ISSUE NO. 1690
23 - 29 Nov 2017
COSTA DE ALMERÍA
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
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Photo credit Guardia Civil
Dodging justice
BUSTED: Police not fooled by hiding places. POLICE surprised a drug dealer cruising around Adra selling cocaine. They watched as he plied his trade around different leisure centres, bars and cafes. After a surveillance operation, they decided to stop and search the vehicle. Officers found 14 grams of cocaine hidden in different places. Eight grams were in a speaker on the dashboard. Another six were found in the fuse box underneath the steering wheel. More than €700 was also found. They arrested the local man, aged 35, and charged him with a crime against public health.
Stabber seized A MAN from Belgium wanted under a European arrest warrant for the attempted murder of his ex-wife has been held in Carboneras. The 31-year-old, originally from the Belgian town of Koksijde, allegedly stabbed his ex-wife 18 times while they were discussing who would get custody of their four children. The man is believed to have attacked the woman with two different knives, until she pretended to be dead, and then fled the scene.
LOADED: Rifles seized from a home in El Parador de las Hortichuelas.
Trigger happy Police seize firearms during raid By Matthew Elliott Two Kalashnikov AK-47 rifles were seized at an Almeria property by Guardia Civil officers. Both weapons were capable of firing live rounds. Police also discovered two silencers and 12 rounds of ammunition. The raid took place at a property in El Parador de las Hortichuelas. Also found was a replica pistol, more silencers and a total of 800 bullets. All the
weapons uncovered had been stripped of their model identification and any details of their manufacture. Police were hunting the alleged owner of the weapons when they raided the property. The local man, aged 51 and identified as A E , w a s n ’t h o m e a t t h e time. He was later arrested by Guardia Civil officers in M e l i l l a , S p a i n ’s N o r t h African territory. He is charged with possessing assault weapons and ammunition. He has a
history of criminal activity with convictions for drug possession, forgery and attacking police officers. Police are now analysing the weapons to determine their origin and whether they were used in a crime. Kalashnikovs found in Spain often come from the f o r m e r Yu g o s l a v i a v i a smuggling gangs. Police across Almeria Province are under instructions to be on constant lookout for such weapons in case they fall into the hands of terrorists.
A MAN accused of stabbing his partner has committed suicide while in police custody. The 46- year- ol d reportedly stabbed hi s wi f e, aged 43, twice in the side in Aguadulce. The man was held by pol i ce but f i r st taken to hospital to receive minor treatment. Several hours after he was placed in a cell, he allegedly used his trousers to hang himself. His wife, who had t o undergo em er gency surger y f or her stab wounds, remains in hospital but is recovering from her injuries, accordi ng t o l ocal m edi a sources.
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Born in the USA AMERICAN expatriates across Spain will today (Thursday) celebrate Thanksgiving, the traditional feast which started as a day of giving for harvest and typically includes roast turkey, sweet potato casserole and winter veg topped off with pumpkin pie.
Knife thug POLICE arrested a mugger who threatened two people with a knife in Adra, holding it against a woman’s throat and stealing her purse. A second suspect is still at large.
Fire flies FOUR skips torched in Almeria City in a series of arson attacks over the weekend. More than 100 have now been set alight this year.
Households ripped off Gangs cost taxpayers millions DRUG dealers and other criminals are stealing millions of kilowatts of public electricity every day according to Endesa. The electricity company estimates that 59 million kilowatts were siphoned off from illegal hook-ups last year alone. That is equivalent to the amount Almeria City would consume in an entire month. Most of the illegal hook-ups are found in El Puche, Los Almendros, Pescaderia and Torrecardenas. Residents of these neighbourhoods suffer frequent electricity cuts due to criminal activity, predominantly in the marihuana growing business. Endesa says thousands of its clients are affected. In Almeria Province, the company has recorded an 89 per cent increase in electricity fraud in the past two years. Last year there were 5,471 confirmed cases. So far in 2017, there have been
SIPHONED: Illegal hook-ups using €150m of electricity. growth of 70 marihuana plants 1,950 supply cuts due to fraudcaught fire in Roquetas in Sepulent hook-ups, the vast majoritember, forcing 30 ty outside Almeria innocent people to City. evacuate their Endesa engihomes. neers are now In the Pescaderia working with the neighbourhood police to uncover Latest news alone, Endesa have and illegal hook-ups more as it forked out more and, by default, happens than €75,000 to redozens of maripair damage caused huana plantations. by criminals this year. Across Power cuts aren’t the biggest Spain the gangs steal roughly risk for neighbours. A badly €150m of electricity a year. connected hook-up fuelling the
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Fire fiend faces trial
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NEWS EXTRA
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A MAN accused of trying to burn his partner alive is facing 22 years in prison. He allegedly doused their Almeria house in petrol while she and another victim slept, then set it alight. His partner, aged 29, spent more than one month in intensive care with serious burns. She spent another 165 days recovering in hospital. Today she has scars on 60 per cent of her body and cannot speak due to paralysis in her voice box. The attack came after one year of what prosecutors describe as “repeated physical and psychological violence.” She had her phone confiscated and was banned from speaking to anyone by her abusive partner. After the fire, her partner, aged 40, went on the run. Now in prison, prosecutors also want him to compensate the victim with €330,000 for a lifetime of medical care.
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SPECIAL FEATURE IS SPAIN DOING ENOUGH TO TACKLE COCAINE PROBLEM?
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JAVIER TEBAS.
Goodness gracious A FIREBALL tearing across the sky was recorded by the Calar Alto Observatory. The fragment from the Tempel-Tuttle comet soared over south-e a st Sp a i n a t a s p ee d o f 260,000kph before dawn on Friday. It had a n a l t i t u d e r a n g in g fro m 88km t o 1 3 9 k m wh e n it c ro s s ed Almeria.
Glass of blue A BLUE wine from Almeria was featured at a charity ball in New York City. Celebrities including Boris Becker, Prince Albert of Monaco, and Pamela Anderson sampled the highly regarded wine from a Uleila del Campo vineyard which is sold by Bodegas Perfer.
Fan disgrace RACIST insults were hurled at three black CD Adra Milenaria players as the team travelled to Jaen Province. Fans for home team Porcuna accused them of arriving on immigrant boats during a combative match that ended in a 1-1 draw and saw 12 yellow cards issued.
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SPANISH FACTS OF LIFE...38 Spain is home to some of Europe’s most endangered animals, such as the Iberian Lynx which is now on the brink of extinction.
for destroying habitats and putting the lives of many species at risk. The environmental group Ecologists in Action warned that Spain has the most fragile biodiversity in Europe and has urged the govern-
THERE are more than 150 animal species in danger of extinction in Spain, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Overdevelopment of rural areas and coastal zones are blamed
SINGER David Bisbal missed out on a Latin Grammy for his new album ‘Hijos del Mar’ which was nominated in the Best Contemporary Pop Album. The Almerian star lost out to Shakira at a glitzy award ceremony in Las Vegas.
COOL CAT: Iberian Lynxes are hard to spot in the wild these days due to their decreasing population.
Octo-theft
valued at more than €1,000.
TWO fishermen accused of stealing 100 kilos of octopus from a ship anchored at Almerimar are facing 10 months in prison each. The haul was
Long march AN estimated 50,000 people left Almeria Province for work last
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TV 38
Couch Critic 39
Tech 42
Letters
ON THE RISE: Spanish Imperial Eagle numbers are soaring once more.
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Spanish Imperial Eagle ONCE in immediate danger of extinction, with only 30 breeding pairs recorded in Spain in the 1960s, the Spanish Imperial Eagle has grown in population size in recent years. The bird was threatened by the decline in rabbits, loss of habitat and a high number of collisions with pylons. However, there are now an estimated 500 breeding pairs on the Iberian Peninsula, with 15 chicks born in Cadiz’s Doñana region last year alone, due to several conservation projects.
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THE rare Cantabrian Brown bear was nearly extinct 40 years ago. The government estimates that only six were left in the wild by the 1980s but, thanks to a significant conservation effort, numbers are now back up to around 200. The bears were so despised by farmers for destroying crops in the 18th and 19th centuries that hunters were actually paid to kill them. Hunting was eventually banned in1968 and the bears became officially protected in 1973.
year, making it the province with the biggest exodus of workers in Andalucia. But it also was among the few in Spain with a net increase in employees as 56,000 people came to Almeria for work.
Social
Classifieds
Cantabrian Brown bear
Farm horror
News Leapy Lee
ment to tackle the destruction of habitats and protect the country’s creatures. Some endangered wild animals worth keeping an eye out for include:
Iberian Lynx REGARDED as the world’s most endangered wild cat, there are fears that the Iberian Lynx may soon disappear for good. Recognised by its heavily spotted coat, long legs and short tail, this species of lynx is under peril because of a number of different threats. The lynx was once regarded as a hunting trophy, and was valued for its fur and meat. Although it became illegal to hunt them in the early 1970s, the cats are still victims of traps and snares set for other animals. The Iberian Lynx’s diet was severely impacted when the rabbit population was struck by a series of epidemics. It has also been affected by the development of roads and motorways, which has caused an increasing number to be hit by cars each year.
PLUS THE REGULARS 1 - 26
Fantastic beasts
Latin Grammy’s
A FARM worker died shortly after his chest was crushed by an iron plate. The victim, aged 53, was injured on a Vicar farm on Saturday morning and transferred to Poniente hospital. The Guardia Civil has ruled it a work accident.
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Motoring 68 - 69
Sports 71 - 72
The total number of news and features which appeared in Issue 1689 of the Euro Weekly News Costa de Almería edition, including 52 local stories.
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TRIVIA FROM AROUND THE WORLD FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS: More misery for travellers.
At the Hotel Charleroi Airport in Belgium you can rent a goldfish for €3.60 a night.
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Top 5 stories
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From November 13 – 20
1 Ryanair announce flight cancellations tomorrow due to air traffic control strike in France - 19,730 2 Flights between UK and Spain likely to be hit as French air traffic controllers strike again - 13,431 3 Ryanair launch new UK to Spain route with cheap flight offers - 6,567 4 Brit issues warning after being robbed in broad daylight in Costa Blanca - 4,981 5 easyJet offers Black Friday deals for thousands of flights from today - 3,774
Poll of the week Amid air pollution fears in Spain, should cars be banned from city centres?
LAST WEEK’S POLL: Should Spain follow Thailand’s example and ban smoking on its beaches?
Yes = 74% No = 26%
Top Social Media comments Southern Spain heading to driest November in decades - It’s bad and desparate for farmers. They are the ones who have water restrictions. Stupid stupid. All towns and cities should be... WE do not water 24hrs a day. Lydia Taylor When we arrived in 1986 water cuts and we had a restaurant to run. The area wasn’t as populated as it is now. Stan Butt Wish we could swap weather. Raining in the UK. Barbara Clements British Airways passengers to board aircraft by ticket price - Well when I was daft enough to use this airline, the idea was that first class and business class got on last and off first so you spent less time on the plane. However as they are such a rubbish airline anyway they will copy the likes of Ryanair. Christine Hanslip Wonder which idiot thought up this PR triumph? Rod Allcock Off-duty police officer tested positive for cocaine after death crash - I believe the policeman already had a few previous b4 this accident so I think jail will be right way. Juan Gomez Banderas Shocking and shameful... especially if the Guardia Civil knew about him - they are supposed to set a
good example!!!! What a joke. Moira Palmqvist Tourists warned of heightened risk of Christmas terror attacks in Europe - Won’t stop me going not worth worrying about... When it’s your time it’s your time. Until then I’m finding where they do those giant Yorkshire pudding wraps. Matt Silver They’re probably safer in Europe than in the good ol’ gun-totin’ US of A. Patrick Murphy Road to Spain’s ‘City of Dreams’ are a nightmare claim residents - Loved Ronda. Went there last month. Road wasn’t too bad. Debbie Tobin Drove it a couple times this summer. Drive wasn’t too bad... just those crazy motorcycles who pass on a corner and cause near collisions. Karen Ganzkow You should have seen it 30 years ago or more. That was scary! Sandra Russell Axarquia Council cat cull questioned - Spay them. They’ll keep the rodent population down and if they’re all spayed they’ll die out naturally etc. If others come into the area spay those as well. TracyAnn Kitching Get them spayed,some places do this and then take a nick out of their ears to show they have been done. Julie Clayton Spayed cat colonies benefit any area. Lisa Emeny.
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Ethiopia still follows the ancient Coptic Calendar that is seven years behind the rest of the world. Las Vegas casinos do not have clocks on display as the ploy is believed to make customers lose track of time and gamble for longer.
Did you know? An estimated 90 per cent of the world’s fresh water is in the Antarctic.
Little bits on the side
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In the United States of America there are three towns named Santa Clause.
Lost in translation
“Peligro ¡No pasar!” “Danger ne pas arriver!” “I am in danger, not to happen!” “Ich bin in gefahr, nitch zu geschehen!”
CORRECTIONS At the EWN, we pride ourselves that reports are accurate and fair. If we do slip up, we promise to set the record straight in a clear, no-nonsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com
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OUR VIEW
Very many congratulations IN today’s modern world where marriage vows seem to mean so little and divorce is easy, the celebration of a Platinum Jubilee is exceptional. In November 1947, the then Princess Elizabeth brought a bit of excitement into the lives of the general public in an austere post war Britain by marrying Philip Mountbatten, a member of the Greek and Danish royal families. Following their marriage which was broadcast over the radio to an estimated 200 million people worldwide, he continued to serve as a naval officer and was accompanied to postings by his new bride. Much was made of the fact that the then Princess had to save ration coupons in order to purchase the cloth needed for her wedding dress which was designed by Norman Hartnell. Now with the Queen aged 91 and Prince Philip 96 they have become the longest wed couple in the history of the British royal family. From time to time, Prince Philip has been known to make the odd gaffe and admits that he knows that he is regarded by many as ‘a cantankerous old sod.’ Regardless of his sometimes erratic behaviour, he is regarded as having been a tower of strength in his support of the Queen and we at Euro Weekly News congratulate them on the longevity of their union.
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Walking dead TEACHERS, dressed as zombies, surprised shoppers in Almeria City last Friday afternoon as they protested against working conditions by mimicking characters from hit TV show The Walking Dead.
Jean blaze FIREFIGHTERS tackled a house fire in Huercal-Overa that generated great plumes of smoke when a pile of clothes mysteriously caught fire when no-one was home.
Desert sneak A FARM owner who illegally extracted 4.6 million cubic metres of groundwater from underneath the Tabernas Desert has been fined more than €1.5m.
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TOTAL ANGEL: Blanca Padilla.
SHE was once voted the 63rd sexiest woman alive. And 33-year-old Spanish TV presenter Adriana Abenia caught the world’s attention once again after flashing one of her breasts on the red carpet. The wardrobe malfunction came as the stunner posed for photographers bePhoto by: Adriana Abenia/Instagram fore the GQ MagaWHOOPS! zine Man of the Year Adriana Abenia. Awards in Madrid. Rocking a dangerously plunging neckline, the presenter looked horrified as one of the loose-fitting straps fell aside, exposing her chest. Abenia later proved she has a sense of humour though, taking to Instagram to laugh at the incident. Posting a photo of the embarrassing moment, she captioned the before-and-after photo: “I had another photo ready, but since this one is going to accompany me all my life... here you have it!”
PECS FACTOR: David Bisbal.
Heavenly creature SHE’S the first Spanish model to appear in a Vic tor ia’s Secret Fashi on Show twice. And Blanca Padilla, 22, took to social media to express her delight in the wake of this year’s extravaganza in Shanghai, China. After sporting a giant pair of golden wings on the runway during the lingerie brand’s flagship event she wrote: “If you ask me what my dream outfit would look like I can assure you it’d look a lot like this!”
Sun’s out, guns out! HE’S the Spanish singer who rose to fame after finishing second on a reality TV show. But David Bisbal, 38, really brought his Agame after displaying his rock hard torso on social media. The platinum-selling artist received around 9,000 likes from swooning followers within hours of posting the raunchy snap. The shot, taken in his home province of Almeria, was captioned “from the coast of
Almeria to the coast of Acapulco,” with the singer currently on a tour of South America. Since finding fame on the Spanish talent contest Operacion Triunfo in 2002, the crooner has gone on to sell more than five million records worldwide with hits including Esclavo de sus Besos and Oye el Bloom. His current round of live shows will take him to Santiago de Chile, Uruguay’s capital Montevideo, and Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Celeb focus Strictly pals SHE’S the former Emmerdale star WAITING GAME: wowing the StrictGemma Atkinson. ly Come Dancing audience with her sultry moves. And Gemma Atkinson, 33, has hinted romance with Spanish professional dancer Gorka Marquez, 27, might be on the cards “once the series is over.” The Iberian hunk is partnering singer Alexandra Burke, 29, and hit back at claims he and Gemma are dating.
Fine ale SPANISH pop legend Alejandro Sanz basked in the limelight after being honoured as Person of the Year at the Latin Grammy Awards. A series of stars from the world of Latin music lined up to perform some of the 48-year-old’s greatest hits at the glittering ceremony in Las Vegas.
Photo credit BBC
Chest a glimpse
Photo credit Blanca Padilla/Instagram
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Photo credit David Bisbal/Instagram
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TRAGEDY struck the first edition of the La Desertica mountain bike race on Saturday. One of the competitors, a man believed to be 50 years old, died after suffering a heart attack. He collapsed on the first leg of the tough hilly race in the Sierra Alhamilla at Pechina. A helicopter was dispatched, but medics were unable to revive him. Almeria’s provincial council has pledged to do everything in its power to support the man’s family. More than 4,300 mountain bikers and runners from every corner of Spain swarmed Almeria Province for the 100km race which took in seven municipalities. They set off from the Mediterranean Games Stadium and finished in Roquetas de Mar. Along the route there were 18 refreshment points and even Wifi coverage at certain intervals. La Desertica’s first Almeria edition followed the blueprint of 20 successful years of the race held in Ronda, Malaga Province. There some 7,500 athletes regularly compete. Another ultra-race takes place in Melilla, Spain’s North African territory, each year.
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Death at desert race First edition hit by tragedy
LA LEGION: Race organisers.
GRUELLING: Bikers tackled hilly 100km desert route.
Almeria is already considered the toughest. Cyclists tackle almost 3,000 metres of straight uphill road in one stretch. They also take in the sights of the Tabernas Desert. Although the brainchild of the Spanish Army, La Desertica is open to civilians who are well-prepared, said director Victor Badas. On Saturday’s race, which competitors had 12 hours to complete, around 80 per cent of racers were civilians.
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Inquiry over heritage damage
Crime or blunder AN archaeologist will be appointed to carry out an independent review on damage caused to the El Chuche site in Benahadux. Ancient ruins were flattened by construction work that conservationists say was executed illegally. The decision to appoint an impartial investigator came after months of pressure from the Friends of the Alcazaba Association. They demand to know whether the ministry of development knew they would be damaging an official site of Cultural Interest (BIC) before work began on the N-340 road. Key questions include whether Almeria’s provincial council had properly warned state developers that there was a crucial archaeological site that could be affected by the works. There is also suspicion that an illegal landfill was hidden in the area. If this is
Photo credit Facebook/Friends of the Alcazaba
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ANGER: Conservationists call it crime against history. proven the destruction of almost 1,000 square metres of the site could be considered a crime against heritage, rather than an administrative blunder. Some relics from the El
Chuche site are more than 5,000 years old. The area is a well preserved layer cake of prehistoric Iberian, Punic, and Roman cultures that predate Almeria’s Muslim civilisation by millenia.
23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
A TEAM of professional cyclists scouted Mojacar as a key location for the first edition of the Gran Fondo Costa de Almeria tour. Representatives from different international cycling groups held a meeting with mayor, Rosa Maria Cano to discuss logistics for the 2018 race. Among them was Frederik
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Team Belgium arrive Baeckelandt of the Grinta cycling magazine, Jelle Wallays from the Soudal Cycling Team and Jan Almeye, director of Kortweg Cycling Travel. All hail from Belgium where cycling is a hugely popular sport. Underpinning the Belgian delegation’s meeting with the
WITH a new IKEA all but certain to be built and the pending Torrecardenas Shopping Centre, Almeria City set to become a major commercial hub, that is the message from urbanism councillor, Miguel Angel Castellon, who called for an end to Almeria’s ‘historical pessimism.’ Planning differences between the council and IKEA have been ironed out. The city has given its final approval to the huge plot of land where the Swedish furniture giant will open its first store in the province. Both IKEA and the enormous 30,000 square metre Torrecardenas Shopping Centre are now expected to open in 2019. Castellon believes that, together, their drawing power will see people travelling from every corner of Granada and Almeria provinces to do their shopping in the city. Not only would almost 10,000 local jobs be created, but Almeria could soon grow
€1.135 trillion
Mojacar mayor is the promotion of the pueblo as a top destination for cyclists from northern Europe. The Gran Fondo Costa de Almeria tour will serve as a showcase to cyclists in colder climes and be featured prominently in magazines and tourism adverts.
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The race will start in Mojacar but also take in different areas across the Levante region. It is a novel concept, a race that is also a tourist package. Participants will be mainly Dutch and Belgian cyclists who book a four-day or weeklong stay in Mojacar, which includes their ticket to the race.
Shopping paradise Major plans for city Photo inset by Store interior
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SWEDISH STYLE: IKEA will make Almeria a shopping superstar. to rival Alicante as a regional shopping hub. The revival of the port and transformation of the long abandoned English Cable loading bay into a tourist attraction are also part of this wider strategy. Not everyone in the city council has shed their pessimism. Spokesman of United Left, Rafael Esteban, said:
is Spain’s current national debt according to the Bank of Spain, with €2.8 billion added in September this year alone.
“Whenever one of these commercial cathedrals opens it comes at the expense of dozens of small businesses, which have been open for generations.” Conservationists are also hastily drawing up protections they would like to see in place for the arrival of IKEA. The store will open at Rambla Belen on the north side of the city, where there are several medieval sites.
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She’s a star Sophia Loren in town ICONIC Italian actress Sophia Loren was presented with her star on the Almeria Walk of Fame. The Oscar winner, aged 83, also received the Tierra de Cine award for her contribution to Almeria’s film legacy. She accepted the award at the closing ceremony of the Almeria Film Festival on Saturday evening. Earlier she greeted fans in Almeria City as her star was unveiled on the province’s answer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The glitzy stretch can be found on Calle Francisco Villaespesa, next to the Cervantes Theatre. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Angela Molina are among the other stars Loren joins.
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Photo by Sophia Loren France /Twitter
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ICON: Sophia Loren on the Walk of Fame.
People died in work-related accidents in Spain from January to September this year according to the Ministry of Employment.
Wearing a red jacket adorned with diamonds, Loren told the hundreds of waiting fans: “I would love to talk to each one of you, but it would take until tomorrow. So a hug and good luck to you, your children, and your grandchildren.” She starred in the 1972 comedy Bianco, rosso e (released in English as The Sin) from Alberto Lattuada. It was shot in Almeria and was a huge commercial success. Spanish film director Alex de la Iglesia also received a star on the Almeria Walk of Fame. The Bilbao native, aged 51, was the mastermind behind 800 Bullets. The dark comedy is about a stuntman performing in front of dwindling audiences on the old western sets in the Tabernas Desert.
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23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
TWO stretches of road in Almeria have been named a named among the most dangerous road sections in Spain, according to a report released by the European Automobile Association (AEA). The list includes kilometre 451 and 450 of the N-340 to be named among Spain’s 190 most dangerous traffic stretches, with kilometre 450 making it into the top 100. Th e m o st d a n g e ro u s o n e k ilo me tre stretch in the Almeria region, kilometre 450 of the N-323, has an average of 2274 cars pass through daily, with a hazard index of 149.6 and has also seen 29 traffic accident victims in the past year, reports the AEA. Since the year 2000, the DGT has defined a black spot as a “road site with a maximum separation between one and 100 metres, in which during a natural year, 3 or more accidents have taken place." The AEA’s study analysed a total of 26,329 kilometres of State controlled roads across Spain and revealed that black spots have reportedly increased by from 140 to 190 across the entirety of Spain in the past year. The hazard index is calculated by tak-
Credit: @dipalme_almeria
The danger zone
BLACK SPOT: Both kilometre 451 and 450 of the N-340 were named among Spain’s 190 ‘black spots’ ing the number of accidents with victims (minor, serious or fatal injuries) in a one kilometre stretch over a period of five years, as well as the average daily vehicle intensity. The average of Spanish roads is 9.6.
In the case of conventional roads, the most dangerous stretch of road is located at kilometre 358 of the N-122 at the entrance to Valladolid, which has an incredibly high hazard index, standing at 423 times more than the national average.
DANGER: Black spots.
The 10 most dangerous black spots 1. Km 358 of the N-122, Valladolid 42 accident victims in the past year. 2. Km 57 of the N-632, Asturias 21 accident victims in the past year. 3. Km 439 of the N-330, Zaragoza three accident victims in the past year. 4. Km 467 of the N-330, Zaragoza six accident victims in the past year. 5. Km 37 of the N-632, Asturias two accident victims in the past year. 6. Km 359 of the N-122, Valladolid 10 accident victims in the past year. 7. Km 16 of the N 204, Guadalajara six accident victims in the past year. 8. Km 476 of the N-330, Zaragoza eight accident victims in the past year. 9. Km 54 of the N-632, Asturias 21 accident victims in the past year. 10. Km 59 of the N-632, Asturias seven accident victims in the past year.
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A YOUNG man who allegedly robbed his elderly neighbour was arrested by the Guardia Civil in Laroya. Police believe the suspect, aged 23, knew that his 84-year-old neighbour was at home alone when he broke into the property. The victim reported the crime the day after, telling police that he had opened the door to a knock late at night. He was immediately set upon by the man he
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Elderly warned over thieves recognised as his neighbour, who punched him and demanded to know where money was hidden.
The thief eventually left with nothing, but not before inflicting several injuries on the elderly victim.
Waiting game
Pueblo inspired poet AN Alumni of Mojacar’s Valparaiso Foundation has gone on to win one of the world’s most prestigious poetry awards. Ibizan poet Ben Clark, who was born in the UK, was awarded the 30th International Loewe Foundation Poetry Prize. He beat substantial competition from more than 700 other poets from 31 countries. A Spanish jury was impressed with his collection of poems ‘La Policia Celeste’ (The Celestial Police), which they described as: “full of anecdotes, which the writer has enriched and taken to another level.” Clark stayed in Mojacar in January last year, taking up a scholarship with the Valparaiso Foundation and with the help of the town hall. The Valparaiso Foundation is renowned across Spain for helping nurture artistic talent. During his time in Mojacar, Clark completed La Policia Celeste and spoke with students at the Rey Alabez school, answering questions about his life and the poetry world today. Clark has won a
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Police have charged him with attempted robbery using violence and intimidation. The Guardia Civil has also advised elderly people to take basic security precautions to help avoid similar attacks. This is part of a nationwide effort to help vulnerable people, particularly the elderly, who are routinely targeted by thieves.
WAITING times for outpatient appointments in Almeria’s hospitals have fallen, but people are waiting longer for surgery, with an average wait of 56 days, still better than Granada where it is 81 days.
Pay parity Photo credit: Mojacar town hall
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HUNDREDS of police and Guardia Civil officers from Almeria Province joined a protest in Madrid demanding pay parity with the Catalan Mossos, who earn €500 more per month.
Iraq duty LIVING POET: Culture councillor Raquel Belmonte with Ben Clark. variety of other accolades, including the seventh Felix Grande National Young Poetry Prize.
SOLDIERS who trained at Almeria’s Viator base are helping root out terrorists in Iraq in an anti-insurgency deployment that sees them training the Iraqi police and army.
23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
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Photo by Onda Cero/Twitter
NEWS
SHOPPING MANIA: Shoppers pour into stores for Black Friday discounts.
Back to black LIKE Halloween or Mother’s Day, Black Friday is a ‘born in the USA’ commercial holiday where stores mark the official start of the Christmas shopping spree with discounts and low prices. Held the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday has now spread across the globe with many retailers taking advantage of the opportunity to kick off their Christmas season with a bang. Cyber Monday on the other hand is a fairly new concept and was only introduced world-
wide in 2005. Retailers noticed their online sales increased substantially on the Monday following Black Friday, so decided to make the most of the opportunity by extending the sales. Queues of people often spend hours lining up outside stores to make the most of the limited discounts, and it is common to see people fighting in stores for the best items. Although the concept is still relatively new to Spain, retailers have welcomed the event with open arms and most major
stores offer discounts across a range of their products. Black Friday only became legally possible in Spain in 2012 when the government scrapped regulations deciding when sales could be held. Only a few small shops participated the first year, but now all the major stores get involved. This year Black Friday falls on November 24 and Cyber Monday on November 27, but expect to find discounts in the days leading up to and following the main events as well.
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NEWS
Most handsome pup on the planet A BULLDOG born in Antas has been declared the most handsome young British bulldog on the planet. The 11-month-old, named Garcel Bull Alexander but called Aslan at home, won two awards at the World Bulldog Club Federation’s World Club Cup in Leipzig, Germany. Judges swooned over Aslan, who considered him more beautiful than 51 other dogs aged between nine and 18 months and from 20 different countries. He was proclaimed young champion in the beauty category, while ‘mother’ Isabel Fernandez was also rewarded for her breeding capabilities. She and partner Antonio Requena have built a special bulldog breeding area, with the entire second floor of their house
1,000
Photo credit Facebook/Isabel Fernandez
20
TOP DOG: Aslan most handsome pup on the planet. devoted to the hobby. They claim to have had offers to buy Aslan flood in after
Mortgage lawsuits are filed a day in Spain, most of which are Mortgage Floor Clause claims.
his weekend victory but say they wouldn’t sell him: “even for €20,000 or €30,000.” Next up they want to help Aslan be crowned champion of Spain at a competition to be held in Alicante next week.
COMMUNITY
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Fashion fun THE November meeting of the Dames in Turre will be held at the Hostal Rural, Tu r r e , w i t h t h e g u e s t speaker Ann Webber from Oasis Boutique, Mojacar explaining ‘it doesn’t have to be black.’ Ann will be bringing along items from her boutique which can be tried on with a view to buying the items. They will also be very pleased to accept donations for their Christmas Market raffle and tombola if you would like to bring them along. The meeting will start at 11am on Monday. Tu r r e D a m e s a r e a friendship group raising monies for local charities and always welcome new faces. For more details please contact Membership Secretary, Eileen McGill on: 652 208 072 or President, Lesley Barlow on: 661 085 551.
23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
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The Speakeasy Murder
JAZZ TIME: A couple of gangster molls in The Speakeasy Murder.
THE Indalo production of ‘The Speakeasy Murder’ is coming soon to a venue near you. The play is set in a sleazy speakeasy in 1920’s Chicago, a time of jazz, Charleston, molls, gangsters and guns. Although it’s not obligatory, they encourage the audience to come dressed for the occasion, especially as there are prizes, not just for those who guess the murderer but for the bestdressed gangster and moll. They are appearing this Monday in El Cortijo in Bedar. (El Cortijo is the first bar on your right as you come up the hill from Los Gallardos.) Then the following evening, they will be in the Miraflores Ballroom on Camping Los Gallardos. Friday December 1 you can find them at El Reva, Vera Playa near Frankies and the Blue Parrot. For their final performance this year they return to Mojacar Playa on Tuesday December 5 to Kuki’s.
Each night the starter will be served at 7.30pm and the show will start promptly at 8pm. Tickets are €15 each, which includes a meal. Tickets can be obtained from each venue.
Your Belgian estate agent at the coast!
You will need to be sharp because tickets are going very quickly. Parking at all venues is close by. This year they are supporting Vera Orphanage and MACS.
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COMMUNITY
An evening to remember THE Rose Singers recently performed a concert entitled ‘A Flower Remembered’ to raise money for ‘Stepping Stones Carer’s Group’. The choir opened the concert with a lively version of ‘sing a song of sixpence’ and continued with a programme of various genres of music including the grandeur of Elgar’s ‘The Snow’ featuring violinists Emma Randle and Lesley Wilson, followed by Maddie Frowd playing an oboe solo accompanied by Barry Jobling. The second half opened with the song ‘Cabaret’ from the show of the same name. Guest vocalist was Ellen Turner and pianist, Pam Peters played a selection of melodies by Barry Manilow and Johnny Mercer in her own inimitable style. The matinee was held on Tuesday November 7 at the Parador Hotel, Mojacar and was sponsored by Cabo Norte Restaurant and Nicky and Lesley Page. There was another further performance on the Thursday night at Miraflores Restaurant in Los Gallardos. The title song of the concert ‘A Flower Remembered’, written in memory of the victims of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima caused by the tsunami of 2011, was movingly sung by the choir. Raffles were held at both concerts sup-
SINGING THE BLUES: The Rose Singers serenaded audiences in their latest fundraising performance. porting ‘Stepping Stones Carer’s Group’ and a generous donation was given to this worthy organisation. At the end of the performance, it was announced that Pam Peters, the accompanist since 2005, was retiring and she was presented with a beautiful bouquet in recognition of 12 years of support for the choir. It is hoped that she will come back again as a guest in the future to delight audiences once more with her jazzy rendi-
tions of popular music. The musical direction was once again in the capable hands of Alison Jackson. You can hear the Rose Singers once more at their special Christmas concert on Thursday December 14 at 7.30pm in Miraflores Restaurant where for €8 you will be able to participate in an evening of Christmas carols which will include turkey sandwiches and mince pies. An event not to be missed!
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DENMARK
NETHERLANDS Photo by 8 Fact Football /Twitter
Soccer success DENMARK celebrated Football World Cup qualification after beating the Republic of Ireland by five goals to one by soaking player Lars Jacobsen in a giant shower of beer.
Student set-back DANISH universities have cut students on English-language programmes as a large number of international students allegedly leave the country without paying their student loans after completing their degrees.
ECSTATIC: Denmark has made it through to the 2018 World Cup after a strong win over the Republic of Ireland. with buildings dating as far back as 300 AD.
Town unearthed THE remains of a medieval farming village have been uncovered near the Danish town of Jelling, in central Jutland,
Panda around THE Danish Prime Minister Lars
Lokke Rasmussen inaugurated the new panda enclosure to be built at Copenhagen Zoo, which will house two new pandas from China to mark the good relationship between the two countries.
GERMANY
Irish error TWO men from Ireland were arrest-
Prison problem THE Netherlands are reportedly importing prisoners from abroad to prevent prisons from c l o s i n g s i n c e t h e c o u n t r y ’s crime rate has plummeted and staff found their jobs to be at risk.
Gold scold RUSSIA has threatened to stop museum exchanges with the Netherlands if it gives Ukraine ancient gold artefacts which were borrowed from Crimea before Russia annexed the region.
Crash cuts AN Apache helicopter caused a power shortage after crashing into an electricity transmission tower near Zoelmond, which left 24,000 people without power in the region.
Striking out A VIDEO has emerged showing a plane get hit by lightning at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport shortly after takeoff, but luckily no damage was caused and the plane continued on its journey.
NORWAY
Smog suers THE EU is planning to sue Germany over the poor quality of air in its cities, according to media sources in the country, with capital Berlin facing a heavy fine if the case goes to court.
EUROPEAN PRESS
Eco-war ed in Hannover for kicking in the door of a 95-year-old woman’s apartment and causing her injuries, after mistaking it for their own.
Meat mystery LOCALS in Berghausen, near Karlsruhe, have been left baffled after portions of raw minced meat kept ap-
pearing behind a fence outside the railway station at regular intervals.
What a boar HUNDREDS of passengers had to abandon a high-speed train between Munich and Berlin after it collided with some wild boars and became unfit to drive.
FRANCE
BELGIUM
Treasure trove
Footie threat
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have discovered more than 2,000 medieval coins and gold objects during routine excavations in the Cluny abbey in France, but said it remains a mystery why the hoard was hidden there.
A FRIENDLY football match in Bruges between Belgium and Japan was almost called off because of a terrorist threat, but police stepped up security measures instead.
Beefed up THE French public has voted Boeuf Bourguignon as the country’s favourite ‘national dish,’ which comes as no surprise given the Burgundy meat stew was even given UNESCO heritage status in 2010.
Rugby win FRANCE will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup, even though they finished behind rival bidders South Africa in an evaluation report, 16 years after they last hosted the event in 2007.
House rules HOMESHARING app AirBnb has put rental limits on apartments in central Paris, to bring the site’s flats in line with the French capital’s legal limit of 120 nights a year.
Music mayhem YOUTHS clashed with police during riots in Brussels, shutting down a major metro station and damaging a vehicle, after a rapper was stopped from shooting a music video illegally.
Coughing up VIDEO communications company Skype lost its appeal with a Belgian court over a €30,000 fine for not handing over user messages during a police investigation into a criminal organisation that used the service to communicate.
False alarm PASSENGERS and staff present in Brussels’ North station all had to be evacuated from the premises for 15 minutes after the fire alarm was accidently set off.
CLIMATE activists are suing the Norwegian government over their decision to hunt for oil in areas of the Arctic Ocean, which they say may endanger the lives of future generations.
Party renters TEENAGERS in Norway are allegedly renting out properties on AirBnb to use for parties, after it was revealed more than 80 people between the ages of 13-18 attended a rave held in a rented house in Kristiansand.
High voltage THE European electricity company E.ON has unveiled its plans to build a new ‘electric highway’ which will have ‘ultra-fast charging stations’ for electric cars and will run from Norway to Italy.
Strange flash SEVERAL people reported seeing a strong flash of light lasting for three or four seconds, believed to have been caused by a small meteor, in the night sky over Norway’s Finnmark county.
SWEDEN
Sore losers I TA L I A N f o o t b a l l f a n s h a v e called for a boycott of IKEA after Sweden knocked them out o f t h e Wo r l d C u p q u a l i f i e r s , making it the first time the t e a m w o n ’t c o m p e t e i n 5 9 years.
Helping elk MORE than 50,000 people signed a petition to save a white elk spotted in Sweden’s Varmland region after authorities considered putting it down when it charged at a woman out walking her dogs.
Pricey pad THE most expensive house in Sweden was sold in Stockholm for 125 million kronor, which is about €12.5 million, to Katarina Martinson, a close friend of Sweden’s Princess Madeleine.
Happy workers SWEDEN’S unemployment levels reportedly sank to a record-low during October according to the Swedish Public Employment Service, and now stand at just 7.4 per cent.
M
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RUSSIAN PRESS
www.euroweeklynews.com
HOMOPHOBIC: Chechen leader Ramzam Kadyrov accused of hate.
Strong stuff A CHECHEN man who gave interviews to German media saying he was gay and there was a vicious crackdown on homosexuals in Chechnya has apologised. Movsar Eskarkhanov claims he was ‘set up’ by western journalists and only said he was gay because he was on strong epilepsy medicine.
Drug disaster AN HIV epidemic is gathering pace in Crimea after a drug treatment programme was axed by the Russian authorities. Heroin users could access methadone while the territory was under Ukrainian control. But Moscow prohibited the drug and the UN estimates 120 Crimeans have died as a consequence.
Fallen soldier A RUSSIAN mercenary was killed in action in Syria. Yuri Ebel was employed by the Wagner group which deploys ex-soldiers in various hotspots of interest to the Kremlin. Having previously served in Crimea, it was his third tour of duty. He was the 36th Russian killed
in action in Syria.
Info wars CNN and other international media outlets could be deemed ‘foreign agents’ by the Kremlin. A new bill is before Russian politicians who are responding to the United States’ designation of Russia Today as a foreign agent. The news comes amid heightened information warfare between the two countries.
Whoops a daisy RUSSIA’S Ministry of Defence was mocked for describing video game footage as ‘irrefutable evidence’ that the US is supporting Daesh in Syria. A still allegedly showed American troops working with Daesh terrorists. In reality the picture was a screengrab from a video game. The Kremlin said “mistakes happen.”
Fantasy football THE second batch of tickets for the 2018 World Cup went on sale. More than half a million sold in days after the first batch was released in October. These went chiefly to Russian residents who get a discount. The World Cup begins on June 14, with the final on July 15.
Back scratch ONE in three Russians has paid a bribe according to a new poll from Transparency International. The 2017 Global Corruption Barometer found that 34 per cent of Russians had paid for help with education, health and traffic services. Most considered it socially unacceptable to report paying a bribe.
PAYING BRIBES: Popular amongst the Russians.
FINANCE Damages awarded
A MERGER could see Spain’s biggest hotel group created. It comes as Madrid-based NH Hotel Group confirmed a possible multi-billion Euro takeover bid by rival company Grupo Barcelo. NH, which operates nearly 400 hotels in 31 nations, has an estimated value of €1.75 billion. Privately owned Barcelo - headquartered in Mallorca and with over 230 hotels in 21 countries on its portfolio would own a 60 per cent stake and assume a board majority in the merged group, NH said in a statement to the
By Matt Ford Spanish stock exchange. And with predicted annual revenues of around €3.7 billion, the new alliance is forecast to become Spain’s largest hotel group ahead of Melia Hotels, which at the end of 2016 controlled 375 hotels with 96,369 rooms. But NH has reportedly received the offer with a degree of scepticism after confirming receipt of ‘an unsolicited, preliminary and non-binding interest’ from Barcelo. The firm also said that its board of
Photo credit City Watch/Twitter/Shutterstock
Neither the business nor the education sector in Spain have collaborated sufficiently,” Gas Natural board member Francisco Belil discusses the need for educational reform amid concerns over high youth unemployment.
UP FOR GRABS: Football rights and (inset) Javier Tebas.
Online giants to stream football? The rights are expected to be sold in early 2018 and Tebas added that the league is looking to ramp up the price compared to the last three year deal which covers 2016-2019 and generates €1.6 billion per season. “I think we’re going to reach €2.3 billion… that’s the goal I’m proposing. “There will be TV operators who tell me that I’m like a goat, well they told me that four years ago and I wasn’t wrong then,” the official added.
BUSINESS EXTRA
Air we go IRISH budget airline, Ryanair has opened a state of the art digital and IT innovation hub in Madrid. It is the carrier ’s third such centre after Dublin and Wroclaw (Poland) and is expected to create around 250 jobs, with 50 positions already filled.
On the tiles SCOTTISH industrial group, Victoria Carpets has acquired Keraben, a tiles manufacturer based in Castellon. The deal is worth €274 million and comes three years after the Spanish company was bought by US investment fund, Tensile Capital Management.
Out of gas SPANISH utilities firm Gas Natural Fenosa has sold a 59.1 per cent stake it held in Colombian retail distribution company Gas Natural SA ESP. The shares have been snapped up by Canadian asset management specialist Brookfield Infrastructure for €482 million.
Shoe fits for US brand’s expansion US footwear firm, Deckers has big plans for the Spanish market. The news comes as the company, which also owns UGG, Teva and Sanuk, struck a distribution deal with Dr Martens’ Spanish partner Comercial Udra.
The agreement will see its Hoka One One running shoes, which retail at around €150 per pair, sold in 400 stores across the country and effectively doubling the brand’s reach. Deckers closed the 2016 financial year with a turnover of €1.6 billion.
EWN
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million. The sum that American motoring giant Ford will pump into its plant in Spanish city Valencia to produce the new model of its Kuga sports utility vehicle. A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION | WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM/3.0.15/FINANCE
Hotel mega deal
A JUDGE has awarded €1.6 billion in damages to the Spanish state after a probe into the 2002 Prestige oil spill. The regional court in A Coruña, Galicia, also handed €1.8 million to Galician authorities and €61 million to France, with the captain of the ship and a British insurance firm among those fined. The disaster saw 63,000 tonnes of oil leak into the sea, causing huge environmental damage across almost 3,000 kilometres of coastline in Spain, Portugal and France affected.
AMAZON and Facebook are likely to enter the bidding for Spanish football streaming rights. The tech giants have both expressed an interest in attending the next round of talks for deals, set to be awarded for the 20192022 seasons and expected to be worth an eye-watering €2.3 billion per season. Spanish league president, Javier Tebas confirmed the pair have been in contact at a press conference in which he said: “We will listen to everybody.”
€750
STAT OF WEEK
business & legal
Quote of the Week
Costa de Almería
23 - 29 November 2017
directors has recently approved a threeyear strategic plan “with an independent, fast-growth project that remains valid today.” The statement added that should this position change, an announcement to the stock market would follow. NH last year voted to remove a cochairman and three board members appointed by its largest shareholder, Chinese conglomerate HNA. The sackings came amid allegations of a conflict of interest after HNA took over the Carlston-Rezidor Hotel Group.
Bank to pay former chief SPANISH banking group Santander has agreed to pay a former chief executive more than €590 million. It comes as Santander Consumer USA (Scusa), the company’s sub-prime auto-lending subsidiary, moves to forget its underperforming history. Thomas Dundon, 46, was a cofounder of Drive Financial, a motoring finance company that Santander acquired in 2006 and later rebranded. He stepped down as CEO in 2015, with the exit package for severance and his near 10 per cent stake in the firm, stating that he will not compete with or hire anyone from Scusa until 2019.
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LONDON - FTSE 100
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 20
PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 1,453.00 19.00 Associated British Foods 3,096.50 10.50 Admiral Group 1,885.50 6.50 Ashtead Group 1,935.50 24.50 Antofagasta 962.25 11.25 Aviva 501.25 0.75 AstraZeneca 4,965.50 -9.50 BAE Systems 544.75 9.25 Babcock International Group 757.75 -1.25 Barclays 188.58 3.58 British American Tobacco 5,001.50 18.00 Barratt Developments 632.25 5.25 Berkeley Group Holdings 3,750.50 -3.50 British Land Co 619.75 -4.25 BHP Billiton 1,360.75 -2.75 Bunzl 2,198.00 39.00 BP 492.98 -0.12 Burberry Group 1,753.50 4.50 BT Group 246.18 0.78 Coca-Cola HBC 2,448.50 -1.50 Carnival 4,958.50 21.50 Centrica 161.35 -1.85 Compass Group 1,596.50 -1.50 Croda International 4,307.00 37.00 CRH 2,733.50 33.50 ConvaTec Group 200.85 -4.55 DCC 7,187.50 67.50 Diageo 2,592.00 17.00 Direct Line Insurance Group 355.20 -0.40 Experian 1,559.50 1.50 easyJet 1,277.50 -3.50 Ferguson 5,327.50 62.50 Fresnillo 1,285.50 -10.50 G4S 258.85 1.45 GKN 302.15 -0.35 Glencore 358.90 5.45 GlaxoSmithKline 1,313.50 5.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,595.50 18.50 Hammerson 526.75 -6.75 HSBC Holdings 728.95 -2.65 Inter. Consolidated Airlines G. 599.75 1.75 Inter Continental Hotels G. 4,314.50 48.50 3i Group 915.25 -8.25 Imperial Brands 3,023.25 -25.75 Informa 733.75 0.75 Intertek Group 5,407.50 92.50 ITV 148.55 -1.95 Johnson Matthey 3,275.00 14.00 Kingfisher 304.45 -2.85 Land Securities Group 930.25 -2.25
% CHG. NET VOL 1.32 20,142.09 0.34 24,431.07 0.35 5,396.76 1.28 9,540.20 1.18 9,375.50 0.15 20,076.08 -0.19 62,980.95 1.73 17,059.09 -0.16 3,837.48 1.94 31,532.23 0.36 114,302.03 0.84 6,347.55 -0.09 5,083.49 -0.68 6,268.46 -0.20 28,798.10 1.81 7,252.35 -0.02 97,670.46 0.26 7,469.68 0.32 24,338.23 -0.06 8,955.50 0.44 10,438.45 -1.13 9,132.15 -0.09 25,272.91 0.87 5,610.47 1.24 22,644.02 -2.22 4,009.10 0.95 6,350.83 0.66 64,338.77 -0.11 4,889.50 0.10 14,416.27 -0.27 5,088.24 1.19 13,212.19 -0.81 9,550.14 0.56 3,993.80 -0.12 5,195.37 1.54 50,878.21 0.42 64,336.36 1.17 7,480.01 -1.27 4,231.86 -0.36 146,127.12 0.29 12,257.10 1.14 8,104.98 -0.89 8,984.41 -0.84 29,113.40 0.10 6,039.96 1.74 8,577.91 -1.30 6,058.24 0.43 6,311.13 -0.93 6,659.11 -0.24 6,913.90
COMPANY
PRICE(P)
Legal & General Group 266.95 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 66.16 London Stock Exchange G. 3,808.50 Micro Focus International 2,700.50 Mediclinic International 542.25 Merlin Entertainments 373.65 Marks & Spencer Group 301.15 Mondi 1,752.50 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 210.05 National Grid 880.35 NMC Health 2,721.50 Next 4,384.50 Old Mutual Group 190.85 Paddy Power Betfair 8,692.50 Prudential 1,885.75 Persimmon 2,679.50 Pearson 694.75 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,370.50 Royal Bank of Scotland G. 274.05 Royal Dutch Shell 2,338.75 Royal Dutch Shell 2,382.75 RELX 1,763.50 Rio Tinto 3,549.00 Rolls-Royce Group 898.75 Randgold Resources 7,070.00 RSA Insurance Group 606.75 Rentokil Initial 326.85 Sainsbury (J) 224.85 Schroders 3,500.50 Sage Group 768.75 Segro 557.25 Shire 3,575.50 Smurfit Kappa Group 2,291.00 Sky 954.25 Standard Life Aberdeen 423.45 Smiths Group 1,505.50 Scottish Mortgage Inves. Trust 458.05 Smith & Nephew 1,323.50 SSE 1,331.50 Standard Chartered 724.40 St James's Place 1,156.50 Severn Trent 2,083.50 Tesco 187.18 TUI AG 1,328.50 Taylor Wimpey 197.55 Unilever 4,208.75 United Utilities Group 787.25 Vodafone Group 229.75 Worldpay Group 409.00 WPP Group 1,265.50 Whitbread 3,552.50
CHANGE(P) -1.95 0.17 -37.50 3.50 -13.25 -3.35 -0.25 9.50 0.65 -2.45 21.50 80.50 0.15 -87.50 -3.75 3.50 -2.75 -22.50 -0.35 1.25 9.75 18.50 3.00 9.75 -5.00 -2.25 4.05 -2.75 3.50 9.75 -0.75 -103.00 -8.00 14.25 0.95 10.50 1.55 -3.50 -14.50 -1.70 1.50 -8.50 2.48 5.50 0.95 58.75 -10.75 1.05 1.60 -1.50 -12.50
% CHG.
NET VOL
-0.73 0.26 -0.98 0.13 -2.39 -0.89 -0.08 0.55 0.31 -0.28 0.80 1.87 0.08 -1.00 -0.20 0.13 -0.39 -0.35 -0.13 0.05 0.41 1.06 0.08 1.10 -0.07 -0.37 1.25 -1.21 0.10 1.28 -0.13 -2.80 -0.35 1.52 0.22 0.70 0.34 -0.26 -1.08 -0.23 0.13 -0.41 1.34 0.42 0.48 1.42 -1.35 0.46 0.39 -0.12 -0.35
16,021.57 47,487.55 13,334.92 11,738.35 4,095.39 3,843.79 4,896.97 8,463.20 4,931.80 29,929.26 5,515.71 6,291.43 9,406.30 7,411.21 48,860.46 8,258.92 5,655.13 44,979.64 32,824.39 106,225.69 88,880.40 18,570.49 48,187.01 16,362.85 6,655.69 6,228.50 5,930.91 4,984.79 7,904.00 8,206.59 5,596.32 33,424.29 5,445.08 16,158.76 12,579.42 5,915.61 6,371.92 11,606.58 13,720.40 23,932.51 6,110.70 4,942.63 15,127.13 7,766.52 6,432.72 51,343.10 5,441.47 61,002.99 8,148.00 16,009.91 6,539.15
0.88671
1.12776 Units per €
US dollar ..............................................................1.17400 Japan yen............................................................132.082 Switzerland franc ...............................................1.16512 Denmark kroner ...............................................7.44164 Norway kroner .................................................9.72396 currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER
DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 20
COMPANY 3M AMERICAN EXPRESS APPLE BOEING CO CATERPILLAR CHEVRON CISCO SYSTEMS COCA-COLA DOWDUPONT EXXON MOBIL GENERAL ELECTRIC GOLDMAN SACHS HOME DEPOT IBM INTEL CORP J.P.MORGAN CHASE JOHNSON & JOHNSON MC DONALD'S CORP MERCK AND CO. NEW MICROSOFT NIKE PFIZER PROCTER AND GAMBLE TRAVELERS CIES UNITED TECHNOLOGIE UNITEDHEALTH GROUP VERIZON COMMS VISA WAL-MART STORES WALT DISNEY CO
PRICE 231,49 93,95 169,98 264,63 136,91 114,72 36,5 45,46 70,85 80,55 17,98 238,13 170,45 150,51 44,62 99,01 137,93 166,93 54,1 82,53 59,25 35,35 88,27 129,77 116,38 210,25 46,2 109,95 97,48 102,75
CHANGE% CHANGE VOLUME(M) 0,93% 2,13 137.883,28 0,28% 0,26 81.582,97 -0,10% -0,17 872.987,07 0,90% 2,37 157.786,62 0,57% 0,78 81.517,80 0,01% 0,01 218.409,01 1,67% 0,6 182.351,97 -0,55% -0,25 194.158,61 0,16% 0,11 166.069,11 0,39% 0,31 341.426,01 -1,26% -0,23 156.270,97 0,05% 0,11 89.887,11 1,62% 2,71 200.988,40 1,03% 1,54 139.896,34 -0,02% -0,01 209.810,35 0,89% 0,87 343.641,62 -0,05% -0,07 370.793,50 0,13% 0,21 133.335,67 -1,99% -1,1 147.243,82 0,16% 0,13 634.934,48 0,10% 0,06 77.016,41 -0,06% -0,02 211.038,84 -0,18% -0,16 224.165,62 -0,12% -0,15 35.528,46 -0,13% -0,15 93.073,32 0,17% 0,35 203.208,60 1,72% 0,78 188.629,26 0,12% 0,13 199.916,37 0,01% 0,01 290.370,94 -0,67% -0,69 159.017,13 M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES N OVEMBER 20
COMPANY
PRICE
CHANGE NET / %
Most Advanced Diana Containerships Inc. $ 10.4454 Xunlei Limited $ 18.08 Northern Technologies International Corp. $ 20.28 XOMA Corporation $ 25.93 Tactile Systems Technology, Inc. $ 29.35 AXT Inc $ 10.45 UTStarcom Holdings Corp $ 3.67 Hibbett Sports, Inc. $ 18.95 Accuray Incorporated $ 5.2438 Avid Technology, Inc. $ 6.45 Ablynx NV $ 23
2.2154 ▲ 26.92% 2.88 ▲ 18.95% 2.73 ▲ 15.56% 3.03 ▲ 13.23% 3.37 ▲ 12.97% 1.15 ▲ 12.37% 0.37 ▲ 11.21% 1.85 ▲ 10.82% 0.4438 ▲ 9.25% 0.53 ▲ 8.95% 1.86 ▲ 8.80%
Most Declined Bioverativ Inc. Enphase Energy, Inc. Century Aluminum Company Prothena Corporation plc CarGurus, Inc. TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mitcham Industries, Inc. Spero Therapeutics, Inc. Chimerix, Inc. Surgery Partners, Inc. Forterra, Inc.
$ 51.29 $ 2.5322 $ 13.87 $ 47.62 $ 28.36 $ 2.531 $ 3.61 $ 13.40 $ 4.28 $ 7.80 $ 8.36
4.82 ▼ 8.59% 0.2378 ▼ 8.58% 1.27 ▼ 8.39% 4.31 ▼ 8.30% 2.46 ▼ 7.98% 0.219 ▼ 7.96% 0.30 ▼ 7.67% 1.09 ▼ 7.52% 0.31 ▼ 6.75% 0.55 ▼ 6.59% 0.58 ▼ 6.49%
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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
People power success A CONTROVERSIAL campaign to promote the consumption of pork was suspended in Madrid ahead of schedule according to animal rights activists. With Jamon being such a staple of the Spanish diet and pork meat still being regularly eaten in different forms, organisers, Interporc thought that the Pork Lovers Tour would be an immediate success encouraging even greater consumption of the meat. What they had not expected was the fact that cities such as Barcelona and Bilbao refused permission for them to park their tour bus in the centres and Madrid only allowed them at one shopping centre. Where they did manage to stop, even for a few hours, animal rights activists turned up and picketed the bus, carrying placards decrying the intensive farms which often supply large amounts of meat to the market. The activists under the banner of AnimaNaturalis clearly caused a great deal of embarrassment to the organisers and whilst the concept of the tour was to promote the pork industry, protestors carrying images of allegedly ill-treated animals didn’t help. In addition, the protestors explained to potential visitors that according to their research, pork meat was potentially one of the most hazardous meats to eat due to the fact that not only were factory farmed pigs fed large amounts of antibiotics but contained parasites which are not always killed during the cooking process. “We do not know for sure if they have suspended the campaign but the truth is that not even their social networks announce their routes,” explained Lucio Kacic, coordinator of AnimaNaturalis in Madrid. “They give the impression of not being very proud of what they are do-
Photo by AnimaNaturalis
THIS LITTLE PIG DIDN’T GO TO MARKET
PROTESTORS: Is pork meat potentially hazardous?
ing and it is very controversial to promote the consumption of pork meat when all studies and organisations like the WHO recommend reducing or eliminating their consumption,” he added. The organisation intends to picket any further promotions within Spain although according to Interporc, the tour has ended with stops at 28 different spots in Spain and the United Kingdom, attracting a total of 7,200 visitors.
BANKIA PROBLEMS CONTINUE TO HAUNT THE ECONOMY
THE former head of Bankia, Rodrigo Rato who was previously found guilty for misuse of company credit cards is now to be tried for fraud. A massive case has been approved by the courts in Madrid which will see Rato together with 30 former Bankia executives alongside Bankia itself and its parent company as well as international accountants, Deloitte and one of its employees, all being charged. The case will hinge on alleged investor fraud as well as falsification of Bankia’s 2010 and 2011 accounts which was undertaken in order to ensure that the newly formed bank could obtain a stock market listing. Bankia was formed by the merger of seven regional savings banks and was headed by former government minister and head of the IMF, Rodrigo Rato but within one year of being launched on the stock exchange, the bank had to be rescued. So devastating was the impending failure of Bankia that the entire Spanish banking sector was in danger of crashing leading to the government
Photo by ESADE flickr
Rodrigo Rato fraud charge
FRAUD CHARGES: Rodrigo Rato.
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having to raise €41 billion from foreign loans in order to support all of those banks caught up in what had become a major financial crisis. Bankia is today the fourth largest bank in Spain but is effectively owned by the Spanish government. It is in the process of repaying tens of thousands of small, private investors who were persuaded to buy shares when they were launched due to the fake accounts and reports of prosperity. The prosecutors in this case have
argued that as CEO of Bankia, Rato had to have known the true state of affairs of its finances and have called for a five year jail sentence if he is found guilty as charged. He has already been sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment for his improper use of credit cards and personal expenses during his roles at Caja Madrid and then Bankia. When he was questioned about the Bankia flotation during this first trial, he declared that all of the decisions concerning the placing of shares were made by the Spanish government which should accept all responsibility for the date of the launch and the subsequent need to support the bank. The former IMF chairman who was expelled from the ruling Partido Popular in 2014 was found guilty in February 2017, immediately put in an appeal and has spent very little time in prison although he had to lodge large amounts of his personal fortune with the courts.
Decision day over EMA base THE race to take over the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and its 700 jobs from London originally saw Barcelona the clear favourite but not any more. Recent events in Cataluña have meant that its capital was not awarded the prize of one of the current 38 European Union agencies scattered around Europe although Spain with five agencies, employing 1,400 is currently the EU leader. The other loss for Britain following Brexit will be the European Banking Agency, although no Spanish city entered a bid to take over that operation, which currently employs 160 members of staff.
Ministerial meeting to strengthen ties A VISIT to Spain by Saudi Foreign Minister, Adel Al-Jubeir led to a meeting with his Spanish counterpart, Alfonso Dastis. The pair confirmed that the visit was intended to deepen bilateral cooperative relations and they exchanged views on increasing bilateral cooperative relations in various areas. At the meeting, the two ministers agreed to strengthen political dialogue and economic and trade relations. Saudi Arabia is Spain’s leading trading partner in the Near East, the second leading Arab investor in Spain and the second leading destination for Spanish investments in the Arab world. Whilst there was agreement over financial matters, Spain was not happy with the Saudi backing of the civil war in Yemen. There was, however, accord over the fight against terrorism.
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Beware of the Walking Dead EWN online Join the conversation on our Facebook page
THE production departments in film and TV companies have been promoting entertainment based on Zombies, however, less recognised but more important are eurozone zombie companies. There are a number of definitions of such companies but they have generally been established for 10 years or more and have large debts on which they can pay the interest but are unlikely to ever be able to clear their indebtedness. The number of such companies is growing thanks to low
interest rates and European Central Bank (ECB) financial support for countries such as Italy and Spain where it is estimated that as many as 10 per cent of all companies can be classified as Zombies. There is a major fear now that as the ECB cuts back on support and interest rates increase, those technically dead but still animate companies run the risk of finally failing which in turn could increase unemployment and restrict economic growth.
Plastic brick business sees profits breakdown WHILST Lego has enjoyed regular profit increases over the years, the first half of 2017 has seen a downturn to just €455 million, a drop of 3 per cent. Although not likely to make a major dent in the profit reduction, the Danish company has just opened its first dedicated store in Spain, in the La Vaguada Shopping Centre, Madrid. The word Lego itself came from the Danish words ‘leg godt’ which means ‘play well’ but in a perfect example of happy coincidence, it was later discovered that in Latin the word Lego comes from the words ‘to gather ’ and the owners had taken it to mean ‘put together’. Originally founded as a producer of
wooden duck toys, it wasn’t until 1949 that the company came up with the concept of producing plastic bricks and from this simple concept, a complex empire was created which has earned a fortune for the family which owns it. Some astute decisions including the creation of theme parks, purchases of licences for movies like Star Wars and Harry Potter and most recently the launch of Lego-based films has seen it become the most financially successful toy company in the world. Sales are down for the first time in a decade but time will tell whether this is a short term hiccup or if popularity of the plastic bricks is on the wane.
23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
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FEATURE
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If it ain’t broke, it don’t need fixing...OK? LEAPY LEE SAYS IT
OTHERS THINK IT THE problem with the female ‘libber’ brigade is that their aspirations and ‘causes’ are almost exclusively in the hands of women who are in the public eye. These women, by the very nature of their chosen paths and careers have more access to public pedestals and media outlets than the majority of the fair sex can ever, or often even want to become involved with. Consequently, we only ever hear the views of women who are, in the main, just as about as far removed from the normal female homemakers and domestic Mums as it is possible to be. This creates the misapprehension that the majority of women are not happy with their lot and are all lusting after rebellion and change. I believe this is quite simply not the case. In my opinion the vast silent majority of ladies are perfectly happy and indeed extremely proud in their homespun, often sexy wife roles, and indeed why shouldn’t they be? As a single parent, I am totally aware of the responsibilities and sheer hard work it takes to organise a household and keep a happy loving family life running as smoothly as possible.
WOMEN’S LIB: Not speaking for all. Ladies who choose this homelier and utterly commendable path are widely talented, needing to have the stamina of an athlete, the negotiating talents of a politician and be basically competent at everything from psychiatry to plumbing. Quite frankly I consider the career orientated female libber of the species, are actually taking
the easy way out! (And don’t tell me some do both. That precarious path NEVER works satisfactorily!) Many of the wives I have spoken to are a bit bewildered and often quite angry at the presumptuous few who take it on themselves to arrogantly give the impression that they speak for such large numbers of the fair sex.
The problem with libbers is that many simply want to take over the roles of men. Some of them would actually rather be men. Well, my message to them is that the creator of the human race made men and women physically and mentally different for a vast cross section of reasons. To encourage changing homo sapiens’ life roles to a point when we see women working building sites and wielding sledgehammers and men rushing home from the shops to get the dinner and feed the baby, is arrogant, presumptuous and brainwashing to a point of criminality. So, my message to the often insecure, indecisive minority, who seek to change the nature of men and women, do wherever you think fit, and the best of luck. But don’t presume the majority of ladies are of the same mind, because they are not. Leave those who prefer a more conventional way of life to simply be happy in their chosen existence. After all it has kept the human race ticking over since the stone ages. If it ain’t broke, it don’t need fixing. OK? So, with my reinforced jock strap firmly in place and my eyes firmly placed in the back of my head, I bid you all a fond farewell for another seven. Keep the faith columnists@euroweeklynews.com
Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com
Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.
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SPECIALNEW
Dubbed the ‘gateway to Europe’ by drug cartels, is Spain doing
Cocaine nights and days With more than 20 tons of cocaine seized in Spain last year, it is time to talk about the white stuff. David Noon takes a deeper look into the nation’s coke habit to find out where it is coming from, where it is going and most importantly, what is being done to stop it. F in Spain and after cocaine, you shouldn’t find it too hard to come by. While the sea ports in the north and south see more than 20 tons seized each year, a whole lot more slips through the net and seeps into the country and on to the wider continent. Known as the drug trafficker’s gateway to Europe, Spain sees more coke shipped onto its shores than any other country in Europe. And while not all of it stays in Spain, locals have undoubtedly developed a taste for the drug. In fact, Spaniards are the second-highest consumers of the white stuff in Europe. With 9.1 per cent of Spaniards (aged 15 - 65) openly admitting to taking cocaine at one time or another they sit just behind the Brits (9.7 per cent) in terms of consumption, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) official 2017 European Drug Report.
I
In terms of world consumption, Spaniards are fifth, while the Brits are one place higher, with Albania topping the charts just ahead of the Scots, according to the latest information on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime website. Surprisingly Colombians are down in 34th, as while they are the number one manufacturer of cocaine they ship most of what they make. While Spain ranks high, the country is (slowly) tackling the problem. Between 2005 and 2013, daily cocaine use in Spain dropped 37 per cent and demand fell for recovering addicts. Nowadays, only 1 per cent of the nation’s population are regular users, however a delegate for the government’s drug prevention unit (the GDNPD), Francisco Babín, believes more can still be done. “For a long time, we topped the tables for cocaine use and although we are now in second place [in Europe], we
Brits held in one of Spain’s largest ever cocaine busts NOVEMBER 2017 can’t be complacent,” he says. “For instance, the EMCDDA’s Statistical Bulletin shows Spain still has the highest score for the ‘prevalence [of use] in the last month category. It’s pretty worrying, although consumption has dropped in the last decade,” adds Babín. “Cocaine was in the spotlight for a long time because there was an epidemic,” he says. “However, its prevalence and the consequences of use of the drug have led the GDNPD to suggest we are on the brink of a second epidemic.” When you think of drugs and Spain, you automatically think of happy-go-lucky holidaymakers revelling in haunts renowned as party towns. The likes of Ibiza, Puerto Banus and Magaluf have a reputation - like it, or not - for being party zones where the good times flow and drugs are available on tap. And while a fair amount of the white stuff may be consumed in Spain’s touristfilled party resorts, that is just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, cocaine is consumed up and down the length and breadth of the country. And while it may be prevalent on the dancefloors it is at the country’s ports where the drug begins its journey across the Iberian peninsular. Every week, jaw-dropping seizures of amounts of coke are made at ports from Algeciras in the south to Vigo in the Galician heartland. Earlier this month, more than a ton of cocaine bound for Algeciras was intercepted in Germany on its way from Colombia. With a street value of €75 million, the interception was just the latest example of the Drug
Ramsay’s cocaine nightmares IT is hardly the natural follow-on from his successful ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ show. Swapping the kitchen for the jungle, foul-mouthed celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay launched into getting to the bottom of Europe’s drug problem. He was driven to take on a topic close to his heart after a ‘dear friend’ lost his life to cocaine addiction, paying particular attention to the cocaine culture which apparently is rife within the catering trade. Claiming that he has been offered coke by customers, seen chefs taking it on the job, Ramsay even claimed to have been asked to sprinkle cocaine on top of a soufflé by celebrity clients.
IN THE JUNGLE: Gordon Ramsay.
CORRUPTION: Galician leader with known drug lord
Ship loaded with €220 million cocaine haul halted on way to Spain OCTOBER 2017
WS FEATURE
23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
www.euroweeklynews.com
g enough to tackle its problem?
35
SAY what you will about drug smugglers, their creativity cannot be denied. The days of lining suitcases with cocaine are long gone as gangs come up with ingenious ways to transport their product. Here are some of the most surreal drug busts disguised on Spain’s shores.
9.1% of Spaniards between 15-65 have taken cocaine 1% of Spain’s population regularly use cocaine €70 million, the value of a ton of cocaine €40 the average cost of buying a gram of cocaine 87,000 cocaine seizures in Europe in 2015
Enforcement Agency (DEA), in the US, working with respective bodies around Europe to prevent the South American product from entering Europe. And yet, while seizing a ton of cocaine is not to be sniffed at (excuse the pun), far more is getting into the country than is being intercepted. In 2015 more than 60 per cent of all drug seizures in the European Union were reported by just three countries; Spain, France and the United Kingdom. Spain alone accounted for 70 per cent of all cannabis resin coming into Europe, the majority of seizures taking place in the ports along the south coast with the product shipping in from Morocco. And when it comes to cocaine, Spain again tops the charts when it comes to seizures. In total, around 87,000 seizures of cocaine were reported in the European Union in 2015. Together, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal account for 78 per cent of the estimated 69.4 tons seized. The situation has remained relatively stable for the last 10 years, although both the number of seizures and the quantity held increased between 2014 and 2015 by around 3 per cent. While Spain continues to be the country seizing the most cocaine (22 tons), Belgium (17 tons) and France (11 tons) also held large amounts in 2015. So why is Spain such a popular destination for
LOCKED UP: Robert Dawes.
Colombian cocaine cartel smashed by Spanish police MARCH 2017
FRUIT CASES: Coke hidden in bananas.
Surreal smuggles GOING BANANAS In March the Guardia Civil intercepted 17 kilos of cocaine inside banana skins. Hidden inside cardboard boxes on their way to Malaga and Valencia, 57 simulated resin bananas containing cocaine were hidden among real bananas. It resulted in the arrest of two men; a Spaniard and an Italian. ORANGE ALERT Just last month, two containers of Brazilian oranges were seized at the port of Algeciras. Hidden among the fruit were 250
camouflaged packages of cocaine, died orange to avoid detection. Police recovered 290 kilograms of cocaine and were able to link it to a South American supplier. NUTS! They may be dubbed a ‘super food’ but one batch of almonds had a secret ingredient stashed inside its container. Delivered to a plant in Alicante in September, police seized around 200 kilos of cocaine hidden beneath the nuts. Shipped from California the Guardia Civil are hoping to
smugglers looking for a way into Europe? Up north in Galicia, the ports are renowned as the gateway to Europe in terms of drugs entering from South America. The Galician Mafia - a collective term for the numerous clans (mainly Galician, some British) that reside in the area - set up strong connections to the narco-traffickers in Colombia during the 1980s and ‘90s, as well as establishing strong ties to cannabis smugglers in Morocco. And like anywhere in Spain, where there is crime there is corruption. Allegations of political corruption arose when pictures were found of Galician leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo on holiday with convicted smuggler Marcial Dorado. The People’s Party of Galicia has also been accused of being financed with narco money. And some local politicians, including Alfredo Bea Gondar (mayor of O Grove 1983 - 1991) and José Ramón Barral Martínez ‘Nené’ (mayor of Ribadumia 1983 - 2001) have been sentenced for crimes relating to drug gangs in the past. Meanwhile, in the south, along the Costa del Sol, the Costa Blanca and Costa de la Luz as well as on Spain’s islands the expat gangs - be it Russians, Brits or Irish - have long set up camp. Barely a week goes by without a report of an expat
use the seizure as part of a wider investigation. MORE NUTS! It is not just Spain’s ports that receive hidden drug packages, the airports confiscate their fair share of suspect items too. In June, 48 kilos of liquid cocaine was found inside a coconut at Madrid airport, hidden among 65 boxes of coconuts from Colombia. The coconut had been drained and refilled, with the seizure leading to two Colombian men and a Venezuelan woman being arrested.
drug gang being split up. In December 2015 it was the turn of British drug lord Robert Dawes, whose multi-million euro cocaine-fuelled empire came crashing down when the Guardia Civil stormed his home in Benalmadena in dramatic fashion. Dubbed ‘Europe’s biggest drug lord’ Dawes, originally from Nottingham, was extradited to France where he faced charges of transporting a ton of cocaine. He is also wanted by the police in the Netherlands in connection to a number of murders. Earlier this year, a British drugs gang was again rumbled on Spanish soil. Accused of flooding the Balearic Islands with cocaine and supplying holidaymakers with their fix, 12 Brits from Manchester and Liverpool were arrested in a raid in Mallorca. The gang reportedly shipped their product around Spain’s islands using speedboats to capitalise on the summer surge in demand from young holidaymakers. No doubt there will be more tales of expat - and local gangs busted for dealing enormous amounts of cocaine. The unfortunate reality is, that while the demand remains high and the supplies keep coming, dealers will continue to operate. Where one drug lord falls, another steps into his shoes.
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The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.
FEATURE
23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
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TV Couch Critic IT’S back! I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here (ITV 1) swept in from the Australian jungle last Sunday with an eclectic group of celebrities, in the widest possible interpretation of celebs. Living in the jungle and eating bugs, with Ant and Dec at the sharp end of watching over them all, if such an idea was pitched to a TV executive today, would it fly? I’m not sure, but the format clearly works given the viewing figures. If you are among the millions of fans, don’t forget to also catch Get Me Out of Here Extra Camp (ITV2) that follows each main Celebrity episode. In the Extra show, Scarlett Moffatt is the rose between two thorns in the guise of Joe Walsh and Joel Dommett. Tune in and expect lively debate and an opportunity to put questions direct to campmates via social media and the App. For me and one friend, the first note of Christmas used to be the beginning of Once in Royal David’s City via Carols from Kings (expected on BBC2, Christmas Eve).
Celebs (perhaps), real bugs plus start to festive season With that said, now the first festive note seems to be various retailers’ seasonal adverts. Keeping it brief, but that carrot again, seriously! Enough to say I’m disappointed by most, don’t really understand a certain bear in the snow but I love the interpretation of Cinderella (although why aren’t the key players wearing warm clothes in the snow?) The monster under the bed must also get a mention, despite for me having no bearing on the glass slipper story. Peaky Builders (BBC2, Wednesdays) is back for a fourth season, moving on from the earlier cliff-hang-
gle. ANT AND DEC: Back in the jun
F1 ACTION: A sport of numbers!
er ending. If the start of the latest series is anything to go by, with the story back to Birmingham and more problems for the Shelby family to deal with, some good viewing ahead. Cilian Murphy continues to delight as Thomas Shelby and the return of Tom Hardy as Alfie Solomons can only be a good thing. And now to close, have you ever wondered what TV Must-See you might be missing simply because you do not think a show or series
39
will appeal? That was me with Formula One, with the final 2017 race in Abu Dhabi due this Sunday live on Sky Sports F1 and Channel 4. Friends on the coast regularly hold Grand Prix parties and a great hit, so I checked out ever-keen not to skip a good party due to TV ignorance! I cut my teeth on the Brazilian Grand Prix; to summarise, billed as a sporting event covering at least 305km not exceeding two hours in length. I was near exhausted just getting my head around the numbers. Imagining F1 cars roaring up the A7 from Malaga and screeching to a halt somewhere south of Cartagena, no such luck. The super cars circled around a track like an overpowered Scalextric set, I had a siesta and someone seemed to win (in fact Sebastian Vettel, just to show I watched the end). F1 has a massive following, and while this TV offering simply isn’t me, for those watching on Sunday, enjoy and don’t forget to check out the Teams’ Tyre Choices before viewing. But I am left wondering just how many F1 fans also tune in most nights to catch the latest in I’m a Celebrity? Critique: AWL, Casares, Costa del Sol.
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The 3–2–1 diet 3-2-1 is bulletproof: three backups of your data, on two different types of media, one of them off-site. Too much trouble? Then download a free backup program, from simple file duplicators like SyncFolders, to full hard-disk copiers like Easus ToDo, Macrium Reflect or the horribly-named Aomei Backupper. Or just use the backup program which came free with your system. Some are even ‘just set and forget’: tell it where to backup your data and when, click and hasta la vista baby: automatic backups daily, weekly, monthly into infinity and beyond. Or you can be thoroughly modern and backup to the ‘cloud’ - but beyond a certain volume of data you’ll pay, and you need seriously good broadband come the day you need it all back again.
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TECH FOR THE TIMID
Every hard disk is guaranteed... to crash Blessed are those who backup, for their data will be safe on the day of failure, says intrepid backer-upper TERENCE KENNEDY. A MACHO colleague always insisted with a smirk that ‘Real men don’t backup.’ Then he got hacked. Oops. Sadder was the fate of two friends who lost their family photos forever, simply because their computer crashed. Whether through exhaustion, a virus or an unplanned act of gravity, devices fail. They even have an official ‘MTBF’ (Mean Time Before Failure) which used to be advertised but now isn’t because it might scare us. Human MTBF is about 600,000 hours. You’re doing well if your harddisk manages even a 10th of that. I’m constantly astonished at how many people never even think about
backing up their data. Probably because watching YouTube cat videos is more fun. But safe storage really is a doddle. Step 1: Choose it so you don’t lose it: ‘consolidate’ your documents, emails, photos, music and those priceless kitten videos somewhere you can easily locate them on your computer, eg a Documents folder (the default in most systems), E-mails, Photos, Music. Or Cats. Step 2: Find something to backup to - a physical device like a USB memory stick, an old SD card or an external hard-drive. Not just somewhere else on your existing hard-drive or computer. That’s like keeping your spare front-door key on your
Photo by Atlanta's CW/Twitter
Should TV reboots be given the boot? 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
WE’RE living in an age of endless TV reboots with news that the comedy classic Four Weddings and a Funeral is being remade, as is the 1980’s series Magnum PI. But reboots are invariably disappointing because the original was part of its time that can’t be recreated second time round. Everyone’s moved on and the world’s a completely different place today. Alternatively, they weren’t brilliant shows even back then. In theory, I’ve nothing against remaking movies or TV shows. It’s not unlike a fresh restaging of a Shake-
FEATURE
IT’S BACK: Iconic TV show Dynasty was given the reboot treatment this year. speare play - if there is a point, of course, and something new and different is added to the production. In practice, though, the major problem with reviving 80’s TV is that our tastes have fundamentally altered as have our TV viewing habits. In the 80’s, there were very few channels so shows like Dallas and Dynasty (likewise rebooted) became popular because there wasn’t much else -
and provocative, challenging, creative TV’s moved on from the predictability of the hourly slot where the same thing happens every week. And in Magnum PI the same thing did happen every week. Most of these revivals are just the result of creative laziness, because either nobody can dream up any fresh ideas, or the bean counters in charge won’t take the plunge with new ones. They’d rather just
BACKUPS: Practising safe storage. keyring with the existing one. These days you can pick up an external hard drive for €100 or so, or loads less for a USB flash drive if your needs are more modest. Step 3: Backup, then backup your backup. Well, okay, that’s only for the real pessimists, or the true professionals who insist that you can never have enough backups, with three as the absolute minimum. It’s the work of minutes, with any of the dozens of (free) back-up programs available online, or those built into your device’s operating system. Step 4: Store your backup somewhere safe. Not on or in your desk.
rely on re-writes and hope that enough people have been born who can’t remember the old series and will be presented with something ‘different.’ Basically, recycling old themes rarely works; shows that were popular by default not merit then, rarely ‘ignite’ now. There are plenty of new concepts to exploit, but everyone’s too frightened of ‘offending’ the easily offended, so nobody takes chances anymore. Which reminds me, the arctic blasts currently hitting the UK must be due to Global Warming, right? Or possibly Brexit? (Though my money’s on Putin!) But it’s not all bad it should suit the snowflakes, provided they’ve some safe spaces where the temperature’s mild and nobody’s allowed a platform to talk about this, umm, ‘offensive’ weather. Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Girl in the Red Dress,’ ‘No Way Back,’ ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.norajohnson.net) from Amazon. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity. columnists@euroweeklynews.com
Not even, if you are truly anal, on the same premises. Bitter techno-trauma and tears have moulded my own backup regime: my laptop data gets copied to an SD card as I create it, to a USB stick at the end of every working day, to an external hard drive at the end of every week, and to a second hard-drive kept off-premises every month. Sadly, there’s more. I also clone my entire hard-drive to an identical copy of itself every week so when the wotsit hits the ventilator I can be up and running again in the flash of a screwdriver. But the rest of you probably have lives to live.
THURSDAY THOUGHTS By Graham Braben, Albox
No goodies at the top WE were in Ikea last week, just for a coffee and those cinnamon rolls. No shopping. No self-assembly nightmares. Or that’s what I thought. It turns out we were on a mission to find curtain rails. Now in my world, you go in and choose the first set you come to and that’s it! But according to my wife and daughter, I know nothing. The first thing we had to do was measure them, taking into account drop, width and some other things that I’d never heard of, so we picked up one of those paper tape things and that’s when I perked up! It’s funny the way our minds work. Apparently, the Nepalese government aren’t sure how tall Everest is now after recent earthquakes, so they’ve commissioned professional measurers to produce a definitive figure. It got me thinking, well the curtain rails did. We had to measure one of them and my job was to hold the measure at one end. Unfortunately, every time it was pulled tight, I let go. Okay I admit it, I’m not a fully qualified rail measurer and to make things worse, I wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention either! All I got for my incompetence was a very hard stare and the threat of no cinnamon roll. Imagine what would happen if the same thing happened on Everest. Which brings me to the point of this. If you have to go to Ikea against your will this weekend, take comfort, you could be over 20,000 feet up in the freezing snow, measuring a mountain rather than curtain rails, and there are no drinks and goodies at the top! columnists@euroweeklynews.com Readers interested in submitting articles for this guest column should send articles of around 250 words on topics felt to be of interest to the cosmopolitan EWN readership to editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
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YOUR STARS
MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE
‘
Life’s short. Anything could happen, and it usually does, so there is no point sitting around thinking about all the ifs, ands and buts.” Amy Winehouse, Singer
FOR NEXT 7 DAYS AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) The pleasure you will get from helping in the home this week should not be underestimated. What you have been thinking of as a chore turns out to be a great ball of fun. Youngsters may be involved at the weekend, so plan ahead to give them a festive surprise.
Famous quote
‘
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Dr Seuss, Author
PISCES (February 20 - March 20)
World of English Understatement - makes an idea less important than it really is - The hurricane disrupted traffic.
‘
TOP 5
LOTTERY
Credit: Twitter
SPAIN has some of Europe’s best water and theme parks; here are just five of our favourites. • Parque Warner, Madrid As soon as you enter Parque Warner, visitors young and old are immediately transported to their childhood. Parque Warner is perfect for families, who can meet all of their Warner Brothers’ heroes, but the rest of the family can also enjoy a number of rides, attractions and shows. • Siam Park, Tenerife One of Europe’s biggest water parks, Siam Park has a number of attractions across the park. Whether sunbathing on giant whitesand beaches or the Wave Palace for the family or the famous Tower of Power ride, which has an almost vertical drop of eight metres, there is something for everyone. • PortAventura World, Tarragona One of Europe’s leading theme parks, the theme park has six different worlds full of rides and daring shows but PortAventura World also has the PortAventura Caribe
Saturday November 18
Christmas will officially begin at Parque Warner from December 2 Aquatic Park on offer, with water rides for all ages as well as the world’s brand new feature, Ferrari Land. • Isla Magica, Sevilla This park is divided into to seven ‘worlds’ full of fun and adventure. Visitors can travel back in time to 16th century Sevilla, with maidens and merchants, but can also witness the future with the park’s Cinemocion virtual simulator.
IRISH LOTTO
Saturday November 18
Tuesday November 14
Friday November 17
20
15
17
14
24
36
21
24
39
54
58
28
36
41
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LUCKY STARS
LUCKY STARS
8
5
20 35
33
10
Sunday November 19
3
7
9
12
29
12
31
44
53
11
36
40
11
Saturday November 18
EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA
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BONUS BALL
• Terra Natura, Alicante and Murcia Terra Natura is a new generation of animal park, surrounding the ‘zoo immersion’ concept in which visitors can observe and make contact with animals in spaces designed to recreate the habitat of each of the species through barriers otherwise invisible to humans. Terra Natura Murcia houses more than 300 animals from 50 species, while the Benidorm park has more than 1,500 animals.
LA PRIMITIVA
EURO MILLIONS
1
BONUS BALL
Your relationships to others linked to the home environment are going well. Aim to build on that this week because the chance to make a real change to your surroundings opens up. Comfort is top of your agenda and the continuing sales give scope. Restlessness can be channelled into an energetic response when others seek help. Taking on a small charitable task makes you smile and brings satisfaction.
‘ ANTONIO - WOULD YOU RECOGNISE A CRASHED CHINESE SPACE STATION? ‘
Spanish theme parks
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REINTEGRO
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5
REINTEGRO
9
ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Your mind is as sharp as a razor this week, so woe betide anyone who tries to trick you. It's a great time to use your talents fully, particularly in regard to a business venture. It is possible that your strengths are a little unrecognised so don't be afraid to try something entirely new. A strong urge to take control keeps others on their toes.
TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) This week is mainly concerned with financial matters, and it is easy to both save and make extra money. Keep your energy levels high by making the most of chances to exercise and get out in the fresh air.
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) The repayment of a favour should see you with extra money in your pocket. Holding on to it is your best bet. Trying to change someone close is so obviously not going to work that it is surprising you tried for so long.
CANCER (June 22 - July 23) A social gathering turns up an old friend who makes an offer. Although you may feel unworthy, please be reminded of the times in the past when you have given them support. It will be through others that real progress will be made.
LEO (July 24 - August 23) Keep energy levels high by being at the hub of any social activities. Accept all invitations, however dull you feel that they may turn out and allow yourself to be surprised. Continue with any check-ups on your health, eating sensibly if you overindulged during the holiday. There is no better time to make that special effort.
VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) As you have decided to rearrange both your business and home life, it is a busy time, indeed. You enjoy a challenge so it will not worry you that other people have different ideas. Although you are not inclined to listen to silly whims, some things crop up time and again and have to be dealt with at some point.
LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Concentrating on hearth and home gives you great satisfaction. As a born homemaker, you relish the idea of making something beautiful. This week it may be possible to show more of your skills when someone seeks your advice. You could end up helping with appearances.
SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Making a new start is not always the exciting thing that people imagine. When there are still old matters to be resolved, it takes the edge off the pleasure. It may be worth cooling off a new relationship until your social life is more settled. An urge to move around could be caused by your not facing a problem straight on.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Get both business and personal plans sorted out in the coming week. Thereafter, changes to your routine may be necessary, which is disruptive. The best-laid plans can need adjustment, so don't beat yourself up over that.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Someone close has ideas about how things should be at home this Christmas. Although you wish to show an interest, and should, they may be more 'hands on' than you. Do whatever your talents allow to help because this will not be forgotten.
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Across 1 Luxuriant drinker (4) 3 Plant organised my appeal (3,5) 9 The root vegetable's a standard crop (7) 10 Publication for children (5) 11 Forbidden love in abandoned boat (5) 12 Wears down queen with poems (6) 14 Could start card game, it’s cheap (6) 16 Withhold food from pop star vegetarian's diet (6) 19 Repeated words from Brahman tradition (6) 21 Al meets Jack at the table (5) 24 Fear some Territorial Army recruits (5) 25 For a change, respect the royal staff (7) 26 Dotty, Sue, Pearl, Joy (8) 27 Soundly study the plant (4)
8 Teach where the pupils are? (6) 13 Take care of confused brief at the end (8) 15 Unsuspecting, a French female hides a conflict (7) 17 Isle that includes central Kent, oddly enough (6)
Code Breaker
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION FACING PAGE
18 Was confused in her cable (6) 20 The newspaper items are poorly written (5) 22 Bird with the French name (5) 23 Insect that used to be quiet (4)
Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 23 represents G and 24 represents D, so fill in G every time the figure 23 appears and D every time the figure 24 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.
CROSSWORD PAGE
Cryptic
Down 1 Make up building pick list (8) 2 Wash thoroughly inside disc rubber (5) 4 Fruit is the result of an afterthought plea (6) 5 Written about in blog, I'm another Spanish friend (5) 6 French chemist tears up design (7) 7 Good lookers get the favourable votes it's said (4)
TIME
Across 1 Hobby (7) 5 Flashy, ostentatious jewellery (5) 8 Devoutly religious (5) 9 Traveller's luggage (7) 10 Lean back (7) 11 Appears (5) 12 Feel pain (6) 14 Deep gorge or ravine (6) 18 Small carnivorous mammal of the weasel family (5) 20 Break into many pieces (7) 22 Building (7) 23 Be in accord (5) 24 Garment worn around the head, neck or shoulders for warmth or decoration (5) 25 Meet the requirements or expectations of (7)
English - Spanish
Across 1/4 Borrar (3,3) 3 Tail (of dog, bull, ox) (4) 5 This (4) 6 Blando (madera, droga, agua) (4) 8 Laugh (4) 11 Cama (3) 12 Classroom (4)
15 Una vez (4) 16 Loyal (4) 17 Wave (4) 18 Sí (3) Down 1 To gnaw (4) 2 Abejas (4) 3 Pink (6)
Down 1 Ancient writing material (7) 2 Unemotional person (5) 3 Heighten or intensify (7) 4 Symbol device or badge (6) 5 Fraudulent (5) 6 Mental pictures (7) 7 Expect to be true (5) 13 State in southeastern US between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico (7) 15 Refusing to be persuaded or to change one's mind (7) 16 Room in a house for children (7) 17 Evaluate (6) 18 Garden buildings (5) 19 Stealer (5) 21 Revolves (5) The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.
4 See 1 Across 7 Caída (4) 9 Plancha (utensilio) (4) 10 Grandmother (6) 13 Feo (4) 14 Brazos (4) 15 Gold (metal, commodity, currency) (3)
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Hexagram
The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (DEFECT) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.
ARREST ASTUTE BARFLY BOUNTY BREAST CHEESE DEFECT (10) DEPOSE ENDURE NIMBLE OXCART RANSOM SEAMEN SERIES SHERRY SUBTLY TEETER TRAUMA TREATY
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Filter 2 Corral 3 Uptake 4 Relief 5 Repeal 6 Specie 7 Genial 8 Update 9 Invent 10 Gather 11 Strand 12 Stereo 13 Ethane 14 Unisex 15 Beetle 16 Teasel 17 Oblate 18 Chalet 19 Leaden.
Nonagram
EWN
Boggled How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules? • The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally. • Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms. • No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice. • No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.
Kakuro
How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case G) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.
Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
TARGET: • Average: 15 • Good: 21
• Very good: 30 • Excellent: 39
TARGET:
SCORING:
• Average: 9 • Good: 12 • Very good: 17 • Excellent: 22
4 letters: 1 point 7 letters: 5 points 5 letters: 2 points 8 or more letters: 6 letters: 3 points 11 points LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION rete retire retinol retie eerie mitre mite miter mire mirier mime mimer pimp piny pier prim primp prime prier prey tree tern term tire tiny time timer tier trim trip trier trey tref eremite fowl pony info rite rime rimy rive rein remit nitre niter mere merit merino empire emit emir vein veiny vert vermin fermi cert cere
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION alit dale deal deli dial evil idle lade laid late lava lave lead leva lied lite live tael tail tala tale teal tile vail vale veal veil vela veld vial vile addle ailed alate alive avail dealt delta devil ideal idled laded lated laved lived tidal tilde tiled valet valid veldt vital alated detail dialed dilate laddie tailed alidade availed dilated validate VALIDATED
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS
ENGLISH-SPANISH Across:
1 Escarcha, 6 Egg, 7 Mayor, 9 Esos, 11 Caro, 12 Neat, 14 Foot, 16 Spots, 18 Ave, 19 Crystals.
CODE BREAKER
Down:
1 Exercise, 2 Coger, 3 Remo, 4 Hoy, 5 Brothers, 8 Asno, 10 Soft, 13 Etapa, 15 Osos, 17 Oir.
CRYPTIC
QUICK
Across:
Across:
1 Casks, 4 Exploit, 8 Raiment, 9 Troll, 10 Indicate, 11 Grin, 13 Spells, 14 Padres, 17 Rest, 19 Decrepit, 22 Adage, 23 Entwine, 24 Suggest, 25 Exact.
1/23 Pipe down, 3 Solution, 9 Stipend, 10 Sushi, 11 Obese, 12 Attain, 14 Elapse, 16 Eczema, 19 Bistro, 21 Scare, 24 Otter, 25 Spaniel, 26 Narcotic, 27 Zero.
Down:
Down:
1 Corgi, 2 Swindle, 3 Stencils, 4 Estate, 5 Path, 6 Odour, 7 Talents, 12 Magritte, 13 Streams, 15 Replica, 16 Bereft, 18 Slang, 20 Treat, 21 Bede.
1 Pushover, 2 Poise, 4 Ordeal, 5 Upset, 6 Inspire, 7 Nail, 8 Recess, 13 Waterloo, 15 Aviator, 17 Casual, 18 Bonsai, 20 Torso, 22 Alike.
App of the week Turn Right From the creator of Thumb Fighter and Royal Cats, comes a simple racing game where the rules are simple, all you need to do is turn right. Just tap and hold right to turn to go around the track in this highly addictive game.
E W N 23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
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TOMORROW VELEZ RUBIO
ALBOX
VELEZ RUBIO ALBOX
HUERCAL OVERA
HUERCAL OVERA
GARRUCHA
GARRUCHA MOJACAR ALMERIA
RETAMAR ROQUETAS
ADRA
Malaga
Almeria
Bilbao
TODAY: MAX 22, MIN 12-S
TODAY: MAX 22, MIN 13-S
TODAY: MAX 20, MIN 12-C
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -
22 22 19 18 19 18
11 - S 13 - Cl 12 - Cl 10 - Sh 9 - Sh 8-S
23 22 20 19 18 18
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -
13 - S 14 - C 13 - C 12 - Sh 11 - C 10 - Sh
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -
18 11 11 13 12 9
8-C 5 - Sh 4-C 5-S 5 - Sh 4 - Sh
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -
19 15 14 14 14 13
6 4 2 2 2 0
-C -C -C -C -C -C
Benidorm
Mallorca
Barcelona
TODAY: MAX 24, MIN 12-S
TODAY: MAX 21, MIN 11-S
TODAY: MAX 20, MIN 10-S
23 23 19 18 19 18
S: Sun
13 - S 13 - C 11 - C 11 - C 10 - Sh 9-C
23 22 19 18 18 17
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Cl: Clear
13 - S 13 - C 10 - Sh 12 - C 10 - Sh 10 - C
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -
SATURDAY
TODAY: MAX 18, MIN 4-C
TODAY: MAX 24, MIN 12-S
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -
ROQUETAS
Madrid
Alicante
21 20 16 16 17 15
11- S 9-C 6 - Sh 8-C 8 - Sh 7 - Sh
Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -
C: Cloudy
20 10 - S 19 7 - C 15 6 - C 15 6 - C 15 6 - S 14 5 - C
Sh: Showers
VELEZ RUBIO ALBOX
HUERCAL OVERA GARRUCHA MOJACAR
ALMERIA RETAMAR ADRA
ROQUETAS
Th: Thunder
Sn: Snow
Euro Weekly News strives for accuracy, but cannot be held responsible for any errors in published forecasts
BIRTHDAYS
THE third book in Ken Lozito’s First Colony series, after narrowly defeating the invading enemy fleet, there is evidence that the attack isn’t over. Thousands have died and all that stands between human extinction and the invaders are the remnants of the colonial military. Connor must then find a way to rally the colony using every scrap of ingenuity to stop the invaders. But will he succeed when he finds himself pitted a g a i n s t m a n k i n d ’s u l t i mate enemy? This could be mankind’s final hour... or its greatest victory.
ADRA
RETAMAR
1859 - Billy the Kid born Infamous western outlaw known as ‘Billy the Kid’ is born into a poor Irish neighbourhood on New York City’s East Side. 1922 - Archaeologists enter King Tutankhamen’s tomb In Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, British archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter King Tutankhamen’s tomb in more than 3,000 years. 1942 - Casablanca premieres in NYC The Second World War drama starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman premieres in New York, and is one of the most beloved Hollywood movies in history. 1947 - UN votes for partition of Palestine Despite strong Arab opposition, the United Nations votes for the partition of Palestine and the creation of an independent Jewish state. 1963 - JFK buried at Arlington National Cemetery Three days after his assassination in Dallas, Texas the 35th president of the US John F Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. 1990 - Roald Dahl dies Best-selling children’s author, known for books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach dies in Oxford, England at the age of 74.
This week in history
MOJACAR ALMERIA
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Sudoku LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
• Miley Cyrus, Singer, earned a Primetime Emmy November 23, 25 Award for Outstanding After shooting to fame as a Supporting Actress in 2007. child television star playing She also starred in the 2007 comedy Knocked Up the title character in Disney’s hit series Hannah alongside Seth Rogan. Miley Cyrus. Montana, Cyrus then went Christina Applegate, on to become an international pop star Actress, November 25, 46 with hit songs such as Party in the USA Comedy actress Applegate is known for her roles in films such as Anchorman, and Wrecking Ball. • Katherine Heigl, Actress, November Vacation, Hall Pass, Sweetest Thing and 24, 39 Just Visiting and also starred as Kelly The Actress gained fame for her role as Brundy in television comedy Married... with Children. Dr Izzie Stevens in Grey’s Anatomy, and
• Rita Ora, Singer, November 26, 27 Singer, songwriter and actress whose debut album reached number one on the UK Billboard charts and included hit songs such as Hot Right Now and How We Do. She also played Mia Grey in the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey. • Bill Nye, TV Show Host, November 27, 62 Known for hosting children’s educational entertainment show Bill Nye the Science Guy from 1993 to 1998, Nye earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from Cornell University in 1977.
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.
• Karen Gillan, Actress, November 28, 30 The Scottish actress rose to popularity for her portrayal of Amelia Pond on BBC’s Doctor Who and went on to play Nebula in hit film Guardians of the Galaxy and will star alongside Dwayne Johnson in the remake of Jumanji. • Howie Mandel, TV show host, November 29, 62 Known for hosting the American version of Deal or No Deal, Mandel replaced David Hasselhoff as a judge on America’s Got Talent in 2010.
Word Ladder HUNT
Move from the start word (HUNT) to the end word (RACE) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.
DVD
A match made in heaven TRIPLE A rated bodyguard M i c h a e l Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) has his reputation left in tatters after the death of a distinguished client. Two years after the incident Bryce is asked to escort renowned international assassin Darius Kincaid (Samuel L Jackson) from Manchester to Hague in order to testify in an Interpol court against a tyrannical Belarusian dictator. In a race against the clock, the mismatched pair’s trip is full of danger and unaccounted surprises in this bullet filled action comedy.
Trivia Fact
RACE BACK
Solution HUNT HURT HART HARE RARE RACE
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In 2000, Spain’s Paralympic basketball team had to return their gold medals after nearly all of their players were found to have no disability.
FEATURE
23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
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LEGALLY SPEAKING Alcohol limits and penalties WE answer some common driving questions, kindly provided by members of the Guardia Civil based in Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, who set up the N332 website and Facebook page to help break down barriers.
STAY SAFE: The best option is not to drink at all. IT is often not realised that the maximum permitted alcohol limit in Spain is considerably lower than many other European countries, including the UK. It is also worth noting that these limits are precisely that, a maximum that is permitted. Alcohol affects people differently and the only real safe limit is zero. That said, in Spain the maximum legally
permitted alcohol limit is in general 0.25 mg/l (or 0.15 mg/l if you are a learner driver / professional drivers). If the amount of alcohol exceeds this limit, the driver will be heavily fined and lose several points from their licence. In the event such amount of the breathalyzer exceeds 0.60 mg/l, the driver becomes subject to a criminal proceeding and will be arrested.
The fines Professional / novice drivers - 0,15-0,30mg/l - €500 + 4 points, from 0,30mg/l - €1,000 + 6 points. Other drivers - 0,25-0,50mg/l - €500 + 4 points, from 0,50mg/l - €1,000 + 6 points. A blood test is only available when you have finished the alcohol test and you disagree with the result. Refusal to co-operate is also considered a criminal offence. For more news and articles visit www.n332.es or search N332 on Facebook.
Can only Agenda items be voted? Is it correct that Spanish community AGMs do not have an official section for Any Other Business, that they have instead a sort of Questions period at the end of the meeting? Is it correct that anything in this section is not an Agenda item, and so cannot be the subject of a proposal, resolution or vote? Items must be on the Agenda to be voted in the meeting? Can items not on the Agenda be put in the Minutes? R M (email) Article 19 of the Law of Horizontal Property regulates the official Book of Minutes. The minutes must give the time and place of the AGM. They should list the names of all in attendance or by proxy, with
David Searl You and the Law in Spain
their cuotas, and it must contain the Agenda. The book must record the results of the
votes on Agenda items and it may need to list the names and cuotas of those who voted for or against a proposal. Any other matters can certainly be recorded in the Minutes, but it is not a legal requirement.
Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.
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Let’s get on with life Mike Senker
In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man I LIKE to keep my eye on what’s going on in the USA because, to be honest, at the moment, in my opinion, the place is currently coming across on TV like a bad soap opera. This week I’ve been following a couple of news items in particular. One was about an American comedian and politician called Al Franken who was on a tour to entertain the US troops overseas. There was a young lady in the show with him and during a rehearsal he kissed her and also a photo appeared of him looking at the camera laughing and appearing to touch her boobs through body armour whilst she was asleep. Now this is wrong and totally out of order - end of - no excuses. The other story was about a baseball player called Yulieski Gurriel who was born in Cuba and who made a gesture to a Japanese pitcher after hitting a home run off one of his pitches. As he ran round he looked at him and used his fingers to stretch his eyes toward his ears and appeared to say a word in Spanish usually used to mock Asian people.
Now here’s the thing. In both cases these gentlemen apologised unreservedly to the offended parties. The baseball player got a five game suspension and the comedian / politician may have a senate investigation. Both injured parties have said ‘apology accepted, now let’s get on with life’ and this is where things go a bit wonky. It has all become very political with groups calling for the baseball player to be sacked and banned. Here’s the deal folks - nobody is allowed to be more offended than the person that was the subject of the original offensive remark or action. If they say it’s sorted then let it go. They are adults and they have decided how to react to the comment or action directed at them. Donald Trump is tweeting and calling Al Franken Al Frankenstein demanding he be hung, drawn and quartered because he’s a Democrat. Meanwhile he’s not saying a word about the Republican preacher politician, Roy Moore, who has been accused by at least 10 women of sexual assault. But what would you expect from the man that has over 20 accusations of sexual assault against him and a recording from 2005 telling Billy Bush how he treats women. How this man is still POTUS is beyond me. columnists@euroweeklynews.com
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OPINION & COMMENT
YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com
Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.
Let’s not forget our Christmas past IN response to an article in UK media saying scripture union are taking out any reference to the Bible in this year’s nativity, I would like to say this. I have lived in Spain for 27 years and when I first came Father Christmas was unknown. Christmas was a celebration of the Bible story with the Three Kings bringing the presents. Since then I have seen Santa arrive and slowly take over. He now rides with the Three Kings, it is he that is promoted in shops where children visit him, and the Nativity story is slowly disappearing. In a few years’ time it will no doubt just be a secular, commercial holiday with no mention of Jesus. We have had Father Christmas in the UK for so long that we are not aware of the damage he has done to the truth of Jesus. If the church promotes fictional characters to children, when they find out we lied to them how will they believe in Jesus? This year, let’s be aware of who we are promoting in our Christmas celebrations. Rev Howard Coley, Iglesia Evangelical Elim Pentecostal
HAVE YOUR SAY
Yes, Leapy
Peck off, seagulls dens. Families walking down the Main Street eating an ice cream, pasty, or fish ‘n’ chips will be swooped upon and all food torn from their hands, sometimes causing nasty injuries, yet we cannot hurt them because they are protected even though it gets worse week after week. When householders put out their rubbish for collection the gulls arrive long before the binmen and rip open bags before scoffing everything in sight. Be warned Benidorm, if you do not stop and curb this now you will be sorry!
I WAS reading last week’s issue earlier today outside a bar in Javea, and your article about seagulls becoming more of a menace in Benidorm got me thinking. I would like to give the council some advice. I live in Newquay and can tell you that we have an epidemic of these flying rats. They cause trouble and damage and leave filth everywhere. People have even been attacked by these horrible birds when they are nesting or have young chicks on a roof, and it is documented that they have killed small dogs in private gar-
All letters by email or post should carry the writer’s address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published.
Paul, Cornwall, UK
Readers who have missed correspondence can see all letters - which can be edited before publication - posted on: www.euroweeklynews.com.
Ryanair cancel flights due to French air traffic strike F... French. Always too few for them. Always on strike... ALWAYS. They have such high salaries. So much protection.. and it is always TOO FEW.. Kasia They cancel for the slightest reason - what’s next: someone sneezed and they took down half the timetable! Geoff Kerr Having been caught up in the chaos on October 10, I feel for people affected by this!! Mandy Cooke
Police investigate biker for reckless driving I recently saw a biker drive straight through a line of pedestrians on a zebra crossing, also been overtaken on zebra crossings many times by bikers. It’s as though the laws don’t apply to some bikers here! S D There should be more of this action taken especially when motor cyclists drive with their feet off the pedals and using them as a balancing act. The police could have a field day. Trisha Rodgers If you want to ride like that go to the Isle of Man during the TT on mad Sunday. Michael Hearne
Comments from EWN online French air traffic control strike likely to affect UK-Spain flights And this is the country that won the bid to host an Olympic Games - athletes and spectators could find themselves in a pickle because they’re sure to take advantage of this! Tina Sexton Never fail do they. Ought to make these dates national holidays. Richard Taylor
12-year-old girl pregnant by boy same age How sad as she is only a baby herself. Kath Dickman Babies having babies, not good. Carol Garrington
British Airways passengers to board by ticket price No point to booking early at the lesser fares then! I used BA last June from LHR to Murcia. Reserved seat wasn’t honoured (paid extra and didn’t get any form or priority in the queue). This new system has reinforced my view that they are no better than Ryanair. Are BA thinking it ok to provide punitive boarding priorities simply because a few others do it? A race to the bottom begins! That’s two airlines off my list now that may force me to put my carry on bag in the hold. Why risk laptop, cameras and lenses, and other dear personal effects down there? Dave Arnold BA has gone to pot! Try and get a drink when you sit at the back of the plane! Had four trips didn’t get a drink. easyJet is far better. Peter Urquhart Who’s the mug? The one that got on first. They paid more for their flight, last on got the cheapest deal, I’ll take that every time. Stephen Jordan
LEAPY LEE is right. There I’ve said it. His piece on the ludicrous situation of a Somali convicted criminal receiving almost 80 grand of public money after being put inside over a dozen times in 15 years only highlights that the world has gone absolutely stark staring mad. You have to think there is more to this surely. How can something be so obviously wrong!? Philip, San Fulgencio
No, Leapy SO Leapy Lee thinks a good reason for the UK leaving the EU is because they have ruled someone has to be given money for being wrongly imprisoned? This is only a drop in the ocean compared to the billions the Spanish tax man would have pocketed from inheritance tax had not the EU intervened and ruled it illegal! There are a lot more positive rulings from the European courts than the silly cherry picking oddments that Leapy seems to relish in. Ray Osborne, Los Alcazares
Puzzle plea NOT A complaint because I enjoy your paper, but if you want to make it even better please publish the answers to the puzzles the same week. We all try but if the puzzles are beyond us no one can retain an interest in the answers until the next issue. I know loads of people who can’t be bothered having a go because of this. Norman, address withheld Editor’s note: Many thanks for the feedback. Is this something others would like to see? Please write in with your views.
Just shocking THE recent hysteria over a series of small earthquakes and their potential to generate a mile-high tsunami in Tenerife beggars belief. People should spend less time reading nonsense ‘shock’ journalism and more time worrying about real issues like the drought here in Spain. Alan Smith, Canary Islands
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Cassandra Nash A weekly look
www.euroweeklynews.com
Masterclass in doublespeak Credit: España no se rompe / Facebook
- and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene
DOES Carmen Forcadell, Speaker of the Catalan parliament, speak with a forked tongue? Forcadell avoided being remanded along with the eight members of the regional government who didn’t run off to Brussels by claiming that Cataluña’s UDI was symbolic. She also told the examining judge that if she remained active in politics she would do so “within the constitutional framework.” But don’t let’s forget that before becoming Speaker Forcadell was president of the ardently pro-independence Asamblea Nacional de Cataluña which has been behind separatist politicians - and sometimes ahead of them - on the road to UDI. It now turns out that Forcadell will be Number Four on the Esquerra Republica (ERC) voting list in the December 21 elections. Could be that remanded ERC leader Oriol Junqueras is sincere when he said recently that the secessionists had miscalculated with their premature UDI declaration. But they’re all playing a long game,
FEATURE
DETERMINED: Is Carmen Forcadell, Speaker of the Catalan parliament, playing the long game? Forcadell included. They are no less committed to independence but willing to wait a little longer, that’s all.
Short memory CARLES PUIGDEMONT who believes he is Cataluña’s president in exile, said in a Le Soir interview that he was “always open to another relationship with Spain” and believed “an alternative to independence was still possible.” He had always sought formulas for avoiding a break with Spain, he de-
clared, but omitted to mention his speech on taking over as Catalan president in 2016. This was when he promised to follow the route map for independence set out by his predecessor Artur Mas “to the letter” and lead Cataluña to independence. Puigdemont was either lying then or is lying now and with his PDeCAT party shunned for the December 21 elections by the other pro-independence parties, he could be trying to hedge his bets. He’s wasting his time. If the independence parties won the regional
elections would they want Puigdemont at their head after the hash he made of UDI?
Show the flag THE Spanish football team’s customary World Cup red shirt has a yellow and purple stripe down one side. Adidas insists the offending streak is petrol blue, but red and blue combine to make purple and it looks as though the kit celebrates the old Republican flag. The national government in Madrid is understandably not impressed but not nearly as unhappy as football fans as the shirt costs €150.
A load of bull BORIS JOHNSON irritated Spanish guests at a dinner meant to strengthen Anglo-Spanish links when he described a bullfight ban as “political correctness gone mad.” The Spanish can make up their own minds about bullfighting Boris. Meanwhile stick to Brexit and what you know. Oh, wait a moment…
Call to arms JUNTS PEL SI was in thrall to the anti-everything CUP party. Because it needed the party’s votes for its parliamentary majority, the ERC-PDeCAT coalition agreed to introduce a sugar tax on fizzy drinks and contaminating vehicles. According to an internal memo dug up by Guardia Civil investigators, the government hoped that both would be overthrown by the Constitutional Tribunal, the same court whose authority they ignored by passing last September’s Referendum and Disconnection Laws. Another Junts pel Si document suggested reintroducing Military Service to staff the region’s own armed forces. How would CUP have reacted to that? Manning barricades is heroic if you’re wearing jeans, but selling out to the system once you’re in uniform. columnists@euroweeklynews.com
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Spending income to the benefit of all NOW that we enter an AGM free period, Stephen Lewis, Managing Director of LPL Commercial Services takes a breath to look back on what it all means in his world of Community Management Fees Debt Collection. For most residential communities in Spain we have just come out of perhaps the busiest time for Management Committees and their appointed Administrators - the AGM. Dreaded by many, relished by some, stressful for most. For expats and holiday owners alike it is an opportunity to air grievances, discuss the poor quality of gardens, litter, decoration, should we pay for security gates and on and on it goes. But nearly everything discussed at any AGM always comes down to one question - How much money does the Community have to spend? Then the real discussion and arguments start. Who owes what, how much and for how long and more importantly: Why are those residents that pay their management fees subsidising those that do not? It is a sad fact that for years many communities suffer this problem, shout about it at the AGM and discuss the very same subject at the next AGM and often about the same debtors at the next AGM and the next and the next…
THE AGM: Who owes what? It has always been a strange paradox that with most worldwide accounting systems we carry over ‘Debtors’ as an asset. We kid ourselves that the balance sheet is very healthy, as soon as all the overdue monies come in. Whether communi-
ties in Spain or businesses elsewhere it’s the same story. Unfortunately we have seen in our lifetimes what can happen when we get too
complacent about monies owed on the balance sheet, as was proven through the European and almost world wide banking crisis of 2008 One of the biggest problems besetting communities is not the fact the money does not always come in on time, it’s the fact that many are actually too hesitant to do anything about it. By the time a decision is made the property owner, living outside of Spain, may have moved or incurred other circumstances making it far more difficult to contact them and collect. Worse still some debts are so old that they then become uncollectible because of the Statute of Limitations, which in Scotland is five years and England and Wales in particular six years, as an example. There is no good reason to delay strong collection action on debts of one year, or even sooner. After all why should the well intentioned prompt payers suffer for the misdeeds of those that really don’t care about their Community or worse still are deriving income from renting out their property and are still shirking their payment responsibilities. Wouldn’t it be great to discuss how we can spend Community income to the benefit of all as we have the money in the bank… or better still reduce next year’s charges for a change !
For more information, visit www.lplgroup.com or speak with the head of Spanish operations, Greg Bryan, who is based in Spain and can be contacted on +34 689 408 412. Tel: UK +44 (0) 208 551 4019.
FEATURE
23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
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The ancient ride. Burro’s rule! 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.
ARRIVING in 1969, the most substantial hint of Spain being different than the states, was the plethora of burros parked everywhere. An endless stream climbed the hill on one side while another equal train of ground pounders returned to the well. The village needed water for drinking, washing and cooking. An army of burros fulfilled that task. They were everywhere and left traces everywhere too. Mojacar’s postcards even shared in the promotion and cultural respect. The fountain is where the news was learned and all rumours discussed and disseminated for local knowledge. A trip to the fountain wasn’t the drudgery one might imagine but rather a chance to get out of the house wherein most spent the rest of their entire days. The fuente was a type of freedom. Lots of the hippie girls bathed there and all washed their hair. Strikingly different than what
BURROS: Villagers rely on the train of burros to assist with their needs.
the local woman were used to witnessing. Not a word was exchanged other than curious glimpses at each other. Centuries of cultural separation was a wall broken down by the quick flow of the water. Worlds were colliding, washed clean of social differences and years of entrenched upbringing. Changes were
Diamond Lil obituary MORE sad news for Mojacar. The one and only Diamond Lil has passed at the age of 96. This elegant lady was quiet and yet right there with you. Her famous husband, Arthur, the boxer departed some years ago. She had so many friends here in Mojacar and was always there for anyone. Many of her family remain here in mourning. The Danahar name lives on and Mojacar is grateful for just such a thing.
happening in a most unlikely setting. One local lady dressed in customary black, lifts a colourful blouse being washed and holds it against her breast as if modelling it. An uproar of laughter is heard. The casual gesture destroys years of village custom and social deportment. The hippies know. They’ve seen it on their other treks where local cultural customs rule. Meanwhile, the burros remain unimpressed by any of the antics. Their day is just
starting and will continue to sunset. Up the hill to their owners’ abode and sometimes trading it is precious cargo for a bunch of carrots, apples or the neighbours’ appreciation. Of course each animal has a special name. Most secretive as those names are never used in public. It would refer to an intimacy between man and animal that shouldn’t exist (and won’t for another 40 years). The burro does his job. Their owners would look foolish amongst their peers to praise - so don’t.
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Shake off those November blues! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas Christina Sharp GLOBELINK INTERNATIONAL christina@globelink.co.uk.
THIS is a glorious time of year to take a break; kids are back at school, prices are lower; and if you are lucky, depending on where travel, you might still catch a spectacular autumnal riot of colour as you venture outdoors. If you’re hankering for a mini holiday to fortify yourself for the festive season, why not meet two needs with one deed and head for a Christmas Market? Europe has the best selection of Christmas Markets, where you can wrap up warm, indulge in steaming hot drinks (mulled wine, or hot chocolate anyone?), find original
gifts, whilst taking in the sights and sounds of some of the most beautiful places in Europe. Here are some of our favourites for you to combine festive fun with some unforgettable historic hotspots. Let us know if we’ve missed your favourite and we will tell readers about the most popular ones next month. Rothenburg ob de Tauber is our favourite of the spectacular German Christmas Markets, because whether it’s Christmas or not, this town is straight out of Hansel and Gretel. It’s the most impeccably preserved Bavarian medieval town in Europe and is picture-perfect for this Christmas Market, which dates back 500 years. Robust stone town walls that surround the town with their creaking wooden walkways offer uniquely outstanding roof top vistas of the town’s half-timbered houses and redtiled roofs.
GERMAN MARKET: The spectacular Rothenburg ob de Tauber. Runs from December 1 to 23. Strasbourg boasts the oldest Christmas Market in France, first held in 1570. With 300 stalls, across 12 locations, this is one of Europe’s most popular Christmas markets. Strasbourg’s spectacular Gothic Cathedral nestles at the heart of this fabulously festive location. Market runs from November 25
to December 31. Bath city centre with its Roman Baths and glorious Abbey becomes home to 170 Christmas stalls from the end of November. This year is bigger than ever with over 200 wooden chalets. The market offers ceramics, toys, gifts, decorations and food with over 80 per cent of produce sourced locally.
There’s an ice rink and glow-inthe-dark crazy golf course at nearby Royal Victoria Park. Market runs from November 23 to December 10. Winchester’s beautiful medieval centre offers a slightly more modest, but equally delightful Christmas Market with around 100 wooden chalets offering decorations, jewellery, artwork, gifts, and all the usual irresistible food fayre. Visit the open air ice-rink and Winchester Cathedral. There are lots more to choose from, including Vienna, Prague, Dresden, Verona, Leipzig, Budapest. Whichever you opt for, stay safe, be aware of your surroundings and remember your travel insurance in case of mishaps or emergencies. Over one million customers have trusted Globelink. Get an instant Travel Insurance quote and arrange cover with www.globelink.co.uk, or call (UK) +44 1353 699 082 or our Spanish link line 966 265 000.
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V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E W W W. E U R O W E E K LY N E W S . C O M By Sally Underwood AS the weather cools we increasingly tend to cover up our feet more with socks or closed-toe shoes. While this change helps keep us warmer it can also increase the risk of suffering an ingrown toenail. This painful condition can also be exacerbated by highheeled or tight shoes we wear at parties during the festive season. Other risk factors include improperly trimmed toenails which cause the nail to dig in to the surrounding skin, trauma to the nail or a fungal infection. Symptoms include a reddened, warm and painful toe end, extra skin growing around the corners of your nail or occasionally a white or yellow discharge. In serious cases, the skin around the nail may become infected. So what can you do to avoid or treat an ingrown toenail? Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to help prevent one developing in the first place. The most important one is to clip or trim toe-
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Hernias TOE THE LINE: Soak your feet regularly to help prevent ingrown toenails.
What a pain nails well in the first place ensuring they are cut in a straight line, not a curve. Also take care not to over file the corner of your nails as the curved shaped is more likely to dig into surrounding skin. It is also important to keep feet clean and dry and wear shoes with enough room
for your toes. If you are unlucky enough to suffer from one, there are several home remedies which might help. The Mayo Clinic advises soaking your feet in warm water for 15 to 20 minutes three or four times a day to reduce pain and swelling. It also recommends putting den-
tal floss or clean cotton under the affected nail, after soaking, to separate it from the skin. Finally, apply an antibiotic cream to prevent infection. If all else fails, though, a doctor will be able to give you the best advice or treatment to have you on your feet again in no time.
SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte. WHAT is a hernia? A hernia is nothing more than a weakening of the muscles in an area in the body which allows an internal part to pass through. Most typically these occur in the groin and abdominal area. How do hernias occur? The weakening of muscle walls or physical strain can force internal parts to move from one place to another. For example, an inguinal hernia can occur when fatty tissue or a part of your bowel pokes through into your groin at the top of your inner thigh. What are its symptoms? The main symptom is the appearance of a lump in the groin or abdominal area. This lump tends to be soft and can sometimes be simply pushed back in. Sometimes they can be painful and in certain cases they can cut off the circulation to the intestine which will require surgery.
How do you treat them? In general hernias need to be operated on to avoid complications. If you decide not to undergo surgery, compressive straps and avoiding physical strains can prevent them from appearing, or growing larger. Should you seek medical help? You should always go see your doctor if a hernia appears so they can refer you to a surgeon. Do they tend to come back after the first time? After a hernia has been operated on it is difficult for it to appear in the same place, however they can appear elsewhere. Are there ways of preventing them? Avoiding heavy lifting and other strenuous activities, as well as core muscle exercises which can prevent them from appearing, however they can still form despite these measures.
If you have any questions for Dr Perez Belmonte, please send them to: jefemedico@helicopterossanitarios.com
HEALTH & BEAUTY
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Pearly whites TOOTH damage happens to us all at one point, either through injury, natural wear and tear or occasionally tooth decay. While it is always best to see a dentist, if you are struggling to get an appointment or don’t have the time, there are some things you can do to treat a tooth before you see a professional. If the tooth just has a minor chip and no nerves are exposed, it may just be that you need to cover a jagged edge before you see a dentist. You can fill a chip temporarily yourself to avoid lacerating your tongue on the broken edge. According to Sarasota Dentistry, ask your pharmacist for temporary filling material to cover the gap for a short time
or alternatively use wax. If your tooth is in a lot of pain, however, you may have a more serious chip and should see your dentist immediately to avoid damaging the dental pulp and potentially losing the tooth. If you have knocked your tooth and it is now loose, see a dentist as soon as possible. Your dentist may be able to put it back in its original position. According to Mamaroneck Oral Surgery, the longer you leave it, the higher your chance of needing root canal. If your tooth comes out completely, you may be able to save it if you respond quickly. Make an immediate appointment at your dentist and pick up your tooth by the crown without touching the roots.
TOOTHY TRUTH: Always visit your dentist if you have pain in your tooth. Clean it with saliva or cold water and place it back in its socket, holding it in place with a clean cloth until you get to the dentist. If you are unable to place it back in position, put it in a glass of milk or saliva. If you get to a dentist within 30 minutes you have a good chance of saving the tooth.
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Fantastic foto show
Update on food, drink, entertainments, what’s on and weekly happenings
Unique Star Wars orchestra By Matthew Elliott
A PHOTO exhibition is being held at Mojacar’s Centro de Arte until the end of the month. It is organised by Vera Photo Club, whose members will be showcasing their work across Almeria Province. More than a dozen of the club’s finest photographers are participating in the exhibition, which brings a tremendous range of artistic visions, talent and styles for Mojacar residents to explore. More than 100 photos are available for public viewing. The exhibit can be visited from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am until 4pm and on Sundays from 10am until 4pm. Admission is free. Formed six years ago, the club are always on the lookout for new members and hold monthly meetings. They offer tutorials and workshops on camera use, as well as organising local photography trips.
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OCIAL
Photo credit Facebook/Film Symphony Orchestra
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TICKETS are now on sale for the Film Symphony Orchestra’s upcoming performance at the Roquetas Auditorium. The acclaimed group, which reproduces film scores in epic live shows, is playing in Almeria Province on January 13.
The Film Symphony Orchestra has cultivated an international reputation. They are in the midst of an extensive tour of more than 30 venues across Spain. Cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia will experience their showmanship before the collective of 70 professional musicians arrive in Roquetas. Tickets can be found on the group’s website, El Corte Ingles, and through Ticketmaster. Directed by Constantino Martinez, the group is a Spanish outfit who tackle classic film soundtracks in a
EPIC: Film scores and orchestras a terrific match. bombastic fashion. Music from The Pink Panther, James Bond, Game of Thrones and Star Wars is par for the course. Performances include a unique visual
spectacle using huge projectors to create an unmissable experience for fans. January is still far away but the Film Symphony Orchestra sold out all
its Spanish concerts three years running from 2012 to 2014 and has now cultivated an international reputation. Tickets are likely to go fast for one of the winter’s most memorable gigs.
SOCIAL SCENE
The Santana legends arrive WITH frontman Tony Lindsay on stage, Almeria fans will have an opportunity to see a genuine member of the legendary Santana lineup on Saturday night. He will be joined by another former official Santana band member, Alex Ligertwood, when ‘The Magic of Santana’ play in Roquetas de Mar’s Theatre Auditorium. The band is based in Germany but are touring Spain to bring the very best of the Latino icon’s decades of guitar tracks to Almeria expatriates. Between them Lindsay and Ligertwood have performed countless times with the legendary Mexican maestro making ‘The Magic of Santana’ far better and more accomplished than the average cover band. Lindsay first found himself in Santana back in 1991. Scotsman Ligertwood began his Santana career in 1979 and has worked with the Grateful Dead and Jeff Beck. The Magic of Santana is widely considered Europe’s best act dedicated to covering the iconic band fronted by Carlos Santana, among the greatest guitarists in history. Music fans can go onto YouTube to watch ‘The Magic of Santana’ in live performances across the world. This is certain to be one of the most exciting live performances on the Costa de Almeria this year as the band return to Spain in a tour that also covers Murcia, Malaga and Alicante.
Petanque power ON Saturday the National Petanque Championship for People with Disabilities takes place in Mojacar. The all-day affair gets underway at Descargador Beach and is certain to attract hundreds of players from Almeria Province. The municipal courts at Descargador Beach regularly hold national petanque events and are well-regarded by players. If interested in attending, the beach is easy to access, with a bus stop nearby and changing facilities for the players.
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New date is launched By Matthew Elliott VETERAN pop star Manolo Garcia is coming to Almeria Province. The Spanish superstar singer will perform on two dates in Roquetas de Mar. The extra date was added after tickets for the only scheduled concert sold out in just hours. He will perform two consecutive nights on Friday May 11 and Saturday May 12 at the Roquetas Auditorium. The gigs are part of a nationwide tour that is already almost sold out. The Barcelona native will be showcasing his seventh
Photo credit: Twitter
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ICON: Manolo doubles his Almeria gigs. studio album which is set to be released in spring. The ear-
MY recent comments on Tempranillo led to requests from readers for additional information which I am happy to provide. It is useful when buying Tempranillo to understand the four legal ageing terms listed on most Spanish wine bottles as they by Lorenzo affect quali- Barbareschi ty and flavour. • Vin Joven: rarely aged in oak, they are released young, intended for immediate consumption, and are not very common outside Spain. • Crianza: reds aged for two years with six months in oak, traditionally American which is stronger than other types (ie French). • Reserva: reds aged three years, with one year in oak, resulting in a higher quality with richer, round flavours. • Gran Reserva: exceptional vintage wines, aged a minimum of five years with 18 months of oak ageing.
ly legs of the tour, in Roquetas, Granada, Elche and Jaen, will be performed in smaller theatres and auditoriums. Later in the summer he will be performing in major openair venues in Cordoba, Cadiz and Huelva. Tickets went on sale just last week and all the information on other gigs, ticket releases and times can be found on Garcia’s Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Both Roquetas gigs are expected to be complete sell outs so fans are advised to snap up tickets as soon as possible. Now aged 62, Garcia shot to fame with the band El Ultimo de la Fila before going solo in 1998. He fuses Spanish, Catalan, Arabic and Flamenco styles. He began singing aged just seven, is a painter, and also has a huge Latin American fan base.
Tempranillo: What’s in a label…
BACCHUS CELLAR
AGEING TERMS: Affect quality and flavour. Depending on the region, Tempranillo is known under various names: Tinta del País in Ribera del Duero, Tinta de Toro in Toro, Ull de Llebre in Catalonia, Cencibel in Valdepenas where it is the predominant red grape and Tinto Fino in other regions. Tempranillo is most commonly blended with Garnacha, Mazuela, Merlot, Monastrell and Cabernet Sauvignon; is the major component of the typical Ri-
oja blends and constitutes 90-100 per cent of Ribera del Duero wines. Reasonably-priced labels of Tempranillo ‘vin Joven’ include Rioja 2016 Pagos del Rey by Castillo de Albai; Crin Rioja; and Senorio de Los Llanos by Garcia de Carrion. Recommended to serve at 15ºC, this can be achieved by putting the open bottle into the fridge 15 minutes before pouring. Happy tasting.
ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS
Public space for residents By Matthew Elliott ALBOX Council has taken over a large abandoned property on Calle Ramon y Cajal. The former union headquarters was purchased for €55,000 from the national government according to Mayor Francisco Torrecillas.
All local neighbourhood groups and associations should share their ideas. He travelled to Madrid to sign the deal with the national labour ministry. It is essential that the quickly deteriorating building be renovated and opened up to local residents as a new public space, he said. The building has two floors and several rooms that can be used to provide different ser-
vices. One idea being floated by the town hall is that part of the building be used as a meeting venue for older citizens. Another possibility is that some is transformed into a small museum showcasing the history of Albox. Meanwhile the conservative Popular Party has begun a round of visits to residents around Albox to ask them for suggestions on next year’s budget. Spokesman Juan Perez Quiles said the party wants ideas on cultural, educational, sporting and social projects that local people feel they are missing out on. He said: “The best way to develop the municipal budget is to listen to local people, who have the most to win, and lose, from policy decisions.” He encouraged all local neighbourhood groups and associations to get in touch with the party to share their ideas.
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MARBLE MANIA: Macael is spiritual home of marble in Spain.
Gift to the world of marble from Macael By Matthew Elliott DOZENS of companies from around the world visited Macael to discuss the international trade in natural stone. Business leaders and marble experts from the UK, Russia, Dubai and Kazakhstan were in attendance. The Association of Marble Businesses of Andalucia and del-
egates from the national government also joined discussions on how to expand the marble trade globally. The eighth annual meeting of its kind comes after a hugely successful year for Macael, considered the home of marble mining in Spain. The Macael brand was launched in New York this summer, and the town enjoys support
from major marble mining, importing and exporting companies in the US and Spain. Andalucian exports of marble have grown by 20 per cent this year to reach almost €300 million. Despite the good news, delegates at the Macael conference over the weekend heard that it wasn’t enough. Sales were hindered by the economic crisis.
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HONOUR: Cosentino chief presented with keys by Miami first lady (INSET: US HQ.)
Miami in the valley By Matthew Elliott ONE of the Almanzora Valley’s biggest companies has been given the keys to the city of Miami. Ana Cristina Carrodeguas, wife of Miami mayor Tomas Pedro Regalado, visited Cantoria to meet with the leaders of the Cosentino Group. She was welcomed by president and vice-president, Francisco Martinez-Cosentino Justo and Pilar Martinez-Cosentino
Alfonso, to whom she presented the keys. Cosentino, famed worldwide for its kitchen surfaces, won the distinction after choosing Miami as the location for its new North American headquarters. The Cosentino Americas HQ is located in the Coral Gables business district. Next year a Cosentino City will open in Miami’s design district. It will be the 10th Cosentino City in the world.
Cosentino’s Miami offices will direct all operations of the multinational group, which had humble origins mining marble in Macael, in the Americas. Houston, Texas was originally chosen as the headquarters. But Miami’s thriving design and architecture industry won over the group’s executives. Cosentino has maintained its global headquarters in Cantoria. Turnover this year is expected to exceed €1 billion.
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Best ways to heat your casa By Matthew Elliott HOMEOWNERS across Spain are turning to new techniques to help warm their houses in winter. Home reform platform, Habitissimo reports more and more Spaniards are seeking help in bringing down the bills and staving off the chilly weather. More than 15,000 homeowners requested information on heating their home last year, suggesting a huge appetite for sound advice. The average family in Spain spends €1,454 per year heating their home. Those using natural gas average between €760 and €928, while those using electricity stump up around €2,000. Most people can easily cut their expenses by 20 per cent by being smarter in their choice of heating system. Habitissimo offer advice on the smartest ways for homeowners to keep warm. Programmable thermostats can slash electric bills by 10 per cent. Paying an engineer to adjust the boiler is a sound invest-
TOASTY: Spaniards are sick and tired of cold casas. ment, which can reduce costs by 15 per cent in the long run. The most in-demand heating system among Spaniards is gas. More than one in three prefer gas, compared to the 19 per cent who favour the simplicity of electric. A trend growing in popularity is for heated floors. These provide uniform heat throughout the house and don’t create a dry or stuffy environment. Heated floors offer long term savings of between 10 and 30
per cent. Installation costs around €6,500 on average, but can rise to as much as €15,000 if the floors have to be raised. One in five who ask for help from Habitissimo end up choosing heated pellets. This is a biofuel formed from compressed sawdust that offers a greener way of heating the home. It can be expensive though, with heating a big house possibly demanding a kilo of pellets be burned every hour.
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Autumn leaves are falling down A perfect time to remake your garden GRAEME TYRRELL THE onset of the colder weather brings a lot of changes to the garden. It is much easier to work in the glorious autumn sun to clean up the garden by pruning the summer flowering shrubs and preparing the soil for winter herbs, flowering annuals, new shrubs and trees. It is the perfect time to plant new additions to the garden and start off new plants in pots so they can be well established before the next summer’s heat. If you are plagued by autumn leaves falling, it is useful to know that you can take advantage of this natural annual event to improve your garden with richer soil from the autumn leaves which are a free source of organic material. The simplest way to manage autumn leaves is to rake or blow them into natural soil garden beds to act as a mulch. It can look attractive and breaks down quickly over winter to add humus and other nutrients to the soil. I also gather the leaves to surround newly planted trees and shrubs to provide insulation from
AUTUMN LEAVES: Don’t waste them. the cold in winter while they are getting established. It works well even though it has usually broken down by the next summer and I have to use additional mulch for summer water conservation and heat insulation of the roots.
If you have stone mulches on your garden beds this method of mulching does not work as the stone mulches are better left without buildup of organic material as it will encourage weeds. Instead you can make a simple
pen in a corner of the garden to pile the collected leaves and allow them to break down naturally over winter or add them to your compost as fresh layers with additional organic material between each collection of the leaves over autumn. The com-
posted material can be added where it is needed later. If you are preparing new garden beds that require cultivation, the leaves can be added to the soil and dug in. Leaves decompose very rapidly in the soil so they will improve the texture and organic content quickly to make the soil better for establishing new plants. The leaves help to keep the soil aerated, with better drainage over winter and gives the soil greater water holding capacity in summer after they have broken down into humus. So for the gardener, the autumn leaves are a blessing in the annual cycles of the seasons to prepare for the changes to come. Gathering the autumn leaves up from the terraces and paths, to add to the soil and protect the plants, makes them an asset rather than a burden. I love to see the fresh autumn leaves as they fall and decorate the ground so I usually only collect them weekly. The warm autumn sun on the coloured leaves in the brisk autumn breezes, provides a different aspect of the garden from other seasons that can be enjoyed and worked with to improve the quality of the garden year round.
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Growing in pots IF you have limited space in your garden or want to protect some of your plants when temperatures drop, it’s worth investing in some stylish pots. Potted plants really brighten up a space and allow you to have a garden that blooms all year round. You can use them to grow anything from climbing and flowering plants to vegetables and herbs. They also allow you to have a portable garden, as they allow you to bring plants which are susceptible to frost inside during colder months. Generally speaking, the bigger the plant, the bigger the pot but you need to make sure that it drains well and won’t overheat your plant. You can also get creative, by using
CARROT GOLD: Plant your carrot crop now to harvest in time for spring.
anything from old teapots and welly boots to wooden barrels. Also make sure you keep in mind what the downfalls might be of using pots made from certain containers. Although ceramic pots drain well, they also dry out quickly, especially under the hot sun, and require constant watering. The soil you use in pots is also very important. You should avoid using soil from your garden as it is often too heavy and could contain diseases or insect pests. However, because specialised potting soil tends to be lighter, you will also need to check your plant’s moisture levels more often and make sure they are receiving enough nutrients.
Winter garden SPAIN has one of the best winter climates of Europe. So why not take advantage of this fact to get some winter gardening in? According to Permaculturenews.org, winter can be the best time to grow some crops because of the natural rainfall. While fruits including tomatoes and peppers should still be saved for summer as they need to ripen in the sun, many vegetables can be grown at this time of year. Carrots can easily be planted in winter in mild Mediterranean climates and can be harvested in early spring, just in time for all those soups and roast dinners. Other crops you can plant now include rhubarb, artichoke, chayote, lemon balm, currants, fennel and gooseberries. Or why not try broad beans and snap peas?
A longer term project will be garlic and shallots which will be ready in the summer in time to make a chilled gazpacho soup. Bulbing onions, green onions, chives and leeks will also fare well if planted now, as well as asparagus. Permaculturenews.org recommends sowing your seeds as soon as possible to make the most of the warmer weather and planting some less hardy crops indoors in a window sill planter. Brussels sprouts, cabbage and lettuce will all thrive indoors at this time of year, as will fava beans, lentils, cauliflower and celery. So why not make extra time this winter and make the most of Spain’s great weather and grow your own? They’ll be ready to harvest in the spring.
TIPS: There are a number of things that can help fruit and veg plants survive.
Top tips for growing your own fruit and vegetables E V E RY O N E h a s t h o u g h t about growing their own fruit and vegetables at some point in their lives
but may not necessarily have succeeded. When contemplating whether to start a fruit or vegetable garden, here are a few tips that may help on the road to home-grown fruit and vegetables. Firstly, it is important to have a good, neutral, freely-drained loam soil that is light and airy. This will make it easier to feed the plants and is essential for producing healthy fruit and vegetables.
Make sure to choose the best varieties of plants available, which have been tried and tested to ensure that the fruit or vegetable not only has fantastic flavour, but will also grow pest and disease resistant. When growing crops, they need to be protected from insects and animals, especially in Spain. There are a number of options to consider in order to accomplish this, including companion planting or using a natural pest control method such as beer, copper tape or even egg shells. A final way to ensure growth is to make sure that plenty of organic matter is mixed into the soil and use as mulch on top as it will provide the fruit and vegetables with more nutrients and give them a better chance at survival.
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IF you are thinking about getting a dog for the first time or have just taken the plunge and welcomed a new four-legged friend into your life, you should be aware of a few mistakes that are common among first-time owners but are also easy to avoid. Small mistakes in the beginning could have a big impact on a dog’s health and behaviour in the long run. As it is likely your dog will spend a significant amount of time at the vets or dog groomers, start handling your
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David THE Dogman LISTEN to David on TRE on Saturdays 10am to 11am Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9fm, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm columnists@ewnmediagroup.com
FOR years it has been medically documented that companion animals, like dogs, cats, rabbits and birds, help people live longer and healthier lives. Being responsible for caring for an animal often gives new meaning to someone who is living alone or who is far from loved ones. Pets can help elderly people keep an active lifestyle and may help fill a void left by living
First-time blunders new dog as soon as you get her (or him). This will make it easier for them to tolerate any checkups or attention from strangers in the future. Also make sure you brush your dog’s teeth from the first day you get her. The sooner she gets used to it, the more she’ll be accepting of it in the long run. It’s also important to measure how much
food you give your dog, especially one that is still growing, as if they fill out too fast this could lead to health problems later on. A great way to make sure they get some extra physical activity is by using a food puzzle, this helps dogs to hunt for food and also gives their brains a bit more stimulation during the day.
alone or away from family. Working families thinking of adopting a rescue animal should take into consideration if they have time for the new family pet. Children should be encouraged to help and go to dog training classes which are educational, social and really a lot of fun. Seniors may want to consider adopting an older, adult animal instead of a puppy, kitten or rambunctious ‘teenage’ pet. Older pets are more likely to be calm, already house trained and less susceptible to unpredictable behaviour. Animal shelter staff can help potential adopters find the most suitable animal for their lifestyle. Seniors should not be encouraged to take on a large dog, as many take on a dog far too powerful for them, which becomes unmanageable. Obviously if you live in an apartment then you should
have a small dog. Dog’s lives revolve around odour; I always recommend bathing a rescue pet as soon as possible. By doing this you wash away the old identity and allow the dog to get his new identity. Most dogs will roll in the ground to get their new identity. Take your new pet for a walk around the area of your street near your home as soon as you are able. This allows your pet to learn the new smells of the area. Ensure that all doors, gates etc. to the home are secure and that you have a microchip and a tab on the collar with your telephone number. Emotionally you will feel very sorry for the little fellow and often new owners can overdo the attention. Best not to smother the dog and keep in mind that now is the time to set the rules of your home.
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Clarkson Quote of the Week By Matthew Elliott WOMEN love the Hyundai Ioniq. The hybrid was declared Supreme Winner of the Women’s World Car of the Year awards. The first car to boast three electrified powertrains was selected by an all female cast of 25 motoring journalists. The Supreme Winner is the car that ‘really stands out’ according to Sandy Myhre, who is in charge of the awards process. “The Women’s World Car of the Year award once again proves that the world’s first car offering hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric powertrains in a single body type is a real champion,” said Andreas-Christoph Hofmann of Hyundai Motor Europe. Judges voted on six categories: budget, family car, SUV, luxury, performance, and green. The green category was also won by the Ioniq. The sleek and mobile Hyundai Ioniq could hardly be more different to the car declared World Car of the Year last month. The Jaguar F-Pace SUV won what could be called the ‘men’s awards.’ The Mazda CX-5 won the family Model tested was UK-specification and car award, the Ford Fiesta was the best bud-
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Femme fatale Women’s top car revealed
SLEEK: Hyundai Ioniq a hit with the ladies.
get, and the Peugeot 3008 won best SUV. The BMW 5 Series easily won best luxury car and the Honda Civic Type R scooped the performance award. There was also a special award for the best ‘Dream Machine’ for women. For the second year running McLaren won the dream car award. The 720 S edged out tight competition from the Maserati Levante and Aston Martin DB11. On the rear view mirror is etched a quote from McLaren founder Bruce McLaren and reads: “Life is measured in achievement, not in years alone.”
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Cheap cruising RESEARCHERS have shown that cruising at 55mph is optimal for emissions and wallets. In a lifetime of driving, the average motorist could save more than 3,000 in fuel costs by doing 60mph rather than 80mph. The figures come from Click Mechanic. They show that drivers who typically cruise at 80mph emit more than five tonnes extra over 20 odd years than those who cruise at 60mph do. The average British driver travels 7,800 miles a year. Around 1,600 miles are notched up on motorways. Click Mechanic researchers took a Fiat 500 as their test model and found that, on the motorway, it cost 500 more over a lifetime to drive at 65mph compared to 60mph. The cheapest speed to drive on the motorway is 55mph, though other road users probably won’t appreciate the cost cutting.
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23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
Mercedes release CLS teaser MERCEDES have released two teaser images of the 2019 CLS ahead of the car’s full reveal at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week. The images show the CLS-Class’
front fascia, which seems to take inspiration from the Mercedes-AMG GT Coupe and has what looks like LED running lights along the hood line.
The second image shows part of the interior which has stereotypical Mercedes features, The 2019 CLS is set for its show floor debut next Wednesday.
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23 - 29 November 2017 / Costa de Almería
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Other managers cry I don’t cry - Jose MANCHESTER UNITED gaffer, Jose Mourinho, who host Brighton in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Saturday, says other managers ‘cry’ when hit by player injuries. “Other managers cry when players are injured - I don’t cry - ” said Mourinho, who has had a plethora of injuries this season. United suffered another injury scare when Phil Jones pulled out of the England squad to face Brazil after a thigh injury sustained in the international friendly against Germany. Mourinho could turn to summer signing, Victor Lindelof to replace Jones, should the defender suffer a recurrence that could keep him on the sidelines this weekend. Liverpool, who host champions Chelsea on Saturday, are in the hunt to sign Barcelona star, Javier Mascherano in the January transfer window. Argentine midfielder, Mascher-
UKSPORTSCENE with Andrew Atkinson ano, 33, who departed Anfield for the Nou Camp in 2010, sees his contract at Barcelona end in less than two years. Liverpool full back, Nathaniel Clyne will be sidelined for another three months after surgery in the wake of the England international where he picked up a back injury. Dominic Solanke’s England surprise call-up for the international friendly against Brazil could cost Liverpool £10 million: “It came as a surprise, really but anything can happen as a footballer,” said Liverpool striker, Solanke. Solanke, 20, who left Chelsea in a move to An-
field in the summer, will have his value decided by tribunal. Liverpool offered £3m, which was rejected. Liverpool star, Sadio Mane, dogged with a hamstring, is set to head to the 2018 World Cup following Senegal’s first qualification since 2002.
JOSE MOURINHO: Doesn’t cry.
THE first of five Ashes Tests between Australia and England gets underway today in Brisbane with England captain, Joe Root saying: Bring it on! “I’ve heard chat about targeting me, in particular. We’ll be targeting every single one of them. Bring it on,” said Root. Aussie spinner, Nathan Lyon has singled out Root after Australian opener David Warner labelled the series as ‘war’. “There's been a lot of talk - some of it is a load of rubbish - especially from some of the Aussie players. The more you say, the more it can backfire on you,” said Root. Alastair Cook, England’s all-time leading Test run scorer, vice-captain, James Anderson, England’s highest Test wickettaker and Stuart Broad are among key figures. “The great thing about Ashes cricket is that you have to get in a battle, so I tend to be a better bowler,”
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Cricket: Ashes Tests Bring it on! Joe rooting for Ashes said Broad. England all-rounder, Moeen Ali will be fit for the Ashes after a scare when he suffered a side strain. Fast bowler, Steven Finn, who misses the Ashes after sustaining a torn knee cartilage, is replaced by Tom Curran. Jake Ball is a doubt for the first Test, with strained ankle tendons. Ben Stokes is absent due to an ongoing police investigation after his alleged altercation in Bristol during the one-day series against West Indies in the summer. England haven’t won the opening Test of an Ashes series in Australia since 1986. Australia are 4-5 favourites to win the Ashes, with England 5-2, with odds of 9-2 for a draw. “It is a great part of the
Ashes series, a great part of the rivalry,” said Broad, in his third Test Series. “We’re not going to blast the Australians out. We have to do what we do, adjust our length a bit. If you bowl that slightly fuller length, you get belted,” said Broad. “I’ve done some good work leading into the first Test. I feel like my time is coming,” said Broad. Is the Ashes Tests series a war?: “It’s a game of cricket - not war - one I believe we can win,” said Broad. Ashes Tests: November 23-27, 1st Test, Brisbane; December 2-6, 2nd Test, Adelaide; December 14-18, 3rd Test, Perth (Waca); December 26-30, 4th Test, Melbourne; January 4-8, 5th Test, Sydney.
SPORTSCENESPAIN with Andrew Atkinson
My parents have always believed in me. I couldn’t ask for better role models Euro Weekly News sports correspondent, Andrew Atkinson talks in-depth in Part two of an Exclusive interview with British born teenage swimming sensation, twice-Junior World Oceanman Female World Champion, Club Natacion Elche star, Zoe Connolly. ZOE CONNOLLY’S quest is to meet Spanish Olympic, world and European champion swimmer, Mireia Belmonte - the first female Olympic champion in the history of Spanish swimming considered to be the greatest Spanish swimmer ever. “The person I would like to meet the most is Mireia Belmonte - she is an excellent swimmer who swims so many different races and very good at long-distance,” said Zoe. Dedicated teenage ace, Zoe has achieved successes in her fledgling career, that has lead her to becoming the Open Water Junior World Oceanman Female World Champion, in 2016 and 2017: “I am grateful to my parents who pay to stay in hotels,” said Zoe. “Competition swimming costumes are expensive - up to €400 a suit - wetsuits for open water run into hundreds of euros,” said Zoe. “It also costs money for entries into competi-
NERVOUS: Zoe at the start of the 2017 World Half Oceanman.
tions, along with training with the swimming club each month,” said Zoe, whose entrance fees for travesias - sea swims - were over €200 in 2017. “My parents have always supported me - given me everything I needed - to achieve what I have achieved. They have always believed in me and helped me through the hard times,” said Zoe. “No matter what happens they are always there for me - helping me through school - and swimming. I couldn’t ask for better role models,” said Zoe. Away from the water, Zoe is busy studying: “I am studying my first year of ‘Bachillerato’ in ‘Almoradi Antonio Sequeros’,” said Zoe.
CHAMPION: Zoe finishing the 2017 World Half Oceanman.
DREAM MEETING: Mireia Belmonte Spain’s No.1.
“I intend to continue studying by attending University to study physics and mathematics,” said Zoe, studying to take the entrance exam next November, for either Oxford or Cambridge Universities. Despite her huge success, Zoe has had disappointments: “My biggest disappointment was being one place short of achieving Elite Athlete Status in 2017 in the open water Spanish Cup,” said Zoe. Zoe, who has a coach, for both Fin Swimming and normal swimming, as part of her local swimming club, Club Natacion Elche, says swimming in open waters has its dangers and injury woes. “I have sustained various injuries throughout the years, due to my tendons that did not grow at the same rate as my bones,” said Zoe. “The biggest danger in sea swimming is the jellyfish. I have been lucky - only been stung a few times and it has never been serious,” said Zoe. Zoe, whose favourite meal is pasta with chicken, listens to music and reads books to relax: “I listen to the top hits, although I do like Shawn
Mendes, Ed Sheeran and Arianna Grande,” said Zoe. “I find swimming quite relaxing - it helps get rid of stress - especially throughout exam weeks. I also find reading quite relaxing too,” said Zoe, who dreams of an exotic holiday. “I would love to visit somewhere exotic Thailand or Tahiti - it would be nice to learn about different cultures,” said Zoe. “But, honestly, I would go anywhere with nice beaches. I love the sea and it would be great to swim and scuba dive, to see all the different wildlife,” said Zoe. “Swimming is amazing, such a big part of my life. It’s good for stress relief and very good for your health and it has helped my education, concentration and time management,” said Zoe. “Sometimes training sessions can be hard, but nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment when you’ve finished. Overall it improves your mood,” said Zoe. “In 2018, I am thinking about becoming a swimming coach/trainer, in which I will have to take another course, with more exams,” said Zoe, who worked as a lifeguard in the summer.
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MADRID rivals Real and Atletico played out the first 0-0 draw between the two sides in La Liga since 2005 at the weekend, leaving both sides 10 points behind Barcelona in the title race.
Costa de Almería’s best guide to local sport
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best shot difference won the competition. On the first day, there was a rinks discipline over 18 ends followed after lunch by a mixed pairs, again over 18 ends which were then followed by another mixed pairs. Day two started with an 18 end triples followed by an 18 end singles. The person who hadn’t played in the triples played in the singles. The competition was rounded off by a nine ends rink. There were some very strong teams and the result was not decided until after the very final discipline. The winning team were Sheila Allen, Mary and Tony Mullen with Reg Birmingham from Almeria BC who only just beat Peter and Sandra Marriott with Ian and Janet Jackson from Cabrera LBC by only a six shot difference over all the disciplines. The winning team had al-
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Cabrera Avalon open invitation CABRERA LAWN BOWLING CLUB held its most prestigious competition in its calendar recently, the Cabrera Avalon Open Invitation, on November 18 and 19. The competition was sponsored by Avalon Funeral Plans who donated €200 to the prize fund and also presented to the club a beautiful trophy in honour of the competition. The club had a tremendous response with 24 teams of four people, two men and two ladies, entering. The competition was marked on shot difference and the team with the
WINNERS: (Left to right) Sheila Allen, Mary Mullen, Julie from Avalon, Tony Mullen and Reg Birmingham. ready won this competition two years ago so were delighted to win again. In third place were Denis Stoyles, Jan Dando with Judy and Paul Abel and fourth place went to Dave Bridges, Mo Frith from Indalo who were joined at the very last minute by Martin and Josie Gee from Cabrera who
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stepped in due to a withdrawal. The trophy was presented to the winning team by Julie from Avalon and the whole weekend was a fantastic success. The competition is being run again next year and hopefully will be as successful as this year.
19th Hole Golf Society celebrate final medal competitions of the season THE season’s final Men’s and Ladies’ Medal competition was played at Aguilon recently, which was in its usual great condition. The Men’s Medal was won by Terry Ayling (72) on countback from Paco Grajal, but the star of the show was Ladies champion Nekane Galindez with a stunning net 65 putting all others to shame. The other highlight of the day was Paco’s ‘eagle 2’ on the second hole which guaranteed him one of our eclectic prizes. There was only one other two recorded on the day by Pete Dow on the 14th, who also dead-heated with Syd Walker for a nearest the pin on the same hole. Nearest the pins: 3rd....................................................... Nekane Galindez. 8th........................................................ Keith Henderson. 12th............................................................. Terry Ayling. 14th ....................................... Pete Dow and Syd Walker. 16th in 2 ..................................................... Dave Wadey. 17th ........................................................... Alan Brigden. The 19th Hole Golf Society play every week on local courses. For more information, contact mikeesposito54@ya hoo.com.