Euro Weekly News - Costa de Almeria 14 - 20 January 2016 Issue 1593

SSUENN 1555 //14 23 29 APRIL2016 2015 IISSUE OO . .1593 - 20- January

COSTA DE ALMERÍA

YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

Knights of the Round Table

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Mojacar’s oldest resident has passed away Bertie Finch lived in the town for 35 years MOJACAR’S oldest resident Colonel Hubert Finch TD passed away on the weekend of January 9 after a short illness. Bertie, who had lived in Mojacar for the past 35 years, was distinguished this past August by receiving from the hand of HM Queen Elizabeth II a congratulatory notice on the celebration of his centenary.

See page 4

MOJACAR stars in elite gathering of beautiful Spanish towns Paul/Flickr.com

Parking row in Albox Councillors disagree over complaints MEMBERS of the Socialistas Albojenses party have taken issue with a councillor’s parking.

Albox PP Representative Juan Pedro Perez Quiles asked coun-

cillors not to park in spaces allocated to town council members, however, witnesses have claimed Perez has been seen parking on yellow lines.

See page 60

New life for old park A Three Kings gift to the public

Any acclaim of the beauty of Spanish towns would be incomplete without the inclusion of Mojacar.

So when 35 of the recognised ‘Most Beautiful Towns in Spain’ gathered at an exclusive event in Santilla del Mar in Cantabria, local councillor for Tourism, Emmanuel Aguero, was there to proudly represent his picturesque home.

The elite group of towns had reunited for a two-day affair to discuss the success of various promotion activities in 2015, and to establish the key guidelines for 2016, which will help assure a firm distinction in terms of quality.

Aguero described how the tourism industry had boomed in Mojacar throughout 2015, with average occupancy rates of 87 per cent from Easter until October. The summer period saw an incredible 95 per cent average occupancy level for the town’s four-star hotels.

Ambassadors from each town also considered how to build regional groups and how the towns shall be promoted at the International Tourism Trade Fair, to be held later this January in Madrid.

Committing to hold more regular meetings in the future, creating an advertisement campaign, and installing a press depart-

ment, the reunion was a highly productive undertaking. A reservation centre to promote package tours will also be established to enable each town to be jointly promoted as quality destinations.

The magic of Mojacar has certainly begun to spread its wings as the town receives glowing praise for its abundant natural beauty and unique character.

Just last month, Mojacar featured on the winning ticket of the ONCE lottery as part of a Most Beautiful Villages series, while the town has long captured the imagination of the dynamic expats, artists, and adventurers who have made it their home.

CONSTRUCTION work on Payaso Fofo, a new children’s park and playground in Albox, has been completed and the park opened its doors to the public as a Three Kings gift, the council has reported.

The initiative has allowed the council to recover the most emblematic children’s and family leisure grounds in the town, located at the inSee page 62 tersection between the Rambla and the main street.

Scout celebrations Joyful parade to celebrate the 100th anniversary AN emotional tribute took place in Albox on Saturday January 9 as local citizens celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Scouts Group of Saliente. The scouts

kicked off the proceedings in the Plaza de San Francisco, as is traditional. They carried flags and medals specifically chosen for See Page 62-63 the occasion.

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LOCAL NEWS

Chicken killer A MAN, 37, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for attempted robbery for entering a pen in Vicar in December and taking a chicken. He was caught by the

owner ’s son who he threatened with a knife with which he had killed the chicken, claiming he needed to eat it.

He has been sentenced to pay €82 for damages.

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Butterfly park planned in Nijar AIM is to give guided tours of a tropical garden

Extras audition ALMOST 275 people went to an audition for extras in a film which will be produced by Tornasol Film in Viator and the Tabernas Desert. Filming will begin in February and the team will remain in Almeria for an estimated five weeks. A young man between 16 and 18 who has had a hand amputated is wanted for the film.

Flu cases rising THERE are 36.6 cases of flu per 100 inhabitants in Almeria, more than double the average for Andalucia. Although the levels are not high enough to be consid-

ered an epidemic, which would be from 45.37 per 100 inhabitants, the Territorial Delegation for Equality, Health and Politics reports that it is on the rise.

NEWS

THERE are plans to create a butterfly park in Nijar with up to 16 different species.

A local company has planned to create the park with more than 500 butterflies so that visitors can see the several phases of their lives.

The aim is to offer guided tours in Spanish, English and French of a 500m2 tropical garden in the Hualix area.

The promoters hope that it will be able to open at the end of April, as they are awaiting environmental authorisation from the Junta de Andalucia.

They say that it will be a show of colour during which visitors will come into direct contact with the butterflies and will have the unforgettable chance to see their metamorphosis complete and the butterfly come into being.

It will also be aimed at students and open to researchers into the life cycle of the butterfly, an insect which is gradually disappearing in the wild.

BUTTERFLIES: Gradually disappearing in the wild.

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Early riser

FEATURED NEWS

He’ll always be our hero CELEBRATING the iconic life and fighting death of David Bowie

AGED just 17, a young David Bowie appeared on a black and white BBC programme to defend his and others’ hairstyles. As the founder of The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men, Bowie told the presenter “It’s not nice when people call you darling and that.”

A lucky brawl A FIGHT over a girl led to Bowie’s famously differently appearing eye colours. George Underwood, one of his oldest friends whacked him when they were 15-year-old high school boys. Bowie later thanked his friend for leaving him with Aniscoria, with one pupil permanently dilated, as his ‘alien eye’ became a signature feature.

Alter egos MAJOR TOM is a fictional character who has appeared in no less than three Bowie hits, Space Oddity in 1969, Ashes to Ashes in 1980, and 1996’s Hello Spaceboy. Other alter egos included Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke, Tao Jones, Halloween Jack, John Merrick, and of course Ziggy Stardust.

Two legends

DAVID BOWIE: To many he was one of the most influential musicians and to the rest he was the soundtrack of our lives.

By Steve Walsh DAVID BOWIE passed away on Sunday January 10 surrounded by his family. To many he was one of the most influential musicians of his time, to the rest of us, he was simply the soundtrack of our lives.

For some five decades, there has rarely been a year when Bowie hasn’t been in our homes, our cars or on the big screen. His unique provoking talent has been a calming backdrop to our daily routine for as long as we can remember.

Possibly the most vital musician of his generation, his chameleonlike ability to reinvent himself creating new personas that transcended popular trends saw him evolve from his flamboyant alter ego Ziggy Stardust, through the glam rock and art rock era, on to soul, hard rock, dance pop, punk and electronica.

Vision Mastering, leading the way, and then taking to another level all his music, his free spirit unbound by the constraints of fashion or public opinion, he developed a talent and vision that set him above mere mortals, a talent that gifted him the ability to live in a wonderful parallel universe and show us what it would be like if it were our own.

Starman His vision of the planet Earth as an outsider was obviously a big hit with millions of fans around the world. During his eclectic 40-plusyear career Bowie has become a British music icon, the sound and spectacle like no other has led to the influential singer-songwriter and producer selling 140 million albums, releasing 111 singles, making 51 music videos and 25 studio albums.

Ashes to ashes With his passing, long-time friend and producer Tony Visconti said: “His death was no different from his life - a work of art.” He went on to add that his latest album, released on his birthday last Friday, was a ‘parting gift,’ it was a goodbye note to the world, for those who could not be at his side when he died.

David is survived by his wife, the model Iman, whom he married in 1992, his son, director Duncan Jones, and daughter Alexandria.

Changes In a sombre unique way that only Bowie could dream of, knowing the changes that were about to happen and having 18 months to plan how to secretly bow out gracefully, David Bowie said goodbye to the world in pure style.

Knowing what we know now,

people are beginning to realise that David Bowie didn’t just release his last album ‘Blackstar ’ to coincide with his 69th birthday last week on January 8, he was using it to say goodbye to the world.

Sound and vision Watching the track Lazarus, it would appear only too clearly that Bowie has used it to express his feelings about his illness, death and saying goodbye. His first words, “look up here, I’m in heaven/I’ve got scars that can’t be seen,” were intended to speak to us after he had gone.

In the video and after Bowie begins to float above his hospital bed signifying his soul leaving his earthly body, another Bowie figure appears dressed in black and looks on as the original frantically scribbles notes in a race against time.

A DUET with American legend Bing Crosby of ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ was recorded in 1977 for a TV Christmas special and would be Crosby’s lastever single. Bowie was reportedly reluctant to sing the song itself, telling the producers, “I won’t sing that song. I hate that song.

I’m doing this show because my mother loves Bing Crosby.”

No thank you NOT one for royal awards, Bowie turned down two huge British honours, as Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2000, and a knighthood offered by the Queen in 2003. He later told the Sun newspaper “I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that. I seriously don’t know what it’s for.”

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INDEX News 1 - 26

Featured News 3

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Mojacar mourns a long-standing expat BERTIE FINCH passed away this weekend

Newsdesk 28

Russian Press 30

Finance 31 - 35

Stocks 32

Leapy Lee 37

OLDEST RESIDENT: Bertie with Mayor Rosa Maria Cano.

By Lenox Napier

Our View 38

Colin Bird 38

Letters 43

Daily TV 44

Time Out 47 - 50

Health & Beauty 52 - 53

Social Scene 54 - 55

Albox 60 - 65

Homes & Gardens 66 - 67

Pets 68

Legally Speaking 72

Classifieds 73 - 75

Motoring 76 - 77

Sport 78 - 80

MOJACAR’S oldest resident Colonel Hubert Finch TD passed away this weekend after a short illness.

Bertie, who had lived in Mojacar for the past 35 years, was distinguished this past August by receiving from the hand of HM Queen Elizabeth II a congratulatory notice on the celebration of his centenary.

Bertie was born in August 1915, during the Great War, and he was active in the Second World War, including being part of the

D-Day landing force in Normandy where he was promoted to Captain.

He was active in Antwerp, Cuxhaven and many other areas with his small group of specialists as an ‘Enemy Ammunition Disposal Group’, a terrifying job which would later be known as a ‘Bomb Disposal Unit’.

In 1947, he retired from his military duties as Deputy Inspector of Ordnance Services Western Command with the rank of Colonel.

He moved to Mojacar in 1980 after the

HIS ROCK: Bertie and companion Inga. death of his wife and famously registered the area’s first bowling club, in Turre.

In 1996, he was given the task of forming the first Branch of the Royal British Legion, which he did with 15 members. Later he helped with the formation of two more branches. Inga, his companion for many years, as he would often say, ‘was his rock’.

Bertie’s many friends in Mojacar will join his family in mourning his loss, while no doubt reflecting that ‘he had a long and honourable life’.

US has banned Spanish peppers THE Coordinator of Farmers’ Associations, COAG, has said that alarm over the presence of the Mediterranean fruit fly in Almeria peppers is ‘unjustified’.

The United States has banned peppers

from entering the country from Spain, so COAG has asked the Ministry of Agriculture to deal with the matter quickly so companies which correctly carry out the protocol to detect the fruit fly are not damaged.

The Provincial Secretary for COAG, Andres Gongora, explained that all companies carry out these checks and the system is working correctly, although an isolated problem may have occurred.

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Children’s hospital plans unclear THE possibility of scrapping the original project and starting again from scratch is being considered IN 2011, the foundation stone for the Children’s Hospital in Almeria was laid, but five years later, it is unclear whether the project will actually go ahead.

The Council for Health is evaluating the possibility of totally scrapping the original project and starting from scratch in order to use European funds which would allow it to go ahead.

Man remanded in prison for killing THE alleged killer of 41-yearold Guinean resident of Roquetas de Mar, Amisau Mendez, is reportedly a 21-year-old who has been remanded in prison.

Guardia Civil reported that the events took place in the early hours of Christmas morning when the alleged killer’s mother fainted and fell to the floor.

People who were celebrating in the street called an ambulance.

Before it arrived, two vehicles arrived in the area. The drivers were unaware of what had happened and one of them sounded his horn. The crowd reprimanded him and when the

woman’s son arrived and heard what had happened, he stabbed the Guinean driver, who died instantly.

Two others, aged 23 and 42, were arrested with him for their alleged involvement and later released with charges. Another four local people were arrested later for their alleged involvement in the killing and were released. They will have to appear in court twice a month and are accused of causing bodily harm, failing to assist those in need and perjury.

Four Guardia Civil officers were also injured.

The Junta de Andalucia regional government has announced that the project would have to include new priorities such as energy efficiency and sustainability.

It has been four years since the President of the Junta de Andalucia at the time, Manuel Chaves, promised that within two years at the most, Almeria would have a Children’s Hospital.

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NEWS EXTRA

Men detained THE Guardia Civil arrested three men for their alleged involvement in a shooting on Christmas Eve between two families in Gador, who are known to be enemies.

No one was injured but damages were caused to the façade of a house.

Poor facilities AN Andalucian Dance recital will be held at the Maestro Padilla Auditorium and El Toyo Sports Pavilion, because it is impossible to hold it at the Almeria Dance Conservatory due to the deficiencies of the building.

Workers rise ALMERIA is one of the provinces of Andalucia where the number of selfemployed workers has risen the most, with a 2.2 per cent rise in 2015 compared to 2014, beaten only by Malaga with 3.5 per cent.

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More than half of traffic fatalities were under 40 ALMERIA had one of the lowest average ages in Spain SIXTY per cent of the 23 fatal victims of 19 traffic accidents, which occurred in Almeria Province in 2015, were aged under 40-years-old.

According to the Provincial Traffic Department, this is one of the lowest average ages in Spain. Ten of them were aged between 31 and 41. There are also more people in that age range who hold driving licences in the province.

Statistics also show that 18 of the victims were the drivers of the vehicles, three were passengers and two pedestrians. Most of the vehicles which were involved in fatal accidents were cars, followed by bikes and motorbikes.

In less than a year, more than 360 residents of Almeria have lost their driving licences, according to the General Traffic Department. Most of them are male drivers aged between 25 and 34.

The permanent speed traps in Almeria Province caught an average of 7.5 people speeding every day.

According to the Associated European Motorists’ organisation, the speed

SPEED TRAPS: Caught an average of 7.5 people speeding every day. trap at kilometre 404.5 of the A-7 motorway in El Ejido is the one which registers the most speeding in the province, with an average of 5.1 every day.

The Traffic Department has said that traps will also be able to catch people who are not wearing their seatbelt or are using a mobile phone, and fines will be issued based on this.

NEWS

Army is an option for young people HIGH unemployment levels amongst young people in Almeria have led them to look to the army for a profession.

The Ministry of Defence has reported that interest in joining the armed forces has risen as youths are attracted to the two-year contract, the chance to study and learn languages, and to gain work experience.

During the latest recruitment process in Almeria, in October, there were more than 530 requests to join, 60 of them from women.

Twenty-seven obtained placements, 18 of them locally, while the rest are serving throughout Spain.

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NEWS EXTRA

Shop fire A FIRE broke out in a flower shop in Almeria in the early hours of Saturday morning (January 9). Noone was injured in the fire but the shop was damaged by smoke. Firemen believe it may have been caused by an electrical fault.

Cash help ALMERIA Provincial Government will offer financial aid for the social projects of 35 NGOs throughout the province in 2016, amounting to €91,000 to launch, maintain and promote projects for the needy and disabled.

New plans NINE projects have been presented to create a new contemporary architecture building in Plaza Manuel Perez, near Puerta Purchena in Almeria City.

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Dead shark found on Vera beach FINS are cut off and the sharks are thrown back into the sea MARINE organisation Equinac has reported that a shark turned up dead on a beach in Vera with its fin cut off.

The organisation for the rescue and recovery of marine species think that its death may have occurred several hours before it was found and have alerted the authorities.

They suspect the Chinese market for shark fins. One fin can reach up to €1,000 as it is widely enjoyed in soup.

This has led to finning, where the sharks’ fins are cut off and they are thrown back into the sea to die.

The practice was banned in 2013 but some boats carrying out the process have remained.

DEAD SHARK: Was found washed up on beach.

NEWS

Almeria at London Boat Show Equinac/Facebook

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UNTIL Sunday (January 17), Almeria’s sailing facilities are represented at the London Boat Show.

Almeria will be joining the Councils of Public Works, Tourism and Sports and the Andalucian Marina Trade Association at a stand at one of the world’s most important events in its field.

The Boat Show has more than 90,000 visitors and almost 500 exhibitors.

The sailing facilities represented at the Boat Show are Adra Royal Nautical Club, the marinas of Adra, Almerimar, Roquetas de Mar and Aguadulce, the Roquetas de Mar Royal Nautical Club, the Almeria Sea Club, the San Jose and Isla de San Andres Nautical Clubs, and the areas of the Marinas in Garrucha and Villaricos.

The aim is to attract British sailors to Almeria.

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NEWS

Touring Almeria city on two wheels ALMERIA’S Tourism Council has launched a guided tour of the city with a difference, which will be on bikes.

The council proposes ‘moving the legs and heart while enjoying the city on two wheels.’

The first of the guided tours started at 10am from Plaza Vieja and travelled along the Nicolas Salmeron park and across the Rambla to the Muelle de Levante, which offers one of the best views of the city, especially of the Alcazaba. After visiting some of the city’s most relaxing and attractive green spots and leisure areas, it ended at the Parque de la Estacion.

For those who prefer a more historical visit, at midday on Sunday (January 10) there was a tour of the Muslim Almeria, leaving Plaza Vieja and journeying into the original part of what was ‘Almariyya,’ through the winding streets to

GOLD JEWELLERY: Cheap alternatives were offered to the victims.

Thieves ‘hugged’ to steal jewellery DETAINEES are a couple with no record TWO WHEELS: A guided tour with a difference. the San Juan Church which used to be the mosque. For

more information on the tours, contact 950 210 538.

GUARDIA CIVIL in Garrucha arrested two people, 39 and 43, who allegedly robbed more than 20 elderly people by hugging them.

Another five people are under investigation for allegedly committing 24 jewellery thefts.

The Guardia Civil have recovered 10 gold chains, six gold crosses, two medals and a ring.

The investigation began in mid-2015 when several elderly people in Adra, Albox, Alhama de Almeria, Chirivel, Cuevas del Almanzora, Fiñana, Garrucha, Huercal de Almeria, Huercal-Overa, Maria, Roquetas de Mar, Tabernas, Vera and Vicar were robbed.

The members of the gang formed groups of men and women who travelled throughout the province, and visited quiet areas where they selected a victim. Then the women would ask for directions, and pretending to thank them,

claimed that the victims resembled her mother or father, who she missed because they live abroad, and hugged them.

They offered them cheap jewellery to thank them, and put it on for them, while at the same time stealing their gold jewellery from them.

At other times they would ask for signatures for charity, or offer sexual favours to distract the victims.

The detainees are a couple without criminal records, who provided accommodation for the rest of the members of the group so they would not leave a trace by staying in hotels. They also sold the stolen jewellery in the province and surrounding areas. They had already sold €12,000 worth of items. The others have extensive criminal records and are aged between 21 and 31. The investigation is ongoing.

No safety measure A MAN has been sent enced t o 18 m ont hs i n prison for a crime against workers’ rights following an accident in which one of his employees was left paralysed.

The m an, who i s t he owner of a company which builds greenhouses, has also been sentenced to pay €550,000 in compensation for causing bodily harm and may appeal the sent ence i n Al m er i a Provincial Court.

The events took place in June 2002 when t he accused had several people working for him illegally.

Their job was to change the plastic on greenhouses but t hey wer e pr ovi ded with no safety measures or equi pm ent , despi t e t he fact that they were worki ng at consi der abl e heights. At around midday, the victim fell to the floor when the belt which he had fixed to the metal structure broke.

He was in hospital for a year and has been left permanently paraplegic.

The owner of the greenhouses has been acquitted as he was onl y t he consumer of services hired from another company.

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Modelo 720 And EU Law In 2012 the Spanish government announced that everyone resident in Spain will need to start declaring all their overseas assets worth over €50,000. Modelo 720 (Form 720) was created for this purpose, and this obligation is separate from, and extra to, the annual income tax and wealth tax returns. The penalties for failing to report assets are very high.

Earlier last year the European Commission (EC) reviewed the legality of Modelo 720 after several complaints submitted by different parties, including law firms and tax adviser associations in Spain.

The Commission launched an investigation into the fines and penalties imposed for the nonsubmission or incorrect submission of information on Modelo 720 as they seem to be disproportionate.

The EC also investigated the fact that the obligations imposed are not subject to any statute of limitations, meaning that Spanish tax authorities have an unlimited time period to investigate the case, which could also

By Gerald Turner, Partner, Blevins Franks infringe on EU law.

Following its investigations, in November the EC opened an infringement procedure against Spain for Modelo 720. The Spanish government has a two month period to make its corresponding claims and arguments.

If the Commission does not find the response adequate, it will open a motivated procedure against Spain for infringement of EU law which could be referred to the

European Court of Justice of the EU. The Ministry of Revenue confirmed that they will consider the matter in greater depth.

The Modelo 720 is one of the most ambitious measures approved by the Spanish government to fight against tax evasion. Since the first reports were submitted in 2013, taxpayers in Spain have already declared, for the first time, foreign assets of more than €126 billion (figure as at August 2015).

Earlier this year, the tax authorities charged a Spanish resident the maximum penalty that can be imposed under the legislation. The total came to €439,266, even though the assets in question were worth €340,000.

The taxpayer had held assets held in Switzerland for 20 years and never declared them on the corresponding Spanish income tax returns. He declared these assets voluntarily on the Modelo 720, but

submitted it 15 months late. His tax advisers confirmed that they will appeal the imposed penalty.

2016 declaration The next submission deadline for Modelo 720 is 31st March 2016, related to assets held during fiscal year 2015.

We recommend that everyone continue to file their forms as required by law for the time being.

We need to see how Spain responds to the infringement procedure, which may take a long time.

In most cases, the values you report are those as at 31st December 2015. For bank accounts you also need to declare the average balance over the last three months of the year.

In summary, if the value of your assets in a particular category amounts to over €50,000, you need to report all of them. If you submitted Modelo 720 in previous years, you only need to report

again if the value of an asset grew by more than €20,000, or you sold an asset or closed an account, or you obtained a new asset exceeding the amount previously indicated.

With specialist advice you can structure your financial affairs so that, legitimately, you pay the least amount of tax possible, and also so you need not be too concerned about Modelo 720.

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

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

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NEWS

Cocaine laboratory in Huercal-Overa OFFICERS noticed a number of people visiting the house

GUARDIA CIVIL: Searched the premises and found a cocaine laboratory.

GUARDIA CIVIL in HuercalOvera arrested a man, 35, who was allegedly making cocaine in a laboratory and selling it.

In an operation codenamed Exterior, they seized 219 grammes of cocaine, €2,602 in cash, substances to cut the

drugs, such as caffeine, paracetamol and phenacetin, precision scales, a press and a mixer.

The officers patrolling the area noticed an unusual number of people visiting a house in Huercal-Overa who didn’t live in the area. The house was put

under surveillance and they found that before the buyers arrived, they always saw the same local resident in the area, who has a criminal record.

When they searched the premises, they found a cocaine laboratory in the house.

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Sentenced for damaging man’s property WOMAN knocked down a wall and a fence as well as scratching two cars A WOMAN has been sentenced to pay fines amounting to €975 and also €3,216 in compensation for smashing a fence and two vehicles with a sledgehammer in Carbon-

Father acquitted of sexual abuse A MAN who was sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison for the sexual abuse of his young daughter has been acquitted by the Supreme Court.

He was sentenced in Almeria Provincial Court last January for the sexual abuse of his daughter between 2006, when she was five, and 2011.

They lived together in several different locations, and the girl’s mother and brother were only in the same house for terms of a few months.

The court ruled that when he was alone with her, the man sexually abused his daughter and he was banned from coming within 500 metres of her for 10 years and sentenced to pay her €20,000 in compensation.

He appealed the sentence and the Supreme Court has ruled that the mother’s testimony is insufficient because she only repeated what the girl had told her.

A witness claimed that the girl’s mother had said that she wanted to see the man in prison for abusing their daughter or for the abuse she had herself been subjected to and reported to the police.

However, she said this some time before reporting that her daughter had allegedly been abused, and when she did report the situation, she claimed she had only just found out. In the meantime, she allowed the girl to continue living with her father.

Other relatives said they knew nothing of the abuse and had no reason to suspect the man.

eras.

In October 2009, she went to a man’s house in the early morning and knocked down a wall and a fence around his property.

She then hit and scratched his two Mercedes which were parked on the property.

When Guardia Civil arrived on the scene, she was still smashing

objects and failed to stop when ordered to do so.

She left the area shouting and shortly afterwards, returned to the property and broke a wooden rail-

ing, plants, animal cages, pallets and a hose.

While doing so, she shouted death threats and insults at the inhabitants.

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Young footballers from Nijar praised

NEWS

A trip for snow and winter sports

THIRTY-TWO teams from Murcia and the surrounding areas took part

SIERRA NAVADA: A trip to the snow.

PROMISING FOOTBALLERS: Were supported by relatives and friends.

THREE football teams from Nijar travelled to Murcia to take part in a two-day tournament for Promising Footballers.

They all came third in their groups, Benjamins and

Novices, but enjoyed the matches and the good sportsmanship amongst the teams, who were supported by relatives, friends and other football fans.

Thirty-two teams for Murcia and the surrounding areas took part and there were prizes for the teams who scored the most goals and for those who allowed the fewest to be scored,

for the best player and for the player who scored most goals.

The teams were accompanied by the councillor for Sport, Sergio Vicente, who said everyone had had a great time.

NIJAR Sports Council and company Mueve-te has organised a trip to Sierra Nevada to see the snow and enjoy some winter sports in Granada.

Registrations are being accepted for the trip on January 22 which includes materials, insurance, ski pass and transport.

There are 53 places available on the bus which will leave at 6am from Campohermoso and there will be two monitors.

Anyone who wants more information can call 679 759 032.

The Sports councillor, Sergio Vicente, said that it is part of the town hall’s plan to offer locals the chance to practise a wide variety of sports.

Hit and run driver wanted in Almeria TWO people were injured in the accident GUARDIA CIVIL are searching for a driver who allegedly hit a motorcycle in Almeria City and fled the scene without helping two people who were injured.

The accident occurred at around 8.15pm on January 4 on the A L-3117 roa d be tween Almeria and Viator, ne a r the Virge n de l M a r Hospital.

A woman, 23, and a man, 21, were injured when they

f el l t o t he gr ound. The young woman was taken to Torrecardenas Hospital.

According to witnesses, t he dr i ver f l ed i n a whi t e Seat Leon after overtaking the motorcycle dangerously.

Meanwhi l e, a m an, 57, was sentenced to six months in prison for failing to help t hr ee peopl e, i ncl udi ng a child, who were injured in an accident he caused with his vehicle on the A-334

road when he failed to give way to traffic when he entered the road.

He will not go to prison and will instead pay a fine of €2 per day for a year, and €6,236 in compensation to the injured family.

Neither party intended to appeal the sentence.

Before the case came to t r i al he had al r eady pai d some compensation to the victims.

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NEWS EXTRA

New gym A NEW municipal gym has opened in Fines at the local Sports Pavilion to help all those who have made getting into shape their New Year’s resolution. There was an open day so that locals could see the changes.

Youth festival THE 12th edition of the Hip Hop Street Festival will be held in Vicar on Saturday with some 15,000 people expected.

The Andalucian Youth Institute has helped to organise the event with the town hall and other local institutions.

More people THE population of El Ejido rose by 3.4 per cent in 2015 to 88,891, according to the council. The population has risen for the third year running. There are 47,694 men and 41,197 women.

www.euroweeklynews.com

Unforgettable Xmas event for children AUDIENCE participated in the singing and dancing THE musical Peter Pan was shown at the local Centre for Scenic Arts in Nijar.

It was an event for children and people who still enjoy living their childhood, like Peter Pan. The audience enjoyed the adventures of Wendy, Peter, Captain Hook and the Lost Boys in Neverland for almost two hours, and many were able to participate in the singing and dancing as well as having their photo taken with the cast.

The councillor for Cult u r e , Yo l a n d a L o z a n o , said that the aim of the town hall was to make Christmas unforgettable for children and thanked everyone who had helped to make it possible.

PETER PAN: An event for children and people who still enjoy living their childhood.

NEWS

Intruder is facing 15 years in jail A MAN is facing 15 years in prison for allegedly stealing €2,404 using a couple’s credit cards.

He, and at least one other person who has not been identified, allegedly went to the couple’s home in Berja in June 2005 in a car which had been stolen in Granada.

They had their faces covered with balaclavas when the man opened the door and they jumped on him and pushed him inside. One of them grabbed his neck and knocked him to the floor. They threatened the couple with a crowbar and demanded their money and credit cards.

The woman gave them €300, credit cards and a piece of paper with the PIN numbers written on it.

One of the intruders left the house and another stayed with the victims, threatening them with a kitchen knife and locking them in the bathroom after demanding their jewellery. The man who had left, returned two hours later with €2,404 which he had withdrawn from cash points at two banks.

The intruders then ordered the couple to stay in the bathroom for half an hour and left, taking with them cash, jewellery, a video-camera and a wireless phone. The public prosecution is also seeking €2,704 in compensation for the victims.

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Council awards for Christmas activities INCLUDED shop window and nativity scene competitions VERA Council held an event at the Victoria Convent to hand out awards to the winners and participants of the Christmas activities held in the town.

The mayor, Felix Lopez, thanked everyone for taking part, together with the councillor for Culture, Isabel de Haro, and for Commerce, Francisca Garcia, who said that the aim of the activities was to involve locals in the Christmas spirit.

They included a Carol Show, a Nativity Scene competition, The mayor and councillors with Shop Window competition, as well as sport- local school students. ing events, concerts Mayor thanked all for taking part. and a tapas route.

Participants in the carol concert.

Woman is sentenced for throwing stones at car A WOMAN, 36, has been sentenced to seven and a half months in prison for throwing stones at her partner and his car following an argument in their home in Ruescas, Nijar.

The events took place in November when she began to insult him and then throw stones, which caused damages to the windscreen of his car valued at €330.

She also tried to hit his foot and eventually trod on him, breaking a bone in his toe.

She has been sentenced for abuse and banned from coming within 100 metres of the man for two years, as well as having to pay him €900 in compensation.

NEWS

Immigrants who died at sea FOUR North African men have accepted fouryear prison sentences for organising a boat journey from Algeria to the coast of Almeria during which two people died.

There were 48 people on two boats in November 2014, including a minor. Each of them had paid around €700.

A fifth man, who was allegedly the leader of the group, turned down his lawyer and will stand trial at a later date. Two other men failed to appear in Almeria Provincial Court.

The men organised the trip across the Strait knowing how dangerous it was, especially because the sea was rough.

The immigrants had been told what they had to do and say if they were intercepted by the Spanish police. The boats were located off the coast of Carboneras.

One overturned during the rescue operation and one of the immigrants was lost at sea. A carafe of fuel had been set alight on the other boat and three immigrants jumped into the sea because their clothes were on fire. One disappeared.

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E W N 14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

Another lottery windfall in town A MAN in Roquetas de Mar reportedly won both of the first prizes on the Christmas lotteries. The man, who is said to be married with two children and

in his 50’s, won €800,000 with the first prize of El Gordo, drawn on December 22, and €400,000 with the first prize of El Niño, drawn on January 6.

While the winning number for the first prize of El Gordo was sold only in Roquetas de Mar, and the town’s main street became the setting for an impromptu party, the tickets for El Niño were sold all over Spain and only the press were to be seen outside the lottery office after the winning number was announced.

Many residents were surprised to read in the Spanish press that following their stroke of good luck in December, there had once again been a winner in the town.

The mayor, Gabriel Amat, said that it had been a great Christmas for the town, especially at such a difficult time financially, and said that he hoped that the rest of the year would continue to be equally lucky.

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

Cyclists come from all over to win a pig EVENT also included races for women and cadets

CYCLING RACE: The overall winner received an award and a piglet.

THE fourth Piglet Cycling Race was held in Huercal-Overa. It was organised by the local sports council, and as usual, the overall winner of the general race received an award, and a piglet.

The event, which was as successful as in previous years, also included races for women and cadets. Professional cyclists took part in the event which was widely reported in the press in the UK, Greece, Denmark, South Africa and China due to the ‘different’ prize.

The race was carried out in local streets, and the 150 participants completed 16 laps (58km), starting and ending in Avenida Guillermo Reyna at Mercadona. Many locals turned up to watch.

The councillor for Sport, Blas Sanchez, said that cyclists had taken part from Pulpi, Albox, Lorca, Mojacar, Puerto Lumbreras, Almeria and Granada, as well as from the UK. There were also prizes such as legs of ham and wine, for the first three winners in each category.

NEWS

14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

A busy new year for the Samaritans in ALL of Spain THE Samaritans organisation offers emotional support to those in distress with a 24-hour service every day of the year.

During 2015 the Samaritans in Sp a i n d e a l t w ith over 800 callers to the service, an increase of 23 per cent over the previous year and pa r t o f t h i s wa s a c counted for by an increase in the n u m b e r o f e m a ils they re c e i v e d . C a l l s an d emails a r e r e c e i v e d f ro m English speakers of all nationalities from the whole of mainland Spain and the islands. Calls to the 900 525 100 helpline are FREE. They have also continued to operate a drop in centre at both Punta Prima (Torre-

vieja) and the British Embassy in Madrid.

Additionally they operate a prison visiting service once a month in Alicante. For more info visit www.samaritans inspain.com.

CEO Lynda Brettle comme n ts th a t it is : “ a g rea t credit to all the dedicated and loyal volunteers who are both listeners and charity s h o p w o rk ers , th at w e have been able to cope with the increased call rate during the year. We now have a fundraising group ‘Friends of Samaritans’ who organise events for us and are also most grateful to the many supporters who help us such as Sunshine Radio, Iceland Overseas and many others

who are listed on our webs ite - a nd w e w ill a lw a ys welcome more!”

Peter Higginson, Managing Director of the Global Car Centre Group SL, one of the sponsors of Samaritans in Spain explains the reason he backs the Samaritans service: “...... I have found by employing many pe ople ove r the la s t 39 years that a pair of ears is a great gift if you use them prope rly, by lis te ning to people letting them get things off their chest, most people feel better for having spoken. Advice sometimes can be good, but plain old listening is better, be it on the end of a phone or in person.”

EWN

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Nijar remembers victim of the Three Kings NIJAR paid homage to a 20year-old man who died in the

Three Kings parade in January 2015 when he was playing the part of King Balthazar in Campohermoso.

The float on which he was travelling collided with a cable hung across the street and caused him to fall.

The mayor, Esperanza Perez, said that this year ’s parade had been carried out without floats upon requests from locals and organising associations, and the Three Wise Men walked through the local streets accompanied by musicians and animation.

The parade stopped at Plaza Juan Antonio Lozano named after the victim a month after his death.

The council reported that the man was very socially active in the town and also worked for the administration of Catholic charity Caritas.

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

Town hall hires unemployed locals PROGRAMME is to promote employment in the area CUEVAS DEL ALMANZORA Town Hall has hired 28 unemployed local residents to carry out maintenance work.

Thanks to the Extraordinary Programme for Aid for Hiring in Andalucia, promoted by the Junta de Andalucia, with the collaboration of the Social Services Department, they will be hired until February 27.

The programme has a budget of €50,238 and is one of several urgent measures for social inclusion to promote employment and solidarity in Andalucia.

MAINTENANCE WORK: Locals hired.

Women in Science exhibition THE Victoria Convent in Vera is holding the ‘Women in Science’ itinerant exhibition until tomorrow (Friday January 15).

The exhibition, organised by the Almeria Provincial Government, aims to promote gender equality in the province. It pays homage to the many women who, despite having extraordinary minds, were almost invisible in a society dominated by men who refused to admit that women

could be just as brilliant.

The exhibition includes images and information on Caroline Lucretia Herschel, Sophie Germain, Mary Anning, Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie, Henrieta Swan Leavitt, Rita LeviMontalcini, Chien-Shiung Wu, Hedy Lamarr, Rosalind Elsie Franklin, Evelyn Boyd Granville, Frances Elisabeth Allen and Jane Goodall amongst others.

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NEWS FROM OUR FIVE OTHER REGIONS

COSTA DEL SOL

New local calendar for 2016 MOST of the photographs are works by FotoClub Ifach CALPE’S Tourism department has published a 2016 calendar dedicated to local landmarks.

With text in English as well as Spanish, most of the photographs on the calendar are works by FotoClub Ifach.

They include Spanish architect Ricard Bofill’s emblematic Muralla Roja building, which was chosen for May. The local Oktoberfest festival illustrates November and October features the Moors and Christians celebrations of Calpe, which the town hall hopes will be recognised as a Fiesta of National Tourist Interest.

EMBLEMATIC: Calpe’s Muralla Roja building.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

MALLORCA

NEWS

AXARQUÍA

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Cleaning Fuengirola FUENGIROLA councillor Pedro Vega announced on January 7, that the waste collection and street cleaning services for the borough have been put out to tender. Companies are invited to submit their applications before January 26, for the €7.7 million contract.

20,000 Xmas calls to 112 MALAGA’S emergency services were the second busiest in Andalucia during the holiday period according to the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs. The Emergency Service 112 Andalucia handled a total of 20,058 incidents during the holidays, from December 24, until January 6.

Christmas fatalities Forest fire averted

Bullfighting show

New contract

United fight

THE Christmas period saw 17 accidents recorded on the roads in the Murcia Region, compared to 29 last Christmas.

Two people were killed in traffic accidents, the same as the year before.

LAST Sunday January 9, fire services were called to put out a fire which had started beside the Valldemossa to Deía road, where 2,000m2 of forest was affected. Local Police and the Guardia Civil were also on the scene.

A BULLFIGHTING show took place on Saturday January 9 in the Berenjeno Plaza de Toros in Motril. The event involved students from the Bullfighting School of Motril and featured a style of bullfighting that does not harm the bulls.

LOCAL firm Medel Orozco Tours SL has been awarded the contract for transport services for sports activities in the town of Altea. The contract, for €47,000 will save the council over €25,000.

BENALMADENA Council has pledged to help fight socalled pirate cabbies in the area at a meeting with representatives from Plataforma Elite, a group of cabbies from all over Spain.

Security guard

Car accident

A SECURITY guard at Palma’s train station was threatened by a youth, 22 years, after intervening in a fight between two gangs. The youth later returned with a broken bottle, but was stopped by police.

A DRAMATIC traffic accident occurred in the centre of Almuñecar, but fortunately no one was hurt. Two cars crashed into each other, with one ending up on its side. Neither of the drivers tested positive for alcohol.

Cheap stay LOOKING for a cheap break this year?

You don’t have to look far as Murcia has been named the second cheapest city in Spain for hotel stays. According to a study by Trivago, the average stay in the city is €57.

Stolen fruit

Fire damage

THREE people have been arrested in connection with theft of fruit from a farm in Fortuna. Police recovered 1,500kg of mandarins and arrested a man from Orihuela and two from Murcia.

FOUR vans were destroyed at the weekend in a fire on the Inca industrial estate.

Fire services were called and managed to remove other vehicles before more damage was caused.

Cycle lanes

New power points

A NEW cycle lane has been opened in Lorca by the mayor, running along the N-340a from Apolonia to Venta Cristobal. Lorca is aiming to have 200km of cycle routes by the end of 2016.

PALMA Town Council has installed five new charging points in Palma and continue with their election promises of sustainable mobility as a result. Electric vehicles can charge in the centre of town.

Cinema culture

Driver flees scene

THE Odeon film library in Elche has launched their new cultural programme, in collaboration with the Valencian Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual. Tickets €3, €1.50 on a Wednesday.

THE Guardia Civil arrested a young driver last weekend for causing an accident whilst drunk when his car overturned on the road to Palma near Aqualand. The driver fled, but was later arrested.

Kiosk contracts THE contracts to run three kiosks in Torrox have been put out for public tender.

The period will be for 15 years and interested parties should apply by February 4.

More information from the town hall.

Frigiliana tourism THE Axarquia municipality of Frigiliana saw a 13 per cent increase in visitors in 2015. December was particularly successful, with a 34 per cent rise in visitors compared to the same month in 2014.

Electrical work SOME electrical work is being carried out on the first floor of the municipal market in Torre del Mar. The total cost of the work is €18,000.

For more local news from our five other regions see www.euroweeklynews.com

JEC-Spain THE Spanish region of the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club is to visit the Golf Restaurant Don Cayo in Altea La Vella next Sunday, January 17. Expect to see plenty of interesting cars approaching and leaving during the afternoon.

Poet entertains URUGUAYAN poet Jose Luis Martinez Labad presented his latest book ‘Trazos de tiza’ (Chalk Strokes) in the Casa de Cultura. The event was organised by the Uruguayan Association of Costa Blanca.

Meeting postponed THE town council of Villajoyosa has voted to postpone its next plenary session and the advisory committees, as the date (January 21) clashes with the Fitur (International Tourism Fair of Madrid).

Promoting Alfas THE town of L’Alfas del Pi is to promote itself as a tourist hot spot at the Feria Internacional Reiseliv de Oslo (International Fair of Tourism of Oslo), which runs from January 15 to 17.

Mijas council THE Mijas Town Council has decided to create an Occupational Risk Prevention Department that will give coverage to all of the municipal departments and the 816 workers that make up the staff of the council.

Plan arbol THIRTY-THREE new adult palm trees have been planted in the Cancelada zone of Estepona. The new trees are Washington Palms, robust trees which grow to be between four and 10 metres tall.

To the limit THE Guardia Civil’s Mountain Rescue Group (GRIEM) in Malaga has been pushed to the limits working non-stop in a record breaking year for rescues.

EWN top for all the news from Spain.

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E W N 14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

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NEWS

RUSSIAN P RESS

Deep concern NORTH KOREA tested a hydrogen bomb

KIM JONG-UN: Leader of the North Korean government.

THE North Korean government statements on the hydrogen bomb test “arouse deep concerns in Moscow,” Russian representative Vladimir Voronkov said after the Vienna meeting of a preparatory commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation.

Power outage ISIGHT Partners, the US cyber intelligence company said it is certain that a Russian hacking group known as ‘Sandworm’ caused last month’s unprecedented power outage in Ukraine.

“We believe that Sandworm was responsible,” iSight’s director of espionage analysis, John Hultquist, told Reuters.

Sherlock mania RUSSIAN ‘Sherlock’ fans have flooded Twitter with questions of ‘fantasy’ loyalty and sexual preferences of the cast and their roles. Cumberbatch is currently at the number two spot of ‘trending topics’ in Russia asking. Are you a Sherlockmaniac?

CUMBERBATCH: At No. 2 spot.

Banned for life

Mordor mix-up

TWO top Russian athletics officials, Valentin Balakhnichev and Aleksey Melnikov, as well as the son of former IAAF President Lamine Diack were banned from the sport for life on January 7, for covering up an elite Russian athlete’s positive dope test and then blackmailing her because of it.

GOOGLE’S translate service got its wires crossed last week when an error in translation from Ukrainian to Russian, led to ‘Russian Federation’ being translated as ‘Mordor’ and ‘Russians’ to ‘occupiers.’ Mordor is an evil baron wasteland in Tolkien’s fictional Middle Earth. The surname of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, was translated to ‘sad little horse.’

To be extradited IN a move which Russia has declared ‘Illegal,’ Finland is to extradite Russian citizen Maxim Senakh, accused of computer fraud and abuse, to the United States for trial. He is suspected of infecting computer servers with malware, resulting in criminal gains worth millions of dollars.

Patriot lessons THE Russian government has approved the spending of 1.7 billion roubles (€21.4m) in a five-year plan for ‘patriotic education.’ The programme takes effect this year and runs until 2020, instilling patriotism in Russians. Most of this money is from the federal budget.

FINANCE

Costa de Almería

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The average price of a house in Britain at the end of 2015 was £208,286 (€280,000), according to the Halifax which is an increase of 9.5 per cent over the year.

STAT OF WEEK

business & legal

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Budget airline charges job applicants Trump threat

WILL have to pay €60 to attend interview

By John Smith WITH its main base in Palma de Mallorca, Spain’s third airline Air Europa is about to relaunch a budget airline to be known as Air Europe Express and is passing some of its smaller aircraft to the new

is the amount that Air Europa could earn from charging 2,000 job applicants for an interview

“I spend time with the family of the deceased, and we work out what kind of funeral they want.” Rosie Grant of Natural Endings on the trend towards ethical burials in woodland areas.

Photo Credit Creative Image Shutterstock

Quote of the Week

€120,000

SUSPENSION: Followed two days of financial chaos.

Chinese stocks are suspended

By John Smith TRADING in Chinese shares had barely got underway on January 7, when automatic computer programmes suspended sales and sh u t d o wn t h e e x change for the day due to heavy losses of 7 per cent in half an hour, in a bid to stop a free fall in the Chi-

division, which is currently recruiting staff and is expected to include up to 100 pilots and 150 ground and air crew.

It has apparently received around 2,000 applications and in a somewhat unusual move, following its fine for charging disabled

nese economy.

Trading was also suspended on Monday January 4 due to heavy falls, and these two days of financial chaos in China have affected stock markets around the world and seen falls in a number of shares, particularly in companies which have investments in China.

BUSINESS EXTRA

McDonalds’ new design DURING January, McDonalds in the US will be launching completely new packaging aimed at a younger group known as the millenials, which is said to be the fastestgrowing segment of the US population.

It’s aimed at a generation who appreciate design, which has to be simple because of the constant distractions of smartphones and other technology.

Wealthiest profit falls ACCORDING to the Bloomberg billionaire’s index, the world’s 400 wealthiest people became $19 billion (€17.4 billion) poorer during 2015, due to the fall in commodity prices including oil, and the economic slowdown in China.

UK e-commerce sell too early ACCORDING to Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet, the parent of Google, in an interview on BBC Radio 4, the UK is the world leader in e-commerce but in his opinion, those who set up these companies have a tendency to sell them

too early unlike their American counterparts.

“You have the right regulatory environment.

You’ve got the right role within the European continent. Look at the e-commerce plays and service plays that are happening in London,” he also said.

passengers for making calls to arrange wheelchair assistance, it will charge €60 for each applicant called for interview.

Other budget airlines such as Ryanair have been the butt of various jokes about their charges but this has to be the most bizarre.

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Donald Trump has threatened to withdraw almost £700million (€940million) of investment from Scotland according to reports, by way of retaliation over a petition calling for him to be banned from entry to Britain.

Parliament will debate this on January 18 in accordance with Downing Street petition rules.

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PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 225.75 -3.45 Associated British Foods 3,048.00 15.00 Admiral Group 1,607.00 -13.00 Aberdeen Asset Management 250.35 1.05 Ashtead Group 1,021.50 0.50 Antofagasta 393.25 -5.05 ARM Holdings 949.25 5.75 Aviva 475.85 -1.05 AstraZeneca 4,322.50 -26.50 BAE Systems 528.75 9.25 Babcock International Group 952.25 -0.75 Barclays 201.43 1.28 British American Tobacco 3,615.50 -15.50 Barratt Developments 592.75 -4.25 BG Group 929.60 -10.40 Berkeley Group Holdings 3,471.50 14.50 British Land Co 744.00 2.50 BHP Billiton 644.50 -7.60 Bunzl 1,833.00 1.00 BP 329.05 0.35 Burberry Group 1,096.50 1.50 BT Group 464.30 -1.35 Coca-Cola HBC 1,399.00 -2.00 Carnival 3,756.00 -17.00 Centrica 206.65 -1.15 Compass Group 1,119.50 -2.50 Capita Group (The) 1,157.50 -8.50 CRH 1,842.00 -7.00 Dixons Carphone 462.05 -1.25 DCC 5,350.00 -25.00 Diageo 1,803.00 -7.00 Direct Line Insurance Group 364.65 0.05 Experian 1,102.50 -8.50 easyJet 1,711.00 -2.00 Fresnillo 694.75 1.75 GKN 280.10 1.70 Glencore 77.68 0.20 GlaxoSmithKline 1,358.50 -13.00 Hikma Pharmaceuticals 2,170.50 -26.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,360.00 -17.00 Hammerson 574.50 -4.00 HSBC Holdings 500.85 1.75 International Consolidated Air 589.50 -1.00 InterContinental Hotels Grp 2,512.00 -7.00 3i Group 444.85 -4.15 Imperial Tobacco Group 3,509.50 1.00 Intu Properties 297.60 -2.10 Inmarsat 1,101.00 -5.00 Intertek Group 2,668.50 10.50 ITV 264.85 -1.65

% CHG. -1.51 0.49 -0.80 0.42 0.05 -1.27 0.61 -0.22 -0.61 1.78 -0.08 0.64 -0.43 -0.71 -1.11 0.42 0.34 -1.17 0.05 0.11 0.14 -0.29 -0.14 -0.45 -0.55 -0.22 -0.73 -0.38 -0.27 -0.47 -0.39 0.01 -0.77 -0.12 0.25 0.61 0.26 -0.95 -1.21 -1.23 -0.69 0.35 -0.17 -0.28 -0.92 0.03 -0.70 -0.45 0.40 -0.62

NET VOL 3,373.52 24,636.90 4,468.52 3,299.81 5,270.01 4,047.93 13,625.59 19,496.46 55,360.14 15,994.02 4,875.58 34,477.71 68,313.04 5,888.10 31,996.91 4,724.24 7,711.26 14,229.03 6,108.45 61,747.91 4,795.30 38,540.54 5,137.94 8,192.21 10,456.47 18,596.88 7,683.58 15,309.03 5,417.63 4,772.60 45,273.43 5,572.50 11,109.92 6,629.40 5,198.78 4,528.86 11,480.80 65,426.16 4,359.45 6,716.35 4,584.30 97,956.34 12,032.07 5,867.51 4,387.75 33,703.96 4,035.51 4,985.78 4,327.72 10,788.10

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) Johnson Matthey 2,519.00 -11.00 Kingfisher 327.30 -3.60 Land Securities Group 1,119.50 1.50 Legal & General Group 245.50 -0.50 Lloyds Banking Group ORD 69.55 0.68 London Stock Exchange Gr 2,524.00 -6.00 Merlin Entertainments 439.60 -0.80 Marks & Spencer Group 427.95 -2.75 Mondi 1,209.50 -13.50 National Grid 934.90 -5.20 Next 6,757.50 -67.50 Old Mutual 154.50 -1.40 Provident Financial 3,137.00 -41.00 Prudential 1,357.00 -19.00 Persimmon 1,971.00 -21.00 Pearson 692.25 2.75 Reckitt Benckiser Group 5,998.50 5.50 Royal Bank of Scotland Gr 285.75 -2.75 Royal Dutch Shell 1,360.50 -14.50 Royal Dutch Shell 1,363.50 -12.00 Reed Elsevier 1,159.00 -10.00 Rio Tinto 1,721.50 -17.50 Royal Mail 435.05 -4.35 Rolls-Royce Group 556.25 -3.25 Randgold Resources 4,443.50 42.50 RSA Insurance Group 407.60 -0.40 SABMiller 4,030.00 -5.00 Sainsbury (J) 243.60 4.90 Schroders 2,654.00 -65.00 Sage Group (The) 588.00 14.00 Shire 4,260.00 -17.00 Sky 1,086.50 2.50 Standard Life 366.85 3.85 Smiths Group 892.75 -3.75 Smith & Nephew 1,142.50 -12.50 Sports Direct International 433.15 -0.15 SSE 1,465.50 -12.50 Standard Chartered 509.00 3.50 St James's Place 912.50 -9.00 Severn Trent 2,123.50 -16.50 Travis Perkins 1,933.50 10.50 Tesco 146.73 -0.17 TUI AG 1,243.50 -5.50 Taylor Wimpey 192.60 -1.10 Unilever 2,771.50 -7.00 United Utilities Group 932.50 -1.50 Vodafone Group 223.30 0.25 Wolseley 3,438.50 -7.50 WORLDPAY GROUP PLC ORD 3P306.60 -1.40 WPP Group 1,456.50 -7.50 Whitbread 4,180.00 60.00

% CHG. -0.43 -1.09 0.13 -0.20 0.99 -0.24 -0.18 -0.64 -1.10 -0.55 -0.99 -0.90 -1.29 -1.38 -1.05 0.40 0.09 -0.95 -1.05 -0.87 -0.86 -1.01 -0.99 -0.58 0.97 -0.10 -0.12 2.05 -2.39 2.44 -0.40 0.23 1.06 -0.42 -1.08 -0.03 -0.85 0.69 -0.98 -0.77 0.55 -0.12 -0.44 -0.57 -0.25 -0.16 0.11 -0.22 -0.45 -0.51 1.46

NET VOL 5,211.06 7,674.60 9,028.01 14,701.97 49,597.61 8,723.69 4,417.91 7,239.17 6,050.00 35,534.06 10,609.43 7,768.55 4,679.01 35,633.87 6,014.35 5,733.81 43,062.53 18,568.02 56,646.74 35,678.80 13,102.77 25,103.05 4,386.00 10,038.73 4,100.51 4,118.88 65,317.96 4,585.24 6,145.55 6,184.26 25,796.02 18,634.15 7,059.53 3,505.62 10,437.55 3,064.14 14,766.89 12,877.45 4,841.88 5,106.84 4,740.25 11,326.01 7,144.83 6,253.15 35,834.19 6,344.97 57,850.72 8,956.36 N/A 19,382.73 7,496.74

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currenciesdirect.com/mojacar • Tel: +34 950 478 914

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 11

COMPANY MMM 3M AXP American Express AAPL Apple BA Boeing CAT Caterpillar CVX Chevron CSCO Cisco KO Coca-Cola DIS Disney DD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co XOM Exxon Mobil GE General Electric GS Goldman Sachs HD Home Depot IBM IBM INTC Intel JNJ Johnson & Johnson JPM JPMorgan Chase MCD McDonald's MRK Merck MSFT Microsoft NKE Nike PFE Pfizer PG Procter & Gamble TRV Travelers Companies Inc UTX United Technologies UNH UnitedHealth VZ Verizon V Visa WMT Wal-Mart

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 140.49 -0.48 -0.34% 2.7M 63.63 -0.21 -0.33% 10.0M 96.96 +0.51 +0.53% 70.8M 129.99 -3.02 -2.27% 5.8M 63.29 -0.65 -1.02% 8.3M 82.13 -0.89 -1.07% 11.9M 24.78 -0.63 -2.48% 28.6M 41.51 -0.11 -0.26% 14.6M 99.25 -0.25 -0.25% 10.7M 61.17 -0.33 -0.54% 6.0M 74.69 -1.54 -2.02% 19.0M 28.45 -0.52 -1.79% 74.5M 163.94 -0.68 -0.41% 4.9M 123.90 -1.50 -1.20% 7.1M 131.63 -1.23 -0.93% 4.8M 31.51 -0.33 -1.04% 30.0M 98.16 -1.06 -1.07% 9.8M 58.92 -1.35 -2.24% 22.4M 115.48 -0.18 -0.16% 6.1M 51.08 -0.88 -1.69% 14.2M 52.33 +0.16 +0.31% 48.8M 58.87 -0.98 -1.64% 11.2M 31.00 -0.40 -1.27% 33.1M 75.97 -1.21 -1.57% 9.7M 105.99 -0.45 -0.42% 2.0M 90.40 -1.50 -1.63% 7.5M 110.16 -1.93 -1.72% 4.4M 44.83 -0.44 -0.97% 16.6M 72.88 -0.91 -1.23% 10.0M 63.54 -1.49 -2.29% 17.8M

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES J ANUARY 11

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Sientra, Inc. EV Energy Partners, L.P. BIND Therapeutics, Inc. Daily 2X VIX ST ETN Velocityshares Glu Mobile Inc. Qunar Cayman Islands Limited CyberOptics Corporation MakeMyTrip Limited Lincoln Educational Services Corporation Pulmatrix, Inc.

$ 6.58 $ 2.65 $ 2.24 $ 9.40 $ 2.41 $ 40.97 $ 8.47 $ 22.12 $ 2.11 $ 3.848

0.68 ▲ 11.53% 0.26 ▲ 10.88% 0.21 ▲ 10.34% 0.87 ▲ 10.20% 0.22 ▲ 10.05% 3.67 ▲ 9.84% 0.7456 ▲ 9.65% 1.83 ▲ 9.02% 0.17 ▲ 8.76% 0.298 ▲ 8.39%

$ 6.19 $ 5.69 $ 16.44 $ 16.20 $ 10.22 $ 14.49 $ 4.04 $ 4.15 $ 15.45 $ 3.53 $ 45

1.76 ▼ 22.14% 1.39 ▼ 19.63% 3.86 ▼ 19.01% 2.90 ▼ 15.18% 1.79 ▼ 14.90% 2.16 ▼ 12.97% 0.56 ▼ 12.17% 0.56 ▼ 11.89% 1.93 ▼ 11.10% 0.44 ▼ 11.08% 5.34 ▼ 10.61%

Most Declined Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Auris Medical Holding AG Cellular Biomedicine Group, Inc. Conn's, Inc. Flamel Technologies S.A. Ascendis Pharma A/S EZCORP, Inc. Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Chiasma, Inc. Century Aluminum Company Ambarella, Inc.

34

E W N 14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

UK economic slowdown continues CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer George Osborne, in an interview with BBC Radio 4, made it clear that in his opinion a slowing global economy means that the UK is by no means in a position to be complacent, and “2016 is the year of mission critical”, and could be the most difficult year that the economy has faced for some time.

Despite the fact that in his Autumn Statement he indicated that the UK economy was ‘growing fast’, he went on to explain that the statement had in fact put into place a four-year plan to restore public finances, and make the economy more productive.

“It is precisely because we live in an uncertain world. It is precisely because we have not abolished boom and bust as a nation, that you need to take these steps, difficult steps and I need to go on explaining to the public, that the difficult times aren’t over, we have got to go on making the difficult decisions, precisely so that Britain can continue to enjoy the low unemployment and

Photo Credit Foreign and Commonwealth Office

By John Smith

GEORGE OSBORNE: Said 2016 could be the most difficult year the economy has faced for some time. the rising wages that we see at the moment,” Mr Osborne said.

In fairness, the problems of the

Middle East, risk of recession in China, and ever dropping commodity prices which indicate a drop in glob-

al demand could not have been accurately forecast in the autumn of 2015, but it is possible that he was

more than a little optimistic in his statement and time will tell how buoyant the UK economy actually is.

Postage costs to rise THE cost of postage within Spain has now increased from 45c to 48c for a postcard or standard letter, and othe r c ha rge s inc luding overseas post and parcels will also increase.

A lthough the s a le of stamps to collectors still ge ne ra te s s ignific a nt income for the Post Office, it is more usual to receive a la be l w he n pa ying for pos ta ge , pa rtic ula rly for

Postage costs in Spain are still lower than most of Europe parcels rather than stamps, and to the disappointment of collectors many of the new stamps are self-adhes ive , w hic h us e a poore r standard of printing and are difficult to house in albums.

Spain is still cheaper than most of Europe with Italy,

PRICE INCREASE: Will affect national and overseas postage. the UK, France and Germany being the four most expensive countries in which to send an internal letter.

However, gener al l y speaking letters in the UK do arrive when they are supposed to and are delivered

t o t he door r at her t han shared mailboxes as happens in many urbanisations in Spain.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

EWN

35

The Quarter One forecast for the Pound Ask the expert Peter Loveday Contact me at euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com

AS we start the New Year, a look back to 2015 shows us that the UK economy was the best performing amongst its G7 peers.

Consolidation in UK GDP as well as employment numbers and strong wages produced a glimmer of upbeat consumer sentiment, though December’s manufacturing data revealed that production in the UK has slowed down to its lowest level in two years.

This has led the Bank of England to remain very cautious in increasing interest rates and it looks likely that we will have a subdued Q1 in 2016 for the British Pound.

With inflation also not picking up anywhere close to the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target, it is looking increasingly likely that the Monetary Policy Committee will refrain from raising interest rates in the first half of 2016.

Meanwhile, with 2016 starting with global growth concerns amidst a stock market rout across world markets, the UK economy will

STERLING: It looks likely the British Pound will have a subdued start to 2016. continue to lean on consumer spending to look forward to better data prints.

The negative data from UK’s manufacturing sector coupled with an increase in interest rates in the US has brought about considerable weakness in the Pound. To add insult to injury, investor sentiment has aligned itself to safe

haven currencies and markets are flocking to the US Dollar, bringing about more weakness for the Pound.

However, the drop in the interest rates would mean exports will get a boost in the UK and could bring out slightly better data prints on the inflation and GDP fronts. Though the Pound

rallied most of 2015 against the Euro due to strong economic data, we start the New Year with a fair setback to the Pound trading below the 1.35 level.

In the long term divergence in monetary policy should favour the Pound once better economic data is released but Sterling may remain subdued in the first quarter of this year.

From the Eurozone, despite analysts and markets taking a bearish view after Mario Draghi announced further measures of quantitative easing, the economy seems to be consolidating albeit slowly. Finance ministers from the Eurozone have also backed Mario Draghi’s plan, and seem to agree that increasing amounts of stimulus will eventually increase a much needed growth in inflation.

However, unfortunately the stimulus plans announced by ECB President Mario Draghi to try and keep the Euro weak to increase exports hasn’t quite worked out just yet, though it is increasingly likely to have a positive effect on the economy in the long term.

It has been an interesting and eventful start to 2016 so far. A week into the year and we have seen global stock markets crash, and Sterling drop between 2 to 3 per cent amongst its major counterparts.

Visit us at our Spanish offices in Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, North Costa Blanca and South Costa Blanca.

Telephone: UK +44 (0) 207 847 9400 SPAIN +34 950 478 914 Email: euroweekly@currenciesdirect.com • www.currenciesdirect.com

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

EWN

37

Can this alien bunch be an asset?

WHAT we are actually witnessing is the beginning of our worst nightmare LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

TWENTY-FIVE years ago I warned that the West was being infiltrated by its enemies. I also stated that if the authorities didn’t wake up, one day it would all be too late. Well our esteemed leaders slumbered blissfully on and the Islamist militants are now everywhere.

The local violence and unrest, mainly brought on by unchecked immigration, is unfolding as we speak. Almost every day, up rears another example of the Allahu Akbar terrorists in our midst. Police gunned down, shoppers and holidaymakers maimed and killed, places of entertainment targeted etc.

And still we let them in. Even more ominous, is that of the thousands of ‘refugees’ who entered Europe last year, 69 per cent were men. This disproportionate figure alone should set alarm bells jangling, even among the most liberal of the ‘heads in the sand’ denial brigade.

UNCHECKED IMMIGRATION: Has brought on violence and unrest.

What must also be remembered is that even if the majority of these people are not actually terrorists, most of them are illiterate, ill-educated Muslim men. The chances

of integrating them into our Western society with its existing values are virtually nil.

A prime example is the recent phenomena of marauding mobs of feral young Arabic

men, publicly harassing and committing sexual attacks on our women.

In the oppressive, primitive societies these individuals have been raised, women are looked on as second class chattel. Couple this, with the fact that in their former countries they have never observed women even baring their arms in public, leave alone the legs and faces revealed by normal Western attire, and you get some idea of their glaring mental inadequacies.

You also only have to witness the disgusting mess left behind on the trains and in areas vacated by these immigrant hordes to get some idea of the standard of living they are accustomed to. And you honestly think that the majority of this alien bunch can be an asset to our Western democratic culture?

Ha! What we are actually witnessing is the beginning of our worst nightmare. Potentially devastating, irreversible internal conflict. Heaven help us all.

Keep the faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

E W N 14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Warming to the problem

OUR VIEW Photo Credit 1997 Wikimedia.

38

SHOULD we abandon all thoughts of cleaning up our planet?

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

GLOBAL warming, we are told, is responsible for December’s record rainfall and devastating floods in the north of England and Scotland.

Global warming as we all know is entirely due to man’s unparalleled use of fossil fuels, the internal combustion engine and flatulent cows. Only the cessation of the use of coal and oil and the building of a zillion ugly wind farms will save us. . . oh and the introduction of more and more ‘green taxes’.

I looked back on my records and noted that just five years ago, the UK was experiencing a record cold spell, with temperatures reaching minus 20ºC in many places.

GLOBAL WARMING: Building a zillion ugly wind farms will help save us.

Global warming?

I am no scientist, but I know a man who is, and he tells me that with man’s total contribution to climate change at less than an estimated 4 per cent, not only

will our feeble efforts have no noticeable effect on the world’s weather patterns, but these changes will happen anyway as they have at regular intervals over millions of years.

He and a fraternity of scientists around the world have produced a mountain of evidence over the years, showing that we should be spending our time and efforts into developing protec-

tion against what is to come and learning to adapt to natural and inescapable climate change.

But regardless of the facts, this attracts little publicity after all, it is heresy to contradict the established thinking on such things.

Should we then abandon all thoughts of cleaning up our planet? Of course not, but let us examine all of the evidence available for the good of Mother Earth, and make informed and sensible decisions about the proper way forward.

Just as there are powerful vested interests who wish to silence the Green lobby, so too are there equally powerful and political interests desperate to blame our changing climate on the activities of Man. Who was it that said: “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”?

Oh yes, Adolph Hitler.

First website launched in 1991 Photo Credit Ram Creations Shutterstock

THE more things change, the more they stay the same John Smith Random thoughts...

ALTHOUGH he had been investigating the sharing of information via computers whilst working for the CERN laboratory in Switzerland and then following employers, it was not until 1991 that Tim Berners Lee saw the first website that he had conceived set up by CERN entitled Info.cern.ch, which basically explained the concept of the internet.

Today, 25 years later, the world is without question a different place, and the man who was knighted in 2004 and became Sir Tim Berners Lee has a lot to be thanked for and a lot to be blamed for, as the World Wide Web is both a blessing and a curse.

There is no doubt that the world has become not only a smaller place, but also one that is much more impatient and demanding with privacy becoming less and less possible.

Children and many adults spend their time glued to social media and interac-

WORLD WIDE WEB: It’s the users who are the saints and sinners.

BID: Catalan Parliament.

Catalonia’s first minister JUST when it seemed there would be a second election in Catalonia, a rather upset Artur Mas decided he should step down so the demand for independence could move forward, rather than risk a negative backlash in the event a second election was held.

The mayor of Girona, Carles Puigdemont was considered an acceptable candidate for first minister by the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), which held the balance of power and he was duly appointed on January 10.

In his acceptance speech Mr Puigdemont made it clear he intended to push forward with the call for a new republic and he expected to create a separate Catalan Social Security system and Central Bank, both of which would drain money from the Spanish state and would be illegal according to opposition leaders.

Interim Prime Minister Rajoy has been somewhat reticent in his response, saying only: “I have given instructions that any act by the new Catalan government, its First Minister or the Catalan parliament be met with the correct response.”

As all of his attempts to stifle the bid for independence through the courts have been ineffectual, matters seem to be getting worse for the interim government, especially as it still doesn’t hold a majority.

Whoever finally comes to power will still face a dilemma, and an opinion in the influential Spain Report suggests the next option open to the government is to apply Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which would allow them to take whatever action is necessary to resolve the situation.

tive games, emails have to be responded to immediately, terrorists can post their litany of hate and show the execution of innocents, conmen can steal from bank accounts, and pornography can reach every home.

On the plus side, for those who wish to broaden their knowledge, it is possible to learn about almost anything through specialist sites, as well as the ever growing Wikipedia and those who are apart geographically can keep in contact with families through such outlets as Skype and WhatsApp, so it certainly isn’t all bad.

Fortunes have been made (and lost) with companies using the internet, and it is now possible to buy almost anything online which has seen a number of weaker companies go to the wall. Music and films are available to download almost instantaneously and large amounts of money can be won or lost on gaming sites.

Now we To sum up, in the words of Isaac want to Newton ‘for every action, there is an hear your views. equal and opposite reaction’ and this seems to be the situation with YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE the internet, although it is those - YOUR OPINION who use it, rather than the system www.euroweeklynews.com itself who are the saints or sinners.

OPINION & COMMENT

LETTERS

www.euroweeklynews.com

14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

EWN

43

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

Letters for Your Say should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments straight on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com

Archbishop criticises women over domestic violence SO this man who, by virtue of the strange rules of his chosen profession, is (supposedly) barred from relationships with the opposite sex, believes he is capable of rational and valid thought about abuse within relationships.

As in so many things he and his sort are so out of touch with reality maybe we ought to feel pity toward them rather than outrage.

Though for the moment, outrage seems to be the correct emotion.

Stuart (via website)

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

Disabled parking

A heartwarming message from Dario Poli DARIO POLI, a renowned composer and dear friend of EWN, recently was a guest of honour in Holland, having been invited to write a new musical composition for the Peace and Justice Foundation at The Hague to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations.

“Thanks to all the good work of Michel Euesden, her husband and all the great team at the EWN have done for me over a long period.

Today I have just had a small article published about me and what I am trying to do in a respected Dutch national newspaper written by one of Holland’s most respected journalists.

This is just the beginning, but without the strong, reliable support of EWN, it would have been almost impossible.

So thank you all again from my heart and I wish you an even more successful, eventful 2016 giving us your readers, all the help we need.”

Editor note: Thank you Dario for your kind words. Your EWN family wish you all the success and happiness in the world for 2016 and beyond. It touches our heart that we could help you along your magical journey which has blessed the lives of countless people.

WHEN will action be taken against able-bodied drivers who park illegally in disabled parking places?

This thoughtless, lazy and despicable act causes untold inconvenience and stress to those needing to park close to their homes and shops.

Is it not time for the police to fine and remove these illegally parked vehicles? Much needed money could be raised in our town by implementing the law.

Maybe the newspapers could have a ‘column of shame’ listing the registration numbers of cars illegally parked in the parking bays. I am sure the people who need to use these places would happily report the registration numbers to the newspapers and police etc.

Alan Harris, Campoverde

Mr Monday THANK YOU so much for placing our ad.

Mr Monday has been found and was returned to us on Christmas Eve, it made a special boy very happy! Hats off to the power of advertising, and thanks for all the help from the Euro Weekly News.

Regards Jane, Mallorca

Inept leaders DEAR Leapy, All I can say is, I wish all the Euro-

pean and UK inept politicians had the courage to tell it as it is like your excellent piece in last week’s paper. I too have been expounding the very same and believe it or not most people I speak with about this do not have a real clue or understanding of what is happening.

I predict that Christmas as we know it will peter out in the next few years, there will be no New Year celebrations either (Brussels have already started cancelling 2016), as our calendar bears no resemblance to the Islamic one.

We have a Muslim being put forward for mayor of London and it won’t be long before all government positions will be overrun with Sharia

law brainwashed individuals.

I keep saying that we have been invaded without a shot being fired and now our graciously stupid leaders keep making things even worse. Adolf must be spinning in his grave if he had realised how to take over the world so easily.

I just wanted you to know you do have support out here in the silent suffering majority and if you ever decide to stand for presidency/prime minister you have my vote.

Sincerely, Ron Bennett (via email) P.S I was born and raised in London in 1952 and boy am I glad I don’t live there anymore as it is an alien environment to me.

Leapy disgust GOOD afternoon and happy New Year.

The motive of this present is to expose my disgust, and repulse, to the articles you insist on printing written

by Leapy Lee. He is not only a racist, and this is the first reason why you should not print his words, but his comments are offensive and inflammatory.

He preaches hate and invokes violence in every article. He does this with Muslims, who are always his favourite target, as well as Germans, immigrants and asylum seekers. I understand and embrace freedom of speech, however, I think it is your responsibility as editorial, to consider what you do and what you don’t print.

My name is Sebastian and I don’t feel there is any difference between the hatred Leapy means, than that of Adolf Hitler or a terrorist. Try looking in the mirror Leapy. And stop watching so many end of the world movies you ignorant ******.

I hope you print that without my spelling mistakes. Thank you and please print more about love not war.

Sebastian (via email)

Europe has gone crazy DEAR Leapy, I really enjoyed reading your ‘What the hell have we done’ and I am glad that you write this. Nowadays you can’t express your thoughts on FB etc without losing your friends.

Our Europe has gone crazy, mostly because of Merkel. But hopefully the rapings etc in Germany will change many minds... I’ll follow you!!

Magnus and Lena Ehrnrooth, Nueva Andalucia

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

Letters may also be edited.

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

www.euroweeklynews.com

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.

44

E W N 14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de AlmerĂ­a

www.euroweeklynews.com

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Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News How to Lose Weight Well The Undateables Crashing Tattoo Fixers First Dates

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Tricks of the Restaurant Trade Travel Man: 48 Hours in Copenhagen The Jihadis Next Door Kid Criminals Manchester's Serial Killer?

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

Countdown A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Mary Portas: Secret Shopper 24 Hours in A and E Bodyshockers The Undateables

10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

5 News Tonight Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild Britain's Bloody Crown Celebrity Big Brother Celebrity Botched Up Bodies Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

7:00pm

Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Dogs Make You Laugh Out Loud That's So... 1985 Celebrity Big Brother Lip Sync Battle UK Celebrity Big Brother Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

7:00pm

World War II in Colour World War II Battlefield Recovery Chasing Monsters: The Shark Eater The Championship Goal Rush Celebrity Big Brother Lip Sync Battle UK Police Interceptors Blue Streak Cheaper by the Dozen 2 George of the Jungle Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls 5 News Celebrity Big Brother Eat Pray Love Tattoo Disasters: UK 5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Police Interceptors Ice Road Truckers Celebrity Big Brother Gotham Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side Home and Away 5 News The Dog Rescuers Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun Celebrity Big Brother The Secret Life of the Family Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords GPs: Behind Closed Doors Celebrity Big Brother 10,000 BC Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:00am

8:00pm 11:15pm 11:45pm 12:45am 1:00am

3:45pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:30am 2:00pm 5:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:30am 1:30am 2:00pm 3:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 12:00am 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:30am

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:45pm 8:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:15pm 11:30pm 12:30am

Fantasy Football Club Highlights Barclays Premier League World The Mavericks Johnstone's Paint Trophy La Liga Show 2015 Barclays Premier League World Football Gold The Fantasy Football Club FL72 Barclays Premier League Review Jamie Vardy- Record Breaker Football Gold Barclays Premier League Review Viral Videos of the Month Boxing Gold Boxing Gold Boxing Gold Ford Saturday Night Football SNF: Game of the Day SNF: Match Choice SNF: Match Choice Ford Super Sunday Ford Super Sunday Football League Goals Goals on Sunday European Rugby Special Ford Football Special Football League Goals The Sunday Supplement Football League Goals Big Bash League Fantasy Football Club Highlights Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits Ford Monday Night Football Football League Goals Fantasy Football Club Highlights Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits Barclays Premier League Review La Liga World 2015 Barclays Premier League Review Fantasy Football Club Highlights Barclays Premier League Review The Mavericks Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs International Netball The Mavericks Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Barclays Premier League Review Football Gold

46

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OPINION & COMMENT

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

PABLO IGLESIAS and other Podemos high-ups were political assessors to Venezuela before they entered Spanish politics.

Iglesias prefers to keep schtum about Venezuela these days, especially now that its president Nicolas Maduro refuses to accept the government party’s defeat in the December elections by the practically outlawed Opposition.

Podemos, unlike PP, PSOE, Ciudadanos, UPyD and PNV, recently avoided signing a Spanish manifesto in defence of Venezuelan democracy.

Presumably Iglesias, with 69 seats in Spain’s national parliament, feels that all parliamentary systems are equal, but some are less equal than others.

PHOTO BY AHORA MADRID ON WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

All right for some

PABLO IGLESIAS: Backs a Cataluña independence referendum.

Exclusion zone THE red lines that parties drew before December 20 were meant to reassure voters that post-election pacts would not endanger ideology or promises. Instead politicians have fenced themselves in and another general election was the spectre at more than one Christmas feast.

On the other side of those red lines lies the middle ground where negotiations could take place but instead it has been turned into a barren and unoccupied no man’s land.

Strange bedfellows PABLO IGLESIAS backs a Cataluña independence referendum, making him untouchable for any potential pactseeker. Not long ago he scornfully suggested that a PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos coalition “is the preferred scenario” of German chancellor Angela Merkel, the Ibex 35

(Spain’s Footsie 100) and the Head of State.

Is that such a bad thing, compared with the present horse-trading and showboating for which Iglesias is largely responsible?

Way out SANTIAGO CARRILLO, the now deceased Communist leader, allegedly did in five years what Franco couldn’t manage in 36. In other words, he scuppered the Partido Comunista de España once it was legalised during the Transition.

Is Artur Mas, would-be president of Cataluña, doing Madrid’s job for it by failing to scrape up support for his investiture?

There will always be secessionists in Cataluña but despite national fear of an in-out referendum, less than half the Catalan population share Mas’s ambitions. Without him in the Palau de la Generalitat palace the independence faction will be divided and undisciplined and prone to implode with no outside help.

TIME OUT Famous quote

in history

Lord of the Dance

1129 - Formal approval of the Order of Templars at the Council of Troyes.

1493 - Columbus leaves the new world and sets sail for Spain on his first trip.

1514 - Pope Leo X issues a papal bull against slavery.

1535 - Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England.

1539 - Spain annexes Cuba.

1671 - Pirate Henry Morgan defeats Spanish defenders, captures Panama.

1739 - Britain and Spain sign second Convention of Pardo.

1773 - Capt James Cook becomes first to cross Antarctic Circle.

1784 - US Revolutionary War ends; US Congress of the Confederation ratifies the Treaty of Paris.

1895 - Tchaikovsky’s ballet ‘Swan Lake’ premieres, St Petersburg.

1912 - Captain Robert Scott’s expedition arrives at South Pole, one month after Amundsen.

1944 - Gen Eisenhower took command of Allied Invasion Force in London.

1956 - Little Richard releases ‘Tutti Frutti.’

1970 - Four months after leading a coup against monarchy, Muammar Gaddafi takes over rule of Libya.

1970 - Royal Ulster Constabulary officers patrol the Falls Road area of Belfast for the first time since 1969.

1975 - 17-year-old Lesley Whittle is kidnapped in Shropshire, England.

1978 - Sex Pistols’ final concert held in Winterland, San Francisco.

1987 - US President Reagan signs secret order permitting covert sale of arms to Iran.

1989 - 1,000 muslims burn Salman Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ in Bradford, England.

1990 - ‘Simpsons’ premiered on FoxTV. 1991 - Operation Desert Storm begins against Saddam Hussein.

2011 - Wikipedia the free internet encyclopedia turns 10 years old.

Women’s wit

‘

Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own.

Michelle Obama

World of English

‘

There are only four words in the English language which end in ‘dous’ (they are: hazardous, horrendous, stupendous and tremendous).

‘SOMEBODY TELL THAT ENGLISHMAN TO STOP CLOWNING AROUND WITH THE PLANETS AND CONCENTRATE ON THE WALK!’

Kakuro

for next 7 days

Almería

Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

TODAY VELEZ RUBIO

TOMORROW ALBOX

HUERCAL OVERA

VELEZ RUBIO GARRUCHA ALBOX MOJACAR HUERCAL OVERA ALMERIA

RETAMAR GARRUCHA ROQUETAS

MOJACAR

ROQUETAS

ADRA

Alicante TODAY: Fri Sat Sun -

Benidorm

CLOUDY MAX 21C, MIN 11C MAX MIN

14 7 C 16 6 S 14 5 S

Mon - 14 7 C Tues - 13 8 Sh Wed - 15 7 C

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 11C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

17 9 C 16 8 S 14 8 C

Mon - 14 8 C Tues - 15 8 Sh Wed - 15 8 Sh

Fri Sat Sun -

12 6 Sh 13 6 S 12 6 Cl S Sun,

11 6 Sh 10 6 Sh 10 4 C

MAX MIN

Mon - 10 5 C Tues - 11 6 C Wed - 12 6 S

Madrid

CLOUDY MAX 15C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Mon - 12 6 C Tues - 13 7 Cl Wed - 13 7 C Cl Clear,

TODAY:

Fog,

TODAY:

SUNNY MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

14 6 Sh 13 6 Sh 12 4 C

SHOWERS MAX 12C, MIN 4C

8 1 Sh 10 1 Cl 9 1 Cl C Cloudy,

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 9 2 C Tues - 10 2 Sh Wed - 10 1 S

MAX 17C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

Mon - 13 6 C Tues - 14 6 C Wed - 15 6 C

Sh Showers,

CLEAR MAX 23C, MIN 9C MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

18 8 C 18 6 S 16 4 S Sn Snow,

UK THUNDERBALL

IRISH LOTTO

Saturday January 9

Saturday January 9

EURO MILLIONS

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

MAX MIN

Mon - 15 9 Sh Tues - 16 9 Sh Wed - 16 9 S

Murcia

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

18 10 Sh 16 9 C 15 8 C

Mallorca

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

CLOUDY MAX 20C, MIN 11C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 14 8 C Tues - 14 9 Sh Wed - 15 9 C

SHOWERS MAX 12C, MIN 7C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Barcelona TODAY:

15 8 Sh 16 8 S 13 8 S

Bilbao

Almeria TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Malaga

CLOUDY MAX 19C, MIN 11C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

RETAMAR

ALMERIA

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 7 C Tues - 16 7 Sh Wed - 18 7 C Th Thunder

LOTTERY

ADRA

47

This week

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

Whenever I hear, ‘It can’t be done,’ I know I’m close to success.

Michael Flatley

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Saturday January 9

26

27

2

2

11

Friday January 8

5

3 46

47

5

52

58

22

Saturday January 9

Sunday January 10

4

10

13

12

14

28

17

47

51

26 14

28

33

29

34

40

21

35

11

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

48

12

37

LUCKY STARS

3

8

43

REINTEGRO

9

0

REINTEGRO

0

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The Visit Directed by: M Night Shyamalan.

Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Kathryn Hahn, Benjamin Kanes and Deanna Dunagan.

Funagram

Just Joking

Unscramble the name of a series of adventure novels/films (three words): HEATHEN MUGGERS

Dan said to his pal: “So Bob what did you get for Christmas?”

Bob says, “Oh see that brand new red Ferrari outside?”

Dan says, “OOOOH WOW!!!”

Bob says, “Yeah, I got the exact same colour tie!”

Unscramble the name of a current England international footballer: RARE HANKY FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: THE HUNGER GAMES, HARRY KANE

NEW ON DVD

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

ALLEGE ALLELE BEADLE BEETLE CERIUM HATRED INDEED LARGER LAUREL MARVEL

WHEN a mother leaves her two children at their grandparents' house for a holiday, things are great until bedtime. There are no rules during their stay except the children are instructed not to come out of their rooms after 9:30pm, but after sneaking out they realise something is very wrong with grandma and grandpa. As the days pass their strange behaviour continues and the children must try to convince their mother to come back for them. Until then the children must survive their stay.

Niña Pastori, January 15, Singer A Spanish flamenco singer who at the age of six accompanied her mother also a flamenco singer. Her original stage name was ‘La niña de la Pastori,’ but as she grew up, she changed it to the current Niña Pastori.

38

Faye Dunaway, January 14, Actress, 75 American actress who received an Oscar for Best Actress in the 1976 film Network and is remembered for her starring role in Bonnie and Clyde. She had a prolific career until 2009 and is just returning to appear in movies in 2016.

James May, January 16, Journalist and TV Presenter, 53 Originally a journalist and sacked by Autocar for a prank which amused readers but not the owners, was for many years the co-presenter of Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond.

Michelle Obama, January 17, First Lady, 52 Wife of US President Barack Obama who she married in 1992, she is the first Afro-Caribbean First Lady and with her two daughters campaigns against childhood obesity.

Pep Guardiola, January 18, Football Manager, 45 Former player for the Spanish national team and Barcelona, he spent four successful years as manager of the Catalan club before moving to Germany, but has now expressed his wish to manager a Premier League team.

Michael Crawford, January 19, Actor, 74 Remembered for the stunts he performed in the BBC comedy series Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em and his catchphrase ‘Ooh Betty,’ he went on to become a well-respected performer in such musicals as Phantom of the Opera.

Buzz Aldrin, January 20, Astronaut, 86 The second person to ever walk on the moon and the first to urinate as he later revealed, he was the pilot of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission. His mother’s maiden name was appropriately enough Moon.

MEAGER METEOR PRETTY SOCIAL SPREAD STRAND TEETER WOBBLE (10) WRITER

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Filter 2 Corral 3 Uptake 4 Relief 5 Repeal 6 Emerge 7 Genial 8 Umpire 9 Advent 10 Garter 11 Tappet 12 Artery 13 Tiptoe 14 Quarry 15 Eerily 16 Tallow 17 Thrall 18 Escrow 19 Elicit

YOUR STARS AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) When it comes to throwing wobblers, please dont. It is so important this week to stay cool and unruffled. Change nothing that you can avoid changing. Even having discussions about change can set your nerves jangling.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) This month, there is much to be celebrated. So much has happened in the latter part of the year. Certainly, congratulations are in order. When you have made such an effort and are rewarded for it, the satisfaction level is high. Be aware, though, that someone close also needs to feel that there is progress.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) The importance of making the right choices is clear to you. Where to begin seems to be a sticking point. Starting by taking away the things you really do not want is essential. Be practical and logical.

This is not a time for sentiment or muddled thinking. Although you will need patience in abundance as the week progresses, take one thing at a time.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Although you have the feeling that younger members of the family are not interested in your point of view, this is far off the mark. They, in their inexperience, may not know how best to approach you in this regard. Getting out family photos or starting a family tree with them can be both entertaining and fascinating.

CAPRICORN

(December 22 - January 20)

You are in for a bit of a bumpy ride this week. Some things will go well but other outcomes can be quirky. People change their minds, technology doesn’t work, phone calls don’t come. Be assured, however, that if you keep your sense of the absurd it could all be quite amusing.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) The prospect of travel sets you thinking.

Have you been spending too much time considering others? Should you take steps now to get time alone then these plans cannot be changed. This will save any discussions as to how or when.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) With the best will in the world it is only possible to spend money once. We are all guilty of trying to get over this truth, but it never works. Have patience when looking to improve your possessions.

There are more pressing needs and these, in the long run, prove more satisfying.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Going over old ground is counterproductive. There is nothing to be gained from repeating methods that did not work in the past. If it is not possible to find a fresh approach then seek the opinions of others. You do not need experience of a situation to be able to come up with a useful idea. Staying in the same old rut has not served you in the past and will not do so now.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Getting together with others to entertain is sure to be successful after the 26th. Before that there may be some irritations, particularly with people who refuse to be positive and make decisions. Those moving house or going on a journey need a lot of patience, and forward planning is essential.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) This is an important week for both your physical health and your mental wellbeing. Because of things beyond your control, you may have let your diet or exercise slip. Having sorted out any problems that side-tracked you, there is a need to be particularly strong.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) This is a week to let yourself be heard. Be it writing letters, sending emails, making phone calls or making conversation, you must express yourself. Being honest and outspoken need not mean upsetting people. Think of the way that a child gets its point over.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Having problems with that new computer? Fallen foul of the new mobile phone? That wouldn't be surprising this week. As you are prone to mistakes and misunderstandings, try not to tackle anything vital. Be sure to get plenty of sleep and fresh air. Someone who is supposed to help you proves more of an irritation than a saviour, and you may wish that you had stuck with the manual.

TIME

EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREA

11-Star Quiz THAT WAS 2015 THAT WAS (Part 2) 1. Which country beat Japan 5-2 to win the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in July?

2. The 102nd edition of which famous race got underway in the Dutch city of Utrecht with an individual time trial on July 4?

3. Television presenter Cilla Black, who died in August, was responsible for the UKs biggest selling record by a female artist in the 1960s. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, what was its title?

4. Which boy band announced in August that they were to take a break in 2016, after five years of constant touring and recording?

5. On September 9, Queen Elizabeth II officially surpassed who to become the longest-serving monarch of the United Kingdom?

6. Malcolm Turnbull replaced Toy Abbott as prime minister of which country in September?

7. The American football team the New York Jets brought 350 what with them with them on visit to London in October?

8. Thirty-year-old mother of three, Nadiya Hussain won the sixth series of which BAFTA award-winning British television competition in October?

9. London's Victoria and Albert Museum Museum was criticised for turning down a collection of whose clothing in November, explaining that the clothes had social historic value but lacked ‘outstanding aesthetic or technical quality’?

10. A study by University College London issued in November found that Premier League footballers had particularly bad what?

11. Which American internet entrepreneur, along with his wife Priscilla Chan said in December that they would be giving away 99 per cent of their shares in his company to good causes as they announced the birth of their daughter Max? 1. USA, 2. TOUR DE FRANCE, 3. ANYONE WHO HAD A HEART, 4. ONE DIRECTION, 5. Queen VICTORIA, 6. AUSTRALIA, 7. ROLLS OF TOILET PAPER (They had been warned that the British loo roll was too flimsy), 8. GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF, 9. MARGARET THATCHER, 10. DENTAL HEALTH - the research found that four out of 10 top-flight footballers in England suffered from tooth decay and eight out of 10 had varying degrees of gum disease, 11. Facebook's Mark ZUCKERBERG

48

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

TARGET: Average: 16 Good: 20 Very good: 29 Excellent: 36

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION clef feel file fine flee flue fuel lief life elfin fence feline fennec fennel funnel INFLUENCE

Blackstar David Bowie Bowie’s new album Blackstar, was described by his producer Tony Visconti, as trying to avoid Rock and Roll during the making. Hearing that a Bowie album is trying to avoid rock and roll is like hearing that there’s a new Star Wars movie and it’s trying to avoid sci-fi.

But somehow, Bowie did it. I’m not exactly sure what Blackstar is, but it doesn’t feel like a rock album.

AK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

Crossword

Enjoy filling in the following puzzles and check the answers in next week’s edition

Down 1 Scrape a beard off (6) 2 Material, South African metal? (5) 3 Wood Kate ordered (4) 5 Block summer time in court building (8) 6 Poison found in any iced cocktail (7) 7 Appeared to be soundly joined (6)

Code Breaker

49

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

CRYPTIC

Quick

Cryptic Across 1 Remove lead from hound that’s worth having (5) 4 Say there’s nothing in immorality (6) 9 An unusual rare act for a competitive struggle (3,4) 10 Humiliate phoney English leader (5) 11 Depression in olden times (4) 12 Help in a church regularly? (7) 13 A sign to get in line, reportedly (3) 14 Sparkling wine, central feature of a Mallorca vacation (4) 16 I removed the chief cook (4) 18 Night flier staff (3) 20 Encourage another to breathe? (7) 21 Shape hundred and one (4) 24 I did have a gardening implement, by the sound of it, in a state (5) 25 Made oat tins for Waterloo, perhaps (7) 26 Re-sign funny looking balladeer (6) 27 Preserves castle towers (5)

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page

OUT

14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Across: 1 Esteem, 4 Strips, 9 Abate, 10 Avarice, 11 Tasmania, 12 Base, 14 Ceased, 16 Valets, 19 Beak, 20 Coral Sea, 23 Sincere, 24 Adapt, 25 Settle, 26 Beetle.

Down: 1 Elastic, 2 Trams, 3 Elevated, 5 Teak, 6 Imitate, 7 Swede, 8 David, 13 Carapace, 15 Against, 17 Startle, 18 Boxer, 19 Basis, 21 Start, 22 Deal.

QUICK Across:

8 Piece of poetry veers off (5) 13 Undergarment comes from oddly clad maid’s collie (8) 15 Refrain from crab’s tainted meat (7) 17 Iris comes back with American star (6) 18 Animal hiding in wardrobe? A stallion, maybe (5) 19 A game with broken nets in (6) 22 Name of female oil-producer (5) 23 Reverse wager (4) Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 6 represents N and 7 represents Q, so fill in N every time the figure 6 appears and Q every time the figure 7 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

Across 1 Stole from (6) 4 Tubes (5) 8 Small fragment (5) 9 Night light (7) 10 Always the same (7) 11 Small prison room (4) 12 Container for rubbish (3) 14 Gratis (4) 15 Relating to the mouth (4) 18 Moral offence (3) 21 Competent (4) 23 Keep in view (7) 25 Liken (7) 26 At no time (5) 27 Scope (5) 28 Terminated (6)

Down 1 Free from harm or evil (6) 2 Obstacle (7) 3 Blows up (8) 4 Cooking utensils (4) 5 Fragment (5) 6 One (6) 7 Ascend (5) 13 Absurdity (8) 16 Gets to a destination (7) 17 Ballerina (6)

1 Thrill, 4 Cancel, 9 Share, 10 Acrobat, 11 Spin, 12 Pioneers, 13 Reign, 15 Peace, 18 Observed, 21 Cubs, 24 Threats, 25 Again, 26 Rested, 27 Stress.

Down: 1 Tasks, 2 Realise, 3 Lies, 5 Arrange, 6 Cable, 7 Latest, 8 Taxi, 12 Pen, 14 Garbage, 15 Pad, 16 Courage, 17 Doctor, 19 Sorts, 20 Easy, 22 Sends, 23 Bait.

22 Yellow citrus fruit (5)

ENGLISHSPANISH

24 Strong wind (4)

Across:

19 Inquisitive (5) 20 Dreaded (6)

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

1 Sinks, 4 Until, 7 Dye, 8 Ladders, 9 Camareras, 13 Sandals, 15 Oca, 16 Senda, 17 Draws.

Down: 1 Seda, 2 Nuera, 3 Salvajada, 4 Undressed, 5 Toe, 6 Last, 10 Ahora, 11 Asks, 12 Fans, 14 Nun.

CODE BREAKER

Across 1 Leader (of group, party) (5) 3 Patos (5) 7 Lengua (6) 9 Verdadero (4) 10 Forks (cutlery) (9) 13 There (4) 14 Pink (colour) (6) 16 Oxidado (5) 17 Tarjetas (5)

Down 1 Tin can (4) 2 Huevo (3) 4 Plum (7) 5 Cobertizo (para animales, herramientas) (4) 6 Path (7) 8 Agujas (7) 11 Pareja (4) 12 Alfombras (pequeñas) (4) 15 Mar (3)

E W N 14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

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Blue

Danielle Steel

GINNY CARTER was once a rising star in TV news, married to a top anchorman, with a three-year-old son and a full and happy life in Beverly Hills - until her whole world dissolved in a single instant on the highway two days before Christmas.

In the aftermath, she pieces her life back together and tries to find meaning in her existence as a human rights worker in the worst areas around the globe.

Then, on the anniversary of the fateful accident - and wrestling with the lure of death herself - she meets a boy who will cause her life to change forever yet again.

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Money saving tips for January

IT’S January, the party is over and now comes the bill. For most of us, January is a long month financially, money is tight and it can be a bit of a stretch until February. Here are our Top 10 tips for making those pennies stretch a little further.

1. Return unwanted Christmas gifts Let’s face it. You probably received some gifts that you were grateful for, but not totally excited about. It’s okay to return them rather than stick them in a cupboard for the rest of your life. Take that money and spend it on something you actually need, or stick it in your savings account or retirement fund.

App of the Week Dead Trigger 2 Free on android.

Dead Trigger 2 brings a firstperson ‘shootin-fest’ back to the zombie apocalypse. Despite the altogether realistic visuals, Dead Trigger 2 remains chock-full of tonguein-cheek humour. Controls use a fast and natural auto-fire mechanism which keeps the focus on moving and aiming. More notably, there’s a robust hideout and crafting system where you get various assistants to build stuff for you, though it takes time.

All weapons can be created and upgraded.

Play on Words XIRANRUN UNWANTED GIFTS: Don’t stick them in a cupboard.

2. Check your bank statements.

You’d be surprised at how many people don’t keep track of their spending, or check their bank statements each month.

Maybe this is something you’ve been guilty of in the past, but you could be wasting extra money and not even know it... You know that gym membership you cancelled three months ago?

3. Cook with your Crock-Pot January is National Slow Cooking Month, and with good reason. It’s the time of year for soups and stews which are easy to make in a Crock-Pot. When you head to the supermarket, you’ll find that lesser cuts of pork and beef are perfect for slow cooker cooking and are at very low prices. Plus, winter veggies will be on sale, too. Stock up and get ready to have a warm, ‘comfort food’ dinner waiting for you when you get home.

4. Make sure your WiFi is on This is a relatively new problem for many of us, but we all cringe when we see a mobile phone bill with added data charges. While it can be a real pain in the neck, it is also an easily avoidable problem. Make sure your Wi-Fi is always turned on, and if you’re planning on being somewhere for a while where you’ll be using your phone, don’t be

Sudoku

afraid to ask for the Wi-Fi password.

Most establishments will have no problem sharing their internet with you.

if it was already set there), try setting it a few degrees lower. Experiment to see how low you can stand it.

5. Make your first cup of coffee at home Rather than hit the café before going into work, making your first coffee or two at home can make quite a saving. At €1.50/€2 a cup, coffee can add up extremely quickly. By switching to having your morning coffee at home, you’ll save up to €40 per month. That’s €480 a year on just coffee!

8. Leave the car at home If you can rely on a bicycle for most of your day to day travelling, you’ll save money in all sorts of ways. Most obvious: the petrol you’d have needed to drive to work or to the shop. But even if the winter mornings cannot tempt you out of the car for work, those little trips to your friend’s house or to the bank will all add up.

6. Switching your bank account could save you money If you have a UK bank account, it’s quick and easy to switch your current account in seven days - your direct debits and standing orders are transferred automatically, and there’s a switch guarantee, so you’re protected against financial loss if anything goes wrong when you switch. Over 2.25 million switches have taken place since 2013.

9. Entertain at home Try to stop eating out in expensive restaurants! Get a group of four friends and take turns cooking a slap up meal with a few bottles of vino. That’s five weekends worth of nights out in good company and great food, not to mention huge the savings..

7. It’s a mild winter!

The recommended winter setting for a home thermostat when people are at home is 20 degrees Celsius. If you keep yours above that, reduce it to 20. Once you’ve gotten used to that daytime temperature (or

10. Have a clear-out Recycle old mobile phones, DVDs, CDs and clothes. Mazumamobile.com is one of many websites you can use to sell your old mobile phone. It will pay up to £45 (€60) for a fully functional iPhone 4, or £10 (€14) for a faulty handset. Music Magpie.co.uk will give you money for your old CDs, DVDs and games.

PERSON PERSONS PERSONS PERSONS PERSONS PERSONS

Boggled How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules? The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms. No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice. No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

TARGET: Average: 35 Good: 45 Very good: 64 Excellent: 79

SCORING: • 4 letters: 1 point • 5 letters: 2 points • 6 letters: 3 points • 7 letters: 4 points • 8 or more letters: 11 points

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION octet ploy plum pelt pelts pest pets lest legit step stein sting stint stints colt cloy clue cult cute cumin lute pulp pulpy pumice pies pits ping pint pinto epic tipple timing tinge tint tints cite cites ices icing ingest inti into gins gist vomit voice mute mite mites mice mini mint mints mist move moist nippy nipple nits nice wove ovum omit omits sign sing singe singes snip snippy snipe snit stove stoic stow

Word Ladder WORN

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

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.

TIME OUT

SPOT BACK

Move from the start word (WORN) to the end word (SPOT) in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder.

You must only change one letter at a time.

WORN WORE SORE SORT SOOT SPOT

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Answers:Cross country run, First person singular.

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TO READ MORE

Ever considered training with your husband/partner?

HEALTH BEAUTY

Ask The Doctor

&

Brought to you by Helicopteros Sanitarios.

Painful leg cramps

IT helps maintain a healthy weight and a great relationship

FitFoxy

Looking Good, Staying Trim

IT’S the New Year and you are all fired up and ready to get your fitness and body shape back to where it was last summer, right?

Now my question is, does your husband or partner have the same goals as you? If so why don’t you train together?

From my experience as a trainer I have found that couples who take an interest in each others health and fitness are less likely to sabotage each other, and more likely to maintain a healthy weight and a great relationship.

Here are just a few of the great advantages to training with your partner: M o t i v a t i o n. We a ll h a v e d a y s when even the thought of getting out of bed before 8am is distressing.

However your workout partner is alrea d y a wa k e , a l l fired u p an d preparing your pre-workout coffee with the energy and spirit that you realise gives you little chance of back-peddling out of easily.

SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte.

MIX IT UP: You will do exercises you would avoid if you were training alone.

Quality time. That’s correct, this is you as a couple spending ‘us’ time to g eth er, it be a ts him s a t on the couch watching TV whilst you are in a s e p ara te room c ooking dinne r doesn’t it? Or a tedious ‘after dinner walk’ for that matter.

Yo u c a n put mus ic on, you c a n push each other through your exercise circuit, and you can enjoy the fact that you are both connected by the same goals and desire to look and feel great.

Improved love life. The exercise you are both doing will help you to minimise stress, retain better sleep patterns, and promote sharper brain

function which is important for both of you moving into your older years.

And yes the fitter and healthier you look and feel the more fun you will have in the bedroom, as regular exercise has been proved to protect against erectile dysfunction, increase blood flow and be more likely to put you in the mood for LOVE. So he pre fe rs w e ights a nd you love cardio….

Mix it up and do both, encourage and push each other.

You will find yourself doing the exercises together that you would more than likely avoid if you were training alone.

Enjoy a steak and chocolate diet DITCH the diet. That’s the advice from a Harvard University nutritionist who said most diets are “destined to fail,” because they are too strict and do not have enough fat in them leading to the body feeling like

it is in ‘starvation mode.’

The nutritionist has produced a new book called Always Hungry?, in which he explains how the body ends up rebelling over the fat restrictions and as a result people put weight back on

leading to yo-yo dieting.

The doctor said the theory high-calorie fat should be eliminated was ‘profoundly misguided,’ and his book is based on 20 years of research. It aims to promote proper hearty meals

that keep hunger at bay for longer with the nutritionist regularly enjoying steaks, shepherd’s pie and lamb shanks, and even desserts with dark chocolate sauce, which is fine as long as no extra sugar is added.

THIS week a reader has written in to ask the doctor about leg cramps at night.

Dear Doctor, Recently I’ve been waking up at night with very painful leg cramps. It feels like the muscle in my lower leg seizes up and I can’t move my leg or foot and is excrutiating. I am a 30-year-old woman and have an office job meaning although I try and walk in my free time I do spend most of the day sitting down. Could this be the reason for the cramps? I’ve also heard they could be due to a lack of vitamins or minerals or diet-related. I’m vegetarian and must admit that lack of time leads my diet to be less than perfect.

Could you please tell me what the cause to my problem could be and what to do about it?

Many thanks in advance, Susana.

The doctor replied: Dear reader, Your leg cramps could indeed be down to lack of movement due to spending many hours sitting down.

This leads to blood circulation being far from optimal, leading legs to swell up, cramps and even muscle spasms. Although you are young, when someone spends a lot of time in the same position they should try to change position occasionally, get up and walk about and do leg exercises.

If this proves insufficient there are creams that en-

courage circulation in the veins in the legs. These are usually the most effective solutions for your problem.Leg cramps are more common in women, who tend to have more problems with veins than men.

Sometimes a lack of vitamins or minerals can also contribute to the problem, therefore patients with special diets should have blood tests every now and then under the supervision of a specialist in Internal Medicine, as this would allow any deficiencies to be quickly corrected.

The Coast’s Home GP service - wherever you are - at home - in the office - in the car - on the golf course your GP will get to see you any time, anywhere.

A priceless service at an affordable price.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

EWN

Smelling rosemary can help boost your memory IT activates chemicals in your brain and also aids the ability to do simple sums SMELLING rosemary could help boost the memory as it activates chemicals in the brain.

Researchers claim that the smell of rosemary aids the ability to recall past events and also helps us remember what to do in the future.

It is thought a compound that gives the herb its distinctive smell, called 1,8-cineole, helps a brain chemical which is the key to memory, with the plant having an almost ‘drug-like effect’, according to the researchers.

Volunteers carried out memory tests while sitting in a room infused with rosemary oil, with another group having the same tests in a lavender fragranced room and another in one with clean air.

Rosemary was found to boost long-term memory and the ability to do simple sums. It also improved ‘prospective memory’ used to carry out plans, such as remembering to post a letter.

ROSEMARY: Aids the ability to recall past events and helps us remember what to do in the future.

Snoring solution at last A N EW p i l l o w h a s b e e n created t h a t t h e m a k ers claim helps alleviate snoring. The device, named Nora, wo r k s wi t h a p a d d e d cushio n t h a t si t s u n d er a person’s pillow.

It has a b u i l t - i n m ic ro phone which listens out for s noring a n d wi r e l es s ly sends a signal to the padded cushion, which inflates and deflates to move the sleeper’s head and opens up their airway to relieve snoring.

The device works with a smartphone app and a device, shaped like a pebble, which sits on the bedside table.

It is expected to be available th i s su m m e r p r ice d around $299 (€274).

Nora is one of thousands of sma r t d e v i c e s f o r th e home revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (USA).

Health Food Shop & Community Centre Are you looking for inspiration?

You’ll be surprised at the range of natural & organic products available to inspire you.

In the Community Centre Kids Karate, kids Gymnastics Art classes, Pilates, Yoga, Tai-Chi, Salsa-size Spanish lessons and health screening

C/Malaga s/n, Albox, Almeria, Tel: 639 089 170 Mon-Fri 10am-6pm Sat 10am-2pm email: alboxgirasol@hotmail.com

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THE Mojacar branch of the Royal British Legion will be holding several social events in the coming weeks.

On January 28 there is a Tre a su r e Hu n t a n d Quiz.

On February 12, there is a Fish and Chip Quiz at the Oasis Bar in Palomares.

On February 28 there is Andalucian Day Lunch at the Laguna Restaurant with Pedro Clemente.

And from March 9 to Marc h 11 t h e r e w ill be a c o a c h t r i p to Benidorm.

For further details on any of the events, please contact Eileen Huard on 634 321 507, 950 462 376 or socialevents.rblmoj.3485 @gmail.com

S

CENE

A grand event for flamenco TOOK an outsider with vision to have the courage to do what the organiser has done A GRAND Christmas Gala was held in Mojacar with the performance of ‘Cuatro en Compañia’ led by Almeria dancer Inka Diaz and her dance company.

The dancers, in order of appearance, were Inka Diaz, Francesca Girone ‘La Gitana Inglesa,’ Luis Santiago ‘El Moreno,’ Tony Santiago ‘El Negrillo’ and Daniel Garcia ‘de Los Ramones.’

The singers were Cristo Heredia Amaya and Eduardo Garcia, the percussionists were Rafa Torres ‘Falito’ and Juan Andres Heredia Amaya, and Eduardo Aguilera ‘El Sosio’ played the guitar.

The guest artists were Ruben Olmo, the winner of the 2015 Spanish Best Flamenco Dancer and former director and choreographer of Andalucia Flamenco Dancing, and Eduardo Leal Ruiz, the lead dancer of Andalucia Flamenco Dancing.

Three hundred people arrived on the night and 40 of them had to be turned away as the Multiple Use Centre Mojacar Fuente was full to capacity.

The event was organised by Eduardo

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Upcoming events

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OCIAL

CHRISTMAS GALA: Three hundred people attended on the night.

Girone and Francesca Girone in collaboration with Mojacar Town Hall.

Organisers say there will be more events in the future and that it was a great honour to have Ruben Olmo and

Eduardo Leal attend the event. Leal came to support the event, he said, because “it takes an outsider with vision to have the courage to do what the organiser has done” because it has “al-

ways been difficult to promote flamenco in the area.”

For more information contact infoeventosflamencos@gmail.com or 687 480 694.

SOCIAL SCENE

14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

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The Big Mac 2 THE BIG MAC 2 event will be held on Sunday, February 7 between noon and 8pm at the Puerta Marina Hotel in Mojacar.

This is a fun-filled event for the entire family. There will be live musical entertainers including The Cops, Hysteria, Effervescence, Melodee, Ashley and Dainius, Roadrunner, Dave Henry, Now and Then and Jill Farmiloe. There will also be Zumba and BellyWood.

There will be craft stalls and food and drinks. Admission is €5. Children under 12 enter for free. There will be a children’s play area including face painting from noon.

This event is a major

fundraiser for the Mojacar Area Cancer Support (MACS) charity.

The entertainers are contributing their talent without charge. Big Mac2 is organised

by Kay Frances Events and Moore Music. Hundreds of volunteers are involved in making this event possible.

Many local businesses are contributing food, drinks, supplies and prizes for the Tombola.

MACS has charity shops in Albox, Huercal-Overa, Turre and Mojacar Playa.

Each shop has a room to provide private Patient Survivor and Care Giver meetings.

In addition to providing emotional support, MACS of-

The Dames travel to Malaga for Xmas trip THE Dames of Turre is a friendship group and just to prove this they reported that they had a wonderful four days away together in Malaga over Christmas. It was spent in what they described as an excellent hotel surrounded by bars, restaurants and shops.

The trip was arranged by Lesley Barlow and Sylvia Baker who made sure the group had a very happy holiday with lovely meals, gifts and lots of laughs.

Choice of 3 draught lagers, draught cider, football competitions, pool, darts, table football.

Comfortable inside lounge area, large sunny terrace with sea views and much more.

MACS CHARITY: They have shops in Albox and Turre. fers a free loan of hospital aids and other supplies such as wigs and bras. MACS can provide help with translators and transport. Grief counselling is also available.

For information about the lo-

cations of the shops, general enquiries or serving as a volunteer, call 634 328 334/5 weekdays between 11am and 4pm.

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

EWN

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OPINION & COMMENT

What were the top 10 shows on UK television over Christmas?

Richard Shanley

Dishing the Dirt OF EUROPA DIGITAL

NOW that we’ve all been through the Antiques Roadshowled Sunday blues and gone back to work or school, we can reveal what were truly the biggest TV shows this Christmas.

The consolidated ratings figures have come in, and ITV’s final ever instalment of Downton Abbey (until a movie comes out) was the top programme with 10.92 million viewers, when catchup and +1 numbers are also included.

BBC One’s Christmas Day episode of Mrs Brown’s Boys was second with 9.49m, followed by Call the Midwife with

9.30m and Stick Man with 9.28m. Doctor Who suffered its lowest Christmas ratings to date with 7.69m, but it still managed to beat all the soaps. The biggest soap during the festive period was the Christmas Day edition of EastEnders with 7.67m on BBC One. The top 10 in full for the week ending December 27 is as follows: Downton Abbey (ITV, December 25, 8.45pm) - 10.92m.

Mrs Brown’s Boys (BBC One, December 25, 9.45pm) - 9.49m.

Call the Midwife (BBC One, December 25, 7.30pm) - 9.30m.

Stick Man (BBC One, December 25, 4.50pm) - 9.28m. And Then There Were None (BBC One, December 26, 9pm) - 8.61m.

Strictly Come Dancing (BBC One, December 25, 6.15pm) 8.54m. Doctor Who - (BBC One,

December 25, 5.15pm) - 7.69m.

And Then There Were None (BBC One, December 27, 9pm) 7.68m. EastEnders (BBC One, December 25, 8.45pm) - 7.67m.

Coronation Street (ITV, December 21, 7.30pm) - 7.64m.

Aside from Hollyoaks, Midsomer is the deadliest TV county in history. Even Dexter would think twice about living there.

However, fans were beyond shocked upon the ITV drama’s return earlier this month to find out that no-one actually died for once. Outrage! It should be renamed Midsomer Everything’s Fine immediately.

After 105 episodes and over 300 deaths, the missing victim turned up alive and well by the end of the episode. Now that’s a twist. Over the years, we’ve witnessed UFOs, exercise bike elec-

DOWNTON ABBEY: Top programme with 10.92m viewers. trocutions and Martine McCutcheon killed by cheese, but we definitely didn’t expect this.

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

comments and questions. Don’t forget to listen to my radio show every weekday from 10am on Spectrum 96.1 & 106.8FM, now covering almost 3000sq kms of Costa Almeria and Calida or listen online at costaalmeria. spectrumfm.net for the latest news and views from the world of satellite television.

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NEWS

Something was drastically amiss!

REFLECTING back I’m surprised by how little I knew about the Spanish people I suspected I might have taken off from someplace in my mind and landed at another, which has since proven to be the case.

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.

THE year was 1970, just. A few weeks had transpired since the New Year’s party and all of my resolutions had been forgotten or rejected. I could tell you the ones I had forgotten, if I remembered them.

The rejected ones were common sense. I mean, who ever heard of jogging back then? Running to get in shape. I tried it but every car that saw me plodding along stopped and insisted I get in with them and they would take me to wherever.

No one in this part of Spain had seen jogging before and it was strictly an upsetting commodity if viewed from the interior of the odd passing car.

Those rare few that didn’t stop just honked their horns and shouted rude remarks. Apparently no one in all of southern Spain had ever run down a road before without a rea-

JOGGING: Apparently no one in all of southern Spain had ever run down a road before without a reason. son. These consternations made me reflect on my new home. Something was drastically amiss!

First, during the summer months I had miraculously survived the oppressive heat. Yet, I noticed, no one

wore hats while in the sun. Nor did they bother with sunglasses. Nor light clothes. Black was the trend and it wouldn’t be shunned or substituted for relief.

The first restaurant I walked into wearing shorts they generously gave me a blanket to cover myself and insisted I sit in the corner. I tried wearing the same paraphernalia into the bank on a Saturday but that caused such a stir, a polite but quick rejection followed. I was mystified.

Oh, nor did anyone go to the beach to cool off. No one had adapted to their climate in the least.

Custom and hereditary habits ruled from two to 300 years ago.

Eating out was just as confusing.

Ten billion orange trees thrived in Spain’s glow, yet try to get fresh orange juice, and they brought you a can of it. Even small potatoes came in a can as did string beans.

Fresh could only be had eating with the poor as they couldn’t afford the cans.

Good and gracious were the common folk. But they lived a life pattern that didn’t belong to the geographical situation.

Reflecting back I was surprised to reminisce just how little I knew about these Spanish people.

None of them were caramel coloured small Indians like the beaners we had back in Iowa working on the large sugar beet plantations.

No one seemed to know what a taco was and tortilla wasn’t thin, flat cornbread waiting to be filled.

I never saw a sombrero nor those frilly long dresses of outlandish colour and lace. Nobody was dancing nor clapping castanets.

I suspected I might have taken off from someplace in my mind and landed at another. Which has since proven to be the case.

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Councillor criticised MEMBERS of the Socialistas Albojenses political party have taken issue with a PP councillor’s parking complaints in light of some of his recent behaviour.

Albox PP representative Juan Pedro Perez Quiles recently asked councillors not to park in the spaces that are allocated to town council members. However, witnesses have claimed that Perez has often been seen parking his car on yellow lines and pedestrian crossings.

Albox Mayor Rogelio Mena said: “it’s logical that councillors would park in the spaces set aside for them.

What Perez does lacks respect for all Albox citizens every time that he leaves his car badly parked or in prohibited zones that are allocated to people who walk instead of taking cars, something healthy that we also invite Señor Perez to do.”

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

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Expats thanked for help raising funds IN December the Bar La Union in La Alfoquia presented to Zurgena Town Hall the sum of €1,500, which was the amount raised throughout 2015 at the special events held at the bar in aid of the local schools.

It was hoped that this sum would have been far greater, Bar La Union reported, but due to restrictions which came into force in summer the outside entertainment was limited. This meant that a number of planned evenings had to be cancelled.

It is hoped that the fundraising for this good cause can be continued in 2016 and that a solution for outside entertainment on a weekly basis

can be found, thus allowing the bar to book top quality artists from around Spain and the UK. Also in December La Union held their annual Xmas Party for the children of the Vera Orphanage, at which the children had a wonderful afternoon of a disco and buffet.

The presents which Mike Faulks collected from various outlets in the region were delivered to the Vera Orphanage just before Xmas.

All of these events and donations could not have been achieved without the generosity of the expatriates in the area, so Bar La Union have expressed their gratitude to all concerned.

Giving blood, giving life THE Provincial Blood Transfusion Centre’s mobile unit is in Albox today (Thursday 14) at the health centre and those wishing to give blood are invited to attend.

Altogether the mobile unit is carrying out 24 collections from 19 different points in Almeria Province this month to keep stores up and guarantee blood is available for all who need it.

Centre director Aref Laarej stressed that Almeria is self-sufficient thanks to blood donations, with an average of 60 donations made every day. Although all are invited to give blood, there are EU restrictions on those who lived in the UK for six months or more during certain years due to Mad Cow Disease, meaning checking first whether you are eligible is advisable.

14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Emblematic park begins a new life INCLUDES garden areas, artificial lawns and lights

By Eleanor Hawkins CONSTRUCTION work on Payaso Fofo, a new children’s park and playground in Albox, have been completed and the park opened its doors to the public as a Three Kings gift, the council has reported.

The initiative has allowed the council to recover the most emblematic children’s and family leisure grounds in the town, located at the intersection between the Rambla and the main street.

The work, organised and carried out by the council’s Town Planning and Public Works departments within the Provincial Plans, had a budget of €151,189.

Albox Town Hall covered

55 per cent of the costs with the remaining 45 per cent being provided by the provincial council, although Albox authorities increased the amount they had planned to spend to add extra improvements to the project adding areas including a bar-kiosk and gardens.

Local mayor Rogelio Mena has expressed his satisfaction with the project, which he said: “recovered a leisure area which has for decades been a meeting point for thousands of local children and families,” and had been gradually deteriorating over the last few years.

“It isn’t just another work or project. This park has been a meeting point and place to play and have fun for various generations and is

lodged in the memories of many local residents from their youths. We have recovered part of our past to pass on to our children, the future of Albox,” the mayor declared.

“We have once again turned the park into a place for children and families of all shapes and sizes to meet and enjoy themselves,” Mena added.

The new leisure area has two large separate play areas: one for babies and another for children.

The park has various new garden areas, play areas with rubber flooring, artificial lawns, paving and lighting.

There will also be new fencing, information signs and equipment including benches and litter bins.

Scouts annive

THE group, founded i

By Sam Croft AN emotional tribute took place in Albox on Saturday January 9 as local citizens celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Scouts Group of Saliente.

The scouts kicked off the proceedings by gathering in the Plaza de San Francisco, as is traditional. They carried flags and medals specifically chosen for the occasion.

Inside the Parroquial Church of the Conception, Don Antonio Pardo, President of the Martyrs Committee of Albox said some brief words, and everyone paid tribute to Don Juan Ibañez, the parish priest who was instrumental in the formation of the group.

After that the scouts began

ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

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celebrate 100 year rsary in Saliente Photo Credit: facebook, Scouts de Albox 106 del Saliente.

in 1916, is the oldest such group in the province of Almeria

CELEBRATIONS: The Scouts Group of Saliente gathered for 100th anniversary. their march towards the Almanzora Palace, where the residents of the Cantoria neighbourhood gave them a warm

welcome. Then it was off to the Parroquial Church of San Idelfonso where they gave thanks and held a mass.

The Scouts Group of Saliente, founded in 1916, is the oldest such group in the province of Almeria.

14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de AlmerĂ­a

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ALBOX & SURROUNDING AREAS

Albox budget is €9.2m €1.6m for investments REPRESENTS an efficient tool to attend to needs of residents

By Sam Croft IN the last plenary session of

2015, Albox Town Council approved the municipal budget for 2016. The Socialistas Albojenses

voted in favour of the budget, and Partido Popular (PP) and Cilus voted against it.

The total amount of the 2016 budget is €9.2million which means an increase of 20 per cent in respect to 2015, when it was set at €7,693,000.

Mayor of Albox Rogelio Mena emphasised that his party is “committed to employment and social politics,” and that the new budget “represents an efficient tool to attend to the needs of all Albox residents.”

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14 - 20 January 2016 / Costa de Almería

It’s now winter cutting time - you can produce inexpensive plants THERE are several benefits so make sure it’s productive Dick Handscombe

Gardening Corner

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

THE period of the winter cutback is a good time to take cuttings of a wide range of plants in the garden. Plants from cuttings can be planted out in the spring or autumn.

The benefits Firstly you will produce inexpensive, healthy and strong plants provided you take the necessary steps to establish good root systems.

Secondly, you will have extra plants for your own garden and spares as swaps or gifts for friends. Thirdly, you will have plants to sell at meetings of your local gardening club or charity fairs.

What can be propagated?

If you look through the plant lists in part four of the book Your Garden in Spain or the appendices plant lists in the book How to use less water in your garden, probably 50 per cent can be grown from stem or branch cuttings.

Stimulating deep roots Deep roots are essential if plants are to speedily acclimatise and establish themselves when planted out in gardens or

containers. Therefore use the deepest pots possible.

Growing mediums A medium fine rich in nutrient compost with 10 per cent added fine sand will work with most cuttings.

Constant microclimates Constant microclimates with a humid airspace and soil, and protection from overnight drops of temperature and draughts can be produced by placing pots with dampened compost in clear or opaque plastic bags,

and then blowing up the bags and sealing them with an elastic band or clothes peg.

Prevent losses to snails As soon as you have potted up cuttings place a few ecological snail pellets on the surface of the compost.

Planting out Don’t be impatient. Wait until deep roots have been produced.

Watering of cuttings Aim to keep the soil around the lowest roots moist.

© Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com

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Secrets of dog food TO some companies quality is just a word

David THE Dogman Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10am to 11am 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

DOG foods do vary in quality and so do the companies that

make the foods. To some companies quality is only a word, to others, it’s a way of life.

Many include rice which has no value whatsoever.

The quality of dog food is best measured by your dog.

How your dog performs on the food, how he looks, feels and acts are the best measures.

At least 80 per cent of my clients that report behavioural problems find a change of food changes behaviour.

No matter what a food company claims, unless your dog has bright eyes, silky hair and supple skin, and is not overweight, then the food is not right for him. Not all dogs do well on a particular brand of food some dogs simply do better than others.

Most foods are categorised as Economy, Regular, Premium, Super Premium and Performance. Regular and Premium foods are not formulated

QUALITY: How your dog performs, look and feels is the best measure. like a Super Premium or Performance food.

Dogs have simple stomachs and short digestive tracts for digesting meat.

Dogs have adapted to foods with high vegetable protein lev-

els, however they perform better when fed foods high in meat protein and animal fats.

Checking the label of a Super Premium or Performance food an animal protein will be listed as a major ingredient.

These should include either chicken, or turkey meat, or poultry by-products meals, meat or pork meals or other animal by-products.

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www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

The new normal for our no-frills flights, how fast time has flown!

WHEN you read about Ryanair, it makes you really proud of British public transport systems, doesn’t it? pio3 / Shutterstock.com

Nora Johnson

Breaking Views Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

EASYJET is celebrating 20 years as arguably everyone’s favourite no-frills airline. But it’s Ryanair in its kinder, gentler new incarnation, without CEO Michael O’Leary fronting it, that’s the more surprising.

In the past I’ve avoided it, and only used it when there was no alternative.

However, having recently returned to Spain courtesy of Ryanair (no alternative), I was amazed at the change.

Those of you familiar with Ryanair will recall the bad old days, the nofrills flights but with all the usual trimmings. The constant hard sell from the moment you board, snacks, scratch cards, duty-free goods, babies from Eastern European orphanages. I made

RYANAIR: Those of you familiar with the company will remember the bad days, but overall it’s hugely improved. the last bit up but you get the drift.

Overall, it’s hugely improved. And it’s always been punctual, efficient and does what it says on the tin. Heck, when you read about Ryanair, it makes you really proud of British public

transport systems, doesn’t it?

Travel around the UK by train, for instance, and you can buy a ticket at any of the many ticket offices from friendly staff. You never have to queue.

There are so many helpful staff. The

toilets are always open and clean. And you’re guaranteed a seat.

Trains never run late, there are no cancellations or delays and the system’s never down for engineering work. And prices are SO reasonable!

Buzz Aldrin revealed that his expenses claim for going to the moon was $33.31. I mean, it’d be daft if it’d be cheaper to go to the moon than to Birmingham by train, wouldn’t it?

Seriously, though, it’s interesting how Ryanair serves another purpose, it distracts us from the fact that we put up with far worse conditions on the UK’s public transport systems.

We pay more to stand on the Tube for 30 minutes just to go a few miles, always late, forced to listen to irritating PA systems informing us that despite the breakdown of half the lines, the rest of the service is ‘good’. And, unlike with Ryanair, we have no choice of carrier!

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;£0.99) and iBookstore. All profits to Cudeca charity.

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So what’s his name?

I have no idea!

Mike Senker

In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man ONE of my ambitions in life is to live forever and I must be honest, so far so good! The only thing is that as you get older the old memory is not as good as it should be.

For instance, this is what happened the other day. The phone goes and it’s my friend of 60 years. “Hello son how are you?” We go through all our ailments and then go on to the family health.

That is all done then this happens. “Guess who I saw the other day?” which on its own is the most ridiculous question ever. “Dunno, tell me.” Then it starts. “Err, err, err whatshisname. You know, tall fella with dark curly hair. We used to go to school with him except he’s bald now. Married that girl thingamajig.”

I obviously have no idea who he is talking about and now the phone call turns into some kind of game show. After about five minutes or so he finally remembers his name, but not his wife’s and I don’t remember either of them. He then tries to convince me I must re-

member. So I have a couple more stabs but still not a clue so we finally give up on that and the quiz moves on to TV and film categories.

“Did you watch that TV series on the telly?” “Which one?” “You know, the one with whatshisname in it.” “Who, whatshisname who we went to school with?” “No, a different whatshisname.” “What was it about?”

The brief synopsis is no help and we give up on that one too. So we have now been talking for about 10 or 15 minutes and the only thing we have established is that the family is OK which is, of course, great. Everything else is just two old age pensioners trying to remember stuff. And I’m not talking about stuff for a PHD paper!

We are trying to remember two names, one of a famous actor and one of someone he saw two days ago. We give up and he says his wife wants to ask me something so I speak to her and she wants me to give a message to Mrs S. We say goodbye and that’s that, except that three days later Mrs S says to me that she had just spoken to my friend’s wife who asked if she had done what she was asked to do. Of course she didn’t have a clue what she was talking about because, of course, I’d forgotten to give her the message!

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Detecting alcohol CAMPAIGN was aimed at zero tolerance AS part of a new series, we answer some common driving questions, kindly provided by members of the Guardia Civil based in Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, who set up the N332 website and Facebook page to help break down barriers.

BREATHALYSER: Of the 154,474 people who were tested, 2,328 failed.

THE week-long pre-Christmas campaign focussing on detecting drivers who had consumed alcohol or drugs, saw 154,474 drivers tested.

Of these, 2,328 drivers failed the test with 570 proving positive for drug use and 1,758 for excessive alcohol. Cannabis and cocaine were the drugs most consumed by drivers who tested positive.

The focus of the DGT campaign is to eradicate drivers who get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or drugs with the intended aim of zero tolerance.

The maximum permitted rates of alcohol consumption when driving are lower in Spain than many other countries.

In providing a sample of exhaled air, the maximum reading allowed is 0.25 mg/l for normal drivers and 0.15 mg/l for profes-

sional and novice drivers.

Producing a reading of between 0.25 mg/l and 0.50 mg/l in the breathalyser test will result in the loss of four points on your Spanish driving licence and a €500 fine.

Exceeding the limit with a result more than 0.50 mg/l in exhaled breath will result in the loss of six points and a €1,000 fine. If the reading is 0.60 mg/l or more, it is automatically treated as a criminal offence and can result in a prison sentence.

Refusal to submit to testing can also result in imprisonment and the loss of your driving licence for up to four years.

Although the campaign has now ended, officers of the Guardia Civil continue to control the use of alcohol and drugs by drivers at any time of day and on any road in order to discourage this extremely dangerous activity.

For more news and articles visit www.n332.es or search N332 on Facebook.

Can I deduct costs?

I RENT an old cortijo, which has access to a field at the rear of our building.

I have a long-term contract, and we agreed with the owner that we did not want the responsibility of keeping the garden and parking area in a tidy condition. He agreed to this but we have nothing in writing.

For the past two years I myself have

No, you may not legally deduct this cost from the rent.

Even if you had a written contract with your owner and he failed to clean the

kept the garden neat using the owner’s strimmer, as he is very unreliable. I have a bad back, and so I have asked him to maintain the garden area as agreed, but so far he has done nothing.

If he continues to ignore my request, do I have the right to employ a person to strim the designated areas, and deduct the cost from the rent?

DC (Costa Blanca)

David Searl You and the Law in Spain

property, you would have to go to court against him as a separate matter.

A tenant on a long-term contract is normally obliged to look after the property.

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

CLASSIFIEDS www.euroweeklynews.com

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THE FIVE BONE HOTEL, TURRE. Still at 2010 prices!

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Motoring shorts

2016 Detroit Motorshow THE home of American motoring flung open its doors to the world on Monday January 11, with the 2016 Detroit Motorshow.

Running until January 24, the NAIAS have announced the extraordinary line-up for the ninth year of the event, where next-generation products and technologies continue to make their world debuts.

This year they will be trying to break the NAIAS 2015 show’s record which featured 55 vehicle introductions, a majority of which were worldwide debuts. Over 5,000 journalists attended from 60 countries.

Although the event starts for the public on January 16, the Press Preview, Industry Preview, and Charity Preview have been releasing the motoring industry’s latest, biggest, fastest and brightest new toys to the world from Monday 11.

To see more visit www.naias .com.

Clarkson Quote of theWeek

MOTORING www.euroweeklynews.com

On the Mercedes Brabus SL: “A 1000 torques… a 1000 torques is what you'd use for... restarting a dead planet.”

Some might say...

When fiction turns into fact A COMPUTER game turns into reality

By Steve Walsh AS cars transmute from being what we have traditionally known as cars to something more akin to a computer on wheels, the manufacturers are increasingly drifting from the ‘conventional motorshow’ to the high-tech electronics fairs to showcase their wares.

Faraday Future, for example is a California-based electric car company that’s been operating in stealth mode for the past year and a half. But instead of choosing the 2016 Detroit Motorshow to unleash

their creation on the world, they opted for the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vagas.

Unveiling their incredible FFZERO1, to a plethora of open-mouthed, dumbstruck journalists and dribbling techhead car nuts, you start to see why it was obviously the right choice.

As close as you could possibly come to magically spiriting a futuristic supercar out of a PlayStation game and see it materialising on the street, this high-performance electric

concept car looks more appropriate for a race track than a city street thanks to a claimed 1,000 horsepower, a 0 to 60 time of under three seconds, and a top speed of over 200 miles per hour (320kmh).

However, these figures are at the moment theoretical

since this is just a concept, but the company have said it could see a ‘limited production’ hit the market in the near future.

The design features a glass roof, which offers a clear view of the white carbon fibre interior and some of the car ’s more novel ideas, like a smartphone mount in the centre of the steering wheel which as well as being the personal activation for the car, could be

FFZERO1: New high-performance electric car concept. used for the control systems touchscreen PlayStation Portable style of the vehicle, the Halo Safety System that supports the driver’s head and neck, and a helmet that feeds the driver water and oxygen.

The instrument panel is also designed to gather biometric data about the driver, while learning and evolving with his driving style.

For more on the FFZERO1, visit www.faradayfuture.com.

MOTORING

www.euroweeklynews.com

Laser lights and fighter pilot helmets TWO new innovations shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in the US

BMW MOTORRAD: Has adapted the new technology for motorcycling applications.

BMW Motorrad displayed two innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 6 - 9. A laser light for motorcycles and a helmet with a head-up display, setting new standards of motorcycle safety.

Using technology already available in the new BMW 7 Series and i8, BMW Motorrad has now adapted this technology for motorcycling applications.

Not only do laser light headlamps generate a particularly bright and pure-white light, but they even achieve a high-beam range of up to 600 metres, which is double that of conventional headlights.

The BMW head-up display projects necessary or desirable traffic or vehicle information directly into the rider’s field of view, allowing him to maintain constant observation of the traffic on the road, with no distraction.

This would appear even more important with motorcycles than it is with cars, because it can sometimes only take a brief visual distraction to put the rider in a critical road situation.

All displays are freely programmable, ideally to provide the best-possible support for rider safety, and only information that is helpful and relevant to the current situation should be displayed to the rider at any given moment.

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SPORT

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Well done Eastleigh, Exeter, 19th Hole Oxford and Wycombe Golf AND Djokovic and Spieth win again Tony Matthews International Sports A former player and now the world’s most prolific author of football books with almost 150 published since 1975, Tony is also the sports correspondent for Spectrum Radio and lives on La Pilica in the Sierra Cabrera Mountains overlooking Turre.

Costa de Almeria

FOOTBALL There weren’t too many upsets in last weekend’s third round FA Cup ties, but all credit to Oxford United for knocking out Swansea and to non-League side Eastleigh, Wycombe Wanderers, Exeter City and Bristol City who all earned replays against Bolton, Aston Villa, Liverpool and WBA respectively.

Holders Arsenal beat Sunderland. Wayne Rooney netted a late penalty as Manchester United were booed off the pitch after defeating plucky Sheffield United. Manchester City eased past Norwich 3-0. Crystal Palace knocked out Southampton for the second season running. Bournemouth, fielding their reserve 11, won 2-1 at Birmingham. Watford pipped Newcastle, West Ham squeezed past Wolves. Dagenham and Redbridge lost 2-0 at Everton.

Stoke won at Doncaster.

Chelsea dispatched Scunthorpe and Burnley won at Championship leaders Middlesbrough.

The pick of the fourth round draw: Eastleigh/Bolton v Leeds, Arsenal v Burnley, Derby v Manchester United, Exeter/Liverpool v West Ham, Wycombe/Villa v Manchester City, Carlisle/Yeovil v Everton, Crystal Palace v Stoke,

Colchester v Spurs/Leicester and Northampton/MK Dons v Cheslea. Ties to be played between January 29 and February 1.

In the Scottish Cup, Annan knocked out top Division side Hamilton 4-1 while Celtic (3-0 winners at Stranraer), SPL bottom club Dundee United, the Edinburgh pair of Hearts and Hibs, Kilmarnock, Motherwell and Rangers (5-1 victors over Cowdenbeath) also reached round five.

Gareth Bale and Lionel Messi both scored hat-tricks for their respective teams, Real Madrid and Barcelona, in 5-0 and 4-0 La Liga wins over Deportivo La Coruna and Granada.

For Messi, it was the 33rd treble of his illustrious career, and a sparkling podium to accept this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or for a record fifth time.

Athletico Madrid won at Celta Vigo to go top of the table.

During this mid-week the top PL games have been ChelseaWBA, Liverpool-Arsenal, Manchester City-Everton, Newcastle-Manchester United and Spurs-Leicester.

Over the weekend it’s Chelsea-Everton, LiverpoolManchester United, Manchester City-Crystal Palace, Stoke-Arsenal and Spurs-Sunderland, while in the Championship, Middlesbrough visit Bristol City and Derby play Birmingham, Coventry meet Burton Albion in FL1, while Oxford play Bristol Rovers and Plymouth Argyle take on Stevenage in FL2.

After Leicester spent £6m on Birmingham’s Demarai Gray, Bournemouth splashed out a club record £10m on Wolves’ striker Benik Afobe. And with the transfer going on for another three weeks, you can expect more ‘big’ deals to take place.

ROUND UP • The third cricket Test between South Africa and England started today in JohanTITLE: Djokovic won his 70th.

Society FIRST competition of the year

LIONEL MESSI: Was awarded the Ballon d’Or for a record fifth time. nesburg. The tourists lead the four-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test and drawing the second in Cape Town. The latter produced over 1,400 runs and saw two double centurions, England’s Ben Stokes and Springboks’ Haslam Amla.

• England have been drawn in the same group as Sri Lanka, South Africa and the West Indies in the T20 World Cup which takes place in India later this year.

• Last Saturday, New Zealand batsman Colin Munro set a new world record by scoring 50 off just 14 balls in his country’s T20 win over Sri Lanka.

• Fifteen-year-old Panrav Dhanawade scored 1,009 runs playing in a schools match in Mumbai, the highest ever individual innings by one player in an organised match.

• Novak Djokovic won the 70th single’s title of his career, with victory JORDAN SPIETH: Won his seventh PGA title.

over Rafael Nadal in Qatar. Milos Raonic outwitted Roger Federer to win the Brisbane Open. Hosts Australia beat the Ukraine to lift the Hopman Cup in Perth, and the first Grand Slam tournament of the year starts in Melbourne on Monday.

• Saracens suffered their first defeat of the season (against Harlequins) but still lead Rugby’s Aviva PL from Exeter Chiefs (19-10 winners over Gloucester), ‘Quins’ and Leicester, who scored late to beat Northampton 30-27.

• The Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, was won in style by American Jordan Spieth who thus equalled Tiger Woods’ achievement of seven PGA victories before reaching the age of 23.

THURSDAY January 7, saw the 19th Hole Golf Society head back to Aguilon for the first competition of the New Year at their favourite venue, and a three division Stableford event. With the wind blowing ‘a howee’, conditions hardly favoured a low score, and the putts had to be taken quickly before the ball moved farther from the hole, which prompted the question, why does the wind never blow the ball towards the hole?

In Division 1, Mike Esposito just crept over the line to take the win with a very creditable 36 points, from Doug Birrell on 34.

Division 2 was won more comfortably by Mike Palmer scoring 34 points, with Dave Denyer taking second spot on 27, from Jerry Edwards on the same points.

In the Ladies Division, Chrissie Dow narrowly took first place with 33 points, from Nekana Galindez on 32.

Results, Division 1 1st, Mike Esposito, 36 points (13).

2nd, Doug Birrell, 34 points (22).

Division 2 1st, Mike Palmer, 34 points.

2nd, Dave Denyer, 27 points (27).

Ladies Division 1st, Chrissie Dow, 33 points (35).

2nd, Nekana Galindez, 32 points.

Nearest the Pins Mike Palmer, Brian Lowden, Geoff Smith, Chrissie Dow, Mike Esposito and Tony Mackay.

Twos: Brian Lowden and Tony Mackay The 19th Hole Golf Society arranges weekly games around the area playing Aguilon every other week. For more information ring 610 340 653 or email gs19thhole @hotmail.co.uk.

New Year golf standard set at Lorca A VERY high standard of golf was set at Lorca on January 6, by Dave Wright, with the first Stableford of the year. Dave has been playing well over recent weeks and already looks to be the target everyone needs to beat throughout the New Year. A great day was had by all.

Results: 1st, Dave Wright 33 points 2nd, George Crichton 3rd, Wendy England on countback Nearest The Pin: Malcolm Smallwood, 4th Dave Wright, 8th, 10th, and 18th in two.

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GARETH BALE: Scored a hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 5 - 0 win over Deportivo La Coruña.

TO READ MORE

Costa de Almería’s best guide to local sport

Marina Phoenix Golf Society THURSDAY 7, witnessed an extremely close scoring team game a t Ma r i n a Ph o e n ix a s eight fourballs played a Texas Scramble.

There was less than one shot between the first five teams, with winners Les Armfield, Don Atkins, Liam MacNamee and Margaret Budd scoring a nett 60.2. A tie for second on 60.4 we n t o n c o u n t b a c k , to J ohn Me a g h e r, G e o rg e Waghorn, Bill Myers and Kathy Morris, followed in third by Terry Oliver, Rod Ambrose, Steve Entwhistle and Fred Misset.

There were nearest the pin prizes for Jim Budd (second), Dave Easton (fifth) and John Meagher (17th).

The individual Stableford on Monday was a success for Tony King, with 39 points. Second place was a tie for Kenny Nicol and Jim Budd, with 37 points.

The ladies division was won

by Jackie Dale (34), followed

by Kathy Morris (31) in second, and June Nicol (30) third.

TEXAS SCRAMBLE: Extremely close game at Marina Phoenix.

Isobel Jones won a two’s prize on the fifth.

Marina Phoenix play Mon-

days (individual) and Thursdays (team game).

To join the m for a €25

greenfee ring Jim on 950 162 727 / 600 353 670, or Rosalie 950 397 117 / 697 512 882.

SPORT www.euroweeklynews.com

First victory for Adrian Foster FORUM Golf Society’s first event of 2016 was an individual Stableford competition at Aguilon on January 8, where on a perfect day for golf with a course in superb condition the scoring was distinctly underwhelming, with the notable exception of Adrian Foster who won comfortably with a score of 36 points.

Andy Birch (second) and Joy Blake (third) both achieved reasonable scores of 33 points, ahead of fourth placed Pat Garrigan (31 points), with Geoff Hebb in fifth place, the best of a mediocre bunch who all scored 30 points.

Nearest the pin prizes went to Richard Price, Mike Thomas, Barry Harris and Pat Garrigan.

Forum’s upcoming fixtures are: January 22, Stableford at Valle del Este February 5, Pairs Betterball Stableford at Aguilon February 19, Double Par Medal at Aguilon For further information, contact Phil Elam on 666 847 840 / philjelam@yahoo.co.uk, or see www.forumgolfsociety.webs.com