Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 25 - 31 January 2018 Issue 1699

ISSUE NO. 1699

25 - 31 January 2018

COSTA DE ALMERÍA YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

AN Almerian resident who allegedly held and shared child pornography with fellow members of a paedophile ring has been arrested in a nationwide operation mounted by the Guardia Civil. The 41-year-old, from Adra, was arrested along with 19 others across 14 Spanish provinces after officers raided 20 homes on suspicion of the possession of indecent images of children. Police began their investigation after learning the group were sharing an ‘abundance’ of images and videos on social media and instant messaging apps. An officer then infiltrated the groups, going undercover as another user. The officer reportedly saw members of the groups would change their names often but police were able to see several of the group’s members’ phone numbers. Content allegedly featuring children and adults as well as animals was discovered after police analysed the files shared by the group. Police then raided 20 homes and made 19 arrests. All suspects have being charged by courts and have been bailed until they appear for trial.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

19 held in paedophile crackdown

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BOAT WRECKED: The migrants were rescued from boats in the sea of Alboran.

Boat wreck horror Two dead and 70 rescued

by Joe Gerrard More than 70 people were rescued off the Almerian coast by the region’s Maritime Rescue Service after a boat was wrecked, killing two on Sunday. Coastguards reached one boat which was sailing more than 30 miles southwest of Cabo de Gata at around 11.50pm on Saturday. Authorities had previously received warnings from an NGO that two boats had sailed from Morocco on Saturday afternoon. The coastguard boat Guardamar Polimnia rescued 34 people from one of the boats in the Alboran Sea. Another coastguard boat, the Salvamar Spica, arrived to find 33 people who were been rescued by a fishing boat after

their boat sank. Some of those from the sunken boat were still in the water. Two died when the boat sank. A further four people were rescued at sea by a coastguard helicopter and taken to Almeria City. The migrants, from Sub-Saharan Africa, arrived at Almeria’s port in good health, according to reports. No children were reported to have been on board the boats. The news comes as Spain’s Commission for Refugee Aid

(CEAR) said the government needed to do more for migrants arriving in Andalucia. The body’s Refugees and Migrants in Spain report said the country’s policy towards migrants was “improvised” and “arbitrary.” It highlighted Spain’s use of internment centres for migrants, its methods for identifying unaccompanied children and difficulties in enforcing political asylum in the country. It added securing legal assistance in the province was also difficult for migrants

new to Spain. The report also stated: “The conditions in police establishments located in Motril, Almeria and Malaga do not comply with standards compatible with human dignity.” Almerian police have the highest arrest rates for people linked to the organised trafficking and sexual exploitation. Police reportedly registered around 5,500 migrants in Almeria last year, with 22,000 registered throughout the country.

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NEWS EXTRA Weed seized SIX people in two marihuana plantations who sold the drug near two schools were arrested by National Police on Thursday January 11. Police raided two buildings and seized 400 plants.

Robberies THREE men who allegedly committed various robberies in El Ejido were arrested by the Guardia Civil on Wednesday 10 and Thursday January 11. The men reportedly broke into cars and stole their radios.

Boat deaths AROUND 30 people gathered in Almeria City to remember seven people who died after their boat was wrecked in Lanzarote. The people held a rope with a knot tied in it for each victim.

Roof fall arrest A MAN who fell from the roof of a school he was trying to break into was arrested by police after phoning emergency services for help on Tuesday January 16. The 25-year-old made the call at around 6.40am after falling through a skylight into the school in Nijar. Guardia Civil officers arrived shortly afterward and heard him shouting for help from the inside of the building, according to police. Officers called for medical help and managed to access the school after finding the doors locked. They found the man lying on the floor inside with several scratches and unable to move his leg. The man reportedly told police he had climbed onto the roof and that he had fallen through the skylight

which he was trying to use to get into the school. He was taken to El Toyo hospital and was discharged shortly after arriving. Police then arrested him. He is now due to appear before a court in Almeria in the coming days.

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Illegal tobacco smoked out MORE than 200 packs of smuggled cigarettes and tobacco have been seized from a shop in El Ejido by Guardia Civil officers, according to reports. The grocery shop was visited by police on Sunday January 7, as part of untaxed tobacco being sold in the town. Police found the tobacco with no seal on the packing under the counter. They suspect it came from outside Spain. The search also uncovered tobacco hidden in a double

SEIZED: More than 200 packs of cigarettes. bottom on the shelves, according to police reports. The shop owner was arrest-

ed under anti-smuggling laws, with a total of 227 packs found by officers.

Disturbing history TWO construction workers being investigated for disturbing a 5,000-year-old archaeological site say they were completely unaware that it was there, according to reports. The Ministry of Development contractors who were working on the N 340 - reportedly told a judge that there was no indication that El Chuce - a site declared to be of cultural interest - was in their area of work. They told the Almeria court that there were

no signs marking where their site began, Spanish media said. However, a report from the Andalucian regional authority’s Ministry of Culture suggesting that signalling markers did exist in the area. These allegedly showed the area was protected for environmental and cultural reasons. Both workers reportedly claimed their objective was to make a road which led to a site used for fly-tipping inaccessible.

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House fire SIX people were hospitalised after a house fire in Balerma in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Firefighters were called out at around 2am after alerts from residents and rescued two men aged 94 and 56 and four women aged 53, 32, 26 and 21.

Minister visit SPAIN’S Justice Minister met with Almerian authorities on Tuesday January 17 in the city’s courthouse. Rafael Catala also took part in the University of Almeria’s 25th anniversary celebrations in the afternoon and gave a speech on justice reform, which is considered a state priority.

Bullfighters THREE bullfighters will visit Vera for a festival in aid of a global poverty charity on Sunday February 4. Tickets went on sale last Saturday, with the first 400 costing €18. Two euros from each ticket will go to the Monas Unidas charity.

Hospital review NEW protocols will be put in place for Almerian hospitals, following an announcement from Junta de Andalucia spokesperson Juan Carlos Blanco. The announcement comes after two people died in the emergency rooms of the Ubeda and Antequera hospitals in the last few weeks.

Boat rescues ALMERIAN coast guards rescued the highest number of migrants aboard small boats of any province in Andalucia in 2017. More than 9,100 migrants were picked up by coast guard boats, with the total number of rescues and searches made by coast guards around 22,200 last year.

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SPANISH FACTS OF LIFE nº47

PLUS THE REGULARS

There are many lazy stereotypes about Spain, but the siesta - and laziness itself - seems particularly unfair in one of Europe’s most hardworking countries. Could the traditional nap really be dying out, asks Harrison Jones.

News

Time out for siestas?

Finance

SUN, sangria and paella: the clichés of Spanish life are numerous and often live up to the hype. Yet one particularly prominent stereotype seems especially tired, since it now barely registers in modern Spain. The famous siesta is a period in the late afternoon when the country shuts down for hours - at least in theory. But the idea that Spaniards are lazy is not supported by their working hours, which are far higher on average than other European nations. And now, it seems their mid-afternoon break is being put to bed. Traditionally, the business siesta would run between roughly 2pm and 5pm, with restaurants closing later. Spaniards would have a big, long lunch, often with alcohol, followed by a nap. The original reason for the siesta was supposedly to avoid the mid-afternoon heat, particularly for manual labourers working in the sun, and to allow rest/travel time between morning and afternoon jobs. But there are also suggestions that the practice has Roman origins, making it Italian - though it is far more widely associated with Spain. In turn, the Spanish influenced other countries in colonial times to take up the practice. Spaniards also stay up notoriously late and tend to sleep less than other nations, meaning an afternoon break helped maintain their latenight lifestyle. But as modern, western culture and - crucially, air conditioning -ar-

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Leapy 35

Couch Critic 43

Time Out 48 - 49

Health & Beauty 52 - 53

DROPPING OFF: The siesta’s popularity is declining. rived, the humble siesta took a hit. A 2017 poll found that 58 per cent of Spaniards do not take a daytime nap, with the share of those saying they sometimes indulge consistently dropping. Office-based workers are highly unlikely to go home for lunch and sleep in a globalised, high-pressure country. Meanwhile, calls to realign Spain with its geographical time zone could impact the practice. The fascist dictator Franco changed Spanish clocks to align with Germany, but there is increasing pressure to return - which would mean the sun goes down earlier and people could go to bed earlier, with less need for afternoon sleep. Yet, there are some who value the

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tradition, particularly the elderly and those living in rural areas. Some towns, including Ador, Valencia, have enshrined the practice into law. There are other small signs of a modern resurgence. The health benefits of ‘power napping’ are widely hailed by health experts. A roughly 25-minute nap boosts memory, alertness, nighttime sleep, heart condition and mental/physical well-being generally. And in cities, ‘siesta hotels’ are a rising trend. The overall outlook for the siesta, though, is ominous. And while it might not be put to bed completely, it is certainly dropping off - just don’t expect the stereotype to fade with it.

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Social 55 - 57

Albox 58 - 61

Property 62

Pets 65

Classifieds 66 - 67

The total number of news and features which appeared in Issue 1698 of the Euro Weekly News Costa de Almería edition, including 67 local stories.

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Lynx effect!

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POLL OF THE WEEK Photo credit Richard Campey/Twitter

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Do you text more often than call on your mobile phone? LAST WEEK’S POLL: Have you taken up the Dry January challenge?

Yes 81%

No 19%

EWN online this week 126,711 Page views

TOP ON THE PROWL: An Iberian lynx in the Sierra de Andujar where wildlife lovers (bottom left) have been flocking to photograph the elusive cat, of which 31 lost their lives on Spanish roads last year (bottom right). IT is the most endangered wild cat in the world. And this stunning image, captured last month, shows the Iberian lynx in all its predatory beauty. It comes as wildlife lovers and nature photographers descended on the Sierra de Andújar mountain range in Jaén Province, Andalucía, to catch a glimpse of the elusive feline. Normally secretive during sunlight hours, sexually mature adults are active throughout the day in December and January as the females come into heat and males compete to breed with them. And the vast Sierra de Andújar - part of the larger Sierra

Morena chain - is home to the largest and best-preserved population, with around 100 females each commanding a territory of 10-20 square kilometres. Spanish authorities recently announced that wild numbers of the cat have risen to at least 547 from a historic low of 94 in 2002. More than 400 inhabit Andalucía, with the remainder split between Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura and Portugal. Andalucían environment councillor, José Fiscal and director of the European Commission-funded lynx conservation programme LIFE Iberlince, Miguel Ángel Simón revealed

the encouraging figures during a Sevilla press conference. But it is not all good news, after 58 lynx were found dead in 2017, a record. According to reports, 31 of the animals were killed by traffic, leading to widespread criticism from environmental groups, although the main issue continues to be a lack of rabbits, its principal prey. Native to the Iberian Peninsula but introduced around the world, Spanish rabbits have been devastated by the myxamatosis virus and, more recently, a haemorrhagic disease known as RHDVb. See Our View on page 8.

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BENIDORM: Returning to our TV screens soon.

documentary and series of telly 7,772 New favourite Benidorm coming soon del Sol town showcases itself 5,571 Costa with new tourism video Brits could face second court sum2,579 Five mons over Benidorm balcony death national and regional holidays 2,131 Spain’s for 2018 passenger calls Ryanair crew 2,130 ‘Drunk’ ‘devils’ forcing flight diversion views

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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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Maths genius comes to town THE Guinness world recordholder in mental calculation is set to visit Roquetas and Almeria City on Friday to promote ‘Learning by Playing.’ Alberto Coto, 37, originally from Lada de Langreo, Asturias, has spent the week travelling through Almeria visiting the public and schools. He has already visited Benahadux, Sorbas, Albox, Cantoria, Roquetas de Mar and will be in Dalias and El Ejido today. The tax consultant holds seven world champion titles, two golds in the Olympiad of Mental Sports and has broken Guinness World Records for mental calculation 14 times. He has written 12 books and gives talks on motivating students from primary to university level through maths.

ALMOST 9,000 Almerians are set to receive state help if they are unemployed, according to estimates from Andalucian authorities. The Junta de Andalucia, which approved a new minimum income system for the province, could benefit more than 3,000 families with one or more members out of work. The new system replaces the old social wage and will give priority to families with young children, among other groups. Claimants will qualify for up to €780 a month depending on their circumstances.

Unemployed to receive state help Payments start at nearly €420 a month for a period of 12 months. They are then renewable for further six month periods if claimants remain unemployed. Claimants must take part in personalised training and employment plans with employment services in return for the payments. The plans were presented to representatives of Almerian and other Andalucian authorities on

Monday January 15. They were reportedly brought in because the old social wage system placed the bar to qualify too high for most people out of work. Andalucian authorities have allocated nearly €200 million to the scheme. It comes as data for 2017 shows there were more than 825,000 people out of work in the province, around 3 per cent less than 2016.

Elderly Alzheimer’s sufferer rescued from road by police AN 81-year-old with Alzheimer’s disease who was found walking in the middle of Almeria’s airport motorway was picked up by police from the road on Sunday. Guardia Civil officers headed to get the man after they received several calls warning them the man was walking in the AL-12 road and dis-

orientated. Drivers reported several near misses with the man before he was picked up at around 12.45pm by police. He was then taking to an office of the Almerian traffic police where he was identified and his family contacted. One of his children thanked officers for the speed of their response.

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OUR VIEW Are we losing touch with nature? NEWS that the Iberian lynx population is increasing is cause for good cheer. It is an example of what can be achieved if wildlife conservation efforts are properly coordinated. Having increased from 94 individuals to almost 550 in the last 15 years, the world’s rarest wild cat has made a genuine comeback. And in doing so it has avoided the fate of being the first cat species to go extinct since the sabre-toothed tiger 10,000 years ago. But how did it come to this? In just three decades - from the 1960s to the 1990s - the Iberian lynx lost around 80 per cent of its former range, which extended across much of Spain and into southern France. It is a sad indictment of the rapid extension of human development over the last 50 years, and one that is mirrored across the globe. This surging rate of urbanisation now sees more than 50 per cent of the world’s population living in towns and cities, and the majority no longer come into regular contact with nature. As Sir David Attenborough puts it: “So over half is to some degree out of touch with the natural world and don’t even see an animal from one day to the next unless it’s a rat or a pigeon. “That means that people are getting out of touch with the realities of the natural world, of which we are in fact a part.” So have humans now changed the face of the planet to such an extent that many of us are only aware of what we have created, rather than the natural processes that made it all possible? And as alcoholism, gambling and other self-destructive practises continue to rise, we must surely examine whether we are, as a species, losing our place in the world.

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HER career continues to go from strength to strength. And ex-Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison showed how high her aspirations run as she recreated Victoria Beckham’s Vogue Spain cover on ITV show This Morning. Slipping into a bright red dress before posing with one leg atop a table, the 30-year-old said of the shoot: “It got me thinking, she’s Vicky B, I’m Vicky P why not give it a go?” To laughs from hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby she added: I’ve got a little bit more cushion for the pushing than Vicky B, but...” It comes after her idol, 43, wowed Spain after appearing on the front of Vogue before stepping out in Madrid to attend a dinner hosted by the fashion magazine. The former Spice Girl sizzled in her own scarlet gown before being snapped leaving her hotel the next morning in a navy roll neck jumper and flowing burgundy-and-white skirt.

She’s got front!

NEWLY SINGLE: Bambi Northwood Blyth and (right) her Glamour Spain cover. Photo by Twi

tter/ You Tub e

LADIES IN RED: Victoria Pattison (right) apes her idol’s Vogue Spain cover.

CORK BLIMEY: Stacey and Joe knock back the sangria.

Photo by Bambi Northwood Blyth/Instagram/Twitter

Bare it like Beckham

Photo by Stacey Solomon/Instagram

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SHE recently split from her fashion de s igne r husband. But Australian supermodel Bambi Northwood Blyth, 27, showed she is getting ove r he r bre a k wi t h K subi j eans founder Dan Single, 37, in style after appearing braless on the cover of Glamour Spain. She was reportedly left ‘mortified’ after her spouse of four years set up a Go Fund M e page i n t he wake of a 2017 hotel fall in Paris.

Pair jet to Barça for birthday bash TV presenter Stacey Solomon has been pictured in Barcelona with boyfriend Joe Swash. The Loose Women star and former X Factor finalist, 28, posted a series of snaps to social media as the loved-up pair - who have been dating since January 2016 - took in the delights of the Catalan capital. And she added a personal message to her 36-year-old ex-Eastenders squeeze as she wrote: “Happy birthday baby... a jug of sangria was not a good idea. Hahahaha I’m

a lyrical genius.” The couple later snapped themselves enjoying a giant paella before posing outside the famous Sagrada Familia church. A final shot of the lovers on the beach was captioned: “Bye bye Barcelona!! Had the best weekend with my man... can’t wait to get back and see my babies!!!” Stacey is mother to boys Zacahary, nine, and Leighton, five, from a previous relationship, while Joe has a son Harry, 10.

Celeb focus

Photo by Millie Mackintosh/ Instagram

Beach ready SHE’S the former SIZZLING: Made In Chelsea Mil lie star whose greatMackintosh. grandfather invented Quality Street. And Millie Mackintosh, 28, certainly appeared to be in sweet heaven after slipping into a skimpy grey bikini and posting a racy snap to social media. It comes after the fashion entrepreneur jetted to the Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife for a winter break with a group of girlfriends.

Off the record RUMOURS that hotel heiress and socialite Paris Hilton is to quit her oftcriticised five-rear residency at Ibiza mega-club Amnesia have been scotched. Having recently become engaged to actor Chris Zylka, the 36-year-old blonde beauty released a statement announcing her departure, but a source later told UK media that it was false.

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Greens wage war ENVIRONMENTALISTS have threatened to take the Roquetas de Mar Town Hall to court over the new Las Salinas de San Rafael development. According to the Spanish environmental group Ecologists in Action, they presented several complaints about the project of the Roquetero Town Council, “but only those who were interested got back in touch. Those who weren’t ignored us.” Several other local associations and cultural groups have also joined the ‘Salvemos las Salinas’ (Save the Salinas) campaign in order to protect the area, where they claim several ‘protected species of animals and plants’ live. The town hall plans to build two 28-storey buildings on ‘what is left’ of the Las Salinas land, and around the Ribera de la Algaida. The towers are planned to be located in front of the Mariopark water park and next to the campsite.

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Restraining order for underage mobile sex games man THE 32-year-old man accused of offering two underage girls money and phones in exchange for ‘sex games’ and nude photos has been provisionally released with a restraining order. The man, a Spanish citizen of Senegalese origin from Roquetas de Mar, has appeared in court in Almeria throughout January on charges of crimes against the sexual freedom of children.

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He was first highlighted to the police by the director of a body offering protection to vulnerable children. Police then began their investigation on January 10. The director reportedly said the under 15 and 17year-olds had received offers for money and phones in exchange for nude photos and performing sex games with him. The man first met one of the girls at a bus stop and

the increase in spending by ‘high-end’ tourists in Spain in 2017, of which most travelled from China, Russia and Argentina.

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o ff e r e d h e r m o n e y f o r house work. They then exchanged numbers to keep in contact. The man offered the girl €20 in exchange for sex games at her home in

Roquetas de Mar. The girl then told her friend and the accused began talking to both of them. Both girls were then offered expensive phones in exchange for appearing in nude photos together. They then reported this to the director of the body and a complaint was made to police who arrested the man on Wednesday January 17. He now faces charges of crimes against the sexual freedom of children and soliciting children for prostitution. The trial continues.

Almerian irrigators excluded from aid GOVERNMENT measures to ease the effects of drought will only benefit a small amount of irrigators in Almeria, according to reports. Andalucia has yet to request inclusion on the state map for drought aid. Irrigators in Almanzora receive aid from the already-established Tajo-Segura Transfer but the rest of Almeria could lose out on aid as a result. The measures include direct aid in cash, tax rebates and reductions

in the price of certain types of water for irrigators in and around the Segura river basin. They were brought in to help ease the effects of drought and compensate farmers for losses over crops and other economic effects. Jose Antonio Fernandez, the spokesperson for Almeria’s water board, said state aid for drought had to be guaranteed. “If the region is excluded the Board would be allowing for sig-

nificant aggravations between Almerian irrigators and a minority who would benefit from reduced water prices,” he said. Measures also include €300 million for a Combined Agricultural insurance plan, a fund for loans of a total of €1 billion and another €1 billion fund to combat drought. Plans for water reuse and public water banks also form part of the proposals which are now facing a final debate and approval in Spain’s parliament.

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McDonald’s heads to the desert ALMERIA City is set to be the location for an advert filmed for McDonald’s in Portugal. The theme of the cam-

paign is ‘American Taste,’ with the city chosen as one of two locations for its likeness to the US.

Among the locations is Almadrabillas, with palmlined streets resembling Miama beach. The team of 50 will then film at the

Chorrillo de Sierra Alhamilla and the Tabernas desert, which look similar to Arizona. The advert will be com-

pleted in Lisbon in late January. Almeria has long been used as a filming location because it looks similar to parts of the US.

Police present new campaign A CAMPAIGN aiming to reduce road injuries was carried out by Local Police in Adra last week. The General Directorate of Traffic launched the campaign nationally, which focuses on the condition of vehicles on the road. The Directorate said it was important vehicles were properly maintained. Data suggests the risk of dying in a road accident is doubled in vehicles 10-15 years old compared with those less than five years old. Cesar Arroniz, Adra’s security councillor, said the campaign aimed to raise awareness among drivers. “It is important to maintain vehicles to prevent possible deaths on the road,” he said.

NEWS

NEWS EXTRA Teachers meet A RALLY of teachers took place at a secondary school in Fuenta Nueva on Tuesday. They were reportedly there to show solidarity with a teacher who was assaulted by a student.

City crash A CAR overturned in a crash on a road leading from Almeria City to the University on Saturday night. Police investigations into the cause of the accident are reportedly ongoing.

Driver hurt A DRIVER has been left with minor injuries after two vehicles were involved in a collision in the Mediterranean Highway in Roquetas de Mar. The man reportedly received bruises and minor burns after his airbag exploded.

Triumph at tourism fair MOJACAR set out its stall at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid last week, highlighting the town’s food, culture, nature and sports offering. The town, which earned the Quality of Family Tourism seal in 2017, is already a popular destination for Spanish tourists during the year.

Mojacar representatives said the relatively warm winter weather in the town continued to draw visitors from across the country. Tourists from Madrid accounted for 25 per cent of visitors, according to council data. The town was also incorporated into the ‘Association of the Most Beautiful Villages in Spain’ at the fair.

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NEWS EXTRA

Farm robber found out A 31-YEAR-OLD man accused of fleeing after committing a total of 17 robberies on farms in the Almerian countryside in December has been arrested by the Guardia Civil. The man, from La Mojonera, has been charged with robberies on farm sites in El Ejido, Roquetas de Mar, Vicar and La Mojonera. He was caught by police on December 12 after attempting to rob the Puesto Juarez farm warehouse near San Agustin on December 5. Police arrived there and began a search and closure of the area at around 5.50am. Officers reportedly heard a loud metallic noise coming from inside a tool store soon after. They went to the ware-

house building through a door that had been forced open. They found two people inside who threw a bag of tools on the floor and fled through greenhouses after police ordered them to stop. Police then chased the robbers for around 150 metres and fell several times due to uneven ground and low visibility. One of the robbers then turned around and kicked and punched police while the other brandished a knife. He escaped after hurting officers and damaging their uniforms. Police conducted searches throughout the region before finding the man in a tea shop in La Mojonera. Proceedings have been sent to a court in El Ejido.

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Late session MOJOCAR’S mayor has missed a deadline to call a plenary meeting of the city’s council. Rose Maria Cano was required to call a meeting by Monday January 22 following a council motion passed in December.

Burger bound ALMERIA COUNCIL: Nearly €193,000,000 is due to be spent.

Politicians pass budget ALMERIA’S budget for 2018 was passed by the city’s council at a meeting on Monday. Nearly €193,000,000 is due to be spent by the council, an increase of around 5.5 per cent compared to 2017. The vote follows an agreement between the Partido Popular (PP) and Ciudadanos groups on the council to implement the budget to avoid the ‘paralysation’ of the city. It was opposed by the leftist Partido Socialista (PSOE) and Izquierda Unida (IU) groups who

said it was not the budget the city needed. Taxes make up almost 59 per cent of total revenue for the budget, more than 1 per cent less than in 2017. A charging network for electric cars, a renewal of the city’s municipal park and a creation of a police bicycle patrol were among the measures included in the budget. Help with rent for under-35’s and the creation of artificial reefs of the city’s coast were also agreed on.

MADRID hamburger chain Goiko Grill has announced it will be opening a restaurant in Almeria. The chain already has 12 restaurants and has also expanded into cities including Valencia, Sevilla and Estepona in Malaga.

Bus seats BUSES with more seats for people with mobility issues have been unveiled by transport authorities in Almeria. The new buses will now have space for 78 passengers.

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NEWS EXTRA Good practice A TOTAL of 60 Red Cross volunteers have participated in an exercise weekend aiming to improve the service’s emergency response. The simulation involved the ‘collapse’ of a building in El Toyo, with 55 victims and seven deaths.

Budget close GADOR’S city council closed the budget year 2017 with a surplus of almost €1 million. It became the first city in Almeria to approve the liquidation of its budget.

List rallies PROTESTS against hospital waiting lists have been organised with a rally due to be held in the Carpa Juan Goytisolo del Puerto today (Thursday) at 7pm. It is part of a national Day of Struggle.

MORE than 70 people were rescued off the Almerian coast by the region’s Maritime Rescue service after a boat was wrecked, killing two on Sunday. Coastguards reached one boat which was sailing more than 30 miles southwest of Cabo de Gata at around 11.50pm on Saturday.

MAINTENANCE: A restoration project of nearly €9,000 began on the Cable Ingles. WORK has begun to restore the Cable Ingles ore loading platform in Almeria, the city’s port authority has said. The €8,700 project began on Monday to repair the structure which was built in 1904. The port authority said the platform was at risk of further ageing which could cause parts to fall from it. INTEMAC, the company contracted to carry out the work, has already identified parts of the platform that have corroded away. The work is expected to take around a month. The Cable Ingles was declared an Andalucian Cultural

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Cable Ingles undergoes maintenance Heritage site in 1998. The iron, steel, wood and concrete structure was opened on April 20, 1904 by King Alfonso 13th. The building methods used for the platform were

Tonnes of recycling has been left abandoned in a recycling plant in Benidorm destroyed by a fire in 2011, according to the Environmental Council.

Two dead after boat wreck Authorities had previously received warnings from an NGO that two boats had sailed from Morocco on Saturday afternoon. The coastguard boat Guardamar Polimnia rescued 34 people from one of the boats in the Alboran Sea.

Another coastguard boat, the Salvamar Spica, arrived to find 33 people who were being rescued by a fishing boat after their boat sank. Some of those from the sunken boat were still in the water and two died when the boat sank.

inspired by those pioneered by Gustav Eiffel for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The structure cut the amount of time it took to load up to 8,000 tons of iron ore onto a ship from eight to 10 days to around 10 hours. It was nationalised after the Spanish Civil War and ceased work in September 1973. A further four people were rescued at sea by a coastguard helicopter and taken to Almeria City. The people, migrants from SubSaharan Africa, arrived at Almeria’s port in good health, according to reports. No children were reported to have been on board the boats.

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Photo by Cuevas council

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NEWS EXTRA Mayor honour ALMERIA socialists have proposed honouring the town’s first democratic mayor, Jose Manuel Sanchez, by naming a street, plaza or square after him. “He was an excellent ambassador of our town,” they said.

Pilot scheme AROUND 4,500 students took part in a pilot scheme to help tackle cyberbullying at a centre in El Ejido. The scheme is designed to promote the importance of preventing and ultimately halting bullying online.

Park status THE Nicolas Salmeron de Almeria Park in Almeria City has been designated a site of Andalucian Historical Heritage. The park was first opened in the 19th century and expanded in 1944.

CARNIVAL VIDEO: One of the councillors presenting the video at the tourism fair in Madrid.

Council sells sardine carnival CUEVAS DEL ALMANZORA’S carnival was promoted by the city’s council at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) last week. The carnival is set to be held this year from February 10 to 17 and the city’s authorities have sought to publicise the event with a video made for the fair. The video featured highlights of the carnival and its

customs, including its traditional mask competition and the Burial of the Sardine. Antonio Fernandez, the city’s mayor, said the video presented the essence of the popular carnival in all its intensity. “Cuevas has been one of the few towns in Spain that has maintained, almost unchanged, this old tradition, despite prohibitions in recent times,” he said.

“We hope the carnival will soon be declared a Festival of Interest in Andalucia. Our masks, the burial of the sardine and all the rocks that paraded last year in Cuevas are featured in the video #smartCARNIVAL.” The Burial of the Sardine traditionally marks the end of the carnival, with a mock funeral procession taking place before a model sardine is burned.

NEWS

Hearing difficulties school granted €60,000 A SCHOOL in Almeria City, which specialises in teaching children with hearing difficulties, has been awarded nearly €60,000 from the Ministry of Education. Money has been awarded to the school to create new teaching spaces and remove two prefabricated classrooms, currently at the centre, to meet schooling needs. The grant has been made available to the Specific Special Education Centre (CEEE) CAI Deaf Rosa Relaño through the Andalucian Public Education Agency. Spending plans for the money include a new 800 square metre building with eight classrooms, toilets, an adapted bathroom and a covered porch. Four more classrooms will also be built for external support and auditory re-education. There will also be a soundproofed audio cabinet. A library, a multipurpose room and two new play areas are also included in the plans. A majority of schoolchildren with special needs are taught in the main school system to ensure their inclusion. Those with more severe needs that require specialist help are schooled in centres such as the Rosa Relaño.

Storm farm aid announced AID for farmers affected by storms in Almeria in early January will open in February, Andalucia’s President has announced. Susana Diaz, speaking at a press conference, added €100 million has been earmarked to modernise greenhouses on farms which are over 20 years old and vulnerable to damage. Money has also been set aside for greenhouses that suffered minor damage and to repair winter farms. Farmers will also be given aid to help them make greenhouses more productive and weather resistant. The announcement follows storms that hit Almeria on January 6 causing damage to many of the region’s farms.

NEWS

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NEWS EXTRA On the hunt THE Guardia Civil are searching for two men after a bank in Gador was the subject of an armed robber. The two hooded individuals, believed to be Spaniards allegedly made off with an estimated €5,000 in cash.

Salinas star A FOUR-YEAR-OLD from Las Salinas school has appeared on Got Talent Spain. Valeria Zarza, from Roquetas de Mar, performed her rock routine and made it to the next phase of the contest.

Bitter taste A MAN has been sentenced to a year and nine months in prison after spraying his expartner with pepper spray. He had received a two-year restraining order and 40 days community service for threatening the woman in October.

Salinas site PARTS of Las Salinas in Roquetas de Mar have been put forward for Assets of Cultural Interest status. Podemos politician Lucia Ayala made the proposal in Andalucia’s parliament to stop development in the area.

Sworn in SEVEN new magistrates have been sworn in before the Andalucian Government Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice. One of the seven, Jesus Miguel Moreno Ramirez, will practise at Almerian Criminal Court number five.

New plans MAYOR of Huercal-Overa Domingo Fernandez Zurano has announced plans for a new roundabout at the Pulpi-Urcal intersection. The roundabout will come as part of a new construction project and could be implemented in the coming months.

Marking the occasion THE St Sebastian procession took place in Nijar over the weekend, with fireworks, a marching band and a children’s musical, all part of the festivities. Hundreds reportedly turned out for the procession which began with acts in honour of the saint on Friday afternoon. A presentation of the children’s musical ‘Fantasia’ and a fireworks display at the town’s castle which was accompanied by a marching band followed in the evening. The mass of St Sebastian took place on Sunday with a parade and the celebration was closed on Monday with a performance from the Korean Academy Orchestra.

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Immigration office processes 23,000 cases ALMERIA’S Immigration Office dealt with nearly 23,000 cases in 2017, with almost 5,400 long-term residences granted. The figures come following a visit to the office from government delegate Andres Garcia Lorca over the

weekend. Garcia Lorca highlighted data showing the office had held more than 118,000 face-to-face meetings last year. “This visit was to check the important work of officials working in this Sub-delegation Unit,” he said.

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NEWS EXTRA Police chiefs TWO new police chiefs have met with government representatives in Almeria. The appointment of Jose Carlos Baeza and Jose Antonio Gil brings the number of police commissioners in the region to three.

Road works WORK is set to continue on the Almerian stretch of the A-92 motorway until this Friday, traffic officials have said. Works are being carried out between points 340 and 375, with a single lane open.

Vera tourism VERA pitched itself as an accessible tourist destination at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid last week. The town’s presentation, which was accompanied by a sign language interpreter, showcased its offering adapted for the disabled.

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Minister announces farming aid THE Andalucian farming minister has announced €100 million in aid for the industry, with Almeria and the province facing continuing water shortages and depopulation issues. Rodrigo Sanchez de Haro joined Jose Luis Sanchez Teruel, the leader of the Almerian Socialist party (PSOE), to highlight the different types of economic aid delivered to the province. Twenty-five million euros were also announced for rural roads. Speaking at a meeting of Almerian Socialist politicians, Sanchez Teruel said it was important that representatives know and handle the aid properly. “We are fortunate to have a government that has been able to approve a budget for 2018. We cannot say the same about the Spanish government,” he said. The farming minister said €66 million would be made available to help irrigate fields in the province. He added he was critical of the national government who he said had presided over water shortages in the province. The current water deficit in Almeria stood at 179 cubic metres which could be reduced if the national

FARMING AID: The farming minister announced the aid at a meeting with Almeria Socialists. government began work on infrastructure projects in Andalucia, he said. The announcement comes as Rosalia Espinosa, the Popular Party representative for Almeria in the Andalucian parliament, requested meetings with the farming minister over plastic waste in the region. She also requested a meeting on aid being made available to help with damage caused by the storm on

NEWS

Questions over Tabernas solar centre Photo by PSOE

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January 6. “The administration has to avoid the uncontrolled dumping of plastics in fields. The PP asks for the administration to act because since 2003 they have not undertaken any initiative, plan or action to find a solution to this problem,” she said. She added the PP hopes the farming minister will not allow fields to remain dirty which could cause disease to spread.

ALMERIAN Socialists have asked the national government to clarify the status of funding for the Tabernas Solar Platform in the Spanish Parliament. Juan Carlos Perez Navas, Almeria’s Socialist (PSOE) senator in Parliament, asked the government how they planned to resolve funding problems at the centre. It has suffered from deadlines imposed by the Ministry of Finance. Speaking at a press conference with Almerian PSOE deputies Sonia Ferrer and Juan Jimenez, Perez Navas said the PP government was trying to ‘sink’ the centre. “The Solar Platform has become an elite international research centre in Europe and now we find the PP government is trying to break that trajectory and its image and prestige,” he said. He added the government had not prioritised Almeria for infrastructure funding. “We in Almeria are very proud of the research in our region. The government now wants to take away our pride and prestige,” he said. Problems at the platform stemmed from a Ministry of Finance order made in 2016 that limited deadlines for funding, he added. The Senator has presented six questions to the Congress and Senate concerning the centre, which is the largest thermosolar research centre in Europe.

NEWS

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ALMERIA has the highest level of car insurance fraud per cost of case of any province in Spain, according to data from the industry. An average fraudulent claim in the province can cost insurers nearly €5,000. A majority of provinces in Andalucia were also above the national average in claim costs. Data from Linea Directa Auto Insurance shows that car insurance fraud has multiplied 3.5 per cent since 2009 nationally. Fraudulent claims now cost insurers in Spain around €833 million a year with an average national cost of more than €1,286. Almeria’s average cost stands at €4,923. Elsewhere in Andalucia, Malaga’s average cost per claim stood at €1,823, Huelva’s at more than €1,684 and Cadiz’s at €1,491. Granada (€971), Cordoba (€629) and Sevilla (€617) were all below the national average. More than 6 per cent of accidents declared on Spain’s roads are fraudulent, according to statistics. It marks an increase of over 4 per cent since 2009. The typical profile of a fraudulent claimant is male, between 18-24 years old, unemployed or in an unstable job. Claiming on damage that happened at another time to the reported accident was the most common type of claim at 80.5 per cent. False thefts and fraudulently claiming more money on the accident both stood at around 2 per cent, according to figures. The majority of injury claims were simulations or exaggerations of real damage at 99 per cent. Around 1 per cent of cases involved claims on injuries inflicted before an accident.

Photo by Google Maps

Insurance cons run rife

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NEWS EXTRA Health centre A NEW ultrasound system has arrived in Cuevas del Almanzora’s health centre. Health officials hope the system will expand capacity at the centre and speed up tests.

Power line SHORTAGE: The Hospital de la Immaculada in Huercal-Overa has a shortage of doctors.

Doctor shortage at Huercal-Overa hospital A SHORTAGE of staff at the Hospital de la Immaculada in Huercal-Overa has now become critical, according to reports in the Spanish media. Up to five skin and eye specialists have left to go to other medical centres. Patients with skin problems have had to be taken by am-

bulance to the Hospital Torrecardenas in Almeria City, over 100km away. Reports in Spanish media suggest almost half of doctors tha t s hould be in the emergency department are absent. Two surgeons are also missing and the hospital has one ear, nose and throat

specialist. It normally has three. The emergency department has between 14-16 doctors; it normally has 23-24. The emergency department is also short on places. Its normal capacity exceeds 20 patients; it currently has room for around 12, according to reports.

A MOTION asking the government to build a power line between Vera and Baza has been registered in the Spanish Senate by Socialist politicians. The Energy, Tourism and Agenda Committee will vote on the motion.

Tourism seal HUERCAL-OVERA has renewed its Tourist Quality seal with the Secretary of State for Tourism. The council said it would continue to work to promote tourism and added the town valued being recognised with the award.

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One dead in border stampede A MAN has died in a stampede at the Moroccan and Spanish land border, according to media reports. Several others were injured in the stampede at the Barrio Chino border post near the Spanish enclave of Melilla. At least three of those were injured on the Spanish side of the border. The man, 39, died of cardiac arrest, according to Moroccan government sources. The stampede reportedly began after crowds suddenly rushed the turnstiles from the Moroccan side of the border. The border post, which is used by thousands of people every day to transport goods into Spanish territory, was closed until order was restored. A total of 11 people were injured on the Moroccan

Photo by Wikimedia Commons

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STAMPEDE: One man died in the crush at the border post near Melilla. side of the border according to the country’s human rights association. The news follows other stampedes which have taken place on the border in recent months. Two women were killed a t the Ta ra ja l II c ros s ing near the Spanish enclave of C e uta a nd the M oroc c a n town of Fnideq last week. Four women porters were

trampled to death in crushes at the same border crossing last year. The majority of people who use the crossings to transport goods are women. Thousands of female porters travel between Cueta and Morocco daily, according to estimates. Spanish authorities have imposed a limit of 4,000 per day.

NATIONAL

‘Killer’ caterpillars on the move PET owners in Spain are being warned to keep their animals away from processionary caterpillars that are on the move on the ground and that have the potential to kill. The distinctive caterpillars have an orange-brown colour and blue bands and have been responsible for the deaths of many animals and can cause a severe, painful rash in humans. It is the hairs of the caterpillars that can cause problems; if they are touched or poked they cause a nasty rash and give off dust that can cause respiratory problems. They are particularly toxic for children and animals. Dogs are particularly susceptible as they will pick up the hairs on their paws and then lick them as they start to itch. This then leads to the hairs being transferred on to the animal’s tongue and can result in itching, swelling, vomiting and even death. If you know your pet has been affected then you should immediately go to the vets for treatment. Removing a nest is a job for a specialist.

Teens held on murder charge T W O 1 4 - y e a r- o l d b o y s have been held in connection with the murder of an elderly couple in northern Spain. It comes after the bodi e s o f t w o 8 7 - y e a r- o l d s were found by their sonin-law at their home in the Otxarkoaga neighbourhood of Bilbao, Basque Country. The well-known pair who until a decade ago ran a popular home decorating business - had been

stabbed and beaten to death in their ground floor flat during what police believe was an attempted robbery. A probe launched in the wake of the find lead to the arrest of the two children, both of who are from Otxarkoaga and have prior criminal records for robbery and violence. They were identified a f t e r d e t e c t i v e s i n t e rviewed neighbours who

had seen them ‘hanging around’ the property, police revealed in a statement. One of the boys was arrested in the nearby town of Balmaseda before the second turned himself in at a Bilbao petrol station after realising he was being followed. Residents say that Otxarkoaga has suffered a ‘wave of robberies’ by ‘the usual suspects’ in the past year.

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Trump rage goes on IRISH AIRLINE: Dispute over employment rights.

Ryanair pilots in Spain threaten ‘legal action’

Enough’s enough RYANAIR pilots in Spain have threatened to take ‘legal actions’ against the Irish lowcost carrier over their employment rights if they do not meet with company representatives by next week. SEPLA, the Spanish pilots’ union has written to Ryanair accusing management of failing to negotiate in good faith since formally recognising unions before Christmas. The union warns that if a meeting has not been held by tomorrow (Friday) they will

proceed to initiate ‘All legal actions that Spanish labour law grants us in defence of our legitimate rights.’ SEPLA says it is surprised and disappointed at documentation received from management, which continues to link payment of a 20 per cent pay rise to conditions which pilots find unacceptable. Ryanair said it does not comment on ‘rumour or speculation, or on discussions with their people in Spain or elsewhere.’

THOUSANDS of Spanish protesters took to the streets to mark the anniversary of last year’s Women’s March. Worldwide, countless people demonstrated in over 30 countries - and 300 US cities - a year after an event which saw millions show their opposition to President Donald Trump on the day after he was sworn in. Much of the march’s focus was on women’s rights, while Trump was the subject of ridicule. Many suggested ‘time’s up’ for the US President, while others referenced the sexual harassment scandal, #MeToo movement and the need for more women in public roles. In Madrid and Barcelona, thousands marched through the streets. One social media user wrote: “Everybody is welcome… but today is about women of the world.” There were similar demonstrations in numerous European capitals, including London, Berlin and Paris. Last

PROTESTORS: Focusing on women’s rights. year, demonstrations were reported on every continent. Figures are difficult to clarify, but it is thought significantly more than 120,000 people came onto the streets in the USA. Trump tweeted, seemingly ironically: ‘a perfect day for all Women to March. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!’

Government has officially ‘shut down’ in the USA, for the fist time in five years, after the two main parties - Democrats and Republicans failed to agree funding deals for agencies. It is hoped that an agreement will be reached shortly. In London, there were speeches from various women’s rights advocates, including the great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, a suffragette leader widely credited with helping women win the vote.

NATIONAL

Welsh you were here A SPANISH low-cost airline has announced almost 200,000 seats on flights between Wales and four major Spanish destinations this summer. It will be Vueling’s sixth summer of flying passengers from Cardiff airport to Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona and Palma Mallorca. From April to October, 188,000 seats are available from Spain’s second-largest airline. The figure represents an increase of 235 per cent more capacity since Vueling started flying from Cardiff in summer 2012. There will be weekly services to Malaga and Alicante, three flights a week to Barcelona, while there will be four flights per week to Palma Majorca. More destinations in southern Spain, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands and Africa are also accessible via Vueling’s connecting flights from its Barcelona’s El Prat Airport hub.

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COMMUNITY

Expats and Brexit Formal study might inform government policy INTERVIEW by John Smith DUE to all of the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, the UK government funded Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has initiated 25 independent projects to study the entire situation. Just one of those is aimed at expatriates in Europe to record their views and feelings in the lead up to the eventual divorce from the European Union. Entitled ‘Brexit Brits Abroad,’ it is undertaking research in France and Spain and Professor Karen O’Reilly, an ethnologist with many years of experience in examining the British in Spain is the lead interviewer for the Spanish study. She first spent 15 months as a PHD student in 1993 and 94 living in Fuengirola with her husband and two children then aged nine and 11 before returning to the UK where the results of her studies were eventually published as a scholastic book in 2000, which has been in print ever since. After becoming a full Professor of Sociology at Loughborough University, she recently retired and was appointed to her current role by Goldsmiths University of London, although as Professor Emeritus at Loughbor-

PROJECT LEADER: Professor Karen O’Reilly. ough she also teaches research methods to students on a part time basis. Speaking to Euro Weekly News, Karen explained that she was impressed by the speed at which the ESRC reacted to the Referendum vote and rather than spend months on discussing minute details, the Council has worked very quickly to get all of the research up and running. She has made a number of visits to the Costa del Sol engaging with different expatriates living here and trying to gauge their reaction to the result of the vote and their hopes, fears and opinions for the future. There has been a very positive response from expatriates ready to share their thoughts with Karen and her perception is that the bulk of those she has spoken to have been opposed to the results of the vote, although there

is a significant minority in favour. The findings appear on https://brexitbritsabroad.com/ and are updated on a regular basis, but when Karen was undertaking her work last year, her overall impression was that Brits in Spain were most worried about the fact that there was so little information available and that many believed that the British government simply didn’t care about them. They recognised that the British Consuls and the Ambassador in Spain were regularly trying to calm people’s fears but believed that they were only promulgating government policy which really wasn’t much help. Now back in Spain again, she feels that people are much more comfortable and whilst recognising that there isn’t any formal agreements between Britain and the EU, those she has interviewed seem more confident that the situation will be resolved without them being simply forgotten about. The project is still being funded until December of this year and with the possible interim period after March 2019, it may even continue with the information gathered hopefully helping the British government to understand better the views of expatriates in France and Spain.

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Does it all come to those that wait? DOES it all come to those that wait? This could be true in the case of International Line Dance Choreographer Carrie Ann Earl, nee Green. Carrie Ann, of Arboleas, is well known locally as a choreographer and trainer of the ‘Dusty Boots’ exhibition Line Dance Group. She is also a talented writer of Line Dances and has had several of the dances she has written attaining positions in the ‘Line Dance International’ charts. Having waited for 27 years, Carrie Ann married her partner, Keith Earl at the Lopesan Hotel Villa de Conde, Maspalomas, on the beautiful island of Gran Canaria. About 20 of Carrie and Keith’s family and friends flew to Gran Canaria from both Spain and the United Kingdom to witness the event, including her mother and father Ann and Roger Green. Now Carrie Ann has another wait, because for the third time in four years one of the dances she has written ‘Cowboy Contra Yodel’ - has been nominated and short listed for the Line Dance Crystal Boots Awards which are to be held at the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool at the end of January. Unfortunately Carrie Ann did not win an award during her two previous

PERFECT DAY: Carrie Ann Earl and husband Keith at their wedding breakfast. nominations, but she could take solace in the fact that other than herself only one other person from the rest of Spain has ever been nominated for these Awards. However, could Carrie Ann be third time lucky? The Crystal Boots Awards are held every year, and this year will be the 22nd year since their inception. They are promoted to encourage the

introduction of new Line Dances and to further the boundaries of Line Dancing in general. Awards are split into various categories dependent upon dance difficulty and style. Voting for the awards was carried out throughout the whole of 2017 and was decided by Line Dancing from around the world. Voting has now been com-

pleted. The results of the vote will be a closely guarded secret until the night of the Awards themselves on the evening of Saturday January 27. As the nominations have only just been announced Carrie Ann will not have to wait quite as long to find out the results of the Crystal Boots Awards as she had to wait for her wedding to Keith.

COMMUNITY

Delving into local history DAMES I N TURRE’ S next meeting will be on Monday Januar y 29 at 11am at the Hostel Rural in Turre. The speaker wi l l be Lennox Napier who will be sharing local knowledge, history and culture with the group. Dames in Turre are a friendship group raising money for local charit i es, t hey al ways wel come new guests. For more information please contact their President Lesley Barlow on: 661 085 551 or Membership Secretary Eileen McGill on: 652 208 072.

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RUSSIAN PRESS

TOUGH RESPONSE: Putin at a meeting with Viktor Zolotov (right) in 2016.

Election response DISTURBANCES during the Russian presidential election will receive a tough response from the country’s National Guard, security officials have said. The guard, founded by President Putin in 2016 to perform public order functions, will provide s e c urity a t mor e t han 93,000 pre c inc ts . Putin is e xpe ct ed t o wi n t he vote.

Nuclear deal RUSSIA has refused to join a deal on nuclear disarmament, the country’s foreign minister has said. Speaking at the UN Security Council, Sergei Lavrov said unilateral disarmament encouraged by the deal should be avoided but added Russia wanted a nuclear weapons-free world.

Epiphany Day PRESIDENT PUTIN took to the icy waters of Lake Seliger near Moscow to mark Epiphany Day on the night of January 1819. The holiday, which commemorates the

baptism of Jesus Christ, is celebrated by thousands of Russian Christians who bathe in rivers across the country.

Axe attack THREE students and a teacher were injured in an axe attack in their school in Buryatia on Friday morning. The attacker, himself a student, slashed t he vi ct i m s i n t he Sosnovy Bor vi l l age school before setting off a Molotov cocktail in an attempted suicide, according to reports.

Buzzfeed accused BUZZFEED has been accused of working with American intelligence services by the Russian Foreign Ministry after publishing an article based on reportedly leaked diplomatic documents. The ministry said Buzzfeed could not have had access to the documents, which allegedly record Russian Embassy bank transfers, with US intelligence knowledge.

Crocodile found A PROBE has been launched by prosecutors in St Petersburg over reports a crocodile was found in the basement of a house in the south west of the city. The reptile was discovered in the Petrodvorets district by police who were investigating illegal arms smuggling in the city.

FOUND: The crocodile was discovered in a house in St Petersburg.

FINANCE

business & legal

Green energy boost MADRID-BASED renewable energy provider Acciona Energy has signed a deal to supply Unilever with electricity. The contract covers all the British-Dutch consumer goods firm’s facilities in Spain. Acciona Green Energy director Santiago Gómez Ramos said: “We are very pleased that such an important company as Unilever has entrusted its electricity supply to Acciona, and we are delighted to work with them to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Quote of the Week

STAT OF WEEK

SPANISH soft drinks consumers are on red alert. It comes after soft drinks brand Coca Cola announced it has chosen Spain as the first European country to feature its new packaging. The new look features more red and clearer nutritional information on the can, and continues a rebranding process which started in 2015. A new, smaller 250 millilitre can has also been introduced to the range. Carolina Aransay, head of marketing in Spain, said that the company

‘

By Matt Ford is “constantly searching for innovations that respond to the needs of customers. “As part of our business strategy, we have innovated in the design of o u r p a c k a g i n g b y o ff e r i n g s i m p l e and clear information so that consumers can make informed and responsible decisions,” she added. “Coca Cola is 131 years old but has remained young and fresh thanks to its adaptation to change, and one of the keys to its 2015 success was a

» BUSINESS EXTRA

Popping the cork

two gigabytes (GB) to €17 for three GB. Rate #6 - Up from €27 for six GB to €30 for eight GB. The 200-minute bonus remains. Rate #10 - Up from €37 for 10 GB to €40 for 15 GB plus unlimited calls. Rate #20 - Up from €47 for 20 GB to €50 for 25 GB with unlimited calls. Movistar is also pushing up the cost of deals which offer an additional line for half price, with similar increases in internet data.

CAVA producer Freixenet has revealed that it will pay €5.87 million-worth of dividends to shareholders after a two-year lull. The sparkling wine firm made €8.4 million net profit in 2017, quadrupling its 2016 figures.

Tokyo drift NISSAN is to pull the plug on production of two unpopular models in Spain. Sales of the compact Pulsar and Evalia van have been so poor that they will no longer be built at the Japanese carmaker’s Barcelona plant from midyear.

Room gloom MELIA HOTELS INTERNATIONAL - based in Mallorca - has lost €3 million due to the Catalan independence crisis, its CEO Gabriel Escarrer has claimed, going on to describe October as “poisonous and disastrous” for the chain.

Toll roads set for privatisation THE Spanish Minstry of Development will ask the central bank for €420 million to rescue bankrupt toll roads. In February it plans to bail out the R-4 Madrid-Ocaña motorway, followed by the R2, R-3, and R-5 (all Madrid), and the M-12 which connects the capital to Barajas Airport, plus stretches connecting Ocaña-La Roda,

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Pensioners’ loss of purchasing power is practically irrelevant.” Spain’s Social Security chief, Tomas Burgos, responds to criticism as pensions are to rise by 0.25 per cent in 2018 while inflation remains above 1 per cent.

Mobile giant hikes prices

EWN

amount Spain’s hotel industry earned through online bookings in 2017, up 98 per cent €7.3 billion The from the €3.7 billion spent online in 2012, according to Euromonitor International.

Fizzing with pleasure

MOVISTAR BILLS: Customers forced to fork out.

SPANISH mobile phone operator Movistar has announced its latest price hike. All of the company’s Fusion packages will be affected by the increase, and the new rates will be applied to both new and existing contracts. Although the rise is enforced, customers will however benefit from more internet data on their existing deals. The updated tariffs are as follows: Rate #2 - Up from €15 for

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Cartagena-Vera and the Alicante ring road. The AP-41 between Madrid and Toledo is also set for a cash boost later in the year. Once the debt has been cleared, the government aims to put management of them out to tender in a privatisation process it claims will rake in between €700 million and €1 billion.

unique brand strategy in which we chose to reinforce iconic elements such as red. “We are pioneers, since we will be the first country in Europe and globally to feature this new packaging, and this revamp looks set to be permanent in Spain,” she concluded. Senior brand manager of Coca Cola Iberica, Cesar Ruiz, confirmed that he expects 3.2 billion cans with the updated branding to be sold by the end of the year, with all production lines to make the switch by February.

Firm just doing it A SPANISH electric utility firm is boosting links with sportswear behemoth Nike. Avangrid, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, has signed a contract with the United States brand to supply electricity generated by wind power. It is the second such deal agreed between the pair and set to be worth around €100 million, according to reports. Long-term supply contracts are swiftly becoming Iberdrola’s main commercial asset stateside, after the company last year signed a €200 million agreement with Google.

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C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 22

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 1,772.10 16.10 Associated British Foods 2,764.50 14.50 Admiral Group 1,872.75 -5.25 Ashtead Group 2,127.00 -9.00 Antofagasta 997.20 3.40 Aviva 533.90 -0.90 AstraZeneca 5,055.00 12.00 BAE Systems 585.90 -1.70 Barclays 203.90 3.40 British American Tobacco 5,070.50 8.50 Barratt Developments 611.60 -3.60 Berkeley Group Holdings 4,192.00 -29.00 British Land Co 679.80 -0.20 BHP Billiton 1,609.40 -4.40 Bunzl 2,015.50 -12.50 BP 514.40 4.50 Burberry Group 1,603.75 7.25 BT Group 266.08 1.98 Coca-Cola HBC 2,432.00 8.00 Carnival 4,913.00 -62.00 Centrica 139.20 0.15 Compass Group 1,535.25 8.25 Croda International 4,513.00 -21.00 CRH 2,696.50 13.50 DCC 7,542.50 -2.50 Diageo 2,616.75 -4.75 Direct Line Insurance Group 374.40 1.00 Evraz 393.35 0.55 Experian 1,666.50 -1.50 easyJet 1,574.50 -10.00 Ferguson 5,604.00 -20.00 Fresnillo 1,398.50 -5.00 G4S 290.70 -0.60 GKN 434.95 -4.45 Glencore 406.28 -0.87 GlaxoSmithKline 1,356.00 -2.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,920.00 -8.00 Halma 1,328.50 -1.50 Hammerson 498.25 -0.75 HSBC Holdings 783.85 -4.55 Int Consolidated Airlines 652.60 -5.80 InterContinental Hotels Gr 4,912.00 -16.00 3i Group 926.80 -7.20 Imperial Brands 3,016.50 0.50 Informa 703.00 1.20 Intertek Group 5,261.00 -13.00 ITV 165.45 0.50 Just Eat 794.90 -6.90 Johnson Matthey 3,223.00 -29.00 Kingfisher 337.40 1.30

% CHG. NET VOL 0.92 24,732.43 0.53 21,810.62 -0.28 5,386.70 -0.42 10,622.96 0.34 9,842.79 -0.17 21,355.46 0.24 63,064.17 -0.29 18,677.55 1.70 34,001.37 0.17 113,534.83 -0.59 6,206.59 -0.69 5,618.38 -0.03 6,767.48 -0.27 33,704.44 -0.62 6,809.33 0.88 102,566.67 0.45 6,723.78 0.75 26,491.28 0.33 8,859.71 -1.25 10,345.76 0.11 7,896.40 0.54 23,900.49 -0.46 5,846.98 0.50 22,012.86 -0.03 6,810.49 -0.18 65,073.38 0.27 5,132.88 0.14 5,562.10 -0.09 15,135.38 -0.63 6,009.76 -0.36 13,990.02 -0.36 10,132.29 -0.21 4,468.59 -1.01 7,642.78 -0.21 58,622.58 -0.15 67,090.95 -0.41 9,104.55 -0.11 4,992.28 -0.15 3,975.90 -0.58 157,624.08 -0.88 13,267.26 -0.32 9,127.13 -0.77 9,158.66 0.02 28,779.01 0.17 5,855.38 -0.25 8,431.04 0.30 6,658.03 -0.86 5,405.64 -0.89 6,299.51 0.39 7,435.96

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Land Securities Group 994.35 Legal & General Group 275.70 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 71.50 London Stock Exchange Gr 3,734.00 Micro Focus International 2,130.00 Mediclinic International 604.00 Marks & Spencer Group 306.10 Mondi 1,955.25 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 229.10 National Grid 836.00 NMC Health 3,371.00 Next 4,902.50 Old Mutual Group 237.25 Paddy Power Betfair 8,327.50 Prudential 1,973.00 Persimmon 2,637.00 Pearson 690.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,928.00 Royal Bank of Scotland Gr (The) 295.10 Royal Dutch Shell 2,529.75 Royal Dutch Shell 2,576.50 RELX 1,606.25 Rio Tinto 4,010.50 Rolls-Royce Group 883.60 Randgold Resources 7,142.00 RSA Insurance Gr 624.40 Rentokil Initial 312.60 Sainsbury (J) 257.85 Schroders 3,691.00 Sage Group (The) 817.30 Segro 578.60 Shire 3,562.25 Smurfit Kappa Group 2,590.00 Sky 1,003.75 Standard Life Aberdeen 437.20 Smith (DS) 510.00 Smiths Group 1,669.75 Scottish Mortgage Inv Trst 470.60 Smith & Nephew 1,244.25 SSE 1,297.25 Standard Chartered 818.10 St James's Place 1,263.25 Severn Trent 2,028.50 Tesco 207.55 TUI AG 1,645.50 Taylor Wimpey 198.05 Unilever 4,088.00 United Utilities Group 768.50 Vodafone Group 225.85 WPP Group 1,386.50 Whitbread 3,975.00

CHANGE(P) 4.15 -0.50 0.02 -17.00 -24.00 -3.00 2.10 -16.25 0.10 5.50 91.00 4.50 -0.25 -122.50 -8.00 3.00 2.50 15.00 -2.20 12.75 16.50 -40.25 -6.00 -9.20 -30.00 -1.80 -3.50 -0.15 -32.00 -1.30 -0.60 101.25 -10.00 1.75 -0.50 -0.60 -3.75 0.40 -0.75 6.25 -0.90 -7.25 4.50 -0.25 14.00 0.10 -20.00 0.30 0.05 3.00 -30.00

% CHG.

NET VOL

0.42 -0.18 0.03 -0.45 -1.11 -0.49 0.69 -0.82 0.04 0.66 2.77 0.09 -0.11 -1.45 -0.40 0.11 0.36 0.22 -0.74 0.51 0.64 -2.44 -0.15 -1.03 -0.42 -0.29 -1.11 -0.06 -0.86 -0.16 -0.10 2.93 -0.38 0.17 -0.11 -0.12 -0.22 0.09 -0.06 0.48 -0.11 -0.57 0.22 -0.12 0.86 0.05 -0.49 0.04 0.02 0.22 -0.75

7,362.60 16,528.71 51,050.41 12,811.92 9,397.79 4,469.17 4,974.96 9,414.89 5,389.87 28,058.17 6,537.48 7,250.62 11,665.87 7,112.70 51,213.14 8,095.13 5,424.79 47,809.45 35,570.65 115,847.83 96,240.28 17,247.98 54,123.79 16,344.78 6,656.86 6,384.54 5,673.68 5,644.20 8,374.13 8,754.55 5,776.86 31,410.25 6,077.59 17,190.17 13,053.70 5,495.43 6,610.79 6,545.76 10,769.57 13,187.93 27,000.03 6,647.86 4,774.98 17,177.81 9,415.81 6,441.11 49,517.04 5,258.72 60,283.99 17,436.18 7,315.07

0,88102

1,13504 Units per €

US dollar ...............................................................1.22510 Japan yen............................................................135.620 Switzerland franc ..............................................1.17654 Denmark kroner ...............................................7.44413 Norway kroner.................................................9.62067

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 J ANUARY 22

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 248,18 98,03 178,46 337,73 170,41 131,3 41,29 47,16 76,01 87,15 16,26 256,12 201,33 162,37 44,82 113,01 147,36 176,12 61,28 90 67,21 36,94 91,07 137,85 135,9 243,35 51,91 122,7 104,59 110,59

CHANGE% CHANGE VOLUME(M) 0,92% 2,27 147.430,87 -1,83% -1,83 84.699,07 -0,45% -0,8 907.327,31 -0,71% -2,43 201.281,72 0,94% 1,58 101.132,76 -0,22% -0,29 248.628,05 -0,02% -0,01 203.751,38 0,60% 0,28 200.911,77 -0,03% -0,02 177.956,26 -0,32% -0,28 368.289,26 -3,04% -0,51 141.181,54 2,05% 5,15 96.171,29 1,51% 3 234.501,44 -3,99% -6,75 150.413,33 0,76% 0,34 208.749,06 -0,22% -0,25 386.527,98 0,30% 0,44 394.166,22 0,89% 1,55 140.392,35 0,25% 0,15 166.027,18 -0,11% -0,1 693.001,62 4,84% 3,1 87.054,83 -0,14% -0,05 218.698,35 0,99% 0,89 230.660,23 0,37% 0,51 37.608,55 0,96% 1,29 108.078,45 0,08% 0,19 235.153,91 0,70% 0,36 210.150,35 -0,33% -0,41 222.010,57 0,28% 0,29 309.420,74 0,15% 0,17 166.148,02 M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 22

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced NuCana plc Xcel Brands, Inc Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. Sientra, Inc. Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. Jounce Therapeutics, Inc. Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. Fossil Group, Inc. Tocagen Inc. Mitcham Industries, Inc. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

$ 20.51 $ 2.80 $ 23.38 $ 11.66 $ 6.23 $ 21.76 $ 10.70 $ 10.03 $ 14.12 $ 3.96 $ 6.29

6.02 ▲ 41.55% 0.40 ▲ 16.67% 3.17 ▲ 15.69% 1.33 ▲ 12.88% 0.69 ▲ 12.45% 2.29 ▲ 11.76% 1.075 ▲ 11.17% 0.92 ▲ 10.10% 1.29 ▲ 10.05% 0.36 ▲ 10% 0.57 ▲ 9.97%

$ 5.24 $ 2.80 $3 $ 10.75 $ 6.45 $ 48.85 $ 14.90 $ 5.08 $ 67.81 $ 15.05 $ 22.90

0.90 ▼ 14.66% 0.25 ▼ 8.20% 0.25 ▼ 7.69% 0.65 ▼ 5.70% 0.39 ▼ 5.70% 2.85 ▼ 5.51% 0.80 ▼ 5.10% 0.27 ▼ 5.05% 3.56 ▼ 4.99% 0.78 ▼ 4.93% 1.10 ▼ 4.58%

Most Declined Obalon Therapeutics, Inc. TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Compugen Ltd. Coherus BioSciences, Inc. Tintri, Inc. Lumentum Holdings Inc. Surgery Partners, Inc. Medallion Financial Corp. Juno Therapeutics, Inc. Zealand Pharma A/S Bel Fuse Inc.

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E W N 25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Fashion forges ahead

Debt grows but leaders SPANISH BRAND ECLIPSES TRADITIONAL LEADER count on 2018 boost

CLOTHING retailer Zara has outstripped telecommunications giant Movistar to become the best-performing Spanish brand. The bombshell comes after global consultancy Interbrand published its latest report. It is the first time that Movistar has failed to top the national ranking in a decade, after the company lost 12 per cent of its brand value as it plummeted to €19.65 billion. And the clothing manufacturer, owned by tycoon Amancio Ortega, is now estimated to be worth €15.45 billion, up 45 per cent from 2015. Bosco Torres, technical director of the report, claims that the drop can be attributed to ‘financial analysts’ forecasts, which project a flatter growth, with revenues set to grow by just 1 per cent due to increased prices driving a potential loss of customers, plus competition from the new wave of platforms including HBO and Netflix.” Banking group Santander - valued at €5.6 billion - was placed third, having grown by 20 per cent in the last two years, thanks to a stable business model with predictable results, since it is working in mature economies including the UK and Germany and in growth regions in Central and South America. Basque country-based bank BBVA and clothing brand Bershka, also owned by Ortega, make up the top five. Supermarket chain Mercadona, in eighth place, is the second-fastest growing brand after Zara, after its value increased by 31 per cent in the last two years, while fashion chain Mango is the biggest loser, with its value having plunged by 39 per cent. New entries in the top 20 include beer brewer Estrella Galicia and private medical firm Sanitas, while British-owned telecommunications com-

ON THE UP: The rise and rise of Zara has put Movistar (inset) under the magnifying glass.

pany Jazztel, and banking group Banco Popular drop out, the latter in the wake of its takeover by Santander. Spain’s two biggest football clubs, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, appear in positions 17 and 20, with respective values of €530 million and €470 million. By sectors, banking is the most-represented with eight entries on the list, whereas fashion is the most valuable despite only appearing five times, with the worth of Zara, Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Mango and Desigual estimated at €18.8 billion, 35 per cent of the overall total.

DEFENCE BUDGET SET TO GROW

Spain’s military spending in 2017

EXPENDITURE UP: Defence Minister María Dolores de Cospedal poses with troops during a visit to Kabul, Afghanistan.

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SPAIN’S annual military spending has risen to €835 million. The figure represents an 8.2 per cent increase on the €771.1 million splashed out in 2016, after the Ministry of Defence took part in 17 missions during 2017. According to official figures, the most expensive operation was conducted in Lebanon, after 618 Spanish soldiers were deployed on a peace-keeping mission, at a cost of €138 million. The forces joined a campaign, started 12 years ago, by the United Nations (UN) in the wake of a violent confrontation between Israel and militants from the Shia Islamist political party. This was followed by a €123.1 million operation in Iraq as 541 troops, including 71 from the Army Engineer Corps, joined the international coalition fighting Muslim fundamentalist group Daesh in the war-torn country. And €84.3 million was spent on the European Union (EU) Operation Sophia, combatting human trafficking and illegal migration in the Mediterranean Sea, an ongoing campaign based mostly in Libyan waters.

Ministerio Defensa/Twitter

Bottom line of fire

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Spain currently deploys 2,469 soldiers on five continents, and national Defence Minister, María Dolores de Cospedal, is due to appear in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of Spain’s legislative branch, to request an increase in spending for 2018. In particular, the official wants to send an additional 152 troops to Mali, with Spanish General Enrique Millán set to assume command of the EU mission based there.

1. Lebanon (UN): €138 million 2. Iraq (Global Coalition Against Daesh): €123.1 million 3. Mediterranean - Operation Sophia (EU): €84.3 million 4. Atlantic and Mediterranean naval groups (NATO): €84.1 million 5. Indian Ocean - Operation Atalanta (EU): €74.2 million 6. Mali - Training mission (EU): €72.9 million 7. Latvia - Enhanced Forward Presence (NATO): €63.4 million 8. Estonia - Baltic Air Policing (NATO): €48.7 million 9. Turkey - Patriot Missile Battery Support (NATO): €38.3 million 10. Senegal - Air detachment (France support): €36.4 million 11. Mediterranean - Sea Guardian (NATO): €27.1 million 12. Gabon - Air detachment (France support): €22.1 million 13. Central African Republic (EU): €8.3 million 14. Afghanistan - Resolute Support (NATO): €6.7 million 15. Colombia - Observation mission (UN): €3.5 million 16. Somalia - Training mission (EU): €3.4 million 17. Bosnia Herzegovina (UE): €0.4 million

PUBLIC debt in Spain has broken all records. After rising by more than €9 million in November, the total of €1.14 billion is the highest ever registered, according to the Bank of Spain. The figure is equivalent to more than 98.8 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), well above the country’s European Union target of 98.1 per cent by the close of 2017. But the Spanish government said it expects the figure to fall to 96.8 per cent this year. The increase is being blamed on higher indebtedness registered by the State, w h i c h i n c r e a s e d b y € 11 . 1 million to an unparalleled €987.2 million. Spain’s public debt before the global financial crisis hit in 2007 was €384 million, or 35 per cent of GDP.

UK losing out in space race INFRASTRUCTURE for the Galileo satellite system will be moved from the UK to Spain over Brexit fears. It comes after a committee of representatives from European Union member states voted in favour of the move from London to Madrid. The back-up security centre for Galileo - an advanced version of GPS - is not yet fully operational in London, but was expected to employ 30 people. It was originally awarded to London in 2010, and controls access to the system with 24hour monitoring when the main security headquarters near Paris is offline. It is the latest Brexit blow to the UK’s space industry, and follows a November announcement by aerospace companies and the Royal Aeronautical Society, in which they claimed they were being overlooked for contracts.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

GOVERNMENT DEFENDS COST OF EXTRA POLICE

CONTROVERSIAL: Police beat pro-independence protesters and (inset) Minister Zoido, left, appears before the Senate of Spain.

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THE Catalan independence crisis cost the Spanish state €87 million in police spending. Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido was forced to defend the eye-popping figure, after thousands of Guardia Civil and National Police officers were deployed to the troubled region last autumn. They were tasked with preventing an illegal independence referendum on October 1, and many remained in place until after the snap election, called by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, eventually withdrawing on December 30. Clashes between police and pro-independence supporters, during the referendum saw hundreds injured, as the Spanish forces closed 113 polling stations and stopped a further 100 from opening. Images of the violence - including footage of armed police

Photo credit Juan Ignacio Zoido/Twitter/You Tube

€87m Cataluña spend

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beating elderly people, women and peaceful protesters - were condemned across the globe. But Mr Zoido, who was appearing before the Spanish Senate voluntarily, strongly defended the offensive, which he said took place against “the absolute passivity and minimal collaboration” of the Mossos d’Esquadra

Catalan police. “The operation was legitimate, professional, and proportional,” he said. “I regret as much as anyone that people were hurt, but those responsible generated a climate of disobedience with their reckless and illegal behaviour.” He went on to justify the cost of the exercise, with the money used for accommodation, food, travel and day-to-day living. “It is a high price that all Spaniards have to pay due to the irresponsibility and stubbornness of the pro-independence government,” he said. The official also pointed out that damages to police stations and vehicles cost €135,000. An average of 4,500 officers were based in Cataluña throughout the crisis, with 6,000 in place on the day of the referendum. Opposition groups criticised Mr Zoido, with Xavier Castel-

lana, of the pro-independence Esquerra Republicana party, accusing the government of “applying the political will of Franco to maintain the unity of Spain.” Others quizzed the minister over the use of rubber bullets and pepper spray. Following the referendum, the regional government declared independence, prompting the Spanish government to dissolve Catalan parliament and call snap elections. A number of pro-independence politicians were subsequently arrested, and some - including ousted leader Carles Puidgemont - had warrants issued for their arrest. Puigdemont has since fled to Belgium. December’s snap election failed to provide a decisive result, with separatists retaining a slim majority, but not taking over 50 per cent of the vote.

EWN

33

Chinese seek to sell hotels A CHINESE conglomerate is seeking to sell its stake in a Spanish hotel chain. HNA Group, which has investments across the globe and ranked number 179 on the Fortune Global 500 list, is reportedly trying to offload its majority stake in the NH Hotel Group. The move comes days after NH - headquartered in Madrid - turned down a takeover bid from Mallorca-based rival Barceló Group. HNA revealed it has hired banking firms JP Morgan and Benedetto, Gartland and Company to find a buyer for its 29.5 per cent stake in NH, valued at around €632 million. Spain’s hotel industry is booming, as the country last year became the second-most visited country in the world after France, having outstripped the United States.

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

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

35

I have nothing against immigration LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT WASN’T too sure how to scribble this week; light or heavy? Do I attract the ‘slings and arrows’ or go for a few laughs? The hell with it, I’m opting for heavy (surprise, surprise)! The main reason is, that I am utterly sick of people reminding me that I am ‘also an immigrant.’ They sneeringly remark ‘Has the irony escaped you?’ after I have written some depreciating piece or commented on Europe and its immigrant problems. Well of course it hasn’t. I’m not a moron. I am an immigrant, and one with no regrets whatsoever. All those years ago, disillusioned and broke, with a career in ruins and a young family to support, in 1975 I left my beloved UK and made tracks for Saudi Arabia. There I worked my proverbials off for some eight years. When I had saved what I considered enough, and with nothing to attract me back to the UK, I looked around and with some encouragement from a good friend, decided to settle in Spain. I brought in some 40K (no small sum in ‘83!) became a resident and invested in a (failed!) busi-

BORDERS: Must be made secure. ness. I’ve had four children here and all have been educated in the Spanish system. I speak the language (could be better!), have always paid my dues, and have integrated pretty well into the Spanish community. What I did not do, was to enter the country ille-

gally, expect to be housed and paid benefits for doing nothing, insist that their schools fly the British flag or change their menu to suit my taste. I did not, create ‘no go’ areas, consider myself to be above local laws, mow down or slaughter innocent civilians while screaming ‘Jesus is great’

or scream racism when decisions didn’t go my way. I have nothing whatsoever against immigration. I truly believe diversity to be both healthy and progressive. I do not however condone millions of ungrateful layabouts and fanatics, hell bent on screwing as much as they can from their host countries and trying to overthrow and change the culture by sheer weight of numbers and social upheaval. I do of course realise that many immigrants are not of this ilk and do contribute invaluable input to the societies they have adopted. But far too many do not. Until we cap the numbers of those wanting to enter the more successful democracies of Europe, vet them all far more carefully, strengthen our borders and insist on much higher standards, I’m afraid Europe is doomed to a future beset with conflict and problems that will result in chaos, misery and ultimate capitulation. Unfortunately I feel it is already far too late. Sorry to select ‘heavy’ again this week. Promise a measure of light next, ok? Thanks for all the mail and encouraging comments ‘on the street.’ Sorry also, that I can’t reply to most missives, but I do read ‘em all - promise. Keep the faith. Love Leapy leapylee@gmail.com columnists@euroweeklynews.com

Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

38

25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

TECH FOR THE TIMID BEYONCÉ is said to have dozens and to change them every week. I have four and haven’t changed them for years. We’re talking e-mail addresses, which some people change the way others change their socks. Or should. Not mentioning any names. It’s a surprising half-century since e-mail first emerged, and now we send 50 billion a day, many aimed at augmenting the male anatomy or congratulating you on winning a lottery you didn’t enter. E-mail has decimated the world’s traditional postal services, and has reached even the middle of the middle of nowhere. Experts say it’s under threat from social media and texts, yet today the world has nearly five billion e-mail addresses, at 2.1 per online user. But if you’re over 50 and typical, you’ve got just one. Which is a really, really bad idea. Far from simplifying your life, having just one actually complicates it. Let me give you a for in-

www.euroweeklynews.com

Wham spam thank you ma’am If the internet really is 90 per cent porn and spam, Terence Kennedy reveals one way of staying sane online.

E-MAIL ACCOUNTS: The more the merrier.

stance. Buy just about anything these days, from a left-handed screwdriver, to a pack of Meccano-set furniture, and the vendor wants your e-mail address. Officially, for his sales records. Unofficially, so he can swamp you the way Amazon pioneered: ‘If you liked this

item, you may like these other seven hundred…’ Buying online is even worse. Even e-mail providers want an email address to be able to give you an e-mail address. What it all means is the tedious daily click and zap, deleting the average eight spam messages sent a day for every person on the planet. So here’s this week’s priceless tip. Sign-up for at least one extra, free e-mail address. Dish it out happily to everyone who asks, and keep your ‘real’ address for just friends, family and work. The biggest advantage is not actually having to download all the junk mail which hits this backup account. That’s because you’re not

going to access it with your normal e-mail ‘client’ (programs like Microsoft’s Outlook or Mail, Thunderbird, Apple Mail etc). Instead, go to its website. Under your name will be a list, still without downloading anything. You can simply go tick, tick, tick against all the junk in the list, skipping any you might actually want to read, and then hit the delete button just once. Voila - they are consigned to email oblivion. Nothing is downloaded, including viruses. There is no futile, irritating beeping coming from your smartphone. No waiting for spam to creep in at its petty pace, before you can get to that vitally important family or work message.

FEATURE

Mailing it FREE e-mail accounts cert ai nl y cost l ess t han t he proverbial ‘dime-a-dozen’, letting you use the service in ret urn f or showi ng you some advertising or harvesting your personal data. Most provi ders wi l l i ndeed let you have more than one address, so in principle if you want multiple Gmail or Yahoo mailboxes, yes you can. Or how about the freebie addresses from your Int ernet Servi ce Provi der, which most of us don’t actually use because we already had an est abl i shed and portable one? For an account wi t h an address entirely different to your ‘ real ’ one, t here are pl ent y of ot her provi ders who di sh t hem out l i ke sweets: Yandex, Zoho, Proton, Mail.com…. Sadly, there is some bad news (for me at least) and that is that the best address has already been claimed: hotmale@hotmail.com.

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

THERE are so many daft ‘fake’ stories doing the rounds now. But surely all are topped by the one about the man who created a fake restaurant in his garden, purely to hoax TripAdvisor. ‘The Shed’ in Dulwich, England, became an internet hit, ranked number one on TripAdvisor, even though nobody had ever eaten there! Eventually it became so popular that Oobah Butler had to let people in, serving them ready meals from Iceland. Apparently he got the idea from a previous job of

writing fake reviews on TripAdvisor at £10 a post, praising restaurants in which he had never eaten, to boost businesses up the rankings. Then he said he had a revelation: “Within the current climate of misinformation and society’s willingness to believe absolute bullshit, maybe a fake restaurant is possible? It became my mission. With the help of fake reviews, mystique and nonsense, I was going to do it: turn my own shed into London’s top-rated restaurant on TripAdvisor.” He produced a website, a concept to attract attention (dishes named after moods), got a photographer to ‘immortalise’ the ‘food’ (closeups of shaving foam, bleach tablets and, at one point, his own foot) and friends to

Photo by Oobah Butler/Twitter

How a fake restaurant became London’s hottest reservation

THE ‘BREXIT SHED’: A place of milk and honey…

write reviews like: “The earthy taste and freshness of the food was something else.” Now, TripAdvisor’s a useful tool but you have to read between the lines and use

your own ‘idiot filters.’ If there are only five star reviews, be suspicious; similarly, if only bad ones. You come across silly comments as well as the ‘Emperor ’s New Clothes’ attitude to ‘be-

ing there’. This was a harmless prank, but the guy was correct about our era of fake news. (Incidentally, any chance he could cook up a Brexit deal that’ll stand scrutiny for more than a few

minutes?) PS, I’ll certainly be recommending this unbiased article! Five stars! Plus a warning: this column may not be written by a real person. Finally, still need a bit of last-minute encouragement to embrace ‘Dry January’? Well, there’s always dry cider, dry white wine and dry martinis. Always glad to help! 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

O

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TV LISTING

THURSDAY 25 JANUARY

FRIDAY 26 JANUARY

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Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Big Cats Death in Paradise BBC News at Ten BBC London News Question Time This Week

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Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Match of the Day Live BBC News at Ten BBC London News The Graham Norton Show Witless

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And They're Off...For Sport Relief Pointless All Together Now Casualty BBC News Weather Hard Sun Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights The NFL Show Countryfile Still Open All Hours Call the Midwife Mcmafia BBC News Regional News Weather Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights The Women's Football Show Inside Out EastEnders Panorama Silent Witness BBC News Regional News Weather Have I Got Old News for You Miriam's Big American Adventure The One Show EastEnders Holby City Silent Witness BBC News Regional News Weather Love and Hate Crime Stacey Dooley Investigates Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show The Truth About Getting Fit Wonders of the Moon BBC News Regional News Weather Match of the Day

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Tennis Eggheads Great American Railroad Journeys Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure A House Through Time The Mash Report Newsnight Eggheads Great American Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby Mastermind A Vicar's Life Monty Don's Paradise Gardens QI Newsnight Drive

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Hugh's Wild West A House Through Time Dad's Army Grand Tours of Scotland's Lochs QI XL Darcey Bussell: Dance Beyond Boundaries Birdman Bowls

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Britain's Cycling Superheroes - The Price of Success? Yellowstone Dragons' Den Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl The Mash Report Insert Name Here Cleverman

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Eggheads Great American Railroad Journeys Big Dreams, Small Spaces Only Connect University Challenge Winterwatch Two Doors Down Newsnight Weather

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Dickinson's Real Deal Tipping Point The Chase Local News and Weather ITV Evening News Emmerdale Best 100 Walks in Britain ITV News at Ten and Weather Girlfriends

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Channel 4 News Posh Pawn The Biggest Little Railway in the World SAS: Who Dares Wins 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Shutter Island Holocaust: Night Will Fall The Supervet

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The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it Kiri 999: What's Your Emergency? 24 Hours in A and E Pokerstars Championship Cash Challenge

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Home and Away 5 News FIA World Rally Caught in the Act Celebrity Big Brother One Night with My Ex Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side Celebrity Big Brother Super Casino

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Transfer Centre Transfer Centre Transfer Centre Transfer Centre Transfer Centre Transfer Centre Transfer Centre Gillette Soccer Special Live ICC U19 Wc

Home and Away 5 News Police Interceptors GPs: Behind Closed Doors Celebrity Big Brother When Kim Met Kayne Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

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Live European Tour Golf My Icon Cricket My Icon SKY Sports News SKY Sports News Live PGA Tour Featured Groups Live PGA Tour Golf Live ICC U19 Wc

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SKY Sports News SKY Sports News SKY Sports News SKY Sports News SKY Sports News Soccer Special PreMatch Gillette Soccer Special Sky Sports News Ten SKY Sports News Live ICC U19 Wc

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FEATURE

25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

TV COUCH CRITIC THOUGHT I would give Vera a try on Sunday ITV. Sorry to say it doesn’t work for me. Brenda Blethin dressed as a cast-off from the old lady in the long gone Heartbeat series in a dodgy hat, blue scarf and coat that’s seen better days. Her P reg Land Rover tops it off. It’s an easy watch but I just didn’t feel it somehow. Just one last thing, do they address people as ‘love’ in Northumberland? Sometimes having a zap round the channels away from the mainstream brings up some watchable or repeated TV, and Dave on Demand’s American Pickers is always worth a half hour of your time. Two clued-up buyers scour the country searching for antiques or collectables to buy and sell. These guys don’t settle just for small items, they will buy anything that looks like there’s a profit in it. In one programme set in upstate New York they met up with First Officer John Skiles, famed for manning the aeroplane that landed in the Hudson River, who had barns full of flying memorabilia. They went away from there laden with an aeroplane engine, rare air show posters and magazines, and wheels, allowing them to make a sizeable profit. Take a look, no thinking required. Hard Sun, a BBC six-part drama for Saturday

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Vera plods, Mellor triumphs and repeats appeal nights kicked off last week and went straight in to the action. Agyness Deyn the ex-model turned actress, made an unusual but creditable cop who can verbally and physically mix it with her peers. There’s skulduggery everywhere you turn in this pre-apocalyptic thriller, which starts after a computer document saying the world has five years to doomsday is leaked. The intelligence services are on her trail and they have all her hangout covered. Looks like a hit from the Beeb, but it’s still early days. Homes Under the Hammer (BBC 1) should be axed immediately as this tired old format has reached its end point. Buy cheap, renovate cheap, make money, and move on. As if two presenters aren’t enough they have now roped in a third! Come on Beeb, don’t waste licence payers’ money any longer, put us out of our misery, get shut, it’s had its day. Girlfriends (ITV) is another Kay Mellor hit (she can do no wrong in my book) that focuses on three lifelong friends played by Miranda Richardson, Zoe Wanamaker and Phyllis Logan. All have some form of crisis and they together solve them as only girlfriends do. The storyline

HIT: From left, Zoë Wanamaker, Phyllis Logan and Miranda Richardson in Girlfriends. is quite simple as most of Mellor’s tales are, but the script is crisp, understandable and most of all plausible. Still going strong on Sundays is Dragons’ Den (BBC 2). The series has gone through its fair share of multi-millionaires over the years but it’s still a really good watch. There’s something more than a bit satisfying watching suc-

MISS: Brenda Blethin in Vera. cessful candidates sealing a deal with these astute business giants. Death in Paradise (BBC1) has finally bagged the man for the part at the third time of asking as British cop Jack Mooney is now played by Ardal O’Hanlon. He has the right amount of clumsiness mixed with a thorough detective’s brain to nail the villain. Critique: P M San Fulgencio, Costa Blanca

Advertising Feature

Christina Sharp GLOBELINK INTERNATIONAL christina@globelink.co.uk.

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25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

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FEATURE

Predictions for the coming year - tighten your seat belts! 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.

WORRYING times ahead. But the world keeps on turning. Que sera, sera. Or, can we change our fate? Alter destiny? It isn’t chance that has made star wars movies the vogue, a household name for production and characters. It’s not just Hollywood cramming the concept down your throat but the government too. The home community has been gradually ‘prepped’ for these announcements since 1947 and the Roswell incident. Aliens from visiting galaxies or further afield will finally be announced. Confirmation will be of the ‘light variety’ but the word will be made public and pretty much left at that. After all, it changes all those religious concepts that our planet has held as the backbone of civilisations. The world uproar will naturally be sub-

stantial even though as a populace we’ve been gently nurtured for half a century previously. Donald Trump will grow exceedingly tired of not getting ‘deals done.’ His business background stems from the skeletal rudiments of mutual commitment to solve a pending issue: what price for how much service. Politics simply isn’t that way. There is no need to resolve any issue especially if it is confrontational or cannot be manipulated or totally controlled into a positive settlement for the main participant. Trump will relish getting back to his own playing field wherein he controls the situation and rules, and can threaten a bombastic resolution through immediate litigation. America will suffer some astounding revelations concerning its out of control politicians, mostly Obama. The shock will be devastating at first until the backgrounds are revealed and then all will be understood and unfortunately accepted. What has been happening for years in the entire world will be focused on the states as if bedroom doors were thrown open ‘after working hours.’ Anti-gravity is just not below our feet, it’s been

Advertising Feature by Voss Homes

ANCIENT WONDERS: The Sphinx - proof that aliens do exist? here for a long while. Oil interest hasn’t allowed it to become the reality it should have been years back.

In so many ways we are trapped by our own institutionalised thinking which permits nothing new, as change could modify the venerated well established industrial regimes already in control. But bottom line profits will be forgotten as the world moves in giant steps toward more socialised living procedures. New brave ways will be sought to solve old riddles to produce larger supplies of money to fill government coffers for the bleating and entitled masses. Democracy will make sure it happens when votes are periodically counted. Your personal ailments will be cured by wellintentioned robots having been trained to analyse blood, DNA and voiced complaints. (Let’s hope those ‘bots’ never talk to their analytical twins that might presume we are overpopulated). Booze and opiate consumption will rise drastically in a world without fable, myth or meaning. Technology, the ultimate God appears to rule (hic). Oh well, let the newcomers fix it, they are obviously smarter than we are.

Property of the week

Gorgeous 2 bed villa with pool VILLA DULCE is a larger than average, two bed (plus study), one bath villa, in a quiet cul de sac position, with an 8m x 4m swimming pool, aircon, sun terrace and lovely country views. All this for just €114,950 on an easy to maintain 407m2 garden with gated driveway. It is approximately one to two miles from both Zurgena and Arboleas villages, where they have a variety of shops, restaurants, banks, doctors and markets. This villa makes an ideal low maintenance main residence or ‘lock up and leave’ holiday home, and has great rental potential. Villa Dulce consists of a large front porch, which leads into the hallway, in turn leading into a large living / dining room, with an efficient pellet burning fire. It has a good sized fitted kitchen, large double bedroom with fitted wardrobes, and an en suite shower room. The second bedroom is currently used as another living room, and both bedrooms have double doors leading to the pool area behind the villa.

VILLA DULCE: Perfect as a main residence or a rental property. There is a small box room, which is currently used as a study, meaning you can keep your computer, printer, books etc out of the bedrooms or living room. Outside, surrounding the villa, is the mostly easy maintenance, paved and gravelled garden, with private

8m x 4m swimming pool to the rear of the house, giving you lovely country views. There is also a gated stairway leading up to the large sun terrace. The gated and paved driveway gives off road parking for one or two cars,

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114,950 euros doctors and markets are approximately one mile away, so easy cycling distance, or a short drive. The A7 motorway is less than 10 minutes away, and the major market town of HuercalOvera is approximately 15 to 20 minutes’ drive away. The coast, at Vera, Garrucha and Mojacar is 25 to 30 mins drive away. Voss Homes is a British family-run business, with an office in the thriving market town of Huercal-Overa. They concentrate on selling properties around the Huercal-Overa, Zurgena, La Alfoquia and Taberno area. They look forward to helping you find your ideal property in Spain. For more information, or to arrange a viewing please telephone Voss Homes on 0034 950 616 827 or 0034 678 002 006 or visit their office in Huercal-Overa and quote property VH991 Villa Dulce. They are just 1km off exit 553 of the A7 motorway, 100m from Lidl.

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25 - 31 January 2018 / 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.

Geography lesson for the less experienced

Bang free THE festivities in Canillas de Albaida to ‘celebrate’ the San Antonio animal holiday happened last weekend (January 13/14) and are most definitely not animal friendly. As is customary at any festival in Spain, there was the constant noise of bangs going off all day and evening and many dogs, including mine, were so frightened inside that they certainly wouldn’t dare venture going outside for a walk. So I think that it would be nice just for once to have a

HAVE YOUR SAY

La Cala should retain charm

Photo Credit: Tyk Wikimedia

MIKE SENKER refers to ‘countries like El Salvador, Africa and Haiti.’ In order that your less experienced readers are not misinformed, Africa is not in fact a country - either Central American or Caribbean. It is a continent comprising approximately 54 countries. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Britain transferred three million Africans from their homeland to a life of slavery on the Caribbean islands. The indigenous Caribbeans were not African - nor were those of Central America. David R Worboys, Nerja

A defining moment? HAVING lived in La Cala de Mijas for more than a decade, I am one of an increasing number of people who identify how the Costa del Sol village has improved in recent years. Though ongoing expansion with new builds slightly inland concern many, a coastal boardwalk, more quality shops and restaurants and other improvements go some way to balancing some of the possible negatives of its growth from its once small fishing village identity. However, in recent days I note that extensive infrastructure improvements in Calle Antequera (new footpaths, road resurfacing,

ICONIC DONKEY: Outside the picturesque town hall. lighting and drainage) has resulted in a shaded public seating area and two old trees - a muchloved characteristic of the residential street locally referred to as Coronation Street by many in being removed.

This is sad, for although allimportant extra public street parking has been provided by the infrastructure project, La Cala should also retain characteristics of its local charm. JS, name and address supplied

Readers who have missed correspondence can see all letters - which can be edited before publication - posted on: www.euroweeklynews.com.

Spain set for winter sun Perhaps cleaning the municipal bins with sea water instead of drinking water may help with the shortages! Katrina Barratt

Comments from EWN online

Ryanair still top despite Spanish hotels fear Tunisian turbulence Jet 2 are doing extremely well, better planes and flight. competition Jim Fennessey Tunisia after the shootings - wide berth, no matter if it’s free, same with Turkey and Egypt - they don’t have what I’d say a safe haven as yet. Marie Ross Main

Tunisia is the only holiday I ever went on that I did not like and felt threatened and I have been on over 30 foreign holidays all over the world. Gill Reynolds The Spanish government needs to invest more in tourism if they want to keep tourism moving forward. Due to the climate it’s ideally suited to theme parks like Disney, Universal Studios and MGM aimed at families. These can be located out of towns. The Spanish economy needs more all year round jobs, not just seasonal work. This would also benefit local business and jobs in general. It’s been needed for a long time in the south. Pps, Estepona

Boaring news TO all the people in Benidorm, Calpe and Pego suffering from wild boar problems. You must remember the recipe created by a famous Spanish chef for a succulent pork roast which begins ‘First remove wild boar from your radiator.’ Ian Royle, Calpe

Postal delays

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.

As much as I love this weather we do need some rain desperately. Joanne Booth

bang free festival that would be not only pet friendly but people friendly too. Delphine Penfold, Competa

Yes Jim but they don’t necessarily go to where I want to go! Ryanair go Alicante-Newquay, no choice. Jenny Dodd Much of Ryanair’s problems were towards the end of last year. It will be interesting to see if that has affected their customer loyalty this year. Geoff Kerr

Brit faces jail over starting forest fire Absolutely fair! He would have been well aware of the risks and must be held accountable. Stephen Richards This is spot on fair, risks taken by anyone means accountabilty must be taken too. Debbie Harrison

I hope he gets traditional Spanish hospitality amongst the inmates. Rodolfo Losada

‘Drunk’ passenger forces flight diversion Why allow on flight if drunk?? I wouldn’t want anyone sitting with or near me if they are drunk!!!!!! Mandy Garside Chatwood Bloody disgrace, well done crew, poor passengers... She mustn’t be allowed to fly again! Sian Foster OMG what an idiot, well done Ryanair, hope the woman got prosecuted!!! Sandra Dunn Bratton

Dangerous driver caught on video He wasn’t thinking, they rarely do, especially on the roads. Carl Glover This happens too often, time to remove the offending driver’s privileges of driving licence. David George Mitchell The driver has been caught, according to N332. Hope the courts nail this one. Russell Bushby

REGARDING problems in Orihuela with non-delivery of post over the Christmas period. We in Nucia Park have also suffered in a similar way with post taking days to arrive or the postman having to make his delivery at 8.30pm. Complaints to our post office fall on deaf ears. They blame the Benidorm office or suggest the problem is with the UK (even when the letters are from the local bank). Several times we have had bills arrive to be paid on the day of delivery. My question is, is there somewhere to make an official complaint or is this common for all parts of Spain and we have to put up with it? Dennis Jackson, La Nucia

Nerja nasty whilst Torrox keeps clean NEW YEAR, same old optimistic nonsense from the town hall. I own up to actually living in Torrox and honestly don’t know what they do with our sewage, but there never seems to be anything nasty floating off our beaches. Nerja promotes itself as a world beater resort but surely pumping raw sewage into the sea should disqualify any town. One of your fellow English language papers had an interesting article about blockages caused by wet wipes etc yet Nerja’s answer, when/if it is completed, is to pump waste three kilometres distance and 50 metres or so uphill to the new facility. How long before it blocks up and overflows? I will give you your headline for that week - Crapistrano! Oh dear, there goes my cheerful, positive start to 2018. Glad to see Mr Lee hasn’t made any resolutions and is keeping up his Britain First membership for another year. When in doubt blame the immigrants but remember you are one as well! Peter Thompson, Torrox

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E W N 25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

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Across 1 Aspired, in a way, to helplessness (7) 4 Slogs away to get shine (5) 7 Only about five find the answer (5) 9 Strongly criticising the roof work (7) 10 Encourage another to breathe? (7) 11 Minor part in Oedipus Rex tragedy (5) 12 Stone alien missile (6) 14 Hit and miss or damn silly (6) 18 A drink for the American conscripts (5) 20 Leave, if there's a group performing (7) 22 Roman officer broke turbine (7) 23 Some of his language was jargon (5) 24 Fruit for specific days of the month (5) 25 Rushes to publish within seconds (7)

my assurance’ (5) 8 Some hotel items for the select few (5) 13 Disturbance after tea in old vehicle (7) 15 Gather a large amount (5) 16 Chap gets older, but copes

Code Breaker

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION FACING PAGE

17 Menservants drink during TV’s broadcast (6) 18 Went out with old hat (5) 19 Roy leaves mixed yoghurts for hooligans (5) 21 Empty shower after last showered (5)

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 12 represents Z and 15 represents D, so fill in Z every time the figure 12 appears and D every time the figure 15 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 Tramp, one in collection of papers (7) 2 Auctions off prison rooms, we hear (5) 3 More hasty to produce a slice of bacon (6) 4 Elegance of old cricketer (5) 5 Left out by mistake, I met Dot (7) 6 Greek letter begins, ‘Sir, I give

TIME

Across 1 Clearly defined (5) 4 Clean with hard rubbing (5) 7 Large, hairy spider (9) 8 Chore (4) 10 Unusual mental ability (6) 12 Musical instrument (6) 13 Asks for alms (4) 16 Too soon or too hasty (9) 18 Thick, closely-spaced, compact (5) 19 Lacking self-confidence (5) Down 1 Woman's garment hanging from the waist (5)

English - Spanish

Across 1 Shower (of rain) (8) 4 Pelota (4) 8 Guante (5) 10 Poppy (7) 11 Stadium (7) 12 Grosero (maleducado) (4) 14 To turn off (light, television) (6) 16 Pajitas (6) 19 Tin can (4) 21 Rescue (7) 24 Disculpa (7) 25 Mareas (5) 26 Plomo (4) 27 Prisionero (8)

2 Social insect living in organised colonies (3) 3 Meat from a domestic pig (4) 4 Vocalist (6) 5 Everyday procedure (7) 6 Alloy of copper and zinc (5) 9 Person who treats injuries or diseases by manual operations (7) 11 Argument (6) 12 Roman god of love (5) 14 Small group of soldiers assigned to a particular activity (5) 15 Fair and impartial (4) 17 Tall, deciduous tree (3)

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

Down 1 Storks (8) 2 Delante (5) 3 Nails (metal) (6) 5 Evitar (5) 6 Loyal (4) 7 Zanahoria (6) 9 Oyster (5) 13 Lift (elevator) (8) 15 Spit (roast) (6) 17 Coffin (5) 18 Oración (religión) (6) 20 Now (at this time, immediately) (5) 22 Mushrooms (flat-topped) (5) 23 Caída (4)

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

10

19

28

29

31

BONUS BALL

IRISH LOTTO

‘ WE WERE GOING ELECTRIC - BUT THE THREAT OF DROUGHTS AND DESERTS...! ’ How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case R) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

Nonagram

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.

17

19

29

31

37

41

BONUS BALL

34

EURO MILLIONS BONUS BALL

23

31

3

TARGET: • Average: 11 • Good: 15

• Very good: 22 • Excellent: 29

12

46

34

Friday January 19

BONUS BALL

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

3

berk berm bier boor bore bort brim brio brit emir kerb mire moor more mort oreo rime riot rite robe rook room root rote term tier tire tiro tore tori trek trim trio biker biter broke brook broom merit metro miter mitre moire motor ombre orbit remit robot timer tribe trike booker boomer obiter reboot retook rookie roomie timber timbre MOTORBIKE

8

17

2 7

50

44

EL MILLON: WCN20873 LA PRIMITIVA

Sudoku

Thursday January 18

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.

11

12

22

28

37

49

BONUS BALL

24 0

JOKER: 3 973 025 Saturday January 20

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

15

23

28

36

39

47

BONUS BALL

29 8

JOKER: 3 031 690 EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA Sunday January 21

4

9 29

11

BONUS BALL

46

1

Across:

Across:

1 Speak, 4 Focas, 10 Enter, 11 Seaside, 12 Mas joven, 13 Damp, 15 Ninety, 17 Colour, 19 Sage, 20 Farmacia, 23 Receive, 24 Nests, 25 Toser, 26 Pared.

Down: 2 Patos, 3 Airports, 5 Ojal, 6 Ahijado, 7 Hermanastro, 8 Ashes, 9 Despertarse, 14 Tormenta, 16 Negocio, 18 Paseo, 21 Cisne, 22 Wise.

1 Peach, 4 Courage, 8 Chagrin, 9 Sward, 10 Satin, 11 Meander, 12 Diddle, 14 Meagre, 17 Setback, 19 Snaps, 21 Arena, 22 Initial, 23 Redeems, 24 Sorry.

Down: 1 Picks, 2 Adapted, 3 Heron, 4 Cinema, 5 Upstage, 6 Award, 7 Endorse, 12 Despair, 13 Leakage, 15 Glacier, 16 Skeins, 18 Trend, 19 Slips, 20 Splay.

You realise this week how liberating it is to share your thoughts and feelings with someone close. It is not always easy to do this, until you realise everyone has them. Some hopes and dreams are more attainable than others, of course, and someone has to find out which are which.

Time is precious this week because you are in demand. A chance lost in the past presents itself again but won’t be too easy. Holding back just a little makes you more desirable. A want to travel could be cramped by financial considerations. If making extra money is too difficult, consider sharing something of value with someone else.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) After a relaxed weekend, it might prove difficult to take up the reins of work again. However, midweek sees you trotting along happily and minding your own business when someone stops you in your tracks. When a challenge is issued, your natural stubbornness comes to the fore.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) With a mind as sharp as a needle, you spin through the week, weaving your own charming spell. A bit of extra confidence works wonders for your mood. Something that you read sets you thinking about doing some writing or creating something artistic, perhaps even a musical.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

CRYPTIC

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)

Tuesday January 16

20

YOUR STARS

QUICK

KAKURO

Across: 1/11 Dry ice, 3 Pact, 5 Acre, 6 Swap, 8 Rant, 12 Rush, 15 Sofa, 16 Drag, 17 Pike, 18 Eat.

Down: 1 Dear, 2 Yarn, 3 Pester, 4 Tip, 7 Adds, 9 Alto, 10 Tirade, 13 Urge, 14 Hint, 15 Sip.

CODE BREAKER

Although energy is not high, there is the need to have some kind of challenge. With the brain active, it is an ideal time to plot and plan your next moves. Maybe something that has been delayed might now be advanced. You find it hard to choose between opportunities.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) The imagination stirs and the heart races at a suggestion this week. Your strong intuition tells you it is the right thing to do.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Reading the small print or being sure what is offered in a personal encounter is most important this week. Leave nothing to chance or you could be out of pocket.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Being over-generous with cash midweek could see you making a poor move. Perhaps someone needs to be more hardworking or perhaps less of a spendthrift. Propping up a bad habit would be doing them no favours.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) A suggestion made by you recently did not seem to be taken seriously. This week, however, negotiations could be opened. Circumstances change and it may seem someone gave up too early. Bide your time and even hold your tongue when someone in a strong position spouts rubbish.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Confidence in a close relationship should be maintained. Possibly someone who envies your position would like to see discord. A matter of spiritual or religious faith is questioned, but the answer comes more clearly and sharply than you would have thought.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) An emotional cut-off from the past is not as bad as anticipated. Indeed, it confirms in your mind who you are and what your place in the world is. Inherited traits knit easily with your present life and bring contentment.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) An investment made recently is built upon and brings peace of mind. Finances do need consideration but more in the long than the short-term. Much is happening in the background that does not require your attention but, all the same, be aware.

QUIZ: DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY 1. Seven Tears was a UK number one hit single in 1982 for which dance band? 2. The Latin-American ballroom dance the rumba originated on which Caribbean island? 3. The mazurka is a lively folk dance in triple time principally associated with which country? 4. What is the name of the American-born dancer/choreographer who became internationally known for his Irish dance shows Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Feet of Flames and Celtic Tiger? 5. Which actor starred, directed and produced the epic 1990 American Western film Dances with Wolves? 6. Which American actress and former teen model starred as the 18-year-old welder Alex Owens in the 1983 American romantic drama film Flashdance?

7. Which French impressionist artist is noted for his many paintings of dance scenes, including The Dance Class, Dancers at the Barre and Dancers in Pink? 8. Which group topped the UK singles chart in 1962 with Dance On? 9. Which Lerner and Loewe musical features the song I Could Have Danced All Night? 10. Which newsreader and television presenter was the first ever series winner of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2004? Not a lot of people know that... the earliest known evidence of dancing comes from 9,000 year-old cave paintings in India.

Answers: Answers 1. GOOMBAY DANCE BAND, 2. CUBA, 3. POLAND, 4. MICHAEL FLATLEY, 5. KEVIN COSTNER, 6. JENNIFER BEALS, 7. EDGAR DEGAS, 8. THE SHADOWS, 9. MY FAIR LADY, 10. NATASHA KAPLINSKY (dancing with Brendan Cole)

2

47

ENGLISH-SPANISH

49

FOR NEXT 7 DAYS

Saturday January 20

Saturday January 20

Kakuro

EWN

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VIEW ON LIFE

MADDOCKS’

OUT

25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

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25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

Richard Shanley

Dishing the Dirt OF EUROPA DIGITAL

THAT black moon cast a long shadow over Poldark’s latest series. The darkest outing yet saw rugged Ross (Aidan Turner) faced with betrayal, heartbreak and the loss of more than one beloved character. So where next for BBC One’s sweeping Sunday night drama? And how much longer will Aidan Turner ’s gorgeous phizog stay on our screens? The third series of Poldark closed on a downbeat note: Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) cheated on Ross with suave, sight-impaired Hugh Armitage (Josh Whitehouse) - and while he might suspect something’s off, officially her infidelity remains a secret... for now. While his personal life may be in tatters, Ross’ career also took an interesting new turn. He finally embraced his r o l e a s t h e p e o p l e ’s h e r o , d e c i d i n g t o pursue a career in politics and take down the likes of horrid George Warleggan (Jack Farthing) from within the belly of the beast. Mr Ross is heading to Westminster... but will his marriage survive? Aidan Turner announced in April this year that Poldark would be returning for

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FEATURE

Poldark season four: Everything you need to know Photo by BBC

50

SWEEPING DRAMA: The fourth series of Poldark is expected to be screened this summer.

a fourth series, with shooting to begin in September. Filming is again expected to take place across the south west of England - in Cornwall, of course, but also Bristol - with some additional shooting in London. Poldark has jumped all about the schedule - its first outing came in the spring of 2015, with a second series following in the autumn of 2016. The next series though, is expected to follow series three’s example and go out in the summer of 2018. 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. Don’t forget to listen to my radio show every weekday, from 10am on Spectrum 96.1 and 106.8FM, now covering almost 3,000 square kilometres of the costas Almeria and Calida. Alternatively you can listen to the show online at costaalmeria.spectrumfm.net for the latest news and views from the world of satellite television.

FEATURE

25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

65 years as a cartoonist and painter

51 PETER MADDOCKS: In his own eyes.

by John Smith AS he heads towards his 90th birthday, cartoonist and Costa del Sol resident, Peter Maddocks took the time to reminisce with Euro Weekly News. We are delighted that Peter supplies a weekly cartoon on an exclusive basis to the paper, as he has retired from commercial illustration and only paints for fun and the excitement of creating a new artistic work. Having joined the Merchant Navy at the age of 15 in 1943, he not only braved the dangers of war, but says that he actually had a great time travelling the world and discovering new experiences and adventures. This was quite a change for a young man from Birmingham, who had first started drawing at the age of six, before winning a scholarship at the age of 11 to attend the Moseley School of Art. With a wicked glint in his eye and a smile on his face, Peter said “My tutor was Norman Pett, who drew the risqué Jane cartoon strip for the Daily Mirror, which saw the heroine out of her clothes as often as she was in them. There I was drawing daffodils whilst he was drawing naked women in the classroom!” After swapping the sea for a land based job, Peter set up his own advertising agency and started designing cinema posters, as well as writing Kit Carson stories. When he was very young, his teacher told him that whilst his art was good, his lettering needed improvement. Having studied fonts, he was determined to be involved in letter-

ing the cowboy stories as well. Whilst he had a love of painting, when he was invited to draw a sample cartoon for the Daily Sketch, his was delighted to be accepted as one of their main contributors and as this was in 1953, he is now celebrating 65 years as a cartoonist. “I preferred to paint, but with cartoons I could take a thought, transfer it to paper quickly with a pithy comment and get paid almost immediately” he said, explaining why he had never become a commercial artist. He quickly became much sought after by all of the major newspapers of the time including the Mail, Telegraph, Express, Mirror, as well as Mayfair and Private Eye. He eventually became Cartoon Editor for Express Newspapers and regularly produced a satirical look at events in 10 Downing Street. During that time, he helped

to found the British Cartoonists’ Association and travelled back to the UK in 2016 to help celebrate its Golden Anniversary. With two of his three sons (there is also a daughter) he decided to set up an animation studio and attracted interest from the BBC for three cartoon series. The Family-Ness, which centred on the life of the Loch Ness Monsters, Jimbo and the Jet Set and Penny Crayon featuring the voice of Su Pollard. He also worked with legendary animators Halas and Batchelor and spent a number of years working for them in Berlin, but admits that this wasn’t the best time of his life. Eventually, after writing a number of self-help books on

how to become a cartoonist (plus Condomania, 101 uses for a condom) Peter decided that it was time to come to Spain to follow his love of painting. Now, nearly 18 years later, he is happily ensconced in a property between Alhaurin El Grande and Coin. “Having also produced children’s books and short stories, I no longer produce any commercial work, other than my weekly cartoon for Euro Weekly News, which I started supplying five years ago. “My passion is painting and with 200 pictures (that I call my family) around the house, all in a range of styles, I am definitely trying to perfect my own, although I may have left it a little late,” laughed the 89-

year-old. Peter is a pleasure to chat with and confided that he stopped riding his motor scooter just two years ago. He is still driving his car on a daily basis, although he had been a little surprised with the ice that had formed on his vehicle the other day. Although he has been living by himself in Spain for all of these years, he admits that he struggles with the Spanish language. But he has developed a perfect arrangement with local shopkeepers saying “If I can’t make myself understood, I whip out my drawing pad and produce a picture of what I want to buy. It seems to work pretty well and the people in the shops seem happy to keep the sketches.”

Many people living by themselves could be lonely, but not Peter Maddocks as he simply loves to paint. As long as he manages to be creative at least once a day, then he considers himself a happy man. He has the gift of being able to follow the news, think up a few funny lines, produce an accompanying image and then invariably change the words to make the cartoon even funnier. Readers enjoy seeing Peter’s work each week in the Time Out section of the six Euro Weekly News editions. And we, at the newspaper, want to thank him for his continued decision to prepare a new and amusing cartoon exclusively for us, week in, week out and congratulate him for his 65 years of professional work.

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25 - 31 January 2018

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

&

No more sneezing IF you suffer from a runny nose and itchy eyes just by looking at a plant you may be relieved to hear a hay fever vaccination is in the works. The jab, which could be available in three years, has been shown to reduce medication use for hay fever symptoms by 25 per cent. Scientists say three rounds of injections a year could leave sufferers symptom-free. Dr Rudolf Valenta, the study’s lead scientist, explained, “My expectation is that the vaccine will lead to an almost complete relief of symptoms two or three years after injections.” He added, “People will be able to defend themselves from grass pollen using

their own immune system, without having to take expensive anti-inflammatory drugs which may weaken their immune system and make them tired during the day,” concluding, “they may still have hay fever but they will feel no different to someone who is hay fever-free.” The study’s lead author at the Medical University of Vienna’s Ear, Nose and Throat Department, Verena Niederberger-Leppin, explained the effects would d i ff e r f r o m p e r s o n t o p e r s o n , s a y i n g , “The more severely the allergy sufferer is affected by grass pollen, the greater the beneficial effect following vaccination.” The news has been welcomed by other

BLESS YOU: Hay fever may soon be a thing of the past. health organisations, with head of clinical services at Allergy UK, Amena Wa r n e r, e x p l a i n i n g , “ Tr a d i t i o n a l i m munotherapy has been used for many years, although it comes with a high level of risk, such as anaphylaxis. That is because it uses natural allergen ex-

tracts such as grass or tree pollens.” She added, “So this is an exciting development if subsequent trials show success because recombinant technology, such as this, uses synthetic allergens and therefore potentially reduces the risk of severe side effects.”

Is gluten-free really guilt free? WHILE some people avoid gluten because of a medical condition, other people cut it out of their diet because they feel less bloated and more energised without it. As a result, the range of glutenfree foods on offer has grown enormous ly ove r the pa s t fe w ye a rs . From pa s ta s a nd bre a ds to re a dy meals, many supermarkets now have whole aisles dedicated entirely to the sale of gluten-free products. And while it may not be necessary to cut gluten out of your diet unless you are suffering from certain diseases like coeliac disease, many people argue there is no harm in switching normal foods for gluten-free alternatives. B ut s c ie ntis ts ha ve re ve a le d these alternative s can contain much highe r le ve ls of fa t a nd c a lorie s tha n the ir gluten-full counterparts, and even cost up to 160 per cent more.

A study at the University of Hertfordshire looked at 1,700 gluten-free foods and found that with the exception of crackers, all examples contained more sugar, salt and fat than norma l foods as wel l as havi ng a lower fibre and protein content. Dr Rosalind Fallaize, a Research Fellow in nutrition and die te tic s a t the uni versity, explained, “we found that gluten

free foods were significantly more expensive than regular items, which is very concerning given the movement towards stopping gluten free prescriptions for people with Coeliac disease.” She concluded, “It’s also clear from our research that gluten free foods don’t offer any nutritional advantages over regular foods so are not a healthier alternative for people who do not require a gluten free diet.”

GLUTEN FREE: Is it really the healthier choice?

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

Photo by Unsplash

Photo by Unsplash

It’s good to walk

53

BAKING GOOD: Scientists have proved it’s better to eat carbs in the evening.

The low down on carbs WALK THIS WAY: People are walking 20 per cent less now than 10 years ago. WE all know humans are now more sedentary than we used to be. With the rise of office-based jobs, working from home and television and social-media use, we are constantly being told by the news how we exercise and move less than previous generations. And now a new study has confirmed the problem could be worse than previously feared as we are walking 20 per cent less than we even did 10 years ago. Researchers found the amount we use our feet rather than other transport to get around has decreased dramatically with the average person making 4.7 trips on foot a week in 2005 compared to only 3.8 in 2015. The news released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in collaboration with the Department for Transport (DfT), revealed, “personal business, business, shopping, and leisure walking trips have declined more than other types over the last 10 years.” Experts are also blaming the increase in takeaway delivery services and ready meals for the decline with people now less likely to pop out to the supermarket to buy

food for their dinner. The study also revealed the average person made 243 walking trips in 216, walking for a total of 198 miles and spending an average of 16 minutes - or 0.7 miles - per trip. It was revealed this amounted to around 66 hours a year spent walking, about 75 minutes a week, and represented around 25 per cent of all trips made in a year.

IF you have lived in fear of carbohydrates ever since the Atkins diet became famous in the early 2000s you may be in luck. One scientist has revealed the best time to eat carbs without increasing our likelihood of gaining weight. Dr Michael Mosley - the inventor of the 5:2 diet - teamed up with researchers from the University of Surrey to experiment on whether eating the substance at different times had an effect on weight; with interesting results. Volunteers were all given the same amount of carbohydrates to eat within a day but were told to eat them in the morning for the first five days and then in the evening for

the following five days. Scientists then took their blood glucose readings and found those who ate high levels of carbohydrates in the mornings had their blood glucose response raised by 15.9 points, according to one publication, while eating carbs in the evening surprisingly only

raised it by 10.4 points. This flies in the face of advice given by professionals for years to avoid carbs in the evening as they were thought to cause blood sugar levels to spike, turning into fat before the body had time to lower them before bed. This could be good news for

anyone who has been avoiding carbohydrates after 3pm for fearing of piling on the pounds, as it seems the opposite could in fact be true. The group from the University of Surrey now plan to repeat their experiment with a larger test group to get more data.

25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

Nick Horne The Rich Pick Nick Horne - writer of The Rich Pick - travelled widely with his expat parents in his youth but has based himself in London limpet like - for most of the last four decades despite working in global media. For the past 20 years with a high end quarterly magazine read by the commercial and political elite of the Middle East. Travelling extensively and learning who is supplying the exclusive needs and exquisite wants of a minute fraction of planet Earth’s population.

www.euroweeklynews.com

A Picasso portrait, an E1 Million watch and a high-tech chair. ‘The Rich Pick’ of Nick Horne in a new weekly column. THE impulse for the unique or to personalise is irresistible, the cost can be great, rather than just own a Rolls Royce it must be bespoke, a unique expression of their taste. Such a person and family will frequently travel; often in their own aircraft, which naturally has a shower en suite to the bedrooms. Three near unique objects; a Picasso portrait, a chair and a watch, irresistible objects to a person with the wealth to buy anything. Consider a chair that is near perfect, and improve it. David Hugh Limited launched its latest creation the Elysium-R chair at Rolls Royce Motor Cars London. Displaying it in the dealer’s window next to the latest Phantom

FEATURE

Million Euro wristwatch! Credit: Sotheby’s

54

PABLO PICASSO: Femme au béret et à la robe quadrillée (Marie-Thérèse Walter), December 1937. model. One of just 18 on offer worldwide. The Elysium-R neutralises grav-

ity ‘by implementing flotation theory’ to take comfort to a whole new level. Presented in near black

pure aniline leather made from Swedish cattle with a black chrome plated stainless steel base and an almond gold frame. Black anodised aluminium arm rests, gel filled, are swept back to follow the chair ’s contours and m o t i o n . D a v i d Wicket cofounder of David Hugh observed, “this is without question the most elegant version of Elysium we have ever made.” Price ELYSIUM-R: £38,000 (€39, The near perfect chair. 378). For the serious watch collector; very serious wealth is an obligation. The RM 50-03 Tourbillon McLaren F1 a Richard Mille at £964,000 (€1.08m) makes a statement on

the wrist, though only to those who recognise the wristwatch for what it is. A rare wristwatch one of a kind or created to order. Finally; a unique portrait painted by Picasso in 1937 has emerged from a distinguished private collection and depicts his golden muse Marie-Thérèse Walter. Painted just months after his masterpieces Guernica and Weeping Women. Picasso at the very peak of his creative energy. Described as ‘One of the greatest portraits by Picasso to appear on the market in recent years’ by Thomas Bompard; Head of Sotheby’s London Impressionist & Modern Art ‘Of all the artist’s styles and decades this is the one that most epitomises the legacy of Picasso as a portraitist of women.’ Soon to be offered at auction in London. If you ask, you possibly cannot afford it though Sotheby’s will share an estimate auction bid upon a serious enquiry. Those with the ability will be there among the bidders or sending their agent.

A birthday party at 11am? Mike Senker

In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man WHEN I came back from the UK at Christmas I got the flu. Not my normal, sniffy, man cold stuff. I got THE FLU. I don’t know whether it’s my age but I was out for the count for five days. I couldn’t get out of bed. Mrs S went to the pharmacy and got me all the medications but nothing worked. So I got to thinking has anyone had the flu jab? If so, does it work? I finally felt well enough to venture out and in fact I had booked to go back to England for my mate’s 70th birthday party. We have been friends since we were five years old so there was no way I was going to miss it. I’d booked my flights and hotel and car and they were all paid for or so I thought. A few days before I went I got an email from Ryanair telling me that if I wanted to take hand luggage, with wheels, into the cabin I’d have to pay extra. Now when I booked I thought it was included so I went on to their live chat and told them it was a liberty. Of course, they were not interested and I paid the extra but

lots of people didn’t and it was fun watching people trying to smuggle hand luggage on to the plane. The staff were not having any of it. I have a favourite deli I go to when I’m in the UK and I decided to go there for a late breakfast on Saturday before I left for the airport to come home. As I was on my own I couldn’t sit in one of the lovely booths that I like by the window and I was given a seat round the other side where I was the only one sitting for five minutes. Then it happened. The door opened and I realised that the reason I was the only one round there was that the 20-odd five-year-olds hadn’t arrived yet, but they had now! Who has a birthday party at 11am for five-year-olds in a deli? And who sits a grumpy old man on his own next to them? There has to be some sort of rule about that. The noise was horrendous, but they did seem to be enjoying themselves. But come on people, use yer loaf - at least warn me and let me decide whether to stay or go. Sorry to hear the man who invented predictive text died this week. His funfair will be next monkey. columnists@euroweeklynews.com

Email: mikesenker@gmail.com

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INTERNATIONAL TALENT: Just some of the skilled performers.

Music Has No Limits MUSIC HAS NO LIMITS (MHNL) has already made the stage vibrate in New York, Miami, Madrid, Mexico, Milan, Barcelona and now Almeria! The biggest show to be created in Spain with the best international talent, MHNL, breaks the traditional frontiers of the world of music to offer an experience that shakes all the senses and that will leave you breathless. MHNL offers a selection of great music from a mix of stars such as Michael Jackson, U2, Queen, Barbra Streisand, The White Stripes and The Police. It’s guaranteed that some of your favourite

songs will be performed by a group of exceptional artists from a whole range of artistic disciplines fusing opera, rock, house, classical music, dance, gospel and jazz. Full of surprises, energy and fun MHNL surpasses all the limits and canons of music, turning each of their performances into an unrepeatable experience. In addition, MHNL has promoted an International Talent Centre, to attract new music ia n s , singe rs a nd e quipme nt through crowdsourcing on the Internet on a global scale. Currently, the Centre is searching for new members of MHNL on two continents

AFTER five years of relative silence, the singer and songwriter from the Canary Islands, Rosana returned to the musical scene with the release of her eighth studio album ‘En la memoria de la piel’ (In memory of the skin). Currently on a tour which will take her through Spain, to South America and then the USA, this highly talented artist is stopping off at the Auditorium in Roquetas de Mar on Friday March 23 with her band and by all accounts her performances have been very well received by audiences so far. Rosana was clearly born to perform and started learning guitar at the age of five before eventually moving to Madrid to study music which is also where she started composing songs which were picked up by a number of Spanish recording artists. It was after she won the Benidorm Music Festival with her song Fuego y Miel that she

expanded her performances and concentrated on her own career as an artist mixing romantic lyrics with the sound of the guitar. According to the singer, this new album represents her as she is today, but also is the culmination of a 20-year career where she has performed literally thousands of concerts and has sold millions of albums. Tickets for this memorable gig which starts at 9.30pm cost from €20 to €30 and are available from the online Auditorium box office.

Photo by Patrick Dobeson flickr

Rosana performs new album in Roquetas de Mar

Rosana in concert.

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(Europe and North and South America). During the current Spanish tour, MHNL is also identifying new talent to help enrich each production in every city where it appears. The show will be at the Auditorium of Roquetas de Mar starting at 9.30pm on Sunday March 18 with tickets costing from €23 to €35 available from the online Auditorium box office.

The musical story of the passion FLAMENCO guitarist Daniel Casares is touring a very special show in the run up to Holy Week. Accompanied by more than 60 musicians he tells the story of a man who came to earth to try to teach us the true meaning of love. Playing a specially constructed guitar his exquisite style of play is mixed with the sounds of the cornets which are so important to processions taking place during Holy Week in order to express the story of Jesus and the crucifixion. Through music, he hopes to touch the souls of all who attend the performances around Spain. This inspiring production will be presented at the Padilla de Almeria Auditorium from 9pm on Friday February 16 with tickets costing €20 and €25 plus commission.

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Korean Academy Orchestra plays in Huercal-Overa THE Korean Academy Orchestra performed at the Teatro Villa concert hall last Saturday evening. The orchestra performed its take on different European music. The show also included a staging of traditional Korean music and dance. Singers Soyung Yu, Kim Gayeond and Kim Nuri joined 40 other musicians for the concert. The orchestra, under the artistic direction of Cha Pyung On, is currently touring Almeria. It has already performed in El Ejido and is set to visit Nijar and Almeria following the HuercalOvera concert. Last Monday saw the orchestra perform at the Cervantes theatre in Almeria to mark the University of Almeria’s 25th anniversary. The show included pieces from Disney films and popular classics, as well as those from composers like Strauss and Bernstein and Ko-

BICYCLE RACE: Cyclists racing in the 2016 Almeria Classic.

Almeria Classic cycle race CONCERTS: The Korean Academy Orchestra is currently touring Almeria.

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Recent tours have covered Germany, Austria, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic.

rean composers Ji Soo Lee and Lee Heung. The orchestra was created in 2013 and is made up of musicians from the Gyeong-gi region of South Korea. Its recent tours have seen it perform in Germany, Austria, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic.

BARBOTT are due to play in Almeria’s Madchester Room venue on Saturday. The indie group is set to perform with Norek as

their supporting act. Tickets are priced at €5 for early purchases and €7 at the box office. The band is currently touring their latest re-

l e a s e T h e Ti m e s . T h e y will perform in Murcia on Friday and after Almeria are due to head to Madrid for a concert on February 23.

Photo by Facebook

Barbott to play Almeria

THE 2018 Almeria Classic road cycle race is set to get underway from Almeria City at 12pm on Saturday February 11. The 185km long race is due to end in Roquetas de Mar at around 5pm. It will feature three ‘intermediate sprints’- Tabernas at kilometre 27, Uleila del Campo at kilometre 51 and Rioja at kilometre 124. Four mountain passes will also feature in the race. The first will be at Cuesta Blanca, the second at the Mirador de Lucainena, El Balcon de Sierra Alhamilla and the third and most difficult at the Alto de Turrillas. The race, now in its 31st edition, will pass through the urban areas of Bajo Andarax, Sierra de los Filabres and Sierra Ahamilla. It will then travel through the east of Almeria, visiting Viator, Tabernas, Uleila del Campo, Rioja and Sorbas.

Barbott on stage.

Photo by Ayuntamiento de Almeria

Almeria street carnival THE Almeria Carnival will get underway in the streets of the city this Friday, with theatre performances and a costume contest also part of the programme. Events begin on Friday at 9pm with performances set for the Maestro Padilla Auditorium in the city. The first round of the costume contest is also set to take place. The same venue will also host the second round of the contest on Saturday at 7pm. There will also be performances from musicians including The Kings of the Shroud, The Heirs of 3 x 4 and The Neighbours Above. Sunday sees the third round of the carnival’s costume contest which takes place at the Maestro Padilla Auditorium at 6pm. There will also be performances from groups includ-

FLASHBACK: Carnival 2017. ing The Opportunists, as well as theatrical performances including This Year Humour Yellow and The Slavery. The carnival continues into February with the final of the costume contest set to take place at The Cervantes

Theatre on Saturday 3 at 7pm. A Medieval Fantasy Market is also due to take place in the Mirador de la Rambla area of the city on February 9, 10 and 11. The carnival closes on Saturday February 10. A free Children’s Festival is

Innovation in tradition BACCHUS CELLAR

CAVA CODORNIU: World’s secondoldest producer.

by Lorenzo Barbareschi CODORNIU is the world’s oldest and second-largest producer of bottle-fermented sparkling wine - cava - made by the méthode traditionelle (same as Champagne). Founded in Cataluña in 1551 by Jaume Codorniu, just over 100 years later Codorniu heiress Anna married Miguel Raventós merging two families with a long wine tradition. Cava was first made in 1872 by José Raventós who established a new industry with Codorniu cellars established at Sant Sadurní d’Anoia between 1895 and 1915. They were designed by renowned Catalán architect Josep Puig i Cadalfach. Tragically in 1930 the Phylloxera plague infested the vineyards, but the family fought back with innovative viticultural techniques and ensured survival, with Codorniu producing more than 100,000 bottles of cava annually by the end of the 20th century. Nowadays, Codorniu with modern instal-

lations and the latest equipment continues to control the production process of its cavas from vineyard planting to finished product. Wines produced with different blends of Chardonnay, Macabeo, Xarel.lo, Parellada, Pinot Noir and reserve wines are: Anna de Codorniu Brut, Codorniu 1551 Brut Natural, Codorniu Mediterranea Brut Natural, Cuvée Raventós Brut Natural, Codorniu Rosé Brut, Cuvée Reina Maria Cristina Brut, Delapierre ‘D’ Brut, Delapierre Glaçé Prestige Brut, Gran Codorniu Brut, Jaume de Codorniu Brut and Non Plus Ultra Reserva Vintage Brut. Codorniu has been one of the innovators of Wine Tourism in Spain, providing the infrastructure necessary for an interesting visit to their cellars at Sant Sadurní d’Anoia which in 1976 were declared a National Monument of Historical and Artistic Interest by King Juan Carlos. Happy tasting.

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planned for the day, as well as the children’s costume contest. The election of the god or goddess of the carnival will take place at the Mirador de la Rambla at 6pm. The proclamation of the carnival will be delivered at 7pm.

ANGELA MURO: Will present her fourth album Chinese Tales of Havana.

Chinese tales of Havana in Adra A GALA presentation of singer-songwriter Angela Muro’s album is set to take place in Adra’s cultural centre this Saturday. The show is free to all attendees until the centre reaches full capacity and will showcase Muro’s fourth album Chinese Tales of Havana. From habanera to tango. The album is rooted in Latin music and pays tribute to the artist’s inspirations, including Gardel, Chabuca Granda and Silvo Rodriguez. It also features jazz, blues and flamenco styles. The showcase is part of a cultural gala currently taking place in Adra. The programme features shows for all ages and includes theatre, dance, flamenco and music performances.

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Socialist councillors testify over hiring irregularities EIGHT Partido Socialista (PSOE) councillors from Albox were summoned to court to testify on the hiring of 11 people by PSOE council leaders in the city. The councillors, who appeared in Court Three of Huercal-Overa, were called to appear as witnesses in the case of alleged irregularities last Thursday morning. It followed preliminary hearings which took place a few months ago where statements over the hiring were taken. The eight councillors all served on Local Government Boards during the 2007/2011 and 2011/2015 sessions of the council. They were questioned on the relationship between those hired and the then PSOE council leaders. A majority of them agreed decisions over those hired did not pass through the council’s Governing Board and were made by former mayor Jose Garcia Navarro. This contradicts statements made by the former mayor who claimed the decision to hire the 11 people was taken by the regional government. The hearing continues.

Photo credit; Mª Angeles Arellano/ Twitter

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BUSTED: Former Mayor Rogelio Mena (centre) being tried for spending public money.

Trial opens for former mayor A FORMER mayor of Albox who is accused of spending more than €2,000 of public money on private trips and meals has appeared in court. Rogelio Mena left office in 2016 after being convicted of denying information to the opposition. He is now facing charges relating to the misappropriation of public funds in connection with a number of private trips he took while still in office. Among the trips prosecutors accuse Mena of misusing funds for is a three-day stay in Madrid costing nearly €347.

Several meals eaten in Almeria City between May 2013 and October 2014 at costs of between almost €8 and more than €80 were also highlighted by prosecutors. Prosecutors are seeking an 18 months prison sentence for the former mayor. They have also requested an eight-year disqualification from public office and a fine of €20 a day for eight months. Mena has been ordered to pay around €7,500 for bail by the court in HuercalOvera, according to media reports. The trial continues.

Market changes discussed by council PLANS to modify Albox market were among the issues discussed at a meeting of the city’s council last week. Changes to car parking in the town, proposed by the Partido Popular (PP), were also discussed at the meeting with councillors and the town’s mayor. Mayor Francisco Torrecillas wanted the move of the market approved by council members. PP and Partido Socialista

(PSOE) members, who make up the majority of members, rejected the plans. The PP group presented research their group had conducted with more than 140 business owners. They claimed their findings showed 87 per cent of traders wanted the market moved back to its former location. PP members also put forward proposals to close the town’s official car park and

open parking at the old Fenoy school to residents. They said the official car park, the only one of its kind in Albox, was causing parking problems for residents. The PP group also proposed securing aid for business and jobs in the town. The mayor rejected these proposals and said the town already received a lot of aid from the regional government and other state bodies. PSOE members proposed holding council plenary sessions every month to ensure procedures remain democratic. Their plans will be studied. The PSOE group also asked questioned on comments made by the mayor on Facebook where he accused two PSOE councillors of corruption. Water, health care, councillor salaries and other issues were discussed but reportedly not resolved.

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

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WINNER: Balcon del Almanzora Club.

Rallying to success THE Almanzora-Sierra de Los Filabres Valley Rally has b e e n v o t e d t h e b es t Andalucian rally in 2017. The v o t e wa s d e te rmined by the Andalucian Federation of Motorsports at an annual assembly held in Granada. Delegates of each of the moto r sp o r t d i sc i p l in es presented scores against each of the tests of their

different Championships, with the Almanzora-Sierra d e L o s F ilab res Valle y Rally finishing as the best rally last year. The awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 4 at the champio n s ’ g a la w h e re B alc on del Almanzora Club President Salvador Segura Arriag a w ill rec e iv e the award.

THE Provincial delegation of Almeria has announced that it will spend €200,000 on improving the Sacred Heart of Tijola in the Almanzora Valley. The work will aim to reshape the environment currently surrounding the monument and turn the ‘Sacred Heart’ into a new public space for the municipality as well as tourist site. A number of areas will be improved including the surrounding space, which will be updated with new floors, levels and new furniture. A pedestrian route, with a system of round-trip ramps, will be added to allow the upper levels of the site to be visited by those with reduced mobility. Features will also be added to the space as part of the plan including cobble-tile concrete paving and a cascading fountain. Deputy for Public Works, Oscar Liria, stressed that the area is likely to save an estimat-

Flickr

€200k project

RENOVATION: €200,000 will be spent on the Almanzora Valley’s Sacred Heart of Tijola. ed €46,000 due to the project. He told Spanish media: “Diputación not only invests in the province and improves the quality of life of its neighbours, but manages to save municipalities millions of Euros thanks to the losses that can impact more

investments and infrastructure for their municipalities. “This work will generate employment during its execution and when it is finished because many tourists will visit this environment which will invigorate the tourism in the region.”

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Two the limit ALBOX is set to host its first Duathlon this weekend. The challenging event will take place on Sunday and will start and finish at Albox’s Pius XII Avenue. Throughout the event, competitors will partake in both cycling and running stages. Athletes will first participate in a 5km run, followed by a 20km cycle, twice round a 10km circuit, with a final 2.5km sprint to finish the race. Registration for the event is still available at http://www.cronomur.es/Event/signin.do ?id=241

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PSOE denounce mayor over convent works Credit: Twitter

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RENOVATIONS: The Albox Convent building is currently undergoing restoration work. WORKS on Albox convent carried out by the town’s mayor have been criticised by the local Partido Socialista (PSOE). The convent is undergoing works despite warnings over extensive renovations that are needed for the building by law, PSOE members said. They added the cost of these renovations could be over €750,000. The College of Architects of Almeria also

criticised the works which they said dangerously affected the building’s structure. Albox’s mayor Francisco Torrecillas told a meeting of the town’s council work on the convent was being carried out according to the law and that it had the backing of the Architect’s College. PSOE councillors asked the mayor if the works currently being carried out were justified if the building

would be fit for public use. They also asked who would be responsible if the building collapsed in a meeting of the town’s council held last Thursday. The PSOE group is also concerned over the safety of workers on the convent site. The site is currently being restored with a view to moving Albox Council to the building, under current plans.

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Fit for the stars Credit: Twitter

New film reveals designer’s dream home

NEW TEAM, NEW HOME: Coutinho and his mansion. HALLS OF FAME: Bookings are possible at a price. THE extravagant mansion where Gianni Versace lived features in the new film The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, which premiered this week. Viewers will get a look inside the luxurious estate where the designer was tragically murdered by Andrew Cunanan in 1997. Today, the house is known as the Villa Casa Casuarina, a 19,000 square-foot exclusive boutique hotel. It features 10 custom guest suites with marble bathrooms, separate living areas, and balconies. Other amenities include a pool, a spa, two private lounges and a rooftop bar. Those thinking of treating themselves to a

stay at the mansion will have to brace themselves for some serious pricing. Suites start at $899 (€734) and $1,199 (€979) on weekends, but the excitement from the film could drive those rates up quickly. Casa Casuarina was originally built in 1930 by Alden Freeman, heir to an oil fortune. In 1992, Versace was on a walk with his family and was drawn to the grand Spanish Architecture and the ‘Kneeling Aphrodite’ statue outside. The designer splashed out €32 million to completely reconstruct the building, adding a new wing, tiled pool and thousands of 24karat gold mosaics.

A Philipping nice house EX-LIVERPOOL forward Philipe Coutinho has moved into a stunning Barcelona mansion previously owned by Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The Brazilian star will be living in Bellamar, Casteldefells, and will count on Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez as neighbours. And Suarez was so keen for Coutinho to complete

his move that he actually bought the house before the deal between the two clubs was confirmed. Builders are currently working on the property before Coutinho and his young family move in. The mansion, which features a swimming pool in the spacious back garden, has also been the home of new team-mates

Thomas Vermaelen and Andre Gomes. It is part of a 750-metre square plot that boasts a gym and lift amongst its perks. Coutinho’s €160 million transfer is the second most expensive of all-time following fellow Brazilian Neymar ’s €222 million move from Barcelona to Paris St Germain.

Government to monitor rental sites THE Spanish government has announced plans to monitor accommodation sites much more closely. The move comes in the wake of the Cataluña terrorist attack last August. The Interior Ministry has revealed new measures in the fight against jihadist cells, as part of the Antiterrorism Pact. Records will be kept of people’s bookings on hotel and short-term rental sites across Spain such as Airbnb and Booking.com. The same action will be taking on vehicle rental companies and websites, given that the Catalonian

NIPPING THE PROBLEM IN THE BED: Airbnb will receive increased surveillance.

terrorist attack involved three hired vans to kill 16 and injure 152. The Interior Ministry also plans to tighten loopholes relating to immigration, where extremists and expensive court cases are involved. “The measures will be put in action throughout the next year and most of them are already prepared or in the final stages of completion,” said Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido. Airbnb bought background check start-up Trooly Inc last June in an attempt to protect users and restore its reputation.

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GRAEME TYRRELL IF you like to grow your own plants to save cost, add interest from the huge range of plants available from seed, or just want to grow your plants in the way you like, now is the time to start planting. Seeds are relatively cheap for many garden varieties in comparison to buying seedlings. A packet can provide seed for a series of plantings, to allow a continuous harvest of vegetables or a sequence of flowers over spring and summer. I use special trays to grow a batch of seedlings, and when they are ready to plant out into the garden, I plant another batch from the same packet. It works well with vegetables like lettuce or flowers, including petunia, that have a long growing season, which permits planting through all of spring and summer. There is a huge range of different plants that can be grown from seed, that cannot usually be found as seedlings or small plants in the nurseries. This makes it much more interesting

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Time to start planting seeds for spring

SOWING SEEDS: A fun job. to garden with many unusual and exotic plants. This year I am growing a variety of passion fruit, sent over from Australia, that is not generally available here in Spain. Growing your own can also be a great way to coordinate

with other gardeners and neighbours, to have something to exchange if you grow more than you need. Probably half my garden is planted with varieties obtained in this way. This also allows you to enjoy watching the seeds emerge with

your care and flourish into a full grown plant, whether it is a vegetable to eat, a flower to decorate, or a tree to stand as a long term memory of your work to grow it. A visiting friend showed me pictures of a table she had made

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GARDENS

from an oak tree planted by her grandparents, that had been struck by lightning and fallen. If you are concerned about the way plants are grown, and want to be sure that the soil is of good quality and without chemicals, to gain the maxi-

mum benefit from what you eat, as well as caring for the environment you live in, it also makes seedlings a good option to ensure you have the very best. Any small container can be used to grow seeds, as long as it holds the soil and has drainage holes to allow excess water to escape. You can recycle yoghurt containers, egg cartons, shallow cardboard boxes and many other items that may normally just be disposed of. The soil mix needs to be finer than general potting mix, but you can use a coarse sieve to remove the larger pieces of a general mix to obtain a finer material, or do the same with your compost if you have some. As a rule of thumb, seeds are planted about double the depth of the size of the seed. Fine seed is best just placed on the surface, with a little more soil mix sprinkled on top. Keep the soil moist, but not wet, and you will soon have new plants emerging to enhance your garden and share with friends.

How’s your home office? MANY of us are increasingly working from home. With the rise of the internet and the subsequent increase in home businesses, many people now have an office in their house. And while this may be quicker and more convenient than a long commute, it can al-

PERMACULTURE EDUCATION SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Telephone: 666 33 33 35 info@permamed.org http://permamed.org/

so be difficult to switch off after a long day’s work. But idealhome.co.uk has come up with a few ways you can declutter your home office, making it a more peaceful place to work, and in turn making it easier to wind down when you’ve finished for the day. The website recommends investing in a shredder, saying, “a clear space is a clear mind and it gives you the excuse to shop for savvy stationery and pretty pieces, now you can see your desk beneath the paper again.” It also advises dusting behind and under your office furniture more often, to decrease dust levels - which could help with allergies - and adding some plants, to brighten the area and increase oxygen levels. In a similar vein, the site also recommends washing curtains which have been hanging up for years. Declutter anything you haven’t used for a while to create a more minimalist office space, and also make room for anything new you might need. Finally, the site recommends getting into the habit of clearing up as you go.

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Unwanted sexual behaviour David THE Dogman LISTEN to David on TRE on Saturdays 10am to 11am Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9fm, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm columnists@ewnmediagroup.com

OVER the years, hundreds of you have informed me that your male and female dogs like to mount you sexually by rubbing on your leg, a cushion or a toy. This is called masturbation which should not be encouraged. Some owners stand their rights and say the dog has been spayed/neutered and it cannot

Brave new world and could prove useful when owners find themselves separated from their furry friends. For example, pet-sitters will be able to reassure nervous owners while they’re away by tagging their dogs in a photo taken during a walk in the park, or during dinner time. It will also allow the pet-sitters to keep check on the animals once they’ve said goodbye, just by searching for the animal in the

network so they don’t have to bother their owners. In this way it could also be a useful tool for friends and family members to keep updated of any potential updates in the pet’s life. The feature even has an ‘alert’ service in case the animal gets lost, meaning anyone can communicate sightings or contact the family of a missing pet.

Photo by EasyJet

PET owners can now keep their pet up to date on all their next social media exploits with BEPUPPY, the first pet social network. The revolutionary social network now allows owners to tag their pets in posts, through the use of dedicated usernames. When you register a pet, BEPUPPY assigns them with their own web address, for example ‘Bepuppy.com/+fluffy’, allowing owners to then tag their pets in their online activities. This will allegedly allow pet owners to communicate with each other at a distance,

OVER-EXCITED: Don’t allow your dog to mount you.

do any harm. Dogs that are spayed are able to have sex, but are unable to breed. Quite often, behaviourists and vets decide to spay the animal since testosterone is running high, which causes excitement and makes the animal high. To say the least, it is unhealthy to allow a dog - male or female - to mount you. In fact I have known large breeds that love it so much they will not let go, and often it takes two or three people to remove the dog. This is very confusing for the dog and it can turn aggressive. The other danger is that this can happen to a child or elderly person. Many owners are unaware that dogs will leave sperm on the leg, and often on its body, which leaves a smell. Some dogs like cushions; these should be removed. When a dog is mounting a leg he/she is very comfortable so how do we make this uncomfortable? Simply flick them off your body like you would a fly or just get up and walk away with a ‘no’ then say ‘good dog’ but keep walking. If you have a dog that likes to do this it is advisable to speak to your vet.

CYBER PUP: Is your dog computer savvy?

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CHARITIES / CHURCHES ZURGENA branch of the Royal British Legion hold Branch Meeting on the 1st Thursday of the month. Coffee morning 3rd Wednesday of the month. Quiz night with a hot and cold buffet last Friday of the month. We also arrange outings to places of interest and have regular lunches together.

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SITUATIONS VACANT WE ARE looking for a full time local reporter for the Almeria edition of our newspaper. Candidates must have relevant experience and Spanish is a bonus. Please contact me for further details, jackie @euroweeklynews.com

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Clarkson Quote of the Week

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On the BMW Z3: And if you are clinically insane, by which I mean you wake up in the morning and think you are an onion, here’s your car.”

Some might say...

Unbe-leaf-able Nissan’s newest LEAF selling fast JUST three months after the new Nissan LEAF was announced, the car giants have revealed that they have sold more than 12,000 of the cars already; before even hitting showrooms. Three hundred thousand customers have purchased the original Nissan Leaf since it went on sale in 2010 and the car giants have revealed the staggering numbers of people to already purchase the new model. The New 2018 LEAF made its European bow at the Nissan Futures 3.0 event in October and on the company’s newest release, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Nissan Europe, Philippe Saillard, said: “The new Nissan LEAF is the most advanced and accessible 100 per cent electric vehicle. “It is also the icon of Nissan Intelli-

gent Mobility, our blueprint for a future in redefining the way customers drive and how vehicles are powered and integrated into society. “This is a car that is more enjoyable, more connected and more exciting to drive than any other mainstream electric vehicle in history. It is simply amazing.” When it comes to specifications, the new LEAF will have overhauled the old model and will now have improved acceleration, capable of reaching 0-100kmh in just 7.9 seconds. Its electrical range will allow drivers to travel 415km on a single charge, while charging time from alert to 80 per cent takes just 40 to 60 minutes. A completely redesigned interior focuses on the driver and combines

SELLING FAST: Nissan’s brand new LEAF. space with functionality, while a number of new futuristic features have also been added. The Leaf is packed with Intelligent Mobility innovative technologies, including ProPILOT Park, which is an automatic parking function capable of both parallel and bay parking after the driver selects a spot proposed by the system.

Another innovative feature is the car’s e-pedal. By releasing the accelerator, the car will decelerate and eventually come to a complete stop, without the need to press the brake. This allegedly helps reduce fatigue and stress in city driving. The new Leaf will officially hit European showrooms at the beginning of next month.

X-Class glamping! MERCEDES’ brand new X Class pickup has a camper van conversion option. The German car giants turned a few heads when they announced their first ever pickup late last year, announcing the X220d and the upscale X250d. Prices are thought to begin at approximately €30,932 for the X220d while the X250d range starts at €34,148. And now brand new images have been released of the XClass to show that it can be more than just the average pickup. In the new images, the XClass has been given a makeover by specialist firm Tischer, turning it into a car perfect for camping. The firm have added a cabin, which can be taken on and off, that sits directly on the load bed of the truck, with plenty of room inside for the perfect getaway.

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ROAD TEST by Nick Fletcher

Lexus CT200h F Sport THE luxury hybrid hatchback class is a significant niche market, with models aimed at those seeking premium quality and sporty styling in a compact package. Add eco-credentials to the mix and one contender moves to the head of the list, the Lexus CT200h, just revised and enhanced for 2018. It is a hybrid, mating a 1.8 litre petrol engine, with an electric motor and CVT auto transmission, and the result is smooth refined driving, from a car with visual charisma and a luxurious interior. Prices start at €26,414 (£23,495) for a well-kitted entry version, though the mid-range F Sport I tested features revised body styling for a more muscular image, and extra equipment. For €30,343 (£26,995) you get special F Sport front grille, bumpers and rear spoiler, F Sport steering wheel, aluminium pedals, special 17 inch alloy wheels and sports suspension. You also get leather upholstery, large display screen with satnav, dual-zone climate control and a raft of safety features, including a pre-collision system and lane-keep assist. The petrol engine and electric motor combine to give 134 hp, with a 0-100 kph time of 10.3 seconds and a top speed of 180 kph (112 mph). Fuel economy is an impressive 24.3 kpl (68.9 mpg).

The road stance of the Lexus CT200h F Sport is head-turning, and it stands out in a sector which includes rivals such as, the SEAT Leon, Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series. The Lexus is smooth and quiet, the gearshifts seamless. The sports suspension is quite firm, as you discover on rough surfaces, but is well-set for assured and composed handling and still gives decent ride quality on the tarmac. The cabin has a premium look and while the dashboard is unusually styled and appears complex, it has a logical layout.

STATS PANEL Model: Lexus CT200h F Sport Engine: 1.8 litre petrol with electric motor Transmission: Auto electric CVT Performance: 0-100 kph 10.3 seconds, top speed 180 kph (112 mph) Economy: 24.3 kpl (68.9 mpg) Emissions: 94 g/km

Model tested was UKspecification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

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25 - 31 January 2018 / Costa de Almería

Ron gone Former Barcelona star Ronaldinho retires

FORMER Barcelona forward Ronaldinho has retired from professional football at the age of 37 according to his agent Roberto Assis. The superstar, who is considered one of the best players to ever play the game, has been without a club since he left Brazilian side Fluminese in 2015. Assis wrote in a column for Brazilian newspaper O Globo, “He has stopped, it is ended. “Let’s do something pretty big and nice after the Russia World Cup, probably in August. We will do various events in Brazil, Europe and Asia and, of course, we are arranging something with the Brazilian team as well.” The Brazilian enjoyed an illustrious career in which he won the World Cup in 2002, the Champions League in 2006 and the Ballon d’Or in 2005. He began his career in Brazil with Gremio, before joining PSG in 2001 where he impressed ahead of a move to the Nou Camp in 2003. Many would say that it was there where he defined his career, winning two La Liga titles, a Champions League trophy and the 2005 Ballon d’Or during his five-year stay with the Catalan club. Ronaldinho then formed part of the 2010/11 Serie A winning side alongside the likes of David Beckham, Andrea Pirlo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic before a return to Brazil with Atletico Mineiro in 2011, followed by spells with Mexican side Queretaro and finally Fluminese.

Ex-Brazil striker Ronaldo reveals plans to buy lower league club ‘in Spain or England’ FORMER Brazil striker Ronaldo has announced that he is thinking about buying a lower league football club in either Spain or England. The ex-striker, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers to ever grace the game, hung up his boots in 2011 after a career stretching 18 years. The 41-year-old’s name has been regularly talked about as the future Brazilian Football Federation’s President. But, for the time being, the twotime World Cup winner has ruled himself out of the running for the presidency, but has revealed that SPAIN ON HIS MIND: Ronaldo has said he is he would be interested in owning a club in either the Spanish or Engthinking about buying a club in either Spain of lish second division. England. “It would be a great honour, but I’m prepared for the challenge.” before that I want to experience running a big Former Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan club,” he told Folha de S Paulo. and Inter Milan striker Ronaldo scored 300 “I’m thinking about buying a club in the goals across his career and won many of the second division in Spain or England. top trophies all over the world. “I want to do something innovative. I think

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1997 – 2000 Gremio (Brazil)

121 Matches • 58 Goals

2001 – 2003 PSG (France)

77 Matches • 25 Goals

2003 – 2008 FC Barcelona (Spain)

207 Matches • 94 Goals

2008 – 2011 A C Milan (Italy)

95 Matches • 26 Goals

2011 – 2012 Flamengo (Brazil)

72 Matches • 28 Goals

2012 – 2014 Atl. Mineiro (Brazil)

85 Matches • 27 Goals

2014 – 2015 Querétaro (México)

29 Matches • 8 Goals

2015

9 Matches • 0 Goals

Fluminense (Brazil)

THE BEST EVER?: The Brazilian enjoyed a fantastic spell at Barcelona before moving to AC Milan in 2008.

Nine Saudi players move to Spain as part of Saudi-La Liga partnership NINE separate loan deals for Saudi Arabian players across Spain’s top two divisions occurred this weekend as part of a deal between the General Sports Authority (GSA) of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) and La Liga. The deal has been done which will see all the players, who currently play in the Saudi first division, join La Liga sides ahead of Saudi Arabia’s return to the World Cup later this year, their first tournament since 2006. Three players who were instrumental in helping the national team to World Cup qualification will join La Liga first teams, while the others will join Segunda division sides and youth academies respectively. Players joining La Liga s i d e s i n c l u d e Ya h y a A l Shehri who has signed for Leganes, Fahad Al-Muwallad joins Levante and Salem Al Sawsari has signed for Villarreal.

Credit: LaLiga

SPORT

PLAYERS: Have joined on an initial six month loan deal. Elsewhere, Jaber Issa j o i n s Vi l l a r r e a l B w h i l e Nooh Al Mousa moves to Real Valladolid, Abdulmajeed Al Sulayhi signs for R a y o Va l l e c a n o , A l i A l Namer joins Numancia and Abdullah Al Hamdan has sealed a switch to Sporting Gijon. In a statement, La Liga said: ‘LaLiga Santander and LaLiga 1│2│3, the first and second division of Spain’s professional football competition, respectively, announced that they will take nine players from Saudi Arabia on loan. ‘The incorporation of

players from Saudi Arabia in the Spanish clubs foll o w s a r i g o r o u s s c o u t i n g p r o g r a m m e t h a t s p a n n e d multiple months to identify the best talent.’ The statement continued: ‘For the Spanish clubs, adding players from Saudi Arabia not only expands their squads, it also means added exposure in the Arab world. ‘As part of the agreement with La Liga, SAFF is also working to create local football academies in Saudi Arabia under the brand, technical supervision, and expertise of La Liga.’

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REAL MADRID are currently as close to the relegation zone as they are to current La Liga leaders Barcelona. Last year’s Champions currently sit on 35 points, 19 points behind Barcelona and 19 points ahead of 18th placed Deportivo La Coruña.

Costa de Almería’s best guide to local sport

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Almeria suffer first defeat of New Year Tartiere empty handed but the loss leaves Los Rojiblancos in 17th position in La Liga 123 Segunda division, level on points with 18th placed Cultural Leonesa. Lucas Alcaraz fielded a similar 11 to the side that drew at home to Nastic the previous week, with just one change which saw Marco Motta return from a onematch ban. In a first half of few chances, Almeria could have fallen behind late on, but for a last ditch tackle on Oviedo’s Aaron which saw the ball trickle through to Rene. But somewhat against the run of play, UD Almeria went in front just eight minutes into the second half.

Credit: U_D_Almeria/Twitter

ALMERIA succumbed to their first loss of 2018 as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Segunda division high flyers Oviedo. Los Rojiblancos went ahead early in the second half after good work from Juan Angel Pozo on the wing to set-up Fidel, but were pegged back just eight minutes later after Toche put the home side back on level terms. A cruel piece of luck saw Rene turn the ball into his own net in the 72nd minute and despite shouts for a late penalty, Almeria faced their first loss in 2018. The result was cruel on Almeria who deserved more than leaving the Carlos

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AGONISING: Almeria fought hard but to no avail. Former Manchester City forward Jose Angel Pozo skipped past the Oviedo defe nc e a nd pre s e nte d a chance to Fidel less than six ya rds out, w ith the midfielder scoring with a powerful finish.

However, Oviedo were back on level terms less than 10 minutes later as, in similar circumstances, the ball was squared to Toche in the 61st minute and he converted past the diving Rene. And the Almerian side

eventually fell behind after a cruel misfortune. A thunderous drive by midfielder Saul Bejon ricocheted off the goalkeeper’s right-hand post and deflected in off the helpless Rene to put the home side ahead. Almeria pushed hard for the final 15 minutes and had a dubious penalty call turned down as the ball seemed to strike the arm of Oviedo defender Carlos Hernandez. But despite Almeria’s calls for a penalty, they were waved away by the referee and could not find a late equaliser, losing their first match of 2018. They will look to bounce back in their next game against eighth placed Numancia on Saturday.

Italian job done UD Almeria has signed Italian forward Edoardo Soleri on loan from Italian giants Roma. The 20-year-old passed a medical on Monday morning at the club’s training ground and has signed on a deal until the end of the season. Soleri had been on loan with Serie B side Spezia Calcio for the first half of the season, but featured just six times for the Italian side in all competitions. The striker has also represented his country at several age groups, the last category being the U19 stage. He is expected to go straight into the side for their next Segunda division tie against Numancia at the weekend.