Euro Weekly News - Mallorca 20-26 December 2018 Issue 1746

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ISSUE NO. 1746

20 - 26 December 2018

Newspaper in Spain 2017 & 2018

MALLORCA

YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

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By Tara Rippin DRUG, alcohol and speed controls in Palma have doubled th i s f e st i v e se as o n , with police checks scheduled every ‘morning, afternoon and night.’

Police c h i e f , Jo s ep Palouzie, said officers will be ‘operating a zero tolerance p o l i c y, ’ a d d i n g th at surveillance will ‘be equally intense to detect those who exceed the speed limits to ensure public safety,’ made possible through round the clock controls.

A Pa l m a p o l i c e t w e e t reads: “If this Christmas

people drink and drive, our officers will be waiting, and n o t to co n g ratu late m otorists on the fiestas. Respect also the speed limits we have, we will be looking for everything.”

The speed controls will not only be carried out this y ea r w ith th e u s u a l ra da r vehicles, but also with two laser kinemometers, which determine velocity through sound and are being used for the first time this Christmas.

And while all traffic related and public safety surveillance will be random, Palouzie promised ‘there

will be a focus on nightlife.’

The Christmas campaign began at the weekend, and is reportedly a ‘significant leap’ in terms of police activity compared to last year.

Officers will be located at static points in commercial zones, but will also be patrolling pedestrian areas ‘to ha ve pre s e nc e a nd a void theft or other issues that affect security,’ said Palouzie.

There will be between 10 and 15 different points of ‘traffic regulation’ in busy areas ‘where problems of traffic agglomeration occur,’ depending on the time of day.

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CREDIT: Policia de Palma@policiadepalma

Surveillance stepped up for a safer Xmas

PUBLIC SAFETY: Random police checks will be stepped up over Christmas.

The solution to great currency savings is on page 19

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20 - 26 December 2018

NEWS EXTRA Family evicted A MOTHER and her two children, one of whom reportedly has severe disabilities, were evicted from their home in Palma on Monday, despite a protest from the group Stop Evictions.

Cancer meal MORE than 300 people attended a meal meeting at Sala Rex de se Pobla, organised by the Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC), where more than 60 ‘contributions’ were made, with the final amount to be confirmed.

Foul letter AN investigation is underway after a letter, written by a man and containing ‘foul sexual content,’ was left at a bus stop used by students at a Palma school and found by a female pupil.

Hunt for missing pensioner

by Tara Rippin CONCERNS are high for the safety of an 88-year-old man with Alzheimer’s who disappeared from a residential home in Muro on Sunday, and an intense search is underway.

Joan Oliver Pujol, better known as ‘Palet,’ went missing from the Reina Sofia property, at about 2.30pm.

Local Police were immediately notified and began looking for the pensioner, until nightfall forced them to suspend the search.

An operation centre was set up in Muro, and the Guardia Civil was called upon to take charge of an aerial hunt, with additional officers on the ground.

The Mountain Group (GREIM) of the Guardia

CREDIT: Ayuntamiento de Muro Facebook

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SEARCH: Concerns for Joan Oliver Pujol.

Civil, along with the canine department, Mallorca fire-

fighters, Civil Protection and neighbours also joined the

effort to trace the popular character.

At t he t i m e of goi ng t o press, the town hall of Muro had posted on its official Facebook page: ‘Unfortunat el y, we st i l l have no news about the disappearance of Joan Oliver Pujol, and we wi l l cont i nue t o search through the day and night.

“We want to thank all volunteers, Local Police in Muro, the Guardia Civil, Civil Protection Muro, Mallorca firefighters and everybody else involved in helping to find Joan.”

It was also revealed that operation centre coordinators planned to extend the search to cover a larger area.

Anybody with information is asked to call 629 214 423, 971 860 337, 062 or 112.

NEWS

Mediator’s throat cut TWO brothers have been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of a co-worker who was almost beheaded when his throat was slashed.

The suspects reportedly arrived at a car wash in Manacor last Thursday afternoon, from where one of the defendants had been fired to demand he be reinstated.

The owner of the business was out so they called on the phone and allegedly began threatening him, before another employee tried to mediate.

He was reportedly punched several times, before one of the brothers is said to have slashed the victim’s throat, causing a cut 15cm long, and 1.5cm deep.

The siblings, who have lengthy police records, fled the scene but were quickly located.

NEWS

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20 - 26 December 2018

Surface Investment

THE BIG PICTURE Nº 45

SOME €600,000 is being spent on resurfacing roads and pavements as well as installing new lighting and street furniture in Porto Cristo. Manacor Town Hall’s delegate for the area, Joan Gomila, said the work will be completed in time for the 2019 summer season.

Finance 18 Leapy 24 Letters 31 Time Out 32-33 Health & Beauty

Wet weather

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MODEL FAMILY: The scenes depict the nativity story.

A TYPICALLY Mallorcan villa in Port d’Andratx, worth €9,550,000 has been the most visited luxury house in the Balearic Islands this year, according to the real estate portal Idealista. The property, which has five bedrooms and two guest apartments, is among the top 10 most popular in Spain.

Job offer THE City Council of Palma has approved a ‘public offer of employment,’ which includes 166 jobs, which it expects to fill in the next three years. It is the largest recruitment drive undertaken by the council in 15 years, and is aimed at ‘improving the service given to citizens.’

Shop thefts FIVE arrests have been made in connect i o n wi t h a sp ree o f thefts of food and perfumes from supermarkets in Palma and Inca. The three women and one man, from Son Gotleu, are suspected of stealing €1,000 worth of goods over a twomonth period.

REGULARS INSIDE 1 - 16

BRITISH holidaymakers travelling to Mallorca will have to pay €7 for visa-free travel from 2021, a post-Brexit move which was confirmed by European Commission President Jean ClaudeJuncker. Alongside the fee, UK nationals will need to pre-register for the three-year electronic visa waiver.

Hot house

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News

Visa fee

AUTUMN, which ends tomorrow (Friday) was officially the wettest in 30 years, according to Aemet for the Balearic Islands, wi t h 3 4 d a y s o f ra in .

Mallorca’s average is 16. The Met agency recorded 348 litres per sqm, 62 per cent more than the average.

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Making a scene MODELS of the nativity have popped up all over Spain as the co u n try p re p are s to c e le bra te Christmas this Tuesday.

This photograph captures a depiction of the holy family in miniature from the Plaza Mayor in Valladolid City in Castilla y Leon.

These scenes, known as Belens after the Spanish name for Bethlehem, are part and parcel of Spain’s Christmas celebrations.

Towns and cities typically install them in their main squares, town

halls or churches. They are usually made by artists who craft models tha t te ll the na tivity s tory w ith elaborate decoration.

They tell the nativity story from the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary, the journey to Bethlehem, Jesus Christ’s birth and the visit from the Thre e Wis e M e n a nd the s he pherds.

Each town puts its own twist on the scene, with some displaying miniature models while others opt for life-size depictions of figures

Murder not suicide TWO men have been given six years in prison for the murder of Martina Rossi in Mallorca, seven years after her death was officially recorded as suicide by a court in Palma.

The National Police did not find any evidence of criminality after the 20-year-old Italian student fell from a sixth floor balcony in Cala Major at 7am on August 3, 2011, and magistrates reportedly ‘shelved the matter.’

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B u t M a r t i n a ’s f a m i l y w e r e n o t convinced, and with the help of an Italian lawyer, managed to convince the prosecution in their own country to open an investigation in 2012.

As a result, two Italian males, both 27, who were also holidaying at the same hotel, were found guilty of trying to rape Martina, who in a ‘desperate attempt to escape’ unsuccessfully tried to jump onto the balcony of the next room and died.

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from Jesus Christ’s birth.

Some areas go even further, with s a nd scul pt ur es of t he nat i vi t y crafted in Gran Canaria and one made of chocolate installed in Cordoba City.

The Li vi ng Cr i b of Beas, i n Huelva Province, Andalucia, a lifesize scene installed inside a cave, is so famous that it has become a tourist attraction.

The t r adi t i on of m aki ng t he s c e nes i s bel i eved t o be ar ound seven centuries old.

Social 35-36 Property 37 Classifieds 43-44 Motoring 45 Sport 47-48

Fatal crashes A MOTORIST was killed when his licence-exempt vehicle was involved in a head on collision with a Ford Focus, whose driver fled the scene.

The 51-year-old died on the Manacor main road heading in the Palma direction on Saturday morning.

According to reports, his car was hurled several metres, and two other vehicles which were unable to avoid the crash, were also involved.

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Five hours after the fatal collision, the driver of the Ford Focus was apprehended by the Guardia Civil.

He allegedly told officers ‘he didn’t remember anything’ and tested positive for alcohol. He was charged but not detained.

The previous day, a male driver was killed after he lost control of his car and crashed into a lorry travelling in the opposite direction on the Bunyola-Santa Maria MA-2020.

The total number of news and features which appeared in Issue 1745 of the Euro Weekly News Mallorca edition, including 78 local stories.

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20 - 26 December 2018

Conmen alert BOGUS gas inspectors are operating in Calvia and Palmanova prompting an official police warning.

Conmen posing as inspectors have been visiting properties unannounced and not wearing the appropriate uniform, claiming they need to ‘update connections’ for butane or natural gas supplies.

A number of potential victims have a reported a man driving a grey Peugeot 208.

But Calvia police has pointed out that appointments for revisions of gas installations are only made by property owners contacting their suppliers directly, and there are fixed rates for these inspections.

Homeowners are advised, that if someone arrives claiming to be an inspector, the best thing to do is ‘not even open the door’.

Jail term A NIGERIAN man has been given a 19-month sentence at the Audiencia of Palma for selling €165 worth of cocaine and cannabis in Magaluf last July.

The case came to court this week and the defendant pleaded guilty.

Journalism protests

NEWS

YOUR LOCAL WRITER

CONTACT HER: NEWSPAPER RAIDS: Protesters rallied against police action in Madrid.

DEMONSTRATORS gathered outside Spain’s Supreme Court last week after police officers raided the offices of two news organisations.

The protesters gathered as more than 650 journalists from across the country wrote to the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), Spain’s justice watchdog, demanding reporters’ rights be protected.

It comes after Judicial Police officers raided the offices of Diario de Mallorca and of Europa Press’ Palma division.

It saw officers seize several documents allegedly connected to a large-scale corruption case being examined by journalists.

Maria Ferrer, director of Diario de Mallorca, said police did not present a court order during the search and that they also seized two personal mobile phones.

PALMA residents’ association is claiming that the Ministry of Tourism is not doing enough to prosecute illegal holiday rentals.

The group’s president Joan Forteza, criticised the government for not using resources at its disposal to process official

She added they had initially refused to allow the police inside, citing their journalists need to protect their sources.

Police said the raids were not in connection with the news outlets themselves but were undertaken to determine how the documents were leaked to reporters.

Members of the Madrid Press Association (APM) who demonstrated outside the Supreme Court, said journalists right to confidentiality should be protected.

Carlos Martinez de la Serna of the Committee to Protect Journalists reporter rights group, said that the move was an attempt to stop the uncovering of corruption.

“The decision to confiscate the reporters’ devices and materials is an unacceptable attempt to intimidate them,” Martinez de la Serna said.

Residents raise rentals concerns complaints about rentals.

He placed blame on Tourism

Minister Bel Busquets for not addressing the issue which affects many unable to pay high rental prices.

Forteza urged the Ministry to work closer with the association, which enables people to complain anonymously.

Tara Rippin

681 361 318 tara@euroweeklynews.com

Aceta grounds no flights call SPANISH airline Aceta has rejected Palma Council’s request for there to be no night flights at Son Sant Joan Airport.

A ban on flights ‘would have a very negative effect on airlines’ operation,’ said a letter sent to the director of regulated business at the airports authority Aena.

The letter went on to say that stopping night flights ‘would restrict activity in an indiscriminate manner and this would involve great harm being done to passengers, whose choice of flights would be limited.’

It drew attention to the ‘highly negative’ consequences for tourism and employment, and therefore the economy.

Under its 24-hour operation in 2017, the Son Sant Joan Airport attracted almost 28 million passengers, an increase of 6.5 per cent and more than 208,000 flights.

International flights represent 77 per cent of the total, and a similar proportion of the total are tourists.

FEATURE

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20 - 26 December 2018

Stranded car CREDIT: Policia de Palma Twitter

“Reality often exceeds any explanation. A driver leaves a sunken vehicle in the sand on a Palma beach. We are waiting to find out what happened, but the

Beach services plan a threat A DRAFT government plan for the Mondrago Nature Park which prohibits beach services during the tourism season has come under fire by Santanyi Town Hall.

The Partido Popular is demanding it be amended, and has questioned why Mondrago should be subject to different regulations than those which apply to the Es Trenc Nature Park in Campos.

There, six mobile chiringuitos are permitted, together with other services aimed at beach users.

The town hall has raised a number of concerns about the plan, which also includes a restriction on access that has long been used by residents in the area.

A source claims the proposed demolition of the chiringuito on the Fonts de n’Alis beach and the elimination of services would ‘result in the loss of jobs and of half a million euros revenue for the town hall. The removal of certain services would also mean a loss of eligibility for Blue Flags.

car has now been removed and taken to the municipal depot.”

The car was discovered discarded close to the shore on Monday morning.

Smuggler sent to jail A DRUG trafficker has been sentenced to three years in prison and a €200,000 fine at Palma Court.

The 47-year-old Nigerian was found in possession of half a kilo of cocaine and 157 grams of heroin.

He was intercepted at Palma Airport in July by the Guardia Civil and after undergoing a radiological examination, was found to be carrying 62 wraps of heroin, worth more than €100,000, inside his body.

He was taken to Son Espases hospital where the drugs were ‘expelled,’ before being arrested and taken straight to prison.

The prosecution had initially requested a six-year prison term, and a €315,400 fine.

Arsonist strikes again THE hunt for an arsonist responsible for setting fire to almost 270 refuse containers in Palma this year has stepped up after two more bins were destroyed in the early hours of Sunday morning.

According to the National and Local Police, who have joined forces to locate the person responsible, the fires were lit within 45

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Expats Guide to

ABANDONED: Sunken vehicle was discarded.

PALMA police are investigating the circumstances surrounding an abandoned vehicle discarded on a beach.

A spokesperson tweeted:

EWN

minutes of each other in the Son Fortesa area. Firefighters were first called to Zuloaga Street at 1.30am, before being deployed to nearby Blanes Viale Street at 2.15am.

More than €500,000 worth of damage has been caused since the beginning of the year, with containers, cars and trees destroyed during the attacks.

Spanish Life

Organ donation Living in Spain can bring with it an array of issues which may not have been encountered when living in the UK. There are lots of things to consider, and we are here to help try to make the transition and life in Spain a little easier by compiling a series of helpful facts and figures relating to a variety of topics.

AS of 2010, Spain has operated an ‘opt-out’ (or presumed consent) system for deceased organ donation. This addresses the rate or refusal of potential donors or their families in giving permission for the use of organs. The rate of family refusal in Spain is 13 per cent, compared to 37 per cent in England (according to the National Transplant Organisation figures - ONT).

According to the ONT, Brits living in Spain are more likely to donate their organs than their countrymen back home.

It’s not necessary to have a donor card. What is important is to let family members and loved ones know your wishes in terms of organ donation.

Figures published by the Spanish ONT in 2017 put the country as world leader in donation and transplants, reaching a new record with 46.9 donors per million people and 5,261 transplants. Spain has been a global leader in organ donation and transplantation for the past 26 years.

Broken down by organ, there were 3,269 kidney surgeries (up 9 per cent on 2016), 1,247 liver transplants (up 8 per cent), 304 heart procedures (8 per cent rise), 363 lung surgeries (up 18 per cent), 70 pancreas transplants (down 4 per cent) and eight bowel surgical procedures (up 100 per cent). According to the National Transplant Organisation (ONT), these surgeries are equivalent to six donors and 14 surgical procedures a day.

In addition, Spain saw a new record in bone marrow donation last year, with 78,291 new donors and an increase of 196 per cent over the previous year. At this rate, the country could reach its target of 400,000 bone marrow donors well before the mid-2020 goal.

In Spain the number of those on the waiting list was reduced to 4,896 in 2017, from 5,480, although the number of children waiting for organs increased to 74, from 48 a year earlier.

Lung and heart are viable for four to six hours after death, liver and pancreas 24 hours, kidney 72 hours, corneas 14 days, bone and skin five years, and heart valves up to 10 years. Small intestines, veins, tendons and ligaments can also be donated.

A single organ donor can save up to eight people and a single tissue donor may enhance the lives of up to 50 people.

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20 - 26 December 2018

Caught red handed

NEWS EXTRA Concrete delivery A HELICOPTER was drafted in this week to dump 144,000 kilos of concrete to form a 50metre slab on the Mont Reials viaduct to allow access to the Soller Railway, currently undergoing structural works.

Buy out BELMOND, which runs La Residencia in Deia, is to be bought out by LVMH (Moet, Hennessy, Louis Vuitton), before next summer subject to shareholder and competition authorities’ approvals, for a rumoured €2.8 million.

Figures up IN the last two years, conferences and exhibitions tourism in Mallorca has grown by 45 per cent, predominantly due to the success of the Palacio de Congresos which has seen 90,000 attendees since opening in April 2017.

NEWS

ISLAND IDYLL: Mallorca is as popular as ever.

Islands of plenty CITIZENS of the Balearic Islands who had emigrated away, are returning in some numbers according to the National Statistics Institute.

Over the first six months of the year, 1,140 Spaniards returned to the islands, while on-

ly 685 left.

The positive balance of 455 confirms a trend since 2015, while negative figures were resistered during the years of economic difficulty.

In terms of foreign immigration to Mallorca, it has record-

ed an increase of 7,454 to 914,651.

Cumulative data of the Balearic Islands from 2008 to June 2018 reveals a negative balance of -2,209, with 11,761 citizens returning.

Meanwhile, between July 1,

2003 and July 1, 2018, the foreign population of the islands went up from 110,986 to 239,901.

This 116 per cent rise dwarfed the 20 per cent increase in Spanish citizens who had moved from the mainland.

ONE of two men arrested for stealing from hotels in Playa de Palma, was caught in the act, climbing over balconies in order to get into rooms.

Hotel workers and security witnessed the 45-year-old, as did guests, and called the National Police officers who eventually found the suspect hiding under a mattress.

The second man, 34, was already detained in prison and charged with robberies from three hotel rooms. He also faces a deportation order.

The two detainees, who have previous convictions, both allegedly scaled the fronts of hotels in the early hours before breaking into rooms and stealing wallets and mobiles. Hotel security recordings assisted in the arrest of one of the two.

The police opened the investigation in October following at least 10 robberies.

Season starts MALLORCA’S EnglishSpeaking Residents’ Association central district kicked off its festive season with a Christmas lunch at Restaurant Maritimo in Palma.

Forty members, old and new, enjoyed an afternoon of traditional songs and cracker pulling, cava and good food at Restaurant Maritimo.

Group spokesman, Charles Eden, said: “Naturally, being ESRA, a fair amount of wine was imbibed and by the time we got to the raffle, mince pies and coffee, it was clear everyone was having a great time.”

Meanwhile, more than 55 members of the association’s south west district branch got together for a Christmas dinner and entertainment at Restau-

FESTIVE FUN: Members of ESRA Mallorca kick off their Christmas season with a traditional lunch. rante Can Paco in Sa Coma, Andratx.

A total of €2,600 was raised through a raffle and donations

Hot to trot NEW government aid for the promotion of the ‘trot sector’ in Mallorca has been confirmed with an allocation of €70,000 allocated to the Fons de Garantia Agraria i Pesquera of the Balearic Islands (FOGAIBA), half of which will cover the registration of horses born on the islands with the rest covering expenses.

for the group’s nominated charity for 2018, ASPANOB, which is dedicated to parents with children suffering with cancer in the Balearic Islands.

Vice chairman David, said: “Our thanks to everybody involved in this year’s Christmas celebration, it is a joy to be members of ESRA.” To find out more about ESRA Mallorca, visit: www.esra malloca.com.

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20 - 26 December 2018

Spain joins culture club SPAIN has signed the Council of Europe Convention on the value of cultural heritage for society, which promotes the integration of cultural, ecological, economic and socio-political development.

Ambassador Manuel Montobbio signed the treaty before the Deputy General Secretary of the Council of Europe, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, at the headquarters of the pan-European organisation in Strasbourg.

The objective of the agreement is to recognise the ‘common heritage’ of Europeans and of the ‘collective European memory.’

The text reflects the right of the community to participate in cultural life and education, and acknowledges the shared intellectual foundations of European civilisation.

It includes the ‘emerging trends’ which underline cultural values around the environment and globalisation.

There are currently 18 states which have ratified the agreement, but Germany, the UK, Russia and Turkey are still to do so.

NEWS

Vote victory for Down family SPANISH laws now guarantee the right to vote for people with disabilities.

An amendment to the existing 2005 law announced in Spain’s Official State Bulletin, will allow between 80,000 and 100,000 people throughout Spain to vote in the next elections.

The Spanish Committee of Representation for People with Disabilities (Cermi) has been calling for change in the law for some time, but the process speeded up in 2014.

The family of Mara Garcia Caamaño, who belong to the Down Compostela association in Santiago (Galicia), went to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg to obtain the right to vote.

“We are happy because we have achieved one of our collective’s greatest objects, the right to vote,” said Juan Martinez, president of Down Compostela, while lamenting that it shouldn’t have taken so long.

STEP FORWARD: Rights won for disabled.

Although voting rights are included in the International Convention on the Rights of Persons

with Disabilities recognised

by Spain in 2008, a Santiago judge rejected Mara Garcia Caamaño’s

A very royal Christmas

ROYAL FAMILY: Have released their annual Christmas card.

SPAIN’S royal family has released a picture of its annual Christmas card.

The festive photograph shows King Felipe and Queen Letizia posing with their daughters Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia during a trip to Asturias.

The trip was Princess Leonor’s first official visit as heir to the throne, leaving roy-

al commentators to speculate if the choice of photograph is a significant step in establishing the girl as Spain’s next monarch Although still only 13, Princess Leonor has already begun taking on official royal engagements, making her first public appearance in October at an event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of

Spain’s constitution. In January, her father also presented her with ‘The Order of the Golden Fleece,’ an honour awarded to Roman Catholic nobles.

Inside the card, the family wished receivers a happy Christmas and New Year, with signatures from King Felipe, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor, and Princess Sofia.

claim, prompting her family to fight through the courts until the case reached Strasbourg.

Dog’s balcony death A WOMAN has been arrested by the National Police for hurling a dog from her fifth-floor apartment in Spain. The incident occurred on Marina Street in Huelva, Andalucia.

Spanish media, report the dog died instantly after plummeting five storeys. Although police officers are currently still investigating the facts, the incident allegedly happened after the detainee had an argument with her ex-partner, the reported reason why she committed the crime of animal abuse.

Local pedestrians were caught off guard when the dog landed on the commercial street during peak shopping hours.

Several calls were made to emergency services after many witnesses reported the incident.

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20 - 26 December 2018

Tunnel works

NEWS EXTRA

A ROAD tunnel which runs beneath the Pyrenees mountain range and connects Spain with France is undergoing works to make it safer.

The Somport tunnel is being fitted with ventilation systems and a network of

Tree tragedy kills two TWO men, aged 65 and 22, died when a tree fell on their house in Tolosa while they were sleeping. While the older man died at the scene, his son was taken to hospital but also died.

Driver killed A BMW carrying seven young people crashed on the way back from a party in Madrid, killing the driver, who later tested positive for drink and drugs, and injuring the six passengers and a taxi driver who was hit.

shelters and emergency doors where people can take refuge in case of an emergency. The Intergovernmental Commission of the Somport Tunnel oversees works to the more than eight-kilometre-long structure.

Pollution death toll

Corpse found THE body of a woman was found near a roundabout in Sestao, in the province of Vizcaya, at 8.45am on Monday morning by a passer-by, who contacted emergency services and Basque police department The Ertzaintza.

NATIONAL

BANK OF SPAIN: Under scrutiny.

Bank under spotlight A COMMITTEE has accused the Bank of Spain of committing a ‘serious irregularity,’ which contributed to Spain’s financial crisis.

A parliamentary investigation committee looking into the Bankia case in which 300,000 investors lost money after the bank allegedly falsified its financial statements, said a decision by the Bank of Spain could have played a part in the fiasco.

The committee claim there were ‘nefarious consequences,’ after the Bank of Spain allowed ‘Caja Madrid, Bancaja and five other savings banks,’ not to publicly recognise their financial losses.

The consequences included bankers receiving bonuses despite the companies making losses, and banks posting favourable financial statements before Bankia was floated on the Stock Exchange.

More than 300,000 investors bought shares for a minimum of €1,000 following a major advertising campaign by Bankia in 2011.

When share value dropped significantly in 2012, the bank was forced to admit it had made a near €3 billion loss the previous year.

Spain’s Central Government bailed Bankia out, investing more than €22 billion.

AN average of 14 people die every day from pollution-related illnesses and diseases according to a new report, with a public health association claiming Madrid and Barcelona are in ‘very bad’ situations due to emissions

Jab first THE Castilla y Leon region is to become the first in Spain to offer vaccinations covering four types of

meningitis, with current jabs covering the C serotype while the new injections tackle A, W and Y.

‘No new bubble’ SPAIN’S property market is far from its 2008 state prior to the collapse of the industry and there is no sign of a new bubble developing in the sector, according to the Bank of Spain.

Cocaine cruise pensioners BRITISH expatriates, Roger, 72, and Sue Clarke, 70, have been arrested in Portugal after €2 million worth of cocaine was allegedly found in hidden compartments of their suitcases.

Reports suggest the British couple were locked up in Lisbon, Portugal on December 4.

Mr and Mrs Clarke were prominent residents in an expat community in Guardamar del Segura, Alicante and according to the British press, told friends in the community that Mr Clarke ran a lucrative fruit dealership.

Locals also reported to a well-known British publication that Mr Clarke had admitted in the past to a previous arrest and prison time for tobacco smuggling offences.

Mr and Mrs Clarke had reportedly enjoyed a Caribbean cruise, before their arrest shortly after docking in Lisbon aboard the cruise ship MC Marco Polo.

It is alleged that the Clarke’s former cleaner in Spain, Pauline Craven, also a

COCAINE CRUISE: British expat pensioners are well-known in Guardamar del Segura.

British expatriate, was offered money and tickets for a Caribbean cruise if she and her husband agreed to take two ‘Caribbean’ designer suitcases to the United Kingdom to be sold for profit.

Mrs Craven alleges that the

Clarkes sacked her, shortly after she refused their offer.

Portuguese police obtained a search warrant for the Clarke’s cabin on the cruise ship.

The British couple are now awaiting trial in Portugal fol-

lowing the alleged discovery of large quantities of cocaine in their luggage.

The expatriate couple have denied these allegations and are reportedly adamant that the cocaine was planted in their suitcases.

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20 - 26 December 2018

BREXIT BRIEF SPAIN and Britain are reportedly close to reaching a deal which would protect voting rights for citizens who live in the other’s country after Brexit.

The deal would ensure that the roughly 280,000 British expatriates officially registered in Spain and the 115,000 Spaniards residing in Britain can still vote in local elections.

Citizens from any EU country who have moved to another member state have the right to vote in that state’s local elections under the rules of the bloc.

The deal between Madrid and London is being negotiated separately to the one between Britain and the EU on wider withdrawal arrangements.

It comes as Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell called on the British Embassy to encourage expatriates to register so they can continue to access Spanish state support after Brexit.

BREXIT EXTRA Immigration plans

Uncertainty goes on CREDIT: Mark Rutte, via Twitter

Expat vote deal

By Joe Gerrard YESTERDAY (Wednesday) marked the 100th day until Britain is set to formally leave the EU, but what will happen on that date remains far from certain.

The 100-day mark came as both London and Brussels revealed they were drawing up back-up plans to cover a no deal scenario.

Concerns over no agreement being in place on March 29 have continued to grow after British Prime Theresa May weathered one of her toughest times in office last week.

May fended off a leadership challenge from MPs in her own party at home before returning to Brussels in a bid to extract further concessions from Brussels.

She was aiming to secure changes to the Northern Irish backstop mechanism in particular which has proven to be one of the main sticking points for opponents of her deal.

The measure is designed to avoid a hard border between Ulster and the Republic in the event that post-Brexit trade talks break down.

May was unable to secure changes on

FEATURE

BRITISH Home Secretary Sajid Javid is said to be drawing up plans which would cut net immigration from the EU by 80 per cent to around 10,000 a year through stricter entry requirements.

PM on vote PRIME MINISTER Theresa May told the House of Commons on Tuesday, that a second referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU would do ‘irreparable damage’ to British democracy after several including Tony Blair, called for another ballot.

UNDER PRESSURE: May is running out of options. the backstop at a summit with EU leaders last weekend. After the meeting, which featured tense exchanges between her and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Junker, EU Council President Donald Tusk declared deal discussions closed.

“I have no mandate to organise any further negotiations. We have to exclude any further opening of the withdrawal agreement,” Tusk said.

The only assurance EU leaders could

give May is that talks on post-Brexit trade would open right after Britain leaves the bloc. That would avoid the backstop having to be activated at all, EU officials said.

May now faces having to return to Parliament to seek approval for her deal after putting off Monday December 11’s vote.

With little to show from her trip to Brussels, she must find a way to win over sceptical MPs or face the possibility of a no-deal withdrawal.

Brexit funds CHANCELLOR Phillip Hammond announced extra funds of around €2.2bn for Brexit preparations, including planning for a no-deal as sources say contingency plans for leaving the EU without an agreement were being stepped up.

Transgender beauty contestant SPAIN’S Miss Universe representative Angela Ponce, the first transsexual to take part in the contest, was eliminated in the first round in Bangkok on Sunday night.

The activist for LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals) recorded a video dedicated to the organisation, which details her journey through the competition and sees her pledge to continue to fight for a ‘more inclusive world’ which recognises the ‘diversity of human beings’.

Ponce, from Sevilla, was given a standing ovation at the end of the contest, which was won by Catriona Gray of the Philippines, while some took to social media to criticise her ‘masculine’ appearance.

She wore a white flamenco dress inspired by Andalucian villages, and explained on her Instagram that it represented the ‘purity and peace which I bring as my message, hand in hand with equality, respect, inclusion and love’.

This year was the first time the pageant allowed transgender entrants.

MISS SPAIN: First transsexual to take part in the international contest.

CREDIT: Angela Ponce Miss Spain Facebook

14 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 December 2018

NATIONAL

THE WEEK IN POLITICS

Eyes on elections

By Joe Gerrard AS Spain’s ruling party continues to reel from its losses in the Andalucian elections earlier this month, its ally in parliament has begun preparing to contest a future national vote.

Senior figures from the leftist Podemos party, which supports the left-leaning Partido Socialista (PSOE) government in key parliamentary votes, has met in Madrid to discuss their strategy going forward.

Reports suggest party leader Pablo Iglesias believes national elections schedules for 2020 may take place earlier if the government fails to pass its budget for next year.

His party and PSOE will have taken note of the Andalucia election earlier this month which saw both losing seats while parties on the right made gains.

A pact between the conservative Partido Popular (PP) and the centrist Ciudadanos with the possible inclusion of the far-right Vox may well come to fruition in Andalucia.

If it does it could become a template for a future national vote. The parties may opt to contest the election in a loose alliance with one another or seek to share power afterwards.

SPAIN’S King Felipe visited the headquarters of an elite section of the police force last Thursday to mark its 40th anniversary.

The king was joined by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska for the visit to the headquarters of the Special Operations Group (GEO) in Guadalajara in Castilla-La Mancha last Thursday.

The event saw the king, the minister and officials inspect GEO per-

STRATEGIES: Iglesias (centre) and Podemos officials planning the future.

Iglesias appears to recognise this and comments made recently suggest he wants to build a united front for the left in response.

More immediately that would mean breathing new life into the loose coalition of parties that ousted Mariano Rajoy’s PP government in June this year.

Iglesias has spent the last few months courting some of the smaller regionalist parties, including pro-Catalan independence groups, which made up that alliance to secure backing for the budget.

He has therefore learnt both its value and fragility.

Together PSOE, Podemos and the smaller

parties just about clinch an absolute majority in the Congress of Deputies lower house.

Their allegiance is not guaranteed however and efforts to win over pro-Catalan independence groups in particular on the budget have so far struggled to bear fruit.

The issue the left faces is that Ciudadanos and Vox were able to capitalise on the political strife unleashed by ongoing pushes for regional independence during the recent Andalucia elections. If the left unites with pro-secession parties and while an appetite for a strong proSpanish unity message grows nationally then that plan could contain the seeds of its own destruction.

Andalucia deal OFFICIALS from the conservative Partido Popular (PP) and the centrist Ciudadanos continue to move closer to striking a coalition deal in Andalucia following elections there earlier this month.

Both parties have drawn up a document which outlines policies that could form the basis of a future coalition’s agenda. It outlines proposed changes to economic and social policies and to the running of the Junta itself.

Leading figures from the PP and Ciudadanos including respective candidates for the Junta presidency Juan Manuel Moreno and Juan Marin met in Sevilla City on Monday to discuss the pact.

The two parties have up until now opted to go it alone, but between them they would still not have an absolute majority in the Andalucian Parliament.

Neither has ruled out bringing the far-right Vox’s 12 new members into the fold, but it seems it would be done as a last resort.

Separately, mayor of Valladolid and senior spokesperson of the left-leaning Partido Socialista (PSOE) Oscar Puente said he blamed Junta president Susana Diaz for the party’s poor performance in the region.

PSOE, once the dominant force in Andalucian politics, lost 14 seats following the vote on December 2.

Poll tracker: Partido Socialista (PSOE): 24.1 per cent, 102 seats Partido Popular (PP): 21.2 per cent, 89 seats Ciudadanos: 18.4 per cent, 66 seats Unidos Podemos: 16.7 per cent, 52 seats Result: PSOE largest party, no overall control.

Elite force at 40 sonnel and officers stage demonstrations of their tactics and work.

King Felipe praised the officers present for their service.

“You have sacrificed, delivered and put yourselves at risk in your

passionate service for the citizens of Spain,” the king said.

The GEO’s work is mainly focused on organised crime and terrorism. The force has successfully taken down 92 gangs and terror groups

since its founding.

Their first major operation took place in 1981 when they were tasked with releasing eight hostages taken during a robbery at a branch of the BBVA bank in Bilbao. They have re-

leased a total of 467 hostages in various operations since.

The GEO also protects the Spanish embassy in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul. They also helped to retrieve the body of a man who drowned in a lagoon near Madrid earlier this year.

GEO officers have also travelled abroad to help train their counterparts in Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Serbia and elsewhere.

Pro-unity student ‘assault’ A COURT in the Basque Country has bailed two detainees who were arrested in connection with a student who was assaulted after attending a pro-Spanish unity meeting.

Prosecutors told the Vitoria court the two detainees, aged 20 and 21, attacked the University of the Basque Country student with another suspect on November 30.

The alleged victim had been at a meeting of the Students in Defence of Spain (AEDE).

The student’s nose and one of his cheekbones was left broken after the attack and he had to have surgery, the court heard.

The court released the two detainees but it ruled they cannot approach the alleged victim or visit the campus of the University of the Basque Country in Vitoria.

16 EWN

20 - 26 December 2018

www.euroweeklynews.com

Brits turning Spanish SINCE 2015, the number of requests from Britons to apply for Spanish citizenship has tripled.

Spain’s General Department for Registries and Notaries reported that 166 Britons requested Spanish citizenship so far this year.

Although the number is not as high as Morocco (10,067) and Venezuela (2,001), it is over three times the recorded number of requests from Britons in 2015 (50).

These new figures mean that Britain is now in fourth place on the list of EU members requesting Spanish citizenship.

Only Bulgarians, Italians and Romanians have requested more citizenship applications than Britain in 2018.

The UK and Germany were tied in seventh position in the same rankings in 2015.

The British community in Spain has dropped significantly in recent years, from 400,000 at its peak to 250,000 today.

This means more British people live in Spain than any other country in the European Union.

A COUPLE were released with charges after robbing 47 churches, chapels and rectories in La Coruña and Pontevedra (Galicia).

Guardia Civil officers began to suspect them after they flagged down their vehicle during a routine roadside control and the driver attempted to turn round and drive off.

A search of their car revealed a jemmy, hammers, pliers and other housebreaking tools, together with a large number of keys, keyrings and religious objects.

After finding that the man and wife were previously linked to a robbery from a Vilagarcia church, the Guardia Civil launched an operation resulting in their arrest six months later. Investigators found that they were responsible for breaking into 47 religious properties and most of their haul has now been returned.

Cyber attacks TWO t o t hr ee cyber strikes aimed at the state and other bodies are detected in Spain every day, a senior security official has said.

Gener al Fel i x Sanz Rol dan, di r ect or of t he National Intelligence Centre (CNI), said the attacks were ‘highly dangerous’.

He also called for new m easur es t o hel p cat ch those responsible for such attacks while speaking at

a technology conference in Madrid last week.

“The at t acks woul d have caused irreparable damage to public administrations or strategic compani es i f t hey wer e not st opped,” Sanz Rol dan said.

Those responsible were of t en f r om out si de t he country and were seeking to destabilise Spanish politics and society, the director added.

Drugs gang NATIONALITY: More British getting Spanish passports.

An unholy vocation

NATIONAL

SPANISH and Argentinian National Police have arrested 24 alleged members of a suspected drug trafficking organisation led by two brothers, which operated in both countries, following a seven-year investigation into the transportation of cocaine.

€101m work incentive SPAIN’S central government is investing millions of Euros in attracting more scientists.

The Council of Ministers explained it wants to o ff e r 8 3 0 p e r m a n e n t a n d temporary contracts lasting at least five years to discover new scientific talent from overseas.

The government said it hopes to attract Spanish scientists who moved abroad after the financial crisis to return home, as well as making the country an attractive destination to foreign scientists.

Pedro Duque, Minister for Sciences and Universities, said stability of employment was an issue which had previously deterred young scientists from working in Spain.

He explained some researchers spent 50 years of work moving from one contract to another.

Duque confirmed one of his priorities was recovering young talent which

PEDRO DUQUE: Minister for Sciences wants to attract talent.

had moved abroad, saying he had: “Worked from the first moment to generate

the necessary conditions to bring back and consolidate scientific talent.”

18

E W N www.euroweeklynews.com

STAT OF WEEK

Last orders THE number of bars in Spain fell for the seventh year in a row to 184,430 in 2017, according to the Spanish Hospitality Federation.

Since 2010, Spain has lost 18,269 bars and the trend is set to continue with the industry blaming not just economic difficulties, but demographic shifts like the rural exodus and an ageing population.

Despite this, the hospitality industry as a whole - which also includes restaurants and hotels - continues to grow, with 5,000 new openings in 2017.

20 - 26 December 2018

is the total value of investment funds that Indexa Capital is managing €134 million This in only its third year.

FINANCE

business & legal

Minimum wage rise SPAIN’S minimum wage will rocket by 22 per cent in 2019, making it the largest annual increase in more than 40 years.

It means that millions of low-paid workers could see a pay rise from €736 to €900, effective from January.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the increase and said: “a rich country cannot have poor workers.”

The announcement comes days after France’s president Emmanuel Macron announced a €100 increase for minimum wage earners from 2019.

But while Spain’s increase is part of an annual review, it is far higher than any adjustment in recent years.

Spain’s minimum wage is lower than that of the UK, Germany and France but higher than in other EU members including Portugal, Greece and Poland.

Many workers in Spain are paid for 14 months of work, with extra payments in July and December, making the effective annual minimum salary €12,600.

Ministers will approve the measure

at their meeting on December 21, Sánchez revealed.

It will then be authorised by royal decree, without the need for approval by parliament.

Spain sets the minimum wage annually, but recent increases have been much smaller, set at just 4 per cent a year ago.

If all goes to plan, the increase will be the biggest since 1977, the year of Spain’s first free elections following the death of dictator Francisco Franco.

Canal costs THE International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has ruled that the consortium Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC), of which Spanish construction company Sacyr is a majority shareholder, wi l l have t o r et ur n a t ot al of €482 million to Panama.

Sacyr received an advance paym ent f r om t he Panam a Canal Authority (ACP) in early 2009 to begin work on the const r uct i on of t he t hi r d set of canal locks.

Sacyr will have to pay back €225 million and the expansion of the canal has been dogged by unforeseen construction and financial problems.

Banks boost business

» BUSINESS EXTRA

Tools down WORKER’S unions for Renfe and Adif have announced several days of strikes during the Christmas holidays, including December 21 and January 7, dates that mark the beginning and end of the festivities.

Toddler tax LEANING IN: Many businesses will benefit from the loans.

THE European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide financing for SME and midcap projects with a €300 million loan to Bankia.

Under the agreement signed in Madrid, Bankia will match the loan with the same amount, meaning that a total of €600 million will be made available for financing Spanish businesses.

The EIB-Bankia credit line to be put in place will provide loans enabling companies to finance their investments on

favourable conditions, in terms of both interest rates and maturities.

The goal is to help Spanish SMEs and mid-caps (up to 3,000 employees) access long-term funds, with the aim of making them more competitive and creating jobs.

Another agreement between the EIB and Bankia has been reached to provide €200 million to small businesses operating in the agricultural, agri-food, fisheries and livestock sector.

FINANCE Minister Maria Jesus Montero has announced that parents who received paternity payments over the last four years from the Spanish Social Security system will be able to reclaim the income tax they paid on those benefits.

Deep water SOME 80 Galician exsailors who served the Norwegian merchant fleet between 1948 and 1994 have demonstrated in Madrid to demand that the Spanish government help them receive their pensions from Norway.

Merger talks begin SPAIN’S Liberbank and Unicaja banks have confirmed that they have held talks about a potential merger, driving shares of both higher on expectations of a deal.

A merger would result in the creation of Spain’s sixth largest lender, valued at almost €96 billion. The banks confirmed in separate statements to the Spanish market regulator that they had been in contact as part of their regular analy-

sis of potential transactions.

Unicaja said no decision had been taken, while Liberbank said no specific proposal had been submitted to its management.

Shares in both banks rose by 15 per cent on the news and Mediobanca is advising Unicaja while Deutsche Bank is working with Liberbank.

Both Mediobanca and Deutsche Bank declined to comment on the plans.

20 EWN

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20 - 26 December 2018

LONDON - FTSE 100

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US See our advert on previous page

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 17

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY Anglo American 1,717.70 23.30 Associated British Foods 2,114.00 -66.00 Admiral Group 1,979.00 -1.50 Ashtead Group 1,719.50 -0.50 Antofagasta 784.00 6.00 Aviva 375.25 -1.75 AstraZeneca 6,140.00 10.00 BAE Systems 456.20 0.10 Barclays 156.03 -2.41 British American Tobacco 2,645.50 -14.50 Barratt Developments 434.60 -5.90 BHP GROUP PLC ORD $0.50 1,659.80 43.20 Berkeley Group Holdings 3,366.00 -66.00 British Land Co 557.80 -0.40 Bunzl 2,409.00 -16.00 BP 511.15 -1.55 Burberry Group 1,731.00 -20.00 BT Group 249.38 -2.17 Coca-Cola HBC 2,443.00 -19.00 Carnival 4,367.50 -3.50 Centrica 137.53 -0.47 Compass Group 1,676.50 -6.50 Croda International 4,668.00 -23.00 CRH 2,029.50 -7.50 DCC 6,005.00 45.00 Diageo 2,825.00 -0.50 Direct Line Insurance Group 306.15 -1.35 Evraz 463.20 -1.20 Experian 1,895.25 -0.25 easyJet 1,085.75 -16.25 Ferguson 4,922.00 -21.50 Fresnillo 838.90 5.30 Glencore 294.10 4.45 GlaxoSmithKline 1,480.60 0.60 GVC Holdings 715.50 -6.00 Hargreaves Lansdown 1,820.00 -11.50 Halma 1,297.00 -4.00 HSBC Holdings 651.85 -1.65 International Consldtd Airs Grp 611.70 -6.90 InterContinental Hotels Grp 4,173.00 -28.00 3i Group 772.90 -6.70 Imperial Brands 2,362.50 -9.00 Informa 643.50 -6.30 Intertek Group 4,599.50 -35.50 ITV 128.28 -1.57 Just Eat 577.40 0.40 Johnson Matthey 2,700.50 -17.50 Kingfisher 220.35 -5.05 Land Securities Group 834.30 -6.30 Legal & General Group 227.35 -1.85

% CHG. NET VOL 1.38 24,051.94 -3.03 17,187.25 -0.08 5,718.55 -0.03 8,308.08 0.77 7,833.62 -0.46 14,864.68 0.16 77,300.85 0.02 14,641.53 -1.52 27,242.13 -0.55 61,966.18 -1.34 4,591.36 2.67 34,455.13 -1.92 4,517.75 -0.07 5,380.02 -0.66 8,198.33 -0.30 103,157.09 -1.14 7,314.23 -0.86 24,948.64 -0.77 9,088.15 -0.08 7,358.82 -0.34 7,872.39 -0.39 26,714.48 -0.49 6,234.61 -0.37 16,733.64 0.76 5,914.62 -0.02 68,926.30 -0.44 4,237.75 -0.26 6,921.11 -0.01 17,288.85 -1.47 4,365.32 -0.43 11,618.11 0.64 6,197.28 1.54 41,439.97 0.04 73,534.84 -0.83 3,849.07 -0.63 8,713.23 -0.31 4,980.95 -0.25 131,404.20 -1.12 12,106.13 -0.67 7,970.00 -0.86 7,618.28 -0.38 23,099.51 -0.97 8,203.16 -0.77 7,585.48 -1.21 5,233.03 0.07 3,949.74 -0.64 5,360.88 -2.24 4,871.33 -0.75 6,168.96 -0.81 13,721.33

COMPANY

PRICE(P)

Lloyds Banking Group ORD 52.28 London Stock Exchange Grp 4,029.00 Micro Focus International 1,442.25 Marks & Spencer Group 252.40 Mondi 1,627.00 Melrose 158.85 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 224.38 National Grid 843.60 NMC Health 3,060.00 Next 4,115.00 Ocado Group 800.60 Paddy Power Betfair 6,565.00 Prudential 1,401.50 Persimmon 1,860.25 Pearson 940.50 Reckitt Benckiser Group 6,194.00 Royal Bank of Scotland Group 211.50 Royal Dutch Shell 2,327.25 Royal Dutch Shell 2,342.75 RELX 1,634.50 Rio Tinto 3,733.00 Royal Mail 291.70 Rightmove 438.28 Rolls-Royce Group 807.40 Randgold Resources 6,758.00 RSA Insurance Group 503.70 Rentokil Initial 332.05 Sainsbury (J) 273.10 Schroders 2,370.50 Sage Group (The) 592.70 Segro 605.60 Shire 4,581.00 Smurfit Kappa Group 2,010.00 Standard Life Aberdeen 244.58 Smith (DS) 310.45 Smiths Group 1,376.25 Scottish Mortgage Invstmnt Trst 483.63 Smith & Nephew 1,481.50 SSE 1,070.50 Standard Chartered 597.15 St James's Place 933.30 Severn Trent 1,879.50 Tesco 190.70 TUI AG 1,149.50 Taylor Wimpey 130.60 Unilever 4,294.25 United Utilities Group 759.10 Vodafone Group 161.00 John Wood Group 550.30 WPP Group 872.00 Whitbread 4,462.50

CHANGE(P) -0.42 -11.00 -20.25 -11.00 -5.00 -0.55 -1.47 0.10 -2.00 -223.00 -14.40 -40.00 -14.00 -36.75 -5.30 -70.00 -0.10 -15.25 -15.25 5.50 57.50 -4.60 -1.62 -1.20 -184.00 -2.90 0.05 -2.40 -18.50 -3.50 2.00 -92.00 2.00 -1.57 -0.85 4.25 -4.72 -4.00 -19.00 -7.55 -2.90 0.00 -2.20 -20.00 -1.70 -25.75 2.90 0.32 -17.50 2.60 -35.50

% CHG.

NET VOL

-0.80 -0.27 -1.38 -4.18 -0.31 -0.35 -0.65 0.01 -0.07 -5.14 -1.77 -0.61 -0.99 -1.94 -0.56 -1.12 -0.05 -0.65 -0.65 0.34 1.56 -1.55 -0.37 -0.15 -2.65 -0.57 0.02 -0.87 -0.77 -0.59 0.33 -1.97 0.10 -0.64 -0.27 0.31 -0.97 -0.27 -1.74 -1.25 -0.31 0.00 -1.14 -1.71 -1.28 -0.60 0.38 0.20 -3.08 0.30 -0.79

37,790.55 14,030.77 6,277.89 4,322.28 5,995.21 7,688.19 5,399.06 28,919.50 6,433.71 6,179.68 5,616.90 5,133.10 36,974.86 6,159.87 7,299.90 44,563.72 25,410.30 105,167.58 88,468.40 31,895.56 48,178.60 3,019.00 3,928.95 15,423.41 6,586.54 5,194.22 6,092.22 6,162.55 5,390.63 6,535.46 6,115.48 42,657.49 4,767.98 6,192.34 4,310.95 5,553.03 7,137.09 13,118.05 11,271.38 20,086.27 4,982.01 4,494.23 19,449.88 6,996.03 4,430.06 50,685.02 5,249.18 42,879.59 3,952.93 10,987.94 8,316.93

0.89891

1.11313 Units per €

US dollar.................................................................1.13251 Japan yen ..............................................................128.411 Switzerland franc ..............................................1,12892 Denmark kroner................................................7,46591 Norway kroner.................................................9,76200

currenciesdirect.com/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226 THE ABOVE TABLE USES THE CURRENT INTERBANK EXCHANGE RATES, WHICH AREN’T REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RATE WE OFFER

DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 17

COMPANY AMERICAN EXPRESS APPLE BOEING CATERPILLAR CHEVRON TEXACO CISCO SYSTEMS COCA-COLA EXXON MOBIL GOLDMAN SACH HOME DEPOT IBM INTEL JOHNSON & JOHNSON JP MORGAN CHASE MCDONALDS MERCK MICROSOFT NIKE PFIZER PROCTER & GAMBLE ST. PAUL TRV UNITED TECHNOLOGIES UNITEDHEALTH VERIZON VISA CLASS A WALGREENS BOOTS WAL-MART WALT DISNEY 3M

PRICE 105,700 165,480 318,750 126,770 113,830 45,820 49,340 75,580 172,770 172,290 119,900 47,860 133,000 100,290 183,290 76,480 106,030 72,530 43,800 96,640 120,550 118,800 265,020 57,080 135,090 78,740 91,850 112,200 196,100

CHANGE% CHANGE -0,94 -1,00 -3,20 -5,47 -2,06 -6,72 0,69 0,87 -1,82 -2,11 0,00 0,00 -0,26 -0,13 -1,82 -1,40 -1,79 -3,15 -0,91 -1,58 -0,69 -0,83 0,00 0,00 -10,04 -14,84 -0,82 -0,83 -1,68 -3,14 -3,20 -2,53 0,00 0,00 -0,55 -0,40 -1,73 -0,77 0,16 0,15 -0,78 -0,95 -0,38 -0,45 -2,62 -7,13 -0,02 -0,01 -1,78 -2,45 0,00 0,00 -1,19 -1,11 -1,05 -1,19 -2,98 -6,03

VOLUME(M) 1.351.980 11.574.372 864.028 1.101.032 2.226.195 10.171.247 4.550.637 4.564.396 1.052.575 1.480.743 1.256.271 9.470.305 8.887.015 5.408.357 1.226.830 3.684.277 15.466.434 2.046.804 10.271.221 3.835.050 603.129 1.359.655 1.145.580 4.655.237 2.337.613 3.317.951 3.273.369 1.927.508 644.222

M - MILLION DOLLARS

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 17

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced Marin Software Incorporated PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. iKang Healthcare Group, Inc. Motorcar Parts of America, Inc. Evelo Biosciences, Inc. Materialise NV Liquidity Services, Inc. SMTC Corporation Dogness (International) Corporation SIGA Technologies Inc. Credit Suisse AG

$ 3.04 $ 4.12 $ 20.33 $ 18.62 $ 11.39 $ 15.67 $ 7.16 $ 3.95 $ 3.98 $ 6.95 $ 53.57

0.47 ▲ 18.29% 0.47 ▲ 12.88% 2.01 ▲ 10.97% 1.75 ▲ 10.37% 1.07 ▲ 10.37% 1.35 ▲ 9.43% 0.61 ▲ 9.31% 0.30 ▲ 8.22% 0.30 ▲ 8.15% 0.51 ▲ 7.92% 3.93 ▲ 7.92%

$ 3.17 $ 29.26 $ 3.48 $ 3.4944 $ 7.63 $ 14.20 $ 2.15 $ 10.40 $ 12.515 $ 8.58 $ 17.11

1.26 ▼ 28.44% 6.56 ▼ 18.31% 0.63 ▼ 15.33% 0.4956 ▼ 12.42% 1.06 ▼ 12.20% 1.79 ▼ 11.19% 0.26 ▼ 10.79% 1.25 ▼ 10.73% 1.475 ▼ 10.54% 1 ▼ 10.44% 1.98 ▼ 10.37%

Most Declined YRC Worldwide, Inc. Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. Sienna Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. PHI, Inc. Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. Arvinas, Inc. Altimmune, Inc. CSP Inc. Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. Gulfport Energy Corporation nLIGHT, Inc.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 December 2018

EWN 21

24 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 December 2018

FEATURE

May deserves all she gets

LEAPY LEE SAYS IT OTHERS THINK IT AS far as I am concerned, whatever Mrs May gets she thoroughly deserves.

As a remainer at heart, she has tried to con the British public into believing that everything she has tried to negotiate has been ‘in their best interest.’ In reality she has tried to hold on to as many of the EU membership advantages as she can, a devious red herring that has utterly wasted two years of everyone’s time.

Instead of going all out to open new trading avenues on the world markets and working to investigate, discuss and ultimately cover any shortfalls and disruption we may experience from disgruntled EU members, she has simpered and slunk around the EU leaders like a beggar pleading for handouts on the streets of their cities.

Quick to realise that the leader of the UK could quite possibly have ulterior motives and is basically one of them, the EU has gleefully taken on the role of superior benefactors, hell bent on making the whole exercise as difficult as possible; no doubt hoping deep down that they could do May a favour and possibly make the British government reverse the decision all together.

The British public voted out. There was no mention of any deals and having their cake and eating it. If a true Brexiteer had been negotiating our exit the EU would by now be endeavouring to do the

best deals with us, not the other way around. It should have been an ‘out with a no deal’ policy from the start.

A clean slate, that should have led to the past two years negotiating our new trade deals and border problems from a position of power and confidence.

What has basically happened here is that the losing remainers have bickered and bleated on with their disgruntled attitude and fear factor threats.

With May turning a blind eye, they have managed to muddy the waters and befuddle the issues to a point that it has totally misfired and we are now looking at coming out in a few months, not only without a ‘deal’ but having completely thrown away two years of constructive fu-

ture building and opportunity.

Leaving us looking at an utterly chaotic scenario that could have, and should have been completely avoided and should by now have been all but sorted. Mrs May has done what many socalled leaders have done in the past. Totally underestimate the intelligence of the British public. She and her arrogant pathetic flock could of course still win. If you call winning blackmailing the UK into a deal that, in exchange for a mere pittance, forces us to comply with a whole host of future EU decisions and leaves us

without even a say in the matter.

Not only is the EU laughing at us, they are also rubbing their hands. Frankly I’m utterly fed up with the whole fiasco and, quite frankly don’t really give a damn what happens. But then I am utterly convinced that’s what the conniving remainers, including May were aiming for in the first place!

Keep the faith. Love, Leapy. leapylee2002@gmail.com.

BREXIT GAMBLE: Should have started with a no deal.

Leapy Lee’s opinions are his own and are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or sponsors.

TECH FOR THE TIMID FOR my long-suffering partner it can’t come too soon; the day I ask our kitchen console what’s for dinner rather than her.

It’s getting close. Fancy fridges can already warn that we’re low on carrots and order more. Next will be one of those sci-fi space-station scenarios where the computer dishes up the evening’s tasty Soylent Green.

The burden of shopping is shifting from humans to machines. But among the melee of Christmas shopping this year, it’s sobering to consider just how many traditional retailers are going, or gone, under the online onslaught.

From Poundland and Sears, to Toys ‘R’ Us, Zara in Spain and most recently the UK’s Debenhams.

Part of the problem is ‘showrooming’ ; a recent word for how we use a bricks-and-mortar store to examine the goods, then go home to order them online more cheaply. My conscience is not clear.

As this publication pointed out a while back, Amazon is now far and away Spain’s biggest retailer, an astonishing achievement after just seven

What’s for dinner Hal? Terence Kennedy considers how we’ll shop in years to come

ORDER CAREFULLY: ‘Bargain deckchairs’ bought online. Oops. years. In 2017 it sold €4.2 billionworth of stuff, far ahead of its trailing rivals AliExpress and the more traditional El Corte Ingles.

Eight out of 10 of us now shop online, a four-fold increase since the turn of the century, with sales growing more than 15 per cent a year.

We’re in a brave new world of ecommerce, with ever-more connected devices. By 2025 says one pundit, ‘wrist commerce’ will be all the rage; talking to our smartwatches to order stuff as the whim or need takes us.

Not sure when considering a new car, if 19 cup-holders are sufficient?

(That’s how many there are in the 2019 Subaru Ascent. Seriously?) No need to head to the dealer, just put on your Virtual Reality headset and take a tour.

No more schlepping stuff home from the shop. Just wait for the drone to drop and deliver, then hope the neighbour doesn’t nick it. Again.

No more running out of cheese; your fridge tells the warehouse, whose driver (or robot) stocks up your supply. Perhaps even loading it into the fridge before you get home, if a new proposal to give retailers special access to our homes takes off.

In fact no need even for your fridge to run regular stocktaking; every time you take a bottle of water the retailer replenishes it. The best we can hope, is that technology can cope.

Witness the parents who ordered a birthday cake for their daughter online, ‘with a little blonde figure on the top.’ Auto-correct changed it to ‘blind’.

Cutting edge tech YOUR connected razor knows when its blades have gone rusty. Your smartwatch, with heart rate, platelet level and location data, knows you’ve cut yourself shaving.

Your wrist vibrates. You look at your smartwatch.

Your Smart Assistant says ‘Swipe left to order bandages. Swipe right to ignore.’ You swipe left. It thanks you. Your bandages arrive within the hour, with a new razor.

Not in our lifetimes? A decade ago, talking to a gadget in your lounge to play music, order pizza or playthings or dim the lights was fruitcake-talk.

Buy an Amazon Echo, a Google Home or an Apple HomePod and it’s reality for millions today.

The saddest aspect of it all; the day we accept our Smart Assistants are way smarter than we are.

26 EWN

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20 - 26 December 2018

THURSDAY - 20 DECEMBER

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Island Medics 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Matron, Medicine and Me 12:45pm A1: Britain's Longest Road 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:10pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Toy Story 2 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm This is My Song 10:00pm The Long Song 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Mary Berry's Christmas Party 12:45am This Week 1:30am Weather for the Week Ahead 1:35am BBC News

7:00am MasterChef: The Professionals 8:00am This Farming Life 9:00am Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge 10:00am BBC News at 9 11:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:15pm Politics Live 2:00pm The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas 2:45pm Operation Snow Tiger 3:45pm Who Do You Think You Are? 4:45pm Life in Polar Bear Town with Gordon Buchanan 5:45pm Nadiya's Party Feasts 6:50pm Nativity!

8:30pm Only Connect 9:00pm MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00pm The 'Christmas' Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan 11:00pm Live at the Apollo 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am I'll Get This

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Judge Rinder's Crime Stories 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Gino's Italian Coastal Escape 10:00pm Bear's Mission with Gareth Southgate 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm Happy Hour with Olly Murs

9:00am Emmerdale 9:25am Coronation Street 9:55am Coronation Street 10:25am The Ellen DeGeneres Show 11:10am Jack Frost 12:10pm FYI Daily 12:15pm Jack Frost 1:15pm Emmerdale 1:45pm Coronation Street 2:15pm Coronation Street 2:45pm The Ellen DeGeneres Show 3:40pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:45pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:50pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 7:00pm Celebrity Catchphrase 8:00pm You've Been Framed Gold at Christmas 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:00pm Through the Keyhole

TV LISTING

FRIDAY - 21 DECEMBER

4:30am This is BBC Four 7:58pm This is BBC Four 8:00pm Christmas University Challenge 2017 8:30pm Top of the Pops 9:00pm Secret Life of Farm Animals Series looking at the secret science of farm animals.

10:00pm Mark Kermode's Christmas Cinema Secrets 11:00pm The Bishop's Wife 12:45am Living with Lockerbie 1:50am Top of the Pops Gary Davies presents the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 27 November 1986.

2:20am Mark Kermode's Christmas Cinema Secrets 3:20am Handmade in Japan 3:50am Explorers: Conquest and Calamity - A Timewatch Guide

9:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:40am Frasier 10:10am Frasier 10:40am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm The Simpsons 12:30pm The Simpsons 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Jamie's Christmas with Bells On 2:05pm My Family Secrets Revealed 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Fifteen to One 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Secret Life of the Zoo at Christmas 10:00pm The World's Most Luxurious Airline 11:00pm The First 12:00am Micky Flanagan: Back in the Game

8:20am 8:35am 8:45am 8:55am

Shane the Chef Peppa Pig Peppa Pig Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Paw Patrol Floogals Digby Dragon Shimmer and Shine The Secret Life of Puppies Jeremy Vine Love You Like Christmas Neighbours Christmas Makeover The Christmas Cure 5 News Tonight Friends Friends Neighbours 5 News Tonight World's Strongest Man: Giants Live 2018 Shop Smart, Save Money Oxford Street 24/7 at Christmas Greatest Ever Christmas Adverts

10:15am Island Medics 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Matron, Medicine and Me 12:45pm A1: Britain's Longest Road 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm Still Open All Hours 4:30pm First Flight 4:35pm Toy Story 3 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Celebrity Mastermind 10:00pm Not Going Out Live 10:30pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News

7:00am Dynasties 8:00am This Farming Life 9:00am Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge 10:00am BBC News at 9 11:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live Stay up to date on the day's top stories, with the latest breaking news as it happens.

1:00pm All Creatures Great and Small 2:30pm The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas 3:15pm Operation Snow Tiger 4:15pm Who Do You Think You Are? 5:15pm The Sweet Makers at Christmas 6:15pm Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger!

8:00pm 100 Years of King's Carols 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Victoria and Albert 11:00pm Mock the Week

7:58pm This is BBC Four 8:00pm Christmas University Challenge 2017 8:30pm Top of the Pops 9:00pm Fleetwood Mac: A Musical History 10:00pm The Sound of Movie Musicals with Neil Brand Documentary.

11:00pm Sinatra: All or Nothing at All An up-close and personal examination of the life, music and career of the legendary entertainer.

12:55am Je t'aime: The Story of French Song with Petula Clark 1:55am Top of the Pops 2:25am Fleetwood Mac: A Musical History 3:25am The Sound of Movie Musicals with Neil Brand 4:25am This is BBC Four

8:45am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:40am Frasier 10:10am Frasier 10:40am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm The Simpsons 12:30pm The Simpsons 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Jamie's Festive Feast 2:05pm My Family Secrets Revealed 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Fifteen to One 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 7:00pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm Liam Bakes 9:00pm Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast 10:00pm The Last Leg Christmas Special 11:00pm Big Narstie's Big Christmas

8:20am 8:35am 8:40am 8:55am

8:55am The Royal 9:55am Judge Judy 10:25am Judge Judy 10:50am Judge Judy 11:20am Agatha Christie's Poirot 1:35pm The Royal 2:40pm Heartbeat 3:40pm Classic Coronation Street 4:15pm Classic Coronation Street 4:45pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 6:55pm Heartbeat Nostalgic drama series.

8:00pm Murder, She Wrote Murder mystery series.

9:00pm Agatha Christie's Poirot Detective drama featuring Agatha Christie's celebrated sleuth Hercule Poirot.

11:00pmBancroft 12:00am Bancroft 1:05am Death Becomes Her

7:00am 7:50am 8:10am 8:35am 9:30am 10:35am 11:35am 12:40pm

7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans Bitesize 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans Bitesize 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Match Centre 12:00pm Match Centre 1:00pm Sky Sports News 1:30pm Live World Championship Darts 5:30pm Sky Sports News 6:00pm Sky Sports News at 5 7:00pm Sky Sports News at 6 8:00pm Live World Championship Darts 12:00am Jd Ringside: Fight Week 12:30am Boxing 1:00am Sky Sports News 2:00am Live NBA: Houston @ Miami 4:30am Jd Ringside: Fight Week 5:00am Sky Sports News

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Countrywise 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm The Big Soap Quiz 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm The Holiday 2:10am Jackpot247 4:00am Cold Feet

12:30pm FYI Daily 12:35pm Beethoven's Christmas Adventure 1:15pm Emmerdale 1:45pm Emmerdale 2:15pm You've Been Framed!

2:45pm The Ellen DeGeneres Show 3:40pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:45pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:50pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 7:00pm Celebrity Catchphrase 8:00pm You've Been Framed Gold at Christmas 8:30pm You've Been Framed Gold at Christmas 9:00pm Two and a Half Men 9:30pm Two and a Half Men 10:05pm Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 12:35am Family Guy 1:05am Family Guy

6:30am ITV3 Nightscreen 7:00am Classic Coronation Street 7:25am Classic Coronation Street 7:55am Heartbeat 8:55am The Royal 10:00am Judge Judy 10:25am Judge Judy 10:55am Judge Judy 11:25am Agatha Christie's Poirot 1:35pm The Royal 2:40pm Heartbeat 3:40pm Classic Coronation Street 4:15pm Classic Coronation Street 4:45pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 6:55pm Heartbeat 8:00pm Murder, She Wrote 9:00pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 11:00pm Hattie 1:00am A Touch of Frost 3:00am A Touch of Frost 4:45am Road to Avonlea 5:40am Road to Avonlea

7:00am The Chase 7:50am Pawn Stars Christmas Special 8:30am Kojak 9:25am Quincy, M.E. 10:35am Minder 11:35am The Sweeney 12:40pm The Professionals 1:45pm Kojak 2:50pm Quincy, M.E. 3:50pm Minder 4:50pm The Sweeney 5:55pm The Professionals 7:00pm Ironside 8:05pm Pawn Stars 8:30pm Pawn Stars 9:00pm Monster Carp 10:00pm Under Siege 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm Under Siege 12:10am The Mechanic A hitman teaches his trade to an apprentice who is connected to one of his victims.

1:10am FYI Daily Latest news from the world of entertainment.

7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans Bitesize 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans Bitesize 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Football Centre 12:00pm Football Centre 1:00pm Football Centre 1:30pm Live World Championship Darts 5:30pm Football Centre 6:00pm Sky Sports News at 5 7:00pm Sky Sports News at 6 8:00pm Football 11:15pm Jd Ringside: The Weigh in 11:45pm Boxing 12:15am Jd Ringside: Fight Week 12:45am Boxing 1:45am Boxing Gold 2:00am Live NBA 4:30am Jd Ringside: The Weigh in 5:00am Sky Sports News

1:45pm 2:50pm 3:55pm 4:55pm 6:05pm 7:05pm

8:05pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:05pm 11:10pm 12:40am 1:40am

1:45am 2:35am 3:35am

The Chase Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Kojak Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Kojak Quincy, M.E. Minder The Sweeney The Professionals Storage Wars Christmas Special Pawn Stars Christmas Special Made in Britain at Christmas Jaws FYI Daily Jaws Tremors FYI Daily Latest news from the world of entertainment.

Tremors The Americans Take the Tower

9:05am 9:25am 9:40am 9:55am 10:15am 10:25am 12:05pm 1:45pm 2:15pm 4:00pm 5:45pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

9:00pm 10:00pm

11:00pm

9:05am 9:25am 9:40am 9:55am 10:05am 10:20am 10:25am 12:05pm 1:45pm 2:15pm 4:00pm

5:45pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

12:05am

Shane the Chef Peppa Pig Peppa Pig Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Paw Patrol Floogals Digby Dragon Shimmer and Shine Pirata and Capitano The Secret Life of Puppies Jeremy Vine Christmas in the Air Neighbours Welcome to Christmas Mrs Miracle 2: Miracle in Manhattan 5 News Tonight Friends Friends Neighbours New Puppy, New Home Celebrity Help the Animals at Christmas When TV Animals Go Horribly Wrong

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.

28 EWN

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20 - 26 December 2018

SATURDAY - 22 DECEMBER

7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm Nigel Slater's Christmas Suppers 1:00pm Football Focus 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm Merry Madagascar 2:40pm The Penguins of Madagascar 4:00pm Kung Fu Panda 5:25pm Final Score 6:20pm Celebrity Mastermind 6:50pm BBC News 7:00pm BBC London News 7:10pm Pointless Celebrities Christmas Special 8:00pm Watership Down 9:40pm Casualty 10:30pm The Vicar of Dibley 11:15pm BBC News 11:30pm Match of the Day 1:05am The NFL Show 1:35am Old School 3:05am Weather for the Week Ahead 3:10am BBC News

9:30am Zoe Ball on Christmas Saturday 10:25am James Martin's Saturday Morning at Christmas 12:30pm Gino's Italian Coastal Escape 1:00pm ITV Lunchtime News 1:15pm How to Spend it Well at Christmas with Phillip Schofield 2:15pm Catchphrase 3:00pm Tipping Point: Lucky Stars 4:00pm Tenable 5:00pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 6:00pm Big Star's Bigger Star 7:00pm ITV Evening News 7:15pm ITV News London 7:30pm Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi 10:00pm The Jonathan Ross Christmas Show 11:00pm 20 Years of the Black Eyed Peas

4:40am This is BBC Two Highlights of programmes on BBC Two. 7:00am Top Class 7:30am This Farming Life An insight into modern farming life.

8:30am Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge 9:30am The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas 10:15am The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas 11:00am The Muppets Comedy.

12:35pm Cars 2 Animated sequel.

2:15pm Equestrian 5:25pm Finding Neverland 7:00pm The Good Life 7:30pm Porridge 8:15pm The Lone Ranger 10:30pm Live at the Apollo 11:15pm Goodness Gracious Me - 20 Years Innit!

11:55pm Goodness Gracious Me

7:25am Emmerdale Omnibus 9:50am Coronation Street Omnibus 12:50pm The Big Soap Quiz 1:50pm The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol 2:15pm You've Been Framed Gold at Christmas 3:20pm You've Been Framed Gold at Christmas 3:50pm Peter Pan 4:50pm FYI Daily 4:55pm Peter Pan 6:00pm Johnny English Reborn 7:00pm FYI Daily 7:05pm Johnny English Reborn 8:05pm Uncle Buck 9:05pm FYI Daily 9:10pm Uncle Buck 10:00pm Iron Man 11:05pm FYI Daily 11:10pm Iron Man 12:30am Family Guy 1:00am Family Guy 1:30am Family Guy 1:55am Family Guy 2:25am American Dad!

4:25am This is BBC Four 7:58pm This is BBC Four 8:00pm James May: The Christmas Reassembler 8:30pm The Toys That Made Christmas 9:55pm Pop Go the Sixties 10:00pm The Sinner 10:40pm The Sinner 11:20pm Tina Turner 12:05am Aretha Franklin: Respect 12:35am Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas 1:30am Top of the Pops 3:00am Top of the Pops 3:30am Top of the Pops Janice Long and Steve Wright present the pop chart programme, first broadcast on 11 December 1986.

4:05am The Toys That Made Christmas 5:30am This is BBC Four

6:30am 7:00am 7:20am 7:40am 9:50am 11:55am 2:00pm 4:00pm

5:45pm 8:00pm 10:00pm

12:00am 1:20am 3:20am 5:00am 5:50am

ITV3 Nightscreen Judge Judy Judge Judy Agatha Christie's Poirot Peter and Wendy Santa Claus The Wizard of Oz Carry on Up the Khyber The Burpas are revolting! The Carry On team take on the Raj. Agatha Christie's Poirot Midsomer Murders Midsomer Murders An international cycling competition comes to the Midsomer village of Burwood Mantle.

An Audience with Ken Dodd Lewis A Touch of Frost Road to Avonlea Road to Avonlea

8:50am The Big Bang Theory 9:20am The Big Bang Theory 9:45am Bridge to Terabithia 11:35am The Simpsons 12:05pmThe Simpsons 12:35pmIce Age: A Mammoth Christmas 1:00pm Hachi: A Dog's Tale 2:45pm Father of the Bride 4:50pm Jamie's Quick and Easy Christmas 5:55pm Extreme Cake Makers' Christmas 6:55pm Channel 4 News 7:10pm Crocodile Dundee 9:00pm The World's Most Extraordinary Christmas Dinners 10:00pmPitch Perfect 2 12:10am East is East

7:00am 7:05am 7:30am 8:25am 9:25am 10:30am 11:30am 11:40am 12:05pm 12:35pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 1:55pm 2:30pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:05pm 7:55pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:05pm 12:05am 1:05am 1:10am 2:55am 4:00am

World of Sport The Protectors Ironside Ironside Ironside ITV Racing: The Opening Show World of Sport Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars ITV Racing: Live From Ascot The Green Berets FYI Daily The Green Berets Hornblower Rambo III FYI Daily Rambo III Terminator 2: Judgment Day FYI Daily Terminator 2: Judgment Day The Americans Take the Tower

TV LISTING

SUNDAY - 23 DECEMBER

9:15am Paw Patrol 9:35am Nella the Princess Knight 9:50am Shimmer and Shine 10:05am Pirata and Capitano 10:15am Rusty Rivets 10:40am Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:05am Oxford Street 24/7 at Christmas 11:50am 12 Days of Giving 1:45pm Wedding Wonderland 3:45pm Live Premiership Rugby 6:20pm Mariah Carey's a Christmas Melody 8:00pm Blind Date 9:00pm Gino's Win Your Christmas Wish List 9:55pm 5 News Weekend 10:00pm Jane McDonald and Friends at Christmas 11:00pm Jane: 12 Cruises of Christmas

9:40am Match of the Day 11:15am Mr Peabody and Sherman 12:40pm My Faith and Me: June Sarpong 1:40pm BBC News 1:55pm Songs of Praise 2:30pm A Christmas Carol 4:00pm Room on the Broom 4:25pm Up 5:55pm BBC News 6:10pm BBC London News 6:20pm Countryfile 7:20pm Hold the Sunset Christmas Special: If I Were a Wise Man 7:50pm Still Open All Hours 8:20pm Watership Down 10:00pm Have I Got 2018 News for You 10:30pm King Gary 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm Match of the Day 2 12:15am The Young Offenders Christmas Special

8:00am This Farming Life 9:00am Countryfile 9:55am Monty Don's Paradise Gardens 10:55am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:25pm Simply Nigella 1:25pm The Hairy Bikers Home for Christmas 2:10pm Twelfth Night 4:20pm Back in Time for Christmas 5:20pm Amazing Hotels Christmas Special 6:20pm Alice in Wonderland 8:00pm Top Gear 9:00pm Dragons' Den 10:00pm Chris and Michaela: Under the Christmas Sky 11:00pm Far From the Madding Crowd 12:55am Insert Name Here 1:25am TOTP2 2:55am Countryfile 3:50am Holby City 4:50am This is BBC Two Highlights of programmes on BBC Two.

7:00am Sky Sports News 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Live - Soccer Am 12:30pm Football 4:15pm Live Championship Rugby Richmond take on Bedford at the Athletic Ground in the Greene King IPA Championship.

6:15pm Football Hull City entertain Swansea City at the KCOM Stadium in the Sky Bet Championship.

8:30pm Live World Championship Darts 12:00am Live NFL A match from the NFL. 2:00am Live NFL

9:25am ITV News 9:30am Zoe Ball on Christmas Sunday 10:25am Ninja Warrior UK 11:20am Doc Martin 12:20pm Long Lost Family 1:50pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:00pm Paul O'Grady for the Love of Dogs 2:30pm The Big Soap Quiz 3:30pm Celebrity Catchphrase 4:30pm Tipping Point: Lucky Stars 5:30pm Tenable 6:30pm ITV Evening News 6:55pm ITV News London 7:00pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 8:00pm What Would Your Kid Do? 9:00pm The Chase Bloopers 10:00pm Casino Royale 12:50am ITV News 1:05am Bear's Mission with Gareth Southgate 1:55am Football Genius

8:00am Emmerdale Omnibus 10:25am Coronation Street Omnibus 1:20pm Celebrity Catchphrase 2:20pm You've Been Framed Gold at Christmas 2:50pm You've Been Framed Gold at Christmas 3:50pm The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 4:50pm FYI Daily 4:55pm The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 5:55pm Elf 6:55pm FYI Daily 7:00pm Elf 8:00pm How the Grinch Stole Christmas 9:00pm FYI Daily 9:05pm How the Grinch Stole Christmas 10:00pm The Holiday 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm The Holiday 12:40am Family Guy 1:10am Family Guy 1:45am Family Guy

5:30am This is BBC Four 7:58pm This is BBC Four 8:00pm TOTP2 Mark Radcliffe digs deep into the archives to deliver some familiar and unfamiliar festive treats.

9:30pm What We Were Watching: Christmas 1988 10:30pm The Secret Story of the BBC Christmas Tapes 11:00pm Bros: After the Screaming Stops 12:25am TOTP2 1:25am Fleetwood Mac: A Musical History 2:25am Stuffed: The Great British Christmas Dinner 3:25am What We Were Watching: Christmas 1988

6:35am ITV3 Nightscreen 7:00am Columbo 8:40am Housewife 49 10:40am The Sound of Music Live 1:20pm The Making of the Sound of Music Live 1:45pm Bugsy Malone 3:45pm Brief Encounter 5:25pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 7:45pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 10:00pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 12:00am Joanna Lumley's Trans-Siberian Adventure 1:05am Sunday Night at the Palladium 2:05am A Touch of Frost 3:55am Murder, She Wrote 4:45am Road to Avonlea Drama about a young girl sent to live with her eccentric family on Prince Edward Island.

5:35am Road to Avonlea

6:55am Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 7:05am Frasier 7:30am Frasier 7:55am Rugrats the Movie 9:10am The Big Bang Theory 9:35am The Big Bang Theory 10:00am The Big Bang Theory 10:30am The Big Bang Theory 11:00am Christmas Brunch 2:00pm Extreme Cake Makers' Christmas 3:05pm The Simpsons 3:30pm The Simpsons 4:00pm The Simpsons 4:30pm Father Christmas 5:05pm Channel 4 News 5:30pm Men in Black 7:20pm Men in Black II 9:00pm Escape to the Chateau at Christmas 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm Father Ted 12:05am Tin Star 1:10am Father Ted 1:40am Father Ted

6:10am The Sweeney 7:00am World of Sport 7:10am Goodwood Members' Meeting Highlights 8:00am The Protectors 8:25am The Sweeney 9:20am Minder 10:20am Pawn Stars 10:50am Pawn Stars 11:15am Pawn Stars Christmas Special 12:10pm Storage Wars Christmas Special 1:10pm Made in Britain at Christmas 2:15pm Merry Christmas Mr Bean 2:50pm The Horse Soldiers 3:50pm FYI Daily 3:55pm The Horse Soldiers 5:15pm Red River 6:20pm FYI Daily 6:25pm Red River 7:55pm Hornblower 10:00pm The Mechanic 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm The Mechanic 11:50pm Saw 12:50am FYI Daily

8:15am 8:30am 8:50am 9:00am 9:05am 9:20am 9:45am 10:00am 10:15am 10:30am

10:40am

10:55am 11:00am 3:30pm 4:00pm 5:45pm 5:50pm

7:40pm 8:40pm 8:45pm 10:00pm

12:00am

Bob the Builder Digby Dragon Peppa Pig Peppa Pig Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Paw Patrol Shimmer and Shine Pirata and Capitano Rusty Rivets Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Access Friends Friends Snow White Christmas 5 News Weekend A Shoe Addict's Christmas Scrooge 5 News Scrooge Agatha and the Truth of Murder Krampus

7:00am Sky Sports News 8:00am Total Goals 9:00am Total Goals 10:00am Total Goals 10:30am Sunday Supplement 12:00pm Goals on Sunday 1:30pm EFL Greatest Games 1:45pm EFL Greatest Games 2:00pm Football 4:30pm Live Renault Super Sunday 8:00pm Live World Championship Darts Day 11 of the William Hill World Darts Championship from the Alexandra Palace.

12:00am Live NFL: Sunday A match from the NFL. 1:45am My Icon 2:00am My Icon 2:10am Live NFL: Sunday

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 December 2018

Ant McPartlin set to return to TV hosting in January for BGT Richard Shanley ANT MCPARTLIN is expected to return to his TV work next month after taking time off to go into rehab.

The host is preparing to film Britain’s Got Talent auditions in January - 10 months after he crashed a car while more than twice the drink drive limit.

He has not worked since, and was replaced by Holly Wi l l o u g h b y f o r t h e l a t e s t s e r i e s o f I ’ m A C e l e b r i t y. . . G e t Me Out Of Here!, which ended

last Sunday. Declan Donnelly hosted this year’s Britain’s Got Talent live shows alone.

Next year ’s Saturday Night Takeaway was also cancelled.

Announcing that decision in August, Ant said his recovery was “going very well” and said he would “take the rest of the year off.”

Last week the Mirror reported that he would be reunited with Dec when filming begins for Britain’s Got Talent 2019.

Ant first entered rehab in June 2017 after becoming addicted to alcohol and prescription painkillers.

He went back into treatment after the crash in March.

He was later fined £86,000 and given a 20-month driving ban after pleading guilty to drink driving.

A B r i t a i n ’s G o t Ta l e n t spokesman declined to comment on his return.

The first episode will follow the festive edition of Doctor Who, which is being shown on January1, 2019 instead of Christmas Day.

ANT MCPARTLIN: Will co-host Britain’s Got Talent in 2019.

EWN 29

30 EWN

www.euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 December 2018

TV LISTING

TUESDAY - 25 DECEMBER

MONDAY - 24 DECEMBER 12:30pm The Farmer's Llamas 1:00pm Snow Babies 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:15pm BBC London News 2:20pm Monsters University 3:55pm Zootropolis 5:35pm BBC News 5:50pm BBC London News 6:00pm Mary Poppins 8:15pm All Together Now Celebrities 9:30pm EastEnders 10:00pm Click and Collect

2:00pm Romeo and Juliet 3:50pm Back in Time for Christmas 4:50pm Reindeer Family and Me 5:50pm Chris and Michaela: Under the Christmas Sky 6:50pm Carols from King's 8:05pm Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings 9:00pm Only Connect 9:30pm University Challenge Christmas 2018 10:00pmChristmas at St Paul'S 11:00pmThe Lady in the Van

7:58pm This is BBC Four 8:00pm Christmas University Challenge 2017 8:30pm Turtle, Eagle, Cheetah - A Slow Odyssey 9:00pm Tudor Monastery Farm 10:00pmEric, Ernie and Me 11:00pmSteptoe and Son Classic comedy.

11:45pmRichard Pryor Omit the Logic 1:05am Mark Lawson Talks to...

2:05am Lisbon: An Art Lovers' Guide

11:00am Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World 12:45pmA Christmas Carol 2:45pm We Bought a Zoo 5:10pm We're Going on a Bear Hunt 5:40pm The Snowman 6:10pm The Snowman and the Snowdog 6:45pm Channel 4 News 7:00pm Miracle on 34th Street 9:00pm Child Genius v Celebrities Christmas Special 10:00pmPanorama 12:05am Courtney Act's Christmas Extravaganza

10:00am Christmas Makes You Laugh Out Loud 10:20am Friends 10:50am Friends 11:20am Neighbours 11:45am Oklahoma!

2:30pm The King and I 5:20pm Scrooge 7:10pm Neighbours 7:35pm Billionaire Babies at Christmas 8:30pm More Things We Love About Christmas 9:30pm The Yorkshire Vet at Christmas 10:30pmMichael Bublé: Back for Christmas

1:20pm BBC News 1:30pm Top of the Pops 2:30pm The Good Dinosaur 4:00pm The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 4:10pm The Jungle Book 5:50pm Zog 6:15pm BBC News 6:30pm Strictly Come Dancing 7:45pm Michael Mcintyre's Big Christmas Show 8:45pm Call the Midwife 10:15pm EastEnders 11:15pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:50pm Outnumbered

4:10pm An American in Paris: The Musical 6:25pm The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 6:35pm Only Connect 7:05pm University Challenge Christmas 2018 7:35pm Mary Berry's Country House at Christmas 8:35pm Dad's Army 9:35pm Upstart Crow: A Crow Christmas Carol 10:15pmMerry Christmas Baby with Gregory Porter and Friends

4:35am This is BBC Four 7:58pm This is BBC Four 8:00pm The Royal Ballet: Swan Lake 10:15pmThe Two Ronnies: Christmas Comedy Cracker 11:10pmTop of the Pops 2 12:10am The Story of Bohemian Rhapsody 1:05am Queen: The Legendary 1975 Concert 2:10am The Two Ronnies: Christmas Comedy Cracker 3:00am Top of the Pops 2 4:00am This is BBC Four

1:05pm Father Christmas 1:40pm The Snowman 2:15pm The Snowman and the Snowdog 2:45pm Arthur Christmas 4:45pm Channel 4 News 4:50pm The Alternative Christmas Message 5:00pm The Muppet Christmas Carol 6:40pm Home Alone 2: Lost in New York 9:00pm The Great Christmas Bake Off 10:15pmFirst Dates at Christmas 11:15pmAlan Carr's Christmas Cracker

11:15am Neighbours 11:45am Scrooge 2:05pm Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 4:10pm Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 7:05pm Neighbours 7:35pm Britain's Favourite Christmas Hits 10:15pmTommy Cooper: In His Own Words 12:15am Greatest Christmas TV Moments of All Time 2:55am Super Casino Live interactive gaming featuring roulette and autowheel.

3:55pm Shrek the Halls 4:25pm Santa Claus 6:30pm Judge Rinder's Christmas Kids Court 7:30pm ITV News London 7:45pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:30pm Bad Move 10:00pm The Keith and Paddy Picture Show 10:30pm Gremlins

3:50pm You've Been Framed Gold at Christmas 4:55pm Celebrity Catchphrase 5:55pm Despicable Me 2 6:55pm FYI Daily 7:00pm Despicable Me 2 8:00pm A Lego Christmas Party 8:05pm The Lego Movie 9:05pm FYI Daily 9:10pm The Lego Movie 10:00pmFurious 7 11:10pmFYI Daily 11:15pmFurious 7 12:45am Family Guy

9:20am The Royal 10:25am Columbo: By Dawn's Early Light 12:30pmHoliday on the Buses 2:15pm Mutiny on the Buses 4:00pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 5:00pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 7:00pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 9:00pm Vera 11:00pmMaigret 1:00am Christmas Epic Fails

12:35pmThe Professionals 1:35pm Kojak 2:45pm Tobruk 3:45pm FYI Daily 3:50pm Tobruk 4:55pm Escape to Victory 5:55pm FYI Daily 6:00pm Escape to Victory 7:10pm Kelly's Heroes 8:10pm FYI Daily 8:15pm Kelly's Heroes 10:00pmUnder Siege 11:05pmFYI Daily 11:10pmUnder Siege 12:10am Rush Hour

9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Football Centre 1:00pm Football Centre 2:00pm Sky Sports News 5:00pm Sky Sports News 6:00pm Sky Sports News at 5 7:00pm Sky Sports News at 6 8:00pm Sky Sports Tonight 9:00pm Sky Sports Tonight 10:00pmSky Sports Tonight 11:00pmSky Sports News at Ten

11:20am Jack Frost 1:15pm Countrywise 2:00pm Doc Martin 4:00pm HM the Queen 4:10pm A Christmas Chase: Celebrity Special 5:10pm Monsters, Inc. 6:55pm Paul O'Grady for the Love of Dogs 7:55pm ITV Evening News 8:15pm Emmerdale 9:15pm Coronation Street 10:15pmTorvill and Dean

2:30pm Emmerdale 3:00pm Coronation Street 4:10pm You've Been Framed Gold at Christmas 4:35pm Johnny English Reborn 5:35pm FYI Daily 5:40pm Johnny English Reborn 6:40pm Elf 7:40pm FYI Daily 7:45pm Elf 8:45pm Jurassic World 9:50pm FYI Daily 9:55pm Jurassic World 11:05pmCelebrity Juice

11:25am Carry on Abroad 1:10pm Carry on Up the Jungle 2:50pm Carry on Follow That Camel 4:50pm Carry on Screaming!

6:45pm Carry on Matron 8:30pm Carry on Camping Sid Boggle and Bernie Lugg decide to take their girlfriends on a camping holiday.

10:15pmCarry on Up the Khyber

11:50am Merry Christmas Mr Bean 12:20pmKojak 1:25pm The Sweeney 2:30pm Khartoum 3:35pm FYI Daily 3:40pm Khartoum 5:10pm The Horse Soldiers 6:10pm FYI Daily 6:15pm The Horse Soldiers 7:30pm Apollo 13 8:30pm FYI Daily 8:35pm Apollo 13 10:15pmRush Hour 11:15pmFYI Daily

9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Sky Sports News 4:00pm Sky Sports News 5:00pm Sky Sports News 6:00pm Live NBA: Milwaukee @ New York 8:30pm Sky Sports Tonight 9:00pm Live NBA: Oklahoma @ Houston 11:30pmLive NBA: Philadelphia @ Boston

6:30am Royal Stories 6:55am ITV3 Nightscreen 7:00am Paul O'Grady for the Love of Dogs 7:25am Carry on Follow That Camel 9:10am Carry on Up the Jungle 10:50am Carry on Matron 12:35pmCarry on Girls 2:20pm Carry on Abroad 4:00pm Carry on Cruising 5:45pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 6:55pm Agatha Christie's Poirot 9:00pm Vera 11:00pmMaigret 1:00am Vera 3:00am A Touch of Frost 4:55am Road to Avonlea Drama series about a girl who is sent to live with her eccentric family.

5:45am Road to Avonlea

7:00am Isle of Man TT 7:50am Isle of Man TT 8:35am British Superbike Championship Review 10:25am The Sweeney 11:30am The Sweeney 12:40pmThe Professionals 1:40pm Minder 2:45pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 3:45pm Ben Hur 4:50pm FYI Daily 4:55pm Ben Hur 7:55pm Where Eagles Dare 8:55pm FYI Daily 9:00pm Where Eagles Dare 11:00pmJaws 12:05am FYI Daily 12:10am Jaws 1:40am Quincy, M.E. 2:40am The Professionals 3:45am The Protectors 4:15am World of Sport 4:25am Silverstone Classic

6:30am Great Sporting Moments 6:45am Great Sporting Moments 7:00am Good Morning Sports Fans Bitesize 7:30am Good Morning Sports Fans Bitesize 8:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Cricket 1:00pm Live Premier League 4:00pm Football 6:00pm Live Premier League 8:15pm Live Premier League 11:00pmCricket Day two of the second Test as New Zealand host Sri Lanka in Christchurch.

2:30am Live NBA: Denver @ San Antonio

WEDNESDAY - 26 DECEMBER 11:30am The Princess and the Frog 1:00pm Snow Chick: A Penguin's Tale 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:15pm BBC London News 2:25pm Raiders of the Lost Ark 4:15pm The Highway Rat 4:40pm The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper 4:50pm Trolls 6:15pm BBC News 6:30pm BBC London News 6:40pm The BFG 8:30pm The Midnight Gang 9:30pm EastEnders 10:00pmThe ABC Murders 11:00pmBBC News at Ten 11:20pmMatch of the Day

10:20am Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby 11:20am The Young Victoria 1:00pm Victoria and Albert 2:30pm A Culture Show Special 3:30pm Saving Mr. Banks 5:30pm Final Score 6:15pm Porridge 6:55pm University Challenge Christmas 2018 7:25pm Dad's Army 8:05pm Morecambe and Wise - Christmas Show 1971 8:50pm The Morecambe and Wise Show: The Lost Tapes 9:30pm The Morecambe and Wise Show: The Lost Tapes 10:00pm Ken Dodd: How Tickled We Were 11:15pm Torvill and Dean: The Perfect Day 12:15am Dragons' Den 1:15am Starter for 10

8:00pm The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank 9:00pm Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2018: Who Am I? Where Do I Come From?

10:00pmDarcey's Ballet Heroes 11:00pmDetectorists Christmas Special Special seasonal episode of the award-winning comedy about metal detectorists Andy and Lance.

11:30pmSome Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em 12:20am Carole King and Friends at Christmas 1:20am Merry Christmas Baby with Gregory Porter and Friends 2:20am The Joy of ABBA

8:20am Celebrity Lego Masters at Christmas 9:15am The Simpsons 9:50am The Simpsons 10:20am Short Circuit 12:20pmSmall Soldiers 2:25pm Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom 4:15pm The Great Christmas Bake Off 5:35pm Gogglesprogs Christmas Special 6:40pm Channel 4 News 6:45pm Mrs. Doubtfire 9:00pm The Crystal Maze 10:00pmBig Fat Quiz of the Year 2018 12:00am The Green Mile 3:20am Alan Carr's Christmas Cracker Alan Carr hosts an A-List Christmas extravaganza from his very own Alpine lodge.

7:40am Noddy: Toyland Detective 7:55am Thomas and Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!

8:05am Fireman Sam 8:15am Shane the Chef 8:35am Peppa Pig 8:45am Peppa Pig 8:55am Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 9:05am Info not available 10:00am Gallagher Premiership Rugby Highlights 10:50am Friends 11:20am Info not available 11:45am Neighbours 12:10pmThe Dirty Dozen 3:10pm A Bridge Too Far 6:40pm Neighbours 7:10pm Agatha and the Truth of Murder 9:00pm The Dog Rescuers at Christmas 10:00pmRich House, Poor House at Christmas

8:35am The Tom and Jerry Show 8:50am Ben 10 9:10am The Bagel and Becky Show 9:30am Ultimate SpiderMan v the Sinister Six 10:05am Mighty Magiswords 10:25am Free Willy 3: The Rescue 12:05pmThe Witches 1:50pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:00pm ITV Racing: Live from Kempton 4:30pm Tenable 5:35pm Tipping Point: Lucky Stars 6:35pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 7:35pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Quantum of Solace 11:05pmITV News 11:20pmLove Actually

7:15am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 7:35am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 8:00am Ultimate You've Been Framed!

Gold 8:50am Emmerdale 9:45am Coronation Street 10:45am You've Been Framed!

11:45am Happy Feet Two 12:45pmFYI Daily 12:50pmHappy Feet Two 1:50pm Emmerdale 2:50pm Coronation Street 3:50pm Nanny McPhee 4:50pm FYI Daily 4:55pm Nanny McPhee 5:55pm The Lego Movie 6:55pm FYI Daily 7:00pm The Lego Movie 8:00pm Uncle Buck 9:05pm FYI Daily 9:10pm Uncle Buck 10:00pmBridesmaids 11:00pmFYI Daily

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of Euro Weekly News.

OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 December 2018

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION Letters should be emailed to oursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com

Views expressed and opinions given are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. No responsibility is accepted for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements.

Sign of the times or a minority?

I AM an avid reader of the Euro Weekly News. I’m not naive enough to believe there has never been any crime, of course there has. But is it a sign of the times that every week there is a fatal shooting or stabbing, either gang related or domestic?

While everything should be done to put a stop to these type of offences, we must try to remember that it is a minority of people who are involved in drug related activity.

Domestic violence, however, is a classless and far reaching crime and often goes unreported with fatal consequences.

As such, it is commendable and encouraging to see the national drive that has been embarked upon to raise awareness about gender violence, and the measures that are being taken to try to tackle the issue.

Lisa Shannon

Pet peeve I WAS interested to read in your newspaper last week that the mayor of Benalmadena (Costa del Sol, Issue 1745) had announced that pet owners should take more responsibility for cleaning up after their animals.

I have to say I think this comes none too soon. I live in a town where many people own pets and their owners seem to feel no compulsion to clean up after their animals.

Making pet owners tidy up after their animals would save any council plenty of cash that they could then spend on making public paths better. They could raise money from fining non-complaint owners too.

The mayors of towns across this country should take note of what is being done in Benalmadena.

Terry Joyce

It’s the same WHY do some people get so worked up about migrants, don’t they realise they are migrants themselves?

Those people rescued in boats are coming here for a better life, just like expats.

It’s time to stop using such narrow minded and racist language on such a sensitive issue, especially when people are risking their lives and dying just for the chance for opportunities the rest of us take for granted.

Being lucky in which part of the world you were born in doesn’t give you the right to demean those less fortunate.

Many expats come to Spain and make zero effort to adapt to the culture and traditions. Whatever their opinion of the migrant situation, they should get off their ignorant high horses and have a bit of humanity.

Rebecca Thornton

Definitely May-be I JUST want to state my adCOURAGE: miration for Theresa May May should who I think has shown such get more courage and persistence backing. throughout the Brexit blizzard so far.

She has managed to negotiate a workable deal with the EU in incredibly testing circumstances and everyone should be rallying round in the national interest, not trying to get rid of her for their own selfish political ends.

Changing the leader now would be so disruptive and would take weeks so install someone new: time that we simply don’t have.

Crashing out of the EU without a deal is becoming frighteningly real and politicians should know that almost no one voted for that.

It’s time for common sense to prevail on all sides and hopefully one last effort from Mrs May can get the deal over the line.

OUR VIEW

Merry Christmas IT is once again time to wrap the presents, deck the halls, roast the turkey and get set for Christmas Day. This time of year is always one for getting together with the people we love. It is also one for looking around and taking stock.

Much has happened over the past year in Spain and across the world. Many of those events have filled the pages of this newspaper.

We saw a changing of the guard politically with a new Prime Minister in Spain. And it was only last week that British Prime Minister Theresa May’s fate hung in the balance due to ongoing concerns over her Brexit deal.

Away from politics, we saw crooks getting justice, people helping others and campaigners trying to make the world better.

But there were also stories of needless suffering, personal tragedy and of people struggling to make their lives better.

Christmas is a time where we can look around and give thanks for what we have, whether it be loving family and friends, success, or simply our health.

It should also be a time to think about those less fortunate and how we could do our bit to make their lives better.

We at EWN hope you will do both and we wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas.

Now we want to hear your views.

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION www.euroweeklynews.com

Susan Braithwaite

HAVE YOUR SAY

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

EWN 31

Readers who have missed correspondence can see all letters - which can be edited before publication - posted on: www.euroweeklynews.com.

FOUND: Donald Wright safe after 3 weeks Great news! So pleased he is safe and well xx

Mary

TAKING THE URINE: Residents on the Costa del Sol forced to clean after dogs in new council policy Good job. Too many dog owners think that every piece of grass/sand/lampost is a toilet for their dogs.

I, also a smoker, would like there to be some control on the beaches to stop people putting their cigarette out in the sand. It is so easy to take an empty can or some receptacle to use. I must say in my experience (15 years) at Carvajal beach, it is more likely the locals who seem to have no respect for their environment. I go to Portugal often, where there are signs asking people to keep the beaches clean, they provide paper (burn proof) cups to put out and keep their dog ends. The beaches are pristine!

Leapy Lee should be our prime minister, or home secretary at least.

Bill

Muggles behaving badly: Harry Potter fans vandalised 4,000-yearold tomb in Spain How did the Moors do that if they started the invasion of the peninsula in 711 and never held a true control over Galicia.

Did they time travel thousands of years back with a time machine?

Enric

COMMENTS FROM EWN ONLINE Spain greenlights €7.3 billion weaponry programme All this to protect Spain from... Drake? Raleigh? Surly better to put some fast patrol boats between Spain and North Africa to turn the immigrant smugglers’ boats round PM All the left do is spend and rob… get these idiots out of power now!!!

Sean

A very royal Christmas - Spain’s monarchy releases annual Christmas card Please….the monarchy couldn’t give a stuff about anyone / time they went…

Sean

Demonstrators rally outside Spanish Supreme Court after police raids on Mallorcan news outlets About time Spain had some huge protests, just like

in France…

Sean

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez likens Catalan independence push to ‘invented grievances’ of Brexit Goodby Mr Sanchez, you talk more nonsense than the last idiot.

Sean

Couple fined and banned for life from Jet2 after violent fight forced plane to Spain to divert You do have to wonder whether it was really necessary to divert the flight, causing incredible inconvenience to every other passenger as well as the airline itself, because it was not possible to separate a 65year-old woman and a 55- year-old man and they ‘could not risk flying over water.’ Were this couple superhuman and likely to bring the plane down in the ocean? Just ask for some help from passengers to move one of them to the back of the plane or something, then deal with them on arrival. I’m sure it was not pleasant but surely there is a less extreme solution that does not punish every passenger for the actions of just one couple. Are the airline seeking compensation on behalf of all the passengers too? I doubt it.

Angus

32

E W N 20 - 26 December 2018

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TIME

Quick

Cryptic Across 1 One posted in Picardy? (4) 3 Rustic friend welcoming roast being served (8) 9 Domestic employees’ goats (7) 10 Join the French, become confused! (5) 11 One is entertained by flower girl (5) 12 A nice evening view sent us wild?

(6) 14 Great fear triggered initially by mistake (6) 16 Detector of drunken snores (6) 19 Unhappy daughter has extremely large burden (6) 21 Endlessly evaluate fools (5) 24 Side with gal in trouble (5) 25 Rescue 50 in the wild (7) 26 Steel men work out basics (8) 27 Previously held in detention centre (4) Down 1 Building material for start of construction on Greek island (8) 2 Manages to acquire first of gold bars (5) 4 Help in class is trainee (6) 5 Shower after time of coach (5) 6 Right, put your clothes on again (7) 7 A German song was not true (4) 8 Roman consul in company accepting cooked rice (6) 13 Rare gems scattered in lake (8)

15 Understand how to convert into cash (7) 17 Make possible a reconciliation of Len and Abe (6) 18 Transfer debits for temporary accommodation (6)

Code Breaker

20 Bonehead taken up by Aztec nude dancers (5) 22 Rustic lover was in a turmoil (5) 23 Dull fashion direction (4)

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 8 represents B and 19 represents W, so fill in B every time the figure 8 appears and W every time the figure 19 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Across 1 Step by step (9) 7 Depart (5) 8 Venomous snake (5) 9/15 Knapsack (3,3) 10 Delight (6) 14 Panther cat (6) 15 See 9 18 Vagrant (5) 20 One sixteenth of a pound (5) 21 Take to bits (9) Down 1 Impertinence (4)

English - Spanish

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION FACING PAGE

Across 1 Sierras (herramientas) (4) 3 Ceniceros (8) 9 Boiled (7) 10 Oats (5) 11 Thimble (5) 12 Shine (6) 14 To struggle (6) 16 Eighth (6) 19 Reparar (6) 21 Mind (intelligence) (5) 24 Onza (5) 25 Plum (7) 26 Lirón (8) 27 Vein (in body, leaf) (4)

2 Extreme greed for material wealth (7) 3 Second-hand (4) 4 Full of zest or vigour (6) 5 Bark in a high-pitched tone (3) 6 Hairdresser (6) 11 Opposed to (7) 12 Straw hat (6) 13 Changes shape as via computer animation (6) 16 Tiny or scarcely detectable amount (4) 17 Give over (4) 19 Put on (3)

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

Down 1 Horario (8) 2 Mundo (5) 4 Lentamente (6) 5 Lágrimas (5) 6 Happiness (cheerfulness) (7) 7 Chasquido (de dedos) (4) 8 Bible (6) 13 Slap (in the face) (8) 15 Limpiadora (persona) (7) 17 Summit (6) 18 Ladrillos (6) 20 Steel (metal) (5) 22 Sobrina (5) 23 Fuerte (ruido) (4)

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

Nonagram

LOTTERY

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 R) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

5

26

34

35

43

49

BONUS BALL

19

IRISH LOTTO

Average: 11

Saturday December 15

Good: 15

2

9

23

BONUS BALL

Very good: 22

41

38

35

34

Excellent: 28

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION Tuesday December 11

BONUS BALL

4

7

13

1 3

42

23

Sudoku

29

38

2 10

44

LA PRIMITIVA

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.

Thursday December 13

2

10

41

42

44

45

BONUS BALL

33 3

JOKER: 3 661 223

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Saturday December 15

6

9

10

24

26

32

BONUS BALL

25

Sunday December 16

13

26

BONUS BALL

0

48

28

7 Ageless, 9 Adage, 10 Theatre, 11 Apple, 12 Scant, 14 Spirits, 16 Sceptic, 18 Spied, 20 Rouse, 22 Subside, 24 Poise, 25 Startle.

Down: 1 Pulgar, 2 Right, 3 Earache, 5 Easel, 6 Trainee, 7 Orphan, 8 Sorprendido, 14 Laundry, 15 Orchard, 16 Atraco, 17 Sandía, 19 Torre, 21 Apodo.

Down: 1 Tastes, 2 Serenade, 3 Newt, 4 Canaries, 5 Wasp, 6 Deters, 8 Stews, 13 Tattered, 15 Initiate, 16 Scraps, 17 Cases, 19 Diesel, 21 Unit, 23 Beak.

QUICK

KAKURO

Across: 1 Giggle, 4 Scum, 8 Among, 9 Quits, 10 Reassemble, 13 Underskirt, 17 Irate, 18 Jammy, 19 Even, 20 Strain.

Down:

CODE BREAKER 14

I

N

2

Everything on the home front is emphasised and there will be a flurry of activity. Get others involved in any changes. Work in the garden or painting is much more enjoyable and half the work if you enlist the help of someone you get on well with.

When discussing a holiday with others, be aware that agreement is not always easily met. Although you are not inclined to compromise, it is necessary to go with the majority decision.

B

15

Q

3

L

16

A

4

S

17

X

5

J

18

G

6

K

19

U

7

M

20

V

8

O

21

H

After the 2nd it is much easier to see the path ahead. This is particularly true of a financial situation, so there's no sense in fussing until you understand what needs to be done.

LEO (July 24 - August 23)

1 Gnaw, 2 Glove, 5 Climb, 6 Musket, 7 Squeak, 11 Shriek, 12 Futile, 14 Drake, 15 Rumba, 16 Hymn, 18/3 Jet lag.

1

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21)

CANCER (June 22 - July 23)

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS Across:

A rather slow start to the week leads you to feel bored but be assured that the weekend will be far from dull. A recent conversation or correspondence with an old friend leads to unexpected contact.

9

E

22

F

10

11

12

13

23

24

25

26

W Y

Z

R

T

C

D P

your conscience. You may have to upset someone by telling the truth, which may affect your longer-term finances.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Are you willing to take a risk on someone who has let you down before? Looking into their recent past is likely to tip the balance.

What you find shows clearly if there has been a change of heart on their part or if they are trying to pull the wool over your eyes.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) A disagreement with a friend upsets you but is short-lived. To avoid such a situation in the future, look at how you should have dealt with it. There is always something to know that guides us to a better position. It will make you smile someone has taken you for a fool as you have the last laugh.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) A great feeling of joy comes over you more than once in the week ahead. Your inner child has been set free, and this is likely to be because of recent restrictions, which are now lifted. Do not feel guilty about this because it is a choice that will serve you well in the future. Right now, things may seem like a bit of an effort for small reward.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)

JOKER: 3 459 017

11

ARIES (March 21 - April 20)

5

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

1 Parcel, 4 Next to, 9 Lagarto, 10 Stamp, 11 Attic, 12 Palanca, 13 Alrededores, 18 Trusted, 20 Clara, 22 Andar, 23 Diamond, 24 Oxygen, 25 Idioma.

Who is trying to push you into a corner? Maybe it is being done so subtly that you have not even noticed. Who wants a decision from you? Appear to take pressure lightly and not give in to an irritation.

BONUS BALL

12

EL MILLON: LNH36834

Across:

It is difficult to avoid repeating mistakes made in the past. Your approach to certain situations has not changed and therein lies the problem. Someone who blames you for a mistake shows ignorance but that does not make it less upsetting.

Friday December 14

42

CRYPTIC

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)

EURO MILLIONS

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Saturday December 15

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Your attention is needed on more than one front, and some decisions are at odds with your personal thoughts and attitudes.

Being reminded that 'business is business' does nothing to relieve

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Travel arrangements may have to be changed at the last minute. Do not fret, however, because success is more likely later in the month. During a dream, or when reading a book, an idea comes to you. Can this really make a difference to your future? You may need to act quickly to start a new project but progress will require patience.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) The need to plan ahead is frustrating when you know exactly what ought to be going on.

Patience is something that you need to cultivate, or you risk upsetting someone close.

Spending time with a colleague makes you realise how good things could be, but a lot of effort is involved. Pushing ahead does not guarantee results.

QUIZ: LAST LINES From which 10 films are these the closing lines? The character speaking the words and the year of release (in brackets) are given as clues.

1. “And no matter what they did to build this city back up again ... for the rest of time ... it would be like nobody even knew we was ever here.” Amsterdam Vallon (2002) 2. “Hang on a minute, lads; I've got a great idea.” Charlie Croker (1969) 3. “Kevin, what did you do to my room?” Buzz McCallister (1990) 4. “Ladies and Gentlemen. Stop that girl. That girl running up the aisle - stop her. That's the girl whose voice you heard and loved tonight. She's the real star of the picture. Kathy Selden.” Don Lockwood (1952) 5. “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Rick Blaine (1942)

6. “Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads!” Dr Emmett Brown (1985) 7. “That's right… That's right. Attaboy, Clarence.” George Bailey (1946) 8. “The horror, the horror…” Colonel Walter E Kurtz (1979) 9. “This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.” Ripley (1979) 10. “Well, nobody's perfect.” Osgood Fielding III (1959) Not a lot of people know that… the famous line that became shorthand for the perceived attitude of City traders in the '80s is not simply: “Greed is good”, it is: “The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works.” (Wall Street - 1987)

Answers: 1. GANGS OF NEW YORK, 2.

THE ITALIAN JOB, 3. HOME ALONE, 4. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. 5. CASABLANCA, 6.

BACK TO THE FUTURE, 7. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE, 8.

APOCALYPSE NOW, 9. ALIEN, 10. SOME LIKE IT HOT

OUT

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20 - 26 December 2018

V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E W W W. E U R O W E E K LY N E W S . C O M

Fake it ‘til you make it AS the temperatures plunge and Spain’s usually clear blue skies become cloudier, most of us notice our summer glow starting to fade.

While it is always advisable to reach for the fake tan rather than spending hours in the sun, winter is a particularly good time to take advantage of the wide variety of products promising a safe and natural-looking colour.

The perfect fake tan begins by exfoliating to ensure the surface of your skin is smooth. Whether you will be tanning your face or body, use a gentle exfoliator, massaging the product in small circles before rinsing it off. Take some extra time on your knees and elbows, which are normally drier.

Now you can wax or shave if you are planning to do so, as doing this after applying your tan may cause an uneven finish. Next you can moisturise, which will prevent the fake tan sticking to dry patches. It is important to remember not to remove hair or moisturise within 24 hours of applying fake tan.

Finally, you can apply the product itself, starting at your ankles and using long, sweeping motions to evenly distribute the fake tan onto your body. The technique differs slightly for the face, where you should mix fake tan with a moisturiser before gently applying it, while taking care to avoid your eyebrows and hairline.

If you’re stuck for time however, try a tinted moisturiser in a shade darker than your normal skin tone for a quick boost of colour. Alternatively, sweep a bronzing powder over the parts of your face which naturally attract the most sun, like your nose, forehead, and cheekbones.

TO READ MORE

HEALTH BEAUTY

The big beauty cover-up

By Sally Underwood BETWEEN family reunions, glamorous parties, and festive events, this time of year can be one of the best.

But late nights catching up with friends and family can take its toll, leaving us feeling less than sprightly.

Luckily, the humble concealer is there at hand if you prefer to cover up any evidence of missing your beauty sleep. But while this product can help disguise everything from undereye bags to pigmentation and scarring, how you apply concealer can make a huge difference to its effectiveness.

One of the biggest problems with using concealer under the eyes can be creasing, when the product settles into any fine lines. Similarly, flaking can also ruin the overall effect you are trying to achieve.

CONCEALER: Can help camouflage pesky under eye circles.

Prevent this by using a thin layer of eye cream before applying any make-up, allowing around 20 minutes to let it settle in before putting anything on top. This will moisturise the skin and help plump out any lines.

Next, if you don’t mind using multiple products, apply a primer under your eyes which will help your make-up last longer and preventing it creasing or moving around.

Finally, put a small amount of your preferred shade of concealer on the tips of your index fingers and allow it to warm up to skin temperature. This will help it spread better and prevent you

pulling the delicate skin around your eye as you apply the make-up.

Now, pat a small amount into the inner corner of your orbital bone and then dab a small amount of concealer in a triangle shape reaching down to your cheek bone rather than in a half-moon shape under your eye. This trick will visually draw the eye away from any un-

Wine not?

A STUDY has shown people who drink alcohol in moderation are 11 per cent less likely to go to hospital.

A study by Harvard University, and published in journal Addiction, found those who enjoyed a small glass of wine a day were healthier than those who avoided alcohol altogether.

The research project studied 21,000 men and women in Italy over six years and found that overall 13,000 people ended up in hospital.

The average age of those hospitalised was 56, and those

&

who avoided alcohol were 11 per cent more likely to become ill than those who drank in moderation and followed a Mediterranean-style diet.

Dr Ken Mukamal, from the Harvard Medical School, said: “We are absolutely not saying that any teetotaller should start drinking to improve his / her health.” However, red wine in particular in moderation has been shown to have a wide range of health benefits.

One of these benefits is caused by the high anti-oxidant rate of red wines. The drink

contains polyphenols, a group of chemicals naturally occurring in plants, which can help to prevent cellular damage by cancercausing chemicals, such as tobacco smoke or pollution.

These in turn can improve the function of blood vessels, and help prevent blood clots, as well as potentially helping to protect the body against cancers.

White wine lovers need not fear, however, as although red wine is frequently touted as the healthiest of its competitors, white varieties also offer benefits. These include slightly lower, but still significant, levels of antioxidants.

White wines also contain fewer calories than red, at around 85 calories per small 125 millilitre glass compared to 105 calories in the same amount of red wine.

Finally, one festive favourite, Champagne, also contains antioxidants, and at 90 calories per 125 millilitres is one of the least fattening party drinks.

der eye bags and shadows, and help to counteract the look of tiredness.

If you do not suffer from dry skin you can now finish by gently pressing a small amount of powder onto your concealer, which will help to set it. If you have very dry skin, skip this step and instead make sure your make-up is pressed into the skin to prevent it moving.

Clay aid SCIENTISTS have found that ingesting a certain type of clay, may limit the amount of fat absorbed by the body.

Researchers from the University of South Australia found rats fed a high fat diet gained the least weight if they also ate an unnamed clay supplement, compared to a placebo or the current most popular fat-binding drug, orlistat.

PHD student Tahnee Dening, discovered the unexpected benefit by coincidence during another experiment. She found the clay was ‘attracting fat droplets and literally soaking them up. Not only were the clay materials trapping the fats within their particle structure, but they were also preventing them from being absorbed by the body, ensuring fat simply passed through the digestive system.’

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OCIAL

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20 - 26 December 2018

Update on food, drink, entertainment, what’s on and weekly happenings

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CELEBRITIES

Monica’s brunette tresses were styled into a sleek ponytail, ensuring her enviable bone structure was on display.

The star’s flawless skin was enhanced with blusher and her stunning eyes were highlighted with a dramatic smokey eye.

The beauty was all smiles and oozed confidence as she posed for photos at the glamorous event in Madrid.

Monica was enjoying a night off from parenting duties to her five-year-old daughter Antonella.

RED HOT: Monica Cruz

Irina sizzles in Spain IRINA SHAYK put on a smouldering display as she attended the opening of the new Porcelanosa store in Castellon de la Plana, Spain.

The Vogue coverstar, 32, showcased her stunning figure in a plunging black gown as she posed up a storm for photographers.

The daring neckline led into a tucked in waist and flowed into an elegant skirt. Shimmering

pearls adorned the gorgeous garment, accessorised with a crystal-studded clutch. Her brunette tresses were pulled back into a sleek ponytail while her pretty features were enhanced with smoky shadow and rose lipstick.

She welcomed daughter Lea de Seine Shayk Cooper into the world on March 21, 2017, with her partner Bradley Cooper.

Mesmerising Maria in Madrid Theatre in New York City - which beMARIAH CAREY put on yet another came her first ever residency - as she amazing show on Sunday as she celeplayed a number of nights every Debrated the final gig of her ‘All I cember. want for Christmas is You’ tour In 2017 she started it off in The in Madrid.

Beacon, took the show to London The diva looked sensational and France for a few nights and in a figure-hugging plunging then finished at The Colosseum black mini-dress, which at Caesars Palace in showcased her ample Las Vegas. cleavage.

But this year’s The 49-year-old leg saw the mumrocked knee-high boots of-two take her and skin-tight black Christmas show all leggings to complete around Europe, hitting the sexy ensemble.

Norway, Sweden, DenThis marked the mark, Germany, France, first year that Mariah England, The Netherlands didn’t have a homebase and Belgium; before finset for the festive conishing in Spain. cert series.

She first kicked it off in 2014 at the Beacon BEAUTY: Mariah Carey.

Vamos vegans SPAIN’S first vegan chef collective has formed in Mallorca, known as Vegan Chefs IB. The Palma-based group has united 15 Spanish chefs who are working together to expand the popularity of plant-based food through exhibitions and partnerships with the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Vegan Chefs IB will create innovative dishes to illustrate the versatility of vegan food and advise other top chefs to introduce more vegan dishes into their menus.

Its president, Victoria Frontera, has explained that while the vegan population in Spain is currently around 1 per cent, she expects demand for vegan food to grow in line with countries like Germany and Sweden.

Last month the Vegan Gastronomy Culinary Academy of Palma announced that it would launch a new Vegan Pizza School starting in March 2019, in an effort to ‘mainstream’ vegan food on the Balearic Islands.

Credit: Coral Universitat de les Illes Balears/Facebook

STUDENT SHOW: The 440 Aula Musical will be on song.

Concerts for Christmas THE arrival of the Christmas holidays brings forth festive cheer and a variety of concerts and musical performances for the public to enjoy.

Palma and the Part Forana will be putting on a range of recitals which will take place in churches, concert halls, auditoriums and theatres.

Among these will be the 440 Aula Musical group, made up of around

70 students of all ages, who will perform in the Sa Maniga musical classroom on Saturday, with violins, clarinets, saxophones, flutes, pianos and percussion all involved.

On Christmas Day, the renowned veteran vocalists Cap Pela will entertain the audience with their unique harmonies in the Manacori Auditorium.

Credit: Mariah Carey/Instagram

BEARING a striking resemblance to her sister Penelope, Monica Cruz caused a stir all of her own as she attended the ELLE Christmas party in Madrid.

The 41-year-old Spanish actress ensured all eyes were on her in a sizzling red mini-dress with feathered detailing and glittering embellished lace.

She boosted her height with a pair of glamorous silver heels and accessorised with some jazzy triangle-shaped drop earrings.

Credit: monicacruzoficial/instagram

Monica is lady in red

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SOCIAL SCENE

This week Celebrity Chef from Ready Steady Cook &Fellow Master Chef Steven Saunders, proprietor of The Little Geranium in La Cala shares his Christmas tips for the best turkey ever!

The best Christmas dinner ever!

Steven Saunders FMCGB The Little Geranium La Cala de Mijas & Marbella

www.thelittlegeranium.com IN the 40 years or so that I have been cooking I have seen and tried hundreds of different ways of getting the Christmas bird to the table! My mother who was a great cook used to put it in the oven at about 2am on Christmas Eve and cook it really slowly, it would be ready by about 3pm on Christmas Day!

1. If frozen ensure you defrost your turkey for at least 24 hours per 2 kilos. (A 5 kilo turkey needs a minimum 3 days defrosting, I would allow 4 days in the fridge).

2. Take the turkey out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.

3. Put lots of soft butter mixed with parsley, lemon juice and some seasoning under the skin of the turkey and add salt and pepper to the outside and inside the turkey. Don’t add garlic as turkey is a gentle, simple flavour and garlic is often overpowering. Smear any butter left over into the breasts on the outside skin. (This can all be done the day before). Lay slices of streaky bacon over the breasts horizontally to completely cover the carcass of the bird.

4. Put an onion and some bay leaf and thyme inside the bird, do not put the stuffing in the cavity as it breeds bacteria (salmonella).

5. Cook the bird upright (breasts up) in a deep dish (to collect the fat) in a preheated oven 225ºC to get the bird nice and brown for about 20 minutes then lower the heat to 160ªC and continue cooking it.

6. Roast the turkey for 30 minutes per kilo about 2½ hours for a 5 kilo bird. It’s a myth that the turkey takes a half a day to cook!

7. Remember to baste the bird, every so often (approx every 20 mins).

I will never forget the amazing smells through the house early Christmas morning which were delightful but the turkey was cremated - I could never tell her!

I was trained at The Savoy in London where we always cooked the Christmas turkey, stuffings and gravy in the way that I’m sharing with you today. I remember one year cooking the turkey in preparation for Frank Sinatra’s arrival when he was performing at The Savoy theatre in or around 1979. I recall that he also had roasted duck on his table and I have used the techniques of both the turkey and the duck at all of my restaurants since. Clients come from literally miles away just for our crispy duck at The Little

Geranium and that recipe is the same as when I cooked it for Frank some 40 years ago!

Turkey originally comes from the forests of North America and Mexico. There are still some more natural varieties available like bronze or black turkey which have a more rich gamey flavour. If you can find them then this will really raise the bar this Christmas. I can get hold of bronze free range over here and I think that El Corte Ingles may have some free range varieties, especially in their Puerto Banus shop.

However in Spain the national turkey is not as intensively farmed as they are in the UK, which is a good thing so it’s not so bad to just choose a regular farmed turkey. Choose a

MERRY XMAS: From both of us. large fresh bird to ensure the best flavours, a good size is about five kilos. (Serving eight upwards).

Steven’s Top Ten Christmas Turkey Tips turkey, make it and cook it sepa-

TOP TURKEY: Served with stuffing and gravy.

8. Use a thermometer to check the meat in the thicker thigh of the turkey or the thicker part of the breast, when it is cooked it should read 160ºF about 70ºC. At this temperature the juices should run clear if you insert a metal skewer or small knife.

9. Allow the turkey to rest (it will continue to cook internally) for at least 20 minutes after cooking, then present it and carve!

10. Save the juices from the turkey tray to finish your gravy.

Have a fantastic Christmas and look out next week for what to do with all the leftovers. See you then!

Your Stuffing It is much better to make your own stuffing and very simple.

Don’t include it in the cavity of the

rately.

Simple but delicious Christmas stuffing Ingredients 1/2 kilo of good sausages or sausage meat 2 small onions diced finely and cooked gently in a little butter 200g approx of wild mushrooms cooked gently with a little garlic and butter 300g of breadcrumbs or use Panko crumbs even better Approx 4 tablespoons of roasted peeled and chopped chestnuts (You can buy them ready cooked in the shops) 1 leek washed, sliced finely and fried until soft in a little butter A small sprig of fresh sage chopped orsome parsley or thyme leaves 2 egg yolks Note : You can cook the mushrooms, onions and leek in same pan together.

Get all your ingredients together and

put the sausage meat in a clean bowl and add all the cooked ingredients to the raw sausage meat. Add all the remaining ingredients - breadcrumbs, chestnuts, sage and thyme and the egg yolks and mix well in with your hands wearing plastic gloves. I then roll the stuffing in cling film into like a Christmas cracker and keep in fridge until needed. I slice through the cling film to cook each portion when required but at home you will want to cook it all, so just cut open the cling film and squeeze the stuffing into a glass baking dish. Top the stuffing with some little knobs of butter and bake in the oven for about 20-30 mins on about 180ºC or until the stuffing is crispy on the top.

Easy delicious Home-made Gravy Serves 8-10 Approx 2 kilos of chicken or turkey bones and trimmings pre-roasted until golden brown 2 onions, chopped 1 head of celery, chopped 2 carrots, chopped 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour

2 sprigs of thyme 2 bay leaves ½ bottle white wine 4 litres of chicken stock 2 ladles of cooked turkey juices (see above) In a large stockpot, combine all ingredients. Fill pot with the chicken stock (Caldo in Spain) available in all supermarkets. Add bay leaves and sprigs of thyme. Bring to the boil and then immediately simmer for two to three hours. Strain and transfer the ingredients into a clean saucepan. Add white wine. Reduce this by boiling it until it’s reduced by almost half.

To thicken the stock, combine the butter and flour together into little balls and whisk into the hot gravy or replace with approx 4 tablespoons of chicken or turkey granules. Either way whisk in until thickish. Cook the sauce for at least 30 minutes afterwards. Finally use the turkey juices from the roasting tray and add this to the sauce through a sieve to avoid unwanted pieces.

Taste and season well and serve.

You can email Steven your questions or enquiries to: steven@thelittlegeranium.com.

Steven Saunders FMCGB - The Little Geranium, La Cala de Mijas & Marbella. www.thelittlegeranium.com

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SPAIN’S central government has announced it plans to approve new rental laws imminently.

Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister, said his government may extend rental agreements from three to five years, or seven in the case of businesses, restrict how much deposit is taken, and is also contemplating limiting rental prices in areas of highest demand.

The Minister for Public Works, Jose Luis Abalos, explained housing had been one of the issues the government had been most eager to tackle since coming into power in June.

He added they plan to enact legal changes to the rental market as soon as possible.

Helena Beunza, Secretary General of Housing, told one publication these changes could even take place before the end of the year, bringing rental regulations closer to those put in place in Spain in 1995.

She explained this could see the govern-

V I S I T O U R W E B S I T E W W W . E U R O W E E K LY N E W S . C O M

Rental reforms coming CHANGES: Pedro Sanchez wants new rental laws.

‘Tis the season (to buy a house) WHEN thinking about Christmas, the mind doesn’t automatically turn to thoughts of buying property.

But the festive season may actually be one of the best times of the year to purchase a home, according to property website, Idealista.com.

Inma Vives, an expert in marketing and sales in the real estate sector, told the site there are several advantages to buying a home at Christmas time, explaining sellers are often, ‘in a hurry to get on with their Christmas preparations and this makes negotiating the transfer of the house quicker.’

She advises ‘taking advantage of this, to try to close the deal as soon as possible.’

The expert also points out that fewer people buy at the end of the year, meaning there may be better prices on offer.

Vives explains: “The market stops for a few weeks over Christmas and this puts pressure on the sellers who want to sell urgently to lower the price of their properties.

In the new year, house prices will rise again. Visit those

ONE EXPERT: Claims Christmas may be the best time to buy a property. properties which are falling in price and propose your price with the condition that you sign the contract before the end of the year.”

She advises using any holiday days off, to get on with the formalities of dealing with banks and lawyers so you do not have to wait unnecessarily before signing for your new home.

Vives says banks may also be keen to help you get a mortgage during the end of the year if they have not met their sales targets, and will ‘give you the red-carpet treatment and the best conditions.’

She adds: “If you can, visit several banks and take the best offer.”

If you do decide to buy over the holidays, the expert

advises having all your paperwork in place and being ready to visit the house or attend any meetings at the last minute to keep everything moving forward smoothly.

Finally, Vives tells potential buyers that although there may be bargains to be found, not to let the thrill of the deal push them into decisions they do not really want.

ment impose an extension of rental contracts from three to five years, and that if neither party gives notice not to renew a contract within its last six months it will automatically be renewed for another three years.

Ms Beunza also confirmed the government could create legislation preventing landlords from asking for more than two months’ worth of rent as a deposit, and that the costs of any real estate management and of formalising the contract may be borne by the property owner.

The government has said it also plans to ensure any rights a landlord has to take back their home are included in the rental contract so that tenants always know where they stand.

Finally, it is yet to be announced whether the government plans to impose rental price limits in areas with the greatest demand, such as Barcelona and Madrid.

According to Abalos, any new legislation should be announced by the end of the month.

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Colin Bird A SURE way to tell if there is going to be a harsh winter in England is by the size and number of berries on holly bushes. The bigger the crop the colder the weather will be, and no berries at all signifies a mild winter.

It’s how Mother Nature provides food for the birds during hard times, we were informed by a grizzled old timer in our Suffolk village.

Not that the birds ever went hungry in our garden; there was a hundredweight of seed and nuts distributed between the numerous bird tables and feeders. And hanging from trees, more fat balls than you would find in a Sumo Wrestler training camp.

As a Parish Councillor whose responsibilities included keeping the villages’ three greens, cemetery and parish church yard mown and strimmed in the summer, I was familiar with the location of a number of holly bushes, But two Christmases before our departure for Spain, there was not a hint of red amongst the varnished dark green holly leaves anywhere.

FEATURE

Deck the halls

MUST HAVE: Holly obligatory at Christmas.

The Princess was very particular about pinning a generous sprig of berried holly on the oak bressemer above our inglenook fireplace, but to keep up the tradition it looked increasingly as if a trip to the garden

centre would be necessary.

But surely there must be at least one productive plant somewhere and I remembered a location that I had not yet checked.

Of course! A large holly bush in

the parish church yard. It was such a familiar sight in the summer as I buzzed around, that I had now ignored the obvious, and sure enough there was the bush bucking the trend and displaying a festive show of

bright red berries.

But then this was holy ground.

So would harvesting some of its precious crop be seen as desecration?

I didn’t think so, but others might, and just to be on the safe side I decided to return after dark.

Later that evening I went back for my prize. The Princess would be chuffed to death.

As I reached the bush there was an audible hum, and a blazing light came on over the church door. Something else I had forgotten. It was the motion activated security light.

I froze in tableau - the Deputy Chairman of the Parish Council - illicit secateurs poised, and waited for a reaction from the large house opposite and the terrace of tied cottages that overlooked the churchyard. But not a curtain fluttered.

I quickly amputated a rather splendid branch, and greatly relieved, hurried home.

That was some years ago and it is only recently that I have begun to feel comfortable during a thunder storm and safe from the possibility of being incinerated by a lightning bolt.

Travel

Beautiful, beautiful San Sebastian TALK to almost every Spanish national about travelling around Spain, and they will all mention San Sebastian. And if you say that you’ve never been there, it’s greeted with a look of dismay, quickly followed by ‘it’s beautiful... you must go there!’

San Sebastian - or Donostia as it’s known to the local Basque Country population - is one of t h e m o s t n o r t h e r l y o f S p a i n ’s most popular tourist destinations located on the Bay of Biscay.

San Sebastian’s most famous attraction is its great selection of beaches, but for those seeking a little more than a sunbathing holiday there is a wealth of history to be discovered and a chance to learn about a whole different culture - and language at the same time. If anything, a trip to San Sebastian feels like you’re visiting two countries for the price of one.

Much of the architecture that

San Sebastian offers is relatively modern, with one example being the Buen Pastor Cathedral (or Cathedral of the Good Shepherd).

Dominating the local skyline at 75 metres high (245 feet), construction began in 1888 with the official documentation being signed by the two-year-old King Alfonso XIII... the present King Felipe VI’s great grandfather.

The building was originally just a church and designated as being a cathedral in 1953, nine years before it was completed.

Featuring the Gothic Revival style, it’s considered the most important church in San Sebastian and is an even more spectacular sight at night thanks to the lighting.

One of the most visited places in San Sebastian is the Parte

Vieja (Old Town). The quaint buildings famous for their very colourful roofs are protected from the sea by the Monte Urgull.

Traditional tourists that are looking for a more relaxed form of nightlife will quickly fall in love with the Parte Vieja when they get to know its trendy bars and cafes, and with the Basque Country being world famous for the quality of its cuisine, there is no problem in finding a quality restaurant or four.

To w a l k o ff t h e f o o d a n d drink, a stroll through the streets to see some of the city’s other famous churches - such as the B a s i l i c a o f S t M a r y ’s o f t h e Chorus - is recommended, and as you do so try to imagine that until 1863, this historic Parte Vieja was surrounded by a wall.

DOMINATING: The Buen Pastor Cathedral was finally finished in 1962.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

Nora Johnson

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

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

YOU can tell Christmas isn’t far off when the annual ‘UK families ripped off by unscrupulous and entirely predictable seasonal Winter Wonderland theme-park extravaganzas’ are upon us.

This is like Groundhog Day, yet another year, yet another traditional Christmas fiasco.

You know, events which advertise snow, forests, elves, herds of reindeer and scores of marquees offering the ‘finest seasonal foods’, but turn out to be families forking out to stand in long queues in ‘boggy fields’ with bad-tempered Santas in tacky outfits, smoking elves in dodgy costumes, donkeys sporting cardboard antlers and stalls selling Cadbury chocolates well past their sell-by date.

This year a Christmas parade was branded a ‘shambles’ after parents said it had just three floats and was ‘all over in five minutes.’

Swansea’s annual festive event promised ‘dynamic dance-troupes’ as well as ‘spectacular shows and stages.’ But roadworks in the city centre saw the parade hugely scaled down, leading to a barrage of complaints from ‘outraged’ parents on social media.

Plans for a female Santa Claus at a town’s Christmas parade led to accusations that councillors were letting political correctness ruin

20 - 26 December 2018

How to survive a PC Christmas this year

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LEGALLY SPEAKING

Can president spend the money?

Can a president spend community money if it’s not in the agreed budget or if the budget has not yet been agreed by the owners at an AGM? RP (Costa del Sol)

FATHER CHRISTMAS: Male or female this year? tradition. Father Christmas tours the streets of Newton Aycliffe, Co Durham every Christmas Eve, handing out sweets to crowds of excited kids from a float. The festivities have taken place since the 1960’s. However, this year things will be different after a sub-committee at Great Aycliffe Town Council voted unanimously to let a female take over the role.

I wonder what the job ad possibly stipulated? Equality position. No experience necessary. Previous work with large animals desirable as float propelled by reindeer and donkeys. Deep voice and ability to say ho! ho! ho! an advantage but otherwise voice training will be given. Must be willing to travel (essential user sleigh allowance provided). As rein-

deer will fly, driving licence not essential but private pilot licence desirable with night piloting certification.

I think I’ll put my poodle in for the job next year… animals have rights as well you know!

Ho ho ho or woof woof woof?

Happy Christmas!

Nora Johnson’s psychological crime thrillers ‘The Girl in the Woods,’ ‘The Girl in the Red Dress,’ ‘No Way Back,’ ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.net) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.99; £0.99) and iBookstore.

All profits go to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

The short answer is, yes. Standardly, David Searl the president has access to You and the Law the community funds. He can in Spain write cheques and make transfers. The professional administrator usually has power over the funds also. Sometimes the expenditures require two signatures. If the president is also the administrator and has sole access to the funds, he needs no further authorisation to spend community money.

He is of course, obligated to inform the community in a timely manner of any expense paid out which is not included in the budget voted by the community.

If the added expense is for a superior quality of paint on the building because the cheaper paint was not available, there should be no problem. If, however, the president undertakes new projects not voted by the members, he can be called to account and even taken to court to reimburse the community.

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

40 EWN

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20 - 26 December 2018

FEATURE

Kitchen gadgets I can live without Barry Duke

LAURA PENN ‘PENN TO PAPER’ HAVE you ever been introduced to someone and instantly forgotten their name... even as they are saying it?

I have a theory that the brain is like a sponge and when it becomes saturated there is no room for any more content until something is squeezed out. Having been a radio presenter for 30 years my grey cells are jampacked with song lyrics from the 1980’s and that is my excuse for forgetting what I walked into the kitchen for. Ask me to recite Wham’s Last Christmas... no problem, but the name of the guy shaking my hand?

No clue.

There is no benefit to having ABBA’s greatest hits rattling around in my head as it is only mildly useful at karaoke. Which leads me, in a seamless radio presenter way, to the subject of song lyrics causing offence.

Last week the song Baby it’s Cold Outside was banned by a radio station in Cleveland, Ohio because listeners complained that its lyrics were inappropriate and at odds with the

ploded a few weeks ago right in the middle of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Highway to Hell’.

I was using a cut-throat razor at the time, and slashed open my left cheek. Simultaneously, all the fuses blew in the apartment. I shan’t be replacing it any time soon.

Although I’ve yet to find a cure for my forays into AliExpress late at night when I’ve had a few Famous Grouses, I avoid the kitchenware section, for my lust for kitchen gadgetry died when I was packing in advance of my move to Spain. I found items which convinced me I’d lost my marbles when I bought them.

POINTLESS: Who ne eds useless gadgets .

First to go into a box destined for the nearest charity shop was a plastic gew-gaw invented to turn boiled eggs into cubes.

Next in, a pair of scissors with a spatula attached. This was designed to cut pizzas and lift the slices simultaneously. Also discarded was a yellow plastic banana slicer, a microwave omelette-maker and a wooden peanut butter and jam spreader with colourcoded silicon ends. (If you’re tempted to get one, Amazon are still selling the things for around €30).

A strawberry stem remover, a garlic peeler, an electric popcorn-maker and a twirling spaghetti fork were next.

In the end, I came over with just my favourite knives, a coffee grinder, a boiled-egg slicer, a vintage metal garlic press dating back to the 1950’s and a hand-held electric blender.

One mistake, was discarding my potato masher, thinking I could get a new one anywhere in Benidorm.

What I did not know at the time is that mashed potatoes don’t figure largely in Spanish cuisine.

Not a single store specialising in cookware had one.

Then, when I was in a hardware

So what is inappropriate?

Credit: Copyright Laura Penn

FOLK who know me well will tell you that I’m a walking repository for all manner of gadgets, ranging from portable power-banks to self-defence torches.

My bulging leather satchel also has a multi-purpose Swiss Army knife, a telescopic magnet great for fishing keys out of storm-water drains, and a flash-drive containing information which may be relevant to the police or medics, should I ever be found unconscious in a gutter or wheelie-bin.

A visit to Casa del Duke will also reveal a great many other items I’ve been compelled to buy from AliExpress, a Chinese site which offers a cornucopia of marvellous high-tech gizmos at knock-down prices.

One was a light bulb which doubled as a Bluetooth speaker, which I put in the bathroom so I could shave and shower to my favourite tunes.

I say ‘was’ because the thing ex-

CARING: Laura with John Barrowman (left) and Scott Gill. #Me Too Movement. Some of the words imply that the woman is being forced against her will to stay in an uncomfortable situation.

Now enough! It’s a song! What next? White Christmas banned for being racist?

Baby it’s Cold Outside was written

by Frank Loesser in1944 at the height of Hollywood’s glamour era and features a lady protesting just enough to be convinced... or running just fast enough to be caught (as my dad used to say). It was the era when women feigned resistance as a coy ploy... as opposed to nowadays in Magaluf

where the fellas look terrified by the forthrightness of their opposite sex.

There are many instances of Hollywood culture that could be said to be inappropriate now. Rhett Butler sweeping Scarlett O’Hara off her feet and upstairs to the bedroom could be labelled as abuse and Tony Curtis

store getting a key duplicated, I was elated to find a beast of a metal masher.

It was 36cm in length and looked like a cattle-branding iron, but boy does it ever do the job!

Yet, despite the fact most jobs in the kitchen can be done with a few good pots and pans and some quality knives, the kitchen gadget market is worth hundreds of millions, with people buying items which are not only useless, but often an absolute pain in the butt to keep clean.

definitely ‘catfished’ Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot. Being politically correct these days is a minefield that even the people who laid the mines find tricky to navigate. I know men who are so confused they don’t know if it’s okay to hold open a door for an approaching female. Of course it’s okay. You should hold open doors for anyone, it’s called good manners.

In fact it is time for our old forgotten friend Good Manners and his companion Common Sense to make a long awaited comeback.

Hold open doors, offer up seats, say please and thank you and smile.

Just like seeing Noel Edmonds back on telly it would be a welcome return for something much missed.

Which reminds me, congratulations to Harry Redknapp, the most unlikely King of the Jungle. I can now reveal that my favourite was John Barrowman who was consistently amusing, entertaining and never complained. He and husband Scott Gill (pictured with me) are beautiful, intelligent, caring people... as John would say, they are ‘fabulous.’

Laura Penn hosts the Sunshine Club, Sundays 10 am - noon, Mallorca Sunshine Radio. www.mallorcasunshineradio.com.

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

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

THE Mossos de Esquadra, Cataluña’s police force, charged against CDR demonstrators on Constitution Day. Everybody else had a day off and was revving up for Christmas, but the Committees for the Defence of the Republic were out doing their defence job.

So Cataluña’s Mossos did their job too, and broke up the demonstrations.

Cataluña’s regional president Quim Torra, decided they had violated the CDR members’ de-

EWN 41

Job description mocratic right to demonstrate and ordered purges amongst the highest-ranking Mossos officers.

Meanwhile, the CDR continued demonstrating, whereupon the Madrid government called Torra to order.

Unless the Mossos can guarantee public safety, Pedro Sanchez will send in reinforcements from the National Police, he warned.

Sanchez is just doing his job too, so it would be uncharitable and cynical to link this to the results of the Andalucia elections, and the perception that the government’s conciliatory stance lost the PSOE too many votes.

Ignoring the elephant

CDR: Demonstrators on Constitution Day.

20 - 26 December 2018

EVERYBODY is pussy-footing around the main reason for Vox’s success in Andalucia.

The PSOE government’s handling of the Cataluña crisis is supposed to be a principal reason, and it is likely that the people who vote for Vox, are probably Spanish nationalists.

The real problem isn’t even immigration. It’s immigrants.

Not the Latin Americans who share a language and, however loosely, the Spanish culture.

Not the expats who love the climate and the Spanish, however little they understand of what goes on in Spain.

Vox voters and others, fear a large swathe of immigrants who have left their homelands for better lives in Spain, but bring alien concepts with them.

The solution is not Vox’s ‘Spain for the Spanish’ but until a better one comes along, that’s what they’re buying.

Health warning CATALAN-BORN Manuel Valls, the former French prime minister, will run for Barcelona mayor in next year’s municipal elections.

There’s a fair chance that he could win, but

there was a warning embedded in Valls’ reference to the cordon sanitaire devised by the French to keep out Le Pen and the populists.

This, the former French prime minister said, should apply in Andalucia, but will Ciudadanos and the Partido Popular take heed?

Or will they let their ambitions get the better of them by courting Vox, whose 12 seats in Andalucia’s regional parliament are necessary if they are to form a government?

Cs should think twice, because although Valls is running as an independent, it’s under the aegis of Rivera’s party. Come May 2019, will he want even a tenuous association with a party which makes concessions to another, and which opposes practically everything it apparently believed in until now?

Borderline issue WHEN Quim Torra talks about a Slovenia-type solution - with 74 deaths - for Cataluña, he could ponder on May and the Northern Ireland backstop.

If the unthinkable happened and a Slovenia solution were forced on the 50 per cent of Catalans who do not want independence, how would Quim Torra, Carles Puigdement, the CDR, Omnium, the ANC and die-hard separatists negotiate their border with Spain?

Brexit would have nothing on it.

What’s in a vote? Behind THE MUSIC V L James | vljcomms@gmail.com | Facebook: @vljamesinfo

Mike Senker In my opinion Views of a Grumpy Old Man SO Theresa won her vote of confidence, whatever that means. Then, all the experts come on the TV to tell us that although she won, she didn’t really win.

Well, did she or didn’t she? So, according to the ‘experts’ although she did get a majority, that majority was made up of all the people on the payroll who were obviously going to vote for her.

Then the prince of darkness appears; Jacob Rees Mogg. He is some piece of work saying the percentages were terrible.

Here is a short guide to percentages from Jacob Rees Mogg: 63 per cent ‘a terrible result for the prime minister, she must resign,’ but 52 per cent (the referendum result) is ‘a resounding victory.’

The truth is, nobody has a clue what is really going to happen. You have Alan Sugar saying on TV, that everything will grind to a halt on the day we leave Europe. Then someone else instantly says it won’t. Hard Brexit, soft Brexit, blah,

blah, blah. There is nothing we can do.

All I do know for sure is the referendum mucked my pension up because the pound crashed.

When I mentioned this on the radio, I got the pseudo intellectuals calling in and telling me I’m being selfish because I’m not looking at the ‘bigger picture.’

Well, let me tell you, I don’t give a monkey’s about the ‘bigger picture’ because I have no control over it in any way, shape or form. That’s because it’s all controlled by lying, thieving politicians like Mogg who, by the way, has absolutely no idea what happens in the real world.

Then there’s that buffoon Johnson who lied and lied about Brexit in the first place, then ran a mile.

So here’s the truth about Brexit and this is 100 per cent correct. There are only two types of experts on this subject: Those who guess right and those who guess wrong.

It’s just that at the moment, we don’t know who’s who!

Merry Christmas, bah humbug and seasons greetings. mikesenker@gmail.com.

It’s Christmas time TO people of a certain age, the annual battle for a Christmas No 1 slot was a pleasing end to the musical year.

The 70’s and 80’s saw the creative pinnacle of original Christmas songs. Class i c s b y S l a d e , Wi z z a r d , Wham, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Shakin’ Stevens and Band Aid to name but a few, fill the radio airwaves at this time of year.

Not only do these songs provide a musical backdrop to our festivities, they also provide the writers of these songs with a tidy pension, long after they have stopped bothering the charts.

Jona Lewie was a talent-

ed musical maverick, but hardly a massive chart s t a r. B u t h i s c l a s s i c a l l y poignant Stop The Cavalry isn’t only a fantastic yearly earworm, it also gives old Jona a handsome yearly financial boost.

The ultimate Christmas standard is arguably Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade. Writers Jim Lea and Noddy Holder could pretty much put their feet up if they wanted and look for-

JONA LEWIE: Annual Xmas cheque. ward to the royalty cheque every year.

The Christmas No 1 battle was pretty much destroyed by Simon Cowell and his soulless annual XFactor fodder for the masses. Thank goodness for Slade et al!

42

20 - 26 December 2018

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ADOPTION ADVENTUROUS Alfie is in need of a loving and Forever Home in Mallorca.

Alfie is a mixed breed, nine-month-old puppy.

He was found on a highway, alone, frightened and hurt.

Alfie is now having a good time with his new friends at the shelter.

He gets along well with other dogs, is calm and loving.

He is at the Llucmajor Animal Association shelter in Mallorca and is in need of a second chance in a forever home.

ADOPTION COOL Kenzo is in need of a Forever Home in Mallorca.

Kenzo is an eight-year-old mixed breed.

He is very calm, sociable and gets along with other dogs.

He’s been in the shelter for two years.

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He has leishmaniosis, so he needs more attention and affection than other dogs.

The Llucmajor Animal Association can be found on the road from Llucmajor to Campos at kilometre 30.

Phone: 673 376 382 Email: asociacionanimalista llucmajor@gmail.com

He is at the Llucmajor Animal Association shelter in Mallorca and is in need of a second chance in a forever home.

The Llucmajor Animal Association can be found on the road from Llucmajor to Campos at kilometre 30.

Phone: 673 376 382

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The record for the most cannon rolls of a car in a film was set during filming for the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, when an Aston Martin DBS was rolled seven times.

Cars for a safe journey EUROPEAN car safety organisation Euro NCAP has revealed its annual ‘best in class’ winners for 2019, following a year of crash testing.

The three cars which have achieved particularly high scores within their segments are the premium MercedesBenz A-Class in the ‘small family cars’ category, the smart Lexus ES in the ‘large family car’ category, and the hydrogen fuel cell Hyundai Nexo in the ‘large off-road’ category.

Each of these vehicles represents the best of their body styles within the context of 2018’s testing, which has been a little more stringent in certain areas than in previous years.

“In 2018 we introduced tough new tests, with a particular focus on Vulnerable Road User protection,” said Euro NCAP Secretary General, Michiel van Ratingen.

ROAD TEST

by Nick Fletcher AUDI’S new Q8 is an attention-grabbing luxury SUV competing against the likes of the Range Rover Sport, BMW X6 and Porsche Cayenne, but the Q8 is such a formidable contender, there should be no worries back at Audi HQ. With a bold and striking frontal design, elegant coupestyling and a sumptuous cabin, the Q8 comes laden with sheer presence and charisma which rivals will find hard to match.

Q8 prices start at €72,054 (£65,040) for the S-Line model which has all the essential equipment, but there is an extensive list of options to further individualise the car including sports seats, larger alloy wheels, upgraded sound system, and all-wheel steering.

My test model was the SLine version with a 3.0-litre 282hp V6 diesel engine, mated to an eight-speed tiptronic automatic gearbox.

For a large vehicle, the 0100kph time of 6.3 seconds is most impressive.

“The three Best in Class award winners this year all clearly demonstrate that car-makers are striving for the highest levels of protection and that Euro NCAP’s assessments are a catalyst for these crucial safety improvements.”

Euro NCAP put automated driving technology to the test in 2018 for the first time, and its findings helped clarify some of the confusion motoring consumers are currently experiencing.

Assisted driving systems can bring safety and convenience benefits but full automation is a long way off.

“We will follow and assess these developments closely and ensure that

consumers have all the information they need when considering these new driver technologies,” added van Ratingen.

Euro NCAP is a Europe-wide organisation which forms the basis of car safety testing, especially crash tests, across the continent.

Established over 20 years ago, its ‘star ratings’ give a quick indication as to how safe a car is (or isn’t), while in-

SAFE DRIVE: The Lexus ES combines both style and security. depth reports are available for free on the organisation’s website.

In contrast to the ever increasing levels of safety available to car buyers, 2018 has also seen some disappointing Euro NCAP crash test results.

The Fiat Panda scored a shocking

zero stars, joining its stablemate the Punto, which scored zero in 2017.

The ultra-masculine Jeep Wrangler scored just one star, while the muchanticipated Suzuki Jimny scored a distinctly average three stars.

Everything else earned four or more stars this year, with at least an 85 per cent adult occupant protection rating.

Audi Q8 S Line

T o p speed is 244kph (152mph), average fuel economy of 14.6kpl (41.5mpg) and emissions 178g/km.

Despite its coupe looks, the Q8 is a spacious five-door model offering plenty of leg and headroom in the rear, and a generous 605-litre boot.

The seating is very comfortable and the cabin has classy

STATS PANEL Model: Audi Q8 50 S-Line Engine: 3.0-litre V6 diesel Transmission: 8-speed automatic Performance: 0-100kph 6.3 seconds, top speed 244kph (152mph) Economy: 14.6kpl (41.5mpg) Emissions: 178g/km

Model tested is UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

upmarket ambience. Also impressive is Audi’s Virtual Cockpit which minimises switches or buttons by locating the controls on twin screens for maximum ease of use.

The V6 diesel engine is smooth and quiet with its power delivery, and eagerly responsive aided by the wellspaced auto gearbox.

It has all-wheel-drive and sports-tuned adaptive air suspension as standard and these combine to give the car raillike cornering poise even in Comfort mode.

The speed-dependent power steering gives good road feedback and the dual-circuit brakes with booster and hydraulic assistance offer reassuring stopping power. All these features combine to make driving the Q8 an absolute delight.

The competition in the luxury SUV sector is intense but Audi’s long sporting heritage and unrivalled cool image give it a distinct edge.

I think whoever test drives the Q8 will find it hard to walk away without placing an order. It’s that good!

SPORT

www.euroweeklynews.com

20 - 26 December 2018

EWN 47

Premier League Preview

By Tom Woods

SHAQ’S BACK: Xherdan Shaqiri proved the difference in the match. drought as Manchester City claimed a 3-1 win over Everton.

Jesus gave City the lead at the Etihad with a low finish following Leroy Sane’s assist, and he made it 2-0 on 50 minutes by heading home from close range from another weighted Sane cross.

Everton halved the deficit through Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s header, but

Raheem Sterling restored the two-goal cushion with a header of his own.

Man City next travel to Leicester, while Everton will host Tottenham.

Charlie Austin struck late in a 3-2 win for Southampton as new manager Ralph Hasenhuttl made an instant impact at St Mary’s to end Arsenal’s 22 game unbeaten run.

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION: Wada chief Olivier Niggli is overseeing a robust investigation.

Wada eyes Moscow laboratory THE World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has said it is ‘another step closer’ to gaining full access to the former Moscow anti-doping laboratory.

A team of five experts has been sent to Russia to retrieve the data.

Wada lifted a three-year ban on Russia’s anti-doping agency, Rusada, in September, which followed a major scandal over state-spon-

sored doping.

Access to the Moscow laboratory data and samples before the end of 2018 was a condition of Russia’s reinstatement.

“The raw data is the missing piece of the puzzle,” said Wada director-general Olivier Niggli.

He added the data would ‘complement’ the duplicate Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) database that Wada acquired last

year, and ‘help conclude’ its investigations into alleged state-backed doping by Russia.

After the data has been reviewed, Russian authorities must retest any samples required by Wada before June 30, 2019.

Wada said the data would then be used alongside any reanalysed samples to ‘build cases against athletes who cheated.’

TOP TABLE: Jurgen Klopp.

Danny Ings had twice put the Saints ahead with a smartly taken first-half brace on his return to injury, but they were pegged back by two Henrik Mkhitaryan strikes.

With the game locked at 2-2, both teams had chances to win it, but substitute Austin headed home in the 85th minute for his fifth goal against the

Gunners after Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno misjudged a high cross.

Southampton next travel to Huddersfield, while Arsenal will host Burnley.

Other fixtures this weekend will see Chelsea entertain Bournemouth, Watford travel to West Ham, and Newcastle host Fulham.

La Liga Preview

Messi masterclass dismantles Levante LIONEL MESSI scored a hat-trick and created another two goals as Barcelona thrashed 10-man Levante 5-0 to regain a three-point lead at the top of La Liga.

The Argentine stole the show, and began the exhibition with a cross for Luis Suarez’s opener.

He was then played in on goal by Sergio Busquet’s pass and tucked it into the far corner, before stroking home from the edge of the box for his second.

Mess completed his hat-trick with an easy finish from close range for his 50th goal for club and country in 2018, and there was still time for Pique to get in on the act to round off a comprehensive victory.

B a r c e l o n a w i l l n e x t h o s t C e l t a Vi g o while Levante will travel to Rayo Vallecano.

The champions were joined at the top of La Liga by both Atletico Madrid and Sevilla, who claimed victories over Real Valladolid and Girona respectively.

Thibaut Courtois made two injury-time saves as Real Madrid earned a narrow 1-0 home win over Rayo Vallecano.

Credit: FCBarcelona/Twitter

XHERDAN SHAQIRI came off the bench to inspire Liverpool to 3-1 victory over a woeful Manchester United that saw the Reds return to the top of the league.

Jurgen Klopp’s side took a deserved lead through Sadio Mane’s neat control and finish from a fine chipped Fabinho pass over the defence.

But keeper Alisson was at fault for United’s equaliser as he dropped a cross into the path of Jesse Lingard, who reacted first to scramble the ball home.

Liverpool were not to be denied at Anfield though and regained the lead with Shaqiri’s deflected shot from 12 yards that went in off the crossbar.

The Swiss maverick secured the points for his team seven minutes later with another deflected effort from 20 yards, securing Liverpool’s return to the summit of the table, one point ahead of Man City.

Liverpool next face Wolves while Manchester United will take on Cardiff.

Gabriel Jesus ended his goal

Credit: @LFC/Twitter

Credit: @LFC/Twitter

Liverpool despatch Man U with ease

LIONEL KING: Messi was on fire even for his standards.

Karim Benzema got the winner with a confident 13th minute finish for just his second goal in 13 La Liga games.

Lucas Vazquez had a shot cleared off the l i n e b e f o r e To n i K r o o s h i t t h e p o s t a n d Emiliano Velazquez went close for Rayo.

Sergio Ramos had a goal disallowed for offside, before Courtois’ late heroics.

R e a l w i l l n e x t f a c e Vi l l a r r e a l , w h i l e Rayo Vallecano will host Levante.

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20 - 26 December 2018 SAUL ‘CANELO’ ALVAREZ knocked Rocky Fielding down four times in an emphatic third-round stoppage win in New York, to claim a version of the WBA world supermiddleweight title and become a champion in three weight divisions.

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Sports Personality award his award by 2017 winner Sir Mo Farah and is the first Welshman to win Sports Personality since footballer Ryan Giggs in 2009.

“As a bike rider, I always focus on myself,” added Thomas.

“Obviously people want me to win, but hearing stories like Tyson Fury’s and Billy Mon-

ger’s, you realise that what we do does inspire people back home.”

Thomas’ victory is a just reward for a stellar career which has seen him win two Olympic and three world team pursuit titles on the track.

His Tour de France victory came in his ninth appearance, one fewer than the record for

most appearances before winning.

He won two stages of the Tour, including the infamous Alpe d’Huez climb, and wore the yellow jersey for the final 11 stages.

Thomas is the first Welshman to win the Tour, but it is the sixth time in seven years that a Brit has won.

Credit: @sterling7/Twitter

TOUR DE FRANCE winner Geraint Thomas has been voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2018.

The Team Sky rider, 32, became only the third Briton to win the race, after Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

“I take great pride in representing Britain and Wales,” he said.

“It has been a great year for British sport and long may it continue.”

In the public vote, Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton finished second while footballer Harry Kane was third.

Thomas was presented with

RIDING HIGH: Geraint Thomas deserved the SPOTY award.

SPORT

Champions League draws attention EUROPEAN champions Real Madrid will face Ajax in the last 16 of the Champions league, while Barcelona have been drawn against French side Lyon.

Liverpool will come up against German heavyweights Bayern Munich, and Manchester United will take on Paris St-Germain.

Premier League champions Manchester City and Tottenham also face Bundesliga sides, with City meeting Schalke and Spurs playing Borussia Dortmund.

The first legs will take place on February 12-13 and 19-20, with the return fixtures on March 5-6 and 12-13.

Group winners will be away from home in the first legs and teams could not be drawn against sides from the same country, nor teams who they played in the group stage.

Liverpool, who lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in last season's final, avoided a rematch with the Spanish giants in Monday's draw when they were left in the pot of unseeded teams with Ajax, who played Bayern in the group stage.

The Reds have not played Bayern, who have reached at least the semi-finals in seven of the past nine seasons, in Europe's premier club competition since it became the Champions League.

But the German champions have struggled under Niko Kovac in the Bundesliga this season and are third - nine points behind leaders Dortmund - in the table.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be returning to his homeland to face the club who beat his Dortmund side in the 2013 Champions League final.