Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 29 May - 4 June 2014 Issue 1508 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

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29 MAY - 4 JUNE 2014

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Pilot dies fighting fire INFOCA, the organisation responsible for controlling forest fires, lost a key member of its team on Sunday. The pilot, a woman in her 40s, died when the Alpha 1 AT 802 aircraft she was flying crashed during attempts to control a forest fire close to Tijola and Seron, at the top of the A-334. Witnesses to the accident commented on the “strange movements” of the aircraft’s tail just moments before it plunged to the ground. The blaze began about 1pm,

and was declared under control the same afternoon.

The deceased pilot, originally from Madrid, had a long record of

Bonus award for Mojacar council staff overturned CONTROVERSIAL bonuses awarded in March by the mayor of Mojacar have been withdrawn. The mayor, Rosa Maria Cano, had promised bonuses of €1,000 to full-time employees and €500 to part-time employees. The independent political party Mojacar Positiva se Mueve, led by Councillor Jessica Simpson, filed an immediate legal claim against the awards, declaring that the mayor’s action was illegal and a vote catcher. The legal claim was upheld at an extraordinary meeting held last week, resulting in a jubilant response from Simpson. She was later quoted as saying: “We could not have asked for a better outcome. This wholly inappropriate gesture has

rightly been slapped down because of its illegality... The bonus could easily have been seen as buying an opportunity to get increased numbers of votes on the part of the mayor. You may all make your own judgements on that. Public money must be used justly and fairly, in the way prescribed by law.” The Mojacar Union party expressed its surprise and accused the mayor of a “totally illegal and undemocratic approach” and “blatant electioneering manoeuvres.” Simpson added: “I want to make it clear that this was their mistake and not ours. They put honey in their mouths and promised something that was neither approved, nor legal.”

fire fighting and more than 5,000 hours of experience in this type of aircraft, according to INFOCA in a statement which conveyed its condolences to her family. Besides piloting aircraft, the woman was also a flight instructor who had undertaken numerous fire extinction campaigns across Andalucia. She had carried out eight campaigns with INFOCA alone. During the winter time, she helped with fire extinctions in Chile, South America. She leaves behind a husband and daughter. INFOCA has promised a full investigation into the potential causes of the accident. The mayor of Seron, Juan Antonio Lorenzo, visited the scene on Sunday afternoon and offered his full support and condolences to the family and friends of the much loved pilot. He talked about the Seron people’s sadness that this could have happened. Jose Manuel Ortiz, Environment Delegate of the Junta, also wished to express his condolences to the family, saying: “She was a very experienced pilot, yet so young. It is such a shame that this has happened.”

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THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1 - 32

Finance 35 - 40

Letters A WELSH TREAT: The choristers entertained with a varied musical programme.

The Chords of Wales perform

AUDIENCES were treated to the sound of the valleys this weekend in Mojacar and Vera when a Welsh Choir from the Cardiff area performed for their entertainment. The lucky listeners were well entertained by The Chords on Friday May 16 at the Hostal Rural in Turre and on Saturday May 17 at the Anglican

Church of Mojacar. The female choristers provided some glamour in classic black with red beaded necklaces, whilst the men were resplendent in black and white with cheeky red bow ties. The choristers were an equal blend of male and female performers. A varied musical programme was offered to the listeners,

with a range of songs and plenty of humour. The musical event helped by raising funds for the Anglican church in Mojacar, for the Cabrera Fiesta in 2015 and for the orphanage in Vera. Congratulations to the organisers from Cabrera and The Anglican Church and many, many thanks to The Chords.

Daily TV 50

Leapy Lee 52

Time out 56 - 57

Property 77-80

Classifieds 81 - 83

Sport 87 - 88

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NEWS Cycle path for El Ejido CYCLISTS will soon have a 12 kilometre cycle path running along the A-1050 from the A-7 / A-1050 towards Los Marin farms at Roquetas. Curb the vandalism HUERCAL de Almeria Council has appealed to residents to help curb the vandalism that has targeted facilities in the town, especially children’s play areas.

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Violent muggers arrested GUARDIA Civil officers have arrested two men in connection with a violent assault with intent to rob, in Adra. The two men had approached a 67-year-old man from behind in the early hours of the morning, after he left a bar in the town. The men had earlier been drinking in the same

establishment as the elderly man, and followed him as he left. They pulled on the back pocket of his trousers to steal his wallet, ripping it in their haste. This action caused him to fall to the ground, damaging his Achilles tendon in the process and resulting in a number of superficial bruises. One of the men

also threatened the elderly man with a knife. During the questioning of the victim, Guardia Civil officers were able to gain enough information to arrest two 19-year-old men (JILF and RTT). The men have been charged with violence and intimidation and await sentencing.

New mantle for Cuevas BUSINESSES in Cuevas donated a new mantle for the coronation on May 31. It displays in La Capella de la virgin until that date and took six months to complete. Cruz Roja gets boost CRUZ ROJA have been awarded a cooperation agreement in Pulpi this week during a meeting with the mayor of the town and representatives of Cruz Roja and the council.

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ews watch

Abstentions

DURING the elections on May 25, El Ejido was the area with the highest percentage of absentions with 69.49 per cent of people abstaining. The lowest was Instincion with 28.07 per cent abstention.

INDALO Hash House Harriers celebrated a special birthday of one of its members this weekend by surprising Alan (Hash name ‘Puff’) with a party and food after their hike.

Youth subsidies PECHINA Council is to subsidise employment opportunities for youngsters in the town to a value of €107,273. One hundred and fifty three youths between 18 and 29 are set to benefit.

Zurgena to get cooler ZURGENA residents are being promised their water will come through at a better temperature now work has begun this week to repair and replace underground pipework.

HHH Birthday surprise

Youth council launching HUERCAL-OVERA is launching its first ‘Town Youth Council’ with the support of the mayor, Domingo Fernandez. The project is set for approval in June.

Road works complete WORK on the A-317 (Avenida de Andalucia) as it passes through Velez Rubio is now complete after an extension of three weeks and a budget of €86,432.

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Waggy winners ARBOLEAS walls rang out with happy woofing at the weekend, during a dog show to help raise funds for HAA (Helping Abandoned Animals in Almanzora).

Retinosis fundraiser

TEAM OF SURGEONS: Performing a transplant.

National Organ and Tissue Donors’ Day IN Spain, National Organ and Tissue Donors’ Day is held on the first Wednesday in June. For more than 20 years, Spain has been a world leader for organ donation and transplants. In 2013, Spain carried out 4,279 transplants thanks to 1,655 donors. Earlier this year, a record was broken when 45 transplants were carried out in just 24 hours. Most of the transplants in 2013 were kidneys (2,552), followed by 1,093 liver transplants, 285 lung, 249 heart, 92 pancreas and eight intestinal. Tissue such as bone, corneas and heart valves can also be donated. Spain has 35.12 donors per million inhabitants, well above the European average of 19 per million. More than 50 per cent of donors are over the age of 60.

Quote of the Week WE said from the start that we would win and we have come through.’ Former minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment and conservative Partido Popular candidate in the EU elections, Miguel Arias Cañete.

Becoming an organ donor in Spain is quite easy, all that is required is a donor card, which is not legally binding, but does show the holder’s wish to donate their organs when they die. According to Spanish law, anyone deceased is a potential donor, unless they have expressed in life their wish for their organs not to be donated. Despite this, the usual procedure is to ask for written authorisation from the person’s relatives. It is not enough to present a donor card, which is why those wishing to donate are told to inform their relatives of their will so that they do not oppose. If there are any organs they do not wish to donate, they should also make this known. For more information, visit the site of the National Transplant Organization, www.ont.es.

Number of the week

15.3

million foreign tourists visited Spain between January and April this year, according to the Frontur survey Publisher by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism. That is 9.2 per cent more than over the same period in 2013.

ALBOX sculptor, Isabel Oller, has organised a fundraising event for retinosis at the Valle del Esta hotel in Vera on June 7. Places cost €50 for adults and €15 for children.

Let there be light VERA Council has received funding from the province of €100,000 for the repair and replacement of street lighting. In total, 76 areas will benefit.

Gold medals all round EL EJIDO’S rhythmic gymnasts have returned home from Granada with seven gold medals between them gained in a competition on May 25.

And finally... A MAN, 42, was arrested in Granollers, Barcelona, for knocking down and killing a cyclist, 34, and fleeing the scene. He was located thanks to statements from witnesses and pieces of his vehicle which were found at the accident.

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WELL DONE: The students learnt basic techniques, such as lighting and and were very hands on.

Digital photographic diplomas handed out in Huercal-Overa MAYOR of Huercal-Overa, Domingo Fernandez, has presented more than 15 students with their diplomas after the completion of the first edition in Digital Photography.

During the course, students learnt basic digital photography techniques such as lighting, focus and photographic retouching. The students were very hands on as well as enjoying classroom

‘7 Wonders’ tour VELEZ RUBIO museum, Miguel Guirao, has kicked off the touring exhibition, ‘Las 7 Maravillas’ (The 7 Wonders), visiting a total of 15 municipalities. The exhibition forms part of the activities which began with International Museum Day, which will run until October. After passing through VélezRubio, the exhibition will

stop in Carboneras (June 5 - 15), Turre (June 16 - 25), Cuevas Almanzora (June 26 - July 6), San Juan de los Terreros (July 7 - 13), Los Gallardos (July 14 - 20), Vélez-Blanco (July 21 - 27), Bedar (July 28 - August 3), Chirivel (August 4 - 10), Maria (August 11 - 17), Garrucha (August 18 - 31), Antas (September 1 - 14), Pulpí (September 15 - 28), Vera (October 1 - 12) and Mojacar (October 15 - 30). The exhibition consists of 28 panels in which images and text associated with the seven wonders of each municipality are displayed. The project was organised by the Department of Culture of Almeria, and showcases the cultural and tangible landscapes of the Levante and Los Velez.

activities. Fernandez commented, “I know that they made the most of their classroom time. Progress in digital photography is the order of the day, as most of us have digital cameras and use them daily for different events.” Councillor for Youth in Huercal-Overa, Lucia Parra, joined the mayor in

congratulating the students and announced the second edition of the course saying, “it will offer a greater number of places because of the good response it has already received. Seats are sold out quickly, so the council will offer even more places next year to reach a greater number of our residents.”

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Museum wins again ADRA’S maritime museum has been awarded the ‘Blue Cross’ for the second year, one of only five awards in Andalucia. It was awarded by the Association of Environmental and Consumer Education.

Fondon water works FONDON Council has started work to clean the water troughs that run through the town, thereby improving the water supply. Work is expected to near completion soon.

Macael improvements begin MACAEL Council begins work shortly to improve the area of San Jose Obrero with an investment of €45,000. Works will improve walls, asphalt, lighting and play areas.

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La Alfoquia extravaganza SATURDAY May 31 sees the Renfe site in La Alfoquia hold an open air concert with artists from Spain and the UK to raise money for local schools. Tickets €10 on entry.

Great war MAYOR Cristobal Granados opens ‘The Great War’ exhibition at Museo Pedro Gilabert at 8:30pm Monday June 2. The exhibition runs until Friday June 13.

Adra rocks ADRA Council has confirmed dates for a festival of rock, punk, fusion and metal on August 1 and 2.

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Travelling back in pre-history THE Almanzora Group of Friends took a trip to Gorafe, near Guadix, to learn about dolmens. A dolmen is a prehistoric burial tomb made from huge slabs of stone standing on end, around a dug out depression, and topped with an enormous stone ‘lid.’ They were constructed between 5 and 2000 BC, and Gorafe, on the Guadix/Baza Basin, is where the greatest concentration of dolmens in the Iberian Peninsular is to be found. The tour then moved on to the 16th century church of the Virgen de la Anunciacion, from there the group had a bird’s eye view of the village, and a 360 degree panorama of the deep steep gorge in which the village is situated. The Centro de Interpretacion, right next to the church and

mineral deposits from the water have caused it to form a wall more than 15 metres high and about a kilometre in length. This was the last stop on the trip to the Guadix Basin. Well fed, well exercised and well informed the happy group wended their homeward way, everybody now experts on the use and building of dolmens.

GROUP OF FRIENDS: On their trip to Gorafe to learn about dolmens. Mirador, and on which a fortune has been spent to bring it bang up to date, explained the creation of the dolmens and the lifestyle of the people at that period of time. A vertiginous climb to the guide’s cave house was delightfully cool after the exertions in the sun, before the group headed back downhill again for

lunch at the Posada Los Guiles. Full from an excellent lunch (and Tinto Verano) it was a short coach ride and walk to the Balneario de Alicun, a spa set in a beautifully landscaped park, to see the Acueducto del Toril. This used to be a normal irrigation channel on ground level, probably made to take the water

to the village in its Paleolithic days, but

Information on future excursions is available via the website at http://www.almanzorago f.org/trips.php

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€55k for maintenance ALBANCHEZ has received investment of €55,076 for ‘paving and guttering’ and ‘environmental maintenance’. Work begins this month.

Left bank CONSTRUCTION of a 100 metre long and two metre high breakwater has begun on the Rio Darrical a Alcolea to protect the left bank against flooding.

New college BISHOP of Almeria, Adolfo Gonzalez Montes this week inaugurated the new Diocesan college in Almeria, 10 years after he laid the foundation stone.

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Vehicle restrictions at Cabo de Gata beaches THIS week, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment representative, Jose Manuel Ortiz, has

announced the restriction of vehicles to some areas of Cabo de Gata during June 14 and September 14.

The announcement was made in the Official Gazette of the Andalucian government this week.

Girls dance to victory GIRLS from the HuercalOvera have returned home from the Nacional Aneprode ballet competition finals in Huesca with armfuls of medals. Councillor for Sports, Alonso Mena congratulated the students and their teacher, Martina Fernandez, for the excellent results. He added, “Once again our girls return home with several medals, having achieved great work in the competition. The truth of the matter is this year has been a very good one for them, and they have

BALLET DANCERS: The girls won many prizes. achieved significant results in every competition they have entered.” The young dancers won eight gold medals, nine

silvers, and a number of other prizes including a summer scholarship at the Conservatory of Dance in Valencia for Nerea Teruel.

The announcement affects ‘the unauthorised access of motor vehicles to natural beaches located west of San Jose, and between Genoveses and Cala Carbon in Nijar.’ This restriction of access, which has been used for some years, is adopted in view of the excessively high levels of traffic during the two hottest summer months. Ortiz concluded, “This natural area lacks the basic level of health and security services needed for the great mass of visitors and vehicles generated in the summer season. The area suffers serious path collapses and does not have the minimum security conditions necessary in case of forest fire or any other emergency situation that may require immediate or urgent action.”

NEWS Suicide attempt thwarted LOCAL POLICE officers in HuercalOvera have prevented a suicidal protest attempt by a 36-yearold man this week. Police received a call alerting them to the situation on the street outside the courts. The man from the neighbouring town of Zurgena had doused himself with a flammable liquid, and was threatening to set himself alight with the lighter he was holding. One of the police officers was able to talk with the man, and calm him down somewhat before a second officer was able to approach and snatch the lighter. The man was transferred to hospital.

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A very special trip to Kenya JUNE 9 sees a very special trip begin as Jean and Anthony Allsop head to Molo in Kenya to visit the Kings House orphanage and present them with donated funds.

The orphanage is home to children between the ages of five and 15, who are cared for by local Pastor, Paul Kinguri. Paul’s work began in 2005 when he took in two children that

had lost their parents to AIDS. Today the orphanage is responsible for 20 children, all orphans. The story then moves across to France where Jean and Anthony were living until two years ago. They befriended a lady called Sheila Harris, who was already involved in raising money for the orphans, as well as finding more sponsors, and the couple were keen to get involved. Sheila was sponsoring a couple of the children herself, and since 2000 Jean and Anthony have been too. Anthony was a dairy farmer back in the UK. His experience and priceless knowledge will be of great benefit when they arrive in Kenya, as some of the money raised will go to buy four goats for the orphanage. These goats will provide milk, as well as a source of income by the sale of goats’ milk to local

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Tennis tour VERA hosted the fourth round of the 2014 Provincial Tennis Tour with young Almeria players picking up even more points. The next tournament is in Adra.

Mosquito bid THIS week the PP have submitted a request for the waterways in the Andarax area to be repaired and renewed in a bid to rid the area of mosquito infestations. ORPHANAGE: Jean and Anthony will take funds. villagers. The children and adults at the orphanage will be taught how to care for the goats, how to milk them, and a certain level of animal health care too. All travel and inoculation costs are being covered personally by the couple, and they are taking around

€1500 - 1600 (exact figure awaiting confirmation) in donations. Sponsoring a child costs just €25 per month and is very easy to arrange. If you would like to sponsor an orphan, or donate in some other way - please email jeanallsop@hotmail.com.

TV show PRODUCERS of the hit TV show, Game of Thrones are looking for new locations in Spain for filming. While no decision has been made, they have not ruled Almeria out.

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Birthday hashing for surprise party FOR the past few weeks, hashers in Almeria had been sending secret emails, whispering in dark corners, and tapping their noses in a secret fashion. All the secrecy was in honour of ‘Puff,’ one of the Indalo Hash House Harriers’ members. Puff turned 65, and so a surprise party was secretly organised. Everyone pitched in with food, music and entertainment to ensure he enjoyed himself during and after the run on Sunday morning. The run took place in Los Alamos and followed a circular route, ending up at party central. The party commenced with food, music courtesy of DJ Petal who utilised an ironing board for a deck, and there was even some peculiar dancing. All in all, everyone enjoyed themselves and the birthday boy had a treat he will never forget. Happy 65th birthday Puff.

PUFF: Celebrating his birthday.

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Villarino exhibition MIGUEL VILLARINO is exhibiting at Almeria’s Art Museum from May 29 to July 6. Schooled in the Spanish Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Miguel has taught engraving all over Europe as well as in Costa Rica. This exhibition showcases a large variety of his pieces, focusing on oil and acrylic on canvas.

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Neighbourhood Watch Arboleas NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH is one of the largest most successful crime reduction initiatives in the UK and here in Spain the association known as Vecinos Cooperando

y Colaborando de España, (Neighbours Cooperating and Collaborating in Spain) has proved an equally very successful operation and has helped people to feel safer in their homes and reduced crime. Neighbourhood Watch schemes can help to reduce crime and the opportunities for crime. They make people aware of ways to protect their property by providing advice, encouraging closer communities and helping and reassuring those who live in fear of AURYN: Spain’s answer to One Direction. crime. The branch of Neighbourhood Watch in SPAIN’S answer to One Direction are heading to Almeria Arboleas would like to and performing in El Ejido and Olula del Rio on June 27 and remind people to be vigilant and to work 28 respectively. The popular and clean cut boy band sing in both Spanish together to keep their and English, and have a fiercely loyal young following. Blas, property and belongings Dani, Alvaro, David and Carlos are looking forward to safe. To join the scheme belting out some of their fans’ favourite pop songs. More in Arboleas, visit www.arboleasnws.com. information from www.aurynweb.com.

Auryn fans get ready!

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Families shortlisted for new homes BAYARCAL Council has shortlisted 13 large families to benefit from three free homes. Eighty families initially showed interest, 43 formalised their request.

Not guilty! THIS week a jury acquitted the man accused of murdering his tenant for not paying in Almeria. The verdict was approved by a majority of seven out of 10.

New judges SEVEN new judges have been sworn in and will be working in Almeria. They will be appointed to Almeria City, Vera and Roquetas de Mar.

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Mayor visits works on San Francisco barrio MAYOR of Huercal-Overa, Domingo Fernandez, has visited the San Francisco barrio in the town to oversee the ongoing works and services. He was accompanied by councillors

Emilio Perez and Alonso Mena. Improvements are being made to pavements and a cycle path is being installed. They are also paying particular attention to security with the repair and

replacement of street lighting. Fernandez stressed the importance of the works and commented, “With this work we are providing greater security and safety to our residents who live in

the area, whilst also providing employment opportunities to those involved in the project. Were it not for this project, these workers would have difficulty entering the labour market.”

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Tarzan comes to El Ejido SUNDAY June 1 sees the launch of Tarzan, a show aimed at children and families, to be held in the Municipal Auditorium. The show is musical and lasts for one hour 40 minutes

Vicar fiesta THIS weekend sees a number of festivities in Vicar to celebrate San Fernando Rey. Activities involve food, music, sports and fun for the whole family.

La Sabina SECRETARY for Agriculture and Food, Jerome Perez, visited La Sabina in Chirivel this week. He praised the processing centre and said it will boost the economy.

FASHION SHOW: Will include designer labels.

PAWS promoting fashion PAWS are holding a fashion show at 1pm on May 31 in the Phoenician restaurant, Mojacar. The fashion show focuses predominantly on ladies’ wear, but also has an excellent range of menswear including men’s shirts and suits. Such designer labels as Versace, Planet, Prada, Guess, Issey Miyake and Betty Jackson will be featured, as well as a number of items from UK and Spanish high street stores. Prices of the items start from as little as €4. Julie Peradon, one of the show’s organisers,

took a break from the washing and ironing of the showpieces to speak to Euro Weekly News and said, “The quality of these items of clothing is excellent. “Some of the pieces still have their price tags on and have never been worn.” There is also a raffle on the day, with all proceeds going to help the PAWS organisation. PAWS would like to invite everyone to come along and enjoy the day’s events. For further information contact PAWS via their website at www.pawspatas.org.

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Teaching lectures

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Acoustic improvement works WORK has begun to improve the acoustics in the Palace of the Mediterranean Games. It is expected to be completed before David Bisbal performs there on June 14

Local Police training day AROUND 50 Local Police officers have received a day of training in Almeria to bring them up to speed with the new traffic laws that came into effect earlier this month.

El Ejido farmers given go ahead EL EJIDO Council has given the go ahead for farmers in the municipality to take responsibility for the management and disposal of their own compost.

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DAVID BARRULL: Winner of the Spanish version.

‘The Voice’ in Almeria DAVID BARRULL, winner of the second season of ‘La Voz,’ the Spanish version of ‘The Voice’ visited Costa Almeria this week with a performance at the theatre in Roquetas de Mar. Barrull was there to perform music from his debut album, ‘Sueños Cumplidos’ (Dreams Come True). The album contains songs he composed himself, and soon had the audience singing along and up on their feet to dance.

Jungle Book for local children MORE than 1,200 children have enjoyed a performance of El Libro de la Selva (The Jungle Book) this week. Students from 12 schools in the Roquetas and surrounding areas enjoyed the play, which was

directed with respect to the original story, but with slight adjustments to make it suitable for family audiences with simplification of characters. The aim of the theatre group from Teatro La Carreta was to provide a fun show in which a primary message is enforced: the importance of having a living, supportive family. The story follows Mowgli, a little savage boy who must return to his human family, but retaining his love and respect for the animals who cared for him and who taught him.

EL AULA welcomed a special guest this week, psychologist and author Bernabe Tierno Jimenez. The event was organised by the Department of Culture, and specifically its representative, Pilar Quirosa. It was held in the Castle of Santa Ana. Bernabe Tierno Jimenez taught for 14 years in a high school and upper elementary, and then directed the CENIT College of Madrid for 10. He earned his Bachelor of Philosophy, Educational Sciences and Psychology, specialising in Psychology at the University of Madrid. He gained a diploma in Psychology of Writing by the International Institute for Psychological Research in Milan, Italy, and If that wasn’t enough, he went on to study Graphopsychology at the University of Madrid. Jimenez is a member of the Spanish society of Legal and Social Medicine, the Spanish Society of Pedagogy, and the Writers’ Association of Spain. He spent 30 years researching the causes of school failure and pioneered strategies for teaching and more effective learning. Today as a lecturer, he travels Spain offering courses and lectures for parents, schools, and teacher groups.

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Healthy week BERJA saw 35 men and women enjoy a day of healthy activities this week. Starting with a healthy breakfast, the participants moved on to a sporty day and a bit of pampering.

Music festival CARBONERAS has closed its musical line-up for San Antonio 2014. David Barrul, Henry Mendez and the Hispalis choir are all confirmed to attend the festival in August.

Chercos trails CHERCOS was visited by 64 participants in the provincial Trails programme this week. The walkers traversed 11kms in four hours, and up to 983 metres.

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Alvarez set for Pontevedra MARIANA Marcela Garcia Alvarez, although from Buenos Aires, Argentina, has a mother from HuercalOvera and has lived in the town since 1998. On June 1 she travels to Pontevedra to participate in the Duathlon Championships. Aged 41, Mariana talks about sport being her life. Today she is a sports instructor, and has only been competing in duathlons for two years, but is determined to take her place on the winners’ podium. Mariana says she chose duathlon because she loves running and cycling in equal measure, and in this way is able to combine the two. She says, “Last summer I set out to do my first triathlon and after five months of hard swimming training, I did it. I competed in San Javier

MARIANA ALVAREZ: Loves running and cycling. (Murcia) and came in fifth overall and second in my category. Now my challenge is to finish the duathlon world

championship. Next year I want to compete in the Olympic long distance duathlon (55 kilometres in all).”

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Tax office now open GARRUCHA’S tax office is now open for business, serving residents of Antas and Vera. The new office, which employs three staff, is located next to the town hall. The office is one of two, along with the new office in Mojacar, the provincial council of Almeria has launched since the recent closure of the facility at Vera. The mayor of Garrucha, Juan Francisco Fernandez, spoke of his pleasure at the new office.

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A third Noche en Blanco HUERCAL-OVERA is all set for its third edition of ‘Noche en Blanco’ with more than 50 businesses getting involved. Councillor for Trade in Huercal-Overa, Monica Navarro, has met with

traders to submit proposals by the town hall. Friday June 6 has been chosen for the town and discounts will be available in stores from 7pm until 1am that night to encourage purchases. Monica Navarro has

outlined the variety this year, paying particular attention to music and dancing to be offered, as well as a zumbathon in the H2O sports centre. There will be plenty of activities on offer to please any member of the family from youngsters to the oldies. In the main square, guitarist Guillermo Fernandez will perform. Also in the main square, a lantern will be lit to represent each business that has been involved.

There will be a raffle where every shopper who spends more than €30 in a store is automatically entered for their chance to win €400, €280 and €130. Huercal-Overa was, alongside the capital, the first town to launch the business initiative, and other towns in the province have followed suit, after observing its success and the benefits it has brought to the town’s traders. The stores saw increased revenue, while shoppers

enjoyed big discounts, and everyone was entertained at the same time. Just this year alone, more than 50 establishments of all types will offer discounts from 30 to 50 per cent. Navarro urged residents and visitors to get involved throughout the day. She concluded, “We hope that the results are as good this year as the last. The council is offering their full support because trade is a key element in the development of our town.”

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Jewellery claim going well FOLLOWING the recovery of jewellery, watches and computer equipment from more than 35 robberies in Almeria, the rightful owners have claimed almost all their belongings from the Guardia Civil display.

Youngsters win excellence award TENNIS group EDM in HuercalOvera have been given the ‘Excellence in Fair Play’ award for their participation in the provincial Sports Games of Almeria. The team was comprised of youngsters including Juan Antonio Espin, Carlos Daniel Naranjo, Braulio Torres, Juan David Pérez, Lucia García, María Muñoz, María Gimenez, Diego Pérez, Nicola Hristov, Nuria Haro, Tobias Rayen,

TENNIS GROUP: Took part in the Sports Games of Almeria. Olga Enciso and Vanesa Uribe. The representative from the Department of Sports in HuercalOvera, Alonso Mena, congratulated the youngsters, speaking of his pride that the young men and women had behaved so fairly during the competition.

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Charles compares Putin to Hitler REPORTEDLY, the Prince of Wales has compared Russian leader Vladimir Putin to Germany’s Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. The alleged comments were in reference to the Russian President’s

actions in Ukraine. Prince Charles had been in Canada on a four-day tour when he was supposed to have made the remark. Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were being shown around

the Museum of Immigration in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The pair were speaking to museum volunteer Marianne Ferguson, a woman who fled the Nazi regime and lost family members during the Holocaust. After meeting the royal couple, 78-year-old Ms Ferguson told the Daily Mail: “The Prince said ‘And now Putin is doing just about the same as Hitler.’ “I must say that I agree with him and am sure a lot of people do. “But I was very surprised that he made the comment as I know they [members of the Royal Family] aren’t meant to say these things. “I told the Prince that while my family and I were lucky to get a permit to travel, many members of my relatives had permits but were unable to get out before the war broke out on September

Prince Charles allegedly made the comments on a four-day tour of Canada. 1. They were sent to the concentration camps and died.” A Clarence House spokesperson said: “We do not comment on private conversations. “But we would like to stress that the Prince of Wales would not seek to make a public political statement during a private conversation.”

Journalists and camera crew from media outlets were also said to have heard the remark. President Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Sky News: “I don’t know anything about it. I can’t really trust the Daily Mail as a source.” Charles is at the centre of an ongoing legal dispute over the

publication of letters he sent to politicians. Some commentators are concerned that their release would compromise the Prince’s neutrality and create a range of constitutional issues. Putin has faced international anger over Russia’s actions in neighbouring Ukraine.

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Star pays taxman to avoid fraud trial OPERA singer Monserrat Caballé has now paid the remaining €200,000 she owed the Spanish Tax Agency in outstanding income tax, according to judicial sources. Caballé, 81, who has been under investigation for tax fraud, has now handed over a total of €500,000 to the tax authorities, which is the full amount they had been originally requesting. Caballé has maintained her innocence over the fraud charges. The Catalan star’s defence is trying to reach an agreement to avoid the case going to trial, or to at least have the payment recognised as a mitigating circumstance. Reportedly, a fortnight ago a judge visited Caballé at her apartment

in Barcelona to take her statement. The soprano is suffering from mobility problems and was allowed to speak to the magistrate from her home. Allegedly, Caballé told the judge that in 2010 she was an Andorra resident and only went to Barcelona to visit her doctor. The case against the singer is that she undertook a series of

musical performances in Europe through a company based in the principality, which allowed her to avoid paying income tax. Caballé explained to the judge that the adviser who had suggested the tax arrangement died three years ago. As well as repaying the outstanding tax owed, the opera star also faces a fine of up to six times the defrauded amount.

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NEWS

Madrid ‘lost Olympics bid over Gibraltar row’ A SENIOR UK politician has claimed that Britain ruined Madrid’s bid for the 2020 Olympic Games deliberately after a row over Gibraltar. MEP Sir Graham Watson has described how PM David Cameron threatened Spain’s Mariano Rajoy that he would derail the Madrid bid last summer amid escalating diplomatic tensions. The row was over controls imposed by Spain at its border with the British Overseas Territory. Cameron reportedly threatened to block Madrid’s bid for the Olympics if Spain didn’t resolve the border queue issues. Ahead of the EU elections Sir Graham said: “I am told Mr Cameron actually said: ‘if you carry on with these border queues we will make sure you don’t get the Olympic Games’ to the Spanish Prime Minister. “And I believe that is what happened,” he added.

CLAIM: Sir Graham Watson. Sir Graham was speaking at a televised debate in Gibraltar. Madrid managed to reach the final three cities, competing against Tokyo and Istanbul. However, Spain lost out at the September vote, which came following a summer of renewed tensions over Gibraltar. President of the European

Liberal Democrat and Reform Party, Sir Graham said that as well as contacting Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, to lodge a formal complaint at Spain’s actions at the border, Cameron also sought other ways to pressurise Spain. Sir Graham said: “He also drew up a list of things we could do to say to Spain ‘this is not right’ and as a result Madrid will not host the Olympic Games, it will go to Tokyo as a result of UK action.” A British Government spokesperson played down the claims: “Sir Graham Watson was speaking as an MEP, not as a member of Her Majesty’s Government. “As has always been the practice, the UK government did not favour any of the three finalists over others, and there was absolutely no UK attempt to influence any of the bids.”

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NEWS

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LOCATION HUNT: Sites in Andalucia are rumoured to be under consideration.

Game of Thrones eyes Andalucia

HIT TV show Game of Thrones is reportedly looking to film part of season five in sunny Spain. Location hunters for the HBO fantasy series are said to be looking at sites in the Andalucia region and are rumoured to be in talks with a film commission. If Spain gets the go-ahead it will be the seventh country that the popular show has been filmed in. The globe-trotting show has already used Belfast in Northern Ireland, Croatia, Iceland, Morocco, Malta and the USA.

The main production base and studio for the programme, which saw a record viewership high of 8.5 million last week, is at Titanic Studios in Belfast. Production for season five of the show, which has been given the green light for at least two more seasons, is scheduled to begin this summer. Fans of the George R. R. Martin novels have taken to the net to put forward their theories about which parts of the expansive Game of Thrones world Spain could be planned to depict.

Spanish sandwiches to take over the Big Apple SPANISH company 100 Montaditos is planning to take over New York City. The company is to launch a campaign of aggressive growth and has announced a deal to expand its presence in the city. The chain, which features 100 versions of the popular Spanish sandwich known as the Montadito, plans to open five locations in New York City by the end of 2014. As part of the takeover plan an agreement was reached between 100 Montaditos and Mini Hospitality, an affiliate company from Crown Acquisitions.

SPANISH CHAIN: 100 Montaditos. The new expansion bid will see some 28 restaurants in the next three years in all boroughs of New York. These new locations will be in addition to the first location on Manhattan’s Bleecker Street and the soon-to-

open Ludlow Street site. 100 Montaditos CEO Francisco Javier Cernuda said: “With our initial success in Manhattan, the next logical move was to allow expansion to all other areas of the New York City metropolitan region.

E W N 29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de Almería COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Cider Day MORE than 100 members from a total of 16 local associations gathered at the premises of the Asturian Centre of Torrevieja, to celebrate the ‘Day of Sidra.’

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News from our editions With six editions and read by more than half a million people, EWN is Spain’s largest free local English-language newspaper

MOHAMED is amongst the 50 most frequently used names in the Balearic Islands, where 2,167 people have that name. The most popular overall are Antonio and Maria.

Reef support

AGE CONCERN Costa Blanca South host their summer fair on Saturday from 11am at their centre in La Siesta. Prize draw tickets from the centre and Age Concern charity shops.

Fundraising auction THE auction held at La Zona in Los Narejos on behalf of HAH Help at Home Mar Menor, raised just under €600 for the charity. For more information call Lesley on 968 134 978.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

War of words TWO Benitachell families will not send their three-year-olds to school, as they say the regional government breached their rights by not offering state education in Valenciano.

Work experience DENIA Town Hall launched its second employment scheme for 30 people. They will receive €430 a month while training in forestry and gardening or building and decorating.

Retail therapy SOME 40 new businesses opened in San Juan this year. They include dress and shoe shops, beauty salons, bars and dental surgeries, Employment and Development councillor Charo Lopez, announced.

Modest growth PARCENT’S new Urban Development Plan (PGOU) has plans for 170 new homes in the next 20 years. The population is expected to increase by 357 to a total 1,461 inhabitants.

Climber rescued

Popular name

THE Red Cross in Santa Pola offered free assistance to those who wanted to vote in the European Elections, in helping them get to the polling stations.

Summer fair

drugs in Calvia between 2012 and 2013. They are facing prison sentences of up to six years.

A CLIMBER, 20, had to be rescued by firemen in Valldemossa after falling from a height of five metres and hurting his leg.

Voting assistance

REEF band performed at the Lo Monte Hotel in Pilar de la Hordada to help support the Campoverde branch of the AECC, helping to raise €370 for the cancer charity.

NEWS DESK

Rescue drill CRUISERS: Alicante port will see up to 85,000 cruise passengers arrive next year.

Cruising into Alicante in 2015 THE number of cruise ships arriving at Alicante port next year has been increased to 47. The concessionaire managing cruises in the city, Costa Blanca Port, has expanded the number of arrivals from 35 to 47, potentially bringing up to 85,000 visitors throughout the year. This volume of cruise tourists far exceeds the 48,700 expected this year and 41,861 last year. The Britannia, owned by P&O is one of the new ships to visit and will make three stops in Alicante next year with P&O’s Ventura scheduled to make five visits with up to 3,000 passengers on board each time.

Biker accident A 62-YEAR-OLD man died in a motorcycle accident in Villena. Emergency services attended the scene but were unable to save the man.

COSTA DEL SOL

World record ON June 14, Estepona will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the highest number of couples dancing ‘sevillana’ (traditional Andalucian dance) at the same time.

Goat farms THE local goat farming sector will establish commercial relationships with Mexican experts visiting an agricultural fair in Antequera from tomorrow (Friday) until Sunday.

Indian visit THE mayor of Marbella, Angeles Muñoz, received the Indian Ambassador in Spain, Sunil Lal, to establish ties with India, for potential tourism.

Family evacuated THREE members of a family had to be evacuated after a fire broke out in the kitchen of their bar in Teba, located under their home, due to a faulty fryer.

Horse market THE traditional horse market was held again in Ronda this year. It is one of the oldest in Spain and has been held for 500 years.

MALLORCA

Drug trafficking NINE people are on trial in Palma this week for allegedly trafficking with

A RESCUE drill was carried out in the Serra de Tramuntana involving the emergency services and the Air Force and simulating a crash between two planes.

Safer beaches ALBERCUTX beach in Pollensa will have a reserved area for the disabled this year so that they can enjoy the sea and sand in total safety.

AXARQUIA

Fire damage A WOMAN, 18, was arrested in VelezMalaga for allegedly causing more than €10,000 worth of damages by setting fire to rubbish containers.

Hashish find A MAN was arrested at Motril Port when he was found to be transporting 60 slabs of hashish resin in a carafe of olives.

Stolen birds A COURT in Motril has sentenced a man to two years in prison for stealing two cages and two birds from a house in August 2012. He also has to pay a fine and compensation.

New lighting MOCLINEJO Council has announced that public lighting in the town, including lights at the town hall building, has been changed with 309 LED lamps.

Eco-farming EL ALGARROBO garden centre, located in La Viñuela, held a conference on Ecological Farming for self-consumption and small-scale sales.

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Spain’s PSOE leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba resigns THE leader of Spain’s PSOE opposition, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, has resigned. Rubalcaba announced his resignation on Monday following the EU Parliament elections, which saw a backlash against mainstream parties in the crisis-scarred European Union. Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba said he was quitting in order to take responsibility for his party’s dismal showing in the elections. The elections saw support for the Socialists drop to just 23 per cent, down from 39 per cent five years ago. The ruling Conservative Popular Party (PP) also lost heavily, but managed to remain the largest party in Spain with 26 per cent of the vote. At a press conference to announce his decision, Rubalcaba said: “We have not managed to regain the trust of the citizens. We have to take political responsibility for the bad results, and this decision is absolutely mine.”

His resignation comes after a difficult tenure which has lasted less than three years. His position was marred by heavy election defeats and unfavourable personal ratings in opinion polls. Rubalcaba was the leader in November 2011, when the party lost power and captured just 29 per cent of the vote. However, this low point was not the worst moment for the party, which saw the Socialists lose further backing as the economic crisis intensified. Spain’s ailing economy and the Catalonia issue were two of the defining concerns for the party. Many feel that Rubalcaba’s party failed to back Catalonia over its calls for a referendum on independence. The recent elections have seen radical left-wing parties in Spain making gains, leading to the two main parties losing seats. Editor says... Page 32

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EUROPEAN PRESS

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Stories making headlines in Europe

S CANDINAVIAN P RESS

GERMAN PRESS Bar in Spain

BRITISH PRESS

NORWAY - Norway’s fishing minister has pledged to work harder to restart exports of whale meat to Japan after a warning from the whaling industry that it could die out within 10 years if more orders didn’t come in.

Viking film NORWAY - Director Hans Petter Moland has pledged to make the first “truly successful” Viking film based on classic novel The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson.

Bacon problems ED MILIBAND, Labour leader, tried to be a ‘man of the people’ last week by eating a bacon sandwich in a cafe in New Covent Garden flower market but he seemed to be having problems choking it down and was making all sorts of faces to the delight of passersby.

Engine cat

Sexy pics CAUGHT: An eight foot shark off Devon’s coast.

A CAT that went missing from its family home in Plymouth for four days was found under the bonnet of the family camper van, even though it had been to the garage for an MOT and full service.

Clean poster A GIANT poster, currently hanging in Sheffield, is helping to remove air pollution by absorbing fumes released by passing cars. It works by using tiny particles of titanium dioxide which then provoke a reaction which cleans the air.

Mental care

AN ARTIST has been carving sculptures of England football legends out of Brazil nuts for a World Cup project. He uses a scalpel and a magnifying glass.

THE Higher Regional Court of Koblenz has ruled that exlovers should delete revealing photos and videos taken of their former partners - if one of them asks for it to be done.

Devon shark

Hi-Def 3D

ANGLER Graeme Pullen hooked an eight foot shark weighing 204 kilos; the shark was reeled in by the stunned fisherman less than a mile off Devon’s coast.

TWO German satellites have been orbiting Earth for the last four years mapping the planet’s surface to a level 30 times more accurate than anything seen before.

Brazil nuts

RUSSIAN PRESS

SWEDEN - One in 10 Stockholm teenagers seeks help for mental health problems. A new survey has revealed figures are almost twice as high as those in southern Sweden.

Gazprom supply

Putin - Hitler

CHINA and Russia have signed a longawaited, $400 billion gas supply agreement thus securing the world’s top energy user a major new source of cleaner fuel and opening a new market for Moscow.

A FORMER Polish war refugee has said that Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, likened President Putin to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler during a royal visit to Canada.

flickr by Bilfinger.

Wrong people SWEDEN - Five extreme-left militants have been sentenced to prison for politically motivated and ‘unfathomable’ crimes. They mistook two Slovak workers for Swedish neoNazis and attacked them.

flickr by travelbagltd

Japanese whales

Car bomb A POWERFUL explosion ripped through a car in the Crimean city of Simferopol, badly injuring the driver and shattering the windows of a nearby apartment building.

Beer festival

Harmful sanctions

DENMARK - The 14th Copenhagen Beer Festival will give guests the opportunity to sample several novelty beers.

THE chief executive officer of metals giant Severstal has commented that sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow, over its involvement with the Ukraine, are harmful for businesses in countries that imposed them.

Theo van Gogh PRODUCER Gijs van de Westelaken and scenic designer Theodor Holman are working on a film about the murder of Theo van Gogh. It will be a journalistic movie that will show the political and administrative reactions in the government city of The Hague.

GAS SUPPLY: A new source.

THE CONTROVERSIAL former leader of Germany’s far-right National Democratic Party, Holger Apfel, has started a new life and opened a bar on the Spanish island of Mallorca with his wife.

DUTCH PRESS Black money

Giant jellyfish

Thieves arrested

TAX authorities expect to receive an extra €450 million; since September 6,000 people have declared €3 billion of illegal savings abroad, State Secretary of Finance Eric Wiebes reported.

BECAUSE of the mild winter giant jellyfish, one and a half metres in length and 11 kilos in weight, the so-called ‘barrel jellyfish,’ have been spotted along the Dutch coast, Ecomare reported.

FOUR Moroccans, who allegedly stole €38 million worth of diamonds from Brussels airport and €75 million worth of diamonds and jewellery from Amsterdam airport, have been arrested in Morocco.

Technology chiefs SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC panel member Christian Flisek has revealed that the parliamentary panel looking into US internet and telecoms surveillance plans to invite the heads of Google, Facebook and Apple to testify in the hearing.

Fewer youths THE number of German youths starting apprenticeships has sunk to a record low with demographic changes being blamed for the decline. Young people are opting for university instead.

Unpopular fitness test A HIGH proportion of police officers in The Netherlands do not show up for the compulsory fitness test. This concerns 15,000 of the 40,000 officers carrying a weapon. Another 3,500 did not pass this test.

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Painting found in 1988 confirmed as early work by Dali A PAINTING bought for a mere €150 from a dusty antiques shop in northeastern Spain some 26 years ago has been confirmed as the earliest Surrealist work by Catalan artist Salvador Dali. Art experts at Madrid’s Institute of Bellas Artes have confirmed that the colourful oil painting, which features angels flying above an erupting volcano, was created by Dali when he was 17 years old. The work caught the eye of young Art Historian Tomeu L’Amo when he was in a Girona antiques shop in 1988. Experts employed a series of methods to test the painting’s authenticity. They used infrared photography on the canvas to reveal lines made by the artist, consistent with Dali’s style. They also analysed the paint to conclude that it could not have been used before 1909 and the inscription lettering, studied by a handwriting expert, was said to have matched the artist’s other works. The painting has been titled ‘The Intrauterine Birth of Salvador Dali’. Art historians have said that it explores a recurring theme in the works and writings of the artist, who died aged 84 at his Figueras home on Catalonia’s Costa Brava in 1989. There has been much confusion as the canvas bore the date 1896, which was some eight years before Dali’s birth. However, experts have dated the work to 1921 and are convinced that Dali, known for his stunts and tricks, used a numerology code to come up with the date. L’Amo sold the work to an anonymous private collector last month for an undisclosed amount.

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SURREALIST PAINTER: World-famous Catalan artist Salvador Dali.

E W N 29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de Almería

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NEWS

Ramsay’s Costa Political success del Nightmare and failure W A note from the

ITH Spanish political parties having come through a little the worse for wear after the EU elections it was no great surprise that Rubalcaba should have resigned after the extremely poor performance of the PSOE at the urns. It was the smaller, more recently emerged, parties which took the lead and capitalised on years of civil discontent, corruption, shockingly high unemployment figures and harsh austerity measures to take seats away from the ‘Big Two’. Sunday’s biggest success story came from Spain’s new left-wing, antiausterity party ‘Podemos’, which celebrated its wins only three months after its formation. Podemos (We Can) stunned national and international analysts and pollsters by winning 8 per cent of the vote and capturing a total of five seats. They accrued such an unexpected

Editor

amount of votes in large part thanks to the younger voters who turned out in stunningly large numbers to support them. But this is really no great surprise as Podemos has risen on a wave of anti-establishment feeling in the country which has been expressed mainly by the young, who are getting the roughest deal out of the recession. In some regions, including the capital, Podemos has emerged as the third largest political force after the ruling PP and the PSOE. All the polls taken before the vote suggested that the new party would struggle to earn more than one seat. This new shooting star of the political scene, headed up by the charismatic 35-year-old Pablo Iglesias, could even harness the disenfranchised ‘Indignados’ (Outraged), who are clearly looking for a leader and some political weight behind them. We can only hope.

TV CHEF Gordon Ramsay is filming scenes for his new series of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmare on the Costa del Sol. Ramsay, 47, has been filming in Los Boliches, Fuengirola, in Malaga. Ramsay was seen sporting a new - and improved - haircut, just in time for the annual Soccer Aid tournament in which he will once again play for Team Rest of the World. The UNICEF charity match, organised by pop star Robbie Williams, will take place on June 8 at Old Trafford in Manchester. The tournament will see celebrities and football legends don their studs to help change children’s lives around the world. This year, celebrities taking part to try and win the coveted Soccer Aid trophy will include: True Blood’s Stephen Moyer, comedians Jack Whitehall, John Bishop and Michael McIntyre, Take

That’s Mark Owen, singer Olly Murs, Take Me Out’s Paddy McGuinness, event co-founder Jonathan Wilkes, Heart FM presenter Jamie Theakston, Good Morning Britain’s Ben Shephard, former JLS star Marvin Humes, and Hollywood actor Dominic Cooper. The football stars will include Jamie Carragher, Teddy Sheringham, Jamie Redknapp and David Seaman. The Rest of the World team is set to be managed by Chelsea’s José Mourinho.

ADVICE: Ramsay will be helping out struggling restaurants.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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inance F A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION // WWW.EWNBUSINESS.COM

29 May - 4 June 2014 /Costa de Almería

business & legal

€125 million they paid for the Ritz in 2003. Marriott would spend up to €50 million refurbishing the hotel to enable it to reclaim its position as one of Madrid’s best hotels and compete with the Four Seasons, due to open in 2017 in the Canalejas complex. The number of rooms would be reduced

Colomer boosts Revlon profits professional LAST summer Revlon paid Colomer’s €482.9 million for beauty sector and its geographic diversity, as Cataluña’s Colomer Group. It has spent almost €10 approximately half its sales million more during the first come from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. quarter of this year, The US plus €2.7 million cosmetics on integrating giant expect Colomer. 2014 profits There was between an additional €7.2 million €1.9 million and €10.9 for inventory million adjustments. following Colomer’s restructuring Cornella headquarters now REVLON MAKE-UP: that should belong to Revlon, Bought Colomer. save Revlon together with its €25.4 million. factory in Tarragona as well This will involve staff as the Natural Honey, redundancies and other American Crew and changes, said the company, Llongueras brands. which announced last The US company was January it was withdrawing particularly interested in from the Chinese market.

from its present 137 rooms and 30 suites. The operation includes the rights to use of the Ritz brand in Spain although Marriott intends to change the name to RitzCarlton. The sale is a done deal, it is believed inside the finance sector, although it must first be approved by the Marriott board.

usiness extra

Tile exports up GLOBAL sales of Spanish ceramic tiles rose by 2.3 per cent in 2012 to €2.657 billion, of which €2,082 billion corresponded to exports. By last year sales had risen to €2.797 billion.

Safe jobs ACCORDING to the latest official statistics, there are now 13,925,500 wageearners in Spain, 3.2 million fewer than before the crisis. Of these, 10.4 million are on open-ended contracts.

Hard time for soft fruit SPAIN has always been the EU’s main producer and exporter of strawberries, producing an annual 300,000 tons. Ninety-six per cent of the 7,000 hectares given to strawberry growing are located in Huelva, but the last two years have been negative for producers. Not only did the fruit fetch low prices but the UK, France, Germany and Italy are beginning to grow their own in more modern installations.

Germany now grows 150,000 tons of strawberries a year, while Poland is currently producing an annual 170,000 tons. Holland and France are also growing more, over 50,000 tons each. Spanish strawberry growers are now exploring other avenues and are beginning to grow soft fruit like raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. These produce smaller crops but sell at a better price.

STAT OF WEEK THREE out of every five Spanish employees believe they are not paid enough, and 84 per cent told researchers that they spend too long working. Sixty-two per cent are dissatisfied with their purchasing power.

Putting on the Ritz THE Marriott chain has offered €130 million for Madrid’s Hotel Ritz. The hotel belongs to Alicia Koplowitz, one of Spain’s richest businesswomen, and the Orient-Express group. Each possesses a 50 per cent stake. If the deal goes through, they will make a tidy profit on the

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RITZ MADRID: Marriott has made an offer.

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LONDON - FTSE 100

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C LOSING P RICES M AY 26

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 438.00 Admiral Group PLC 1376.00 Aggreko PLC 1625.00 Anglo American PLC 1544.50 Antofagasta PLC 796.50 ARM Holdings PLC 892.50 Ashtead Group PLC 917.00 Associated British Foods 3022.50 AstraZeneca PLC 4409.00 Aviva PLC 495.50 Babcock International 1228.50 BAE Systems PLC 423.00 Barclays PLC 246.93 Barratt Developments 355.00 BG Group PLC 1210.00 BHP Billiton PLC 1934.00 BP PLC 504.60 British Amrcn Tobacco 3495.00

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -0.10 0.00 -15.00 0.00 -1.00 0.00 35.50 0.00 13.00 0.00 -7.50 0.00 14.50 0.00 -53.00 0.00 53.00 0.00 1.50 0.00 -7.00 0.00 2.20 0.00 3.10 0.00 3.10 0.00 -20.50 0.00 12.00 0.00 -1.20 0.00 -27.50 0.00

NET VOLUME 3,409.68 445.37 348.05 3,379.20 1,218.42 2,597.55 2,030.98 853.68 5,182.67 3,590.27 697.72 3,954.98 34,838.05 3,487.34 6,249.66 4,132.07 12,188.35 1,529.88

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0.80992

Units per €

US dollar ................................................................1.36435 Japan yen..............................................................139.086 Switzerland franc................................................1.22134 Denmark kroner ................................................7.46356 Norway kroner ....................................................8.12462

currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914 C O M PA N Y

PRICE(P)

British Land Co PLC British Sky Broadcasting BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Carnival PLC

711.50 891.25 372.50 1660.00 1517.00 1091.00 2385.00

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES M AY 26

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 E I du Pont de Nemours and 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 141.14 88.78 35.32 132.41 104.03 123.37 24.52 68.10 101.32 26.51 160.16 79.18 26.29 185.94 100.98 54.53 102.00 56.81 40.12 75.85 29.49 80.52 40.58 92.86 115.54 78.77 49.74 212.07 75.61 83.32

+0.83 +0.63 -0.06 +0.57 +0.95 -0.26 +0.14 +0.59 -0.18 0.00 +0.31 +0.40 +0.139 +0.26 +0.02 -0.02 -0.45 +0.32 +0.02 +0.97 -0.17 -0.13 0.00 -0.15 +0.50 +0.43 +0.29 +2.70 +0.22 +0.97

+0.59% +0.71% -0.17% +0.43% +0.92% -0.21% +0.57% +0.87% -0.18% 0.00% +0.19% +0.51% +0.53% +0.14% +0.02% -0.04% -0.44% +0.57% +0.05% +1.30% -0.57% -0.16% 0.00% -0.16% +0.43% +0.55% +0.59% +1.29% +0.29% +1.18%

1.2M 1.9M 17.4M 2.0M 2.9M 3.8M 27.8M 3.0M 5.4M 14.8M 1.2M 5.0M 17.2M 2.6M 5.3M 10.9M 4.2M 6.1M 18.0M 3.7M 18.9M 4.5M 6.3M 1.5M 1.5M 2.3M 12.1M 2.8M 3.7M 4.6M

1.23468

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -3.50 -5.00 4.50 -17.00 -26.00 0.00 -3.00

C O M PA N Y

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

NET VOLUME 1,939.21 1,966.27 12,322.27 246.36 948.38 614.29 592.85

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 15.50 $ 20.03 $ 8.41 $ 3.05 $ 4.5235 $ 9.08 $ 8.65 $ 11.67 $ 3.37 $ 27.81 $ 11.45

4.07 ▲ 35.61% 4.71 ▲ 30.74% 1.79 ▲ 27.04% 0.59 ▲ 23.98% 0.675 ▲ 17.54% 1.06 ▲ 13.22% 0.93 ▲ 12.05% 1.25 ▲ 12.00% 0.35 ▲ 11.59% 2.86 ▲ 11.46% 1.14 ▲ 11.06%

$ 2.83 $ 5.88 $ 18.90 $ 17.89 $ 17.17 $ 5.71 $ 7.14 $ 87.62 $ 53.04 $ 4.19 $ 17.92

0.68 ▼ 19.37% 1.21 ▼ 17.07% 2.73 ▼ 12.62% 2.17 ▼ 10.82% 1.75 ▼ 9.25% 0.54 ▼ 8.64% 0.61 ▼ 7.87% 6.945 ▼ 7.34% 4.07 ▼ 7.13% 0.32 ▼ 7.10% 1.20 ▼ 6.28%

Most Advanced Tuniu Corporation PTC Therapeutics, Inc. Prosensa Holding N.V. China Finance Online Co. Limited Mecox Lane Limited Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings, Inc. Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Omeros Corporation Amyris, Inc. Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Renewable Energy Group, Inc.

Most Declined NewLead Holdings Ltd. Covisint Corporation Shoe Carnival, Inc. Aruba Networks, Inc. Montage Technology Group Limited Cerulean Pharma Inc. Ovascience Inc. Pharmacyclics, Inc. Hibbett Sports, Inc. Primo Water Corporation Kirkland's, Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Centrica PLC 326.00 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1359.00 Compass Group PLC 1022.50 CRH PLC 1697.50 Diageo PLC 1900.75 easyJet PLC 1592.50 Experian PLC 1022.50 Fresnillo PLC 836.00 Friends Life Group Ltd 304.50 G4S PLC 256.50 GKN PLC 384.50 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1632.50 Glencore PLC 326.50 Hammerson PLC 585.75 Hargreaves Lansdown 1190.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 620.00 IMI PLC 1591.50 Imperial Tobacco Group 2666.50 InterContinental Hotels 2227.50 International Consldtd ... 377.50 Intertek Group PLC 2875.00 ITV PLC 175.75 Johnson Matthey PLC 3255.00 Kingfisher PLC 411.50 Land Securities Group 1053.50 Legal & General Group 224.00 Lloyds Banking Group 75.45 London Stock Exchange 1817.50 Marks & Spencer Group 453.50 Meggitt PLC 499.50 Melrose Industries PLC 288.50 Mondi PLC 1082.00 Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts 203.50 National Grid PLC 880.50 Next PLC 6605.00 Old Mutual PLC 200.00 Pearson PLC 1139.00 Persimmon PLC 1320.00 Petrofac Ltd 1243.50 Prudential PLC 1392.50 Randgold Resources Ltd 4530.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5000.00 Reed Elsevier PLC 926.00 REXAM PLC 519.25 Rio Tinto PLC 3220.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings 999.50 Royal Bank of Scotland 329.00 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2471.00 Royal Mail PLC 547.25 RSA Insurance Group 479.00 SABMiller PLC 3255.00 Sage Group (The) PLC 402.75 Sainsbury (J) PLC 338.60 Schroders PLC 2550.00 Severn Trent PLC 1934.00 Shire PLC 3360.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 949.50 Smiths Group PLC 1290.00 Sports Direct Internatnl 756.00 SSE PLC 1548.00 Standard Chartered PLC 1315.00 Standard Life PLC 393.00 St James's Place PLC 794.25 Tesco PLC 306.50 Travis Perkins PLC 1723.50 TUI Travel PLC 426.15 Tullow Oil PLC 847.50 Unilever PLC 2665.00 United Utilities Group 846.75 Vodafone Group PLC 206.75 Weir Group PLC 2578.50 Whitbread PLC 4089.50 William Hill PLC 332.50 Wolseley PLC 3345.00 WPP PLC 1265.00

CHANGE -0.40 -10.00 -7.00 13.00 -22.50 22.00 -2.00 4.00 -1.10 -3.40 4.30 -3.50 0.85 4.00 -15.00 -1.30 -8.00 -13.00 7.00 -0.60 -35.00 -0.10 20.00 -1.00 -9.00 0.50 1.15 43.00 -4.60 -0.10 -1.70 28.00 -2.20 -0.50 -110.00 0.90 -7.00 -19.00 10.00 -15.50 -5.00 -40.00 8.00 1.50 27.50 -5.00 2.70 -12.00 6.50 -5.30 -44.50 0.10 1.20 -3.00 -17.00 18.00 -8.00 7.00 5.00 3.00 1.50 1.50 0.00 0.70 -1.00 -2.60 -10.50 -4.00 -11.00 2.05 3.00 -25.00 -2.10 9.00 14.00

% C H G. VOLUME 0.00 5,207.40 0.00 250.67 0.00 2,319.73 0.00 1,316.50 0.00 2,243.19 0.00 663.36 0.00 1,580.99 0.00 517.06 0.00 2,037.15 0.00 2,295.21 0.00 2,010.02 0.00 4,108.47 0.00 9,708.97 0.00 1,125.07 0.00 625.35 0.00 14,475.67 0.00 437.24 0.00 1,651.25 0.00 706.61 0.00 5,672.99 0.00 351.88 0.00 6,466.16 0.00 278.00 0.00 3,168.15 0.00 2,034.63 0.00 7,978.41 0.00 126,799.80 0.00 382.18 0.00 3,578.44 0.00 799.58 0.00 1,429.16 0.00 1,200.09 0.00 9,086.00 0.00 4,806.18 0.00 245.20 0.00 3,571.99 0.00 1,537.00 0.00 905.60 0.00 1,304.15 0.00 2,873.98 0.00 179.46 0.00 741.36 0.00 4,364.91 0.00 1,541.69 0.00 2,472.94 0.00 3,017.03 0.00 5,202.66 0.00 3,391.33 0.00 3,875.88 0.00 2,406.51 0.00 2,112.69 0.00 1,271.61 0.00 5,548.28 0.00 157.96 0.00 366.14 0.00 801.29 0.00 1,747.28 0.00 1,070.92 0.00 1,973.00 0.00 1,812.63 0.00 2,993.82 0.00 3,072.12 0.00 1,189.68 0.00 10,837.47 0.00 710.48 0.00 959.98 0.00 2,509.46 0.00 1,516.50 0.00 2,139.67 0.00 56,580.55 0.00 338.19 0.00 245.77 0.00 2,708.45 0.00 547.87 0.00 3,422.36

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Desert AVE must keep within budget IN 2011 a Spanish consortium won a €6.736 billion contract for the Medina-Mecca AVE high speed train. The contract, which requires the line to be finished in December 2016 and functioning by January 2017, includes penalties for late delivery. There is also a 10 per cent margin on the stipulated price but no more. “The Saudis want the best at the cheapest price,” consortium sources told Spanish daily El Pais. One of the 10 people arrested for the Spanish AVE scandal in Spain was in Saudi Arabia working on the desert AVE when the story broke, the same sources revealed. He has since been suspended from duty. There have been no Saudi comments on the scandal, the sources said. “Neither were they worried when Sacyr had problems in Panama. But they were worried when Spain was on the brink of a bailout and the bond yield had soared.” So far the Spanish have completed 185 of the planned 450 kms. “We are not alone,” the consortium’s president told an El Pais interviewer. This was an oblique reference to China which has the task of building the infrastructure and delivers “late and badly” according to the consortium. The first AVE will be making test journeys by early 2015, it promised confidently, aware prompt delivery will ensure more contracts from Saudi Arabia’s €100 billion infrastructure budget.

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29 May - 4 June 2014 /Costa de Almería

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Employ a salesman for free Talking shop Mike Walsh Mike Walsh was for 20 years Regional Assessment Manager for the Guild of Master Craftsmen, Britain’s biggest quality assurance body for businesses.

www.michaelwalsh.es • 966 786 932

GOOD salesmen are worth their weight in gold. My first lesson was when our new sales manager paused at the factory’s workshop where we could see employees hard at work. He smiled: “When you stop selling they’re out of a job.” Many businesses function through their sales team. I recall a services supplier that, by mailed inducements, converted only 1 / 100 leads. Changing strategy they gave the leads to a newly recruited sales team. The cost of the sales force did not add to its overheads. It simply upped the prices and converted the difference into commission and administration costs. The conversion rate shot up to 1 / 3.

SALESPEOPLE: The backbone of any company. Chatting with a loft conversion specialist he told me he personally followed up customer enquiries. He would visit clients after work or during weekends. This approach comes with the territory for homebased tradesmen.

My client was a craftsman but his people skills were not strong. He disliked selling when all he wanted was to be with his wife and kids. My suggestion he engage a salesman was dismissed out of hand. He wasn’t making enough profit to

feed another’s man’s family. I explained that employing a representative would not cost him a penny. He should increase his prices by 20 per cent and offer a salesperson 15 per cent commission. His prices would still be competitive. He could then have his weekends and evenings free. His face lit up and by the time I was leaving he was making plans to advertise for a salesman. Many companies employ commission-based salesmen yet despite higher prices they are more successful than the self-employed sector. Good salesmen first sell themselves; instilling confidence they are their company’s ambassadors. They listen and understand the client’s needs. Explaining their service without jargon, they sell benefits, professionally close and scratch the pad. If you are personable and have genuine concern for client’s needs you will spend your working life making people happy, looking after your family and keep others employed. Mission accomplished.

More evictions than ever

VODAFONE ESPAÑA: Profits were reduced by 58.9 per cent.

Vodafone España profit down but they are still confident VODAFONE’S Spanish turnover dropped by 11 per cent during the 20132014 tax year. This made it the British group’s worst-performing subsidiary, with a 25.7 per cent fall in earnings before tax, depreciation and amortisation. Once all these factors were taken into account, Vodafone España’s profits

were reduced by 58.9 per cent. Spain’s economic situation, the slow recovery in consumer spending, competition from rivals and lower connection charges have all eaten into the group’s profits. Despite this discouraging result, Vodafone’s confidence in Spain remains intact.

Last year it invested €608 million, 32.3 per cent more than in 2012, destined for its new fibre optic network which by last March had been installed in 276,000 homes. The 4G mobile network was rolled out in all Spanish provinces and the company also spent €7.2 billion on acquiring the Ono cable operator.

BANKS granted 28,583 mortgages in the first three months of this year. The 48.3 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase is the ‘up’ side of the see-saw. Down at the other end are the 49,600 families who lost their homes last year, an 11 per cent increase on 2012. Despite a new law alleviating the situation of householders unable to meet mortgage payments, 38,961 families lost their principal residence to the banks in 2013. Nor did the law increase the number of negotiated surrenders although this was one of the new law’s specific aims. Agreements between the banks and defaulters fell by 9.1 per cent to 17,907 according to the Bank of Spain. These represented 46 per cent of repossessions compared with 50 per cent in 2012. The remaining 21,054 properties reclaimed through the courts were empty when repossessed except in 1,688 cases of principal homes and 392 relating to other properties. The police intervened during 147 evictions, more than 50 per cent fewer than in 2012. The AEB bank association emphasised its willingness to negotiate despite the 5.67 per cent increase in mortgage default. As evictions represented only 0.77 per cent of all mortgages, the AEB said, this indicates that a solution was found for defaulters in approximately 5 per cent of cases. There is no motive for optimism, the PAH antieviction platform argued. “These are alarming figures without comparison anywhere in the EU,” said spokeswoman Lucia Martin.

E W N 29 May - 4 June 2014 /Costa de Almería

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Cleaning up at our expense LOOK around. Everywhere the eye can see there are people glued to their mobile phones probably sending irrelevant messages or harping on about nonsense. All this mobile addiction is making communications companies a fortune, while on the other hand consumers are falling further and further into debt. Twenty years ago hardly anyone had a mobile phone and now all of a sudden we can’t take our eyes off the things. And they are not cheap too. A decent Smartphone costs about €500 and if you buy it bound to a contract, then you pay a hell of a lot more over the two years or so the phone company has you as their prisoner. Yes, it is great to call friends, check emails and log into social networking sites, but apart from

Phone-in UNDER an agreement signed between Telefonica and insurers Muta Madrileña, the Spanish multinational group will provide the company’s telecommunications for the next four years.

Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

Lighting up

SMART PHONES: Cut off direct communication. perhaps a small minority of mobile phone owners, most of our livelihoods do not depend on being constantly online, rather we waste a lot of time staring at a screen when we could be putting that time to better use. With this obsessive mobile phone use we are creating and encouraging a culture of distraction where we are increasingly disconnected from the people and events around us. More and more people inhibit real human connection by prioritising

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silly games or message beeps from our phones over the people right in front of us. Perhaps it’s too late for us adults, but one way we can save some money and perhaps the creativity of our children is to not buy young kids mobile phones. Currently an investigation has begun in the UK looking into whether

mobile phones and other wireless technologies affect children’s mental development. The study plans to follow 2,500 11 and 12year-olds and take a look at their cognitive ability thinking skills, memory and attention - and then repeat the tests in 2017. The researchers say “very little” is known about what impact these

technologies have on children. Health experts in general advise that children under the age of 16 should not be given mobile phones. So any parents out there might be better off holding back on buying young children fancy mobile phones, and putting that money away towards their collage fund!

LAST year the Spanish spent an average of €206.37 per head on cigarettes, an increase of 1.32 per cent. Spain is in the world’s ‘top five’ for smokers along with Greece, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Japan.

Spain launch AMAZON.ES has launched its fashion department in Spain with more than 700,000 garments of 2,000 brands, bringing the total number of products in their Spanish warehouses up to more than 41 million.

Property With Community Problems Q. I purchased a townhouse on a development near Estepona. My solicitor did the usual You and the searches. I was told there were no problems. Now it has come to light our swimming pool Law in Spain has no licence. Further, the water supply for By David Searl the Community irrigation and swimming pool has no contract with the water company. There is a court case against the developer. The Estepona court has ruled against us so the Community has appealed and awaits the results. Costs so far include a fine of €18,000 from the water company, a requirement to install separate metered supplies at a cost of €8,000, an estimate of nearly €20,000 for works to obtain the swimming pool licence and an obligation to pay nearly €30,000 in costs should our court appeal fail. The President has requested funds which have been paid. The Administrator and the President were aware of these problems but did not tell my solicitor. Comments? R.L. (Costa del Sol) A. What a mess. Your lawyer did not check the Community’s finances, which is poor practice but does not constitute an actionable fault. Perhaps no one asked your President so he did not volunteer the information. In my book, You and the Law in Spain, I urge buyers to obtain a copy of the most recent minutes of the AGM, where these problems will appear. This will save you a charge of €29.50 by your bank, which is equipped to do it on the Internet. Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

CATALUÑA: Received 3.9 million visitors in total.

Tourism up in April by 13.2% ALMOST 5.3 million foreign tourists visited Spain in April, 13.2 per cent more than the same month last year, according to the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism. This was mainly thanks to the boost at Easter, as well as the fact that tourists are avoiding going to certain traditional destinations such as Greece, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and others. Over the first four months of the year, the number of tourists from Germany has increased by 11.3 per cent (2.51 million), there have been 10.9 per cent more French tourists (2.52 million), 6.5 per

cent more from the UK (3.1 million) and 13 per cent more from Italy (0.87 million). However, the number of tourists from Portugal fell by 3 per cent and US tourists by 9.5 per cent. The region with the highest number of visitors, with more than four million, was the Canary Islands, 13.1 per cent more; followed by Cataluña, with 3.9 million in total (10.4 per cent more). In Andalucia, there were 10 per cent more visitors (2.02 million), while numbers fell in the Balearic Islands by 6.8 per cent to 1.1 million.

OPINION & COMMENT

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29 May - 4 June 2014/Costa de Almería

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Hotel Indalo Mojacar, capital of the world! WHETHER I liked it or not, in my new trade of attempting to build houses on the beach, I had to come to the village often. Legal papers weren’t the problem but rather for that most fundamental of working tools - workers. The custom in those days for men of labour was to work hard enough to get some money, then disappear. And remain lost until more money might be needed. It was the laidback custom of the remnants of an emigrant population of which 85 per cent had drifted away to distant Barcelona, Germany or France. Those that

Ric Polansky Ric Polansky moved to Mojacar in 1969 as a pioneer developer. He reads extensively and has travelled in South America panning gold and looking for El Dorado.

remained behind lived meagre lives, learning to subsist and endure. Yet, with the advent of new arrivals from the mayor’s gifting of free houses, all that changed. And the wise man to detect the change was one stalwart of the village, Francisco Haro Zamora AKA Harico. He spruced up his tiny guest rooms into the Hotel Indalo and it proved

LOOKING BACK IN MOJACAR BYGONE DAYS: The hotel set it all in motion. to be the axle on the wheel that allowed all of Mojacar to develop and spin. It was the only place to stay which kept new arrivals comfortable, fed, watered and content while they selected their new abode. Our beach company were builders. We had everything but plumbers, carpenters or electricians. A morning coffee and

brandy at the Hotel Indalo was essential for getting the job done. You also learned to be super friendly to Antonio or Paco, young men running the early morning bar because they could tell you who was a plumber and who was not. Even if the shanghaied workers had other jobs pending they were easy enough to bribe and whisk

away. You had to be well supplied with cigarettes, purchase them a coffee and a few brandies and seek their expertise to enable you to finish the house before the purchasing client died of old age waiting. Anything that was happening in the area was done at the Hotel Indalo. Every deal contrived, all the

new loves and old regrets were discussed in detail there; a sort of a public cleansing place for past sins. It had to have been the Greatest Show On Earth and one young man, Harico’s son, Paco, has put it all in a book. He was in the front row of the circus every damn day and his book’s full of interesting stories.

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Making travelling with baby a breeze TRAVELLING is now so easy and cost effective with the low-cost carriers that more and more people can nip off for a break with the family. But bring children into the equation and those costs can soon skyrocket. At first glance, those flight prices look great, but once you have added on your ‘optional extras’ such as travel cots, car seats and other essential items for your little ones, the cost is not so healthy after all. The airlines charge a hefty fee to carry essential items of additional hand luggage and extra hold items, knowing that your baby needs those bulky items while away from home. This can take the shine off your long-awaited family holiday in the sun. This is where The Baby Hire Centre can help. Covering Mojacar, Vera, Vera Playa, Garrucha, Albox, Huercal-Overa, Arboleas and everywhere in between, this family friendly company provides quality infant and toddler equipment for hire at very reasonable prices. Don’t worry about carrying your child’s equipment as you travel, because The Baby Hire Centre can meet you at your holiday accommodation (or somewhere suitable close by) and provide everything you need. This gives you less worry, less hassle, and more to look forward to on holiday.

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THE BABY HIRE CENTRE: Taking the stress out of travelling with children. This company knows how important children are, and they pride themselves on their customer service and on ensuring that high quality, clean and safe baby equipment is available for you. Brand names you can trust such as Britax, Mamas & Papas, Phillips and Avent are included in their wide range of products, and all items are thoroughly checked and sanitised before each and every hire period, whilst also being constantly

monitored for manufacturer recalls, being regularly replaced and updated as necessary. Contact The Baby Hire Centre and make travelling with your baby or toddler a breeze! The Baby Hire Centre Costa Almeria (mobile office) 615 806 126 thebabyhirecentre@hotmail.com www.thebabyhirecentre.com

E W N 29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de Almería

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FEATURE

Broadchurch Series 2: David Tennant, Olivia Colman in new cast photos Richard Shanley

DISHING THE DIRT OF EUROPA DIGITAL

DAVID TENNANT and Olivia Colman feature in the first official cast photos of Broadchurch’s second series. The main cast of ITV’s crime drama assembled for a readthrough last Thursday in London. Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan and Arthur Darvill return for the second series, while Charlotte Rampling, Marianne JeanBaptiste, Eve Myles and James D’Arcy join the cast. New character details and storylines for the second series have yet to be revealed. Filming will begin later this month in Dorset and North Somerset, with creator Chris Chibnall asking local residents to avoid revealing

possible spoilers online. Broadchurch won three BAFTA TV Awards on Sunday (May 18) for Best Drama, Leading Actress for Colman and Supporting Actor for David Bradley. The BBC and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) have announced a new green certificate for TV shows. For the first time on British TV, viewers will see which programmes meet higher environmental standards with the ‘albert+’ certification badge on the credits. Danny Cohen, BBC Director of Television, has called for the TV industry to include albert+ as the “expected standard for all productions.” The BBC’s Springwatch and drama From There To Here will be the first to carry the certification. Programmes with the badge will be those involving staff who have measured their carbon footprint and used low-carbon production

READ-THROUGH: Cast of Broadchurch assemble in London. techniques. In the Philip Glenister drama From There To Here, 73 per cent of the crew were based locally in Manchester, props and costumes were found from local charities and returned, there was an 80 per cent drop in paper use and 95 per cent of skip waste was recycled. Cohen said: “The BBC is proud to be an industry pioneer in

tackling an issue our audiences care about. We’re delighted to have worked with Kudos to make drama From There To Here and on our own BBC Bristol production Springwatch the first productions to show their albert+ badge on screen. We encourage the industry to get on board to make albert+ the expected standard for all productions.”

If you would like me to answer any questions you may have on satellite TV or to expand on anything I have written about please call me on 678 332 815 or email richard@europadigital.com. I look forward to your comments and questions. Don’t forget to listen to my radio show every weekday from 10am on Spectrum Radio (90.8FM Coastal & 96.1FM Inland), now covering over 2,000 square kilometres of Costa Almeria or listen online at costaalmeria.spectrumfm.net for the latest news and views from the world of satellite television. Richard Shanley Tel No: 950 61 51 42 Mob No: 678 33 28 15 Twitter: SpectrumAlmeria Skype: spectrumfm.mojacar Facebook: Spectrum FM Costa Almeria WEB: www.costaalmeria.spectrumfm.net MSN: spectrumfmmojacar@live.co.uk

OPINION & COMMENT

When the chips are down I RECENTLY lost my cat. I went to the vet and asked if he would amend the information on the cat’s chip to say he had been lost. I then asked if a vet would check to see if a chip and the person’s particulars were one and the same when an animal was taken in for treatment. He said: “No, probably not.” So why should I go to the trouble and expense of having a chip put into my animal in the first place? Is it only on the off-chance and the very unlikely event of a dog or cat being picked up and taken to an animal rescue centre? Veterinary care isn’t cheap so why can’t they do this little thing? It would take minutes to run a machine over the animal and could reunite a person with their much-loved pet. For the life of me I cannot understand why they don’t do this. I suppose it’s because they are not trained to do so. People don’t seem able to think for themselves. The nanny state the world over. Or is it the same old story that we constantly seem to be hearing in Spain: when the euro comes in through the door, then honesty goes out the window? Sheila, Estepona (Malaga).

Fine situation ALMOST a year ago, Marbella set up the ‘foto-grua’ service, an initiative consisting of private towtruck operators taking photos of vehicles that in their opinion break parking laws. Images are sent electronically to the Local Police, following which immediate removal of the vehicle takes place. After months of operations, officers from the Local Police have voiced concerns over how the project seems to have turned into a money-making scheme, particularly in certain areas of Marbella and Puerto Banus. M. Perez, Marbella (Malaga).

Flour power ONCE I was cooking some corn and stuck my fork in the boiling water to see if the corn was

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29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de AlmerÍa

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SPARROWS making light work of building their home..

Angie Morris (by email)

ready. I missed and my hand went into the boiling water. A friend of mine, a Vietnam veteran, came into the house just as I was screaming, and asked me if I had some plain old flour. I pulled out a bag and he stuck my hand in it. He said to keep my hand in the flour for 10 minutes which I did. He said that in Vietnam, this guy was on fire and in their panic, they threw a bag of flour all over him to put the fire out. Well, it not only put the fire out but he never even had a blister! So, I put my hand in the bag of flour for 10 minutes and then pulled it out. There was no red mark or a blister and absolutely no pain. Now I keep a bag of flour in the fridge, as cold flour feels even better than room-temperature flour. Don’t run your burn area under cold water first, just put it right into the flour for 10 minutes and experience a miracle! The Mallorca Crew (Bert, Marie, Pepi, Miss Aube and Fran)

Nightmare move WE changed our phone provider to Movistar six months ago, not

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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knowing the problems that lay ahead. Movistar said we had to do nothing as they would handle the transfer. However I did call the previous provider as a courtesy to thank them for their service over the last few years. We are now receiving demands for €132 from them and they have put us on a national debtors’ list, apparently for not notifying them in writing about our cancellation! I was not asked to do this and Movistar insist it is illegal to have two lines running for the same number. Ideas on a postcard, please. Mary Goosey, Mijas Costa (Malaga)

Snail mail I HAD a letter delivered by Correos on April 3 dated March 13 in England. The corresponding letter for my wife was delivered on April 17. Two weeks difference for the letters of the same date to be delivered! What is the matter with Correos? I am now waiting for my tax codes to arrive from England. At this rate I may be unable to file my tax returns. If so, will Hacienda take it up with Correos? I think not. Come on Correos, sort yourself out as well as the post. I doubt I am the only one with this problem. Brian Widdicombe, Formentera del Segura (Alicante)

Callous crooks AS the victim of a recent £800 scam I write in the hope that I can prevent other disabled people from financial loss. A website advertises portable oxygen solutions and, with my judgement clouded by my wife’s condition requiring 24/7 oxygen, I paid £800 for a unit that has

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never arrived despite over 25 emails. I was informed by Barclays Bank Fraud department that the account to which I transferred the money has been frozen on suspicion of fraudulent usage. Their website illegally uses the address of a firm of lawyers without their permission and the use of the UKAS and SGS logos is also totally illegal. I trust that you may wish to protect your readers and assist in discrediting these people. Neil Duncan (expatriate who lived in Almeria for seven years)

Take it easy WITH reference to the article on speeding, in the UK it has always been the case that anyone exceeding the speed limit even by 1mph was liable to be prosecuted. I believe it has always been the same in Spain too. I suspect that the practice of not reporting drivers for small infringements will probably continue as before. But note: breaking the law even by a little is still breaking the law. However, as speedometers which are not accurate - will in almost all cases read higher than the actual speed you are doing, responsible drivers have nothing to fear. Julian Ward, former UK police officer (by email).

Hot topic I AM constantly plagued by cold callers who invariably ask me in English if I am “Mrs Mortimer.” No, I reply shortly, my surname is Mortimer but I am not Mrs Mortimer. The callers, some with plummy voices and others with a chav whine, are usually taken aback. My husband is Spanish and I have never lost my surname. Perhaps I’m being prickly but why must people assume that I am a surname-less ‘little woman,’ the other half of an initial and name in the phone book or wherever they get their cold-call list from? S Mortimer (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.

E W N 29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de Almería

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FEATURE

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Ferreteria Lepanto - Aladdin’s cave SINCE 2002, Ferreteria Lepanto has been a firm fixture in the centre of Albox. Supplying just about anything you may need for home maintenance, the shop is first on the list for many customers. Everything from cleaning products for your swimming pool to fixtures and fittings for the amateur plumber, from wood and paint to barbecue tools and garden accessories, Ferreteria Lepanto has it all. Indoors or out, this store has everything you need for your home and surroundings. This is Supplying not the everything type of you may need hardware store that ALL YOU NEED AND for home you can maintenance just pop looking for, there is into. There is so much more to see so much stored and buy. The team at in this shop that once Lepanto has an excellent you have entered and sourced range of garden furniture and what you were originally accessories for the outdoor

MORE: Find it all at Ferreteria Lepanto. lifestyle that many of us moved to Spain to enjoy. There is a vast electrical component section, everything from fuses and plugs, to cables and multi-

way adaptors. Looking for extension cables? Look no further, as Ferreteria Lepanto has a variety of extension cables for general home use and heavy duty versions for

hardier environments. The team is friendly and helpful, and they also have an English-speaking assistant Isabel. Take along your phrase book or dictionary just in case she is not around, but don’t worry - the staff will bend over backwards to help you find exactly what you are seeking, for every job large or small. Finding Ferreteria Lepanto is easy. Entering Avenida Lepanto from the traffic lights by the petrol station, it is located on the right hand side. There is parking on the road outside the store, or in the side street just around the corner. You can contact them by telephone on +34 950 121 983 or via the website at www.ferreterialepanto.com Ferreteria Lepanto Avda. Lepanto 33 04800 Albox 950 121 983 685 116 201 www.ferreterialepanto.com

FINANCE

EUROPEAN PRESS

www.euroweeklynews.com

29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de Almería

EWN

No Hurry To Raise UK Interest Rates As the UK economy improves and house prices rise, there has been much discussion about how soon the Bank of England will raise its base interest rate. The Bank has however now pretty much quashed speculation that we could see an increase this year. Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, previously said that the Bank would “absolutely” be prepared to raise rates before next May’s general election. Analysts have since observed that the recent strength in the UK economy could lead to an earlier rise. In the lead up to the Bank’s quarterly Inflation Report on 14th May, there were reports that the Bank would endorse market expectations of a hike in the first quarter of next year. However the Bank of England instead reiterated that it is in no rush to raise rates. At the press conference Mr Carney said that the Bank Rate will remain low for a while. He cautioned: “Amidst the

By Neil Jenkins, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks excitement that output is close to regaining its pre-crisis level, we should not forget that the economy has only just begun to head back to normal”. Although the economy has been growing, there is still plenty of “spare capacity” for rates to stay low. In other words, there is enough room for the economy to expand without increasing consumer prices.

Mr Carney did acknowledge that the economy has “edged closer” to the point where the Bank Rate will need to rise, but when this does happen, increases will be gradual and limited, so rates “may stay at historically low levels for some time”. There had been discussion among analysts that the Bank of England could use interest rate hikes to cool the housing market. Mr Carney however said this would be the last line of defence, and that the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee has a wide range of tools it can use to reduce risks emanating from the housing market. The Governor concluded his press conference speech with a sporting analogy: “Securing the recovery is like making it through the qualifying rounds of the World Cup. That is an achievement, but not the ultimate goal. The real tournament is just beginning and its prize is a

strong, sustained and balanced expansion.” High street and offshore banks set their own interest rates on their savings and deposit accounts. A report in The Telegraph on 12th May disclosed that UK banks and building societies have reduced interest paid to savers by almost £1 billion over the last year. In March 2013 easy-access savings accounts were paying an average interest of 1.04%. By March 2014 this had fallen to 0.75%. Simon Rose of the campaign group Save Our Savers commented: “These calculations are truly shocking, and show there is nowhere for savers to turn. The Government might have had a 'Budget for savers' but the elephant in the room is interest rates, which have been left so low that many people who rely on the returns from savings are struggling to maintain living standards.”

As to when the Bank Rate will finally start to rise, we can expect much more discussion over the coming months. Mr Carney himself commented that the exact timing will be the subject of considerable speculation, but that the ultimate answer will depend on the evolution of the economy. How much of your investible capital you hold in cash should depend on your personal circumstances, aims and risk tolerance. Remember that keeping too much in cash carries the risk of losing spending power over time. You need a clear and objective assessment of your attitude to risk to establish the savings and investment strategy that suits you best, and should take professional guidance on this. To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com.

E W N 29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de Almería

Thursday

Friday

SATELLITE CHANNELS - SkyMoviesAction/

BBC1/

4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm The Hairy Bikers' Best of British 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 Food Inspectors 10:00pm From There to Here 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Question Time

4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm The Hairy Bikers' Best of British 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 DIY SOS The Big Build 10:00pm Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Room 101 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:40pm The Graham Norton Show

BBC2/ 4:15pm Cash in the Attic 4:45pm Big Cat Diary 5:15pm Nature's Great Events 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 8:30pm Great British Menu 9:00pm Springwatch 10:00pm Springwatch 10:30pm Burning Desire: The Seduction of Smoking 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Ejector Seat 6:00pm The Paul O'Grady Show 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Britain's Got Talent 10:00pm Coronation Street 10:30pm Britain's Got Talent 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Fearne and...

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Draw it! 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Posh Pawn 10:00pm Meet the Police Commissioner 11:00pm My Granny the Escort

ITV2/ 4:55pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 6:00pm Britain's Got Talent 7:30pm Britain's Got Talent 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Wild Target 11:00pm Britain's Got More Talent

BBC2/ 4:15pm Cash in the Attic 4:45pm Big Cat Diary 5:15pm Nature's Great Events 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 8:30pm Great British Menu 9:00pm The Minster 9:30pm Gardeners' World 10:00pm The Story of Women and Art 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Ejector Seat 6:00pm The Paul O'Grady Show 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm International Football 11:10pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:45pm Casino Royale

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Draw it! 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:35pm Unreported World 9:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 10:00pm Peter Kay Live at The Manchester Arena 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man

ITV2/ 4:55pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 6:00pm Britain's Got Talent 7:30pm Britain's Got Talent 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Something Borrowed 11:20pm Celebrity Juice

TV LISTING

www.euroweeklynews.com

9:20am Sunday

•Cameron Diaz •Drew Barrymore •Lucy Liu •Robert Patrick •Demi Moore

Saturday BBC1/ 6:10pm How to Train Your Dragon 7:40pm BBC News 7:50pm Regional News 7:55pm Weather 8:00pm Pointless 8:50pm The National Lottery: In It to Win It 9:40pm Casualty 10:30pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:00pm BBC News 11:15pm Weather 11:20pm Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

BBC2/ 6:00pm Flog It! 7:00pm Natural World 8:00pm A Culture Show Special 9:00pm Fawlty Towers 9:30pm The Goodies 10:00pm I Love 1973 11:00pm Top of the Pops, Christmas 1978

ITV/ 6:35pm Local News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm Let Me Entertain You 7:30pm You've Been Framed! 8:00pm Britain's Got Talent 9:30pm World Cup Epic Fails 10:30pm Britain's Got Talent 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm The Americans

CH4/ 6:40pm Come Dine with Me 7:15pm Come Dine with Me 7:40pm Channel 4 News 8:05pm The Restoration Man 9:00pm Grand Designs 10:00pm Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance 11:50pm The Firm

ITV2/ 6:20pm Dungeons and Dragons 7:20pm FYI Daily 7:25pm Dungeons and Dragons 8:25pm Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back 9:25pm FYI Daily 9:30pm Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back 11:00pm Britain's Got More Talent

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (Film,2003) Crooks are selling Witness Protection data to the crime gangs they ratted out, so detective agency boss Charlie sends his 'Angels' to solve the crime. Action adventure.

Sunday BBC1/ 4:10pm Escape to the Country 4:55pm Brazil with Michael Palin 5:55pm Points of View 6:10pm Songs of Praise 6:45pm Pointless 7:35pm BBC News 7:50pm Regional News 7:55pm Weather 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm Quirke 11:30pm BBC News 11:45pm Regional News 11:50pm Weather 11:55pm Live at the Apollo

BBC2/ 5:15pm Football 8:00pm Tropic of Cancer 9:00pm I Bought a Rainforest 10:00pm Britain's Greatest Pilot 11:00pm D-Day: The Last Heroes

ITV/ 5:05pm A Touch of Frost 7:00pm You've Been Framed! 7:35pm Local News and Weather 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Catchphrase 9:00pm The Lord of the Dance Returns 10:00pm Coronation Street 10:30pm Quantum of Solace

CH4/ 4:20pm The Simpsons 4:45pm Chalet Girl 6:40pm Deal or No Deal 7:35pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Four Rooms 9:00pm For the Love of Cars 10:00pm Fargo 11:05pm The Change-Up

ITV2/ 4:55pm Britain's Got Talent 6:25pm Britain's Got Talent 6:50pm Britain's Got More Talent 7:55pm You've Been Framed! 8:25pm Star Wars 9:25pm FYI Daily 9:30pm Star Wars 11:00pm Viral Tap 11:50pm Something Borrowed

Monday BBC1/ 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm World War One at Home 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Crimewatch 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather

BBC2/ 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Building Dream Homes 8:00pm Great British Menu 9:00pm Springwatch 10:00pm A Very British Airline 11:00pm The Culture Show 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Gino's Italian Escapes 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Secret Life of Cats 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 Dispatches 9:30pm Jamie's Money Saving Meals 10:00pm The Island with Bear Grylls 11:00pm The Island with Bear Grylls 11:45pm Dinner at 11

ITV2/ 6:10pm The Real Housewives of Atlanta 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Funniest Ever You've Been Framed! 10:00pm Shaun of the Dead 11:00pm FYI Daily

Tuesday BBC1/ 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm The Hairy Bikers' Best of British 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Happy Valley 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm A Question of Sport

BBC2/ 4:15pm Cash in the Attic 4:45pm Big Cat Diary 5:15pm The Bear Family and Me 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Building Dream Homes 8:00pm Great British Menu 9:00pm Springwatch 10:00pm Welcome to Rio 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Ejector Seat 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 9:00pm Quads 10:00pm Secret Life of Babies 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Daylight

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Draw it! 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 Complainers 11:00pm Embarrassing Bodies

ITV2/ 4:00pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 6:10pm The Real Housewives of Atlanta 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Dumb and Dumber 10:00pm FYI Daily 10:05pm Dumb and Dumber 11:15pm Tricked

Wednesday BBC1/ 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm The Hairy Bikers' Best of British 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Watchdog 10:00pm Del Boys and Dealers 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Brazil: In the Shadow of the Stadiums

BBC2/ 4:25pm Big Cat Diary 5:15pm The Bear Family and Me 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Building Dream Homes 8:00pm Great British Menu 9:00pm Springwatch 10:10pm Coast Australia 11:00pm Episodes 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Ejector Seat 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Coronation Street 8:30pm International Friendly 11:10pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:50pm England Friendly Highlights

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Draw it! 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Mary's Silver Service 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm My Last Summer

ITV2/ 4:00pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 6:10pm The Real Housewives of Atlanta 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm You've Been Framed! 10:00pm I Wanna Marry Harry 11:00pm I Wanna Marry Harry

E W N 29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de Almería

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

UKIP puts main parties on the run I SN’T it interesting to note that a couple of years ago, the only column where you saw the initials UKIP mentioned was this ole boy’s scribble and these days it’s difficult to find a column that excludes them!? Don’t forget you read it here first, folks! Remember all the sneers and derogatory flack I took for it as well? Ha! I also recall the lady some years ago who, after my warnings about conflict with Islam extremists, wrote: “Oh come on, Leapy, what war!?” Haven’t heard much from that particular source for some time, either. Lovely to see the hierarchy of the major parties wriggling liked hooked minnows in the light of UKIP’s recent successes. Most of those interviewed have been asked the same question: “How are you going to deal with this threat from Farage’s party?” With slight variations they have all given exactly the same answer:

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

“Well, we’re going to have to listen to the public and take the appropriate action to comply with their wishes.” Er, but I thought that’s what politicians were always supposed to do! Well of course they are, but they don’t, do they? It’s not until something really rattles these arrogant out-of-touch con artists’ cocoons that they start taking any notice of Joe Public at all. Well, the Farage team has certainly done that. The frightening thing is it’s all so simple. With UKIP’s almost nonexistent policies on most other issues (despite the irate gentleman who reeled off a whole rather unconvincing list to me!) the party has gained all its ground on two fronts only: Immigration and the EU.

RATTLING CAGES: Nigel Farage’s UKIP. The British public is simply fed up. Fed up with the amount of foreigners flooding the country, fed up with Brussels and its nonsensical ’uman rights’, PC and ludicrous rules and regulations, fed up with

being taken for mugs and fed up with losing their proud British identity. UKIP will never gain enough power to bring about the kind of changes needed (not for the moment, anyway) but are a

wonderful sounding-board for the British voters to bounce off and reverberate along the musty, self-satisfied, arrogant and complacent corridors of those who can. Meanwhile, I’ve got the answer to all the problems involving the biased BBC – sack ‘em all and start over. This latest gem really takes the whole tin. They edited the word ‘girl’ from a remark made by a sports commentator because they considered it ‘sexist’. You simply couldn’t make it up. What description of Homo sapiens would they consider acceptable? All of us wearing grey ‘onesies’ and being referred to as ‘its’? British Broadcasting Corporation? More like Bumbling Biased Cretins. Sometimes I really do despair of it all. Chins up, summer’s here. Now all we need are some holidaymakers! Keep the faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com

Are school summer holidays too long? As the school summer holidays approach in both Spain and the UK, the Euro Weekly News asks if the number of weeks children are on holiday over the summer is too long or is it not long enough?

AM Myler is from London, currently on holiday in Fuengirola (Malaga). Back home, she is a secondary school teacher who says that regardless of what students and parents prefer, she appreciates and needs the long break. “I don’t think most people understand that teaching is not a job where you just clock in and clock out at the end of the day,” Sam said. “Not only do you arrive very early in the morning, but you also take your homework home with you.” There are also difficult parents and

Anne Pringle.

STREET TALK misbehaving children to manage, on top of the actual teaching and administrative duties. “Teaching today is a very tough vocation. I don’t think holidays are too long; I think good teachers earn every break they can get.” There was another vote given for the length of holidays not being too long, but for another reason. Anne Pringle, currently on holiday outside Malaga capital, says she disagrees that holidays are too long. She has two children aged seven and nine, and she loves having her kids at ANDY COX: Long holidays are fine.

home all summer. “Having long summers allows us to have plenty of time to reconnect as a family. The school year is so hectic. Summers allow us to not only go somewhere for a holiday away, but also to normalise our lives once we’re back. We need a long enough chance to disconnect from the norm and also to enjoy being home together before going back into the frantic pace of the school year with all the kids’ activities.” There were mixed views on the Costa Blanca regarding the length of the summer holidays. Rosalie Robinson, who is retired and lived in La Marina for 12 years said: “It is a long time. When my grandchildren went to school here I would look after them and my grand-daughter actually missed school and her friends, but my grandson never particularly liked school so he enjoyed the long break.” Another of Rosalie’s grandchildren, Lauren, a health club manager on holiday visiting from the UK, said: “It's nearly 12 weeks and that is too long, but I think the UK’s six weeks is too short,

eight weeks would be about right.” Her friend Danny, a window cleaner added: “I wish I had that much of a long summer holiday when I was a kid, I hated school and did everything I could to get out of it.” Bar supervisor from La Marina, Andy Cox, who is a father of two, with a third due any day, is happy with the summer break: “I quite like it, it’s too hot for them to be at school, it can be hard for working parents but we are lucky, our child care is fine as I mainly work

Sam Myler.

E W N 29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de Almería

CROSSWORDS

www.euroweeklynews.com

Time Out

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WE D

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

Almería weather

NEW ON DVD

for next 7 days

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

Captain America: The Winter Soldier THIS 2014 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character of Captain America is the sequel to the 2011 film - Captain America: The First Avenger and was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johanson and Sebastian Stan among others. In the film, Captain America, the Black Widow and Sam Wilson join forces to uncover a conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D. while facing a mysterious assassin.

TODAY

VELEZ RUBIO

TOMORROW HUERCAL OVERA

ALBOX

VELEZ RUBIO GARRUCHA ALBOX MOJACAR

ALMERIA

HUERCAL OVERA

RETAMAR GARRUCHA

ADRA

ROQUETAS

MOJACAR

It has a run time of 136 minutes and is rated 12A

RETAMAR

ALMERIA

ROQUETAS

ADRA

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) Someone close gets a real stroke of luck this week and no doubt the benefits will rub off on you. It seems that some fortune will come your way by the end of the month and lead you to see a situation in quite a different light. LEO (July 24 - August 23) Someone you have been holding at arm's length recently is insisting on getting closer. Charm and tact alone may not save the day, but enlisting the help of a friend could. VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) The hard work you have been putting in recently has left you tired and, at times, quite tetchy. This week you

5-Star Quiz

QWERTY All the answers can be spelt using only the top row of a (standard) typewriter keyboard (QWERTYUIOP) 1. Based on a 12-ounce pound and an ounce of 480 grains, which system of weights is used for precious metals and gemstones? 2. By what other name is the lightweight helmet made of cork or pith with a cloth cover, the ‘pith helmet,’ also known? 3. Formed in 1930 by a group of West End performers and one of the last of the closed shop unions in the UK, what is the name of the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom? 4. The name of which large hairy creature resembling a human or bear, said to live in the highest part of the Himalayas, is derived from the Tibetan for ‘little manlike animal’? 5. What is the name of the circular domed dwelling that is portable and self-supporting that was originally used by nomadic Mongol and Turkic people of central Asia but now used as inexpensive alternative or temporary housing?

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: This is a time fraught with financial pitfalls. All you need to do, however, is spend less and call in a few favours. Know that people want to help.

Your Stars

will start to see the rewards of your efforts which will undoubtedly help you to keep up the momentum. There is a lot of both passion and travel this week, which is set to continue.

June 3: Rafa Nadal. Tennis player. Left-handed player nicknamed the ‘King of Clay’ he was born in Manacor, Mallorca. He is famous for being the best Spanish player in history, reaching number 1 in the ATP rankings. Nadal has won 13 Grand Slam singles titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles and a record 27 ATP World Tour Masters 1000.

what you are aiming for. If you want to impress someone new to your circle, however, try a bit of cunning as opposed to brow-beating. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Communication and selfexpression are what it's all about this week. Although you may feel that indulging yourself is in some ways selfish, you should realise that you are entitled to some fun.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) You dominate the scene this week and no one is in any doubt about

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) The call of romance is strong but so is that of your business life. The two

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.

TODAY:

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) A friend of long standing comes up with some bright ideas to get you out of a tricky situation. Don't be surprised. You have for a long time now underestimated their worth. Your friend will be surprised when you show your gratitude in an immediate and physical way.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday May 24

Friday May 23

06 12

10 32

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

08 34

LUCKY STARS 9

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

MAX MIN

REINTEGRO 8

26 47

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 22C, MIN 12C MAX MIN

20 11 C 21 11 Cl 27 10 S

Mon - 30 13 S Tues - 31 15 Cl Wed - 26 12 S

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 22C, MIN 14C MAX MIN

23 14 C 23 14 Cl 23 15 C

CLEAR MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 24 17 S Tues - 24 17 S Wed - 25 17 S

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 22 15 S Tues - 23 16 S Wed - 23 16 Cl Cl Clear,

CLEAR MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX 28C, MIN 17C MAX MIN

30 17 Cl 28 17 S 29 16 S

Mon - 27 17 S Tues - 27 16 S Wed - 28 17 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 R) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

Average: 9

Very good: 18

Good: 12

Excellent: 22

arco, arid, card, coir, cord, corn, cran, croc, darn, door, iron, narc, nard, noir, odor, orca, raid, rain, rand, rani, rind, road, roan, rood, acorn, acrid, adorn, cairn, circa, croci, croon, dinar, donor, doric, drain, nadir, narco, noria, radio, radon, rondo, accord, candor, condor, cordon, corona, indoor, inroad, ordain, racoon, rancid, cardoon, concord, raccoon, draconic, ACCORDION

Word Ladder POLE

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

40 51

REINTEGRO 7

Mon - 22 19 S Tues - 23 19 S Wed - 23 19 S

Madrid

26 18 S 25 17 S 24 17 S

S Sun,

MAX MIN

22 18 Sh 22 19 S 22 19 S

TODAY:

MAX 25C, MIN 18C

Mallorca Fri Sat Sun -

CLOUDY MAX 22C, MIN 19C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 21 16 Cl Tues - 22 17 Cl Wed - 22 17 Sh

21 16 Sh 21 16 S 21 16 S

MAX MIN

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 26 18 S Tues - 26 18 S Wed - 26 18 S

Benidorm

Malaga Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 23C, MIN 18C

25 18 S 26 18 S 26 18 S

TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 21C, MIN 16C

SUNNY

SUNNY MAX MIN

Mon - 24 17 S Tues - 24 17 S Wed - 25 17 Cl

26 17 Cl 24 17 S 24 17 S

Sunday May 25

Saturday May 24

31 47

LA PRIMITIVA

TODAY:

Barcelona TODAY:

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Such is your popularity this week that you can be assured of success in many things. Remember that first impressions can be the most accurate and don't be tempted to make too many allowances for others.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) The urge to get ahead at as fast a pace as possible is apparent this week. Some would say not before time. However, you know the art of choosing the moment and it has not been until now that you have felt the time was right.

Fri Sat Sun -

will clash to the detriment of each other if you do not plan ahead and pace yourself. Do not be at the beck and call of others when you need all your time and energy for yourself.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) For some time you have been trying to settle a certain matter. Although it is in your nature to get things out of the way quickly, this has not been possible. The chance to make progress this week is welcome but be sure that all is not what it seems.

Sudoku

Almeria

SUNNY MAX 23C, MIN 16C

MAX MIN

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) This is a highly sociable week, and you could meet some new faces that not only attract but inspire you. You are a social butterfly, and this brings out your Libran flutteriness.

Alicante TODAY:

JUMP

PUMP JUMP

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) The company is so interesting that you can hardly tear yourself away and new experiences are arriving every day. You could be forgiven for getting a little overexcited.

POLE POLL PULL PULP

1. TROY, 2. TOPI, 3. EQUITY, 4. YETI, 5. YURT

www.euroweeklynews.com

CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

29 May - 4 June 2014 / Costa de Almería

EWN