ISSUE NO. 1693
14 - 20 December 2017
COSTA DE ALMERÍA
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
POLICE arrested a man accused of 17 burglaries at rural properties across western Almeria Province. The suspect threatened officers with a knife and injured several during his violent capture. The La Mojonera resident, aged 31, is believed to have had an accomplice who is still on the run. The pair are thought to be behind a spate of break-ins from Roquetas de Mar to El Ejido and Vicar that had forced the Guardia Civil to develop a surveillance operation. Police began watching warehouses and greenhouses in the area. Typically the thieves had snuck in at night to steal tools and expensive equipment. One passing patrol heard a loud bang at 5.30am at a San Agustin greenhouse and stopped to investigate. They forced the door and surprised two men who defied orders to stop by dropping the stolen tools and sprinting. A chase ensued through the darkness. One armed suspect was caught and subdued after kicking and punching officers. He is awaiting trial while police hunt his accomplice.
Photo by TribunaVa/Twitter
Rural robber nabbed
DEVASTATED: Charred remains from the cave.
Child killers jailed Two sentenced in La Molineta case By Harrison Jones Two children have been sentenced to long stints in detention centres for causing the deaths of three people in the La Molineta fire in Almeria. The children, aged 16 and 17, were respectively given sentences of eight and three years in a detention centre, followed by five and three years on supervised release. A Juvenile Court ruled that the fire was started by the 16year-old, who used a cigarette lighter to set a sofa alight. Authorities said no accelerants were used in the blaze, and that the child did not intend to kill the victims. Instead, they believe the child was trying to
settle a debt. A 21-year-old man and two girls, aged 15 and 12, died from smoke inhalation in the incident early last April. The other sentenced child, 17, sealed a door in the cave with adhesive tape, in what is
believed to have been a joke stunt. Three other children were given probation measures and semi-open regimes for failing to prevent the crimes and doing little to stop the fire spreading once it had begun.
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Savage attack A MAN who burst his victim’s left eyeball during a vicious assault has been jailed for six years. He must also pay out €53,000 compensation to compensate for a total loss of vision in the left eye in addition to a severe head injury. The assault took place in Almeria City. The court heard how the defendant approached his victim, who was extremely drunk, and launched an unprovoked attack on the man. Four hours later the victim reported to hospital, where he spent eight days recovering from multiple fractures. Despite being intoxicated he was able to fully describe the attack consistent with his injuries and identify his assailant.
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NEWS EXTRA
Bull ring bought LAUJAR Town Hall has purchased the local bullring for €290,000. After being abandoned for 10 years it will be renovated and converted into a concert venue and cultural centre.
Bad rubbish SIXTY foreign criminals have been deported by the National Police in Almeria Province this year. The majority are males convicted of violent crimes who have finished their prison sentences in Spain.
Sex fiend A MAN from Almeria who groomed a 12-year-old girl online for sex was jailed for eight years after her mother found text messages from him on her phone.
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Feliz navidad!
Photo by Casa de S.M. el Rey/Twitter
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Spanish royals spread festive cheer KING FELIPE VI and Queen Letizia of Spain have debuted their annual Christmas card with their daughters, Princess Leonor, aged 12, and Infanta Sofia, aged 10. The family took a more formal approach this year, with the family colour-coordinating in red outside the Royal Palace of Madrid. King Felipe wore a red patterned tie while his daughter Princess Leonor, who is first in line to the throne, wore a bright red dress reportedly from Carolina Herrera, one of her mother Letizia’s favourite designers. Meanwhile, Infanta Sofia was dressed in red and white tweed believed to be designed by children’s fashion house Pili Carrera. According to Spanish media sources, the photo was taken on the balcony overlooking the palace’s ‘Plaza de la Armeria’ on October 12, which is Spain’s National Day. Last year, the family sent out a more relaxed portrait and were
seen hugging in casual outdoor clothing in the garden at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. Spain’s royal family first released a Christmas card in 2014 to celebrate Felipe becoming the ruling Spanish monarch after his father, King Juan Carlos, abdicated the throne. They then became the first European royals to make their Christmas card public in 2015. Written in Spanish inside the card is a note that reads ‘Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year 2018,’ along with each family member’s signatures. A message was also sent on behalf of former King Don Juan Carols and Queen Doña Sofia, his wife, which included a Christmas-themed painting by 15th century Italian Renaissance artist Bartolomeo Vivarini.
A RIGHT ROYAL XMAS: The King and his family.
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Corrupt traffic police TWO Guardia Civil officers are facing serious jail time over accusations that they falsified traffic tickets. Prosecutors want the El Ejido-based officers to serve at least five years in prison each. They are accused of abusing their position to punish a couple they had developed a personal vendetta with. The couple were issued with two fines on different occasions despite being completely innocent of any offence. In the first case the Guardia Civil officers, who are part of a specialised border patrol, claimed to have found the couple driving on the road to Almerimar both without a seatbelt. Yet the couple were able to prove that they were in an entirely different location at the time. Weeks later the officers issued a ticket to the couple’s car, claiming they had spotted it parked in the Punta EntinasSabinal natural area, thus ‘infringing coastal law.’ Yet the Guardia Civil’s own records showed that the officers were in El Ejido at the time and couldn’t possibly have seen the car. In addition to the prison sentence, prosecutors also want the officers to pay a fine of €12 a day for 20 months.
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FINANCE TECH FOR THE TIMID
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All the latest economic news and analysis
Christmas cancelled by Bisbal SINGER David Bisbal of Almeria will not be on Spain’s Christmas t e l l y t h i s y e a r. T h e s t a r w a s e x pected to return to hit TV show Operacion Triunfo, the music talent show that first made him famous in 2001, for a special Christmas edition.
Plant potion A WOMAN was caught with 411 grams of coca leaves at Almeria airport, having arrived on a flight from Madrid. She claimed to use the leaves to brew a health-boosting tea but they could easily provide pure cocaine from a simple extraction process.
Food flavours MORE than 40,000 people visit the Sabores Almeria fair in the city centre. The celebration of Almerian cuisine involved stalls and dishes from 29 local companies. There was live music at the fourth edition of the five-day long event which surpassed all attendance expectations.
Feet first A YOUNG man who filmed himself driving with his feet on the A-7 motorway towards Motril was arrested. Police began hunting the reckless 22-year-old after he uploaded the video to a social media site to show off to friends. He faces dangerous driving charges.
Sweaty affair HUNDREDS of athletes spent more than seven hours pounding the hilly roads around the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park during the Costa de Almeria Ultra Marathon. Winner of the 84km race was Juan Jose Foulique with a time of seven hours
From fears over online banking to a simple new address
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SPANISH FACTS OF LIFE...41 As the first snows begin to fall in Spain’s mountains, ski and snowboard enthusiasts are itching to visit one of the country’s more unlikely tourist attractions, writes Harrison Jones.
Snow way DESERTIFICATION is coming to Spain. The south of the country sees temperatures regularly top 40 degrees and millions flock to beaches along its coasts. Yet the country is also home to around 35 ski resorts and roughly 1, 000 km worth of runs - some of it within hours of the beach. Complete with an attractive party scene and good terrain for beginners, many resorts are relatively cheap compared with the rest of Europe, making them highly attractive. Figures are scarce, but of the near 75 million tourists who visited Spain in 2016, a significant number are thought to have been skiers and boarders. Statista suggests snow sports vis-
Plastic crib PLAYMOBIL figures adorn the Christmas crib in Cuevas del Al-
News Leapy 37
Couch Critic 51
Time out 54 - 55
Letters 56
Health & Beauty 58 - 59
Social 62 - 64
Albox 65 - 68
‘STUNNING VIEWS’: Olympic skier Graham Bell.
NICE ICE: Tobogganing is also on offer in Sierra Nevada.
WHILE most of Spain’s skiing is in the Pyrenees, there is a little in the south of the country too. In fact, Sierra Nevada, about a 40-minute drive from Granada, is Europe’s most southerly ski resort - and a highly popular one at that. Thought to boast over 321 days of sunshine, it also claims the title of Europe’s sunniest ski resort. The classic local brag is that you can ski by morning and sunbathe, on the Costa Del Sol, in the afternoon. Around a million people, many of them Spanish, skied the
18 minutes and 36 seconds.
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itors - including natives – have numbered around five million in the last few seasons, since 2012. But visitors SKI OR BOARD: It’s not just sno tend to opt for a w on offer in Spain. select few resorts. The resorts of Benasque and La Dubbed ‘the world’s best ski reMolina are other tourist favourites, sort’ by the Daily Telegraph, while Formigal has the most terrain Baqueira-Belet is the most popular, in Spain. best rated and biggest. The Spanish season can - in theoFound in the heart of the Pyrery at least - run from late Novemnees, many believe it is favourite of ber to early May, though this dethe Spanish royal family, but pends heavily on snow conditions. though the monarchy are still The best snow tends to be found thought to have a chalet there, the between January and March. King no longer skis.
Europe’s sunny uplands
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resort in 2014, according to Planet Ski. Remembering his appearance at the 1996 world championships, Graham Bell - a former Olympic skier and Ski Sunday presenter - told Euro Weekly News that the resort had a “great atmosphere and stunning views.” Though he is also quick to warn that the “snow can be a little hit or miss.” But if sun, skiing and partying are your thing, then you cannot go far wrong with Spain’s highest resort.
manzora after the town hall pledged not to use live animals. Dozens of local animal rights groups sent a petition to Mayor Antonio Fernandez urging him to launch an animalfriendly nativity scene.
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Classifieds 74 - 75
Motoring 77 - 78
Sports 79 - 80
The total number of news and features which appeared in Issue 1692 of the Euro Weekly News Costa de Almería edition, including 48 local stories.
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A good Claus
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POLL OF THE WEEK Do you send online Christmas cards? LAST WEEK’S POLL:
Thousands of Santas run for charity
Do you attend religious events over the Christmas period? Photo credit Twitter
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Yes 28%
No 72%
EWN online this week
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Batten down the hatches.
alerts issued for the whole 48,458 Weather of Spain as storm Ana set to hit snap: Weather warnings issued as parts 6,987 Cold of Costa Blanca and Andalucia go below zero diverted and red alerts issued 6,673 Flights as storm Ana lashes Spain driver dies after crashing onto 6,662 Lorry Costa del Sol beach airline Ryanair facing pilots’ 4,518 Low-cost strike before Christmas views
SEA OF RED: Thousands of Santas took to the streets in Madrid. MORE than 7,000 people dressed up as Father Christmas to run through Madrid city centre in aid of a cancer charity. The athletes braved freezing temperatures and strong winds as Storm Ana rolled into Spain, but the festive atmosphere certainly seemed to warm their spirits up. Children also took part in the five kilometre gallop, donning green tunics and elf hats, while many of the adults wore long white beards to accompany their bright red hats and robes.
The event saw the merry throng dash along the Spanish capital’s famous Paseo de la Castellana, crossing landmarks including the Cibeles and Colon squares. It is the fifth successive year that the event which organisers claim is the largest Santathemed race in the world - has taken place. And a portion of each runner’s registration fee will be donated to the Intheos Foundation, a non-profitable organisation dedicated to fighting cancer.
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FOR COMMENTS FROM EWN ONLINE TURN TO LETTERS PAGE 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, nononsense manner. To ask for an inaccuracy to be corrected. Email: editorial@euroweeklynews.com
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OUR VIEW
Spain is failing migrant children THE discovery of a 12-year-old West African boy inside the dashboard of a car bound for Spain shows that migrants are prepared to use ever more daring methods of reaching Europe. But the find also illustrates the chilling reality that the number of unaccompanied children fleeing their homelands has risen at an alarming rate. A recent United Nations (UN) report suggests that the running total for Andalucia so far this year has increased by 240 per cent compared with 2016, leaving the regional authorities unable to cope. Those aged under 18 are officially protected by Spanish law and placed in so-called ‘reception centres,’ but once they turn 19 they are released onto the street without food, shelter or documentation allowing them to legally find work. And it is then that they become prey to prostitution networks, fall victim to radicalism or are tempted by other shady influences, according to non-governmental organisation Voluntarios Por Otro Mundo. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Spain is party, obliges countries to prioritise the best interests of children, while international law states that questionable individuals must be treated as children until proven otherwise. But the Spanish government is ignoring its obligations, with many youngsters homeless or held in adult detention centres. It is time the country stopped failing them. Boarder control - page 23
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Child porn library TWO paedophiles, one from Almeria Province, were arrested in a National Police swoop. Between them the two men had uploaded more than 5,000 indecent images of children to a website managed in New Zealand. After discovering that their cloud service was being used to store illegal photographs the company launched an
investigation to identify the source. They tracked the computer users down to Almeria and Barcelona and contacted the authorities. Informed by their counterparts down under, Spanish police were able to pinpoint the addresses from where the child pornography was uploaded. They arrested both men at their respective
homes and seized mobile phones, computers, and hard drives. The two men are believed to have been key members of a nationwide paedophile network. They sourced and uploaded the photos to a cloud service where they were viewed by other paedophiles, six of whom were also arrested.
Adventures in space TWO secondary school students from El Ejido spent 10 days at the NASA Space Centre in Houston, Texas. Ana Hidalgo and Pedro Fernandez both study at the SEK Alboran school and want to be aerospace engineers. They were chosen by Nasa to participate in the elite work experience scheme alongside 12 other Spanish students from SEK schools across the country. The ambitious young physi-
cists were asked to tackle a range of challenges to test their mettle at one of the planet’s premiere space technology institutes. They were asked to design robots that could navigate the Martian landscape and learned about future manned missions to the red planet. On calmer days they watched astronauts train under water and enjoyed guided tours of Houston, San Antonio and Galveston.
Photo by Twitter
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HOUSTON: No problems for Spain’s SEK students.
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Just model behaviour
EXPECTING: Alice Campello.
HE’S the ex-boyfriend of Australian songstress Kylie Minogue. But Spanish model Andres Velencoso, 39, shows no sign of settling down after being pictured with yet another new squeeze. The Catalan hunk posted photos of himself alongside Argentinian actress Luz Cipriota, 32, in Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava. And it appears the pair have sealed their HEARTTHROB: love after jetting off on a Andres Velencoso. South American jaunt. The rumoured couple visited Buenos Aires, where Luz was born. It comes weeks after Andres expressed his happiness with 25year-old Italian model and presenter Ginevra Rossini, known in her homeland for being the ex-girlfriend of Luigi Berlusconi, son of former Prime Minister Silvio. But the heartthrob has clearly moved on once more, following earlier flings with Spanish model Steffy Argelich, 23, and tennis star Maria Sharapova, 30.
Alice in wonderland SHE has over a million followers on social website Instagram. And Chelsea footballer Alvaro Morata’s stunning wife Alice Campello now has another reason to celebrate after the couple announced they are expecting their first child. The Italian model, 22, tied the knot with the Spanish striker in June, just weeks before his €65 million Premier League transfer was announced.
It’s all about Cruz control
BOMBSHELL: Penelope Cruz as Donatella Versace.
SHE’S Spain’s favourite sweetheart. And now Penelope Cruz is due back on our screens in new series, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: An American Crime Story. The 43-year-old stunner plays Donatella Versace, sister of the murdered fashion designer who was killed in 2007. Due for release in January 2018, the show follows the lead up and aftermath of the icon’s death. Cruz, whose normally brunette locks have
been died platinum blonde for the role, stars alongside pop star Ricky Martin, who plays Antonio D’Amico, Gianni Versace’s long-term partner. And showing just how well the stars were getting along on set, Martin posted a photo of him and Cruz snuggled up in full costume. Martin, normally known more for his singing prowess, explained he accepted the role to make a stand against the homophobia believed to have been behind Versace’s death.
Celeb focus Moss be joking? SHE’S the enigKATE MOSS: matic model who No selfies. has managed to stay on top for almost 30 years. And now Kate Moss has explained she’s no fan of social media. The 44-year-old stunner, who spends her time between London, the US and Ibiza, said: “Everything now is so instant with digital photography and there’s no mystique. I’m just not into posting about personal stuff online.”
Taken by storm SHE recently signed up to the E4 show Celebs Go Dating. And single beauty Tallia Storm, 19, showed why she’s such a catch after slipping into a plunging neon pink swimsuit on the beach in Spain. The Scottish singer flaunted her petite frame as she frolicked in the shallows before taking a stroll along the sand.
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Feuding gypsies face justice FIVE members of two rival gypsy gangs are facing jail over the shooting of a niney e a r - o l d g i r l . A l m e r i a ’s p r o s e c u t o r ’s o ff i c e h a s r e quested sentences ranging from 17 to 24 years for the criminals. All five were involved in a shootout in the El Puche neighbourhood of the capital c i t y. T h r e e m e m b e r s o f o n e gang drove to the area armed with pistols and a determination to kill a rival gang member. They found two in a car and opened fire. Their targets responded in kind and dozens of shots were fired in the residential street. One tore through a house o n C a l l e Vi rg i n i a Wo l f a n d struck a young girl in the abdomen. She suffered a double perforation of her colon and had to undergo emergency surgery. One other house was pierced by a bullet, as was a nearby car. The five suspects are facing a range of charges, including recklessly endangering innocent lives, illegal weapons possession, and attempted murder. Prosecutors also want them to compensate the young victim of the violence with €24,000.
NEWS Photo by Guardia Civil
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ARSENAL: Mum wasn’t happy with son’s secret stash.
Bedroom stash mum shops son Police are now determining whether the weapons are the same as those used in a variety of armed robberies. In September a masked robber fired a shot during a heist at a La Mojonera bank which remains unsolved. Wearing a ski mask the robber marched into the bank on Calle Diego de Velazquez shortly after midday and fired a warning shot before escaping with thousands of euros. The same modus operandi was used in a La Mojonera post office a week before. Police have already linked the shotgun to one reported stolen in April. Pending further investigation people took to the streets of Brussels to the suspect is charged show their support for Catalan with illegal weapons independence according to Belgian police. possession.
A MOTHER led Guardia Civil officers to her son’s weapons arsenal at their Vicar home. Police have since arrested the man, whom they suspect of committing several armed robberies in La Mojonera. While investigating the robberies, police learned that the suspect, a local man aged 32, had a collection of illegal guns. They arrived in Vicar with a warrant for his arrest but only his mother was home. She showed them up to his bedroom where police found a revolver, sawn-off shotgun, regular shotgun and several knives, including a machete and butterfly knife.
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NEWS EXTRA
Smart cookies MORE than eight in 10 farmers in Almeria Province possess a higher education degree in agriculture, making them the most thoroughly trained farmers in Spain.
Close one AN unconscious driver was rescued from their overturned car on the motorway at HuercalOvera on Sunday and transferred to La Imaculada hospital.
Super taxis ONE in eight taxis in El Ejido are adapted for people with disabilities, putting it among the top 10 best towns in Spain for adapted taxis.
Car flip POLICE and firefighters were dispatched to rescue the occupants of a car which completely overturned on the road between Adra and Berja. All managed to escape serious injury.
Ferry jump A MAN who lept from a ferry as it approached Almeria Port from the Moroccan city of Nador had to be rescued by coastguards after the alarm was raised.
Bus belts A POLICE crackdown on school buses last week saw 41 drivers charged with not ensuring all the children were properly strapped in or having the vehicles properly insured.
Last straw POLICE arrested a farm worker in Huercal-Overa who slashed his boss with a vegetable collecting knife when he was ordered to wear an identification badge on his vest.
Planet of the pets ANIMALS have a range of new legal rights under a new Nijar law. The animal protection law has been approved by the council and will take effect soon. Key provisions include banning the use of animals at fairs, circuses and other s h o w s . T h e y ca n n o t be locked up inside a vehicle for more than one hour or tied up for more than eight hours a day. Central to the legislation is a ban on euthanasia except in extreme cases. Lost or stray animals are often put down if no owner comes forward or adoption attempts fail after a week or so.
H ow e ve r, now a nima l centres can only practise eutha na s ia if the a nima l is c hronic a lly s uffe ring, pathologically aggressive, or ma y tra ns mit fa ta l or contagious diseases. All forms of physical or ps yc hologic a l a bus e a re outlawed, as is offering animals in raffle draws or gift prizes. Owners are also obliged not to feed their pets on the street, to pick up after them, and not to abandon them. The law is enforced civilly, rather than criminally. Fines range from €50 for minor infractions to €3,000 for serious offences.
Twisted fire starters FIREFIGHTERS were dispatched to the latest in a series of arson attacks in Almeria City. A skip was set alight in the Piedras Redondas neighbourhood over the weekend, just days after two were found ablaze in El Puche. After this latest incident 104 bins and skips have now been destroyed by vandals in the city this year alone. Financially the damage exceeds €114,000, which has been forked out by the council for repairs. In 2016 more than 140 bins were destroyed by fire.
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That total is unlikely to be surpassed this year but the total damage caused by vandalism in 2017 is at record levels. In March a dozen cars were set alight and had their tyres slashed by vandals in the downtown area, sparking a major police investigation. Later, in August, the Vuelta a España’s Almeria leg created international headlines for all the wrong reasons when a serial arsonist with 62 arrests to his name set fire to the Aquablue Sport team bus.
Photo by Twitter
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HIGH WINDS: Saw several trees felled but little rain.
Storm Ana strikes STORM ANA left a path of mild destruction as it tore through Almeria Province. More than 40 incidents were reported to emergency services from Sunday night to Monday morning. Most were related to flooding and traffic accidents. The N-340a was briefly closed to traffic, several trees fell, garages were flooded and Christmas decorations scattered by the wind. The vast majority of incidents were reported between 6am and 8am. There was particular concern for farmers in the Levante, Poniente, Tabernas and Almanzora regions, where dozens
of agricultural accidents were recorded. Winds exceeded 90kph as an orange alert was declared across the province. It was in force until noon on Monday and replaced with a yellow alert until the day’s end. Temperatures plunged and there was snowfall as low as 1,200 metres above sea level. Unlike the rest of Spain little serious damage was inflicted by the storm in Almeria. Andres Gongora, provincial secretary of the COAG farming group, said the main concern for Almeria was a lack of rain.
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NEWS EXTRA
Road test increase TRAFFIC police are conducting sweeping drug and alcohol checks across Almeria Province in the run-up to Christmas. Thousands of breathalyser tests will be conducted in an EU wide road safety campaign.
Face lift A HUGE €300,000 investment will help renovate care homes, schools and water infrastructure in Tijola. Trees will be planted and walls as part of the face-lift.
Work worry NINE in 10 of the 43,000 disabled workers in Almeria Province only have a temporary contract according to the UGT union which says permanent work is needed to improve autonomy.
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Huge hash haul SIX arrests were made as police swooped on a boat carrying 170 kilos of hashish into Almeria City’s fishing port. The raid was conducted by the Guardia Civil working with tax and customs officials. They were performing a search of the vessel when they found the drugs split between seven containers inside one of the cabins. The trawler was 20metres-long and of the kind used to fish in local Mediterranean waters. It is unclear whether the authorities were acting on intelligence or conducting a routine search when they uncovered the haul on Friday afternoon. In addition to the six
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SNIFFED OUT: Dog helps police uncover port drugs. arrests, police seized four vehicles during a follow-up action. The trawler is owned
suspected terrorists have been arrested in Spain this year.
b y a n A l m e r i a f a m i l y, several members of which are now under arrest. Fishing trawlers are now the seafaring vehicle of choice for drug
traffickers. The speed boats used in the past are now easily identified by new radar technology forcing traffickers to hide their stashes in boats also carrying legal cargo.
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Fake crimes triple POLICE revealed that one in three allegations of robberies using force made this year in Almeria Province have been false. From January to November a total of 51 people were charged with fraud related to the wave of fake accusations. The number of fake complaints in the province has tripled since 2008, National Police say. In the vast majority of cases fraudsters are trying to secure an insurance payout by filing a police report. Other cases are different. One employee tasked with delivering €1,600 worth of beer managing to lose the cash and, rather than taking the blame, told police he was robbed at knifepoint. When investigators followed up on his story he cracked and confessed he had invented the incident. The most frequently used fake crimes are muggings, which can be difficult to prove. One man’s plan backfired when his claim that thieves forced him to withdraw €650 was exposed by the bank’s security camera.
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NEWS EXTRA
Trump protest DOZENS of demonstrators gathered in Almeria’s Plaza de las Velas to demand ‘freedom for Palestine’ on Sunday in response to Donald Trump recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Road rage WORK on splitting the Vera-Garrucha road has been delayed until January after an administrative blunder. The project is already six years behind schedule.
Top marks TWO Almeria schools, SEK Alboran in El Ejido and Compañia de Maria in Almeria City, were ranked among the top 100 schools in Spain. Montserrat in Barcelona topped the table.
Detention dilemma Migrant avalanche sparks chaos MORE than 200 illegal immigrants have been released from Almeria’s overcrowded internment centres this year. Unable to cope with the sheer volume, the authorities have abandoned regular deportation procedures after rescuing the men from boats sailing from Africa. In one exemplary case last week 89 immigrants were rescued from three boats off the coast of Almeria. In order to process them 70 immigrants had to be released from the city’s detention centre. They were placed in the arms of the Red Cross but are fundamentally free to move as they please. Local NGOs, charities, and police unions agree that the province lacks the resources and funding to house, feed and clothe thousands of people while immigration and deportation bureaucracy unfolds.
MIGRANTS: Seventy released from Almeria’s detention centre. www.euroweeklynews.com
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The 70 people released last week had spent less than three days in custody since arriving in Spain. Almeria’s police union has warned that the ‘avalanche’ of immigrants had exposed serious flaws in the province’s security apparatus, particularly a lack of officers to cope with the crisis. Spain’s other detention centres are full to the brim. A re-
cent decision to move hundreds of immigrants from Almeria to a prison near Malaga was fiercely criticised by human rights groups. Meanwhile the boats continue to arrive at a frenetic pace. More than 240 boats carrying at least 5,000 people have been intercepted in Almeria’s coastal waters this year. The number is triple last year’s figures.
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Fake worker scam SIXTEEN people have been arrested for security fraud. They are accused of setting up a fake company to dole out residency permits to illegal immigrants they claimed were in gainful employment. They also requested benefits and subsidies from Spain’s social security office totalling €93,000. None of the 46 fake workers paid any contributions, cheating the tax office out of €117,000 in revenue. Fourteen of the suspects were detained in Almeria Province, one in Granada and one in Jaen. The police investigation began in November. By the time the arrests were made over the weekend, four of the 46 fake workers had secured residency permits, while 20 had enjoyed state benefits.
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NEWS EXTRA
From hell to eternity
Tasty treat
Demolition battle goes on
Photo credit Greenpeace
El Algarrobico demolition, the saga goes on. THE struggle to demolish the El Algarrobico hotel in Carboneras has taken another turn. Spain’s Supreme Court has rejected the Junta de Andalucia’s plan to oc-
6.7%
cupy the abandoned site. Instead judges ruled that the matter will be resolved in the courts, without the regional authorities taking any form of direct
was the increase in house prices in Spain in the third quarter of 2017, as valuations reached their highest level in a decade.
action. Occupying the site, the court claimed, would ultimately slow down the demolition process. The hotel, notorious as one of the greatest architectural eyesores in Europe, has been abandoned for years following a
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gruelling legal battle. Built on a virgin beach in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park, it breached planning regulations by coming within 100 metres of the shoreline. Boasting more than 400 rooms, the hotel became a sym-
bol of excessive building on the Spanish coastline and was regularly targeted by Greenpeace and other environmental activists. Now the legal wrangling over demolishing the hotel once and for all looks set to rival the battle over its legality. Questions of compensation for the developer remain unsettled and the Junta de Andalucia has threatened to simply take over the land and demolish El Algarrobico unilaterally. Planning minister Jose Fiscal now accepts this won’t happen but said he regretted the Supreme Court’s decision. Regardless, he pledged to do everything in his power to ensure the hotel is demolished “as quickly as possible.”
DRIED and salted octopus from Adra could be granted special status as a delicacy unique to the area if a request from the town hall to Andalucian parliament is successful.
Auld firm A LAST minute strike saw Granada beat Almeria 3-2 during a Segunda Division battle between the local rivals. Almeria now languish near the bottom of the table.
Locked up JUDGES j ai l ed an Almeria man who regularly beat his wife and two young step-daughters for four years after he pl eaded gui l t y and sai d i t was “f or t hei r own good.”
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NEWS Photo credit Shutterstock/Twitter
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SKY AT NIGHT: Light pollution threat to Calar Alto’s stargazers (inset).
Heavenly creatures EXPERTS are set to tackle light pollution near the Calar Alto Observatory. Public and private lighting is interfering with the ability of astronomers to peer properly into the night sky. A meeting was held between representatives of the Observatory, technicians, and the mayors of Seron, Gergal and Bacares. They decided to
€170,000
create a working group which will help regulate major lighting installations in the surrounding area. The move is also supported by the Friends of Calar Alto Association. No major overhaul of public lighting will be needed. Instead technicians will tweak street lights to redirect their luminosity. More sustainable and less
was the fine issued to a convent in Sevilla for taking apart an antique organ and cleaning it without asking for permission.
intense light bulbs will be used and other tweaks made to make the stars more visible to the naked eye. Almost every resident in the Calar Alto area can see the Milky Way without a telescope. In Andalucia around 15 per cent enjoy the view, while just 5 per cent of EU residents can see the galaxy. The Calar Alto Observatory is located in the Sierra de los Filabres. It boasts the largest telescope in continental Europe.
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ASBESTOS should be completely purged from Almeria Province by next summer. More than €1m has been invested in eradicating the dangerous substance from schools, gyms, offices and ships. The work has been carried out in 22 locations in three stages. The final effort is
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Asbestos all clear now underway and expected to be successful by summer 2018. The anti-asbestos campaign is taking place throughout Andalucia, with a total investment of €60 million. Locations targeted include
the CEIP Gonzalez Ros school in Sorbas, Alyanub in Vera, and the IES Martin Garcia Ramos in El Ejido. Spain has long lagged behind other EU countries when it comes to recognising the health threat of asbestos.
Fascinating history THE founding document of Carboneras has been donated to the council for better conservation. For more than 30 years it was kept by former scholar, Pepe Esteban who restored it
and poured over the details. The document dates back to 1813 and was barely legible when Esteban was asked to clean and transcribe it in the early 1980’s. Having done his best, he handed it over to Carboneras mayor, Salvador Hernandez for better keeping and to go on public display. The document will be kept in a safe for several months before local residents can catch a glimpse of the town’s history for themselves. When it does go on display it will be showcased in a glass frame for safekeeping. After decades in the care of
one man, it is also expected to become an important resource for local historians. The document is essentially an act declaring a new town hall in Carboneras, which marks its independence from Sorbas. Two centuries ago Carboneras was considered one of five Sorbas municipalities. It was protected militarily by Vera and sought religious instruction from Mojacar. The document also highlights the literacy levels of the time, with each of the gentlemen’s signatures being marked with a simple ‘X’.
NEWS
NEWS EXTRA
Shining light on AFTER being damaged by vandals the lights of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Cerro de San Cristobal are illuminating the skyline of Almeria City thanks to a €60,000 investment.
Party time BARS, clubs and restaurants will be permitted to stay open an hour later from December 23 to January 6 in a festive move from Almeria City Council. On New Year’s Eve it is two hours.
Take away RECORD numbers of Almeria students are learning Chinese at school thanks to an agreement between the Junta de Andalucia and the Confucius Institute which is flying teachers over from China to Spain.
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NEWS
MELTING POT: Almeria’s diversity second greatest in Spain.
Switching to Spanish Migrant melting pot in Almeria THE number of foreigners living in Almeria Province who have become nationalised Spanish citizens has shot up. New data from Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) reveals that 2,154 people acquired Spanish nationality in 2016. In 2015 the number was 1,487. Figures for 2017 are not yet available. Among the more than 2,000 newly minted Spanish nationals in Almeria Province just 61 came from other EU countries. Among them the majority (39) were Romanians. Meanwhile 1,160 originally came from Africa, with the vast majority of 948 hailing from Moroc-
co. More than 750 came from South America, especially Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia. Men formed the majority of new citizens from Africa, while South Americans were more likely to be women. Most ranged in age from 30-39. Nationwide, almost 151,000 people gained Spanish nationality last year, an increase of 32 per cent. Morocco, Bolivia and Ecuador were the most common countries of origin. Almeria is the second highest Spanish province in terms of the percentage of foreigners. There are more than 50,000 Moroccans and just two of the province’s 103 municipalities are Spanish.
NEWS
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Two drug arrests POLICE smashed a drug safehouse and point of sale in Roquetas that had long terrified neighbours. Two men were arrested in the Guardia Civil operation following 34 complaints from local residents. After seven months of staking out the property and collecting evidence, police made their move. They waited until the property was empty and snuck in through the window. Once inside they collected evidence of a huge marihuana growing, storing and selling operation and laid in wait. Two local men, both aged 32, were arrested. They have been charged with drug dealing, electricity fraud, and squatting, as they had no right to occupy the building.
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Postcode lottery
NEWS EXTRA
Huge discrepancies in regions
AN habitual thief with a suspected 15 car break-ins to his name was arrested in Almeria’s Pescaderia district. Police say he smashed front windows to access valuables inside the cars.
HOUSE prices in Almeria Province have plummeted more than any other province in Spain in the past 12 months. A report from real estate website, www.pisos.com found that prices fell by 13.44 per cent in the last year. That places Almeria as the worst of the three provinces which have recorded a drop in property prices. The others are Cadiz and Toledo where prices fell 11.86 per cent and 11.93 per cent respectively. The report puts Almeria at odds with the national picture. Across Spain the average home price rose by 1.35 per cent in 12 months. The Balearic Islands led the way with prices shooting up by 11.55 per cent. Huge discrepancies between regions and provinces are highlighted by the report. However, prices fluctuate wildly even between municipalities within the same province. In Almeria City for example, prices fell by 0.9 per cent, while in El Ejido they rose by 6 per cent. In El Ejido’s
No remorse from thief
Port blues PASSENGER numbers dropped at Almeria Port this year, reversing consecutive yearly increases since 2014. Just shy of 26,000 people passed through the port in 2017, a 9.5 per cent drop on last year.
Free wigs ON THE UP: Mojacar setting records while Almeria average falls. San Agustin neighbourhood the highest increase in the province was recorded at 14.68 per cent. Pulpi was the best performing municipality with prices rising by 13 per cent.
In Turre, meanwhile, they fell by 11 per cent. Previous reports have highlighted Mojacar as boasting one of the biggest price increases in Spain alongside Las Palmas on the Canary Islands.
PATIENTS recovering from chemotherapy should be provided with free wigs and other hair prosthetics urges a new proposal from Almeria’s PSOE party in the Spanish parliament.
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NATIONAL
Credit: Marques (shutterstock)
Even more ‘beautiful villages’ are announced
‘WHITE TOWN’: Zahara de la Sierra’s nickname is not the most imaginative. By Harrison Jones THE 11 new locations joining the prestigious list of ‘Most Beautiful Villages in Spain’ have
been announced. Villages applying for the network must have 15,000 inhabitants and certified natural or architectural heritage. But there is
also a certain je ne sais quoi required to join the elite list. Here, we round up the new additions, which mean membership numbers now stand at 68. Sleepy Segura de la Sierra (Jaén) dates back to Arab times, when the town was called Saqura. The town boasts silent, picturesque streets with a number of historic monuments. The Andalucian village also has striking scenery from its hilly perch. The main attraction of quaint Mondoñedo (Lugo) is the Romanesque cathedral, which had a number of different influences on its attractive architecture. Caves on the outskirts of the Galician village are also worth a visit. A medieval aqueduct leading into rural Ledesma (Salamanca) gives a taste of the village’s vibe. A walled town believed to have its routes in Roman times, the
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stonework and nearby river make for striking scenery from afar. In 2011, Briones (La Rioja) reportedly had a population of just 873 people. A gothic monument and the town’s rich history might have been the main attraction, but for the vineyards surrounding it: wine is the only game in town here. Lerma (Burgos) has a number of important 17th century religious monuments. Quiet, cobbled streets and stunning surroundings make it one of Spain’s pleasant, traditional retreats. Perched atop a mountain, Zahara de la Sierra (Cádiz) looks over a beautiful lake and up at an impressive castle. Known as a ‘pueblo blanco’ because of its white housing, it also has the Garganta Verde canyon within striking distance nearby. Mountainside views and
of the Spanish population will be retirees by 2050 according to the Economic Cooperation and Development Organisation.
GUADALUPE: A World Heritage Site. Moorish features makes Bubión (Granada) a scenic tourist attraction, complete with modest church and traditional markets. Spectacularly located on the Poqueira river gorge, beneath the Sierra Nevada, the village is thought to date back to Roman times. Almonaster La Real (Huelva) is dominated by archaic buildings and boasts one of Spain’s few rural mosques and an impressive open-air bullring. Stonework and cobbled streets give quaint Mirambel (Teruel) a deeply traditional, relaxed feel. The town’s population was re-
portedly under 200 just 13 years ago, and is unlikely to have grown much since. In the right light, the red architecture of Guadalupe (Cáceres) could seem oddly reminiscent of Florence. But the town’s central square and monastery have plenty of charm in their own right. The latter was named a World Heritage Site in 1933. The Caldelaos people of Castro Caldelas (Orense) wake up to an impressive castle dominating the village skyline. With narrow streets and a collection of red roofed houses, it feels authentically Spanish.
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Photo by Guardia Civil
NATIONAL
TIGHT SQUEEZE: It is not known how long the boy had been in the car.
Boarder control Boy, 12, rescued from car dash SPANISH police have discovered a 12-year-old boy hidden inside a car dashboard. The child was suffering with numb limbs and breathing difficulties after being crammed into the tiny space, to cross the Moroccan border into Spain. Reportedly, he is from Guinea, West Africa - though he has no official documenta-
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tion - and has been given treatment in a centre in Purisima. The 65-year-old driver, thought to be Moroccan, was arrested by the Guardia Civil after a heartbeat sensor detected the boy in Melilla, Morocco. Melilla is controlled by Spanish authorities. Police then began an intrusive search of the BMW X5, and ripped into the dashboard to
of Spaniards are worried about corruption according to an official poll.
find the child. People smuggling is a prominent issue in Spain, with 5, 695 people being released from slavery between 2012 and 2016, according to the Interior Ministry. A Guardia Civil spokesperson said: “He was asked to open his boot but nothing was found. “When a heartbeat sensor was passed over the car, officers became suspicious. When officers detected the heartbeat, they took the expensive car to pieces.”
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NATIONAL
Spanish Jews celebrating Hannukah THE Jewish festival of Hannukah began on Tuesday. The fe s tiva l c omme mora te s the rededication of Jerusalem’s Holy Temple during a Jewish revolt from 167 160 BC. It is also known as the festival of lights, with one of the most recognisable symbols being the Hanukkah, a nine branch candlestick. Since Tuesday, people have been lighting one c a ndle e ve ry night to mark each day of the event. Celebrations finish at nightfall next Wednesday. Jews in Spain have endured a turbulent history. The country used to have one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities. But in 1391, antiJewish riots across the country slaugh-
Photo by Tomertu
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CANDLE LIGHT: The Hannukah, a symbol of the festival, holds nine candles. tered thousands, while others were forced to renounce their faith. Then, in 1492, the Alhambra Decree le d to a ma s s e x odus of Jews f r om Spain, and the conversion of many others, decimating their numbers.
Credit: Screengrab/BalkanSportsNews/YouTube
There are currently thought to be around 50,000 Jews living in Spain, mostly in Madrid and Barcelona but al so i n ci t i es i ncl udi ng Mal aga, Benidorm and Alicante, although in smaller numbers. Celebrations of the festival are small and generally private. In fact, 1998 is believed to have seen the first public celebration of the festival in over 500 years. Traditions include eating foods fried i n oi l t o r em em ber t he l egend of a small flask of oil, keeping the Holy Temple’s candles alight for eight days. Types of fried food vary across the world, though children from numerous countries are given chocolate money and a four-sided spinning top known as a dreidel.
Bad vibes Spain football legend attacked with sex toy
BIZARRE: Former Barcelona captain Puyol was clearly taken aback by the girls’ offer.
FORMER Spain captain Carles Puyol got more than he bargained for as he posed for a video with Russian fans after the 2018 World Cup Draw. The World Cup and Champions League winner was in Russia to draw the positions of teams in Group G and H during the World Cup Draw on Friday, December 1. Following the draw, the 39year-old was approached by two fans at his hotel for a seemingly harmless video. In the bizarre clip posted on YouTube, two women can be
heard speaking in broken English asking Puyol “Can you help us? Can you say you love us?” before one explains “it is for our video. You have such beautiful hair. You are so pretty.” Things suddenly take a drastic turn however, as one of the women brandishes a large sex toy and proceeds to push it in Puyol’s face. One of the women can be heard telling him she wants to have sex with him using the “big toy,” to which Puyol protests, before the video ends with both women being escorted from the hotel by security guards.
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COMMUNITY
ALL SMILES: From left, 89.8 Smooth FM Radio Presenters Rod Oxley, Jack Savage, Carole Brumwell (Advertising & Publicity Manager) and Tony Nash.
Festive cheer THE FACE (Fundraising in Arboleas, Caring for Everyone) Christmas market took place in a specially erected marquee in the centre of Arboleas, outside the town hall and raised over €2,700 for charity. The market was officially opened by Arboleas councillor, Mark ‘Danny’ Daniels accompanied by FACE president, Carrie Green. Entertainment was provided throughout the evening by 89.8 Smooth FM Radio presenters Jack Savage, Rod Oxley, Gale Force, Tony Nash, Ricky Cross and Richard Bond, with assistance from Carole Brumwell and station owners, Bev and Neil Holmes. A theatrical line dance exhibition was performed by ‘Carrie’s Dusty Boots’ using the musical, Oliver as their main theme. Santa Claus was also kind enough to take time out from his usual busy December period to pay a visit to the Christmas market accompanied by a rather tall Santa’s little helper. Throughout the evening, various Christmas presents were given, in the form of a cheque, to different charities and organisations. The Grupo Scout 106 del Saliente, the ‘Little Owls’ and MACS (Mojacar Area Cancer Support) were all given a cheque for €500. Two national charities ALCER (Asociacion para la Lucha Enfermadades del Riñon) and the AECC (Asociacion Española Contra El Cancer) both received cheques for €1,000.
THE APSA monthly raffle prize winners for November 2017 are: D a ve a nd Sue Stra tton won a two-course Sunday lunc h for tw o or fis h a nd chips with dessert for two at Almeria Ten Pin Bowling. Jackie Roberts won a €10 voucher for Colin the Card. Anne Thurogood won a
1,100
The FACE grand Christmas draw also took place at the Christmas market and was won by David Cope. The full list of prize winners in the draw can be seen on either the FACE Facebook page or the FACE website. The total amount of money raised by the Christmas market was €2,741 and this money will go towards future donations made by FACE. The FACE committee would like to thank the Arboleas Council for its continued support. It would also like to thank the sponsors of the event: Albox Insurance; the Almeria Bowling Centre; 89.8 Smooth FM Radio and Maloan’s Bar in Albox for their generous donations of prizes and equipment. Lastly, but certainly not least of all, FACE would like to thank their volunteers for assisting, the market traders who helped to make the night the success it was, and most of all the 450 members of the public who took the time to visit the market on a bitterly cold winter’s evening. For further information about FACE and the work it undertakes, or if you are interested in joining this dedicated group of fundraisers, please contact FACE by calling: 634 306 727. FACE can also be contacted through its new Twitter account, @FACECharity, its Facebook page or www.face-charity.com.
Lucky draw €10 voucher f or Pr i cebusters. The winning tickets were drawn by Michelle Downes, an APSA shop vol unt eer. Jean and Mac sold 44 raffle tickets, and Keith sold 52. A
people will be made redundant following Spanish bank Santander’s takeover of Banco Popular, 400 less than originally proposed.
total of €96 was raised. APSA is grateful to the Almeria Ten Pin Bowling, Colin the Card, and Pricebusters for their monthly prizes and to all who purchase raffle tickets. The pr oceeds f r om t he r aff l e t i cket s wi l l go t owards helping the many animals in the care of APSA.
COMMUNITY PS Thanks THANKS again for all your support this year. Steve Marshall, Age Concern Costa del Sol G R E AT p i e c e i n Euro Weekly News - wonderful - thank you. Chrissie Cremore, PAWS-PATA, Almeria I WOULD like to take this opportunity to thank you and y o u r s t a ff f o r a l l the help they have given to HELP Murcia Mar Menor during 2017, your help helps us to help others. Merry Christmas. Bill Saunders, Publicity Office for HELP Murcia Mar Menor
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AT The Half Moon in Chicago in the 1 9 2 0 ’s , S o l D ab o n e, a w i de -boy g an g s te r a n d mu rd e r ra p who e s caped the police is entertaining his friends in the bar. He has more than an amorous eye on Kitty Katz, the lo v e r o f To o ts M a lo n e , t he c lub band’s trumpeter. After half an hour or so a scream was heard from the back of the room. There had been a murder.
Making out a murderer But this isn’t Chicago, it’s Kuki’s restaurant on the lower south beach of Mojacar, and it’s another excellent performance of The Speak Easy Murder, an evening of musical entertainment, dancing, intrigue and humourfrom the Indalo Players.
The production was punctuated by the service of a great meal from Kuki’s kitchen. At the finale, the audience gets a chance to try to identify the murderer from the cast. It was an evening not to be missed.
Furry friends at the fete frie nds of A PF A T H E R SA. CHRISTMAS arA tota l of rived unexpected€250 was raised ly at the Bar Interon the da y for n atio n a l fo r th e the charity. APSA Christmas They would Fete. like to thank APSA, the anieveryone who mal charity based came and all in A lb o x , h ad a the stall holdstall and tombola ers and staff at a t th e fete an d the Bar Inters o ld ma n y ra ffle SANTA’S HELPERS: Father Christmas with APSA national and tic k ets fo r th e ir volunteers. Bernie for orhamper. The winner ganising it all. If you are APSA volunteers brought will receive a joint of pork as able to give a dog a home some of their recently reswell as Christmas drinks and for Christmas, and for life, cued dogs to the fete for an goodies. Tickets are still on please see the APSA Faceafternoon out and the event sale in the APSA shop until book page. w a s w e ll s upporte d by December 21 for €2.
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The next public performance is at the Rose and Crown, Mojacar, on January 19. If you want to join one of the most well established go ahead groups in the area please call Bill White on: 671 810 819 or em ai l : williamwhite9552@aol.com. They are always looking for new members on stage, back stage and front of house.
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SWEDEN Photo by Kyle Cranmer/Twitter
NETHERLANDS
ETHEREAL: Skiers were in for a treat when they spotted this natural phenomenon.
Angelic sight
of light, caused when light refracts through clouds 20,000 feet above the ground.
SKIERS at the Vemdalen resort in western Sweden were awestruck to see a rare phenomenon which makes the sun appear surrounded by a halo
Support slips A NEW government poll revealed
national support for the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party has slumped to its lowest level since its surge during the 2015 migration crisis of 2015.
Treasure trove A FARMER from Gotland was awarded more than 40,000 after he discovered hundreds of silver coins dating from the Viking era in his land after it had been dug up for road works.
Tax fail SOCIAL media network Facebook has been hit with a tax bill worth around €200,000 from Sweden after it was denied a round of tax deductions for not submitting the appropriate documents.
GERMANY
Off the tracks MORE than 40 people were injured,
Lucky escape POLICE were called to deactivate a hand grenade which was found in front of a house in Rotterdam after a man fired around 25 shots at the home with a firearm, and tried to throw the weapon inside.
Bike ban THE Netherlands could ban texting while cycling from 2019 onwards, as ministers are currently in talks on how the law could be implemented, with 75 per cent of Dutch people allegedly in favour of the move.
Traffic trouble DUTCH traffic accidents have increased by 8 per cent in the last year, according to research from VNV, the Dutch association of vehicle insurers, who claim 905,000 damage claims were registered last year.
Housing boom MORE than 27,000 new homes have been built in Amsterdam in t he past f our year s t o t r y and combat the housing shortage, with a further 60,000 scheduled to be built before 2020.
NORWAY
Close call MORE than 220 asylum seekers have avoided being deported from Germany after pilots refused to take off with them on board, allegedly making the decisions on a ‘case-by-case’ basis if they thought ‘flight safety could be affected.’
EUROPEAN PRESS
eight seriously, after a passenger train collided with a freight train near the town of Meerbusch.
Keep away A CHRISTMAS market in a forest in Velen, which has a population of only 75 people, has begged visitors to stop coming after thousands descended on the village, blocking its
streets in every direction.
Village venture A GERMAN village with only 20 residents, who are mostly retired, will be put up for auction with a starting price of €125,000, after a private investor bought it in 2000 for one Deutschmark (around 50 cents).
FRANCE
BELGIUM
End of an era
Modern living
RENOWNED French singer Johnny Hallyday - the ‘French Elvis’ who sold more than 110 million albums worldwide has died at the age of 74 from lung cancer.
AN architect in the Belgian town of Keerbergen has structured a building around a street lamp, saying its a “creative solution” to the problem as authorities still haven’t moved it after two years of requests.
Smoke alarm AROUND 200 workers working at a nuclear reactor site currently under construction in northern France were evacuated ‘as a precaution’ after smoke was detected on the premises, making the air difficult to breathe.
Crowded castle MORE than 7,400 people bought a French castle called La Mothe-Chandeniers during a crowd-funding appeal which raised more than €500,000 to save the 13th-century chateau from ruin.
Golden oldies PENSIONERS in France enjoy the longest retirement out of all Western European countries, according to a study by the OECD economic think tank, and also have one of the world’s lowest rates of poverty among the over-65s.
On the march AROUND 45,000 Catalans marched in the Brussels European Quarter demanding that the European Union both respects their wish for independence, and that the Catalan leaders still in jail be released.
Bias bother ONE in five people of North African or Turkish descent say they have been victims of discrimination while looking for a job in Belgium, according to an independent anti-discrimination institution.
No refuge THE European Commission in Brussels will allegedly sue Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic over their refusal to take asylum seekers into their countries.
Mountain high TO mark the hundredth anniversary of Finnish independence from Russia, Norway tried to give its neighbour a mountain as a present but it was rejected on the grounds that it would be too controversial legally.
Youth held A 14-YEAR-OLD Norwegian boy i n Gr enl and has been accused of raping a girl the same age, filming the encounter and posting the video online before being reported to police by the girl’s parents.
Tall plans NORWAY has plans to build the world’s tallest timber building in the town of Brumunddal, which will be more than 80 metres tall when complete and 30 metres higher than the current tallest timber building.
Ferry flooded PASSENGERS and crew were evacuated from a ferry in Hordaland after it began to take on water, with nearly 20 people on board in total, and fire services were also dispatched to pump water from the boat.
DENMARK
Let it snow THE chances of a white Christmas in Denmark this year are 50/50, according to a national weather forecaster, which only happens roughly every 13 years on average due to the country’s strict criteria.
Gang busted POLICE detained 15 people allegedly connected to organised crime gangs which were linked to several incidences of gun violence in Copenhagen, as well as theft, fraud and breaking and entering, following a major operation.
Speedy chase A 37-YEAR-OLD man was detained on suspicion of vehicle theft and driving under the influence following a dramatic car chase in Fredericia, during which the car lost a tyre but carried on after driving over a spike strip.
Wrong turn A TRAIN which was part of Letbane’s light railway in Aarhus, which is still being tested, collided with a car driven by a 19-year-old man who accidently turned left at a junction where the manoeuvre was forbidden.
M
FINANCE French group may move into Spain
THE European Commission has approved the takeover of Spanish car rental firm Goldcar by Europcar for an estimated €550 million. Having considered the overall number of European companies involved in the market, the Commission does not consider this acquisition likely to hurt competition. The French company considers that the incorporation of Goldcar into the group will help it to expand its business in the Mediterranean area in particular and strengthen its position in the leisure market.
Photo by Philip Capper flickr
Farmers fear loss of subsidies THERE is a significant fear that the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will start to wind down from 2020 causing major problems for Spanish farmers. The Federation of Agribusiness Cooperatives of Andalucia believes that recent comments from the European Union suggest that the CAP could be on its way out which will be of particular damage to the Spanish agricultural industry. The federation argues that the maintenance of the finan-
By John Smith can unfold to ‘open up shop’ and then close quickly and run if they see the police. One man Aziz Faye, a Senegalese immigrant has come up with an innovative idea as he now purchases large numbers of unbranded clothes and trainers from Asia and then has colleagues sew on the Top Manta (blanket top) logo of his range. His concept ensures that his sellers are offering legal merchandise on which tax is paid and he hopes that
In the UK we are a British bank and will consider the implications once the outcome of the process is known,” Ana Botin Executive Chairman of Santander Bank.
SPANISH FARMING: An Andalucian orange grove.
cial support will allow farmers to continue to invest for the future and to move forward with environmental improvements. They blame the fact that the UK is leaving the European Union for a possible break down of the CAP and with Russia banning the import of some Spanish products and the USA placing much higher tariffs on imports such as olive oil, the farming industry in Spain expects more rather than less support.
BUSINESS EXTRA
More power THE Spanish economy Minister Luis de Guindos has said that following Brexit he expects that Spain will have a much bigger role in the European Union. Currently even Portugal appears to hold more positions of power within the Union but he expects that to change.
Fibre cover GIANT telecoms company Orange is to spend €2 billion in order to expand its Spanish fibre optic service to 16 million homes by 2020. This is an increased user target of 15 per cent and an additional spend of €500 million over that originally planned.
Aid grant THE Provincial Council of Huesca has allocated €200,000 to 30 development projects around the world. The money will be spent during the next six months on projects in different developing countries around the world.
Hotel to be auctioned SANTANDER bank foreclosed on a €2.12 million debt owed by the beachfront Koral hotel in Morro de Gos (Castellon) forcing it into liquidation. Now the former four-star
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New idea for street sales IT is virtually impossible to escape the approaches of Looky Looky men in almost any tourist area in Spain. Many people consider these young men who are mainly African in origin harmless and at least they aren’t scrounging off social services, but others see them as an example of illegal activity, as they sell shoddy counterfeit goods, don’t pay taxes and some of the profits made may go towards supporting terrorism. The Spanish call them manteros (blanket makers) after the blankets many keep their goods in which they
EWN
that Gibraltar registered GVC is rumoured to be ready to pay to take €4.4 billion isoverthetheamount Ladbrokes Coral betting shop empire which has outlets in Spain and the UK.
STAT OF WEEK
business & legal
Quote of the Week
Costa de Almería
14 - 20 December 2017
tourist hotel which had slipped to become a two-star operation has been put up to auction by the courts with an estimated value of €7.08 million.
this project will take off in a big way, allowing more immigrants to become accepted members of society. It may be some time before street sellers give up their stock of inferior fake products, but at least this is a step in the right direction and may combat some of the prejudice against them. The next part of the plan will be to try to persuade councils to allow the sellers of the Top Manta branded material to legally offer their goods for sale in the streets although this could be quite difficult to achieve.
Amazon and Ebay lose EU case THE European Court of Justice (ECJ) has supported a case brought by Coty which owns Marc Jacobs and Calvin Klein to ban the sale of their products on Amazon and Ebay. Currently consumers may use the internet to try to obtain luxury goods at reduced prices by ordering from the websites of different companies in different countries. Although the decision affects just one brand, it is common practice for such decisions to be quoted as precedence.
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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 11
PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 1,368.00 4.00 Associated British Foods 2,879.00 -4.00 Admiral Group 1,874.00 25.00 Ashtead Group 1,994.00 -25.00 Antofagasta 895.25 1.75 Aviva 499.75 -10.25 AstraZeneca 4,804.75 20.75 BAE Systems 556.85 -0.15 Babcock International Group 666.25 4.75 Barclays 196.40 0.00 British American Tobacco 4,840.25 -98.75 Barratt Developments 630.00 2.63 Berkeley Group Holdings 4,129.00 16.00 British Land Co 656.00 1.00 BHP Billiton 1,351.50 10.00 Bunzl 2,085.00 0.00 BP 492.75 0.23 Burberry Group 1,761.00 25.00 BT Group 267.50 -0.50 Coca-Cola HBC 2,319.00 -1.00 Carnival 4,937.00 9.00 Centrica 144.80 0.70 Compass Group 1,489.00 -2.00 Croda International 4,224.50 -28.50 CRH 2,670.50 42.50 ConvaTec Group 214.40 4.20 DCC 6,957.50 7.50 Diageo 2,701.50 66.00 Direct Line Insurance Group 365.40 6.30 Experian 1,541.50 -31.50 easyJet 1,455.00 -1.00 Ferguson 5,290.00 -55.00 Fresnillo 1,279.00 -27.00 G4S 252.65 0.95 GKN 299.65 0.95 Glencore 345.50 -7.50 GlaxoSmithKline 1,287.50 0.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,607.50 7.50 Hammerson 524.00 -2.50 HSBC Holdings 747.20 14.00 International Consldtd Airs Grp 638.50 2.00 InterContinental Hotels Group 4,325.00 -121.00 3i Group 874.00 5.50 Imperial Brands 3,083.50 -0.36 Informa 735.00 1.00 Intertek Group 5,044.50 -5.50 ITV 163.70 0.00 Johnson Matthey 3,012.00 0.00 Kingfisher 329.45 -6.75 Land Securities Group 958.50 -0.20
% CHG. NET VOL 0.29 18,863.96 -0.14 22,578.55 1.35 5,296.23 -1.24 9,874.69 0.20 8,739.62 -2.01 20,052.36 0.43 59,564.43 -0.03 17,650.09 0.72 3,309.13 0.00 32,688.02 -2.00 113,729.23 0.42 6,155.55 0.39 5,208.07 0.15 6,452.03 0.75 28,058.87 0.00 6,957.11 0.05 96,558.78 1.44 7,328.17 -0.19 26,058.97 -0.04 8,514.70 0.18 10,225.69 0.49 8,108.72 -0.13 23,508.99 -0.67 5,584.19 1.62 21,642.28 2.00 4,093.03 0.11 6,190.54 2.50 65,694.28 1.75 4,910.13 -2.00 14,351.00 -0.07 5,755.55 -1.03 13,320.16 -2.07 9,424.87 0.38 3,899.16 0.32 5,054.54 -2.17 48,654.22 0.00 62,737.94 0.47 7,584.36 -0.47 4,029.59 1.91 145,101.36 0.31 12,769.46 -2.72 8,321.57 0.63 8,420.20 -0.01 29,365.56 0.14 6,081.16 -0.11 8,295.47 0.00 6,396.38 0.00 5,796.33 -2.01 7,230.06 -0.02 6,951.02
COMPANY
PRICE(P)
Legal & General Group 260.40 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 65.46 London Stock Exchange Grp 3,794.50 Micro Focus International 2,428.50 Mediclinic International 592.25 Merlin Entertainments 359.50 Marks & Spencer Group 312.60 Mondi 1,694.00 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 222.50 National Grid 860.25 NMC Health 2,897.50 Next 4,483.00 Old Mutual Group 201.25 Paddy Power Betfair 8,647.50 Prudential 1,835.00 Persimmon 2,631.50 Pearson 740.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,716.00 Royal Bank of Scotland Grp 281.80 Royal Dutch Shell 2,381.25 Royal Dutch Shell 2,408.75 RELX 1,685.50 Rio Tinto 3,463.50 Rolls-Royce Group 851.00 Randgold Resources 6,940.00 RSA Insurance Group 608.50 Rentokil Initial 308.10 Sainsbury (J) 244.70 Schroders 3,436.50 Sage Group (The) 757.50 Segro 549.75 Shire 3,648.00 Smurfit Kappa Group 2,375.00 Sky 995.50 Standard Life Aberdeen 418.40 Smiths Group 1,494.00 Scottish Mortgage Invstmnt Trst 446.25 Smith & Nephew 1,345.00 SSE 1,324.00 Standard Chartered 759.70 St James's Place 1,157.00 Severn Trent 2,085.50 Tesco 218.88 TUI AG 1,374.00 Taylor Wimpey 203.60 Unilever 4,199.00 United Utilities Group 816.75 Vodafone Group 229.08 Worldpay Group 431.05 WPP Group 1,341.00 Whitbread 4,024.00
CHANGE(P) -3.40 -1.34 4.50 3.50 -2.75 0.40 -6.40 -1.73 0.60 -17.55 -4.50 0.00 2.55 77.50 0.00 -39.50 0.53 0.00 0.80 23.75 23.75 -26.50 -5.00 12.50 70.00 8.00 -4.70 -0.37 11.50 -10.50 -11.25 0.00 -13.80 2.50 -0.15 20.00 1.35 21.00 0.07 0.01 2.61 2.50 14.33 -21.00 0.70 17.50 -0.25 -0.32 6.35 0.00 30.00
% CHG.
NET VOL
-1.29 -2.01 0.12 0.14 -0.46 0.11 -2.01 -0.10 0.27 -2.00 -0.16 0.00 1.28 0.90 0.00 -1.48 0.07 0.00 0.28 1.01 1.00 -1.55 -0.14 1.49 1.02 1.33 -1.50 -0.15 0.34 -1.37 -2.01 0.00 -0.58 0.25 -0.04 1.36 0.30 1.59 0.01 0.00 0.23 0.12 7.01 -1.51 0.34 0.42 -0.03 -0.14 1.50 0.00 0.75
15,485.82 46,426.15 13,127.45 10,521.25 4,353.43 3,629.68 5,166.68 8,234.99 5,205.33 29,635.54 5,824.04 6,482.94 9,746.64 7,139.82 46,648.35 8,042.89 5,939.45 46,547.07 32,908.28 106,452.91 88,768.04 18,240.28 46,598.43 15,525.42 6,312.32 6,070.43 5,728.80 5,324.40 7,671.20 8,201.68 5,470.97 32,131.00 5,580.09 17,138.60 12,305.70 5,761.83 6,012.70 11,458.56 13,464.85 24,785.05 6,094.94 4,900.16 16,680.55 8,117.69 6,451.99 51,411.15 5,557.39 60,776.93 8,376.00 16,839.31 7,205.01
0.88181
1.13602 Units per €
US dollar ...............................................................1.17879 Japan yen ............................................................133.625 Switzerland franc..............................................1.16864 Denmark kroner ..............................................7.44220 Norway kroner .................................................9.85885 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 D ECEMBER 11
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 238,130 98,5500 169,370 285,900 143,860 119,92 37,610 45,31 70,73 82,66 17,7100 250,35 183,4100 154,81 43,3500 105,9300 140,5900 173,1500 55,57 84,160 61,30 35,7400 90,370 133,75 122,81 223,91 51,09 112,60 96,5500 104,2300
CHANGE% -0,90% -0,03% +0,03% +1,39% +0,68% +0,24% +0,56% -1,03% -0,90% +0,13% +0,00% +0,72% +0,77% +0,81% +0,63% +1,25% +0,41% +0,14% +1,46% +2,02% +1,16% +0,68% +0,30% -0,34% +0,33% +1,71% +1,33% +1,08% -0,24% -0,98%
CHANGE VOLUME(M) -2,170 141.832,16 -0,0300 85.484,61 0,050 869.598,42 3,930 169.674,42 0,970 85.551,45 0,29 227.469,02 0,210 187.727,03 -0,47 191.989,93 -0,64 165.062,91 0,11 349.879,03 0,0000 153.645,06 1,79 94.345,63 1,4100 214.048,32 1,24 143.266,22 0,2700 203.654,66 1,3100 366.697,95 0,5800 376.462,05 0,2400 137.948,98 0,80 150.906,28 1,670 647.450,63 0,70 79.664,06 0,2400 212.797,25 0,270 228.656,03 -0,46 36.512,40 0,41 97.796,87 3,76 216.586,57 0,67 208.296,25 1,20 204.143,22 -0,2300 287.398,67 -1,0300 158.144,79 M - MILLION DOLLARS
NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 11
COMPANY
PRICE
CHANGE NET / %
Most Advanced Sigma Designs, Inc. ForeScout Technologies, Inc. Radius Health, Inc. Famous Dave's of America, Inc. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. SteadyMed Ltd. Aptevo Therapeutics Inc. Fanhua Inc. Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc. Cutera, Inc. Verastem, Inc.
$ 6.90 $ 27.65 $ 31.60 $ 5.2999 $ 5.21 $ 3.51 $ 4.23 $ 24.57 $ 11.32 $ 44.55 $ 4.33
1.30 ▲ 23.21% 4.68 ▲ 20.37% 4.19 ▲ 15.29% 0.6999 ▲ 15.22% 0.64 ▲ 14.00% 0.41 ▲ 13.23% 0.46 ▲ 12.20% 2.35 ▲ 10.58% 1.06 ▲ 10.33% 3.95 ▲ 9.73% 0.36 ▲ 9.07%
$ 19.20 $ 11.90 $ 61.91 $ 100.84 $ 11.98 $ 16.95 $ 13.51 $ 7.86 $ 20.50 $ 3.75 $ 27.16
8.74 ▼ 31.28% 2.75 ▼ 18.77% 10.90 ▼ 14.97% 11.91 ▼ 10.56% 1.32 ▼ 9.92% 1.85 ▼ 9.84% 1.42 ▼ 9.51% 0.78 ▼ 9.03% 1.90 ▼ 8.48% 0.345 ▼ 8.42% 2.01 ▼ 6.89%
Most Declined Erytech Pharma S.A. Veeco Instruments Inc. Johnson Outdoors Inc. National Beverage Corp. Xunlei Limited IES Holdings, Inc. American Outdoor Brands Corporation Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Bel Fuse Inc. Fred's, Inc. Okta, Inc.
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E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
www.euroweeklynews.com
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
Support for de Guindos DESPITE denials a week ago, it looks as if Spanish minister Luis de Guindos wants to become vice-president of the European Central Bank (ECB). The Economy and Industry minister had previously declared that a Spaniard should take up the position next May when current incumbent Vítor Constâncio of Portugal leaves the post but he had not indicated that he was actually looking for the job. Now, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has stated publicly that whilst his government has not put De Guindos’ name forward for the position, he would be an ideal candidate as he has raised the status of Spain as a successful financial player since he came to his position in 2012. The Prime Minister believes that the international profile of his Economy minister is high and that should he be put forward for the role, he should be a natural successor to Mr Constâncio especially as Spain is poorly represented in the higher echelons of European institutions with only one Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete who is European Commissioner for Climate and Energy. Whilst it is recognised that many European countries would like to hold the position, as one of the top four economies in the eurozone, Spain believes it is only right that it should be represented at a senior level within the ECB. The actual decision to appoint the next vice-president will be decided by a vote of all members of the European Commission and the successful candidate will be allowed to serve a single eight year term of office. Mr De Guinos has had some disappointment in the past when he ran for president of the Eurogroup (an informal meeting of EU finance ministers) which he was tipped to win but lost to the Dutch minister
La Moncloa flickr
Next ECB vice-president may be Spanish
Firm friends Mariano Rajoy and Luis de Guindos.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem when it appears that socialist members of the voting committee turned against him. Time will tell and it is possible that in order to save the minister from any embarrassment that Mr Rajoy is sounding out fellow heads of state before announcing his official nomination in order to ensure that there is a large enough majority who are happy to see Spain take on the vice-presidency.
Egyptian sales slump THE Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Qabil has announced that exports to Spain at €779.8 million were 75 per cent up on last year. Currently in Buenos Aires for the 11th World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial conference which has attracted representatives of 164 member countries, he met with his Spanish counterpart Maria Luisa Poncela. The export figures refer only to the period January to August 2017, although imports from Spain to Egypt for the same period were down from €929 million to €823.5 million significantly narrowing the trade gap as far as Egypt is concerned. According to the Spanish minister, Spain is currently looking at ways of expanding investments in the Egyptian industry.
AS ECONOMY RECOVERS AWAIT HIGH INTEREST RATES
ANALYSTS believe that financing for companies will shortly become more expensive and therefore loans should be obtained sooner rather than later. The reasoning behind this opinion is that bank regulations will continu e t o g e t t i g h t e r a n d th at there will be less liquidity in the market as the European Central Bank (ECB) reduces its purchasing support of EU members bonds. For the larger company it is suggested that they should issue their own lo n g t e r m b o n d s w h ere in vestors l e n d t h e m a n a g ree d amount of money over a set period of time while the companies pay annual i n t e r e st a n d r ed ee m th e bond at a date in the future. For smaller businesses who cannot afford this, now may be a good time to enter into a long-term loan with fixed interest rates which are still available from some banks at the present time. It is forecast that there will have to be an increase in both interest
Alextrade2404 Wikimedia
Try fixed rate loans now
An old Italian bond.
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rates and inflation across Europe during 2018 and as banks are being instructed to make sufficient provisions in order to safeguard their customers, they are likely to increase rates or general charges to support the cost of making the provisions. The other problem for the banks is that the targeted longer-term refinancing operations (TLTROs), an ECB operation that provides financing to credit institutions for
periods of up to four years will be coming to an end. They offer long-term funding at attractive conditions to banks in order to further ease private sector credit conditions and stimulate bank lending to the real economy, but they are effectively subsidising the lending that banks are underta king so agai n, i nt er est r at es charged to borrowers between 2018 and 2020 ar e l i kel y t o i ncrease. Whilst there is action that companies can take in order to try to reduce the likely effect of rate increases, the consumer is in a much worse situation. With governments leaving interest rates at very low percentages, banks and lenders still manage to turn a 0.5 per cent interest rate into a 20 per cent rate on credit cards and even cheaper overdrafts sudde nly at t r act new hi gher bank charges so that the amount of interest paid remains low but the overall cost increases dramatically.
Baby milk problems could hit A FRENCH manufacturer of baby milk which is sold in Spain has ordered a global recall of baby milk product due to fears of salmonella. Lactalis which took over Granada-based group Puleva in 2010 has admitted that so far 26 French users of the milk powder marketed under the names of Celi, Milumel and Picot have become sick during December. A spokesman for the company which is one of the world’s largest dairy producers has told press sources that up to 7,000 tonnes of powder produced in a single factory in northern France may have been contaminated, but Lactalis is unable to determine how much is currently still in stores around the world.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
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A NUMBER OF LAWSUITS COULD HURT SPAIN
Another legacy of crash
DESERTED: A toll road.
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A GROUP of hedge fund managers who have purchased debt from the builders of nine bankrupt toll roads around Madrid are looking to claim €4.5 billion. The roads themselves were built by a number of Spanish companies who formed joint venture operations with toll road managers in order to earn what they expected to be lucrative income. Sadly for them however all of this took place prior to the financial crash and by the time that the roads were opened, the money collected was far less than originally forecast, leading many of the groups to declare bankruptcy. The roads themselves have been closed for years and many of the debts were sold at heavily discounted rates to various global investors who are now working together in order to make the Spanish government pay damages, thanks to particular clauses known as RPAs which existed in the contracts when the approval for the building was granted.
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Whilst the government acknowledges that it will be unable to reopen and franchise the closed roads without making a payment to those holding the debts, the amount which they believe is due and that which the hedge funds are claiming is significantly different. The government previously indicated that it expected to have to pay a manageable €2 billion, but those who are claiming compensation which includes corporate giants such as Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank are looking for a whopping €4.5 billion pay out.
Rather than each acting separately, all of the major claimants have joined forces and are being led by American company Houlihan Lokey to try to lever the best possible deal out of the Spanish government. According to their spokesman, the Spanish are acting like a South American government by delaying any agreement in order to hide the potential problem from the Spanish people, although the government rejects this, explaining that the delay was due to matters relating to the correct procedures when any bankruptcy occurs. Spain finds itself in a somewhat difficult position as it tries to negotiate a settlement with the combined might of some of the world’s biggest hedge fund organisations. On one hand it wants to pay as little as possible so that the amount does not hurt its economic recovery, but at the same time cannot afford to be too parsimonious as the government doesn’t want to be at the receiving end of a number of law suits.
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Surprise closure of franchise WHAT was thought to be a successful frozen yogurt franchise llaollao in Singapore leased from the Spanish chain closed with just 24 hours’ notice. With 29 outlets the stores have been very successful and there has been no information about why the closure took place, although all stores reopened two days later branded Yole, another frozen yogurt company. Four years of success came to an end without explanation from D+1 Holding, the company that is the master franchisee of llaollao in Singapore which simply confirmed that it will no longer be continuing the franchise. It did not reveal the reason why. No explanation has been received from the Spanish company either although similar events have occurred in Singapore in the past with the original company taking back the franchise within six months.
Losing mental capacity whilst living abroad by Stone King Charlotte Macdonald Contact me at international@stoneking.co.uk
MANY UK expatriates living in Spain own properties in the UK and have pensions and investments in the UK. They rely on their UK assets to maintain their lifestyles (and those of their families) in Spain. If they can no longer manage their affairs in the UK due to a loss of mental capacity, it can cause many difficulties.
You can choose a person or people, who you trust, to act for you when you are no longer able. The best way to avoid the legal and practical difficulties that can occur with the loss of mental capacity is to plan for it in advance by drawing up a document called a ‘Lasting Power of Attorney’ (‘LPA’).
An LPA must be made while you have full mental capacity.
What is an LPA? An LPA is a legal document that enables you to appoint one or more attor-
neys to act for you when you are no longer able to act for yourself. Your attorney can be a professional,
such as a solicitor or a family member or friend. There are two types of LPA: ‘Health and Welfare’ or ‘Property and Financial Affairs’ An LPA must be made while you have full mental capacity. It is therefore important to make one while you are in good health. Why should you get an LPA? You can choose a person or people, who you trust, to act for you when you are no longer able. If you lose your mental capacity and do not have an LPA, then your family (or the authorities) will have no choice but to make an application to the Court of Protection to appoint a ‘deputy’ to look after your affairs, which can be time consuming and costly. Will my LPA be recognised in Spain? Unfortunately there is no international type of LPA which is guaranteed to work in both the UK and Spain. The advice we give to our clients at Stone King, is that if you have assets in both Spain and the UK, your only safe option is to appoint attorneys in both jurisdictions.
If you would like to discuss LPAs contact Charlotte Macdonald or Dan Harris at Stone King LLP by email international@stoneking.co.uk or by telephone on +44 (0)1225 337599.
FEATURE
14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
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Back in Blighty nothing much has changed LEAPY LEE SAYS IT
OTHERS THINK IT TWO things have been glaringly consistent on my latest trip to the old country, the almost unbelievable volume of traffic and the cold! Talk about the appendages of brass primates; the streets are littered with them! As for the traffic - well, not being the most patient of drivers, after two days of automobile altercations, my companion has now banned me from taking the wheel altogether. We did however manage to squeeze in a three-day trip to Malta. Although it temporarily took care of the brass monkey syndrome, it certainly didn’t resolve the increased traffic dilemma. Malta’s tourist economy is, I’m delighted to say, positively booming, but unfortunately the road development programme hasn’t quite caught up with the amount of newly acquired vehicles the locals are treating themselves to. Ah well I’m sure they’ll sort it. Good luck to ‘em. This historically beleaguered island deserves all the success it can get. ‘Course back in Blighty nothing much has changed. I was particularly peeved about the report of the black female, who was ticked off for putting her muddy feet up on the seat of a train.
TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE: London, left, and Malta. When the gentleman opposite (an MP no less) objected, she launched into a mouthy tirade which, among other things, included calling him a ‘white idiot.’ The report went on to say that it was all resolved peacefully however and by the end of the journey they had ‘become friends.’ Mmm, interesting. If he had called her a black idiot they would have been having their differences resolved down the local nick!
I was also a party to the views of some of the ladies concerning the recent surge into the, oft trivial, sexual harassment complaints. Almost without exception they consider the bulk of accusations frivolous and often quite ridiculous. Indeed some have told me that in their younger days, if they didn’t receive some form of sexual connotation or wolf whistle on their travels they would often worry that there may be something
wrong with them. I did take note of the recent cartoon which showed a woman complaining to her boss that, as she was the only member of the female staff that hadn’t been subjected to some form of sexual harassment, she was going to sue for discrimination. Don’t laugh, nothing would surprise me anymore, Not sure the latest Brexit deal is quite as wonderful as they all seem to be making out. Hopefully it will at least finally shut up all the Remoaners and allow the more forward thinkers to get on with the task of making the UK a leading, independent and successful runner in the whole host of world markets now finally opening up to us. One dark spot, for the ol’ boy, straight from the horse’s mouth as it were. Apparently I had actually been seriously considered for a spate in the Celebrity Jungle series but had been passed over because of my past criminal record! Marvellous ennit? One, highly debatable slip, some 45 years ago, in an otherwise untarnished lifetime of lawful existence, and it still follows me around. Ah well, didn’t want to eat their rotten grubs anyway. Keep the faith Love Leapy columnists@euroweeklynews.com
leapylee2002@gmail.com
Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors. Advertising feature
Cortijo Madera near Huercal-Overa A VERY attractiVe, 172m2, quality renovated, three/four bed, three bath country house on 1,400m2 of flat, fenced, landscaped garden on the edge of a small hamlet with lovely country views with 8m x 4m swimming pool, tarmac road access. Five minutes drive to the A7 motorway and a village with amenities, 15 mins drive to HuercalOvera town, 40 mins drive to the coast at San Juan or Mojacar. Also for sale is the adjoining urban plot of approx 1,200m2 with its own street access which is for sale for an extra €20,000. Buying this would make your garden much bigger or give you the opportunity to build another house to sell off or rent out. We can introduce you to local, reputable solicitors, builders and architects. The property has been recently redecorated and improved inside and out and comprises of:To the front is a large conservatory with double glazed doors which is used as a living and dining room in the summer and winter. There is also a large storage room. A lovely old stable door leads into the living and dining
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€164,950 COUNTRY HOUSE: With landscaped gardens, lovely views and private pool.
room each with wooden ceiling beams and log burning fires and H&C aircon. This leads on to the large, recently fitted quality kitchen bit enough for a dining table. In the main house there are three bedrooms. The master double bedroom has an ensuite bathroom with sunken bath and walk-in dressing room, The second double bedroom has an ensuite shower room. Bedroom three is a single bedroom which is currently used as an study. Next to this is the third bathroom which is a family shower room. Attached to the house with its own
entrance is another room the size of a double bedroom which could be used as a fourth bedroom / study / hobby room. Above this is a sun terrace to enjoy the views. Around the house is 1,400m2 of fenced land with an impressive iron gate which opens via a remote control. To the front is the tiled swimming pool area with feature foley tower, large parking area laid to gravel for easy maintenance and big enough for many cars. Here there are two wooden sheds
and a carport. There is also a built-in bbq and eating area. To the rear is another garden area. Mains electricty, phone, internet and very economical irrigation water are connected. Less than 15 minutes to the traditional market town of Huercal-Overa with its award-winning hospital and many shops, restaurants, sporting and leisure facilities and historic buildings. Voss Homes is a British family-run business with an office in the thriving,
market town of Huercal-Overa. We specialise in selling properties around Huercal-Overa, Zurgena, La Alfoquia, Taberno and on the coast at San Juan de Los Terreros. We look forward to helping you find your ideal property in Spain and supporting you in our after sales service. For more information and to arrange a viewing or a meeting in our office in Huercal-Overa please contact Voss Homes on 0034 950 616 827 or 0034 678 002 006. Our office is just 1km off exit 553 of the A7 motorway 100m from Lidl. Voss Homes Estate Agents 155A Carretera Estacion Huercal-Overa, CP 04600 Almeria, Spain Mobile: 0034 678 002 006 Landline:0034 950 616 827 Website: www.vosshomesspain.com
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14 -20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
XMAS Special
Christmas is here! Bumper festive season CHRISTMAS lights have been switched on from Albox to Mojacar as the festive party gets underway in Almeria Province. Expatriates and tourists accustomed to a brief British Christmas will enjoy an extended holiday season in Spain where the party continues until Three Kings Day on Saturday January 6. It will be a blockbuster Christmas in Almeria City this year which is doing its level best to attract residents from all across
the province. A small fortune has been spent on almost one million Christmas lights decorating Puerta de Purchena, Plaza de la Catedral and Plaza de las Velas. There will be pantomimes and plays at the Apollo Theatre, children’s activities every day, and a major light show and fireworks on key dates, including Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow night there
is a free Christmas concert from the city orchestra at the Virgen del Mar church and on Sunday a Christmas carols contest at the Maestro Padilla Auditorium. For expatriates looking for something a little closer to home, Mojacar has by far the most adventurous Christmas calendar on the costa. On Saturday at 6pm there will be hot chocolate and other festive treats and sweets at the Multiple Uses Centre.
That is a stomach-rumbling prelude to the Mojacar Christmas concert at 8pm which will feature choirs and other live music. For church-goers there will be midnight mass at Mojacar Parish Church and a Christmas Day mass at 11.30am. The church bells will ring in the New Year at Plaza Fronton in what will be a huge community celebration. For those looking to buck the trend and shed some pounds over the
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WINTER WONDERLAND: Almeria capital.
festive season there will be a special Christmas race in Vera on Saturday. It’s a 10 km run for adults and 3.3 km for children or those taking it
easy and kicks off at 6.30pm. That night at 9pm the Ciudad de Vera Auditorium will be holding a free Christmas concert,
which is expected to be jam-packed so early arrival is advised. Also this year Cuevas del Almanzora will be extending the Christmas
spirit to the animal kingdom. Following requests from local animal lovers, the town has pledged to not use any live animals in its nativity scene.
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14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de AlmerĂa
Richard Shanley
Dishing the Dirt OF EUROPA DIGITAL
BAKE OFF favourites Selasi Gbormittah and Val Stones are returning to the tent as part of a festive line up. Channel 4 is to broadcast two episodes of the show over Christmas - each with four former bakers competing for star baker. The shows will feature Prue, Paul, Noel and Sandi alongside eight bakers from previous series. The signature, technical and showstopper rounds are also set to return, but with a seasonal twist. Other bakers taking part are Paul Jagger, Beca Lyne-Pirkis, Benjamina Ebuehi, Rob Billington, Rav Bansal and Sandy Docherty, who all starred on the show when it was on the BBC. Val Stones, 67, was most well-known for dancing whilst baking and always being extremely supportive of her fellow contestants. Stones is remembered for making an emotional leaving speech after being eliminated five weeks into the competition in 2016. Selasi Gbormittah, 31, was also a firm favourite on the show, taking part alongside Stones. The banker was loved for being cool and calm, making it all the way through
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Great Festive Bake Off line up revealed
FESTIVE RETURN: The Great British Bake Off.
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t o t h e s e m i - f i n a l . P a u l J a g g e r, 5 1 , a prison governor from series six, who was best-known for his detailed lion bread, will also be appearing in the festive edition of Bake Off. This is the first time that a special edition of the Great British Bake Off will air on Channel 4.
The signature, technical and showstopper rounds are also set to return.
If you would like me to answer any questions you may have on satellite TV or to expand on anything I have written about please call me on 678 332 815 or email richard@europa-digital.com. I l o o k f o r w a rd t o y o u r c o m m e n t s a n d questions. Don’t forget to listen to my radio show every weekday from 10am on Spectrum 96.1 & 106.8FM, now covering almost 3,000sq kms of Costa Almeria and Calida or listen online at costaalmeria.spectrumfm.net for the latest news and views from the world of satellite television.
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14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
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Taking away the stress of a funeral L Musgrove - Almeria SOME years ago, my father sadly passed away in Spain. At the time my mother and I had no plans in place for his funeral and had to rely upon the people around us to get everything organised. Whilst things went perfectly, my mum sometime later felt she did not want me to have to deal with all of this on my own.
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14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene
Which way to turn HOWEVER much the PP and PSOE fear Cs, they can’t coherently fail to back Arrimadas should she win enough votes and parliamentary seats on December 21. But the Cataluña en Comun-Podemos coalition between Ada Colau’s party and Pablo Iglesias’ party will be the deciders. Neither party knows which horse to back, although Colau only has to worry about Catalan voters who are anyway split 50-50 regarding separatism. At least she knows she will please half of them whichever way she swings. Iglesias has his party’s plummeting popularity to contend with and the power-hungry, popularity-seeking Podemos supremo knows that whether he supports a separatist or a constitutionalist party on December 22, somebody will be upset, either in Cataluña or in the rest of Spain.
Ines and the bride’s bouquet CRITICAL COALITION: Ada Colau and Pablo Iglesias.
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CIUDADANOS (Cs) were the eternal bridesmaids and never the bride. Attractive and worth a second glance but never
the centre of atttention - until now. At the time of writing Cs would be the most-voted party ahead of the ERC secessionists if the December 21 regional elections were held today. What was founded in Cataluña as a regional civic association opposed to independence is now a national, constitutionalist party. In March 2016 it came within a hair’s breadth of helping the PSOE socialists and Pedro Sanchez to form a government, a nice little plan scuppered by Pablo Iglesias and the Podemos party. Come December 22, if Cs progress we shall see if the constitutionalist parties will put their money where their mouths are by backing a Cs government. Could be time for the bridesmaid to
catch the bride’s bouquet.
The president over the water CARLES PUIGDEMONT, erstwhile president of the Catalan region, stayed out of jail by decamping to Brussels shortly after declaring the Republic on October 27. If he wanted to remain in the public eye and Catalan hearts he would have done better to stay and accompany the Jordis, Oriol Junqueras and his former government in prison. Instead of cutting a romantic exiled figure, a sort of Catalan Bonny Prince Carles, Puigdemont is unromantic and an irritant inside and outside Cataluña.
Spare a thought THE six ex-consellers released from remand insisted as they exited prison, “We are thinking of Oriol, their remaining colleague Joaquim Forn and the Jordis.” No doubt. But above all they are thinking of themselves, home for Christmas, turkey, turron and cava.
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He recently described the December 21 elections as the second round of the October 1 referendum-that-wasn’t or at the very least a plebiscite, neither of which is far from the truth. But Puigdemont and his latest party, Junts per Catalunya, can probably expect a result like Artur Mas’s in the 2015 regional elections. In other words, plebiscite, schlebiscite. Or, possibly, plebischite.
The very idea of it GABRIEL RUFIAN, MP for the ERC party in the national parliament in Madrid, claimed recently that the imprisoned Jordis, Oriol Junqueras and nowreleased government members reminded him of Galileo. Like the separatist politicians, he was punished for his ideas and obliged to declare that the earth was flat, Rufian maintained. In fact Galileo got into hot water because he insisted that the earth revolved round the sun, not the other way round. Rufian got his history wrong and he’s equally wrong about the Jordis, Junqueras and the Consellers. They were remanded for breaking the law and breaching the Constitution, not for their ideas. columnists@euroweeklynews.com
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14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
TECH FOR THE TIMID LAST month I won half a million in an online lottery I hadn’t entered. Before that I could make a tidy commission simply by giving my bank details to a nice Nigerian minister to help him move his money. Well may you laugh, but it’s astonishing how many people plunge wallet-first into obvious scams, especially since e-mail made the conartist’s job so much easier and saved on the stamps. A Tennessee pensioner lost tens of thousands of dollars of his life savings not once, but three times to the same conmen, in a triumph of hopeless greed over basic hogsense. You might think it takes an IQ in single figures to fall for such swindles. Indeed a recent BBC documentary revealed that e-mail scammers with a perfectly good command of the English language deliberately ‘dumb down’ their appeals with terrible grammar and spelling, because that weeds-out the more literate (and apparently less gullible) among us up-front. But things have become so sophisticated in this age when hooking even a tiny fraction from an e-
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Watch out for that damn scam spam Terence Kennedy decided not to collect his vast online winnings and is all the richer for it
SCAMS: Think before you click. mail blitz can unlock a fortune for the scammer. Your bank e-mails asking you nicely to update your details by clicking the link below. Except it isn’t a link to your real bank. Ka-
THURSDAY THOUGHTS By Jeff Sinton, San Pedro de Alcantara
Defining dates THINGS seem to change without explanation and in a conversation with a young person it transpired that they didn’t recognise the terms BCE and CE. Common Era and Before Common Era have in theory replaced BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini (Year of the Lord)) in official parlance although it appears that most people guess what they mean rather than actually understanding the letters. The concept of using the birth of Christ as the starting date for modern history was first thought of in 525 and was adopted in England in 731 by the Venerable Bede who actually then came up with the concept of referring to events with dates BC. By the early 15th century the whole of Europe had adopted this concept and was generally accepted around the world (even though Jewish and Muslim societies have their own calendars) until the early 21st century when it was considered appropriate to replace what could be considered unacceptable to non-Christians. Slowly but surely, different countries have accepted the Common Era definitions and these were introduced into the English and Welsh school curriculums, but some staunch Christian societies, especially in the USA are opposed to the concept. In simple terms, BCE is the same as BC and CE is the same as AD but just to confuse, some organisations such as the History TV Channel are said to use the original letters for most dates, but then the new ones when referring to Jewish or Muslim history. 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.
ching and goodbye life savings. Or take our Nigerian minister and similar fraudsters offering truly improbable amounts of money, if only you will pay the transfer fee involved. Ka-ching.
A friend (whose name has been hacked from your address book) emails from Thailand where she’s stranded without funds. Of course you’ll help? Ka-ching again. A sad little girl in Anywhereville needs money for a life-saving operation and you open your heart. And wallet. No such girl, naturally. The UK alone saw 1.7 million reported cases of cyber-fraud last year - never mind the rest that go unreported because victims are too embarrassed to admit their gullibility. Just one victim website, , gets 10,000 hits a day. Plus two dozen messages daily from people who are victims of sextortion; that’s when a person is blackmailed after being persuaded to carry out a sex act on webcam, which is then recorded. Many scams are not a particularly sophisticated form of fraud, and you might think you’re not going to fall for it. So just remember the old adage: if it looks too good to be true or not quite right, it probably is. And if you do decide to ‘take the chance’ of untold riches despite utter improbability, well, step this way because I have a bridge to sell you.
FEATURE
Hooked SCAMMING may be an old trick but it’s still an effective one. If you do get scammed, here are a few simple rules: Drop all contact with the scammer. Don’t try to track them down - remember, the scammer has your real details and possibly compromising information about you. It’s not worth the risk to continue talking to them, and especially not worth confronting them. If you sent cash, there’s no realistic way to get it back; beware the ‘recovery scam’ where the scammer then claims to be an agency able to get the money back, for a fee. Contact the police. Share as many details about the scam as you can to warn others. And a final golden rule to use in the first place: Google everything.
Will Brexit Britain ‘Cinders’ get to the ball or be stopped by her EU ‘stepsisters’ 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
INSPIRED by the #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment, a PR consultant wants the Sleeping Beauty story taken off the curriculum at her son’s school because the non-consensual kiss by the prince who wakes her up has an ‘inappropriate sexual message.’ For goodness sake! What’s the world coming to? For centuries, children have been familiar with this fairy story and haven’t become raving rapists. Soon young people will be so paranoid about kissing they’ll need written consent. Incredible! And what might be banned next? Goldilocks and the Three Bears as she nicks their porridge and abuses their home without their consent? The Tale of the
CONTROVERSIAL: Are fairy tales at risk of being written out of our literary heritage for good? Three Pigs, as the wolf blows down their houses, again without consent? Let alone Little Red Riding Hood, that encourages girls to walk alone through woods and talk to strange wolves... What about old women in pointy hats, living in forests, wanting to cook and eat small children after enticing them with candy? Call the police now, this must be stopped! And, yep, Sleeping Beauty should file charges for having been drugged with that Rohyp-
nol-tipped spindle. As for Cinderella, wearing glass shoes is highly dangerous they could smash. Also, it’s extremely misogynistic about ugly older sisters and defamatory of stepmothers. Incidentally, looked at in a different light, it could also be regarded as an allegory of the UK’s frustrated attempts to get to the ball and away from the constraints of Europe and its 27 stepsisters, er, member states. Brexit fairy tale or Brexit nightmare? Heck, this could mean the end
of the Panto tradition as we know it. All these could be banned: Aladdin, for trespassing in a cave and stealing jewels. Jack and the Beanstalk, the murder of an innocent giant. Babes in the Wood: oh, no way! And don’t get complacent, Famous Five: you’ll be next! In the present climate, when police have warned Christmas party goers to get consent before kissing under the mistletoe otherwise they may be guilty of rape, Prince Charming should wait another 100 years before trying anything on... 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) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.99;£0.99) and iBookstore. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity. columnists@euroweeklynews.com
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FEATURE
14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
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TV Couch Critic SHIRLEY BALLASS, the new head judge on Strictly Come Dancing, (BBC1, weekends) somehow just does not fit into the show. She may be an expert and has all the experience and professionalism to sit in 10-from Len Goodman’s chair, but she lacks charisma, which is the most important part of the job. True, she can shimmy as good as the rest of them, but she gets a lowly three from me I am afraid. The Yorkshire Vet run by former James Herriot trainee George Wright with veterinary partner Julian Norton and their team is worth a look on My5 on various nights. The North Yorkshire town of Thirsk is the setting of this real life All Creatures Great and Small continuation, but be prepared to witness scenes in the operating theatre as well as in the farmyards and barns. Undoubtedly some viewers will not find them overly appealing. I feel EastEnders, BBC1’s flagship soap opera brought in to counter ITV’s Coronation Street dominance years ago, deserves a mention this week. Having not seen an episode since
Strictly’s Shirley is out of step through real lack of charisma WASTE OF SPACE: Greg Wallace.
Martine McCutcheon was mowed down, at first I thought I had stumbled on to The Jeremy Kyle Show given the shouting and arguments, though this appears par for the course since Angie and Den’s famous Christmas ding dong of yesteryear. I feel Albert Square is covered in chewing gum and not gold as Dick Whittington thought. Still, the view-
WRONG FOOTING: Shirley Ballass.
ing figures don’t lie. My own tip for Worst TV Programme Ever goes to Len Goodman’s Partners in Rhyme (BBC1 Saturday). Resurrecting Z listers to help two contestants identify rhymes and mimes; what a total shambles and a real embarrassment as Len ain’t no Brucie, though Strictly definitely needs him. Dec’s ‘he’s a very small man’ put
down for Dennis Wise and himself on I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of Here (ITV nightly) is hilarious. Amir Khan has turned out to be a proper wuss with his girlie screams (though I am anxious he does not know my full identity!) But Toff (the posh one) is a star who smiles through everything and Stanley Johnson with an even posher DNA also comes
51
across as a jolly good egg. Ant and Dec have a plethora of awards under their belt, and watching the quick-witted pair, it is easy to see why. Narrated by the late and great Sir Laurence Olivier, a repeat of World at War (Yesterday) is a timely reminder of the horrors of the Second World War, with black and white film capturing live footage of carnage, coupled with eye witness accounts of what must have been a nightmare. It is good to remind ourselves occasionally just how lucky we are. Meanwhile, Master Chef the Professionals (BBC2) is a mixture of culinary expertise and near nervous breakdowns for some of the victims... sorry competitors. Mainly sous chefs battle it out to create the dish that can make their careers, with triumph and despair in equal measures when judges Marcus Waring and Monica Galetti taste the dishes. But why do some of the competitors submit dishes they have never cooked before, though the greater question for me is what does ex-greengrocer Greg Wallace add to the proceedings? Critique: PM, San Fulgencio, Costa Blanca.
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14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
It’s simple manipulation Mike Senker
In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man I’M not big on social media. I do have a Facebook account just because it’s where my Orthostatic Tremor organisation posts a bit of news. I never post anything on Facebook. I also use Twitter where, I must admit, I do post a few comments. I only follow 100 people and I have a few followers myself. Something I’ve noticed recently is the amount of hate, lies and bullying that goes on there. Katie Hopkins and Donald Trump are two of the worst offenders but I’ve also noticed how it’s used to manipulate simple everyday entertainment shows. Mrs S and I enjoy Strictly Come Dancing and view it as a simple entertainment show. Nothing more and nothing less. Just an hour or so of ‘celebs’ trying to out dance each other. But all of a sudden on Twitter a columnist, from the scummiest of the red tops, has started a hate campaign against one of the celebrity participants - Alexandra Burke - absolutely slaughtering her anyway he can.
My question is why? This is not only on Twitter but in the paper too. Which, of course, is not one I’d read. We also enjoy ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ and this same geezer - his name is Dan Wootton waited until one of the celebs - a young lad called Jack Maynard - was in the show for a couple of days and then exposed something he said three or four years ago and, of course, made sure Jack got booted out. Now, what the kid said wasn’t very nice and it was pretty offensive. My point is tell the producers of the show before he goes in. Don’t wait until he’s in and then make it a big thing on Twitter trying to show how you have exposed this scoop. But it’s what he does. On another note every time I buy something online or book something I do not need emails asking me to fill in a survey or asking if I’m happy with the service I received. Believe me you will know if I’m not. I don’t want to be on your mailing list receiving emails every day about what events are coming up. If they just sent me something every couple of months maybe I wouldn’t unsubscribe or delete them the instant I see who they are from. By the way, if you want to follow me on Twitter, I’m @silverfox1949xx or email columnists@euroweeklynews.com
mikesenker@gmail.com.
www.euroweeklynews.com
FEATURE
LEGALLY SPEAKING Carrying a load 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.
LOADING THE BOOT: Heavy items must be secured. “COULD you please clarify for me the rules regarding what (if anything) you are allowed to carry on the rear seats of the car? I have heard so many conflicting stories. Thanks.” If you are driving a vehicle that is carrying a load in the car, you have to make sure that the load is restrained properly. Load restraint is not just about making sure that the load does not come off - it is also about making sure that the load does not shift in a way that makes the vehicle unsafe to handle or allows the load to crash into the driver’s cabin, which may cause injury or death. Please restrain the load properly, if you have a traffic accident, you could have serious injuries caused by the load you carry. The Spanish Traffic Law requires that any load carried on or in your vehicle must: 1. Not be placed in a way that makes your vehicle unstable or unsafe.
2. Be secured so it won’t move or fall from your vehicle while driving - including driving consisting of emergency braking or turning suddenly. 3. Not project from your vehicle in a way that is likely to injure a person, obstruct the path of other drivers or pedestrians, or damage another vehicle or anything else. 4. Be restrained using an appropriate load restraint method. Anything on the back seats must be secured with seat belt. What objects can you carry in your vehicle? Do you take any security measure when you carry them? It is advisable to not carry anything in the car, please use the boot. In case you need to carry load in the vehicle, use the seat belt to secure the load, and if you carry heavy things, use a car net, it is forbidden to carry a heavy load without a load restraint net.
For more news and articles visit www.n332.es or search N332 on Facebook.
Reinvest full price in EU home In your article in EWN of 30 November, about Capital Gains Tax relief on selling your principal residence, you omitted to mention that homeowners resident in Spain can also be exempt from CGT on selling their main residence in Spain if they purchase a new residence anywhere in the European Union, not only in Spain. It seems to be a little known change of tax legislation. Many estate agents and even tax consultants seem ignorant of it. W E (Costa Blanca) You are quite right, on both counts. If a homeowner residing in Spain sells his main residence here and uses all of the proceeds of the sale to purchase a new home in Spain or in another EU
David Searl You and the Law in Spain
country, he can be completely exempt from Spanish Capital Gains Tax. Imagine a German on the Costa Blan-
ca who wants to return home to Germany. He sells up in Spain and buys a new home in Germany. He will be free of CGT if he uses all the money for the purchase. If he reinvests only half the price, he will get half off his CGT.
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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E W N 14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
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Quick
Across 1 Supervisor set off to part of hospital (7) 5 Subject to constant cold (5) 8 Come to Korea, Chinese part (5) 9 American state or a Nazi atrocity? (7) 10 English paella is cooked with beer (4,3) 11 Trouble returns in pirates’ pub (5) 12 Give up work and go to bed (6) 14 Painful bid (6) 17 Virginia rented a personal assistant (5) 19 Bit of a stir on in garment pressing (7) 21 Plague cures go wrong (7) 22 Evade hotel boundary (5) 23 Treats dossiers, no sir (5) 24 Having funds that are liquid (7)
7 Idle talk about milliner (7) 12 Verse I’d composed is updated (7) 13 Rotters breaking glass vessels in the lab (7) 15 Contents of woodwind lessons diminish (7)
Code Breaker
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION FACING PAGE
16 Hoarders appearing in film is erstwhile (6) 18 Cats are kept in bullion safe (5) 20 Hotel customer speculated out loud (5) 22 Little Henry was perfectly healthy until the engineer left (3)
Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 12 represents P and 22 represents Z, so fill in P every time the figure 12 appears and Z every time the figure 22 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 Undress for Saturday outing (5) 2 Eastern apostle and French decoration (7) 3 Cinders has changed (3) 4 Doctor copies curtains (6) 5 Roman official melody about a bone (7) 6 Phosphorus is put on many bits of land (5)
TIME
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Across 1 Potato (4) 4 Feel physical pain (4) 6 See 15 7 Fail to hit (4) 8 Knocks softly (4) 9 Prosecute at law (3) 10 Have a desire for (4) 11 Move about aimlessly (4) 12 SI unit of electrical resistance (3) 13 South American country (4)
14 Slightly open (4) 15/6 Begin a trip (3,3) 16 Surrender (4) 17 Conceal (4) Down 2 Special benefit (9) 3 Cheap lodging accommodation (9) 4 Consequences of an event (9) 5 Random (9)
English - Spanish
Across 1 Gusto (sentido) (5) 4 Tornillo (en punta) (5) 10 Entrar (5) 11 Milagro (7) 12 Options (8) 13 Tazas (4) 15 El más seco (6) 17 Museo (6) 19 Tripulación (aeronáutica y náutica) (4) 20 Skating (8)
The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.
23 To chat (7) 24 Acontecimiento (5) 25 To hate (5) 26 To be (5) Down 2 Desván (5) 3 Tortuga (8) 5 Expensive (4) 6 Plug (electrical) (7) 7 Cuckoo clock (5,2,4) 8 Ámbar (5)
9 Thought (11) 14 Negocios (8) 16 Islandia (7) 18 Llevar (5) 21 Sand (5) 22 Dawn (4)
LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
2
32
37
39
46
54
IRISH LOTTO Saturday December 09
‘ FORGET ROCKET TESTS AND SMOKING VOLCANOES, LET US GO THIS WAY AND ENJOY THE BEAUTIFUL FESTIVE LIGHTS OF MALAGA... ’
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.
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 L) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.
5
13
15
23
36
45
BONUS BALL
28
Tuesday December 05
BONUS BALL
36
43
2
TARGET: • Average: 13 • Good: 18
• Very good: 25 • Excellent: 33
7
48
44
Friday December 08
BONUS BALL
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
4
alit gait ghat gilt halt hilt lath lilt malt math milt path phat pita pith plat tail tall tamp till lathi light might plait alight plight lamplit LAMPLIGHT
22
30
4
EL MILLON: TPH75102 LA PRIMITIVA
Sudoku
Thursday November 07
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.
1
3
4
7
14
45
This month, there is much to be celebrated. So much has happened in the latter part of the year. Certainly, congratulations are in order. When you have made such an effort and are rewarded for it, the satisfaction level is high. Be aware, though, that someone close also needs to feel that there is progress.
BONUS BALL
18 6
ARIES (March 21 - April 20) The importance of making the right choices is clear to you. Where to begin seems to be a sticking point. Starting by taking away the things you really do not want is essential. Be practical and logical. This is not a time for sentiment or muddled thinking. Although you will need patience in abundance as the week progresses, take one thing at a time.
JOKER: 6 681 262 Saturday December 09
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
5
32
BONUS BALL
33
34
47
40
38
2
JOKER: 2 933 861 EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA Sunday December 10
1
3 11
8 49
ENGLISH-SPANISH
CRYPTIC
Across:
Across:
Across:
1 Pulsera, 5 Start, 8 Lobster, 9 Niece, 10 Spoon, 11 Iceland, 12 Anchoa, 14 Greedy, 17 Pasillo, 19 Sheep, 22 Ready, 23 Earlier, 24 Roads, 25 Showers.
1 Rosette, 5 Bails, 8 Lupin, 9 Agitate, 10 Ethos, 11 Align, 12 Force, 14 Pepsi, 19 Debut, 21 Ledge, 23 Interns, 24 Adieu, 25 Tense, 26 Senegal.
1 Recover, 7 Orchestra, 8 Cost, 9 Unit, 11 Primitive, 12 Replies.
Down:
Down: 1 Relish, 2 Supremo, 3 Tench, 4 Elapse, 5 Brigade, 6 Iraqi, 7 Steins, 13 Coterie, 15 Seeking, 16 Adrift, 17 Blasts, 18 Ritual, 20 Baton, 22 Drain.
QUICK
Down: 2 Excessive, 3 Obey, 4 Extensive, 5 Concept, 6 Partner, 10 Bill.
CODE BREAKER
TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Although you have the feeling that younger members of the family are not interested in your point of view, this is far off the mark. They, in their inexperience, may not know how best to approach you in this regard. Getting out family photos or starting a family tree with them can be both entertaining and fascinating.
LEO (July 24 - August 23) Going over old ground is counterproductive. There is nothing to be gained from repeating methods that did not work in the past. If it is not possible to find a fresh approach then seek the opinions of others. You do not need experience of a situation to be able to come up with a useful idea. Staying in the same old rut has not served you in the past and will not do so now.
VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Getting together with others to entertain is sure to be successful after the 26th. Before that there may be some irritations, particularly with people who refuse to be positive and make decisions. Those moving house or going on a journey need a lot of patience, and forward planning is essential.
LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) This is an important week for both your physical health and your mental well-being. Because of things beyond your control, you may have let your diet or exercise slip. Having sorted out any problems that side-tracked you, there is a need to be particularly strong.
SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) This is a week to let yourself be heard. Be it writing letters, sending emails, making phone calls or making conversation, you must express yourself. Being honest and outspoken need not mean upsetting people. Think of the way that a child gets its point over.
BONUS BALL
5
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS
1 Pills, 2 Libro, 3 Estanco, 4 Afraid, 5 Since, 6 Average, 7 Tuesday, 12 Aspirar, 13 Cascada, 15 Rosario, 16 Voters, 18 Leyes, 20 Exile, 21 Peras.
When it comes to throwing wobblers, please don't. It is so important this week to stay cool and unruffled. Change nothing that you can avoid changing. Even having discussions about change can set your nerves jangling.
3
34
32
AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)
PISCES (February 20 - March 20)
EURO MILLIONS
11
YOUR STARS
BONUS BALL
19
Nonagram
55
FOR NEXT 7 DAYS
Saturday December 09
Kakuro
EWN
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MADDOCKS’
OUT
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KAKURO
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) The prospect of travel sets you thinking. Have you been spending too much time considering others? Should you take steps now to get time alone then these plans cannot be changed. This will save any discussions as to how or when.
CANCER (June 22 - July 23) With the best will in the world it is only possible to spend money once. We are all guilty of trying to get over this truth, but it never works. Have patience when looking to improve your possessions. There are more pressing needs and these, in the long run, prove more satisfying.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Having problems with that new computer? Fallen foul of the new mobile phone? That wouldn't be surprising this week. As you are prone to mistakes and misunderstandings, try not to tackle anything vital. Be sure to get plenty of sleep and fresh air.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) You are in for a bit of a bumpy ride this week. Some things will go well but other outcomes can be quirky. People change their minds, technology doesn't work, phone calls don't come. Be assured, however, that if you keep your sense of the absurd it could all be quite amusing.
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14 - 20 December 2017 / Costa de Almería
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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.
Seagulls are not the problem SIR, To Mr P Cornwall (EWN, November 11, 2017). You must be kidding. You present the seagulls as public enemy number one. You call them ‘flying rats’ and ‘horrible birds.’ Don’t you think you’ve seen Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ too many times? If you are proposing to murder them then you are not kidding. Think a little: we can frighten them, move them away, stop violating the environment so that these animals could return to their natural habitats. Or are we going to cut the trees because some fruits fall on our heads? Dry the sea because it sometimes causes damage to the coasts? Destroy the sun because it causes skin burns? Shoot the EWN readers who like the seagulls? There are no ‘horrible birds.’ There are birds. We share the planet with them but we have not worried about respecting nature. These seagulls now return, in some way, the damage we have done to Mother Nature. Who is the real menace? The birds that no longer have places to find food
HAVE YOUR SAY
or we, who believe we have the right to exploit, usufruct and damage the world? Love, peace and reason. Jose Manuel Fernandez Santana, address withheld
Customer care all important AT this time of year when unwanted gifts are often received I am happy that in Spain nowadays there appears to be new marketing re-think whereby more local shops agree to exchange purchases. When I lived in the UK more than 40 years ago Marks and Spencer’s had an enviable reputation as a concern always willing to exchange purchases for customers as long as they were returned undamaged and with a receipt. But this policy at that time definitely did not extend to the majority of shops. Move forward to the end of 2017 and to Spain, and I have increasingly found in recent years more shops
Calling card SENSIBLE RETURNS POLICY: Shoppers in Benidorm. happy to exchange items, and at times surprisingly so. Last week my wife even returned a pair of shoes, and the shop happily exchanged them for a different colour and size... even though she had worn them one night (admittedly on carpeted floors... but she told the assistant they had been worn (even though the soles did not identify with the fact).
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.
And a neighbour happily recalled that she had received total satisfaction from Lidl recently when returning a garment that did not fit perfectly by merely producing the receipt and returning the item in its box within 30 days. Such businesses deserve praise, along with the likelihood of swelling sales thanks to all-important customer care. C Power, Huercal-Overa
Readers who have missed correspondence can see all letters - which can be edited before publication - posted on: www.euroweeklynews.com.
Lorry driver dies after crashing onto beach RIP driver, but people mention it’s an accident blackspot but what is wrong with the road? I drive up and down that road all the time and have done in all weathers but to me there’s nothing actually wrong with that part of the road. Adam Brown Road’s fine, they drive too fast and disregard the suggested speed reduction signs... Matt Silver No judgement intended and of course no one should die, but I think the lorries in particular go into the bend too fast and when they break it just jack knives and goes over onto the beach. I’ve lost count of the number of accidents there over the years, all unfortunately involving lorries. Let’s hope they come up with something. Anne-Marie Nyberg Savastano I think they made a mistake lowering the limit along the whole section between Fuengirola and Marbella. Before at least people not familiar with the road could sense some dangerous section approaching when the speed limit dropped. Now they’ve been numbed by the time they reach tricky spots. Speed limit is fine there, but you often see lorries ignoring it. Jurgen Imschoot How many more people will be injured or die before they remove the ridiculous tolls on the motorway? Peter Courtney
Comments from EWN online Brexit ‘really is a shambles’ Yes. We should walk away and see if the EU shoot themselves in the foot by imposing stupid tariffs on imports from the UK. I can’t see German and French industry letting that happen. They have just as much to lose as the UK does. Their ‘negotiating’ stance (aka bullying) is the reason we find ourselves in this mess to start with. Andy Funnell I think the government are trying to negotiate with an EU who do not want to negotiate. They really don’t want us to go and will try anything to delay negotiations in the hope that Brexit will go away. Who will fill the huge financial hole when the UK are gone? Looks increasingly more likely that we will leave with no settlement which will harm EU countries more than it will the UK. Roll on 2019. John Grieve In one word ... NO. Don’t think they have any idea what to do to be honest. They didn’t have a
plan at the start and they don’t have one now. It takes two parties at least to negotiate and in this case a lot more. Needed for everyone to get round a table at the very start rather than putting it off and upsetting all and sundry since. Moira Armitage
No white Christmas for drug dealers in southern Spain That’s good. Might actually be able to walk down a busy street at night without every Tom, Dick and Harry offering to sell drugs when I’m on holiday in Spain. Neil Hilton Butchers Great news!!!! Audrey Carr
Two Malaga hospitals named among the best in Spain Brilliant hospital, they totally deserve that award. After spending six days in there cannot fault them. Kind and professional I felt totally safe. Michelle Johnstone Best hospital abroad. Saved my husband’s life! Cathy Ransome
SPARE a thought before you abandon the idea of sending a printed Christmas card to your family or friends due to the recent changes at the Post Office and send an email greeting instead. Although having a printed card from a loved one on the mantlepiece at home is not quite as good as them being with you in person, it sure as hell beats printing out an email to stick to the walls. Edwin Cheeseman, Javea
Sorry state MOST people worth their salt might issue an apology or retraction when they have been found to commit to print a falsehood which perpetuates a misunderstanding. Not so Leapy Lee, who brushes aside his blunder as a ‘completely innocuous EU gaffe’ and considers correction to be ‘vitriolic spitting’ by ‘sad sacks’ and ‘jowl juggling vultures.’ He consoles himself though with his ‘thousands of wonderful like-minded readers,’ who he must assume to be also ill-informed. But as I said... most people worth their salt... Elaine, Torremolinos
Final word NO, No, No. Please don’t publish the answers to the puzzles in the same issue! What’s the point in attempting the cryptic crossword deciding you can’t solve a clue and just giving up and looking at the answer! There are plenty of inferior free papers that supply answers in the same issue, so let’s keep these puzzles a challenge. Stewart, Torrevieja
Lotto plea YOUR weekly newspaper is the best of the bunch, but I request an improvement to be considered for the thousands of lottery ticket buyers. There are two weekly La Primitiva draws but you only give results for one, and the Euro Millions tickets now carry numbers that are for a Spain-only million Euro prize. Can you include both in the Lottery section of Time Out please Name and address withheld Editor’s note: The lottery winning details have now been expanded.
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14 - 20 December 2017
Costa de Almería
V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E W W W. E U R O W E E K LY N E W S . C O M
TO READ MORE
HEALTH BEAUTY
&
Load up the medicine cabinet A PHARMACIST has revealed the six over-thecounter medicines you need to survive winter. Rita Ghelani of Netdoctor has explained the best remedies for common complaints including indigestion and diarrhoea, hangovers, and heartburn. The expert recommends keeping anti-diarrhoea medicine in your cabinet in case food poisoning or an upset stomach strikes over the festive period. Rita also suggests stocking rehydration tablets to restore your body’s hydration, salt and sugar levels after your illness. If you suffer from indigestion after a heavy Christmas meal, she recommends antacid tablets. If these do not cure your heartburn though, Rita says you should ask your pharmacist for a specific medication to reduce the production of acid in your stomach. She adds aspirin or paracetamol will help reduce any pain associated with the conditions. For common colds and the flu, the pharmacist says you
should use non-prescription medicines combining a painkiller and decongestant as these will help relive high temperatures and a runny nose. Rita also recommends using steam inhalation and a eucalyptus-based oil to decongest your airways. Simply add a few drops of your preferred oil to a bowl of hot water, place a towel over your head and lean over the bowl. For hangovers - a staple of the Christmas party season - she suggests taking soluble vitamin tablets including vitamin B to increase energy levels, paracetamol to reduce pain and milk thistle, which may help restore liver function. Finally, Rita recommends keeping a first aid kit in your medicine cabinet in case of burns or cuts over the festive period as well as stocking up on any prescription medication before pharmacies close over Christmas.
SORE SPOT: There are many precautions you can take to keep your throat healthy.
Feeling hoarse?
HAPPY PILLS: Make sure your medicine cabinet is stocked up this winter.
IF you are prone to a sore throat you will be more than aware winter can make symptoms worse than normal. No one likes losing their voice or being in pain, especially over Christmas. Thankfully, one publication has spoken to an ear, nose and throat expert to get the best tips on treating the complaint. Alasdair Mace, a consultant at Charing Cross and St Mary’s Hospitals in London, explained, “95 per cent of sore throats are viral, and don’t respond to antibiotics, but the good news is that they will usually get better within a few days, or a week,” adding, “you can often tell by looking at the back of your throat using a torch and a mirror. If it’s very red and swollen, it’s most likely a virus.” Mr Mace said, “any sign of yellow gunk or white spots indicates a bacterial infection.
Those white spots are colonies of bacteria, just like the ones that are grown in petri dish in laboratories.” The expert adds, “in both cases, it is important to stay hydrated as mucus and saliva help protect the throat,” explaining, “a humidifier will help counteract the drying effect of central heating, or simply drape a damp towel over a radiator, it will have the same effect.” Mr Mace concludes the best ways to treat the ailment at home are eating vitamin C rich foods like oranges, gargling with salt water to loosen mucus and drinking tea to sooth your throat. Mr Mace recommends avoiding alcoholic drinks like hot toddies as these will dehydrate you, as well as smoking or speaking too much. Finally, he says it is important to avoid aspirin as this can lower your immune response.
HEALTH & BEAUTY
Ask The Doctor
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Dealing with a frozen shoulder
GOOD GRUB: Encouraging children to eat the same food as you may help them eat healthier.
No tantrums this Christmas Having grandchildren to stay this Christmas? SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte. What is frozen shoulder? Frozen shoulder is a condition in which the muscles and ligaments of the shoulder hurt and lose movement due to inflammation. What can cause it? The capsule of the shoulder joint has ligaments attaching the shoulder bones to each other. When inflammation of the capsule occurs, these bones are unable to move freely in the joint. Most of the time, there is no cause for inflammation. Risk factors include: diabetes, thyroid disorders, menopause, previous shoulder injury, previous shoulder surgery, cervical disc disease, etc. What is the best course of treatment to follow? Treatment should be started with anti-inflammatories and painkillers, along with applying heat to the affected area. If this is not enough, injections can be done to reduce the symptoms. Physical therapy often improves stiffness and
pain. In certain cases, surgery is necessary. How long does recovery take? The recovery can last several months, often requiring treatment with pills, injections and rehabilitation for a long time. What are some general tips for muscle injuries? When any type of injury occurs in which joints such as the shoulder are affected due to the injury of the surrounding muscles and tendons, it is necessary to visit a specialist in the human musculoskeletal system as well as consulting with a physiotherapist. Adequate and timely treatment can often prevent complications such as full limb stiffness, which limits mobility, as well as avoiding more aggressive treatments. Physical therapy is one of the most important elements in this disease since the strengthening of the shoulder joint helps a prompt and successful recovery.
If you have any questions for Dr Perez Belmonte, please send them to: jefemedico@helicopterossanitarios.com
IF you are having young children at your home over the festive period, there’s a good chance there will be something on the menu they won’t like. Whether it’s vegetables, soups or seafood, children can often be picky eaters. But rather than creating a whole new menu for your younger guests, why not follow expert advice and encourage children to eat the same foods as you? Nutrition professors Kathryn Walton and Jess Haines have spoken to one publication sharing their tops tips for a harmonious Christmas meal. The experts explain children aged around four are starting to develop a sense of independence and will often have strong opinions about which foods they like and dislike. They say, “rather than viewing children as non-compliant, we can recognise this show of independence at mealtimes as completely appropriate for their age,” instead focusing energy on making sure children eat more of the healthy foods they do like rather than insisting on more bites of something they don’t. Kathryn and Jess explain research shows the most effective way of encouraging children to eat foods they
might dislike - such as vegetables - is to expose them to the food every day, offer non-food rewards (like stickers) for trying something
new, and eating the same foods alongside them. Finally, they also suggest asking a child for their input before going food shopping
or preparing a meal, giving them a small amount of control over their preferences without changing your whole meal to suit them.
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FEATURE
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! 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.
AMERICA, full of radio stations and TV networks always selects just one song to play over and over to connote Christmas. That’s alright I guess, but it could become a bit tiresome. Well, not this year. It’s that wonderful song in the title and a must to hear every Christmas. OK. I am partial. The man that wrote that song comes from Iowa where the winters are dark, full of snow and it truly is a lonesome winter. Iowa is low on fiestas, getting up and having fun, so it’s either your birthday or Christmas for letting your hair down. Being strict Methodists we were allowed a tiny shot of wine which had to be watered down by at least a full bottle of 7 Up for the night before Christmas meal. All the office gang used to come over and drink high balls (7 Up with whisky) and talk about nothing else other than the antics of Frank
SONGWRITER AND SINGER: Meredith Willson (left) and Perry Como. Sinatra, Dean Martin and the gang in Las Vegas, a distant place none had ever visited nor quite knew where it lurked. Every outrageous act the Rat Pack committed on stage or off was recalled vividly by each visitor. If the party got wild enough and my mother was busy enough handing out cookies and other treats they’d
slip my father a high ball and he would smile for the first time since last year’s Christmas Eve. If he had enough of them he’d do that party trick that made him famous all over north Iowa, he would add all the telephone numbers on a full page in less than 30 seconds and was never wrong. If he had a second drink he
couldn’t say his name. He never told a joke or talked about Frank Sinatra either. But it was the music that made Christmas for us kids. Loud and clear. I liked memorising the words. White Christmas was my favourite. The argument on the house floor with the office group was whether Bing was a crooner or a singer. But
as years passed the entire house, guests and kids favoured the song It’s Beginning to look a lot like Christmas as it was written by one of the town’s native sons, Meridith Willson (who also had a hit on the Beatles’ first album) released in the states. He had two musicals, 76 Trombones and the Unsinkable Molly Brown. Although the song was penned back in 1951 it didn’t get real airtime play until about 1956 when I was 10. Twenty years later it hit the national charts with Perry Como and Johnny Mathis making hits of the song and finally crossed the pond. In any case it brought warmth and comfort to those bleak winter months contemplating toys around the tree and seeing good friends again. Many of us find ourselves distant from our children and naturally not in the proper Christmas spirit, so, those of you blessed with children this holiday you’ll have to get the tree up and all the details hung properly for us. Plenty of music too. Make it look a lot like Christmas.
Travel
TORTURE MUSEUM: One of the more unusual museums on offer in the village. By Jean Goulding WE recently ventured inland from Benidorm to the Algar Waterfalls. This week, we travelled just a few minutes further to the delightful village of El Castell de Guadalest, usually known simply as Guadalest. This picturesque village was a strategic military stronghold and has a long history dating back to the period of Moorish occupation in Spain. The village grew around the castle’s fortress with the population originally living within the castle walls. It retains its small population of just hundreds of people living there, but it attracts over a million visitors each year and is reportedly one of the most visited municipalities in Spain with the Castell de Guadalest,
PERFECT IDYLL: Guadalest offers a pretty escape from the madding crowds on the coast.
Seeing is believing in gorgeous Guadalest perched upon its rock and the turquoise waters of the reservoir amongst the most visited and photographed. Whilst clearly targeting tourists with its array of souvenir shops and cafés, its whitewashed ancient streets are still a delight to meander through as you head through the castle gates. Guadalest is now also known for its eclectic mix of museums including the micro-miniatures museum where you can see some of the best micro artwork in the world including the Statue of Liberty inside the eye of the needle. There is the Belen and Dolls House Museum and the Casa
Orduña Municipal Museum which was built after the great earthquake of 1644. Perhaps something a little more unusual is the Salt and Pepper Museum which has more than 20,000 original piece from all over the world. It is reported the museum in Guadalest is only the second such museum with the other salt and pepper museum being in Tennessee in the USA. For those with a more morbid fascination for torture, head to the Medieval Historical Museum, home to more than 70 pieces of torture instruments and capital punishment. For those wanting to get round them all, visitors will be pleased to
know that most are open throughout the day in the summer and do not close for siesta. If you are wanting to explore the area a little further, take in its natural, breathtaking beauty and go for hikes and bicycle rides. There are a number of small guest houses in the heart of the village and just outside, and of course bustling Benidorm is just a half hour’s drive away so for those wanting the best of both worlds, Guadalest makes an ideal idyll away from the busy coastline. For more information visit the official Guadalest tourism website at www.guadalest.es.
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Update on food, drink, entertainments, what’s on and weekly happenings
A very jazzy Christmas JAZZ and Christmas are unusual bedfellows but Classijazz in Almeria City is doing its best to combine good music with festive cheer. One of Spain’s premier jazz institutions, Classijazz is offering a packed winter schedule for Almeria music lovers looking for something a little different. Next Thursday, December 21, is the Christmassy ‘Night of Peace, Night of Music’ evening at the club. Works from Brahms, Rodrigo, Ravel, and Chadwick will be given a light festive and jazz makeover courtesy of teachers from Almeria music conservatory the RCPMA. On piano will be Pablo Mazuecos. The concert takes place at the Classijazz home venue at Maestro Serrano 9 from 10-11pm. Tickets cost €5. The following Friday, December 22, Isabel Casanova will be performing children’s songs with her Sleepy Bird
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Cool culture New festival planned
JAZZY WONDERLAND: Christmas themes at Classijazz. Band from 7-8pm. The singersongwriter will be accompanied by famed Almerian jazz guitarist Antonio Gomez. Again tickets are priced at just €5. A week later on Friday De-
cember 29 there will be two concerts before the venue wraps up for the holidays. From 89pm two young dancers from Almeria will perform classic Spanish dances with flamenco
and Don Quixote themes. Then, from 9.30-11pm the Mar de Alboran Horn Quintet will take centre stage with trumpet inspired renditions of Mozart and Christmas classics.
A NEW music and cultural festival has been given the green light to make its debut in Almeria. CoolturalFest will take place in the city from August 17 to 19 next year. Far from the typical music festival, CoolturalFest will be spread out in different locations. Concerts will take place on the beach and in the city centre. The timing has been specially selected to coincide with the Almeria Fair, meaning the city will be a hotbed of music, food, culture and activity for weeks. The main CoolturalFest stage will be at the Almeria fairgrounds. They were converted into a mini-stadium last year and have a capacity for 12,000 people. The beach stage will be on the Paseo Maritimo de Almeria. Already confirmed acts include rockers Izal, famed Spanish pop singer Ivan Ferreiro, and folk outfit The Wonderful Orchestra of Alcohol. Other acts include Rufus T Firefly, Sexy Zebras, and local band Nixon. Tickets for CoolturalFest are already available online at the festival’s website (www.coolutralfest. com). Single day passes have a launch price of €27.
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Photo credit Facebook
SOCIAL SCENE
BOOK WORMS: Readers invited to help spread literacy.
Book mobile fundraiser VILLAESPESA, the public library of Almeria, is requesting book donations for a mobile library project that will tour southern India promoting literacy among poor children. They will also be selling books to the public at a charity street market to raise funds for the Bibliobus Anantapur solidarity project. The book market opened on Monday and will remain in the library hall until Thursday December 21. Books will cost €1, €3, €5, or €10 and the market is open to all members of the public. Also at the library there will be talks on what
BACCHUS CELLAR
can be done to help alleviate extreme poverty in India’s Anantapur region. On Monday at 6pm there will be children’s workshops exploring Indian culture. On Tuesday evening students and teachers from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Almeria will perform Christmas hits from the auditorium free of charge from 7.30pm. All funds raised will go to the mobile library in India, which will target schoolchildren and women from rural areas with virtually no access to technology.
Sparkling success
by Lorenzo Barbareschi CONTINUING in the festive mood, Prosecco is an Italian white wine named after a village near Trieste and produced in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. First mention of the name is attributed to the British explorer Fynes Moryson, when he visited Italy in 1593. The most popular Prosecco is spumante (sparkling), but there is also frizzante (semi-sparkling), and the rarely exported tranquillo (still). Depending on sweetness, Proseccos are labelled Brut, Extra Dry or Dry. Prosecco is made from Glera grapes, but up to 15 per cent of other grapes may be included, including Verdiso, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir. The bulk of
PROSECCO: An aperitif. Prosecco DOC is grown on low-lying plains, while the higher quality Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore DOCG is produced exclusively in a small area on hillside vineyards. Growing in popularity over the last 40 years, Prosecco exports have been increasing by double-digit percentages since 1998. Approximately 150 million bottles are produced annually, with the UK the biggest importer consuming 25 per cent of all production.
Unlike Champagne, Prosecco is produced using the Charmat-Martinotti method, in which the secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks instead of in the bottle Served chilled it should be drunk preferably within three years of its vintage, with only exceptional quality bottles aged longer. Meant to taste fresh and light, its aromatic and crisp flavour brings apple, pear, peach and apricot to mind. Prosecco is usually drunk as an aperitif, but Brut can be paired with Parma, mild cheeses, sushi, seafood and dim sum, while the extra dry goes well with Panettone, sponge cakes, macaroons, mousses and parfaits. It can also be used in cocktails including Bellini plus Spritz, and substitute Champagne in the Mimosa. Cin cin and happy tasting!
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SOCIAL SCENE
Local art Pirates and fairies collective Peter Pan in town led by Graciana Peralta. They comprise around 20 artists and have contributed more than 50 pieces for public viewing. All are personal expressions from the artists, with no overarching theme other than a love for art itself. Entrance is free. Mojacar’s Culture councillor Raquel Belmonte has said the town hall encourages all local art groups to come forward and offer their talent and vision to the public.
IT wouldn’t be Christmas without Peter Pan. Fortunately for Almeria residents, Peter Pan: The Musical is coming to the province on Saturday December 23. This particular tour group, Theater Properties, has performed more than 3,600 times across the world and been watched by more than 3.5 million spectators. They have toured Spain for over a decade with long seasons in Madrid and Barcelona and even stints on London’s West End and throughout South America. Now Peter Pan: The Musical is
NEVERLAND: Peter Pan’s adventures coming to Roquetas.
coming to the Roquetas Auditorium for a live performance of the show which has captivated children and earned rave reviews from critics. There will be two performances one at 5pm and one at 7.30pm and tickets can be purchased from around €20 online through the Roquetas Auditorium website. Children under two have free entrance. With just one evening of perfor-
mances, tickets for Peter Pan: The Musical are expected to sell fast so residents and visitors with excitable small children would be advised to get theirs early. Those with a slightly more adult taste only have to wait until January for a major spectacle at one of Almeria’s biggest auditoriums. On Saturday January 13 the Film Symphony Orchestra are taking the stage to perform big band renditions of classic film soundtracks, including Star Wars, Tombstone, and Casablanca.
Photo credit Theatre Properties
ART lovers are being treated to a Christmas exhibition at Mojacar’s La Fuente Art Centre. The Amigos de la Pintura exhibit opened at the beginning of the month. It will conclude on New Year’s Eve and can be viewed on Tuesday to Friday from 9am until 1pm. On Saturday and Sunday the exhibit is open from 10am until 1pm. Amigos de la Pintura is a Garrucha-based art collective
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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS
SILESTONE SEDUCTION: Crawford is brand ambassador for Cantoria company. SUPERMODEL Cindy Crawford was the star of a live event held by Cantoria-based company Cosentino. The firm, world famous for its quartz kitchen counters, organised the glamorous event in Miami Beach to celebrate its new headquarters in the Florida city. The event showcased Cosentino’s Silestone brand of kitchen design, of which Crawford is a global ambassador. It was the third event the iconic model, aged 51, has participated in with the Cosentino group. She discussed all things food with Spanish chef Jose Andres who is hugely popular in the
Touch of glamour Big night in Miami United States and owns restaurants scattered around the country, including in Miami. The public relations event showcased Silestone kitchen tops and had Crawford gushing over their design before the guests enjoyed a Spanish-influenced dinner with tequila. Eduardo Cosentino, executive North American director for the family business was al-
so there. The group recently invested more than €2 million in setting up its North American headquarters in Miami. Meanwhile Miami’s first lady, Ana Cristina Carrodeguas, visited Almeria. She is the wife of Mayor Tomas Regalado, who handed over the keys to the city to Cosentino chief Francisco Martinez Cosentino. On a business, personal and
fact-finding mission to the province, the first lady said Miami and Almeria were connected by their Hispanic roots and cuisine. She described Almeria as a mirror of Miami with its warm climate and people and said she was fascinated by its position as the ‘Hollywood of Spain.’ With the new Miami connection Cosentino now has factories in 32 countries and distributes its design products in 80. The group’s turnover is expected to surpass €1 billion this year. Its other major global ambassador is tennis star Rafael Nadal.
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Tap trouble MORE than €150,000 will be invested in improving Olula del Rio’s water supply. Old supply pipes are being renovated to prevent future leaks and pressure overloads. The works will take several months and focus on the Europa urbanisation, especially around Calle Belgica, Calle Hollanda, Calle Inglaterra and Avenida de Portugal. Olula mayor Antonio Martinez visited the project alongside Almeria Province development deputy Oscar Liria. Both said the works will help protect residents from future supply cuts in what has been a troublesome area. Liria said the repairs were part of a €28.2 million project across the province to combat water cuts and improve quality.
Photo by Ayuntamiento de Albox
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ECO ZONE: Green space plotted for Albox community.
Breath of fresh air V ISITO R S a nd re s ide nts driving into Albox will be greeted with a traditional oil mill on the La M ola ta roundabout. It has been donated to the town by local businessman Agustin Carmona Jimenez. Receiving the gift, Albox mayor Francisco Torrecillas said the oil mill was the legacy of many generations of Al-
bojenses who have extracted olive oil for centuries. It is a symbolic representation of the town, said Torrecillas, that will proudly welcome residents and guests. Torrecillas also announced that major progress is being made on the new green zone planned for Avenida America. Dozens of trees have been planted to form a perimeter
around the new park. They are of different sizes and species and part of a grander plan to make the area the ‘lungs of Albox’ said the mayor. Work has also begun on a small pond with a walkway and a children’s play park. The new park is expected to be completed in time for spring.
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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS
Heroes every day HUNDREDS of Red Cross volunteers attended a special meeting held at the Macael theatre. They came from Mojacar, Roquetas, Vera, Pulpi, Adra, El Ejido and Macael, which all boast local branches of the Spanish Red Cross. Roughly 120 volunteers discussed new ways of working together, developing a Red Cross social life outside of the workplace, volunteer exchanges, and new techniques on helping those in need. Local president of the Red Cross, Maria Dolores Cruz, was in attendance, as was Macael mayor Raul Martinez Requejo. They awarded volunteers who had made an outstanding contribution to the NGO in its projects over the past year. At the meeting some of the most pressing problems and contributions of the Red Cross were laid bare. The province’s 1,800 active volunteers helped treated more
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LOCAL HEROES: Red Cross volunteers make all the difference. than 4,000 migrants who arrived by boat, 5,300 vulnerable children and young people, 5,200 senior citizens, and 5,600 unemployed. The NGO has recently expressed concerns that there
are inadequate resources to cope with the volume of migrants arriving each day. Volunteers also visited the famous Macael quarries, local museum, and Los Leones fountain.
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Grupo Platinum Estates, your local Estate Agency featured on UK TV’s A Place in the Sun, doing what we do best CH I L DHOOD swe ethear t s T h o m a s a n d Doreen from Sunderland had b e e n d r e a m i n g o f owning a holiday home in Spain since their first ann i v e r sa r y h e r e 3 9 years ago. “AMAZING!!! Everything we wished for and more, thank you so much x” Doreen and Tommy. It was a pleasure to assist them. Our job is not as easy as people think, however, the aim for the business is to provide a service seco n d t o n o n e , f o r v en d o rs a n d p u rchasers alike. We understand that dedication and hard work is essential in this quick changing market. We are pleased to have gained a well-earned reputation for offering a quality service. If you are looking to buy a property in the area you can be guaranteed an honest and friendly service from a team who will
our variety of websites, we speak seven languages, use sales portals in many different countries as well as in local publications, including TV and radio. We have a long list of clients of all nationalities with various budgets, looking for their perfect home in the sun.
You can be guaranteed an honest and friendly service from our team. SWEETHEARTS: Thomas and Doreen. be with you every step of the way during the buying process and beyond! Keen to offer the whole package, Grupo Platinum Estates also offers a range of associated services including property rental and management, financial and insurance services, along with renovations and upgrades to your property. Looking to sell? We urgently require properties in all price brackets and of all
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Oozing confidence
SUNNY FUTURE: Prices are up but still haven’t reached pre-crisis levels.
Encouragement for the housing market HOUSE prices in Spain have risen by 2 per cent on last year, according to the Association of Spanish Notaries’ figures for the last 12 months since September. The same statistics show impressive growth in residential property sales, which are up 9 per cent. Though new build sales fell by 2 per cent, apartment sales
went up by 8 per cent, while detached home sales saw an annual increase of 12 per cent, according to the analysis. The six most watched house price indices in Spain are all indicating that the market has recovered. The Assocation of Spanish Registrars showed the strongest growth, of 7 per cent in the third quarter, while Notaires projected
the lowest growth - of 2 per cent in September. However, according to a report from property portal Idealista, some house prices are still lagging far below their peaks before the economic downturn nearly a decade ago. Malaga prices are 26 per cent below their peak, while in Barcelona prices are down 8
per cent and in Madrid down 20 per cent. In provincial capitals such as Lleida, Zaragoza and Castellón, prices are still over 50 per cent down. Meanwhile, new homes are continuing to be built, with the total expected to reach 75,000 this year, a 15 per cent increase on 2016, a c c ording to c ons ulta nts DBK Informa.
MAJOR property developers are preparing for a bumper 2018 across Spain. Several promoters and developers have secured huge financing deals from banks and are set to build along the Mediterranean coast. One of them is Metrovacesa which has just secured €275 million from seven different banks, including Morgan Stanley and BBVA. With that financial backing the company is set to become just the third major real estate developer to go public since the crisis. The money will be used to deliver at least 5,000 new homes per year from 2020 to help satiate a Spanish market hungry for new brick. Meanwhile Aedas
Homes, which also recently went public, plans to invest almost one billion euros in the Costa del Sol. It will both build new homes and renovate old ones, developing a total of 2,600 properties along one of Spain’s most in-demand coastlines. This latest venture will join other Aedas Homes’ projects already underway in the Balearic Islands, Sevilla and Madrid. On the retail front Lar España are set to invest €247 million in shopping centres nationwide between 2018 and 2021. The firm are betting on Spain’s booming ‘alternative’ property scene which includes offices, retail space and student accommodation.
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Cleverly designed and unobtrusive NOW in their eighth year of trading, Neater Heater are still being asked the same questions. What makes Neater Heaters special? Why should you choose them over other electric heaters? The simple answer is; design and build quality. Many families throughout the Costa Blanca are already enjoying the soft warmth given off by these cleverly designed and unobtrusive Norwegian heaters. A good discreet central heating system has never been so affordable. As Richard and Tony explain: “The basic choices for heating your home are either a full central heating system with water-filled radiators and pipes, gas heaters, electric, or a combination. Obviously with central heating the main obstacle is the high installation cost. Also, there is quite a high ongoing maintenance cost. Gas estufas are effective, but quite unhealthy and give off a huge amount
CHRISTMAS is coming and many of us might be thinking about giving cooking enthusiasts a kitchen appliance. But maybe you should think twice before committing to your purchase. According to Mintel, many of these gadgets may lie forgotten in the kitchen cupboard, as 54 per cent of kitchen gadget owners say they have a small kitchen appliance they
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NEATER HEATERS: Can be wall-mounted or freestanding. of vapour which causes black mould. This brings us to electric. Until we started Neater Heater the options were awful. You either bought Jellfilled heaters that were as expensive as a central heating system to buy, or cheap - but mostly inefficient heaters that would make your electric meter wheel spin like a helicopter. There was nothing affordable, eco-
nomical, and effective available in Spain. We know, believe us - we looked.” But sometimes in life luck plays a strange hand. It was while Tony was looking for a heater for his son’s bedroom that, quite by chance, he saw a heater in a house he was doing some maintenance jobs in and it fit the bill perfectly. It was a neat and very effi-
cient wall-mounted Norwegian convector heater. It could be used as an individual room heater, or as part of a complete integrated system. The rest, as they say, is history and eight years down the road he, and Richard, are making “Neater Heaters” available to us all. The heaters can be wall-mounted or if you are limited for wall space additional feet can be purchased to enable them to be freestanding. Last year they added to their range the Turkish-made Vigo heater and towel radiators. These heaters share the design technology and ethos of the current Neater Heaters, but it has two differences: The Vigo comes with a
carrying handle, wall bracket, and feet included in the price; They also have a digital display which indicates the reduced wattage that the heater regulates once the room has reached the desired temperature, thus saving more money through reduced running costs. With their online shop or phone facilities for credit card payment, bank transfer and PayPal, purchasing these fantastic heaters couldn’t be easier. Alternately Neater Heater has a network of agents offering local sales and support from Moraira in the north, to Almeria / Costa Del Sol in the south. Here you can view or purchase our heaters.
The great kitchen cabinet black hole rarely use. And it seems it could be user ignorance that is holding back usage, as one in eight (16 per cent) of gadget owners admit they have a kitchen appliance they don’t know how to use, rising to one in five (19 per cent) male gadget owners.
But while Britain’s men struggle to navigate their way around kitchen gadgets, according to Mintel, men (55 per cent) are more likely than women (52 per cent) to have purchased a small kitchen appliance in the past year. And while men are more
likely to invest in the tools, it comes as they showcase confidence in the kitchen. Three in four (76 per cent) men say they are confident in their ability to cook and 50 per cent of men are confident baking; what’s more, 8 per cent of men purchased a food mixer last year compared
to 5 per cent of women. The top five kitchen appliances owned by Brits are a kettle (96 per cent), toaster (92 per cent), sandwich toaster or grilling machine (60 per cent), slow cooker or multicooker (57 per cent) and food processor (52 per cent).
Just under four in 10 (38 per cent) own a juicer/smoothie maker and just over a third own a capsule coffee machine (35 per cent) and a fryer (35 per cent). So if you are thinking of taking advantage of Spain’s expanded Christmas opening hours to buy your presents this year, it may pay to stay clear of the appliance section.
PERMACULTURE EDUCATION SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Telephone: 666 33 33 35 info@permamed.org http://permamed.org/
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ESSENTIAL GARDENING: Safe pruning with a sharp tool. GRAEME TYRRELL WINTER pruning time is here. Pruning is an essential part of any healthy garden. It is necessary to remove damaged and dried out branches, restrict plants to fit into the garden design space, promote flowers and fruits of better quality, and to shape the plant to look better. Now is the time to prune most deciduous trees that require improvement.
Winter pruning The first key to good pruning is understanding the basics of plant growth to cut in the right place at the right angle at the right time to improve recovery of the plant from the wound.
The second is ensuring the right tools for the job are sharp and effective to give a clean cut. Thirdly, as a rule of thumb, only prune a third of the plant’s height and width in a year to allow it to recover
before removing any more. If you need to prune more than a third of a plant in a year your plant is probably in the wrong place. There are different types of pruning methods and tools to suit the way you tackle the maintenance of your plants. Trees need specialist care when mature to ensure their longevity, shape and purpose with correct pruning cuts. Densely branched shrubs and hedges need skill but generally have smaller, thinner branches that allows shearing off multiple branches with minimal damage to the plant if pruning is done regularly.
Sparsely branched shrubs, such as roses, need more care and skill in pruning to encourage a good framework and promotion of flowers. The main point to pruning cuts is to make the cut just above a bud or branch with minimal waste wood after the joint. This is to prevent die back which promotes insect and fungal entry. Avoid damaging the remaining bud or lateral branch including the branch collar, which is the swelling on the branch around the joint, by allowing a small space of clearance above the joint. On large limbs it is easiest
to cut a branch first well away from the join to the trunk to remove the weight and make the final precise cut with only the stub to be removed. In a garden with a variety of plants and trees, pruning can be a year round activity. Autumn is the time to restrict pruning to damaged and dead branches for mature trees as it is a time of fungal growth and insect activity that can infect trees. Most deciduous trees are pruned in winter when the plants are dormant in order to establish a good framework of branches while visible and encourage stronger growth in the remaining branches to produce better flowering and, for fruiting trees, premium quality fruit. Spring pruning is normally undertaken for winter and spring flowering plants to remove flower stems and reshape the plant to encourage the next flowering season. Summer pruning is mostly removal of die back branches and overgrowth that may be taking over the allotted space to the detriment of other plants, paths or proximity to buildings and utilities, this includes hedges and topiary features. Take care when pruning.
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Early holiday bookings secure great deals, for pet care also! WHILE it’s not always possible to take your pets with you on holiday you can make sure they are kept comfortable, safe and secure, their daily routines intact. How? Join our HouseSitMatch network and we can help. Doubtless you’ll want to secure the best possible holiday deals for flights and hotels early and before the big rush in January. But don’t forget to get organised now with pet care for your pet’s holiday at home. We at HouseSitMatch.com are already helping home and pet owners meet experienced house-sitters and petsitters for summer and winter holidays in 2018. We can help. Most experienced petsitters like to be or-
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DOGS are much more intelligent than cats, according to a new study in the scientific journal ‘Frontiers in Neuroanatomy.’ Dogs apparently have 530 million cortical neurons, the brain cells which are linked to intelligence, while cats only have 250 million. One of the scientists who conducted the study, Dr Suzana Herculano-Houzel, developed the method used to accurately determine the number of neurons in different brains and used it to discern how smart some
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ONCE you have chosen your method of training, you then have to decide if you want to attend group classes or if you want to train your dog in private. I recommend group classes to enable your pet to socialise with other people and dogs. Group training usually consists of a group of dogs, all roughly the same age,
How smart is your pet? animals actually are. She revealed the research suggests that dogs are able to process more complicated thought procedures and live a more varied, flexible life than cats. The study also looked at a wide range of animals such as lions, hyenas, mongooses and bears. It was assumed that meat-eating mammals would have more
cortical neurons compared to plant-eating mammals with the same sized brain, as hunting requires more intelligence. However, it turned out that the bigger the brain did not necessarily mean the smarter the animal as bears were revealed to have roughly the same amount of cortical neurons as cats even though they have much bigger brains.
all learning the same basic commands at the same time. Make sure the class you choose is appropriate for your puppy’s skill level, as well as his age. A good group class will have no more than 10 dogs in it; an instructor familiar with all breeds of dogs; teaching more than just the basic commands and knowledge of behavioural issues is extremely important; and the class must be structured in such a way that it is fun for you and y o u r p u p p y. I f t h e r e a r e children in your home, having them attend the classes is also important. If there are no classes in your area, or none that you find suitable, private training is another option. It is individualised to suit your needs. Private training is also good for dogs that have behavioural issues such as aggression towards
strangers or other dogs. However your trainer will want you to attend a training club which has dog socialisation. Whether you are looking for private training or group classes, ensure the trainer teaches you how to teach your dog. Another sign of a good trainer is that he/she has the ability to acknowledge that some situations are beyond his/her knowledge, and tells you as such. Inappropriate training techniques can lead to bigger problems. Unfortunately there are a number of people who call themselves trainers who really are fakes. Do not be impressed by trainers that tell you they are members of this or that, it all means nothing. Safest bet is to go to a school that has been established and known for years.
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Jaguar I-Pace set for 2018 THE brand new Jaguar IPace, Jaguar ’s first electric car, is set to make its debut at next year’s Geneva Motor Show. Jaguar’s newest SUV will star at the Swiss show next year, which begins on Thursday, March 8, and is expected to go straight on sale in the UK. The British car giants claim that the I-Pace Concept’s high tech Lithium Ion battery will offer approximately 310 miles on a single charge. It will also be able to go from 0-60mph in under 4.0 seconds, with 700Nm of instant torque available and when the battery runs out of juice, it can reportedly achieve 80 per cent charge
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NUMBER ONE: The I-Pace will be Jaguar’s first electric car.
in just 90 minutes. The five seater has two electric motors that produce 400ps of power to deliver high performance ‘All Wheel Drive,’ capable of driving in any conditions. Inside the car, a floating centre console combines with a panoramic roof to create a spacious, practical interior with enough legroom to comfortably seat five adults. Aiming to steal the thund e r o f t h e Te s l a M o d e l X , Jaguar have created a dynamic electric SUV with both heritage and dynamism, more than equipped to rival the Model X. First customer cars are expected by the summer of 2018.
Grand Tour returns HIT motoring show The Grand Tour returned to the small screen last week. Jeremy Clarkson and chums Richard Hammond and James May are back for the second series of the Amazon Prime programme. It was touch and go for a while whether the former Top Gear trio would return at all. Clarkson came down with pneumonia while on holiday in Mallorca. Before then Hammond was involved in a second life-threatening car crash. To make up for the delay Amazon has secured an enviable cast of celebrities for a new ‘Celebrity Face Off’ feature. Among them will be actor Dominic Cooper, golfer Rory McIlroy, and the one and only David Hasselhoff. Confirmed locations are Mozambique, Switzerland and the United States. The show can be downloaded online through Amazon Prime.
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ROAD TEST by Nick Fletcher
Fiat 124 Spider FIAT’S 124 Spider is a charismatic two-seater convertible sports car, with quick performance and agile handling, but is a relatively rare sight compared with its big-selling main competitor, the legendary Mazda MX-5. Yet people may be surprised to learn that beneath its smart Italian suit, the Fiat Spider is built on an MX-5 platform! Fiat has cleverly redesigned all the bodywork to give the Spider its own distinctive 1960’s retro-style look and personality, tweaked the suspension and
steering and added its own 140 hp 1.4 litre turbo-petrol engine. Prices start at €23,992 (£21,050) though my test model was the flagship Lusso Plus version, priced at €28,556 (£25,050). It is very well equipped, including alloy wheels, heated leather seats, upgraded BOSE sound system, auto lights and wipers, auto climate control, infotainment touch-screen, Bluetooth, satnav, connectivity, push-button start, LED headlights and rearview camera. The cabin, like most small
sports cars, has room for two adults but minimal stowage space, not even any door-pockets. There is a useful lockable box behind the front seats and a 140-litre boot, just big enough for two squashy bags. The fabric hood is manually operated (it can be done with one hand) and there are two rollover hoops for additional safety. Top speed is 215 kph (134 mph), the 0-100 kph time a quick 7.5 seconds. Yet despite such zesty performance, fuel economy is very good at 15.6 kpl (44.1 mpg). The responsive acceleration, precise steering, slick gearshifts and well-set suspension deliver a terrific driving experience, zippy, grippy and agile - just what you want from a sports car. The car feels part of you as you push it into corners, composed and assured, and the ride quality is still comfortable despite the stiffer suspension. The Fiat 124 Spider is a head-turning car you can live with as daily transport if you always travel light, though I suspect many buyers will probably have the Spider as a second car or as a weekend funster, and in those roles it is absolutely perfect.
Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.
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Spain star Morata feeling the cold Chelsea Blues Spain Europe Global World of SPORT with Andrew Atkinson SPAIN and Chelsea star Álvaro Morata will take a stroll home at the weekend after the Blues Premier League fixture against Southampton at Stamford Bridge. “If we win the game, I take a beer while walking home,” said Chelsea’s record €65 million signing Morata. “I put a hat on - it’s colder there and walk home,” said Madrid-born Morata, who penned a five year deal in a move from Real Madrid in July. “The sun does come out - just for half an hour - and then goes away,” quipped Morata, 25, set to be named in Spain’s 2018 World Cup squad by Julen Lopetegui. Morata, capped 50 times for Spain at youth level, a member of the squad that won the 2013 European Under21 Championship, made his senior debut in 2014. Morata began his career at Real Madrid, winning the 2014 Champions League, prior to joining Juventus
MANCHESTER CITY and England defender Kyle Walker faces his former club Spurs in the Premier League at the weekend, booting: The club are in my heart. “Spurs gave me my Premier League opportunity and believed in me. The club is in my heart after being there eight years,” said Walker. “I thought about what I wanted to do with my career and I wanted something new,” said Walker, who moved to The Etihad in a £45 million deal. Walker, who began his career at Sheffield United a decade ago, during a time when he was shipped out on loan to Northampton, left Spurs to join City in the summer. “Going to City was the right step, working with manager Pep Guardiola. It’s a good move for me and, hopefully, England too,” said Walker. Walker, capped 32 times, hoping to be named in England’s 23-man 2018 World Cup squad, said: “The main objective at the end of the season is to be at a World Cup.” Spurs have dipped in the Premier League and gaffer Mauricio Pochettino says it is possible players have too much
in a €20 million transfer in 2014, where he won the domestic double of Serie A and Coppa Italia. A €30 million return to Real in 2016 saw Morata win another La Liga and Champions League, before departing for Chelsea: “I'm very happy at Chelsea,” said Morata, settled with his wife Alice. Global Sport SQUASH: The 2017 Men’s and Women’s Squash World Championships in Manchester feature the world’s best players compete for the sport’s most prestigious titles. “I’m thrilled the World Championship is back to Manchester, it will be a great spectacle for the sport,” said England Men’s No 1 Nick Matthew. England Women’s No 1 Laura Massaro said: “It’s huge to have this prestigious event in the UK - a real showcase - the best in the world.”
ALVARO MORATA: winter chill. The quarter-final action onwards takes place at Manchester Central Convention Complex during December 14-17.
No soggy bottom for beefed-up Anderson JAMES ANDERSON would never have dreamed his garage door ‘wicket’ in his home town of Burnley over two decades ago would lead to stardom.
“I used to bowl against the garage door, pretending I was bowling for England,” said England ace Anderson, who took 5-43 in the second test of the Ashes series in Australia. Anderson, 35, who grew up in the old mill town, trod the road to stardom at Burnley Cricket Club, aged 17, prior to being noticed by Lancashire CCC. Lancashire, long dubbed as the ‘flat cap and clogs’ part of the UK famed for tripe and onions - parched
peas and crusty pies. “I prefer Beef Wellington - the pastry has to be just right - no soggy bottom,” quipped Anderson. “The Lord’s tea break is more about protein shakes and fruit and nuts, than scones and cucumber sandwiches,” said Anderson, who took his first five-wicket haul in Australia in his 15th Test. “I was happy to get the five wickets,” said Anderson, part of the England set up since 2002. “I have felt in good rhythm all year and feel like I am bowling as well as I have. My body is in good shape,” said Anderson. “People tell me I am about to finish and retire - I want to show I still have wickets in me - hopefully that can continue for the rest of this trip,” said Anderson. “I am loving playing cricket and as long as I am bowling well and doing myself justice on the field I am going to keep playing,” said Anderson. England travel to Perth - trailing the series 2-0 - for the third Ashes Test against Australia, which starts on December 14. Australia will regain the Ashes, if they win.
Spur a thought for Kyle UKSPORTSCENE with Andrew Atkinson confidence after beating Real Madrid in the Champions League in November. “It was a massive statement beating Real Madrid, but it is important we don’t get carried away,” said Spurs midfielder Dele Alli. Fernando Llorente, who joined Spurs in August, has struggled to score in the Premier League, having netted 433 career goals at Basconia, Bilbao Athletic, Athletic Bilbao, Juventus, Sevilla and Swansea. Spanish international striker Llorente, 32, in Spain’s 2010 World Cup winners squad, sustained a broken arm ahead of pre-season. “It’s so difficult to arrive in a club without pre-season and perform the way that you want. But I am happy with his contribution. “He is disappointed when he
plays and doesn’t score, but I am sure he is going to help the team,” said Pochettino. Spurs will be without suspended Davinson Sanchez, redcarded against Watford, missing Premier League games against Stoke, Brighton and Manchester City.
Monkey business away from Gnome H’ANGUS the Monkey is a legendary tale that Brian Clough carried on his back at Hartlepool United during 196567 while in charge of the The Monkey Hangers. Ex-Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Brighton and Derby boss Clough visited pubs in a
quest to raise money to keep the struggling club afloat. He also applied for a coach driver’s licence to drive the team bus. Clough, who died of stomach cancer in 2004, aged 69, and assistant Peter Taylor were sacked by the chairman in 1966. A boardroom coup saw them reinstated. The Hartlepool monkeyhanging legend emerged during the Napoleonic Wars, after a French ship was shipwrecked, at a time of fear of a French invasion of Britain - French infiltrators - and spies. Amongst the wreckage lay one survivor - the ship’s pet monkey - dressed to amuse in a military-style uniform. It’s said fishermen held a beach trial - concluding the monkey was a French spy - and sentenced to death, by hanging. The legend lives on with Hartlepool United’s mascot H’Angus the Monkey and Rugby Union team Hartlepool Rovers nicknamed the ‘Monkey Hangers.’
A Preston North End fan was arrested in the mid-90’s during a game at Hartlepool for being in possession of an offensive weapon - a GNOME! The fan and the gnome were on the terraces, when an eagle-eyed policeman copped it, and duly arrested them. Both were escorted from the ground and spent the afternoon in local police cells, released after the game, with a caution. PNE boss John Beck, who welcomed the gnome mascot during the 1994-1995 season as a ‘lucky’ mascot, was sacked after seven successive League defeats.
GNOME: Offensive weapon.
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SPAIN narrowly missed out on the World Rugby Sevens Challenge Trophy as they lost 26-7 to Australia at the Cape Town Sevens. The result leaves Spain in 10th place in the Men’s World Series standings.
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Indalo Bowling Club veteran’s singles 2017 TO prove age is no barrier, 30 veterans entered this very popular competition. Competitors have to be over the age of 68 and the standard of bowling was again of the highest quality. Even though the weather was a bit chilly, it didn’t stop some very good competitive matches. The semi finals were contested between old campaigners Keith Lester and Andy Cooper with Keith
winning 21 to 14 and one of the Club’s coaches John Mannal against another coach, John Dedman. This was another good competitive game with excellent
bowling but John came out the 21 to 17 winner. The final between Keith and John was played on a lovely sunny, but chilly day. Keith tried very hard but had
WINNER: John Mannal with finalist Keith Lester.
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to contend with some really good, consistent and accurate bowling from John who came out the winner 21 to 13. Well done to John on a wonderful game of bowls.
Aguilon Golf members report DESPITE a cold start to the day, 30 members took part in this week’s Stableford competition. Early players had the best of the weather, with heavy rain coming in and making play difficult for the later players. Results 1st Peter Death 38 points 2nd Louis Long 36 points 3rd Roy Lewis 36 points Only three two’s were recorded, down from recent weeks and no doubt a result of the bad weather. Two’s: Peter Ayres, Peter Death and Norman Whibley. Thirty-six members took part in a medal round, with scoring again lower as only two members scored below par. Well played to the winners Norman Ridgway and Dave Sharp who both recorded a gross score of 72. Results 1st: Norman Ridgway 72 - 3 = 69 2nd: Les Raufer 85 - 15 = 70 3rd: Dave Sharp 72 - 1 = 71 Twelve players recorded two’s. Two’s: Roy Bishop, Ann Miles, Norman Ridgway (3), Julie White (2), Roy Lewis, Norman Whibley (2) Dave Wilson and Dave Sharp. Well done to all the winners. For further information, log on to the society’s website www. aguilonmembersclub.com.