Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 27 February - 5 March 2014 Issue 1495 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

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ISSUE NO. 1495

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Andalucia Day TOMORROW (Friday) is a bank holiday in Andalucia as the region commemorates the referendum by which Andalucia became an autonomous community of Spain.

Fire stopped FIREFIGHTERS put out a fire that threatened houses in the Almuñecar district of Lobres. The burning of stubble in the Era del Teniente reedbed accidentally started the blaze, sources said.

Long wait NEIGHBOURS demanding the removal of an illegal phone tower in Benajarafe (Velez-Malaga) have taken the case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office as it still hasn’t been removed five years after it was promised.

Drug arrests A GUARDIA Civil officer from Algarrobo was arrested as part of an antidrugs operation in Nerja. The officer is accused, with 11 other people, of smuggling 1,500 kilos of hashish.

27 FEBRUARY - 5 MARCH 2014

Nerja Carnival celebrations start today THE Axarquia is getting ready as one of the most important celebrations in the region is about to start. Nerja Carnival takes place from today (Thursday) until Sunday

and neighbouring towns are invited to take part. A well-established fiesta in the town, the Carnival sees locals and visitors dress up in bright and imaginative costumes. Participants get involved

in the Carnival from the beginning of the year, devoting their free time and creativity in making it possible. This year’s edition starts today (Thursday) with an opening speech at the

town’s cultural centre from 9pm. It continues tomorrow (Friday) with competitions for best fancy dress for both adults and children, reaching its high point on Saturday with a float

Plea for marine life

Local diver warns about illegal fishing A DIVER from Nerja has raised the alarm about the consequences illegal fishing is having on the MaroCerro Gordo natural park (pictured). Bernabe Jorge Toledo, manager and instructor at the Buceo Costa Nerja diving school, claims that illegal trawlers are destroying marine life in the park’s waters. He says that little remains from the equivalent to 10 football pitches of Mediterranean seagrasses which could be found years ago, and that seahorses and razor shells are disappearing. Budget cutbacks have resulted in increased illegal fishing in the area, Toledo points out. On top of that, a court ruling forced the Ministry of Environment to dismiss most of the guards at national parks under its responsibility, jeopardising the recovery of the local environment. The diving instructor claims he has reported two boats with at least 12 illegal fishers on board to the Guardia Civil, to no avail. In that sense, he has criticised the lack of action of the authorities, to which he has sent proposals to prevent illegal fishing, but never seemed to take them into account. The proposals include the placement of artificial

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reefs to promote marine life and block ship passage. This, Toledo adds, would also benefit the tourism in Nerja as divers would be interested in exploring the seabed in the area.

parade through the streets of the town. Celebrations end on Sunday with the traditional ‘Entierro del Boqueron’ (the burial of the anchovy), a quirky parade in a funeral style to say goodbye to the Carnival until the following year.

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Bringing mystery to expat life AN expat living in the Axarquia has written a collection of mystery short-stories based on local tales. Sedella resident John Hardy, 80, has always had a passion for writing. In fact, this former lecturer in building construction and homeopathy has published a wide range of material over the years. But it wasn’t until he arrived to the Axarquia some 20 years ago that he started writing mystery, suspense and crime short stories based around the area. Now, with the help of his wife - who typed out his manuscripts - 12 of these stories have been compiled in ‘Andalucian Mysteries.’ The stories involve British expats and holidaymakers living or staying on the coast, many of them involving their relationships with the local community. All the stories are set in actual situations, though some of them use fictitious names of villages. The book has been available on Amazon since last December, and there are already plans to translate it into Spanish, German and French.

THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1 - 12 Amazon.co.uk

Finance 13 - 18

Letters 19

Leapy Lee 20

Daily TV 24

Time out 28 - 29

Classifieds 37 - 38

Sport AUTHOR: Sedella resident, John Hardy.

NEWS Action brought MALAGA Environmental Prosecutor’s Office has brought action against a woman from Velez-Malaga for allegedly selling six endangered Greek tortoises online. Fruity thieves TWO men have been arrested for allegedly stealing 200 kilograms of tropical fruit, mainly avocado, from a farm in Almayate.

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27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

‘Miracle’ rescue of fishermen TWO missing fishermen were rescued in good condition after spending a night adrift on a twometre boat off Motril. Guardia Civil found the men nine nautical miles south of the Sacratif cape, and took them to Motril port. They had hypothermia upon arrival although their condition wasn’t serious according to sources. The two men went missing after leaving Motril’s Poniente beach on a rubber dinghy at approximately 8pm.

Three hours later the Emergency Services received a call from one of their friends who claimed he had lost contact with them. A search operation was launched that ended the following afternoon. Two vessels from the Guardia Civil, one from the Border Patrol and Customs Service, as well as several from the Civil Protection service helped find the men. The Guardia Civil officers who saved them claimed it was a “miracle” the men managed to survive in such a “precarious vessel.”

Online complaints NEARLY 20,000 complaints regarding the streets of VelezMalaga were registered on its official website (www.velezmalaga.es) between 2012 and 2013, the councillor for New Technologies Concepcion Labao announced.

Paragliding accident A MAN was admitted to the Santa Ana Hospital in Motril after falling, for unknown reasons, while paragliding. He broke his legs and several ribs, according to sources. Museum opposition THE family of late poet Giner de los Rios has opposed a proposal by Nerja Council to turn his house in the town into a museum. They claim the poet wanted his family to enjoy the house.

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ews watch

Charity tournament

FOUR junior football teams from Motril will take part in a charity tournament organised by the Real Madrid Football Club Foundation in Churriana from tomorrow (Friday) until Sunday.

Malaga art THE Contemporary Arts Centre in Velez-Malaga is hosting an exhibition of 75 works by 69 artists from Malaga Province until May 31.

Better lighting

New president THE former head of the regional government’s Education department, Francisco Alvarez de la Chica, has been named new president of the Motril port authority. Environmental problem ENVIRONMENTALISTS have publicly denounced the two associations at the Guadalfeo quay in Salobreña are allegedly making a profit with activities which are not contained in the agreement they signed with the regional government to manage the site.

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GROUND spotlights at El Moruno park in Almuñecar have been replaced by threemetre high lampposts for a better lighting, the town council announced.

TIPPING: Not obligatory in Spain, but is however much appreciated.

Safer firemen

Top of the tips… L EAVING a tip in Spain is not obligatory and there are no set rules as there are in the USA, however, it is much appreciated. Despite the financial crisis, according to a survey carried out by the Hoteles.com site, most people continue to leave tips. When it comes to foreign tourists, the North Americans are reportedly the most generous, with 71 per cent leaving tips, the British (34 per cent) and the Germans (26 per cent) are also amongst the top tippers, as well as the Russians and Scandinavians. Amongst Spanish tourists, 6 per cent claim they always leave tips, 24 per cent do so occasionally and only 8 per cent never leave anything. Tourists from Madrid are apparently the most

Quote of the Week I haven’t robbed banks, I’ve expropriated them. It’s a revolutionary tax.’

Jaime Jimenez, facing 15 years and nine months in prison for his alleged participation in a bank robbery in Madrid in February 2007.

generous, with 60 per cent leaving tips, followed by the Basques (40 per cent), Catalans (26 per cent) and Andalucians (23 per cent). For 94 per cent of tippers, a good quality service is the main reason to do so. This should mean that Andalucia gets the most tips, as it comes out top in Spain amongst Spanish tourists for customer service, with 43 per cent of their votes, followed by the Basque Country, Madrid and Galicia. Customer service is apparently worst in Extremadura. Other top reasons for leaving tips are the quality of the products, the premises and speed. Eighteen per cent of those questioned say they are more likely to leave a tip if they are with their partner or friends.

Number of the week

transplants were carried out 45 onorgan one day in Spain last month. This is a record for the country, which for the past 22 years running has been a world leader for organ donors, with 35.12 per million inhabitants.

NEW protective gear worth €71,000 has been added to the Motril firefighters’ equipment, Citizen Safety councillor Manuel Ballesteros reported.

Mayor charged BENAMOCARRA mayor, Abdeslam Lucena, has been charged for refusing to give information to a local councillor about the hiring of council workers. The mayor had been initially charged for irregular hiring too, but the charges were dropped.

Arab legacy THE town of Almuñecar will be present in the Andalucian Arab Legacy Weekend held at the Granada city Science Park this weekend. There will be food tastings as well as info about local festivities.

And finally... THE former President of Cantabria and leader of the PRC (Cantabria Regional Party) was caught in parliament looking at pictures of naked women in a magazine. Other MPs took photos of him which then reached social networking sites such as Twitter.

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NEWS

Spanish sweet tasting beer AN artisan brewer from the Axarquia has come up with a one of a kind beer to honour the region’s sweet past. Velez-Malaga based Murex has crafted a beer which has a 20 per cent content of sugar cane juice. While other brands apparently use sugar coming from sugarcanes to colour their drink, Murex is reportedly the only brewer to actually use the ingredient during the fermentation process. “We obtain a very interesting flavour while

HQ: Murex’s factory is located in Velez-Malaga. paying homage to the industrial past of the Axarquia, traditionally linked to sugar production,” the creators said. Their name is also a reminder of the region’s past as it is the name of a

mollusc from which the Phoenician civilisation that settled in VelezMalaga obtained a dye. The product has earned a ‘Sabor a Malaga’ seal issued by the Malaga provincial government to promote local products.

But the company aims for a bigger promotion and has plans to open a sales point where clients would be able to see the brewing process before tasting the beer. “We would like people to enjoy the smell of malt and the whole brewing process,” co-founder Israel Berjillos said. Murex brews five beer varieties in its factory, which has the capacity to produce an estimated 390,000 litres per year. For the time being, the company is producing 1,000 litres of beer per week to be distributed in gourmet shops and catering businesses in Malaga.

NEWS EXTRA

Film noir

SEIZED: Goods were found in a flat in Velez-Malaga.

Three arrested for drug crimes THREE people have been arrested for drug related crimes in Velez-Malaga. Two of them, a Dominican man and his 23-year-old girlfriend, were arrested for alleged cocaine trafficking, whereas the third one was arrested for buying the drug. National Police started

an investigation after knowing a man could be trafficking cocaine in VelezMalaga and nearby regions. After investigation, the man was arrested while he was selling 35.7 grams of the drug to a man in Torrenueva (Granada), who was also arrested. The alleged trafficker’s girlfriend was detained later as officers believe she had been cooperating with him in trafficking the drug. In a search of the couple’s house in VelezMalaga, National Police seized 207 grams of cocaine, 799 grams of adulterating substance for drugs, €2,170 in cash, a vehicle and several tools to manipulate the drugs.

THE 3rd Salobreña Film Noir Exhibition will take place from March 11 to 16. Spanish directors Jose Luis Garci and Benito Zambrano will attend the event. For more information visit www.mucinesa.es.

Remote race FINN Samu Sarka claimed victory in the Crawler RC remote control racing held in Almuñecar last weekend. Nearly 50 drivers from Spain, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Germany and Ireland took part.

Good work ALMUÑECAR Council claimed it'll help the developer of a fivestar hotel in the town finish the project. Work to build the hotel premises were stopped seven years ago due to licence problems.

NEWS NEWS EXTRA

Pine processionary THE Nerja Council Environment department has hired a fumigation company to prevent a plague of Pine Processionary Caterpillars. The hairs of the caterpillars cause harmful reactions in humans and animals.

Helping needy THE Social Services department in Rincon de la Victoria carried out a campaign to collect food for a local shop offering discounts to needy families last weekend.

Woman dies A WOMAN, aged 91, died after inhaling smoke coming from a pan at her home in Almuñecar.

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27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Councils to protect ambulance drivers AXARQUIA towns close to the Las Pedrizas motorway are joining forces to prevent emergency vehicle drivers being fined. The councils of Alfarnate, Alfarnatejo and Riogordo are backing the Deputy Mayor of Colmenar in his proposal to raise the

speed limit of the road. Drivers of emergency vehicles complained that they are losing points from their licences due to a speed trap between Casabermeja and Malaga City. They also complained that the speed trap, which measures the time

Almuñecar art group a success A PORTRAIT group set up in Almuñecar earlier this year is in full swing. Eleven regular members, from beginners to near professionals, meet weekly. The group is strictly non-profit making, but a nominal charge of €4 is made to include a break with refreshments. The group is grateful to Mercedes of the Arrayanes Playa Hotel who make a suitable room available free of charge. Interested artists and models should contact John Astle on 958 881 106 or email john@astle.eu.

it takes vehicles to get between two points, and calculates speed based on this, causes accidents when drivers brake suddenly. The joint petition will ask the General Traffic Department to change the speed limit of the motorway from 80kph to 100kph. Meanwhile, sources at the DGT said the speed limit on the stretch of the motorway where the speed trap operates cannot be changed. They claimed the section is dangerous due to its geographical features, and added it is up to the Ministry of Public Works to change the speed limit. The DGT also said that fines on any emergency vehicle driver are normally shelved, attributing any lost points in the drivers’ licences to ANASTASIA: Portrait by group an “error.” member, Christine Turner.

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3 charged for false reports THREE people have been charged for allegedly lodging fake complaints reporting the theft of their mobile phones in Rincon de la Victoria. According to the Guardia Civil, these people simulated the theft of their phones in order to deceive their insurance companies and obtain money. Guardia Civil started an investigation after noticing the number of reports denouncing phone thefts in the town had increased since last December. They concluded most of the cases were false, as the people who complained had instead lost their devices. As a consequence, three people were charged for making false reports, although Guardia Civil may still be charging more people.

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NEWS EXTRA

Summer heat AWNINGS will be installed in the streets of the centre of Nerja this summer to protect people from the heat, the Commerce councillor Nieves Atencia announced.

Milling season RIOGORDO is celebrating the olive oil milling season during the ‘Molienda’ festivities to be held this weekend. More than 2,500 people are expected to visit the town, according to sources.

Poster exhibit THE Bezmiliana fortress in Rincon de la Victoria is hosting an exhibition on posters made by Catalan surrealist painter Joan Miro until March 7. Free entrance.

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Motril park being restored after fire THE Motril Agriculture department has started work to restore a park that was partially affected by an alleged arson on Friday. Agriculture councillor, Nicolas Navarro, announced his department would work to revitalise some 50 palm trees that burnt in Motril’s Pueblos de America park. The park is considered the town’s ‘green lung’ and is home

to trees from the American continent, some of them more than 20-years-old. The fire broke out at around 10pm last Friday. Firefighters needed almost five hours before calling it officially extinguished. They separated the burning trees from the rest to prevent the fire from expanding.

National Police sources said all signs point to arson after analysing the site to find out how it started. Meanwhile, Mayor Luisa Garcia Chamorro announced the Local Security Committee - which includes the Guardia Civil and the Local Police - will be called to deal with this matter and other recent fires affecting the town.

Enjoying nature SOME 50 hikers from Almuñecar had the chance of having lunch under almond trees in blossom during the last trip organised by the local Sports board. The hikers went through the socalled Mamut route between Padul and Durcal (Granada), and were able to catch sight of several birds. Call 958 883 142 or pmd@dep ortesalmunecar.e.telefonica.net.

LUNCH: Hikers relax while enjoying the almond trees.

NEWS

Celebrating Andalucia Day differently MEMBERS of the Lux Mundi Ecumenical centre will celebrate Andalucia Day tomorrow (Friday) helping the needy while having fun. They will join many other volunteers in organising a fundraising event for local charities ANNE and Caritas at the Baviera Golf Club in Caleta de Velez. There will be an Art and Craft market, and the ecumenical centre will have a stall there. There will also be plenty of entertainment, including salsa lessons, a basketball tournament, a flamenco show and a typical Spanish ‘tuna.’ A ‘tuna’ is a group of university students in traditional dress who play guitar and sing serenades. Anyone interested in putting his or her own table at the market is welcome to do so at a very reasonable price. The time is from 10am to 10pm. Entrance is €5 per person plus one kilo of dried food. For more information and tickets, please contact Lux Mundi on 952 543 334 or email luxmundi@lux-mundi.org.

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MALLORCA

Homeless detained A HOMELESS man, 30, was arrested in Palma after he allegedly knocked another man unconscious to rob him. A couple friend of the detainee was arrested as well for covering the assault.

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NEWS DESK ALMERÍA

Man hurt A MAN, 35, was seriously injured when he overturned his car in the Avenida del Mediterraneo in Almeria after hitting a road sign. He sustained several injuries and was transferred to Torrecardenas Hospital.

Luxurious visit

More visitors

LUXURY mega yacht ‘Pacific’ visited Palma last weekend. The 85-metre long vessel is equipped with a gym, a spa, a cinema and its own heliport.

ALMERIA City’s museums received a record number of visitors during January. A total of 4,597 people were registered with the number one spot going to the new Guitar Museum.

Gender gap BALEARIC women earned an average €19,377 in 2011. This is 16.4 per cent less than what men earned the same year, trade union UGT has denounced.

Helicopter rescue A MAN, 50, was rescued by helicopter after he broke a foot while hiking in the Puig Fume area near Pollensa.

Cyclist injured A CYCLIST, 30, was admitted to the Son Espases Hospital in a serious condition after being in collision with a car on the Soller road near Palmanyola.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Lottery winners LUCKY ticket holders in Jacarilla and Almoradi have scooped nearly €9 million in prizes from the National Lottery.

Rice Torrevieja TWENTY SEVEN restaurants Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa involved in the second edition of Torrevieja’ starting on Monday. www.torreviejagastronomica.com.

from are ‘Rice Visit

Residents unite RESIDENTS in La Aparecida gathered in support of the family of a teenager who is critically ill after falling through a skylight while playing on a building site. They ask the council to finish the work at the site.

Warmest months JANUARY and February have been the driest and warmest for 33 years. Conditions are repeating those in 1981; one of the 20th century’s driest years.

Library opens THE new library within Torrevieja’s Ciudad del Mar school has been officially inaugurated by Mayor Eduardo Dolon who urged students to visit it and enjoy the pleasure of reading.

Cheers VALENCIA COAST: Tourism and fishing would be harmed.

Fight to keep Gulf of Valencia oil-free THE list of opponents to oil exploration in the Gulf of Valencia continues to grow. Jose Mas, president of Calpe’s Royal Yacht Club is also president of the Association of Valencian Community Yacht Clubs. All members oppose the surveys planned by Cairn Energy, he said. Mas emphasised the need to fly the flag and defend the Valencia coast at a recent meeting with Ana Perez,

local councillor for Land Protection. He was accompanied by Juan Perez who heads Calpe’s fishing guild which, like all Marina Alta guilds, is fighting the exploration. Calpe Town Hall has challenged Cairn Energy’s environmental impact assessment, Perez assured them. Authorising the prospections means “a life sentence” for the sea, she said. Earlier Antoni Joan

Bertomeu, mayor of Teulada-Moraira, joined the chorus of protests from Denia and Javea. “Our coast must not suffer, bearing in mind its natural wealth, the fragility of its biodiversity and the harm to tourism and fishing,” Bertomeu said. Benissa Town Hall also rejects the Cairn Energy project in a fight that is uniting the Marina Alta, regardless of political aims and ideology.

Park life

What’s in a name

MARCH sees a number of activities and workshops taking place at Santa Pola’s Natural Park including birdwatching, interpretive tours, lectures and visits to the Museum of Salt.

ALICANTE Airport was officially renamed Alicante-Elche last July but airports’ authority AENA has only just altered the lettering on the airport building. The aiport code remains ALC, however.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Slightly shaken

Ikea fight

SIX minor earthquakes were registered in the Monforte del Cid and Petrel area. Measuring between 1.3 and 2.4 on the Richter scale they were “normal” for the zone, experts said.

SAN VICENTE shopkeepers and others from surrounding L’Alacanti towns will oppose plans for Alicante City’s Ikea. They also fear competition from franchise chains at the new Rabasa shopping centre.

Wildfire peril

Head-on

FIFTY schoolchildren at an Alcoy mountain refuge and 18 elderly people from a nearby Alzheimer’s home were evacuated during a woodland fire. It spread when farm workers burned weeds and stubble.

THE same Alcoy bakery has been held up five times by a knife-wielding man wearing a balaclava and knickers on his head. The assistant failed to identify the police’s principal suspect.

THE first phase of works for a new wine museum in Laujar de Andarax has been completed at a cost of €21,500.

Soho market HUNDREDS of people enjoyed the first artesan and second hand ‘Soho’ market in Adra.The market will now be held on the third Sunday of each month on the promenade opposite the marina.

Smash and grab A JEWELLER’S shop in Dalias was the victim of an early morning raid with thieves breaking down the door and getting away with an estimated haul of €70,000.

COSTA DEL SOL

French visitors ANTEQUERA Town Hall has translated the content of its tourist promotion website into French, as they are the second most numerous foreign visitors to the town.

Mountain asset THE left-wing Izquierda Unida party in Casares has asked the Andalucian Parliament for Utrera Mountain to be declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

Homeless helped RED CROSS Social Emergency Units attended to 325 homeless people in Marbella, Fuengirola, Mijas and Benalmadena last year.

No shooting THE Independent and Civil Servants’ Union (CSIF) has complained that Local Police in Cartama have not had shooting practice for 15 years.

Foreign questions THE Foreigners’ Attention Office in Mijas attended to more than 20,000 requests last year, mainly from Britons, Germans and Danes.

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S CANDINAVIAN P RESS

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Stories making headlines in Europe

NORWAY - A Norwegian children’s charity left a scantilydressed 11-year-old boy at a bus stop in the cold to test how many people would help him. Most did.

Go home NORWAY - Russian President Vladmir Putin reportedly told the head of Norway’s sports federation that with 16 Winter Olympic medals, they had enough and should go home.

Wanted princess

Nice cuppa A COUPLE who went through years of legal action over their children, reached a consensus after a High Court judge suggested they sit down and have a cup of tea together.

BRITISH households are expecting their finances to improve over the next 12 months for the first time in at least five years, a survey shows.

Banksy sold ONE of Banksy’s most famous murals, ‘Kissing Coppers,’ has been sold at auction in the US for £345,000 after being removed from the wall of a Brighton pub.

SWEDEN - Supervisors at a municipality in Sweden have been found guilty of driving a coworker to suicide by bullying him at work.

Kids smuggling

PRINCESS VICTORIA: Swedes want her to reign.

DOG owners who fail to control their animals should be given notices ordering them to train their pets or have them taken away, campaigners and politicians have said.

Sales up FERRARI says the UK has become its biggest European market, overtaking Germany. Almost 680 cars were shipped to the UK last year.

Real life Uncaring bosses MORE than half of workers feel their employers do not care about their well-being, leading many to consider looking for a new job, according to a study by Investors in People.

RUSSIAN PRESS Lingerie cleansing SYNTHETIC lingerie is to be banned from July under new trade laws in the Eurasian Union countries. Russia’s lingerie outlets may throw away up to 90 per cent of their stock.

SWEDEN - Police are attempting to dismantle a network of 40 children, some as young as eight, who were forced into drug dealing in Stockholm.

Torahs found

Slaughter ban

PEOPLE from countries which have legalised child euthanasia, such as Belgium, which recently passed the law, could be banned from adopting Russian children.

DENMARK - The Danish government has brought in a ban on the religious slaughter of animals for the production of halal and kosher meat.

Dog control

LIFE can mean life, Court of Appeal judges have ruled, following a European Court of Human Rights decision which declared them unlawful.

SWEDEN - Almost 50 per cent of Swedes want King Carl Gustaf XVII to abdicate and Princess Victoria to take the throne, a survey shows.

Suicide guilt

TEA: A calming way to reach agreement.

Positive outlook

A HUNGARIAN rabbi said he had found 103 Torah scrolls stolen from Hungarian Jews during WWII and stashed in a Russian library.

No Russians

Building auctioned RUSSIA expressed outrage after one of its diplomatic buildings was auctioned by Sweden

GERMAN PRESS Shredded cash

BRITISH PRESS Helping hands

EUROPEAN PRESS

as a result of litigation between Moscow and a German businessman.

Potato imports RUSSIA will start importing Dutch seed potatoes again, once a quality inspection has deemed them suitable. This could mean a €10 million export opportunity.

Presidential criticism RUSSIA condemned unrest in Ukraine as a coup attempt, with President Putin blaming the opposition for the biggest escalation in three months of anti-government protests.

Meat imports RUSSIA is planning to partially lift a ban on meat imports from the United States. The import of US pork, beef, and turkey was halted last year due to safety concerns.

BAVARIAN police are searching for the owner of thousands of euros found shredded at a waste disposal site. If no-one comes forward then employees at the site will get the cash.

Street sex THE mayor in the German-French border town of Saarbrücken plans to ban street prostitution, as the region’s sex trade problem continues to increase.

Cutting costs SEVERAL government ministers in Germany have reportedly been sleeping in back rooms in their Berlin offices, despite earning around €14,000 a month.

Bling bishop A DISGRACED German bishop who spent €31 million building new headquarters reportedly used cash for good causes to fund his lavish projects.

Gold diggers GERMAN archaeologists recovered over €1 million worth of Roman gold and silver jewellery from an amateur treasure hunter who dug it up illegally.

Hoax calls FIREFIGHTERS in Berlin are losing their patience after being called to a home for refugees 160 times for no reason. They believe youths may be behind the hoax calls.

No permission CIVIL servants at Germany’s defence ministry signed off a €55 million pay-off as part of the Eurofighter project without checking with their boss.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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

business & legal

New Nissan for Spain Latest truck made in Avila

NISSAN’s new medium-duty NT500 lorry is to be produced at its Avila factory. The plant will produce 2,500 units a year for Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Italy and Portugal. As well as the €100 million Avila outlay, the group is launching two new models in Barcelona this year, with a total investment of €431 million, announced

Nissan’s vice-president for industrial operations in Spain, Frank Torres. The new lorry and existing Cabstar will guarantee the jobs of the Avila plant’s 501 employees, Torres said. The company also plans to review the situation of 22 employees who relocated to Barcelona. They could return in 2015 if the market recovers, Nissan sources revealed.

Fraud or delusion of losing gambler SOME people believe they possess a foolproof betting system. Jose Santamaria of Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) had so much faith in his that he decided to sue Telefonica when he failed to win. As a result of Santamaria’s formal complaint the national high court in Madrid is investigating Telefonica Moviles España for massive premium rate SMS fraud. Mobile software companies Zed Iberia Wordline and Alvento Soluciones are also implicated. The three are accused of earning more than €46 million by rigging the ‘Movistar Emocion Millon’ competition in 2009 that required contestants to

submit points via text messages to participate in a multimillion draw. Text messages were sent in bulk and points irregularly allocated, Jose Santamaria claimed afterwards. Prizes were won by people who were related to each other or lived at the same address and prizewinners were not officially announced, Santamaria said. There was no fraud, Telefonica sources insisted, and only Santamaria complained out of thousands of participants. He also defines himself as a professional gambler with “an infallible system” the same sources said. “When he failed to win he blamed the three companies believing it had to be a swindle.”

usiness extra

€16.9m fine THE CNMV, Spain’s stock market regulator, fined Santander €16.9 million for mis-selling €7 billion of its convertible bonds in 2007. Investors suffered huge losses when Santander’s shares plummeted during the financial crisis.

More jobs GRIFOLS, the Barcelona-based multinational pharmaceuticals and chemical company, has enlarged it Parets del Valles plant. This will enable it to double blood plasma production, creating more than 400 new jobs.

Rich-poor gulf widens ANDALUCIA, Valencia and Murcia are the worst-hit by the financial crisis. The last five years have left a deeper mark on these three regions than any others in Spain. In contrast, the Basque Region and Navarra, together with Madrid and Castilla y Leon, fared best, found the Cajas de Ahorro (savings

banks) think-tank, Fundecas. The third of Spain’s inhabitants who live in Andalucia, the Valencian Community and Murcia saw the per capita GDP fall by almost 10 per cent. Thirty-three per cent lost their jobs. At the other end of the scale Madrid, the Basque Region and Navarra lost only 5 per cent of their GDP.

NEW LORRY: Will be produced at the factory in Avila.

EWN

STAT OF WEEK GAS NATURAL FENOSA earned €1.4 billion last year, only 0.3 per cent more than in 2012. It owed the increase to good performance outside Spain and “strict financial policies” the multinational said.

E W N 27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 24

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 388.70 Admiral Group PLC 1469.00 Aggreko PLC 1649.50 AMEC PLC 1120.50 Anglo American PLC 1529.50 Antofagasta PLC 931.00 ARM Holdings PLC 986.00 Ashtead Group PLC 864.75 Associated British Foods 2910.50 AstraZeneca PLC 4081.50 Aviva PLC 473.05 Babcock International . 1452.50 BAE Systems PLC 417.05 Barclays PLC 257.57 BG Group PLC 1112.75 BHP Billiton PLC 1950.75 BP PLC 504.05 British Amrcn Tobacco 3167.25

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 0.20 0.05 -0.50 -0.03 19.00 1.17 1.00 0.09 -31.00 -1.99 -24.00 -2.51 16.00 1.65 14.50 1.71 -82.00 -2.74 54.50 1.35 3.90 0.83 12.00 0.83 5.70 1.39 -0.45 -0.17 11.00 1.00 -19.00 -0.96 2.30 0.46 12.50 0.40

NET VOLUME 3,728.51 309.21 962.43 721.47 3,995.65 1,690.02 2,749.01 584.58 990.89 1,696.39 3,956.07 338.73 8,361.16 23,482.74 2,966.17 5,908.09 18,265.00 1,933.93

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PRICE(P)

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

695.75 938.00 412.95 1578.50 1530.50 1088.50 2478.50

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

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 24

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 133.20 89.78 32.63 130.22 98.11 114.78 22.20 65.07 97.14 25.36 166.81 77.78 24.87 184.65 91.79 58.06 96.89 56.58 37.90 77.74 31.95 78.64 37.53 84.28 117.33 76.10 46.94 226.55 73.45 81.45

+1.63 +1.03 -0.175 +1.94 +0.61 +2.10 +0.07 +0.20 +2.11 +0.415 +2.31 +0.04 +0.45 +1.86 +0.27 +0.45 +0.44 +0.55 -0.08 +1.25 +0.485 +0.67 +0.35 +0.49 +1.95 +2.28 -0.33 +3.19 +0.33 +1.32

+1.24% +1.16% -0.53% +1.51% +0.63% +1.86% +0.32% +0.31% +2.22% +1.66% +1.40% +0.05% +1.84% +1.02% +0.30% +0.78% +0.46% +0.98% -0.21% +1.64% +1.54% +0.86% +0.94% +0.58% +1.69% +3.10% -0.70% +1.43% +0.45% +1.65%

729.3K 916.4K 10.2M 1.5M 1.4M 2.7M 9.4M 1.7M 4.8M 12.6M 1.1M 2.7M 9.2M 1.6M 1.8M 5.5M 1.4M 3.5M 10.4M 1.4M 12.3M 2.3M 7.2M 513.5K 878.1K 4.6M 72.1M 972.5K 2.1M 2.2M

-5.00 16.00 -0.33 94.50 5.00 4.00 21.00

C O M PA N Y

-0.71 1.73 -0.08 6.37 0.33 0.37 0.85

PRICE

NET VOLUME 1,399.96 3,186.82 11,518.40 665.76 606.46 829.68 485.30

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Celladon Corporation $ 11.80 4.23 ▲ 55.88% Royal Bancshares of Pennsylvania, Inc. $ 2.61 0.51 ▲ 24.29% TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. $ 11.12 1.89 ▲ 20.48% RF Micro Devices, Inc. $ 6.68 0.87 ▲ 14.97% GT Advanced Technologies, Inc. $ 13.61 1.50 ▲ 12.39% Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. $ 14.8536 1.4936 ▲ 11.18% Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. $ 7.09 0.65 ▲ 10.09% IntriCon Corporation $ 4.88 0.39 ▲ 8.69% Argos Therapeutics, Inc. $ 8.88 0.67 ▲ 8.16% Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. $ 59.5123 4.4623 ▲ 8.11% BlackBerry Limited $ 9.8715 0.7315 ▲ 8.00%

Most Declined Microvision, Inc. Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. Rediff.com India Limited Mesa Laboratories, Inc. Information Services Group, Inc. Supertel Hospitality, Inc. Curis, Inc. Avid Technology, Inc. United Online, Inc. China Recycling Energy Corporation MISONIX, Inc.

$ 2.5599 $ 19.10 $ 2.13 $ 87.20 $ 4.901 $ 2.95 $ 3.12 $ 6.525 $ 11.84 $ 2.85 $ 6.42

0.2701 ▼ 9.54% 1.57 ▼ 7.60% 0.17 ▼ 7.39% 6.63 ▼ 7.07% 0.339 ▼ 6.47% 0.19 ▼ 6.05% 0.19 ▼ 5.74% 0.395 ▼ 5.71% 0.71 ▼ 5.66% 0.17 ▼ 5.63% 0.38 ▼ 5.59%

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Centrica PLC 318.95 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1510.50 Compass Group PLC 935.75 CRH PLC 1672.50 Diageo PLC 1902.75 easyJet PLC 1761.50 Experian PLC 1110.50 Fresnillo PLC 995.50 G4S PLC 235.40 GKN PLC 412.45 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1679.25 Glencore Xstrata PLC 335.43 Hammerson PLC 578.25 Hargreaves Lansdown 1354.50 HSBC Holdings PLC 631.85 IMI PLC 1521.00 Imperial Tobacco Group 2393.50 InterContinental Hotels 1924.50 International Consldtd 444.95 Intertek Group PLC 3028.00 ITV PLC 202.80 Johnson Matthey PLC 3294.50 Kingfisher PLC 395.60 Land Securities Group 1085.50 Legal & General Group 242.25 Lloyds Banking Group 81.19 London Stock Exchange 2025.00 Marks & Spencer Group 505.75 Meggitt PLC 508.75 Melrose Industries PLC 325.20 Mondi PLC 1046.00 National Grid PLC 836.75 Next PLC 6582.50 Old Mutual PLC 186.55 Pearson PLC 1099.50 Persimmon PLC 1462.50 Petrofac Ltd 1361.50 Prudential PLC 1362.50 Randgold Resources Ltd 4875.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5007.50 Reed Elsevier PLC 919.25 Resolution Ltd 372.10 REXAM PLC 513.25 Rio Tinto PLC 3530.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings 989.25 Royal Bank of Scotland 360.45 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2371.75 Royal Mail PLC 601.00 RSA Insurance Group PLC 97.50 SABMiller PLC 2875.25 Sage Group (The) PLC 428.95 Sainsbury (J) PLC 347.30 Schroders PLC 2670.00 Severn Trent PLC 1827.50 Shire PLC 3390.50 Smith & Nephew PLC 957.25 Smiths Group PLC 1399.50 Sports Direct Intrntnl... 790.75 SSE PLC 1434.50 Standard Chartered PLC 1300.75 Standard Life PLC 386.90 Tate & Lyle PLC 645.75 Tesco PLC 333.35 Travis Perkins PLC 1980.00 TUI Travel PLC 444.70 Tullow Oil PLC 779.50 Unilever PLC 2457.50 United Utilities Group 780.25 Vodafone Group PLC 249.95 Weir Group PLC 2370.00 Whitbread PLC 4164.50 William Hill PLC 369.85 Wm Morrison Sprmrkts 239.60 Wolseley PLC 3367.00 WPP PLC 1341.50

CHANGE -1.87 -40.00 11.50 19.00 8.00 18.00 11.00 4.00 -1.30 -0.53 -1.50 -3.63 -5.00 40.00 -22.35 -5.00 20.00 0.00 -2.70 7.00 -1.40 19.00 3.20 -7.00 2.15 0.41 1.00 4.50 -1.50 7.90 -2.00 3.50 65.00 2.50 -14.00 -1.00 -18.00 18.00 43.00 25.00 8.00 -0.40 2.50 -71.00 -5.50 0.25 -3.50 0.50 -3.65 45.25 5.60 -2.77 48.00 18.50 22.00 6.50 26.50 11.50 10.00 -15.25 -0.50 -2.50 -1.80 0.00 1.30 -4.50 18.50 3.39 13.40 22.00 8.00 12.50 -1.30 6.00 -1.82

% C H G. VOLUME -0.58 8,489.87 -2.58 192.65 1.24 2,421.31 1.15 1,432.90 0.42 2,129.70 1.03 491.68 1.00 951.08 0.40 468.65 -0.55 3,234.27 -0.13 3,736.77 -0.09 5,527.32 -1.07 17,039.01 -0.86 1,333.16 3.04 762.72 -3.42 48,034.95 -0.33 586.25 0.84 1,804.48 0.00 1,036.26 -0.60 4,003.02 0.23 160.55 -0.69 10,602.55 0.58 172.31 0.82 2,623.09 -0.64 832.51 0.90 6,039.20 0.51 78,399.23 0.05 115.71 0.90 3,422.58 -0.29 1,263.20 2.49 966.06 -0.19 1,298.06 0.42 3,983.00 1.00 121.81 1.36 6,600.22 -1.26 1,998.75 -0.07 1,469.27 -1.31 922.98 1.34 2,473.60 0.89 366.73 0.50 544.69 0.88 1,249.18 -0.11 2,240.92 0.49 937.62 -1.97 4,030.94 -0.55 6,285.54 0.07 5,282.50 -0.15 2,489.00 0.08 2,023.57 -3.61 48,182.73 1.60 1,866.88 1.32 1,241.95 -0.79 4,667.58 1.83 85.94 1.02 1,535.64 0.65 907.83 0.68 1,352.54 1.93 588.26 1.48 375.03 0.70 1,176.49 -1.16 3,468.01 -0.13 3,551.15 -0.39 1,443.89 -0.54 11,968.47 0.00 534.82 0.29 1,021.07 -0.57 1,897.74 0.76 1,712.98 0.44 1,881.59 5.67 236,648.40 0.94 701.69 0.19 275.59 3.50 4,421.99 -0.54 5,858.23 0.18 475.27 -0.14 1,831.05

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Facebook buys the leading text messaging system for $19 billion FACEBOOK has acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion (€13.84 billion) in cash, stock and shares, the social network giant announced in a statement. In their biggest acquisition to date, Facebook has taken on the popular text messaging system, which is used by more than 450 million people. Although many younger people are drifting away from Facebook, WhatsApp is rapidly increasing in popularity. In some markets it is now more prominent than Facebook, with approximately one million new users a day. As of August 2013, some 20 million people were users of WhatsApp in Spain. Together with Spain, Germany, Mexico or India have also reached the 20-million-user milestone. The high cost of SMS text messages and increasing sales of smartphone devices are behind the Spanish success of WhatsApp. Predictions by MassyPhone, an online business message provider for sending WhatsApp messages, say the upward tendency will continue and the text messaging service will have doubled its users in Spain by 2015.

WhatsApp founders, Jan Koum and Brian Action, are now to join the billionaire set in Silicon Valley. The deal includes $4 billion (€2.91 billion) in cash, $12 billion (€8.74 billion) in Facebook

shares and a further $3 billion (€2.18 billion) in stock at a later date. WhatsApp’s brand will be maintained, with its headquarters remaining in Mountain View, California. Jan Koum, WhatsApp CEO, will join Facebook’s Board of Directors, and WhatsApp’s core messaging product and Facebook’s existing Messenger app will continue to operate as standalone applications. Koum said: “WhatsApp’s extremely high user engagement and rapid growth are driven by the simple, powerful and instantaneous messaging capabilities we provide. We’re excited and honoured to partner with Facebook as we continue to bring our product to more people around the world.” In 2012, Facebook purchased photo-sharing app Instagram for $1billion (€728,420,818), which had been their largest purchase to date before the new deal with WhatsApp.

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Suspected launderer to be extradited SPAIN has approved the extradition to the US of Arthur Budovsky. Ukrainian-born Budovsky, who gave up US citizenship on marrying a Puerto Rican, is accused of being the ‘principal founder’ of Liberty Reserve. He and seven employees allegedly used the digital currency service which is based in Costa Rica to launder more than $6 billion (€4.36 billion) for criminal organisations. The authorities claim the case is the biggest international laundering operation to be tried by the United States. Budovsky was arrested in May last year when his flight from Morocco stopped over in Madrid. The national high court in Madrid has consented to his extradition on the grounds his alleged crimes took place in the US.

A FASTER than expected rebalancing of the Spanish economy has prompted Moody’s to upgrade the country’s government bond rating to Baa2 to Baa3. The credit rating agency has assigned Spain a positive outlook, and has concurrently upgraded Spain’s short-term rating to Prime-2 from Prime-3. Moody’s based its decision on the improving medium-term economic prospects, underpinned by a rebalancing of the economy away from real-estate investment towards exports. This, according to the agency, should provide for a more sustainable growth trajectory. The growth pattern of the Spanish economy in the third quarter of 2013 has become more balanced, Moody’s argues. Business investment has started to contribute positively and consumer confidence has been improving on the back of an earlier-than-expected stabilisation in the labour market. At the same time, both the corporate and household sectors continue to reduce

Iakov Filimonov / Shutterstock.com

Moody’s upgrades Spain’s government bond rating with a positive outlook

EXPORTS: Rebalancing of economy leading to better ratings. their high debt burdens, Moody’s adds. Competitiveness gains have been substantial and will continue to underpin the export sector as wage growth will likely remain very moderate in the coming years, according to the rating agency. Exports also seem to be significantly more diversified than before the crisis, limiting the vulnerability to a growth slowdown in any one region. Improving economic prospects in turn

provide a greater level of confidence that Spain’s still elevated budget deficit can be gradually reduced in the coming years. The 2013 general government budget deficit target of 6.5 per cent of GDP (excluding bank restructuring cost of 0.5 per cent of GDP) is likely to have been reached, and Moody’s also considers this year’s target of a deficit of 5.8 per cent of GDP to be achievable. However, the credit rating agency

expects the public debt ratio will continue to increase for several more years given the persistent budget deficits and relatively moderate nominal GDP growth, before peaking at above 102 per cent of GDP in 2016. Moody’s also expects the unemployment rate to decline only slowly over the coming years, although the labour market reforms have probably lowered the rate of GDP growth necessary to achieve significant net employment creation. The positive outlook on the Baa2 rating reflects Moody’s expectations that improvements in the economy and the government’s fiscal position will continue over the forecast horizon. More specifically, Moody’s expects the economic recovery to gather speed in the course of 2014 with domestic demand, particularly business investment, contributing positively to growth. The rating agency also expects wage moderation to continue, deepening the important competitiveness gains achieved to date.

E W N 27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

The worth of a woman Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

T’S not just the economic crisis that is affecting the financial situation of women; discrimination between the wages of male and female workers is also contributing to the fact that girls bring home less money per month. According to a report from the European Commission, on average, women in the EU earn around 16 per cent less per hour than men. So picture this, a boy and girl baby are born with equal opportunities, but as current society would have it the educational and career

expectations for boys and girls are different. By the time they grow up, the boy will be earning on average 16.2 per cent more than the girl. Not really fair, is it? Looking specifically at Spain, it has been noted the wage gap between men and women is such

that a woman should have to work 84 days more per year to earn the same salary as a man. Other statistics show that while 2 million part-time female workers in Spain earned €719 per month in 2012, men doing the same job earned a monthly salary of

€804. Curiously, this gender pay gap throughout Europe exists even though women do better at school and university than men. On average, in 2011, 82 per cent of young women reached at least upper secondary school education in the EU, compared to 77 per cent of men. Women

also represent 60 per cent of university graduates in the EU. The implications of such discrimination can be detrimental to women. It means women earn less over their lifetimes; this results in lower pensions and a risk of poverty in old age. The reasons for such discrimination are numerous, and often the result of so-called ‘direct discrimination’ where women are treated less favourably than men. In sectors like health and social work, women make up 80 per cent of all workers and typically have lower wages than those dominated by men, such as banking. According to experts, gender equality is a key for achieving employment growth, competitiveness and economic recovery.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Costly show STATE broadcaster TVE spends €3.68 million to produce a series of its afternoon show ‘Entre todos.’ €175,000 goes to presenter Toñi Moreno, which means she earns approximately €1,400 per 150-minute show.

Bonus back A MADRID court has sentenced the Interior Ministry to give a prison officer back a Christmas bonus which was cancelled in 2012 after the government passed anti-deficit measures.

Big save CUTBACKS have allowed the 17 Spanish regions to save an estimated €4.04 billion between 2011 and 2013, the Finance Ministry announced. This is 15.9 per cent more than predicted last year.

He sold us land that wasn’t his Q. Ten years ago we bought a piece of land and built a house on it. We paid You and the £40,000 but never registered the land. Law in Spain Now we have started to obtain a By David Searl proper title deed, the ‘escritura,’ but when we checked with the Town Hall, we discovered that the land was not owned by the man who sold it to us. Instead, it has been registered to a neighbour on the other side. This registered owner of ‘our land’ now wants us to pay him for it. We have asked the original ‘seller’ to return our payment to him, but he keeps putting us off, so we now intend to go to court against him. How long might this take and is there anything else we can do? KW (by email) A. Your legal claim to recover money from the fraudulent seller is likely to take two or three years at least. As to ‘anything else’ you can do, it is what you should have done before you bought the land. The most basic point is to have documentary evidence that your seller is the owner of the land. If the land was not

registered at the Property Registry, then the Town Hall ‘Urbanismo’ department will have some information. What does your purchase contract say? If your seller claimed to be the owner at the time, he may be open to charges of fraud as well as civil damages. Finally, my lawyers at Ubeda Retana

strongly suspect that the land has no ‘permiso de segregación’ which is a permit to subdivide country land into plots.

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

FINALIST CITY: Barcelona was highlighted for the use of new technologies.

Barcelona could be Europe’s leading innovative city A SPANISH city could be the winner of the first European Capital of Innovation award, or iCapital. Barcelona has become a finalist of the award together with Grenoble (France) and Groningen (Netherlands). The three finalists were selected from a shortlist of six contestants where the city of Malaga also competed. An independent panel of experts selected the cities on the basis of their main achievements and policies building the best ‘innovation ecosystem.’ The Catalan city was highlighted “for

introducing the use of new technologies to bring the city closer to citizens.” The winner of the €500,000 prize will be announced at the closing ceremony of the Innovation Convention 2014, Europe’s premier innovation event in Brussels on March 10 and 11. The iCapital Award was launched to encourage cities to stimulate innovation and create a network of cities which can share their best ideas for the future. Cities are judged on the basis of initiatives they have already taken and ideas to enhance innovative capacity.

OPINION & COMMENT

Appalled at town hall’s home threat I WAS appalled to read the item (Costa del Sol, Issue 1493) about the expats facing the demolition of their Mijas home. This is just typical of how some of the elected bureaucrats run a cart and horse through established legal matters, considering only their selfish political urges, at the expense of expats who they obviously consider as second class citizens not worthy of the respect of their own laws. The O’Riellys have my total support in their planned legal action. From personal experience I know what stress a situation like this can cause; there appears to be no quick legal action possible in Spain, and even though they are clearly in the right and must win any action they and their lawyer take, this whole matter will remain a cloud over their lives unless the threat is withdrawn immediately. It would be great for Euro Weekly News to start a campaign against this evil and illegal action. I am sure you will have the support of not only many expats but also many Spanish nationals who not only make their living from the development of the Costa del Sol but are decent human beings who strongly resent the actions of a small number of their fellow citizens. Sandi Davidson (By e-mail)

Horrified I READ the article concerning the O’Riellys’ home with horror. How could these evil politicians ruin the life of a couple by threatening to destroy the home they have created from an old building, having made sure they complied with all the relevant Spanish laws and even bought the property from a judge! You state that “the town hall claims this was an empty plot with no house.” These people deserve to be instantly dismissed for their self-serving incompetence!

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27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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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

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She told me they’re not a charity and if they were to make it cheaper they would have “an influx of injured animals brought in to them.” I felt this was such a callous attitude as vets should be caring towards animals, not just those who have owners willing to pay. It means that a lot of stray animals are left to suffer and die simply because the people trained to help them seem to not want to unless there is money involved! Cassie Alcaide, Teulada (Alicante)

Taking responsibility

One OAP eyes and chats up another, who was only interested in the price of bananas at Bioparc, Fuengirola. Ernie Barnes, Arroyo de la Miel They are giving the Costa del Sol and the whole of Spain a bad reputation which can only put off more expats from investing here. Don Leeser (By e-mail)

What a joke I AM not one to comment on articles in the paper, however, I feel compelled to write... is this article a joke? How in the world can the town hall make such a ridiculous accusation to say this is a house that was built four years ago and not accept any proof from the O’Riellys to say this was an old mill house (and yes it looks like one) built in 1964. If this goes ahead I will absolutely lose faith in the Spanish justice system. Danielle Evie, (By e-mail)

Gone mad I AM in shock. Has Mijas Town Hall gone mad? You can see by

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

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the photo this is an old house. And l cannot believe that the Ayuntamiento will not even accept the proof, this is terrible! Lisa Prout, (By e-mail)

Off-plan plea IN response to Kath Williams’ letter (Issue 1493), as she requested I wondered if she would take on board the topic of money owing to clients who paid for off-plan properties. Whilst I sympathise with the SOHA members, there are umpteen more whose life savings have been put into off-plan

properties and who now have to rent. Our solicitor has been less than useless but I have proof that we are owed €35,000. I would welcome a chat with anyone interested in this subject. Mayors and builders who have been found guilty and given prison sentences are still lording around having said they are bankrupt! Rita Vost, (By e-mail)

Bad attitude I FOUND a kitten lying by the side of the road which had been run over and left to die. I managed to pick up the stray kitten and take it to the vet. It was badly injured and sadly there was no choice but to put her to sleep. The bill they gave me, €162, I thought was extortionate considering that I had rescued it from a busy road and brought it to them for help. I went back to query the bill but the owner/manager refused to speak to me, so it was left up to the receptionist.

I FELT sad and angry reading Vicki McLeod’s column (Family Matters, Mallorca, Issue 1493). What happened to responsibility and participation? At 11 and 12, my sister and I were helping with chores around the house, including ironing, setting the table, preparing the vegetables, ‘making’ the fire (coal), and the beds, etc. In other words, our mother was preparing us to run a household. We could knit and sew and cared for our pet dogs and could do a little cooking. But this was the normal way of living. We would have been ashamed to have our clothes and things scattered all over the floor. We did not look upon this as tiresome, forced labour. It was a lesson and we had rewards. Our mother regularly took my sister and me on excursions for the day to the hills and woods of North Wales where we played games and had our picnic or sometimes we had afternoon tea in the garden of a beautiful hotel. We also went to the seaside and the fair, and when father was home (he was a merchant seaman) we would go as a family to the ‘pictures’ or the theatre. I know most young people have ‘everything’ these days and have a ‘faster’ lifestyle, but responsibility for one’s actions should never be ignored. Ena Amengual, Calvia (Mallorca) Editor’s note: Vicki wrote about the struggle to get her daughter to help around the house, and came up with a ‘points solution’ to reward children for help.

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

E W N 27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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OPINION & COMMENT

Children need discipline H

e that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chastenth him betimes.” Proverbs 13:24. This is the bible extract thought to be the origin of the modern day ‘spare the rod and spoil the child.’ To me the original is a great deal more subtle than its latter definition. So many parents these days couldn’t care less or simply have better things to do than to discipline their offspring. We see the results of this selfish complacency all around us. Spoiled brats who have had everything lavished on them simply to keep them as quiet and ‘unseen’ as possible. These are the types who, in their early ‘tattooed’ teens, fall out of expensive clubs in the early hours - pour scorn on those less fortunate and make a mockery of the ‘Brit Awards.’ At the other end of the scale the unchastised victims of these self-serving parents can be seen roaming the streets terrorizing neighbour-

An issue of colour

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

DISCIPLINE: It is your duty as a parent to instil. hoods and looting shops. All of these youngsters have one thing in common; they are basically unloved, by uncaring parents, who simply can’t be bothered. Children need discipline. They cry out for guidance and boundaries in the bewildering, frightening, almost unfathomable circumstances most of them have manifested in. To not give them what they crave is tantamount to child abuse in its worse possible form. If you truly love your children, then it is your absolute duty as a parent to instil discipline. If this means a slap on the bum or the back of the legs then, providing it is a last resort, then I am all for it. What you are actually showing them is that you

happen to care. I don’t mean, I hasten to add, severe beatings delivered in anger with the sole purpose of causing pain. This type of violence only leads to more aggression and even less respect. I’m talking about the odd proverbial clip around the ear of the type delivered by the

bobby on the beat, when he packed an erring youngster off back home (good ol’ days or what!). I have had six children, all of whom got a clip when I felt it was deserved. None of them have chastised me for it in later years. The eldest four have all turned out to be confident and respectable adults and I have no reason, God willing, to expect any less from my two 13-year-olds. The fact they are truly loved is the most important requirement of a child. Give ‘em a clip, then, when the time is right, give ‘em a big hug and a kiss. Keep the faith. Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com.

Left out in the cold RTUR MAS stepped up his courtship of Cataluña’s moneymen. Formerly he had asked only that the region’s formidable business sector did not place obstacles in the region’s path to independence. Now he has urged them to wade in but that path suddenly looks more likely to be pitted with ruts, dips and a sinkhole or two. “Not a chance,” hinted both Joan Rosell and Joaquim Gay de Montella, respective presidents of Spain’s business confederation, the CEOE, and Cataluña’s Fomento del Trabajo association. “We want tranquillity. We want political stability,” Rosell said a couple of days later. Presumably he sees neither as compatible with independence. Emotionally most Catalans would like to be shot of Spain, but are beginning to perceive that economically it might not work. They suspect that slamming the door shut on

LEAPY LETTERS

Cassandra Nash

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

Madrid and Brussels would let in icy draughts of isolation along with independence.

A bicycle made for two THE PSOE primaries are still far ahead but candidates are already jockeying for position. Carme Chacon, former Defence minister and currently lecturing at a US university, is one. Eduardo Madina, the spokesman for the parliamentary PSOE party is another. Both are frontrunners and each has asked the other to be their Number Two. Each has politely and firmly turned

down the other. Unless a dark horse emerges, one of them could be the PSOE presidential candidate for the 2015 general election. Chaco is small and a feisty dresser; Madina is tall and on the right side of good-looking. Ideology apart, both will be easier on the eye than Alfredo Rubalcaba.

Gender bender THE new abortion law has two huge drawbacks. It was planned and written by a man and it was planned and written by a man who is also minister of Justice. Abortion is about health and sociall ARTUR MAS: Courting Cataluña money. issues, not crime.

NOBODY is surprised that Leapy Lee has so few black friends, that’s commensurate with being a racist and a bigot. His weekly rambles regularly feature a racist undertone, although he has a platform and an opportunity to voice positive comments to a wide audience, he instead insists on bitter and vulgar generalisations based on racial and cultural differences. Colour is only skin deep, beneath we are all the same bearing only whatever differences that define us as individuals. Try to befriend some black people or even Muslims, you may be surprised to learn that there really isn’t that much difference between us at all. Michael Burton

Sharing the kitchen DOLORES DE COSPEDAL, the PP secretary general, suffered a setback read by observers as humiliation. Her choice of Jose Luis Sanz as Andalucia’s presidential candidate was pipped by Juan Manuel Moreno, the preference of vicepresident Soraya de Saenz de Santamaria. Neither highflyer is fond of the other - it’s never a good idea to have two women in the same kitchen - and observers see this as bad news for Cospedal. It should be remembered that she failed to carry the can back for Mariano Rajoy when questioned by the judge investigating the Gurtel and Barcenas corruption cases. She had no knowledge of the arrangement whereby sacked party treasurer Luis Barcenas continued to be paid, De Cospedal declared. That decision rested with Mariano Rajoy and PP vice-secretary Javier Arenas, she said. Mariano Rajoy sets loyalty very high and rewards it well. Hardly surprising, then, that Juan Manuel Moreno, close to Arenas and Saenz de Santamaria, is the PP’s candidate for the Andalucia presidency.

E W N 27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

The great siege of Kiev T HE 2014 siege of Kiev by the EU and US might be as historically defining as the 1942 German siege of Stalingrad. Will the Russians win this crucial battle too? Invited to sit in the EU waiting room, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych opted instead for Vladimir Putin’s Eurasian Customs Union (ECU). Big, if its land mass was a human foot the EU would be toe-sized. Because of its vast mineral wealth the Customs Union is much more powerful than China. Outmanoeuvred by Putin’s Russia the unelected heads of the EU were exposed as presumptuous, arrogant and poorly performing in statesmanship. By contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin bettered the EU Goldman Sachs bank clerks at the negotiating tables. During 2013 Russian diplomacy won

and milking the welfare state. Former Soviet Bloc peoples were the Mexicans Mike Walsh. Based in Mediterranean Spain, is an of Europe and quarantined international journalist, to avoid contamination. author and professional writer. Then came the European Union’s crushing the day in Belarus, Syria, Iran humiliation. Whilst empty and Ukraine. This is the promises were made, inevitable consequence of a Ukraine was treated with self-elected EU cult lacking in condescension to wait cap KIEV: Will the Russians win this crucial battle too? cutting edge political in hand for EU ‘pie in the experience. sky.’ The Ukraine’s To be taken into elected president than Western Europe. Its of the European Former account is the opted for pie capital Astana makes Dubai Union. Soviet Bloc collateral damage now. Russia gave look tacky. The Ukraine is There is an escalating done to the it to him on a Europe’s biggest country. struggle developing between peoples were European Union’s plate. Other nations are ready to the Eurasian Customs Union the Mexicans reputation. Very How mortifying join the ECU. and EU. The latter is highly much a protégé of the spectacle of a A population head count no exposed as it is largely of Europe American ambitions, former Soviet Bloc longer matters. What counts dependent on Russian the EU saw itself as the nation snubbing the are geographical position, goodwill, trade and its mineral United States of Europe. EU in favour of alliance with international trade, political wealth. Russia is Germany Disdain towards Eastern their former colonisers. and military alliance and 1936 whose emergence as a European states was similar Russia’s ECU is two-thirds mineral wealth. central power was a threat to to American scorn shown the size of the British Empire Critics who claim wrongly British supremacy, US and towards Central and Latin at its zenith. It is six times that Vladimir Putin bribed the Soviet ambitions. American countries. bigger than the EU. Ukrainians seem to find EU Russia has to be stopped by Western media create the Membership includes mineral and US threats and bribes orchestrated banishment, illusion that the peoples of rich Kyrgyzstan, a nouveau acceptable. At least the character assassination, trade non EU nations are a shifty rich country the size of Ukrainian government was blockades and if necessary bunch intent on stealing jobs France. Kazakhstan is bigger elected, unlike the ruling suits war.

Mike Walsh

March forward this Spring

ELCOME to your forecast Sally Trotman Based in Mallorca, Sally for March Trotman is a qualified 2014. Each month I Counsellor who works with Astrology, Numerology and write about how you the Tarot. Each month she will deliver the forecast as can make the most of an intuitive tool to aid the month ahead, increased self awareness. www.sallytrotman.com using astrology, numerology and the tarot as a unique tool to help you confidently create the life you desire and deserve. March forward this Spring: March begins with the new moon in Pisces. This creative sign is encouraging you to follow your intuition and listen to your dreams. This watery sign will help you to become more in touch with your emotional needs, and you may find old memories surfacing so that you can release the past once and for all. The moon becomes full on March 16 and is ruled by the practical sign of Virgo. The influence of this earthy sign will THREE: This sensitive number can help you to honour your truth. help you to become clear about what is important to you in your working life. The sensitive number is helping you to honour motion, trust that everything is working out second new moon of the month, ruled by your truth. From your inspired ideas, plans perfectly. It may at times seem like a long Aries, will give you the energy to set your are formed. When these plans are put into and winding path to creating everything ideas in motion. By the end of March, you action dreams become reality. Be patient you desire, but with patience and will feel clearer and more confident about with this process. First become clear about persistence, you will soon begin to see the what you want to create in 2014. what you want, and then to bring your fruits of your labour. Free yourself with three : As March is the ideas to fruition by taking inspired Impress with the Empress: The Empress third month of the year, this creative, action. After you have set the wheels in in the Tarot deck is the archetypal mother

figure. This powerful female is helping you to nurture yourself physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually this month. Eat well, rest, and exercise more often. When you look after your physical body you will have more energy to do the things that are important to you. Take time to listen to how you really feel and confide in someone you trust. Chose your thoughts wisely, focusing on what you have and what you would like more of in your life. Attend to your spirituality by meditating each day or simply spending time in nature relaxing your mind. By giving yourself this time and space you will feel more balanced. At the Spring Equinox on March 21, day and night become equal. With Spring fast approaching, consider the new seeds you wish to sow this year. If you are unsure, ask yourself this question; if you could be granted one miracle what would it be? This will give you great insight into what is truly important for you at this time in your life. Would you like to receive a more personalised astrological forecast? Discover how the numbers in your date of birth, and placement of the planets at your time of birth, influence your relationships, career, health and home life. I hold one hour sessions in Palma, Mallorca or via skype. Please visit my website for more information www.sallytrotman.com

E W N 27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Thursday

Friday

SATELLITE CHANNELS - SkyMoviesDrama/

BBC1/

4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 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 Pound Shop Wars 9:30pm Inspector George Gently 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Question Time

4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 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 Jonathan Creek 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show

BBC2/ 4:30pm Bergerac 5:20pm Are You Being Served? 5:50pm 'Allo, 'Allo! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 8:00pm Permission Impossible 9:00pm The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure 10:00pm Jumbo: The Plane That Changed the World 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:15pm ITV News and Weather 7:45pm Emmerdale 8:45pm UEFA Europa League 11:10pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:45pm Edge of Heaven

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Coach Trip 6:30pm Superstar Dogs: Countdown to Crufts 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Supersize v Superskinny 10:00pm The Storms That Stole Christmas 11:00pm The Repo Man

ITV2/ 4:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:10pm The Real Housewives of New Jersey 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 The Big Reunion 11:00pm Fake Reaction 11:50pm Mom

BBC2/ 4:30pm Bergerac 5:20pm Are You Being Served? 5:50pm 'Allo, 'Allo! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 8:00pm Permission Impossible 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Coming Home 10:00pm The Pity of War 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Student Nurses: Bedpans and Bandages 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Edge of Heaven 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The Americans

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Coach Trip 6:30pm Superstar Dogs: Countdown to Crufts 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Paralympic Winter Games... The Countdown 9:00pm Grand Designs 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm The Last Leg 11:50pm Jimmy Carr: Making People Laugh

7:10pm Sunday

• Rachel McAdams • Channing Tatum

Saturday

The Vow (Film, 2012)

Sunday BBC1/

5:00pm Final Score 6:10pm Reflex 6:55pm BBC News 7:05pm Regional News 7:10pm Weather 7:15pm Pointless 8:00pm The Voice UK 10:10pm The National Lottery Live 10:20pm Casualty 11:10pm BBC News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Match of the Day

4:25pm Escape to the Country 5:10pm Deadly on a Mission: Pole to Pole 5:40pm Songs of Praise 6:15pm Pointless 7:05pm BBC News 7:20pm Regional News 7:25pm Weather 7:30pm Blandings 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 Match of the Day 2

5:00pm Coast 5:15pm Natural World 6:15pm Restoration Home 7:15pm Flog It! 8:15pm Dad's Army 8:45pm The Perfect Morecambe and Wise 9:15pm Darcey's Ballerina Icons 10:15pm QI XL 11:00pm Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle 11:30pm The Producers

ITV/ 6:35pm Local News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm You've Been Framed! Best of the Best 8:00pm Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway 9:20pm The Cube 10:20pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:20pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Fast and Furious

CH4/ 7:40pm Channel 4 News 8:05pm The Restoration Man 9:00pm The Storms That Stole Christmas 10:00pm Hostages 11:00pm The Lincoln Lawyer

ITV2/ 5:40pm Step Up 6:40pm FYI Daily 6:45pm Step Up 7:55pm Ocean's Thirteen 8:55pm FYI Daily 9:00pm Ocean's Thirteen 10:20pm Forgetting Sarah Marshall 11:20pm FYI Daily

BBC2/ 5:00pm Cycling 6:35pm Giant Squid: Filming the 7:20pm Invincible 9:00pm Top Gear 10:00pm Dragons' Den 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Line of Duty

ITV/ 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 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:15pm It'll be Alright on the Night

CH4/ 5:25pm Grease 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Fish Fight: Hugh's Last Stand 9:00pm Time Team Special 10:00pm Salt 12:00am Predator

ITV2/ 4:20pm Step Up 5:25pm Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway 6:45pm The Incredible Hulk 7:45pm FYI Daily 7:50pm The Incredible Hulk 8:55pm Coyote Ugly 9:55pm FYI Daily 10:00pm Coyote Ugly 11:00pm The Only Way is Essex

Tuesday BBC1/

After five years building a life together, capped off with a beautiful wedding, Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) should be in the honeymoon period of their young lives. But, following a tragic car accident, Paige's memories of their time together have become lost in a haze of amnesia.

BBC1/

BBC2/

TV LISTING

www.euroweeklynews.com

Monday BBC1/ 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 Silk 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather The latest weather information.

BBC2/ 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm Sport Relief's Top Dog 8:00pm Top Gear 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Mary Berry at Home 10:00pm Mind the Gap London v the Rest.

ITV/ 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm I Never Knew That About Britain 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm DCI Banks 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather

CH4/ 6:00pm Coach Trip 6:30pm Superstar Dogs: Countdown to Crufts 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Paralympic Winter Games... The Countdown 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm Food Unwrapped 10:00pm One Born Every Minute 11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats

ITV2/ 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Mom 11:00pm Forgetting Sarah Marshall

4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News All the latest local 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 Traffic Cops

BBC2/ 4:25pm Bergerac 5:15pm Are You Being Served? 5:45pm 'Allo, 'Allo! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm Sport Relief's Top Dog 8:00pm Permission Impossible 9:00pm The Great British Sewing Bee 10:00pm An Hour to Save a Life 11:00pm The Sarah Millican Television Programme 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm The Jonathan Ross Show

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Coach Trip 6:30pm Superstar Dogs: Countdown to Crufts 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Paralympic Winter Games... The Countdown 9:00pm Kirstie's Best of Both Worlds 10:00pm The Taste 11:00pm Strippers

ITV2/ 5:10pm The Real Housewives of New Jersey 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 Vampire Diaries 11:00pm Pitch Black

Wednesday BBC1/ 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin: Home Comforts 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Waterloo Road 10:00pm Outnumbered 10:30pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News

BBC2/ 4:25pm Bergerac 5:15pm Are You Being Served? 5:45pm 'Allo, 'Allo! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm Sport Relief's Top Dog 8:00pm Permission Impossible 9:00pm The Restaurant Man 10:00pm Line of Duty 11:00pm Inside No 9 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Coronation Street 8:30pm International Football 11:10pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:45pm International Football Highlights

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Coach Trip 6:30pm Superstar Dogs: Countdown to Crufts 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Paralympic Winter Games... The Countdown 9:00pm The Restoration Man 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm First Dates

ITV2/ 4:05pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:10pm The Real Housewives of New Jersey 6:05pm The Millionaire Matchmaker 7:00pm Dinner Date 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Party Wright Around the World 11:00pm The Only Way is Essex 11:50pm The Big Reunion

E W N 27 February - 5 March 2014 / Costa de Almería

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

N what lawyers call a landmark case, the UK High Court has found that Amazon, the world’s biggest online retailer, has infringed the trademark of Lush, a cosmetics company owned by a husband-and-wife team from Poole, Dorset. Lush, known for its colourful soaps and bath bombs, doesn’t sell its products on Amazon. However, when users searched for ‘Lush’ on Amazon’s website, they found similar products but displayed as though they were made by Lush themselves. The argument was that this was deliberately misleading while Amazon, it’s fair to assume, knew exactly what it was doing. A bit like finding Maria Callas warbling away in Stringfellows, Lush finally succeeded where thousands

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

David versus Goliath - the scent of victory! of small businesses have failed following its three-year David and Goliath legal battle with Amazon. And now it’s using a new shower gel to mock Amazon UK boss, Christopher North. Its new ‘Christopher North’ shower smoothie has been trademarked and described as “rich, thick and full of it.” The product is especially recommended for those with a ‘recent history of dry dull skin’ and promises to flow ‘straight to your fulfilment centre with its super saver delivery.’ Now, Lush is both a marvellous British manufacturing story and a marvellous British retailing story. And this victory amply demonstrates that you can’t ride roughshod over brands that people have spent years of hard work building up. Good luck to it and to every

other ‘little guy’ who’s battling against these giants. Justice shouldn’t be, but so often is, the preserve of the super rich. As for Amazon, there are doubtless many who have stopped using it since the recent scandal over its tax avoidance schemes adversely affecting business in the UK. A situation not helped by the TV documentary shown last year about the working conditions for their temps, walking miles and miles and miles at a punishing rate to meet customer orders. Like ponies down mines. Heartless, cruel, ruthless. The moral high ground to which many aspire is all well and good, but can so often turn into that apocryphal slippery slope. For, when it comes to cost and convenience, who amongst us can say, hand on heart, we’d never buy anything any more

from Amazon? Especially here in Spain - if there’s simply no alternative …

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.

E W N 27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

CROSSWORDS

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

Axarquía weather

NEW ON DVD MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

for next 7 days

Gravity Seasoned astronaut Matt Kowalsky is on his final mission in space, while medical engineer Dr Ryan Stone is making her first outing on the Space Shuttle. While they are engaged in extra-vehicular activity, debris collides into the shuttle, damaging it irreparably. Kowalsky and Stone now find themselves drifting in space with low oxygen supplies and cut off from all communication on Earth, forced to work together in their attempt to survive and make it back to solid ground.

TODAY

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA MALAGA R DE LA VICTORIA

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA

Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Runtime 91 minutes. Rated 12.

NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA

TOMORROW MALAGA

R DE LA VICTORIA

6-Star Quiz

you could be out of pocket. When discussing the future with someone close, you are expected to take the lead.

too early. Bide your time and even hold your tongue when someone in a strong position spouts rubbish.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Being over-generous with cash midweek could see you making a poor move. Perhaps someone needs to be more hardworking or perhaps less of a spendthrift. Propping up a bad habit would be doing them no favours.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Confidence in a close relationship should be maintained. Possibly someone who envies your position would like to see discord. A matter of spiritual or religious faith is questioned, but the answer comes more clearly and sharply than you would have thought. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) An emotional cut-off from the past is not as bad as anticipated. Indeed, it confirms in your mind who you are and what your place in the world is. Inherited traits knit easily with your present life and bring contentment. All that you want to change at the moment are certain things round you that have been outgrown.

Sudoku

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 20) An investment made recently is built upon and brings peace of mind. Finances do need consideration but more in the long than the shortterm. Much is happening in the background that does not require your attention but, all the same, be aware. Life may be like a game of chess, but this week if you turn your back an opponent may cheat.

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

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) You realise this week how liberating it is to share your thoughts and feelings with someone close. It is not always easy to do this, until you realise everyone has them. Some hopes and dreams are more attainable than others, of course, and someone has to find out which are which. Avoid being too critical of someone young and inexperienced.

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday February 22

Saturday February22

Saturday February 22

Friday February 21

25 32

31 38

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

Almeria

CLEAR MAX 19C, MIN 11C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

17 30

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

MAX MIN

18 9 C 17 8 C 17 8 Cl

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 16 8 Cl Tues - 16 9 C Wed - 17 9 S

Fri Sat Sun -

18 10 C 14 9 C 16 8 Cl

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

MAX MIN

Mon - 14 10 C Tues - 14 11 C Wed - 15 11 S

Madrid CLOUDY MAX 14C, MIN 7C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 17 8 S Tues - 16 8 S Wed - 17 9 S

11 1 C 11 1 Cl 11 1 Cl

MAX MIN

Mon - 12 2 C Tues - 11 2 C Wed - 12 2 C

Murcia MAX 15C, MIN 8C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

17 9 C 16 9 C 14 9 C

TODAY:

MAX 18C, MIN 11C

Mallorca TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 9 S Tues - 17 8 C Wed - 17 10 S

CLOUDY MAX 16C, MIN 12C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 14 7 C Tues - 14 7 S Wed - 15 7 Cl

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 17C, MIN 11C

Benidorm

14 7 Sh 14 6 C 14 7 Cl

CLEAR

19 9 C 17 9 C 17 9 Cl

TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 13C, MIN 9C

Malaga TODAY:

CLEAR MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

TODAY:

MAX MIN

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

CLOUDY MAX 20C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

19 7 C 18 7 C 19 7 Cl

Mon - 17 7 Cl Tues - 17 7 C Wed - 18 7 S

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 D) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

Average: 30

Very good: 57

Good: 39

Excellent: 70

aced, acid, acne, alec, call, cane, cant, cedi, ceil, cell, cent, cite, clad, clan, dace, dice, iced, lace, laic, lice, nice, talc, acted, actin, antic, cadet, caned, canid, cited, clean, cleat, dance, decal, dicta, edict, enact, laced, lance, lilac, linac, nicad, telic, cadent, called, candle, canted, cantle, client, decant, delict, enatic, lanced, lancet, lectin, lentic, cedilla, citadel, deltaic, dialect, CANDLELIT

REINTEGRO 31

MEAT

Sunday February 23

Saturday February 22

LUCKY STARS 5

TODAY:

Word Ladder

LOTTERY 19

Alicante TODAY:

MAX MIN

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) A suggestion made by you recently did not seem to be taken seriously. This week, however, negotiations could be opened. Circumstances change and it may seem someone gave up

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Reading the small print or being sure what is offered in a personal encounter is most important this week. Leave nothing to chance or

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Although energy is not high, there is the need to have some kind of challenge. With the brain active, it is

Saturday, March 1, is the feast day of St David, the patron saint of Wales, so this week’s quiz is all about that Principality 1. Abertawe is the Welsh name for which city? 2. At an altitude of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, which is the highest mountain in Wales and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland? 3. Born in Tredegar on March 28, 1942, who was the vicepresident of the European Commission under Romano Prodi from 1999 to 2004? 4. Four Welsh sports stars have won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award: Dai Rees (1957), David Broome (1960) and Ryan Giggs (2009) were three, which boxer, in 2007, was the fourth? 5. If you arranged the names of the cities in Wales, which would come first? 6. Jones the Steam, Evans the Song and Dai Station were all friends of which children’s television character, who lived in the ‘top left-hand corner of Wales’?

an ideal time to plot and plan your next moves. Maybe something that has been delayed might now be advanced. You find it hard to choose between opportunities. CANCER (June 22 - July 23) The imagination stirs and the heart races at a suggestion this week. Your strong intuition tells you it is the right thing to do. You are a constant friend, but such an adventure may mean an absence from someone close.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) With a mind as sharp as a needle, you spin through the week, weaving your own charming spell. A bit of extra confidence works wonders for your mood. Something that you read sets you thinking about doing some writing or creating something artistic, perhaps even a musical.

WELSH RARE BITS OF INFORMATION

Your Stars

Josema Yuste. Born March 2, 1954. Josema Yuste is a Spanish actor, comedian and TV presenter. He was one of the members of Martes y 13. The comedy duo made their debut in the late 70s, and presented the New Yearʼs Eve special shows in the Spanish TV from 1984 to 1997. He provided the voice of the genie in the Spanish version of Disneyʼs Aladdin.

20 41

34 42

REINTEGRO 6

SAFE

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

SALT SALE SAFE

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) After a relaxed weekend, it might prove difficult to take up the reins of work again. However, midweek sees you trotting along happily and minding your own business when someone stops you in your tracks. When a challenge is issued, your natural stubbornness comes to the fore.

IF ITʼS YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Make this a year to build on friendships. Busy as you are, your well-being is tied up with those close to you. Money is not everything.

MEAT MELT MALT

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Time is precious this week because you are in demand. A chance lost in the past presents itself again but wonʼt be too easy. Holding back just a little makes you more desirable. A want to travel could be cramped by financial considerations.

1. SWANSEA, 2. SNOWDON, 3. NEIL KINNOCK, 4. JOE CALZAGHE, 5. BANGOR, 6. IVOR THE ENGINE

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CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

27 February - 5 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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