Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 19 - 25 March 2015 Issue 1550 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

ISSUE NO. 1550

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Nerja charms travellers USERS of renowned travel guide ‘Guia Repsol’ have chosen Nerja as the fifth out of the ‘Ten Most Charming Villages’ of Spain. First place went to Albarracin (Teruel).

Jobless help AN AGREEMENT signed by Motril Council and charity association Caritas will create an employment integration programme to train jobless people from the agriculture industry through the creation of urban vegetable gardens.

Easter-ready STREETS around Motril town centre (Calle Romero Civantos, Plaza del Cripres and Marques de Vistabella y Cruces) are undergoing improvement works as the town prepares for the forthcoming Semana Santa (Holy Week) festivities.

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Hope for illegal home-owners THERE is a ray of hope for illegal property owners following a decision reached in the Spanish Senate. Parliamentary groups agreed to an amendment of the reform of the Penal Code to allow judges to delay demolition of illegal homes bought in good faith until compensation is guaranteed for the owners. The amendment was presented by the PSOE socialist party, which collaborated with the Abusos Urbanisticos Almanzora No (AUAN) group and Save our Homes (SOHA) in the Axarquia. Although expatriates affected by the problem had been losing faith due to the apparent lack of support for their cause, the amendment is good news, although it remains to be seen how judges will interpret it. Some sections of the press are suggesting a banner-waving celebration worthy of a full scale party, but it is not quite as big a move as it

first seems. Historically, although property owners were sometimes awarded compensation by the courts, their properties could still be demolished before they received a cent, leaving people like the Priors seeing their life savings wiped out. Under the terms of the amendment, owners must now be guaranteed compensation before demolition. However, this does not mean the house is suddenly legal, which still leaves the issue of properties that can’t be connected to the

utilities or gain the correct paperwork. Simon Manley, British Ambassador to Spain, saw the move as an encouraging development. He said: “This is moving the legal system closer to providing fair and lasting solutions for British property owners who find themselves facing the threat of demolition.” President of SOHA Philip Smalley echoed the comments of Maura Hillen, President of AUAN, in that the vote, while welcomed, does not alter the fact that a lot of work still needs to

be done in order to gain full legalisation of people’s homes. The organisations want an amnesty to legalise properties bought in good faith. Smalley added: “The properties are still neither legal nor illegal, they are just in limbo. But due to the fact that it will be the local councils who are responsible for paying any compensations due, and they don’t have any money, we will have to see if it makes any difference. However, it is a step forward.” SOHA can be contact-

ed via their website: www.soha.es or Facebook: ‘Soha Axarquia’

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INDEX News 1 - 16 Finance 19 - 24 Leapy Lee 25 Ulf Bodin on flickr

Daily TV 26 Time Out 28 - 29 Letters 30 Health & Beauty 36 - 37 H&G/Pets 39 Services 42 - 44 Classifieds 45 - 46 Motoring 47 Sport 48

FRIGILIANA: Residents are being asked to record short videos for the new show.

TV show looking for participants

TV production company Atresmedia is looking for residents of Frigiliana to cast in a new show that is soon to be released. The town council was contacted by the company as it is interested in looking in the town for the best candidates to participate in a show that will be titled ‘Al

otro lado de la Tele’ (‘On the other side of the telly’). Participation is easy: candidates will only have to record a short introduction video (one or two minutes), in which families, group of friends or couples state their name, age, where they are from and what sort of TV shows they like to watch.

Candidates are requested to record the video in the area of their homes where they usually watch television (kitchen, living room etc). The quality does not have to be professional. Send your video to alotro ladodelatele@atresmedia.co m. Also, information can be requested at 905 447 333.

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NEWS Almost finished THE coast path ‘Senda Litoral’ which connects the whole province of Malaga, starting in Nerja and finishing in Manilva is now accessible in 75 per cent of its 180 kilometres. It is estimated this path will generate a revenue of €40 million. Energy exhibition ‘ENERGY’ is the title of an exhibition which opened last Monday (March 16) at Motril’s History Museum displaying information on Natural Gas. Open until April 10.

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Police threaten to strike OFFICERS of Motril’s Local Police force have announced a strike, alleging major issues in their workplace. The police, represented by trade unions SIP-AN, SPLIG and CCOO, said the current system for schedule control has not been adapted to their different shifts. Officers claim their equipment is also deficient,

saying: “We have not been able to perform alcohol tests for months as we do not have any Breathalysers left. We had to ask Guardia Civil officers to carry them out. The

machines lacked maintenance because the budget allocated did not include their revision.” In addition, they claim they only have three motorcycles for 100 officers and their uniforms are damaged due to quality and age. Finally, they have requested the government improves police facilities with the creation of ‘decent changing rooms with showers.’

Lucky numbers A LUCKY resident of Motril won €60,000 thanks to the Once raffle last Saturday. More than €9 million went to winners in Malaga from tickets sold by one vendor.

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ews watch

Car park proposal

NERJA Council has proposed the construction of an underground car park under the sports facilities of the Nueva Nerja School as well as new indoor sport facilities.

MOTRIL’S new Social Security office will be completed in May. Costing €4.7 million, the new facilities will have a surface of 4,524 square metres and will deal with 140,000 people.

First dog park

Child artists THE 8th edition of VelezMalaga’s ‘Golden Brush,’ a painting competition for children between five and 14 years old, has been inaugurated. More information: 952 506 178 and 645 097 132.

Alcoholics Anonymous ARAX (Axarquia Alcoholic Anonymous Association) organised last weekend the 13th edition of the Rehabilitated Alcoholics Anonymous of Malaga conference at Torremolino’s Don Pablo Hotel.

New facilities

Youths arrested TWO youths were arrested in La Cala del Moral last weekend after they allegedly hit a woman and stole her purse. Officers were able to catch them and retrieve the €225 they had stolen.

Damages claim MOTRIL’S Andalucian-nationalist political party has complained about the poor condition of the industrial site Las Algaidas. They claim it is being used for illegal car races and that vandals have been damaging the facilities.

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ALMUÑECAR will get its first dog park. It will be around 100m2 and will be located in the El Pozuelo park.

Hotel contract

LAS FALLAS: The huge papier mache models cost tens of thousands of euros to build.

Celebrating with fire ONE of Spain’s most famous festivals has been in full swing around the province of Valencia. Las Fallas are a five day celebration - running until tonight (Thursday) marked across the province in honour of San José. The focus of the fiesta for many is the creation and destruction of the ‘niñots’ - which are huge papiermache models. They cost tens of thousands of euros to build and take many months to construct by the various clubs or peñas. The themes are varied and satirical and reminiscent of the 80’s British comedy Spitting Image, where many of the models are caricatures poking fun at Spanish politicians and celebrities. The climax of the week long celebration takes

Quote of the Week It’s not very nice, that’s for sure. You have to hunt out specific places, the nice places,” said Spanish singer Edurne Garcia and Eurovision competitor when asked whether Manchester, where her goalkeeper boyfriend plays, was ‘uglier than the back of a fridge.’

place tonight, known as ‘La Crema,’ or burning of the fallas. While the most famous are held in Valencia City, many expats will see the three separate fallas in Benidorm - in the Rincon de Loix at the end of the Levante beach, Plaza Triangular at the end of the Avd Mediterraneo and in the Old Town on Calle Tomás Ortuño. A grand float procession with all the participants takes place at 6pm. The children’s fallas are burnt first - starting at 11pm then the main adult ones are set alight one by one at midnight. The one in the Rincon goes up followed at 12:30am with the Plaza Triangular and lastly, the one in the Old Town.

Number of the week

6.5

million is the number of people called to vote this Sunday, March 22, in the Andalucian elections. Of the total number of people eligible to vote, 245,202 will be doing so for the first time having recently reached the age of 18.

THE contract for running the Municipal Hotel Cerro La Jaula of Benamocarra has been awarded to Malaga Fusion. It is expected to open in May after cleaning, painting and other works.

No to drugs ‘MOTRIL against drugs’ is a new council campaign launched to educate 2,000 schoolchildren about the risks of legal and illegal drugs.

Boat event THE third Andalucian Regatta organised by sports club Rebalaje, will be held in La Cala del Moral next Saturday (March 21) at Calaflores Beach. The event will start at 10am and finish at 2.30pm.

And finally... Hackers who managed to block more than 400,000 files belonging to Madrid’s Ifema Fair and Congress centre were left looking rather silly when their demands for payment to undo their work were ignored and the centre’s technicians managed to restore all the servers within a day.

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Britain’s most wanted criminals are in Spain THE British National Crime Agency has released details of 10 of Britain’s

most wanted criminals, all thought to be hiding in Spain and on the Costas.

In an operation known as ‘Captura,’ police are appealing to residents and travellers in Spain to give any information that may lead to the arrests of these individuals. They include Shane

MOST WANTED: All 10 Britons are thought to be hiding in Spain.

Walford, who was convicted of the manslaughter of a firefighter and father-oftwo at a bar in Coventry. Walford was released on licence in January 12, but having failed to attend appointments with a super-

vising officer, the licence was revoked and he has been recalled to prison. Many of the men, who have been accused or convicted of crimes ranging from manslaughter and rape to assault and

‘Willkommen’ for German students GERMAN students were warmly welcomed to Almuñecar, thanks to an exchange programme with the town’s International School. On Friday March 13 at the Palacete La Najarra, Institutional Relations councillor, Maria del Mar Medina, greeted a group of students from Fürstenfelbruck, located in the region of Bavaria. Almuñecar and the German city became twin towns back in 2005. The students were provided with tourist material, and were able to enjoy a guided tour around the main

points of interest of the town. In return, they delivered several gifts on behalf of their town council. They will be staying at the homes of local students who have also visited Fürstenfelbruck. Almuñecar International School teacher, Constance Schubart, explained that this kind of exchange programme has been taking place since 2011 very successfully. “I wish them a wonderful stay amongst us and hope that they will become the best ambassadors for our town,” said the councillor.

drug smuggling, are still thought to be a considerable danger to the public. British Police, working together with Spanish security services, want to find and extradite these men as soon as is possible. Operation Captura is part of an ongoing push to track down British criminals hiding in a part of Europe still considered an easy refuge for UK criminals by the Spanish fugitive unit. Detailed information and photos regarding each of the 10 criminals are available on the UK Crimestoppers website.

Tel: +44 800 555 111. https://crimestoppersuk.org/get-involved/ourcampaigns/internationalcampaigns/operationcaptura/

Our View

Nowhere to run

OR decades, Spain has been renowned as the place to run away to and hide for most of Europe’s criminal fraternity. But not any more! For the law-abiding British expats in Spain (about five million) who have had to live with jibes and jokes about ‘The Costa del Crime’, it has been a far from amusing experience. But last year saw a significant leap forward in British-SpanishEuropean co-operation and technology advances, which have quickly turned the whole game around. Successful initiatives like Operation Imperium, which cracked a Bulgarian mafia gang, arresting 31, Operation Captura, which is ongoing, the detection and arrest of numerous IS extremists this

month, as well as the news that the biggest gang of scammers on the south coast has been arrested, is evidence enough that the era of hiding in Spain has come to an end. What with mobile phones that know where people are, web connections that track origins, hi-tech cameras in the air, street CCTV running 24 hours, social media and international police operations, the world has become a very hard place in which to hide. Even more so in Spain. Here we have things like ID cards, road checkpoints, car park cameras and identification systems that even the UK doesn’t have. Some might say that the whole Big Brother feeling is a little intrusive. But the huge advantage is that Spain is now less desirable than the UK as a place for criminals to hide.

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FEATURE NEWS EXTRA

African art AN EXHIBITION displaying traditional African art will be held at Almuñecar’s Casa de la Cultura until May 6. It is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 1pm and from 4pm to 6pm.

Car crash FOUR people suffered injuries after two vehicles were in a collision in VelezMalaga. All four were taken to the Axarquia regional hospital where they received treatment.

Best wine ONE of the world’s most important wine critics, Robert Parker, considered an Axarquia red wine, the Sedella, as the best of Andalucia.

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Golden customer chosen A LUCKY resident of Rincon de la Victoria has won €6,000, to spend in local stores thanks to the council project ‘Golden Client for One Day.’ The initiative was designed and paid for by the town’s government with the support of the local Business Owners Association (ACERV) to give a boost to the local economy. Since December 12, residents of the town received a ticket for every purchase of €5 or more made in participating businesses.

WINNER: Fernando Rubio Bernmudez with his cheque. Hundreds of residents deposited the tickets in a box placed in each store to

participate in a raffle, which was drawn last week at the town hall.

The winner, Fernando Rubio Bernmudez, will have to spend the whole amount on March 20, starting at 4pm, and will not be able to spend more than €500 in each of the stores. In addition, the winner will have to choose at least one item from each district of Rincon de la Victoria. Mayor Francisco Salado, emphasised the great success of the campaign while Commerce councillor, Marta Martin, said: “This project was created to help reduce commerce seasonality as well as promote local businesses.”

€1m boost for El Playazo EL PLAYAZO in Nerja will receive a large financial boost to regenerate the beach and protect it against climatic change. Specifically, €800,000 will be spent in the area by the Environment ministry of Spain, together with €219,000 by Malaga’s Provincial Council. Two bridges are to be built: one above the Chillar

River and the other above the Seco River. The second will be 16.5 metres long and three metres wide and will cost €62,000. The one designed for the Chillar River will be 30 metres long and three metres wide, with a budget of €157,000. Both are expected to be completed in a period of about a month.

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Motril new ferry starts A FAST ferry which will take passengers from Motril to Melilla in two hours and 35 minutes has become operational. The ferry, which will also connect Motril Port to Moroccan cities Nador and Alhucemas, has been christened Volcan de Tirajana. “It is the fastest trip available at the moment from the peninsula, and offers a service of great quality and safety,” said Head of the Port Authorities of Motril, Francisco Alvarez de la Chica. Trips to this destination which depart from Malaga and other points can last from three to four hours. The new ferry was built in 2006 and has capacity for 900 passengers and 287 vehicles.

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Third event THE third Provincial Padel Tournament of Andalucia will take place next Saturday (March 21) at 10am in the municipal padel courts of the sports centre La Vega (Algarrobo).

Metro signal HISTORICAL VALUE: The improvement works are to start in March.

Cemetery is to get a makeover WITH a cost of almost €70,000, Motril cemetery will experience a comprehensive series of improvements and renovations. The works will start by the end of March and are expected to be completed in a period of three months. “These works seek to fix all deficiencies and damage to floors and ceilings, as well as some minor flooding problems,” explained the town mayor, Luisa Garcia Chamorro, who added: “We are also hoping to eliminate all obstacles to facilitate the access of people with disabilities.”

Ms Chamorro stressed that the council supports a cemetery which not only serves as a holy space for residents, but also a place that, due to its beauty and historical value can serve as a tourism attraction for visitors, as some cemeteries already are, for instance the Casabermeja Cemetery in Malaga, or the Monturque in Cordoba. “Each cemetery holds a secret, a legend to discover and story to tell. Cemeteries are the reflection of the society that we live in,” said the mayor.

Hiking fun in Almuñecar HIKING enthusiasts are in luck as they will be able to enjoy a route organised by Almuñecar’s municipal sports department. The itinerary will cover the distance between the Velillos River and Olivares and is suitable for those who do not have exten-

sive experience of hiking but would like to be introduced to this sports practice, as the difficulty level is low. The event will take place on Sunday (March 22), and will be coordinated by Enrique Garin and Francisco Novo, who will guide the

participants. “It will be an amazing route, short in distance and length, going downhill a great part of the time and with many sightseeing attractions for hikers. We will visit Moclin, its castle and cave paintings, as well as the Velillos river and windmills,” said Mr Garin. Departure will take place at 7.30am from the town’s bus station and the route is expected to last around five hours. Those interested in participating can request more information and register at the Municipal Sports Centre ‘Francisco Bonet’ or by calling 958 883 142.

MALAGA Metro has reached an agreement with Vodafone to provide a signal for the mobile company’s users on the city’s underground trains.

Healthy habit MORE than 2,000 students from eight primary schools of Rincon de la Victoria participated in the third edition of the School Sports Games, an event organised by the town council to promote healthy habits.

110 posts MORE than 1,600 people applied for 110 posts as supply teachers, teaching assistants and associate professors offered by the University of Malaga this winter.

Let’s vote MORE than 56,874 citizens of VelezMalaga are called to vote next Sunday (March 22) in the regional elections of Andalucia in the 34 electoral colleges around the town.

Nasty man A 70-YEAR-OLD man was arrested by National Police of Motril after recording his sexual intercourse with a woman and uploading it to a pornographic site without her consent.

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Crime rate drop means a safer Nerja CRIMINAL offences decreased by 11.4 per cent in Nerja in 2014, compared with the previous year. The figures were released by the general secretary of Malaga Provincial Council sub-depart-

Cliff-fall fisherman rescued A MAN was rescued in the area of Carchuna-Calahonda (Motril) after he fell down a cliff while fishing. The fall caused multiple injuries and concussion, which prevented the man from standing up and leaving the area, according to National Police. When officers arrived at the scene, they found the man trapped between rocks. He explained that he had no feeling in his arms and legs. With the help of the fire brigade and emergency services, the man was evacuated on a stretcher and taken to Motril Hospital.

Youngsters collect food for the needy MORE than 2,000 kilos of food were collected by youth association alMunekkab to be donated to Caritas in Almuñecar. All food items were given to the volunteers by clients of big supermarket chains. The young men and women from the association were able to collect this amount in only one day. “Once more, Almuñecar residents displayed great support for those who need it the most,” said the association. Caritas Almuñecar commented: “What is learnt during one’s youth stays for the rest of one’s life. Thanks for helping us to help others.”

ment, Luis Carlos Abreu, together with the mayor, Jose Alberto Armijo, and police representatives. Data show that Nerja is registering a positive trend as both offences and the crime rate

have decreased by 7.31 and 1.26 per cent respectively. The clear-up rate, which measures how many crimes were solved or ‘cleared’, went up by almost 2 per cent and the number of those investigated de-

creased slightly, from 152 in 2013 to 143 in 2014. When talking about crimes registered, it is worth mentioning the decrease in practically all analysed fields. Crimes against property went down by 13.41

per cent, robbery (-5.5 per cent) and crimes using violence or intimidation (-77.77 per cent). Formal complaints registered regarding gender-based violence were 33 in total, 19.51 per cent fewer than the year before.

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CONCRETE WALLS: To contain the affected stretch.

ROAD LEVELLED: To prevent further erosion.

Road improvements THE access to the El Cerval Alto district in La Herradura (Almuñecar) is currently undergoing renovation works.

The works seek to repair the damage caused by landslides and water erosion, according to deputy major, Juan Jose Ruiz Joya.

Plans have covered the creation of concrete walls to contain the affected stretch, as well as to level the area to prevent further erosion by rainwater.

The golden era of tango in Nerja TANGO enthusiasts will be able to enjoy a show

featuring group ‘Camaleon Tango’ next Friday

(March 20) in Nerja. The show seeks to take the audience back to Rio de la Plata (Argentina) in the 40’s, known as the golden era of tango, an art form that comes in different musical variants such as milongas, waltzes and candombes. Graciela Yuste is the singer and guitar player of the band, and has released several albums in Latin America and an international career.

Adrian Lombardi, also a guitar player, is a renowned artist who has worked with groups as popular as Chambao, Danza Invisible and flamenco singer Raimundo Amador, as well as having worked as the musical conductor of the Malaga Casino’s Orchestra. The event will take place at Nerja’s Cultural Centre (Calle Granada, 45) at 9pm and tickets are €10 at the door.

Pointing in the right direction RURAL paths and tourism routes in Torrox will be improved as the council has received €20,000 to carry out signposting works. Head of the Environment Department of Torrox Council, Lauren Salvatierra explained that the money will be used to boost rural areas of the municipality with the aim of improving the appearance of the village with a consequent benefit for businesses and hotels. The aid has been granted by the Axarquia Rural Development Group (GDR) and is cofinanced by the European Agriculture and Rural Development Fund as well as the regional government.

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Facebook police insult backfires TWO residents of Motril will have to pay a €125 fine each for insulting the Local Police through the social media platform Facebook. According to the sentence imposed by Motril Court a picture depicting two police officers from Motril fining a car belonging to Torrenueva Council was uploaded on Facebook.

After that, the two accused commented on the picture “pathetic, what a shame” and “Such ********, they do not have enough with Motril, they also have to be a pain in the **** in Torrenueva.” Three others were accused of the same offence but were cleared as it was not possible to prove that they were the authors of the offensive comments.

Suspect held for setting bins on fire A 60-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested by Local Police in Rincon de la Victoria after being caught apparently setting a rubbish bin on fire. The man first ignited some plastic which he then threw into the bin, police sources said. The investigation began on February 15 when concern was sparked amongst residents of the Cotomar complex as almost every day, always at the same time, a rubbish bin was set on fire. Plain-clothes officers set up surveillance and caught the main suspect. He faces a €7,000 fine and has been charged with damaging public property.

Attacked by her partner A 53-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested Rincon de la Victoria Local Police for allegedly abusing his partner. The mayor, Francisco Salado, reported that the victim had to take refuge on the family home’s terrace with her nine-yearold daughter after she was attacked by her partner.

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Graffiti contest A GRAFFITI contest has been organised by Salobreña Council to find the best artwork to decorate the white walls of the La Fuente II Park and support local artists. Find out more at http:// www.ayto-salobrena.es/.

Nordic music MORE than 200 Nordic people visited Almuñecar last weekend for the performance by renowned Swedish artiste Matias Enn at the town’s Casa de la Cultura.

Classical treat THE Casa de la Cultura in Almuñecar will host a classical concert by pianist Alberto G Calderon, who will perform pieces by renowned composers Turina and Albeniz.

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Inspirational people… Sarah Taylor-Moore By Tina Irving SARAH TAYLOR-MOORE lives with her husband Mike in the small village of Corumbela, tucked away high in the mountains behind the costas. Born in Yorkshire, England, she trained as a lawyer specialising in litigation, crime and matrimonial. Sarah’s current lifestyle is far from the harsh world of criminal law. Being a lawyer in such an environment has not dimmed her zest and energy for life, and in helping those in need, especially dogs. She now has three rescue dogs, a Great Dane, a Gordon Setter and a Podenco, which has probably some Staffordshire terrier or pit bull in his breeding. Asked why she started rescuing dogs when there were so many other people doing it, Sarah could not really answer, just that she wanted to do it. A doglover and owner for over 25 years, Sarah saw how animals can be treated and took it on board to start rescuing those most desperate cases. Sarah and two other volunteers, Clair Spettigue and Dawn Smith, set up ‘Give a Dog a Home Malaga’ three years ago and between them rehomed

more than 150 dogs in 2014, an increase year-on-year. There are many animal charities and people who care about animals and want to DOGLOVER: Sarah helped rehome 150 dogs last year.

help, but Give a Dog a Home has no premises and no charitable status as yet. They do not have the visibility that other organisations have. All dogs taken from the pound are fostered first, vaccinated, spayed and housetrained before they go to someone who will, hopefully, keep and love them forever. In typical style, Sarah was most embarrassed to be interviewed as an ‘inspirational person’ and her reaction was: “Well, there must be better people than me who fit the bill.” What strikes you about Sarah when you meet her is her way of organising things without seeming to organise them. They just happen. Sarah Taylor-Moore is an inspiration to us all.

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Good taste IN a tasting experiment, Alicante University students all preferred water from inland natural springs. Benidorm’s tapwater was voted second but Alicante City’s desalinated water got the thumbs-down.

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THE 12 ‘apostles’ or pillars supporting the Loreto church in Javea need repairs. Only deteriorated poured concrete will be replaced as the iron reinforcement inside the pillars is undamaged.

A DRONE will be used in Gandia to detect and photograph the inaccessible breeding grounds of mosquitoes. This will be especially helpful in outlying rural areas, the town hall said.

Not so nutty ALICANTE Province’s almond plantations have declined from 31,820 to 24,070 hectares since 2012. Despite the reduction, growers are returning to the crop as prices rise and demand increases, the Asaja agricultural union said.

File bandit A 22-YEAR-OLD Alicante male was arrested and charged with online piracy after uploading more than 3,000 films and television programmes. A 43-year-old associate was arrested in Vizcaya.

COSTA DEL SOL

PORT OF CALL: Alicante hopes to double cruise passenger numbers this year.

Hopes high for more cruise ships CRUISE traffic in the Port of Alicante sank by 17.38 per cent last year, with the arrival of 34,583 passengers, according to data from State Ports. But the company Costa Blanca Port, which has managed the cruise terminal since January last year, said figures for this year will show a turnaround. CEO Carlos Almodovar said they have offered more commercial elements and 2015 promises to be a good year with more cruises already confirmed, bringEstepona by Joaquin Vazquez from Huelva, who was awarded 10 points more than the runners-up for his work.

Evictions increase

AMERICAN investment company Blackstone continues preparations with a due diligence before purchase of 39.4 per cent of shares in Malaga Metro, valued at approximately €125 million.

THE number of families evicted from their homes in Malaga Province in 2014 for being unable to pay their mortgage or rent rose by 13.4 per cent compared to the previous year, reaching a total of 3,485.

COSTA DEL SOL towns will be receiving €12 million in aid for employment schemes this year, the Junta de Andalucia regional government has announced.

Local representative ANGEL VERGARA, a student from Fuengirola, will be representing Spain in El Salvador at the Latin-American Biology Olympics in September and is in with a chance of bringing a medal home.

Excellent cut THE Popi Trophy, one of Spain’s biggest ham-cutting competitions, was won in

Popular tram

Exotic sales

Investment plans

Encouraging schemes

from a bridge, have been ordered to pay more than €300,000 in compensation to the victim’s daughter and widow.

ALICANTE’S trams saw 6.7 per cent more passengers use the service in February compared to the same month last year. Line 2 linking Luceros and San Vicente del Raspeig remains the most popular, with 291,590 passengers.

Still sturdy

Drone’s eye view

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COSTA DE ALMERÍA

Carpet challenge

ing around 87,500 tourists. P&O, one of the largest cruise companies in the world, is due to start docking in Alicante next month with its first ship bringing 4,372 passengers. The port of Cartagena, the main competitor to Alicante, continues to grow year after year and in 2014 saw 138,000 tourists arrive by ship, 2.8 per cent more than in 2013. Nationally, last year 7,662,010 cruise passengers arrived at Spain’s state ports.

Ladies golf TWO members of England’s senior ladies golf team, Amanda Mayne and Debbie Richards, are in La Manga next month to play in the 2015 Spanish International Senior Ladies Amateur Championships.

MALLORCA

Fire-damaged A 56-YEAR-OLD man died last Monday (March 16) in a fire at his flat in Palma. The blaze forced residents of the eightstorey building to be evacuated as it burnt three homes completely and damaged another 10.

Water day

Give it back

EL EJIDO will be celebrating World Water Day on March 22 with a range of activities. Most of the activities are aimed at schoolchildren and include workshops and entertainment.

THE Development Ministry has requested 796 youths from the Balearics to return the monthly €210 they received for 48 months to help pay their rent as it claims they were earning more than €22,000 per year.

No extradition THE paediatrician accused of sexually abusing children while serving at a Pulpi health centre will not be extradited to Spain until he’s served a sentence in Colombia for abusing a nine-year-old.

Caravan exodus

SENIOR citizens in Zapillo, Almeria City, have joined up to help create the world’s largest carpet, the Sierpinski. Currently 400 centres in 32 countries are creating the carpet which is designed using fractals.

AFTER an information campaign initiated by the consistory, illegally parked motor homes and caravans have started to leave the El Ejido coast. The campaign comes after years of leniency.

Top choice

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

THE Museo de Almeria has been named in China’s tourist portal Lianorg as a Top Choice for 2015. The museum was voted for by travellers from China and other Asian countries.

TWENTY-FIVE exotic reptiles, mammals and birds have been confiscated from a house in Bullas, Murcia after being advertised for sale without any of the official paperwork.

Compensation order THE parents of three youngsters who caused the death of a car passenger in La Manga by throwing stones at the car

Large budget MALLORCA’S Provincial Council has spent almost €600 million since 2011, most of which went on road improvement projects.

Outraged fans THE cancellation of David Guetta’s concert scheduled for August 2, 2014, in Palma, caused 539 complaints out of the 6,685 total registered at the Balearics Consumers Office during the last year.

Sexist violence campaign PALMA Council and municipal transport company (EMT) will collaborate to raise awareness of gender-based violence. Stickers will be placed inside buses with the phrase ‘there is a way out’ and the emergency number 016.

For more local news from our regions see www.euroweeklynews.com … EWN top for all the news from Spain.

E W N 19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

S CANDINAVIAN P RESS

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Stories making headlines in Europe

GERMAN PRESS Volunteer fighter buried

BRITISH PRESS Temp work

Packs alike

NORWAY: This week Norway’s right-wing government introduced significant changes to the country’s Working Environment Act, granting general permission to temporary employment and more Sunday working.

THE UK has introduced even stricter laws for the country’s smokers. From next year, all cigarette packs will look identical, except for the name and type. All packages should also have pictorial warnings.

Animal porn DENMARK: Animal brothels, animal pornography and having sex with animals are still legal in Denmark. However, hacker community Anonymous has now launched a campaign by attacking 20 websites in an attempt to eradicate animal pornography from the internet.

Peace prize NORWAY: Former Norwegian Prime Minister and Secretary General of the European Councill Thorbjørn Jagland was overthrown as chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Commentators said Jagland was sacrificed to normalise bilateral relations between Norway and China.

Speedy net DENMARK: Denmark has the world’s fastest broadband. A group of Finnish researchers have measured the country’s average broadband speed as 22.3 Mb/s, way ahead of runner-up Singapore with 16.9 Mb/s.

Non grata SWEDEN: The country’s termination of a military agreement with Saudi Arabia has brought joy to the country’s leftwing voters. Internationally Sweden is now a country non-grata in the Middle East.

No weapons aid BRITAIN will not send weapons to Ukraine. “We want a diplomatic solution to the armed conflict in the country,” said William Hague.

when the user will suffer a heart attack and cardiologists are hoping the service will serve as an early wake-up call.

Leaving the army K E N S I N G T O N Palace has confirmed that Prince Harry will be leaving the British Army at the end of June after 10 years of service. The prince was quoted as saying he found it a ‘tough decision.’

MORE than 2,000 people attended Ivana Hoffman’s funeral. She was one of around 100 western fighters who have been fighting IS in Northern Syria. Her funeral in Duisburg was attended by a passionate crowd waving flags as her body was taken through the streets to be buried.

No road tax

Research prize

THE European Union has blocked Germany from introducing a road tax targeting tourists using the Autobahn, calling the proposal discriminatory.

THE Holberg Prize 2015 was awarded to British author Marina Warner for her research on fairy tales and myths. The award is considered one of the world’s most important research prizes and named the ‘Nobel Prize’ of the humanities.

Union pays

Online calculator

CIGARETTE PACKS: They will all look identical from next year, except for name and type.

T H E NHS has launched a simple and userfriendly service to get people to lose weight and stop smoking. The online calculator will estimate

RUSSIAN PRESS New friends

Thousands bid farewell

ACCORDING to Russian authorities North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been invited to Moscow in May. He has agreed to participate in the 70th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany.

RUSSIANS in their thousands marched through Moscow’s streets in memory and honour of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead on the street near the Kremlin.

PRESIDENT PUTIN: An easy winner.

EUROPEAN PRESS

Mental test RUSSIAN Senator Anton Belyakov, who thinks voters have the right to know everything about the candidates in political elections, is hoping for support in the Russian Upper House to oblige politicians to produce certificates regarding their mental health.

Putin holds strong IF presidential elections were held this weekend President Putin would be an easy winner, according to independent pollster Levada.

Bad coach A RUSSIAN football coach has the whole of the country breathing down his neck after the release of a video showing the coach kicking a seven-year-old boy.

THE country’s largest trade union, IG Metall, has ensured its members a solid pay increase this year. According to the agreement its members get a 3.4 per cent salary increase for a 15-month period, plus a one-time payment of €150.

Wassergate GERMANY had its own variation of the Watergate scandal. The new headquarters of the German Intelligence Service (BND) was flooded after thieves stole water taps.

No racist beer GERMANY still has problems with Nazism. The German football club Borussia Dortmund has therefore decided to run a campaign called No Beer For Racists, and printed one million beer mats to be used in pubs around town.

Harsh penalty A COURT in Singapore has sentenced two Germans to nine months in prison and three lashes each for vandalism. The men, aged 21 and 22, admitted painting graffiti on a train.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

inance F

19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

business & legal Castellon airport alive AFTER four years in limbo, Castellon airport is stirring into life. Ryanair will become the first company to operate commercial flights from the white elephant airport. It opened in March 2011 and cost Valencia’s regional government €120 million to

build, plus €50 million in budget overruns, compensation and overheads. To date it has been used only by charters and private aircraft. Detecting a tourism potential similar to Alicante and Cataluña’s, the Irish budget airline will fly regularly

No bank debts for Mercadona MERCADONA is in a solid financial position. At the end of 2014 it possessed €2.883 billion in cash and owed nothing to the banks. Its cash position was a record for the company and more than doubled the 2008 figure of €1.287 billion. It was in 2008 that Mercadona had more than €1 billion in available cash for the first time and although it trailed a financial debt, this was not large. In 2006 it had short and long-term financial debts of €19.1 million, gradually reducing these until they finally disappeared from the company’s balance sheets in 2012.

Mercadona’s net cash has continued to grow, increasing by 11.6 per cent between 2013 and 2014 despite spending €655 million on 60 new supermarkets, renovating 30 more and building a logistics centre in Abrera (Barcelona). The supermarket chain’s only liabilities correspond to payments to suppliers, a constantly fluctuating sum that at the end of the financial year stood at €2.096 billion. The chain acquired products worth €14.9 billion in 2014 and on average paid suppliers within 51 days after delivery, compared with 53 days in 2013.

between Castellon, Britain, Germany and Sweden. Canadian multinational SNC-Lavalin is the company which now runs the airport and hopes to receive 250 flights and 35,000 passengers this year. They are also negotiating with other companies, sources said.

usiness extra

Looking ahead BFA, state-owned mother company of partnationalised Bankia, allocated €943 million for possible compensation to clients who were missold preference shares or lost savings in Bankia’s flawed 2011 flotation.

Big contract PUBLICLY-OWNED Navantia will build three oil tankers with an option for three more ‘at international prices’ for Basque company Ondimar Transportes Maritimos. The end client is probably Cepsa.

Taxmen pay surprise visits SANTIAGO MENENDEZ, director general of Hacienda’s tax agency AEAT, recently detailed last year’s achievements. These included tracking down undeclared house and apartment rentals by cross-checking unexplained electricity and water consumption in properties that their owners claimed were empty. Web-pages were scrutinised and Hacienda inspectors spoke to concier-

ges and residents of randomly chosen apartment buildings. They paid 7,410 visits to properties whose rentals they suspected were not declared. In tourist areas inspectors questioned parents waiting to pick up their children from school. This helped detect 145 cases of foreign residents who had informed their own tax authorities they lived in Spain, where they paid tax at the lower non-residents’ rate.

STAT OF WEEK IN 2014, 46 per cent of Spanish employers dismissed staff, compared to 56 per cent in 2013. Sixty-three per cent expect to take on staff this year, they said.

ROB WILSON / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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

EWN

RYANAIR: Will be the first airline to operate from the airport.

E W N 19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

LONDON - FTSE 100

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 16

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) 3i Group 485.10 Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 457.85 Admiral Group 1,512.00 Aggreko 1,557.50 Anglo American 1,057.75 Antofagasta 699.50 ARM Holdings 1,194.50 Ashtead Group 1,108.50 Associated British Foods 3,004.00 AstraZeneca 4,507.75 Aviva 548.00 Babcock International 935.75 BAE Systems 534.25 Barclays 252.38 Barratt Developments 520.00 BG Group 814.60 BHP Billiton 1,399.00 BP 418.73

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 4.10 0.85 6.55 1.45 9.00 0.60 5.50 0.35 2.75 0.26 1.00 0.14 8.50 0.72 1.50 0.14 20.00 0.67 -49.25 -1.08 5.00 0.92 2.25 0.24 1.75 0.33 2.38 0.95 2.50 0.48 2.00 0.25 9.50 0.68 0.48 0.11

NET VOLUME 4,675.48 6,069.50 4,138.54 3,995.45 15,070.08 6,905.93 16,318.06 5,602.22 23,686.89 56,579.56 16,205.33 4,705.58 16,871.20 41,993.25 5,163.14 28,632.16 30,318.79 77,678.49

See our advert on page 23

Units per €

US dollar ................................................................1.05305 Japan yen ...............................................................127.756 Switzerland franc ...............................................1.05891 Denmark kroner................................................7.46005 Norway kroner ....................................................8.65221

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

PRICE(P)

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

3,641.75 831.50 451.85 1,847.50 1,868.00 1,174.50 3,157.50

DOW JONES

NASDAQ

C LOSING P RICES M ARCH 16

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 162.74 80.60 32.76 151.57 79.23 101.62 27.94 39.91 106.44 80.50 83.87 25.04 189.34 114.82 154.28 30.93 99.21 61.00 96.35 56.20 41.38 95.81 34.00 81.83 106.72 118.74 115.25 48.84 265.03 81.90

-1.73 -0.96 -0.37 -0.47 -0.96 -0.80 -0.30 -0.66 -0.73 +0.10 -0.35 -0.36 -0.61 -1.28 -3.70 +0.13 -0.62 -0.37 +0.10 +0.03 +0.36 -1.23 0.00 -0.26 -1.11 -2.50 +0.37 +0.11 -4.55 0.00

-1.05% -1.18% -1.12% -0.31% -1.20% -0.78% -1.06% -1.63% -0.68% +0.12% -0.42% -1.42% -0.32% -1.10% -2.34% +0.42% -0.62% -0.60% +0.10% +0.05% +0.88% -1.27% 0.00% -0.32% -1.03% -2.06% +0.32% +0.23% -1.69% 0.00%

2.3M 6.9M 26.8M 3.6M 7.3M 8.3M 36.5M 17.4M 8.0M 8.9M 16.8M 45.3M 3.1M 4.6M 6.1M 48.0M 7.8M 16.5M 5.2M 13.1M 58.0M 3.7M 28.1M 7.5M 1.7M 7.4M 3.1M 20.7M 3.1M 4.8M

1.40363

0.71243

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. -2.25 7.00 0.05 3.50 24.00 1.50 26.50

C O M PA N Y

-0.06 0.85 0.01 0.19 1.30 0.13 0.85

NET VOLUME 67,881.63 8,209.13 36,555.37 6,162.00 8,203.62 7,737.15 6,690.03

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 2.90 $ 31.31 $ 13.24 $ 24.87 $ 29.52 $ 55.66 $ 21.20 $ 95.66 $ 27.10 $ 4.80 $ 4.25

0.52 ▲ 21.85% 4.49 ▲ 16.74% 1.81 ▲ 15.84% 3.38 ▲ 15.73% 3.91 ▲ 15.27% 7.14 ▲ 14.72% 2.50 ▲ 13.37% 11.08 ▲ 13.10% 3.10 ▲ 12.92% 0.48 ▲ 11.11% 0.40 ▲ 10.39%

$ 5.90 $ 6.12 $ 4.25 $ 30.13 $ 9.26 $ 23.73 $ 23.02 $ 2.55 $ 2.41 $ 17.57 $ 4.37

1.86 ▼ 23.97% 1.08 ▼ 15% 0.64 ▼ 13.09% 4.33 ▼ 12.57% 1.15 ▼ 11.05% 2.70 ▼ 10.22% 2.43 ▼ 9.55% 0.2572 ▼ 9.16% 0.23 ▼ 8.71% 1.62 ▼ 8.44% 0.40 ▼ 8.39%

Most Advanced Amarin Corporation PLC Repligen Corporation Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. QAD Inc. Ebix, Inc. Anacor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. QAD Inc. GW Pharmaceuticals Plc El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. China XD Plastics Company Limited BioScrip, Inc.

Most Declined Ignite Restaurant Group, Inc. Escalera Resources Co. Aemetis, Inc FTD Companies, Inc. Marinus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Citi Trends, Inc. Epizyme, Inc. UTStarcom Holdings Corp Atlanticus Holdings Corporation Theravance, Inc. TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals Corporation

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Centrica 237.80 -0.10 Coca-Cola HBC 1,112.00 -8.00 Compass Group 1,185.50 18.50 CRH 1,759.50 -51.50 Diageo 1,855.75 -8.25 Direct Line Insurance 320.35 0.85 Dixons Carphone 427.80 1.10 easyJet 1,728.00 -3.00 Experian 1,125.50 -4.50 Fresnillo 646.50 0.00 Friends Life Group 416.85 3.15 G4S 293.25 0.85 GKN 371.35 2.65 GlaxoSmithKline 1,565.00 5.00 Glencore 276.38 -0.97 Hammerson 660.25 4.75 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,135.50 15.50 HSBC Holdings 563.50 2.20 Imperial Tobacco Group 3,099.00 3.00 InterContinental Hotels 2,669.00 30.00 International Consoldtd 578.25 2.75 Intertek Group 2,561.00 12.00 Intu Properties 345.25 3.25 ITV 252.35 1.55 Johnson Matthey 3,318.00 68.00 Kingfisher 356.60 1.90 Land Securities Group 1,226.00 6.00 Legal & General Group 287.90 2.10 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 79.04 0.04 London Stock Exchange 2,514.50 24.50 Marks & Spencer Group 498.75 5.15 Meggitt 583.25 8.25 Mondi 1,350.50 10.50 Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts 201.55 -2.45 National Grid 851.40 0.70 Next 7,440.00 90.00 Old Mutual 224.10 1.70 Pearson 1,466.50 12.50 Persimmon 1,742.00 1.00 Prudential 1,689.25 19.25 Randgold Resources 4,654.00 85.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5,867.50 27.50 Reed Elsevier 1,138.00 13.00 Rio Tinto 2,832.25 22.75 Rolls-Royce Group 969.25 -0.25 Royal Bank of Scotland 354.70 -1.50 Royal Dutch Shell 1,921.75 0.25 Royal Dutch Shell 2,012.50 7.00 Royal Mail 431.60 1.60 RSA Insurance Group 421.45 0.95 SABMiller 3,638.25 0.75 Sage Group (The) 474.85 2.15 Sainsbury (J) 257.80 -1.30 Schroders 3,245.50 37.50 Severn Trent 1,946.50 -0.50 Shire 5,475.00 -50.00 Sky 1,000.25 4.25 Smith & Nephew 1,136.50 3.50 Smiths Group 1,167.00 4.00 Sports Direct Internatnl 661.75 4.75 SSE 1,465.00 3.00 St James's Place 942.50 8.50 Standard Chartered 960.95 5.75 Standard Life 467.00 11.00 Taylor Wimpey 149.25 0.65 Tesco 233.75 0.90 Travis Perkins 1,944.50 4.50 TUI AG 1,174.50 6.50 Tullow Oil 298.95 0.65 Unilever 2,855.00 10.00 United Utilities Group 891.75 -2.25 Vodafone Group 221.00 2.05 Weir Group 1,762.50 -25.50 Whitbread 5,380.00 45.00 Wolseley 4,132.50 31.50 WPP Group 1,574.50 10.50

% C H G. -0.04 -0.71 1.59 -2.84 -0.44 0.27 0.26 -0.17 -0.40 0.00 0.76 0.29 0.72 0.32 -0.35 0.72 1.38 0.39 0.10 1.14 0.48 0.47 0.95 0.62 2.09 0.54 0.49 0.73 0.05 0.98 1.04 1.43 0.78 -1.20 0.08 1.22 0.76 0.86 0.06 1.15 1.86 0.47 1.16 0.81 -0.03 -0.42 0.01 0.35 0.37 0.23 0.02 0.45 -0.50 1.17 -0.03 -0.90 0.43 0.31 0.34 0.72 0.21 0.91 0.60 2.41 0.44 0.39 0.23 0.56 0.22 0.35 -0.25 0.94 -1.43 0.84 0.77 0.67

VOLUME 11,994.93 4,040.91 19,294.70 14,723.65 47,339.79 4,815.00 4,947.98 6,879.65 11,304.45 4,815.60 5,908.16 4,507.38 6,011.12 75,315.65 37,414.52 5,094.00 5,298.14 107,668.97 29,526.25 6,266.55 11,621.72 4,098.59 4,456.18 10,035.42 6,719.25 8,295.90 9,470.57 16,952.73 56,528.00 8,639.22 8,079.79 4,475.69 4,884.30 4,847.63 32,168.87 11,305.00 10,971.09 11,871.91 5,326.28 42,625.15 4,257.81 40,978.07 12,729.95 40,402.16 18,167.02 22,929.96 76,401.83 50,101.63 4,258.00 4,256.92 58,620.87 5,134.12 5,047.78 7,221.42 4,713.58 32,186.56 17,035.46 10,200.13 4,602.84 3,916.95 14,725.47 4,921.76 24,207.65 10,978.20 4,831.39 19,149.95 4,891.99 N/A 2,806.66 36,180.72 6,154.04 57,499.15 3,898.47 9,545.66 10,534.59 20,364.59

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

EWN

Recession. What recession? WHEN businesses fail it is easy to blame the recession. In all but a few cases that argument doesn’t stack up. Failure is more often due to complacency and hapless management. Obliged to occasionally visit a splendidly situated restaurant, I hated the place as the service was excruciatingly bad. The owner, due to poor business, closed for the winter. Is he under the illusion that a little sunshine is enough to compensate for offhand foot-dragging staff? Other restaurants lacking such beautiful surroundings thrive. It is service, not location, that puts bums on seats. Having moved home I no longer

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

shopped at Ferreteria La Florida near Torrevieja. Then, stuck for an item, I recalled how helpful the hardware store had been in the past. On this occasion I hardly recognised it. The business was bigger and busier.

Complimenting the owner, Juan, I remarked on the evident success of his business. He explained that he had since opened another branch in Quesada. I knew why he had succeeded during the most difficult years of the downturn but I asked him anyway what he owed to his success. “Service,” Juan explained and then confirmed everything I had assumed. His business mission is to offer a service that cannot be faulted. Unfortunately, well run businesses are few and far between, ineptitude being the No 1 business killer. It was a pleasing surprise during the same week to make the acquaintance of Oscar and

David, owners of a computer repair business. Having really messed up my mobile phone I was fed up to say the least. Before I even reached the counter, a cheery customer greeted me and smiled, “You have come to the right place.” Although my problem was minor in business terms I was given five-star business service. As a new customer I was introduced to the staff, given a tour and my problem was fixed whilst I enjoyed a coffee. Oscar and David will grow their business, because there is still desperate need for competence and recognition that the customer is king.

E W N 19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

How much to make you happy? Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

YOUR local hairdresser hasn’t got a salary anything like a top executive, but they are just as happy with life, a new study suggests. Average salaries of over 200 different occupations were compared with workers’ reported levels of happiness, and while the study found that in general the higher the salary the happier workers reported to be, not all jobs fitted the trend. Fitness instructors in the UK, for example, take home an average of €14,000 a year, but are actually happier than lawyers who earn an average

HAIRDRESSERS: Perhaps not top earners, but they are just as happy with life. of €90,000. Meanwhile dental nurses, who earn an average of €20,000 were found to be happier than dentists who make an average of €65,000.

The study says that there is definitely a correlation between income and happiness, but that money actually buys less happiness than people

assume. And in some ways, it buys happiness only up to a certain point. Workers earning over €100,000 and upwards annually are not any happier

Change for UK Civil Service pensions Q. My UK Air Force pension, along with my old-age pension, is taxed at source in the UK. When I made my first tax declaration as a Spanish resident last year, I declared these pensions to my Spanish tax consultant. She charged me a further tax of 7 per

cent, saying the UK tax charged was 20 per cent and in Spain it is 27 per cent. Is this correct? I have read that, with the UK-Spain dual tax agreement, armed forces pensions are not subject to tax in Spain. M G (by email)

You and the Law in Spain By David Searl

A. First, your tax consultant is right about the difference between UK and Spanish tax. Your normal old-age pension is indeed subject to Spanish income tax. Because you were already taxed in the UK, she is right to assess you the difference of 7 per cent now that you are resident in Spain. However, she was not right to assess you the full amount of 27 per cent on your Air Force or other Civil Service pension. These pensions have been, as you have read, not subject to Spanish income tax. If you wish to make a claim for overpayment, you can return to your consultant and check to see if she charged you

for the full amount. Perhaps she only charged you for the old-age pension

difference. Remember, if you declared last year, 2014, this was for tax year 2013. You want to be sure when you declare for last year’s tax, 2014, you are not charged for your Air Force pension. As a result of a revised new tax agreement between Spain and the UK, Civil Service and other government pensions must now be declared. Article 18 of the new treaty, in Paragraphs 1 and 2, says the amount of a Civil Service pension will now be added to any other income, in order to determine the tax rate charged. Then the Civil Service income will be subtracted from the total. The remaining amount will then be taxed at the new, and probably higher, rate. This complicated operation allows the Spanish Tax Agency to collect some more tax while maintaining the principle that Civil Service pensions are not taxable.

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

than those earning a good salary below €100,000. Happiness levels don’t keep rising the more money one has! It turns out, what you do with your money seems to matter just as much to your happiness as how much you make. And the advice is to spend on experiences and not stuff. Material goods may last longer, but studies shows that life experiences - like trips, fancy dinners, and spa treatments - provide a person with much more satisfaction in the long run. For example, if you are a fan of the theatre, then go buy tickets to a play. That will make you happy. However don’t waste your money on experiences that are not your thing, as this type of spending is likely to leave us feeling just as empty as spending money on possessions that lose their novelty minutes after we buy them!

BUSINESS EXTRA

Oil from afar SPAIN imported 4.6 million tons of oil from 32 countries in January, 8.3 per cent below January 2014. Principal suppliers were Nigeria with 22 per cent of the total, followed by Angola (14 per cent) and Saudi Arabia (14 per cent) while imports from the US, Russia and Mexico all fell.

Gap widens WITH the exception of Asturias, northern regions outperformed those in the south, said Fitch Ratings. Best results came from Navarra whose GDP declined by 3.86 per cent between 2008-2013 compared with 5.96 per cent nationally. Asturias’s GDP fell by 9 per cent followed by Murcia, Valencia and Extremadura’s 8 per cent.

Service record TRAFFIC increased on motorways last year, said toll road operator Abertis although there has been an accumulated 34 per cent reduction since 2007. With takings at service areas falling proportionately, the company is remodelling those on the AP-7, AP-2 and AP-68 to attract more custom, announced director general Antoni Español.

OPINION & COMMENT

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19 - 25 March 2015/ Axarquía - Costa Tropical

EWN

OTHERS THINK IT

E’VE all done it, haven’t we? Finally ensconced in your ‘avion’ seat and ready to fly, your heart lifts slightly as you notice the two seats beside you are still empty. Glancing up, you also observe there are only a few unseated passengers still left in the aisles. With what appears to be all the travellers now on board, you tentatively allow yourself to consider that maybe, just maybe, you are the only occupant of your row of three - with all the freedom of movement and luxurious ‘spreading’ this unexpected flying bonus can provide. Wrong. Suddenly there is a bustle of activity and move-

PIO3

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

ment at the door. With much huffing, puffing and considerable disruption, the whole plane is subsequently confronted by two of the largest people it is possible to imagine. An enormous man and woman, clutching baggage and bags about their persons, have entered the cabin and begun to make their laborious journey down the centre of the plane. Frantically you glance around. Are there any other empty seats in the vicinity they could be heading for? Of course there aren’t. Puffing and panting they pause and peer happily at the numbers above your seat. You and your unexpected luxury have just disintegrated into an uncomfortable nightmare. As they noisily and disruptively begin to place their baggage in the overhead compartments, you reluctantly unbuckle your, somewhat optimistically, fastened seat belt.

/ SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

The trials of flying ‘coach’

DASHED: Hopes of vacant seats beside you turn into a nightmare. Rising from your aisle seat (chosen for maximum freedom), you step aside and allow the couple to squeeze and wheeze their way into the seats that should really have contained your newspapers, magazines and repasts for the ensuing flight. (Dream on, Leapy!) The female vibrates down into her window seat and the

male (by far the largest) squashes down beside you. One enormous arm forces yours to the rear of the armrest, and there is now enough of your upper torso hanging in the aisle to make contact with most of the people who pass by, and especially the carts. And those, my dear esteemed readers, are the cir-

cumstances I am now enduring as I attempt to scribble this week’s blurb. I have complained, once, and was duly informed, in a guttural German accent (what else!), that he was ‘not interferink viz me’. Ah well, he’s too unpleasant to argue with. Goodbye the illusion of first-class silver service travel and hello the crunched-up reality of plastic forks, large rubbish bags, and the horrible discomfort of modern-day ‘coach’. “To the older amongst us who remember him, Leapy Lee (Little Arrows) died at the beginning of March this year.” So announced my obituary published this month in a local community journal. Still here, I’m afraid, folks. You don’t get rid of me that easily!

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com Web: Leapylee.co.uk

E W N 19 - 25 March 2015 / AxarquĂa - Costa Tropical

Thursday BBC ONE 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm MasterChef 10:00pm The Truth About Sugar 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 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Two Tribes 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm Britain's Got the Builders In 9:00pm Stargazing Live 10:00pm Banished 11:00pm Stargazing Live 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am Quelle Catastrophe! France with Robert Peston

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 Tonight: The Food We Eat 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Double Decker Driving School 10:00pm The Triplets are Coming! 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Great War: The People's Story 12:40am River Monsters

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 The Supervet 10:00pm Things We Won't Say About Race That are True 11:25pm Britain's Benefit Tenants 12:30am Raised by Wolves

CH5 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Escape From Polygamy 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 Holiday Love Rats Exposed 11:00pm The Mentalist 11:55pm Mummy's Little Murderer 12:55am Access

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 Arrow 10:00pm Forever 11:00pm Flintoff: Lord of the Fries 12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

Friday BBC ONE 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm MasterChef 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 4:40pm Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em 5:15pm Three Up, Two Down 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Two Tribes 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm Britain's Got the Builders In 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Gardeners' World 10:00pm Stargazing Live 11:00pm Stargazing Live 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 State of Play 1:55am 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 9:00pm The Million Pound Drop 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:05am Troy

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 World's Scariest Animal Attacks 10:00pm NCIS: New Orleans 11:00pm NCIS 12:00am Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

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 Flintoff: Lord of the Fries 10:00pm Stella 11:00pm Quiz Nights 12:00am Wild Things

Saturday BBC ONE 5:30pm Six Nations Rugby Union 8:00pm BBC News 8:10pm Regional News 8:13pm Weather 8:15pm The Voice UK 10:15pm The National Lottery Live 10:25pm The Voice UK 11:00pm BBC News 11:15pm Weather 11:20pm Match of the Day 12:45am The Football League Show

BBC TWO 5:00pm Escape to the Country 5:30pm Final Score 6:15pm Flog It! 7:15pm Gardeners World 7:45pm Kew on a Plate 8:45pm Dad's Army 9:15pm Murder on the Victorian Railway 10:15pm Now is Good 11:50pm Girl with a Pearl Earring 1:25am Michael Collins

ITV 6:30pm Local News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm You've Been Framed! 8:00pm Saturday Night Takeaway 9:25pm You're Back in the Room 10:25pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:30pm ITV News and Weather 11:45pm Burn after Reading 1:30am Jackpot 247

CH4 5:10pm Come Dine with Me 5:40pm Come Dine with Me 6:10pm Come Dine with Me 6:45pm Come Dine with Me 7:10pm The Simpsons 7:40pm Channel 4 News 8:05pm Selling Off Britain 9:00pm The World's Weirdest Weather 10:00pm Richard III: The Princes in the Tower 11:00pm Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 1:05am Alan Carr: Chatty Man

CH5 4:25pm The Woman with 40 Cats... And Other Pet Hoarders 5:25pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 6:25pm The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 7:20pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 8:10pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm 5 News 9:05pm NCIS 10:00pm NCIS 11:00pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 11:55pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 12:50am True Crimes: The First 72 Hours

SKY1 3:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 4:00pm Inside RAF Brize Norton 5:00pm The Holidaymakers 6:00pm Wild Things 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 9:00pm Hawaii Five-0 10:00pm Lethal Weapon 3 12:20am Karl Pilkington: The Moaning of Life

TV LISTING

www.euroweeklynews.com

Sunday BBC ONE 6:30pm BBC News 6:50pm Regional News 6:55pm Weather 7:00pm The Big Painting Challenge 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm Poldark 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm Regional News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Match of the Day 2 12:40am Football League Trophy Highlights

BBC TWO 3:50pm Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em 4:30pm Three Up, Two Down 5:00pm Hi-De-Hi! 5:35pm The Hairy Bikers and Lorraine Pascale 6:35pm Operation Stonehenge: What Lies Beneath 7:35pm Pompidou 8:00pm Six Nations Greatest Moments 9:00pm Caribbean with Simon Reeve 10:00pm Louis Theroux 11:00pm Bluestone 42 11:30pm Red Tails 1:25am Donkeys

ITV 4:30pm River Monsters 5:00pm Twister Film,1989 7:05pm 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: Mission Survive 12:20am LV Cup Rugby Highlights

CH4 3:00pm The Simpsons 3:30pm The Simpsons 4:00pm The Spy Next Door 5:50pm Channel 4 News 6:10pm Richard III: The Return of the King 9:00pm Great Canal Journeys 10:00pm Indian Summers 11:00pm Gogglebox 12:00am Breaking Dawn: Part 1

CH5 4:20pm The Borrowers 6:00pm A Cinderella Story 7:50pm 5 News 7:55pm Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life 10:00pm Alex Cross 12:05am Scream 4

SKY1 3:30pm The Real A&E 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 Wild Things 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm Hawaii Five-0 11:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 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 Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm New Tricks 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm Have I Got a Bit More Old News for You 12:30am The Graham Norton Show

BBC TWO 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Portillo's State Secrets 8:00pm Racing Legends 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Only Connect 10:00pm Kew on a Plate 11:00pm House of Fools 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm More Tales From Northumberland with Robson Green 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Mafia with Trevor Mcdonald 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Jonathan Ross Show 12:45am A Great Welsh Adventure with Griff Rhys Jones

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 Dispatches 10:00pm Britain's Benefit Tenants 11:00pm Raised by Wolves 11:30pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 12:35am 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 Police Interceptors 10:00pm Gotham 11:00pm Person of Interest 11:55pm Tears of the Sun 2:00am Super Casino

SKY1 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 Moone Boy 10:30pm Arrow 11:30pm Critical 12:30am NCIS: Los Angeles

Tuesday BBC ONE 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 Ordinary Lies 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm Call Security 12:35am A Serious Man

BBC TWO 5:15pm Three Up, Two Down 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Portillo's State Secrets 8:00pm The Great British Bake Off 9:00pm Back in Time for Dinner 10:00pm Dara and Ed's Big Adventure 11:00pm Nurse 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm River Monsters 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm On Assignment 12:10am ICC Cricket World Cup Highlights

CH4 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Deal or No Deal 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 From Burger Bar to Gourmet Star 10:00pm One Born Every Minute 11:00pm Teens 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: Benidorm ER 10:00pm Breaking the Law 11:00pm Aidan: The Rarest Boy in the World 12:00am The Vow

SKY1 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 Forever 12:00am Hawaii Five-0 3:15pm The Edge

Wednesday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 9:00pm MasterChef 10:00pm The Billion Dollar Chicken Shop 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm A Question of Sport 12:15am The Devil's Double

BBC TWO 5:15pm Three Up, Two Down 5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Portillo's State Secrets 8:00pm Britain's Got the Builders In 9:00pm Ladykillers 10:00pm Hilary Clinton - The Power of Women 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Big Star's Little Star 10:00pm DCI Banks 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Pop Gold 12:40am A Night in with Olly Murs

CH4 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Deal or No Deal 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 Three in a Bed 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm First Dates 12:00am One Born Every Minute

CH5 3:15pm NCIS: New Orleans 4:15pm Too Late to Say Goodbye 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Trauma Doctors 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm OAPs Behaving Badly 11:00pm Slaughtered at the Murder Hotel 12:00am Born to Kill?

SKY1 4:00pm Harrow: A Very British School 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 Wild Things 10:00pm Lethal Weapon 3 12:20am Stella

E W N 19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

CROSSWORDS

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

Axarquía weather

NEW ON DVD

for next 7 days

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The last part of Peter Jackson’s epic, special effects laden version of J.R.R Tolkien’s book becomes available in a special edition this week. Lots of epic scale battles echo the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the film features some good performances from Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen. This film also sees the death of the dragon Smaug the magnificent and offers an interesting introduction to the Lord of the Rings saga. Directed by: Peter Jackson and starring Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace. Rated PG, Runtime: 2h, 24 minutes.

TODAY

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA MALAGA R DE LA VICTORIA

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA

TOMORROW MALAGA

R DE LA VICTORIA

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

Fri Sat Sun -

18 13 C 16 9 Sh 15 9 Cl

Mon - 15 9 Sh Tues - 16 9 Sh Wed - 18 10 Sh

tars

LEO (July 24 - August 23) At last it is clear that the future holds something quite exciting. Looking back during the past few years there has been a build-up to this moment. Treading a new path is half the story.

9-Star Quiz

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Be sure not to put up with tedious comments. Someone is trying to rile you. Who are they to think this way? It is foolish and impossible to please this person. SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Who wants you to go where and who wants you to do what? Each day seems to be spoken for before it arrives. Spending your life like this means running out of credit on your health.

Sudoku

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 20) There are plenty of people who will tell you that what you seek does not exist. They will also tell you that what you feel is unsustainable.

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.

AQUARIUS (January 21 February 19) The last time that you sat down and thought about your finances it was confusing. Things are a lot simpler now. Keep emotions and the needs of others out of the equation.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

PISCES (February 20 March 20) Something comes to your attention that makes you feel both anger and injustice. As you are urged to speak out and put your cards on the table, you hesitate.

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday March 14

Friday March 13

5 19

17 37

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

5 22

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

Fri Sat Sun -

16 11 Sh 18 11 Sh 17 10 C

MAX MIN

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

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 17C, MIN 12C

TODAY: Fri Sat Sun -

S Sun,

17 7 Sh 17 4 Sh 14 3 C

MAX MIN

Mon - 14 3 C Tues - 17 3 C Wed - 18 6 Cl

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 19C, MIN 11C 18 10 C 16 8 Sh 15 7 C

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 10 Sh Tues - 17 9 Sh Wed - 19 11 Sh

SHOWERS MAX 13C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 9 Sh Tues - 19 10 C Wed - 19 11 Sh

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

19 12 C 18 9 Sh 18 9 Cl

Madrid

Mallorca TODAY:

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 7 Sh Tues - 16 7 Sh Wed - 17 7 C Cl Clear,

SHOWERS MAX 19C, MIN 13C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

20 12 Sh 19 10 Sh 19 9 Sh C Cloud,

MAX MIN

Mon - 18 9 Sh Tues - 19 7 Sh Wed - 22 10 C 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 D) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

Average: 6

Very good: 12

Good: 8

Excellent: 14

dale, dare, dart, date, deal, dear, deer, dele, doer, dole, dolt, dote, drat, lade, lard, lead, load, lode, lord, read, redo, reed, retd, road, rode, teed, toad, toed, told, trad, trod, adore, alder, dater, dealt, delta, deter, doter, eared, elder, erode, lated, oared, older, rated, tared, toted, trade, tread, treed, dealer, derate, dottle, elated, leader, loader, lotted, orated, ordeal, ratted, reload, retold, rotted, teredo, tetrad, alerted, altered, ladette, leotard, rattled, related, rotated, tetrode, totalled, treadle, treated, dotterel, TOLERATED

REINTEGRO 35

STEP

Sunday March 15

Saturday March 14

LUCKY STARS 1

SHOWERS

SHOWERS MAX 18C, MIN 13C

TODAY:

Malaga TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 10 Sh Tues - 16 11 C Wed - 18 11 C

Word Ladder

LOTTERY 6

19 12 C 17 10 Sh 15 9 Sh

16 12 Sh 16 12 Sh 16 10 C

Benidorm

MAX MIN

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Your heart is saying 'Let’s get out and have some fun'. Your head is saying 'Okay, but let's leave it until later'. Which is right? Well, one thing is for sure, emphasis on finances is restraining. You are, however, building on something strong for the future.

Fri Sat Sun -

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 13C

Fri Sat Sun -

SHOWERS MAX 16C, MIN 13C MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) What others see as our way ahead is not always the path which we want to tread. It would be easy to be cosy and not take a chance. Is that what you really want?

Y S our

TODAY:

MAX MIN

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) If you are James Bond, I see no surprises in the week ahead. If you are not, then I certainly do. Something quite shocking crosses your path, so be cautious in your approach to new situations. Keep your eyes and ears open and be prepared to seek advice.

BEAR WITH ME

MAX MIN

www.fiduciarywealth.eu

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Waiting for just the right time to do and say things this week can produce miracles. Spontaneity may be your watchword but forward planning is where real progress is at the moment. I

1. Actor Antonio Fargas played the ‘jive-talking’ informant Huggy Bear in the 1970s television series Starsky and Hutch, but which American rapper played the same character in the 2004 film version? 2. At which film festival is the Golden Bear awarded for best film? 3. From which country did Michael Bond’s Paddington Bear originally come? 4. In which country is the Great Bear Lake located? 5. Soldier Field is the home venue of which American football team? 6. What is the chief diet of the giant panda? 7. What is the Latin name of the constellation known as the Great Bear? 8. Which cartoon character was said to be ‘smarter than the av-er-age bear’? 9. Which mint sweets have been sold with the Peppy the polar bear icon on its packets since 1922?

Almeria

SHOWERS MAX 17C, MIN 13C

7 27

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

18 45

REINTEGRO 2

DOWN

SOWN DOWN

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Although you are feeling more confident in many ways, there is also a secret insecurity. There is a strange emotional atmosphere this week, which perplexes you.

Alicante TODAY:

STEP SEEP SEEN SEWN

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) There is a strong urge to be up and doing something to further your artistic needs. Be sure that you know what is important. Keep it simple and aim straight for it. There may be other options to be explored, but do not go off at a tangent.

1. SNOOP DOGGY DOGG also known as SNOOP DOGG (real name Calvin Broadus), 2. BERLIN, 3. Deepest, darkest PERU, 4. CANADA (Northwest Territories), 5. CHICAGO BEARS, 6. BAMBOO shoots, 7. URSA MAJOR, 8. YOGI BEAR, 9. FOX’S GLACIER MINTS

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CROSSWORDS

Crosswords

19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

EWN

SPONSORED BY

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

Cryptic

Quick

Across 1 Repeats Cup details by mistake (10) 7 Beg for change in net rate (7) 8 Sides heard rains (5) 10 Ruing a broken weapon (6) 11 Picture device arrived with artist (6) 13 Issue a novel for an antipodean (6) 15 Disturb child’s toy (6) 16 Student leader gets ice creams and cakes (6) 17 Mark, good man, one good with mum (6) 20 High jinks strictly for the birds (5) 22 Woman with others on a mountain (7) 23 Famous rebel acted poorly (10) Down 1 Prevent Ted returning to meet the queen (5) 2 Dislike price Jude arranged (9) 3 I turn to a trifle (4) 4 Creation from Middle Earth (3)

Across 5 Sandy shore (5) 8 Prior (8) 9 Not shut (4) 10 Passageway (8) 11 Fundamental (5) 14/18 Uncompetitive race (3,3) 16 Lively Afro-Cuban dance (5) 17 Become one (5) 18 See 14 20 Cooking herb (5) 24 Wealth stored up (8) 25 Wild mountain goat (4) 26 Well acquainted (8) 27 Oneness (5)

5 Basic part of a ukulele mentioned here (7) 6 Encountered a sailor, and another lacking T-bone (10) 9 As trappers find reserve supply (5,5) 12 A tenant initially receives so-

me people in the rooms (9) 14 Misfortune of company in a rush (7) 18 Overeating from meagre edible beans (5) 19 Generate support (4) 21 Look at the bishop’s seat! (3)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 5 represents Z and 14 represents Q, so fill in Z every time the figure 5 appears and Q every time the figure 14 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 Rations, 4 Blast, 7 Skate, 9 Curtain, 10 Arrange, 11 Tense, 12 Askew, 14 Lager, 19 Rooms, 21 Austria, 23 Adamant, 24 Avert, 25 Scone, 26 Sterner. Down: 1 Rascal, 2 Ocean, 3 Sacred, 4 Biretta, 5 Again, 6 Tender, 8 Arras, 13 Ensnare, 15 Eyrie, 16 Treats, 17 Tastes, 18 Master, 20 Otago, 22 Shake. QUICK Across: 1 Situated, 5/24 Jail bird, 9 Thrones, 10 Allow, 11 Story, 12 Riposte, 13 Dollar, 15 Versus, 18 Support, 20 Sorts, 22 Unite, 23 Fragile, 25 Reverend. Down: 1 Sites, 2 Turmoil, 3 Annoy, 4 Ensure, 6 Atlas, 7 Lawless, 8 Magpie, 13 Disturb, 14 Avocet, 16 Sardine, 17 Stifle, 19 Prior, 20 Scare, 21 Steed.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Libraries, 6 Age, 7 Channel, 9 Pozo, 10 Boca, 14 Girasol, 16 Sea, 17 Demasiado. Down: 1 Lead, 2 Brezo, 3 Anchors, 4 Son, 5 Bell, 8 Arboles, 11 Cesta, 12 Eggs, 13 Caro, 15 Red.

21 Hut (5) 22 Moist (5) 23 Facial growth (5)

14 Remote, distant (3) 15 Religious woman (3) 19 Loud outcry (6)

English - Spanish The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English. Across 1 Sonido (5) 3 Tipos (5) 7 Dessert (6) 9 Merluza (4) 10 Viajero (9) 13 To roast (4) 14 August (6) 16 Fir tree (5) 17 Balloon (5) Down 1 Soup (thick) (4) 2 Nuez (3) 4 Oraciones (7) 5 Semilla (4) 6 Prescriptions (7) 8 Apellido (7) 11 Berry (4) 12 Monkey (4) 15 Búho (3)

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

LEADER

CHEERY

LEARNT

CHINKS

LECTOR

DEACON

METRES

EVENTS

MILLET

FIERCE (10)

MUTTER

FLARES

PORTAL

GANDER

REELED

HEARTS

STREAK

ISLAND

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Funagram Unscramble the name of a musical instrument (one word): PINK COLLEGES FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: WOODY ALLEN, GLOCKENSPIEL

Unscramble the name of a famous American actor, writer, director, comedian, musician and playwright: ONE LOW LADY

Down 1 Small spot (5) 2 Gain knowledge (5) 3 Extremity (5) 4 Number puzzle (6) 6 Stress (8) 7 Think about (8) 12 The world, the universe (8) 13 About to occur (8)

1 Ceased, 2 Dozens, 3 Seduce, 4 Cinder, 5 Thence, 6 Phased, 7 Secure, 8 Sheets, 9 Artrows, 10 Checks, 11 Afresh, 12 Blouse, 13 Pieces, 14 Growls, 15 Reeked, 16 Specks, 17 Beards, 18 Discus, 19 Spears

E W N 19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

Unfair trial by media - it’s no coincidence I COMPLETELY agree with Norah Johnson’s article about Cliff Richard. Thanks to the disgusting conduct of the BBC and the South Yorkshire Police this man, who happens to be very famous, has been subjected to trial by media. It is no coincidence that the raid on Sir Cliff ’s home, with its legally-dubious search warrant and the BBC leading the chorus, was just prior to the Jay Report which reported on South Yorkshire Police’s failure to investigate the abuse of at least 1,400 girls. Sir Cliff Richard had not been interviewed and knew nothing of the allegations against him when the raid was broadcast on live television last summer, but that didn’t stop the police or the media blasting his name and reputation to hell. Naming anyone merely accused of an unproven, unsubstantiated alleged offence is wrong. It leads to the idiotic and flawed argument of ‘no smoke without fire’, the fallback position of people who have no idea what they are talking about. In this case the man was named and what he is accused of was mentioned numerous times, clearly enabling anyone else who wanted to come forward to know what they should accuse him of too. I have met Sir Cliff Richard. He is an honourable, decent man who would never hurt anyone, let alone a child. The fact that certain people cannot accept that someone would live a decent life says more about them than it does about him. I hope God will forgive these people, because I never will. Teejay (via the Euro Weekly News website)

Struck dumb AS my wife and I were leaving Villamartin Plaza (Alicante) we were approached by a man who gestured that he was unable to hear or speak. He thrust a grubby piece of paper towards us, which

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Outlook unsure I HAVE asked the UK political parties and emailed 10 Downing Street regarding healthcare for UK pensioners living in the EU should the UK vote to leave. At present pensioners receive care under the reciprocal arrangement, but I presume this is linked to EU membership. We would therefore lose the right to treatment, leaving the options of private healthcare, moving back to the UK or paying into the Spanish system. Many could not afford private healthcare and I have been unable to find any that would cover the existing conditions which most pensioners have. Many no longer have family or links in the UK and their houses in Spain have been their homes for many years.

LIKE many expats, I am no longer allowed to vote in the UK. However, as I have dual nationality I can vote in Switzerland, where we vote on various issues during the year. This year they introduced e-voting. It took me all of three minutes to register my vote and saved me €1.20 postage. Rose Marie Hughes, France

From the far side

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claimed that he was collecting on behalf of a charity for the deaf. Being the hard-bitten cynic that I am, I told him to get lost. He eventually got the message that I was not going to give him any money and walked angrily away. As he did so, his mobile phone rang. He answered it and then carried out a conversation. Behold! The miracle of instant healing by mobile phone! Perhaps it was a call from above. Ian Sutton, Orihuela Costa (Alicante)

Easy does it

I MUST be getting old because the participants in the Fallas fiestas seem to get younger each year! Tom Dix, Valencia

I was unable to obtain any information about paying into the Spanish system because the conditions do not as yet exist. I have received no replies, probably because no one gives a damn. B McDonnell, Javea (Alicante)

Card-sharp EHICs are not only for British tourists travelling in Europe and are for everyone living in Europe. For people who live in Spain they are available for emergency treatment in any EU country except Spain. State pensioners apply for it directly from the DWP in the UK. Employees in Spain get it via a Spanish Social Security office. After being resident in Spain for one year, non-working people under state retirement age can pay into the Convenio Especial state system for €60 a month each, giving them access to state healthcare. For those over 65 but not receiving the state pension this is €157 each.

As they are paying into the system, surely they will be eligible for an EHIC via the social security? It is worth asking! Marion Woods, Mazarron (Murcia)

Out of town I FIND it almost impossible to believe that Denia wishes to close the railway station located in the town. The proposed PGE plan states that the station will be relocated to La Pedrera some two kilometres out of town, only to be served by buses and taxis. Are they mad? The railway line to Denia goes around the town, so how is this a bad thing for the residents? As buses no longer accept luggage it means that you would no longer be able to take the train from Denia to Alicante and the airport without a taxi to La Pedrera. These decisions are a mystery. M Mansfield, Denia (Alicante)

I SHOULD like to thank all the correspondents who sought to correct my view on their plights here in Spain. I am sorry if you are offended, but I am only speaking as I see it. Many of you have problems with exchange rates, unsaleable properties, poor health, failing economies. But do you ever consider the plight of your fellow patriots, who didn’t sell out to the dream? All those who stayed behind and contracted negative equity? All those who stayed behind and got bedroom tax? All those who stayed behind and saw inflation eat away all their savings? Who stayed and saw the power companies rip them off? No, you really only worry about the heating allowance or the loss of your franchise. If all of you who have been here for 15 years or more think that your vote should count, I humbly point out that you should not have the right to vote in an election for an MP who represents you, as opposed to the millions who stayed at home. The MP who seeks your vote on a policy that keeps your heating allowance which is paid for by the cancellation of a UK pensioner’s free bus pass, is not really worthy of consideration. If you wish to change the system, vote in the European elections. Michael Warren, Vera Playa (Almeria)

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

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19 - 25 March 2015/ Axarquía - Costa Tropical

EWN

Guided tours to remember Spanish Civil War CROSS MADRID TOURS is a newly-created concept designed to offer visitors the opportunity to learn about the culture, history and architecture of Madrid. Visit the Prado and Reina Sofia museums, the principal sights of the capital, and of course, bars for tapas tasting, in small groups with specialist guides. There is also a choice of tours organised for children. However, what makes Across Madrid unique are the tours to discover the events, which took place in and around Madrid during the Spanish Civil War. These include visiting the battle sites where Nationalist troops and the International Brigades were engaged in heavy fighting at Jarama and

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

www.pfieldman.blogspot.com

Brunete as well as in the centre of Madrid. These specialist tours are selected and led by Dr Almudena Cros, a researcher on the subject whose family was directly involved in the war. Dr Cros, who has degrees from Warwick University and is Professor of History at the American Suffolk University in Madrid, has been working for a number of years as a consultant, interviewer and interpreter on numerous projects, books and documentaries related to

the Spanish Civil War and has lectured on the subject. Her first-hand knowledge and ample experience interviewing war veterans and survivors brings to

life the realities of the conflict and its aftermath in an unparalleled manner. The first half of the tour

reconstructs what the city centre looked like in the war, with the help of photographs from that period. Dr Cros will share her family’s wartime story in her native Madrid, illustrated by their photographs and documents of the time. The use of authentic materials recovered from battlefields and military memorabilia provides an exceptional insight into the Spanish Civil War. Dr Cros is deeply involved in organising and attending commemorative trips, events and ceremonies related to the

International Brigades in Spain and other countries as well as helping relatives of the volunteers trace the steps of their family members during the Spanish Civil War. To find out more about the available tours and prices visit the web site: ACROSS MADRID or email info@across madrid.com. A donation from the proceeds of this particular itinerary will be made to the Friends of the International Brigades Association (Asociación de Amigos de las Brigadas Internacionales/AABI).

KNOWLEDGEABLE GUIDE: Dr Almudena Cros.

E W N 19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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OPINION & COMMENT

The poignancy of old letters “M

Y Dearest Kathleen, This is a last letter before I cross over the border into Spain. I will post it in the border town and then I will be on Spanish territory. This is a terrible long journey we are on now - about 15 hours.” There is a poignancy about letters written during times we can scarcely identify with. The letter was written to my mother, then my father’s fiancée, before a clandestine mountain crossing into Spain where Civil War raged. Father and his companions had hitchhiked from England to Spain as members of the International Brigade to fight Fascism. Later, letters were written during lulls in furious hand-to-hand fighting between Nationalists and Republicans at the Jarama

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

River near Madrid. A Nationalist force of 40,000 men, including men from the Army of Africa, had crossed the Jarama River on February, 11, 1937. On February 12, at what became known as Suicide Hill, the Republicans suffered heavy casualties. Tom Winteringham, the British commander, was forced to order a retreat back to the next ridge. The Nationalists advanced up Suicide Hill to be routed by Republican machine-gun fire. Coming under heavy fire, the British down to 160 men out of the original 600, established defensive positions along a sunken road. The attrition rate was worse than that at Ypres.

IN THE TRENCHES: Where notes were scribbled.

WOUNDED IN ACTION: The consequences of war.

On February 23, led by Robert Merriman, 373 members of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion moved into the trenches. When they were ordered over the top they were backed by a pair of tanks from the Soviet Union. On the first day 20 men were killed and nearly 60 wounded. February 27: Of the 263 men who went into action that day only 150 survived. One soldier remarked af-

Fred Copeman was wounded but survived. He later wrote about meeting Kit Conway at the hospital in Jarma: “Kit was obviously dying, in terrible agony, but his one concern was that he may have been responsible for the slaughter that had taken place. Of 630 men that had entered the line, not more than 80 were left unwounded, and the percentage killed was very high. It was hard to

terwards: “The battalion was named after Abraham Lincoln because he too was assassinated.” Edwin Rolfe survived but wrote: “When we were pulled out of the lines I felt very tired and lonely and guilty. Lonely because half of the battalion had been badly shot up. “And guilty because I felt I didn’t deserve to be alive now, with Arnold and Nick and Paul dead.”

Y father believed that everyone possessed a talent of some description and regardless of background or education; each is born with a skill that sets them apart from the crowd. Being of average academic ability, with neither an artistic nor practical bent, I doubted that statement, because skill and talent to me were synonymous with success and making money. Much later on I realised that the true meaning of success goes much deeper. Dad worked in a factory all his life, but in his spare time he would retire to his shed and knock up a piece of furniture or model aeroplane. And occasionally he would produce a watercolour painting of some rural landscape. He was no Hepplewhite or Rembrandt, but he had a certain talent for these things and more to the point, it gave him pleasure. At the Orihuela Medieval Market, I was fascinated by a bloke who entertained the crowds by sticking flaming sticks into his mouth and

FIRE-EATING: An interesting way of spending one’s life.

It’s an ill wind 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.

blowing out long plumes of liquid fire. I spent an interesting hour

in the bar with him, trying to understand why anyone would choose fire-eating as a way of life - although I kept a respectable distance between us, in case he decided to light up a ciggie. As bizarre as it all sounded, he is good at what he does and he travels to other loca-

tions in Spain and Europe throughout the year to take part in similar festivals. He admitted it is a hard life, but he is thoroughly content with his lot, and by definition therefore is successful. The king of them all though, was surely Joseph Pujol, a Frenchman who

convince him that our fighting had taken place in the toughest, bloodiest battle of the whole Spanish campaign, in defence of the Madrid-Valencia road.” My father’s notes, scribbled in those trenches, tell their story. And for what did they give their lives? Today, young men flock to Ukraine; the only thing men never learn from history is they don’t learn from history.

went under the stage name of Le Pétomane. His act was quite unique and he became something of a celebrity in his day as a renowned flatulist. In other words he fluffed on stage for money. He was a baker by trade, and he would often entertain his customers by imitating musical instruments as they waited for their French sticks. Personally, I would never be able to look a custard slice in the face again if my baker insisted on trumping his way through Frère Jacques as he was serving me. Some of his specialities included sound effects of cannon fire and thunderstorms. He was able to blow a candle out at 10 paces, and at his peak, he appeared regularly at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. He died in 1945 at the age of 88 and was buried and not cremated, presumably on the basis that this would have been far too risky. My dad was right though. We all possess a talent of some sort, as off the wall as it might be.

E W N 19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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Time for changing partners A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

THE Partido Popular is in a cleft stick over Ciudadanos. The government knows that it owed its vast 2011 overall majority to voters who were not natural PP voters. To prevent their desertion in this year’s elections, Rajoy has constantly condemned Podemos for its radical domestic and international policies, citing his own party as a safe haven for the Centre. Then along came a genuine Centre party, Ciudadanos, which is attracting the many non-PP voters who put Rajoy in power. Now the PP is flailing around for a valid argument to undercut this potential vote-stealer. Rajoy’s big problem is not keeping the hardcore Right electorate happy but wooing

the uncommitted. He did it in 2011 but he won’t do it twice: not with Ciudadanos and Podemos around.

Ancient history WHATEVER boils and seethes behind the Partido Popular scenes the party strives to present an image of calm. Only Madrid’s new mayoral candidate Esperanza Aguirre happily makes waves on the deceptively calm millpond. She has shrugged off critics’ accusations that she is “very conservative” by citing the PP’s candidate for the presidency of the Madrid autonomous region, Cristina Cifuentes. She entered politics from the youth movement of PP’s ultra-conservative forerunner Alianza Popular, retorted a waspish Aguirre. Not the best of arguments, Espe. A background in the

neo-fascist Movimiento did not stop Adolfo Suarez from transforming into Spain’s first - and still best-loved - president during the Transition to democracy.

Watch your back

Run for cover PP MADRID.

Cassandra Nash

ESPERANZA AGUIRRE: Abhorred and adored. ESPERANZA AGUIRRE will, as she hoped, run as Madrid mayor. A former minister with Aznar and ex-president of the Madrid autonomous region Aguirre is as abhorred as she is adored and victory is no longer assured in a four-horse PP, PSOE, Podemos and Ciudadanos race. Rajoy can never forget that Aguirre tried to topple him in 2008 after he lost the general elections for the second time running. If she makes it to City Hall he can at least heed the old warning attributed to both Machiavelli and Michael Corleone: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

UNDER Spain’s legal system judge Pablo Ruz now moves from the National High Court he presides in Madrid. The instructing judge on the high-profile Gurtel and Barcenas corruption cases was offered the option of remaining to tie up loose ends on other investigations involving Cataluña’s expresident Jordi Pujol and Barcelona football club’s former president, Sandro Rosell. Ruz preferred not to, sources said, and his successor Jose de la Mata can take them over. Wise man: De la Mata will take the flak, too.

Overseas aid spending - unrealistic and as mad as a Mad March Hare Nora Johnson MARCH MADNESS: Budgets have to be spent by the end of this month.

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

HE Independent Commission on Aid Impact recently published a blistering report on the UK Government’s aid to developing countries. The Government’s programmes have unrealistic targets and are handed out to a few favoured contractors insufficiently assessed on their performance. Now, Tory leaders became obsessed by not being regarded as the ‘nasty party’ after a 2002 speech by Theresa May, and so, in government, insist on allocating 0.7 per cent of GDP (£12 billion or €17 billion annually) to aid.

Wouldn’t it be better, though, for the country to be run by people who want to get stuff done, not whether they’re seen as nice or not? People who can decide where to put new airports, who can get the results of investigations into past offences published before all the offenders have passed away. Implementing these aid programmes, civil servants of the Department for International Development, like the public sector in general, additionally suffer

from the curse of ‘March Madness’. They have to spend their budget by the end of March otherwise arguably they could get by with less and it’d be reduced the following year. Meaningless projects will take place throughout March. Council offices will suddenly need new furniture, holes in the road mended - and aid money spirited away overseas.

We also need to be specific about what aid spending is for, but this issue applies to all Government spending. There’s the ongoing debate on defence spending, but no one’s made the effort to define exactly what the UK’s requirements/needs are (so we end up, for example, with obsolescent aircraft carriers with no planes). As a result, 2 per cent of GDP’s spent annually on defence and 0.7 per cent on aid. Maybe too much, maybe too little. Who knows?

The Government spends £1 billion (€1.4 billion) every month on partly unaccountable aid ‘projects’ rating success in terms of how much it’s managed to spend, not what it’s achieved, while simultaneously cutting away at care home, defence and road repair budgets. The Gates Foundation spends about 30 per cent as much and achieves about 10 times more. I know where I’d put my money. Incidentally, you may recall my article last week called ‘Cliffgate’ (about Sir Cliff Richard). I still haven’t heard any other journalist dubbing this ‘Cliffgate’ maybe this column can lay stake to that claim. You read it here first! Nora Johnson’s thrillers ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon and iBookstore. Profits to Cudeca.

OPINION & COMMENT

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19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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Big switch-off for climate change A total of 125 Spanish towns and cities have pledged to turn off the lights on emblematic buildings at the end of March to raise awareness about climate change, organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Will you be spending an hour in the dark? ERIC LANCEE from Haco Muebles said the act of raising awareness was more important than the actual turn-off, and believed more should be done to combat environmental issues. “Our showroom has 2,000 square metres of solar panels so we are already eco-friendly, but more should be done and they need to look at targeting big industries and cars and planes,” he commented. Martin Eastgate from Laurel and Hardy’s restaurant in Quesada would support such a switch-off and is soon to re-

MARTIN: Supports town halls leading by example.

STREET TALK place all light bulbs in the restaurant with LED lights to reduce cost and waste and to be more environmentally efficient. He said: “It is good that town halls are taking the initiative and leading by example; they have to practise what they preach.” Paul Ross of Paul Ross Fitness in Huercal Overa,

PAUL: ‘We do what we can to look after the planet.’

Almeria, said: “This is the first I have heard about it, to be honest, so I hadn’t planned to sit in the dark. However, if these cities and other places get involved, especially if they all light candles like they did recently in Mojacar, then it could have a massive positive impact. We do what we can to look after the planet. We recycle all our water for watering outside and call it ‘watering the desert’.” Michelle Johnstone of Ace of Shades had not heard of the event either. “To be honest, this is the first time I’ve heard about it. The WWF could be doing more to publicise the event but, yes, I will switch off my lights to reduce my carbon footprint.” MICHELLE: ‘More should be done to publicise the event.’

ERIC: ‘Important to raise awareness.’

E W N 19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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We continue to pull together towards a happier destination Erica Russell Watson: My journey – and I’m driving

11th March TREATMENT number six and this was the first time I felt a little concerned. I had quite a rough time after the last chemotherapy session but it wasn’t feeling bad that worried me, more the fact that my immune system wouldn’t be up to scratch. So with trepidation I went to the hospital for my blood tests. When you have had as many tests as me you notice different techniques. Well the

lady this time just told me to totally relax and she took the sample without me having to ‘make a fist.’ I have to say it was excellent, I hardly noticed a thing. I had my usual breakfast and went up to the eighth floor to wait to see my oncologist. There was a very funny elderly lady complaining about her doctor and asking everyone in the waiting room which doctor they had. She was not impressed with her oncologist and said that he had better be prepared because she was on form today and wasn’t taking any nonsense from him! I have to say that despite the hours you have to spend waiting, the Spanish are so entertaining that time seems to pass by quickly. The mood is generally upbeat. People don’t tend to

speak about their treatment too much but more about current affairs, family, the weather or in the case of this week, politics as local elections are coming up.

I was amazed to find my tests were good Finally I was called and it was the moment of truth. I was amazed to find out that my tests were good and I could go ahead with my treatment. So many times I have heard other people being sent home as they just aren’t in good enough shape to take a chemo treatment. I find myself becoming more impatient as I near the

finishing line. My seventh treatment is on April 1. Interesting date! I will have to call the radiotherapy department at Carlos Haya Hospital to let them know that I am nearing the end of my chemotherapy so that they can book a full CAT scan and also book me in for my radiotherapy sessions. I don’t know much about that yet as it depends on the scan results and my surgeon and oncologist’s assessment. I am not feeling as wobbly as I did last time but I do have lots of muscular pain. I am, however, more prepared for it. Just have to get through it. I had a great day after my treatment, a lovely walk by the sea and lunch out. You have to enjoy the good moments when you feel up to it. The weekend will be spent resting when I need to and do-

ing things with the children. For me the biggest test lately has been steering them through the last few weeks. They are very sad and find it hard to reconcile to the fact that they will never see their father again. I know that time will heal. They always say they wish they could talk to their Dad. So instead of bursting into tears which I can assure you I feel like doing, I ask them what they would say to him. It seems to help. Every time they feel low I just tell them to have a little chat with him and to tell him about their day and the funny things that have happened. Little steps are best, otherwise the enormity of recent events and the uncertainty of the future could capsize us and we need to stay afloat. So we continue to pull together, paddling in our boat to a happier destination.

Samaritans in Spain want to support desperate youngsters A RECENT BBC news item reported that filmmaker Andrew Jenkins, 52, from Blaenau Gwent, says he has lost 19 friends to suicide over three decades. He has spoken out so that other people might think twice about killing themselves. He now plans to make an educational film about the issue. The piece also quoted Stephen Habgood, Chairman of charity Papyrus which is concerned with young people’s suicides, who said 75 per cent of people who took their own lives

were young men and he expected to see an increase in suicides among middleaged men because of the effects of the recession. Psychiatrists say mental health problems are increasing in Spain and the suicide rate is up since the financial crisis began. Certain factors are known to be associated with increased risk of suicide including unemployment, poverty, family breakdown, bullying and social isolation. The young fear that they have no future

in their own country and either have to move abroad or depend on family members who are themselves in difficulty. According to RTVE television, suicide was second to cancer (15 per cent of deaths) in the overall 25-34 age group and the leading cause of death in young men (17.8 per cent). One in three young people who take their lives are intoxicated at the time of death. Among the young, 80 per cent of suicides are male, who feel possibly that they should be the stronger

sex and men usually find it much more difficult to open up and talk about their problems. If you, or someone you know, is feeling desperate and in need of emotional support contact Samaritans in Spain now. Please call our 24-hour confidential line on 902 88 35 35/email pat@samaritansin spain.com. For more information visit our website www.samaritansinspain.com and connect on Facebook.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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19 - 25 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

Fasting and skipping meals could in fact be good for our health

BREAKFAST: May not be the most important meal of the day. THERE is more conflicting information about dieting and eating meals, with a new expert claiming that the long-followed advice of eating three square meals a day may not be the best thing for us. Historian Abigal Carroll has written a book called ‘Three Square: The Invention of the American Meal’. In it, she suggests there is no evidence that eating three meals a day is healthier than eating in other forms and that these meals are cultural constructions European settlers enforced on Native Americans. The author says the early set-

tlers ate meals at regimented times and considered this a more ‘civilised’ habit than the natives eating patterns, which varied with the seasons. She also claims that breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day largely due to advertising campaigns by cereal companies. This may be backed up by a 2014 study by the University of Bath (UK) which found whether or not a person ate breakfast had no effect on the overall calories they consumed in a day. Those who ate breakfast did burn more calories than those who skipped it, but they burned

off the extra calories later in the day, meaning the net calorie consumption was the same. A study by US researchers also claims that fasting could also be good for your health. Experts at the University of Southern California found that fasting for two days or more can help to kickstart the immune system, especially if it has been damaged by ageing or cancer treatment, as it encourages the body to replace old and damaged cells. Fasting for two to four days every six months forced the body into survival mode, using up stores of fat and sugar and breaking down old cells.

Can sexual relations later in life keep the brain active? HAVING sexual relations later in life could boost your brainpower. A study found that people in their 60s and 70s who were happy and satisfied with their love life had a sharper mind and better memory, leading scientists to believe that an active sex life can help keep the brain young.

The latest study involved quizzing more than 1,700 Dutch men and women over the age of 58 about their sex life and their need for intimacy. The volunteers were also put through a series of mental tests, designed to assess everything from memory to the ability to think ab-

stractly. Those who were happy with their sex lives did better in the tests. The finding follows a recent British study which revealed that age is no barrier to an active love life. A study by Manchester University found that more than half of men and almost a third of women over 70 were still sexually active.

EWN

Sugar debate AS the debate surrounding the potential dangers of sugar and how to tackle this issue continues to rage, new research finds a significant 46 per cent of Britons have taken at least one course of action to monitor or reduce their sugar intake in the last year. More than a quarter (27 per cent) said they have checked food labels for sugar content more often than they did 12 months previously. Meanwhile, 26 per cent said they have limited the amount of sugar in their diet and 25 per cent that they have cooked from scratch to control sugar intake more often over the same period. In terms of why people are limiting their sugar intake, weight management stands out as the most common reason cited by people who limit their sugar intake (56 per cent), followed by future health concerns (42 per cent).

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