Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 25 - 31 December 2014 Issue 1538

ISSUE NO. 1538

EWN FRONT EXTRA

Motorway completion THE Almeria to Malaga A7 motorway is set to open in 2015.

It will happen in stages, the first being Polopos to Albuñol at the end of December.

Costs involved in the project have so far reached €270 million.

Historic find MOORISH documents detailing the surrender to the Christian armies in the 15th century have been found and restored. They are on display at Museo Arqueologico Provincia in Almeria City.

No rail hub MANUEL NIÑO, the Secretary General for Infrastructure, has announced that the large railway station planned for Vera will now not happen. The installation will consist of just one platform rather than a major rail hub.

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An action-packed Christmas for Albox ALBOX, through its Department of Sports and Culture, has presented its Christmas schedule.

Music, art, sport, entertainment and activities for children are featured throughout the town for the remainder of the month and up to January 6.

Every day there is a different activity or event planned so there is always something to take part in.

Among the activities are the awards for school competitions for Christmas card design, speed-reading and others.

In addition the Kings will be visiting the schools before they break up for the holiday period.

Some activities have already taken place, including the medieval market, which ran for three days in La Loma, showcasing gastronomy, period music and shows.

The town’s official ‘belen’ (nativity) display opened on Sunday December 21 in Calle Mendoza.

For sporting fans, December 28 sees the ninth edition of the popular San Silvestre race in Albox.

Registration is available on the day from 9am until 10.30am, and racing starts at 11am from the Albox Centro Deportivo Agua y Salud. There are 14 categories in total, enabling everyone to have a chance at winning a prize.

Each runner should bring one

kilogram of non-perishable food, which will be donated to Caritas charity for needy families after the race. The town will be out in force to support the runners as usual and it promises to be another fun-filled day.

“This is a well thought out programme for residents of all ages and interests,” said Councillor for Sports and Culture, Tito Carrillo. He continued: “During the holidays there are numerous activities you can enjoy in your free time with your family and friends. This is among the most complete cultural, leisure and sports programme in recent years.”

New fire station for Nijar NIJAR Council has approved the 2015 municipal budget, which includes €300,000 for a new fire station and adequate funding to ensure recruitment and provision of vehicles and equipment.

Nijar residents and councillors have been asking for a fire station for months. They had two options, one of which was the creation of a consortium with the city of Almeria and the other to have a dedicated service of their own.

Finally, the balance tipped towards the latter option and 2015 will see it become a reality with the allocation of funds now approved.

Early next year, a committee will prepare relevant reports on how the service will operate. Once approved by UNESPA (Union of Insurance Companies) an agreement will be signed. UNESPA will be subsidising a portion of the services.

The buildings already exist so work will then begin on tailoring them to the fire service’s needs.

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INDEX News 1 - 22 Letters 24 Finance 27 - 32 Leapy Lee 33 Daily TV 40 Time Out 46 - 47 Health & Beauty 51- 53 Food 54 - 58 Albox 60 - 63 Homes & Gardens 64 Property 65 Classifieds 66 - 68 Motoring 69 - 70 Sport 71 - 72

UPGRADE: Cash has been earmarked for Almeria’s coastline.

Coastal repairs

SECRETARY of State Andres Garcia Lorca has announced that a cash injection of €400,000 has been earmarked for the repair of Almeria’s coastline.

Adra, Almeria, Berja, Cuevas del Almanzora, El Ejido and Mojacar beaches will benefit after the coastline was ravaged by heavy storms at the end of November and early December.

Public company Tragsa will be responsible for the repairs and future improvements, which will include the replenishment of sand as well as repairs to

jetties and coastal roads. Garcia highlighted the work, saying: “The efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment will improve the state of the coast in Almeria Province following the damage to beaches in November.” Work started on Monday December 22.

Almeria’s beaches attract a large number of visitors each year, keen to enjoy the sand and sea views as well as the gastronomy and areas of historical note which are promoted through the tourism service.

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Bumper turnover COSENTINO, one of Almeria’s largest companies, has announced it will close 2014 having billed a total turnover of €560 million, an increase of 14.7 per cent over 2013.

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A day visit to the town hall A GROUP of sixth grade schoolchildren from Soledad Alonso Drysdale in Gador spent the day at Gador Town Hall.

The event was organised so that the children could gain an insight into its daily operations.

The children also had the opportunity to interview the deputy mayor, Lourdes Rodriguez Ramos, asking

questions about hobbies and political motivations. Ramos accompanied the children around the town hall in order to explain the operations of each of the municipal offices.

The visit began at Public Services before moving to the Treasury, Planning and Intervention. It concluded in the Plenary Hall where the interview

took place. The students also had the opportunity to observe a real interview in action when they watched a cameraman talk to Lourdes Ramos about a new mobile application that has recently launched in the town.

The day ended with Ramos thanking the children for visiting and hoping that the day had been useful for them.

Reuters/Cordon Press

Mining plots THE Junta de Andalucia regional government has put 118 mining plots out to tender in Almeria. Almeria is the Andalucian province with the highest number of available mineral plots, occupying 88,175 hectares.

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Santa hunt CHILDREN from Berja went on a Santa Claus hunt in the Castala countryside. They then had the opportunity to be photographed him at the sports pavilion.

Water supply cut MANY Adra residents were left wthout water for several hours when a water valve malfunctioned in the town.

Calle Fabricas and Calle Natalio Rivas were affected, as well as the port area.

Tabernas helipad TABERNAS has opened the eighth helipad in the province.

The helipads are for medical use in order to transport patients direct to the capital’s hospital, saving a lengthy journey by road.

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ews watch

New Year

NEXT week your edition of Euro Weekly News will be on the streets the last day of the year - Wednesday December 31, instead of our usual Thursday. Happy New Year.

Traffic operation TRAFICO has begun its annual Operation Christmas which continues until January 6.

Drivers can expect spot checks for drugs, alcohol levels, speeding and seatbelts.

Ruta de Tapas THERE is still time to enjoy the Ruta de Tapas in the Almanzora Valley as it is on until December 28. Thirty-one eateries across 11 municipalities are competing for your votes.

Junta plea THE Junta de Andalucia regional government has asked the European Union for €280 million to pay for the remaining motorways in Almeria Province. The cash requested forms part of Plan Juncker.

Adra wonderland PLAZA ENRIQUE SIERRA VALENZUELA became a Christmas wonderland during a traditional Christmas market organised by more than a dozen local businesses showcasing handmade products.

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Family aid VIKING MARAUDERS: Catoira festival re-enacts Spain’s Viking past.

Quest for answers to Viking past

S

PAIN is hardly renowned for its links to fearsome Viking warriors, but a chance discovery has put a Spanish archaeologist on the trail of ancient Scandinavian raiders in her home country.

Dr Irene Garcia Losquiño of the University of Aberdeen is preparing a dig next spring in the Galicia Region, where a storm uncovered a set of anchors from Viking longships. Although there are written accounts of Viking raids in Northern Spain, archaeologically speaking, the Iberian pensinsula has been a barren hunting ground for Viking experts. Each year, however, locals in the Galician area of Catoira hold a Viking festival where they stage a re-enactment of the Viking raids that occurred 1,000 years ago.

Dr Garcia Losquiño thinks that she may be able to

Quote of the Week We can’t send a police squad to watch over a nativity scene, we appeal to people’s social conscience,’

said Santiago mayor Agustin Hernandez after a statue of the baby Jesus was stolen from the city’s nativity scene for the second time in three years.

uncover rare archaeological evidence of a Viking presence in Spain. “On the beach where the anchors were found was a big mound which locals thought might have been a motte-and-bailey construction, which was used by the later Vikings in France,” Dr Garcia Losquiño told The Herald Scotland. “But with the help of a geographer using tomography we now think this was a ‘longphort’, a Viking construction only found in Ireland during the early Viking age, and very similar to English Viking camps, where they would winter, after taking over the harbour.”

The Spanish archaeologist is planning a spring dig in Galicia and also in Sevilla, where a Norse warband was said to be active in the area for three years. Some of the Spanish sites are marshlands, with perfect conditions for preserving ancient treasures.

CREDITlev radin / Shutterstock.com

Number of the week

80,000

is the number of UK students who cannot find places on nursing courses because the NHS is hiring qualified nurses from countries like Spain and Portugal for a fraction of the cost of training a nurse in England.

MORE than €173,000 has been earmarked for 26 families in Alhama, Illar, Terque and Santa Cruz de Marchena. The money comes from the Junta de Andalucia regional government and is for home improvements.

Planting trees WORK has begun on reforestation in Canjayar and Dalias. The work has created jobs for 12 people resident in the area. The project forms part of a larger initiative costing €5.8 million.

Gador streets EMERGENCY work has begun on several streets in Gador.

The work affects Plaza La Ermita, Avenida Andalucia, Calle la Paz and Calle Colon and replaces dangerous surfaces.

And finally...

A FUGITIVE wanted in Spain for murder has been sending postcards from the Caribbean to his trial judges. The Frenchman has been on the run for six years for a murder in Huesca in 2006, but despite admitting to the crime, prosecutors could not prove motive or premeditation, resulting in the fugitive’s temporary release and subsequent abscondment.

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Man arrested for Police find 770 pairs of trainers stashed in car faking a report OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have arrested a man on

suspicion of reporting a false crime.

The 26-year-old

resident of Pueblo Blanco in Nijar had reported an incident of robbery and violent intimidation at his home, claiming that he was approached by four people at the door to his home.

He claimed that as he entered his house with his youngest son and a friend, four boys pounced and entered his home using violence.

The son and a friend managed to escape after a struggle. The four thieves then allegedly ransacked his home.

However, during their investigations, the officers discovered many inconsistencies in the story leading them to suspect false reporting.

The man has been arrested and charged.

OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have seized more than 770 pairs of training shoes at Almeria port. The discovery was made during a routine vehicle inspection as cars disembarked from a Nador (Morocco) ship.

The driver, from Manlleu, Barcelona, had tried to conceal the shoes inside bags spread throughout the vehicle.

On noticing the large number of plastic bags,

SHOE BOOTY: The trainers were hidden in bags.

Guardia Civil officers made the decision to take a closer look. The officers found 772 pairs of training shoes

in the car, all of them from leading brands. The driver was arrested and charged with a smuggling offence.

Our View

It’s time for a New Year resolution

I

T’S that time of year again when a lot (but not all) of us cherish those last few days of over-indulgence before embarking on our well intended, but often fruitless journeys to better ourselves. Be it giving up smoking, joining a gym or promising to be a better person, come January 1 life will get that little bit harder for those full of good intentions. Yes, it’s time to decide on a dreaded New Year’s resolution.

Every year we know that whatever we decide to give up, take up, do more of or do less of will take determination, willpower, effort and strength. For those that stick with it, the rewards are plentiful. Giving up smoking will improve your health, be less of a strain on your finances, and make your teeth whiter! Joining a gym will make you fitter, feel better and more often than not, look better

too. Learning a new language is unbelievably rewarding. But boy, are they all hard to stick with! It’s so much easier to give up when something is hard, which is why so many of us soon fall back into old habits despite resolving to rid ourselves of them.

Setting small attainable goals throughout the year instead of making huge, sweeping changes on January 1 can often be the best way to approach a New Year’s resolution.

And by sticking with our resolutions through the difficult times (usually at the very start), we will soon find rewards that we may never have expected: a happier outlook, pride, the fulfilment felt from overcoming something difficult.

Whatever resolution you make in the next few days - assuming you make one at all - perseverance is the key.

The best of luck to all of you!

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ON SONG: Huercal Overa schoolchildren at the carol competition.

Carol success

CHILDREN in Huercal Overa sang their hearts out in a carol competition in the Teatro Villa Huercal Overa.

The event was organised by the Department of Culture and involved four schools in the municipality. The children were nervous and excited before their performances, but they sang and danced to the delight of parents OLDER residents of Huercal de Almeria attended a and teachers. party in their honour.

Mayor of Huercal Overa, The annual event is held to recognise the town’s Domingo Fernandez, senior citizens and treat them to good food and congratulated the children: drink.This year’s event took place at Restaurante “With these great Aben Humeya, which was bursting at the seams as performances, we can see the partygoers got up to dance. Approximately 200 we have a great pool of elderly residents were in attendance. artists. And, of course, thanks to the teachers.”

Pensioners party

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Singing Mojacar Dames hold annual carol concert

THE DAMES: The morning raised €1,500 for charity.

Robbers arrested OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have arrested four members of a gang suspected of carrying out burglaries in the Vicar area. Two of them have criminal records.

The officers reported that the detainees may have carried out a total of seven robberies from homes in the Vicar areas of Las Cabañuelas and Las Gangosa.

During the investigation it became apparent that the crimes were committed by people with an excellent knowledge of the area.

The robberies followed a pattern of rapid execution, extreme intimidation and, in some cases, victims being gagged.

THE Dames in Spain held their annual carol concert in Mojacar’s Centre de Multi Usos.

The concert was very well attended and the audience joined in to sing along with the Dames singers.

The Dames would like to thank Barry for providing the music and all the Dames involved in organising stalls. The morning raised more than €1,500 which will go to the Dames nominated local charities.

The main prize on the draw was won by Ann Gregory who won a break in Benidorm which includes a fun evening out at the Benidorm Palace.

The Dames wish to thank everyone who came along and wish them all a very merry Christmas.

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Whistleblowers sought to shame rogue companies APPROXIMATELY 100 members of the Confederacion Nacional del Trabajo (CNT) are taking to the streets of Adra to expose companies who flout employment law.

They are seeking people who are prepared to dish the dirt on employers that violate labour laws. Hiring part-time when it should be full, employees not registered with the Social Security, not respecting the day and a half of rest each week by law, working without the appropriate safety measures, and wages below the statutory limit are just some of the issues.

Secretary General of CNT, Francisco Carpintero, said that the economic crisis becomes an excuse to violate employment laws. The inevitable fear of losing a job requires the employee to keep quiet about situations they

would normally not tolerate.

To stop this situation, CNT’s 100 volunteers are distributing 5,000 brochures in and around Adra. In addition to informing workers of their employment rights, CNT

will also be receiving complaints against companies.

All that is needed is the company name, details of the offence and a contact number in case more anonymous data is needed.

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Beer for bears DURING difficult times, any help is appreciated by those in need, but a restaurant in Adra has begun a novel initiative to help more than 300 local families.

The fun event coincides with the restaurant’s sixth birthday. For every bear presented at El Timon in El Ejido at weekends, the ‘bearer’ will receive a free beer or soft drink. Sergio Utrera explained: “The bear must be in good condition and only one drink per person per day will be served.”

“This is this first time we have done something like this,” continued Sergio, “The idea came from an online newspaper and we were contacted via social networks by a restaurant in Logroño to see if we could implement it here in Adra.

It will run for the rest of December.”

ONE BEAR, ONE SMILE: The collection of stuffed toys will go to needy children.

It is named Un peluche, una sonrisa (One bear, one smile) and although it specifies bears in the name, all stuffed toys are welcome.

El Timon is not the only business gathering toys.

Also jumping on board are the municipal basketball club and Cruz Roja.

The collections continue until December 26. Toys will be distributed on

December 30 by between 10 and 15 volunteers, a

week before the Three Kings.

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Matthew wins the turkey MATTHEW SHATFORD, owner of Weekend Sport in Vera Playa, has won the male section of the 32nd edition of the Pavo en Aguilas cycle race.

Matthew retained his crown from 2013, but did not beat his previous time record because of wet surface conditions. With a finishing time of three hours and 44 minutes, Matthew nipped in ahead of Francisco ‘Sojo’ and Damian Muñoz who came second and third respectively. Lumbrerense Mabel Gallardo won the ladies’ race with a time of four hours and 36 minutes. She was followed

by Pulpi’s Maria Jose Haro.

Antonio Garcia Rodriguez won the youth section, Miguel Angel Terrones the male cadet section and Ana Fernandez Vele, the female cadets.

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Piglet racing, but not as you know it THE third edition of the Carrera Ciclista del Cochinillo (piglet cycling race) was rescheduled in Huercal Overa.

The race was moved from December 18 to December 21 and participated in by professional cyclists including Juan Antonio Sanchez Navarro, Javier Chacon Quesada and Manuel Martinez Costa who all compete in Spain.

The race gets a huge amount of media coverage due to its uniqueness, with previous journalists coming from Britain, China, Denmark, Greece and South Africa.

The race directed cyclists through a Huercal Overa street circuit in 16 laps, starting and ending at Avenida Guillermo Reyna.

Councillor for Sports,

2ND EDITION WINNERS: Manuel Molina, who came first, holds his prize piglet aloft.

Alonso Mena, highlighted the good reception, adding: “Carrera Ciclista del Cochinillo is already a landmark in the holiday sports programme both for our province and those nearby.” He went

on to encourage everyone to get involved in future races. The overall winner gets a trophy and a live piglet. There are also prizes including hams and wine for the first three in each category.

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A Christmas message from the Euro Weekly News WE would like to extend a huge thank you and happy Christmas to our valued readers, without whom the Euro Weekly News (EWN) would not be Spain’s largest, free, local newspaper, reaching more than half a million people every week.

We wish you every success in 2015 and we look forward to continuing to bring you all the news from your communities.

At the EWN we believe in our community and we never stop striving to do what we can. We look for goodness and we emphasise it in our pages, and we try to help people to integrate by making the community stronger.

We believe in helping others who

are less fortunate, weaker, or older, as one day we know that will be us.

In order to move on, we learn from our mistakes, and our passion, energy and our belief carry us forward.

As Thomas Watson once said: “To be successful you have to have your heart in your business and your business in your heart.”

We would also like to wish a very merry Christmas to all our advertisers. When you come on board as an advertiser with the EWN, you become part of the EWN family, and your business is treated like our own.

We put our heart and soul into making it work, and each and every one of our advertisers is treated like a valued family member.

A very big thank you and merry Christmas to you all.

WE DO! 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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Officers seize group’s wild mushroom haul OFFICERS from the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs have seized 146 kilogrammes of chanterelle mushrooms that were collected illegally in the Sierra Nevada.

The officers went on to raise denuncias against the occupants of two vans that were transporting the mushrooms. The denuncias detailed

violations of the Law of Wild Flora and Fauna. When the officers inspected one of the vans they found five boxes containing 58 kilogrammes of the mushrooms, while the second had 88 kilogrammes.

The occupants, from Murcia, lacked the necessary paperwork and authorisation to carry out the

mycological activity. The law states that up to five kilogrammes of mushrooms per person can be collected, no disruption of topsoil may occur and only during daylight hours.

The mushrooms have been transferred to a waste management centre as they are considered unfit for human consumption.

Young volunteers ready for Europe YOUNG people in Huercal Overa have taken a course with the European Voluntary Service.

The course, part of the Erasmus programme, was held at the Huercal Overa women’s centre.

The youngsters now have the opportunity to work in a number of volunteer projects encompassed within the scheme across a number of European countries.

TRAINING: Participants could now volunteer abroad.

The course focused on the practical aspects of volunteering: eligibility, potential tasks to be performed, finding host entities and the importance of English skills.

Participants showed great interest and appreciation for the wide range of opportunities available to them to learn, train and share experiences beyond their normal geographical borders.

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Man arrested for robbery spree NATIONAL POLICE officers have arrested a man who went on a robbery spree and stole a bike at knifepoint.

The 31-year-old thief, FJUO, had scaled a three metre wall in the Paladino area of El Ejido to access the courtyard of a property before forcing a living room window to gain entry and steal numerous items of value.

Two days later, the thief repeated his modus operandi in nearby Calle las Lanzas where he stole items of jewellery and a camera.

Police set up a network that led to them locating the suspect in Calle Termas while he tried to flee after committing another robbery. Meanwhile the police became aware of the violent theft of a moped.

The moped’s owner had been threatened with a knife until he handed over the bike in Calle Granada.

The description given by the victim matched the suspect. After a search of the suspect’s pockets, the moped’s keys were found.

AUAN and SOHA in Madrid REPRESENTATIVES from Abusos Urbanisticos Almanzora NO (AUAN) and Save Our Homes Axarquia (SOHA) travelled to Madrid to meet with political leaders on behalf of stricken homeowners.

In the Senate of Madrid representatives from AUAN

and SOHA who were supported by the association FAUN and the Confederation CALU met with leaders of the PP, POSE and IU to discuss and seek support for urgent amendments to the penal code, calling for: “a guarantee of compensation to the owner who

purchased in good faith and they should not be deprived of their residence through demolition, without prior compensation.”

Following their meeting in the Senate the association representatives attended a briefing at the British Embassy.

WE DO! 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería E W N

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A Christmas ‘bhash’ MOJACAR was once again the destination for the annual Christmas ‘bhash’ for Indalo Hash House Harriers.

Once everyone had checked into the hotel and

donned their festive outfits they assembled in the car park for the usual circle and walk or run. Aterwards, everyone gathered at the petrol station near Garrucha before strolling

back along the sea-front with many yo ho hos being given to passing motorists and even the Local Police.

Everyone retired to their rooms prior to meeting in the hotel bar for pre-dinner drinks.

After enjoying the talents

of a belly dancer, food and ‘in-hash’ entertainment began. Carols were sung and anecdotes were provided by various hashers as well as live music, dancing and more drinking before transferring to the Irish Bar next door.

READY TO RUN: Indalo Hash House Harriers gather.

Meeting of the Cuadrillas TRADITIONALLY the Cuadrillas (Four Groups) meet every year in Huercal Overa and 2014 was no different as the crews met for the 19th edition.

The municipal Teatro de Villa hosted the event, which was filled with music and dance. It began with a welcome by the Alcolea group and churros with chocolate, while the groups were welcomed by the mayor of Huercal Overa, Domingo Fernandez.

The churros were followed by Mass with the Malaga group with music from guitars and mandolins, then partying.

In the afternoon, there was another feast while groups from Velez Rubio and Huercal Overa entertained with music and dance. The mayor thanked the groups and said: “We work to keep our traditions alive and with this event there were many participants, including children, so this part of our legacy will continue for many years. Our aim is to pass it onto our youth.”

NEWS EXTRA

Seron roads SERON is to get roads refurbished at a cost of €283,000. Work will concentrate on Camino de los Claveros, Camino de Los Perez, Los Nanos, Los Checas and El Higueral

Saving fuel ADRA has initiated a mission to use less energy by beginning with its 30 municipal buildings.

The project will launch in January with an awareness campaign.

Pulpi Belen

THE CUADRILLAS: An event of music and dance.

PULPI’S Belen is now on show at the Glorieta de Pulpi. It is open until January 5 from 8pm to 9pm weekdays and weekends 12 to 2pm.

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‘Fake’ bike theft arrest OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have arrested a resident for faking a crime and falsifying a report.

The 36-year-old resident

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Gador works GADOR Council is just finishing various improvements to pavements in the town centre. Plaza de La Ermita has seen the biggest overhaul to repair the damaged cobbles.

Food aid CRUZ ROJA is collecting food for families in crisis in Almeria. Hundreds of volunteers are helping to collect and deliver the food from Alcampo and Carrefour stores.

Market places OUT of 300 places in Almeria City markets, 35 vendors have chosen not to renew their applications. The spare slots will be put out to tender in February 2015.

of Huercal Overa approached police claiming that a community garage had been broken into and a bicycle worth €300 stolen.

The victim placed the report on November 29 initially claiming that the thieves had not needed to force entry because the garage door had been open.

However, five days later and the story seemed to have changed, even including the victim

providing a receipt for getting the lock changed that was dated before the filing of the complaint and which contradicted his initial statement that suggested the lack of a forced entry.

During their enquiries, the Guardia Civil officers discovered that the man’s spouse had recently taken out an insurance policy that covered damage and theft.

The insurance company had doubts about the

validity of the claim and suggested that the man would receive nothing for theft unless damage had been caused to the storage facility, which, it is now suggested, could have been the reason for the apparent change in his story.

With this information in hand the officers reinterviewed the man and confirmed that they believed the crime report was false.

Walk for Life charity fundraiser WALK FOR LIFE ARBOLEAS has benefited from a charity fundraiser.

People joined in the day’s activities on December 19 in Albox, singing and playing games at local fashion store Glad Rags, which transformed into a musical extravanganza.

Singer Jill Farmiloe

entertained the crowd with a selection of carols, Christmas classics and ballads.

People got into the spirit by donning festive outfits and a few were seen cutting some shapes on the improvised dance floor.

Although the final amount collected was not available at the time

From left to right: Jill Farmiloe, Jean Strong and Jenni Rock. of going to press, Glad Rags’ owner Jenni Rock said the collection tin was full as people dug deep to donate.

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Increasing costs ACCORDING to a report drawn up by Andalucia’s Audit Office, the construction and operating costs - until 2042 - of the Malaga Metro will increase to €2.6 billion, 113 per cent more than originally expected.

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Flights increase LOW cost airline passengers at Malaga airport increased by 10 per cent up to November this year, making it second in Spain for volume of low cost company users. Only Barcelona had more passengers.

Council helps out COIN Council has approved measures to help families with low or non-existent income by halving their water bills as long as the property does not use more than 45 cubic metres every three months.

MORE than 40 audiovisual productions have taken place in Nerja during 2014.

One of the most important ones was the shooting of the international action movie, ‘Pursuit.’

Bank aid LA CAIXA bank has aided Frigiliana’s Caritas foundation with €1,250 to help the town’s poorer families during the Christmas season.

A MAN has been arrested in Aguilas for allegedly shooting a dog. The animal may lose the sight in one eye as a result of his injuries.

Citizen’s party VILLAJOYOSA: Divers regard part of their haul.

Yacht club leads seabed cleanup

VOLUNTEERS from Villajoyosa Yacht Club’s underwater activities section have cleared 200 kilos of rubbish from the seabed. They were assisted by the Buceo Trasub centre and the council’s Beaches department, both of which are collaborating with the yacht club’s marine conservation initiatives.

The club’s principal aim is to raise awareness amongst everybody whose leisure pursuits, hobbies or work bring them into contact with the sea.

By the end of the cleanup at the first jetty in the club’s Zone E the divers had

brought up 200 kilos of rubbish, including two 1,000-litre containers which took 45 minutes to bring to the surface.

As in previous clearing operations, plastics made up the bulk of the refuse, along with the usual haul of drinks’ cans, rubber tyres and bottles.

They also found a number of abandoned creels containing fish and octopus, a spokesperson for the yacht club said afterwards, adding that the discarded traps were catching marine life for no purpose.

department, it was aimed at encouraging people with disabilities to practice light physical activities.

Band anniversary NERJA’S Municipal Music Band marked its 25th anniversary with a Christmas concert held last Saturday (December 20). More than 500 musicians have been members of this band during its trajectory.

MALLORCA

Volunteer’s excellence

Tobacco sales

THE Spanish Red Cross has awarded volunteers, associations and institutions of Axarquia with medals for their performance in social issues.

DATA shows that no Spanish autonomous community has seen a sharper increase in tax revenues from tobacco sales in 2014 than the Balearic Islands (+1.48 per cent).

Sport for everyone

Domestic violence

THE Council of Velez-Malaga celebrated the second Day for Integration through Sports. Launched by the Social Services

THE Balearic Islands rank first in Spain for the largest number of complaints lodged with the police for domestic violence,

A NEW political party has been formed in Torrevieja ahead of next May’s elections.

Ciudadanos (C’s) aims to unite foreign and Spanish voters.

Run over A WOMAN and her daughter were injured after being hit by a car in the parking area next to the Martinez Valero stadium in Elche.

The car was travelling at low speed preventing serious injuries in the women.

Robber arrested LOCAL police arrested one of the suspects in the robbery of a stationary store in Orihuela. Stolen material recovered is valued at several thousand euros.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Lucky escape

followed by Canarias, Valencia and Murcia.

FIREMEN rescued a 24-year-old British climber who fell 20 metres from the Penya Roja cliffs near Gandia. No bones were broken but he was admitted to Francesc de Borja hospital for a thorough check-up.

Runaway horse

All clear

A RUNAWAY horse that escaped from the Son Pardo racetrack was caught by police.

For reasons unknown, the horse got scared during a trotting exercise and galloped out of the racetrack and onto the motorway.

CAMPELLO’S Fisherman’s Monument, once covered in graffiti, has now been cleaned.

The town hall’s Maintenance department used a special gel but had to wait until rain stopped before it could be used.

AXARQUIA

TV magnet

Dog shot

ELECTRICITY companies pursued 23,000 Valencian Community residents for meter manipulation and illegal hookups this year, almost 30 per cent more than in 2013.

THE tornado that hit the Costa del Sol in late November covered approximately seven kilometres in 15 minutes, said the State Meteorology Agency. It formed at sea and caused serious damage in Torremolinos, Churriana and near Malaga airport.

SIX drivers tested positive for drugs and one was caught driving without a licence in just 90 minutes at a police check-point on the road to Campanillas.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Meter fraud

Tornado report

Drivers tested

NEWS DESK

Fewer foreigners

Long wait

THE number of foreigners registered in the Spanish social security on the islands dropped by 23.52 per cent compared to October and now totals 55,316 people, said the Labour Ministry.

FAMILY doctors’ Christmas holidays will not be covered, the regional Health department confirmed. The CCOO union warned that appointments would be scarce in 11 health centres administered by Alicante General hospital.

Bin lorry

Legal action

A BIN lorry carrying 22 tons of compacted rubbish brought from Ireland overturned at the Palmanyola roundabout. The rubbish scattered all over the road and the driver sustained minor injuries

VALENCIAN community residents launch 45 lawsuits for every 1,000 inhabitants compared with the national average of 43.7. Spain’s most litigious region is the Balearics with 58 cases per 1,000 people.

24

E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

Gib Open Skies exclusion is non-starter KINDLY note that contrary to Spanish media reports, Gibraltar’s inclusion remains in place as per the Cordoba agreement of 2006.

It can only be rescinded with the full agreement of the UK government, which will not be forthcoming. The UK government has called it a non-starter to exclude Gibraltar from any Open Skies format.

It is the Spanish government that has to convince all that it wishes to renege on the 2006 Agreement signed by them.

Thank you for a very good and useful newspaper.

Eric Sciacaluga (by email)

www.euroweeklynews.com

Letters YOURSAY@EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

OPINION & COMMENT

T

our aRUST dvert isers

WE D

O!

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

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

Whose fault?

I HAVE rarely come across such a paranoiac writer as Mike Walsh.

He compulsively interprets each and every world political development as the result of the devilish machinations of the US or the EU. Any sensible person would agree that it is not wise to provoke Russia, or anyone else for that matter. It is also clear that politics in the Ukraine is a very dodgy marshland.

However, the fact remains that it is Russia, not the EU, which has already stolen part of that country and is making a pretty good impression of wanting to steal more of it.

Mike flings in mentions of Budapest and Gdansk, etc; is he saying that the West was wrong to want those movements to succeed? Does he think that Hungarians and Poles want to return to Russian domination?

It may be that the loss of the South Stream pipeline will hurt many in Eastern Europe, but who is doing the hurting? Russia.

If it stays cancelled the pipeline will be replaced by another, routed through Turkey and the same Balkan countries.

To call Kiev “a baseball bat regime” is to insult the brave people who sat out in the cold to protest against their arbitrary government, something few would dare to do in Putin’s Russia.

An “international journalist”

LOOK closely at the reeds in the background and you’ll see a Grey Heron with its back turned. As I put my camera away, it took flight - the ornithological version of the one that got away!

Andrew Fields, Altea (Alicante)

should not be governed by paranoia or throw out loose statements like this.

Bill Campbell, Mojacar (Almeria)

Real records?

ONCE AGAIN we are faced with headlines claiming that record numbers of tourists are coming to the Costa del Sol. But there is no indication as to how these figures are arrived at.

They may possibly be too low: we all know that many flat rentals are never declared to the authorities.

Those driving from outside Spain and occupying undeclared accommodation won’t show up in tourist numbers.

Conversely, they may well be exaggerated, as taking figures of airport arrivals is highly dubious.

Most expat residents fly back to their country of origin several times a year and many, like those receiving medical treatment at ‘home’ go much more often.

We all know people who commute to work weekly in the UK. Are all these coming and goings recorded as tourists?

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

Letters may also be edited.

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

www.euroweeklynews.com

It seems that Spain is clutching at any straw, whether to show rises in property sales or the number of tourists. We are reminded of the saying that “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

David Chown (by email)

Pat on the back I FEEL I ought to say a few kind words in support of Exclusive Shuttles.

Recently a friend came to visit me from England and booked a flight from Gatwick to Alicante with a shuttle seat to Los Gallardos. The flight left at

8.30am and was due to arrive at 10.30pm.

The plane developed a fault so the passengers had to wait and transfer to another plane, which arrived at 10pm and flew out at 10.30pm, arriving in Alicante two hours later.

Exclusive Shuttles waited two hours for her. What a fantastic story! If they had not waited she would have been in terrible trouble having to get from Alicante to Los Gallardos, so very well done!

Mr Barnett, Los Gallardos (Almeria)

Bandwagon WITH regard to Bill Cosby, this is all being blown up and made into another bandwagon.

Back in 1968 I worked as a plugger for a record company and each week I was at Top of the Pops. All the girls in the audience should have been 18 years old or more but a lot were 15 or 16.

They came with one thing in mind: to s--g a band, DJ or road crew and a lot kept a record of who they had been with. This lust

was not driven by the males. If you were a DJ at that time with young totty lusting after you, this messed up your mind.

Plus, why did Savile’s case only come out when his will was published?

Stuart Campbell (by email)

Heartless cheat WE found a recent article about homeowners dealing with unpaid taxes interesting.

We believe many more homeowners are involved, including owners of holiday homes that do not as yet know.

In my street here in Camposol there are at least two in the same situation and the last update from Facebook gave a number in excess of 180. A lot of people involved are, as we were, a little embarrassed to let the truth out.

We were recommended the person referred to in the Euro Weekly News article when purchasing our retirement home.

After signing at the Notary we were informed that our deeds had to go to Madrid to be registered.

A few months passed and upon inquiring we were informed that they were held up in Madrid.

Every time we asked for our Escritura we were given excuses that sounded plausible and this continued for two years.

Checking with the tax office we found that monies paid to deal with the purchase had indeed not been paid into the tax office, so the commission and tax money disappeared with the person herself.

Our problem including taxes amounted to more than €18,000 and ours is not the highest debt.

Now we have to sell our home to pay off the debt and move back to UK to rent. My wife is suffering a severe, stress-related illness which, as she is already disabled, causes us a lot of new problems.

A T Barber, Camposol (Murcia)

Bright idea A READER recently complained that a calendar she had purchased went through the till, appeared on her supermarket bill and promptly disappeared. She asked for suggestions as to its fate, so here’s mine: it slipped through the gap between the conveyor belt and the counter-top.

Sonia Johnson (by email)

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

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

25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

business & legal

EWN

27

STAT OF WEEK SIXTY PER CENT of Spain’s fruit and vegetable production is destined for export. Of this, 95 per cent goes to EU countries with the remainder going to notoriously demanding Japan, China and the US.

IAG reaps the benefits of restructuring IAG has increased its lead over Ryanair thanks to Iberia and budget airline Vueling.

“We were in intensive care, now we’re on the ward and soon we’ll be leaving hospital,” said Iberia president Luis Gallego.

BA and Iberia merged in 2011 to create IAG, acquiring Vueling in 2013. Restructuring

RECOVERY: IAG sees increase.

BT not won over

by Telefonica BT will not be buying O2, the UK mobile group owned by Telefonica.

Instead it has chosen EE, Britain’s largest mobile provider, for £12.5 billion (€15.7 billion) and is now in talks with O2’s German and French owners, Deutsche Telekom and Orange.

If the deal goes through Deutsche Telekom and Orange will take respective 12 per cent and 4 per cent stakes in BT. Negotiations are expected to last several weeks and the outcome will then need the approval of BT shareholders. Should it not succeed in pulling off the EE deal, BT

“remains confident” that it will still be able to deliver on its plans, sources revealed.

Ironically, BT sold its own mobile network BT Cellnet – now O2 – in 2002. It was acquired by Telefonica in 2005 for almost €23 billion and is now valued at £9 billion (€11.3 billion).

BT returns to the mobile market in order to offer packages with mobile, landline, internet and television connections.

Telefonica declined to comment on BT’s decision, although sources revealed that the Spanish company could now seek a UK agreement with Hutchison, Sky, Virgin Media or Talk Talk.

B

usiness extra

Dinner date EXACTLY 32.7 per cent of Spanish shoppers will shop in Mercadona for their traditional Christmas Eve dinner. A further 26 per cent use Carrefour.

Jobs safe THE new PeugeotCitroen van will be built in Vigo and not Trnava (Slovenia), guaranteeing jobs for 7,000 workers and indirect employment for another 12,000.

Big spender MEXICAN telecoms magnate Carlos Slim is now principal shareholder in Spanish construction company FCC.

Talisman to accept Repsol offer REPSOL is buying Talisman Energy for $8.3 billion (€6,640 billion) and assuming its $4.7 billion (€3,760 billion) debt.

The Talisman board unanimously approved the offer, which it has advised shareholders to accept. The transaction will be financed principally by the $6.3 billion compensation for the expropriation of Repsol’s Argentinean subsidiary, YPF.

Losing YPF prompted Repsol to seek alternative markets and the Spanish multinational will now be investing approximately half of its exploration capital in North America, compared with 22 per cent in Latin America. Output will increase by 76 per cent, boosting reserves by 55 per cent and situating Repsol amongst the world’s 15 biggest privatelyowned oil companies.

which began in 2012 was plagued with labour disputes, redundancies and cutting out routes but now IAG is reaping the benefits with this year’s 32,637,741 passengers.

This is 9.5 per cent more than in 2013 and the distance separating IAG from Ryanair, the second-biggest player in Spain has doubled.

Although Ryanair remains the biggest individual airline with 25.8 million passengers, this shows a 1.1 per cent drop on 2013’s figures.

The Irish company is followed by Vueling whose 17.3 million passengers represent a 16.8 per cent increase on last year and Iberia, with 10,148,710 passengers.

28

E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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LONDON - FTSE 100

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C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 22

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) 3i Group PLC 453.60 Aberdeen Asset PLC 429.70 Admiral Group PLC 1319.50 Aggreko PLC 1551.00 Anglo American PLC 1212.00 Antofagasta PLC 749.75 ARM Holdings PLC 974.50 Ashtead Group PLC 1163.00 Associated Brtsh Foods 3207.00 AstraZeneca PLC 4571.50 Aviva PLC 496.55 Babcock International ... 1070.50 BAE Systems PLC 467.35 Barclays PLC 239.85 BG Group PLC 918.20 BHP Billiton PLC 1403.75 BP PLC 425.48 British Amrcn Tobacco 3507.50

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 5.00 1.11 0.60 0.14 11.00 0.84 14.00 0.91 19.50 1.63 6.00 0.81 3.00 0.31 5.00 0.43 13.00 0.41 6.00 0.13 1.59 0.32 15.00 1.42 4.60 0.99 1.92 0.81 16.70 1.85 25.50 1.85 12.40 3.00 7.50 0.21

NET VOLUME 41.24 279.62 8.17 8.92 185.58 117.70 134.20 27.30 31.10 130.59 320.19 67.34 258.23 946.22 1,262.29 736.43 2,192.81 80.05

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Units per €

US dollar .................................................................1.22575 Japan yen...............................................................146.881 Switzerland franc ..............................................1.20356 Denmark kroner ................................................7.43845 Norway kroner....................................................9.01703

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PRICE(P)

British Land Co PLC BT Group PLC Bunzl PLC Burberry Group PLC Capita PLC Carnival PLC Centrica PLC

771.50 408.30 1769.50 1631.00 1086.00 2825.50 274.80

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

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 22

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 22

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 KO The Coca-Cola Co DIS Walt Disney Co 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 IBM International Business Machine...

INTC Intel Corp 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 TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies Corp UNH UnitedHealth Group Inc VZ Verizon Communications Inc V Visa Inc WMT Wal-Mart Stores Inc

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 165.48 92.90 33.54 126.23 91.71 112.93 27.77 41.95 92.89 73.29 93.64 25.62 193.28 101.93 158.51 36.37 105.55 61.93 93.22 59.58 47.66 94.84 31.94 92.05 105.75 115.59 102.49 47.02 261.67 85.16

+0.18 -0.27 +0.03 +0.56 +0.02 +3.90 +0.12 -0.44 +0.28 +1.06 +2.48 +0.48 +1.67 +1.26 +0.83 -0.65 -1.26 +0.45 -0.45 +0.60 +0.14 -2.24 -0.03 +0.05 -0.20 -1.37 +0.25 -0.03 -2.49 -0.78

+0.11% -0.29% +0.09% +0.45% +0.02% +3.58% +0.43% -1.04% +0.30% +1.47% +2.72% +1.91% +0.87% +1.25% +0.53% -1.76% -1.18% +0.73% -0.48% +1.02% +0.29% -2.31% -0.09% +0.05% -0.19% -1.17% +0.24% -0.06% -0.94% -0.91%

4.9M 7.2M 40.2M 7.7M 9.7M 15.7M 59.6M 24.0M 12.8M 7.0M 38.5M 86.7M 4.8M 12.5M 8.9M 76.8M 19.2M 22.8M 10.3M 17.4M 64.6M 13.5M 44.9M 14.0M 3.9M 7.9M 8.0M 31.3M 3.9M 12.1M

4.00 3.70 10.00 9.00 10.00 14.00 2.10

C O M PA N Y

0.52 0.91 0.57 0.56 0.93 0.50 0.77

NET VOLUME 94.13 384.09 13.93 21.79 31.30 28.13 1,019.68

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 5.27 $ 7.85 $ 16.43 $ 5.94 $ 37.94 $ 13.90 $ 33.06 $ 4.80 $ 6.87 $ 5.67 $ 4.38

1.57 ▲ 42.43% 1.87 ▲ 31.27% 3.36 ▲ 25.71% 1.10 ▲ 22.73% 6.69 ▲ 21.41% 2.45 ▲ 21.40% 5.62 ▲ 20.48% 0.80 ▲ 20% 1.01 ▲ 17.24% 0.82 ▲ 16.91% 0.60 ▲ 15.87%

$ 6.11 $ 23.35 $ 19.77 $ 13 $ 27.23 $ 6.64 $ 33.80 $ 12.86 $ 12.56 $ 30.82 $ 2.62

4.74 ▼ 43.69% 5.55 ▼ 19.20% 4.11 ▼ 17.21% 1.68 ▼ 11.44% 3.32 ▼ 10.87% 0.7599 ▼ 10.27% 3.45 ▼ 9.26% 1.26 ▼ 8.92% 1.20 ▼ 8.72% 2.84 ▼ 8.44% 0.24 ▼ 8.39%

Most Advanced Fate Therapeutics, Inc. Corium International, Inc. Aratana Therapeutics, Inc. Security National Financial Corporation Omega Flex, Inc. UBIC, Inc. Immune Design Corp.

Roka Bioscience, Inc. Approach Resources Inc. Minerva Neurosciences, Inc Parnell Pharmaceuticals Holdings Ltd

Most Declined ImmunoGen, Inc. The Finish Line, Inc. Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Landec Corporation Digimarc Corporation Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, Inc. National Research Corporation Veritex Holdings, Inc. Momo Inc. Ubiquiti Networks, Inc. Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Coca-Cola HBC AG 1245.00 10.00 Compass Group PLC 1092.50 6.95 CRH PLC 1536.00 13.00 Diageo PLC 1838.75 5.00 Direct Line Insurance ... 290.75 2.00 Dixons Carphone PLC 458.85 -3.00 easyJet PLC 1653.00 3.00 Experian PLC 1099.00 12.00 Fresnillo PLC 751.25 12.50 Friends Life Group Ltd 374.55 1.76 G4S PLC 277.55 1.50 GKN PLC 346.35 2.99 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1396.75 4.50 Glencore PLC 303.02 5.10 Hammerson PLC 614.00 3.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 1013.50 11.10 HSBC Holdings PLC 613.50 5.90 IMI PLC 1254.50 10.00 Imperial Tobacco Group 2861.00 3.00 InterContinental Hotels 2591.00 10.00 International Consoldtd ... 470.05 1.20 Intertek Group PLC 2377.50 22.00 Intu Properties PLC 333.85 -1.70 ITV PLC 211.15 1.10 Johnson Matthey PLC 3413.50 60.50 Kingfisher PLC 327.70 3.40 Land Securities Group PLC1165.00 10.00 Legal & General Group PLC245.30 2.60 Lloyds Banking Group PLC 76.54 0.40 London Stock Exchange Group...2231.5023.00 Marks & Spencer Group PLC476.60 0.60 Meggitt PLC 515.50 4.00 Mondi PLC 1070.50 11.00 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets PLC177.151.02 National Grid PLC 918.45 6.86 Next PLC 6500.00 6.69 Old Mutual PLC 190.20 1.90 Pearson PLC 1189.50 8.01 Persimmon PLC 1576.00 -2.20 Petrofac Ltd 731.00 8.50 Prudential PLC 1525.50 12.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 4366.50 -66.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC5307.50 30.00 Reed Elsevier PLC 1083.00 5.00 Rio Tinto PLC 2923.25 52.50 Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 879.25 8.50 Royal Bank of Scotland Grou...391.95 3.40 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2290.75 69.00 Royal Mail PLC 414.40 0.60 RSA Insurance Group PLC 448.40 -1.10 SABMiller PLC 3383.75 9.00 Sage Group (The) PLC 457.05 -0.62 Sainsbury (J) PLC 241.60 1.80 Schroders PLC 2732.50 39.00 Severn Trent PLC 2034.50 19.00 Shire PLC 4662.00 39.00 Sky PLC 895.00 6.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 1118.00 29.00 Smiths Group PLC 1081.50 9.00 Sports Direct International...696.50 2.50 SSE PLC 1627.50 4.00 Standard Chartered PLC 942.90 15.60 Standard Life PLC 414.15 4.90 St James's Place PLC 806.25 6.50 Tesco PLC 186.80 1.45 Travis Perkins PLC 1825.00 0.00 TUI AG 1071.50 0.00 Tullow Oil PLC 439.35 14.80 Unilever PLC 2645.50 15.65 United Utilities Group PLC 930.75 9.50 Vodafone Group PLC 224.43 -0.60 Weir Group PLC 1935.00 31.00 Whitbread PLC 4695.00 9.62 Wolseley PLC 3675.00 24.00 WPP PLC 1345.00 17.50

% C H G. 0.81 0.64 0.85 0.27 0.69 -0.65 0.18 1.10 1.69 0.47 0.54 0.87 0.32 1.71 0.57 1.11 0.97 0.80 0.11 0.39 0.26 0.93 -0.51 0.52 1.81 1.05 0.87 1.07 0.53 1.04 0.13 0.78 1.04 0.58 0.75 0.10 1.01 0.68 -0.14 1.18 0.79 -1.49 0.57 0.46 1.83 0.98 0.87 3.10 0.15 -0.24 0.27 -0.14 0.75 1.45 0.94 0.84 0.67 2.66 0.84 0.36 0.25 1.68 1.20 0.81 0.78 0.00 0.00 3.49 0.60 1.03 -0.27 1.63 0.21 0.66 1.32

VOLUME 42.30 88.21 45.23 127.01 103.29 94.43 30.81 103.40 72.29 42.70 27.47 61.38 446.34 1,105.93 26.80 17.45 968.07 16.79 97.47 15.92 388.31 10.13 87.02 155.46 32.73 183.50 82.51 620.95 5,273.49 18.14 261.79 20.82 104.05 989.65 345.96 16.05 565.70 217.55 57.51 274.67 120.24 49.08 60.27 102.05 323.88 385.08 220.44 349.46 59.09 99.56 56.94 118.81 385.91 40.44 24.45 62.15 121.81 179.82 33.95 40.15 112.43 391.45 110.62 28.12 2,350.26 14.26 21.64 327.26 131.11 103.28 2,405.78 61.36 15.97 21.66 114.99

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25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

EWN

29

Modern book business pushes forward MANY businessmen and women, especially those in retirement, have acquired much knowledge and expertise over the years. This reservoir of experience is invaluable to newcomers whose business experience leaves much to be desired. Why not publish your advice so others can benefit from it?

Most of us recall periodicals like the Exchange and Mart. In its Business Section, one would find books and booklets promising riches by purchasing advisory books. Much of it was ‘How to be a Millionaire in 12 Months’ pie in the sky promises. In fairness, there were many booklet gems from which I, and I

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

am sure many others, benefited.

By buying such help books and booklets I found my business ventures were less hassle and more profitable.

Each time I forked out £4.95 or whatever, I received returns with bells

on, thank you very much.

Self-publishing business tutors back then had little choice but to invest in the considerable upfront costs of printing and distributing their booklets. A minimum book order might be 1,000 for which one had to wait months for delivery. If the books failed to sell then that was their problem.

Self-publishing is so much easier now.

After the book has been written, assisted by an editor cum ghost-writer if necessary, the laptop completes the preparation. When my books are ready I sell them through Amazon and Amazon Kindle.

I complete the online process, which takes an hour or so. Within 24-hours I quickly check the proof and my book is immediately on sale throughout the world. I receive royalties each month.

It sounds easy enough and for those who can, like everything else, it is easy.

Self-publishing has shown remarkable progress. It makes it easier than ever for those retired to pass their experiences on to newcomers. The books ordered online are printed to order and posted direct to buyer. No stock to carry and costly mailing is ducked. Amazon does it all all. Times have indeed changed.

Mahou turns to US craft beer THE Maho-San Miguel group acquired a 30 per cent stake in US company Founders Brewing.

Founders is a family enterprise, based in Michigan, established 17 years ago. It produces craft beers, some aged in bourbon barrels and others with flavours that range

On the ball at Iberdrola VICENTE DEL BOSQUE, manager of the Spanish side that won the 2010 World Cup and crashed out of this year’s competition, is now on the board of the team’s sponsor, energy group Iberdrola.

Del Bosque has collaborated with Iberdrola since 2010 when he joined its Advisory Council in Castilla y Leon

production, focusing on innovation and intensifying its presence in its existing markets.

On its website Founders’ stressed that Mahou is also family-owned. “It is a 125-yearold, seventh-generation, familyowned brewery based in Madrid,” Founders said.

“Mahou will bring its unique experience and strong networks to build our brand in Spain and beyond,” the statement continued. The Mahou deal would also bring liquidity to longstanding shareholders, Founders said.

Mahou-San Miguel sells its

brands in more than 50 countries although its 10 key markets are located in the UK, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Scandinavia, the US, Chile, Equatorial Guinea, China and India. International sales now represent 13 per cent of the group’s global turnover.

More traffic on toll roads THIS year toll roads will chalk up increased traffic for the first time since 2006.

According to ministry of Public Works figures, they have been used by an average 16,400 vehicles a day, approximately 3 per cent more than 2013’s daily 15,932 average.

Despite this increase, the volume of traffic on Spain’s toll roads is roughly the same as it was in the late 90s when there were 1,700 kilometres of paid motorways compared with the present 2,560 kilometres.

This is the outcome of an accumulated 33 per cent reduction since 2006’s daily average of 23,909 vehicles.

AIDA RICCIARDIELLO

BUSINESS EXTRA

from blackberry to chocolate.

Neither company revealed how much buying into Founders had cost Mahou but the acquisition will help the Spanish firm to tap into the growing international market for craft beers. Both companies will boost Founders’ growth in the US by increasing

INCREASE IN USE: Three per cent more vehicles travelled on toll roads this year.

The predicted increase by the end of 2014 confirms the tendency that was detectible since the beginning of the year, with – apart from last March - toll road traffic slowly increasing each month.

Sources in the sector attributed the rise to a “more stable macroeconomic environment,”

boosted by increased tourism and “favourable meteorological conditions.”

Toll charges will be frozen in 2015 for the first time in five years, while the ministry of Public Works also plans to reduce charges during offpeak hours on some motorways, following agreements with concessionary companies.

Second term as CEOE president for incumbent Rosell JUAN ROSELL was relected as president of the CEOE, Spain’s federation of employers.

It will be the second four-year term at the head of the CEOE for Rosell, who negotiated Spain’s labour market reforms with Mariano Rajoy’s government in 2012. This was a closerrun contest than that of September 2010

when Rosell obtained 444 votes compared to his competitor’s 247.

This time round Rosell obtained 345 votes against the 312 that went to his only rival, Antonio Garamendi, who is president of the small and medium business-owners’ association, Cepyme.

Much of Rosell’s support came from Spain’s car and machinery

manufacturers, retailers, building contractors, the chemicals industry, technology, finance, services and catering.

A former journalist who has been president of several companies, Rosell, who is 57 and married with three children, has degrees in civil engineering and political science.

On learning the results of the ballot, Rosell declared that he would continue to be guided by ethical principles during his second and last term as CEOE president. Employers must continue the process of improving governance and transparency, he insisted: “We have to regain and demand good practices within the CEOE.”

30

E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett

ROMBOSTUDIO

How to survive the party season, while still holding it together at work DON’T CRASH: Drink water, exercise and eat!

jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

‘TIS the season for many late nights out - as our calendars fill up with work parties, holiday gettogethers, happy hours and New Year and Three Kings festivities.

It’s all go in December and January and oh so much fun at the time, but the chances are that at least one morning you’ll wake up with a throbbing headache, an aching stomach and a deep desire to hide in bed all day and sleep off that horrible hangover.

But unfortunately for you and festive mid-week drinking - it’s a workday. So what can you do?

SWEAT IT OUT It is so tempting to pass on

exercise when the world is still spinning once you wake up, but a 30-minute run or an active yoga class is the best thing you can do for your aching body.

Sweating out all those beers and cocktails is what will actually help you to feel human again.

Ramping up your heart rate will

help jump-start your metabolism, making you feel better faster.

WATER IS LIFE Remember this. Drink a glass of water between alcoholic drinks while out celebrating, as this will keep you hydrated and will also slow you down on consuming too much booze.

Start drinking water the moment you get up too, and then don't stop - fluids are the key to counteracting your alcohol-induced dehydration.

DON’T SKIP BREAKIE Even though your stomach may be in knots getting a good breakfast in is vital. As appetising

as greasy bacon and sausages may be to some, a fatty breakfast is not always the best option, as it can irritate your stomach and lead to nausea.

Cook up some eggs instead, which are a good source of protein. Served with some toast, this should get you through a difficult morning at the office.

DISTRACT WITH STYLE Try to take the attention away from your puffy red eyes and killer alcohol breath by scrubbing up nice for work.

Have an extra long shower to get rid of the booze and cigarette stench.

Although you may be tempted to get into all black and throw your hair in a ponytail - to draw attention away from you, brighten up your appearance with a nice skirt or colourful jumper. Cheery clothes will help downplay the lack of sleep and dehydration that's likely showing in your face.

Wheelchair access obligatory?

Q. I am president of a large community where we need your advice as to the correct law You and the regarding wheelchair access. Part of our community does not have wheelchair access Law in Spain for owners. One owner has requested that we

By David Searl install access. The cost is estimated at €6000.

The owner’s annual fees are €1200. This owner is over 70. Our urbanisation was built in 2005. The owner in fact does not need it himself at the moment but he has a friend in a wheelchair who regularly visits. What is the picture?

T.A. (Costa Blanca) A. The short answer is that an owner over 70 years of age, whether or not he requires a wheelchair at this time, can request the installation of ramps, a lift, or other facilities to ensure wheelchair access to his flat. This does not require a majority vote of the Community AGM and the Community as a whole is required to pay the costs, as long as the share of each owner does not exceed his present regular payments for a year.

These measures are set out in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of the new Article 10 of the Law of Horizontal Property, revised in 2013. Read the Horizontal Law in English in the 2015 edition of my book, You and the Law in Spain. In your case

BUSINESS EXTRA

Amazon pickups AMAZON clients will now be able to pick up their orders in 2,400 Correos post offices throughout Spain. Collecting Amazon orders rather than having them delivered is Spaniards’ preferred system and the Correos agreement, allied to Amazon’s existing arrangement with 1,200 local shops, will provide approximately 3,600 pick-up points.

‘Grey ratio’

you estimate the total cost at €6,000. If we suppose 100 flats, then each owner will face an extra assessment of €60.

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

SPANIARDS aged 65 or over exceed the working population by 26 per cent, a recent study found. Despite an ageing population and relatively few births this is lower than the EU’s 27 per cent or Japan’s 40 per cent but well above India, Mexico, Turkey or Brazil’s 10 per cent difference.

OPINION & COMMENT

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25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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33

A Christmas war letter...

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT 11TH DEC 1944.

‘C’ SQDN. Q. BAYS B.N.A.F.

M

Y dearest girl, Received today a beautiful letter from you dated the 1st Dec. Very quick, eh!

So happy you are both well, as it leaves me, but of course still longing to be with my dear ones again, whom I love so much. So happy you got the lemons OK. Were they ripe? As they were green when sent. Should love to be home when our son starts school but can promise nothing, only live in hope. Was sorry to hear of Joan’s husband being wounded I trust it’s not too serious. Nothing more has been heard of my cousin who was also wounded.

The weather here has been lovely this last week, just like the weather we used to like to go for walks, especially Sundays

ALL SMILES: Second World War soldiers display their Christmas goodies. when I used to take our son out while my girl prepared dinner and after dinner getting ready to go out, perhaps to the park, sneaking little kisses when we thought no one was looking.

You have made me so happy especially with such a dear son to crown all the other happy things. So pleased to hear the boy is in the pink, for the end could be in sight and it could soon be over.

It’s been a long time, dearest, but worth it to rid the world of such an evil race. Am having a few days’ rest now but not for long. It’s going to be hot while this little lot’s on but when finished will be the end of Hitler.

We are now looking forward to Christmas which under the conditions we try and make happy. There’s a Christmas tree for the local children. They have

never had Christmas, not knowing what the word means. Of course they are very poor. People in England do not realise the real meaning of poverty.

Sorry I could not send you or our son a Christmas present they are much too expensive for me. I went into town last week and they wanted three pounds for two postcard sized photographs.

The old feet haven’t been too bad this year. Expect they are shrivelling up with old age or perhaps it’s the ‘tootsie’ powder you sent. Incidentally all the Regi knows about my tootsie powder, as I left an empty tin around with your handwriting on it.

Well, dearest, must close now. A very happy Christmas to you and our lovely boy. Remember me to all. Cheerio.

Yours for always my sweetheart Your loving Bill This letter sent by my Dad from the front line in Egypt during the Second World War. Dedicated to the millions who gave their lives so we could all be here to celebrate this Christmas. Happy Christmas, everyone.

Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

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E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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OPINION & COMMENT

Channel 5 set to take Football League TV highlight rights as BBC loses out Richard Shanley

DISHING THE DIRT OF EUROPA DIGITAL

B

BC Sport is expected to lose the rights for Football League highlights to Channel 5, according to reports.

Channel 5 is thought to have snatched a three-year deal with the Football League at around £2 million a year, which will also include the Capital One Cup starting next season. Channel 5 also strengthened its bid by committing to show highlights at 9pm on Saturdays instead of the BBC's post11pm slot.

The potential loss follows recent news that Match of the Day could also lose Premier League highlights to ITV. Having lost the rights to Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup football, ITV may have the extra budget to outmanoeuvre the BBC in

NOT MUCH LEFT: Match of the Day team could be left with just FA Cup action. the auction. If Football League and Premier League highlights disappear from the BBC, it would leave it with only the FA Cup and international tournaments to show.

Match of the Day recently celebrated its 50th anniversary on the BBC, and it remains a ratings hit for the

corporation with Gary Lineker as its main host.

Thierry Henry has announced his retirement from professional football.

The 37-year-old striker will join Sky Sports as a football expert and ambassador from the start of 2015.

Revealing the news on Facebook,

Henry said: "After 20 years in the game I have decided to retire from professional football.

"It has been an incredible journey and I would like to thank all the fans, teammates and individuals involved with AS Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal FC, FC Barcelona, the New York Red Bulls and of course the French National Team that have made my time in the game so special."

He continued: "It is now time for a different career path and I am pleased to say that I will be returning to London and joining Sky Sports.” .

Fellow pundits Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Jamie Redknapp have welcomed his arrival. Carragher said: "I would have loved him to be on the same team as me during my playing career - I'm delighted we're finally on the same side."

If you would like me to answer any questions you may have on satellite TV or to expand on anything I have written call me on 678 332 815 or email: richard@europa-digital.com.

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The shop is really easy to find.

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Inford@tox Ctra Lorca-Baza, km 73 04800 Albox Tlf: 950 633 223 Email: infordatox@infordatox.com

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25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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A ruthless egg war begins harmlessly, but ends in death threats Continued from last week Ric Polansky Ric Polansky moved to Mojacar in 1969 as a pioneer developer. He reads extensively and has travelled in South America panning gold and looking for El Dorado.

A

S the wealthy mogul was stripping down to his shorts to jump into the shower he admonished me to stay put and answer the phone in case it rang and if so alert him.

He then passed me, went into the bathroom and commenced showering. Just then the girl walked with in with the towels.

I asked her to stand right where she was and not move.

Then I rushed out the door and dialed Steve’s room from mine, taking my phone off the hook so it would ring and ring. Then I rushed back and closed his

LOOKIN G BACK IN MOJAC AR door and held it tightly shut so no one would escape. Well, Steve heard that phone ringing and bolted buck ass naked from the shower and encountered a very startled maid.

A bug-eyed country girl holding towels and shrieking to her hearts undelight. Naturally

she bolted for the door but I held that firmly shut. In honesty her screaming was horrific and I am sure was heard some 32 kilometres downhill in Granada town.

Then things went silent. Steve called out: “I think the girl’s dead” so I reluctantly opened the door and found her passed

out cold but breathing.

None of the above was as violent and voracious as the attitude the director reached when explaining to us the consequences.

In his second harang he lost his breath and had to sit on the bed and yell. The investor boys were laughing like banshees

and consuming the contents of their room bars.

The maid was being comforted by about 20 more of them that appeared from no where. Everyone laughing and crying in the high Sierra Nevadas. That made matters worse, besides calling us vile and unimpressive names he also announced he had a cousin in the Guardia Civil and he was gonna phone him and give him the orders to shoot us all for attempted rape. WHEW, knowing Spain of that epoch his admonition held too much logic to risk an encounter of the Green kind.

I started throwing money at him, for the rooms, the drinks, the maid’s honour and his silence. I ordered all to pack and we fled like bandits.

So ended our possible dying like the poet Garcia Lorca in Granada, unfound but known.

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E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de AlmerĂ­a

Thursday BBC ONE 3:00pm Top of the Pops 4:00pm The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2014 4:10pm Puss in Boots 5:40pm BBC News 6:00pm Strictly Come Dancing Christmas 7:15pm Doctor Who 8:15pm Miranda 8:50pm Call the Midwife 10:00pm EastEnders 11:05pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:40pm Michael McIntyre's Very Christmassy Christmas Show 12:40am BBC News

BBC TWO 3:45pm Kiss Me, Kate at the Proms 6:00pm The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2014 6:10pm James May's Toy Stories 7:15pm Morecambe and Wise in Pieces 8:15pm University Challenge 8:45pm Dad's Army 9:15pm Blackadder's Christmas Carol 10:00pm Tim Rice - A Life in Song 11:30pm QI 12:00am Marvellous

ITV 4:00pm HM the Queen 4:10pm The Queen's Garden 5:10pm ITV News and Weather 5:20pm Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas 6:20pm You've Been Framed!

6:50pm Paul O'Grady: For The Love of Dogs 7:50pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 9:00pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Downton Abbey 12:00am ITV News and Weather

CH4 3:05pm Scrooged 5:00pm Big 7:00pm Arthur Christmas 9:00pm Frozen at Christmas 10:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:00am 8 Out of 10 Cats 1:00am Father Ted 2:05am Father Ted 2:35am Father Ted 3:00am Father Ted 3:30am Crazy Heart 5:25am Secret Eaters

CH5 4:25pm Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 7:10pm Michael Buble's Christmas Songbook 8:05pm Chas and Dave's Xmas Knees Up 9:00pm Britain's Favourite Christmas Songs 12:05am Muriel's Wedding 2:20am Super Casino 5:00am House Doctor

SKY1 3:00pm Modern Family 4:00pm H.M. The Queen's Christmas Message 4:10pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Best Christmas Movies Ever 11:00pm Predator 1:05am Trollied 2:05am The Flash

Friday BBC ONE 3:20pm My Family 4:15pm Monsters, Inc. 5:40pm The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists 7:05pm BBC News at Six 7:20pm BBC London News 7:25pm Still Open All Hours 7:55pm The Boy in the Dress 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Marvel Avengers Assemble 11:40pm BBC News 11:50pm BBC London News 12:00am Match of the Day

BBC TWO 4:30pm Victoria Wood: That Musical We Made 5:30pm Final Score 6:25pm War Horse at the Proms 7:45pm University Challenge 8:15pm The Two Ronnies Christmas Show 9:00pm Victoria Wood's Mid-Life Christmas 10:00pm That Day We Sang 11:30pm Hunky Dory 1:15am The Winslow Boy

ITV 4:45pm Off Their Rockers 5:15pm Downton Abbey 7:15pm ITV News and Weather 7:30pm Emmerdale 8:00pm Coronation Street 9:00pm A Christmas Cracker 10:00pm Birds of a Feather 10:30pm Through the Keyhole 11:30pm ITV News and Weather 11:45pm Out of Sight 1:50am Jackpot247 4:00am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA

CH4 4:50pm Turner and Hooch 6:50pm Channel 4 News Includes sport and weather.

7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 9:00pm Bear's Wild Weekend with Ben Stiller 10:00pm The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2014 12:00am Alan Carr: Chatty Man

CH5 4:15pm The Ladykillers 6:00pm A Shot in the Dark Second in the series of Inspector Clouseau comedies.

8:05pm Rob Brydon Live 9:00pm Morecambe and Wise Live!

1973 10:25pm Tommy Cooper's Christmas 11:25pm Carry on Christmas 12:25am The Greatest Ever Carry on Films

SKY1 3:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 4:00pm The Flash 5:00pm The Simpsons 5:30pm Treasure Island 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm Agatha Raisin: The Quiche...

11:30pm A League of Their Own 12:30am Football's Funniest Moments

Saturday BBC ONE 3:10pm Sport Relief 2014 - The Final Score 4:10pm How to Train Your Dragon 5:40pm Kung Fu Panda 2 7:00pm BBC News 7:10pm BBC London News 7:20pm Celebrity Mastermind 7:50pm Pointless 8:40pm The National Lottery 9:30pm Bruce's Hall of Fame 10:40pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:15pm BBC News 11:35pm Live at the Apollo 12:05am Not Going Out

BBC TWO 3:40pm Yes, Minister 4:45pm The Eagle Has Landed 6:55pm Dad's Army 8:30pm Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow 9:30pm Top Gear 10:30pm James May's Toy Stories 11:30pm QI XL 12:15am Harry and Paul's Story of the Twos

ITV 3:30pm Back to the Future Part III 5:40pm Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas 6:40pm ITV News London 6:50pm ITV News and Weather 7:05pm You Saw Them Here First 8:00pm Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 10:50pm Darcy Oake: Edge of Reality 11:45pm ITV News and Weather 12:05am An Audience with Joan Rivers

CH4 4:35pm Zulu 7:20pm Channel 4 News 7:40pm Guy Martin's Passion for Life 8:10pm Mission: Impossible II 10:30pm 50 Funniest Moments 2014 12:35am X-Men: The Last Stand 2:35am The Raven 4:30am Hollyoaks Omnibus

CH5 3:45pm Watership Down 5:35pm Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 7:35pm World's Strongest Man 2014 8:35pm Chas and Dave's Xmas Knees Up 9:30pm The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies 10:30pm 5 News Weekend National and international news.

10:35pm The Haunting of Radcliffe House 12:25am True Crimes: The First 72 Hours 12:55am Access 1:00am Super Casino 4:10am Kids' Hospital at Christmas

SKY1 3:00pm Modern Family 3:30pm Modern Family 4:00pm Modern Family 4:30pm Modern Family 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm Portrait Artist of the Year 2014 7:30pm Futurama 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Moonfleet

TV LISTING

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Sunday

Monday BBC ONE

BBC ONE 4:45pm Raiders of the Lost Ark 6:35pm BBC News 6:50pm BBC London News 7:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 7:30pm Countryfile 8:30pm Still Open All Hours 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm Last Tango in Halifax 11:00pm BBC News 11:15pm Regional News and Weather 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm Match of the Day 12:55am The Football League Show

BBC TWO 5:30pm Final Score 6:30pm Flog It! 7:00pm John Carter 9:00pm Top Gear 10:00pm Racing Legends 11:00pm House of Fools 11:30pm Never Mind Buzzcocks 12:00am The Wrong Mans

the

ITV 3:20pm Catchphrase 4:20pm E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 6:35pm ITV News London 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm The Queen's Garden 8:00pm Unbelievable Moments Caught on Camera 9:00pm All Star Family Fortunes 10:00pm All New It'll be Alright on the Night 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm Through the Keyhole 12:15am Rugby Highlights 1:10am The Store

CH4 3:35pm The Simpsons 4:00pm The Simpsons 4:30pm The Simpsons 4:55pm The Simpsons 5:25pm The Simpsons 5:55pm Channel 4 News 6:00pm Celebrity Fifteen to One 7:00pm The Golden Compass 9:00pm The Hotel 10:00pm Homeland 11:15pm Gogglebox 12:50am Rude Tube Christmas Cracker 2014 1:45am Father Ted

CH5 3:10pm Black Beauty 4:55pm Out of Africa 8:00pm World's Strongest Man 2014 8:55pm 5 News Weekend 9:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

10:00pm Most Shocking Celebrity Moments 2014 12:55am Autopsy: Michael Jackson's Last Hours

SKY1 3:00pm Treasure Island 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Futurama 8:00pm The Flash 9:00pm Got to Dance 10:00pm Modern Family 10:30pm Trollied 11:00pm Football's Funniest Moments 12:00am A League of Their Own

5:05pm Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 6:55pm BBC News at Six 7:10pm BBC London News 7:20pm The Muppets 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Miranda 10:05pm Mapp and Lucia 11:05pm BBC News at Ten 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm Darcey Bussell's Looking for Audrey 12:35am Sport Relief 2014 - The Final Score

BBC TWO 5:30pm Big Dreams Small Spaces 6:30pm Wild Brazil 7:30pm Nature's Weirdest Events 8:30pm Operation Grand Canyon with Dan Snow 9:30pm University Challenge 10:00pm Snow Wolf Family and Me 11:00pm Dave Allen: God's Own Comedian 12:00am The Wrong Mans 1:00am Notorious 2:40am The Apprentice 4:40am The Mekong River with Sue Perkins

ITV 6:35pm The Chase 7:30pm ITV News London 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Countrywise 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Christmas Epic Fails 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:15pm Atonement 1:25am Jackpot247

CH4 3:50pm Brewster's Millions 5:50pm Channel 4 News Includes sport and weather.

6:30pm Hollyoaks 7:00pm The Italian Job Classic comedy crime caper.

9:00pm Mini Cooper: For the Love of Cars 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2014 1:00am NFL 2:00am The Omen

CH5 6:35pm What the Dambusters Did Next 8:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

9:00pm World's Strongest Man 2014 10:00pm The Rock 12:50am Reservoir Dogs

SKY1 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm An Idiot Abroad 11:00pm Micky Flanagan's Detour De France 12:00am Trollied

Tuesday BBC ONE 3:10pm George of the Jungle 4:35pm Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 6:35pm BBC News at Six 6:50pm BBC London News 7:05pm Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Mapp and Lucia 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:15pm BBC London News 11:25pm Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 2:00am The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

BBC TWO 5:00pm Big Dreams Small Spaces 6:00pm Wild Brazil 7:00pm Flog It! 7:30pm Nature's Weirdest Events 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Sacred Wonders of Britain 10:00pm Snow Wolf Family and Me 11:00pm Charlie Brooker's 2014 Wipe 12:00am Dave Allen: the Immaculate Selection

ITV 4:20pm From Russia with Love 6:35pm The Chase 7:30pm ITV News London 7:40pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears 9:00pm Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 11:30pm ITV News and Weather 11:45pm Birds of a Feather 12:15am American Gangster

CH4 3:25pm Deal or No Deal 4:25pm The Parent Trap 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:05pm Come Dine with Me 9:00pm Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 10:00pm David Blaine 11:20pm The Look of Love 1:20am Damien: Omen II

CH5 5:15pm Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 8:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

9:00pm World's Strongest Man 2014 10:00pm Elvis by the Presleys Uncut 12:00am Elvis '68 Comeback Special

SKY1 3:00pm Greggs: More Than Meats the Pie 4:00pm The Flash 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy 11:00pm Britcam: Emergency on Our Streets 12:00am An Idiot Abroad

Wednesday BBC ONE 5:15pm Top of the Pops 6:20pm Pointless 7:05pm BBC News at Six 7:20pm BBC London News 7:35pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:05pm Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 10:00pm Mapp and Lucia 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:15pm The Graham Norton Show 12:15am Queen and Adam Lambert Rock Big Ben Live

BBC TWO 4:10pm Coast Australia 5:00pm Big Dreams Small Spaces 6:00pm Wild Brazil 7:00pm Flog It! 8:00pm Tigers About the House: What Happened Next 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm The Help 11:50pm Mock the Week 12:20am Jools's Annual Hootenanny 2014

ITV 3:20pm The Queen's Garden 4:25pm Goldfinger 6:35pm The Chase 7:30pm ITV News London 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Rita and Me 10:00pm A Funny Old Year 2014 11:00pm Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This 12:55am ITV News and Weather 1:10am Carry on Camping

CH4 3:15pm Home Alone 3 5:20pm Fantastic Mr. Fox 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Frozen at Christmas 10:00pm Alan Carr's New Year Specstacular 12:05am 50 Funniest Moments 2014

CH5 4:10pm The Dirty Dozen 7:05pm Tommy Cooper's Christmas 8:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

9:00pm World's Strongest Man 2014 10:00pm Britain's Favourite Sitcoms 1:00am The ABBA Years

SKY1 3:00pm Greggs: More Than Meats the Pie 4:00pm Football's Funniest Moments 5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Football's Funniest Moments 10:00pm An Idiot Abroad 11:00pm Karl Pilkington: The Moaning of Life 11:55pm A League of Their Own 12:55am New Year Fireworks Live

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E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

What is your favourite Christmas memory or experience?

J STREET TALK

ULIAN from English Steps in San Pedro de Alcantara says that his favourite Christmas memory is from when he was very young and having Christmas dinner at his granny’s house, eating sherry trifle. His granny would wrap a 20p coin in silver foil and hide it inside the trifle and Julian would keep eating and eating until he found the coin.

His granny was heavy-handed with the sherry in the trifle, so Julian became very drunk!

Mark from The Sky Doctor in San Pedro de Alcantara says there should be good drunken memories: “You always know when you’ve had a good Christmas when you’re hungover on Boxing Day!” Conor at Charlie’s Property Angels in Marbella and Torrequebrada said that six years ago he volunteered to help at The Crisis Shelter for the homeless, which that year was in the old BBC building in Isleworth, London. He found it a very fulfilling and rewarding time helping others over Christmas, when they feel the most alone. In his eyes it’s what Christmas should really be about.

Alicia and Cati, of Eat Away, a brand

new, outside catering and events company in the Calvia region of Mallorca, are hoping that this Christmas will be the most memorable one.

Alicia said: “We have opened the new business, with great hopes for the New Year, but I have many memories of the fiestas of recent years. I have always run bars and cafes, so the holiday time is a busy time for me. But the best thing is seeing happy customers, which in turn makes me happy.”

Cati said: “We are very excited about the new venture, but my favourite memory of Christmas was when I played my first solo concert, with acoustic guitar, here in Mallorca. That was a night I will always remember.”

Paula Read Kenny, from Sophia Wellness Centre, Arboleas, said: “My favourite Christmas memory has to be as a child. At seven years old I got my

first bike, a yellow Tomahawk, and was the proudest girl in the world.

“I only got this great present from

Mark.

Santa because I must have been such a good girl all year.”

HACO MUEBLE’S Mark Strien, in Altea, said family Christmas dinners are always his favourite memories of Christmas back home in Holland: “It has been about eight years since I was back in Holland for Christmas so those memories are always special, the usual traditions and drinks around the tree. I think for most people when they move away from their home country, those family memories are always Alicia and Cati. the best.”

Samantha Biddles, from Algorfa Town Hall, said her favourite Christmas memory was just last year: “We raised money locally for food hampers and stood there on Christmas Eve all day giving them to needy families. The look on the Samantha Biddles. faces of all the people was just lovely.”

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paddle or place a proxy bid if you are unable to attend.

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44

E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de AlmerĂ­a

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OPINION & COMMENT

The true spirit of Christmas...

Colin Bird Each week, Colin brings his slightly off-the-wall view of the world to the pages of EWN in his own irreverent style.

A

S Christmas nears, I find myself being pulled irresistibly back in time by the invisible silver cord that binds us all to our childhood days, and in particular to one Christmas Eve decades ago.

Like all small boys, Christmas Eve was the one night of the year when no encouragement was needed to hit the wooden hill. I would snuggle down into cool sheets, safe and secure beneath layers of coarse, heavy blankets topped off with my mother’s winter coat for good measure. No electric blankets or duvets then, but with a rubber hot water bottle at my back and a stone one at my feet - being ever so careful not to stub my toe - I was soon toasty warm.

TOASTY WARM: A magical night from childhood.

The muffled voices of my parents in the tiny living room drifted up to me from below.

The distinct smell of hot cocoa wafted tantalisingly through the open door of my bedroom, blending in strange harmony with the faint odour that emanated from the black Valor heater strategically placed on the landing between our two small bedrooms. That and the

coal fire below were the full extent of our winter heating.

Nine o-clock on the big round faced alarm clock beside my bed. Was I the only child in the whole world still awake?

Everyone knew that Father Christmas only called when children were fast asleep. But with visions of a long woollen sock full of traditional goodies and a pillow case bulging with

exciting shapes that would magically appear on my bed in the morning, how was sleep possible?

The glass in the metal framed window was blurred with a filigree pattern of frost both inside and out despite the efforts of the paraffin stove, but in one pane, an unfrozen aperture perfectly formed as if the Christmas Angel had

breathed gently on the glass until the thin layer of ice had retreated to reveal the full Christmas moon.

It was shining brilliantly down on the world from a clear star filled sky as surely it should on this special night and as I imagined it had over that Bethlehem hillside, I was transfixed.

Before finally drifting into a dreamless slumber to await the imagined sound of tinkling reindeer bells somewhere above the eaves and the soft tread of fur boots on floor boards, I gazed in childish wonder, and promised myself that I would remember always this perfect moment - through every Christmas and every year of my life yet to come.

And so it has been.

May your Christmas be as full of magic and may you always remember your own special night with joy and hope and love, holding dear the true spirit of Christmas.

E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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

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NEW ON DVD

for next 7 days

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

This Is Where I Leave You This comedy-drama based on the book of the same name

by Jonathan Tropper tells the story of four siblings returning to the family home upon the death of their father. Requested to stay a week, they and their free-speaking mother – along with a collection of exes, spouses and might-have-beens – must come to terms with emotional and tattered relationships and re-evaluate their shared history. You can choose your friends but you certainly can’t choose your family.

Directed by Shawn Levy and starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey and Jane Fonda. Run time 103 minutes. Rated R.

TODAY

VELEZ RUBIO

TOMORROW HUERCAL OVERA

ALBOX

VELEZ RUBIO GARRUCHA ALBOX MOJACAR

ALMERIA

HUERCAL OVERA

RETAMAR GARRUCHA

ADRA

ROQUETAS

MOJACAR

RETAMAR

ALMERIA

ROQUETAS

ADRA

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) This being a family oriented week, much of it may be spent getting together with relatives and going over old times. Perhaps you are compiling a photo album for older members of the family or vice versa.

less visible. However, don't think of the hard work involved but rather the brilliant outcome. You will be popular.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) An exciting invitation may set tongues wagging and make a loved one jealous. You, meanwhile, are quite bemused by the whole thing.

What comes out of this week is that you are of considerable value to others.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) An interest in technology is not something new to you. What is great, though, is that the penny has suddenly dropped. This week sees you understanding more and wanting to know more.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Being asked to take on a new and demanding task this week may see you wishing that you had been

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) An urge to get moving must mean that spring is round the corner.

7-Star Quiz FESTIVE FUN

December 26, Pablo Puyol, dancer and singer. Malaga-born Puyol began studying biology before switching to drama and started his professional acting career in Madrid with the musical Grease. He has appeared in numerous TV shows and short films.

39

EL HORMIGUERO

Your Stars

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK: This will be a super year for romance in all its guises. Physical relationships can be important to you and this year is all about getting a balance.

Certainly, you are questioning where you want to be in the months ahead. A house move or work placement may be on your mind.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) Be aware that not everyone is willing to work as hard as you. When approached by someone wanting you to trust them, be sure of their motives. Do what you feel is right but remain firmly in control, especially financially.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Social demands are made, but

TODAY:

SCORPIO (October 24 November 22) Someone with a largerthan-life imagination makes you smile but that was not their intention. Try to be diplomatic and steer them in a different direction.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday December 20

Saturday December 20

Saturday December 20

Friday December 19

32

40

42

2 29

12 32

1

6

12

21

23

45

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

28

3

17

23

29 39

LUCKY STARS 5

Saturday December 20

31 44

8

LA PRIMITIVA

12

20

22

26

34

40

REINTEGRO 16

2

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

MAX MIN

SUNNY

20 32

Fri Sat Sun -

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

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

Madrid

18 10 S 16 11 C 17 11 Cl

Fri Sat Sun -

12 1 S 11 4 C 13 4 Sh

MAX 12C, MIN 3C MAX MIN

Mon - 13 6 C Tues - 11 5 C Wed - 12 4 C

Murcia

MAX MIN

15 8 Cl 14 9 C 16 10 Sh

SUNNY MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 11 Cl Tues - 17 11 C Wed - 17 11 Sh

CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 8C

S Sun,

17 8 Cl 17 9 Cl 18 9 Cl

TODAY:

MAX 18C, MIN 8C

Mallorca Fri Sat Sun -

CLEAR MAX 17C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

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

MAX MIN

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 19 12 Cl Tues - 18 12 Cl Wed - 18 12 Sh

Benidorm

Malaga Fri Sat Sun -

17 10 Cl 17 12 C 18 12 Cl

TODAY:

MAX 16C, MIN 8C

13 6 C 12 8 C 15 8 C

SUNNY

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 10C MAX MIN

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

17 8 Cl 17 9 Cl 17 10 C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 9 S Tues - 15 9 Cl Wed - 16 9 C Cl Clear,

CLEAR MAX 17C, MIN 7C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

17 6 Cl 17 8 Cl 20 9 C

Mon - 19 9 S Tues - 18 8 Cl Wed - 18 9 C

C Cloud,

Sh Showers,

Th Thunder

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

TARGET:

Average: 18

Very good: 33

Good: 23

Excellent: 40

agin, gain, gale, gave, gean, gear, gene, girl, girn, give, glee, glen, gran, grin, ling, rage, rang, ring, agile, agree, align, align, angel, anger, angle, eager, eagle, eager, gavel, genie, genre, given, giver, glare, glean, gnarl, grail, grain, grave, green, ingle, lager, large, leger, liege, liger, range, regal, reign, vegan, verge, angler, avenge, earing, enrage, gainer, genera, Geneva, genial, glaive, gravel, graven, greave, grieve, laving, linage, linger, raving, regain, regale, regnal, avenger, engrave, enlarge, evangel, general, gleaner, leaving, leering, lineage, realign, reeling, reeving, veering, vinegar, levering, ravelling, reveling, REVEALING

Word Ladder SLED

Sunday December 21

16

TODAY:

Barcelona TODAY:

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Be aware that leopards do not change their spots, they merely hide them. Those who demand your trust need a cool checking out and don't be afraid to say 'no' as and when necessary.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 December 21) Sometimes, you find it hard to do things just for the pure enjoyment of it. Realise that not everything has to have a purpose or a profit. Look round this week and seek out something that will please your senses and bring a smile to your lips.

1

Fri Sat Sun -

try to shuffle them to the weekend. Be diplomatic or someone close could become irritated. Keep an eye on the small print because something fundamental may have changed in a long-standing arrangement.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

23

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Career and home are in disharmony but a bit of compromise soon sorts things out. You don't like playing the 'bad guy', but honesty is also important to you. Speaking your mind can be liberating although, initially, you may see it as a nuisance and embarrassing.

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

22

Almeria

CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 7C

MAX MIN

Sudoku

18

Alicante TODAY:

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

21 37

REINTEGRO 0

DOGS

DUES DOES DOGS

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Contact with a less than ideal situation makes you realise just how lucky you are. It has been clear that the weeks are changeable and your situation at the moment far from settled.

1. Band Aid’s single Do They Know It’s Christmas? was originally released to raise money for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in which African country?

2. What is the surname of the Scottish musician who co-wrote Do They Know It’s Christmas? with Bob Geldof?

3. In which country is ‘sochivo’, a porridge made from wheat, barley, rye or rice, often the first dish in the traditional 12-dish Christmas Eve supper (Svyatah Vecherya)?

4. Adeste Fideles is a Christmas carol that has been attributed to various authors, including the 18th century hymnist John Francis Wade. What title did the English Catholic priest Frederick Oakeley give it when he translated it into English in 1841?

5. Which part of the festive turkey is also known as the merrythought or furcula?

6. First broadcast on Christmas Day, 1986, an episode of which programme was the most watched UK television programme of all time, with 30.1 million viewers?

7. Which mechanical drawing toy invented by Frenchman André Cassagnes was the best-selling Christmas toy in 1960?

T

isers

SLED SUED SUES

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1. ETHIOPIA, 2. URE (Midge Ure), 3. RUSSIA, 4. O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL, 5. WISHBONE, 6. EASTENDERS (when Den Watts handed over divorce papers to his wife Angie), 7.

ETCH-A-SKETCH

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Crosswords

25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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47

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

Cryptic

Quick

Across 1 Speechless like the crossword solver sometimes (4,3,5) 7 Girl with an article for the fete (4) 8 Change of diet not a remedy (8) 9 Upset baby's plaything (6) 10 It is why one has intelligence (6) 11 Catch some wine tasters (3) 12 Hilaire Belloc uncovered protestor (5) 14 Like the female bird, anaemic looking (5) 16 Insincerity conceals an evil act!

(3) 18 Understand a luxury car is kept in the attic (6) 20 Shrewd sort of statue (6) 22 On watch when living at sea (8) 23 It's a method, but not here (4) 24 This stranger is disturbed by such personal emotion susceptibilities (12) Down 1 Escape from can? (7) 2 It’s clever to start some more art

Across 1 Bottle material (5) 4 Father or mother (6) 9 Put in order (7) 10 Prickly shrub (5) 11 Large water pitcher (4) 12 Exterior (7) 13 Play on words (3) 14 Appeal (4) 16 Cooker (4) 18 Be victorious (3) 20 Check closely (7) 21 Counterfeit (4) 24 Fact of being elsewhere (5) 25 Put back (7) 26 Large wild cats (6) 27 Live in (5

(5) 3 Marshland shelters careless blonde (6) 4 About to right a counter (6) 5 Tests or distributes (7) 6 Letter of credit to me contains more of the same (5) 13 Nobleman that is king

previously (7) 15 Sets up careless parents (7) 16 Purloins duck between beginning and end of shifts (6) 17 Chew the fat about ‘Net art (6) 19 Put up with a sailor, one of the French (5) 21 Coach for bride’s retinue (5)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 2 represents G and 5 represents D, so fill in G every time the figure 2 appears and D every time the figure 5 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Rococo, 4 Canals, 9 Cargo, 10 Plato, 11 Arena, 12 Sterile, 13 Tacked, 15 Crisis, 19 Amnesia, 21 Cured, 23 Serve, 24 Elope, 25 Tidies, 26 Angers.

Down: 1 Radiant, 2 Cycle, 3 Carcase, 5 Apple, 6 Adagios, Score, 8 Moose, 14 Centred, 16 Raccoon, 17 Saddles, 18 Cases, 19 Asset, 20 Scene, 22 Reeve.

QUICK Across: 1 Cockerel, 4/6 Long jump, 7 Spoof, 9 Round, 11 Stain, 12 Plain, 13 Elapse, 15 Assess, 19 Jeans, 21 Llama, 23 Tense, 24 Large, 25 Damp, 26 Fearless.

Down: 1 Costume, 2 Cross, 3 Errand, 5 Groan, 8 Flats, 10 Drake, 14 Apart, 16 Shawl, 17 Success, 18 Fleece, 19 Jaded, 20 Sane, 22 Agree.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

fatigued (5)

22 Fill with wonder (5)

19 Disclose (6)

23 Potato (4)

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

Across 3 Muñeca (4) 4 Diversión (entretenimiento) (3) 6 Ponche de huevo (6) 7 Platos (para comer) (6) 11 To roast (4) 12 Duende (3) 13 Juguete (3) 15 Cometa (5) 16 Camels (8) 18 Abierto (6) 19 Campanas (de iglesias, puertas) (5) 21 Beard (5)

Down 1 Plum pudding (5,2,5) 2 Acebo (5) 4 Chimenea (9) 5 Comida (4) 8 Trineo (4) 9 Regalo (4) 10 Cocina (aparato) (5) 14 Gold (3) 17 Cornamenta (de ciervo) (7) 19 Bebé (4) 20 Estrella (4)

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

ANGELS (10)

INLAND

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Dieciseis, 8 Acera, 9 Grain, 11 Lana, 12 Kiss, 14 Tall, 16 Arma, 19 Ayuda, 21 Chico, 22 Camareros.

ASTERS

LARDER

BEARDS

MUTTER

CANNOT

NOISES

CURSED

NOVELS

DEALER

ORDERS

Down: 2 Items, 3 Cual, 4 Sign, 5 Ida, 6 Hacksaw, 7 Anillos, 10 Rat, 13 Sad, 15 Aviso, 17 Rama, 18 Ache, 20 Uva.

ELDERS

RENDER

GINGER

SCENES

HEARTS

TINSEL

HEDGES

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Funagram Unscramble the title of a UK Christmas number one hit single from the 1950s (two words): CHARMS A BATTLESHIP FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: SAVIOUR’S DAY, CHRISTMAS ALPHABET

Unscramble the title of a UK Christmas number one hit single from the 1990s (two words): YOUR SAD VISA

Down 1 Small beard (6) 2 Concur with (5) 3 Dispatched (4) 5 Cherished desire (8) 6 Building (7) 7 Large domesticated bird (6) 8 Juicy fruit of the gourd family (5) 13 US name for dummy (8) 15 Ahead (7) 17 Go away (6) 18 Physically and mentally

1 Shreds, 2 Seduce, 3 Desire, 4 Hauled, 5 Raised, 6 Wheels, 7 Fields, 8 Trails, 9 Leered, 10 Firing, 11 Massed, 12 Rigour, 13 Traits, 14 Pierce, 15 Corona, 16 Retain, 17 Scurry, 18 Scream, 19 Uprose

48

E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

ets P

PETS

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How to clean up cat urine

IF you have a cat that has urinated or made a mess where it shouldn’t, it is important to clean up properly.

If not it is likely to return to relieve itself in the same spot. Here are a few tips: • One should clean up when the cat is not in the room, otherwise the cat thinks its mark gets attention.

• Consider redecorating after cleaning up if the spraying has been going on for a long time.

• Never use bleaches or disinfectants. They smell like urine to a cat, as does anything pine, rose or lemon scented.

• Disinfectants that go cloudy are poisonous to cats.

• Use warm water with 10 per cent solution of biological washing liquid or powder.

• Alternatively use one tablespoon of Napisan and

David THE Dogman

Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10 thru 11.

Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm

one tablespoon of biological washing powder to one pint of water. Then rinse the area thoroughly in cold water and let it dry or dry it with a hair dryer if time presses.

• Next spray surgical spirit. Use a nail brush to get this into fabric and crevices. This gets rid of the fatty residues that prompt a cat to top up his own marks. Dry this off completely.

• Any curtains that have been sprayed with urine should be sent to the dry cleaners and linen machine washed.

• With moveable mats

REPEAT OFFENDER: Cats return to the spot. and small carpets get these cleaned somehow if you can or throw away.

• Do not try to save money on cleaning because in the long run the more thorough one is the

cheaper it all will be. A spraying/middening cat can cause a lot of grief and nothing is too much to stop it early on.

• The edge where the skirting board meets laminated flooring will have a pool of spray urine if the site has been used repeatedly. Use a silicon sealant between the two. Then cover with heavy varnish of the sort used to varnish boats to make a barrier between the sprayed urine pool area and the outside world.

• The intersection between tiles collects a pool. Clean the tiles - scrub in the intersection - then put the heavy boat varnish in the intersection or even over all the tile surface as well.

A pair of professional petsitters

By Lamia Walker of HousesitMatch

AN AUSTRALIAN mother and her son have been travelling around the world for three years.

In that time Ruth and Louis have been house and petsitting in over 30 countries. Ruth is a travel writer, and

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reviews hotels for a living and has been fortunate that she can take her work and her son with her. They write a blog about their experiences. On their travels they’ve cared for a wide variety of pets and farm animals.

There were cats and dogs in Australia, geese and hens in France, dogs and horses in Spain, turkeys in

Turkey, parrots and goats in Fiji!

In Australia Ruth was a professional gardener. She can care for fruit orchards and vegetable gardens.

They are a great example of the professional housesitters and petsitters with HouseSitMatch.com.

Download your Free Easy Guide at www.bit.ly/eurown001

FINANCE

EUROPEAN PRESS25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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The UK Autumn Statement.

How Does It Affect You? The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, delivered his Autumn Statement on 3rd December. There were a few announcements which may affect expatriates, depending on your circumstances.

Personal tax allowance The personal allowance will increase from £10,000 to £10,600 from 6th April 2015.

The Government still believes there is a ‘strong rationale’ for removing it for non-UK residents, but that this is a ‘complex change’ for those affected.

Consultation will continue on this matter.

Capital gains tax charge for non-UK residents The Government released a document to explain how this charge on gains arising on disposal of residential properties will work. In summary: ■ Gains arising before 6th April 2015 will not be taxed. Individuals can rebase the value of their property to the value as at that date, or opt for the gain

By Bill Blevins, Financial Correspondent, Blevins Franks to be time-apportioned, or the whole gain to be taxed.

■ The Annual Exemption will be available to individuals (£11,000 from April 2015) and trustees (£5,500).

■ The rate applicable will be 18% or 28% for individuals, 28% for trustees and 20% for companies.

■ Losses can be offset on gains on other UK residential properties, and carried forward to set against similar gains if unutilised in the

current year.

■ Private Residence Relief (PRR) elections can only be made if the non-UK resident spends at least 90 days in their UK properties during the relevant year. This may have an impact on their UK residence position, so consider this carefully and take advice.

UK residents owning overseas property can also now only make an election for PPR if they spend more than 90 days in their properties in that jurisdiction that year.

ISAs From 6th April 2015, the ISA (or NISA) threshold will increase from £15,000 to £15,240. Note that while non-UK residents may hold ISAs, they cannot add to them.

From 3rd December 2014, ISA holders will be able to pass on their ISA benefits to their spouse/civil partner on death, via an additional ISA allowance usable from April 2015. The value then becomes liable

to income tax.

Pensions For annuities providing ‘death benefits,’ the 55% tax charge on death is abolished. This brings annuities into line with income drawdown plans, which will see the so-called ‘death tax’ removed from next April. It will only apply where the payment occurs after 6th April 2015. If the person who dies is 75 or over, beneficiaries will have to pay tax on the amount received at their marginal rate of income tax. This levels the playing field between pensions and annuities. The changes do not affect people in final salary pensions.

There is still no clarity on the position of Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS).

Stamp duty The ‘slab system’ which operated under the old rules in respect of the stamp duty charge on property

purchase has been abolished from midnight 3rd December 2014.

The new system means that buyers will only pay the rate of tax on the part of the property price within each tax band - like income tax.

If any of these changes may affect you, seek specialist advice relating to your personal circumstances.

Remember you need to take the tax rules of both the UK and Spain into account to determine the best solution for you.

Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; an individual is advised to seek personalised advice.

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

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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

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When chemo gets serious, a seasonal choir lightens the load Erica Russell Watson: My journey – and I’m driving

17th December TODAY was an early start. I had to shake the sparrows out of the trees! With every chemotherapy session you need to have a series of blood tests to check you are in a good state for the treatment.

If your immune system is compromised you might not be able to have the chemo on the day. I arrived in Malaga at 7am and was third in the queue outside the hospital for my blood test, or extraction as it is known as here!

Finally the doors opened and in I went to get my number and wait to be called. It was over very quickly; these people are pros, as they must do a staggering number of ‘extractions’ on a daily basis!

Armed with my ticket, up I went to the oncology section on the eighth floor and handed it in, and collected my appointment slip to see the oncologist later. It seemed unusually quiet, which was a good sign. I would hopefully collect my bone scan results

and be given the all clear to proceed with chemo. In the meantime I went for breakfast.

I walked out into the cold morning air and with the sun rising and my stomach grumbling, I made a bee line for a café. Always a good sign when you see lots of Guardia Civil and firemen having their breakfasts so I stopped there to take on fuel.

I ordered my usual breakfast and people-watched, one of life’s most fascinating pastimes I have to say, and headed back to the hospital. Sitting in the waiting room I saw some familiar faces, and read my book. At 10am I was called in.

My oncologist is a charming woman. She asked how I felt after my first session. I told her that, aside from a little cold, I had tolerated the treatment very well. I also told her that I had had my coil or IUD removed.

She told me my blood test results were perfect and that my immune system was in good shape so there would be no problem in receiving my second dose of chemo. I asked her for the results of the bone scan. She looked at my file online and said, “Good news, totally clear.” I have to say I wasn’t expecting anything negative but it is always good to have positive news. It seemed that the cancer was localised and hadn’t spread.

Whilst having my breakfast I

SANTA SALUD: The surprise choir cheered everyone up. had bought an ice pop which the nurses kept in the fridge for me. It is important for the last dose of chemo in the session that my mouth is cold to reduce blood flow and possible ulceration of the mouth. I just enjoyed eating my ice pop!

So I went and sat in my giant reclining seat and waited for the nurse to take my blood pressure and then put the line in. There was a young nurse, just graduated, who tried to put the line in my hand and didn’t manage it. So trusty Jesús came and got the line in a vein further up my arm. I haven’t got the best veins so it took about 20 minutes but they managed it by stimulating the veins with a bag of boiling hot water.

Once the drip was in, I relaxed. The first bag provides a stomach protector. Then your

vein is cleaned out and the next bag is hooked up, then the same flushing out process until the last bag, which is toxic orange, and then one final flushing of the veins. All in all it took about three hours.

Suddenly a group of ladies arrived to accompany the lady in the chair next to me who was very nervous. They had musical instruments, Santa hats and flashing glasses, chocolates and even a bottle of aniseed! I declined the alcohol preferring to enjoy their spirit!

Jorge took photos of us all.

What a great way to take your mind off things.

I was disconnected from the machine as it made its final beep and it was time to go.

Two down and six to go! I went with Jorge to visit his uncle who also has cancer there seems to be quite an

epidemic these days - and to have lunch with his family whom I regard as my family too. I can’t express the love and gratitude I feel towards them all. They have looked after me and cared for me in the most wonderful way.

After lunch it was back to my house as the children had arrived back from school and they had activities in the afternoon.

My children, although they love me and care a great deal about how I am, that doesn’t get me off the hook when it comes to jobs around the house.

Oliver chirps: “Mum, where are my football socks? You have to collect my report from school on Friday.” Isabella informs me: “You have to buy me a red tutu today for the end of term dance, I have a sore throat and you need to sign this form for school.” And so it goes on, but I like the routine.

It had been a long day. I took off my wig and put on a scarf. The wig gets itchy after a while. Jorge joked saying I was like a kinder egg but full of surprises.

I was starting to get used to the strange reflection that greeted me in the mirror although I still had quite a lot of hair. I tried hard not to rub my eyebrows too much as I hoped they would hang on for a bit longer! I wasn’t quite ready to see a frameless face with two blue orbs staring back at me!

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Pollution is new target for beauty products AS the number of consumers living urban lifestyles continues to grow it seems many are turning towards beauty products to protect themselves from the impact of pollution.

New figures from market research analysts Mintel revealed that between 2011 and 2013 there was a 40 per cent rise in the number of beauty and personal care products launched carrying an anti-pollution claim.

Many consumers are looking to wash away the effects of their surroundings in particular, as the number of soap and bath products launched in the AsiaPacific region carrying an antipollution claim grew 63 per cent between 2011 and 2013.

In addition, hair product launches carrying anti-pollution claims have grown 61 per cent while skincare launched with

anti-pollution claims grew 46 per cent over the same time period.

Emmanuelle Moeglin, Global Fragrance and Colour Cosmetics Analyst at Mintel, said: “As awareness of the effects of pollution grows, we are seeing the expansion of beauty products that shield from its effect across regions, categories, occasions, ages and gender.

“With an increasing number of consumers living more urbanised lifestyles, looking forward we expect to see a rising number of beauty and personal care products launched carrying more specific anti-pollution terminology, that specify the sources and composition of the pollutants.”

Between 2011 and 2013 there was a 10 per cent rise in the number of beauty products

launched carrying the antipollution claim around the world, with a 60 per cent rise in the number of soap and bath products launched with this claim, a 31 per cent rise in hair products with this claim and a 22 per cent rise in skincare launches carrying this claim.

Although demonstrating smaller growth in comparison to other categories, skincare products are still the most likely category to carry an antipollution claim, with 3.7 per cent of skincare products launched globally in 2013 holding this, up from 3.2 per cent in 2011.

Moreover, there are a growing number of eye care products being launched carrying an anti-pollution claim with 7.2 per cent of eye care products launched so far in 2014 carrying this, up from 3.9 per cent in 2012.

POLLUTION SHIELD: Products claim to protect.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

75% of mothers gain weight after birth STRUGGLING to lose your baby weight? You’re not alone, with many women not only struggling to lose the extra pounds gained during pregnancy, but actually putting on weight.

Researchers from the University of Chicago and Houston Methodist Hospital found that 75 per cent of new mothers were heavier a year after giving birth than they were before they became pregnant.

Analysing data from nearly 774 low-income women, the researchers found that one-third of those who were normal weight before pregnancy became overweight or medically obese one year after childbirth. It is believed that as well as diet and exercise, the pressures of being a new mum could be the culprit.

The researchers said the low-income status of the 774 women surveyed may also have affected the results, with a lack of time or money for gym memberships and the possibility that they might not even have a safe area to take a walk and exercise.

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Runners’ groups spur growth of a sport that’s no longer lonely RUNNING groups have been instrumental in the growth of the sport in Spain.

In the last decade the number of running fans has been increasing due to the sport’s simplicity and the low cost involved in taking it up, with just some trainers, comfortable shoes and willpower needed to begin.

With its origins going back to the 1970s in the USA, where it was largely seen as a sport exclusively for men, now it is open and enjoyed by everyone and is ever more popular in Spain.

It is estimated that around 10 per cent of the population are regular runners and the Madrid and Barcelona marathons

SOCIAL SIDE: People running together, sometimes with a beer afterwards, has seen the sport spread. are amongst the largest in the world.

The latest ‘alternative’ runners’ groups are known as ‘Beer Runners,’ ending their running sessions with

a beer at a bar. Its origin is found across the pond in Philadelphia, where the first group was created in 2007 following a study led

by Dr Manuel J. Castillo at

the University of Granada, concluding that beer can help the recovery of water after exercise.

The practice has spread over the last two years to

more than 40 cities with upwards of 15,000 participants, meaning that what was once a lonely sport, is now a very social activity.

Older people are becoming healthier OLDER people are becoming healthier each year.

A study by the University of Oxford, England, said that older people should not be seen as an extreme burden on the NHS. Their study found people born in each year from 1912 were

increasingly less likely to need emergency treatment and a 70year-old now was spending less time in hospital than a 70-yearold five or 10 years ago.

Healthier diets, reductions in smoking, more vaccinations and preventative drugs have all

helped to keep people healthier in later life.

The news comes after a charity warned the NHS was having to fork out millions of pounds every year because of delays in getting elderly patients back into their own

homes following a hospital stay.

Charity Age UK said the average patient needing adaptations to their home, such as hand rails, was forced to wait in hospital for an extra 27 days while improvements were made allowing them to go home.

E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

our advertisers

ood F

THE Emerald Isle is known for its ‘best draught Guinness in Mojacar.’ The friendly staff will make you feel very welcome on Christmas Eve and they have Ashley playing live Christmas Classics on an Acoustic Guitar.

To welcome in New Year at the Emerald Isle Ashley and Dainius will be playing live from 11.00pm till 2.00am to help you ‘dance your way into the New Year.’

So why not join The Emerald Isle this holiday season for a festive drink and cheer.

Call 652 105 827.

FOOD & DRINK

WE DO!

Costa de Almeria’s best guide to local restaurants

An Emerald Christmas

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Los Conteros for a friendly welcoming atmosphere

LOS CONTEROS Restaurant and Bar are set in the beautiful location of Villaricos and they pride themselves on their great food, and their service with a friendly, welcoming atmosphere.

At Los Conteros the Menu del Dia is changed every week and offers a great choice with something for everyone, including vegetarian options and includes a drink or half a bottle of wine.

There is a good choice of starters and main courses and Lenka’s delicious home-made desserts which include sticky toffee pudding and cheesecakes. The restaurant

GREAT FOOD: There are also delicious home-made desserts.

has an open fire for that cosy feeling in the winter months.

Fridays are particularly popular

with the fish menu, and there is a three-course grill menu available too. Missing Sunday lunch?

Los Conteros’s Sunday roast is extremely popular and just €12.50 for three courses. Booking is essential.

During this warmer weather, the terrace is open both for lunch and evenings, and there is a season of live music starting every Friday from June 6. Again, booking is strongly advised.

For further information please visit their website: www.losconterosvillaricos.com or call 950 618 629.

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FOOD & DRINK

Are you a bar or restaurant that advertises with EWN? AT EWN we have our clients’ best interests at heart. Getting your news out to the public can sometimes be a struggle, but we here at EWN want to help.

Have you changed your menu, recently renovated or won an award?

Do you have an upcoming charity event you’d like to publicise? Do you have a new member of staff?

Maybe you’d like to take part in our ‘Restaurant’ experience?

Your establishment provides a meal for two which we will review and publish - with pictures - in your local edition.

If you have any news of interest that you would like to get out to local readers, then please let us know. We cannot promise to publish everything, but we will do our best.

Please send your news and photos to whatson@euroweeklynews.com

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FOOD & DRINK

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BAR TRABALON: Join in their festive celebrations.

Visit Bar Trabalon for great tapas BAR Trabalon can be found opposite the church in La AlfoquĂ­a and is possibly the best tapas bar this side of Albox.

They are celebrating on Christmas Eve with a Christmas Party and Disco and holding a prize draw raffle at 10pm. There will be a snack buffet served and all are invited to this free event.

Bar Trabalon are having a disco and karaoke party with free entry to celebrate the New Year and will serve a buffet on the night. They will see in

the New Year with Cava and Grapes at midnight.

Their traditional Sunday Roasts will be continuing from December 28, and are served from 12.30pm to 5.30pm.

Bar Trabalon will be closed from January 5 to January 8 and will reopen on January 9 with their Fish and Chip night, serving Cod or Haddock with peas or salad and bread and butter.

For further information please see their website www.bartrabalon.com or call 687 09 89 59.

OPINION & COMMENT

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Advertising feature

ABC Centro Veterinario takes a holistic approach

FOR most of us, our pets are our world, an extension of our family, and an integral part of our lives. The staff at ABC (Animal Basic Care) Veterinary Centre in la Alfoquia feel the same way.

This popular veterinary clinic was established in La Alfoquia in 2010 and is the only veterinary clinic in the town. It was opened by Kathy Parry and her business partner, Antonio Saez Agüera.

Soon, Maria joined the team as a veterinary nurse and a couple of months ago Carmen joined too.

Kathy’s story is a common one. She came to the area to retire but soon found that she could not help but get involved with the animals in the area. Since the inception of the clinic three and a half years ago, it has grown exponentially and she describes it as, “an embarrassing success. It has come a long way in a short time.”

One thing is certain, ABC Vet’s clients love the clinic and know that their pets are in great hands. In addition to providing spaying and neutering, Maria is qualified

MARIA (LEFT) AND CARMEN: Just two of the team members at ABC Vets. in holistic therapies with a strong focus on acupuncture and homeopathy. This is the only clinic in the area that provides alternative therapies for pets and it is an area of the business that is very popular.

While Euro Weekly News was visiting ABC, a young dog was receiving acupuncture and was very brave, unlike some two-legged animals that get squeamish at the sight of a needle.

The clinic works closely with animal charities in the area including APSA, Puppy Rescue and Helping Animals Almanzora checking animals for injuries, sterilising them and providing any additional care that they may need.

The furry customers are mainly cats and dogs although Kathy’s experience and current involvement with exotic animals means they can cover all the

bases without any limitations.

Finding the clinic is simple, located on Calle Huelva, behind the cemetery on the road from La Alfoquia to Zurgena.

ABC (Animal Basic Care) Centro Veterinario. Calle Huelva, 1 La Alfoquia. Zurgena Tel: 950 449 064 / 617 516 115 / 608 336 713

An African Queen to crown all Mike Walsh Mike, based in Mediterranean Spain, is an international journalist, author and professional writer.

WHEN on December 12, MV Mutambala, a ferry operating on Lake Tanganyika sank in a storm there was little news coverage.

The disaster claimed the lives of up to 150 passengers, mostly women and children. Strong winds and overloading are said to be the cause of the tragedy.

It is not uncommon for ships operating on Lake Tanganyika to sink, usually for the same reasons.

Still operating on the lake today is a ship that really does appear to be unsinkable. What a remarkable history this ferry has. The 1,600 ton MV Graf von Goetzen was built in Germany in 1913 but not in a conventional way. The shipbuilders, Meyer Werft, built the Goetzen in thousands of parts.

After assembling it to make

TROUBLED WATER: Lake Tanganyika is second largest in the world. sure all was as it should be the MV Graf von Goetzen was disassembled and its parts packed in 5,000 crates. These boxes were shipped to East Africa, which was then a German Protectorate.

Germany’s economy in 1913 was on a high as were German spirits. That year, the Kaiser’s daughter Viktoria Luise, was to marry a commoner. In common with millions of fellow Europeans, thousands of Germans emigrated, many to

Germany’s overseas colonies and protectorates.

On reaching the East African port of Dar es Salaam these thousands of crates, each containing bits and pieces of the 234 feet ferry-liner, were unloaded. These were then shipped across the jungle savannah to Kigoma, a small lakeside town 1,300km distant.

Teams of master fitters and shipbuilders arrived soon afterward and set about rebuilding the liner. Lake

Tanganyika, the second largest lake in the world, borders four countries; it is the length of England and is an average 50km in width.

In 1917, three years after the outbreak of the Great War, British troops advanced on Lake Tanganyika. Scuttled to prevent the ship from falling into British hands this fine vessel appeared to have met its Waterloo at the bottom of this fantastic lake.

The surrendering Germans were taken into captivity and were to

remain in concentration camps until 1920.

Later raised to the surface, the Graf Goetzen, now named Liemba, was returned to service.

In 1951, it became internationally famous. The Liemba is the gunboat, Luisa, in the movie, African Queen. The stars were Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart.

Today, this proud liner still carries passengers from township to township, delivering produce to markets, and offering a vital supply linkage to the four Central African republics.

Yes, it was disheartening to learn of the recent sinking of the MV Mutambala with such terrible loss of life. Somehow, I am relieved to know that the ship involved was not the MV Graf von Goetzen, sorry, MV Liemba.

If this wonderful maritime adventurer ever reaches its climax may it go up in a ball of flames without loss of life as anything less would be too unbearable to think about.

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

PSOE: Have voted for Albox’s current mayor to stand for the party in 2015.

Socialists back Mena as mayor for 2015 ALBOX’S Socialist party (PSOE) has unanimously voted for the town’s current mayor, Rogelio Mena, to stand as the party’s representative in Albox for 2015.

The announcement was released by Mena who said: “This is a huge honour and the best thing that has happened to me in politics.” Albox residents may remember that Rogelio Mena was not a candidate in the last municipal election and he has held the position since 2013 after the resignation of his predecessor Jose Garcia.

The mayor went on to confirm his commitment to the town and its residents with a stubborn defence of Albox interests and with dignified politics. He reminded listeners that, under his leadership, the PSOE has carried out a number of positive actions in and around the town. He said: “We have succeeded in solving the historical water problem for our people.”

Other resolutions carried out during Mena’s time in office are the resolution of swimming pool issues and defending the residents against landfill.

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

TRUST our advertisers

Working hours restored for 32 council workers MEMBERS of the Federation of Public Services (FSP) of the UGT union and Albox Town Hall have signed an agreement to end the reduction of council workers’ reduced hours.

The agreement comes into effect on January 1 2015 and affects 32 employees whose hours had been reduced since September 2013.

The initial reduction, which was a voluntary move by the appropriate workers, had taken place to safeguard the jobs of the 32 employees by reducing costs.

However, with the financial situation now easing, the council is in a position to end the wage reduction.

According to the UGT union: “The government

ALBOX COUNCIL: Can now afford to pay workers. team has expressed its full agreement to accept the proposal on the replenishment of the working conditions of staff who once asked for reductions. Given the effort and contributions made by these workers,

the municipal coffers are improved. Thanks to the sacrifices of these workers, the council could afford to pay the salaries of municipal workers which otherwise would have been very difficult.”

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

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

Advertising Feature

Aluminios Ibañez SL - making your house into a dream home WHEN you buy a new property there are doubtless many changes that you wish to make to turn it into your dream home.

Aluminios Ibañez SL manufactures and installs windows, doors, shutters, fencing, sun protection, mosquito screens and other forms of carpentry.

This ensures that you have a local company looking after the aesthetics of your new home, refurbishing, replacing and installing everything you need to improve your property in Spain.

Perhaps you need new windows or shutters, or your stunning south-facing terrace needs an extension to make better use of those warm evenings dining with loved ones. They can also install screens to rid your time of flying critters that seem hell-bent on invading your personal space, precious drinks or the food that you have slaved for hours to prepare.

At this time of year, although the sun is bright, it can be chilly in the breeze. Aluminios Ibañez SL

constructs pergolas and covered terraces to allow you a little more time outdoors in the Almeriense winters but also as a protection against the harsh heat of the summer.

The business was born in 1997 and has a strong reputation amongst home owners and businesses that have been using the company’s services during that time. The facilities include the latest machinery and equipment, which enables a fast, cost-efficient service for your home

Pedro at Aluminios Ibañez sl says: “We stand by our value for money and reliability.”

Don’t speak Spanish? Worry not because the company also has an English speaking contact that can help you with information. Just telephone or call in and they will advise you on the best solutions for your home, inside and out.

The store is simple to find. It is located at Ctra Lorca-Baza km71.3, the road that runs between Albox and Arboleas. It is on the left hand side of the main road as you exit Albox, almost opposite Longo’s Ferreteria.

The business covers the entire Almeria Province, but is also able to cover properties further afield should you require their services.

Aluminios Ibañez sl Ctra Lorca-Baza 71.3km (Albox) Tlf English: 687 845 993 Tlf Spanish: 615 434 298 improvements.

Opening hours: 9am ALUMINIOS IBAÑEZ: A local 1.30pm and 4.30pm - 8pm company to look after your home. www.facebook.com

A very Happy Christmas Dick Handscombe

Gardening Corner

By Spain’s best known expatriate gardening author living in Spain for 25 years.

HOW fast the gardening and social years go round and earlier writing deadlines creep up on one.

First Christmas Best Wishes to our friendly EWN team, who have been keeping the compiling of the EWN running smoothly this week, plus all EWN gardening readers whether seasoned or newcomer gardeners.

Fortunately temperatures are keeping warm and there is little rain forecast at the time of writing, so Christmas Day can start with a traditional leisurely beach or country walk followed by tostadas coated with tomato, garlic and olive oil with a festive coffee and brandy.

I thought that most of our readers will not yet be ready to think about garden related New Year Resolutions so I have held them back until next week’s issue.

So until then enjoy your well-earned seasonal rest from gardening.

Finally a great thanks to the many readers who have purchased during the past 12 months, copies of my Amazon Kindle book ‘Our 52 day retirement adventure along the Spanish Pyrenees’ which was launched in an EWN article last Christmas.

The book is also in hard copy. © Dick Handscombe www.gardeninginspain.com December 2014

21 - 27 August 2014 / Costa del Sol www.euroweeklynews.com PROPERTY

www.euroweeklynews.com 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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Mojácar Playa Ref: DV1230 Price: 285,000€ one of the nicest houses, at this price, currently on the market.

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

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IMPRESSIVE: The detached villa is privately situated in a quiet cul-desac.

WELL APPOINTED: The living and dining rooms are tastefully furnished.

Holiday rentals rise for Christmas HOLIDAY apartment owners in Spain look to be getting a Christmas present with rental enquiries for the festive season up 19 per cent. According to holiday rental website HomeAway, 41 per cent of enquiries from Spain were for destinations within the country, giving a winter boost to property owners.

The report was looking at data for enquiries to rent on dates between December 20 and January 7.

Much of that growth has come from Spaniards

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Very close to the beach in a very nice residential area, all amenities are within easy walking distance.

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The property benefits from gas central heating with radiators, a number of air-conditioning units, and ceiling fans. The gardens are very pretty with mature trees and flowering plants, ample terraces and the swimming pool enjoys maximum sunshine.

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Pr o f t op Br ou he ert gh tt oy y W ou by ee Pr ic k e

looking for an extra break, perhaps an indication of an improving economy. The numbers of enquiries from people in Spain grew by 35 per cent, with Catalonia, Valencia, the Canaries and Andalucia being the most popular destinations. The Canaries saw a 75 per cent rise in enquiries compared to the same period in 2013, and Catalonia had an 88 per cent increase.

When heading abroad, the preferred destination for Spaniards is France, followed by the USA and Costa Rica.

For British people, Christmas is the time to head for the Canaries with 75 per cent of the site’s UK enquiries for the Christmas period being for the islands.

Germans head to the

Balearics, which have shown a 40 per cent rise in Christmas period enquiries.

Most foreign tourists were looking to spend an average of six days on their festive holidays.

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

Mazda puts safety first with the latest technology in new models MORE advanced safety technology, more powertrain choices and a new, more refined interior are in store for the 2015 Mazda 6 and 2015 Mazda CX-5, which make their European motor show debuts in March in Geneva.

They are the first Mazdas with the company’s new Adaptive LED Headlights (ALH), an autonomous high-beam system with four independently controllable blocks of LEDs per headlamp.

To avoid

NEW: The 2015 Mazda 6.

impairing other motorists’ vision, it shuts off only the high-beam block, shining in the specific direction of an oncoming or preceding

vehicle, leaving the remaining LEDs on for better night-time visibility.

ALH, which also features widened low-beam

coverage and automatic levelling, includes the functionality of High Beam Control and the Adaptive Front-lighting System, two

systems currently available from Mazda.

The 2015 Mazda 6 and 2015 Mazda CX-5 are also equipped with several other new safety systems.

Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) extends the existing Rear Vehicle Monitoring (RVM) system’s range while also adding Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), which warns the driver of approaching vehicles when reversing.

Lane-keep Assist System (LAS) provides steering torque assistance to help

prevent unintentional lane changes, complementing the Lane Departure Warning System.

A first for Mazda, Driver Attention Alerts monitors the driver’s condition and recommends a break if it detects a change in behaviour.

Smart City Brake Support Forward/Reverse (SCBS F/R), adds reverse gear functionality to the current SCBS system, which automatically applies the brakes if there is an increased collision risk.

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E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

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King meets up with old friend HE visited most of the SEAT facilities in Martorell, he got close up to the assembly lines and was given an insight into some of the car company’s bestkept secrets – its future models.

But the biggest smile on the face of Felipe VI during his entire visit came from a surprise.

The King once more came face-to-face with his first-ever car – a 1.5 litre, metallic gold Ibiza which

his father, King Juan Carlos, gave him for his 18th birthday in 1986.

The King let out an emotional laugh on seeing the car.

“I imagine he recalled his first car, his student days, his 18 years,” said Isidre Lopez, head of Classic Cars at SEAT, and whose team carried out the painstaking work of restoring it, with 152,000 kilometres on the clock and not having been started up for more than 16 years.

When it was built, the car was very much ahead of its time, being equipped with an injection engine and air conditioning, two full years before these items were introduced on series production cars.

For the technical team in charge of the process of restoration, the most difficult part was getting the fuel feed and injection system up and running, since the car had not been on the road for many years.

Other work was also done on the integrated paintwork, upholstery, tyres and wheels.

In fact, “it is a unique, special, custom-built Ibiza,” added Lopez. One example of this is that the seats are tailored to the height of Felipe VI.

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There’s a hectic festive season of top sport coming up Tony Matthews

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

Preview AS always there is a full programme of football matches on Boxing Day, as well as on 28/29 December, while there are also 10 Premiership games scheduled for New Year’s Day before 64 teams compete in the third round of the FA Cup between January 3 - 6. This is why clubs have such big squads!

On Boxing Day, there are two London derbies in the Premiership - Arsenal against QPR at The Emirates and Chelsea v West Ham United at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United play Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion entertain the reigning champions Manchester City.

In the Championship, it’s much-improved Birmingham City v Derby County, high-flying AFC Bournemouth v Fulham, inform Brentford v Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough v Nottingham Forest and Watford v Wolves.

The big games in FL1 are Bristol City against Yeovil Town, Notts County v MK Dons and Walsall v Swindon Town, while Burton Albion meet Tranmere Rovers, Newport County play Plymouth Argyle, Oxford United welcome Shrewsbury Town and Wycombe Wanderers entertain Luton Town in FL2.

Then, a few days after Christmas everything kicks off again in the PL with Manchester City against Burnley, Newcastle United v

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LEWIS HAMILTON: Hopes for a third championship.

Everton, QPR versus Crystal Palace, Southampton v Chelsea, Spurs against Manchester United and West Ham United v Arsenal.

Elsewhere the top games in the other three domestic Divisions are Blackburn Rovers v Middlesbrough, Derby County v Leeds United, Ipswich Town v Charlton Athletic, Millwall v AFC Bournemouth and Wolves v Brentford, Gillingham v Bristol City, and Swindon Town v Port Vale, Luton Town v Portsmouth and Shrewsbury Town v Wycombe Wanderers, plus Celtic v Ross County and Inverness Caley Thistle v Aberdeen in the SPL. Onto the FA Cup, and here are my pick of the ties: AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool (a repeat of the 1988 final), Arsenal v Hull City (who met in last year’s final), Aston Villa v Blackpool, Blyth Spartans v Birmingham City, Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur (remember their 1962 showdown at Wembley), Chelsea v Watford, Dover Athletic v Crystal Palace, Everton v West Ham United, Fulham v Wolves, Leicester City v Newcastle United, Manchester City v Sheffield Wednesday, Sunderland v Leeds United

CHRISTMAS FOOTY FACTS • The first-ever League game played on Christmas Day ended Preston North End 3 Aston Villa 2 in 1889.

• Derek Dooley was the first manager to be sacked on Christmas Day - dismissed by Sheffield Wednesday in 1977.

• West Bromwich Albion, bottom of the Premiership at Christmas 2004, avoided relegation - the first team to achieve this.

• In 1936, Wrexham’s Ambrose Brown was the first player to get sentoff in a League game on Christmas Day, taking an early bath against Hull City.

And a very Happy Christmas to you all.

(you must recall Ian Porterfield’s winner for the Wearsiders in the 1973 final), West Bromwich Albion v Gateshead and Yeovil Town v Manchester United. At least six of these matches will be live on TV (various channels).

Away from football, and right now, running through until early January, we have the William Hill World Darts Championship from London which will be followed by the BDO World Championship from Lakeside.

For horse racing fans,

there is the King George VI Chase meeting from Kempton Park (starting on Boxing Day) and on December 27 it’s the Coralsponsored Welsh Grand National from Chepstow.

And we have the Women’s European Handball championships from Croatia and Hungary.

Looking into my 2015 ‘Golden Globe,’ wouldn’t it be great to see the following: England’s cricketers win every Test Match they play in 2015; Rory McIlroy triumph in

every golf competition he takes part in; Lewis Hamilton repeat his Formula 1 Grand Prix exploits by winning the driver’s championship for a third time; Amir Khan continue beating his opponents in the ring; GB’s athletes collect medals galore in track and field events; England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales all register record breaking victories in Six Nations matches; and Andy Murray win three major tennis tournaments (at least).

E W N 25 - 31 December 2014 / Costa de Almería

Sport

Rory McIlroy with the US PGA trophy

Costa de Almería’s best guide to local sport

Pre-Christmas outing for the 19th Hole

THE 19th Hole Golf Society played a pairs Texas Scramble at Valle de Este Golf Resort with the result throwing up some welcome anomalies.

Ron ‘Rocket’ Curtis partnered with Steve Newberry to take first place with a net score of 72. Second place went to Brian Lowden and Chrissie Dow with 74, and third was the pairing of Syd Walker and John Ball on 75.

Brian Lowden also

won the Nearest the Pin on the sixth hole, with Steve Newberry claiming it on the 12th and Paco Ocaña Grayal taking it on the 13th.

The society is now arranging weekly games at various courses in the area.

The home course is Aguilon.

Anyone interested in playing or joining the 19th Hole Golf Society can email gs19thhole@ hotmail.co.uk or call 610 340 653.

SPORT

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Will 2015 bring even more rewards for the No. 1 golfer?

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Nail-biting final goes to ‘Team Barbara’

A TWO-DAY regional tournament held at Almeria Bowling Club brought out the best of the players, and in particular the semi-final between the pairing of Linda Lester and Chris Ivin against Barbara Davies and Barbara Ruscoe.

The latter pair drew away in the last few ends to take the match 29 to 19.

The other semi-final saw the pairing of Doreen Hall and Margaret Maltby beat Debbie Colquhoun and Sue Mannall 14 to 12 in a tight match.

The excellent final that followed was a nail-biter. The pair of Barbaras stormed ahead with some exceptional bowling but Hall and Maltby clawed their way back from

TOP TEAM: Barbara Davies and Barbara Ruscoe, 2014 Ladies champs.

17-4 down to tie the game 17-17 on the 11th end. ‘Team Barbara’

ended up eventual winners to take the Ladies Pair title for 2014.