Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 2 - 8 January 2014 Issue 1487 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

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ISSUE NO. 1487

2 - 8 JANUARY 2014

Facing a nightmare

EWN FRONT EXTRA

Family drug arrests FIVE members of a family have been arrested in Torre del Mar for reportedly selling drugs to minors on their way to high school.

Car crash FOUR people, three women and a man aged between 26 and 37, were taken to Motril’s Santa Ana Hospital after the two cars they were travelling in crashed on the N340 road in Salobreña.

Savings bid VELEZ-MALAGA Town Council has decided to leave the Association for the Tourist Promotion of the Axarquia (APTA) in a bid to save €16,000 a year.

Paraglider fall GUARDIA Civil rescued a paraglider, aged 26, who fell 25 metres on Velilla Beach in Almuñecar. The man, who had lost the feeling in his legs, was admitted to a Granada hospital.

New Year uncertainty for ‘illegal’ homes THE residents of an urbanisation in Alcaucin who came to Spain to live a dream are facing a nightmare. The town council, under instruction from the regional government, revoked the building licences of the 13 houses comprising Las Huertas urbanisation. Now the residents, most of them in their 60s and 70s, fear they will have the threat of demolition hanging over their heads during 2014. “We bought our properties in good faith with full building licences and planning consent, and now these have been taken away from us for reasons we

cannot fully comprehend,” said resident Kathryn Ann Williams. The building licence for the urbanisation was granted in 2002, with the houses being built over the following two years.

All the buying contracts were made before the end of May 2003, and yet the Spanish Statute of Limitations, which limits action within six years, does not apply to them.

“We do live here, pay our taxes here, spend our money here, invite our friends and family to holiday here, employ local people, and yet the government is doing nothing to help us,” Kathryn added. As reported in the Euro Weekly News, in December more than 100 residents of Alcaucin demonstrated against the demands of the regional government to revoke these licences (pictured). They were summoned by Save Our Homes in Axarquia (SOHA), an organisation set up in 2008 to fight for properties in a similar predicament.

So near and yet so far LUCK almost struck the town of Almuñecar again during the last Christmas lottery draw. The local Borriquita Brotherhood sold almost 1,500 tickets with the number 42246, only one number away from the winning 62246. Members of the brotherhood showed both their excitement and disappointment for being

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so close to the coveted first prize. On a more positive note, each ticket holder won a €120 prize. This means nearly €180,000 went to Almuñecar, making it the biggest ‘pedrea’ (minor Christmas lottery prize) ever in the Costa Tropical town. Only one month ago, an

Almuñecar resident scooped the €100 million top prize in the Euromillions draw. Now the members of the Borriquita Brotherhood have pinned all their hopes on the ‘El Niño’ lottery draw to be held next Monday, which traditionally marks the end of the Christmas season in Spain.

E W N 2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

NEWS

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THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1-8

Finance 11 - 16

Letters MYSTERY FIRE: Parts of La Caleta Beach and its access were affected.

Blaze strikes at La Caleta Beach HUMAN activity may be behind a mystery blaze which partially destroyed La Caleta Beach in Maro, Nerja, on Christmas Eve. A camping gas bottle was found at the scene, the location for the 1980s’ Spanish TV show ‘Verano Azul’. The fire burnt out an 8,000-square-metre reed

bed, two nearby greenhouses and 30 trees, mainly avocado and banana. The access path to the beach was also affected, especially a section where the wooden walkway and the poles holding the guide ropes were burnt. The path, however, remains passable.

The fire started in the early hours of the morning, and took four firefighting units from Velez-Malaga and Nerja six hours to put it out. Nerja Council will repair the damaged access and remove the burnt remains, for which it will ask for the co-operation of the General Coastal Department.

Leapy Lee 19

Daily TV 20

Time out 22 - 23

Classifieds 29 - 30

Sport 32

NEWS Man arrested A YOUNG man, aged 21, has been arrested in Motril for allegedly stealing from at least 15 cars. National Police recovered a GPS unit, sunglasses, mobile phones and six passbooks. Large haul GUARDIA CIVIL found 200 kilos of hashish hidden in two false compartments in a car coming from Al Hoceima (Morocco) during a preventive control at Motril Port.

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2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Power down on Xmas Day ROUGH weather caused power cuts in Torrox on Christmas Day. Forty litres of rain per square metre fell, and winds of more than 85 kilometres an hour recorded. Houses and businesses in El Morche, Los LLanos, as well as the historic centre were left without electricity. The first incidents were registered

in the early hours of Christmas Day, with the power not being completely restored until 10pm. Torrox and Competa recently suffered power cuts after strong winds damaged the power lines. Torrox Town Council is assessing the damage and studying the possibility of claiming compensation from energy

provider Endesa. Mayor Francisco Muñoz said the council will additionally ask Endesa to improve power lines in the area in order to avoid a similar situation in the future.

‘

watch

Sprucing up

WORK to refurbish the Avenida de Andalucia and the Plaza de la Libertad in Motril will start this month, the town council has announced.

Pilot project SALOBREÑA Town Council is carrying out a pilot project to produce compost using rubbish. Anyone interested in participating can take their organic waste to the market square on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Good result THE Frigiliana local petanque team came third in a competition organised by the provincial government.

Looking back AN exhibition about the Spanish Civil War and subsequent Franco dictatorship can be seen in Periana until January 8.

ews

A NEW artificial turf football stadium with room for 250 people is expected to open in Velez-Malaga next week.

Curtain up? VELEZ-MALAGA Town Council has bought the Lope de Vega theatre, closed since 1985, for €495,870. The provincial government will now spend €1.2 million on refurbishing the premises.

Beach cleaning NEARLY 20 tonnes of waste were removed from Almuñecar and La Herradura beaches by the local cleaning services after they were affected by heavy rain and strong winds.

Kick off

Big spend RINCON DE LA VICTORIA Town Council is to spend €12.4 million on public works next year.

Fishing protection THE Granada branch of the socialist party has made a plea to the regional government to protect the traditional fishing industry carried out in coastal towns like Motril.

EWN

Not paying THREE KINGS: The ‘Roscon de Reyes’ (below) represents the kings’ jewelled crowns.

Seeing New Year in, Spanish style...

OUNG and old throughout Spain will flock to see the Three Kings parade on Sunday evening. This is the highlight of festive celebrations in Spain as the Three Kings, Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar, better known as the Three Wise Men in UK Christian tradition, parade the streets on floats, accompanied by music, their pages and cartoon characters. The kings throw thousands of sweets to onlookers, with some youngsters even holding opened umbrellas to catch them as the floats pass. Spanish children believe that the kings deliver presents on January 5, leaving their shoes on window sills that night to be filled with gifts which they have asked for. Those who have not behaved might expect to find a sack of ‘coal’, represented by black, sugary sweets.

Quote of the Week 2014 will be the year of recovery’ Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, at a press conference to look back over the year. Socialist Secretary General Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba reproached him for saying this on the day the minimum wage was frozen and electricity prices rose.

On January 6, when the children receive their presents, many families enjoy the traditional ‘Roscon de Reyes,’ a ring-shaped cake, filled and covered with colourful candied fruit, representing the kings’ crowns and the jewels upon them. The Roscon traditionally has two items inside. One is a toy or trinket, which makes the finder ‘King for the Day’. He or she gets to wear the crown which is normally included with shopsold cakes of this variety. In some parts of Spain, money is also put in the Roscon. Meanwhile, the person who gets the other item, a bean, will be the one who pays for the Roscon the following year.

Number of the week

2.3

per cent is how much electricity prices will go up in the first three months of this year. The government pointed out that it was a ‘transitory mechanism’. Families will notice an average rise in their bills of around 0.2 per cent in January.

WORKERS from the Home Help service for impaired people in Motril have accused the town council of not paying November wages as well as the Christmas bonuses.

Eviction halted THE regional government has expropriated a house in Motril from Banesto bank to prevent a family from being evicted.

Helping hands A TOTAL of 26 food parcels and 52 Christmas presents were collected by the Golf International Nerja Society (GINS) to help the needy during the holiday season.

And finally... A WOMAN was arrested in Madrid for allegedly throwing her newborn baby out of the window of an apartment block. Her parents didn’t know she was pregnant and took her to hospital because she lost a lot of blood. Her grandmother found the baby alive.

E W N 2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Malaga East

Look back on 2013

RETROSPECTIVE

Elderly left ‘stranded’ as day centre closes

Y AR U JAN

Januar y 10 Issue 1436

BIG BLUE: Museo de Nerja is divided into 10 rooms, this one dedicated to the sea.

€5m flop museum ‘needs a solution’ THE €5-million Museo de Nerja museum received less than half the visits the managing board had hoped for since it opened in December 2011. Just 19,500 people visited the museum, when the Fundacion Cueva de Nerja company, which manages it and Nerja Caves, expected at least 40,000. “We are not happy with the results and what it is on display at the museum, but we are not replacing it all of a sudden,” Fundacion’s Angel Ruiz said.

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“The museum has just started. There is still a broad leeway for improvement,” Enrique Lopez, manager of Nerja centre’s shops’ association commented. One of the solutions considered by the board to boost visits is to start a ‘train’ service to bring tourists from Nerja Caves to the museum. The service, which would cover the four kilometres between the caves at Maro and the museum in Nerja centre, could be in up and running by Easter.

A DAY CENTRE has closed in Axarquia, leaving six elderly people with dependency needs without local assistance. The six claimed they received just two days’ notice of Riogordo Senior Citizens Day Centre closing. But local mayor Antonio Ales Montesinos denied they were given such short notice of the closure, with the town hall aware of the situation for longer. Not in contention is that the centre - open for five years and used by just six people, including some with Alzheimer’s Disease - had been running with huge losses. The co-operative which previously ran the centre recently ended the agreement, and it was

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40 7 Issue 14 Februar y

SHUT: The senior citizens centre had facilities for 30 but just six attendees.

then decided it was not economically viable. Mayor Montesinos said that the lack of people using the centre caused an annual deficit of €30,000. Part of the centre’s running costs was paid by the regional

government but Montesinos said the town hall could not take responsibility due to an unpaid €1-million debt and the need to spend €30,000 to maintain it with only six people making use of it. In total the centre had 30 public places.

Crime wave in the country MORE than 30 country houses have been burgled in and around Alcaucin. Home-owners in rural areas alerted the Guardia Civil to a wave of break-ins in the last three months. Most of the victims are nonresidents from European countries who have holiday homes which are left empty for long periods.

However, some of the homes were moment to break in. occupied and the thefts took place The burglars are not so selective when the owners had these days in what they take. Before gone out, leading the it was jewellery, TVs, police to suspect that computers and other the thieves had valuables, but now they been watching the take all they can. RCH A properties to No arrests have yet M choose the exact been made.

Passion Play RIOGORDO and Cajiz will enact the Passion of Christ on Friday and Saturday. This year, 550 inhabitants of Riogordo will play the parts of the principal characters in one of the most famous events of the Axarquia. Declared as a Fiesta of National and Andalucian Tourist Interest, this event is well known throughout Europe and is always well attended, with thousands of spectators sitting on the hillsides to watch as the story unfolds in 14 openair scenes representing

March 7 Issue 14 40

CRUCIFIXION: Portrayed by amateur actors. Jerusalem. The Paso de Riogordo attracts visitors from all over the world to see the life, passion and death of Christ, portrayed by

amateur actors. There will be 450 participants in the play in Cajiz in Velez-Malaga, based on texts from the 16th and 17th centuries.

OAPs rescued AN elderly couple had to be rescued from a house fire and taken to hospital. The blaze broke out at a house in the Torre Marina Urbanisation, Rincon de la Victoria. Neighbours called the emergency services to the two-storey house in the early hours. A man of 73 and a woman of 72 were rescued from the building and taken to Carlos Haya Hospital in Malaga suffering from smoke inhalation.

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RETROSPECTIVE

Nerja has a cliff path plan A SCENIC cliff path which has been officially closed for years could be reopened. The Paseo de los Carabineros cliff path that links Calahonda Beach to Burriana is to be surveyed by Nerja Council. It is one of the first steps towards the reopening of a section of the path. Once the study is complete, it will be incorporated into a plan and sent to the Coastal Department for approval. The footpath has been officially closed for many years because of dangerous rockfalls. The Coastal Department, has installed barriers and warning signs about the dangers.

Look back2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East on 2013

A LARGE tree came crashing to the ground on the site of two busy markets. No-one was hurt in the incident. The large ficus was uprooted by strong winds on the Blas Infante Esplanade in Almuñecar on Tuesday last week. Fortunately, it did not cause any damage to cars parked nearby. The fire department was called by the Local Police who started to cut up the tree to remove it. Councillor for the Environment Luis Aragon also attended the scene and due to the size of the tree’s trunk, requested the attendance of some tree-cutting specialists.

THE traditional festival of the May Crosses will be held from tomorrow (Friday) until Sunday, May 5, in Salobreña. The competition for the best decorated cross has attracted 13

May 2 Issue 1452

NERJA is becoming a popular setting for film and TV makers. Maro Beach was the latest location used, this time for a new Timotei shampoo commercial. A total of 15 people were involved in the production, with five marquees set up for the equipment, catering and other requirements. Nerja’s Councillor for Tourism Bernardo Pozuelo emphasised the importance of these types of productions for the town, which bring publicity at no cost to the council. Last year 12 different film and TV productions came to Nerja. One was a Bollywood film company which shot various scenes around the town, including filming a stretch limousine on the Balcon de April 4 Issue 1448 Europa.

RIL P A

TREE FALL: Strong winds uprooted a ficus in Almuñecar. He expressed relief that the tree had not fallen during a Friday or Sunday when thousands of people attend the weekly street markets. This is the second time a tree of this type and size

has fallen in the area. Aragon commented: “We are going to look at the rest of the trees to see if any preventative measures are necessary to prevent another incident.”

entries which are all vying for the prizes. Two more crosses not in the competition are also on show. There are three entries in the open-air category and the rest are in enclosed spaces, which include streets, plazas and open patios. They can be seen in the La Traviesa restaurant, the Casa de la Cultura and the bar, Sunem Playa. The two crosses not in the competition are at the senior citizens’ centres in La Caleta and Salobreña. The town hall has prepared a map, available from the tourist office and Casa de la Cultura, to indicate the locations of all the crosses.

COLOURFUL TRADITION: May Crosses.

Harley Davidson rally hits town ALMUÑECAR was taken over by Harley Davidson bikers at the weekend. Between 250 motor bikes and 200 riders participated in a rally of Andalucian clubs. Clubs, or chapters, from Andalucia, Melilla,

Strong winds fell TV ad filmed on the beach market site tree

A floral fiesta in Salobreña

Y MA

EWN

Alicante and even some from La Coruña who didn’t want to miss the event all came to Almuñecar, according to the secretary of the Granada Chapter, Carlos Lopez. Local Police, civil

protection and the town hall were all involved in making the event a success. The car park at the Bahia Hotel situated by El Pozuelo Beach was the official meeting place and headquarters.

The riders took their bikes through the streets in a procession wearing their best jackets, badges, flags and original helmets all from Harley Davidson, before having a group photo taken.

E W N 2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Malaga East

Look back on 2013

E JUN

June 6 Issue 14 57 NOISY BARS: Residents are now to receive compensation.

At last, bar noise payment agreed! COMPENSATION awarded to residents over noisy bars in El Copo will finally start to be paid after a five-year wait. Velez-Malaga Town Hall will pay out €2.7 million still owed in instalments over the next 15 years. Fernando Delgado Bonilla, Mayor of Velez-Malaga, explained that the money awarded to the 18 residents of the Ipanema area in Torre del Mar in 2008 will be paid starting this month. The residents had gone to court to demand compensation from the town hall

claiming the council had failed to control noise from bars and other establishments over a period of 13 years. The Andalucian Supreme Court of Justice has approved his proposal to pay €90,122, every six months, thus avoiding too much drain on the coffers of the council. This will mean an annual expense of €180,000. The compensation was awarded in the ‘Ipanema Case’ in July, 2008. Each resident was awarded €156,260, a total of €2.8 million, but because the amount has not been paid in full, interest was added.

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RETROSPECTIVE

End of the line for Velez-Malaga tram THE first modern tram of Andalucia in Velez-Malaga, paralysed for more than a year as a result of the debts it accumulated, has begun its trip to Sydney in Australia. The tram which had been parked in the fairground until agreement was reached has finally left for Santander and will arrive in Australia on Thursday. Several councillors from the opposition stood in front of the tram when it was

about to be towed away in protest. The opposition had demanded that the mayor, Francisco Delgado Bonilla, join them in the protest but National Police persuaded the councillors the best place for a protest was at the plenary session, where they could address the mayor directly. After the police had mediated, the councillors decided to withdraw. According to Delgado Bonilla, nobody in Velez was surprised at the decision to rent the tram units. The mayor stated he would try to find a way to reinstate the tram. where she discovered him with his mistress. She confronted the pair and a heated argument broke out between the three of them. This escalated into a physical fight during which the mistress attacked her lover’s girlfriend, the court July 4 Issue 1461 found.

Love triangle case A WOMAN from VelezMalaga has been sentenced to pay a €180 fine by Malaga Provincial Court after she was found guilty of assaulting her lover’s girlfriend. The events arose after the girlfriend became suspicious of her partner, believing him to be unfaithful. She tracked him down to a house

Y JUL

Ex-mayor on drink driving charge after hitting police bike FORMER Velez-Malaga Mayor Antonio Souviron has been charged for alleged drink-driving following an accident with a Guardia Civil traffic officer. Souviron was stopped after he illegally overtook a Guardia Civil traffic officer on the MA-20 road next to

ST U G AU

August 8 Issue 1466

the Plaza Mayor shopping centre. He then pulled over and, for reasons unknown, his car slowly started to move until it allegedly hit the Guardia Civil officer’s motorbike. The officer, who apparently suffered a minor injury to his back, called a support unit which carried out the breath test

on Souviron. The test revealed that the ex-mayor supposedly produced a 0.39ml level of alcohol per litre of air breathed out, when the maximum allowed is 0.25ml. It is expected that Souviron will soon appear before a court for a quick trial, according to sources.

OVER THE LIMIT: Former Velez-Malaga Mayor Antonio Souviron took a breath test after he allegedly had an accident with a Guardia Civil traffic officer.

Pub faces inquiry over sex services raffle A PUB in Salobreña has been reported for apparently attempting to raffle the sexual services of one of its waitresses. Residents of Salobreña lodged a complaint after

seeing a poster that supposedly advertised the raffle of a sexual relationship with a waitress during a party to be held at a local pub, sources at news agency Europa Press said.

Officers of the Guardia Civil contacted the pub managers, who decided to cancel the party to avoid any legal problems. But it may be too late for them as Salobreña Town

Council has decided to support the residents and join them in their complaint. A court in Salobreña is now in charge of the case and evaluating whether any offence was committed.

E W N 2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Malaga East Look

back

on 2013

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RETROSPECTIVE

Coastal controversy

RICHARD WHITE (FLICKR)

ER B EM T P SE

ER B O T OC

70 September 5 Issue 14

FLOODED: Streets in Almuñecar after the heavy rain.

‘Disaster area’ call after storms strike ALMUÑECAR Mayor Trinidad Herrera is to ask the national government to declare the town a ‘disaster area’ after it was hit by severe storms. The decision was made after almost 90 per cent of the sub-tropical fruit harvest in some areas was wiped out by hailstones and torrential rain. Herrera said the council will offer information about state aid and how to apply for it to those affected by floods

following the downpours that swept across the Axarquia last week. In Almuñecar floods and hail were reported. Two families had to be evacuated from their homes and crops were damaged. Around 90 per cent of the sub-tropical fruit production in the Rio Seco, Rio Verde and Rio Jate fields was lost, according to the Environmental Councillor Luis Aragon.

Handcuff warning TORROX COUNCIL has lodged a complaint against a Local Police officer after he threatened to arrest the mayor, Francisco Muñoz. Two other officers have been reported as well for an alleged attack on authority, using threats, coercion, perverting the

course of justice and influence peddling. The council claims the main accused lodged a spurious complaint against the mayor. In it, he claimed the mayor had made false allegations against public workers during a council meeting. The complaint

Local scoops €100m A MYSTERY Axarquia lottery player has scooped the €100 million top prize in the EuroMillions draw. The staggering jackpot, featured on last Friday’s EuroMillions Superdraw, was won by an Almuñecar resident, whose identity is yet unknown. The newly-made millionaire was the only player to match all five main numbers and two lucky stars, making them the sole winner of the coveted first prize. The winner’s stroke of luck has also had an effect on the lottery outlet on the Plaza de la Rosa with locals buying tickets there in the hope the luck will rub off on them.

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November 7 Issue 14 78

was signed by the other accused officers and sent to the Guardia Civil without following the correct procedures, according to the council. Days later, and after receiving a notification from the Local Police headquarters, the accused reportedly insulted and threatened both the mayor and Local Police Chief. According to the complaint lodged by the council, the officer threatened to arrest the mayor, handcuff him and walk him through the streets of the town for the people to see.

AT STAKE: The plan could affect coastal businesses. MOTRIL COUNCIL is looking for towns and business associations to join its fight against the Coastal Plan (Plan Litoral) drawn up by the regional government. Mayor Luisa Garcia announced that the council is preparing claims to prove the negative impact it would bring to businesses and economy. Garcia Chamorro, who described the plan as a ‘restraint’ to the town’s

development, urged the Junta to withdraw it as October 3 Issu e 1474 soon as possible. Initially planned to the plan raises doubts industrial, protect the coastline, the over Plan Litoral prevents agricultural and tourism houses from being built projects when the town 500 metres ashore from council is working to attract investors. Motril Port to Calahonda. According to the mayor, “This plan is putting paid to medium to long term the Coastal Plan recently growth,” Garcia said. passed by the national “Public administrations government is the path to should work together to follow towards creating new jobs, rather than the create jobs,” she added. Garcia pointed out that Junta’s stricter rules.

Leaving for love Mayor of Alfarnate IT is a farewell to Spain for Alfarnate’s mayor as he starts a new life in Panama with his pregnant girlfriend. Jose Maria Ruiz Lizana, the town’s Socialist mayor, resigned at a plenary session of the town council and is flying to Panama today (Thursday), where his girlfriend lives. “It hasn’t been an easy decision to make, but the desire to share a new life with the woman I love is more important than anything else,” he said. PANAMA-BOUND: Couple Lizana met his 483 are leaving for a new life. 1 e su Is 5 r be Panamanian partner on Decem a trip to Central In the meantime, Lizana was offered a America. position in the commercial sector in the He initially thought that the best country. solution would be for her to move to “Given the circumstances, we have Spain with him, and said that they had decided that I should leave for Panama both considered the possibility. with my two-year contract, and after However, she works in banking and that we could discuss coming back to financial services and it would be hard Spain,” continued the mayor. for her to find a similar job opportunity The couple are expecting their baby in in Spain. January.

ER B EM C DE

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

business & legal

SIXTY-FOUR per cent of Spaniards felt stressed by the expense of the Christmas holidays, compared with 69 per in 2012. They complained of insomnia, headaches, muscular pain and stomach aches.

NANISIMOVA / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Just 8 state-owned airports make money profitable airports were less so after paying amortisations or taxes. This was the case with Madrid-Barajas, which despite its €407.1m EBITDA, had an after-tax shortfall of €13.1m. Malaga and Alicante were also excluded from the money-makers after having met all their obligations, unlike Palma and El Prat, which both made a profit of almost €74m.

Is it too soon to declare victory? SPAIN could be declaring economic victory too soon. So believes Gilles Moec, Co-head of European Economics Research at Deutsche Bank. Gilles Moec has been studying Spain’s economy since 1993 and feels ‘moderately optimistic’ regarding its recovery, he recently told a Spanish national newspaper El Pais interviewer. There is certainly a flow of foreign money towards Spain, conceded Moec when asked if investors’ enthusiasm was justified. “But the message I try to transmit to my clients is that it was neither that bad before, nor is it that good now,” he explained.

“The private sector has carried out necessary adjustments. Spanish firms are now in a net lending position and that means they do not need to reduce employment to meet their financial commitments,” Moec said. In contrast, homework is pending for the public sector. Spain still had a high public debt with a deficit of 6.5 per cent of this year’s GDP, the economist pointed out. “My impression is that in 2014 the European Commission will give Spain some margin to adjust the deficit. But it will have to come up with some credible plans in the following years,” he warned.

usiness extra

Mini-job boost SPAIN’S government wants to increase parttime jobs. Only 14.6 per cent of Spanish employees work parttime, compared with 20.9 per cent in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries.

Home birds FIFTY-FOUR per cent of Spanish women worked outside the home in 2012. This was the fourth lowest after Italy (50.5 per cent), Croatia (50.2 per cent) and Greece (45.2 per cent).

Copper-bottomed industry ATLANTIC COPPER is the biggest copper foundry in Spain and Europe’s second most important. The Huelva company was taken over in 1993 by the US-owned Freeport-McMoRan, the world’s largest producer of gold, molybdenum and copper. At the time of the takeover, Atlantic Copper had a turnover of

around €211m. By 2012 this had multiplied almost tenfold to €1.98bn. The Huelva plant now produces twice as much copper, three times as much gold and three times the amount of sulphuric acid as it did in the past. It has ridden out the economic crisis, said CEO Javier Targhetta, thanks to the emerging markets.

STAT OF WEEK

Airport profits dwindle JUST eight of state-owned AENA’s 47 airports made after-tax profits in 2012. This falls far short of the predicted 18 on the grounds of their earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). The profit-makers were Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona-El Prat, Gran Canaria, Tenerife Sur, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Sevilla and Bilbao. Apparently

EWN

PALMA’S AIRPORT: One of few to make a profit.

E W N 2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 30

C O M PA N Y MMM 3M Co AXP American Express Co T AT&T Inc BA Boeing Co CAT Caterpillar Inc CVX Chevron Corp CSCO Cisco Systems Inc DD Dupont E I De Nemours & Co XOM Exxon Mobil Corp GE General Electric Co GS Goldman Sachs Group Inc HD Home Depot Inc INTC Intel Corp IBM International Business Machine... JNJ Johnson & Johnson JPM JPMorgan Chase and Co MCD McDonald's Corp MRK Merck & Co Inc MSFT Microsoft Corp NKE Nike Inc PFE Pfizer Inc PG Procter & Gamble Co KO The Coca-Cola Co TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies Corp UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc VZ Verizon Communications Inc V Visa Inc WMT Wal-Mart Stores Inc DIS Walt Disney Co

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 139.35 89.19 35.18 136.90 90.87 125.23 22.02 64.25 101.51 27.83 176.35 81.64 25.60 185.08 92.35 58.14 96.91 49.79 37.29 78.16 30.64 82.01 40.66 89.85 112.80 74.69 49.17 219.67 78.47 74.35

+1.06 +0.19 +0.02 -1.37 -0.28 +0.42 +0.22 0.00 +0.61 0.00 -0.10 +0.09 -0.10 -0.27 -0.19 -0.06 +0.07 +0.07 -0.15 -0.03 +0.09 +0.25 +0.17 -0.16 +0.11 -0.16 -0.01 -0.53 +0.08 -0.27

+0.77% +0.21% +0.06% -0.99% -0.31% +0.34% +1.01% 0.00% +0.60% 0.00% -0.06% +0.11% -0.39% -0.15% -0.21% -0.10% +0.07% +0.14% -0.40% -0.04% +0.29% +0.31% +0.42% -0.18% +0.10% -0.21% -0.02% -0.24% +0.10% -0.36%

1.9M 1.8M 14.1M 2.2M 3.4M 3.5M 24.1M 2.0M 10.2M 19.0M 1.7M 4.0M 13.0M 3.4M 3.5M 8.9M 2.0M 4.2M 14.6M 2.3M 12.0M 4.0M 6.8M 758.2K 1.6M 2.9M 5.4M 1.3M 3.1M 3.8M

C O M PA N Y

2.00 0.40 0.00 14.00 -1.00 1.00 2.02

0.24 0.11 0.00 0.94 -0.10 0.04 0.58

NET VOLUME 114.98 229.53 10.04 31.44 27.37 10.29 178.50

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

VisionChina Media, Inc. $ 31.20 Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. $ 10.34 ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 19.89 Amyris, Inc. $ 5.23 Integrated Electrical Services, Inc. $ 5.44 O2Micro International Limited $ 2.99 Sky-mobi Limited $ 3.62 Solazyme, Inc. $ 10.61 Supertel Hospitality, Inc. $ 15.25 UBIC, Inc. $ 5.21 Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation $ 72.14

6.90 28.40% 2.13 25.94% 2.77 16.18% 0.72 15.96% 0.47 9.46% 0.24 8.73% 0.28 8.38% 0.78 7.93% 0.96 6.72% 0.30 6.11% 3.86 5.65%

Most Advanced

Most Declined Willdan Group, Inc. $ 4.91 RetailMeNot, Inc. $ 28.51 Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. $ 20.93 China Recycling Energy Corporation $ 3.57 Ambit Biosciences Corporation $ 9.51 Progenics Pharmaceuticals Inc. $ 5.36 Supertel Hospitality, Inc. $ 2.35 Camtek Ltd. $ 3.93 Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 6.55 United Community Bancorp $ 10.731 Global-Tech Advanced Innovations Inc. $ 6.16

0.42 1.99 1.44 0.24 0.60 0.33 0.14 0.23 0.38 0.619 0.3535

7.88% 6.52% 6.44% 6.30% 5.93% 5.80% 5.62% 5.53% 5.48% 5.45% 5.43%

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Coca-Cola HBC AG 1758.50 6.00 Compass Group PLC 961.25 2.00 CRH PLC 1544.00 1.00 Diageo PLC 1995.50 3.50 easyJet PLC 1533.00 -2.72 Experian PLC 1128.50 9.00 Fresnillo PLC 749.75 14.19 G4S PLC 261.90 2.00 GKN PLC 375.00 0.35 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1602.25 -1.85 Glencore Xstrata PLC 320.62 5.00 Hammerson PLC 501.75 2.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1358.50 9.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 659.95 -2.40 IMI PLC 1540.50 9.00 Imperial Tobacco Group 2335.50 -7.00 InterContinental Hotels . 2033.50 6.00 International Cnsldtd ... 401.05 -1.20 Intertek Group PLC 3117.00 6.00 ITV PLC 194.10 0.90 Johnson Matthey PLC 3260.00 14.00 Kingfisher PLC 387.00 1.90 Land Securities Group 956.50 1.50 Legal & General Group 223.20 0.10 Lloyds Banking Group 79.03 0.21 London Stock Exchange 1718.50 -3.00 Marks & Spencer Group 449.35 -0.70 Meggitt PLC 531.00 1.50 Melrose Industries PLC 301.30 1.50 Mondi PLC 1036.50 11.00 National Grid PLC 795.50 4.68 Next PLC 5457.50 -14.28 Old Mutual PLC 192.10 0.70 Pearson PLC 1348.50 4.00 Persimmon PLC 1228.00 9.00 Petrofac Ltd 1211.00 8.28 Prudential PLC 1347.00 6.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 3842.00 29.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 4815.50 26.00 Reed Elsevier PLC 896.50 1.00 Resolution Ltd 350.10 0.80 REXAM PLC 524.00 1.50 Rio Tinto PLC 3411.00 32.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings 1275.00 5.00 Royal Bank of Scotland 341.15 1.10 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2268.75 -5.50 Royal Mail PLC 579.75 -0.39 RSA Insurance Group PLC 92.45 0.25 SABMiller PLC 3091.75 12.50 Sage Group (The) PLC 407.55 1.60 Sainsbury (J) PLC 379.10 0.60 Schroders PLC 2586.00 3.00 Severn Trent PLC 1716.50 7.00 Shire PLC 2849.00 -4.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 867.25 1.50 Smiths Group PLC 1492.50 0.72 Sports Direct Intrntional... 729.25 1.00 SSE PLC 1380.00 6.28 Standard Chartered PLC 1355.50 -4.50 Standard Life PLC 359.20 1.80 Tate & Lyle PLC 814.75 1.50 Tesco PLC 340.43 0.39 Travis Perkins PLC 1838.00 4.61 TUI Travel PLC 409.30 0.20 Tullow Oil PLC 854.00 4.20 Unilever PLC 2481.00 7.00 United Utilities Group 675.50 6.00 Vodafone Group PLC 239.18 1.25 Weir Group PLC 2161.00 18.00 Whitbread PLC 3740.00 8.00 William Hill PLC 396.35 0.94 Wm Morrison Sprmrkts 267.95 0.30 Wolseley PLC 3430.00 19.00 WPP PLC 1383.00 0.64

% C H G. 0.34 0.21 0.06 0.18 -0.18 0.80 1.93 0.77 0.09 -0.12 1.58 0.40 0.67 -0.36 0.59 -0.30 0.30 -0.30 0.19 0.47 0.43 0.49 0.16 0.04 0.27 -0.17 -0.16 0.28 0.50 1.07 0.59 -0.26 0.37 0.30 0.74 0.69 0.45 0.76 0.54 0.11 0.23 0.29 0.95 0.39 0.32 -0.24 -0.07 0.27 0.41 0.39 0.16 0.12 0.41 -0.14 0.17 0.05 0.14 0.46 -0.33 0.50 0.18 0.11 0.25 0.05 0.49 0.28 0.90 0.53 0.84 0.21 0.24 0.11 0.56 0.05

VOLUME 4.12 60.27 51.63 43.63 30.17 48.69 44.95 126.20 133.50 69.46 1,228.00 4.36 26.83 1,135.66 11.41 58.58 10.04 242.27 4.72 272.80 4.69 106.80 22.00 156.85 3,458.82 9.22 85.19 13.49 23.35 69.27 171.06 12.50 120.40 6.66 23.64 47.78 47.99 28.48 15.50 54.23 77.64 33.88 204.81 54.19 438.79 83.77 33.96 452.47 63.94 39.93 213.47 1.09 14.74 31.46 18.55 20.46 12.41 55.33 295.35 66.56 21.08 250.31 20.05 34.23 34.87 75.25 139.15 1,829.39 14.30 17.28 93.72 113.03 7.38 58.36

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

EWN

NITO

MORE foreign tourists than ever holidayed in Spain last year. Their numbers increased by 5 per cent to 57.6 million between January and November 2013, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism announced. This already overtook 2012’s total without including last December’s figures. Continuing unrest in the Middle East worked in Spain’s favour, with many preferring the safety of the Canary Islands. This was especially noticeable last November when the islands received 17.9 per cent more foreign tourists than in November 2012. All visitors, including the comparatively new Russian market and the traditional Northern European

/ SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Sun and sand tempt foreign A sad farewell tourists to Spanish beaches

TEMPTED: Beaches attracted foreigners. markets, were attracted by Spain’s sun and sand offer. Reductions in accommodation prices to offset the fall in Spanish visitors were a further draw.

The fastest-growing tourist markets were comparatively new Russia as well as the perennial Northern European countries but UK visitors were still the most numerous.

Staying on at work rather than retiring EARLY retirements in Spain fell by 40 per cent to fewer than 120,000 last year.

This enabled the central government to make savings in the region of €870 million.

EURO WEEKLY NEWS finance columnist Jim Collins has died. Many readers will remember his well-thought out and readable column that appeared weekly until early in 2013 when he returned to England for hospital treatment. His articles were always thought provoking and often controversial. Away from the world of finance he was well known in the Torrevieja (Costa Blanca) area, especially for his role in the Torrevieja Barbershop Harmonisers. In a statement the singers said: “We mourn the loss of one of our longest standing members. “He had been a member of the chorus for some 18 years and was one of the most committed members we had. “He was the bass section leader devoting his time to improving the quality of the section’s singing - his enthusiasm was an inspiration to us all.” Jim died peacefully in his sleep in hospital in England at the age of 83.

PIVE could be a possibility for 2014 THE PIVE plan could continue during 2014, the government has hinted. Car sales would rise 7.5 per cent if the €2,000 grants are retained for writing-off old cars and buying energy-efficient vehicles.

E W N 2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Why 1960s babies losing the love RG-VC / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

OK, so you may have had Beatle mania, long hair, flower-power images and flared jeans, but a new fiscal report from the UK concludes that many people born in the 1960s and 1970s will be poorer overall than their parents, ending the post-war trend for each generation being richer than the last. A lack of a pay rise, insufficient pension savings, falling home ownership and no saving means that many may need to rely on inheritance from their parents to see them comfortably through the remainder of their lives. According to a report from the UK, those born in the 1960s and 70s have taken a serious hit over the past decade, as the average income has not risen significantly. Since 2002 incomes have only grown by 0.1 per cent, while the parents of 60s and 70s children enjoyed decent income growth throughout their 30s, 40s and 50s.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Foreign owners HONG KONG-based Shuanghui and Mexico’s Sigma reached agreement to take over Spain’s Campofrio Food Group. They will pay €6.9 per share, giving the Spanish company a value of €705 million.

Big buy

WORSE OFF: Flower power children losing out. It appears that those born in the 60s and 70s also suffer from an inability to save, preferring to spend money rather than put it away. In comparison, the consumer habits of the parents of these spendthrifts was quite the contrary - 60s’ and 70s’ mums and dads were more inclined to save money than splash the cash as young adults. A gleaming goal on the horizon for many young adults in

the 60s and 70s was to get on the property ladder and that was exactly what they did. Statistics show that 80 per cent of people at that time were homeowners by the age of 50. In contrast, while the report reveals that those born in the 60s have managed somewhat better to acquire a home, unfortunately for those born in the 70s, falling incomes, saving less and the boom in property

prices in the 1990s and up to the mid-2000s, has made it very difficult to buy a home. That’s not to say that all is lost in the world and you had better hope that an inheritance will see you through! No, it’s just a reminder of how important it is in this day and age to make correct financial decisions in order to make the most of your money and future.

AMANCIO ORTEGA, Inditex owner and founder of Zara, bought Devonshire House in London’s Mayfair. He acquired the office block from the estate of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc for €480 million.

Even-handed EIGHTY per cent of the Eroski cooperative’s 8,500 members backed the board’s proposal to assume 30 per cent of the group’s losses. This was coherent with past profitsharing, Eroski sources said.

Gas tapped

What goes up sometimes comes down ONE basic service in crisisweary Spain now costs less. Mobile telephone bills fell by 22 per cent in the period between the third quarter of 2012 and the third quarter of 2013.

This was the steepest year-on-year reduction in recent years, overtaking 2012’s 18 per cent reduction and the 9.6 per cent fall recorded in 2011, said Spain’s National Markets and Competition

Lower tax on way AN overhaul of the Spanish tax system is on the way with low earners set to be the winners and big business the losers. Treasury Minister Cristobal Montoro said in an interview with Spanish newspaper Expansion that income tax will be gradually lowered, with low earners getting the biggest cuts before higher income brackets between 2015 and 2017. The government will hope to pay for the reform by boosting corporate tax takes, which at the moment are around 8 per cent of company profits - one of the lowest rates in Europe. But no details have been finalised yet, and there is no indication of by how much income tax may be cut.

Commission (CNMC). Mobile companies’ tariffs based on average earnings per minute have fallen by half since 2005. In contrast Iberdrola, Endesa and Gas Natural Fenosa, which account for 90 per cent of the domestic power market, have increased their bills by 70 per cent since then. Competition amongst telecommunications companies and their pitched battles in the war to poach each others’ business have benefited clients. This has improved Spain’s EU rankings, as only two years ago the country’s mobile-to-mobile calls were amongst the most expensive in Europe. The three companies that originally dominated

REPSOL started production at Bolivia’s Margarita 6 field. This is the most productive in the country and the subAndean basin, producing 6 million cubic metres of gas each day.

Time out

GOOD NEWS: Mobile charges fall.

the mobile market - Telefonica, Vodafone and Orange - no longer have it in their clutches following the ascent of Yoigo as the country’s fourth-largest operator. Yoigo changed the mobile landscape and so did the Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO in English and OMV in

Spanish). These do not own networks but instead buy bulk access at wholesale rates which they then resell. Movistar, which once had 46.6 per cent of the market, now has 33.6 per cent; Vodafone has lost 6 per cent of its share while Yoigo and the MVNOs have 18.6 per cent more.

THERE were 1,141 strikes between January and November 2013, involving 553,836 workers. The 14 million lost working hours were 63 per cent fewer than during the same period in 2012.

Metro lay-offs A TOTAL of 587 Madrid Metro employees accepted a voluntary redundancy offer of 20 days’ pay for every year worked. Those aged between 58 and 63 will receive more.

OPINION & COMMENT

Voters get what they deserve! I REFER to the letter from Bob Mitchell calling for a democratic Marxist state (Letters, Issue 1483) and the reply from Paul Whitfield last week in which he refers to the ever-increasing disparity between the rich and the poor. He then asks why can we not have a government with integrity acting in the best interests of the majority since this is what democracy should be all about. However, he then asks why can we not have the kind of government we deserve. I would remind him that in a democracy with one man one vote, you always get the government that you deserve, whether you like it or not! The Gil party that ran Marbella Town Hall between 1991 and 2005 is a very good example of this polarisation of public opinion. Peter Sanderson, Estepona (Malaga) Editor’s note: Many members of the Gil party that ran Marbella under Mayor Jesus Gil have been convicted of criminal offences related to their terms in office.

Open your eyes I WOULD like to suggest a New Year’s resolution for many expats living in Spain. Over the years, the Euro Weekly News has printed many letters about the importance of learning the language, and I totally agree. However, this is hard for some people, often through no fault of their own. What is also important and does not require great knowledge of the language, is getting to know places and going further than the shops, the post office, the bars and the beach. I know dozens of people who have lived here for years and have seen nothing of the country. Wherever you live in Spain, you will find that within just a few hours’ drive, there is a

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Letters YOURSAY@EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Letters for Your Say should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com, posted to Euro Weekly News, C/Moscatel 10, P-62, Polígono Industrial, Arroyo de la Miel, 29631 Benalmadena, Málaga, Spain or faxed to 0034 952 440 887

Photographs for possible publication should be sent by email with a full caption to: photonews@euroweeklynews.com

This spider was fished out of the bottom of our swimming pool by a young boy who was staying with us. The fact that it had sunk indicates that it had been in water for quite some time. About an hour later despite appearing to be truly dead, surprise surprise it revived and set off across the table! Can anyone identify it?

Point missed WITH regard to the letter from Ken Bethell ‘Where is the loss?’ (Issue 1485). Mr Bethell misses the point completely when he states that buying fake goods, purportedly supposed to be designer brands, doesn’t hurt big companies like Gucci, Prada, et al. While obviously it does hurt these companies, the greater loss is to local traders who pay taxes, rents, lighting, staff, etc, while the purloiners of fake goods pay nothing.

our lack of commitment. Looking for good value places is legitimate, but there are more important things in this life than just saving some euros. Maybe if we had made a little effort and helped our local bars, many of them would have not closed because of the financial crisis. Pedro Rodriguez, Benalmadena (Malaga)

Party politics

By Sonia Longman (By email)

world completely different to what you have become accustomed to. Spain is full of both natural and manmade monuments from all eras, natural parks, mountains, reservoirs and much more; some are well-known, others less so, but all worth a visit. So even if you can only spare one day a month to do so, get in your car, on public transport or with an organised tour, and get out there! Joan Bainbridge (By email)

EWN

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

www.euroweeklynews.com

Does he not read the press or watch television news? Where does he think these goods come from? Much of the merchandise peddled by the fake goods sellers is funded by mafias who use the profits for illegal enterprises. How many people who buy from these illegal sellers realise that they are contributing to illegal activities? The loss, while probably minimal to the giant conglomerates, is felt much more by the legal traders in all towns and cities and it is from protests by these traders that the authorities have clamped down on the illegal sellers of

fake goods. And rightly so. R G Waugh, Fuengirola (Malaga)

Support your own A COUPLE of days ago, I went for a walk to Los Boliches, in Fuengirola, after literally years without visiting the neighbourhood. To my surprise, I found most of the restaurants and bars I used to go to some 20 years ago were closed. Well, not all of them. Oddly enough, I noticed that some of the places that are still open are managed by British people. I’ve always criticised the fact that most visitors and foreign residents go to these places, but now I see why they do so. Having the support of the local community is crucial to keeping your business open, and what these expatriates have been doing for so long was just supporting their people. I think we, Spanish people, could learn from that. Too many Spanish restaurants and pubs have closed simply because of

WITH news that another censure motion is trying to be pushed through by the PP party in Orihuela, it really does make you wonder why you bother voting. The PP lost the last election and the right to rule with it, in a fair and democratic vote, so what makes them think they can just jump into bed with various other political parties; the very same parties they were fighting against when they were in power, in a bid to get back in charge? The voting public do not want them in power otherwise they’d have voted for them. It makes a mockery of the election system and of Orihuela’s politics when the only ones to suffer are residents. A S Williams, Orihuela Costa (Alicante)

Big thanks I WOULD like to say thank you for my wonderful experience of the Spanish healthcare system. As a foreign resident of 75 years, I have recently had two stents fitted in my heart. This was after a road accident when a medical examination revealed a defect. This was followed by a consultation at Foietes, an MRI at Benidorm Clinic, and an operation at St Juan, all within seven weeks. Now I have a new lease of life. Viva España! I am sure that in the UK I would have been put on the scrapheap. Tony Nicholls, Benidorm (Alicante)

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.

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

A perfect gift to bring in the New Year LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT

ELL, that’s it for another year. Just when I thought Santa had forgotten me (again) my lovely daughter Charlene presented me with the greatest gift you can have, the two week premature birth of my beautiful grandson Julian. Heaven knows what kind of a world this brand new little manifestation will have to contend with, but rest assured he will be strengthened by the love of many. Welcome my little one and a very happy new life to you. I think this year the TV programmers finally managed to top all previous festive programming by turning out the biggest load of garbage ever. White Christmas. At least three times. South Pacific. Twice. The Wizard of Oz. The Dirty Dozen. Hogan’s Heroes. The Great

EARLY ARRIVAL: Leapy’s new grandson. Escape. Ben Hur. Spartacus. They were all in there. I see Lawrence of Arabia managed to elbow its way in this year, but only because dear old Peter O’Toole kicked the bucket. What I did enjoy, however, was the revival of such wonderful comedies as Steptoe and Son and Dad’s Army. Wonderful comedy offerings and not an ‘F’ word, or indeed anything stronger than a ‘bloody’ in sight. How must these so-called comics of today feel when they

compare their pathetic offerings to these marvellous classics of old. How would anyone feel when they realise that the only way they can get a laugh is to use the ‘F’ word, or now, in an even new low, the ‘C’ word. You’re all an arrogant bunch of untalented, extremely lucky, inadequates and shame on the BBC, as usual, the main culprit for giving airspace to this bunch of ‘plonkers’. The Comic Relief BBC hypocrisy has also done a U-turn and decided to drop its

investments in arms and tobacco. ’Course they would still be continuing arrogantly on had they not been caught out. I don’t know why we put up with this insufferable bunch of traitorous lefties. I’d sack the lot of ’em and start again from scratch. And that’s about it. Apart from the crucifixion of Nigella, but I think there’s been enough writer’s cramp connected to that particular subject! I’m still having to endure all this darn sunshine on the Canary Islands! Ah, well, someone has to do it! I wish you all a prosperous happy and healthy and as PCfree a New Year as possible. Many thanks for all your wonderful correspondence and comments. I know I can’t reply to them all, but I assure you every one is read and noted. Keep ’em coming. Stay positive. Spring is just around the corner. So, whatever ya do, always keep the faith. Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

EWN

LEAPY LETTERS

Not literate LEAPY Lee says it. Others think it. Really? Over the past seven years, I have read at least a dozen of his contributions and have found nothing he has written that has not been been discussed intelligently somewhere in the media. The difference is that the general media will have presented their arguments in a more mature, literate manner than the ranting and raving of ‘yer Leapy’. David R Worboys, Nerja (Malaga)

Keep ranting RANT away, Leapy. Someone who tells it as he sees it is a rare commodity in the media these days. Don’t let anyone ever stop you. Happy New Year! Andrew Steele, Palma (Mallorca)

E W N 2 - 8 January 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Thursday

Friday

SATELLITE CHANNELS - SkyMoviesChristmas/

BBC1/

4:25pm Escape to the Country 5:10pm Flog It! 6:10pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Dolphins: Spy in the Pod 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News

4:15pm Escape to the Country 5:15pm Flog It! 6:10pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Miranda 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show

BBC2/

5:05pm The Queen's Palaces 6:05pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Glasgow Big Night Out 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Top Gear 10:00pm PQ 17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster 11:00pm Rab C. Nesbitt 11:45pm John Sergeant Meets Rab C Nesbitt

5:05pm The Queen's Palaces 6:05pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Coast 8:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 9:00pm Kangaroo Dundee 9:30pm University Challenge 10:00pm James May's Toy Stories

ITV/ 4:00pm Secrets From the Workhouse 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Birds of a Feather 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The Americans

ITV/ 4:00pm Secrets From the Workhouse 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm The Martin Lewis Money Show 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Piers Morgan's Life Stories 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The Americans

CH4/

5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Restoration Man 10:00pm My Big Fat Gypsy Holiday 11:00pm Secrets of the Scammers 11:55pm Aliens

5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Celebrity Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm Rude Tube

ITV2/ 4:00pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:00pm You've Been Framed Rides Again! 6:00pm Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Tricked 11:00pm Fake Reaction

ITV2/ 4:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:10pm You've Been Framed! 5:45pm Junior 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm GoldenEye 12:40am Two and a Half Men 1:10am Two and a Half Men

1:10pm Sunday •Keira Knightley •Matthew Macfadyen •Aaron TaylorJohnson •Jude Law

Saturday

Anna Karenina (Film, 2012) St Petersburg beauty Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley) is married to government official Alexei Karenin (Jude Law), but despite their enviable standing in late-19th century society, she feels no passion for her stuffy, older husband. When Anna travels to Moscow to persuade the wife (Kelly Macdonald) of her cheating brother (Matthew Macfadyen) to forgive him, she catches the eye of dashing young Count Alexei Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

Sunday

Monday

BBC1/

5:30pm Final Score 6:10pm Frozen Planet 7:10pm BBC News 7:20pm BBC London News 7:30pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:00pm Pointless 8:50pm The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins 9:40pm Casualty 10:30pm Catherine Tate's Nan 11:05pm BBC News 11:25pm Little Fockers

4:15pm That Puppet Game Show 5:00pm Songs of Praise 5:35pm Dolphins: Spy in the Pod 6:35pm BBC News 6:50pm BBC London News 7:00pm Countryfile 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm Antiques Roadshow 9:30pm Sherlock 11:00pm BBC News

6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm A Question of Sport 10:00pm The 7.39 11:00pm BBC News at Ten

BBC2/

5:10pm Coast 5:30pm Darts 6:30pm James May's Toy Stories 7:30pm Flog It! 8:30pm Dad's Army 9:00pm Morecambe and Wise in Pieces 10:00pm Dave Allen: God's Own Comedian 11:00pm Dave Allen: the Immaculate Selection

ITV/ 4:45pm You've Been Framed! 5:15pm ITV News London 5:30pm ITV News and Weather 5:45pm F.A. Cup Live 8:20pm Splash! 9:50pm Take Me Out 10:50pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:50pm ITV News and Weather

CH4/ 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 5:30pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:35pm Come Dine with Me 7:05pm Come Dine with Me 7:35pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Speed with Guy Martin 9:00pm Secrets of the Terracotta Warriors - Secret History 10:00pm Robin Hood

ITV2/ 4:20pm Junior 6:30pm Beethoven's 2nd 8:15pm Mr Bean's Holiday 10:00pm The 40 Year Old Virgin

TV LISTING

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6:00pm Ski Sunday 6:45pm Catch Me If You Can 9:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 10:00pm Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow 11:00pm Charlie Brooker's 2013 Wipe

ITV/ 4:15pm Splash! 5:45pm Celebrity Chase 6:45pm ITV News London 7:00pm ITV News and Weather 7:15pm Dancing on Ice 8:45pm All Star Family Fortunes 9:30pm Dancing on Ice 10:00pm All New It'll be Alright on the Night 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm Birds of a Feather

CH4/ 4:00pm The Simpsons 4:30pm Edward Scissorhands 6:35pm Channel 4 News 7:05pm Deal or No Deal 8:00pm Shipping Wars 9:00pm Speed with Guy Martin 10:00pm Bad Teacher 11:50pm Rude Tube

ITV2/ 7:05pm Evan Almighty 9:00pm You've Been Framed! 10:00pm The Magaluf Weekender 11:00pm I Am Britney Jean: Britney Spears' Road to Las Vegas

BBC2/ 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Great British Garden Revival 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Sacred Wonders of Britain 10:30pm PQ 17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Bletchley Circle 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather

CH4/ 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Food Unwrapped Diet Special 10:00pm Benefits Street 11:00pm Secrets of the Living Dolls

ITV2/ 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Tuesday

Wednesday

BBC1/

4:00pm Perfection 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm The 7.39 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Secrets of the Body Clock with Terry Wogan

4:00pm Perfection 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointlessmore) 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Waterloo Road 10:30pm Live at the Apollo 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm A Question of Sport

BBC2/ 5:15pm The Great British Winter 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Great British Garden Revival 9:00pm Stargazing Live 10:00pm Stargazing Live 10:30pm The Truth About Immigration 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm River Monsters 9:00pm Weight Loss Ward 10:00pm The Lying Game: Crimes That Fooled Britain 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Keane and Vieira: The Best of Enemies

CH4/ 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Location, Location, Location 10:00pm The Taste 11:00pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA

ITV2/ 4:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:10pm The Real Housewives of Orange County 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm GoldenEye

ITV/ 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The Jonathan Ross Show

CH4/ 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Restoration Man 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm Benefits Street

E W N 2 - 8 January 2014/ Axarquía - Málaga East

CROSSWORDS

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Time Out EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREAK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

Axarquía weather

NEW ON DVD

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

for next 7 days

The Way, Way Back FOURTEEN-year-old Duncan spends his summer vacation with his mother, Pam, her overbearing boyfriend, Trent, and his daughter, Steph. Having a rough time fitting in, the introverted Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen, the gregarious manager of the Water Wizz Water Park. Through his friendship with Owen, Duncan opens up and begins to find his place in the world.

TODAY

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA MALAGA R DE LA VICTORIA

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA

Starring Liam James, Steve Carell, Toni Collette and Allison Janney. Directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Runtime 103 minutes. Rated 12.

NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA

TOMORROW MALAGA

R DE LA VICTORIA

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Rarely has your mind been as sharp as it is at the moment. There have been some awkward and downright bad periods in the recent past, but this week everything falls into place.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Pat yourself on the back for all of your efforts of recent weeks. Looking back just a few months, would you have thought so much progress could be made?

10-Star Quiz The names of which products complete these famous advertising slogans? 1. Have a break. Have a -- --2. A ---- a day helps you work, rest and play 3. Lipsmackin’ thirstquenchin’ acetastin’ motivatin’ goodbuzzin’ cooltalkin’ highwalkin’ fastlivin’ evergivin’ coolfizzin’ ----4. You can be sure of ----5. The car in front is a ----6. You’re never alone with a -----7. Don’t just book it, --------- it 8. Hello tosh, got a -------? 9. Eveninks and morninks I drink -------10. What we want is -----

Alexandra Jimenez, born January 4, 1980. Jimenez is a Spanish actress who gained fame with her portrayal of Africa Sanz on Spanish soap opera Los Serrano. As a young girl she started studying ballet, and became a professional dancer aged 15. An injury took her away from the dancing stages, and she started pursuing her career as an actress.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Consider what is the most important thing to you at the moment? Is it wealth or social position? Your work, or how it may be possible to afford that new conservatory are minor considerations compared with your greatest asset which is your health.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) When we have long-standing friendships, these are often taken for granted and yet often we could make so much more of them. How long is it since you had a really deep conversation with your closest friends?

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) As the saying goes, ʻno one ever said it would be easyʼ. In the past few months you have found this to be true. Hard work is not alien to you, but there is a point where you want to shout ʻenoughʼ. LIBRA (September 24 October 23) As a home-loving Libran, you are torn between making changes to your surroundings and getting some cash in on the business side. Apparently, it is not possible to do both because energy levels fluctuate.

Sudoku 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.

SCORPIO (October 24 November 22) There is so much in you that is determined and looking forward to a fresh start, but something that you are trying to get rid of, or give up, may be giving you more trouble than anticipated.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 December 21) Is playing the waiting game really to your advantage? Your Sagittarian character naturally leads you to be optimistic, and why not?

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday December 28

Friday December 27

17 24

23 35

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

Almeria

SHOWERS MAX 16C, MIN 10C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

6 22

LUCKY STARS 5

Saturday December 28

13 28

LA PRIMITIVA

REINTEGRO 3

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA 17 26

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 13 8 C Tues - 13 9 Cl Wed - 14 10 C

CLOUDY

Fri Sat Sun -

19 15 C 21 15 C 17 12 C

Mon - 15 11 Cl Tues - 14 11 S Wed - 16 12 Cl

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 17 11 C Tues - 18 12 S Wed - 20 13 C

Mallorca MAX MIN

S Sun,

11 1 Cl 12 5 C 7 0 C

MAX MIN

Mon - 8 0 Sh Tues - 8 2 C Wed - 10 2 C

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 15C, MIN 12C 15 19 C 18 15 Cl 15 12 S

SHOWERS MAX 12C, MIN 5C

TODAY:

MAX 18C, MIN 13C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 15 12 Cl Tues - 15 12 S Wed - 15 13 Cl Cl Clear,

CLOUDY MAX 16C, MIN 6C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

20 6 Cl 20 14 C 15 9 Cl

Mon - 16 9 Cl Tues - 16 10 S Wed - 18 11 Cl

C Cloud,

Sh Showers,

Th Thunder

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

TARGET:

Average: 16

Very good: 30

Good: 21

Excellent: 37

dame, dram, kame, made, make, mare, mark, mart, mate, mead, meat, ream, tame, team, term, tram, armed, derma, drama, dream, karma, maker, mated, mater, rearm, tamed, tamer, demark, dreamt, marked, marker, market, marred, remark, earmark, TRADEMARK

Word Ladder LEFT

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

REINTEGRO 5

MAX MIN

17 14 C 19 16 C 14 11 Cl

Madrid

Malaga TODAY:

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 18 12 C Tues - 18 11 S Wed - 20 14 Cl

SHOWERS MAX 16C, MIN 14C

TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 15C, MIN 8C 15 8 C 16 13 Sh 13 9 Sh

TODAY:

MAX MIN

20 14 Cl 22 17 C 17 14 S

Benidorm

Barcelona TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 19C, MIN 12C MAX MIN

Mon - 16 11 S Tues - 16 11 S Wed - 17 12 S

19 11 C 20 16 C 16 11 S

Sunday December 29

TODAY:

MAX MIN

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) When it isn't possible to change something, often it is just as effective to rearrange it. That is the solution which comes to you this week. Instead of being frustrated at a delay, try changing the conditions or times.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) For all of the things that you want to do, there are three others that you wish to do. Maybe they are waiting for their own time to come. During the course of this week you will be thinking of what the future could hold, even though dealing with practical issues.

Alicante TODAY:

BANK

LANK BANK

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) When you are at home this week I would like you to consider how you view your surroundings. This is a good week to make changes and have discussions about future directions. It is assumed that those close are happy with the status quo, but this may not be the case.

... PART TWO

Your Stars

IF ITʼS YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Expecting too much help from others has held you back in the recent past. It makes sense to be part of a team only when everyone is pulling their weight. Some things are best done alone for real progress.

LEFT LIFT LINT LINK

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 20) The enthusiasm of your bright Capricorn mind is also capable of making you restless. There are mixed feelings about being at or near home this week, with thoughts of more progress being possible elsewhere.

1. KIT KAT, 2. MARS, 3. PEPSI, 4. SHELL, 5. TOYOTA, 6. STRAND, 7. THOMAS COOK, 8. TOSHIBA, 9. WARNINKS, 10. WATNEYS

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CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

2 - 8 January 2014/ Axarquía - Málaga East

EWN