Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 13 - 19 March 2014 Issue 1497

Remembering the victims of terrorism See Page 7

4 00 2 / 03 / 11

ISSUE NO. 1497

13 - 19 MARCH 2014

Parents’ cancer battle inspires marathon run

EWN FRONT EXTRA

Tourist neighbours ALMUÑECAR begins a campaign this weekend to promote tourism in the provincial capital of Jaen.

The campaign is designed to capture the ‘nearby market’ of Jaen residents, especially for upcoming Holy Week.

Party time LA HERRADURA is putting the finishing touches to preparations for the local festival in honour of San Jose. Mayor Juan Jose Ruiz Joya described an extensive list of festivities that will be held from this Saturday to Wednesday, March 19.

Beach paths NERJA’s Councillor for Coastal Areas has announced the approval of the construction of new walkways for the beaches at Burriana and La Torrecilla to replace the current wooden ones, which are in need of updating.

INSPIRED by her parents’ fight against cancer, an Axarquia woman has decided to run Sunday’s Barcelona marathon to raise cash for research into the disease.

Laura Smith has never run a marathon before, and in her own words had ‘never really been active at all’.

But her parents’ fight against cancer has made her determined to give something back to charities dedicated to the disease as well as other worthy causes.

Laura said: “I have lived in Spain for 10 years. My parents live in

the UK and unfortunately both were diagnosed with cancer last year. On a positive note, they are both recovering well.”

Laura added: “I

decided I wanted to challenge myself and as my father had run three London marathons, I decided to train for one, and chose Barcelona for my first race.”

Case dismissed against ex-mayor THE official accusation against Almuñecar’s former mayor Juan Carlos Benavides has been thrown out on the grounds of manipulated evidence.

The second magistrate’s court of Almuñecar shelved the case which had been brought two years prior for the allegedly inappropriate awarding of a printing contract to local printing company Graficas Seximar.

Fair and consistent exchange rates

eXpertly done Tel: 951 203 986 spain@hifx.co.uk Find us on page 21 Don’t let the banks cash in. www.hifx.co.uk

WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

The judge presiding over the case noted the lack of sufficient evidence to go along with the claims being made.

In fact, the communiqué stated that the accusation was based on ‘manipulated facts’ which had been brought by the local conservative party Partido Popular (PP) and their partners from the left-wing party Izquierda Unida.

In a heart-warming show of support, friends of Laura decided to rally round to help her fulfil her goal.

Laura said: “Gradually friends started to join me and now there are five of us in total: myself, Laura Smith, Rose Lock, Michelle Leach, Rachel Langley and Sally Parkinson (pictured).

“We have all been training for several months. I started in September 2013.”

The charities being supported by the team are: Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund; Down’s Syndrome Association; Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, and Parkinson’s.

To sponsor the ladies visit: https://www.justgiving. com/teams/barcelona marathon2014 After the event, there will be a celebration Charity Night at Bar Hideaway in La Herradura on March 22.

2

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1-9

Finance 13 - 18

Letters STANDSTILL: The Velez-Malaga tram system.

Financial court to probe tram costs THE state’s financial courts have decided to include in its plans for 2014 the investigation of the development, maintenance and management of VelezMalaga’s tram system.

Twenty-one months after the conservative Partido Popular (PP) decided to bring the tram to a standstill, the investigation will look into the project, in which the Junta de Andalucia regional government has invested €40 million to date.

The Velez-Malaga tram, officially launched in 2006, was brought to a halt by the PP mayor Francisco Delgado Bonilla in June 2012 “for being a complete financial ruin for the city.”

The court’s decision to investigate comes in part from a request on the part of the PP for a closer look into the investments and maintenance expenses of completed and anticipated tram systems not only in VelezMalaga but also in Parla, Zaragoza and Jaen “as an exercise in transparency.”

19

Leapy Lee 20

Daily TV 24

Time out 28 - 29

Classifieds 37 - 38

Sport 40

NEWS Beware allergens AFTER light rains have delayed blooming, the ‘pollen boom’ of 2014 is expected to reach its peak in the coming week, with cypress and banana trees the main culprits as strongest allergens.

Malaga arson AN eight-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man have been taken to hospital following an intentionally-started fire in a fourth-floor Malaga flat. One person has been arrested following the incident.

www.euroweeklynews.com

Illegal Bingo game raided AN ongoing campaign against illegal Bingo saw police raid a Nerja bar which had 40 people enjoying the housewife’s favourite game.

Police from the Ministry of Justice and the Interior called ‘House’ on the game at the bar in Plaza de la Marina. They seized 9,000 cards, €179 cash as well as two TV screens and a DVD with a Bingo programme on it.

Police said the bar put on Bingo games several afternoons a week with a minimum of 40 players at a time sitting at 10 tables.

Last year the police unit shut down a total of six

Losses incurred THE losses incurred by Muelle Uno, the commercial centre in the port of Malaga, continue to go up. Recorded losses since its opening in 2011 have reached €8 million.

Reclaiming territory STUDENTS and teachers at Malaga’s Supreme Dance Conservatory have taken to the streets with various forms of dance in attempts to reclaim their appointment as a proper faculty at the University of Malaga.

Flexibility billing EMASA, Malaga’s water supplier, has announced it will be working with clients going through financial difficulties. In 2012, 6,800 EMASA clients in Malaga had their water cut due to inability to pay bills.

‘

Bingo ‘halls’ in Malaga Province - and they seem to be targeting the Axarquia. Three of the targeted ‘halls’ were in Velez-Malaga. Another was in Villanueva del Rosario, one in Malaga City and one in Cartama Estacion.

Three bars holding illegal poker sessions in Benajarafe de Velez-Malaga, Mijas and Estepona were also raided. In the campaign against illegal gambling, 62 ‘denuncias’ have been made and 11,873 illegal lottery tickets have also been seized.

EWN

3

N

ews watch

Property prices

LATEST figures indicate the average cost of a new home in Malaga City has decreased 46 per cent in the last six years, from €2.89 per square metre in 2007 to €1.53 in 2013.

Legal options AIRPORT taxi drivers at Malaga Airport are looking into their legal options after an illegal week-long strike that took place last month. They are claiming damages suffered from out-of-province taxi drivers during that time.

FATHER’S DAY: Celebrated in Spain on March 19 which is also Saint Joseph’s Day.

Inflated figures MALAGA’S Labour Office has noted that 42 per cent, almost half, of all persons filing for unemployment benefits are not entitled. This is a 30 per cent increase over 2012 and almost double from 2011.

Unconventional sport THE councilman for Accessibility and Mobility in Malaga has been accused of improper use of a pedestrian walkway for traveling in a wheelchair tied to the back of a bicycle, which he claimed is legal.

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Allegation denied A MAN has appeared in a Malaga court to deny an accusation against him of having tried to suffocate a woman with a pillow and rob her of €680 she was carrying.

Differing views

Time for the dads!

M

ARCH 19 is Saint Joseph’s Day and in Spain, it’s Father’s Day. In 1948, a schoolteacher in Dehesa de la Villa (north of Madrid) decided to mark the day at her school to keep her students’ fathers happy, as some of them claimed to be ‘jealous’ of Mother’s Day and wanted a day of their own.

The date was chosen to coincide with Saint Joseph’s Day, as she considered him the ideal role model for Christian fathers. The event included mass, gifts for the fathers hand-made by the girls, and a party with poetry, dancing and a play.

The idea became popular and was announced the following year in local papers with which the teacher collaborated. In 1951, it went national, thanks to a programme on the national radio station.

Quote of the Week We would have suffered a lot less if the bombing had been done by ETA.’

Pilar Manjon, President of 11-M, who lost her son in the March 11 Madrid train bombing.

It was promoted in 1953 by the manager at the time of the Galerias Preciados store, Jose Fernandez, and later by its rival, El Corte Ingles, thanks to its manager Ramon Areces.

In Valencia, both the city and most of the region, it is also the most important day of the ‘fallas’ celebrations.

Each neighbourhood has a group of people, the Casal faller, that works all year holding fundraising events, usually featuring paella, to produce the ‘fallas’. They are made of papiermâché and each of the figures is known as a ‘ninot’ (doll). Each group takes theirs out during a parade so they can be seen before eventually being burned with the help of fireworks.

The figures are traditionally a satirical dig at famous people and events that attract the attention of the creators.

Number of the week was the number of games in three sets needed by No. 28 ranked Alexandr Dolgopolov in his stunning upset over Rafa Nadal, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6.

31

THE Andaluz Patients’ Forum in Malaga has asked the Junta de Andalucia to consider patients’ opinions in improving quality of life, stating that “health professionals and patients have different views on health care.”

On hold PLANS for the ‘new’ Astoria in Malaga are prolonged a year after plans were revealed to convert the old theatre into a gourmet market. The building continues in disuse due to lack of renovation funds.

Canine cops THE Guardia Civil in Malaga report having used more than a dozen guard dogs in their operations. The trained dogs are mainly used in the areas of drug and explosives detection.

And finally...

Beware unkempt toilets! Learn from the unlucky lady who had a public toilet in Barcelona’s Gothic quarter explode under her. The poorly-maintained septic tank had a huge build-up of methane gas, which resulted in a spark from the light switch causing an explosion, leaving her with second- and third-degree burns to the legs. She is suing the bar owner.

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Malaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

A Spanish nanny for UK’s Prince George THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have picked a Spanish-born nanny for baby George The new nanny, who is thought to have started working for William and Kate last month, is currently being shown the ropes

by Kate’s mum Carole Middleton.

William and Kate are currently enjoying a romantic break in the Maldives. They arrived in the capital Malé last Thursday on their first trip away alone together since the birth of baby George last summer.

Sources say the Spanish-born nanny, who ‘lives for her job’ is using this time to bond with baby George.

The dark-haired woman has been seen out and about with her

CREDIT PA.

6

PRINCE GEORGE: Bonding time with his new nanny while parents are away. charge. They’ve been spotted strolling around

London’s Hyde Park, a protection officer in tow.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

EWN

7

Spain still fears terror 10 years after train attack in Madrid SPAIN’S government has warned that the country is still a terror target, a decade after the Madrid train attack that killed 191 people.

It was 10 years ago that AlQaeda style terrorists blew up four commuter trains in Madrid in what is still seen as Spain’s worst terror attack, and Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said Islamist extremists are still a threat.

The minister told Onda Cero radio that intelligence on AlQaeda members and affiliates had revealed that reference has frequently been made to ‘Al Andalus’, or Spain.

“Clearly Spain forms part of the strategic objectives of global jihad. We are not the only ones but we are in their sights obviously,” Fernandez Diaz said.

He added that the Spanish counter-terrorist service’s alert level is at its second-highest

ATOCHA STATION: Scene of Spain’s worst terror attack. category, signifying ‘a likely risk of attack’. This level has not changed in recent years and is identical to that of most countries in the region.

Diaz said that since the March

11, 2004, attack, 472 suspected Islamic extremists have been arrested. Following the 2004 attack Spanish courts sentenced 18 people for the shrapnel-filled bomb attack that killed 191

people and injured more than 1,800 on four commuter trains heading for Atocha Station, Madrid.

Basque separatist group ETA was the prime suspect but Diaz

said the facts and the judicial process had since shown that ETA was not involved.

The seven main suspects committed suicide on April 3, 2004, by blowing themselves up in an apartment near Madrid, killing a policeman in the blast.

Aside from the intelligence service, some 1,800 Spanish police and counter-terrorist security forces were devoted to confronting the threat, according to Diaz.

He presided over a ceremony in Madrid last week to present civilian awards to 365 of those affected by the attacks.

A study by Spanish research facility Royal Elcano Institute said 84 Islamists, all young men, were convicted for attack plots in Spain between 1996 and 2012, or died in relation to such attacks. Most of these Islamists were firstgeneration immigrants from Algeria, Morocco or Pakistan.

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 -19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

New electricity pricing to apply next month A NEW system for calculating the price of electricity will come into force next month. The Ministry for Industry, Tourism and Trade has confirmed the new mechanism will be applied from April 1.

Weekly News, the mechanism will set the variable part of the electricity bill, which accounts for 45 per cent of the total, in accordance with the average price on the wholesale market.

Users with meters that calculate electricity usage per hour, also known as ‘intelligent’ meters, will pay depending on the market price every hour. This way the prices of the Church comes MW per hour could go from against the backdrop of €0 in the early hours of the a controversial legal morning, to up to €90 in reform of existing the evening, sources said. abortion legislation.

Sources at the ministry led by Jose Manuel Soria said the overall savings with the new system would be of an average 3 per cent reduction in consumers’ bills.

As previously reported by the Euro

Bishop: Abortion ‘a silent holocaust’ AS the row goes on about Spain’s proposed anti-abortion legislation, a Catholic bishop has called abortion ‘a silent holocaust’.

Juan Antonio Reig Pla, the Bishop of Alcala de Henares, said that since 1985 when abortion was made legal in Spain, there had been “two million abortions, many more deaths than during the Spanish Civil War.” Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz Gallardon has been pushing for the new

regulations that would drastically curtail the opportunities for women to terminate pregnancies.

There would, if the legislation is passed, be a ban on abortion except for cases of rape or a serious risk to the mother's health. The bishop is sure to have angered pro-abortion supporters when he said that terminations are evidence of a “backwards society.”

This new statement by

ORCHESTRA: Perform for

EWN

9

10

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

OPINION

www.euroweeklynews.com

A note from the

Editor

Democracy’s gain from 11-M T EN years ago Spain suffered its worst terrorist attack. On March 11, 2004, people not just in this country, but around the world, were left numb with shock at the TV images of the train bombings that shattered the lives of hundreds of families.

One hundred and ninety-one people died and 1,900 were injured - many with life-changing injuries - in the indiscriminate attacks by al-Quaeda inspired Islamist extremists. Ten bombs ripped through four of Madrid’s commuter trains, targeting thousands of innocent civilians.

The results of the attack were farreaching. A general election was held just three days later with the conservative PP party of Jose Maria Aznar being swept from power.

That was not a result of the public blaming the government, but rather of their disgust at what many saw as blatant political posturing. An attempt

to blame home-grown terrorists ETA to deflect attention away from the hugely unpopular Iraq war back-fired at the voting booths.

But it was a watershed in many ways for the Spanish public. From that incident can be traced the disenchantment with politics - or rather politicians - that has grown ever stronger through corruption scandal after scandal, a growing determination not to let the governing elite ‘get away with it.’ It can be argued that the horrifying March 11 attack, known in Spain as 11-M, was the catalyst for the seemingly endless list of criminal cases brought against politicians of all hues.

And in the long term that will only strengthen democracy in Spain.

It is a time of sombre remembrance, a time to recall those who died, but perhaps the most fitting memorial to those who died and their families is this: the anti-democratic terrorists lost.

Democracy won.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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

business & legal

Green payments...

Internet bills save trees and companies SPANISH companies sent out 59 million email bills in the first three months of 2013. They saved €458 million and 250,000 hours of ‘repetitive and unproductive work,’ found a survey by Seres, an organisation specialising in electronic transactions. Apart from the economic advantages, these internet bills saved 3,300 pines from being felled.

Nor are the advantages limited to the electricity, gas and communications’ multinationals, according to Alberto Redondo, director of marketing at Seres.

The benefits of electronic billing extend to small and medium-sized firms, he said, with an average saving of €4.85 in receiving a payment and €2.82 in issuing a bill.

No puzzle over taxman solution SPAIN and Switzerland are negotiating a deal to ensure that the Spanish owners of numbered accounts pay tax.

This will not be a “Rubik agreement,” Spain insisted, referring to treaties aimed at tackling tax evasion by EU residents with secret Swiss accounts.

The name allegedly refers to the intellectual challenge faced by the Swiss authorities of shedding their international reputation of facilitating tax evasion without sacrificing Switzerland’s hallowed banking secrecy.

They solved the puzzle with a

compromise whereby a person or company hands over up to 34 per cent of their money to their country of origin on condition that their identity is not revealed.

A Rubik agreement, said Spain’s tax authority Hacienda, goes against policies orientated towards exchange of information and administrative assistance between states.

It is more interested in pursuing fraud, sources said, not least because Hacienda can impose fines of up to 150 per cent of the defrauded amounts.

B

usiness extra

Pay dispute mediation AFTER the collective agreement with workers at Alstrom’s Santa Perpetua (Barcelona) plant expired in January, the French company cut pay by 14 per cent. The regional government is mediating between both sides.

Car stars GENERAL MOTORS assured the future of the Figueruelas (Zaragoza) Opel plant with a €210 million investment. Two important GM models, the Mokka and a new Meriva, will be produced there.

Good news for jobless UNEMPLOYMENT fell in February for the first time since the onset of the economic crisis.

The last time that unemployment fell during this month was in 2007 when jobless fell by 7,233. This year there were 1,949 fewer out of work in February than January, a 0.04 per cent improvement.

Employment is unstable in

February, the Ministry of Labour explained. Statistics show that since records began in 1996, unemployment has fallen on 10 occasions, including 2014, and rose in the nine remaining years.

This was the seventh consecutive month with lower unemployment figures, making a total of 227,736 back in work in the last 12 months.

PINE FORESTS: Internet bills save trees being felled

EWN

13

STAT OF WEEK DESPITE an €815.52 million turnover, cigarette sales fell by 7 per cent to 187.25 million packets in January. Marlboro, the most popular brand, occupied 14.90 per cent of the market.

14

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

LONDON - FTSE 100 MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 10

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 377.50 Admiral Group PLC 1499.00 Aggreko PLC 1553.50 AMEC PLC 1094.00 Anglo American PLC 1450.50 Antofagasta PLC 865.50 ARM Holdings PLC 994.00 Ashtead Group PLC 939.00 Associated British Foods 2971.50 AstraZeneca PLC 4011.00 Aviva PLC 513.50 Babcock International 1438.50 BAE Systems PLC 406.15 Barclays PLC 242.97 BG Group PLC 1085.75 BHP Billiton PLC 1831.00 BP PLC 485.47 British Amrican Tobacco 3342.50

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 1.00 0.27 -2.00 -0.13 -2.00 -0.13 4.00 0.37 17.50 1.22 7.00 0.82 3.48 0.35 3.50 0.37 -4.00 -0.13 22.50 0.56 4.00 0.79 2.00 0.14 3.30 0.82 0.72 0.30 -2.31 -0.21 9.50 0.52 1.45 0.30 3.00 0.09

NET VOLUME 376.00 1500.00 1556.00 1089.00 1433.00 858.50 992.00 936.00 2976.00 3989.50 509.50 1437.00 402.70 242.00 1087.50 1822.00 484.00 3340.50

See our advert on page 17

0.83276

Units per €

US dollar.................................................................1.38537 Japan yen..............................................................143.082 Switzerland franc................................................1.21888 Denmark kroner ................................................7.46248 Norway kroner....................................................8.26501

currenciesdirect.com/marbella • Tel: +34 952 906 581 C O M PA N Y

PRICE(P)

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

689.50 921.50 397.80 1594.50 1463.50 1129.50 2390.00

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 10

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 10

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 133.56 93.70 32.51 126.89 96.75 115.84 21.68 67.35 95.50 26.04 173.51 82.18 24.84 186.39 93.45 59.20 95.20 57.32 37.82 78.98 32.39 78.53 38.65 83.78 117.77 77.88 47.03 225.50 74.43 81.97

-0.55 -0.16 -0.03 -1.65 -0.30 +0.76 -0.04 +0.11 +0.51 -0.09 -0.75 -0.37 +0.20 -1.29 +0.13 -0.20 -0.30 -0.15 -0.08 -0.48 -0.04 +0.15 +0.10 -0.15 -0.54 +0.48 -0.12 -0.06 -0.15 -0.24

-0.41% -0.17% -0.09% -1.28% -0.31% +0.66% -0.18% +0.16% +0.54% -0.34% -0.43% -0.45% +0.81% -0.69% +0.14% -0.34% -0.31% -0.26% -0.21% -0.60% -0.12% +0.19% +0.26% -0.18% -0.46% +0.62% -0.25% -0.03% -0.20% -0.29%

2.0M 2.2M 24.9M 7.0M 4.7M 6.2M 26.2M 2.7M 10.0M 22.3M 2.2M 4.1M 24.9M 4.6M 4.9M 17.0M 4.4M 7.4M 19.0M 2.7M 16.0M 5.2M 14.5M 2.0M 2.5M 3.0M 32.4M 1.8M 4.8M 5.2M

1.20081

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 1.00 4.00 0.70 -1.00 -7.00 4.38 -3.00

C O M PA N Y

0.15 0.44 0.18 -0.06 -0.48 0.39 -0.13

NET VOLUME 688.50 918.00 397.10 1597.00 1470.00 1126.00 2391.00

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 10 $ 6.8799 $ 18.83 $ 20.66 $ 7.27 $ 33.89 $ 3.9299 $ 15.512 $ 4.45 $ 22.19 $ 5.92

4.18 ▲ 71.82% 1.5999 ▲ 30.30% 3.84 ▲ 25.62% 3.50 ▲ 20.40% 1.22 ▲ 20.17% 4.65 ▲ 15.90% 0.3999 ▲ 11.33% 1.532 ▲ 10.96% 0.38 ▲ 9.34% 1.84 ▲ 9.04% 0.49 ▲ 9.02%

$ 3.54 $ 2.09 $ 3.9599 $ 2.03 $ 47.49 $ 3.78 $ 26.97 $ 16.18 $ 13.68 $ 12.04 $ 2.64

0.61 ▼ 14.70% 0.33 ▼ 13.64% 0.5701 ▼ 12.58% 0.2664 ▼ 11.60% 5.99 ▼ 11.20% 0.44 ▼ 10.43% 2.88 ▼ 9.65% 1.67 ▼ 9.36% 1.30 ▼ 8.68% 1.10 ▼ 8.37% 0.24 ▼ 8.33%

Most Advanced UBIC, Inc. Ballard Power Systems, Inc. Egalet Corporation Montage Technology Group Limited Mattersight Corporation Hydrogenics Corporation FuelCell Energy, Inc. Himax Technologies, Inc. EveryWare Global, Inc. P.A.M. Transportation Services, Inc. Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Most Declined First Financial Service Corporation Smith Micro Software, Inc. Dot Hill Systems Corporation Reliv' International, Inc. Varonis Systems, Inc. NewLead Holdings Ltd. China Lodging Group, Limited ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. B Communications Ltd. Amtech Systems, Inc. Origin Agritech Limited

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) Centrica PLC 329.15 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1471.50 Compass Group PLC 938.25 CRH PLC 1702.50 Diageo PLC 1855.75 easyJet PLC 1651.50 Experian PLC 1044.50 Fresnillo PLC 896.75 G4S PLC 244.25 GKN PLC 387.40 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1672.75 Glencore Xstrata PLC 319.10 Hammerson PLC 568.75 Hargreaves Lansdown 1387.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 621.25 IMI PLC 1449.50 Imperial Tobacco Group 2481.50 InterContinental Hotels 1900.00 International Consldtd ... 439.75 Intertek Group PLC 3036.50 ITV PLC 196.25 Johnson Matthey PLC 3178.00 Kingfisher PLC 401.15 Land Securities Group 1077.00 Legal & General Group 234.25 Lloyds Banking Group 81.96 London Stock Exchange 2015.50 Marks & Spencer Group 480.95 Meggitt PLC 469.05 Melrose Industries PLC 298.05 Mondi PLC 1094.00 National Grid PLC 825.50 Next PLC 6625.00 Old Mutual PLC 195.30 Pearson PLC 1023.50 Persimmon PLC 1323.50 Petrofac Ltd 1355.50 Prudential PLC 1359.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 4877.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 4854.50 Reed Elsevier PLC 919.50 Resolution Ltd 377.55 REXAM PLC 489.45 Rio Tinto PLC 3187.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings 1047.50 Royal Bank of Scotland 320.55 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2340.25 Royal Mail PLC 588.00 RSA Insurance Group PLC 95.45 SABMiller PLC 2923.25 Sage Group (The) PLC 417.55 Sainsbury (J) PLC 337.70 Schroders PLC 2651.00 Severn Trent PLC 1851.50 Shire PLC 3266.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 926.00 Smiths Group PLC 1356.50 Sports Direct Intrntionl... 816.25 SSE PLC 1427.50 Standard Chartered PLC 1256.50 Standard Life PLC 372.40 Tate & Lyle PLC 642.00 Tesco PLC 320.75 Travis Perkins PLC 1880.00 TUI Travel PLC 431.05 Tullow Oil PLC 804.50 Unilever PLC 2402.00 United Utilities Group 793.25 Vodafone Group PLC 230.15 Weir Group PLC 2515.00 Whitbread PLC 4355.50 William Hill PLC 375.55 Wm Morrison Sprmrkts 233.00 Wolseley PLC 3428.00 WPP PLC 1219.00

CHANGE 1.63 0.00 0.00 -1.00 -0.10 9.00 3.00 2.00 -0.90 3.80 0.20 2.12 -2.00 4.20 5.50 -2.00 -5.00 -8.00 6.70 -12.00 0.07 -8.00 -1.80 4.00 0.00 0.43 17.00 -0.80 -0.40 3.00 -0.36 2.38 30.00 -0.39 3.00 -5.00 -2.00 0.10 -16.00 13.00 -1.50 -0.40 0.30 48.00 4.00 0.70 -2.31 -1.15 0.03 -1.00 0.30 0.10 0.00 -1.00 7.00 2.50 -1.00 7.50 4.00 9.00 0.37 -0.50 0.75 6.00 1.30 0.88 -12.00 -2.00 0.14 6.00 12.05 1.87 -0.76 -4.00 -2.00

% C H G. 0.50 0.00 0.00 -0.06 -0.01 0.55 0.29 0.22 -0.37 0.99 0.01 0.67 -0.35 0.30 0.89 -0.14 -0.20 -0.42 1.55 -0.39 0.04 -0.25 -0.45 0.37 0.00 0.53 0.85 -0.17 -0.09 1.02 -0.03 0.29 0.45 -0.20 0.29 -0.38 -0.15 0.01 -0.33 0.27 -0.16 -0.11 0.06 1.53 0.38 0.22 -0.10 -0.20 0.03 -0.03 0.07 0.03 0.00 -0.05 0.21 0.27 -0.07 0.93 0.28 0.72 0.10 -0.08 0.23 0.32 0.30 0.11 -0.50 -0.25 0.06 0.24 0.28 0.50 -0.33 -0.12 -0.16

VOLUME 327.40 1471.00 938.50 1702.00 1855.00 1641.00 1043.00 896.00 245.00 383.70 1672.50 317.00 570.50 1384.00 615.70 1450.00 2487.00 1907.00 433.10 3046.00 196.80 3188.00 402.90 1073.00 234.30 81.50 1998.00 481.50 469.30 295.00 1094.00 824.50 6595.00 195.60 1022.00 1329.00 1357.00 1358.00 4896.00 4840.00 921.00 378.30 489.30 3139.50 1043.00 319.80 2342.50 589.00 95.40 2924.00 417.50 337.60 2648.00 1853.00 3258.00 923.00 1354.00 809.00 1424.00 1247.50 372.00 642.50 320.25 1875.00 429.80 804.00 2414.00 795.50 230.10 2512.00 4345.00 373.90 233.70 3429.00 1221.00

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

EWN

15

Challenges still remain towards the recovery of the Spanish economy THE economic recovery is gaining ground in Spain, but challenges remain.

Spain is no longer on the list of European Union member states with excessive economic imbalances, but has been asked to follow a set of demands to address consistent problems.

In the conclusions emerging from the in-depth reviews carried out into 17 member states’ economies, the European Commission (EC) considers that a significant adjustment has taken place over the last year and that on current trends, imbalances would continue to abate over time.

However, while this is the basis to conclude that imbalances in Spain are no longer excessive, the Commission stresses that risks are still present.

It said that Spain’s current

ECONOMY: Spain is starting to fit the pieces together. account has turned into surplus, as a result of a combination of import compression and strong exports, supported by competiveness gain.

These positive developments have led to a strong return of confidence, seen in the return of foreign capital inflows and a rise in business and consumer confidence.

Yet, the EC notes the very high stock of private and public debt, both domestic and external, poses risks for growth and financial stability.

The adjustment of private

Traffic in Spain falls as economy struggles WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

Santander executives learn to understand the message ANA PATRICIA BOTIN is regarded as one of the world’s 50 most influential businesswomen.

She is the daughter of banker Emilio Botin, president of Santander Bank, and runs the group’s UK subsidiary. Despite her position, she and other Santander executives recently visited branches to work incognito behind the counter and at the other end of a call centre telephone.

They were following the example of Emilio Botin who has personally visited Santander branches, urging managers to make more loans available.

Santander feels the need to transform the face its 183,000 employees show to the 103 million clients of its 14,000 branches. This is more than an exercise in empathy, as the bank is striving to boost profits after seven years of crisis.

A client in Britain discovered only afterwards the employee who had recommended Santander’s online banking app to her was in fact the

ANA PATRICIA BOTIN: Temporary employee of the bank she runs. owner’s daughter. The young man who told a bank clerk he would not become a Santander client until it was “more like ING” didn’t guess he was speaking to Santander managing director Enrique Garcia Candelas.

The business-owner who rang the Santander call centre about the nonarrival of a point of sale terminal for processing card payments will never know her complaint was handled by

sector balance sheets is advancing, but unemployment at alarming levels and falling incomes have limited the pace of deleveraging of households, that is, the percentage of debt in their balance sheet.

The Commission considers that the challenge for Spain is to ensure that deleveraging will go hand in hand with positive credit flows to financially healthy borrowers.

Removing hindrances in the functioning of the product and financial markets and efficient insolvency procedures, the EC continues, could reduce the drag on growth from deleveraging.

Finally, the Commission said that Spain should meet the 2014 fiscal deficit target thanks to the improving macroeconomic prospects, even though the 2013 target may have been missed.

the bank’s head of Technology and Operations, Jose Maria Fuster.

Executives from Germany, Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil who worked incognito all received the same message, Santander revealed. Listening to clients, understanding them and getting closer to them is a priority, even though the bank would sometimes prefer not to hear what they are saying.

TRAFFIC congestion fell in Spain in 2013 as its economy continued to struggle with high unemployment.

Data from traffic information and driver services provider INRIX shows that Spain recorded an 8 per cent fall in congestion last year.

Spanish drivers spent approximately eight fewer hours in traffic in 2013 than in 2012, as the economy contracted and unemployment was at around 26 per cent.

This puts Spain in 11th place in Europe for time spent in traffic in 2013, above only Hungary and Portugal.

NRIX analysed data from 13 European countries and the congestion landscape generally aligned closely with each country’s economic outlook.

According to the INRIX report, those nations

struggling with high unemployment and low or negative growth in 2013 typically recorded lower traffic congestion than in 2012.

In that sense, traffic congestion rose approximately 6 per cent on average per quarter for the final three quarters of the year in Europe, hinting at signs of a possible economy recovery.

Of the six Spanish cities included in the report, all six recorded falls in traffic congestion from 2012 to 2013.

The most congested Spanish city was Bilbao, where drivers spent approximately 24 hours in traffic in 2013, a fall of eight hours on the previous year’s figures.

Madrid followed closely in second, with Valencia recording the largest fall in time spent in congestion.

16

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Financial troubles make you fat?

Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

D

O you ever have those moments? The ones where you just can’t stop eating. Last night after a long day at work I arrived home to a full fridge. It had been stacked with fresh fruit and vegetables - and chocolate.

I had one piece of chocolate, then another.

Then I got up off the couch for another piece and another, and another. I just couldn’t stop.

I don’t think I am that stressed out financially at the moment, but according to a news report women who are financially worried are more prone to binge eating and getting obese.

HUNGRY?: Perhaps you are worrying about your finances?

Oh, come to think of it, on top of my mortgage, bills and travel plans, my bike was stolen last month, so I have been trying to put aside a few quid to buy a new one!

And I have been trying to

save for an event that is taking place later this year.

So I suppose there is some financial concern looming over me at the moment.

But is it this concern that has me scoffing chocolates like there is no tomorrow?

Can my neighbour install a camera that overlooks my swimming pool?

Q. My neighbour in the next villa has installed a video surveillance camera You and the outside his house, ostensibly to watch his Law in Spain garden. The camera’s field of view,

By David Searl however, includes part of my own garden and swimming pool area. That is, if I can see the camera, it can see me by my pool. Is there anything I can do to prevent this?

LM (Costa Blanca) A. The use of surveillance cameras in Spain is regulated by the LOPD, the Ley Organica de Proteccion de Datos, the Organic Law of Data Protection, or LOPD, which went into effect in 1999.

The law is enforced by the Agencia de Protección de Datos, the APD for short. Their Directive 1/2006 provides that an easily seen notice of the camera’s presence will be sufficient. The Agency has

a website which offers complete details.

A private citizen may place surveillance cameras in his home or watching his garden to ensure his security from theft. This ‘private and domestic use’ of cameras falls outside the data protection law.

That is, if the camera only sees images in real time. If it includes a system to record and transmit the images, it then falls under the data protection act.

In your case, it will be difficult to show an invasion of privacy if your pool is clearly visible from your neighbour’s house.

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

According to the news report, financial trouble can be a cause of obesity in women, due in part to the specific hormones females release when stressed. A body under a certain amount of stress releases a

hormone called cortisol, which triggers hunger in the brain. And this is thought to be a contributing factor, since women see financial trouble as stressful.

Men, however, don’t have to worry about their waistlines, because the report states men view money troubles as a challenge to overcome, which would release adrenaline in their bodies - a hormone that actually curbs hunger.

Nonsense, the lot of it!

Girls if you are stressed out, perhaps behind on your rent or bills, and you happen to pig out once in a while - it’s no big deal.

Being smart about money has absolutely nothing to do with hormones and more to do with planning, budgeting and using common sense.

What next? A report that if a woman sees a spider in her shower, chances are her pension will be in danger!

Watch this space.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Done deal IAG, formerly BA and Iberia, now owns 99.36 per cent of budget airline Vueling. After acquiring 90 per cent in last year’s takeovers, IAG obtained the remainder from minor shareholders in November and December.

Arm-twisting BARCELONA’S regional government will charge banks up to €1,650 for every empty property they own. It hopes this will prompt banks to rent out their 40,000 repossessed homes.

Profit up MERCADONA’S net profit amounted to €515 million in 2013, a 1 per cent increase in relation to the previous exercise. This has been achieved keeping a workforce of 74,000 people, President Juan Roig said.

2014 Forbes Rich List includes 26 Spaniards SPAIN has 26 dollar billionaires on the 2014 Forbes Rich List, more than before the financial crisis.

Twenty-two Spaniards had assets of more than $1 billion in 2007 but this number dipped to 15 during the recession before inching up to 20 last year.

They have a combined wealth of $122.5 billion (€88.97 billion), equivalent to 9 per cent of Spain’s GDP. Amancio Ortega, owner of Inditex and the Zara label, the world’s thirdrichest man, is the only Spaniard in the Forbes Top 10. He is worth $64 billion, $7 billion more than last year.

He is preceded by Carlos Slim ($72 billion) and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates ($76 billion).

The next Spanish name on the Forbes list belongs to Ortega’s daughter Sandra ($6.1 billion). She occupies 227th place after inheriting from her mother, Ortega’s ex-wife Rosalia Mera, who died last year.

Next comes Turkish-born Isak Andic ($5.7 billion), president of the Mango clothing chain, whose assets

AMANCIO ORTEGA: Owner of Zara. increased by $700 million in 2013 to put him in 244th place.

Mercadona president Juan Roig ($4.8 billion) fell 86 places to 305th after losing $700 million last year.

In contrast Rafael del Pino ($3.4 billion), president of Ferrovial, increased his wealth by $1 billion in 2013 and was ranked 466th.

OPINION & COMMENT

Holidaying Brits deserve a monument I AM writing for myself but I am certain that I also represent many local businesses in Mijas Pueblo. We continuously discuss the way local politicians congratulate themselves about the contracts signed with Japanese tour operators.

The figures as to how many Japanese tourists visit Mijas (100,000 last year) might be right, but the truth about what they spend and how we all benefit is a complete lie.

Yes, the Japanese visit bars, restaurants and shops, but only the ones where they are told to go.

Distributing brochures is banned in Mijas, so before they arrive Japanese tourists are given a photocopied map and a route with places of interest to visit and take photos.

In between are the shops where they should make purchases (because the rest are not good shops and we might cheat them?).

Recommended restaurants and bars are not on the map because these have contracts with the tour operators.

It just happens that all the recommended businesses belong to local politicians, local guides and their friends.

They recently erected a monument to all the Japanese visiting Mijas. What about all the other nationalities that keep local businesses going? What about the British who really support the Costa del Sol? They spend the most, they are jolly and the most polite. They deserve a monument!

Agustina Blesa Rodriguez, Mijas Village (Malaga)

Telephone con tricks I WISH to alert readers to two recent scams.

You receive a phone call saying your computer is about to crash and to start it up. These people say they are from Microsoft in Glasgow and are trying to clean out viruses. They

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Letters YOURSAY@EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

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

Members of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club recently enjoyed this stunning scenery at the La Pedrera reservoir before a fabulous lunch in Rebate, about 30 minutes from Torrevieja.

Eric Arnold (By email) give a fictitious address and phone number and they ask for money.

Luckily I realised it was a scam.

The following day I received a phone call from a lady called Gabriella saying she represented a company called Minute Media who previously traded as Spantel. She said I had an outstanding bill from last June, which is nonsense as I changed telephone server before then.

She gave a 900 free number which I called and a woman there said I owed €180.

Yvonne Thomas, Torremolinos (Malaga)

Light fantastic I HAVE just been looking at the picture of the Lions Club president handing over €500 to the mayor of Rojales to help feed homeless and needy families in the area.

Sometimes I wonder whether mayors and councils are doing enough for these unfortunate people.

For example, there is a lovely sports centre in Calle Dr Quiles Mora adjacent to the Norwegian School in Quesada. At one end there are seven full-size street lights and six at the other that come on at 6pm and go off at 6am.

The caretaker arrives at 8am

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

Letters may also be edited.

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

www.euroweeklynews.com

to unlock the gates to the sports centre and locks them again at 8pm. Thirteen lamps are alight for 10 hours a night, six nights a week, and 12 hours on Sundays when the centre is closed.

In total that is 792 hours a week and in a short month like February works out at 3,168 hours when the sports centre is locked up with no access. It would be interesting to know the cost in euros.

J Billet, Quesada (Alicante)

Disappearing act CAN you explain to me where the Hijate (Almeria) station on the ‘Via Verde’ is located as I cycle the route regularly and have no idea where it is?

It was a good article on your front page and is very welcome, only we have heard many times that it will be started soon but

nothing ever happens.

Best wishes on a great newspaper.

Martin (By email) Editor’s note: Part of the disused Lorca to Baza railway line in Almeria will become a Green Route but the station no longer exists.

Lessons to be learnt SO FAR even Herculean efforts haven’t been able to put a dent in Spain’s stubbornly cruel unemployment rate of more than 25 per cent.

In last week’s annual State of the Nation address, President Mariano Rajoy once again promised to “lower it considerably.” Here’s hoping, although don’t hold your breath!

I remember how angry, frustrated Americans complained bitterly about the 7.8 per cent jobless rate Obama inherited when he became Commander-in-Chief. It took him five years to lower it to the present ‘almost tolerable’ 6.7 per cent with hopes of generating more and better jobs in the nottoo-distant future.

So we can imagine Spain’s plight on being saddled with its lengthy (seven years and running) 25 per cent unemployment rate.

EWN

19

What I didn’t know until last week was the relatively very favourable economic situation in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to a Time Magazine article entitled ‘The committee to save Mexico,’ the unemployment rate now stands at 4.76 per cent, down from 5 per cent in December 2012 when Enrique Peña Nieto became president. The average jobless rate in Latin America and the Caribbean countries in 2013 was 6.3 per cent.

Maybe President Rajoy could employ some Mexican or Caribbean economic advisers.

Richard M McBride, Benidorm (Alicante)

Service versus servant HAVING just returned from the US I can report that tipping adds much to the experience of eating out, as much as 30 per cent in some cases.

Perhaps that’s why so many Americans eat takeaways, where it is almost acceptable not to tip.

I had managed to tip a total of $40 before I reached the inside of my hotel room, so is it worth it?

If you are one of those people who craves attention, likes to be noticed, enjoys asking to alter a dish that a famous chef has lovingly prepared for you or even to change your mind once it’s already arrived at the table then there will be “No problem at all, and is there anything else we can do for you?”

So yes, for you a personal servant may well be worth it. For me, not so much.

In the UK memories still fester over the treatment of servants in the past and waiting staff will not tolerate difficult customers, no matter what the request.

Wave, click your fingers, ask a question or complain about anything and you will definitely be given bad service or even ignored.

Unless you look potentially like a good tipper (yes, you can tell) then you’ll always get bad service, but then the staff won’t be able to complain about the lack of tips will they?

Edwin Cheeseman, Javea (Alicante)

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

20

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Extremists will never win...

T

HEY’RE still at it, aren’t they?

Muslim extremists still trying to undermine our customs and culture by targeting our most vulnerable, namely our children.

Every week we read or hear of some action taken in various schools in the UK. Not allowed to fly the British flag, pork banned from menus. Halal meat being insisted on, and even male/female segregation. This latest offering is even more sinister as it emanated from one of their own. The Muslim headmistress who was ousted in a smear campaign concocted by Islamic extremists, simply because she was considered too moderate. So much for integration!

Why don’t these people, who appear to want to live a completely different existence to the country that’s hosting them, simply gather up their thobes and burkas and make off for countries whose climate not

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT ON PATROL: But no-go areas already exist that police are afraid to enter. only suits their attire, but will automatically provide them with all the ethnic opportunities they appear so desperately to desire?

There is only one final outcome to their efforts. The British will never surrender their culture and customs to these people. If it continues unabated it will lead to war in the streets.

Have no doubt about this. After horrendous loss of life and destruction of vast swathes of our infrastructure, the British will win, and they will rid themselves of these fanatics.

It is disgraceful that while successive governments continue to bury their heads in the sand and appease these

people, the average British Joe has to simply wait and worry until it all kicks off. There are already no-go areas where our police are afraid to enter and which operate under Sharia Law; a situation that was so ‘out there’ some short years ago, it was scoffed at by a number of our esteemed leaders. What do they think is actually going on in these areas? Well, I’ll tell you, none of ‘em are planning to celebrate British cultural successes or events.

How can we allow these areas to exist in our towns and cities?

They are an affront to any citizen who has ancestors who fought and died to preserve our unique culture and democracy.

Let’s just hope the British secret services have infiltrated them all enough to give fair warning before the halal manure finally hits the fan.

I don’t often use this column for personal comments but would like to make an exception this week to wish a dear friend

Jill Bertorelli many happy 70th returns. So sorry I couldn’t be there. Understand you looked like a million dollars. Will definitely try and make the 71st.

And while we’re at it, just had it confirmed that my little David will be representing Spain in the up and coming European Karate championships in April. How’s that for integration!

Keep the Faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com

Advertising feature

‘Expats an essential part of our strategy’

LÍNEA DIRECTA ASEGURADORA is the market leader in the sale of insurance for foreign residents in Spain. Since 1998 it has offered its customer services in English and German, which include handling claims, selling policies or road assistance, among many others. Francisco Valencia, Corporate Governance Director, introduces us to a new service: fine management.

Línea Directa was the first Spanish insurer to offer its services in English and German. Why this commitment to expatriates? For Línea Directa, expatriates form an essential part of our strategy. Since we set up Línea Directa, in 1995, we have forged close links to them, due to the fact that our company model was imported directly from England, and as a result offering services specifically designed for them was something quite natural. We currently have a portfolio of over 2 million policyholders, 64,000 of whom are foreign customers.

One of the latest services offered to expatriates is fine management. What does it consist of and what advantages does it have?

Our service offers the foreign customer advice on traffic fines in his or her own language, including notification of the official bulletins, a benefit specifically designed for expatriates. In Spain, when the person receiving the fine is not at home, he or she is considered to have been notified of the fine after it has been published in the official bulletin of the province where he or she resides, thereby reducing or even eliminating any chance of defence for someone who spends many months of the year abroad.

What does this service cover and what other benefits does it include?

Apart from the benefit that it can be used by any driver over 26 years of age, the cover also includes a payment of €500 to finance a road safety re-education course if the driving licence has been withdrawn.

Once again Línea Directa shows its commitment to its foreign customers residing in Spain, offering them the best services and cover at the best price.

You can find out more about all the benefits available at www.lineadirecta.com or by calling 902 123 309.

22

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Having a ghost of a chance....

I

DOUBT if there is anywhere that you will find people as interesting as our neighbours scattered along Spain’s Costa communities. It is a ghost-writer’s dream to live and write here.

Before relocating to Spain, I fantasised about a sun-kissed veranda, typewriter, and a glass of wine to my right and a blonde on my left. My lovely wife is a brunette but everything else is much as I wished for.

Writing runs in the family. My father, a lifelong friend of Irish playwright Sean O’ Casey, was an associate of Ernest Hemingway during Spain’s Civil War. He and my mother, another literati, tutored me.

The ghost-writer applies his skills to bring to life the stories of others. Most authors engage ghost-writers. The author sets out the plot and the ghost fills the gaps. When I become involved in an author’s story, I share their experience. Imagination and empathy are essential tools.

Mike Walsh Mike Walsh. Based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.

LIFESTYLE: Writing and wine on a sun-kissed veranda.

My clients include a German who, as a child, survived the blitz on Germany. As it was far more intense and destructive than the war on the West, it was enlightening to see it from an ordinary German’s perspective. What a story of Cynthia’s! Suffering a paedophile for a husband, she lived life on the run to avoid Social Services abducting her children.

Chris Nand started life in a primitive Fijian South Sea Islands village. Using his fists as a professional boxer to save his fare he followed his dream to England where he met the Beatles (and me) and then to Spain.

We met by chance nearly 50 years later. Such was the romance threaded into his story that it became two books in one.

Then there was Nina, born into a boma (kraal) in Zambia. Out of Africa, the story of her struggle to make a better life for herself would have you cheering her on from your armchair.

There were times when, to compose myself, I left my keyboard when writing about Richard. As a child, accused of a minor social sin he was sentenced to four years confinement in a place of correction run by so-

called Christian Brothers. I wept as I wrote.

A Swedish client penned a thoroughly engaging novel as did Will, an ex-London police officer.

Yes, my writing career has taken me on diving exhibitions off South Africa’s coasts, through the Afghan wars, and revealed a murder most foul that (may have) occurred on the Costa del Sol. Talking of where the bodies are buried, one of my clients,

Barbara, worked with me on her memoirs. A respectable English civil servant, due to marital circumstances, she became hooked on swinging group sex and prostitution. Leaving nothing to the imagination all is revealed including her steamy session with James Hewitt, Princess Di’s exlover. As Will Shakespeare surmised: ‘It is all part of life’s rich tapestry.’

Advertising Feature

UK TV: still undecided which option to go for? This is what our customers say...

UK TV ROUTER is a product that was started mid-June 2013 with the intention of using TV on demand facilities from the UK via Sky+ HD boxes & Humax Freesat with Freetime. These include BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD, Demand FIVE. UK TV Router also allows you to connect iPads, PCs, smart phones, etc, all of which will appear to be in the UK, thus allowing Sky Go, Live TV, iPlayer, etc.

The UK TV Router is a product originally developed by Base Satellite to allow our customers to get the most from their existing TV systems.

We are a family-run business operating in Spain, with a very good reputation since 2000.

Here’s a selection of our customers’ own reviews: • “Good decision. I am well pleased with the router and it was very easy to install. I also got On Demand - again easy to install." (TORREVIEJA) • "I am really impressed with this router. It arrived two days after ordering and took only minutes to set up after which it has performed

WELL RECEIVED: The UK TV Router uses TV on demand facilities from the UK.

perfectly. In addition to providing the full range of On Demand services on the TV, it has improved wi-fi reception around the house as it has a stronger signal than my Belkin router and it works seamlessly with the iPad to provide live TV via Sky Go, use the Apps for Sky+ and Sky Sports and watch catch up TV." (ALICANTE)

• "After seeing all of the various adverts in the newspapers for boxes to receive UK TV, I went onto the uktvrouter.com website and was immediately impressed with the information and the professional way that it was laid out. I decided to bite the bullet and ordered the router with the year’s subscription.

“I already have a SkyHD+ wi-fi receiver, when the TV router arrived just three days later it was an absolute doddle to set it up wirelessly to my Sky box. Really impressed with the service and thanks Paul for your prompt reply to my query.

“I will certainly recommend your company. It’s nice to actually get something that does exactly what it says on the box!! Even more importantly, the wife is back watching Corrie and EastEnders and my life is smooth again." (TORREMOLINOS) • "I can’t give this product enough praise. I have had mine since October 2013 and wouldn’t be without it.

“I have connected my iPad, laptop, smart TV and sat box. It’s great, I can watch Sky Go on the iPad, buy lottery tickets etc and when the channels went off in January we didn’t notice any difference.

“All the BBC and ITV channels are still available via the internet on whatever medium I choose. Sky On Demand is great as we choose our viewing for the day and it’s waiting for us to watch on the recorder." (ALMERIA) For full information visit www.uktvrouter.com or call on 667 427 271 or 962 800 807

24

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Thursday

Friday

SATELLITE CHANNELS - SkyMoviesComedy/

BBC1/

BBC1/

4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin's Food Map of Britain 5:15pm Flog it! Trade Secrets 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holiday Hit Squad 10:00pm Famous, Rich and Hungry for Sport Relief 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Question Time

Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin's Food Map of Britain 5:15pm Flog it! Trade Secrets 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 New Tricks

BBC2/

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 Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm The Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure 10:00pm My Week with Marilyn 11:30pm Newsnight

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 Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Gardeners' World 10:00pm I Was There: The Great War Interviews 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight

ITV/

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

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/ 5:30pm Four in a Bed 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm Paralympic Winter Games 9:00pm The Hoarder Next Door 10:00pm Astronauts 11:00pm How to be a Billionaire

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 Celebrity Juice 11:50pm Dads4:00pm

CH4/ 5:30pm Four in a Bed 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm Paralympic Winter Games 9:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm The Last Leg 11:50pm 8 Out of 10 Cats

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 White Chicks

6:25pm Sunday •Breckin Meyer •Jennifer Love Hewitt •Stephen Tobolowsky

Saturday BBC1/ 5:35pm Six Nations Rugby Union 8:00pm BBC News 8:10pm Regional News 8:13pm Weather 8:15pm The Voice UK 9:35pm The National Lottery: Who Dares Wins 10:25pm Casualty 11:15pm BBC News 11:28pm Weather

BBC2/ 5:25pm Final Score 6:30pm Llanelly House Restored 7:30pm Flog It! 8:30pm Dad's Army 9:00pm The Perfect Morecambe and Wise 9:30pm Viking Art - A Culture Show Special 10:30pm QI 11:00pm Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle 11:30pm Page Eight

ITV/ 4:25pm Zookeeper 6:30pm Regional News and Weather 6:40pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm You've Been Framed!

8:00pm Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway 9:20pm The Cube 10:20pm The Americans 11:15pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm The Return

CH4/ 5:10pm Come Dine with Me 5:40pm Come Dine with Me 6:10pm Come Dine with Me 6:45pm Come Dine with Me 7:10pm Channel 4 News 7:35pm Paralympic Winter Games 8:05pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 9:00pm Hostages 10:00pm Limitless

ITV2/ 5:40pm Britain's Got More Talent 6:40pm Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed 8:35pm Batman and Robin 11:00pm Celebrity Juice 11:50pm Crazy Beaches

TV LISTING

www.euroweeklynews.com

Garfield (Film, 2004) Family comedy in which the world's favourite Mondayhating moggy causes cartoon chaos in the real world. Trouble brews when dancing pooch Odie is dognapped by a devious TV host. So Garfield (reluctantly) goes to the rescue.

Sunday BBC1/ 5:00pm Deadly on a Mission: Pole to Pole 5:35pm Lifeline 5:45pm Escape to the Country 6:15pm Songs of Praise 6:50pm BBC News 7:05pm Regional News 7:10pm Weather 7:15pm Blandings 7:45pm Countryfile 8:45pm The Voice UK 10:00pm The Musketeers 11:00pm BBC News 11:15pm Regional News

BBC2/ 5:00pm Flog It! 5:30pm Collectaholics 6:30pm End of the Pier?

7:00pm The Hairy Bikers: Restoration Road Trip 8:00pm Wild Burma 9:00pm Top Gear 10:00pm Fast and Fearless: Britain's Bangers Racers 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:35pm Line of Duty

ITV/ 5:15pm To be Announced 7:35pm Regional News and Weather 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Catchphrase 9:00pm Harry's South Pole Heroes 10:00pm Mr Selfridge 11:00pm ITV News and Weather

CH4/ 4:45pm Paralympic Winter Games 6:55pm Channel 4 News 7:30pm The Floods That Foiled New Year: Caught on Camera 8:30pm Live From Space 11:05pm Terminator Salvation

ITV2/ 4:55pm Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway 6:20pm About a Boy 8:15pm Mr Bean's Holiday 10:00pm Educating Joey Essex 11:00pm The Only Way is Essex 11:50pm Party Wright Around the World

Monday BBC1/ 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Bang Goes the Theory 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Silk 11:00pm BBC News

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 Cooks 10:00pm Plantagenets 11:00pm The Culture Show

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 The Widower 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather

CH4/ 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm The Political Slot 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm Shop Secrets: Tricks of the Trade 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!

8:30pm You've Been Framed!

9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Mom 10:30pm Mom 11:00pm The 40 Year Old Virgin

Tuesday

Wednesday

BBC1/

BBC1/

4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin's Food Map of Britain 5:15pm Flog it! Trade Secrets 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Shetland 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Keeping Britain Safe 24/7

4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin's Food Map of Britain 5:15pm Flog it! Trade Secrets 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm DIY SOS The Big Build 10:00pm Crimewatch 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Crimewatch 11:45pm A Question of Sport

BBC2/ 4:25pm Bergerac 5:15pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

5:45pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm Sport Relief's Top Dog 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm The Great British Sewing Bee 10:00pm An Hour to Save Your 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 8:30pm UEFA Champions League 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm UEFA Champions League

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Four in a Bed 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm The Political Slot 9:00pm Kirstie's Best of Both Worlds 10:00pm Food Prices: The Shocking Truth 11:00pm Undercover Doctor: Cure Me, I'm Gay

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 Vampire Diaries 11:00pm Celebrity Juice 11:50pm American Pie 2

BBC2/ 4:00pm Coast 4:25pm Bergerac 5:15pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

5:45pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm Sport Relief's Top Dog 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Collectaholics 10:00pm Line of Duty 11:00pm W1A 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 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm You Saw Them Here First 10:00pm Law and Order: UK 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm On Assignment

CH4/ 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Four in a Bed 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm The Political Slot 9:00pm Secret Eaters 10:00pm Peter Kay Live at the Bolton Albert Halls 11:00pm First Dates 11:55pm Embarrassing Bodies

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 Party Wright Around the World 11:00pm The Only Way is Essex 11:50pm Educating Joey Essex

26

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

AMARA ECCLESTONE, 29, the daughter of Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, recently accused Britons of having “a vicious attitude” towards people who’ve inherited wealth, adding that Americans are happier for those who have money, even if they’ve made it in an “unconventional way.”

The celebrity heiress who starred in Billion $$ Girl, a reality television show about her opulent lifestyle, is known to have spent £30,000 (€36,500) on Champagne in a single night, splashes out on Louboutin shoes and bought a £1 million (€1.2 million) crystal bath tub.

No luv! I don’t think the issue is how you spend your money - we wouldn’t accept that criticism of ourselves. It’s the way you flaunt it and then bang on about how people don’t understand you!

What is ‘vicious’ is to be the sort of rich, spoilt human being who

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

can happily squander money (reportedly a £3 billion (€3.65 billion) trust fund together with her sister, Petra) to feed an insatiable appetite for self-indulgence in the knowledge she lives in a world where thousands of babies die through poverty and disease, and thousands suffer indescribable conditions.

And just imagine how many families could have paid off crippling mortgages with the billions of pounds gifted to this daft girl by her doting dad. His choice, of course, and all the money she fritters on ‘stuff’ presumably goes into the economy. But, all the same, what a waste!

Tamara, Petra and all the other poor little rich girls - they all have the money and opportunity to do something worthwhile with their lives but none of the resolve.

Unlike Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, with his multi-billion-dollarfunded Gates Foundation tasked with finding cures for endemic diseases in Africa like malaria.

A most curious age in which we now live, wherein someone is fêted as a celebrity simply for being well-known. But not for brains, talent, discoveries or humanity - this ‘nothingness’ merely serving to emphasise how far society is from the meritocracy it claims to be.

Poor old Tamara. Good riddance, everyone’s saying! If you’re daft enough to court fame, then you can hardly be surprised when fame turns ‘vicious.’

Nora Johnson’s thrillers (www.nora-johnson.com) are available from Amazon and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

‘Shop till you drop’ Tamara splashes cash T

TAMARA ECCLESTONE: One of many who is feted as a celebrity simply for being well-known.

28

E W N 13 - 19 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

The Butler Lee Daniels directs this historical drama that stars Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, the long-time head butler at the White House. Gaines' 34-year career begins under President Eisenhower and goes through another seven presidents as he witnesses some of the 20th century’s most tumultuous periods, including the American Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. Starring John Cusack, Oprah Winfrey, Robin Williams, Alan Rickman, Vanessa Redgrave, James Marsden and Liev Schreiber. Directed by Lee Daniels.

Runtime 132 minutes. Rated 13.

TODAY

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA MALAGA R DE LA VICTORIA

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA

TOMORROW MALAGA

R DE LA VICTORIA

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Are you in the mood for some retail therapy? There are bargains to be had this week. The trend also extends to your personal life where it is possible to negotiate much more easily with a loved one.

March 17: Pilar Rubio.

Spanish reporter, TV presenter and model.

Best known as a reporter on Spanish TV’s Se Lo Que Hicisteis (I Know What You Did). In a relationship with the Real Madrid footballer Sergio Ramos since September 2012. Rubio announced in November 2013 she was expecting the couple’s first child this May.

35

spilled, it will not be you who is feeling guilty.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) The more sensitive side of your nature comes to the fore this week. You are likely to find yourself upset but, by looking on the bright side and keeping your sense of humour, brings a balanced view.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) This is a time of the year when new starts and fresh ideas come to you, which is excellent news for those who are looking forward to changes. The weekend brings you courage and determination and you feel confident enough to speak plainly with people.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) A slow start to the week sees you full of beans come Wednesday.

What is the cause of this change of attitude? Something you worked on last week shows signs of progress just when you thought it wouldn't.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) This is a time to keep your mind sharp, so get plenty of sleep and exercise for sure. Legal matters

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Something said to you in confidence should be respected this week. Should the beans be

TELEVISION THEME TUNES Which famous television programmes had the following theme tunes?

1. Acka Raga, performed by John Mayer on the sitar (first broadcast in 1967) 2. Bad Boys, performed by Inner Circle (1989) 3. Breakin’ Away/That’s Livin’ Alright, by Joe Fagin, produced and arranged by David Mackay (1983) 4. Galloping Home, written by Denis King and performed by the London String Chorale (1972) 5. I’ll Be There for You, by The Rembrandts (1994) 6. The Ballad of Jed Clampett, written by Paul Henning and performed by Flatt and Scruggs (1962) 7. The Good Ol’ Boys, written and performed by Waylon Jennings (1979) 8. Unknown Stuntman, written

by Glen A Larson, Gail Jensen, and David Somerville and performed by Lee Majors (1981)

are entering a period of frugality, but this is more for your own satisfaction than because of any money worries.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Getting more sleep and fresh air last week may show dividends now. The results are a brighter mind and more willingness to be social.

Young people will be particularly helpful and fun to be with.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) It is now that you may realise how right you were to keep something in reserve. Certainly, so far as a relationship is concerned, holding back has proved its worth. Financially, you

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Keep a wide circle of friends and constantly seek to add to them. With such an active mind as yours, boredom is agitating and non-productive.

Spring gives you the ideal opportunity to visit others and get out in the open. Both your health and finances gain from a day somewhere new as an inspired idea comes to you.

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

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 20) News of someone close brings finances into your mind. Perhaps some juggling is needed to keep the balance. There is more than one way to conserve both energy and money, which will give you a head start.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

AQUARIUS (January 21 February 19) A shopping trip with a friend makes you realise there is more to them than meets the eye. Should you have underestimated them, encourage them to open up. Something you hear this week will be of immense value to you in the future.

Decorating and changes at home will perk you up.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday March 8

Saturday March 8

Saturday March 8

Friday February 7

2

9

12

26

31

44

12

17 29

20 32

5

6

14

17

25

38

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

5

12

1

Almeria

SHOWERS MAX 16C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

5

10 40

LUCKY STARS 1

8

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

11

20

23

28

31

43

REINTEGRO 27

7

9

17 41

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 18 11 S Tues - 17 11 C Wed - 16 9 C

16 9 S 18 10 S 18 10 C

CLEAR

17 8 C 18 10 S 19 11 S

Fri Sat Sun -

S Sun,

18 4 Cl 19 4 S 20 4 S

MAX 17C, MIN 3C MAX MIN

Mon - 21 6 S Tues - 21 6 C Wed - 18 4 C

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 8C 17 6 C 19 8 Cl 18 9 S

CLEAR MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 19 11 S Tues - 21 12 Cl Wed - 21 11 S

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Mon - 18 13 S Tues - 18 14 C Wed - 18 13 C

Madrid

Mallorca TODAY:

16 11 C 18 13 S 18 13 S

TODAY:

MAX 17C, MIN 9C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Mon - 21 13 S Tues - 22 13 C Wed - 22 13 S

SHOWERS MAX 14C, MIN 12C

TODAY:

MAX 16C, MIN 8C

Malaga TODAY:

18 11 C 19 11 S 21 12 S

Benidorm

CLEAR

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 18 9 S Tues - 18 10 C Wed - 17 10 Sh Cl Clear,

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

19 7 C 22 9 S 22 8 S

Mon - 23 10 S Tues - 24 12 C Wed - 22 11 Cl

C Cloud,

Sh Showers,

Th Thunder

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

TARGET:

Average: 10

Very good: 18

Good: 13

Excellent: 22

agar, agin, gain, game, gean, gear, germ, girn, gram, gran, grim, grin, mage, magi, mega, raga, rage, rang, ring, again, anger, gamer, gamin, grain, grime, image, mange, marge, range, reign, arming, earing, engram, enigma, erring, gainer, gamier, gamine, garner, imager, maigre, manage, manger, margin, mirage, ragman, ragmen, ranger, raring, regain, ringer, angrier, armiger, arraign, arrange, earring, grainer, manager, mangier, marring, rangier, reaming, rearing, marriage, rearming, MARGARINE

Word Ladder MIND

32 48

REINTEGRO 2

Fri Sat Sun -

Barcelona TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 11C MAX MIN

Mon - 20 11 S Tues - 22 12 Cl Wed - 20 11 C

17 8 C 20 9 S 20 9 S

Sunday March 9

Saturday March 8

38 41

LA PRIMITIVA

TODAY:

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

may be paramount and need specialist advice.

8-Star Quiz

Alicante TODAY:

GAME

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

TIME TAME GAME

Your Stars

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Making the most of a fully energetic and progressive year is easy for a forthright Piscean. What is sometimes more difficult is getting a balance between your home and business life.

MIND MINE TINE

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Someone new to your circle of friends brings humour and a new lease of life, socially. When something outside your comfort zone is suggested, then be sure that it is not just faint heart that is stopping you.

1. ASK THE FAMILY, 2. COPS, 3.

AUF WIEDERSEHEN, PET, 4. THE ADVENTURES OF BLACK BEAUTY, 5.

FRIENDS, 6. THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, 7. THE DUKES OF HAZARD, 8. THE FALL GUY

www.euroweeklynews.com

CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

EWN

29

SPONSORED BY

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

Cryptic

Quick

Across 7 Tablet for deposit on teeth (6) 8 Dave travelling back through North America getting here (6) 10 Keeps dissolving in tears (7) 11 It’s in the back or middle of the book (5) 12 Expert covering right amount of land (4) 13 Remains in some dereliction (5) 17 Group of soldiers or police capturing rebel leader (5) 18 Set of rules for a fish with and eel’s head (4) 22 Can, or may be, a kind of fruit (5) 23 Sightseer in amongst our Istanbul visit (7) 24 Evicted, but used to moving (6) 25 Engineers model for peace of mind (6) Down 1 Carelessly ran past ancient Greek (7) 2 Baseball players’ cake mixtures (7) 3 Greek characters in charge of score (5) 4 Otherwise miss ice earthquakes (7) 5 Graduate’s equipment turned up in this colourful fabric (5) 6 Trainee given many a wrong date

Across 1 Commences (6) 5 European country (6) 8 Felines (4) 9 Very great or intense (8) 10 Basement (6) 11 Examines (6) 12 Nocturnal birds of prey (4) 14 Hatchet (3) 15 Financial institution (4) 16 Thin slices of fried potato (6) 18 Sudden pleasurable excitement (6) 20 Calamity (8) 22 Jump over (4) 23 Gluttonous (6) 24 Arranged by type (6)

(5) 9 Therapist made changes to teashop (9) 14 Knave tied up the Queen (7) 15 Keep an eye on nit in back room (7) 16 Is it true that the Real Estate

business is only skin deep? (7) 19 Organised loans for a beauty parlour (5) 20 Here’s to you, with beans on (5) 21 Potato, for example, for an awful brute (5)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 3 represents M and 8 represents Z, so fill in M every time the figure 3 appears and Z every time the figure 8 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Lebanon, 5 Crook, 8 Exact, 9 Therapy, 10 Shoe trees, 12 Goo, 13 Iodide, 14 Cleave, 17 Tun, 18 Forcemeat, 20 Mandela, 21 Omega, 23 Sweet, 24 Sundial.

Down: 1 Leeks, 2 Boa, 3 Notated, 4 Natter, 5 Chess, 6 Orangeade, 7 Keynote, 11 Ordinance, 13 Isthmus, 15 Lie down, 16 Dryads, 18 Fleet, 9 Trail, 22 Eli. QUICK Across: 1 Occasionally, 7 Here, 8 Identity, 9 Battle, 10 Errors, 11 Rod, 12 Heals, 14 Adult, 16 Ear, 18 Closed, 20 Abroad, 22 Talented, 23 Beef, 24 Measurements.

Down: 1 Operate, 2 Chest, 3 Shiver, 4 Obeyed, 5 Altered, 6 Later, 13 Listens, 15 Leaders, 16 Editor, 17 Random, 19 Leave, 21 Robin.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Anger, 3 Teach, 5 Rib, 7 Treinta, 9 Dare, 10 Bell, 13 Retraso, 14 Arm, 15 Slums, 16 Sapos.

Down: 1 Abridores, 2 Ruta, 3 Tres, 4 Headlamps, 6 Beret, 8 Nieta, 11 Pais, 12 Dogs.

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

Across 1 Pencil (5) 3 Fierce (5) 6 Nadar (4) 7 Trout (fish) (6) 9 Gentleman (having gentlemanly qualities) (9) 12 Accent (written) (6) 13 Lake (4) 14 Toll (on road, bridge) (5) 15 Pantalones vaqueros (5) Down 1 Último (final) (4) 2 Spring (season) (9) 3 Street light (6) 4 Scarlet (9) 5 To pray (say prayers) (4) 8 Tailor (6) 10 Húmedo (clima) (4) 11 Dedos del pie (4)

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

BLOODY

MORTAR

BOLTED

NEARBY

DEADLY

PARTED

FACTOR

ROAMED

GHOSTS

ROGUES

GRAPES

SALTED

HORSES

STILES

INJECT

TILTED

JUMPED (10)

UNABLE

LAIRED

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Funagram Unscramble the name of a type of tea (two words): LARGE RYE FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: LEYTON ORIENT, EARL GREY

Unscramble the name of a professional football club currently playing in the English Football League One (two words): NOTE TINY ROLE

Down 2 Rub out (5) 3 Nasty remarks (7) 4 No Clue 5 A long way (3) 6 Similar (5) 7 Domesticated fowl 11 Animals (9) 13 Fighting man (7) 15 Housebreaker (7) 17 Frighten (5) 19 Depart (5) 21 Plaything (3)

1 Hugged, 2 Reared, 3 Angers, 4 5 Barren, 6 Waters, 7 Banker, 8 9 Hinges, 10 Ballet, 11 Dreams, 12 13 Reeled, 14 Herded, 15 Sheets, 16 17 Desire, 18 Steals, 19 Hissed

Raking, Barrel, Gather, Spears,

30

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

HEALTH & BEAUTY

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

Artificial heart man dies

THE first man in the world to be given an artificial heart has died 75 days after the transplant.

The 76-year-old passed away in a hospital in Paris, France. The exact cause of his death is not yet known.

The battery powered artificial heart is designed to completely replace the real one and the man received the transplant when he was suffering from terminal heart failure and was given just weeks to live.

It is now expected to be trialled on three more French patients.

Think twice before carrying those bags heavy shopping bags

RETAIL therapy may be good for the soul, but it’s maybe not so good for our bones.

According to the Professional College of Physiotherapists of Madrid (CPFCM), carrying too much weight in our shopping bags can potentially lead to musculoskeletal injuries. They warn that generally, we try to carry twice the recommended weight in each arm, forcing strain and potential injuries on our body.

Physiotherapists advise that the weight in each hand should not exceed 10 per cent of our body mass. However, canvas bags, acquired in larger stores, are prepared to support between 10 and 12 kilos in weight, when the average weight recommended per bag is five kilos.

Jose Santos from the CPFCM said:

HEAVY: Spread the load to avoid injury.

“Ideally, use a bag that can be hung like a shoulder bag, but today no bags with these features are distributed. The best option is to spread the weight of the purchase in

Toddlers judge a person on their facial features

CHEAP AND QUICK: New test could mean end to embarrassing examinations.

New test for prostate cancer A NEW urine test for prostate cancer could soon

be available in GP surgeries. Studies show the

two bags, weighing no more than five kilos.”

He said carrying all the weight on one side can also overload certain muscles.

cancer test to be twice as reliable as the existing blood test for detecting the disease, which is the most common cancer among British men.

It can also tell doctors how serious the cancer is, meaning it could not only save lives but also prevent the need for embarrassing rectal examinations and unnecessary tests.

The test was created by Surrey University in the UK.

TODDLERS do know best. Researchers have found that children as young as three can tell by a person’s face if they are trustworthy.

The findings, led by a psychological scientist at Harvard University (USA), reported that, just like adults, children tended to judge a person’s character and traits simply by looking at their face.

It shows that the predisposition to judge others based on physical features starts early in childhood and does not require years of social experience.

As part of the study, researchers asked 99 adults and 141 children, aged three to 10, to evaluate pairs of computer-generated

CHARACTER: Toddlers can tell by the face. faces that differed on one of three traits; trustworthiness, dominance, and competence.

After being shown a pair of faces, they were asked to judge by, for example, saying which one was nice.

Children aged three

to four were only slightly less consistent in their assessments than the seven-yearolds and the judgements of older children were in as much agreement as those of the adults.

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

EWN

31

Breaking the phone rules...

THE modern rules on ‘mobile phone etiquette’ have come out in a new manual, including ‘Don’t text while you’re on the loo.’ (Apparently people need to have this

J

OHN ROBERTS said: “I don’t use a mobile phone very often, to be honest.” The retiree from Albox (Almeria) commented: “I think they should fine more people for using mobile phones while driving. The police are not very strict around here. I see loads of people talking on phones when driving.”

Waitress Kelli Alright, aged 26, from

pointed out!) We wanted to ask: What are your biggest mobile phone pet peeves? What would you include in the rules of etiquette?

STREET TALK Moraira (Alicante) said she wouldn’t like to see anything on a so-called ‘rules of etiquette’ list: “I’m guilty of breaking them all! I use my phone in public places. I take photos of my food when out which annoys my friends and a lot of selfies, my phone is constantly in my hand.”

Janice Gilbert from Zurgena (Almeria) agreed with John. Her biggest peeve was people using their mobiles while behind the wheel. The 66year old retiree added: “I also see

HENRIK and MARGARET: Not fans of phone technology.

couples out together and they spend more time playing with their phones than talking to each other, more so in the UK than here in Spain. My rule would be, switch off your phone when out with friends or on a date and have a proper conversation.”

Renee Miner works in San Pedro de Alcantara (Malaga). The 31-year-old hospitality entrepreneur said: “I hate it when I’m with someone and he or she has the mobile sitting on the table between us.

Even if they’re not picking it up, it still beeps or buzzes when there’s a message.

It interrupts our conversation and I feel awkward wondering if they need to answer. If you’re expecting an important call, let me know and it’s not a problem.

Otherwise, turn it off or put it on silent!”

Retired Dutch couple Henrik and Margaret Visscher live in France and are on holiday on the Costa Blanca in Alicante.

They both said it is annoying when people

RENEE MINER: Hates it when new message alerts interrupt conversation.

JOHN ROBERTS: Too many people talking while driving. are constantly on phones: “No one talks to each other, they would rather sit and message each other and all social communication is lost.” They don’t use a lot of phone technology: “We have an old phone that makes and receives calls, that’s it.”

Is the end of the crisis nigh?

Ulrica Marshall

TRIP TO BARCELONA: For the moment, it will have to remain a pipedream.

Expat Strife Swedish-born Ulrica is a freelance journalist living in Mallorca with her family. Her debut novel $Expat Wives is available on Amazon and iBooks.

To comment on any of the issues raised in Ulrica’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ulrica-marshall

ulrica@euroweeklynews.com

I

T’S the million-euro question: When will the economic crisis in Spain end? Politicians have boasted the advent of the green shoots of recovery for some time now, but the rest of us have remained largely sceptical. As have I - until now that is - and evidence seems to be popping up all around.

During my children’s half-term holidays, I thought I would whisk them away a skip and a hop to Barcelona from Mallorca, taking advantage of the resident’s travel discount.

A few flights were available but the discount wouldn’t make much impact on the ticket price and only one hotel was available for an overnight stay on the many search engines the internet offers - €600 for a shabby-looking three-star.

Now had the figure been Japanese yen, I might have struck the deal, as it was I humbly declined and abandoned travel plans.

And it doesn’t end there. Every utility or service company seem to have hiked prices to the sky - or at least beyond the rate of inflation and beyond relevant commodity price

changes. One of my favourite restaurants - which used to be cheap and cheerful - can now lay claim to only one of these descriptions. Still, customers continue to roll up, undeterred.

Admittedly, retailers claim the sales period was a tad disappointing, but this is probably down to the fact that

we have become wise about supposed ‘bargains’ and are finally saving a little for those rainy days.

They say the man on the street is last to know, when market forces change direction, but I disagree. If you pay close attention to what happens around you, you have a better idea of the real state of affairs than most economists tucked away in their ivory towers.

Of course, we may not be entirely out of the woods yet, we can only hope that the government does not stifle any progress through mindless legislation and that they will also rethink the heavy barriers to entry for small businesses, such as the hefty regulations and high IVA. There is also the crisis in the Crimea threatening European, if not world, stability, but if you take it at face value, there seems to be just a few glimmers of light at the end of the economic tunnel.

On the downside, a trip to Barcelona may remain a pipedream.

32

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

& DRINK

Food

FOOD & DRINK

Costa de Almeria’s best guide to local sport

A xarquía’s best guide to local restaurants

TO READ MORE VISIT: WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM/FEATURES/RESTAURANTS

Find out how long your bubbly will last GOOD news for wine enthusiasts: wineries and customers can now precisely predict how long sparkling wines will keep, from Champagne to prosecco.

The findings were published by scientists in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and were funded in part from multiple Spanish regional government sources.

The current process, which detects ‘browning’

by measuring light absorption at certain wavelengths, is fast and simple but not very precise.

Researchers of sparkling wine chemistry have therefore turned to the food industry for answers.

Food manufacturers measure a built-up compound called ‘5-HMF’ used to decide when to throw a product out, a compound which

Looking for Spain’s best ‘torrija’ in Leon A COMPETITION to be held later this month in Leon, Northern Spain, is looking for Spain’s best ‘torrija’.

The dessert, similar to French toast, is traditionally

served between Lent and Easter in Spain.

It is usually made with bread soaked in milk or wine with honey and spices, and fried in a pan with olive oil.

Price disparities from farm to market shelf reach 730 per cent SPAIN’S Co-ordinator of Farmers’ and Livestock Farmers’ Organisations (COAG) has come out with the latest February figures related to the farmers’ price index.

The Origin-Destination Price Index (IPOD) lists the fluctuations between the price of agricultural products on the shelf as compared to what is paid to the producer.

February’s most significant figure came in the price of courgettes, with a massive 730 per cent price difference from farm to market.

Effectively, this means consumers are paying 8.3 times more in the market than the product’s value on the farm.

In specific terms, producers were paid €0.23 per kilo, while in the stores the average price per kilo was €1.91 that the consumer had to pay.

Cabbage was a close second in the IPOD ranking, where agricultural producers received €0.15 per kilo, consumers paid an average of €1.22 per kilo.

The result was a 713 per cent price difference.

Other products listed high in the IPOD ranking included garlic (€0.80/ €5.36, or 570 per cent).

The report did note, however, that in cases where prices paid to producers were lower than previous months, those savings were also passed down to the consumer.

Cooks and pastry chefs have been called upon by the Leon Food Academy to present their best creation. All the recipes will be put into a book, part of its profits will be for charity.

KEEPING ITS FIZZ: Making sure sparkling wine stays in tip-top condition.

scientists also found in sparkling wines and helps predict their shelf-life.

By testing levels of the compound in different bottles over a two-year period at varying temperatures (room, cellar and refrigerator), the study revealed 5-HMF as a good indicator of freshness.

The researchers also developed a mathematical model that helps predict how long a sparkling wine will stay drinkable at various storage temperatures.

But to keep it simple, know this: refrigerating sparkling wines almost completely prevents browning.

A seal to promote and protect traditional food THE regional government of Navarra has come up with an idea to protect and promote traditional local food.

Its Culture and Tourism Department is now issuing the Navarra Food seal to restaurants with at least 30 per cent of local dishes on their menus.

The food from Navarra has been historically linked with its location within Spain. In the north of the region, which borders with the Basque Country, products like Idiazabal cheese, cider and goxua (a dessert made with sponge cake, cream and custard) are traditional.

The south part of the region, however, is noted for its vegetable stews, asparagus and zurracapute, which can be

STEWS: Popular in the south of the region. considered the northern counterpart to sangria.

But if there is a star in the culinary offer from Navarra, that’s probably the pintxos.

These snacks similar to tapas are served with a toothpick on a piece of bread, and are normally

eaten when having a drink with friends.

To be awarded the Navarra Food seal, restaurants have to prove they have been offering traditional food for at least five years.

This includes a list with

wines and cavas with a certificate of origin, and typical spirits like patxaran.

As the distinction aims to attract more visitors, restaurants have been asked to translate their menus into other languages, including English.

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Grant grumbles J

OSE IGNACIO WERT is probably one of the most disliked ministers ever known.

He even got the bird as he paid his last respects to Paco de Lucia when the flamenco guitarist’s body recently lay in state in Madrid’s Teatro Real.

A dismal downpour of censure rains down on Wert and in his two years as Minister of Education, Culture and Sport, he has clocked up more demonstrations and students’ strikes than any predecessor.

He is continuously reviled for education spending cuts and tightening up the grants system despite financial hardship and widespread unemployment.

But Wert is not unreasonable in demanding consistently good marks for a grant to be awarded and later maintained.

Students who can’t manage a pass mark shouldn’t siphon off taxpayers’ money at university.

Those in favour of fewer restrictions point out that students with grants finish their courses at least two years earlier.

It could be that students with grants know they must work harder to keep their grants. Or, dare it be said in such

Peter Fieldman London-born journalist and author, Peter spends his time between Paris and Madrid. His novel ‘1066 The Conquest’ available on Amazon or www.1066TheConquest.com

CELIA VILLALOBOS is a former mayor of Malaga and was a minister in Jose Maria Aznar’s Cabinet between 2000 and 2002.

Like many within the Partido Popular (PP) she is unhappy with Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon’s planned reforms to the existing Abortion Law and voted in favour of a socialist motion to withdraw the bill.

“She is very predictable,” said Alfonso Alonso, spokesman for the parliamentary PP party.

She is indeed, and was fined €500 for her predictability because Villalobos is one of the few politicians from any party who is willing to put her money where her mouth is.

Hard proof needed

MARIANO RAJOY, President of the Spanish Government, accused nonbelievers in the country’s economic recovery of harbouring ‘outdated prejudices’.

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

JOSE IGNACIO WERT: Probably one of the most disliked ministers ever known.

As next May’s European elections loom, Rajoy is determined to convince potential voters that the first indicators of growth are not ‘an abstract concept’.

He has his work cut out for him, even though the bond yield might be down, exports up and growth predicted for this year.

The 25 per cent of the Spanish population who are out of work or those who struggle each week to make ends meet do not read the financial pages.

Until they can do their weekly food shop without worries and pay their bills without borrowing and until there is money in their pockets, they will continue to harbour ‘outdated prejudices’.

Home and away SPAIN’S ambassadors are being coached in how to proclaim the merits of the new Public Safety Law. The government is worried about EU claims that the law erodes existing rights and hopes to convince foreign critics that it not “an attempt to protect politicians.”

It could try convincing millions of Spaniards first.

Jack’s return to Spain

www.pfieldman.blogspot.com

RECENTLY the AABI (Friends of the International Brigades) organised the seventh annual Jarama Walk to commemorate the battle for Madrid in 1937.

Over 50 members travelled from England, Ireland and Scotland to take part in the march among the olive groves south east of Madrid to the area known as Suicide Hill. The monument to Kit Conway stands as a reminder of what took place there in February 1937 and this was the spot chosen to spread the ashes of Jack Edwards and his wife, Ivy. A 22-year-old Liverpudlian, Jack Edwards was just 22 years old when he volunteered to join the International Brigades and fight Fascism in Spain.

Untrained and outnumbered, he and his comrades faced a professional army and although wounded in action he survived the vicious fighting on Suicide Hill, where hundreds fell.

33

Cassandra Nash

egalitarian times, they could be more intelligent, too.

Predictable rebel

EWN

AABI: Paying tribute to the fallen.

He recovered in hospital, fought in Valencia and did not leave Spain until 1939 when he managed to cross the Pyrenees to France and make his way to Paris and then to England where he served in the RAF during the Second World War. In 2009, together with other surviving members of the International Brigades, he was

granted a Spanish passport following the adoption of the Ley de la Memoria Historica.

Jack Edwards died in 2011 a few years after his wife. It was an especially poignant moment for his sons Pete and Colin, daughter Margaret and granddaughter Rachel as they stood on the hillside looking across the valley towards

Madrid. They had finally fulfilled their dream to bring the caskets holding their parents’ ashes and spread them over the hillside.

While the reality was a horrendous loss of life, the image we often have of the international volunteers who fought in Spain has been somewhat romanticised by Hemingway and Orwell’s books,

Chin, Capa and Gerda Tara’s photographs and movie director, Ken Loach.

It is therefore encouraging that the AABI does a remarkable job of keeping alive the memory of the Brigadistas.

AABI secretary Severiano Montero wants to contact people whose relatives may have taken part in the battle to raise money so that excavations can take place to find the remains of soldiers in order to give them a decent burial.

It seems the Spanish Government has shown little interest in becoming involved and Pete Edwards admitted that his father had become disillusioned that so little was being done to help the families of those who disappeared and that the sacrifice of those who fought during the Civil War is not taught in schools.

“The war divided so many families and it takes a long time to forget,” summed up Pete Edwards. ©peterfieldman 2014

34

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

PETS/FEATURE

Keep passwords safe online Trevor Spencer Computers Meet Trevor Spencer who will be writing a weekly computer column for the EWN...

Hello and welcome to CanDu Computer Bytes.

EVER thought about storing all your passwords in a safe place but didn’t know where? You do have different passwords for each email account, PayPal account, etc?

NO! I genuinely suggest

that you rethink that particular strategy. Today, I’ve been looking at my favourite geekess, Nixel Pixel, for inspiration.

The program that she recommends, and after

playing with it for a little while, I recommend it. Called ‘KeePass’, it is available for Windows, Linux, Android and Apple.

Why is this piece of software so good? To start with it is

Santuary needs help to feed the donkeys

Some cat facts....

HERE are a few of the most popular questions posed by cat lovers and a quick insight into normal cat behaviour.

Why do cats purr?

Purring is an extraordinary sound and it isn’t exactly clear how cats do it. Not only domestic cats purr, many of the larger members of the cat family do too.

The behaviour stems from kittenhood, as the mother returns to the den and quietly signals (to avoid attracting attention from predators) that all is OK by purring to her kittens, they in turn suckle and purr at the same time. Cats will also purr when they are sick or injured; there are various theories for this – the frequency of the purr in sick animals differs from the healthy purr and it may have healing properties or it may

More information: http://www.nerjadonkeysanctuary.com

SPONSORED BY For all dog treats please call: 971 887 007 / 634 152 813

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

be self-soothing when the cat feels at its most vulnerable.

Why do cats rub round their owners’ legs?

A cat lives in a world where smell is vitally important. All creatures within its social group, as well as objects, will be anointed with its unique smell using scent glands in its face, body and tail. When your cat rubs round your legs to greet you it is doing the same as it would in greeting another cat by mutual rubbing of the face and body.

For your local radio frequency log onto www.talkradio europe.com PURRING: Stems from kittenhood.

Since opening in June 2004 it has rescued hundreds of equines, cared for them and then moved them on to safe new homes, where possible. Along the way it has also given refuge to many other farmyard animals: countless goats, pigs, chickens, cats, turkeys and even sheep.

It relies entirely on donations from the public and receives no grants from the government.

Credits: ESA/NASA

EE-OR: I’d love a carrot!

THE Nerja Donkey Sanctuary is appealing for food donations to help feed its animals.

It is asking anyone nearby to pop round with a selection of treats to help keep the animals well fed and healthy.

The sanctuary, on its website, said it is looking for apples, carrots, stale bread, kitchen scraps for the pigs, porridge oats as well as tinned or dried food for the centre’s cats.

The Nerja Donkey Sanctuary is a registered charity dedicated to rescuing, caring for and protecting donkeys, mules and horses.

available in a fully installable and portable (will work on a memory chip) version. It uses government standard encryption technology (and we all know how paranoid the world’s governments are!).

The Source code (the actual program) is available for everyone to look at and even compile into the program themselves, if you are truly that paranoid (I am!). You can use this power to generate new passwords using lower case, UPPER CASE, 12..9 (numbers), weird characters and make them really difficult to crack.

Auto-complete the information on the web page without having to copy and paste a single character.

Finally and most importantly, IT IS FREE! If you want to watch the video and get a better understanding of the steps involved go to http://www. youtube.com/watch?v= RvV698aztNs. See you all next week.

LIT UP: Most populated areas are the brightest.

Spain from space THIS image from the International Space Station shows the Iberian Peninsula including Spain and Portugal at night.

The lights from human settlements reveal where the major towns and activity are. The large mass of light in the middle is Madrid, Spain’s capital city. The Iberian coastline is heavily populated with Valencia and Barcelona along the Mediterranean Sea prominent at the bottom right of the photo.

HOMES & GARDENS

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

omes&gardens

H

EWN

35

SPONSORED BY

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

What do you want from your garden? Stop Dick Handscombe

Press

Gardening Corner

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

A

T the time of writing it seems that the lion winds that celebrated the first week of March are now over and for most the winds were warm and caused little air frost damage. Fortunately not a repeat of the record frosts of the first week of March in 2004 and 2005.

After these frosts we had driven down the coast from Valencia to Sotogrande in southern Andalucia checking out the frost damage to plants and trees in order to ensure that the indication of frost resistance of the 400 plants described in our book ‘Gardening in Spain’ were correct.

So with gardens safe, winter cut backs complete and signs of spring everywhere, it’s a good time to review what you really want from your gardens during the next year, particularly during the spring, summer and autumn.

Use the check list below to decide on your personal priorities and the urgent changes in your garden.

• The opportunity of an outdoor lifestyle.

• An enthralling hobby.

• Moderate exercise.

• Wholesome fresh fruit vegetables and herbs.

• Natural aromatherapy.

• Somewhere to relax.

• Spiritual renewal.

• Colourful in all seasons.

• Generally low maintenance.

• Not too high a watering bill.

• Summer shade and winter shelter from winds.

• Somewhere different in

OUTDOOR LIFE: Enjoy your garden space.

DICK: With a copy of his book ‘Your garden in Spain.’ which to entertain.

• A Jacuzzi.

• An outdoor kitchen.

• An aviary or a couple of hens for daily fresh eggs.

• A carp pond.

• An alternative to a lawn.

• A petanque court.

• A potting table and greenhouse.

• A playing field for children and grandchildren.

• A challenge and a chance to be creative to keep the brain active.

• A series of interlinked mini gardens with varying styles.

• Privacy and security.

If few of those thought starters are of interest perhaps just a desert of stone chippings with a tiled terrace around the pool plus a few token citrus trees and a palm to make it look Mediterranean may be nearer your thing.

If this short self-analysis has stirred the creative juices reread parts Two -

Planning your Spanish garden, Three - Add interesting features and Five - Situational gardening of our book ‘Your garden in Spain.’

As the garden is to be enjoyed, I hope, by all

members of the family discuss the needs with all, including the nongardeners and seasonal visitors, before finalising plans. © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com March 2014.

WITH Easter late there is time to make several changes before and for those on the Costa Blanca there is the Homes, Gardens and Lifestyle Show on April 3 and 4 in Calpe where you can look out for and test ideas on the garden related stalls.

You will find me on Stand 66 willing to help solve recent gardening problems and evaluate / polish any new plans for your garden.

If you don’t have copies of our books they can be obtained via Amazon Books and I will have a few copies and free hand-outs at the show.

www.euroweeklynews.com

36

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

Services

FOR RESULTS EVERY WEEK

AIRPORT PARKING | BUILDERS | INTERNET | PLUMBERS | REMOVALS/STORAGE | TV/SATELLITE

INTERNET

LANGUAGE SERVICES

TV & SATELLITE

REMOVALS & STORAGE

SERVICES

www.euroweeklynews.com

CLASSIFIEDS

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

lassifieds C

EWN

37

FOR RESULTS EVERY WEEK

BOATS / CARS / JOBS / SERVICES / PETS / BIKES / FURNITURE / PROPERTY / MOTORING / REMOVALS & STORAGE

AIR CONDITIONING

INTERNET

DRAINS

AIRFLOW Air Conditioning for cooling and heating units. Professional, fully guaranteed installations. Tel: 952 443 222 (206483)

MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 153, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 153 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)

AIR CONDITIONING repairs and servicing. Airflow. 952 443 222 (206483)

BLINDS SOLAR BLINDS ES Ideal for large glazed areas to reflect heat / glare and stop furniture fading and still keep the view. SAVE HEAT IN THE WINTER TOO improve your living environment. Solar blinds.es@gmail.com Telephone Ian 644 546 176 (215997)

BOATS

INTERNET

CABRIO 4 seater, Ford Focus 2008/9, only 17,000kms. 2 litre titanium 145BHP. FSH. Looks lush in rich wine colour with leather interior and alloy wheels, condition like new, a credit to golfing lady owner, CD player, air condition, electric everything and roof that folds into boot, coming soon, be quick, low kms and low price.

Samantha or Gordon Robertson (The Car Couple) 952 832 173 / 608 658 785 www.robertsoncarsspain.com (201544)

FRIENDSHIP FIND LOVE IN THE SUN w w w. i w a n t 2 m e e t y o u . c o m .

Browse for free Spain’s No 1 online dating site. Bringing ex-pats together. (219566)

INSURANCE

MOBILE HOMES WE BUY, Sell, Remove all types of Mobile Homes. We pay CASH and cover all of Spain. More details call Suzi Caley 616 250 727 / 951 063 059 or email suzicaley@gmail.com (215521)

MOTOR HOMES WANTED motorhomes and caravans. Any condition, age or registered country considered. www.hispavan.com 687 845 730 (222034) MOTORHOMES and caravans for sale. Interesting selection. Part exchange considered. www.hispa van.com 687 845 730 (222034)

MOTORING CARPENTER CARPENTER cabinet maker, Irish. Available for all types of property maintenance, plumbing, painting, electrical, kitchens and bathrooms renovated etc. 30 years experience. Very reliable. Tel: 952 441 955 / 677 087 575 (202841)

CHIMNEY SWEEP CHIMNEY SWEEP, all areas covered. 654 184 242 (206401)

DAMP PROOFING DAMP PROOFING. Tel 958 656 560/619 666 363 email: info@electro-os.com / www.elec tro-os.com (219323)

www.euroweeklynews.com

MOTORING

4x4 AUTOMATIC diesel, Mitsubishi Montero 2005 SWB. 3.2 litre DI-D Intenso Kaiteki (top of the range) limited edition, big electric sunroof, blue over grey, leather interior, alloy wheels, service history, 103,000kms, cruise and climate control, CD player, electric window, locking, everything. Super condition, super bargain with diesel economy. 9,995 euros. See photo on our web page. Samantha or Gordon Robertson (The Car Couple) Tel. 952 832 173 www.robertsoncars-spain.com (201544) 4x4 AUTOMATIC Landrover Freelander (new shape) 3.2 litre LWB, only 52,000kms FSH. Lady owner leaving Spain. Striking Champagne colour with alloy wheels and black trim. Air condition, CD player, excellent condition, be quick 14,995 euros. See photo on our web page. Samantha or Gordon Robertson (The Car Couple) 608 658 785 / 952 832 173. See photo on our web page www.robertsoncars-spain.com (201544)

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

INSURANCE

MOBILE PHONES

DIESEL, seven seater 2010 Peugeot 5008 1.6 HDI Premium pack 110BHP. Only 58,000kms (approx 36,000 miles), 6 speed, climate and cruise control, PAS, ABS, ESR, light and wiper sensors, parktronic, rich wine colour with alloy wheels, great people carrier, perfect for school run, see photo on our web page, 13,995 euros, Samantha or Gordon Robertson (The Car Couple), 608 658 785 / 952 832 173 www.robertsoncars-spain.com (201544) DIESEL 2011 Renault Megane Scenic 1.5 DCI, 6 speed, 110 BHP. Emocion only 32,000kms (approx 20,000 miles), still has manufacturer’s warranty for 18 months. One lady owner selling due to work relocation, lovely in white with many extras and diesel economy for 12,995 euros. Samantha or Gordon Robertson (The Car Couple) 952 832 173 or 608 658 785 www.robertsoncars-spain.com (201544) ARE you looking to sell your Spanish car? Contact Robertson Cars, we are a small family business here in Marbella for 29 years.

Phone today for a valuation. We pay the top cash prices for quality used cars. Samantha and Gordon Robertson (The Car Couple) on 952 832 173 or 608 658 785. www.robertsoncars-spain.com (201544)

PEST CONTROL

BRITISH Pest Control Service.

All areas covered. Tel 952 449 591 www.localpest.es (215692)

PETS PET-COURIERS.COM – If you love your pet try us first – we are the best. Door to door service throughout Europe. Specialised vehicles – bespoke service. Full legal service including documentation if required. For further information call or email us: Tel: (0034) 651 033 670 or (0034) 637 066 227.

Email: info@pet-couriers.com or www.pet-couriers.com (206497)

Price per word: 0,42€ + IVA minimum 15 words - Discount: Book 10 weeks, get 2 weeks free - Deadline: 4pm Mondays Contact: Phone (0034) 952 561 245 • Fax (0034) 952 440 887 • email classifieds@euroweeklynews.com • www.euroweeklynews.com

38

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

PETS LOOK NO FURTHER FOR YOUR PET TRANSPORT. WE OFFER A SERVICE TO TRAVEL WITH OR WITHOUT YOUR PETS/FURNITURE. ALL PETS TRAVEL WITH US IN AIR CONDITIONED PEOPLE CARRIERS. CALL FOR PRICES. 952 160 096 / 665 150 227 WWW.SPAINUKSPAIN.COM (218548) LAGUNA KENNELS AND CATTERY. Your pets lovingly cared for by English Mother and Daughter. Near Coin. UK Transport arranged. Tel 952 112 021 / 606 838 983 (215765)

PET INSURANCE PROTECTAPET. Spain’s leading pet insurance. 965 756 371. www.protectapet.eu (216721)

PET TRANSPORT ANIMALCOURIERS - A kind, caring, friendly service between Spain/UK. Flights from Malaga or road from Costa del Sol for your Pet Travel. www.animalcouriers .com / 0044 1483 200123, 0034 635 155 962 or ask@animalcouri ers.com for a quotation. (207561)

POOLS

PROPERTY FOR RENT

REMOVAL/STORAGE WWW.SPAINUKSPAIN.COM. Vehicle leaving Spain on 9th / 19th / 28th of each month, returning 10th / 20th / 29th of each month. Prices from £90 per cubic metre. Cars £525, bikes £325, jetskis/boats from £525, dogs £395, cats £295. All animals travel with us in air conditioned people carriers. 952 160 096 / 665 150 227 (218548)

WINDOW TINTING MOBILE SERVICE. ITV LEGAL. SOLAR REFLECTIVE TINT FOR GLASS CURTAINS, BALCONIES, YACHTS. STOP FADING, HEAT & GLARE. 958 496 571 – 644 546 176 SOLAR SHADETINTING@GMAIL.COM (215997)

EUROPEAN removals and transport with scheduled UK routes. UK company, fully legal, taking loads from 5kg to 24,000kg. Lowest prices and the best service. 952 816 582 or www.focus-transport .com (221351) MAN AND VAN, all areas, 2 vans, 4 men available. 100% reliable.

637 066 114 / 663 530 614, 30€ per hour (201744) UK - SPAIN Removals. Masses of experience. New clean vehicles. Insured with AXA. Genuinely CARING service.

FULL and part moves. ONLINE QUOTES!! bmceuropean.com UK 08456 443 784 / ES 634 344 787 (207584)

CARPENTER cabinet maker, Irish. Available for all types of property maintenance, plumbing, painting, electrical, kitchens and bathrooms renovated etc. 30 years experience. Very reliable. Tel: 952 441 955 / 677 087 575 (202841) COIN WINDOWS Aluminium windows, Doors, PVC, Blinds, Mosquito screens, Canopies, Glass Factory, shower screens, etc. All at village prices. Spanish owned business English 646 066 351 (215765)

TELECOMS FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CONTRACT. WWW.TELITEC.COM TEL: 902 889 070 (0)

BAR to rent with terrace in Nerja.

Equipped, next to Sportsman Bar and Supersol. 299€ per month. Tlf Daniel 685 886 515 (207738)

SERVICES

www.euroweeklynews.com

SITUATIONS VACANT

www.euroweeklynews.com

PROFESSIONAL TELESALES Are you able to produce excellent results working independently in a fast-paced office environment?

Are you looking for a full or part time position with a contract and a good incentive scheme? If so, then contact: 952 561 245 or send your CV to: recruitment@eu roweeklynews.com or Fax: 952 440 887 (11111)

SOLAR LOWEST PRICES IN SPAIN. www.solarmegastore.es (201513)

SWIMMING POOLS AFFORDABLE POOL MAINTENANCE - Professional maintenance from only €80 per month (exc. chemicals) Call Splash Pools on 952 591 053 - open 8am to 4pm (221091)

www.euroweeklynews.com

XXX RELAXATION READERS OF A SENSITIVE DISPOSITION MAY FIND SOME OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS IN THIS SECTION OFFENSIVE. RIVIERA, Diana, dark-skinned, discreet and kinky, natural breasts, tasty nipples, horny, pure pleasure, I give myself totally, no taboos. Come and meet me. 24h.

634 193 202 (222198) RIVIERA, stunning and discrete girls. Pleasure, sex, all intimate, guaranteed orgasm. Come and see the professionals to surrender to the joys of pleasure in a relaxed environment with good music and drinks. www.butterfly girls.es €50 day time. 951 274 723 (222198) NEAR Miraflores. Valeria, Russian.

Beautiful blonde, excellent manners, your complete lover will fulfil your most intimate fantasies. New positions, 69, French, erotic shower, no rush. 602 690 036 (222198) RIVIERA. I’m your master. Erotic S&M at the level you want, for beginners and experts. Expert in BDSM, fetishism, bondage, spanking, spitting, erotic fight, crossdressing, tied up role play, wax play, golden shower. Fully equipped dungeon in luxury villa.

By appointment. 642 365 462 (222198) NEAR Elviria. Nice and loving Latina, 25, always horny and wanting to meet refined and passionate men. Nice body, soft skin and natural breasts. Callouts. Visa. 602 690 036 (222198) NEAR ELVIRIA - Maria - young Bulgarian, 25yrs, true Eastern doll, sweet, sensual, mischievous, will make you tingle. Addictive body, slim with small breasts, pert bottom. 24hrs 602 690 036 (222198) NEAR Elviria, Angela, beautiful and discreet, brunette with blue eyes. Come and feel pleasure on your skin, relax in your mind and wellbeing in your whole body. 634 193 202 (222198)

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

REMOVALS & STORAGE

CLASSIFIEDS

MOTORING

www.euroweeklynews.com

13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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

EWN

SPONSORED BY For best rates in motor insurance call: 952 89 33 80

Volkswagen unveils the T-ROC concept car CONCEPT CAR: Unveiled at the 84th Geneva International Motor Show.

V

OLKSWAGEN has presented the all new T-ROC, a concept car with a progressive design in the Golf format.

The German manufacturer unveiled its new vehicle during the 84th Geneva International Motor Show, which runs until March 16 in the Swiss city.

The all-wheel drive TROC concept car follows a new design line and interior style, with the progressive design of the front section being particularly striking, the automaker claims.

The two-door vehicle also combines the talents of an all-wheel drive sports utility vehicle (SUV) with the lightness of a convertible.The middle section of the roof consists of two halves that with just a few flicks can be taken off and stowed in the boot.

Front and rear cameras, which are backed up in the

dark by LED headlights, extend the driver’s field of vision.

Powered by a 135 kW/ 184 PS turbodiesel direct injection engine, the TROC is equipped with three different driving modes: ‘Street,’ ‘Off-road’ and ‘Snow.’

The parameters of the

drive train, 7-speed dualclutch gearbox (DSG), ABS, Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control vary depending on the mode selected.

The 2.0 TDI engine’s fuel consumption is of low 4.9 l/100km, while maximum torque is 380 Nm. The vehicle body has

been designed based on the Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB).

Thanks to lightweight construction the SUV weighs just 1,420 kg. Other features include the relatively short overhangs and the multipart 19-inch alloy wheels with size 245/45 tyres.

Car sales in Spain on the up in February CAR sales in February increased by 17.8 per cent in relation to the same month the previous year, according to Aniacam.

Last month 68,806 cars were sold in Spain, an increase the vehicle imports association attributed to the fifth phase of the PIVE incentive programme, passed late in January.

The association expects figures in the following months to be similar to those in 2013, as the PIVE programme was in place then as well.

The PIVE scheme guarantees a minimum price of €2,000 for cars

older than 10 years when part exchanged for a new car and scrapped.

All in all, Aniacam hopes sales in the first six months of the year will increase by 8 or 10 per cent, as long as a new phase of the PIVE plan is passed when the current one runs out of funds.

In February, the favourite car in Spain was Seat’s Leon model, with 2,453 units sold.

It was followed by Ford Focus and another Seat model, this time the Ibiza.

Citroen’s C4 is the most sold car in Spain so far this year, with 4,305 units.

It was followed by Seat’s Leon and Ibiza model.

The French manufacturer’s car led the sales charts in Spain in 2013.

On the other side are Jeep, Peugeot, and Suzuki, all of them seeing their sales decrease by more than 15 per cent.

Electric car sales are also showing positive signs, with an 83.3 per cent increase in relation to the same month in 2013.

39

NEW DESIGN: Combining the talents of an all-wheel SUV with the lightness of a convertible.

40

E W N 13 - 19 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

SPORT

www.euroweeklynews.com

Sport

Richard Kilty wins gold At the World Indoor Athletics Championships GB’s Richard Kilty won gold in the 60m, Katarina Johnson-Thompson silver in the long jump and Tiffany Porter bronze in the women’s 60m hurdles.

Axarquía’s best guide to local sport

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

There’s enough action going on this week to please sports fans everywhere Tony Matthews

International Sports A former football player and the world’s most prolific author of football books (more than 100 published), Tony is also the sports reporter for Spectrum Radio and lives in the Cabrera mountains.

Costa de Almeria

THERE has already been Champions League action featuring Atletico Madrid-Milan, Bayern Munich-Arsenal on Tuesday and BarcelonaManchester City and Paris St Germain-Bayer Leverkusen yesterday, while tonight in the Europa League, it’s TottenhamBenfica and Sevilla-Real Betis.

And moving forward to the weekend there’s a full Premiership programme including Aston Villa-Chelsea on Saturday followed by Manchester United-Liverpool and SpursArsenal on Sunday while Leicester, Burnley, and QPR are all at home in the Championship.

Elsewhere, 50,000 fans will attend the Aberdeen-Inverness Caledonian Thistle Scottish LC final at Celtic Park; La Liga leaders Real Madrid visit Malaga, Barcelona play Osasuna and UD Mojacar play CD El Ejido (h) in Regional Preferente (watch this game on the Playa).

Kelly Gallagher.

1st winter gold medal In Sochi, Kelly Gallagher with her guide Charlotte Evans, won GB’s first-ever Winter Paralympic Olympic gold medal in the visually impaired giant slalom. Jade Etherington took bronze in this same event, having collected silver in the downhill skiing event. The latter was GB’s first medal of any colour since 1994.

Moving onto the oval ball game, the final three Six Nations Rugby matches feature FranceIreland, Italy-England and Wales-Scotland.

For racing enthusiasts, the Cheltenham Festival started on Tuesday. The Gold Cup takes place tomorrow and my eachway tip is Dynaste, trained by Martin Pipe and ridden by Sam Waley-Cohen.

And the first Formula One Grand Prix of 2014 takes place in Melbourne, Australia on Sunday.

There’s a practice session

tomorrow followed by qualifying laps on Saturday.

LATEST SOCCER ROUNDUP • After the FAC quarter-final results - Arsena1 4 Everton 1, Hull 3 Sunderland 0, Manchester City 1 Wigan 2 and Sheffield United 2 Charlton 0 - the Wembley semis will feature Arsenal v Wigan and Hull v Sheffield United who are the first third tier club to reach the last four since Wycombe in 2001.

Holders Wigan shocked City for the second season running.

• In the Premiership, Chelsea whipped Tottenham 4-0 in the London derby to go seven points clear at the top of the Premiership, while at the bottom Cardiff grabbed a vital win over Fulham.

• In the Championship, it’s Leicester (1st), Burnley (2nd) and Derby (3rd); Wolves lead FL1 from Brentford while Chesterfield top FL2 ahead of Scunthorpe and Rochdale; alas Torquay United are 92nd and bottom!

• In La Liga, Real Madrid (top) beat Levante 3-0, Atletico Madrid (2nd) defeated Celta Vigo 2-0 while Barcelona (3rd) surprisingly lost 1-0 at Valladolid.

• Former WBA & England right-back Stan Rickaby (89) has died in Australia. This leaves exChelsea star Roy Bentley (also 89) and Ivor Broadis (91), once of Newcastle & Manchester City as England’s oldest former internationals still alive.

• Swindon Town’s Nile Ranger has been cleared of raping a woman in a hotel.

• Captain Carles Puyol will leave Barcelona in May. • Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies has been given a fivematch touchline ban.

• Ex-Birmingham City owner Carson Yueng will spend six years in prison after being found guilty of money laundering (£55m).

DID YOU KNOW? • If Wolves were victorious against Swindon on Tuesday, they would have set a club record of nine successive League wins.

They won eight in a row on four occasions, firstly in 1915.

• The first football international featuring 22 professionals was the Scotland v England clash in Glasgow in March 1886.

Each player received 10s (50p).

GENERAL SPORT • In Six Nations Rugby, England gained sweet revenge by beating Wales 29-18, Ireland thrashed Italy 46-7 and France edged Scotland 19-17 with a late penalty.

• Having beaten the West Indies 2-1 in the recent ODI series, England’s cricketers are now playing the Windies in three T20 matches. They lost the first game by 27 runs.

Meanwhile, South African captain Graeme Smith has retired from competitive cricket.

GINS Ladies Day at Los Moriscos GOLF INTERNATIONAL NERJA played a Dubai Stableford at Los Moriscos on its Ladies Day. The winning team was that of Angela Foreman, Peter Foreman, Patrick Wagneur and Ian Kemp who scored 108 points.

Second place went to Ann Raper, Roger Eatwell, John Vertanness and Rod Oldham (108). In third place were Steff Elsey, Mike Callaway, Clive Akid and Mike Elsey (107).

Annie Curphey, Maurice Wilde, Ray Cooper and Norman Lowes (105) took fourth. Consolation prize went to Elaine Griffiths, Sean Rooney, Steve Tow and Colin Chown AT Añoreta GINS played a Swedish Medal. Winner was Sean Daly (77 nett), second Mike Cummings (78) and third Bev Legg (78).

Top lady was Lola Montero (76) followed by Denny

Cummings (80).

The society played a Modified Medal at Baviera.

Overall winner was David Weston (76). In the men’s low handicap category Carl Langley (77) was top with Mike Callaway (79 ) second.

In the other category Clive Akid (79) was top with Mike Elsey (83) second.

Steph Elsey (28) won the Ladies Stableford competition.