ISSUE NO. 1433
20 - 26 DECEMBER 2012
EWN WISHES
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READERS AND ADVERTISERS A MERRY XMAS
5m plus!
Expats swell population
THE number of expatriates living in Spain swelled 234 per cent from 2001 to last year. 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
Christmas countdown CHRISTMAS is still five days away, but excitement is already mounting for the three young Ambrosio children. Being Spanish, their main focus is on the gifts received at Three Kings in early January, though more local children now awake to find Santa Claus gifts on December 25 morning. Here nine-year old Ivan nurses baby brother Daniel, with sister Laura also keen to line up for the camera.
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 per cent. In 2001, there were 57,533 Romanians in Spain and now there are 798,104 - 1,287 per cent more - making them the most numerous group of foreigners.
Iberia reach no strike bargain UNIONS have ruled out further strike action at Iberia after a process of negotiation was agreed. The airline plans to introduce changes which would mean the loss of 4,500 jobs.
Initially strikes were planned over Christmas, although staff later decided to put travellers first and postponed them until January. Now the strikes have been called off. Union representatives explained that Iberia has now agreed to negotiate proposals which would include spreading out the changes, and possible job losses, between now and 2017, instead of 2015 as was originally planned.
FRONT EXTRA
Body found on beach THE decomposed body of a scuba diver washed ashore on Calvia’s Santa Ponça beach was discovered by a strolling couple. No post-mortem examination has yet been carried out but police have ruled out foul play.
Safer way A €43,000 pedestrian bridge has been constructed over the dangerous level crossing at Can Foradi path in Palma’s Son Cladera area following the earlier death of a pedestrian who was hit by a train.
Tourism deal INITIATIVES totalling 107 aimed at promoting Balearic tourism at a cost of €2.7 million have been confirmed for 2013.
€30m works THE €30 million required to complete the works on Palma’s Conference Centre have not been included in the central government’s general budgets for 2013.
Local TV loss AT 9pm today (Thursday) TV Manacor will broadcast its last ever programme due to the channel’s inability to meet its €8,000 monthly costs.
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Mallorca
NEWS EXTRA
Search on THE search for a 31year-old Czech resident last seen on December 13 in Capdepera centre has been resumed by Guardia Civil and the Fire Brigade.
LOW COST: Budget passengers choose the Balearics.
Islands top of budget league MORE budget airline passengers touch down in the Balearics than any other region of Spain. Incoming low-cost passenger traffic has risen by 4.2 per cent in the region for the first 11 months of the year compared to the same period last year, reaching a passenger count of 8,020,782. In total, the figure represents 23.1 per cent of the nation’s low-cost incoming passenger numbers.
Of those, the lion’s share has landed at Palma, with a 4.9 per cent increase to 6.3 million. In terms of autonomous regions, Balearics, Cataluña and Canarias lead the nation’s rankings for the January to November 2012 period. Palma was ranked the top budget destination in Spain, followed by Barcelona El Prat and then Malaga. Of the top three all saw an increase in lowcost flights, except Malaga which had a 2.1 per cent decrease.
Scheme loses THE previously-free Palma bike scheme Bicipalma has lost almost 20,000 users due to the introduction of a €15 yearly-fee, which includes a 50 per cent discount.
Bad graffiti THREATENING graffiti found on the facade of Sa Pobla Mosque has been reported to the town’s Local Police by Sa Pobla Ibno Mazigh Islamic Association President Bagdad Haddouti.
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Inmate death NATIONAL Police has ruled the death of a Russian inmate at Palma prison a suicide. The man, who was in his 70s, was found hanged in his cell.
Gang arrested NATIONAL Police have arrested three Romanians (two men and a woman in their early 20s) for several thefts in Palma shops worth €12,000.
Streetlamp crash
EWN
Mock plane-hijacking staged at Ibiza Aiport A PLANE-HIJACKING simulation organised by the Ministry of Development’s Air Security State Agency (AESA) was staged at Ibiza Airport. Other participating government institutions were the Spanish Home Office, the Spanish Air Force, the Spanish Airports Authority (AENA), the Emergencies State Department
and the Government’s Delegation. The AESA agency has said the aim of the simulation is to keep those staff that may be involved in a reallife hijacking situation trained as well as improving the strategic operation to be launched in the event of a real hijack occurring. The plane, lent by the Air Force, took off from Getafe Air Base at
8.30am as a fake commercial plane doing a Madrid to Mallorca flight. In mid-flight, the plane carrying 28 passengers was hijacked by two armed individuals. Traffic control at Ibiza Airport then activated the appropriate security protocols, which included allowing the plane to land. National Police and Guardia Civil then carried out the rescue operation.
BALEARIC chain Melia Hotels International will keep expanding in China after signing an agreement with Chinese real estate giant, Greenland.
Inca discounts MORE than 40 Inca shops participated in the two-day trading initiative ‘Day Shopping’, promoted by the council and offering items discounted up to 40 per cent.
Jogging lanes INCA Town Hall will invest €60,000 to build two jogging lanes in the Serrat de les Monges area and in the surroundings of the Mateu Cañellas sports centre.
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!
F
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
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Mugger arrested A FORTY-SEVEN-YEAROLD Palma man has been arrested after robbing a pharmacy and two slot machine arcades at knifepoint for a total of €2,200.
Gift of life
Traditional sowing
THE Mancor Church bells no longer toll between midnight and 8am after a resident filed two complaints at the town hall.
Nwatch ews
BALEARIC Parliament President Pere Rotger officially stepped down from his position after the judge in the Over Marketing corruption case maintained his impeachment in the trial.
China expansion
Silent night
Mallorca
Rotger down
A MAN crashed his car into a streetlamp knocking it down on Avenida Gabriel Alomar i Villalonga at 4am on December 13. Local Police are searching for the driver.
THERE was a traditional broad bean sowing demonstration at the Son Maixella farm in Valldemossa by farm owners.
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‘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.
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.
New hotel 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.
Female call BALEARIC Parliament spokeswoman Mabel Cabrer (PP) said that Margarita Duran would make a great candidate for Parliament leadership.
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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NEWS
EWN
20 - 26 December 2012
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Baleares has highest population growth THE population in the autonomous region grew more than that of any
other in the country over the last 10 years with a 30.8 per cent increase since 2001. The census estimated the Balearic population at 1,100,503 people – with 258,834 more people than a decade ago – dated November 1, 2011. The country’s population increased by almost six million people since last decade reaching a record 46.8 million on November 2011, mainly
due to the large influx of immigrants over this period according to the National Statistical Institute (INE). A total of 3.5 million foreigners have arrived over the last decade. The figures are put together every 10 years and for these most recent ones it was done between the last months of 2011 and the first months of this year. However, the popul-
ation of actual Spaniards has experienced a more discreet increase over the last decade, from 39 million in 2001 to 41.5 million which, according to the INE, is due to a higher life expectancy compared to the previous census, a birth rate increase (especially between 2005 and 2009) and the acquisition of Spanish citizenship by many foreigners.
Mallorca
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 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.com’s new £250,000 (€308,000) Facebook FUNdation grants pot.
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HARD DRIVES: 21,000 child porn files were found on priest’s computer.
Child porn priest walks free A PAEDOPHILE priest who was caught with 21,000 child porn files on his computer has escaped jail. The sentence that would have locked up former Manacor native and Vilafames, Castellon, priest, Rafael Sansó for two years has been suspended for five years. Sanso was arrested by the Guardia Civil on November 10, 2010 as part of an operation tackling the distribution of child pornography. An investigation was launched from Madrid after the US Department of Justice sent a letter identifying on-line
paedophiles. During a search of his church an internal and two external computer hard drives were seized and discovered to be full of child porn. The drives will now be destroyed. Police said he was an active member of an online paedophiliac community. The suspension is subject to Sanso not committing any criminal offences for five years, as well as reporting any change of address. Sanso has been suspended by the Castellon Bishopric to avoid the ‘outrage of worshippers’.
Three accused of burglaries A THIRTY-SEVEN-YEAROLD man and two minors aged 16 and 17 were arrested by Guardia Civil accused of 14 burglaries in Santa Margalida’s Can
Picafort district. Some of the stolen items were found in an abandoned commercial building in Can Picafort, amongst which were two
rifles, a shotgun and jewels. The burglaries started a month ago with the last two being committed while the home owners were asleep.
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 £1 Fish Man, has released a song in the hopes of securing the coveted Christmas number one slot. Muhammad Shahid Nazir’s song was posted on YouTube.
NEWS
20 - 26 December 2012
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Mallorca
Soul stars roll out hits to remember at concerts 1
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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.
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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
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5. Katie and Ron Griffin, with Assistant Manager of the Don Carlos Hotel Antonio Gonzalez (centre). 6. Hazel and Justin Durrant.
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7. Matt Johnson and Charley Jones. 8. Alexander O’Neal with Michel and her father George. 9.Ashlea Bell, and Gail and Geoff Cuttell
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NEWS
20 - 26 December 2012
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Mallorca
GERMAN
PRESS
Stories making headlines from Germany
Bomb scare A BAG left at a railway station in Essen caused a bogus bomb scare two days after an explosive device was deactivated by police at Bonn’s station. NEW INITIATIVE Park and ride scheme.
Bus boost PALMA TOWN HALL is to promote the use of public transport to reach the town centre. The initiative entails commuters leaving their vehicles at the Parc de Sa Riera car park, where they can get picked up by the Number 2 bus to reach the centre. The scheme, which aims to promote a rational use of individual vehicles in exchange for a higher use of public transport, brings a new €25-a-month car park
fee (albeit paid as a yearly fee). The Number 2 bus route extension, which connects the car park with Palma centre, is aimed at promoting sustainable transport and the use of the bus line, which has seen a 30 per cent decrease in passenger numbers in 2012. The extended bus route will be one kilometre longer and take an extra five minutes with an average frequency of 12 minutes.
Local weather for next 7 days MALLORCA TODAY AND TOMORROW ALCUDIA POLLENÇA INCA
CALA MILLOR
CALVIA PALMA
CALA d’OR
ANDRATX
LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF ALCUDIA POLLENÇA INCA
CALA MILLOR
CALVIA PALMA
CALA d’OR
ANDRATX MAGALLUF
Snow charge 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 assaulted a 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.
LLUCMAJOR
Google it S Sun,
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
THE 2012 UEFA European Cup, London Olympic Games and the death of comedian Dirk Bach were Google Germany’s top searches in 2012.
Duty failure A POLICE officer was fined €10,800 by a Magdeburg court for negligent homicide, after he failed to check a man who burnt himself to death in his cell.
NEWS
20 - 26 December 2012
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Mallorca
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. 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
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! 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.
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. 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, including for the nation’s Napoleonic War. El Gordo prize money has touched
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.
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.
NEWS
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Guilty plea to boat explosion by the owner
BOAT EXPLOSION: Boss lands in court.
A MECHANIC who caused an explosion on board a boat ended up in hospital, and his boss in court. Now the owner of the Palma boat repair and maintenance business has been ordered to do six months community service for a ‘violation of workers’ rights.’ The explosion happened when the unsupervised mechanic used highlyflammable brake cleaning fluid to
clean an oil build-up inside the boat’s engine, after which he tried to test the starter. He needed hospital treatment following the ensuing explosion. The mechanic’s boss pleaded guilty to a violation of workers’ rights and reckless injury at a Palma court hearing. A six-month jail sentence was commuted to an equivalent period of community service.
A balloon farewell 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 38year-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 https://www.facebook.com/ events/117347298429404/
Mallorca
SCANDINAVIAN PRESS Stories making headlines in Denmark, Norway and Sweden
Jail sentence NORWAY - Mullah Krekar, the 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.
Dog seized SWEDEN - Customs officials have 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
STEEP RISE: Hotels face increase of up to 50 per cent.
Hotels to appeal rates tax rise SEVENTY Palma hotel owners are expected to appeal against a rates rise of up to 50 per cent. That would mean nearly 30 per cent of the town’s hoteliers asking the town hall to think again about next year’s planned property tax (IBI) increase, with the
support of the Mallorca Hotel Federation (FEHM). Palma has 229 hotels, of which 40 lie within city limits and the rest are in the Platja de Palma resort, totalling 43,575 hotel beds. The IBI is calculated as a percentage of a property’s value. The last valuations of Palma’s buildings were made 16 years ago. New valuations are expected to put the tax bill up by 50 per cent for some hotel owners. Inmaculada Benito, Head of FEHM, said it will further reduce the profit margins of affected businesses especially as it comes on top of rises in other municipal taxes.
SWEDEN - A 25-yearold Royal Family guard was so hungover - the authorities reported - he was found unable for duty at Stockholm’s Royal Palace.
Murder hints NORWAY - Blood stains from a murdered 16-year-old girl in Oslo were allegedly found by the police inside a 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 Expressen newspaper.
NEWS
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20 - 26 December 2012
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Mallorca
COSTA BLANCA NORTH
AXARQUIA
Police called to school brawl
Noisy bangers
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!
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
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 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 BLANCA SOUTH
Natural birth bid ALICANTE General Hospital has introduced changes to make giving birth as natural as possible, including aromatherapy and music therapy, special chairs for mothers-to-be 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.
Balcony fall 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 inside.
Supermarket for port 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
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.”
Cocaine trial
One direction
TEN people will appear in court today (Thursday) at the Provincial Court in Elche, charged with dealing cocaine. More than 20 kilos of the drug were allegedly seized valued at €1.3 million.
RAMON GALERA TISCAR has now been successfully directing the six theatrical groups in Alcontar, Hijate, Seron, Tijola, Lucar and Purchena for five years.
Young project SCHOOLCHILDREN in Alicante have presented business projects to the Federation of Young Entrepreneurs of the Province of Alicante as part of a school assignment to encourage entrepreneurial spirit.
Foreign enclave SEVENTY-TWO per cent of Rojales residents are foreign, according to the population census prepared by the National Statistics Institute.
ALMERIA
Rent-free for three years 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.
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 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
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 is 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 ALMOST 200 homes in El Ponton area of Antequera will not be legalised by the Junta de Andalucia decree. They are on non-urban land and cannot access the sewage or electricity networks.
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.
Old rally takes off 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,
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A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 8 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION
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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.
Now H&M woos recycling 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.
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LOSING OUT: Casinos are no longer as popular.
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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 Mallorca
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
B
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 Mallorca
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 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
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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
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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
GB
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 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.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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20 - 26 December 2012 Mallorca
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.
B
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.
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20 - 26 December 2012
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W EEKLY
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 to stay upright on the slopes.
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.
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!
22 EWN
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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.
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L etters OPINION & COMMENT
24 EWN
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
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:
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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
13 - 19 December 2012 Mallorca 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.
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OPINION & COMMENT
26 EWN
20 - 26 December 2012
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A
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.
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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.
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28 EWN
20 - 26 December 2012
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I
N our house we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of a fat man in a red suit. I say we, well you know what I mean. La Gidg still firmly believes in the fella which is just as well as no one wants to be caught out as a liar do they? And that is what we do as parents, we lie to our children about some benevolent guy who gives them presents if they have been good. I’ve got to say if I take it apart too much I start to upset myself. Life isn’t like that is it? It’s not always the good people that get rewarded. I’ve been switching off the news a lot recently, I just can’t bear to watch what has happened in China and Connecticut, in Syria and Pakistan. There are plenty of parents around the world who won’t be able to celebrate Christmas with their little ones, plenty who probably dont want to even mention the word. So, to shake off my doom and gloom and try to get into the swing of things, I went to a clever website called:
Mallorca
Presents from the heart
Family Matters Mallorca
Vicki Mcleod
FATHER CHRISTMAS: Will he visit you on Christmas Day? www.portablenorthpole.com where you can get a free and customised video for your child from Father Christmas. You visit the site and type in a few details like your child’s name and their age, and if they have been naughty or nice, and
a video is prepared for you which is a ‘personal’ message from Santa where he talks directly to your little one. It was a lovely surprise for her and it brought a tear to my eye to watch my daughter’s face as she watched Santa
telling her that she had been good enough to make it onto the Nice List. (Although I already knew that). There was a moment when I almost spilt the Father Christmas beans though, when La Gidg enquired as to what I
may have got her for Christmas this year and then complained that ‘only’ Father Christmas had got her presents last year. There followed a stony silence from me and a raised eyebrow whilst I tried desperately to think of a response. “Well then where was MY present from you?” Touché. There has been some feverish and secretive colouring in going on, so perhaps I will be presented with something come Christmas Day. But truly Christmas gifts aren’t material things are they, they are precious things which we can only hold in our hearts. That is what we have to try to remember as the world changes and turns in such violent and unexpected ways. Count your blessings, pull your loved ones close to you, and tell them that you love them. Merry Christmas from us, V, O and LG x
Read more articles at: www.familymattersmallorca.com
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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.
30 EWN
20 - 26 December 2012
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Mallorca
The lows of high technology
O
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!
HEALTH & BEAUTY
20 - 26 December 2012 www.euroweeklynews.com
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Visit www.ewnlifestyle.com for more reading
Mallorca
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.
Diabetes sufferers at risk Chocolate keeps coughs at bay.
Doing more harm than good? SALES 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
31
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. In an ideal world the skin should not need moisturising. But because of the environment our skin needs help.
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 among people with rarer Type 1 diabetes, which accounts for 10 per cent of all cases of the disorder.
MOISTURISER: Keeping skin hydrated helps keep wrinkles at bay.
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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 12:20am The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff
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BBC2
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 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm An Island Parish 10:00pm Westminster Abbey 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Grumpy Guide To...
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4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 5:00pm Britain’s Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 7:55pm Text Santa 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Text Santa 12:00am ITV News and Weather
Channel 4
4:30pm 1001 Things You Should Know 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm Unreported World 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm King of Christmas Lights 10:00pm The Hoarder Next Door 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:05am Father Ted
Channel 5
4:10pm Mistletoe Over Manhattan 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Emergency Bikers 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Cowboy Builders 9:00pm North Pole Ice Airport 10:00pm The Mentalist 11:00pm Castle 12:00am Law and Order: Criminal Intent 12:55am Inside Hollywood
BBC1
SUNDAY DECEMBER 23
BBC1
5:30pm Final Score 6:20pm BBC News 6:30pm BBC London News 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 11:25pm Match of the Day 12:55am The Football League Show 2:10am Weatherview Detailed weather forecast. 2:15am Rolling Stones: Crossfire Hurricane 3:15am Rolling Stones: Crossfire Hurricane 4:10am Nigellissima
5:30pm Songs of Praise 6:05pm BBC News 6:20pm BBC London News 6:30pm Countryfile 7:30pm Mr Stink 8:30pm Antiques Roadshow 9:30pm Loving Miss Hatto 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm BBC London News 11:25pm Match of the Day 2 12:25am The Graham Norton Show 1:15am Grumpy Old Men 2:55am Weatherview 3:00am Film 2012 3:30am Holby City 4:30am Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas 5:00am Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas 5:30am BBC News
4:00pm Nigellissima 5:00pm The Game Plan 6:45pm The Toys That Made Christmas 8:15pm Porridge 9:00pm TOTP2 10:30pm Never Mind the Buzzcocks 11:00pm The Mystery of Edwin Drood 12:00am The Mystery of Edwin Drood
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 10:30pm James May’s Toy Stories 11:30pm The Sarah Millican Television Programme 12:00am Victoria Wood: Seen on TV 1:30am QI
BBC2
ITV
4:50pm London Tonight 5:05pm ITV News and Weather 5:20pm Back to the Future Part III 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 11:45pm Terminator 2: Judgment Day 2:15am Jackpot247 4:00am In Plain Sight
Channel 4
4:30pm River Cottage 5:35pm 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 2:00am Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale 3:20am This is Me 3:25am Hollyoaks Omnibus
Channel 5
5:30pm Mrs Miracle 2: Miracle in Manhattan 7:20pm I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 9:00pm A Christmas Carol 11:00pm 5 News Weekend 11:05pm Tommy Cooper's Christmas 2:10am The Plank 1:10am Super Casino 4:55am Michaela’s Wild Challenge
BBC2
ITV
4:00pm The McFly Show 5:05pm Twins 7:05pm You’ve Been Framed! 7:35pm London Tonight 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 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 11:45pm Take Me Out 12:45am Rugby Highlights
Channel 4
4:00pm 100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross 7:05pm Channel 4 News 7:15pm 4thought.tv 7:20pm The Art of the Snowman and the Snowdog 7:25pm The Snowman 7:55pm Night at the Museum 10:00pm Homeland 11:30pm Peep Show 12:00am In Bruges 2:00am American Football Live
Channel 5
5:40pm Christmas with the Kranks 7:40pm The Family Man 9:55pm 5 News Weekend 10:00pm Bad Santa 12:00am Superbad 2:15am Super Casino 4:55am House Doctor 5:25am House Doctor 5:50am Rough Guide to Weekend Breaks
MONDAY DECEMBER 24
BBC1
TUESDAY DECEMBER 25
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 26
BBC1
5:15pm Merry Madagascar 5:35pm The Gruffalo’s Child 6:05pm The Lady and The Tramp 7:20pm BBC News 7:35pm BBC London News 7:45pm A Christmas Carol 9:15pm Merlin 10:00pm EastEnders 10:35pm Outnumbered 11:15pm Mrs. Brown’s Boys 11:45pm The Vicar of Dibley 12:30am BBC News 12:45am Midnight Mass From Leeds Cathedral . 2:05am Serendipity 3:30am Weatherview 3:35am BBC News
BBC1
4:00pm The Queen 4:10pm Shrek Forever After 5:35pm Room on the Broom 6:00pm BBC News 6:15pm Doctor Who 7:15pm Strictly Come Dancing 8:30pm Call the Midwife 9:45pm EastEnders 10:45pm The Royle Family 11:45pm BBC News 12:00am The Vicar of Dibley
Tuesday
BBC1 4:00pm BBC News 4:05pm Show Me What You’re Made of 4:30pm The Cow That Almost Missed Christmas 5:00pm Blue Peter 5:30pm CBeebies Panto 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 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
SATURDAY DECEMBER 22
BBC2
4:55pm Nativity! 6:35pm Dad’s Army 7:15pm Carols from King’s 8:30pm Morecambe and Wise Queen Elizabeth II 9:30pm Open All Hours 10:00pm Porridge 4:00pm - The Queen 10:40pm The Many Faces of... 11:40pm The Two Ronnies BBC2 12:10am Being Ronnie Corbett 6:15pm The Queen 1:10am QI 1:40am An Island 6:25pm Arena Parish 2:10am The Tuttles of 7:25pm Top Gear Tahiti 8:30pm Dad’s Army ITV 9:00pm Blackadder’s Christmas Carol 4:30pm Rod Stewart’s 9:45pm The Choir: A Year with Christmas the Military Wives 5:45pm How the Grinch Stole 10:45pm QI XL Christmas 11:30pm The Sarah Millican 7:40pm ITV News and Weather Television Programme 8:00pm Emmerdale 12:00am The Christmas No.1 8:30pm Coronation Street Story 9:30pm The Spice Girls Story:
BBC1
BBC1 4:00pm BBC News 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 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 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
FRIDAY DECEMBER 21
Viva Forever! 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm Christmas Carols on ITV 12:15am The Jonathan Ross Show 1:45am The Unforgettable...
Channel 4
6:05pm The Simpsons 6:40pm Hollyoaks 7:10pm Channel 4 News 7:25pm 4thought.tv 7:30pm Heston’s Fantastical Christmas 8:30pm Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas 9:00pm The Snowman and the Snowdog 9:30pm Stephen Fry: Gadget Man 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 11:00pm Peep Show 11:30pm Friday Night Dinner 12:05am The Inbetweeners 12:40am The Inbetweeners 1:15am The Inbetweeners 1:45am The Inbetweeners
Channel 5
ITV
6:00pm You’ve Been Framed! 6:30pm Emmerdale 7:00pm Paul O’Grady: For The Love of Dogs 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:30pm ITV News and Weather 9:45pm Downton Abbey 11:45pm Couples Retreat
Channel 4
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 12:05am C4’s 30 Greatest Comedy Shows
4:20pm Enchanted 6:00pm How to Train Your Dragon 7:30pm BBC News at Six 7:40pm BBC London News 7:50pm Alice in Wonderland 9:30pm EastEnders 10:00pm Miranda 10:30pm Mrs. Brown’s Boys 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:20pm The National Lottery Wednesday Night Draws 11:25pm Match of the Day 1:00am Blades of Glory 2:25am Weatherview 2:30am BBC News
BBC2
5:30pm Final Score 6:30pm Miss Potter 8:00pm Morecambe and Wise 9:00pm Blackpool: Big Night Out 10:00pm The Girl 11:30pm Rebecca 1:35am Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock 2:35am Mr. & Mrs. Smith
ITV
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 12:00am ITV News and Weather 12:15am Atonement 2:25am Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire? 3:20am Every Which Way But Loose 5:15am ITV Nightscreen
Channel 4
4:40pm Turner and Hooch 6:40pm The Simpsons 7:10pm Hollyoaks 7:40pm Channel 4 News 7:50pm 4thought.tv 7:55pm The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 11:30pm The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2:20am Airplane II: The Sequel 3:45am The Good Wife 4:25am St. Elsewhere 5:15am 90210 5:55am 90210
Channel 5
5:30pm Will You Merry Me 7:15pm Rolf’s Animal Christmas 8:15pm TV’s 50 Greatest Magic Tricks 11:00pm Most Shocking Celebrity Moments 2012 1:50am Super Casino 4:55am House Doctor 5:20am HouseBusters 5:45am The Great Artists
Channel 5
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
5:10pm Scrooge 7:00pm Rolf’s Animal Christmas 8:00pm World’s Biggest Pets 9:00pm A Right Royal Year 10:00pm Eddie Stobart’s Christmas Cracker 11:00pm The Thomas 5:40pm Crown Christmas with the Kranks Affair 1:15am with Tim Allen & Jamie Lee Curtis NCIS
CH5
THURSDAY DECEMBER 20
Sunday
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20 - 26 December 2012
NEWS
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Mallorca
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.
34 EWN
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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
49
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
19
6
Saturday December 15
15
IRISH LOTTO
EURO MILLIONS
Saturday December 15
Friday December 14
13
3
10 11
22
22
23
29
28
22
15
23 31
39
BONUS BALL
THUNDERBALL
18
9
LA PRIMITIVA
EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA
Saturday December 15
Sunday December 16
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BONUS BALL
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43 LUCKY STARS
3
11
31 REINTEGRO
14
3
REINTEGRO
9
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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Crosswords CRYPTIC
ENGLISH - SPANISH
Across 1 Figures provided by confused static sits (10) 8 Peer that is right in the first place (7) 9 Turkish leader at home once more (5) 10 Writes in pensionerʼs diary (4) 11 County borders (4) 12 Address thatʼs somewhat undesirable (3) 14 One hundred and fifty always bright (6) 15 Recommended some made better (6) 18 Discharge in middle of March (3) 20 Cooked meat for eleven (4) 21 Obscure English coin found in the US (4) 23 King Johnʼs last to find out (5) 24 Outdo alien to produce a musical instrument (7) 25 Famous rebel acted poorly (10) Down 1 Eccentric from the Gold Coast range of mountains (7) 2 Like a first class return to the Orient (4) 3 Serial broadcast in Middle East country (6)
The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across 1 Parades (8) 5 Júbilo (3) 7 Shepherd (6) 8 Red (4) 9 Cama (3) 10 Christmas (7) 11 Duende (3) 12 Ángeles (6)
Co d e B r e a ke r 4 Serf rant about move (8) 5 A lesson in style (5) 6 Replace best churn, all right? (11) 7 Incorrectly tenderising items (11) 13 A prison term for a group of words (8)
16 Sprinkled very softly in dried (7) 17 Beat the one at the crease? (6) 19 Hoist the bird (5) 22 Spoil some strawberry yoghurt (4)
Down 2 Educator (7) 3 Eskimo hut (5) 4 Add sugar to (7) 5 Happening (5) 6 Sparkle (7) 7 Musical drama (5) 13 Relations (7) 14 News (7) 15 Correspondence (7) 17 Love intensely (5) 18 Murky (5) 19 Beau (5)
CRYPTIC - Across: 1 Trample, 5 Bogus, 8 Dubai, 9 America, 10 Mud, 11 Eerie, 12 Idle, 13 Vesta, 15 Tonga, 17 Shell, 19 Loafs, 21 Sewn, 22 Apple, 25 Gnu, 26 Leakage, 27 Lingo, 28 Dress, 29 Sustain. Down: 1 Tidiest, 2 Amber, 3 Primeval, 4 Evades, 5 Beer, 6 Griddle, 7 Stale, 14 Assaults, 16 Newgate, 18 Lie down, 20 Angers, 21 Salad, 23 Panda, 24 Mars. QUICK - Across: Abolish, 7 Fatal, 8 Set-back, 9 Stress, 11 Usurp, 13 Rate, 14 Trample, 15 Bore, 16 Camel, 17 Leaves, 21 Cabinet, 22 Basic, 23 Naughty. Down: 2 Breastbone, 3 Liberate, 4 Sock, 5 Fact, 6 Bare, 9 Swipe, 10 Settlement, 12 Wages, 13 Relaxing, 18 Afar, 19 Evil, 20 Data. ENGLISH - SPANISH Across: 1 Attic, 4 Short, 7 Ice, 8 Chupete, 9 Atreverse, 13 Empresa, 15 All, 16 Tears, 17 Suelo. Down: 1 Apio, 2 Theft, 3 Cockerels, 4 Saucepans, 5 One, 6 Tren, 10 Spade, 11 Belt, 12 Algo, 14 Pea.
1.Unscramble the name of a popular Christmas song written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 (three words): Y-FRONTS WANT HOMES 2. Unscramble the name of a famous Christmas pantomime (one word): CLEAN, IDLER!
Play on Words MANAWAYGER
PEAS SOIL
Answers: Away In A Manger , Peace on Earth
Funagram
Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 11 represents H and 18 represents Z, so fill in H every time the figure 11 appears and Z every time the figure 18 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS
QUICK Across 1 Steps (6) 5 Punch (6) 8 Passageway (4) 9 Makeup (8) 10 Variable resistor (8) 11 Flat board (4) 12 Damaged (6) 14 Excitement (6) 16 Animal abode (4) 18 Faithfulness (8) 20 Sledge (8) 21 Scene (4) 22 Hebdomadal (6) 23 Anxiety cause (6)
Down 1 December (9) 2 Hiedra (3) 3 Condimentos (9) 4 Bola de nieve (8) 6 Gold (3) 7 Inn (6) 8 Rojo (3)
Quote ‘If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.’
‘
Barack Obama (1961 - ) 44th and current President of the United States.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
Hexagram The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 sixletter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (SKIERS) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.
ACTORS
CHURCH
SEASON
ADORNS
CRECHE
SHERRY
ALARMS
DONKEY
SKIERS (10)
AMUSES
MISERS
SPICES
BANTER
ORIENT
UNCORK
BARMEN
PRINCE
CHAIRS
REWARD
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Thrill, 2 Helped, 3 Strike, 4 Tasted, 5 Pitted, 6 Barely, 7 Bested, 8 Reacts, 9 Mashed, 10 Become, 11 Treats, 12 Cheers, 13 Roared, 14 Cruise, 15 Reform, 16 Kettle, 17 Orders, 18 Killed, 19 Flower
FUNAGRAM SOLUTION 1. FROSTY THE SNOWMAN 2. CINDERELLA
FOOD
36 EWN
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Tasty finish TO bring a light-hearted approach to your preparation of the turkey, cut cranberry jelly into slices and use a turkey-shaped cookie cutter. This traditional garnish will be tasty and may put a smile on your guests’ faces.
Coffee chain to pay millions in tax AFTER it was revealed that US-owned coffee
Eat the tree SOMETHING else to add to your Christmas feast; the festive tree. Many parts of the pines, spruces and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C, and pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition. The firs can also be used to infuse drinks. Just leave a sprig of needles in a bottle of gin or vodka overnight.
chain Starbucks was avoiding paying tax in the UK, the company has caved in to public pressure and agreed to pay millions in corporation tax. The group has struck a deal and will pay £20million (€15million) over the next two years, whether or not it reports a profit. Starbucks has not paid corporation tax for 14 of the past 15 years of trading in the UK, despite owning more than 700 stores. The move will bring valuable money into Treasury coffers and increases pressure on other multi-nationals such as Google and
VALUABLE MONEY: Starbucks make a tax deal. Amazon to make contributions. Campaigners however
are unhappy and plan to hold protests at Starbucks’ cafes.
FOOD
20 - 26 December 2012
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Brussels sprouts off the menu BRUSSELS SPROUTS may be off the Christmas dinner menu this year following a price rise of the unpopular vegetable of 69 per cent. It is not the only thing to rise in price as a new report reveals the cost of Christmas dinner has soared by
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EXPENSIVE: The unpopular sprouts.
more than double the increase in wages over the past five years. It’s not all bad news, though, the price of Champagne is down nearly 10 per cent.
A surprising slice AN age-old tradition is to hide trinkets in your Christmas pudding for someone to find. This is meant to predict your year’s fortune. A coin means wealth, a ring means marriage and a button means you will stay single. The idea came from a Middle Age tradition where a bean was hidden inside a cake which was served on 12th night and whoever found the bean would be king for the remainder of the night. TRADITION: Hiding trinkets.
Crisps that aren’t chips PRINGLES aren’t actually potato chips. Despite this, they were originally called ‘Pringles Newfangled Potato Chips’. However, due to the fact that they only contain about 42 per cent potatobased content, with most of the rest from wheat starch and various types
of flour, including from corn and rice, the US Food and Drug Administration made them change the name because their product didn’t technically meet the definition of a potato chip. Furthermore, they were only allowed to use the word ‘chip’ in very
restrictive ways. This resulted in them changing the name to include ‘potato crisps’, rather than ‘chips’. Funnily enough, changing it to ‘crisps’ ultimately got the company into the same kind of trouble in the United Kingdom.
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The best part of growing up T
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.
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Gardening Corner
A special Christmas By Clodagh and Dick request for Clodagh and Handscombe Dick. Spain’s best known gardening A few weeks ago we authors who have lived and found that our website gardened in Spain for 25 years. name / domain had www.gardeninginspain.com been hijacked. We had to change our website name from gardeners green sweater or padded waistcoat could be www.gardeninginspain.com to www.gardenspain.com appreciated. Happy last minute and so have to rebuild the visibility and use of the site Christmas shopping! (c) Clodagh and Dick from scratch over the next Handscombe couple of years. www.gardenspain.com A great Xmas present to December 2012 us from EWN readers would be a simple internet search using the new name gardenspain.com. Many thanks for your help. Wearing out old shoes or walking boots is not really the best thing, so how about a pair of comfortable shoes or boots or a new pair of knee pads for all those kneeling jobs. Gardening gloves are welcome or a new pair of sharp easy to use pruners. In some households gardening is not a shared activity so a promise to help out next year 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.santana books.com have seasonal special offers of only €5 for ‘Apartment Gardening Mediterranean Style’. Every 10 years a new wheelbarrow might be an idea. Winter days are often sunny but they can be windy and cold, so a snug
PROPERTY
40 EWN
20 - 26 December 2012 Mallorca
www.euroweeklynews.com Advertising Feature
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ay2go was founded because there was a gap in the market between ‘cash in hand’ man with a van and large expensive removal companies. It quickly became apparent in these trying financial times that a more cost effective and flexible service could be offered to help people move from one country to another with the minimum amount of stress. Way2go now have four depots in Javea, Malaga airport, Swanley and Burton-on-Trent adding more value and convenience to our service and if these don’t suit, then we offer a delivery and collection service. We also offer one day’s free hire on all bookings, no charges for credit or debit card transactions and additional drivers are free of charge. We can also offer discounted rates when using Brittany Ferries between Spain and the UK where you can transport your pets for as little as €50 (£40). It is worth remembering when travelling self-drive, you don’t have to pay for expensive flights as with conventional removals. So, if you don’t fancy using a removal company to handle and deliver your personal belongings and want a more cost effective option, Way2go is perfect for you. Pack and load your own prized possessions, take full
FOR HIRE: Can’t be beaten on value or service. control of your schedules whilst taking in the beautiful scenery of Spain, France and of course, the UK. Rest assured that all Way2Go vehicles have commercial insurance with Lloyds of London which is essential for self-drive hire companies. Beware of alternative insurance being offered where the wrong insurance is as good as having no insurance! If self-drive hire isn’t your cup of tea, relax and let us take the responsibility for you. We will include all the overheads along with a full UK invoice offering you peace of mind and accountability for the service we are providing. Please remember that Way2Go never trans-ships your consignment onto third party subcontractors’ articulated lorries which has become common practice within the industry. The same helpful and professional driver loading your consignment will be
the same making the delivery at your destination. We feel that this old fashioned, tried and tested method is hard to find these days unless you pay large organisations huge sums of money. We are confident when quoting ‘apples for apples’ that Way2Go can’t be beaten on value or service. After only five years we are proud to announce the expansion of Way2Go Hire with two new depots and eight brand new vehicles. This now means half our fleet are left hand drive, where over the next year we will be working hard to open more depots
and only operating left hand drive vehicles. For all the above reasons, along with a great hardworking team, we find ourselves providing our customers with a most cost effective quality service for all your requirements which is reflected in our testimonials. Way2Go Hire would like to take this opportunity to thank all our clients, past and present. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
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POOL TABLES, Snooker Tables, Table Tennis Tables, Darts and Juke Boxes. Tel: 666 933 726 www.spainpool.com (203168) BLUE Renault Twingo 1.13p, first registered 1998, IB plates, 400 euro ono. Call 690 050 113 (201073)
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LEARN TO DRIVE IN MALLORCA. Scottish Driving Instructor now qualified to teach in Mallorca. Classes in English or Spanish. Obtain your Spanish licence easier or h ave r e f r e s h e r l e s s o n s a n d get behind that wheel. Interested! Call 648 133 929 (202628)
Florists WEDDING FLOWERS Bouquets, baskets, hair flowers. Table settings and all floral decorations. Call Liz 620 263 772 (97241)
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Property for Rent LLUCMAJOR: Small chalet with 2 bedrooms, shower room, lounge with fireplace and kitchenette. No electricity, water by tanker delivery, living area about 45m2. Plot 1,500m2. €370 / month. Inmobiliaria Llucmajor. Tel 971 662 402 LLUCMAJOR: 2 bedroom apartment of 65m2, 1 bathroom, lounge with American kitchen, community pool. €475 pm Inmobiliaria Llucmajor. Tel 971 662 402 (204788)
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Removal/Storage THE Man & Van Island wide removals & storage. Cheap Cheerful and most importantly LEGAL. Tel: 626 792 037 (201062) VAN MAN Island Wide Removals. At exceptionally good rates. 638 478 204 (201081)
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Rubbish Clearance DARRAMAR Excavation, demolition, overgrown gardens cleared, ponds and swimming pools, reforms prepared, tree felling & landscaping. 608 790 007 (204845)
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FOTO: OLIVER NEILSON
Spanish blog polls in second place WIGGINS: Reported to be house hunting on the island.
Wiggins is to adopt Mallorca AS 14.5 million Brits tuned in to watch Bradley Wiggins crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year expats in Mallorca were also celebrating the cyclist’s victory. Bradley has adopted the Balearic Island as his training destination of choice and is now rumoured to be househunting on the island. The 2012 Tour de France winner and seven-
E
time Olympic medallist accepted his trophy from the Duchess of Cambridge having won 30.25 per cent of the votes. Bradley’s favourite resort is Puerto Pollensa. Describing it as a “home from home” he was quoted whilst on holiday there in August as saying, “The weather’s usually great, it’s easy to get to, it’s relaxing any time of the year.”
XCEPT for the yen, which fell by -4 per cent against the euro in expectation of a change of government at this month’s Japanese general election, November was a fairly sleepy month for currencies. Having spent the first week of November on the defensive, the euro found new support and eventually managed to add a net cent and a half against the US dollar and the British pound. The Euroland economic data did the currency no favours. Just about every figure that was not negative was either lower on the month or below forecast. Retail sales fell in October and were down by -1.2 per cent on the same month last year. Purchasing managers’ index readings showed slowing activity across every business sector. Unemployment continued to rise, reaching 11.7 per cent in October. Consumer confidence deteriorated further falling to -26.9. But investors were appreciative of what looked like a new determination among EU political leaders to support Greece
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 all the entries for Spain. There were 54 entries in the Spanish division. 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.
AWARD WINNING: Vicki with her daughter Gigi, who is mentioned in her blogs. Anna Nicholas, who writes about her commute between Mallorca and London and who also writes for The Telegraph, pipped Vicki to the top spot.
Advertising Feature
November a sleepy month for currencies
commentary by Moneycorp Clarisse Musselwhite is Moneycorp’s Account Manger for Mallorca
She can be contacted on Tel: +34 902 887 243 Mobile: +34 687 932 472 Email:mallorca@moneycorp.com and to keep it in the single currency. Having previously been adamantly opposed to the idea of writing off any of Greece’s borrowings under the bailout agreement they appeared to change their tune under pressure from the International Monetary
902887243 mallorca@moneycorp.com
Vicki’s column can be found every week in the Mallorca edition of Euro Weekly News as well as our website www.euroweeklynews. com
Fund, a crucial member of the ‘Troika’ that financed the package. Greece will be allowed to repurchase, at a discount, a portion of its outstanding debt. It also looks as though the contributing EU states will write off some of the money owed to them by Athens. The IMF’s argument was similar to that of analysts watching the situation: It would be fatuous to bury Greece ever deeper in debt in the expectation of one day receiving full repayment. The new mindset of realism in Brussels and Berlin makes it much more likely that Greece will be able to maintain its membership of the single currency and it has improved investors’ attitude to the euro. Given the somnolent mood of the FX market during November, and with the festive season only a week or so away, it looks likely that December will be another quiet month. Nothing more is expected from the Troika between now and January and the end of the year is traditionally a quiet period in financial markets. It could well be that when investors return to their desks in the new year the exchange rates on their screens will look very similar to the ones they see there today.
MOTORING
20 - 26 December 2012
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PUBLIC AID: The Government has allocated car dealers a €75 million package for the Plan PIVE.
Car sales pushed by incentive Plan PIVE VEHICLE sales in Spain increased 8.4 per cent in November, including 48,155 new cars sold. This means 2,450 more than the initial estimates, according to a report by the BBVA bank’s market research department. The Plan PIVE – the report said helped balance the negative effect of growing car prices following the VAT increase from 18 to 21 per cent in September. Launched in October and finishing on March 31, 2013, the Plan PIVE is an incentive programme by the Spanish Government to boost car sales.
Especially addressed to individuals, not companies, those buying a new car - or a year old vehicle - will get a €2,000 discount. The car has to be either electric, hybrid, running by natural gas, or being rated grade A or B in energy efficiency; that is to say, most of the new cars, apart from perhaps high-speed sport models. The car’s price will not exceed €25,000, before taxes. In exchange, the buyer has to present a car at least 12 years old if privately
owned (M1 category), or 10 years old, if commercial (N1). Although the discount agreed is €2,000, the Government grant is actually €1,000 and is given to dealers, providing they give the other €1,000. The Plan PIVE cannot be combined with other discounts. As long as dealers are already offering higher discounts, it is then advisable for clients to firstly negotiate the price with the dealer and then ask for the €1,000 discount.
High performance and luxury in new BMW A THIRD body variant of the BMW M6 sports car has been presented. The BMW M6 Gran Coupe joins the existing Coupe and Convertible models in the line-up. Its retail price is €128,800 and the market launch will be in May 2013. The new member of the M6 family brings together customary performance characteristics
with extra helpings of luxury and aesthetic appeal. The highrevving V8 engine with Twin Power Turbo technology and 412 kW/560 hp propels the BMW M6 Gran Coupe from 0 to 100 Kph in 4.2 seconds. Average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle stands at 9.9 litres per 100 km (28.5
mpg imp) and CO2 emissions are 232 grams per kilometre. Power transfer is a seven-speed Double Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic. The elegantly sporty lines of the four-door Coupe are complemented by features such as the carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) roof.
ALL LOOKS: The visible carbon structure provides an eyecatching feature. The greater interior space allows two rear passengers to enjoy on-board comfort, and there is also a third rear seat for use on shorter journeys.
AGILE: The new Audi comes standard with high-gloss, 20inch, forged wheels.
Every day sports car THE new Audi RS 6 Avant is a high-performance sports car for everyday use. The sprint from 0 to 100 Kph takes 3.9 seconds, and top speed is 305 Kph. Audi reported the RS 6 Avant is lighter and more efficient than the previous
model, and performance is improved. Available to order early in 2013, the base price is €95,000. The RS-specific engine management and unthrottled intake system also contribute to the eightcylinder engine’s spontan-
eous response. The 4.0 TFSI develops 412 kW, but is content with an average fuel consumption of 9.8 litres per 100 km. A remarkable efficiency technology in the new model is the cylinder on demand (COD) system.
The front of the car is dominated by its large air intakes, standard Adaptive LED Headlights and a kidney grille designed especially for this model.
SPORT
48 EWN
20 - 26 December 2012 Mallorca
www.euroweeklynews.com 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 Totten-ham Hotspur and Coventry • 2011 winners Manchester City welcome Gianfranco Zola’s Watford to the Etihad Stadium • Liverpool, who last lifted the trophy in 2006, 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
Third round draw for FA Cup pulls out enticing ties 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.
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 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. 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 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 • 2,000 spectators witnessed the firstever 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
Gianfranco Zola’s team Watford to play at the Etihad. 1884 and 1885 finals to Blackburn Rovers • The 1975 all-London final between Fulham and West Ham featured 23 Englishmen and Jimmy Conroy of Ireland • 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
ASHLEY COLE: Holds the record for holding the most winner’s medals.
• Ashley Cole holds the record for most winner’s medals – seven – three with Arsenal, four with Chelsea. • 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 • Steve Bloomer, exDerby County and Middlesbrough, holds the record for most goals scored in FA Cup football, total 41; Ian Rush netted 39 • Billy Hampson, the oldest player ever to appear in an FA Cup final, was 41 years and 257 days old when he helped Newcastle beat Aston Villa 2-0 in 1924. • The longest-ever Cuptie took place in 1971; the clash between Alvechurch and Oxford City covered six games and 660 minutes. • The only team to win the FA Cup and gain promotion in the same season is WBA in 193031. • Didier Drogba (Chelsea) is the only player to have scored in four FA Cup finals.