ISSUE NO. 1554 // 16 - 22 APRIL 2015
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
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Island business booms By Steve Walsh THE National Statistics Institute has this week released figures that show business development in the Balearic Islands is on the increase. Year-on-year figures show that not only has the number of companies closing down fallen from last year’s total by 18.5 per cent, but also the birth of new businesses has risen by 15.2 per cent. The 280 newly-created firms have ensured that the Balearics
remain the fastest growing region in Spain, followed by Galicia with 7.7 per cent annual growth, and Andalucia with 3.4 per cent. All of the 280 businesses opted to register as limited companies with a total investment recorded at â‚Ź10.4 million. The double bonus of closures declining and new starts rising equates in real terms to a 33 per cent rise in business, and a very bright outlook for the future.
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INDEX News 1 - 18 Finance 19 - 24 Leapy Lee 25 Daily TV 30 Time Out 32 - 33 Letters 34 Health & Beauty 35 Food 37 Classifieds 42 - 43 Boating 44 - 45 Motoring 46 Sport 48
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MICHAEL PORTILLO: Will host the programme which will film at Inca and Manacor.
BBC to feature Mallorca trains
THE BBC is to feature the train lines that connect Palma with Inca and Manacor in an episode of the ‘Great Continental Railway Journeys.’ The train services of Mallorca (SFM) have approved a request from the producers of this TV show, hosted by ex-Minister Michael Portillo, to film inside trains and stations of Inca and Manacor on April 21, 22 and May 5 and 6. In the fourth edition of the show, which is
also broadcast on the Spanish cable channel Canal+ Viajar, Mr Portillo will be travelling around the train lines of the Mediterranean area, beginning in Barcelona, followed by Tarragona, Valencia and finally, Mallorca. On April 21 and 22, the team will record scenes on board trains travelling through the Raiguer and Pla Insular areas. In May, the host will be visiting different places in Mallorca.
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Top holiday THE Balearic Islands are the preferred Easter holiday destination for European residents, according to data from website Jetcost. In addition, Palma de Mallorca was the favourite destination amongst German tourists.
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IT is estimated that the Balearic Islands has 71,255 empty properties, which could be generating millions of euros in revenue. The data, provided by online student housing site Uniplaces, has shown that there are 16,396 empty homes just in Palma de Mallorca, a figure that translates into 9 per cent
of the islands’ total. They also said that the revenue generated by renting these properties could be up to €4.8 million per month. “In a university city like Palma de Mallorca it is very easy to find students to rent flats and rooms,” said Uniplaces representatives in a statement. “Students are one of the best
groups to rent out flats, as they pay on time and stay for long periods of time, coinciding with academic years.” The Balearic Islands’ empty homes amount to 2.1 per cent of the national total. According to Uniplaces, these properties could be generating total revenue of more than €20 million.
Fatal accident AN 82-YEAR-OLD man died yesterday (April 15) in the Sineu road after being hit by a car when he was riding his motorcycle. The Guardia Civil traffic unit is investigating the case to find out the cause of the collision. More stores GERMAN footwear company Deichmann and jewellery business Time Road have confirmed their presence in the new shopping centre S’Estada, which is expected to be inaugurated by June 2016 in Palma. Better connection THE Balearic Islands will receive a grant of €58,182 from the Industry, Energy and Tourism Ministry to extend the ultra fast broadband internet network across all cities. Heat stroke A HORSE passed out last week in front of Palma Cathedral after reportedly suffering heat stroke when pulling a cart. The animal was assisted by passers-by who threw water on it and it was eventually taken to its owner’s stable.
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Thousands of empty homes
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Deadly meal AN 84-YEAR-OLD man died in the Son Llatzer hospital after choking on a piece of food in a restaurant in Palma. He had arrived in the hospital in a critical condition on Thursday (April 9) and died three days later.
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Missing fine
THE prosecutor’s office of Palma Court has requested a €4,380 fine for a man who did not attend the polling station he was called to preside over during the European Elections in May 2014.
Fire damage A FIRE started at a food products factory in Avenida Jean Mascaro I Fornes in Can Picafort. It is believed the fire began inside one of the company’s lorries and caused serious damage.
Rock concert THE band Appetite for Illusion, specialised in Guns ‘n’ Roses covers, will perform at Pub Tunnel (Plaza Gomila, Palma) on Friday (April 17) at 11pm.
Road improved A MUST-SEE: At least half a day will be needed to visit Park Guell.
Bringing Barcelona to Life BARCELONA is one of the most visited cities in the world. Its selection of must-see places will have you writing a list that resembles your last supermarket till receipt. But the first words you should pen ought to be, Gaudi’s Park Guell. Park Guell is a landmark in Barcelona. Designed by Antonio Gaudi, one discovers the beauty of Gaudi’s vision of the world. The park, containing areas like the Hypostyle Hall, Esplanade or the Salamander, will perfectly illustrate the spirit and beauty of his work. Gaudi was strongly influenced by natural shapes and used them in his pieces, Park Guell was commissioned by Eusebi Guell who simply wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona aristocracy.
Quote of the Week People that pick on my rap video are more old-fashioned than corduroy,’ said Partido Popular politician Jose Antonio Monago about people who have criticised a video included in his campaign material to attract younger voters.
The park contains amazing stone structures, stunning tiling and fascinating buildings that will stretch your imagination. There is something rather hypnotic and magical about his dragon fountain at the entrance to the park. The ornate dragon is adorned in beautiful coloured tiling and is poised to welcome you. The columns of the Market Hall are world famous, and were once described by Salvador Dali as the precursor of surrealism. There is also a small house in the park which Gaudi lived in at one stage. The house has now been converted into a museum and contains furniture also designed by Gaudí. Due to park Guell’s location and size, you’ll need at least half a day if you want to see it all in one trip.
Number of the week
81,014
is the number of runners that took part in the Cursa El Corte Ingles-Trofeo International Ciutat de Barcelona race in Barcelona last Sunday, taking the record for participants from the Sun Herald City held in Syndney, Australia, in August last year.
WORKS to reinforce the pavement at the Algaida-Sencelles road (Ma-3110) were completed last weekend. They were begun at the end of March and had a total cost of €358,693.
Floor closed THE fourth floor of Manacor’s hospital, which was closed in March due to flooding problems after strong rains, is expected to be reopened by the end of May, according to the town mayor Antoni Pastor.
ABBA tribute A TRIBUTE performance to legendary Swedish band ABBA titled ‘Symphonic of Abba’ will take place on April 25 at 9pm in the Auditorium of Palma de Mallorca. Tickets range between €40 and €45 from www.auditoriumpalma.com.
And finally... TWO good samaritans handed in a bag containing €4,405 at a Madrid police station. The men, aged 77 and 64, said they had found the bag, which turned out to belong to a local restaurant owner, on a pavement on Calle Leganes in Fuenlabrada.
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Who should be responsible?
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ITH the seemingly large amount of fatal accidents appearing in the media recently, it would appear that the world we live in can be a very dangerous place. It also seems more should be done by somebody to make sure these accidents don’t happen. We agree! Somebody should be responsible. That someone is us! Health and Safety are not just words on the back of some official’s jacket, Health and Safety should be everybody’s responsibility. Common sense is the best weapon in fighting accidental injuries. Common sense is free and we all have it. Just because there isn’t a sign every five
metres along a cliff edge saying ‘Don’t jump, you’ll die’ doesn’t mean that you will live if you jumped off. Spain is not Britain, the Spanish have for many years learned the dangers of their surroundings. They don’t go into the sea if they cannot swim, they don’t speed around winding mountain roads, and they’ve never needed signs to tell them that. A downside to being British is that for the same amount of years, we have been indoctrinated with ‘signage.’ We are used to living with signs that tell us to do everything. If we look at how many signs there are on just one road in the UK, we start to realise how much we expect them to be everywhere we go.
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HOLLYWOOD THEME: Belles of the ball.
A Table for 100 Vicki McLeod FOR the third year running organisers Head Chef Jeff Harter, Helen Pitt, Eric Woolger, Maxine Meah, and entertainment manager Arron Reece have pulled off the ambitious charity event ‘A Table For 100.’ The party, in aid of four cancer organisations on the island, was staged at Finca Son Mir just outside of Palma. The theme for the evening was ‘1930’s Hollywood Greats’ and many guests went to considerable trouble to dress appropriately. A four-course gourmet vegetarian menu was produced by Jeff with Fosh Food and Bon Lloc using ingredients donated by Fru-
tas Ramon. The delicious wines were provided by Tiannes Negre and LAB served after dinner drinks. Several nautical industry businesses were significant sponsors, including Nautipaints with a donation from Pinmar golf. Auction items including a night for two at the Belmond Residencia and a VIP tour of Son Amar Dinner Show were auctioned off by Richie and Ayesha from Radio One Mallorca. In addition all of the performers for the evening gave their time free. The total raised for the evening looks to have exceeded €10,000. Well done to everyone involved, and here’s to the next one!
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Saying no to tree felling A GROUP of residents in Magaluf have raised complaints about what they have called a “massive felling” of trees in several local streets. Neighbours have reported that council staff carried out the work really early in the morning, so that no one could see
them, and complained that the council had not given them any explanations as to why the trees were being eliminated. The trees were reported to work as sound-absorbing material as well as acclimatising elements and, according to the residents, added an extra
Worrying facts TRADE union CCOO has warned about the precarious labour conditions suffered by tourism workers in the Balearic Islands. In a press release, secretary of the CCOO’s Service Federation, Jose Maria Martinez, explained the number of employees on the verge of poverty has not stopped growing due to the increase in parttime, temporary contracts, despite the great tourism results registered recently.
Mr Martinez explained that, even though staff in the hotel, restaurant and commerce industries work from eight to 10 hours, employers register them on the Social Security files as part-time workers, to avoid paying fees. Representatives of CCOO have encouraged all residents to alert authorities to these sorts of practices, to contribute to better conditions for tourism employees.
value to the surroundings. Calvia Council responded that the work had been carried out after the trees’ roots broke
through the pavement in some stretches of the road. They assured that less aggressive species of trees would be planted in the near future.
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Car park for Inca AN INCA resident has donated a plot of land to the town council for the construction of a car park in the district of So na Monda. Local residents will soon be able to use a large car park that is expected to solve the current parking issues they face. The government has allocated a budget of €160,000 for the construction of 150 parking spaces. The plot of land donated amounts to 5,000 square metres and is located in Calle Bisbe Moro. Plans are to pave and fence off the area, as well as collect the large amount of debris that has been dumped illegally on the plot over many years.
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Support for ban on bullfighting MORE than 100,000 residents have signed a petition supporting the banning of bullfighting in Mallorca. The initiative to collect signatures was launched one year ago by animal rights associations AnimaNaturalis and Cas Internacional. The project has gathered political and cultural support, as 17 different municipalities of the islands have since been declared ‘anti-bullfighting towns.’ “We are greatly satisfied, this campaign is unstoppable,” said the campaign coordinator, Guillermo Amengual.
ANIMALNATURALIS: Holding a protest against bullfighting in Palma de Mallorca. “We think collecting so many signatures in just a year is a very big step in our goal of turning Mallorca into a bullfight-free region.”
Balearic Islands leading growth THE Balearic Islands have registered a 10.7 per cent increase in industrial production in February, if compared with the same month of 2014. The data sits above the national average which amounted to 1.1 per cent, according to the data released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). This increase is 4.5 points higher than the one registered in January (6.2 per cent).
Property is on the move THE purchase and sale of properties in the Balearic Islands grew by 21.7 per cent in February, compared with the same month of 2014. A total of 841 transactions were carried out during the month, according to recent data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE). The increase is more than six points higher than the national average, which grew by 15.5 per cent.
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Pair found after stabbing man A 35-YEAR-OLD man and a 30-year-old woman have been arrested in Palma suspected of attacking a man who refused to give them a cigarette.
The incident took place in the evening in Bar Pacos. Several witnesses reported the man was inside the bar drinking a coffee when
Electric heater fire claims life of pet cat A FIRE started recently in a building in Cala Llombards in Palma. Local Police reported that the source of the fire was an electric heater. The young couple who lived in the property left a few minutes after they noticed the fire and alerted the authorities as well as the rest of the neighbours. The fire was extinguished shortly after, although sadly too late to save the couple’s cat, which died in the incident.
a young couple approached him and asked him for a cigarette, but he refused. The argument escalated and the woman allegedly broke a glass on the victim’s head and the man stabbed him on his abdomen. They both fled the scene after the incident.
Dismantled A CRIMINAL gang accused of cultivating and selling marihuana was arrested by the Guardia Civil in Mallorca. At least five people were taken into custody and authorities carried out home searches in properties in Petra, Muro, Lloret de Vistalegre and Palma. More than 1,000 plants were confiscated.
Used car prices rising THE average price of second-hand cars in the Balearic Islands was 11.9 per cent higher in March than it was in the same month last year. The average price of these vehicles has reached €11,116, according to information provided by online site coches.net. The price sits €1,242 below the national average of €12,358. However, buyers are more often interested in vehicles at a more affordable price, with 43.5 per cent of them looking for a car below €5,000. The most common second-hand cars offered in the islands were the Volkswagen Golf (3.1 per cent), the Mercedes Class A (2.4 per cent) and the Seat Leon (2.2).
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Palma to ‘stop growing’ THE GOB, an ecological pressure group in Mallorca, has put forward a sustainable construction plan for Palma to stop urban speculation. The association has asked for
the city to “stop growing” and claimed that the numerous projects to expand the city were unjustified, as they explained that the population was expected to stabilise during the next
few years. In addition, the group have requested that the government promote non-motorised transport by improving the network of bicycle paths and ensure cyclists’ safety.
Targeting bar terraces PALMA Council has increased the number of inspections performed on bar terraces in tourist areas to guarantee they comply with regulations. Bar owners are obliged to pay their public space occupation fees beforehand and not surpass the metres they are booked, as inspectors are watching for possible infractions. The measure has been implemented following complaints from neighbours associations and opposing parties, who claim terraces occupy an excessive amount of the public streets and do not allow
FLICKR BY FABIAN WALDEN
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PUBLIC AREAS: Bar terraces will be targeted. for adequate pedestrian circulation. Councillor for Public Policies, Irene San Gil, explained the fines for violating said regulations range between €150 and €3,000.
During the following days, public staff will paint marks on the ground to indicate the terrace limits, so inspectors and citizens can see whether an infraction is taking place.
Finally, they rejected the transformation of the Port Moll Vell into a commercial site as they claimed, “it would have highly negative effects on the aspect of Palma Bay.”
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PALMA AIRPORT: Has seen an increase in passenger numbers.
More passengers for Palma airport
THE Son Sant Joan airport in Palma de Mallorca has seen a 7.2 per cent increase in passenger numbers in March if compared to the same month of 2014. In total, 951,227 passengers travelled to or from the airport, ac-
cording to figures provided by Spanish Airports company AENA. In addition, the number of aircrafts using the Son Sant Joan facilities has grown by 8.4 per cent, which translates into 8,107 flights. Foreign passengers
have amounted to 521,222, which also represents a 5.6 per cent increase when compared to March of 2014.
Failure to communicate leads to rail strikes THE rail unions UGT and CCOO have called for eight partial strike days in May and June. The planned strikes are to highlight the issues arising from the implementation of the new ‘Company Collective Bargaining Agreement,’ which the union claims could affect 100 employees of the Ferrocarril de Soller tram. The unions have called for the strikes to be held between 9am and 5pm on Monday May 4, 11, 18 and 25, and again on June 4, 9, 18 and 23 for the whole day. “In the meetings that have been held, they have not wanted to accept any of the claims our committee have given them to improve conditions for the workers,” the Union said. The UGT and CCOO apologise to the users of Soller train for any inconvenience that this may cause.
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Daughter forced into begging A ROMANIAN couple has been arrested in Palma de Mallorca for allegedly forcing their daughter into begging.
Suspects of thefts arrested TWO Italian citizens, crew members of a cruise ship which docked in Palma last Friday (April 10), were arrested after allegedly carrying out thefts around the promenade area. Local Police were alerted at around 2am to the theft of a purse in a bar at Avenida Gabriel Roca. The staff managed to hold the two suspects, who were a 21-year-old woman and a 19year-old man. After watching a surveillance camera tape provided by the bar, the two suspects decided to collaborate and lead the police to the site where the loot had been hidden. Both suspects were taken into custody.
The investigation began after an offduty police officer saw a young girl begging at a supermarket in Calle Pascual Ribot last Thursday (April 9). He reported that she was wearing really thin clothes and sandals, despite the cold temperatures registered that day. He then alerted a National Police unit who confirmed that the girl was underage. They also found out that her mother was begging at a different entrance of the same supermarket. Once the 40-year-old father and 39year-old mother were found, the officers contacted Mallorca’s Social Services to find out whether the couple’s eight children were in need of welfare.
Cars towed away AN AVERAGE of 18 vehicles are taken away every day by the municipal tow truck in Palma de Mallorca. As explained by a Palma Local Police spokesperson, the usual causes are parking in private or disabled spaces or in payand-display areas without a ticket.
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Extra funds for job creation A TOTAL of €28.2 million will be granted by Central Government to the Balearic Islands to set up employment programmes. This amount translates into a 20.64 per cent or €4.8 million budget increase compared with the previous year. “We will now have almost an additional €5 million to create active employment
programmes, especially designed for those people who still have difficulty finding a job,” said Councillor for Economy, Joaquin Garcia. He added: “We are looking forward to having meetings with business associations and trades unions to unify our goals and make the most out of our economic resources.”
Man shoots himself in ex-wife’s bar
112 staff concerns
A 65-YEAR-OLD man suffered a severe injury after shooting himself in the chest at his exwife’s bar in Calvia. The incident took place yesterday, Wednesday, April 15, at around 10.30am at the bar in Calle Albatros, in the Son Ferrer district. Local authorities reported that the man entered the bar carrying a shotgun and his wife alerted the Guardia Civil a few minutes later. However, he shot himself before their arrival. The man was taken to the Son Espases Hospital in a critical condition.
REPRESENTATIVES of the 112 services staff members in the Balearic Islands have criticised their poor working conditions, due to lack of personnel and organisation. “The significant staff reduction is affecting the service’s quality, call management and the co-ordination with other emergency services,” said a CCOO trades union statement.
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Still time for UK citizens to vote WITH the registration deadline of Monday April 20 less than one week away, the UK Electoral Commission has urged UK citizens who are living overseas to register to vote in the UK General Election. The government website www.gov.uk tells us it is important for any UK citizen overseas that wishes to register for a postal vote to do so as quickly as possible so they can receive and return their postal ballot packs in good time before polling day. Estimates show there could be as many as 5.5 million UK citizens living overseas. Not all will be eligible to register as overseas voters but the most recent figures showed there were only
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Couple fight A YOUNG couple was tried last week in Palma for having an argument inside their vehicle that led to both suffering minor injuries. The prosecutor’s office requested 10 months in prison each.
Fewer in jail UK ELECTION: Register your vote now. 15,849 overseas voters on the UK electoral registers. Alex Robertson, Director of Communications at the Electoral Commission, said: “There is now just a matter of days left until the April 20 deadline, so we’re encouraging UK expats to join the many others who have already registered to vote online. “It takes just a few minutes at www.gov.uk/ register-to-vote and is far
easier than the old, paper based process. There’s been a great response so far and we don’t want anyone to miss out.” The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday April 20. Read the original article from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office here: www.gov.uk/government/news/there-is-stilltime-for-uk-citizens-overseas-to-register-to-vote-i n-the-general-election
PALMA’S jail has registered the lowest number of inmates of the past 12 months. There are 1,715 prisoners serving their sentence in the Balearic Islands.
Sea safety SA COSTERA, the patrol ship of the Balearic Island’s Guardia Civil Sea Unit is the fastest police boat of Spain. With 17.33 metres in length, it can reach a speed up to 50 knots.
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Spanish Wealth Tax. How Does It Affect You And What Can You Do? There are so many attractions and advantages to living in Mallorca. However, Spain’s higher taxes of recent years, and wealth tax, have made some residents reconsider whether they should live here or not. It would be a shame to leave this beautiful island because of taxes, but with specialist advice you may not have to. Wealth tax is an annual tax, payable on the total value of your taxable assets as at 31st December. If you are resident in Spain you are liable to the tax on your worldwide assets. Non-residents only pay on Spanish assets. The tax was effectively abolished in 2008 but reinstated in 2011, supposedly as a temporary measure. It is still in place today. Wealth tax rules Each resident individual has a tax free allowance of €700,000 plus a €300,000 allowance on his own home. If a couple owns a property in joint names, each gets €300,000. Non-residents just receive the
By Peter Worthington, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks individual allowance of €700,000. The tax rates range from 0.2% to 2.5%. The tax is payable on the value of most of your assets, such as real estate, savings and investments, jewellery, art, cars, boats etc. Loans are deductible in calculating your net taxable wealth provided they were not used to buy or invest in assets exempt from Spanish wealth tax.
Impact of Form 720 The obligation to report all overseas assets over €50,000 on ‘Modelo 720’ was introduced in 2013. Many commentators perceived it to be a way for the government to catch out people not reporting assets on their wealth tax returns. People have started hearing from the Spanish tax inspectors. Most enquiries appear to be related to discrepancies between assets reported on form 720 and wealth tax returns. There are ways that you can legally minimise income and wealth taxes, and while this will mean people still have to make the correct declarations, they will have peace of mind that they are declaring correctly, and that they are unlikely to be questioned by the tax inspectors. Use legitimate means of limiting your tax liabilities through tailored specialised advice. Limiting wealth tax Your cumulative wealth and
income taxes cannot exceed 60% of the ‘general and savings taxable income bases’ of residents (but still excluding from savings income any gains on assets held for more than one year, and the associated tax rates). This is subject to paying a minimum of 20% of the full wealth tax calculation. However, this liability cannot be reduced on assets that do not produce an income, such as your home. There may be other steps you can take to reduce a wealth tax liability, or eliminate it completely. For example, Mr and Mrs X’s main home is worth €600,000 and they have investment funds of €3m in a share portfolio, all owned jointly. They do not need any regular investment income. Although their individual share of the house is covered by the main home allowance, with their investment portfolio they face an
annual joint wealth tax liability of €7,400. However, after speaking to Blevins Franks and restructuring their investments, they no longer have any wealth tax to pay at all. If wealth tax, or other Spanish taxes, are a concern for you, seek specialist advice to review your tax planning and the way you own your asset, and see if you can use Spanish compliant arrangements to lower your tax liabilities. Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice. To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com
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Jellyfish arrival LA MATA beach has seen the arrival of hundreds of jellyfish on the shore, believed to be washed up from the strong easterly winds.
Zombie attack THE streets of La Manga will come under attack from zombies on May 15 as part of a live-action Zombie Survival game. Registration fees range between €5.50-€60. For more information visit www.c-fem.es.
Forest fire A FIRE in the Sierra del Aguila de La Majada in the municipality of Mazarron has destroyed around 1.2 hectares of scrub land in the area.
Anti-graffiti THE anti-graffiti brigade of the Local Police in Murcia carried out 329 graffiti interventions last year. The group also carries out talks aimed at teenagers to prevent graffiti on the city’s monuments and buildings.
San Vicente THOUSANDS took part in religious processions in towns and villages across the Vega Baja to mark the San Vicente fiesta. Following centuries of traditions, communion was brought to the sick at home.
AXARQUIA
Lifeguard training FORTY young residents of Almuñecar are participating in first aid and lifeguard training courses launched by the council. These courses have been especially designed for youths to boost their chances of finding a job.
Wind causes havoc THE strong winds and rain registered in Almuñecar last week caused great damage on the Velilla, Pozuelo and Marina del Este beaches. Government representatives have requested help from the regional or central governments to restore lost sand.
Man found dead A POLISH tourist who went missing on April 7 in La Torrecilla beach (Nerja) was found dead three days later. He reportedly jumped from a walkway, tripped over a rock and fell from a 5-metre height.
Square improvements THE Plaza de la Constitucion in VelezMalaga will undergo a complete redevelop-
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News from our editions Abstract art on show in Vera With six editions and read by more than half a million people, EWN is Spain’s largest free local English-language newspaper
PAINTINGS and sculptures by Jose Luis Gallego Guillen are now on show in Vera. The exhibition which opened earlier this month at the Convento de la Victoria cultural centre ends on April 19. It is entitled ‘El espectador y la obra’ (The spectator and the work) and the paintings and wooden sculptures set out to reflect the curiosity that abstract art still excites, the artist explained. Originally from Jaen, Gallego has lived in Vera for several years. An architect as well as an artist, one of his best-known works both locally and nationally is the Pueblo Indalo in Mojacar, regarded as a definitive expression of Almeria’s Levante zone.
NEWS DESK fishing-boat owner, was named president of Asopesca. She is the first woman to head this association of Andalucia’s fishing boat-owners.
Match play THE Guardia Civil meet the gypsies of the Los Galgos team in their annual football match at 5pm this Saturday at Garrucha’s Emilio Moldenhauer stadium. Entrance is free but non-perishable food donations are requested.
Good customer ALMERIA growers sold produce worth €109 million to Mercadona last year, 4.8 per cent more than in 2014. The supermarket chain also donated 70,000 kilos of supplies to Almeria’s food bank.
Hard lines SELF-EMPLOYED workers dependent on outsourced Telefonica contracts demonstrated outside Movistar in Almeria City. The conditions the multinational imposed were economically unviable for themselves and their families, they claimed.
Desert plans
ARTIST: Jose Luis Gallego Guillen.
ment paid for by the town council. The new project has been planned to boost activities around the old town as well as improve accessibility.
Wetlands upgrade THE Suarez wetlands, one of the most important natural monuments in Motril, will receive €140,000 from the government to perform renovation works. Plans are to adapt a total of 13.8 hectares as a park and picnic area.
COSTA DEL SOL
More boats BOAT sales in Malaga Province have increased by 34 per cent with 55 registered in the first three months of this year according to Anen Nautical Association.
Churros at last GLUTEN-free churros invented by an establishment in Churriana are selling like hot-cakes as news of the discovery has spread like wild-fire amongst the estimated 1,600 celiac disease sufferers in Malaga Province.
Rented taxis FOLLOWING months of meetings, Marbella Council has agreed to allow taxi-drivers to work with rented vehicles while their own undergo repairs to ensure sufficient taxis are available to meet demand.
Dutch visit
GREENHOUSING will be allowed at the Tabernas desert, a protected area and a national park. Installations will use irrigation water from the desalination plant and must not impede the desert views.
COSTA BLANCA NORTH
Alcoy castle opens ALCOY castle is to stay open to the public from now throughout the Moors & Christian Festival from April 22 to April 24. Revenue earned will go to charity.
Raphael in Benidorm
REPRESENTATIVES from Travel Counsellors, a group with 150 travel agents in Holland, have been on a visit to discover the province’s inland areas including Mijas, Alhaurin el Grande and the Sierra de las Nieves.
RAPHAEL, a worldwide acclaimed Spanish singer and television, film and television actor will perform a one-off show at Benidorm Palace on Sunday June 14.
Quality stamp
Elda mourns
TWENTY SIX Costa del Sol businesses have been awarded a Sicted tourism quality stamp for the first time, bringing the total number of businesses on the coast bearing the stamp to 279.
ELDA City Council declared three days of mourning and called for a minute’s silence on Friday to mark the passing of Roberto Garcia, who was mayor of Elda for four terms.
COSTA DE ALMERIA
No shortage
First time ALMERIA-BORN Maria de los Angeles Cayuela Campoy, a 41-year-old lawyer and
MORE than 5,000 people applied for 100 advertised jobs at the new Terra Natura holiday resort in Benidorm, which is due to open next month.
For more local news from our regions see www.euroweeklynews.com … EWN top for all the news from Spain.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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16 - 22 April 2015 / Mallorca
business & legal
Iberia delivers on time IBERIA and Iberia Express were the world’s most punctual airlines in February. The principal airline and its low-cost subsidiary Iberia Express operated 92.3 per cent of flights on time in February, found flight-monitoring service Flightstats. Only 55 per cent of flights were on time in 2009 but
Iberia is now consistently ranked amongst the top three airlines for punctuality. Iberia Express heads the list of the budget airlines. Good timekeeping is at the heart of the restructuring that began when Iberia merged with British Airways to form IAG in January 2011, the com-
Renfe fails to balance books SPAIN’S rail operator Renfe was €208.9 million in the red last year, nine times more than 2013’s figure. A record 29.67 million passengers used the AVE high speed network in 2014, bringing a net profit of €9 million. There was an overall 4.7 per cent jump in passenger traffic earnings and goods transport increased by 12.5 per cent. Turnover grew 5.7 per cent to €2.966 billion but overheads increased by 7 per cent to €2.751 billion and pre-tax profits of €214.6 million were down 9.3 per cent. Track operator Adif accounted for more than half of Renfe’s losses with
a 22.2 per cent hike on its levy for using tracks, stations and infrastructure. This cost the company €607.4 million last year, €110 million more than in 2013. Renfe’s involvement in the Mecca-Medina AVE project incurred €21.7 million in bank charges, a sixfold increase on the previous year. Redundancy payouts cost the operator another €29.7 million although the company was able to cut personnel costs by 1.8 per cent. Savings of 8.6 per cent were made on services aboard trains but energy and fuel costs increased by 4 per cent.
pany said. Nevertheless, Madrid-Barajas airport, Iberia’s centre of operations, also contributes to punctuality. The airport is not used to full capacity and Iberia now has fewer routes with few connections to over-stretched airports like Heathrow.
B
usiness extra
Positive result THE Export Price Index for industrial goods last February rose year-onyear by 0.4 per cent, the first positive February figure since 2013. Imports of manufactured goods fell by 5.5 per cent.
Happy work JOB satisfaction amongst Spanish employees rose for the second consecutive three-month period. Seven in every 10 people responding to a Randstad survey were happy in their jobs.
Jobs upswing continues THE 160,000 jobs created in March provided the best figures for this month since 2001 when records began. Almost a third of the new jobs were in hotel and catering, where the sector geared up for a relatively early Easter. Construction was the next-best employer as the building trade gradually starts ticking over once more.
The only sectors where the Social Security system lost contributors last month were coal-mining, energy supply and international organisations, sectors with scant repercussion on the labour market. This repeated the pattern of the last year with only electricity, gas, and coal missing out on the bonanza, together with agriculture, fisheries and the banking sector.
IBERIA: World’s most punctual airline.
EWN
19
STAT OF WEEK SPAIN sold short-term debt with a negative yield for the first time in its history. The country’s Treasury issued six-month debt worth €725 million with an average yield of 0.002 per cent.
20
E W N 16 - 22 April 2015 / Mallorca
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C LOSING P RICES A PRIL 13
C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) 3i Group 507.50 Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 506.25 Admiral Group 1,595.00 Aggreko 1,569.00 Anglo American 1,014.75 Antofagasta 736.00 ARM Holdings 1,153.50 Ashtead Group 1,079.50 Associated British Foods 2,996.50 AstraZeneca 4,770.50 Aviva 565.75 Babcock International 1,001.50 BAE Systems 538.00 Barclays 257.10 Barratt Developments 542.00 BG Group 1,174.75 BHP Billiton 1,448.25 BP 470.48
C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -2.00 -0.39 -1.25 -0.25 -8.00 -0.50 -2.00 -0.13 -7.25 -0.71 -4.50 -0.61 -16.50 -1.41 3.50 0.33 -20.50 -0.68 17.50 0.37 10.75 1.94 -0.50 -0.05 -1.50 -0.28 0.05 0.02 -16.00 -2.87 6.75 0.58 -15.25 -1.04 -1.77 -0.37
NET VOLUME 4,954.60 6,757.94 4,474.10 4,023.62 14,274.05 7,300.27 16,514.30 5,415.98 23,884.81 60,044.09 16,385.82 5,032.01 17,023.64 42,419.28 5,535.18 39,880.30 30,910.17 86,152.02
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US dollar ................................................................1.05596 Japan yen ..............................................................127.420 Switzerland franc ..............................................1.03848 Denmark kroner.................................................7.47202 Norway kroner ....................................................8.58871
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PRICE(P)
British Amrcn Tobacco British Land Co BT Group Bunzl Burberry Group Capita Group (The) Carnival
3,683.75 867.75 453.35 1,907.50 1,788.00 1,139.50 3,353.00
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C O M PA N Y MMM 3M AXP American Express AAPL Apple BA Boeing CAT Caterpillar CVX Chevron CSCO Cisco KO Coca-Cola DIS Disney DD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co XOM Exxon Mobil GE General Electric GS Goldman Sachs HD Home Depot IBM IBM INTC Intel JNJ Johnson & Johnson JPM JPMorgan Chase MCD McDonald's MRK Merck MSFT Microsoft NKE Nike PFE Pfizer PG Procter & Gamble TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies UNH UnitedHealth VZ Verizon V Visa WMT Wal-Mart
PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 167.07 79.59 127.10 154.38 82.60 106.91 28.04 40.88 106.95 72.23 85.56 28.51 195.64 115.24 162.86 31.93 102.06 61.70 97.80 57.25 41.72 99.97 35.44 83.35 107.65 118.46 119.00 49.22 66.34 80.65
+0.28 +0.17% +0.43 +0.54% +0.54 +0.43% +0.96 +0.63% +1.92 +2.38% -0.04 -0.04% +0.415 +1.50% -0.17 -0.41% +0.18 +0.17% +0.30 +0.42% +0.91 +1.08% +2.78 +10.80% +0.75 +0.38% +0.67 +0.58% +0.52 +0.32% +0.69 +2.21% +0.73 +0.72% +0.23 +0.37% +1.25 +1.29% -0.18 -0.31% +0.24 +0.58% -0.75 -0.74% +0.41 +1.17% +0.46 +0.55% +0.35 +0.33% +0.58 +0.49% +0.45 +0.38% +0.21 +0.43% -0.10 -0.15% -0.19 -0.24%
1.5M 3.4M 40.2M 3.2M 6.8M 5.0M 24.6M 8.7M 3.3M 2.3M 13.4M 352.7M 1.8M 3.7M 2.5M 28.1M 6.8M 9.9M 5.9M 15.5M 28.0M 3.0M 24.4M 7.0M 1.7M 2.3M 2.2M 9.2M 4.6M 5.5M
1.38211
0.72352
C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -32.25 -2.25 -1.30 -4.50 -18.00 -1.50 -17.00
C O M PA N Y
-0.87 -0.26 -0.29 -0.24 -1.00 -0.13 -0.50
NET VOLUME 69,270.63 8,872.71 38,050.71 6,400.35 8,031.48 7,552.94 7,283.13
PRICE
CHANGE NET / %
$ 5.18 $ 2.03 $ 35 $ 2.26 $ 2.50 $ 10.37 $ 20.53 $ 15.47 $ 29.97 $ 34.87 $ 31.79
0.76 ▲ 17.19% 0.2752 ▲ 15.68% 4.0762 ▲ 13.18% 0.26 ▲ 13.00% 0.21 ▲ 9.17% 0.83 ▲ 8.70% 1.62 ▲ 8.57% 1.21 ▲ 8.49% 2.32 ▲ 8.39% 2.66 ▲ 8.26% 2.40 ▲ 8.17%
$ 2.50 $ 5.06 $ 16.53 $ 3.95 $ 28.44 $ 4.21 $ 34.71 $ 10.93 $ 9.99 $ 26.99 $ 64.41
0.74 ▼ 22.84% 0.55 ▼ 9.80% 1.72 ▼ 9.42% 0.39 ▼ 8.99% 2.35 ▼ 7.63% 0.29 ▼ 6.44% 2.28 ▼ 6.16% 0.71 ▼ 6.10% 0.60 ▼ 5.67% 1.55 ▼ 5.43% 3.69 ▼ 5.42%
Most Advanced PostRock Energy Corporation Gulf Resources, Inc. IRSA Propiedades Comerciales S.A. QC Holdings, Inc. Turtle Beach Corporation Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. Altisource Portfolio Solutions S.A. Proteon Therapeutics, Inc. Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Cellectis S.A. Ovascience Inc.
Most Declined Extreme Networks, Inc. Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. AngioDynamics, Inc. Ignite Restaurant Group, Inc. uniQure N.V. Sky-mobi Limited FRP Holdings, Inc. TechTarget, Inc. Mitel Networks Corporation Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. Multi-Color Corporation
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Centrica 263.60 0.90 Coca-Cola HBC 1,357.50 -2.50 Compass Group 1,214.50 -4.50 CRH 1,803.00 6.00 Diageo 1,935.75 -2.75 Direct Line Insurance 329.20 -1.00 Dixons Carphone 430.25 -2.45 easyJet 1,885.50 -29.50 Experian 1,186.00 -7.00 Fresnillo 722.75 19.25 G4S 306.80 -2.00 GKN 359.95 -1.25 GlaxoSmithKline 1,642.00 0.00 Glencore 290.15 0.50 Hammerson 690.50 -3.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,228.00 -1.00 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 2,245.50 0.50 HSBC Holdings 618.70 6.60 Imperial Tobacco Group 3,259.00 -23.00 InterContinental Hotels 2,764.00 -4.00 International Consolidtd 612.25 -4.75 Intertek Group 2,626.00 11.00 Intu Properties 364.40 -3.00 ITV 268.25 -2.35 Johnson Matthey 3,530.50 1.50 Kingfisher 363.55 -0.45 Land Securities Group 1,292.00 -7.00 Legal & General Group 285.30 -1.90 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 78.92 -0.38 London Stock Exchange 2,580.00 -5.00 Marks & Spencer Group 570.50 -5.00 Meggitt 574.25 0.75 Merlin Entertainments 456.00 0.90 Mondi 1,408.50 -7.50 Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts 201.30 -0.90 National Grid 907.30 -0.20 Next 7,045.00 -25.00 Old Mutual 235.55 -1.25 Pearson 1,441.00 -30.00 Persimmon 1,737.00 -20.00 Prudential 1,706.50 -9.50 Randgold Resources 4,925.00 45.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,071.00 -45.00 Reed Elsevier 1,178.50 -0.50 Rio Tinto 2,827.25 -9.75 Rolls-Royce Group 965.75 -9.25 Royal Bank of Scotland 348.30 -0.60 Royal Dutch Shell 2,030.25 3.75 Royal Dutch Shell 2,056.50 8.50 Royal Mail 449.20 -0.80 RSA Insurance Group 438.15 2.55 SABMiller 3,655.00 -15.00 Sage Group (The) 478.00 -6.00 Sainsbury (J) 277.25 -0.15 Schroders 3,394.50 -10.50 Severn Trent 2,175.00 1.00 Shire 5,617.50 -62.50 Sky 1,044.50 -9.50 Smith & Nephew 1,195.50 0.50 Smiths Group 1,129.50 -4.50 Sports Direct Interntnl 648.00 0.50 SSE 1,573.50 12.50 St James's Place 984.75 -9.75 Standard Chartered 1,112.75 3.75 Standard Life 476.15 -1.55 Taylor Wimpey 164.30 -1.80 Tesco 246.85 -4.15 Travis Perkins 2,006.50 -2.50 TUI AG 1,252.50 4.50 Unilever 2,918.50 -16.50 United Utilities Group 978.00 -3.50 Vodafone Group 228.50 -0.80 Weir Group 1,802.00 23.00 Whitbread 5,385.00 -35.00 Wolseley 4,103.00 -3.00 WPP Group 1,602.50 -8.50
% C H G. 0.34 -0.18 -0.37 0.33 -0.14 -0.30 -0.57 -1.54 -0.59 2.74 -0.65 -0.35 0.00 0.17 -0.43 -0.08 0.02 1.08 -0.70 -0.14 -0.77 0.42 -0.82 -0.87 0.04 -0.12 -0.54 -0.66 -0.48 -0.19 -0.87 0.13 0.20 -0.53 -0.45 -0.02 -0.35 -0.53 -2.04 -1.14 -0.55 0.92 -0.74 -0.04 -0.34 -0.95 -0.17 0.19 0.42 -0.18 0.59 -0.41 -1.24 -0.05 -0.31 0.05 -1.10 -0.90 0.04 -0.40 0.08 0.80 -0.98 0.34 -0.32 -1.08 -1.65 -0.12 0.36 -0.56 -0.36 -0.35 1.29 -0.65 -0.07 -0.53
VOLUME 13,053.77 4,955.49 20,280.52 14,661.98 48,736.20 4,953.00 4,982.37 7,606.54 11,782.60 5,184.05 4,791.32 5,948.52 79,880.61 37,880.27 5,439.13 5,829.38 4,459.29 117,642.51 31,411.72 6,535.73 12,580.28 4,219.61 4,838.06 10,910.35 7,231.55 8,524.02 10,269.07 17,066.28 56,599.37 8,968.83 9,478.59 4,561.96 4,613.56 5,200.13 4,721.54 33,928.89 10,808.16 11,664.75 12,066.29 5,385.32 44,065.60 4,530.73 43,820.73 13,288.15 40,336.93 18,033.46 22,217.10 78,923.76 49,979.61 4,500.00 4,424.35 59,298.55 5,213.95 5,311.08 7,696.06 5,191.10 33,526.03 18,118.44 10,702.73 4,476.58 3,875.06 15,501.03 5,173.69 27,422.43 11,486.31 5,404.00 20,388.71 4,998.45 N/A 37,669.53 6,692.74 60,790.42 3,796.05 9,848.20 10,677.76 21,138.33
22
E W N 16 - 22 April 2015 / Mallorca
www.euroweeklynews.com
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
Avoid being a victim of fraud Loose change A look at finance for females
Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com
EVERYONE is at threat of a scam. Unfortunately, there are many bad people out there just waiting for an opportunity to take advantage of you. Chances are you have received a few fraudulent emails, ambiguous phone calls, encountered fake online ads, questionable posts on social networking sites or maybe someone has come knocking at your door? Just the other day I met an elderly man who was at the receiving end of a nasty crime. The man was sent a letter in the post, which looked exactly like an official letter from his electricity company. The letter said that in the next few days some ‘employ-
ONLINE SCAMS: You should change your passwords regularly. ees’ of the company would be calling to his house to check the electricity meter. In the following days, two men did call to his house and while he was showing one of them the electricity meter the other crook stole jewellery and cash from under his nose. Nowadays most electricity
meters are out on the street, so these thieves really did their homework, figuring out which of the old buildings in the city still have electricity meters inside the apartment. Crime like this is nothing new, but it is scary because it is so cleverly unexpected. This man in
question, through no fault of his own, opened the door to these criminals and invited them in. It highlights, however, that we need to be extra vigilant about these sorts of things. If you receive an ‘official’ letter saying someone will come to your home, double check with the company, for example, that it is indeed a genuine letter. Identity theft is another huge business. So, to protect yourself, it’s a good idea to invest in a paper shredder. Monitor your bank and credit card statements and never give out personal information over the phone to someone who initiates the contact with you. Also, when was the last time you changed the PIN on your debit card or the password for online banking? Make it a point to give your access information an update this month. Yes, it can be hard to keep track of all those passwords and PINs, but experts recommend changing them twice a year, even if your accounts haven’t been compromised.
BUSINESS EXTRA
Strike a light HOUSEHOLDERS are paying 12.7 per cent more for electricity than in 2014, calculated consumer association FACUA. During the first quarter of this year an average bill increased from €66.33 a month to €74.73, prompting FACUA to call for “decisive” government intervention to ensure that users are not victims of restricted choice.
Half-covered SPAIN has the world’s fasted 4G mobile phone connection with an average 18mbps compared with 17mbps in Denmark, Finland and South Korea, said OpenSignal, a company that maps wireless coverage. In contrast, coverage is low and 4G is available only 52 per cent of the time that users are connected.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com
16 - 22 April 2015 / Mallorca
EWN
23
Is social media really the answer? WHILST conventional media embraced change such as online publishing, the business community was quick to see the potential in social media. An online forum presence certainly has potential due to its immediacy and flexibility of advertising. It should present a challenge to conventional print classifieds and community interplay. Does it? With a few exceptions, forums have failed due to many being managed by hapless moderators or failure to utilise their commercial potential. Many social forums boast thousands of subscribers. In practice, as few as 30 or 40 regular posters keep a forum going as the disillusioned wander off. Little traffic is produced. As a consequence commerce
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
shuns social forums. On the face of it a local online forum should be a perfect free opportunity for any specialist business to keep the community better informed, assist those with queries, and reap customer enquiries that result.
In principle fine, in practice fail. This is where the Achilles heel of social networking collapses. Social Forums lack community credibility due to their lack of accountability. Profanity and abuse disguised as banter proliferates. This is not helped by their determination to actually approve of posters anonymity. Can you imagine a newspaper allowing anonymous correspondence? No wonder newspaper advertising department heads smile as they continue to dominate advertising media. The business world is made up of a pretty mixed bunch. There’s the good, the bad and those so ugly that only a mother could love them.
I ask genuine specialists with an excellent business reputation if they have considered advertising or contributing in social media forums. Without exception they shudder at the suggestion. The problem is two-fold. An armchair forum critic can sabotage a firm’s reputation by a caustic and uninformed riposte to a genuine piece of advice given. All businesses have rivals, some of whom are hostile. Sheltering behind anonymity, such rivals can easily undermine the credibility of a competitor. In conclusion, advantages offered by conventional news media, both hard copy and online, suggests their supremacy will remain unchallenged by social media.
OPINION & COMMENT
16 - 22 April 2015/ Mallorca
www.euroweeklynews.com
EWN
25
MARTIN PODZORNY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Martyrdom is a ridiculous doctrine LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT
I
MUST confess that I find it extremely difficult to get my head around this ‘martyr’ business. In the wake of the latest slaughter committed by those ‘brave’ followers of the Islamic ‘religion of peace’ against Christian students in Kenya, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, stated that the dead were ‘all martyrs’ and that Christians should ‘always use non-violent resistance against jihads’. He was echoing the Pope’s Easter message, which decreed that Christians did not need to employ violence, and should ‘simply speak and act with the power of truth, beauty and love’. Fine words indeed, spoken from the lofty portals of the
FINE WORDS: Pope Francis’s Easter message would not resonate with everyone. Vatican or Canterbury Cathedral, but frankly standing in a dusty street, surrounded by the rubble and the beheaded bodies of your family, I would find it a bit difficult to turn the other cheek to a baying horde of maniacs bearing down on me with sabres and machetes – martyr or no martyr!
The irony is that jihadist attackers also want to be martyrs. Everyone wants to be a martyr! So what happens when we all inhabit this imaginary, ethereal world of paradise, peace, love and virgins? – the War of the Martyrs? It is of course a ridiculous doctrine. This is, I believe, the fallacy that will finally defeat
the IS fanatics and their supporters. The gift of the creator is not the gift of death, it is the gift of life. An army which fights with the fear of death, is far more dangerous than the army which welcomes it. We must never weakly turn the other cheek. We must do everything in our power to give
the Islamists the martyrdom they so earnestly seek - by whatever violence at our command. It’s all these misguided morons understand. All good-intentioned and peace-loving people must fight with everything they can lay their hands on, even if it is against moral judgment. Only when we defeat the Satan of the East, will we be able to enjoy the true paradise that awaits us. The one we can create on this glorious planet of ours. Not as martyrs, existing in some fairy-tale Shangri-La while our miraculous temples of the soul are rotting in the ground, but as true children of the creator, enjoying the wonders of Earth. Readily available to all human beings that truly seek to enjoy peace, love and harmony with their fellow travellers. Keep the faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com leapylee.co.uk
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E W N 16 - 22 April 2015/ Mallorca
www.euroweeklynews.com
OPINION & COMMENT
Should the UK stay in the EU? TONY BLAIR, Britain’s former prime minister, has launched a major attack on David Cameron’s plan for an EU referendum in the UK. Do you think that the UK should leave the EU or is it better to stay in Europe? Sammy and Paul, owners of Splash Pools Mijas on Costa del Sol, felt that that the UK had given too much in the past to other countries while barely looking after its own. “The UK should leave the EU and concentrate on improving the National Health System, education and so on. What other country refuses to pay for its own people’s needs such as the NHS and education while at the same time handing out to others? There is something very wrong with that. “The only one we would vote for SAMMY & PAUL: UK should leave EU and concentrate on its own people.
STREET TALK is Nigel Farage of UKIP as we think he does talk sense,” they said. But Betty Herr of La Cala Lions on the Costa del Sol disagreed. She remarked: “I don’t normally agree with Tony Blair but on this occasion I do. The impact of the UK leaving the EU would be dangerous and a lot of the smaller countries would suffer. It would definitely have its repercussions and do a lot of damage, so I think the UK should stay with Europe.” Laszlo Miklosi also believed it would be better
BRIAN: Leaving would be bad for expats. LASZLO: Unity is important. to stay in the EU: “In the end we all have to be one, everyone has to fight for the same future but if we are all in different groups it would be harder.” Originally from Hungary, the owner of La Campana in Quesada, Costa Blanca, said the EU had not necessarily helped Hungary, or people in the UK as it had just opened the doors for people to move there, but he does believe in bringing everyone together.“Unity is important,” he commented.
Brian Dulston of Aloe Vera Forever Living was an exLabour councillor for many years back in the UK. He said: “Well, I don’t believe the UK would be better off coming out of Europe. And for people living on the Costa Blanca, I think it would be bad for British expats, causing turmoil in Spain.”
OPINION & COMMENT
www.euroweeklynews.com
16 - 22 April 2015 / Mallorca
EWN
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‘Come back home!’ Cameron’s plea to voters, but not to illegal immigrants Nora Johnson
Breaking Views Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/ columnists/nora-johnson
F
OR you, what are the big issues at the heart of next month’s UK general election? For many, they’re immigration, the economy and the NHS. But what we’ll inevitably see will be politicians talking at voters about their pet issues rather than debating policy amongst themselves, let alone listening to what Joe Public has to say. None of the mainstream parties speak for a majority. None speak from a position of strength because the mainstream’s exhausted and resorts to slogans and sound-bites. They’ll all be on the defensive
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: The UK can’t continue to be the world’s destination of choice, something has to give. about one issue or other: the Tories about immigration and the NHS, Labour about the economy while the Lib Dems have the ingenious idea of improving any government by blocking the other parties’ policies.
Well, let’s look at one of these issues from Joe Public’s perspective: immigration. Recently we learnt that 40 illegal immigrants are detained every day thanks to the ‘hostile environment’ the Government’s created. What’s meant by ‘hostile environment?’ Immigrants are detained and invariably released, so back to business as usual? Per-
haps they’re detained in an asylum centre with beds, showers, food and leisure facilities too? Some have indeed had a hard life in their native countries. But wouldn’t it be better if they stayed and sought change there? Otherwise those left behind genuinely seeking change have less of a say. Anyway, isn’t this the point of the UK’s foreign aid programme (itself due to outstrip the defence budget within 15 years, the UK already the world’s second largest aid donor)? The UK can’t continue being the world’s destination of choice. As a lifeboat, it’s already beginning to sink under the weight of these arrivals. Something’s got to give otherwise everyone goes down.
We, the voters, can’t offer a handy cut-out-and-keep guide for the next government. Quite reasonably, it’ll view taking advice from Joe Public a bit like taking parenting advice from Britney Spears. But our response to this is simple. If illegal immigrants can’t be deported immediately (it’s their Human Rights, stupid!), then threaten employers with very heavy fines, if necessary close their businesses. At least that would stop them employing illegals and help curb the flow. But the most effective deterrent of all: withholding benefits? Sorry, still a pipe dream... Yes, the parties talk a lot, but are they saying anything? Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.89;£0.79) and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.
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E W N 16 - 22 April 2015 / Mallorca
www.euroweeklynews.com
OPINION & COMMENT
Mike Walsh Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.
A SEISMIC shift in the global power struggle between the West and the BRICS world has shifted to Central Europe. Russian and NATO military hardware confront each other in what was, until recently, a sea of little interest to the rest of us. We have all heard of the Bermuda Triangle, the mysterious sea where ships and aircraft disappear. Few have heard of the Black Sea Vortex. Could the inexplicable disappearance of a Russian or NATO warship spark a war that would leave Western Europe and the United States a
glass-strewn thermonuclear shellhole? Turkish fishermen were the first to bring to attention what is known as the Black Sea Vortex of Death. The location is Snake Island set in the Danube Delta. For centuries the region has been a hotbed of tension between Ukraine and Romania but now attracts wider significance. Historically, Russian sailors have been wary of the phenomena of disappearing ships since the 13th century. They record a whirl of white water that swallows everything on and over this sea, even flights of birds. Are these flights of fancy or is there something in such tales? Russian and Ukrainian scientists are agreed. The region shows magnetic abnormality. This information came to light when,
during the Soviet era, a Red Army report disclosed that a warship in May 1944 had disappeared without trace. In broad daylight and perfect sea conditions the heavily armed Russian cruiser simply disappeared south of Crimea. The baffling loss was reported by the commander of an accompanying warship. His report told of a ‘black fog and a bolt of lightning that, when it cleared left the horizon clear.’ The Soviet warship had incomprehensibly disappeared. There was no wreckage, no trace, nothing. In December 1945, five Soviet bombers disappeared over the area. They left neither trace nor explanation. The last radio messages recorded a thick fog blanketing their cockpit canopies. Equally odd the disappearance of 80 oil-drilling platform
CREDIT NASA
Mysterious Black Sea triangle DANUBE DELTA: A hotbed for tension between Romania and Ukraine. personnel in 1991. Contact between shore and the rig abruptly ceased. Repeated attempts to contact the rig were futile. Sent to investigate, a military squadron discovered a drifting rig platform upon which there were no people evident and no signs of disturbance. Nothing was found. This incident has its parallel in the Mary Celeste incident in 1872. Inexplicable ship disappear-
ances are still commonplace. I recall the time when, in 1962, moored at a pier in the Red Sea, we sailors remarked on the cruise liner berthed next to us. This vessel set sail the night before our departure. Both liner and its passengers disappeared. We were told the liner was the victim of a rogue electric storm. I heard no more. The sea remains a very mysterious place.
FEATURE
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Euro unchanged Commentary by Moneycorp EUR The euro was unchanged against sterling over the eight-day week. It lost one US cent and fell three cents against the Australian dollar. As usual, Greece was a consideration for the euro, though for once it was not a particularly damaging one. Athens made a €450m repayment to the International Monetary Fund on time and nobody was unduly concerned about Prime Minister Tsipras cozying up to President Putin in Moscow. The European Central Bank dispelled another concern when it made a further €1.2bn available to Greek banks under its Emergency Liquidity Assistance programme. There is still no consensus among investors as to whether the euro’s decline was reversed last month or if it is simply licking its wounds before it sets off lower again. However, with the UK general election less than four weeks away it looks less vulnerable against sterling, which is coming under pressure from political risk. USD The dollar lost ground to the
antipodeans over the eight-day week and was just about unchanged against the Canadian dollar. It strengthened against the Europeans, adding a cent against the euro and the pound. It would have done a whole lot better had it not been for the US employment data released on Good Friday. Just 126k jobs were added in March, only about half the number predicted by analysts. Downward revisions to the two previous months exacerbated the situation by leaving the overall tally 188k short. The US dollar lost a cent on the news. CAD The Canadian dollar lost ground to the antipodeans over the eight-day week and was just about unchanged against the US dollar. It strengthened against the Europeans, adding a cent and three quarters against the pound. It would have been fair to expect the Loonie to have done a little better, at least against the US dollar, which was hurt by much weaker-than-expected employment data. That said, the Canadian statistics themselves were not exactly brilliant.
Clarisse Musselwhite is Moneycorp’s Account Manager for Mallorca
She can be contacted on Tel: +34 902 887 243 Mobile: +34 687 932 472 Email:mallorca@moneycorp.com
902887243 mallorca@moneycorp.com The trade deficit narrowed in February but it was still a deficit. The Ivey purchasing managers index was a positive 56.0 last month, but turned into an unfavourable 47.9 after seasonal adjustment. With the UK general election less than a month away the pound is coming under pressure from political risk. That could lead to it losing ground to the Canadian dollar in coming weeks.
AUD The performance of the Australian dollar over the eight-day week was a reverse of what it had done over the previous seven days. The Aussie strengthened by four and a quarter cents against sterling, by three cents against the euro and by one against the US dollar. It was unchanged against the Kiwi. Australian economic data had little to do with its success. The trade deficit was not quite as wide as forecast but it was still a deficit. Purchasing managers’ index readings from the services and construction sectors pointed to increasing activity, but on a scale of 0-100 they were only just in the growth zone at 50.2 and 50.1. However, the US dollar lost ground on news of much slower American jobs growth. And with the UK general election less than a month away the pound found itself under increasing pressure from political risk.
30
E W N 16 - 22 April 2015 / Mallorca
Thursday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm BBC Election Debate 2015 10:30pm BBC Election Debate 2015: The Reaction 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Question Time 12:45am This Week
BBC TWO 5:15pm 'Allo, 'Allo! 5:45pm Just Good Friends 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm Collectaholics 9:00pm Coast Australia 9:50pm Nature's Weirdest Events 10:00pm Banished 11:00pm Inside No 9 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Kill the Christians
ITV 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:25pm Party Election Broadcast 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Double Decker Driving School 10:00pm Ice Rink on the Estate 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Agenda 12:25am Newzoids
CH4 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm The Supervet 10:00pm The Island with Bear Grylls 11:00pm The Secret Life of the Pub 12:00am Skint 1:00am Raised by Wolves
CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm The Classic Car Show 9:00pm The Last Days of... 10:00pm The Hotel Inspector 11:00pm The Mentalist 11:55pm Born to Kill? 12:55am Access 1:00am Super Casino
SKY1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Arrow 10:00pm Forever 11:00pm Wild Things 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles
Friday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm MasterChef 10:00pm Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:25am Would I Lie to You?
BBC TWO 6:40pm Priceless Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm Collectaholics 9:00pm An Island Parish 9:30pm Gardeners' World 10:00pm Sex and the Church 11:00pm The Clare Balding Show 11:30pm Newsnight 12:35am Later... with Jools Holland
ITV 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:25pm Party Election Broadcast 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Weekend Escapes with Warwick Davis 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Slow Train Through Africa with Griff Rhys-Jones 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Rambo: First Blood Part II 1:30am Jackpot247
CH4 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm Unreported World 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:05am Virtually Famous
CH5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Secrets of Great British Castles 10:00pm NCIS: New Orleans 11:00pm NCIS 11:55pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 12:50am True Crimes: The First 72 Hours
SKY1 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Relatively Clever 10:00pm Trollied 10:30pm Trollied 11:00pm Hawaii Five-0 12:00am Hawaii Five-0
TV LISTING
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Saturday BBC ONE 4:30pm F1: Grand Prix Qualifying 6:05pm Match of the Day Live 8:25pm BBC News 8:35pm Regional News 8:40pm Weather 8:45pm Atlantis 9:30pm The National Lottery: In It to Win It 10:20pm Casualty 11:10pm BBC News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Match of the Day 12:50am The Football League Show
BBC TWO 3:05pm Snooker 5:30pm Final Score 6:15pm Escape to the Continent 6:45pm Flog It! 7:30pm Gardeners World 8:00pm Snooker 9:00pm Dad's Army 9:30pm Jane Eyre 11:20pm QI XL 12:05am Snooker
ITV 3:40pm Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles 5:30pm Unforgettable 6:00pm Off Their Rockers 6:30pm Local News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:00pm Ninja Warrior UK 9:00pm Britain's Got Talent 10:15pm Play to the Whistle 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm Red Heat 1:10am Jackpot 247 4:00am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 4:40am Nightscreen
CH4 5:10pm Come Dine with Me 5:45pm Come Dine with Me 6:15pm Come Dine with Me 6:50pm Come Dine with Me 7:15pm Come Dine with Me 7:45pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Walking Through History 9:00pm World's Most Extreme... 10:00pm X-Men: First Class 12:40am In Fear
CH5 3:25pm Police Interceptors 4:25pm Columbo: Make Me a Perfect Murder 6:25pm The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 7:20pm Britain's Horror Homes 8:10pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 9:05pm 5 News 9:10pm NCIS 10:10pm NCIS 11:10pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 12:10am Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
SKY1 3:00pm RSPCA Animal Rescue 3:30pm RSPCA Animal Rescue 4:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Wild Things 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 9:00pm Hawaii Five-0 10:00pm Eight Legged Freaks 12:00am Hawaii Five-0
Sunday BBC ONE 3:10pm Points of View 3:25pm Songs of Praise 4:00pm F1 the Bahrain Grand Prix 7:05pm Celebrity Mastermind 7:35pm BBC News 7:50pm Regional News 7:55pm Weather 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm Poldark 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm Regional News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Match of the Day 2 12:30am Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights
BBC TWO 5:00pm Snooker 7:00pm Penguins on a Plane: Great Animal Moves 8:00pm Snooker 9:10pm Coast Australia 10:00pm Hunters of the South Seas 11:00pm Bluestone 42 11:30pm Carnage 12:45am Snooker
ITV 3:35pm Britain's Got Talent 4:50pm Darcy Oake: Edge of Reality 5:50pm All Star Family Fortunes 6:50pm Ninja Warrior UK 7:50pm Local News and Weather 8:00pm ITV News and Weather 8:15pm Celebrity Squares 9:00pm Vera 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm Perspectives 12:20am Piers Morgan's Life Stories
CH4 3:25pm The Simpsons 3:55pm The Simpsons 4:25pm The Simpsons 4:55pm Location, Location, Location 5:55pm A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 7:00pm Channel 4 News 7:20pm Ice Age: Continental Drift 9:00pm For the Love of Cars 10:00pm Indian Summers 11:30pm Gogglebox 12:30am First Dates
CH5 3:35pm The Land Before Time 4:55pm Alvin and the Chipmunks 6:40pm Pocahontas 8:10pm 5 News 8:15pm Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 10:00pm Stolen 11:55pm Drive Angry 1:50am Jackass
SKY1 3:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 4:00pm Modern Family 4:30pm Modern Family 5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm About a Boy 6:30pm About a Boy 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm Wild Things 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm Hawaii Five-0 11:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 12:00am Hawaii Five-0
Monday BBC ONE 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm The Leader Interviews 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm MasterChef 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm Have I Got a Bit More News for You 12:25am The Graham Norton Show
BBC TWO 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm The Mekong River with Sue Perkins 9:00pm Alex Polizzi Chefs on Trial.
10:00pm Inside Harley Street 11:00pm Jack Dee's Election Helpdesk 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather
ITV 6:00pm The Paul O'Grady Show 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Wild Ireland 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Safe House 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Agenda 12:20am Slow Train Through Africa with Griff Rhys-Jones
CH4 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm Food Unwrapped 9:30pm Travel Man: 48 Hours in Marrakech 10:00pm Skint 11:00pm Raised by Wolves 11:35pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 12:35am The Island with Bear Grylls
CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Police Interceptors 10:00pm Gotham 11:00pm Person of Interest 11:55pm Lock Up 2:05am Super Casino
SKY1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Driving School of Mum and Dad 10:00pm The Simpsons 10:30pm Futurama 11:00pm Arrow 12:00am Critical 1:00am Hawaii Five-0
Tuesday BBC ONE 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 Ordinary Lies 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm Del Boys and Dealers 12:45am In the Electric Mist
BBC TWO 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm The Mekong River with Sue Perkins 9:00pm Alex Polizzi 10:00pm Back in Time for Dinner 11:00pm Later Live... with Jools Holland 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather
ITV 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Paul O'Grady Show 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm UEFA Champions League 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm UEFA Champions League Highlights 12:40am Benidorm
CH4 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Deal or No Deal 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm Plus Sized Wars 10:00pm One Born Every Minute 11:00pm Ballot Monkeys 11:35pm Skint 12:35am The Island with Bear Grylls
CH5 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Concrete Canyons 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead 2 9:00pm Britain's Horror Homes 10:00pm The Devil's Disciple 11:00pm Family Secrets and Lies 12:00am Can't Stop, Won't Stop
SKY1 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm The Fanatics 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Flash 10:00pm Critical 11:00pm Forever 12:00am Hawaii Five-0
Wednesday BBC ONE 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm The Leader Interviews 9:00pm MasterChef 10:00pm Secret Britain 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm A Question of Sport 12:15am Drugs in Sport
BBC TWO 3:00pm Daily Politics Election Debate 4:00pm Snooker 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm The Mekong River with Sue Perkins 9:00pm Alex Polizzi 10:00pm World's Richest Terror Army 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather
ITV 6:00pm The Paul O'Grady Show 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:25pm Party Election Broadcast 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Give a Pet a Home 10:00pm Newzoids 10:30pm The Delivery Man 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Pop Gold 12:40am Corfu: A Tale of Two Islands
CH4 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 10:00pm The Island with Bear Grylls 11:00pm First Dates 12:00am One Born Every Minute
CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 9:00pm The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 10:00pm Autopsy: The Last Hours of Robin Williams 11:00pm Britain's Favourite StandUp Comedian 1:55am Super Casino
SKY1 4:00pm The Fanatics 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons :00pm Wild Things 10:00pm Eight Legged Freaks 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles
32
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Paddington After a massive earthquake in the Andes Mountains of darkest Peru, a young bear with a fabulous ability to talk travels to London looking for a new home. This is a lovely retake of a classic story which is told with lots of great jokes that will leave you with a warm feeling, plus a craving for marmalade sandwiches! Directed by: David Heyman and starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent. Run time 1 hr 35 mins. Rated PG-13.
TODAY TODAY
ALCUDIA
POLLENÇA
CALA MILLOR
INCA
CALVIA
CALA d’OR
PALMA ANDRATX
LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF
ALCUDIA
POLLENÇA
TOMORROW CALA MILLOR
INCA
CALVIA
CALA d’OR
PALMA ANDRATX
LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF
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GOLDEN OLDIES 1. In which athletics event did Tessa Sanderson win the 1984 Olympic gold medal? 2. In which decade did speculative attacks on the pound force Britain to abandon the gold standard? 3. In which play by William Shakespeare would you find the, often misquoted phrase: ‘All that glisters is not gold?’ 4. In which year did Queen Elizabeth II celebrate her golden jubilee? 5. Named after an 18th century English clockmaker, what name is given to an alloy of copper and zinc resembling gold, which is used in watchmaking and cheap jewellery? 6. Originally known as Pelican, what was the name of the English galleon that is best known for her circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake? 7. What was the name of the famous king of Phrygia who is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ability to turn everything he touched with his hand into gold?
Fri Sat Sun -
23 14 Cl 21 15 Cl 19 14 C
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.
Y S
tars
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.
SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) You dominate the scene this week and no one is in any doubt about 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.
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 will start to see the rewards of your efforts which will undoubtedly help you to keep up the momentum.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 December 21) Communication and selfexpression are what it's all about this week. You should realise that you are entitled to some fun.
Sudoku
CAPRICORN (December 22 January 20) The call of romance is strong but so is that of your business life. The two will clash to the detriment of each other if you do not plan ahead and pace yourself.
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.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
AQUARIUS (January 21 February 19) Such is your popularity this week that you can be assured of success in many things. 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. Be sure that all is not what it seems.
UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
UK THUNDERBALL
IRISH LOTTO
EURO MILLIONS
Saturday April 11
Saturday April 11
Saturday April 11
Friday April10
22
24
28
33
46
2
7 18
11 28
6
8
25
29
31
42
BONUS BALL
THUNDERBALL
BONUS BALL
19
11
11
22
23 30
43
9
LA PRIMITIVA
EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA
20 14 C 21 14 S 21 14 C
CLOUDY
Fri Sat Sun -
22 14 C 22 16 Cl 21 14 Cl
Fri Sat Sun -
Fri Sat Sun -
23 11 Cl 24 12 Cl 22 11 C
MAX MIN
Mon - 23 11 C Tues - 24 11 C Wed - 21 10 Sh
Murcia
MAX MIN
S Sun,
SHOWERS MAX 18C, MIN 9C MAX MIN
MAX MIN
Mon - 21 14 C Tues - 21 14 Cl Wed - 22 14 C
CLOUDY MAX 23C, MIN 12C 23 11 S 22 11 Cl 23 11 Cl
MAX MIN
Mon - 21 14 C Tues - 22 15 C Wed - 21 15 Sh
Madrid
Mallorca Fri Sat Sun -
23 15 Cl 22 14 Cl 22 14 Cl
TODAY:
MAX 22, MIN 16C
MAX MIN
TODAY:
SHOWERS MAX 21C, MIN 14C MAX MIN
MAX MIN
Mon - 21 13 Cl Tues - 21 14 Cl Wed - 20 13 C
Malaga TODAY:
MAX MIN
Mon - 21 16 Cl Tues - 21 15 C Wed - 21 16 C
Benidorm TODAY:
CLOUDY MAX 22C, MIN 14C
TODAY:
MAX MIN
Mon - 22 12 Cl Tues - 22 12 Cl Wed - 21 11 Sh Cl Clear,
THUNDER MAX 23C, MIN 11C MAX MIN
Fri Sat Sun Fog,
Sn Snow,
MAX MIN
27 14 Cl 26 14 Cl 24 13 C
Mon - 24 14 C Tues - 24 15 Cl Wed - 24 14 C
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 B) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.
TARGET:
Average: 12
Very good: 21
Good: 15
Excellent: 26
aped, awed, dare, darn, dawn, dean, dear, draw, drew, dune, dupe, nard, nerd, nude, pard, pend, rand, read, rend, rude, rued, wade, wand, ward, wend, awned, drape, drawn, drupe, duper, padre, paned, pared, pawed, perdu, prude, raped, under, unwed, upend, upped, wader, waned, wared, append, dapper, napped, pander, pawned, pruned, rapped, unawed, unread, upward, wander, warden, warned, warped, predawn, undrape, wrapped, UNWRAPPED
9
23
24
28
35
41
REINTEGRO 8
3
TEST
Sunday April 12
Saturday April 11
25
LUCKY STARS 5
Fri Sat Sun -
21 16 Cl 22 16 C 22 15 C
Word Ladder
LOTTERY 17
Fri Sat Sun -
Barcelona TODAY:
CLOUDY MAX 21C, MIN 15C MAX MIN
Mon - 19 14 C Tues - 21 15 C Wed - 19 14 Sh
MAX MIN
our
TODAY:
MAX MIN
17
25 31
Move from the start word (TEST) to the end word (FLEW) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.
29 42
REINTEGRO 2
FLEW
FEED FLED FEW
7-Star Quiz
MAX MIN
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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 over-excited. 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.
Almeria
SHOWERS MAX 21C, MIN 14C
FLEW or TEST FEST FEET
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.
Alicante TODAY:
TEST TEAT FEAT FLAT FLAW
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.
1. JAVELIN, 2. 1930s (1931), 3. THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, 4. 2002, 5. PINCHBECK, 6. GOLDEN HIND (or GOLDEN HINDE), 7. MIDAS
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CROSSWORDS
Crosswords
16 - 22 April 2015 / Mallorca
EWN
33
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Cryptic
Quick
Across 3 Can eels somehow purify? (7) 7 A smell from the food, our dinner (5) 8 Leg-up to a degree? Get bread! (5) 9 Really learned about red meats (8) 10 Beautiful French girl sounding alarm (5) 13 Lass finishes with the idiot (3) 15 Supplies arrived in damaged crates (6) 16 Adapted canoes for big seas (6) 17 Greek god of use in the kitchen (3) 19 Transfers art in the Civil Service (5) 23 Produce electricity from green tea (8) 24 Enthusiastic, as found in flea germs (5) 25 A range of potential votes (5) 26 Hawaiian garland, certain relaxation (7) Down 1 Turned out, so I be in Idaho (5) 2 Divided country in New York or Eastern seaboard area (5) 3 Alternatively reclines not in fisher-
Across 1 Acknowledgments of appreciation (6) 4 Earlier in time (6) 7 Be without (4) 8 Time or space between (8) 9 Imply as a possibility (7) 12 Lacking self-confidence (3) 14 On a ship, train, plane or other vehicle (6) 15 Desert plant (6) 16 Is the owner (3) 18 Arachnids (7) 22 Being within reasonable or average limits (8) 23 Come upon, as if by accident (4) 24 Four-footed animals (6) 25 Last day of the week (6)
man's baskets (6) 4 Roused when a vigil comes to a sorry end (8) 5 Rewriting tag lines is theft (8) 6 Soldiers hidden in farmyard (4) 11 Shell motor at full speed (8) 12 Pioneers such as pay their bills (8)
13 As quiet as a snake (3) 14 Sounds like a star issue (3) 18 Reluctant to produce a few lines (6) 20 Fruit available in Fontvieille, Monaco (5) 21 Leaves left off the roof (5) 22 Ray's joyful expression? (4)
Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 15 represents J and 18 represents M, so fill in J every time the figure 15 appears and M every time the figure 18 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Purchase, 5 Elms, 9 Chatter, 10 Plain, 11 Lion, 12 Desires, 15 Assume, 16 Severe, 19 Instead, 21 Bags, 24 Alert, 25 Leading, 26 Easy, 27 Princess. Down: 1 Peculiar, 2 Reasons, 3 Hate, 4 Screen, 6 Leave, 7 Sent, 8 Spoiled, 13 Imitate, 14 Messages, 17 Examine, 18 Sailor, 20 Needs, 22 Bare, 23 Earn. QUICK Across: 1 Dares, 5 Heads, 8 Never, 9 Soldier, 10 Earlier, 11 Cell, 12/18 Big top, 14 Mesh, 15 Inch, 21 Look, 23 Examine, 25 Confirm, 26 Tramp, 27 Sleek, 28 Clear. Down: 1 Dancer, 2 Reverse, 3 Straight, 4 Absorb, 5 Half, 6 Alike, 7 Shrill, 13 Gigantic, 16 Climate, 17 Clocks, 19 Permit, 20 Helper, 22 Ounce, 24 Link.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
17 Without support (5) 19 Dramas (5) 20 Put on clothes (5) 21 Acquires (4)
fully (5) 12 Allayed (9) 13 Day immediately before today (9)
English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across 1 Height (of object) (6) 3 Weapon (4) 7 Day (3) 9 Arrival (of person, letter etc) (7) 10 Ganar (sueldo) (4) 11 Hueso (4) 14 Gaviota (7) 15 Mar (3) 16 Faja (de tela) (4) 17 Head (of person) (6) Down 1 Direcciones (9) 2 Rollo (de tela, papel, cuerda fina, cable fino) (4) 4 Razones (7) 5 Housewife (3,2,4) 6 Cama (mueble) (3) 8 Atrasos (7) 12 Pero (uso adversativo) (3) 13 Soul (of a person) (4)
Hexagram The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (SOLEMN) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues. AFRESH
NEARBY
ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Listen, 4 Hips, 8 Shade, 9 Clean, 10 Religioso, 13 Young, 15 Unico, 16 Soap, 17 Castle.
BEINGS
OTHERS
CHASED
RECENT
CLOSER
RUSHED
COURSE
SHOOTS
GHOSTS
SOLEMN (10)
Down: 1 Last, 2 Stage, 3 Evenings, 5 Ice, 6 Son, 7 Aceituna, 11 Skirt, 12 Doce, 13 Yes, 14 Uva.
HAREMS
SOUGHT
HATTER
THRONE
LOGGED
WAGONS
METRES
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
Funagram Unscramble the name of a famous sporting trophy (two words): LIAR’S MUD CAP FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: FOOD PROCESSOR, ADMIRAL’S CUP
Unscramble the name of a kitchen appliance (two words): SO DROOPS FORCE
Down 1 Apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (9) 2 Forebears (9) 3 Bee wound (5) 4 Mouthfuls (5) 5 Croft (4) 6 Arrive at (5) 10 Young women (5) 11 Mock or make fun of play-
1 Cheery, 2 Farmer, 3 Wiggle, 4 Regard, 5 Melons, 6 Bagged, 7 Desire, 8 Jogger, 9 Threat, 10 Injury, 11 Reader, 12 Bleary, 13 Rumour, 14 Quoted, 15 Abroad, 16 Purred, 17 Landed, 18 Tramps, 19 Driven
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A Russian takeover bid? MIKE WALSH is again taking on the role of appeaser, 1930s’ style. As Goebbels said: “If you lie hard enough, everyone believes it.” Mike asserts that “mainstream media seems to have toned down the anti-Nazi rhetoric.” This is simply not true; the foul history of Nazism has never had more publicity, with hardly a day passing when we are not reminded of what Hitler did. Mike’s only ‘evidence’ of proNazi activity is the commemoration of Latvians who fought alongside the Germans in the Second World War. Has he stopped to think why they did so? Has he forgotten that the USSR invaded the Baltic States in 1940, taking away their independence? No wonder that Balts took advantage of the German invasion of the USSR in 1941 to try to win their freedom back. The Baltic States today have every reason to fear a new attempt to swallow them into Russia. Mike reminds us that Germany was the bad guy in 1939 – fair enough. But if Putin does not want to be compared to Hitler, why does he go on imitating him? His takeover of the Crimea was a shameless copy of Hitler’s takeover of the Czech Sudetenland first, and then the whole of Czechoslovakia. For Sudetenland, read Crimea, and for the whole of Czechoslovakia, read Ukraine and the Baltic States. History is indeed repeating itself; let us just hope that Putin will somehow be put off from carrying his Hitler-imitation through! Bill Campbell (by email)
Helpline tip WITH reference to an article about the ‘Alertcop’ app, I have looked it up and it is for reporting crimes one is witnessing, not for reporting a crime when one is the victim. It does not replace or add to the system for victims reporting a crime on the 902 102 112 number, for instance. With that system, the victim gives information about the crime and
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must then go to any National Police station of their choice within 48 hours to make and sign the crime report. That service is in Spanish, English, German and Italian. Julian Ward (by email)
Car SOS. They showcase Britain’s car history in restoring old classics and the thriving industry of highly-talented companies and individuals with hands-on engineering expertise. This may encourage young people in Britain to take up an engineering apprenticeship instead of going to university to study some obscure subject in the social sciences and waste three years philosophising. Richard Beames, Los Boliches (Malaga)
THAT awed phrase: “I don’t know how they do it!” comes to mind every time I see a palm lopped the oldfashioned way. Linda Gonzalez, Altea (Alicante)
Model state
Enough already!
I WISH that people like Cassandra Nash in her column would try to see the whole picture when reporting on South American politics. In a recent column she castigated Venezuela as a totalitarian system. She must know that the late President Hugo Chavez and present incumbent, Nicolas Maduro, were both elected in democratically-held elections despite US attempts to destabilise them. Even former US President Jimmy Carter said that Venezuela’s election process was the best in the world. It is precisely because some of the old political parties are seen to be tired and corrupt that new movements like Podemos and Syriza are becoming so popular. When it comes to totalitarian systems we shouldn’t criticise too loudly. Which states in the world imprison people without trial, invade other countries and spy on their own citizens? I don’t think we should be too smug, now should we? Les Adams, Orihuela Costa (Alicante)
WHAT’s with all these stupid EHIC letters? The cards aren’t valid if you live here, they’re for tourists. If you’re a pensioner living here you need a Spanish Social Security card, simple. No more of it please! There are enough other issues for expats to deal with. Amazed Steve, Palma Nova (Mallorca) Editor’s note: Foreign residents registered with Social Security need Spain’s version of the EHIC, the Tarjeta Sanitaria Europea (TSE). This provides Spanish residents with emergency medical treatment and care when travelling inside the EU.
Driven crazy CONGRATULATIONS to Leapy Lee on a wonderful article – absolutely spot-on! With reference to Jeremy Clarkson and the BBC Programme, Top Gear, they are dinosaurs that have been
operating the same format for the last 23 years. Every week, two overgrown schoolboys and their verticallychallenged accomplice predictably present the same boring programme content, namely drag-racing two sports cars on an old airfield. They compete against one another in a race from A to B in Europe in a car, train or Shanks’s pony. They get some B-List celebrity to drive a ‘sit-up and beg’ small family saloon around the same old airfield against the clock, with Clarkson’s same inane comment: “Going through the chicane.” They take beaten-up old jalopies, weld on some steel and drive them to destruction in some God-forsaken place in Africa, Russia or South America where the local inhabitants think they are all nuts and should be certified. Same old bloke in a space suit driving around the same old airfield (mind the old 747 Jumbo!). If cars are your bag there is no comparison between Top Gear and two other interesting and educational motoring programmes, Wheeler Dealers and
NOT long ago I treated a dear friend and her family to dinner. The bill for four of us only came to €82 and the standard was so high the waiters merited a good tip. Having sorted out a €50 and two €20 notes to cover the cost I added €5 and some coins to mark my appreciation. As we made our way out the waitress approached me and said I had given them too much money. I told her it was to show how much we all enjoyed the meals and their service. I walked on out to my car and my guest followed but was stopped by the same waitress who showed her what I had paid. I had given her two €50 notes by mistake and she insisted that I took one back. Such refreshing honesty renews one’s faith in human nature in these days where corruption and dishonesty fill hundreds of pages in our newspapers each week. Needless to say, I shall return many times. John Wilkinson, Playa Flamenca (Alicante)
Change of diet FOLLOWERS of Barcelona Football Club will doubtless be pleased by the current form of the club and in particular the form and behaviour of Luis Suarez. Barça seems to have curbed his habit of biting people, or perhaps he’s turned vegetarian! Harvey ‘Hogan’ Appel, Sorbas (Almeria)
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.
HEALTH & BEAUTY
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My short stay is a real relief Erica Russell Watson: My journey – and I’m driving
10th April I HAD the seventh chemo treatment last week. It was the fastest I have ever been seen and so I was only at the hospital until 1.30pm which was a relief since I always arrive at 7.15am making it a long day. I have to say that the side effects kick in about two to three days after the treatment now. I am left feeling listless, very achy and generally a bit wobbly. Nothing that stops me from getting on with normal life, but the pace slows down greatly and I am far more susceptible to coughs and colds. Hence the hacking cough I have now, more antibiotics which I dislike, but at
least my temperature is under the dangerous 38 degrees mark. I am sure the battery in my thermometer is going to run out at any moment as I have to diligently monitor my temperature. If I hit the 38 degree mark then I have to go to hospital for tests as it is a sign of an infection that I might not be in shape to fight on my own. Luckily I have avoided this as it would mean a possible hospital stay and put my treatment back.
I am now preparing for radiotherapy I was told that once I was in the last cycle of chemotherapy I had to ring the radiotherapy team at Carlos Haya to book my scan in preparation for the next stage of my treatment. I called at the beginning of April and efficiently they called me back and I went in
on April 7 for a scan of my torso which then provided them with an idea of how to mark out the area to be radiated. This type of CAT scan is painless as there is no intravenous dye used. You just have to strip down to your waist, in my case because my cancer was in the breast and armpit, and put your arms outstretched over your head, incline your head to the unaffected side and not move an inch. After the scan the nurse came in and explained that they were going to tattoo me to mark out the zone that they would administer the radiotherapy to. The dye is permanent. So four little and quick punctures were filled with dye and I was done. I had a chat with another nurse who explained the importance of moisturising in preparation for radiotherapy. At this stage they couldn’t tell me how many sessions I would need. That would have to be discussed with my doctor. However a mini-
mum of 15 and up to a maximum of 35 sessions were discussed. I have fair skin so it is likely that my skin will become red and irritated. I was also given instructions on what not to do! No deodorant or perfumes or extreme water temperatures! So that’s the end to my scorching showers then!
I can’t use deodorant or perfume! And a whole host of other things and of course to avoid the sun. I have to say though that I am really pleased with how things have been going although I don’t have any concrete results of how my treatment has gone yet. Finishing chemo will be such a relief. A little like a bored child… I have had enough now! Yesterday was a day to for-
get about cancer and my motorway breakdown! It was time to catch up with friends. Jorge and I had a splendid lunch in Fuengirola. Gosh we all laughed so much and have put a date in the diary to meet again soon. Laughing is the best tonic ever. The children dragged themselves out of bed today and rather like an adult who has to work, they too were pretty happy that it was Friday! Well that makes all of us then. Another week gone and I am not one to wish away my life, but the passing of time for us is all about life and healing. The children have a great loss to come to terms with and I have a physical and mental battle which should be a much shorter ordeal. My cancer is easier to deal with because there is something to be done and a process to go through. Emotional trauma is far more deeply rooted with no road map to navigate your way out of. They are making a progress, little by little and day by day.
16 - 22 April 2015/ Mallorca
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Mallorca’s best guide to local restaurants
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Il Paradiso for a little magic IL PARADISO is so called because this elegant restaurant is like stepping into paradise itself. The location is perfect for romance offering a spectacular view over the Bay of Palma from the waterfront of Marivent Mallorca. Peter Axelsson and his attentive staff run a tight ship to make every dining experience a magical one, day or night. The dishes are authentic and created with the passion that Italians are famous for, and so is the food. With a mixture of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, it is a pure pleasure to dine here. The creative starters will give you a sample of the standards that will follow, salads including buffalo mozzarella, parmesan ham, cherry tomatoes, and curry with mango are just a few to mention. There is Mediterranean tortelloni, Black Angus beef, or Pasta penne with shrimp and courgettes in a creamy saffron
SPECTACULAR DINING: Created with the passion Italians are famous for. sauce with basil, and many other variations to tempt the palate. The menu of the day is a steal at only 29 Euros for three courses with coffee and a glass of wine included. The meat fondue is an excellent choice for a midday meal or the pasta of the day is per-
fect to enjoy while taking in the view. If you want to work up an appetite and enjoy some pre-dinner drinks, there is a vast selection of spritzers and cocktails, not forgetting some of the most quality Champagnes and wines to complement your meal.
The coffee menu alone prides 10 different options including the famous Latte Macchiato and Carajillo. In fact at Il Paradiso you will want for nothing more . The whole experience of dining at this magnificent venue is one that will stay with you for-
Are you a bar or restaurant that advertises with EWN? At EWN we have our clients’ best interests at heart. Getting your news out to the public can sometimes be a struggle, but we here at EWN want to help. Have you changed your menu, recently renovated or won an award? Do you have an upcoming charity event you’d like to publicise? Do you have a new member of staff? Maybe you’d like to take part in our ‘Restaurant’ experience? Your
establishment provides a meal for two which we will review and publish - with pictures - in your local edition. If you have any news of interest that you would like to get out to local readers, then please let us know. We cannot promise to publish everything, but we will do our best. Please send your news and photos to whatson@euro weeklynews.com.
ever, elegant both inside and out. The Il Paradiso restaurant’s landmark premises are close to the Spanish Royal F a m i l y ’ s Marivent Palace and just three minutes taxi ride from Palma’ Paseo Maritimo. Motorists who dine there have the benefit of a free valet parking service to make their visit easier. If you like to indulge a little at very reasonable prices then this is where you can fulfil your dining dreams, at Il Paradiso who are renowned for reflecting quality, culture and magic. For reservations call 971 103 379 or visit the website to see more www.ilparadiso.es.
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Mum and daughter reunite to house-sit By Lamia Walker of HouseSitMatch JENNY and Gemma have been living apart for 18 months, ever since Gemma left Brisbane in Australia to study in Paris. Jenny is always looking for affordable ways to travel in order to meet up with her children who are mostly based in Europe. House-sitting is one way she can exchange her 30 years of experience as a home and pet owner for free accommodation. Henry Mahew and Pepin le Bref are a pair of
rescue cats adopted by Chris and Letitia while living in France. Now settled in Valencia they occasionally need sitters to care for their mature cats when they go on holiday. The fact that Jenny is a keen gardener and both mother and daughter love cats made them an excellent choice. Register now for your free 60-day trial and secure your Free Easy Guide to Housesitting. To find a pet-sitter visit www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on +44 (0)1865 521508.
Careful with the ducks
David THE Dogman
Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10 thru 11. Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm
WITH spring here many pools and ponds will attract ducks, and we all love to feed them. But it is important to feed these wild creatures the right thing. Most commonly people throw scraps of bread, crackers and similar bread-type products, but these are also some of the least nutritious, according to Melissa Mayntz of bird
FEEDING THE DUCKS: Oats are better than bread.
ing.about.com. She says: “Bread has little nutritional value and can harm growth, pollute waterways and attract rodents and other pests. “Similarly, ducks should not be fed any products that are spoiled or mouldy; different types of mould
can be fatal to waterfowl.” However, that is not to mean we shouldn’t feed ducks, geese and swans as there are other treats we can feed them as part of a healthy and nutritious diet. “Ducks will eat a great deal of different foods, and the best foods include:
- Oats (uncooked) - Rice (cooked) - Birdseed (any type) - Peas or corn (defrosted) - Earthworms - Mealworms (fresh or dried) - Chopped lettuce or other greens or salad mixes - Vegetable trimmings or peels (chopped) - Duck feed pellets can be purchased from farming or agricultural supply stores.” People should stop feeding if the birds appear uninterested or are leaving the food uneaten. Melissa added that people should remember wild birds can be aggressive, such as larger waterfowl like swans and geese.
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A quest for heroes Colin Bird Each week, Colin brings his slightly off-the-wall view of the world to the pages of EWN in his own irreverent style.
B
ACK in nineteen hundred and freezing cold, when I lived briefly in Pennsylvania, I took myself along to the local movie theatre one night to see a film that was getting lots of rave reviews in the American press. The film was Death Wish. It’s the story of a man in New York City, whose wife is murdered by muggers when they ransack his apartment, leaving his traumatised daughter in a catatonic state. He then embarks on a one-man vigilante killing spree on the streets of the city. What amazed me at the time was that after each mugger was shot, the entire audience in the theatre leapt to their feet and applauded loudly. It emphasised in no uncertain way just how brassed off the American public
CHURCHILL: If ever we needed a man or woman like him, it is now.
were with the problem of violent crime, and the failure of the police to get to grips with it. The main character, Paul Kersey aka Charles Bronson, became an immediate hero and it was understandable. Unfortunately in 2015, we are sadly lacking in heroes. I’m not necessarily talking about blokes who go around bumping off muggers, but genuine role models for those of us who still hold dear traditional values. But the definition of the term hero has degraded into the perverted worship of disgraced politicians; pop stars who make tawdry assignations with strangers in public toilets; chefs who are more renowned for their bad language than the food they prepare, ill behaved overpaid footballers, and so called comedians whose only talent is to ridicule and mock. Worse still, is that we do not have leaders who are prepared to make decisions on what is inherently right, but are diverted by political correctness or the need to buy votes with cheap short term policies.
If ever we needed a man or woman for our time, it is now. With standards degenerating; corruption among the ruling elite and police forces rife, and the world going to hell in a hand cart all around us, a champion of Churchillian proportions was never more needed. Someone who has been hitherto obscure perhaps, but who would rise dramatically to the frightening challenges facing us. It’s hard to see where such a personality could come from. The political landscape with it’s collection of incompetent and self seeking misfits, is as barren as a eunuch’s Y-fronts and with a general election only weeks away, the prospect of such a figure emerging from the dross, looks bleak to say the least. But in the unlikely event that this should happen, just like the audience in that Pennsylvanian theatre all those years ago, I believe the majority of decent people in our country would leap to their feet and applaud loudly.
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Herbs for the terrace, allotment and garden - a baker’s dozen for starters
Dick Handscombe
Gardening Corner By Spain’s best known expatriate gardening author living in Spain for 25 years.
SINCE living in Spain herbs have featured in the plantings in the garden, experimental terrace gardens, builder’s bucket salad bars, our allotment when we had it, and the naturally occurring herbs left to grow wild on our naturally cultivated olive grove. Knowing that space is a premium a baker’s dozen are described below. Why a baker’s dozen? Well my first Saturday job was to count up piles of 960 farthings and bag them for the bank at my father’s baking business. Every 13th bag was my pocket and birthday money in the same way that in those days a 13th Easter hot-cross bun, doughnut or roll was free. So to an interesting selection of beneficial herbs: • Mint (perennial) – Best planted in a large sunken pot to control the expansive roots. Added to boiling water adds a good touch to your new potatoes. Has several culinary and medicinal uses ranging from mint sauce to serve with lamb to a strong infusion in the morning after a night on the town. If you hunt around, an interesting collection of mints can be built up with a diversity of leaf
VERSATILE: Herbs are great for a wide variety of culinary and medicinal uses. colours, scents and flavours. • Stevia (perennial) – The leaves are very sweet and a great natural replacement for sugar. Summer leaves can be dried for the winter months. • Garlic (annual) – The healthiest vegetable/herb of them all with a wide range of culinary uses and a useful insecticide in the garden as an infusion spray or growing in geranium pots or under rose bushes. • Chives (perennial) – A row looks ornamental and a good addition to salads. • Horseradish (perennial)– A couple of plants in the ground or large sunken pot can add zest to trout and meat dishes and grated the root can increase one’s metabolism after a gluttonous meal. If you look at the labels on horseradish sauce bottles you will be surprised by the small percentage of
horseradish included and the range of other ingredients. So grow it yourself. • Sage common (perennial) – Obviously for sage and onion stuffing. An infusion good for gums. The common culinary sage is just one of over 800 varieties of sage or salvias. Collecting them is an interesting hobby. To understand what is available have a look at the catalogue of photographs and descriptions on
the website of ’Robbins salvia’. • Purslane ( annual but can self-seed for continuity) – An interesting addition to salads. • Rocket (annual but late growing plants can also seed) – Adds a spicy taste to salads. • Basil (annual) – Each year we grow a selection of the annual seeds from the interesting and long list offered by Chiltern S e e d s . Great with chopped tomatoes
and salads. • Perilla (annual but easily self-seeds for continuity) – Infusions are said to help hay fever sufferers. Reputed to be useful for panic attacks such as the Sunday morning you find that slugs have eaten all the recently-planted lettuces overnight. • Parsley (generally an annual but some varieties will over-winter) – Great with fish dishes and infusions useful for the wife’s cystitis. • Comfrey (perennial) – A must for ecological vegetable growers, one can harvest several crops a year to put in a bucket of water for a month to produce a handy ecological fertilizer. It’s also beneficial to wrap seed potato in a couple of leaves before planting; add some to
the compost heap as an accelerator; use a poultice on a strained knee or ankle, or a gouty toe. • Rosemary (perennial) – An important culinary herb and a perfect partner for many meat dishes. Well that should get you off to a productive start. There are many more. Forty that we regularly use for cooking and various preventive health measures are listed in our book ‘Living Well from Our Garden - Mediterranean Style’ available from Amazon Books. Finally a few words of warning. Most annual herbs are best if not grown in full sun all day long as they can soon go to seed. © Dick Handscombe www.gardeninginspain. com April 2005
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Some tips on how to increase the value of your property LAST week we talked about damp problems and how dealing with the fundamentals of your property has an immediate effect on
increasing the value of your property. This week we will talk about increasing the value of your villa.
Arrange for an independent surveyor to give you professional advice on the most important and costeffective ways to maximise the value of your property. In my experience, one of the most successful ways of increasing the value of your villa is to extend the living space to the maximum allowed and completely refurbish the villa to modern standards. If your villa is not in a gated community but your street could have a security barrier fitted, talk to your neighbours and share the cost of installing an auto-
John Graham The property expert
matic barrier; this will increase the value of your villa by offering extra security and privacy. Tip of the week Extra quality living space adds value to your property. If you have an older villa you could give your villa a total refurbishment, bring your living space up to modern standards.
You could also increase living space by having a new extension built. If you have a basement carry out a basement conversion for extra interior living space. Convert small rooms into an open-plan room on the ground floor. Have a conservatory built for extra space. Carry out a glass conversion of terraces for extra interior living space. If your garage space is limited add a car port for extra parking. Modernise the kitchen and bathrooms.
Maintain the value of your villa. Give your villa a regular fresh coat of paint. Make the rooms look bigger and de-clutter. Make sure everything works, give all electrical, air conditioning, plumbing, drainage and gas appliances an annual service.
If you have any questions please contact me. John Graham FASI gk.ipad@me.com TWITTER Feedback @JohnGrahamFASI #EuroWeeklyProperty #PropertyAdvice
Sales up as market recovers THE number of property sales throughout Spain has now risen for six months in a row. The
number of house sales in Spain increased by over 15 per cent in February year on year, the largest
rise in recent months. According to data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) property sales have now increased for six consecutive months as the market gradually begins to recover from the huge crash that hit when Spain’s housing bubble burst at the end of 2007. The rise can be attributed directly to a 50 per cent increase of
sales of existing homes where 21,613 of the 29,714 deals were done. In contrast, sales of new homes dropped 28 per cent compared with the same month last year, with just 8,101 sales performed.
SALES UP: Sales have risen for six months in a row.
PROPERTY
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REMOVALS/STORAGE THE Man & Van Island wide removals & storage. Cheap, cheerful, fast, efficient and most importantly LEGAL. Tel: 626 792 037 (236007)
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INSURANCE
Price per word: 0,42€ + IVA minimum 15 words - Discount: Book 10 weeks, get 2 weeks free - Deadline: 4pm Mondays Contact: Phone (0034) 971 682 795 • Fax (0034) 971 680 438 • email classifieds@euroweeklynews.com • www.euroweeklynews.com
CLASSIFIEDS INTERNATIONAL and European Removals. Expert removals worldwide. www.universalremovals.com. Tel: 951 247 834 / +44 (0)203 128 7007 (231488)
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REMOVALS / STORAGE
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XXX RELAXATION READERS OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION MAY FIND SOME OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS SECTION OFFENSIVE. BIZARRE DREAMS and FETISH FANTASIES Tel 670 210 581 (209776) NICE AND SEXY GERMAN GIRL MAKES YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE 661 016 936 (209776) TRANSVESTITE, English TV, seeks guy fun and friendship. Tel Kelly on 654 496 817 (236195)
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POOLS & SPAS
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BOATING
Advertising Feature
RIB Club Global are now boasting five new locations around Mallorca RIB Club Global is a new concept in cruising without the headache of cost and maintenance that inevitably comes with the ownership of any type of vessel. James Patterson who is Managing Director of the company once said that the cheapest part of owning a boat is the day that you purchase it, and never
a truer word was spoken. Those who have owned their own boat are well aware not only of the depreciation of their pride and joy once it hits the waters, but also the costly mooring fees, insurance, storage and general upkeep which becomes a burden rather than a pleasure. RIB accommodate many boat lovers by offer-
ing a chartering service to their members. First operating in Menorca back in 2009, such was the success of RIB that they continued to grow the business in Mallorca where demand was so high they had to order three new boats to bring the fleets up to a total of six. There are two Zodiac NZO 700 cabins with a double berth and separate toilet to the cabin offering extra comfort. You can become a member of the RIB Club Global quite simply and gain points towards your chosen holiday on some of the most luxurious
CHARTER SERVICE: A perfect way to enjoy Mallorca.
boats for hire. Members of the club give sparkling testimonials through being extremely impressed on the standard and quality of the boats.
Now RIB Club Global has attracted a following and the company has grown so rapidly that they have now expanded into the north and east coastlines of Mallorca. The company is now boasting five more locations where you can hire from, Palma, Portals, Andratx, Pollensa and Cala d’Or. What a perfect way to enjoy Mallorca’s beautiful coastlines at hassle free and affordable prices.
You can enrol for a Gold Membership for as little as €2,499 with 600 points. Silver membership is €1,799 with 400 points. The price for the platinum membership, including 1,200 points is only €3,999 per year, a fraction of the cost to a boat owner. For membership, club benefits and charter information visit the website at www.ribclubglobal.com or call 608 403 889.
BOATING
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16 - 22 April 2015 / Mallorca
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Mr Angry, he goes from zero to crazy in under 5 seconds
Why is it that people learn how to drive (almost), but don’t learn how to park? I’m sick and tired of looking for a parking space on a road with 'on street'
parking, and not being able to fit in because one car has parked in the middle of two bays. Or worse; abandoned their shoppingmobile at 45 degrees to everyone else!
Ooohh it makes me so angry!
JEC celebrate ‘Big One’ THE latest meeting of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club will go down in history as the big one. The joint adventure combined JEC Spain, JEC France, and the Madrid Jaguar club, in northern Spain at the spectacular 13th century castle of Parador Siguenza. Seventy three fabulous Jaguars with 151 Jaguar owners enjoyed two days of prize giving, charity auctions, village hopping, and photo shoots. Not only was a great time had by all, but €1,200 was raised for Cancer Research UK. Eric Arnold of JEC Spain said, “Our Events Director is planning something special for September and we will be ‘cruising’ down to Malaga in November. www.jec-spain.com
MOTORING
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otoring M TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
SPONSORED BY For best rates in motor insurance call: 952 89 33 80
Beetle mania at New York Motor Show VOLKSWAGEN have showcased four new versions of the stalwart Beetle at the New York International Auto Show. VW has revealed four new versions of the legendary Beetle car. Two new coupés and two cabriolets. They have brought the bug into 2015 by further extending the Beetle line-up, and is offering a glimpse of the possible versions in the four concept cars. The colour blue sets the stage in the concept car range with the Beetle Cabriolet Denim. The colour scheme is designed to match your old jeans. And that it does! The stonewashed blue metallic paint and soft top in dark blue with a special fabric texture,
NEW BEETLES: Being showcased in New York. will give the impression you’re putting on an old pair of Levi’s. The Beetle R-Line Concept 1, on the other hand is a mark above the others. It clearly bends toward automotive sportiness, and is powered by a 2.0 TSI power train that produces 162 kW of pulling power that makes sure it goes as quick as it looks. Also premiering at the show was the new Golf Alltrack. The new Golf Alltrack is aiming to be a genuine trendsetter in the estate car series. The Golf Alltrack is well equipped with 4MOTION all-wheel drive and an off-road driving profile as standard. Powered by a 1.8 TSI engine that produces 125 kW, and combined with either a sixspeed manual gearbox or a six-speed DSG, it looks to make the wannabe 4x4 a worthy contender in the crossover markets.
N332 hits 10,000 likes THE increasingly popular Guardia Civil Facebook page N332, has just reached the 10,000 likes milestone, and its new linked website is almost as popular. What started out as an idea by a couple of traffic police from Torrevieja to offer help and advice in English on Facebook, has grown into a vital resource for information about driving in Spain. Francisco Morales was the officer who controlled the Facebook page, and aided by other officers would answer many of the followers’ questions when asked. The task grew with the followers, and soon became a monumental effort just to respond to questions that had already been answered. That’s when the independent journalist Mark Nolan started assembling a team to create the website N322.es, so as to alleviate some of the pressure from the traffic officers. The fact it is difficult to search for direct information on a Facebook page, is the beauty of a website. Every piece of information, old or new, up to the minute reports and maps, catalogues of answers are all waiting for your questions. The website is now as popular as the page, and will only grow from this point. You can still interact with Francisco Morales and his Facebook team, but they would appreciate you checking out the website: www.n332.es.
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SPORT
SAllport day rugby in Son Caliu Jordan Spieth
The first major golf tournament of 2015 - the US Masters - was won by 21 year-old American Jordan Spieth with a joint record low score of 18 under par. Justin Rose tied for second place with Phil Mickelson ahead of Rory McIlroy.
Mallorca’s best guide to local sport
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By Lynda Demangeat SPECTATORS were treated to a full day of rugby as the U16 team of El Toro took on Uckfield from England. An exciting close and evenly matched game saw the visitors pull ahead during the second half. The other visiting team was from Cefneithin RFC in Wales who, as part of their Mallorca Tour, came to play the El Toro U18 team. The game was dominated by the hosts in a very energetic game and due to the defending skills of the Welsh players, El Toro RC youngsters were defeated by 7 - 17, but enjoyed a great match at a high level. The seniors’ matches were the playoffs for the four places between the teams at the top of the Senior Men’s League. In the match for third and fourth place Bahia RC were faced by RC Ponent ‘A.’
WELSH VISITORS: El Toro RC U18 tackle a Ceifnethin player. A very successful season has taken its toll on the team which helped Bahia RC finally win 17 points to 5 for a deserved third place. Ibiza RFC made the trip to play in the final against RC Ponent ‘B’ in a fast mov-
ing game with plenty of tough tackling. RC Ponent were first to score and Ibiza RFC found it hard to break through the defence. Five yellow cards were awarded in the match and RC Ponent ‘B’ was proclaimed champions by 17 points to 7.
BAHIA RC: Will Carter shows RC Ponent how to reach for the ball!