.43 45.31 26.92 2,435.09 229.12 97.46 99.06 402.23 34.84 136.47 1,220.25 22.40

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) Kingfisher PLC 339.15 -3.10 Land Securities Group PLC 1051.50 -9.00 Legal & General Group PLC 238.60 -0.90 Lloyds Banking Group PLC 72.85 -0.39 London Stock Exchange Grp 2827.00 -26.00 Marks & Spencer Group PLC 420.40 -3.60 Merlin Entertainments PLC 451.70 -4.70 Mondi PLC 1344.00 -9.00 National Grid PLC 948.20 3.70 Next PLC 6602.50 -16.60 Old Mutual PLC 196.00 16.40 Pearson PLC 876.50 4.50 Persimmon PLC 2007.00 16.00 Provident Financial PLC 3263.00 4.00 Prudential PLC 1337.00 -9.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 6427.50 -185.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC 6514.00 -25.00 RELX PLC 1230.50 3.00 REXAM PLC 615.25 -1.00 Rio Tinto PLC 2164.25 34.50 Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 724.00 2.00 Royal Bank of Scotland Grou... 230.50 -0.10 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 1688.00 3.00 Royal Mail PLC 455.10 -1.96 RSA Insurance Group PLC 448.50 -0.40 SABMiller PLC 4216.00 -9.00 Sage Group (The) PLC 599.50 -1.50 Sainsbury (J) PLC 268.45 1.40 Schroders PLC 2609.50 -14.00 Severn Trent PLC 2103.00 -2.00 Shire PLC 3730.50 -51.00 Sky PLC 1021.00 -3.82 Smith & Nephew PLC 1143.00 -6.00 Smiths Group PLC 1061.00 1.00 Sports Direct International... 405.90 -1.10 SSE PLC 1428.50 -4.64 Standard Chartered PLC 485.02 -1.10 Standard Life PLC 358.30 6.30 St James's Place PLC 896.50 37.50 Taylor Wimpey PLC 178.30 1.50 Tesco PLC 191.05 0.20 Travis Perkins PLC 1767.00 -16.00 TUI AG 1036.00 -6.00 Unilever PLC 3092.00 -17.00 United Utilities Group PLC 912.25 -1.50 Vodafone Group PLC 218.92 -2.30 Whitbread PLC 3743.00 -60.00 Wolseley PLC 3853.00 -34.00 Worldpay Group PLC 296.20 -3.60 WPP PLC 1545.50 14.00

% CHG. -0.91 -0.85 -0.38 -0.53 -0.91 -0.85 -1.03 -0.66 0.39 -0.25 9.13 0.52 0.80 0.12 -0.67 -2.80 -0.38 0.24 -0.16 1.62 0.28 -0.04 0.18 -0.43 -0.09 -0.21 -0.25 0.52 -0.53 -0.10 -1.35 -0.37 -0.52 0.09 -0.27 -0.32 -0.23 1.79 4.37 0.85 0.10 -0.90 -0.58 -0.55 -0.16 -1.04 -1.58 -0.87 -1.20 0.91

NET VOL 403.40 89.03 789.50 7,774.10 98.88 137.05 110.15 81.74 732.13 17.09 4,431.80 91.72 50.77 10.96 433.93 58.43 41.09 169.79 23.33 1,097.57 554.40 1,195.29 489.48 237.56 125.99 75.73 62.27 154.26 28.77 9.15 107.85 206.02 107.04 30.44 89.19 68.64 1,611.22 1,682.79 322.38 641.02 879.90 39.10 42.15 120.48 30.66 2,827.30 53.85 47.35 144.71 522.58

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US dollar...................................................................1.09555 Japan yen................................................................124.454 Switzerland franc.................................................1.09477 Denmark kroner....................................................7.46120 Norway kroner ....................................................9.33908

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DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 7

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 160.07 +0.69 +0.43% 1.8M 58.29 +0.20 +0.34% 5.4M 103.01 +1.51 +1.49% 46.1M 121.07 +1.46 +1.22% 4.4M 72.84 +1.09 +1.52% 9.5M 87.93 +0.40 +0.46% 9.3M 26.80 -0.07 -0.26% 19.4M 44.11 +0.15 +0.34% 13.7M 98.48 -0.34 -0.34% 6.7M 63.18 +1.27 +2.05% 8.7M 82.29 -0.11 -0.13% 18.4M 30.46 +0.24 +0.79% 33.0M 156.84 +1.51 +0.97% 5.3M 125.56 -1.24 -0.98% 6.4M 137.80 0.00 0.00% 4.0M 30.63 +0.05 +0.16% 20.4M 106.50 -0.15 -0.14% 6.7M 60.05 +0.09 +0.15% 18.5M 117.18 +0.49 +0.42% 5.9M 52.08 -0.02 -0.04% 9.1M 52.03 -0.32 -0.61% 33.0M 61.26 -0.21 -0.34% 7.3M 29.71 -0.18 -0.60% 36.8M 83.49 +0.65 +0.78% 9.4M 110.40 +0.60 +0.55% 1.4M 97.00 +0.89 +0.93% 4.7M 121.80 -0.02 -0.02% 2.9M 51.81 -0.08 -0.15% 14.0M 73.90 -0.01 -0.01% 9.5M 66.78 +0.64 +0.97% 10.0M

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 7

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Catabasis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. Vanguard Natural Resources LLC Legacy Reserves LP Memorial Production Partners LP Legacy Reserves LP GlycoMimetics, Inc. Paragon Shipping Inc. Vanguard Natural Resources LLC NantKwest, Inc. Carmike Cinemas, Inc.

$ 6.46 $ 2.58 $ 2.61 $ 2.04 $ 2.81 $ 2.02 $ 5.18 $ 6.37 $ 5.72 $ 8.87 $ 29.25

1.97 ▲ 43.88% 0.71 ▲ 37.97% 0.50 ▲ 23.70% 0.39 ▲ 23.64% 0.49 ▲ 21.12% 0.34 ▲ 20.24% 0.81 ▲ 18.54% 0.949 ▲ 17.51% 0.82 ▲ 16.73% 1.27 ▲ 16.71% 4.14 ▲ 16.49%

$ 4.69 $ 19.67 $ 3.02 $ 15.88 $ 5.71 $ 6.65 $ 12.58 $ 9.14 $ 42.11 $ 50.38 $ 9.21

5.11 ▼ 52.14% 3.56 ▼ 15.33% 0.51 ▼ 14.45% 2.42 ▼ 13.22% 0.74 ▼ 11.47% 0.82 ▼ 10.98% 1.35 ▼ 9.69% 0.92 ▼ 9.15% 4.13 ▼ 8.93% 4.90 ▼ 8.86% 0.86 ▼ 8.54%

Most Declined Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AveXis, Inc. Senomyx, Inc. Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. Inventure Foods, Inc. IntriCon Corporation Integrated Electrical Services, Inc. Ardelyx, Inc. Ambarella, Inc. Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.

E W N 10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Sky’s the limit for Lego profits

STAR WARS: Very shrewd licence deals mean the success of the films has reflected in their sales. 2014 figures, and this is mainly due to the very shrewd licence

deals they have struck meaning that the success of both the latest

Star Wars film and Frozen has reflected in their sales to boys, girls

and not a few adults. Interestingly, there has been a s u d d e n r e s u rg e n c e o f s a l e s i n Asia, an area which had been depressed for a while, and China has become very much a growing market for the company. Apart from making money, the company also has a sense of social conscience. Following a petition which gathered over 20,000 signatures complaining that it was ignoring disability groups and ‘pandering to disability stereotypes’, it has added to its range for release later this year, a young disabled person in a wheel chair accompanied by his own support dog. With the Lego movies, theme parks, Duplo for the very young a n d t h e e v e r- i n c r e a s i n g L e g o range, this is one ‘toy’ that will surely reach its centenary and stay around for long after, earning money for the manufacturers, film studios and retail outlets alike.

Indian and Spanish consortium buys historic London building Photo Credit Robert Cutts flickr

By John Smith WHO would have imagined that a company formed for the manufacture of wooden duck toys would become a multi-billion euro success, following its foundation 84 years ago in Denmark? The word Lego itself came from the Danish words ‘leg godt’ which means ‘play well’, but in an example of serendipity, it was later discovered that in Latin the word Lego comes from the word t o g a t h e r, a n d t h e o w n e r s h a v e taken it to mean ‘put together’. I t w a s n ’t u n t i l 1 9 4 9 t h a t t h e company produced its first plastic brick and as the saying goes, after that, the only way was up and there is no doubt that its products continue to capture the imagination of generations of children worldwide, as well as generating huge revenues for the family firm. They were delighted to reveal that their 2015 turnover of €4.8 billion was 25 per cent up on

Photo Credit Ian Muttoo flickr

THE company, which was founded 84 years ago, is a multi-billion euro success

WAR OFFICE: The old building in Whitehall, Central London has been bought for an undisclosed amount. ALTHOUGH the concept of the deal was first announced in 2014, it wasn’t until March 2 of this year that a consortium between the Hinduja Group of India and OHLD of Spain formally purchased the old War Office building in Whitehall, Central London for an undisclosed amount on a 250-year lease.

Once the workplace of Sir Winston Churchill during the Second World War, the 1,100 room building, which is literally a stone’s throw away from Downing Street and a short walk from the Houses of Parliament, has been the home of the Ministry of Defence since 1964, which has now had to find ac-

commodation elsewhere. The building will now be restored and redeveloped into a five-star hotel, private function rooms, a spa and fitness centre and a number of prestigious apartments. Although the historic building passes from government ownership, its facade will be preserved.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

EWN

Car manufacturers and Brexit BMW and Nissan have made their feelings on Britain leaving the EU clear, and they’re obviously worried SO far, two car manufacturers have made their positions clear on the Brexit, BMW and Nissan, both of which are obviously worried about the effect on their bottom lines in the event that Britain does decide to leave the EU, whilst the association representing car manufacturers has also made its own comments on behalf of its members. The management of BMW has written to workers in the Rolls-Royce and Mini UK operations which employ 8,000 staff, explaining that whilst the decision is a British affair, the company believes that any decision to exit would be bad for its trading position, and could very possibly hurt the jobs of those working for BMW. Their message, which was delivered via email, effectively suggests its employees would be better off to vote in favour of staying within the EU. “Free trade is important for international business. Tariff barriers would mean higher costs and higher prices, and we cannot assume that the UK would be granted free trade with Europe from outside the EU.” It also said: “For BMW Group,

Nissan Motor Company

By John Smith

NISSAN: Employs 8,000 staff directly and 32,000 indirectly in the UK. more than half of Minis built, and virtually all the engines and components made in the UK are exported to the

EU, with over 150,000 new cars and many hundreds of thousands of parts imported from Europe each year.”

To a lesser extent, the same is true for Rolls Royce, which does export a good percentage of its cars to the EU.

Earlier, Nissan, which also employs 8,000 staff directly and 32,000 indirectly in the UK, released a statement regarding its position on the same matter and basically said the same as BMW, stating: “Last year we produced more than 475,000 vehicles in the UK, 80 per cent of which are exported.” The company’s CEO went on to say: “Our preference as a business is, of course, that the UK stays within Europe. It makes the most sense for jobs, trade and costs. For us, a position of stability is more positive than a collection of unknowns.” The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which represents more than 30 manufacturers in the UK, released the results of a survey that it had undertaken, which was also in favour of remaining within the Union because of the volume of vehicles exported from the UK to European destinations. Whilst it is quite reasonable for these companies to take a view and make that view known, some comments have been raised as to whether BMW in particular had gone too far in contacting all of its UK employees, and effectively encouraging the way in which they should cast their vote.

E W N 10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Morgan Stanley to raise €1 billion for El Corte Ingles THE group plans to sell up to 200 properties which it owns THE strangely named Operation Batman, is not a new film or computer game, but the title of an operation being undertaken by international financial group Morgan Stanley to raise €1 billion for El Corte Ingles, by selling up to 200 properties which it owns. It will not be selling any of its main El Corte Ingles stores, its Torre Titania skyscraper in Madrid, nor its headquarters building, but everything else seems to be available at a price. A formal valuation of the portfolio, which is said to include supermarkets, operational buildings, plots of land, office buildings and high street outlets, is due to take place shortly which will then allow

Photo Credit Feranza Wikimedia

By John Smith

UK life insurance review is now underway

Photo Credit Ewan Munro Wikimedia

SPORTS DIRECT: Is being dropped to the FTSE 250 group.

for bidders to offer to purchase the entire range of properties, or to make selective bids for perhaps the office buildings or supermarkets. The plan, if successful, should see the completion of the sale by the end of August and it is suspected that there will be a great deal of interest from investment funds and insurance companies.

TORRE TITANIA: Is under construction.

Recent additions and subtractions in the FTSE WITH a review every three months as to which companies should remain in the FTSE 100, it must be very difficult in these financially volatile times to invest in just the top 100 companies, which is a service offered by some financial organisations. In the latest review, to be implemented on March 21, Morrisons supermarkets return to the ‘club’, and amongst others are joined by the new betting group Paddy Power Betfair. Sports Direct, whose owner is the chairman of Newcastle United football club (also possibly to drop out of the Premier League), join technology company Smiths Group as well as a pharmaceutical company and an asset manager, in being dropped to the FTSE 250 group. Once a company enters the list, its share price can benefit from index tracker investment, which has to include all the shares in the top 100.

billion euros is the amount of money Morgan Stanley hope to raise

THE Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), has announced it fears a number of customers of some of the main life insurance companies, may not have had details of the penalties that may be charged in the event they wished to move to another company properly explained when they took out the policies. Whilst current policies do contain very clear information, these ironically named zombie policies, which were sold several years ago, may contain nasty surprises for many customers, even if they have paid the full amount agreed into the policies. Having come to the conclusion that a number of individuals may be adversely affected, the FCA has decided to review the situation in greater depth, and may decide to recommend a capping of any exit fees that could be charged. This whole matter has caused some headaches as when the decision was first taken to consider the situation of these policies, one newspaper was given advance information which resulted in a fall in the value of insurance company shares generally, and the FCA was reprimanded following an independent enquiry.

OPINION & COMMENT

10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

EWN

I was against it from the start THE decision to join with Europe was political, not economic LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

I, OF course, am old enough to remember a United Kingdom without the leaden yolk of the European Union hanging from its neck. A time when our Commonwealth partners were the integral centre of our trade and commerce. Who could forget the succulent New Zealand lamb, the delicious fruits and prime beef from Australia? The colourful high quality clothing from Canada and much, much more. We never in fact needed the common market. I was against it from the start. Frankly I couldn’t see the point. We had complete control of our borders and trade outlets and were barreling along very nicely thank you. The decision to join with Europe was political not economic. They needed us far more than we needed them. When we joined up and dropped our ties with our Commonwealth partners, they felt

NEW ZEALAND LAMB: I still remember it. betrayed and indeed, in some quarters our changes of direction lead to a great deal of hardship and job losses in the countries concerned. I sometimes doubt whether we’ve ac-

tually been truly forgiven to this day. This bunch of power-mad politicians and their ideas of free trade have restricted our fishing rights, led to mountains of wasted fruit

and vegetables, created ludicrous food regulations. (A 27,000 word directive on the growth and sale of cabbages is a case in point!) And an open border policy which threatens our very existence. I simply find it hard to believe that so called intellectuals can actually be that stupid. I can’t help but feel there is some other, more sinister objective to their actions. Turkey, I find particularly unsettling. Who in their right mind would want to make a country with a 67,000,000 population, of which 99 per cent are Muslim, a part of the European Union? Millions of Muslims swarming into Europe with no restrictions whatsoever. No, I’m afraid something is severely amiss somewhere and the sooner the UK gets out and takes control of its own future the better. I still maintain they need us more than we need them, and rely heavily on the amount of trade and business that stems from British firms and institutions. Cameron’s scaremongering to the contrary is utter rubbish. Keep the faith. Love Leapy

E W N 10 - 16 March 2016 / AxarquĂa - Costa Tropical

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TV LISTING

THURSDAY 10 MARCH

FRIDAY 11 MARCH

SATURDAY

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 11:50pm 12:50am

BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Room 101 EastEnders Crimewatch BBC News at Ten BBC London News Crimewatch Question Time This Week

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

4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:35pm 12:05am

The TV That Made Me Flog It! Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Match of the Day Live BBC News at Ten BBC London News Comedy Playhouse Catherine Tate's Nan

7:30pm 8:00pm

6:15pm 6:20pm

Weather Match of the Day Live The Voice UK The National Lottery Casualty BBC News Weather Match of the Day The Ring

7:00pm 7:30pm

8:30pm 9:45pm

12 MARCH

SUNDAY 13 MARCH

MONDAY 14 MARCH

TUESDAY 15 MARCH

WEDNESDAY 16 MARCH

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

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 11:45pm 12:15am

The One Show Fake Britain EastEnders Panorama Behind Closed Doors BBC News Regional News Weather Cuckoo Have I Got Old News for You

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

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 11:45pm 12:45am

BBC News Regional News The One Show EastEnders Holby City Happy Valley BBC News Regional News Weather The Estate We're in Shop Well for Less

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

Regional News The One Show Shop Well for Less Famous, Rich and Homeless BBC News Regional News Weather The Richard Dimbleby Lecture 2016 Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed with Mary Beard

11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 11:45pm 12:30am

Too Much TV The Great Interior Design Challenge Mastermind Gardeners' World Land of Hope and Glory - British Country Life Britain's Secret Slavery Business Newsnight Artsnight Gardeners World Queen Victoria's Children Back in Time for the Weekend Dad's Army Stag The Talented Mr. Ripley Line of Duty

8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:40pm 12:40am 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:40pm 12:10am 7:45pm 8:00pm 9:30pm 10:30pm 11:30pm 11:45pm

Regional News Weather Countryfile Antiques Roadshow The Night Manager BBC News Regional News Weather Match of the Day 2 Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights

7:50pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 12:00am

Bargain Hunt Eggheads Too Much TV Big Dreams Small Spaces The Secret History of My Family Murder Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle Newsnight Dunblane: Our Story

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

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OPINION & COMMENT

No shining example RATHER than a cynical crook, Iñaki Urdangarin merely comes across as not particularly bright Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

IÑAKI URDANGARIN told the Palma High Court that he had no part in defrauding €6.2 million of public money and had no idea of what his companies or his colleagues were doing. “I just did what I did,” he told the court, namely he swanned around as Duke of Palma de Mallorca. He apparently believed that as son-in-law to one king and brother-in-law to his successor, he could let everyone else do the work and presumably get away with siphoning off public funds. Rather than a cynical crook Urdangarin merely comes across as someone who is not particularly bright.

News in brief MARIANO RAJOY inadvertently said: “What we’ve done and you haven’t is deceive people,” during the investiture debate. Albert Rivera began his speech in Catalan, Pablo Iglesias tried to address the speaker, Patxi Lopez, by his first name and Pedro Sanchez got nowhere at all.

His was the most-voted party, but the PP received those votes because it is the only rightwing option. The left are spoilt for choice, hence a fractioned vote totalling more than the PP’s votes. Unfortunately for Spain’s leftwing voters, the pre-election red lines drawn by the PSOE, Podemos and Ciudadanos led them not to victory, but a one-way street leading to more elections.

Spoilt for choice

Separate ambitions

SINCE the December 20 general elections, Spain’s acting president Mariano Rajoy has resented rivals’ refusal to accept that he is entitled to form a government.

ARNALDO OTEGI emerged from prison after serving six years and four months for attempting to rebuild Batasuna, the political arm of the ETA terrorist group.

Otegi said on leaving Logroño jail that he was more committed to independence than ever. So, presumably were the 200 or so people waiting outside to hail Otegi, but where were the rest of the 2.189 million people living in the Basque Region? As both Basque and Catalan polls demonstrate, nationalism is not automatically synonymous with separatism. The only people reluctant to absorb this fact are those who make the loudest noise about independence: the politicians.

IÑAKI URDANGARIN: Said he had no idea what his colleagues were doing.

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OPINION & COMMENT

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When are the kids going to stop throwing their toys out of the pram? THE Brexit debate has really unleashed open warfare amongst the Conservative party 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

GOOD grief! When are the kids going to stop throwing their toys out of the pram? The Brexit debate has really unleashed open warfare amongst the Conservatives with pro-Brexit London mayor Boris Johnson dismissing as “baloney” the attempt by David Cameron styling himself the leader of ‘Project Fact’ - to talk up the case for staying in the EU. This, then, after a run of headlines in the press as part of the so-called ‘Project Fear’ (sounds like some low-key porn movie, doesn’t it?). According to Government reports (dismissed as ‘dodgy dossiers’ by Brexiteers), Brexit would mean Brits won’t be able to live abroad in countries like France and Spain, access to the single market would be questionable and it could take Britain up to 10 years to negotiate new trade deals. And all this amid claims Mr Cameron’s new

EU MEMBERSHIP: The Tory party is split from top to bottom on Europe. EU membership deal could actually extend the powers of the EU, and end up being a ‘Trojan horse’ that allows it to intervene over any domestic financial crisis! Well, I’ve got a few questions for Mr Cameron.

If the Government truly expects it to take 10 years to negotiate new trade deals and the referendum is intended to cover either outcome, then why didn’t he start preparing ages ago? I don’t understand either Mr Cameron’s fre-

quently repeated warning that Brexit is a “leap in the dark.” Does he really believe that it’s a greater ‘leap’ than remaining in an organisation whose idea of financial probity consists of 21 consecutive years of failure to have its accounts approved by its auditors; whose knowledge of economic theory results in the belief that a common currency can be effective without a common fiscal policy and whose grasp of good housekeeping is to move its central parliament/administrative entourage from Brussels to Strasbourg 12 times a year for no practical reason other than to satisfy France’s ego? Those who campaigned to remain in the 1975 referendum will know only too well what a ‘leap’ that turned out to be. I’d say the only real difference between the two leaps into the darkness is who operates the light switch. What a mess. This only reinforces what we have known for years. The Tory party is split from top to bottom on Europe. Always will be. 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.

E W N 10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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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

Calais calamity - but what exactly is going on there? Zebra fighting

Not quite so welcome ACTUALLY there were scores of photos in the news of Germans holdin g u p b a n n e r s re a d in g ‘refugees welcome.’ Merkel had her country’s support in the beginning. It wasn’t until the NYE attacks that things changed, because the offenders were erroneously described as ‘refugees’ (only three in 58 were. At least one was German. Just as I’ve had to fend off feral men who were British...) With Pegida inflaming the situation further, it’s all gone into meltdown. But Germany needs immigration (most countries do, actually). As for giving my jobs to them... luckily, my job couldn’t easily be done by a Syrian. Or a Spaniard. Or quite a few Brits. But immigrants t e n d t o b e e n t e rp ris in g wherever they come from (just look at Brits, Germans, Dutch, Moroccans, Latin Americans, etc, in S pai n , a n d t h e c o n trib u tio n they’ve made to society and the economy). Kally via the website

Sorry Sanchez SANCHEZ is the wrong person anyway, but I don’t think the PP has an y o n e t o d o t h e jo b . T h e Spanish people, as lovely as they are, seem to ignore or forget the

created this awful tragedy with their bombs and their foolishness will give way at some point. Nothing lasts forever. The dam will burst. It’s bursting already. Brian via the website

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DON’T understand what is going on with this. The people in the camp are already in Europe and it seems that they are not happy with the social services offered by the French, they just want a better deal, which they think they will get in the UK. So technically they have been offered refuge in France and they refused, so basically they can no longer claim refugee status. Barbara via facebook

With the popularity of bullfighting being under scrutiny, it seems that the Spanish have invented a brand new game. It’s played all over towns and cities in particular but variations are common in rural parts also. The rules are complicated but it’s played by all ages, in fact the older players are more adept than the young ones. The Spanish name for this rapidly growing sport eludes me but in English it’s roughly translated as; “Let’s jump out on to zebra crossings without looking, scaring oncoming drivers out of their wits!” With indicators not being fitted on Spanish cars, this is another extension of Spanish ingenuity. I have involuntarily played this game several times, but failed to hit the opposition once. My biggest success was when I was actually on the crossing when a gaggle of locals decided to tee off right in front of me, thus giving me a Spanish rollicking in quadruple for having the audacity to be on the crossing, driving, and for being born. On another occasion I got several points for having to brake hard, causing the opposition female to almost fall over and die from a heart attack brought on by the screeching of tyres and my bumper kissing her thigh! With obvious fatal consequences being certain (unable to find out how many points for that). When’s the next bullfight in Alicante? Philip from San Fulgencio

great job Rajoy has done before the elections. We were all surprised at the election results, to be h o n es t, as n o t only ha s R a joy changed many things for the better in Spain, but he got us through the financial crisis extremely well even better than most other countries, ridding Spaniards of austerity and hardships, and he did it in a big way. What the Spanish people are thinking of beats me. Neil via the website

Learn from the past WE should learn from the past and use it to shape the future. My family left the rubble of their homes and fled to other countries. My uncles and aunts who did that are no longer alive but their descendants, my cousins and their families are. They are no longer Scottish.

They are now Americans, Canadians, Australians. They have given birth to other Americans, Canadians, Australians and more. So it will be in due course with Syria’s people - just on a bigger scale - but it is only one country. The world has many countries. They will no longer be Syrians. They will become other nationalities. This terrible paralysis that is gripping the world’s leaders - who

Apathy over Brexit would be a tragedy I WOULD like to encourage all those readers who are able to please register to vote in the upcoming referendum. Of course I understand that it’s a difficult decision, and even the process of registering can be offputting to some. Others might think that since we’re here in Spain it might not make such a difference, especially if they aren’t drawing UK pensions or are not dependent on some form of health care or treatment. It’s much easier not to care sometimes, silly as it might sound. But I think the greatest tragedy would be allowing this opportunity to slip through our fingers. Whether you are determined to see the UK leave Europe, or the opposite, or whether you don’t indeed care for politics at all, I sincerely hope the historians of the future don’t wonder how we managed to sleepwalk into our own demise, whichever road that might take. One thing is certain, a population that doesn’t care what happens doesn’t deserve the benefits either Brexit or Bremain might offer. We would see only the negative impacts of either and this would be our just desserts. Archibald from Marbella

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.

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The side effects of medication

SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte. This week the doctor answers a reader’s questions regarding the side effects of her blood pressure medication: Dear Dr Perez Belmonte, Further to your article in the Euro Weekly, I have a problem which my doctor cannot solve. I do hope you can. I am a 77-year-old female and for several months I have been taking Amlodipino Normon 5mg Comprimidos EFG (previously I took Valsartan Normon 80mg with similar results). My current side effects are dry mouth two hours after I take my pill at breakfast time. Two hours later I get a tightening of the skin both sides of my throat, behind my tongue. This lasts for several hours and is very uncomfortable as this feeling is like blisters and sore. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Yours sincerely, Pearl Dear Pearl,

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The medication you are taking to keep your blood pressure under control, Amlodipindo, and the one you took previously, Valsartan, can have some adverse effects. In the case of Amlodipino, these can include hot flushes, a red face, leg swelling, dizziness, dry mouth and dermatitis among others. The severity of these reactions can vary. If you have been suffering side effects since you started taking the medication, a specialist doctor should change your medication to another type which could suit you better and not cause these problems. Luckily today there are many different types of blood pressure medications available.

If you have any questions for Dr Perez Belmonte, please send them to: jefemedico@helicopterossanitarios.com 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.

FitFoxy Looking Good, Staying Trim

THERE was a survey compiled on women some time back that revealed that those unhappy in their job were more likely to comfort eat. I would take it one step further and say that women unhappy with many things in their life would be more likely to comfort eat. I may even go another step further and say that I know men that comfort eat. We all comfort eat from time to time, it’s nice to indulge, food should be a pleasure right? However the fine line is crossed when it starts to become an every day habit that you are finding hard to control. When it starts to affect your

COMFORT EATING: Food should be a pleasure. weight and your health, it no longer feels good. You end up feeling awful, guilty and frustrated that you cannot find the discipline to get back on track. It’s incredibly important to

Surge of happiness can lead to heart failure BEING too happy could kill you. A major research project has found that joyful events causing a sudden surge of adrenaline, can lead to heart failure. Known officially as Takotsubo syndrome, it was originally detected and known as ‘broken heart syndrome’ caused when extreme emotional stress causes the heart to shut down. But the authors of the new study, led by researchers in Switzerland, suggest that a small number of cases would be better known as ‘happy heart syndrome.’ Their study was based on 1,750 patients in nine different countries. Of 485 patients who researchers identified as having an emotional trigger, 96 per cent had suffered sad and stressful events such as the loss of a loved one or attending a funeral. However, in 20 individuals, heart damage appeared to have been triggered by happy occasions including a birthday party, a wedding, a surprise celebration, the birth of a grandchild, or even a rugby team winning a game.

recognise and acknowledge the signs that are leading you to comfort eat, or even comfort drink for that matter. Alcohol is also a huge contributor to weight gain as far as I’m con-

cerned, wine is a huge culprit. Some of the clients I have dealt with in the past have had psychological obstacles in their path that have led them to require my service. They have sought help with diet and food etc, but after drilling down and getting to know exactly what makes them tick, I see it is often something deep they are not dealing with which is continuing to sabotage their weight, health and well-being. Comfort eating will release feel good endorphins and make you feel great for a short time, but then what? You will feel awful again, your weight will fluctuate. You will feel like you are going around in circles and never getting where you need to go. There is no simple solution, there never is, but you only get one you.

Finding the right balance for a siesta WHAT is the perfect siesta time? Occupational therapist and acupuncturist, Henar de Frutos Gamero, said 30 minutes is the ideal amount of sleep recommended to wake up refreshed, but between 10 and 60 minutes is ok. “In general terms, for a quick recharge it is sufficient with 10 or 20 minutes to improve brain capacity and up to 60 minutes to increase creativity.” The expert said advantages of having a quick siesta are that it improves performance and digestion, helps reduce the risk of

heart attacks, improves overall well-being, lowers blood pressure and stress. However, sleeping for too long can have an adverse effect.

E W N 10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

Small things keep a grumpy man happy Mike Senker

In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man ANOTHER update for my avid reader - I must have one. After my successful refund from the car rental company, the phone company have refunded my €3, and have informed me that they are reviewing their policy of customers having to give van drivers cash when they deliver phones... Result! I’m off to the USA soon and, as usual, all the companies I’m using for my arrangements are companies I have used for many years, and therefore I belong to their frequent flyers or whatever they call their scheme. So I get an email about a ‘points upgrade sale’, therefore I get on the phone and ask for one. “Sorry, you don’t qualify with your code number.” “So why send me the email?” “We send them to everyone who is a member.” Great idea - pee off your regular punters! The next call is to the hotel in Houston to tell them that looking online the room price has gone down. They can’t reduce the price and suggest I cancel the booking and rebook

online, which I do and save $300. The next email I get is from the hotel I’m staying at in Las Vegas with a great offer. Have your breakfast delivered to your room for an extra $12 a night. This is a great deal as I hate going down to breakfast. I get on the phone and tell them I’d like to upgrade my room. “Sorry sir we can’t.” Why? “Because we don’t do the offer if the hotel is full and there are no rooms available.” I explain I already have a room, I just want some eggs and bacon. I gave up after 10 minutes but I’ll retry when I’m checking in and let you know! Last but not least, another airline I’m using for internal flights sent me some offers. So I gave them a try. “Hi, I’d like to upgrade to first class using my air miles and cash.” “I’ll check...Yes sir, that’s no problem. It’s $75 for the change and $75 for admin.” “OK, I’ll do that.” “Sorry sir, can you hold we are having a problem with the computer.” They came back on 55 minutes later and said, “That’s all done. Do you want to use your credit card on file to pay the $75?” “You mean the $150?” “No, we appreciate how long you have had to wait so we won’t be making that charge.” YES, YES, at last a person that understands about how a small gesture can keep a grumpy old man happy!

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OPINION & COMMENT

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Child restraints CLARIFICATION of the current legislation 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.

LEGISLATION: All children 135cm or less in height must ride in the rear of a vehicle. FOLLOWING confusion over recent statements that ‘a child from four to 12 years old and under 1.5 metres tall may ride in the front seat using either a child booster seat or a special system of belt restraints’, the N-332 Guardia Civil say this is incorrect. They clarify the current legislation, which came into force October 1, 2015, which states all children measuring 135cm in height or less must ride in the rear seats, irrespective of their age, and in addition to the requirements of the correct seat being provided. There are a number of exceptions to the rule, for example, when the vehicle does not have rear seats, when all rear seats are already occupied by others under the same characteristics, and where it is not possible to install approved child restraints in those rear seats. These are the only occasions when children may occupy a front seat, but they must always use the restraint system ap-

proved for their height and weight. The rule stipulates that child restraints must be installed in the vehicle in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer. The modification of the law also reflects the scientific evidence from numerous studies that demonstrate the benefit of children travelling in the rear seats of vehicles, in order to strengthen their protection in the case of an accident. A study in the United States looked at 5,751 vehicle occupants under the age of 15 who had suffered a serious car accident. The report shows sitting in the back seat had a protective effect with respect to serious injury or death. A further study in Australia concluded the risk of death in children under four years of age involved in an incident whilst travelling in a car was doubled if they sat in the front.

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

Can we buy a building? IS a Community of Owners legally allowed to purchase and manage a commercial building? Our original developer has been liquidated and his remaining property is being sold at auction. An office building with 30 units is going cheap. Our president is proposing the community buy this office building from our acFirst, I would like to congratulate your president on a creative idea. Just imagine, a community that makes money. In fact, no law prohibits this. The community already owns

cumulated funds. It has only two tenants. The idea was dropped because he had not allowed for the excess sales tax on the cadastral value, and did not know there was €30,000 owing on the rates. The president insists the community is allowed to buy such a building.What is the position? SJ (Costa Blanca)

David Searl You and the Law in Spain

property, such as lifts, gardens, pools and so on. However, the property

administrators I spoke with threw up their hands in horror. What if it loses money? What happens when one owner sells his flat? Even if it is legal, they advise against the venture.

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

E W N 10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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TODAY: Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

18 9 S 19 10 S 19 10 S

Mon - 20 11 S Tues - 21 12 S Wed - 22 12 Cl

Mon - 18 11 S Tues - 21 12 S Wed - 21 12 Cl MAX 17C, MIN 8C

16 9 S 17 9 Cl 18 11 S

17 11 S 18 12 S 18 12 S

S Sun,

Cl Clear,

Sh Showers,

8-Star Quiz

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

Saturday March 5

Friday March 4

Saturday March 5

Sunday March 6

29 34

31 35

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

14 23

16 40

LUCKY STARS

REINTEGRO

SHOWERS MAX 14C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

16 8 C 17 8 C 18 8 S

Mon - 18 8 S Tues - 19 8 S Wed - 19 8 Cl

12 31

30 48

REINTEGRO

CLOUDY MAX 20C, MIN 9C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

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

UK THUNDERBALL

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

MAX MIN

Mon - 20 10 S Tues - 22 12 S Wed - 23 12 Cl

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 9C

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.

CLOUDY MAX 21C, MIN 9C 18 8 S 19 8 S 19 9 S

MAX MIN

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

Sudoku

Fri Sat Sun TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 21 4 S Tues - 21 4 S Wed - 21 5 S

Mallorca

CLEAR

Benidorm TODAY:

MAX MIN

16 2 Cl 18 3 S 21 3 S

MAX MIN

16 11 Cl 18 11 S 19 11 S

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Fri Sat Sun TODAY:

Barcelona TODAY:

MAX MIN

Malaga

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 11C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

CLOUDY MAX 13C, MIN 2C

TODAY:

Almeria TODAY:

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) You are about to tackle some tough tests. Work and personal hurdles could preoccupy you, but after the weekend you’ll be able to sort out the ice from the cream. No matter how awkward things seem on Monday or Wednesday, trust your ability to wait for the right moment, rather than risk spoiling your plans.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) You will need bucketloads of humour and understanding as impatient Mars and the sprightly Sun engage with

Madrid

CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Storms in tea-cups need loads of sweettalking. Of course, if you can’t be bothered with it all, fair enough; keeping quiet could be the best way to deal with problems, glitches or sudden backfires. If you can’t take a break, at least chill out with whatever or whoever brings you the greatest pleasure.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Even the best-made plans can suddenly sink without a trace. Your dreams for a fresh start in one particular direction still need tender, cautious care, and you may equally need to be wary of overstepping the mark where money’s concerned.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Astrologically, it’s not unreasonable to assume that when sparky Mars and the zesty Sun conflict with restless Pluto, life could become a tad frustrating. You might find it hard to tolerate hypocrisy and setbacks, but fortunately, it’s all just a passing cloud. Regardless of any lack of continuity, concentrate on keeping going and prepare for next week’s brighter outlook.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) Upfront Mars and the upbeat Sun will be at loggerheads with powerful Pluto. You might not appreciate some of Friday or Saturday’s antics, so be ready to use your charm, or perhaps your equally wicked sense of humour will do the trick.

Alicante

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) If you suspect that some things are not what they seem, you could be right. Repel doubts, ban anxieties and stick to facts and tact. If certain individuals or situations continue to conspire against you, change course and do something entirely different. What goes around will come around quicker than you think.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Quirky planetary niggles will surface without warning. A variety of talks, news and last-minute changes surround your family members, friends or colleagues. No matter what affects your personal or occupational activities, stay focused, decide what your goals are and, just as importantly, find the easiest way to move forward without losing your healing sense of humour.

set for a scramble with touchy Pluto. You’ve been there before, so despite any administrative bumps, gossipy whirls or curious rejections, don’t be too sensitive. Add up what you’ve achieved, subtract your fears and keep your emotions under control.

LOTTERY

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Hassles and battles are on the cards. If things don’t happen as fast as you’d expected, or domestic and workaday blips assail your patience, transform them into an opportunity to show your special qualities. Potent planetary influences urge you to look, listen, learn and refuse to allow petty stumbling blocks to undermine your confidence on Tuesday and Thursday.

(February 20 - March 20)

Fri Sat Sun -

F Fog, Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

20 8 S 20 8 S 21 9 S

Mon - 23 11 S Tues - 24 10 S Wed - 26 12 Cl

C Cloudy, Th Thunder

SQUARE DEALS 1. How many square inches are there in a square foot? 2. How many squares are there on a chess board? 3. In which European capital city is Wenceslas Square to be found? 4. Muhammad Ali’s first professional defeat was at the hands of Joe Frazier on March 8, 1971, at which famous New York venue? 5. Unsquare Dance was a 1962 UK Top 20 hit single for which American jazz pianist? 6. What is the name of the large city square in the centre of Beijing that was the focal point of student-led popular demonstrations in the spring of 1989? 7. Where did the inexperienced amateur pilot Matthias Rust illegal land his light aircraft on May 28, 1987? 8. Which American animated television series created in 1999 by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon, chronicles the adventures and endeavours of the title character and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom? Not a lot of people know that... Arsenal Football Club were formed as Dial Square in 1886 by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, southeast London

Answers 1. 144, 2. 64, 3. PRAGUE, 4. MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, 5. DAVE BRUBECK (QUARTET), 6. TIANANMEN SQUARE, 7. RED SQUARE, 8. SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS,

YOUR STARS

touchy Pluto. Stay well clear if you want to escape potential power struggles.

Feisty Mars and the fiery Sun are warring with changeable Pluto, so avoid any tearaway temptations on Thursday or Friday. You could be emotionally vulnerable, or even lulled into a false sense of security. However confusing the planets may seem, even out the odds as best you can by ensuring your worries take second place.

PICSES

OUT

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page

AK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

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

Quick

Code Breaker

Across 1 Back of the neck (6) 4 Separated (6) 7 Pleasurable (9) 9 Small hotels (4) 10 Departure (4) 11 Brutal (5) 13 Mistakes (6) 14 Wealthier (6) 15 Talk (6) 17 Smarts (6) 19 Retains (5) 20 Leave out (4) 22 Protagonist (4) 23 Finished (9) 24 Elevated (6) 25 Visions (6) Down 1 Holy sanctuary (6) 2 Large coffee or tea pots (4) 3 Flattens (6) 4 Devout request (6) 5 Regulation (4) 6 Medic (6) 7 Full of vim and vigour (9)

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Crossword

EWN

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 8 represents W and 25 represents Z, so fill in W every time the figure 8 appears and Z every time the figure 25 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Stop, 4 Treasure, 8 Crater, 9 Oliver, 10 Riga, 11 Harmless, 13 Philosophical, 16 Escalade, 19 Sale, 20 Behest, 22 Heated, 23 Restless, 24 Term.

Down: 2 Tarnishes, 3 Pitfall, 4 Torch, 5 Ego trip, 6 Skill, 7 Roe, 12 Small beer, 14 Startle, 15 Instant, 17 Alert, 18 Ethos, 21 Ewe.

QUICK Across:

8 Swapped (9) 11 Become fractured (5) 12 Elevates (5) 15 Not as fast (6) 16 Assisted (6)

English - Spanish

17 Stretch (6) 18 Yells (6) 21 Playthings (4) 22 In this place (4)

Down: 1 Assigns, 2 Traps, 3 Anyhow, 5 Chaste, 6 Agitate, 7 Elect, 9 Sari, 16/15 Top hat, 18 Amazing, 20 Serpent, 21 Sparse, 22 Ogre, 23 Swerve, 24 Sofia, 26 Guide.

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

Across 1 Garganta (6) 3 Nudo (en hilo, cuerda) (4) 7 Sí (3) 9 Slim (figure, person) (7) 10 Forks (cutlery) (9) 13 Harvest (7) 14 Aunt (3) 15 Atún (4) 16 Flour (6)

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Tiles, 4 Attic, 7 Shoulders, 8 Raro, 9 Aqui, 13 Translate, 15 Sales, 16 Asnos.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Down: 1 Taburetes, 2 Loser, 3 Snow, 4 Alla, 5 Tie, 6 Castillos, 10 Queen, 11 Asks, 12 Vaca, 14 All.

Down 1 Juguetes (4) 2 Público (teatro) (8) 4 El más cercano (7) 5 Herramienta (4) 6 Pillow (8) 8 Hijastro (7) 11 Escocés (4) 12 Cup (vessel, amount) (4)

Hexagram

1 Actual, 4 Scrape, 8 Scary, 10 Agile, 11 Heals, 12 Gusto, 13 Toast, 14 White, 17 Slap, 19 Fees, 21 Stops, 24 Swamp, 25 Wager, 27 Agree, 28 Friar, 29 Raise, 30 Angler, 31 Defeat.

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

ALLIED ANNUAL (10) BEHEST BLUISH CACTUS CHEERY CORRAL DETENT DIAPER ENTIRE

GYRATE ITALIC LINEAR LOAVES MEMBER MENIAL PANDER TEETHE TITIAN

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Sodden 2 Careen 3 Dugout 4 Arrear 5 Trance 6 Resort 7 Antler 8 Rustic 9 Feeble 10 Tackle 11 Extent 12 Bauble 13 Kindle 14 Clutch 15 Garble 16 Recode 17 Target 18 Global 19 Galaxy

Across 1 Instruction for the French boy (6) 4 Established customs in religious attire (6) 9 Note lad has boat clearing (5) 10 Middle class men return single flower (7) 11 Opera set is changed but works (8) 12 Discovered tea secret luxury (4) 14 Long standing horse barn (6) 16 Back in the news, US neckline poll (6) 19 Tipsy cast are singing jazz (4) 20 Via clean, new Spanish city (8) 23 Worry it’s set in ornamental stone (7) 24 Isolated a character (5) 25 Looked to be soundly joined (6) 26 Gambler is recovering (6) Down 1 Sloe gin is made for hordes of soldiers (7) 2 Measure untied laces (5)

3 Drunk pale Boer is ready to run (8) 5 Middle Eastern port, a refuge for animals (4) 6 Air boss redesigned map lines (7) 7 Convinced by soft leather we hear (5) 8 Arrived with nothing for a small role in a play (5) 13 Create teenager’s problem (8)

15 Greedy girl and a grass (7) 17 Act, rest, rebel then disperse (7) 18 Am in endless cell, it’s a beast (5) 19 Bites at ginger biscuits (5) 21 Connecticut service admitted talent (5) 22 It’s the end of the board game, buddy (4)

E W N 10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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OPINION & COMMENT

This team takes the biscuit

OUR VIEW three rocks images shutterstock

FANS of the Royals have had good reason to celebrate recently 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.

I HAVE had good reason to celebrate recently. My football team, Reading FC, have not only reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup, but managed two consecutive wins in the league, a bewildering experience for the fans this season. “Why are they called the Royals?” a friend asked me. “I remember them as The Biscuit Men.” So I explained that it was because Berkshire is known as The Royal County, and the once world renowned Huntley & Palmers biscuit manufacturer was based in the town. But it took me back. I come from a biscuit family, who all originate from the biscuit town. My mother worked for years at the Huntley & Palmers

ICED GEMS: One of the few that are still around. factory in Reading, then the largest biscuit manufacturer in the world, and my father helped make the tins at Huntley Bourne & Stevens. Both worked long hours and

I can remember them coming home from work completely cream crackered. That was a joke by the way. At their height, H&P were producing a staggering 400 va-

rieties of biscuit, and I remember with great affection such goodies as Suncake, a round shortbread biscuit, which I would scoff hamster

like by nibbling around the outside working inwards, making a mess in the process. Banana Creams which looked like the present day Custard Cream, but with a flavoured cream and a banana shape cut out so that the filling was on display. Obviously a visual reminder for people whose taste buds were shot. Then there were Chocolate Wafers that were a natural tan colour, not like their insipid pink successors. And Iced Gem, little round bite sized biscuits topped with a swirl of hard icing, and one of the few that are still around. With generous price concessions given to employees, there was never a shortage of biscuits in our house, and I can remember being taken down to the factory shop in the 50s for our weekly supply. Cream Crackered... Biscuit? Oh forget it. Come on the Royals!

How the scales fell from my eyes Photo Credit World Economic Forum Remy Steinegger flickr

WHEN I was younger I naively thought you could trust a politician John Smith Random thoughts... IN issue 1600 of the Euro Weekly News, the Our View section on page 98 looked at the situation with regards to France and their commitment to keep migrants out of the UK by allowing the British to continue to keep customs and immigration posts in Calais. No sooner had this been printed than both French economy minister Emmanuel Macron and then premier Francoise Hollande made public statements, to the effect that in the event of Britain leaving the European Union, France would ask the British to take their customs and immigrations posts and stick them back in the UK. When I was very much younger, I naively thought you could trust a politician as there would be hell to pay if they backed down from what they had promised, but in retrospect I can see how stupid I was.

TONY BLAIR: Addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos. They all say that they go into public office in order to help their fellow citizens and to make sure that there is a fair and equitable society, but I have now come to the conclusion that the honest and well-meaning

politician is that one who ‘tests’ the rule. It seems that it’s becoming more ridiculous as well. In Britain there were the politicians who became ‘troughiteers’, taking as much as they

Helping to get in touch.

Missing people RECEIVING a request from a family in Manchester who are trying to find a relative who they believe moved to Spain about four years ago has made us think about the number of people of so many different ages and sexes who literally disappear and in many cases are never heard of again. There are a number of reasons for this which depend very much upon the area in the world in which a person lives and with the terrible problems in North Africa and the Middle East at the moment, the numbers must be rising disproportionally. There are still cases of people trafficking for both prostitution and cheap labour and when someone appears in either category in Spain, it almost certainly means there is a family missing a person in their country of origin with little possibility of ever finding them again. What doesn’t quite make sense is the fact there are so many unaccompanied children arriving in Europe as refugees and one wonders what has happened to their parents and how they managed to travel literally thousands of miles to reach their destination. For Europeans, the reasons for disappearance are easier to fathom as many teenagers run away because of disagreements with parents over sexuality, abuse or sheer dislike whilst children can disappear when taken by one of their parents. It is sad, but a fact of life, so if anybody can help to put families in touch with each other, then they will have done a great service to the individuals concerned and the community at large.

could from the system whilst some of the Lords were quite content to sell their influence. The record album by Generis entitled ‘Selling England by the pound’ seems to describe the way in which many were seen to act. We went into a war in Iraq against the wishes of millions, which ended up making the situation worse, except of course for American business. Then the EU appointed one of the chief instigators, our very own former PM as Middle East peace envoy - makes you think of Turkeys voting for Christmas! Luckily for him and every other previous and subsequent PM, he is able to earn millions on lecturing wealthy people about how good he and they all are. There is a conspiracy theory that the whole Daesh problem and the movement of hundreds of thousands of people into Europe has been orNow we ganised by a shadowy group of alien want to infiltrators working with the shadhear your views. owy Illuminati, who meet annually in Davos (very close to the YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE name of head Dalek Davros) - YOUR OPINION which I used to laugh at but now www.euroweeklynews.com I’m not so sure!

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ALL the lectures are free to members and cost just €10 for visitors Photo Credit Sam Garza Wikimedia.

THERE is a lot happening with the Nerja Fine Arts Society during March with two lectures, a dinner and an art walk. On March 15 there will be a lecture at the usual venue, the Cultural Centre, Calle Granada, Nerja which starts at 6pm and is entitled Leipzig: Architecture, Art and Music - JS Bach, Mendelssohn, Wagner which will be given by Denis Moriarty.

ANGKOR WAT: Lecture to be held at Museo de Nerja. The lecture also includes a brief historical-cum-architectural survey- mediaeval and

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Busy month at Nerja DFAS By John Smith

EWN

book fairs, the bombing-close to Dresden - and the old East Germany.

Following the lecture, there will be a three-course dinner at La Capilla del Mar for €23. The next lecture is a morning one to be held at the Museo de Nerja, Plaza España at 11am on March 22 when Michael O’Brien PhD will talk about the art and architecture of the Khmer Empire, from the 6th to 13th century under the title Angkor Wat. All of the lectures are free to members and €10 for visitors. For more details or to book, visit www.nerjanadfas.org.

Lux Mundi coach trip to Gibraltar ON Tuesday March 22 Lux Mundi Torre del Mar is arranging a coach excursion to Gibraltar at a cost of €12 which must be purchased in advance. Departure times are Puente don Manuel (Hotel Romero) 6.45am, Algarrobo (Lidl) 7.15am, Caleta 7.20am and Torre Del Mar (Bus Station) 7.30am with the return departure from Gibraltar at 3pm. Passports or ID cards are required without exception. For further information please contact the centre on 952

543 334 or e-mail luxmundi@lux-mundi.org.

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E W N Axarquía - Costa Tropical

10 - 16 March 2016

V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E W W W . E U R O W E E K LY N E W S . C O M

TO READ MORE

PROPERTY www.euroweeklynews.com

New cutting edge designed homes in Spain truly stunning SPAIN offers homes that are good quality, but many are actually excellent! John Graham The property expert

IT’S March, a time of the year when international buyers start seriously looking at where to buy their holiday home or permanent home in the sun and I’m seeing an increase in buyers looking to buy in Spain, or to be more precise, along the Costas and Balearics. An interesting report came out recently and the report states that around 73 per cent of all property for sale in Spain is good quality. I would go a lot further and say that in my experience there is now a much higher percentage of properties for sale in Spain that are not just good, but are excellent quality.

LUXURY LIVING: Architects and builders are pushing the quality to new highs. Pushing the excellent quality levels to new highs today are the architects and builders of new luxury villas and apartments, all along the Costas and Balearics.

The cutting edge designs of many architects are truly stunning and their properties are being snapped up by buyers from around the world, in many cases, even before being built.

The interior designs are modern and open plan, making the most of natural Mediterranean light, giving the feeling of space and comfort. Energy efficiency is now as good as it gets, underfloor heating, hot and cold air conditioning, high tech insulation, high quality double glazing, the latest hot water systems, solar panels and much more. Top architects plan for appliances and fittings of the highest technical standards, from kit-chen appliances to bathroom fittings to the bedroom furnishings, nothing is overlooked. Low maintenance materials are used by architects and builders to ensure the annual running cost of a new luxury home is kept to the minimum. John Graham - Fellow of The Architecture & Surveyors Institute. email. gk.ipad@me.com

NEW BUILDS: Number of licences has increased.

Building increases A TOTAL of 49,695 building licences for new homes were approved in Spain in 2015, an increase of 42.5 per cent compared to the year before, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Public Works and Development. This was the second year in a row to reflect positive results, and the vast majority of the permits granted, approximately 35,000, were for flats, the report revealed. A seven-year run of drops in licences for new builds applied for and granted was broken

in 2014, when an increase of 1.7 per cent on the 2013 historical low brought the total to 34,873. Yet the total is still a far cry from the peak levels of 2006, when 865,561 licences were approved. BBVA Research reported that the 2015 increase was ‘the end of a successful year for construction activity,’ and said the growth is supported by improvements in employment within the construction sector.

HOMES

10 - 16 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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GARDENS

EWN

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It’s time to watch out for unexpected low temperatures in the garden! HARD soils can be hard on wrists and elbows when digging holes, so use a mattock Dick Handscombe

Temperature on thermometer oC

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

TRADITIONALLY March is a month of strong winds and unexpected low temperatures, so do watch out for the following possible problems in the garden and take timely precautionary or corrective actions. 1. Broken branches of all types of plants, shrubs and trees. Cut them off to prevent further damage and remove eyesores. 2. Tight ties holding trunks and branches that are starting to cut into the bark. Carefully loosen them and replace. 3. The chaffing of trunks and branches from loose ties. Tighten but leave space for the thickening of the branch. 4. Wind factor burning even if the thermometer does not actually fall below zero. The following table indicates the possibilities.

+2.5

-5.0

0.0

-2.5

0.0

-10

-2.5

-5.0

-2.5

-12.5

-10

-12.5

-10

-17.5

5. Fleece placed over vulnerable plants being ripped off by the winds. Fix more securely. 6. Already dry soils being further dried out by strong winds. Water so as to not lose early blossom and prevent bulbs dying off quickly. 7. Nesting birds can be disturbed if too many people walk near them so be careful.

A TOUGH plant in the garden and can take over if you don’t watch

MINT is a garden superstar. It can add a bit of a kick to a fruit salad, can make a mean mint tea if you’re feeling under the weather, and of course it is a key ingredient in all of your favourite indulgences, from mint ice cream to mint chocolate. And who doesn’t love a good mint julep or mojito? Once you plant it, mint will stick with you. It is a very tough plant and can even be invasive and take over your garden if you don’t keep an eye on it.

Chill factor temperature on surface of leaf oC

+2.5

Getting your garden into mint condition By Sam Croft

Wind speed around and through plants Km/hr

Mint should be planted in full sun or partial shade, in moist soil that has been thoroughly drained. It can fall victim to various unpleasant garden beasties, including spider mites, flea beetles, and weevils. It should be hosed down often to prevent this from happening. Harvesting mint is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Once the plants begin to bloom, just cut the leaves and tops off, and voila! Your mint tea, mint julep, or fresh bowl of after-eight ice cream is waiting for you just around the corner.

PURPLE is the second most common flower colour, after yellow, but we often fail to get the most out of it. It is an incredibly versatile colour, which can either be vibrant or subdued, so it really depends on what kind of statement you’re trying to make

8. If there are no signs of forthcoming frosts that normally kill off the yellow flowered oxalis flowers in your garden weed them out. 9. On windy days fires can soon get out of control or create new fires from flying sparks so ensure you obtain a licence, burn early, finish early, and dampen the cinders before you leave.

10. Cover seed beds with wire mesh to make it difficult for visiting cats or birds to dig. 11. Hard soils can be hard on wrists and elbows when digging planting holes so use a mattock or spade even for small holes rather than a trowel. 12. Put a heater in a greenhouse if frosts could damage young seedlings or mature specimens. 13. Keep bird baths filled with water as it is important birds do not become thirsty as the nesting season starts. 14. Give fruit trees a spring neem insecticide and propolis fungicide spray. 15. Attend one of the local spraying courses so you are legal when you use insecticides, fungicides and weed killers. 16. For many there is no sign of this year being any wetter than recent years so rethink your gardens before going out and buying new plants. Ideas for reducing the watering needs of your garden are in the book ‘How to use less water in your garden.’ © Dick Handscombe / www.gardenspain.com

Planting in purple with your particular flower garden. If you’re going for a pale purple, lilac and lavender can be a lovely choice. The con-

trasting colour for violet and purple is yellow. The paler shades offered up by lilac and mauve look very nice next to creamy yellows,

such as common primroses. When purples are placed alongside whites, silvers and greys, they look darker and more vibrant than they really are. For something more dramatic, try morning glories or some purple gladiolus.

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PETS PAGE www.euroweeklynews.com

What have I done? SOME thoughts from our feline friends

A Lonely Cat

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

A Cat’s Prayer Now I lay me down to sleep, ... The king-size bed is soft and deep ve groo I sleep right in the centre My human can hardly move! in tight I’ve trapped her legs, she’s tucked t nigh the pass And here is where I de No one disturbs me or dares intru food!” t wan “I and es com ning mor Till I sneak up slowly to begin My nibbles on my human’s chin.

p teeth She wakes up quickly, I have shar e eath unsh will I s And my claw to play For the morning’s here and it’s time . way my get I always seem to So thank you Lord for giving me This human person that I see.

I wish someone wo uld tell me what it is that I’ve done wron g. But now the master Why do I have to hasn’t time, the m stay outside in the isra in tre ss says I shed. and be left alone so long? She doesn’t wan They seemed so gl t me in the house, ad to have me wh not en I even to be fed. came here as a kit ten. The children neve Th er e w er e so m r pet me, they alw an y th in gs w e’ d ays do say, “Not now” while I was growing up. I wish that I coul d please them. W on’t someone tell me ho The master said he w? ’d love me as a co m panion and a frien d. All I had, you see, The mistress said was love. she’d never fear to be I wish they would ex left alone again. plain Why they said the The children said y wanted mine, they’d feed me an d And then left it ou brush me every da tside in the rain. y. They’d play with me and walk me if I would only stay. Author: Jodi Rike r Yap

me tight The one who hugs me and holds t. And sacrifices her bed at nigh ~ Author Unknown ~

Esmerelda is like a Rum Tum Tugger Housesitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and petsitting and the experience and checked sitters get free accommodation! To find a pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on +44 (0)1865521508

IT never fails to surprise Esmerelda’s family just how mature and regal she looks when her long coat is groomed and brushed beautifully, raised around her like a virtual crown. In this poise she lives up to her ‘sensible everyday name,’ as Old Possum would have it. But she only has to hear one bird sound from outside and she is off, scattering any royal illusions about her as she tears around the house and garden like a Rum Tum Tugger. TS Eliot’s cats famously named for their hidden and sometimes not-so-hidden personalities brought about her nickname, and how truly she lives up to her multiple personalities! When catsitters come to care for her in her home, as requested by the family while they are on holiday, Esmerelda performs for an introductory period. The house-sitters have been warned, it takes just one bird and you may not see her for the rest of the day as she chases the offender all over the neighbourhood. The house-sitters have been prepared for her special ways and her routines.

ESMERELDA: Performs for an introductory period. The owners leave a list of daily routine instructions for her care, and telephone numbers just in case something happens. But she always comes back, ready to perform once again.

E W N 10 - 16 March 2016

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Fiat are over the legal limit A GERMAN environmental group called Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) recently tested the emissions of the popular Fiat 500X SUV, to see how they matched up to the company’s own claims. Not only did the 500X produce more emissions than Fiat-Chrysler claimed, it produced between 11 and 22 times the harmful emissions expected! That’s up to 2,200 per cent more harmful emissions than the company stated. Following the highly damaging VW emissions scandal that led to the brand all but abandoning diesel vehicle sales in the US, the DUH has begun testing other carmakers’ products to see how they stack up. The resulting tests have caught a few more cheaters, but few have racked up scores as high as the Fiat’s.

10 - 16 March 2016 E W N

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It doesn’t matter whether you drive a McLaren or a McDonald’s delivery van, you are still relying on exactly the same technology that was dreamed up more than 100 years ago.

Some might say...

Viva the Vauxhall Viva THE new model still offers the same practical and economical motoring IT’S been nearly 40 years since the Vauxhall Viva was launched, and the new model still offers the same practical, economical motoring. For some time back in the 70s, family transport typically came in the shape of a Vauxhall Viva, which was available in a particularly unattractive pale green or mud brown paint job. Boyhood recollections of this particular car are somewhat limited, the huge Ford Cortina Mk I which preceded it, and the much more exciting looking Triumph Herald which came later, both made more lasting impressions. Other than that, to a young child with more of an interest in cars of the Matchbox variety, it was a pretty unremarkable car. Google informs us that there were three generations of Viva that Vauxhall produced, the first having appeared in 1963, and it was the last of the compa-

ny’s cars to be totally designed in the United Kingdom. Four decades later, though, the Viva name is back on Britain’s roads – reincarnated to replace the Agila as the entry-level model in the Vauxhall range. Of course, the new Viva is a different car for a different age. In 2016 the new version lends itself more to the role of a second car for family buyers, but will also appeal to city dwellers

and older folk, perhaps looking to downsize after the family have fled the nest. It comes in two trim levels, SE and the SL, and power coming from just one engine - a 1.0 litre, three-cylinder petrol unit which kicks out a modest 75bhp and boasts impressive

VIVA: Back on Britain’s roads.

How can you repair a Tesla? COMPANY will not give you the tools or data to fix your car CONSUMER reports say Tesla drivers are more satisfied with their car than the drivers of any other car. Nonetheless, Consumer Reports gave only an average rating for the cars’ reliability, despite worshipping the Model S P85D just a few months ago. Regardless of the raving reviews, and how great Tesla cars are when they are functioning, what happens when your Tesla needs to be fixed? Where can you take it? There aren’t any local Tesla dealers, and you can’t arrange for your neighbourhood garage to repair the problem. Why? According to Yahoo, Tesla will not give you the information or tools required to fix your car, irrespective of whether you’re an individual car owner, a local car repair facility, or a nationally franchised chain. Currently, Tesla’s share of

CONSUMER REPORT: Says Tesla drivers are more satisfied with their cars than any other drivers on the road. the American car market is less than a 20th of 1 per cent, and their refusal to share information may not seem to be a major concern right now. Plus, the company has been rather generous with free repairs and upgrades. However, their continuing pursuit of reaching their ambitious goal by selling 500,000

cars by 2020, and older cars accumulating more miles, means the company could gain considerable wealth by eliminating repairs competition. Right now, Tesla America charges the following service costs for their vehicles: €550 - Annual inspection (every year or 12,500 miles) €1,700 - Four years of pre-

paid service (one inspection every year or 50,000 miles) €3,450 - Eight years of prepaid service (one inspection every year or 100,000 miles) Tesla would be set to benefit almost €1 billion euros in extra revenue if all of their current customers opted for the four-year programme. This plan, however, only covers simple wear and tear items, such as windscreen wipers, wheel alignments, tyre rotations, and software upgrades. If you have a major issue after the eight-year warranty expires, you have no other option but to pay Tesla to repair your car, and Tesla is free to set the charges for parts and labour. Increasingly complex software, such as collision avoidance, lane keeping and selfsteering technology, are becoming common to all new cars.

average fuel economy of 62.8 miles per gallon. As you’d expect, performance is steady rather than sporty but is perky enough in town traffic, and with a UK entry price of £9,495 (€12,000), it will hardly break the bank.

E W N Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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MARIA SHARAPOVA: Nike has suspended its relationship with the Russian star after she admitted testing positive for a banned substance. Axarquía ’s best guide to local sport

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Foxes on the run, GB in Davis Cup ONLY a handful of points cover the top four in the Championship 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 • With nine games remaining in the PL title race, Leicester City, 1-0 winners at Watford, are five points clear of Spurs who drew 2-2 with third-placed Arsenal. Despite Aguero’s

penalty miss, Manchester City (4th) hammered ‘dire’ Aston Villa 4-0; West Ham came back from two down to beat 10-man Everton 3-2; Liverpool’s 10 (Milner saw red) beat Crystal Palace 2-1 with a 94th minute Benteke penalty and WBA edged Manchester United’s 10 (Mata dismissed)1-0 - their first ever home PL win over the Reds as United manager ‘LVG’ moaned and mumbled again! At the foot of the table, there were vital wins for Bournemouth 3-1 at Newcastle and Swansea 1-0 over Nor-

wich, while Sunderland drew at Southampton and Stoke at Chelsea, both 1-1. • A handful of points cover the top four in the Championship with Middlesbrough, Burnley, Hull and Brighton all chasing automatic promotion, while bottom club Bolton are 10 points from safety. Burton Albion lead FL1; Northampton (unbeaten in 12) are 13 points clear of Oxford at the top of FL2 and Celtic are still the SPL leaders. • Barcelona, on course to win La Liga (again) set a new Spanish record of 36 games without defeat by beating Eibar 4-0. Messi netted twice to take his goal-tally for club and country to 525. And last Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his 530th career goal (in 771 games) with a four-timer in Real Madrid’s 71 La Liga win over Celta Vigo. • Bayern Munich lead the Bundesliga by five points from

Borussia Dortmund and Juventus have edged clear of Napoli in Serie ‘A.’ • The 2016 Italian Cup final will be between AC Milan and Juventus. • In the Champions League on Tuesday, Real Madrid (2-0 up) met Roma while last night, Chelsea, trailing 2-1, played PSG at the ‘Bridge.’ This evening, Spurs visit Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool play Manchester United in the Europa League. • There are threeFA Cup quarter-finals coming up: Reading v Crystal Palace (tomorrow), Everton v Chelsea (Saturday) and Manchester United v West Ham (Sunday). The winners of Tueday’s Arsenal/Hull fifth round replay will meet Watford on a date yet to be arranged. • Also on Sunday, it’s Hibs v Ross County in the Scottish League Cup final and later this

month, Celtic play Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final. • The MLS season kicked off last Sunday with New York City beating Chicago Fire 4-3 in the opening fixture. • And Walsall have sacked manager Sean O’Driscoll. RUGBY UNION • The Six Nations continues on Saturday with Ireland-Italy, followed on Sunday by England-Wales (both unbeaten) and Scotland-France. In the domestic game, it’s Saracens and Exeter first and second in the Aviva PL and Connacht and Leinster 1-2 in the Pro12 League. TENNIS • Holders GB beat Japan to reach the quarter-finals of the Davis Cup in Birmingham. And once again ‘Man of Steel’ Andy Murray was star of the show with two singles victories (his second lasted almost five hours) and a doubles win with

brother Jamie. Next up - Novak Djokovic and Serbia. Meanwhile, GB’s Heather Watson beat Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) to win the Monterrey Open - her third WTA career title. The ATP/WTA Paribas Open in Indian Wells, USA, is now under way and ends on March 20. GOLF • Rory McIlroy ‘blew’ a three-shot lead on the final day as Adam Scott went on to win the WGC Cadillac Classic in Miami. And 11-year-old Taylor Crozier recorded a hole-in-one off the first tee, on the opening day of the new Bluejack National Park course in Texas. CRICKET • The T20 World Cup started on Tuesday in India. Ireland and Scotland were in action immediately while England’s first match is against the West Indies next Wednesday.