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SSUENN 1555 //3 -23 - 29 APRIL2016 2015 9 November IISSUE OO . .1635

COSTA DE ALMERÍA

YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

Hotel faces demolition By E Hawkins and M Elliott Demolition day is drawing closer for the Algarrobico hotel, the notorious eyesore that has long been the subject of vicious legal disputes and intensive protests. Although local residents, weary of the epic saga’s seemingly endless chapters, will play the role of Doubting Thomas, the first step in the demolition process finally gets underway this week. On November 4 the Junta de Andalucia regional government will formalise the repossession process, taking back the land from developers Azata Sol and Azata Patrimonio SL, and securing the legal right to destroy the Carboneras hotel. The long and arduous journey to demolition began in 2006 with a legal challenge to the hotel’s positioning on protected land in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park. Only in February 2015 was the question of legality resolved with a damning judgement at the Supreme Court. Common sense prevailed and the Algarrobico, named as one of the world’s ugliest buildings by the Daily Telegraph and frequently vandalised by Greenpeace ac-

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American tale AN Almeria town has its own profound interest in the outcome of the American presidential election. Cuevas del Almanzora has been working with the US for years to help decontaminate the site of a nuclear See page 12 disaster, but think Donald Trump has other ideas.

Bisbal is back PRODIGAL son, local hero and global superstar David Bisbal released his new music video filmed in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar

Natural Park just two weeks ago and it has already clocked up more than five million views online. See page 20

Playing with fire ALBOX could be set for a much-needed financial windfall after local businesses supported the council’s decision to limit firefighting missions to the locality, rather than sending their brave men and women to See page 56 all corners of Almeria.

tivists, was declared illegal. The developers have been forced to accept a €2.3 million expropriation fee and now the local government will decide how to most effectively spend the roughly €7 million earmarked for demolition. In a separate legal hearing Azata Sol are claiming almost €70 million for their losses after construction stopped at the final stages. Environmental activists had previously pledged to

recycle the materials from all 411 rooms and 21 floors but it looks as though the authorities will choose the quickest solution. The case has long dragged

the area into disrepute, with the half finished, vandalised hotel a symbol of out-ofcontrol development in the run-up to Spain’s financial crisis.

Sierro saved A WELL pumped by solar power, new pipework and proper investment may be enough to help save Sierro residents near Albox.

The area has been plagued with drought for years but recently struck gold finding a new water supply. See page 58

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LOCAL NEWS

Stabber faces jail A MAN who stabbed an acquaintance in Nijar is facing a jail sentence at his trial at a provincial court this week.

The Public Prosecutor has requested four years’ imprisonment and a five year restraining order.

Against violence ADHESION to a region-wide manifesto against gender violence was one of the items approved at the latest Almeria Provincial Council plenary session on Friday (October 28). The Andalucian provinces will unite on November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Tourist training MORE than 60 people are attending a course on accessible tourism and attention to customers with disabilities of special needs in Garrucha today,

November 3, organised by PREDIF. The 10-hour course aims to teach people in the tourism industry how to attend to those with disabilities.

Playground opens CUEVAS DEL ALMANZORA Council has officially opened the new children’s playground in Palomares at an event attended by about 100 local residents.

Mayor Antonio Fernandez and councillors Maria Isabel Alarcon and Antonia Ponce unveiled a plaque at the playground by the church and declared it officially open.

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NEWS

A star for a star By Eleanor Hawkins C AT H E R I N E D E N E U V E will be visiting Almeria next week to receive an award at the Almeria International Film Festival. The French actress, who filmed March or Die in the Tabernas desert with Gene Hackman and Terence Hill in 1977, will be receiving the Almeria, Land of Cinem a p r i z e a t t h e f e s t i v a l ’s opening ceremony on No-

13 November is the day of the festival’s opening ceremony. vember 13. While in the city, Deneuve will also be unveiling her very own star o n t h e Wa l k w a y o f S t a r s , Almeria Provincial Council has announced.

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Culture Delegate Antonio Jesus Rodriguez reported that Deneuve was chosen to r e c e i v e t h i s y e a r ’s p r i z e during the film festival, running from November 13 to 19, for her almost six decades of work in the industry. Born in Paris, Deneuve’s parents were both actors and during her career she has worked with some of the most prestigious film directors in the world including Manoel de Oliveira, Roman Polanski, Marcel Camus, Dino Risi, Agnes Varda, Andre Techine, Luis Buñuel, Hugo Santiago, François Truffaut, Lars Von Tr i e r a n d F r a n ç o i s O z o n among others.

CATHERINE DENEUVE: Will receive her prize for almost six decades of work in the industry.

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Featured News 3

European News 26

Finance 29 - 34

Stocks 30

Leapy Lee 35

Guernica. Our View 38

Colin Bird 38

Daily TV 40

Time Out 46 - 47

Letters 48

Health & Beauty 49 - 51

Social Scene 52 - 53

Albox 55 - 59

Property 62

Homes & Gardens 63

Pets 65

Classifieds 66 - 67

Motoring 68 - 69

Sport 71 - 72

By John Smith IN November 1937, 19-year-old merchant sailor Stan Hilton left his ship in Alicante and made his way to Albacete where he joined the British Battalion of the 15th International Brigade, as according to him “The Spanish people needed help. It was the right thing to do.” That winter, he fought in the area of Teruel and then in the spring of 1938 his battalion was defeated as General Franco’s forces supported by troops sent from Italy as well as Hitler’s Condor Legion, were victorious in Aragon and Catalonia. Stan swiftly made his way to Barcelona and then caught a ship back to the UK where he rejoined the merchant navy and remained in that service all through the Second World War before emigrating to Australia in 1956.

Stan Hilton and International Brigade flag - ©@IBMT_SCW Twitter.

2,500 British volunteers on the Republican side fought against the fascist rebels backed by Germany and Italy. He was one of some 2,500 British volunteers on the Republican side of whom more than 500 died fighting

against the fascist rebels backed by Germany and Italy who were testing their war machines prior to future aggression across Europe. This last British member of the International Brigade died in Melbourne at the age of 98 and a tribute was held in Newhaven, East Sussex - where he was born - on Saturday October 29, in memory of this brave survivor of the Spanish Civil War.

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Anti-bullying helpline launched By Eleanor Hawkins THE Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports’ new anti-bullying helpline started to function on Tuesday (November 1). Calls to the helpline, 900 018 018, are free of charge, confidential and leave no trace on bills and the phones will be staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year by psychologists and social workers, the government announced upon presenting the project. Specialists will work in collaboration with the State Security Forces and whenever necessary will pass cases over to school inspectors or the police.

The number, the Ministry said, should be easy for youngsters to remember as it reflects the ages 0 to 18 and in the future, if sufficient traffic is registered, it may be reduced to a three-digit number as was the case with 016, the helpline for domestic violence. For at least the first year, the service will be run by AlcalaBC for an amount of €482,635. The launch has seen some criticism from various parties, including the deaf people’s associations who fear that promised video-chats as part of the service may not work as well as hoped and parents’ associations who claim more should be done to prevent bullying before it happens.

FREE OF CHARGE: Calls are confidential and leave no trace on bills.

Talks over FIFA poppy commemoration ban ENGLAND, Scotland and Wales are in talks with world football’s governing body FIFA over whether players can wear poppies on their shirts to mark Armistice Day.

FIFA rules prohibit the wearing of political, religious or commercial messages on a shirt.” A ban by FIFA on the home nations wearing the poppy emblem on their shirts on November 11 has led to urgent talks. England play Scotland at Wembley on November 11 in a World Cup qualifier, while Wales will face Serbia at the Cardiff City Stadium on the November 12. FIFA rules prohibit the wearing of political, religious or commercial messages on a shirt. Under its rules FIFA could deduct points but the ruling has led to talks between the football associations of each nation and FIFA executives. Commemorations on Armistice Day take place across the country to remember its war dead. An FA spokesman con-

firmed talks were under way with FIFA “to allow the Eng-

land team to show its support for the Poppy Appeal

during the World Cup qualifier with Scotland.”

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Record low for local lakes ALMERIA Province has recorded its driest year since records began, with just 53 litres of rainfall per square metre registered between October 27, 2015 and the same date this year. Weather analysts Cazatormentas pointed out that the amount of rain recorded at weather stations across the province was even less than the 54 litres per m2 registered in 1912, the lowest since statistics began.

The Environmental Department has admitted that the amount of rainfall registered over the last year was just 66 per cent of the average and that reservoirs and aquifers have been affected. There are just two reservoirs in the province, in Beninar and Cuevas del Almanzora, which are currently at 8 and 6 per cent of their capacity respectively. The authorities continue to ask people to be very careful and responsible and if possible avoid wasting water.

NEWS

Good news for the unemployed By Eleanor Hawkins THE Junta de Andalucia regional government has started sharing out €20 million amongst the 103 towns and villages in Almeria Province for this autumn’s employment schemes. Altogether 2,653 jobs are to be created under two separate schemes, one for youngsters and another for the over 30s, with a minimum duration of three months and salaries of around €1,500 per month. Alcolea, Carboneras, Garrucha, Olula del Rio, Pulpi, Seron, Tijola and Zurgena were among the first councils to receive official approval of their applications for inclusion in the schemes last week, said Economy, Science

and Employment Delegate Miguel Angel Tortosa.

2,653 jobs will be up for grabs across the province. This year for the first time the whole amount allocated to each council (depending on local population and unemployment) will be paid in advance to ensure funds are available to cover the new workers’ salaries. Once the money is received, each council will present the Andalucian Employment Service with details of the jobs available and the service will send three unemployed candidates for interviews for each post.

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Budget for Almeria By Eleanor Hawkins THE Junta de Andalucia regional government’s 2017 budgets, finally agreed upon last week by PSOE and Ciudadanos

Boss jailed after work accident A HUERCAL-OVERA businessman has been given a two-month jail sentence, banned from carrying out management tasks for four months and fined €6 per day for six months for failing to provide sufficient safety measures to his workers. It follows an accident in which the worker slipped while using a radial cutting machine, leading to loss of the ends of two of his fingers. A criminal court judge has found the businessman guilty of a crime against workers’ rights and another of causing injury through imprudence as the workers were not provided with protective equipment. However, the judge said the fact that the employer had already paid damages to the injured worker was a mitigating circumstance.

School support rewarded VERA’S Education councillor, Maria Montoya, will be travelling to Madrid at the end of the month to collect an award for the town’s school anti-absenteeism and support programme. Vera and another 13 towns in Spain have been selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports and the Federation of Municipalities and Provinces to receive the awards.

political parties, include amounts for various projects in Almeria. Items listed under the agreement to receive funding this year in the province include

completion of the Cucador-La Concepcion stretch of the Almanzora motorway, widening of the Vera-Garrucha road and conservation works on La Alcazaba.

The budgets also allow for €6 million for construction of two secondary schools, one in Huercal de Almeria and the other in El Toyo. Water supply is also included in the plans.

EWN

Fatal car crash A MAN died in the early hours of Saturday morning (October 29) when his car overturned on the AL-5107 from Mojacar to Carboneras. The accident happened just after midnight near Urbanization Playa Macena, 112 Emergency Services Andalucia reported. The 32-year-old driver was alone in the car and paramedics’ efforts to save his life were unsuccessful.

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Do I stay or do I go? BREXIT PAGE By Simon Firth THE failure of the UK government to spell out what its policy will be towards EU citizens post-Brexit, and the inescapable feeling that they will become a ‘bargaining tool’ at some stage has led many a family to suddenly check on the heritage of their forebears. It started with some checking out their Irish ancestry and now it appears the descendants of German Jews who fled to Britain are the next group. German government sources have apparently reported a rise in such applications, problematic as they are for those who fled that state and later found their relatives who stayed behind did not survive. The scramble to remain in

NIGEL NELSON: Will try to answer your questions. the EU and find a long-lost family member with rights to another nationality could become a flood once Article 50 is triggered. For those who live in Spain one of the main issues that could decide whether people stay or return to the UK is the critical question of pensions. This column has touched on the issue before but on November 15 the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Frozen British Pensions stage their next meeting in London. It will be attended by board members from the International Consortium of British Pensioners (ICBP).

They are fighting for the right to have the annual pension increase extended to those who live outside the UK, the EU and countries where a deal exists, such as the US, Israel and the Philippines. Come next March, when Mrs May triggers the Article 50 countdown, anyone of pensionable age will have two years in which to hope that the UK government comes to a reciprocal arrangement with Spain. Nigel Nelson is a member of the Canadian Alliance of British Pensioners. “The purpose of the London visit is to talk to as many Members of Parliament who are prepared to see us. “Brexit will be front and centre of the agenda, and we always use Spain as the example for two reasons: there are over 108,000 UK pensioners living in Spain and there is no history of any social services bilateral agreement between the UK and Spain, prior to 1973, when the UK first joined

what was then the European Economic Community (EEC).” Nigel has offered to try to answer questions from EWN readers who have concerns about the pensions issue. You can send your questions to us at editor@euroweeklynews.com and we will pass them on.

Brexpats in Spain BREXPATS IN SPAIN are the guests of Lux Mundi Fuengirola at a meeting on November 23. They will attempt to answer your questions on a wide range of topics associated with the aftermath of the Brexit vote. The meeting takes place at 3.30pm at Fundación Lux Mundi on Avda Moscatel 1.

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More flights THE winter season at Almeria Airport, which began on Sunday (October 30) and runs u n t i l t h e l a st weekend in March, will see airlines offer more t h a n 3 3 1 , 5 0 0 seats to and from 20 differ e n t d e st i n a tions. This, t h e a i r p o r t management reported, is a 15.7 per cent increase on the number of seats offered durin g t h e 2 0 1 5 2016 winter period and i s d u e t o i n creased demand for s ervic e s i n t h e province. Of the 20 destinations wh i c h c a n b e reach e d directly from Al m e r i a Ai rport, 1 2 a r e wi t h i n Spain while the other eight a r e B e r l i n , Dusseldorf, London, M anch e st e r, B i r m ingha m , B r u sse l s, D ubli n a n d St o c k holm. International flight s a r e i n t h e most demand, with an increase in available seats of 48.4 per cent compared to last year.

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Fire season could have been worse this year By Eleanor Hawkins ENVIRONMENTAL delegate for Almeria, Antonio Martinez told a meeting of the provincial firefighting programme committee last week that the high risk season could have been a lot worse considering this year’s adverse conditions. The weather, Martinez told the committee, was “extremely unfavourable” as the lack of rain and high temperatures both during the day and at night led to a very dry summer. However, the authorities had to intervene in just 60 cases, of which 51 fires affected less than one hectare of land, the delegate announced. The dry conditions led this year to

FIRE PREVENTION: Authorities praised.

agricultural burning being banned a month earlier than usual and the bans remaining in place up to at least November 15 in collaboration with municipal councils. Negligence remains the most common cause of fires and has been found to be behind 60 per cent of this year’s fires, according to the Forest Fire Investigation Brigade. Martinez praised the fast work of the brigade, which has determined the cause of all but less than 2 per cent of this year’s fires. Finally, the delegate praised the various authorities involved in firefighting and prevention and spoke of the excellent collaboration between them all.

Clowning about local streets not found funny THE Local Police force in Almeria City has reported the recent arrest of two men, 20 and 21, who were seen running through the streets wearing clown masks and brandishing fake guns. Dressed in black suits and sporting latex gloves, clown masks and the pretend

weapons, the pair were terrifying passers-by on Calle Sagunto, where they were stopped and unarmed by police officers. The two men claimed they were taking part in a zombie survival game with 60 other people and were warned by the officers of

the danger and social alarm they were causing with their disguises. The pair were arrested under the Citizens’ Security Law (popularly referred to as the Gag CLOWN DIS Law) and their fake GUISE: Can cause alarm weapons confiscated. to others.

FINANCE

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Tax planning remains an important part of protecting your wealth and retirement income, but it can be quite a minefield these days, particularly if you have cross-border interests. You need detailed, up-todate knowledge of local, UK and international tax regulations to achieve the best results for yourself and your heirs. There are two key tax planning issues to consider – • That the arrangements you use are fully compliant and you are fully declaring your worldwide assets and income as required by law. • That the arrangements you use are suitable for you, will achieve your aims and work well in Spain and UK. While some arrangements can seem similar, the tax benefits they provide can vary significantly. Modelo 720 The Spanish Tax Authority is becoming very proficient at detecting and preventing tax evasion. The introduction of the Modelo 720 in 2012 was a game changer in terms of the information it collects and uses to monitor taxpayers’ overseas assets. Everyone resident in Spain needs to annually

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Tax Planning In Today’s World

By Gerald Turner, Partner, Blevins Franks report their non-Spanish assets over €50,000. This is separate to income and wealth tax returns, with its own reporting requirements. The penalties for failing to declare assets are particularly harsh. Automatic exchange of information Next year tax authorities start to receive information on their taxpayers’ overseas assets and income under the Common Reporting Standard. This is the new automatic exchange of

information regime that is being implemented by around 100 countries around the world. The authorities will be in a position to compare the information received on an individual with his tax returns to find any discrepancies. In Spain they will also compare with Modelo 720. Tax efficient investment arrangements If you have not already done so, this is the time to review your tax planning arrangements to ensure you comply with your tax and reporting obligations, including for income that is taxed in another country. You should also look to shelter assets from tax using compliant arrangements. Tax efficient investment wrappers, offered through a Spanish compliant bond, can be very effective for Spanish residents. These ‘portfolio bonds’ – a specialised form of life assurance arrangement - are successfully

used by expatriates living here for tax and succession planning, but there are various types available, with different tax treatment. The tax treatment of life assurance contracts in Spain varies according to whether the contract is approved or not. An approved, or ‘compliant’, contract must meet specific requirements. For example, the life company must be an EU company and passported through their home regulator into Spain. Note that the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey are not in the EU. If you have a non-compliant bond, the investment growth is taxable each year, regardless of whether you have made withdrawals or not. If you have a compliant bond, no tax is payable until you make a withdrawal. When you make partial withdrawals, only the gain element of the amount withdrawn is taxable. When it comes to estate planning, you may find a trust can be effective in helping you

achieve your wishes for your heirs. However much depends on your circumstances and objectives, and the type of trust you use. Specialist advice for your tax and succession planning is essential to establish the most suitable approach for you. You need an adviser who is fully conversant with Spanish and UK tax law, who analyses tax reforms and keeps your wealth management up-to-date. Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice. To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com.

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NEWS

A political interest in faraway matters By Eleanor Hawkins THE US elections may seem a world away from Almeria, but Cuevas del Almanzora has its fingers crossed and is hoping for a

Democrat win. The town fears that if Republican Donald Trump was to win, the process started a year ago to reach an international treaty and finally decontaminate the grounds

in Palomares, the site of a nuclear accident in 1966, w ill grind to a c omple te halt. Large areas in the vicinity w e re c onta mina te d w he n two aircraft collided above

the coast of Almeria during a refuelling exercise, causing nuclear heads to fall to earth. Spanish Minister of the Exterior Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo and US Secre-

NEWS EXTRA

Short visit THE Thomson Spirit cruise ship, currently covering Thomson Cruises’ eightday Spanish Sunsets route, stopped off in Almeria City port on Friday October 28. The floating giant has capacity for 1,350 passengers and 520 crew members.

tary of State John Kerry pl edged on Oct ober 19, 2015 to work to rehabilitate Palomares and transport contaminated earth to a safe location in the US. Delays were however caused by the political situat i on i n Spai n as t he US government has refused to continue meetings until a government is formed. Now, Cuevas Council is crossing its fingers hoping Hillary Clinton wins the elections on the other side of the pond as she has

shown support for the project in the past, unlike her opponent. A draft of the agreement has already been drawn up, outlining the costs of the operation, possible timeframes and stating who would be responsible for what and, Ciemat Energy, Environment and Technology Investigation Centre reported, is binding as it was drawn up before the last Spanish general elections.

Flu jabs ALMERIA Province will receive 87,500 doses of this year’s flu jab for members of groups considered at risk including over 65s, medical professionals, pregnant women and those with chronic illnesses.

Less work THE latest EPA (active population survey) revealed there were 2,800 more jobless people in Almeria Province at the end of the third quarter of this year than three months beforehand.

JOHN KERRY: The US Secretary of State.

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Father jailed for breaking order AN Almeria man has been jailed for four years for breaking a restraining order, threatening and injuring his estranged wife and forcing her and their

10-year-old son to stay awake. The 47-year-old took his son’s keys during a visit and the next evening entered the family home and waited in the dark for the mother and son to arrive. During an argument the defendant took a knife from the kitchen and cut his victim’s chest before forcing her into the boy’s bedroom. The woman explained their attacker insisted they stay awake, threatening to throw water over them if they fell asleep. While the judge found the defendant guilty of threats, coercion, causing injury and breaking a restraining order, he saw no sign of illegal detention as the woman and child were not tied up or locked in. Along with the jail sentence, the judge awarded €6,200 in damages and issued restraining orders banning the defendant from approaching the woman for six years and their son for six months.

LACK OF BEDS: Closure of ward was done to cut costs.

Protests continue over hospital beds By Eleanor Hawkins STAFF at Huercal-Overa’s La Inmaculada Hospital protested again on Thursday (October 27) to express their concern that 24 beds in the Internal Medicine ward remain closed even though more than 600 people are waiting for operations. Unions complained earlier this year over

the closure of the beds, which they claimed was done to cut costs, and have stated that patients are suffering as a result. The hospital staff have obtained support from members of the local council and Andalucian parliament member for PP in Almeria Rosalia Espinosa, who have all agreed that the hospital should be put to full use to tend to the needs of the nearby population.

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Giving aid where it’s needed ALMERIA Provincial Council awarded grants for €14,500 to five non-profit associations to help finance their social projects. Council president Gabriel Amat and vicepresident Javier Aureliano Garcia met representatives from the NGOs last week and praised their work to provide assistance to people with disabilities, addictions and other problems. “Your time and efforts are just as important as money is to provide these much needed services which improve quality of life for people with difficulties. Thank you for your dedication and your work to improve Almeria,” Amat told the association. The Provincial Council intends to provide €129,300 this year to help finance 38 social projects.

NEWS

Call to kee ‘cleaner an By Eleanor Hawkins VERA Council has come to the conclusion that work is needed to maintain a good looking town and has taken several steps to bring it about. The first was a decision to install noticeboards for posting official announcements and posters for municipal events. Public Services councillor Francisca Garcia Carretero said: “We hope private companies will follow suit and stop putting posters up all over the place and leaving them there after events.” Next on the list of tasks was to put workers taken on under a local job scheme to good use by having them tidy up the streets, repaint zebra crossings, put fallen road signs back up and fix and spruce up urban fittings. Benches and rubbish bins were

JOB SCHEME: Work included repainting zebra crossings. all given a new lick of paint and the parks tidied up. “We hope people will help us keep things looking clean and tidy. It may be the council’s responsibility to maintain public areas but it

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p the town nd tidier’ VERA COUNCIL: Workers are tidying up the streets and fixing fallen road signs.

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NEWS EXTRA

Work starts WORK to build Almeria’s new children’s hospita l ha s re s ume d, Health Delegate Aquilino A lons o ha s a nnounced. The new hospital will cover an area of 23,271m2 and has a budget of €26.6 million.

New floor VERA Council has spent €19,000 on paving the flooring of the infant’s playground at Los Cuatro Caños school. The previous gravel play area was a common cause of complaint from the parents’ association.

Women tour is also down to residents to respect them and keep them in good shape,” the councillor said. Finally, the entrances to Vera from Cuevas del Almanzora and Garrucha have been marked with

ornamental signs of the town’s name and a similar statue has been set up on the seafront promenade. This, the council said, will allow visitors to take photos with the beach and sea as the backdrop.

MORE than 50 women from Cuevas del Almanzora visited Pedraza and Segovia organised by the local Municipal Women’s Information Centre and Social Services Department.

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Promotional efforts pay off By Eleanor Hawkins ALMERIA has burst onto screens across the world over the last two weeks as the video for David Bisbal’s latest single ‘Antes que no’ has been viewed more than five million times since its launch on October 13.

Filmed in the Arrecife de las Sirenas area of the Cabo de Gata-Nijar natural park and including stunning underwater scenes, the video is the latest promotional triumph for the Costa de Almeria destination. With fans all over the world, Bisbal continues to be a tourism ambassador for his homeland singing Almeria’s praises wherever he goes. As well as the millions of views of the new video on YouTube, Bisbal’s five million fans on Facebook, eight million on Twitter and 1.5 million on Instagram have been treated to recordings of the making of the clip and some amazing underwater images taking during seven hours of filming under the sea. Almeria Provincial Council has reported that this and other promotion efforts are certainly paying off as the destination’s popularity increases.

ALMERIA AMBASSADOR: Singer David Bisbal.

What can Europe do for you? CUEVAS DEL ALMANZORA Town Hall has hosted an Almeria Provincial Council conference and training session on making the most of European funding for Levante area town council staff. Led by financial promotion delegate Carmen Belen Lopez, the conference explained the ins and outs of obtaining grants available

under a variety of European funds including FEDER, FEADER and FSE plus specific environmental, cultural and employment schemes. The training, Lopez explained, helped show council members that obtaining funding from the European coffers for community and social initiatives is often a lot simpler than it may seem.

Girasol Gymnastic Club champion GIRASOL GYMNASTIC CLUB recently held the first Club Championships. The gymnasts were judged by an ex-international artistic gymnastics judge on their performances in both floor and vault with some outstanding work being performed by everyone competing. The competition was very

close between all gymnasts in each age group with as little as 0.10 between first and second. Congratulations to everyone that competed in the competition and Girasol Gymnastic Club look forward to next year’s Club Championships. Girasol Cheetah Club Champion: Daisy Wakeman.

Girasol Gazelle Club Champion: Noelia Roberts. Girasol Intermediate Club Champion: Isabella Grace Homes. For more information on gymnastic classes please telephone 639 089 170 or call into Girasol Health Food Shop and Community Centre, C/Malaga, Albox, Almeria.

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Water rate rise By Eleanor Hawkins THE Partido Popular (PP) opposition in Vera is up in arms over a proposal due to be presented at an extraordinary plenary session on Friday (October 28) to increase water rates in the town by 8 per cent. “They’re asking for the increase with the aim of building a water treatment plant in Palomares and we don’t understand why we need it.”

“Isn’t the water we’re supplied with good enough to drink anymore?” said PP representative Juan de la Cruz Belmonte. Another controversial matter on the agenda regarded modifications to the contract with Codeur mixed water cycle management company, which aims to reduce the amount the company is meant to spend on infrastructure as of 2017 from €45 million to just €14 million.

Public opinion considered MORE than 300 suggestions have been received from the people of Almeria City, for things which they want a budget for next year. This year, for the first time, city residents were invited to present their opinions on what their taxes should be spent on. Proposals were accepted up until October 21 to allow plenty of time for them to be considered, and those found to be viable included in the 2017 budget, city mayor Ramon Fernandez-Pacheco said. Many of the suggestions concern cleaning and maintenance, with some suggesting vandals be forced to carry out work in benefit of the community as punishment.

Popular courses for women MORE than 160 women are taking part in classes organised by the Municipal Women’s Information Centre in HuercalOvera including painting, yoga and meditation, sewing, DIY and ballroom dancing. Equality councillor Belen Martinez said the council was pleased that the classes were proving so popular and said the centre was considering adding extra sessions for some of the courses to meet demand.

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Contract awarded for improvements By Eleanor Hawkins A CONTRACT to carry out improvements to the Andalucia Primary School in San Isidro, Nijar, has been awarded to Contratas de Montemayor SL for €186,569, the Education Department has

announced. Due to take three months to complete, the work includes renewing the electrical system, replacing windows and renovating bathrooms at the school, the department explained. The project is one of 128 to be carried out at

Caught red handed TWO 32-year-old men from Benicassim (Castellon) have been remanded in custody after being caught in Velez-Rubio with 180 kilos of hashish in the boot of their car. Guardia Civil officers carrying out checks on vehicles by the A-92N motorway gave chase after they saw the car turn round and head back up the wrong side of the road after seeing the check point. The driver eventually stopped the car and tried to escape on foot but

HASHISH: 180 kilos discovered. was soon caught. Inspecting the car, the officers discovered six bundles containing 30 kilos of drugs each.

schools across Andalucia during the 2016-2017 academic year with a total budget of €107 million. Meanwhile in Garrucha, work has started to extend the Mediterraneo Secondary School which has been in desperate need for extra space since it opened in September 2003.

Originally planned to cater for just 12 classes, the number of students at the school has grown to almost 600 leading to pre-fabricated huts having to be shipped in. The extension will provide an extra 1,050m2 of space and is due to take a year costing €885,478.

E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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NEWS

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REASSURANCE: Police avoid situations getting out of hand.

GETTING AGGRESSIVE: Authorities take action against businesses failing to follow the rules.

Abusive bosses fined €600,000 By Eleanor hawkins LAST year, 141 fines amounting to almost €600,000 were issued to businesses in Almeria Province by the Work Inspection and Social Security departments for failing to follow the rules. Statistics for 2015 published last week by the Department of Employment, Business and Commerce revealed that the majority of the fines (€450,000) were

related to occupational health matters. This, the authorities and trade unions warn, is one of the main problems in the workplace as employers fail to ensure safe conditions. The rest of the fines issued were for abusive working conditions and excessively long hours reported by affected workers or discovered by work inspectors. Across Andalucia almost €5 million in fines were issued to employers last year.

Police presence POLICE surveillance at Almeria City’s Rio Andarax secondary school, where a 17-year-old boy was stabbed recently by another student, will continue for the time being, the government has reported. Government delegate for Almeria, Andres Garcia Lorca, said officers were now present at the beginning and end of the school day, and at break times to guarantee no further incidents occurred. The day after the stabbing a teacher found a knife in the possession of another student, leading the authorities to bring in specialised police teams. The aim, Garcia Lorca explained, is to educate the school community to avoid situations getting out of hand.

Alleged paedophile arrested A YOUNG man from Almeria City is under investigation for alleged child abuse. The 19-year-old was arrested and taken before a judge for questioning after various members of his family told the police he had been abusing at

least eight minors. The judge issued restraining orders banning him from approaching his alleged victims and ordered him to present himself at the court on the 1st and 15th of every month while the children and witnesses are interviewed.

E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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NEWS

RUSSIAN PRESS

Siberian sledging

FIRST SNOW: Locals attached snowboards to their cars. THE first snow fell in Novosibirsk and residents of the Siberian city quickly took to the streets to celebrate in style. It was packed with locals attaching snowboards to their cars. In January the average temperature is under -20C, although the city has as much annual sun as Spain.

Giant prison MORE than one million Russian citizens have been banned from leaving the country over unpaid debts. A deadpan message from the federal bailiff service suggested that travel bans might be ‘an effective incentive for repaying one’s debts.’ Foreign citizens on the other hand have been forcibly deported for the same reason.

stripped by beer for the first time as Russians cut back on their alcohol consumption in response to ever-tightening pockets. Demographics are also at play with young Russians born after 1985 more likely to favour beer and wine than the powerful potato fuel of their forebears.

Time bomb THE switch from a planned to a market economy has seen a catastrophic rise in obesity levels across Russia according to new research. The country is now sitting on a ticking time

bomb comparable to those in America and Russia. More than half of all adults are now overweight.

Banana republic DESPITE the fracas over a potential nuclear war with the west, cheeky Kremlin officials found time to request that they send election monitors to oversee the democratic integrity of the American elections in November. The American state department has denounced the request as a ‘stunt.’

Wolf winger RUSSIA has officially unveiled the mascot for the 2018 World Cup - Zabivaka the wolf. Zabivaka means ‘the one who scores’ in Russian and his biography describes the plucky character as wearing ‘cool glasses’ to provide special targeting powers. He beat competition from a bear and a cat.

Tipple trivia VODKA sales were out-

HIGH TENSION: A military build-up announced.

Tense times A WEEK of high tension saw a Russian fleet sail through the English channel, Nato force Spain to refuse refuelling for their ships in Ceuta, Britain and allies announce a military build-up in the Baltics, and Syria continue to unravel as the Kremlin played mind games with Washington and vice versa.

FINANCE

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British banks still paying out By John Smith DESPITE the fact that almost every bank in Britain had to effectively be bailed out by the British Government following the financial crisis, it appears that they are all bouncing back quite happily and finding new ways to generate income in order to meet international fines and refunds to clients who were incorrectly persuaded to purchase PPI policies. Two British Banks, Barclays and Lloyds have just announced they are still

Quote of the Week

$40 billion (€44 billion) is the total amount that British Banks now expect to pay in respect of refunds to those who were wrongly sold PPI policies.

increasing provisions to satisfy PPI claims and Barclays alone who only sold half the number of policies as Lloyds have just made provision for a further £600 million (€660 million) of previously unbudgeted claims. Lloyds which now only has a 9 per cent ownership by the British Government is expected to pay out a total of £17 billion (€19 billion) by the time that the matter is finally closed, yet it can

Any turnaround strategy for the company requires it be shut down. Emotional reasons alone have kept us away from that crucial decision,” said sacked former Chairman of Tata Industries C P Mistry.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Twitter news

Photo Credit: ChameleonsEye Shutterstock

TIME WARNER: Bugs Bunny and friends.

What’s up Doc? MEDIA giant Time Warner has agreed in principle to a take-over by telecommunications company AT&T which values the group at just under $86bn (€79bn) which is far in excess of the GDP of many countries around the world and if it goes ahead will be one of the biggest acquisitions ever. As broadband speeds become quicker and consumers move away from traditional TV channels, it makes sense for AT&T to want to obtain access to exclusive productions in order to allow it to compete with companies such as Amazon and Netflix and Time Warner would certainly do that with companies such as CNN,

HBO and the entire film output which includes the Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Looney Tunes franchises plus theme parks around the world. The list of Times Warner properties is almost endless with music and publishing also playing a strong role in its business and licensing generating huge volumes of income through offices strategically based throughout the world. At present, AT&T is the third largest cable TV provider in America and this deal which is already opposed by Donald Trump will be scrutinised by media regulators and if their approval is obtained the deal should be completed in 2017.

ALTHOUGH the concept of Twitter which allows people and companies to post very short messages with images on the web has millions of followers and users, their financial situation has been difficult over the past few months and their share price has dropped by 25 per cent since they came on to the market. Whilst analysts had forecast a fall in profits, the company has increased earnings per share by 50 per cent. Despite this, the company which could be the target for takeover, has announced it will reduce its worldwide staffing level by about 350 people.

Brexit impact THE British Chamber of Commerce in Spain and the Spanish Association of Directors (AED) organised a conference in late October on the impact the UK exit from the European Union is likely to have on companies and executives from both countries. Christopher Dottie, president of the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain, said negotiations between the EU and the UK should minimise any negative effects saying “You have to listen to all parties.”

EU encourages additional cuts NO sooner was it announced that PSOE intended to abstain in the vote of confidence in Mariano Rajoy, Brussels rushed to write to the interim, soon to be ratified, Spanish government in the form of Economy Minister Luis de Guindos, the Spanish government demanding cuts of at least €5.5 bil-

€2.8 billion is the latest amount approved by the Eurozone as part of the bailout strategy for Greece.

STAT OF WEEK

business & legal

EWN

lion from the proposed 2017 budget. Whilst confirming he was commenting on a draft budget, Commissioner of Finance Pierre Moscovici made it clear what the Union wanted to see was adherence to the guidelines it laid down for Spain, though targets are unlikely to be met.

still keep trading despite these phenomenal losses. Much has been made of the possible withdrawal from the UK market of a number of foreign banks due to the forthcoming Brexit and the possible loss of passporting for euro exchange, but it is such a lucrative market for so many banks, what seems most likely is that certain division may move across the channel, but the bulk of banks will still keep a significant foothold in the UK.

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Confidence vote A NUMBER of Japanese car manufacturers rushed to advise the government of the possibility that may reduce their investment in production and staffing in the United Kingdom following the referendum result unless they were ‘persuaded’ to remain. Now, Nissan has confirmed that it will build the next Qashqai and XTrail models at its Sunderland factory, ensuring that the 7,000 jobs will be kept in what is the first major motor industry investment decision made since Britain voted to leave the EU.

E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3i Group PLC 668.75 4.00 Admiral Group PLC 1898.50 0.00 Anglo American PLC 1106.75 7.00 Antofagasta PLC 532.75 1.50 Ashtead Group PLC 1266.00 3.00 Associated British Foods PLC 2474.00 -33.00 AstraZeneca PLC 4617.75 0.00 Aviva PLC 443.20 -3.60 Babcock International Group... 993.50 -8.50 BAE Systems PLC 539.75 -2.69 Barclays PLC 190.35 -0.95 Barratt Developments PLC 449.55 -7.10 BHP Billiton PLC 1239.75 7.00 BP PLC 486.22 -5.97 British American Tobacco PLC 4711.00 3.50 British Land Co PLC 582.00 -8.50 BT Group PLC 374.97 -3.75 Bunzl PLC 2188.00 13.00 Burberry Group PLC 1489.50 19.00 Capita PLC 587.50 -3.30 Carnival PLC 3905.50 27.00 Centrica PLC 213.65 -0.70 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1799.50 -12.00 Compass Group PLC 1470.50 -4.50 CRH PLC 2653.00 -16.00 Croda International PLC 3498.50 -9.00 DCC PLC 6592.50 0.00 Diageo PLC 2188.25 0.50 Direct Line Insurance Group... 345.80 -0.40 Dixons Carphone PLC 316.45 -3.09 easyJet PLC 937.75 -15.00 Experian PLC 1558.50 -2.95 Fresnillo PLC 1629.00 17.00 GKN PLC 314.95 -0.30 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1624.75 -2.50 Glencore PLC 246.00 1.42 Hammerson PLC 548.25 -6.50 Hargreaves Lansdown PLC 1165.00 0.50 Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC 1779.50 -1.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 620.10 -4.40 Imperial Brands PLC 3990.25 -3.00 Informa PLC 670.75 -1.00 InterContinental Hotels Gro... 3153.50 10.00 International Consolidated ... 435.35 -2.60 Intertek Group PLC 3429.50 -5.00 Intu Properties PLC 273.05 -3.10 ITV PLC 170.80 -1.20 Johnson Matthey PLC 3380.00 -5.00 Kingfisher PLC 360.45 -2.80 Land Securities Group PLC 980.00 -12.00

% CHG. 0.60 0.00 0.64 0.28 0.24 -1.32 0.00 -0.81 -0.85 -0.50 -0.50 -1.55 0.57 -1.21 0.07 -1.44 -0.99 0.60 1.29 -0.56 0.70 -0.33 -0.66 -0.31 -0.60 -0.26 0.00 0.02 -0.12 -0.97 -1.57 -0.19 1.05 -0.10 -0.15 0.58 -1.17 0.04 -0.06 -0.70 -0.08 -0.15 0.32 -0.59 -0.15 -1.12 -0.70 -0.15 -0.77 -1.21

NET VOL 205.50 15.40 425.01 172.89 56.28 60.66 126.10 460.73 24.86 201.12 3,853.68 319.47 691.58 1,794.92 572.81 274.36 778.70 38.72 187.63 85.04 39.95 393.94 49.59 262.29 78.45 7.38 5.40 180.02 100.02 158.83 263.83 98.62 51.63 236.88 513.96 3,795.33 64.05 68.44 48.07 4,283.05 146.81 77.83 28.52 1,975.25 21.16 198.19 568.58 25.84 243.42 91.24

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) Legal & General Group PLC 211.00 -0.80 Lloyds Banking Group PLC 57.13 -0.61 London Stock Exchange Grp... 2807.50 -23.00 Marks & Spencer Group PLC 340.70 -6.00 Mediclinic International PLC 882.25 -5.00 Merlin Entertainments PLC 459.45 0.30 Micro Focus International PLC 2112.00 -7.00 Mondi PLC 1593.00 -10.00 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 225.25 -0.90 National Grid PLC 1059.50 0.00 Next PLC 4869.50 -105.00 Old Mutual PLC 197.25 -2.10 Paddy Power Betfair PLC 8440.00 -5.00 Pearson PLC 757.75 -4.50 Persimmon PLC 1698.50 -17.00 Polymetal International PLC 895.25 8.00 Provident Financial PLC 2954.00 -19.00 Prudential PLC 1353.75 -15.50 Randgold Resources Ltd 7067.50 70.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC 7304.00 -21.00 RELX PLC 1464.50 -8.00 Rio Tinto PLC 2830.00 -0.72 Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 728.50 -6.25 Royal Bank of Scotland Grou... 191.30 -2.70 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2139.75 -15.50 Royal Mail PLC 487.45 -4.40 RSA Insurance Group PLC 546.75 -4.00 Sage Group (The) PLC 716.75 -4.50 Sainsbury (J) PLC 249.95 -4.10 Schroders PLC 2826.00 -20.00 Severn Trent PLC 2305.00 -7.00 Shire PLC 4769.75 -12.00 Sky PLC 806.00 -8.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 1198.50 -11.00 Smiths Group PLC 1421.50 -6.00 SSE PLC 1583.00 -4.00 Standard Chartered PLC 712.20 9.50 Standard Life PLC 336.90 -3.10 St James's Place PLC 944.25 -8.50 Taylor Wimpey PLC 141.15 -1.90 Tesco PLC 215.00 -0.70 Travis Perkins PLC 1326.50 -29.00 TUI AG 1034.50 -2.00 Unilever PLC 3434.50 -6.50 United Utilities Group PLC 933.75 -4.00 Vodafone Group PLC 224.78 -2.70 Whitbread PLC 3602.50 -37.00 Wolseley PLC 4221.50 -12.00 Worldpay Group PLC 279.95 -1.60 WPP PLC 1765.00 57.00

% CHG. -0.38 -1.06 -0.81 -1.73 -0.56 0.07 -0.33 -0.62 -0.40 0.00 -2.11 -1.05 -0.06 -0.59 -0.99 0.90 -0.64 -1.13 1.00 -0.29 -0.54 -0.03 -0.85 -1.39 -0.72 -0.89 -0.73 -0.62 -1.61 -0.70 -0.30 -0.25 -0.98 -0.91 -0.42 -0.25 1.35 -0.91 -0.89 -1.33 -0.32 -2.14 -0.19 -0.19 -0.43 -1.19 -1.02 -0.28 -0.57 3.34

NET VOL 1,337.38 10,809.19 13.89 440.48 112.53 51.94 15.95 102.95 1,117.00 306.82 76.43 544.72 1.98 114.79 100.21 72.12 9.66 705.58 34.36 91.37 121.15 310.51 386.63 2,050.19 349.53 100.00 94.11 72.15 991.67 14.88 18.89 151.09 484.57 122.24 57.55 86.06 684.98 205.48 56.95 990.14 1,654.82 75.58 25.15 106.06 69.50 3,504.59 43.37 24.05 99.03 930.23

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US dollar...................................................................1.09533 Japan yen..................................................................114.973 Switzerland franc ................................................1.08369 Denmark kroner...................................................7.43993 Norway kroner ....................................................9.04385

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

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 165.77 +0.01 +0.01% 1.9M 66.45 -0.48 -0.72% 5.0M 113.72 -0.76 -0.66% 37.9M 143.01 -0.30 -0.21% 4.6M 83.88 +0.87 +1.05% 5.0M 103.82 +3.90 +3.90% 17.4M 30.59 +0.21 +0.69% 19.9M 42.23 +0.11 +0.26% 13.4M 93.85 -0.17 -0.18% 7.3M 69.45 -0.39 -0.56% 2.6M 84.78 -2.14 -2.46% 19.1M 29.22 +0.59 +2.06% 67.9M 177.14 -0.61 -0.34% 2.0M 123.58 +1.32 +1.08% 4.5M 152.61 -0.74 -0.48% 3.7M 34.74 -0.07 -0.20% 22.3M 115.33 -0.37 -0.32% 8.8M 69.11 -0.12 -0.17% 12.8M 112.10 +0.02 +0.02% 3.3M 58.84 -2.45 -4.00% 20.4M 59.87 -0.23 -0.38% 33.6M 52.02 +0.13 +0.25% 9.1M 31.93 -0.55 -1.69% 28.5M 86.84 +0.26 +0.30% 7.0M 108.43 +0.41 +0.38% 2.2M 101.84 +1.77 +1.77% 4.4M 140.35 -1.59 -1.12% 4.0M 48.21 -0.33 -0.68% 10.7M 82.22 +0.30 +0.37% 10.9M 69.99 +0.16 +0.23% 7.0M

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES O CTOBER 31

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. Applied Micro Circuits Corporation AtriCure, Inc. Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. Calithera Biosciences, Inc. BroadVision, Inc. Ruth's Hospitality Group, Inc. Super Micro Computer, Inc. MicroStrategy Incorporated Cytokinetics, Incorporated Innophos Holdings, Inc.

$ 111.55 $7 $ 17.68 $ 5.50 $ 2.85 $ 4.894 $ 16 $ 24.40 $ 191.47 $ 9.74 $ 45.50

18.45 ▲ 19.82% 1.06 ▲ 17.85% 2.485 ▲ 16.35% 0.65 ▲ 13.40% 0.30 ▲ 11.76% 0.494 ▲ 11.23% 1.55 ▲ 10.73% 2.30 ▲ 10.41% 17.94 ▲ 10.34% 0.91 ▲ 10.31% 4.17 ▲ 10.09%

$ 7.48 $ 9.75 $ 52.57 $ 18.50 $ 7.23 $ 5.99 $ 19.55 $ 40.43 $ 18.36 $ 5.58 $ 9.21

3.67 ▼ 32.91% 3.78 ▼ 27.94% 15.13 ▼ 22.35% 4.94 ▼ 21.08% 1.28 ▼ 15.04% 1.03 ▼ 14.67% 3.01 ▼ 13.34% 5.98 ▼ 12.89% 2.71 ▼ 12.86% 0.81 ▼ 12.68% 1.33 ▼ 12.62%

Most Declined eHealth, Inc. YRC Worldwide, Inc. Synaptics Incorporated Cempra, Inc. Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc. The Bancorp, Inc. First Business Financial Services, Inc. Silicon Motion Technology Corporation BofI Holding, Inc. vTv Therapeutics Inc. FormFactor, Inc.

E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Buoyant euro surges ahead of Sterling Ask the expert Peter Loveday Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

CURRENCY markets have been fairly volatile in the past month mainly owing to uncertainty over the negotiations about Britain’s exit from the EU (Brexit). Drastic swings and weakness in the pound continue to remain the major theme for the next few weeks as politicians try and let the dust settle over major announcements that were made in October that the UK is set to trigger Article 50 before the end of March 2017. No sooner had Theresa May made the announcements, Angela Merkel was quick to retaliate from Germany that freedom of movement and single market access are interlinked and access cannot be granted for either one on its own. Not surprisingly, the euro was quick to make gains against Sterling, as it has been on a downward spiral since the referendum result in the UK, with rates dropping from the 1.20’s to

TOUGH TIMES: Sterling is struggling to keep its head above water. the 1.15 - 1.17 levels. To add insult to injury, the pound’s weakness was exacerbated by a flash crash that further weakened Sterling drastically losing 6 per cent in just over two minutes, and it is currently trading close to the 1.11 levels against the euro. Political events over the last month have

moved the focus of currency markets slightly away from Central Bank actions. The divergence though, continues to widen as the US Federal Reserve are increasingly likely to raise interest rates in 2016; whereas the European Central Bank continues to maintain its monthly asset purchase scheme to instil further impetus

to the market to try and bring up liquidity and inflation in the region. While the euro continues to hold onto strength, it could potentially manifest into weaker exports, though consumer confidence in Germany seems solid as a rock. The euro also strengthened over the last fortnight on news that the European Central Bank is contemplating a tapering to the current stimulus measures. This would mean trying to let markets function without further liquidity injections though members of the ECB came out with statements rubbishing the claims as rumours and mentioned that nothing of the sort has been planned. Coming to the fundamentals, economic data wise, both the pound and the euro have had a very mixed set of numbers with positive data emanating meagrely and in spurts. However, markets seem to have completely ignored fundamentals this past month as political events take centre stage. The euro continues to hold onto strength as Brexit is the main concern as far as Europe and the UK is concerned; whereas the outcome of an imminent US General Election and a Federal Reserve interest rate hike remain key components in determining direction for the near future.

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European economy holding steady

EUROPEAN LEADERS: Many think Britain wants to ‘have its cake and eat it.’ By John Smith DESPITE the fact that it showed a drop over the previous result, Brexiteers were pleased to see a report that the British economy had grown by 0.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2016 and continue to be of the opinion that things will get better, despite expressions of doom and gloom from a whole host of bankers and other selfappointed experts. In contrast, Spain which has

been technically rudderless for almost a year saw a continued growth pattern and for the third quarter, this reached 0.7 per cent which suggests that perhaps political chaos with restraints on what action interim governments can take is actually for the best! France however reported less growth than forecast but still maintains it should hit a growth rate target of 1.5 per cent and other members of the EU ap-

pear to be seeing reasonable growth in their economies also. What is giving them all the jitters however is how they will cope with the removal of Britain from the ‘club.’ As with so many questions concerning Brexit, no one truly has any idea how it will affect the global economy, let alone the European one, although the Germans certainly appear worried, in the short-term at least, it will hurt their financial situation.

Even though the EU is supposed to be a group of like minded friends, there is little doubt that each country will look to protect its own position when negotiating the situation of future trade deals with the United Kingdom and very few will simply say farewell and we’ll agree to whatever you want as the torturous negotiations take place. In a nutshell, many European leaders think Britain wants to

‘have its cake and eat it’ by closing borders to EU citizens it doesn’t want (many eastern Europeans) whilst continuing to have unfettered access to the European market place. When one considers JohnClaude Juncker has decided no one should be negotiating with Britain prior to the triggering of Article 50, there seem to be a large number of countries ignoring this instruction and the constant call for the return of

Gibraltar to Spain by Foreign Minister Margallo is a perfect example of the way members of the Union only take note of instructions when it suits. At the end of the day, any pragmatic politician is going to do what he or she considers best for the State rather than the Union and in the case of Britain, the old headline ‘Fog in the Channel, Europe cut off’ seems to just about sum the situation up.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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World betrayed by Wallonia

REFUSING CONSENT: To sign the CETA with Canada. By Matthew Elliott FEW people had heard of Wallonia, a four million strong portion of Belgium, before its parliament almost singlehandedly wrecked one of the EU’s most profitable trade deals. Wallonia and the Brussels parliament refused to give their consent to Belgium signing the nightmarishly named Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with Canada, forcing the rapid intervention of Europe’s top political figures and most powerful corporate lobbyists. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau had been scheduled to sign the deal, known cutely as CETA, in Brussels today but cancelled his flight at the last second over the EU’s incapacity to ‘get its own house in order.’ Wallonia refused to lend its support to the treaty due to concerns that their dairy farmers might be exposed to stronger competition from their Canadian counterparts. This was the little guy acting in defiance of globalisation at its most dramatic and

CETA would make it impossible for nation states to nationalise public services or transportation.”

Wallonia was celebrated briefly around the world for its stubborn refusal to give in to corporate demands. No longer. Whether the Wallonian executive was paid-off or strongarmed is unclear but the Belgian prime minister has confirmed that an agreement is reached, Wallonia has relented, and he can commit to CETA alongside all the other EU parliaments tomorrow. CETA has been welcomed enthusiastically by all the parties allowed to promote it but the details remain opaque and there has been almost no scrutiny of the contents. Critics claim that in reality the treaty gives away more sovereign power than signing up to the EU ever did. CETA would make it impossible for nation states to nationalise public services or

transportation. It would allow Canadian corporations to sue EU governments who pass laws that conceivably threaten their ‘future anticipated profits.’ Described as a trade treaty, it is actually a 1,500 page document detailing how best to shift power from governments to corporations by eliminating regulations and transparency. It is the little brother of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with America, which is presently lurking in the wings for approval and will do much to pave the way for other trade treaties including the Trade in Services Agreement, that would ‘liberalise global trade of services’ between 51 nations. Despite Wallonia’s great dairy betrayal the deal isn’t done yet. In its final form the deal will still need to be officially ratified by Europe’s 38 parliaments. When that happens the UK will be governed by CETA, regardless of Brexit, and condemned to obey the treaty while being ostracised from the single market.

3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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OPINION & COMMENT

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3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

EWN

When a girl of 14 changes gender LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT ‘LOOPY LOO’! If I had a Euro for all the times I’ve been called tha t o v e r t h e y e a rs , th e o n ly pro b l e m I wo u l d h a v e in life would be my golf handicap! Last week another coin was added to the coffers by the lady who suggested that my idea of regulated assessment camps to deal with the immigrant crisis really deserved the Loopy award of the year. I actually suggested this solution over a year ago, it always made perfect sense to me. I was therefore delighted to see that on orders from the French government this is now exactly what is taking place. Altogether now, ‘Here we go Loopy Loo…’! In light of the ever present, often inexplicable actions by the esteemed Social Services, who seem to interfere with family matters with alacrity and no fear

STOP MEDDLING: Get your own house in order first. of recrimination from anyone, particularly their incompetent succession of ‘leaders,’ I would find it most interesting to discover how many of these people

themselves actually originate from normal, heterosexual, happily married families and siblings. Frankly if they don’t aspire to at least a couple of these

criteria they shouldn’t be in the job. How can your judgement of others be completely unbiased if your own experiences are dis-

torted and out of proportion? As far as I’m concerned only someone wi t h ser i ous pr obl em s of their own could insist, despite the wishes and protests of her loving parents that a 14-year-old girl should be allowed to change her gender. In this recent case Social Services even suggested that to deny her t hi s r i ght am ount ed t o emotional abuse, and insisted she be addressed as Mark instead of Mellissa. Just who do these people think they are? With their appalling record, primarily due to their own incompetence, including far too many infant deaths, it’s high time they got their own house in order before they meddle in the family affairs of people, who generally know more about their offspring than they ever will. Thanks for all your letters. Keep em coming, I peruse ‘em all. Keep the Faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

The importance of laughter 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 BELIEVE that laughter is the bedrock of firm friendships. Abiding memories of my time living in Bermuda involve laughter, endless parties, glorious dark rum and yet more laughter. The people I shared my life with in that wonderful place are still, 40 years on, among my best and most trusted friends, even though continents separate us. There was the small matter of work, but that was a mere detail and we never let it get in the way of our total immersion in a sybaritic lifestyle. It was the perfect place for unattached, fun-loving young people and we truly did live every day to the full. The speed limit on the island was 15mph in town but a hair-raising 20mph elsewhere, and with its sub-

MOTORISED BIKE: Was the mode of transport for getting around Bermuda. tropical climate most of us got around by motorised two wheeled means. In my case a sporty Suzuki trail bike boasting a hefty 100cc’s. One Sunday afternoon as we were leaving a regular beach bar haunt, with my

good friend Douglas riding pillion, I inadvertently slipped the clutch with too much beer induced vigour, resulting in the front end rearing up at an alarming angle. With my passenger biting my ear, we unwittingly exe-

cuted the perfect wheelie as we tore down the drive. The spectacle brought the patrons to their feet, whistling and applauding our brilliant skills. We acknowledged their enthusiastic whooping, and drove off home for a

OUR VIEW

change of underwear, this time a little more sedately. Four of us shared a house and one housemate, fed up with the jibes at his lack of prowess with a fishing rod, left a small nurse shark crammed into the fridge with a note attached: ‘Caught by Graham Saturday!’ When he returned home late the following day, he discovered a head and a tail with a note saying: ‘Eaten by Doug, Rick and Colin Sunday.’ And when arriving home in the early hours after yet another mad party, and somewhat worse for wear, I brushed my teeth with the foulest tasting toothpaste I had ever experienced. On closer inspection the next morning, I found it to be a tube of haemorrhoid cream. Nobody admitted the switch (although I suspect Douglas), but to this day I automatically check the tube before brushing. It makes us appreciate our friends here in Spain in today’s increasingly hostile world.

Good news for marine diversity SHORTLY after a report was issued by the World Wide Fund for Nature which postulated that some 50 per cent of all of the world’s animal, bird and fish species had been wiped out over the past 40 years, a bit of good environmental news has emerged from the Antarctic. A number of countries lay claim to parts of Antarctica and have established scientific bases across the continent with the intention that the area be used for research rather than be exploited for any major mineral deposits that may exist there. Unusually, the USA which isn’t renowned for ‘green projects’ in conjunct i o n

Adelie Penguins in the Antarctic

35 years only, although this may be extended in due course. An area equivalent to 600,000 square miles will now be protected which means that there will be an opportunity for a number of different species to recover lost ground and should ensure an increase in the populations of Adelie penguins, Minke whales and Antarctic petrels whilst Krill, tiny crustaceans which are an important part of the marine food chain should be able to increase their breeding patterns so that the tiny adults are picked up by sea currents and are carried around the world. Slowly but surely, different countries are recognising that over fish-

ing and climate change are threatening marine diversity and fish stocks in waters all over the world and the establishment of these MPAs is becoming more widespread, with more than 30 countries creating these areas. Britain has declared that each of its Overseas Territories will also create their own MPAs whilst allowing some tourism and controlled fishing. It is encouraging that despite the current problems between Russia and the NATO countries that in some areas at least, all parties are considering the way in which the which the world has been over-exploited and even though the current decisions may be made due to enlightened self-interest, at least some positive and cooperative action is being undertaken. Photo Credit: Jason Auch flickr

John Smith Random thoughts...

with New Zealand has been promoting the concept that the Ross Sea (named after British explorer James Ross who visited in 1841) to the south of the Antarctic landmass should be designated a marine protected area (MPA) which would mean that no commercial fishing could take place in the area. Whilst it was intended that this should be a permanent dedication, both China and Russia who have large fishing fleets that visit the waters objected and negotiations have been taking place to find an acceptable compromise for years. Now these last two countries have agreed to the establishment of the MPA but for a period of

Photo Credit: La Moncloa

Rajoy and King Felipe VI.

Minority government MONTHS of uncertainty with two inconclusive general elections are finally coming to an end thanks to the decision by the PSOE main opposition that it will abstain from a vote of confidence in Mariano Rajoy. At the end of the day however, he will still lead a minority coalition which could in theory face defeat in the Cortes on a daily basis but due to the complete breakdown in support for PSOE and its need to actually elect a new leader suggests it would be unlikely to want to take any precipitous action in the immediate future. It needs to get its house in order and watch the mood of the nation closely to see if and when it might stand a chance against the PP in the event of a future general election. Currently, there are all number of questions in the courts surrounding former senior members of the ruling party and the party itself is under threat of being prosecuted but despite this, opinion polls suggest the PP has greater support in the country than any other party and this has been growing since the first election. A great deal will now depend on whether Ciudadanos will continue to support the minority government as it only agreed to side with it if certain points concerning alleged corruption were conceded although the two parties appear very much in agreement over the question of Catalonian independence. Podemos has its own internal problems but is likely to be pretty critical of all of the other parties and whilst unable to make any major inroads into government policy, it should at least be able to score a good few points and cause a little mayhem.

Now we want to hear your views. YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION www.euroweeklynews.com

E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

TV LISTING

THURSDAY 03 NOVEMBER

FRIDAY 04 NOVEMBER

6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:45am

Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Buble at the BBC The Apprentice BBC News at Ten BBC London News Question Time This Week

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

A Question of Sport EastEnders Citizen Khan Have I Got News for You Still Game BBC News at Ten BBC London News The Graham Norton Show Josh

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

SATURDAY 05 OCTOBER

SUNDAY 06 OCTOBER

MONDAY 07 OCTOBER

7:00pm 7:05pm 7:55pm 9:20pm 10:10pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 11:20pm 12:35am 1:05am 7:00pm 8:15pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 1:00am 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm

08 NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 09 NOVEMBER

Countryfile’s Ramble for Children in Need Strictly Come Dancing Planet Earth II Poldark BBC News Regional News Weather Match of the Day 2 Citizen Khan

8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am 1:15am 6:15pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:05am 1:05am 4:10pm 5:00pm 6:00pm

8:30pm

11:00pm 12:55am 3:30pm 6:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am

Panorama EastEnders Damilola, Our Loved Boy BBC News Regional News Weather Have I Got a Bit More News for You Trump’s Youngest Superfans

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

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 11:45pm 12:15am

Regional News The One Show EastEnders Holby City Ordinary Lies BBC News Regional News Weather Room 101 Election Night in America

7:30pm

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

BBC News Regional News The One Show Who’s Won the White House? Watchdog The Missing BBC News Regional News Weather A Question of Sport Film 2016

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

TUESDAY

Weather Pointless Strictly Come Dancing The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins Casualty BBC News Weather Match of the Day Asian Provocateur Obsessed

7:00pm 7:30pm

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

11:30pm 12:10am 12:15am

Eggheads Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two Victorian Bakers Arctic Live This World The Apprentice: You’re Fired! Newsnight The Choir Unarmed Black Male Antiques Road Trip Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two Mastermind Match of the Day Live QI Newsnight Later... with Jools Holland Imagine... Escape to the Country Flog It! Rugby League The latest action in the Rugby League. Rugby League The latest action in the Rugby League. Glory Sergeant Rutledge

8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 12:55am 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 1:35am 6:45pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:40pm 11:40pm 12:00am

Cycling Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights Inside Obama’s White House Coast Great Guides Operation Gold Rush with Dan Snow Mock the Week QI XL Dead Poets Society

7:30pm 8:00pm

University Challenge Only Connect The Victorian Slum Morgana Robinson’s the Agency Newsnight Weather The Women’s Football Show

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

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 11:20pm 12:15am 1:15am

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

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

Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two The Welsh Italians Extreme Wales with Richard Parks MasterChef: The Professionals The Choir Live at the Apollo Newsnight Weather The Welsh Italians Extreme Wales with Richard Parks MasterChef: The Professionals Black and British: A Forgotten History Black is the New Black Newsnight Weather

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm

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

7:30pm 8:00pm

Tonight Emmerdale Paul O’Grady: For The Love of Dogs Paranoid ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London UEFA Europa League Highlights Murder, She Wrote

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

Emmerdale Coronation Street Countrywise Coronation Street The Level ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London The Mobo Awards 2016 Jackpot247

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

Come Dine with Me My Kitchen Rules UK The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Unreported World Jamie’s Super Food Food Unwrapped Gogglebox The Last Leg First Dates

ITV News and Weather Tipping Point Meet the Parents The X Factor The Jonathan Ross Show ITV News and Weather Carry on Screaming

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

A Place in the Sun Channel 4 News China Britain’s Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown The Impossible Admission Hollyoaks Omnibus

2:00pm

Off Their Rockers The Next Great Magician The X Factor Results Show Tutankhamun ITV News and Weather Peston on Sunday Rugby Jackpot247

4:50pm 5:20pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

Rosebud The Princess Diaries Channel 4 News Prince Philip: The Plot to Make a King Great Canal Journeys Humans Gogglebox 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Jimmy Carr

2:35pm 4:25pm 6:05pm 9:00pm 9:55pm

ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Gino’s Italian Escape: Hidden Italy Coronation Street Dark Angel ITV News and Weather Regional News and Weather

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm

ITV Evening News Emmerdale Fishing Impossible Midsomer Murders ITV News at Ten and Weather Regional News and Weather Trump v Clinton: The Result

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

Regional News and Weather ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street This Time Next Year ITV News at Ten and Weather Regional News and Weather Tipping Point Murder, She Wrote

5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am 1:10am

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am 1:05am

10:00pm 11:00pm 1:15am 3:05am

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am 1:05am

11:00pm 12:05am

The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces The Gun Shop Britain’s Benefit Tenants Gogglebox Married at First Sight

My Kitchen Rules UK The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Dispatches Supershoppers SAS: Who Dares Wins First Dates The Lie Detective

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

3:50pm 5:30pm 7:15pm 8:05pm 9:00pm 9:55pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 1:45am

10:00pm 12:20am 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

10:00pm 11:00pm 11:50pm 12:50am

My Kitchen Rules UK The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds Married at First Sight Extreme Makeovers Tattoo Fixers SAS: Who Dares Wins

6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Four in a Bed Come Dine with Me My Kitchen Rules UK The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Supervet Grand Designs The Last Leg The Gun Shop The Great Songwriters

6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

11:00pm 12:05am

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am

5 News Tonight The Tube: Going Underground On Benefits: 30 Stone and Claiming The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door Kerry Katona: In Therapy Me... and My Mental Illness

10:45am 11:00am

Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Gadget Show Secrets of Great British Castles Britain’s Greatest Bridges The Peter Kay Story Peter Kay at the Comedy Store

6:30pm

Snowed in at Christmas Matchmaker Santa Christmas Mail NCIS NCIS NCIS: New Orleans 5 News Football on 5 Sex and the City 2 Super Casino

1:00pm 4:00pm

10:30pm 10:45pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:30am

7:00pm 8:00pm 11:15pm 12:15am

Football Gold Live ATP MastersParis 1000 Great Sporting Moments Great Sporting Moments Premier League Match Pack NFL NFL Premier League Match Pack The Fantasy Football Club Football The Fantasy Football Club Barclays Premier League Preview

11:30pm 12:30am 1:00am 1:30am

Football Gillette Soccer Saturday Football EFL Goals Nissan Game of the Day Nissan Match Choice Football Football Football

Merry Kissmas The Christmas Secret 2012 Ice Road Truckers 5 News The latest news coverage. MTV European Music Awards 2016 Most Shocking Moments in Pop 2

8:00pm 8:30pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am 12:30am 1:00am 2:00am 2:30am 3:00am 3:30am

EFL Goals Football Football Football Football Football Goals on Sunday Football Football Football Football

5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Storm Force Police Interceptors Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railway Journeys Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away! Jumper

9:30pm

Soccer AM: The Best Bits 2016/17 Premier League Review 2016/17 SPFL Round Up Football Gold Soccer AM: The Best Bits 2016/17 Premier League Review 2016/17

Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Police Interceptors The Yorkshire Vet Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild Pete Burns: The Last Interview Pete Burns: Celeb Wedding Planner

6:00pm 6:30pm

Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Ben Fogle: The Great African Migration GPs: Behind Closed Doors Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away! Undercover Criminal The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door

6:15pm 9:00pm 9:30pm

10:00pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 11:30pm 12:00am

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

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:40pm 10:40pm 11:00pm 1:30am

Football Gold Soccer AM: The Best Bits 2016/17 Premier League Review NFL Highlights International Football Highlights La Liga World More Than a Game

Football’s Greatest Teams Barclays Premier League World Sky Scholars Rugby Union Football Gold International Football Highlights Barclays Premier League World

E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

World of Sport Wrestling is finally back and The Voice returns too Richard Shanley

Dishing the Dirt OF EUROPA DIGITAL

WORLD OF SPORT Wrestling is finally making its return to UK television. The wrestling was a key part of ITV’s World of Sport, which ran from 1965 to 1985. At its peak, a reported 18 million viewers watched Big Daddy vs Giant Haystacks in 1981. ITV has now commissioned a one-off, two-hour special featuring UK wrestlers in a series of matches, including singles, tag-team and eliminations. There will also be a reality element. “Backstage, viewers will catch up with the wrestlers between fights, and at the end of the show one fighter will take home the WoS Wrestling belt.” Creative Director of ITV Studios Entertainment Tom McLennan said: “World of Sport Wrestling was a major event for

WRESTLING & THE VOICE: Both returning to our TVs.

millions of families every Saturday afternoon for over 20 years. I’m

excited about bringing back this iconic brand and celebrating the

best British wrestlers in the country.” The special was recorded at ITV Studios in Media City in Manchester on November 1. If you thought none of The Voice coaches turning around for an auditioning contestant was hard to watch, just wait until you hear about the brand new red-chair twist in the rebooted ITV series. Emma Willis - who will be hosting the show solo following its move from the BBC explained the change of format, revealing: “If you don’t push your button for a contestant, you don’t get to see them. So only the people who press the button get to see who it is, so if no one turns, no one sees who sung.” So far, so harsh, but the presenter insists the twist will be “good for the show,” and will allow the coaches - including will.i.am, Tom Jones, Gavin Rossdale and Jennifer Hudson - to be less apologetic and more critical. “I think it is good - they do it in other territo-

ries on The Voice around the world, and it instigates different chat between the coaches. When they see someone who hasn’t turned, it’s very apologetic. But if they haven’t seen that person and don’t have to interact directly, it’s a bit more ‘that was a little bit off key,’ where they might not have said having seen them. So I think it’s a good thing for the show.” We’ve seen a new side to Emma that we’ve never witnessed before. If you would like me to answer any questions you may have on satellite TV or to expand on anything I have written about please call me on 678 332 815 or email richard@europa-digital.com. I look forward to your comments and questions. Don’t forget to listen to my radio show every weekday from 10am on Spectrum 96.1 & 106.8FM, now covering almost 3,000sq kms of Costa Almeria and Calida or listen online at costaalmeria.spectrumfm.net for the latest news and views.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

EWN

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E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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OPINION & COMMENT

Brexit Britain is lost at sea 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

THERESA MAY is facing challenging times. For starters, her first EU summit as PM was particularly thorny as the rest of the club strongly objected to the UK’s wish to stay firmly ‘in’ until it’s ‘out,’ namely, remain at the centre of EU decisionmaking until it leaves. For EU leaders, she looked like one of those school bullies turning up at the ‘good’ kid’s birthday party desperately wanting to be let in after making themselves downright unwanted. As one EU official put it: “When somebody wants to leave a club, it is not normal that such a member wants to decide about the future of this club.” Another was even blunter: “How this is going to end, no one knows. For now, the train is heading towards a wall.” Then we have Jeremy Corbyn accusing Theresa May of staging a

“chaotic Brexit,” and Nicola Sturgeon branding Brexit talks “deeply frustrating.” Quite apart from the falling pound and rising inflation, all this comes amid hints that leading banks are set to hit the relocate button early next year and news that the French-speaking part of Belgium blocked a planned EU-Canada trade deal, prompting fears as to which of the 27 parliaments could similarly veto any post-Brexit UK deal. The first 100+ days of Theresa May’s premiership have

CHALLENGING TIMES: For Prime Minister Theresa May.

been filled with unnerving developments. No firm plan or negotiating position on Brexit apparently, except Article 50 being triggered next year. Recruitment of civil servants and negotiators still behind required targets, no firm control over the three Brexiteers and continually having to tick them off. By 2020, Cameron could actually compare favourably to May, a feat that would have seemed unimaginable following the referendum. To many, it seems that the UK is now like a rudderless ship, the captain having neither charts nor compass. Nonetheless, its crew are all on deck, brandishing Union Jacks and singing Rule, Britannia! Someone please say they’re barking up the wrong tree? Dear aliens, last week I wrote I’d had enough of the forthcoming TrumpoBrexalypse! Still waiting for you to invade and rescue me... Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘No Way Back’, ‘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 Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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

SPONSORED BY

EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREA

Word Ladder

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

Fri Sat Sun -

‘ONE OF US SHOULD SAY SOMETHING, LAST WEEK SHE WAS ONLY ON THE BOTTLE!’

in everything you would like to say. Don't allow Monday or Wednesdays tensions to spoil opportunities for settling something important.

(October 24 - November 22)

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Pave the way for any ambitious schemes you may have, rather than actually starting them. With your ruler the Sun eclipsing your kindred fire sign, determined Aries, you are now more likely to get the support and affection you need from the powers that be or someone who thinks the world of you. Loosen up on Tuesday and Thursday.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Stand by for a week of whoosh and whirl. More importantly, try to avoid getting tongue-tied or dogmatic on Tuesday and Friday. Promising potentials appear, especially if you spruce up your competitive streak.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Even if the opposite to what you want happens, it could prove useful. One clue to this week's planetary crossword puzzle is ‘What word could also mean success?’ Check it out, and make it work for you.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Throughout this fortunate week, whatever else you decide, refuse to discard your hopes and wishes. As a Gemini, you like to have two strings to your bow of life, which gives you an alternative option, especially if the going gets tough.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Education, media, creative and social connections are given star merit. The solar eclipse in your own sign bursts with vitality and success, more so for an array of bold moves, replacements and makeovers covering your personal affairs.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) The solar eclipse in your opposite sign of Aries intensifies your willpower. Before you say 'go', find out where you stand. It might pay you to leave things be for a little longer to see if things begin to change.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) A vivid star pattern portends a frantic personal and social diary. Ensure that any tight planning is carefully handled, especially if you hope to fit

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

IRISH LOTTO

Saturday October 29

Tuesday October 25

BONUS BALL

EURO MILLIONS

15 21

20 28

LUCKY STARS

Fri Sat Sun -

Friday October 28

16 23

19 43

LUCKY STARS

MAX MIN

24 16 C 22 15 Sh 19 12 Sh

Mon - 18 10 C Tues - 18 11 S Wed - 19 10 S

Mallorca

THUNDER MAX 33C, MIN 25C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 33 25 Th Tues - 33 25 Th Wed - 33 25 Th

34 24 Th 34 25 Th 33 25 Th

CLOUDY MAX 24C, MIN 13C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

24 15 C 23 14 C 19 12 Sh

Mon - 17 11 Sh Tues - 17 13 C Wed - 18 12 C

Murcia

CLEAR MAX 26C, MIN 17C

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 19 12 Sh Tues - 19 13 Cl Wed - 20 13 Cl

S Sun,

MAX 28C, MIN 14C

MAX MIN

26 17 Cl 23 16 C 20 13 Sh

CLEAR

TODAY:

Cl Clear,

F Fog,

Sh Showers,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

27 15 C 25 14 C 21 11 C

Mon - 20 10 Sh Tues - 20 11 Cl Wed - 21 11 Cl

C Cloudy, Th Thunder

Nonagram

How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case R) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed. TARGET: • Average: 6 • Good: 8 • Very good: 12 • Excellent: 15

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION deaf fade fain fair fane fare fear feed fend fern find fine fire free naif reef rife afire defer fader fared fiend fined finer fired firer freed freer friar fried frier infer infra refer rifer deafen deafer defier define faerie fainer faired fairer feared fender finder friend refine definer ferried refined refiner refrain inferred infrared rarefied REFRAINED

Sudoku

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.

LOTTERY 8

MAX MIN

Mon - 20 13 C Tues - 20 13 S Wed - 22 13 S

26 18 C 24 16 C 21 14 C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 13 4 C Tues - 14 5 C Wed - 15 6 C

CLOUDY MAX 25C, MIN 16C

TODAY:

Benidorm TODAY:

MAX MIN

20 9 C 16 6 Sh 13 4 C

Malaga

CLOUDY MAX 26C, MIN 18C

MAX MIN

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) One thing is certain, when you come through this week's restless planetary antics, you won't be totally the same Piscean who walked in.

Fri Sat Sun -

Barcelona TODAY:

MAX 21C, MIN 8C

MAX MIN

Mon - 19 11 Sh Tues - 19 13 S Wed - 20 13 Cl

26 17 Cl 24 15 Sh 21 13 C

CLEAR

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

and enriches your financial forecast. It might show a foretaste of money to come, or on-stream benefits. If you intend to make alterations to your personal and home interests, you'll cope with both offbeat and upbeat activities.

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Eager Mars meets affluent Jupiter

MAX 27C, MIN 17C

Almeria TODAY:

The planets mobilise your streak of Scorpio daring, but don’t stretch your limits. Your most effective weapon against personal and work-related pitfalls is your ability to be objective. Your desire to make specific situations and conversations work needs to be combined with your faith that they will work. Even if a different approach is required, try it and see.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Hard-working, enterprising and selfsacrificing are just some of the words that describe your zodiac sign. It will be these qualities that count. Friday will boost your powers of persuasion, but you won't have too much to complain about if you follow this lucky trend into next week's encouraging tide.

Madrid

CLEAR MAX MIN

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) The main gist of the solar eclipse in fiery Aries and the link between plucky Mars and your ruler friendly Jupiter will stir surprises. Whether you create the right atmosphere all round depends on how you interpret other people's views. Stick to crisp, simple but sensitively tuned answers, then no one can accuse you of not trying.

for next 7 days

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

Saturday October 29

Sunday October 30

REINTEGRO

5 53

9 54

REINTEGRO

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

PLAN CLAN CLAW CRAW CREW GREW

YOUR STARS

TODAY:

Solution PLAN PLAY PRAY PREY GREY GREW or

GREW BACK

Weather Alicante

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

PLAN

TIME

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Answers 1. AER LINGUS, 2. SEVEN (1970, 1980, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996), 3. The highest PEAKS/MOUNTAINS in Ireland, 4. HIBERNIA, 5. GIVE IRELAND BACK TO THE IRISH, 6. PÁDRAIG HARRINGTON, 7. SHERGAR, 8. CORK, 9. MARY ROBINSON, 10. BALLET/DANCE

OUT

3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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AK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

page

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

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC

Code Breaker

Quick Across 1 Plans (7) 5 Seizes suddenly (5) 8 Snow leopard (5) 9 Check closely (7) 10 Cheat (7) 11 Appeal or request earnestly (5) 12 Foul odour (6) 14 Assistant (6) 17 Jettisons (5) 19 Raffle (7) 22 Covetous (7) 23 Similar (5) 24 Utter words (5) 25 Blind alley (4,3) Down 1 Lets fall (5) 2 Dawn (7) 3 Avarice (5) 4 Scandinavian kingdom (6) 5 Seize firmly (7) 6 Moving quickly and lightly (5)

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Crossword

EWN

Across:

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 12 represents B and 16 represents Z, so fill in B every time the figure 12 appears and Z every time the figure 16 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

1 Alias, 4 Cadre, 8 Trident, 9 Lupin, 10 Notes, 11 Resents, 12 Marine, 14 Obsess, 18 Abstain, 20 Gorge, 22 Adept, 23 Chagrin, 24 Tacos, 25 Strum. Down: 1 Antonym, 2 Idiot, 3 Stetson, 4 Caters, 5 Doles, 6 Expanse, 7 Fines, 13 Rosiest, 15 Beggars, 16 Sternum, 17 Knocks, 18 Avail, 19 Antic, 21 Rarer.

QUICK Across: 7 Gracefully thin (7) 12 Makes unhappy (7) 13 Long clerical robe (7) 15 Definite (7) 16 Not open (6)

English - Spanish

1 Ravioli, 4 Scrub, 7 Shrew, 9 Shallow, 10 Useless, 11 Drake, 12 Spike, 14 Opted, 19 Split, 21 Stumble, 23 Examine, 24 Pilot, 25 Spend, 26 Sorcery.

18 Film (5) 20 Jewelled headdress (5) 21 Surrender (5)

Down:

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

1 Rescue, 2 Verge, 3 Insist, 4 Scald, 5 Release, 6 Bowler, 8 Wreck, 13 Pulsate, 15 Plump, 16 Assets, 17 Assess, 18 Neatly, 20 Tried, 22 Bilge.

Across 1 Beetroot (9) 8 Ebony (5) 9 Rhythm (5) 10 Cabeza (de persona) (4) 11 Huevos (4) 15 Fox (animal) (5) 17 Reina (5) 18 A veces (9)

ENGLISH-SPANISH

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Down 2 Stage (phase) (5) 3 Smell (odour) (4) 4 Air (4) 5 Cálido (climate) (3) 6 Magic spell (7) 7 Primos (7) 12 Gansos (5) 13 Hueso (4) 14 Here (in this place) (4) 16 River (3)

Hexagram

Across: 1 Bossy, 3 Sacks, 6 Ham, 8 Suegros, 9 Seventeen, 12 Taladro, 13 All, 14 Rusty, 15 Nadie. Down: 1 Buho, 2 Yesterday, 3 Sweetcorn, 4 Ciruela, 5 Sash, 7 Muebles, 10 Stir, 11 Blue.

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

AVERSE BUSHEL DESERT ERRATA EVOLVE (10) INHERE INROAD LARVAL PANDER PRINCE

REPEAL ROTTEN SODDEN SPREAD TEACUP TEETER TEETHE USABLE WORSEN

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Tether 2 Preach 3 Thwack 4 Ruckus 5 Teeter 6 Racket 7 Skater 8 Eureka 9 Museum 10 Errand 11 Barber 12 Diaper 13 Bateau 14 Makeup 15 Serine 16 Dreary 17 Martin 18 Instep 19 Whiten

Across 1 Justify angry outburst after hostilities (7) 5 Health resort in a European country (5) 8 Dud Moore, an ardent lover (5) 9 Rental I organised is trustworthy (7) 10 Cub Scout leader hiding in Lake Lagdo (5) 11 Equestrian is an addition to the bill (5) 12 Bands taking money in wagers (5) 14 Vessels for second class fliers (5) 19 The Spanish and the German leader (5) 21 Fruit from a Venus flytrap, please (5) 23 Basic part of an electric kettle (7) 24 Leave in some pain (5) 25 Goes round in a luxury car (5) 26 Reunite wandering followers (7) Down 1 Centre forward, ready for a fight, got friendlier (6) 2 Charge characters in Karakoram pageant (7) 3 Compensate for a wrong note (5) 4 Scottish material from Mariner and Brown (6) 5 New Orleans is an Italian port (7) 6 Grant given to a section of a hospital (5) 7 Not one little railway official (6)

13 Victims get star treatment (7) 15 Told a fib and have a nap (3,4) 16 Space traveller from remote building (6) 17 Baseball player’s pancake mixture (6)

18 Originally on grey sea-wall (6) 20 Stay healthy after first of December (5) 22 Exercise around PC network machinery (5)

E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

LETTERS

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OPINION & COMMENT

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

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

Bogus Spanish Master’s Degree

Emigrants vs Expats A REPLY to Marion of Gloucester who wrote in Edition 1634. I would like to know if the lady understands the meaning of the word ‘emigrate.’ The British people who moved to live in countries within the European Union did so under the same understanding of a Texan moving to Florida. They did not give up their British citizenship, their obligation under British law, their taxes are still paid in the United Kingdom on their pensions for which they paid their entire working life in a majority of cases. They still have the right to vote in British elections for a Member of Parliament who has the power of government over them, they are not emigrants, they are expats who just happen to live in a different part of Europe to the location in which they were born. When the lady goes on holiday abroad does she assume she has emigrated and must take up the nationality of the country in which she is now in? Australia and New Zealand are not a part of Europe and are not member states of the European Union so if you wish to live there on a permanent basis you must take up their nationality, that is to say ‘emigrate.’

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

LATELY it’s become very popular in Spain’s educational system to obtain a ‘Master’s Degree’ from one of its universities without having previously completed four years of undergraduate studies in an accredited college or university. In order to begin a Master’s Degree in the USA (and I suppose in the UK), it’s necessary to first have a diploma from an accredited college or university verifying the four years of successful completion of studies in said institution of higher learning. Therefore, the ‘Bogus Spanish Master’s Degree Diploma,’ which has become so popular today isn’t worth much more than the paper it’s written on, especially in ‘Educational Circles.’ And if they don’t believe it, let them try convalidating it to begin the next logical step at the educational level: The Doctorate! And Good Luck! As always in Spain, some shameless and foxy delinquents are making a lot of easy money at the cost of many desperate jobless Spaniards searching for a better life in times of crisis. Richard, Alicante

citizens who contribute massively to the UK economy no longer feel welcome there and feel they have no option but to leave. When Britain was in the EU it was a nation to be proud of, soon it will be a laughing stock. Shame on you. Annie

Rajoy takes reins

Calling this woman’s bluff SO Theresa May was completely against Brexit when she was talking ‘privately’ to the bankers and is now championing a hard exit from the EU now that she’s in power. I understand politicians have to bend to public opinion to an extent but her deceitful actions show she’s not someone we can trust at such an important time for the country. How can she negotiate when all the sharks at the other end of the table know she knows they’re right? How can she argue with Corbyn in the House of Commons when everyone knows that she doesn’t even believe what she is saying?

As for calling the “Brussels crowd” ‘money grabbing’ she should ask the farmers where there subsidies have come from. How much money has been poured into the West Country from Europe? Before writing a letter such as yours I suggest you confirm your facts, study an atlas and a dictionary and then see if you still think the same. Gerald, Alicante

Leapy love LEAPY, just read your article in the Euro Weekly. I have to agree with every word you said. We retired out here in Spain, for the simple reason we could not have lived in the UK on our pensions alone.

How can she negotiate with Nissan and other multinationals when they know she fully expects them to leave? She was against the Heathrow runway when Home Secretary and now she’s for it. She opposed the Hinkley nuclear plant being built by the Chinese (for obvious reasons) and now she’s for it. She has to support these plans now to show we are ‘open for business’ but aren’t we all at a major disadvantage when our competitors know that our ‘leader’ is lost and forced into pursuing policies she doesn’t believe in? How can we believe anything this woman says? John, Cadiz

It’s a sorry state when after working all your life you get treated like second class citizens, while the foreigners are treated like kings and never put a penny into the system. I always said I would never leave the home country, but what is there now? A society where we cannot say what we want, in case we upset anyone. I do miss home but for now Spain is my home. Carol AS a person who left England to go to live in the Caribbean in 1974 and only visited England about four times in this period I can totally agree with you. Each time I visited I was appalled at the degradation of the society especially as seen at 10 year intervals. When leaving Jamaica in 2014 the

thought of returning to England was the last thing on my mind, thus I now live in Spain. After reading your columns for the last two years I cannot think of once I could disagree with you. Keep up the good work. John

Looney Leapy WHAT a dreadful piece of writing. I’m leaving Britain because of Brexit and the attitude of people like you who do not seem to want to live among ‘foreigners’ who speak other languages and are from other cultures. Has it ever dawned on you that that is you? Presumably you feel welcome in Spain? I can tell you that many European

THE PSOE are the new Liberal Democrats. They’ve really shot themselves in the foot by allowing Rajoy back into power. His administration has proven itself corrupt and in hoc to big business. Every democracy needs a viable opposition and that is now Podemos not the PSOE. Only Podemos have shown any measure of principle across the past year and, once Rajoy and his mates return to their scams, the Spanish people will need an outlet at the polls. The PSOE are finished and it now looks like Catalonia has the incentive it needs to finally break free of Madrid. Karl, Calahonda

Blast from the past I READ your piece on Mallorca not wanting to change the clocks back with interest. I’d always wondered why Spain exists in such a strange time-zone and it’s fascinating that it’s another hang-over from the Franco era. I see that now in Spain there is a movement to rid the country of all the memories of the dictator - streets, statues, etc. But, although he was clearly a tyrant, it seems to me that it’s quite good having a physical reminder of the past to inform those living in the present. Of course it’s up to the Spanish people but hopefully they’ll at least salvage some of these historical artefacts instead of just destroying them. But the clocks? Get onto GMT! Mark, Palma

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.

HEALTH BEAUTY

Costa de Almería

3 - 9 November 2016

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Your health well insured ARE you unsatisfied with your health insurance or are you looking for one that meets your needs? Has your insurance premium been incremented due to an age increase, has it been cancelled? Are you unhappy with the service, is your medical directory or are your coverages insufficient? Are you looking for an insurance policy that meets your requirements? Then the health insurance offered by ASSSA may be of interest to you. Unique guarantees ASSSA does not increase your premium or cancel your policy due to age or illness and also guarantees this by contract so that you will have the peace of mind to be covered for life. Personalised customer service in your language With ASSSA you can count on a personalised, friendly and professional service. From the first day you will be allocated to a particular person in your local ASSSA bran c h wh o wi l l a s s is t an d g u id e y o u when e v e r n e c e ssa ry in a frien d ly a n d promptly manner.

Yo u w ill not c ome a c ros s a ny la nguage barriers, as you will be attended to in your own language b y th e multilingua l s ta ff a t ASSSA. Also, the majority of doctors and medical centres either speak your language or offer translation services. A custom-made insurance ASSSA has different levels of coverage and services in their insurance policies. You can even have the option to choose a more comprehensive level of coverage which offers free choice services with a reimbursement option. You will have immediate access to GPs, specialists and emergency assistance in numerous and prestigious private medical centres. Moreover, ASSSA offers the possibility of a second medical opinion and stresses

Girls could be the key for autism AUTISM is more prevalent in boys, but now, scientists say how the condition strikes girls, or doesn’t, may help reveal some of the disorder’s frustrating secrets. Autism is at least four times more common in boys, but scientists say many girls with autism have better social skills that can allow them to mask the condition. Some girls also show no

symptoms of autism even when they have the same genetic mutations seen in boys with the condition. It could be that autism is not the same in boys and girls as its causes are not known, but the gender effect is now a hot topic in autism research in the USA where at least one in 68 children are affected.

Maria Dolores Castaño. preventative medicine by carrying out an annual check-up. Insure your health with ASSSA ASSSA offers facilities and advantages

in transferring from your current company to one of its new health insurance policies, like the cancellation of the waiting periods. Now is the time to take out your private health insurance with ASSSA, as you can benefit from up to 30 per cent lifetime discount until December 12. Please contact your local ASSSA branch for further information with no strings attached.

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Could obesity lead to multiple births? OBESITY could be a cause of the increase in the rate of multiple births in mothers in their mid-20â€™s. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that women aged 25-29 are now having more multiple births when previously women aged over 45 were more likely to have twins or triplets due to the higher levels of IVF in this age group. The Twins and Multiple Births Association said

research suggests that obesity leads to more multiple births and this could be affecting the 25 to 29-year-old age group. However, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said more studies were needed into why those aged 25 to 29 are fuelling a rise in twins or triplets. The rate of multiple births, mostly of twins, rose to 16.1 per 1,000 women giving birth in 2015, compared with 16.0 in 2014. Last year in the UK, 10,901 women gave birth to twins, 169 to triplets and three gave birth to quads or more.

MULTIPLE BIRTHS: Are on the increase.

Stress and weight gain STRESS can lead to weight gain as it triggers a hormone called Adamts1 which generates fat cells in the body. Researchers found this also wraps fat around the internal organs like the liver and pancreas raising the risk of developing type two diabetes and heart disease. Scientists at Stanford University in the USA said it was once believed fat cells were just passive bags of calories, but recent research shows they send and receive important hormonal signals. Scientists said the trigger for this is the Adamts1 hormone.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Ask The Doctor

Brought to you by

How to avoid flu and treat it

SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte. FLU season is now upon us and will last through to the early months of next year. We asked the GP about the best way to avoid catching the flu and how best to treat it.

What are the symptoms of flu? The most common symptoms include: a high fever, a runny nose, headaches, a sore throat, muscle pains, coughing and feeling tired. These symptoms can sometimes worsen, causing complications such as pulmonary infection and even death in some cases. Does the flu affect some people more than others? Indeed! The flu usually affects the elderly, young children, pregnant women and people with some kind of disease that lowers the defences such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, HIV, diabetes mellitus... etc. What is the best way to treat the symptoms? If the symptoms mentioned above present themselves then you should first go to the doctor. Generally, treat-

3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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ment is symptomatic, with rest, painkillers and plenty of hydration. Other measures are taken if the symptoms worsen and become more serious. Can it cause more serious damage if it’s left untreated? The flu is usually a benign disease with a good prognosis but it can certainly become a serious concern, especially within certain risk groups. Treatment should be started early and one should be especially vigilant to avoid the possibility of fatal complications. Can the disease be prevented? It is a disease caused by a virus so avoiding contact with sick people, receiving the vaccine annually and treating the symptoms as soon as possible should be enough to keep it at bay.

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

Paracetamol does it work?

PARACETAMOL is often the go-to drug to treat and ease numerous ailments, but does it actually work? For the UK, an estimate of the amount of paracetamol sold is just under 6,300 tons a year, or around 70 paracetamol tablets per person every year. Around 200 million packs of paracetamol are sold without prescription in the UK every year, though sales fell after pack size restrictions, but evidence shows it probably does not work for chronic pain. Independent clinical trials

Energy drinks like drugs ENERGY drinks containing high levels of caffeine and alcohol are like cocaine for teenagers. A research team at Purdue University in Indiana, USA, found that drinks such as vodka and Red Bull triggers the same reaction in a young person’s brain as the class A drug and can have the same devastating effect on the chemical balance of the brain that lasts long into adulthood. The research team also found that if teenagers mixed energy drinks with alcohol, and then tried cocaine, they would crave greater quantities of the drug to replicate the same high.

GO-TO-DRUG: But it probably doesn’t help chronic pain. and reviews show paracetamol to be no better than a placebo for chronic back pain or arthritis. Reviews from the Cochrane Library, a global independent network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers and people, shows that paracetamol can provide pain relief, but only for a small number of people. For post-operative pain, perhaps one in four people benefit; for headaches around one in 10.

EWN

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3 - 9 November 2016

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RBL dates for the diary THE Royal British Legion in Mojacar held its annual poppy a p p e a l d i n n e r an d dance at Pueblo Marina Hotel on Saturday October 22, raising €960 which will go directly to the Legion’s welfare work. The l o c a l R B L b r a n ch wished to thank those who attended and congratulate Christine and Rhoda on the event, which they reported was a great success, partly due to music provided by K ay Fr a n c i s a n d L a u ra Blackman. The Mo j a c a r b r a n c h o f the RBL meets on the first and third Thursday of each month at the artisan centre in Mo j a c a r Pu e b l o a t 11.15am. It is not necessary to have served in the armed forces to become a member. Tomorrow, Friday 4, the branch has organised a fish

n c h ip s u p p e r an d q u iz a t B ea c h co mb e r res ta u rant, Mojacar Playa. Food will be served at 7.30pm (€6.50) a n d th e q u iz b eg in s a t 8 . 3 0 p m (€ 2 p er p ers on). Contact Rhoda on 661 078 957 to book places. The RBL will be honouring Remembrance Sunday on November 13 with a service at the Anglican Church of Mojacar at 10.45am, followed by a lunch at Sensations restaurant. To b o o k p la c e s fo r t he three-course meal, priced at €12, contact Mick on 678 101 471. Thurday November 17 is the date for the RBL branch AGM at 11.30am at the artis a n c e n tre in M o ja c a r Pueblo, with lunch afterw ard s a t O s te ria . P h o ne Christine on 697 887 362 to book.

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OCIAL

Keep fit and enjoy the surroundings By Eleanor Hawkins HUERCAL-OVERA residents have the chance to keep fit and discover some of the most attractive parts of the province and neighbouring Murcia thanks to a hiking programme run by the local Sports Department. The first meet on the 2016-2017 hiking programme was held last week and saw 55 people visit the Costa de Calnegre area, Mayor Domingo Fernandez reported. The next hike will be on November 13 in Sierra de Bedar, during which participants will visit the local mines and walk alongside Rio Jauto river. “We’re likely to spot wild goats and will climb the highest peak in the hills, Cerro Tenderas, and pass some of the area’s Buddhist retreats,” programme coordinator Juan Luis Fernandez explained.

HIKING PROGRAMME: Giving residents the chance to keep fit. Another six hikes are included in this year’s programme in Monteagud, Cabo de Gata, Sierra Cabrera, Sierra Espuña, Laroya and Sierra de Gador.

The hikes are of a medium level of difficulty and residents can sign up to take part one week ahead of the date of each trip at the municipal sports centre.

SOCIAL SCENE

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Tapas to eat, prizes to win at sixth Tapas Route By Eleanor Hawkins HUERCAL-OVERA is running its sixth Tapas Route from Friday 4, to November 13. More than 30 local bars and restaurants will be taking part in this popular event this year, providing visitors with more than 60 different tapas to try out. The Tapas Route was presented last week by Mayor Domingo Fernandez, Commerce and Tourism councillor Monica Navarro and Miguel Martinez, manager of Los Sabores de Miguel, one of last year’s winning bars. The event, the mayor explained, has become extremely popular and has more than achieved its goals of boosting the sector and encouraging people to get out and try new tastes. As usual, along with prizes for the best tapa, there are various things for locals and visitors to win. Tapas passports with at least 10 stamps will all be entered for a prize draw plus there will be a prize for the person with the most stamps. This year, to ensure all the bars and restaurants receive visits, four colour coded zones have been created

Old but active MORE than 1,000 senior citizens took part in Almeria’s first Seniors International Festival, nine days of fun aimed specifically at their age-group. Events took place in various locations in Almeria City and Vera and included competitions, conferences and active tourism initiatives.

TAPAS ROUTE: The event has become extremely popular. and passports must contain at least two stamps of each colour. Finally, everyone is invited to take selfies with their friends while on the route and email them to huercaloveratur

ismo@gmail.com. Photos will be posted in the Tourism and Culture department’s Facebook page and there will be a prize for the one which receives the most likes.

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E W N 3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

The wrong message Mike Senker

In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man WHAT with Brexit turning out to be a massive cock up, at least for the ordinary man in the street, and the most powerful country in the western world about to elect one of the two most hated candidates in my memory, there is just so much to be grumpy about at the moment. I’m like a kid in a candy shop. This is a great link, if I say so myself, into this week’s grump. It’s not a candy shop. It’s a SWEET shop. I am not American and I don’t want to celebrate anything Americanstyle. For instance, when I was a youngster, I never celebrated Halloween. Did you? In fact, some of the most important things we taught our children were don’t speak to strangers, do not take sweets off strangers and do not go into a stranger’s house. So how on earth does it become OK to break those rules on Halloween? Maybe if a parent accompanied the said children it would be just fine. But they don’t. Parents send their children out with an older child or, even worse, with a teenager. I don’t want children or anyone, if it comes to that, ringing my bell 20 times in one night excitedly declaring ‘trick or treat.’ Firstly, and

most importantly, it drives my dog nuts. Secondly, I don’t wish to get up and down to answer the door and what is trick or treat anyway? I’ll tell you what it is. It is blackmail or maybe junior extortion which is sending out the wrong message to our children!! The trick bit is supposed to be an idle threat but some of the children I’ve come across I’m not so sure. They can be quite intimidating! The other thing is you can’t recognise the little perishers because they are wearing these horrific costumes. And the costumes are not even a home-made effort but shop purchased things which, of course, cost a fortune. Then, after that’s all done with the fireworks start. Now a few sparklers or maybe a whooshy rocket is fine but the fireworks these days are like bombs going off. I mean, why? What is the point? They scare animals; scare the adults and even the children jump out of their skins. A waste of time! There was actually a big fat ray of sunshine in my otherwise grumpy existence this week. I bumped into my mate Patrick, who’s been quite poorly bless him, and it made my day to see him out and about and enjoying life again. I’m on the radio Friday November 4 at 11.30am so tune in to TRE and you can even add your own grumps by calling into the show. Or email mikesenker@gmail.com. It’s great to hear I’m not the only grump out there!

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OPINION & COMMENT

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Do you indicate? AS part of the series, we answer some common driving questions and keep you updated on the latest driving and road news 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.

MUST BE USED: But do you indicate? ONE of the biggest annoyances and grievances of drivers in Spain is when other road users fail to use their indicators. It leads to many people asking if they actually need to use them? But yes, they are there for a reason and in Spain, failing to indicate is punishable by a fine of €200. Indicators are there in order to indicate a driver’s intentions and therefore must be used before any manoeuvre takes place. Going back to when you learnt to drive, you were taught ‘mirror-signal-manoeuvre’ and this should be put into practice all the time. Indicating after you have started to slow down does not give sufficient warning. Equally, it must be remembered that indicating does not give you priority over other road users. Drivers must indicate whenever they intend to deviate from their course or di-

rection, such as turning or changing lanes. On a roundabout you must signal your intention to leave the roundabout immediately after passing the exit before. Overtaking is one of the most dangerous manoeuvres, especially when the move involves invading the opposite lane. It is important to indicate and show your intentions to overtake to warn other road users who might be considering doing the same thing, especially more vulnerable road users such as motorbikes. Turning into or out of a minor road must always be indicated, whether left or right, in order to advise other road users, including those you might not have seen such as pedestrians and cyclists. Remember, always indicate before a manoeuvre and indicating does not give you a right to carry out your move, only your intention to do so if safe.

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

Are postal votes allowed? Our Community sends out proxy forms with notation to tick boxes for or against the items on the Agenda for the Annual General Meeting. I have been informed that there is no law for the use of postal votes. To legalise Community rules, does it not need a unanimous vote and to be registered at the Property Registry? R P (Costa del Sol) can protest to the Court The Law of Horizontal and have the results anProperty proDavid Searl nulled. vides only two You and the Law For your second quesways of voting at the in Spain tion, only those deciAGM. The member can sions changing the basic vote in person or he can Constitution of the Comforms provided, are not auhorise another person munity require a unani‘legal.’ to cast his vote by Proxy. mous vote and re-regisAny member who This other person must tration. Most normal feels that his interests attend the meeting. This decisions require only a have been harmed by the means that postal or esimple majority vote. outcome of such a vote mail votes, even on the Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

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Another marble attraction By Eleanor Hawkins MACAEL Council has announced plans for another tourist attraction focused on the area’s main claim to fame - marble.

The walkway will be suitable for people of all ages. In case the giant marble mortar and pestle (the largest in the world), the Marble Museum and the Fuente de los Leones fountain are not enough to attract anyone interested in all things marble to pay the area a visit, now they can look forward to a raised quarry walkway providing miner’s eye views. If it goes ahead, the project will see €200,000 spent on a series of ramps and steps climbing the wall of a dis-

MARBLE GALORE: Macael is home to the world’s largest marble mortar and pestle. used quarry up to a height of 60 metres, allowing visitors a close-up experience of marble in its initial state. With views over the Almanzora Valley, the walkway will be suitable for people of all ages and perfectly safe, Tourism technician Francisco Orduña explained. So-called vertigo inducing walkways are becoming in-

creasingly popular amongst tourists looking for new experiences, something the local council is hoping to make the most of. A similar initiative in Malaga to reopen a suspended and mountain trail, the Caminito del Rey, has seen thousands of visitors flock to its heights in the year and a half since it was inaugurated.

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Excessive spending but nothing to show for it CANTORIA Council has announced it is going to have to start drawing up the new PGOU Urban Development Plan from scratch. Although former mayor Pedro Llamas paid almost one million euros for a new PGOU to be drafted, there is absolutely nothing usable at the town hall, the council complained. Llamas was recently banned from public office for nine years by Almeria’s number two criminal court over this matter as he was found to have drawn up 13 false minor contracts with the same company, Kalitas, to make the payments even though he was aware he was acting outside the law. Now, the council is considering taking the matter to court as the company has provided nothing of use in exchange for the exorbitant amount paid.

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Association suppor decision on use of f By Eleanor Hawkins AEPA, the Albox-Almanzora Valley business association, has spoken up in favour of the council regarding the fire station and fire brigade.

The service costs more than €500m a year to run. It is perfectly understandable, AEPA president Martin Martos said, that after 30 years of covering the costs of the service for dozens of towns and villages across northern Almeria, the council has decided enough is enough. The service, Martos explained,

FIRE BRIGADE: Responsible for covering towns and villages with

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

rts mayor’s fire station

h fewer than 20,000 residents.

costs more than half a million euros per year to run and this money could be put to better use for other things in the town, especially bearing mind its current financial difficulties. A state law in place for some time clearly places the responsibility for fire brigades to cover towns and villages with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants in the hands of the provincial councils. Yet, Martos said, it would make no sense at all to build a new fire station and take on new staff when the Albox station and brigade have been doing an excellent job for so long. Therefore, AEPA has urged Almeria Provincial Council to take up Albox mayor Francisco Torrecillas’ offer of use of the station and to maintain the current staff.

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Boys caught with drugs THREE teenagers have been arrested in Macael for alleged drug peddling. The older of the three, aged 19, also faces charges of corruption of minors for encouraging the two 17-yearold boys to deal in drugs after the group were caught with hashish during the annual village fair. The case has been placed in the hands of the Purchena court.

Book day honoured SECOND, third and fourth year pupils from Rafaela Fernandez primary school in Fines paid a visit to the municipal library during events planned to honour International Library Day. The children all made drawings of the covers of their favourite books, which were used to create a huge mural to decorate the library.

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No water woes By Eleanor Hawkins WATER problems are soon to be a thing of the past for Sierro residents as the provincial council is working to connect the village’s water deposits to a new well. Last year, the provincial authorities spent €58,000 drilling in a nearby area of countryside known as La Era de Don Juan and hit liquid gold as a site was found containing good quality water in sufficient amounts to help supply Sierro. Now, provincial council president Gabriel Amat has explained

during a visit to the site of the well, the authority will be spending a further €120,000 on the well to include solar-powered pumping systems and pipework to carry the water to the village. Local mayor Juan Rubio Cano has thanked Almeria Provincial Council for its assistance, stressing that providing enough water was one of his main goals after becoming mayor. “I wanted to guarantee sufficient water for all our residents and ensure that visitors didn’t stop coming due to a lack of water,” the mayor said.

Bullying victim’s family not happy THE family of the 12-year-old boy allegedly bullied at Olula del Rio’s Rosa Navarro secondary school has rejected extrajudicial mediation and demanded a restraining order. The victim’s lawyer reported that the family had refused to accept the proposal of mediation which came after the 14-year-old suspect admitted to having injured the younger boy. In fact, the parents have asked for a restraining order and for the alleged attacker and another boy to be sent to a different school and a third moved to another class.

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OPINION & COMMENT

New beginnings: it’s time to let go Welcome to your Astrological Forecast for November. Read on to discover how you can become clearer and more confident about what you really want in your life... Sally Trotman www.sallytrotman.com Sally Trotman is a qualified Counsellor who works with Astrology, Numerology and the Tarot. Each month she will deliver the forecast as an intuitive tool to aid increased self awareness.

SUN in Scorpio: The sign of Scorpio encourages you to look more deeply at all aspects of your life. As the leaves fall gracefully from the trees, consider what you need to release from your life in order to make space for new beginnings. When the time is right, you can let go with ease. How can you prepare yourself to release the old and worn out? As you will have less energy as we move into the darkest part of the year, it makes sense to slow down and use your time wisely to avoid becoming depleated. Let your intuition guide you as to the changes you might need to make at this time, and let your inner voice be your best guide. Get in tune with the moon: At the end of October, the new moon was influenced by the sensitive sign of Scorpio. This highly intuitive and spiritual sign helps you to

understand your most important needs. What is true for you? Is there anything you are spending your time on which no longer serves you? On November 14 the full moon in Taurus brings the opportunity to become more aware of your physical well-being. Notice how your body feels, where your aches and pains are, and what you need to do to take better care of yourself. Make time to walk outside in nature around the full moon for clarity, strength and increased focus. Taurus is an earthy and practical sign, so take action now to improve your health and well-being. At the end of the month, on November 30, the new moon in Sagittarius will help to energise you. Draw on the fiery influence of this moon to take action to bring your dreams to fruition. The archer aims his arrows high so dream big and move forward confidently with your plans! Numerology: Be the master of your destiny! November is the 11th month of the year. The number 11 is a master num-

ber. Like two pillars standing side by side, this number reminds you of your own strength. Deep within you are all the answers and solutions to the most difficult challenges you face. Make time to write down your thoughts around any situation which feels unclear. Then share your deepest feelings with a trusted friend. By airing your concerns you will surely find a solution. Ask for help where you need it, make changes where you can, and then let go. The Tarot: Trust the voice within The High Priestess: In the major arcana Tarot deck, the second card is the High Priestess. Take time this month to practice the art of meditation. Prayer is talking to the divine, while meditation is listening. When you still the chatter of your mind, you enter the

Fighting for stray cats

Gearing up for the Great Collection Photo Credit Shutterstock

By Eleanor Hawkins ESCUADRON KAT (Squadron Kat) is a citizen movement which arose in Castellon following an attack on a group of stray cats and has quickly spread to cities across Spain. In Almeria, a recently created branch is working to encourage care for strays and solve problems. The head of the branch, Gabriela Ciolac, has spoken of the work the group is carrying out with an aim to obtain support and comprehension. Almeria’s ‘squadron’ currently has 15 volunteers, who are touring the city focusing on areas where problems have been reported. “We are against violence and our goal is to mediate, educate and raise awareness amongst people who live near stray cat colonies and carers,” Ciolac explained. Vo l u n t e e r s h e a d f o r a r e a s w h e r e there have been complaints and provide information on the benefits of controlled colonies to reduce rat and mouse populations and on article 337 of the penal code, which deals with animal cruelty. “Complaints usually turn out to be related to problems other than the

CITIZEN MOVEMENT: Helping to support and care for stray cat colonies. cats: mainly dog mess and rubbish left by humans. When cats are at the root of the complaints, these are usually over the smell of rotting food or cat fights,” the branch leader said. To avoid these problems, the volunteers teach those who feed and

silence where clarity can be found. By quietening your mind, you will feel happier, healthier and more content. Find out what 2017 has in store for you... Counsellor and natural clairvoyant, Sally Trotman offers Astrology, Numerology and Tarot Readings via Skype to help you become clearer about what you need in your relationships, career, health and much more. Visit www.sallytrotman.com to book your appointment.

care for the strays of the importance of only putting down dried food and encourage local authorities and charities to run Catch-Sterilise-Release programmes which keep numbers under control and avoid fights. Escuadron Kat Almeria can be found on Facebook.

PREPARATIONS are underway across the country for the traditional Gran Recogida de Alimentos (Great Food Collection) which is held every year around a month before Christmas and this year falls on November 25-26. The official Food Bank of Almeria has put out a call for volunteers to staff collection points which will be set up at more than 200 supermarkets and commercial centres in the province and hopes at least 5,000 people will sign up. Although the charity already has quite a few regular volunteers, explained provincial group leader Juan Azorin, collection points will be open for more than 20 hours during the two-day event meaning the more who lend a hand the better. Around 16,250 families in Almeria currently depend on

deliveries from the food bank to ensure their children are fed, meaning these collections are vitally important. Volunteers will be handing out bags to shoppers as they enter stores, encouraging them to buy a little something to add to the donation boxes. All types of food are accepted, although non-perishables are the most popular. The supermarkets, Azorin explained, also collaborate not only by allowing collection points to be set up on their premises but by helping transport everything donated to the food bank’s warehouses in Roquetas, thus saving the charity petrol. Local council and Almeria Provincial Council usually do their bit during the Great Collection too and any and all help will be gratefully accepted.

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Difference of opinion A EUROPE-WIDE survey from Dutch bank ING has ‘discovered’ that people who own their homes are happier with their living situation than those who rent. The report found a far wider discrepancy between the UK and other parts of Europe in terms of satisfaction with renting. Less than half of Brits are content with renting, while a lofty 80 per cent are happy with home ownership. Across the continent most people were fine with renting and slightly less happy with ownership. The survey reflects different attitudes towards the property market across countries. In the UK people don’t consider houses to be too expensive, despite them being the highest in Europe. Most think they will always rise and it’s completely pointless to complain about their steepness. The aim is to make more money and get a better mortgage.

HOMES

GARDENS

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Water yesterday was 24°. Today… 28°!”

POOLWORX: A ‘spa-resort-like’ experience in less than one day? of the year or simply whenever you want to. More detailed information on temperatures and costs can be found on their website www.poolworx.eu. Although already a common domestic heating system in many countries, people still wonder how this kind of fantastic cost-efficiency is achieved? Albert from Poolworx explains: “When avoiding technical details, we usually describe our heat pumps as reverse aircon units. Aircons remove the heat from the air and dispense it without further use. A heat pump does a similar thing but instead of dispensing that heat, the heat is transferred into the water. Your pool water in this case! This also means the system does not rely on direct solar radiation, but on outside temperatures, making it equally effi-

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FACTS and figures are nice when it comes to pool temperatures, but actually experiencing it in real life is what it’s all about! After thorough consideration on how to best heat his pool, Oscar vdM decided to choose Poolworx as the right partner to make sure his pool is ready for swimming when he wants it to be! Oscar has a kidney shaped pool, so some interaction based on pictures and measurements were required to make a correct offer. A few weeks ago, a heat pump and pool cover were installed. One day later, customer service at Poolworx received a delightful email from Oscar, describing a “spa-resort-like experience”! Now how is this possible? In a previous article, we already zoomed in on easily heating your pool by 4° in one day using Poolworx’s Duratech Belgian quality heat exchange pumps. This solution is ideal for customers such as Oscar who want their swimming pool ready-forswimming at all times. Be it your next lazy weekend, the autumn school-break with family and friends or happily enjoying the Christmas holidays in Spain! Heat pumps are even more ideal for those who want to extend their summer swimming season by several months, since the cost to run a heat pump is less than 2€/day. Whatever scenario fits your situation, Poolworx has the solution to ensure you can enjoy your pool 365 days

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cient on cloudy days. To be exact, for each kilowatt consumed by the heat pump, six kilowatts are returned to the pool water! Believe it or not, our most common model, Dura 13 requires an absolute minimum of -5° in order to function.” As their slogan says, customer happiness is the single focus of Poolworx, heating up your and Oscar’s pool life. In order to achieve that, quality products require a quality service. That’s why Poolworx has a network of skilled installers. Contact Poolworx or refer your preferred installer for a no obligation ‘pool specific’ price quote, by calling Spain 643 363 179 or Belgium (+32) 497 408 800, email albert@poolworx.es or visit their websites in English at www.poolworx.eu, Spanish at www.poolworx.es or Dutch at www.poolworx.be

Balcony gardens GARDENING is not only for people with a big yard. Many people live in apartments with only a balcony as their private space to develop a garden. This can allow for more creativity to develop this space with a greater variety of different designs and plant varieties. Plants will need to be in pots but this allows freedom to use different soil mixtures to suit anything from orchids and aerial plants to fruit trees and tropical plants that may require acid or alkaline soils. The easiest way is to have a few larger pots that harmonise together well filled with a variety of plants, rather than lots of different pots with individual plants. It reduces maintenance to keep them all watered and stops cluttering. A variety of window boxes or suspended pots, shelving for pots and wall hung pots makes for the ability to create a jungle but leaves room for an outdoor cushioned sofa, decorative chairs and table. It’s important to make it suit your purpose and needs to improve your living experience. There are plenty of ways to develop your space. If the balcony is getting morning or afternoon sun, it will affect the way your garden grows. Afternoon sun will need very hardy plants or blinds that can be drawn to give shade in summer.

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OPINION & COMMENT

Where have all the gypsies gone? Ric Polansky Ric Polansky moved to Mojacar in 1969 as a pioneer developer. He reads extensively and has travelled in South America panning gold and looking for El Dorado.

THEY were here back in the 70’s. Everyone knew it. No one made a big deal about it either. In fact, no one gave them a second thought. There appeared to be three distinct bastions of them nearby, Cuevas del Almanzora, Turre and not distant Guadix. What they appeared to have in common was simply living in caves. The casting of spells and outrageous behaviour in public wasn’t a constant in their demeanour. Much unlike George Borrow’s famous book concerning their living styles (a scandalous bestseller back in the 1840s) that shocked the world and forever painted them in vibrant scarlet colors. But here’s the joke. About 30 days ago the French embassy published at its expense copious copies of my brother Paul’s book concerning oral histories of the gypsies in

Bosnia and Kosovo. Yet, two years ago when we were lunching one afternoon in Turre and asked the familiar owner “who living in Turre might give the most interesting histories concerning the gypsy race?” he took an abrupt step back and announced “there are no more gypsies here, none that would answer such question as being as such.” Our mutual listening jaws bounced off of the table top. No more gypsies in Turre? Forty years of knowing differently smacked us between the eyes and nothing could stop either of us from blinking constantly, shell-shocked and absolutely gobsmacked in sheer disbelief. In the back of my mind I chuckled and reflected concerning my friend Martin De Bruin’s golf driv in g ra n g e a t C o rtijo G ra nde . Much needed at the time it had the longevity of three days as all the bright yellow balls disappeared at night before they could be rounded up by the morning tractor. In th e afte rn o ons thos e s a me golf balls were traded for drinks and tapas around town, sort of a

Here, one of the world’s most popular performers wasn’t allowed to demonstrate his profession to this backward town in much need of some originality.”

NO MORE: Gypsies have disappeared from Turre. Turre Bitcoin. And I remembered when the Junta Andalucia invited the famed guitarist Tomatito to play the winter cultural circuit. He arrived at the municipal school, he wasn’t allowed on stage as a few of the locals jumped up and announced “in Turre only we will play flamenco,

we don’t need an outsider.” And the international acclaimed artist went away without playing even one short rift. I was hugely disappointed as having built houses and invited all the local Turre folk groups to come to the roof raising lunches, bring their guitars and great fun always

ensued; here, one of the world’s most popular performers wasn’t allowed to demonstrate his profession to this backward town in much need of some originality. (Yes, I had grown endlessly tired of hearing the same seven songs sung by all the different ensembles we invited). What an eye opener it would have been for the local residents too, but it wasn’t meant to be. I stomped away listening to the same old same old lilting crescendos blurt from the school, I had grown to hate their music... just that night.

Finally a sense of proportion Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

SO the PSOE finally fell on its sword and the Federal Committee agreed to abstain on the second vote to install Mariano Rajoy. A sense of proportion finally overpowered objections from Committee members like Cesar Luena, Pedro Sanchez’s organisation manager. He declared that the Committee was betraying voters, although resigned voters always take campaign promises with a pinch of salt and expect them to be broken. What Luena and the anti-abstention camp were most concerned about was the card-carrying membership who backed the ‘no means no’ mantra. Their desire to placate some – not all – of the 193,000 people who pay their dues each month was arrogantly disproportionate when they knew a third election would have relegated the PSOE to irrelevance.

The real world

Photo credit Matthew Elliot

Something to be grateful for

MARIANO RAJOY’S strategy of letting things take their course while saying as little as possible helped him survive for five years but he’s in for a rude awakening. No more legislating by decree thanks to an overwhelming majority, no more ignoring anything said inside the parliament chamber that he doesn’t want to hear. Rajoy is about to learn what governing is like in the real RUDE AWAKENING: For Mariano Rajoy.

Policies not politics THE PSOE went belly up in two general elections and two region-

al elections because its ex-secretary general gave the far Left the gla d-e ye in the be lie f tha t Podemos gets votes because of Iglesias’ politics. Iglesias gets votes on the strength of his poli-

nationalist slant than their political ideology. Onl y a har d cor e of vot er s know much about politics or care about them, but strangely enough politicians are unaware of this.

cies which come under the heading of ‘give ’em what they want.’ Podemos overtook the PSOE in Galicia and the Basque region last September but this had more to do with its candidates’ strong

IF the PSOE socialists are about to give Spain’s presidency to Mariano Rajoy it is down to one person: Pablo Iglesias. In March when Pedro Sanchez, backed by Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera, made a bid to govern, Podemos and its regional ‘confluences’ voted against him in the company of the right wing Partido Popular. Had Pablo Iglesias and his followers abstained, Spain would have now a socialist government. In fact, Rajoy has more reason to thank Iglesias than the PSOE Federal Committee.

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David THE Dogman

WHY do cats go to the one person in the room who doesn’t like cats? When a cat enters a room full of people staring at him, he becomes uncomfortable. He’ll notice the person ignoring him, the person who dislikes cats, and go to them to seek a safe haven from the others fawning over him or intimidating him. Why do cats rub against your leg? When a cat rubs his head or the side of his chin against you, the furniture, etc., he is actually depositing his scent as part of territorial marking. He uses glands on his forehead and around his mouth and chin that produce chemicals called

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pheromones, which he transfers by rubbing against objects. Cats can tell how long ago a scent was left and how much attention they need to pay to the warning. What does it mean when my cat exposes its stomach? A rare form of greeting, the ultimate compliment a cat can pay to a human. This body language shows how much he cares for you and how comfortable he is around you. Totally exposing the stomach reveals how secure he feels, because the stomach area is the most vulnerable body part of the cat. He can be asking for a caress, inviting you to play with him, or may want the stomach area stroked. Why does my cat knead? That loud purring followed by the sharpening of claws on some soft spot of your body is called milk-treading. When you relax and sit quietly, you’re giving your cat the same signal he got from his mother when he was a kitten which meant his mother was ready to let him suckle. A nursing kitten instinctively uses his paws to draw out the milk, gently pushing on his mother ’s stomach to increase the milk flow. When older cats behave this way, it’s a good sign that they’re happy and content.

Dixie the rabbit hunter House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! To find a pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on 00 44 (0) 777 214 2742. THE thing about Dachshunds is that they were bred for chasing small creatures down holes, mainly for badgers and miniature Dachshunds for smaller creatures like rabbits. They are hunters. Dixie is a small Dachshund and pretty typical in that she simply cannot resist a burrow and any creature she spies in that dwelling. As soon as she spies the hole in her path she cocks her head to one side, her ears go back and her paw is raised in anticipation. Then she charges and down she goes. It causes her dog walkers and dog sitters no end of worry when she simply disappears for minutes

at a time. Experienced carers know to keep one eye on Dixie when out for a walk, and one eye searching for any fresh burrows, rabbit tunnels especially. She simply can’t resist them. It is a worry for her family the Browns, when they go on holiday. They used to leave Dixie with friends but now feel this is too much of a responsibility to put on friends, especially if they are away for two to four weeks at a time. Now they are near retirement they like to travel for longer stretches, visiting new countries and also friends and families in more familiar locations.

Finding housesitters who are experienced in dog care via HouseSitMatch.com has been a relief. The experienced sitters know how to manage this situation and this gives Dixie’s owners more confidence that she will be safe in their hands. Do you need a sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation! Register as either housesitter or homeowner now with a 20 per cent off introductory offer using coupon code PERFECT20. To find a house pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com.

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“And, it’s made in Britain! Which is another way of saying that the door’s going to fall off” Some might say...

Lexus RC300h Luxury ROAD TEST by Nick Fletcher THE V8-powered Lexus RC was a niche model but now the market is much wider thanks to the introduction of a hybrid version. While still very quick, the RC300h can deliver

57.6 mpg combined and low emissions of just 113 g/km which makes it a very attractive proposition in a sector which includes rivals such as the Mercedes C Class Coupe and the BMW 4 Series. The 300h has a 2.5-litre f o u r -

cylinder petrol engine with 178 hp, boosted to 220 hp by an electric motor and a battery pack and is mated to an automatic CVT gearbox. That results in a nippy 0-60 mph time of 8.6 seconds and a top speed of 118 mph. It has to be said these stats are not class-leading but this Lexus does win you over with its prec i s e

steering and well-configured suspension set-up which gives the car excellent cornering grip and composure. The hybrid system works well, proving smooth and quiet, and the CVT transmission makes urban driving much less of a chore. The car has a strong visual presence thanks to ultra-sleek styling and neat design touches which add eye-catching charisma. In the cabin, that good impression continues with top quality trim materials, solidfeel switchgear and features which include heated leather sports seats. Other kit on

my Luxury-spec test model price at £34,995 (38,883 euros) included limited-slip differential, auto lights and wipers, front and rear parking sensors and parking-assist monitor, 18-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, 10speaker audio system and upgraded sat-nav. Front occupants get a lot of room but space in the rear isn’t great for taller passengers though adequate for those under six feet. Boot space - 340 litres- is fine for normal needs. This hybrid model certainly gives the RC greater appeal in the premium sports coupe sector, with main plus-points its distinctive looks, outstanding fuel economy and Lexus badge kudos.

LUXURY HYBRID: Makes urban driving less of a chore.

Motoring shorts

Monstrous future DRIVING used to be a fairly solid excuse for escaping some of the trappings of modern life. You could put away the phone, or scream ‘I’m driving’ at anyone who insisted on interrupting the vibe. What you certainly wouldn’t be dealing with was salesmen, adverts and customer service. Well not any more. The AI revolution was always going to be put to devious means and not even t h e d r i v e r ’s s e a t i s s a f e . Soon your car will be a complex spy model gaining information on your personal habits in order to plug d i ff e r e n t c o r p o r a t i o n s t o your email etc. You’ll also be offered in-car credit card payments and be suggested to particular petrol stations when running low on fuel.

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3 - 9 November 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Road Test: Toyota Hilux by Nick Fletcher FIRST introduced almost 50 years ago, the Toyota Hilux has achieved legendary status in a tough sector of the marketplace. To date it has notched up global sales of over 18 million units, and in Europe last year, it was the best-selling pick-up. Now the all-new Toyota Hilux heralds a fresh era for the iconic model, with imposing styling, additional comfort, more safety features and advanced technology. It offers SUV levels of refinement and equipment, with the centre console dominated by an easy-to-use integrated tablet-like seven-inch touchscreen multimedia system. Priced from £19,177 (€21,259) it is available in Single, Extra and Double Cab body styles, it has a new and stronger ladder chassis, reinforced deck structure, enhanced 4×4 capabilities, plus improved towing capacity Although the 187 hp 2.4-litre D-4D diesel engine is smaller than the previous 3.0-litre unit, it provides vastly improved torque delivery in the low and medium speed ranges and has class-leading fuel economy. Two-wheel drive Hilux versions are equipped with sixspeed manual transmissions, whilst all-wheel drive models offer a choice of six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes. My test model was a top-spec double-cab Hilux Invincible with auto gearbox and priced at £27,235 (€34,245). It has

a 0-60 mph time of 12.8 seconds, top speed of 106 mph and fuel economy of 36.2 mpg combined. The driving experience is impressive, quite car-like much of the time

The all-new Toyota Hilux heralds a fresh era for the iconic model.” and revised rear suspension gives a very comfortable ride. Light precise steering help make the Hilux surprising easy to manoeuvre. The vehicle - longer, lower and wider than its predecessor - is equipped with a switchable all-wheel drive system featuring a high and low-ratio transfer case, and both front and rear locking limited-slip rear differentials. It has a towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes.

In the cabin, the dashboard looks as smart as in most SUVs. Seating is supportive and comfy, and there is plenty of room for rear occupants. Standard kit includes cruise control, touchscreen multimedia system, Bluetooth, rear-view camera and automatic air con. It also has a wealth of safety features such as lane departure warning, road sign assist, stability and trailer-sway controls. With a dominating road presence thanks to its imposing size and slick styling, the new Hilux features eyecatching 18-inch alloys, scuff plates, chrome sidebars with steps, and rear privacy glass. Tough workhorse it may be, but added elements of luxury and driving refinement help keep it top of the pick-up class. TOYOTA HILUX: A dominating road presence.

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Road Test: Volvo S60 D3 SE Lux THE compact executive class may appear to be a niche market but it’s crammed with classy contenders eager to please discerning business buyers. Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz are all in the mix, as is Volvo with its elegant and more exclusive S60. Volvo, founded in Sweden in 1927, is these days in Chinese ownership but its Scandinavian DNA is still strong, as the S60 demonstrates. Beautifully built and with a high standard of fitand-finish, the S60 offers comfort, refinement, sporty driving and extensive safety equipment. Priced from £21,875 (€24,247) the S60 offers petrol and diesel engines and it was the latter fitted in my recent test model, the D3 SE Lux Nav which with auto transmission is priced at £30,895 (€34,245). This two-litre 150 hp unit is quite zesty, 0-60 mph in 8.4 seconds and a top speed of 130 mph. But it is frugal too reaching 67.3 mpg combined. Underway, the power is

smoothly delivered, the sixspeed auto gearbox is seamless and the steering is sharp and precise with its feedback, so driving is very pleasant. There is excellent cornering grip and when it comes to ride quality the it’s fine on smooth surfaces, though it can deteriorate somewhat on rougher tarmac or potholes. However, it’s unbeatable as a refined motorway cruiser. With sleek coupe-like styling and revised front-end, the S60 certainly exudes executive appeal, and the cabin impresses too. Its unfussy understated design and clever use of lightcoloured trim materials give the interior an elegant ambiance. Five adults can be accommodated comfortably, and while the 380-litre boot is a tad smaller than some rivals it will still be adequate for most buyers, Standard kit includes connected services, satnav, colourscreen display, voice control system, dual-zone climate control, rear parking sensors and alloy wheels.

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Superb wins for City, the Gunners, Hamilton, Murray and Dovizioso 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 * Last Saturday, PL pacesetters Manchester City whipped WBA 4-0; Manchester United despite having 42 attempts on goal and seeing Ander Herrera sentoff, were held 0-0 at home by Burnley; Liverpool won 4-2 at Crystal Palace; Sunderland, now with a record of no wins in 10 League games, were booed off after losing 4-1 at home to Arsenal and Spurs drew 1-1 with Leicester. There were also wins for Chelsea (2-0 at Southampton), Everton (2-0 v West Ham), Middlesbrough (2-0 v Bournemouth) and Watford (1-0 v Hull). Stoke played Swansea on Monday. * In the Championship, second-placed Brighton (v Norwich) and Fulham (v Huddersfield) both registered terrific 5-0 victories over top-four teams; leaders Newcastle won 2-1 at Preston (a few days after hammering North End 6-0 in the League Cup) and the Midlands derby between Birmingham City and Aston Villa (managed by ex-Blues player and boss Steve Bruce) ended 1-1. * Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and

missed a penalty as La Liga leaders Real Madrid won 4-1 at Alaves; Barcelona (2nd) beat Granada 1-0. * Tuesday’s action in the Champions League involved Manchester City-Barcelona, Borussia MonchengladbachCeltic and Ludo Radz-Arsenal. Last night it was Legia Warsaw-Real Madrid, FC Copenhagen-Leicester and Spurs-Bayer Leverkusen and tonight Fenerbahce-Manchester United and Southampton-Inter Milan play in the Europa League. * The 10 PL matches this weekend are Arsenal-Spurs, Bournemouth-Sunderland, Burnley-Crystal Palace, Chelsea-Everton, HullSouthampton, LeicesterWBA, Liverpool-Watford, Manchester City-Southampton, SwanseaManchester United and West HamStoke. The key

Championship games are Bristol City-Brighton, Huddersfield-Birmingham, Newcastle-Cardiff and NorwichLeeds. FL1 leaders Scunthorpe visit Coventry; FL2 table-toppers Plymouth play at Crewe, and unbeaten Carlisle travel to Newport. Celtic, SPL leaders by seven points, take on Inverness CT, while Rangers visit Ross County. And several nonLeague clubs compete in the FA Cup first round, with Eastleigh starting off against Swindon tomorrow night. * The League Cup quarter-finals, set for November 29/30, are ArsenalSouthampton, Hull-Newcastle, Liverpool-Leeds and Manchester United-West Ham. CRICKET * Bangladesh (220 & 296) beat England (244 & 164) by 108 runs in the second Test to level the series at 11. England collapsed from 100 for nought in their second innings, routed effectively by teenage spinner Mehedi Hasan, who took 12 wickets in the match (19 in the series) as the hosts registered their

first-ever victory over England. Next for Alastair Cook’s team is a five-Test series in India. FORMULA ONE * It was Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Danny Ricciardo 1-2-3 in last Sunday’s interesting but controversial Mexican Grand Prix which was attended by 110,000 fans. Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen both thought they had finished third but were both handed time penalties. With two races left (in Brazil and Abu Dhabi) Rosberg now leads Hamilton by 19 points in the driver’s championship. MOTOGP * Andrea Dovizioso took the chequered flag in last weekend’s wet and wild Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang. Valentino Rossi finished second with Jorge Lorenzo third. Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow

both crashed out. TENNIS * Andy Murray WILL BE world number one if he wins this weekend’s tournament in Paris. The Scot defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in last Sunday’s Erste Bank Open final in Austria and moves within striking distance of Noval Djokovic. RUGBY LEAGUE * In the four Nations tournament there were wins for Australia 54-12 over Scotland and New Zealand 17-16 over England. On Saturday, England play Scotland and Australia take on the Kiwis. RUGBY UNION * Recent Aviva PL games included wins for Bath 1613 at Exeter, Harlequins 36-

14 v Worcester, Sale 31-13 at Bristol, Saracens 24-10 v Leicester and Wasps 31-6 v Newcastle. ROUND-UP * Jordan Thomas has won GB’s first World karate gold medal for 12 years… Nick Matthew is into the quarterfinals of the world squash championships in Egypt… the Washington Redskins drew 27-27 with the Cincinnatti Bengals in an NFL match in front of 84,488 spectators at Wembley… and the pairing of Mark Cavendish and Sir Bradley Wiggins (riding in his last race in GB) finished second in the six-day London cycling event. SAD NEWS * The former darts and speedway commentator Dave Lanning has died, aged 78. ANDREA DOVIZIOSO: Won the Malaysian Grand Prix.

LEWIS HAMILTON: Placed first at the Mexican Grand Prix.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ Don’t forget my Quiz at Los Pastores bar/restaurant in Cabrera village tomorrow night: meals available from 7pm; quiz starts at 8.30pm. See you there.

APOLOGY/CORRECTION DID YOU KNOW? * There are 33 former Football League clubs currently playing at non-League level.

My story, published in some editions of EWN of October 20, should have read… Red Rum, a bay gelding, was born in May 1965. Having typed in 16 million words over 42 years while writing almost 150 books and 2,000 articles/stories, surely I’m occasionally allowed one misplaced phrase/word!

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BIZARRE Social media reports claimed that Lyon playmaker Mathieu Valbuena had died. The French club said he is “happily alive.” Costa de Almería’s best guide to local sport

The Doreen Sands Memorial Trophy CABRERA LAWN BOWLING CLUB hosted the Doreen Sands Memorial Trophy between October 6 and 9, 2016. This was the second year of this competition and was in honour of Doreen Sands who was the club secretary and a long term member who sadly passed away last year after a short illness. The competition was sponsored by her husband Peter and her family. It took the form of handicapped triples which Doreen before her illness was keen to introduce. Each player had their own individual handicap which was added to the other members of the triples to form the team’s total handicap. There were some very interesting rounds and none more so than last year’s winners, Alan and Flo Saunders with Bob Blackburn, against Ian and Janet Jackson with Brian Firth. This was a first round match and although Alan’s team won the com-

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Marina Phoenix Golf THE team game at Marina Phoenix on Thursday October 27 was a stableford waltz competed for by teams of four. The par score was 74 stableford points and was comfortably beaten on 90 points by Jackie Dale, Dave Easton, José Urroz and Jim Budd. Second place went to June Nicol, Liam MacNamee, John Thompson and Derick Dale (86) followed by Les Armfield, Jim Laird, Tony King and Margaret Budd (84) in third. The nearest the pin prizes were kept in the Oliver family by Glennys (5th) and Terry (17th). Monday’s individual competition was again a family affair as Malcolm Taylor (40) won the men’s division and his wife Carole (36) was successful in the ladies competition. Marina Phoenix play Mondays (individual) and Thursdays (team game). To join for a €25 green fee ring Jim on 950 162 727 / 600 353 670 or Rosalie 950 397 117 / 697 512 882.

Badgers Golf Society From left to right: Ian and Janet Jackson, Peter Sands and Brian Firth. petition last year, Brian’s team still had to give them an eight shot start. As it is over 18 ends Brian’s team had their work cut out to pull back the handicap but they did and went on to win 22-20 on their way to the final. In the final they met Brian and Pat

Marsh with Austin Crilly. Brian’s team again had to give four shots away and after 12 ends were trailing 11-14. They won the next two ends to go ahead 15-14 and built on their momentum to win the final 21-16. A truly thrilling final with excellent bowling from both teams.

ON Wednesday October 25 an impressive 32 Badgers travelled up the road to Valle del Este to compete in the midweek stableford. The fairways and greens were in good shape on this tricky course, with none of the players being able to produce their best golf. A score of 32 points by Derick Dale was good enough on the day for him to come out on top, well done Del Boy. Full Results 1st Derick Dale 32 points. 2nd Chris Baker 31 points. 3rd Tony Robottom 29 points, on count back. The two’s and nearest the pins were shared between Steve Casburn, Martyn England, Keith Walker, Duncan Smart, Derick Dale, and Wendy England. Badgers also play Saturday morning, for further information call Duncan Smart on 634 331 059.