ISSUE NO. 1432
13 - 19 DECEMBER 2012
WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM
FRONT EXTRA
Granny mugger A MAN, 21, has been arrested by Palma police in Calle Manacor accused of mugging elderly women. He is thought to have robbed at least four.
Crash and run A MAN sought by the Guardia Civil after fleeing when he crashed his car on the s’Arenal carriageway, allegedly drunk and without insurance, has been caught.
HOLIDAY REPRIEVE: Iberia call off strike plans for now... but problems still lurk ahead
Xmas air joy as Iberia strike plans grounded CHRISTMAS has come early for Iberia passengers. For planned strikes starting from tomorrow
(Friday), and from next Monday until Friday, December 17, have been called off.
Francisco Rodriguez, for the airline sector of the General Workers’ Union (UGT), said the strikes had been called off ‘to avoid problems for people who are travelling’. believed the charges But further strike would be lifted, and said action is on the cards that the decision to after Christmas, with the resign had been a sad strike committee one, but the best thing meeting this week to he could do for the discuss setting new Balearic Parliament and dates. his party. However, as the EWN He has, however, said went to Press, no official that he would like to announcement had been remain in the Parliament made. and stressed that he had The strike action is in not been pushed into protest against Iberia’s resigning. plans to dismiss 4,500 staff members and cut salaries by up to 35 per cent. The airline - Spain's national carrier - also has plans to cancel 15 per cent of routes and ground 25 planes, and make changes to maintenance and ground services. It has already been revealed that Iberia will no longer operate flights to the Dominican Republic, Havana in Cuba, the Greek capital of Athens, Cairo in Egypt, and also Istanbul in Turkey.
Rotger resigns from Parliament PRESIDENT of the Balearic Parliament Pere Rotger has resigned following his implication in the ‘Over’ corruption case. A judge has refused to dismiss the charges against the Conservative Partido Popular (PP) politician regarding his involvement in the case surrounding an advertising company during
the 2003-2007 term of office. However, Rotger says that he has a ‘clear conscience’ and feels ‘betrayed’ by the mayor of Inca, Rafael Torres, who pointed the finger at him for allegedly ordering the advertising agency to fiddle the results of a quality of life survey. Rotger said, with tears in his eyes, that he
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Mallorca
NEWS EXTRA
Knife trial A WOMAN is on trial in Mallorca for allegedly stabbing her former partner. The event took place last year when the man visited her house and allegedly attempted to rape her.
Pet aware MOST VALUED: The Beverly Playa Hotel in Peguera.
€86m hotel bid may save jobs THE seven hotels in Mallorca and Menorca owned by businessman Jose Maria RuizMateos are expected to be sold in a tender in early 2013. This depends on a Palma Court giving the green light to a report tracing the steps for selling the hotels and all the assets.
The report, carried out by a team of attorneys and economy experts, stated the overall value of the seven hotels amounts to €86 million, the most-valued being the Beverly Playa in Peguera (€34 million). Experts believe selling at this market price could be enough for paying creditors.
THE Palma Municipal Transport Company has joined a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of being prepared to look after an animal and not on a whim.
Stolen figure THE cockerel which adorns the fountain located in the centre of the Plaça de l’Almoina in Pollença has been stolen for the fifth time. The town hall hoped it would be returned.
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Voted in again JOSE RAMON BAUZA (Popular Party) will lead the Marratxi Local Government for a second term after obtaining 98.6 per cent of votes in party elections.
Police warning POLICE are warning drivers if they drink drive there is a good chance they will be caught. Over the Christmas period Palma Local Police will be holding random checkpoints to breathalyse drivers.
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Damages claim rejected A MAN who lost 80 per cent vision in one eye and who is currently awaiting a corneal transplant had his compensation claim rejected by the Balearic Consultative Council (Consell Consultiu). He was asking for €32,000 damages from Can Misses Hospital and Sant Antoni Health Centre. The claimant said he was misdiagnosed and given the wrong treatment. That would have been avoided had he been seen by the
Ophthalmology Department, he added. His claim stated in September 2010 the man, who was suffering from redness and secretions in his left eye as well as photophobia, initially went to Sant Antoni Health Centre where he was diagnosed with “a corneal abrasion” by a nonspecialist. Later that day he went to Can Misses Hospital, where he was told he would have to wait until the
following day to be seen by a specialist, who later prescribed two types of antibiotics but could not give a conclusive diagnosis. As his condition worsened, the patient travelled to San Carlos Hospital in Madrid where he was advised to urgently go to his local hospital in Rio Hortega (Valladolid). There he was diagnosed with a corneal abscess and a “probable endophthalmitis,” a severe eye ball infection.
News blackout
THE Barcelo hotel group has forecast redundancies after troubled tour operator Orizonia was acquired by Globalia. Barcelo, whose own takeover bid for Palma based Orizonia failed, says the firms now have a number of job positions duplicated.
Black Christmas A DOZEN public sector workers dressed in black Santa Claus suits gave out false €500 notes outside the Consolat de Mar on Monday to protest against Government cuts.
Food hope A CAMPAIGN by Via Sindicato (Palma) Shopkeepers Association hopes to beat last year’s total of 1,300 kilos of food collected for charity.
Tracks renewed WORK has begun to renew tram tracks on the Soller line between es Monument and the Roca Roja crossroads. Tram services from Soller to the port have been suspended until December 24.
Climber falls
PRETTY AS A PICTURE: Colourful patios attract thousands to Cordoba every year.
Blooming delight! Cordoba patios get UNESCO boost
T
HE patios of Cordoba are in the news... five months earlier than usual. Normally the focus turns on them in early May when local families celebrate the arrival of spring by opening their homes to exhibit their flowered-filled patios. But now UNESCO has included the annual Cordoba Patio Festival, which each year attracts thousands of international and national visitors, on its list of Intangible and Cultural Heritage of Humanity events. This follows a rejection last year. Cordoba’s Patio Festival loosely dates back to Roman times and was ongoing under Arab rule.
Quote of the week
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Nwatch ews
ANDRATX Town Hall will have to pay €23,000 in interest to the local swimming club as the payment of activities and lifeguard service at the public swimming pool was delayed for the past four years.
Job loss claim
A JUDGE has given former Andratx mayor Eugenio Hidalgo, serving a four-year prison sentence since 2009, daytime release status. He was jailed for building a house on protected land.
Mallorca
Delayed fees
AN indefinite strike by staff at CBM and Videoreport (the production companies providing radio and television news programmes on channel IB3) will start on December 20.
Day release
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We don’t want the Spaniards to leave. It will be very dangerous for us when they have left. We may get killed by the Taliban. There are lots in here.’
Mohammad Bayan, an interpreter for Spanish troops in Afghanistan.
Then almost 80 years ago, a contest to encourage local residents to embellish the city was introduced, and since 1933 the event has been an increasingly popular attraction. Prizes are awarded to the best patios, with some containing more than 150 potted plants. There are now more than 10 intangible and cultural heritage items listed in Spain. These include Castell, a Catalan tradition in which teams compete to make human towers; the Elche Mystery Play, a drama dating from the Middle Ages enacted and celebrated annually in mid-August, and also flamenco.
Number of the week
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people were killed in 12 accidents over last week’s December 6-9 long holiday weekend, the Spanish traffic agency has revealed. Six other people were also seriously injured.
A MAN, 25, was rescued from a climbing area in Can Torrat, between Marratxi and Santa Maria, after falling from a height of five metres and hitting his back. He was taken to Son Espases Hospital.
Owner fined THE owner of a Pitbull Terrier in Andratx has been fined €4,000 for repeatedly walking the dog which was not insured or muzzled and for which he didn’t have a licence.
Toy museum THE new toy museum opened in Calle de la Campana, in the centre of Palma, this week.
and finally... ONLY the ruling Bildu political party paid homage in San Sebastian to the victims of terrorism in the Basque Region called by the city hall. But all other political parties attended an alternative tribute held the following day.
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Threat to report situation to EU ANTONI ALORDA, member of the PSM-IV-ExM Coalition party threatened to report to the UNESCO and EU the current situation of abandonment and vulnerability of natural reserves in the Balearic Islands after the dismissal of 29 environmental agents (22 from Espais de Natura and seven from Ibanat) who carried out surveillance tasks. The current situation, as told by Alorda means that an undisclosed 1,000-hectare site will be manned by a single agent; the 60,000hectare Serra de Tramuntana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will have two agents while surveillance tasks at the Menorca Biosphere Reserve will be kept at a minimum. On the opposite side of Alorda is Councillor for Environment Gabriel Company, who said that the number of assigned agents increased unnecessarily from 105 to 151 during the last term, a 50 per cent increase which cost €1.5 million.
British girl to testify in rape case four years after she nearly died FOUR years after she nearly died after being allegedly stabbed and raped in Magaluf, a British woman is flying back to Palma to testify.
Cheryl Maddison, now 25, will take the stand at the January trial of her alleged attacker, a 31-yearold waiter from Morocco. The suspect was arrested by the
Gipsy attack raises doctor safety fears SIX trade unions representing Mallorca public health service workers have asked for protection from violent patients and their families.
They want Ib-Salut health authorities to set out a plan of preventative measures against abusive members of the public. The move comes following an attack on
Guardia Civil in August 2011 after being sought for more than three years. Back in May 2008 the victim had moved from Wearside to her newly rented flat in Magaluf. It was her first night there, as she had found a job as a barmaid in Punta Ballena. According to what she told authorities, that night she was sexually propositioned by a stranger. When she refused, the attacker grabbed her hair and dragged her into the apartment. Although she put up a struggle, he allegedly strangled her until she fainted and raped her on the bed. The next morning, she woke up covered in her own blood, with a knife wound to her chest. Realising her attacker was still there, she cried out in horror and was Doctors need protection stabbed again, this time in the neck. three doctors and a The victim said she fell nurse at Son Espasses to the floor and played University Hospital in dead, which she thinks Palma by a family of saved her. gipsies after they were She now says she told a relative had died of wants to get the case a heart attack. over with and move on.
Guilty plea to land-use corruption by former urban planning councillor JAUME MASSOT admitted a land-use corruption charge and could face up to 10 years in jail. The former Urban Planning Councillor and Director of Land Use in
Andratx allowed a house to be built over the ruins on a protected site. The land was not zoned for development and lacked an already existing building which could have been legally renovated, Palma court heard. Also being tried is developer Jeronimo Arbos, site owner Gaspar Moner and legal technician Ignacio Mirfor who allowed the licence required to allow the ‘renovations’. The Public Prosecution has asked for four years in prison for Massot and 18 months jail and a 10 year
Mallorca
BRITISH
PRESS
Stories making headlines from the United Kingdom
Fiery food A BRISTOL restaurant has produced a burger so spicy it makes diners sign a disclaimer and wear protective gloves. The Atomic Fallout Pizza burger is covered in a sauce that’s made from two of the fieriest chillies in the world, the Scotch Bonnet and the Ghost Chilli.
Cold gig AN ENGLISH musician has entered the Guinness Book of World Records by performing the coldest gig. Former Busted and Fightstar frontman, Charlie Simpson, played a 15 minute set to curious locals at the Siberian village of Oymyakon.
Digital Dandy PAUL McCARTNEY has appeared in the final print edition of Britain’s longestrunning children’s comic, The Dandy. It has now gone digitalonly, 75 years after it was first published.
Rhino charge A LONDONER has been jailed for 18 months following his attempt to steal a rhinoceros head from Castle Museum in Norwich. Patrick Kiely, aged 29, admitted trying to steal the stuffed specimen worth £500,000 (€615,000). Rhino horns are now worth more than gold.
Adult drama Land corruption charges in Andratx are ongoing. disqualification from public office for Mirfor. But Andratx Town Hall is demanding a 10 year jail sentence for Massot, who admitted he wrongfully granted several licences for
the house construction. Last week, the Supreme Court confirmed a €7,200 fine and seven-year disqualification for Jacobo Rodriguez Miranda, also impeached in the case.
BBC ONE and BBC Drama have commissioned the adaptation of JK Rowling’s first adult novel The Casual Vacancy. The series is expected to be shown in 2014.
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Property tax could cost 3,000 jobs BUSINESSMEN claim a tax on property could cost 3,000 jobs and halt €171m of investment.
They were complaining that a planned tax on medium to large commercial premises would cost
businesses too much. At a meeting with Baleares President Jose Ramon Bauza and
Economy Vice-president Josep Ignasi Aguilo, the entrepreneurs stated that an option
Salaries cut but hampers are still to be guaranteed THE staff of 1,360 workers in Palma’s public water treatment company Emaya will not be paid the Christmas extra salary this year. Budgetary cuts in public companies led to this decision. However, they will still receive the Christmas hamper.
According to the terms in their collective labour agreement, Emaya has to allocate €43,000 for social expenses, including training courses and the traditional basket. So, each of the workers is guaranteed a €82 valued hamper.
A traditional basket.
for negotiations had been presented. But Bauza declared that he had not yet discussed figures. He hoped that future meetings would reduce differences in opinion. He insisted that the measures taken by the Vice-president’s department were aimed at “reducing debt at all levels” as a means to “create demand.” He added that all proposals were focused on “economic regeneration” and the aim was to create jobs, not destroy them.
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Mallorca
Suspect held in drug-rape case a 19-year-old girl in Calvia. Officers in the Palmanova Guardia Civil headquarters reported that the girl had met the man at a Puerto Portals nightclub. After an initial chat, the next thing the girl remembered was waking up the following morning in MUNICIPAL licences for bar and restaurant the suspect’s bed. terraces in Palma can now be applied for She said she felt online. very dizzy and that The local Treasury launched an internet she showed clear application which is set to reduce the waiting signs of rape. The alleged crime time for issuing licences or confirming what kind is needed. It will also give police more was reported to the Guardia Civil the same control over bar terraces in the city. “The provincial Home Office will now take 10 morning. Drug tests on the days instead of two months to issue a new bar terrace licence,” member of Palma City Hall girl were said to be positive. Treasury Department Julio Martinez said. Forensics tests Applications for renewing licence permits will be granted in two or three days instead of produced to the court also suggested sexual one month, he added. aggression.
GERMAN
Stories making headlines from Germany
€5 strip search FOUR police officers in Munich are under investigation for allegedly forcing 27 students aged 13 and 14 to strip in the search for a missing €5 note.
A MAN of African origin is being detained by the Guardia Civil pending trial for allegedly drugging and raping
Red tape speed-up for terrace licences
PRESS
MUSIC MAKERS: At their new venue The Casa de Cultura in Alcudia.
Making music for charity THE Music Makers singing group has presented more than €1,200 to local charities. After a series of fundraising events throughout the year, including a festive Christmas carols and songs concert, the group was able to present cheques to the Juan XXIII School in Inca for the mentally and physically disabled, the AECC cancer charity in Pollenca and to Arcobalears, the cardiac rehabilitation charity.
Local weather for next 7 days MALLORCA TODAY AND TOMORROW
CALA MILLOR
CALVIA PALMA
CALA d’OR
ANDRATX
LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF ALCUDIA POLLENÇA INCA
LIVE German show Supertalent suffered a series of disasters as one singer choked on confetti during her performance and then a fire broke out on stage.
Tall light THE tallest lighthouse in Europe, standing at 100 metres, is planned for the Port of Hamburg.
Top carol AROUND 24 per cent of Germans named Stille Nacht (Silent Night) as their favourite Christmas carol, a survey showed.
Big cake
ALCUDIA POLLENÇA INCA
Failed show
CALA MILLOR
A GIANT three-ton, 3.64-metre-long, 1.75metre-wide fruitcake locally known as Stollen, was baked by a team of 20 bakers in Dresden.
CALVIA PALMA MAGALLUF
S Sun,
LLUCMAJOR
Cl Clear,
Sh Showers,
Alicante TODAY: CLEAR Fri - 18 9 C Sat - 22 13 Cl Sun - 22 11 Cl
Th Thunder
Madrid
MAX 18C, MIN 12C Mon - 18 12 Cl Tues - 17 12 Cl Wed - 17 11 C
TODAY: SUNNY, Fri - 18 10 C Sat - 18 13 Cl Sun - 20 11 Cl
MAX 10C, MIN 1C Mon - 11 -3 Cl Tues - 11 -3 C Wed - 9 3 C
MAX 15C, MIN 7C Mon - 16 9 Cl Tues - 15 8 Cl Wed - 13 8 Cl
TODAY: SHOWERS, MAX 17C, MIN 9C Fri - 17 12 C Mon - 17 9 S Sat - 19 12 Cl Tues - 17 8 Cl Sun -19 9 S Wed - 17 8 Cl
MAX 20C, MIN 7C Mon - 19 10 Cl Tues - 19 9 Cl Wed - 18 8 Cl
TODAY: CLEAR, Fri - 18 8 C Sat - 21 12 Cl Sun - 21 9 Cl
Malaga MAX 18C, MIN 9C Mon - 16 10 Cl Tues - 16 9 Cl Wed - 14 8 C
Mallorca
Murcia
Benidorm TODAY: CLEAR, Fri - 20 9 C Sat - 23 14 Cl Sun - 23 11 Cl
Sn Snow,
C Cloud,
TODAY: CLEAR Fri - 12 7 Sh Sat - 14 10 Sh Sun - 13 -5 Sh
Barcelona TODAY: SHOWERS Fri - 16 8 C Sat - 18 12 Cl Sun - 19 10 Cl
Fog,
MAX 18C, MIN 7C Mon - 18 9 Cl Tues - 18 8 Cl Wed - 17 8 Cl
Almeria TODAY: CLEAR Fri - 18 12 C Sat - 21 13 Cl Sun - 19 12 S
Cow effort
CALA d’OR
ANDRATX
MAX 18C, MIN 5C Mon - 18 8 Cl Tues - 17 7 Cl Wed - 17 6 Cl
A RECORD average of 8,000 litres of milk were produced by German dairy cows during the 2011/2012 season, the DLQ animal control agency said.
No consent THE NPD neo-Nazi party has been ordered to pay €12,000 in compensation to 12 minors after they were used in an election campaign video without parental consent.
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Spanish brothers held in UK TWO Spanish brothers who attempted to smuggle cocaine worth almost £300,000 through Heathrow Airport have been sent to prison. Roberto and Jesus Maria Moreno Ramirez, aged 44 and 40 and originally from La Rioja, were arrested by UK Border Force officers after flying in from the Dominican Republic, via Frankfurt. Checks were carried out on their luggage and when two suitcases and X-rays revealed both suitcases had false bottoms. Packages of cocaine were found concealed within the hidden compartments. The brothers pleaded guilty to importing a class A drug and were sentenced to four-and-ahalf years in prison each by a judge at Isleworth Crown Court.
Mallorca
Father jailed for six years in ritual mutilation case
By Gabrielle Devon THE Supreme Court has confirmed a six-year prison sentence for a Gambian man who carried out a ritual genital mutilation procedure on his daughter. The man, who had lived in Spain for 10 years, performed the mutilation when the girl was less than one year old, and was sentenced by Teruel Provincial Court. Her mother was sentenced to two years in prison after it was confirmed she was not aware that the procedure was illegal in Spain. The case was discovered during a routine check-up with the paediatrician. The father, said to be wellintegrated in Spanish society, appealed the sentence in the Supreme Court on the grounds that it was a 3,000-year-old practice which, he said, in his country, ‘seeks to help the child fit in’. However, Judge Joaquin Gimenez said: “It is not culture, it
OUTLAWED TRADITION: Young girls at risk of 3,000-year-old practice. is mutilation and discrimination of women.” Female genital mutilation is a practice carried out mainly in
African and Asian countries. Social Services in Spain attempt to contact families of girls whom they consider may be at risk of
undergoing this procedure. They explain the dangers it involves, and attempt to dissuade them from returning to their country of origin for the ritual to be performed or from having it carried out by clandestine witchdoctors residing in Spain. Many of the families living in Spain apparently do not want to carry out the ritual, but upon returning to their countries of origin feel pressured into accepting it by their communities. Many believe that it is good for a woman’s health, maintaining cleanliness as there are no sexual secretions. Others believe that if a child touches its mother’s clitoris while being born, it will die. However, it is mainly used to prevent young girls from having sexual urges in order to maintain their virginity until marriage, something which assures they will be accepted by their future husbands.
MONEY LAUNDERING: €14m allegedly passed through Spanish company.
Chinese connection THE tax evasion network run by Chinese businessman Gao Ping allegedly laundered €14 million through the company of Spanish porn actor Nacho Vidal. The money was allegedly sent from the US to companies belonging to the network in China. ‘Vidal Production’ allegedly issued false invoices created by Nacho Vidal’s sister’s partner, according to the anti-corruption prosecutor, based on notations in a book found in the possession of Gao Ping’s wife. Vidal allegedly obtained commission amounting
to more than €180,000 which was paid into accounts in Andorra and not declared to the Spanish tax office. Gao Ping was remanded to prison following his arrest in the ‘Emperor’ operation, but has since been released due to a legal technicality. He left Villena prison in Alicante in a Mercedes. Another 11 people, arrested for their involvement in the network, were also released but have to appear in court every day and have had their passports confiscated.
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GERMAN
PRESS
Stories making headlines from Germany
€5 strip search FOUR police officers in Munich are under investigation for allegedly forcing 27 students aged 13 and 14 to strip in the search for a missing €5 note.
Failed show LIVE German show Supertalent suffered a series of disasters as one singer choked on confetti during her performance and then a fire broke out on stage.
Tall light THE tallest lighthouse in Europe, standing at 100 metres, is planned for the Port of Hamburg.
Top carol AROUND 24 per cent of Germans named Stille Nacht (Silent Night) as their favourite Christmas carol, a survey showed.
Big cake A GIANT three-ton, 3.64-metre-long, 1.75metre-wide fruitcake locally known as Stollen, was baked by a team of 20 bakers in Dresden.
Cow effort A RECORD average of 8,000 litres of milk were produced by German dairy cows during the 2011/2012 season, the DLQ animal control agency said.
No consent THE NPD neo-Nazi party has been ordered to pay €12,000 in compensation to 12 minors after they were used in an election campaign video without parental consent.
STANDING BY HER MAN: Infanta Cristina of Spain.
Princess refuses to get divorce
THE Infanta Cristina of Spain could be thinking of giving up the privileges of her title for love. According to Spanish magazine, Lecturas, Princess Cristina is convinced of the innocence of her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, with regards to the Noos corruption scandal, and is ready to put her marriage before Royal title. She has reportedly been advised to get a divorce in order to distance herself from the charges against her husband, but refuses to do so. However, the Royal Household has denied that she has been told to get a divorce or give up her privileges as Infanta. Lecturas claims that the Royal Family do not accept many of the things which Iñaki does, including having a royal escort. Renouncing her privileges would mean also renouncing those of her four children, whom she reportedly plans to send to boarding school in Switzerland to distance them from negative comments about their father.
Narrow escape for schoolchildren FOUR-YEAR-OLDS at a school in Valencia were forced to move to the library after their classroom ceiling collapsed. The president of the Cervantes Primary
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School reported that a part of the plaster from the ceiling fell on one of the desks, although at the time the children were hanging up their coats and no-one was injured.
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Brits arrested in child abuse case
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TWO British residents of Alicante are amongst the 28 people arrested throughout Spain for their involvement with a network which recorded child abuse. At the time of their arrest, two boys were arriving at the apartment where the abuse was due to take place. A further 10 have been charged in the international operation codenamed ‘Espada’ which focused on a network based in Canada selling videos of child abuse. Nineteen underage boys have been rescued in Madrid and Alicante, although most of the abused minors, aged
between 11 and 16, who appeared in the videos were from the Ukraine, Romania and Germany. They were abused before and after the recordings, for which they were paid. Most have now been rescued. Four of the detainees, including the two Britons, are accused of abusing the children. One of them had spent a year in prison in the UK for child abuse. A third person is an elderly ‘sexual tourist’ also arrested in Alicante, and the fourth, in Madrid, manages a cycling club and is accused of abusing 14 children. A fifth person, arrested in Malaga, is also suspected of abusing minors.
Thirty-one properties were searched, and police seized 20 computers, 81 hard drives, 1,881 CDs and DVDs, 27 pen drives, seven memory cards, a modem, mobile phones, cameras, video cameras and printed photos of naked children. The company, selling videos of child abuse, had existed since 2004, and some clients had spent up to €1,000 for the images, purchased from three web sites. The company took an average of 1.6 million dollars per year. Several of the Spanish detainees had jobs in which they worked with children.
A pessimistic outlook for Spain in 2013 ALMOST half of the Spanish think that 2013 will be worse financially than 2012 has been. Although the
government claims the contrary, 47.3 per cent of Spanish think next year will be worse, and 31.7 per cent think it will be the same, according to a survey carried out by the Sociological Research Centre. Almost 55 per cent of those questioned said the financial situation in Spain is “very
bad” and more than 80 per cent say their main worry is unemployment, followed by 42.7 per cent who are concerned about the country’s financial problems. They are also worried about politics (30.2 per cent), health (11.4 per cent), corruption (9.5 per cent), banks (8.4 per cent), education (6.7 per cent), evictions (6.3 per cent), cutbacks (5.5 per cent) and immigration (4.1 per cent). Almost one in four workers think they may lose their jobs in the coming year, although a higher proportion (27.2 per cent) does not believe such a thing could happen. More than 67 per cent of Spaniards is unsatisfied with democracy in Spain.
Mallorca
SCANDINAVIAN PRESS Stories making headlines in Denmark, Norway and Sweden
Xmas goat SWEDEN– This year’s 13-metre tall straw Christmas goat in Gävle is being watched day and night by private security guards. Thirty three goats have been burnt and another seven vandalised, since 1966.
Son’s abuse NORWAY – An Indian couple living in Oslo were sentenced to 18 and 15 months in jail (father and mother, respectively) for physical abuse of their six-year-old son.
Party over DENMARK – Organisers of the 30year-old Copenhagen Carnival announced it will not be held next year, as public funding was cut from €67,000 to €27,000.
Fast job SWEDEN – Two managers in a McDonald’s restaurant in Stockholm were suspended from their jobs after allegedly selling work permits to illegal foreign workers.
Sex affair NORWAY – State secretary Roger Ingebrigtsens resigned after reportedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old member of the Labour Party.
Poker shot DENMARK – Danish poker champion Theo Jørgensen was robbed in his home in Copenhagen after being shot three times in one leg by three assailants.
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ALMERIA
AXARQUIA
Duty free
Man killed on A-7207
COSTA BLANCA NORTH
THE World Duty Free Group España SA company will take over the duty-free at Almeria Airport, along with shops at another 10 Spanish airports, bringing the total number of stores it will run up to 26.
New clients
A MAN aged 54 died after being knocked down by a car on the A-7207 road in Torrox, near La Mula bar. The 22-year-old driver was slightly injured.
News from our editions
MEXICO and Venezuela buy more than 35 per cent of the meat products exported from Almeria, mainly legs of ham and sausages. The biggest client for Almeria meat exports is Andorra.
Food help MORE than 60,000 people throughout Almeria Province receive food from charities. This means that throughout 2012, the number of people needing help has risen to 10 per cent of the population.
Parking blues THE maximum amount of time which drivers are permitted to remain in the blue-metered parking areas in Almeria City has been increased to three hours. This follows demands from people who work in the area.
Well prepared ALMERIA Province is prepared for icy weather, with seven snow tractors and 657 tonnes of salt ready to use. A further 47 vehicles are also available to help with any possible problems.
COSTA BLANCA NORTH
Money worries MORE THAN 100 arrests linked to gender violence have been made by Local Police in Alicante so far this year, with money worries the most common base for arguments.
Sweet move ORANGE growers in Alicante and Valencia have applauded EU moves to introduce customs duty on tinned mandarin oranges imported from China.
Protests soar A TOTAL of 4,500 protest meetings and demonstrations
Heritage site
UNDER THREAT: Seabed off Tabarca Island.
Buoys to protect seabed A MARINE reserve is under threat from anchors damaging the seabed. But despite coming under the protection of the regional government and the Ministry of Environment, the under-water paradise needs help against the destruction caused by boating enthusiasts. Now the engineer of the Port Authority of Alicante, Ignacio Campos, is working on methods to prevent its further destruction. have been held in the Valencian region this year, 80 per cent more than in 2011.
New cheer WINE from the Alcoy area, ravaged by disease in the 19th century, has found new markets with exports now made to Europe, the US, China, South Korea and Japan.
Crime pays BOATS and luxury cars confiscated during drug busts have been ceded to the police by Alicante courts.
COSTA BLANCA SOUTH
Armed raid probe INVESTIGATIONS into an armed knife attack and theft of €200 in cash from a grocer’s shop in Alicante are continuing.
Pickpockets held THREE pickpockets have been arrested for stealing wallets and purses from shoppers in the Mercadona area of Urbanisation La Marina.
Campos has made a detailed proposal for the installation of ecological moorings for pleasure boats in Tabarca Island’s marine reserve. Floating buoys would be used to tie up to, helping to stop the harmful effects of anchors, minimising pollution and improving safety for ships and their users. The system would operate from March to October when there can be up to 150 boats visiting the island each day.
Fewer jobless ELCHE’S unemployment ranks fell by 0.19 per cent to 37,117 last month, according to the latest figures.
Sweet treat TWELVE women aged 18 to 40 years, with various disabilities, took part in a workshop making chocolates as part of the Disability Day celebrations.
Not so cool THE Palacio del Agua, Orihuela, has re-opened after being closed when diesel supplies needed to heat the building and the adult and children’s swimming pools ran out.
COSTA DEL SOL
Meds alert THE inland town of Atajate has become the first one in the province with no pharmacies, “and it won’t be the last one,” the Pharmacy Association chairman said.
Useful towers THE two buildings in front of Malaga railway station’s entrance, which were restored after a €1.8 million investment, will be used for offices and shops.
Rally brothers TWO brothers from Antequera, aged 25 and 20, will drive their Renault 5 in a five-stage rally challenge to be held in Morocco from February 23 to March 3, 2013.
Crop drop OLIVE OIL production dropped by more than 40 per cent, compared to the previous crop year, to an overall 44 million kilograms, Asaja farmers association said.
Sea sports WINDSURF, kite-surf and similar sea and beach sports have been approved by Estepona Town Hall. Users will be required to produce a liability insurance certificate.
A SEVENTEENTH century monument in Velez, known as the ‘Camarin de los Desamparados’, has been restored. It was the spot those executed by Napoleonic squads would look at before being shot.
Poor show NO mayors from the different Axarquia towns attended the presentation of the newly-opened Mayor Information Office at Velez Town Hall.
Much closer THE first petrol station in Torrox’s old town will open “as soon as possible,” the town hall announced. Residents will save a six-kilometre trip to the nearest station in El Morche.
Property sale AN estimated €600,000 could be earned by Rincon de la Victoria Town Hall if the parking and shopping area at the La Cala del Moral health centre is sold, they said.
SMS alert A MOBILE phone message alert has been installed at the Axarquia Regional Hospital in Velez, providing automatic information on equipment breakdowns.
13 - 19 December 2012 www.euroweeklynews.com
Stat of week SALARIES in Spain dropped between 3 and 4 per cent in 2010 and 2011, the International Work Organisation has revealed.
Finance,
business
&
A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 8 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION
EWN
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Mallorca
legal www.ewnbusiness.com
Paradors facing worst year yet PARADOR hotels group is having its worst year ever. Occupancy levels for 2012 are predicted to be 52 per cent, and the company now has debts of more than €110 million. And against this backdrop, the company is facing more strikes on New Year’s Eve
and New Year’s Day in ongoing protests over company redundancy plans which could see 644 staff lose their jobs. There are plans to close seven Parador hotels and at other properties staff will have working hours and salaries reduced in cost-cutting moves. Throughout Spain, Parador hotels employ 4,400 people. In a recent stoppage, unions report that 80 per cent of staff backed the strike throughout Spain, with all staff striking in Ayamonte, Puerto Lumbreras, Albacete, ONLY 13.7 per cent of contracts in Spain are for Teruel, Manzanares and part-time jobs. Ferrol, and around 90 per While throughout the European Union (EU) an cent in Nerja, Toledo, average of almost 19 per cent of contracts are for Caceres and Zafra. part-time jobs, in Spain, this option is not popular, The person in charge of according to a Eurostat study. the section for ‘Paradores de Despite high unemployment and the Spanish Tourism’ of union Comisiones government praising part-time jobs as an option to Obreras (CCOO), Enrique allow people to spend more time with their families, Sanchez, has announced it just hasn’t taken off. that the redundancy plan But in other EU countries part-time work has been affects almost a third of the seen as a solution. staff. One of the main reasons against in Spain is the CCOO blames the drastic high cost to the employer, with taking on two people fall in the number of clients part-time rather than one full-time is a lot more and income on poor expensive. management. In Holland, 48 per cent of the population is The Paradors due to be employed in a part-time job, followed by Germany closed are two in Galicia, two and the UK at around 25 per cent. in Castilla-La Mancha, one in However, part-time employment in countries Andalucia, one in Murcia and including the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria one in Aragon. is even lower than in Spain, with 4.7, 3.9 and 2.2 per There are also plans to cent respectively. close a further 27 Paradors for five months of the year.
Part-time work is so unpopular
Fashionable Mango still growing SPAIN’S own Mango has now opened shops in Pakistan and Burma. Some 5,000 designs per year are created and distributed from the Barcelona headquarters of the Catalan fashion retailer. Though much smaller than Inditex’s Zara, Mango has 2,500 shops worldwide and employs more than 26,000 people.
Last year the company made €1.4 billion, up 35 per cent on the previous year, and this is expected to rise again. This is mainly thanks to the company’s strategy of lowering prices by 20 per cent and not increasing VAT in Spain this year, with its homeland remaining its best market with 18 per cent of its sales.
PRIZE LOCATION: Many Paradors - including in Malaga - are in prime positions.
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EWN www.euroweeklynews.com
Steering a safe course when renewing licence
Q
I am a British resident in Spain and I have changed my British driving licence for a Spanish one. I have two questions: 1. I have renewed the part that permits me to drive a car but the category that covers small commercial vehicles expired at an earlier date and I failed to renew it. I now intend to buy a large motor-home. Can I still renew the expired part of my licence that covers this size of vehicle? It would be up to 7.5 You and the tons in the UK. 2. A friend is visiting Spain Law in Spain By David Searl in his transit van. The vehicle is UK registered, insured for any driver and is taxed in the UK. One of our friends is adamant that I cannot drive a UK-matriculated vehicle on a Spanish driving licence. This is not the first time that I have heard this. Is there any truth in it? R C (by email)
A
In principle, yes, drivers can renew the expired portion of their licences which allows them to operate vehicles up to 7.5 tons. Until a few years ago a Spanish driver who failed to renew his permit within three months of its expiry was forced to begin again from zero. Now renewals can be made at any time after it runs out. And, yes, some of the more advanced permits have shorter times between renewals than normal ones. Check at an official medical testing centre to be sure. Your second question has been answered here in an earlier edition of EWN but we will jog your memory. Of course the holder of a Spanish driving licence can legally operate a UK registered vehicle in Spain. Your friend may be confusing driving with owning. What you cannot do is own a UK vehicle and drive it in Spain on your Spanish licence. David will respond to queries but reserves the right to select letters which will be of interest to the greatest number of readers. You can also consult David through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates in Fuengirola. ask@lawtaxspain.com or call 952 667 090.
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
13 - 19 December 2012 Mallorca
Tasty deal gives Germans a crisp future A DEAL worth £397 million (€489 million) has seen favourite snacks like KP Nuts, McCoy’s crisps and Hula Hoops sold to a German firm. Intersnack has bought the brands from United Biscuits.
£££ THOMSON and First Choice owner TUI has posted a 32 per cent rise in earnings to £197 million (€242.5 million) after a surge in
B
ritish usiness riefs
late sales. Now next summer’s bookings are also up 12 per cent.
£££ TWO of the UK’s oldest nuclear power stations will have their
operating lives extended by seven years until 2023. French company Edf said Hinkley Point B and Hunterston B could safely be used.
£££ BRITISH AIRWAYS is looking to voluntary redundancies in a bid to shed 400 senior cabin crew. It has entered a 90-day consultation period with union Unite.
Ominous for Greece as funds held back until burden reduced IT is over a month since a so-called ‘troika’ agreed rules for clearing €44 billion from the second tranche of bail-out funds available to Athens. The funds were supposed to be available in mid-December, a date almost a month later than the original deadline. The original agreement cobbled together by the troika - the European Union (EU), the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) involved a buy-back scheme intended to reduce Greece’s debt burden by 10 per cent of GDP, apparently with the aim of restoring the country’s long-term financial viability. But now, following delays in its implementation, the IMF has said it will not disburse funds until a eurozone buy-back scheme to reduce the debt burden is firmly in place. Even more ominous for Greece is that both Holland and Finland have intimated that should this delay linger on, they too will pull out. A fresh scheme has now been suggested and proposed, that Greece’s Central Bank should buy back €10 billion worth of
Jim Collins Costa Blanca
its outstanding bonds at today’s depressed market values, thus ‘retiring’ some €30 billion of the national debt. A bright idea to be sure, but many of the present bond-holders are reluctant to accept a further haircut on their stake following the 52.5 per cent loss already suffered earlier this year. They would prefer to hang on to their holdings in the hope of a better offer, even hanging on to collect the full face value upon maturity. The entire convoluted weave of proposals, plans, deadlines and agreements leading to an apparently uncertain financial future, does not attract favourable comment from bond fund managers. One gave his opinion that this Greek
COBBLED TOGETHER: Debt deal. Central Bank buy-back proposal “is just another milestone on Greece’s road to Hell, paved of course, with good intentions.” Bad as things are for Greece, the French also may be looking into the abyss. Figures just released show the Purchasing Managers Index for French manufacturing is now at 44.2, and with anything under 50 denoting contraction, the eurozone’s weakest, after Greece. “The figures are shocking,” said a sovereign debt strategist. “France has for some time been sailing dangerously close to the wind, but is now tipping into outright contraction following a year-and-a-half of nearzero growth.”
It seems the French car industry is the heaviest loser, usually employing 400,000 people but since the autumn shedding 40,000 jobs a month. Vehicle production has almost halved despite a scramble to expand abroad, but Renault and Peugeot have found themselves unable to compete with Volkswagen and even Seat. Of course, French bankers, always eager to look across the Channel for a culprit, have been quick to blame ‘Perfidious Albion’, telling anyone who will listen that Britain’s non-membership of the eurozone, (thus retaining its position as a world banking centre) is at the core of France’s economic woes. Ah, well, there’s no pleasing everybody.
13 - 19 December 2012
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
www.euroweeklynews.com Over the years, I have, in the Euro Weekly News, followed the ongoing story of how the UK’s Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man have had to adjust their practices to co-operate with UK, European and international calls for tax transparency. The story is not yet over. There is a move towards automatic exchange of information as the new global standard in international tax co-operation, with the US leading the way with its groundbreaking Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The UK has now also opened negotiations with its offshore territories which is likely to herald in a new era of automatic exchange of information between the islands and the UK. It is likely that once agreement has been reached, other European countries will expect similar deals. While you would like your wealth management to be as tax efficient as possible, it is essential to only use arrangements that are compliant in your country of residence. A firm like Blevins Franks has decades of experience advising expatriates in Spain on their tax planning and wealth management and would guide you through your options.
EWN
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UK To Demand More Tax Information From Crown Dependencies US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) FATCA will start in 2014 and obliges foreign financial institutions over the world to provide information on US citizens to the US tax authority, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The institutions have to enter into compliance agreements with the US Treasury to report on US clients. If not, they will have to pay a withholding penalty of 30% of the payments made to them. Offshore centres like the Channel Islands and Isle of Man are keen to sign up to avoid the penalties, which could damage their finance industry. In October they announced that they will negotiate partnership agreements with the US. The UK’s ‘son of FATCA’ US FATCA would mean that the Crown Dependencies exchange more tax-related information with the US than they do with the UK, so it is not surprising that the UK Treasury is now seeking to impose its own version on its territories. On 23rd November International Tax Review reported that its journalists had seen a leaked copy of
a draft government document detailing how a UK scheme would work. It called the scheme ‘son of FATCA’ and claimed it would “deal an almost fatal blow to tax evasion through the UK’s tax havens.” According to the report, the agreement would require the automatic exchange of information for each reportable account of each reporting financial institution. This would include full details of all beneficial owners of the account, including those whose identities might otherwise be hidden by trusts or companies. Jersey Finance acknowledged that: “It is well known that the principles behind the US FACTA arrangements are being looked at by the OECD, EU and UK.” According to the Observer, the UK government could force its territories to comply by threatening to veto their own FATCA agreements with the US – the UK needs to pass the laws needed for data to be provided to the US, so it could give the islands an ultimatum. On 30th November Jersey,
Guernsey and Isle of Man governments confirmed that they had attended an explanatory meeting with Treasury officials about the possibility of extending the principles behind FATCA to ‘an exchange of information’ with Britain, and that further discussions are expected. No details of the content of the meeting were given. In a joint statement, the Channel Islands said: “The UK and the Crown Dependencies share a common commitment to combat tax evasion and to participate generally in international efforts to combat financial and other crime including fiscal crime.” This implies that they will accept an agreement modelled on the US FATCA. The Isle of Man also reaffirmed its long-standing policy to meet established international standards. If legislation goes ahead, it is expected to come into effect on 1st January 2014. The biggest change will be in Jersey, since Guernsey and the Isle of Man already automatically exchange information on savings income under the EU Savings Tax Directive.
According to Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK, who was speaking to the Telegraph, information exchange currently impacts around 4% to 5% of total funds in Jersey. If the agreement goes through, over 90% of funds will be subject to information exchange. He described the demands as ‘radical’, explaining that it would not just be about interest payments but rather detailed financial information. For advice on legitimate tax planning in Spain, speak to an experienced advisory firm like Blevins Franks. By Bill Blevins, Financial Correspondent, Blevins Franks Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual should take personalised advice. To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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13 - 19 December 2012 Mallorca
LONDON - FTSE 100 C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -0.10 -0.03 -15.00 -1.33 -26.00 -1.16 -4.85 -0.46 -7.50 -0.41 1.00 0.07 -5.00 -0.66 15.00 1.01 2.00 0.07 -8.12 -2.22 -6.50 -0.65 -0.31 -0.09 -2.13 -0.85 1.50 0.14 -19.50 -0.97 -0.60 -0.14 0.00 0.00 -0.30 -0.05
NET VOLUME 236.24 50.30 44.29 24.59 300.42 150.83 158.96 197.70 223.48 1,778.09 34.71 616.45 4,554.46 647.43 674.94 1,433.58 283.94 74.25
CU RR EN CI ES
C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 10
PRICE(P) C O M PA N Y Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 340.90 Admiral Group PLC 1114.00 Aggreko PLC 2218.00 AMEC PLC 1058.00 Anglo American PLC 1804.25 Antofagasta PLC 1348.00 ARM Holdings PLC 749.25 Associated Brit Fds PLC 1500.50 AstraZeneca PLC 3002.50 Aviva PLC 358.20 Babcock Int Group... 995.50 BAE Systems PLC 338.10 Barclays PLC 249.40 BG Group PLC 1069.25 BHP Billiton PLC 1999.00 BP PLC 425.40 British Amn Tobacco PLC 3263.50 British Land Co PLC 554.50
0.80496
Units per €
United States $......................................................1.29094 Japan Yen ¥ ...........................................................106.230 Switzerland Francs................................................1.20676 Denmark Kroner ....................................................7.45939 Norway Kroner.......................................................7.33691
C O M PA N Y
PRICE(P)
British Sky Brdcstng Gr... BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Capital Shopping Cntrs Carnival PLC Centrica PLC Compass Group PLC CRH PLC
758.50 234.85 1035.00 1306.50 757.25 347.50 2448.00 335.65 728.50 1155.00
C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G.
DOW JONES
NASDAQ
C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 10
C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 10
C O M PA N Y
PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME
MMM 3M Co 91.51 AA Alcoa Inc 8.50 AXP American Express Co 56.61 T AT&T Inc 33.74 BAC Bank of America Corp 10.64 BA Boeing Co 74.64 CAT Caterpillar Inc 86.99 CVX Chevron Corp 106.99 CSCO Cisco Systems Inc 19.34 DD E. I. du Pont de Nemours and C... 43.18 XOM Exxon Mobil Corp 88.60 GE General Electric Co 21.46 HPQ Hewlett-Packard Co 13.81 HD Home Depot Inc 64.45 INTC Intel Corp 20.16 IBM International Business Machine... 191.95 JNJ Johnson & Johnson 70.45 JPM JPMorgan Chase and Co 42.56 MCD McDonald's Corp 88.48 MRK Merck & Co Inc 44.63 MSFT Microsoft Corp 26.46
+0.56 -0.07 +0.49 +0.085 +0.18 +0.66 +1.04 +0.54 -0.145 +0.31 +0.60 +0.09 +0.11 +0.11 -0.005 +2.25 +0.40 +1.09 +0.39 +0.12 -0.27
+0.62% -0.82% +0.87% +0.25% +1.72% +0.89% +1.21% +0.51% -0.74% +0.72% +0.68% +0.42% +0.80% +0.17% -0.02% +1.19% +0.57% +2.63% +0.44% +0.27% -1.01%
2.5M 12.2M 3.7M 22.3M 192.1M 3.7M 7.3M 4.9M 50.6M 4.1M 10.6M 33.6M 25.3M 6.1M 41.7M 4.1M 10.0M 34.6M 8.1M 7.9M 46.2M
1.24229
-2.83 -0.30 -5.00 2.00 -2.50 -3.10 -9.00 -1.26 -1.00 -8.00
C O M PA N Y
Most Advanced Groupon, Inc. P.A.M. Transportation Services, Inc. Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. Hydrogenics Corporation GT Advanced Technologies, Inc. CSP Inc. Charm Communications Inc. Virco Manufacturing Corporation Forbes Energy Services Ltd
-0.37 -0.13 -0.48 0.15 -0.33 -0.88 -0.37 -0.37 -0.14 -0.69
NET VOLUME 202.64 1,475.13 36.57 97.74 82.65 87.83 26.91 424.61 277.96 204.63
PRICE
CHANGE NET / %
$ 4.685 $ 10.22 $ 5.93 $ 8.75 $ 3.50 $ 6.23 $ 3.80 $ 2.60 $ 2.68
0.875 / +22.97% 1.11 / +12.18% 0.52 / +9.61% 0.71 / +8.83% 0.2785 / +8.65% 0.48 / +8.35% 0.29 / +8.26% 0.19 / +7.88% 0.18 / +7.20%
$ 9.69 $ 2.35 $4 $ 9.92 $ 15.95 $ 25.32 $ 4.76 $ 6.20 $ 4.44
2.26 / -18.91% 0.24 / -9.27% 0.40 / -9.09% 0.93 / -8.57% 1.42 / -8.18% 2.16 / -7.86% 0.39 / -7.57% 0.50 / -7.46% 0.33 / -6.92%
Most Declined Amarin Corporation PLC TranS1 Inc. Integrated Electrical Services, Inc. Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation Spreadtrum Communications, Inc. Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. EMCORE Corporation
C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Croda International PLC 2352.50 4.75 Diageo PLC 1882.00 3.18 Eurasian Natural Resources ...276.25 -6.70 EVRAZ PLC 239.75 -2.50 Experian PLC 1041.00 -10.00 Fresnillo PLC 1954.00 -14.00 G4S PLC 248.20 -1.00 GKN PLC 222.00 -1.30 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1355.50 6.50 Glencore Intl PLC 345.50 0.25 Hammerson PLC 481.10 -0.20 Hargreaves Lansdown 727.00 -8.29 HSBC Holdings PLC 639.90 -3.80 IMI PLC 1081.50 -9.00 Imperial Tobacco Gr PLC 2484.50 -13.00 InterContinental Hotels 1650.00 0.00 International Conslidatd 170.00 -1.20 Intertek Group PLC 3115.50 -15.00 ITV PLC 100.70 -1.10 Johnson Matthey PLC 2440.00 -3.00 Kazakhmys PLC 747.00 1.50 Kingfisher PLC 269.50 -1.80 Land Securities Grp PLC 811.50 -1.65 Legal & General Grp PLC 146.05 -0.90 Lloyds Banking Grp PLC 46.62 -0.11 Marks & Spencer Grp PLC 392.85 -0.86 Meggitt PLC 385.45 -0.40 Melrose Industries PLC 221.45 -2.50 National Grid PLC 706.25 -1.00 Next PLC 3699.50 -4.00 Old Mutual PLC 173.05 -1.30 Pearson PLC 1177.50 0.00 Pennon Group PLC 605.50 2.00 Petrofac Ltd 1700.50 14.00 Polymetal Intl PLC 1087.00 -0.68 Prudential PLC 900.00 -8.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 6407.50 20.00 Reckitt Benckiser Gr PLC 3979.50 17.00 Reed Elsevier PLC 644.75 -2.00 Resolution Ltd 247.80 2.46 REXAM PLC 448.70 -1.10 Rio Tinto PLC 3262.50 6.70 Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 885.50 -11.50 Royal Bank of Scot Gr 295.85 -3.05 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2168.75 5.00 RSA Insurance Grp PLC 121.80 0.03 SABMiller PLC 2779.50 -21.00 Sage Group (The) PLC 293.90 -1.20 Sainsbury (J) PLC 342.85 -0.20 Schroders PLC 1638.00 -3.00 Serco Group PLC 544.50 -0.50 Severn Trent PLC 1552.50 3.70 Shire PLC 1893.00 -8.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 668.25 2.50 Smiths Group PLC 1126.00 -5.85 SSE PLC 1426.50 -5.00 Standard Chartered PLC 1475.50 -10.50 Standard Life PLC 328.10 -1.95 Tate & Lyle PLC 763.50 4.50 Tesco PLC 334.95 -1.85 Tullow Oil PLC 1238.50 -6.60 Unilever PLC 2412.00 -4.35 United Utilities Grp PLC 689.25 0.00 Vedanta Resources PLC 1103.50 -7.00 Vodafone Group PLC 160.92 -0.95 Weir Group PLC 1825.00 -10.00 Whitbread PLC 2437.50 9.15 Wm Morrison Sprmrkts 268.10 -0.97 Wolseley PLC 2827.00 -18.00 Wood Group (John) PLC 771.00 -3.00 WPP PLC 856.25 -13.50 Xstrata PLC 1036.00 1.00
% C H G. 0.20 0.17 -2.37 -1.03 -0.95 -0.71 -0.40 -0.58 0.48 0.07 -0.04 -1.13 -0.59 -0.83 -0.52 0.00 -0.70 -0.48 -1.08 -0.12 0.20 -0.66 -0.20 -0.61 -0.24 -0.22 -0.10 -1.12 -0.14 -0.11 -0.74 0.00 0.33 0.83 -0.06 -0.88 0.31 0.43 -0.31 1.00 -0.24 0.21 -1.28 -1.02 0.23 0.02 -0.75 -0.41 -0.06 -0.18 -0.09 0.24 -0.42 0.38 -0.52 -0.35 -0.71 -0.59 0.59 -0.55 -0.53 -0.18 0.00 -0.63 -0.59 -0.54 0.38 -0.36 -0.63 -0.39 -1.55 0.10
VOLUME 13.05 406.48 712.31 212.62 104.04 42.74 237.79 232.41 694.91 1,196.51 75.43 49.12 2,293.42 31.08 137.43 44.97 521.24 10.28 1,169.81 21.60 135.40 334.80 61.70 656.11 20,392.37 267.94 82.14 159.56 869.50 12.96 471.75 184.56 147.08 158.14 13.20 215.63 13.46 65.21 292.64 229.34 140.52 955.82 923.93 1,320.06 474.02 1,460.09 371.25 229.44 283.94 13.33 173.68 47.47 247.02 148.84 20.84 140.08 399.52 542.21 134.68 1,623.35 277.63 90.31 169.65 76.87 5,954.59 35.34 39.17 741.77 51.90 61.46 592.09 464.20
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
13 - 19 December 2012
EWN
Mallorca
www.euroweeklynews.com
The jobless who are just not learning MORE than 21 per cent of people in Spain between 15 and 29 neither work nor study. Spain is also one of the European
Union (EU) countries where more unemployed people not currently studying are not actively looking for work either.
The nation now has the highest number of people neither studying nor working in the whole EU zone. Seventy per cent have a
Open early for Xmas SPANISH retailer El Corte Ingles has decided to open at 9am over Christmas. The shops normally open at 10am, like most in Spain, and will continue to do so in Cataluña, the Basque Country and Andalucia, where laws do not permit them to open earlier. The Christmas campaign will last until January 5, but it is not known whether the stores will maintain the new opening hours beyond that period, especially while the sales are on.
17
low education level. The EU proposes that by law member states should guarantee that under 25s should receive an offer of work or an internship during the four months after they complete their studies or register as being unemployed. If neither option is possible, the EU wants to make sure that member states will give them further education.
‘Virus’ steals €36 million RE-FUEL: Diesel prices are lower on a Monday.
It’s cheaper on Mondays THE National Energy Committee (CNE) in Spain has revealed that fuel prices are lower on Mondays. The CNE has seen that prices drop by at least 1 per cent on
Mondays, the day on which the EU is informed of fuel prices, and then rise again on Tuesday. This mainly affects grade A diesel. A report also shows that in October, 95 octane petrol
was more expensive in Spain before taxes were applied than the EU average, meaning margins are higher. But prices paid by Spanish drivers are lower than the EU
A TROJAN virus allowed €5.8 million to be stolen from more than 11,000 bank accounts in Spain. The Trojan, named Eurograbber, which can be transferred from a PC to a mobile phone, affected seven banks in Spain and many more throughout Europe, making the total amount stolen close to €36 million.
GB
LOBAL IZ
Water relief GOOGLE is giving a $5 million (€3.86 million) grant to help provide clean and sustainable water supplies in impoverished parts of the world.
Plain talking SOUTH AFRICA is moving in to the multimillion-euro call centre industry. Amazon, Aegis and British company Coracall have opened centres in the country because of the more ‘neutral’ accent of workers compared to India.
Girly digger BARBIE is picking up a shovel. The iconic doll’s first line of construction sets has become a best seller in the US.
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T.A.E.***
You choose… whether… you’re looking for a current account with a world of benefits, or a fixed term deposit to see your savings grow. For other options about our Pounds Sterling and Dollars(1)) fixed term deposits, please visit your local branch at:
Sotogrande, Guadalmina, Puerto Banús, Marbella, Calahonda, Fuengirola, Benalmádena, Málaga or Torrox. 902 024 365 or +34 91 484 81 81 lloydsbankinternational.es (1) There is a potential risk arising from fluctuations in foreign exchange rates between the acquisition date and the subsequent sale or maturity date of the deposit or investment. * T.A.E. (Tasa Anual Equivalente) corresponds to Annual Interest Rate. Effective Interest Rate: 3.494%. From €6,000 to €200,000. Interest paid at maturity. Available until the 31st December 2012. For funds coming from other financial entities, credited to the account from 1st October 2012 onwards and that represent a balance increase from the aforementioned date. ** T.A.E. (Tasa Anual Equivalente) corresponds to Annual Interest Rate. Effective Interest Rate: 3.226%. From €6,000 to €200,000. Interest paid at maturity. Available until the 31st December 2012. For funds coming from other financial entities, credited to the account from 1st October 2012 onwards and that represent a balance increase from the aforementioned date. *** T.A.E. (Tasa Anual Equivalente) corresponds to Annual Interest Rate. Effective Interest Rate 2.9596% for the first three months, on balances up to a maximum of €500,000, with all amounts above said limit accruing no interest. From the fourth month remuneration will be based on tired rates depending on the balance you hold. As of today these rates are from 0% to 1.50% T.A.E. (1.4898% Effective Interest Rate) The applicable rates for each tier are available on www lloydsbankinternational es Interest paid monthly
FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL
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When pricey gifts mean Xmas cheer, watch the festive spend IN America the average set of parents is reported to spend approximately $270 (€209) on presents for each child. One in 10 parents said the plan was to spend A look more than $500 at finance (€387). for females Spending figures for British mums and dads are a Jane Plunkett little more jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews. com reserved, with parents predicted to spend an average £104 EXPENSIVE: Watch your spending on gifts. (€129) on each of their children this Christmas, but Spanish parents are Christmas morning. 20 per cent of UK parents quoted as spending more In 2008, the general surveyed admitted to than €100 on presents for public across Europe and forking out more than £200 each child, while domestic America held back a little (€248) on each child. pets in many countries are on overspending during That would make a total also getting in on the the holiday season, as spend of almost £1.4 billion action, with about €10 advice was continually (€1.73 billion) on children’s being spent on a treat for being doled out to save presents across the UK. the dog or cat come and be sensible.
Loose change
Such advice seems to have fallen on deaf ears recently, with reports revealing that Christmas spending has increased dramatically in the past couple of years and shows no sign of slowing down. It appears that despite
B
USINESS IZ
Cash shot
continuing pressures on household budgets, consumers still enjoy moments of indulgence and like to treat their friends and family at Christmas. Obviously there is nothing wrong with wanting to spoil loved ones, but if overspending spoils finances, too, then it’s just not worth it. One way to approach Christmas presents is to treat children like adults. Explain that times are a little tough and that Santa will be cutting back on expensive gifts. Most children love the thrill of opening a present and won’t be bothered if the item inside cost €50 or €100. As for pets, sit them down for the same chat, or just scratch their gift right off the list!
GIANT insurance company AXA is set to follow MAPFRE and Mutua Madrilena in investing in Spain’s ‘bad bank’.
TV woes PUBLIC television station Telemadrid has set in motion plans to dismiss 925 workers, or 80 per cent of its staff. A rump workforce would fill air-time with bought-in programmes.
Big customer ANDALUCIA is Cataluña’s largest ‘export’ market after France. Next come Aragon and Valencia, in a report that shows the region’s reliance on Spain for trade.
Listen to staff to boost output and lift morale B OTH positive and negative employee morale has a significant effect on an organisation’s bottom line. Employees with high morale show up to work on time, work harder, show improved communication and creativity and are less likely to leave. The opposite is true when employees have low morale. The number of sick days goes up, more time is spent gossiping during work hours, only the basic job requirements are met, and there is an increased staff turnover rate. Listen to staff grievances and their suggestions and act to improve employee morale. As an organisation management holds the key. Employees are more motivated when they feel needed, appreciated and valued. There are countless ways to positively motivate employees. Below are 12 simple ways
Nigel Fitzpatrick
organisations can improve morale: 1. Give employees more control. When they feel more in charge they don’t get tied up with the small stuff and feel less helpless during times of uncertainty. Remember, control is earned through trust and should not be taken advantage of or abused. 2. Communication. When employees feel they are being kept in the loop they are more likely to trust that management has everyone’s best interests in mind. The sharing of ideas should be encouraged. 3. Express gratitude and reward staff. When
employees feel appreciated, they are more likely to help others and improve teamwork. Rewarding a job well done will foster the desire to continue producing positive results. 4. Flexitime. When employees are offered flexitime (telecommuting, summer hours, four-day work week), they are more productive even when financial rewards are not available. Flexitime offers a cost-effective approach to encouraging a proper life-work balance. 5. Celebrate special events. When employees have a social gathering to look forward to they are likelier to work harder and faster to ensure time lost is at a minimum. 6. Design a welcoming workspace. In addition to comfortable chairs and ergonomic desks, allow staff to bring in desk lamps, open
curtains and blinds. Provide free drinks and an enjoyable break room. 7. Clarify expectations. When employees clearly understand their role and the impact it has on the company they will feel more connected to the organisation’s performance and compelled to give 100 per cent. 8. Lead by example. When employees see management rolling up their sleeves to dive into a project they are more apt to follow in the same footsteps. Setting a good example is a language everyone understands and it gains maximum respect. 9. Provide a suggestion box. When employees can voice concerns in an anonymous fashion they are more likely to bring up issues that may be hard to mention in a face-to-face conversation. The suggestion box is also a unique forum for employees to express innovative ideas.
10. Volunteer as a group. When employees and organisations struggle during hard times, it’s inspiring to help others even less fortunate. Working as a group also allows staff who don’t normally have much interaction with each other to work side by side, further promoting teamwork and camaraderie. 11. Challenge employees. When employees feel pushed intellectually with new projects they will feel more enthused, competent and productive. Pairing a challenging project with the proper employee will help expand their particular skill set and the business will be rewarded. 12. Respect employees. When workers feel respected, not only as individuals but professionals, regardless of positions, they are likely to exhibit more professional mannerisms in the workplace.
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W EEKLY
ROUND - UP OF REGULAR AND OCCASIONAL TOPICS
E XPAT EXTRA
LETTERS LEAPY HEALTH & BEAUTY
FOOD TIME OUT HOMES & GARDENS
PETS TV
Oh Crispin! How I hunger for you
WHAT a week! My feet have hardly touched the ground. It’s simply unbelievable that it is only seven days since I bumped into Mr Gorgeous in Hipercor. A case of instant chemistry, just like how I imagine Denise Van Outen felt when paired with dance partner James Jordan on Strictly Come
As I see it... Ana Jefferson-Smith takes an irreverent look at life as a singleton expat in Spain Dancing. But Crispin has definitely worn more masculine outfits than the jumpsuits and mesh T-shirts James has appeared in. And unfortunately I do not
COMMENT No time for politics
look like Denise. But you know where I’m coming from. Back to last week. It has truly been just like a fairy-tale. Before I had even reached my car after literally bumping
into Crispin at the supermarket, he had sent a message: ‘Can’t wait to see you again. x’ Only one kiss, but that’s a lot for a guy you’ve only known for five minutes. The following morning he sent me another text, saying: ‘Tonight. 9pm. Marbella old town. Wear something sexy. x’ He had a chilled bottle of
MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE A real touch of winter sweeps Southern Spain
WOUND-LICKING, backslapping and nostalgia were prominent during a homage to former president Felipe Gonzalez, 30 years after he won the 1982 elections. The PSOE needs to shift towards the centre, he declared, preferring not to remember that these are times for weathering the storm, not plotting a course in any direction. It is the country that the PSOE and every other party should be worrying about, not tweaking ideology.
No time for sabre-rattling A GENERAL was sacked as editor of the General Staff magazine Ejercito for criticising Artur Mas. The Catalan president’s separatism ‘diminishes Spain’s credibility’, wrote the general - who is in the reserve - in an unsigned editorial. This is an opinion that many share but using an official publication to air it confuses personal convictions and national politics. Spain had more than enough of that in the past.
Flush of popularity in the loo ALMOST one third of all Americans aged 18 to 24 use social networking sites in the bathroom, research has revealed. *** SEVERAL doctors reassured Aundrea Aragon from Arizona, USA, that the clear liquid running from her nose was simply caused by
JUST FANCY THAT... allergies. She was horrified to find out it was actually fluid leaking from her brain. *** CHINESE astronauts could grow fresh vegetables on Mars and
the moon after researchers successfully completed a preliminary test in Beijing, China. *** ROBOTS will replace some of the 80 dolphins currently used by the US
Navy to track down mines. Mammals are being used by the military at present as part of a programme dating back to the 1950s. *** A GIRL, 8, was bitten by a dolphin at Orlando’s Sea World. The theme park said they are ‘committed to guest safety’.
Champagne waiting for me at our table, tucked away in the corner of the restaurant; so secluded, so intimate, so perfect. On our second date, we strolled through Malaga, handin-hand, gazing at the sights, and he later sent me a huge bunch of flowers at work: Lily of the Valley, my favourite. Even when we took my dog Stella (McCartney) to the hairdressers it was romance all the way , with him opening doors for me, and carrying her to the car to ensure her newly-manicured toenails stayed smudge-free. I know it’s only been seven days and I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but the butterflies in my tummy are in overdrive, and I am getting hotter by the day!. I struggle to eat around him because I’m so nervous. And I lie in bed at night wondering what tomorrow will bring. Each time my phone beeps, a feeling of desire shoots through me as I scramble to find it, and hang on every word Crispin utters in his deep and so masculine tones. What a turnaround from three weeks ago when I was happy being single, glad to be in control of the TV remote. Now I can’t concentrate on watching television without my mind wandering, dreaming of him. Next week he’s taking me on a surprise date, and I’ve been told to bring a bikini. Could he be whisking me away on a romantic holiday? I’ll let you know how it goes.
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Mallorca
A good time the traditional Spanish way S
PAIN is bursting with Christmas spirit. There are still assortment of seafood, cheese and ham as a starter, meat 12 days left to the big day, but it all started earlier this for a main dish, lots of sweets and a bottle or two of Champagne - but also to visit every relative in town. month. Do not be surprised if a group of children knock on the The signs are there. By now towns have already lit up their festive decorations. TV viewers have been bombarded door and start singing carols, armed with tambourines and some sort of drum with a stick called a with classic Christmas ads for toys, perfume, ‘zambomba’. On Christmas Eve it is traditional sweets, clothes, and everything else. for children to go from home to home asking People are chatting in the streets and for a small prize, ‘el aguinaldo’. They are offices about the lottery and the usual joker usually given some spare change, sweets or will say ‘I’m going to buy you all an Iberian biscuits. But tell them to sing a couple of ham if I win El Gordo this year!’ A weekly focus aimed songs - ‘villancicos’ - if they want to earn it! El Gordo (The Fat One) is the nickname for at keeping expatriate readers On Christmas Day people usually spend the the main prize in the Christmas lottery, drawn informed on various aspects of day eating with family and friends. It is a every December 22. Life in Spain national holiday, so check the town’s Yes, this is all part of Christmas in Spain. programme of events because there will But a real Christmas means family. So it all By Raul Candela really begins with the Christmas Eve dinner, probably be something going on in the which Spaniards call ‘Nochebuena’. It is a streets. night to share with the family, not only to eat After New Year’s Eve’s booze-filled party the specialties mum or grandma cooks - usually an and New Year’s hangover day, comes the moment all Spanish children dream of. Three Kings Day, on January 6, is the when they get their presents. The night before, parades are held in towns and cities. The Three Kings are there to grant the children’s wishes. In my home town of Ibi (Alicante) - which is known as ‘Toy Town’ for its traditional toy industry - the servants of King Balthasar even use ladders to Foreign padron statistics in get through the windows and Mijas since August 2012: leave boxes of toys in every 3,074 residents newly child’s home. registered Isn’t it magical? 1,925 confirmations by those
Life in Spain
CHILD’S TIME: The Three Kings monument in Ibi, Alicante, is the only one of its kind in Europe.
Town hall padron drive helps fill official coffers
Q AND A
MUNICIPALITIES with a large foreign community are beginning to reap the rewards for their efforts to promote the padron (municipal register). One of the best examples is the Andalucian town of Mijas (Malaga). The town hall had reported that more than 14,000 foreign inhabitants were going to be removed from the residents list as they had not renewed their registration every five years as required. So the council launched a “The Euro ‘Don’t lose your rights’ Weekly News has always campaign in August, been really helpful for foreign mailing more than 3,000 residents in our town, especially people the following the British, but also the Germans. alert: ‘Those who are not They usually come here with the on the padron are not newspaper in their hands. They say: considered inhabitants ‘I read this in the EWN and thought it important of Mijas and as such, will information’.”Luisa Machen, not be able to receive any Mijas Foreign Residents of the benefits offered, Department social help, etc. This will also harm the town hall, as central government will give less campaign, in money, fewer policemen, less 2013 Mijas will get €4.7 million public transport and fewer more than last year in state doctors to the town.’ grants for a total of €19.2 Thanks to the success of the million, the council said.
already registered 730 removed from the register (they do not live there any more) 1,744 proposed to be removed Total population: 79,262 (2011); 82,124 (2012) = +3.6 per cent Total foreign population: 32,743 (2011; 43 per cent British); 35,817 (2012) = +9.3 per cent Registered population in the last 10 years: + 57.3 per cent HERE TO HELP: Foreign Residents Departments provide all the necessary information about the padron. “I think we can call it a success,” Marta Rey from the Mijas Foreign Residents Department told Euro Weekly News.
We are not residents in Spain but have a holiday home in the community and visit about four or five times each year. We have noticed the council is requesting people to register with the local town hall. Does this apply to
“We are satisfied with the results,” Marta said. A final push is needed for towns all over Spain. Residents should keep in mind that their town hall will get €150 for every registered person. Everybody counts!
Do not miss them: Christmas events in EWN areas. - Costa del Sol: ‘Verdiales’ folk festival, December 28 (noon). La Concepcion Park, Malaga. - Axarquia: Live Nativity scene, December 29 (6pm) and December 30 (noon), Almayate. - Almeria: Eating the traditional Christmas almond sweet pie in Huercal-Overa. - Costa Blanca North: ‘Els Enfarinats’, December 28, 10am, Ibi. - Costa Blanca South: Choir Concert, December 22, 9.30pm. Basilica de Santa Maria, Elche. - Mallorca: ‘El Canto de la Sibila’, December 24, 11pm. Santuario de Lluc, Palma.
non-residents? The padron does not imply you are a resident. It is a way the town hall knows how many people live in the area. So, yes, it is recommended even for nonresidents to register as it offers advantages to the community.
Send your questions to: raul@euroweeklynews.com
EWN
Xmas Special
The sounds of Christmas
Trivia Part of the family According to a 1995 survey, seven out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their doting owners. Festive feast Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source of nutrition. Christmas spending The weeks leading up to Christmas are the
biggest shopping weeks of the year. Many retailers make up to 70 per cent of their annual revenue in the month preceding Christmas. Turkey travel In Victorian England, turkeys were popular for Christmas dinners. Some of the birds were raised in Norfolk, and taken to market in London. To get them to London, the turkeys were supplied with boots made of sacking or leather. The turkeys were then walked to market. The boots protected their feet from the frozen mud on the road. Boots were not used for geese: instead, their feet were
protected with covering of tar.
a
Spoiled leftovers It is estimated that 400,000 people become sick each year from eating tainted Christmas leftovers. Diamonds are forever 31 per cent more diamonds are purchased at Christmas-time than during any other holiday or occasion. Film facts The movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) features more than 52,000 Christmas lights, 8,200 Christmas ornaments, and nearly 2,000 candy canes.
WHEN the weather outside is frightful, there really is nothing better than curling up under the duvet and listening to some festive tunes. Here is the definitive Christmas playlist for this time of year. • White Christmas Bing Crosby • Do They Know It’s Christmas Time - Band Aid • The Christmas Song Nat King Cole • Blue Christmas - Elvis Presley • Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade • Winter Wonderland Doris Day • Last Christmas Wham! • Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow - Dean Martin • Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Various • Little Drummer Boy Bing Crosby and David Bowie
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L etters OPINION & COMMENT
26 EWN
Tight parking spaces really drive me mad WHY is it that car parks in Spain have such small parking spaces? While my wife drives a VW Golf, I drive a larger 4x4, and neither is easy to park in the spots in car parks. All too frequently I have to pull in the wing mirrors to park because space near posts in underground car parks is so tight. It is not a case of just odd car parks. From my own observations over seven years living here, it is the vast majority. Lidl has just opened a new supermarket in La Cala, and sure enough, on the first visit, I found marked parking areas for individual vehicles to be once more small. And this is not to be critical of Lidl, for the local Mercado car park is just as bad, as is the municipal car park outside SuperSol. No wonder so many vehicles have bumps at the back, front, and sides. Fed-up driver Name and address supplied
Car park alert
Snapped! Ernie Barnes of Arroyo de la Miel, Malaga
P pub hotog r l em icati aphs pho ail w on sh for p o ton ews ith a f uld b ossibl e es @e ull e c uro wee aptio nt by klyn n to ews : .com
13 -19 December 2012 Mallorca
Annoying bite I WAS very annoyed that Suzanne Manners did not report the dog bite (Issue 1431) to the police. It is clear that the dog’s owner was not bothered. How long before it bites a child and causes serious harm? A call to the police at this stage would perhaps convince the owner to have the animal trained. If you are not prepared to do the right thing when something wrong happens, then don’t complain. Andrew Coates, Fuengirola (Malaga)
Market thanks
Flying the flag! A girl carrying a huge Spanish flag during this year’s Constitution Day celebrations.
WHEN YOU WRITE All letters, whether by email or post, should carry the writer’s postal address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published. Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed earlier correspondence can see all letters posted on:
AFTER a two-month stay in our home country we picked up our car from one of the many airport car parks in Malaga. Before we left we had written down the kilometres on the trip meter. On our return we saw the meter had an extra 2,500 kilometres showing. We complained and were told they had charged the battery and it had probably changed the reading. Then we found things in our car that didn’t belong to us, and a parking ticket from Benamaldena Costa dated while we were away. The next day we made an official complaint to the police. People should be careful when using some of the airport car parks. Tineke van Melick Sayalonga (Malaga)
because it was warmer than the UK all year round. I chose to leave, so why now should I expect and demand the UK government to give me more than I am entitled to from my State Pension contributions? Yes, it is very hot in Spain in the summer, but surely that is the reason one came to the country. I might be poor, but that unfortunately is not a sufficient reason for the UK to continue to support me while I decide to live abroad. David Petrie, Alhaurin el Grande (Malaga)
Not entitled
Tax dilemma
THE Winter Fuel Allowance was introduced as a freebie to pensioners living in England. It had nothing to do with how much any person had paid. As a pensioner I decided to leave the UK and come to Spain partly
HOW many people realise their next Spanish tax return will have to declare assets held abroad that total more than €50,000? Although this new legislation would appear virtually impossible to implement, people will still face a
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dilemma. That is whether or not to give the authorities full disclosure of overseas assets even when thinking they will not qualify for additional taxation. Failure to complete an accurate tax return constitutes a punishable offence in its own right. This is food for thought as the Spanish authorities have stated they intend to seek co-operation with EU governments to enforce the legislation. Ken Bethell, Puerto de Mazarron (Murcia)
No peace PLEASE advise Ms Jane Plunkett to research facts about Greenpeace before gratuitously extolling the merits of that particular outfit. If she should try to follow their home line to the controlling ‘powers that be’ she will soon learn that all is not lilywhite within that so-called charity. There are no ways to verify their accounts or who is the leader of the organisation. I agree there must be some members of Greenpeace that are totally committed to their idea of saving the planet, but these are in the main part the foot soldiers and not the hierarchy who hide their existence behind the Rainbow Banner. FJT (by email)
HELP VEGA BAJA’S Christmas Market was held at The Asturias restaurant on the N-332 in Punta Prima. We wish to thank all the volunteers and everyone who attended for their support which was crucial in raising €5,081. The proceeds of this event will go to the Reach Out project which helps the homeless and destitute. Pat Perrin (Alicante)
Challenging taboo CLEARLY there are some who can’t abide critical opinion of Spain. Accept us, warts and all or go (Letters Issue 1429). I made my reasons for being here clear as do Spaniards abroad. Some critics, who can’t even get my nationality right, were otherwise presumptuous. I am paid, not for being controversial, but for questioning, challenging orthodoxy and taboo. Michael Walsh (by email) EWN columnist
Big success THANKS to everybody who helped and donated to the Reach Out Christmas-themed family fun day at the Marina Bar, Torrevieja. The event was an outstanding success, raising €1,217. David and Lorraine Whitney, Torrevieja (Alicante)
Still booted The Javea Computer has not closed despite what some people believe. We are a thriving club and hope to continue to be well into the future. Mick Scarles, Javea (Alicante)
The views expressed and opinions given in Letters are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. They accept no responsibility for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements, and reject claims arising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.
OPINION & COMMENT
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PC holiday pudding is just taking the biscuit LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT attempting to damage the tree would be left in a small, charred smoking heap on the pavement. In the event of that scenario it would be the last act of vandalism against this particular symbol of the Christian faith ever. Dream on, Leapy! In the light of all this I also got to wondering what would happen should they decide to shoot a version of I’m a Celebrity in the UK? The mind boggles. ‘I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Epping Forest’ not only doesn’t have quite the
TRADITIONAL: What happened to the ‘Christmas’ pud? same ring, it would also be a nightmare for the organisers and positively orgasmic for the ‘ealth ‘n’ safety brigade. Cockroaches would have to be cleansed. Rats would need de-clawing, snakes de-fanged. As for burials, suspended bridges, fireworks, ablutions in a bucket and negotiating
rapids whilst being bombarded by rubber balls... The committees for clamping down would be burning the (perfectly controlled) midnight oil for months! In the end it would, of course, be impossible to stage. Sad, ennit? I’m just waiting for them to ban the
army. After all you could get injured or even killed. Don’t laugh. If you can now face prosecution for killing the enemy, I would say just about anything is possible! Thanks for all the mail. Also your comments on the Euro Weekly News website (well worth a visit if you haven’t already). I do read them all, even if I don’t get the time to reply. I was surprised at the reaction to my IsraelPalestine piece and will definitely return to that subject at a later date. Meantime, try not to go skint in this year’s Yuletide run-up. Keep warm. Keep a spring in yer step. And, whatever ya do, Always keep the faith Love Leapy
Leapylee2002@gmail.com
Gaza debate ISRAEL did withdraw from Gaza five years ago, leaving 1.4 million people in an area about six miles wide and 24 miles long (Issue 1429). During Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine they have bulldozed 22,000 Palestinian homes and occupied an area of Palestine almost five times the size of the 1967 agreed border. Gary Richardson Orihuela Costa (Alicante)
END COLUMN
ERE we go again. Just taking this opportunity to wish you a happy PC and ‘ealth and safety Christmas. Yesterday I espied a ‘Holiday’ pudding in a local supermarket. ‘Happy holiday’ cards are also well in evidence. Whatever happened to Christmas pud and cards? What I found laughable, if it wasn’t so serious, was a report pointed out to me by a colleague. It appears that the traditional Christmas tree erected in Britain’s northern town of Stanley had been ordered to be taken down by local authorities. The reason? Wait for it. Apparently it was deemed ‘dangerous to vandals’. Local loonie Health and Safety individuals had decide that the 220 volts required to power up the Christmas bulbs could be a threat to potential vandals! You couldn’t make it up, could you? Personally, I’d like to see the power pumped up so high that anyone
Mallorca
Wrong again WHAT would you do if I were to build a wall around your home? As you and your children slowly starved to death you might even chuck a few bricks over the wall in desperation. Brian Hickey (Malaga)
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The pitfalls of looking for love online are just part of the fun A THIRD of us now find relationships online with nine million people in the UK using internet sites to find partners. This trend is increasing rapidly, with Britons Europe’s most prolific internet daters. When I first learned of a friend of mine going online, I was a bit shocked (and amused) because of the usual preconceptions about internet dating. That is the idea of people searching for partners based on certain criteria like age, weight, height, hobbies, and politics. Then finding out the truth. Men lie about their height, women about their weight and everyone adds pictures to their profiles that are well out-ofdate, even men substituting pictures of their sons! But, as my friend pointed out, sometimes life’s just too busy for the usual dating game. The
Breaking Views NORA JOHNSON Nora, who has lived on the Costa del Sol for a number of years, is the author of psychological suspense and crime thrillers. To comment on any of the issues raised in Nora’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ nora-johnson
INTERNET DATING: Just like real life, really. important thing about the online version, she reckons, is not to take it too seriously. If she comes across someone a bit weird-sounding, she simply puts it down to an anecdote-making opportunity. Just as she does with the
inevitable scammers, invariably based in Nigeria. These are easy to identify as there are often major
inconsistencies within their profiles, and they all claim to have great jobs and live in big houses. The messages tend to be in stilted Pidgin English, and almost always begin “Hello My Dear” or “Hello Beautiful Lady.” Strangely, they all seem to be widowed with young children and have lost their parents early on in a tragic accident. They also want your email address immediately so they can still contact you when they’re kicked off the website and con you into parting with money in order to meet them. One who claimed to be from ‘Wombledon’ and saw ‘Andee Moray’ win the tennis
championship this summer raved about how ‘luvley Wombledon Common’ was, and that there was nothing as romantic as the setting sun reflected off London’s Centre Point. His children’s ages kept changing with each message. He also firmly believed my friend’s assertion she had a sister called Hyacinth Bucket and a brother named Victor Meldrew. Basically, internet dating is just another way to meet people in an increasingly fragmented society. But it’s also a case of beware of the smooth-talking rogues... just like real life, really. Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Soul Stealer’ & ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.89; £0.77) and iBookstore.Profits to Cudeca
Eight out of 10 cats. . . HAVE you noticed that there has been a cat food shortage in Mallorca? I went to Lidls and two different Eroskis last week on a mission to stock up on tinned cat food and there was none of the bog standard cheapo cat chow that we would normally buy. There was only the stuff with the snotty nosed but deliciously fluffy pedigree cats on the front of the tin. You know the cat food that single ladies like to feed their cats which is three times the cost of the normal stuff? So I bought some dog food. That was a bad idea as it turned out. What can be in the dog food recipe that is so repellent to cats? Surely it’s just the same stuff just bigger chunks? Apparently not according to four very irritated tail swishes and a dedicated campaign of intermittent sulking. I asked the staff at the supermarkets about the apparent Cold War style
Family Matters Vicki Mcleod
Cat food shortage in Mallorca. sweeping of the shelves of cat food, but none of them seemed to find it as funny or weird as I did. In a seemingly unrelated event, we hosted ‘CurryOff’ at our house last weekend. The idea is this: get our friends to come to a party but also get them to cook the food. Simple, yet cunning. It followed on from the inaugural ‘Off’ which was last month and featured soup. As costs for entertaining seem to be escalating, we had to find a way to make entertaining cheaper but still make it, well, entertaining. Now we have I
think hit on a winning formula: decide on a theme (soup, curry, pie, stew, etc) and announce the date for the ‘Off’. Invite interesting and lovely friends. Ask friends to bring a dish. Provide the accompaniments for whichever dish you decide on.
Soup was easy, we just bought a load of bread. Curry was more complicated: yoghurt and mint raita, poppadoms, lime pickle, samosas, pilau rice were all provided. The guests arrive with their pans and the dishes are heated and served.
At the end of the meal everyone votes for their favourite, and the winner is presented with a trophy. The ‘SoupOff’ trophy was The Golden Ladle, and for the ‘CurryOff’ we presented (I kid you not) the Glitter Toilet Roll. The best bit of the event though is the amount of pride and love that everyone shows in preparing their dish, and the banter that goes along with it. I highly recommend you try it. Next month will see ‘PieOff’ (savoury and sweet), we shall be providing the mash, peas, beans, gravy and custard. Hopefully the cat food stocks in the shops won’t drop on the same week or I may start to get suspicious. Last week was a week of competitions, not only did we have ‘CurryOff’ but my blog www.familymattersmallorca.co m came second in the Expat Blog Awards. Thank you to everyone who voted, it was very inspiring to receive so much support.
HEALTH & BEAUTY
30 EWN www.euroweeklynews.com
13 - 19 December 2012
Visit www.ewnlifestyle.com for more reading
Mallorca
Binge-drinking linked to a mutant gene
L
AGER LOUTS may not be totally to blame for their bad behaviour. Scientists have discovered a binge-drinking gene that makes people want to drink more. They found that the mutant version of the RASGRF2 gene makes the brain more sensitive to habit-forming addictions, including alcohol. In a study of both mice and young teenage boys it was closely linked to alcoholseeking behaviour. The research confirmed those young men with the RASGRF2 variant consumed alcohol the most often.
Go to bed earlier.
Sleep your worries away
Teenage drinking has soared in recent years. Professor Gunter Schumann, from the Institute of Psychiatry at
King’s College in London, said: “People seek out situations which fulfil their sense of reward and make them happy, so if priority. Doing nothing will your brain is wired ensure that couple fertility to find alcohol and average family size will rewarding, you decline below its present low will seek it level and place ever greater out.” strains on society.” Around six in 10 The researchers used data young people from 126 fertility treatment aged 11 to 15 in centres. They found that England consume from 1989 to 2005, there alcohol and the was a 32.2 per cent decrease rates of teenage in concentration of sperm, a binge-drinking rate of nearly 2 per cent a have soared in year. recent years.
Fears over fertility crisis A MAJOR French study has revealed that male sperm counts have fallen sharply since the start of the 1990s. Whilst the decline is being linked to diet, lifestyle and even tight underwear, a British expert said action was needed to investigate the causes. Professor Richard Sharpe, of the University of Edinburgh, said: “In the UK this issue has never been viewed as any sort of health
GOING to bed just an hour earlier each night can help lower blood pressure. Researchers found people who were showing early signs of high blood pressure were able to reduce it to healthy levels in just six weeks if they had an extra hour in bed. Lack of sleep and a stressful lifestyle have long been associated with an increased risk of the condition, but this latest study by Harvard Medical School in Boston (USA) is one of the first to prove that blood pressure can be brought under control by simply increasing sleep.
Cambridge 800. The Weight Evolution. Anna is the real proof it can work! We know that losing weight is only half the battle. Keeping ing it off long term is what really matters. With its unique ecome Why not b ge 800 one-to-one support, Cambridge 800 is the nutritional, a Cambrid NT? convenient and proven way to lose weight. CONSULTAING Anna,
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13 - 19 December 2012
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Mallorca
A guide to surviving Christmas T
WELVE days is how long Christmas lasts, one popular carol would lead us to believe. But I bet by now you have already written a bundle of cards, faced long queues at the Correos to send off gifts, and if you went to every Christmas market on offer it would be a full-time job. Not to mention fretting about family gatherings or the lack of them. The season brings out not our true selves, but a slightly more frazzled and neurotic version. Sadly, we’re not all able to whisk up a feast in the kitchen regardless of Nigella’s reassurances that we are Domestic Goddesses. Fear not, though, as I am here to help you with my top tips for surviving Christmas in one piece. 1. Still haven’t written those cards? Time to play the eco-card. In 2012 you resolved to save trees and reduce your carbon foot-
print. An email or Facebook greeting to this effect will do nicely. 2. Puzzled by presents? Make a donation to your favourite charity instead. If this would go down like a lead balloon with your nearest and dearest, at least claim you are now fully ‘Spanified’ and ‘do’ presents on Three Kings Day, giving you more time and a chance to buy at a discount. 3. Baffled by baking? There is no shame in resorting to store-bought offerings. Personalise by roughing them up a bit, adding a touch of icing sugar and cake decorations. Wrap them up in pretty packaging, add a bow and a tag and you also have a perfectly acceptable present. The same can be applied to re-packaged jams and even wine. Just add your own label to impress. 4. Hosting Christmas? Divide and conquer. Ask guests to bring a
contribution starter or dessert, or outsource to the friendly supermarket again. Even without Marks and Sparks the local ones here have a small offering of ready-made dishes that can be served up with some added herbs and garnish to make it your own. And if you really can’t bear making the main dish, a couple of rotisserie chicken takeaways would be fine if you claim they are special Bonsai turkeys, the latest trend, didn’t they know? 5. Family feuds threatening the harmony of Christmas Day? One friend recommends this cardinal rule: anaesthetise the day with one drink (standard glass of wine or cava, not quadruple G&T) per hour throughout the gathering.
Expat Strife Swedish-born Ulrica is a freelance journalist living in Mallorca with her family. Her debut novel $Expat Wives is available on Amazon and iBooks. To comment on any of the issues raised in Ulrica’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ ulrica-marshall
ULRICA MARSHALL ulrica @euroweeklynews.com
Any more and you may be sloshed and any less the effect will wear off. 6. Not formally invited? Or too far to travel? Join celebrations at your local restaurant. Or why not hop on a cruise. If all else fails, just throw yourself into the mayhem with the fervour of a celebrity on a Bushtucker trial. Scream in excitement at the socks from Aunt Ethel, cry and laugh your way through It’s a Wonderful Life. As with everything in life, it is all about your frame of mind. You just have to believe…
SURVIVAL: Kit to get through Christmas Day.
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TV
EWN
LISTINGS
13 - 19 December 2012 Mallorca
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BBC1 5:30pm Pet School 6:00pm Newsround 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Young Apprentice 10:00pm Britain's Hidden Housing Crisis 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Question Time 12:35am This Week 1:20am Skiing Weatherview 1:25am Panorama 1:55am Countryfile
BBC2
5:30pm Breakaway 6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Raymond Blanc’s Christmas Feast 9:00pm MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00pm The Hour 11:00pm Rhod Gilbert’s Work Experience 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am The Boss is Back 12:50am Rolling Stones: Crossfire Hurricane 1:50am The Culture Show
ITV
5:00pm Britain’s Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Pensioners Behind Bars 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The River Wild 1:35am Jackpot247 4:00am Tonight
Channel 4
5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm Kirstie’s Vintage Home 10:00pm Jamie and Jimmy’s Food Fight Club 11:00pm The 15-Stone Babies 12:05am 8 Out of 10 Cats 12:55am Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 1:50am The Aristocrats
Channel 5
6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways 9:00pm World's Strongest Man 2012 10:00pm Cowboy Builders 11:00pm Constantine 1:30am Super Casino 4:55am Nick’s Quest 5:20am HouseBusters 5:40am Great Scientists
FRIDAY DECEMBER 14
BBC1 5:55pm Ooglies 6:00pm Newsround 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Nigel Slater’s 12 Tastes of Christmas 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Outnumbered 10:00pm Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Live at the Apollo 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:20am The National Lottery Friday Night Draws 12:30am Would I Lie to You? 1:00am EastEnders Omnibus
BBC2
6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Nigella Express 8:30pm Coast 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm An Island Parish 10:00pm Westminster Abbey 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:00am The Review Show 12:50am Rolling Stones: Crossfire Hurricane 1:50am Muddy Waters and the Rolling Stones: 2:50am BBC News
ITV
6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm You’ve Been Framed! 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm A Night of Heroes: The Sun Military Awards 2012 11:30pm ITV News and Weather 12:10am Hard Target 1:50am The Store 3:55am Disclosure
Channel 4
6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm Unreported World 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm Come Dine with Me 10:00pm Peter Kay Live at the Top of the Tower 11:20pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:25am 4funnies: Uncle 12:55am Full English 1:30am The Ricky Gervais Show 2:00am British Comedy Awards 2012
Channel 5
6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Cowboy Builders 9:00pm North Pole Ice Airport 10:00pm The Mentalist 11:00pm Castle 11:55pm Law and Order: Criminal Intent 12:55am Inside Hollywood 1:00am Super Casino 4:50am Motorsport Mundial 5:20am HouseBusters 5:45am Great Scientists
SATURDAY DECEMBER 15
BBC1 5:00pm Final Score 6:25pm BBC News 6:35pm BBC London News 6:45pm A Question of Sport 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing 9:15pm Merlin 10:00pm The National Lottery Saturday Night Draws 10:15pm Casualty 11:05pm BBC News 11:25pm Match of the Day 12:45am The Football League Show 2:00am Weatherview 2:05am BBC News
BBC2
5:30pm Escape to the Country 6:30pm Flog It! 7:30pm The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best at Christmas 8:30pm Don’t Panic! The Dad’s Army Story 9:20pm Dad's Army 10:20pm Clive Dunn: A Tribute 11:00pm Jools Holland: My Life in Music 12:00am Later... with Jools Holland and Friends 1:00am Savage Grace 2:30am Priceless
SUNDAY DECEMBER 16
BBC1 6:40pm BBC London News 6:50pm Countryfile 7:50pm Strictly Come Dancing 8:30pm Sports Personality of the Year 2012 11:05pm BBC News 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm Match of the Day 2 12:30am The Graham Norton Show 1:15am Three Fugitives
BBC2
7:00pm Cuba with Simon Reeve 8:00pm The Great Spanish Crash 9:00pm Fawlty Towers 9:30pm Calendar Girls 11:15pm QI XL 12:00am Never Mind the Buzzcocks 12:30am Surviving Christmas
h. Smit Will
ITV
5:25pm All Star Family Fortunes 6:15pm London Tonight 6:30pm ITV News and Weather 6:45pm Back to the Future Part II 8:45pm Take Me Out 10:00pm 10 Years of Girls Aloud 11:20pm ITV News and Weather 11:35pm Michael Buble: Home for Christmas 12:50am Captivity 2:15am The Store 4:00am In Plain Sight 4:40am ITV Nightscreen
MONDAY DECEMBER 17
BBC1 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm My Family 10:00pm Britain’s Secret Terror Squad 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Have I Got a Bit More News for You 12:20am The Matador 1:50am Weatherview
BBC2
8:00pm Masterchef: The Professionals - Michel’s Classics 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Nigellissima 10:00pm Inside Claridge’s 11:00pm Never Mind the Buzzcocks 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Westminster Abbey
ITV
7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Little England 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Poison Tree 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Channel 4
4:55pm The Simpsons 5:25pm Come Dine with Me 5:55pm Come Dine with Me 6:25pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:55pm Channel 4 News 8:25pm 4thought.tv 8:30pm Heston's Fantastical Food 9:30pm Stephen Fry: Gadget Man Stephen looks at how gadgets entertain us. 10:00pm Eclipse 12:30am Remember Me Following a family tragedy, Tyler Hawkins slips into a life of heavy drinking and arguments with his wealthy father. 2:30am The Escapist 4:10am Hollyoaks Omnibus
Channel 5
6:20pm 5 News Weekend 6:25pm Mrs. Miracle 8:20pm An Old Fashioned Christmas 10:00pm Greatest Christmas TV Moments 12:55am Inside Hollywood 1:15am Super Casino 5:00am Michaela’s Wild Challenge Michaela Strachan and colleagues undertake a range of wildlife-related dares in exotic locations. 5:25am The Great Artists 5:50am Rough Guide to Beaches
ITV
THURSDAY DECEMBER 13
11:00pm
ITV
Channel 4
7:50pm The Political Slot 7:55pm 4thought.tv 8:00pm Come Dine with Me 9:00pm River Cottage 10:00pm Homeland 11:00pm Peep Show 11:35pm I Love You Phillip Morris
Channel 5
6:00pm The Da Vinci Code 8:55pm 5 News Weekend 9:00pm Click 11:00pm Zack and Miri Make a Porno 12:55am World’s Craziest Police Pursuits 1:55am Super Casino 5:00am House Doctor 5:25am House Doctor
BBC1
1:40am Jackpot247 4:00am Pushing Daisies
Channel 4
7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm Stephen Fry: Gadget Man 10:00pm Bad Santas 11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 11:45pm Full English 12:15am Alan Carr: Chatty Man 1:20am The Good Wife 2:05am The Good Wife 2:45am St. Elsewhere 3:30am The Spy in Black 4:55am Supernanny US 5:35am Supernanny US
Channel 5
8:00pm North Pole Ice Airport 9:00pm The All New Gadget Show 10:00pm Deep Blue Sea 11:30pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 12:15am When Killer Whales Attack 1:10am Cowboy Builders
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 19
BBC1
5:00pm Help! My Supply Teacher is Magic 5:30pm Rocket’s Island 6:00pm Newsround 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Last Tango in Halifax 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Imagine... 12:35am The Unbearable Lightness of Being 3:20am Weatherview
6:00pm Newsround 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Snow Babies 10:00pm Last Tango in Halifax 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The National Lottery Wednesday Night Draws 11:45pm Film 2012 12:15am The League Cup Show 12:45am Texas Rangers 2:05am Weatherview 2:10am See Hear 2:40am Supersized Earth 3:40am Inside Claridge’s
6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Masterchef: The Professionals - Michel’s Classics 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm The Great British Bake Off Christmas Masterclass 10:00pm Wartime Farm 11:00pm Rev 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Inside Claridge’s 1:20am BBC News 5:00am Bringing Books to Life
6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Celebrity Eggheads 7:30pm Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two 8:00pm Masterchef: The Professionals - Michel’s Classics 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm All About the Good Life 10:00pm The Christmas No.1 Story 11:00pm Rhod Gilbert’s Work Experience 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Stuffed: The Great British Christmas Dinner 1:20am A Culture Show Special
BBC2
ITV
5:00pm Britain’s Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm The Unforgettable... 9:00pm Inside Guinness World Records 10:00pm Ruth Rendell’s Thirteen Steps Down 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Ruth Rendell’s Thirteen Steps Down 12:35am Grimefighters 1:05am Jackpot247 4:00am Pushing Daisies 4:45am ITV Nightscreen
Channel 4
I Am Legend
8:00pm Happy Birthday E.T 9:00pm The Making of a Lady 10:45pm ITV News and Weather 11:00pm I Am Legend 12:50am Pensioners Behind Bars 1:40am The Store
TUESDAY DECEMBER 18
5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm Embarrassing Bodies 10:00pm Bad Santas 11:00pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:05am Homeland 1:10am Pokerstars.Co.UK and MonteCarlo Casino Ept Grand Final 2:05am KOTV Boxing Weekly 2:35am Sailing 3:00am Beach Volleyball
Channel 5
6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Emergency Bikers 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Highland Emergency 8:30pm Highland Emergency 9:00pm Murder Files 10:00pm Body of Proof 11:00pm CSI: NY 11:55pm CSI: NY 12:55am Slaves in the Cellar 1:55am Super Casino 4:55am House Doctor
BBC2
ITV
5:00pm Britain’s Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm London Tonight 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Weight Loss Ward 10:00pm The Town 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Miami Vice 1:55am Jackpot247 3:20am Scarface
Channel 4
6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm 4thought.tv 9:00pm Kirstie’s Vintage Christmas 10:00pm Heston’s Fantastical Food 11:00pm The Twins Who Share a Body 11:50pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 12:40am Rude Tube 1:40am Abbey Road Studios: In Session with VW Beetle 2:05am Mumford and Sons: Gentlemen of the Road
Channel 5
6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Emergency Bikers 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm World's Strongest Man 2012 9:00pm Building the Panama Canal 10:00pm Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways 11:00pm Blade II 1:20am True Horror 2:15am Super Casino 4:55am House Doctor 5:20am HouseBusters
13 -19 December 2012
NEWS
www.euroweeklynews.com
ADVANCES IN SCIENCE: What discoveries await us in the years ahead?
Ignorance is definitely bliss
T
HERE is much that governments and When the time comes, cuckoo-like we agencies do we shall never be privy take on a surrogate mortal coil; a younger to. It is ‘not in the public interest.’ version of course. The concept of reSuch secrecy and taboos obviously incarnation bridges just about every include the dark arts of government policy religious faith and culture. when rearranging the world to their liking. Here is an intriguing thought. Your friend Governments can do hands you the latest without whistleblowers innovation; it is a state of pulling back the curtains the art mobile phone. “Go of deceit. ahead,” you’re invited. Secret service agencies Mike Walsh “Call your dad. See how operate under clandhe is doing and tell him I estine cloaks. Most of us send my regards.” vwww.michaelwalsh.es would shudder if we were You look at your friend; International Journalism Europe Broadcaster Commentator International Radio to learn what really goes incredulous. He knows as Awarded ‘Writer of the Year’ on in our name. you do your dad passed Mobile 0034 662 067 490 To comment on any of the issues raised in Ignorance is bliss indeed. on back in 1974. Your Mike’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ As long ago as the disbelief is unsurprising mike-walsh 1950s the Soviets were but at the same time not a experimenting in thought day passes without transference. No doubt their American advances in science and communication counterparts were doing the same. that leaves you scratching your head. We already know that matter cannot be You timidly take the device from your destroyed; nor can sound waves, so it is friend’s hand and following his instructions said. With advances in science is it possible wait for your call to be answered. You that the voices of Oliver Cromwell or instinctively know this is some kind of sick Beethoven could be heard once again by joke but you’re going along with it anyway. capturing sound waves of their voices still The call tone stops and an unmistakable reverberating in rooms they used? voice answers: “Hello, it’s (your father’s Medical science is playing catch-up. It is name): who is that?” Most intriguing of all, interesting that a section of it, leading what are you going to say in response? members included, are less sceptical than Don’t smile indulgently, it could happen they once were about the possibility of our and much stranger things do so. Don’t be souls outliving death. too quick to mock. Books have been Advances in these sciences are reaching written on those who once scoffed at some intriguing conclusions. unworldly predictions, including the phone The prospect of our having a now ringing on its table. consciousness that survives mortality is If we can’t explain to a primitive finding a receptive scientific audience. This tribesman how a live video or email is would mean that, on physical death, we internationally transferred as quickly as each abandon our clapped out bodies just conversational table talk, what other as we kiss goodbye to an old car. discoveries await us?
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Mallorca
34 EWN
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www.euroweeklynews.com
Mallorca
For solutions: http://www.euroweeklynews.com/puzzle-answers.html
Time Out
Sometimes, you find it hard to do things just for the pure enjoyment of it. Realise that not everything has to have a purpose or a profit. Look round this week and seek out something that will please your senses and bring a smile to your lips.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20)
IF ITʼS YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: This will be a super month for romance in all its guises. Physical relationships can be important to you and this month is all about getting a balance.
action on the Eastern Front, presumed dead, the war ended, he and his mother befriend a British soldier. This Welshman who worked in the British Army kitchens was able to ‘supply’ the necessary food to keep the family
Y our S tars
Contact with a less than ideal situation makes you realise just how lucky you are. It has been clear that the weeks are changeable and your situation at the moment far from settled. Pity those whose day-to-day life is completely predictable.
for older members of the family or vice versa.
AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)
PISCES (February 20 - March 20)
This being a family oriented month, much of it may be spent getting together with relatives and going over old times. Perhaps you are compiling a photo album
books@euroweeklynews.com
Written by Costa Blanca resident Dieter Rudolph, this is a refreshing and new perspective on war-torn Germany as experienced and told autobiographically by a young German boy from Hamburg. Relive his experiences of life during the Hamburg Firestorm destruction in 1943. With his father missing in
Alejandro Sanz, born December 18, 1968. He is a Spanish singer and musician. He has won a total of 15 Latin Grammy Awards. Known by his flamencoinfluenced pop ballads, he has released duet singles with Shakira, Alicia Keys and Destinyʼs Child.
44
this week is that you are of considerable value to others. The mere thought of you not being around sends ripples through your social circle.
An exciting invitation may set tongues wagging and make a loved one jealous. You, meanwhile, are quite bemused by the whole thing. What comes out of
ARIES (March 21 - April 20)
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) An urge to get moving must mean that the new year is round the corner. Certainly, you are questioning where you want to be in the months ahead. A house move or work placement may be on your mind.
SU DOKU
CANCER (June 22 - July 23)
HOW TO PLAY Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9. There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.
Be aware that not everyone is willing to work as hard as you. When approached by someone wanting you to trust them, be sure of their motives. Do what you feel is right but remain firmly in control, especially financially. It may not be the time to make a particular move, although others think that it is. There's no problem with discussing things and talking them through..
LEO (July 24 - August 23) Social demands are made, but try to shuffle them to the weekend. Be diplomatic or someone close could become irritated. Keep an eye on the small print because something fundamental may have changed in a long-standing arrangement. Suddenly, at the weekend, you are thrust into the limelight.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
What are/were the real first names of the following famous people? 1. Comedian Bob Hope 2. Cricketer Freddie Flintoff 3. Comedy actor Buster Keaton 4. Jazz pianist/band leader Count Basie 5. Former Beatle Paul McCartney 6. Rock singer Ozzie Osbourne 7. Golfer Tiger Woods 8. Composer/pianist/big-band leader Duke Ellington 9. Actress Jodie Foster 10. Singer Bing Crosby
see you wishing that you had been less visible.
TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) An interest in technology is not something new to you. What is great, though, is that the penny has suddenly dropped. This week sees you understanding more and wanting to know more.
Being asked to take on a new and demanding task this week may
REAL FIRST NAMES
VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Be aware that leopards do not change their spots, they merely hide them. Those who demand your trust need a cool checking out and don't be afraid to say 'no' as and when necessary.
Nonagram
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21)
BOOKS
from going hungry, often via difficult and extraordinary means to ensure his own position was not damaged. Dieter tells all of this in a heartwrenching tale covering the destruction of Hamburg to peace-time on the Welsh coast.
TARGET: Average: 9 Good: 12
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
fail, fain, fiat, filo, flan, flat, flit, foal, foil, font, info, lift, loaf, loft, naif, aloft, faint, final, flint, float, folia, finial, fontal, infant, nonfat, tinfoil, INFLATION
What do you call a man who claps at Christmas? Santapplause! What is Santa’s favourite pizza? One that’s deep pan, crisp and even!
LOTTERY
What did the snowman order at Burger King? Ice-burgers with chilli sauce!
UK NATIONAL UK LOTTERY THUNDERBALL
IRISH LOTTO
EURO MILLIONS
Saturday December 8
Saturday December 8
Friday December 7
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Saturday December 8
10
11
8
10 16
13
35
36
19
45
48
34
20 29
BONUS BALL
THUNDERBALL
27
2
34
18
42
42
LA PRIMITIVA Saturday December 8
EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA Sunday December 9
7
8
10
17
21
37
35 31
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BONUS BALL
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LUCKY STARS
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SHIP
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REINTEGRO
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Career and home are in disharmony but a bit of compromise soon sorts things out. You don't like playing the 'bad guy', but honesty is also important to you. Speaking your mind can be liberating although, initially, you may see it as a nuisance and embarrassing.
SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22)
Someone with a larger-than-life imagination makes you smile but that was not their intention. Try to be diplomatic and steer them in a different direction. Some feelings of loneliness will not be assuaged by working more. Perhaps it is time to consider taking on a pet or giving a current pet more attention.
How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case T) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.
Word ladder
LIBRA (September 24 - October 23)
Just joking
Very good: 17 Excellent: 23
AWAY
Move from the start word (SHIP) to the end word (AWAY) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder. You must only change one letter at a time.
SHIP SHOP SWOP SWAP SWAY AWAY
Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) are a devoted couple, but decades of marriage have left Kay wanting to spice things up and reconnect with her husband. When she hears of a renowned couples specialist (Steve Carell) in the small town of Great Hope Springs, she attempts to persuade her sceptical husband, a steadfast man of routine, to get on a plane for a week of marriage therapy. 1h39 Director: David Frankel Starring: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell, Ben Rappaport
10-star quiz
SHIP SNIP SNAP SWAP SWAY AWAY
A tale from the heart
Hope Springs
1. LESLIE Townes Hope, 2. ANDREW Flintoff, 3. JOSEPH Frank Keaton, 4. WILLIAM Basie, 5. JAMES Paul McCartney, 6. JOHN Michael Osbourne, 7. ELDRICK Tont Woods, 8. EDWARD Kennedy Ellington, 9. ALICIA Christian Foster, 10. HARRY Lillis Crosby
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Crosswords CRYPTIC Across 1 Beggar the French step on (7) 5 Trick us after the swamp (5) 8 Name first class country (5) 9 Camera I developed in the States (7) 10 Greek character directed 70s pop group (3) 11 Ireland rejected by English? Itʼs weird (5) 12 Work-shy, in fact an unbridled success (4) 13 A vetʼs engineered a match (5) 15 Tango danced in Friendly Islands (5) 17 A woman will supply the ammunition (5) 19 Hangs around foals (5) 21 Itʼs bad news to get stitched up (4) 22 Fruit begins another pleasant picnic, letʼs eat (5) 25 Feeding nunʼs secret animal (3) 26 Escape from can? (7) 27 I long, stupidly, for buzzwords (5) 28 Directed about the shipʼs attire (5) 29 Keep us confined in a bad spot (7) Down 1 Its diet is unusual but most neat (7) 2 A king receiving honour gives cautionary signal (5) 3 Little vampire revealed as original (8) 4 Notice in Eveʼs hedges (6)
ENGLISH - SPANISH The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across Down 1 Desván (5) 1 Celery (4) 4 Corto (longitud, 2 Robo (de dinero, distancia) (5) objetos) (5) 3 Gallos (9) 7 Hielo (3) 8 Dummy (for baby) (7) 4 Cacerolas (9) 9 To dare (9) 5 Un (3) 13 Company (firm) (7) 6 Train (railway) (4) 15 Todo (3) 10 Pala (para cavar) (5) 11 Cinturón (4) 16 Lágrimas (5) 17 Floor (5) 12 Something (4) 14 Guisante (3)
Co d e B r e a ke r 5 Even a bee has a right to an alcoholic drink (4) 6 Good puzzle for a cooking utensil (7) 7 Musty endless yarn (5) 14 Attacks USAʼs last organisation (8) 16 A fresh way to get into jail? (7)
Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 25 represents B and 19 represents C, so fill in B every time the figure 25 appears and C every time the figure 19 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS
QUICK Across 1 Get rid of (7) 7 Deadly (5) 8 Hindrance (3-4) 9 Emphasise (6) 11 Take over (5) 13 Charge (4) 14 Tread roughly (7) 15 Drill a hole (4) 16 Even-toed ungulate (5) 17 Departs (6) 21 Cupboard (7) 22 Fundamental (5) 23 Mischievous (7)
18 Have a rest, being terribly idle now (3,4) 20 French city sees red (6) 21 Food for Salvation Army boy (5) 23 President and African leaderʼs animal (5) 24 Ruins the planet (4)
CRYPTIC - Across: Down 2 Sternum (10) 3 Free (8) 4 Footwear item (4) 5 Reality (4) 6 Naked (4) 9 Pilfer (5) 10 Colony (10) 12 Salaries (5) 13 Unwinding (8) 18 A long way off (4) 19 Wicked (4) 20 Information (4)
7 Fairer, 8 Atomic, 9 Here, 10 Cream tea, 11 Speeded, 13 Plain, 15 Cabby, 17 Hatchet, 20 Arrogant, 21 Saga, 23 Gemini, 24 Rental. .Down: 1 Base, 2 Breeze, 3 Cricket, 4 Paper, 5 Normal, 6 Live wire, 12 Prairies, 14 Rafters, 16 Biopic, 18 Casino, 19 Habit, 22 Gram. QUICK - Across: 1 Apes, 4 Saddles, 8 Penguin, 9 Small, 10 Trim, 11
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
Sturgeon, 13 Flammable, 17 Argument, 19 Over, 21 Tough, 22 Obvious, 23 Rattles, 24 Last. Down: 2 Pontiff, 3 Shut, 4 Sanctimonious, 5 Describe, 6 Leave, 7 Silent, 8 Pity, 12 Taj Mahal, 14 Envious, 15 Faster,
Hexagram The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 sixletter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (BECOME) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.
16 Arms, 18 Gaunt, 20 Evil.
1.Unscramble the name of a famous English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author: NOT TED’S NEPHEW 2. Unscramble the name of a famous London landmark (two words): BORING OLD DEN
Play on Words ENOTS ENOTS
ROBBERS
Answers: Turn to stone , Honour among thieves
Funagram
Quote
‘
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walter ‘Walt’ Disney (1901-1966) co-founder of Walt Disney Productions; American film producer, director, animator and entrepreneur.
BARELY
KETTLE
ROARED
BECOME(10)
KILLED
STRIKE
BESTED
MASHED
TASTED
CHEERS
ORDERS
THRILL
CRUISE
PITTED
TREATS
FLOWER
REACTS
HELPED
REFORM
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Design, 2 Noises, 3 Sheets, 4 Scions, 5 Shouts, 6 Abases, 7 Thence, 8 Morose, 9 Finery, 10 Hurled, 11 Dreams, 12 Steeds, 13 Cloaks, 14 Hearts, 15 Insect, 16 Reeked, 17 Snakes, 18 Events, 19 Grains
FUNAGRAM SOLUTION 1. PETE TOWNSHEND 2. LONDON BRIDGE
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FOOD
13 - 19 December 2012 Mallorca
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Sing along, it’s C CHRISTMAS songs…you either love them or hate them, but at this time of year there is no getting away from them. If you work in a shop that plays them continuously from September till crimbo eve you can get a little weary, but everyone has their favourite. A quick straw pole round the Spectrum office found ‘Fairytale of New York’ as the surprising front runner in the popularity stakes. Who would have thought that the Pogues would leave a lasting sound for Christmas? Other faves included Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ and Sir Paul’s ‘Wonderful Christmas Time’ although Sporty Bird went for the Darkness… enough said. I have a sneaky liking for The Scaffolds ‘Lilly the Pink’ but I keep it to myself as a rule. Of course if you are
Penn to Paper Laura Penn laura@spectrumfm.net. Laura is the Station Manager and Breakfast Show Presenter of Spectrum FM Mallorca 88.6FM
clever enough to write a popular festive ditty then the royalty cheques make a nice noise dropping through the letterbox and that is why some of the biggest stars have penned one or two in the past. There is no doubt that there have been some truly dreadful Christmas number ones over the years. I still cannot forgive the great music public for buying Mr Blobby and Jimmy Osmond still makes my toes curl. Getting kids involved helps to make it
Top Christmas tunes. to the top slot at festive time and who can forget (as much as we may wish to) Saint Winifred’s School choir and ‘There’s no one quite like
13 - 19 December 2012
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Christmas Grandma’. Even Wizzard lets them join in at the end of ‘I Wish It Could be Christmas Everyday’ just to bump the cute rating up. There are some joyous Christmas songs from the country world such as Buck Owens ‘Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy’ and Elmo and Patsy’s classic ‘Grandma got Run over by a Reindeer’ which to my mind do not get the airplay that they deserve in countries outside the US. Then again Red Peter’s ‘Holy **** its Christmas’ would get us taken off the air! That is one for private consumption. Personally I like a good rocking festive song such as Bruce Springsteen’s version of ‘Santa Claus is coming to Town’… complete with a sax solo. It is of course a question of taste and some people may consider Bob the Builder a
classic of our time. I do not. Then again it could be worse… Donald Yetter Gardner had a lot to answer for when he thought it was amusing to inflict ‘All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth’ on the world. So what do you think is the worst ever Christmas single? Slade? Rolf Harris? Or something else? You won’t hear any dodgy crimbo tunes on Spectrum FM, just good memories that have stood the test of time and that, even though we hear them again and again every year, still say Christmas when you hear them again. Tune in to get in the festive mood. Laura Penn is the Station Manager and Breakfast Show Presenter of Spectrum FM Mallorca broadcasting on 89.8FM. www.mallorca.spectrum fm.net / laura@spectrumfm.net.
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The ultimate Yuletide dinner is now on sale AS Christmas approaches more and more people have noticed the rise in prices of Yuletide staples. But if you are feeling the pinch, dream about the ‘world’s most expensive Christmas dinner’ now on sale. With a price tag of €155,000, British chef
Ben Spalding’s offering should feed four. It is a combination of some very exotic foods and more traditional Christmas classics. But a regular offering of turkey and sprouts it most certainly is not. On the menu there is Wagyu beef heart, 100-year-old
New tastes for Heinz HEINZ has launched a range of new flavours to its baked bean range. The global food company has decided to abandon its five-bean update featuring kidney, pinto, cannellini and borlotti beans. Instead it has launched a Flavoured Beanz range. New tastes include Cheddar cheese, fiery chilli, barbecue and curry flavours. But of course it will still be selling its traditional beans in tomato sauce.
Champagne (at €46,000), caviar and truffles. Not to mention Japanese watermelon at €3,220. The centrepiece of the dinner is rare breed turkey with Wagyu beef fillet and heart wrapped in edible gold leaf, sprinkled with Akbari pistachios. So maybe a frozen
supermarket bird doesn’t seem so expensive after all.
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O
Winter’s icy grip keeps us shivering under the blanket
FTEN the hardest thing about living in Spain (aside from the brainnumbing Kafkaesque bureaucracy) is the cold, damp winters. In the UK one expects to be cold for at least 90 per cent of the year and wet for the other 10. But when in sunny Spain, the land of Don Quixote, of windmills that shimmer in the heat, dust clouds swirling in the glare of a sun-baked bullring, the cold slaps you in the face like an irate housewife annoyed at the constant pile of dirty socks escaping from the laundry basket. The cold here is an affront, an unwelcome aged aunt who insists on sorting through your CDs and ironing your underwear, or a party guest too dense to realise that when the host ambles down the stairs in pyjamas it really is time to leave. The cold in Spain is felt in the very depths of your bones; it
Suzanne Manners Suzanne has a degree in Fine Art from Goldsmiths and an MA in Writing from Lancaster University. She is currently teaching in Alicante and writing a book for teenagers (which doesn’t have a vampire as its central character). To comment on any of the issues raised in Suzanne Manners’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/suzanne-manners.
AFFRONT: The cold in Spain pokes its finger in your tea as it grins frostily in your face. seeps into your lungs and nestles happily, emitting occasional icy shrieks of malevolent delight. It settles in every corner of your poorly-constructed home and crawls up the walls leaving black mould prints in its path. It throws a blanket of damp on the surface of clothes, bedding and shoes. The cold sits beside you and pokes its finger in your tea, squeezes moisture through its
teeth as it grins frostily in your face. Try to banish it with radiator or fan heater, or, Heaven forbid, central heating and it will find its way into your bank account and suck it dry.
In Spain there is no cure for cold; one must endure and huddle around useless oil-filled radiators counting the euros as the meter spins uncontrollably. Hard-won wages are flung into the coffers of an electricity giant insatiable in its hunger and ruthless in its ability to siphon funds from shivering families. In Spain cold is king and we mortals can but lay beneath flimsy blankets like Napoleon’s army on the outskirts of St Petersburg and wait for spring. Fingerless gloved hands clutch steaming bowls of fishhead soup, thin and insubstantial, doing little to abate the growling emptiness of stomachs concave and... Too much? A little too Ivan Denisovich, perhaps? I admit to a tendency for exaggeration and a literary turn of phrase when the mood strikes, but in truth I am cold.
Mallorca
Electricity here is so expensive that I am afraid to keep my house warm. Visions of Dickensian London and pre-revolutionary Russia frequently fill my imaginings and I would feel outraged if I could feel anything at all under all these layers of clothing. At least I have a job. For many here in Spain the winter is an awful time in no small part due to the utility companies who have the power to take money from one’s bank account before even sending a bill. Still, even though cold, the sun shines, the sea is glorious and the mountains stunning. I wouldn’t swap my life here for any amount of centrally-heated domesticity; well, maybe a little storage heater or two. “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?” (John Steinbeck) Fish soup, anyone?
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13 - 19 December 2012
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Mallorca
OMES Gardens
CUTTINGS: Make for strong, inexpensive plants for your garden.
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with a mild fungicide. By the way, a great advantage of plastic bottles
SH
Mediterranean Style,’ how to propagate various types of plants from stem, side, root, air, and leaf cuttings. Once you are hooked, propagating becomes an interesting and absorbing hobby for all ages from schoolchildren to those a bit older! Once you have proved that you have green fingers take every opportunity of planting up cuttings from your own garden and those of friends. The result will be inexpensive, strong plants. When we stroll round our garden the majority of plants and mature trees started off as cuttings or seeds, and many of the seeds were collected from our own gardens or our travels around Spain. If you produce too many, the excess can be passed on to friends and neighbours still developing new gardens or sold at gardening club meetings. To improve your success, obtain a pot of hormone powder to dip the end of cuttings in before planting. Unfortunately, cuttings can be prone to rotting, especially during winter months, so spray the surface of the compost
W
Plant individual cuttings in the 1.5 litre bottles and up to six in the larger bottles. If possible over winter put the planted-up cuttings in a greenhouse or cold frame. One can cut off the base of plastic bottles and invert them over plant cuttings in
a same diameter bottle. Fix with tape and you have a mini greenhouse with a constant moisture level. These can be kept at the back of a frostless greenhouse or on a shelf in a conservatory, or in a cold frame protected with fleece. Wine bottles full of water are also useful for raising cuttings from oleanders and bignonias. If you have never raised plants from cuttings do read Chapter 6.12 in the book ‘Your Garden in Spain – From planning to planting and maintenance.’ This describes, as does also Chapter 4.9 of the book ‘Apartment Gardening
O
Spain’s best known gardening authors who have lived and gardened in Spain for 25 years. www.gardeninginspain.com
O
By Clodagh and Dick Handscombe
Propagate instead of buying plants
N
Gardening Corner
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is that you can write the name of the plant being propagated on the outside of the bottle with a waterproof felt pen. Happy propagating next year! The aforementioned books plus Clodagh and Dick’s other books Growing Healthy Vegetables in Spain, Growing Healthy Fruit in Spain and Living Well From Our Mediterranean Garden make excellent Christmas presents. They can be found in high street and internet bookshops and at www.gardenspain. com. ©Clodagh and Dick Handscombe December 2012.
C
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Sponsored by
IN
I
N January and February there will be plenty of opportunity to take cuttings for propagating new plants to extend your plantings and fill in gaps. Unfortunately, most plant pots kept from purchased plants and those available for sale in garden centres are shallow and do not allow deep roots to be developed. This is a great pity as probably a new plant with 20-centimetre-deep roots will be twice as easy to establish in the garden than one with only 12centimetre-long roots. The simple solution is to retain all 1.5 litre and 5 and 7 litre water and soft drink plastic bottles and use them as deep plant pots. If the top is cut to leave a hinge, rather than being totally cut off, one can use this as a cloche over your cutting which will protect it during the winter.
NO MOWING NO WATERING LOW MAINTENANCE 100% LAWN 0% HASSLE
+34 620 835 533 info@plantocean.com www.plantocean.com
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PROPERTY
13 - 19 December 2012 Mallorca
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Balearic Islands are a Russian hotspot AFTER Catalonia, the Balearic Islands are the preferred destination for Russian tourists to Spain. Statistics for the first nine months of 2012 show 102,121 Russians travelled to the Islands and Sotheby’s International Realty is expecting many more in years to come. Anna Batizi, Head of International Sales for Moscow Sotheby’s International Realty, works closely with her Ibiza and Mallorca franchise counterparts and has recently been on a trip to the islands. Anna says, “Lifestyle is the single biggest draw for Russians when it comes to the Balearics. These are the perfect holiday islands blessed with well over 300 days of sunshine a year, something that Moscow lacks to the most extreme extent. “The capital, Palma de Mallorca, is vibrant and sophisticated, the islands’ infrastructure well developed and the 100s of kilometres of coastline
A rock star’s birds eye view.
Views across the bay to Can Pepo Simo. provide perfect boating opportunities. Add 26 golf courses, 60 or more vineyards and a superior standard of living and little wonder my Russian clients are expressing a keen interest.” The real estate market in the Balearics is following the tourism lead with many Russians making the transition from holidaymaker to holiday home owner. Prices compare favourably to other
European destinations that have captured Russian hearts. Of course the proposed new law that will offer residency permits to property buyers from outside of the EU is also alluring. Daniel Chavarria Waschke, Managing Director of Balearics Sotheby’s International Realty, comments, “Our experience shows that well-to-do Russians place importance on style as well as substance with an
eye on value for money. Factors such as nearby private schools, resale potential and price square metre are driving the transactions.”
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BLUE Renault Twingo 1.13p, first registered 1998, IB plates, 400 euro ono. Call 690 050 113 (201073) LEARN TO DRIVE IN MALLORCA. Scottish Driving Instructor now qualified to teach in Mallorca. Classes in English or Spanish. Obtain your Spanish licence easier or have refresher lessons and get behind that wheel. Interested! Call 648 133 929 (202628)
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Mallorca For best rates in motor insurance call: 952 89 33 80
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New New Jaguar Jaguar spotted spotted in in LA LA THE new Jaguar XFR-S was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Jaguar has called it “the fastest, most powerful and agile sports saloon Jaguar has ever built.” The second model in the R-S range, the XFR-S joins its XKR-S sibling in the exclusive 300Kph club and is a vivid expression of the company’s longstanding sports saloon lineage. Prices will start at €75,600. The XFR-S incorporates engineering features from both the XKR-S and the allnew F-Type two-seater sports car to create a driver-focused, agile and responsive experience. The XFR-S has been developed by Jaguar Land Rover’s specialist ETO division, its bespoke powertrain, chassis and body enhancements enabling it to push the performance boundaries. Sport performance is provided by the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine which now boasts 550PS and 680Nm. The increases have been achieved through revisions to the engine management system and optimisation of the flow of air both into and out of the engine, the company said. Airflow allows the engine to operate at peak efficiency and lets the car cleave the air cleanly and safely. The resulting body changes have created a distinctively assertive appearance, beginning with the deeper front bumper with its larger
lower air intakes, vertical vanes and carbon fibre front splitter. “Sporting character is evident in all Jaguar KOREAN developer Hyundai staged a world premiere of the production version of its three-row, six/sevenpassenger Santa Fe at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. By adding the new variant, Hyundai said it aims to deliver its Modern Premium values to more family-oriented customers. Based on the two-row, five-passenger Santa Fe, the six/seven-passenger Santa Fe adds a third row of seats to meet the needs of customers seeking more space. In addition, Hyundai’s new thinking widens customers’ choices by allowing them to choose two separated seats in the second row, a rare option in its segment. Santa Fe customers worldwide will now have a choice between five, six and seven-seat models. The new version, also known as the Long
47
saloons. In the XFR-S that character has been amplified, the result being a truly engaging car with a combination of technical
A MONSTER: Zero to 100Kmh in 4.6 seconds.
innovation, assertive design and staggering performance,” Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Global Brand Director said.
AGILE: Overall lift is reduced by 68 per cent in the new XFR-S.
Santa Fe is getting bigger with room for all the family Wheelbase (LWB) Santa Fe, rides on a 2,800mm wheelbase, which is 100mm longer than the five-seater. The model will go on sale at a starting price of €18,700. The longer wheelbase and efficient interior design offers more cabin room than major competitors, providing maximum
comfort for family-oriented customers. Seating utility is also improved, due to a standard 40:20:40 folding rear seat back. The exterior design of the new version is also bolder and more voluminous. Its hexagonal radiator grille is wider with an additional bar, while the front fog lamps, separated from the bumper,
are larger. The signature differentiating element between the five-seater and the six/seven-seater is the side view daylight opening. The larger Santa Fe features a shape that highlights the increased passenger and cargo room behind the third-row seat.
The 18-inch alloy wheels, dual muffler and rear combination lamps complete a distinguished look. The LWB Santa Fe boasts a more powerful performance as well. It is equipped with the 3.3 litre Lambda GDI engine, delivering a maximum output of 294ps.
SPORT
48 EWN
13 - 19 December 2012 Mallorca
www.euroweeklynews.com
Weekend action will be topped off with Sports Personality of the Year awards
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FTER action in the Champions and Europa Leagues, FA Cup and League Cup, it’s back to the bread and butter of domestic football this weekend. The Premiership fixtures are Chelsea (third) v Southampton (a rehearsal for next month’s third round FA Cup-tie), Liverpool v Aston Villa, Manchester United (top) v Sunderland, Newcastle v Manchester City (second), Norwich v Wigan, winless QPR v Fulham. On Sunday Spurs v Swansea, Stoke v Everton and WBA v West Ham. Monday sees Reading take on Arsenal. Championship leaders Cardiff play Peterborough (bottom), Crystal Palace (second) visit Birmingham, Middlesbrough (third) meet Wolves and Hull (fourth) take on Huddersfield. In FL1, Tranmere (top) oppose Sheffield United and Doncaster (second) entertain Coventry; FL2, pace-setters Gillingham face Fleetwood and SPL leaders Celtic welcome St Mirren. And don’t forget that on Sunday we will know who has been voted the BBC ‘Sports Personality of the Year.’ I’m going for Bradley
SPORTS SCENE By Tony Matthews A former football player and the world’s most prolific author of football books (more than 100 published), Tony is also the sports reporter for Spectrum Radio and lives in the Cabrera mountains.
Wiggins, but don’t rule out Mo Farah, even Jessica Ennis. This will be a great programme to watch, if you like sport! FOOTBALL ROUNDUP • After the CL group matches, it left Arsenal, Celtic and Manchester United IN but Chelsea and Manchester City OUT. • Also in the last 16 are AC Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Galatasary, Juventus, Malaga, PSG, Porto, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donestk, Schalke and Valencia. • Despite battering Nordsjaelland 6-1, Chelsea became the first holders of the trophy to be knocked out at the group stage after Juventus beat Shahktar Doneskt to finish second above the Blues. And those seven goals at Stamford
Bridge eight days ago, came in just 27 minutes, a record I believe, for ‘rapid scoring’ in the European Cup/CL since the competition started in 1955. • Celtic who defeated Spartak Moscow 2-1 courtesy of Kris Commons’ penalty went through following Benfica’s draw in Barcelona. Both Manchester United and Arsenal, fielding understrength teams, lost their final group matches while Manchester City finished bottom of group D and so missed out on the consolation of a Europa League place, leaving Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Spurs as England’s representatives in this long-winded competition. • Three LC quarter-finals took place earlier this week - Bradford City-Arsenal, Norwich-Aston Villa and Swansea-Middlesbrough. Chelsea, involved in the World Club Cup in Japan, will play Leeds on 19 December. • West Ham, the ‘preferred bidders’ to take over the Olympic Stadium, hope to play there in August 2015. Why then, I wonder? • Two American clubs want David Beckham to become an owner. Surely there’s something better left in football for Beckham? Come to Spain, you might squeeze into the Vera team! • United, with a dramatic 92nd minute goal by Robin van Persie, won the 165th Manchester derby 3-2
History maker Messi ON Sunday at 9.27pm in Sevilla, Lionel Messi broke the record set in 1972 by German striker Gerd Muller for most goals scored in a calendar year. At that precise time the Argentinian netted his, and Barcelona’s second, of a 2-1 win over Real Betis to take his tally in 2012 to an incredible 86 in only 66 games. Well played, little man! You’re a pure genius. (they are six points clear of City now); Father Christmas (dressed as a referee) arrived early at the Emirates and gave Arsenal two penalty presents (v WBA); Sunderland are in the bottom three after losing to Chelsea; Everton netted twice in a minute late on to beat Spurs and Norwich pipped Swansea 4-3 in a thriller. • Chelsea’s John Mikel Obi has been fined £60,000 and banned for three matches after threatening referee Mark Clattenburg after the PL game with Manchester United on October. 28 SPORT IN GENERAL • Alastair Cook scored a record-breaking 23rd
century and became the youngest-ever batsman to reach 7,000 Test runs as England beat India by seven wickets to go 2-1 up in the fourmatch series. The last Test is now under way in Nagpur. • Frankie Dettori has been banned for six months by the French Horse Racing Authority for drug abuse. • Golfer Rory McIlroy has been voted the 2012 PGA Player of the Year. • Mark Selby won the UK snooker championship. • Oxford beat Cambridge 26-19 in the annual varsity rugby match. • And the ‘new’ European Olympic Games will take place in Azerbaijan in 2015.
DID YOU KNOW? England’s top century makers in Test cricket are Alastair Cook 23, Geoff Boycott 22, Colin Cowdrey 22, Walter Hammond 22 and Kevin Pietersen 22. Sachin Tendulkar holds the world record with 51.