Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 9 - 15 April 2015 Issue 1553

ISSUE NO. 1553 // 9 - 15 APRIL 2015

EWN FRONT EXTRA

Fees cut SHOPS and businesses in Carboneras will pay less for temporarily occupying public spaces. This 30 per cent fee reduction is aimed at assisting local commerce, the town hall said.

Fit the crime AN Adra man who intimidated his wife by stabbing her dog has received a three-month prison term for animal cruelty.

Safe to swim ALMERIA Province’s beaches are all suitable for swimming, the regional government announced. Samples of seawater from 76 beaches all met required quality levels.

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More routes take off from El Alquian

By Linda Hall ALMERIA will be better connected to the rest of the world this summer leading to hopes for a continuing boost to the tourist trade.

Between now and the last weekend in October, scheduled flights and charters will link Almeria to 29 European destinations including the UK, Ireland, Holland, France, Scandinavia and Germany.

It is no coincidence that these are the countries viewed as the most important from a tourism point of view.

Airports’ operator AENA highlighted the increase in international carriers using El Alquian Airport.

In just four years Almeria has progressed from connections with just seven countries to the present 20, an AENA spokesman said.

“There has been a tremendous

improvement in international connections but that doesn’t mean we can stop working,” said Javier Aureliano Garcia, Vice-president of Almeria’s provincial government.

“We went to the last ITB trade fair in Berlin with an intense work schedule, determined to connect Almeria and Germany,” Garcia said.

Neither will the important internal market be neglected. As well as the existing routes to Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Melilla, a schedule of flights to Valencia, Bilbao, Santander, Santiago de Compostela and Zaragoza will be added during the summer months.

Beach bars set to be fully legal THE new Coastal Law allows beach bars to regularise their situation.

Formerly strict rules under the existing 1988 Coastal Law have been relaxed and promise a more secure future for the 3,000 or so chiringuitos on the Spanish coast.

Owners of Almeria Province’s 93 chiringuitos have until tomorrow (Friday April 10) to apply for permission to operate for the next 30 years.

Chiringuitos provide 3,500 jobs in the province.

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INDEX News 1 - 32 Finance 35 - 40 Leapy Lee 41 Daily TV 48 Time Out 52 - 53 Letters 54 Health & Beauty 62 - 64 Food 65 - 66 Albox 68 - 73 Homes & Gardens 75 Property 78 - 80 Classifieds 81 - 83 Motoring 84 - 85 Sport 87 - 88

TRIBUTE: Colleagues and officials during the one-minute’s silence.

Caving tragedy felt in Almeria

ALMERIA policeman Jose Antonio Martinez, aged 41, was one of two cavers killed in Tarmest (Southern Morocco).

He and 41-year-old Cadiz lawyer Gustavo Virues died after a 400-metre fall into a ravine in the High Atlas mountains.

A third man, Juan Bolivar, also a National Police officer, was uninjured but affected by hypothermia. The three were roped together when they fell.

National Police Chief Inspector Jose Antonio Martinez, married and a father of two, was Granada-born but had lived Almeria City for the last eight years. Unlike Gustavo Virues, he survived the fall but with extensive head wounds and two fractured legs, succumbed to his injuries after six days without medical treatment.

Morocco’s reluctance to accept outside help is said to have hindered the rescue bid.

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Crops targeted ROBBERIES in Spain’s agricultural areas fell by 12.14 per cent to 21,153 cases last year. Andalucia had more thefts than any other region with 7,340 robberies, 1,387 of them in Almeria.

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Swordfight at the Alcazaba A NEW two-metre bronze statue of Rey Jairan in Almeria City was not, after all, vandalised.

The provincial media, including the Euro Weekly News, reported that the sword carried by Almeria’s first Moorish king was snapped off 12 hours after it was put in place below the Alcazaba.

This caused bad feeling in the neighbourhood where residents

complained they had been tacitly accused of vandalism. As speculation and rumours abounded, the city’s Culture councillor Ramon Fernandez-Pacheco stepped in.

“No-one accused the neighbourhood of vandalism; quite the opposite,” he said.

It was apparent that the sword was already bent when it was installed, although this was not the

fault of municipal employees but had occurred during storage, Fernandez-Pacheco stressed.

Later that evening, a resident warned city hall that part of the blade was about to snap: “I gave instructions that she should pull it off and save it.”

It will now be reattached closer to the statue’s body to avoid further mishaps. aaltair / Shutterstock.com

Local talent FILMING has finished on ‘La Madriguera’ (‘The Burrow’), a terror movie shot mainly in Campohermoso. Although its director Kurro Gonzalez is from Valencia, most of the crew were from Almeria.

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Fire hazard A MINOR, his father and uncle were treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns after their Ohanes home burnt down. The fire appears to have started in a brazier, investigators later revealed.

MOORS AND CHRISTIANS: The medieval decorations make this festival a spectacular affair.

Spectacular celebration of Spain’s history

Land value AGRICULTURAL land in Andalucia fetched an average €17,995 a hectare in 2014, increasing in value for the first time in seven years. Almeria prices rose by 2.4 per cent.

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ews watch

Rack and ruin

ROOFS are caving at the listed Palacio del Almanzora, built in 1872 warned Amigos del Palacio. Neither the regional nor national government have kept promises to fund its rescue, they complained.

Double crime POLICE raiding an indoor marihuana plantation in Almeria City also found three caged dogs. They bore serious wounds, presumably inflicted during dogfights, and were taken to the municipal animal centre.

VANDALISM cost Almeria City Hall more than €500,000 in 2014. They spent €260,000 in replacing copper cable stripped from streetlights although the city’s 6,594 lampposts are now tamper-proof.

ONE of the most colourful and well-known festivals in Spain - the Moors and Christians festival of Alcoy is fast approaching.

The streets of the Costa Blanca town will be packed with locals and curious tourists alike from April 22 to 24 as they vie for the best spot to see the vibrant processions that mark the occasion.

Similar festivals celebrating the conquest of the country by the Moors, followed by its reconquest by Christians, are held around Spain, but particularly in the Valencian region as well as Andalucia.

Sh utt ers toc k.c om

Cars okayed ITV testing stations inspected 147,430 Almeria Province vehicles between January and April, 9,576 more than in 2014. Of these, 24.27 per cent were rejected, compared with 25.23 per cent last year.

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Law-breaker A ROQUETAS firm’s legal and fiscal adviser faces a three-year prison sentence and a €3,240 fine for embezzlement. Instead of paying bills the lawyer kept €23,900 of the firm’s money over a two-year period.

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Quote of the Week The Spanish and Moroccan governments killed Jose Antonio,” said Jose Morilla, a fellow climber speaking of policeman Jose Antonio Martinez, who died after spending six and a half days waiting to be rescued after a climbing accident in the Atlas mountains.

In Alcoy, where the festivities attract thousands of people, the festival is held around April 23 - St George’s Day - as according to legend England’s Patron Saint played a key role in securing the town’s future against the Moors.

As the story goes, James I of Aragon had reconquered Alcoy but the Moors were poised to launch a counterattack.

As the fighting was about to resume a miraculous appearance by St George caused consternation and panic amongst the Moorish army. The soldiers scattered and fled in defeat.

Most Moors and Christians festivals date back to the 16th Century.

And one thing never changes - the Christians always win.

Number of the week

€10.5

billion is the amount the Spanish taxman (Hacienda) expects to hand back to tax-payers due to make their 2014 declarations in this year’s campaign, which runs until June 30.

Missed chances ALMERIA Province has 1,963 organic growers and farmers but only 52 process their crops. Olive oil, honey, jam, wine, cava, fruit juice, spices are the most popular.

Road works CHIRIVEL and Lucainena are in line for improvements to country roads. The Diputacion has given the go ahead and will provide €152,000 to improve 13,000 square metres of tracks in both towns.

Slow reaction A MOJACAR landowner, allegedly never notified of the compulsory purchase of four properties for the Carboneras desalination plant, will not receive compensation.

And finally...

A BET with friends was reported to be behind an impromptu Robin Hood’s breakfast antics in A Coruña. The man ‘borrowed’ a baker’s van, which a deliveryman had left unlocked with the keys in the ignition, and drove it through the city streets before throwing the doors open and inviting passersby to help themselves.

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It’s rotten tomatoes Solution for TELEVISION chef Alberto Chicote has succeeded in irritating most of the province’s tomato-growers.

In a recent episode of

his programme ‘El precio de los alimentos’ (The price of food) Chicote travelled to El Ejido to discover why prices were plummeting.

He had little good to say about the sector which, according to the only grower he spoke to, throws away between two and three million kilos of tomatoes a month.

He attributed overproduction to competition from polytunnels in Romania rather than Morocco and the EU veto on exports to Russia that most affect the sector, disgruntled growers said.

The programme then took viewers to Holland to demonstrate how tomatoes could be grown

without waste. This earned little applause from local growers who asked why, if their own tomatoes were so much better, did the Dutch import Almeria tomatoes?

El Ejido mayor Francisco Gongora plans to send Chicote a couple of boxes of Almeria tomatoes so that he can sample “real” Almeria agriculture.

The celebrity chef is unprofessional said the COAG cooperative and, according to Gongora, “a mediocre chef and a worse journalist.”

town strays A DOG is left to its fate every three minutes in Spain.

More than 150,000 dogs are abandoned each year and the unwanted honour of leaving most on the streets goes to Andalucia.

Animal protection associations do their utmost to remedy their plight and in Almeria the Almeria Diputacion is also attempting to alleviate the situation.

Our View

The calm before the storm

A

pril fools is just a memory, and Easter has ‘Eastered’ for another year. So now we can expect the Christmas rush to start in the shops. Ahhh! Only joking. That nightmare is still 38 weeks away.

However, very shortly, and before we can say, “I’m off to the beach,” the season of, Touristicus Invadeus Spanicom, will be upon us. You know, that time when you realise what ‘living in Spain’ is all about. Or is it?

Spain isn’t just beaches, bars and restaurants, it has so much more to see and experience. There are more than 25 world heritage sites including: the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, the Alcázar of Segovia, the Alhambra of

Granada, Burgos Cathedral, and the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, to name a few, all waiting to be discovered before the hordes of tourist queues and summer heat make it impossible.

This is the perfect time of year to get out and experience Spain. The cold of winter has gone, the heat of summer hasn’t arrived. That little peaceful gap in the middle. The quiet before the storm when everything comes to life and beckons you to come visit before the ice-cream dropping, attraction filling, public transport hogging tourists, that we all love and need, arrive and book everything solid.

No more excuses! No more; “It’s too hot, it’s too cold.” Just get up and do it! You will love it!

Have your say and leave your comments at www.euroweeklynews.com

Diputacion president Gabriel Amat recently signed a contract with the Montaña del Sol Animal Service to collect strays in towns with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants where councils cannot meet the expense.

An emergency phone line will connect town halls to Montaña del Sol 24-hours a day and the company undertakes to pick up strays within 48 hours.

The Diputacion will provide €60,000 to cover staff costs, social security payments, vets’ fees and feed, plus the upkeep of the animals.

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Clear run THE Gorgoracha-Puntalon (Motril) section of the A-7 is now open, leaving only the Carchuna-Castell de Ferro section to Granada. Once finished in September Almeria will be directly linked to Malaga.

Crime scene ALMERIA UNIVERSITY is offering a specialist threemonth Criminology course in September. The twiceweekly tuition sessions will be given by 30 experts from professions related to criminal justice and criminology.

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Almeria goes East ALMERIA City’s Alcazaba and Archaeological Museum has been included in the Lianorg Top Choice 2015 rankings.

This Peking-based website provides information for tourists from China, Japan, Korea and other Asian countries, selecting tourist attractions, hotels, restaurants and shops.

Tourism professionals and travellers evaluate the places they visit and each year a Lianorg jury bases its Top Choice rankings on their findings.

The Alcazaba was also featured in ‘Crossroad,’ a documentary made for the Japanese television channel TV Tokyo.

The programme follows two Japanese table tennis players taking part in the Spanish Open World Tour.

Motril takes wind out of Almeria sails ALMERIA, which wants more liners to visit the port, lags behind Motril (Granada).

Exactly 16,870 passengers from 23 cruise ships disembarked at the port last year, a 0.6 per cent fall on 2013 that puts Almeria last in the Andalucia rankings.

One place ahead of Almeria was Motril, where 30 cruise ships docked last year and whose 19,589 passengers rose by 28.6 per cent on 2013, passing the 19,500 mark for the first time.

Almeria port has collaborated for several years with other institutions to attract cruise ships.

It is now part of the Cruise Product Club, an alliance of the Port, the Fundacion Bahia Almeriport, the Tourist Board, city hall and companies that organise excursions.

TOP CHOICE: Alcazaba a favourite with Asian visitors.

The finals were staged in the Palacio de los Juegos Mediterraneos in Almeria City and the pro-

gramme, which airs in Japan on April 25, also shows panoramic views of the city.

‘Mary Celeste’ helicopter AN empty helicopter was found overturned in the middle of a Nijar field.

Nobody has reported an accident or reclaimed the helicopter whose main rotor and tail rotor were missing.

“All lines of investigation are open,” said a Guardia Civil spokesman who declined to go into further details, although it has been suggested that the helicopter was

used to run drugs from Morocco.

When the aircraft was discovered there was no trace of crew or passengers.

Neither did a search of the immediate area show signs that anyone was injured in what was clearly an emergency landing.

Almeria airport received no prior flight plan, revealed sources at airports operator AE-

NA, leading investigators to assume that it had taken off from a private heliport or field.

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Prison for attack on two nurses A 44-YEAR-OLD woman has received a 12-month suspended sentence for attacking two nurses at Torrecardenas Hospital.

She had been asked to leave the Haemodialysis Unit after entering without authorisation although hospital protocol would not in any case have granted this, the court heard.

Instead of complying she addressed one of the nurses in a ‘threatening tone’ while grabbing her arm and shaking her.

Seeing this, a nursing auxiliary tried to stop the accused who reacted by pushing her violently away.

Owing to their injuries, the nurse and the auxil-

iary were off sick for a considerable time, and as well as the suspended sentence, the woman must now compensate them with €1,740 and €1,380 respectively.

She must also pay two fines of €2 per day for two months since the women were employees of the Andalucia Health Service (SAS).

Museum spreads its wings ALMERIA’S archaeological museum is using social networks to make its mark internationally.

Japan considers it one of the EU’s leading museums and thanks to the internet it is becoming known worldwide through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

The museum recently took part in Museumweek on Twitter, one of 2,825 muse-

ums from 77 countries that shared information, activities and experiences. The Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza art museums and the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid also participated in the cyber-meeting which generated 237 million views and 600,000 Tweets.

The internet get-together coincided with its ninth anniversary.

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Bike plan ALMERIA’S Consortium Metropolitano de Transportes is considering a bike-sharing scheme once bicycle lanes are operational.

Job help JUST over 87 per cent of the Junta’s Emergency Employment Plan €419.6 million budget has been used since it began in 2012, generating or maintaining 23,334 jobs.

New chance CARITAS is to open a new centre in Almeria City’s Regiones neighbourhood. The premises have been provided by the diocese and will be used to give training to those at risk of social exclusion.

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A long life, but a hard one ISABEL ANDREO GAZQUEZ recently celebrated her 100th birthday in Velez Rubio.

Surrounded by her sur-

viving daughter, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren she received 100 red roses, one for each year of her

Parked car set alarm bells off POLICE cut off Calle Martinez Campos in Almeria City after a parked car aroused suspicions.

Local Police officers were clearing the area for the Easter processions when they noticed that the car had only one number plate. Their reservations increased after a check revealed that this did not tally with the chassis number and they called in their National Police counterparts.

The street was cordoned-off and officers from the Tedex bomb disposal unit inspected the car, which they soon gave the all-clear to after finding nothing suspicious in its interior.

It was a false alarm, they confirmed, as the car was towed away to the municipal pound and Calle Martinez Campos reopened to the public.

life during the family celebration.

She was born in 1915 in Los Simones (Murcia) but came with her parents to Los Gazquez when she was seven. Despite opposition, she learned to read and write: “My father said I didn’t need to go to school, only boys went so they could write when they did their military service.”

But when Isabel’s little brother lost an eye in an accident she had to take him each day to school “so I made the most of accompanying him,” she recalled.

She married at 20, had two daughters, was widowed at 48 and worked until 1980.

“You have always given us help, strength, support and encouragement whenever we needed it,” her family told her.

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NEWS EXTRA

Melon growth

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Fine way of raising money A TOTAL of 15,149 speeding drivers were snared by mobile radar traps last year.

This was 25 per cent more than the 12,985 detected in 2012, pointed out Gracia Fernandez, MP for Almeria during a Questions and Answers session in the national parliament.

Taking into account fixed speed cameras, 59,351 speeding tickets

ALMERIA growers expect to produce 155,000 tons of melons this summer despite competition from Murcia and Morocco.

Prices are expected to equal last year’s.

Bus damage PASSERSBY cornered a man after they saw him smash a bus windscreen, slightly injuring a passenger in Almeria City. He was arrested, charged and later released.

Joys of spring APPROXIMATELY 60,000 people in Almeria Province with pollen allergy can look forward to an ‘intense’ spring thanks to cypresses in gardens.

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SPEEDING: More radar trap fines.

were issued in Almeria Province between 2012 and 2014, Fernandez said.

Drivers should be discouraged from speeding, she agreed, but fines had soared owing to the central government’s desire to bring in money.

“Fines should not be a simple profit-making measure,” Fernandez claimed.

Art as a health option and a life project OUTSIDER ART exhibition, ‘The Song of the Phoenix’can be seen until April 15 at Mojacar’s Centro de Arte.

Organised by FAISEM, the Andalucia Foundation for the Social Integral of

the Mentally ill and Mojacar Town Hall, it was officially opened by Mayor Rosa Maria Cano and Faisem’s provincial delegate, Amparo Lloret.

Outsider Art, also known as Art Brut, refers to the

manifestations of artists outside the boundaries of official, academic art. It is not necessarily related to psychosis but relates, albeit tangentially, to the expression of singular experiences.

It is art in a raw and authentic state that some consider pure art, free of artificiality and a clear representation of the author’s creativity.

The exhibition features 58 works by 17 painters from Almeria Province. It has already visited Almeria City, Huercal-Overa, Pulpi and Garruch, promoting

OUTSIDER ART: ‘The Song of the Phoenix.’ the work of painters, some with difficulties, who use art as a health option and a life project.

It aspires to eliminate the stigma that society attaches to those with mental illness, using art to counter the stereotypes associated with it.

None can be indifferent to the creative force of this art, where each work is an explosion of colour, emotion and ability reflected in every brushstroke.

Featured painters are: Moises Nevado Ariza, Modesto Fernandez Molina, Selena María Rodriguez Medina, Josefina Egea Carrizo, Isola, JMA, Andres Piñero Flores, Francisca Aurelia Castaño Castaño, Encarna Martinez Sanchez, Anonimo, Juan María Segura Sanchez, Juan Luis Arenas Vergara, Francisco Cañas Sanchez, Juana Carmen Rodriguez Alonso, Salvador Rodriguez Santiago, Rosario Ruiz Magdalena and Maria Dolores Vargas Lopez.

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Fire risk increases FROM November 1 until April 30 is the low season for forest fires.

But as temperatures rise so does fire risk and the Junta regional government has called for co-operation in fire-prevention.

Prior permission is required to burn tree prunings and forestry waste in woods or areas within 400 metres of them. In open country barbecues may be lit only in designated areas and embers should be doused before leaving.

Rubbish, often the origin of forest fires, should never be dumped in the countryside, the Junta warned.

The ban on driving through woodland does not come into force until June 1, but motorists are urged to be careful and stay in permitted areas.

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Cancer charity gets new headquarters THE AECC anti-cancer association’s new premises in Huercal-Overa are officially open.

The property in the Montecastillo neighbourhood was inaugurated by Huercal-Overa mayor, Domingo Fernandez, and the local association’s former president Encarna Lorenzo.

The project has the personal backing and commitment of the mayor and council who have provided the 200-squaremetre property with a meeting room, offices and a physiotherapy area.

“With the new headquarters we are giving something back to AECC members for their unselfish work on behalf of the people of this town,” Fernandez added.

“We handed over the

HUERCAL-OVERA: AECC premises inaugurated. plans to Encarna some months ago at an association lunch and we have supervised the project together,” he explained, adding: “I think it has turned out very well, with somewhere for members to work and space for them to attend to patients and their families.”

It was an emotional moment for Encarna Lorenzo as a commemorative plaque was unveiled and the keys handed over. “I’ve seen one of my dreams come true.

Now we can work in better conditions and continue to help through the association,” she said.

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Fishing boats break tradition ALMERIA CITY’S harbourside fish market was open for business last Good Friday for the first time ever.

Fishing boat owners’ association Asopesca decided to break with tradition so that local markets, bars

Phone ruse fails to convince A VICAR woman was charged with falsely reporting a robbery.

A stranger snatched her bag as she was getting into her car, she told the Guardia Civil. It contained €2,000 recently withdrawn from the bank and a mobile phone worth €821, she claimed.

Investigators eventually suspected that although the robbery was genuine, the phone was deliberately included in the formal complaint.

Asking to see her current mobile they found that it was the same make, model and colour as the phone she maintained had been stolen with her bag.

Her explanation that she had duplicated her SIM card and bought an identical model failed to convince the Guardia Civil investigators who have passed the case on to the courts.

and restaurants could have fresh fish over one of the busiest tourist weekends of the year. They were also able to supply the Mercadona supermarket chain, which buys up Almeria fish and seafood daily.

Few in Spain are now regular churchgoers but Good Friday is still a day when it is customary to eat fish and tourists, whatever their beliefs, are keen to sample local specialities.

Most of the boats that went out last Thursday and Friday were the 30 or so trawlers that work the banks of red prawns, hake, monkfish and crayfish that fetch good prices.

“We also want this to revolutionise Almeria’s fish and shellfish sector this week when the demand for fish is at its height,” said Asopesca manager, Jose Maria Gallart.

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Farming fraud wrapped up A GANG of fraudsters has been disbanded by police in Almeria.

Two of those arrested are believed to be the gang leaders.

The criminal organisation had etablished its headquarters within a greenhouse unit in

Almeria, under the pretence of being farmers.

They ordered goods which they then sold on via co-operatives.

The scammers had established trade links with Almeria and Granada agricultural co-operatives and began to

Easter traffic operation results in one fatality EASTER week resulted in one fatality on the roads of Almeria and 18 injured in 12 traffic accidents.

A motorcyclist, aged 42, was killed following a collision in Sorbas. The man was one of three fatalities recorded across the whole of Andalucia over the Easter period, which was lower than last Easter when seven people died in the region.

maintain a normal commercial relationship with them, with the completion of initial orders which were paid promptly to gain the trust of the traders and their managers.

Once trust had been established, they began to place orders, but took increasingly longer to settle the invoices, owing up to â‚Ź25,000 by the time they were found out.

A 50-year-old who lives in El Ejido and a 42-year-old were arrested as the alleged masterminds of the operation.

Both had contacts in the horticultural sector and knew the way the industry worked.

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Worker to get compensation THE manager of an almond processing plant in Gergal, Almeria, has been found guilty of a

crime against the rights of workers and other reckless injury following an explosion in the boil-

Plant personnel plan strike action THE 30 workers responsible for managing the recycling and composting of agricultural waste Ejido Environment, located in El Ejido, have announced they will go on strike if

they are not recognised and paid for the extra work done in recent months for the operation of these facilities.

The representatives of the employees of the companies Ejidomedioambiente SA and Contenedores Lirola SL, responsible for managing the workplace, filed a notice of strike to the labour authorities.

It announced plans for a strike scheduled to start on Monday for 10 days.

The CCOO union requested mediation in the labour dispute prior to the strike.

er room that caused injury to an employee.

The judge ruled there was a “deficit in maintenance and cleaning” in the boiler room by the manager which led to a sudden swelling in the pressure that caused an

explosion. The worker caught up in the incident suffered a broken ankle, injuries to his stomach, head and shoulder and has been awarded €1,080 in compensation.

A second defendant, a

company technician hired by the almond processing plant, was acquitted after it was proved he had no involvement and had submitted a risk plan months before the accident.

Banderas with new girlfriend ANTONIO BANDERAS has been making the news again in Malaga, where he was photographed on Monday getting romantic with girlfriend Nicole Kimpel, a Dutch investment consultant.

The pair looked relaxed, laughing and sharing jokes from the same balcony were he had watched the Holy Week processions with her.

The actor was also seen casually socialising with some of Nicole’s

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Arboleas access PHASE III of the access plan for Arboleas is now under way to include a pedestrian way and a bike path through the centre of the municipality with the aim of creating better access for both vehicles and pedestrians.

Public space WORK has begun in Loma del Calvario, Tijola on an area of around 11,000 square metres destined to host major events. The development of the public space has a budget of €520,000.

ANTONIO BANDERAS: With Nicole Kimpel. friends while looking down from their exclusive balcony. The actor is

currently preparing for his role as Pablo Picasso in a new movie.

Holidays in peace FRIENDS of the Sahara are looking for 30 local families to host children from the Sahara as part of the ‘Holidays in Peace’ programme, which last year welcomed 75 children from refugee camps in southern Algeria.

Weather alerts ALMERIA was put on orange alert for winds and rainfall following the end of the pleasant Easter weather.

Equal opportunities ALMERIA is to issue a ‘mark of excellence’ to local companies that show their commitment to equality as part of the Equal Opportunities Plan in the city which will run from 2015-2019.

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Prawn stars THERE were 33 registered fishing boats in Adra last year compared to 38 in 2013.

Despite bringing in fewer fish, catches rose thanks to more volume of shellfish.

Shoot-out A 49-YEAR-OLD man shot three times in the back in El Puche is recovering in Torrecardenas hospital.

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Hotels report a good Easter ALMERIA has recorded what the hospitality industry is calling ‘one of the best Easter weeks’ since the start of the economic crisis.

According to the Provincial Association of Hospitality Almeria

(Ashal), the Easter break has shown a ‘most promising’ start to the tourist season, with hotels recording occupancy of an average 70 per cent, with some reporting they were full.

Ashal said the good weather

boosted bookings with Nijar and Cabo de Gata recording occupancy of between 65-75 per cent from March 29 to April 5.

It increased to 85-90 per cent at the height of Easter weekend itself. The Almanzora area

Elderly homes cleared of prescription fraud TWO homes for the elderly in Nijar and Vicar were cleared of misusing deceased residents’ details.

The courts have now shelved the regional government’s accusations that administrators and managers used the health cards for doctors’ prescriptions to stock up on medication. There were no irregular activities, Almeria City judges ruled.

A similar case is still under investigation in Roquetas de Mar, although sources hinted that it was possible that this, too, would be shelved.

The suspected fraud came to light during official inspections by the Junta de Andalucia regional government in 2013, the Vicar home was

accused of using the details of 24 deceased residents to acquire medicines worth €4,367. The Nijar home allegedly obtained medication worth an estimated €9,000.

Both homes were also cleared of inadequately storing medicines, principally eyedrops, which managers explained do not need to be refrigerated until they have been opened.

The residences expressed satisfaction and relief that the courts had cleared them of fraud following two years of investigation.

These had been damaging to their image and required them to provide “many explanations” to the families of residents, they said.

reached 100 per cent occupancy over the Easter weekend and 85 per cent through Semana Santa.

In the Alpujarra, only half of the available places were occupied during this period but, nevertheless, the industry recognised a revival of activity in restoration due to the numerous visits received, especially from hikers and walkers who visited but did not stay.

The sector said they are now “looking optimistically to the summer” and is confident that the figures now achieved “are a taste of what may happen in the high season.”

Reading clubs PURCHENA has hosted the first meeting of Children’s Reading Clubs in the Almanzora aimed at children aged from seven to 11.

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NEWS

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP CONFERENCE: Launched to encourage business creation in Huercal-Overa.

Motivation for business SWIMMING world champion David Meca and author Boris Izaguirre are partici-

pating in the Second Conference on Entrepreneurship.

The conference is held on April 23-24 at the Teatro Villa in Huercal-

Muslim students in Spain lack access to Islamic education A NEW report published by the Union of Islamic Communities (UCIDE) in Spain has concluded that 90 per cent of Muslim children in Spanish schools lack access to normal Islamic religion classes.

Based on the report by UCIDE, released on Monday, even access to basic Islamic schooling is only available in Andalucia, the Basque Country, Aragon, Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.

The report went on say that nine out of 10 Islamic teachers are unemployed and that, with over a quarter of a million Muslim students in Spain and the overall Muslim population at nearly 4 per cent of the Spanish population, they should have greater access to their preferred religious education.

Many Muslims believe that access to ‘normal’ western Islamic education will reduce radicalism and students being targeted by jihadist groups.

Overa. The main objective is to promote entrepreneurial culture among residents and it will feature motivational lectures to promote enthusiasm and optimism.

Mayor of Huercal-Overa, Domingo Fernandez, said the conference returned for a second year following “such good results in its first edition.” He added: “We want to offer a different vision and provide an alternative to our neighbours who may want to successfully launch a project or that dream and make it their way of life.”

Nearly 100 new entrepreneurs have benefited from municipal aid.

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NEWS

AECC welcomes new Albox HQ THE AECC has opened new headquarters in Albox.

Mayor Rogelio Mena, along with members of the Municipal Government, presented keys to the new building in Plaza de Abastos, to AECC president, Maria Saez, to help the cancer charity develop their work in the town.

The mayor reminded Maria of the town hall’s “willingness to collaborate with you in everything that you may need” and praised

NEW OFFICE: Mayor Mena presents the keys. the remarkable presence of young people within the

Culinary competition ALMERIA’S Bodega Viñalmanzora SL, is present at one of Spain’s most important culinary competitions ‘Salon Gourmet 2015’ taking place in Madrid from April 13-16.

During the gastronomic week, there will be tastings of products from Almeria made available by the wine producer, including wines, oils, jams, fruit and vegetables, fish and seafood.

association in Albox.

Maria was sworn in as the new AECC president in Albox recently, as previously reported in the Euro Weekly News . With the new board in place, the AECC has worked with the town hall to help find new premises and she thanked the mayor for his swift collaboration and cooperation.

See AECC Albox on Facebook or call 699 090 180.

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E W N 9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

NEWS

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MACS BUNNIES: Raising funds for the cancer support group.

Ashlea memorial in aid of MACS THE Bar at El Pinar was the setting for a recent fundraiser for MACS; the Mojacar Area Cancer Support Group.

The event was named in honour of Ashlea who lost her battle to cancer and to acknowledge all those families who have been affected by the disease.

Many people devoted their time and effort to make this event a success; Julie Justice and Dean Hill from the bar donated the facility and the help of staff in addition to providing lasagne and curry.

Desserts were provided

by Maggi Lake, Sue Oxley,

Gillian Bradley, Tracey Ingman and Paula Cooper and providing the stellar entertainment were such local luminaries as: Lady Ellen, Jill Farmiloe, Clive Boley, Dennis Danzelman and Tony Justice.

In addition, the MACS bunnies sang familiar songs with new and poignant lyrics written by Elaine Kay Brown.

The event raised €1,757 and in addition, Susan Thorogood contributed €160 from the sales of her home-made marmalade.

If you or a loved one needs the support of MACS call 634 656 555 . If you

would like to volunteer at any one of the MACS offices throughout the Almanzora Valley, please call 607 598 470.

Tourist office reopens THE Tourist Information point of Villaricos Castle reopened for the Easter period.

Mayor of Cuevas del Almanzora, Jesus Caicedo, was joined by fellow councillors in opening the municipal facilities, highlighting “the council’s commitment to tourists visiting our town which we cover with great success year after year.”

The tourist office attended to a large crowd of tourists during the Easter break, mostly national visitors.

NEWS

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9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

EWN

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Juerga’s rock festival 2015 now confirmed THE Juerga’s Rock Festival 2015, has been confirmed to take place in Adra on July 31 and August 1.

A number of groups and bands have already been confirmed for the line up but due to the increase in the number of requests to perform at the third edition of the Juerga’s Rock Festival, a national competition has now been launched for emerging bands giving them

the chance to join the line up and win a cash prize.

Last year over 200 bands entered.

The registration period is now open for those interested and entry can be done via the website www.thejuergasrock festival.com.

The contest will start with a popular vote through Facebook to determine the top 10 groups.

They will then pass to the

next phase where a jury of music industry professionals, including management agencies and promoters will determine which band is the winner and becomes part of the festival poster.

Bands including Asian Dub Foundation, Molotov, The Toy Dolls, Soziedad Alkoholika, Zulu Time, Kiko Veneno, Gatillazo and Narcare are already confirmed to perform.

SPORTS DAY: Mayor welcomes the initiative to encourage sports and a healthy lifestyle.

35th sports day THE 35th Day of Sport, Health and Environment was opened in the IES Cura Valera by the mayor of Huercal-Overa, Domingo Fernandez.

The week long event is dedicated to promoting various activities related to sports and a healthy lifestyle to encourage students to become more active.

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British Legion gets in Easter spirit THE Royal British Legion Mojacar, held their Easter lunch at Torre Bahia Restaurant.

As well as an Easter bonnet competition, there was also a raffle and Easter egg competition to raise money for Poppy Appeal.

The branch’s next organised events are a quiz and fish and chips supper at Beachcomber restaurant from 7.30pm tomorrow (Friday) followed by a St. George’s day lunch at Bella Vista restaurant, Mojacar on April 23 with tickets costing €12. For more information contact Eileen on 634 368 349.

The next meeting is at the Artisan Centre on April 16 at 11.15am.

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NEWS

Vaulting to success for funds THE Gymnastics Club in Sophia’s Wellness Centre hosted their Vaulting Challenge, to help raise funds for the club.

Gymnasts were sponsored on each vault they completed or a complete sponsor to vault as a team for eight minutes.

Between them, they performed a range of vaults including squat ons, straddle overs, head springs and hand springs and completed just under 100 vaults.

Coaches Nicki Batchelor, Amy Brown and Stacey Smith also pre-

GYMNASTICS: Theatre group presents a cheque to the gymnastics club. sented themselves to the judge’s table and each completed a vault.

Spring festival expected to attract thousands OLULA DEL RIO is expecting to receive up to 4,000 people at this weekend’s Spring Fiesta.

The festival on Saturday aims to “welcome spring with a

range of artists and a show that could fit with audiences of all ages,” according to the organisers who hope it will become a popular and regular fixture on the cultural calendar.

So far, with sponsor forms still to come in, the event has raised €1,100 which will go towards the purchase of a beam and matting which will add to the vault, springboard, trampettes, landing mats, barrels, training beams and a 10m air tumble track the club presently has.

The Gymnastics Club was formed just over a year ago by Stacey with 12 gymnasts. She now

has 36 boys and girls, Spanish and English, aged from four to 16.

Thanks also go to the Independent Theatre Group who presented the club with a cheque for €260 which was raised from a raffle during their Panto Mother Goose, which involved some of the gymnasts.

Stacey would like to give a thank you to everyone who has supported herself and the club.

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NEWS

Deaths in Gibraltar POLICE believe a British father, found stabbed to death in Gibraltar alongside his baby daughter, was killed by the little girl’s mother, according to unconfirmed reports in British newspapers.

Mr Shannon’s partner was reportedly suffering from post-natal depression. Anarda De La Caridad Perez Friman, 37, is believed to have killed him, their six-weekold daughter Eve Shannon Perez, and her four-year-old daughter Amanda Kristoffersen Perez, before killing herself.

It is also believed Mr Shannon had suffered defensive wounds which suggested he had been trying to protect the children before being killed.

The family had been reportedly living in Malaga, and had gone to Gibraltar for a short break, before a trip to England.

Acting superintendent Wayne Tunbridge, leading the investigation in Gibraltar, said: “We are not looking for anyone

KILLED: Family of four in Gibraltar. outside the family at this stage, but we have numerous lines of enquiry. We are in communication with family members of the deceased who must come to Gibraltar before we release any further details.”

Pantoja pays off debts after sale FOLLOWING the sale of her Marbella home, Isabel Pantoja is reported to have paid off a hefty tax bill the property held with the local council.

The singer, who is currently doing time in a Sevilla jail for money laun-

dering, has transferred almost €10,000 from Panriver 56 SL, the company which figured on the title-deeds for the property, to Marbella Council, allegedly to settle property tax and rubbish collection bills.

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E W N 9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Theme park BENIDORM’S Terra Mitica theme park has reopened for the 2015 season as it hosts a range of activities and events to mark their 15th anniversary.

Home cooking

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A happy ending

DENIA Council and the Association of Hospitality and Tourism (AEHTMA) has launched a cooking competition promoting the virtues of home cooking with recipes to be published. Open until April 30, Participate via hashtag # Saboréala.

Full house A RECORD number of visitors were recorded at the El Faro cultural information centre next to the lighthouse in Albir over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

Hands up POLICE have arrested a man who was found to be carrying a stolen Walther 9mm gun in the early hours of Sunday morning on Calle Mallorca in Benidorm.

AXARQUIA

Charitable tournament THE Costa del Sol-Axarquia Padel Club collected 180 kilos of food at the second Charity Easter Tournament held in VelezMalaga last week. The food will be donated to the soup kitchen at EMAUS.

New residents THE Animal Park ‘Loro Sexi’ in Almuñecar has seen the birth of a new lemur and a meerkat, which are now adapting to the park’s environment.

Videogames success MORE than 1,500 people of all ages attended Rincon de la Victoria’s Weekend Play, a video-gaming and entertainment event celebrated on April 4 and 5. The council is now planning a larger edition which will aim to have national impact.

Path improved THE rural path Galindo in Motril has been renovated thanks to the Agriculture Development Plan, which had a total budget of €330,000 to improve several rural paths around the town.

and evacuated. The first, aged 41, broke her ankle on Cartagena’s Mount Roldan. The second, aged 51, sustained a broken ankle after a fall on Mount de las Cenizas.

Natural gas A DANISH freighter has become the first large cargo ship to receive natural gas as fuel in the port of Cartagena, one of 10 reloads expected this year after the port obtained the necessary authorisation to supply natural gas.

Park visitor centre THE visitor centre within Elche’s Municipal Park has reopened following a renovation project which cost €60,000 to introduce new technology. Admission is free until April 12.

Roundabout landing A CAR left the road and landed on the lawned centre of a roundabout in Calpe at 1.30am on Tuesday. The driver, who was slightly injured, tested positive for alcohol.

NEWS DESK

Pinoso tops

NEW ARRIVAL: Mother and baby safe and well at Easy Horse Care.

THE Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre has welcomed a healthy foal into the world, in a happy ending to a terrible case of animal abuse and neglect.

The little colt, named Arthur, was the rescue centre’s Easter new arrival, born to mum Guinevere, one of three terribly thin mares and a stallion rescued from Granada last December.

Drug vendor busted A 24-YEAR-OLD man was arrested in Velez-Malaga for allegedly selling hashish and marihuana. In a home search police found 500 grams of marihuana, 37 grams of hashish and €203 in cash, which were confiscated.

COSTA DEL SOL

Dangerous fumes A RONDA family had to be taken to hospital for treatment after becoming intoxicated by fumes from a faulty heater. The parents and two children all reported vomiting episodes and strong headaches.

Floral decoration CASARES is holding a street and façade floral decoration competition on April 1819 to coincide with the village’s gastronomy days, and maps of the participating areas will be distributed.

Busy month A TOTAL of 18,608 people requested information from tourist offices in Torremoli-

The rescue was a joint operation with Malaga-based rescue charity El Refugio del Burrito, which took at least four donkeys into care. “We were very apprehensive about this birth because the mare really was in a terrible condition when she arrived three months ago, sai co-founder of the Rojales rescue centre, Sue Weeding.

nos in March, the council reported. Most visitors were Spanish (7,016) followed by Britons (4,885) and French (1,199).

Gardeners’ heaven THE ninth Plant Fair in Arroyo de la Miel received more than 3,000 visits to see the thousands of plants on show including cacti, Venus flytraps, bonsais, orchids and others from a variety of countries.

Busy holiday EMERGENCY services (112) reported a total of 2,421 incidents that required assistance in Malaga Province over Easter.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Boat show MORE than just nautical companies were present at the fifth Boat Show at the Puerto Marina de las Salinas in San Pedro del Pinatar, showing off latest models, special offers and boating information.

Hikers rescued TWO female hikers have been rescued

PINOSO recorded the maximum temperatures over the Easter weekend in Alicante Province, reaching highs of 24 degrees.

MALLORCA

Fatal accident A SENIOR couple in their mid-80s, died on Monday (April 6) after being involved in an accident when their vehicle swerved off the Felanitx and s’Horta road in Mallorca.

Free wifi AS much as €235,000 will be spent by the Balearic Islands Regional Government to expand the wifi network across beaches.

The busiest areas will be prioritised, for instance, Magaluf and Alcudia Port.

Price goes up THE price of second-hand properties in the Balearic Islands has gone up by 0.8 per cent during the first three months of 2015 if compared with the same period of last year, reaching €1,815 per square metre.

Sales increase CAR sales have increased by 59.5 per cent during the first three months of 2015 in the Balearic Islands, compared with the same period of 2014.

Garden accident A 77-YEAR-OLD man has sustained severe injuries in Marratxi while he was working in a garden in Pla de na Tesa. For reasons still unknown, the man’s leg got trapped under a tiller, whose blades caused severe cuts.

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

NEWS

Road deaths in Spain increase again THE number of road deaths in Spain during the first three months of the year has gone up for the first time since 2002, the DGT traffic authority has reported.

A total of 248 people lost their lives on major roads across the country in January, February and March, 28 more than during the same three months in 2014.

However, 2015 has still seen the third lowest figure for road deaths for this period since 1976, beaten only by 2014 with 220 and 2013 with 241, and was far better than a decade ago as 2005 saw 754 deaths in the first quarter.

While DGT director Maria Segui put the extra deaths this year down to an improved financial situation in the country, cheaper petrol and older cars, campaign groups such as DIA Accident Victims Association have called for the authorities to wake up and introduce new measures to try and halt the increase before it gets worse.

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9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

Spanish house sold in lottery could be start of new trend THE first house to be sold in Spain by lottery could be just the start of things to come.

Unlike the famous ‘El Gordo’ Christmas lottery, where the winners of the world’s biggest lottery payoff get a share of a €2.5 billion pot, the winner of the ‘lotohome.es’ first ever property lottery has won a house.

The €90,000 property, which is located in Calle Esperanza, Segorbe, just north of Valencia, was offered for raffle with the tickets priced at just €10 each. They were sold to vast numbers of people, some as far away as Australia and Florida, who became increasingly interested as word spread via social media that tickets could be purchased from kiosks and selected shops in Valencia, or online.

Pepe Bolumar, 35, became disheartened with trying to sell his late grandmother’s house the traditional way. So after a family discussion, they decided to sell it via a lottery. The administration required was a little more than they had originally thought, due to Spanish tax and lottery laws, plus the sheer weight of paperwork, and seemingly endless amounts of red tape. But finally they be-

IT’S A LOTTERY: This might be the solution for you if you are selling your home. came the first family to raffle off a house.

The family, which estimated that it had made the €90,000 value of the house plus an extra €10,000 after administrative costs, will now act as consultants for others who want to offer their home through a lottery.

WWe were the first to do this in Spain but it could benefit others,W said Bolumar, who believes it offers benefits to

both the vendor and the lottery winner. “If you’re trying to sell your home

and it’s not working, this might be the solution for you,” he said.

EWN

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Suspected anarchist nail bombers remanded AFTER several raids across cities in Spain which included Madrid, Barcelona, Palencia and Granada, police have remanded in custody five suspected members of an organisation which was known as the ‘Co-ordinated Anarchists Groups.’

They are suspected of being members or leaders of an organisation that left a nail bomb in Madrid’s cathedral and damaged more than 100 bank machines across the country.

Ten other suspects who were arrested on Monday in the raid were released, but the investigation into their involvement is ongoing.

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S CANDINAVIAN P RESS

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Stories making headlines in Europe

BRITISH PRESS Begging ban

Post box birthday

Dover bust

SWEDEN: Almost half of Swedes want begging to be banned, but the Prime Minister has ruled out a prohibition. A newspaper poll has shown that, a huge increase of 49 per cent of the public now support a ban on begging.

NOVELLIST Anthony Trollope, known for introducing freestanding post-boxes to the UK from 1852 is being honoured by the Royal Mail by issuing a limited edition commemorative sheet of stamps which goes on sale on the 200th anniversary of his birth this month.

BRITISH police arrested six people in Dover on suspicion of terrorism offences related to the ongoing conflict in Syria. The five men and one woman, all aged in their 20s, from Birmingham were detained on Friday morning.

$10m champ SWEDEN: Martin Jacobson, 27, who started his poker career playing online after working late in a restaurant, is $10 million (€9.08 million) richer after winning the ‘World Series Poker’ main event.

Electric link NORWAY: Energy distributor Statnett has announced the construction of the world’s largest underwater electricity cable.

The 1400 Megawatt subsea cable will connect the UK and Norway’s power supply for the first time.

Extreme ski NORWAY: The government is becoming increasingly worried over extreme skiers. While wishing to attract as many snow sports enthusiasts as possible, it blames extreme skiers for setting off 70 per cent of all avalanches.

Arctic Sunrise DENMARK: For the first time in six years, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise was in Copenhagen. Nearly 1,500 people queued on Saturday and Sunday for a chance to tour the famous ship and talk to the crew.

Glamorous granny

Easter Bunny mystery

SHOCKED gran Helen Dunn, opened a newspaper this week and found herself looking at a saucy magazine picture of herself from 1955. The 78-year-old quickly got over the shock and shouted: “That’s me! I think it’s great, I have no secrets.”

A MYSTERIOUS Easter bunny has delivered chocolate eggs to every house in a village of 3,000 people. Residents from Alderholt, Dorset, were happily surprised when they woke to discover a chocolate egg on their doorsteps.

Hidden tobacco A BAN on showing tobacco products at the point of sale in small shops across the UK has come into force. The display of such goods has been illegal in large stores and supermarkets since 2012. Now small stores, and other outlets such as pubs and clubs, will also have to keep cigarettes out of sight.

Terror suspect A 14-YEAR-OLD BOY from Blackburn and a 16-year-old girl from Manchester were arrested on suspicion of preparing for acts of terrorism and as part of an ongoing investigation. They have been bailed until May 28.

POST BOX: To be commemorated on stamps for its 200th birthday.

EUROPEAN PRESS

GERMAN PRESS Nuclear shut down EMSLAND nuclear power plant was shut down after a leak was discovered. The plant was taken offline pending an investigation.

Berlin theatre BERLIN’S theatre and arts season is looking difficult after a major leader of the Volksbuhne (People Stage) resigned.

The heavily subsidised arts scene in Berlin is now looking for new leadership and a way to deal with major cuts.

Motor tax THE German Parliament has passed a new road toll which requires drivers to buy an emissions sticker when entering Germany for a 10 day stay or longer. It has been criticised for giving reductions to German citizens.

Shelter fire

RUSSIAN PRESS Oil expansion

Argentines visit

RUSSIAN oil company Gazprom signed a major deal with Petro Vietnam. The deal will open a partnership to allow exploration of oil and gas fields in the Pechora Sea, Northern Russia.

A VISIT by Argentine President Fernandez de Kirchner to Moscow in late April is likely to cause significant alarm in the USA according to Argentine journalists.

A FIRE that broke out in the town of Troglitz at a house built for asylum seekers is suspected of being arson. The fire followed weeks of protests by the right wing NPD party which severely opposed the project.

Losing your rubles

Baltic fleet

Bear call

THE continuing decline in the Russian ruble against the dollar has hit Russian tourism in South-East Asia. Russian tourism has dropped 27 per cent in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand since 2012.

THE Russian Baltic fleet has been given the goahead to conduct extensive ‘open sea’ military exercises, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.

BERLIN’S last living mascot may have to be put down suggested an animal rights group. According to the Berlin Bear Alliance Schnute the bear suffers from poor health and it may be better to put it out of its misery.

New space station RUSSIA and the USA have confirmed that discussions on the possibilities of building a new international space station are taking place. Both countries wish to combine resources and work together in this major space project.

Bone cement RUSSIAN doctors have developed a technique to substitute and repair damaged human bones. The pioneering technique has been described as a kind of human bone ‘cement.’

MAJOR PROJECT: Russia and the US discussing an international space station.

Snow riding HEAVY snow failed to stop horse riders from taking part in a traditional Easter Procession in Traunstein, Bavaria. Some 400 horses led by riders in traditional costume took part on Monday.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

business & legal

Another title for Nadal RAFAEL NADAL now smiles from posters that proclaim in English ‘Born in Spain, admired in the world.’

He fronts a Ministry of Agriculture campaign promoting national products and the slogan refers not only to the tennis ace but also Spanish specialities like olive oil, wine, olives and Iberico

cured ham. The campaign highlights the qualities they share, said minister Isabel Garcia Tejerina at the official launch of the two-year campaign.

“Spain’s agri-foods are a worldwide number one and we wanted a number one like Rafa Nadal,” said Garcia Tejerina, a known tennis fan.

AVE network “not there for gain” SPAIN’S high speed AVE rail system, globally the most extensive after China’s, is not a money-maker.

A succession of Spanish governments have spent over €40 billion on the network, plus €12 billion more on related projects.

This has benefited neither business nor society, found Fedea (Foundation for the Studies of Applied Economics) after analysing principal AVE routes.

Savings on the cost of air travel or time used on road journeys did not compensate the investment, Fedea said.

Spain has 2,515 kilometres of AVE track with 1,200 kilometres under construction but the network is under-used. There

are 54 kilometres of track per million inhabitants and each kilometre is used by 11,800 passengers. France has 31 kilometres of high speed track per million inhabitants but each kilometre is used by 61,400 people.

The government was not looking for AVE profits, said Manuel Niño, junior minister for Infrastructure at the Ministry of Public Work.

Generally the social advantages of road and rail infrastructure were more important than financial profitability, Niño argued recently. He also pointed out the Tokyo-Osaka link and “possibly” Paris-Lyon, were the only economically viable high speed lines.

Spain’s agriculture, fishery, food and forestry exports totalled €40.8 billion last year, 3 per cent up on 2013. The agriculture and fishery sector accounts for 17 per cent of Spanish exports.

The €2.3 million campaign will earn Nadal €1.4 million in image rights.

B

usiness extra

Fast work TELEFONICA will contact clients with Movistar Fusion packages, informing them of a €5 price hike.

Connection quality will increase, tripling speeds to between 30 and 300 megabits per second, Telefonica said.

Oil deal SPANISH multinational Cepsa signed an agreement with distributors Relevo to market its lubricants for vehicles and motorcycles in Colombia. Sales are expected to reach an annual 1,800 tons by 2020.

Spain beckons big makes TWENTY-THREE per cent of international brands intend to open premises in Spain this year.

Despite continued economic uncertainty, higher rents and a shortage of quality sites they are still interested in international expansion, found a survey by commercial real estate firm CBRE. Spain is fourth-favourite in Europe, preceded by Germany where

40 per cent plan new stores, the UK (33 per cent) and France (31 per cent).

Europe is now the retailers’ first choice for middle-range products, especially fashion, while luxury brands look towards Asia and the Pacific. These are preferred destinations for all retailers, CBRE said, with 85 per cent planning to open at least one store in these regions.

EWN

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STAT OF WEEK IBERIA, Iberia Express and Iberia Regional Air Nostrum are launching 39 new routes and adding 19 destinations this summer while increasing flight frequencies or seats on 22 existing routes.

RAFA NADAL: Heading up a two year campaign promoting national products like wine olive oil and ham.

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PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 162.80 79.70 125.32 149.28 80.24 105.28 27.13 40.68 106.00 71.39 84.30 24.94 191.55 114.54 160.45 30.81 99.64 60.52 95.83 57.10 40.29 99.66 34.38 82.43 107.74 117.13 117.36 49.47 65.29 80.73

+0.28 +0.77 +1.07 +0.64 +0.60 +0.49 -0.12 0.00 +0.56 +0.41 -0.16 +0.10 -0.68 +1.41 +1.27 0.00 +0.49 +0.57 -0.46 +0.24 -0.43 +0.11 +0.05 +0.11 +0.63 +1.21 -0.09 +0.55 +0.11 +0.02

+0.17% +0.98% +0.86% +0.43% +0.75% +0.47% -0.44% 0.00% +0.53% +0.58% -0.19% +0.40% -0.35% +1.25% +0.80% 0.00% +0.49% +0.95% -0.48% +0.42% -1.06% +0.11% +0.15% +0.13% +0.59% +1.04% -0.08% +1.12% +0.17% +0.02%

1.9M 5.7M 32.2M 2.9M 3.6M 5.1M 19.5M 14.3M 3.7M 8.9M 11.3M 29.2M 2.3M 4.1M 4.7M 20.9M 6.1M 12.7M 6.6M 7.6M 37.5M 1.9M 25.1M 6.2M 1.1M 4.2M 2.5M 13.3M 5.1M 5.8M

1.36004

0.73527

C H A N G E ( P ) % C H G. 37.00 1.00 1.50 15.00 -16.00 -1.00 52.00

C O M PA N Y

1.05 0.12 0.34 0.82 -0.92 -0.09 1.60

NET VOLUME 65,961.82 8,541.25 36,941.78 6,159.33 7,697.95 7,380.84 7,041.08

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

$ 15 $ 35.06 $ 8.72 $ 8.97 $ 8.71 $ 10.34 $ 19.48 $ 4.62 $ 4.46 $ 4.87 $ 7.65

1.74 ▲ 13.12% 3.91 ▲ 12.55% 0.81 ▲ 10.24% 0.80 ▲ 9.79% 0.74 ▲ 9.28% 0.84 ▲ 8.84% 1.55 ▲ 8.64% 0.36 ▲ 8.45% 0.34 ▲ 8.25% 0.37 ▲ 8.22% 0.57 ▲ 8.05%

Carbonite, Inc. $ 12.25 Universal Truckload Services, Inc. $ 21.53 SeaChange International, Inc. $ 6.95 Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc. $ 7.66 Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. $ 6.13 Cerulean Pharma Inc. $ 7.25 Allegiant Travel Company $ 161.90 Trinity Biotech plc $ 17.455 Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. $ 4.26 Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 21.29 TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals Corporation $ 4.03

1.98 ▼ 13.91% 3.42 ▼ 13.71% 1.05 ▼ 13.13% 1.11 ▼ 12.66% 0.68 ▼ 9.99% 0.80 ▼ 9.94% 17.75 ▼ 9.88% 1.805 ▼ 9.37% 0.43 ▼ 9.17% 2.04 ▼ 8.74% 0.37 ▼ 8.41%

Most Advanced Altisource Portfolio Solutions S.A. Ovascience Inc. Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. Argos Therapeutics, Inc. Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings, Inc. Medallion Financial Corp.

Matrix Service Company Dawson Geophysical Company Sungy Mobile Limited AudioCodes Ltd. Enzymotec Ltd.

Most Declined

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

C O M PA N Y PRICE(P) CHANGE Centrica 253.20 -1.60 Coca-Cola HBC 1,279.00 57.00 Compass Group 1,183.00 11.00 CRH 1,762.00 17.00 Diageo 1,890.50 22.00 Direct Line Insurance Group319.60 2.10 Dixons Carphone 416.10 6.20 easyJet 1,844.00 -28.00 Experian 1,130.00 9.00 Fresnillo 691.50 -8.50 Friends Life Group 423.50 3.30 G4S 298.80 1.50 GKN 360.70 1.90 GlaxoSmithKline 1,569.50 4.00 Glencore 280.73 -3.37 Hammerson 667.50 -0.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,162.00 -1.88 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 2,195.00 64.00 HSBC Holdings 582.30 3.70 Imperial Tobacco Group 3,131.00 86.00 InterContinental Hotels 2,624.50 -17.50 International Consolidtd 598.50 -1.50 Intertek Group 2,529.00 16.00 Intu Properties 349.70 0.20 ITV 251.00 -0.90 Johnson Matthey 3,395.00 8.00 Kingfisher 362.80 -5.20 Land Securities Group 1,259.00 4.00 Legal & General Group 281.20 0.70 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 79.08 -0.31 London Stock Exchange 2,484.00 37.00 Marks & Spencer Group 554.25 23.75 Meggitt 550.50 2.00 Mondi 1,306.00 7.00 Morrison (Wm) Suprmrkts 195.70 0.60 National Grid 877.00 -1.50 Next 7,055.00 55.00 Old Mutual 227.40 2.20 Pearson 1,436.00 -7.00 Persimmon 1,650.00 3.00 Prudential 1,679.50 4.50 Randgold Resources 4,790.00 -11.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5,832.00 27.00 Reed Elsevier 1,156.00 4.00 Rio Tinto 2,751.00 -11.00 Rolls-Royce Group 943.50 -6.50 Royal Bank of Scotland 349.60 4.20 Royal Dutch Shell 2,024.75 -6.25 Royal Dutch Shell 2,126.50 -5.50 Royal Mail 442.40 3.10 RSA Insurance Group 428.20 1.60 SABMiller 3,616.00 46.00 Sage Group (The) 469.90 1.10 Sainsbury (J) 260.40 2.30 Schroders 3,223.00 15.00 Severn Trent 2,097.00 13.00 Shire 5,160.00 -100.00 Sky 997.00 10.00 Smith & Nephew 1,147.00 15.00 Smiths Group 1,116.00 -1.00 Sports Direct Internatnl 620.00 -0.50 SSE 1,508.00 5.00 St James's Place 956.00 12.50 Standard Chartered 1,076.50 -5.50 Standard Life 480.00 2.50 Taylor Wimpey 153.15 -0.35 Tesco 244.30 1.05 Travis Perkins 1,964.00 6.00 TUI AG 1,213.00 2.00 Unilever 2,856.00 43.00 United Utilities Group 938.00 -1.50 Vodafone Group 222.20 2.15 Weir Group 1,737.00 42.00 Whitbread 5,255.00 30.00 Wolseley 4,019.00 28.00 WPP Group 1,539.00 26.00

% C H G. -0.63 4.66 0.94 0.97 1.18 0.66 1.51 -1.50 0.80 -1.21 0.79 0.50 0.53 0.26 -1.19 -0.07 -0.16 3.00 0.64 2.82 -0.66 -0.25 0.64 0.06 -0.36 0.24 -1.41 0.32 0.25 -0.39 1.51 4.48 0.36 0.54 0.31 -0.17 0.79 0.98 -0.49 0.18 0.27 -0.23 0.47 0.35 -0.40 -0.68 1.22 -0.31 -0.26 0.71 0.38 1.29 0.23 0.89 0.47 0.62 -1.90 1.01 1.33 -0.09 -0.08 0.33 1.32 -0.51 0.52 -0.23 0.43 0.31 0.17 1.53 -0.16 0.98 2.48 0.57 0.70 1.72

VOLUME 12,661.21 4,452.65 19,498.58 14,237.70 46,976.32 4,762.50 4,719.84 7,435.74 11,071.50 5,158.26 5,920.84 4,612.89 5,908.99 76,159.02 37,154.45 5,239.14 5,511.58 4,232.85 111,203.98 29,143.42 6,238.22 12,233.66 4,055.02 4,602.35 10,156.38 6,940.56 8,617.69 9,921.24 16,668.14 56,663.61 8,490.03 8,737.43 4,363.10 4,770.46 4,555.75 32,844.67 10,701.15 11,093.34 11,836.61 5,048.16 43,012.75 4,457.39 41,592.44 12,983.84 39,270.57 17,571.07 21,994.23 79,099.02 52,029.55 4,393.00 4,332.94 57,682.79 5,050.21 4,941.56 7,250.80 4,976.20 31,047.00 16,966.70 10,138.49 4,409.47 3,713.47 14,925.08 4,908.37 26,754.80 11,481.50 4,994.06 19,759.18 4,871.57 N/A 36,103.71 6,406.34 58,338.13 3,616.81 9,493.88 10,378.70 19,852.45

38

E W N 9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

A little bit of work doesn’t hurt Loose change A look at finance for females

Jane Plunkett jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

IN a recent interview mega-rich footballer David Beckham admitted that his eldest son Brooklyn, who is 16, works a part-time job at a local coffee shop in their neighbourhood.

Meanwhile celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has also revealed that he intends to make his daughters work in his pub when they are teenagers.

However, a new study has stated that working part-time could be detrimental to the studies of teenagers - and most especially girls. Students who work weekend jobs were said to spend less time on their studies and therefore their grades were found to have dropped. The study also re-

WEEKEND WORK: Students get lessons on spending wisely. vealed that there is a high possibility that the extra cash such students earn might be spent on risky behaviours like drinking or smoking.

Personally I take this latest study with a large pinch of salt.

Taking on a part-time job while studying is hard work, but the benefits typically always outweigh the disadvantages. Students who work during their studying years may have better

time-management skills than their counterparts.

They must understand responsibility and apply it to their daily lives. They earn money that can be used for fun or for tuition, while gaining experience in the workplace that will be attractive to future employers after graduation.

In Spain it doesn’t seem as common as in countries further north for students to work part

time while they study, but this is something that I feel is to their disadvantage. When I was 15 years old I was babysitting for various neighbours.

I had a paper round for two years and I packed bags at the end of a checkout in a supermarket for a while too. I think all this work as a teenager gave me a great sense of responsibility, instilled in me a respect for money, and also an independence that many Spanish children lack, because culturally their parents don’t want them working part time.

But working a few hours a week as a student is a great thing! As students earning their own money get lessons on spending wisely. They may be less likely to spend their hardearned money frivolously and learn to delay gratification to pay for necessities, such as text books and rent. At the same time, they can save for non-essential purchases, such as their own car - without having to pester mum and dad too much!

BUSINESS EXTRA

Lightfingered ALCOHOLIC drinks, packaged cold cuts, razors, clothes and batteries are the preferred targets of the shoplifters who cost Spain’s supermarkets and hypermarket €1.6 billion a year in lost sales. Most thefts are carried out by organised gangs, 81 per cent of the companies told market consultants Ernst & Young.

Bitter end FIESTA, the now-bankrupt company that manufactured Chupa Chups and other sweets that generations of Spanish children grew up with, is for sale.

For the first time in Spain, potential buyers have until April 15 to apply via app https://dataconcursal.com / in a procedure designed to avoid “subjective valorations,” the administrators said.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

EWN

39

Never judge solely on one’s appearance IT was Oscar Wilde who said that anyone who doesn’t judge by appearance is a fool. Well, Oscar, I hate to disagree with a fellow Irishman but the latter comment doesn’t necessarily hold water.

We do judge on appearance, which is not to our credit. Furthermore, such an attitude doesn’t add to the credit in one’s bank account.

I recall the story of a shiftless looking character who ambled into an upmarket show home. This doubled as a sales office for the new housing development then nearing completion.

In fairness he did look out of

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

place.

To say he was dressed down would be to flatter him. Clearly a farmer, his distressed corduroys and shabby jacket set him far apart from the usual house buyers.

This was after all a blue chip tof-

fee-nosed Cheshire property investment where one’s neighbour might well be a celebrity or sports icon.

As the man entered the company’s sales office, two fashionably dressed sales clerks paused in polishing their nails to scornfully put the man down when he politely enquired as to the purchasing price and buying process of two homes.

You know what is coming don’t you? It turned out that he was the owner of the land and the sales staff now polish their fingernails elsewhere.

The lesson learned, don’t judge on appearance.

I know several millionaires, I am

sure you do. Not a single one of them could be picked out in a crowd as being wealthier than the rest of us; two look down at heel.

In my long experience, those who flaunt their wealth have very little of it; those who do don’t advertise it.

If you lose a customer by forgetting he is king then your business takes a double hit. You lose his custom and your rival pockets your profits.

If you think the poor man’s shilling is worth less than the rich man’s shilling you shouldn’t be running a business.

Treat all customers with deference and respect.

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

9 - 15 April 2015/ Costa de Almería

EWN

41

OTHERS THINK IT

I

N the name of sanity please, PLEASE don’t let the first picture we see after the next election depict Miliband, Balls, and that bird from the SNP, grinning us all into oblivion from the steps of Number 10.

I find it almost impossible to believe that the Labour party is still in business, let alone running neck and neck with the Conservatives. Somehow, out of the ashes of a party, which after its last term of office, left millions unemployed, took us into a disastrous war on a tide of lies. Filled the country with immigrants.

Paid millions of layabouts billions in welfare handouts, sold all our gold for a pittance and left the country hovering on the

brink of bankruptcy; is actually in close combat, with a party which gathered up the scattered pieces and over the next five years put two million people into employment, established zero inflation, made Britain the envy of Europe and turned it into one of the most successful economies in the world.

I mean it simply doesn’t make sense. OK, there are of course dissenters, who gripe that the ‘improvements’ have yet to find their way into their pockets, but for heaven’s sake give it a chance. The British economy is growing stronger by the day and sooner, rather than later, everyone will be feeling the benefits.

Also, what must not be forgotten is that should the vote go against the Conservatives, there will be no referendum on Europe. At least Cameron is not insulting everyone’s intelligence and refusing to even listen to the sceptics.

LANDMARKMEDIA

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

/ SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Spare us a grinning Miliband...

ED MILIBAND: Hopefully won’t be grinning from Number 10.

So if, heaven forbid, a Labour coalition were to find themselves in power, you can expect a whole deluge of unchecked and unmanageable immigrants, you can get used to Brussels actually being inside the gate to

Britain’s backyard and be prepared to rely on a simpering, hypocritical left-wing representative, unwilling or simply unable, to negotiate the British rights of just about anything.

Make no mistake, Labour has

consistently been elected on the back of other people’s money; income usually earned by capitalist predecessors. They then pass this ideology onto their subjects, multitudes of whom also revel in living off unearned incomes. Because they don’t have the capabilities of actually earning themselves, they then endeavour to buy popularity by throwing the contents of the coffers at the public, waste the hard-earned money of their predecessors in ill-fated schemes.

Borrow even more to stay solvent and sooner or later, once again bankrupt the country. And so the vicious circle continues.

Well now is the chance to break it. Vote for Cameron.

He may not be perfect, but at least he’s not a leftie hypocrite.

Frankly any other result than a Conservative win doesn’t bear thinking about.

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

48

E W N 9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de AlmerĂ­a

Thursday BBC ONE 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 Medicine 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Question Time 12:45am This Week

BBC TWO 5:10pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

5:45pm Hi-De-Hi! 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm Collectaholics 9:00pm Coast Australia 9:50pm Nature's Weirdest Events 10:00pm Banished 11:00pm Inside No 9 11:30pm Newsnight 12:20am This World

ITV 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:25pm Party Election Broadcast 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Double Decker Driving School 10:00pm Ice Rink on the Estate 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm The Agenda 12:20am River Monsters

CH4 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm The Supervet 10:00pm The Island with Bear Grylls 11:00pm My Big Fat Gypsy Grand National 12:05am First Dates

CH5 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm The Classic Car Show 9:00pm The Last Days of...

10:00pm The Hotel Inspector 11:00pm The Mentalist 11:55pm The Thriller Killers: Born to Kill?

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 NCIS: Los Angeles 12:00am Hawaii Five-0

Friday BBC ONE 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 Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 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 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm Golf 9:00pm An Island Parish 9:30pm Gardeners' World 10:00pm Sex and the Church 11:00pm The Clare Balding Show 11:30pm Newsnight 12:35am The White Countess

ITV 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:20pm Party Election Broadcast 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 Slow Train Through Africa with Griff Rhys-Jones 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm First Blood 1:25am Jackpot247

CH4 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm Unreported World 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm Alan Carr: Chatty Man 12:10am Brooklyn Nine-Nine

CH5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast on Behalf of the Scottish National Party 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Secrets of Great British Castles 10:00pm NCIS: New Orleans 11:00pm NCIS 11:55pm Law and Order: Special Victims Unit 12:50am True Crimes: The First 72 Hours

SKY1 5:00pm Futurama 5:30pm Futurama 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Relatively Clever 10:00pm Stella 11:00pm Hawaii Five-0 12:00am Hawaii Five-0

Saturday BBC ONE 3:15pm Golf 4:30pm Bargain Hunt 5:15pm The Boat Race 7:35pm BBC News 7:45pm Regional News 7:50pm Weather 7:55pm Pointless 8:45pm Atlantis 9:30pm The National Lottery: In It to Win It 10:20pm Casualty 11:10pm BBC News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Match of the Day 12:55am The Football League Show

BBC TWO 3:00pm Flog It! 3:40pm The Philadelphia Story 5:30pm Final Score 6:30pm Kew on a Plate 7:30pm Gardeners World 8:00pm Dad's Army 8:30pm Golf 9:00pm Golf 1:00am The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

ITV 4:20pm The Unforgettable...

5:05pm Big Star's Little Star 6:05pm Off Their Rockers 6:30pm Regional News and Weather 6:45pm ITV News and Weather 7:00pm You've Been Framed!

8:00pm Ninja Warriors UK 9:00pm Britain's Got Talent 10:20pm Play to the Whistle 11:05pm ITV News and Weather 11:20pm Backdraft 1:50am Jackpot247

CH4 3:00pm The Grand National Live From Aintree 6:15pm Celebrity Fifteen to One 7:15pm Channel 4 News 7:40pm Independence Day 10:20pm I Give it a Year 12:20am Sean Lock 1:25am 24 Hour Party People 3:25am Hollyoaks Omnibus 5:30am Secret Location

CH5 3:05pm Columbo 5:00pm Columbo: The Most Crucial Game 6:30pm Most Shocking Talent Show Moments 9:10pm 5 News 9:15pm NCIS 10:10pm NCIS 11:10pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 12:05am Britain's Favourite Detectives

SKY1 3:00pm RSPCA Animal Rescue 3:30pm RSPCA Animal Rescue 4:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Wild Things 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 9:00pm Hawaii Five-0 10:00pm Con Air 12:15am Karl Pilkington: The Moaning of Life 1:15am Hawaii Five-0 2:15am NCIS: Los Angeles 3:05am Danny Dyer's Deadliest Men 4:00am Hawaii Five-0

TV LISTING

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Sunday BBC ONE 3:00pm F1: Grand Prix 4:55pm Escape to the Country 5:25pm Points of View 5:40pm Songs of Praise 6:15pm Pointless 7:05pm BBC News 7:20pm Regional News 7:25pm Weather 7:30pm Countryfile 8:30pm MasterChef 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 12:30am The Last Castle

BBC TWO 3:50pm Little Women 5:50pm Flog It! 6:30pm Penguins on a Plane: Great Animal Moves 7:30pm Golf 7:30pm Golf 1:00am First Snow 2:35am Countryfile 3:30am Holby City 4:30am This is BBC Two Highlights of programmes on BBC Two.

ITV 3:30pm Britain's Got Talent 4:50pm All Star Family Fortunes 5:35pm Ninja Warriors UK 6:35pm You've Been Framed!

7:05pm Regional News and Weather 7:15pm ITV News and Weather 7:30pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 8:30pm Off Their Rockers 9:00pm Vera 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:15pm The Olivier Awards 2015 1:00am Rugby Highlights

CH4 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:25pm The Simpsons 4:25pm The Simpsons 4:55pm Location, Location, Location 5:55pm Channel 4 News 6:20pm Dr. Seuss' the Lorax 8:00pm Three in a Bed 9:00pm Britain's Winter: Storm Heroes 10:00pm Indian Summers 11:05pm Gogglebox 12:10am The Final Destination

CH5 3:55pm Nim's Island 5:40pm Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 7:40pm 5 News 7:45pm Spider-Man 10:00pm Olympus Has Fallen 12:20am Ultimate Action Movies with Vinnie Jones

SKY1 4:00pm Modern Family 4:30pm Modern Family 5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Moone Boy 6:30pm About a Boy 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm Wild Things 9:00pm The Flash 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 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm The Leader Interviews 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm MasterChef 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm Have I Got a Bit More News for You 12:30am The Graham Norton Show

BBC TWO 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm Collectaholics 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Food and Drink 10:00pm Inside Harley Street 11:00pm Jack Dee's Election Helpdesk 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:25pm Party Election Broadcast 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Wild Ireland 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Code of a Killer 11:30pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 12:10am The Agenda

CH4 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm Food Unwrapped 9:30pm Travel Man: 48 Hours in Iceland 10:00pm Skint 11:00pm Raised by Wolves 11:30pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 12:35am The Island with Bear Grylls

CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm The Gadget Show 9:00pm Police Interceptors 10:00pm Gotham 11:00pm Person of Interest 11:55pm Vantage Point 1:45am Jackass

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 Driving School of Mum and Dad 10:00pm The Simpsons 10:30pm Futurama 11:00pm Arrow 12:00am Critical

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 11:30pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm Millionaire Basement Wars 12:35am Moonlight Mile

BBC TWO 5:10pm 'Allo, 'Allo!

5:45pm Just Good Friends 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 6:55pm Party Election Broadcast by the UK Independence Party 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm Collectaholics 9:00pm Back in Time for Dinner 10:00pm Britain's Favourite Foods Are They Good for You? 11:00pm Later Live... with Jools Holland 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:25pm Party Election Broadcast 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm UEFA Champions League Live 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm UEFA Champions League: Extra Time 12:40am Benidorm

CH4 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm Burger Bar to Gourmet Star 10:00pm One Born Every Minute 11:00pm My Big Fat Asian Wedding 12:00am The Island with Bear Grylls

CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm Britain's Horror Homes 10:00pm Can't Pay? Final Demand Special 11:00pm 2,000 Tattoos, 40 Piercings and a Pickled Ear 12:00am 200 Nips and Tucks and I Want More!

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 A League of Their Own 10:00pm Critical 11:00pm Forever 12:00am Hawaii Five-0

Wednesday BBC ONE 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm The Leader Interviews 9:00pm MasterChef 10:00pm Secret Britain 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm Regional News 11:40pm Weather 11:45pm A Question of Sport 12:15am Wild Hogs

BBC TWO 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 6:55pm Party Election Broadcast by the Conservative Party 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:00pm Collectaholics 9:00pm The Ladykillers: Pest Detectives 10:00pm This World 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Weather

ITV 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:25pm Party Election Broadcast 7:30pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Give a Pet a Home 10:00pm Newzoids 10:30pm The Delivery Man 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:40pm Raining in My Heart 12:40am Corfu: A Tale of Two Islands

CH4 5:00pm Come Dine with Me 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Coach Trip 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm Party Election Broadcast 9:00pm Million Pound Properties 10:00pm The Island with Bear Grylls 11:00pm First Dates 12:00am One Born Every Minute

CH5 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 7:55pm Party Election Broadcast 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 10:00pm Celeb CSI NY: Kim Kardashian 11:00pm Celeb CSI: Taylor Swift 11:55pm Celeb CSI: Ozzy Osbourne 12:50am Celeb CSI: Sharon Osbourne

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 Wild Things 10:00pm Con Air 12:15am Stella

OPINION & COMMENT

9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

EWN

49

Fifty Shades of Grey photos of...

Brad Pitt - well go on then!

Nora Johnson

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

H

ESTON BLUMENTHAL, owner of three Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck and famous for unusual dishes such as bacon and eggs ice cream, fish eyeball cocktails and snail porridge, has banned diners trying to capture their meals from using flash photography (some even standing on chairs to get the perfect shot).

Why? Understandably restaurants want t o

ban behaviour that might be disruptive or annoying to others. Sometimes, though, there can be another reason. At Michelinstarred restaurant Marcus (formerly Marcus Wareing), diners were reportedly asked not to photograph the food because the restaurant didn’t want substandard photos getting out that might misrepresent it.

One New York restaurant, however, has banned food photography for rather more cynical reasons: not because it was disruptive or annoying but because it was affecting their table turnover.

The owner noticed diners were taking longer to have their meals than a few years earlier and found mobile phones were to blame.

Photographing their meals and sending the photos to friends takes time and, for a

busy restaurant, if each table takes 10 minutes longer to have a meal the number of customers they can serve per day is significantly reduced.

It seems to be a phenomenon of the modern world that something hasn’t happened unless you’ve snapped it! This dates to long before the invention of the mobile phone camera. Years ago, I recall admiring the magnificent view of New York from the Empire State Building.

I was the only person there looking at it with my naked eyes. Everyone else was looking through the viewfinders of cameras, including one guy with a huge video camera hoisted on his shoulder.

Can’t the obsessional dinner snappers remember what their steak or whatever looked like without a pictorial record? And then upload it

all to social media? I mean, who really wants to see endless pictures of other people’s food? After a while it gets plain boring. I couldn’t be any less interested in seeing what someone else’s entire dinner looked like if every plate were being held up to camera by a naked Brad Pitt. (Well, OK, Brad. Go on, then!)

There, I’ve said it and a ‘coming out’ of sorts. The truth is finally out. My name is Nora Johnson and food photography bores me silly.

My path to recovery starts here...

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

50

E W N 9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Long gone are the days of song!

Ric Polansky Ric Polansky moved to Mojacar in 1969 as a pioneer developer. He reads extensively and has travelled in South America panning gold and looking for El Dorado.

H

AVE two generations made such a difference? Back in the late 60’s, the air wafted in song.

Virtually nothing could be or get done without it.

Every builder and craftsman had a song or three and sang constantly. If he had a week’s work, you couldn’t avoid learning them too. Radios existed only in commercial premises.

The hunters had taken out the entire bird population. There wasn’t a natural tweet or flutter.

So, we listened to the sounds of the earth. The humming drone of the

LOOKIN G BACK I N MOJAC AR CAROB TREES: Harvested every year for their beans. house fly, as it flew in circular patterns, buzzed in the centre of the room.

If the hum ever bothered you, they could be ‘herded’ out. You stood on one side of the room and marched

toward them, waving your arms as if a bird flying. You proceeded quiet and gingerly toward the open door on the opposite. Out they went, the entire lot of them.

Instantaneously returned the high pitched squeak of pure silence. It almost hurt the ears to listen to it for too long. You immediately relished hearing the bark of a dog or

the brazen offensive braying of a neighbour’s donkey. One held a natural yearning for any disturbance that would break the timeless squeal of nothing.

Whoa. In the far distance the putt putt of someone’s tiny motor engine wailing in desperation as they reared up over the far hill heading our way.

Someone was having work done, soon there would be song.

Life was too routine and droning to rise to the heights of boring. To have that occurrence, you needed something to break up the day’s stream of sun into some ‘fragment.’ It had to be just enough to lend the hint of a possible pattern forming.

Exciting stuff, but it rarely ever happened.

Then there was the violence. The thrashing, banging, and scrapping kind urged on by plenty of cuss words and improper

admonitions. The golden disk hadn’t yet peered across the darkened carpet of a sea and reached our house. Yet madness and mayhem were taking place nearby. I crawled out of bed to notice some of Turre’s favourite gypsies with long cane poles swiping and banging into the Carob trees. I stood there confused and wondering.

Finally I asked, “What are you doing to my trees?”

They immediately stopped bashing and stared back at me, perplexed that I could pronounce such a dumbfounded concern.

“These are our trees.

We harvest them every year for the beans. We’ve been doing so since I was a child. The whole area is divided up between clans each having their own fields to harvest. This one is ours.”

So I replied, “Well, let’s hear a little more singing then.”

Spanish corners - An occasional look at hidden gems

A chilled view of the Sierra Nevada

By Steve Frankham

NIGÜELAS, in the Durcal Valley is the beautiful ‘white town’ giving access to snowy peaks and the spectacular river valleys of the Sierra Nevada. Little visited, but easy to access off the main Malaga to Granada road, the town also has daily buses connecting to Granada’s central bus station and to the larger town of Durcal.

Small as it is, Nigüelas boasts a myriad of beautiful winding cobbled streets opening out onto a lovely central Plaza.

In the main square itself, there’s a couple of friendly café/bars, all placed around an elegant church. Both Nigüelas and Durcal have some bed and breakfasts and hotels if you want to stay the night.

Beyond the village itself some clearly marked hiking trails lead into spectacular valley of the Rio Torrenta. Steep rocky mountains hem in the

DURCAL VALLEY: With access to snowy peaks and Nigüelas. valley from the north and south, and you’ll find yourself walking in a landscape of small flower meadows and woods.

A driveable track also heads up the valley - good if you have a four wheel drive car.

However energetic you’re feeling, the valley offers some

magnificent vistas, whether you want a short stroll or wish to turn your journey into a multi-day hike amongst the 3,000 metre peaks of the Sierra Nevada National Park Whether you just want to explore a traditional ‘white village,’ get away from the big

cities for a day or have a multiadventure, Nigüelas is a village worthy of further exploration!

For further information on buses and times ALSA’s website www.alsa.es has detailed timetables.

OPINION & COMMENT

9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

EWN

Is more security a good thing?

Since the Germanwings disaster in which 150 died when their plane crashed into the French Alps, airports will now put in place extra security measures. This may well delay passengers through having to undergo more luggage checks. Would this annoy you or do you welcome more peace of mind from the extra wait?

Andrew Brown, Head of Eastern Spain for Currencies Direct, said: “Anything that provides extra security for passengers has to be worth the wait. I know it is frustrating when it takes more time to check in but it is important to be safe.

IMPORTANT TO BE SAFE: And Angela Ovenden, from Ibex InSo, yes, I believe those extra security Angela Ovenden from Ibex. surance’s Costa del Sol office, said: “I measures are a good thing.”

Simon Lambert, General Manager at think it is very important to be safe while quite a lot in the past; in fact, I was Area Blanca Estates in Torrevieja, Ali- travelling and if that means there are in the States at the time of 9/11 cante, said: “I travel at least 100 times more delays through security checks, and that was very scary; it was awthen I don’t ful to hear the terrible news. I am per year throughout Eumind the de- all in favour of more security to rope and also transatlay if it is for keep us safe.” lantic routes. Although that reason.

Over in Mallorca Frank Ebert, ownit is annoying to be I have trav- er of easy Mail, agreed with the need held up with stringent security checks they e l l e d for more security: ”I fully support the idea of more security checks. I have are absolutely necesbeen travelling that very same route for sary. It is better the past 15 years and so I know exactly to travel safely the area where the disaster happened. than not to Living in Mallorca, I travel a fair amount arrive at all!” anyway and so, of course, it is better to WORTH THE tighten security.”

WAIT: Andrew

STREET TALK

Brown of Currencies Direct.

NECESSARY: Simon Lambert of Area Blanca Estates.

FULLY SUPPORTIVE: Frank Ebert of easy Mail, Mallorca.

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E W N 9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

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

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NEW ON DVD MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

for next 7 days

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Directed by: Richard Linklater and starring Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane and Ethan Hawke. Run Time 2 hr 46 minutes. Rated 15.

TODAY

VELEZ RUBIO

TOMORROW HUERCAL OVERA

ALBOX

VELEZ RUBIO GARRUCHA ALBOX MOJACAR

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ADRA

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

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Get out in the fresh air as much as possible and be kind to your body. You may have neglected yourself because you have been such a busy bee of late. What about a trip to the seaside or a walk in the hills? Maybe a trip to the local cocktail bar is more your style!

According to www.everyhit.com: 1. Which father and son have topped the UK singles charts each in their own right? Dad topped the chart in November 1981, then, more than 20 years later, in February 2002, his son hit number one.

2. Currently, two songs have reached number one in the UK singles charts four times by different artists. One is Do They Know It's Christmas, what is the title of the other track, which has been a hit for: Jimmy Young (1955), Righteous Brothers (as a re-issue in 1990), Robson and Jerome (1995) and Gareth Gates (2002)?

3. Which ‘Mersey-beat’ group was the first act to reach number one in the UK with their first three releases?

4. Which American singer is the UK’s youngest ever chart-topper?

He was just nine years and eight months young when he hit the summit in 1972?

5. Which English electronic band formed in Essex in 1980 are the most successful act not to have a UK number one hit single, having had 43 Top 40 hits (up to Apr 2009) without making the top spot?

Mon - 21 13 Cl Tues - 21 14 Cl Wed - 21 14 Cl

18 12 Cl 19 13 Cl 19 13 Cl

SUNNY

tars

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) An intimate meeting is less exciting than anticipated. This should not bother you because time could yet change that. You need to be in the right place at the right time, so don't give up hope, just have a little patience.

very messy. We all open our mouth and put our foot in it sometime.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) While counting your pennies, also count your blessings. Money can be a big problem or merely an irritation but the lack of it must be kept in perspective. You are right to think twice about accepting something that seems to be for nothing.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Someone who is usually quite the opposite to you will surprise with an offer. Although you are naturally suspicious, give them the bene-

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) The goat in you is keen to find pastures new. It isn't a nibble that is needed at the moment, but a feast. Accepting anything less would be a mistake because someone is watching your reaction to an offer.

Sudoku 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) Don't allow an open-ended offer to muddle your mind.

There is no need for an immediate decision and this may be too soon for a positive move. A sense of urgency may be put down to practical reasons when, in fact, it is no such thing.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Are things going swimmingly? Good. Maybe you had forgotten how to have real fun. Remember when you were a child? Life was so simple. Relax and be that child again. If some old fogey accuses you of being silly, feel sorry for them.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

Saturday April 4

Saturday April 4

Saturday April 4

Friday April 3

1

18

20

31

38

47

1

5 17

8 25

30

31

32

35

37

40

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

43

6

44

27

29 39

LUCKY STARS 2

4

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

11

15

16

21

27

33

REINTEGRO 24

9

7

Fri Sat Sun -

SHOWER

Fri Sat Sun -

19 13 Cl 19 12 Sh 20 13 Sh

12 35

Fri Sat Sun -

SHOWER MAX 15C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 20 13 Cl Tues - 22 14 Cl Wed - 23 14 Cl

19 8 Cl 22 9 Cl 22 9 Cl

MAX MIN

Mon - 23 9 Cl Tues - 23 10 Cl Wed - 24 10 Cl

Murcia

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 8 C Tues - 19 9 Cl Wed - 19 10 C Cl Clear,

SHOWER MAX 20C, MIN 10C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun Fog,

Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

22 11 Cl 23 12 Cl 23 12 Cl

Mon - 24 13 Cl Tues - 25 13 Cl Wed - 25 14 Cl

C Cloud,

Sh Showers,

Th Thunder

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

TARGET:

Average: 15

Very good: 29

Good: 20

Excellent: 35

deer, dele, deli, dine, dire, duel, dune, idle, lend, lied, need, nerd, nude, reed, rend, ride, rind, rude, rued, diner, eider, elder, elide, elude, endue, idler, indue, lined, lured, lurid, riled, ruled, under, denier, dinner, dueller, dunlin, dunner, endure, enured, inured, lender, lieder, linden, reined, relied, ruined, rundle, undine, relined, unlined, underlie, UNDERLINE

Word Ladder TAKE

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

34 40

REINTEGRO 4

MAX MIN

Mon - 22 13 Cl Tues - 22 14 Cl Wed - 23 14 Cl

Madrid

Mallorca 20 9 Cl 19 9 C 17 8 C

19 12 Sh 20 13 Cl 22 13 Cl

TODAY:

MAX 18, MIN 12C

MAX MIN

S Sun,

MAX MIN

Mon - 21 14 S Tues - 21 15 S Wed - 22 15 C

CLEAR MAX 20C, MIN 12C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 19 13 C Tues - 19 14 Cl Wed - 21 14 Cl

Malaga

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 19C, MIN 12C

Benidorm

TODAY:

TODAY:

21 13 Cl 20 14 Cl 21 14 Cl

TODAY:

MAX 18C, MIN 11C

19 12 Cl 18 13 S 19 13 S

Sunday April 5

Saturday April 4

37 49

LA PRIMITIVA

Fri Sat Sun -

CLEAR MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

fit of the doubt. Leopards do not change their spots but they are capable of behaving for the bigger good.

Y S our

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) A chance remark opens a can of worms.

Trying to get them back in could turn out to be

5-Star Quiz

Fri Sat Sun -

TODAY:

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

some who are not dealt a hand at all. Many are missing those few cards that mean they are never really in with a chance.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Are you feeling that you have been dealt a rough hand? Consider this: there are

Almeria

SHOWER MAX 18C, MIN 12C MAX MIN

www.fiduciarywealth.eu

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) A fleeting meeting stirs feelings that you thought were dead. This could be good if it reminds you of how life can be, or bad if it makes you think of missed opportunities. It is never too late to make a fresh start.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) Someone really has rattled your tree, but try to refrain from throwing coconuts on their head. It is much more effective to be charming and get them confused.

Alicante TODAY:

HEED

HERE HERD HEED

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

RECORD RECORD BREAKERS

T

isers

TAKE HAKE (TARE) HARE

52

1. CANNULA, 2. DOWSING, 3.

CANYON, 4. DOWAGER, 5. CANUTE the Great

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Crosswords

9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

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53

SPONSORED BY

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

Cryptic

Quick

Across 1 Buy a grip (8) 5 Trees found in Chelmsford (4) 9 Noisy talk about a ratchet (7) 10 Clear strategy contains Iran initially (5) 11 Left one on Leo (4) 12 Wishes of French parents (7) 15 Take over at sea, Seamus (6) 16 Harsh to cut off drug (6) 19 It ends a shot as a substitute (7) 21 Plenty of luggage (4) 24 Porter right on his toes (5) 25 Poorly aligned head (7) 26 Some require a system that’s simple (4) 27 Royal person in front of crowd, surrounded by journalists (8) Down 1 Strange clue: 'Pair off'' (8) 2 Grounds are ruined by boys (7) 3 Detest the atomic explosion (4) 4 Block out weird, never-ending scene (6) 6 Permission to quit? (5) 7 Perfume, we hear, that's dispatched (4)

8 Cook sold pie, but it's off (7) 13 Oddly, is my in-tray the duplicate? (7) 14 Reports gas seems a problem (8) 17 Look at old dictator taking drug (7)

18 Seaman overhauled Polaris after power cut (6) 20 Takes in one Ed Sullivan Show (5) 22 Nude featured in 'Cabaret' (4) 23 Merit some expensive gear nevertheless (4)

Code Breaker Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 16 represents T and 19 represents Y, so fill in T every time the figure 16 appears and Y every time the figure 19 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 3 Slipper, 7 Apart, 8 Belts, 9 Specimen, 10 Danes, 13 Asp, 15 Basalt, 16 Alerts, 17 End, 19 Beats, 23 Lemonade, 24 Caged, 25 Liege, 26 Neptune.

Down: 1 Eager, 2 David, 3 Stress, 4 Prepared, 5 Entreaty, 6 Task, 11 Lacerate, 12 Tastiest, 13 Ate, 14 Pad, 18 Needle, 20 Cower, 21 Caper, 22 Bear.

QUICK Across: 3 Answers, 7 Spins, 8 Crisp, 9 Graceful, 10 Bible, 13 Pen, 15 Banana, 16 Agreed, 17 Tag, 19 Baked, 23 Organise, 24 Aimed, 25 Steps, 26 Reasons.

Down: 1 Usual, 2 Bites, 3 Assume, 4 Warriors, 5 Resolved, 6 Dogs, 11 Magazine, 12 Careless, 13 Pat, 14 Nag, 18 Across, 20 Dates, 21 First, 22 Herd.

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across: 1 Balonmano, 8 Aviso, 9 Newer, 11 Ruta, 12 Peso, 14 Roto, 16 Lies, 19 Roads, 21 Ounce, 22 Delantero.

Down: 2 Adios, 3 Olor, 4 Mint, 5 Now, 6 Lampara, 7 Grooves, 10 Ear, 13 Old, 15 Owner, 17 Isla, 18 Soft, 20 Age.

19 Allow (6) 20 Assistant (6) 22 Snow leopard (5) 24 Connection (4)

16 Weather in some location averaged over some long period of time (7) 17 Timepieces (6)

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

Across 1 Escuchar (6) 4 Caderas (4) 8 Sombra (zona sin sol) (5) 9 Limpio (casa, cuarto) (5) 10 Religious (beliefs, leader, service, reason) (9) 13 Joven (persona, animal) (5) 15 Only (5) 16 Jabón (para lavar) (4) 17 Castillo (6) Down 1 Último (4) 2 Etapa (de viaje) (5) 3 Tardes (últimas horas) (8) 5 Hielo (3) 6 Hijo (3) 7 Olive (8) 11 Falda (prenda) (5) 12 Twelve (4) 13 Sí (como respuesta) (3) 14 Grape (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 (INJURY) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

ABROAD

MELONS

BAGGED

PURRED

BLEARY

QUOTED

CHEERY

READER

DESIRE

REGARD

DRIVEN

RUMOUR

FARMER

THREAT

INJURY (10)

TRAMPS

JOGGER

WIGGLE

LANDED

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Funagram Unscramble the name of a tasty pasta dish (two words): RENAMES A CHOICE FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: PRESTON NORTH END, MACARONI CHEESE

Unscramble the name of a famous English football club (three words): TORN PHONE TRENDS

Across 1 Challenges (5) 5 Bosses (5) 8 Not ever (5) 9 Enlisted man (7) 10 At a previous time (7) 11 Any small compartment (4) 12/18 Main tent in a circus (3,3) 14 Opening between threads of a net (4) 15 Twelfth of a foot (4) 18 See 12 21 Appearance (4) 23 Check closely (7) 25 Ratify (7) 26 Tread heavily or noisily (5) 27 Well-groomed and neatly tailored (5) 28 Free from confusion or doubt (5) Down 1 Terpsichorean figure (6) 2 Change to the contrary (7) 3 Having no deviations (8) 4 Take in fully (6) 5 One of two equal parts (4) 6 Having the same or nearly the same characteristics (5) 7 High-pitched and piercing (6) 13 Of very great size or extent (8)

1 Chosen, 2 Events, 3 Angers, 4 Beards, 5 Letter, 6 Pledge, 7 Breast, 8 Welled, 9 Agrees, 10 Bellow, 11 Tweeds, 12 Writer, 13 Millet, 14 Statue, 15 Patrol, 16 Charms, 17 Gaiter, 18 Spires, 19 Grease

54

E W N 9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

Language lesson “I WOULD walk a mile for a Camel!” Do you remember that old advertisement?

I say: “I would walk a mile for my Euro Weekly News!” (To be honest, I would rather drive.) I’m a retired teacher with almost 30 years’ experience in German schools. Spain is my native country, where I learnt French, Latin and a little Classic Greek. Later, I studied German Language and Literature at the University of Hamburg.

And what about English? I ignored this language although I still don’t know the reason.

I’ve lived in Aguilas for 15 years and decided to learn English and I must admit it was really gratifying. Besides my English lessons I found your newspaper by accident. It kept me up-to-date about the news in our region and at the same time improved my English.

Thank you very much for the useful information: the Euro Weekly News is my tablemate while I’m having breakfast every morning.

I would be glad to make contact with British people for sharing opinions about our different (or maybe not so different?) mentalities and customs.

In conclusion, congratulations on the way you are running your publication. I apologise for any mistakes in spelling or grammar. Don’t forget: I began learning English aged 72!

Amelia Tejada, Aguilas (Murcia) Editor’s note: Your spelling and grammar would put many native English-speakers to shame.

Good manners I WOULD like to assure Bill Campbell that yes, I do sing the national anthem whilst standing to attention as I was taught. I also respect the Spanish ‘himno’ after living here for 26 years.

It’s really just a question of education or, in some cases, the possible lack of it.

Jonathan Allso, Valencia

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THE lovely yellow flowers growing everywhere are Yellow Sorrel. They are wild flowers, not weeds, and we should enjoy the way they brighten up the countryside for a few weeks each year.

P Newton, Mijas Costa (Malaga)

Aye, aye, sir!

A COMMENT in the Euro Weekly News stated that the Royal Navy is saying goodbye to bellbottom trousers. This actually happened in 1977 when they were replaced by flared trousers that were pressed ‘fore and aft’. That is, front and back, instead of the seven horizontal creases that were a feature of bell-bottoms.

The new uniform may be the first for 70 years but there have been many minor changes during that time. For example, the sailor’s jumper (jacket to the man in the street) which was originally put on over the head, was replaced by one with a zip at the front. The ‘silk’ - originally a wide piece of black fabric became a fixed part of the jumper and the woolly pully and beret were introduced.

Alan Boxall, Santa Maria de Nieva (Almeria)

Cliff Lague, Valencia

Promises to keep DURING the television appearance of David Cameron and Ed Miliband, the PM was asked about looking after pensioners.

He replied that if he is re-elected then all the benefits, including the Winter Fuel Allowance, would be ‘paid to all’.

Let’s remind him of that before September when it stops for expats. Make sure everyone writes to their Member of Parliament after the elections to remind them of this.

WHEN YOU WRITE

Shade of meaning

from the Kiev government and privately-funded, right-wing brigades.

BLACK cats supposedly bring bad luck in Spain, so perhaps that’s why my neighbour’s moggy has this mean expression.

Albie Greenwood (by email)

No choice WE can choose between revealing the existence of a debilitating acute depression responsible for the deaths of 149 innocent passengers (murder would be the correct definition) aboard Flight 9525 or completely ignoring the warning because of the pilot’s ‘right to privacy’. As we used to say so succinctly: “Sorry, but that ain’t no choice.”

Practically the whole world is also deeply depressed as a side-effect of this tragic and avoidable slaughter of innocent victims due to the cold, suicidal brutality of a sick, demented pilot.

His recent claim that his name would go down in history will be achieved although his relatives, friends and acquaintances will remember him only with tears, sadness and grief.

Richard M McBride, Benidorm (Alicante)

Vital statistics I REFER to the recent article

by Mike Walsh ‘Moscow’s Victo-

ry Parade’ regarding the snub of prominent Western leaders in ignoring the invitation to attend the 70th Victory Day anniversary to be held in Moscow on May 9.

To readers unfamiliar with the part played by the USSR in the Second World War, a reminder of the deaths suffered by the major participants might be enlightening.

Germany lost in the region of five million, France lost 200,000, the UK 450,000, the US 420,000 and the USSR over 26 million. During the siege of Leningrad (now St Petersburg) which lasted for nearly 900 days between 1941 and 1943, somewhere in the region of 1.5 million died, both civilians and soldiers.

It would not have been possible for the Allies to overcome the Reich in the time they did without the sacrifice paid by the peoples of the USSR. Shame on you, Mr Obama and Mr Cameron, although one might understand the reluctance of Frau Merkel to attend.

Presumably this snub is a result of the current situation in Ukraine, where fascism is again raising its ugly head

Richard Prowse, Cartagena (Murcia)

Double trouble IF you are resident in the UK you pay UK tax on your income. If you are resident in Spain, you pay Spanish tax on your income. That is the law of the land.

However, if you have a pension paid by the government in the UK but live in Spain it will be subject to the UK tax laws unless the UK government pays your pension free of tax.

You do not have to pay Spanish tax on your pension as it can’t be subject to a double taxation.

But now the bureaucrats have decided differently. Your pension that is taxed in the UK has to be declared in your income in Spain where it will be added to any other income you declare in Spain and a new rate of tax decided. This is, in effect, chicanery as they are indirectly taxing your alreadytaxed UK pension twice.

This is grossly unfair and the UK government should be asked to pay pensions free of UK tax.

You cannot be expected to be double-taxed on your UK government pension.

H V Petty (by email)

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

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OPINION & COMMENT

Lottery of historical correctness but sometimes not all they seem 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.

I

T would be interesting to peek into the future and observe how the world will view Jeremy Clarkson.

Will he be seen as a free spirit who cared nothing for authority and therefore a bit of a folk hero, or simply an ill-mannered buffoon, carried away by his own publicity?

It is said that history is the great arbiter and no matter how well you pull the wool over the eyes of your contemporaries, history will judge you.

The truth is that many personalities who are revered as great heroes, have sometimes been placed on jerrybuilt pedestals and were not all that they seem. Conversely it is a sad fact

that genuine greatness is often overshadowed by other less notable events.

Take Alfred the Great.

As a child I was taught that poor old Alfie burned a couple of Victoria Sponges that he was asked to keep his eye on and that was pretty much it.

But as King of Wessex he gave those nasty Vikings a long overdue pasting, and sent them and their silly hats back to Scandinavia, so that they could concentrate on dreaming up new wheezes like Volvo and Abba.

ALFRED THE GREAT: Got rid of the nasty Vikings.

Alfred, more than any other monarch, was instrumental in starting a process that led to the eventual unification of the many kingdoms and warring factions into a single entity that later became England.

He was a great administrator; a renowned religious reformer and a sponsor of literacy.

Then there is Wat Tyler, that supposed great working class hero and leader of the Peasants Revolt in the 14th century.

What started out as the duffing-up of a local tax collector, grew into a massive rebellion by the serfs against the ruling classes, and resulted in them entering London and causing mayhem.

This scared the boy King Richard II so much that he gave in to their many - and it has to be said - justifiable demands.

But instead of returning home with the knowledge that life would soon take a turn for the better, many of the serfs decided they quite enjoyed the murder and pillaging lark, and stayed on to cause more havoc.

To get them out of London, the king arranged to meet Wat and Co. At Smithfield, where the Lord Mayor of London - a sort of Boris Johnson in tights - duly dispatched old Wat with a sword thrust and that was the end of that.

The King later revoked all of his concessions, so it could be argued that because of Wat’s stupidity, the course of history was changed to the detriment of the working class.

I only hope that in the case of a certain Anthony Blair, history will get it right

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OPINION & COMMENT

Delivery far outweighs connection A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

THE Partido Popular needs to claw back votes in the aftermath of the Andalucia rout.

“We have been excessively analogical and too slow to adopt the digital era,” said a party source.

Failure to connect with the public will be remedied, he continued. “The party has more people in the studios, interviews with ministers have tripled and the president is talking more.”

Nice try, but communication is the least of Rajoy’s worries. After his general election triumph in November 2011 he scored 4.79 in a Sociological Investigations Centre (CIS) survey where 0 indicated ‘very bad’ and 10 ‘very good.’

Rajoy’s evaluation in early 2015 had faltered to 2.24 for a simple reason: he didn’t keep his

A legal team player FSA – PSOE FLICKR

Cassandra Nash

FELIPE GONZALEZ, President of Spain between 1982 and 1996, will join the legal team defending Leopoldo Lopez and Antonio Ledezma in Venezuela.

They are political prisoners, imprisoned for opposing Nicolas Maduro’s regime and Gonzalez can expect a cool welcome.

The ex-president might well be meddling but what really irritates Caracas is the attention Gonzalez has aroused in Latin America. No less galling is the fact he is a socialist: a hardline right-winger on the legal team would be more tolerable and far better for Maduro’s image.

Out on a limb

FELIPE GONZALEZ: President of Spain from1982 to 1996. election promises.

Had he done so Rajoy could communicate in sign language and the public would still vote for him.

On the whole they attempt to come across as decent, likeable human beings but Finance Minister Cristobal Montoro isn’t bothered about that.

“I’m here to give explanations, not affection.”

It’s an oxymoron, but there goes one sincere politician.

Keep your distance WHATEVER Spanish politicians do in their spare time, they don’t have to be touchy-feely in public.

They are not obliged to snog their wives at party conferences or after major speeches and they can give dribbly babies a wide berth.

A RECENT survey indicated just over half of Cataluña’s population does not support independence.

Cheerfully ignoring the possibility that not all voters share his appetite for going it alone, Cataluña’s regional president Artur Mas, egged on by Oriol Junqueras, recently announced his latest plan.

If their respective parties CiU and ERC obtain a joint overall majority in September’s regional elections they will proclaim independence no later than March 2017, Mas announced.

Sounds as though he’s hit upon a formula for losing an election.

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NEWS

The antics of Europe’s black sheep of the royal families AS the world watches with interest the case of the Infanta Cristina of the Spanish royal family and her alleged involvement in financial shenanigans, there are plenty of other European royals who also keep the gossip columnists busy.

While the m o r e staid members o f

royalty do little more than attend photo-ops and speak a few polite words at public functions, other European royals attract shocking headlines with their outrageous behaviour.

Prince Harry of England He’s calmed down a bit now and grown into a fine young man and ambassador for METTE-MARIT OF NORWAY: No stranger to scandal.

Britain, but Harry has garnered his fair share of tabloid coverage in the past that has seen him photographed naked in female company in a Las Vegas hotel room, wear a swastika armband at a fancy dress party and have several alleged ‘altercations’ with the paparazzi.

Mette-Marit, C r o w n Princess of Norway - A former waitress and single

mother who married Prince Haakon in 2001. Her son is the result of a liaison with a convicted drug dealer and she has reportedly enjoyed a bit of drug-taking herself in the past.

Her family has also generated many headlines in Norway, in particular her father, who married a former stripper half his age and sold gossip stories to the tabloids. Her step-brother was among those murdered

by Anders Breivik as he attempted to protect teenagers on the island of Utoya.

Prince Frederik of Denmark - His playboy past has kept Denmark enthralled, with conquests including a lingerie model and a former MP. PRINCE HARRY: A former tabloid favourite.

Married with four children, two separate movies are due out in 2015 on his former love-life.

Princess Stephanie of Monaco - Both Stephanie and her brother Albert have been regular tabloid fodder.

Stephanie became pregnant by her bodyguard, supposedly had another child with a former ski instructor, moved into a caravan when she took up with a married circus elephant trainer, and later married a Portuguese acrobat.

Prince Ernst Augustus of Hanover - Officially still married to Princess Caroline of Monaco though they have not been together since 2009.

Prince Ernst has taken up with a 26-year-old Romanian beauty named Simona and was pictured urinating on the Turkish Pavilion at an Expo in 2000.

OPINION & COMMENT

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9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería

EWN

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Who rebuilds the Berlin wall?

W

ESTERN media bullhorns Muslim intolerance, yet we too pull up the drawbridge on free debate.

In the embassy of a friendly nation a journalist of international reputation seeks sanctuary.

His offence, for no one can be under any illusions, is his bringing to light illegalities practised by government.

Whistleblower Edward Snowden, who prefers being stateless to voiceless, seeks sanctuary in Russia.

Chelsea Manning, not so quick to make good his escape, faces a 35-year jail sentence for disclosing information that exposed his government to international scrutiny.

In Germany, journalists are verboten to debate Udo Ulfkotte. The former editor of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung exposed the level

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

of CIA corruption undermining the integrity of Western journalism and the West’s political elite.

John Pilger, one of Britain’s most revered investigative journalists, has been sidelined to ‘alternative media.’ Like Paul Craig Roberts, he is one of many Western journalists who ‘disappear.’

Jeremy Bowen, a BBC news presenter, was obliged to take a sabbatical after criticising Israel. Expect him to be a yesterday person any time soon.

In order to give a semblance of free expression, pot shots are allowed but buried in the detail. Columnist Peter Hitchens: “Is there any

WALL OF SHAME: Guarded, mined and electrified. point in public debate in a society where hardly anyone has been taught how to think, while millions have been taught what to think.”

Facebook defends publication of ghastly images of human and animal depravity. It gives a false impression that anything goes but ‘revisionist’ comment is still taboo as the noose tightens further.

There is now an insidious selective intolerance of opinion. Debate is not keenly contested with facts or figures but with slur, innuendo, character assassination, boycott and blackmail. Dissenters are dismissed as ‘trolls.’

If this fails, then censorship completes the gagging process. Western beheadings are less messy.

I grew up detesting a system that, in order to

survive, built the Berlin Wall and erected frontier barriers stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea. Then we wondered at the Soviet people’s apathetic acceptance for their confinement and denial of access to the outside world.

When, 26-years ago these ghastly inhuman barriers were torn down, I was mocked when I prophesied that the West was merely changing

places with the USSR. Now, explain to me your apathetic acceptance, even support for €100 million of EU taxpayer’s money being spent on a Wall of Shame currently being built to stop fellow Europeans fleeing to modern Russia.

Described by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk as ‘constructed after the Berlin model,’ this 2,000km frontier is guarded, mined, fenced and electrified.

It is not there to keep the Russians out, it is there to keep desperate Ukrainians confined to their own collapsing country.

Ukrainan Army squads, trained by the US today raid campuses to capture conscripts.

Perhaps you can now better understand the Soviet people’s acceptance and support for their confinement and denial of access to the outside world.

Welcome to the future.

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Spring marks the end of dark times and hopefully bad news Erica Russell Watson: My journey – and I’m driving

31st March SO it is officially Spring!

When the clocks change it always puts a bounce in my step but even more so this year.

It marks the end of dark evenings and dark times and hopefully the end to bad news. The children’s grandfather died yesterday, which was expected but nonetheless sad.

The children have been navigating their way through the grief that they

feel over the loss of their father and seem to have learnt from it.

On hearing their grandpa had died, their reaction was one of stilled sadness followed quickly by resignation and comprehension. Instead of crying they talked about how funny he was and what a fabulous and full life he had lived.

I remember him telling the children to look after me especially in the early stages of my diagnosis and post op when I could do very little around the house.

He told them that cooking was easy ‘Grandpa style’!

This meant that you had to chuck everything into a pan and when you smelled burning it was ready!

He added that if Mum isn’t too impressed you just have to add curry powder.

Well, two weeks into their

Fond memories of the children’s grandfather

attempts Grandpa laughed his head off as the children jokingly told him that I had complained that everything tasted of curry.

They saw a lot of their grandfather in their father and both said that they imagined they would be united in Heaven.

Angus’s father was very ill and the week before Angus died he had gone to visit his father in England to say goodbye.

Little did we know that Ian would be bidding farewell to his son. I honestly believe that brought

about his rapid decline although his condition was terminal. No parent should have to bury their child. I was extremely fond of Ian and he loved me like a daughter. I shall miss him.

The last few days have been spent in the ‘campo’ recharging our batteries and catching up with friends. The children love being in the countryside and the peace and freedom it gives them.

I love living near the sea but there are moments when I remember my lovely house in the country perched on top of a hill nestled amongst the almond and olive groves and surrounded by mountains.

The tranquillity is something I miss particularly as we live next to a friendly yet noisy Spanish family. A five-minute stroll to the

beach makes up for it though!

Tomorrow is session number seven, marking the penultimate one in my chemo treatment. Hard to believe but I am getting closer to finishing.

So, as always, in preparation, I will make sure the house is spick and span and all the shopping is done. I will spend a relaxing afternoon with the children, perhaps a stroll along the sea front and an ice cream and then an early night in preparation for the day ahead.

I am so used to the needles and injections now but being in the hospital all day is probably the most tiring thing of all.

I always tell myself it is just one day out of my life and soon this will all be a distant memory.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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A healthy house Young sippers are more IS your home affecting your health?

New research suggests that as well as looking at your lifestyle to safeguard your health, you should also overhaul your home too.

Sleeping patterns Start by dimming the lights. Having bright lights on at night is said to confuse our natural sleep and wake cycle, which can interfere with other bodily functions, such as hormone production, and has been linked to health problems, including obesity, Type 2 diabetes and possibly even cancer. This is similar to recent reports suggesting that we should turn off computers, tablets and mobile devices as the blue light from them can affect our sleep patterns.

Stressed out?

This could be down to the colour of your walls. According to an NHS advice report on lighting and hospital design, red and orange walls should be avoided as these colours increase stress and anxiety and are more likely to make skin itch. But, if you want stimulation, go for bright colours.

Big TV? If you have a big TV ensure you are sitting far enough away from it.

Modern television-makers suggest

the perfect TV viewing distance is 1.5 times the diagonal width of the screen. So for a 32” TV, you should be around four feet or 120 centimetres away. Getting too close can increase risk of eye strain and headaches. Don’t watch TV in the dark as eye strain is found to be worse when the room’s lighting is darker than the TV. Move away from the pub People who live within one kilometre of a pub or bar are 13 per cent more likely to drink heavily than those who live further away, according to research from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.

Even if you resist the temptation to pop in on the way home, just seeing the pub can trigger what psychologists call a ‘conditioned response’ in the brain, which puts the thought of alcohol into your head.

Busy streets Noise pollution in the home, either from traffic, aircraft or neighbours, is linked to higher blood pressure, even if you’re not conscious of it. A 2008 study found that sounds of more than 35 decibels (equivalent to a car going past) increased blood pressure even when people were asleep.

likely to become binge drinkers later in life CHILDREN who have sampled or sipped alcohol by the age of 11 are five times more likely to have a full drink within a couple of years and four times more likely to become binge drinkers.

US researchers believe some parents are allowing children to try alcohol supervised in a bid to put them off later on and lessen the taboo appeal of drinking. However, lead researcher Kristina Jackson of Brown University in Rhode Island, said: “Our study provides evidence to the contrary.”

Previous research suggests parental attitudes are one of the most important factors involved when teens start drinking. The study involved

NO ALCOHOL: Sticking to water is a good idea for children.

561 Rhode Island middle- cohol and by 14 and 15, one school students being sur- in four early ‘sippers’ said veyed over three years. By they had had a full alcoholic the age of 11 almost 30 per drink, compared with 6 per cent said they had sipped al- cent of those who had not.

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

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THIS year is proving to be a good year for fat. Since the 1980s, it’s been shunned as health-conscious shoppers seek out ‘low-fat’ labels, but as nutritionists increasingly concentrate on the harm sugar can do us, so fat is experiencing something of a redemption.

The historic problem with the low fat trend has been, says a recent publication from Harvard Medical School in the US, to replace fat with sugar, which could have been making us even more unhealthy.

Before you shout hurray and switch on the deep-fat fryer, this isn’t about chips.

This year the chat is all about ‘good fats’, the kind we get from vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds.

‘Trans-fats’ - the manmade fats that lurk in processed foods, of which one medical panel judged: “There is no safe level of consumption,” are now more carefully la-

SHUTTERSTOCK/LUCAS SEVILLA GARCIA

Our big, fat food revolution

GOOD FATS: The kind we get from olive oil, avocados, nuts and oily fish. belled, and being phased out in much of the food industry.

And while we’re getting

wise to that diabetes disaster, so we’re looking more into the beneficial fats which

occur naturally in food, and which can do our bodies the world of good. That’s mo-

nounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat, and maybe just a little saturated fat, from dairy, which may not be the monster it was previously made out to be.

Medical journalist Michael Mosley said: “I predict some types of fats will replace the sugar in our diets, as reputable studies this year have restored the reputation of dairy products like butter and full-fat yoghurt.

“Sweetened with berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or blueberries) plain yoghurt makes a filling, nutrient-rich, low-sugar breakfast.”

So when you’re filling your basket, stick to avoiding trans-fats in processed food, cakes and biscuits, sometimes labelled ‘partially hydrogenated oil’.

But seek out olive oil, avocados, coconuts, oily fish such as salmon or sardines, and maybe just a yoghurt or two.

Concerns over youngsters now trying out e-cigarettes ONE in five teenagers have bought or tried electronic cigarettes.

That’s the finding from a British study.

The researchers also

found some of those who had tried the e-cigarettes had never smoked regular cigarettes with experts warning that rather than

being an aid to quitting smoking, e-cigarettes are increasingly being seen as a recreational drug in their own right and youngsters using

them could move on to tobacco cigarettes.

Liverpool’s John Moores University surveyed 16,000 people aged 14 to 17 in the

north west of England.

A fifth said they had bought or tried e-cigarettes, with more boys than girls having tried them.

Many experts view the plastic tube that heats the nicotine laced liquid as a lower risk, but questions remain as to the long term benefits.

9 - 15 April 2015/ Costa de Almería

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Costa de Almeria’s best guide to local restaurants

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Bar La Union - Has activities to keep everyone entertained GARY and Sue manage this popular venue as a family run, family focused British pub. Open every day of the week from 9am until late, this friendly pub has a variety of activities to keep you entertained.

As fun loving as they are, and going strong following their first year at Bar La Union, they have additional fun nights planned so there is something to suit everyone. If you like to shake a leg or two, then join in the popular Sirocc dance night that will get you fit for the beach on Monday nights. On Tuesdays why not try your hand at darts, or if you play already, come along for a friendly game.

Wednesday nights are for the brains of Bar La Union as the quiz

TERRACE: Catch a bit of sun too. nights attract those who like a challenge, all in good fun of course!

Wednesday night is also pie night when Sue and Gary dish up some quality home-made cooking. Friday and Saturday attracts music lovers who like to see live entertainment while they drink or dine.

As for the food, Bar La Union has something to suit everyone’s tastes.

Home-made pies, Chef’s special BBQ sauce and ribs, sirloin and rib eye steaks, and a variety of menus at different times of the day. Children are well looked after too.

Football fans will be delighted to see that matches are shown and this bar has the largest screen in the town, plus three more televisions in the bar area, so you won’t miss a single goal or nail biting moment.

Fancy catching a bit of sun with your beer? There is a terrace at the front and the rear of the bar.

Bar La Union is open every day of the week from 9am until late.

Call 642 008 003.

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FOOD & DRINK Do you advertise with EWN? AT EWN we have our clients’ best interests at heart. Getting your news out to the public can sometimes be a struggle, but we here at EWN want to help.

Have you changed your menu, recently renovated or won an award? Do you have an upcoming charity event you’d like to publicise?

Do you have a new member of staff?

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

Your establishment provides a meal for two which we will review and publish - with pictures - in your local edition. If you have any news of interest, then please let us know.

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

FEATURE

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EWN

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Jake LaMotta

By Tony Matthews

A

T the age of 93, Jake LaMotta is the oldest former world boxing champion alive today.

Born in the Bronx, New York City, in 1921, he boxed at both middleweight and light heavyweight and had 106 senior fights, winning 83 - 30 by a knock-out - losing 19 and drawing four.

Jake was forced by his father into fighting other children to entertain neighborhood adults, who threw change into the ring. This was used to help pay the rent.

In 1941, aged 19, Jake turned professional but during the Second World War he was rejected for military service because of an operation on one of his ears. He carried on boxing and went from strength to strength.

He won 14 of his first 15 bouts as a middleweight before losing a highly contentious split decision to Cleveland-based Jimmy Reeves; chaos erupted after the decision was announced.

Later, Jake met Reeves again and this time Reeves won, before a third match between the two took place in March 1943 in Detroit, Michigan. After an even contest, Jake struck with a vicious left hook, sending Reeves crashing to the canvas.

Now one of the best at this level, Jake’s next fight was against the former welterweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson - Robinson’s first bout at middleweight. Spectators at Madison Square Garden saw Jake knock Robinson down in the first round but he took control of the fight, winning comfortably on points.

Jake was forced by his The re-match took place a few months father into fighting later in Detroit when other children to those present witnessed entertain adults an historic eighth round.

Jake landed a right to Robinson’s head and a left to his body, sending him straight through the ropes. The bell saved dazzling Robinson at the count of nine. Jake left jabs and was already well in front with the jarring uppercuts. judges. Robinson never recovered and A fourth fight, staged nearly two suffered the first defeat of his career, years later, resulted in another win for beaten on points.

Robinson, who also won the fifth in The two met again three weeks later Chicago in September 1945, on a split when Robinson, although floored, won decision which was booed by the a close fight after producing some 14,755-strong audience.

The ‘Bronx Bull’ of the boxing ring Jake returned to boxing in November 1947, but was knocked out in the fourth round by Billy Fox. Suspecting the fight was fixed, the New York State Athletic Commission withheld purses for the fight and suspended Jake. This fight with Fox would come back to haunt him later in life, during a case with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In his testimony Jake admitted to throwing the fight in order to gain favour with the Mafia. All involved agreed the fix was obvious and its staging inept.

In Jake’s words: “The first round, a couple of belts to his head, and I see a glassy look coming over his eyes.

Jesus Christ, a couple of jabs and he’s going to fall down. I began to panic a little. I was supposed to be throwing a fight to this guy, and it looked like I was going to end up holding him on his feet... By the fourth round, if there was anybody in the Garden who didn’t know what was happening, he must have been dead drunk.”

The thrown fight and a payment of $20,000 to the Mafia got Jake his title bout against the world middleweight champion from France, Marcel Cerdan.

Jake won his fight against Cerdan in June 1949 in Detroit; the Frenchman retired with a damaged shoulder before the start of the 10th round. A re-match was arranged, but as he was flying back to the United States, Cerdan’s plane crashed in the Azores, killing everyone on board.

In February 1951, Jake fought Sugar Ray Robinson for the final time in their legendary six-bout rivalry. In a tough contest, Jake took a terrible beating over the last few rounds but refused to go down. In the end Robinson won by a technical knockout in the 13th.

Jake moved up to the light heavyweight class after losing to Robinson, but had a run of poor results at first, including a debut defeat against Bob Murphy.

Thankfully, he recovered well and won three fights in a row, beating Norman Hayes, Eugene Hairston and Murphy in re-matches.

On New Year’s Eve 1952, Jake had his fight with Danny Nardico stopped in the eighth round after being knocked down for the first time in his career. When he returned to the ring, he knocked out his first two opponents, Johnny Pretzie and Al McCoy, but lost on a split decision to Billy Kilgore, which convinced him to retire.

After taking off his gloves, Jake managed and also owned a number of bars. He also became a stage actor and stand-up comedian but in 1958 was arrested and charged with introducing men to an underage girl at a club he owned in Miami. He was convicted and served time on a chain gang, although he has maintained his innocence.

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Albox hosts 3rd film festival THE third ‘Short Film Festival of Albox’ takes place between April 2930.

Every evening at 8pm, in the Federico Garcia Lorca auditorium within the town hall, the films will be shown with free entry.

The festival is an initiative promoted by the Department of Culture of Albox and CortoEspaña that aims to bring the format to the town for the third consecutive year.

During the event there will be a total of 16 short films by genre and varied themes, from drama to comedy.

The duration of the films will also be diverse, combining stories of some plot development with shorter stories just minutes long.

The Albox competition aims to present audiovisual work from Almeria

SHORT FILM FESTIVAL: Showing various themes from drama to comedy.

Province lasting between one and 15 minutes.

Entries can be submitted by April 13 to the Department of Culture in Calle Rosario. Prizes

range from €100-300.

Councillor for Culture, Francisco Carillo, said the event was one of many: “The residents of Albox have never en-

joyed so many different cultural and sporting activities. For us it is not an achievement, but an obligation to make Albox a cultural reference.”

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Albox invests in a prettier environment ALBOX City Council has started work on the improvement of green and landscaped areas of the municipality.

The performances consist of felling, pruning and clearing of vegetation, reviewing irrigation facilities, development of trenches to accommodate pipes and cleaning areas.

Seasonal plants, shrubs or damaged trees will also be removed and replaced.

Mayor Rogelio Mena said: “With the arrival of spring our gardens need these jobs carried out to show the town in all its beauty and splendour and for residents and visitors to enjoy these areas.”

All work is being carried out with maximum respect for the environment and existing vegetation as the main priority.

The work, part of the environmental policies of the town, has a budget of €35,898.

Work has already commenced in Plaza del Pueblo, Plaza de San Francisco, Plaza Salta, Plaza del Carmen and the areas near the schools of Valazquez and Virgen del Saliente. Work will also be done in the parks of Llano del Espino, Llano de los Olleres and Las Pocicas as well as around the cemetery.

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Dog walkers raise over €2,000 to support APSA O V E R 4 0 c h a r i ty s u p p o r t e r s walked their dogs on the rambla to raise funds for APSA, the Animal Protection Society of Albox.

The sponsored walk raised over €2,000 and organiser Penny was delighted with the turnout of English and Spanish adults and children; some with their own rescue pets while others walked APSA dogs. The walk took place on a sunny Sunday morning and the walkers were grateful to Tony w h o p r ov i d e d m u c h - n e e d e d water for the dogs.

Everyone met at La Parrilla bar i n P l a z a M ayo r a n d c o m p l e t e d the walk at their own pace. Chloe was one of the youngest walkers with her puppy Rollo.

Thank you to all who took part, t o t h o s e w h o t ra n s p o r t e d t h e APSA dogs for their day out and for all those who sponsored our walkers.

The money raised will help at the new kennels.

APSA has also announced their monthly raffle prize winners for March.

T h e w i n n i n g t i c ke t s w e r e drawn by APSA shop volunteer Maggie Nightingale with the lucky winners announced as Gloria Davis-Tovey; Ali Gardner; L i z a n d D ave H a l l d e a r n ; B r i a n a n d F ra n k i e L e w i n g t o n a n d Carole.

Winners should contact APSA for their prizes.

The charity would also like to thank Amigos Bowling Centre, Colin the Card, Eurowise, Pricebusters and Sol Yoga Centre for donating the prizes.

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RS E IS R T E R RNE V A D CO

’

BURBUJAS INDALO, the only self-service launderette in Vera, offers great value for money.

That explains why it has attracted many customers who are availing themselves of the opportunity to use its services.

Its town centre location makes it accessible to residents and holidaymakers alike. Gone are the days of dark and dingy places, this launderette brightens your day as soon as you enter as it is bright and modern throughout.

The washing machines come in different sizes, so if you want a small eight-kilo wash, no problem. It will only cost you €4 and that price includes detergent and softener.

If you want to wash larger items like quilts and blankets that are too heavy for a home wash, Burbujas Indalo has machines for 10-kilo and 14-kilo

SPOTLIGHT

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Advertising Feature

Burbujas Indalo – Washing has never been brighter!

MODERN AND WELCOMING: With Burbujas Indalo, gone are the days of dark and dingy launderettes. loads with prices of €5 and €7 respectively for 30- to 55-minute cycles, including detergent and conditioner. Need to dry your washing too? No problem, a 30minute drying cycle will cost just €3. The low prices make it an extremely affordable solution for any household and also perfect for families on holiday.

You can have your wash and dry done within the hour, just enough time to nip to Mercadona, which is only a few doors along, and grab a few bits for dinner. Or enough time to pop into the health centre which is also close by. There are also four cafes very close to the launderette so you can have a

drink or bite to eat while you wait.

The launderette is open 365 days a year from 7am until 11pm, so can easily fit around your busy schedule. Duvets, sofa covers, curtains, blankets, cushions, sheets, tablecloths, all your clothing... the list is endless. For residents, the

service is ideal.

Finding Burbujas Indalo is easy.

It is located near Mercadona on Calle san Cleofas, Vera 04620 Tel 638 376 858 Follow us on facebook Burbujas Indalo

See advert on Page 5

Advertising Feature

Happy Days for Dangerous Dogs

By Pete Woodall TALKING rodents tell you it is simple, in many cases it is legally compulsory, at best it is confusing and usually it is hardly ever fully understood, it’s your insurance policy.

Insurance for homes, motor vehicles, pets, travel, medical costs and business. Even your life can be insured or rather assured, banks sell it as do supermarkets. Funnily enough so do insurance brokers.

So what are the options; talking rodents, the busy bank cashier, the supermarket checkout or an experienced professional. Take away two probably wrong answers and let’s phone a friendly professional, not the rodents.

Edward William Insurance Services have been successfully building their business in Spain over the last fifteen years.

Originally specialising in just marine insurance under the banner, “Any boat, Any waters, Any

NEW PET POLICIES: Edward William makes it easier to insure ‘dangerous dogs’.

use, Anywhere” Edward William Marine Insurance have happy customers from the South of France to the Caribbean via Australia. Last year and mainly due to repeated requests from existing clients, Edward William

expanded to provide all aspects of insurance under their new name of Edward William Insurance Services.

Of particular interest is their new insurance for pets, especially dogs, specifically “dangerous dogs” or at least

those animals classified as such. Rightly or wrongly, some dog breeds, cross-breeds and large dogs are listed as “potentially” dangerous, consequently canine cover although compulsory is not always easy to obtain and

often expensive.

The new pet insurance policies at Edward William specifically address these issues and with individual adjustments, medical and public liability insurance is now available for “Any dog, Any breed, Any size, Anywhere”.

Dog owners are given the same personal service as home and boat owners etc and your pet’s insurance premiums are no longer punitive. Happy days and good news all round.

Whatever your insurance needs call Edward William Insurance Services. As with many family firms, their emphasis is on providing good value and looking after the customer, from finding you the right policy in English and/or Spanish, to explaining the details. Quotations are easily available online or over the phone, just telephone (0034) 952476090 or visit the www.edwardwilliaminsurance. com website.

HOMES & GARDENS

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

Bulbs, daisies and succulents will help to brighten up your garden

Dick Handscombe

Gardening Corner

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

EASTER was early but with some unusually hot days gardens were amazingly colourful and continue to be so, especially helped by the wide variety of spring bulbs that enjoy the Spanish climate and likewise the daisy like plants and some succulents.

Some frequently successful plants are listed below.

Useful bulbs The most reliable spring bulbs include the following: clivias, crocosmias, freesia which in a few years build up large thick patches through self-seeding, grape hyacynths, irises flag, Dutch and Spanish, and the exotic flowered Peruvian lilies. All these are best sown as bulbs during the autumn or winter.

As these die back they will be followed in late spring and summer by others such as the following; agapanthus, canna lilies, day lilies, eremurus, Society garlic, mirabilis - San Diego which often selfseeds, gladioli, and summer lilies. These are again best and most economically sown as bulbs or in the case of miribilis as seeds from the autumn to spring.

Many varieties are available as established plants about to flower or in flower in well stocked nurseries.

Spring and continuing daisy flowered plants Garden centres are well stocked with these in April and many are imported.

Popular ones are as follows; Argyranthemums marquerites, Osteoperums - African daisies, Euryops Paris daisy, Felicuia - blue daisy, Arctosis - African daisies, Dianthus - carnations and various forms of Gazanias.

Smaller rather than large plants are generally easier to establish as well as costing less. Some of these plants can self-seed. Young plants can be left in situ or potted up and brought on to develop strong plants for planting out after three or four months. Plants can also be propagated from cuttings.

Dead heading keeps all these varieties flowering for months.

Early flowering succulents Naturally the flowering of succulents depends on how many hours of sunshine they enjoy daily and

how sheltered they are from cold winds. The ones out for Easter in our inland 400 metre high south facing garden are as follows; cotyledons, crassulas, euphorbias, mesums, lampranthus - ice plants and several forms of kalanchoas.

General information Details and photographs of most of these collections of plants will be found in Part Four of the book ‘Your garden in Spain - From planning to planting and maintenance’ now most

easily available from major internet book shops including Amazon Books.

All the plants listed can be grown successively in pots, raised beds and the the open garden.

Regarding soils, all do best in fertile, rich in humus water retaining but free draining soils. However to prevent rotting setting in, it is helpful to place a little grit under each bulb when planting them.

Succulents also benefit from special treatment. In this case a mulch of rock

chippings or ground volcanic ash.

All of the plants mentioned can be used to brighten up apartment ter-

races as well as villa and townhouse gardens. © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com April 2015

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PETS

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It’s time to click and treat Alexander Tihonov / Shutterstock.com

David THE Dogman

Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10 thru 11.

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

FROM time immemorial the principal way of controlling dog behaviour has been with a collar, leash and the strength of the trainer’s hand.

But over recent years a new form of dog training has developed based on the way marine mammals like dolphins and whales are trained.

The pioneer of this system was Karen Pryor known as The Clicker, and she based it on positive reinforcement - primarily a bucket of fish.

Pryor’s experiences planted seeds in the minds of many trainers and behaviourists who thought if marine mammal trainers can control 600-pound sea lions without shouting and

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INSPIRATION: Marine mammal training can be applied to dogs. force, then why not dogs?

Marine mammal trainers use whistles and clickers since they are aware that before they can even say the word ‘good’ the mammal has jumped 30 feet in the air. As soon as a mammal reaches the highest part of a jump it will know that unless it hears a click it will get no fish. The mammal has learned that unwanted behaviour gets no click, and thus no food.

I have often mentioned that the more we talk to our pets in training the less they understand. I also

urge owners to never punish or correct a dog unless they are able to give a positive reinforcement of either a kind voice or a treat of some sort, like a liver treat.

It is important to try and shorten praise words to one word like ‘good’ rather than ‘Now that’s a clever boy.’ In other words, a good behaviour ‘click and treat.’

If any dog knows you have a treat he will sit; when he does, ‘click and treat.’ The dog might get up; as he does, say ‘up,’

click and treat. If he lays down, just as he does, say ‘down,’ click and treat.

When the dog comes to you, then say ‘come,’ click and treat.

You will be amazed at how quickly the dog will understand simple oneword commands that are followed by the click and treat. Remember he only gets the click when he carries out the required command.

Clickers are all the rage in the USA and are now getting started in the UK and Spain.

PETS

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Fiona finds a friend for her fur family by using HouseSit Match

By Lamia Walker of PetSitMatch FIONA lives in a rural part of Malaga, up in the hills. She has five acres of farmland for her dogs, cats and donkeys.

It is beautiful, and utterly peaceful, a great place for her fur family to live.

She acquired her pets gradually over the last 15 years; the dogs came first then the cats, all rescued. And when an elderly neighbour decided to retire to England to be near family, Fiona took on her four donkeys.

She rarely leaves her farm but once in a while she enjoys a trip to see

FUR FAMILY: Including four donkeys.

family and friends, usually in the holidays when it gets too hot on the farm or at Christmas.

And finding someone to care for her pets is usually the most stressful thing about the arrange-

Dangerous dirty dog-owner detained DOG mess may be the bane of many pedestrians’ lives, but be warned that telling people off about their pets fouling the pavement can be a dangerous thing to do.

A Spaniard has been arrested for allegedly breaking another’s finger after he was told off for not clearing up after his dog.

The victim reportedly

reprimanded the dogwalker when he noticed he had failed to pick up his animal’s mess on a Malaga City street.

The 53-year-old pet owner at first responded by insulting him and leaving.

But it would seem firing off a few insults was not enough for the owner.

He returned soon afterwards and allegedly

began to hit the complainant.

The victim used his arms to try to ward off the blows, and that is when he suffered a broken finger, police sources say.

The dog owner is thought to now be facing charges of assault, but whether he will be fined for failing to clean up after his dog is as yet unknown.

ments. But a friend recently recommended an online network that allows you to meet suit-

able pet and house-sitters online.

With a little effort and some luck she met Ella,

an English vet’s wife based in Spain who was listed on the site, who adores pets and needless to say has lots of experience with all kinds of animals. They got on well and agreed to meet to get to know each other face to face before Fiona’s holiday.

The meet and greet with the pets went well and they made a match, a HouseSit Match.

Register online as either a house-sitter or an owner and secure a free copy of the Easy Guide to House-Sitting.

To find a petsitter go to www.HousesitMatch. com or call Lamia on +44 (0)186 552 1508.

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PROPERTY

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Pr o f t op gh tt oy he ert ou by y Sp W an ee is hP k

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where ro pe you have rty a shaded Ch large terrace oi ce overlooking the swimming pool.

There is a swimming pool pump room and an outside toilet and sink. For anyone looking for a new hobby there is also a petanque pitch, very popular in Spain.

The whole villa has oil-fired central heating and the swimming pool has solar pipe heating.

Within a five-minute drive there is a shopping centre and many other amenities on the way. The beaches of San Jaun de los Terreros and Aguilas are only 20 minutes away.

Murcia San Javier airport is only an hour away.

REF: A707 PURIAS 262,000â‚Ź NEW TO OUR PORTFOLIO

LAP OF LUXURY: This fabulous large villa is set in a 5,368-square-metre flat plot. kitchen via a glass panelled door.

The lounge and dining area offers a huge living space and has the benefit of a fan assisted log burning fire, many windows and patio doors that afford superb

vistas of the surrounding area.

On the first floor there are two bedrooms one of which is a master bedroom with patio doors leading out onto a terrace overlooking the lovely swimming pool

e ur at fe

A LARGE luxury villa set in 5,368 square metres of beautifully well maintained, flat, usable gardens.

The whole plot is fenced with an electric rolling gate for entry as well as a pedestrian gate.

There is a set of steps leading onto the covered side terrace with a seating area, balustrade and the front door. The hall has access on the right through double glass panelled doors to the huge lounge and dining room.

There is a double bedroom directly on the left then a family shower room with a large walk-in shower. Also a double bedroom with en suite bathroom with a large corner bath.

The kitchen is L-shaped with granite worktops and a wide range of wall and base units, fitted dishwasher, fan assisted oven, ceramic hob, stainless steel extractor, washing machine, tumble drier and a fridge freezer.

The breakfast bar is a modern five-seater granite table where you can sit and enjoy the beautiful view through the patio doors across the pristine gardens. The lounge is accessible from the

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The second bedroom is a double bedroom with en suite shower room.

You can access the outside of the property from the lounge

Spanish Property Choice, Telephone: 0034 950 615 388 UK cheap rate call line: 0843 313 3639 www.spanishpropertychoice.com country@spanishpropertychoice. com

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Can you buy a Spanish castle?

DRIVING through the twisting roads and constantly changing landscapes of Spain, there’s a reappearing feature: castles and fortresses, squatting atop hills and nestled in valleys.

Since the time of the Greek traders, the Romans and the Carthaginians, Spain has been a land in which military power and defences have been highly important. You’ll pass castles and fortified homes in various states of repair that cover more than almost 3,000 years of epic history.

Most people wouldn’t consider it a possibility to buy and live in a Spanish castle – but could this really be done? We decided to investigate and see whether buying a castle is

an option in Spain.

We came across the option of buying a six-bedroomed castle in Palma, Mallorca. The price tag on the three-storey property, with great views over the city and a building that may well need extensive renovation, is €2 million.

Another option was an 18th century castle in Galicia, with two-metre-thick walls that have witnessed several historic battles.

The 700-square-metre living space has been restored and all rooms have sea views.

There’s a kitchen, large sitting room with stone fireplace, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Extras include your own wine cellar and courtyard with 3,000 metres of space.

The castle has five

hectares of land, the whole package coming in at €4 million.

Another property on the Costa Blanca, not quite as authentic, being a luxury mansion built in a castle ‘style’ more than 100 years ago, is beautifully renovated and only 30 minutes from the sea. The castle has 430,000 square metres of almond trees and pine forest. The property is priced at € 2.6 million Before you rush out to consult an estate agent, always remember that when buying a castle, you’re also buying a piece of history. You may be able to change and update some features, but these might well also be protected sites with special rules applying to them. Always check beforehand.

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PROPERTY

How do I increase the value by 20%?

AS a qualified professional in the property industry, I give advice to multinational investors and to owners of commercial and private property throughout Spain and they all ask me the same question: “How do I increase the value of my property?”

With 30 years’ experience under my belt, I would like to share some advice and tips with Euro Weekly News readers in my upcoming articles on how to increase the value of your property by a minimum of 20 per cent.

First let’s take an overview of what’s happening in the property market in Spain today.

Some of Spain’s biggest banks such as BBVA, BankInter and the Banco Santander’s Research Departments are now forecasting that the Spanish property crisis should be over this year.

So now you are probably thinking that this is the ideal time to start looking at ways to in-

John Graham The property expert

crease the value of your home, office, restaurant, bar or hotel. Correct.

Tip of the week You need to start with the fundamentals.

When I carry out a building survey, one of the first things I will look for in a property are signs of damp - this is a common problem throughout Spain.

Damp can severely reduce the value of your property, it deteriorates the fabric of your property, it is a health hazard, unsightly, an unpleasant smell, dangerous when in contact with the electrical system and can cost a small fortune to fix if left unchecked.

There are many causes for damp in your property but there are four common causes of damp:

1. Rising damp is caused by water penetrating the foundations, interior and exterior walls of your property, due to a breakdown in the existing dampproofing or broken pipes under the property.

2. Leaking roof damp is caused by water penetrating the roof areas and exterior walls of your property, due to a breakdown in the roof surfaces, cracked walls and cement joints or poor quality exterior paint- work.

3. Condensation damp is caused by inadequate ventilation, humidity and poor insulation.

4. Drainage damp to exterior and interior walls is caused by a breakdown of the guttering, water drainage system and poor quality paintwork.

If you are trying to sell your property and a buyer finds signs of damp, it could easily put them off buying or they will want to reduce the asking price.

My advice. Check if your property has damp and arrange for a professional, independent inspection to advise on the causes and the most cost-effective solutions before it becomes a bigger problem.

Next week I will be talking about other fundamentals that your property will need to meet on the road to increasing the value of your property.

TWITTER Feedback @JohnGrahamFASI #EuroWeeklyProperty #DampAdvice #PropertyValue John Graham FGIS 020 32 900 983 / +34 657 337 477 gk.ipad@me.com

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CLASSIFIEDS

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FOR RESULTS EVERY WEEK

BOATS / CARS / JOBS / SERVICES / PETS / BIKES / FURNITURE / PROPERTY / MOTORING / FOR SALE

AIR CONDITIONING

BOATS

CARPENTER

DRAINS

FOR SALE

CARS WANTED CARS bought for cash. Anything considered, LHD or RHD. 952 551 433 / 665 145 856 (221495)

COMPUTERS

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CEMENT MIXER IRBAL 160.

Very good condition. 200€.

680 658 717 (230186)

BUILDERS

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ECU REMAPPING ANDALUCIAN BUILDING COMPANY, see our advert on page XX. (230155)

BUSINESS OPP.

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WANTED – Franchisee for marketing and installing long life paint products, established in Spain 20 years, franchises in Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol & Algarve, investment required, good earning potential, full training, please email contact@noneedtopaint.com for more details.

See www.noneedtopaint.com or Freephone 0044 800 5088102 (233747)

HEATING CARLOS SALIENTE PLUMBING & HEATING SERVICES. If it involves water we can help! www.carlossaliente.com Tel.950 930 900 or 968 969 962 (228425)

COMPUTER SERVICES Inford@Tox Computer Services, call Raquel on 950 633 223 (228454)

ELECTRICAL

INTERNET

HOUSE CLEARANCES HOUSE CLEARANCE, garage clearance & scrap metal. 699 483 438 (230116)

INSURANCE

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CARPENTRY

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 309, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 309 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now! (200726)

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For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com

GET YOUR business noticed online! Make sure that expats in Spain can find your product, service, restaurant, bar or shop. Contact Spain’s newest and brightest online directory TODAY. Call 952 561 245 or email serena@euroweek lynews.com for more details.

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Price per word: 0,42€ + IVA minimum 15 words - Discount: Book 10 weeks, get 2 weeks free - Deadline: 4pm Mondays Contact: Phone (0034) 950 472 109 • Fax (0034) 950 478 789 • email mojacar@euroweeklynews.com • www.euroweeklynews.es

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MOBILE HOMES WE BUY, Sell, Store, remove all types of mobile homes. We pay CASH and cover all of Spain.

More details call Suzi Caley 616 250 727 / 951 063 059 or email suzicaley@gmail.com (228718)

MOTORING

PETS PET-COURIERS.COM – If you love your pet try us first – we are the best. Door to door service throughout Europe.

Specialised vehicles – bespoke service. Full legal service including documentation if required for further information call or e-mail us: Tel: (0034) 651 033 670 or (0034) 637 066 227.

Email: info@pet-couriers.com or www.pet-couriers.com (231443)

PLUMBING SERVICES

WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance.

Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309. (200726)

PAINTERS

KNOWLES PLUMBING. No 1 for plumbing! Central heating, solar hot water and water deposits. Tel: 950 137 197or 606 807 797 (230836) CARLOS SALIENTE PLUMBING & HEATING SERVICES offer machined boiler decals for gas water heaters ROM just 65€ Aguafuerte is not the answer!

Call 950 930 900 or 968 969 962. Email carlos.saliente@ gmail.com (228425)

POOLS CERTIFIED Pool Cleaner / vHandyman/Gardener/House Sitter, cheap rates. Phone Neil 642 764 741, email totalpools@outlook.com (228569)

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EL MARGEN close to Oria. 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, large kitchen/diner. South facing garden + patio. 100m2 plot of land. 70,000€. 642 785 780 / semcoteakcare@yahoo.co.uk (232249)

PROPERTY WANTED WANTED. Unfurnished, 2 bed apartment for long let. 950 472 551 (232248)

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Insured with Royal Sun Alliance. Genuinely CARING service. FULL and part moves. ONLINE QUOTES!! www.bmceuropean.com UK 08456 443 784 / ES 634 344 787 FIND US ON FACEBOOK! (220152)

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com PIANIST WANTED

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com INSURANCE PLUMBERS

LAWYERS PROPERTY

PERSONAL

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CLASSIFIEDS SITUATIONS VACANT JOB VACANCY for building company A.C.P. Aged up to 35 years with driving licence.

Knowledge of Spanish would be useful but not essential. To apply call 628 408 197 (230177)

TILING FLOOR AND WALL TILING SPECIALIST Not a jack of all trades, just a master of one!

Call Steve Holman on 697 678 708 (230178)

TV, AUDIO ETC REPAIR

9 - 15 April 2015 / Costa de Almería WANTED

REPAIR, TV, electronic equipment www.zeta-services.tv / 950 634 477 (230044)

VOLUNTEER

TRANSLATION SERVICES

SOLAR ENERGY LOWEST PRICES IN SPAIN. www.solarmegas tore.es (232103)

XXX RELAXATION

SOLAR WIND POWER SOLUTIONS. Over 15 years installation experience. Established 12 years in Spain. Call Phil for competitive prices on 636 261 240 or email info@suner gyalmeria.com (230097) CARLOS SALIENTE PLUMBING & HEATING SERVICES for solar pool heating, solar hot water installations and repairs, call 950 930 900 or 968 969 962, email carlos.saliente @gmail.com (228425)

SWIMMING POOLS GENECO Pool construction.

Tel 950 478 086 for no obligation quote (93401)

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¨Readers of a sensitive disposition may find some of the advertisements in this section offensive.¨

For daily news visit www.euroweeklynews.com TV & SATELLITE

GARRUCHA. Sofia, 36 years, huge breasts & bottom. Beautiful figure, I work alone and speak English. 651 383 201 (236200)

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Advertising feature

MOTORING

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

A new affordable and reliable car hire service available at Almeria Airport!

ESTABLISHED airport parking firm, AA Parking, has diversified with the acquisition of Costa Coches Car Hire at Almeria Airport.

The company can now offer quality car hire at sensible prices, in addition to competitive parking at the airport.

Director Stacy Reading said: “Costa Coches Airport Services was already an established car hire company when we acquired it and we now have exciting plans to expand the business.

“The big advantage to customers of hiring a car through us is that when they come off the plane, no queuing is required; the car will be waiting for them outside arrivals with a full tank of fuel. In addition, we offer customers a hassle-free, efficient and transparent service - there

Costa Coches’ Stacy and Sergio Reading, with two of the cars in their car hire fleet. are no hidden costs, credit card charges or blocking. The price you get quoted is the price you pay without any complicated insurance add-ones.”

This is welcome news for customers eager to avoid car hire portals that offer seemingly cheap prices only to discover at

the airport that the price they have agreed to pay doesn’t include all the necessary insurance, or that there is an overpriced tank of fuel to pay for - two scams that are rife within the industry.

These tricks are often used by some of the larger car hire companies, with some no longer offering no-excess car hire as of March 2015.

Now any bump or scratch has to be paid for by the client up to a value of €1,200.

Top-up insurance can of course be purchased from third parties but this puts the onus on the client to claim back their loss from the insurance company and it remains to be seen how many of these policies actually pay up.

AA Parking and Costa Coches Airport Services are owned by husband and wife

team, Stacy Reading and Sergio Fernández. Stacy hails from England, but has worked in Spain for 15 years, originally as a management consultant with PWC. Sergio was born in Granada and spent over 10 years in the UK. The couple live in Mojácar with their two children.

To find out more about hiring a car through Costa Coches, call 639 081 067 or email costacochesairport@hotmail.com.

Alternatively, if you would like to park your own car at Almeria, Murcia or Alicante airports for a few days, a week, a month or even a year, call AA Parking on the same number for a free quotation.

AA Parking and Costa Coches, now a hassle-free, one stop park and drive shop at Almeria Airport.

MOTORING

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RE-PLATE MATE Don’t take a chance!

Don’t break the law!

Take the hassle out of re-registering your vehicle onto Spanish plates We endeavour to better any genuine quotation 490 Euro + Road Tax + CO2 emission tax if applicable

SUPERCAR 4x4: Unveiled at the New York Motor Show.

Alan 662 249 159 www.replatematecostablanca.com

The most luxurious 4x4 from Range Rover ever THE most luxurious, exclusive and powerful production Range Rover ever launched has hit the catwalk in New York, sporting a very fashionable £150,000 (€205,499) price tag the SVAutobiography.

From the company that is providing most of the villains’ cars in the new 007 movie Spectre, the new flagship 4x4 has been specially engineered at Jaguar Land Rover’s new, elite Special Vehicle Operations unit (JLR).

The supercar 4x4 was unveiled last week at the New York International Motor Show in the US, one of the compa-

ny’s biggest export markets.

At a cost of £150,000 (€205,499), it’s twice the price of the entry level Range Rover, however it’s more than twice the car.

It has enhancements such as tailgate chairs, deep-pile carpet, startstop surround and rotary controls machined from solid aluminium with beautiful knurled details, as are the foot pedals.

The ‘special ops’ arm of JLR has fitted the Range Rover SVAutobiography with a powerful, supercharged fivelitre V8 engine which develops a staggering

539bhp of pulling power, equivalent to five Ford Fiestas - all of which means that this beautiful, catwalk supermodel has the sort of power normally found in an Italian supercar.

A spokesperson said: “The SVAutobiography is the most luxurious and powerful series-production Range Rover in the model’s successful 45-year history.”

Prices for the Range Rover SVAutobiography start at £149,000 (€204,129), around the same price as the longawaited Bentley Bentayga 4x4, which goes on sale next year.

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A sporting weekend ahead - racing, rowing, golf, F1, MotoGP and football • THIS weekend in the Premiership, Arsenal visit Burnley, West Brom meet Leicester, Spurs take on Aston Villa, Hull visit Southampton, Sunderland entertain Crystal Palace, Stoke visit West Ham and Swansea play Everton all on Saturday, followed 24 hours later by Chelsea v QPR and the ‘big’ Manchester derby at Old Trafford and then on Monday, it’s Liverpool v Newcastle.

• In the Championship, with a blanket covering the top eight teams, we have Birmingham-Wolves, Bolton-Norwich, BrightonBournemouth (tomorrow), Ipswich-Blackpool, Middlesbrough-Rotherham and Millwall-Watford. And moving ahead to next Tuesday, there are more important games in this Division with Derby, Ipswich and Middlesbrough all at home.

• The crunch games in FL1 on Saturday are Port Vale-MK Dons and PrestonBristol City and in FL2 it’s Luton-Burton Albion and Shrewsbury-Exeter.

• Champions League and Europa League action returns next week with the quarter-final first legs in both competitions.

• Today, the world’s best golfers, including Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson, start the US Masters in Augusta... on Saturday 40 horses and jockeys (AP McCoy rides the favourite Shutthefrontdoor) go in the Grand National... the crews of Oxford and Cambridge row on the Thames in the varsity boat race...

Valentino Rossi, Marq Marquez and Co. race in the USA MotoGP... and Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg etc. drive in China’s F1 Grand Prix.

Easter Soccer Round Up • Stoke’s Charlie Adam scored one of the great PL goals from 61 yards but to no avail as the Potters lost

DID YOU KNOW?

Tony Matthews

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

Costa de Almeria

2-1 at Chelsea.

• Alexis Sanchez also netted a beauty in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Liverpool who, minus three key players, visited Blackburn in an FA Cup 6th round replay last night.

• QPR completed the double of WBA, winning 41 at The Hawthorns...

Leicester scored late to beat West Ham 2-1... Hull lost 3-1 at Swansea and Aston Villa likewise at Manchester United... Everton edged out Southampton 10... and the Wear-Tyne derby finished Sunderland 1 Newcastle 0... the fifth on the trot for the Black Cats over their rivals, this one courtesy of Jermaine Defoe’s 46th minute cracker. Crystal Palace and Manchester City played on Monday.

• There were vital wins for Brentford (4-1 at Fulham), Middlesbrough (1-0 v Wigan), Norwich (1-0 at Brighton) and Wolves (2-1 at Nottingham Forest) in the Championship promotion race.

• Bristol City (1-1 with Oldham) are virtually ‘up’ from FL1 with Preston (1-0 winners over Rochdale), MK Dons (who won 3-0 at Swindon) and Sheffield United (2-0 victors at Barnsley) chasing the second automatic promotion place.

• Burton Albion, Shrewsbury and Wycombe lead the way in FL2.

• And 10-man Rangers beat runaway leaders Hearts 2-1 in the Scottish championship.

• Juventus have shot 14 points clear of Roma in Se-

CRISTIANO RONALDO: Hit a five-timer in Granada win.

rie A, Bayern Munich lead Wolfsburg by 10 in the Bundesliga and Barcelona (1-0 winners at 10-man Celta Vigo) have a fourpoint advantage in La Liga over Real Madrid, for whom Cristiano Ronaldo hit a five-timer in a 9-1 win over Granada in front of 72,000 fans. His naphand included the 31st hat-trick of his career, netted in eight minutes (30-38).

Sport in General • In tennis, Andy Murray lost 6-7, 6-4, 0-6 to Novak Djokovic in the Miami Open final - his seventh straight defeat against the Serbian.

Serena Williams beat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the women’s showdown.

• A coach, taking the Fenerbahce football team to Trabzon airport after their 5-1 Turkish League win at Rizespor, was shot at by a gunman. The driver was taken to hospital but no players were injured.

• Northampton were knocked out Rugby Union’s European Champions Cup

by Clermont 37-5; Toulon beat Wasps 32-18 and Leinster defeated Bath 18-15, leaving Saracens, as England’s only semi-finalists.

• And finally in cricket this is England’s schedule in the West Indies: April 13 to 17, first Test, Antigua; April 21 to 25, second Test, Grenada and May 1 to 5,

At the end of the 1937-38 season, Manchester City were relegated despite scoring more goals (80) than any other team in Division One. In 1938-39 they scored the most goals in Division Two (96) but were not promoted. Then, in 195758, City netted 104 goals and conceded 100 finishing fifth. third Test, Barbados. All games will be live on Sky Sport.

QUIZ Tomorrow night (8.30) I have a charity quiz on behalf of the RBL at The Beachcomber on Mojacar Playa.

QUESTION I have been contracted to write two more football books - on Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne... is there anyone who has any fond memories, experiences, recollections of these two fine players?

Please let me know: tony_matthews@live.co.uk.

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Sport

Serena Williams In the Miami Open, Serena beat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro.

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Cabrera Lawn Bowling League conclusion THE Wednesday Triples Bowling League recently reached its conclusion after many months of competitive matches, which started in October 2014 and finished in March 2015.

The league consists of teams from the four bowling clubs in the Costa Almeria area, (11 this season.)

This season’s league was as always a fiercely contested affair, with the top spot changing hands on a regular basis.

With over half the season played it was apparent that the championship was between two of the teams from Indalo BC, The Vikings and Muskateers, Madrid from Cabrera BC, and the Rovers

BOWLING CLUB: Cabrera won the title by two points. from Almeria BC. Cabrera Madrid captained by Dennis Stoyles managed to hold

SPORT

off the opposition, and won the title by two points from Almeria Rovers.

Albox darts, Ron Cook Knock Out Cup THE results from the matches last Tuesday in the Ron Cook Knock Out Cup, semi-finals are as follows: Cafe-Bar Oasis: 4 v 3 Annies Bar (Brian Partridge for Annies scored two 180’s) Pablos II: 3 v 4 Bar la Union (Trevor Barrow for Pablos II scored a 105 finish) A big thank you goes out to the players from Campillo, who turned up and scored etc at the first game, and the players from El Frax, who did the same at the second game.

Commiserations to Annies Bar and Pablos II, and congratulations to Cafe-Bar Oasis and Bar la Union in getting through to the final.

For online results go to: http://www.alboxinfo.com/albox-darts.php <http://www.alboxinfo.com/darts>