Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 5 - 11 March 2015 Issue 1548

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5 - 11 MARCH 2015

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Hope for recovery

By Maria-Jose Fernandez THE latest unemployment figures bring hope that the worst of the recession may be over.

And the Balearics are leading the way as they showed a 10 per cent fall in the jobless rate in February compared to a year ago.

The decrease registered in the Balearic Islands is the second highest in the country, beaten only by Cantabria (8,399 fewer unemployed people).

It was the 28th consecutive month of falling unemployment.

Month-on-month the jobless queues on the islands fell by 2,771, a 3.34 per cent decrease.

Taken with record tourism figures for 2014 and the start of this year,

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ISSUE NO. 1548

the signs are good for an upturn in the Mallorcan economy.

A total of 8,923 people found a job during the second month of the year, and the number of unemployed on the Balearic Islands currently stands at 80,295, according to data released by the Ministry of Employment and Social

Security. Nationally, the number of registered unemployed fell by 13,538 during February, or just above 300,000 over a year to around 4.5 million. “It was the largest year-on-year reduction in unemployment since 1999,� said a government statement.

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INDEX News 1 - 15 Finance 17 - 22 Leapy Lee 23 shutterstock

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Daily TV 30 Time Out 32 - 33 Letters 34 Health & Beauty 35 Food 36 Classifieds 42 - 43 Boating 44 - 45 Motoring 46 Sport 48

PALMA: The Cathedral of Santa Maria.

Advertising brings in a cash boost

PALMA benefited to the tune of €1.7 million from the shooting of 31 advertising videos in the city during 2014.

On top of the cash boost 1,014 jobs, 890 to local residents, were created.

“Production companies are to thank for these positive figures, which go to show the great importance

and profitability that comes with supporting the audiovisual industry,” said councillor for Commerce, Employment, Youth and Participation, Esperanza Crespi.

Municipal company, Palma Film Office, gave 137 authorisations last year, 53 for photography projects, 42 for TV pro-

grammes, music videos and features, 31 for advertising spots, 10 for film shootings and one for a TV series.

“The figures show that the industry escapes seasonality, as they have been distributed throughout the whole year,” said Ms Crespi, who is also Head of Palma Film Office.

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Thief busted THE National Police force has arrested a 29-year-old man accused of carrying out 21 thefts in properties and businesses of the Platja de Palma area and Llucmajor.

Palma Concert SPANISH singer Miguel Bose announced a concert of his ‘Amo Tour’ in Mallorca on July 4. The event will take place at Palma’s bull ring at 10pm.

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Fira del Ram opens in Palma ONE of the biggest fairs in the Balearic Islands, the Fira del Ram in Palma, was inaugurated last Tuesday (March 3) at the fairground of Son Fusteret.

The fair covers a surface of 45,000 square metres and has a total of 170 attractions, stands and bars.

Mayor of Palma, Mateo Isern, officially opened the

fair, which will remain open until April 19.

On Sundays and public holidays, visitors will be able to enjoy the fair all day, with it being open afternoons only the rest of the time.

“This fair has become one of the most traditional events of our city,” said Mr Isern who encouraged all res-

idents to take part in the festivities.

He also thanked organiser and Head of the Union of Traders and other Attractions, Javier Orus for giving 1,000 children free tickets to the fair.

Mr Orus explained that the fair is aimed especially at families.

Cordon press.

Pricey tourism PRICES of rural tourism lodging in the Balearic Islands are the highest in Spain, with an average of €60.60 per night, per person, according to online site Toprural.

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Public employee fraud PALMA court has jailed a civil servant for two years and three months for stealing fees paid for DNI (Spanish identification cards) renewal. He embezzled a total of €4,847.

New sports website FORMER Mallorca football player Finidi has launched a sports website focused on football and other sports with an interview with Gregorio Manzano, the Spanish coach of Chinese football team Beijing Gouguan.

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ews watch

Jail threat

TEN suspects are standing trial in Palma accused of organising cockfights on an industrial site in Ariany (Mallorca).

The prosecutor’s office has requested 10 to 11 years in prison for a crime of violence against animals.

Bad conditions LOCAL POLICE officers of Alcudia have complained that their salaries are ‘some of the lowest in the Balearic Islands.’

They also denounced they are not receiving extra money for danger or night shifts.

Car accident A MAN was arrested on Sunday (February 1) after crashing his car into a parked vehicle and driving off. He drove 35 metres before smashing into another car in Son Castello, Palma.

Traffic relief DRIVERS should have a clearer road as a new lane has opened at the Cala Brava (Llucmajor) roundabout. It is expected to solve the traffic congestion problem in this area and the Ma-6014 in the direction of Palma.

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PROTEST MARCHES: International Women’s Day is marked across the world on March 8.

The women of Spain fight for their rights MARCH 8 is International Women’s Day, a day marked across the world with celebrations focusing on equality and respect towards women.

Starting as a Socialist political event, the date gradually blended in the cultures of different countries and in some places lost its political flavour, becoming simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way similar to Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. But women in Spain have embraced the day as an opportunity to defend their rights and protest against measures which affect them, with proposed reforms to abortion laws and domestic violence the main themes for demonstrations on the day in recent years.

In 2014, thousands of women took to the streets in more than 20 cities in Spain to march for their rights and shout out against inequality.

Quote of the Week Spain welcomes you in a very different situation from previous years. We have overcome a period of difficulty, and now our country is registering one of the greatest economic growth and job creation rates in Europe,” said Telefonica chairman Cesar Alierta opening the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

In Madrid, men and women of all ages marched behind a giant poster bearing three separate slogans: ‘Our uteruses are not for legislation,’ ‘Our bodies are not for abusing’ and ‘No cutbacks to our rights.’

Feminist groups across the country have called demonstrations and marches for this Sunday, March 8, urging the women of Spain to once again walk out and stand up for their rights.

Meanwhile councils and associations in just about every town or village prepare celebrations showing that although it took quite a while for equality to reach the country where traditional patriarchal beliefs and stereotypes kept women in the kitchen and men ruled supreme, the tables are turning in a Spain which while still strongly Catholic and traditional is now embracing modern views.

Number of the week

36,000

is the number of kilos of truffles produced in Sarrion, a village in Gudar Javalambre between Valencia and Teruel with just 8,600 inhabitants.

The region produced 36 of the 40 tonnes of black truffles collected in Spain during last year’s campaign.

MANACOR’S public lighting service is now 900 928 789.

The number is operational 24 hours per day, 365 days per year and can be used by all citizens who detect anomalies in public street lamps and other lighting devices.

Accidental death A MAN, aged 27, died in a fire in a Calle Capitan Villa, Palma, home on Monday, March 2 .

Police believe the fire was accidental.

Renovation works THE Mallorca Provincial Government spent more than €700,000 on renovation works to pavements and paths, and other social projects around Sencelles (Mallorca).

Live music THERE will be live music (including tango, cumbia and cha cha) tomorrow, Friday, at Palma’s Milenium Hall (Carrer de Pons I Gallarza, 22) at 11pm. Tickets are €9 and include a drink.

And finally...

AN anonymous ‘angel’ saved the day for a takeaway restaurant in Madrid by lending the owner €5,000 with no conditions or interest after hearing the establishment was closing due to lack of funds. The generous gentleman said he had just had good news about a relative’s health and he realised everyone deserves a little help in life.

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Pub crawl tour Women’s Day laws announced

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HIS Sunday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, a day embraced by countries all over the world to acknowledge the fairer sex.

In some parts of the world the day has become just another day for petrol stations and card shops to earn a few extra pennies as it has become seen as a glorified Valentine’s or Mother’s Day. But in many others the day serves as a reminder of something we at EWN feel strongly about: women’s rights.

Demonstrations have been called this year over a proposed review of the Spanish abortion laws, which aims to force 16 and 17-year-olds to present parental authorisation.

Although a seemingly reasonable request, it leaves a group of girls in terrible danger.

Those who feel unable to reveal the news to their parents without the fear of violence or abuse, those who are orphans or whose parents are in jail or abroad will be unable to have unwanted pregnancies legally terminated.

An estimated 400 girls give these reasons not to present parental authorisation each year. The number may seem small until we stop and realise that the law may put 400 lives at risk by forcing these young women to choose dangerous, clandestine abortions.

Gender violence is another offence that women in Spain will be rejecting in the streets this Sunday.

Although numbers are reducing, 53 women lost their lives at the hands of their partners in Spain last year, 53 deaths which cannot be tolerated or permitted in a modern, civilised country.

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IN an effort to clean up Calvia’s image, the council has announced strict new measures to regulate organised pub-crawl tours.

The new draft law was presented by Mayor Manu Onieva on Monday (March 2), and as well as regulating tours it also seeks to ban alcohol consumption on the streets of Magaluf and Santa Ponsa between 10pm and 8am. The restriction will also affect non-alcoholic drinks, as officers cannot control what kinds of beverages are inside the different bottles and containers.

Stores will not be allowed to sell alcohol from midnight until eight in the morning.

Organisers of pub-crawl tours will have to hire a security guard to ensure safety during the excursion and they will not be able to encourage participants with ‘sexual enticements’.

The phenomenon of ‘balconing’ (jump-

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PUB CRAWLS: Tougher rules will apply. ing from a hotel balcony to the pool or from one balcony to another) will be sanctioned as a serious offence and each company will only be permitted to organise one tour per night, between 8pm and midnight.

In addition, the pub-crawl group will be restricted to 20 participants.

Subsidised cars big in Balearics FOUR out of 10 cars sold in the Balearic Islands

between 2012 and November of 2014 were subsidised by the government.

In October 2012, the Spanish Central Government launched the PIVE programme, a project conceived to help owners who meet a certain criteria to buy a new car.

In the Balearic Islands, 40 per cent of new cars sold after the measure was launched were subsidised,

according to data released by the government, with a total of 19,259 ‘PIVE’ cars.

This translated into a €19.5 million expenditure paid out by the central government.

Amongst the requirements to be eligible for the plan are buying a more efficient car in terms of energy consumption and to replace a car that is at least 10 years old.

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THE Platja de Muro beach has been chosen

by TripAdvisor users as the seventh best beach in Spain.

The Platja de Muro is a 5.2-kilometre beach, characterised by its fine, white sand and stretches of vegetation.

A noteworthy area is Es Comu, a part of the beach included in the

Approval of budget THE Balearic Islands regional government has approved an €8 million budget for a project to extend Alcudia’s water treatment plant and the Bellevue pumping station.

The payment for these works will be made in 10 instalments taking until 2024, according to the regional government’s spokesperson Nuria Riera.

The government has allocated €1,383,160 for this year, €2,753,815 for next year, €733,815 for 2017 and seven annual payments of €457,311 until 2024.

Alcudia’s Council will be in charge of putting out to tender and awarding the contracts which, according to representatives, will mean a great improvement on the wastewater treatment system of the area and will solve the problems of bad smells and leaks which currently occur.

The capacity of the water treatment plant is expected to increase to 21,650 cubic metres per day, which will cover the needs of about 100,000 inhabitants.

Photo credit GanMed64 on flickr.

Muro beach voted 7th best in Spain

PLATJA DE MURO: Has a great variety of services.

Natural Park S’Albufera.

In addition, the beach has several quality certifications, such as the European Union blue flag, which guarantees its perfect conditions in terms of environmental respect and facility maintenance and one of the most advanced safety and rescue services in Spain, as certificated in 2009 and 2013

by a national excellence diploma.

The 700 comments written by TripAdvisor users praised its clean waters and fine sand and highlighted that the area is not as crowded as other beaches of the town, as well as the great variety of services provided and its accessibility for disabled users.

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Credit: Chixoy on Wikimedia commons.

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PARCBIT: Used by international businesses.

Backing innovation

THE Technology Innovation Park of the Balearic Islands (ParcBit), will award the world’s best entrepreneurs in the fields of technology and tourism this month.

The awards, called ‘StartupBit 2015,’ will give €30,000 to the winner and €24,000 to the runner-up.

Contestants can submit candidacies until March 8 at www.startupbit.org.

There will be a total of six winners, who will be able to share facilities with

large national companies such as Logitravel and international businesses such as Trivago or Microsoft, according to head of the ParcBit, Miquel Bernat.

Candidates’ requirements are to have a project idea or having launched a small or medium-sized business within the past two years.

All candidacies will be analysed by a jury of experts and winners will be unveiled on March 25 and 26 with an award gala.

Turning waste into power THE first shipment of refuse-derived fuel from Italy has arrived in Mallorca to be burned to produce electricity.

In total, 3,000 tonnes of this material, made from household rubbish and also known as solid recovered fuel (SRF) arrived at Palma’s port last Thursday (February 26).

The waste was produced in the municipalities of Giuliano and Tuffino and transported to Mallorca from Salerno port.

Around 24,000 tonnes of the material are expected to arrive on the island to be incinerated over the next few weeks as Sabadell (Catalonia) and Ireland are also due to send shipments.

The council has also approved reception of 82,250 tonnes of waste from Naples and Northern Ireland in 2015.

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FEATURE

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Let our business make your business the best business in town…

YOUR voice is important to us…

HERE at the Euro Weekly News (EWN) we are confident we produce an excellent newspaper as well as the best English-language internet news site in Spain, but we also know we should never rest on our laurels.

Our dedicated team is always willing to listen to our readers. Your views are

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e knew we could rely on our readers to come up with some ideas, and we were not to be disappointed with a bulging (virtual) postbag. On this page we give just a selection of the comments we received, plus a round up of the (previously announced) winners of the iPad minis.

We have read every single one of the comments and taken note of some of the common suggestions as well as taking action.

A recurring theme was the need to increase our local news content and be an even bigger part of the community. “It

would be great to see faces from the EWN around more and perhaps have a local office,” said Joan Adams from the Costa Blanca.

We have taken such comments to heart and are opening three more local offices now, and a total of six by Easter, showing we are firmly at the heart of the community. From Marbella to Mojacar, Albox to Benissa, Benidorm to Mallorca, Benalmadena to Albir and Benijofar, we will have your local area covered – guaranteed.

Moira Bartle from Caleta de Velez (Malaga) raised a subject echoed by several readers when she said: “Ensure that

Almeria Murphy Stevens, from Arboleas, was the winning entry for the Almeria region.

The 18-year-old Motocross fan said: “I wouldn’t make any changes to the company because it is perfect as it is.”

Murphy, who is out and about on his bike constantly, has worked for Almeria Homes for the past 18 months but is thinking about returning to the UK to continue his studies, so his iPad will prove invaluable.

Costa del Sol Eveline Kleyngeld, from Estepona, took home the prize for the Costa del Sol. She likes the puzzles section. “I always turn to them first, so that gave me the idea that the index was very important, so I could find them easily. Then I look at the news, there is always so much to read.”

important to us, so we asked you what you thought of the EWN. With a winning prize for the best comments of an iPad mini being given away in each of our six regions we asked: “If you were in charge of the EWN for a day, what is the one thing you would do to make it even better than it is?”

forthcoming events be published in advance so readers can participate and enjoy, and not report after the event.”

She was annoyed she missed an event that happened at 3.30pm on the day of publication and she read about it that evening, thus missing it.

This is a very valid point, which the whole editorial team has taken on board. We pledge to strive to print as many upcoming events as possible, although for reasons of space we cannot always do so.

Bill Mullaney, from Alicante Province, would like to see some travel features. He said: “I’d include travel features on

some interesting places in Spain to visit.”

This is something that we have thought about and are delighted to have persuaded travel writer Kevin Pilley to start contributing.

Although he will be writing about some Spanish destinations, we took it a stage further and he will give witty and informative reports from spots all round the world.

Robert Walford from Campoverde (Alicante) came up with an excellent suggestion, shared by several readers. He said: “I would bring in a feature called Parish Pump News bringing input from correspondents

Costa Blanca South

Our winners Costa Blanca North Over in Javea on the Costa Blanca North, Brian Moreland showed his humour when asked what he would do if he was editor for a day. He quipped: “Immediately sack myself as I’d be useless.”

Looking forward to checking out the iPad, he said it was the first thing he’d ever won, “apart from a turkey we won once on Christmas Eve!”

Axarquía Marcel Van den Huevel from Nerja’s suggestion was to do with team work, something we all recognise as vital at

of local news and items of interest from their village or town.”

We thought it was such a good idea that we are actively recruiting volunteer local correspondents to report on their patch, and are inviting Mr Walford to be one of our first correspondents.

If you would like to have a go then email us at newsdesk @euroweeklynews.com.

Other ideas included increasing the number of distribution points, something we have done.

Should you have any trouble finding a copy of the EWN drop us a line at distribution@ euroweeklynews.com.

EWN: “It’s all about motivating your workforce, you need everyone to go to work with a smile and job satisfaction is incredibly important,” he said.

“Building a family atmosphere helps with communication, which is very important for any company, but in particular for a newspaper where it is vital that the readers get what they want – information.

“I have always liked working for happy companies and I think that as the Euro Weekly News is the best Englishlanguage newspaper available, they need to make sure that everyone who works there is positive, upbeat and happy in their work.”

Joyce Gallagher from Catral would like to see recipes in the paper. “I always read the paper but I am a keen cook and there are no recipes, so I thought that was a shame and would invite people to send in their favourite recipes.”

Mallorca Congratulations to John Griffiths from Mallorca, who was forthright in his answer: “I would not change anything as I think that you have got things right.” Mr Griffiths, 66 years old, had been coming to Mallorca for 38 years, but retired to Son Ferrer 14 years ago.

His parents had an apartment in Peguera so he had many opportunities to visit Mallorca over the years while he was working for a foreign royal family.

CONGRATULATIONS! Our winning ‘editors for the day.’

From left to right: Murphy Stevens, Eveline Kleyngeld, Brian Moreland, Marcel Van den Huevel, Joyce Gallagher and John Griffiths.

Marbella

Watch out, watch out, there is an EWN office about in your neighbourhood!

Benalmadena

Albox

Mojacar

Benijofar

Benidorm

Albir

Benissa

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Spending more

MOORISH PALACE: Has extended its opening times.

Longer hours

THE Raixa 18th century Moorish palace in Bunyola and one of its most important monuments, has extended its visiting hours.

Visitors will be able to visit the building from Tuesdays to Saturdays between 10am and 5pm. The palace can be toured with or without a guide. Guided visits take place at 10am and mid-day, and are offered in Spanish, English, German and Catalan. Reservations can be made at visites raixa@conselldemallorca.net or by calling 971 237 636.

Youths get assistance THE youth information centre of Palma, Palmajove, handled around 11,400 enquiries in 2014.

It received more than 300,000 internet visits and gave information to 900 youths, according to the councillor for Commerce, Work, Youth and Participation, Esperanza Crespi, who added users rated their satisfaction after they were helped with an average mark of 4.58 out of five.

“Web queries also increased by 100,000 per year, from 196,000 in 2013 to more than 300,000 in 2014,” she said.

THE total expenditure of international tourists who visit the Balearic Islands has increased by 5.7 per cent in January, compared to the same month in 2013.

A total of €101 million has been spent by these tourists in the first month of this year, according to the information provided by the Industry, Energy and Tourism Department.

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Illegal dump site raises complaints RESIDENTS from Inca are claiming that a property in the Camino de Biniamar area is being used as an illegal rubbish tip.

The owner sets fire to the waste (usually composed of discarded furniture) when the pile gets too large, they say.

Palma teen footballer suffers heart attack A 14-YEAR-OLD football player suffered a heart attack while playing a match in Palma.

The boy passed out on the San Francisco football field near the Son Castello industrial estate.

One of the coaches who was present and is also a nurse began administering first aid with a defibrillator, after which an Immediate Intervention Unit (UII) from the Local Police attended and performed artificial resuscitation.

Ambulance staff then treated him and took him to Son Espases Hospital, where at the time of going to press he remained for tests.

After four months of putting up with the eyesore and the fumes, locals presented a formal complaint to the council, Guardia Civil and the Environment Department.

The council has now told the landowner to clear the site within 15 days.

Airport gun in suitcase GUARDIA CIVIL officers arrested a man at Palma airport after he attempted to travel with a shotgun inside his suitcase.

The 51-year-old Spanish man was intercepted by the police before boarding a flight to the mainland when officers discovered a large, modified gun inside his suitcase.

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Faulty turnstiles at train station A FLOOD of complaints has followed the implementation of ‘faulty’ turnstiles at Palma’s train station.

Train cards can be recharged with 20

or 40 trips to obtain a better price but many users have noticed that the automatic turnstiles are taking off two trips instead of one whenever they go through them. The only solution offered by the Mallorca Municipal Train Services company has been to tell users to make a complaint at the station’s helpdesk, where employees explain that they will get back to PALMA will host the ‘261 Women’s Marathon’ on them by post within 15 Sunday (March 8) with the participation of more days. than 1,000 women from 23 different countries.

But that means, users Mayor Mateo Isern presented the event yesterclaim that they are forced day, Wednesday March 4, together with other counto charge their cards cil representatives and with the support of Kathrine again, even though they Switzer, the first woman who ever ran a marathon know they are being in Boston in 1967, defying the ban imposed up to charged twice. that day.

The system was imple“Running is currently a trend worldwide, and an mented on February 20, important tourist attraction,” said the mayor. and has had problems Ms Switzer encouraged all women of the Islands from day one with the to participate in the events to commemorate Train Users Association Women’s Day. complaining many turnThe marathon will have its departure and finishstiles did not work and ing point at Parc de la Mar and will start at 9am. others were closed.

Women’s marathon in Palma on Sunday

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Spain at back of the class SPAIN is the country with the highest school dropout rate in the European Union, according to most recent data.

Although the country

experienced a slight improvement over 2013 (24.7 per cent), the rate currently sits at 23.6 per cent, far above the European Union countries’

average of 12 per cent.

The data was released by the Community Statistics Office Eurostat, which added that the national goal has been

fixed at 15 per cent.

After Spain came Malta (20.5 per cent), Portugal (18.9), Romania (17.3) and Italy (17).

On the other hand,

Lithuania and Slovenia hold the lowest school dropout rate (3.9 per cent), followed by Croatia (4.5), Czech Republic (5.4), Poland (5.6), Luxemburg (6.1), Slovakia (6.4), Austria (7.3), Cyprus (9.1) and Germany (9.8).

In addition, the employment rate of inhabitants

between 20 and 64 years old was 58.6 per cent in 2013, while the goal fixed for Spain by the EU was 75 per cent.

Countries with the worst results in terms of employment rates according to this report were Greece (52.9 per cent), Croatia (57.2 per cent), Spain and Italy (59.8 per cent).

Es Baluard receives 4 millionth visitor THE Museum Es Baluard in Palma has received this Tuesday (March 3), its visitor number 4 million.

Ms Martine Frehaut, from Versailles (France), has been received by Head of the Museum, Nekane Aramburu, who has awarded her with a museum card to access the facilities during one year, as well as a goodie bag.

The card includes free-entrance to the museum, discounts on several activities, guided tours on all the exhibitions, meetings with artists and curators and discounts at the museum’s store and cafeteria, amongst other benefits.

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Euro Weekly News’s oldest reader (probably) paid a visit to its head office to give staff a piece of his mind!

Is Bob Mitchell, at 96, EWN’s oldest reader?

NINETY-SIX-YEAR-OLD Bob Mitchell, who has been a regular contributor via our Letters page, sent a touching note of thanks to columnists Leapy Lee, Mike Walsh and the former Mrs Ed, (see Letters page) who remembered having a few runins with him over the years.

Bob, originally from London, has been a regular visitor to the Costa del Sol for 30 years, and always picks up a copy of the EWN. We believe he is our oldest reader – unless of course you know better. If you do, drop us a line at editorial@euroweekly news.com.

With characteristic humour, he decided to thank the EWN ‘while he still had time’.

We invited him into the office to see behind the scenes, and presented him with a bottle of brandy and a ‘front page’ to mark his visit.

A man of forthright opinions he was and still is - a communist, a stance that got him into trouble in his younger life. He was

SPECIAL GUEST: Bob during his visit to EWN with some of the team.

blacklisted as an ‘agitator’ from several jobs before ending up at the Post Office, where he stayed for 30 years before retiring.

Bob may be frail but his mind remains as sharp as a tack. “It is because I have never

stopped thinking. It’s kept my mind active. When I was young, I thought I could change the world and everyone would live happily ever after, but here we are all these years later and

nothing has changed.

“That’s a disappointment, but I never stopped trying!” remarked Bob. And we believe him.

Editor’s note: Bob should be an inspiration to all our readers. Whether you agree or not with his politics he has remained true to himself and never lost his sense of fun. He has a keen sense of right and wrong. All at the EWN wish him well, and look forward to him visiting us again on his 100th birthday. Go to www.euroweeklynews.com for full story.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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inance F

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business & legal Own goal for Cristiano NIKE has obliged Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo to withdraw his CR7 footwear range.

The name clashes with its own CR7 line, claimed the US sportswear company, which pays Ronaldo €8.7 million a year to promote Nike clothing and footwear. The footballer is

expected to wear and use Nike products whenever other contractual commitments allow as both the Madrid club and the Portugal national team are signed up to Nike rival, Adidas.

Ronaldo has used the CR7 label on underpants and shirts without problems, but Nike put its foot down over the name of

CNMC: ‘Nothing personal’ SPAIN’S anti-trust regulator CNMC has slapped a total of €32.4 million in fines on Repsol, Cepsa and other companies for price-fixing.

Repsol’s claims of “manifest animosity” from the CNMC’s president Jose Maria Marin and board members Idoia Zenarruzabeitia and Maria Ortiz were brushed aside.

The clash was triggered by disciplinary proceedings to establish whether Repsol had complied with a 2009 ruling. This obliged the company to avoid indirect price-fixing by adapting contracts and procedures with independent service stations.

Marin was for many years an executive with Repsol’s principal

Spanish competitor Cepsa, which had briefly considered challenging Marin’s presence in the investigation.

There is now a “personal rejection or aversion” on Marin’s part towards itself and other oil companies, Repsol claimed.

With the abstention of Marin, Zenarruzabeitia and Ortiz, the remaining seven board members voted unanimously to disregard Repsol’s objections.

The CNMC concluded that neither partiality nor personal interests were involved in the fine, rejecting “any hint” of the “intimate friendship or manifest animosity” that are legal grounds for disqualification.

the shoe collection. The trainers, deck shoes, moccasins and formal shoes, all manufactured in Guimaraes (Portugal) are in direct competition with their own products, Nike claimed.

Cristiano’s shoes cost between €100 and €550 while Nike’s CR7 trainers start at €60 and the boots sell at more than €300.

B

usiness extra

Good medicine FOLLOWING its sale of AstraZeneca, pharmaceutical firm Almirall posted net profits of €448.4 million, compared with losses of €33.7 million in 2013. Turnover rose by 70.5 per cent to nearly €1.41 billion.

Short term THE Confederation of Spanish Businessowners (CEOE) has recommended increasing the number of temporary work contracts, arguing restrictions would have a “pernicious” effect on job creation.

Crowds provide funds CROWDFUNDING contributed €62 million to Spanish projects last year, 114 per more than the €29 million raised in 2013.

Small contributions – usually made online - from a large number of people are increasingly used to finance ventures or projects with little chance of accessing conventional funding.

Precisely because of this popularity, legislation due this month will directly

affect crowdfunding with limits on contributions depending on whether these come from accredited or private investors.

A joint study by the University of Cambridge and the Asociacion Española de Crowdfunding found that 53 per cent of people seeking or using crowdfunding believed that the new regulations would be “strict and excessive.”

17

STAT OF WEEK THE Public Works Ministry awarded construction and infrastructure contracts for €1.87 billion last year. This doubled 2013’s investments and was the first increase since the onset of the economic crisis.

MARCOS MESA SAM WORDLEY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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

EWN

CRISTIANO RONALDO: Nike forced withdrawal of his shoe range.

18

E W N 5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

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C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 2

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) 3i Group 496.75 Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 471.95 Admiral Group 1,489.00 Aggreko 1,676.50 Anglo American 1,187.50 Antofagasta 754.75 ARM Holdings 1,173.00 Ashtead Group 1,206.50 Associated Britsh Foods 3,140.00 AstraZeneca 4,494.25 Aviva 537.25 Babcock International 994.75 BAE Systems 532.75 Barclays 260.50 Barratt Developments 520.75 BG Group 947.30 BHP Billiton 1,576.75 BP 447.55

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -0.25 -0.05 1.85 0.39 13.00 0.88 -3.50 -0.21 -13.50 -1.12 -10.25 -1.34 -9.00 -0.76 25.50 2.16 55.00 1.78 18.75 0.42 1.25 0.23 0.75 0.08 1.75 0.33 -2.25 -0.86 -1.75 -0.33 -1.20 -0.13 -18.75 -1.18 0.90 0.20

NET VOLUME 4,781.94 6,235.95 4,103.71 4,371.94 16,903.91 7,571.38 16,261.89 5,982.24 24,708.15 56,520.19 15,917.53 5,077.21 16,752.94 42,364.51 5,108.59 32,679.79 34,109.96 81,742.54

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Units per €

US dollar...................................................................1.11908 Japan yen..............................................................134.023 Switzerland franc ..............................................1.07530 Denmark kroner.................................................7.45382 Norway kroner...................................................8.60374

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PRICE(P)

British Amrcn Tobacco British Land Co BT Group Bunzl Burberry Group Capita Group (The) Carnival

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NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 2

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

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 170.50 82.03 34.64 153.80 83.00 105.90 30.19 43.20 105.89 78.49 88.04 26.11 191.79 116.12 160.48 34.06 103.22 61.77 100.00 58.58 43.88 98.75 34.77 85.41 107.90 123.19 114.40 49.47 278.29 83.96

+1.85 +0.44 +0.08 +2.95 +0.10 -0.78 +0.68 -0.10 +1.81 +0.64 -0.50 +0.12 +2.00 +1.37 -1.46 +0.81 +0.71 +0.49 +1.10 +0.04 +0.03 +1.63 +0.45 +0.28 +0.46 +1.28 +0.77 +0.02 +6.98 +0.03

+1.10% +0.54% +0.23% +1.96% +0.12% -0.73% +2.30% -0.23% +1.74% +0.82% -0.56% +0.46% +1.05% +1.19% -0.90% +2.44% +0.69% +0.80% +1.11% +0.07% +0.07% +1.68% +1.31% +0.33% +0.43% +1.05% +0.68% +0.04% +2.57% +0.04%

2.2M 5.5M 21.6M 4.6M 4.2M 7.3M 36.0M 13.5M 5.6M 3.3M 13.8M 32.4M 1.7M 6.0M 5.9M 25.4M 7.3M 13.0M 12.4M 9.7M 31.9M 5.5M 21.4M 7.2M 1.3M 2.3M 3.0M 10.9M 2.9M 6.1M

1.37334

0.72814

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 40.00 8.25 1.40 10.00 3.00 22.50 41.00

C O M PA N Y

1.06 0.98 0.31 0.53 0.16 1.86 1.38

NET VOLUME 70,584.59 8,448.77 37,105.16 6,336.05 8,321.45 7,852.97 6,307.69

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 17.42 $ 25.10 $ 99.56 $ 63.58 $ 5.16 $ 14.93 $ 12.81 $ 37.68 $ 3.32 $ 47.18 $ 10.51

3.99 ▲ 29.71% 4.23 ▲ 20.27% 14.665 ▲ 17.27% 8.51 ▲ 15.45% 0.65 ▲ 14.41% 1.75 ▲ 13.28% 1.37 ▲ 11.98% 3.68 ▲ 10.82% 0.30 ▲ 9.93% 3.94 ▲ 9.11% 0.86 ▲ 8.91%

$ 92.30 $ 5.20 $ 2.56 $ 8.91 $ 13.60 $ 12.32 $ 13.76 $ 14.50 $ 4.75 $ 4.19 $ 19.51

22.47 ▼ 19.58% 0.91 ▼ 14.89% 0.40 ▼ 13.51% 1.25 ▼ 12.30% 1.78 ▼ 11.57% 1.50 ▼ 10.85% 1.46 ▼ 9.59% 1.53 ▼ 9.54% 0.50 ▼ 9.52% 0.43 ▼ 9.31% 1.89 ▼ 8.83%

Most Advanced TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Omeros Corporation NXP Semiconductors N.V. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated Sphere 3D Corporation Vicor Corporation Stein Mart, Inc. Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Ingles Markets, Incorporated BioTelemetry, Inc.

Most Declined Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. BioScrip, Inc. ModSys International Ltd. Mitel Networks Corporation Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. TubeMogul, Inc. Calithera Biosciences, Inc. Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc. Performant Financial Corporation Star Bulk Carriers Corp.

Navient Corporation

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Centrica 249.90 3.40 Coca-Cola HBC 1,168.00 9.00 Compass Group 1,159.50 5.50 CRH 1,811.00 -2.00 Diageo 1,930.00 13.00 Direct Line Insurance 331.75 1.25 Dixons Carphone 436.90 2.00 easyJet 1,722.00 -1.00 Experian 1,208.00 5.00 Fresnillo 794.50 -17.00 Friends Life Group 410.45 0.35 G4S 299.00 0.40 GKN 365.80 2.50 GlaxoSmithKline 1,563.75 9.75 Glencore 291.38 -9.17 Hammerson 691.00 5.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,172.00 12.00 HSBC Holdings 583.65 0.75 Imperial Tobacco Group 3,232.00 35.00 InterContinental Hotels 2,714.00 26.00 International Cnsldtd Air 576.50 2.50 Intertek Group 2,526.00 -36.00 Intu Properties 359.70 2.40 ITV 227.80 -0.10 Johnson Matthey 3,408.50 4.50 Kingfisher 369.70 0.10 Land Securities Group 1,283.50 5.50 Legal & General Group 280.80 0.60 Lloyds Banking Group 79.87 -0.12 London Stock Exchange 2,461.00 11.00 Marks & Spencer Group 511.25 1.25 Meggitt 546.50 3.50 Mondi 1,340.50 10.50 Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts 199.05 0.25 National Grid 890.00 4.10 Next 7,535.00 25.00 Old Mutual 225.00 0.30 Pearson 1,428.00 4.00 Persimmon 1,774.50 5.50 Prudential 1,629.00 7.50 Randgold Resources 5,045.00 -55.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5,812.50 17.50 Reed Elsevier 1,137.50 7.50 Rio Tinto 3,129.50 -24.50 Rolls-Royce Group 936.75 2.25 Royal Bank of Scotland 378.60 0.30 Royal Dutch Shell 2,087.00 -3.00 Royal Dutch Shell 2,158.50 -1.00 Royal Mail 423.20 -0.10 RSA Insurance Group 430.40 -3.90 SABMiller 3,688.75 35.25 Sage Group (The) 487.50 3.30 Sainsbury (J) 272.15 0.15 Schroders 3,089.00 19.00 Severn Trent 2,029.00 3.00 Shire 5,237.50 77.50 Sky 1,000.25 -4.75 Smith & Nephew 1,208.50 9.50 Smiths Group 1,173.00 3.00 Sports Direct Interntnl 692.50 5.00 SSE 1,567.50 6.50 St James's Place 955.75 2.75 Standard Chartered 979.85 -0.15 Standard Life 424.85 1.55 Taylor Wimpey 146.30 1.40 Tesco 246.60 -0.10 Travis Perkins 2,002.50 -22.50 TUI AG 1,170.00 -1.00 Tullow Oil 362.20 4.90 Unilever 2,898.00 23.00 United Utilities Group 948.50 3.50 Vodafone Group 226.55 1.85 Weir Group 1,725.50 7.50 Whitbread 5,337.50 -7.50 Wolseley 4,005.00 15.00 WPP Group 1,556.00 18.00

% C H G. 1.38 0.78 0.48 -0.11 0.68 0.38 0.46 -0.06 0.42 -2.09 0.09 0.13 0.69 0.63 -3.05 0.73 1.03 0.13 1.09 0.97 0.44 -1.41 0.67 -0.04 0.13 0.03 0.43 0.21 -0.15 0.45 0.25 0.64 0.79 0.13 0.46 0.33 0.13 0.28 0.31 0.46 -1.08 0.30 0.66 -0.78 0.24 0.08 -0.14 -0.05 -0.02 -0.90 0.96 0.68 0.06 0.62 0.15 1.50 -0.47 0.79 0.26 0.73 0.42 0.29 -0.02 0.37 0.97 -0.04 -1.11 -0.09 1.37 0.80 0.37 0.82 0.44 -0.14 0.38 1.17

VOLUME 12,109.21 4,232.21 19,219.66 14,951.80 48,755.96 4,908.00 5,059.65 6,887.59 11,878.58 6,070.16 5,798.95 4,624.53 6,061.76 74,902.23 39,317.00 5,303.80 5,355.06 111,031.83 30,555.13 6,257.11 11,800.12 4,080.03 4,657.00 9,098.00 6,986.67 8,590.92 9,940.94 16,605.12 56,413.80 8,601.05 8,249.86 4,347.70 4,873.29 4,572.09 33,336.43 11,465.52 11,047.14 11,650.54 5,415.16 41,816.30 4,806.83 42,180.14 12,661.94 45,153.69 17,759.67 23,410.58 82,588.78 53,859.86 4,202.50 4,345.78 59,242.18 5,211.64 5,212.40 6,941.15 4,862.15 31,139.24 17,121.41 10,597.95 4,555.47 4,126.42 15,555.08 4,919.17 24,458.63 10,178.48 4,696.37 19,929.76 5,011.37 N/A 3,524.72 36,796.78 6,447.26 59,421.09 3,633.88 9,532.05 10,314.85 20,226.45

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

EWN

19

He pays me, he pays me not THERE is a mind-numbing, laissez-faire attitude taken towards settling accounts with suppliers. In many ways Spain leaves the United Kingdom standing.

However, in business ethics and accountability Spain can be worse than Third World.

There is no such thing as a perfect system of business accountability, professional standards and customer protection. Britain, to its credit, has achieved a great deal in all these spheres.

There are cowboy operators everywhere but in Britain they are in a minority; a system for dealing with them is in place. For instance, a business can

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

be fined up to £10,000 for fraudulently claiming to be a member of a trade association to gain a customer’s trust and business.

Over 20 years, I enjoyed an excellent relationship with Trading Standards.

High profile in every community, their offices were manned by friendly staff, there was free information and legal advice. All were keen, many zealously so, to investigate cases where customers had been ripped off.

Television programmes like The Builders from Hell are dedicated to the subject. The media, to its credit, is quick to expose cheaters. Many offer advice columns on how to avoid cowboy businesses or deal with it if one is victim of sharp practice.

In Spain the customer support infrastructure is weak. I am sure some assiduous expert will tell me that there is a means of redress. For most of us it

is non-apparent, expensive, or formidably difficult to negotiate. This is what cheaters rely upon. The aggrieved victim feels it better to just put a disappointment down to experience.

There is a desperate need for many business services in Spain. However, because of difficulties in negotiating a reasonable price and then getting paid for a service, there is an understandable reluctance to provide for the business and domestic communities. This is a weakness and does little to encourage business growth or investment in Spain.

Is there a solution? Yes, insist on a goodwill deposit of at least €100. If this is unacceptable then so is their custom.

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Sterling going from strength to strength THE great British pound (GBP) continues to push to fresh, multi-year highs against the euro. The feedback from the UK economy has been robust of late and this is supporting the view that interest rate increases could come sooner than currently expected.

The Bank of England (BoE) governor, Mark Carney, cemented this point in his Quarterly Inflation Report and the BoE increased their outlook for growth whilst affirming that they believe the fall in inflation is temporary. In February the pound has now gained around 3% against the euro and the USD and continues to look bullish.

The euro unsurprisingly is under pressure following the uncertainty from Greece and the spectre of Quantitative Easing commencing in March. Although Greece looks like it has managed to

Ask the expert Peter Loveday Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

obtain a four-month extension, the can has simply been kicked down the road and the uncertainty prevails.

In March, the onset of QE is also expected to weigh on the single currency despite significant euro weakness already factored in. On delivering QE, the ECB denied that a weaker euro was a target; however the impact of the news significantly devalued the euro.

The exceptional policies of central banks across the globe have led to talk of currency wars where a drive for a

SITTING PRETTY: The pound’s seven-year high against the euro. weaker currency is sought to gain competitiveness.

A weaker euro will help to boost exports and inflation across the Eurozone, as investors and importers outside the Eurozone take advantage of the exchange rate.

The long term impact of QE

in the Eurozone is still very uncertain but when you contrast the monetary policy of Europe, who are just embarking on significant easing, to that of the UK and the US who are on the path to monetary tightening, the divergence is very apparent.

Although the pound is

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Time to close the gender pay gap Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

IT would be assumed that a boy and a girl baby are born with equal opportunities, but the sad truth is that the educational and career expectations for boys and girls are very different. In today’s world, by the time these babies are grown up, the boy will be earning around 16 per cent more than the girl. Not exactly fair, right?

It seems beyond comprehension that women continue to be paid less than men for the same work. But on average, women in the EU earn around

16 per cent less per hour than men. And this gender pay gap exists even though women do better at school and university than men.

According to a European study, on average, 83 per cent of young women reach at least upper secondary school education in the EU, compared to 77.6 per cent of men.

Women also represent 60 per cent of university graduates in the EU. But they continue to earn less than men.

This gender pay gap is most pronounced in traditionally high-paying occupations and

professions where females are the minority, such as doctors and surgeons, executives and managers.

So why is there still such inequality in the workplace?

Well, it’s a complex issue.

According to an EU report it can be the result of direct discrimination, where women are simply treated less favourably than men. This is prohibited by law, but is unfortunately still present in some workplaces.

Women and men also carry out different jobs and often work in different sectors. In the health sector, women make up 80 per cent of all workers. But

UNEQUAL PAY: Still prevalent in 2014.

sectors where women are in the majority still have lower wages than those dominated by men.

For example, women working in female dominated occupations, such as cleaning, tend to earn less than men who have comparable skills in male dominated occupations, such as rubbish collection.

Why? Well, some experts believe that traditional thinking means that women’s skills are often undervalued because they are seen to reflect ‘female’ characteristics, rather than acquired skills and competences.

It’s very important however to change this status quo. The impact of the gender pay gap means that women earn less over their lifetimes and this results in lower pensions and a risk of poverty in old age.

Greater equality between men and women however would bring benefits to the economy and to society in general.

sitting pretty at the moment at seven-year highs against the euro, we should not underestimate the potential for volatility surrounding the UK election countdown.

Bill O’Neill, head of the UK investment office at UBS Wealth Management, summed this up very well recently by comparing the election countdown to the Scottish independence vote: “Just as they did with Scotland, the markets are saying fine, fine, fine, but then as the date approaches thy will start to panic a little bit.”

He added: “We think there will be significant volatility in the second quarter of 2015 it is almost inevitable.”

Therefore the months ahead are likely to be a rocky road for both the pound and the euro. In the short term this favours GBP/EUR but with the election looming euro buyers should not get complacent.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Smaller margins FOLLOWING the €267.3 million sale of its French stores in 2014, Dia supermarkets posted net profits of €329 million, 57 per cent more than the previous year. Owing to falling prices, turnover of €5.22 billion in Spain grew by 0.4 per cent compared to 4 per cent in 2013.

Near the mark SPAIN’S Gross Domestic Product grew by 1.4 per cent last year, confounding IMF and The Economist predictions of 0.1 per cent increase. Savings banks think-tank Funcas and the Madrid Economic Studies Centre (CEEM) came the closest with prior growth forecasts of 1 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively.

Car sector boost EXPORTS of Spanish-manufactured vehicles jumped by 19.6 per cent in January with sales of 175,000 vehicles owing to a recovering European market.

There was increased demand from Italy, the UK, Germany and France, while US orders also rose following the choice of the Spain-produced Nissan NV200 for New York taxis.

OPINION & COMMENT

I

5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

EWN

23

Sub-human psycho is getting the bleeding hearts treatment CORDON PRESS

REALLY was going to give my monotonous, seemingly neverending diatribe on Islamic events a bit of a miss this week; and then they unmasked ‘Jihadi John’.

So here we go again. In the first place, I have never particularly favoured this title; it almost makes him sound like some charismatic war hero, instead of the sub-human psychopath he actually is.

But just a minute, it wasn’t his fault, was it? Surprise, surprise. The woodwork oozed open and out they all crawled.

With total predictability the BBC immediately gave air-time (a lot of it!) to bitter and twisted fanatics, who insisted this cold-blooded murderer was actually a beautiful, gentle and humble young man, who would never hurt anyone.

They then continue to insult our intelligence even more, by stating he had only looked towards IS because he’d been made to feel like an ‘outsider’ in his ‘home country’ (a country that had in fact given him one of the finest starts in life any

www.euroweeklynews.com

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT young person could possibly ask for). You really couldn’t make it up. Even as I write, Sky News is appearing to evoke excuses and sympathy for this individual by reporting that he was ‘hounded by MI6’ , felt like ‘a dead man walking’ (he is now!) and had considered killing himself.

Well it certainly appears he needed some form of psychiatric help, but to imply that these symptoms led to him hacking off innocent victims’ heads on film and declaring his ‘right’ to do so, really does defy all the bounds of any rational intelligence.

COLDBLOODED MURDERER: Jihadi John does not deserve sympathy.

To tell the truth, the idea of anyone showing any sympathy whatsoever for this utter sleaze-ball, fills me with horror and a complete sense of despair at being a member of the same human race.

If we don’t toughen up and stop denying the existence of the ever-increasing amount of pure evil and hatred in our midst, these fanatics will one

day find themselves sitting cross-legged on the carpets of Westminster, issuing out the rulings of Sharia, sending out legions of men with sledgehammers and drills to our precious museums and chopping off heads in Trafalgar Square.

What these misled, liberal do-gooders are leading us into is physical confrontation.When

people despair of the attitude of our media and politicians there is nowhere else to turn.

Don’t be fooled by the 20 per cent of Muslims who think that Islam will never integrate with the cultures of the West - that’s half-a-million British inhabitants who want us to adopt their culture! This poll also assumes that the remaining 80 per cent actually told the truth.

Somehow I doubt it.

When the proverbial finely hits the fan, don’t expect the remaining 80 per cent to take to the streets proclaiming their loyalty to the culture of the West. It didn’t happen when the Nazis took over Germany and it ain’t gonna happen here.

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

Unscrupulous apples feed cynicism Nora Johnson

Breaking Views A Costa del Sol resident for a number of years, Nora is the author of psychological suspense and crime thrillers. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/norajohnson

T

WO former UK foreign secretaries are under parliamentary investigation after being secretly filmed “offering their services” to a bogus company for cash. And this after reports MPs earned more than £7 million (€9.62 million) outside of Parliament last year some making over £1,600 (€2,200) per hour!

Caught in this latest “cash for access” undercover sting, Jack Straw boasted how he operated “under the radar” and had used his influence to change EU rules on behalf of a firm which paid him £60,000 (€82,485) a year. As for payment: “Normally, if I’m doing a speech, it’s £5,000 (€6,874) a day, that’s what I charge.”

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, since resigned as MP, boasted he could arrange “useful access” to every British ambassador in the world, claiming: “I am self-

THE DAY JOB: MPs earned more than £7 million outside Parliament last year. employed, so nobody pays me a salary.

I have to earn my income.” This from someone then enjoying an MP’s basic salary of £67,000 (€92,107)! This, he said, “sounds a lot of money to anyone earning less than that... but the reality is that anyone from a professional or business background earns considerably more.”

And that’s at the root of the problem.

The high salaries that can be earned in business and banking as well as in the public sector - in the NHS and the BBC and the temptations they pose to the less than scrupulous.

Now, decent, hardworking MPs (and, yes, there are some) hate these lobbying scandals most. They not only feed cynicism but, more seriously, undermine politics itself. In the same way as the

HSBC tax avoidance scandal undermines the public’s trust in business and banking, “aggressive, incompetent and overpaid” NHS administrators undermine the public’s trust in the health service and BBC executives undermine the public’s trust in Auntie.

As for the BBC, the problem’s the bottomless supply of licence payers’ money. This means no ‘bottom line,’ no accountability, no need for personal responsibility. Bloated, top-heavy layers of management perpetuate themselves and their indulgences because there’s only token accountability to a less than rigorous Board. How can the next government even contemplate continuing with the licence fee, especially given ever changing technology and audience habits?

I know I go on about parliamentary scandals, the NHS, the BBC and so on.

My reasoning is that only by drawing repeated attention to these issues can there be any hope of change.

Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Landscape of Lies’, ‘Retribution’, ‘Soul Stealer’, ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.norajohnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.89; £0.79) and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca

24

E W N 5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Big Brother rules the roads THE Big Brother state is upon us with drivers facing hefty fines when caught on camera for a range of offences from speeding to having no ITV. Now the government has pledged to make all speed cameras highly visible. Is this a good move to show cameras are not about simply raising cash, or is it a poorly-judged decision that will let dangerous drivers off the hook?

MALCOLM from Copper Heelers firmly believes speed cameras should be visible. “There was one on the N332 road near where I live but it has not been working for about five years. When it was working, it definitely made drivers slow down. I think when they are visible it makes people more aware of their speed and slows them down.”

Founder of the Porsche Owners Club of

Olivier, Manager of Alberts Restaurant.

STREET TALK

Andalucia (POCA), Gary Compson, said he had the greatest respect for speed cameras and thinks there should be more of them.

“I know that I am a lover of driving in my Porsche; however, I always respect the speed limit. After all, speed kills,” he said, adding: “The cameras should be visible and more of them. The fines should also be higher to deter drivers from speeding.”

O l i v i e r B e r t o n, Susan Worthington, Manager of Alberts the Spectrum Group.

Restaurant Cabopino

(Malaga), thought there were advantages and disadvantages to the speed cameras being visible.

He commented: “When drivers are speeding and they do not know the road, they tend to slap on the brakes when they see the camera, which can be very dangerous.

“Holiday-makers who do not know the rules of the road in Spain often rent a car which can also clock up fines, so they have to be warned and there has to be control. On the other hand, if the cameras are hidden, then drivers may be cautious all of the time, which is how it should be.”

Susan Worthington, IFA for The Spectrum Group, said: “I agree with the presence of speed cameras as long as they are there for the right

Gary from POCA.

reasons and not just to pull in the revenue. When they are visible, they certainly have the right effect which is to slow drivers down and take caution and I think it is only fair to warn people. If the cameras are in place to deter dangerous driving, then I agree with them being more visible, as long as the purpose is right, then that is good.”

26

E W N 5 - 11 March 2015/ Mallorca

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The first step is a thorough examination and investigation to assess the medical history of the patient and the status of the teeth and the supporting tissue.

The patient will be advised about restoration and other options included in the cost.

Howard and his staff make sure that all patients are in safe hands throughout the treatment plan and, be it minor surgery or more involved restorative work, the appropriate after-care is offered.

Dental Surgeon Howard Forge (above), and right with Dental Nurse Macarena.

Howard and his staff are passionate about getting it right for their patients

ed to offer you the best option that will suit you.

Howard and his staff are passiona t e a t g e tt i n g i t r i g h t fo r t h e i r

patients and this is why time is spent w i t h t h e m s o t h a t t h e r e i s a fu l l understanding of any past problems

Santa Ponsa Dental Practice is at Avenida del Rey Jaime 1, 108 07180 Santa Ponsa, Calvia You can find out more about the fantastic service that Santa Ponsa can offer you if you visit their website on www.santaponsadental.com or give them a call on 971 694 071

FINANCE

EUROPEAN PRESS

www.euroweeklynews.com

5 - 11 February 2015 / Mallorca

EWN

27

Do You Pay More Tax Than Necessary? Will Your Heirs?

Tax planning is a fundamental part of protecting and maximising your wealth.

Yet so many people do not review their tax planning often enough, or do not have all the knowledge they need to set up effective tax mitigation.

There are two key elements to tax planning.

The first is a good understanding of the tax regimes that affect you, so that you are fully aware of your tax obligations and how they impact your income and wealth.

The second part is knowing how to apply the rules to your advantage and use compliant arrangements to lower your tax liabilities wherever possible.

If you do not have suitable tax planning in place you are probably paying more tax than necessary, particularly on your invested capital.

Taking the UK as an example, the annual Tax Action campaign by unbiased.co.uk looks at how much

By Peter Worthington, Senior Partner, Blevins Franks taxpayers in the UK are wasting each year, just by not taking advantage of tax reliefs. The 2015 research, conducted in partnership with Prudential, found that taxpayers will gift £4.9 billion of unnecessary tax to the taxman this year.

The most costly mistake is failing to use pension tax relief.

Over £1 billion will be wasted by not moving savings and investments into tax efficient individual savings accounts

(ISAs) and many people also pay more capital gains tax than they need have.

And then there is inheritance tax.

With its particularly complex rules, many people fail to make use of all the available reliefs.

75% of the people surveyed had not reviewed their tax planning over the previous 12 months. It is important to review it from time to time because regulations change, new opportunities become available, or a specialist adviser could point out opportunities you were unaware of.

It is the same in other countries. In fact, expatriates living in Spain are more likely to get their tax planning wrong, because they are dealing with a new and foreign tax system.

To make it worse, the rules can frequently change, so you need to make sure you keep up to date.

You cannot presume that tax

will be similar to the UK. The rules are quite different, and what was tax efficient in the UK is unlikely to be tax efficient here – you could find yourself paying much more tax than expected.

Also in Spain we have an extra tax, wealth tax, that can hit wealthier residents hard if they do not plan for it.

You need to look at the local Spanish regime to determine what works here, and what would be suitable for your personal circumstances and objectives.

Professional advice is very important.

With do-it-yourself tax planning there is always the risk that you will miss something important, or not realise where tax mitigation opportunities are available. Expert advice is even more invaluable if you have more complex affairs and cross border interests (resident in Spain with investments elsewhere, heirs in the UK etc.).

To ensure you fully understand how the Spanish tax regime affects you, and that you are aware of all the tax planning opportunities available, you need specialist advice.

This advice must be personalised for your circumstances and objectives.

Blevins Franks has been providing tax planning and wealth management advice for decades.

We have in depth knowledge of Spanish tax law and how it interacts with the UK tax regime.

We have saved our clients a substantial amount of tax over the years. Contact our experts for a review of your tax planning and the suitable solutions for you.

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

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E W N 5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION / FEATURE

ON a cold winter’s morning in Boston in 1967 KV (Kathrine) Switzer was totally clueless that she was about to change the world when she lined up alongside the other runners at the marathon start line.

When she had registered for the race with her initials rather than her full first name she hadn’t known that women were banned from running, and dressed in her baggy grey sweatpants she fit right in with the rest of the runners.

Four kilometres into the run an official tried to stop her and both her boyfriend and running coach pushed the angry man out of the way, allowing her to continue and complete the run meaning she

Michaelpuche / Shutterstock.com

Calling all people on Planet Earth Vicki Mcleod

Family Matters was the first woman to ever officially run the marathon.

Kathrine and her bib number, 261, have inspired the name of the 261 Women’s Marathon and 10k races, one of which will be run this Sunday March 8 (International Women’s Day) from 9am in front of the cathedral in Palma.

For more information: www.261wm.com.

It’s amazing that we take all of this for granted, when less than 50 years ago it was considered improper and dangerous for a woman to run a marathon. Still women

WOMEN’S MARATHONS: Used to be banned. suffer from terrible abuse and injustices in many countries.

I’ve been reading some accounts of an

Indian man involved in that Bus Rape who says women should just stay quiet and let themselves be raped. Isn’t

that the most appalling thing? Can you imagine a time when that was considered normal where you live?

I haven’t really experienced direct sexism.

Perhaps it just washes over me, or I overcome it, I’m not sure. I was raised to be quite independent: my mother and my grandmother were both very influential to me as I was growing up. I also went to an all girls’ school where we were expected to just get on with it and achieve; we weren’t in anyone’s shadow. I am raising my daughter to be exactly the same.

I think it’s a shame that the word ‘Feminist’ has been given such a strange and negative image, and I am very happy that I married a

man who says he is a feminist. But then I wouldn’t have married him if he weren’t.

Equality is the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day event at Mood Beach in Costa D’en Blanes, Calvia, so we have renamed it International People’s Day. The event is free to enjoy on Saturday March 7 from noon until 2pm, then there is a networking lunch. There will be free wellness treatments, opportunities to hook up with new and old friends, have your portrait taken and support local charities.

You can get more info and book on info@moodbeach.com More stories at www.familymatters mallorca.com.

FEATURE

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WE DO!

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29

Advertising Feature

Euro is weakest performer among major currencies Commentary by Moneycorp EUR The euro has not been so resilient over the last seven days. It was the weakest performer among the major currencies, falling by two cents against sterling and losing one and half US cents. The euro is also the biggest loser in the year to date, down by nine and a half US cents and nine and three quarter cents lower against the pound.

The Eurogroup of finance ministers has come to an agreement which should keep Greece solvent for another four months. However, few investors are in any doubt that this simply means the next crisis will come, at the latest, in June. Add to that the imminent start to the European Central Bank’s money-

printing programme of quantitative easing and it is not hard to see why the euro is not at the top of everyone's tobuy list. Any recovery is likely to be short-lived.

USD Although the rand put in the week’s best performance, on the back of stronger South African economic data, the US dollar and the British pound led the major currency field. They both strengthened against the euro, the pound by two cents and the dollar by a cent and a half.

The US economic data were not exactly stunning. Consumer confidence deteriorated, new home sales were up

Clarisse Musselwhite is Moneycorp’s Account Manager for Mallorca

She can be contacted on Tel: +34 902 887 243 Mobile: +34 687 932 472 Email:mallorca@moneycorp.com

902887243 mallorca@moneycorp.com while existing home sales fell and inflation went negative at -0.1%. Yet investors seized upon a stronger-thanexpected increase in durable goods orders as an excuse to buy the dollar.

In the coming week the purchasing managers’ index readings will play a supporting role to Friday’s employment data. Another strong increase in nonfarm payrolls could take the dollar higher.

CAD Give or take a couple of dozen ticks the Canadian dollar shared the lead with the US dollar, the British pound, the Swiss franc and the antipodean dollars. They all strengthened by about 1.5% against the benighted euro.

There were two events to help the Loonie but only one of them had much of an effect.

On Tuesday evening Steve Poloz, the Bank of Canada governor, gave a speech in which he surprised investors by playing down the possibility of another cut in the bank’s benchmark interest rate.

His comments were of far more help to the Loonie than Thursday’s consumer price index data: investors hardly seemed to care that the headline rate of Canadian inflation was appreciably higher than expected at 1.0%, even though the equivalent US reading was negative at -0.1%.

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Thursday BBC ONE 5:30pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm DIY SOS The Big Build 10:00pm The People's Strictly for Comic Relief 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:45pm Question Time 12:45am This Week

BBC TWO 5:15pm Three Up, Two Down 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Two Tribes 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm Wanted in Paradise 9:00pm The Great British Sewing Bee 10:00pm Banished 11:00pm Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am A Cook Abroad

ITV 4:00pm Tipping Point 5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm The Nation's Favourite 70s Number One 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Late Debate 12:10am Perspectives

CH4 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Supervet 10:00pm Cucumber 11:00pm Gogglebox 12:05am The Romanians are Coming

CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Classic Car Show 9:00pm Britain's Worst Crimes 10:00pm Britain's Biggest Primary School 11:00pm The Mentalist 11:55pm Castle 12:50am True Crimes: The First 72 Hours

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Arrow 10:00pm Ross Kemp: Extreme World 11:00pm Quiz Nights 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Friday BBC ONE 5:30pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Room 101 10:00pm The Musketeers 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:25am Would I Lie to You?

BBC TWO 7:00pm Two Tribes 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm Wanted in Paradise 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Gardeners' World 10:00pm Nelson: In His Own Words 11:00pm Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief 11:30pm Newsnight 12:00am Artsnight

ITV 5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Barging Round Britain with John Sergeant 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Bear Grylls: Mission Survive 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Gladiator 2:25am Jackpot247

CH4 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm Crufts 2015 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm First Dates 12:05am Rude Tube

CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Missing: Flight MH370 One Year on 10:00pm NCIS: New Orleans US spin-off crime drama.

11:00pm NCIS 11:55pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 12:45am True Crimes: The First 72 Hours

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Flintoff: Lord of the Fries 10:00pm Stella 11:00pm Quiz Nights 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

TV LISTING

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Saturday BBC ONE 5:30pm Final Score 6:00pm BBC News 6:10pm Regional News 6:15pm Weather 6:20pm MOTD Live: FA Cup Quarter Final 8:30pm The Voice UK 10:30pm Casualty 11:15pm The National Lottery Live 11:25pm BBC News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm Match of the Day 12:15am Football: FA Cup 6th Round Highlights

BBC TWO 4:00pm The Great British Sewing Bee 5:00pm Gardeners' World 5:30pm Athletics 8:30pm How We Got to Now with Steve Johnson 9:30pm Dad's Army 10:00pm QI 10:30pm Reginald D Hunter's Songs of the South 11:30pm Good Vibrations 1:05am Cross of Iron

ITV 3:35pm Doc Martin 4:35pm Secrets From the Sky 5:05pm Off Their Rockers 5:35pm Big Star's Little Star 6:35pm Local News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm You've Been Framed!

8:00pm Saturday Night Takeaway 9:25pm Take Me Out 10:55pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:55pm ITV News and Weather 12:15am Play Misty for Me

CH4 5:10pm Come Dine with Me 5:45pm Come Dine with Me 6:15pm Come Dine with Me 6:50pm Come Dine with Me 7:15pm The Simpsons 7:40pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Crufts 2015 10:00pm Salt 12:00am Heartbreakers

CH5 4:35pm Monte Walsh 6:30pm 5 News Weekend 6:40pm Columbo: Candidate for Crime 8:20pm NCIS 9:05pm NCIS 10:00pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 11:00pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 11:55pm Law and Order 12:50am True Crimes: The First 72 Hours 1:15am Super Casino 4:10am 10,000 BC 5:00am Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole

SKY1 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm Inside RAF Brize Norton 5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 9:00pm Hawaii Five-0 10:00pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Lethal Weapon 1:15am Hawaii Five-0

Sunday BBC ONE 4:35pm Bargain Hunt 5:05pm Escape to the Country 5:50pm Pointless 6:35pm BBC News 6:50pm Regional News 6:55pm Weather 7:00pm The Big Painting Challenge 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Call the Midwife 10:00pm Poldark 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm Regional News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights 12:05am The Apprentice USA

BBC TWO 2:30pm Athletics 6:35pm Natural World 7:35pm Pompidou 8:00pm The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway 9:00pm Top Gear 10:00pm Let's Play Darts for Comic Relief 11:05pm The Revolution Will be Televised 11:35pm The Hunter 1:10am Howl

ITV 3:40pm Catchphrase 4:25pm The Living Daylights 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:15pm ITV News and Weather 7:30pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 8:30pm Off Their Rockers 9:00pm All Star Family Fortunes 10:00pm Mr Selfridge 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm Bear Grylls: Mision Survive 12:15am Aviva Highlights

CH4 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:55pm Bride Wars 5:40pm Location, Location, Location 6:40pm Channel 4 News 7:05pm A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 8:00pm Crufts 2015 10:00pm Indian Summers 11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 12:05am New Moon

CH5 4:25pm Open Season 2 5:55pm Mulan 7:35pm 5 News Weekend 7:40pm Hitch 10:00pm 21 Jump Street 12:15am Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

SKY1 3:30pm Modern Family 4:00pm Modern Family 4:30pm Modern Family 5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Moone Boy 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm About a Boy 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Holidaymakers 9:00pm The Flash 10:00pm Hawaii Five-0 11:00pm Hawaii Five-0 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Monday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Match of the Day Live 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm Panorama 12:15am Waterloo Road

BBC TWO 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Two Tribes 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm Top Gear 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Only Connect Comic Relief Special 10:00pm A Cook Abroad 11:00pm House of Fools 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm More Tales From Northumberland with Robson Green 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Arthur and George 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm ICC Cricket World Cup Highlights 12:40am The Jonathan Ross Show

CH4 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Dispatches 9:30pm Food Unwrapped 10:00pm The Billion Pound Hotel 11:00pm NHS: ÂŁ2 Billion a Week and Counting 12:00am 24 Hours in A and E

CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud 10:00pm Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole 11:00pm 10,000 BC 12:00am The Fugitive

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Holidaymakers 10:00pm Moone Boy 10:30pm Arrow 11:30pm Critical 12:30am NCIS: Los Angeles

Tuesday BBC ONE 4:45pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm MasterChef 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm Kids in Camps - Comic Relief 12:40am Hollywoodland

BBC TWO 5:15pm Three Up, Two Down 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Two Tribes 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 9:00pm Galapagos 10:00pm Horizon 11:00pm Nurse 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 4:00pm Tipping Point 5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm UEFA Champions League 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm UEFA Champions League Highlights 12:40am Carry on Don't Lose Your Head

CH4 5:20pm Couples Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Mary Portas: Secret Shopper 10:00pm One Born Every Minute 11:00pm The Kids Who Can't Stay Awake 12:00am First Dates

CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm Costa Del Casualty 10:00pm The Benefits Estate 11:00pm Chicago PD 12:00am Chicago PD

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Flash 10:00pm Critical 11:00pm Ross Kemp: Extreme World 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Wednesday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm MasterChef 9:30pm EastEnders 10:00pm The People's Strictly for Comic Relief 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm A Question of Sport 12:15am Duel of the Silver Arrows

BBC TWO 5:15pm Three Up, Two Down 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Two Tribes 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm Nature's Weirdest Events 9:00pm Suffragettes Forever! The Story of Women and Power 10:00pm This World 11:00pm Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Big Star's Little Star 10:00pm DCI Banks 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:45pm Pop Gold 12:45am Elton John Brit Icon

CH4 5:20pm Couples Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Location, Location, Location 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm First Dates 12:00am Underage and Gay

CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Filming My Father: In Life and Death 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm My Violent Child 11:00pm The 16-Year-Old Baby 12:00am Benefits Britain: Life on the Dole

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm Stella 11:00pm Lethal Weapon 1:15am NCIS: Los Angeles

OPINION & COMMENT

I

HAVE never minded going to the dentist. What’s the worst that can happen? A few teeth out, a filling or two? None of it life threatening.

Some time ago I made an appointment with a dentist who came recommended, to see what I could do to invigorate my smile which - looking back at old photos - needed some tweaking.

After two consultations, numerous X-rays and a complete scan of my skull no less, I emerged a nervous wreck, clutching two estimates, the lesser of which would have purchased a small family car.

There was talk of crowns and bridge work, and even bone grafts, for goodness sake. I only went in for a bit of cleaning, not looking for honorary membership to the Kardashian family or a set of choppers to compete with Red Rum. I didn’t want to be pulled and pummelled about at my age – after all, I will be 49 in April.

What??

So I settled on a third option and simply decided not to smile any more.

But the more I thought about it, the more I became convinced

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31

Shut your mouth and cough up 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.

that I needed a sprucing-up, but without the need of a loan from the IMF. And so I attended another dentist for a fresh appraisal.

Now, I get very nervous when I see a hugely expensive car parked outside a dental surgery and my flexible friend becomes very agitated in my wallet. But on this particular morning there was a swanky Ferrari Berlinetta parked nearby.

The surgery was an oasis of calm and the dentist re-assuring and professional, and unlike most of his colleagues, did not start asking me silly questions once my mouth was fully open and I was unable to answer without spraying the room with saliva.

Oh and why is it that when your chops are full of hardware

MOLAR MONOPOLY: The choice was to pay up or stop smiling. and the dentist has his arm in your mouth up to the elbow, you get this irresistible urge to swallow? An action that inevitably ends with a choking fit of embarrassing proportions.

Anyway I left the building one hour later with the assurance that a suitable course of

treatment was available that would not bankrupt me.

And I was just in time to see a sickeningly good-looking bloke wearing a polo shirt - with a motif of a chap on a horse, wielding a polo mallet - getting into the Ferrari. Obviously wealthy and successful, and

worst of all – young.

Old, ugly and rich I can stomach, but some people seem to have everything, I cursed silently to myself, and I began to grind my teeth at the injustice of it all.

Then I remembered I couldn’t afford it.

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CROSSWORDS

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Time Out

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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

Interstellar In a desperate attempt to find a way to save the human race on a dying earth, a group of astronauts embark on a fascinating quest to find new worlds for humans to inhabit. The movie uses scientifically plausible physics such as blackholes and intersteller travel in this beautifully rendered science fiction epic.

Directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine. Run time 109 minutes.

Rated PG

TODAY TODAY

ALCUDIA

POLLENÇA

CALA MILLOR

INCA

CALVIA

CALA d’OR

PALMA ANDRATX

LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF

ALCUDIA

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TOMORROW CALA MILLOR

INCA

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PALMA ANDRATX

LLUCMAJOR MAGALLUF

Visit the stars, for details on our expanded range of services

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 16 10 C Tues - 16 9 Sh Wed - 17 10 C

16 7 S 17 11 Cl 17 11 C

SUNNY

tars

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) Being unusually uncertain of yourself this week could throw confusion into your ordered life. There is a partnership problem to be sorted out. Links with personal matters, however, make this tricky.

6-Star Quiz

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Being a brave and forthright soul, it is easy this week to dispel the negative thoughts of others. A relationship that makes you hesitate could be of great benefit to you.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Some loss of control over a project is irksome. A new start that seemed so promising seems to be going off course. A real injection of time and effort will make all the difference, however. Midweek, you see things going in the right direction again.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Hidden forces are working away in the background.

These give good and bad influences but life will not be dull this week.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 December 21) Petty arguments should be forgotten. More important things are afoot. Have you heard about fiddling while Rome burns? This may be you at the moment.

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 20) Avoiding a decision will not help this week. Who will deal with this matter but you? A relationship is threatened if you do not make a move.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

AQUARIUS (January 21 February 19) In your heart of hearts you know what you want out of life. It is a little timidity of spirit that is now stopping you. I know that recent experiences have sapped your confidence, but I have a message for you.

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday February 28

Saturday February 28

Saturday February 28

Friday February 27

9

10

19

47

6

17 33

22 37

4

29

32

35

37

39

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

43

3

23

5

14 25

47

10

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

16 9 S 18 9 S 21 10 Cl

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 16 10 Sh Tues - 17 9 C Wed - 17 9 S

SUNNY

Fri Sat Sun -

15 6 S 17 8 Cl 16 6 C S Sun,

17 9 S 19 12 Cl 19 11 Cl

MAX MIN

Mon - 18 11 C Tues - 17 11 Sh Wed - 18 11 C

Madrid SUNNY

TODAY:

MAX 15C, MIN 9C

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

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

Mallorca TODAY:

18 4 S 21 6 S 20 6 S

MAX 14C, MIN 3C MAX MIN

Mon - 18 6 S Tues - 18 6 S Wed - 18 7 Cl

Murcia MAX 14C, MIN 6C

TODAY:

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Mon - 14 6 C Tues - 14 6 C Wed - 17 7 C Cl Clear,

SUNNY MAX 18C, MIN 6C MAX MIN

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Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

19 6 S 22 9 Cl 21 9 Cl

Mon - 19 9 C Tues - 19 9 Sh Wed - 20 11 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 H) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

Average: 16

Very good: 31

Good: 21

Excellent: 38

chou, chug, coke, cone, conk, core, cork, corn, cuke, cure, echo, ecru, guck, heck, hock, huck, neck, nock, once, ouch, rock, ruck, unco, choke, chore, chunk, churn, cornu, cough, crone, gecko, ocher, ochre, ocker, ounce, recon, choker, conger, conker, grouch, reckon, uncork, cougher, ROUGHNECK

7

8

22

23

30

48

REINTEGRO 39

4

SOFT

Sunday March 1

Saturday February 28

17

LUCKY STARS 9

Fri Sat Sun -

SUNNY MAX 17C, MIN 9C

TODAY:

Malaga CLOUDY

MAX MIN

Mon - 18 11 Cl Tues - 17 12 C Wed - 18 12 C

Word Ladder

LOTTERY 7

16 8 S 17 10 Cl 17 10 C

TODAY:

17 11 S 18 12 S 18 12 S

Benidorm

MAX MIN

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

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 17C, MIN 7C

MAX MIN

Sudoku

4

Fri Sat Sun -

CLOUDY MAX 16C, MIN 11C MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Deal with the right people and the rewards are high. There is potential for being cheated out of something that is morally yours.

Y S our

TODAY:

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Outside influences and pressures make it hard to concentrate. However, finances in particular need attention, so do not be distracted by others trying to put a finger into your 'pie'.

BLOCKBUSTERS

MAX MIN

www.fiduciarywealth.eu

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Be determined not to be intimidated by someone who thinks that they are superior. Decide who you will take advice (or orders) from and stick to it. You are not the person that you were in the past and others need to realise it.

1. What A B is the trademark name of a pungent aromatic bark from certain trees of the family Rutaceae, formerly used in medicine?

2. What C D is the name of the country retreat of the president of the USA, in the Appalachian Mountains in Maryland?

3. What E F is the name of an English Quaker prison reformer, a leading figure in the early 19th-century campaign for penal reform?

4. What G H is the name of a range of hills on the border between Syria and Israel, north-east of the Sea of Galilee?

5. What I J is the name of a small volcanic island, the largest of the Volcano Islands in the western Pacific, 1,222 km (760 miles) south of Tokyo?

6. What K L is the title of a tragedy by William Shakespeare, first performed in 1605, that tells the story of a British monarch who is betrayed and mistreated by two of his scheming daughters, Goneril and Regan?

Almeria

SUNNY MAX 15C, MIN 8C

13

17 44

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

27 49

REINTEGRO 0

SOAP

SLAP SOAP

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Awkward situations usually bring out the best in you and this week proves that. In the longer term, you will be grateful to those making things difficult now.

Alicante TODAY:

SOFT SOOT SLOT SLAT

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Let others whinge if they will. Being determined to get your own way, they will stand little chance. Recent disagreements have left a sour taste. In the best of worlds, things will not always go your way. Life would be boring if that were the case.

1. ANGOSTURAS BITTERS, 2. CAMP DAVID, 3. ELIZABETH FRY, 4. GOLAN HEIGHTS, 5. IWO JIMA, 6. KING LEAR

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Crosswords

5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

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Cryptic

Quick

Across 1 Crude house song? (6) 4 Yours truly is taken in by cleric lower in status (6) 9 Gather it’s a church service (5) 10 Stand up for a wage increase (5) 11 Singing John, the Spanish heavyweight (5) 12 Bring back from rest or energetic exercise (7) 13 Home counties credit and French Private (6) 15 Beds for hens? (6) 19 Knowledge Garland added for enchantress (7) 21 Quick way to dry a step (5) 23 Grant given to a section of a hospital (5) 24 Maintain former queen with Tory leader (5) 25 Leather worker got sixpence in the old days (6) 26 Debars odd-looking whiskers (6) Down 1 Shopkeepers, we hear, are profiting from wine storage areas (7) 2 Not together but a role (5) 3 Apprentice from Aintree messed up (7) 5 Welshman in the van, snoozing (5)

Across 1 Profound (4) 3 Shook from fear (8) 9 Assorted (7) 10 She-goat (5) 11 Faithful (5) 12 Gained by labour (6) 14 Make a surface shiny (6) 16 Pays out money (6) 19 In tatters (6) 21 Exceptionally bad or displeasing (5) 24 Watchful (5) 25 Look over carefully (7) 26 Begged persistently and urgently (8) 27 Make a dull sound (4)

6 The record electric current, to me, is a prime example (7) 7 Pleasant to embrace sweetheart’s relation (5) 8 Take over and use Earp from the sound of it (5) 14 Sure to have new crate at home (7) 16 Australia began before it became

so severely simple (7) 17 Rushes to impress within seconds (7) 18 Article I had submitted to editor helped (5) 19 Smallest amount of stale stew (5) 20 Ogled tumble-down hut (5) 22 Change later (5)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 4 represents C and 19 represents Z, so fill in C every time the figure 4 appears and Z every time the figure 19 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 Salvers, 4 Tests, 7 Reels, 9 Servant, 10 Arrange, 11 Arson, 12 Weald, 14 Boxer, 19 Cards, 21 Assuage, 23 Nearest, 24 Avert, 25 Sites, 26 Sceptre.

Down: 1 Stream, 2 Essen, 3 System, 4 Tornado, 5 Scars, 6 Sit-ins, 8 Eerie, 13 Listens, 15 Erase, 16 Scents, 17 Faiths, 18 Gentle, 20 Roast, 22 Slate.

QUICK Across: 1 Converse, 5/24 Bona fide, 9 Survive, 10 Miser, 11 Shame, 12 Canasta, 13 Sherry, 15 Essays, 18 Evasive, 20 Swamp, 22 Image, 23 Termite, 25 Restless.

Down: 1 Costs, 2 Narrate, 3 Elite, 4 Speech, 6 Oasis, 7 Arrears, 8 Amends, 13 Sheriff, 14 Ruined, 16 Avarice, 17 Gentle, 19 Award, 20 Strut, 21 Press.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Sizes, 3 Sello, 5/3D Pea soup, 7 Nautico, 9 Shop, 10 Aunt, 14 Orgullo, 15/14D Log out, 16 Tarde, 17 Abrir.

Down: 1 Sapos, 2 Sons, 4 Oro, 6 Among, 8 Igual, 11 Tiger, 12 Blue, 13 Boda.

17 Express approval of (6)

22 Recently made, produced

18 Hold in high regard (6)

or harvested (5)

20 Barriers (5)

23 Car for hire (4)

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

Across 1 Gotas de lluvia (9) 8 Ice (frozen water) (5) 9 Oyster (5) 10 Carne (4) 11 Leg (of an animal) (4) 15 Humo (de fuego, cigarro) (5) 17 Queen (5) 18 Tarde (9) Down 2 Bee (5) 3 Mediodía (las doce) (4) 4 Tejado (4) 5/16 Posponer (3,3) 6 Químico (7) 7 Cod (7) 12 Friend (5) 13 Boss (4) 14 Train (railway) (4) 16 See 5

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 (COILED) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

ADVERB

HEADER

ARISES

HURLED

BEINGS

LADDER

COILED (10)

NORMAL

DEALER

PIERCE

ENDURE

REWARD

FARMER

ROARED

GLASSY

SEEING

GLOVES

SPLASH

GUIDED

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Funagram Unscramble the name of a famous British-American rock band formed in 1967 (two words): TWO-FACED MOLE FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: MILWAUKEE BREWERS, FLEETWOOD MAC

Unscramble the name of an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team (two words): LUKEWARM BEER, WISE?

Down 1 Elaborates (8) 2 Before the appointed time (5) 4 Not tired (6) 5 Lesser (5) 6 Light in a transparent protective case (7) 7 Periods of time (4) 8 Distinctive forms in which things are made (6) 13 Remote (8) 15 Chiefs (7)

1 Breach, 2 Dealer, 3 Rested, 4 Kinder, 5 Hurled, 6 Resent, 7 Banker, 8 Thence, 9 Single, 10 Butler, 11 Pierce, 12 Regard, 13 Taller, 14 Healer, 15 Models, 16 Alters, 17 Arrows, 18 Salute, 19 Mellow

34

E W N 5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

Kind words from our senior correspondent THE Euro Weekly News is lucky to have two fine journalists in Leapy Lee and Mike Walsh.

The paper also had an editor who called herself Mrs Ed and all three of them helped produce an excellent newspaper with the motto “Publish and be damned” like Cassandra of the Daily Mirror.

Now and again I had to put them right on a matter or two but I am 96 now so I thought I had better write and thank you all for producing such an excellent paper.

Keep up the good work.

Bob Mitchell, Torremolinos (Malaga)

All in the family I HOPE that everyone at the Euro Weekly News is well and not working too hard!

Just a quick note to say how delighted and touched we are with the wonderful wedding presents.

Also, thanks so much for the piece that you put in the paper about the wedding.

It will make a lovely keepsake for us and will be great to send to family in the UK who could not make it over here for the wedding. We are both really overwhelmed.

Jamie and Heidi, Torrevieja (Alicante) Editor’s note: Heidi was formerly a Euro Weekly News reporter – and once in the EWN family, always in the EWN family! We wish the newlyweds every happiness for the future.

On the brink ONCE again, Mike Walsh demonstrates his obsessive belief that all wars nowadays are started by the American arms industry and that the US is dying to promote a war with Russia, using NATO. This is really nonsense. The current stand-off over the Ukraine is an example of

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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.

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brinkmanship where both sides know that there is a limit to what they can achieve, although they will try hard to move the limit in their favour before calling a truce.

Mike makes some startling assertions, such as “NATO takes the gold medal at starting conflicts.”

Try as I might, I cannot come up with even one. The first and only time that NATO has gone into action was in Yugoslavia and NATO certainly did not start that.

Mike has, as so often, thrown in remarks which may be striking but are irrelevant and misleading. What does he mean by, “As in 1939, Germany’s army is now smaller than Turkey’s or Poland’s”?

He has just been explaining that Germany’s army is very weak. But if it was smaller than Poland’s in 1939 that did not stop it from overrunning that country in a few days.

He finishes his article with: “Today, if America’s war lobby wins, as did Britain’s in 1939...”

Is he arguing that we ought not to have fought in 1939 and watched Hitler annex the whole of Europe, ourselves included?

Bill Campbell (by email)

Not so easy DESPITE there being a lot in the UK press about the powers that be wanting more people to

one of the reasons I came here.

I don’t know if Sylvia Fleck was here then but San Javier was reminiscent of Coventry airport, a tin hut with a walk to the plane.

Typical of Spanish bureaucracy, AENA spent €70 million on upgrading San Javier (which was not necessary) when Corvera was under construction. The delays in paperwork have managed to kill the project just like the Paramount Theme park which it was supposed to serve.

I imagine the lady in question lives in the San Javier area and does not have to travel very far to catch the limited number of planes out of San Javier.

D Fraser, Camposol (Murcia)

Open all hours I’M told that these flowers are called Bermuda buttercups but those leaves look like clover to me!

Gwen Saunders (by email)

register to vote in the forthcoming election, this apparently does not apply to expats.

There is already controversy about losing your right to vote after 15 years living abroad.

Even though I am within this timescale when I registered for a postal vote I was informed that the necessary form would not be sent out to me until four days before the election.

I am then supposed to receive this form, make my mark and return it within four days. It was also clearly stated that any forms received after the due date would not be counted.

Surely in these days of higher technology it should be possible to have a safe system of registering and voting either by email or similar? If postal voting is the only option there should be a longer time span for folks living abroad.

It seems that the only solution for any expat is to get someone living in their old neighbourhood to register the vote by proxy.

John Bingham, Playa Paraiso (Murcia)

Taxing prospect THE letter entitled “Tax Snag” suggests that when you are a tax resident here you are only allowed €6,000 per annum before tax kicks in.

Not quite true. There is also an earned income allowance (EIA) that includes pensions’ income as well. It starts at €4,080 and goes down to €2,652 on a sliding scale.

The more your earned income, if you have two pensions for example, the less EIA you get.

The sad thing about Spanish tax is that the personal tax allowance never goes up, unlike the UK. Then, of course, the euro exchange rate can also affect what you pay.

Ted Gilleland, Quesada (Alicante).

Plane truth I WOULD like to take issue with your correspondent Sylvia Fleck regarding San Javier airport.

Corvera Airport has been in the planning since I came to live in Murcia in 2001 and it was

REGARDING Corvera airport, tourism in Andalucia is already suffering due to lack of airports open all year round. Why not just let it go back to being a third world country, with no tourism or work for locals?

Almeria is only available to outside flights between the end of March and September.

Murcia is not much better but at least it gives you a choice of another relatively close airport.

If it is closed permanently no one will visit the northern parts of Andalucia due to inaccessibility. It’s ridiculous.

Rachel (via Euro Weekly News website)

EHIC hiccup EHICs are for British tourists of all ages travelling in Europe.

For those living outside the UK, if you’re under 65 you have no cover from the UK. When you get ill you’ll need to have private medical insurance, a flight ticket or a fat wallet.

Brits under 65 are covered by the Spanish Seguridad Social if they are self-employed and pay “Autonomos,” are on a “nomina” (payroll), are registered unemployed or are behind bars.

Steve, Palma Nova (Mallorca)

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

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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First setback rears its ugly head Erica Russell Watson: My journey – and I’m driving

21st February I ENDED my last blog by saying that I had lived to fight another day and that was certainly true. I just didn’t know how much of a fight I had ahead.

I have been eternally optimistic throughout the whole process from diagnosis through operations and now chemotherapy.

However, my first setback was about to rear its ugly head.

It was a normal Saturday morning and as ever I was up early to take Oliver to his football match, which was luckily a home game. I met with the legends and great friends that are Steve and Louise Holland and their boys. We have always loved supporting our boys from the sideline at matches. Steve sometimes for-

gets he’s not actually the coach but we let him off and put it down to his boundless enthusiasm!

A special mention and thanks go to Steve for all his support both emotional and practical during and after the funeral. He seemed to strike the perfect balance between always being available when help was required whilst never intruding, and even giving me some of his typical brand of banter just in case I was ever in danger of feeling sorry for myself.

The whistle blew for kick-off. Towards the end of the match, I started to feel very achy and quite drained so decided to go home with my daughter, leaving Ollie to play with his friends; he definitely needs his exercise and after recent events even more so.

With Ollie filling his lungs with fresh air and his heart with a bit of joy and sunshine, I happily went to bed thinking I just needed to rest. That night was probably the worst I can ever recall. I have had a reader write to me implor-

Readers’ response Dear Erica So sorry to hear your sad news about your ex, Angus, but you have to be strong for yourself now and the kids and beat the cancer, that’s your number one priority. Stay focused, keep strong and be positive, devote all your energies and inner strength to this effort to achieve your goal and beat this terrible disease.

You know you can do it, now more than ever, be strong, keep the faith, whatever it may be and you will survive and come through a much better person, stronger and better than before. You know it makes sense, and we are all rooting for you. Keep on trucking babe, cheers and all the best for your future.

Andy

Dear Andy I was very touched by your kind words and you are right... I have to dig even deeper now. I will beat the cancer, of that I have no doubt. For me and my children there is no other viable outcome.

As you say, I will keep trucking!

All the best to you, Erica

ing me not to talk about my side-effects and I think that generally I give an upbeat account. However, I think it would be misleading if I didn’t highlight some of the downsides.

As my treatment has changed I was told that I might experience some muscular pain. Well there is no might about it! It was the most excruciating pain I had ever felt. This was a little alarming for me because I have quite a high pain threshold, or at least thought I did!

The next days were just about getting through each

day. My battery ran down so quickly and I just had to accept that all the pending chores that glared up at me from my endless list of things to do would have to wait. I am a little stubborn and think that I can just carry on regardless, which on many occasions has stood me in very good stead, but sometimes I can be my own worst enemy.

So plaintively I crawled into bed and tried to be sensible for a change.

Nurse Isabella was now in charge and you certainly don’t want to mess with her! She set about her task

of looking after her mum with verve! Tea was brewed, hot water bottles made, temperatures monitored, pillows plumped, special juices whizzed up and lashings of love dished up. What a remarkable

person you are, my girl.

Bit by bit I emerged from the haze and shivery darkness and started to feel better. I made it to the doctor’s for antibiotics because I had a terrible chesty cough.

My temperature was fluctuating and I could only keep it down with medication. It was obvious to me that my immune system was not firing on all cylinders. If I had a temperature the next morning I would have to go to hospital for blood tests to check what was failing and if I had an infection.

So, with that thought in mind, I retire with my hot water bottle, cup of tea and book and hope that I am feeling much better tomorrow.

36

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E W N 5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

ATURDAY saw what was already billed to be the social event of the year!

The Grand Final of Mallorca’s Got Talent, hosted by Aroma El Toro Restaurant, was held in the fantastic venue of the theatre at Western Water Park.

What a superb venue it turned out to be. With a capacity of 500, tickets were in short supply running up to the event itself. The theatre was a great choice for what promised to be an extremely tight finish, to what has already been a hotly contested competition.

The contestants battled it out, each having two slots to showcase their talents.

The judges included X Factor’s vocal coach Lloyd Wade and opera singer George Pena, giving critical comment on each stage performance. The audience also had their say as they were allotted one vote each.

Paul Martin, Aroma’s amazing resident entertainer hosted the show, giving a great opening performance. All contestants had one performance, then there was a break during which opera singer and judge George Pena, gave a memorable and

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And the winner is ………..

Winner Rebecca Parry (centre) and friends.

Judges X Factor’s Lloyd Wade and George Pena.

emotional operatic rendition.

Time for the second slot for the contestants, the tension was palpable.

Then the final judging.

The overall and very deserved winner was Rebecca Parry, second place was young Brooke Judkins who did a wonderful performance of a song from the movie

‘Frozen,’ in third place was Rochelle Rimmer, a difficult choice but there could only be one winner.

The planned After Party then moved on to Aroma El Toro Restaurant, where the fun continued until the early hours.

Judge and X Factor vocal coach Lloyd Wade entertained the crowd, who by now were in high spirits, the dance floor was soon

Aroma After Party with Elaine Race (right).

Judge Lloyd Wade and Trisha Berger-Black.

Aroma owner Mark Scott and guest. full and the atmosphere was buzzing. All agreed it had been a fantastic evening.

Aroma’s amazing staff.

Lloyd is starting vocal coaching on the island, something many aspiring perfomers will be sure to

benefit from, you can get in touch with Aroma for details.

Aroma El Toro is a great venue for all types of events or entertainment.

Please call: 971 232 842 or 666 001 807 for any reservations or info on events.

38

E W N 5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

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Rugs and carpets can be germ ridden surfaces in your home

YEAR upon year Xtreme Clean has consolidated its reputation as leading specialist cleaners of carpets and upholstery in South West Mallorca and beyond.

Whether on boats, superyachts, villas, mansions or small apartments,the quality of their work and customer service is widely recognised as being second to none.

As trained and qualified members of the NCCA (UK National Carpet Cleaners Assoc.) each item is individually assessed to guarantee the highest standard of care. By carefully planning the correct cleaning procedure and technique the best possible result is ensured.

Consult their website www. xtremeclean.es. where you will find useful stain removal tips and advice.

Please don’t let your toddlers play on someone else’s carpets!!

DUST MITES: Swarm and multiply in your carpet.

Many of the germs living in your carpet and upholstery fibres can be transferred to food causing vomiting and diarrhoea.

The Norwalk Virus (Norovirus) can survive on an uncleaned carpet for a month or more.

Whilst you are reading this article, dust mites are swarming and multiplying in your carpet and upholstery.

The knowledge and expertise of Extreme Clean

are reflected in the huge amount of positive feedback received from their many satisfied clients.

“Super result on my sofa and armchairs, they look immaculate. We’ll be calling you again in the spring for all our outdoor furniture.” (Irene C. Costa de la Calma) “What an excellent service. Can’t believe how good my carpets look. And so reliable - Steve even called because they were

running five minutes late!”

(Charlie G. Santa Ponsa) All work is carried out in situ, employing a wide variety of cleaning techniques and technology and always fitting in around your busy schedule and individual needs.

Your carpets, rugs and upholstery are an important investment in your home. Their durability and lasting beauty is highly dependent on the maintenance and cleaning programme employed.

In order to present your favourite furnishings at their very best and help safeguard your home from harmful bacteria and allergens contact XTREME CLEAN now for a free, no obligation quote.

Tel. Office: 971 132 436 or 635 794 827 / 690 342 567 Email: info@xtremeclean.es

Gardening for the young Dick Handscombe

Gardening Corner

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

WHETHER there will be attractive gardens in Spain in the future depends to a great extent on whether today’s under 10s are encouraged to become involved in gardening.

Some schools do have gardening clubs, but they are often half hearted affairs to fill club time.

We only garden enthusiastically to create a holistic garden that • enables pleasurable outdoor living throughout the year • makes us self sufficient in vegetables and our favourite fruits because we started to garden with parents and grandparents at weekends and during holidays when very young.

Whether you or a school teacher are supervising a school gardening club, guide your children or grandchildren through the initial learning stages as there are a number of important factors.

1. Give them a prominent position for their mini garden so that they realise that you see their efforts as important and to encourage them to take pride in their efforts.

Why not use part of the gardens at the entrance to the school which parents can see rather than an out of sight corner of the playground?

2. Ensure that the soil in their mini gardens or

raised beds is of sufficient depth and good quality - fertile, water absorbing and free draining.

3. Make a few gardening books available and some UK sourced flower and seed catalogues that have photographs.

4. Take them to a few garden centres and let them buy some plants and seeds themselves.

5. Provide lightweight easy to use tools without sharp edges.

6. Provide a small watering can and help them to fix up a simple irrigation system.

7. Allow them to get dirty and have fun. Getting dirty can build up their immunity systems.

8. Help them choose easy to grow flowers, vegetables and fruit.

9. Encourage them to harvest their own vegetables for lunch time salads and sandwiches.

10. Get them to realise that plants need regular ongoing care like a pet.

11. Help them relate to what is happening in their mini garden.

12. Make ecological fertilizers, insecticides and fungicides available.

13. Show interest.

If you have already made good progress down these lines send an email including one or two photographs to gardeninginspain@hot mail.com.

The best email will earn for the school gardening club a set of gardening books. © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com March 2015

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Carlita and Chico check out petsitters

By Lamia Walker of HousesitMatch MAY and Bill settled in Malaga after retiring from the civil service. The sunshine and relaxed holidays they’ve enjoyed over the years had taken them to Spain in retirement bringing their Dachshunds, Carlita and Chico, with them.

The dogs settled quickly and seemed to relish the outdoor lifestyle as much as May and Bill - Malaga’s climate being a little more temperate than Newcastle.

Within the blink of an eye it was time to visit family and their forward planning meant their housesitters were able to come early and meet the dogs.

Sitters Janine and Karl had travelled from California.

They’ve owned pets all their lives and now semiretired were taking long holidays. They met May and Bill online through HouseSitMatch.

They Skyped to get to know each other and finally arrived two days early to meet Carlita and Chico.

Download your Free Easy Guide to Housesitting from here www.bit.ly/eurown001.

Dog tips to watch for

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

IF your dog gets badly hurt and injured you should rub firmly the very tip of his tail (the bone part), the rubbing will release endorphins which act like a morphine injection and will give your dog some pain relief until you can get him to the vets or other area

DOGS MEETING: They will scent the other dog out. with medical assistance.

Cover his eyes and ears at the same time as you transport him and this will settle all his senses and will also help give him relief Watch when two dogs meet. They shake hands in their own way just as we

do. While we use the touch system by shaking the other person’s hand, the dog uses his olfactory system by scenting the other dog out, particularly in the nether regions. This form of communication between two or more dogs is total

and they are getting every piece of information they require from that dog, by what they smell.

Watch your dog sniff around before it goes to the toilet. Is it looking for a good spot? Is it making enquiries as to who else has used this area as a toilet?

Why do many dogs scratch the ground after going to the toilet? Are they marking territory? I’ve been here, I own this spot.”

If they want to claim a particular area, they will most likely spread their urine over the top of any existing urine in the area.

New state of play Cassandra Nash

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

SPAIN drank its morning coffee as Mariano Rajoy’s State of the Nation speech reminded everyone that he has hauled the country out of recession.

Viewers and listeners lunched and dined to barbs and harangues from the opposition parties as they enumerated their reasons for refusing to be impressed.

It must have been frustrating for Podemos and Ciudadanos not to contribute to the talk-fest. These two parties are so new and captivating that they occupy respective second and fourth places in opinion polls but no seats in the national parliament.

Frustration was tempered with the knowledge that this will be the last State of the Nation debate where a government’s overpowering, overall majority turns criticism or censure into a waste of breath.

Podemos and Ciudadanos might never harvest enough votes to form a

government alone but they know things are going to change and will change because of them.

Finger-pointing THE Partido Popular bays for the heads of the PSOE miscreants in Andalucia and elsewhere but should examine its own loyalty to high-ranking politicians linked to scandals. Double standards are not convincing at the best of times and are pure self-indulgence in an election year.

Help from afar PODEMOS could also be accused of double standards. The €425,000 paid to its co-founder, Juan Carlos Monedero, by ALBA – an alliance of Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua – for his advisory services is costing him dear. Not because he belatedly gave the Hacienda its cut.

Not because he first claimed that he earned it in 2010 and later amended this to 2013. The least savoury aspect of that money is the use it was put to. If Monedero and Podemos

leader Pablo Iglesias are to be believed, it financed the latter’s chat show, La Tuerka. But was it used illegally to fund Podemos?

Was it earned by the sweat of Monedero’s brow or was it a donation? Before the death of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela was already backsliding into totalitariansm and under Nicolas Maduro it has arrived.

Not the best credentials for a party that polls rank as the second most popular in Spain.

Wanted children NEW laws will soon make it easier to adopt, and not before time. There are 13,400 children currently in care and probably double that number of couples hoping to adopt.

Instead they face a bureaucratic obstacle race that regularly shatters their dreams.

At least Rajoy’s government saw sense and withdrew its Abortion reform bill. Had it not, Spain’s orphanages would soon have been overcrowded with even more unwanted children.

RAJOY: Gave his State of the Nation address.

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Property

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Years of experience for all your electrical needs PAUL ROBINSON who is the owner of PSR Electrics has been established for over 30 years as a qualified electrician.

That means he has a huge amount of experience in both new installation wiring and also reform projects. He is well known and respect-

ed by the local people in Mallorca as he has been involved in new build apartments and villas and also other business projects for the restaurant and bar trade.

Paul has given service to venues such as The Pirate Beach Bar and Aroma el Toro just to name two. Years of experience have allowed him to undertake both domestic and commercial work. Paul is also an installer of air condi-

tioning units and can service those that need regular attention.

If you have an emergency there is also a 24hr call out service.

You can find the PSR Electrics office situated in Cala Vinas, Mallorca where Paul and his team are available to give you an estimate for any electrical work that you need done.

Alternatively you can call PSR Electrics on 606 281 269.

PSR ELECTRICS: Also attend to air conditioning units.

Interest rate drop could mean savings for owners SPANISH property owners who took out a mortgage a year ago may be in for savings this year thanks

to falling interest rates.

The Euribor, an index used to calculate interest rates for 95 per cent of mortgages in Spain, ended the month of February at a historical low of 0.25 per cent, meaning those that took out mortgages a year ago could save around €156 on repayments this year.

Over the last 12 months, the index has dropped almost three points, meaning for a mortgage taken out in February 2014 for approximately €100,000 to be repaid over 25 years, monthly payments would be reduced from €356 to €343, a €13 per month saving.

The Euribor index, calculated by the European Bank Federation using data from the main groups in the

MORTGAGE HOLDERS: Could be in for some relief.

Eurozone, shows annual changes in the value of money in the European banking market and is the main reference for variable rate mortgages.

The index revolves around the fluctuations approved by the European Central Bank, which at a meeting last September reduced interest rates to a historical minimum of 0.05 per cent, which have not been changed since.

E W N 5 - 11 March 2015 / Mallorca

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BOATING

Yachting legislation is working THE new yachting legislation that came into Spain in 2014 is working, according to Palmabased Network Marine Consultants.

It has been over a year since all charter yachts operating in Spain - irrespective of size - could claim exemption from the infamous matriculation tax, and several months since non-EU flagged superyachts were allowed to charter within Balearic waters.

“2014 was a year to

CHARTER YACHTS: Since the new legislation came into place, the industry has started to flourish. remember, giant steps were taken and the brakes came off Spain’s yachting sector,” said Patricia Bullock, director of Network Marine Consultants. “We are now open for fair and commercially-viable business and the industry has started to flourish. Right now at Network Marine

Consultants we are busier than ever with plenty of boats going through the process of obtaining their first licence for charter.”

From a base of zero in 2013, Network Marine Consultants administered no less than 33 superyacht charter licences in 2014. Removing renewals from the equation, these brand new

licences were for 25 motor yachts, four sailing yachts and four catamarans.

“It’s these superyacht statistics that prove that the new legislation is working and gives us hope that the Spanish superyacht charter fleet will continue to expand,” said Ms Bullock. “Worldwide yachting association, MYBA, estimated

back in 2011 that there were around 802 large yachts for rent in the Mediterranean, of which only 17 were available in Spain. Taking only our endeavours into account, we’ve already managed to increase this figure by 200 per cent, bringing clients with high purchasing power to the islands.”

Official figures from

Spanish marine trade association, ANEN, show that Spain’s recreational yachting market grew almost 10 per cent after six years of decline in 2014. The Balearics still dominate Spain’s recreational yachting market, taking nearly 15 per cent of boat registrations in 2014, nudging Barcelona into second place with just under 11 per cent.

BOATING

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

Citroen celebrates 50 million sales THE beginning of 2015 marked a momentous moment for French motor giant Citroen with 50 million vehicles sold since the company’s founding more than 95 years ago.

The company will be marking this success with their new range of vehicles highlighted at the Geneva Motor Show, including the new Citroen Berlingo Multispace.

The new model is updating its approach with a new front end, and useful, modern technologies including the new seven-inch touch drive interface and Active City Brake, as well as efficient latestgeneration engines.

A pioneer in the leisure-vehicle sector and a constantly renewed benchmark, Citroen staff say the new version maintains

all its qualities in terms of modular design, space, comfort and equipment.

Also on show in Geneva is an original concept, the Berlingo Mountain Vibe Concept.

It features, a full range of body reinforcements and accessories to enjoy nature, explore hill and dale and reach for the highest summits.

A nod to the transalpine scenery around Geneva, it is the ideal partner for all those looking for open air sports and freedom.

The Citroen C4 Range consolidates its status as a compact hatchback of practical nature, with the easy to drive C4.

Focused on comfort and driving experience, it has gained a number of upgrades designed to bring out its character and make life easier.

NEW VULCAN: A supercar for a unique and thrilling track day.

Aston Martin deliver exclusive experience FOR real speed lovers, and those who want an entirely adrenaline motoring experience, Aston Martin have recently announced the release of the new Vulcan.

This is a track-only supercar and the British luxury brand’s “most intense and exhilarating creation” to date.

Born out of extensive motorsport experience and using the brand’s acknowledged unique design and engineering ability - the 800-plus bhp, all-carbon fibre Aston Martin Vulcan should deliver a truly extreme performance.

The new supercar limited to just 24

examples worldwide - will allow owners the opportunity to precisely tailor their track day experience through a graduating scale of detailed power and dynamic performance adjustments.

The company’s CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, said: “Aston Martin Vulcan is, by its very nature, a rare and thrilling supercar.

“Designed and engineered to deliver a genuinely bespoke driving experience that draws on our rich heritage, this car tailors its power and handling to both the capabilities of the driver and the characteristics of the track.

“A sports car for true

sports car lovers, I believe the Aston Martin Vulcan - and the unique ownership programme that sits behind it - sets a whole new standard in the ultra-high luxury supercar class.”

Styled entirely in-house by the Aston Martin design team and with a design hinting at the next generation of Aston Martin sports cars, this supercar is powered by a 7.0-litre V12 petrol engine.

With its 800-plus bhp powerplant developed in conjunction with Aston Martin Racing, this front mid-engined, rear-wheel drive sports car draws extensively on the

brand’s GT motorsport experience.

Utilising the techniques of world-class motorsport engineering, the supercar sees its power-to-weight ratio exceed those of the GTE cars which compete in the FIA’s annual World Endurance Championship.

If you would like one of these exclusive vehicles you are going to have to act fast, according to Aston Martin.

Performance data, together with further technical details about the ultra-exclusive trackonly supercar, will be released closer to its track debut later this year.

Toyota recycling commitment TOYOTA wants to continue to increase its already high rate of battery recycling with hybrid vehicles.

Hybrid batteries can generally outlast a vehicle’s life. These are therefore usually only recovered at the end of vehicle life, or in the case of an accident. Toyota has said it has built

up years of experience running a collection process through Toyota and Lexus retailers with a reverse logistics mechanism.

Dealers receive a new hybrid battery in return for giving back the old one, leading to the company’s average 91 per cent collection rate.

Now Toyota is stepping up efforts to further increase the volumes of collected used hybrid batteries, setting itself the target of aiming to collect 100 per cent of the batteries coming from its own network and from any authorised ELV battery treatment operators across Europe.

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SPORT

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Sport

Federer wins in Dubai ROGER FEDERER (with 12 aces, taking him past 9,000 overall) beat Novak Djokovic in Dubai’s APT Tour final. This was Federer’s 84th career victory and his seventh in Dubai. Both finalists and Andy Murray are currently all in action in various Davis Cup matches.

Mallorca’s best guide to local sport

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

By Lynda Demangeat HOSTS, El Toro RC were outright winners in the Michel Rodier Tournament for the girls’ teams.

Players from RC Ponent, Bahia RC, Corsaris RFC and Shamrock RC demonstrated the standard of rugby in the girls’ game continues to improve in the series of matches played in Son Caliu.

Bahia RC finished the evening in second place followed by RC Ponent, Corsaris RFC and Shamrock who were depleted by injuries. Plenty of spectators braved the damp evening to support their teams in the competitive but friendly tournament.

El Toro RC organisers, parents and supporters had a busy morning as the youngsters played in their respective tournaments.

The local teams were very successful and were joined by RC

MARINA BRAVO MORENO, BALEARES RUGBY FEDERATION

Successful Rugby Day for Son Caliu

WEEKEND MATCH: Corsaris RFC v Ibiza RC at Pollensa.

Ponent and Mallorca Bocs.

In the 10th leg of the U14 Michel Rodier Trophy RC Ponent played the combined El Toro RC, Mallorca Bocs and Agora Portals team.

The El Toro RC U16 team was successful in their match against RC Ponent.

Ibiza RC proved to be far too strong in their weekend match against Corsaris RFC in Pollensa winning by 55 points to nil, ensuring their fourth place in the Baleares Men’s Senior League.

RC Ponent A continued their league winning form by beating Dimonis RC in Manacor by 24

points to 14.

In the remaining match played at the weekend between rivals RC Ponent B and El Toro RC the host team were out to maintain their second place. RC Ponent slipped a try past the El Toro RC defence early on and put down two more before half time. El Toro RC worked hard in defence and managed to hold up another.

The visitors’ constant efforts to push through the green defence were rewarded and Manolo Tur scored the first points for EL Toro RC. RC Ponent players were becoming frustrated and somewhat disorganised and tempers were getting frayed. A red card was given to Carlos Castellano of RC Ponent for punching an El Toro RC player and another received a yellow card for talking back to the referee leaving only 13 men on the pitch for 10 minutes.

Score at half time was 25 to 5 leaving El Toro RC a lot to do to catch up. They came out for the second half strongly and Berni Millet and Nick Demangeat were both able to find a way through the RC Ponent defence to score tries. El Toro RC were playing well with good passing sequences, good lineout wins and some good runs up the field but RC Ponent was just too experienced for the young opposition.

They didn’t give up on the defence however and only allowed RC Ponent two more tries taking the final score to 37 points to 17.

Rugby Easter Camp This rugby camp is being organised by Mallorca Bocs in Inca to take place during the Easter holidays for children between five and 15 years old. Most of the camp will be in English. Contact eastercamp@mallorcabocs.com.