Euro Weekly News - Axarquia 25 February - 2 March 2016 Issue 1599 by Euro Weekly News Media S.A.

ISSUE NO. 1599

25 Feb - 2 March 2016

AXARQUÍA - COSTA TROPICAL YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

An avalanche in Axarquia ANDALUCIA DAY will see one of the year’s biggest parties

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Easter exhibition Playmobil brings holiday joy to Velez THE Easter Playmobil exhibition has now made its debut in Velez-Malaga, and parents and children alike can enjoy all of their favourite thrones and heroes, boiled down to the size of Easter eggs. See page 2

Breaking barriers Accessibility in Almuñecar and La Herradura ALMUÑECAR and La Herradura have put their weight behind the regional government’s Pact for Accessibility,

which will remove architectural barriers and create disability awareness. See page 6

Plankton party Biologists solve Salobreña sea mystery A RED mass that recently turned up on Salobreña beaches was revealed to be plankton that travelled to the shore thanks to tides and seismic shaking. See page 12

Taking the high road By Matthew Elliott Nerja, Torrox and Almuñecar will be packed to the rafters as an avalanche of thousands of jubilant travellers and locals descends on Axarquia to celebrate an historic Andalucia Day. Astonishing rates of 95 per cent occupancy have already been reported by top hotel establishments in Almuñecar as the revellers gear up to make Sunday February 28 a day for Andalucia, a day for Axarquia, and a day to remember. Speculation is rife as to the

precise numbers, but with an incredible volume of British, Dutch and Scandinavian tourists and expats expected to flock to the region’s beautiful towns and villages, bars, restaurants and local businesses are in full preparation. All that is certain is that the food, fun and festivities will be flowing in the major town squares. For those visiting Nerja the municipal band will kick off a major performance at 10am in the Plaza de Andalucia. Exciting activities, fine cuisine and vibrant culture will be highlights of the day as visitors will

be able to join a triathlon, attend religious ceremonies, hear poetry, listen to song and dance the night away while enjoying the rich gastronomy of Costa Tropical. Andalucia Day has been celebrated each year since the region became an officially autonomous community in 1980, with each passing year seeing more colourful revelry as Andalucians cultivate their own unique cultural identity. The striking green and white emblem of the Andalucian flag will be out in full force. For long-term expats, new arrivals and adventurous tourists

alike, exploring Nerja, Torrox, Frigiliana, Torre de Mar and all of Axarquia’s best kept secrets couldn’t be done at a better time as the whole region will be brimming with passion, and in the finest Spanish spirits.

Axarquia looking better than ever THIRTY-SEVEN Axarquia roads covering a total of 204 kilometres will be looking smoother and shinier thanks

to a €2.1 million cash boost from the Malaga Provincial Council. See page 16

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LOCAL NEWS

Drone workshop in Velez-Malaga A DRONE workshop is set to take place in Velez-Malaga on March 2. The workshop will focus mainly on the use of drones in the agricultural sec-

tor, and the application of the technology used by these drones. The workshop will take place at 5pm in the Centro de Estudios sobre el Exilio.

Car park evaluated DIFFERENT municipal groups and technical experts recently got together to decide the fate of the car park of the old Municipal Market in Almuñecar. The car park has been closed and sealed off since November 2011, and the question now before the court is whether it will be reformed or demolished.

Strong winds bring African dust to Nerja ALTHOUGH not as severe as in other parts of the south of Spain, a grey fog descended on Nerja last week, creating a situ-

ation of low visibility. The haze was the result of strong winds bringing dust from the Sahara across the Mediterranean.

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NEWS

Return of miniature thrones of Easter NOW on display in the patio of Velez-Malaga town hall By Jill Pickering THE Easter Playmobil Exhibition has now arrived in the patio of Velez-Malaga Town Hall, displaying a total of 15 recreations, the majority being thrones of the Velez Semana Grande. Councillor for Fairs and Festivals, Sergio Hijano (PSOE), stated “This event happened for the first time four years ago and was never repeated during the last term of office, and seeing how wonderful the display is and how it reflects the art of brotherhood, we have decided to rescue this interesting exhibition,” stated Hijano. The exhibition consists of some of the recognised thrones including others from Malaga. Residents and visitors can

Photo credit: flickr by a_marga

PLAYMOBIL EXHIBITION: Consists of some of the recognised thrones. contemplate the ‘Clickpasion’ display in the Santa Maria La Mayor church, an exhibition

of 17 thrones made from the famous ‘clicks’ of Playmobil. Viewings are Monday to

Friday 10am to 8:30pm and Saturday from 10am to 12:30pm.

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Featured News 3

Finance 19 - 26

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Employment plans creating new jobs TOWN COUNCIL has also decided to contribute around €2 million Photo credit: wikipedia commons

Stocks 20

Leapy Lee 27

Daily TV 28

Letters 30

Health & Beauty 33

Legally Speaking 34 NEW JOBS: The plans are set to create some much-needed employment in Velez-Malaga.

Time Out 36 - 37

Our View 38

Colin Bird 38

Social Scene 39

Property 40 - 41

Pets 42

Homes & Gardens 42

Services 44

Classifieds 45

Motoring 47

Sport 48

By Sam Croft TWO employment plans developed by the Junta de Andalucia regional government are set to create some much-needed employment in Velez-Malaga. Velez-Malaga is anticipating funding from the Junta of around €1.4 million for EmpleoJoven (Employment Youth Plan), and around another €930,000 for the contracts included in Empleo30+ (Employment Plan 30+).

These investments are expected to create 330 new jobs, 237 under EmpleoJoven and 93 as a result of Empleo30+. Additionally the town council itself has decided to contribute around €2 million to the creation of employment in the community, meaning that overall more than €4 million this year is going towards the stimulation of new employment in Velez-Malaga. Velez-Malaga Employment councillor Jose Sanchez Maldonado has underlined

the importance of the two employment plans for the municipality. He has encouraged all young people, businesses and self-employed people to take advantage of these promising opportunities. EmpleoJoven and Empleo 30+ have had good results in the past in Andalucia, and Sanchez Maldonado and other members of the council and Velez-Malaga community are optimistic that these good results could be repeated in 2016.

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Eight years prison for violent attack MAN also ordered to pay victim compensation for her injuries By Sam Croft A VELEZ-MALAGA man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for trying to kill his ex-girlfriend by smashing her in the face and neck with a glass. The woman was severely injured and several arteries were severed. Forensic experts indicated that she would have died had she not been attended to so quickly.

Adding to the severity of the crime was the fact their threeyear-old daughter was present at the time. The incident occurred in November of 2014 in a restaurant on the Calle Joselito de Almayate in Velez-Malaga. The man had been in a relationship with the woman for five years and their relationship had ended three months previously.

He went up to her in the restaurant, grabbed a glass out of her hand and attacked her violently with it, hitting her in the face and neck. In addition to the prison sentence the man was ordered to pay the victim compensation of €13,000 for the injuries and moral damages caused. Additionally he was given a restraining order that will be in place for 15 years.

Senior Citizens Month a success THE first Senior Citizens’ Month is now drawing to a close in Torrox and Social Welfare councillor Sandra Extremera has given the initiative a positive assessment. Extremera underlined the high level of involvement of senior citizens in the numerous activities that were organised for and around t h e e l d e r l y i n To rro x th is p a s t month.

Four hundred people went to the Municipal Theatre recently where they watched a tribute to the oldest residents of Torrox: Nieves Nieto, Maria Dolores Rico, Maria Ariza and Salvador Jimenez, all born between 1917 and 1921. E x treme ra e xpre s s e d he r gra titude to everyone who showed up and got involved in Senior Citizens Month this February.

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Breaking down barriers in the streets of Almuñecar PLANS are already in place to run training schemes and awareness campaigns By Eleanor Hawkins ALMUÑECAR and La Herradura aim to break down barriers by joining the regional government’s Andalucian Pact for Accessibility, which aims to make Andalucia a better place for the disabled by removing architectural barriers. A proposal to join the pact will be put forward at the next council plenary session, and Social Welfare and Equality councillor Maria del Carmen Reinoso has said it will mean carrying out work in four different areas: training and awareness, regulations, development and participation. The councillor explained plans are already in place to run training schemes and awareness campaigns and draw up information manuals on the subject. By-laws will also be proposed to bring local areas into accordance with current regulations regarding accessibility. Another project involves encouraging the raising of funds for schemes to benefit those with disabilities.

REMOVING BARRIERS: Will improve accessibility.

NEWS

Successful contest of V Carnaval THE V CARNAVAL contest of La Herradura opened to a busy audience last weekend with a group from La Herradura, ‘Ma romandiño,’ the second act, a troupe of the golden girls of Peña el Junco, ‘Abanico y soploares’ and before the interval, ‘La Boheme’ from Granada. The second part of the contest included performances from the group Homero, ‘Los mismos de siempre,’ and the girls from La Herrudara with ‘Las vueltas que da la vida.’ The level of performances had noticeably increased from previous years and after five years will be sure to continue. The V Carnaval organised by the town hall finished with a magical night for all to enjoy. In Almuñecar, the Gran Fiesta de Carnaval was celebrated on Sunday in Puerta del Mar organised by the dance school ‘Aromar.’ The fiesta was preceded by a parade ending in the IES centre of Puerta del Mar.

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THE Benamocarra Council will raffle off 34 free parking spaces to different members of the community. The project, called ‘Parking for All’ was launched for the first time in 2015, and is directed towards residents of Benamocarra. Recipients of the parking spaces will be able to use them for a year.

OTHER improvements have also been promised flickr by Bronski Beat

PROVINCIAL councillors of PSOE and the mayor of El Borge have demanded the PP government team at Malaga Council that their promise of providing a football pitch with artificial grass for the town “is not forgotten.” In a visit to Axarquia, the socialist councillors, remembered that vice president, councillor Francisco Salado had promised the mayor of El Borge, Salvador Fernandez, to complete the work last month. Salado had also promised other improvements to infrastructure and services for the municipality of El Borge, including looking at the possibility of financing an indoor

FOOTBALL PITCH: Demands for it to be completed. sport centre track or the cleaning of ditches on the main roads close to the town. The socialists have requested PP that “they make these promises a reality in the shortest time possible. They are the demands of the resi-

Raffle for free parking spaces

Don’t forget our football pitch By Jill Pickering

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dents of the municipality which the mayor passed on in his meeting with the council and are agreements the provincial government of the municipality have acquired. We will be vigilant they fulfil them,” affirmed the socialists.

Two of the parking spaces will be reserved for people with disabilities and will be located in an easily accessible zone of the municipality. Benamocarra Mayor Abdeslam Lucena said the idea was “to optimise public resources, help people in times of crisis, and help alleviate the lack of parking in the town centre.”

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Photo credit: flickr by Fillipi Pamplona

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Rincon offering traditional food ANNUAL event which may promote rich gastronomy

DUTCH PARAGLIDER: Left Otivar two hours earlier.

Paraglider rescued from Nerja ravine TAKEN to hospital with chest injury By Sam Croft A FIFTY-SIX-YEAR OLD Dutch paraglider was rescued near Nerja after getting into trouble on Sunday February 21. In the early evening, Emergency Services 112 were advised that the man had left Otivar two hours before, but still had not arrived at his intended destination of Almuñecar. A helicopter was sent out to rescue the man, who was discovered in the Colmenarejos Ravine with a chest injury. He was taken to the Carlos Haya Hospital in Malaga where he was treated for his injuries.

IN the Plaza de la Constitucion in Rincon on February 26 to 28 you can find traditional food from various restaurants as an incentive to promote the Mediterranean diet, including greens, stews and tripe at at price of €2.50 (food and drink included). The council has highlighted the importance of recovering typical dishes of the area like El Pi-

menton Caleño, a fish dish with peppers, clams and anchovies. The mayoress, Encarnacion Anaya (PSOE) has thanked the Hostelry Association (AEHMURV) of the municipality for their initiative which together with the tourism sector has made possible ‘a newborn event which can become permanent and an annual event which may promote the rich gastronomy offered by restaurants and put value back to the dishes that are becoming lost over time.’ In this first encounter, seven establishments will participate, with each restaurant offering up to four different dishes.

MEDITERRANEAN DIET: Including greens and stews. Photo: flickr credit by Andrew Nash

NEWS

New MotrilTangier Line now open to passengers with cars THE shi ppi ng com pany FRS inaugurated its new Motril-Tangier Line only a month ago, on January 27, and now i t wi l l begi n t o transport passengers with vehicles. The l i ne i s oper at ed by the ship Kattegat, which has t he capaci t y t o t r anspor t 1,000 passengers and 340 vehicles. Line Manager Jose Carlos Del gado sai d: “We ar e ver y pr oud t o be abl e to offer cargo and passenger t r anspor t on t hi s l i ne which, we are sure, will be a gr eat way t o i m pr ove com m uni cat i ons on bot h sides.” He added that the new service is being kicked off with an attractive promotional offer for only €69 round trip.

Body of a beggar found on waste land in Velez-Malaga THE National Police are investigating the death of a beggar, 52, whose body was found last Thursday February 18 on waste land in Velez-Malaga.

The body was found to have various traumas to the torso, although there is yet no confirmed cause of death. The deceased was usually found

begging in the car parks of the Hospital Comarcal de la Axarquia. The discovery was made around 2pm when a couple driving on the A-7 motorway, observed from their vehicle, what seemed to be a body of a person lying down in a river bed near Prado del Rey next to an old, disused brick factory, and as soon as they were able to stop the car, they alerted the police. A police patrol shortly arrived at the little used area. Being fully dressed, with no possessions missing, including his wallet, allowed for a quick identification by the police. Heavy rainfall made collecting evidence at the scene difficult for investigators. However the Scientific Police found various traumas to the face and neck which would correspond with a violent death. The body was transferred to the Instituto de Medicina Legal (IML) in Malaga, where a postmortem examination will confirm the cause of death.

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Doggy in the well A DOG fell into a deep well of more than four metres in Velez-Malaga. Rescued by firefighters, a vet will now evaluate if there are serious injuries.

A MAN, aged 58, was hurt after an excavator turned over in the VelezMalaga municipality and he was transferred by helicopter to the Regional Hospital.

Surfing time AT the weekend around 20 surfers gathered to enjoy great sea conditions in Torre del Mar. The most daring started at 8am surfing two metre high waves.

Salobreña taxis’ new antenna

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Machine accident

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VEGETABLE GARDENS: A total of 16 plots will be available.

Allotments for seniors in Velez-Malaga WILL allow elderly residents of the area to participate and enjoy leisure time By Sam Croft A TOTAL of 16 plots in the urban vegetable gardens of Velez-Malaga will be offered to senior citizens of the community. The plots, which are located

on Calle Olivareros, will be given to the residents for a period of two years and have the potential to be extended further after that. Senior Citizens’ councillor Sergio Hijano has said the vegetable gardens will allow the

elderly residents of the area to participate in gardening in order to enjoy their leisure time and to have an increased awareness of agriculture and local biodiversity. Applications will be looked at between March 1 and March

31 in the Oficina de Atencion al Ciudadano (Citizen Service Office) of Velez-Malaga, as well as in the different Deputy Mayor’s Offices around town. Those interested must be at least 60 years old and must be residents of Velez-Malaga.

THE Salobreña Taxi Sector has upgraded its communications facilities so that it can provide the best possible service to its clients. A new antenna has been installed which will allow phone calls to easily communicate with the walkie talkies that are found in each vehicle. In its previous location, the antenna did not offer the best possible coverage, which occasionally meant that users had problems contacting the taxi drivers. The new antenna is much stronger, meaning that all taxi drivers in the municipal boundary can now be reached quickly and without problems. The taxis in Salobreña are available 24-hours a day, although not from the taxi stops in the early morning or late at night owing to a lack of demand. If users want taxis during these hours they need to contact the taxi company directly.

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NEWS

Brexit fears keep pounding the pound as it retreats yet again THIS is one occasion where don’t know is unacceptable, whatever you decide will affect future generations

AS previously noted over the past few weeks, the fears that the proposed referendum might well see a British exit from the European Union has had a negative effect on the strength of the pound and the day that Mayor of London Boris Johnson threw his not inconsiderable weight behind the Brexit, it dropped against the dollar to the lowest point is has been since 2009. Whilst it rallied a little, the downward trend is still that and until the final count takes place in June, currency markets are likely to be very hesitant about keeping sterling buoyant and if opinion polls over the next few months suggest a majority will vote to leave, then the pound will continue to suffer. So many retired people in Spain who receive UK pensions in sterling are going to be worse off for as long as the pound remains weak against the euro.

Very simply go to https://www.gov.uk/reg ister-to-vote and complete the documentation which takes about five minutes or write asking for a postal vote. Unless you don’t care what happens to you after June of this year, it really is important that every person who is entitled to vote does

Many people have asked what will happen to them if Britain leaves the Union and one thing is pretty certain, in the foreseeable future, their pounds will buy fewer euros and therefore, they will be worse off and may have to take money from their savings if they have any! In 1992, people wore badges saying ‘Don’t blame me I voted Labour’ but for this referendum, it is so important that there is a full turn out, that we take this opportunity to remind readers that it is easy to register an overseas vote provided you have been out of the UK for no more than 15 years.

minutes is all it will take to complete the documentation

so, to ensure that whatever the result, it does at least reflect the majority view, rather than that of a minority. This is one occasion where don’t know simply isn’t acceptable as whatever is decided now will not just affect you, but generations to come.

SAVINGS: Many people will have to use money they have put away.

Photo credit: Wikipedia commons.

By John Smith

PARKING SPACES: Are few and far between in the Rabitilla area of Torrox.

Locals struggle to park PARKING is a nightmare in the Rabitilla area of Torrox, PSOE socialist councillor Juanma Cortes has complained, which is causing locals and visitors alike to suffer. Since the PP took over at the

town hall, Cortes has claimed, it has been incapable of maintaining private land which was up to last summer used for parking and has also failed to provide an alternative solution. Parking places are few and

far between, the councillor complained, and when it rains or is busy it is chaos and virtually impossible to park. While his party was in charge, Cortes argued, new parking areas were created and necessary procedures followed to obtain use of private land for public parking to provide a solution. “Even when there was a lot of activity at the Villa de Torrox theatre, which is now closed, people could come without parking problems. Yet the PP has done nothing but make unnecessary changes to traffic without the consent of the residents,” Cortes stated.

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NEWS EXTRA

Bullfighting exhibition THE Motril History Museum is now featuring an exhibition, ‘100 Years of Bulls in Motril,’ which has been organised to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first bullring constructed in Motril.

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Strange plankton on the beaches

Felt lightly A 5.1 MAGNITUDE earthquake occurred in the south of the Sea of Alboran on Monday February 22 at 4.46am, and was felt lightly throughout some parts of Axarquia, including Nerja.

Match host VELEZ-MALAGA and Malaga City are prepared for the Copa del Rey wheelchair basketball competition to be held over the weekend. The final will be broadcast by Teledeporte.

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Semana Blanca youth camp in Rincon ONE-HUNDRED-AND-FIFTEEN Rincon de la Victoria youths are participating in a Semana Blanca camp from February 22 to February 26. The initiative has been designed with the objective of guaranteeing that youths in situations of exclusion receive all of their means during their week out of school. The participating children are receiving breakfast, lunch and a snack and are also taking part in various recreational activities to ensure that this Semana Blanca is a week they will never forget. The camp has cost the town council a total of €11,200 financed through the Social Aid Plan. Thirty-five more children participated in the camp than last year, meaning an increase of 15 per cent.

Hit and run driver identified SALOBREÑA BEACH: Plankton has been dragged on to the shore. By Sam Croft A BIZARRE red mass recently appeared in the water of the beaches of Salobreña, and many believed it to be a cloud of baby prawns.

However biologists have now de te rmine d tha t the strange visitors are actually pla nkton tha t ha ve be e n dragged to the shore due to s e is mic move me nts a nd tides.

Biologists think it is likely the plankton have been moved far from their normal habitat due to the many earth tremors that have occurred in the Sea of Alboran over the last few weeks.

A SIXTY-YEAR-OLD German citizen has been identified by the Guardia Civil for his presumed involvement in the hit-andrun of a cyclist in Torrox. The victim, a retired civil servant, was hit on February 5 and suffered serious injuries as a result of the accident. Local Police and Guardia Civil Officers were sent to the scene of the accident. Witnesses said that the vehicle involved was a yellow van driven by a middle-aged man. Eventually the presumed culprit, a German citizen who resides in Torrox, turned himself in to the Guardia Civil headquarters accompanied by his lawyer. The cyclist, on the other hand, has recovered favourably and is in a much better condition.

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Iznate hands out baby cheques IZNATE Town Hall has approved baby cheques of €1,000 for parents of newborn babies to be included in the 2016 budgets as part of a development project. Local Mayor Gregorio

Campos explained that the council will be giving the cheques to families who have had a new member arrive in 2015, or who have a baby due this year. In a statement, the council

of the inland village, which has about 1,000 residents, said: “We are conscious of the expenses that a baby brings for many families, and the current situation makes it difficult for them.”

T h e c o u n c i l ’s a i m , a c cording to Campos, is to contribute to alleviating those expenses and to help stabilise the population, which in a similar way to other rural villages, has

been falling. The budget, totalling more than €1 million, has been approved by the PSOE and PP council team, the mayor declared. To avoid further drops in

population, the council has also allotted funds within the budget to providing training courses for residents, especially youngsters, which will in many cases be linked to agriculture.

Conference for cancer patients SEMINAR focused on healthy living

SURVIVAL RATE: Improves when diagnosed early. By Jill Pickering

MORE than 50 people have attended a conference on

healthy living when recovering from breast cancer in Vinuela. The seminar in the Axarquia Sanitary Area to the East of Malaga, is the first in a series of conferences which will give people the chance to share their experiences of living with the disease, reveal innovations and discuss side-effects of cancer treatment. Every year there are 3,300 new cases of the disease diagnosed, with a 90 per cent cure rate if diagnosed early. Breast cancer is the prime cause of death by tumour in women in all western countries, and the survival rate improves when diagnosed early. In Andalucia, since 1995, there have been 9,287 cases of breast cancer detected with the use of a mammogram, by the Early Detection of Breast Cancer Programme.

Through this programme, more than 974,000 women have been examined, aged between 50 and 69, which is the target age group as there is a high risk of suffering breast cancer. There are now a total of 58 mammogram units in the community, of which 22 are permanent, five are mobile and 31 are located in hospitals. The conference was organised by a local Breast Cancer Association with help from the town hall, the Area Sanitaria de la Axarquia, and the medical school in Malaga. President of the Association Esperanza, Rosa Maria Casamayor highlighted: “This initiative has been born to respond to the most relevant questions asked by patients, and who better can tell us how they live and feel.”

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Jailed for dog cruelty A MAN has been sentenced to 10 months in prison for animal mistreatment as he ignored his dog, which suffered kidney failure, malnutrition and blindness. According to the sentence, the incident occurred in 2013 when a woman found the dog, aged three, left alone in a rural area of Arenas, Axarquia. The woman took it to a veterinary clinic, where it received treatment paid for by the Anubis-El Refugio animal welfare association. The sentence says that the accused disregarded the dog without a justified reason even though he was aware of the care it needed. The judge rejected the testimony of the accused, who claimed this dog had been stolen from his farm.

Stranded dolphin dies on the beach WAS difficult to determine the cause Jasmin Awad / Shutterstock

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STRANDED DOLPHIN: Despite all efforts, it died on the beach. By Sam Croft A STRANDED dolphin was at the centre of a rescue operation in which Local Police and residents had tried unsuccessfully to return to the sea.

The dolphin was spotted in the morning on a beach near the plaza de La Laguna in the Cala del Moral locality of Rincon de la Victoria. Local marine animal rescue services were called and report-

ed the dolphin had no wounds so it was difficult to determine the reason the animal had washed up on the beach. Despite all efforts to return the dolphin to the sea, it finally died on the beach.

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New animal by-law NEW animal welfare regulations for Rincon de la Victoria are due to be published in March. The council government are working on the project and have confirmed there are no animals performing in circuses in the region. This has been signed and confirmed by the Veterinary College. The original 2002 law set out a set of regulations protecting the mistreatment of working animals. This is now being looked at and expanded upon.

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Malaga Council to improve roads NUMEROUS works are due to be carried out flickr by Caminos por La Axarquia

AXARQUIA ROADS: Are due to undergo improve works. By Sam Croft A TOTAL of 37 roads in the Axarquia area, stretching a total of 204 kilometres are due for improvement. Councillors met in Velez-Malaga to present principle plans to improve the local infrastructure. The most important roadworks within the budget, is the expenditure of €500,000 to resolve the MA-3107 from Benamargosa to Riogordo. It will be 6.5kms with a 5cm thickness of asphalt tarmac and will carry out other complementary works including the execution of a breakwater in a narrow stretch. Another €450,000 will be destined to the drainage on the MA-3113 road in the area of Veleña in Triana. The problems with the two fords which cut off the road in heavy rain will be corrected and the flow will be direct-

ed below the road. Equally, more than €200,000 will be dedicated to resolve the problem with complementary works on the MA-3117 road with access to El Valdes. The 2.5km stretch will be repaired by adding a new width of 5.5metres and 1.1km of the stretch will have a new concrete kerb covering for pedestrians with a width of 1.4m. Numerous other works are due to be carried out improving the infrastructure. Francisco Oblare, one of the councillors, highlighted that the improvement of road safety on provincial roads is one of the best bets made by the council government team. A further amount of €350,000 will be given to conserve the roads including cleaning of ditches, maintenance of slopes, potholes, disposal of wayside litter, repositioning signs and putting up more security barriers.

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Howling with wolves

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Alaska Tundra Wolf.

THE tour is nothing short of spectacular and is full of entertainment VERY few people can say that they’ve been to a Howl Night, and those who have are in possession of an experience so raw, awe inspiring and downright fascinating as to be unforgettable. For those not yet in the know, a Howl Night at the Lobo park in Antequera, just inland from the Costa del Sol, is an evening where adventurous explorers can gather for a gripping tour of a unique wild wolf habitat under the eerie light of a full moon. The night begins at dusk as a friendly group of people tuck into a delightful buffet before being armed with flashlights and heading off into the crisp mountain air. As twilight becomes nightfall the melodic and primal songs of the three wolf packs form an intense harmony which strangely creates an immediate bond between all the guests, English, Spanish, Germans and Australians, humans and wolves, together in a moment. The tour itself is nothing short of spectacular, with the wolves roaming just metres away. Daniel, a man firmly in the mould of Crocodile Dundee, describes in wonderful detail the nature of the wolfpack from their biology to psychology. We learn the incredible similarities they share with humans, how the relationship between our species has evolved over time, why they howl during the full moon, and why it is essential the wolves’ wild nature is retained. We learn why

DANIEL: Describes in wonderful detail the nature of the wolfpack. everything you think you may know about wolves is wrong, and how the truth is infinitely more captivating than you could possibly imagine. There are two astonishingly beautiful Alaskan wolves whose white fur glimmers in the moonlight, a feisty pack of Eurasian wolves from Russia, and a huge pack of native Iberians. We are given a full tour of each group, learn of their individualities, watch them roam, play, fight, devour and, of course, howl. The tour itself is that perfect combination of information, entertain-

Rescue dog of the month seeks home APARIV Dog Rescue in Rincon de la Victoria is always looking for people willing to adopt or foster their dogs. They are also always looking for volunteers to help with various things inside and outside the refuge and have a charity shop with many cheap second-hand items for sale in Torre del Mar. Those interested in one of the dogs or in helping out can contact Alix on 610 902 019. This month’s Apariv dog of the month is Tiko, a Spanish bodeguero. These smaller sized dogs are used here for the rabbit hunt because they can crawl into small holes. Someone probably didn’t think he was a good hunter so they threw him over Apariv’s fence. Tiko was very nervous at first. Obviously he was not castrated and that had a lot to

LITTLE TIKO: Is a very active dog and loves to play. do with that. So when he got ‘done’ he calmed down a lot. He still is a very active dog and loves to play. He also likes

human attention a lot and always tries to climb on our laps. He was born in 2012. Who has a lap to spare for little Tiko?

ment, humour, wit and marvel, answering questions with answers that go to the heart of the human experience. Quite frankly, you’d be hard pressed to find a tour or experience as satisfying as this, both sensually and intellectually, anywhere in the world. Decades of careful dedication have gone into creating an environment where wolves are wild and yet comfortable around humans, done in the hope of awakening a more positive relationship between man and wolf.

FOR A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, OR FOR A DAYTIME GUIDED TOUR: contact the Lobo Park in Antequera today on +34 952 031 107, email them at info@lobopark.com, or visit their website www.lobopark.com. A lifetime of memories awaits.

Guided tours are at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 16:30 every day except Wednesday.

FINANCE

Axarquía - Costa Tropical

25 February - 2 March 2016

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

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Chinese bank raided by National Police COUNTRY’S biggest lender suspected of money laundering

€300M

By John Smith THE Madrid branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), said to be the largest bank in the world and China’s biggest lender, was raided by officers of the National

FREEDOM 251: Indian company launch new smart phone.

The world’s cheapest smart phone launched AN Indian company has launched what it says is the world’s cheapest smart phone. The aptly named Ringing Bells initially advised their Freedom 251 phone would be priced at under 500 rupees (€6.50), but at the launch it announced the price would be

Police on February 17, as part of an investigation into money laundering. It is alleged that the bank has been accepting deposits from organised crime groups based in Spain without checking their origin, which is a legal requirement.

The sharp fall in bank equity prices reflected the sector’s higher sensitivity to a weaker-than-expected economic outlook.” Mario Draghi head of the ECB on the recent fall in bank shares. World Economic Forum Radio Kafka Shutterstock

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is the amount estimated by the National Police that just one Chinese gang laundered through the Madrid branch of ICBC.

just 251 rupees (€3.25). Amazingly, the phone has eight gigabytes of storage and cameras in the front and back to allow for video calls. At the moment all of the components are imported and the phone is constructed in India.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Bankia settlement AS anticipated, Bankia has agreed to repay in full small shareholders who purchased their shares at the Stock Market launch together with interest at 1 per cent per annum, without any need for the individuals involved having to go to court. The total set aside to pay these investors is €1.8 billion.

Plane maker cuts jobs CANADIAN aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has announced that it will cut its work force of 6,000 in Northern Ireland by at least 1,000 over the next two years. According to the company, it is currently the largest employer in the manufacturing industry in the province and produces 10 per cent of the country’s exports. The company will also be shedding staff at its Canadian headquarters.

Abengoa requires money to continue trading STRUGGLING Abengoa, the engineering company which is in dire straits, has revealed that it requires an injection of €1.35 billion to allow it to continue to trade during 2016, and will need

€2,320 million is the operating profit made by the Renault Group in 2015 which is up 44 per cent over 2014 results.

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a similar amount to see it through 2017. If this is possible then the restructured company expects to be able to grow and to have a ‘paper’ value of more than €5 billion.

Following the raid five directors were arrested, whilst a spokesman for the head office distanced China from any wrongdoing. Even the Chinese Foreign Ministry felt that it had to comment on the raid.

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€500 notes in Spain A STATEMENT from a Spanish Treasury Union says that 75 per cent of all bank notes circulating in Spain are €500 denominations. This is three times more than the amount originally printed in 2001 when Spain joined the Eurozone, and gives credence to the suggestion that high value bank notes are not used by the public at large, but are almost exclusively used in the ‘twilight economy’

E W N 25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

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PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3i Group PLC 427.10 6.50 Aberdeen Asset Management PLC241.65 3.10 Admiral Group PLC 1760.50 18.00 Anglo American PLC 458.85 21.12 Antofagasta PLC 496.50 17.00 ARM Holdings PLC 945.50 8.50 Ashtead Group PLC 869.50 23.00 Associated British Foods PLC 3304.50 51.00 AstraZeneca PLC 4137.50 65.50 Aviva PLC 441.35 4.50 Babcock International Group... 934.25 12.00 BAE Systems PLC 512.00 6.50 Barclays PLC 163.75 2.05 Barratt Developments PLC 587.25 3.00 Berkeley Group Holdings (Th... 3378.50 18.00 BHP Billiton PLC 769.35 37.40 BP PLC 350.10 6.75 British American Tobacco PLC 3875.00 45.50 British Land Co PLC 687.25 -5.50 BT Group PLC 466.38 8.50 Bunzl PLC 1928.00 23.00 Burberry Group PLC 1290.00 20.00 Capita PLC 1123.00 12.00 Carnival PLC 3382.00 71.00 Centrica PLC 213.40 1.90 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1474.50 62.00 Compass Group PLC 1250.50 22.00 CRH PLC 1833.00 40.00 DCC PLC 5695.00 10.00 Diageo PLC 1858.00 29.00 Direct Line Insurance Group... 381.10 6.40 Dixons Carphone PLC 454.70 6.50 easyJet PLC 1575.00 22.00 Experian PLC 1180.00 18.00 Fresnillo PLC 941.00 -13.50 GKN PLC 284.95 5.60 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1400.75 17.00 Glencore PLC 124.65 6.30 Hammerson PLC 567.50 4.00 Hargreaves Lansdown PLC 1270.00 32.00 Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC 1914.00 40.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 430.23 -19.65 Imperial Brands PLC 3762.50 30.00 Inmarsat PLC 1013.50 14.00 InterContinental Hotels Gro... 2497.50 52.00 International Consolidated ... 551.50 6.00 Intertek Group PLC 2922.00 30.00 Intu Properties PLC 290.85 1.50 ITV PLC 255.65 3.50 Johnson Matthey PLC 2511.50 36.97

% CHG. 1.54 1.30 1.03 4.84 3.54 0.91 2.72 1.57 1.61 1.03 1.30 1.29 1.27 0.51 0.54 5.11 1.97 1.19 -0.79 1.86 1.21 1.57 1.08 2.14 0.90 4.39 1.79 2.23 0.18 1.59 1.71 1.45 1.42 1.55 -1.42 2.01 1.23 5.32 0.71 2.58 2.14 -4.37 0.80 1.40 2.13 1.10 1.04 0.52 1.39 1.49

NET VOL 51.65 419.51 22.40 998.71 126.25 352.64 93.18 61.34 88.15 698.53 19.87 405.85 1,900.51 248.48 18.22 888.26 2,075.56 158.50 688.54 631.99 21.17 71.67 58.15 11.91 1,015.18 44.25 234.85 87.51 14.36 293.69 120.26 91.13 94.17 160.04 145.07 305.70 671.90 8,297.57 332.84 38.44 7.86 10,673.21 85.06 30.16 25.13 402.84 31.31 96.52 392.42 15.17

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) Kingfisher PLC 346.05 3.80 Land Securities Group PLC 1037.50 1.05 Legal & General Group PLC 224.50 2.50 Lloyds Banking Group PLC 62.59 0.76 London Stock Exchange Group...2342.00 28.00 Marks & Spencer Group PLC 437.25 4.80 Merlin Entertainments PLC 440.40 4.40 Mondi PLC 1337.00 15.00 National Grid PLC 973.05 8.50 Next PLC 7095.00 90.00 Old Mutual PLC 174.30 2.80 Pearson PLC 810.00 16.00 Persimmon PLC 2065.00 -0.34 Provident Financial PLC 3263.00 43.00 Prudential PLC 1249.50 19.50 Randgold Resources Ltd 6240.00 -115.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC 6644.00 89.00 RELX PLC 1236.50 20.00 REXAM PLC 611.00 6.00 Rio Tinto PLC 1982.75 92.00 Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 651.00 9.00 Royal Bank of Scotland Grou... 246.35 0.20 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 1591.00 30.50 Royal Mail PLC 448.85 7.80 RSA Insurance Group PLC 418.05 8.90 SABMiller PLC 4185.50 9.50 Sage Group (The) PLC 587.50 7.50 Sainsbury (J) PLC 257.25 -3.90 Schroders PLC 2506.50 47.00 Severn Trent PLC 2171.50 26.00 Shire PLC 3897.00 81.00 Sky PLC 1021.50 4.00 Smith & Nephew PLC 1168.00 15.00 Smiths Group PLC 984.50 12.00 Sports Direct International... 407.45 7.10 SSE PLC 1410.00 16.00 Standard Chartered PLC 425.30 10.30 Standard Life PLC 341.80 4.90 St James's Place PLC 905.00 13.00 Taylor Wimpey PLC 184.85 1.20 Tesco PLC 184.43 1.15 Travis Perkins PLC 1812.50 26.00 TUI AG 1079.50 21.00 Unilever PLC 3087.50 53.50 United Utilities Group PLC 949.00 17.00 Vodafone Group PLC 216.30 3.40 Whitbread PLC 3952.00 69.00 Wolseley PLC 3648.00 45.00 Worldpay Group PLC 297.15 3.30 WPP PLC 1486.00 18.00

% CHG. 1.11 0.10 1.13 1.23 1.21 1.11 1.01 1.14 0.88 1.28 1.63 2.02 -0.02 1.34 1.59 -1.81 1.36 1.64 0.99 4.86 1.40 0.08 1.95 1.77 2.18 0.23 1.29 -1.49 1.91 1.21 2.12 0.39 1.30 1.23 1.78 1.15 2.48 1.45 1.46 0.65 0.63 1.46 1.98 1.76 1.82 1.60 1.78 1.25 1.12 1.23

NET VOL 217.08 114.36 727.78 14,640.66 83.47 158.46 34.33 91.79 474.14 14.63 634.04 84.27 79.53 8.08 188.98 49.24 65.53 242.58 57.90 692.23 341.67 1,160.44 520.13 61.69 172.80 95.44 64.39 1,443.24 25.19 17.15 39.57 303.98 104.48 52.20 42.75 76.98 832.53 314.45 23.82 397.27 663.95 10.25 30.27 207.18 85.28 3,189.21 12.00 30.40 33.46 191.23

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US dollar .....................................................................1.10821 Japan yen ..................................................................125.137 Switzerland franc..................................................1.10033 Denmark kroner....................................................7.46216 Norway kroner .....................................................9.49901

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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 156.45 -0.33 -0.21% 2.1M 54.71 +0.56 +1.03% 6.6M 96.04 -0.22 -0.23% 35.4M 115.16 -2.41 -2.05% 6.9M 65.42 -0.70 -1.06% 5.0M 86.50 -0.23 -0.27% 9.8M 26.55 0.00 0.00% 757.9K 43.77 +0.16 +0.37% 12.8M 95.01 -0.16 -0.17% 6.8M 59.97 0.00 0.00% 4.4M 82.50 +0.05 +0.06% 13.6M 29.02 -0.06 -0.21% 36.1M 146.91 -0.82 -0.56% 5.3M 121.69 +1.72 +1.43% 5.4M 133.08 +0.63 +0.48% 5.1M 28.71 -0.71 -2.41% 42.1M 104.16 +0.67 +0.65% 9.3M 57.82 +0.01 +0.02% 15.7M 116.53 -0.64 -0.55% 10.8M 50.12 -0.20 -0.40% 9.0M 51.82 -0.37 -0.71% 33.6M 59.31 +0.71 +1.21% 10.1M 29.49 -0.06 -0.20% 39.7M 81.79 -0.19 -0.23% 7.7M 108.09 -0.76 -0.70% 1.7M 88.23 -0.13 -0.15% 11.8M 117.68 +0.23 +0.20% 4.5M 50.86 -0.08 -0.16% 15.6M 71.53 +0.29 +0.41% 7.8M 64.66 +0.54 +0.84% 15.6M

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES F EBRUARY 22

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Fifth Street Asset Management Inc. Qumu Corporation Century Aluminum Company Rocket Fuel Inc. Surgery Partners, Inc. The Chefs' Warehouse, Inc. vTv Therapeutics Inc. Vanguard Natural Resources LLC MDC Partners Inc. Avinger, Inc. Cross Country Healthcare, Inc.

$ 3.77 $ 3.33 $ 5.96 $ 3.18 $ 13.82 $ 17.60 $ 6.81 $ 2.07 $ 19.81 $ 16.64 $ 12.55

1.91 ▲ 102.69% 0.47 ▲ 16.43% 0.78 ▲ 15.06% 0.40 ▲ 14.39% 1.72 ▲ 14.21% 2.05 ▲ 13.18% 0.75 ▲ 12.38% 0.21 ▲ 11.29% 1.96 ▲ 10.98% 1.62 ▲ 10.79% 1.21 ▲ 10.67%

$ 2.11 $ 12.03 $ 5.04 $ 9.58 $ 6.35 $ 48.753 $ 2.12 $ 4.77 $ 2.75 $ 7.04 $ 10.89

0.64 ▼ 23.27% 2.29 ▼ 15.99% 0.73 ▼ 12.65% 1.24 ▼ 11.46% 0.82 ▼ 11.44% 6.097 ▼ 11.12% 0.24 ▼ 10.17% 0.49 ▼ 9.32% 0.28 ▼ 9.24% 0.67 ▼ 8.69% 1.02 ▼ 8.56%

Most Declined Internap Corporation Alliance Fiber Optic Products, Inc. TrueCar, Inc. Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Icahn Enterprises L.P. Commercial Vehicle Group, Inc. SCYNEXIS, Inc. StealthGas, Inc. Sientra, Inc. Flexion Therapeutics, Inc.

E W N 25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Newspaper unusually reticent

Economic advice for Germany

WHILST many of the British newspapers are talking about a new paper to be issued by Trinity Mirror group, publishers of the Daily Mirror and Sunday Mirror, the group itself is keeping remarkably quiet, neither confirming nor denying the reports. Assuming however, that the national press has its facts right, this could be quite an astute move by Trinity Mirror having seen that The Independent will stop publishing a paper version and will rely on internet readers. It has also sold its relatively recently introduced i newspaper to Johnston Press for £24 million (€31 million). According to The Guardian, the paper will be called New Day, and will be aimed at a middle of the road readership and will sell at 20p.

By John Smith ECONOMIC advisors to the German government are recommending that in order to protect its own economic integrity, a decision should be made to move away from the previous underwriting of Eurobonds, issued by the weaker governments in the Eurozone. According to one dissenting member of the advisory group, this could have a catastrophic effect on the economies of at least three countries, Italy, Portugal and Spain, who currently rely on the issuing of bonds in order to raise funds. Apart from taxation and ‘handouts’ from the EU, these countries in particular have been obtaining loans by issuing interest bearing bonds, which can be surrendered for their full value on pre-determined dates. This has been attractive to a number of corporate investors as they knew that the bonds would be protected by the other members of the Eurozone, even in the event that the country issuing is unable to buy back the issued bonds. Germany, however, is considering the proposal that no government or investor should be protected in this way and that

MEMBER of the advisory group forecasts break up of the Eurozone

Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln flickr

PROFESSOR PETER BOFINGER: Said Italy, Portugal and Spain would be better to flee the Eurozone. if a country cannot meet its obligations, then the investor should effectively receive only a percentage of the value of the bonds it holds rather than the full amount, which is currently the case. What the dissenter Professor Bofinger believes is that if this appears to be going

ahead, then investors will jump ship as quickly as possible, leaving the governments involved effectively bankrupt and unable to raise any new funds, and they would be unable to control their financial destiny if still within the Eurozone. He predicts therefore that the three

countries mentioned would be better to flee the Eurozone sooner rather than later and revert to their own currencies which they could control, although they could still come unstuck if they tried to raise too much money or allowed their debt to exceed their GDP.

AgnosticPreachersKid Wikimedia

Hesitation over interest rates

US FEDERAL RESERVE: Was very bullish about both the US and world economies. AS recently as December 2015, the US Federal Reserve, which sets the countries interest rates, was very bullish about the future of both the US and world economies and increased the rate to 0.5 per cent, indicating that this was the first of a number of increases due to be made. The market welcomed this

tiny increase, and unfortunately for the United Kingdom it saw an outflow from sterling into the dollar, which in turn depressed the pound/euro rate as well having a negative effect on the UK stock market. The committee is now worried that a global economic slowdown could hurt the US, and they agreed that ‘uncer-

tainty had increased’ since the decision to raise interest rates. The members agreed that it was still too early to decide whether they should look to freeze interest rates rather than increase them, but they plan to continue to consider the situation and it is now predicted that the next rate increase, supposedly due for March,

will be put on hold. President of the body, Janet Yellen has confirmed that the economic slowdown in China and other countries, together with the continued uncertainty in stock markets and low oil prices were worrying and could damage the US recovery, if the wrong signals were to be given now.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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Advertising feature

Is there a safe haven offering growth in these worrying financial times? WHEN considering any investment, it is important to take qualified independent legal advice INVESTORS will know that we are in worrying financial times with global stock markets fluctuating from day to day by as much as 7 per cent and many indices flirting with bear territory in the past number of weeks. With no clear end in sight to the market volatility, many investors may be nervous and some will be considering if now is the time to cut and run. Mark Davies at The Fry Group said: “In my opinion, this would be a mistake as any losses will be crystallised, and with cash rates set to remain at or close to historical lows, recovery potential will be lost. But there is an alternative to high volatility investments while maintaining recovery and real growth potential. In years gone by, insurance companies provided investments known as With Profits contracts. These smoothed long term investment returns by keeping some profits in reserve for rainy days which consistently provided attractive long term market returns. However in the last decade or so, in

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tion of the With Profits concept has been developed whereby investors receive smoothed returns each year, re-

flecting the long term returns from a mixed portfolio of assets. By way of example, one fund in this sector has delivered consistent returns over the last five years so that £1,000 invested five years ago would have increased to £1,480 today, net of fund management charges. In addition to the peace of mind provided by the smoothing, funds are available to investors seeking the tax efficiency of a Spanish qualifying insurance policy, making it very tax friendly for investors in Spain. When considering any investment it is important to take qualified independent financial advice. If you would like to learn more about opportunities that may be appropriate to you, please don’t hesitate to contact us. As Chartered Independent Financial advisers with offices in Spain, The Fry Group can assist with all of your financial planning needs. For further information contact Mark Davies: Telephone - 952 768 450 or e-mail spain@thefrygroup.co.uk.

E W N 25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

Oil is still in the news LOW wholesale price is causing serious problems for producers around the world THE low wholesale price of oil is causing serious problems for producers around the world and there is a clear dichotomy of opinion between producing countries as to how to recover the situation. As is so often the case with the Middle East, politics and religion are also part of the equation, which doesn’t help resolve the situation which is seeing something of a showdown between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Logically, the way to increase prices is to reduce production, so that the market has to accept higher prices if it is to obtain the volume of oil and petroleum products that it needs. A recent meeting between the Russian and Saudi governments confirmed that they intended to freeze production, and Qatar and Venezuela met with Iran and Iraq in Tehran to try and arrange a deal for those two countries to restrict their production as well. Iraq is reported to have agreed in principle but Iran, which has only just been able to sell its oil on a world wide

Photo Credit Rob Wilson Shutterstock

By John Smith

No more chip and pin for HSBC WITH the latest announcement from HSBC that it plans to introduce a new system for those using its debit cards and internet banking, the days of chip and pin numbers may well be coming to an end. Hopefully, it will result in not only an easier system, but also a much safer one.

If successful no doubt other big banks will follow suit PETROL PRICES: for the time being it looks as if they will stay low, as far as the consumer is concerned. basis following a withdrawal of sanctions, has taken the position that whilst it thinks it’s a good idea for others to cut their production, it won’t until such time as it has generated the funds that it needs. Even the freeze isn’t likely to make much difference to the economies of those countries, as the amount they have agreed to pump is

still historically high. Quoted in the Iranian newspaper Shargh government spokesman Mehdi Asali said: “Asking Iran to freeze its oil production level is illogical. When Iran was under sanctions, some countries raised their output and they caused the drop in oil prices. How can they expect Iran to cooperate now

and pay the price?” For the time being at least, it looks as if petrol and diesel prices will drop and stay low as far as the consumer is concerned. Apart from traditional methods of drilling for oil, fracking, which is the process of injecting liquid at high pressure into subterranean rocks so as to force open ex-

isting fissures and extract oil or gas, has been in the news. It is widespread in the USA, has just been agreed in principle in the UK and three proposals sit before the Spanish government at the moment, but it is unlikely that any decision concerning the process will be agreed until the next government is finally formed.

Later this year, starting with its internet and telephone bank First Direct, HSBC will be introducing a system whereby customers will be recognised by fingerprints or biometric voice checking, and this will then roll out to all of its customers. There may well be teething problems but if successful, no doubt the other big banks will follow suit.

AN influential think tank based in Paris and funded by many of the richer world nations, has taken the step of cutting it 2016 growth forecast by 10 per cent from 3.3 per cent to 3 per cent, and has warned that world leaders need to take urgent action if even that modest growth is to be achieved. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is well respected and has in the past been considered to be an accurate barometer of world trade, but it makes it very clear that the current situation is not conducive to growth and highlights the fact that trade cannot expand if there is a shortage of investment and wages are kept low. It acknowledges that low interest rates might have helped, but that and other monetary policies have done nothing to encourage world economies to continue to recover. When considering the USA, it sees an even worse situation with projected growth cut to just two per cent, a reduction of 20 per cent from its original forecast, and suggests that the tiny inter-

Photo Credit Rawpixel.com

OECD not optimistic about world growth

TRADE: Cannot expand if there is a shortage of investment and wages are kept low.

est rate increase in December was in itself premature and did not help matters. Whilst reductions in interest rates are supposed to boost borrowing and stimulate investment, the fact is that almost no companies are able to borrow money at anywhere near the low bank rates set by governments, and commercial banks are simply charging very high rates to help pay for the fines they have received for their past behaviour. Some countries like Japan and Switzerland have even moved into negative interest rates, which means that they charge companies to deposit funds with their banks hoping to encourage commercial investment, but whilst money can be transferred around the world easily, that is having little or no positive effect. The report says: “A stronger collective policy response is needed to strengthen demand,” and pulls no punches in reducing forecasts for both Britain and Germany, with Germany forecast as having one of the worst growth rates in Europe.

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

EWN

It’s all going horribly wrong THE political leaders have underestimated the ‘average Joe’ LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

IN out, in out, shake it all about! Here we go again. More months of preening politicians spouting their views on every media outlet available. Once more their conflicting ideas will be shoved down our throats until most of us are heartily sick of them. I use the term ‘us’ loosely of course, because ‘us’ expats are excluded from the whole shebang. Surely we are some of the first who should be consulted? Are we not the pioneers of the whole experiment? Are we not the ones who took that ‘leap in the dark’ and decided to change countries and take our chances with the new ‘no border/equal rights’, that we were all promised EU membership would bring? Wasn’t this the ‘dream’ all those politicians led us to believe would be the epitome of ‘friendly integration’ and ‘economically living together as one’? Well of course it wasn’t.

EXPATS: Should be given the right to vote as they were the first to take that ‘leap in the dark’.

This whole exercise has been a power trip for pontificating politicians. None of the ‘leaders’ have been particularly interested in the well-being of the peasants, (except the UK, who have bent over so far to appease the immigrants, they have sacrificed the country). This was a scheme, instigated primarily by the Germans, to take over the whole of Europe with them at the helm (sound familiar?). This power addiction spread among Europe’s politicians quicker than a rampant junkie handing out free pipes in a den of opium. Bribes, promises, threats, instigations of envy; just about anything were used to cajole countries into joining the scheme. And now it’s all going horribly wrong. The peasants are revolting. In their usual arrogance, the political leaders have underestimated the ‘average Joe’. It is the people who have brought about this referendum. If Cameron had any sense he should jump at the chance of giving expats the vote. We are the ones with most to lose. He must be naïve, or simply stupid, to exclude the thousands who may swing the result in his favour. Keep the faith. Love Leapy. Leapylee2002@gmail.com

E W N 25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Room 101 EastEnders Death in Paradise BBC News at Ten BBC London News Question Time This Week

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Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show Six Nations Rugby Union BBC News at Ten BBC London News Hospital People Catherine Tate's Nan The Celebrity Apprentice USA

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Dynamo: Magician Impossible BBC News Regional News Weather The Getaway Car The Voice UK Casualty The National Lottery Live BBC News Weather

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Nature's Miracle Orphans BBC News Regional News Weather Countryfile Call the Midwife The Night Manager BBC News Regional News Weather Match of the Day 2

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Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show Inside Out EastEnders The Inside Story Mrs. Brown's Boys BBC News Regional News Weather

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Escape to the Country Holiday of My Lifetime Flog It! Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show EastEnders Holby City Happy Valley BBC News

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4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm

Escape to the Country Holiday of My Lifetime Flog It! Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show Traffic Cops DIY SOS The Big Build BBC News Regional News Weather

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The Life of Mammals Bargain Hunt Eggheads Great British Railway Journeys Rick Stein's Taste of Shanghai Big Dreams Small Spaces The Story of China The Clare Balding Show Newsnight The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story

5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

Eggheads Great British Railway Journeys Celebrity Antiques Road Trip Mastermind Canals: The Making of a Nation Philomena Newsnight Artsnight

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Up Periscope Big Dreams, Small Spaces Flog It! Back in Time for the Weekend Queen Victoria's Children Dad's Army Stag Spike Island They Came from Manchester Tron Flog It! Six Nations Rugby Special Dragons' Den Let's Play Darts for Sports Relief 2016 The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story The Reluctant Fundamentalist The Black Balloon

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Bargain Hunt Eggheads Too Much TV Great Interior Design Challenge University Challenge Mary Berry's Foolproof Cooking The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story

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Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip Bargain Hunt Eggheads Too Much TV Great Interior Design Challenge Back in Time for the Weekend Who's the Boss? Scrappers

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Terry and Mason's Great Food Trip Bargain Hunt Eggheads Too Much TV Great Interior Design Challenge £100k House: Tricks of the Trade One Child Live From the BBC Newsnight

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Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Tonight Emmerdale Birds of a Feather Jericho ITV News at Ten and Weather

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The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury Coronation Street Mr Selfridge ITV News at Ten and Weather

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Local News and Weather ITV News and Weather Rugby Rugby Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway Take Me Out ITV News and Weather The Jonathan Ross Show Invictus

5:00pm 5:25pm 6:00pm 6:25pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

The Chase The Man with the Golden Gun Local News and Weather ITV News and Weather Planet's Got Talent Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands Churchill's Secret ITV News and Weather Perspectives

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A New Life in the Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Ugly House to Lovely House with George Clarke 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown The Great British Sex Survey

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Stolen From the Womb 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Snow Winter Road Rescue Inside the World's Toughest Prisons The Best of Bad TV

3:00pm 3:30pm 4:30pm 5:30pm

A New Life in the Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast Food Unwrapped Gogglebox The Last Leg Rude Tube

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5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Gadget Show That's So... 1981 NCIS: New Orleans NCIS NCIS: Los Angeles True Crimes: The First 72 Hours

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Boxing The Premier League Years La Liga Show 2015 The Fantasy Football Club Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Boxing FL72 Boxing Boxing Boxing

Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Channel 4 News Great Canal Journeys Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages Taken 2 Braveheart

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Maid in Manhattan The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Knight and Day Tattoo Fixers

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Live FL Boxing Boxing Boxing Boxing Live Ford Saturday Night Football SNF: Game of the Day SNF: Match Choice SNF: Match Choice SNF: Match Choice

George Clarke's Amazing Spaces Diary of a Wimpy Kid The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons Channel 4 News Finding Nemo The Secret Life of the Zoo The Jump The Wolverine

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Goal Rush Fail Army Police Interceptors The Reef Made of Honour Monster-in-Law Now That's Funny! 5 News Capital One Cup Grown Ups The Switch

2:00pm 5:00pm

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Local News and Weather ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Further Tales From Northumberland Coronation Street Davina Mccall: Life at the Extreme ITV News at Ten and Weather

4:10pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:50pm

Countdown A New Life in the Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Supershoppers Royal Navy School Fresh Meat 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

2:45pm 3:20pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

Neighbours NCIS: New Orleans Killer Among Us 5 News Neighbours Home and Away Police Interceptors Caught in the Act The X Files Gotham Hummingbird

Local News and Weather ITV Evening News Emmerdale The Inspectors are Coming It's Not Rocket Science Frustrated Britain: Caught on Camera ITV News at Ten and Weather On Assignment

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Deal or No Deal Countdown A New Life in the Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Secret Life of the Zoo Born to be Different Gogglebox

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5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News The Dog Rescuers with Alan Davies Britain's Horror Homes The Great British Benefits Handout Age Gap Love The Woman with No Face

Local News and Weather ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Big Star's Little Star Grantchester ITV News at Ten and Weather When Ant and Dec Met the Prince 40 Years of the Princes' Trust.

4:10pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:35pm 12:35am

Countdown A New Life in the Sun Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Posh Pawn 24 Hours in A and E Raised by Wolves Secrets of the Sauna How to Get a Council House

4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

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

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Hit and Run 5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door GPs: Behind Closed Doors Inside Buckingham Palace Person of Interest Person of Interest

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Boxing Boxing Boxing Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits Barclays Premier League World Boxing Boxing Premier League Darts 2016 25.02 (Aberdeen)

Live Ford Super Sunday Live Capital One Cup Final SSO: City Slickers Football League Goals Capital One Cup Final Highlights SSO: City Slickers Ford Football Special Capital One Cup Final Highlights Ford Football Special Goals on Sunday Football League Goals Fantasy Football Club Highlights Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits Football League Goals Football Football League Goals SPFL Round Up The Premier League Years Barclays Premier League Review Eredivisie Barclays Premier League Review Live Coppa Italia Ford Football-Match Choice Ford Football-Match Choice La Liga World 2015 Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Football Gold The Mavericks Live Coppa Italia Ford Football-Match Choice Ford Football-Match Choice

E W N 25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

LETTERS

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

There is no excuse for a lack of pension information When forming opinions about such serious and unfortunate crimes, we should base them on objective scrutiny and not on demonising rhetoric. Mike via the website

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

Donkey drama Alexander Tihonov via Shutterstock

YOUR article on women’s pensions suggested that as early as 1995 the government decided to look into the idea of bringing into line the retirement ages for men and women, and that there should be a transition period of 15 years for women to make alternative arrangements. While one of the arguments for increasing the pension age may be that women live longer, it may however, have more to do with the current movement for equality between the sexes. It has to be said the rules relating to the UK state pension are changing all the time and with people living longer and the government’s finances deteriorating from one year to the next, it is likely to continue. With many people living off the state pension only, the government does make an effort to help people improve their record. There is no excuse for a lack of information and it is incumbent on everyone to be aware of the situation regarding their UK state pension. Peter from Estepona

A haze of lies IT’S the lies from both sides that bug me. We need the TRUTH so we can make an informed decision. Not lies. Two cabinet ministers on the 6 o’clock news, the pro ‘in’ man says we’ll lose sharing of intelligence by security services if we leave. Liar! Sharing security intel against terrorists rises way above mere politics. Of course that will continue! The pro ‘out’ man says we have no control over the UK border while in the EU. Liar! The UK is not in the

DO accidents mean we should ban cars, planes, swimming pools, amusement parks, jet skis, motor boats, water parks, walking in the street. Common sense tells us care should be taken with everything we do and accidents do happen but that doesn’t mean things that give us fun should be banned! Nor does it mean that contracts that have been made and pushed people to invest a lot of money should just be torn up because some officials decide to renege on it. Mike via website

Words matter

Quality advertising WE have worked with the Euro Weekly News recently for a recruitment campaign and have felt the advertisement to be very beneficial resulting in a good quality of candidate for interview. We will be working with the EWN moving forward and would not hesitate to recommend them to agencies looking for high calibre candidates. Charlotte Way, Operations Director, RE/MAX Top Homes

Ban on floating waterparks

IT’S reassuring to read a sympathetic article about the Mijas donkey’s plight, thank you. As a participant in recent demonstrations in favour of the abolition of the ‘burro taxi’, I am saddened and frustrated at the lack of any inclination on behalf of Mijas Town Hall, to even consider the possibility of change. PACMA’s petition, backed up with a veterinarian’s report on the poor condition of the donkeys, also seems to have been ignored. Bev via the website It’s a disgrace, for goodness sake build a donkey park/sanctuary, a refreshment area, walkways and let the donkeys be free for all to visit, just don’t ride them! People can walk around, look at them, a little shop where children can buy all sorts of donkey toys surely that would bring an income for the owners and happy donkeys. Janice via the website

Schengen zone and requires passports for EU entrants and additional visas for non EU entrants. If that’s not control I don’t know what is. The Scottish referendum was identical - lies, lies and precious little truth. Brian via the website

Brexit bull SO much for an EU reform that would make the union ‘more open, closer to the people, competitive...’ etc. It’s just been a petulant request to move further away from the rest of the

team, keep out the pesky foreigners (because we all know that if you’re not British, you MUST be rubbish. Leapy thinks so, doesn’t he?) and was aimed at kow-towing to UKIP voters and eurosceptic Tory backbenchers. But it’s made us the laughing stock. And guess what? If our lives are screwed up by an ‘out’ vote, we won’t get any sympathy from our neighbours in our adopted countries, because they’ll say we’ve asked for it. (Except ‘we’ didn’t, the UK government did). Our Graham still won’t admit he’s an immigrant, but I think he’d be a bit miffed if he became an ILLEGAL im-

migrant. Karma is hilarious, isn’t it? Kally via the website

Rape of Europe THIS is idiotic stereotyping. Misogynistic male behaviour, sexual assault and rape are not the product of one country or culture, such behaviours are a worldwide problem, also with frequent occurrence in places such as Poland (which has virtually no Muslims).

HARKING back to a, now rather outdated, column piece by Mr Leapy Lee, which I’ve only now read, I find it incumbent upon myself to write in to the EWN to take issue with his language. Referring to young black presenters as ‘articulate’, describing the wider black (and I suppose ‘inarticulate’) population as ‘hordes’, and making sweeping generalisations to fit his parochial narrative makes the man a subtle racist, and either wilfully ignorant or worse. If he would like to provide any concrete evidence for his damning racial claims that have a grounding in fact, not simply regurgitating his reading of tabloid media, or using allegories from his sheltered life, that would be much appreciated by this reader. James from San Pedro

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.

E W N 25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

Where the answers lie PP Madrid on Wikimedia Commons

POLITICIANS are answerable to voters as well as judges Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

ESPERANZA AGUIRRE, a former president of the Madrid region, maintained her overall majority in three elections, which is more than can be said for Mariano Rajoy. She recently resigned as president of the regional Partido Popular, now targeted in a corruption investigation, accepting responsibility. That, too, is more than can be said for Rajoy, who hides behind claims of leaving attribution and retribution to the ‘competent institutions’. Politicians are answerable to voters as well as judges, as astute Aguirre perceived. Rajoy, lulled into a false sense of security by his 2011 majority, forgot all about voters once he walked through the front door of the Moncloa Palace. That’s why he’s

We know who it won’t be POLITICAL commentators agree that they don’t know who will be the next president of the Spanish government. They also agree that everyone, except Mariano Rajoy, knows who it won’t be.

going to be a one-trick pony.

able, a huge asset in a politician. Are you listening, Pablo Iglesias?

Finding favour

ESPERANZA AGUIRRE: Recently resigned as president of the PP.

AGUIRRE, who survived an attack on her hotel during the Bombay massacre of July 2008, told interviewers immediately afterwards that she wouldn’t make much sense as she wasn’t wearing high heels. That, of course, accounts for Aguirre’s success. During her nine years as regional president, she appealed to a huge number of people who weren’t her natural voters and to a few who abhorred her politics. She managed to make herself like-

Name changes MANUELA CARMENA, who snatched the Madrid mayoralty from under Esperanza Aguirre’s nose, is a former communist and retired Supreme Court judge. Unsurprisingly, she and her supporters want to obliterate all traces of Franco’s military and political regime from Madrid street names. Now they want writers, artists and public figures deemed not to have opposed the regime sufficiently.

Advertising feature

When the going gets tough, the Brits go cruising David Deverson GLOBELINK INTERNATIONAL Insurance correspondent david@globelink.co.uk

MORE and more of Globelink’s clients are turning to cruises, and we’re delighted to cover them under the terms of our standard travel insurance policy. The popularity of cruises shouldn’t come as a surprise when you consider the remarkable value they offer, with accommodation, meals and entertainment all included in the package. And all of that with a minimum of packing, as yet another exciting destination sails into view. Cruises were once seen as the preserve of mature travellers who liked to dress for dinner every night. These days, the average passenger is under 55 and there are almost as many cruise types as there are kinds of passenger. Adult-only cruises offer the ultimate in sophisticated get-

FLOAT YOUR BOAT: Globelink include cruises in their standard travel insurance. aways. Multi-generation cruises cater for all the family, from Playstation-mad children with energy to burn, through to grandads who want to sharpen up their putting skills, or get expert tuition on how to work their iPads. Yet even with the best planning the unexpect-

ed can happen. A missed transfer, and the ship leaves without you. A cruise that has to be cut short when a close relative falls ill back home. Wise travellers take out travel insurance cover, but even they can be caught out. Unlike Globelink, some insurers exclude cruises from their

standard travel insurance policies - which means you could end up paying a hefty premium for adequate coverage before you go. Remember, if you live in Spain your travel insurance might be invalid if it does not cover the entire duration of your return trip, from the date you leave Spain until the date you arrive back in Spain. For an instant travel insurance quote and to arrange cover securely visit www.globelink.co. uk, or call (UK) +44 1353 699 082 or our Spanish link lines on 966 265 000 or 951 242 434. Globelink are the leading providers of travel insurance for people living in EU countries, and we will shortly be launching a bespoke Home Buildings and Contents Insurance with special discounts for our travel insurance policyholders. Please send an email to homeinsurance@globel ink.co.uk if you would like priority information.

HEALTH BEAUTY

Ask The Doctor

Axarquía - Costa Tropical

25 February - 2 March 2016

TO READ MORE

Brought to you by

Blood pressure

One of those weeks when you can’t make it to the gym? of you next to the countdown timer. Set phone stopwatch for fiveminute warm – up, 30 seconds each move, no stopping. • Jog on the spot . • Jumping jacks. • Jog on the spot. • Jumping jacks. • Jog-heel to butt kicks. • Wide leg scissors. • On the spot sprint.

Looking Good, Staying Trim

This week, Dr Luis Perez Belmonte answers a reader’s questions about blood pressure. - WHAT should my blood pressure levels be? I’m a man in my 50s. They should be under 140/80. - Is high blood pressure dangerous? How can I lower my blood pressure? You should see a specialist after checking your blood pressure every morning. High blood pressure over an extended period of time can be very dangerous. Medication and a healthy, salt-free diet can help get it down. - Is low blood pressure dangerous? What happens if it’s too low? If it is always under 90/40 but you have no other symptoms it probably isn’t anything to worry about, but a check-up with a specialist in internal medicine is recommended as a precaution. - Are blood pressure levels the same for men and women? No, women usually have

slightly lower levels than men. - Is treatment for life? Will I see any side effects if I’m prescribed tablets? There can be some side effects depending on the medication prescribed. If unsure about any symptoms you should see your doctor. Treatment is usually for life but medications can be swapped for more effective ones or to reduce side effects. - If my blood pressure is ok now, how can I make sure it stays that way? There are no guarantees as blood pressure can change for many different reasons, but sticking to a healthy diet, regular exercise and taking your medication will give you the best chance of keeping it under control. If you have any questions for Dr Perez Belmonte, please send them to: askyourgp@euro weeklynews.com

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FitFoxy

SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte.

EWN

WE are almost two months in to the new year and hopefully all good intentions to take care of yourself and get back into some sort of steady fitness routine is now in full force. However, there are days when no matter how organised your schedule planner is, the children are off school sick or your husband has been called away, the babysitter is unavailable to help this week, you have no spare hours in your day, any gym workout would be virtually impossible. FitFoxy’s solution: Set up your own quick HIIT Workout for these occasions All you need is: • You, complete with a workout kit and trainers. • Water and workout towel. • 20 solid minutes. • A small, clear workout space (push the sofa and chairs aside). • Some of your favourite upbeat music. • Smartphone – Stopwatch timer. • The following plan typed or written out in WORKOUT: large print, right in front A 20-minute

• Jumping jacks. • Jog-heel to butt kicks. • Wide leg scissors. Take one to two minutes rest, no longer, grab some water, set your timer for 15 mins and get ready for your workout. Main workout: Repeat each of the following four moves twice for around 30 seconds (two minutes) then 30 seconds rest. • Sprint – Jump jacks – scissors – jog high knees (to belly button). • Sprint – Low jump squats wide to narrow – jog-heel butt kicks – alternate jump lunge. • Sprint – wide scissors sprint – floor burpee to jump ups. • Sprint – jog high knees – floor crawl out to two press ups and back – Jump jacks. Now you are finished!! If you have followed this exactly to plan, you should be really feeling it, this is a great fat burner and you can complete it in 20 minutes. So... You have no excuses!! Love... FitFoxy...

quick fix.

Test could detect tumours SCIENTISTS at the Institute of Cancer Research in London have developed a test that they claim can accurately spot aggressive tumours before they spread to other parts of the body. Initial trials of the test were able to spot women at the highest risk of dying from breast cancer, and it is hoped the test could

now be used to tailor treatment for women at the highest risk. Sc ie ntis t s have m odi f i ed m et hods, which were initially developed by wildlife experts to identify ecological diversity in the natural world, and adapted the ecologists’ computer algorithm to use it on tumour samples.

E W N 25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

Toll charges have got me steaming Mike Senker

In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man I DON’T know if any of you have been back to the UK recently, but there have been some changes in paying for parking, and the one that has got me steaming is the Dartford toll. There is a bridge and a tunnel and the charge is £2.50. You used to just chuck coins into a big bucket thingy. But now, the powers that be have decided you have to pay online or by phone, or buy a voucher from some shop that you can’t park outside of unless you phone or pay online or get a voucher... get it? Anyway, I hired a car from a well-known company, who I have been a gold member of for more than 20 years, and as I had to get from Gatwick to Essex, it meant I had to use the Dartford crossing which I did twice and paid twice online. So you can imagine my surprise when checking my credit card bill and I noticed a random £42 (€54.60) charge. I called them and asked what it was for and they told me it was a fine and admin fee for not paying a

Dartford toll. I pulled up my bank statement and saw that two payments had gone out on the days I’d used the toll. The lady said this new system was causing problems. I told her I had proof I’d paid and thought I would just send them copies of my statement and that would be that. WRONG! Anyway I hung up, looked and couldn’t find it so called back and got the operator from hell. Remember, 20 years as a gold member. She just kept quoting terms and conditions saying I’d signed them and if I wanted the money back I’d have to get gov.co.uk toll department to tell them I had paid. I asked to speak to a supervisor only to be told one wouldn’t be available till next Wednesday. “What? It’s Thursday today!” I told her what I thought of their system and hung up. I then expressed my disgust on Twitter and did get an instant reply. I explained the problem again, but still got no help. All I want them to do is, if a fine comes through, at least notify me first and tell me they have taken money rather than just take it and hope I might spot it on my statement. After all, they are sending me emails every other day telling me what a great customer I am! So now I am dealing with gov.co.uk… I’ll keep you posted!

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT

LEGALLY SPEAKING

Common offences TRAFFIC laws are there to make the roads a safer place 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.

ANIMALS: Are unpredictable and must be properly secured in a vehicle. ALL traffic rules and laws are aimed at making the roads a safer place. The penalties associated with infractions are mostly intended to be a deterrent, which is why repeat offenders sometimes face harsher penalties. Here is part three of some of the most common traffic offences, and the fines and sanctions for committing them. Offence: Failing to carry the correct emergency equipment Failing to carry the correct emergency equipment in the car will result in a fine as in the event of an emergency you must be prepared. The mandatory equipment you must carry are two warning triangles, a reflective vest and spare wheel, along with the tools to change it. It is no longer mandatory for you to carry spare bulbs or a spare set of spectacles if you wear them, although it is advised. Fine: €80 Offence: Using your mobile whilst driving

Using your mobile phone when driving carries a fine, even if it is on ‘speaker’. It is also not permitted to wear any kind of headphone or headset, even the single-ear Bluetooth headsets are not permitted. The police, and others besides, communicate by Bluetooth headsets when they are patrolling on their motorbikes, but these headsets are built into the helmet. Distractions are one of the main contributing factors to road traffic collisions. Fine: €200 and the loss of three points Offence: Insecure animals in the vehicle Animals are unpredictable, especially in environments they are unsure of. If loose in a car they could interfere with the driver’s ability or visibility. Therefore, having an animal in the vehicle that is not properly restrained can result in a fine. Animals in cages and boxes must also be properly secured. Fine: €80

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

Who needs car booster seat? I HAVE two granddaughters coming out for a holiday, one is six-years-old and the other one is 11years-old. Do they require car booster seats to travel around?

There is no specific time limit on tyres used in Spain. Tyre tread is checked when a vehicle is inspected, which is required when a car is more than four years old. This is done at the ITV, the vehicle inspection station. Under Spain’s revised

Also, someone told me that car tyres in Spain have an age limit (five years) before they must be changed. This I find hard to believe but can you enlighten me? M.D. (Costa Blanca)

David Searl You and the Law in Spain

Traffic Code, a child under three-years-old must ride in the back, using a special child seat. A child from four to 12-

years-old and under 1.5 metres tall may ride in the front seat using either a child booster seat or a special system of belt restraints. A child 12 or more and over 1.5 metres tall can ride in the front seat using the normal adult seat belt.

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

E W N 25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREA

Word Ladder

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

Axarquía

ZONE BACK

for next 7 days

weather

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

TODAY

ARCHIDONA

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA MALAGA R DE LA VICTORIA

DEAL DELL DOLL DOLE DONE ZONE

DEAL

TIME

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ARCHIDONA

TOMORROW

‘MUST BE SOMEONE REALLY SPECIAL SHE WRITES EVERY DAY’

CASABERMEJA NERJA

VELEZ-MALAGA MALAGA R DE LA VICTORIA

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) You know where you are going and who with, but there is this one unresolved thought in your mind. It is just a thought, isn’t it? Or is it

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) You are still looking more to the past than to the future, but now it seems that circumstances are urging you to move ahead at more of a pace. Because the matter becomes urgent, it may seem to you that circumstances are overtaking you. The choice is still yours if you show speed and determination.

Nonagram

TARGET: Average: 16 Good: 22 Very good: 32 Excellent: 42

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

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION cere cert eery eyer fire free fret frit leer lire lyre reef reel reft rely rete rice riel rife rift rile rite tier tire tree tref trey tyre citer creel erect eyrie feyer fiery filer fleer flier flirt flyer leery lifer liter litre lyric recti reefy refit reify relic relit retie rifle terce tiler trice celery eerily fierce filter flirty freely lifter recite relict relief tercel tierce trifle certify erectly fertile rectify reflect reticle tiercel celerity fiercely ELECTRIFY

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX 21C, MIN 11C MAX MIN

19 11 S 15 7 C 16 7 C

Mon - 17 7 Cl Tues - 17 7 S Wed - 18 10 S MAX 18C, MIN 9C Mon - 16 9 Cl Tues - 17 18 S Wed - 18 11 S

16 11 C 14 9 Sh 14 8 C

18 12 Cl 16 9 Sh 15 9 C

S Sun,

Cl Clear,

Sh Showers,

10-Star Quiz

IRISH LOTTO

EURO MILLIONS

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

Saturday February 20

Friday February 19

Saturday February 20

Sunday February 21

14 25

18 31

BONUS BALL

THUNDERBALL

BONUS BALL

14 32

30 39

LUCKY STARS

REINTEGRO

SHOWERS MAX 17C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

17 9 C 15 7 Sh 15 7 Sh

Mon - 15 6 Sh Tues - 15 7 Sh Wed - 16 8 Cl

34 49

37 51

REINTEGRO

CLOUDY MAX 22C, MIN 9C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 8 C Tues - 17 8 S Wed - 18 11 S

UK THUNDERBALL

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

MAX MIN

Mon - 16 8 C Tues - 17 8 S Wed - 19 9 S

Murcia

SUNNY MAX 19C, MIN 11C

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.

SUNNY MAX 18C, MIN 10C 19 10 Cl 13 7 C 14 8 C

MAX MIN

Mon - 15 8 C Tues - 16 8 Cl Wed - 17 9 Cl

Sudoku

Fri Sat Sun TODAY:

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 10 1 C Tues - 12 1 Cl Wed - 13 3 Cl

Mallorca

CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 10C

Benidorm TODAY:

MAX MIN

12 3 C 9 1 Sh 8 1 Sh

MAX MIN

17 11 S 14 9 C 14 9 C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Fri Sat Sun TODAY:

Barcelona TODAY:

MAX MIN

Malaga

SUNNY MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

CLOUDY MAX 13C, MIN 3C

TODAY:

Almeria TODAY:

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) You are looking to having everything your own way, which may not be entirely out of the question. The only sticking point could be that you are not even willing to be sharp with someone who has been far from straight with you. Be prepared to trip over a loose end later if you do not tie it up now.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Judgement may be impaired this week and it would be advisable to get second and even third opinions. In much the same way that you

Madrid

SUNNY MAX MIN

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Are you being pushed into a corner? There is no need to respond with aggression, but a smooth and fast move is required to avoid this. They say that forewarned is forearmed.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Where you see things failing to go your way, it may seem that others are being unfair. It is unlikely to be that simple. Perhaps, by being too easygoing and friendly, you have given the impression of not being particularly caring. State your case and change the tune.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) What you truly want in life is now becoming clear to you. Not for you the fuzzy ideas of the past. Now, you realise that, if you do not give a strong lead, then others will lead you. To avoid going backwards now you must be determined and clear. Show others that you are firmly taking the lead in your future.

Alicante TODAY:

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) This week be prepared to be forthright when it comes to a certain difficult situation. This involves someone trying to get you to make a decision you are either not sure of or against.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) With your self-confidence on a high note, you are ready to sing the song of your future. There will be highs and lows but that is what makes life interesting and exciting. Do not now avoid changes for the sake of peace. What is exciting and balanced this week is where your future lies.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) You should bear in mind that you are the best one to decide what you want, when you want it and how you will go about getting it. Others may offer you short cuts, but is that really going to deliver the goods? I think not.

more? This is something only you can answer. Be prepared this week to take advice and ask questions.

LOTTERY

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Putting yourself first is necessary at the moment. There is so much happening this week that you may be tempted to run yourself ragged trying to do it all yourself. It is possible to persuade others to give a hand and, although it may seem too much trouble at the time, you will reap the benefits in the longer term.

(February 20 - March 20)

Fri Sat Sun -

F Fog, Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

21 10 Cl 17 7 Cl 17 7 Cl

Mon - 18 8 Cl Tues - 19 8 C Wed - 21 10 S

C Cloudy, Th Thunder

ST DAVID’S DAY 1. From the Welsh for ‘session,’ what name is given to any of several annual festivals in which Welsh poets, dancers and musicians compete for recognition? 2. On which race course is the Welsh Grand National normally run? 3. The Welsh village of Portmeirion was the setting for which 1960s ‘spy fiction’ television series starring Patrick McGoohan as an unnamed British agent? 4. ‘To begin at the beginning: It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters’-andrabbits’ wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea’ are the opening lines of which famous radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas? 5. To mark Prince Charles’s investiture as the Prince of Wales, which Welsh town was granted city status in 1969? 6. What is the Welsh name for Wales? 7. What name is given to a piece of wooden furniture with cupboards and drawers in the lower part and open shelves in the upper part? 8. Which Welsh flanker was tour captain of the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia? 9. Which Welsh singer was born Gaynor Hopkins in June 1951? Her UK hit singles include Lost in France (1976) and It’s a Heartache (1977). 10. Ynys Mon is the Welsh name for which island to the northwest of Wales? Not a lot of people know that... Britain’s very first lager brewery was opened in Wrexham in 1881 by German immigrants 1. EISTEDDFOD, 2. CHEPSTOW, 3. THE PRISONER, 4. UNDER MILK WOOD, 5. SWANSEA, 6. CYMRU, 7. WELSH DRESSER, 8. SAM WARBURTON, 9. BONNIE TYLER, 10. ANGLESEY

YOUR STARS

sometimes have an instinctive feel for things and situations, you now have this sensation about a certain person. An unbiased and imaginative opinion scatters your stress.

So far as your work or business life is concerned, those in authority may seek to see things done their way. Where they seem to pay lip service to your needs, that is all it is… talk. Be clear that you want action and that you will not give in easily.

PICSES

OUT

25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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page

AK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

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

Quick

Code Breaker

Across 1 Enthusiastic (5) 4 Strips of potato fried in deep fat (5) 9 Confidential (7) 10 Separated (5) 11 Doze (5) 12 Enigma (7) 14 Mislay (4) 16 Frequently (5) 18 Quarrel (5) 21 Feel concern or interest (4) 24 Moved fast (7) 26 Grab hold of (5) 28 Lapses (5) 29 Safeguard (7) 30 Smaller in number (5) 31 Cures (5) Down 2 Similar (5) 3 Instance (7) 5 Makes hotter (5) 6 Relatively flat highland (7) 7 Appears (5) 8 Remains (5) 9 Move with force (4)

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Crossword

EWN

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 1 represents V and 16 represents J, so fill in V every time the figure 1 appears and J every time the figure 16 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Bushel, 4 Brunei, 9 Spain, 11 Sheet, 13 Speed, 15 Leather, 16 Elgar, 17 Donor, 18 Pasta, 20 Poles, 21 Ignites, 22 Tosca, 24 Reeve, 26 Sacks, 27 Prefix, 28 Castro.

Down: 2 Sole, 3 Easter, 5 Rinsed, 6 Node, 7 Mantelpiece, 8 Osteopath, 10 Addressee, 12 Elastic, 14 Propose, 19 Agassi, 20 Persia, 23 Sore, 25 Edit.

QUICK Across:

13 Twelve month period (4) 15 On a single occasion (4) 17 Pardon (7) 19 Make like new (7) 20 Pursue (5)

English - Spanish

22 Adjust (5) 23 Highest quality (4) 25 Publication (5) 27 Perfection (5)

Down: 1 Pirate, 2 Again, 3 Slim, 5 Annually, 6 Enemies, 7 Resign, 8 Reply, 13 Separate, 15 Examine, 17 Muscle, 18 Cells, 19 Stages, 22 Alien, 23 Toys.

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

Across 1 Codo (5) 3 Health (5) 6 Muy (mucho) (4) 7 Image (6) 9 Slow (vehicle, music, progress, pulse) (5) 10 North (side, part) (5) 11 Door (6) 12 Fig (4) 13 Sombra (zona sin sol) (5) 14 Latón (metal) (5)

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across:

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

1 Casar, 4 Peach, 7 Rio, 8 Soldier, 9 Terremoto, 13 Peasant, 15 But, 16 Nieto, 17 Sheep.

Down: 1 Cura, 2 Stone, 3 Resfriado, 4 Palomitas, 5 Ahi, 6 Harm, 10 Table, 11 Open, 12 Step, 14 Ace.

Down 1 Sobres (para cartas) (9) 2 Aubergine (9) 3 Week (6) 4 Small lizard (9) 5 Peligroso (9) 8 Botella (6)

Hexagram

1 Peaks, 4 Career, 9 Realise, 10 Needs, 11 Tiny, 12 Leaving, 13 Sky, 14 Here, 16 Last, 18 Cry, 20 Unaware, 21 Fast, 24 China, 25 Looking, 26 Eleven, 27 Songs.

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

AFRAID ALLELE ASTRAY BEYOND BRANDY DEFEAT DIESEL FLUENT INDOOR JASPER

JOYFUL (10) LANDAU LUMBER MUTATE RABIES RUEFUL SERIAL SPLEEN STRAND

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Update 2 Ensure 3 Dither 4 Hereby 5 Inhere 6 Server 7 Freest 8 Linden 9 Fierce 10 Shimmy 11 Ransom 12 Entity 13 Umlaut 14 Retire 15 Demure 16 Detour 17 Kindle 18 Oxcart 19 Leaden

Across 1 Holy Island could be in Friesland (11) 9 No night shift for sweet Fanny Adams (7) 10 Good man gets beer, but it's flat (5) 11 A shivering fit in Prague (4) 12 Line across English game (8) 14 Steam-cooked foodstuffs (5) 15 Poet gives King fare (5) 20 Plea to dine in the entrance (8) 22 Big cheese that is after British Rail (4) 24 Work unit of weathermen (5) 25 Opposed to a giant’s organisation (7) 26 Was Mr Clooney annoyed when he received this award? (6,5) Down 2 Interrupt Ted and ruin production (7) 3 American lawyer is on the

platform (4) 4 US soldiers come back, initially not a large wave (6) 5 Took in broken orbs in a bed (8) 6 Advances made by listeners after end of audition (5) 7 Stated demand before having massage (5) 8 Hold off being freed in error

(5) 13 Flag of current Queen (8) 16 Shorten damaged royal seats (7) 17 Bad-tempered trial at end of July (5) 18 Collected a badger (2,4) 19 Bighead lets out cuffs (5) 21 Paper is in on the menu (5) 23 Just a bazaar (4)

E W N 25 February - 2 March 2016 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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OPINION & COMMENT

It’s a load of old horlicks

OUR VIEW CreditAndrey Popov Shutterstock

EXPERT advice in the dietary department can be bad for your health 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.

JUST when you think you have it cracked in the dietary department, out comes another report telling us that what we had hitherto been told about the health benefits from this food or that, is now a load of old horlicks and moreover is doing us great harm. Conversely, foods that we have been told to avoid like the plague are now being seen as not only free of danger, but positively beneficial t o o u r h e a l t h an d well-being. There was a time when we were urged to cut down on the number of eggs we ate in a week, because they are high in cholesterol and should b e c o n su m e d in moderation. I have looked

HIGH CHOLESTEROL: There was a time when we were urged to cut down on eggs. at the information available, which at best is contradictory and have continued to maintain my intake. It’s the same with butter. I s imp ly lo v e th e s tu ff.

Nevertheless I was gradually persuaded long ago, to give up this fat-saturated poison for the health benefits of vegetable sludge of one brand or another.

Although I was forced to believe the hype that this would make me a leaner, more robust individual able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, there is no

advertising executive alive who was ever going to convince me that it tastes like the real thing. Can’t believe it’s not butter? I sure as heck can! But f i ve year s ago, on the basis of my own feelings, I reverted back to good old English slightlysalted butter. Then anot her r epor t came out, announcing that perhaps butter was not the vi l l ai n i t had been m ade out to be after all and that in fact, some saturated fat was necessary for good health. I saw this as vindication for my stance on the subj ect and di d back f l i ps around my living room, but soon stopped when I began to wheeze and require oxygen. I came to the conclusion a l ong t i m e ago, t hat m y reasoning when deciding which foods to embrace or to give the boot, should be: If in doubt, think natural.

Apple shaken to the core Photo credit: flickr by Mike Deerkoski

US court ruled the company must help the FBI access an iPhone belonging to a terrorist John Smith Random thoughts... ONE of the largest corporations in the world is facing a major crisis of conscience following a decision made by a US court, which ruled that Apple must help the FBI to circumve n t t h e e n c r y p t io n o n a n iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernadino Daesh terrorists, in the hope that it will find information about others in their network. In simple terms, Apple and network providers were criticised in the past for allowing the US government access to observe data being sent through their phones, and they have spent a great deal of time and m o n e y i n d e v e l o p in g n ew methods of encrypting their phones to stop them from being hacked. In this particular case, the FBI doesn’t know the passcode which would a l l o w t h e m a c c e s s to th e phone and its contents, but if they

APPLE: Have been criticised in the past, along with other network providers. try too many random codes they will be locked out and the data may be erased.

What they want Apple to do is to unlock the phone so that they can try random numbers until they hit

DONATIONS: Clothes.

Thank you for caring IT is very heartening that no matter what happens in the world or how bad the economy may be, people still do care for others and do what they can to help. Governments can fight and argue but individuals, knowing that they can’t affect international events, do at least take the trouble to make sure that their neighbours and those suffering receive some help. The British have a reputation of being both reticent and undemonstrative, but here in Spain the expat community seems to thrive on becoming involved and helping others, whilst also making people aware of problems that exist. The number of charities that are able to raise funds and help other expats and local people is quite amazing, and they seem to fall into three main categories namely, age, animals and health. The way they undertake fund raising is really quite impressive. At the ‘top end’ there are expensive dinners with raffles and auctions which can raise significant amounts and for some charities, a single night can raise enough to allow it to help people all through the year. Others are much less audacious and can be as simple as sponsorship or a coffee morning but every little helps, and with very few exceptions 100 per cent of the funds raised go directly to the cause itself. We have also seen a definite growth in the number of charity shops that exist, and they do have a number of positive advantages other than just raising funds. Many of the volunteers enjoy meeting other volunteers and customers whilst feeling that they are offering a service.

the right combination, but Apple is against this and is possibly going to argue that the encryption is so complicated that even they don’t know how to bypass it, so will have to have new programmes to allow them to break in themselves. If by agreeing to this and the authorities do find terrorist contacts, then Apple should feel they have done t he r i ght t hi ng, but i f t he phone is innocent, what happens when there is a similar request now the government knows it can be done, and where do you draw the line? Speaking as an innocent in the tech world, it strikes me that if a 15-year-old can hack into a global corporations website from a home computer, anything is possible. If Apple don’t do it openly, the US government will find some way of doing it clandestinely and then we Now we will never know. want to If ‘Big Brother’ is watching, then hear your views. I would prefer to know about it than not, but equally in the YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE words of a number of reac- YOUR OPINION tionaries ‘if you have nothing to www.euroweeklynews.com hide why worry’?

SCENE

OCIAL

25 February - 2 March 2016

TO READ MORE

Lux Mundi trip to Madrid

Axarquía - Costa Tropical

For more details or to book call 952 543 334 or visit www.lux-mundi.org but please note that a €100 deposit must be paid by February 26.

New members for 41 Club MEMBERSHIP has increased by 10 per cent AFTER their very successful Burns night which was reported in issue 1595 of EWN, the 41 Club in Nerja has now seen their membership increase by nearly 10 per cent, with three new members and one prospective member. They meet twice a month on the first and third Thursdays. The first Thursday is their lunchtime ‘Munch Bunch’ menu del dia around the many restaurants in their catchment area. The third Thursday sees their normal 41 meeting for the

Weekly Bible reading THE English-speaking congregation within the Spanish Evangelical Church situated in Torre del Mar, is now holding its weekly Presbyterian fellowship meeting at 11am on Sundays at Legends Bar, Calle Don Cipriano

VISIT WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM/FEATURES/RESTAURANTS

By John Smith A MARCH journey organised by Lux Mundi Torre del Mar will take parishioners on a four night, five day excursion to capital Madrid, as well as Aranjuez and Toledo at a cost of €419 per person for a double room and €476 for a single room. Included in the price is cost of coach travel, insurance, half bo a r d , g u i d e d v is its an d to u ris t b u s tick et in Madrid. The trip, which starts on March 15 and sees a return on March 19, has an early morning pick up from Vinuela (football pitch) 6.45am, Algarrobo 7.15am, Caleta 7.25am and Torre del Mar 7.30am.

EWN

Maldonado Jimenez, 29740, Torre del Mar. All are welcome for a relaxed, open and informal, Bible-centred style of worship and for more information visit www.torredelmarc hurch.es.

CHAIRMAN Mike Proctor with new members.

men at Hotel Al-Andaluz in Maro and on the same evenings many ladies meet for a meal in one of the local restaurants. The website 41clubnerja.org gives full details of their planned events and as most of their members only visit Spain a few weeks each year, by increasing their numbers they are guaranteed a good turn-out at each meeting. Please contact them through their website or call Alfie Fornear on 626 998 626.

E W N Axarquía - Costa Tropical

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25 February - 2 March 2016

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HOMES

GARDENS

Winter veggies Dick Handscombe

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

WINTER in Spain is a good time to grow vegetables along the Mediterranean Costas and nearby inland valleys before one reaches the zone of heavy rains, frosts and snow falls. Firstly there are many varieties that can be sown and started by buying plantlets in the autumn that will give winter and early spring harvests. Secondly if grown sheltered from the heaviest winds and some of the winter sun they do not require constant watering and mature slowly and not all at once. Thirdly if lettuces are treated as cut and come again

plants they will not form mature lettuces that need to be cut but will give months of salad leaves. There is also another benefit of just keeping soils damp and not wet and that is that plants develop larger and deeper root balls and stronger growth well able to survive heavy frosts and days under a coating of snow. I well remember the heavy freeze up of early march 2005 when we lost many tender plants in the garden, but when we visited the large, 833 square metre allotment after a couple of days cocooned in the house, we found that we had lost nothing except for a row of peas sown with seeds from Mali, while nearby Spanish allotments over-watered and fertilised even in the winter were

black and most plants never recovered. Broccoli plants now have harvestable heads, but smaller sprouting broccoli heads have been harvested since before Christmas. Incidentally there are two other benefits for planting broccoli in the open garden or in builder’s tubs. Firstly young leaves add an extra taste to winter salads and any heads that go to seed can be used for making healthy breakfast omelettes. Another useful year round salad leaf is rocket and again if the plants are cut back, but not taken out of the ground in the autumn when past their best, you will have a crop of young leaves for another year or two. I finally took the last of the

summer’s pepper plants out of the ground last week as no flowers were forming even with our extremely mild winter. They were replaced by some early tomato plants covered with cut-off five litre water bottles as cloches. Incidentally the last tree tomatoes from plants planted last March were harvested last week. If you are tempted to start to grow vegetables this year do recognise which vegetables are most beneficial in terms of the vitamins and minerals which they harbour. A useful summary of these is provided in my book ‘Living well from our garden Mediterranean style.’ © Dick Handscombe www.gardenspain.com February 2016

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IT is unlikely they would survive a violent impact

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THINK what could happen in a crash if you don’t secure your dog. * Your dog could be thrown through the front window incurring severe injury or even death. * Your dog could act as a missile hitting the driver and causing them to veer out of control. * Your dog could be thrown from the back seat at such force they could break bones or incur life threatening internal injuries. * Your dog could be knocked unconscious or experience such shock that it permanently

SPECIAL HARNESS: Wearing one is not unkind. changes their personality. * If your dog is a large breed, such as a Labrador, he could be catapulted through the car with the force of a baby elephant, in all likelihood, injuring all in his way. * It is unlikely the dog would survive such a violent impact. * If you are involved in an accident, it is safer for all concerned if your dog is restrained in the car. A dog which is loose could run straight into the traffic and

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Motoring shorts

Amazon rev up for ‘Not Top Gear’ TOP GEAR was undoubtedly the most watched motoring show in the world. Things went south last year when lead presenter Jeremy Clarkson was involved in a fracas with a producer, which resulted in his contract not being renewed. He and the other two presenters left for Amazon and Clarkson has now confirmed that Amazon’s motoring show has finally started filming. It’s not known how much Amazon is investing in this project, but some reports suggest that it may spend as much as $250 million on the 36 episodes of the motoring show that it has ordered. The show will feature Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, the trio that was the driving force behind Top Gear. The show won’t be a copy of Top Gear and it certainly won’t be called Top Gear because that’s BBC’s property. Amazon hasn’t revealed the name but Clarkson said it’s going to be a new show with a new name, new segments and new ideas.

Barry Sheene on the silver screen MOTORCYCLE legend Barry Sheene and his rags-to-riches story will be brought to the big screen, in a feature-length biopic by the writers of Porridge and The Likely Lads. The intrepid cockney rebel’s rise from delivery driver to two-time world motorcycle champion is the subject of the new screenplay Sheene by Ian La Frenais, and Dick Clement. Lovable Londoner Sheene, who lived a playboy lifestyle and famously survived two major crashes in the 70s, is credited with taking the sport into the mainstream. One of the most daring and distinguished riders in its history, he died aged 52 after a short battle with cancer in 2003.

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“Honest to God, the Fiat Qubo is so slow that if you climbed into one this morning in Hunstanton and attempted to drive south as fast as possible, coastal erosion would swallow you up by Wednesday evening.” Some might say...

Confirmed: The €32,000 Tesla RESERVATIONS will be taken from March, though production won’t begin until 2017 WE’RE getting close to the March 2016 mark when Elon Musk told the world that Tesla would reveal the Model 3, its new, more affordable take on the electric car. But Musk now says that the event at the end of next month may not, in fact, be a full reveal. Musk promised only “the first pictures of the Model 3,” meaning some of the details about the much-anticipated EV could remain in the dark until deeper into 2016. Musk also confirmed,

ELON MUSK: Presented the latest model. in an interview with Bloomberg on February 9, that the Model 3 will meet

TESLA MODEL 3: A new, more affordable electric car.

its promised price tag of $35,000 (€32,000), and that’s before government

Charged, not pumped THE intensifying trend for electric and hybrid vehicles saw a major boost, with the news that Aston Martin is collaborating with Chinese consumer group LeEco to develop the luxury British brand’s first electric car. Known as the RapidE, it will be based on the Rapide S model, and will be built in England. It is expected to be on the market in 2018. A prototype edition was released in October and the news released on February 17 marks Aston Martin’s first significant foray into the electric market. LeEco is a huge company focused on offering branded content online, and claims to have around 300 million regular visitors, an enormous potential market for Aston Martin.

The legendary car maker could tap into both the luxury environmental market in the west, and also the more practical necessity faced by wealthy Chinese buyers who need to cut down on smog. An alliance between automakers and internet megaliths is emerging in consumer affairs, as they look to combine their distinct expertise to expand their markets. Research companies including Google see vehicles as the next outlet for their tech savvy, with smart cars possessing higher degrees of independence and flush with wifi systems on the agenda. This fits well with the desire of car makers to put gadgets in their vehicles to satisfy an emergent public demand for enhanced interactive features.

RAPIDE S: Is the model the new RapidE will be based on.

incentives that could drive it significantly lower. On F e b r u a r y 11 h e t w e e t e d , ‘Model 3 reservations will be accepted in Tesla stores on March 31 and online April 1.’ The Tesl a Model 3 wi l l be an electric car that that has a look and feel similar to cars like the Audi A4, BMW 3 series, Jaguar XE and Mercedez-Benz CClass. No official specifications have been revealed,

but some car sites are speculating about some of the features that could be included in the upcoming Model 3. Though it has revealed that it has the design of a smaller version of the Model S, CEO Elon Musk said: “I really want the Model 3 t o be di ff er ent , not j ust a smaller Model S… it will be way different from any other car on the road…in a way that’s really useful.”

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THE opening day of pre-season testing saw Vettel test fastest for Ferrari, but Hamilton and Mercedes rack up the laps. Axarquía ’s best guide to local sport

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Four London clubs still in FA Cup ENGLAND’S men lose while the women win in cricket 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 • Reading were the FA Cup 5th round giant-killers, beating WBA 3-1 to reach the last eight for the fourth time in seven seasons. Hull drew 0-0 at Arsenal for whom it was manager Ar-

sene Wenger’s 100th game in the competition; Watford ko’d Leeds 1-0; Everton won 2-0 at Bournemouth, West Ham ousted Blackburn 5-1, Crystal Palace won 1-0 at Tottenham, Chelsea blitzed an inexperienced Manchester City side also by 5-1 and Manchester United accounted for Shrewsbury. • The draw for the quarter-finals, to be played on 12/13 March, is: Arsenal or Hull v Watford, Everton v Chelsea, Reading v Crystal Palace and Manchester United v West Ham.

• In the Champions League this week we had ArsenalBarcelona and Juventus-Bayern Munich on Tuesday and Dynamo Kiev- Manchester City and PSV-Atletico Madrid last night, while Liverpool (0-0 with Augsburg), Spurs (1-1 with Fiorentina) and Manchester United (1-2 down to Midtjylland) play the return legs of their Europa League ties tonight. • Liverpool play Manchester City in Sunday’s League Cup final at Wembley, while the weekend’s top PL games are Leicester-Norwich, Manchester United-Arsenal, SouthamptonChelsea, Spurs-Swansea and West Ham-Sunderland; it’s Hull-Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves-Derby in the Championship; Burton-Walsall in the FL1 and Hartlepool-Northampton in FL2. • The Italian Cup semi-finals (March 1/2) are AC Milan-

Alessandria and Inter Milan-Juventus. • Lionel Messi has now scored a record 301 La Liga goals for Barcelona and says his target is 500. Also in Spain, Gary Neville’s Valencia have now won three games on the bounce. • PSG lead French Ligue 1 by 24 points; Bayern Munich have an 11 point advantage in the Bundesliga; Juventus top Serie ‘A’ and Celtic head the SPL. • The FA could scrap FA Cup replays and make League Cup semi-finals one-off ties. RUGBY UNION • The Six Nations tournament continues tomorrow when Wales play France, followed on Saturday with England v Ireland and Italy v Scotland. RUGBY LEAGUE • In the annual UK-Australia World Club Challenge, Leeds Rhinos crashed 38-4 to North

Queensland Cowboys, Sydney Roosters beat St Helens 38-12 and Brisbane Broncos crushed Wigan Warriors 42-12. CRICKET • South Africa (135-7, with 15 runs coming off the last over) beat England (134-8) in the first T20 match. England (171 all out) lost seven wickets for just 14 runs in the second game which South Africa (1721) won comfortably. “It was men against Lions,” said one player. • England’s women, with wicket-keeper Sarah Taylor striking three successive halfcenturies, won their T20 series against the Proteas by 2-1. • New Zealander Brendon McCullum hit the fastest-ever Test Match century against Australia last weekend in 54 balls, scoring off only 27 of them… beating Viv Richards’ record 56-ball hundred in 1986. McCullum has now

struck the most sixes in Test Cricket - 106. SNOOKER • Ronnie O’Sullivan turned down the chance of winning £10,000 by recording a maximum 147 break in the recent Welsh Open. He said the prize money wasn’t big enough! The ‘Rocket’ nevertheless went on to win the title for the fourth time, beating Neil Robertson in the final. HORSE RACING • Ex-GB Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton competed over the jumps for the first time at Fakenham last Friday, but was unseated when Pacha Du Polder stumbled. ‘VP’ is now looking forward to riding at Cheltenham next month. • Last week, jockey Tom Scudamore rode his 1,000th winner (990 over jumps, 10 on the flat) and so emulated his father, Peter, who did likewise during his career.