Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 23 - 29 January 2014 Issue 1490

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ISSUE NO. 1490

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Piquersa pride THE Sultan of Oman has contracted Almeria company Piquersa to provide a fleet of roadsweepers for a fish handling and processing site.

Lucky day HUERCAL-OVERA is to feature on the Spanish National Lottery ticket for March 6 to commemorate the Exencion de Villazgo of March 3, 1668, when peasants no longer had to pay taxes to landlords.

New route A NEW walking route ‘Las Acequias del Rio’ will open on Sunday in Fondon.

Vicar festival FIFTEEN THOUSAND youngsters from all over Spain invaded the town of Vicar to enjoy the 10th Hip Hop Street festival on Saturday.

23 - 29 JANUARY 2014

Crime writer helps demolition victims CRIME author Matthew Pritchard has donated all profits from sales of 90 copies of his debut novel, Scarecrow, to a legal fund fighting home demolition orders.

Homeowners’ group AUAN’s ECHR Fund is in support of a British couple who are fighting a legal battle to save their villa from being demolished as a result of a planning dispute between their town council and the regional government of Andalucía.

Terry and Christine Haycock have submitted an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasburg with the backing of the ECHR Fund, which is supported through public fundraising and donations from homeowners’ groups, AUAN, SOHA and AUN. The opening of Scarecrow, ‘a well-paced whodunnit debut set against a vividly drawn Andalucian backdrop’ (The Guardian) was, according to its author,

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Maura Hillen (left) presents Matthew Pritchard’s book to Len and Helen Prior. indirectly inspired by the demolition of the house of Len and Helen Prior in Vera in 2008, and Pritchard has dedicated the novel in part to them.

Reviews of the book have been very positive.

According to The Guardian: ‘Pritchard paces the narrative nicely, and convivial tapas bars, mass unemployment, corrupt bureaucrats,

forgotten migrants and petty thugs form an entertaining, vivid backdrop to the lurid crimes and determined clue-gathering’.

“We are hugely grateful to Matthew and his publisher, Salt Publishing, for their generosity,” said AUAN’s President, Maura Hillen.

“We can now add a further €309.57 to the

fund and the feedback from readers has been very positive. Matthew Pritchard is an author to watch out for,” she added.

Hit and run driver arrested GUARDIA CIVIL have arrested a woman driver who fled the scene of an accident in which a boy of 13 was injured.

The accident happened in an area known as Los Grillos in Nijar. The woman was driving her vehicle on an asphalt track when she collided head-on with the boy, who suffered a broken leg.

Despite the severity of the injury the woman decided to take flight without helping the boy who had to be taken to Torrecardenas Hospital by ambulance.

Officers began a search for the runaway driver, who was located and arrested at her home.

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THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1 - 16

Finance 19 - 24

Letters ALMOND BLOSSOM: Was affected by frosts and rain last year.

Harvest down but income up THE dried fruit sector in the province of Almeria last year harvested 6,600 tonnes of almonds.

This was a significant reduction in output of 25.7 per cent on the previous year.

However, the fall in the volume of the product has increased its value by 66 per cent reaching a price of €1.70 per kilo. This price is almost twice the average price achieved in the last five years.

The total value of almond production in the province amounted to €11.34 million,

some 23.5 per cent more than in 2012. The decline in the almond crop in 2013, according to the territorial delegate of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment, Jose Manuel Ortiz, “is due to a number of circumstances, such as frost in February and March, continuous rains which prevented blooming at the time of flowering, and the depletion of some plantations, following droughts in previous years, have all resulted in the decline in average yields.”

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Leapy Lee 26

Daily TV 34 - 35

Time out 36 - 37

Classifieds 49 - 50

Sport 56

NEWS Paws AGM ANIMAL charity Paws-Patas AGM is to be held at the Artisan Centre, Mojacar, on Saturday at 1pm for a 1.30pm start. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

Early doors THE football La Liga home game for UD Almeria against Getafe on Sunday will kick off at noon.

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Niece held for jewel theft GUARDIA CIVIL officers have arrested a 27-year-old woman from Almeria on suspicion of stealing jewellery from her aunt.

The woman stole jewels worth about €800 from the home of her aunt in Macael when she was out with family members at the local cemetery, according to sources.

Once the theft was reported,

Guardia Civil officers found no evidence of forced entry, leading to suspicions that the thief could have some close relationship with the victim.

Further investigations revealed that a niece of the victim was the only person who had visited the house, asking for the key with the excuse of going to the bathroom.

Officers started checking gold buying shops and after a twomonth search, managed to locate the stolen items. The officers then arrested the niece.

The case has been handed over to the court in Purchena.

Adra figures MORE than 4,000 people visited the heritage sites of Adra during 2013, with the majority on guided tours visiting the museum and the Torre de los Perdigones.

English theatre HUNDREDS of schoolchildren in Huercal Almeria attended the ‘Educateatro’ school theatre featuring two shows in English with productions of Tarzan and Jack and the Beanstalk.

Band plays on THE municipal music school of Almeria and the municipal band of Almeria will be giving a concert at Puerta Purchena in the city centre on the day of the half marathon.

Park visit THE mayor of Huercal Almeria visited the site of a new park which is to be built in the Mirador del Mediterraneo district. The park will cover an area of almost 1,500 square metres.

Square deal LA PLACETA in Uleila del Campo is to undergo a major renovation at a cost of €143,000. The work includes completely re-paving and a new drainage system.

Walkabout THE delegation of youth volunteers of Roquetas de Mar launch their 2014 open-air walks programme with a 15kilometre walk in the Cabo de Gata on Sunday.

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ews watch

No kidding

BETWEEN January and October of 2013, Almeria exported 7.9 million kilos of lactose products, the main one being goat’s milk, followed by cheese and yoghurt. This was an increase of 456 per cent on the same period in 2012.

On the trail THE provincial government has presented the sixth Cabo de Gata to Nijar Trail taking place on March 2.

More than 1,000 people from all over Spain are expected to take part in running and walking events.

TEBA: Ruins of the castle with an amazing legend.

Knight fantastic!

B URNS NIGHT is this weekend, and throughout Spain, many expatriates will celebrate the life and works of the 18th century Scottish poet, Robert

Burns.

In Malaga Province, Spain has its own Scottish connection.

In the small town of Teba, with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, after ascending through the narrow, winding streets, visitors will find the ruins of a castle which has an amazing legend.

Before he died in 1329, Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, requested Sir James Douglas, his most esteemed companion in arms, to take his embalmed heart to the Holy Land in a silver casket which Douglas carried round his neck.

In 1330, Douglas, also known as Guid Sir James or Black Douglas, set sail with six other knights and 26 squires, ROBERT and heard of Alfonso XI of THE Castilla’s crusade against the BRUCE: The Muslims, so they travelled to Alplaque in Andalus to join him.

Teba in his On the morning of August 25, 1330, the Nasrid army assembled memory. near the Castillo de la Estrella,

Quote of the Week Homosexuality is a sexual deficiency which can be corrected with treatment’ Newly-named Cardinal Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, who added that homosexuality is deficient because the objective of sex is procreation.

which was in their possession. The battle began and Scottish knights charged the Moorish soldiers. The Castillians won the battle and the Moors fled. Douglas followed them, but they turned and he was outnumbered and killed.

The Moorish king, Muhammad IV of Granada, found the body and casket on the field, and realising who the knight was, sent them to Alfonso’s army with a guard of honour.

They were returned to Scotland, and Douglas’s remains were deposited in his family vault at St Bride’s Church, and the heart of Bruce interred at Melrose Abbey.

Every year in Teba, an event is held in August to commemorate these historic events.

Number of the week

cent more bread was bought by 1.89 per Spaniards in April 2013 compared to a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Nutrition and Environment, and €3.90 billion was spent on bread alone, with each person consuming an average 36.12 kilos in a year.

Come on down ALMERIA’S Provincial Tourism Board promoted the province this week as a tourist destination at two international exhibitions, the Dutch Vakantiebeurs Fair in Utrecht, and the Finnish Matka Fair, held in the capital, Helsinki.

Guitar great THE new Guitar Museum in Almeria City received more than 1,500 visitors in the first 10 days of opening.

Bumpy ride HUERCAL-OVERA Town Hall has improved road safety in Urcal and Las Labores by installing four speed bumps in the area.

Panel smashed THE town hall in Garrucha has condemned an act of vandalism at one of the town’s padel tennis courts where a glass panel was smashed.

And finally...

AN internet provider has been ordered by a court in Barcelona to cut off the connection of a client who used P2P file-sharing programmes and has been found guilty of violating intellectual property laws for sharing thousands of music files online.

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Illegal homes meeting fruitful RESIDENTS of Zurgena affected by the illegal homes met town hall representatives for what was considered a fruitful meeting.

The meeting took place after the news broke of building licences being anulled in the town.

In the meeting the mayor, Luis Diaz, informed the AUAN home owners’ association of his “wish to count on the support of those

affected” whilst trying to come up with solutions for the planning problems in Zurgena given that “it affects everyone.”

“Our collaboration with associations, those affected and with the British community in general is important in finding solutions to this problem,” explained the mayor. For their part AUAN ‘welcomed the attitude’ of the town council. “It was a

constructive meeting” said their president, Maura Hillen, added that “we hope this means the start of a collaboration in areas of mutual interest, given that the Junta de Andalucía only seems to be interested in knocking down houses occupied by owners who bought them in good faith. That is something which neither we nor the mayor of Zurgena thinks is right.”

During the meeting, AUAN emphasised the

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New water works

Constructive meeting for AUAN and Zurgena town hall. need to ensure that those affected by ongoing proceedings “get to know about those proceedings so that they can defend their interests.”

Regarding this request, the mayor indicated that “he understood this need” and he promised

Thief rips earrings out LOCAL Police in Almeria City are searching for a thief who accosted a middle aged woman tearing the gold earrings from her ear lobes.

The incident occured at 9.20am in La Avenida de la Estacion with the offender managing to escape despite being pursued by several witnesses to the robbery. The woman was walking up Calle Hermanos Pinzon when she was surprised by the attacker,who ‘without a word’ snatched the gold earrings from her ears and ran off towards the Almeria Archaelogical Museum.

Several witnesses gave chase without success, but they provided details of the thief to the police, describing him as a North African man wearing a grey sweater and white woollen cap. Police are now focused on locating and arresting the perpetrator.

to “do everything legally possible to promote dialogue and transparency.” Both parties hoped that this meeting ‘will be the first in a series of future meetings.’

Regarding planning issues in general in Zurgena, the chief representative of the AUAN indicated that some feel “that the Junta de Andalucia has Zurgena in its sights in an excessive way compared with other municipalities.

“The courts will decide if this is the case.

Meanwhile, Zurgena cannot be allowed to remain in a state of suspended animation, solutions must be found.”

Zurgena Council advised recently that it is ‘working’ on the approval of its PGOU development plan, and on the ‘recognition’ of its neighbourhoods.

THE Minister of Environment and Planning, Maria Jesus Serrano, visited the works for a new water supply and sanitation in Bajo Andarax. The works are costing €46.2 million and will benefit more than 60,000 residents in the area.

An honour A PLAQUE has been unveiled at 14 Calle Lopa de Vega in Almeria City in honour of violinist Antonio Cuadra Roman who lived there for many years.

Estopa dates BROTHERS David and Jose Manuel Muñoz of Estopa will perform at the Auditorium in Roquetas de Mar on Sunday May 18. A second concert in Almeria City has also been pencilled in for May 31 although no venue has been announced.

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Father and son rescued in snow search drama THE Guardia Civil came to the rescue of a father and his 11-year-old son early on Monday morning after they had spent the night trapped by a heavy snowstorm in the Sierra de Los Filabres.

A blizzard on Sunday afternoon close to Calar Alto took the pair by surprise and they soon found themselves cut off from civilisation.

They abandoned their car and took refuge in a nearby farmhouse where they managed to build a fire for the night. The massive search operation involving 18 agents and a helicopter along with Environmental Agents

UNEXPECTED: Snowstorm. began at 7pm on Sunday evening when operators at the Central Operational Service of the Guardia Civil in Almeria received a call from

the 112 Emergency Services informing them that a Tíjola resident and his young son had been trapped because of the snow.

Repeated calls to the father’s mobile phone allowed the Guardia Civil agents to reassure the pair, while providing vital information to pinpoint their location.

The rescue team worked through the night and was reinforced at daybreak. The measure paid off when the crew of the helicopter service of the Guardia Civil located father and son safe and well in the area known as Sierra Carrasco.

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Running fair LA Feria del Corredor will have an exhibition area of almost 2,500 square metres in the Palacio de los Juegos Mediterraneos.

The fair will be held on February 1 and 2 to coincide with the city’s half marathon event.

Snap shot THE Auditorio Theatre of Roquetas de Mar is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a display of more than 350 photos showing artists and shows that have visited since it’s opening.

Rocking on LEGENDARY Andalucian rockers Medina Azahara filled the Auditorio de El Ejido on Saturday night in a concert to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the concert hall.

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Cantoria remembers San Anton with fireworks

CANTORIA held its festivities in honour of San Anton last week.

But this year new safety rules were put in place for the traditional event which features bonfires and fireworks.

Old habits and feelings die hard for the local population, who after decades of celebrating the fiesta in a very unique and personal way, have had to change the custom for safety reasons.

A large procession of townspeople, old and young wearing the typical dress, accompanied their patron saints, San Anton and San Cayetano, through the main streets of the town

SAN ANTON: Cantoria enjoyed it’s traditional fiesta.

accompanied by the music of the Municipal Band.

The activities continued

through the evening and night with activities in the ‘recinto ferial’ area of the town, with

churros and small fireworks for the youngsters. At 11pm the official programmes began for adults.

Food cooked on the fires, with wine, encouraged a party that lasted well into the early morning near the Boulevard area that had been chosen for safety reasons.

The fires and fireworks did not cause any major incident, except for three minor burns to partygoers that were treated on site by first aiders.

The final fireworks party at the Chapel of Cantoria closed the festival of San Anton 2014.

Purchena historical games under threat THE Cultural Association, Juegos Moriscos de

Purchena (Moorish Games of Purchena) has

started an internet petition to gather support and prevent the disappearance of this sporting and cultural event.

Among the people to which the petition on Change.org is directed are the president of the Junta de Andalucia, Susana Diaz, and the president of the Council of Almeria, Gabriel Amat.

The Moorish Games of Aben Humeya is a tradition recovered in the town of Purchena. For a few days the town is transformed into a meeting of Arab and Christian cultures through sport, and a set of tests that have their origin in Moorish times.

However, the lack of support for the event has led to suggestions that it

may disappear.

“It deserves to be preserved as a unique cultural and sporting legacy as it respects all cultures and religions,” said the association in its proposal, adding that the loss of the games would be “the loss of the only historical and sporting event with Moorish origins held in Andalucia and Spain.”

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Agricultural boost AROUND 11,000 farmers in the region’s olive, citrus, almond and cereal sectors received aid payments amounting to €29 million last year.

Poseidon adventure MOJACAR Multiple Use Centre is hosting the exhibition Posidonia ‘La joya del Mediterráneo’ from January 20 to January 30 which is open Monday-Friday 5pm to 8pm.

Speak up THE Partido Popular has announced that it will “speak up” for the school monitors who do not have their contracts renewed by the Junta.

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Golden memories for Almeria goalkeeper IT was a unique experience and an unforgettable day for Almeria goalkeeper Fran Donaire when he was a guest at the Balon D’Or awards.

In the last Beach Soccer World

Cup, Donaire won the golden glove award as best goalkeeper in the tournament earning him an invite to the prestigious awards for 2013 held in Zurich, Switzerland.

He shared the hotel with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and other illustrious company. “It was awesome, a very nice event and for me it was very special because I was in the hotel with all

Fencing project is a disaster WORKS in HuercalOvera that cost the town hall more than €120,000 have barely lasted two months.

The recent strong winds flattened more than 1,000 metres of fencing surrounding the industrial estate.

Explanations will be sought on the lack of planning and claims no metal bars were used to anchor the fencing against the brick wall.

CRITICISED: Huercal-Overa town hall.

the protagonists, it was something very magical,” he said.

It was a particularly emotional gala following the death of Portuguese footballing great Eusebio, and also featured the presence of Pele who was given an honorary Golden Ball.

Being at the gala in Zurich may be one of the highlights of his career, Donaire commented. “The best thing? I do not know, it was like the icing on the year because 2013 was hard work coming runners-up in the Beach Soccer World Cup with the Spanish team, where I was named as the best goalkeeper.”

The invitation to the gala was for two people and Fran Donaire only thought of his parents. “I was allowed to bring a guest and only thought of my father or my mother. We drew lots and it fell to my father. It was a great experience that my father will never forget.”

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A fair budget THE town hall of Roquetas de Mar has approved a budget of €130,000 to attend various tourist fairs throughout the year.

Bright sparks ONE in four people in Almeria complained to their electricity suppliers in 2013 according to a survey. One third of the complaints went unanswered and 29 per cent of people waited a month before a response.

Uphill battle MORE than 300 athletes took part in the 4th Mountain race of Alicun organised by Aqueatacamos Club, La Loma de Alicun the town hall and the provincial government.

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A lucky lottery surprise JUST like every week a regular punter called into his local lottery shop to see if

his ticket had won a prize. However this time was different as he was left ‘reeling’

at the Lottery Administration No.3 office in El Ejido.

The man who is retired, learned that he had won €1.2 million for the special fraction of the First Prize of the National Lottery.

The man had the winning number, 73,099 which he had bought earlier in the week and also the special fraction, which made him an instant millionaire. The lottery shop owner, Jose Manuel Garcia, told how he had to psychologically prepare the winner, after checking that his ticket was the millionaire ticket.

“The man came into the shop and he had no idea, he thought he had won nothing, so I told him to sit down before breaking the news.”

However, the impact of the revelation was so great, that SUBURBS PLAN: To help those living in outlying areas. the man, a regular customer of the establishment, was left same timetable. bonfires. In addition, residents completely stunned. He was Among the services the town may also register complaints and not the only resident of El Ejido hall will be offering are make requests and suggestions to to win a prize because the shop consultations, applications for the staff. The project began at the had sold a further nine tickets building permits and certificates of start of the year and the intention in a series of 10 with a prize registration (padrons and co- of the town hall is to make this value of €30,000 each. habitation) and permits for initiative permanent.

Zurgena town hall moves closer to the people ZURGENA Town Hall has launched a pioneering initiative to take the Administration to the suburbs.

Under the slogan ‘The town hall on foot,’ the objective of the plan is to bring the council closer to the neighbours who live in outlying areas to help with day to day business. Neighbours can also notify the town hall of any incidents or make suggestions directly. For the development of this project, a town hall employee will visit two neighbourhoods every Monday and Wednesday.

For this purpose the Salon Social of Los Llanos del Peral will open its doors to locals every Monday from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. On Wednesday, residents who wish to receive assistance can do so in the Salon Social of El Palaces, with the

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Grass roots football MORE than 300 children from different age groups will take part in the Football 7 league in Nijar which started a new season at the weekend.

Cuevas winners THE Group Cadencia won the second edition of the music competition ‘K T Oigan’ held in Cuevas del Almanzora.

Madrid flights AIR EUROPA is to offer new flights from Almeria to Madrid and vice versa starting from February 17. There will be two flights daily Monday to Friday and one on Sunday.

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Five-floor death fall A 45-YEAR-OLD man in Roquetas de Mar died in the early hours of Friday morning after accidentally plunging five floors while trying to gain access to his home.

Residents in the area of Balcones de Roquetas, were awoken at 1.50am by the sound of cries followed by thuds and seconds later, another big thud.

Just a few metres

inside the entrance to the building in the inner courtyard, the man lay dead after falling through one of the voids in the corridors of the housing block.

According to preliminary investigations by the Guardia Civil, the man had tried to access his home through a window having left the keys inside.

Spot check haul A MAN was arrested after police found six bin bags filled with marihuana and a jar of hashish pellets at the roadside.

Guardia Civil in Los Vélez stopped the 32-year-old resident of Alicante on the A92 near Chirivel but although his vehicle had the characteristic odour of marihuana, only traces of plants were found in the boot. A search of the area revealed the drugs stashed behind the road safety railings.

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Happy campers TIJOLA opened a new Campervan parking spot in the area known as Almoroc at the weekend. The project cost €8,000 and is the first parking area of it’s kind in the Almanzora Valley.

Patent place THE province of Almeria registered 81 patents during 2013. A total of 483 patents were presented throughout Andalucia.

Super subs BAZA rock band Supersubmarina played to a sell out crowd at the Maestro Padilla Auditorium in Almeria City on Saturday night.

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Madrid tourism fair popular THE Province of Almeria is being well represented this week at the International Tourism Fair in Madrid (Fitur 2014).

Eleven municipalities, a mancomunidad group and a development group are taking part in the important event. The rest of the province will also be present under the umbrella of the Tourist

Board, promoting the 102 towns of the province at the tourism showcase. Carboneras is showing a representation of Moors and Christians with 60 Carboneros having travelled to Madrid with the aim of selling this fiesta to all the visitors to the fair.

The town council was very interested in attending this

important event to showcase the Moors and Christians fiesta in Carboneras, the oldest in Almeria.

The councillor for Tourism, Beatriz Hernández, said: “This fiesta has been declared of cultural interest by the Junta de Andalucia and we believe Fitur is an excellent showcase for it.”

The

Taxis for players

The golden touch…

LATEST Golden Indalo award winner Bob Jones, is officially being honoured at the FITUR tourism fair in Madrid.

He is well known for his stunning photos, having lived in Mojacar for 40 years.

His pictures helped bring Mojacar nationwide fame after being featured time and again on National Television, leading to the town deciding to honour him.

Art lovers have the chance to get copies of some of his best work, which is on sale at Scottish Graham’s Curiosity shop next to the Los Arcos bar.

mancomunidad of Bajo Andarax will receive an award from the International Mountain Bike Association. Also during the fair 12 mountain bike routes will be presented by the group.

Other towns present include Adra, El Ejido, Nijar and Mojacar which will honour two citizens with the Golden Indalo award.

STUNNING: Bob Jones’ photos.

IT was a frustrating end to a difficult day in the Primera Liga for UD Almeria. After losing 2-0 to Villareal in the Madrigal despite a good performance, the icing on the cake for the players was the team coach failing to start after the game.

The footballers of Almeria had to go in several taxis from Villareal to Valencia airport to catch their flight home.

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S CANDINAVIAN P RESS

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EUROPEAN PRESS

Stories making headlines in Europe

GERMAN PRESS

BRITISH PRESS

Sexual assault

Internet ban

Travel card

Family holiday

SWEDEN - A 73-yearold from southern Sweden found internet fame after writing a wildly viral letter to an online newspaper, in which he demanded that the internet be shut down.

QUEEN Elizabeth II was presented with an Oyster card for using public transport throughout London when she marked the 150th anniversary of London Underground.

A COUPLE from Telford who took their three children out of school for a family holiday to Greece during term time has been fined £630.

A GERMAN taxi driver avoided prison despite being convicted of sexually assaulting a blind pensioner who he had known for two years.

Live abuse

Step back

POLICE are investigating 139 Britons suspected of paying to watch children being abused live on webcam from the Philippines. The investigation has been ongoing for two years.

BERLIN took a trip back to its Nazi past when Google Maps gave Theodor-Heuss-Platz its former name of AdolfHitler-Platz.

All washed up DENMARK - Fourteen dead cows that washed up on the beaches of Sweden and Denmark were likely dumped from a Lebanese ship that encountered bad weather, Danish police said.

Blindness breakthrough PATIENTS suffering from an inherited form of blindness have for the first time had their vision dramatically improved by gene therapy in a clinical trial by doctors at Oxford Eye Hospital.

ALMOST 1,000 teachers in the UK have been accused of having a relationship with a pupil in the last five years, research suggests. Just over 25 per cent faced police charges.

NORWAY - The Arctic University of Norway is to offer Europe’s first university course in dog sledding, starting from winter next year.

THE QUEEN: Now has card for public transport.

Sight again

Elegant lady DENMARK - Princess Mary of Denmark was named most elegant woman of 2013 by HELLO! Online readers, with 55 per cent of the votes.

Frozen fish NORWAY - A sudden drop in temperature in northern Norway froze a school of fish solid as they tried to escape en masse from a bay.

Energy needs DENMARK - For the first time, wind power accounted for more than half of all energy consumed in Denmark in a month in December, according to Energinet.dk.

PUBS and nightclubs in the UK routinely break a law which bans them from serving alcohol to drunk people, research shows.

Gout cases

Pocket fire

THE UK has the highest rate of gout in Europe, figures suggest. Experts found that one in 40 people across the UK is affected by the condition.

A PENSIONER suffered third-degree burns after picking up what he thought was amber on a German beach, only to find it was white phosphorus when it caught fire in his pocket.

RUSSIAN PRESS Open letter

Space plans

ACTOR Sir Ian McKellen and 27 Nobel laureates have written to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking him to change a controversial law banning ‘homosexual propaganda.’

RUSSIA plans to launch seven space vehicles by March, the federal space agency Roscosmos said on its official website.

Crew rescued

Film restrictions

SOURCES in the Russian government and parliament have said Russia will turn its clocks back one hour this spring with the possible return of winter saving time, abolished in 2011.

RUSSIA’S culture minister Vladimir Medinsky is considering introducing a cap on the number of films imported to the country FORCED LABOUR: Used in Cold War. each year, saying it will help the Russian film sector.

Atomic demand

Not private

HUNGARY tasked Russia’s atomic energy corporation to more than double production at its only nuclear power plant in a contract worth nearly $14 billion (€10.27 billion).

MICROSOFT CORPORATION, the owner of Internet call service Skype, is willing to keep in store its Russian users’ correspondence for six months and share with police if necessary.

THE crew of a Russian cargo vessel trapped in ice off far-eastern Sakhalin Bay since December was airlifted by helicopter and sent home.

Clock change

Lab explosion A STUDENT was seriously injured and 15 others hurt when leftovers from a chemical experiment exploded after they were mistakenly mixed at a German university.

Routine offence

Dog sledding

SWEDEN - A Swedish pensioner spontaneously regained her eyesight recently after spending 13 years in the dark following a stroke.

Cradle snatchers

Better late…

AN East German man who illicitly listened to a West German radio station as a teenager and sent a postcard across the Iron Curtain to win a record has received the prize 44 years later.

Forced labour SUPERMARKET chain Aldi and car manufacturer Volkswagen allegedly used East German forced labour during the Cold War.

Pork peril GERMANY’S love of cheap pork is harming the environment as well as human health, according to a report.

They each get through 60 kilos of meat a year.

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MALLORCA

New link AIRLINE Vueling has announced a new connection between Mallorca and Munich, to run daily beginning on June 20.

Smoke inhalation TWO people suffered mild smoke inhalation poisoning as the result of a house fire in Felanitx, which started in the kitchen.

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

George comes to town

No heat STUDENTS at a school in Calvia have been attending lessons without heating for more than a week. The boiler malfunction requires a replacement piece from the mainland, which has caused the delay.

GEORGE CLOONEY and Hugh Laurie are in Valencia for Disney’s new science fiction film, Tomorrowland.

Filming will take place in Valencia’s futuristic City of Arts and Sciences.

Tomorrowland is the tale of a curious teenager and former boy genius inventor, bound by destiny to uncover together the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space.

Green plans PLANS have been announced by Santanyi Town Hall to demolish the abandoned Porto Petro hotel to improve the overall environment. A green zone and a municipal sports centre will be built in its place.

First fatality A MAN, 63, died when his van crashed into a tree near Sant Llorens on the road towards Son Servera. This was Mallorca’s first road-related fatality of 2014.

AXARQUIA

Shooting location NERJA has been praised as a location for filming and photo shoots by Spanish tourism magazine El Club de la Vida Buena.

Copper theft

Travel fraud

BENAMOCARRA COUNCIL has lodged a complaint about the theft of copper cable from the local Adolfo Alba Ruiz football stadium.

THE manager of a travel agency in Fuengirola, aged 53, has been arrested for conning clients out of more than €20,000. The agency closed in December.

COSTA DEL SOL

Port arrests

Visitors up

TWO people were arrested at Motril Port trying to board the Tinamar ferry to Melilla in a car which had been stolen in Germany.

SIXTEEN per cent more people visited Antequera in 2013, amounting to 261,876 in total. The most visited place was the Torcal landscape on the outskirts of the town.

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16

Digital records

TRAFFIC was stopped in Calle Axarquia in Nerja after the engine of a car caught fire. No one was injured in the incident, which was dealt with by firefighters.

ESTEPONA TOWN HALL intends to digitalise all of the documents which exist in the municipal archives from the 19th century.

Porters protest

Dangerous chase

PORTERS at the Axarquia Regional Hospital are to protest every Monday and Friday at 1pm against what they consider ‘unacceptable’ changes to their working conditions.

A MOTORCYCLIST, 41, was arrested

by Local Police after a dangerous chase through Las Lagunas, Mijas, endangering other drivers, which ended when he crashed into a bollard.

Winning province THE ONCE lottery for the Blind in Spain was lucky for one Marbella winner, with €100,000, and several in Ronda with €320,000 between them, and Torremolinos with €240,000.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Body recovered A POST-MORTEM examination is being carried out to establish the cause of death of a man whose body was recovered from the sea on the beach at San Pedro close to La Curra, Cartagena.

Rental murder A BRITISH man has been found guilty of the murder of a 33-year-old man

NEWS DESK who was renting his Algorfa property, and dumping his body in the Sierra Escalona area of Pilar de la Horadada in May 2009.

Notary killers NINE Hells Angels have received a total of 67 years behind bars for the murder of a notary committed in Torrevieja in 2009.

Sailing comp MORE than 300 entries have been registered from 14 countries for the Seventh International Sailing Competition, being held in Torrevieja from tomorrow (Friday) until Sunday.

Community service LAST year a total of 78 people were involved in community service work in Torrevieja. Since 2005, around 400 people have carried out such sentences in the city.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Blaze doused FIRE destroyed 0.5 hectares of scrub and pines in a rural area of Teulada.

A helicopter, air tractor and two fire engines brought the blaze under control within two hours.

Mystery fire A WOMAN driving through Muchamiel with her six-year-old son escaped from their blazing car which caught fire for unknown reasons. Neither was injured but the car was burnt out.

Historic finds EXCAVATIONS at a Denia townhouse uncovered 12th century Moorish plasterwork and three Christian tombs. A wall with drawings of a ship, a lute and a calendar also appeared during the work.

Shortcut wanted ALCOY Chamber of Commerce has called for direct access to Villena’s high-speed railway station from the A-31 motorway.

Access from secondary roads also needs improvement, the chamber said.

Drunk-driver A SUSPECTED hit-and-run driver was arrested in Elda two hours after seriously injuring a cyclist, who later needed an emergency operation. A breath test revealed the motorist was three times over the drink-driving limit when detained.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

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

business & legal

EWN

STAT OF WEEK SPAIN’S tax authority Hacienda has now returned €10.1 billion in rebates on taxpayers’ 2012 declarations, 92.7 per cent of the amount due. Most rebates went to Cataluña, Andalucía, Madrid and Comunidad Valenciana.

Good result for IAG Airlines group had most passengers LAST year might not have been exceptional for airline Iberia but overall it was good for International Airlines Group.

With almost 32 million passengers in 2013, the group, holding company of British Airways and Iberia, again had more passengers than any other airline in Spain, said airports operator Aena.

It was a mixed result for IAG with Iberia

performing poorly. Its 10.88m passenger numbers last year were almost 28 per cent down on 2012. This was offset by low-cost Iberia Express’s 3.24m passengers, a 46 per cent increase.

The IAG improvement owed much to Vueling, acquired by IAG last April. The 2013 balance was the first to include lowcost Vueling’s figures.

Retailers that are riding high MERCADONA, Inditex and Dia have weathered the crisis better than most Spanish retailers.

Despite the fall in consumer spending they are well-placed on the Global Powers of Retailing list compiled by Deloitte and Stores magazine.

El Corte Ingles and Eroski are also present amongst the 250 top retailers but have dropped in the rankings since last year.

Juan Roig’s Mercadona supermarket chain, present only on the domestic market, rose two places to 42 and was the highest-ranked amongst the Spanish entries.

In contrast the Inditex clothing chain - famous for the Zara label - also

moved up two places to 45 but is riding out the crisis thanks to the internet and expansion outside Spain where sales have fallen.

El Corte Ingles, although third amongst Spain’s entries, dropped eight places and is now 62nd, its lowest ranking since 2002.

The Dia supermarket chain, which combined good results in Spain with international expansion, advanced two places to 73rd position, well ahead of Eroski which fell eight places to 127.

The Deloitte list is headed by the US supermarket chain WalMart, followed by the UK’s Tesco and Costco, the US cash-and-carry.

B

usiness extra

Home front slump HOUSE sales fell by 15.9 per cent in November for the seventh month running.

That month’s 21,847 transactions were the second-lowest since the INE statistics office began keeping records in 2007.

Dairy growth MILK group Pascual is seeking associates to expand into China, India and Africa. It expects international sales to rise from 5 to 15 per cent by the end of 2015.

Gulf between high and low SPAIN’S pay gap is widening.

Executive salaries rose by 6.9 per cent last year but fell 3.8 per cent for middle management. Below these levels wages fell 0.4 per cent.

An executive earns approximately €80,330 a year pre-tax, found a survey by the Eada business school and ICSA business consultancy.

The situation is polarising, claimed Ernest Poveda. Although executive salaries have risen, earnings for the two other sectors are settling to the same level.

Executives in Madrid and Cataluña receive highest salaries, while Navarra has the best-paid employees, followed by Madrid, Cataluña and the Basque Region.

IAG: Holding company of BA and Iberia.

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Chris Parypa Photography / Shutterstock.com

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E W N 23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

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LONDON - FTSE 100

currencies direct

C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 20

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 436.80 Admiral Group PLC 1401.00 Aggreko PLC 1727.50 AMEC PLC 1055.50 Anglo American PLC 1399.25 Antofagasta PLC 839.00 ARM Holdings PLC 1000.25 Ashtead Group PLC 809.00 Associated British Foods 2656.00 AstraZeneca PLC 3903.50 Aviva PLC 475.90 Babcock Intrntnl Group... 1395.00 BAE Systems PLC 444.95 Barclays PLC 284.80 BG Group PLC 1342.25 BHP Billiton PLC 1885.75 BP PLC 489.30 British Amricn Tobacco 3087.50 British Land Co PLC 659.50

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -2.00 -0.46 -6.68 -0.47 6.00 0.35 10.00 0.96 8.50 0.61 -7.50 -0.89 10.50 1.06 1.68 0.21 9.00 0.34 28.00 0.72 -0.56 -0.12 -2.00 -0.14 0.70 0.16 -3.80 -1.32 -2.00 -0.15 -4.00 -0.21 -1.85 -0.38 13.00 0.42 -4.35 -0.66

NET VOLUME 286.57 89.82 14.88 117.69 702.70 196.13 212.97 54.08 140.51 456.90 536.42 71.11 411.55 10,018.04 329.85 788.06 3,049.84 367.24 280.75

See our advert on page 23

0.82390

1.21373 Units per €

United States $......................................................1.35481 Japan Yen ¥ ...........................................................141.114 Switzerland Francs................................................1.23313 Denmark Kroner ....................................................7.46242 Norway Kroner.......................................................8.37603

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

PRICE(P)

British Sky Broadcasting BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Carnival PLC Centrica PLC

848.75 382.60 1424.00 1513.00 1065.00 2584.50 322.40

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G.

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 20

C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 20

C O M PA N Y MMM 3M Co AXP American Express Co T AT&T Inc BA Boeing Co CAT Caterpillar Inc CVX Chevron Corp CSCO Cisco Systems Inc DD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co XOM Exxon Mobil Corp GE General Electric Co GS Goldman Sachs Group Inc HD Home Depot Inc INTC Intel Corp IBM International Business Machine...

JNJ Johnson & Johnson JPM JPMorgan Chase and Co MCD McDonald's Corp MRK Merck & Co Inc MSFT Microsoft Corp NKE Nike Inc PFE Pfizer Inc PG Procter & Gamble Co KO The Coca-Cola Co TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies Corp UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc VZ Verizon Communications Inc V Visa Inc WMT Wal-Mart Stores Inc DIS Walt Disney Co

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 137.31 -0.85 90.97 +3.19 33.70 -0.26 140.46 +0.25 91.44 -0.57 119.29 +0.46 22.74 -0.04 64.02 +0.03 99.16 +0.22 26.58 -0.62 176.28 +1.11 81.00 -0.26 25.85 -0.69 190.09 +1.33 95.06 +0.42 58.11 -0.88 94.93 -1.13 51.95 -0.55 36.38 -0.51 73.39 -1.40 31.09 -0.08 79.88 -0.68 39.28 -0.43 86.47 -0.77 114.21 -0.01 72.52 -0.24 48.35 -0.18 232.18 +10.41 76.19 -0.57 73.98 -0.23

-0.62% +3.63% -0.77% +0.18% -0.62% +0.39% -0.18% +0.05% +0.22% -2.28% +0.63% -0.32% -2.60% +0.70% +0.44% -1.49% -1.18% -1.05% -1.38% -1.87% -0.26% -0.84% -1.08% -0.88% -0.01% -0.33% -0.37% +4.69% -0.74% -0.31%

2.3M 15.0M 24.0M 3.4M 6.8M 7.2M 44.4M 3.7M 16.0M 97.4M 3.5M 6.2M 112.5M 7.7M 13.8M 21.1M 6.1M 16.8M 46.3M 4.9M 21.6M 13.6M 14.0M 2.9M 4.3M 5.6M 16.0M 9.6M 11.4M 6.7M

9.00 -0.80 6.00 -2.00 8.00 1.98 1.07

C O M PA N Y

1.07 -0.21 0.42 -0.13 0.76 0.08 0.33

NET VOLUME 253.72 881.89 15.27 135.41 94.60 25.99 1,449.27

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 2.21 $ 2.67 $ 2.99 $ 2.40 $ 8.01 $ 6.50 $ 55 $ 24.10 $ 9.04 $ 4.77 $ 2.72

0.47 / +27.01% 0.53 / +24.77% 0.59 / +24.58% 0.38 / +18.81% 1.17 / +17.11% 0.82 / +14.44% 6.93 / +14.42% 2.56 / +11.88% 0.95 / +11.74% 0.46 / +10.67% 0.26 / +10.57%

$ 27.96 $9 $ 40 $ 38.035 $ 24.47 $ 35.93 $ 22.09 $ 30.44 $ 38.48 $ 6.54 $ 6.345

6.54 / -18.96% 1.58 / -14.93% 6.06 / -13.16% 5.605 / -12.84% 2.67 / -9.84% 3.92 / -9.84% 2.40 / -9.80% 2.97 / -8.89% 3.50 / -8.34% 0.58 / -8.15% 0.545 / -7.91%

Most Advanced Ninetowns Internet Tec Grp Comp Lmtd Vimicro International Corporation NII Holdings, Inc. Origin Agritech Limited Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. Rentrak Corporation Electronic Arts Inc. Maxwell Technologies, Inc. Shanda Games Limited Amicus Therapeutics, Inc.

Most Declined Elizabeth Arden, Inc. Performant Financial Corporation QIWI plc Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings SLM Corporation Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. Foundation Medicine, Inc. Strayer Education, Inc. Harmonic Inc. Prosensa Holding N.V.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Coca-Cola HBC AG 1717.00 Compass Group PLC 970.25 CRH PLC 1651.00 Diageo PLC 1948.00 easyJet PLC 1680.00 Experian PLC 1131.50 Fresnillo PLC 754.50 G4S PLC 258.75 GKN PLC 404.80 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1655.50 Glencore Xstrata PLC 339.70 Hammerson PLC 519.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 1465.50 HSBC Holdings PLC 673.65 IMI PLC 1563.00 Imperial Tobacco Group 2222.00 InterContinental Hotels. 2000.00 International Consldtd. 427.20 Intertek Group PLC 2890.50 ITV PLC 205.20 Johnson Matthey PLC 3399.00 Kingfisher PLC 388.95 Land Securities Grp PLC 1028.50 Legal & General Gr PLC 230.05 Lloyds Banking Grp PLC 83.11 London Stock Exchange 1833.50 Marks & Spencer Group 484.50 Meggitt PLC 544.25 Melrose Industries PLC 312.15 Mondi PLC 1010.00 National Grid PLC 792.25 Next PLC 6205.00 Old Mutual PLC 192.25 Pearson PLC 1294.50 Persimmon PLC 1345.50 Petrofac Ltd 1258.00 Prudential PLC 1371.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 4023.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 4694.50 Reed Elsevier PLC 926.50 Resolution Ltd 359.75 REXAM PLC 511.75 Rio Tinto PLC 3369.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings 1248.50 Royal Bank of Scotland 358.90 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2261.00 Royal Mail PLC 600.25 RSA Insurance Group 102.35 SABMiller PLC 3076.75 Sage Group (The) PLC 410.80 Sainsbury (J) PLC 366.40 Schroders PLC 2554.00 Severn Trent PLC 1652.00 Shire PLC 3014.50 Smith & Nephew PLC 878.75 Smiths Group PLC 1517.00 Sports Direct International...717.25 SSE PLC 1313.50 Standard Chartered PLC 1325.00 Standard Life PLC 384.25 Tate & Lyle PLC 782.75 Tesco PLC 331.30 Travis Perkins PLC 1868.00 TUI Travel PLC 430.45 Tullow Oil PLC 903.00 Unilever PLC 2421.00 United Utilities Group 688.00 Vodafone Group PLC 239.03 Weir Group PLC 2212.00 Whitbread PLC 3943.50 William Hill PLC 359.70 Wm Morrison Sprmrkts 253.40 Wolseley PLC 3501.50 WPP PLC 1350.50

CHANGE 9.00 5.50 -2.00 17.00 1.00 6.00 23.00 -0.30 -2.30 10.00 1.43 1.50 12.00 -4.10 8.92 12.00 4.00 0.00 -16.00 2.00 6.00 0.70 -2.00 -0.10 -0.38 -4.00 -2.00 -0.50 4.00 -2.00 4.06 57.74 0.50 15.00 6.00 -5.00 6.69 69.00 17.00 1.00 -0.10 6.50 -14.50 -1.36 -4.87 -18.50 -3.83 -0.70 25.00 -0.39 -2.12 -5.00 7.00 -4.00 0.50 -6.00 6.00 -6.22 -5.00 -0.20 0.41 0.20 12.00 2.10 -3.70 -3.00 -0.50 -0.90 75.00 -9.00 -0.32 1.05 34.00 -2.00

% C H G. 0.53 0.57 -0.12 0.88 0.06 0.53 3.14 -0.12 -0.56 0.61 0.42 0.29 0.83 -0.60 0.57 0.54 0.20 0.00 -0.55 0.98 0.18 0.18 -0.19 -0.04 -0.45 -0.22 -0.41 -0.09 1.30 -0.20 0.52 0.94 0.26 1.17 0.45 -0.40 0.49 1.74 0.36 0.11 -0.03 1.29 -0.43 -0.11 -1.34 -0.81 -0.63 -0.68 0.82 -0.09 -0.58 -0.20 0.43 -0.13 0.06 -0.39 0.84 -0.47 -0.38 -0.05 0.05 0.06 0.65 0.49 -0.41 -0.12 -0.07 -0.38 3.51 -0.23 -0.09 0.42 0.98 -0.15

VOLUME 39.80 309.79 234.32 372.06 137.48 729.72 178.29 254.40 359.93 733.47 4,160.75 300.04 134.71 2,717.04 17.72 235.86 26.70 854.37 45.14 1,006.97 24.62 258.42 304.37 771.59 14,623.11 39.85 367.96 71.20 195.05 57.47 579.50 35.35 685.40 123.17 110.35 67.01 282.65 88.29 47.03 148.31 430.92 66.64 764.37 337.37 2,438.87 646.42 112.01 1,270.33 370.81 99.35 563.21 11.54 105.54 96.37 295.50 41.72 47.72 346.32 449.93 409.62 33.78 1,143.92 24.18 92.25 266.14 286.52 204.21 11,438.62 254.00 23.04 624.72 1,192.43 27.34 317.52

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Labour costs down LABOUR costs in Spain fell for a fourth year in a row in 2013. Households have seen a 10 per cent decline in income since 2008, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Ban lifted AN EU trade ban on Iran was due to be lifted this week once inspectors give the all clear that the Middle Eastern country is fulfilling conditions on a nuclear deal. The ban was imposed over fears it was developing weapons grade nuclear capability.

Banks pay SPANISH banks’ debts with the European Central Bank fell by more than €110 billion during 2013. By the end of December their total debt stood at €201.8 billion.

Drinks go JAPANESE Suntory has agreed an €11.7 billion takeover of Beam Inc, owners of Jim Beam bourbon as well as Spain’s DYC whisky and Larios gin.

23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

Youth Guarantee to help the young unemployed...

WITH Spain’s youth unemployment rate standing at 57.7 per cent the country has signed up to a European Commission ‘Youth Guarantee’.

It is one of 17 countries that has already submitted a plan to implement the guarantee, described as an ambitious EU-wide reform aiming to help all jobless people under 25 find employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or traineeship within four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.

Another 11 European member states are still preparing their strategies to deliver a national Youth Guarantee scheme.

Laszlo Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, said: “Leaving young people without help damages their lifetime prospects as well as Europe’s economic potential and social cohesion. It is in each Member State’s interest to act swiftly and put in place practical measures to help young people get a job or acquire the skills to get a job in the future.”

In April 2013, EU ministers adopted a Council recommendation on establishing a Youth Guarantee, which sets out in detail the measures and reforms to be put in place in order to ensure that everyone under 25 gets a real chance to get a foothold in the labour market. Most elements of the Youth Guarantee can be co-financed by the European Social Fund, such as provision of job-search support or training, extension and modernisation of apprenticeship

COMMISSION: Fighting youth unemployment. systems, hiring subsidies or traineeship grants.

Member states with regions suffering more than 25 per cent youth unemployment will be entitled to more money from the EU to tackle the problem. That will mean an €881.44 million boost from Europe, which Spain will have to match from its European Social Fund allocation and spend on getting under-25s off the dole queues.

The Youth Guarantee is based on experience in Austria and Finland that show investing in young people pays off. For example, the Finnish Youth Guarantee resulted in a reduction in unemployment amongst young people, with 83.5 per cent successfully allocated a job, traineeship, apprenticeship or further education within three months of registering.

EWN

21

Bond yield boost for government credit tiseb/flikr

BUSINESS EXTRA

www.euroweeklynews.com

For many member states, the implementation of the Youth Guarantee will require structural reforms. For example, public employment services must be able to ensure individual young people receive appropriate advice on job, education and training opportunities most relevant to their own situation, resulting in a tailor-made, concrete offer within four months.

Another area requiring structural reforms concerns apprenticeships and vocational education and training systems. Member states must ensure they give young people the skills employers are looking for.

The Youth Guarantee does not come cheap - the International Labour Organisation has estimated the cost of setting up Youth Guarantees in the Eurozone at €21 billion per year.

SPAIN got a welcome boost in the bonds market when it auctioned three year notes at the lowest yield recorded by news agency Bloomberg since 2004.

The Spanish treasury will pay a yield of just 1.595 per cent. It was part of a bonds sale of €5.91 billion - the largest amount of bonds sold in auction in one day since January 2012.

The low yields reflect a surge in confidence in the Spanish economy with investors deciding the investment is low risk.

It came as the same time as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that Spain’s economy, which only recently came out of a two year recession, had probably started accelerating in the last quarter of 2013.

With borrowing costs declining it is good news for the treasury as it needs to pay less to service debt.

With unemployment declining slightly and the economy growing the end of 2013 could be seen as a turning point for Spain.

Service sector recovery gets stronger as activity increases THE recovery in the Spanish service sector strengthened in December as both new orders and business activity increased at sharper rates.

That said, there were signs that the rise in new business was at least partly supported by ongoing discounting.

Meanwhile, the rate of job cuts eased, and was only marginal.

The headline seasonally adjusted Business Activity Index which is based on a single question asking respondents to report on the actual change in business activity at their

companies compared to one month ago - increased to 54.2 in December from 51.5 in November. This was the second successive reading above the 50.0 no-change mark and signalled the sharpest rise in activity since July 2007.

Commenting on the Spanish Services PMI survey data, Andrew Harker, senior economist at Markit, the financial information and services company and author of the report, said: “The latest services PMI data provide real optimism that in 2014 we could finally see the start of a

meaningful economic recovery in Spain. Activity and new business each rose at rates not seen since prior to the economic crisis, although the extent to which companies are relying on discounting to support growth of orders remains a worry.

“There even looks to be signs of positive movement in the labour market, with the sector coming close to seeing a stabilisation in employment in December.”

Businesses interviewed for the report said there were signs of greater customer activity during the month. Transport & Storage

led the overall expansion in activity, closely followed by Financial Intermediation.

New business increased for the fifth successive month in December. Moreover, the rate of expansion quickened for the third consecutive month and was the fastest in almost six-and-a-half years.

All six monitored sectors posted an expansion of new orders.

Despite a sharp rise in new business, backlogs of work continued to fall. That said, the rate of depletion remained only marginal.

Staffing levels also continued to decrease during the month, but the rate of job cuts eased for the second month running and was the slowest since the current sequence of falling employment began in March 2008.

Post & Telecommunications and Transport & Storage registered increases in staffing levels.

A number of respondents indicated staff costs had fallen in December. However, rising energy prices at other firms meant overall input costs were unchanged from November. This followed two months of increasing input prices.

22

E W N 23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Watch your purse and avoid being App-solutely fleeced!

PARENTS beware! If you’re trying to keep a tight leash on your finances these days then something you might not have thought about, is controlling how your kids spend your money.

Granted, their pocket money is theirs to do what they please with, but what about money that they might be spending without your consent?

It’s been revealed that apps for mobile phones and tablets have been bleeding some mums and dads dry - and sometimes initially unbeknownst to both parents and kids.

In America this week, computer giant Apple has been made to refund €24 million to parents whose children made in-app purchases without their

Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett

APP WATCH: Keep an eye on smartphone purchases.

jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

parents’ consent.

We all have apps on our devices and many parents have games to distract the little ones on long journeys or to get five minutes of me-time!

But this is where the trouble starts.

Once an app is downloaded then these socalled ‘in-app’ purchases can be made along

the way, which typically allow faster progression in a game.

All that is needed to go ahead with an in-app purchase is a password.

Parents have complained that a password prompt screen would sometimes randomly pop up on their screen without explaining this would finalise any purchase made in the app and that’s exactly why so many parents got caught out unknowingly buying in-apps for their gamehungry kids.

In–app purchases can range from €1 to €100.

Apple is now under onus to change its billing procedures to make sure customers have given consent before they are charged.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Output increase INDUSTRIAL production in the euro-area rose 1.8 per cent in November according to the EU’s statistics office. That was the biggest increase since May 2010.

Good signs SPANISH exports of goods and services rose 6.1 per cent in 2013.

Exports were worth an estimated €350 billion, according to the Spanish government.

€1bn plan BARCELONA based Desigual clothing chain is targeting worldwide sales of €1 billion in 2014, up from €440 million four years ago.

It plans to open 100 stores a year globally in an expansion drive.

What to do if there is no will?

Q. My wife, just over 40 years old, passed away suddenly at the end of You and the 2013. We had been married for just over a year. We were married in Law in Spain Gibraltar. As my wife had several years

By David Searl left on her UK passport, we never got around to changing her name on it. As a result, the Spanish death certificate is in her maiden name. She was joint owner with her father of two apartments here and now her father wants to sell them. I am a Spanish resident and my wife was also a resident. The father is not resident in Spain. My wife had not made a will. As the surviving spouse, how do I stand with relation to her property?

KM (Costa del Sol) A. If your wife had made a UK will, the Spanish authorities would respect its provisions. If she had neither a UK will nor a Spanish will, the basic Spanish rules will apply.

In the absence of surviving children, her father will inherit her property, including her shares in the two flats and any other assets she had.

Spanish law provides only that a surviving spouse inherits the right to live in the family home.

The rest goes to the children, or, in this case, the father. He will need a lawyer to help identify him as the legitimate inheritor and he will pay Spanish inheritance tax, at the rate for immediate family.

If resident in Spain, he

would have almost complete exemption from inheritance tax.

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952-667090

GOOD LIFE: Yachts at Palma in the sunshine.

Spain’s high quality of life SPAIN is the only country in the world that can boast two cities among the top 10 places with the highest quality of life in the world: Madrid and Palma de Mallorca.

These are the conclusions of a study by the international team at Knight Frank, which takes into account various factors such as culture, education, cost of living, leisure activities, the range of top quality restaurants and the climate.

In this ranking, Dubai was considered the city with the highest quality of life in the world, due to its 350 days of sunshine a year, the low cost of living there, the wide variety of luxury leisure activities and the educational facilities available to foreigners

looking to find a school for their children.

Meanwhile, the largest island in the Balearics, Mallorca, came in second place as a result of its 300 days of sunshine a year and the high scores it received in the other general factors being evaluated.

Madrid, the capital of Spain, achieved 10th place in this ranking thanks to its luxury leisure activities and the reasonable prices at which they are offered.

Otherwise, the list of the top 10 destinations in the world for quality of life is made up of the Cayman Islands in third place, followed by Geneva and Cyprus, with London placed in sixth position, then Hong Kong, Singapore, Auckland and Monaco.

OPINION & COMMENT

Killer’s return is an affront to his victims THE article ‘Locals are concerned over killer’s return’ (Issue 1489) gave me chills as I read it.

Manuel Gonzalez, the ‘tracksuit madman’, who was sentenced to 169 years and served only 16 has now returned to a small town of 1,600 people in Sevilla.

He attacked 16 women and girls in a three-year span (19911993) meaning that effectively he served one measly year for each attack. That is an insult to his victims.

Stabbing women with knives and arrows in their buttocks and genitals gets you ONE YEAR in prison? I understand the implications of the annulment of the Parot doctrine, but my perception is that criminals sentenced to very long terms (like Gonzalez’s 169 years) can and still should serve the full 30 years allowed by law. Gonzalez served just 16 of those, and he attacked a load of women. What the heck?

Why isn’t he serving another 14 years?

I would love a news story which interviewed the judge to find out how in the cosmos these decisions are made.

Katrin Freiesleben, Alhaurin de la Torre (Malaga)

Absolutely disgusting RE your story (Axarquia, Issue 1487) about expats taking to the streets to protest against potential demolition orders on their homes, this situation is absolutely disgusting!

Honest, community-minded citizens, who did NOTHING at all wrong, other than to choose to ‘migrate’ to Spain - with all the financial benefits that brings to Spain, a full member of the European Community - now find themselves robbed of their autonomy. No longer can they freely make decisions with regard to their homes, which in the main, represent their life savings.

Instead they are effectively being held hostage by the Spanish authorities who seem hell-bent on causing continued

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

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

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

I TOOK this photo of a beautiful sunset over the Olta at Calpe.

Cynthia Pitchford, Calpe (Alicante)

Clueless experts I READ an interesting article (Issue 1487) in the Food and Drink Section. It stated new EU regulations limit the use of cinnamon as it contains coumarin, a naturally occurring toxic chemical.

Studies have linked high coumarin intake to liver damage in a small number of sensitive people. I could sleep soundly with the knowledge that the EU is taking the health of its 500 million residents seriously.

Blow me down, the very next EWN (Issue 1488) Health & Beauty section reports many health benefits of cinnamon.

Research has found that cinnamon significantly reduces

WHEN YOU WRITE All letters, whether by email or post, should carry the writer’s postal address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published.

Letters may also be edited.

Readers who have missed earlier correspondence can see all letters posted on:

www.euroweeklynews.com

blood pressure in certain diabetic and pre-diabetic patients. It aids glucose control by enhancing the effectiveness of insulin and has a beneficial impact on blood-sugar levels. It has been widely used in Indian ayurvedic medicine. It is good for oral health, killing bacteria associated with gum disease.

This confirms my longstanding belief that the world is full of ‘experts’ who haven’t got a clue what they’re doing.

Pass another glass of tinto, please, to boost my immune system (Issue 1488) and for protection against cancer, Alzheimer’s, dementia, heart

25

Big Brother

YOURSAY@EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

worry and mental pain to these persons and to wring every last penny out of them.

Of course, the illegal, immoral actions of their own politicians continue.

Lulu Jones via EWN website

EWN

attack, and to keep me eternally young.

Bob Harrison (By email)

Still in love with Spain I AM writing in response to John Edward’s letter ‘Just not the place I fell in love with’.

We first bought here in 1996 and in our opinion it has improved dramatically. We now have excellent roads, a good choice of supermarkets and can eat indoors in restaurants now that the smoking ban is in force.

To us it is far more civilised and I welcome stronger ITVs if it means that cars on the road are safer. Does laissez-faire mean that people could drive around in dangerous vehicles and nonsmokers had to put up with breathing in others’ smoke?

To us, Spain still provides a friendly and uncrowded place to live and a far better lifestyle than we could ever afford in the UK. Barbara Wicker, Torrox (Malaga)

I AM amazed that a woman was fined €200 for ‘jaywalking’ in Algeciras (Issue 1489).

According to your article, the woman made sure it was safe to cross the road, and this should be enough not to fine her.

I understand that the authorities have to do anything in their power to prevent accidents, but it seems it will get to a point in which we will be subject to fines for almost any action.

The same happens when we drive alone on the motorway.

Why shouldn’t we be allowed to drive at more than 120km/h when there’s no one around?

Of course, we have to follow certain rules to protect ourselves and others, but aren’t we old enough to know when it’s safe to do something?

It is clear to me that Algeciras City Hall has set up ‘Big Brother’ surveillance to catch people redhanded and receive extra money in fines.

Johnathan Simons, Estepona (Malaga)

What freedom?

BOTH Julian Assange and Edward Snowden would die of apoplectic laughter to read that, according to Mike Walsh (Issue 1489), ‘the US value freedom of expression’!

Charlie Dowling, Orihuela Costa (Alicante)

Puzzle pleasure MAY I say how much I enjoy the Time Out section in the Euro Weekly News. I look forward to it every Thursday.

Friends and I always gather at our local café to collect a copy of the paper and then settle down to complete the various quizzes, whilst enjoying a coffee or even a cheeky glass of wine! It is one of the highlights of our week.

It may sound totally unexciting to many people but it gets us all out of the house for a bit of fun and socialising. So, thank you, Euro Weekly News, for bringing some pleasure into our lives.

Joan Foster, Torremolinos (Malaga)

The views expressed and opinions given in Letters are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. They accept no responsibility for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements, and reject claims arising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.

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www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Careers over for household names I DUNNO, all these celebrity sex cases this week seem surreal. Headline after headline, knocking nails into the coffins of household names and their careers, whether ultimately found guilty or not.

There is something about it all that has a whiff of unfairness.

Many of these women’s complaints are nothing more than could be expected on a rowdy weekend night in the local boozer. ‘I felt his hand on my bum.’ ‘He brushed his hands against my breast.’ I know, I know; before all you gals start screaming, I do understand that any unwelcome sexual advances are out of order and some of the accusations are very serious indeed, but some are also a load of indignant twaddle.

What about the boot being on the other foot? I myself have been ‘sexually assaulted’. I’ve been groped, had my behind squeezed, received obscene suggestions, and experienced the occasional serious grope to my

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

nether regions. Most of these experiences have been accompanied by whoops and catcalls by whatever group of women the perpetrator was out with for the night.

You don’t see me rushing to the Old Bill. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t enjoy it. In fact, I find someone grabbing your proverbials in public pretty demeaning. But then I’m a bloke. I can hear the sniggering and the ‘you should be so luckys’ from here.

Therein lies the problem. If I lodged a complaint with the police, I probably wouldn’t even get it past the front desk. “Hey, Sarge, there’s a bloke here complaining he’s been groped by some bird. Wot shall I do with

SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Boot on other foot? him?” “Ha, ha! Tell him he should be so lucky and send him on his way.” Different attitude, ya see. I dunno; whatever the outcome of these cases something about it all just doesn’t seem quite right.

Just had a ‘brisk’ exchange on

FB with folk who still believe the McCanns are guilty of their daughter’s disappearance. Well, all I can say is that this opinion sits alongside the beliefs of those who belong to the flat earth society. For somebody who has been exonerated from a crime to do everything in their power to keep the offence as high profile and fresh in the public’s mind as possible - for years - must be either demented or not guilty. Well these two, obviously highly intelligent, tragic parents are most certainly not demented.

Give us a break!

And that’s about it, apart from wishing my lovely daughter Charlene a very happy birthday and loads of love from a proud new grandad.

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

LEAPY LETTERS

Closed minded I LOVED Leapy's article ‘Missing global-warming con men’ (Issue 1489).

Most people will not believe only a handful of people run our planet.

They are so closedminded it’s not worth trying to explain. I’m just waiting for the so-called global warming experts to tell governments they need to tax humans for breathing, as we breathe out carbon dioxide which surely must be contributing to it.

C B (By email)

Fear so...

WE are at the mercy of a few multi-trillionaires running the world, according to Leapy. Once I would have called him paranoid, but after the global financial recession, I fear he is right.

A Redmond (By email)

Obesity: a public or a personal matter?

With projections that half of Britons will be obese by 2050, healthcare experts want hard-hitting campaigns similar to anti-smoking publicity to tackle the problem. Should governments and ‘experts’ be telling people how to live their lives? Or should people be left alone to do as they please?

PAUL RHODES, aged 52, lives in Market Harborough in Leicestershire, UK, and was on holiday in Almeria. He said people need educating and part of obesity awareness lies in how you are brought up, and is down to parents.

“There should be more information on food packaging and how much fat food actually contains,” he said. He thought supermarkets did a good job with their healthy living campaigns; the problem is that children are playing on computers and phones and not exercising. He believed anti-smoking campaigns had worked in that there were fewer people smoking nowadays. He also felt there were a lot more fast-food outlets in the UK than in Spain, which might be a contributing factor.

Retired couple Ken and Jan Greisen, aged 64 and 65, live in Los Gallardos (Almeria). According to them: “Smokers actually pay more in tax than they take out of the NHS; obese people do not.” They believed that problems stemming from obesity, like diabetes, are the cause of personal lifestyle choices, and there should definitely be campaigns making people aware of the consequences.

Some said that sufficient campaigning had already been done, the problem was that people weren’t acting on what they already knew. Steph Mortensen, a graphic designer living in Torremolinos (Malaga), thought it was up to individuals to follow experts’ advice. “We

STREET TALK don’t need any more big campaigns,” she said. “But we do need people to heed what we all know already, which is that poor diet and lack of exercise have consequences, not only on health but also on the economy in areas like healthcare systems and national wellness indexes.”

Claudia Davies, 57, on holiday from London, expressed both sides of the coin. “People should be able to live their lives,” said the retired health service employee. “However,” she added: “I used to work in the health service and when people get so obese, it can cost the health service and ultimately the government thousands and thousands to treat that patient. So I guess they do have the right to warn people and prevent them from being that overweight.”

Finally, there were those who believed individuals needed to take more responsibility. Joanne Byron, JAN AND KEN

55, from Los Montesinos (Alicante), believed it was the responsibility of parents to prevent children from being obese, whilst adults should be responsible for themselves.

“I think a lot of people don’t even realise they are obese so they need to make people more aware of it, but I think the government has more important things to sort out.”

JOANNE

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

EWN

31

Benefit dependency: now a reality?

Nora Johnson

Breaking Views A Costa del Sol resident for a number of years, Nora is the author of psychological suspense and crime thrillers. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ nora-johnson

THE reality TV series, Benefits Street, features the lives of several jobless residents of one of Britain’s most benefit-dependent streets. Ninety per cent of those in the 137-house street in Birmingham claim one or more benefit.

The programme has aroused considerable controversy about both the benefits system and immigration, not helped by the latest official figures showing more than 60,000 families with five or more children rely on welfare and the overwheming publicity given to the widely-predicted ‘influx’ of benefit tourists from Romania and Bulgaria on January 1.

Of course any healthy society benefits from a flow of immigrants, just as many Britons make their lives abroad - like here in Spain where British entrepreneurial spirit is to be applauded.

LIFESTYLE CHOICE: Money too easy to claim?

But the issue isn’t so much about immigration and those ripping off the system as a UK welfare system that, historically, funded individuals who made a lifestyle choice to live on benefits rather than seek work allowing people to claim without having put anything in. Economic rights without responsibilities, a way of life for some, rather than the last resort or active means of poverty alleviation.

In fact, we should point the finger at successive labour governments who had a vested interest in perpetuating a Ponzi scheme (taxing an evershrinking productive private sector to fund an ever-growing public sector and welfare-dependent underclass) in the pursuit of power - buying the support of poorer sections of society with other people’s money.

Labour’s ‘open door’ immigration policy was also concocted to

strengthen their electoral position given the tendency of immigrants to vote Labour, but at what cost? The standard of living in the UK has declined as the cost of living has increased, while the UK (the SE, in particular) is vastly over-populated.

Consequently, the quality of public services (health, education, transport) has diminished given the inability to cope with this overpopulation and increasing demands of those who’ve taken from the system without paying in. A situation aggravated by the Coalition’s austerity cuts in jobs and services.

The system is broken and rightly needs a long-awaited and necessary reform. The problem is that, as Benefits Street amply demonstrates, although there may be a culture of entitlement, the withdrawal of benefits can just as easily galvanise its former recipients into crime, not employment.

Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Retribution’, ‘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.

Ministerio del Interior, Gobierno de España

Water, water everywhere W

ATER cannon are all the rage.

Boris Johnson and the Metropolitan police want them, although in the past their use was limited to Northern Ireland.

In Spain they have not been used for years, although Interior minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz recently fitted up the National Police with a nice new €408,000 model.

Cassandra Nash

A weekly look and not entirely impartial reaction - to the Spanish political scene

The London mayor was warned that using water cannon is a step nearer to stifling the democratic right to protest.

Johnson’s reaction was not revealed, but stifling the democratic right to protest is just up Fernandez Diaz’s street since his Public Safety Law is actually the Government Safety Law.

Jorge Fernandez Diaz Boris Johnson

Credit Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

If it ain’t broke...

A RECENT poll revealed that 80 per cent of Spain’s population do not back Alberto RuizGallardon’s harsh and misogynist reforms to the 2010 abortion law.

Mariano Rajoy repeatedly reminds critics that reform was set out in his election

programme.

So it was, although the PP gave the impression that it would only reverse the right of girls aged between 16 and 18 to terminate without parental consent.

Government sources admit there could be modifications although there will be no ‘substantial changes’ according to Ruiz-Gallardon.

In its present form it has certainly pleased hard-core right-wing PP voters who will theoretically turn out in force for the May Euro-elections.

Ruiz-Gallardon’s law will subsequently be amended sufficiently to silence critics within the PP itself, keeping everybody happy.

This might work but only if the 80 per cent who do not like the new law stay at home in May. Rajoy has the reputation of a wily Gallego but he could still shoot himself in the foot by fixing what ain’t broke.

Retrospective justice

THE general amnesty granted in 1977 is brandished as a cast-iron reason for not pursuing crimes committed during Franco’s time.

Spain can therefore turn deaf ears to UN requests to cooperate with an Argentinian enquiry into torture allegations against Jose Antonio Pacheco - aka Billy the Kid - and Jesus Muñecas during the dictatorship’s last years.

Parallel to this, judge Ismael Moreno accused China’s leaders of genocide in Tibet and wants to question them.

All very worthy, but he knows and we know and the Chinese know that nothing is ever going to come of it.

Lamentably, the same could be said for the Argentinian investigation.

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OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

A land without looky looky men!

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

M

LOOKING OJACAR of the early 70s knew nothing of the BACK IN problems of racial MOJACAR discrimination. There just wasn’t anybody to discriminate against.

Traditionally Spain ‘had a thing’ about the gypsies, but here they were a settled lot, living the same coexistence and daily fight for survival as everyone else.

They weren’t tinkers knocking on your front door while their kids were out back stealing your chickens. They were us and just like us. If anything it was a label you could throw at a few of them that sang or danced unabashedly at any and all of the village fiestas. Nothing more.

There wasn’t anyone or any group that you could point your finger at and suggest they were different, other than us, the obvious, newly-arrived foreigners. Loud, Africa was just 90 miles away, yet you brash, colourfully dressed and ostentatious never ever saw a black person. They just in all our undertakings, we were innately weren’t around and if they were, would convivial enough to always invite everyone have been easily noticeable. I never else around us within shouting distance to thought about it at all until one day it was partake in any of our celebrations. mentioned to me by a visiting friend from

EDDIE MURPHY: Mistaken identity. the States: “Where are all the black people? There should be some with Spain’s proximity to Africa. There must be a spill over?” But there wasn’t. None could be seen, even in the distant fields. They simply didn’t exist in our land nor on sea.

Spain was happy the way it was; reading about them or seeing them in movies.

Everyone knew they existed, but they didn’t seem to get into the country easily; didn’t like donkeys or paella for some reason. Their presence was never questioned because it wasn’t acknowledged.

Our children were brought up the same way, knowing not of the plight of blacks in far away places with strange sounding names. They saw them on video films and there really wasn’t much counsel dedicated to explaining a problem that didn’t exist here. We went to the movies a lot and saw them there. A popular movie at the time starred American black comedian Eddie Murphy. That was life.

However, when we decided to visit the States as a family, I thought nothing of it until I saw an African personage walking toward me in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. We were on the escalator to collect our bags and he on the other coming toward us. The youngest of us picked up on the dramatic event and grew his eyes as big as saucers. He tugged on my sleeve and exclaimed out loud for all to learn to their astonishment: “Look, Ric, there’s Eddie Murphy.” And that man became instantaneously 10-foot taller with a smile that lit up the runway.

FINANCE Last April residents of Spain had to start declaring their overseas assets on the new Modelo 720. What happens now?

The government received 131,411 asset declarations in 2013. Vice President of the Government, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaria, said it had “enabled assets valued at €87.7 billion to be identified”, and that the resulting increase in the tax bases will have “a fundamental effect in the collection made by the Spanish Tax Office”.

Your tax position If you have declared all your income and assets correctly on your annual tax returns, your tax position should not change.

However many taxpayers will find they pay more tax going forward. This particularly affects those who declared assets for the first time, or incorrectly declared them previously. These assets will now be assessed for wealth tax, and any income they produce for income tax, and you have to declare them accordingly.

You can minimise taxes by placing funds into legitimate tax efficient vehicles that allow you to mitigate tax in Spain, sometimes significantly.

EUROPEAN PRESS

www.euroweeklynews.com

23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

EWN

33

Form 720 – What Next? includes those held by trusts, companies or fiduciaries.

If you submitted Form 720 in 2013, you only need to report again if: • The value of an existing asset grew by more than €20,000, or • You sold an asset/closed an account, or • You obtained a new asset.

By Neil Jenkins, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks

2014 declaration The next submission deadline is 31st March.

In summary, if the value of your assets in a category amounts to over €50,000, you need to report all of them.

You are obliged to report assets if you are the owner, beneficiary, authorised signatory, or have the authority to dispose of the asset. This

Information exchange The Spanish government is keeping a close eye on offshore assets, both those declared on Form 720 and those which should have been included but were omitted. It already receives information from abroad, and this will increase over the coming years.

Spain is committed to multilateral automatic exchange of information.

Along with the rest of the G5, it is working with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to pilot a scheme on a global scale. The G20

has also pledged to have all members automatically sharing information on tax matters by the end of 2015.

The EU has plans to extend its automatic exchange of information from savings income to cover a wide range of income, including investment funds, pensions, trusts, life insurance, employment and property.

Spain is working to boost its bilateral agreements on the exchange of tax information. In November the government confirmed that agreements with the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey and Monaco were in progress.

It is only a matter of time before the authorities discover undeclared foreign assets. With the new asset reporting rules, the penalties for nondisclosure can be devastating. It is important to declare all your assets according to the rules.

Spanish taxes are higher than they used to be and, combined with the

unpopular Form 720, some expatriates are considering leaving Spain. However Spain actually remains a tax efficient country for British expatriates if you take specialist advice. Form 720 need not necessarily be such a concern either.

You should review your assets now to make sure they are in the best structures going forward.

Seek specialist advice on effective and legitimate arrangements to hold your assets in, that are taxed in an efficient manner in Spain.

Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change.

Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice.

To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www.blevinsfranks.com.

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Thursday

Friday BBC1/

2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:10pm Father Brown 4:00pm Perfection 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Hidden Kingdoms 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Question Time 12:35am This Week

BBC2/ 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm World Indoor Bowls Championships 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm The Great Interior Design Challenge 9:00pm Restoration Home 10:00pm Winterwatch 11:00pm Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Russia on Four Wheels

ITV/ 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV News and Weather 3:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Birds of a Feather 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Weight Loss Ward 12:35am Strictly Kosher

CH4/ 1:40pm Come Dine with Me 2:10pm Come Dine with Me 2:40pm Come Dine with Me 3:10pm A Place in the Sun 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Supersize v Superskinny 10:00pm The Undateables 11:00pm What Happens in Sunny Beach...

12:05am 24 Hours in A and E

Saturday BBC1/

2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:40pm Doctors 3:10pm Father Brown 4:00pm Perfection 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Room 101 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:25am EastEnders Omnibus

2:30pm ITV News and Weather 3:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Birds of a Feather 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Weight Loss Ward 12:35am Strictly Kosher

BBC1/ 2:15pm The Olympic Journey: Inspire 2:45pm Athletics 5:30pm Final Score 6:20pm Dynamo: Magician Impossible 7:00pm Reflex 7:45pm BBC News 7:55pm Regional News 7:58pm Weather 8:00pm The Voice UK 9:15pm The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins 10:10pm Casualty 11:00pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:30pm BBC News 11:45pm Weather 11:50pm Air Force One 1:45am The Two Mr. Kissels

BBC2/

BBC2/ 12:30pm BBC World News 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm World Indoor Bowls Championships 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm The Great Interior Design Challenge 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm An Island Parish 10:00pm Italy Unpacked 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 12:30pm This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV News and Weather 3:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm The Martin Lewis Money Show 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Piers Morgan's Life Stories 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Americans 12:30am Benidorm

CH4/

ITV2/

TV LISTING

www.euroweeklynews.com

1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Come Dine with Me 2:10pm Come Dine with Me 3:10pm A Place in the Sun 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm My Big Fat Gypsy Holiday 12:05am Brooklyn Nine-Nine

ITV2/ 12:30pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 1:30pm Emmerdale 2:30pm You've Been Framed!

3:00pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:10pm The Real Housewives of Orange County 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed!

9:00pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift 12:10am Take Me Out

1:00pm The A-Z of TV Cooking 1:45pm The Big Bread Experiment 2:45pm Escape to the Country 3:30pm Bowls 5:30pm Coast 6:00pm Wild Arabia 7:00pm Wild Arabia 8:00pm Flog It! 9:00pm Dad's Army 9:30pm Morecambe and Wise in Pieces 10:30pm QI XL 11:15pm West is West 12:55am Bowls

ITV/ 12:25pm ITV News and Weather 12:30pm Catchphrase 1:15pm The FA Cup 4:00pm All Star Family Fortunes 4:40pm You've Been Framed!

5:10pm Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang 7:20pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 7:45pm Splash!

9:15pm Take Me Out 10:30pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:30pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:45pm The FA Cup Highlights.

1:50am The Cube

CH4/ 12:55pm The Simpsons 1:25pm The Taste 2:30pm Channel 4 Racing 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 5:25pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Speed with Guy Martin 9:00pm Bigfoot Files 10:00pm Hostages 11:00pm Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 12:45am 30 Days of Night

ITV2/ 1:15pm Free Willy 2:15pm FYI Daily 2:20pm Free Willy 3:30pm Honey 4:30pm FYI Daily 4:35pm Honey 5:25pm You've Been Framed!

5:55pm You've Been Framed!

6:25pm You've Been Framed and Famous!

7:30pm The Perfect Storm 8:30pm FYI Daily 8:35pm The Perfect Storm 10:00pm Die Another Day 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm Die Another Day 12:45am The Magaluf Weekender

SUNDAY-

SATELLITE CHANN

Sky1/ 7:00am The Hour of Power 8:00am Glee 10:00am Grudge Match 10:30am The Kent Divers 2 11:00am World Wrestling 12:00pm WWE Experience 1:00pm Sinbad 2:00pm Muppets from Space 3:45pm Futurama 4:00pm David Attenborough's Micro Monsters 5:00pm Futurama 6:00pm Ashley Banjo's Big Town Dance 7:00pm The Bolton Majorettes 3 7:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm Hawaii Five-0

11:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 12:00am Banshee 1:00am Road Wars 1:55am Nothing to Declare 2:25am Brit Cops: Frontline Crime

SkyMoviesComedy/ 7:30am The Sitter 9:00am Happy Gilmore 10:40am Groundhog Day 12:30pm Parental Guidance 2:20pm The Campaign 3:50pm Mean Girls 5:35pm Happy Gilmore 7:15pm Groundhog Day 9:00pm Parental Guidance 11:00pm The Campaign 12:30am Mean Girls

26 January BBC1/ 3:15am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast 10:00am The Andrew Marr Show 11:00am The Big Questions 12:00pm Sunday Politics 1:15pm Wanted Down Under 2:00pm BBC News 2:10pm Weather for the Week Ahead 2:15pm Moving On 3:00pm Bargain Hunt 3:45pm Helicopter Heroes 4:15pm Escape to the Country 5:00pm Songs of Praise 5:35pm Hidden Kingdoms 6:35pm BBC News 6:50pm Regional News 6:55pm Weather 7:00pm Fake or Fortune?

8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Call the Midwife 10:00pm The Musketeers 11:00pm BBC News 11:15pm Regional News 11:20pm Weather 11:25pm Meet the Fockers 1:15am Weatherview 1:20am BBC News

BBC2/ 1:55am This is BBC Two 7:00am Hue and Cry 8:20am Countryfile Winter Special

9:15am Tennis 1:00pm Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 2:30pm The Big Bread Experiment 3:30pm Bowls 1:10am Countryfile Winter Special 2:10am Holby City 3:10am This is BBC Two

ITV/ 4:45am ITV Nightscreen 7:00am Pat and Stan 7:10am Pat and Stan 7:20am Pat and Stan 7:25am Dino Dan 7:40am Dino Dan 7:50am Canimals 8:00am Canimals 8:05am Canimals 8:10am Om Nom Stories 8:15am Sooty 8:30am Scrambled!

10:25am ITV News 10:30am The Crocodile Hunter Diaries 11:00am Inside the National Trust 12:00pm ITV News and Weather 12:15pm Splash!

1:45pm From Russia with Love 4:00pm The FA Cup 6:50pm Local News and Weather 7:00pm ITV News and Weather 7:15pm Dancing on Ice 8:45pm All Star Family Fortunes 9:30pm Dancing on Ice 10:00pm Mr Selfridge

www.euroweeklynews.com

TV LISTING

23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

Monday SkyMoviesDrama/

9:00pm

• Hugh Jackman • Russell Crowe • Anne Hathaway • Amanda Seyfried

NELS/

The drama follows the life of Gallic convict Jean Valjean (an Oscar-nominated Hugh Jackman) who jumps parole and builds a new existence as a respectable town mayor. With the kindling of revolution beginning to smoulder, he finds himself caught between his misunderstood past and attempts at redemption, before being forced to make some decisions that will forever affect his life, and those of his police captain pursuer Javert (Russell Crowe) and the young orphan girl Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) whom he saved and raised as his own.

7:50am The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 10:50am Avengers Assemble 1:15pm Iron Man 3 3:30pm The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 6:30pm Avengers Assemble 9:00pm Iron Man 3 11:15pm xXx

SkyMoviesDrama/ 9:40am Go for It! 11:20am The Wolf of Wall Street Special 11:40am Now is Good 1:30pm The Lucky One 3:15pm Struck by Lightning 4:45pm Steel Magnolias

6:50pm Notting Hill 9:00pm Les Miserables

TCM/ 9:10am Captain Horatio Hornblower R.N. 11:25am Marooned 2:00pm The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show 2:30pm The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show 3:00pm The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show 3:30pm The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show 4:00pm Last of the Comanches 5:40pm The Tall Men 8:00pm The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show 8:30pm The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show 9:00pm The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show 9:30pm The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show 10:00pm Hell on Wheels 11:00pm 8MM

CH4/ 6:45am Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard 7:10am The Hoobs 7:35am The Hoobs 8:00am Snowdonia Marathon 9:00am Will and Grace 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Sunday Brunch 1:30pm The Big Bang Theory 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:25pm How I Met Your Mother 2:55pm How I Met Your Mother 3:20pm The Simpsons 3:50pm The Simpsons 4:20pm Deal or No Deal 5:25pm Channel 4 News 5:55pm Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast 7:00pm Mirror Mirror 9:00pm The Jump 10:00pm Unstoppable 11:50pm G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

2:05am Mesh 2:10am Night Walking 2:15am Day Watch 4:25am Southland 5:10am Enough 5:15am Phil Spencer: Secret Agent

ITV2/ 6:50am ITV2 Nightscreen 7:00am Beauty and the Geek 7:45am The Hot Desk 7:55am Emmerdale Omnibus 10:15am Coronation Street Omnibus 12:50pm Dinner Date Australia 1:45pm Take Me Out 2:55pm You've Been Framed!

3:50pm Miss Congeniality 4:50pm FYI Daily 4:55pm Miss Congeniality 6:00pm Peter Pan 7:00pm FYI Daily 7:05pm Peter Pan 8:15pm Despicable Me 9:15pm FYI Daily 9:20pm Despicable Me 10:00pm The Magaluf Weekender 11:00pm The Bourne Supremacy 12:00am FYI Daily 12:05am The Bourne Supremacy 1:15am M.O.M. 2:10am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 3:05am You've Been Framed!

A-Z

3:15pm The Great British Bake Off 4:15pm Coast 5:15pm The Secret Life of Elephants 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm The Great Interior Design Challenge 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Food and Drink 10:00pm The Many Faces of Dick Emery 11:00pm The Best of the Sarah Millican Television Programme 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Russia on Four Wheels

BBC1/

BBC2/ 2:30pm Cash in the Attic 3:15pm The Great British Bake Off 4:15pm Coast 5:15pm The Secret Life of Elephants 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm The Great Interior Design Challenge 9:00pm Children's Emergency Rescue 10:00pm Inside the Animal Mind 11:00pm House of Fools 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am The Tea Trail with Simon Reeve

ITV/ 3:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Bletchley Circle 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Piers Morgan's Life Stories 12:35am The Unforgettable...

ITV/ 2:30pm ITV News and Weather 3:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 9:00pm Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

10:00pm Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Sports Life Stories 12:35am The Crocodile Hunter Diaries

CH4/ 3:10pm A Place in the Sun 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Jump 10:00pm Benefits Street 11:00pm Meet the Polygamists 11:55pm My Daughter the Teenage Nudist

ITV2/ 2:30pm Coronation Street 3:00pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:10pm The Real Housewives of Orange County 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed!

8:30pm You've Been Framed!

9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm M.O.M. 10:30pm Dads 11:00pm The Job Lot 11:30pm Plebs 12:00am Fake Reaction

Wednesday

2:45pm Doctors 3:10pm Father Brown 4:00pm Perfection 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Death in Paradise 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm The Zoo Next Door 12:35am Little Voice

BBC2/

2014 Sunday 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:15pm Birds of a Feather 11:45pm The FA Cup Highlights.

12:45am LV Cup Rugby Highlights 1:45am The Store 3:45am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 4:30am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 5:10am ITV Nightscreen

BBC1/ 3:10pm Father Brown 4:00pm Perfection 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Britain's Great War 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Have I Got Old News for You 12:20am BBC News: The Editors 12:50am The Graham Norton Show

Les Miserables (2012)

SkyMoviesAction/

Tuesday

35

EWN

CH4/ 2:35pm Come Dine with Me 3:10pm A Place in the Sun 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Jump 10:00pm The Taste 11:00pm Benefits Street 12:00am The Undateables

BBC1/ 2:40pm Doctors 3:10pm Father Brown 4:00pm Perfection 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:57pm BBC News and Regional News 9:00pm Waterloo Road 10:00pm Outnumbered 10:30pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:32pm BBC Weather 11:35pm Match of the Day 1:05am Film 2014

BBC2/ 2:30pm Cash in the Attic 3:15pm The Great British Bake Off 4:15pm Coast 5:10pm The Secret Life of Elephants 6:10pm Flog It! 6:55pm Party Political Broadcast by the Labour Party 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm The Great Interior Design Challenge 9:00pm The Restaurant Man 10:00pm Horizon 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Inside the Animal Mind

ITV/ 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV News and Weather 3:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:25pm Party Political Broadcast by the Labour Party 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The Jonathan Ross Show 12:40am Corfu: A Tale of Two Islands

CH4/

ITV2/ 2:30pm Coronation Street 3:00pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:10pm The Real Housewives of Orange County 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed!

8:30pm You've Been Framed!

9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Die Another Day 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm Die Another Day 12:45am Two and a Half Men

1:05pm Come Dine with Me 3:10pm A Place in the Sun 4:10pm Countdown 5:00pm Deal or No Deal 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Jump 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm Turtle Boy: A Bodyshock Special 12:00am Strictly Baby Disco

ITV2/ 1:30pm Emmerdale 2:30pm You've Been Framed!

3:00pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:10pm The Real Housewives of Orange County 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed!

9:00pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm The Magaluf Weekender 12:00am Fake Reaction

36

E W N 23 - 29 January 2014/ Costa de Almería

CROSSWORDS

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

Almería weather

NEW ON DVD MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

for next 7 days

The Frozen Ground A ruthless killer has been burying his victims near Anchorage (Alaska) for more than 10 years, but local police are clueless as to the murderer's identity. When local stripper Cindy Paulson escapes a brutal attack by hunter Robert Hansen, Detective Jack Halcombe begins his investigation into the case. With Cindy as his guide and tension high in the community he must act quickly before another victim falls prey to the killer.

TODAY

VELEZ RUBIO

TOMORROW HUERCAL OVERA

ALBOX

VELEZ RUBIO GARRUCHA ALBOX MOJACAR

ALMERIA

HUERCAL OVERA

RETAMAR GARRUCHA

Starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Vanessa Hudgens and Radha Mitchell.

Directed by Scott Walker. Runtime 105 minutes. Rated 15.

ADRA

ROQUETAS

MOJACAR ALMERIA RETAMAR ADRA

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) When discussing a holiday with others, be aware that agreement is not always easily met. Although you are not inclined to compromise, it is necessary to go with the majority decision. Patience is thin on the ground at the moment, but try not to over-react.

6-Star Quiz THAT WAS 2013

before? Looking into their recent past is likely to tip the balance. What you find shows clearly if there has been a change of heart on their part or if they are trying to pull the wool over your eyes.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Your attention is needed on more than one front, and some decisions are at odds with your personal thoughts and attitudes. Being reminded that 'business is business' does nothing to relieve your conscience. You may have to upset someone by telling the truth, which may affect your longer-term finances but do you really have any choice?

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) After the 24th it is much easier to see the path ahead. This is particularly true of a financial situation, so there's no sense in fussing until you understand what needs to be done. Someone who has in the past been

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Everything on the home front is emphasised and there will be a flurry of activity. Get others involved in any changes. Work in the garden or painting is much more enjoyable and half the work if you

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) A disagreement with a friend upsets you but is short-lived.

To avoid such a situation in the future, look at how you should have dealt with it. There is always something to know that guides us to a better position. It will make you smile that someone has taken you for a fool because you have the last laugh.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Are you willing to take a risk on someone who has let you down

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) A great feeling of joy comes over you more than once in the week ahead. Your inner child has been set free, and this is likely to be because of recent restrictions, which are now lifted.

Do not feel guilty about this because it is a choice that will serve you well in the future.

Sudoku Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9. There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 December 21) Travel arrangements may have to be changed at the last minute.

Do not fret, however, because success is more likely at the end of the month. During a dream, or when reading a book, an idea comes to you. Can this really make a difference to your future?

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 20) The need to plan ahead is frustrating when you know exactly what ought to be going on. Patience is something that you need to cultivate, or you risk upsetting someone close.

Spending time with a colleague makes you realise how good things could be, but a lot of effort is involved.

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday January 18

Saturday January 18

Saturday January 18

Friday January 17

12

23

27

30

31

5

9 38

33 39

4

5

13

21

29

37

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

33

3

22

Almeria

CLOUDY MAX 16C, MIN 7C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

19

26 33

42

10

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

MAX MIN

16 8 S 18 8 Cl 18 8 S

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 17 8 Cl Tues - 14 7 C Wed - 15 8 Cl

Fri Sat Sun -

Benidorm Fri Sat Sun -

Madrid

16 7 Cl 16 8 Cl 17 9 S

Fri Sat Sun -

13 6 Sh 13 7 C 14 8 C S Sun,

MAX 10C, MIN 2C MAX MIN

10 3 C 13 3 C 13 2 Cl

Mon - 11 2 C Tues - 8 2 Sh Wed - 8 2 C

Murcia

SHOWERS MAX 13C, MIN 6C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

CLEAR MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 8 Cl Tues - 14 7 Cl Wed - 14 7 Cl

Mallorca TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 9 C Tues - 14 9 Cl Wed - 14 9 C

15 8 C 16 9 S 16 10 Cl

TODAY:

MAX 17C, MIN 7C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

SUNNY MAX 16C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 12 6 C Tues - 12 6 C Wed - 12 6 C

Malaga CLEAR

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 9 C Tues - 14 9 S Wed - 14 9 Cl

17 10 S 18 11 S 18 11 S

TODAY:

SHOWERS MAX 13C, MIN 6C 13 5 Cl 12 6 Cl 14 7 C

TODAY:

SHOWERS MAX 17C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 14 8 C Tues - 13 8 Sh Wed - 13 9 Sh Cl Clear,

SUNNY

MAX 16C, MIN 6C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

15 6 C 17 7 C 18 6 Cl

Mon - 18 7 C Tues - 14 6 Cl Wed - 14 6 Cl

C Cloud,

Sh Showers,

Th Thunder

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

TARGET:

Average: 11

Very good: 20

Good: 14

Excellent: 24

brut, burp, cert, curb, cure, curt, ecru, pert, pure, rube, true, brute, buret, crept, cruet, cuter, eruct, erupt, rebut, truce, tuber, utter, butter, cutter, putter, BUTTERCUP

1

3

24

27

36

46

REINTEGRO 12

5

MAIL

Sunday January 19

Saturday January 18

32

LUCKY STARS 4

TODAY:

Word Ladder

LOTTERY 7

Alicante TODAY:

MAX MIN

unco-operative is more flexible. You wonder at this and try to see an ulterior motive, but it is most likely that they have seen the error of their past actions.

enlist the help of someone you get on well with.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) A rather slow start to the week leads you to feel bored but be assured that the weekend will be far from dull. A recent conversation or correspondence with an old friend leads to unexpected contact.

49

Andreu Buenafuente, born January 24, 1965.

Buenafuente is a Spanish late night show host and comedian.

His breakthrough came in the 2000s with the late show ʻLa Cosa Nostra,ʼ which was broadcast on Catalan regional TV. He currently hosts ʻEn el aireʼ on La Sexta TV channel. In 1989 he founded El Terrat, one of Spainʼs most important media companies.

2

3 27

6 39

REINTEGRO 8

SLOT

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

SLID SLIT SLOT

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Who is trying to push you into a corner? Maybe it is being done so subtly that you have not even noticed. Who wants a decision from you? Appear to take pressure lightly and not give in to an irritation.

1. The American cyclist Lance Armstrong admitted to doping in all of his seven Tour de France victories in his television interview given to whom in January?

2. In February, the University of Leicester held a media conference to announce that a skeleton found in Leicester in 2012 during an archaeological dig was that of which former king of England?

3. Former oil executive Justin Welby was formally enthroned as the 105th what in March?

4. British businessman James McCormick was convicted at the Old Bailey in April on three counts of fraud after selling fake what, based on a device for finding golf balls to countries including Iraq and Georgia?

5. Which team, playing in their first FA Cup Final, defeated Manchester City with a last minute goal by Ben Watson at Wembley Stadium in May? 6. A group of train drivers in Sweden began wearing what to work in June, as a protest against their employer’s ban on shorts?

Your Stars

IF ITʼS YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Social life is important because friendships will be made that last a long time. Your popularity should not be taken for granted, but built on. As you need other people, they also need you.

MAIL SAIL SAID

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) It is difficult to avoid repeating mistakes made in the past. Your approach to certain situations has not changed and therein lies the problem. Someone who blames you for a mistake shows ignorance but that does not make it less upsetting.

ROQUETAS

1. OPRAH WINFREY, 2. KING RICHARD III, ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, 4. BOMB DETECTORS, 5. WIGAN ATHLETIC, 6. SKIRTS

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CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

23 - 29 January 2014/ Costa de Almería

EWN

37

SPONSORED BY

For more information about the sponsor go to www.lineadirecta.com

Cryptic

Quick

Across 1 No alms arranged? Looks fishy (6) 4 Flying with little boy frequently (5) 8 Follow headless queens around (5) 9 Famous actor, one appearing in Lionel Bart musical (7) 10 Tearing out from hard rock! (7) 11 The almanacʼs partial cure (4) 12 American soldier right about outfit (3) 14 Snap part of tree (4) 15 Insects hiding in police station (4) 18 Group from Chinese Taipei (3) 21 Inside thereʼs time to relax (4) 23 Endure in the grip of the Thundergod (7) 25 Peril of poor description (7) 26 Legend on the move (5) 27 Wild animal doing wrong (5) 28 Ukraine port some passed over on the way back (6) Down 1 Transport made from ledges (6) 2 Callas going round to a famous opera house (2,5) 3 Needles boss like at sea (8) 4 ʻHot Fiveʼ help out (4) 5 Girl involving one in love entanglement (5) 6 Thursday, mid-afternoon, Iʼll rush (6)

Across 1 Break in pieces (5) 4 Two-wheeled vehicle (7) 8 Time between noon and evening (9) 9 Be sorry for (3) 10 Stage of development (5) 12 Foretell (7) 13 Possess (3) 14 Implements (5) 16 Night bird (3) 18 Science of matter (7) 20 Prevent from happening (5) 21 Sprint (3) 22 Credit (9) 25 Assume a reclining position (3,4) 26 Not including (5)

7 Mr Federer is acknowledged on the radio (5) 13 Cordial welcome for delighted helper (4-4) 16 Can sort out boxes (7) 17 Stand or, otherwise, drop it (6)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 16 represents B and 1 represents Z, so fill in B every time the figure 16 appears and Z every time the figure 1 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.

19 Sounds fishy but he works on pianos (5) 20 Left one with a Shakespearean heroine (6) 22 Despise rough corns (5) 24 Floor covering from Illinois (4)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Sleigh, 4 Moscow, 7 Eavesdrop, 9 Oman, 10 Goat, 11 Canal, 13 Litmus, 14 Soften, 15 Pewter, 17 All out, 19 Daisy, 20 Cord, 22 Wept, 23 Mutineers, 24 Otters, 25 Tutors.

Down: 1 School, 2 Ivan, 3 Hyenas, 4 Madras, 5 Slog, 6 Wanton, 7 Earthworm, 8 Postpones, 11 Cured, 12 Lowly, 15 Pacino, 16 Rapids, 17 Aspect, 18 Totals, 21 Dupe, 22 Writ.

QUICK Across: 1 Detach, 4 Trusts, 9 Corrode, 10 Prize, 11 Sue, 12 Parakeet, 14 Astral, 15 Leader, 18 Solution, 20 Ass, 23 Nurse, 24 Survive, 25 Locate, 26 Lesson.

Down: 1 Docks, 2 Torment, 3 Clog, 5 Repeated, 6 Smile, 7 Shelter, 8 Feral, 13 Farthest, 14 Arsenal, 16 Diaries, 17 Bossy, 19 Lyric, 21 Stern, 22 Urge.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Sage, 3 Usado, 8 Ama de casa, 9 Estar, 10 Plata, 12 Alcachofa, 14 Brass, 15 Into.

Down: 1 Saucepan, 2 Giant, 4 Sheepdog, 5 Día, 6 Fabricas, 7 Zapatero, 11 Again, 13 Car.

Unscramble the name of a famous NFL American football team (three words): SENSATIONAL WRENS Unscramble the name of a famous, awardwinning English actress: IS ULTRA JEWEL

Play on Words

English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.

Across 1 Cigüeña (5) 3 Buckets (pails) (5) 7 Naranja (6) 9 Pulga (4) 10 Sunlight (3,3,3) 13 Yesterday (4) 14 Tin (ore) (6) 16 Evitar (eludir) (5) 17 Barcas (5) Down 1 Lento (ritmo, movimiento, caída) (4) 2 Rum (3) 4 Acorn (7) 5 Cisne (4) 6 To deserve (7) 8 Tile (floor) (7) 11 For (going to) (4) 12 Perros (4) 15 Dos (3)

Hexagram The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (CHAFED) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

AGREES

PRINTS

ASCEND

RAILED

CEASED

RECEDE

CHAFED (10)

SEDUCE

CLEATS

SHELLS

DATING

STATUE

DECENT

THENCE

FELLED

VOLLEY

HELPED

WELLED

PITTED

SCISAB SCISAB

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION Answers: Back to basics, All in the mind

Funagram

Down 1 Hair washing agent (7) 2 Destiny (3) 3 Rushing stream (7) 4 Show disapproval (3) 5 Small and light boat (5) 6 Flesh-eating mammal (9) 7 Select by vote (5) 11 Nuisance (9) 12 Devoutly religious (5) 15 Sports ground (7) 17 Correspondence (7) 18 Danger (5) 19 Rocky Mountain state (5) 23 Tawny brown colour (3) 24 Vase (3)

MALLIND

1 Thrust, 2 Muster, 3 Screws, 4 Darted, 5 Tucked, 6 Speeds, 7 Melted, 8 Drinks, 9 Reeled, 10 Mended, 11 Retain, 12 Steeds, 13 Intend, 14 Tested, 15 Resent, 16 Stitch, 17 Settle, 18 States, 19 Tramps

FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, JULIE WALTERS

38

E W N 23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

ealth & beauty H TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.EWNLIFESTYLE.COM

Edible gel could help prevent snacking

Hair care not in crisis as salons staying full

SCIENTISTS say they have invented a gel which gives people a feeling of being full.

It is hoped the edible gel that swells in the stomach, creating the feeling of fullness, could help slimmers as it reduces the need for snacking and helps prevent over-eating.

According to a recent survey by the Overseas Development Institute, more than 1.4 billion people are now classed as obese or overweight.

The ingredients of the gel are derived from seaweed, starch and citrus peel.

EVER wonder how a country in economic crisis manages to keep its beauty shops and salons constantly full? Other shops and stores might be closing their doors all around them, but hairdressers are in no apparent danger of being put out of business.

This is probably due in large part to Spanish consumers’ commitment to looking good even when other things in life have to be cut out. A Euromonitor International country report on Spain states that ‘despite the

poor economic situation, Spanish consumers were still willing to spend money in order to take care of their hair.’

Euromonitor mentions that consumers have adjusted by shifting from more expensive products to more affordable alternatives. Consumers have been forced to be creative by switching from regular sizes to family-size and bulk sizes in order to save.

Companies have also had to be creative in order to prosper during times of crisis. The report states that innovation, formulation and fragrance are the three top factors affecting hygiene purchase decisions in Spain, and it seems that Spanish companies are trying to find ways to help consumers get what they

HAIR CARE: Spaniards not skimping on salon time. want in those areas to stay looking good without breaking the bank.

The report states how companies like Mercadona have offered new brands (like Deliplus) as a response to this market demand, a decision which has paid off with increased percentage points in sales.

The approach is a winwin where companies like Mercadona are still managing to turn a profit in their hygiene sectors while consumers are being given affordable alternatives to keep looking good, all the time.

Hope for heart disease THE WELSH are leading the way with research related to regenerating damaged heart tissue. If successful, the results could lead to new treatments for heart failure, giving hope to patients of incurable heart disease.

A team of scientists from Cell Therapy Limited are testing their experiments at Cardiff and Swansea university labs.

The current research has identified ‘a very potent stype of stem cell which is heart specific.’

The hope is the therapy will produce a large number of cells whose job will be to regenerate the section of the heart suffering damage and trial results ‘look very positive.’

Pioneering operation ELCHE’S Vinalopó Hospital has carried out pioneering surgery in Alicante Province.

They have used microscopic keyhole surgery for the first time on a patient suffering from kidney stones. Using an optical laser, the surgeons broke away the stone allowing it to pass naturally from the body.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Nine tips to keep your hair looking good this winter • Moisturising. The cold air, rain or snow can cause almost irreparable damage to your hair. Use creams and hair oils to keep it hydrated.

• Adequate shampoo. Detect what

type of hair you have and acquire the right products for your hair.

• Heat tools. In winter especially, the hairdryer is almost essential. It is a bad idea to go outside with wet hair in cold

weather. It is as bad as abusing your hair with hairdryers and curling irons. Use these items sparingly and dry your hair with the towel first to reduce drying time and thus the risk of damage.

Children learn to know when they’re full at the dining table CHILDREN who eat their meals at the dining table are less likely to be overweight according to new research.

The results come from a study of children aged between two and five in more than 100 child care centres in America. They found that children tend to be slimmer as they learn when they are full.

Children who are allowed to eat in front of the TV are more likely to be overweight because they do not learn to recognise when they have had enough.

Children who serve themselves were also found to eat less than those who are given pre-plated food.

DINING AT TABLE: Helps to teach children how to eat properly.

• Home treatments. In winter you will have more time to apply them on your hair. Softener creams, brightener teas; apply any remedy you decide to improve your hair for at least 15 minutes.

• Avoid the frizz. With the cold your hair usually shows more frizz than when the weather is drier. To combat this effect you can buy anti frizz sprays.

• Hair loss. Hair falls are cyclical with seasonal changes. If you are noticing more hair loss than usual, use fall protection shampoo for one month and you will notice how your hair returns to normal.

• Hair treatments. After the summer is the best time for hair treatments. Keratin treatments are the best because they nourish the hair, give it an extra shine, seal the cuticles and last for three months.

• Haircut. Winter is a good time to have a good haircut, for two reasons: we get rid of the summer devastation and maintain perfect hair.

• Good food. Food is the key to keeping your hair healthy and shiny; you know that what you ingest is directly reflected on the outside. To maintain healthy and beautiful hair you need to eat properly.

FOOD & DRINK

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Costa de Almeria’s best guide to local sport

Almería’s best guide to local restaurants

Advertising Feature

Hotel La Venta el museo for the perfect break

LA VENTA EL MUSEO hotel in Lucainena de las Torres is a great place for a getaway from it all break.

Owners Christian and Nadine have gone to great lengths to make your stay an enjoyable and memorable one.

Chrissie and Ray of the Euro Weekly News really enjoyed their recent stay and have thoroughly recommended the hotel and restaurant to all their friends. Set in one of the prettiest towns in Spain, this wonderful little hotel has 16 en suite rooms (all non smoking) and all offering guests a unique experience with an amazing attention to detail.

Some rooms have a large balcony with hydro massage bath. Room names such as Alhambra, Africa and Plata gives the guests an idea of what they will find within. All this comes at pleasingly modest prices.

There is plenty of room to relax at Venta el Museo.

Choose from the traditional tapas bar, where you can enjoy a wide selection of tapas with your drink, or the elegant Maurische bar where you can relax.

The restaurant provides great food such as extremely tender ribs served with slow cooked Mediterranean vegetables in a honey and mustard seasoning. This can be enjoyed with a great choice of wines such as the Spanish rioja El Coto 2012.

A log fire makes for a fabulous ambiance in the bar area in the colder months.

For the more energetic there is a gym as well as a sauna and a nearby

All rooms are beautifully decorated and unique.

Wonderful hotel, perfect for a break. swimming pool is available free of charge for hotel guests during the summer months.

Alternatively, there is a terrace where guests can just sit and admire the mountain views. Lucainena was once a mining boom town with a population 10 times that of today. Now it is a quiet village of narrow streets, flowers and whitewashed houses. It sits in

the Sierra Alhamilla, ideally situated for walking, cycling and generally enjoying the countryside.

Within easy distance you can explore MiniHollywood, Sorbas, Tabernas, Cabo de Gata and Almeria itself, for more information contact Nadine on 950 369 531.

Hotel Venta el Museo C/Maestro Paco 6

Lucainena de las Torres.

Email info@ventaelmuseo.net Facebook page Venta el museo or visit the website www.ventaelmuseo.net

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FOOD & DRINK

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Europe’s first vermouth museum to open in April LITTLE did Catalan Joan Tapias know when he received a Cinzano bottle from his father that he would be opening Europe’s first museum devoted to vermouth.

The Vermouth Museum is due to open in his home town of Reus in April.

The centre will host a collection of more than 5,000 objects related to the drink: from its history to its production and the tools used to make it.

It will also have room for 1,800 vermouth brands, with more than 800 bottles coming from 50 different countries including China, Canada, Australia, Japan and Argentina.

Tapias has been collecting these items since his father gave him a bottle of vermouth in 1982 so he could start a collection.

The Vermouth Museum will be located in the upper floor of an 1860 modernist-style building.

It will have three halls, each named after a vermouth brand made in Reus.

VERMOUTH: An aromatic, winebased drink.

The city is known as the ‘gate’ of vermouth to Spain, and up until 1970 was home for more than 30 vermouth producers.

The museum project will be

complemented with a restaurant on the ground floor of the building, where visitors will have the chance to taste 35 vermouth types from around the world.

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Albox is to receive money for rubbish ALBOX Town Hall will charge towns which use the municipal tip €12 for each tonne of rubbish which they dump there.

The council rejected the appeal from AlmanzoraLevante-Los Velez Rubbish Management Consortium against the plan.

The municipal dump will be used by 40 surrounding towns once the official notice has been published in the Official Provincial

Gazette, which the mayor, Rogelio Mena, said would happen within a few days, according to a recent report in local Spanish daily Diario de Almeria.

The law which will appear in the gazette explains what type of rubbish will be subject to pay the fee, which includes agricultural or clinical waste, dead animals, furniture, rubble and even abandoned vehicles.

The mayor explained that the management of the consortium will be asked for a monthly report of the tonnes of waste taken to the tip by each town. That way each town hall will be presented with a bill. All towns that wish to use the tip will have to previously advise Albox town hall and the fee will be paid directly to the municipal treasury.

The mayor said the fee is fair because it is Albox that

has to put up with the smell from the tip, repair the roads leading to it and pay for its upkeep.

However, the President of the Consortium and mayor of Olula del Rio, Antonio Martinez, complained Albox coffers already receive €20,000 property tax from the tip, plus €20,000 in road tax from the vehicles which work there. Plus it gives work to more than 30 locals.

ALBOX

Police arrest a familiar face A MAN was arrested twice in less than a fortnight for crimes allegedly committed in Albox.

The man is a member of Los Pertolos gypsy clan and has an extensive criminal record for manslaughter, murder, drug trafficking, robbery and threatening behaviour.

The first arrest came after several car owners reported to the Guardia Civil that their vehicles had been vandalised.

Fifteen vehicles had their tyres slashed while they were parked in the street. The suspect was located in the area thanks to witnesses who had seen him there, and he was arrested and charged with damages estimated at more than €1,600.

The second arrest occurred when he was accused of attacking a man and threatening him with a pistol in the street in order to steal his mobile phone.

The detainee is well known by the police in Almeria and has served several sentences in El Acebuche prison.

He is a member of Los Pertolos, considered one of the most violent and dangerous gangs in Almeria Province.

HOMES & GARDEN

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SPONSORED BY

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA .COM

Getting rid of garden waste

Dick Handscombe

Gardening Corner

By Dick Handscombe Spain’s best known expat gardening author about to start his 26th winter cut back.

MANY gardeners have started the annual garden cutback and clean-up as described in Chapter 6.9 of ‘Your Garden in Spain’ and everyone will have the problem of what to do with all the prunings, weeds and leaves, etc.

Some will be lucky in that the local council collects bags of garden rubbish from their house every week and sends them away to a central burning or composting unit. Some have to drive a few kilometres to load their garden rubbish into hods or large containers at a green collection point.

And others have no legal means of getting rid of garden waste other than obtaining a fire certificate and burning waste on the premises or recycling as much as possible back into the soil.

This has happened in our village as the two other possibilities mentioned above are no longer legal or proving too expensive. I f everyone went down the route of burning, then once clean air locations would become polluted, and if plastic sacks are burned, gases with significant health risks will be released.

So what are the green and low-cost options available?

First, build or buy one or two composters and compost as much kitchen and garden waste as possible. The amount that can be composted can be

CUTTINGS: Try and compost as much as possible.

increased significantly by using a shredding machine.

Second, saw up all branches and use in woodburning fires or stoves.

Third, if you grow spring edible peas, decorative sweet peas or broad beans keep the straightest and partially bushy prunings to use as support sticks. A good source is the pruning of deciduous fruit trees.

Fourth, citrus leaves and cuttings take time to rot down, but if a neighbour

keeps rabbits, citrus and also olive prunings are tasty treats.

Fifth, fairly dry waste material can be wrapped in newspaper to be used as firelighters.

Sixth, if you have an oleander or myporum hedge, build a 40centimetre wall around the hedge and fill it with shredded waste. This will rot down and act as a mulch to reduce summer watering needs and provide

recycled nutrients to keep the hedge healthy.

Fill in low areas of the garden with garden waste, covering each year’s infill with soil until the desired level is achieved.

Lastly, make a pile of shredded material, cover it with soil and rocks and create a rockery without having to import soil.

All are practical but if you don’t want the bother, build or purchase a small incinerator and use it carefully away from hedges and overhanging trees.

Stop press Having reviewed the title

and cover of the book about the 950-kilometre walk Clodagh and I made across Spain a few years past, the book has been repackaged as ‘Our 52 day retirement adventure along the Spanish

Pyrenees’. It is available from Amazon Books as a traditional book and as a Kindle e-book. © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com January 2014

OLIVE AND CITRUS PRUNINGS: Good as tasty treats for feeding pet rabbits.

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Superb 2 bed ground floor apartment on Huerta Nueva A SUPERB ground floor apartment on a plot of 180m2 in a well maintained urbanisation with good and easy access to all major roads.

This is a gem of a property, superbly presented and well maintained, situated on Huerta Nueva. Located on the edge of the urbanisation, the property has excellent open country views, lovely gardens and a communal pool. Fifteen kilometres from Mojácar and in walking distance of the village of Los Gallardos the apartment is a perfect base for living in this area of Andalucia. There are five golf courses within an easy drive and there is excellent access to the E15-A7 motorway.

The property comprises: a light, bright and airy living/dining room with French doors leading to a south-east facing terrace, fully fitted and equipped kitchen, master bedroom with en suite bathroom and access to a private terrace, a second bedroom and shower room.

There is air-conditioning and central

FEATURE

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Cortijo Grande Turre Ref: A1162 Price: 85,000 € heating throughout and the property is to be sold furnished. Both bedrooms have built in wardrobes. There are parking spaces to the front of the property.

To make an appointment to view this property, or to look at our extensive portfolio, call in to our office on the Paseo del Mediterraneo 171. If you are looking to sell your property call us now for a free, no obligation, valuation.

FURNISHED: A gem of a property, well presented and maintained.

We look forward to hearing from you. www.pricebrown.com • sales@pricebrown.com • Tel: 950 478 915

Cool and quaint hobbit holes come to Europe LOW-COST and low-impact can be highly gorgeous!

Bilbo Baggins’ cosy hobbit hole Bag End has met its match for coolness and quaintness. This fabulously original woodland home was developed by Simon Dale, the architect behind

not only the concept but also its implementation.

The home is featured on the ‘Why Don’t You Try This’ website (www.why dontyoutrythis.com) which claims Dale was able to complete the construction at a cost of only £3,000

(€3,600). He acquired the land in exchange for its upkeep, and Dale was able to build his family’s ecofriendly residence in just four months.

Next time you think about property and what materials are actually

needed in order to live somewhere comfortable, think about the fact this charming home required just a chainsaw to cut down about 30 small trees, plus other common tools like a shovel, chisel and hammer.

As far as materials, the

earth itself provides the roof and a good portion of the walls, providing built-in natural insulation that keeps it warm in winter and cool in summer. And no one would ever know that the materials and appliances inside were refurbished or

purchased second-hand.

Far from giving a ‘get-bywith-whatever’ vibe, the effect is fundamentally one of creativity, cosiness and ultimate artistry. The simplicity of how the house was constructed and put together is refreshing.

FEATURE / PETS

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23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

History of the FIFA World Cup: The 1934 tournament in Italy

By Tony Matthews THE 1934 World Cup competition took place in Italy from May 27 to June 10 and it was the first for which teams had to qualify to take part.

Thirty-two nations initially entered the competition, and after qualification, 16 teams participated in the finals. And it was the host nation, Italy, who became the second country to lift the World Cup, beating Czechoslovakia 2–1 after extra-time in the final.

After a lengthy decision-making process in which FIFA’s executive committee met no less than eight times, Italy was chosen as the host nation at a meeting in Stockholm on October 9, 1932, the decision being made without a ballot of members.

The Italian bid was chosen in preference to one from Sweden, and the winning country’s government assigned a budget of 3.5 million lire to the tournament.

Joining Italy and Czechoslovakia in the 1934 tournament were

1934 WORLD CUP: Hosts Italy became the second nation to lift the trophy.

Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA. The 1930 champions, Uruguay, declined to enter.

Austria and Germany made it through the semi-finals along with Italy and Czechoslovakia and after narrow victories the latter two

entered the final which took place in Rome’s Stadio Nazionale in front of 50,000 spectators. The Czechs scored first through Antonin Puc but Raimundo Orsi equalised before Angelo Schiavio bagged the winner for the hosts. Schiavio finished up as joint top-scorer in the finals, with Edmund Conen (Germany) and Oldrich Nejedly (Czechoslovakia).

Facts: *Hungary’s Imre Markos became the first player to get sent off in World Cup finals, dismissed against Austria in the quarter-final. * The 17 matches played in the finals attracted more than 395,000 spectators, giving an average of 23,000 per match. * Luis Monti played for Italy having appeared for Argentina four years earlier.

Next week: The 1938 World Cup in France

How to avoid your pet becoming overweight SPONSORED BY For all dog treats please email: spain-sales@barkerandbarker.eu

David THE Dogman Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10am to 11am Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm

WE all know somebody who has a fat dog or cat.

It’s unfortunate but true just as our general population is getting more obese, so are our pets. If you love your pet, you tend to spoil them.

The health risks to the overweight family pet are many. One of the most common complications is

the development of diabetes. According to one study, heavy or obese pets are two to four times more likely to develop diabetes.

Other problems can develop in the liver, which stores fat. When kitty is overweight, an increased amount of fat can build up, a condition called hepatic lipidosis. Since it can result in decreased liver function, it can be life-threatening if an obese cat, for any reason, does not eat, loses weight rapidly, or is otherwise stressed.

The risk of lameness and arthritis in heavy or obese dogs and cats is three to five times that of pets with optimal weight. Also, obese cats are twice as likely to develop nonallergic skin conditions.

Veterinarians generally need to take extra precautions when anaesthetising and

performing surgery on obese cats. Since many of the anaesthetics are taken up by fat, an overweight animal will take longer to come out of anaesthesia as the anaesthetic must be removed from the fat by the body.

In the end the responsibility for a fat pet can be placed on the shoulders of you, the owner. You’re not doing your pets any favours when you give them that extra can of food or kitty treat

OBESITY: Becoming increasingly common in our pets. when they beg for it.

Withholding things they like may have to be done for their own good!

For your local radio frequency log on www.talkradioeurope.com

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SPOTLIGHT

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Rafa is simply the best….

Tony Matthews talks to the Spanish superstar (Part 2) IN the second part of his interview Tony Matthews talks to Rafa Nadal, recently voted Spain’s greatest sportsman of all time…

I asked Rafa how did he choose to become a tennis player?

He recalled: “I can’t remember a great deal about my childhood, but I do know - my parents told me this - that when I was about three-and-a-half years old, my uncle, Toni Nadal, a former tennis professional, started playing the game with me in the garden. Apparently, I loved it.

“At the age of eight, I had the honour of winning an under-12 regional championship in Spain, and this achievement gave my uncle the incentive to step up my training.

“Uncle Toni noticed that I enjoyed playing forehand shots with both hands holding the racket. He told me this was wrong and encouraged me to play left-handed, believing it would give me an edge on the court.

“When I was 12 years old, I won the Spanish and European schoolboy titles and at age 15, I was asked to turn professional.

My answer was a definite yes, and immediately I started playing on the junior circuit.”

A year later, in 2002, Rafa competed in his first ITF junior event and reached the semi-finals of the boys’ singles tournament at Wimbledon. Then, aged 17, he became the youngest man to reach the third round proper of the men’s singles tournament at the AllEngland Club since Boris Becker in 1985.

“Those were heady days,” said Rafa, who added: “I never saw Boris in action, as I was far too young, but I did learn quite a lot by watching videos of him and the Australians Lleyton Hewitt, Pat Rafter and Mark Philippoussis, I loved big Goran Ivanisevic, he was a real character and a good friend. We met up at a football match in Madrid recently… he was wearing a West Bromwich Albion shirt, his favourite team. I thought he was a RAFAEL NADAL: player!”

‘A lot more In 2005, aged 19, tennis left in me.’

Rafa won the French Open on the first time of entering.

“I shot up to number three in the world rankings after that win; I was chuffed, really chuffed,” he recalled.

Rafa won 11 singles titles that year, eight on clay. He was on his way to becoming a superstar.

The trophies continued to come in, despite niggling shoulder and foot injuries, and he was in tears when he beat his good friend, Federer, in the 2008 Wimbledon singles final, which is still the longest final in Wimbledon history.

Gold followed at the Beijing Olympics, and he quickly added another five titles to his collection.

Talking about the future, Rafa said: “Eighteen months ago nobody close to me, my team of coaches, thought I would achieve what I did in 2013. They said it was impossible. But here we are.

I’m only 27; there’s a lot of tennis left in me and that’s really fantastic and incredible.”

Advertising Feature

Take a trip to see unheard of gem in Andalucia...

BAÑOS DE LA ENCINA is one of those unheard-of gems that you occasionally come across as you travel through Spain.

Surrounded by olive groves, this small town rises majestically above the surrounding plains. Narrow, characterladen streets lead up to one of the most impressive castles we have seen in Spain. With more than 5,000 registered castles in Spain, that certainly says something for this castle, which was built during the height of Moorish power in this part of the country.

It was built in 986 under the direction of the Umayyad leader Hakam I. Later, of course, it was to fall into the hands of the Christians. But, unusually, very little change was made to the castle structure under the new regime, leaving the castle as it stands today almost unchanged from such early times.

During most of the year, storks nest in nearby church towers and drift silently across the clear blue spring skies. This town is an absolute delight to visit and spend time in.

Not too far away is the better known and equally charming city of Cordoba.

Cordoba originated as a Roman city on the banks of the fast-flowing River Guadalquivir and later became the focal point of Muslim Spain until it fell to the Christians in 1013.

During their time in the city, the Moors built an impressive mosque and developed universities in what was to become the most educated and most populated city of its time within the known world, rivalling modern cities with a population of more than one million people. The Christian Conquest

Left: The character-laden streets of Baños de la Encina.

Above: The magnificent Mezquita in Cordoba.

Right: Church tower in Cordoba. brought changes. In particular, part of the mosque was replaced by a cathedral thus forming one of the most unique buildings in Western Europe.

Now known as the Mezquita, this magnificent building combines the best of both worlds in what is really a mosque-cum-cathedral. Cordoba is full of old world charm which appeals to all tastes and has an Alcazar (a fortified palace), which in many ways is reminiscent of the world-renowned Alhambra Palace in Granada.

David’s Coachtrips SL is offering a three-day excursion which takes in both of these delightful locations. This is based in a 3* hotel half board with wine and water included and is selling at the brilliant price of only €135. Next date is three days February 13-15.

You can reserve online at http://www.coachtripsonline.com/ or by calling (0034) 966 785 910.

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FIREWOOD CLEAN cheap logs delivered to Albox and surrounding areas.

Please tel Phil 634 328 779 for a price (218346)

FOR SALE

FOR SALE: Multipurpose woodworking machine, cast iron bed, comprising table and crosscut saw, planer, thicknesser, spindle moulder and morticer €500. 950 472 551 (221004)

BOAT

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

AQUAEROBICS.... Its back!

Monday, Wednesday, Friday at Oasis Tropical Hotel at 10am, Call Alison on 666 273 168 for info

MOBILE HOMES WE BUY, Sell, remove all types of mobile homes. We pay CASH and cover all of Spain. More details call Suzi Caley 616 250 727 / 951 063 059 or email suzicaley@gmail.com (207499)

ZUMBA in Mojacar with Alison …

Tuesday 9.30am at The New Kimrick and Thursday 9.30am at Jovasport gym… For more info call Alison 666 273 168 (93402)

BUILDERS

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Price per word: 0,42€ + IVA minimum 15 words - Discount: Book 10 weeks, get 2 weeks free - Deadline: 4pm Mondays Contact: Phone (0034) 950 472 109 • Fax (0034) 950 478 789 • email mojacar@euroweeklynews.com • www.euroweeklynews.es

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MOTOR HOMES SMALL selection of motorhome and caravan accessories now available at great prices. Motormovers, solar panels, inverters, leisure and engine batteries, reversing cameras, 12 volt LED televisions, air-conditioners and Aqua Kem. www.hispavan.com 687 845 730 (219435) WANTED motorhomes and caravans, any condition or country of registration considered. www.hispavan.com 687 845 730 (219435) MOTORHOMES and caravans for sale. Interesting selection. Part exchange considered. www.hispa van.com 687 845 730 (219435)

MOTORING

THE FIVE BONE HOTEL TURRE: prices cats 5 euros, little dogs 5.75, med dogs 6.50, large dogs 7.25.

Vaccinations a must, discounts for long stays or large families, we are ministry approved and fully legal, trading for over ten years not ten minutes. www.fivebonehotel.com.

Tel: 630 234 556. (219304)

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OFFICIAL Caldera Spa main distributor for Southern Spain. Sales and service. Get a fantastic deal on new economical to run models and part exchange considered for your old, tired models. www.hispavan.com 687 845 730 (219435)

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PROTECTAPET. Spain’s leading pet insurance. 965 756 371. www.pro tectapet.eu (216721)

PET TRANSPORT

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GENECO Pool construction. Tel 950 478 086 for no obligation quote (93401)

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SWIMMING Pool Heatpumps. Duratech auto defrosting, high efficiency output models. www.hispavan .com 687 845 730 (219435)

TILING FLOOR AND WALL TILING SPECIALIST Not a jack of all trades, just a master of one! Call Steve Holman on 697 678 708 (219415)

PLUMBING SERVICES

TRANSPORT MAN and van. Leaving Spain 17th January to U.K. Have ¾ of large transit available if interested. 622 569 138 (201749)

VETS

KNOWLES PLUMBING. No 1 for plumbing! Central heating, solar hot water and water deposits. Tel: 950 137 197or 606 807 797 (218475)

PROPERTY FOR RENT MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 153, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 153 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (95302) AUTOFRIO A/C services. 950 104 488 / 600 827 517 (219360)

CENTRO Veterinario ABC La Alfoquia. Traditional veterinary medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, open Mon-Fri 10-2, plus emergency cover Tel 617 516 115 / 950 449 064 (219403)

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E W N 23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

otoring M TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

ECU remapping to improve the power of your engine

By Paul Hinkley from Autotune ECU remapping will not only improve the engine’s power and torque figures, it will also sharpen the throttle response and widen the power-band.

This will make the power delivery a lot more linear, which in turn will make the vehicle feel a lot livelier to drive and the

engine more flexible. Manufacturers generally sell one vehicle that covers various markets, with different tax and emissions regulations; different climates with extremes of heat, cold, humidity; different fuel quantities; different operating altitudes, etc. A manufacturer has to take all of these factors into consideration and make substantial compromises in the vehicle’s operation.

As a driving enthusiast, you do not want such restrictions placed upon your vehicle’s ECU and its performance therefore you can benefit from the hidden power and torque locked away within your engine management system.

The other main benefit of remapping will be a reduction in fuel consumption. With the extra torque especially at the bottom of the rev range you will see a fuel saving, as it will require less throttle input to maintain motorway speeds, you can drive in a higher gear at a slower speed.

MOTORING

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New Leon CUPRA,

Seat’s most powerful car prod SEAT is launching the all new Leon CUPRA, the brand’s most powerful series-production car, in February. The Leon CUPRA will be offered as a fivedoor and as the Leon SC CUPRA Sport Coupe with three doors.

At its core will be an allnew 2.0 TSI engine with

dual injection and variable camshaft timing.

Depending on the version, the engine delivers an output of 195 kW/265 PS or 206 kW/280 PS. The CUPRA 280 reaches a top speed of 250 km/h, and goes from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.8 seconds.

This figure is reduced to

5.7 with the optional direct shift gearbox (DSG) transmission.

The 256 version is no more than a fraction slower, with an acceleration time standing at 5.9 seconds with manual transmission and 5.8 seconds with DSG. The average fuel consumption for both

Pirelli to supply F1 tyres PIRELLI will continue to be the single supplier of tyres to the Formula One World Championship for the next three years.

This comes after the Italian company and the International Automobile Association (FIA) renewed their Formula One tyre supply contract, which is due to

start in this year’s season.

The FIA and Pirelli, in collaboration with the teams, have been working together to improve the levels of safety and performance in Formula One. This results in important changes to the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations regarding the testing of

MOTORING

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ACCELERATION: From 0 to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds.

duced to date power variants is 6.6 litres per 100 kilometres (6.4 litres with DSG). This equates to CO2 figures of just 149 and 154 grammes.

In terms of design, the new front end of the Leon CUPRA features large air intakes and full LED headlamps.

The focus of the interior is

on the CUPRA sports steering wheel, with shift paddles for the optional DSG transmission, as well as the top sports seats in dark grey Alcantara with white stitching.

The CUPRA 280 is visually differentiated by its 19-inch wheels with a titanium paint

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LEON CUPRA: Available as five- or three-door car. finish, CUPRA lettering on the brake callipers and black exterior mirror housings.

23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

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E W N 23 - 29 January 2014 / Costa de Almería

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MOTORING

Advertising feature

A winning formula PIT STOP just outside Oria on the Partaloa to Oria road has the complete service for your motoring needs.

Steve and Jon make up a friendly team and are entering their fifth successful year of trading. Pit Stop offer a professional service and can carry out all types of servicing and repairs on all makes and models of vehicles and offer fixed price servicing with petrol models up to two litres starting at €89.

A service for diesel models up to two litres starts from €99. Pit Stop will also carry out a free safety and ITV check with every service and offer a free courtesy car with a full service by appointment.

Pit Stop can also take away the worry of an ITV check by taking your car to the ITV station for it’s inspection.

A car matriculation service is available, so if you need to change your car number plates from British to Spanish, Pit Stop can take care of all your paperwork from start to finish and will quote an exact price without any hidden costs.

Whatever your motoring needs Pit Stop can help out, from clutches, exhausts, brakes, head gaskets, gearboxes and headlight polishing or a diagnostic service, Pit Stop can take care of it all.

Pit Stop also has a huge range of tyres with part worn tyres starting from €20

PIT STOP: For all your motoring needs. and new tyres from just €30. They also offer laser tracking for only €15 and can carry out puncture repairs and wheel balancing. There is also free tracking when you purchase two or more new tyres.

Pit Stop always have a good range of quality used cars in stock with prices starting for less than €1,000.

Rental cars are also available from €80 a week, so for a fast, friendly personal service and for more information please phone Steve or Jon on 950 124 828.

Pit Stop is open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5.30pm and on Saturday 8.30am to 1pm and can be found on the A399 Partaloa to Oria road just 1km outside of Oria on the right hand side.

E-mail pitstop-oria@1ive.co.uk.

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E W N 23 - 29 January 2014/ Costa de Almería

SPORT

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Sport

There are two tournaments this weekend - the Qatar Open in Doha and the US PGA Tour Open at Torrey Pines, San Diego. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson started 2014 as 1-2-3 in the world.

Costa de Almería’s best guide to local sport

TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

Cup action this week as tennis hots up in Melbourne and The Rocket flies Tony Matthews

International Sports 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.

Costa de Almeria

BY now we should know who will be contesting the 2014 League Cup final on Sunday, March 2. The semi-final second legs took place on Tuesday and last night, and unless there has been a miracle at Upton Park, Manchester City will be playing either Sunderland or their arch-rivals Manchester United at Wembley.

On tomorrow/ Saturday/Sunday, there are 16 fourth round FA Cup-ties taking place, the pick of the bunch being Arsenal v Coventry, Birmingham v Swansea, Bournemouth v Liverpool, Chelsea v Stoke, Manchester City v Watford, Stevenage v Everton, Sunderland v non-League Kidderminster and holders Wigan v Crystal Palace.

And the men’s/ women’s singles finals at the Australia Open also take place this weekend.

FOOTBALL - Last weekend, Arsenal remained top of the

Premier League with a 2-0 win over Fulham while Chelsea, with a Samuel Eto’o hat-trick, beat 10-man Manchester United 3-1.

The last Chelsea player to score three in a League game against United at Stamford Bridge was Seamus O’Donnell, nearly 60 years ago.

Liverpool were held 22 at Anfield by Aston Villa; Tottenham won 31 at Swansea, Newcastle likewise at West Ham; Crystal Palace beat Stoke 1-0; Norwich took out Hull, also 1-0; and Sunderland were held 22 by Southampton whose manager Mauricio Pochettino has out-stayed his chairman!

He will make a decision in May as to whether he will remain at St Mary’s. WBA played Everton on Monday.

At the top of the Championship, Leicester won 1-0 at Leeds to stay five points clear of QPR who beat Huddersfield.

Reading battered Bolton 7-1 and there were also wins for Derby and inform Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest.

Leyton Orient and Scunthorpe United lead Leagues 1 and 2 respectively.

In recent La Liga fixtures, Real Madrid

KNOCKED OUT: Maria Sharapova lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to Dominika Cibulkova. (with Gareth Bale scoring for the first time in six games) beat Real Betis 5-0, Barcelona drew 1-1 with Levante, Malaga and Valencia finished 0-0 and Almeria lost 2-0 against Villarreal.

CRICKET - Having been whitewashed 5-0 in the Ashes, England have now been beaten 3-0 in the ODI series by rampant Australia. This was England’s ninth successive defeat at all levels.

TENNIS In temperatures topping 41 degrees Celsius, Serena Williams, hampered by a back injury, was eliminated from the Australia Open

by Ana Ivanovic.

Rory McIlroy’s fiancée Caroline Wozniaki is also

out and this paves the way for Li Na and Victoria Azarenka after Maria Sharapova was knocked out.

In the men’s

singles, at the time of writing, Messrs Djokovic, Nadal, Tsonga, Ferrer, Wawrinka and Federer were all looking good, so too was Andy Murray. Remember, he had surgery at the end of 2013.

RUGBY UNION - The draw for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals is Clermont v Leicester, Munster v Toulouse, Toulon v Leinster and Ulster v Saracens.

MOTOR SPORT Bernie Ecclestone, 83, will step down as boss of F1. He faces a court appearance later this year for bribery.

SNOOKER - Ronnie O’Sullivan is Masters champion for the fifth time after beating the 2013 winner Mark Selby 10-4 in the final.

‘The Rocket’, playing in his 10th final, won £200,000.

In an earlier

round, he set a world record by scoring 556 points to nil when taking five frames in a row without his opponent, Ricky Walden, getting to the table, other than breaking off.

HOCKEY - England’s men gained bronze when losing to New Zealand in the World League semi-final in Delhi.

After a 3-3 draw, the Kiwis won the shoot-out 7-6.

R.I.P. - Two sporting icons have died: Athlete Sir Christopher Chataway, aged 82, the first-ever winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, and ex-Wolves goalkeeper Bert Williams, MBE, who at the age of 93 was England’s oldest former international.

He won 24 caps for his country and made over 400 appearances during his 11 years at Molineux, from 1945-56.

Ton-up Edin Dzeko scored Manchester City’s 100th goal of the season in a 4-2 home win over now bottomof-the-table Cardiff.

Edin Dzeko

Phil’s become a top Badger BADGERS Golf Society’s Wednesday competition visited Playa Macenas Golf on January 15.

Phil Fellows registered the top score with 39 points, with Tony Rowbottom in second with 36.

Saturday’s competition was won

by Dave Wright with 38 points while second went to Mick Weston with 36.

Badgers Golf Society plays every Saturday at Macenas for the weekly roll-up.

Forthcoming Wednesday fixtures are: Jan 22 at

Valle de Este, Jan 29 Macenas, and Feb 5 at Valle del Este.

Guests can book in either at Badgers Restaurant on Mojacar Playa or by phone on 950 478 525 / 686 038 259. Website: www.badgersmojacar.com.