Costa Blanca South 20 - 26 December 2012 Issue 1433 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

ISSUE NO. 1433

20 - 26 DECEMBER 2012

EWN WISHES

READERS AND ADVERTISERS A MERRY XMAS

5m plus! THE number of expatriates living in Spain swelled 234 per cent from 2001 to last year.

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Expats swell population

And during that time, Spain’s overall population figure, including nationals and expatriates, has

increased 14.6 per cent to 46,815,916, almost six million more than in 2001. In the latest census, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) took a sample of 11 per cent of the population, visiting one million homes and quizzing 5.4 million people. Ten years ago, there were 1,572,013 foreign residents. Now there are 5,252,473, a rise of 234 TOWN IN NEED: Protesters block one entrance to Rojales in fight for new school. per cent. In 2001, there were 57,533 Romanians in Spain and now there are 798,104, which is 1,287 AROUND 200 parents, to a halt in a series of patio where children play. per cent more, making students, politicians and protests. Protesters gathered at them the most numerous residents brought Rojales They were campaigning different points, cutting group of foreigners. against the state of the off entrances to Rojales, Meanwhile, the Parainfant and primary school before meeting outside guayan population has in the town which has the town hall. risen 6,836 per cent to been described as a ‘pit of The three main political 121,721. terror’. parties in Rojales were In regions including the The demonstration was represented, headed by Balearic Islands, Murcia, organised by AMPA, the Mayor Antonio Perez Valencia and Cataluña, parents association of the (PSOE). They continue to the number of foreign Colegio Público Príncipe support calls for a new residents has risen so de España, who want the school and question why much that it now Education Department to the funding has not been represents more than 15 fulfil its promises and forthcoming from the per cent of the total Education Department. build a new school. population. Parent Rachel King calls In a state of disrepair The town with the most for more than a decade, the school a ‘pit of terror’ foreigners is Rojales, in the renewed protests and joined a group who Alicante, where fewer come after a 20-kilo piece travelled to Valencia last than three in every 10 is of concrete fell off the December to lobby the Spanish. At the opposite building, landing on the government. end of the scale, in Ubrique, Cadiz Province, foreign residents represent less than 1 per cent of the population. The youngest foreign residents in Spain are the Africans and Asians, compared to the European residents who are much older.

200 join ‘Pit of Terror’ protest

H me ~

ESPANA

Villas and Apartments required for our

966 761 545 www.homeespana.co.uk

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Drink-driving and crime rate falling CRIME in the Murcia Region fell in 2011. In addition, drink-driving offences dropped by 15.41 per cent to 5,300. Another 1,500 cases were brought for driving without a licence. Murcia Office of the High Court of Justice (TSJM) opened a total of 132,495 cases in 2011, which is a reduction in crime of 5.9 per cent compared to 2010. Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Court, Manuel Lopez Bernal, believes that the overall figures brings ‘good news’ since the figures show falls across the board in most areas. During 2011, there were a total of 4,424 crimes of domestic violence, a 10.64 per cent fall from 2010, with 223 convictions. The chief prosecutor

which houses replacement products for stores. Two workers were allegedly approached by masked men armed with guns. The employees claim they were kicked and punched before

Pedal power SIXTY-FIVE people participated in the inaugural Bike Day organised by the Association of European Residents of Gran Alacant.

Christmas cost SANTA POLA is spending a total of €91,511 on this year’s Christmas celebrations, an increase of €5,000.

New look LESS CRIME: Police have fewer cases to deal with. explained that this area sees the greatest number of acquittals due mainly to the victim refusing to testify against their spouse. Crime within the family decreased by 15.2 per cent compared to 2010.

In other areas, including the environment, the Office of the High Court started 27 prosecutions for crimes related to toxic waste, illegal use of water, noise pollution and illegal dumping.

Operation Monjes nets four for robbery FOUR arrests have been made in Madrid and a fifth in Elche in connection with an armed robbery in Guardamar. The event took place last July in an establishment

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being dragged along the ground and tied up with wire. The robbers allegedly hit one of the men with a glass bottle and continued to threaten and intimidate

them before fleeing in a car after emptying the safe. The arrests came as part of Operation Monjes, which reportedly led police to a criminal gang based in Madrid and Elche.

CALLE Barrio Nuevo in Orihuela has received a make-over and repair work at a cost of almost €50,000.

Festive spirit MURCIA’S Young Neighbourhood Association collected toys and food for charity Caritas to be distributed amongst poor families.

Animal day THE Orihuela animal shelter hosted an open day yesterday (Wednesday) to publicise their activities, raise funds and seek volunteers.

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Natural delivery gets a boost ALICANTE General Hospital has introduced changes to make giving birth as natural as possible, including aromatherapy and music therapy, special chairs for pregnant women and more contact with newborn babies.

Tram transport REGIONAL railway company FGV recorded a total of 388,292 users during November on the Metropolitan Tram network in Alicante.

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Driving business forward ALICANTE institutions are promoting the first ‘business accelerator’ in the province. It will have a committee of mentors and a highly qualified technical team allowing entrepreneurs, universities, companies and investors to come together for the first time to launch new businesses based on talent. Mentors bring expertise from different professional fields including design, programming, use of social

networking, gaming, online marketing, business model, cloudcomputing and communication. The scheme is designed to support entrepreneurs with hightech potential projects, allowing them to develop their ideas and go to market with greater guarantees of success. The University of Alicante (UA), the European Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) of Alcoy, and the Association of Business

Angels of Valencia have implemented the ‘business accelerator’ called Knowledge Crowd. It is supported by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, the government and the European Union. The technical staff will provide support in the process of generation and development of the business model, implementing growth strategies, fundraising, seizing opportunities and improving skills.

Foreign enclave SEVENTY-TWO per cent of Rojales residents are foreign, according to the population census prepared by the National Statistics Institute.

Memorable date THE first set of triplets to be born in Elche in 2012 arrived on the memorable date of December 12, 2012 - 12.12.12.

AN exhibition of photographs, personal and historical items of Spanish troops in the colonies of Africa is on at Elche Museum of Archaeology and History.

Switch on

Show off

It may look simple from the air, but Barcelona is not instantly easy for foreigners to find their way around!

Sky-high view of Barcelona a city made up of squares!

EW expatriates visiting Barcelona are likely to have noticed how simple the city’s grid street system is. All the neat squares of roads criss-crossing seem more like a maze when walking and driving the city’s highways and byways. While the Spanish say it is an easy city to drive and get around - a fact this aerial picture clearly appears to indicate - foreign motorists driving in the city frequently find themselves regretting that they did not leave their car at home and take the train or bus instead. Barcelona, a city with so much appeal, oozes attractions, from the famous La Sagrada Familia (arrowed and inset) to Las

Quote of the week

‘

On parade

SUSPECTED thieves were caught by police allegedly trying to steal copper from a home in Los Alcazares and a company in Librilla.

Cocaine trial

ALICANTE schoolchildren have presented business projects to the Federation of Young Entrepreneurs as part of a school assignment to encourage entrepreneurial spirit.

Nwatch ews

Home arrest

A MAN was injured after falling from a balcony in Arenales del Sol. He was trying to jump from a neighbour’s balcony to his own after leaving his keys locked inside the apartment.

Young project

Costa Blanca South

ORIHUELA is switching on the Christmas lights today (Thursday).

Balcony fall

TEN people will appear in court today (Thursday) at Elche Provincial Court, charged with dealing cocaine. More than 20 kilos of the drug was allegedly seized valued at €1.3 million.

‘I know the Spanish Government will not be gentle with me. I have been preparing myself for this for a long time.’

Gao Ping, Chinese art dealer and businessman in Spain, in a conversation with his accountant recorded by the police. He was arrested on suspicion of leading a money-laundering gang.

Ramblas, from the world-famous local football team to the Joan Miro gallery, not to mention wonderful shops, world-class hotels, famous restaurants, an attractive port and marina area, plus numerous parks. This aerial photograph was one of 28 recently circulated on the internet under the title ‘It’s a beautiful world’, showing a variety of global shots, from Japan to Ecuador, from Iceland to the US, on a wide range of topics, from lightning strikes to the craziest illusion, and from wildlife to the world’s busiest train. Undoubtedly this shot of the nation’s second most important city after the capital Madrid deserves its place under the simple title of ‘Epic aerial of Barcelona’.

Number of the week

will be closed by 700 branches Santander Bank all over the world.

The Spanish bank announced this as a measure for saving costs, following the merger of Banesto and Banif bank into the Santander Group.

TONIGHT’S (Thursday) Christmas Show with the Alpengold Oompah Band for DEBRA Spain charity at La Marina Sports Complex has been cancelled.

Street fair MERCADEARTE in Orihuela saw 104 artists, artisans and associations take over Calle de Arriba in the town for the latest edition of the Christmas market.

Carol contest ROJALES Theatre hosted the 34th National Carols and Lullabies Contest, one of the oldest in Spain. Choirs from Valencia, Guadal-ajara, San Javier and Molina de Segura took part.

and finally... ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ made €6.2 million in its opening weekend at more than 1,000 Spanish cinemas. It is the third best debut this year, behind ‘The Impossible’ and the latest ‘Twilight’ film.

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BRITISH

PRESS

Stories making headlines from the United Kingdom

Flying baby A 7lb baby boy has been born in a helicopter, 1,000ft above the Shetland Island, Lunna Holm. It is the first case of a baby being delivered on the Coastguard search and rescue helicopter .

Fewer gases

CAROL TIME: Choral groups lead the singing as part of the 10th anniversary of the popular Torrevieja event.

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Singing with their hearts THE 10th anniversary of the annual Christmas Carols in the town square took place in Torrevieja. Thousands turned up at the Plaza de la Consitucion for the carols that have become a permanent fixture on Torreviejaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas cultural programme since they began in 2003. Various local choral groups, including Coro Nordica, Rascals and Cantible, accompanied by the Phoenix Concert Band and conducted by Bill Singleton, led the singing in front of the main church. Carols were mainly in English but there was an offering of two Spanish songs, with members of Torrevieja Town Hall joining in the festivities. Following the carol concert the public was invited to attend International Mass held by the priest of the Inmaculada Church Manuel, MartĂnez Rocamora.

The mass was dedicated to the foreign residents of Torrevieja. Local ministers from other churches such as the Anglicans, Church of Sweden, Norway and Finland were involved in some of the planning. Once again part of the celebration was the collection of food. It will be distributed to the needy of the town. Previously, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;foreignersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; have demonstrated considerable generosity and there were more gifts received during the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;foreigners massâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; than on any other evening, and this year was no different. The bucket collection carried out was made on behalf of the local charity Alimentos Solidarios which provides a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;social kitchenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and up to 300 meals a day for needy families. The amount raised through this collection was â&#x201A;Ź985.

LONDON generated 28 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions than predicted during the 2012 Olympic Games, achieved by cutting energy use at venues, said the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.

Laffy Duck A 50ft rubber duck sailed through the Thames River in London in a stunt to encourage Brits to have a laugh. It was to publicise Jackpot joy.comâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new ÂŁ250,000 (â&#x201A;Ź308,000) Facebook FUNdation grants pot.

Say cheese A WOMAN in Sussex inadvertently took her own picture when trying to unlock a stolen phone. The photo was automatically e-mailed to the owner with the mapped location of the thief via the anti-theft app.

Blind rage A DRUNKEN man, registered blind, ran over his girlfriend after he got behind the wheel after drinking five bottles of wine. She escaped with minor grazing following the incident in Lincoln.

Sounds fishy A LONDON fishmonger, known as the ÂŁ1 Fish Man, has released a song in the hopes of securing the coveted Christmas number one slot. Muhammad Shahid Nazirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s song was posted on YouTube.

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Local Christmas markets boost traditional trade BIGASTRO and Almoradí hosted Christmas markets to revitalise traditional trade and raise awareness of local cultural heritage. Almoradí hosted 24 exhibitors in Constitution Square (Plaza de la

Constitucion). Various concert bands and choirs entertained. Non-profit organisations launched a campaign to collect food for needy families. The Association of Women also took part with traditional

skills like lace and embroidery, and the Handicapped Association hosted a crafts exhibition. In Bigastro 25 establishments made up the outdoor shopping area in Calle La Purisima offering

Sweet treats to share

VOLUNTEERING: Hospital visitors needed.

Service for the sick

HELP Vega Baja is pleased to announce that the hospital visiting service at Torrevieja Hospital has now recommenced. It comes after the recent signing of a new agreement with the management of the hospital. Anyone who is interested in joining the visiting team can contact the HELP office on 966 723 725.

EXPATRIATES are asked to bring traditional sweets or cakes from their own country to be shared at a Christmas celebration. The Office for the Urbanisations in La Marina has invited all residents to join in a festive celebration tomorrow (Friday) at the Social Centre. Carols will be sung and mulled wine or muscatel sipped as people sample the Christmas delicacies from other countries.

Orihuela’s solidarity market ORIHUELA’S second solidarity market, organised by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with traders has opened. Councillor of Tourism Pedro Mancebo, together with Juan Ignacio LopezBas, Councillor of Commerce, officially opened the market of nine

SOLIDARITY: Councillor Mancebo (left) cuts the ribbon. stands from different NGOs. It gave visitors the chance to learn more about the associations and helped them raise money.

Mancebo said: “It is time to be generous, to collaborate and involve partnerships that have been working all year for others.”

BBC film in San Miguel THE BBC has been in San Miguel de Salinas speaking with expat residents about life in Spain and how the economic crisis is affecting them. Manuel Gómez from the Neighbourhood Association of San

Miguel Archangel welcomed the film crew saying the programme was an analysis of the economic and Spanish politics since the transition to today. The hour-long show aired last Sunday.

people the chance to shop locally instead of visiting large, out-of-town stores.

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GERMAN

PRESS

Stories making headlines from Germany

Bomb scare A BAG left on a railway station in Essen caused a false bomb alarm, two days after an explosive device was deactivated by police at Bonn’s station.

Snow charge

GOING FOR GOLD: Swimmers Adam and Lucy rack up the medals in Italy.

Swimmers win medals LOCAL sibling swimmers Adam and Lucy Stewart have just returned from Loano in Italy after competing in the Down Syndrome World Swimming Championships. Adam won three medals. He got silver in the 400 metres freestyle plus a personal best time; silver in the 4x50 metres team relay and bronze in the 1,500 metres freestyle plus another personal pest time. Lucy, who is better known for her flamenco dancing with Raquel Peñas Flamenco Para Todas, qualified earlier this year to swim breaststroke. This was her first major competition and she also won silver in the 25 metre breaststroke with a

personal best time, knocking five seconds off her previous time. There were approximately 150 athletes from 21 countries taking part from as far apart as Japan and Brazil. With the introduction of new rules and time banding there was some confusion but this will no doubt be sorted out by the next World Championships in two years time in Mexico. Adam and Lucy would like to thank all who have supported them throughout the past year, especially Junior Strikers for their financial support and Mar Azul School, John Dyer, CDM Orihuela Costa and CN Torrevieja for all their technical guidance.

Fault in cooling machine kills fish SANTA POLA’S municipal aquarium has lost 30 per cent of its fish due to a malfunction in the cooling machine. This subsequently caused a rise in water temperature and infection amongst the fish. One fish weighing 30 kilos, who had live in the aquarium since it opened within the town’s Castle is amongst the most valuable species to have died. With repair work almost complete, more fish will now be re-introduced to the aquarium in January and February next year.

A 32-year-old man in Augsburg faces charges of negligence after a woman slipped and fell allegedly because he had not cleared snow from in front of his house.

Drinks limit THE Erding Thermal Spa near Munich has limited clients to three alcoholic drinks after a naked and drunk 35year-old Austrian client was held for hitting a private guard.

Legal practice RELIGIOUS circumcision of children under six months old has been allowed and regulated under a new law. The move comes after a German court controversially banned it.

Sex warrant THE German owner of top-visited porn websites YouPorn, Pornhub, Fabian Thylmann, was held for alleged tax fraud after a Cologne court issued a warrant.

Google it THE 2012 UEFA European Cup, London Olympic Games and the death of comedian Dirk Bach were Google Germany’s top searches in 2012.

Duty fail A POLICE officer was fined €10,800 by a Magdeburg court for negligent homicide, as he failed to check a man who burnt himself to death in his cell.

20 - 26 December 2012

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Costa Blanca South

Balloon farewell for Louise

AWARD WINNING: Vicki with her daughter Gigi, often the subject of her blogs.

Blogger scoops top prize for writing ONE of Euro Weekly News’ columnists is an award winning writer. British writer Vicki McLeod has won an award for her blog familymattersmallorca.com. Expatsblog.com honours expatriate bloggers from all over the world every year, and Vicki was placed second out of the 54 entries for Spain. Her blog, which she has been compiling over the past four years, received a total of 218 votes, trailing only eight points behind the winner. Vicki, who has a seven-year-old daughter Gigi with husband Oliver,

blogs about living in Mallorca and what issues expatriates, particularly those of the younger generation with a family, face. Spending many hours each week blogging, her silver rosette is placed proudly on her website. Anna Nicholas, who writes about her commute between Mallorca and London and who also writes for The Telegraph, pipped Vicki to the top spot. Vicki’s column can be found every week in the Mallorca edition of Euro Weekly News as well as our website www.euroweeklynews.com.

The festivities continue... FOLLOWING a successful carol service and Christmas Fayre at Easy Horse Care in La Zenia, the Rescue Centre says that Santa Claus will be visiting the Charity Shop today (Thursday). Santa is bringing a little reindeer pony along at 1pm to help him and there will be refreshments, a raffle, and the chance to put some money in Santa’s bucket. For more details on the Easy Horse Care Foundation call Sue on 652 021 980 or email info@easyhorsecare. net.

REINDEER PONY: Christmas comes to Easy Horse Care.

THE evening-sky was suddenly dotted with 38 pink balloons. Each one marked a year in the short life of Louise Clarke, the Costa Blanca journalist, broadcaster and town hall worker who was buried at San Pedro del Pinatar after losing an intensive-five-week battle against sudden illness. The balloons were released at 38-year-old Louise’s funeral which was attended by hundreds anxious to say a final farewell to a local expatriate who will be missed, but not forgotten. Canon Terence Sampson conducted the service - held as a celebration of Louise’s life - and he shared stories about her career and family life. Wife of Lee and mother of their youngsters Charlie and Lilly, Louise died at Torrevieja Hospital. A prominent figure in media on the Costa Blanca, she joined Round Town News in 2007 as a reporter, covering stories from property scandals and community issues to local charity events, of which she was an avid

supporter. She later went on to do local radio and television work and spent a year at Orihuela Costa Town Hall helping the expat community. The funeral celebration of Louise’s life continued the following night at the Christmas Glitterball event. Lee Clarke revealed that his wife had said she wanted people to celebrate her life, and at the event family members wore bright colours and thanked everyone for their support. Suzy G, Nick Gold and Snowblind entertained, and a raffle raised hundreds of euros for the Clarke family. However the final funding will not be announced until the amount raised from auction of items donated - which is ongoing - is finalised.

Bids can be made until the end of today (Thursday) via the Facebook page www.facebook.com/ events/117347298429404/

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Local weather for next 7 days COSTA BLANCA TODAY AND TOMORROW DENIA DENIA

JAVEA

JAVEA CALPE ALTEA

CALPE ALTEA BENIDORM BENIDORM ALICANTE ALICANTE

TORREVIEJA TORREVIEJA

ORIHUELA

S Sun,

ORIHUELA

Cl Clear,

Sh Showers,

Alicante TODAY: CLEAR Fri - 21 13 C Sat - 21 12 Cl Sun - 20 11 Cl

Madrid

MAX 18C, MIN 13C Mon - 19 12 Cl Tues - 17 12 S Wed - 16 12 Cl

TODAY: CLEAR, Fri - 18 11 Cl Sat - 19 11 S Sun - 19 11 Cl

MAX 12C, MIN 7C Mon - 12 -3 Cl Tues - 11 -2 Cl Wed - 10 2 Cl

MAX 16C, MIN 11C Mon - 17 10 Cl Tues - 15 9 Cl Wed - 14 8 Cl

TODAY: SHOWERS, MAX 15C, MIN 10C Fri - 18 10 C Mon - 18 10 Cl Sat - 17 11 Cl Tues - 17 8 Cl Sun -18 11 Sh Wed - 16 8 S

MAX 21C, MIN 12C Mon - 20 9 Cl Tues - 18 8 Cl Wed - 17 8 S

TODAY: CLEAR, Fri - 20 11 C Sat - 19 9 Cl Sun - 19 9 Cl

Malaga MAX 19C, MIN 11C Mon - 16 9 Cl Tues - 15 8 S Wed - 15 8 Cl

Mallorca

Murcia

Benidorm TODAY: CLEAR, Fri - 22 12 Cl Sat - 22 11 Cl Sun - 21 11 Cl

Th Thunder

TODAY: CLOUD Fri - 14 7 C Sat - 12 6 C Sun - 13 -3 Sh

Barcelona TODAY: SHOWERS Fri - 17 8 C Sat - 16 8 C Sun - 17 8 Cl

Sn Snow,

C Cloud,

MAX 20C, MIN 13C Mon - 19 9 Cl Tues - 17 8 Cl Wed - 17 8 S

Almeria TODAY: SHOWERS Fri - 18 13 Cl Sat - 19 13 S Sun - 18 12 Cl

Fog,

MAX 19C, MIN 10C Mon - 19 7 Cl Tues - 17 6 Cl Wed - 16 6 S

20 - 26 December 2012

Royal British Legion Award EDDIE COLEMAN has been awarded a District Award at a recent meeting of the Orihuela Costa and District Branch of the Royal British Legion. These awards are presented to those members who have given ‘service above and beyond the normal call of duty.’ Eddie Coleman who is Vice-Chairman of the Branch, received a framed certificate from Chris Wyatt, the District North Spain Chairman. Chris read out the numerous ways Eddie has helped the branch in recent years, including being responsible for organising and building the Garden of Remembrance at Mil Palmeras Church, as well as constructing a saluting dais for visiting dignitaries. Chris said he was

DISTRICT AWARD: Eddie Coleman (left) is honoured by Chris Wyatt for his dedication to the RBL. delighted to present Eddie with the certificate which showed his undoubted

support for the Legion and its motto of ‘Service not Self.’

Costa Blanca South

Carols by candlelight CAROLS by Candlelight is back by popular demand at Casa La Pedrera, the Grand Design House, on Sunday December 23. There will not only be your favourite Carols to sing along to, but the voice of Marie Denise Evans who will start the evening, followed by guitarist and vocalist Emma Ziri, plus a few more surprises. Tickets are limited and cost €5 and there is a choice of food for an extra €4 in aid of the Elche Children’s Home. The Christmas Treasure Trails are being held on Saturday December 22 and Sunday December 23 at 2.30pm. Various other family events will also be available. Booking is essential and costs €6.50 per child, adults go free. For more information or to book call 660 816 620 or www.thingstodoinspain.info for details.

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Driver’s head-on tunnel smash A DRIVER who was travelling the wrong way for two kilometres has been seriously hurt after a head on smash in a tunnel. Police are investigating what caused the driver to allegedly enter the wrong way through the AlicanteCartagena tunnel near Pilar de la Horadada and drive against the traffic. The 64 year-old driver caused panic amongst other road users. He collided head on with another car, which was travelling the correct way, and was seriously injured. He is a resident of Torrevieja and was taken to hospital with a severe fracture to his right leg. The female driver of the car he collided with was treated at the scene for minor injuries. Police are investigating whether it was a driving oversight or whether the man was under the influence of alcohol. They are now assessing safety at the tunnel.

Legionella disease is reported in Orihuela THE Department of Health confirmed that a case of

Legionella was detected at the start of December in the

ORANGES: Were taken away.

Department of Health Area 21, which corresponds to Orihuela and neighbouring municipalities. Legionella is a bacterium that lives in stagnant water, amid decaying organic matter that can present itself with similar symptoms to colds and pneumonia. The Department did not provide further details about this case, but also reported that 12 cases of measles have been detected through-out the year in the region; six in the health area of Torrevieja and the other six in Orihuela. The figure is small when you consider that across the Valencian the produce was seized Community there has from people who were been 968 cases reported selling illegally and were stored according to this year. current laws. The produce was left in their care, after it was confirmed it did not meet hygiene and safety conditions. The town hall had given orders for it to be destroyed.

Police take seized goods

VIDEO footage captured the moment when National Police kept potatoes and oranges they had seized from a street seller in Cadiz. The Government SubDelegation in Cadiz and Puerto Real Town Hall have opened investigations into who is responsible.

The footage was broadcast on the internet, and shows town hall staff take sacks of oranges and potatoes to a rubbish truck. Several people, including National Police officers, take some of them and leave. Puerto Real Town Hall has said that it is “shameful”, and explained

Emergency works to repair flood damage THE Government has authorised €6 million worth of emergency works to repair water infrastructure damage caused by torrential rains in September and October. The provinces of Alicante, Almería, Huesca, Murcia and Zaragoza are to receive the funding and will be financed from the budget of expenses for the year

2012 of the Ministry of Environment, through the Directorate General of Water. In the province of Alicante, in the towns of Orihuela and Elche, repair work will be undertaken totalling €1.25 million. The works in the provinces of Murcia and Almeria (in Velez Rubio) will have an investment of €1 million.

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Surplus solution ‘WASTE not, want not’ has acquired a new meaning during the crisis. The Hotel Regente in Benidorm wants to take the saying to heart by collaborating with a local charity. Huge quantities of food prepared for hotel buffets is uneaten and the Regente has decided to donate the excess to eight needy families. Each day at lunch and dinner time, the manager has offered to put aside hot food to be delivered by the Solidaridad Marina Baixa charity to local families. Many Benidorm hotels co-operate with NGOs but the Regente is the first to donate restaurant food. “We just want to help to ease the hard times that so many people are going through,” said Pablo Villamediana, manager of the hotel.

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Minors issue for ministry THE Ministry of Justice is studying the best age for minors to get married or work. Justic Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon has announced that his department will work with the Ministry of Health, Social Affairs and Equality to decide when minors (under 18) should legally be able to work, have sex, leave home, get married or testify before a judge. He said that the existing laws which were meant to protect minors are now obsolete, and pointed out that such matters are a part of daily life. The aim is to safeguard the interests of minors. The minister also reiterated that minors who are victims of abuse will benefit from free legal aid.

Costa Blanca South

Appeal in search for missing British man

MISSING TREKKER: Robert Golden.

POLICE in Sussex are concerned for the welfare of Shoreham man Robert Golden, 58, who failed to return home from a holiday in Spain. He flew on his own to Sevilla on November 5 and had bought a return flight on easyJet to return on November 19. He was reported missing on November 23. However, Robert, who has a passion for trekking, didn’t board the return flight and hasn’t been in touch with his brother or his colleagues in London where he works in IT. His brother Barry said: “Robert loves walking and the

outdoors. It is worrying that he can be away for that length of time and not use his bank cards. The last time was November 10 somewhere in Spain.” Robert was seen by neighbours at the beginning of November leaving his home with a large backpack. He is a keen walker and mentioned to a friend about trekking to Granada, Cordoba, Cadiz and Jerez for about 10 to 12 days. Anyone who may recognise him from his travels in Spain can contact Sussex Police on +44 1273 475432, quoting reference number 804 of 23/11.

200 years for callous killers THREE people who killed a woman in Oviedo in 2009 have been sentenced to prison terms amounting to more than 200 years. One has been sentenced to 99 years in prison for murder, habitual abuse, sexual assault and disrespecting the dead, amongst other charges. Both of the other men, one of them the killer’s brother, have been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison. The three men lived with the victim, aged 34, and her mother, both of whom were mentally disabled. A girl under 18 and her baby also lived in the apartment. She was the killer’s girlfriend and was sentenced to 10 years in a centre for delinquents, as she was considered to have coerced the others into committing the crime.

The events took place in June 2009, when the three men beat the disabled victim and strangled her, forcing her to drink a bottle of whisky. The following day they decided to separate her flesh from her bones and feed it to some dogs. They then got her mentally retarded brother, whom on previous occasions they had forced to take part in sexually abusing the victim, to help put the body parts in the freezer. The following day, all the inhabitants of the apartment, including the minor and her baby, went to see a flat which was available to rent, and sold the victim’s jewellery. They later decided to tell the killer’s parents, but blamed the victim’s brother. The parents went to the police.

SCANDINAVIAN PRESS Stories making headlines in Denmark, Norway and Sweden

Jail sentence NORWAY - Mullah Krekar, founder of Ansar al-Islam Islamist group, was acquitted of terrorism by an Oslo court, but sent to jail for two years after threatening witnesses.

Dogs seized SWEDEN - Customs officials seized 22 dogs in nine separate cases of alleged puppy smuggling during 2012.

Fire attacks DENMARK - Five men aged between 21 and 24 were found guilty of arson attacks against a police school in Copenhagen, which destroyed 13 police cars. They await sentence.

Drunk guard SWEDEN - A 25-yearold Royal Family guard was so hungover - the authorities reported - he was found unfit for duty at the Royal Palace.

Murder clue NORWAY - Blood stains from a murdered 16-year-old girl in Oslo were allegedly found by the police inside the camper van of a man aged 37 from Ålesund.

Sun power DENMARK - Four solar heating plants in Jutland measuring up to 80,000 square metres each, will start producing solar energy in 2014.

Her hobby SWEDEN – “Penguins are feminists. The males incubate,” Swedish EU Commissioner and penguin collector Cecilia Malmström told newspaper Expressen.

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Bikers head out on the highway for charity run MEMBERS of La Marina Motorcycle Club brought smiles and cheer to children, the

Family spend down this Christmas to previous years although they will attempt to buy ‘useful’ presents. There will be fewer ‘impulse’ buys, but they plan to spend between €600 and €700. Back in 2007, the average expenditure was around €1,000. The cutbacks have mainly been on gifts, extra food and leisure activities. There are another 25 per cent of families who will be unable to celebrate

Costa Blanca South

MERCY MISSION: Bikers donate items to EMAUS in Altea.

TWENTY-FIVE per cent of Spanish families will only be able to spend €300 on Christmas this year. According to a survey carried out by ESADE, following five years of financial crisis, the Spanish spend 38 per cent less at Christmas. There are now two types of households, the survey shows. Fifty-five per cent of them will be able to celebrate Christmas in a similar way

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Christmas lavishly, and will spend an average of €300, mainly on food and gifts for children. These families, experts say, will not go to large shops to do their Christmas shopping, and instead use corner shops and Chinese bazaars. In many cases, it will be up to the grandparents to help make Christmas a happier time. In both groups, families will search for the best

elderly and mothers and babies as they donated dozens of gifts and much-needed items.

Around 20 bikers took part in the charity run, setting off from urbanisation La Marina and heading up to Altea. They visited the mother and baby unit, the orphanage and home for the elderly, all part of EMAUS charity. Gifts donated and collected by Monty’s Bar and Woodstock Bar in La Marina were left for the children and items of clothing which had been knitted were given to the mother and baby unit. As the bikers headed back south they were met by the smell of hot GIFTS: Not so lavish this year. dogs and fried onions at Monty’s Bar. They were prices and compare them traditional family meals at sold for €1 each and all at different shops before home, rather than in the proceeds will be buying. There will be no restaurants, and most of donated to the DEBRA luxuries and gifts will be these will be prepared Butterfly Children practical and long-lasting. using pre-cooked and charity. There will be a return to frozen products.

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JUST two days to go, and all eyes are on Saturday’s ‘El Gordo’ (The Fat One) lottery with more than €2.5 billion to be won. Times remain hard in cash-strapped Spain, but some people are about to get mighty rich. PREPARE to see people glued to television screens and tuned into radio stations - in the home, cafés, bars anywhere reception is clear on Saturday. For Spain often comes almost to a standstill as the El Gordo lottery draw results are announced. As schoolchildren draw numbers starting at 8.30am at the Teatro Real (Royal Theatre) in Madrid, the nation will watch and listen. There will be 27,547,200 prizes, from the ‘vuelta’ where people get their money back for having a certain number to the big prize, El Gordo. Each ticket (individual number) costs €200, and each ‘decimo’ (10th) of a ticket, €20, and these are the most popular. Since July, punters ranging from wealthy businessmen to work syndicates, from housewives keen for a change of luck, to ardent gamblers, have been investing in El Gordo tickets.

FLASHBACK: The smiles spell out an El Gordo victory, though the odds of breaking even are less than 6 per cent.

Just two days from fortunes for some!

With ticket prices high, given the state of most people’s finances, especially in the present economic downturn, syndicates are common with families, friends - even villages - buying tickets, splitting the cost and sharing the winnings. This year the total prize money will be €2.52 billion out of a total

revenue of €3.6 billion Some keen followers of the El Gordo draw try to buy tickets from various parts of Spain, with one Andalucia family ensuring each year that they buy individual tickets through a network of friends in various areas including Galicia, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Sevilla and San Sebastian. Each year the lottery organisation pays back 70 per cent in prize money resulting in El Gordo offering the best lottery odds of a win worldwide… even though lottery games are high risk! And individuals plus syndicates are not the only winners with El Gordo, with millions collected from sales also going to charities. As well as at the official lottery sale outlets, tickets are sold in the street as well as online - according to some reports leading to sales in 140 countries - with prices charged often slightly higher than €20 once commissions have been added. A study of the gambling habits of Spaniards revealed last year that people spent an average of €71 on lottery tickets, €3 more than in 2010. According to the same study, while women prefer even numbers, men prefer odd. El Gordo was introduced in 1812 by the Cortes de Cadiz, the country’s legislative body, to increase state income. Almost 50 years earlier, lotteries were initially introduced to Spain by King Carlos III to raise finances in general,

A case of numbers *The favourite last number this year for people buying tickets online is 6, followed by 1, 5, 4 and 7, in that order. *The favoured three last numbers are 701, 666, 835 and 996. *The end number which has historically been a winner most often is 5. *Only two numbers have ever been drawn twice as El Gordo, 15640 and 20297. including for the nation’s Napoleonic War. El Gordo prize money has touched people from all walks of life. In 1930, as the world sank deeper into the Great Depression, part of the year’s main 30 million-peseta prize went to a garage owner and his mechanics, who had each chipped in 22 cents to gain today’s equivalent of about €1,200 each. In 2008, a bar in Soria, north of Madrid, sold all 1,950 of the third prize tickets, spreading €97 million among customers, family and friends. With the familiar saying ‘you've gotta be in it to win it’, more than 30 million people are estimated to be lined up for this year’s draw.

A big fat nothing for most EL GORDO will come to a big fat nothing for the majority of

people who buy tickets, with mathematicians putting the

probability of breaking even at less than 6 per cent.

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SCANDINAVIAN PRESS Stories making headlines in Denmark, Norway and Sweden

Jail sentence NORWAY - Mullah Krekar, founder of Ansar al-Islam Islamist group, was acquitted of terrorism by an Oslo court, but sent to jail for two years after threatening witnesses.

Dogs seized SWEDEN - Customs officials seized 22 dogs in nine separate cases of alleged puppy smuggling during 2012.

Fire attacks DENMARK - Five men aged between 21 and 24 were found guilty of arson attacks against a police school in Copenhagen, which destroyed 13 police cars. They await sentence.

Drunk guard SWEDEN - A 25-yearold Royal Family guard was so hungover - the

authorities reported - he was found unfit for duty at the Royal Palace.

Murder clue NORWAY - Blood stains from a murdered 16-year-old girl in Oslo were allegedly found by the police inside the camper van of a man aged 37 from Ålesund.

Sun power DENMARK - Four solar heating plants in Jutland measuring up to 80,000 square metres each, will start producing solar energy in 2014.

Her hobby SWEDEN – “Penguins are feminists. The males incubate,” Swedish EU Commissioner and penguin collector Cecilia Malmström told newspaperExpressen.

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Spanish mountain biker killed in collision SPANISH cyclist Iñaki Lejarreta, 29, died after being hit by a car on the

N-634 in Iurreta, Vizcaya. The cyclist had been Spanish mountain

bike champion in 2007 and subchampion in 2011, amongst other achievements. The regional police are looking into how the accident, which occurred when he was heading towards Bilbao, could have happened. Iñaki was found lying in the road and the emergency services alerted. He was first assisted by paraCASH SEIZED: 1,000 accounts uncovered in the police operation. medics who performed CPR but they were to POLICE have located as many as 1,000 than 3,000 accounts with 100 banks unable resuscitate him. bank accounts linked to the and frozen €11 million. Every year, ‘Emperador’ operation in which The public prosecutor’s report has Chinese businessman Gao Ping was identified 130 properties and 120 more than 50 arrested. vehicles owned by the money- cyclists are killed in road accidents. So far, they have investigated more laundering network.

€11m frozen in money-laundering case

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Costa Blanca South

Parents accuse nuns of ‘tormenting’ their children

Toll gang arrested THIRTY-NINE alleged members of a network which forged toll road payment cards and sold them to lorry drivers have been arrested. The cards, valid for a month, were forged by a 76-year-old engineer from Barcelona at his home and then sold in packs of four to lorry drivers at €500 each. This caused losses of up to €1 million for toll roads in France, Germany and Italy. Buyers were located in commercial and rest areas in Barcelona, and the cards sometimes left in hideaways for the lorry drivers to collect. They obtained more clients via word of mouth. Some drivers bought sets of cards to resell at a higher price. More than 2,500 forged cards and almost €30,000 have been confiscated, as well as equipment to make the cards.

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PARENTS in a Galicia town have taken their children out of catechism classes because they claim two nuns are ‘tormenting’ them. Thirty-two families have complained about the methods

used by the nuns of the Corazon de Cristo Sacerdote Repairing Apostolic Brotherhood to prepare their children to receive their First Communion. Parents claim the nuns’ views

are extreme and that they are distorting the message of Christianity. The first thing the nuns reportedly did when they arrived in the area was to separate boys from girls. This

€5 for hospital trip THE Ministry of Health has announced plans to charge €5 each way for non-emergency transport to and from hospital by ambulance. People with chronic illnesses would have to pay, depending on their income, between €20 and €120 per year for transport to and

put parents on their guard and they decided to take a look at the book being used for the classes. It contains scenes from the Bible, stories of Christian contemporary martyrs and the lives of some saints. The parents also report that nine-year-old girls were being told about martyrdom and how pain can be a form of redemption. The Brotherhood has failed to comment.

TRANSPORT FEE: Plans afoot for €5 charge for non-emergency ambulance. from hospital. These proposals are to

be discussed with representatives of the

regional governments today (Thursday).

Catechism teacher steals jewellery from chapel A WOMAN, 37, was arrested for allegedly stealing jewellery from a chapel in Ayamonte, Huelva. The woman was a catechism teacher at the chapel and one of seven

people who had keys to the building. Two thefts had been reported and as there were no signs of forced entry, Guardia Civil suspicion fell on those who had access to

keys to the chapel. The woman’s name appeared on the list of clients at a well-known local pawn shop, and the description of the jewellery she had sold coincided with

the items which had been stolen. Many of the pieces of jewellery have been recovered, but others have disappeared forever. Many of them had been donated by local residents.

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ALMERIA

AXARQUIA

Rent-free for three years

Noisy bangers

ALMERIA Town Hall is offering 11 business spaces rent-free for three years in the Vega de Aca area. Interested entrepreneurs must submit their projects by January 10.

One direction

ONE of the stalls selling fireworks at the entrance of Parque de Andalucia in Velez-Malaga has been from supplying bangers as local residents claim they are too noisy.

News from our editions

RAMON GALERA TISCAR has now been successfully directing the six theatrical groups in Alcontar, Hijate, Seron, Tijola, Lucar and Purchena for five years.

The end is nigh EMERGENCY work costing €900,000 to dry riverbeds damaged in the September floods in the eastern part of Almeria Province, and paid for by the Andalucian Government, is nearly finished.

It’s play time TRADITIONAL and hand-made toys were displayed at the Cueva de San Jose in Terque.

YouTune plan COOKING of typical Andarax gastronomy is to be filmed in Benahadux, Rioja, Huércal de Almería, Pechina, Capi Cuevas de los Medinas, Capi La Fuentecica and Viator to post on YouTube.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Police called to school brawl POLICE were called to a brawl among 50 pupils at Alcoy secondary school. No arrests were made and no-one was injured, police said.

No love lost! BENIDORM town hall must pay €607,000 to the organisers of the 2009 Davis Cup matches at Terra Mitica after a judge ruled that last-minute court changes were their responsibility.

Crime down CRIME in Alicante has fallen 5 per cent this year following improved detection and prevention measures, police said. Even so the

Supermarket for port THE Muelle Uno leisure port in Malaga is planning a 2,000square-metre supermarket. The developer of the port has ordered consultancy reports on the plan.

WORTH A VISIT: Nerja Caves to be promoted to cruise-ship passengers.

Caves to get a boost CRUISE-SHIP passengers are being targeted in a bid to attract more visitors to Nerja’s caves. The Caves of Nerja Foundation Managing Director Angel Ruiz has been meeting representatives of the City Council, tourist agencies and cruise-ship operators. Nerja Caves’ managers are aiming to reach province has Spain’s highest crime rate after Madrid and Valencia.

Not child’s play ONLY two companies responded to the tender to run Calpe’s Silene d’Ifac kindergarten. Neither fulfilled the conditions and the town hall may have to close the school.

Turkish delight TURKISH AIRLINES is to add Alicante and Sevilla to its existing Spanish routes, with the airline already flying to Valencia, Malaga, Barcelona, Bilbao and Madrid.

COSTA DEL SOL

Oil protest set A PROTEST is planned at noon on Saturday in the boulevard near La Cala de Mijas Town Hall organised by the Citizens Againt Oil Exploration on the Costa del Sol. The protest will include presentation of a manifesto against plans by the Spanish Government and oil companies read by people who claim their economic, social and ecological future will be ruined if exploration goes ahead. More information: Juan Jesus Alarcon, tel 650 952 081

the 500,000 annual visits recorded less than a decade ago. At the moment the Nerja museum barely attracts 1,000 per year. “We are sure there will be more visitors next year,” Angel Ruiz said, adding: “Neither cruise holiday operators nor passengers are aware of the caves at present, but we are working on it.”

Complaint raised MEMBERS of the Electores Equo party and the group for the Defence of Health and the Alhaurin de la Torre Mountain have gone to the EU Parliament to complain that local quarries which were ordered to close continue extracting sand.

Eight lottery wins MALAGA has been the province where the ‘El Gordo’ lottery prize was drawn on eight different occasions. The luckiest city is Madrid, with 73 times, whereas Almeria City has only been lucky once.

Homes not legal

Parque Animal Torremolinos.

Shelter

Old rally takes off in

MALLORCA

Robber arrested A FORTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Palma man has been arrested after robbing a pharmacy and two slot machine arcades. He was said to have been armed with a knife and stole a total of €2,200.

Rotger resigns BALEARIC Parliament President Pere Rotger officially stepped down from his position after the judge in the Over Marketing corruption case maintained his impeachment at the trial.

ALMOST 200 homes in El Ponton area of Antequera will not be legalised by the Junta de Andalucia decree which was approved this year. They are on non-urban land and cannot access the sewage or electricity networks.

Gift of life

Animal enquiry

New four-star hotel

A MALAGA Prosecutor has asked the Malaga Veterinary College to carry out an investigation into the deaths of animals which were allegedly put down at the

THE first guests have arrived at the new Hotel Balanguera, which belongs to the HM hotel chain and has 40 rooms with an average cost of €110 per night.

SEVENTY-SIX kidneys, 34 livers, five hearts, five lungs, four pancreases and one intestine have been donated by 41 people in the Balearics so far this year.

THE second Villa de Alfarnate 324-kilometre rally, a stage in the Andalucian Rally Championship, was held in Alfarnate. Only cars more than 25 years old were allowed to take part.

Unheard stories LOCAL stories of Nerja are included in a new book by researcher Pablo Rojo, Historia Insolita de Nerja (The Unheard Stories of Nerja), to be presented tomorrow (Friday) at the History Museum from 7.30pm.

Pointing the finger MANAGERS at the University Hospital in Malaga have been accused by the CSI-F trades union of using bed shortages in some units as an excuse to redistribute staff and cut expenses.

20 - 26 December 2012 www.euroweeklynews.com

Stat of week Women earn 20 per cent less on average in Spain compared to male counterparts with the same educational background, work hours, position and length of service.

Finance,

business

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legal www.ewnbusiness.com

A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 8 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION

Casinos on a loser... Punters prefer to gamble online at home BINGO HALLS, casinos and slot machines are losing clients who now favour online gambling. Last year the amount of money played at bingo halls, slot machines and casinos fell 20.3 per cent, 15.1 per cent and 13.2 per cent respectively. And since laws were passed to regulate online gambling

Iberia Express flying upwards! SHORT-HAUL carrier Iberia Express has been used by more than two million passengers since it was launched in March. The offshoot company of Iberia is now one of the five most used airlines at the Madrid-Barajas Airport. General Manager Luis Gallego said that 94 per cent of the company’s flights have arrived on time and that customers are highly satisfied. The company has recently introduced two new planes, bringing the total to 14 Airbus A320s that fly to 24 destinations.

Gallego also said: “The company is meeting all the objectives planned for the outset both economically and regarding efficiency, quality and innovation.” Iberia Express recently launched a smartphone app from which clients can carry out most of the necessary procedures regarding their flights. The airline is a member of oneworld, an alliance of 11 airlines including British Airways, which offers clients 2,500 planes, 8,750 daily flights and 800 destinations in 150 countries.

in May last year, the sector has taken €1.76 billion. Though no official data regarding online gambling is available before 2011, the Spanish Association of Digital Gaming claims that business increased 20 per cent last year, and this is confirmed by the State Lottery Department.

LOSING OUT: Casinos are no longer as popular.

Now H&M woos recycling

Motor Insurance

FASHION retailer H&M, which has stores throughout Spain, is to promote the recycling of used clothes amongst clients. With this project, it aims to improve its image with environmentalists. “Every year, tonnes of clothes are thrown away in the rubbish and contaminate municipal dumps. Ninety-five per cent of it could be reused or recycled,” the company said.

Loewe hits high with factory SPANISH luxury brand Loewe, favoured by the Royal Family, has opened a new factory in Getafe, Madrid. With double the size of factory floor space in Madrid the company now plans to also double production. The aim is to create employment in Madrid. Seventy-five per cent of produce made in Spain by Loewe is exported, and Montague told Spanish national El Mundo that they want the Spanish nation to be proud of the brand. Loewe already has four factories in Spain, but will not reduce

production or staff at any of them due to the new opening. They have 167 shops as well as franchises in more than 30 countries, mainly in Europe and Asia. Since 1996, the company has been part of the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy company of France. NEW FACE: Spanish actress Penelope Cruz is now promoting Loewe.

Underwritten at Lloyd’s of London Tailored to suit your needs and your pocket Easy payment options Special rates for the over 40’s Fast claims service

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Department of Correction and Clarification: Annuities WHAT is the tax rate on an annuity in Spain? In Euro Weekly News (Issue 1430), we were asked for a definition of annuities in Spanish tax law. The questioner was in dispute with the Spanish Tax Agency regarding whether his income was an annuity or a pension. The difference is important because pensions are usually taxed more than annuities. Unfortunately, a small editorial slip changed the meaning of the final example in our answer. The original text stated that only 24 per cent of the income from an annuity would be taxed. The version finally printed said that all You and the annuity income would be taxed at 24 per cent. There Law in Spain By David Searl is a big difference. Let’s try to make it clear. The basic definition of annuity is a financial product which you purchase with money you already have in exchange for the guarantee of a lifetime income at a fixed rate. In Spanish this is called Renta Vitalicia. This is not the same as income received from a pension plan. The Spanish Tax Agency taxes income from a pension at the normal income tax rates. This is because most contributions to a pension plan have been free of tax previously, so they are taxed now. This would be a tax rate of 24.75 per cent for an income up to €17,000, or 30 per cent up to €33,000 before any deductions are taken. Income from an annuity is taxed less because the money to buy it has already been taxed. If you start receiving payments between 60 and 65, you are taxed on only 24 per cent of your income instead of the whole amount. This percentage varies with age. So we see that if your pension income is €32,000, you face a Spanish tax bite of about 30 per cent before deductions, or a little under €10,000. If your annuity income is the same €32,000, you are taxed on only about one-fourth of it, or €8,000. This means that, after deductions, you will probably pay no tax at all. David will respond to queries but reserves the right to select letters which will be of interest to the greatest number of readers. You can also consult David through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola. ask@lawtaxspain.com or call 952 667 090.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

A bleak Christmas for HMV MUSIC retailers HMV have admitted they will probably break banking covenants after bleak preChristmas sales’ figures. Directors issued a profit warning that may cast doubt on the group’s future

£££

BRADFORD City Football Club has had its future safeguarded by beating Arsenal to reach the semi final of the Capital One Cup. Club director Dave Baldwin says the club’s projected annual deficit has

ritish usiness riefs

been more than halved by income from the one match.

£££

IN a campaign against late payers the UK taxman has warned 300,000 people may have goods

seized. Letters have been sent to people who have not filed their selfassessment forms for 2010-2011.

£££

MIKE ASHLEY, Newcastle United owner and majority shareholder in Sports Direct, is going to have to work even harder to get paid. He does not get a salary, relying instead on bonuses. Now the company has said it is minded to increase his earnings’ targets from €357m to €382m before he is paid.

Britain’s green shoots ignored as industry order books fill up AS it’s Christmas I thought I’d give bashing the eurozone a break. After all, the problem is the euro, and until the EU heavy hitters can bring themselves to admit that, there’s not much chance of an improvement. That being the case, I thought it was time to talk about how Britain’s doing outside the eurozone. If you listen to the eurofanatics they’ll still say we’d be ruined if we left the EU, but their figures just do not add up. They go on about ‘strong Germany’, ignoring the looming stagnation of that economy. “Of course trade is slow,” they protest, “how could it be otherwise when the entire planet is in the grip of recession?” But this recession began in 2008, and although since then Germany has done well working to fulfil prerecession commitments the absence of new orders is giving the ‘European Powerhouse’ cause for concern. It is moving inexorably into stagnation, which bodes ill for Ms Merkel. But surely, it’s the same for everyone? Britain’s growth rate is

Jim Collins Costa Blanca

not what you’d call healthy, and according to official figures, manufacturing has gone down over the last semester. All true if you take the government’s chosen criteria, farm products, clothes and other perishables upon which people are cutting back. But look again at engineering products, especially those in the highly technical fields. Strange how British good news is so often ignored by the media and government. There was an item on BBC One Southern the other day mentioning just casually passing over - factories in that area of Britain were struggling to fill orders flowing in from all over the world. And it’s not only the

ENGINEERING EXPERTISE: But UK manufacturing innovation barely receives a mention in the Press. south; Birmingham’s about their requirements manufacturers of high for small naval support quality engineering pro- vessels, work that will ducts are feeling the keep their skilled, pinch, not because they specialist workforce don’t have the work, but together. because they are having As ever with our news difficulty in finding media, any encouraging enough skilled workers items about Britain’s to allow them to expand innovatory manufacturing as quickly as they would capability merits hardly a wish. line or two. Not for them the Tucked away on an modern disease of sitting inner page of the Daily on their hands, waiting Telegraph last week was and praying for the next a short item by the government contract science correspondent which, in these times of concerning the design austerity might never and development - by a British engineering commaterialise. The shipbuilders of pany - of a system which Portsmouth, for will “allow jets to fly to instance, as their share Australia in four hours or of the construction of even go into orbit and the new Ark Royal nears back to Earth in one stage. The its completion, are clean sending sales repre- gateway is now open to sentatives abroad to talk move beyond the jet to foreign governments age.”

20 - 26 December 2012

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com Are you making plans to move to Spain? Or perhaps you are at the final stages of your move, or have recently arrived in Spain. There are many important financial considerations to plan for, and the sooner the better. Here is a checklist of the important ones. It is a brief summary, and you should explore them further with guidance from a tax planning and wealth management company like Blevins Franks, which is highly experienced at helping British expatriates plan for their new life in Spain. 1. Tax residency and obligations You need to establish if and when you become resident in Spain for tax purposes. There is a list of criteria that make you tax resident. If you meet any of them you are liable for tax here on your worldwide income, gains, wealth and estate. You need to register for tax and submit annual tax returns. At the same time you need to understand the UK tax residence rules as it can be harder than you think to lose UK tax residency. Where necessary, the UK/Spain double tax treaty will determine where you pay tax. 2. Tax planning Income and savings taxes have risen in Spain, but do not let this put you off. You can often structure your savings and investments to be tax

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Planning Your Financially Secure Retirement in Spain by Bill Blevins, Financia l Correspondent, Blevins Franks

efficient. Seek advice on what arrangements are effective and compliant in Spain. Do not presume that what was tax efficient in the UK is tax efficient in Spain. 3. Currency Many expatriates keep their savings and investments in Sterling. This however puts your income at the mercy of exchange rate fluctuations, which can have a significant impact on your income. A good rule of thumb is to match your assets to your liabilities, so if you are spending Euros, your assets are in Euros. However you may have other considerations. Perhaps you will return to the UK one day, or want to leave an inheritance to UK resident children, or do not have confidence in the Euro.

4. Pensions Retired people rely on their pension funds to provide most, if not all, of their monthly income. Depending on the type of pension funds you have, there may be ways to improve them and make them work better for a UK expatriate living in Spain. 5. Inflation and your long-term security Inflation will reduce the spending power of your savings over your retirement years, so it is important to take steps to protect your wealth in real terms, so that you can enjoy the lifestyle you are used to right through retirement. With life expectancy increasing, this may be longer than you expect. Allow for extra expenses along the way, such as healthcare issues, home renovations, new hobbies or more time travelling. Do not underestimate the risk of inflation. I have met many people who thought they had enough

money to live on, but who 20 years later found they could no longer maintain their standard of living. 6. Investment strategy The first rule of any investment strategy is that it should be specifically designed around your circumstances and short and long-term objectives. Your circumstances drastically change with retirement and a move to a new country, so your strategy needs to be professionally reviewed to establish how it should be adjusted to suit your new life and goals. 7. Estate planning This is a major issue when you move to a new country, as it may have different laws regarding succession and tax. The Spanish succession laws may not affect British expatriates, but the tax laws will. Spanish succession tax works quite differently from UK inheritance tax, and is particularly complicated since the rates and allowances vary by region, and the regional rules may not apply to you.

Most British expatriates remain UK domiciled and so continue to be liable for UK inheritance tax, so you need to take that into account as well.You also need to understand how probate works in Spain, and anywhere else you have assets, and find out if there are steps you can take to avoid probate for your heirs. While you can do a lot of research online these days, taking advice from a professional tax planning and wealth management firm is invaluable. It is the only way you can be sure that you have not overlooked anything, and that you are have established what all your options are and how suitable they are for you. A firm like Blevins Franks has local Partner/s here in the Costa Blanca as well as its head office in the UK. It focuses on UK and Spanish tax and how together they impact on UK expatriates here, and will use its experience to guide you on your financial future in Spain. 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 should take personalised advice To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com.

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20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

LONDON - FTSE 100 C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 3.80 1.10 9.00 0.79 -406.06 -19.11 -3.00 -0.29 12.00 0.66 0.00 0.00 -4.00 -0.54 5.00 0.33 -7.00 -0.24 -3.05 -0.82 -1.50 -0.15 -0.50 -0.15 -0.85 -0.33 -10.50 -1.01 12.00 0.57 -2.65 -0.62 -49.92 -1.54 -4.00 -0.71

NET VOLUME 1,649.11 129.63 3,642.41 532.98 1,194.30 607.35 1,782.64 258.14 874.05 2,865.79 349.19 803.44 13,148.96 4,222.33 2,191.28 8,270.80 1,230.05 727.07

CU RR EN CI ES

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 17

PRICE(P) C O M PA N Y Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 348.30 Admiral Group PLC 1144.00 Aggreko PLC 1717.50 AMEC PLC 1016.50 Anglo American PLC 1838.50 Antofagasta PLC 1354.00 ARM Holdings PLC 739.00 Associated Brith Fds PLC 1523.50 AstraZeneca PLC 2917.50 Aviva PLC 366.90 Babcock Intnal Group... 978.25 BAE Systems PLC 338.60 Barclays PLC 254.75 BG Group PLC 1031.00 BHP Billiton PLC 2106.25 BP PLC 423.88 British Am Tobacco PLC 3195.50 British Land Co PLC 557.25

0.81171

Units per €

United States $......................................................1.31548 Japan Yen ¥ ...........................................................110.125 Switzerland Francs................................................1.20826 Denmark Kroner ....................................................7.46113 Norway Kroner.......................................................7.36968

C O M PA N Y

PRICE(P)

British Sky Broadtng Gr BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Capital Shopp Cntrs Gr Carnival PLC Centrica PLC Compass Group PLC CRH PLC

763.00 235.80 1048.50 1259.00 752.50 353.80 2458.00 333.55 733.75 1161.50

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -1.00 -1.90 -16.00 -5.00 -10.00 -0.50 -3.00 -2.10 -4.25 -12.00

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 17

C O M PA N Y

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME

MMM 3M Co 93.03 AA Alcoa Inc 8.75 AXP American Express Co 57.27 T AT&T Inc 34.23 BAC Bank of America Corp 11.00 BA Boeing Co 74.65 CAT Caterpillar Inc 89.64 CVX Chevron Corp 108.68 CSCO Cisco Systems Inc 20.11 DD E. I. du Pont de Nemours and C... 44.63 XOM Exxon Mobil Corp 88.87 GE General Electric Co 21.93 HPQ Hewlett-Packard Co 14.21 HD Home Depot Inc 63.31 INTC Intel Corp 20.57 IBM International Business Machine... 193.62 JNJ Johnson & Johnson 70.94 JPM JPMorgan Chase and Co 43.48 MCD McDonald's Corp 89.91 MRK Merck & Co Inc 43.63 MSFT Microsoft Corp 27.10

+0.75 +0.01 +0.62 +0.22 +0.42 +0.63 +0.64 +0.86 +0.25 +0.54 +0.79 +0.31 -0.54 +1.25 +0.0433 +1.86 +0.25 +0.67 +1.03 +0.09 +0.285

+0.81% +0.11% +1.09% +0.65% +3.97% +0.85% +0.72% +0.80% +1.26% +1.22% +0.90% +1.43% -3.66% +2.01% +0.21% +0.97% +0.35% +1.57% +1.16% +0.21% +1.06%

2.8M 16.4M 5.8M 24.8M 170.7M 5.5M 6.1M 6.1M 46.9M 5.7M 15.7M 48.5M 30.9M 8.2M 35.0M 3.8M 14.3M 23.9M 6.0M 13.3M 42.1M

1.23196

C O M PA N Y

Most Advanced Zions Bancorporation Caribou Coffee Company, Inc. Velti plc MTR Gaming Group, Inc. VIVUS, Inc. Compuware Corporation ATA Inc. Concurrent Computer Corporation Stereotaxis, Inc.

-0.13 -0.80 -1.50 -0.40 -1.31 -0.14 -0.12 -0.63 -0.58 -1.02

PRICE

NET VOLUME 948.33 6,388.83 432.19 302.32 233.97 377.42 167.35 2,492.34 1,265.69 448.12

CHANGE NET / %

$ 2.60 0.80 / +44.44% $ 16.10 3.78 / +30.68% $ 4.55 0.71 / +18.49% $ 3.35 0.44 / +15.12% $ 13.075 1.595 / +13.89% $ 10.76 1.23 / +12.91% $ 4.50 0.4601 / +11.39% $ 6.17 0.63 / +11.37% $ 2.67 0.27 / +11.25%

Most Declined Clearwire Corporation $ 2.91 TranS1 Inc. $ 2.50 China Lodging Group, Limited $ 15.26 B Communications Ltd. $ 4.2601 Interphase Corporation $ 2.56 The9 Limited $ 3.25 Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 6.91 National American University Holdings, Inc. $ 3.74 TESARO, Inc. $ 15.99

0.46 / -13.65% 0.24 / -8.76% 1.43 / -8.57% 0.3779 / -8.15% 0.19 / -6.91% 0.24 / -6.88% 0.50 / -6.75% 0.25 / -6.27% 1 / -5.89%

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Croda International PLC 2342.50 -19.00 Diageo PLC 1828.50 -6.50 Eurasian Nat Resources ... 270.05 0.00 EVRAZ PLC 258.90 -3.00 Experian PLC 1008.50 -7.00 Fresnillo PLC 1936.00 -14.00 G4S PLC 249.50 -3.00 GKN PLC 226.45 -1.30 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1355.25 -8.70 Glencore Intnal PLC 350.90 -1.20 Hammerson PLC 483.25 -3.70 Hargreaves Lansdown 698.50 -5.78 HSBC Holdings PLC 637.70 -3.80 IMI PLC 1065.50 -3.00 Imperial Tobacco Gr PLC 2427.00 -4.00 InterContinental Hotels 1641.50 -4.00 International Consldtd 178.60 4.89 Intertek Group PLC 3074.50 -5.00 ITV PLC 101.15 -0.52 Johnson Matthey PLC 2411.00 -11.00 Kazakhmys PLC 774.25 16.12 Kingfisher PLC 275.10 -1.20 Land Securities Grp PLC 806.50 -7.50 Legal & General Grp PLC 143.80 -1.50 Lloyds Banking Grp PLC 46.68 -0.04 Marks & Spencer Grp PLC 391.60 -2.20 Meggitt PLC 388.40 -0.50 Melrose Industries PLC 226.75 -0.70 National Grid PLC 700.75 -7.50 Next PLC 3721.50 -17.00 Old Mutual PLC 173.60 -1.30 Pearson PLC 1180.50 -4.00 Pennon Group PLC 623.75 -1.00 Petrofac Ltd 1671.50 -8.00 Polymetal Intntnal PLC 1182.50 8.00 Prudential PLC 880.25 -1.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 6195.00 -40.00 Reckitt Benckiser Gr PLC 3901.50 -10.00 Reed Elsevier PLC 627.25 -3.50 Resolution Ltd 248.50 -0.70 REXAM PLC 441.45 -2.38 Rio Tinto PLC 3423.25 32.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 863.25 -6.50 Royal Bank of Scotd Gr 298.85 -3.40 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2190.25 -8.00 RSA Insurance Group PLC 124.15 -0.50 SABMiller PLC 2779.25 -25.50 Sage Group (The) PLC 289.60 0.30 Sainsbury (J) PLC 347.90 -0.20 Schroders PLC 1645.50 -2.00 Serco Group PLC 535.25 -6.00 Severn Trent PLC 1556.00 -11.00 Shire PLC 1921.00 -12.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 667.75 -1.00 Smiths Group PLC 1147.50 3.00 SSE PLC 1440.50 -4.00 Standard Chartered PLC 1486.25 -11.00 Standard Life PLC 332.10 -0.50 Tate & Lyle PLC 751.75 -3.25 Tesco PLC 341.50 -0.40 Tullow Oil PLC 1200.00 1.00 Unilever PLC 2414.50 -14.00 United Utilities Grp PLC 701.75 -1.00 Vedanta Resources PLC 1112.00 6.00 Vodafone Group PLC 157.62 -3.30 Weir Group PLC 1787.00 -20.00 Whitbread PLC 2410.50 -20.00 Wm Morrison Supmrkts 265.15 0.50 Wolseley PLC 2797.00 -35.00 Wood Group (John) PLC 710.50 -23.50 WPP PLC 870.00 -4.00 Xstrata PLC 1050.00 -0.38

% C H G. -0.80 -0.35 0.00 -1.15 -0.69 -0.72 -1.19 -0.57 -0.64 -0.34 -0.76 -0.82 -0.59 -0.28 -0.16 -0.24 2.82 -0.16 -0.51 -0.45 2.13 -0.43 -0.92 -1.03 -0.09 -0.56 -0.13 -0.31 -1.06 -0.45 -0.74 -0.34 -0.16 -0.48 0.68 -0.11 -0.64 -0.26 -0.56 -0.28 -0.54 0.94 -0.75 -1.12 -0.36 -0.40 -0.91 0.10 -0.06 -0.12 -1.11 -0.70 -0.62 -0.15 0.26 -0.28 -0.73 -0.15 -0.43 -0.12 0.08 -0.58 -0.14 0.54 -2.05 -1.11 -0.82 0.19 -1.24 -3.20 -0.46 -0.04

VOLUME 41.75 1,555.48 1,564.83 1,162.44 626.86 113.13 574.43 1,514.91 2,825.44 3,883.62 251.41 204.01 10,114.66 158.89 762.93 204.92 5,262.26 89.51 4,105.78 135.25 619.22 2,527.36 343.73 3,990.42 38,119.72 1,776.38 212.32 596.96 3,985.68 123.73 882.38 658.04 851.34 392.29 319.47 1,580.90 91.76 237.84 1,222.54 509.26 464.85 2,240.76 2,446.89 3,701.03 1,182.62 3,857.52 643.66 710.54 1,422.13 107.91 780.47 202.43 334.32 473.48 246.06 654.36 647.52 1,935.08 389.44 4,871.99 1,573.42 800.63 1,083.12 255.89 90,190.68 289.34 156.90 1,498.72 488.64 750.17 1,058.39 1,677.68

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

20 - 26 December 2012

Costa Blanca South

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Unwelcome record as bail set at €50m BUSINESSMAN Gerardo Diaz Ferran equalled an unwelcome record when he was granted bail of €30 million. But that record lasted just a few hours when it was topped by the €50 million bail set for business partner Angel de Cabo. He allegedly bought companies’ assets for less than their true worth from Diaz Ferran, former president of the Spanish Confederation of Business Associations. They are both languishing in jail awaiting trial after the bail payments were not met.

Diaz Ferran is accused of leading the Grupo Marsans travel group into debt by selling its assets and keeping the money, then letting it go bankrupt when it no longer had any value. He is now in Soto del Real Prison in Madrid. The judge also set bail at €30 million for Ivan Losada, who was allegedly De Cabo’s right-hand man and took part in the events which led to the bankruptcy of companies including Marsans, Vías Canales y Puertos, TECONSA and Nueva Rumasa.

Marsans was sold in June 2010 through a pact by which De Cabo allegedly helped to hide assets and cash in tax havens, meaning more than 10,000 creditors, owed €1 billion, went unpaid. Previous record bail was also €30 million, demanded from businessman Javier de la Rosa in 1999 for the Torras Case. He was jailed for misappropriation of €382 million when he was the Spanish administrator of the Kuwait Investments Office group.

Spanish take on the world SPANISH fashion group Inditex has taken €1.65 billion between February and October this year. This is 27 per cent more than for the same period in 2011, and is mainly thanks to improved sales in the Asian market. In the first nine months of the tax year, the company created almost 6,600 jobs and now employs more than 116,100 people. Between

EWN

LOBAL IZ

Sales rocket SALES of M-75 perfume, named after the rockets Palestinian militants fired at Israel, have soared. The citrus scented fragrance has become a best seller in Gaza.

Cancer hope

February and October, it has opened 360 shops in 54 countries, bringing the total to 6,000 with more openings in the later months, including one shop in Oxford Street, London. A spokesperson pointed out that the Autumn-Winter period is always improved by spending at Christmas and in the winter sales. Zara launched an online shop in

GERMAN firm Bayer hopes for annual sales of €1bn from a new prostate cancer treatment. It has applied for approval from US and EU regulators.

FASHION STAKES: Spanish retailers expanding. China in September and plans to do the same in Canada which it hopes will continue to improve sales. Meanwhile, Massimo Dutti has opened in the US and Canada; Zara has increased its presence in Munich and opened in Cape Town,

Tokyo and Moscow; Bershka is now in Frankfurt, and Uterque is in Hong Kong, Beijing and Mexico. Stradivarius has also opened in Mexico, Pull and Bear has arrived in Vienna, and Oysho has its first shop in Macao.

More time THAI company bosses have called for more time for a million migrants before they are deported. Thailand is heavily dependent on workers from neighbouring Myanmar who face deportation.

THREE WAYS TO MAKE MORE OF YOUR MONEY. Fixed Rate 11 Month Deposit

Fixed Rate 200 Day Deposit

Premier Current Account

3.50%

3.25%

3.00%

T.A.E.*

available in Euros until 31st December 2012

T.A.E.**

available in Euros until 31st December 2012

T.A.E.***

during the ﬁrst three months ***

You choose… whether… you’re looking for a current account with a world of benefits, or a fixed term deposit to see your savings grow. For other options about our Pounds Sterling and Dollars(1) fixed term deposits, please visit your local branch in:

Valencia, Denia, Calpe, Guardamar, Torrevieja, La Zenia, Los Alcázares or Mazarrón.

902 024 365 or +34 91 484 81 81 lloydsbankinternational.es (1) There is a potential risk arising from fluctuations in foreign exchange rates between the acquisition date and the subsequent sale or maturity date of the deposit or investment. * T.A.E. (Tasa Anual Equivalente) corresponds to Annual Interest Rate. Effective Interest Rate: 3.494%. From €6,000 to €200,000. Interest paid at maturity. Available until the 31st December 2012. For funds coming from other financial entities, credited to the account from 1st October 2012 onwards and that represent a balance increase from the aforementioned date. ** T.A.E. (Tasa Anual Equivalente) corresponds to Annual Interest Rate. Effective Interest Rate: 3.226%. From €6,000 to €200,000. Interest paid at maturity. Available until the 31st December 2012. For funds coming from other financial entities, credited to the account from 1st October 2012 onwards and that represent a balance increase from the aforementioned date. *** T.A.E. (Tasa Anual Equivalente) corresponds to Annual Interest Rate. Effective Interest Rate 2.9596% for the first three months, on balances up to a maximum of €500,000, with all amounts above said limit accruing no interest. From the fourth month remuneration will be based on tired rates depending on the balance you hold. As of today these rates are from 0% to 1.50% T.A.E. (1.4898% Effective Interest Rate). The applicable rates for each tier are available on www.lloydsbankinternational.es. Interest paid monthly. Lloyds Bank International, S.A.U., with registered offices at Serrano 90, 5ª planta, 28006, Madrid, Spain, Trade Registry of Madrid, T. 6799, Book 0, Folio. 108, Sec. 8, Page M-110714, 1st Entry, N.I.F. (Tax Identification Number) A-80481765.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

EWN www.euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

Monopoly game shows world how unfair life is for the poor A RECENT series of BBC documentaries on poverty has really been shedding light on the unfairness of the world economy and the privileges those with money continue to enjoy. Capitalism today, more than ever, really is a case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. And it’s all down to the lottery of where you are born. In general, those born into wealthy families have ample opportunity and resources and sail through life confronting little or no obstacles along the way, while those born into poor and struggling families are given few leg-ups in life and continue to live in poverty, just like their parents and grandparents.

Fewer jobs, but more applicants EACH job offer on Spanish internet site Infojobs was applied for by an average of 12 people in November. This is 13.5 per cent more than the same time last year, while the total number of offers for November was 66,700, 24 per cent fewer than the same month in 2011. Most of the contracts offered, 22.8 per cent were open-ended. Commercial and sales positions were the biggest sector, with 28 per cent of the total. Despite this, the number of offers in commerce and sales, fell by 24.6 per cent from last year. Nearly 32 per cent of the positions needed experience of at least one year, although just over 29 per cent required no prior experience.

Loose change A look at finance for females Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews. com

Using a Monopoly board, researchers have shown just how unjust finance can be. The researchers challenged two players to a game. One ‘rich’ player was given a heap of money to start the game and he was allowed to collect $200 (€150) every time he passed Go. The other ‘poor’ player was given very little money to start and could only collect $20

RICH OR POOR: The throw of the dice.

(€15) every time he passed Go. Needless to say the ‘rich’ player whipped around the board, buying up property and collecting money. What was also interesting, was the sense of entitlement the rich player showed. But the poor player struggled to buy or to save money and

ultimately lost the game. Every day around the world people are out on the streets protesting against cuts and austerity measures, but unless the root of the problem is addressed - which is the relationship between money and politics -

nothing will change. Rich people continue to reap benefits, because politicians continue to accommodate rules and regulations in their favour. So much so, that when a lobby group for the superrich in the US put forward a proposal to dramatically cut public spending, the Catholic Church felt it had to intervene. It asked politicians making decisions to be humane and think about the poor. The super-rich, a lot of whom are CEOs of banks or industry, have little concern for the well-being of ordinary citizens, but each ‘ordinary’ person had to bail them out when the economy crashed. Isn’t it time to change the rules and spread the wealth?

Recipe for sandwich success ANDALUCIAN restaurant chain 100 Montaditos continues to expand throughout the world and is now present in South America. The chain, which offers what it describes on its website as ‘unique tapa-sized bread rolls produced with an exclusive bread formula and filled with the best high quality ingredients’, is already present in the USA, France and Portugal. It has opened restaurants more recently in Mexico and Colombia, and plans to continue its expansion throughout South America, starting with another restaurant in Mexico and one in Chile. Their mini-rolls were launched in 2000 in Huelva, and they have since opened 220 restaurants in Spain, based on the type of taverns typically seen in Spain in the mid-20th century. Their formula is that clients write on a type of order form what they want to eat, and put their name on it. When the food is ready, the client is called by name to pick it up at the bar. A company spokesperson

GLOBAL DEMAND: Mini bread rolls (montaditos). reported that they receive some 30 requests per day from people wanting to see the company open in different parts of the world. They say the secret to their success is their prices, including the star ‘euromania’ promotion, which sees everything at €1 on Wednesdays and Sundays throughout Europe. In the US, it’s been renamed ‘dollarmania’ and

‘pesomania’ in Mexico. Despite the variety they offer, the favourite montadito for clients in Spain is the simple and traditional Serrano ham with olive oil. This is also the best-seller beyond Spanish borders. In the US alone, 300,000 montaditos are served every month.

USINESS IZ

Prices down PETROL and diesel prices have fallen to levels last seen in July. In August, they reached historical highs of €1.522 and €1.444 per litre respectively.

Debt up THE debt of public administrations in Spain has risen to €817 billion, which is 77.4% of the national GDP and the highest in history, according to the Bank of Spain.

Oil rises JAEN’S Young Farmers Association has warned that olive oil prices will rise because the most recent harvests have produced fewer olives.

Mobile phone giants lose clients IN October, 486,183 mobile phone lines were cancelled, making it the ninth consecutive month for falling figures in Spain. The Telecommunications Market Committee advised that most of the losses were suffered by Movistar, Vodafone and Orange. Movistar lost 284,290 lines, Vodafone 278,070 and Orange 14,870. Virtual mobile operators and phone company Yoigo, however, gained 78,550 and 12,490 lines respectively. Meanwhile, Orange España has announced that it has purchased 100 per cent of Simyo shares, the virtual mobile operator of Dutch company KPN in Spain, which currently has almost 380,000 clients.

20 - 26 December 2012

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W EEKLY

Costa Blanca South

ROUND - UP OF REGULAR AND OCCASIONAL TOPICS

E XPAT EXTRA

LETTERS LEAPY HEALTH & BEAUTY

FOOD TIME OUT HOMES & GARDENS

PETS TV

On slippery slope to the L word

CRISPIN is just perfect. The surprise date he took me on - with the need for a bikini - turned out as I hoped. Three days of pure bliss, just him and me, romantically intertwined in our very own chalet in Sierra Nevada.

As I see it... Ana Jefferson-Smith takes an irreverent look at life as a singleton expat in Spain Why did I need to take along my Chanel two-piece when surrounded by thick

snow? Well our lodge had its own hot tub!

And a sauna, treatment rooms plus an outdoor pool, heated of course. It was more like a five-star retreat. Exactly what I love. We spent our mini vacation in each others arms, literally for much of the time as I struggled

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

COMMENT Temporary partners SPAIN’S politicians willingly bury differences if both are threatened by the same adverse situation. PP and PSOE representatives have held secret meetings regarding new Local Administration Laws. These will cut the number of councillors and erode their power and pay in some towns, a move they want to prevent. Politics bring strange bedfellows, even though this new rapprochement is closer to a one night stand than a marriage of convenience.

Taxing situation HACIENDA is looking into the multinationals operating in Spain. “It is not normal that a company with a turnover of thousands of millions hardly pays tax,” said a high ranking official. Of course it is not normal, but normality, or its absence, has nothing to do with wide-scale tax avoidance by those most able to pay it. Hacienda should ask Britain’s tax authorities about that and ask Starbucks, too.

An Xmas sermon...by Tweet! MOTORISTS in Australia have been warned about using Apple Maps on the latest operating system following rescues of people stranded in the wilderness after being directed into a national park rather than the inland town of Mildura. *** TWO students have been arrested after giving brownies laced with cannabis to classmates and a professor. Thomas Cunningham and Mary Essa served up the cakes as part of a ‘bring food

JUST FANCY THAT... day’ to the University of Colorado, USA. *** SENIOR bishops are to tweet their Christmas Day sermons in a Tweet campaign. The Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Archbishop Designate will be joined by congregations and clergy from across the Church of England. *** AN Indian couple should

have luck on their side throughout their marriage. Brandon Pereira and Emilia D’Silva celebrated their engagement on 10/10/10, had a registered legal marriage on 11/11/11 and their wedding on 12/12/12. *** ONLY one football fan turned up to cheer on Udinese FC when they headed to Genoa Cricket and Football club in Italy

for their Series A match against Sampdoria FC. . *** A NEW prehistoric lizard species has been named after US President Obama. The Obamadon Gracilis was first discovered in eastern Montana, USA, in 1974. *** SHOPPERS at an Ikea store in Canada were left stunned when a monkey wearing a sheepskin coat was spotted wandering around the car park. The primate had escaped from its owner’s car.

to stay upright on the slopes. I’m not the keenest of skiers, but I didn’t care. I was with him! Normally I don’t respond well to the cold. More often than not I am a beach babe, not a snow seeker. But this was different. I have been on holidays with boyfriends before, but not like this. It was special, because Crispin is something special. Such a gentleman. And he didn’t let me pay for a thing! Ski-ing, champagne, strawberries, chocolate, caviar… need I say more. Not a moment of silence between us, giggling like teenagers as we frolicked in the snow, unaware of anyone else. A haven, it felt like only us there. All I want to do is spend more and more time together, I simply can’t bear to be apart. I miss him already and he left my side only moments ago. The greatest gift this Christmas would be to spend it with him. If only. Or maybe? We have only known each other for two weeks, although it feels like much longer. So would it be so bad to ask him? I am on the slippery slope to being head over heels in love, and if he feels how I do, it will be exactly what he wants. So I’m going to do it. With the L word ringing in my ears as the Christmas countdown continues, I’m going to ask him to spend it with me. Just the two of us again, for another wonderful three days. It could be the best present ever!

THURSDAY

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20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

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BBC1

BBC2

5:40am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast The latest news, sport, business and weather from the BBC’s Breakfast team. 10:15am Heir Hunters 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm You've Been Scammed 12:30pm Cash in the Attic Series looking at whether unwanted items could be worth a small fortune. 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 2:30pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Escape to the Country

4.00pm - midnight 4:00pm BBC News The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 4:05pm Show Me What You’re Made of 4:35pm The Slammer 5:00pm Help! My Supply Teacher is Magic 5:30pm Rocket’s Island 6:00pm Newsround Topical news magazine for children. 6:15pm Pointless Celebrities test the depths of their general knowledge in this special edition of the quiz. 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 8:00pm The One Show Matt Baker and Alex Jones present the stories that matter from across the country. 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Young Apprentice 10:00pm Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Lapland 12:50am This Week A political review of the week presented by Andrew Neil, with Michael Portillo and guests. 1:35am Skiing Weatherview Detailed weather forecast. 1:40am Britain’s Secret Terror Squad 2:40am Countryfile Countryfile visits the Norfolk coast for a seasonal spectacle. 3:40am Antiques Roadshow 4:40am MasterChef: The Professionals 5:40am BBC News

BBC3 8:00pm Doctor Who 9:00pm Don’t Tell the Bride 10:00pm Russell Howard’s Good News 10:30pm Impractical Jokers 11:00pm World’s Craziest Fools 11:30pm EastEnders 12:00am Family Guy Animated comedy series about family life. 12:25am Family Guy Animated comedy series about family life. 12:45am American Dad! Animated series about Stan Smith, who works for the CIA. 1:10am American Dad! 1:30am Impractical Jokers 2:00am The Revolution Will be Televised 2:30am The Revolution Will be Televised 3:00am Him and Her 3:30am Russell Howard’s Good News 4:00am Don’t Tell the Bride

ITV

Channel 4

Channel 5

8:05am Cloudbabies 8:15am Everything’s Rosie 8:25am Bob the Builder: Project Build It 8:35am Chuggington 8:45am Octonauts 9:00am Tilly and Friends 9:10am Woolly and Tig 9:15am Mike the Knight 9:30am Timmy Time 9:40am Tweenies 10:00am Numtums 10:05am Abadas 10:15am Alphablocks 10:20am The Rhyme Rocket 10:35am The Lingo Show 10:45am Something Special - A Christmas Special 11:05am Show Me Show Me 11:35am Mr Bloom’s Nursery 11:55am I Can Cook on the Go 12:10pm Mister Maker Comes to Town 12:30pm BBC World News 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Royal Upstairs Downstairs 2:30pm To Buy or Not to Buy 3:15pm The Weakest Link

3:20am Scarface 6:05am ITV Nightscreen Textbased information service. 6:30am ITV Morning News The latest national and international news. 7:00am Daybreak 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning Presented by Phillip Schofield and Ruth Langsford. 12:25pm ITV News The latest headlines from around the world. Followed by a local weather forecast. 12:30pm This Morning Presented by Phillip Schofield and Ruth Langsford. 1:30pm Let’s Do Christmas with Gino and Mel Comedian Rhod Gilbert adds a little mayhem to the festive kitchen today. 2:30pm ITV News and Weather Natasha Kaplinsky with the latest headlines from around the world. 3:00pm Storage Hoarders

5:45am Countdown 6:30am Make Do and Mend Simon’s cooking skills are challenged by a kitchen machine that belongs in a museum. 6:55am Quick Bakes with Eric Lanlard 7:00am Sali Mali Sali Mali invites all of her friends in from the frightening storm. 7:05am Sali Mali 7:10am The Hoobs 7:35am The Hoobs 8:00am Freshly Squeezed 8:30am According to Jim 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Frasier 11:00am The Big Bang Theory 11:30am The Big Bang Theory 12:00pm Jamie’s Christmas with Bells On 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Kirstie's Handmade Treasure 1:15pm Swiss Family Robinson 3:40pm Countdown

4:00pm Real Rescues 4:45pm Wanted Down Under Revisited 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Masterchef: The Professionals Michel’s Classics 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Springwatch 10:00pm Last Chance Harvey 11:30pm Newsnight

4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 5:00pm Britain’s Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase Quiz show hosted by Bradley Walsh. 7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather Geraint Vincent and Natasha Kaplinsky with the latest headlines from around the world. 8:00pm Emmerdale Cameron takes his place on the witness stand. 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale Under the pressure of the trial, Cameron makes a confession. 9:30pm Coronation Street Fiz helps Tyrone gather evidence. Is Nick the victim of a hoax? 10:00pm Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Celebrity contestants attempt to win that magical million in this Christmas Special. 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather Mark Austin and Julie Etchingham with the latest headlines from around the world. 11:35pm Waterworld

4:15pm All I Want for Christmas 4:30pm 1001 Things You Should Sentimental drama. Know 6:00pm 5 News Sandi Toksvig hosts at 5 Channel 4’s Nicolas Cage. National brand new and general CH5 11:00pm - Lord of War international knowledge quiz news. show. 6:30pm Emergency Bikers 5:00pm Deal or No Deal Action-packed documentary series following the 6:00pm Come Dine with Me work of emergency bike crews. The latest to host in this new competition is singer 7:30pm 5 News and proud Liverpudlian Marcus Collins. National and international news. 6:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways 7:00pm The Simpsons 9:00pm World’s Strongest Man 2012 7:30pm Hollyoaks 10:00pm Cowboy Builders Nancy fears the worst when she receives a call Dom Littlewood and Melinda Messenger track from the hospital. down the UK’s most terrible tradesmen. 8:00pm Channel 4 News 11:00pm Lord of War Includes sport and weather. Satirical action thriller set in the world of black 8:55pm 4thought.tv market arms dealing, following a gunrunner 9:00pm George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces from humble beginnings in Little Odessa to a 10:00pm Jamie and Jimmy’s Food Fight Club millionaire lifestyle supplying weapons to global Jimmy and Jamie want to see if British puds can trouble spots. While dealing with an African beat Italian desserts. dictator, he is pursued by a relentless Interpol 11:00pm Adam Hills Stands Up Live agent and begins to have doubts about the morality of his profession.

Emma Thompson.

Dustin Hoffman.

BBC2 10:00pm - Last Chance Harvey

2:00am Jackpot247 Join the presenters live and play roulette on your telly. 4:00am Tonight 4:25am ITV Nightscreen Text-based information service. 5:35am The Jeremy Kyle Show

12:40am Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Classic comedy from 80s teen comedy genre king John Hughes. 2:30am David Blaine: Magic Man 3:20am Unreported World 3:45am Dispatches 4:15am Time Team 5:15am The Herd 5:20am Deal or No Deal

7:45am Peppa Pig 7:50am Olive the Ostrich 7:55am Little Princess 8:10am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 8:20am The Mr. Men Show 8:35am Thomas and Friends 8:50am Noddy in Toyland 9:05am Fifi and the Flowertots 9:20am Peppa Pig 9:30am Peppa Pig 9:35am Roary the Racing Car 9:50am Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00am Tickety Toc 10:15am Angelina Ballerina 10:35am Mist: Sheepdog Tales 10:55am Mexican Food Made Simple 11:25am Emergency Bikers 12:25pm Superior Interiors with Kelly Hoppen 1:20pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:25pm Build a New Life in the Country 2:30pm Mrs. Miracle

1:25am Super Casino Live interactive gaming featuring roulette, blackjack and autowheel. 4:55am House Doctor 5:20am HouseBusters 5:45am The Great Artists

12:20am The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff 1:20am An Island Parish 1:50am BBC News 5:00am Spark 5:55am Ask Lara

BBC4 8:00pm Tails You Win: The Science of Chance 9:00pm Top of the Pops: 1977 9:30pm Top of the Pops: 1977 10:00pm Michael Grade’s History of the Pantomime Dame Michael Grade explores the rich history of the very British pantomime dame. 11:00pm The Dark Ages: An Age of Light 12:00am Chas and Dave: Last Orders 1:00am Tails You Win: The Science of Chance 2:00am The Unthanks: A Very English Winter 3:00am Top of the Pops: 1977 3:30am Top of the Pops: 1977 4:00am Michael Grade’s History of the Pantomime Dame Michael Grade explores the rich history of the very British pantomime dame.

Satellite channels SKY1 5:10am Stargate SG-1 6:05am Stargate SG-1 7:00am Airline USA 7:30am Airline USA 8:00am Spy 8:30am Spy 9:00am Dog the Bounty Hunter 9:30am Dog the Bounty Hunter 10:00am Hawaii Five-0 11:00am Hawaii Five-0 12:00pm Lie to Me 1:00pm Lie to Me 2:00pm Life of PI Special 2:10pm Stargate Continuum 4:00pm Stargate SG-1 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm Futurama 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Middle 8:30pm Modern Family 9:00pm Our Diamond Queen 10:00pm Little Crackers 10:30pm Little Crackers 11:00pm An Idiot Abroad 12:00am Spy 12:30am A League of

Their Own 1:30am Brit Cops - Zero Tolerance 2:30am Brit Cops - Zero Tolerance 3:30am Road Wars 4:20am Road Wars 4:45am Crash Test Dummies 5:10am Stargate SG1

SKY MOVIES COMEDY 5:40am Dunston Checks In 7:10am The Brady Bunch Movie 8:45am Taxi 10:25am Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason 12:15pm Little Fockers 1:55pm The Change-Up 3:55pm Swingers 5:35pm Taxi 7:20pm Little Fockers 9:00pm The Change-Up 10:55pm Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason 12:45am Swinging with the Finkels 2:15am Swingers 3:55am Best Defense 5:30am Clue

SKY MOVIES DRAMA

5:40pm Batman Returns 7:50pm Real Steel 10:00pm Independence Day

5:10am Listen to Your Heart 7:00am Prom 8:45am Country Strong 10:45am I Don't Know How She Does it 12:20pm The Help 2:50pm Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

12:30am I, Robot 2:30am Your Highness 4:20am Anaconda 2: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid

5:05pm That Thing You Do! 7:00pm Just Go with it 9:00pm I Don’t Know How She Does it 10:35pm The Help 1:05am Shallow Hal 3:05am Intersection 4:50am Prom

SKY MOVIES ACTION 5:00am Skyline 6:40am Spy Kids 8:20am The Hobbit 8:50am Real Steel 11:00am Independence Day 1:30pm I, Robot 3:30pm Batman

TCM 6:00am West of the Divide 6:55am The High Chaparral 7:50am The High Chaparral 8:50am Rocky Mountain 10:25am River of No Return 12:10pm Young Billy Young 1:50pm The High Chaparral 2:55pm The High Chaparral 4:00pm How the West Was Won 6:55pm The Return of Frank James 8:40pm Kansas Pacific 10:00pm Passenger 57 11:35pm Dark City 1:30am Great Expectations 3:20am Dark City 5:00am The High Chaparral

FRIDAY

EWN

20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

www.euroweeklynews.com

BBC2

4.00pm - midnight 4:00pm BBC News The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 4:05pm Show Me What You’re Made of 4:30pm The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas Animation retelling the story of the nativity from the point of view of a young cow. 5:00pm Blue Peter 5:30pm CBeebies Panto 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Outnumbered 10:00pm Have I Got News for You Christmas Special 10:30pm Live at the Apollo 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:20am The National Lottery Friday Night Draws The National Lottery Friday night draws presented by OJ Borg. 12:30am John Bishop’s Britain John Bishop hosts a festive edition of the comedy and entertainment show. 1:15am EastEnders Omnibus 3:10am Weatherview 3:15am Natural World 4:15am MasterChef: The Professionals 5.15am BBC News

8:00pm Great Movie Mistakes 2012 10:00pm Gavin and Stacey Special festive edition of the hit sitcom. 11:00pm Russell Howard’s Good News 11:30pm EastEnders 12:00am Kill Bill: Vol. 1 1:45am Impractical Jokers 2:15am Pramface 2:45am Pramface 3:15am Russell Howard’s Good News 3:45am Don’t Tell the Bride

4:00pm Real Rescues 4:45pm Wanted Down Under Revisited 5:30pm Flog It! Antiques series. 6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Mastermind John Humphrys asks the questions as the hunt continues for the nation's Mastermind. 9:30pm An Island Parish Series following the community on the tiny crown dependency of Sark in the Channel Islands. 10:00pm Westminster Abbey A behind-the-scenes look at one of Britain's greatest landmarks. 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight In-depth investigation and analysis of the stories behind the day's headlines with Gavin Esler.

12:05am Grumpy Guide To...1:05am Holiday in Handcuffs Romantic comedy. 2:30am BBC News

BBC4 8:00pm Concerto at the BBC Proms 8:30pm Placido Domingo’s Gala Concert 10:00pm It’s Slade 10:50pm Slade at the BBC 11:50pm Slade in Flame Tom Conti, Dave Hill, Noddy Holder, Tommy Vance, Paul Eric Bosko, Kenneth Colley. 1:20am It’s Slade 2:10am Slade at the BBC 3:10am Placido Domingo’s Gala Concert

BBC3

7:50am Charlie and Lola 8:05am Cloudbabies 8:15am Everything’s Rosie 8:25am Bob the Builder: Project Build It 8:35am Chuggington 8:45am Octonauts 9:00am Tilly and Friends 9:10am Woolly and Tig 9:15am Mike the Knight 9:30am Timmy Time 9:40am Tweenies 10:00am Numtums 10:05am Abadas 10:15am Alphablocks 10:20am The Rhyme Rocket 10:35am The Lingo Show 10:45am Something Special - Out and About 11:05am Show Me Show Me 11:35am Mr Bloom’s Nursery 11:55am I Can Cook on the Go 12:10pm Mister Maker Comes to Town 12:30pm BBC World News 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Royal Upstairs Downstairs 2:30pm To Buy or Not to Buy 3:15pm The Weakest Link

12:00am - Kill Bill:Vol. 1

Uma Thurman

Channel 4

5:35am The Jeremy Kyle Show 6:30am ITV Morning News The latest national and international news. 7:00am Daybreak 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning Presented by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. 12:25pm ITV News The latest headlines from around the world. Followed by a local weather forecast. 12:30pm This Morning Presented by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. 1:30pm Let’s Do Christmas with Gino and Mel Paul Nicholas joins Gino and Mel today in the festive kitchen. 2:30pm ITV News and Weather Nina Hossain with the latest headlines from around the world. 3:00pm Storage Hoarders

Channel 5

7:10am The Hoobs 8:00am Freshly Squeezed 8:30am According to Jim 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am 10:00am Frasier 11:00am The Big Bang Theory 12:00pm Jamie’s Christmas with Bells On 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Kirstie's Handmade Treasures 1:25pm Cutthroat Island 3:40pm Countdown

10:00pm - The Mentalist Simon Baker

4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal David and the team are in Ilford for a Text Santa edition of the show. 5:00pm Britain’s Best Bakery Today is the Grand Final as the three remaining contestants take part in the ultimate challenge. 6:00pm The Chase Quiz show hosted by Bradley Walsh. 7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather Geraint Vincent and Nina Hossain with the latest headlines from around the world. 7:55pm Text Santa 8:00pm Emmerdale Cameron takes drastic action to keep his secret. 8:30pm Coronation Street Is Tyrone and Fiz’s affair about to be exposed? Kirk and Beth experience a Christmas miracle. 9:00pm Text Santa

12:00am ITV News and Weather Mark Austin with the latest headlines from around the world. 12:15am Celebrity Juice 1:00am Text Santa 2:15am Jackpot247 Join the presenters live and play roulette on your telly. 4:00am Quadrophenia

4:30pm 1001 Things You Should Know Sandi Toksvig hosts Channel 4's brand new general knowledge quiz show. 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News Includes sport and weather. 8:30pm Unreported World 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm King of Christmas Lights 10:00pm The Hoarder Next Door The hit documentary series returns to Channel 4 with a festive special. 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:05am Father Ted 1:15am Father Ted Father Ted finds himself in sumptuous surroundings. 1:50am Father Ted 2:15am Full English 2:45am The Ricky Gervais Show 3:10am The Ricky Gervais Show 3:40am My Name is Earl 4:00am Glory Daze 4:45am A Ninja is for Life, Not Just for Christmas 4:50am 90210 5:30am Deal or No Deal

7:00am Thomas and Friends 7:10am Igam Ogam 7:20am Fireman Sam 7:30am Jelly Jamm 7:45am Peppa Pig 7:50am Olive the Ostrich 7:55am Little Princess 8:10am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 8:20am The Mr Men Show 8:35am Thomas and Friends 8:50am Noddy in Toyland 9:05am Fifi and the Flowertots 9:20am Peppa Pig 9:35am Roary the Racing Car 9:50am Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00am Tickety Toc 10:15am Angelina Ballerina 10:35am Mist: Sheepdog Tales 10:55am Mexican Food Made Simple 11:25am Emergency Bikers 12:25pm Superior Interiors with Kelly Hoppen 1:20pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:25pm Build a New Life in the Country 2:25pm Meet the Santas

4:10pm Mistletoe Over Manhattan Seasonal fantasy yarn. 6:00pm 5 News at 5 National and international news. 6:30pm Emergency Bikers Action-packed documentary series following the work of emergency bike crews. 7:30pm 5 News National and international news. 8:00pm Cowboy Builders Dom Littlewood and Melinda Messenger track down the UK’s most terrible tradesmen. 9:00pm North Pole Ice Airport 10:00pm The Mentalist American crime drama. 11:00pm Castle US mystery series.

12:00am Law and Order: Criminal Intent 12:55am Inside Hollywood Get your daily fix of the latest film and TV news from the USA. Presented by Mark Morris. 1:00am Super Casino 4:50am Motorsport Mundial The latest motor racing action from around the world. 5:20am HouseBusters 5:45am The Great Artists

Satellite channels SKY1

5:10am Stargate SG-1

6:05am Stargate SG-1 7:00am Airline USA 7:30am Airline USA 8:00am Spy 8:30am Spy 9:00am Dog the Bounty Hunter 9:30am Dog the Bounty Hunter 10:00am Futurama 10:30am Futurama 11:00am Best of Oops TV 12:00pm Lie to Me 1:00pm Lie to Me 2:00pm Stargate: The Ark of Truth

SKY MOVIES COMEDY

4:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm Futurama 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Little Crackers 9:30pm Spy 10:00pm An Idiot Abroad 11:00pm A League of Their Own 12:00am Road Wars 1:00am Brit Cops - Zero Tolerance 2:00am Brit Cops - Zero Tolerance 2:55am Road Wars 3:50am Road Wars 4:45am Crash Test Dummies

5:30am Clue 7:10am Henry’s Crime 9:00am Snow Dogs 10:40am Chalet Girl 12:20pm The 40 Year Old Virgin 2:20pm Tower Heist 4:05pm American Pie 5:45pm Hall Pass 7:35pm 30 Minutes or Less 9:00pm Tower Heist 10:45pm The 40 Year Old Virgin 12:45am American Pie 2:25am Hall Pass 4:15am 30 Minutes or Less

SKY MOVIES DRAMA 4:50am Prom 6:40am The Descendants Special 7:00am The Magic of Belle Isle 9:00am Rabbit Hole 10:40am Moneyball 1:00pm Romeo and Juliet 3:05pm Movie

Special 3:25pm Deck the Halls

Point Last Seen 7:50am The Hobbit 8:20am Master and Commander: 10:40am Ironclad 12:45pm Twister 2:45pm First Blood

5:05pm Albatross 6:45pm The Terminal 9:00pm Romeo and Juliet

4:25pm Rambo: First Blood Part II 6:10pm The Tourist 8:00pm Daylight 10:00pm First Blood 11:40pm Rambo: First Blood Part II

11:00pm Moneyball 1:20am The Stepford Wives 3:00am Burlesque 5:10am Stepping Out

SKY MOVIES ACTION 4:20am Anaconda 2: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid 6:05am

Angelina Jolie

SMA

5:40am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast The latest news, sport, business and weather from the BBC’s Breakfast team. 10:15am Heir Hunters 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer Series featuring properties sold via auction. 12:00pm You’ve Been Scammed 12:30pm Cash in the Attic 1:15pm Bargain Hunt A football fanatic mum and son face off a dad and daughter in Bargain Hunt from Newark. 2:00pm BBC News at One The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 2:30pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Escape to the Country

ITV

CH5

BBC1

6:10pm The Tourist

1:20am Rambo III 3:05am 22 Bullets 5:05am Small Soldiers

TCM 6:00am Kansas Pacific 7:15am The High Chaparral 8:15am The High Chaparral 9:15am The Return of Frank James 11:00am How the West Was Won

SATURDAY

EWN

20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

www.euroweeklynews.com

BBC2

5:15am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast The latest news, sport, business and weather from the BBC's Breakfast team. 11:00am Saturday Kitchen 12:30pm Nigel Slater’s Christmas Suppers 1:00pm BBC News The latest national and international news from the BBC. 1:10pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 1:15pm Football Focus 2:00pm Equestrian: Olympia 2012

4.00pm - midnight 5:30pm Final Score 6:20pm BBC News The latest national and international news from the BBC. 6:30pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 6:40pm Pointless 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing 8:55pm Merlin 9:40pm The National Lottery Saturday Night Draws 9:50pm Strictly Come Dancing 11:05pm BBC News The latest national and international news from the BBC. 11:25pm Match of the Day

CH5

ITV

BBC4

8:00pm Olympics 2012 10:00pm Live at the Apollo 10:30pm Live at the Apollo 11:00pm Kill Bill: Vol. 2 1:10am Family Guy 1:35am Family Guy 1:55am American Dad! 2:20am American Dad! 2:40am Impractical Jokers 3:10am Him and Her 3:40am The Revolution Will be Televised 4:10am The Revolution Will be Televised

6:00am ITV Nightscreen 6:30am ITV Morning News 7:00am Special Agent Oso 7:25am The Hive 7:35am The Hive 7:45am The Hive 7:50am Canimals 8:00am Canimals 8:05am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:20am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:30am Almost Naked Animals 8:40am Almost Naked Animals 8:50am Horrid Henry 9:05am Horrid Henry 9:15am Horrid Henry 9:30am Fort Boyard 10:25am ITV News 10:30am The Jeremy Kyle Show US 11:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show US 12:20pm Murder, She Wrote 1:20pm ITV News and Weather 1:35pm Holiday Home Sweet Home 2:35pm Holiday Home Sweet Home 3:35pm Steppin’ Out with Katherine Jenkins

5:30am Deal or No Deal 6:25am Countdown 7:10am The Hoobs 8:00am The Enduroman Arch to Arc Triathlon 8:30am Everybody Loves Raymond Marie treats the family to a holiday in Rome, but Ray’s not happy. 8:55am The Morning Line Turf tips and news from the Channel 4 Racing team. 9:55am Frasier Frasier and Charlotte get stranded in the middle of nowhere when Frasier's car breaks down. 10:25am Frasier 10:55am A Christmas Carol 12:50pm The Big Bang Theory Leonard finds himself forced to choose between Priya and Penny. 1:20pm The Simpsons 1:50pm The Simpsons 2:20pm Channel 4 Racing

4:00pm Nigellissima Nigella Lawson loves Christmas and for her a party is the perfect way to celebrate. 5:00pm The Game Plan 6:45pm The Toys That Made Christmas 8:15pm Porridge Seasonal special of the Clement/Frenais sitcom a masterclass in comedy writing. 9:00pm TOTP2 Mark Radcliffe digs deep into the archives to deliver some familiar and unfamiliar festive 10:30pm Never Mind the Buzzcocks 11:00pm The Mystery of Edwin Drood

4:50pm London Tonight Regional news update for the capital and the South East, plus local weather. 5:05pm ITV News and Weather Andrea Byrne with the latest headlines from around the world. 5:20pm Back to the Future Part III Concluding part of the comic time-travel trilogy. 7:30pm The Nation’s Favourite Christmas Song 9:00pm Paddy’s 2012 Show and Telly 10:00pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:30pm ITV News and Weather Andrea Byrne with the latest headlines from around the world. 11:45pm Terminator 2: Judgment Day Sci-fi sequel unfolding a life-and-death battle to avert a nuclear holocaust.

4:30pm River Cottage 5:35pm Come Dine with Me 6:05pm Come Dine with Me 6:35pm Come Dine with Me 7:05pm Come Dine with Me 7:35pm Come Dine with Me 8:05pm Channel 4 News 8:25pm 4thought.tv 8:30pm George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces 9:30pm Stephen Fry: Gadget Man 10:00pm Four Christmases 11:40pm Die Hard 2

8:00pm The Prince and the Showgirl 10:00pm Arena 11:00pm Tom Jones - What Good Am I? 12:00am Tom Jones at the BBC 1:00am Top of the Pops: 1977 1:30am Top of the Pops: 1977 2:00am Johnny Cash at Christmas 2:50am The Beach Boys: Live at Knebworth 4:00am Arena

2:15am Jackpot247 Join the presenters live and play roulette on your telly. 4:00am In Plain Sight 4:45am ITV Nightscreen Text-based information service.

5:30pm Mrs Miracle 2: Miracle in Manhattan Drama. Magic and romance abound in a family-run department store in the lead up to Christmas. 7:20pm I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Festive family fun based on the traditional song of the same name. 9:00pm A Christmas Carol Adaptation of Dickens's classic tale of hope, compassion and the uplifting power of the spirit. 11:00pm 5 News Weekend 11:05pm Tommy Cooper's Christmas Classic comedy from 1973.

10:00pm Four Christmases

Vincent Vaughn & Reese Witherspoon

2:00am Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale 3:20am This is Me An Abingdon teenager discusses her identity crisis. 3:25am Hollyoaks Omnibus 5:30am 90210

2:10am The Plank 1:10am Super Casino Live interactive gaming featuring roulette, blackjack and autowheel. 4:55am Michaela’s Wild Challenge Michaela Strachan and colleagues undertake a range of wildlife-related dares in exotic locations. 5:20am The Great Artists 5:50am Rough Guide to Eco Escapes

Satellite channels SKY1 5:10am Stargate SG-1 7:00am Lion Man 7:30am Modern Family 8:00am UK Border Force 10:00am World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars 11:00am Soccer A.M. 1:00pm Futurama 5:00pm Diversity 6:00pm The Simpsons 7:00pm A Very JLS Christmas 8:30pm Got to Dance 9:30pm School of Rock 11:40pm Hawaii Five-0 1:40am Caribbean Cops 2:40am Inside Gatwick 3:40am Caribbean Cops 4:40am Road Wars 5:10am Don’t Forget the Lyrics

Tom Jones

7:05am Fifi and the Flowertots 7:15am Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 7:20am The Mr Men Show 7:35am Olive the Ostrich 7:40am Abby’s Flying Fairy School 7:50am Roobarb and Custard Too 8:00am Bananas in Pyjamas 8:10am Animal Antics 8:20am Make Way for Noddy 8:30am City of Friends 8:45am Little Princess 8:55am The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 9:15am Angelina Ballerina 9:30am Rupert Bear 9:50am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:00am Toby’s Travelling Circus 10:15am Roary the Racing Car 10:30am Jelly Jamm 10:50am Chinese Food in Minutes 10:55am Dallas 11:50am Once Upon a Time 1:50pm Crazy for Christmas 3:40pm Dear Santa

5:30pm -

BBC4

11:00pm What Good Am I?

Channel 5

7:00am Charlie and Lola 7:20am Little Charley Bear 7:30am 64 Zoo Lane 7:40am Mr Bloom’s Nursery 8:05am What’s New Scooby-Doo? 8:30am Dennis and Gnasher 8:40am Four O’Clock Club 9:10am M.I. High 9:40am Deadly 60 10:05am Copycats 10:35am 12 Again 11:05am The Ministry of Curious Stuff 11:30am Diddy Movies 11:45am Sorry, I’ve Got No Head 12:15pm Horrible Histories 12:45pm MOTD Kickabout 1:20pm Spy Kids 3: Game Over Thrilling adventure. 2:35pm Beverly Hills Chihuahua

12:55am The Football Mrs Miracle 2: Miracle in Manhattan League Show 2:10am Weatherview Detailed weather 12:00am The Mystery of Edwin Drood A twoforecast. 2:15am Rolling Stones: Crossfire part period drama adapted from the novel by Hurricane 3:15am Rolling Stones: Crossfire Charles Dickens. 1:00am The Story of A Hurricane 4:10am Nigellissima Nigella Fairytale of New York 2:00am QI 2:30am Never Lawson loves Christmas and for her a party is Mind the Buzzcocks 3:00am Arch of Triumph the perfect way to celebrate. 5:10am BBC News

BBC3

Channel 4

CH4

BBC1

SKY MOVIES COMEDY

Girls 2 Borrowed

5:40am Snow Dogs 7:20am A Night at the Roxbury 8:55am The Top Ten Show 2012 9:10am American Pie 2 11:00am Ice Age 12:35pm The Cat in the Hat 2:10pm National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 3:55pm Friends with Benefits

4:30pm The Help 7:00pm Life as We Know it 9:00pm Something Borrowed 11:00pm Mean Girls

2:30pm

Something

12:45am Life as We Know it 2:45am The Butcher’s Wife 4:40am The Hobbit 5:10am The 5th Quarter

5:50pm Ice Age 7:15pm Bad Teacher 9:00pm National Lampoon’s 10:40pm Friends with Benefits

SKY MOVIES ACTION

12:30am American Pie 2 2:20am Bad Teacher 4:00am A Night at the Roxbury 5:25am The Cat in the Hat

5:05am Small Soldiers 7:00am Fortress 8:40am Spy Kids 10:15am Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams 12:00pm Batman Forever 2:05pm Haywire 3:45pm Killer Elite

SKY MOVIES DRAMA 5:10am Stepping Out 7:05am Lucky Christmas 8:40am Anonymous 11:00am Mean Girls 12:45pm Mean

5:45pm Kingdom of Heaven 8:15pm Rush Hour 10:00pm Haywire 11:40pm Killer Elite

1:40am Battle: Los Angeles 3:40am The One 5:15am Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

TCM 6:00am The High Chaparral 6:55am The High Chaparral 7:55am The Scarlet Claw 9:15am Sherlock Holmes in Washington 10:35am Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon 11:50am Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear 1:05pm The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 2:40pm Dressed to Kill 4:00pm Sherlock Holmes: Pursuit to Algiers 5:10pm Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror 6:25pm The Pearl of Death 7:40pm Terror by Night 8:45pm Sherlock Holmes Faces Death 10:00pm U.S. Marshals 12:25am Stir of Echoes

20 - 26 December 2012

yoursay@ euroweeklynews.com

www.euroweeklynews.com

Letters for Your Say should be emailed to yoursay@ euroweekly news.com, posted to Euro Weekly News, C/Moscatel 10, P-62, Polígono Industrial, Arroyo de la Miel, 29630 Benalmadena, Málaga, Spain or faxed to 0034 952 440 887

Not so healthy view of Spain’s medical care I WOULD like to warn your readers about the slowness of Spanish health departments. My wife first suffered knee problems in 2006. Torremolinos hospital sent her to see a rheumatologist who referred her to a knee surgeon, and then a pain management clinic. This went on for two years before we went to a private clinic. They gave her a report which we took to the CARE health centre in Fuengirola. They wanted more x-rays before she was referred back to pain doctors. In February 2009 we signed papers for a new knee operation. Then in November we were told she was seeing the wrong doctor and she was sent back to rheumatology, and eventually to pain management again. Now, six years after first seeing a doctor, they have finally accepted she needs a new knee, but it is too late. Her knee muscles are too weak to support the operation. We have made an official complaint, but that does not help my wife who now needs a wheelchair if out for any length of time. Name supplied, Riviera del Sol , (Malaga)

At it again OH DEAR! Just when you thought the Spanish banking services had seen sense and were back on the straight and narrow road to financial stability, the SabadellCAM is at it again! We read (Issue 1431) that SabadellCAM's real estate subsidiary, Solvia, is about to begin a multimillion-euro building programme. “There is a growing demand” says Sabadell’s CEO, Miquel Montes. Oh yes? Take your blinkers off Miquel, and gaze upon the thousands of brand new and re-sale properties across Spain that remain unsold. Oh! dear, I can see it all happening again. Will the last one to leave, switch the light off. Robert Barnes, Pilar de la Horadada (Alicante)

Airport right YOUR Article about El Altet (Alicante) airport numbers for November (Costa Blanca North Issue 1431) did our

L etters OPINION & COMMENT

Snapped! by Maria Hopkins, Calahonda.

P pub hotog r l em icati aphs pho ail w on sh for p o ton ews ith a f uld b ossibl e es @e ull e c uro wee aptio nt by klyn n to ews : .com

Our neighbour’s cat for some reason loves to sit - winter or summer - in the window of our home. Some days he just sits, watching the world go by, other times he shows how relaxed and safe he feels by falling asleep... on the window ledge, with his feet pointing skywards. Happiness is....

WHEN YOU WRITE All letters, whether by email or post, should carry the writer’s postal address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published. Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed earlier correspondence can see all letters posted on:

www.euroweeklynews.com

wonderful airport no favours. We are in a recession and in November you expect numbers to be up? Aena should be praised for taking a stand against the bullying tactics of Ryanair, the least favourite airline! It is not funny for elderly folk to stand at the top of the steep airplane stairs in torrential rain and a gale force wind and struggle down with a suitcase, being pushed from behind. Unable to make a long dash across slippery tarmac, many of us regularly get very wet! For a few euros more those nice people at Easyjet will look after you properly. N Cummins (by email)

Clear pictured REGARDING Registering an imported car in Spain (Issue 1431), while I applaud the efforts of reporter Raul Candela to give facts, it is important that the information provided is

correct. Much of what he states is factual and accurate but not all, and I challenge that a non-resident may keep his foreign (non-Spanish) car for up to six months in Spain before he is required to re-register it or remove it from the country on a six months rolling basis. Residents have 30 days if the car was purchased abroad specifically to bring it to Spain and two months if they owned the car before moving to Spain. After re-registering over 1,200 vehicles, I have only once had to apply for green plates. It is customary to change to Spanish plates directly from the foreign ones causing less hassle and cost. In my experience, the process takes five to 10 days, not three weeks, and sourcing continental headlights is normally same day or within 48 hours, not the 10 days mentioned There is no requirement in law to register on the Padron in order to register a car, as a factura or escritura is typically accepted. As a response to the question posed by a reader asking if she may save money by delaying signing on the Padron, the answer given is disturbing and inaccurate. It was stated that a Padron should be obtained immediately. The facts are as follows: If a person wishes to gain exemption from the registration/import tax there are critical timescales. The car must have been owned for six months and one

EWN

Costa Blanca South day before applying for the Padron or Residency Certificate. While I also would encourage everyone to sign on the Padron, it may not be immediately imperative Graham Shelton info@spanish-number-plates.com Editor’s note: Guardia Civil Press sources confirmed that EU non-residents can drive an EU plated vehicle for up to three months. After that if the vehicle is to remain in Spain they need to apply for a Residence Certificate and a Spanish plate, for which they have three additional months to start the applications. If during this period proceedings have not been started, they can have their car seized. The recommendation in the article that residents apply for green plates was made by the DGT traffic authority, and the statement that sourcing continental headlights can take 10 days was attributed to the Gestoria Administrativa, Los Boliches. As with many procedures in Spain, bureaucracy can vary, and some officials make different demands through various interpretations of requirements.

Crazy world WHAT a crazy world we live in where a telephone prank can go so tragically wrong. An un-briefed nurse passes a hoax call through to the ward sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, then commits suicide when it becomes apparent it is a prank. The Australian radio station that perpetrated the hoax has not apologised, and why should it? The suicide was caused by British failures to employ the right people to filter messages. The management of the hospital and the security team needs to be taken to task over this event for not briefing the staff properly. Brian Deller, Malaga

Dog advice I AM horrified at the account written by Suzanne Manners (Issue 1431) and her lack of common-sense. For someone to be bitten by a dog and take no action is beyond belief. The minimum treatment is to have a tetanus injection. Angus McKenzie (by email)

The views expressed and opinions given in Letters are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. They accept no responsibility for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements, and reject claims arising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.

SUNDAY

EWN

20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

www.euroweeklynews.com

BBC1

BBC2

5:10am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast The latest news, sport, business and weather from the BBC's Breakfast team. 8:30am Match of the Day 10:00am David Suchet: In the Footsteps of St Paul 11:00am Fern Britton Meets... Dionne Warwick is a music legend. 12:00pm Only Fools and Horses The first of a three-part Christmas special from 1996. 1:00pm BBC News The latest national and international news from the BBC. 1:10pm ‘Allo, ‘Allo! Comedy about a hapless cafe owner in occupied France. 1:55pm Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas 2:30pm The Borrowers Family adventure based on Mary Norton's classic children's books. 3:55pm Cool Runnings

4.00pm - midnight

Channel 4

12:25am The Graham Norton Show 1:15am Grumpy Old Men 2:55am Weatherview Detailed weather forecast. 3:00am Film 2012 3:30am Holby City 4:30am Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas Nigel Slater shares the flavours that for him make Christmas a truly delicious season. 5:00am Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas 5:30am BBC News

BBC3

SMC

8:00pm Great Movie Mistakes 2012 8:50pm Merlin Fantasy drama series. 9:35pm Kung Fu Panda Computer-animated comedy. 11:00pm Him and Her 11:30pm Gavin and Stacey Special festive edition of the hit sitcom. 12:30am Family Guy Subversive animated comedy about the trials and tribulations of American family life. 12:55am Family Guy Subversive animated comedy about the trials and tribulations of American family life. 1:15am Him and Her 1:45am Some Girls 2:15am Some Girls 2:45am Some Girls 3:15am Don’t Tell the Bride 4:15am Great Movie Mistakes 2012

4:45am ITV Nightscreen 7:00am Engie Benjy 7:10am Special Agent Oso 7:35am Signed Stories 7:40am Signed Stories 7:45am Monk 7:50am Canimals 8:00am Canimals 8:05am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:15am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:30am Almost Naked Animals 8:40am Almost Naked Animals 8:50am Almost Naked Animals 9:00am Big Time Rush 9:30am Fort Boyard 10:25am Dinner Date 11:20am Columbo 1:20pm ITV News and Weather 1:30pm Carry on Cowboy 3:15pm All Star Family Fortunes

5:30am 90210 6:15am 90210 6:55am The Treacle People Christmas Special: Sticky Christmas 7:15am The Hoobs 7:40am The Hoobs 8:05am Prep and Landing 8:25am Prep and Landing 8:50am The Bear 9:20am The Art of the Snowman and the Snowdog 9:25am Frasier 9:55am Frasier 10:30am Sunday Brunch 1:05pm The Big Bang Theory 1:30pm The Big Bang Theory 2:00pm The Simpsons 2:30pm The Simpsons 3:00pm Deal or No Deal

7:25am Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 7:30am The Mr Men Show 7:45am Olive the Ostrich 7:50am Abby’s Flying Fairy School 8:00am Roobarb and Custard Too 8:10am Bananas in Pyjamas 8:20am Animal Antics 8:25am Make Way for Noddy 8:40am City of Friends 9:00am Little Princess 9:10am Angelina Ballerina 9:25am Hana’s Helpline 9:40am Rupert Bear 10:00am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:10am Toby’s Travelling Circus 10:25am Roary the Racing Car 10:40am Jelly Jamm 11:00am Chinese Food in Minutes 11:20am Dallas 12:15pm Once Upon a Time 1:10pm Once Upon a Time 2:10pm The Christmas Consultant 3:55pm It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas

4:25pm Flog It! 5:25pm First Knight 7:30pm The Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show 8:35pm Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings 9:30pm Dragons’ Den Christmas is big business. 10:30pm James May’s Toy Stories 11:30pm The Sarah Millican Television Programme

4:00pm The McFly Show 5:05pm Twins Comedy. 7:05pm You’ve Been Framed! Harry Hill is back with the best of viewers' funny camcorder and mobile phone clips. 7:35pm London Tonight Regional news update for the capital and the South East, plus local weather. 7:45pm ITV News and Weather James Mates with the latest headlines from around the world. 8:00pm Ade’s Christmas Crackers 9:00pm The Cube 10:00pm Joanna Lumley: The Search for Noah's Ark 11:30pm ITV News and Weather James Mates with the latest headlines from around the world. 11:45pm Take Me Out

4:00pm 100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross 7:05pm Channel 4 News Includes sport and weather. 7:15pm 4thought.tv 7:20pm The Art of the Snowman and the Snowdog Channel 4’s new Christmas film The Snowman and The Snowdog is entirely drawn by hand. 7:25pm The Snowman Channel 4's most celebrated animation is this classic story from Raymond Briggs. 7:55pm Night at the Museum 10:00pm Homeland The second season of the compelling US thriller comes to a tense conclusion. 11:30pm Peep Show

5:40pm Christmas with the Kranks Yuletide family comedy. 7:40pm The Family Man Whimsical romantic comedy. 9:55pm 5 News Weekend National and international news. 10:00pm Bad Santa 12:00am Superbad

12:00am Victoria Wood: Seen on TV Victoria Wood looks back at her hugely successful television career. 1:30am QI In a special Christmas edition, Stephen Fry looks at ice. 2:00am French Film Romantic comedy. 3:25am They Knew what They Wanted

BBC4 8:00pm Cleopatra 11:55pm Omnibus 12:50am The Genius of David Bowie 1:50am David Bowie and the Story of Ziggy Stardust 2:50am It’s Slade 3:40am Slade at the BBC

5:40pm A Thousand Words

Channel 5

7:00am Show Me Show Me 7:20am Rastamouse 7:30am Gigglebiz 7:45am Mike the Knight 8:05am Shaun the Sheep 8:10am Little Howard’s Big Christmas Question 8:35am Four O’Clock Club 9:05am M.I. High 9:35am Bear Behaving Badly 10:00am Copycats 10:30am 12 Again 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:30pm The Great British Bake Off Christmas Masterclass 1:30pm The Preacher’s Wife Romantic fantasy about a cleric who begins to doubt himself and is visited by an angel. 3:30pm Coast A look back at part of an episode of coast. The team is in the north west of England. 3:40pm Escape to the Country

CH5

5:30pm Songs of Praise 6:05pm BBC News The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team. 6:20pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 6:30pm Countryfile 7:30pm Mr Stink 8:30pm Antiques Roadshow Fiona Bruce looks back on another vintage year for the Antiques Roadshow. 9:30pm Loving Miss Hatto 11:00pm BBC News The latest national and international news, with reports from BBC correspondents worldwide. 11:20pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 11:25pm Match of the Day 2

ITV

12:45am Rugby Highlights 1:45am Jackpot247 Join the presenters live and play roulette on your telly. 3:45am River Monsters 4:35am ITV Nightscreen Text-based information service.

Tim Allen & Jamie Lee Curtis

5:40pm Christmas with the Kranks

12:00am In Bruges 2:00am American Football Live 5:45am Brief Encounters of the Sporting Mind 5:50am Brief Encounters of the Sporting Mind Christina McMahon’s mother wanted her to be a ballerina.

2:15am Super Casino Live interactive gaming featuring roulette, blackjack and autowheel. 4:55am House Doctor 5:25am House Doctor 5:50am Rough Guide to Weekend Breaks Travel series presented by Julia Bradbury and Toby Amies.

Satellite channels SKY1

5:00am Don’t Forget the Lyrics

6:00am Best of Oops TV 7:00am The Hour of Power 8:00am Modern Family 10:00am The Glee Project 11:00am World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars 12:00pm WWE Experience 1:00pm Futurama

SKY MOVIES COMEDY

5:00pm Got to Dance 6:00pm Diversity 7:00pm All Star Christmas Presents 8:30pm A Very JLS Christmas 10:00pm Arrow 11:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00am A League of Their Own Christmas Special 2:00am Caribbean Cops 3:00am Big Trouble in Thailand 4:00am Big Trouble in Thailand

Kind of Wonderful 12:05pm Deck the Halls 1:50pm I Don’t Know How She Does it 3:25pm Just Go with it

5:25am The Cat in the Hat 7:00am Black Sheep 8:40am Evolution 10:35am A Thousand Words 12:15pm Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story 1:55pm Crazy, Stupid, Love 3:55pm The Big Year 5:40pm A Thousand Words 7:20pm Dodgeball: A Underdog Story 9:00pm Crazy, Stupid, Love 11:00pm Project X

True

12:35am Eurotrip 2:10am Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 3:55am Evolution 5:40am The Big Year

SKY MOVIES DRAMA 5:10am The 5th Quarter 7:00am Stay Cool 8:40am Prom 10:25am Some

5:25pm City of Angels 7:25pm I Don't Know How She Does it 9:00pm Just Go with it 11:00pm Burlesque 1:05am Purple Rain 3:05am 33 Postcards 4:50am Listen to Your Heart

SKY MOVIES ACTION 5:15am Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams 7:00am Over the Top 8:40am Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 10:40am Real Steel 12:50pm SpiderMan 2:55pm Immortals 4:50pm Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 6:50pm Real Steel

9:00pm Spider-Man 11:05pm Immortals 1:00am Broken Arrow 2:55am Species 4:45am Species II

TCM 6:00am TCM Shorts 6:20am Dressed to Kill 7:35am Sherlock Holmes: Pursuit to Algiers 8:50am Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror 10:05am The Pearl of Death 11:20am Terror by Night 12:25pm Sherlock Holmes Faces Death 1:45pm Scrooge 4:00pm Escape from Fort Bravo 5:50pm The Left-Handed Gun 7:50pm Guns for San Sebastian 10:00pm Hell on Wheels 10:55pm Hell on Wheels 11:50pm Posse 1:55am Valley of the Dolls 4:10am Posse

OPINION & COMMENT

20 - 26 December 2012

EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

Costa Blanca South

LTHOUGH I have no intention of appearing cold or unfeeling, in the light of the furore surrounding the recent hospital ‘prank call’ affair, I couldn’t help but wonder as to the mental condition of the tragic suicide victim. Without doubt this poor lady was naive in the extreme. To accept, that in the dead of night, she was talking to the Queen of England and Prince Phillip and then passing them through without seeking some verification, or indeed immediately hanging up, almost defies the imagination. It raises serious questions as to her intelligence level. She was after all a nurse, with people’s wellbeing and

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT even lives in her hands. Her subsequent suicide leads one to believe her mental state must have already been extremely fragile. If everyone who felt foolish, or was made to look silly, took their own lives, the whole population would be severely depleted on a daily basis. It certainly seems a bit extreme to me. I don’t know. Perhaps it’s a cultural thing? As far as the DJs are concerned, had this phone call not had such a tragic outcome, they would

probably have been considered a couple of really successful wags and moved into the number one slots in their profession, which is not actually much of an achievement. Radio Disc jockeys are in fact, considered by many pros to be just about the pits of the music profession. Although they don’t broadcast it, recording artistes and song writers often deem DJs untalented, arrogant parasites, who seek success by exploiting the talents of others. The only reason they are tolerated is because they have access to a media that can reach a wide public and sell records. Indeed, when I myself entered the radio show

profession, I took some extremely derogatory stick from some of my successful showbiz colleagues. Sixties Icon Jess Conrad OBE was one. (Mind you I’ll get my own back when he appears at my FCC Christmas party on the 22nd. Bookings on 689 485 956). To overcome this stigma, DJs try to create more interest in their actual show. Some are very good at this. People like Chris Evans and indeed our own much loved Vince Tracey, strive to use their music merely as a vehicle for other offerings. This is of course what these two young Australians were endeavouring to do. To put them through the

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

DJs not to blame in death of naive nurse

MASTER DJ: Chris Evans. sheer hell they appear to be experiencing seems to me a totally unfair and malicious exercise. The young lady involved seems, at the time of writing, to be in a particularly fragile state herself. I suggest they are now left alone, while their

superiors take some time out to reconsider their policies and come up with some directive that keeps up their entertainment output, but ensures a situation like this never rears its ugly head again. Keep the faith. Love Leapy. Leapylee2002@gmail.com.

MONDAY

EWN

20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

www.euroweeklynews.com

BBC1

BBC2

5:30am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast The latest news, sport, business and weather from the BBC’s Breakfast team. 10:00am David Suchet: In the Footsteps of St Paul 11:00am The Two Ronnies Christmas Show 12:00pm Only Fools and Horses 1:00pm BBC News The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 1:15pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 1:25pm The Santa Clause 3:00pm The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

4.00pm - midnight

Channel 4

12:30am BBC News The latest national and international news, with reports from BBC correspondents worldwide. 12:45am Midnight Mass From Leeds Cathedral . 2:05am Serendipity Romantic comedy. 3:30am Weatherview Detailed weather forecast. 3:35am BBC News

BBC3

8:00pm Top Gear 9:30pm Ratatouille Children's animation. 11:10pm Merry Madagascar Seasonal short featuring the characters of the hit animated movie series Madagascar. 11:30pm EastEnders 12:00am Russell Howard’s Good News 12:30am Family Guy 12:55am Family Guy 1:15am Family Guy 1:40am Family Guy Animated comedy series about family life. 2:00am Family Guy Animated comedy series about family life. 2:25am Family Guy Animated comedy series about family life. 2:45am Him and Her Comedy series 3:15am Russell Howard’s Good News 3:45am Don’t Tell the Bride

12:30am Family Guy

Channel 5

7:00am Postman Pat Children’s animation. 7:15am Bob the Builder: Project Build It Cartoon adventures of builder Bob and his friends. 7:30am The Adventures of Abney and Teal 7:40am Timmy’s Christmas Surprise Animation about a lamb at nursery school. 8:05am Shaun the Sheep Children’s animation. Shaun discovers that the farmer will be spending Christmas Day alone. 8:15am Eliot Kid 8:30am The League of Super Evil 8:40am Four O’Clock Club 9:10am M.I. High 9:40am Dani’s House 10:10am The Nightmare Before Christmas 11:20am Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 12:55pm The Great British Bake Off Masterclass 1:55pm Wartime Farm 2:55pm Springwatch 3:55pm Equestrian: Olympia 2012

4:35am ITV Nightscreen Text-based information service. 7:00am Babar and the Adventures of Badou 7:10am Babar and the Adventures of Badou 7:25am The Hive 7:30am The Hive 7:40am The Hive When Rubee and Debee fall out, Buzzbee and Barnabee come up with a cunning plan to re-unite them! 7:50am Canimals Pow finds a tasty treat but rather than share it he makes an enemy of the angry wasp. 8:00am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:15am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:30am Horrid Henry 8:45am Horrid Henry 9:00am Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase 10:25am Dennis 12:05pm Dinner Date 1:10pm ITV News and Weather 1:30pm The Chase 2:30pm Doc Martin

6:00am Freesports on 4 6:25am Unreported World 6:55am Sali Mali 7:00am The Treacle People 7:10am Rugrats the Movie 8:25am Famous Fred 8:55am Ivor the Invisible 9:20am The Art of the Snowman and the Snowdog 9:30am A Christmas Carol 11:05am The Big Bang Theory 11:35am The Big Bang Theory 12:00pm The Muppet Christmas Carol 1:40pm The Simpsons 2:15pm The Simpsons 2:45pm Deal or No Deal’s Big Christmas Dinner 3:50pm Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

7:10am Igam Ogam 7:20am Fireman Sam 7:30am Jelly Jamm 7:45am Peppa Pig 7:50am Olive the Ostrich 7:55am Little Princess 8:10am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 8:20am The Mr. Men Show 8:35am Thomas and Friends 8:45am Noddy in Toyland Charming animation. 9:00am Fifi and the Flowertots 9:10am Milkshake! Show Songs 9:15am Peppa Pig 9:30am Roary the Racing Car 9:40am Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00am Tickety Toc 10:10am Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 10:20am Mist: Sheepdog Tales 10:40am The Family Recipe 10:50am Dallas 11:40am Once pon a Time 1:35pm Mistletoe Over Manhattan 3:25pm Trading Christmas

4:55pm Nativity! A teacher is put in charge of his primary school’s musical version of the Nativity. 6:35pm Dad’s Army Classic comedy about the Home Guard unit of Walmington-on-Sea. 7:15pm Carols from King’s 8:30pm Morecambe and Wise 9:30pm Open All Hours Sitcom about a miserly shopkeeper. 10:00pm Porridge Christmas special of the classic sitcom from 1975. 10:40pm The Many Faces of... 11:40pm The Two Ronnies

4:30pm Rod Stewart’s Christmas 5:45pm How the Grinch Stole Christmas 7:40pm ITV News and Weather Mark Austin with the latest headlines from around the world. 8:00pm Emmerdale Cameron’s hand is forced when his prisoner fights to escape. 8:30pm Coronation Street Will Peter’s heartfelt words have the desired effect on Leanne? 9:30pm The Spice Girls Story: Viva Forever! 11:00pm ITV News and Weather Mark Austin with the latest headlines from around the world. 11:15pm Christmas Carols on ITV

6:05pm The Simpsons 6:40pm Hollyoaks 7:10pm Channel 4 News Includes sport and weather. 7:25pm 4thought.tv 7:30pm Heston’s Fantastical Christmas 8:30pm Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special TV spin-off from the makers of the Ice Age film series. 9:00pm The Snowman and the Snowdog A brand new, charming animated sequel to Raymond Briggs's classic The Snowman. 9:30pm Stephen Fry: Gadget Man 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 11:00pm Peep Show 11:30pm Friday Night Dinner It's Christmas Day.

5:10pm Scrooge Memorable cinematic adaptation of Dickens's classic story. 7:00pm Rolf’s Animal Christmas Documentary series presented by Rolf Harris. 8:00pm World’s Biggest Pets For some pet owners big is truly beautiful. 9:00pm A Right Royal Year 10:00pm Eddie Stobart’s Christmas Cracker 11:00pm The Thomas Crown Affair Crime caper movie about a New York playboy who executes a skilful theft.

ITV

5:15pm Merry Madagascar 5:35pm The Gruffalo’s Child 6:05pm The Lady and The Tramp 7:20pm BBC News The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 7:35pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 7:45pm A Christmas Carol Animation. The bitter and greedy Scrooge is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. 9:15pm Merlin Fantasy drama series. 10:00pm EastEnders 10:35pm Outnumbered 11:15pm Mrs. Brown’s Boys 11:45pm The Vicar of Dibley

ITV

12:10am Being Ronnie Corbett 1:10am QI Quiz show. 1:40am An Island Parish Series following the community on the tiny crown dependency of Sark in the Channel Islands. 2:10am The Tuttles of Tahiti

BBC4 9:00pm Norman Wisdom: His Story 10:00pm Nigel Slater: Life is Sweets 11:00pm Ultimate Number 1s at the BBC 12:05am Top of the Pops 12:55am Arena 1:55am Barry Manilow at the BBC 2:55am Ultimate Number 1s at the BBC 3:55am Tom Jones at the BBC

12:15am The Jonathan Ross Show 1:45am The Unforgettable... 2:40am Pushing Daisies Quirky US drama about a man who can bring the dead back to life. 3:25am ITV Nightscreen Textbased information service.

9: 30pm The Spice Girls Story: Viva Forever

12:05am The Inbetweeners 12:40am The Inbetweeners 1:15am The Inbetweeners Simon and his new girlfriend Tara are on a double date with Will and her friend Kerry. 1:45am The Inbetweeners 2:15am The Inbetweeners Will's mum is away for a weekend with old schoolfriend Fergus. 2:45am The Inbetweeners 3:15am Rude Tube Another chance to see this Rude Tube special from 2010. 5:05am Made in Chelsea

1:15am NCIS 2:15am Super Casino 4:55am House Doctor 5:20am HouseBusters 5:45am The Great Artists

Satellite channels SKY1 6:00am Best of Oops TV 7:00am Got to Dance 8:00am Futurama 10:00am Robbie Williams: Take the Crown 11:30am Futurama 5:30pm Michael Buble Home for the Holidays 6:30pm Little Crackers 7:00pm Little Crackers 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm Futurama 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm Trollied 11:00pm A League of Their Own 12:00am An Idiot Abroad 1:00am Fringe 2:00am Brit Cops - Zero Tolerance 3:00am Road Wars 3:55am Road Wars 4:45am Street

Crime 5:10am Don’t Forget the Lyrics

SKY MOVIES COMEDY 5:40am The Big Year 7:20am National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 9:05am Team America: World Police 10:50am Ice Age 12:15pm Bridesmaids 2:20pm Horrible Bosses 4:05pm Without a Paddle 5:45pm Ice Age 7:15pm National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 9:00pm Bridesmaids 11:05pm Horrible Bosses 12:50am Team America: World Police 2:35am White Men Can’t Jump 4:45am The Fighting Temptations

SKY MOVIES DRAMA

Tomorrow Never Dies 2:10pm The World is Not Enough

4:50am Listen to Your Heart 6:40am Movie Special 7:00am Lucky Christmas 8:30am Honey 2 10:30am Love and Other Drugs 12:30pm Forrest Gump 3:00pm The Adjustment Bureau

4:25pm GoldenEye 6:40pm Tomorrow Never Dies 8:45pm The World is Not Enough 11:00pm Safe House 1:00am The Recruit 3:00am The Eagle 5:00am Priest

4:50pm My Week with Marilyn 6:35pm Forrest Gump 9:00pm Love and Other Drugs 11:00pm The Adjustment Bureau 12:50am Going the Distance 2:40am Conviction 4:30am Lady Jane

SKY MOVIES ACTION 4:45am Species II 6:30am Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Special 7:00am Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: Special 7:30am Movie Special 7:50am Safe House 9:50am GoldenEye 12:05pm

TCM 6:00am Sweet November 8:05am Scrooge 10:00am Escape from Fort Bravo 11:35am The Left-Handed Gun 1:15pm Guns for San Sebastian 3:05pm Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. 5:00pm Scrooge 6:55pm Tarzan and the Lost Safari 8:15pm Dial M for Murder 10:00pm Payback 11:40pm Say Anything... 1:20am Taps3:20am November 5:15am Off Set

Sweet

TUESDAY

EWN

20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

www.euroweeklynews.com

BBC2

4.00pm - midnight 4:00pm The Queen Her Majesty the Queen’s Christmas message to the nation and the Commonwealth. 4:10pm Shrek Forever After Animated family adventure. 5:35pm Room on the Broom 6:00pm BBC News The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 6:15pm Doctor Who Sci-fi drama. It is Christmas Eve, 1892, and the falling snow is the stuff of fairytales. 7:15pm Strictly Come Dancing 8:30pm Call the Midwife 9:45pm EastEnders 10:45pm The Royle Family 11:45pm BBC News The latest national and international news, with reports from BBC correspondents worldwide.

7:00am Baby Jake 7:15am Let’s Celebrate 7:30am The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas 8:00am The Slammer 8:30am 12 Again 9:00am Horrible Histories A seasonal special of the historical sketch show based on the successful books by Terry Deary. 9:30am The Story of Tracy Beaker Drama series about a young girl and her life in a children's home. 9:45am Attenborough and the Giant Egg David Attenborough returns to the island of Madagascar on a very personal quest. 10:45am Natural World 11:45am Carols from King’s 1:00pm On the Town 2:35pm Singin’ in the Rain Classic Hollywood musical set during the difficult transition from silent movies to talkies.

Channel 4

3:25am ITV Nightscreen 7:00am Babar and the Adventures of Badou 7:10am Babar and the Adventures of Badou 7:25am The Hive 7:30am The Hive 7:40am The Hive 7:50am Canimals 8:00am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:15am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:30am Almost Naked Animals 8:45am Almost Naked Animals 8:55am Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders 10:25am Aladdin 12:10pm The Nation’s Favourite Christmas Song 1:40pm Text Santa 2:15pm ITV News and Weather 2:25pm Toy Story

4:15pm Cenerentola 6:15pm The Queen 6:25pm Arena Arena goes in search of the ‘real’ Sister Wendy Beckett, who burst on to screens in the 1990s, telling the story of Christian art and painting, but revealing little of her own extraordinary story. Wendy herself, 82, talks frankly, humorously and profoundly about her life and spirituality for the first time. Her story, inseparable from that of the Gospel, is told alongside her selection of paintings Queen Elizabeth II by the greatest old masters, revealing the emotional insights they have given her. 4:00pm - The Queen 7:25pm Top Gear 8:30pm Dad’s Army A special Christmas episode of 4:00pm HM the Queen the classic sitcom from 1976. 4:10pm Tangled 9:00pm Blackadder’s Christmas Carol 6:00pm You’ve Been Framed! Seasonal comedy special. Christmas Eve, 1850. 6:30pm Emmerdale 9:45pm The Choir: A Year with the Military 7:00pm Paul O’Grady: For The Love of Dogs Wives 8:00pm Emmerdale 10:45pm QI XL 8:30pm Coronation Street 11:30pm The Sarah Millican Television 9:30pm ITV News and Weather Programme 9:45pm Downton Abbey 11:45pm Couples Retreat

Channel 5

6:00am 90210 6:40am The Hoobs 7:05am Little Wolf 7:30am Lost and Found 7:55am Father Christmas 8:25am The Art of the Snowman and the Snowdog 8:30am The Simpsons 8:50am The Simpsons 9:20am Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who 11:00am Gordon’s Christmas Cookalong Live 2:55pm The Snowman and the Snowdog 3:25pm Scrooged

5:45am The Great Artists 6:10am Michaela’s Wild Challenge 6:35am Michaela’s Wild Challenge 7:00am Thomas and Friends 7:10am Igam Ogam 7:20am Fireman Sam 7:30am Jelly Jamm 7:45am Peppa Pig 7:50am Olive the Ostrich 7:55am Little Princess 8:05am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 8:20am The Mr. Men Show 8:35am Thomas and Friends 8:50am Noddy in Toyland 9:05am Fifi and the Flowertots 9:15am Peppa Pig 9:25am Peppa Pig 9:35am Roary the Racing Car 9:55am Inside Hollywood 10:00am Gone with the Wind 2:15pm Ben-Hur

5:20pm The Alternative Christmas Message 5:25pm Deal or No Deal’s Big Christmas Dinner 6:30pm Channel 4 News 6:35pm 4thought.tv 6:40pm The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 10:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 11:00pm Rude Tube

6:25pm The Santa Incident 8:05pm Eddie Stobart's Christmas Cracker 9:00pm Eddie Stobart: Trucks, Trailers and Tinsel 10:00pm Eddie Stobart: Christmas Delivery 11:00pm Greatest Christmas TV Moments

CH5

3:35am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast The latest news, sport, business and weather from the BBC’s Breakfast team. 10:00am The Gruffalo 10:25am Peter Rabbit’s Christmas Tale: The Tale of the Christmas Deliveries Animation inspired by Beatrix Potter's classic. 10:50am First Flight Short animation. 11:00am Christmas Day Eucharist 12:00pm Only Fools and Horses The final part of the threepart 1996 Christmas special of John Sullivan's popular sitcom. 1:05pm BBC News The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 1:15pm Shrek the Halls Festive animated comedy. 1:40pm Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 3:00pm Top of the Pops Christmas Special

ITV

BBC1

6:25pm The Santa Incident

Greg Germann

12:00am The Vicar of Dibley 12:40am On Christmas Night The story of Christmas from Luke's gospel, read by Team GB Paralympic medal winner Rachel Morris. 12:45am Have I Got a Bit More News for You Christmas Special 1:30am Cold Mountain Romantic drama, based on the novel by Charles Frazier. 3:55am Weatherview Detailed weather forecast. 4:00am BBC News

BBC3 8:00pm First Flight 8:10pm Shrek the Halls 8:30pm Kung Fu Panda Computer-animated comedy. 9:55pm The Incredibles Children's animation. 11:45pm EastEnders 12:45am Family Guy 1:25am American Dad! Animated adventures of a hapless CIA agent and his family. 1:50am American Dad! 2:10am American Dad! 2:35am American Dad! 2:55am Pramface 3:25am Pramface 3:55am Impractical Jokers 4:25am Impractical Jokers

BBC4 8:00pm A Musical Nativity with John Rutter 9:00pm Swan Lake 11:15pm Top of the Pops 12:05am ... Sings Bee Gees 12:35am One Touch of Venus 1:55am James Bond 50th Anniversary Gala Concert 3:25am ... Sings Bee Gees 3:55am Rome: A History of the Eternal City

With Chevy Chase

SMC

12:00am The Christmas No.1 Story 1:00am TOTP2 Mark Radcliffe digs deep into the archives to deliver some familiar and unfamiliar festive treats. 2:30am The Hunchback of Notre Dame

5:40pm National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

1:55am Christmas Carols on ITV 2:55am Pushing Daisies 3:45am ITV Nightscreen

12:05am C4’s 30 Greatest Comedy Shows 2:05am Airplane! 3:35am David Blaine 4:20am KOTV Boxing Weekly KOTV regular Henry Lundy returns at lightweight against Raymundo Beltron for the NABF title. 4:45am Extreme Sailing Series 5:15am Brief Encounters of the Sporting Mind Blue has been bodybuilding since he was 19. He has won Mr Ireland 11 times. 5:20am Ultimate Frisbee 5:25am International Volleyball

2:00am Super Casino Live interactive gaming featuring roulette, blackjack and autowheel. 4:55am House Doctor Home improvement series. 5:20am HouseBusters 5:45am The Great Artists

Satellite channels SKY1 6:00am Airline 7:00am Brainiac: Christmas Cracker 8:00am Little Crackers 9:00am All Star Christmas Presents 10:30am Little Crackers 11:00am Skellig 1:00pm Futurama 2:00pm The Simpsons 4:00pm The Queen 4:10pm The Simpsons 4:40pm The Hobbit 5:00pm The Simpsons 5:30pm Robbie Williams: Take the Crown 7:00pm All Star Christmas Presents 8:30pm A Very JLS Christmas 10:00pm An Idiot Abroad 11:00pm An Idiot Abroad

1:00am Brit Cops - Zero Tolerance 2:55am Road Wars 4:45am Street Crime 5:10am Emergency with Angela Griffin

SKY MOVIES COMEDY 4:45am The Fighting Temptations 7:00am American Pie 8:45am Snow Dogs 10:40am National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 12:30pm Jack and Jill 2:15pm Johnny English Reborn 4:10pm The Cat in the Hat 5:40pm National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 7:20pm A Thousand Words 9:00pm Johnny English Reborn 10:45pm Friends with Benefits 12:35am American Pie 2:15am American Pie 2 4:00am Shanghai Knights 5:55am The Cat in the Hat

SKY MOVIES DRAMA 4:30am Lady Jane 7:00am An Affair to Remember 9:00am Sweet Home Alabama 11:00am Footloose 1:00pm Water for Elephants 3:05pm Shakespeare in Love 5:10pm Sweet Home Alabama 7:05pm Footloose 9:00pm Water for Elephants 11:00pm Shakespeare in Love 1:15am Shallow Hal 3:15am Just Married 5:00am An Affair to Remember

SKY MOVIES ACTION 5:00am Priest 6:30am The Hobbit 7:00am Spy Kids 8:40am Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams 10:30am Die Another Day 12:45pm Casino Royale 3:15pm Quantum of Solace

5:15pm Die Another Day 7:30pm Casino Royale 10:00pm Quantum of Solace 11:50pm First Blood 1:30am Rambo: First Blood Part II 3:10am Rambo III 5:00am Movie Special 5:20am Spy Kids

TCM 6:00am Dial M for Murder 7:45am The Woman in Green 8:55am Around the World in 80 Days 11:45am A Christmas Story 1:20pm Scrooge 3:15pm Calamity Jane 4:55pm The Wizard of Oz 6:35pm Ben-Hur 10:00pm The Fugitive 12:10am When Harry Met Sally 1:45am Garden State 3:25am The Fugitive 5:35am Michael Caine Off Set

20 - 26 December 2012

EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

Costa Blanca South

Those embarrassing things forgetful guests leave behind EVER checked out of a hotel, travelled home, and then realised you left something behind in the room? An international sampling of 500 hotels has uncovered the oddest things left behind this year. While nearly 25 per cent reported finding more and more forgotten iPads, laptops and smartphones, 10 per cent of European hotels claimed an increase in abandoned xrated items. Like adult toys and performance-enhancing drugs. Phew! Among the oddest items recovered, though, was a bag full of live snails in Budapest, a traditional Japanese Yakuza sword in Istanbul and a live snake in Washington. Still in Washington, $10,000 (€7,670) in cash was discovered concealed in different parts of one hotel

Breaking Views NORA JOHNSON Nora, who has lived on the Costa del Sol for a number of years, is the author of psychological suspense and crime thrillers. To comment on any of the issues raised in Nora’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ nora-johnson

room while in New York, $20,000 (€15,340) in a suite. How on earth could anyone be that forgetful? Easy is the answer! One motorist at a four-star hotel in Milan had crossed the frontier and left Italy far behind before figuring out he’d forgotten his pooch. Likewise the couple in New York who checked out following their wedding, only to discover they’d forgotten something, too. The bride’s dress.

The strangest things get left behind in hotel rooms! And what about the cop who left behind in his Las Vegas hotel his badge and gun? And the hotel in Milan where housekeeping staff found a gun; another in New York where they found bullets and yet another in Barcelona where police ID badges were found. Surely enough combined props here for a TV cop series!

Things don’t seem to have changed much over the years with respect to guests’ forgetfulness, though perhaps with respect to items recovered. A similar questionnaire in 2003 disclosed that Travelodge recovered 80 artificial limbs. And in 2009, an urn containing the ashes of a guest’s mother-in-law, a six-foot high model helicopter … and a life-size, cardboard cut-out of comedian Lenny Henry. Never collected.

But really, you have to ask yourself what’s the point of such surveys, except to advertise the company conducting the survey and the hotels taking part? It’s no secret people are forgetful and, especially while traveling, are always going to leave something behind. It’s like saying because Marks & Sparks’s sales are down 10 per cent it means people have gone off food. Or like a committee of turkeys funding a study that advised, after much deliberation, one shouldn’t vote for Christmas. Er, Happy Christmas! Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Soul Stealer’ & ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback / eBook (€0.89; £0.77) and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.

WEDNESDAY

EWN

20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

www.euroweeklynews.com

BBC1

BBC2

4:00am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast The latest news, sport, business and weather from the BBC’s Breakfast team. 10:00am CBeebies Panto 10:45am Room on the Broom 11:10am Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper The penguins of the Central Park Zoo have an adventure in the city on Christmas Eve. 11:25am Cars Animated adventure from Pixar. 1:15pm BBC News The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 1:30pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 1:40pm Mr Stink 2:40pm Happy Feet Animated adventure. Mumble is a young emperor penguin, but he is not like the others.

ITV

7:00am Justin’s House 7:30am Octonauts Christmas special of the animated deep sea adventure series. 8:00am Naomi’s Nightmares of Nature 8:30am Four O'Clock Club Comedy about two brothers at the same school - one as a pupil, the other as a new teacher. 9:00am M.I. High 9:30am Hero Squad 10:00am The Bear Family and Me 11:00am Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild 12:00pm John Wilson on Broadway Uncut 2:10pm Darcey Bussell Dances Hollywood 3:40pm An American in Paris

Channel 4

3:45am ITV Nightscreen 7:00am Babar and the Adventures of Badou 7:10am Babar and the Adventures of Badou 7:25am The Hive 7:30am The Hive 7:40am The Hive 7:50am Canimals 8:00am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:15am Fleabag Monkeyface 8:30am Almost Naked Animals 8:45am Almost Naked Animals 9:00am Horrid Henry 9:15am Horrid Henry 9:30am Fort Boyard 10:25am The Railway Children 12:30pm Dinner Date 1:30pm ITV News and Weather 1:45pm Land of the Lost 3:25pm The Spice Girls Story: Viva Forever!

Channel 5

5:25am International Volleyball 6:20am Sali Mali 6:25am Firehouse Dog 8:10am Wilde Stories 8:35am The Art of the Snowman and the Snowdog 8:40am According to Jim 9:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:40am The Morning Line Turf tips and news from the Channel 4 Racing team. 10:40am Valiant 12:10pm The Simpsons 12:45pm The Simpsons 1:15pm Deal or No Deal’s Big Christmas Dinner 2:15pm Channel 4 Racing

7:10am Igam Ogam 7:20am Fireman Sam 7:30am Jelly Jamm 7:45am Peppa Pig 7:50am Olive the Ostrich 7:55am Little Princess 8:10am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 8:20am The Mr. Men Show 8:35am Thomas and Friends 8:45am Noddy in Toyland 9:00am Fifi and the Flowertots 9:10am Peppa Pig 9:25am Roary the Racing Car 9:40am Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00am Tickety Toc 10:10am Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 10:25am Mist: Sheepdog Tales 10:40am The Family Recipe 10:50am Dallas 11:40am Cowboy Builders 12:40pm Once Upon a Time 1:40pm The Greatest Story Ever Told Spectacular Biblical epic with an all-star cast, chronicling the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

4.00pm - midnight 4:20pm Enchanted 6:00pm How to Train Your Dragon Animated children's adventure based on the best-selling books. 7:30pm BBC News at Six The latest national and international news stories from the BBC News team, followed by weather. 7:40pm BBC London News The latest news, sport and weather from London. 7:50pm Alice in Wonderland Tim Burton fantasy featuring Lewis Carroll's creations. 9:30pm EastEnders 10:00pm Miranda Sitcom starring and written by Miranda Hart. 10:30pm Mrs. Brown’s Boys 11:00pm BBC News at Ten The latest national and international news, with reports from BBC correspondents worldwide. 11:20pm The National Lottery Wednesday Night Draws The National Lottery Wednesday night draws presented by Jenni Falconer. 11:25pm Match of the Day

1:00am Blades of Glory 2:25am Weatherview Detailed weather forecast. 2:30am BBC News

BBC3 8:00pm Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper The penguins of the Central Park Zoo have an adventure in the city on Christmas Eve. 8:10pm Merlin 9:00pm Doctor Who 10:00pm A Christmas Carol Animation. The bitter and greedy Scrooge is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. 11:30pm Him and Her 12:00am EastEnders 12:30am Family Guy 1:10am American Dad! 1:35am American Dad! 1:55am American Dad! 2:20am American Dad! 2:40am American Dad! 3:00am Some Girls 3:30am Some Girls 4:00am Some Girls 4:30am Impractical Jokers

CH5

1:40pm The Greatest Story Ever Told Spectacular Biblical epic with an all-star cast, chronicling the life of Jesus of Nazareth. There are a number of cameo appearances from famous Hollywood actors, most notably from John Wayne as the Roman centurion. Originally released in a four-hour version, the film largely exceeded its budget when shooting moved from Arizona to Hollywood, where a huge replica of Jerusalem was built.

Max von Sydow

5:30pm Final Score 6:30pm Miss Potter 8:00pm Morecambe and Wise 9:00pm Blackpool: Big Night Out Exploring Blackpool’s history as the beating heart of British entertainment. 10:00pm The Girl 11:30pm Rebecca

4:55pm This is Lionel Richie 6:00pm ITV News and Weather 6:15pm Toy Story 2 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm That Dog Can Dance! 10:00pm Doors Open

1:35am Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock Documentary in which Paul Merton explores Alfred Hitchcock's British films. 2:35am Mr. & Mrs. Smith

12:00am ITV News and Weather Steve Scott with the latest headlines from around the world. 12:15am Atonement Romantic drama based on the novel by Ian McEwan. 2:25am Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire? 3:20am Every Which Way But Loose 5:15am ITV Nightscreen Text-based information service.

BBC4 8:00pm The Two-Thousand-Year-Old Computer 9:00pm Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2012: The Modern Alchemist 10:00pm Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson 11:00pm Legends Roy Orbison was the best singer in the world. That’s what Elvis Presley said, and he should know. 12:00am Neil Diamond: Hot August Night 1:00am Arena Arena presents the first part of the greatest Beatles story never told. 2:00am Arena Arena presents the second part of the greatest Beatles story never told. 2:55am Moominland Tales: The Life of Tove Jansson 3:55am Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2012: The Modern Alchemist

4:40pm Turner and Hooch 6:40pm The Simpsons 7:10pm Hollyoaks 7:40pm Channel 4 News Includes sport and weather. 7:50pm 4thought.tv 7:55pm The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 11:30pm The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

5:30pm Will You Merry Me 7:15pm Rolf’s Animal Christmas Documentary series presented by Rolf Harris. 8:15pm TV’s 50 Greatest Magic Tricks 11:00pm Most Shocking Celebrity Moments 2012

2:20am Airplane II: The Sequel Director Ken Finkleman's comedy sequel, spoofing the disaster movie genre. 3:45am The Good Wife 4:25am St. Elsewhere 5:15am 90210 5:55am 90210 Adrianna takes Dixon to the hospital when he collapses during an argument in the recording studio.

1:50am Super Casino Live interactive gaming featuring roulette, blackjack and autowheel. 4:55am House Doctor A special compilation edition of the home improvement series. 5:20am HouseBusters 5:45am The Great Artists

Satellite channels SKY1 6:00am Brainiac: Christmas Cracker 7:00am Skellig 9:00am Stargate: The Ark of Truth 11:00am The Middle 12:55pm School of Rock 3:05pm The Middle 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Spy 10:00pm Spy 10:30pm Little Crackers 1:00am Little

Crackers 3:20am Road Wars 4:45am Street Crime 5:10am So You Think You're Safe Xmas Special

SKY MOVIES COMEDY 5:55am The Cat in the Hat 7:20am Due Date 9:05am Little Fockers 10:45am Tower Heist 12:30pm The Hangover Part II 2:15pm Road Trip 3:50pm The Big Year 5:35pm Little Fockers 7:15pm Tower Heist 9:00pm The Hangover Part II 11:00pm Project X 12:30am Road Trip 2:05am Due Date

SMA

10:00pm Batman Begins Christian Bale

3:45am The Pool Boys 5:15am Clue

SKY MOVIES DRAMA 5:00am An Affair to Remember 7:00am Burlesque 9:10am Albatross 10:45am Something Borrowed 12:45pm Romeo and Juliet 2:50pm The Descendants Special 3:10pm What's Your Number? 5:00pm Just Go with it 7:00pm Something Borrowed 9:00pm Romeo and Juliet 11:00pm What’s Your Number?

8:50am Batman 11:00am Batman Returns 1:10pm Batman and Robin 3:20pm Batman Begins 5:40pm Batman 7:50pm Batman Returns 10:00pm Batman Begins 12:25am Batman Forever 2:30am Batman and Robin 4:40am Batman

TCM 5:35am Michael Caine Off Set 6:10am Ben-Hur 9:35am Houseboat 11:25am Casablanca 1:05pm Our Man Flint 2:50pm In Like Flint

1:00am Just Go with it 3:00am Albatross 4:40am The Hobbit 5:10am Prom

4:40pm The Longest Day 7:35pm The Dirty Dozen 10:00pm The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 11:55pm Hell on Wheels

SKY MOVIES ACTION

12:40am Hell on Wheels 1:25am The Revengers 3:15am The Dirty Dozen

5:20am Spy Kids 7:00am Batman

20 - 26 December 2012

EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

Costa Blanca South

The best part of growing up

HE trouble with growing up is that there is never one particular moment when one can say “That’s it I’m a grown up.” Throughout history the age at which one can be classed as an adult has shifted and ebbed like the tide. Tudor women married and gave birth as young as 12 and the Plantagenet kings were ruling in their early teens. It was the Victorians who first revealed a sentimental attachment to their children and developed a notion of childhood as sweet and innocent. Children were dressed in fluffy dresses and little sailor suits, unlike the miniature adult wear favoured by their predecessors. Children who were lucky enough to have been born to the aristocracy or the burgeoning class of wealthy industrialists, were spoiled and coddled (more so due to the high rate of infant mortality). The Victorians did not

Suzanne Manners Suzanne has a degree in Fine Art from Goldsmiths and an MA in Writing from Lancaster University. She is currently teaching in Alicante and writing a book for teenagers (which doesn’t have a vampire as its central character). To comment on any of the issues raised in Suzanne Manners’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/suzanne-manners.

Children of the wealthy were coddled in the Victorian era. extend this coddling to the children of the working classes, who were not only sent to work in mills and mines but were treated as adults by the justice system. Hence the awful tales of eight year old boys being deported to Australia for stealing bread, or child prostitutes rotting in Newgate Jail. In the East End of London, little match girls died of diseases such as Phossy Jaw, which rotted bone and teeth and made eating impossible. Social reformer Annie Besant gathered these girls together

to encourage what was one of the first large scale workers strikes since the peasant revolt. A year later, bolstered by

the success of the Bryant and May workers’ demands for a safer working environment, the 1889 general strike began. Many of those

workers, who risked life and limb so that we now have more rights in the work place than ever before, were in fact just children. So to the question of growing up, do I feel grown up? No. I have no car; no mortgage, no pension and no husband. I have a son, but we sort of muck along together doing the best we can. I do have a job and I pay my rent and cook and clean, but I still don’t feel like a grown up. Time passes so quickly that it’s hard to adapt to each new role assigned to us as we age. I can see myself, Mrs Brady Old Lady-like shouting at passing cars and I have been known to act like Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. But try as I might I cannot see myself putting on a pinny, ruffling my son’s hair and waving him off to school, while I organise a dinner party for six; unless it’s one that includes Tequila slammers and male lap dancers.

44 EWN

20 - 26 December 2012

www.euroweeklynews.com

Costa Blanca South

Emergency calls that help save lives M

ORE than four million calls are made to the a population of more than 30,000 have their own National Police 091 emergency number every dedicated service. And there is always at least one year. operator who speaks English on duty. Now the Spanish force has launched a In the campaign, called ‘091: Police’s campaign to promote the number, and sure answer’, people calling the number, what it is for. are advised to: Last year specialist officers, who have - Try to keep calm and talk slowly in extra training in psychology so they can order to give the information properly. manage sensitive situations, answered an - Give an accurate address. A weekly focus aimed emergency call every seven seconds. - If there are people injured say how at keeping expatriate readers many and how badly. Police claim that it takes an average six informed on various aspects of - Say what has happened clearly. minutes for National Police officers to Life in Spain - Report if any criminal is still there, and arrive at the scene of an incident once the if they are armed. call is made. By Raul Candela - Try to give a description of the criminal They add that all provincial capitals with and any car number plates involved.

Life in Spain

TAKING CARE: Police authorities at the 091 headquarters in Madrid.

Healthcare worries as cards are cancelled

Q AND A

FLICKR,

USP HOSPITALES

MORE than 14,000 people have lost their Regional Health Cover in just one town after failing to register with the Social Security system. And this has led one council official to call for people to apply for a residency certificate first and the municipal register (padron) second. “In my opinion, if you don’t really live here you should not sign on to the padron,” Brian Knight from the Torrevieja Foreign Residents Department said. “I know many people GOOD CARE: Professional staff at San Jaime Hospital in have the padron but not the Torrevieja. Half of their patients are foreigners. Certificate of Residence. That is just not real. We do not Municipal register statistics, Torrevieja want to mislead the State 2011 2012 Government. “Where does that end up? In Total population: 102,136 106,836 14,000 people having their Foreigners: 53,570 57,070 health cards cancelled,” Brian added. British: 12,994 13,240 For him, whether it is in Russian: 3,323 4,450 Torrevieja, Alicante, or any German: 3,950 4,100 other place in Spain, the residency certificate comes first, then the padron. His comments fly in the face registered as resident, they spend a few days a year on of other municipal council want as many to join the list holiday in their second homes. views. As their share of the as possible. And they do not have to have government grants goes up That means all property an official Spanish residency with the number of people owners, even if they only certificate. As we will not be in Spain until January 7, we will be unable to register on the padron before December 31. Is it acceptable to send the town

In the past, people on the padron could be issued with a public health care card whether a resident or not. But now authorities are tightening up regulations, with access to health services being targeted. But Torrevieja council can say the campaign to get people to sign on to the padron has been a success. The council has been allocated 30 per cent more money – nearly €3.6 million in total - by the Spanish Government for 2013. This is partially thanks to the increasing number of foreign residents signed on the register. The money will guarantee more social benefits including 47 per cent more for individual grants and 131 per cent more for taxi discounts. According to the latest official figures, Torrevieja currently has a population of 106,836 registered residents, out of which 53.4 per cent are foreigners. “But we estimate, by the number of water meters, there are actually 150,000 habitual residents at least,” town hall Press sources said. “In August’s tourism peaks, there could be up to 500,000 people in town.”

hall our details to meet the deadline? To register residents must go to the town hall in person. But there is no deadline. The December 31 date alluded to is to

The National Police also provides the 902 102 112 phone number for Foreign Tourists to report burglaries. Available in English from 9am to 2pm, all week long, the service is also available in French, German and Italian. People can use this number to report a burglary or car theft or break-in when documents and belongings are lost or stolen. Once the telephone report is made, claimants have 48 hours to check and sign their statement at the police station of their choice. In the case of robbery, where threat or force has been used, victims should call 091 at the time, then go directly to a police station to make a report.

List of Emergency numbers

112 – General emergencies (Police, fire, ambulance)

091 – National Police 092 – Local Police 062 – Guardia Civil 902 102 112 Complaints for Tourists Service

Foreign

061 – Ambulance 080 / 085 – Firemen

ensure bigger grants for 2013. Even if that date is missed, individuals will benefit from town hall services as soon as they register.

Send your questions to: raul@euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 December 2012

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Soul stars roll out hits to remember at concerts 1

1. Owners of Sala Group Claire and Ian Strutton, and Zoe and Bobby Strutton. 2. EWN publishers Steven and Michel Euesden (second from left) with from left Nicki Burgess, Sian and Steve Tiley, and Michel’s parents Irene and George Mole. 3. Alexander O’Neal performed all of his hits. 4. Chris and Jenny Howard and Helen and Martin Campbell.

ITH more than 75 years in the entertainment business between them, two soul acts gave performances to remember during a tour of Spain. British group The Real Thing and American singer Alexander O’Neal brought an eclectic mix of rhythm and blues to the Costas when they performed a trio of exclusive concerts - some a sell-out - on the Costa del Sol and the Costa Blanca. And an added bonus for the audience was compere Dan ‘The Man’ Davies with a variety of old classics. The Real Thing opened their performance with hits from their 40-year span in the music industry, including their chart-topping You To Me Are Everything, with some in the audience taking to the dance floor as the group also entertained with a 1970s’ and 1980s’ medley. And the soothing tones of Alexander O’Neal also encouraged onlookers to get up and dance and at one point during his Costa del Sol show, the R&B singer invited the concert-goers to join him on stage, grooving to his top hits including Criticize, Fake, and If You Were Here Tonight. At a VIP after-show party lucky 3 guests mingled with both acts who happily posed for photographs. “Our show in Denia was great,” said vocalist and guitarist Eddie Amoo following The Real Thing’s second performance on the Costa Blanca. “We had been coming to Spain for years before we made it big, doing the club scene in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.” He added: “Three of our hits have become classics and we have always had a strong live show, so have retained our audience over the years who return again and again. We are the backdrops of many people’s lives and that is quite touching.” The concerts were held at the Don Carlos Hotel in Elviria on the Costa del Sol and at The Denia Marriott Hotel on La Sella Golf Resort in Alicante, and at La Casa del Reloj in San Pedro del Pinatar on the Costa Blanca. Show sponsors were the EWN, Spectrum Radio, Iceland food stores and telecoms company Telitec. 9

5. Katie and Ron Griffin, with Assistant Manager of the Don Carlos Hotel Antonio Gonzalez (centre). 6. Hazel and Justin Durrant.

7. Matt Johnson and Charley Jones. 8. Alexander O’Neal with Michel and her father George. 9.Ashlea Bell, and Gail and Geoff Cuttell

46 EWN www.euroweeklynews.com

HEALTH & BEAUTY

20 - 26 December 2012

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Costa Blanca South

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tis the make-up season DECEMBER: Make-up overload. Advertising Feature

Psoriasis and eczema as seen on TV

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visit is required. This multi award winning treatment is recognised as the easiest and most successful way of clearing your body head to toe, not to mention the cheapest. The age of messy creams and cleaning up flakes and suffering in silence are over. Simply call our trained practitioner who can help you now.

Call Tim on 662 252 506 or arrange an appointment at one of the clinics or to ask about the mobile service.

WOMEN wear around three times as much make-up over the Christmas period. A recent poll suggests women use an average of 12 products on their faces before going on a night out, compared to just four items on a normal day. The survey by department store Debenhams, of 1,450 shoppers found foundation, blusher, lip gloss and mascara are every day essentials. On a regular night out this doubles to eight, but in December increases to 12 with extra glamour coming from false eyelashes, glitter, highlighter and bronzer.

20 - 26 December 2012

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ALES of moisturiser is higher than any other skincare product, but some experts claim it can do more harm than good, as prolonged use can make skin weaker. Plastic surgeon Chris Inglefield says that moisturisers can be so

effective that skin forgets how to soften itself. It reacts to the environment and keeps itself supple using ‘natural moisturising factors’ (NMFs) but moisturisers mask the skin so the NMFs presume everything is fine and become idle. So the catch 22 is that when you stop moisturising, your skin feels dry as it takes a few weeks to recover itself naturally. However, an eight-year study funded by skincare brand Olay and published in the British Journal of Dermatology showed that keeping skin hydrated helps keep wrinkles at bay.

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MOISTURISER: Keeping skin hydrated helps keep wrinkles at bay.

More harm than good? Preema Vig, a Harley Street cosmetic doctor, says, “In an ideal world

the skin should not need moisturising. But because of what the environment

throws at our skin, not to mention lifestyle factors, our skin needs help.”

Diabetes sufferers have higher risk DIABETES sufferers are almost 50 per cent more likely to have a heart attack. The National Diabetes Audit has also revealed sufferers are at greater risk of heart failure and other potentially fatal

conditions including angina and strokes. The report shows the extent to which people with the disease are dying earlier and developing more health problems, with figures showing

between 2010 and 2011, 17,900 diabetics suffered a stroke, 9,800 needed a kidney transplant or dialysis and 1,700 required ‘amputation.’ The risk is much higher with rarer Type 1 diabetes.

Sweet remedy CHOCOLATE could be a remedy for the common cough. Researchers have found a compound in cocoa that is shown to reduce symptoms of coughing. They are carrying out a trial of 300 people with a persistent cough and are giving them the naturally occurring chemical theobromine, which is derived from the raw ingredient of chocolate, twice a day for 14 days. Early indicators show that 60 per cent of patients experience some measure of relief. So instead of reaching for the bottle of medicine, reach for the chocolate, just make sure it is unsweetened dark chocolate which contains more theobromine. Chocolate keeps coughs at bay.

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The lows of high technology

NCE upon a time, Teletubbies dolls were the most coveted toy for Christmas, people who knew about computers were strange ‘geeks’ and we did not feel as if a limb had been chopped off if we had to make do without our mobile phone for a day. Today, an iPad is the most requested ‘toy’, geeks are Gods and most people will take a phone call even while on the toilet. In a sense, we have already become a world of cyborgs, unable to function without high technology and gadgets. My computer literacy involves flicking the on/off button to solve any issues and I have only just given up my loyal, yet ‘dumb’ mobile phone for one that does

Expat Strife Swedish-born Ulrica is a freelance journalist living in Mallorca with her family. Her debut novel $Expat Wives is available on Amazon and iBooks. To comment on any of the issues raised in Ulrica’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ ulrica-marshall

iPAD: The most requested ‘toy’ of today.

only on sporadic speaking terms, the state of the ULRICA MARSHALL art music system sparks ulrica @euroweeklynews.com into life when it feels like it, which is not often. Oh, almost everything, only falling and the robotic floor cleaner died after the first round of my living short on the washing up. The thing is, I am still a tad room. Maybe it was the wrong sceptical about this technology kind of dirt or too much of it? In my books, computers are lark. Maybe it’s because there weren’t many computers in my only as reliable as the people who school, I watched Terminator too programme and operate them. many times, or that, at times, With an erroneous press of a key blind faith in computers has that new computer-driven car may merrily launch itself off a cliff resulted in total disaster. My PC and WIFI printer are with you inside.

And wasn’t it these inexplicable computer programmes that allowed the city’s rogue traders to hide their shenanigans so long as to (nearly) break the bank? “The computer says no,” as Walliams so eloquently put it in Little Britain. Like a modern-day version of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale, The Emperor’s New Clothes, no one dares to disagree with a computer for fear of looking stupid, even when common sense suggests otherwise. As one friend recently pointed out; ‘common sense these days is so rare it

should be classified as a super power’. Super geeks have also voiced fears about the prospects of high technology. Leading computer scientist Bill Joy has warned of a near future where intelligent robots will replace humanity, a concern echoed by physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking. Even today, it is not without risk. While you may think yourself environmentally green, if you use a computer you contribute to a considerable impact on global warming through servers and data storage for the 1 billion-plus computers on our planet. While I might not be quite ready to pop an Abacus and a messenger pigeon in my handbag instead of my new mobile phone, I shall resist demands for iPads and Nintendos in favour of more traditional toys. Tinky Winky and Dipsy have served their purpose in our household, but I reckon some traditional board games and the odd Monster High doll might do the trick. Let’s see if Santa agrees, assuming he can actually make his way through the clouds so densely stored with computer data. Wishing you all a very merry and low tech Christmas!

20 - 26 December 2012

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Letter delays get worse W

E all benefit from advances in progress. One service, despite all modern aids, seems to have got worse: step forward the Post Office. In my lifetime you could pop a letter in the box at 8am for midday delivery. A letter to the US took three

days, about the same for Europe. I now post regularly to Russia from the UK and Spain. If it arrives within the month you’re

lucky. Before Communism devoured Europe, Russia was part of our continent with St Petersburg – Paris travel as easy as taking a train from London to Barcelona. It isn’t interplanetary. Birthday cards sent from the UK to my friend here took a month to

LETTERS: Don’t be tempted to post, email instead.

arrive; a packet from the Ukraine took a month. One got lost. If you have the answer, email, don’t write. Still Franco era TWO Alicante school football teams salute each other by singing Spain’s Franco era national anthem. They also used the upraised open-hand fascist salute. Not generally known, this salute is many centuries old; the open-hand signifying there being no weapon. It was a peace greeting. That aside, I was this week horror-struck by a video going viral. Taken in secret during austerity protests, it makes public horrifying images of Spain’s police attacking and beating defenceless protestors. I am surprised people can tell the difference between the two periods. Get out of jail free IT is an oddity of modern life.

Images of Spain By Mike Walsh www.michaelwalsh.es To comment on any of the issues raised in Mike’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com /columnists/mike-walsh

Western nations demand of others, like Egypt, Iraq and Iran, the rule of law, independent of parliament, to underpin democracy. Here in Spain the Mariano Rajoy regime has issued 468 pardons so far this year. These pardons are for offences such as murder, drug trafficking (at 41 per cent the largest number of pardons), sexual abuse, torture, pimping, etc. This anomaly in legislation dates back to 1870. It allows Spain’s government the power to pardon criminals, including the king, without recourse to law. Very few are allowed to know why a felon has been handed his get out of jail keys.

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For solutions: http://www.euroweeklynews.com/puzzle-answers.html

Time Out NEW ON DVD

A band of brothers

Ted Comedy Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane brings his boundary-pushing brand of humour to the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice star of Ted. In the live action/CG-animated comedy, he tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish... and has refused to leave his side ever since. 1h55 Director: Seth MacFarlane Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Joel McHale

struggles,

BOOKS books@euroweeklynews.com

Javea author Harry Duffin has written his third novel, The Tribe: Birth of the Mall Rats. Based on the cult-teen TV series he co-created in 1998 which ran for five years in the UK on Channel 5, this is the first story in a series of novelisations of The Tribe. The world began without the human race. Now, after a

mysterious pandemic decimates the entire adult population, it looks as if it will end exactly the same way. Unless the young survivors – who band together in warring Tribes – overcome the power

10-star quiz dangers and unexpected challenges in a lawless dystopian society to unite and build a new world from the ashes of the old. Creating a new world in their own image – whatever that image might be.

CHRISTMAS QUIZ

The initial letters of the answers to these seasonal posers spell out the name of your favourite newspaper. 1. Also known as Twelfth Night, what is the name of the Christian festival held on January 6 in celebration of the manifestation of the divine nature of Christ to the gentiles as represented by the Magi? 2. Sviata Vecherya or Holy Supper is the central tradition of the Christmas Eve celebrations in the homes of people from which former republic of the USSR? 3. What was the first name of the author of the famous children’s cartoon stories The Snowman and Father Christmas? 4. Traditionally, what is always the first carol sung in the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings College in Cambridge? 5. Which famous ‘good’ king ruled Bohemia from 1378-1419? 6. Which ‘delivery man’ reached number one at Christmas 1971? 7. In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, what was Scrooge’s first name? 8 & 12. Which zany DJ, who was born in Liverpool on Christmas Day in 1944, was originally named Maurice Cole? 9. What was the title of Mud’s 1974 Christmas number one hit single? 10. What name was given to the religious festival observed by the historical Germanic peoples and some neighbouring peoples, before later being absorbed into, and equated with, the Christian festival of Christmas? 11. Best known for her 1906 novel The Railway Children, what was the

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Eager Mars meets affluent Jupiter and enriches your financial forecast. It might show a foretaste of money to come, or on-stream benefits. If you intend to make alterations to your personal and home interests, you'll cope with both offbeat and upbeat activities.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)

Y our S tars

antics, you won't be totally the same Piscean who walked in.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Education, media, creative and social connections are given star merit. The solar eclipse in your

One thing is certain, when you come through this week's restless planetary

Elena de Borbon born December 20, 1963. She is the elder daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain. She owns the titles of Her Royal Highness Infanta and Duchess of Lugo. She is fourth in the line of succession to the throne.

own sign bursts with vitality and success, more so for an array of bold moves, replacements and makeovers covering your personal affairs.

getting tongue-tied or dogmatic on Tuesday and Friday. Promising potentials appear, especially if you spruce up your competitive streak.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21)

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)

Stand by for a week of whoosh and whirl. More importantly, try to avoid

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

SU DOKU

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) A vivid star pattern portends a frantic personal and social diary. Ensure that any tight planning is carefully handled, especially if you hope to fit in everything you would like to say. Don't allow Monday or Wednesday's tensions to spoil opportunities for settling something important.

HOW TO PLAY 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.

LEO (July 24 - August 23)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

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

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

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

UK NATIONAL UK LOTTERY THUNDERBALL

LOTTERY

What do you get when you cross a vampire and a snowman? Frostbite

13. What can be either ‘sweetened ale or wine heated with spices and roast apples drunk during celebrations for 12th Night and Christmas Eve’ or ‘lively and noisy festivities involving the drinking of plentiful amounts of alcohol’? 14. What was the title of Cliff Richard’s 1990 Christmas number one hit single?

TARGET: Average: 12 Good: 15

Very good: 21 Excellent: 26

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

cert, cite, kite, rete, rite, tick, tier, tike, tire, tree, trek, citer, erect, recti, retie, terce, trice, trick, trier, trike, recite, retire, ticker, tierce, cricket, reciter, tricker, CRICKETER

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 T) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

Word ladder

Saturday December 15

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday December 15

Friday December 14

10 11

23 31

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

Saturday December 15

Sunday December 16

40 26

BONUS BALL

43 LUCKY STARS

31 REINTEGRO

REINTEGRO

COAL

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) The planets mobilise your streak of Scorpio daring, but don't stretch your limits. Your most effective weapon against personal and work-related pitfalls is your ability to be objective. Your desire to make specific situations and conversations work needs to be combined with your faith that they will work. Even if a different approach is required, try it and see.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) The main gist of the solar eclipse in fiery Aries and the link between plucky Mars and your ruler friendly Jupiter will stir surprises. Whether you create the right atmosphere all round depends on how you interpret other people's views. Stick to crisp, simple but sensitively tuned

FIRE

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

COAL FOAL FOAM FORM FORE FIRE

What do you call a snowman on roller blades? A snowmobile

12. (See question 8)

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23)

Just joking Who looks after Father Christmas when he is ill? The national Elf service

Pudding, in which a Christmas pudding is undercooked and tastes of soap?

Nonagram

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

IF ITʼS YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Your sphere of friendships, relationships and career issues are delightfully aspected. Circle June and August for making contact with those who may be able to point you in the right direction. Between June and November, your social scene will be full of surprises.

surname of the author who wrote a Christmas story entitled The Conscience

1. EPIPHANY, 2. UKRAINE, 3. RAYMOND Briggs, 4. ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID’S CITY, 5. WENCESLAS, 6. ERNIE (The Fastest Milkman in the West), 7. EBENEZER, 8. KENNY, 9. LONELY THIS CHRISTMAS, 10. YULE or YULETIDE, 11. (Edith) NESBIT, 12. EVERETT, 13. WASSAIL or WASSALING, 14. SAVIOUR’S DAY

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20)

20 - 26 December 2012

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Don’t forget gardeners at Christmas present time

Gardening Corner

By Clodagh and Dick Handscombe

Spain’s best known gardening authors who have lived and gardened in Spain for 25 years. www.gardeninginspain.com

internet search using the new website name gardenspain.com. Many

thanks for your help. Wearing out old shoes or walking boots is not really the best thing for your feet, ankles and knees, so how about a pair of comfortable shoes or boots with reinforced toes. Thinking about knees, how about a new pair of knee pads for all those kneeling jobs.

Gifts for gardeners. Gardening gloves are welcome, especially

waterproof ones at this time of year. A new pair of sharp easy to use pruners maybe, ready for the winter cutback in the New Year. Fiskars brand are good. In some households gardening is not a shared activity so a promise to help out next year, especially in getting a vegetable plot going, may go down well. How about a miniature gardening kit for young

children to get them involved. Sorry for including them but our six gardening books are good Christmas presents. For those living in apartments www.santanabooks.com have seasonal special offers of only €5 for ‘Apartment Gardening Mediterranean Style’. If the intended recipient is new to gardening on Spanish soils how about a set of three sizes of mattocks that are easier to use than a British fork and spade. Every 10 years a new wheelbarrow might be an idea. But do buy one with a wide bouncy solid or blow up tyre. Winter days are often sunny but they can be windy and cold, so a snug gardeners green sweater or padded waistcoat could be appreciated. It’s not too late to plant deciduous fruit trees and bushes so add to the existing collection of fruits for healthy living. Cutting hedges gets no

HOMES & GARDENS

20 - 26 December 2012

EWN 57 Costa Blanca South

www.euroweeklynews.com easier as one grows older so perhaps arrange for someone to come and cut the hedges and prune tall trees in January. A small grape press could help the family press next year’s grape harvest rather than using the bath and feet! If the garage is getting cluttered with garden tools and products how about a garden shed. Several times during the year we have mentioned drying fruit, herbs and seeds on our tray drier. They are very handy. We use ours several times a week. Gardening socks wear out every few years. Perhaps this is the year for a couple of new pairs. To attract wild birds how about bird boxes, feeders and a bird bath. A bottle of Spanish brandy to warm up after a long cold winter day in the garden goes down well. Happy last minute Christmas shopping!

Caring for your tree ACCORDING to the National Christmas Tree Association, between 30 and 35 million Christmas trees are sold every year. The most popular varieties include Balsam and Douglas firs, Scotch and White pines, and Blue and White spruces. All have excellent needle retention, good fragrance and sturdy

branches to accommodate ornaments. Christmas trees take seven to 10 years from planting, managing insects and diseases, shearing and weathering all kinds of environmental problems, to produce a saleable tree, with 98 per cent grown on farms. To get the most out of your tree, follow these simple instructions. Check your tree stand. Measure its opening and choose a tree that will fit without trimming. Whittling the trunk will decrease its ability to absorb water. Measure your tree stand’s water capacity. It should hold about two pints of water per oneinch trunk diameter. Pick the freshest tree. CHRISTMAS TREES: Ensure your tree is well watered. When

choosing a holiday tree, grasp the tip of a branch and run your other hand back toward the centre of the tree. The needles should be flexible and soft. Trees should be displayed in a shaded area, and don’t be afraid to ask when they were cut. Cut a level, 1/4- to 1/2-inch slice from the bottom of the trunk. Do not cut the tree trunk at an angle. This will not increase water uptake and it will reduce the tree’s stability when you put it in the stand. If your tree stand has a centre stability point, drill a hole in the centre of the trunk. If not, there is no need to drill holes in the trunk. Put the tree in water within 12 hours of making the cut. If you are storing the tree, put the trunk in a bucket of clean water and keep it in a shaded area. Keep the tree well watered. In the first week, a tree in your home will consume as much as two pints of water per day. You should never burn your Christmas tree in the fireplace. It can contribute to creosote buildup and cause a house fire.

Useful rain HAVE you ever noticed how plants appear greener and brighter after a good rainstorm? It's not just because the dust and dirt is washed off. Rainwater is a clear, salt-free source of water that contains many beneficial ingredients for plants. Rain can contain sulphur, potash, several other minerals, and even micro-organisms. All of these provide a boost to plant growth. During summer thundershowers, there can even be an added bonus when lightening converts atmospheric nitrogen into a nitrogen solution for plants to absorb and use.

20 - 26 December 2012

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A new ‘better society’ A CAMPAIGN called ‘Christmas for all’ is to collect holiday food for distribution to families in need. Local organisations STOP Evictions Movement; Association of Families and People with Cancer and Torrevieja Street Takes 15M, have got together for their first joint action. The campaign is bringing all these organisations and people together to create a ‘citizen network in Torrevieja’ in order to, they say, create ‘a better society among all.’

REACHING OUT: (front) President of Reach Out, Karolina Leonard receiving the cheque from Velvetones chairwoman June Brady. PRESENTATION: Co-founder of Reach Out, Sandra Stephens receiving a cheque from choir conductor, Nigel Hopkins.

Reaching out to help homeless THE Orihuela Costa Male Voice Choir raised €1,250 at its first concert. Performing at the Virgen del Carmen Theatre in Torrevieja, the 32-strong International Christian Assembly church choir donated takings to Reach Out, a charity that helps local families that are being made homeless or are in deep financial crisis.

Co-founder of Reach Out, Sandra Stephens, said the charity is currently caring for 30 homeless men and women and 30 families with around 80 children, providing them with food, free coffee and tea and other support through its charity shop. To help Reach Out with donated items or to become a volunteer worker, call 688 348 151.

Singers helping A DONATION of €400 has been made to Reach Out, the charity that helps needy families on the Costa Blanca. The sum was raised by the Velvetones Ladies Harmony Chorus’ latest concert, held at El Paraiso Restaurant in Torrevieja.

New members wanted THE NEXT meeting of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club (JEC) will be held at Restaurant Los Almendros in Torrellano on January 27. This follows their recent event at the racing circuit

Ricardo Tormo in Cheste, where over 150 classic cars took part. The JEC is the largest of the world’s Jaguar Clubs. More information: www.jec.org.uk.

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Eating habits SAVE your goldfish from indigestion trouble by feeding it a small amount of food several times a day instead of feeding it a huge portion in one sitting. Goldfish have no stomach to hold and digest ingested food. Instead, the food continuously travels from the mouth and out the other end while being digested. So putting a large amount of feed in your goldfish aquarium will waste the feed and spoil the aquarium water because goldfish can only take what their intestines can contain.

Man’s best friend DOGS will remain loyal to their masters for life. When a dog sees that someone loves, cares for, and protects them, they become entirely loyal to that person. Also, by nature dogs are considered pack animals, meaning that when in the wild, they roll in groups or families of dogs to find food and stay safe. So a pet dog might consider the humans he lives with as part of his pack or family. They stay completely loyal to their pack and will defend if someone or something threatens their family members.

Chasing tail WHEN a cat runs, its legs are extended fully in the air, and then brought down and back. The cat’s extremely flexible spine allows its rear end to move, even while the forelimbs are on the ground. The cat moves faster by stretching its trunk fully, making the stride longer. The faster the kitty runs, the overlap between the left and right feet gets smaller. This makes the distance covered greater. At full speed, a domestic cat can be going as fast as 31 miles per hour.

Costa Blanca South

Take care with your cats’ playtime toys "I WAS over at a friend's house recently and was shocked to see him open a jug of milk and toss the little plastic tab onto the floor for his cats to chase (which they did rather enthusiastically, I should add). “I noticed that there were a lot of these little tabs around on the floor. I know this to be dangerous as the cats might eat them but he said he didn’t have any problem. Is it alright to put down those little toys?" UNFORTUNATELY, the correct answer is yes and no. When selecting appropriate toys for a cat, think of what would be safe for a human infant or toddler. Unfortunately, there are no regulations or cautionary

Caution with cats and their toys.

statements on toys for pets so it’s up to you as pet owner to decide if the toy is alright. The same backwardpointing barbs on a cat’s tongue that allow it to

groom also make it difficult for them to remove items from their mouth. String, yarn, floss, ribbon, twine, rubber bands, bells, can all be swallowed and may cause severe injury. Check toys for glued-on decorations or trim that could come off and be swallowed. The eyes on some playthings can be

especially hazardous. For example, one very popular toy, those small mice made of real fur, have eyes that are tacks and should be removed before being given to your cat. Be aware while some toys may be perfectly safe for some cats others, specifically those that may have a penchant for chewing, may get into trouble with them. Know your cat and if in doubt, supervise playtime with the new toy. Play with feathered toys should always be supervised as an exuberant cat will chew the feathers and the shafts can become lodged in the cat’s throat. Generally, if you use common sense and provide safe, acceptable toys for your cat, the result will be a happier, healthier pet. For your local radio frequency log onto www.talkradioeurope.com.

Brian

Hide and seek Can you spot Brian the rabbit in amongst all his toys? Pumba the warthog is his favourite.

Dani Jones, Benahavis HOP TO IT: Always playing games. Submit fun pet pictures to petoftheweek@euroweeklynews.com, in as high a resolution as possible. Please include name of the pet, your full name, where you live and if relevant a couple of lines to explain the circumstances of the photo. Due to space restrictions not all submissions will be used.

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Writer opens up on secrets Mike Walsh is a ghost-writer and an author, as well as writing regular

The Russians are coming TORREVIEJA has 106,836 registered inhabitants, an increase of 1,566 since January 2012. Local population statistics for September reveal that UK residents lead the foreign contingency with more than 13,000, followed by the Russian community. It is the first time that they have surpassed the number of Germans.

Vital Statistics 60-SECOND FOCUS

Torrevieja.

What writing plans do you have for next year? To tap into the experiences and talents of the Costas’ wonderful characters. What highlights have you experienced? Praise by Eastern European media; polishing up a city mayor’s speech; the friendship and support of Marbella University, and my EWN Writer of the Year award. How many books have you written and ghosted? 20. Who would you most like to dine with? Alive: Vladimir Putin. Passed on: my dad. Who would you Nominate for the

weekly columns for the Euro Weekly News.

• Name: Mike Walsh • Status: Single • Age: Born1940s • Originally from: Merseyside, in the UK Lives: Torrevieja, Costa Blanca • Favourite things about Spain: The vibrant, talented and friendly Costa communities

I become emotionally involved Ghost-writer Mike Walsh and have had to walk away to compose myself. How would you Nobel Peace Prize? The Costa comm- describe yourself? A consummate unities; the world could learn from their multi- romantic, idealist and a rebel; the oldest angry national spirit. Do you identify with young man on earth. Where were you characters in your books? born?

• Worst : Government ineptness; moral and fiscal corruption • Favourite person: Michael O’Leary, the Ryanair founder • What do you always have in your fridge?

Holy tweet POPE BENEDICT XVI has sent his first tweet. “I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. “I bless all of you from my heart,” read the post from @pontifex.

Potatoes; I am Irish • Favourite food? Fish. • Perfect holiday destination? Latvia

English birth, Irish nationality, Spanish residence, Latvian preference. What are your hobbies? Poetry and music, though if it isn’t classical it isn’t music. How long have you lived in Spain? Since 1999.

Foolish pursuit A POLISH delivery man clung on to the roof of his van for a mile, desperate not to let thieves get away after spotting two bandits from his hotel room window in Paris.

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PROPERTY

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No rise in property prices for another five years SPANISH property prices will not begin to rise until 2017. This is according to The Fund for the Orderly Bank Restructuring (FROB), which was set up to remove negative assets from struggling financial institutions. The organisation estimates that house prices will fall for the next two years, stagnate in the following two, before starting to increase at an annual rate of 3 per cent in 2017. Specifically, FROB believes that prices will fall by 2.8 per cent in 2013 and 1.5 per cent in 2014 before beginning to rise. They also predict that land prices will follow a similar trajectory, falling by 12.5 per cent in 2013 and 5 per

cent in 2014, and then beginning to recover in 2016, but at a lower level than that seen by property, just 2.5 per cent a year. Recently, the government body announced that it is considering demolishing new-build properties lying empty and which have no viable market. However, there will be no demolitions until 2016. Large swathes of the Spanish coast have fallen victim to overdevelopment and are now struggling to generate sufficient interest from investors.

FIVE-YEAR RISE: Property prices will increase by 3 per cent from 2017.

PROPERTY

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Residency permits encourage buying FOREIGNERS will be offered residency permits if they purchase homes worth more than â&#x201A;Ź160,000, according to the Spanish Government. In an attempt to kick-start the sale of its stagnant housing stock, the scheme will appeal to buyers from outside the EU, particularly those from Russia and China, who currently have to apply for a visa each time they travel to Spain, even if they own

property. Investors who take up residency under the plan will have to prove that they have sufficient health insurance to not be a burden on the Spanish medical system and will also not be allowed to seek work, so must have savings or pension funds. The Russian market now accounts for 8 per cent of foreign property buyers, especially in the Costa del Sol, and the Chinese, 4 per cent.

Spain better to rent than the UK

INVESTORS now get better gross rental yields in Barcelona and Madrid than in London or Paris. Assessing house prices and the amount that could be earned renting out property, the findings by a Spanish property portal

concluded that gross residential rental yields in Barcelona (4.1 cent) and Madrid (4 per cent) are now better than London (3.4 per cent) and Paris (3 per cent). Falling house prices and the glut of people who

cannot afford to do anything other than rent means that investors are winning at both ends of the Spanish property market. Not only are they able to pick up bargain real estate, but also are then able to set a high amount of rent.

RESIDENCY LURE: Permits will be offered to foreign buyers.

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On a slippery slope Property prices now suffering in ski resorts NOT only has the recession had an impact on the price of Spain’s coastal property, but also it now seems that homes on the country’s slopes have suffered just as much according to property portal idealista.com. It has been revealed that homes in ski resorts have dropped in price by 50 per cent since the crash.

For example, the average cost of property in Baqueira Beret in the Catalan Pyrenees, has fallen from €8,000 per square metre before the bust to €4,000 per square metre now, and prices in Formigal in the Aragonese Pyrenees have fallen from €6,000 per square metre to €3,000. And it’s not just in Spain; across the world, property

IN THE MOUNTAINS: Property on the Spanish slopes.

prices in prime ski resorts have fallen by nearly 10 per cent since the peak of the market in 2008. However, this is far below many other types of property, and real estate experts are keen to point out that relatively speaking, ski homes retain their value and prove to be worthy of investment over and above other types of property.

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Who is the cleverest of them all? I

T is difficult to define what cleverness is; impossible when you add the concept of morality or integrity. We all know saints and geniuses who had failed in life, then were tossed into a pauper’s grave at death. On the other hand the most magnificent obelisks in Mike Walsh cemeteries cast their shadows on the most corrupt. vwww.michaelwalsh.es I have had the International Journalism Europe Broadcaster Commentator International Radio pleasure of mixing Awarded ‘Writer of the Year’ Mobile 0034 662 067 490 with the intellectually To comment on any of the issues raised in gifted and befriended Mike’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ those written off as mike-walsh failures. My mum comforted me by telling me that my failing the 11 plus was down to my inability to understand the language in the very Welsh town of Corwen. She was being kind. I failed because I wouldn’t pay attention; I had no goals. We lived a rustic existence. Our cottage high up a mountain had no a paradise. running water, gas or electricity. But it Each school morning I would run did have wide open spaces and forests; down to the valley near to where the

GIFTED: Some of the most intelligent people cannot manage the ordinary things in life. town nestles. Once out of sight I would whistle my Welsh collie. Giving two fingers to academia me and my dog would then go off for the day. A favourite haunt was the cattle market in Llangollen; a lift for a wayward schoolboy and his dog could be assumed. In later life I met those who did pay attention. Meredith earned more diplomas than I had fingers or toes. Alas, he was so hapless he couldn’t manage the most ordinary things like lighting a fire. Another ‘bright’ swatter, when I suggested he fry a burger, placed it directly on the stove’s hot plate. After I put the fire out I showed him what a grill and

frying pan was for. Going through the University of Life and for once paying attention, I gained an impressive position. I had caught up with or overtaken the academics. I never took a brass cent out of the system or took a day off work. Having a responsible job there was no way I could accept my neighbour’s invitations to go fishing. Eddie would shake his head sadly: he had never worked a day in his life. He thought those who did so were idiots. Another ‘informal economy’ acquaintance once told me he had spent a staggering amount on a retreat in Scotland. “Is it an investment or an indulgence,” I asked. He looked at me blankly and then broke the silence: “What the f*** do you mean; I don’t understand those clever words.” Yet he always had wads of banknotes in his pockets at a time I was barely getting by despite my impressive job. Like many other achievers I was the hamster on a wheel. As the time approaches, when there is little sand in the top half of life’s egg-timer, I do wonder just who the clever bugger is; me or them.

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By David Fanailou Wine specialist info@magicagourmet.com Christmas Wines 2012 December is a great time to talk about wines as we prepare to celebrate the Christmas holidays with family and friends. I’m going to tell you about a few great Spanish wines to serve up with your favourite festive food and how to match them with your dishes to make it a memorable meal. Spain has more land under vine, some 1.2 million hectares, than any other country in the world and over 14,000 vineyards so it’s not surprising to learn that there are plenty of different wines that we can match with our Christmas meals. Let’s start with the classic turkey roast and all the trimmings. Matching a wine with turkey is straightforward enough, but when you mix it with all those vegetables and sauces then it’s not so simple any more! If you like red wine an expensive Rioja with lots of oak and a full body might impress

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Which wines are best for Christmas dinner? your guests, but it won’t do much in the tasting stakes with the roast turkey. I would suggest a younger more fruity wine that can enhance the flavours of the vegetables and be softer with the dryness of the turkey meat. Typically a Pinot Noir would be great as it’s light to medium bodied and fruit driven, like a Enrique Mendoza (DO Alicante) at €11.20 or a Daniel Belda (DO Valencia) at €10.25. Pinot Noir is usually an expensive variety as it is produced in limited quantities and these Spanish types represent excellent value compared to their French or Californian cousins. As for a white the Sauvignon Blanc variety is a perfect match with abundant fruit and herbs to satisfy the white wine crowd. Mocén (DO Rueda) at €8.50 is thicker with added coffee and

WINE EXPERT: David Fanailou. spice notes and Fruto Noble (DO Alicante) at €6.15 is delicious being lighter with a bigger nose of tropical fruits and gooseberries.

If ham is on your menu, then go for a nice full-bodied Rioja with lots of rich notes of red fruits, vanilla and smoky oak, like a Hacienda Lopez de Haro

Reserva 2005 at €10.50 (91 Parker points). A Spanish White Guerrilla Riesling at €10.20 has good acidity and in this case the low amount of unfermented residual sugar would give a soft sweetish and elegant passage through the palate, which will marry well with the ham. Remember when in Spain do as the Spanish do and celebrate with a good bottle of Cava. The best ones are made in the same way as Champagne and offer much better value. Try something from the Juve & Camps family who represent more than half the Reserva Cava sales in Spain, like the Purpúra at €12 and the Pinot Noir Rosé at €13.75.

All these bottles and more can be found at Bodegas MG, Calle Ramon y Cajal, Benijofar, call 966 714 960.

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Operation Oliver A BRIDGE tournament will take place on Saturday January 26 in Asturias Restaurant in Punta Prima, Orihuela. From 10am, €10 includes entry to the competition and lunch, with prizes throughout the day with €100 for the overall winner. This tournament is for Operation Oliver, a private charity activity to raise funds for Oliver, a 20 month old with cerebral palsy. For anyone wishing to donate, bank Lloyds TSB, account Oliver Rushton Trust, sort code 77-76-17 account number 13689468.

Join lions PEOPLE interested in joining Torrevieja Costa Lions club should attend their monthly meetings. They take place at The Cabo Cevera Hotel in La Mata on second Thursday of each month at 5pm.

Costa Blanca South

Win a pair of panto tickets ON January 18 and 19, the Rojales Panto Group will present their annual seasonal pantomime, Dick Whittington, at the Escuela de Musica

in Los Montesinos. There will be two evening shows at 7.30pm and also a matinee on the final day at 12.30pm. To celebrate the season, the panto group is offering you the chance to win a pair of adult tickets for the opening night. To be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question: ‘When did Dick Whittington first become Mayor of London?’ - 1197, 1397 or 1697? Send your answer, along with your name and a contact telephone number to wintickets@ FEAST: HELP’s members enjoying the show. euroweeklynews.com. The winner will be contacted a week before the performance. THE annual HELP Murcia Mar Menor members’ lunch was held at Diamantes Tickets can also be pre Restaurant in El Mojon. reserved by calling 965 Members, family and friends enjoyed a 077 090, priced €7 for Christmas banquet accompanied by singer adults and €5 for Paul Allen. children.

A festive lunch

HIGH ACHIEVERS: Winning dogs with their owners.

Dog classes PEOPLE interested in training their dogs should join the Campoverde Canine Club. New courses will commence on January 12. This follows the latest results from the end of the obedience courses. Winners included Kathy Dowsett and Millie,

winner of the advance class, Frances Getgood and Billy, winner of The Fred Moeken Memorial Trophy, Carolyn Lane and Tita, winner of the basic class and Ann George and Lizzie, winner of the Character of the Year award. More information: 966 762 265.

Christmas closures THE Age Concern Centre in La Siesta will be closed from tomorrow (Friday) until January 7. The shops in Torrevieja and Los Montesinos will also be closed from tomorrow and will reopen on January 3.

20 - 26 December 2012

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Meet Chris - the person behind másmóv!l The mobile phone operator for smart expats WHEN Norwegian born Christian Nyborg, co-founder of MÁSMÓV!L, set up his Spanish mobile phone operating company back in 2006, he set out to compete with Spain’s three big mobile phone providers: Movistar, Vodafone and Orange. MÁSMÓV!L has since become ‘the best value for money mobile phone operator for both calls and Internet in Spain’ with customer service in Spanish, English, German and the ‘Scandinavian language’. Tell us a bit more about yourself Chris: I have had a senior position with Swedish mobile phone and network manufacturer Ericsson for many years and quickly learned that mobile telephony in Spain was extremely expensive compared to other European countries and that customer service was average and often not very satisfactory at all.

I used my experience and extended knowledge of the Spanish market, together with a vision to improve customer service and offer clients the best possible mobile phone and Internet rates, to make my dream become a reality and develop what is now known as MÁSMÓV!L, a mobile phone operator with more than 115,000 satisfied customers in Spain. How was MÁSMÓV!L first established? My business partner Meinrad (Meini) Spenger and I came up with a business plan for this concept back in 2005. Less than a year later the EU ordered the three main Spanish mobile operators to rent out their mobile network to other operators in order to create competition within the market and we managed to come to an agreement with one of the major mobile phone operators – Orange.

Co-founder of MÁSMÓV!L, Christian Nyborg Today MÁSMÓV!L has distributors all over the country and employs over 100 people. Meini has become the CEO, whilst I am responsible for the International Business Division, focusing on Northern Europeans residing in Spain.

How did you get people to switch to MÁSMÓV!L? Customer growth increases each month and we currently have more than 115,000 satisfied customers. A recent survey showed that 91.5 per cent of our clients would

recommend MÁSMÓV!L to friends and family. Plus there is no risk in trying MÁSMÓV!L, since there are no long-term contracts and no penalties and you may leave whenever you want. Do I need a Spanish bank account to get started? There is no need for a Spanish bank account. You can pay by Credit Card; Pay as you go; Direct Debit and even by Automatic Top-up which, of course, is ideal if you want to manage your kid’s spending limits and control exactly how much you’re paying too! How can I change to MÁSMÓV!L in the simplest possible way? Go to our website www.masmovil.es, visit one of our distributors or phone the free number: 1473 and remember, we speak English, Spanish, German and the ‘Scandinavian language’!

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Your weekly music news with Melissa Jayne Official UK Top 10 1. James Arthur - Impossible 2. Will.I.Am Ft. Britney Spears – Scream And Shout 3. Bruno Mars – Locked Out Of Heaven 4. Gabrielle Aplin – The Power Of Love 5. Olly Murs - Troublemaker 6. Rihanna - Stay 7. Rihanna - Diamonds 8. Labrinth – Beneath you’re Beautiful 9. Psy – Gangnam Style 10. One Direction – Little Things

Official Spanish Top 10 1. Rihanna – Diamonds 2. Will.I.Am – This Is Love 3. Adele – Set Fire To The Rain 4. Pablo Alborán - Tanto 5. Psy – Gangnam Style 6. Alicia Keys – Girl On Fire 7. Taylor Swift – We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together 8. Bruno Mars – Locked Out Of Heaven 9. Katy Perry – Wide Awake 10. Maroon 5 – One More Night

No reunion as foursome LEGENDARY girl band the Spice Girls have hit back against claims they have planned to reunite ‘sans’ Posh Spice. Last week, UK newspaper the Daily Mail reported the girls had an upcoming tour and album planned, and had also hoped they were going to find a brand new girl to replace Victoria Beckham. Reports even suggested that ex-Sugababes star Heidi Range would be a perfect replacement for Posh, and rumours of a talent show to find a replacement Spice Girl were also rife. Speaking to the Daily Mail, an

Hot Gossip insider revealed: “The girls are going it alone without Victoria. They are keen to get back together and were trying to work out if they could do it as a four-piece. But the Spice Girls as a foursome is not going to get them another record

deal or sell out big venues. They need an extra cherry on the cake. And the cherry on the cake would be if they replaced Victoria. And that leads to the next question: who do they replace her with? At the moment it’s all being done in a very cloak-and-dagger way and not through official channels.” However, Sporty Spice Mel C immediately took to her Twitter page to defend the band posting: “It seems there has been some Spice related nonsense written today. None of the Spice Girls would ever or could ever be replaced #justsayin.”

Tulisa in pop row with Will.I.Am WITH heavy auto-tune and a strange accent, we wondered why Britney Spears sounded odd on the new Will.I.Am single, until N-Dubz member Tulisa Contostavlos revealed that it’s because she sang the single first. Tulisa cowrote the original, which was then called I Don’t Give A F***, and was to be featured on her album The Female Boss. But when Will.I.Am heard the track, he decided to take off sections written by Tulisa and got Britney in

Official UK Top 10 Downloads 1. James Arthur - Impossible 2. The Justice Collective - He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother 3. Will.I.Am - Scream & Shout (Feat. Britney Spears) 4. Rihanna - Stay (Feat. Mikky Ekko) 5. Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven 6. Olly Murs - Troublemaker 7. Gabrielle Aplin - The Power Of Love 8. Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble. 9. Rihanna - Diamonds 10. Labrinth - Beneath Your Beautiful (Feat. Emeli Sande)

MUSIC NEWS

Adele triple win at Billboard Awards the vocal booth, who copied Tulisa’s style. Speaking to UK newspaper The Sun, a source said: “The song was due to be Tulisa’s third single from her album until Will told his protégé Jean that he wanted the beat for him and Britney. Tulisa’s team thought it was a surefire hit

SINGER Adele may have taken a break from music due to the recent birth of her first child, but that hasn’t stopped her scooping up three awards at the Billboard Magazine Awards. Adele was named top artist of 2012 as well as being awarded top female artist, and her album 21 also received the top album award. Other winners on the night included One Direction who were awarded top DJ Fresh – Gold Dust (Shy FX re-edit): is a re-release of DJ Fresh’s 2008 hit new artist, Drake was which features vocals from Ce’Cile, and the third single to be released from crowned top male his second studio album Kryptonite. Another version was recorded, featuring artist and Maroon 5 vocals from Ms Dynamite, which is on his album Nextlevelism, were awarded with top although it never made it to the charts. The track has elements group. Rock band of drum and bass and also electro-pop, with Ce’Cile singing: Mumford & Sons also “It’s like gold dust, you hear me coming through your won big on the night, speakers, you see me mashing up the airways, I know with awards for the folk album, rock and you’re liking my sound.” Gold Dust is currently available for alternative categories. digital download, and was officially released last week.

Vibe’s top tip

TAYLOR SWIFT: A popular artiste in both the Spanish and UK charts.

S_BUKLEY

but, after losing the battle for the rights, they were forced to release Sight Of You which only got to No 18. She now has to watch on as the song goes Top 5 around the world.”

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hat’s

•ANGLICAN CHAPLAINCY of St Peter and St Paul in Torrevieja. Services in six locations. www.c-of-e-torrevieja.com. •BAKER FOUNDATION for Spiritual Awareness, Playa Flamenca: Sunday Service 11am; Clairvoyance Tuesdays 7.15pm; Healing Thursdays 10.30am-12pm. 966 760 665. •CHRISTIAN CHURCH (inter-denominational) English language. Alpha Centre, Los Nietos Viejos (Mar Menor) Sundays 10am: 968 133 724 or www.losnietoschurch.es. •HOPE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP: Sundays 11am. Avenida de Antonio Quesada. Pastor Dave 622 919 604.

Costa Blanca South’s best guide to local non-profit clubs, charities and societies Email whatson@euroweeklynews.com Fax 952 440 887 Post Euro Weekly News, Calle Moscatel 10, P-62, Poligono Industrial Arroyo de la Miel, 29631 Benalmadena, Malaga.

Churches •INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY Torrevieja: Sunday service and children’s church 11am; Ladies meeting Thursdays 11am. 966 799 273 / 660 127 276. •ORIHUELA CHURCH SERVICES: 966 733 093. •PILAR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH, Calle Canalejas 3, Pilar de la Horadada: Sundays 11am; Thursdays 5pm Bible study and Prayer; weekday home groups. PilarChristian.CommunityChurch@gmail.com or 966 769 300. •PINOSO VINEYARD CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, Calle

Veintiocho de Marzo, Sunday www.pinosovcf.com or 667 049 647.

11am.

•ROMAN CATHOLIC MASSES in Orihuela Costa. Don Joaquin Carlos. Fridays 5.30pm-6.30pm. •ST NICOLAS ECUMENICAL CHURCH, Calle Sobrija 2248, D20, Urb. Camposol. Sundays 10.30am; first Songs of Praise, second Holy Communion, third Morning Prayer, forth Holy Communion and fifth service by church members. 968 138 952. •TORREVIEJA CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 68: Services Sunday 10.30am with Communion and children’s Sunday School plus Wednesday 6pm. 966 788 771.

THURSDAY •FRIENDS UNLIMITED Quesada: 966 719 862 or www.helpvegabaja.com.

Useful numbers CONSULATES British

96 521 6022

Emergency consular assistance 902 109 356

ALICANTE Airport

96 691 9000

Guardia Civil

96 592 1100

Municipal Police

96 510 7200

Red Cross

96 525 2525

MURCIA

•LADIES Card making and crafting group, Torrevieja, 2pm-5pm. 966 789 977.

Airport

96 817 2000

•MABS Cancer Support Group meetings: sue@mabscancersupport.org.

ORIHUELA Guardia Civil

•SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING Torrevieja, a f t e r n o o n s a t Re s t a u ra n t e L o s Ro s a l e s , Guardamar. 966 783 508.

Red Cross Municipal Police

•TORREVIEJA STROKE SUPPORT GROUP meets 2.45pm-5pm in The Annex Municipal Buildings on Calle Paganini. www.torreviejastrokesupport.com.

• MABS BOOK SALE - The Arches Restaurant, Los Alcázares 10am-1pm (weather permitting). The MABS Book Stall is a regular feature at The Arches Restaurant on a Saturday and is popular with booklovers from Los Alcázares and the surrounding areas. Browse the stall and enjoy a coffee or bargain breakfast while you choose your books.

CORO PILAR choir group at their latest concert in Pilar de la Horadada. More information: 966 763 173. •SEEKERS LADIES CLUB Torrevieja meets every other Tuesday, 2pm at Bar Sacko’s, El Limonar. 966 784 033.

WEDNESDAY •A 1 D U P L I C A T E B R I D G E CLUB: 966 722 897. •BADMINTON at Pilar de la Horadada 10am1pm. 966 786 774. •COMPUTER CLUB Torrevieja. 966 700 041 or www.torreviejacomputerclub.com

SUNDAY • PATIENCE LODGE No 2177(GC) RAOB meets 10.30am-12.30pm at Algorfa Hotel near La Finca golf in Los Montesinos. 966 188 105.

• M A B S A R T W O R K S H O P C a f é G o l f, S a n Javier 10am-12. €2 donation. 968 192 768. •STRICTLY SOCIAL friendship club Punta Prima. 966 730 569. •VELVETONES CHOIR rehearses at Windsor Bar, San Luis, Torrevieja, 10am-1pm. 966 785 313.

MONDAY •SAMARITANS Drop-in Café. 902 883 535. •SEWN SOs Sewing mabsmurciane@gmail.com.

CHORAL GRACES: The choir sings in Spanish, English and German.

•SEWING CRAFT CLASSES Torrevieja. 966 708 199.

SATURDAY

Group

(MABS):

•3A MARINA BAIXA general meetings fourth Monday of month, 10.30am at Alfaz del Pi Culture Centre. www.u3amarinabaixa.com.

TUESDAY •FREE KNITTING CLUB Mazarron. 619 493 183.

96 577 0118

SANTA POLA

FRIDAY •CHESS CLUB Daya Vieja. 660 825 390.

96 530 5151

PEGO

•HELP VEGA BAJA Friends Unlimited final event before Christmas at Portico Mar. Menu del dia and Christmas raffle. www.helpvegabaja.com

•CANTABILE SINGERS rehearse at La Siesta Church, 2.15pm-4.15pm. 966 796 866. www.cantiblesingers.es.

96 530 0139

•VELVETONES LADIES HARMONY CHORUS rehearses at El Paraiso Restaurant, Torrevieja, 10am-12.30pm. 965 327 446. •ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION, Torrevieja Branch, meet at 5pm on the first Wednesday of each month at the Restaurante El Paraiso, Urb. Jardin del Mar 3, Torrevieja. 966 722 895 or 966 921 996.

Others •AL-ANON FAMILY GROUP Torrevieja - don’t

suffer alone through another person drinking. 692 799 318.

Town Hall

96 541 1100

Guardia Civil

96 541 1290

Local Police

96 541 1103

Red Cross

96 541 6936

TORREVIEJA Guardia Civil

96 571 0113

Municipal Police

96 571 0154

Red Cross

96 571 1818

VILLAJOYOSA

•CAMPOVERDE THEATRE GROUP. Mondays and Thursdays, 2pm at Rendevous, La Zenia. 966 774 127.

Guardia Civil

96 589 1143

•COSTA BLANCA MOUNTAIN WALKERS: different difficulty walks. www.cbmwalkers.org.

Municipal Police

96 589 0050

Red Cross

96 589 1400

•CRIME WATCH SPAIN: Torrevieja: 966 786 266. Catral: 965 992 838. Montesinos: 685 444 335. colaborando.crimewatch@skynetlink.com.

EMERGENCIES Emergencies

112

•DROP-OFF POINT for non-perishable food items to help the needy at Benijofar Town Hall, Monday to Friday, 8.30am-3.30pm.

National Police

091

•FAST emergency number 968 970 626.

CB. North

648 169 045

•LA BAMBA’S Ballroom/Latin/Sequence Dancing, Los Rosales Restaurant, Guardamar. Monday Sequence class 7.30pm. Social Dance 8.30pm. Friday Social Dance 7.30pm-10.30pm Wednesday New Beginners 2pm. Intermediate Class 3.30pm-5pm. 616 478 157.

CB. South

625 912 078

The Samaritans

902 883 535

•PEPA Charity Shop Gandia. 650 304 746 or www.pepaspain.com. •PRACTISE SPANISH FOR FREE: Saturday 10am-12pm. Sunday 11am at Athenea bar, Pilar de la Horadada. 966 762 308 or rogeames@hotmail.com. •SAMARITANS emotional support helpline 8pm12am. 902 883 535. •TOASTMASTERS INTERNATIONAL. 966 798 036 or www.toastmasters.org. •NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH. www.nhwinspain.com or 620 417 777.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

British Embassy : www.uk.inspain.fco.gov.uk Age Concern Spain: www.acespana.org Airport Information: www.aena.es Local News: www.euroweeklynews.com

COMING UP • M A B S M U R C I A Volunteers meeting, Las Claras, Los Alcázares, January 9, 11am. More information: 693 362 823. •COFFEE MORNING St Nicholas’ Church, Urb Camposol, Mazarron. January 7 from 11am. Everyone welcome.

20 - 26 December 2012

EWN

Costa Blanca South

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Classifieds

FOR RESULTS EVERY WEEK

Business Opp.

AIRPORT TRANSFERS Airport Taxis/Minibuses/Coaches www.CostaBlancaTransfers. com (94916)

WANT TO WRITE for profit? Established author available to help. At-home courses, total support. Guaranteed formatting for Kindle. janette@readus. com 689 742 289 www. readus.com (204958)

HAVE fun going to the airport or having fun in a black London taxi. Excellent rates. 633 367 779 (201796)

Alarms

Buy & Sell

ALARMS: All types, quality systems, very reasonable, guaranteed. Tel: 966 797 370 / 600 237 223 (96107)

Antiques

POOL TABLES, Snooker Tables, Table Tennis Tables, Darts Tel: 666 933 726 www.spainpool.com (203168)

Cavity Wall Insulation Boats

everything that is important to you. English-speaking AA meetings are held throughout the Costa Blanca from Valencia City to Murcia. Anyone wishing to attend a meeting or discuss a possible drinking problem contact Costa Blanca North: *6 4 8 1 6 9 0 4 5 * or Costa Blanca South: *625 912 078*. All calls are treated in the strictest confidence. AA in German: 645 456 075; Spanish: 96 521 9471; Flemish: 635 047 053; and Scandinavian: 659 779 222. w w w. a a - c o s t a b l a n c a . o r g (93323) ROUNDABOUT CHARITY SHOP. We are now into summer and very soon we will be feeling the heat! It is time therefore for another visit to the shop where you might find a bargain or two. Choose from the clothing selection, jewellery, household goods, books or bric a brac. There is usually something there for everyone —- but not always. Charitable donations have recently been made to The Alzheimers Centre, Cancer Research and The Amigos Ambulance Service. We still need your help with donations etc. Please keep them coming in! During July and August the shop will only be open Wednesday to Saturday from 09.30 until 13.00 (93325) FULL GOSPEL Business Men’s Fellowship International. We are a Christian organisation with a difference. Breakfast meetings for men each month including a testimony time, & time to ask questions for those who seek answers. Info: Stuart 968 575 417 or 664 673 863 (95452)

Charities/Churches

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS IS ALCOHOL COSTING YOU MORE THAN MONEY? Drinking to excess not only affects your health it can spill over into every other aspect of your life – damaging

THE SPIRITUALIST CHURCH OF QUESADA, meets at Sociedad Compas, 14 Calle de Toledo, Quesada. Sunday Service at 11.30am. A Tuesday evening of Mediumship at 7.30pm and every Thursday there is an opportunity to develop your skills at the Open Circle at 7.30pm. Spiritual Healing is available Sunday and Tuesday. Contact Wendy on 965 323 028. (95454) THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION, Torrevieja Branch, meet at 17.00 on the first Wednesday of each month at the Restaurante El Paraiso, Urb. Jardin del Mar 3 (behind Carrefour), Torrevieja. Contact Mike Wright, Chairman

966 722 895 or Margaret Forshaw, Secretary 966 921 996. (95455) HELP VEGA BAJA. We help anyone, any age and any nationality, 24hr helpline. Offices based in San Miguel at Calle Lope de Vega and in Torrevieja on Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 4. You can contact us on 966 723 733 between 10am and 1:30pm or online at www.helpvegabaja.com. For emergencies 24hr helpline 965 704 282 (95456) THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Orihuela Costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier. The branch meets at Olympia restaurant, Mil Palmeras on 3rd Thursday of each month at 19.00 - 19.30pm. More info can be found on branch website www.orihuelacostarbl .co.uk. (95457) THE BAKER FOUNDATION for SPIRITUAL AWARENESS. 16 Nicolas De Bussi Ave, Playa Flamenca. Sunday Service every week 11am to 12 noon, everyone welcome. For further details please phone/fax 966 760 665 (95458) THE PHILIP SCOTT LODGE No 10671 of the RAOB meets every Friday in the Bar Catorce, Benijofar. Please call the secretary, Colin Bird on 653 066 919 for further information. (95459) CHARITY BOOK STALL PEGO THURSDAY MARKET. Selection of over 500 books, all proceeds given to the elderly/disabled of Pego and local Animal Rescue. More stock always required please contact Chrissie 965 977 228/617 647 395 THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188 (95461) CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 or 968 432 525 (95462) PILAR CHRISTIAN COMM U N I T Y C H U R C H has moved to: Calle Canalejas, 3. Pilar de la Horadada. Sunday Service 11am & Thursday at 5pm for Bible Study and Prayer. All welcome from any church background or none. Info: PilarChristian.CommunityChurch@gmail.com or Eddie on 966 769 300 / 650 509 606

TCF is a multi-national English speaking church now located on Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 68, Torrevieja. The Sunday Service, including Communion and Creche/Sunday School, commences at 10.30am with a Bible Study/Prayer Meeting on Wednesday evenings at 6.00pm. Telephone 966 700 391 or call in to the Church any day between 9.00am until 1.00pm. Monday to Friday to find out more about Church activities. (95464) THE AIRCREW ASSOCIATION COSTA BLANCA BRANCH. Former & serving aircrews of the UK or Allied Armed Forces are welcome to join this convivial & friendly organisation, now in its 21st year. www.acacostablanca.org or call the Secretary on: 966 495 042 HELP MMM CANCER SUPPORT GROUP Appointments for cervical, breast and prostate screening in the Murcia area, please ring 680 393 257 THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION JAVEA BRANCH meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month @ Scallops Rest on the Arenal at 11.00am. Everyone is welcome to attend as a visitor and join the branch if they wish. Anyone needing any help or advice on welfare, or any information regarding the branch can contact either Sheila on 965 791 270 or Roger on 965 790 123 TORREVIEJA STROKE SUPPORT GROUP meets each Friday 3pm to 5pm in The Annex, (behind Age Concern Centre), Calle Paganini, Urb. La Siesta. Our aim is to support stroke survivors and their carers by a range of facilities from speech therapy, rehabilitation exercise, group discussion etc. For info: Louie 96 671 8964 or Carol, Secretary: 966 765 488, e-mail: strokesupportgroup@hotmail.com Donations and further voluntary helpers are needed and guest speakers with relevant knowledge or experience are very welcome. (95473) THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant Branch meets 1st Tuesday of every month at The Norwegian Club on Sierra Mar Urbanisation at 7pm for 7.30pm prompt. For further info contact Barbara Turnbull, Branch Secretary on 608 994 456 or e-mail b_dmt1966@ya hoo.co.uk (95474)

CAMPELLO CONTRA CANCER in conjunction with AECC Association Español Contra Cancer has opened a charity shop at C/Virgen de los Desamparados No 13 (next door to Mas y mas) El Campello. The shop is open Mon-Fri 10 - 2pm and is run by unpaid volunteers and all monies raised goes to the AECC. We urgently need donations of clothes, books, large and small furniture etc, and we will arrange collection of large items. We need volunteers to help out in the shop and also clothes rails, shelves etc. for display. Please support your local Cancer charity and if you wish to obtain literature or simply talk to someone. Please stop by at the shop. Contact Mina or Trisha. Tel 650 071 278 or 610 921 413 e-mail aecc_campello@hot mail.com (95475) International Christian Assembly Calle Pilar de Horadada 5, Torrevieja Evangelical non-denominational Sunday services 11am Children’s church 11am House groups in Torrevieja, Los Balcones, San Javier Ladies meeting Thursdays 11am. Pastor, Rafael Restrepo All nationalities welcome 966 799 273 / 660 127 276. (95476)

Chimney Sweep HOME FROM HOME. Professional chimney sweep. Family run business Telephone 660 478 881 (203131)

Computers

ThePCshop - Computer Sales and Repairs. Visit www.thepc shop.es or call 966 721 699 (203147)

sales@euroweeklynews.com

Price per word: 0,42€ + IVA minimum 15 words - Discount: Book 10 weeks, get 2 weeks free - Deadline: 4pm Mondays Contact: Phone (0034) 952 561 245 • Fax (0034) 952 440 887 • email classifieds@euroweeklynews.com • www.euroweeklynews.com

CLASSIFIEDS

EWN

20 - 26 December 2012

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Costa Blanca South SOS INSURANCE. Best prices available. Call us first for all your insurance needs. Including funeral plans. Tel: 966 787 123/622 275 561 (202254)

Electrician UK ELECTRICIAN Fully qualified all aspects of electrical work. Free estimates. 965 725 445 / 616 226 083 (202611)

SALT’S BAY INSURANCE BROKERS. Call now for your competitive quotes on insurance for: motor (UK & Spanish plates), household, life, private medical, travel and more. Policies in English. Tel: 965 706 394 E-mail info@salts bay.com (202637)

Friendship FIND LOVE IN THE SUN www.iwant2meetyou.com. Browse for free Spain´s No. 1 online dating site. Bringing expats together. (204448)

Motor Homes MOTORHOMES for sale & wanted. www.hispavan.com Leo 687 845 730 (200597)

Motoring

Internet

DISTRESSED sale, only 19,995€ 02. Hymor Tramp Motorhome, LHD, Spanish 687 845 730 (200597)

Pergola Covers SAILS, carports etc. Tailor made durable canvas. POLYETHYLENE SAILS. Exhibiting Procomobel Market Guardamar Saturdays/Camposol anyday. 667 879 399 krugercanopies@in.com (203169)

Pet Insurance

Gardening

PROTECTAPET Spain’s leading pet insurance 965 756 371 www.info@protectapet.eu (95962)

GARDENER, 25 years working in Spain. English/Spanish spoken. Private gardens and communities. Free quotes, billthe gardner@hotmail.es. Tel 699 682 630 (96109)

Pets

GOLD WANTED. English jeweller will buy broken, unwanted jewellery and coins. 664 890 990 (99704)

Property for Rent

SM61 - Las Violetas - lovely 2 bed, 2 bath spacious ground floor apartment, Sat TV, hot/cold air con, terrace & garden, com pool, close to Plaza - 425€ pcm - 965 720 766 (89468)

sales@euroweeklynews.com

Limousine Hire TUXEDO LIMOUSINE CHAUFFEURS we specialise in Limousines, Rolls Royce’s and Vintage cars for hire. Airport transfers Benidorm Palace, birthdays, theme parks, shopping trips, weddings etc. Check our website www.tuxedolimousines.es Tel 968 969 648 / 618 315 933 info@tuxedolimousines.es (201888)

Mobile Homes

WE BUY, Sell, Remove all types of Mobile Homes. We pay CASH and cover all of Spain. More details call Suzi Caley 616 250 727 / 951 063 059 or email suzicaley@ gmail.com (100120) LUXURY mobile home located near the coast on small family run site. 630 055 418 (202619)

sales@euroweeklynews.com

GATAMI ORGANISATION, to help kittens and cats, looking for good homes, also spaying wild cats in the community. Kittens require adoption, fully vaccinated, de-wormed, defleed. We also need volunteers to help Car boot sale in Polop on Sundays Tel Anna: 966 806 976 / 654 729 977 (95709)

SM122 - San Miguel, 2 bed, 1st floor apartment, terrace, com pool & solarium, underground parking, walk to town centre amenities - 355€ pcm 965 720 766. (89468)

Gold Wanted

Insurance

P.E.P.A. VOLUNTEERS & FOSTER HOMES URGENTLY NEEDED. By fostering an abandoned dog, or spending a few hours each week on our telephone helpline, you could help save the lives of many animals. Please call: 650 304 746. For more information browse our website: www.pepaspain.com EURO WEEKLY NEWS CLASSIFAX AGENT (95708)

sales@euroweeklynews.com

WANTED Cars, vans, caravans, 4 X 4’s British Spanish 600 781 873 ibuyany car@hotmail.com (200261) WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE. Spanish cars bought and sold. All paperwork done. Mazarron to Torrevieja Vehicles also taken away and legally disposed of patrickhurley@hotmail.com Pat 667 711 380 (201812) MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 153, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 153 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (95302) CASH for cars, runners/nonrunners Call 607 848 332 (92598) GOING HOME? Want to swap my UK Reg, RHD, 07 plated, VW Crafter Sprinter (LWB, high top, diesel, tax, MOT) for Spanish car. 646 600 898 BEST price paid for your car. Spanish/English PX welcome. 633 367 779 (201796) AUDI A6, all road, 4x4, luxury motoring, Spanish reg, LHD, auto, diesel, 7,500€, bargain www.hispavan.com Leo 687 845 730 (200597)

PET-COURIERS.COM – If you love your pet try us first – we are the best. Door to door service throughout Europe. Specialised vehicles – bespoke service. Full legal service including documentation if required. For further information call or e-mail us: Tel: (0034) 651 033 670 or (0034) 637 066 227. Email: info@pet-couriers.com or www.pet-couriers.com (95495)

Pet Transport INTERPAWS: 20 years’ licensed pet transportation. Competitive rates. Difficult dog? Effective behavioural training in your home. www.interpaws.com janette@interpaws.com 689 742 289 (204958)

Pet Charities EASYHORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE We aim to rescue HORSES. If you would like to DONATE please call 965 967 033 or sales@easyhorsecare .net www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue 652 021 980 SPAMA GANDIA SHELTER. Dog and cat rescue registered charity, La Safor area. 500 animals awaiting re-homing. Shelter open 7 days a week 12noon 2.00pm & 3.30pm - 7.00pm. (Spanish speaking staff ) or phone Gail 962 896 118. Visit our website for directions. www.spama.org and view our new blog at www.spama-safor .blog.com.es PLEASE HELP US TO HELP THEM (95707)

SM118 - Villamartin - 3 bed quad, 2 bath, off-road parking, tiled garden, terrace and com pool 495€ pm 965 720 766 (89468) SM169 - Montebello, Algorfa 3 bed spacious, unfurnished quad, 2 bathrooms, air con 475€ pm 965 720 766 (89468) UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY 2 x 3 bedroom villas set together amongst fruit trees in 31,000m2, Catral / San Isidro, pool, garages, stunning mountain views, €550pcm each. 0044 7797 862 874 (203761) 2/3 BED, 2 bath apartments San Miguel. Lift, communal roof top pool and solarium, video entry system. Available short/long term from €300 pcm. 966 723 437 / 636 615 716 (200889) 3 BED, 3 bath spacious semidetached house with garage, situated in the popular area of La Zenia, walking distance to shops, beaches and the new La Zenia Boulevard. Furnished. Long term. €550 monthly + electric & water. Perfect family home. Tel: 966 733 079 / 619 098 543 (97868) TORREVIEJA long let, 2 bedroom park home close to beach and town centre, communal pool & bath, 250€ a month + bills. 617 599 470 (202687)

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

CLASSIFIEDS

20 - 26 December 2012

EWN

Costa Blanca South

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Property for Sale

Situations Vacant

NEW Ecological Villas under construction of 140m2 with sea views in Costa Benissa, show home available to view, prices from €349,000 fully inclusive of all taxes! Tel 695 831 044 (204952)

WE started our business in the last recession, 13 year later we are still expanding , if you have enthusiasm , drive and ambition we can show you how to earn 2000€ a month in your spare time. Email application only CV to info@quoteme.es (202282)

Solar

Property Wanted

SOLAR BEST DEAL IN SPAIN w w w. g o s o l a r i n s p a i n . c o m (204791)

WANTED urgently, apartments, villas and townhouses close to the beach from Pilar de la Horadada to Guardamar del Segura, other areas considered. Call 965 368 379 (203078)

Spas/Jacuzzis JACUZZI, hot tub spas, quality American spas at factory prices, also spares, filters and repairs, used and ex-display spa available. We part ex and buy spas, best prices. Established 9 years in Spain EUROSPAS 650 722 905 www.eurospas1.com (99051)

Removal/Storage

Tax Affairs

MAN AND VAN UK - Spain. 2 vans travelling twice a month, Murcia - North / South UK Tel 610 846 260 or 0044 751 918 6355 email van.man@hot mail.co.uk (201811) UK-SPAIN-IRELAND all European Destinations. Removals with the personal touch. Pets transported 965 696 750 / 0044 (0) 7554 447 006 e-mail chrisyounge73979@aol.com (202629)

Telecoms FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CONTRACT. WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (0)

UK – SPAIN - UK. Local & distance work. Call Kevin. 627 075 334 (204897) INTERNATIONAL and European Removals. Expert removals worldwide. www.universalremovals. com. Tel: 951 247 834 (200810)

Wanted

Sewing QUALIFIED SEAMSTRESS 40 years experience, turn-ups to tailoring patterns taken from your favourite cloths, reasonable prices. Torrevieja, Sandra: 966 799 188 / 680 486 336 (98431)

sales@euroweeklynews.com

WE are looking for tour guides, street inviters, marketing assistant and leaflet distributors to add to our existing team in and around the Torrevieja area. Busy Businesses wanted as Booking agents for all our trips. Please send CV to info@sleepwellmar keting.com (202282)

Removals/Storage

JACUZZI, SPA, HOT TUB WANTED. Working or not. 650 722 905 (99064) QUAD BIKE and jet ski, UK or Spanish. 650 722 905 (99064) WANTED - female companion for gentleman to share his life and villa with. Call 626 821 100 (200252)

XXX Relaxation Readers of a sensitive disposition may find some of the advertisements in this section offensive. ELEGANT SLIM SEXY ESCORT LADY available, home/house visits. La Manga – Torrevieja Mazaron area. 693 357 526 (201771) YOUNG Spanish lady, big breasts, beautiful body, erotic massage and much more. Cabo Roig 637 052 300 (202642) ALICANTE MASSAGE FOR MEN. Qualified masseur in Alicante city, based 10 mins from airport, brings his services for men. Relaxing and sensitive massage, in discreet cabinet, different time sessions and rates, available from 10am to 11pm. Appointments at 649 761 607, more information at www.handsonyourskin.blog spot.com (203151)

THE BLUE PILL - NOW EVEN BETTER. From €2, other products available. Don’t miss out. Derek 685 207 378 (201880) SPANISH lady - classic. Playa Flamenca, private house, 35 years, attractive. All erotic services, massage, sexy lingerie. From €40. Ana 680 735 412 (202660)

BIGGEST & BEST

ENJOY special time with me. I am young, slender and caring Spanish girl. I provide special tender and erotic moments to gentlemen ONLY in your home or hotel. You can call or text me on 633 910 551 for more information. (202716)

6 editions

THAI Lady in Cabo Roig. For massage and lots of pleasure. 605 292 304 (200499) SEXY BLONDE GIRL slim DD cup, available Campoamar Cabo Roig. Anything possible. 676 067 381 (203137) GENERIC VIAGRA Cialis, jellies, trial packs, same or next day delivery. www.costablues. com 680 878 735 Colin (202295) ENGLISH lady, 42, provides various services for mature gentlemen. Torrevieja 681 362 442 (202561)

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............................. Costa del Sol Axarquía - Málaga East Mallorca Costa de Almería Costa Blanca South Costa Blanca North

affordable advertising that works

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SPORT

84 EWN

20 - 26 December 2012 Costa Blanca South

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Third round FA Cup draw pulls out some tantalising ties THE draw for the third round of this season’s FA Cup has produced some very interesting ties. There are only four allPremiership clashes: West Ham against Manchester United, Swansea, who won at the Emirates recently, versus Arsenal, QPR take on WBA at Loftus Road, while the holders Chelsea, who have won four of the last six finals, visit the 1976 winners Southampton. Elsewhere there will be a repeat of the 1987 final between Tottenham Hotspur and Coventry. • 2011 winners Manchester City welcome Gianfranco Zola’s Watford to the Etihad Stadium • Liverpool, who last lifted the trophy in 2006,

SPORTS SCENE By Tony Matthews A former football player and the world’s most prolific author of football books (more than 100 published), Tony is also the sports reporter for Spectrum Radio and lives in the Cabrera mountains.

take on non-League opposition in Mansfield Town • Everton, who haven’t won the silver pot since 1995, will play Cheltenham Town • Newcastle United must travel 350 miles south to play Brighton • Sunderland go to Bolton

• Wigan Athletic face AFC Bournemouth • It’s Fulham v Blackpool at Craven Cottage • Aston Villa, who last won the trophy 55 years ago, have drawn Ipswich Town, winners in 1978 • Reading have a banana-skin tie at Crawley Town • Stoke City go to Crystal Palace • And there’s an intriguing clash between Peterborough United and Norwich City at London Road. The rest of the draw reads: Accrington Stanley/ Oxford United v Sheffeld United, Aldershot Town v Rotherham/Notts County, Barnsley (winners 100 years ago) v Burnley, Barrow/ Macclesfield Town

Gianfranco Zola’s team Watford to play at Etihad.

M STOCK.CO

FA CUP FACTS • Manchester United have appeared in most finals (18), in most semifinals (27) and have won the trophy most times (11) • Arsenal have played in 26 semi-finals, appeared in 17 finals and have lifted the Cup on 10 occasions • Tottenham Hotspur (8 wins), Aston Villa (7), Chelsea (7), Liverpool (7), Blackburn Rovers (6), Newcastle (6), Everton (5), Manchester City (5), The Wanderers (5) and WBA (5) are the next best ten in terms of success • Of the current 20 Premiership clubs, only four - Norwich City, Reading, Swansea City and Wigan Athletic - have still

• 2,000 spectators witnessed the first-ever final… ‘officially’ 123,000 attended the first one at Wembley in 1923 when Bolton defeat West Ham 2-0… and 89,012 saw Chelsea beat Liverpool in last year’s encounter • The only time the Cup has gone out of England was when Cardiff beat Arsenal 1-0 in the 1927 final • Leicester City have appeared in four finals and lost them all • Bury hold the record for the biggest FA Cup final win, 6-0 v Derby County in 1903 • The Scottish club, Queen’s Park, lost in the 1884 and 1885

finals to Blackburn Rovers • Birmingham City did not take part in the 192122 FA Cup after the club secretary failed to submit the official entry form • Nottingham Forest has played FA Cup ties in four different countries: England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales • Villa Park has staged the most FA Cup semifinals, 53 • Bert Turner scored for both teams in the 1947 final: Charlton (his own club) and Derby County • The first final televised in colour was Everton v WBA in 1968. And in this game Dennis Clarke (WBA) became the first substitute to be used in a final • Notts County has competed in every FA Cup competition since 1877, a record never to be beaten • Ashley Cole holds the record for most winner’s medals - seven - three with Arsenal, four with Chelsea.

/ SHUTTER IZAL YAHYA AHMAD FA

v Cardiff City, Blackburn Rovers v Bristol City, Southend United v Bradford City/ Brentford, Charlton Athletic v Huddersfield, Derby County v Tranmere Rovers, Hull City v Leyton Orient, Leeds United v Birmingham City, Leicester City v Burton Albion, Luton Town v Wolves, Middlesbrough v Harrogate Town/ Hastings, Millwall v PNE, Nottingham Forest v Oldham and Sheffield Wednesday v MK Dons. The 32 ties will be played over the weekend of January 6/7.

to reach the final • The first final took place 140 years ago, in 1872, when The Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers 1-0 with a goal by Morton Betts • In the 100th final, played at Wembley in 1981, Tottenham and Manchester City drew 1-1 before Spurs went on to win the replay 3-2 with a fabulous Ricky Villa goal • So far, of the 131 finals played, there have been 14 replays, the last in 1993 when Arsenal beat Sheffield Wednesday • The first penalty shootout to decide the winners came in 2005 when Arsenal edged out Manchester United 5-4 after a 0-0 draw • Fourteen different venues have staged the Cup final, five in London, including the old and new Wembley

ASHLEY COLE: Holds the record for holding the most winner’s medals.

MOTORING

86 EWN

20 - 26 December 2012

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