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ISSUE NO. 1515

EWN FRONT EXTRA

Queen on holiday THE king’s mother, former Queen Sofia, is taking her traditional summer break on the island at the palace of Marivent; she has been here since last week.

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17 - 23 JULY 2014

Pressure on for Porto Cristo PALMA COUNCIL is to set a budget to cover the improvement of the water pressure in the Porto Cristo area.

Residents in the area have been complaining for some time about the situation and now the PSOE (national labour party) has

taken up their cause. In the past couple of years there have been several demonstrations, organised by those

New role PILAR GARCES is the new co-ordinator of the Balearic Film Commission, which promotes the island as an attractive location to film-makers.

Pain relief THE pain unit at the Inca Comarcal Hospital has treated 4,000 patients since it opened.

Road row LLUBI Council has once again rejected the island government’s plans to hand over the land needed for the new road as it says the promised work has not been done.

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CASTILLO MALLORCA: Princess Diana would use it as a hideaway.

Princess Di’s retreat for sale

A LUXURY villa that Princess Diana once used as her hideaway has been put up for sale. The price tag is a whopping €38 million, making it the most expensive piece of property on the island. Castillo Mallorca is located on its own private peninsula. The property has a

private cave and a jetty for yachts. It also has a swimming pool, sauna, gym, piano lounge and billiards room. Diana spent her summers in the massive villa before marrying Prince Charles. The main house contains the ‘Diana Suite’ where the princess is said to have spent a great deal of time.

residents whose houses suffer from the lack of pressure, to complain about the problem and demand action be taken. All the associations have underlined the fact that in the summer months the problem is exacerbated by the amount of extra people in the area, all of whom need to use the water system. Bernat Amer, the council delegate for the environment, stated that the council has now decided to take action and has officially announced that, from September, it will be making a series of improvements to the infrastructure in the area which should solve the problem. Amer went on to comment that the council would be meeting in the very near future with the company responsible for the improvements to agree on a budget and a timeframe in which to complete the works. The works will have to be done in phases as they will include the replacement of current pipes with larger capacity pipes and, as such, there may be intermittent cuts in supply.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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THIS WEEK IN

EWN News 1 - 30

Finance 31 - 36

Letters 37 TOURISTS GONE WILD: At Punta Ballena.

No change to Magaluf tourism

THERE have been no tourism cancellations nor any discernible effects from the sex scandal that has rocked Magaluf recently. The destination is keeping up its numbers despite international attention being focused on the rather seedier side of the nightlife. Hoteliers have confirmed that the levels of reservations have not dropped at all since the ‘mamading’ incident which was widely reported in the Spanish and UK

press. A young woman reportedly performed sex acts on 24 men in a bar in exchange for free drinks. A British tourist, Andrew, commented that his girlfriend didn’t want him to come on holiday to the island after the incident hit the papers, but he explained that the reason he wanted to come is because of the wild nightlife and the organised pub crawls.

Leapy Lee 38

Daily TV 40

Time out 48 - 49

Classifieds 57 - 59

Sport 64

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NEWS New name THE road which connects Palma to Portitxol is to be renamed Avenida Adolfo Suarez in honour of the expresident who died recently. Bad sales BUSINESSES on the island are complaining that tourists are not spending as much as other years - the sales did worse than in 2013 despite having started sooner.

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17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

Distracted drivers at the wheel SEVERAL drivers for the EMT (Palma public transport company) have been caught using their phones while driving. Passengers on the line that goes out to the airport have filmed the drivers sending messages or speaking on their phones while they are driving. In one of the videos the

driver can be plainly seen sending a text message with his right hand while driving with his left. In another video a different driver is shown speaking on the phone as he approaches a Local Police traffic stop, paying absolutely no attention to it. The passengers who have taken the videos have sent

them to the authorities in the hope of getting something done about the situation as they are concerned for their safety while on board a bus being driven by someone who is not paying full attention to the roads and what surrounds them. So far the EMT has not commented on the matter.

Nazi vandals THE ‘Raco de la Memoria,’ monument to those who died in the fight for the second Spanish republic, has been vandalised with Nazi and pro Franco slogans.

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ews watch

Metro mess

AN electrical problem on the metro system left 2,000 passengers stranded on the platforms of train stations in the area; some were stranded for over two hours.

Unfair chemist

Temple Nadal RAFAEL NADAL, Spain’s most famous tennis player, has proposed a tennis complex to be built on the island, this would include grass courts as well as clay.

Private beaches

LAST YEAR: A huge crowd on the beach.

International Festival of Benicassim returns

Masters cup FOR the tenth year in a row Rafa Nadal has classified for the ATP Barclays World Tour which will take place at the O2 in London in November. Rock slide THE tunnel which connects Calvia with Son Vic has suffered from a bit of crumbling, the fire brigade and the Guardia Civil are looking into it to see if the tunnel can remain open for traffic.

JOSE RAMON BAUZA, president of the Govern (regional government) has defended the ownership of his chemist’s shop as compatible with his post in government; opposition has challenged the arrangement as ‘unfair.’

Opposition complains ARMENGOL, leader of the opposition, has complained that the current government of the islands has run into too much debt (€2.5 billion) and wants to make a special request to Madrid to have the terms revised. Solar park THE solar park has yet to be approved by the Govern (regional government); they are still considering the impact of the 249,392 panels which could be installed in the Manacor area if it all goes ahead.

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ON July 24 it will be Festival Internacional de Benicassim (FIB) time again. This is one of Spain’s biggest music festivals, almost comparable with Glastonbury, which started back in 1995 and has been celebrated every year since. The concept is similar to other festival concepts: contemporary art, pop, rock, indie, electronic and many other styles of music as well as theatre, fashion and cinema, which all come together every third weekend of July in Valencia to celebrate art in all its forms. The FIB is characterised by its eclecticism and its acceptance of all the latest innovative tendencies as opposed to most other music festivals which just stick to what is popular. The festival initially came under fire for not having enough national artistes in

Quote of the Week I want the PSOE to be the party of unwavering honour and clarity and nobody can say that the Andalucia branch has not acted bluntly.’ Pedro Sanchez speaking at his party’s conference before being elected leader on Sunday night.

the line up but, as the promoters pointed out, it is the international festival and not just the Spanish festival of Benicassim. The origins of the festival are in Madrid where two brothers, Miguel and Jose Moran, wanted their own music festival here in Spain instead of having to go abroad to enjoy them, so they set up in Valencia (traditional playground for Madrileños) and have been going very well ever since. At the first ever FIB there were only 8,000 people but now has the capacity to take around 42,000 people every day. This year, as is usual, there are a lot of famous names in the line up including Tinie Tempah, Kasabian, The Libertines, Manic Street Preachers, Lily Allen and many more will delight the 42,000 pairs of ears that will be present there.

Number of the week

is the total number of people gored by the bulls in the San Fermin festivities in Pamplona. There were a total of 47 people injured during the running of the bulls, but most of them just suffered scrapes and bruises. Of the eight people gored two are already out of hospital and recovering.

POLITICAL party Mes is organising a march to protest the privatisa-tion of many parts of the beaches on the island; in recent years many beaches have been closed off by their owners.

Not yet JAUME MATAS, ex-president of the Govern (local government) has been given a week before he must go to prison; he was hoping for a pardon but it doesn’t seem to be arriving any time soon.

Angry bishopric THE bishopric of Palma is said to be angry about a lay person who was blessing the vcehicles at the San Cristobal festivity; they have classified it as ‘improper’ and ‘inadequate.’

And finally... FIVE Spanish made fighter planes, licensed by Hitler during WWII, were rescued from a dirty warehouse in Texas, USA, where they will go to auction and are expected to reach a price of at least €600,000. The Hispano Aviacion HA-1112 or ‘Buchon’ as they were known were never used by either Spanish or German forces, but instead ended up as Hollywood props.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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NEWS EXTRA

New book LOCAL Mallorcan writer, and ex front man to the musical group Antonia, Joan Miquel Oliver, has published a new book which will be out in September.

Less cash THE decrease of funds coming from central government has gone down by around 80 per cent for health care; in 2010 the islands received €2.9 million and last year only €548,950.

Unions are happy with new contracts EMAYA (council cleaning services) are offering new contracts to their workers in the hope of avoiding a strike. Company directors have commented that the new contracts make the company have more “productivity without losing their competitiveness”.

According to their press release the new contracts have all been approved by the worker’s unions, who have also communicated their satisfaction with the situation. Directors of the company are hoping that the new contracts will calm the unions and show them that they are willing to

take on new people but that it must be done in a sensible and sustainable way so as not to put the company in the red. The press release also made mention of the fact that EMAYA will be evaluating the environmental impact of their services. Unions have agreed there will be no strike.

Woman steals from bank

Cliff death A MAN has died while trying to climb the Dique del Oeste; he fell off the cliff injuring himself as he fell and was dead when taken out of the water by emergency services.

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TONI KROOS: Enjoying holiday on Mallorca.

Kroos on holiday in Mallorca TONI KROOS is enjoying his holidays in Mallorca. After winning the World Cup the German football star is now enjoying a little down time on the island. Kroos is currently waiting for a call from

Real Madrid to make his signing official but, until then, he will be letting his hair down on the local beaches. The footballer owns a house in the Cala d’Or area which he bought last year.

NATIONAL POLICE in Manacor have detained a woman for stealing €1,300 in a bank. The woman took an envelope which she found in an office in a bank which contained €1,300. The owner of the envelope had gone to the police station to make a formal complaint saying that he had left the envelope on the counter in the bank and forgotten about it but when he went back for it, it was not there. Through surveillance footage from the bank’s CCTV system the police were able to identify the woman after they had seen her take the envelope and put it in her bag and leave the bank. She has been detained for wrongful appropriation.

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17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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37 youths hospitalised in one week due to the ‘crazy nights’ THIRTY-SEVEN youths have been hospitalised in one week in Magaluf due to the ‘crazy nights’ on offer. The number of call-outs to the emergency services registered in

Magaluf and Calvia are hitting an all time high. In just one week (July 1 to July 7) the SAMU (Medical Emergency Service of Mallorca) was called out to 77 separate incidents, most

of them to the, now infamous, Punta Ballena area; of the 77 callouts, 37 patients had to be hospitalised. According to sources

more than 80 per cent of the callouts in the Punta Ballena area are due to fights, ethylic comas and drug problems. Medical personnel who work the Punta

German tourist in critical condition after third floor fall A YOUNG man is in a critical condition after falling from the third floor of his hotel in Cala Ratjada. The German tourist, 20, lost his balance and fell, from a height of 12 metres, to the entrance of the hotel. The fall

caused him to lose a lot of blood and he had to be revived at the scene of the accident before he could be taken to the hospital at Son Espases. Guardia Civil are looking into the case but they do not suspect CALA RATJADA: Scene of the accident. foul play.

Ballena area comment that, recently, there has been a rise in the amount of drug related problems they deal with. They say the worst problems come from the so called ‘legal highs’ as nobody knows exactly what is in them. Lesser problems come from the consumption of heroin or cocaine, as the medical community knows exactly what to do with these cases. Humberto Trinchet, emergency doctor who works the area, commented the worst was yet to come with the influx of massive amounts of tourists in the next few weeks. He went on to underscore the importance of rapid medical attention in the cases of ‘legal highs’ as he, and his colleagues, consider them to be the most dangerous drugs of all. This is mainly to do with knowing how to handle the after effects, as the drugs are so new.

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Cycling accident in Llucmajor TWO cyclists, thought to be British, are in critical condition after being run over on the Llucmajor road. The accident happened about halfway between Llucmajor and s’Estanyol. The victims are a man and a woman but, for the moment, they cannot be identified as they had no documentation on them except for a credit card from a British bank. Apparently a car came up behind them and didn’t see them until it was practically on top of them and had no time to do anything about it. The Guardia Civil are investigating the accident to try to clarify the exact circumstances which led to the two cyclists being run over. The two victims are in the Juaneda clinic in a critical condition.

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NEWS

Tourism spend is on the rise in Balearics ALL inclusive tourists spend more than €2.5 billion per year on the Balearic Islands. In 2013 the amount spent by tourists visiting the islands with an ‘all inclusive’ package grew by 20.6 per cent. According to data released by the DGEE (Balearic Island Economy and Statistics Board) this figure includes the plane ticket and the hotel stay and is the type of tourism that has seen the most growth in the last year - it represents around 30 per cent of the total tourist spend on the island which is €8.3 billion. Tourists who opted for the ‘half package’ (hotel and one meal) spent around €2.5 billion which is a decrease of five per cent to €1.7 billion; spending from tourists who chose the hotel and breakfast option grew by 11 per cent to €309 million. More than half of the total tourist spend on the islands is by those who come independently with no package and this has also grown recently to reach a 5.3 per cent increase compared to the same months last year.

TOURIST SPENDING: Has risen by 5.3 per cent compared to last year.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

NEWS EXTRA

Crumbling walls THE facade of a building crumbled away and fell to the street endangering passersby in the central street of Oms in Palma; the fire brigade had to be called to make the building safe again.

Debt down THE amounts owed by local Mallorca businesses has gone down by 48.3 per cent in May; this augurs well for the end of the recession.

More ops BALEARIC hospitals have increased the amount of surgical operations that they perform by 7.25 per cent; so far this year there have been 28,475 operations.

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City challenge contest fights climate change WWF is encouraging Spanish municipalities to participate in the ‘City Challenge’ contest. Organised with the cooperation of Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), the contest is

a spin-off of the famous Earth Hour, worldwide movement launched by WWF. By participating in the contest, cities can become a model for the rest of the world for their efforts to

achieve a sustainable urban development and fight climate change. The contest seeks to win support from cities around the world to make the transition to a sustainable

Balearic hotels are among the most expensive in Spain THERE is no denying that tourists just love the Balearic Islands but they may just have to spend a little bit more than last year to stay at their favourite hotels. According to Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE), prices in Balearic hotels have increased by 2.6 per cent. In fact, the hotel industry has increased its prices in all Spanish Autonomous Communities, with the highest increment registered on the Balearic Islands, followed by Basque Country (+1.5 per cent) and Catalonia, Valencian Community and Extremadura (on average 1.3 per cent).

HOTELS: Cheaper than on the other islands.

future, through the development and promotion of practices aimed at mitigating and adapting to climate change. Participating cities have to register their initiatives using the online platform ‘Carbonn,’ where they will be evaluated following criteria that reflect their level of ambition and commitment to the use of sustainable, efficient and renewable energies. The initiatives will also be judged based on their promotion of more sustainable and environmentally-friendly lifestyles. After the three finalist cities from every participating country are selected, an expert jury will choose the most ambitious ones in every country to be the Earth Hour City Challenge Capital (EHCC capital) and one of them will be crowned as ‘Global Earth Hour Capital’. The cities that wish to participate have to attend an online seminar on July 17 from 10am to 11am.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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Real Mallorca prepares for upcoming football season CATALAN defender Enric Saborit will be on loan in Real Mallorca from Athletic Club Bilbao during the upcoming Spanish football season.

His objective is to help the Balearic team achieve its goals in the Second Division of Spanish football (Liga Adelante), he said. “Before coming (to

Mallorca), I asked about the club and Aduriz and Iñigo Perez only had great things to say about the club, about Majorcans and about the good people I will be working with,” said Saborit. The defender said he comes to Mallorca to become a better player and to play a lot of matches. “I have a good feeling about the club. My first training was great, I was very comfortable and everyone welcomed me with open arms,” he commented. He added that Mallorca has a solid team and that the club can have a good season. “I am more of an attacking defender but I am only 22-years-old and I am here to learn from my teammates and from the trainer. My objective is to become a better player,” he said.

KING FELIPE VI: Was a member of Spain’s Olympic sailing team in 1992.

Royal couple to holiday in Palma SPAIN’S royal couple will holiday in Palma de Mallorca in August. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will spend a few days on the paradisiacal island of Mallorca in August with the Princess of Asturias and the Infanta Sofia. Though no exact dates have been set yet, the Spanish Royal House said the new King and Queen will uphold the decade-long tradition of the Royal Family of spending their summer holidays in Mallorca. The King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will stay at the

Palacio de Marivent. King Felipe VI and his father King Juan Carlos are known to love sailing. In fact, King Felipe VI was a member of the Spanish Olympic sailing team in 1992. It has not been confirmed yet if the King will participate in the Copa del Rey de Vela (Sailing tournament) to be held in Mallorca from August 2-9. President of the Balearic Islands Jose Ramon Bauza said the people of the islands want the royal couple to keep going back to Mallorca during the summer.

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Nine rural robberies solved by Guardia THE Guardia Civil have detained a young man of 26 under suspicion of being responsible for nine robberies in the rural areas of Petra and Ariany, Mallorca. Once aware of the

spate of robberies the officers of the Guardia Civil began their investigations and managed to identify and locate a suspect. As soon as they had a warrant to search his house they did

Fire in avenida sâ€™Olivera building RESIDENTS of a building in central Magaluf had to be evacuated due to a fire breaking out on the lower floors. Some of the neighbours were trapped in their houses on the upper floors and had to be evacuated by the fire brigade. Three people were taken to hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation; two of the three hardly had any ill effects, but the third suffered with more breathing problems. The first floor of the building, occupied by two tourists renting for a couple of weeks, was completely burnt to a crisp by the blaze. At the moment the cause of the fire is still unknown.

so and quickly confirmed their suspicions, finding many objects which had been reported stolen and many more whose owners they could not identify. Investigations into the matter are still open as the officers, due to the huge amount of items they have not been able to identify, suspect that the burglar may be responsible for more than just the nine robberies already attributed to him. The Guardia Civil are requesting that anyone who has suffered a burglary in the last six months and has not recovered the items stolen should go to the Guardia Civil headquarters at Santa Margalida between 8am and 8pm to see if any of their property is being held.

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17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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Sultry Mallorcan August nights? A 48km walk? ON Saturday August 2 there will be a walk from Des Guell a Lluc a Peu Palma to Lluc Monastery. Did you know there is a pilgrimage from the centre of Palma, Mallorca out to Lluc Monastery in the Tramuntana Mountains? This annual 48km walk is done in the sultry heat of a Mallorcan summer night, leaving at 11pm. Crowds of people walk through the central plain, Santa Maria and towards Inca, facing the last 15kms of gruelling switchback roads up to Lluc. Last year 12,000 people started and around 7,000 finished. Increasingly it is viewed as a challenge, a unique fundraising opportunity. This year there will be a team from English Radio Pollensa, walking for Help for Heroes, and others

UNREASONABLE FEES: Lawyer overcharged.

Lawyer jailed for a year DAWNE ARCHER: Together with Bernie Long and Steph Mason. walking for their respective charities. This includes Dawne Archer, Bernie Long, and Steph Mason who are supporting Lifeblood: The

Thrombosis Charity. Come and join us on the walk or clap and cheer us on from the sidelines; our ages range from 50 to 65 and will be a significant

challenge. Donations to Lifeblood: The Thrombosis Charity (Reg No 1090540). www.thrombosischarity.org.uk or www.justgiving.com/ trekkergirl or contact Dawne Archer at dawnea@hotmail.com

A LAWYER has been sentenced to a year in prison for stealing €12,000 from one of his clients. He also overcharged his clients as much as three times what the bar association considers to be reasonable. The courts have confirmed the sentence of one year for keeping the sum of €12,000 for himself when he should have given it to his client’s association. The lawyer has appealed the sentence but, having been confirmed, there is now nothing more he can do except accept the sentence.

NO CHANGES: Until approved by AENA.

Airport blocks hotels AENA (Spanish Aviation Authorities) are blocking the PRI (Integral Reform Plan) in Playa de Palma and the height of the hotels in the area. There are five buildings affected by this decision and, between them, they represent an investment of more than €100 million. The reason AENA is blocking the development of the area is a report done by the Civil Aviation Authorities stating that the height of the buildings would affect the flight path of incoming and outgoing planes at Son Sant Joan (Palma airport). At the end of this month Alvaro Gijon, manager of the Playa de Palma consortium, and Isabel Borrego, government minister

for tourism, will meet with Angel Luis Arias, director general of Civil Aviation, to discuss and, hopefully find, a solution to the problem. Gijon commented the problem would be exacerbated if the Ministry of Development, through AENA, did not answer the request in six months - their silence would be taken as a negative reply and, for this reason, Gijon wants to discuss the matter face to face with the governing bodies which regulate the air space of the islands. AENA spokespeople have commented that the only factors to be taken into account from their point of view was the safety for aircraft take off and landings.

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Street light replacement to be undertaken ON the orders of the heritage council of the Balearic Islands, Palma council must replace all the ‘Y’ shaped street lights which run along the Baluard del Princep.

Drivers badly injured in Eusebi Estada TWO drivers have been injured, one critically, after an accident in Eusebi Estada, Palma. Both cars crashed into a vehicle which was coming onto the road from the crossing with Calle Jafuda Cresques. There were two scooters and one car involved in the accident which has left two youths, one just 17 and the other 19, in hospital - one in a critical condition. The car was going along the slip road to join Eusebi Estada and when the driver looked to see if the road was clear, he failed to notice the two scooters which were blocked from his view by another car. Having not seen them, and believing the road to be clear, he proceeded to join traffic and it was then that he hit the two scooters which were going quite quickly. Unfortunately both scooters hit the front of the car and both riders flew some distance through the air before landing on the road. Local Police and ambulances arrived promptly and attended the scene taking the two injured riders to the hospital in Palma. So far doctors have declined to comment on their exact condition.

The street lights were installed just over a year ago but the heritage council experts consider the modern design of the lighting generates a “negative impact”

on the monuments as well as “distorting the interpretation of the monument.” At the time of the installation of the ‘Y’ lights there were several demonstrations, by

local heritage and history of Palma conservation associations, against the lights due to their ‘modernity’ and the fact that they can be seen above the profile of the wall.

The heritage council has also recommended light reparations be made to the northern towers of Castell de Santueri, the chapel of Jesus of Bethlehem and other buildings.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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Drunken novice driver crashes into six cars A DRUNKEN novice driver crashed into six cars and left 13 injured in Magaluf. Of the 13 injured two are in a critical condition; this was

the terrible toll of an accident which took place in the early hours of the morning. The driver who caused the accident is a young man of 18

who police said was driving under the influence of alcohol and too fast. The young man was driving a Mercedes S350, a very

Saint Christopher celebrations

CRISTOFOL: Patron saint of bikers and drivers.

PART FORANA has revived the tradition of the ‘beneides’ in which vehicles from all over the island meet in Sant Joan to be blessed. The tradition goes back to Sant Cristofol who was a giant who helped people to cross rivers and seas in the times of Christ; these days he is the patron saint of travellers and, in particular on Mallorca, drivers and motorbike riders. Last weekend several municipalities including Felanitx, S’Arenal, Sant Joan and Llucmajor organised the blessing of vehicles in their respective town squares.

ALCOHOL AND SPEED: Not a good mix. powerful car, which his father had lent him. When he tried to go round a bend he misjudged it and lost control of the car and, despite braking very hard – he left more than 100 metres of skid marks – he crashed into three taxis which were waiting at a traffic light. The force with which he hit the taxis was so great that it had a domino effect and these then crashed into other cars which were parked on the street. The chaotic scene, with smoke coming from the tyres of the cars and people shouting because they were trapped inside their vehicles,

brought an audience of tourists who hung around watching as the emergency services tried to deal with the aftermath. The most serious cases were in the first taxi that the car hit. The occupants of this vehicle are still in Intensive Care. More than six ambulances, medical personnel, Guardia Civil, the fire brigade and the Local Police all had to be called out to deal with the situation, which ensued after the 18year-old decided to drive a powerful car when police said he registered a blood alcohol content of 0.43; the limit for novice drivers is 0.15

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Helping people at risk of social exclusion THE Ca L’Ardiaca Day Centre for the homeless will now have room for 150 people. Mallorca Council President Maria Salom and Executive President of the Iberostar Foundation Miguel Fluxa presented the new areas of the Centre on Monday July 14. The building extension project was possible thanks to a €155,000 investment made by the Iberostar Foundation. Ca L’Ardiaca Day Centre provides services to people at risk of social exclusion, including hygiene, meals, psychological counselling. It also offers temporary housing to the homeless. Before the extension, the Ca L’Ardiaca Day Centre only had room for 100 people. Salom thanked the private sector, the associations that help the needy and especially the Iberostar Foundation for their crucial contribution. Fluxa said that Iberostar thinks it is “of the utmost importance to help initiatives that contribute to the development of the community and to help people at risk of exclusion.”

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New language school needed PALMA language school has received 4,800 more requests than last year for English lessons. Political party, Mes, is asking for a new centre to be established to manage all the extra requests. Nel Marti, parliamentary deputy for Mes, and Antoni Noguera, Mes delegate to the Palma Cort, are both backing a demand for a new official language school to be

established in Palma in order to be able to manage the large amount of requests made for English lessons. In the last academic year there were more than 8,000 students at the official language school and, for the next academic year, there are already 4,800 more requests than last year bringing the total to 12,800, when the school can only handle 8,000 students at a time.

Marti commented that this huge number of requests meant that the official school was having to turn people away due to not being able to handle such an elevated influx of students. Both delegates have put in requests to the Island Parliament as well as the Palma Council and the Department of Education in the hope that they will begin taking the steps necessary to expand the school to meet demands.

HOLIDAYS IN PEACE: Giving children from refugee camps the opportunity to experience a new culture in a peaceful environment.

Sahara holiday children are given free eye tests THE Balearic Ophthalmology Institute (IBO) gave a group of lucky Saharan children in Mallorca free eye tests. The humanitarian initiative, carried out in cooperation with the

Balearic Association of Friends of the Saharan People, sought to provide free health care to children who are spending their summer holidays on the island and staying with Spanish host families. All of them come from refugee camps located in Tindouf (Argelia) as part of a programme called ‘Holidays in Peace.’ The programme started back in the 1990s and sees thousands of children arrive in the country every year to spend their summer holidays with a host family.

After Spain’s Council of Ministers green-lit this year’s edition, a total of 4,543 Saharan children and 205 monitors travelled to Spain - 95 to the Balearic Islands. ‘Holidays in Peace’ allows children to get away for an extended period of time from the harsh living conditions they face in refugee camps. It aims at giving them the opportunity to experience a new culture, a new language and new costumes. All participating children undergo frequent free health examinations.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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Underage burglars apprehended TEN minors and a youth of 19 have been detained by the Guardia Civil under suspicion of committing robberies in the Llucmajor area. The minors are all between the ages of 14 and 16 and

were detained last week after Guardia Civil investigations identified them as the possible culprits of a spate of robberies in the Llucmajor area. Investigations began when

Lawyers sign petition in favour of unborn THREE HUNDRED lawyers have signed a manifest in favour of the protection of the unborn and maternity. The 300 who signed want an open debate about the regulation of abortion based on law; they want to defend the rights of the unborn as well as the mother’s right to give birth. Ramon Rodriguez Arribas, president of the bar association, has assured all interested that this is not an attempt to get into politics, but rather a different way to approach the question.

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Stabbed in the back by his son

TEN MINORS: Are thought to be the burglars. a school made a complaint to the police about items being stolen from their classrooms over the course of several months. Inquiries revealed that the school had been the victim of three break ins in just 10 days - all the break ins had been through ‘easy’ entrances like broken windows or doors. The culprits of these assaults on public property had stolen items including loudspeaker systems, computers and around €1,200 in cash. Guardia Civil investigators

suspect that the underage gang could also be responsible for other break ins in the area which include the local gym and the local sports centre. Officers were able to recover most of the stolen goods which had a collective value of more than €3,000. Investigations into the matter are coming to a close as the investigating officers are convinced that they have all the culprits and the only thing left to clarify is exactly how many break ins they are responsible for.

A MAN who stabbed his father in the back has received a sentence of 15 months in prison. The man, 50, accepted the sentence without appeal - he has a long criminal history of GBH in the home and, on the occasion when he stabbed his father, he also bit his mother as she was trying to disarm him. Despite this, and the fact that his parents have a restraining order against him, he continues to live in his parent’s home. Prosecution considers the facts to have been proven and have stated that there is no doubt that the man in question was guilty of the crimes. At the time of sentencing, the judge took into account the mental instability of the aggressor as well as the fact that he has a long history of this sort of behaviour. As well as the prison sentence the man has been banned from owning or carrying any sort of weapon for a period of six years and he won’t be able to go near his parents for three years.

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17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

EWN

Trains back to normal MALLORCA METRO: Problems are now over.

CALA AGULLA: A question of public domain.

Anger over the cordoning off of Pins de ses Vegues THE privatisation of the Pins de ses Vegues area is causing a lot of anger with local residents. Local political party, Mes, has sent out an official communication in which it points out that the closure to the public of the Pins de ses Vegues is only of benefit to the private owners of the area and has not taken into account the public uses of the dunes. Residents associations have pointed out that, although privately owned, the area has been traditionally used by all

the neighbours of the area and, in particular, has traditionally been used as a place of celebration for the Diumenge de lâ€™Angel by many local families. Alarms went off recently when the area was cordoned off by its owners to exclude the general public from the dunes area. The owners claim to have the permission of the maritime council for this action even though the area is still considered to be in the public domain. Mes have pointed out that, despite being

privately owned, the area benefited from public monies in 2007 when the coastal authorities included the dunes in their coastal regeneration and protection plan which was paid for by the state. Mes went on to point out the absurdity of using state funds to protect the dunes only to have the owners of the dunes later cordon them off from the public. Palma Council have, so far, declined to comment on the matter as have the owners of the disputed dunes area.

THE SFM (Mallorca train service) has announced that the problems suffered by the metro service recently have been resolved and the service has been resumed as normal.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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Street captain CALVIA is to dedicate one of the streets of the town to Captain Jose H. Eraso who was one of the original promoters of the Puerto Portals in Es Capdella.

Inca party INCA is celebrating its local fair with more than 60 acts this year; among the various acts are Agustin El Casta who will both open and close the fair.

Paid projects FELANITX Council has offered to pay part of any project, undertaken by a local business, which would add to the beautification of the town.

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Ask the Optician - importance of sun protection for eyes?

NOW that the summer is in full swing, Specsavers wanted to look at the important issue of sun protection for your eyes and answer some of the most frequently asked questions. Why is the sun damaging to your eyes? - The ultraviolet (UV) light radiation from the sun can cause long term damage to your eyes and contribute to the following ocular diseases: • Cataracts • Macular degeneration • Eyelid skin cancer • Pinguecula - small, yellowish, slightly raised lesions that form on the surface of the white part of the eye and cause irritation. • Pterygium - scar tissue that can grow over the surface of the eye and impair the vision. • Photokeratitis - an inflammation of the cornea due to UV exposure, comparable to sunburn of the very sensitive skin of the eye lids and tissues of the cornea. When are your eyes most at risk? Strangely, eyes are most at risk when the light hits at an angle, typically between 08.00-10.00 and 14.00-16.00, not during the hottest part of the day. In places with highly reflective

surfaces such as the beach or on the ski slopes the risk is even higher. How should I protect my eyes? - My advice would be to use photochromic lenses, polarized lenses, sun-glasses and tinted lenses which block 100 per cent of ultraviolet A and B radiation to fully protect your eyes. When buying sunglasses, always look out for the CE kite mark and ensure that your sun-glasses are marked UV400. Cheaper glasses not bearing these marks will not provide adequate protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

For more information about Specsavers visit www.specsavers.es EYE PROTECTION: Essential to avoid ocular diseases.

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JAKE BUGG: Performed an hour of blues and skiffle influenced tunes.

Jake Bugg stops in Magaluf… JAKE BUGG stopped off in Mallorca this week after a fantastic weekend at T in the Park in Glasgow. It wasn’t quite the 70,000 strong audience that greeted him in Magaluf, but they were

just as pleased to see him. Bugg, who has been climbing steadily in popularity since releasing his first album in October 2012 performed an hour long set of blues and

skiffle influenced tunes. Next week sees Ed Sheerhan gracing the stage for Mallorca Rocks’ fourth birthday party gig. It’s going to be very busy, soget your tickets now. www.mallorcarocks.com

17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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PLAYA DE PALMA: PSIB-PSOE calls for increased police surveillance.

A cleaner and safer beach is necessary PSIB-PSOE representatives are calling for increased police surveillance and more cleaning measures on Playa de Palma to save the tourist season. Members of the Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands said in a communiquĂŠ that police surveillance on Palma beach has been affected by budget cuts. There were 35 agents patrolling the beach in the year 2011 and now there are only eight. They also say the decision to eliminate the night shift of the cleaning crews has

had a negative impact on the Palma beach. They encourage the municipal government to draft a series of goals for the summer 2014 season with the help of local residents and business owners. These should include reintroducing the night shift of cleaning crews, a campaign against peddlers, creating a campaign against excessive alcohol consumption, a roundthe-clock police service allowing residents and tourists to lodge complaints 24 hours a day and beefing up police surveillance.

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Dangerous British criminal caught by police in Palma A MAN on the run from British justice after escaping from North Sea Camp prison in Lincolnshire has been caught in Palma. The convict is an expert in robbing armoured vans and was the protagonist of several infamous robberies. The man would have evaded capture had he had better nerves. The only reason the Spanish police were interested in him is because he ran away from them. The events leading to his capture took place last Friday when he was walking down a street in central Palma and officers from the National Police force noticed that he turned away from them and walked in the opposite direction - a dead giveaway according to a police spokesperson. The officers took interest and decided to follow him to see what he would do and, as they suspected, he broke into a run after just a short while. When they caught up with him they realised that he was using a false identity and it was then that they realised they had someone ‘worth catching.’ Once National Police officers had identified him, with the help of the Judicial Police, they were able to identify him as being an escapee who had been given a life sentence for his part in several violent robberies of armoured vans in Britain.

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Childhood obesity rates increasing worldwide CHILD obesity is an alarming worldwide epidemic and Spain is near the top of the list. The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Thursday against the increasing childhood obesity rates in countries around the world. “Our children are getting fatter,” said Director General of WHO, Margaret Chan, at the United Nations. The problem of obesity has increased in the last 30 years, she said. “Certain practices in the food industry especially regarding unhealthy food and soft drinks for children play a crucial role,” Chan added. The director general complained about healthy food being “unaffordable

ALARMING: The rise in child obesity. in many areas of the developing world.” Unfortunately, unhealthy food is usually cheaper than healthy options,” she explained. Director of the Obesity Institute (IOB) Adelardo Caballero said: “Spain is the country with the

highest obesity rates in Europe.” Child obesity rates in Spain have risen from 30 per cent to 65 per cent, he said. Researchers claim that 95 per cent of cases of child obesity are the result of predisposition, genes and the environ-

ment. Lack of physical activity and food also play a crucial role. Caballero said that children in southern European countries, especially in Portugal and Spain, are more prone to obesity, despite the famous Mediterranean diet. Andalucia, Murcia and the Canary Islands seem to have the largest rates of child obesity in Spain. Studies conducted by CIBERobn - Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition indicate that obesity is a ‘social disease’ since ‘obesity is more common among impoverished families,’ as high-calorie foods are much cheaper than healthy foods like fruit, vegetables and fish.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca AXARQUIA

Healthy lifestyles BETWEEN July and August, Almuñecar Council has organised a summer programme for its youth aimed at combating drug use and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

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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

Hip Hop

GRANADA FC will play Almuñecar 77 tomorrow at 9pm at the Francisco Bonet municipal stadium. Tickets are €5.

Aquarium reopening THE Almuñecar aquarium will reopen its doors tomorrow. The council has invested more than €400,000 in its remodelling.

COSTA DE ALMERIA

Poachers caught POLICE have caught poachers in Tabernas, along with guns, nightlights and a number of rabbits. Hunting is currently illegal between one hour before sunset and an hour after sunrise.

Music in the park PIEDRA AMARILLA amphitheatre hosts a music event at 7pm on July 20. €10 tickets are available from Total Entertainment or 1 Stop Pool Shop in Albox. All proceeds to Poppy appeal.

AMBULANCES: Dispatchers don’t always know where to send them.

Faster ambulance response pledge THE regional government has admitted that delays have sometimes occurred with responding to calls to the 112 emergency services. The admission was made during a recent visit to Elche by Luis Santamaria Ruiz, who heads the regional government’s Interior department. He promised to take action following talks with the town’s Social Action Councillor, Antonio Luis Martinez-Pujalte. Most of the calls for ambulances now go through the 112 centre in Valencia City, Martinez-Pujalte complained. As with many other departments, spending cuts

Family events ALMERIMAR has launched a series of events for families to enjoy during the summer. Already this week people have enjoyed a foam party, plays and an eastern themed night.

COSTA DEL SOL

have been made and response is not as smooth as it could be, particularly in Alicante and Castellon. Operators unfamiliar with locations in both provinces ask endless questions, panicked callers have complained, and ambulances are frequently misdirected. In recent months there has been an increase in protests not only from the families of patients but also doctors and nurses. The situation came to a head recently in Elche when the life of a 79year-old woman was endangered after an ambulance was sent to the wrong address.

TEULADA’S bars, restaurants and cafes may remain open for an extra hour until 2.30am at weekends and days before public holidays. This will continue until September 30.

Good to go WORK is finishing on a new pavement along the much-used road between Moraira’s l’Ampolla and Platgetes beaches. Pedestrians can now walk in safety as far as Cala l’Andrago.

Planning ahead THE Las Terrazas site Levante beach can following demolition remaining block. It was down last week.

on Benidorm’s be developed of the last finally knocked

Safe journeys CARS, motorcycles, lorries and tractors were blessed in Sax, in honour of St Christopher, patron saint of travellers. The event, first celebrated in 1995, attracts more participants each year.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

€100,000 needed

Gay pride

JESUS DOMINGUEZ, from Malaga, needs €100,000 for an operation on his spine due to Marfan (a rare bone and lung disease); his family are hoping to raise it through charitable donations and crowdfunding, the campaigns will start shortly.

AROUND a thousand people participated in a demonstration in Alicante for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Immigrant graduates

High marks

ALMERIA City Council has started this week distributing 12,000 ashtrays on the beaches of the capital under the slogan ‘Clean beach - it’s in your hands.’

A GROUP of immigrants in Malaga are taking advantage of the council’s offer and studying to get their school leavers certificates in the hope that it will help them to find better jobs in the future.

THE two careers requiring the highest pass marks on the university entrance examinations for the University of Malaga this year are, again, medicine and biochemistry - both require a mark of over 10.

Towns payout

Facebook decisions

Fishing boat victory

THE remaining grants of €10,000 to towns in the province with less than 1,000 inhabitants have now been awarded. Bacares, Las Tres Villas, Partaloa and Somontin have benefited.

FUENGIROLA open air cinema films are decided through the social networking site Facebook; cinema goers can choose from eight films on the page and the one with the most votes is shown at the Los Boliches venue.

IN a fishing boat regatta celebrated in the waters off El Palo the winning boat was the ‘La Fogonera’; in the veteran’s category the victory again went to La Chora.

Almeria ashtrays

Later closing

IT took more than three days to remove 1,000 tons of seaweed from Denia’s beaches. Seventy tons are normally removed each day but more was recently washed up by exceptionally heavy seas.

Transfer window

Football match

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Heavy work

THE hip hop band Indigenous Invaders will perform on Tuesday, July 22 at 10pm at the Castillo de la Herradura.

VELEZ C.F. announced on its website that Antonio Caballero Jimenez will play for the club during the 2014-2015 season. Jimenez is on loan from Marbella FC.

NEWS DESK

Teacher loss THE PSOE socialist party claims that 2013 closed with nearly 500 fewer teachers in Alicante Province, despite an increase of 2,500 students.

Torrevieja’s lottery TORREVIEJA’S 60th International Contest of Habanera and Polyphony was featured on six million Loteria Nacional tickets.

Russian Aikido THE ‘Lenkai’ Aikido Sports Club from Russia is visiting Torrevieja. With more than 350 members, the club will train in town for 11 days.

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Most motorists would fail test ONLY 2.8 per cent of Spanish drivers would pass the driving theory test if they were to take it now; 20.7 per cent of drivers would get fewer than 22 questions right. The highest percentage of correct answers would be related to road safety and the lowest to road rules. Murcia is the community with the worst scores. A report released by the CNAE (National Confederation of Driving Schools) shows that only three out of every 100 drivers would pass the test, which requires only three, or less, mistakes to pass. One thousand, one hundred people took part in the survey which asked seasoned drivers,

DRIVING TEST: Few would pass after 21 years on the roads. with at least 21 yearsâ€™ experience, to take the theory test. CNAE directors, Lucila Finkel and Angel Gordo, explained that the survey was divided into three separate areas: road safety, signage and road rules. The highest pass rate was achieved in the

road safety section of the test and the lowest in the section of road rules. Although there was no difference between the knowledge of men and women, the survey revealed that separated and divorced people scored higher than married people.

WE DO!

17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

EWN

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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Stories making headlines in Europe

S CANDINAVIAN P RESS

GERMAN PRESS Disney trial

BRITISH PRESS Snowden Nobel NORWAY - A proposal by law professor Terje Einarsen to award Edward Snowden the Nobel Peace Prize is backed by some of Norway’s most eminent lawyers; they have praised its “solid reasoning.”

8,000 years old NORWAY - Archaeologists at a dig in Stokke, Vestfold, have found an 8,000-year-old human skull; the find could help to explain how we lived in the Stone Age.

Crystal fire A CRYSTAL doorknob caused a fire in a £1.5 million (€1.88 million) home when it refracted the sunlight and concentrated it onto a dressing gown which then caught fire. Nobody was hurt in the incident.

Old Harry JK ROWLING has published a short story on her website about what a Hogwarts School reunion might be like for the famous wizard. Apparently he has ‘threads of silver’ in his hair..

Killing spree SWEDEN - A blood thirsty wolf has created havoc in central Sweden after killing seven animals and leaving another 13 in such a bad state that they had to be put down.

Lego oil DENMARK - In a bid to get Lego to end its partnership with Shell, Greenpeace has brought out a video on YouTube showing a Lego figure slowly drowning in oil.

Stolen exotica MEERKATS and tarantulas, among other exotica, went missing when Paul Beech parked his van in Dudley and it was stolen. Of the more than 30 animals, all have been recovered except for two snakes.

Cooking savings OXFORD University engineering professor, Dr Thomas Povey, has invented a new pan that uses up to 40 per cent less energy than conventional models; it will be on sale soon.

STUDENTS at a Nottingham school have tunnelled their way out of the playground, using cutlery from the canteen, to get under a fence in a Great Escape style

MEERKATS: Went missing when a van was stolen.

RUSSIAN PRESS Space launch

WOLF: Killing animals.

exodus. The school confirmed that they had been “spoken to” about the incident.

Great escape

RUSSIA successfully launched its first postSoviet rocket into orbit confirming that it is still a power to be reckoned with in the space race; the Angara rocket lifted off from the Cosmodrome at Plesetsk.

€4,763 win A WOMAN who bet just €2 has won €4,763 for correctly guessing that Germany would beat Brazil 7-1; the odds were 2,230 to one.

Arrest order THE arrest of Arsen Avakov, the Ukrainian minister of the interior, has been ordered by a Moscow court under suspicion of using banned warfare methods and killing civilians during a Ukrainian government campaign in the east.

Five-year low

Fan child left behind A WOMAN who tried to shoplift from the Feyenoord fan shop was caught, fled and left her eight-month-old child behind. Having been traced, she was sentenced to two weeks in jail for shoplifting, not for leaving her child behind.

LENDING by foreign banks to Russian

EUROPEAN PRESS

commodities producers has been cut to the lowest levels in five years. This is thought to be due to international sanctions imposed over the Ukrainian crisis.

Snowden stays ANATOLY KUCHERENA, Edward Snowden’s lawyer, has confirmed that the NSA leaker would like to remain in Russia; the exUS intelligence operative has asked Moscow to extend his asylum. LIFT OFF: Russia still in the space race.

DUTCH PRESS Fewer STDs

Asylum seekers

World Cup coin

THE percentage of people seeking treatment for sexually transmitted diseases diminished slightly last year. It was the first decrease since 2007.

STATE Secretary of Safety and Justice Fred Teeven said that he is having to look at using hotels, boats and tents to house a huge influx of asylum seekers while their cases are dealt with.

THE Dutch Royal Mint has issued the ‘WK Oranjepenning 2014,’ a commemorative coin for the World Cup 2014, which depicts Robin van Persie’s diving header against Spain.

TWO members of staff at Germany’s most famous castle, the Schloss Neuschwanstein, in southern Bavaria are on trial for fraud; apparently they did not declare tour earnings from out-of-hours tours.

Medicinal cannabis A LANDMARK ruling on whether sufferers of chronic pain could grow their own cannabis for medicinal purposes is about to be made by a Cologne court. The use of medical cannabis is allowed but personal plantations are banned by law.

Tower refugees MORE than 40 refugees have occupied the cafe at Berlin’s tallest structure, the TV tower, as part of a protest to remain in the country. The asylum seekers say they are “refused everywhere they turn.”

Crystal meth MICHAEL HARTMANN, interior policy expert for the SPD party, claims that he only took crystal meth to improve his performance at work; the politician has previously spoken out against cannabis usage.

Naughty general AFTER a suspension in 2012 for undesirable behaviour and new complaints about sexually harassing his female colleagues a 56-year-old army general has been fired.

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BULL RUNNING: The annual festival in Pamplona.

Author of Bull Run survival guide gored

BILL HILLMAN, co-author of a book on how to best survive the annual San Fermin festival in Northern Spain, was gored by a bull last week. The Chicago-born writer, 32, was gored twice in his right thigh. ‘Fiesta: How to Survive the Bulls of Pamplona’ was written by as many as 10 authors, including John Hemingway, grandson of

American novelist Ernest Hemingway, and published last month. It may not now sell as many copies as Hillman was hoping for. “One would hope that authors of a how-to book would not be injured following whatever advice is in the book,” said one reviewer on amazon.com. “Looking forward, however, to his new book coming out… Guide to the best

Orange fined €500,000 PHONE giant Orange has been fined €500,000 by the CNMC (Trading Standards Commission) for not following the rules and allowing its clients to change companies with more ease. The delay in following the rules has infringed the rights of its clients but CNMC considered this was a mere oversight and that Orange did not do it to make more profits, either directly or indirectly. The new rules were published by the regulator last year, on October 13, but Orange has not been allowing its clients either to change companies with ease or, if they did change, not allowing them to keep their original number. Jose Maria Marin Quemada, President of CNMC, explained that the fine was levied because Orange’s behaviour was found to have been negligent but not malicious, as it gained no commercial advantage from the delay.

urgent care facilities in Pamplona,” he added. TV footage shows one of the bulls lagging behind the rest and then tossing Hillman and a 35-year-old Spaniard. The bull pierced the Spaniard’s thorax in three places and man was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment. The Red Cross said his injuries were serious. Hillman, on the other hand, underwent surgery and seems to be doing OK. Even though it can be found in many countries, including Portugal, Mexico, Peru and France, the most famous running of the bulls is the one in Pamplona, where it is a nine-day street festival held in honour of Saint Fermin. It takes place from July 7 to July 14 and involves running in front of a dozen bulls on a 825-metre course. The streets are walled off to keep the bulls from escaping. Participants must be 18 or older, run in the same direction as the bulls and are advised not to incite the bulls in any way. As many as 15 people have lost their lives at the festival since it started in 1922 and many are injured every year.

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17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

EWN

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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MORE than 80 film-makers have worked together to film a massive demonstration against the reform of the abortion laws in Spain. The protestors were denouncing what they see as a step backwards to the times before democracy. Alberto Ruiz Gallardon’s law reform would make abortion legal in only two circumstances: pregnancy by rape or in the case that the pregnancy would have a damaging effect on the mother’s mental health. More than 30 years after the initial demonstrations in the 1970s, the streets of Spain are hearing the same protests against prohibitive abortion laws; this time the slogan to be shouted was ‘I decide. The freedom train.’ Esther Garcia, one of the producers of the film, commented that she first took to the streets to protest about abortion in the 70s and she could not

believe that she was forced to do so again. She said: “It’s amazing to think that a government can arrive at and in one fell swoop take away the rights so many fought for and which took years to achieve.” The film, which will be shown in cinemas and cultural centres across the country for free, was made by 19 camera crews at the massive demonstration on the streets of the capital as well as many other teams which recorded sections on all the trains that took the thousands of demonstrators from their more than 85 home cities to Madrid. The title of the film refers to what may happen if the law goes through; women who can afford it will have to get on a train or plane and go abroad in order to exercise their rights over their own bodies. The government is due to make its decision this month.

PHOTO FROM FLICKR BY Petezin 1

Film-makers join abortion demo ABORTION REFORMS: Film-makers joined the thousands of protestors in Madrid.

A note from the

Editor

The ugly truth of it

HE international Handball Federation has sparked a controversy by insisting that female players wear skimpy bikinis to play the sport. In this they are taking a lead from Beach Volleyball, which has long since had a similar dress, or rather undress, code. Spanish clubs, backed by their federation, are right to oppose the move. In a lowest common denominator move, the international authorities are seeking to popularise their sport by using the bodies of the women as the main attraction rather than the sport itself. That is an insult to the women concerned. No one has the right to tell the players to dress immodestly if they want to compete. What next - a ban on players deemed too ugly?

No surprise Only 2.8 per cent of Spanish drivers would pass their theory test if made to take it now. Somehow I do not find that surprising as the Spanish do have an unfortunate reputation for their road manners. But on reflection there is little room for smugness. How many of us would pass their test if made to with no refresher course? I would suggest the majority of us from all nationalities would fail.

Oh the irony The author of a book on how to best survive the Pamplona Bull Run was gored during the San Fermin festivities. Perhaps he needs to update the book.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

business & legal

EWN

STAT OF WEEK THERE was a daily increase of 517 self-employed workers last June, the national statistics office INE revealed. The 73,471 year-on-year increase heralds a new cycle, said the National Federation of the SelfEmployed.

Spain pays up early THE European Stability Mechanism (ESM) approved Spain’s early return of €1.3 billion in cash. Between December 2012 and February 2013, the ESM advanced €41.3 billion to recapitalise Spain’s banking sector. It successfully exited the bailout programme at the

Manchester City CEO in the dock THE trial has begun of Spanair’s board members, accused of putting off bankruptcy proceedings. According to the Public Prosecutor, the executives knew that the airline was in trouble but its demise was hastened because they concealed the company’s insolvency. Spanair ceased operations in January 2012 with debts of €474 million, leaving 23,000 passengers stranded, as well as 2,075 employees without jobs. If found guilty, the board members and former CEO Ferran Soriano - now CEO of Manchester City football club - will have to pay

restructuring the country’s banking sector, backed by ESM finance, has been a success,” Klaus Regling, the ESM’s managing director, declared. “Spanish banks have been put on a strong and sound footing, growth is returning and investors have regained confidence in Spain,” he said.

end of 2013 without a followup programme and is due to make its last repayment in late 2027. This is the first time that a Eurozone country benefiting from this type of financial assistance has made early payment: “The Spanish initiative confirms that

the €72.1 million that was added to Spanair’s debt during the fivemonth delay. They would also be barred from being a member of any board, managing the property of others or acting as a personal representative. Soriano blamed a deal with the Catalan government for the insolvency application, that led the air company to bankruptcy, going wrong. He also told the Barcelona court that the board did the utmost to save the airline, but when an eleventh hour deal with Qatar Airways fell through there was no turning back from bankruptcy.

usiness extra

No change for now

THE maximum legal charge for a gas canister remains unchanged at €17.5. This will be reviewed in September, but can neither rise nor fall by more than 5 per cent.

Hot topic for six MARKETS and Monopolies regulator, the CNMC, fined six companies for fixing the prices of fireextinguishers between 2010 and 2012. Three companies pressured the others into complying, the CNMC found.

Cash comes dear in Spain USING an ATM in Spain costs more than in any other European Union country. A client taking out money from a cash machine, other than their own bank’s, pay an average €2.50 in commission. This is 78.6 per cent more than the average €1.40 charge made by banks in seven EU countries, found a survey by the Kelisto.es

comparison website. Germany is the next most expensive country when using an ATM at another bank, charging an average €2.20 in commission, followed by Italy (€1.95) and France (€1). The UK, the Netherlands and Sweden make no charge at all, regardless of where clients take out money within their own borders.

KLAUS REGLING: Advises of regained confidence in Spain.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES J ULY 15

C O M PA N Y MMM 3M Co AXP American Express Co T AT&T Inc BA Boeing Co CAT Caterpillar Inc CVX Chevron Corp CSCO Cisco Systems Inc DD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co XOM Exxon Mobil Corp GE General Electric Co GS Goldman Sachs Group Inc HD Home Depot Inc INTC Intel Corp IBM International Business Machine... JNJ Johnson & Johnson JPM JPMorgan Chase and Co MCD McDonald's Corp MRK Merck & Co Inc MSFT Microsoft Corp NKE Nike Inc PFE Pfizer Inc PG Procter & Gamble Co KO The Coca-Cola Co TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies Corp UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc VZ Verizon Communications Inc V Visa Inc WMT Wal-Mart Stores Inc DIS Walt Disney Co

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 144.31 94.47 35.76 128.09 109.96 128.47 25.52 64.89 101.74 26.55 164.80 79.61 31.25 188.00 105.10 55.80 100.37 58.44 42.09 77.29 30.07 81.16 41.97 94.68 114.13 82.87 50.32 217.00 76.82 86.89

+0.42 +0.01 +0.06 +1.30 +0.60 -1.78 +0.08 -0.05 -0.83 +0.35 +1.38 +0.21 -0.01 +0.30 -0.70 +0.24 -0.21 -0.14 +0.405 -0.21 +0.07 -0.45 -0.29 +0.38 +0.62 +0.79 +0.68 +1.46 -0.24 +0.03

+0.29% +0.01% +0.17% +1.03% +0.55% -1.37% +0.31% -0.08% -0.81% +1.34% +0.84% +0.26% -0.03% +0.16% -0.66% +0.43% -0.21% -0.24% +0.97% -0.27% +0.23% -0.55% -0.69% +0.40% +0.55% +0.96% +1.37% +0.68% -0.31% +0.03%

1.9M 2.1M 11.6M 3.2M 2.0M 5.2M 20.9M 2.9M 7.7M 35.4M 2.3M 4.7M 20.1M 2.4M 5.5M 10.2M 2.8M 6.1M 24.1M 2.9M 18.4M 7.5M 9.8M 1.1M 3.7M 2.8M 17.7M 1.4M 4.5M 5.0M

1.25668

0.79574

C O M PA N Y

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 31.50 3.64 1.50 0.90 4.00 -3.00 3.00

0.89 0.53 0.17 0.23 0.25 -0.21 0.27

NET VOLUME 76.15 28.97 20.62 193.63 7.30 14.21 7.00

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 20.40 $6 $ 7.90 $ 11.55 $ 3.87 $ 7.64 $ 11.92 $ 3.39 $ 17.75 $ 21.91 $ 17.46

2.15 ▲ 11.78% 0.63 ▲ 11.73% 0.70 ▲ 9.72% 0.96 ▲ 9.07% 0.31 ▲ 8.71% 0.61 ▲ 8.68% 0.95 ▲ 8.66% 0.26 ▲ 8.31% 1.25 ▲ 7.58% 1.50 ▲ 7.35% 1.17 ▲ 7.18%

$ 8.69 $ 12.77 $ 25.88 $ 7.28 $ 38.84 $ 2.40 $ 10.98 $ 3.51 $ 2.70 $ 9.88 $ 10.30

1.36 ▼ 13.53% 1.68 ▼ 11.63% 3.18 ▼ 10.94% 0.80 ▼ 9.90% 3.10 ▼ 7.39% 0.18 ▼ 6.98% 0.81 ▼ 6.87% 0.25 ▼ 6.65% 0.18 ▼ 6.25% 0.645 ▼ 6.13% 0.67 ▼ 6.11%

Most Advanced Supertel Hospitality, Inc. Glu Mobile Inc. Supertel Hospitality, Inc. Radius Health, Inc. Meru Networks, Inc. Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Potbelly Corporation Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Ardelyx, Inc. SpartanNash Company Aruba Networks, Inc.

Most Declined Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Celladon Corporation Rent-A-Center Inc. Kofax Limited GoPro, Inc. Associated Banc-Corp Tile Shop Hldgs, Inc. Arotech Corporation EveryWare Global, Inc. MobileIron, Inc. MediWound Ltd.

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Carnival PLC 2133.00 14.00 Centrica PLC 304.95 0.50 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1351.50 1.55 Compass Group PLC 1010.00 5.00 CRH PLC 1490.00 8.00 Diageo PLC 1856.25 10.50 easyJet PLC 1275.00 9.98 Experian PLC 1030.00 9.00 Fresnillo PLC 925.50 -3.50 Friends Life Group Ltd 325.45 -0.20 G4S PLC 255.55 0.50 GKN PLC 355.20 3.30 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1566.00 4.39 Glencore PLC 344.20 0.80 Hammerson PLC 583.25 1.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1129.00 3.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 595.90 3.52 IMI PLC 1425.50 7.00 Imperial Tobacco Group 2737.50 -2.00 InterContinental Hotels 2455.50 18.00 International Consldtd ... 332.50 3.80 Intertek Group PLC 2657.00 -1.00 Intu Properties PLC 310.20 0.00 ITV PLC 178.30 0.60 Johnson Matthey PLC 2977.50 4.00 Kingfisher PLC 340.10 1.10 Land Securities Group 1021.50 1.00 Legal & General Group 227.80 1.60 Lloyds Banking Group PLC 72.44 -0.20 London Stock Exchange 1917.50 3.00 Marks & Spencer Group 427.40 0.62 Meggitt PLC 494.65 1.20 Mondi PLC 1030.50 7.00 Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts 173.30 0.60 National Grid PLC 852.75 2.00 Next PLC 6495.00 -5.00 Old Mutual PLC 197.35 0.60 Pearson PLC 1086.50 -0.84 Persimmon PLC 1245.00 2.00 Petrofac Ltd 1165.50 4.00 Prudential PLC 1371.50 6.10 Randgold Resources Ltd 5095.00 -30.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5020.00 25.00 Reed Elsevier PLC 918.50 0.50 REXAM PLC 524.50 1.00 Rio Tinto PLC 3215.50 11.50 Rolls-Royce Holdings 1057.50 21.00 Royal Bank of Scotland 315.60 1.70 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2529.75 0.50 Royal Mail PLC 475.60 -1.50 RSA Insurance Group 465.10 0.90 SABMiller PLC 3238.25 24.50 Sage Group (The) PLC 376.40 1.50 Sainsbury (J) PLC 316.90 1.90 Schroders PLC 2510.50 12.00 Severn Trent PLC 1924.50 5.80 Shire PLC 5007.50 140.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 1021.50 2.70 Smiths Group PLC 1239.50 -0.95 Sports Direct Internatnl... 707.50 9.50 SSE PLC 1552.00 4.20 Standard Chartered PLC 1201.50 8.00 Standard Life PLC 380.55 2.70 St James's Place PLC 759.50 3.78 Tesco PLC 281.90 3.85 Travis Perkins PLC 1582.00 5.55 TUI Travel PLC 376.50 2.00 Tullow Oil PLC 791.25 2.00 Unilever PLC 2634.00 13.00 United Utilities Group 876.75 0.00 Vodafone Group PLC 190.55 1.05 Weir Group PLC 2657.50 21.00 Whitbread PLC 4230.50 11.00 Wolseley PLC 3187.00 7.00 WPP PLC 1218.50 4.00

% C H G. 0.66 0.16 0.11 0.50 0.54 0.57 0.79 0.88 -0.38 -0.06 0.20 0.94 0.28 0.23 0.17 0.27 0.59 0.49 -0.07 0.74 1.16 -0.04 0.00 0.34 0.13 0.32 0.10 0.71 -0.28 0.16 0.15 0.24 0.68 0.35 0.24 -0.08 0.30 -0.08 0.16 0.34 0.45 -0.59 0.50 0.05 0.19 0.36 2.03 0.54 0.02 -0.31 0.19 0.76 0.40 0.60 0.48 0.30 2.87 0.26 -0.08 1.36 0.27 0.67 0.71 0.50 1.38 0.35 0.53 0.25 0.50 0.00 0.55 0.80 0.26 0.22 0.33

VOLUME 21.31 497.12 5.00 34.87 17.52 58.94 54.16 48.93 30.37 40.73 14.34 339.52 201.22 628.02 7.41 11.20 1,255.45 9.90 46.87 11.98 573.44 11.96 17.39 95.41 14.28 51.08 23.33 409.79 3,766.74 32.80 72.90 45.17 24.63 608.64 106.00 1.03 55.22 31.91 5.15 230.33 40.85 22.24 9.52 206.12 15.62 68.05 217.51 194.10 71.75 41.11 38.21 95.23 21.81 146.23 9.71 5.11 1,044.27 22.12 5.02 56.50 42.55 142.39 97.52 8.47 921.70 6.78 15.05 30.86 56.88 24.69 1,476.66 6.43 6.25 2.72 34.85

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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UNTIL the end of June, the Spanish company Gowex was assumed to be worth €1.4 billion. Days later its shares plummeted by 60 per cent and trading was halted. The company, which provides public Wi-Fi throughout the world, went into liquidation. Approximately 5,000 small investors lost between €10,000 and €15,000 while the company’s 172 employees’ described themselves as “in a state of absolute shock.” “Society needs more businessmen like you,” the president of the Spanish government Mariano Rajoy recently said to Gowex CEO, Jenaro Garcia Martin. But a week after Garcia Martin explained the secret of his success to an RTVE interviewer he was up before an examining judge, admitting that the problems spelled out by investigators Gotham City

matthi / Shutterstock.com

Gowex goes west in Batman’s city as 172 employees left in state of shock

MARIANO RAJOY: Praised Gowex CEO days before the company went into liquidation. Research were correct. “More than 90 per cent of its reported revenues do not exist,” the investigators claimed and Garcia Martin finally confessed

that he had cooked the books “for at least four years.” Gotham City had drawn attention to Gowex’s absence of commercial relations with leading

national operators Telefonica, Jazztel, Orange or Colt. The company’s main clients were companies created by Gowex and the 2013 accounts were

Are trade associations the answer? Don’t be too shy to pry THE term ‘cowboy’ is generally associated with casual workers who, claiming to be tradesmen, leave a trail of disaster behind them. The building trade comes to mind but the chances of coming across unscrupulous rogues is far higher in the professions. If you think a poorly repaired roof is a disaster how do you rate a child betrayed by inept teachers, a home-owner scammed by a bent lawyer or electorate cheated by corrupt politicians? Guilds that recognised trades, their integrity and qualifications were widespread throughout Europe since the Middle Ages. Today in Britain several hundred trade associations represent as many professions. Many exist to protect the interests of members rather than their clients. The public appear to have little faith in those that represent the professions; medicine, law, financial, police, public life.

Talking shop Mike Walsh Mike Walsh was for 20 years Regional Assessment Manager for the Guild of Master Craftsmen, Britain’s biggest quality assurance body for businesses.

www.michaelwalsh.es • 966 786 932

Ironically, the best associations may be those that represent tradesmen. If you can’t guarantee your doctor or airline pilot isn’t an imposter how can you presume your builder or electrician is genuinely qualified? You cannot? As far as I am aware there is nothing along the Englishspeaking communities of Mediterranean Spain that could be reasonably classed as a trade association. There are scores of business associations fronting networking opportunities. However, as far as

protecting the public is concerned they’re as useless as a walking stick with a wheel on it. Businesses and their clients would benefit from a trade association that thoroughly vetted applicants, monitored ongoing performance backed by a system of customer mediation in the event of disputes. In the absence of such, no genuine service provider will be offended if you ask for customer references that can be checked if you are unsure. Don’t be shy about politely questioning their background. Professionals will be pleased that you show an interest. The difficulty could be in shutting them up. If they are evasive or unconvincing walk away. A genuine business has no qualms about your approaching another for a comparable quotation. Do so. Never pay upfront but by progress with a 20 per cent on satisfactory completion payment.

signed off by the CEO’s wife, also head of investor relations. The company used an unknown auditor whose €50,000 fee was a fraction of other companies’ auditing costs, Gotham City discovered. The whole operation smelled, and it was not fragrant. Gowex’s total debts of €36.2 million include €23.6 million owed to five Spanish banks. There are also loans from Spain’s Instituto Oficial de Credito (ICO) that do not affect public funds as this line of official credit is channelled through banks which assume the financial burden. The government has now immobilised pending grants amounting to €2.1 million for investigation and research, the Economy ministry revealed. The apparent fraud “is an exception,” insisted Elvira Rodriguez, president of Spain’s stock market regulator, the CNMV after the scandal broke.

Barcelona clamps down on letting sites LOCAL and regional authorities throughout Spain are clamping down on unregistered, illegal accommodation. Internet websites are a favoured target and Barcelona has fired the latest shots in this ongoing war with a €30,000 fine for Airbnb Online Services Spain. The San Francisco-based venture lists more than 500,000 private properties in 192 countries. Cataluña, and particularly Barcelona, is a popular market, but some of the lets offered on the site are in private homes and infringe Catalan regulations. Some apartments are similarly unauthorised . It is only one of eight letting sites to be fined by the Catalan government but Airbnb’s success

aroused the ire of registered landlords and letting agencies. Cataluña was the first Spanish region to clamp down on private lets calculating that at least one million of the beds on offer were illegal. Around 200,000 tourist beds there have since been registered with local authorities as guaranteeing minimum standards. Airbnb hosts demonstrated recently in Barcelona, defending their right to rent out property. Only a quarter of them earned more than the minimum salary, an Airbnb study found, and renting enabled many to hold on to their homes during the economic crisis. The same report also estimated that the rentals’ site brought an extra €128 million to Barcelona.

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

BUSINESS EXTRA

Latest model NISSAN started production on the Pulsar at its Zona Franca plant in Barcelona and expects to produce 2,000 models in July alone. The car will reach showrooms this autumn.

Signup MANDATORY membership of ‘colegios’ or official professional associations has been reduced from 80 to 38 professions. It will still be obligatory for most legal, health and engineering occupations, the government announced.

No inflation THE inflation rate in Spain fell to 0 per cent in June according to the National Statistic Institute. Consumer prices were unchanged from June 2013 with lower food, electricity and soft drink prices keeping the rate down.

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Are we slaves to the modern day wage? Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

DO you love your smartphone? Do you constantly check your email or jump to look at a new message arriving with a beep to your mobile? Modern technology may be a very useful and handy way to keep in contact with friends and family and keep up to speed with what’s going on in the world, but it is also guilty

of making us work many extra hours that ultimately go unpaid. A new study looking into the work hours of managers in the UK uncovered that about half of UK managers work an extra day or two of unpaid overtime per week. Tot that up and that’s 52 or 104 extra days of unpaid work a year! The managers in the survey say they feel under pressure to work extra hours from their employers due to a general pressure to get things done and easy access to email through smartphone technology. Thanks to smartphone

Postal/proxy votes at AGM Your recent article on postal/proxy votes at the AGM for the installation of a new lift caused us You and the some concern. Law in Spain We are a community of 80 properties, about By David Searl 40 per cent Spanish and 60 per cent British, with many holiday homes. Over the past 40 years we have relied on our proxy voters to establish a quorum for our meetings and to pass motions necessary to the workings of the community. I have been president for more than 20 years and I thought we were conducting our affairs correctly. Now I am not sure. Are we wrong and what can we do to rectify the situation? Our AGM minute book has always been accepted without comment when we had to go to court. All those attending and proxy voters are shown separately and by name.

K P (Costa Blanca) A. Perhaps you misunderstood my reply to that previous question. Spain’s Horizontal Law, that regulates communities, makes no provision for voting by post at the AGM. A proxy vote, however, with written authorisation and signed by the owner is perfectly acceptable. Furthermore, the law provides that decisions taken by the members actually present can be valid,. You also do well to make sure that all those in attendance are properly listed. Your situation is, in fact, most typical of coastal communities. Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at Ask@lawtaxspain.com, or call 952 667 090.

MANAGERS: Under pressure due to modern technology.

technology some employees can’t help but obsessively check email outside office hours. It can be stressful to receive an urgent late night email and many employees feel compelled to respond immediately. The study concentrated on managers, many of whom are probably on decent wages being in a management position, but there are so many different types of employees working over and above their contracted hours these days, like teachers, scientists and hospitality staff to mention but a few. And it’s not just

technology that is to blame for these employees working extra hours. Staff knuckle down and do extra work for fear of losing their job too. We all know people who work unpaid hours simply because they have a mortgage to pay and bills to settle and they don’t want to rock the boat and find themselves unemployed. Others know that they need to get the job done but they are just too

scared to ask their boss for the extra money. Every employee goes through a busy period when they feel motivated to work above and beyond their contractual hours, but excessive unpaid hours are not sustainable, nor fair on the employee. In the long-term it’s important to focus on how to tackle a workload within your contracted hours, keep your boss happy and enjoy your life!

A long, short-selling story by Gotham City WITHOUT Gotham City Research’s investigation, the Spanish company Gowex would probably still be trading. It would probably still be carrying on the false accounting that brought it to the attention of Gotham City. So is the company, which carried out a similar operation with the British insurance group Quindell, a financial altruist? On the contrary, Gotham City, named after Batman’s home town, is accused of being a “bear raider.” This means shortselling: buying securities, agreeing to pay at a later date by which time the price falls sufficiently to make a killing. Presumably Gotham

did exactly this before trading in Gowex shares was halted. The shadowy company makes no bones about being a short-seller but only short-sellers can expose the misdeeds of fraudsters, “as the Gowex case clearly demonstrates,” it piously stated. “Auditors, regulators, lawyers, investment bankers and others rarely detect fraud. Insiders and short-sellers do.” Market participants, the media and regulators should instead focus on the validity of a shortseller’s message instead of shooting the messenger, Gotham City said. “We are confident that for every 1,000 or 10,000 corporations, CEOs or stock promoters that

have profited from wrong-doing, maybe one short-seller has.” The same statement commended Jenaro Garcia Martin’s subsequent confession as “very rare, courageous and honourable.” Nor did Gotham City believe that Gowex was a reflection on Spain or the Spanish people, the statement continued. “If anything, the Spanish people have demonstrated that there exists a sound culture of honesty, morality and honour.” Kind words but small comfort to Gowex shareholders and employees. And still less comfort to those responsible for Spain’s business reputation.

OPINION & COMMENT

Taxman casts a long shadow over us all… PAYING tax in the UK now he has retired to Spain seems unfair to Allan David Duhig, although he says: “I suppose someone has to pay for the immigrants and asylum seekers flooding in and sponging off the UK.” But he’s the immigrant in Spain if he spends more than 183 days in the tax year here. If he hasn’t filed a Spanish tax return and declared all his pensions, he’s the one who’s sponging off the country where he’s living. It’s not possible to choose which country you pay tax in. Once he’s filed his Spanish tax return he can apply for tax exemption in the UK. Should Mr Duhig own a property in Spain but spend less than 183 days in the tax year here, then he should file a tax return as a non-resident. Also, since last year, all Spanish residents must declare assets abroad of more than €50,000 in total in any one asset-class. Spaniards have the obligation to present the form too, not just foreigners. Ask for information at the local Spanish tax office. I’ve found the staff generally very helpful, provided you speak Spanish. I hope Mr Duhig does speak Spanish, because, based on his attitude to immigrants in the UK, no doubt he’d expect them to speak English. Why should he be treated any differently in Spain? Don’t hesitate, Mr Duhig, because if Revenue caught you then Hacienda will too one day. Maybe someone there reads letters like these, searching for tax dodgers. David Frost, Malaga

No change I READ about the new daily train from Alicante to Zaragoza which says that it takes about 4.5 hours and there is no need to change at Madrid. I have just been on the RENFE site and, yes, there is a train at 4.20pm that takes 4.5 hours but you still have to change trains in Madrid. It shows two different train

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17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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BOYS will be boys, even if they have corkscrew ringlets like my grandson! Charlotte Watts (by email).

numbers and even when I follow the booking through it’s still the same. I was about to book but was afraid of getting dumped in Madrid and hanging around for a connection. I guess the sensible thing would be to go to the station and enquire but my Spanish isn’t too good and so gave up on the whole idea. Michael (by email) Editor’s note: According to our information, Alicante passengers alight in Madrid while the train is cleaned before returning to the same seat in the same coach.

Policy-makers MAYBE I can help Conway Owen Jones decide if I’m a genius or an idiot. My main point was that, as Leapy Lee had said, UKIP have no policies except to make us leave the EU. Conway asks how many policies we need. My answer is

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

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that we surely need a few more than just one. The Ancient Greeks had a saying: “The fox knows a lot of things and the hedgehog only one big one.” A lot more hedgehogs get run over than foxes, who will certainly survive long after hedgehogs (and probably people) are extinct. Also, Conway has got my parting shot the wrong way round. I think people voted for UKIP because they were told constantly everyone was voting that way, not because everyone was telling them not to! Bill Campbell, Mojacar (Almeria)

Snail’s pace TWO years ago I attempted to make my UK tax return via the internet and needed an identity code. This was sent by mail and when it arrived there was a message to the effect that the code must be used within 28 days of issue. That was six weeks earlier! A replacement also took six weeks to arrive and made me late in submitting my return although my appeal against the potential penalty was granted. Allen Everington, Benidorm (Alicante)

Safe fracking IN response to Keith Hallam’s somewhat vitriolic assessment of hydraulic fracturing, and as someone who has worked for an American company in the oil industry, I would like to offer the following facts. Fracturing has been used to increase production on millions of oil and natural gas wells since

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1949. According to the International Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, waste water and chemical fluid from fracturing operations can contain potentially toxic chemicals as well as natural contaminants from deep underground. Several studies on this subject have concluded that fracturing did not pose a risk to drinking water, helping lead to its exemption from the Safe Drinking Water Act. As with all water management operations in Europe and America, underground water reserves are required to undergo stringent forms of treatment by centralised treatment facilities prior to being classified as of drinkable quality. To the best of my knowledge, since fracturing operations have been used, no person or company has been successfully prosecuted for any environmental violation involving this activity. Today, approximately 30 per cent of recoverable oil and natural gas reserves in the US are accessible through hydraulic fracturing; this is about seven billion barrels of oil and 600 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. It would be a great shame to prohibit the potential economic growth in this area until such time as we have conclusive proof that hydraulic fracturing does in fact threaten our very fragile planet. Peter Dunn, Velez Rubio (Almeria)

Short-changed MANY houses have been on the market for over 12 months and a house valued at €160,000 in June 2013 would have given the seller £138,000 with the pound sterling at €1.16. However, in June 2014, the pound was worth €1.25 and the seller would only get £128,000 give or take a couple of pounds. What a difference! Should the estate agent not increase the value of their client’s property? Adding €10,000 to a €160,000 property would give an increase of £8,000. I am sure many sellers are not aware of the price difference since the pound sterling has increased. It might be better to sell in pounds, showing the figure you want or the equivalent in euros on the day. David Jarratt, Arboleas (Almeria)

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

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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OPINION & COMMENT

Plenty of stick for this OAP…

LENTY of ‘stick’ coming the ol’ boy’s way this week. My appearance in Channel 5’s OAPs Behaving Badly has released a torrent of comments and observations. I’ve heard opinions as far apart as ‘sleazy rubbish’ to ‘hysterically funny’ in the last few days. However, I am delighted to report that at least 90 per cent of them have been positive. The ‘agins’ have been mostly from those a little nearer to home. Some of whom were, probably quite rightly, not too happy with a close relative being depicted as a sex-mad, 75-year-old, rampaging around Tenerife, pockets bulging with Viagra. I must confess that this was the picture that emerged, but in my somewhat weak defence I would like to make clear that the hour-long programme was recorded over some six weeks. With cutting and editing, producers can create almost any scenario they choose. My observations concerning Viagra were, however, although not meant to dominate the presentation, completely intentional. There is no shame in enjoying a healthy sex life in the so-called twilight years. With certain parts of the body not

AGIF / Shutterstock.com

OZIL: Proper haircuts from serious footballers.

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT functioning quite as well as they did in our youth, why not avail ourselves of any medical assistance available? If our joints

are stiff with arthritis we take medication for it. If other parts of the body are behaving alternatively, what’s wrong with a little medical assistance to counteract that condition? None at all. Sorry if I offended anyone, but with two

million viewers, a heavy name check on The Wright Stuff, radio interviews and two new jobs in the UK already, I feel it was well worth it! After all, business is business and as long as you’re not Rolf Harris, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Oh, and by the way, look out for a follow-up programme later in the year. Can’t say I was exactly delighted with the German victory in the World Cup, even though it won me money. What I did find satisfying was that the trophy was won by a team which meant business. Not a funny haircut in sight. Hardly a monstrous tattoo in evidence and a grim resolve to play the game instead of poncing around the field like a bunch of Hello! magazine posing pillocks. You listening, England? As a final word, I would like to wish a dear friend all the best as he takes on the burden of chemo this week. Hang in there, Simon, our thoughts go with you. As a final final. It’s been a delight having no less than nine members of my family visiting this week. Once again it has all gone too quickly. Love you all. Keep the Faith Love Leapy Leapylee2002@gmail.com

Inspiring famous last words BASPHOTO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Ulrica Marshall

Expat Strife Swedish-born Ulrica is a freelance journalist living in Mallorca with her family. Her debut novel $Expat Wives is available on Amazon and iBooks. To comment on any of the issues raised in Ulrica’s column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/ulrica-marshall

ulrica@euroweeklynews.com

ITH my summer holidays approaching I thought I would leave you with a few inspiring choice words. Instead, my thoughts turned to what people say in their final moments, when the grim reaper is out for your hide: Not that I am planning a perilous vacation. I imagine there may have been a few who wondered “What bus?” while others said “Don’t worry, it’s not loaded,” and perhaps the odd assertion of “Oh look! It’s trying to communicate…” The crux of it all, of course, being that we cannot actually verify the quotations with the source itself but have to rely on third party reports. Many people in history have

LAST WORDS: Too many whiskies? resorted to the drinks theme. In his final moments, Humphrey Bogart lamented: “I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis,” while the poet Dylan Thomas was quoted as departing this world with “I’ve had 18 straight whiskies. I think that’s the record,” back in 1953.

Denial features heavily too: Actor John Barrymore reportedly stated: “Die? I should say not, dear fellow.” Roman Emperor Gaius Caligula triumphantly exclaimed: “I am still alive!” having been attacked by his own guards; quite a remarkable assumption since he was

allegedly stabbed a whopping 30 times. At the height of the US Civil War Union Commander General John Sedgwick didn’t quite make it to the end of his final words of wisdom, assuredly claiming: “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist…”

Others had better foresight and were able to conjure up a meaningful verbal send-off. German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven died after a lengthy illness with the words: “Friends applaud; the comedy is finished.” Actor Errol Flynn summed up his 50-year long life in a parting comment to friends before suffering a fatal heart attack: “I’ve had a hell of a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” Since you may be remembered by your final words, a single-word curse is probably inadequate and somewhat lacking in finesse. But if lost for any extended verbal inspiration, you may want to go with: “I love you” - a sure winner, even if the words are illogically delivered to a baffled paramedic. But perhaps we have most to learn from the revolutionary socialist and philosopher Karl Marx who succumbed to bronchitis and pleurisy with the words: “Go on, get out - last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.” Happy Holidays!

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

Thursday BBC ONE 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Wanted Down Under 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Talk to the Animals 10:00pm Celebrity MasterChef 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Great Big Romanian Invasion 12:25am This Week

BBC TWO 3:00pm Golf 6:00pm Golf 9:00pm Horizon 10:00pm The Honourable Woman 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway:

ITV 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 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 Harbour Lives 10:00pm Britain's Poshest Nannies 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Robbie Coltrane's BRoad Britain 12:40am The Dentists

CH4 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Ultimate Dealer 6:00pm Couples Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 10:00pm Embarrassing Bodies 11:00pm The Secret Life of Students 12:05am Beauty Queen or Bust

CH5 4:15pm The Nightmare Nanny 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Cricket on 5 9:00pm Black Market Britain 10:00pm Caught on Camera 11:00pm Big Brother 12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Side

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm Glee 11:00pm Stella 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Friday BBC ONE 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Wanted Down Under 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm The Village That's Falling Into the Sea 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Celebrity MasterChef 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm New Tricks 12:35am EastEnders Omnibus

BBC TWO 3:00pm Golf 6:00pm Golf 9:00pm First Night of the Proms 10:45pm QI XL 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am T in the Park 2014

ITV 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 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 The Cruise Ship 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Doc Martin 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Kingdom 1:40am Jackpot247

CH4 4:30pm Deal or No Deal 5:30pm Ultimate Dealer 6:00pm Couples Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Million Pound Drop 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm Friday Night Dinner 11:30pm The Inbetweeners 12:05am Rude Tube 1:05am What Happens in Vegas

CH5 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Burden of Evil 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Cricket on 5 9:00pm On the Yorkshire Buses 10:00pm Big Brother: Live Eviction 11:35pm Big Brother's Bit on the Side 12:35am Stand by Your Man

SKY1 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm Glee 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm An Idiot Abroad 11:00pm A League of Their Own 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

TV LISTING

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Saturday BBC ONE 6:25pm F1: Grand Prix Qualifying 7:40pm BBC News 7:50pm Regional News 7:55pm Weather 8:00pm A Question of Sport 8:40pm The National Lottery 9:30pm BBC Live at Edinburgh Castle 11:30pm BBC News 11:45pm Weather 11:50pm Shanghai Knightst 1:35am Weather for the Week Ahead

BBC TWO 5:25pm Hive Alive 6:25pm Golf 8:45pm Flog It! 9:30pm Dad's Army 10:00pm The Men Who Made Us Spend 11:00pm Zodiac 1:35am Keeping Up with the Steins

ITV 3:30pm All Star Family Fortunes 4:15pm Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure 6:00pm Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed 7:35pm Local News and Weather 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:30pm Tipping Point 9:30pm Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 12:00pm ITV News and Weather

CH4 5:10pm Come Dine with Me 5:40pm Come Dine with Me 6:10pm Come Dine with Me 6:40pm Come Dine with Me 7:15pm Come Dine with Me 7:40pm Channel 4 News 8:05pm The Restoration Man 9:00pm Grand Designs 10:00pm Rise of the Planet of the Apes 12:00am Predator 2 2:05am Utopia 3:05am Utopia

CH5 3:05pm NCIS 4:05pm Hell Boats 5:55pm Operation Pacific 8:00pm Cricket on 5 8:55pm 5 News 9:00pm Holiday Love Rats Exposed 10:00pm Big Brother 11:00pm Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole 12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Psych 1:00am Super Casino 4:10am Webcam Girls: At Your Service 5:00am Great Scientists

SKY1 4:00pm Futurama 4:30pm Futurama 5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm Futurama 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm A League of Their Own 9:30pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Transporter 2 1:00am Hawaii Five-0 2:00am Cop Squad

Sunday BBC ONE 3:00pm Golf 6:00pm Golf 8:00pm BBC News 8:10pm Regional News 8:15pm Weather 8:20pm Countryfile 9:10pm Antiques Roadshow 10:10pm Seven Wonders of the Commonwealth 11:10pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News & Weather 11:35pm Murdered by My Boyfriend 12:35am The Greatest Game Ever Played

BBC TWO 3:00pm Flog It! 3:30pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm Lifeline 4:40pm Songs of Praise 5:15pm Grand Prix 8:00pm F1: Grand Prix 9:30pm Dragons' Den 10:30pm Britain's Flying Past 11:30pm Mock the Week 12:00am The Quiet American

ITV 4:35pm Midsomer Murders 6:30pm Tipping Point 7:30pm Local News and Weather 8:00pm Catchphrase 9:00pm ITV News and Weather 9:00pm Foyle's War 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm Testing Britain's Worst Drivers: Crash Course 12:15am The Cube 1:10am The Store 3:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA Jeremy Kyle presents the American version of his popular talk show. 4:10am Motorsport UK 5:00am Nightscreen

CH4 5:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 6:10pm Channel 4 News 6:40pm Hugo 9:00pm The Mill 10:00pm Child Genius 11:00pm Love and Other Drugs 1:10am The Million Pound Drop

CH5 3:40pm Lost in Space 6:10pm Big Momma's House 8:00pm Cricket on 5 8:55pm 5 News 9:00pm My Child is a Monkey 10:00pm Big Brother 11:00pm The Book of Eli 1:15am Caught on Camera

SKY1 3:00pm Futurama 3:30pm Futurama 4:00pm Modern Family 4:30pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm Futurama 10:00pm Hawaii Five-0 11:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 12:00am Cop Squad 1:00am Road Wars 2:00am Brit Cops: Frontline Crime 3:00am Road Wars

Monday BBC ONE 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm How Safe is Your House? 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm John Bishop's Australia 11:00pm BBC News, Regional News & Weather 11:35pm Kevin Bridges Live at the Commonwealth 12:15am Commonwealth City

BBC TWO 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Flog It! 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Food and Drink 10:00pm This World 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Dragons' Den

ITV 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Countrywise 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Long Lost Family 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm You Saw Them Here First

CH4 5:30pm Ultimate Dealer 6:00pm Couples Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm Food Unwrapped 10:00pm Royal Marines Commando School 11:00pm Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:05am The Secret Life of Students

CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Cricket on 5 9:00pm Police Interceptors 10:00pm Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole 11:00pm Big Brother 12:05am Big Brother's Bit on the Side

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm Trollied 10:30pm Trollied 11:00pm Transporter 2 1:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Tuesday BBC ONE 5:30pm Flog It! 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 Crimewatch 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:30pm Weather 11:35pm Crimewatch 11:45pm Sir Chris Hoy: How to Win Gold 12:45am John Bishop's Australia

BBC TWO 5:15pm Natural World 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Flog It! 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Hive Alive 10:00pm Coast 11:00pm The Sarah Millican Television Programme 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am This World

ITV 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 9:00pm Love Your Garden 10:00pm 56 Up (7 and Up) 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Chase 12:40am Tales From Northumberland with Robson Green

CH4 5:30pm Ultimate Dealer 6:00pm Couples Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Kirstie's Fill Your House for Free 10:00pm Undercover Boss 11:00pm Utopia 12:05am Royal Marines Commando School

CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Can't Pay? 9:00pm The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies 10:00pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 11:00pm Big Brother 12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Side

Wednesday BBC ONE 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Wanted Down Under 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony 12:00am BBC News

BBC TWO 4:30pm The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain 5:15pm Natural World 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Flog It! 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets of the Skies 10:00pm The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway 11:00pm Backchat with Jack Whitehall and His Dad 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Horizon

ITV 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm All Star Mr and Mrs 10:00pm Inside Death Row with Trevor McDonald 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Weight Loss Ward 12:40am Off the Beaten Track

CH4 5:30pm Ultimate Dealer 6:00pm Couples Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm This Old Thing: The Vintage Clothes Show 10:00pm One Born Every Minute 11:00pm The Mimic 11:30pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 12:35am The IT Crowd

CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Revealed 9:00pm Emergency Bikers 10:00pm Caught on Camera 11:00pm Big Brother 12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Side

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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OPINION & COMMENT

WORLD CUP REVIEW

Cordon Press

Germany were deserved winners of World Cup By Tony Matthews CONGRATULATIONS to Germany who thoroughly deserved to win the final... and they picked up €25.7 million in the process. Germany played methodically, with total commitment, were never flustered and above all had some of the best players in the tournament, and their brainy head coach Joachim Loew isn’t bad either! This was Germany’s first World Cup win since 1990, their first since unification, and they are the first country to win in South America other than Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.

AGIF / Shutterstock.com

My fact file from the 20th World Cup: • It cost Brazil a record €11 billion (£8.7 billion) to stage the World Cup and in my opinion, it was worth every penny, as it turned out to be one of the best ever. It had everything: a record number of goals scored, some of them quite brilliant, superb goalkeeping, horrendous defending, a few surprises, big crowds and heaps of entertainment. • The 64 matches realised a record equalling total of 171 goals. • Over 3.37 million spectators watched the games live, giving an average of 52,762 at each one... the second highest behind USA’s 68,991 average in 1994. And a

GERMAN WINNERS: Played with total commitment.

CELEBRATIONS: Germany’s first win since 1990. TV audience of 751 million people watched the World Cup. • The biggest attendance was 74,753 for the Argentina-Bosnia group game. • The lowest turn out was 37,603 for the Russia-Korea Republic encounter. • Top win: Germany 7 Brazil 1 in first semifinal... the Argentina v Holland encounter produced the first ever semi-final 0-0 draw.

• That 7-1 drubbing was Brazil’s worst-ever in international football and the heaviest since 1920 (beaten 6-0 to Uruguay). • Top goalscorer (Golden Boot winner): James Rodriguez (Colombia) 6 goals. • Germany’s Miroslav Klose scored his record 16th World Cup finals goal (v Brazil in semifinal). • Player of the Tournament (Golden Ball) Lionel Messi (Argentina).

• 25 different referees officiated during the tournament. • Fabio Capello (Russia) was highestpaid coach/manager: €8.26m (£6.5m). • Players wearing a number 10 shirt scored 20 goals between them. • Goal-line technology was used for first time. • Four games were decided by a penalty shoot-out. • A record 224 goals have been scored by Germany in World Cups: 1930-2014. • Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon became the oldest World Cup player, aged 43 years and three days v Japan. • 187 yellow and 10 red cards were brandished during the tournament. • Argentina’s Maxi

Pereira (v Mexico) collected the first red and later fired his country into the final with a penalty shoot-out winner v Holland. • In that emphatic 71 semi-final win over Brazil, Germany scored three goals in three minutes (their 2nd, 3rd, 4th), hit five in 18 (11-29) and Toni Kroos netted twice in 69 seconds... all before half-time. • 454 players (from 32 countries) took part in the 2014 World Cup. • My best goals: James Rodriguez (Colombia, chest and volley v Uruguay); Robin van Persie (Holland, header v Spain), Tim Cahill (Australia, volley v Holland); Lionel Messi (Argentina, dribble and shot v Iran) and Mario Götze (final winner for Germany v Argentina).

• My ‘team’ of the tournament (4-4-2): Neuer (Germany); Aguilar (Mexico), Mascherano (Argentina), Hummels (Germany), Blind (Holland); Valbuena (France), Kroos (Germany), Borges (Costa Rica), Bradley (USA); Messi (Argentina) and Rodriguez (Colombia). Subs: Ochoa (Mexico); Lahm (Germany), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Brahimi (Algeria), Robben (Holland), Neymar (Brazil). • Worst players in the tournament: Fred and David Luis (Brazil). “Luis hasn’t got a defensive bone in his body,” said Martin O’Neill... and I agree. NB: The 2018 World Cup will take place in Russia - don’t miss it!

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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OPINION & COMMENT

The oldest worry for nation Cassandra Nash

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

NEMPLOYMENT is still the nation’s biggest worry. Even so, Centre for Sociological Investigation (CIS) found in June that people are slightly less worried than they were, as unemployment was cited by 76.88 per cent against 80.8 per cent last May. Percentages were substantially lower for those naming corruption as their greatest concern but their number is growing: 35.7 per cent in May and 38.8 per cent in June. It’s not necessary to be a CIS number-cruncher to understand why. Sooner or later there will be more jobs around and even the gloomiest know that unemployment will eventually fall. But the gloomiest also fear that there is no cure for the endemic disease of Spanish corruption.

Emotional blackmail

...but some are more equal

THE Valencian Community, already in a bad way financially, was ordered to make more cuts by Hacienda minister Cristobal Montoro. Regional president Alberto Fabra has already cut down to the bone, and does not know how or where to cut next. So he warned the central government that unless more finance is made available, there could be a drift towards separatism a la Catalana. Nice try, but it won’t wash. The last time the regional government polled residents, only 2 per cent of the population said they were Valencian and nothing else. Thirty per cent said they felt more Spanish than Valencian and 58.9 per cent answered that they felt both Spanish and Valencian. Fabra definitely needs more funding, but he won’t get it through emotional blackmail.

IÑAKI URDANGARIN’S accountant Marco Antonio Tejeiro turned the Spanish equivalent of Queen’s evidence. He accused the Duke of Palma and his partner Diego Torres of designing the web of companies that siphoned off public money for their own benefit. Tejeiro was already up to his neck and presumably hopes for a lighter

sentence. His sister, Ana Maria Tejeiro is also up to her neck. She is married to Diego Torres and faced charges of complicity from the outset, unlike Urdangarin’s wife, the daughter of King Juan Carlos. This discrimination is at the root of much public hostility towards the Infanta and it will be interesting to see what charges or sentences both women eventually face. That could make or break the claim that all Spaniards are equal before the law.

IÑAKI URDANGARIN: His accountant turned Queen’s evidence.

Back to the past subjects EVEN Spain’s most prosperous autonomous regions struggle to balance their books and all now have the extra expense of financing the government’s LOMCE education Bill. The letters stand for Law for Improving Quality of Education - a claim not unanimously underwritten by all which brings back Religious Instruction or its Ethics alternative as subjects that must be passed. Their reappearance as no longer easy options is disliked by all except the Church hierarchy, further proof that the LOMCE changes are ideologically and not educationally motivated.

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WELLIES: With spectacular views.

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salad, the tagliata di manzo, tuna tataki red or a renewed tiramisu have been

added alongside old favourites. Ideal for late breakfasts and brunches, the frontline ground floor terrace is the place to see and be seen in the marina. It serves food from 12.30pm until late. Upstairs the large dining area is dark wood with contemporary flower arrangements, crisp off-white table cloths and subtle lighting. Having been open for 28 years, 365 days a year, Restaurant Wellies is well known as the hub of the marina. You can also choose and set your own menu, just call the events department to find out more, they are always happy to help! Call 971 676 444, the extremely friendly staff at the restaurant will answer all of your queries. Open from 9am to 1pm in the morning! Puerto Portals local nº22 reservas@wellies.es www.wellies.es

OPINION & COMMENT

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17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

EWN

Are true gents a dying breed? Does your man pass the perfect gent test? He'll take your car for an MOT, notice your new hairstyle and only watch football on his laptop... according to a recent study. Is your man a true gent? Do they exist or are they a dying breed?

AWYER Annemarie Bakker of Dianium & Lex in Denia, Costa Blanca, said as a woman aged over 50 she still experiences a lot of politeness and gentlemanly behaviour but thinks it is something more prevalent in the older generation as her daughter oftens complains about it in the men she meets. But Annemarie also thinks it is not too important: “I think just being polite and respecting each other is the most important thing. I have taught my children to be respectful and to treat each other as you would want to be treated yourself.” In Almeria, Elaine Brown of the MACS Cancer Support Group, said: “Good manners make a gentleman always! My father would always say please and thank you to my mother, even if they’d had an argument. I believe that true gentlemen still exist today as I am married to one, and his brothers are the same, too.” “I think the age of the true gentleman

STREET TALK is dying out; unfortunately, it is more from the older generation,” believed physiotherapist Trinidad Sanchez Fuentes, owner of Clinica Mejorate on the Costa Blanca. “But I think women are partly to blame for that by wanting everything to be equal.” Trini works with all nationalities and believes elderly British men are very polite: “They are the most polite and gentlemanly,

including my British father-in-law. My husband not so much, but I wouldn’t want him to be doing everything for me.” The girls from El Gaucho de Banús, Marbella, Costa del Sol, Mari, Alexandra, Frances, Barbie, Miriam and Marianela said: “We are not sure if the perfect gent exists, or what he even looks like. However, if

there are any perfect gents out there PLEASE COME here, we would love to meet them!” ANNEMARIE (below left) believes respect is more important. TRINI (below right) believes British men are the most gentlemanly. EL GAUCHO GIRLS: ‘Please come here. We want to meet some gents!’

E W N 17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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OPINION & COMMENT

It pains me to have to say this Mike Walsh Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.

OME bear pain with stoicism whilst others face pain with great fear. Perception can also change from the person causing the pain to the unfortunate who bears it. The latter likes it less. My son, a front-line hospital doctor, tells me that a routine question is to ask an incoming patient to describe their pain on a one to 10 scale. In fairness, he was citing experience with younger females. He said they tend to over-dramatise. A mild burn morphs into a pyrrhic incineration on a par with the combustion of Joan of Arc at the stake. Men, perhaps because they are meant to be of sterner stuff, are inclined to understate pain. “Sure, there’s a knife in my back but it’s no big deal.” Women, bless them, riposte that mankind would die out if men were to bear children. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini speculated that war is to men what childbirth is to women. Each are drawn to

WORTH IT: The pain of childbirth. birth and war as a moth to the flame. When women give birth they gain a child. When men go to war they lose limbs, sanity and their lives. I recall footage of the Falklands War: a young soldier was stretchered aboard a hospital ship. One of the poor lad’s legs was shattered and hanging on by a few membranes. Smoking a cigarette, he cheerfully chatted with the stretcher bearers. I wished him well.

Following a ‘man flu’ infection the ladies recognise as cystitis, I was obliged to have my bladder’s inside checked by the hospital urologist. Having got the tee-shirt, my unsympathetic offspring suggested I ‘man up.’ There would be bearable discomfort. How did I stand up? To put it bluntly, and it was put bluntly, a probe is inserted you know where. This looks similar to a high pressure nozzle and hose that tyre repair

workshops apply to tractor tyres. However, the zoom used by urologists is pre-heated to incendiary temperatures. Rather like having scalding water poured through one’s bowels. Once the probe’s on-board camera arrives in one’s sac, it illuminates the inside surfaces which are then examined on a TV monitor. Had my urologist been a dentist I could have done a runner. This is difficult when prostrate with one’s shorts around one’s ankles. I had little choice but to bite the bullet and tough it out. As the probe rocketed through my urethra, my eyes spun. The attendant nurse blushed at my command of the Saxon language. I felt as my 10-year-old mother did when in 1920 her class was shepherded into Liverpool’s John Bagot Hospital. Built for the Crimea War’s wounded, she and her classmates were strapped to chairs and without anaesthetic had their tonsils snipped. Yes, there have been remarkable improvements in all fields of medicine, compassion being one of them. There will be another improvement when bladders are thoroughly checked without penetration. Pain tolerance? - 2/10!

IT seems as if Magaluf is out of control, but individually we can make a difference. The Mallorca Street Angels are helping young people who find themselves in vulnerable situations. I invited myself along to a Magaluf shift in the early hours of last Saturday to find out more. The Street Angel team are all volunteers and equipped with radios, details and maps of the local hotels, first aid supplies, a lot of water, and they have blue wristbands with their website address on. “We give these to the people we’ve helped so that when they wake up they know how they got home,” says Cameron Springthorpe, one of the group’s leaders. We hit the streets wearing the distinctive yellow jackets bearing the Street Angel logo. It’s immediately obvious that they are recognised as being good guys, partly because of the successful scheme which is in action in many towns in the UK. Throughout the night we are constantly approached for help with directions, local knowledge and for first aid.

Photo: Phoenix Media.

A life raft in the madness of Magaluf Vicki Mcleod

Family Matters It isn’t long before we start to find young men and women in trouble: frequently they are very drunk and confused. One young woman really needs our help, her name is Hayley and she is from Glasgow, but she can’t remember how she got into the condition she is in and she’s very embarrassed and upset about it. We find her sitting on the pavement with two other women who have stopped to see if she is okay. Between us we manage to get her up and moving, occasionally she has to stop to be sick, or to drink some water. Something about her makes me want to stand in front of her and catch her eye. She says to me: “Are you a mum?” Yes, I reply. “Can I have a hug?” she sobs. I hug her and she cries and cries. We’re surrounded by hundreds of people coming and going,

STREET ANGELS: Helping young people who find themselves in vulnerable situations. merging into groups, separating, shouting, drinking, laughing, eating, staring, moving, moving, moving, and we are a still point in the centre of this madness. She clings to me as if I am a life raft. It feels right to be helping. The Mallorca Street Angels currently go out on Saturday and

Sunday mornings from 4am to 8am. If they had more volunteers they could extend the hours they are on patrol and help more people. They need people who can commit to helping, have a non-judgmental attitude, an understanding of the group’s values, and a basic level of

physical fitness. There is training as required. You can go on a trial for a night and see how you get on; you might surprise yourself with how you feel afterwards. Call Cameron Springthorpe: 629 056 193 or email contact@streetangels.es www.familymattersmallorca.com

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PETS

ets P

17 - 23 July 2014 / Mallorca

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