Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 1 - 7 February 2018 Issue 1700 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

1 - 7 February 2018

COSTA DE ALMERÍA YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION Photo by Guardia Civil

ISSUE NO. 1700

Teen stabbing A 15-YEAR-OLD girl who allegedly stabbed a 13-year-old girl during a fight in Almeria City has been arrested. The victim was taken to hospital with knife wounds in the afternoon. Her injuries did not affect her vital organs and were reportedly not serious. Events began at a school in the city where the two girls are students. Police were called after a fight broke out between the girls and other students. Officers made no arrests when they arrived to secure the area. Another brawl broke out outside the school a few hours later and several students were reportedly involved. The 1 5 - y e a r- o l d slashed the 13-year-old with a kitchen knife between her back and shoulder. The 13-yearold was then taken to hospital for emergency treatment. Police arrested the 1 5 - y e a r- o l d w h o s a i d she acted in self defence to stop the 13year-old from attacking h e r, a c c o r d i n g t o r e ports. Police have transferred the case to a juvenile court in Almeria. The investigation remains open.

SNOWED IN: Police and local council workers rescued 37 people trapped by snow near Fiñana.

Snow joke Emergency services rescue 37 trapped by snow Thirty-seven people who were trapped after a snow storm have been rescued by emergency services. The group, which included 19 children, were staying in the Ubeire shelter near Fiñana when 20cm of snow fell during the night of Saturday January 27. Emergency services were alerted after receiving a call in the afternoon on Sunday. Local Po-

lice, Guardia Civil officers and council workers then went to the shelter in 4x4 vehicles. Officers had to travel for a kilometre on foot to get to the group due to the amount of snow, according to reports. Police and council workers found the group in good health when they reached the shelter. They were then taken back to the vehicles on foot and driven to Fiñana.

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Two hurt in car collision TWO people were taken to hospital after their cars crashed into each other in Cuevas del Almanzora. Ambulances, firefighters and the Guardia Civil were called to the scene following the crash which happened at kilometre seven on the A-1251 road at around 3.45pm last Sunday afternoon. One person was trapped inside their car following the crash and firefighters had to cut them out. They were taken to the Immaculate Hospital in HuercalOvera in a serious condition, according to reports. The other driver reportedly broke his windshield after hitting his head on it. He was also taken to the hospital in Huercal-Overa. The road was closed for two hours following the crash.

Shooting suspect could face 30 years A MAN accused of shooting a 19-year-old woman with a shotgun in Oria could go to prison for 30 years if the court accepts a request from prosecutors. The court in Almeria heard that the defendant was looking for the woman’s mother when he arrived at their home. He fired the gun to break the lock before going inside. Two of the mother’s four children, the 19-year-old and her 16year-old sister, were in the house

at the time and went to see what had happened. The man then asked them where their mother was. He left when they told him she was not at home. He then

turned back into the building and fired the gun, hitting the 19-yearold from a range of less than a metre, prosecutors said. The woman was hit in the up-

per chest and died instantly. The defendant then went to the Cruz de San Marcos where he fired the gun into a slab of marble until it fractured.

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NEWS EXTRA Shoplifter seized A 35-YEAR-OLD man who allegedly committed two robberies and shoplifted from supermarkets three times - twice using force to break in - has been arrested by the Guardia Civil.

Mayor mixup THE mayor of Almeria denied being paid more than the Spanish Prime Minister after treasury data appeared to show he was making more than Mariano Rajoy every year, revealing his salary was €4,700 less than reported.

Gauge change PLANS to build a railway link near Granada that will allow trains which travel on different width lines have been announced. Officials said it could allow international passengers to travel to Almeria without changing trains.

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Belle of the ball KING FELIPE VI of Spain has turned 50. And as the monarch reached his half century, he presented 12-year-old daughter Crown Princess Leonor - who is first in line to the throne - with the Order of the Golden Fleece at The Royal Palace of Madrid. Among the group of dignitaries watching the ceremony was Leonor’s mother Queen Letizia, 45, who stunned in a bright red suit with deep scarlet blouse and her younger sister Sofia, 10. The Order of the Golden Fleece dates back to 1430, when Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good founded it to commemorate his marriage to Princess Isabella of Portugal. It has since become one of the most prestigious Roman Catholic knighthoods in Europe, and for Leonor represents a ‘symbolic step in her preparation and future.’

CROWNING GLORY: Princess Leonor receives the order and (inset) the Royal Family eat at home as Sofia cheekily raises her glass. The ceremony on Tuesday came after the King and his family posted a series of candid photos and videos showing them relaxing at home to mark his birthday.

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Justice served A 38-YEAR-OLD who sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. The man abused the daughter of his friend while looking after her. The girl’s mother was suffering from depression following the death of her husband and left her in his care, a court in Almeria heard. The abuse took place over the course of a m o n t h a t t h e g i r l ’s family home. The court heard that the man abused the girl at least 10 times while left alone with her. The defendant pleaded not guilty to sexual assault charges but admitted to kissing and touching her. He took advantage of being left alone with the girl and also told

her not to tell her m o t h e r, s a y i n g : “ D o not say anything because I can go to jail and you will have many problems if I do.” The defendant also tried to rape the girl but she managed to resist and stop him, the court heard. The 13-year-old has suffered from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in the two years since the abuse took place. She has also developed a fear of strangers. The man was sentenced to serve a total of 10 years in prison. He has also been handed 25 years of supervised release and court orders to remain more than 500 metres away from the girl and take part in sex education programmes.

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Radioactive clean up PALOMARES’ radioactive waste issue has been raised in the Spanish Parliament by the Partido Izquierda Unida. The Partido Socialista has also submitted a proposal to enact a recovery plan for the area which is still affected by the fall of US nuclear bombs in 1966.

Leisure raid POLICE in Almeria City have raided three leisure venues in the city following concerns they lacked licences and were employing staff illegally. The raids uncovered a knife, no lice n c e s f o r m u sic, b lo ck ed emergency exits and illegally hired workers from the three sites visited by police.

Road snow ROADS in Almeria Province have returned to normal service following snowfall last week. A team of 51 workers have been working to clear links between the province’s towns to keep them connected. AL-3102: Bacares-Velefique, AL-5405: Escullar scuand L-5406: Las Menas have been closed since Monday.

Washed up FIVE dolphins were found stranded on the Almerian coast in January. The majority of beached animals were found to have died because of sea pollution with high levels of metal weakening their immune system. Around 80 creatures were found on the province’s beaches last year.

Hospital vote HUERCAL-OVERA’S council has unanimously passed a motion calling for more specialists at the Immaculate hospital in the city. Local officia l s h a v e c o n c e r n s o v e r th e hospital which reportedly has 23 doctors attending 240 daily consultations where they are only authorised to take 140 appointments.

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SPORTS

LETTERS

NEWS, FIXTURES AND RESULTS FROM THE UK AND SPAIN.

Readers’ views on eclectic topics in print and online. P46

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MOTORING ALL THE LATEST CAR NEWS PLUS OUR WEEKLY TEST DRIVE P68

SPANISH FACTS OF LIFE nº48

PLUS THE REGULARS

Of all the cultural traditions in Spain, bullfighting is perhaps the most controversial and undoubtedly the most brutal, writes Harrison Jones.

News

THE treatment of bulls during Spanish bullfights is horrifying. Two days prior to the performance, the animals have been known to have wet newspaper put in their ears, a sticky substance rubbed into their eyes, cotton into their nostrils, a burning irritant applied to their legs, a needle in their private parts and be heavily drugged, welfare groups say. In Spain, three acts then see the bull tired out in a dark but artistic ritual. Picadors, on horseback, exhaust the bull by twisting thick knives into its neck. Then, the assistant matadors plunge up to six harpoon-like weapons into its body. Immaculately dressed matadors coax the bulls with red clothes, dodging them as they charge. The final kill can be drawn out and see bulls vomit their own blood. The ears and tail are cut off, often when the animal is still conscious, before it is dragged around the venue by horses, to the tune of baying crowds and traditional music.

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Cut the bull

Finance 29

DARK ART: An immaculately dressed matador.

Leapy 35

Couch Critic 40

Time Out 47 - 50

CONTROVERSIAL: The practice has caused protests.

Health & Beauty 52 - 53

Social 56 - 57

Grabbing tradition by its horns SPAIN is facing louder calls to ban the practice, but so far international condemnation has not told. Protests have hit the country’s festivals and turnout is down, but the events - defined as cultural - show no signs of being outlawed imminently. There has been a steady decline in the number of bullfights, but in 2014-15, nearly 10 per cent of Spaniards bought a ticket, according to Culture Trip. In 2010, a newspaper poll found that only 42 per cent of Spaniards wanted it banned. That year, the Catalan parliament

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TRADITION: Ronda’s bullring is Spain’s oldest.

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attempted to outlaw the tradition, but the regional ban was overturned by the Supreme Court. Much like fox hunting in Britain, the main defence of the practice is tradition. It certainly has a long history - Ronda, near Malaga, boasts one of the world’s oldest bullrings, from the late 1700s. Another side to the gore - which sees stadiums reminiscent of Roman gladiators filled with crowds - is the injuries to matadors. Deaths are now very rare, though the last was only in

Email: newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com or call 951 38 61 61 and ask for the EWN news team.

summer 2017. Over 500 matadors have reportedly been killed in the past three centuries.

Bully for EU IT is not just in Spain where bullfighting is practised. There are variations in many other countries, most notably in Latin America, France and Portugal. ‘Bull wrestling,’ meanwhile, reportedly takes place in Japan, the Balkans, Turkey and Southeast Asia.

160

Property 62

Pets 65

Classifieds 66 - 67

The total number of news and features which appeared in Issue 1699 of the Euro Weekly News Costa de Almería edition, including 79 local stories.

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Up the isle

NEWS

POLL OF THE WEEK With the latest string of drink driving accidents occurring across Spain, is enough being done to tackle the problem? Photo credit Wikimedia

LAST WEEK’S POLL: Do you text more often than call on your mobile phone?

Yes 56%

No 44%

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TOP BORDER CONTROL: View from the Spanish side of the river, a satellite image (bottom left) and the meeting on the island between Louis XVI of France and Spain’s Felipe IV as depicted by French artist Jacques Laumosnier (bottom right). SPAIN is about to reclaim 5,000 square metres of territory from France. But in the summer it will voluntarily hand it back. In a rare agreement that has lasted for more than 350 years, the two countries hold joint sovereignty over Pheasant Island (Spanish: Isla de los Faisanes), an uninhabited tract of land in the Bidasoa River. The island is among the oldest and smallest condominiums - political territories where two or more countries agree to share ownership and exercise rights jointly - in existence. Controlled by Spain from February 1 to July 31 each year, it returns to France for the re-

maining six months, with the first handover of 2018 set to take place today (Thursday). It lies in the middle of the Bidasoa, which forms a natural border between the Spanish town of Irun and its French counterpart Hendaye, and cannot be visited except on the occasional heritage open day. Measuring just 215 metres long and 38 metres wide, it is thought to be the only condominium in the world which alternates sovereignty during the course of the year. An old monument on the island holds the key to the island’s bizarre status, since it pays tribute to the Treaty of the

Pyrenees, signed in 1659. It came in the wake of a decade of violence and political interference after the Thirty Years War between France and Spain ended in 1648. The two governments chose to negotiate on the island because it was considered neutral territory, and after three months of talks the peace agreement was signed. Territories were swapped and new borders settled, while Maria Teresa of Austria, daughter of Spanish King Felipe IV, married French ruler Louis XIV. And the final part of the deal involved the island being shared by the two countries.

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ON SCREEN: Film crews visit the Rojales rescue centre and (inset) some of the cast.

5’s Bargain Loving Brits in 6,758 Channel the Sun hits Costa Blanca this week woman takes 14 hours to go to 5,718 British police after son, 3, goes missing office warns of rain in Spain and 4,663 Met massive ‘cold drop’ suffers serious head injury as 2,906 Cyclist storms batter Costa del Sol dead and one seriously injured 2,721 Three in AP-7 crash 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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OUR VIEW Is it time to end drunken tourism? WILL 2018 be the year that Spain seriously cracks down on party mad holidaymakers’ boozy antics? With the country outstripping the United States to become the second-most visited country in the world after France in 2017, a string of traditional hotspots have announced plans to control what Spanish media has dubbed ‘drunken tourism.’ In the Balearics, many bars and clubs will be forced to close their doors hours earlier this summer, with noise pollution laws set to be strictly enforced. And new reports suggest that hotels in Benidorm on the Costa Blanca are turning down bookings from hen and stag parties. It comes after groups of incensed locals last year staged antitourist protests in Barcelona, Mallorca, and San Sebastian. The backlash continued on the Costa del Sol, Marbella tourism chiefs referring to ‘cheap’ British tourists as ‘savages’ before unveiling new rules with fines for nudity and rowdy behaviour. Notorious party resort Magaluf in Mallorca issued 64 new laws to clamp down on unruly holidaymakers, with bar owners warned not to serve alcohol to visibly-drunk revellers, while in Palma happy hours and two-for-one drinks offers are set to be axed. With almost a quarter of the 82 million people visiting Spain last year coming from the UK, the country must clearly be careful not to alienate its largest tourist market. But since tens of millions - including many Britons - flock to Spain each year with no intention of spending their two weeks in the sun knocking back cheap drinks and sleeping off hangovers, perhaps it is time the country shifts away from this kind of tourism altogether?

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Car scammer arrested A 32-YEAR-OLD man who allegedly sold a car for more than €40,000 but never delivered it was arrested by the Guardia Civil. Police began investigating after they received a complaint from a man who said he had paid the money to the accused but had not received the car for several weeks. The victim told police on January 9 he had tried to make contact with the accused several times but his calls and messages were ignored for weeks. The 32-year-old was arrested on the morning of January 15. Proceedings have been t a k e n t o a c o u r t i n Ve l e z Rubio.

Back on the road

HOT MAMA: Pilar Rubio and (right) her decorated bump.

Work of art! SHE is expecting her third child with Real Madrid and Spain footballer Sergio Ramos. And TV presenter Pilar Rubio, 39, showed she is game for a laugh after cheekily painting her bump to resemble politically incorrect South Park character Eric Cartman. The beauty captioned the shot: “Today we came up with a few ideas so that pregnant women can disguise themselves at carnivals. This is my favourite!”

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ROCK megastars U2 have anPhoto by You Tube nounced a second concert date in Madrid. It comes after tickets for the Irish band’s first gig in the Spanish capital for 13 years sold out in just 10 minutes. The two live shows - scheduled for September 20 and 21 will take place at the WiZink Centre venue. O UT Kicking off in the United :U 2’s B States in May, the European leg ono. of the supergroup’s eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE world tour begins on August 31 and will see Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr take to the stage in Germany (Cologne and Hamburg), France (Paris), Portugal (Lisbon), Italy (Milan), Denmark (Copenhagen), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), the UK (Manchester and London) and Ireland in addition to Spain. Tickets cost from €35-95 and go on sale tomorrow (Friday), with a maximum of four per person. They are available from the webHAPPIER TIMES: Nick and sites livenation.es, www.doctormu Jessica. sic.com and ticketmaster.es.

Pilar Rubio /Insta gram

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Star responds to abuse allegations DIY SOS star Nick Knowles’ estranged wife has accused the presenter of failing to keep promises made ‘when he walked out of our lives to have a string of girlfriends after abandoning us in Spain.’ The explosive social media outburst by Jessica Rose Moor, 30, follows earlier claims that the 55-year-old has pulled funding for their son Eddie’s private school education and subjected her to years of ‘emotional cruelty and physical abuse.’ But

friends speaking to UK media on Nick’s behalf strongly denied the allegations. “These allegations are not true but Nick will not be responding publicly in an attempt to minimise the negative impact on his son.” And an insider added: “It’s just not true. Nick is one of the most generous men I know and has made substantial financial provision for Jess and Eddie as he does for other members of his family and his children.”

Celeb focus Who’s the daddy?

BIG AND LITTLE MAC: Conor and his young son.

Conor McGregor/Instagram HE’S the Ultimate Fighting champion who last year made his boxing debut. And having taken a break in the wake of his defeat to Floyd Mayweather, Conor McGregor, 29, showed he is enjoying his down time as he flew to Spain with his son Conor Jr. Taking to Instagram the hardman wrote: “We are having lunch on the jet on our way to Ibiza.”

Polar plea HE’S the Spanish Oscar-winning actor who’s married to Penelope Cruz. But Javier Bardem, 48, showed he still has his feet on the ground after travelling to the Antarctic with environmental organisation Greenpeace. He wrote on Instagram: “We’ve joined this adventure to ask that the largest protected area in the world is created in the Antarctic. Join us!”

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NEWS

Illegal marihuana power lines cut by Guardia Civil MORE than 65 illegal light hitches which were reportedly outing the power grid in El Ejido were cut by Guardia Civil officers last Thursday morning. Operation Manolica in the Matagorda area of the town sought to cut the hitches, many of which were connected with the growing of marihuana. More than 1,270 marihuana plants were seized during the operation, which began at

7am and lasted around 10 hours. Guardia Civil officers worked alongside Local Police, Almeria Council and the electricity company Endesa to cut the illegal hitches. They were outing lights in the area, which is home to 350 people, “continuously,” police said. Marihuana was seized from five sites. Four of them were houses and another was a greenhouse. Police have now sent proceedings to a court in El Ejido.

Photo by Guardia Civil

HITCHED: One of the illegal rigs connecting a marihuana growing operation to El Ejido’s power grid.

Menacing madam detained A 40-YEAR-OLD woman who allegedly forced foreign women into becoming prostitutes by threatening to report them and get them deported has been arrested in Almeria City. The woman allegedly threatened to publish intimate photos of the women if they refused to work as prostitutes for the pair. She is also accused of forcing the women to take drugs at parties with clients. Police began their investigation after receiving a complaint from a woman who said she had received threats from the accused. She told police the woman had threatened to publish photos of her in her underwear on social media if she did not agree to become a prostitute. The complainant said she had been in a difficult financial situation and had made contact with the accused online to get a job. She said she spoke to the woman over the phone who

asked her to send photos of her in her underwear so she could see her appearance. She then began working in an apartment in the San Luis area of Almeria with two other foreign women after having an interview with the accused. The women were constantly humiliated, despised and insulted while they worked there, police said. Their passports were confiscated and they were forced to take drugs with clients at parties held in the apartment. The accused threatened to tell authorities the women were not in the country legally if they refused to carry out the demands. The complainant decided to leave the job and began receiving phone calls soon after from the accused, who threatened to publish photos of her online if she did not return. Police arrested the 40-year-old on prostitution and drugs trafficking charges. Officers seized eight mobile phones, a laptop, documents, cash and drugs during the arrest.

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A 20-YEAR-OLD man who allegedly bought two computers online he never paid for and who left a hotel in Almeria without paying the bill has been arrested in Granada. Police received a complaint from the owner of a hotel in Almeria that the man had stayed there at the end of last year but never paid his bill. The man, who owed more than €850, paid with a card that denied the transaction when the hotel tried to bill it.

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Hotel fraudster held He is also accused of contacting an electrical equipment shop in Granada claiming to be the owner of a company interested in buying two computers in mid-December. He sent a document stating he had transferred around €1,722 to the shop after communicating with the owner online. The 20-year-old reportedly then arrived

to collect the computers on a day when the owner was not in the shop. The owner discovered the document confirming the payment had been made was falsified after the computers were taken. The man was already subject to an arrest warrant issued by a court in Albacete for alleged fraud.

Tourist numbers increase CUEVAS DEL ALMANZORA saw an increase of 8.3 per cent in the number of tourists visiting the town last year. Spanish tourists visiting the town made up the majority at around 80 per cent. Visitors from outside of Spain accounted for 20 per cent. Most of the Spanish tourists came from Andalucia, followed by Castilla, La Mancha, Valencia and Murcia, according to the town’s tourism office. Visitors were typically aged between 30 and 60 years old. Tourists over 60 made up the majority of these.

Your Belgian estate agent at the coast! You

NEWS

NEWS EXTRA Renaming road PARTIDO SOCIALISTA members of Huercal Council have had their motion to have a street in the town renamed ‘The 4th of December’ passed. The proposed name commemorates the date Andalucia gained full autonomy.

Power line THE Almerian Partido Socialista (PSOE) has condemned the decision by the Madrid government not to go ahead with building a new Vera and Baza power line. PSOE members argued it would generate jobs and wealth.

Vera app AN app which can be used by any citizen to report an incident has been presented to Vera’s council. Officials said the app could increase citizen participation in the town and improve it overall.

FINANCE

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New €1,000,000 reduction for inheritances in Andalucía There is good news for residents in Andalucía - the region has gone from being the most expensive for inheritance tax to one of the cheapest. When the new regional budget entered into force on 1st January 2018, it included a significant change for succession and gift tax to protect close family from this tax, especially on death transfers. Inheritances A new €1,000,000 reduction has been introduced in Andalucía for inheritances (so not for lifetime gifts). It is in addition to the other reductions available (relative’s reduction, main home reduction, etc.) in this region. The inheritance itself can be of any value, but the maximum reduction will be €1 million and anything above that will be taxable at the usual succession and gift tax rates (currently from 7.65% to 36.5% in Andalucía, with multipliers of between 1 and 2.4).

By Gerald Turner, Partner, Blevins Franks The €1m reduction will only apply if both the following two conditions are met: • The beneficiary must be within Groups I and II (i.e. ascendants, descendants or spouse); and • The beneficiary’s pre-existing wealth is no more than €1 million. If it is over €1 million at the time of the death, the new reduction is not applicable at all. For Spanish resident beneficiaries, worldwide assets would be taken into account for this purpose, but for nonresidents only Spanish assets count.

This is a variable reduction of up to €1 million, so the maximum reduction you can get is €1 million - this amount includes the other succession tax reductions already applied by the taxpayer (relative’s reduction of €15,956 for Group II beneficiaries, main home reduction, etc). The good news is that this is available for each beneficiary. So if you have, for example, three children, they could each receive up to €1 million tax free (providing they are not already worth over €1 million and the Andalucian rules apply to them on your death). The previous €250,000 relief on inheritances and the variable reduction of up to €200,000 for inheritances between €250,000 and €350,000 are no longer applicable. Lifetime gifts The new rules for lifetime gifts are not as beneficial as those for inheritances. However, there are

two key reforms. In brief: • There is a 99% reduction for gifts on the main home if the beneficiary is a descendant and has a recognised disability, provided certain conditions are met. • There is a 99% reduction for gifts to acquire or expand businesses, again, certain requirements apply. Do you and your heirs benefit from these new rules? This is good news if you are resident in Andalucía and receive an inheritance from a parent, or wish to pass assets onto spouses and children when you die. Unless your, or your beneficiaries’, wealth is over €1 million you should now escape large succession tax bills. The local government calculates that around 95% of Andalucian taxpayers will pay no inheritance tax in future. However, caution needs to be taken if you have beneficiaries whose pre-existing wealth is over

€1m because they will not benefit from the new reduction. Also note that it only applies to those who are eligible to benefit from the regional Andalucian rules. If not, the much more expensive state rules will apply. If you have wealthy heirs, or wish to leave an inheritance to people other than your spouse and children, seek personalised advice on how you may be able to reduce their succession and gift tax liability. The tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice. Keep up to date on the financial issues that may affect you on the Blevins Franks news page at www.blevinsfranks.com.

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Picture credit: Guardia Civil

STOLEN: Police recovered €6,400 worth of olive oil from the garage in Vera.

Oily toil! Three held for 1,300 litre oil olive theft THREE people accused of s te a ling a round €6,400 worth of olive oil in Vera have been detained by the Guardia Civil. Tw o 27-ye a r-olds from Vera were arrested by police in connection with the theft. They allegedly stole 1,280 litres of oil stored in bottles that filled 80 boxes. A 30-year-old resident of Vera has also been detained on c ha rge s of ha ndling stolen goods. Police began their investiga tion a fte r re c e iving a

complaint from the owner of t he oi l cl ai m i ng i t had been stolen. Officers traced the two litre bottles which had been sold on a small scale to people in the town. They then arrested the 30-year-old and recovered 40 boxes of olive oil from his garage that had not yet been sold. The 27-year-olds were allegedly found to have stolen the oil from a storage room wher e t hey r egul ar l y worked. They were able to force their way into the room before making off with the oil. The two went unnoticed by onlookers due to their being at the site regularly, according to police. The suspects were then ar r est ed f or t hef t by Guardia Civil officers. All t hr ee suspect s have had their cases sent to a court in Vera.

NEWS

NEWS EXTRA Rail service debate A DEBATE on rail services has been organised by the Partido Izquierda Unida for today (Thursday) at Vicar’s town hall. The meeting was called to discuss ‘urgent’ problems, the party said.

Road visit A DELEGATION of officials from Tunisia has visited Almeria to learn more about the province’s roads. The group from the country’s government showed an interest in modelling their road management system on the province’s.

Budget vote CARBONERAS’ council approved the town’s 2018 budget at a meeting last Friday. The vote is set to see more than €11,527,000 spent in the area, around 10 per cent more than in 2017.

Right on track! THE number of people who rode the Talgo trains between Almeria and Madrid was more than 200,500 in 2017. The route, operated by the state-owned company Renfe, saw the number of passengers grow by 3.6 per cent. That equates to 7,000 new users last year when compared to 2016. Peak months were in the summer, with some 24,400 people taking the trains between the two cities in August, according to reports.

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Picture credit: Adra council

NEWS EXTRA Giving blood ALMERIANS made almost 21,200 donations to the province’s blood transfusion centre last year, according to official figures. The number of blood and plasma donations increased by 2.5 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

War victims VICTIMS of a massacre which took place on the road to Almeria during the Spanish Civil War will be memorialised following a vote in Granada’s provincial council. Francoist troops killed thousands in La Desbanda.

Road works IMPROVEMENTS to El Ejido’s roads are now set to take place following the approval of the project by the town’s council. Sanitation and pipeline works are also planned for Cañada Cortes.

JOB HELP: The Orienta scheme helped over 300 people in Adra find work.

Helping hand A SCHEME designed to help people find work benefited more than 300 people in Adra last year, according to the council’s member for employment. Councillor Jesus Rivera said the Andalucia Orienta service helped 316 people find work in 2017. “T h e n u mb er o f u n employed has been reduced, but as long as there are peo-

ple out of a job there will be work to do,” he said. The Orienta programme has seen officials meet with a total of 800 and has provided around 3,500 hours of personalised appointments. A tota l of 85 group s e s s ions ha ve a ls o be e n put on a s pa rt of the scheme. C ounc illor R ive ra s a id Adra’s authorities were

helping to generate opportunities for work for the town’s unemployed. The progra mme ha s a budget of almost €350,000. It is backed financially by the M inis try of Employment, the Junta de Andalucia’s commerce department and the European Union. It allows jobs seekers to search for work with the help of careers specialists.

NEWS

Hotels complain about wasted time THE president of the Association of Hotel Businesses (ASHAL) has written to waste collection authorities in Almanzora over a request for rate changes that has not been answered for six years. Diego Garcia wrote to the Almanzora-Levante-Los Velez Consortium president, Antonio Martinez Pascual, over a petition to lower waste collection rates first sent in 2012. Garcia said in the letter the current rate of €8,000 a year for collections that take place once every seven to 10 days was “disproportionate, unfeasible and unfair. “The sector feels aggravated by fiscal pressure which affects the competitiveness of tourism businesses. “The solution lies not in this fiscal pressure but in a restricting of the service as a whole and its adaptation to different circumstances,” he said. The letter comes after ASHAL first petitioned waste collection authorities on changing the rate in July 2012. Martinez Pascual reportedly responded by saying the authorities had received the petition and that possible changes would be studied. ASHAL has said they have not heard anything from the Consortium since and that complaints from bars, hostels and hotels continue to mount. The president of ASHAL said he considered having to wait six years for a reply on the issue “abusive.”

NEWS

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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InvestaSpain on the move INVESTA-SPAIN is set to move its headquarters from Cataluña to Almeria, according to reports. The company’s head office is currently on the Ronda San Pere in Barcelona. It is now set to move to Atajillo Street, in the town of Felix in Almeria. Investa-Spain is one of 3,500 companies to move out of Cataluña following last year’s independence referendum. The company is one of the largest real estate firms in Europe. It was founded in 2015 and sells a number of luxury properties across Spain. It has more than six million square metres of land and buildings in its portfolio.

Ryanair announce new route RYANAIR has created a new Manchester to Almeria summer route as part of a £210,170,000 investment into its Manchester airport operation. The airline said it planned to buy three new aircraft for its peak June to September schedule. It is set to create 10 new routes including one to Almeria. Investment in the schedule is set to add 300,000 more seats to the company’s Manchester-based fleet. It is part of a plan to increase the number of flights heading to summer destinations and to do it at a lower cost to passengers, according to reports. Kenny Jacobs, of Ryanair, is quoted in Spanish media as saying tickets for the new routes have been available online from Friday January 26. “We will deliver an exciting set of 10 new Manchester summer routes, some

ns mo Com a i ed ikim it: W d e r c ure Pict

NEWS EXTRA Troops in joint effort A COMPANY of Spanish troops took part in joint exercises with the French Foreign Legion in Almeria recently. Training reportedly took place there to simulate desert combat.

100 years

of which are connecting with Manchester for the first time,” he said. Julian Carr, of Manchester airport, said the announcement would help to create jobs in and around the city. “We look forward to the routes starting and the added international connectivity they offer our 27.8 million passengers,” he said. The new routes bring the total of Ryanair’s Manchester summer routes to 57. The investment is expected to create almost 3,700 new jobs. It will see the company now fly twice weekly to Agadir, Almeria,

NEW ROUTES: There will now be a direct Ryanair flight from Manchester airport to Almeria.

Barcelona Reus, Cagliari, Palermo and Rhodes. A daily flight to Belfast from March, one flight a week to Ponta Delgada and three weekly flights to Porto and Venice Treviso are also included in the plans. There will also be more flights to existing destinations Alicante, Bologna, Chania, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Lisbon, Malaga, Mallorca, Naples and Tenerife, the company said.

THE El Saliente centre has celebrated the 100th birthday of Maria Siles, who uses the facility for the disabled and elderly in Benahadux. El Saliente was recently named the best elderly care centre in Andalucia

Safe schools NATIONAL POLICE have activated their safe schools protocol following a meeting with teachers from Fuente Nueva school. The meeting follows a student’s assault of two teachers at the school.

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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NEWS EXTRA Jobless rise ALMERIA’S unemployment rate rose to more than 25 per cent in 2017 according to state data. The number of those out of work rose by 4,000 to 90,500.

Adra taxes MORE than 320 families in Adra benefit from the city’s flat tax rate paid in monthly instalments, the local council has claimed. The number of beneficiaries has grown by 40 per cent

Rubble ruin THE remains of a 19th century building have been found amongst a pile of rubble in Almeria City. Jesus Muñoz, who found the remains on a plot in the Obispo Orbera neighbourhood, said he intends to sell them.

Government ‘punishing’ province, says councillor AN Andalucian Partido Socialista (PSOE) parliamentarian has accused the government in Madrid of “punishing” Almeria ahead of a visit from country’s Development Minister. Jose Luis Sanchez Teruel, who is also the general secretary of the Almerian PSOE, claimed Madrid was not investing in the province’s railways. He said he hoped the Development Minister Iñigo de la Serna would commit to investing more than €3 billion in projects in Almeria and Andalucia. “We need high speed rail in Almeria and we need to end the isolation with Granada,” he said. He added Andalucia was in a privileged geographic position to take advantage of economic growth generated by international trade in the region. “It is necessary for the government of the Partido Popular

Picture credit: PSOE

NEWS

DEMANDS: Jose Luis Sanchez Teruel accused the government in Madrid of ‘punishing’ Almeria. to boost railway infrastructure in Andalucia for us to do that.

So far we have not had any luck, only punishment,” he said.

Sanchez Teruel added Almeria had gone 2,000 days without

investment in high-speed rail and there were still areas of uncertainty over connections to ports and the capital. Eugenio Gonzalvez, the Almerian PP senator, said the Public Works minister was complying with the government’s commitments to Almeria’s railways. He added the government in Madrid had to pay for an unfinished stretch of rail built by the PSOE authorities.

E W N 1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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NATIONAL Photo credit Sentido Hotels

Guardia Civil

JUAN CARLOS MORAGUES (centre) congratulates investigators and (inset) an officer inspects some of the haul.

Drugs bus raid TWO British men have been held for allegedly transporting millions of Euros worth of drugs on a luxury coach. It comes after 17 kilos of cocaine and 715 kilos of hashish were seized by police during a swoop in Sagunto, Valencia. The two men, aged 39 and 59, have been accused of drug trafficking. It is claimed the narcotics were hidden in secret compartments on the British-plated coach, which was on its way from Malaga to the UK and has

been used by a series of unnamed music groups during their European tours. The vehicle was stopped on the AP-7 toll road by Guardia Civil officers from Puçol in the Valencia region. An international arrest warrant has been issued for the owner of the company that owns the bus. Juan Carlos Moragues, the Spanish government’s delegate in the Valencian Community, visited investigators to congratulate them.

CHOOSE YOUR LOUNGER: The SENTIDO Aequora Lanzarote.

Sunbed reservations introduced

No more towel wars? HOLIDAYMAKERS heading to some Spanish resorts this summer will be able to reserve their sunbeds in advance thanks to a new service from Thomas Cook. It could mean the end of the mad early-morning rush to reserve loungers in guests’ favourite spots. UK managing director Chris Mottershead said, “We’re excited about Choose Your Favourite Sunbed, particularly for families that want to secure a number of beds together in a specific spot.” The company will now reserve your sunbathing spot for £22 (€25) for the duration of

your stay. The scheme is being trialled in three hotels from the end of February and will be available in 30 establishments this summer. Two Spanish resorts in the Canary Islands will be amongst the first offering the new service. The Sunprime Atlantic View Suites & Spa in Playa Del Ingles on Gran Canaria and the SENTIDO Aequora Lanzarote will be taking part. Only a proportion of a hotel’s sunbeds will be bookable to ensure there are still some available for those who do not want

to pay the premium. Thomas Cook say that if you’re staying at a hotel where Choose Your Favourite Sunbed is available, and you’re eligible to use the service, they will send an email six days before you travel with instructions on how to book. They tell guests to ‘simply follow the link in the email to see a map and pool plan of your hotel. It’ll show all the available sunbeds and their prices. Then all you have to do is decide where you’d like to be. Maybe you want a nice cool corner in the shade? Or perhaps you want to be close to the children’s pool? The choice is yours. ‘Head off on your holiday knowing that when you arrive at your hotel, you’ll already have your chosen sunbed reserved; perfect for your needs. And what’s more? It’ll be yours for the duration of your holiday, meaning it’ll still be there when you come back from your lunch. So relax and enjoy!’

E W N 1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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NATIONAL

Emergencias Sevilla

LOCAL POLICE officers in Sevilla had a fruitful day when they stopped vehicles carrying more than 4,000 kilos of oranges which the occupants claimed were for their personal consumption. Suspicions were raised after three vehicles in close convoy were spotted being driven suspiciously and a chase followed down a dirt track. Five people were found squeezed into the car and a van that were finally intercepted. A couple was travelling with their adult son in the van along with two brothers. They claimed they had picked the oranges ‘from the ground’ and were for ‘their

Picture credit: Junta de Andalucia

Feeling the squeeze

“CORDIAL”: Susana Diaz and Fabian Picardo greet each other before the meeting.

FRUIT FAIL: Oranges spill out of the thieves’ car. own consumption.’ After a search of the area, the police later found the third vehicle that was also full of fruit.

It is alleged that the juicy haul had been stolen from a ship in Carmona that had reported the theft a few hours earlier.

Drowning horror

AN 80-year-old British pensioner died after suffering a heart attack while swimming at a beach popular with holidaymakers in the Canary Islands. The unnamed man was pulled from the sea at Playa Flamingo beach in the south of

Lanzarote. The 112 Canarias emergency service confirmed that two ambulances were dispatched to the beach but medics were unable to revive the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Leaders discuss Brexit THE President of Andalucia and the Chief Minister of Gibraltar met to discuss minimising the consequences of Brexit. President Susana Diaz and Chief Minister Fabian Picardo discussed cross-border workers and trade in what was described as an “absolutely cordial” meeting. Andalucia Vice President Manuel Jimenez Barrios said the region’s objective was to turn the UK’s exit from the EU into an opportunity when he spoke after the meeting. Around 13,250 cross-border workers, more than 8,150 of who are Spanish, should be able to continue crossing the border to work with difficulty, he added.

Around 24 per cent of employment in Andalucia is directly connected to Gibraltar which imports some €430 million in goods and services from Spain annually, according to regional authorities. Fabian Picardo said the meeting was about strengthening ties between the two territories. “The meeting was about making sure that Brexit presents more opportunities than dangers for the economy and workers,” he said. “Work starts today.” The meeting comes as estimates show the negative impact of Brexit could knock up to 1 per cent off the region’s Gross Domestic Product in the most severe scenario.

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

THE Anglican chaplaincy of Costa Almeria and Costa Calida are pleased to announce that they have a new priest and Rev Vincent Oram will be taking up his post in February with his wife Robyn Ann. His installation service will be held on Friday February 9 at 11am at Llanos

Del Peral Church, Cucador. His first service will be February 11 at Mojacar Anglican Church at 11am. All welcome at both. The chaplaincy is totally self-supporting; no funds are received from England and it relies on fundraising, including church fayres and donations.

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New beginnings They are a Parish with an electoral role of approximately 100, in the Church of England Diocese in Europe under a Bishop, which exists to serve Anglicans.

They invite holidaymakers and visitors, including Spanish visitors, to worship with them in English at their three churches, their services following the order set out in the Book of C o m m o n Wo r s h i p . T h e y c a n a l s o o ff e r B a p t i s m s , Wedding Blessings and Funerals. The Parish seeks to serve the spiritual and pastoral needs of the English-speaking community in the Chaplaincy. Their churches are: Mojacar - Opposite Ma-

cenas Golf Course (signposted Casa Rural). Eucharist Service every Sund a y a t 11 a m a n d t h e y welcome all who wish to join afterwards for refreshments and fellowship. Llanos del Peral - Just p a s t L a Vi d a r e s t a u r a n t (near Cucador) on the left. After 1.5kms take right hand fork, car park is on the right. This is their new Church. Eucharist or Prayer and Praise services are on Sundays at 11am with refreshments and fellowship afterwards.

COMMUNITY Aljambra - Located in the Aljambra community centre about one mile from Albox. Evensong services second Sunday of the month at 6pm. Eucharist services are on second and last Thursdays of the month at 11am with refreshments and fellowship afterwards. Roquetas Del Mar - No services at present, currently seeking new location. In addition to the above they have Remembrance Day services, carol services including a joint carol service in the Roman Catholic Church in Mojacar Pueblo, Christingle Services and Midnight Mass etc. They pride themselves on their friendliness.

Stage door LAST Friday saw yet another sell out performance for the Indalo Players production of ‘The Speakeasy Murder’ in the Rose and Crown, Mojacar Playa. Despite the snug surroundings everyone enjoyed the music, dancing and murderous mayhem. With a long waiting list landlord Jamie Webber has invited them back in the not too distant future. So watch this space! They are always looking for new people, so if you want to join one of the best equipped, established groups in the area

INDALO PLAYERS: Mayhem at the Rose and Crown. please give them a call. Not only do they need those who want to tread the boards but they need people back stage, front of

house and help with publicity. Contact Bill White on: 671 870 819 or Williamwhite9552 @aol.com.

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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FEATURE

Advertising Feature

COURTESY CAR: Available for a maximum of 21 consecutive days.

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customer prefers to use their own trusted hire car company, then not to worry because Línea Directa will directly compensate them for an amount of €30 each day they remain without a car, up to a maximum of €120, as per the general terms and conditions of their policy. Free courtesy car for up to three weeks Línea Directa provides their customers with courtesy cars for up to a maximum of 21 consecutive days if your car has been written off or stolen (and not recovered). Please refer to the Línea Directa general policy terms and conditions for more information about this optional cover. We hope the information provided in this article is of interest.

If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 900 123 309 More information about Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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N ORWAY

N ETHERLANDS

Breaking the ice

Devil’s work

MORE than 2,000 historical artefacts - including primitive shoes and skis - have been exposed by melting ice on the country’s highest mountains, with some items though t t o d a t e b a c k mo re th a n 6,000 years.

Name game

Peace keepers

‘Soft Brexit’

THE government spent 1.59 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defence last year, despite NATO rules that European countries must fork out at least 2 per cent of GDP on their respective militaries by 2024.

PRIME MINISTER Erna Solberg has said that the UK should aim for a “soft Brexit” and said that her country would not fight against a “bespoke deal” with the European Union, as she addressed international media World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

A DUTCH-MOROCCAN woman has been charged with child abuse in the southern city of Roermond after placi n g h e r n i n e - y e a r - o l d s o n ’s hands in a hot oven and stuffing his ears with cotton wool in an attempt to drive out an evil spirit.

SOFIE and Jakob were the two most popular baby names for girls and boys last year, with 2016 favourites William and Nora dropping down the rankings, according to Statistics Norway.

Business boom DEFROSTED HISTORY: A researcher unearths an ancient ski complete with binding.

MORE than 350 foreign companies invested €1.67 billion in the country last year, generating around 12,500 jobs, according to a new report from the ministry of economic affairs.

G ERMANY

S WEDEN

Horror crash

Snow bomb

A SMALL plane collided with a rescue helicopter which was on a training flight near the south-western town of Philippsburg, killing four people, police said in a statement.

Brought to book THE caretaker government is threatening to restrict how Facebook mines data from its millions of users after a 2017

probe concluded that the social media giant is abusing its position of dominance in the market.

Moonlight mile MORE than 40 politicians are under fire after an independent website revealed that they earn a second income on top of their parliamentary pay, with one raking in an extra €250,000 per

year from his private education business.

School stabbing A 14-YEAR-OLD pupil at a secondary school near Dortmund was stabbed to death by a 15-year-old classmate, with police now probing the incident after earlier pledging to tackle youth violence in North Rhine-Westphalia state.

F RANCE

B ELGIUM

Pot luck

Truck off

EMMANUAL MACRON’S government has indicated it may be willing to consider a softening of the country’s cannabis laws, with smokers to be hit with €150-200 spot fines instead of being charged and potentially jailed.

A LORRY carrying 33,500 litres of a chemical derived from palm oil was stolen from the town of Zedelgem, although an official said that the product ‘cannot be used as an explosive material.’

Head to head

Crying wolf

THE government has revealed that it aims to increase military cooperation with Japan as the two countries move to minimise Chinese activity in the Indo-Pacific region, with naval troops set to take part in a series of joint exercises.

A WOLF named Naya has become the first to be recorded in the country for more than a century, according to biologists tracking the female’s journey after she left her family pack in Germany last October.

Sexist sanctions

Deacon of death

MEN could face €90 fines for making lewd comments about women in public after a government report advised sanctions for behaviour that impacts ‘the freedom of movement of women in public spaces and undermines self-esteem and the right to security.’

A CATHOLIC deacon suspected of killing at 10 people including his own mother and several other relatives - by injecting air into their bloodstreams, has gone on trial in Bruges.

Chewing the fat A DRIVER in the western town of Laval has been fined €750 for tucking into a plate of foie gras on toast and watching a movie on his tablet while at the wheel.

No terror link INTERIOR MINISTER Jan Jambon confirmed that a knife-wielding man shot by police at a train station in Ghent was an Afghan refugee with mental issues and had no link to terrorism.

SKI resort Kittelfjäll in Lappland Province registered the deepest snow cover yet this winter after more than 1.5 metres accumulated, according to national weather office SMHI.

Look, no hands THE country’s first driverless buses have hit the streets in the business district of Kista - north of Stockhol m - wi t h t he si x month experimental project led by bus firm Nobina in partnership with Ericsson and Stockholm City, among others.

EUROPEAN PRESS

Having a gas THE Dutch government has told 200 companies to stop sourcing natural gas from the Groningen field by 2022 in the wake of a ser i es of i ncr easi ngl y st r ong earthquakes in the area.

Sunny outlook THE number of solar panels for electricity generation increased by 40 per cent during 2017, according to a report published by Solar Magazine, with the rise far out st r i ppi ng t he 13 per cent jump in 2016.

Shelter plea TWO members of Russian protest punk rock group Pussy Riot have applied to Swedish authorities for asylum after moving into a home in Lindesberg with their son, blaming persecution after fleeing their home country.

Kidnap claim THE European Union has thrown its weight behind a campaign to release Swedish citizen and Hong-Kong based book publisher Gui Minhai, who was recently taken from a train by Chinese police in front of his own country’s diplomats.

D ENMARK

Feeling hot WEDNESDAY January 24 was the hottest January day in Denmark since records began in 1874, as the mercury soared to 12.7°C, beating the previous record - set in 2005 - by 0.3°C.

Mum-believable A GROUP of angry parents hired private security guards to join them in an attempt to force the headmaster of the Den Islamisk Arabiske Friskole school in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, to resign following a series of pupil expulsions.

Coining it SCANDINAVIA’S largest bank, Nordea, announced it will ban employees from owning Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies by the end of February, sparking outrage in the financial sector and among human rights groups.

Bold as brass A SPANISH Supreme Court judge has accused former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont of trying to ‘provoke his own arrest’ by travelling to Denmark, after Catalan parliamentary speaker Roger Torrent nominated him to head the new regional government.

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

RUSSIAN PRESS

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READY FOR LIFTOFF: The launch of the country’s Luna-25 station is still set for 2019.

Moon landing THE planned launch of Russia’s Luna-25 station is still expected to go ahead in 2019 without delays, the manufacturer has said. The station is expected to be followed by the Luna-26 orbiter in 2021 and the Luna-27 lander in 2022. The statement comes as delays until 2020 for the Luna-25 were reported in the Russian press.

Stalin film pulled RUSSIA’S Culture Ministry has revoked the licence for the British film The Death of Stalin two days before it was due to be released. The Kremlin has denied censoring the political satire of Dictator Josef Stalin’s death and its aftermath which Russian cultural figures reportedly disapproved of.

Election meddling FOREIGN interference in Russia’s ongoing election campaign will be suppressed, an official at the country’s Foreign Ministry

Paseo del Mediterraneo 30, Mojacar Playa, Almeria

T: 950 473 104

E: info@mojacarhomeimprovements.com www.mojacarhomeimprovements.com

has said. The country has information suggesting there are plans for other nations to interfere and Russia would retaliate against any attempt to do so, the official added.

Moscow tourism MOSCOW was visited by a record number of tourists and was one of the world’s most popular destinations for travellers, its mayor has said. The city was visited by more than 21 million tourists and was one of the top five New Year’s destinations internationally, he added.

‘No more oligarchs’ OLIGARCHS in Russia are no more, according to the country’s Deputy Premier. Arkady Dvorkovich said that oligarchs were a 1990’s concept and that they have been replaced by ‘responsible businessmen.’ The com m ent s com e f ol l owi ng US pl ans t o blacklist more Russian businessmen with Kremlin ties.

Bears stay friendly BEARS have remained friendly towards humans this winter despite their lack of hibernation. The bears, who live in the forests and mountains of Russia’s southern Caucasus, struggled to sleep because of an unseasonal lack of snow and cold. Wildlife officials in the area were concerned the animals may become ‘aggressive insomniacs’ as a result.

BEARABLE: The animals were unable to sleep because of warm weather.

FINANCE

STAT OF WEEK

business & legal

€2.9b stock market bid SPANISH property company Metrovacesa is planning a €2.95 billion flotation. Formerly the largest publicly traded real estate developer in the Eurozone, the firm was taken over by creditors when the country’s property bubble burst in 2009, citing losses of €738 million the previous year. Its current main shareholders, the banks Santander and BBVA, said the flotation - which is pencilled in for February - is designed to widen its base of shareholders to ease access to capital markets and financing.

Quote of the Week

€600 million

UNEMPLOYMENT in Spain is falling. The number of jobless people in Spain plummeted in 2017 thanks largely to a record year for tourism, according to a year-on-year report by the National Statistics Institute. I n d u s t r y, a g r i c u l t u r e a n d c o n struction sectors also showed strong growth, with 471,000 fewer people out of work at the end of the year than in 2016. The country’s unemployment rate was 16.5 per cent as 2017 ended, compared with 18.6 per cent at the

‘

end of 2016. But Spain still has the secondhighest rate of unemployment in the European Union behind Greece, with the average among the 28 member states just 8.7 per cent. And while the service sector last year created 290,000 additional jobs, many of these only offer temporary contracts, which increased by 4.4 per cent. “Unemployment is dropping, but the quality of jobs available contin-

» BUSINESS EXTRA

Bumper pay day

Real deal for star’s hotels Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs although his project has loftier ambitions. “It is a brand that will grow... In the next three to five years we will quickly double the number of hotels,” said Pestana CEO, Jose Roquette, citing Ibiza and Milan among potential new locations. In December Roquette said that the partnership will help open new markets in Asia and the Middle East, where Ronaldo is a hero to millions.

BANKIA - Spain’s fourth largest bank - has announced the release of dividends worth €340 million to its shareholders on the back of its 2017 profits, with state-run bank bailout fund FROB to receive €207 million.

Top tech SOUTH KOREAN conglomerate Samsung has revealed that Spanish consumers have spent more than €100 million via its mobile payment and digital wallet service, Samsung Pay, since the service was rolled out in 2016.

Mall the way UNITED STATES investment management firm Barings has completed the €105 million purchase of the 34,000 squaremetre Berceo shopping centre in Logroño, northern Spain from previous owner CBRE Global Investors Retail Property Fund Iberica.

Console sales switch on SALES of Nintendo’s new Switch games console have exceeded expectations in Spain. There are already more Switch systems than Microsoft X Box Ones in the country, according to a report by online network Gamereactor. It means that Nintendo has sold more units in 10 months than Microsoft has managed in

just over four years. Although no official figures were given, at least 300,000 of the hybrid consoles are rumoured to have been snapped up. It comes on the back of a successful Christmas campaign, with gamers attracted by titles including Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION | WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM/3.0.15/FINANCE

By Matt Ford

Let’s not get into that.” Spanish Prime Minster Mariano Rajoy appears to rule out forcing private firms to pay men and women equal salaries during an interview on national radio station Onda Cero.

EWN

The amount the European Union will plough into a power link to transport excess renewable energy from Spain to France, a record amount for an EU energy infrastructure grant.

Jobless stats boost

MOVING RON: The Pestana CR7 hotel in Lisbon.

REAL MADRID footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is expanding into Africa. And after teaming up with top Portuguese hotel chain Pestana, an ongoing joint venture between the pair will next year see a new hotel opened in Marrakech, Morocco. It will be the fifth hotel to carry the Pestana CR7 branding. Ronaldo follows other sports stars who have invested in hotels - including Andy Murray,

Costa de Almería

1 - 7 February 2018

ues to be below the minimum,” said P e p e A l v a r e z , l e a d e r o f S p a i n ’s UGT union. “Jobs are increasingly temporary and in December just four out of every 100 contracts signed were long-term and fulltime.” Unemployment in Spain peaked at 27 per cent in 2013, when around six million people were out of work, but it has been recovering since as it continues to emerge from the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008. The latest figures suggest that 3.76 million remain without a job.

Toll road mega deal A DEAL that will see motorway operator Atlantia buy out Spanish counterpart Abertis has been approved by the government. The Italian company will now compete with Hochtief, the German subsidiary of Spanish construction firm ACS, which in October launched a €17.1 billion bid to take over the toll road specialist. If successful Atlantia - controlled by the Benetton family would become the world’s biggest toll road operator with a market value exceeding €40 billion.

E W N 1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 29

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 1,732.50 -2.10 Associated British Foods 2,787.50 -67.50 Admiral Group 1,944.25 55.75 Ashtead Group 2,120.00 -4.00 Antofagasta 944.00 3.00 Aviva 516.00 -5.60 AstraZeneca 5,000.00 -95.00 BAE Systems 572.50 -6.90 Barclays 210.00 0.43 British American Tobacco 4,947.50 8.50 Barratt Developments 612.50 -5.70 Berkeley Group Holdings 4,155.00 41.00 British Land Co 686.50 0.10 BHP Billiton 1,587.50 5.10 Bunzl 1,994.00 -65.00 BP 515.55 -0.75 Burberry Group 1,627.50 16.00 BT Group 270.75 7.85 Coca-Cola HBC 2,434.00 16.00 Carnival 4,935.00 -5.00 Centrica 135.50 0.85 Compass Group 1,525.00 19.50 Croda International 4,514.50 0.00 CRH 2,719.50 -5.50 DCC 7,557.50 1.68 Diageo 2,563.00 4.00 Direct Line Insurance Group 373.25 -1.75 Evraz 375.50 -8.20 Experian 1,571.00 -68.00 easyJet 1,659.50 -29.50 Ferguson 5,515.00 -57.00 Fresnillo 1,375.00 6.50 G4S 291.90 3.00 GKN 435.50 -0.50 Glencore 400.00 -1.90 GlaxoSmithKline 1,355.00 0.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,883.50 -16.50 Halma 1,257.50 -7.50 Hammerson 499.00 2.80 HSBC Holdings 775.50 4.90 International Consldtd Air Grp 620.00 -30.00 InterContinental Hotels Grp 4,614.00 -164.00 3i Group 934.80 4.60 Imperial Brands 2,890.00 -25.00 Informa 698.30 14.10 Intertek Group 5,135.00 65.00 ITV 168.75 -2.95 Just Eat 826.00 6.60 Johnson Matthey 3,255.50 -38.50 Kingfisher 353.50 -0.60

% CHG. NET VOL -0.12 24,344.76 -2.36 22,649.80 2.95 5,395.32 -0.19 10,303.55 0.32 9,345.92 -1.07 20,857.89 -1.86 63,292.09 -1.19 18,027.56 0.21 35,878.02 0.17 111,699.92 -0.92 6,206.59 1.00 5,565.57 0.01 6,762.14 0.32 33,134.18 -3.16 6,748.87 -0.15 102,606.38 0.99 6,756.54 2.99 25,851.32 0.66 8,709.11 -0.10 10,206.56 0.63 7,554.78 1.30 23,694.65 0.00 5,810.19 -0.20 22,507.81 0.02 6,667.77 0.16 62,992.75 -0.47 5,156.25 -2.14 5,404.57 -4.15 14,882.43 -1.75 6,557.91 -1.02 13,671.62 0.47 10,099.13 1.04 4,437.56 -0.11 7,434.96 -0.47 57,578.96 0.00 66,188.60 -0.87 9,040.51 -0.59 4,832.83 0.56 3,898.86 0.64 153,644.98 -4.62 13,050.16 -3.43 9,034.03 0.49 8,839.56 -0.86 27,315.03 2.06 5,651.03 1.28 8,117.94 -1.72 6,869.36 0.81 5,451.87 -1.17 6,241.45 -0.17 7,517.31

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Land Securities Group 985.00 Legal & General Group 273.75 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 72.00 London Stock Exchange Grp 4,062.00 Micro Focus International 2,126.50 Mediclinic International 720.40 Marks & Spencer Group 310.60 Mondi 1,917.50 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 225.00 National Grid 825.00 NMC Health 3,173.00 Next 5,080.50 Old Mutual Group 237.30 Paddy Power Betfair 8,200.00 Prudential 1,935.00 Persimmon 2,492.50 Pearson 686.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,862.50 Royal Bank of Scotland Group 297.50 Royal Dutch Shell 2,490.00 Royal Dutch Shell 2,562.50 RELX 1,560.00 Rio Tinto 3,920.00 Rolls-Royce Group 881.50 Randgold Resources 6,850.00 RSA Insurance Group 646.20 Rentokil Initial 280.50 Sainsbury (J) 258.50 Schroders 3,695.00 Sage Group (The) 762.80 Segro 586.60 Shire 3,475.00 Smurfit Kappa Group 2,567.00 Sky 1,048.75 Standard Life Aberdeen 436.50 Smith (DS) 509.10 Smiths Group 1,624.50 Scottish Mortgage Invstmnt Trst 492.50 Smith & Nephew 1,250.00 SSE 1,293.50 Standard Chartered 853.00 St James's Place 1,178.00 Severn Trent 2,020.50 Tesco 209.50 TUI AG 1,655.00 Taylor Wimpey 202.03 Unilever 3,980.00 United Utilities Group 740.50 Vodafone Group 227.00 WPP Group 1,295.00 Whitbread 3,900.00

CHANGE(P) -25.40 -1.45 0.74 38.00 -67.50 109.40 -1.90 22.50 -1.90 18.00 -187.00 -137.50 -3.00 120.00 15.50 -138.50 -7.50 135.50 -4.10 -20.00 8.50 -1.50 -22.50 25.70 -280.00 23.80 -16.50 -2.60 -24.00 4.20 8.40 36.00 39.00 0.75 3.40 -1.37 8.00 21.50 -42.00 12.00 3.80 -46.00 10.50 -2.00 23.50 2.73 -14.00 -7.50 1.40 2.50 -9.00

% CHG. -2.51 -0.53 1.04 0.94 -3.08 17.91 -0.61 1.19 -0.84 2.23 -5.57 -2.64 -1.25 1.49 0.81 -5.26 -1.08 2.01 -1.36 -0.80 0.33 -0.10 -0.57 3.00 -3.93 3.82 -5.56 -1.00 -0.65 0.55 1.45 1.05 1.54 0.07 0.79 -0.27 0.49 4.56 -3.25 0.94 0.45 -3.76 0.52 -0.95 1.44 1.37 -0.35 -1.00 0.62 0.19 -0.23

NET VOL 7,373.72 16,206.95 51,280.73 13,633.69 9,502.30 4,638.74 5,041.58 9,111.42 5,316.85 26,875.85 6,909.53 7,337.70 11,858.25 6,791.32 49,570.28 8,036.44 5,446.53 48,055.78 35,786.01 115,434.09 95,959.37 16,533.42 53,128.12 15,615.79 6,771.63 6,343.62 5,398.08 5,663.92 8,297.28 8,116.56 5,702.64 30,605.09 6,016.01 17,809.02 12,830.28 5,341.65 6,395.11 6,498.00 11,320.96 12,807.51 27,461.57 6,460.04 4,748.99 17,177.81 9,477.49 6,449.30 49,221.41 5,047.34 59,857.20 16,528.17 7,153.66

0,87793

1,13851 Units per €

US dollar ..............................................................1.23978 Japan yen............................................................135.087 Switzerland franc..............................................1.16204 Denmark kroner...............................................7.44339 Norway kroner ...................................................9.56011 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 29

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 258,630 99,6300 171,510 343,220 167,060 131,19 42,560 48,53 77,02 89,00 16,1300 268,14 207,2300 167,34 50,0800 116,3200 145,3300 178,3600 62,04 94,060 68,04 39,0100 87,730 149,42 137,98 248,47 54,72 126,32 108,3900 112,1900

CHANGE% CHANGE VOLUME(M) +2,48% 6,270 153.327,40 -0,06% -0,0600 85.582,17 +0,23% 0,400 870.217,23 +0,03% 0,110 203.806,97 -1,36% -2,310 98.919,61 +0,41% 0,54 248.514,08 +1,58% 0,660 208.684,13 +1,44% 0,69 206.408,03 +0,48% 0,37 179.547,45 +0,71% 0,63 375.873,68 -0,31% -0,0500 138.848,75 -0,33% -0,89 101.040,96 +0,91% 1,8600 240.509,51 +1,13% 1,87 154.625,68 +10,55% 4,7800 232.549,20 +0,54% 0,6200 396.649,74 +0,64% 0,9300 388.752,88 +1,54% 2,7000 141.452,61 +1,21% 0,74 168.588,15 +1,87% 1,730 720.888,32 +0,49% 0,33 88.346,34 +4,78% 1,7800 232.348,37 -0,69% -0,610 220.638,24 +0,64% 0,95 40.857,32 +0,17% 0,23 109.619,69 +1,34% 3,29 239.999,24 +0,79% 0,43 222.880,25 +0,88% 1,10 227.660,44 +1,68% 1,7900 318.781,87 +1,48% 1,6400 168.889,79 M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 29

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced World Acceptance Corporation ABAXIS, Inc. MediciNova, Inc. Restoration Robotics, Inc. Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Intel Corporation Hovnanian Enterprises Inc Rapid7, Inc. Inseego Corp. Forward Pharma A/S

$ 117.31 $ 75.71 $ 8.77 $ 4.83 $ 3.35 $ 16.64 $ 50.08 $ 7.69 $ 25.01 $ 2.03 $ 5.36

19.63 ▲ 20.10% 11.27 ▲ 17.49% 1.09 ▲ 14.19% 0.57 ▲ 13.38% 0.325 ▲ 10.74% 1.60 ▲ 10.64% 4.78 ▲ 10.55% 0.69 ▲ 9.86% 2.14 ▲ 9.36% 0.17 ▲ 9.14% 0.44 ▲ 8.94%

$ 2.79 $ 3.41 $ 180.29 $ 2.935 $ 2.54 $ 11.74 $ 65.60 $ 3.01 $ 20.10 $ 17.50 $ 2.95

1.01 ▼ 26.58% 0.39 ▼ 10.26% 20.31 ▼ 10.12% 0.295 ▼ 9.13% 0.24 ▼ 8.63% 1.08 ▼ 8.42% 5.80 ▼ 8.12% 0.26 ▼ 7.95% 1.60 ▼ 7.37% 1.37 ▼ 7.26% 0.23 ▼ 7.23%

Most Declined MannKind Corporation Future FinTech Group Inc. Wynn Resorts, Limited Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. Sears Holdings Corporation Sientra, Inc. Patrick Industries, Inc. Ballard Power Systems, Inc. Dime Community Bancshares, Inc. Casa Systems, Inc. Advaxis, Inc.

E W N 1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

GBP/EUR rallies on Brexit speculation Ask the expert Peter Loveday Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

THE GBP/EUR exchange rate got off to a slow start to the year, but Brexit speculation has helped the pairing approach €1.1400, and further gains could be on the horizon. The pound has been striking its best levels against the US dollar since the EU referendum thanks to broad-based US dollar weakness. The softness in the US currency has also resulted in EUR/USD hitting the dizzy highs of €1.23. What’s been happening? Over the last couple of weeks the pound has steadily strengthened on a mixture of upbeat commentary from a Bank of England (BoE) policymaker and hopes that the UK will be able to secure a softer Brexit. Sterling received a shot in the arm as the BoE’s Michael Saunders asserted that he expected UK wage growth to accelerate this year. As wage growth has been one of the main

THE POUND: Has steadily strengthened in the hope that the UK will secure a soft Brexit. things preventing the central bank from increasing interest rates, Saunders’ confidence lifted BoE rate hike expectations and boosted the pound. Further GBP support came as Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, observed that the UK could always rejoin the EU once Brexit was completed by using Ar-

ticle 49 of the Lisbon Treaty. French President Emmanuel Macron pressed home the idea of a Brexit reversal on Thursday, when an aide speaking on his behalf told reporters in Paris that France would look ‘with kindness’ upon the UK changing its mind over its decision to leave the EU. At the same time, Lord Jim O’Neill, the for-

mer Conservative Treasury minister, was upbeat on the subject of the UK’s future growth prospects. The euro, meanwhile, came under pressure as a result of speculation surrounding the ongoing German coalition talks. Bets that the European Central Bank (ECB) would maintain a dovish attitude on the subject of tightening monetary policy when it delivered its first interest rate announcement of 2018 also limited EUR demand. What do you need to look out for? Brexit developments will remain a key driver of GBP/EUR exchange rate movement over the next few weeks. Investors will also be looking ahead to the BoE’s first policy meeting tomorrow (Friday). If policymakers are at all encouraging about borrowing costs being adjusted in 2018, Sterling could soar. At Currencies Direct we’re here to talk currency whenever you need us, so get in touch if you want to know more about the latest news or how it could impact your currency transfers. Since 1996 we’ve helped more than 210,000 customers with their currency transfers, just pop into your local Currencies Direct branch or give us a call to find out more.

Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca. Telephone: UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email: euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com

Telefonica unveils 5G tech cities vision

TECHS APPEAL: Segovia is set to benefit from the trial and (inset) Luis Miguel Gilperez and Jose Antonio Lopez discuss the scheme.

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TWO Spanish cities are to take a leap into the future. It comes as multinational broadband and telecommunications provider Telefonica unveiled its 5G (fifth generation) ‘technological cities’ scheme. The project will lay the foundations for a full rollout of 5G technology across the country on an unspecified future date. Telefonica is collaborating with European counterparts Nokia and Ericsson in the cities of Segovia, Castilla y Leon, and Talavera de la Reina, Castilla-La Mancha, respectively. They will both be converted into ‘living 5G laboratories’ over the next three years, deploying the new technology simultaneously before performing a series of user trials including services, products, user experiences and business models. “With the 5G technological cities project, Telefónica is turning the technology of the future into reality

Photo credit Shutterstock/Telefonica

Next generation try-out

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and providing a constant service for people. This is why we will perform the technological deployment and use cases in parallel, so that we will serve people with the new technologies, one of Telefónica’s clear objectives,” said Luis Miguel Gilperez, CEO of Telefonica Spain. Ericsson believes that a fifth of the world’s population will be using 5G by 2023, and Jose Antonio Lopez,

chairman of Ericsson Spain, said: “5G technology will have an enormous impact on the user experience and the digital transformation of our cities and industries. Ericsson is already working with more than 35 partners throughout the world to develop use cases to prepare the connected cities of the future. “The most important ones in Spain are related to tourism, which we have worked on with FITUR and which we are currently demonstrating. “One of the key aims of this project, in which we are pleased to cooperate with Telefonica and the city council of Talavera de la Reina, will be to promote tourism, demonstrating 5G’s contribution to economic growth and the benefits Spaniards will enjoy as a result,” he added. The 5G technology is designed to provide a higher capacity than the current 4G standard, allowing more people to use mobile broadband efficiently and improved device-to-device connectivity.

On Royal business KING FELIPE OF SPAIN is patching up his country’s brand. The monarch swooped into the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, holding meetings with top brass from a number of multinationals before delivering a speech in front of hundreds of businessmen. His schedule - described as ‘frantic’ by Spanish media included appointments with the presidents of e-commerce platform Alibaba, technology firm Microsoft, Canadian investment fund CPPIB, and Temasek, the government of Singapore’s national wealth fund. On his first visit to Davos, the ruler also met with Spanish business leaders from companies including El Corte Ingles and Santander. The head of state’s visit aimed to present Spain as an economically strong, institutionally stable nation in the wake of the Catalan independence crisis, according to reports.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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NOT COMPETITIVE: Opel Corsas (inset) at the PSA plant in Figueruelas.

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Union standoff could spark cuts EWN online Join the conversation on our Facebook page

CAR manufacturer Opel has threatened to cut production of its Corsa compact model in Spain. The warning comes amid tensions over wages and working conditions between workers’ unions and the company, which was bought by Groupe PSA - owner of Peugeot and Citroën - from United States-based General Motors in 2016. The French firm says that its 35year-old plant in Figueruelas, near Zaragoza, Aragon, is less profitable than its other two Spanish factories due to wages, a lack of flexibility

and staff working fewer hours. It has produced the Corsa for decades, employs around 5,300 people and ran at an average 80 per cent capacity in 2017, with 382,250 vehicles rolling off the production line. But an Opel official said: “There will only be investment if a plant is profitable, and the Opel plant in Spain is at a disadvantage to other PSA factories in Spain.” Aragon’s regional government said it has called for an urgent meeting to discuss the issue with PSA bosses.

Election campaigns were paid for with ‘dirty money’ SPAIN’S ruling Popular Party (PP) is embroiled in another corruption scandal. It comes after the conservative government was forced into an embarrassing climb down after a former official told a Spanish court that the party accepted ‘dirty money’ for election campaigns in the Valencian Community. Ex-PP leader for the region, Ricardo Costa, was giving evidence in the ongoing ‘Gurtel’ cashfor-favours case, which is probing claims that campaigns were financed with cash paid in bribes over the award of public works contracts. “It’s true that the PP financed itself with dirty money in election campaign acts in 2007,” he said, blaming ex-regional president Francisco Camps. He added that Camps and former president of

the legislative Corts Valencianes body, Juan Cotin, in 2007 and 2008 ordered that regional and local election campaigns be financed by asking businessmen to pay money to a company in order to bypass a mandatory cap on electoral spending. Costa went on to explain how he had been shown “envelopes with cash inside them and I was told it was money that businessmen had given and it had been at the request of Camps.” The trial is the latest in a lengthy series of corruption scandals to hit the PP, but when questioned by Spanish media, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he knew “nothing” about it. The party’s spokesman, Rafael Hernando, tweeted: “I’m ashamed and I apologise for the bad conduct of some people, to those Spaniards who in good faith voted for the Popular Party (PP).”

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

EWN

FEATURE

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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Revenge is the sweetest thing LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT NOT being a particularly vengeful person, this so called ‘sweet’ act of retribution is not particularly high on my ‘to do’ list. However, there are exceptions, and one example I heard recently certainly fits the bill. Our hero, in this intrepid Irish tale, was on the verge of getting married. He was a nurse by profession and most of his friends worked with him at the local hospital. Just before the wedding, his colleagues organised a boozy stag do. The night was a rip-roaring success and the future groom, utterly inebriated, was taken home and passed out on his own sofa. And this is when our devilish plot begins to thicken. In a pre-determined plan one of his ‘friends’ had raided hospital supplies and brought along all the paraphernalia needed to plaster up broken bones. With our hero duly out for the count, the party goers began their devious work. Careful not to disturb him, they plastered up one of his arms. And what a job they did of it. Not only did they cover his whole arm, but they fitted one of those wire affairs that keeps the arm bent at the elbow and away from the body. They then all left, leaving him still out for the count and snoring peacefully. Early the next day

PLASTER DISASTER: What happens when a stag party goes too far?

his closest friend received a hysterical phone call. It was our (naturally) panic stricken hero, pleading to know what had occurred the night before. After calming him down, the ‘friend’ then managed to convince him that toward the end of the evening, when he was blind drunk, he had fallen over and broken his arm. They had visited the local hospital, had him X-rayed and subsequently plastered up. He was to go back in six weeks to

have it removed. With their victim, hardly able to remember anything at all, he finally accepted the story. Having no other choice, he then proceeded to carry on with the plans for his wedding the following day. Thinking it was all still a great joke, the stag party jesters still didn’t let on. On the morning of the wedding, still no one owned up. Subsequently they were then treated to our hero, walking up the aisle with his blushing

bride on one arm and the other still uncomfortably stuck out in front of him! And still not one of the instigators said a word. Almost unbelievably, they actually let him, still blissfully unaware, have his reception and leave on his honeymoon. It wasn’t ‘til he returned that they finally let the cat out of the bag. Naturally our beleaguered bridegroom went totally ape. Well you would wouldn’t you? For some weeks he didn’t even talk. As time went by, he appeared to put it behind him. They all began to look forward to the next big event. The marriage of his closest friend. The one who had been the ringleader of the stag night plastering ‘joke’! And on that juicy note, we’ll have to leave it all till next week. Don’t forget to tune in. The sweetest of revenge awaits. 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.

TECH FOR THE TIMID LAST week I emailed a helpful Spanish colleague and called him a horse. Well, not intentionally. He had been a true gentleman with his assistance, and I wanted to say so: ‘un verdadero caballero.’ I should have checked with Google Translate before I wrote instead ‘un verdadero caballo.’ Douglas Adams’ famous ‘Babel fish’ translator for every language in the universe (and the 5,000 or so here on Earth) is part of a hallowed sci-fi tradition, promising instant cross-culture communication. We’re actually not that far off, with Google’s new Pixel Buds which can translate between 40 languages though one prominent reviewer has just called them ‘overpromised and undelivered,’ but it’s early days. It all calls to mind that classic Monty Python sketch where a lost tourist brandishing a Serbo-Croat phrasebook tells a London bobby: “I want to fondle your buttock!” Today we have better and buttockfree digital phrasebooks. There are truly amazing tech aids ranging from Google Translate, to the much-lauded

Welcum We Spik Inglish Machine translation is still not good to go, Terence Kennedy regrets.

BABEL FISH: The universal translator. new contender, DeepL Translator (https://www.deepl.com/translator). When not rhapsodising about the latest techno-toys, I (mis-)translate for a living (no, not Spanish obviously, given the horse incident). That used to

involve shelves of weighty reference tomes, and expensive calls to native speakers. Now it’s the click of a mouse, with digital reference works in profusion, and even the entire 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary takes up less space on my harddrive than the average cat video. Google Translate does of course have its limits, as I discovered when printing out its rendition of my illness symptoms for my non-English doctor. My few minutes of medical fame were the funniest thing she had read in ages and cabaret for her colleagues. On a recent holiday in the Czech

Republic I broke the language barrier, with my smartphone as an interpreter, passed back and forth as we each spoke phrases in one language and the phone read them back with reasonable clarity in the other. However rudimentary machine translation still is at this early stage, it can never be as bad as that fabled ‘worst phrasebook ever’ written by the legendary Portuguese author Pedro Carolina back in 1883. Untroubled by not being able to speak any English, he turned classic proverbs into wonderful gibberish: Nothing some money, nothing of Swiss. He eat to coaches. A take is better than two you shall have. The stone as roll not heap up not foam. The dog that bark not bite. And my favourite, whatever it may mean: to craunch a marmoset.

Keep calm and translate THE smartphone world is full of apps to help you across the linguistic divide, from the classic and free Google Translate which even has the hit-andmiss ability to translate a photo of foreign text. There are more straightforward digital dictionaries than you could shake a Babel fish at. The free ones, like Reverso, are often every bit as good as their paid counterparts. For entire chunks of translation, DeepL, mentioned earlier, is the new kid on the block. It in turn is based on a standby of word-andphrase translation, Linguee in many main languages (try https://www.linguee.com/eng lish-spanish). As the inimitable Pedro Carolina insisted: “It may be worth the acceptation of the studious persons, of which we dedicate him particularly.” Couldn’t have put it better myself.

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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Running in blinkers Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

ACCORDING to Ricardo Costa, the Partido Popular’s regional secretary general in the Valencian Community, the party was financed with black money on the orders of Generalitat ex-president Francisco Camps. “I didn’t know,” Mariano Rajoy claimed on the same day that he announced he hopes to run for a third presidential term. So Spain’s next president either ignores corruption or is so inept that he was unaware of it. Take your pick.

Heading for a cul-de-sac ROGER TORRENT, Speaker of the Catalan parliament, said before he was elected, that the Advisory Committee would pronounce on Carles Puigdemon’s chances of be-

coming president while remaining exiled in Brussels. The legal eagles gave that the thumbs-down as expected, but Torrent later confirmed the ‘absolute legitimacy’ of Puigdemont’s potential investiture, although he was ‘aware of the legal situation and the charges faced by the former regional president.’ But Torrent also wants conciliation, as he emphasised on taking his place at the Mesa. That’s why he wants to meet Mariano Rajoy, so that he and Spain’s president can ‘explore all political avenues’ to ensure that Cataluña has a president, whatever his name. Good luck with that one, Roger, because political problems need political answers, but Rajoy’s way of dealing with them is to pass the buck to the courts. The only avenues to explore, especially those regarding the re-election of the man who insists he is already the one true president of the Catalan republic, will lead all concerned down a one-way street into a cul-de-sac.

Big fish supper for Montoro IF politicians do it and if footballers do it, why shouldn’t footballers’ girlfriends do it? Shakira, partner of Gerard Pique - the pro-independence Barcelona FC star, who is regularly booed when he plays for the Spanish side - has been accused of not paying her taxes. It’s understandable that Hacienda must scrape up as much cash as it can in a country where, until comparatively recent times, paying tax was regarded as a quaint foreign custom. All the same, it’s satisfying for the small taxpayer who hasn’t enough for evasion to see Cristobal Montoro go after the big fish insteadof the tiddlers. columnists@euroweeklynews.com

FEATURE

Loyalty card torn up THE Partido Popular (PP) condemned Ciudadanos (Cs), whining that the party is ‘disloyal.’ They seem to have forgotten that Spain has a government only because Ciudadanos agreed to support Rajoy’s investiture bid in October 2016. In return Rajoy signed up to 150 unPP-ish measures that some insiders - without saying so aloud - believed could have helped to produce the renovation the party needed. More than a year later, precious few of Albert Rivera’s conditions have been met, but in the meantime Cs trounced the PP in Cataluña and would be in power in Spain if there were a general election tomorrow. According to PP sources, Rajoy has allowed Cs to hog too much of the limelight, and pat itself on the back for the few changes it manoeuvred the usuallystatic president into effecting. And would you believe it! Rivera’s party has sometimes voted against PP measures in parliament, his PP detractors maintain. There is a Spanish saying about being a prostitute and providing the bed as well, which is what Rajoy expected from Rivera. Not only has that not happened but the PP is now trailing Cs and there is nothing more infuriating in life, and above all in politics, than needing someone you dislike more than they need you. MARIANO RAJOY: Hopes to run for a third time.

The original wristwatch - updated! Nick Horne The Rich Pick Freelance correspondent, London, England EACH year watch manufacturers reveal something of what their designers are developing in their research and development workshops. A new year is the opportunity for designers of extremely small engines to amaze, charm and seduce the fine watch collector. Cartier - French and founded 171 years ago, a byword for luxury and the luxurious. Creators of unique watches and fabulous jewellery, reveals the updated Santos de Cartier. First created in 1904, through a collaboration between the Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont and Louis Cartier. The updated Santos de Cartier wristwatch is designed to be a perfect fit on the wrist. The design studios updated the wristwatch, focusing on comfort, wear and respecting the original aesthetic, from the square shape to the eight bezel screws. Sleeker lines unify the innovative strap system and the watch case. The strap system ensures all straps are interchangeable with a ‘QuickSwitch’ system which dispenses with the need for a tool. MB&F - Maximilian Busser conceived of

Wait for one new wristwatch and hundreds turn up at once. Four distinctive pieces, revealed by four distinctive watch manufacturers, Cartier, MB&F, Officine Panerai and Richard Mille at the SIHH 2018, the annual fine watch exhibition held in the Swiss city of Geneva.

EXCLUSIVE: The Moonmachine 2. a brand and manufacture dedicated to developing radical horological concepts, working in small hyper-creative groups. Following a career working for important manufacturers - Jaeger LeCoultre and Harry Winston - in 2005 Busser realised his dream and launched MB&F. The Moonmachine 2, is offered in three editions, each limited to 12

ITALIAN PASSION: The Astonomo. examples, one in full titanium, with white gold moons and a light-blue sky, one in blackened titanium, with white gold moons and a dark-blue sky, and one in red-gold and titanium with red-gold moons and an anthracite sky. Officine Panerai - Italian design and Swiss craftsmanship. Rooted in Florence,

founded 160 years ago, its maritime heritage, established by Officine Panerai’s connection to intrepid Italian submariners during the Second World War, for whom highly specialised time pieces were developed. L’Astronomo Luminor 1950 Tourbillon Moon Phase Equat i on of t i m e GMT 50mm. Updated and enhanced, an example of Officine Panerai’s technical mastery. Li ke i t s pr edecessor, t he new L’ Astronomo is made to order, and the skelet oni sed m ovem ent , t he P.2005/ GLS (standing for Galileo Luna Scheletrato) is personalised to operate in accordance with t he geogr aphi cal pl ace chosen by t he wearer. Richard Mille - the eponymous Swiss luxury brand was founded in 1999. Its first creation the RM-001 went on sale in 2001. The RM 53-01 is claimed to be the result of an encounter between Richard Mille and the polo player Pablo MacDonough. This watch reveals a suspended tourbillon calibre, visible through the laminated sapphire glass of its Carbon TPT® case, a complex armour of an entirely new kind for this high-risk sport and limited to 30 pieces in Carbon TPT. These exclusive time pieces may be acquired through select networks of dealers and boutiques. Search them out. They deserve to be seen, held and worn.

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

TV COUCH CRITIC SATURDAY nights can be tricky things. I really don’t want to light the fire and curl up to watch TV every week, but the coldish snap last week made me do just that and I started my viewing with All Together Now BBC1 Saturday. The format here is relatively simple; you and 99 friends go to your local bar, set up a karaoke machine and ask random people to belt out a tune. If you like the singing you turn a light on and get up to sing along. If you don’t like it you try to sit still and look grumpy. The BBC have thrown in a former Spice Girl and assorted people from the music industry you won’t know most of them and host Rob Beckett, fresh from the Wedding Day Winners nightmare show with dazzling Lorraine Kelly, gives Ginger Spice the most air time. To be fair so would I. The prize is a chance to win £50,000 in the grand final. Two performances stand out from week one. Michael Rice blasted out a brilliant version of Proud Mary by Tina Turner and got all of the 100 up singing along. He will go far in this competition. The other stand out for me was Alex who clearly isn’t going very far, achieving a score of 11. The problem was the song choice. Alex can sing, has stage presence and if he ditched the comedy moustache was capable of going further. But he sang Your Song by Sir El-

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FEATURE

All together on Saturday night, let’s hope so Photo credit BBC

SPOT THE SPICE GIRL: All Together Now. ton. This is Saturday night, the panellists are people who have more faith in their own talent than is safe and Alex sang Your Song. What a shame. I loved the social media references to the Muppet Show following the first episode. Two Doors Down, BBC2 Monday nights has thankfully returned for a third series. You might remember that I am a fan of this Scottish come-

dy and not just because I am married to a Glaswegian and recognise some of my in-laws in the characters. The delivery is always on point and Doon MacKichan should get some sort of award from First Minister Sturgeon for her performance as Cathy. She is doing more to get people to visit the glens than Tourism Scotland. I need to give a plug to Next of Kin, Monday

Night ITV. A brilliant concept, intelligent writing, two wonderful headliners in Archie Panjabi and Jack Davenport and yet ratings are sliding and critics being unkind, but I’m sticking with it. Michael Portillo continued his Great American Railroad Journey, (BBC2, weekdays) with a trip through Canada’s Quebec province - yes Canada, Great American Railroad, I’m just going with it. We need someone to get Michael to El Corte Ingles to do something about his blazers and pairing red trousers with a green shirt (is that part of the appeal?) but this is a smashing show, with wonderful scenery and informative pieces. Who doesn’t want to learn more about maple syrup and Canada’s Parliament? Finally this week, I’m still confused by A House Through Time, (BBC2 Saturday); 62 Falkner Street in Liverpool is a nice Georgian terraced house, in a wonderful city but I just don’t get the point of it all. There are much better history telling formats out there and would someone please get David Olusoga a different job, preferably off our screens! Critique: Adam Whalley-Lewis, Casares, Costa del Sol

More than just porridge on these criminally tasty menus 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

LAST week I wrote about a restaurant that was briefly rated number one on TripAdvisor this week about another three that are similarly top rated by TripAdvisor. So what’s the difference? Well, the first one, the Shed, was a total fake, whereas these three are genuine restaurants, set up in jails and run by prisoners, its inmates becoming top chefs from doing ‘porridge’! The Clink restaurant, a charity rehabilitating prisoners by training them in food preparation, operates at four secure prisons.

According to TripAdvisor, three of the four restaurants (HMP Styal, in Wilms lo w, C h e s h ire; H MP Cardiff, in Wales and HMP High Down, Surrey) are top ra te d in th eir are a , w h ile HMP Brixton is London’s th ird -b es t re s ta u ran t, beating Restaurant Gordon Ramsay (No 51) and Michel Roux’s Le Gavroche (No 60). Great news! Helping prisoners turn their lives around while they’re in prison. Giving them a sense of selfworth, instead of locking them up most of the day, with no access to training or education, and then dumping them back on the street.

GOING GOURMET: Prison porridge beats Gordon Ramsay’s fare.

How soon, I wonder, can they start getting them into NVQ healthcare assistant training etc etc? Great news, that is, until the latest inspectors’ report, that diners at The Clink, Brixton, have been smuggling drugs and mobiles to inmates working in the kitchen. I mean, who’d have thought inmates would have dreamed up a wheeze like that? It’s enough to drive us all crazy! Which reminds me of an old joke. This guy goes to see a highly recommended psychiatrist. The doctor shows the man an inkblot and asks, “What does this remind you of?” The guy replies, “A naked

woman.” Then the shrink shows the man another inkblot and asks him the same question. The guy responds, “A naked woman on a bed.” This goes on and on, inkblot after inkblot. The psychiatrist said to him, “You’re a sick pervert.” The guy replies, “I’m not the pervert here. You’re the one who keeps showing me all these dirty pictures.” 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.nora-johnson.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

E W N 1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de AlmerÃa

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TV LISTING

THURSDAY 1 FEBRUARY

FRIDAY 2 FEBRUARY

SATURDAY 3 FEBRUARY

SUNDAY 4 FEBRUARY

3:15pm 4:00pm 4:45pm

Father Brown Escape to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Animals with Cameras

2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Monty Halls' Great Escape Sahara with Michael Palin A Place to Call Home This Wild Life The Hunt Flog It! Eggheads Great American Big Dreams Small Spaces Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure

5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

Father Brown Escape to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show A Question of Sport EastEnders

3:00pm 3:50pm 4:45pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm

Coast Australia A Place to Call Home This Wild Life The Hunt Flog It! Eggheads Great American Railroad Journeys Big Dreams Small Spaces Mastermind A Vicar's Life

2:10pm 2:15pm 2:45pm 8:00pm 8:10pm 8:13pm 8:15pm 9:20pm 10:10pm 10:25pm 10:30pm

Weather Six Nations Preview Six Nations Rugby Union BBC News Regional News Weather All Together Now Casualty BBC News Weather Hard Sun

4:30pm

Nigel Slater's Middle East: Lebanon Final Score Flog It! Hugh's Wild West A House Through Time Dad's Army Grand Tours of Scotland's Lochs Live at the Apollo QI XL

3:15pm 4:15pm 4:45pm 5:20pm 7:05pm 7:20pm 7:25pm 7:30pm

Wonders of the Moon Escape to the Country Songs of Praise The Proposal BBC News Regional News Weather Countryfile Winter Special Still Open All Hours Call the Midwife

11:00am

Moving On Escape to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show Inside Out EastEnders

3:00pm

Moving On Escape to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show EastEnders Holby City

3:00pm

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TUESDAY 6 FEBRUARY

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Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale NHS Winter Crisis: What's the Truth? Emmerdale The Cruise Death Row 2018 with Trevor McDonald

3:10pm 4:00pm

3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm

Judge Rinder Dickinson's Real Deal Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street River Monsters Coronation Street Lethal Weapon

3:10pm 4:00pm

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7:05pm 7:15pm 7:40pm 9:00pm 10:30pm

Britain's Favourite Walks: Top 100 Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV News You've Been Framed! Take Me Out The Voice UK Through the Keyhole

12:55pm 2:25pm 3:25pm 4:25pm 6:35pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Tennis: Davis Cup Spain v GB Money for Nothing Talking Pictures Jane Eyre The Crane Gang Elise Christie: In From the Cold Ski Sunday Six Nations Rugby Special Yellowstone

2:00pm 2:10pm 2:40pm 3:15pm 6:30pm 6:40pm 7:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 12:15am

ITV Lunchtime News Britain's Brightest Family The Cruise Six Nations Live ITV News London ITV News Dancing on Ice Endeavour ITV News Peston on Sunday Next of Kin

9:00am 10:30am 1:30pm 2:35pm 3:35pm 5:40pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Monty Halls' Great Hebridean Escape A Place to Call Home This Wild Life The Hunt Flog It! Eggheads Great American Railroad Journeys Big Dreams, Small Spaces Only Connect

1:30pm 2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

Loose Women ITV Lunchtime News ITV News London Judge Rinder Dickinson's Real Deal Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street

3:10pm 4:00pm

Monty Halls' Great Hebridean Escape A Place to Call Home This Wild Life The Hunt Flog It! Eggheads Great American Railroad Journeys Big Dreams Small Spaces Back in Time for Tea

2:40pm 3:00pm 3:15pm 3:30pm 4:00pm

Make it Pop Almost Naked Animals Almost Naked Animals The Oddbods Show Dino Dan: Trek's Adventures Super 4 Mr. Bean Fangbone! Horrid Henry Wishfart

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

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4:25pm 5:00pm 5:15pm 5:30pm 6:00pm

A Place to Call Home 3:00pm Judge Rinder This Wild Life 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal New Zealand: 5:00pm Tipping Point Earths Mythical Islands 6:00pm The Chase 6:20pm Flog It! 7:00pm ITV News London 7:00pm Eggheads 5:30pm 7:25pm Party Political Broadcast 7:30pm Great American 6:15pm 7:30pm ITV Evening News Railroad Journeys 7:00pm 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:00pm Wild Cameramen at Work 8:30pm 7:30pm Coronation Street 8:30pm Eurovision: You Decide 8:00pm 9:00pm Britain's Brightest Family 10:00pm The New Builds 8:30pm 9:30pm Coronation Street are Coming: Battle 11:00pm 10:00pm Girlfriends in the Countryside The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret

WEDNESDAY 7 FEBRUARY

2:45pm 3:15pm 4:00pm 4:45pm

Doctors Moving On Escape to the Country The Farmers' Country Showdown Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show Match of the Day Live BBC News

4:00pm 4:50pm 5:20pm

5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm

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3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Countdown Village of the Year with Penelope Keith A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Extreme Cake Makers The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News George Clarke's Amazing Spaces

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

5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Wonderful World of Puppies Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun Celebrity Big Brother Special Needs Employment Agency

12:00pm 7:30pm

Countdown Village of the Year with Penelope Keith A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Extreme Cake Makers The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Jamie and Jimmy's 8 Out of 10 Cats

3:15pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

NCIS: Deadly Assassins My Daughter is Innocent 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Wine Show Celebrity Five Go Barging Celebrity Big Brother Will and Grace Celebrity Big Brother

8:30am 11:30am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 3:15pm

The Simpsons Come Dine with Me Coast v Country A Place in the Sun The Secret Life of the Zoo Channel 4 News Great Canal Journeys Village of the Year with Penelope Keith Suffragette About Time

4:00pm

Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords Rich House, Poor House 5 News The Wonderful World of Puppies Greatest Ever Celebrity Wind Ups Blind Date Football on 5 The Championship

7:00am 9:45am 10:00am

Football on 5 The Championship. Football on 5 Goal Rush. Fail Army Police Interceptors Johnny English Reborn Earth to Echo 5 News Bulletproof Monk Batman Begins The Punisher

12:30am 7:00am 9:15am 2:30pm 5:15pm 8:00pm

12:00am

Live Rugby 7s: Hamilton Live Rugby 7's: Hamilton Cricket Live Nissan Super Sunday Live Nissan Super Sunday Live PGA Tour Golf Day four of the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Arizona. Live NFL Super Bowl Lii

Killer Assistant NCIS 5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Anglo Welsh Cup Highlights Police Interceptors The X Files The Silence of the Lambs

12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 12:00am 1:00am

Sky Sports Daily Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News SKY Sports News SKY Sports News Football Sky Sports News Sky Sports News

NCIS 5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Secrets of the National Trust Qe2: The Worlds Greatest Cruise Ship Elizabeth Our Queen: A Life of Service

12:30pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Sportswomen Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News SKY Sports News SKY Sports News Sky Sports Tonight Sky Sports Tonight Sky Sports Tonight

Midnight Stallion NCIS 5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Police Interceptors GPs: Behind Closed Doors Alex and Oliver's Restaurant Rescue Frozen-From Dusk Till Dawn

11:00am 12:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:45pm 10:45pm 11:00pm 12:00am 1:00am 2:00am 3:00am 4:00am

Premier League Daily Cricket Sky Sports Tonight La Liga Greatest Games Football My Icon The Debate - Live Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News

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

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:05pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

Frasier Sunday Brunch Jamie and Jimmy's The Simpsons Never Been Kissed Shark Tale Channel 4 News Posh Pawn The Biggest Little Railway in the World SAS: Who Dares Wins

11:40am

Countdown Village of the Year with Penelope Keith A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Extreme Cake Makers The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Supershoppers Savers Special

3:15pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

Countdown Village of the Year with Penelope Keith A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Extreme Cake Makers The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Secret Life of 5 Year Olds: Here Come the Girls

5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

Countdown Village of the Year with Penelope Keith A Place in the Sun Four in a Bed Extreme Cake Makers The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it The Millionaire Migrant

3:10pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

12:35pm 1:10pm 1:35pm 3:30pm 5:25pm 7:05pm 7:15pm 9:00pm 11:45pm

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Cricket Super League 2018 Preview Live Super League The Debate - Live: Neville and Carra Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Live European Tour Golf Premier League Daily Sky Sports Daily Sky Sports News Sky Sports News Sporting Triumphs Live PGA Tour GolfFeatured Groups Live Super League Live PGA Tour Golf Sky Sports News Live ICC U19 Wc My Icon Good Morning Sports Fans Info not available Info not available Football Info not available Football Live Fight Night Live Rugby 7s: Hamilton

that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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FEATURE

What’s ahead this month Welcome to your February 2018 forecast. Every month I write about how the Astrology, Numerology, and Tarot for the month ahead affect you. Below is your forecast for February 2018:

Sally Trotman www.sallytrotman.com Sally Trotman is a qualified Counsellor who works with Astrology, Numerology and the Tarot. Each month she will deliver the forecast as an intuitive tool to aid increased self awareness.

ASTROLOGY: What’s your vision? Sun in Aquarius: The airy influence of this sign throughout most of February helps you to develop a vision for the year ahead. What do you desire? Consider your passions, talents and natural abilities to help you become clearer about your goals this month. Talk about your dreams with friends and ask for help. This is not the time to go it alone. Offer support and ask for guidance where you need it. On February 18 the sun moves into the sign of Pisces. This sensitive and intuitive sign will help you to know in each moment what is right for you, so stay present and tuned into your feelings. Now would be the perfect time to develop a daily meditation practice to

help you stay centred and calm. Get in tune with the moon: The new moon on February 16 is helping you to make new connections. Aspire to oneness with all humanity. Give thanks for your more challenging relationships which are helping you to grow. Surround yourself with those who uplift and inspire you. Be the change you want to see in others. Keep your thoughts positive, as this air sign influences the way we think, and perceive the world. See the good in everyone and everything. Numerology: Find balance Number 2: This number is helping you to bring more balance to your life, creating a balance between work and play, rest and action. When we find balance between our mind, body and spirit, our energy flows. Consider perhaps which areas of your life you need to bring more balance to. The High Priestess: Trust your vibes The High Priestess in the Tarot Deck is

depicted as a spiritual woman, with her foot on the new moon, and a black and white pillar either side of her. She uses her insight to make choices from a place of stillness. She reminds us to have faith and that this is a powerful quality which moves mountains. Trust yourself and the universe when making choices. Then act as if your desire has already manifested. Becoming more accepting of yourself will help you to develop more faith. When you truly accept every aspect of yourself you will feel centred and confident. Your 2018 forecast Astrology, Numerology and the Tarot are ancient tools of divination which aid self-awareness. By looking at the unique numbers and planets in your date of birth, I can guide you to become clearer, calmer and more confident about your direction for the year ahead. Contact me at sally.trotman@btinternet.com.

FEBRUARY: A time to consider your goals.

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Better a burro in Madrid than driving a car! 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.

IN the early 1970’s the most dangerous task you could contemplate or even attempt was driving to Madrid. The journey up wasn’t bad, about six-seven hours, but once you hit the city limits all hell broke loose. A circus of Formula One racing augmented by blazing horns and lots of arm waving. Those that knew where they were going did so at the most breakneck speed imaginable and those confused had to endure their wrath and horn honking criticism of their fleeting friends. No mercy was granted unless, like us you had an Almeria-plated car. Then, everyone gave you a wide berth because they could see you were a yokel from the provinces, and therefore dangerous to the ebb and flow of their destinations. The smart way to go is to ar-

‘ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW’: Madrid is best navigated on foot. rive in the distant suburbs and park. Then you have the problem of getting a taxi from there and remembering where your car is so you can explain to the returning taxi. We did that quite a few times and I learned the way. That said, few happenings on this

planet are more exciting than driving in Madrid for the first time. It isn’t just the other cars but the town plan itself. Many of the roads change from four lanes to two just by going around a roundabout. The secret is, hold your line and other racers will adapt to

you. Make no quick lane changes or swerves. Memorise that and live by it and you’ll survive without incident. It’s also a good rule for touring the rest of Spain. Once in town there are plenty of inexpensive taxis to trot you about but in reality there are im-

portant areas (barrios) that need to be walked and investigated on foot. Once you learn just one favourite plaza, like Plaza Mayor in the centre, you can learn the other localities that are a must to know, which of course leads you to famed and reputed watering holes and restaurants. Driving your car around the capital is almost prohibitive not knowing where you can park or what roads have been recently blocked off for repairs. Making one wrong turn takes you into another world that you don’t want to go or most certainly leave your car. As we had children schooling there we came up frequently and got to know all the museums, parks and retreats. Madrid is an old town with always something new. And the historical places are a must to view, little by little. But it won’t take you long to deduce that this is the capital of Spain and the ‘capital of the world’ as Hemingway so aptly penned. A town that never sleeps and wakes up ever so slowly.

1 - 7 February 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.

Snuck off, we don’t want American slang here

Plane stupid THE budget airlines expect their customers to print their own boarding passes, but unhelpfully prevent it happening earlier than a month before each flight. Anyone visiting Spain for more than a month can therefore find it difficult to get a boarding pass for the return journey. If locutorios, cyber cafes or tourist offices are willing to help, they could display notices offering to

HAVE YOUR SAY

Supermarket Sweep a constant problem ON the last three occasions I have shopped at a Spanish supermarket in the Aguilas Plaza I have encountered exactly the same problem. The store is festooned with special offers such as ‘buy one get the other one at half price.’ When I have selected these and presented them for payment at the checkout, the computer tills have in many cases not been programmed to reflect the offers and the full price is charged. When I try to explain to the checkout girl what the problem is she doesn’t really understand, she just scans the items and does

Photo Credit: Photobac Shutterstock

DEAR Leapy, I am a great fan of yours but in your article, dated January 4, you used that awful US word SNUCK. We English don’t SNUCK, we SNEAK! Much of what we remember of England has sadly now gone, but at least the beautiful English language which we gave to the world, still remains. That’s all for now, please, excuse my scrawl, I have a disabled hand. Keep up the good work, I will now SNEAK away! John Frensham, Quesada, Rosales

SPECIAL OFFERS: Often not programmed at the tills. what the computer tells her. I then have to go back to the displays and physically remove the special offer labels and bring them to the checkout, where the assistant has to then manually override the computer to input

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.

the correct prices. This is very frustrating for both myself and the checkout girl and very irritating for other customers waiting in the queue whilst all this is taking place. Don Mather, Aguilas

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

Nothing against immigration (Leapy Lee) WELL, for once Leapy you’ve tried (but failed) to write a balanced opinion. You ignore that you migrated of your own free will. Maybe your self-inflicted prison sentence influenced your decision, but Britain was not a war zone. Your home was not bombed to rubble. You had electricity, water, food and free medical care if you needed it. You had choice. Ninety-nine per cent of the migrants you are so opposed to have NO CHOICE! They are faced with apalling conditions you would not tolerate for one moment! They are enduring years of proxy wars inflicted on them by OUR OWN disastrous policies in the Middle East. IF they stay, they face starvation and death! You would be fleeing with them! I don’t buy your bleating. As Shakespeare’s Hamlet might say, the Leapy doth protest too much. Brian Eagleson

How can Brian Eagleson possibly know that 90 per cent of immigrants are fleeing starvation and death. Has he counted them? Anyway, Leapy is not talking about them. He is talking about the ones that come to take advantage of our better way of life with their Nike trainers and iPhones. The ones who leave their womenfolk and children behind. The ones who hate us and want to change our way of life. As usual an inciteful and well written piece Leapy. Erica P

Comments from EWN online

Plans to remove toll road charges

How awful we were on that road going the other way about that time! There was snow for about one mile ! Jean and John Rowlands

I just read between the lines and I just wish they would stop overdeveloping the coast, it will soon end up as a conglomerate of urbanisations, the only bit left is Duquesa to La Linea. It’s such a shame. All those apartments will have cars belonging to them that further clog up the towns when you want to park and do your jobs. And all the extra tourists on the roads, nightmare. I’ll be off if it gets much busier down here, I left Barcelona and that coast for the same reason. Leigh Hobson

So sad RIP to all who lost their lives. Donna Connors Hughes

Best idea they have had in a long time. Trisha Rodgers

Three dead in AP-7 crash

Robert De Niro opening new resort in Spain I’m waiting for my invitation!

Barbara Stallwood Hope he’s polished up his Spanish? Last I heard he was talking Italian… Terence Sheehan

Five detained over 4,000 kilo orange theft Did the ‘peel-ers’ apprehend the jaffa stealers? Tim McMahon I think they should appeel.

Stewart Kingsley

print boarding passes and stating their price for this valuable service. Derek Eyles, Alicante

Confused Cartagena CAN anyone really tell us what is happening with San Javier airport? Corvera is supposed to be opening this year, but we have heard that before, and when that opens San Javier is supposed to close. However during the last week, AENA have given a four-year contract to ADELTE, a company specialising in airport boarding, for better assistance to passengers with reduced mobility or mobility issues. Does this perhaps mean that San Javier won’t close and they will keep both open, which would be nice, especially as we and lots of other passengers will have double the journey time to Corvera? Richard Prowse, Cartagena

Different strokes THE difference between sensible print and dross was highlighted in last week’s Euro Weekly. In the sensible corner we had Mike Senker highlighting Donald Trump’s total lack of diplomacy, his racism and his tweet endorsements from that bastion of peace the KKK. Then in the opposite corner we had good old Leapy, bleating on as if Trump was some sort of latter day saint. Mr Lee, get your facts right, Mr Obama was not responsible for the embassy move. I sometimes worry, Leapy about your feelings towards Trump. It’s plain to see what sort of President he is. Why don’t you read Mike Senker’s column first, nail and head come to mind. Philip, San Fulgencio

Kitchen sink MUCH was made of a recent police crackdown on older cars, with motorists being stopped and having their vehicles checked for safety. That is very laudable but why don’t the authorities seem to do anything about the constant parade of foreign cars totally overladen en route to and from ports connecting with Morocco? The police seem to ignore these really dangerous vehicles, perhaps because they don’t want the hassle of dealing with potentially non-Spanish speakers. Brian Jones, Manilva

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MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

YOUR STARS FOR NEXT 7 DAYS AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Being at the forefront of a learning experience is pleasurable this week. An unexpected offer seems small but could have a big effect. A friend in need may go over the top and annoy you. It may be necessary to distance yourself and give help through others. .

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Even as you prepare to go on a trip or start something new this week, the future beckons. In small things there are clues to the way forward. A chance encounter brings humour and opens your eyes to a friendship lately neglected.

‘ IT MUST BE AN ENGLISH BURNS NIGHT - THAT DUMMY LOOKS LIKE NICOLA STURGEON! ’

Women’s wit

Trivia from around the world *** About €3,000 in change is thrown into the Trevi fountain in Rome, Italy every day. *** China used more cement in three years between 2011 and 2013 than the US used in the entrie 20th century. *** A rhinoceros from the Sao Paulo zoo in Brazil was turned down as a candidate for the city’s council elections in 1958. Cacareco still won 100,000 votes. ***Nearly half of all the gold ever mined was dug up in the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa. Around 50,000 tonnes were dug up in the basin in more than 100 years. *** Around 1,000 letters ad-

LOTTERY

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

Saturday January 27

‘

We as women, we have to understand that we know more, just even instinctively than we think we do.” Michelle Obama, former US First Lady

IN MINUTES: Human history would make up just one minute 17 seconds if the earth was 24 hours old.

dressed to God arrive in Jerusalem every year. *** Shark Bay in Victoria, Australia changed its name to Safety Beach in order to attract more visitors.

IRISH LOTTO

Saturday January 27

Picture credit Pixabay.

DID YOU KNOW? If the history of the earth is condensed into 24 hours then the dinosaurs would have become extinct at 11.41pm and human history would have begun at 11.58.43pm.

Tuesday January 23

Friday January 26

6 24

LUCKY STARS

World of English

‘

Zaitech - An investment by a company in financial markets in order to boost profits.

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

Saturday January 27

Sunday January 28

BONUS BALL

‘

If you can talk brilliant about a problem, it can create the consoling illusion that it has been mastered.” Stanley Kubrick, filmmaker

BONUS BALL

Thursday January 25

EL MILLON: WLG90341

Emotional and monetary wealth go hand in hand at the beginning of this energetic week. Someone is likely to make demands that you find unacceptable and you will need all your tact to avoid unpleasantness, but any resistance by you will, in the longer term, only gain you respect.

Famous quote

LA PRIMITIVA

EURO MILLIONS

REINTEGRO

JOKER: 8 889 779

REINTEGRO

JOKER: 3 129 415

REINTEGRO

ARIES (March 21 - April 20)

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) You may feel a bit like Sherlock Holmes when you solve a tricky dilemma. With your intellect soaring, it is little surprise that others come to you with their problems. A natural agony aunt because of your interest in others, this suits you well enough.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Someone with a romantic interest in you starts buzzing around. This is all very well if you are willing, but if not keep your distance. As thoughts turn to summer, it is not surprising that a holiday is on your mind. There is, however, a question mark over with whom you want to go.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) Small matters start to clog up the emotional works. You would rather be somewhere else, but grit your teeth and deal with necessary matters. Finances certainly must be watched most carefully. Get your glad rags on at the weekend and really let your hair down. Of course, there are more serious matters to be considered but not all the time.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Mutual plans are exciting but make sure that others know your needs exactly. As a Leo, you will never willingly accept second best but how can others know your standards? Your needs and desires are close to your heart but are sometimes held so close that others cannot see and respond to them.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Putting your thoughts and feelings on a par with someone else will help you to understand their point of view. As painful as it seems, there will need to be some compromise if everyone is to be happy.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Sometimes, you retreat into your shell and your normally gregarious personality takes a back seat. Although you may not have received the expected response to a question recently, it is no reason to brood. Show yourself in your true colours this week.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) The way to bring energy levels up this week is to spend time with energetic people. You may feel a little on the fringes initially but, at the end of the day, your spirit will be lifted. Fresh air and group activities bring the most satisfaction, although a one-toone task proves particularly fruitful.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Look ahead to see how exactly you can make this spring extra special. Making your plans clear to others means a smooth journey as opposed to unnecessary delays. A particular place brings back memories of a love long past. However, this love is not truly lost because it will always be a part of who you are.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) There is an incredibly romantic week ahead if you only enter into the spirit of it. Let your feelings be seen and felt, showing appreciation for loved ones. You do not need the excuse of a birthday or anniversary to give a gift, just a heart full of love. Contentment surfaces several times this week and is down to your own past efforts.

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Hexagram

The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (LAUNCH) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

BATEAU BEHIND BEREFT DECODE DETENT EFFETE ETHANE FILLET GENTRY HUDDLE LAUNCH (10) LOADED NOTICE REGENT RELIEF SPREAD THRALL THROES TURTLE

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Figure 2 Double 3 Ragout 4 Murder 5 Droopy 6 Queasy 7 Oyster 8 Stooge 9 Defray 10 Sponge 11 Survey 12 Soften 13 County 14 Rotate 15 Fungus 16 Quince 17 Sunset 18 Poison 19 Infirm

Nonagram

EWN

Boggled How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules? • The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally. • Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms. • No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice. • No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

Kakuro

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

Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

TARGET: • Average: 28 • Good: 39

• Very good: 55 • Excellent: 72

TARGET:

SCORING:

• Average: 7 • Good: 10 • Very good: 14 • Excellent: 18

4 letters: 1 point 7 letters: 5 points 5 letters: 2 points 8 or more letters: 6 letters: 3 points 11 points LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION coops copse copter copes robot roost ropes rotes oboes opera boors boost swoop story stoop stern strap straps peats paste pates pares panes spoor spear sperm spate spare start stare sateen saner taper tarts teapot tease tenet tenets worst torso teats treat eaten erase apter aspen meows meats repast reset reaps rapes napes

cert cord core corm cred doer door dorm ford fore form fort fret from moor more mort odor oreo redo reft retd rode rood roof room root rote term torc tore tref trod coder comer cored credo croft decor doter fetor force forte metro motor recto rodeo deform doctor doofer footer forced formed moored roofed roomed rooted comfort motored COMFORTED

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

QUICK Across:

1 Sharp, 4 Scrub, 7 Tarantula, 8 Task, 10 Genius, 12 Cornet, 13 Begs, 16 Premature, 18 Dense, 19 Timid.

CODE BREAKER

Down:

1 Skirt, 2 Ant, 3 Pork, 4 Singer, 5 Routine, 6 Brass, 9 Surgeon, 11 Debate, 12 Cupid, 14 Squad, 15 Just, 17 Elm.

CRYPTIC

ENGLISH-SPANISH

Across:

1 Despair, 4 Gloss, 7 Solve, 9 Slating, 10 Inspire, 11 Extra, 12 Rocket, 14 Random, 18 Draft, 20 Abandon, 22 Tribune, 23 Slang, 24 Dates, 25 Sprints.

1 Chubasco, 4 Ball, 8 Glove, 10 Amapola, 11 Estadio, 12 Rude, 14 Apagar, 16 Straws, 19 Lata, 21 Rescate, 24 Apology, 25 Tides, 26 Lead, 27 Prisoner.

Down:

1 Dossier, 2 Sells, 3 Rasher, 4 Grace, 5 Omitted, 6 Sigma, 8 Elite, 13 Chariot, 15 Amass, 16 Manages, 17 Valets, 18 Dated, 19 Thugs, 21 Drain.

1 Cigüeñas, 2 Ahead, 3 Clavos, 5 Avoid, 6 Leal, 7 Carrot, 9 Ostra, 13 Ascensor, 15 Asador, 17 Ataud, 18 Prayer, 20 Ahora, 22 Setas, 23 Fall.

App of the week Tapt 2 A musical memory game which tests players’ ability to remember their favourite songs. The new edition of this app features better sounds, two-part harmonies and a new user

QUIZ: TAKING A GAMBLE 1. Gamblers Anonymous (GA), the 12-step programme for people who have a gambling problem, was established in Los Angeles in which decade? 2. Hotel magnate Sol Kerzner created which golf and gambling resort in the so-called 'homeland' of Bophuthatswama in South Africa in 1979? 3. In gambling slang, what is the value of a monkey? 4. In poker, what is the highest ranked hand? 5. In the UK what name is given to a bet placed on a series of races (or other events), the winnings and stake from each being placed on the next? 6. ‘My daddy was a gambling man way down in New Orleans’ is a famous line from which traditional folk song that was a UK number one hit single for The Animals in 1964?

7. When gambling on horse-racing, what term is used for a bet on four selections and consisting of 11 separate bets? 8. Which famous American folk hero was shot and killed by gambler ‘Black’ Jack McCall at Nuttal and Mann's Saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory on August 2, 1876? 9. Which item of footware shares its name with the box from which cards are dealt in casinos at baccarat or some other card games? 10. Which singer, along with his Skiffle Group, topped the UK singles charts in 1957 with Gamblin' Man? Not a lot of people know that... the Venetian Macau (Macau, China) is the world’s largest casino complex, covering 546,000 square feet with 4,200 slot and table games and 53 bars and restaurants.

Answers: Answers 1. 1950s (September 13, 1957), 2. SUN CITY, 3. £500, 4. ROYAL FLUSH (ace, king, queen, jack and 10, all the same suit), 5. ACCUMULATOR (also known as a PARLAY), 6. THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN. 7. YANKEE, 8. WILD BILL (James Butler) HICKOK, 9. SHOE, 10. LONNIE DONEGAN

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

E W N 1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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BOOKS

weather

Costa de Almería TODAY

TOMORROW VELEZ RUBIO

ALBOX

VELEZ RUBIO ALBOX

HUERCAL OVERA

GARRUCHA

MOJACAR ALMERIA RETAMAR

RETAMAR

ROQUETAS

ADRA

Almeria

Bilbao

Madrid

TODAY: MAX 18, MIN 9 - CL

TODAY: MAX 17, MIN 10-S

TODAY: MAX 9, MIN 6 -SH

TODAY: MAX 13, MIN - -1 CL

Fri 12 Sat - 15 Sun - 11 Mon - 8 Tues - 7 Wed - 8

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

16 17 20 15 14 15

8 - Cl 9-S 8-S 7 - Sh 6-C 6-C

16 17 17 14 13 14

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

8-S 10 - S 9-S 7 - Sh 7 - Sh 7-S

8-C 8-C 6 - Sh 5 - Sh 4 - Sh 4 - Sh

12 0 - Cl 15 1 - S 13 1 - S 10 -1 - C 9 -1 - C 9 -2 - C

Benidorm

Mallorca

Barcelona

TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 8 - SH

TODAY: MAX 15, MIN 5 - SH

TODAY: MAX 11, MIN 4 - SH

16 17 18 15 15 14

S: Sun

7-S 9-S 7-S 6-S 6 - Cl 6-S

15 17 17 14 14 14

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed Cl: Clear

7-S 10 - S 9-S 7 - Sh 8 - Sh 8 - Sh

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

13 15 15 12 12 12

C: Cloudy

8-C 8-S 8-S 7 - Sh 7 - Sh 6-C

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

14 15 14 12 12 11

VELEZ RUBIO ALBOX

HUERCAL OVERA GARRUCHA MOJACAR

Alicante TODAY: MAX 19, MIN 8 - S

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tues Wed -

ROQUETAS

SATURDAY

Malaga

5-C 7-S 6 - Sh 5-C 4-C 4-S

Sh: Showers

ALMERIA RETAMAR ADRA

ROQUETAS

Sn: Snow

Th: Thunder

Euro Weekly News strives for accuracy, but cannot be held responsible for any errors in published forecasts

BIRTHDAYS

RUSSELL GAINES has spent 11 years in th e Parchman Penitentiary in the M is s is s ippi Del t a waiting for the end of his sentence. His releas e s ees him head for home where he discovers his debt is far from paid and that r e venge is all around him. Maben and her daughter spend their last dollars on a room for the nig h t the same day Rus s ell i s released. The night ends with Maben running with pistol in hand and a dead police officer lying by his car. R us s ell is forced t o choose between his own life and M aben’s i n Michael Farris-Smith’s story of shared destiny in a land filled with secrets and regret.

MOJACAR

ALMERIA

books@euroweeklynews.com

Sudoku LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

• Cristiano Ronaldo, • David Jason, Actor; February Footballer; February 5, 33 2, 78 The footballer became captain The Only Fool and Horses star of the Portuguese national team originally trained as an electrician before pursuing an acting career. in 2008. He was bought by Real Madrid from Manchester Utd in C Ronaldo. Jason starred as Del Boy in John O’ 2009 for around £80 million. Sullivan’s comedy series. He also • Harry Styles, Pop singer; February 1, featured alongside Ronnie Barker in Open 24 All Hours and played Detective Jack Frost in A Touch of Frost. Styles rose to fame with the band One Direction after competing in the X Factor. • Amal Clooney, Lawyer; February 3, 40 Born in Redditch, he worked in a bakery Born Amal Alamuddin in Beirut, Lebanon, at 14, went on to top the charts, making his Clooney now works at the Doughty Street Chambers and has represented clients such acting debut in the 2017 film Dunkirk.

as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. She married actor George Clooney in September 2014 and the couple have two children. • Alice Cooper, Rock Singer; February 4, 70 Cooper rocked the 1970’s and 1980’s with hits such as Poison, Schools’ Out and Eighteen. Born in Detroit in the US, he was raised by a preacher and turned down a college acceptance to pursue a career in music. He also appeared in the 1992 film Wayne’s World.

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.

Sierra Nevada SNOW REPORT Partly cloudy skies forecast for today (Thursday) with highs of two degrees. Temperatures will drop over the weekend however with lows of up to -10 in the mornings and will not go above freezing throughout the day. No snow is expected to fall over the course of the week.

Word Ladder WHIP

TORN BACK

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

1488 - Mossel Bay landing Bartolomeu Dias from Portugal lands at Mossel Bay after rounding the Cape of Good Hope. He became the first known European to travel that far south after making the journey. 1555 - John Rogers martyred John Rogers becomes the first English Protestant martyr after being burned at the stake during the Catholic Queen Mary I’s reign. 1789 - Washington elected George Washington is unanimously elected as President by the US Electoral College in the country’s first presidential election after it gained independence from Britain. 1830 - Greek Independence The London Protocol establishes Greece as an independent country following its victory in its War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. 1861 - First Civil War Union victory The Union Army wins its first victory in the American Civil War. Ulysses S Grant and Andrew H Foot lead their force to capture Fort Henry in Tennessee in the Battle of Fort Henry. 1909 - Synthetic plastic invented Leo Baekeland, a Belgian chemist, announces the creation of the world’s first synthetic plastic Bakelite. 1990 - Communists lose power in USSR The Central Committee of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party agrees to give up its monopoly on power in the country. The move marks the end of Communist rule which began following the 1917 revolution. 2013 - The Shard opens The Shard in London opens to the public. It is the tallest building in the European Union, at 310 metres.

This week in history

Road of regret

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DVD

Extracting the past

GORDON DUNN is a scientist who has spent months creating a machine to extract peoples’ memories so they can be watched. When he dies mysteriously Sam Bloom (Peter Dinklage) sets out to solve the case with the help of the new memory device. Bloom soon uncovers a web of intrigue surrounding the death of Dunn and the machine he has created. ‘Rememory’ is a science fiction thriller which explores the character ’s connection to their past and each other.

FEATURE

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Advertising Feature

How to drive safely in winter THERE are many winter lovers who like visiting cities during cold periods or participating in snow sports. One must admit that it is not the same visiting, for instance, Sierra Nevada covered by snow, adding an extra attraction to these magical mountains, than without it. But if you go driving this can be harrowing, especially where blizzard and icy conditions crop up seemingly out of nowhere. If, after all, you decide to drive, there are some recommendations to take into account: • Check the weather before you go If the weather is freezing, warm up the car before you drive it. If the forecast looks unpredictable, wait out the storm if possible. But if you must travel, make sure you share your travel plans and route with someone before you leave. If you become stranded in an unfamiliar area, do not leave your car. Place reflective triangles in front and behind the car and make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow, mud or

any other object. • Prepare Your Car for Winter Besides checking the weather, it’s important to have a mechanic check the condition of the following vehicle systems before heading out on the road: ignition, brakes, wiring, hoses and fan belts, spark plugs, air, fuel and emissions filters, distributor, battery, tyre wear and air pressure and check the antifreeze level. • Know What to Do to Avoid a Crash Sometimes water or ice on the road can surprise drivers, even with little to no precipitation. So, if you don’t want to be surprised and end up in a crash, here are some tips: - Never mix radial tyres with other types of tyres - If possible, avoid using your parking brake in cold, rainy and snowy weather - Do not use cruise control in wintery conditions - Accelerate and decelerate slowly - Increase your distance to the car ahead

WINTER DRIVING: Know how to keep safe. - If possible, don’t stop when going uphill - Keep your gas tank at least half-full - Don’t Leave Home Without These In an emergency situation, there are a few things that you should have with you at all times such as, a properly inflated spare tyre, wheel wrench and tripod jack, shovel, jump leads, tyre chains, tool kit, flashlight and extra batteries, reflective triangles, first aid kit, ice scraper, non-perishable high energy foods, blankets and gloves. Also do not forget to have your Roadside Assistance number at hand. Liberty Seguros Roadside Assistance is at your disposal 24/7 through a Free Phone Number, 900 101 369, where you

will be assisted by an English-speaking operator. Winter road trips - even short ones - are a great way to celebrate with family and friends. As well as providing you with insurance to cover you for any unexpected accident or loss, Liberty Seguros would encourage you to be fully prepared when driving in adverse conditions. Being prepared can ensure a safe and happy time is had by all. To find out more or to receive a no obligation quote, visit www.lib ertyexpatriates.es or to find out the location of your nearest broker, simply call 913 422 549.

Travel

Letter from The Canaries Oil, earthquakes and record tourism usher in 2018 ISLAND news from the Canaries this parched January morning, where with insufficient rain to turn the islands into mini-Hawaiis this winter, or even fill reservoirs, we console ourselves with good news for the local economy. In this Best Winter Tourist Season ever, we’re so happy we can hardly count! In Lanzarote, however, there’s alarm at Morocco’s oil prospecting plans for coastline just 80 miles from the island’s beautiful beaches. ENI, the multi-national outfit also commissioned by Trumpton, (sorry… the US), to prospect in Alaska’s arctic waters, will soon threaten island beaches and ecosystems, despite criminal proceedings in Italy about oil spills in Niger valley. More Africa-Canaries in Fuerteventura, where a man and two women have been arrested attempting to board a flight and three children taken into police care. The Syrian man, Kuwaiti woman, and a Swedish woman thought to have organised false documents for onward travel to Europe, are accused of holding fake passports and illegal immigration. Eastern provincial capital Gran Canaria’s

RECORD WINTER FIGURES: Tourism is booming in Gran Canaria. news is of the million extra tourists arriving in 2017. The tourist boom is: “…due to our reputation as a safe destination for tourists,” said tourism head Pablo Barbero. Inter-island ferries and flights have also increased: the residents’ discount encourages Canarians to go exploring. Western provincial capital Tenerife also reports record tourist numbers, with Alison Alexander, arriving from Edinburgh with her family for Christmas, 2017’s 11 millionth arrival. Energy producer Disa has announced the

purchase of a 21-MW wind project, with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy SA contracted to build the Bermejo and Vera de Abote wind farms in Arico, Tenerife. Across the water in La Gomera, in admirable ‘forget tourism, what about goats?’ mode, New Year attention’s on the primary sector, with the Cabildo (island council) organising information sessions for island stock keepers about: “…grants available to help commercialise their stock keeping.” Due west, on the former edge of the known

world, lies tiny El Hierro, where councillor Miriam del Pino Moreno’s New Year announcement about solar street lamps, which will provide free charging facilities for four devices, complete with instructions in Braille, reflects the Herreño tendency for innovation. On La Palma, there’s no New Year trace of sensationalist press panic. After increased seismic activity in late 2017, the National Geographic Institute monitored the site around the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which blew in 1949 and 1971, causing Brit tabloid hysteria. These are volcanic islands and seismic activity’s a constant. Nevertheless, the story of how part of La Palma will fall into the sea, causing a ‘megatsunami’ to sweep across the Atlantic and obliterate the east coast of Trumpton, provokes screaming tabloid headlines. “There’s no evidence of this happening... It is theoretically possible, but smaller more localised collapses are more likely… generating local tsunamis just a few metres high,” says Professor Iain Stewart of Plymouth University. Rest easy, New York. Barbara Belt barbarabelt@gmail.com

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

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HEALTH BEAUTY

Advertising Feature

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WITH more than 12 years of experience in physiotherapy Maria del Mar Ramos Simonelli is proud to have helped so many people with such a wide range of problems. In her physiotherapy centre she offers a diverse range of treatments, which include: Trauma recovery with support for fractures, injuries caused by traffic accidents, neck pain, back pain, lumbago, sciatica and herniated discs etc. Rheumatological recovery to tackle osteoarthritis, arthritis, osteoporosis and fibromyalgia. Neurological recovery to assist the problems associated with hemiplegia, multiple sclerosis, herniated disc, Parkinson’s disease, neuralgia, cerebral palsy. Respiratory physiotherapy. Pain treatment. Treatment of sports injuries or accidents, tendonitis, contractures, over-

loads, sprains. Geriatric physiotherapy: rheumatism, postoperative recovery, knee prosthesis, hip prosthesis. Manual lymphatic drainage. Therapeutic exercise. Electrotherapy. Massages. Bandages using Kinesio tape. At FisioMar Physiotherapy Centre, Maria looks to achieve results by treating each patient as an individual and formulating a personalised, treatment, with the aim of obtaining the best results for each person. She offers her patients the most advanced treatments and in all sessions there is a high component of manual therapy combined with the latest technology to ensure the most appropriate treatment leading to an effective and rapid recovery. Maria says, “My vision of physiotherapy aims at the complete recovery

of the patient so that they can perform or recover any activity that is of interest to them, whether personal, work, or a return to physical activity.” The FisioMar Physiotherapy Centre not only offers you her vast experience when it comes to treating those in pain but she is also happy to advise patients on the routines and techniques that they can put into practice to preserve their health in a better condition. Every month the centre promotes special offers on different treatments as well as discounts on five and 10 visit sessions which can be used by the client at any time. Clients can expect to receive exceptional and knowledgeable treatment from an experienced therapist who is fluent in English and can understand what her patients want to achieve. Open Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 7pm. Call 667 425 197, or email fisiomaralbox@gmail.com.

Garlic: the health benefits INCREDIBLY potent and packed with flavour, garlic is often a key ingredient in cuisine across the globe. However, garlic is perhaps the world’s most underrated super food, and has been linked to helping prevent a whole host of illnesses, including the four causes of death: stroke, cancer, heart disease and infections. The root is high in certain sulphur compounds which sci ent i st s bel i eve ar e r esponsible for its scent and taste, but also may have a posi t i ve eff ect on hum an health. Garlic is at its most beneficial when eaten raw as it is still packed with antimicrobial, antiviral and antifungal properties that can help relieve colds as well as other infections. One of gar l i c’s m ost amazing abilities is that it’s been shown to help reverse the symptoms of early heart

di sease as a 2016 st udy published in the Journal of Nutrition revealed that garl i c ext r act r educed t he build-up of plaque in arteries supplying blood to the heart for patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. It also has been shown to hel p cont r ol hi gh bl ood pressure as it contains polysulfides that aid the opening or widening of blood vessels, reducing blood pressure. Garlic is a great addition to your diet in winter especi al l y as i t has al so been shown to help prevent and combat the common cold. Cer t ai n chem i cal com pounds found in garlic are effective at killing the microorganisms that cause infections and studies have shown those who eat raw garlic taken on a regular basis are less likely to get a cold, and recover faster if they do.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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THERE’S something about plunging yourself head first into freezing cold water first thing in the morning that really gets you going in the morning. As off-putting as it sounds, a cold shower - often referred to as a ‘Scottish Shower’ or even the ‘James Bond Shower’ - can do wonders for getting your morning off to a good start, especially if you’re one of those people who take several hours to fully wake up. Research suggests that plunging yourself into freezing water may also be good for your physical and mental health. An article published in The North American Journal of Medical Sciences revealed that cold water can provide relief from pain and inflammation, as well as aiding and abetting al-

most all of your body’s systems. A Dutch study also revealed that taking cold showers increases alertness and productivity and reduces sick days. This is believed to be due to the fact the shock causes us to breathe deeply, increasing our oxygen intake to help us keep warm. Therefore our heart rate also increases, sending a rush of blood through the entire body and providing a natural energy boost. They have also been shown to help relieve symptoms of anxiety, as a study from Virginia Commonwealth University revealed that cold showers send electrical nerve impulses to the brain, providing an uplifting effect. So the next time your boiler breaks down don’t panic, just brace yourself and embrace the cold.

Photo by unsplash

Scottish showers

FEELING FRESH: Cold showers do more than just wake you up in the morning.

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What a disaster! Mike Senker In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man WELL what a week! I didn’t know whether to touch on this subject or not but decided to because, to be honest, it’s making me a bit grumpy. Sexual harassment is wrong. That’s it. No ifs, buts or whatevers, it’s wrong, period. There was a men only charity do in London hosted by the Presidents Club. They, in turn, hired hostesses who were told what to wear including the colour of their underwear. Anyone spot the obvious problem that could occur here? Oh and the hostesses were told they could drink booze whilst working. This all came to light after one of the hostesses, who was an undercover reporter for the Financial Times, attended the function and then did an article about a load of drunk, rich old men sexually harassing a bunch of scantily dressed, possibly tipsy, young women who were trying to extract as much money as they could for charity. A disaster waiting to happen. The money being raised was for Great Ormond Street Hospital and was close to a million pounds. That has now been returned so the biggest losers are sick children which is

terrible. People have been fired and others resigned. What a disaster, all because a bunch of idiots don’t know it’s 2018 not the 60’s, 70’s or 80’s or the beginning of time as that’s how long this behaviour has been going on. The further fall out was several companies, charities and organisations have said they will not be using hostesses any more. One of the darts organisations will not have the walk on girls accompany the players on stage any more. I remember going to the Motor Show in the UK and nearly every stand had young, pretty girls, some in bikinis, trying to get you to look at their cars. Will boxing get rid of the girls that parade in the ring with the round number? You have to remember there are a lot of young ladies who earn a very lucrative living being hostesses and promotion girls or models which is their choice. In fact, I have a friend who did this work for many years and she told me unfortunately a few idiots spoil it for the rest. She loved her work and is retired now. She was not assaulted on every job but there were a few where she had to put the punters very sharply in their place. It’s just a terrible pity that because of a few morons, and I’m sure it wasn’t every man there, GOSH and many other good causes will have to find money from other sources to continue their wonderful work. columnists@euroweeklynews.com

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FEATURE

LEGALLY SPEAKING Can I put a flag on my car? WE answer some common driving questions, kindly provided by members of the Guardia Civil based in Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, who set up the N332 website and Facebook page to help break down barriers. PATRIOTISM may give us a warm feeling of belonging, and the notion that members of a country may stick together as one is something which has stood the test of time, but displaying that patriotism on a vehicle can lead to a whole range of problems, resulting in a situation becoming a danger to other road users, unless it is done correctly. Whether it is of a country, a football team or just a group to which you belong, carrying a flag to show your support is something that many people may consider, but it can also lead to fines from the traffic police if your flag does not comply with the regulations, not because the flag may show support for another country, but because they can lead to danger. Article 14 of the Reglamento Circulacion deals with the distribution of loads, under the heading ‘Disposición de la carga.’ Although a flag may not be considered to be a load, because it is an element which is additional to the normal fixtures of the vehicle, then it qualifies as such. As such, in the interests of safety, anything carried on a vehicle must not drag fully or partially, fall or move dangerously, interfere with vehicle stability, produce noise, dust or other problems that can be avoided and must

not hide the lighting and signals, number plates or anything else which could interfere with manual warnings of the drivers. Quite clearly, if a flag is of a large enough size, it will produce considerable drag. It may well interfere with the view of lights, number plates and other fixtures, and could blow or fall into the path of other road users, and is a risk in terms of becoming loose or entangles in either the vehicle carrying it, or others. Therefore, quite clearly, large flags are not allowed. However, there are smaller, purpose built flags which are permitted. These are often seen attached to the windows of vehicles, or sometimes as part of the main structure. Similarly, there are other accessories available which can be fitted to a vehicle safely, such as covers for the wing mirrors, so long as the active view of the mirror is not obscured. A flag draped or tied across the bonnet or roof, or any part of the vehicle, would not be permitted, nor would covers to the sun visors, which could interfere with the visibility of the driver. FLYING WITH PRIDE: But is it legal?

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

Can they cut off his water? Can a community cut off the water supply of a debtor? I am the President of an urbanisation of over 250 properties. We receive wat e r f ro m t h e m a c ro - u r b a n i s a t i o n , which is monitored through a master meter. We then supply water to all the houses in our community through indiNo, you cannot. If you cut off their water, they can bring a case against the community for denying them an essential service to community members even if they are behind

vidual meters. The community then charges each owner for the water consumed. A s w e h a v e s o m e d e b t o r s w h o a re well in arrears with both community and water charges, can we cut off their water to stop them receiving what they are not paying for?

David Searl You and the Law in Spain

in their payments. Your only recourse is to claim the

unpaid community fees and water bills through the courts and I suggest you begin this process as soon as possible. Do not forget to claim court costs from them as well.

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

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1 - 7 February 2018

Update on food, drink, entertainments, what’s on and weekly happenings

SCENE

OCIAL

Groove to the sound of Boney M ONE of the biggest disco sounds to hit the pop world in the 1970’s was Boney M, a group put together by a producer in Germany. The original line-up included a 17-year-old called Sheyla Bonnick who with her friend Maizie Williams had responded to an advert in an English paper for dancers to travel to Germany. Within a matter of months, the pair were part of the newly created Boney M and although Sheyla recorded a number of records whilst in Germany, things went so slowly with the group that she decided that she would strike out on her own. Having said that, she was involved in the very first songs developed for the group and since that time has been involved in recreating the Sound of Boney M to perform before audiences literally all over the world.

DISCO POP: The Sound of Boney M with Sheyla Bonnick on stage. Now, still spending most of her time touring, she is bringing the Rivers of Babylon live show to the Padilla Auditorium in Almeria City on Friday March 2 with a

full show which starts at 9pm. Backed by a cast of singers, dancers and musicians, this is a spectacular staging of all of the most popular hits such as Rasputin, Rivers of Babylon, Ma Baker and Daddy Cool. Tickets are available from the ticket office and cost €20 and €25 plus booking fee. Sheyla Bonnick has been intimately involved with music ever since those heady days in Germany and even had time to write a mini musical Money Talks with her

Icelandic husband and musical partner which enjoyed a six-month run in Denmark. Some 20 years ago, her friend and former band partner Maizie got in contact with her and suggested that they put together a new version of Boney M which they did and although they found things a little tough for the first couple of years, things really took off with a vengeance once people began to realise how good this new version was. They spent eight years travelling and performing

which Sheyla enjoyed but eventually, they agreed that the band should come to an end and Sheyla spent a year recharging her spiritual batteries and perfecting her language skills as she actually speaks no less than four languages fluently and can get by in a further seven. After a year, when she also became involved in production (she and her husband now have their own studio in Alicante) she was approached by an agent who begged her to assist him by doing him a favour by

putting together a ‘scratch’ band to perform a few concerts of Boney M material. Whilst she had no intention at first of doing more than a handful of dates, she admits that she enjoyed them so much that she decided that she had to carry on and the group known as the Sound of Boney M has now been in existence for more than 10 years. The band now tours mainly within Europe but has also performed in Australia, India, Kenya and the Middle East. When asked about her best audiences it appears that whilst everybody who sees them is quickly affected by the music, Poland and Russia have the liveliest audiences although the Russians can take a while to react until they have had a drink and are given permission to dance, then they go mad. This visit to Almeria is likely to be the first date in a short tour of Spain, but if you want to remember those great disco days and sing along to some of the timeless numbers from a great band performed by exceptional musicians, then get out your flares and maxi dresses and put the date of March 2 in your diary.

A few tickets left IN just three years, Spanish singer Antonio José has emerged from a TV talent show to become a major sensation in his own right. He is hot in Spain and much of Latin America with gold and platinum discs and one of his singles even knocked Despacito off the top of the digital charts. The singer-songwriter who has been working with some of the biggest names in Spanish music will be appearing at the Auditorium in Roquetas del Mar on Saturday May 26 with just a few tickets priced at €28 still available from the box office.

ORIHUELA: The first steps of the Moors and Christians celebrations.

Medieval Market THERE will be a fascinating Medieval Market taking place in Orihuela town centre this weekend from Friday to Sunday. Organised as part of the Moors and Christians events in the town, the council is arranging to lay on buses from the Orihuela coast and Entrenaranjos with two return trips each day. 10am depart Playa Flamenca roundabout of the town hall with the return to Ociopia Shopping Centre at 3 pm. 4pm depart Playa Flamenca roundabout of the town hall with the return to Ociopia Shopping Centre at 10pm. Buses will run provided that a minimum of 16 people make advance bookings by calling the Orihuela Playa tourist office on 966 760 000 ext 32 or by email to orihuelaplaya@touristinfo.net.

BACCHUS CELLAR by Lorenzo Barbareschi

WINES in Spain are classified into 69 major regions or Designation of Origin (DO) with their own set of laws and quality standards. The best known national regions are Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Penedés, Navarra, Rueda, Cava, Rias Baixas, Jeréz, and La Mancha. Grape names are not often used, with restaurants and shops classifying wines according to their origin, therefore it is quite common to confuse the grape name with the region. A clear example is that Rioja refers to the DO as there is no such grape; though Albariño refers to the grape variety from the Rias Baixas region. Here are the most common Spanish red grape varietals. Tempranillo: The best known red also known as Tinto Fino, Cencibel and Ull de Llebre producing fruity young wines that age well in oak. Garnacha (Grenache): Though of Spanish origin and produced in La Rioja, Navarra, Aragón and Cataluña is also found in several wine countries. It is normally blended with Tem-

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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Photo Credit: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela Facebook

SOCIAL SCENE

RED OR WHITE: What’s your tipple?

Grapes and regions pranillo to produce fruity wines, with raspberry aromas. Bobal: Cultivated mainly in Valencia it produces full bodied wines. Monastrell: The typical grape of Murcia producing powerful wines with structure and strength. Cabernet Sauvignon: Not a Spanish grape varietal but grows well here and is often blended with other grapes to produce more complex wines. Cabernet is found in La Mancha, Catalonia and Navarra. Merlot: Another French grape variety and again found in many regions. Syrah: Relatively popular in La Mancha and in the Mediterranean areas, it produces full bodied wines high in alcohol. Tinta de Toro: Of the Tempranillo grape family and most typically grown in Zamora. Cariñena: Widespread in Spain and in other wine-producing countries around the world. Other red wine grape varieties

include Manto Negro from the Balearic Islands, Negramoll and Listán Negro from the Canary Islands, Prieto Picudo from León, Brancellao and Caíño from Galicia, and Garnacha Tintorera found in Galicia, Alicante, and Albacete. The most common Spanish white grape varietals. Verdejo: Typical from Rueda-producing wines that are aromatic with a tropical character. Albariño: Produced in Rias Baixas, Galicia; aromatic and crispy with a distinctive aroma and silky texture. Godello: From Northwest Spain producing aromatic wines. Palomino: Mainly used for Fino production in Andalucia. Xareló, Parellada and Macabeo (or Viura): Grapes traditionally used to produce Cava. Airen: The world’s third most planted grape and traditionally used to produce the alcohol served as the base for brandy. Happy tasting.

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Council announces estate investment Photo by Google maps

INVESTMENT: Albox Council have said they will spend €375,000 on the Terdiguera industrial estate. LOCAL authorities in Albox have said they will set aside €375,000 for improvements to the Terdiguera industrial estate. The proposals were unanimously approved by the town’s council in a meeting held on Thursday January 25. The plans will now be sent to provincial authorities in Almeria to act on in future development schemes.

Investment into the estate will focus on modernising some of its main streets, as well as carrying out work on asphalting and lighting. Maintenance on the site’s electrical system will also be undertaken. Franciso Torrecillas, the mayor of Albox, was behind the initiative for the site. He told Spanish media that the industrial estate needed more investment.

“The shortcomings of the industrial estate are huge. “At the moment this money is what we can afford to invest in 2018. But we will not stop working and find the necessary financing to finish it and have an industrial estate which is at the level that Albox deserves,” he said. Funds for the project are set to come from the Provincial Plans of Municipal Infrastructures for 2016 to 2019.

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

morning rain and many residents turned out in what was reportedly a festive atmosphere. Mercader, a soldier by profession, won the Albox leg of the race beating local runner Juan Javier Jimenez. Jose Campoy, the town’s deputy mayor, closed the ceremony.

Photo by Albox council

Running into success NICOLAS MERCADER won in the Albox and Almerian Provincial Circuits of the ‘Hyundai Almerialva.’ Athletes had to run two laps of the 2.5km circuit with the finishing line located on the Avenida Pio XII, the town’s main street. The runners raced through

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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COOL RUNNINGS: Nicolas Mercader (back row, centre) at the finish line in Albox.

Brothers accused of murder face 32 years TWO brothers who allegedly shot their uncle and tried to kill their cousin in Albox could each face up to 32 years in prison. Juan Andres TG, 33, and Pedro TG, 23, appeared in court accused of murder and the illegal possession of weapons. Prosecutors have asked the court for a prison sentence of 32 years and six months if they are found guilty according to reports.

The court heard that the defendants arrived at the apartment building where their uncle and cousin lived in Albox on February 24, 2016. They pounced on the owner and began to beat him until the cousin arrived and calmed the situation. The brothers then returned to their car while their uncle and cousin went inside the building. The defendants then returned to the building’s entrance. One of them held

the door open while the other shot their uncle in the chest with a decommissioned pistol modified to fire bullets when he came down, prosecutors claimed. They then reportedly attempted to stab their cousin after the gun jammed. They were arrested by Guardia Civil officers at their home who seized another gun, ammunition and over €43,000 in cash. The trial continues.

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS Photo by PSOE

APPEAL: Rogelio Mena (centre, left), pictured here campaigning in 2015, is accused of embezzling more than €2,000 of public money.

Former mayor appeals embezzlement charges THE former mayor of Albox has said he will appeal against the opening of a trial over his alleged misuse of public funds. Rogelio Mena is accused of spending more than €2,000 of the town’s funds for a series of private trips and dinners between 2013 and 2014. He is due to appear in court in Huercal-Overa to answer the charges. The former Partido Socialista politician said he would not allow his reputation to be tarnished by claims that he spent money inappropriately on what he said were ‘justified’ trips. “I will explain to the judge that prob-

lems like the water in Albox could not be solved with meetings in Almeria or Huercal. They are solved in Sevilla, Madrid and wherever it is necessary to go. “This is political persecution whereby the judicial system is being used as a weapon by the Partido Popular,” he said. Mena left office in 2016 after being found guilty of denying information to the opposition. Prosecutors are seeking an 18-month prison sentence and disqualification from office for the former mayor. The case continues.

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

PROPERTY

SPLASHING OUT: Sterling’s choice of villa is in Puerto Banus. (INSET) The England attacker has been in a rich vein of form.

by Harrison Jones ENGLAND footballer, Raheem Sterling, is reportedly set to buy a stunning new six-bed Spanish villa. The Manchester City star is believed to be paying around €5.45 million for the luxury Marbella pad, which comes complete with a cinema room, pool and wine cellar. Located close to the beach at Puerto Banus, the area is a haunt for millionaires - and the 23-year-old is keen to add to his property portfolio there, according to reports. The villa’s description says: ‘It offers open-plan living, that flows effortlessly between beautifully designed interior and exterior spaces, each filled with bespoke furniture, commissioned exclusively for the property, giving it a modern and highly unique look.

Sterling: Raheem set for plush multi-million euro Marbella villa ‘The ground floor entrance leads onto a light, open plan living and dining space, complete with a state-of-the-art custom kitchen. Sliding glass windows give access to the garden with its covered terrace and bespoke zero edge swimming pool area.’ Sterling already lives in a £3 million, five-acre mansion in Cheshire, England, with girlfriend Paige Milian and their one-yearold son, Thiago. He signed for City for £49 million from Liverpool and earns roughly £200,000 a week. The attacking midfielder, has been in superb form this season, netting 14 times in the Premier

League to make him the divisons fourth top scorer. He also has four assists. But now he wants a holiday home to visit when he’s not playing. He has visited the area twice already, according to British media. The description continues: ‘The villa boasts a stylish outdoor living area. In addition the ground floor also has a double bedroom with en-suite bathroom, leading out to a private terrace garden area. The first floor features a magnificent master bedroom, and a truly sensational en-suite bathroom. ‘There are a further two bed-

rooms with bathroom on the first floor, and access to two large sun terraces looking over the pool and gardens. ‘The basement level, benefiting from independent access and floor to ceiling natural light, is in excess of 400m2. This incredible space has purposefully been left partially finished. It can be designed for bedroom and bathroom accommodation, as well as a multi-entertainment space, cinema room, wine cellar or gym, offering a unique turnkey opportunity.’ Sterling bought his mother a multi-million pound home a couple of years ago.

RISING UP: It is a good time to sell in Spain.

Gains in Spain THE average price of exclusive housing in Spain rose by 6 per cent year-on-year at the end of 2017. According to the Barnes Report 2017 of the luxury real estate market, that averages at €6,600 per square metre. However, it is expected that the negative impact of the Catalan independence struggle will not be felt for a few more months. In large cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Valencia, the increase in prices was above 12 per cent (€10,000 per square metre). This figure also applied to regions with the highest tourist influx such as the Costa del Sol, the Balearic Islands and the Valencian coast. Emmanuel Virgoulay, the founding partner of Barnes Spain, commented that the real estate sector has experienced a ‘historic year’ in 2017. “Not only has the economic crisis been left behind, but a necessary stability has been achieved for the market,” he said.

SPAIN has established itself as the second most attractive country in Europe for investors in real estate.

Only Germany is ahead, with 28.5 per cent of the total, while Spain brings in a healthy 19.9 per cent,

and the UK in third at 11.9 per cent. This data was presented at the Outlook 2018: Europe and Spain Investment Briefing, where more than 100 real estate professionals gathered. In addition, experts are confidant that real estate investment will continue to grow in Spain this year, in a strong economic climate. The political instability in Cataluña is an ongoing cause of uncertainty for the Spanish market, in a similar way to the Brexit effect on the UK, according to Alvaro Otero, a partner of CMA Albinana. In the face of the Catalonian crisis, investors are looking for “boring places, in political terms, to invest,” said Nicole Klux, Director of real estate company AF Advisory. As a result, other cities like Madrid, Sevilla, Mala-

Credit: Wikimedia

Second best to invest

HOUSE BOOM: Spain is enjoying a popular property market. ga and Valencia are benefiting from the investment boom. Oscar Perez, the Invest-

ment Director of Qualitas Equity, said, “the investment trend is on the rise, as shown by a greater in-

terest in international funds entering Spain through local family offices.”

1 - 7 February 2018 / Costa de Almería

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DICK HANDSCOMBE

THE importance of trees within, and surrounding, villages and towns is now taken seriously worldwide. February marks the start of the season of ‘Days of the Tree’ (Dias del Arbol), leading up to the United Nations Day of the Tree on Wednesday March 21. On such days, local residents of all ages join forces to support the local environmental protection (Medio Ambiente) teams. They plant up new trees, to replace those lost by fires or the drying out of mountainsides or valleys, review and improve the quality and density of tree plantings in village and town streets and squares and at home in their private gardens. A much-needed day in our village, La Drova, has been organised by the local Residents Association for Sunday March 11. In other locations it has been gardening clubs and local councils that have taken the initiative. In each case the main objectives are, to improve the range of trees useful for creating interesting views, improve the balance between shaded and sunny areas, protect and stimulate the growth of wildlife populations, create local supplies of medium and long-term commercial supplies of wooden fencing posts and construction beams, lop or remove dangerous trees, establish local sources of leaves and fruits for healthy infusions and to enhance personal privacy and security.

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Your garden in February

The value of trees

TREE-MENDOUS: Trees perform a number of useful functions in both private and public gardens. Selections of useful native and imported trees are provided in my books ‘Your garden in Spain’ and ‘How to use less water in your gar-

den - a practical guide to waterwise Mediterranean style gardening worldwide.’ What is planted and when it is planted needs to

match local seasonal climates, soil depths and qualities, eventual heights and widths, and, in some cases, historical customs. Two of the longest existing tree planting days in Spain are those of the villages Alameda de los Remedios, started in 1594 and Villanueva de la Sierra, started in 1805. It is obvious that these plantings were taken seriously, as the results are apparently still to be seen. However, in our village for instance, many plantings die within a few years due to poor planting practices, poor provision of protection from hungry animals and playful dogs, and irregular watering and weeding of young trees. Fortunately, surviving ancient trees are now given official protection in many areas of Spain, but in others they are felled within private gardens by new owners, to reduce the need to rake or vacuum up fallen leaves and dead flowers.

Keep life sweet SWEET POTATOES are a perfect vegetable to grow in Spain, as they thrive in sunny conditions. However, they’re not picky about where they’re planted and also grow well in other parts of the garden. They also work well on a trellis or a patio planter, as

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

they produce beautiful tubers in the autumn that add to the lovely foliage and flowers. In order to create the perfect environment for them to grow, build several, wide, 25cm-high ridges, spaced about a metre apart. A row that is three metres long will produce about 4kg of potatoes. Make sure you add lots of organic compost, but avoid nitrogen-rich fertilisers which can stunt growth. To get the best results, plant root sprouts - or ‘slips’ - which can bought from nurseries or you can save a few roots from a previous crop. Plant the slips 15 centimetres deep and about 30 centimetres apart, so they have space to spread out, then press the soil down firmly, and water well. The potatoes usually mature in 90 to 170 days but are very frost sensitive, so make sure you plant them three to four weeks after the last frost if you live in a particularly cold area. If it is dry, provide a few centimetres of water each week until two weeks before they’re due to be harvested, then allow the soil to dry out.

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Negative reinforcement FAN OF NEEDLES: Should animal owners vaccinate their pets?

David THE Dogman

Pet protection gone too far?

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

AS the name suggests, negativity is never good. Used with people or animals it can have a disastrous effect. When teaching and exercising ‘sit’, you pull up on the check chain, hand on y o u r d o g ’s r u m p a n d t e l l him to ‘sit’. No reward is given. Is that good for the dog? Yes, he will automatically sit in time when you stop walking. He has learnt the exercise with the repetition of the action being used. This goes for all exercises you train him in, but something is lacking. He’s learnt of course, but where is the joy and the outgoing exuberance. Remember you do have to train to the stage where just a quick ‘good dog’ is sufficient. He needs

GOOD BOY: Negativity can be disastrous if used on its own. to work every time, not just sometimes. Punishment of a dog should never be used. However correction of a dog should be done when it is necessary. I am not talking about if it makes a mistake in training. That’s usua l l y y o u r f a u l t . Yo u m a y not have taught it properly. You only have about four seconds to make any correction. Usually a growl can be sufficient. Sometimes, if the reason for the correction is sufficient, you may need to physically grab the dog either side of the neck, and

even lift it off the ground using a firm grip and an even firmer voice. You would use something like this if the dog snarls at you, goes to bite you or some other action which is more than a misdemeanour. Again, remember you only have about four seconds after the event to make the corrections. After that you are too late. Think about two dogs mixing it up. They don’t hesitate to retaliate if challenged. They are instant creatures. What is important here is that afterwards you have to

correct the dog, whether it just be with ‘ah.. ah’ or you have to handle the dog. You must give it a command it can achieve quickly like ‘sit’ and then reward it immediately. You have corrected (not punished) for the misdem e a n o u r, a n d y o u a r e i m mediately rewarding for the command of sit, which it has done well. It’s now all over. Never hit your dog or use your feet on it. All corrections must be followed by praise. Never finish on a negative, always on a positive and happy note.

THERE’S reportedly a growing community of people who believe it’s dangerous to vaccinate your pets. The advocates behind the campaign claim that immunising domestic animals can cause various diseases and disorders - including autism - that could shorten your pet’s life. While the alleged risks of vaccinating children have been broadcast for many years now, the supposed danger vaccines pose to animals is a relatively new talking point. The website www.dog listener.co.uk alleges an American veterinary paper revealed around 22,000 cats develop cancer at the point of vaccination every year in the USA. Immunisation also reportedly causes thyroid disease, arthritis and parvovirus, according to various anti-vaccine protestors. Others claim that pets are being over-vaccinated, as most injections are designed to last for at least seven years, and many fear smaller animals are subjected to injections that are stronger than they need. However, immunologists claim large and small dogs require the same dosage.

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“ Guess who’s back MOTORING FACT

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THE most expensive car ever sold at auction was a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO which sold for a staggering €30.7 million (£26.9 million) at Bonhams, The Quail in 2014. The car was originally built to contest the 1963 FIA World GT Championships.

F1 makes its return this month, as Spain hosts first test

PRE-SEASON testing for Formula 1 begins in Barcelona this month. The city’s Circuit de Cataluña will be the scene of the first test of 2018, on February 26. The session will last until March 1, before another round, between March 6 - 9. The teams will return to the same circuit on May 13, for the Spanish Grand Prix, ahead of two days of inseason testing, on May 15 and 16. The 21-race season finishes in late November in Abu Dhabi, though Lewis Hamilton had sewn up the World Championship long before the final race last season. The 33-year-old Brit - who has recently faced difficulties about his tax arrangements - is odds-on favourite to retain his title with Mercedes. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, followed by Red Bull pair Max Verstappen and

MOTORING

Daniel Ricciardo, are the other frontrunners, according to bookmakers. Britain’s only other possible representative, Paul di Resta, is a 301-1 outsider, some way behind ‘any other driver’ in the favourites list. The Scot’s only chance of a race this year will be as a test driver. Di Resta will be hoping to feature in the British Grand Prix, scheduled to take place on July 8 at Silverstone. All the top teams have unchanged driver line-ups, but there are a number of changes further down the grid. Toro Rosso have given rookies Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley their backing on the starting grid, after the pair both made their F1 race debuts late last year. At Williams, Lance Stroll will now partner Sergey Sirotkin, leaving Felipe Massa without a drive.

Former star Robert Kubica will be their test driver, eight years after he last competed in the Championship. The Pole suffered a horrific hand injury in early 2011, which nearly ended his career. Meanwhile, Sauber have announced that reigning F2 champion and Ferrari Driver Academy prodigy Charles Leclerc will join their squad. More profound changes could be in place at Force India, which could have a new name ahead of the new season. A spokesperson for the Britishbased team reportedly said: “A name change ahead of the new season remains a possibility. “If it happens it would be announced ahead of the launch/testing or at the launch.” The team, who have finished fourth for the past two seasons,

have cooled suggestions that ‘Force One’ might be their new name. The first race of the season is the Australian Grand Prix, on March 25.

FAVOURITE: Many expect Lewis Hamilton to retain his World Championship title.

MOTORING

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YAMAHA have released a new ‘utility’ golf buggy. And the company boast that the latest stylish model has ‘superior comfort and increased productivity.’ The Yamaha UMX light utility vehicle - which they say is ‘built for work’ - will soon be available in 400cc petrol and 5.0kW electric versions. Set for release at Yamaha dealers in June, the company describes the new vehicle as ‘a strong, stylish and compact utility vehicle that is

Slick Yamaha buggy out in June equipped to transport two people and their cargo quickly and effortlessly around farms, parks, factories and airports.’ The aluminium cargo bed is a spacious 104.6cm long x 116.6cm wide x 30.2cm deep. There is also a one-touch tailgate, giving instant access to tools, equipment or supplies.

They company add: ‘Its rugged design enables the UMX to be driven over a variety of road and non-extreme off-road terrain to give access to all areas, both indoor and outside - and the smart suspension and two separate seats ensure a comfortable and confident ride. ‘Equipped with a large rear cargo bed and

Beemer for BMW

Photo by BMW

Company scoop double win at Best Cars Award

MAKING A SPLASH: The X1 won the Upper Midrange class. THE BMW 5 Series and X1 won prestigious awards at the German Auto Motor and Sports magazine’s Best Car Awards 2018. The readers’ polls saw the pair win the Upper Midrange and Compact SUV categories. It’s the second year in a row that the 5 Series has won the former class, to add to a collection of other

awards. The awards were announced during a ceremony at the International Congress Centre in Stuttgart. Over 117,000 readers voted for the 42nd annual awards, which saw 378 models compete in 11 categories. In an impressive haul for the German manufacturer, BMW placed in six other

categories. The BMW i3 came second in the Small Cars category, while third place positions came for five other cars - the 2 Series Coupe (Compact Class), 4 Series Gran Coupe (Midrange Class), i8 Coupe (Sports Cars), X3 (Large SUVs) and 2 Series Active Tourer/BMW 2 Series Gran Tourer (Vans).

convenient front storage compartment, the UMX is an asset to any business - and with its easy to use controls and ergonomic design, this new Yamaha utility vehicle ensures that every member of the workforce gets the job done more efficiently.’ The price of the vehicle is not yet known. Yamaha is one of the best established brands in the golf car segment but now says it is aiming to diversify its range.

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ROAD TEST by Nick Fletcher

Volvo S90 D4 Inscription WITH the growing popularity of hatchbacks, SUVs and estate cars, the market for luxury saloons is declining, but it is still an important sector served by brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Jaguar. And Volvo, of course. The Swedish manufacturer brings a fresh look and sophistication to the sector with its latest S90, with particular emphasis on extensive equipment and safety features, and driving refinement. The S90 I tested is the largest saloon in the company’s line-up and prices start at €38,568 (£33,865), though my test model was a mid-range D4 Inscription version priced at €44,268 (£37,115). Powered by a 2.0 litre 190 hp diesel engine with eight-speed auto gearbox, it has a quick 0100 kph time of 7.9 seconds and top speed of 225 kph (140 mph). Fuel consumption is 22.7 kpl (64.2 mpg). There is plenty of room for five adults, and the 500-litre boot is more than adequate for normal requirements.The cabin - described by Volvo as ‘a sanctuary’ - has a cooler, more modern look than

Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

most rivals, a significant factor in an image-conscious sector. Latest styling gives the S90 a sleek, distinctive, more elegant appearance than some of its German opposition and while not quite as agile as some, it is smooth, quiet and effortless in overall driving and is an excellent motorway cruiser. Standard kit includes heated leather seats, large touch-screen infotainment system with sat-nav and connectivity, alloy wheels and arguably bestin-class safety equipment which includes various crash-preven-

tion features including roadside animal detection and Pilot Assist, a semi-autonomous system which aids acceleration, braking and lane-keeping. Volvo aims to bring new vision to the traditional luxury saloon class, offering more svelte, more intelligent and more innovative styling. With the S90, it has certainly succeeded.

STATS PANEL Model: Volvo S90 D4 Inscription Engine: 2.0 litre diesel Transmission: 8-speed automatic Performance: 0-100 kph 7.9 seconds, top speed 225 kph (140 mph) Economy: 22.7 kpl (64.2 mpg) Emissions: 116 g/km

VOLVO S90: A sophisticated fresh look.

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LIONEL MESSI scored a late free-kick to secure all three points for Barcelona after a second-half fight back saw them win 2-1 against struggling Alaves. The runaway leaders fell behind to a shock first-half opener through former Manchester City and Celtic striker John Gudetti’s strike and the 17th placed side held the lead for most of the match before Luis Suarez broke their resolve in the 72nd minute. Alaves seemed to be heading for a memorable draw against the runaway leaders, but that man Messi stepped up to score a trademark free-kick, albeit not his best, to break Alaves hearts. The result leaves Alaves sitting dangerously just two points above the relegation zone, while Barcelona retained their 11 point lead at the top of La Liga after Atletico had cruised past Las Palmas earlier in the day. Second half strikes from Antoine Griezmann, Fernando Torres and Thomas Partey were enough to see the 2013/14 Champions past Las Palmas at the Wanda Metropolitano and keep some pressure on Barca. Elsewhere, Real Madrid moved to within two points of third placed Valencia as they brushed the Valencians aside 41 to ease pressure on boss Zinedine Zidane. Cristiano Ronaldo scored

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La Liga roundup Messi magic spares Barcelona’s blushes @GerardPiqueHQ/Twitter

by Benjamin Park

MAGIC: Messi saved the day for Barcelona with a late free-kick. two first half penalties before Santi Mina replied for the hosts, but two late strikes from Marcelo and Toni Kroos saw the current champions move to within two points of third place with a game in hand. Last year’s Champions remain just a point ahead of Villarreal though, as they continued their good form to beat While Villarreal pushed on, Sevilla stumbled as their quest for Europa League qualification hit a snag with a 1-1 draw against Getafe.

SPAIN has been crowned European Handball Champions for the first time after a 29-23 win over former World Champions Sweden in the final. In what turned out to be a thrilling match, the Swedes raced into a three goal lead early in the first half and dominated the remainder, deservedly taking a 14-12 lead into the half-time interval. Spain’s Alex Dujshabaev, who was named in the team of the tournament, told media after the match: “After four losses in finals of the European championships, we knew we had to give everything in our power and play the best we can. “In the first half, they were the ones that outplayed us, they were better, but we talked in the break and told ourselves we are about to play the last 30 minutes of the tournament.” Their talk during the break clearly worked as Spain, who defied the odds to reach the final, soon put on an 8:1 goal spree to turn the match on its head.

Sevilla seemed on course for victory after Lucas Muriel’s 72nd minute strike opened the scoring, but Angel replied for the away side with a 93rd minute equaliser to secure a point as Getafe moved into the top 10. Following their historic Copa del Rey quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, Leganes continued their red hot form as they beat Espanyol 3-2 on Sunday. Espanyol’s Mario Hermoso scored possibly one of the

strangest hat-tricks in history as he managed to score two own goals, before getting one back for the side in the final minutes. Ten-man Deportivo La Coruña let a 2-0 lead slip in the final 10 minutes as Ivan Ivi scored a quickfire double for Levante who staged a dramatic late comeback to salvage a 2-2 draw. Deportivo looked set to leapfrog their opponents out of the relegation zone after Adrian Lopez and Florin Andone put the hosts firmly in control, de-

CHAMPIONS: Spain won their 1st European Handball Championship. Ferran Cole and David Balaguer scored five goals each, while backs Raul Enterrios and Alex Duishabaev pitched in with four apiece.

spite playing with a man less from the 34th minute after Celso Borges saw red. But they let the lead slip in the final 10 minutes as Ivi made the most of some slack defending to ensure that Deportivo remain in deep trouble. In the weekend’s other fixtures, bottom side Malaga managed to grab another point as they drew 0-0 with Girona, while Athletic Bilbao drew 1-1 with Eibar, and in the Monday night game, Celta Vigo overcame Real Betis 3-2 thanks to

an Iago Aspas double. Results Friday, January 26 Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Eibar Saturday, January 27 Villarreal 4-2 Real Sociedad Malaga 0-0 Girona Valencia 1-4 Real Madrid Deportivo La Coruña 2-2 Levante Sunday, January 28 Leganes 3-2 Espanyol Atletico Madrid 3-0 Las Palmas Sevilla 1-1 Getafe Barcelona 2-1 Alaves Monday, January 29 Celta Vigo 3-2 Real Betis Fixtures Friday, February 2 Real Sociedad vs Deportivo La Coruña Saturday February 3 Eibar vs Sevilla Real Betis vs Villarreal Alaves vs Celta Vigo Levante vs Real Madrid Sunday February 4 Getafe vs Leganes Espanyol vs Barcelona Girona vs Athletic Bilbao Atletico Madrid vs Valencia Monday February 5 Las Palmas vs Malaga

England “one of the favourites” for Six Nations, says Redfern

Spain are European Handball Champions Photo by

SPORT

Spain were also indebted to their standin goalkeeper, 38-year-old Arpad Sterbik, who pulled off some crucial saves in the second half.

FORMER England international Steve Redfern believes that England will be “one of the favourites” for this year’s Six Nations. The Red and Whites ran away with last year’s trophy, but were edged out 13-9 by Ireland in the final game and narrowly missed out on the Grand Slam. And ahead of this year’s tournament, former England international and Leicester Tigers front row Steve Redfern believes that Eddie Jones’ men have more than enough to win the title once again and will also have an eye on the Grand Slam. He told the Euro Weekly News: “I think they’ve got to be one of the favourites. “Eddie Jones is developing and the players are as well. “We have to be up there again and the players will be thinking about that Grand Slam.” The side head into this weekend’s tournament second in the world in the World Rugby rankings, just behind New Zealand, and will be confident of winning their third successive Six Nations title. England begins their campaign on Sunday as they travel to Italy with the kick off at 4pm.

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BARCELONA star Lionel Messi has hit the post an incredible 13 times already this season. The Argentinian hit the post again during his side’s win against Alaves at the weekend, surpassing the 12 times he hit the woodwork in the 2014/15 season.

Costa de Almería’s best guide to local sport

Cataluñya crowned Golf course named Spain’s best THE world-famous Cataluñya Golf PGA Resort has been named the best course in Spain by prestigious golfing website top100golfcourses.com. The course remained at the top of Spain’s 348 courses despite falling one place to fourth on the website’s Top 100 European destinations earlier this month. Andy Newmarch, from top100golfcourses.com, told the media: “The Stadium Course at PGA Cataluñya Resort remains our Spanish #1 for 2018-2019. This continues to be a huge achievement as growing numbers of top-end courses in this

country are making our listing ever more competitive. “I have said before that the Stadium Course has improved on each visit in recent years - and that was true again in 2017. The course delivers superb design, first-class conditioning, a big challenge… and it is quite simply a wonderful place to be. “The Stadium Course at PGA Cataluñya Resort is a Must Play.” The PGA Cataluñya Resort is currently undergoing a threeyear, multi-million Euro investment programme that will see a whole host of new facilities introduced, including football pitches, tennis courts, a new Forest Park and a man-made recreational lake. With the result, the 7,333 yard, 36-hole resort continues to build on its 2015 International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) award when it was given the European Golf Resort of the Year title.

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Going for gold SPANISH figure skater Javier Fernandez admits that he is aiming to become the first Spaniard to win a gold medal since 1972 at this month’s Winter Olympics. The two-time World Champion is in red hot form going in to the Pyeongchang games, having recently just won his sixth consecutive European Championship. He narrowly missed out on the podium four years ago in Sochi, where he finished fourth in his best ever Olympic result. Fernandez became the first male Spanish figure skater to participate in the Olympics since Dario Villalba in 1956 with his first Olympic appearance in 2010, and now admits he wants to become the first Spaniard to receive a Winter Olympics medal since 1992. He told Spanish media: “I’m going to try to be the Olympic

REDEMPTION: Fernandez is aiming for gold after narrowly missing out on a medal at the 2014 Sochi Games. champion, but the competition is going to be really hard. “I’ll be just happy to be on the podium because Spain never had a medal in figure skating, so that would be making history and I would also be happy with that. “I think in these Olympics I’m going to be more prepared,” Fernandez continued. “I’ve been now two times world champion, and in the last Olympics in Sochi I wasn’t a world champion. So I think it’s going to help me fight to be on the podium.” The Winter Olympics will take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea from February 9 to 25.