Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 20 - 26 March 2014 Issue 1498

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ISSUE NO. 1498

EWN FRONT EXTRA

Swept away

THE body of 40-yearold man who disappeared while fishing from a boat off La Araña beach has been found in Cadiz. His boat was found 50km out at sea near Nerja.

Not a fair cop A LOCAL policeman in Nerja has been arrested by Guardia Civil accused of drug trafficking, bribery, money laundering and collaborating with organised crime.

Cave heritage THE five-million yearold Nerja caves may become a UNESCO World Heritage site.

They are one of the main tourist attractions of the area.

20 - 26 MARCH 2014

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More woes for beach bars

YET more beach bars in the Axarquia are facing an uncertain future despite a new law that was supposed to secure their position.

While most beach bars are celebrating the new coastal law, those along Motril’s Poniente beach area are in a difficult position as they may have to be demolished and rebuilt.

The new law states that all beach bars must be right next to the beach wall but beach bars in the

area are so far from it, there is room for a lane of cars.

Francisco Trujillo, the president of the association of beach bars

Blue zones for Velez-Malaga TWO HUNDRED parking spaces in the centre of Velez-Malaga will become ‘blue zone’ and be charged by the minute before the beginning of the summer.

Initially Amivel (Handicapped Association of Velez-Malaga) will take charge of managing the parking; they

Fair and consistent exchange rates

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will use an electronic system that will not need parking meters.

Fees have yet to be confirmed but it is thought they will charge 70 cents an hour for the first hour and fractions of an hour-and-a-half or two hours will cost €1.10 and €1.50 respectively.

on the Tropical Coast, has classified this directive as ‘dramatic’ and claimed that the bars will not be able to absorb the cost in a time of recession.

“We are worried,” he said, adding that this may be the last straw for an industry already hit hard by the economic crisis.

Trujillo said the association was pleased with other aspects of the new law such as the renewal of the concessions for the next 30 years.

The Euro Weekly News recently reported that four beach bars at Nerja’s El Playazo beach had been ordered to close immediately by the Junta de Andalucia regional government as they occupy land in the public domain.

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Velez tapa trail gains popularity THE mayor of VelezMalaga, Francisco Delgado Bonilla, has commented that this, the third, year of the town’s ‘tapa’ trail’ is the most popular so far.

In its first year only 15 establishments decided to participate; last year the figure rose to 18, and this year there are 21.

Mayor Delgado Bonilla remarked that the council is continuing to foster gastronomy and business dynamics in the town and that this event brings the two aspects together.

The council is inviting the public to sample the best food the bars and restaurants have to offer over the next three weeks.

He thanked Victoria Beers for its collaboration in the event.

The Department of Business and Employ-

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THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1-8

Finance 13 - 18

Letters 19

Leapy Lee 20

Daily TV 24

Time out TASTY TAPAS: Gastronomic trail in Velez-Malaga. ment is handing out a total of 10,000 ‘passports’ and people can have them stamped every time they eat at one of the 21 participating establishments. Those who get

11 stamps will be automatically entered into a competition with a prize of €300; those who manage to collect all the stamps in their passport will have the chance of an €800 prize.

28 - 29

Classifieds 37 - 38

Sport 40

NEWS Missing girl TATIANA REYES, aged 15, disappeared from her house in Torreblanca and hasn’t been seen since. Police suspect a Motril man she was chatting with on the internet.

Fight stabbing POLICE are investigating a street fight that took place last weekend in the Huerta Carrasco neighbourhood.

One person was stabbed and another badly beaten.

Not so smart THE Guardia Civil are investigating the driver of a bus from Motril which was found with 134 smart phones hidden in the luggage compartment when it arrived in Melilla.

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Violent fake postman caught POLICE in Velez-Malaga have arrested a violent bogus postman who stole €8,000 in a house robbery.

The investigation was initiated after a foreign woman said she had been hurt during a burglary at her house in Torre del Mar by people dressed in Correos (Post Office) uniforms.

Right at the beginning of the investigation the police identified one of the men and immediately sent a car to his house, in the Algarrobo area, in the hope of capturing him.

After obtaining a

Electric course NERJA cultural centre is offering residents a course on how to understand the new electricity bills and how to avoid the pitfalls that surround this industry.

Spring eggs EVERY spring the beaches around the Caletilla area of Nerja are laced with fish eggs where the waves break on the sand; it produces a ‘rusty’ look in the water.

‘

warrant to enter and search his residence the police arrested him. They found drugs - marihuana, hash and MDMA (Ecstasy) among others - already bagged and ready for sale as well as high precision scales.

As well as causing grievous bodily harm, the man has been charged with possessing fraudulent documentation and crimes against public health. He will go straight to prison until his hearing.

One other person has been charged with aiding and abetting, he allegedly assisted the man’s escape and then helped to hide him.

IMPORTANT: A good relationship with colleagues.

Logo attraction A LOGO competition run by Motril Town Hall received 79 proposals from 63 participants from all over Spain.

The mayor and a panel of judges will decide on the winner who will be given €2,000.

Green Nerja PINTS and more pints were on offer at the celebrations for one of the world’s most popular festivities, all of them dyed green and orange for Nerja’s participation in St Patrick’s Day.

20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Don’t worry, just be happy...

T

ODAY (March 20) is International Day of Happiness, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 and celebrated throughout the world with education and public awareness-raising activities.

A recent study shows that only 59 per cent of Spaniards claims to be happy. The study, by Ipsos, was carried out in 24 countries and shows that only the Hungarians are unhappier than the Spanish. Meanwhile in Indonesia, 92 per cent of those questioned claimed to be happy, as did 86 per cent of Canadians, 85 per cent of Swedes and 84 per cent of North Americans. In Europe, the happiest residents after the Swedes are the Belgians, British, French, Germans and Italians.

The study also shows that women are happier than men, and that people under 35 are happier

Quote of the Week Until ETA is broken up, the team of 4,500 National Police and Guardia Civil will remain in place’ The Interior Minister, Jorge Fernandez Diaz, during a visit to the Basque Country, where a regional police force, the Ertzaintza, is also present to fight terrorism.

than those above that age.

A study carried out earlier this year by Adecco showed that in Spain, teachers, firemen, journalists, pharmacists and engineers claim to be happiest in their work. Despite cutbacks in the education sector, more than 94 per cent of teachers claimed to be happy in their work, mainly because they enjoy contributing towards the social and personal development of others.

The study shows that the Spanish think those who are happiest in their jobs are artists, football players and sportspeople in general.

More than 29 per cent think that the secret to being happy at work is enjoying the job, 17.6 per cent considered the key was to have a good relationship with colleagues and 13.3 per cent put work happiness down to a good salary.

Number of the week

275

men who entered prison between 2003 and 2012 for killing their partners or former partners remain behind bars. A further 264, according to the prison institution, are not on record or have been since been released.

EWN

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Euesdens win court battle JUSTICE has been done.

After a nine-year internet campaign of lies and defamation against Steven and Michel Euesden, blogger Lenox Napier has been found guilty of severe criminal defamation by an Almeria court.

Napier - former owner of The Entertainer newspaper had, the court decided, defamed the Euesdens owners of the Euro Weekly News (EWN) - in a series of online articles, including on such sites as the Ripoff Report and various other expat forums.

This, said the Euesdens, had not only been aimed at them personally, but also targeted their business.

Speaking after the sentence was declared, Michel said: “We would like to thank all of our valued clients and readers for their constant support through this difficult time. We see this as a victory for everyone who has suffered from online abuse and bullying.

“Napier’s loss has proved that lies are lies wherever they are published. The internet is no hiding place for people to spout defamatory comments and get away with it.

“We always believed in the Spanish judicial system. It may sometimes seem slow, but in the end we have been vindicated. The Spanish courts have not let us down.

“A special thanks must go to all the staff at EWN who have had to live through this for many years. The campaign has at times been fraught, but the staff have stuck together and have always supported myself and Steven.”

Don’t miss next week’s EWN for the full story.

And finally...

At least 750 more illegal immigrants managed to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla in North Africa this week, by climbing over the frontier fence from Morocco. Some were injured and had to be treated before being taken to the already full centre for immigrants.

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Tourist robbed and strangled PROSECUTORS are asking for a sentence of nine years for a robber who tried to strangle a female tourist.

The 44-year-old man met the woman at a bar in Torrox and invited her to his home to have a drink. Once there they got into an argument and the man grabbed her by the throat and then gagged her, until she lost consciousness.

The accused then took €680 from her handbag. When the woman woke up, she began shouting and the police found her. They took her to the health centre in Torrox.

The prosecution underlined the fact that the woman could very easily have died due to the gag blocking her airway.

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Padel courts cause distress to residents THE installation of padel courts on the Paraiso del Sol Urbanization in Rincon de la Victoria has set off a heated battle among the residents.

Since the beginning of the year the excessive noise generated by these privately owned courts has become a bone of contention with some neighbours against the installation and some in favour.

Those who are against have taken their case to the council in the hope it will close them down.

President of the residents’ association, Luis Molero, said that the council has promised to close down the courts if the decibel level is above the legal limit.

For Molero the environmental report will

COURTING CONTROVERSY: Padel tennis causes discontent. be the deciding factor but for those in favour of keeping the courts open, the implantation of acoustic barriers and the planting of trees is the deciding factor.

They believed that with these new measures the noise pollution would be lessened. They also point out that the area

has many young people and there are few other

leisure activities for them to take part in.

NEWS NEWS EXTRA

A royal welcome IN celebration of Bernardo de Galvez, Macharaviaya native and a key person in the US War of Independence, the Queen of Spain is hosting delegations from Macharaviaya and Pensacola, USA, at the Zarzuela Palace in Madrid.

Avocado thefts NATIONAL POLICE have detained a man and a woman for the alleged theft of 200 kilos of avocados from a farm in Motril, Granada.

Raisin figures BROKEN UP: Drug dealing in Palma-Palmilla.

Three drug dealing sites dismantled NATIONAL POLICE have busted three drug dealing sites in PalmaPalmilla.

Eight people have been arrested, among them three minors, from two families. They have been accused of crimes against public health as well as the buying and selling of illegal substances.

The raid took place in the early morning at three different localities in the northern Malaga neighbourhood. As well as arresting the eight people they also confiscated 19 doses of cocaine, three doses of a cocaine and heroin mix, 0.76 grammes of

cocaine, 11.34 grammes of a mixing substance, €2,005 in cash, and a pistol with 125 bullets.

During the investigation the police were able to establish that all three sites had a constant flow of customers round the clock.

According to their investigations those arrested supplied a large number of people with drugs, sometimes using the minors for deliveries.

Police sources commented that these three sales points were among the most important of the city.

THE biggest raisin co-operative in the area, consisting of eight companies, has managed to maintain turnover despite a 40 per cent fall in prices.

On hold TORRE DEL MAR Council as decided to defer work to pedestrianise Calle del Mar until after the summer due to concern from local shopkeepers that it could ruin their season.

Park interest FIFTEEN companies have so far shown interest in the Axarquia Technological Park in VelezMalaga.

Construction is due to start in two weeks’ time and should be completed within nine months.

NEWS

Remodelling work starts TORROX TOWN COUNCIL has signed contracts for the remodelling of the Rejana Bridge and the lighting on the paseo maritimo.

These two projects, funded in conjunction with other administrations, have a total budget of €485,584.53.

The first project, the Rejana Bridge, will improve communication in the northern Torrox urban area not only with the countryside but also with the neighbouring village of Frigiliana. The project will employ 12 local people.

The second project is the upgrading of the lighting installations along the paseo maritimo and has a budget of €245,997.77. Installations will be upgraded to a higher standard and be more energy efficient.

The mayor of Torrox, Francisco Muñoz, said that these works will improve the road network and make the local area safer.

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20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Teaching women to defend themselves SALOBREÑA POLICE have been holding self-defence classes.

Intended principally for women, the classes will teach basic selfdefence methods designed to repel attacks in a domestic setting.

Half of the course is based on theory and half on more practical approaches; the classes are

suitable for women of all fitness levels.

Mari Carmen Callejon, in charge of the course, commented that it was designed not only for the women to physically protect themselves in a dangerous environment but also to give them more confidence and self-esteem.

Arrested for extortion THE Guardia Civil have detained four people, aged between 32 and 38, with extensive criminal records in Almeria and Granada.

They stand accused of extortion and threatening to kill a couple and their son over a debt.

In February the father of the family reported that he and

his family were being threatened by four individuals from Almeria who were trying to recover a debt.

Apparently the son of the family had struck up a relationship with them and transported drugs for them. The drugs were ‘lost in transit’ and so the gang was making

death threats in order to recover the money.

The family had already paid on two occasions (€9,000 and €15,000) but were asked for another €26,000.

According to police, information about the case was “very little and very vague” making it a difficult investigation.

EWN

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Attempted attack A MAN, 35, was arrested in Palma for attempting to mug a mother and daughter who were walking along the sea-front promenade.

Emergency drill STUDENT firemen in Palma carried out an accident drill at the Balearic Islands University Metro Station.

Plan accepted ALL of the employees at the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Palma have now accepted the redundancy package presented by the company, affecting more than 1,600 workers.

Fewer passengers THE number of people using Palma City buses fell by 1.8 per cent in January to 2.7 million passengers, compared to the same month last year.

Voluntary return THE Balearic Government has announced that it will provide €400,000 in 2014 to help non-EU citizens to return voluntarily to their countries of origin.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Air ambulance A WOMAN, aged 30, was airlifted to hospital with a head injury following a car accident on the road between Torrevieja and Orihuela.

Body in sea

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

Hollywood film hopes for Andalucia’s economy TALKS have been held to bring more Hollywood film productions to Andalucia following the economic boost Ridley Scott’s film Exodus gave to the region.

The president of the Andalucia Film Commission (AFC), Carlos Rosado, said that film studios FOX had been looking for locations in the region, but he declined to give more details.

Ridley Scott had recently used locations in Almeria Province as he shot the film, reigniting interest in the area amongst Hollywood film-makers. With major stars like Christian Bale and Sigourney Weaver flying in, the film production gave Almeria worldwide exposure.

Rosado said now was the time to sell the region to film-makers after the publicity it has received from Exodus. He added that he hoped the movie would give the region’s film industry a major boost and promote Andalucia.

The president also said that the AFC was trying to come up with RAISING PROFILE: Big stars like Christian agreements with the Indian and Bale were in Almeria for the filming of Russian film industries to attract the Hollywood blockbuster Exodus. more projects.

AN investigation has opened into the identity of a man whose body was found floating in the waters off El Campello close to Muchavista beach. The body showed no signs of violence.

disposable nappies, is cutting out the fifth shift at its production plant and is closing at weekends to adapt to market demand.

Smash and grab

COSTA DE ALMERÍA

A BUSINESSMAN was robbed of €26,000 in cash in the centre of Orihuela as two thieves on motorbikes broke his car window and stole the money from an envelope on the passenger seat.

Shoe jobs OF the 3,600 jobs created in Elche in the last 14 months, 55 per cent came from the footwear sector and components, as there is increasing demand for both managers and qualified professionals.

Production down AFTER two decades, the largest industrial company in the province of Alicante, which manufactures Dodot

Pond rescue THREE Guardia Civil officers in Vicar formed a human chain to rescue a man who had fallen into a pond. The man was transferred to Poniente Hospital suffering from hypothermia, one of the officers also needed treatment.

Cages found POLICE in Adra and Senes have intercepted several cages used by hunters in the area. The illegal cages are used to catch birds and small mammals.

Food shared PECHINA TOWN HALL has shared out more than 15,000 kilos of food between

/ SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

MALLORCA

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S_BUKLEY

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a total of 165 families most in need in the town.

Thieves caught THREE men of North African origin were caught red-handed by police officers as they attempted to steal items from the Santa Maria Church in Nijar.

California dreaming FOUR artists from Almeria are to have their works displayed in the Roll up Gallery in San Francisco, USA, from April 18 to May 4. The four participating artists are Jesus Zamarron,Paco de la Torre, Francisco Uceda and Manu Muñoz.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Robber seized A 54-YEAR-OLD man was arrested in Beniarbeig, accused of robbing €4,000 from a Sanet i Negrals bank. He

NEWS DESK allegedly doused an employee with petrol and threatened him with a knife.

Fund-raiser THE parish church in San Juan is holding concerts to raise cash for repairs. Those attending will be able to donate towards the €70,000 that is needed.

Uncaring theft ALICANTE CITY police halted traffic in La Florida after a gas leak was discovered at Rafael Altamira school after lesson time. It is believed the leak occurred after thieves removed copper piping.

Lodger killed A SAN VICENTE lodging-house landlord received a 12-month sentence for manslaughter after a tenant was electrocuted in the shower. The waterheater was incorrectly installed and unsafe, the court ruled.

Labour scam REGIONAL police and work inspectors located two clandestine shoe factories in Monovar. Fourteen of the 89 employees in both workshops were working without contracts, the regional government later revealed.

COSTA DEL SOL

Winning ticket A WINNING ticket for the first prize of the National Lottery, with €600,000 in prize money, was sold in Fuengirola.

Motorcyclist dies A MOTORCYCLIST, 39, died when he was involved in a head-on collision on the A-397 road in Benahavis. His passenger, a woman of 36, was injured.

Drugs bust AGENTS from the Tax Office intercepted a 63.5-metre-long merchant ship in the Alboran Sea off the coast of Malaga, as it was carrying 12 tonnes of hashish.

Contraband cigarettes ALMOST 530 packets of contraband cigarettes were seized in Antequera which were reportedly being sold to the public with no state controls.

Cars galore A VEHICLE ‘styling’ meet held in Coin attracted more than 100 vehicles and ended with a parade through the centre of the town.

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Preparing for wildfires EMERGENCY services in Granada have been involved in a drill which included forest, urban and agricultural fires in the areas of Jete, Otivar and Lentegi.

Infoca, the Guardia Civil, Almuñecar Fire Brigade and the National Police were just a few of the participants in this multidisciplinary drill.

The objective of the exercise was to test the equipment, readiness and reaction times before the summer season, which brings with it many wildfires, starts.

As well as putting out the fires the relevant bodies have also been practising the evacuation of farms, country houses and even entire villages.

OPINION

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A note from the

Editor

A bit of pain and a bit of gain

S

TRINGENT new fines are being introduced for driving offences. (See Page 23) With penalties of up to €6,000 on the cards for some offences, it can be an expensive business breaking the rules of the road.

A sensible move for road safety? Or a money-raising scheme for cashstrapped government?

Probably a bit of both, with a €6,000 fine on the use of radar ‘inhibitors’ seeming a little excessive.

But without a doubt the introduction of the penalty points system in Spain has coincided with a dramatic drop in the number of road deaths with all the human misery - and financial cost that entails. The Spanish Government should be congratulated.

Some good news…

As everything seems to get more

expensive day by day it is good to get a little cheer. The price of getting a British passport for expatriates in Spain is set to come down by a whopping 35 per cent. (See Page 22) By law a profit - or loss - cannot be made on passports, so with changes in the way they are issued overseas the cost has come down, with those savings being passed on. Which begs the question... why did it not happen sooner?

But it is good news, especially if like myself you are part of a family of five members who all need their passports changing at the same time.

And just in the nick of time too! I was about to complete my application, but now I will wait until after April 7 and save myself a substantial amount of money. So thank you, HM Government! But expatriates around the world will be saying: “About time too!”

NEW LAW: No bad smells in July and August.

Muck spreading banned...

VELEZ-MALAGA COUNCIL has announced a new law which regulates the transport, usage and application of manures and other agricultural material.

The Environmental Secretary, Antonio Martin, explained that the new law includes a series of measures that will eliminate the discomfort and unhygienic conditions suffered by some residents.

These unpleasant conditions, generated by the spreading of this type of fertiliser, are to be kept to a minimum especially during the summer months

when there are more tourists in the area.

The councillor indicated that these new measures would alleviate the situation suffered by some neighbours last summer which generated dozens of complaints. He also commented that in July and August it would be illegal to spread manure unless expressly permitted to do so by the council.

Fines for breaking this law will be around €750 for a minor offence and €3,000 for a more serious one.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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

business & legal

OECD praises economic reforms

GREECE, Ireland and Spain - in that order - have closely followed Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recommendations.

The OECD pinpointed priorities for each member country during 2012 and 2013.

The three countries under most pressure were those who had made the most effort to comply with the ‘Going for Growth’

programme, said Rintaro Tamaki, the OECD’s vice-secretary general and chief economist.

Spain was immediately in front of New Zealand and nine other countries, including the UK, Tamaki said. The majority of member states still had a wide margin for manoeuvre, he added, which would allow them to carry through structural reforms.

More models more money CAR companies could invest another €3.5 billion in new models between now and 2017.

Energy and transport costs will be decisive, declared Mario Armero who heads the country’s automobile manufacturers’ association, Anfac.

A flexible work force and background knowledge will be equally important, he said.

The association has remitted proposals to the government aimed at reindustrialising Spain and Europe, based on Brussels’ insistence on increasing the role of industry.

The country’s production

plants and assembly lines have already received €3.5 billion since 2012 from Spain-based manufacturers, but this could double by 2017, Armero believes.

In addition to alreadyannounced new models, more are likely to go to the Mercedes-Benz plant in Vitoria and General Motors in Figueruelas (Zaragoza), he said.

The car industry in Spain is seen as being hugely important in bringing economic growth to the country with the billions spent by international car manufacturers investing in Spanish plants.

B

usiness extra

Boxing clever HACIENDA earned an extra €2 million after impounding 542 safety deposit boxes. Their 551 owners owed €317 million in back taxes, Spain’s tax authority revealed.

Pay slashed A 75 PER CENT reduction in employees’ salaries by Barcelona firm ImesApi was illegal, ruled a Cataluña judge.

The firm cut eight workers’ monthly wages from €3,000 to €751.38 without prior agreement.

Spanish go for cheaper homes SPAIN’S property market is still in crisis six years after the property bubble burst.

Foreign buyers are the only bright feature in a barren landscape blighted by a dearth of loans and reduced spending by Spanish families. According to ministry of Public Works’ figures for the last quarter of 2013, properties acquired by foreign buyers are 12

per cent more expensive than those bought by the Spanish. The average home acquired by a foreign buyer changes hands at around €153,000 compared with €135,000 spent by national purchasers.

While properties bought by foreigners were 2.5 per cent cheaper than during the last quarter of 2012, those bought by Spaniards were 6 per cent lower.

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STAT OF WEEK A BUTANE gas bottle remains at €17.5 including tax, the same as in March 2013. The price will be revised every two months, the ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism announced.

Herve Cortinat/OECD

Spain earns plaudits

EWN

PRAISE: Rintaro Tamaki said Spain was on track .

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 132.21 91.07 32.77 125.64 95.90 114.95 21.53 66.33 93.87 25.40 167.04 79.32 24.77 185.69 93.80 57.25 97.56 56.26 38.15 78.93 31.39 79.67 38.22 83.26 114.45 76.94 46.44 222.97 74.61 81.35

+2.38 +0.90 +0.28 +2.53 +0.51 +0.85 +0.18 +0.56 +0.40 +0.29 +1.69 -0.06 +0.27 +3.48 +0.99 +0.45 -0.02 +0.56 +0.445 +0.61 +0.155 +0.69 +0.05 +0.60 +1.85 +1.23 +0.36 +2.20 +0.33 +1.28

+1.83% +1.00% +0.88% +2.06% +0.53% +0.74% +0.84% +0.85% +0.43% +1.15% +1.02% -0.08% +1.10% +1.91% +1.07% +0.79% -0.02% +1.01% +1.18% +0.78% +0.50% +0.87% +0.13% +0.73% +1.64% +1.63% +0.78% +1.00% +0.44% +1.60%

1.3M 1.2M 10.7M 2.4M 2.0M 2.5M 14.6M 1.5M 3.7M 14.9M 1.6M 2.8M 9.4M 2.8M 2.6M 6.8M 2.6M 4.5M 10.4M 1.9M 10.8M 3.6M 8.8M 1.1M 1.9M 1.4M 14.6M 886.4K 3.0M 3.3M

1.19522

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 7.50 8.50 5.10 19.00 22.00 -4.00 18.00

C O M PA N Y

1.13 0.92 1.31 1.21 1.54 -0.36 0.76

NET VOLUME 4,635.78 3,180.87 12,881.59 369.62 1,241.52 1,217.96 735.79

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 4.375 $ 12.29 $ 21.2875 $ 22.17 $ 17.67 $ 2.28 $ 4.3799 $ 7.50 $ 3.30 $ 3.97 $ 69.4165

1.105 ▲ 33.79% 2.39 ▲ 24.14% 3.9275 ▲ 22.62% 3.42 ▲ 18.24% 2.30 ▲ 14.96% 0.28 ▲ 14.00% 0.5099 ▲ 13.18% 0.73 ▲ 10.78% 0.31 ▲ 10.37% 0.34 ▲ 9.37% 4.8265 ▲ 7.47%

$ 5.36 $ 11.61 $ 410 $ 13.34 $ 26.85 $ 4.2001 $ 3.13 $ 18.43 $ 33.82 $ 24.49 $ 7.77

0.85 ▼ 13.69% 1.74 ▼ 13.03% 52.26 ▼ 11.31% 1.64 ▼ 10.95% 3.25 ▼ 10.80% 0.4399 ▼ 9.48% 0.31 ▼ 9.01% 1.57 ▼ 7.85% 2.88 ▼ 7.85% 2.07 ▼ 7.79% 0.62 ▼ 7.39%

Most Advanced China Recycling Energy Corporation Sky-mobi Limited Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. STAAR Surgical Company AirMedia Group Inc China BAK Battery, Inc. Empire Resorts, Inc. U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc. Vimicro International Corporation Sina Corporation

Most Declined China Finance Online Co. Limited Audience, Inc. Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. LMI Aerospace, Inc. National Interstate Corporation Burcon Nutrascience Corp NewLead Holdings Ltd. Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc. Nexstar Broadcasting Group, Inc. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Credit Suisse AG

C O M PA N Y Centrica PLC Coca-Cola HBC AG Compass Group PLC CRH PLC Diageo PLC easyJet PLC Experian PLC Fresnillo PLC G4S PLC GKN PLC GlaxoSmithKline PLC Glencore Xstrata PLC Hammerson PLC Hargreaves Lansdown HSBC Holdings PLC IMI PLC Imperial Tobacco Group InterContinental Hotels International Consolidtd Intertek Group PLC ITV PLC Johnson Matthey PLC Kingfisher PLC Land Securities Group Legal & General Group Lloyds Banking Group London Stock Exchange Marks & Spencer Group Meggitt PLC Melrose Industries PLC Mondi PLC National Grid PLC Next PLC Old Mutual PLC Pearson PLC Persimmon PLC Petrofac Ltd Prudential PLC Randgold Resources Ltd Reckitt Benckiser Group Reed Elsevier PLC Resolution Ltd REXAM PLC Rio Tinto PLC Rolls-Royce Holdings Royal Bank of Scotland Royal Dutch Shell PLC Royal Mail PLC RSA Insurance Group SABMiller PLC Sage Group (The) PLC Sainsbury (J) PLC Schroders PLC Severn Trent PLC Shire PLC Smith & Nephew PLC Smiths Group PLC Sports Direct Internatnl SSE PLC Standard Chartered PLC Standard Life PLC Tate & Lyle PLC Tesco PLC Travis Perkins PLC TUI Travel PLC Tullow Oil PLC Unilever PLC United Utilities Group Vodafone Group PLC Weir Group PLC Whitbread PLC William Hill PLC Wm Morrison Suprmrkts Wolseley PLC WPP PLC

PRICE(P) 332.35 1485.00 914.50 1654.50 1781.50 1632.50 1055.00 923.75 236.30 381.65 1639.00 306.32 549.25 1312.00 597.15 1461.50 2417.50 1896.00 429.85 2942.00 197.45 3101.00 414.05 1048.50 229.30 79.52 1948.00 466.50 460.00 292.20 1083.50 826.25 6705.00 189.85 1023.50 1361.50 1365.50 1356.25 4970.00 4817.50 916.25 372.40 483.55 3179.75 1045.50 303.05 2289.00 572.00 96.47 2810.25 411.40 311.50 2598.00 1831.00 3131.00 928.00 1338.00 858.50 1427.00 1192.50 362.60 636.75 299.70 1877.50 432.90 776.50 2370.00 792.50 225.97 2506.00 4323.00 376.20 207.35 3385.00 1222.50

CHANGE 2.00 52.00 3.00 14.00 -41.00 21.00 10.00 -1.00 6.80 8.40 8.00 9.60 3.00 20.00 -1.10 5.00 3.00 9.00 8.60 12.00 3.30 34.00 12.40 15.00 1.60 1.12 48.00 5.00 10.20 6.10 14.00 1.50 130.00 2.00 17.00 48.00 17.00 10.00 -27.00 -30.00 4.50 6.30 0.80 39.00 14.00 3.50 -6.00 6.00 3.30 7.00 8.00 -2.20 15.00 18.00 44.00 -0.50 7.00 33.50 4.00 1.50 3.70 2.00 -4.00 27.00 8.30 -1.50 -1.00 6.00 3.85 55.00 88.00 0.60 -0.60 45.00 16.00

% C H G. 0.61 3.63 0.33 0.85 -2.25 1.30 0.96 -0.11 2.96 2.25 0.49 3.23 0.55 1.55 -0.18 0.34 0.12 0.48 2.04 0.41 1.70 1.11 3.09 1.45 0.70 1.43 2.52 1.08 2.27 2.13 1.31 0.18 1.97 1.06 1.69 3.66 1.26 0.74 -0.54 -0.62 0.49 1.72 0.17 1.24 1.36 1.17 -0.26 1.06 3.54 0.25 1.98 -0.70 0.58 0.99 1.42 -0.05 0.53 4.06 0.28 0.13 1.03 0.31 -1.32 1.46 1.95 -0.19 -0.04 0.76 1.73 2.24 2.08 0.16 -0.29 1.35 1.33

VOLUME 23,562.78 340.43 2,395.08 1,855.96 7,322.08 779.77 3,493.21 942.63 6,092.96 4,086.40 5,071.87 41,384.51 1,464.02 380.47 30,454.03 721.75 1,746.83 690.58 17,773.74 236.69 15,186.01 352.48 12,690.20 1,721.91 12,465.20 82,949.58 292.48 4,465.37 3,174.98 1,835.72 1,468.52 5,490.88 270.16 7,786.90 2,603.86 2,913.10 945.73 4,826.92 416.46 1,054.50 4,184.03 2,450.33 1,515.85 3,784.44 3,638.05 11,751.70 9,508.48 3,080.21 20,965.47 1,798.64 2,058.82 12,637.33 265.30 807.66 2,361.79 1,927.90 904.35 3,926.46 2,154.86 4,261.57 2,833.45 1,748.02 30,710.72 553.57 1,520.70 1,704.05 3,269.98 1,705.51 57,827.40 649.73 461.07 2,640.15 13,482.50 666.88 3,489.97

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Handing over the reins FLORENTINO PEREZ has revealed who will take over when he steps down as ACS president.

Perez is commonly associated with the presidency of the Real Madrid football club but his fortune is founded on the ACS construction and services group which last year had a €38.373 billion turnover. Eightysix per cent of its projects were outside Spain and the company made a €702 million net profit.

“I have a successor at ACS,” 67-year-old Perez announced during a television appearance. “It is Marcelino Fernandez Verdes, CEO at Hochtief.” Fernandez Verdes has run Essen-based Hochtief since November 2012. It is Germany’s largest construction company and ACS holds a 56 per cent stake in the company.

“I shall be able to do what I can’t do now,” Perez said. “All I want now is to consolidate what we have done.

Fortunately I have successors and one successor in particular, so I’m comfortable.”

Perez left unanswered the question that most of Spain is now asking. “I don’t yet know who will follow me at Real Madrid,” he said.

www.euroweeklynews.com

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15

Body language in selling T

O succeed in selling, awareness of body language is essential.

Twenty-five years in business, selling a concept on quality rather than price that had no immediate benefit, taught me selling is a tough career option.

Most are aware of sales terms like ‘buying signals,’ ‘the close’ and ‘body language.’ Do we understand their importance? Let us look at body language.

Well named, it means the positive or negative signals radiating from a client’s body language as you set out your stall.

Eye avoidance is clear indication of deceit. When you meet and greet maintain eye contact. If one has the upper hand during the handshake, it suggests dominance.

Times up: If toes point the opposite way to his face he cannot wait to end the conversation.

Crowdfunding threatens to crowdout banks CROWDFUNDING is an increasingly attractive way of raising money for business ventures.

It took off via the internet in 2006 and eight years later typing ‘crowdfunding’ into Google produces link after link to specialist platforms.

They detail schemes that range from raising £15,000 for Chagford Community Farm (Devon) to HK$12.7 million for an off-grid solar farm in Qianhai (China).

Now comes news that the Spanish government plans to restrict total funding to €1 million per project.

Individual contributions will be limited to €3,000, with a €6,000 cap on the amount donated to the same platform. Crowdfunding platforms will need capital of at least €50,000 and insurance of at least €150,000.

“We do not understand these limits,” said Xavier Olivella, president

20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

of the Asociacion Española de Crowdfunding (AEC). They were fixed without taking the reality of the sector into consideration and without consultation, he complained.

The government is not trying to limit crowdfunding; on the contrary it hopes to boost it, a Ministry of Economy spokesman responded.

The formula is conceived for micropatronage by many small investors, not large-scale investments, he continued. The proposed law will encourage crowdfunding while

Talking shop Mike Walsh Professional copywriting content editing service.

www.michaelwalsh.es 966 786 932

When invited to take a seat, take the boss’s chair and you have just lost the sale. Much the same if you focus unevenly on his wife or secretary. Try to position your seat so you are not directly opposite and if possible without a desk between you.

Never mind what your client says. He may nod approvingly but if his arms are folded or legs crossed with lowered chin he is negative and you can kiss the sale bye-bye. Legs spaced apart with hands behind the neck are a strong buying signal.

Size matters. Watch the pupils of his eyes as you show him what is on offer.

Enlarged pupils means he likes what he sees. Reduced size means he is underwhelmed. This is the reason why astute gamblers wear dark glasses. It is something we have no control over.

If he scratches his nose or covers his mouth when talking, he is possibly being deceitful. If he touches his sleeve, he is nervous. An interested client will show an interest in what you are saying; asking questions that enable him to confirm his decision to buy is the right one.

One last thing: body language works both ways. www.michaelwalsh.es

FROB’s anger over recent court ruling CROWDFUNDING: An increasingly attractive way of raising money for business ventures. offering guarantees to investors.

“It is hard not to come to the conclusion that once again a Spanish government is legislating in favour of business lobbies, in this case, the banks,” said Enrique Dans, a professor at the IE Business School in Madrid. “Remember that Spain’s banks have effectively frozen lending to small businesses in the wake of a financial crash that they largely brought about in 2008.”

Reading between the lines of a BBVA report, banks clearly fear that crowdfunding could erode their dominance. “There is a real risk that banks could cease to be a principal source for personal loans and small businesses,” the study concluded.

TWO sacked Catalunya Banc executives can keep their pensions and will each receive €600,000.

Adolf Todo and Jaume Masana, respective former chairman and CEO of Catalunya Bank, were dismissed without a payout by the government’s FROB rescue fund after the bank was nationalised last year.

It was one of many savings banks that needed bailing out after its solvency was threatened by bad loans during the property boom.

By the end of 2012, Catalunya Banc’s €11.8 billion losses required a rescue costing €12 billion, the FROB’s second-highest bailout and the highest ever for

a bank of its size.

Despite the bank’s problems, Todo paid himself €3.3 million between April 2008 and May 2013.

According to a Barcelona court, the FROB letters informing Todo and Masana of their dismissal were ‘full of generic terms’ and ‘lacked concrete, definite deeds.’

Todo and Masana each claimed €900,000 compensation for unfair dismissal, although the judge reduced this to €600,000.

He also ruled that their pensions - totalling €4.5 for Todo and €1.5 for Masana - still held good and would be paid at the appropriate time.

The Economy ministry is appealing the sentence.

16

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Joint smoking for better healthcare Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

I DON'T know about where you live in Spain but where I live, the waft of marihuana smoke is about as commonplace as the smell of freshly ground coffee, the smell of fumes from cars or the smell of fried food from open kitchen windows.

Compared to Ireland, where I recall that most joint smokers used to hide away in their homes to puff on ‘ganja,’ in Spain many people appear to be free and open about their habit, lighting up on streets, outside bars or wherever else they fancy a joint.

What’s interesting about this situation is that this apparent love for smoking

SMOKE FREELY: If easy to get hands on, why not regulate?

Bob Marley’s favourite herb could help better the society we live in here in Spain. It could lead to big financing for better roads, better education and better healthcare for all! How? Well by simply changing the law and legalising marihuana.

It’s just been reported that the US state of Colorado collected €1.5 million in taxes from newly legalised recreational marijuana businesses in January.

Colorado became the first US state to legalise the commercial sale of cannabis

Has Horizontal Law changed regarding community areas?

You and the Law in Spain

By David Searl

A. Yes, the Horizontal Law has been modified and, no, a unanimous vote is no longer required to authorise changes in individual units of the Community. This change comes in ‘Ley 8/2013,’ the Law of Rehabilitation, Regeneration and Innovation of properties.

It is quite complex but one basic and important change is that an owner who wishes to make changes to his property needs only the approval of three fifths of the votes instead of the unanimous

Q. Can you advise on whether the Horizontal Law has recently been modified with regard to changing the status or the layout of individual units or Community areas? Does the law still require a unanimous vote of the AGM? AM (Canary Islands) approval formerly required. These changes might include a change of use, where, for example, commercial premises are modified into residential apartments, or where a large apartment might be subdivided, or where three flats might be made into one large apartment.

These are changes which require modifications to the constitution of the Community, because the percentage of ownership and Community fees for the new system will be different from the original

charges. If the building or development has come under an official plan of rehabilitation, and the changes are ordered by the authorities, no AGM approval is required.

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

in 2012 and stores opened for business on 1 January 2014.

In total, 59 marihuana companies filed tax returns for the first month of 2014 and collective sales for January are estimated to have been about €10 million. If medical marihuana firms

are included, the US state collected a total of €2.5m in marihuana taxes.

The money made from the taxes on the sale of marihuana in Colorado is chalked down to be used to aid youth prevention services, substance abuse treatment and public health. Not surprisingly many US states are carefully watching the figures coming out of Colorado and the nation’s capital, Washington, is already set to introduce legal sales within the next few months.

If people are going to smoke anyway - and judging by the smell on Spanish streets, marihuana is easy to get your hands on - why not regulate the plant? As is already the case for cigarettes. This will cut out dodgy dealers, better control usage and at the same time give a good bit back to society through taxes.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Bank must pay BANCO POPULAR BANCA PRIVADA must return €9.9 million to clients who bought ‘atypical financial products’ on the bank’s advice. They were not told they were investing in high risk products, the courts ruled.

Right track AN FCC-LED consortium of four companies will build a section of the Doha metro for the Qatar Railways Company. The €506 million project will be completed in 31 months.

New hub INTERNET shopping giant Amazon is opening a new distribution centre in Barcelona, according to Spanish media in unconfirmed reports.

E-cigarettes hitting stop smoking market ONCE quitting smoking was simply a matter of a patch, gum or tablet, but new research from market analysts Mintel sees smokers increasingly turning to E-cigarettes to beat the habit.

Indeed, latest research from Mintel finds that today, while sales of smoking cessation aids have slowed, the market for Ecigarettes is booming, increasing an impressive 340 per cent in the UK over the past year from an estimated £44 million (€52.7 million) in 2012 to reach an estimated £193 million (€231 million) in 2013.

While the smoking cessation market has seen strong growth historically, with annual increases of around 6-10 per cent between 200912, sales of

products such as gum, tablets and patches have slowed. Indeed, in 2013 the market for smoking cessation aids grew just 1.7 per cent to reach a value of £131 million (€157 million).

Roshida Khanom, Senior Personal Care Analyst at Mintel, said: “The rise in popularity of E-cigarettes has hampered growth in the value of the smoking cessation market, which saw modest growth in 2013.

Although E-cigarettes are largely marketed as an alternative to smoking, smokers have been using them to cut down or quit smoking. But with the growing popularity of E-cigarettes, there is concern that young people may take up ‘vaping’ as a less harmful alternative to smoking. This concern has resulted in the British Government announcement made in January 2014 that the sale of Ecigarettes to under-18s is to be made illegal. The Spanish Government has also vowed to restrict the use of Ecigarettes.

E-CIGARETTES: Being used as an alternative.

OPINION & COMMENT

A timely scammer warning THANK YOU, Yvonne Thomas!

A couple of weeks ago I read a letter from Ms Thomas, recounting her experience with tricksters who pretended they were calling from Microsoft in Glasgow. They tried to make her believe there was a problem with her Windows program.

Would you believe that a few days later I had a call from you’ve guessed it! - Microsoft, telling me they needed to troubleshoot a problem with my computer. I wouldn’t have said the call was from Glasgow, though, as this person spoke good AmericanEnglish with a hint of an Hispanic accent.

The number 0019 (or something very like that) came up on my phone screen.

“Well, thank you very much, but I happen to know that this is a scam and there’s nothing wrong with my computer. So thank you very much, but no thanks,” I said rather tartly and hung up.

A day or so after that there was another call from the same number, and this time a youngish-sounding man asked to speak to me. So I launched into my spiel once more, advising him not to waste his time on me. Blow me down, if he didn’t start giggling before hanging up!

There was a third 0019 telephone call yesterday from an American-sounding female with a hectoring voice, but not wanting to waste more breath this time, I hung up without answering.

Be warned: this really is a scam, and they’re persistent too.

T Freeman (By email)

Pigeon problem ARE there more pigeons and collared doves in the old part of Pinar de Campoverde, than in the Rio Seco ‘area of natural beauty’?

After walking for more than two hours in the morning in

www.euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 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

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SPRING is perfect here and I love finding little pockets of ‘real’ Spain, even though it’s overgrown like this meadow a few hundred metres away from Altea’s open air market.

Linda Gonzalez

the area around Pinar de Campoverde, I was amazed at how quiet it was.

I heard no more than two pigeons the whole time, whereas in the area where I live in the old part of Pinar de Campoverde there is constant noise from pigeons, particularly in the early morning.

Also we get a problem with the pigeon droppings and suffer ill health from the excessive amount of pollen from the pine trees.

Has anyone else encountered these problems? The ‘Ayuntamiento’ seems powerless to tackle them.

David Fentum, Pinar de Campoverde (Alicante)

Car solution YOUR reader Gill Nickson should have asked the Gestor for a ‘Baja Permanente’. This requires the owner to hand over the registration documents to Trafico and effectively removes the car from the road.

Richard, Crevillente (Alicante) Editor’s note: Gill Nickson asked how to take an old car off the road, while holding on to it for spares.

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

Winds of war I SAW something in ‘Your Say’ quite some issues back, probably in mid-February, that I half-forgot about until now.

It was a reference to the death of a Spanish photographer Jose Couso, who I believe was shot by US snipers in April 2003 in the early days of the Iraq invasion.

“Now what must be understood, this is war!” the writer of the letter exclaimed in reply to a Euro Weekly News columnist who had criticised the shooting.

Personally I would question that. Yes, it later became a war but we in the UK, the US and Spain were under the impression at the time that allied forces went to Iraq to liberate the country from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein.

It was not, or at least it should not have been, a war at that early stage, not long after the troops first went in.

If I cite the letter all these weeks later it is because the same old percussionists are beating their war drums again, this time over the Crimea.

A few months ago it was Syria, which we were thankfully spared. A couple of years before that it was Libya, preceded by Iraq and Afghanistan before that.

Ironically all those names from our old history books are coming back to haunt us once more.

Trevor Mortimer (By email)

Horse sense I’D like to convey heartfelt thanks to town halls that fine owners who leave their dogs’ disgusting ‘calling cards’ on public roads and pavements.

I’m lucky enough to live on a Camino Verde for walkers and cyclists, now closed to all but residents’ cars. There is not nearly so much dog excrement these days, either because owners are more civic-minded or more likely don’t want a fine.

But there’s another problem, albeit sporadic: the other morning I heard the clip-clop of a horse passing by and

EWN

19

when I went out later was confronted by a heap of manure.

There are no pooperscoopers for horses! But I wonder what the legal situation is for riders and if they run the risk of fines too?

Gwen Beaumont (By email)

Fine example SPEAKING to your Spanish friends, you would have to believe this is the most corrupt country in Europe. I have never encountered it here myself, however.

I have lived outside the UK for many years, but my British friends all assure me that there is no less corruption there although I was barely aware of it in my day. “Look at the MPs’ expenses scandals,” they say by way of an example. Now I am beginning to believe they are right, after reading headlines screaming about Nigel Farage having both his wife and his mistress allegedly on his taxpayerfunded payroll.

Farage, that Wooden Horse of an MEP, might not like Europe but by gum he’s taken to their customs all right! A mistress, indeed! Now you know what to expect, UKIP! Derek Paston (By email)

Go away THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been criticised for leaving their baby son, eight-month-old George, at home while they holidayed in the Maldives.

Hands-on parents and the anti-nanny brigade were appalled and envious in equal measure but good for you, say I. I don’t eat out all that often these days and a birthday treat of lunch with a pal was wrecked recently by the presence of a fractious months-old infant.

Unfortunately, its British parents, hands-on and droolingly indulgent, were sitting at a table uncomfortably close to ours.

If only they had gone to the Maldives! Sadly for us, they chose Mallorca.

S McNamara, Mallorca

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

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E W N 20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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OPINION & COMMENT

An uncontrollable temper had always considered the Princess Diana rather a manipulative woman, fully prepared to use the press to further her own cause. The reaction I got to that particular statement was, as anticipated, a deluge of hate mail descending through my inbox. Well, in the light of the recent

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT uncontrollable temper, used to throwing his weight about and, up to this point getting away with just about anything. Irrespective of who was in the loo, he killed them in a fit of vicious rage and is, in my opinion, therefore guilty of murder.

One or two other things have fascinated me about this trial, not least the fact that it was from the same court Nelson Mandela was sent down all those years ago.

Having been in SA during the dark days of apartheid the situation today appears to me nothing short of miraculous.

Another is the rather quaint way they address the female judge. M’Lady in that SA accent sounds for all the world like Thunderbirds’ chauffeur Parker addressing Lady Penelope herself!

In a recent piece I wrote that I

/ SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

OTHERS THINK IT

MIQU77

L

IKE many of us, I have been intrigued by the Oscar Pistorius murder trial in South Africa.

As someone who also watched just about every minute of the OJ Simpson trial, where, in the light of overpowering evidence to the contrary, an animal was actually found not guilty (later to be found guilty in a civil court) by a sympathetic jury - mainly composed of elderly black ladies I have been fascinated to see if another celebrity wriggles out of something that, for a lesser mortal, would be cut and dried within a few days.

Personally, I can’t see what difference it really makes who was in the toilet when this young man blasted the shots through the door. Nor do I think any intruder who locked himself in the loo screaming for mercy was actually any threat to a person standing outside with a loaded pistol in his hand.

No, to my mind this is a spoilt young man with an

disclosures of her handing over the phone numbers of all the Royals up to, and including the Queen, I think my point has been somewhat proven, wouldn’t you say?

And that’s about it. I’m still down in the Tenerife sunshine.

There is something to be said about all-year-round sunshine!

Ah, well, someone has to do it.

Just a few more weeks and I’ll be back with the family.

Yesss. I’ve actually just finished appearing in a Channel Five documentary.

The theme is ‘Growing old Disgracefully’.

Sounds about right! I understand it’ll be aired late May early June. I’ll keep ya posted.

Enjoy your week, and whatever ya do, always keep the faith, love Leapy.

Leapylee2002@gmail.com INTRIGUING: Oscar Pistorius’s murder trial.

In the finals JAVI MOLINO, from Almuñecar, has reached the finals of the Babolat Tennis Cup in Cordoba.

For the kids THE Herradura festivities, in honour of St Jose, are also celebrating Children’s Day with special rides and activities for youngsters.

LEAPY LETTERS

Brave words

GOOD strong, brave words on the Northern Irish situation (Issue 1496). I’m with you 100 per cent, let’s live together but not one rule for one and another for another.

It must be hard for anyone involved directly in the struggle but, as an outsider, we must stop the issues being passed to future generations. I think we learn that when we live abroad and I hope and wish the British and Irish can do the same Phil Saint (By email) Editor's note: Leapy said it is time to forgive and forget the troubles in Northern Ireland and move on.

That applies to former soldiers implicated in Bloody Sunday as well as people who took part in bomb attacks.

Three accused of kidnapping in Lujar GUARDIA CIVIL officers have detained three individuals in La Rabita, Granada.

The three men, aged between 21 and 37, are all from Almeria and all have extensive criminal records.

They stand accused of kidnapping a young man at gunpoint in Lujar.

The emergency services received a call from an unnamed man saying that three individuals had just forced his friend into a red Honda vehicle at gunpoint.

Police managed to rescue the young man and arrested the perpetrators who had a knife as well as a Blow 9 calibre pistol with ammunition in their possession.

22

E W N 20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

NEWS EXTRA

Bank boost THE BBVA bank is collaborating with the mayor of Almuñecar on the ‘I am employment’ campaign, which is designed to get the long-term unemployed back to work.

Rhythmic show STUDENTS from Almuñecar Rhythmic Gymnastics School performed their routines at the Second Spring Exhibition in Torrox.

In honour HERRADURA is honouring its senior citizens with a concert by well-known singer Antonio Cortes.

Couples celebrating their golden anniversary this week will also be invited to a special lunch.

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

Passport fees for Britons overseas reduced by 35% EXPATRIATES looking to renew their British passports should hold on until April when it will become 35 per cent cheaper.

James Brokenshire, Immigration and Security Minister, has announced that from April 7, the passport fee for customers applying for a UK passport from overseas will be reduced by £45 for adults and £28.50 for children.

The new fees are: • Adult 32 page passport £83.00 • Child 32 page passport £53.00 • Jumbo 48 page passport £91.00 (Adult/Child/Veteran) The 35 per cent decrease in passport fees is the result of efficiency savings made over the last three years by bringing back the processing and issuing of overseas passports to the UK, including from the former passport processing centre at the British Embassy in Madrid.

Will Middleton, Consular Director for Spain, said: “This is

CHEAPER: Getting a UK passport in Spain. good news for British citizens applying for a UK passport from Spain. The repatriation of overseas passport centres means overseas applications can now be handled more efficiently and at significantly lower cost.

“The new fees will benefit some four million Britons living overseas, including many of the estimated 800,000 who live in Spain for all or part of the year.”

If you need a new or replacement passport, go to the Overseas British Passport applications page on www.GOV.UK where you can make an overseas application.

You need to apply and pay online and send your supporting documents direct to the UK (no longer to the nearest consulate or embassy). The turnaround time is four to six weeks, and

applications are accepted up to nine months before the expiry of your current passport.

The new fees for overseas applications remain marginally higher than the equivalent fees for UK-based applicants because on average overseas applications take longer - and therefore cost slightly more - to process. This is because it is often less straightforward to establish whether or not an overseas applicant is entitled to a UK passport.

Overseas customers will also continue to pay a courier charge in addition to the passport fee.

British nationals can get more information and advice on living in Spain by ‘liking’/’following’ the British Embassy’s popular new social media channels on: • Facebook www.facebook.com/Brits livinginSpain • Twitter www.twitter.com/BritsliveSpain

NEWS

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS EXTRA

Death crash A CAR crash near Albuñol in Granada has left one person dead and two seriously injured. The cause of the accident is as yet unknown.

Pool plan GUADIX will receive €42,000 to remodel its municipal swimming pool. Mayor Jose Antonio Gonzalez Alcala said the works are necessary to bring it up to standard.

Green lane THE town council of Baza has proposed extending the ‘green lane’ (local nature trail) used by hikers and cyclists another three kilometres to reach the municipal limit of Zujar.

Web robbery THE owners of a shop in Curhe Baza have decided to upload a video of their shop being burgled to the web. They are doing this as a ‘courtesy’ to other shopkeepers in the area so that they are aware of the danger.

Food for needy The local branch of the PSOE in Maracena has donated 400 kilos of foodstuff to a food bank for needy families in the area.

20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

EWN

23

Tough new traffic penalties NEW regulations for traffic fines are going through the Senate and will come into effect soon.

If a radar inhibitor of any sort is installed in the car, the fine is up to €6,000 and the loss of six points.

A fine of €1,800 will be levied if the car has been involved in a serious or very serious offence and the national police authority (DGP) is not notified of who was driving the car.

STIFFER: Fines for traffic offences.

There will be no loss of points for this.

If the vehicle weighs less than 3,500 kilos and has no

Almuñecar sea-front to be revamped TRINIDAD HERRERA, the mayor of Almuñecar, has championed a project to revitalise the sea-front which she considers to be the heart and soul of the municipality.

In her own words the area is ‘dead’ with too many closed shops and businesses which give it a ‘sad air’. The

closures are attributed to the lack of traffic in the area.

The project will widen the road making it possible for traffic to flow in both directions, which will eliminate the bottleneck situation that has occurred since traffic was restricted to one way only.

valid insurance the fine will be €1,500, no loss of points but the vehicle will be immobilised for one month.

If the vehicle is parked and has no insurance then the fine is €800.

If the driver doubles the legal alcohol limit, is a frequent offender or refuses to take the breath test, then there is a loss of six points and a fine of €1,000. The same applies for driving under the influence of any amount of drugs.

There will be a fine of €600 and a loss of six points for a ‘very serious’ speeding offence.

There is a loss of six points and a fine of €500 for lesser speeding offences.

A loss of four points will be applied if the driver is not correctly licensed for the vehicle.

There will also be a loss of four points for a driver who is over the alcohol limit but without doubling it.

24

E W N 20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Thursday

Friday

SATELLITE CHANNELS - Sky1/

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 Davina - Beyond Breaking Point for Sport Relief 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Question Time

4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm James Martin's Food Map of Britain 5:15pm Sport Relief Does Glee Club 2014 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm Sport Relief 2014 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Sport Relief 2014

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 Hairy Bikers' Asian Adventure 10:00pm Turks and Caicos 11:35pm Newsnight

ITV/ 4:00pm The Alan Titchmarsh Show 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Ade at Sea 10:00pm Dangerous Dogs 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Edge of Heaven

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 The Hoarder Next Door 10:00pm Inside Rolls-Royce 11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

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 Dads

1:00pm Sunday

•Elliot Knight •Marama Corlett •Elliot Cowan •Estella Daniels

Sinbad (Drama, 2012) Sinbad and his friends find themselves up against a Fiend, while Taryn tries out some interesting disguises.

Guest starring Dougray Scott and Mathew Horne.

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 Mastermind 9:30pm Gardeners' World 10:00pm A Very British Renaissance 11:00pm Sport Relief 2014 11:40pm Newsnight

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

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 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!

Saturday BBC1/ 4:45pm Reflex 5:30pm Final Score 6:10pm BBC News 6:20pm Regional News 6:23pm Weather 6:25pm Sport Relief 7:45pm The Voice UK 9:40pm The National Lottery Live 9:50pm The Voice UK 10:25pm Casualty

BBC2/ 4:25pm Ingrid Bergman Talking Pictures 5:00pm Notorious 6:40pm Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:40pm Don't Panic! The Dad's Army Story 8:30pm Dad's Army 9:00pm The Perfect Morecambe and Wise 9:30pm The Plantagenets 10:30pm QI XL

ITV/ 4:30pm Kindergarten Cop 6:35pm Local News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm You've Been Framed!

8:00pm Saturday Night Takeaway 9:25pm The Cube 10:25pm The Americans

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 7:15pm Come Dine with Me 7:45pm Channel 4 News 8:05pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 9:00pm Off the Record 10:00pm Rush Hour 3

ITV2/ 4:25pm Britain's Got More Talent 5:25pm Babe 2: Pig in the City 6:25pm FYI Daily 6:30pm Babe 2: Pig in the City 7:15pm About a Boy 8:15pm FYI Daily 8:20pm About a Boy 9:15pm Mr Bean's Holiday 10:15pm FYI Daily 10:20pm Mr Bean's Holiday

TV LISTING

www.euroweeklynews.com

Sunday BBC1/ 5:15pm Escape to the Country 5:45pm Songs of Praise 6:20pm Pointless 7:05pm Blandings 7:35pm BBC News 7:50pm Regional News 7:58pm Weather 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm The Musketeers 11:00pm BBC News

Monday BBC1/ 5:15pm Flog it! Trade Secrets 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/

5:15pm Flog It! 6:00pm Collectaholics 7:00pm The Hairy Bikers: Restoration Road Trip 8:00pm Wild Burma 9:00pm Lambing Live 10:00pm Louis Theroux's LA Stories 11:00pm Mock the Week

5:15pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

5:45pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm The Voice: Louder on Two 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Mary Berry Cooks 10:00pm The Plantagenets

ITV/

ITV/

BBC2/

5:15pm The Spy Who Loved Me 7:35pm Local 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 at Ten and Weather

CH4/ 4:35pm The Simpsons 5:05pm The Simpsons 5:35pm Deal or No Deal 6:40pm Channel 4 News 7:10pm Rio 9:00pm The Million Pound Necklace 10:00pm The Tourist 11:55pm Dogma

ITV2/ 5:10pm Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway 6:40pm The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 7:40pm FYI Daily 7:45pm The Mummy Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 8:50pm Whip it!

9:50pm FYI Daily 9:55pm Whip it!

11:00pm The Only Way is Essex

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 I Never Knew That About Britain 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Widower

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 8:55pm The Political Slot 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm Shop Secrets: Tricks of the Trade 10:00pm One Born Every Minute

ITV2/ 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 Mom

Tuesday

Wednesday

BBC1/

BBC1/

4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm More Creatures Great and Small 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 More Creatures Great and Small 5:15pm Flog it! Trade Secrets 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Holiday Hit Squad 10:00pm MasterChef 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm A Question of Sport

BBC2/ 4:25pm Cagney and Lacey 5:15pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

5:45pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm The Voice: Louder on Two 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Lambing Live 10:00pm The Great British Sewing Bee 11:00pm The Culture Show 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 River Monsters 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Didier Drogba: Sports Life Stories

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 The Missing

BBC2/ 4:25pm Cagney and Lacey 5:15pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

5:45pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 6:55pm Party Political Broadcast by the Liberal Democrats 7:00pm Revenge of the Egghead 7:30pm The Voice: Louder on Two 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Lambing Live 10:00pm William the Marshal 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 7:25pm Party Political Broadcast by the Liberal Democrats 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Big Star's Little Star 10:00pm Law and Order: UK 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:35pm Exposure

CH4/

ITV2/

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 Dead Famous DNA 11:00pm First Dates

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 Presents Band Camp

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 The Big Reunion

ITV2/

26

E W N 20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Lies, spies and smokescreens 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

T

HE recent report concerning the 1993 racist murder of Stephen Lawrence exposed damning evidence of corruption, spying and coverups by the UK’s Metropolitan police force.

Now, it’s easy enough to live in a monastery and remain squeaky-clean. A lot harder for a cop to spend his life at the mercy of very dangerous, wealthy and cunning criminals in order to provide his employers with enough information to convict them without becoming involved and compromising himself.

So, yes, I accept it’s hard to remain decent and above the daily grind, and all-too-easy to

spot an advantage in adopting a criminal outlook, especially when ‘keeping in’ with the right people is necessary to obtain information. The police and the underworld are two sides of the same coin and have a symbiotic relationship.

Maybe I should ’fess up an interest here. As a writer of crime novels, I freely admit I’m attracted by crime and all it entails.

From lurid descriptions of crime scenes to the gruesome details of post-mortems. And given the opportunity to talk to criminals, I’d jump at it for the first-hand information they’d provide. But that’s as far as it’d go. Not so with the Met from all accounts.

The charge sheet gets ever longer, doesn’t it?

Hillsborough (the Met’s current Police Commissioner, then a South Yorkshire police inspector) is the subject of two separate IPCC investigations,

Ian Tomlinson, Plebgate, Stephen Lawrence, to name but a few scandals. Basically, it’s not just one rotten apple here but a whole barrel full. The Met isn’t fit for purpose and, until its institutionally rotten system is reformed, it simply can’t be trusted.

Because of the toxic combination of poor leadership and lack of public trust, what’s needed, at minimum, is a massive clear out at the top.

This isn’t about fairness or efficiency but about rebuilding the public's trust since, without it, the police can’t function. I realise this sounds extreme but

extreme situations require extreme action and the present situation is one such.

Corrupt police, politicians who ‘cook the books,’ welfare workers who don’t give a damn about the people they’re supposed to care for such as children and the elderly, the NHS falling apart, the BBC run by obscenely-overpaid supremos. Where is it all going to end?

Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.89;£0.77) and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.

THE UK’S MET POLICE FORCE: One bad apple or a barrel full of them... Urgent reform is needed.

28

E W N 20 - 26 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

for next 7 days

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, this film is the second in the adventure trilogy. Starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen who returns home victorious after the 74th Hunger Games. But she and her fellow winner Peeta Mellark (played by Josh Hutcherson) soon discover that rebellion is in the air, with growing dissent to the Capitol’s rule. Donald Sutherland plays President Coriolanus Snow who uses the 75th Hunger Games, known as the third ‘Quarter Quell’ to wipe out resistance in the districts.

TODAY

CASABERMEJA

MALAGA R DE LA VICTORIA

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA

MALAGA R DE LA VICTORIA

Your Stars

istic. Even dropping heavy hints can go well astray of the mark. Although it is unpalatable to your sensitivity, plain talking is needed.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Oh, gosh, this is a really sensitive time for Leos. Although it is easy to upset you, it is equally easy to fire your enthusiasm. Anyone considering not keeping a promise or appointment with you should beware because they will be whipped into shape.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) Expecting others to automatically know what you want is unreal-

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) This is a week of deep thinking and meaningful conversations.

A SPORTING CHANCE 1. For which American football team did the now infamous O J Simpson play?

2. In Australian Rules Football, how many points are awarded when a team scores a goal when the football is propelled through the goal posts at any height (including above the height of the posts) by way of a kick from the attacking team?

3. With which sport would you principally associate the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Detroit Pistons?

4. How many times did Evonne Goolagong (Cawley) win the Wimbledon Ladies singles title?

5.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento is the real name of which famous sportsman?

6. Which country won the Rugby World Cup in 1995 and 2007?

7. Including the cue ball, how many balls are there on the table at the start of a snooker game?

March 20: Fernando Torres. Spanish footballer.

Nicknamed El Niño (The Kid), Torres began his career with Atletico Madrid and now plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team.

He is married to Olalla Dominguez Liste; they have two children. Torres is an avid admirer of JRR Tolkien and has a tattoo reading ‘Fernando’ in ‘Tengwar’ on his left forearm.

30

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Be determined to make a budget and stick to it. Even if you are arranging a holiday, resist the urge to splash out.

Because this is such a busy week, it may not seem that there is time to read the small print.

TODAY:

CLOUDY

Fri Sat Sun -

19 11 Cl 18 8 C 16 8 S

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) With a big event coming up, you need someone to give plenty of love and support.

Starting a new interest could lead you into their path. Going for looks alone will do you no favours. Be as broad-minded as possible when it comes to making friends.

AQUARIUS (January 21 February 19) An area in which you have experience means that you are able to help someone close this week. Keep the advice free from personal opinions wherever possible. Some upsets on a dayto-day basis are all minor and will pass.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday March 15

Saturday March 15

Saturday March 15

Friday March 14

25

38

48

22 31

29 33

SUNNY

7

10

13

27

34

38

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

8

12

20

Mon - 18 9 C Tues - 18 9 Cl Wed - 17 9 Cl

6

24 27

LUCKY STARS 5

9

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

5

13

14

19

20

37

REINTEGRO 44

1

CLEAR

2

27 45

18 14 C 18 12 C 17 11 S

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 12 C Tues - 17 12 Cl Wed - 16 11 Cl

Madrid CLOUDY MAX 21C, MIN 7C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 17 10 C Tues - 17 9 C Wed - 17 9 Cl

20 8 C 14 2 Sh 13 2 Cl

MAX MIN

Mon - 14 3 C Tues - 14 2 C Wed - 14 2 C

Murcia MAX 20C, MIN 9C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 9 C Tues - 17 9 Cl Wed - 16 9 S Cl Clear,

CLOUDY MAX 23C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

24 11 Cl 24 10 C 19 8 S

Mon - 21 9 C Tues - 19 8 C Wed - 18 8 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: 5

Very good: 9

Good: 6

Excellent: 11

aper, para, pare, parr, part, pate, pear, peat, peer, pert, pray, prey, pyre, rapt, reap, tapa, tape, tarp, trap, type, apart, apery, apter, parer, parry, party, pater, payee, payer, peart, peaty, perry, peter, prate, pryer, repay, taper, perter, prater, prayer, reaper, repeat, retype, RATEPAYER

Word Ladder MOVE

29 49

REINTEGRO 9

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 18C, MIN 9C

MAX MIN

18 11 Cl 18 10 F 15 9 Cl

SUNNY MAX 17C, MIN 13C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 15 9 C Tues - 15 8 Sh Wed - 15 8 Cl

Mallorca

S Sun,

MAX MIN

Mon - 18 12 C Tues - 19 11 Cl Wed - 18 11 S

Benidorm

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

19 13 Cl 21 12 C 17 11 Cl

TODAY:

MAX 17C, MIN 10C

16 11 C 16 9 Sh 13 8 Cl

Sunday March 16

Saturday March 15

25 30

LA PRIMITIVA

Fri Sat Sun -

Malaga

TODAY:

CLOUDY MAX 19C, MIN 13C MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Take extra care where finances concern your home. A legal matter should be considered carefully. When planning home improvements, get plenty of good advice and do not trust your heart. A new activity means new friends.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Being protective of those close does not mean worrying all the

TODAY:

MAX MIN

20 12 Cl 21 10 C 18 9 S

time. With their co-operation, the burden, welcome though it may be, can be lightened. There is the opportunity to have fun with some young friends, which may not come again for some time.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) What will really be appreciated this week is if you will give your time to others. I realise your life is busy but the emotional rewards from helping someone will be more than worth it. To see yourself in a truly positive light, imagine being in the positions of those round you.

14

Fri Sat Sun -

Someone's opinion of you reaches your ears and pleases you greatly. Work that has been progressing at home faces hold-ups and tact is needed to avoid a row.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

22

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

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.

19

Almeria

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 10C

Fri Sat Sun -

Sudoku

14

Alicante TODAY:

BACK

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

RACE RACK BACK

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: Taking control of both your finances and emotions has already started paying dividends. Such a change is not easy but most satisfying. Satisfaction is something of which you will have a lot.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) A trip to the cinema or theatre makes you take notice and may even shock. There are many things in life that normally do not touch us but, once we are aware, there seems to be a need for action.

7-Star Quiz

NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA

TOMORROW

MOVE ROVE RAVE

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Family members bring a sparkle to your eyes and a spring to your step. When there is so much going on it is easy to forget how much we are part of a whole. If you have neglected keeping in contact of late, this serves to remind you to try to do better.

NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth. Directed by Francis Lawrence. Runtime 146 minutes. Rated 13.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Surprising and happy news about the 30th really puts some bounce into you. Having been so busy recently, you may not have noticed that someone has a special interest in you. Another surprise then, but how will you react?

ARCHIDONA

1. BUFFALO BILLS (accept also SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS), 2. SIX POINTS, 3. BASKETBALL, 4. TWO - 1971 and 1980, 5. PELÉ, 6. SOUTH AFRICA, 7.

22 (15 reds, yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black and white/cue).

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CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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29

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Cryptic

Quick

Across 1 Roof covering for former prime minister, almost (6) 5 Heathens keeping silver in cooking pot (6) 8 Goal being reset for Soviet gymnast (4) 9 Roused when a vigil comes to a sorry end (8) 10 Splendid joke I fed into Scotsman (8) 11 Eager to sing with a sad song (4) 12 Criticise bad start and end (5) 14 Victor loses his head midway (5) 18 Partial delivery sent back? That's disgusting (4) 20 Been a red revolutionary in Scotland (8) 22 Rosa left the presentation confused and remorseful (8) 23 The first person mentioned in Nostradamus's predictions (4) 24 With crew's net (6) 25 Begin to show fear (5) Down 2 Antique in the vestibule is a bag (7) 3 Sell the business (5) 4 Hard ground in floor of fireplace (6)

Across 1 Shriek (6) 4 Economise severely (6) 9 Permit (3) 10 Subdue by force of personality (7) 11 Ordinary (7) 12 Work out (5) 13 Go after and bring back (5) 15 Range (5) 20 Once more (5) 22 Chocolate pastries (7) 24 Futile (7) 25 Monkey (3) 26 Scandinavian country (6) 27 Chum (6)

5 First person is in place for the fish (6) 6 “Small cucumber is a bit rougher”, king said (7) 7 Nice embracing an oriental relative (5) 13 Attempting to visit the ruler (7)

15 The Spanish man's a gent, strangely charming (7) 16 Author is apparently inside (6) 17 The SDP rewrote the drafts (6) 19 Woman is in an entire new outfit (5) 21 Show doctor a graduate (5)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 21 represents D and 15 represents Z, so fill in D every time the figure 21 appears and Z every time the figure 15 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: 7 Plaque, 8 Nevada, 10 Retains, 11 Spine, 12 Acre, 13 Relic, 17 Corps, 18 Code, 22 Acorn, 23 Tourist, 24 Ousted, 25 Repose.

Down: 1 Spartan, 2 Batters, 3 Music, 4 Seismic, 5 Batik, 6 Cadet, 9 Osteopath, 14 Bounder, 15 Monitor, 16 Leather, 19 Salon, 20 Toast, 21 Tuber.

QUICK Across: 1 Begins, 5 France, 8 Cats, 9 Terrific, 10 Cellar, 11 Checks, 12 Owls, 14 Axe, 15 Bank, 16 Crisps, 18 Thrill, 20 Disaster, 22 Leap, 23 Greedy, 24 Sorted.

Down: 2 Erase, 3 Insults, 4 Saturdays, 5 Far, 6 Alike, 7 Chicken, 11 Creatures, 13 Warrior, 15 Burglar, 17 Scare, 19 Leave, 21 Toy.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Down 1 Extremely serious (6) 2 Entourage (7) 3 Pleasant fragrance (5) 5 Masterpiece (7) 6 Perfection (5) 7 Mollycoddle (6) 8 Flat (5) 14 Meet formally (7) 16 Confidential (7) 17 Light touch (6) 18 Drive back (5) 19 Climb up (6) 21 Make laugh (5) 23 Defeated contestant (5)

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

Across 1 Classroom (4) 3 Pothole (in road) (5) 8 Butterflies (insects) (9) 9 Fly (insect) (5) 10 Anchor (5) 12 Answer (reply) (9) 14 Callejón (5) 15 Wave (in sea, lake) (4)

Down 1 Carpet (8) 2 Corderos (5) 4 Aplausos (8) 5 Su (de él) (3) 6 Tesoro (de mucho valor) (8) 7 Frost (substance) (8) 11 Cadena (de eslabones, de joyería) (5) 13 Sun (3)

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

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Lapiz, 3 Fiero, 6 Swim, 7 Trucha, 9 Caballero, 12 Acento, 13 Lago, 14 Peaje, 15 Jeans.

ARRIVE

RUGGED

DINING

SEIZED

DINNER

SENDER

FARMER

SLAYER

GREASE

STREAK

INVERT

SWAYED

Down: 1 Last, 2 Primavera, 3 Farola, 4 Escarlata, 5 Orar, 8 Sastre, 10 Damp, 11 Toes.

MEAGER

WATERS

OTHERS

WAVING (10)

RENTAL

WORTHY

RIGGED

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Funagram Unscramble the name of a famous alternative rock band (three words): PRINCES MASTER TEACHER

Unscramble the name of a ‘challenging recreational outdoor activity’ (three words): WIN WITH GREATER FAT

1 Bloody, 2 Laired, 3 Deadly, 4 Mortar, 5 Unable, 6 Grapes, 7 Inject, 8 Roamed, 9 Factor, 10 Jumped, 11 Rogues, 12 Tilted, 13 Parted, 14 Bolted, 15 Salted, 16 Ghosts, 17 Stiles, 18 Horses, 19 Nearby

FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: MANIC STREET PREACHERS, WHITE WATER RAFTING

30

E W N 20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

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

One spoon of flower please FLOWER POWER: Drink up.

BOUGAINVILLAEA, found in abundance in Spain, is being used in a drink to counteract the effects of sugar.

The flower contains pinitol, a naturally occurring compound which is believed to lower blood sugar levels after a person

consumes a high amount of sugar.

The Simply Great Drinks Company has created a range of juices derived from the flower, with extracts of apple, carob and grape.

The blend was created by a team of biomedical consultants

led by Dr Sepe Sehati, who said drinking a glass every day for 12 weeks is enough to have the desired effect on blood sugars and is “a major breakthrough in tackling some of the harmful effects of sugar in juice and juice drinks.”

Eye tests vital to combat glaucoma THE early diagnosis of glaucoma is essential to prevent irreversible loss of vision.

To mark World Glaucoma Week, running until Saturday, the president of the Ophthalmological Society of the Valencian Community and Glaucoma Specialist, Dr Konrad Schargel, warns of the risks of the disease if it is not diagnosed early and recommends periodic ophthalmologic examinations.

Glaucoma is a disease which is related to eye pressure increases if the fluid does not drain out of the eye properly. If left untreated the patient may lose vision and even

become blind.

Dr Schargel said: “In the case of glaucoma it is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and its incidence revolves around 2 per cent of the population aged 40 years.”

Glaucoma is treated with drops or surgery, but there are now laser treatments that have been used successfully in the USA for more than 10 years.

Dr Schargel says it is particularly important to have regular eye examinations if there is a family history of glaucoma, you are aged over 40 and are nearsighted.

STEP LIGHTLY: Treadmill provides a virtually weightless feeling.

Anti-gravity treadmill boosts health and fitness

A TREADMILL created by NASA is the latest fitness and health craze.

The AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill is a running machine that allows people to run or walk with a virtually weightless feeling and, as well as boosting fitness, it is thought to be able to help people with conditions like osteoarthritis. It can also help those who are in rehabilitation who are too weak to use conventional exercise as feeling weightless puts less pressure on joints and appears to reduce pain.

In a three-week Canadian study

involving 25 obese adults with moderate knee osteoarthritis, using the machine twice a week improved muscle strength and its function and their knee pain while walking was also reduced.

Another study monitored Parkinson’s patients using the device and found their mobility, lower leg strength, fall rate and depression significantly improved after a year.

The machine, which is not widely available, is currently used in private hospitals, physiotherapy clinics and professional sports clubs.

900,000 opt for electronic cigarettes AN estimated 900,000 people in Spain have switched to electronic cigarettes. According to data from the National Electronic Cigarette Association (ANCE) the industry has a turnover of €18 million, a figure that is expected to multiply in the coming years.

Whilst many credit them for helping people to stop smoking, the debate of their use has reached parliament as their use in government buildings, health centres, schools and places with children, has been banned.

However, some say, as they contain nicotine, they should be treated as tobacco and subject to the same rules and be banned in all public spaces including bars and restaurants.

Victoria Aldea Míguez, member of the Medical Association of Pontevedra and smoking expert, says there is no scientific evidence to ensure that the electronic cigarette is safe: “We know that it contains nicotine, but do not know what effect the other substances in them have on the lungs when inhaled.”

However, many voices have supported the use of the electronic cigarettes versus tobaccos, including the European Society of Cardiology.

OPINION & COMMENT

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20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

Don’t lose the siesta...

BEING on the ‘wrong clock’ makes people in Spain eat, leave work and go to bed later than the rest of Europe.

With summer time coming

R

soon (March 30), our question was: Will changing Spain’s time zone to be on the more ‘natural’ GMT make a difference in increasing productivity as some

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RAY WELLER: Keep the Spanish way of life.

Spanish MPs have suggested?

Or should Spain keep the siesta lifestyle (work-rest-work) and the extra hour of summer evening daylight?

STREET TALK

EBEKAH WALSH, on holiday in Benalmadena (Malaga) from Cardiff, said she wouldn’t favour any time zone change. “Everybody loves productivity by changing to GMT since it’s would be affected really, working hours Spain for its laid-back style. I think making too hot for people to work in the are working hours whether it is light or dark outside,” stated Patricia. work hours like the rest of Europe would afternoon in the summer months.”

Husband and wife Steven and Brenda Howser, who is retired and just make it like the rest of Europe! Why living in La Marina (Alicante), agreed with would it want to do that? I like the mid- Patricia O’Hare, on holiday on the Costa Blanca from her Costa Blanca neighbours. “I can’t day siesta. I know it’s a pain when Belfast, said they don’t really see what difference that hour stores close for a few hours, but believe there is much would make, to be honest. I wouldn’t they also stay open later, which has difference in the one be worried either way if it changed to its convenient aspects.” hour between GMT GMT or stayed the same.”

Ray Weller from Albox and European time Eric Nickel lives in Mijas Costa (Almeria) thought the country work-wise. “I don’t think (Malaga) and he actually had quite a bit should keep the Spanish way of productivity to say. The 37-year-old water life. The 68-year-old retiree said: “I think the shop hours are engineer was appalled to think that the country would switch better now, with shops to GMT for productivity open in the evening and purposes. He said: “If we’re closed on Sundays.” Ray talking workplace advanadded: “I don’t think it ERIC NICKEL: Switching BRENDA HOWSER: Doesn’t tages, Spain does most would make any might actually backfire. think there is much difference. trade with the rest of the difference to

Unvarnished truth Cassandra Nash

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

AFTER the destruction of the World Trade Centre it emerged that Mohamed Atta spent 10 days in Spain in July 2001.

He piloted one of the planes that hit the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 but if it was ever discovered who Atta met, no-one is letting on.

In 2011 his visit confirmed the official view that although jihadists were present, Spain was a staging post for onward journeys and a source of income via robberies, credit card fraud and drugs dealing.

Spain, it was thought until March 2004, was safe from attack and warnings of jihadist activity from the Guardia Civil were discounted by the Intelligence Service.

Even on March 11 when jihadist bombs killed 191 people on four commuter trains, the government refused to accept any hypothesis other than an ETA attack.

Days later its continued insistence lost the PP the general election, not because the Spanish caved in to terrorism as the international pro-Iraq war faction claimed, but because voters were lied to.

Ten years later the same old conspiracy theories are trotted out again by those who spread them at the time.

They will always be more attractive than the truth, especially amongst bad losers.

Not rocket science SPAIN and the UK should both understand the majority of Crimea’s population unwilling to become part of Ukraine. The Falklands, Gibraltar, Ceuta, Melilla and the Canaries all have populations reluctant to be swallowed up by their theoretically rightful owners.

Forget sovereignty and geographic coherence, feelings come into this equation, too. But trouble starts - and this is hardly algebra - when gas pipelines and naval dockyards skew the calculations.

Leaders of the pack ARANTXA QUIROGA, newly-named president of the PP in the Basque

region, wanted to choose the regional secretary general. Alfonso Alonso, Speaker of the national parliament and influential in Euskadi, wanted to impose his choice, backed by vicepresident Soraya Saenz de Santamaria.

Quiroga, steelier than opponents suspect, got her own way, although not totally unaided: she was supported by Dolores de Cospedal, the PP’s national secretary general.

However much she wanted to help Quiroga, it’s not farfetched to assume that De Cospedal was happy to use this situation to challenge Saenz de Santamaria yet again.

BONO: Wants to help Spain.

STEVEN & PATRICIA O’HARE: “Working hours are working hours.” continent anyway, not with the ones on GMT. It makes sense for them to stay on the working hours zone as France, Germany, Holland, the rest of Europe.” He also mentioned a time change wouldn’t change the Spanish work culture anyway.

“People are used to it. Late going in, late coming out; it’s part of the culture.

Besides, a one-hour time difference gives the whole country less light in the summer hours, which would actually do a lot to negatively affect tourism. So it might actually backfire.”

Bono dixit BONO – he of U2 and not Jose Bono, former Minister of Defence and Speaker of the Spanish parliament - wants to help Spain.

“This week Rajoy has urged the EU to introduce structural reforms to create liquidity for the Spanish economy,” Bono told his captive and captivated audience at the European People’s Party congress in Dublin.

He suggested launching a pro-Spain campaign to all present, including Angela Merkel.

There goes Bono the World Saver again, convinced that a few words from him will do more than Spain, Brussels and the ECB together.

32

E W N 20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

FOOD & DRINK

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& DRINK

Food

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

What’s cooking in 2014? Back to basics in Spain MADRID FUSION 2014 will showcase the tastiest and most desirable dishes found around the country.

Future gastronomy is strongly linked to the past and despite all the innovation that has been infused into Spanish kitchens in the last few years, there is now a tendency to return to basics in which the product, especially if it is local, is the star. Many of the dishes being showcased reflect this burgeoning trend.

Estanislao Carenzo, head chef and founder at

Sudestada, comments: “In Asia, they are concentrating on extravagant luxury while here we are more interested in going back to the old, more simplistic ways.” Thinking along the same lines is Angel León, head chef at Aponiente in Cádiz, who is trying to bring back ‘humble’ fish which have been ignored in recent years and teaming them up with ‘modern’ sauces based on algae and plankton.

This passion for local produce is reflected in the rise of urban farms which are now providing food for large restaurants in their own cities.

GROWING TREND: A return to basics in which the product, especially if it is local, is the star.

Street food or tapas?

MOBILE food vans, so popular in other cultures, have never really taken off in Spain with their loud

music, waiters who are also chefs, orders cooked at high speed and nowhere to sit down. None of

these fit in with the traditional Spanish way of eating.

Tapas bars are a better way of understanding street food in many Spanish cities but it’s a very Spanish way of looking at it.

Street food is more equated with a hamburger or hotdog whereas a tapa is simply 4. Hermetically sealed plastic bags - to a reduced format of food keep out plagues of insects on growing that is restaurant quality. food in the fields.

Francis Paniego, head 5. Infrastructure - better roads and chef of Echaurren in electricity lines would mean less wastage Logroño, said: “Our in transport and storage. rhythm of life is not 6. Reduce offers - the compatible with street consumer often buys more food. when things are ‘get the “In London or other third one free.’ large European cities 7. Allow donations they like to eat while some countries stop walking along the street, restaurants from donating but here in Spain the food to the needy. culture is more of sitting 8. Avoid compulsive buying. around a table and taking 9. Recycle food left over and our time about it. We use it in another meal. consider this a virtue rather than a problem.

“Every country has its SPILLING OVER: Too much own identity and ours is food goes in the bin. the tapa,” he concluded.

Ways to reduce food wastage

EVERY year between a quarter and a third of all food production is wasted.

All over the world countries are trying to implement formulas to stop this wastage, including: 1. Steam fridges - in underdeveloped countries a lot of food goes off due to lack of electricity and these fridges use vapour from the food to maintain it.

2. Rigid packaging - a simple cardboard box could save untold amounts of fresh produce.

3. Metal silos - these would provide a more stable environment for the produce keeping it fresher.

LIGHTER CHIPS: But will consumers go for them?

Grease appeal THE image of the fast-food restaurant has never been very associated with healthy options, but one chain is offering 30 per cent lighter chips.

That raises the question: are consumers really looking for light food on these menus?

Many people actually want the grease factor when going to these restaurants - think the legions of consumers who believe that greasy food is good for a hangover.

All of this comes about because Burger King has brought out ‘satisfries’ with

30 per cent less fat, which begs the question does it make sense to offer a consumer who wants grease, less grease?

People who want to eat healthily rarely enter fastfood establishments, whereas many of the customers of these restaurants are actually looking for a greasy meal.

It remains to be seen whether the fast-food giants can capture a corner of the healthy market alongside the majority who just want a quick fix in the form of grease and sugar.

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E W N 20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

PETS/FEATURE

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Advertising Feature

It’s as simple as ABC! ABC SATELLITE and air-conditioning was set up by Tony Cooper six years ago, though he has 10 years’ experience in this area.

A new office is now open in Turre at Avenida de Almeria 78, opposite the main Los Gallardos/Garrucha road junction.

Tony said: “The main problem for satellite TV at the moment is the loss of channels. The new Astra satellite has a much weaker beam for the UK national channels, causing the problems. The simple solution is a larger dish, with no new technology or boxes to master.”

ABC has chosen to fit the excellent 1.8m Famaval Prime Focus dish.

Successful installations have been completed in Mojacar, Turre, Cortijo Grande, Los Gallardos, Bedar, Vera, San Juan de los Terreros, Albox and Oria.

All these customers can now watch the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 programmes again.

Tony said: “A new, larger Famaval dish fitted by ABC is a complete solution. Once installed, that’s it! Done! There is no magical possibility that some of the lost channels will come back with existing dishes, nor any other changes in the foreseeable future.”

The replacement dishes can be wall or floor mounted, starting at an all inclusive price of €849.

ABC can advise entire communities on the most

NEW OFFICE: Avenida de Almeria, 78, in Turre. efficient solution, along with multi-screen systems for bars.

On the air-conditioning side, Tony stated: “All new units now fitted by ABC are the much more efficient inverter models. The even newer energy rating ‘AA’ inverter units are now available, using even less electricity. With the escalating cost of electricity, anyone with an older unit should seriously consider a new one which will give instant savings on your electric bills, ideal for rental properties.”

Also, ABC will carry out a pre-summer service on all units (best done soon!) to keep them running efficiently through the hot summer months.

SIMPLE SOLUTI ON: A larger di sh.

For site surveys, installations, or any advice on satellite and air-conditioning, simply call, send an email or follow the Facebook page at ABC air conditioning and satellite specialists.

ABC Air Conditioning and Satellite Specialists. Tony Cooper. Office: 950 092 604 - Tony: 647 247 494 - abetterclimate@hotmail.com

A happy birthday to the internet!

HELLO, and welcome to CanDu Computer Bytes.

Did you know that 25 years ago on March 12, the internet came into existence! I’d like to take a walk down memory lane with you and recall some of the highlights of this quarter-century.

No techie stuff today just a reminder of what we have enjoyed and endured over the past 25 years.

We take for granted the super high speed, massive download capacities that modern internet provides.

Where an hour and a half film can be downloaded in minutes or you can watch high definition TV streamed (real time – as it happens).

But do you remember that tooth-edge-curling squeal that accompanied the process of connecting,

Trevor Spencer Computers handshaking with, and final data transfer that came as part and parcel with the modem? Modulation and DEModulation for those sad enough to want to know.

Do you also remember that you had to stop what you were doing so that you parents/partner/significant other half could use the phone? No mobiles back then (wasn’t life simpler?).

HTML or the programming language which makes up each and

every page that you see on screen, was in its infancy and, compared to today’s slick, smooth look, was really rough and ‘clunky’. It is a bit like comparing the blocky CFAX page to the ultra smooth graphics of the BBC computer (sorry sick joke for those who can remember the BBC computer).

Despite the primitive graphics there came the ‘Chat room’ - an ultra primitive version of Facebook or FB for the idle.

And with that thought crawling its way through your minds I will say TTFN and see you at my computer clinic a week on Friday in Albox.

Call me on 689 892 745 for information about my services and rates.

More on our feline friends LAST week’s article on cats got a good response from readers, so here are some more cat facts...

Why do cats bring home dead prey?

A cat is a predator.

Little predators.

Cats who fill up at being bitten. home with food will Or it may be that still potentially hunt; For all dog treats please call: the cat hasn’t appetite only really 971 887 007 / 634 152 813 learned how to kill it affects the level of properly and so can’t enthusiasm in their quite reach that final endeavours. Bringing stage quickly and the prey back home cleanly. Movement is to you indicates that David THE Dogman then necessary in your cat feels secure Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10am to 11am Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm order to maintain the there and it’s a safe (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fm cat’s interest in killing place to leave food to Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, the prey, and eat now or keep for (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm throwing it around later. As your cat gets causes movement. older it will probably Of course, it could hunt less. be that cats simply enjoy the hunting Why do cats play with their prey?

It’s been suggested that cats play more game. with ‘dangerous’ prey like rats to practise For your local radio frequency log manipulation and handling while avoiding onto www.talkradioeurope.com

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HOMES & GARDENS

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Enjoy the longer days with sunny afternoons, gardening and vitamin-packed citrus fruits...

Dick Handscombe

Citrus survey 2014 Please indicate which of the following 10 problems you have experienced with citrus trees.

1. Poor quality trees.

2. Poor choice of varieties.

3. Poor labelling.

4. Poor guidance on planting by garden centre.

5. Knowing when to water.

6. Knowing how and when to prune.

7. Stunted trees after a few years.

8. Knowing when to feed.

9. Knowing when to harvest.

10. Poor harvests.

I will report back on the results at the end of April.

Gardening Corner

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

W

ITH the moving of the clock an hour forward for spring we can soon enjoy longer sunny afternoons.

For those who still enjoy a gin and tonic, the perpetual flowering and fruiting lemon trees prove their worth.

There is an Italian habit of adding a few slivers of lemon peel into a bottle of white wine, a day or two before drinking it. This wine is delicious with pickled olives.

If you have yet to plant one, the perpetual lemon tree varieties are Lunar, Quatro Estaciones and Eureka. If the trees say lemon, go elsewhere.

They can be ordered at any good garden centre.

Citrus planting Citrus plants are in season. Always ask what the ripening and harvesting seasons are before buying them. I recently read that a new variety of orange has been grown in Valencia which will ripen quicker and have a higher content of essential vitamins.

However, it will probably be years before such trees are available.

Give your citrus trees a spring spray against unwanted leaf minero insects and sooty leaves.

Use a joint Neem and Propolis spray with a foliar feed added.

CITRUS FRUITS: Plant your citrus tree this season.

PRIZE DRAW: Win two copies of our books.

Fruit growing I’m doing a survey on fruit trees. Each entry will go in the hat for a copy of ‘Growing healthy fruit in Spain’ plus a copy of ‘Our 52 day retirement adventure along the Spanish Pyrenees’.

Send an email to gardeninginspain@hotma il.com listing the numbers from the questionnaire of the problems that you have had with citrus trees.

The winner will be contacted by email.

Entries will close on Monday, March 31, at 6pm.

Easy ordering It is now most convenient to order books online via Amazon Books and the initial four Santana books* from online bookshops, such as

The Book Depository and The Royal Horticultural Society Bookshop. *Your garden in Spain, Growing Healthy

Vegetables in Spain, Growing Healthy Fruit in Spain and Apartment gardening Mediterranean style.

A reminder For pressing gardening problems, contact Dick Handscombe via your

gardeninspain@hotmail. com or go to Stand 66 at the Costa Blanca Homes Gardens and Lifestyle Show on April 3 and 4 between 10am and 5pm at the Calpe Diamante Beach Hotel. © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com March 2014

36

E W N 20 - 26 March 2014 / Axarquía - Málaga East

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MOTORING

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

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CLEARANCE SALE at Robertson Cars, 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. was 9,995 euros, now 8,995 euros.

See photo on our web page.

Samantha or Gordon Robertson (The Car Couple) Tel. 952 832 173 www.robertsoncars-spain.com (201544) CLEARANCE SALE at Robertson Cars, 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, was 14,995 euros, now 13,995 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) CLEARANCE SALE at Robertson Cars, 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, was 13,995 euros, now 12,995 euros. Samantha or Gordon Robertson (The Car Couple), 608 658 785 / 952 832 173 www.robertsoncars-spain.com (201544) CLEARANCE SALE at Robertson Cars, 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 was 12,995 euros, now 11,995 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)

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

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PEST CONTROL

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

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

Revving up for Ferrari Land PAIN is going to be home for a Ferrari theme park. The sports car manufacturer is lending the glamour of its name to the park which will be built by Investindustrial near Barcelona.

It will be based within the PortAdventura theme park.

The move means there will now be two theme parks in the world bearing the name of the Italian brand.

The first Ferrari World, opened in Abu Dhabi in 2010. This park features attractions like the ‘V12 love flume’ and the Formula Rossa rollercoaster that accelerates to 140mph in less than five seconds.

The Barcelona park, due to open in 2016, will include a Ferrari-themed hotel featuring a driving simulator and having 250 five-star rooms.

Ferrari Land will cover 75,000 square metres and include a variety of new and exciting

NEW THEME PARK: PortAventura team up with Ferrari, a lucrative venture for all parties involved. Barcelona caters to fast car and theme park enthusiasts...

attractions for Prancing Horse enthusiasts of all ages, including Europe’s highest and fastest vertical accelerator. It will be, promise the investors, an opportunity for the whole family to experience and discover the world of Ferrari.

The project will involve

an overall investment of €100 million.

Andrea C Bonomi, Senior Partner Investindustrial, explained the motivation behind the partnership with Ferrari thus: “PortAventura is one of the leaders in Europe’s tourism sector, while Ferrari is an iconic company that represents the very best of Made in Italy.

The synergy

between these two groups creates a powerful combination that means we can offer clients of both brands, a unique experience. We are proud to be able to make this contribution to fostering the growth of the Ferrari brand and Made in Italy across the world.

Andrea Perrone, CEO of Ferrari Brand, the Ferrari subsidiary company that

Famous faces for famous grills

EX-FOOTBALLER David Beckham is the new ambassador for Jaguar in China and will be the new face of all their advertising campaigns.

Beckham is well known for his love of cars and has had in his garage anything ranging from a Lamborghini Gallardo to a convertible Rolls-Royce Phantom.

In his first speech as ambassador for Jaguar he said he had always been a fan of the brand, not only for their style and design but also for their character. He also commented that his love affair began with the Jaguar E-Type.

In a change from his Range Rover Sport, Cristiano Ronaldo has

been seen driving a Cadillac Escalade.

Ronaldo is following the trend that is inundating Spain to drive luxury SUVs. The Escalade, with its low profile rims, is in the purest style of North American luxury cars.

Ronaldo has visited the US many times and now seems to have fallen for

their most desired car. As well as its huge size, the Escalade has been kitted out with the most American of accessories: massive chrome rims.

The Cadillac has a V8, 6.2 litre motor which produces 409hp. Despite its weight of nearly two tonnes it can accelerate from 0 to 10 in only 6.7 seconds.

manages the Prancing Horse’s brand-related activities, added: “After the success of Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, we received many, many requests to develop new amusement parks.

“We carefully sifted through the various proposals and decided to accept Investindustrial’s because it is a very solid

plan developed by competent people that will bring the magic of Ferrari to Spain, a nation where we have many supporters and enthusiasts, and to which large numbers of tourists flock each year, in part, thanks to PortAventura. This new licence further underscores our brand’s presence in this area.

Ferrari Land will delight the whole family and not just Formula 1 fans.

“We will continue to evaluate other proposals for theme parks outside Europe at our leisure: the brand is our most important asset and we have to enhance its value without diluting it.”

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SPORT

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Sport

Messi sets new record THE prolific Argentine forward Lionel Messi has erased Paulino Alcantara’s name from the record books when his hat-trick in a 7-0 La Liga win over Osasuna last weekend, made him Barcelona’s record scorer of all-time. Messi’s goal-tally now stands at 371 goals in 452 appearances.

Axarquía’s best guide to local sport

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

Irish eyes are smiling, Chelsea and United get the blues, Nico wins F1 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 was some great sporting action last week! * Brian O’Driscoll’s lastever game for Ireland ended in glory as they beat France 22-20 to pip England, 53-6 winners in Italy, on points to win the Six Nations title.

In the other game, Wales battered Scotland 52-11.

Victory was only Ireland’s

second in Paris - their last came in 2000. * Nico Rosberg won the first F1 Grand Prix of 2014, finishing 24 seconds in front of home favourite Daniel Ricciardo who was subsequently disqualified because of a filling-up irregularity. Danish debutant Kevin Magnussen, initially third, was promoted to second - the first rookie since Lewis Hamilton in 2007 to claim a podium finish. Jenson Button was third. Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa, all made early exits… others followed!

The cars race again in Malaysia on Sunday week. * In football, Aston Villa

shocked PL leaders Chelsea 1-0. The Londoners had manager Mourinho and players William and Ramerez (with a leg breaking tackle) all sent-off.

This result was great for Liverpool who are only four points behind the Blues after winning 3-0 at Manchester United who had Nemanja Vidic redcarded again. Neighbours City (2-0 winners at Hull) are six points adrift of Chelsea with three games in hand, while Arsenal with a superb Rosicky goal, beat Spurs 1-0 in the London derby to keep well in touch.

At the bottom of the Division, Fulham (1-0 v.

Newcastle) and WBA (2-1

at Swansea) recorded vital victories while Sunderland and Crystal Palace drew 00 at The Stadium of Light. * In the Championship, Leicester (80 pts) and Burnley (73) look set to return to the PL after beating Blackpool (3-1) and Leeds (2-1). Derby and QPR are 3rd and 4th on 63 pts. Wolves, unbeaten in 10 and having set a club record nine wins on the bounce, lead Brentford (7776) in FL1; Chesterfield are top of FL2 ahead of Scunthorpe (66-65) and Rangers have won SFL1. * Aberdeen won their first trophy in 19 years by beating Inverness Caledonian Thistle on

penalties in the SLC final and Real Madrid, 1-0 winners at Malaga courtesy of Ronaldo’s 25th League goal of the season, still La Liga, ahead of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. * In the Sochi Winter Paralympics, GB won six medals with Jade Etherington assisted by Caroline Powell, claiming four (three silver and one bronze). Kirsty Gallagher and guide Charlotte Evans won GB’s first-ever gold while the curling team took bronze. This was GB’s best medal haul since collecting 10 in 1984. * Following Champions League exits of Arsenal and Manchester City, it left

When the wind blows... the Gins play IT was a blowy day at Los Moriscos for the GINS competition.

Fifteen players turned out to play a medal round - a close contest but Pepe managed to keep his nerve closely followed

by Roger and Mark.

Ian has been knocking on the door for awhile to win his first competition and he finally did it, under difficult conditions.

In the medal competition the results were: First Pepe Gil (71.5 nett), second Roger Eatwell (73.1) and third Mark Schrello (73.2).

In the Stableford competition top spot was won by Ian Kemp (36), second Jean Paul Gonay

third.

Winning lady was Lola Montero (31), with Lyn McAllister (30) second.

Mike Cummings and Jill Parker won nearest the pin prizes and Tony Downey scored a two.

GINS MEMBERS: After playing a competition at Baviera.

(34), third Glyn Roberts (32) and fourth Crispin Williams (32).

Ann Raper (32) won the ladies’ contest with Neilma Jary (32) second. David Viles scored a two.

At Añoreta the overall winner was Dietmar Stec (31).

In the men’s competition Malcolm Jones (39) was the winner with Tony Downey (29) second and Dan McAllister (29)

At Baviera Dave Miles (38) was overall winner. In the men’s competition Bob Blair (35) was first, with Jeff Puckett (35) second and Rob Nicholson (35) third.

Gill Sibson (38) was top lady with Gill Boutel (31) second.

Jill Parker and Peter Lomas won nearest the pin prizes, and Roy Boutel and Dave Miles scored twos.

DID YOU KNOW? • Goalkeeper Peter Shilton made 200 appearances for FOUR different clubs: Leicester, Southampton, Derby and Nottingham Forest (1966-92).

Chelsea (1-1 with Galatasaray) and Manchester United (2-0 down to Olympiakos) flying the British flag at the start of this week. Meanwhile Tottenham, trailing 3-1, have it all to do in Portugal tonight against Benfica in the second leg of their last 16 Europa League tie.

This weekend in the PL, it’s Chelsea-Arsenal, Cardiff-Liverpool and Manchester City-Fulham followed next Tuesday by the Manchester derby. And on Sunday Real Madrid play Barcelona in La Liga. * In cricket, England (165-6) beat the West Indies (160-7) in their last 20/20 game in Barbados.

Sussex all-rounder Chris Jordan hit four sixes in the last over, took 3-39 and held a brilliant catch. The 20/20 World Cup has started in Bangladesh.

England play New Zealand on Saturday while Aussie bowler Mitchell Johnson is out injured.