30 AUGUST - 5 SEPTEMBER 2012ISSUE NO. 1417 WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

FED UPWITH PAYINGTOO MUCH FORYOUR MOBILE?

902 88 90 70

Beach eventA BEACH clean-up hasbeen organised forSeptember 29 inMojacar by SurfRiderFoundation Europe, inan attempt to raiseenvironmental aware-ness.

Political outrageANDALUCIAN Gov-ernment delegateCarmen Crespo saidshe was outraged atthe SAT uniongrocery store grabs,saying they dis-credited the citizensof Andalucia at arecent Press con-ference in Adra.

Hashy smell ONE HUNDRED mari-huana plants wereconfiscated at a countryhouse in Huercal-Overa, and two menarrested when policeofficers noticed thestrong smell the illegalcrops were giving off.

FRONT EXTRA

-inside-

Taxing times!EXTRA VAT woe will facemillions throughout Spainfrom this weekend.

From Saturday, pricesacross the board will risewith the standard rate ofIVA - Spanish equivalent ofVAT - increasing from 18 to21 per cent. And certainitems - including cinemaand discotheque visits,health products, plusfuneral and cleaningservices - will soar 13 percent as from September 1they will be categorisedinto a different VAT ratingas the government battlesto put more money into thenational coffers.

Many in business fearthat the planned VATincreases will encouragethe more unscrupulous toround-up prices, bringingfurther hardship to familiesstruggling to survive theongoing economicproblems.

No escape - Page 4

Prices up across board as VAT rises

IN ACTION: Fire plane dousing the flames in Bedar.

Hundreds evacuated asfire rages for 24 hours

By Nicole Hallett

TWO or more fires broke out near Bedarvillage, prompting officials to evacuatethe area.

Around 2,000 firefighters, volunteersand a military emergency response teamfought the flames for more than 24hours, from when the fire started onSaturday morning until Sundayafternoon.

Spectrum FM kept expats up-to-datewith a live show, during which it wasrevealed by the Environment Ministrythat the fires were believed to have beenstarted intentionally.

Numerous tales were told of the nightsactivities, including how the communitypulled together, the bravery of fire crews,as well as lost pets being reunited withtheir owners following the blaze.

Full story: Bedar blaze Page 6

NEWS 30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

2

News1-16

Finance21-28

Expat-Extra29

In and AroundAlbox60-61

Classified64-66

Motoring/ Sport68-72

TV listings Thu 18Fri 32 Sat 40 Sun 42

Mon 44 Tues 48 Wed 52

AirportconnectionsTHE ALSA bus line hasbegun a new serviceconnecting Motril,Almuecar, Salobrea,Nerja, Torroz, Caletade Velez and Torre delMar with MalagaAirport.

Fake medicsTWO men werearrested in Vicarfor allegedlyworking as physio-therapists withoutthe necessaryqualifications aftertwo patients com-plained about thetreatment they hadreceived.

Tourism pactEL EJIDO Town Halland German touroperator Indigo DMCGroup have signed anagreement to promotelocal tourism in theGerman market.

Occupancy upINTERNATIONAL tou-rism has increased inAlmerimar this year,with a rise in British,French and Germanvisitors; increasinghotel occupancynumbers by 12 percent, according to localhotel sources.

Tax boost THE property taxrevision in Adra,due to come intoeffect in January, isexpected to earnthe Treasury up to300,000 more peryear, say town hallrepresentatives.

New priestJESUS ZAPATA RUEDAhas been named asthe new parish priestof Mojacar, coincidingwith the townscelebrations in honourof its patron saint SanAgustin.

NEWS EXTRAINSIDE TODAY

ALMERA OFFICE Avenida Andaluca s/n - C. C. Montemar, Local 7A, (1st Floor) 04638 Mojacar, Almera, SpainTel: 950 472 109 mojacar@euroweeklynews.com HEAD OFFICE COSTA DEL SOL Calle Moscatel 10, P-62,

Polgono Industrial Arroyo de la Miel, 29631, Benalmadena, Mlaga, Spain Tel: (0034) 952 561 245 Fax: (0034) 952 440 887

Marketing, International & Overseas Enquiries euromarketing@euroweeklynews.com complaints@euroweeklynews.com

PRINTERS: Artes Grficas del Mediterrneo : The Euro Weekly News does not accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers Checks are advised before completing anytransaction. Nor can EWN be held responsible for errors in advertisements which are reproduced from poor quality artwork or inadequate instructions for text layout. Further, no

responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by any error, inaccuracy or non-appearance of any advertisement, although everything is checked prior to insertion. Weregret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than ONE INCORRECT insertion and that no republication will be granted in the case of typographical or minor changes which donot affect the value of the advertisment. Errors and omissions excepted. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without explicit permission. The views and opinion

given in editorial copy are not necessarily those of the Publisher.

ADVERTISING DEADLINE: Friday 6pm

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4

AN exotic invasive species of coral hasbeen found by researchers in Torredel Pirulico, Mojacar.

The High Scientific InvestigationCouncil discovered the species calledOculina patagonica, which covers 55per cent of the surface area studied.

Many believe the invasion is due tothe local species, Cladocoracaespitose, dying out because ofglobal warming, which also seems tofavour the invasive Oculinapatagonica.

This type of coral had been found inthe past in man-made sea areasincluding ports and marinas; however,this is the first time a well-protected

natural area has been found to beaffected. Marine biologists are worried

about the effects this may have on theMediterranean food chain.

Foreign species to blamefor Mojacar coast invasion

THE Supreme Court hasconfirmed a sentence of45 years for a gang ofeight people convicted

of smuggling 3.3 tons ofhashish into GarruchaPort.

The crimes against

public health, whichwere committed inNovember 2009, alsoearned seven of the

accused two 9.8million fines, while theeighth will have to pay5 million.

45 years in jail for hashish smugglers

CORAL INVASION: First-time find in a protected natural area.

NEWS

THE multinational British-Dutch company, Unilever,has reportedly created a plan to adapt its brands,which include Knorr, Lipton, Rexona and Ponds, toan impoverished Europe, with strategies that willuse cheaper formulas and smaller packages toreactivate sales.

LEFT-WING political party IzquierdaUnida (IU) has asked El Ejido Town Hall tosever its ties with the towns poolconcessionaire, Sport AssistanceAndalucia SL.

The company, which is in charge ofmanaging the municipal swimming poolsin El Ejido, Mojacar and Vera, was fined18,502 by El Ejido Town Hall in 2011 fornot honouring several clauses in their

contract. According to Serafin Pedrosa,spokesperson for IUs Almeria branch,Sport Assistance Andalucia SL has beenmassacring its workers. He said thelabour rights of its employees were notbeing respected and the company is notbeing clear about its financial situation.

Pedrosa recently stated that thecompany had made two wage reductionsin the past couple of years, allegedly to

save jobs, although now the company hascreated a layoff plan that will dismissmany people and further reduce thesalaries of up to 25 per cent more andthat the workers were being coerced intoaccepting the terms or they will not bepaid their wages due from July.

Pedrosa added that the company is alsodoing a poor job in maintaining the sportscentres facilities.

El Ejido urged to dump pool company

30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Costa de Almera

is the estimated price for a litre ofpetrol once the VAT increase hits the

pumps on Saturday. EC statistics show fuel taxeshave grown to 47 per cent for gasoline and 42 percent for diesel; however, Spanish prices are 8 and6 per cent respectively below the EU average.

Number of the week

Fire stationfunds

THE provincialgovernment onlycovers 8 per cent ofthe 500,000 per yearexpenses for theAlbox-based Almanzorafire station revealedAlbox Deputy Mayor,Rogelio Mena.

Feria sport BADMINTON, golfand basketballcompetitions havetaken place inAlmeria as a part ofthis years feriafestivities.

Armed theftTWO young men werearrested in Almeria forallegedly stealing90,000 from threepeople at knife-point.Both have beenarrested in the past forsimilar offences.

Audit result PULPI TOWN HALL isto publicise the resultsof the recentadministration audit inSeptember.

Mineral bid A LEAD and fluoriteinvestigation projectby Aridos Casa SL inLucainena and Nijarhas been acceptedby the Junta deAndalucia.

Police assaultTWO men werearrested for attackingtwo police officerswhile they were beingdetained for thealleged theft of fourvehicles in Las Noriasde Daza, El Ejido.

ewswatchN

and finally...

1.7 BRETON is a cold, distant, inaccessible person,impassive and imperturbable, but he always knowswhat he is doing, what he is saying, and with clearawareness of what is right and what is wrong.

PAIN may not see eye to eye withBritain politically over thesovereignty of Gibraltar.

But this does not put off Britains best-known politicians from choosing Spain asthe ideal for sunshine breaks away fromthe pressures of work for summer holidays.

Returning to the UK in recent days withwork once more beckoning, British PrimeMinister David Cameron, wife Samanthaand their children looked relaxed after abreak in Mallorca.

Meanwhile, his coalition partner and

deputy Nick Clegg took a family holidaywith his Spanish-born lawyer wife Miriamin Valladolid, an historic university city innorth central Spain.

And former British Prime Minister TonyBlair and family holidayed at a friendshome in Benahavis, near Marbella. The nowjet-setting ex-politician was seen out andabout dining in Marbella and afterbecoming a Catholic during his time as aDowning Street resident also attendingmass with wife Cheri in nearby San Pedroduring his Spanish break.

S

Waiting lists getting longerSURGERY waiting lists are getting longer this year in Almeria.Healthcare statistics have revealed that after several years ofdecreasing waiting periods, patients who have been beenrecommended for surgical procedures in Almerian hospitals are waitingfrom one to three days more than in 2011. The self-imposed maximumlimit is 120 days, and the highest average number of days patientshave to wait is at Torrecardenas Hospital, and it is well below the limit,where people needing operations have to wait 56 days. Other medicalservices including programmed diagnostic procedures and outpatientclinic waiting lists have also increased this year.

VAT hits familiesFAMILIES in Almeria will payapproximately 465 more peryear due to the VAT increase.The Treasury Ministry unionhas estimated this amount forthe average family in Almeria,given that most of theservices and products notconsidered basic necessitieswill go up to 21 per cent.

Quote of the week

Almeriaking ofproduce

PRODUCE sales accounted for32 per cent of Andaluciasexports from January to April2012, with Almeria the leadingprovince in the area, havingearned 946 million this year.

Export growthGREEN BEAN exports fromAlmeria have risen 23 percent as of June, reportedthe regional Agriculture,Fishing and EnvironmentMinister Jose ManuelOrtiz.

Hells trailBACARES has celebrated itssixth Filabres mountain rangenight trail from hell, which is a60-kilometre uphill bicycleroute that rallied 47 bikers.

Water Wi-FiVERAS water park has recentlyadded free Wi-Fi to its services,which is used by thrill-seekersto share their experiences atthe park on social networks.

Religious tourismMORE than a thousandpeople are expected toattend the traditionalVirgen del Saliente deAlbox and Santo Cristo delBosque de Bacaresprocessions in AlmanzoraValley this September.

Forget politics, its holiday time

Jose Cabrera, forensic psychiatrist on mental state of thefather of Ruth and Jose Breton, the two children who werereported missing in Cordoba in October, 2011.

IN SPAIN: The Blairs, Cleggs and Camerons (clockwise from top left) and their chosen destinations.

NEWS 30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almera

4www.euroweeklynews.com

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Distracteddrivers

BRITISH driversogling pedestrians are atfault for nearly onemillion crashes per year,revealed a 2,142 driversurvey carried out byDirect Line.

Bypass riseTHE number of

gastric bypassoperations has risenfrom 858 to 5,407 in sixyears, despite HealthDepartment efforts topromote healthierlifestyles among Britainsincreasingly overweightpopulation.

Appeal deniedTHE two men

sentenced to life inprison for the racistmurder of StephenLawrence in London in1993 were denied theirfirst bid to appeal theirconvictions at the Courtof Appeal.

Stories making headlines from the United Kingdom

BRITISH PRESS

NO household - expatriate orSpanish - will escape an increase inspending following this SaturdaysIVA/VAT rises.

Whether simply buying an itemof clothing, having a cigarette orselecting a CD, from September 1it will cost more.

While many families have - whenbudgets have allowed - triedstocking up in advance on someitems to help ease the VATcharges, with daily incidentals,including making phone calls andhaving a beer or wine facingincreases, life is about to get awhole lot more costly across theboard.

The standard rate of VAT inSpain is 18 per cent at present, butfrom Saturday this rises to 21 percent on many things includingalcoholic drinks, tobacco, televisionand radio services, clothes, phonecalls, animals used in bullfighting,

agricultural machinery and over-the-counter pregnancy tests.

Also rising to 10 per cent VATfrom Saturday will be items atpresent in the reduced 8 per centrating, including:

Foodstuffs in general (with theexception of some basics in the 4per cent band

Soft drinks Animals destined for human

consumption or breeding Health and social services, plus

dental work Imported artworks and

antiques Motorway tolls Taxi fares Rubbish collections.Odd items will be removed from

the reduced 8 per cent rate andmoved to the standard 21 per centVAT rate from Saturday, meaningthere will be a massive 13 per centprice increase in visits to the

cinema and to discotheques, and itwill also cost 13 per cent more todie, with funeral service costs nowmoved to the standard VAT rate.

Only items identified to remain inthe 4 per cent category rate willNOT go up in price, including:

Basic foodstuffs like bread,eggs, cheese, milk, beans, fruitand vegetables

Books, magazines andnewspapers

School items (but not electronicpurchases)

Medicines Vehicles and transport for the

disabled and part-handicappedincluding wheelchairs

Prosthesis and implants.At present new property falls

within the 4 per cent VAT category,and this will continue until the endof the year, but will increase to 10per cent from January, 2013.

Many tourists visiting Spainduring September have offset theplanned increases in car hire,excursions, accommodation andairport transfers by paying inadvance, with a number of web-sites helping them achieve suchsavings. But when they arrive fromSaturday onwards and go to relaxover a cooling beer, wine or even asoft drink, then they shouldprepare to pay more than theywould have done had they visitedin August!

NO ESCAPE! VAT rises to hit everyone

+ 3% + 3%

+ 13%

Alcoholic drinks. Phone calls.

Cinema visits.

Costa de Almera

30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 5www.euroweeklynews.com

By Nicole HallettHUNDREDS of people wereevacuated from theirhomes in Bedar villagefollowing a devastating firewhich broke out onSaturday morning on a pinetree covered hillside.

Firefighters and a militaryemergency response teamwere still working toextinguish the blaze onSunday with residents onlyallowed back to theirhomes that afternoon.

It seems the fire startedjust above El Pinar,travelled up the valleytowards Serena and overthe mountain towardsCampico, which had to beevacuated.

Richard Shanley ofSpectrum FM presented alive show to keep people inthe area updated on thesituation. At around3.30pm Shanley wasalerted to another fire inVera/Antas. His heart sankas he reported that two ormore fires like this couldmean arson. The stationwas the first media toreport this breaking news:

An unfortunate accident tostart a fire is one thing butfor them to have beenstarted deliberately isinfinitely worse. The arsontheory was borne out by aPress statement at 8.30pmby Provincial Deputy for theMinistry of the EnvironmentJose Manual Ortiz.

Shanleys wife Jessicawas manning the studiophones, and remarked:The messages of supportand help were trulyhumbling. Offers ofaccommodation for peopleevacuated were coming inthick and fast. It is amazinghow communities cometogether in times ofadversity.

British expat MargaretHaines and her husbandwere among theexpatriates evacuated.

Police came to our doortelling us to get out now. Iquickly put my cats in thecar, grabbed a bag and wedrove off, said Mrs Baines.

Instead of going to theshelter at Los GallardosSports Centre, they stayed

in a nearby car parkwatching the firefightersworking all night. I cannotpraise their efforts enough.At one point two large villaswere in danger of beingengulfed by the flames.They fought hard to savethem, said Mrs Haines.

When they returnedhome at 3pm on Sundaytheir home was unaffected,although others in thevillage were not so lucky.

There were stories ofpets lost in the fire beingreunited with their owners.

A Spanish hunting dog,Tillie, belonging to Tonyand Julie Justice who hadbeen in Albox and wereunable to get back home,had escaped when a friendtried to put her in a car.

We were so worriedabout her, but Tillie waswaiting for us in the gardenthe next day, said MrsJustice, who added: Afriend of ours has aGerman Shepherd who ranthe six kilometres from thevillage to Las Gallardos, butluckily was found.

NEWS 30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

6

Ikea townto be built

THE Ikea group isplanning to build aneighbourhood inHamburg, which willhave hotels, offices,restaurants and eco-friendly transportation.

Draft lawA RABBI in Hof,

Bavaria has beenreported by a localdoctor for allegedlycircumcising babyboys; however, theJustice Ministry isexpected to draft a lawto allow this practicefor religious reasons.

Brothel billA GUNMAN injured

three security men atbrothel Artemis inBerlin, during anargument over the billfor the prostitutionservices he hadreceived.

Explosion risk A MAN in Bad

Kreuznach was sent toprison for hoarding 40kilos of unstableexplosives and dozensof other weapons,which had to beremoved by a robotdue to the possibility ofit spontaneouslyexploding.

Stories making headlines from Germany

GERMAN PRESSBedar blaze

A fire plane collects water from in front of the break-water at Garrucha as beach-goers look on.

A member of the fire brigade wets down thesmoking area to stop the flames reigniting in PuebloLaguna, Vera.

30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 7Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

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NEWS30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 9Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

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By Daphne HilaridesMANY Almeria businessowners will not raise VAT(Value Added Tax) on theirwares to keep clients.

According to localbusiness associations, theGovernment tax increasethat will come into effect onSeptember 1 will be paid

for by many shop owners inan attempt to keepdwindling sales fromdiminishing any further.

The head of the SmallBusiness Defence Platform(Pladeco), AntonioAsensio, stated thatdespite this, the new VATrises will be bad for all

establishments. For thisreason, local businesseshave also been purchasingthis years stock early to

avoid paying more later.The VAT increase willaffect some businessesmore than others.

Plaza now openTHE mayor of Mojacar, Rosa Maria Cano recentlyinaugurated the towns new plaza Arbollon-Fronton.The project has required five years of constructionwork to erect the plaza and the 38-space car parkbelow.

According to the town halls architect, RodrigoSimon, the modifications took longer due to thelocation of the plaza, which is in a myriad of small andwinding streets, making it impossible for large trucks toget through. The project had the added problem ofbeing very close to the church, which many thoughtcould have been affected by the drilling.

LOCAL BUSINESS: Small traders wont pass on IVA.

Businesses prefer to payVAT rise to losing clients

LONG WAIT: Plaza finally completed after fiveyears.

30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

10

PEOPLE earning a living fromnewspapers live with theabsurd knowledge that themore readers they have,frequently the less they earn.

Discovering a newspaper thatearns money in the WesternWorld is, it seems, harder thanfinding an admired politician inSpain.

But without intending to, Ifound one on the industrialestate in Benalmdena on theCosta del Sol.

Distributed free, written inEnglish and published weekly,since 2007 while the remainderof Europe has plunged intoeconomic crisis, the Euro WeeklyNews (EWN) has increasedpagination from 64 to 120 (inCosta del Sol).

Income - entirely fromadvertising - has risen and whilefive years ago EWN publishedfour separate editions eachweek, it now produces six (with atotal pagination of approximately450).

EWN owners Michel andSteven Euesden, aged 50 and 52respectively, are proud of theirworking-class backgrounds withMichels undiluted energy andStevens mature and morereserved approach.

Michel - blonde, slim, highheels and with the longest nailsin the world (painted blue andwhite) - involves herself mainlyin daily management, admini-stration and editorial.

Steven takes care of theadvertising and the sales teams.

What is the secret of theirundisputed success?

Passion and energy, saysMichel. We work seven days aweek.

Anything more? We are permanently in touch

with clients and we know how toadapt to what the marketwants.

They produce tapasjournalism with few long storiesunlike Spanish newspapers, andarticles on a wide range of topicsfrom bank scams to foreignpensioners, jellyfish beachinvasions to new restaurantopenings.

There is financial advice andthe latest on the Spanish royalfamily, plus recipes for slimming

or advice on spicing up life.In addition to plenty of news

and features, there is also wide-ranging advertising.

When our competitors werepaying dividends during theboom years, we were investing.Today practically all of them havegone.

Is there a lesson here, not justfor other newspapers but for therest of the business community?

Diego Spadoni, an Italian whohas lived in Spain for 20 years

and owns the Sol y Miel Hotelnear the EWN headquarters,says so. This year he haslowered prices, turnover is downand clients are not staying for aslong, but even so he expects thismonth (August) to show 90 percent occupation.

The great present need is tobe more professional, have moreinitiative and connect better withclients. You have to work longerhours and watch costs, he said.

People who dont know whatto do, open a bar. A Spanishclassic, says Spadoni.

Super-professional Dani Garciaagrees that opening a bar is nolonger a good idea. The sectoris saturated, says the Marbellarestaurateur whose establish-ment - Calima - has two Michelinstars.

He has succeeded because hedescribes Marbella as aprotected bubble, with a flow ofrich, foreign clientscompensating for the fall innational tourism.

Additionally, Garcia empha-sises the importance of attentionto detail, as ongoing plans willsee him open a New Yorkrestaurant in November.

But for every winner there is aloser. Some four-star hotels inBenalmdena are offering roomsfor 20, less than half of theprice Spadoni charges at thetwo-star Sol y Miel.

Tourism is supposedly buoyantin Spain and has increased sincelast year.

If the least affected sector inSpain is the way it is now, whatmust the rest be like? Spadoniasks.

So what about publishing,where lay-offs are frequentnowadays and the outlookappears grim?

Strangely, the greatestproblem for the audaciousEuesdens is the lack of first-classstaff.

They must speak English,naturally, as well as Spanish. Weare desperately looking not justfor journalists and salespeoplebut also bloggers and peoplewith computer expertise, saysMichel.

Help us to find them.Please!

El Pais, Spains leading newspaper selling morethan 360,000 copies a day, spotlighted EuroWeekly News and the publishers Michel andSteven Euesden in a feature in the national

section of its best-selling Sunday edition. Hereare extracts from the John Carlin interviewwhich also appeared on the Madrid-basedpublications internationally-read website.

Top Spanish paper El Paisputs EWN in the headlines

We arepermanently in

touch with clientsand we know how to adapt to what the

market wants.

Steven and Michel.

30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 11Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

12

30 August - 5 September 2012www.euroweeklynews.com

EWN 13Costa de Almera

AVALON, a leading providerof funeral plans, has openeda new office on the Costadel Sol, initially creating 20 newjobs in the local area, with moreto follow in the coming months.

The new office is thecompanys second in mainlandSpain and is designed to fulfilan important role in thecompanys European expansionplanning, supporting Avalonsregional sales andadministration function as wellas developing business inSouthern Spain. The two Spanishoffices complement Avalonspresence in Manchester andLondon.

Tim Skilton, OperationsManager of Avalon CDS,commented: Im excited to beheading up the new operations inMalaga, Costa del Sol, as part ofAvalons impressive growth of150%. I am looking forward to

growing the Costa delSol business and addressing theconcerns of the expatriates livingin this area.

Avalon was founded over 20years ago to provide a unique,transparent and affordablefuneral plan and this launch willprovide access to Avalonsproducts on the Costa del Sol, inaddition to other areas in Spain.

Today, the average cost of a

basic funeral is 4,000, so its veryimportant that people start tomake arrangements early, as partof an astute overall financialstrategy. Especially with regard tothe imminent Spanish IVAincrease from 8% to 21%. Thelatest update on the SpanishGovernment website states thatas part of the increase in the IVArate, certain products andservices that were taxed at a

reduced rate of 8% will,from 1st September 2012, betaxed at the new standard rate of21%, namely:

Flowers and ornamentalplants

Mixed catering,entertainment, nightclubs,parties, BBQs or similar services

Entrance to theatres, circusesand other shows

Funeral services Hairdressing services Digital television services

Acquisition of worksof art.

This could affect theprice of a funeral byhundreds of euros;however, by investing aminimum deposit on anAvalon Funeral Plan, youcan fix your cost atTODAYS PRICE, whichmeans that even afterthis tax increase you willnot incur any extra

increase in price.For your free information pack

or alternatively a no-obligationhome visit, call today on 966 799070 to speak to an Avalonrepresentative who understandsthe funeral system in your area.

Avalon, Calle Malva, EdfJasmin, Local 3

Urb Jasmin de MirafloresMijas Costa, Malaga 29649Phone: 966 799 070Email: cds@avalonsl.es

What a year! First the QueensJubilee, then the Olympics...

Now AVALON arrives on the Costa del Sol!

Advertising Feature

NEWOFFICE:Avaloncreating20 newjobs withmore tocome.

HISTORIC:QueensJubilee,Olympicsand nowAvalonopens newoffice inMalaga.

30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

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NEWS30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 15Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

Get ready for the NEW Premiership Season &

The Ryder Cup

Get ready for the NEW Premiership Season &

The Ryder Cup

By Richard B. Tolman.IN the somewhat remote village ofSantapetar, between Huercal Overaand Taberno, El Molino Bar andRestaurant owner, JaneLowdon, organised a special charitynight.

It was in aid of Fundraising inArboleas, Caring for Everyone(F.A.C.E.).

With a Country & Western theme,Kris Kelly supported by Carries DustyBoots provided the evenings

entertainment. A raffle was held,which was for prizes donated by thebar, to which the small, butenthusiastic audience contributed 67.

In addition, the hire of books andvideos had also raised another 40.

F.A.C.E. would like to thank Jane andthe rest of the staff at El Molino Barand Restaurant for making such aneffort in making the evening intothe success it undoubtedly was.

For further information please ring950 439 003.

COUNTRY & WESTERN: Carries Dusty Boots at Santapetar.

F.A.C.E. benefitsfrom charity night

DOCTOR WHO will return to BBCOne on Saturday, September 1 at8.20pm (CET). Asylum of theDaleks will be followed byDinosaurs on a Spaceship, ATown Called Mercy, The Power ofThree and The Angels TakeManhattan.

The series premiere was firstshown at Londons BFI Southbankat a screening on August 14.Stars Matt Smith, Karen Gillanand Arthur Darvill were inattendance for a Q&A, along withshow runner Steven Moffat andexecutive producer CarolineSkinner.

The new episode, which seesthe first full appearance of thelegendary Daleks since series fivefinale The Big Bang, was alsoscreened at the MediaGuardianEdinburgh International TelevisionFestival on August 23-25 beforeits first airing on BBC One.

Next year sees the 50thanniversary of the long-runningsci-fi, with rumours that anepisode featuring multiple doctorsfrom the shows history is beingplanned to celebrate.

Smith has expressed his desirefor Christopher Eccleston toreturn to the show, while DavidTennant has said hell always beable to return.

A new satellite televisionchannel is to capitalise on thebuzz following Londonssuccessful Olympics by showing

minority sports featured at theGames. London Legacy willlaunch as a 24-hour-a-daynetwork in November,broadcasting sports such asathletics, cycling, judo andwrestling.

The channel has been createdby Yorkshire-based TV companyHighflyer, the former producers ofChannel 4s horse racing coveragebefore the contract was handedto IMG. It will initially only beavailable to Sky customers, butHighflyer hopes to bring thechannel to other TV platforms infuture.

Highflyer chairman John Fairleysaid that it was an enormousopportunity to tap into thesuccess of London 2012, whichwas watched by more than 50mpeople in the UK for at least 15minutes over the two-week run.

Team GBs best haul of medalssince 1908 has also led to a hugespike of interest in athletics andOlympic disciplines from people inBritain.

However, Fairley believes mostOlympic sports just dont getenough coverage on television.

He explained many minoritysports have a very high numberof participants, such as 40,000 inthe UK for judo, but nobroadcaster to back them.

The amount of athletics on themain channels has been verysmall, especially when you thinkof all the disciplines withinathletics, but the Games haschanged all that, he said.

Highflyer is understood to havepaid around 5m to secure therights to various competitions toenable the channel to launch.

Channel 4 boss Jay Hunt hasconfirmed that the controversialDrugs: Live project will air thisautumn. The long-awaited TVshow will feature celebrities andordinary people testing illegalsubstances, and is intended tolaunch a discussion on the impactof drugs on individuals.

Half a million people a year arequite regularly taking ecstasy,said Hunt at the Edinburgh TVFestival. Were having anintelligent conversation about theimpact of that. It will air thisautumn and its been quite ajourney getting there.

The C4 controller confirmed theshow would involve Keith Allenand members of the public, suchas a female vicar, taking MDMA.It will be a weird and eclecticbunch of people, she said. Huntalso revealed much of the showwould have to be pre-recorded.

Richard Shanley 950 615 142 /678 332 815 Facebook :Spectrum FM Costa Almeria /www.costaalmeria.spectrumfm.net/ spectrumfmmojacar@live.co.uk

New 90.8FM in Costa Almeria.

30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

16

Doctor Who series sevenstart date is revealed

Of Europa Digital

By RichardShanley

DISHING THE DIRT

STARS: Matt Smith, KarenGillan and Arthur Darvillattended the recentscreening in London.

30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 17Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

SKY112:00pm Futurama 12:10pm Futurama: Bender'sGame 2:00pm Ashley Banjo's Secret Street Crew3:00pm Raising Hope 3:30pm Raising Hope

4:00pm Modern Family4:30pm The Middle5:00pm Modern Family5:30pm The Middle6:00pm A League of Their Own6:30pm Futurama7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Futurama9:00pm Sinbad10:00pm An Idiot Abroad

SKY MOVIES COMEDY9:05am Taxi 10:50am Bridesmaids 1:00pm TheDilemma 3:00pm Taxi

4:45pm Transformers: Dark of the Moon Special5:15pm Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason7:10pm Father of the Bride9:00pm Bridesmaids11:10pm The Dilemma

1:10am Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

SKY MOVIES DRAMA9:05am Justin Timberlake 9:35am Chalet Girl11:15am The Bodyguard 1:30pm No Strings

Attached 3:25pmMask

5:30pm Beastly7:00pm Sweet Home Alabama9:00pm The Bodyguard11:15pm No Strings Attached

1:15am 8 Mile 3:15am 40 Days and 40 Nights5:00am Cowboys and Aliens 35mm Special

SKY MOVIES ACTION7:00am The Top Ten Show 2012 7:20am Fortress9:05am Total Recall: Special 9:25am Gone in 60Seconds 11:30am Crimson Tide 1:35pm The OtherGuys 3:35pm Van Helsing

5:55pm Ironclad8:00pm Gone in 60 Seconds10:00pm The Other Guys11:50pm Skyline

1:30am Ironclad 3:35am The 13th Warrior

TCM8:10am Gunsmoke 9:15am Maverick 10:15am

Casablanca 12:10pm Gunsight Ridge 1:45pmGunsmoke 2:50pm Maverick

4:00pm The Young Lions7:15pm Gun Glory8:55pm Roll on Texas Moon10:00pm The Glimmer Man11:45pm Jackie Chan's First Strike

1:25am Zorba the Greek 3:50am TeleshoppingShopping from home.

BBC1

4.00pm - midnight

BBC2 ITV Channel 4 Channel 5

BBC3 BBC4

5:05am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast10:15am Heir Hunters 11:00am Homes Underthe Hammer 12:00pm Saints and Scroungers12:30pm Animal 24:7 1:15pm Bargain Hunt2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBCLondon News 2:45pm Doctors An ex-convicttries to shake off his past with disastrousconsequences. 3:15pm Escape to the CountrySeries in which prospective buyers are helped tofind their dream home in the country.

4:00pm BBC NewsThe latest national and international newsstories from the BBC News team, followed byweather.4:05pm I Want My Own Room4:35pm SplatalotGameshow filled with medieval, messymadness. 5:00pm Shaun the SheepChildren's animation. 5:10pm Wingin' It5:30pm Roy6:00pm NewsroundTopical news magazine for children.6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News at Six7:30pm BBC London News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm EastEnders9:00pm Waterloo Road10:00pm Good Cop11:00pm BBC News at TenThe latest national and international news, withreports from BBC correspondents worldwide.11:25pm BBC London News11:35pm Neighbourhood Watched

12:20am The League Cup Show 1:20amHoliday Weatherview Detailed weatherforecast. 1:25am Countryfile 2:25am JuneBrown: Respect Your Elders 3:15amDoorstep Crime 999 3:45am Real Rescues4:30am BBC News

7:50am Rastamouse 8:00am Barney's LatinAmerica 8:30am The League of Super Evil8:40am Frankenstein's Cat 8:50am Arthur9:15am Ooglies 9:30am Nina and the Neurons:In the Lab 9:45am Baby Jake 10:00am TingaTinga Tales 10:10am Little Charley Bear10:20am Raa Raa the Noisy Lion 10:30am Bobthe Builder: Project Build It 10:40am The KoalaBrothers 10:50am Lunar Jim 11:00amOctonauts 11:05am Kerwhizz 11:30am DriverDan's Story Train 11:40am Waybuloo 12:00pmIn the Night Garden In a magical forest,colourful characters have adventures.12:30pm BBC World News 1:00pm Coast1:20pm To Buy or Not to Buy 1:50pm HotelReserve 3:15pm The Weakest Link

4:00pm Real Rescues4:45pm The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain5:30pm Flog It!6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is7:00pm Eggheads7:30pm Celebrity MasterChef8:00pm Athletics10:00pm Iceland Erupts: A Volcano LiveSpecial11:00pm The Boss is Back11:30pm NewsnightIn-depth investigation and analysis of the storiesbehind the day's headlines with Gavin Esler.

12:20am The Rob Brydon Show 12:50amJames May's Things You Need to Know...1:20am The Culture Show at the EdinburghFestival 1:50am BBC News 5:30am Pagesfrom Ceefax

4:40am ITV Nightscreen 6:30am ITV MorningNews 7:00am Daybreak 9:30am Lorraine10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am ThisMorning 12:25pm ITV News The latest nationaland international news. 12:30pm This Morning1:30pm Let's Do Lunch... With Gino and Mel2:30pm ITV News and Weather 3:00pm Murder,She Wrote

5:10am Deal or No Deal 6:05am Make Do andMend 6:30am Quick Bakes with Eric Lanlard6:55am Sali Mali 7:00am The Treacle People7:10am The Hoobs 7:35am Freshly Squeezed8:00am Paralympic Games Breakfast Show10:15am Paralympic Games 2012 1:00pmChannel 4 News 1:05pm Paralympic Games 20122:00pm Paralympic Games 2012

4:25pm Deal or No Deal5:25pm Come Dine with Me5:55pm The SimpsonsAnimated comedy series following the hilariousadventures of a working class.6:25pm Paralympic Games 20127:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 NewsIncludes sport and weather.8:30pm Paralympic Games 2012 Tonight:Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball and TableTennis11:30pm The Last Leg with Adam Hills

12:15am TheOdyssey 12:50amA Running Jump1:35am BenRushgrove 2:30amEmbarrassing Bodies 3:25am Brief Encountersof the Sporting Mind 3:35am Apocalypse: TheSecond World War

6:10am Wildlife SOS 6:35am Wildlife SOS7:00am Thomas and Friends 7:10am TheWotwots! 7:20am City of Friends 7:30amJelly Jamm 7:45am Peppa Pig 7:50am BigSchool 8:00am Little Princess 8:10am Benand Holly's Little Kingdom 8:20am The MrMen Show 8:35am Thomas and Friends8:45am Make Way for Noddy 9:00am Fifi andthe Flowertots 9:15am Peppa Pig 9:30amRoary the Racing Car 9:45am Bananas inPyjamas 10:00am Abby's Flying Fairy School10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:10pm UltimatePolice Interceptors 1:10pm 5 NewsLunchtime 1:15pm Celebrity Big Brother2:15pm Pawn Stars 2:45pm Neighbours3:15pm CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

4:15pm McBride: It's Murder, Madam6:00pm 5 News at 56:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Andy Bates' Street Feasts7:30pm 5 News8:00pm Stansted: The Inside Story9:00pm Revealed10:00pm The Hotel Inspector11:00pm Celebrity Big Brother

12:00am Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on theSide 1:00am Super Casino 4:55amHouseBusters 5:20am House Doctor 5:45amMichaela's Wild Challenge

8:00am Programmes Start Again at 7pm8:00pm The World's Strictest Parents9:00pm Don't Tell the Bride10:00pm Russell Kane11:00pm Wilfred11:20pm Great Movie Mistakes 2: TheSequel11:30pm EastEnders12:00am Family Guy12:45am American Dad!1:30am Russell Kane2:30am Wilfred2:50am Don't Tell the Bride3:50am The World's Strictest Parents4:50am Snog, Marry, Avoid?5:20am Bad Education

8:00pm World News Today8:30pm BBC Proms10:20pm Pugin: God's Own Architect11:20pm Modern Times12:35am Only Connect1:05am The History of Safari withRichard E. Grant2:35am Pugin: God's Own Architect3:35am Modern Times

EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

18 TV 30 August - 5 September 2012THURSDAY

Satellite channels

4:00pm Secret Dealers5:00pm Midsomer Murders6:00pm Don't Blow the Inheritance7:00pm London Tonight7:30pm ITV News and Weather8:00pm Emmerdale

8:30pm Tonight9:00pm Emmerdale

Paddy and Marlon realisetheir friendship is over. 9:30pm Coronation Street

Tyrone burns his bridges withTommy and Tina. Ryan'sbehaviour spirals out of control.10:00pm Britain by Night11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather11:35pm The Jonathan Ross Show

12:35am Poms in Paradise 1:05am Jackpot2473:35am Tonight 4:00am ITV Nightscreen5:35am The Jeremy Kyle Show

Family Guy12:00am

BBC3

MELISSA MCCARTHY, WENDI MCLENDON-COVEY, ELLIE KEMPER, KRIS-TEN WIIG, MAYA RUDOLPH , ROSE BYRNE

10:50am - BridesmaidsSMC

3:00pm - Murder,She Wrote

ITV

AngelaLansbury

30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 19Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

20

HIDALGO is a contraction ofthe Spanish hijo-de-algoor son of something. Whilethe other titles of Spanish nobilitysuch as king, prince, duchess etc.clearly suggest something royaland aristocratic, such is not thecase with the title Hidalgo. Theson of something impliessomething vague andundetermined. Not an heir, nor ofroyal blood, not necessarily theson of a military leader, the titleHidalgo is one of ambiguity.

The Spanish Hidalgos of the17th and 18th centuries claimed,or sometimes self-appointedthemselves, to be descendants ofpast gentry. They had no land, nofiefdom, were often poor andpenniless yet claimed a distinctionas being something other than amere commoner.

Implicit within the Hidalgo idealwas a deeply ingrained, almostcongenital, aversion to manuallabour. People who worked withtheir hands were shunned andconsidered vile and mechanical.Physical labour, even skilledcraftsmanship was off limits anddishonourable to Hidalgos.

Some historians have arguedthat the Hidalgo mentality goes along way in explaining why Spaindid not progress as did othernations of Europe. They claimaversion to manual labour hasbeen a purely Spanishcharacteristic that has slowed itsdevelopment.

This theme is touched upon byCervantes and his epic DonQuixote. The protagonist, DonQuixote, is the quintessentialHidalgo; noble, yet landless,distasteful of any labour andforever inclined to examine thecontemplative side of life.Quixotes behaviour is consideredby many to be emblematic ofSpains society of rigid socialclassification.

Likewise many historians haveportrayed 17th century Spain asdebauched by wealth and luxurywith vast numbers of workers andnobility idle because they

considered labourcontemptible. But is thisnotion of Hidalgos andtheir distain for labournecessarily a Spanish trait?

Have other culturesexperienced thisphenomenon? Is theHidalgo mentality amarker of the Spanishnational character or is it amore universal reflectionof human nature?Consider

The 5th century B.C.philosopher, Confucius, had muchto say about nobility and the workethic. The main basis ofConfucius teachings was thatman should not be idle but beactive in seeking knowledge whilecontinually striving to become abetter person.

Confucius argued for therevolutionary idea of replacingnobility of blood with nobility ofmerit. A virtuous person whocultivates his life through effortcan and should be considered agentleman while the shameless,idle son of a king is only a smallman.

The works of Confucius mayhave been some of the first toarticulate that alternatives toblood nobility and elitism can anddo exist. Individuals withintelligence, credentials, physicaltalents and education who, whencombined with effort, aremankinds natural nobility. The

concept of an idle, self-proclaimedelitist such as a Hidalgo would beanathema to Confucius. Anautocratic leader, who rulesthrough elitism, claims Confucius,need not be obeyed.

Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) isoften regarded by Westernhistorians as one of the mostrespected thinkers ever to comeout of the Islamic world.(Interestingly, he spent many ofhis formative years in Granada).He is considered to be the fatherof modern social sciences andcultural history.

His magnum-opus or hismasterpiece, The Muqaddimah(Introduction to History), isconcerned with theories of socialchange. Khaldun believed the riseof thriving vigorous societies iscyclical in nature. First

generational leadership ischaracterised by fortitude,bravery, enterprise, individualityand discipline.

Second generational leadershiphas a personal relationship withthe generation before whichcreated glory but has learnedthese life lessons through studyrather than by practicalapplication.

Third and fourth generationsinevitably lose those qualities thatbegan the original edifice of glory.This generation of nobilityimagines that leadership was builtnot through individual effort butby the mere fact of theirinheritance. A state characterisedby a sedentary population, drainedof vigour and exhausted energy isindicative of a society susceptibleto decline. It leaves itself open to amore dynamic leadership whovalues the dignity of labour.

Confucius and Ibn Khaldunhave both recognised that manysocieties have produced theHidalgo mentality and the elitismtowards labour and effortassociated with it. My guess is theywould see the Hidalgo pheno-menum as something universalrather than Spanish specific.

The historical notion that theSpanish have had a long traditionof doing practically anythingrather than besmirch their honourby working with their hands ismisguided. Perhaps its the wide-spread popularity of Don Quixote,or the vast corpus of literatureoverstating Spains Hidalgo legacythat perpetuates this observation.

Entitlements, motivation, effort,passion, indifference etc are, itseems, more reflective of abroader human condition ratherthan any specific Spanish nationalcharacteristic.

Spanish Hidalgos and thedishonour of manual labour

There are those who live by theirhands and those who are rich.16th century poet, Jorge Manrique

CONFUCIUS: Nobility ofmerit instead of blood.

HIDALGO: Claimed to descend from past gentry.

US citizen Jack is spending the first years ofhis retirement in Almeria. His articles have

been published in Spain and the US.

JackGaioni

Consider This

s a l e s @ e u r o w e e k l y n e w s . c o m - w w w . e u r o w e e k l y n e w s . c o m

3* July 2012 figures for month

318, 901 unique visits 326,904 visits Pageviews 484,403*

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30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 21www.euroweeklynews.com Costa de Almera

inance, business& legalinance, business& legalFFENERGY consumption sincelast year by Spanishbusinesses has dropped 4 percent; the industrial sector by6.6 per cent and the service

sector by 1.4 per cent.

Stat of week

www.ewnbusiness.comA EURO WEEKLY NEWS 8 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION

THE cost of a litre of 95octane petrol hasreached a record1.511, and diesel1.42, according to anEU Petrol Report. Pricesvary in different regionsand filling stations, withthe litre price recordedas a national average.

RECORD!

Petrol hits1.51 litre

THE governments about-turn decision to continuepayment of a subsidy to jobless people who haverun out of dole credit has provided six months ofnew hope for an estimated 200,000.

With payments originally due to end on August 15,the government has now approved an extensionuntil February.

Additionally the Plan Prepara grant payment hasbeen increased by 50 to 450 for people with at

least two other family members in their charge.Several labour unions are sceptical and warned

that people will have to be careful with the fineprint.

People receiving the Plan Prepara grant have totake training courses as part of a scheme initiallyintroduced by the Zapatero government in February2011, with an initial six-month duration. The latestextension is the third to be put into place.

Extra help for 200,000

JOBLESS: Payment extended to those out of dole credit.

450 grant ongoing, but with strings attached

THE government hasstepped in to halt whatmany feel was sharpselling by many banks.

Buyers of preferredbank shares will nowhave to know exactlywhat they are investingin.

And they will need topersonally sign a consentform before purchasing.

In some cases theremust be a minimuminvestment of 100,000,Economy Minister Luis deGuindos has stated.

Tempted by highdividends and led bysome banks to believethey were making a

deposit, notan

investment, more thanone million bankcustomers saw savingstrapped after buying intounredeemable shares.

De Guindos describedthe shares as asophisticated product,but many who investedoriginally discovered toolate that they could gettheir money back only byreselling on thesecondary market.

Many invested in bankssubsequently nation-alised by the Spanishgovernment and foundtheir chances of breakingeven, let alone making aprofit, were nil.

The latest legislationintroduced last Friday willprevent situations likethose of recent years,De Guindos added.

Meanwhile, banks withclients wanting torecover money ploughedinto preferred shares areoffering to exchangethem for ordinary sharesor other products.

With time, this mayenable them to recouptheir original invest-ments.

But this course is notopen to nationalisedgroups including Bankia,Novagalicia andCatalunya Caixa, as theEuropean Commission isinsisting that re-structuring must befinanced by creditors,including preferenceshareholders.

Getting toughon sharp sales

IN tough economic times, flirty women are morelikely to get a good deal than men.

Women who act flirtatiously when outshopping, or negotiating for major purchasesincluding a car, are more likely to get a substantialdiscount than males, a study in both the UK andAmerica shows.

It is thought a combination of flirting andfriendliness may help women disarm malesalespeople in sales negotiations.

Laura Kray of the University of California, Berkeleyin the US, said that flirty women can often be seento convey assertiveness and power.

Flirty wayto get a good deal

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWNwww.euroweeklynews.com22

We have a problem with the president of ourcommunity, who takes a fee for doing the jobbut fails to carry out some duties despite

several requests. One duty is maintaining the street lights, two of which

have been out of order for some time. Recently a groupof noisy youths identified the area as a good place tocongregate.

We have repeatedlyrequested our president tomake the defective lightsoperational again, buthave been ignored.

It seems that at the lastAnnual General Meeting (AGM) the matter was raised butthe lights remain dark. What action can we take toensure that the president carries out duties for which shereceives a fee from the community?

P D (Costa Blanca)

Community of Property Owners is a democracy.The problem with this is that a democracy is ado-it-yourself organisation.

The members discuss the issues at the AGM and settledisputes by majority vote. The AGM is the supremeauthority. In your case, if the elected president fails tocarry out his or her assigned duties, you should firstmake the complaint in writing, directly to the presidentand also to the assembled members at the AGM.

Perhaps you could inform the other members by acircular in mailboxes.

Make sure your complaint is on the formal meetingagenda for discussion and vote.

This agenda is a serious matter. Only issues which appear on the agenda can be voted

upon. Then, the vote of the majority of membersrequiring the president to fix the street lights should dothe trick.

If there are even more serious problems, one-fourth ofthe members, who represent one-fourth of the cuotasor community fees, can force the calling of anExtraordinary General Meeting.

This meeting might have only one item on the agenda,which would be replacement of the president.

David will respond to queries but reserves the right to select letters whichwill be of interest to the greatest number of readers.

You can also consult David through lawyers Ubeda-Retana and Associates inFuengirola. ask@lawtaxspain.com or call 952 667 090.

30 August - 5 September 2012Costa de Almera

Biggest problem is thecommunity president ALMOST half of British householdscontinue to depend on credit cardsto pay their rising utility bills, a

recent survey has shown.

HALF of Britains employeesspend an average of 367(458) of their own moneyeach year on work-relatedexpenses, with only 45 per centclaiming expenses back,revealed a Capital One study.

HOME-OWNERS with five-year fixedmortgage rates, a clean credit

history and enough equity mayhalve their monthly payments,according to Adrian Anderson ofAnderson Harris.

APPROXIMATELY 39 in every10,000 mortgage applicants liedabout their finances from April toJuly, representing a 23 per centyearly rise, a study shows.

THE campaign group, Save ourSavers has asked thegovernment to abolish taxationof British saving accounts toboost returns for millions.

APPROXIMATELY 130,000 peoplereceive 7 (8.75) or less statepension, about the same numberthat receive 230 (287); however,this will change when the 140(175) flat-rate pension scheme isenforced, says Pensions MinisterSteve Webb.

B ritish usinessriefsPlastic payments keep home-life ticking

Q

AITS a well-worn and rather tatteredclich.

But it really is beginning to appearthat the lunatics have finally takenover the EU asylum.

One might file and forget the latestfoolish proposals emanating from theEU merely as something thought upby tabloid journalists to fill pagesduring the annual July-August sillyseason.

But, sadly, this is not the case.Perhaps the ideas floated by

Spanish MEP Alejandro Cercas shouldnot be taken too seriously. Maybe hewas just acting the court jesterduring the holiday absence of thosewannabe statesmen in Brussels. But,then again, it is important to ponderon the flood of directives - around2,000 per year and some truly foolish- finding their way on to the statutebooks without parliamentary debate.

The following gem came as asurprise when I discovered it as aninsignificant-looking paragraphhidden in a 65-page researchdocument sent to me by a British MP.

It concerned a proviso that everyEU Commission directive must beperused by the European ScrutinyCommittee at Westminster beforebeing passed to the relevantministers and departments.

This, I felt, was a practicalsafeguard until I discovered, tuckedaway, a further codicil stating that ifan EU directive is not rejected by the

scrutiny committee within six weeks,it will be deemed to have beenagreed, and will pass directly - andwithout parliamentary debate - intothe statute book.

Six weeks might appear longenough for even a parliamentarycommittee to make up its mind, butthe British parliament enjoys a longsummer break from the end of Julyuntil October, and the EuropeanScrutiny Committee, along with allthe others, does not sit during thisperiod.

However, the EuropeanCommission is away from its officeonly during August, which meansthat for 12 weeks every year, the EUcan issue proposals that will not be

scrutinised atWestminster.

It raises thequestion just howmany potentiallytoxic ideas have,over the years,passed into Britishlaw without parlia-mentary scrutinyor debate?

When in opposition Theresa Maypromised to address this anomaly,but I have not been able todiscover if any action has beentaken. Now, coincidentally(?),along has come another sample ofEU idiocy which might still slipunder the wire.

The EU mandarins are foreverbanging on about the need toimprove the eurozonescompetiveness, and emphasisingthe importance of this in gettingthe various economies movingagain. But then someone like SeorCercas comes along with analtogether daft idea that, unlessenforced worldwide, would slamthe EU brakes full on, resulting ineven more misery and deprivationthan is already being suffered by somany poor souls living in the realworld.

Under these proposals allemployers intending to make jobcuts would have to measure thehappiness of their staff, and carryout psychological health checksbefore and after redundancy.

Ridiculous, perhaps, but this sillyidea has already received EuropeanParliamentary approval, clearing itsway to becoming a commissiondirective.

European Scrutiny Committee,watch out!

Daft ideas dont take holidaysbut get summer-break boost

HOLIDAY MODE: The UKs Houses of Parliament takes a long summer recess.

Jim Collins

Costa Blanca

By David Searl

You and theLaw in Spain

JUST over 5,150 people in Spain havedeclared incomes of more than 600,000,more than 5,300 fewer than five years ago.Experts say it is normal for the rich in badtimes to invest away from home when theirown country is experienciing recession.

Spanish money on the run

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

used the money to fund hisother businesses and anopulent lifestyle. The largestPonzi scheme in recent yearsremains Bernard Madoffs $65billion fraud, which camecrashing down in December2008.

Ponzi schemes basically usemoney from new investors topay existing ones. The firstinvestors will see returns,which help the scheme appeargenuine and profitable to newinvestors. Those who investlater usually lose their money.The capital is not actuallyinvested and earning returnsfor the investors, and theschemes collapse when theunsustainable supply of newinvestors and money dries up.

According to the UK FinancialServices Authority, too manyBritons fall victim toinvestment scams. Around500m is lost each year toscams where people are

contacted to invest in shares,property or rare goods, with apromise of a high return. Themajority of victims are menaged over 50, and most ofthem say they are experiencedinvestors - so everyone needsto be on their guard, whereverthey live.

Generally, the bigger theproposed return is, the greaterthe risk. Besides Ponzi schemes,boiler room scams involvefraudsters cold-calling peopleoffering shares or otherinvestments which turn out to beworthless, over-priced or non-existent. Investors are promisedhigh returns but usually end uplosing their money. Somevictims have lost all their savingsor their family home.

The Financial ServicesAuthority warns that thetactics often sound like thereal deal, so its easy to bedrawn in by their professionaland high pressure sale tactics.

How can you protectyourself from fraud?

When it comes toinvestments and pensions youshould only work with firmswhich are fully authorised andregulated by a reputablenational regulatory body likethe UK Financial ServicesAuthority. Check thisindependently with therelevant authority. You canoften do this online, for

example, you can access theFinancial Services Authorityregister atwww.fsa.gov.uk/register/home.do.

Only ever transfer money toan authorised institution ortrust company. Never write acheque or transfer funds to anunauthorised individual orcompany to invest it on yourbehalf.

Investing through a largeestablished firm rather thanbeing a one-man band will alsogive you peace of mind.

Compare the return beingpromised with comparableinvestments. If it is muchhigher then there is probably acatch. If nothing else it maybe a much riskier investmentthan you realise.

Do not be tempted by getrich quick schemes. At thevery least, limit the amountyou invest and make sure youunderstand the investment andhow returns are generated.

Most importantly, as theFinancial Services Authoritywebsite warns (and the boldand use of capitals are theirs):

REMEMBER, IF ITSOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BETRUE, IT PROBABLY IS.

To protect your wealth, youshould only invest throughproven investments placedthrough a trustworthy andestablished firm, such as

Blevins Franks FinancialManagement Limited.

For example, if you placeyour investments in aLuxembourg regulatedinsurance bond, you willbenefit from an exceptionallystrong culture of investorprotection. Luxembourgsregulations are governed byEU directives that require strictfinancial controls andsupervision to provideinvestors with a secureonshore regime.

This regime providesmaximum security frominstitutional risk to investorswithout limit. Your investmentassets are completelyprotected should the insurancecompany fail. The regimeoffers complete segregation ofclients assets from either thecreditors of the insurancecompany or any of itscustodian banks.

Blevins Franks FinancialManagement Limited isauthorised and regulated bythe UK Financial ServicesAuthority for the conduct ofinvestment and pensionbusiness.

To keep in touch with thelatest developments in theoffshore world, check out thelatest news on our websitewww.blevinsfranks.com

WHEN making any investment,it is important to only use firmswhich are authorised andregulated and to look forarrangements which provide ahigh enough level of investorprotection to give you peace ofmind.

We unfortunately still hearstories of people losing moneyto unauthorised sales people.For example, three Britonshave recently been convictedover a 10 million Ponzischeme which had targetedBritish expatriates in Spain.

The scheme ran from 2001to 2009. Trading as Gilher Inc,the fraudsters promisedinvestors 20% returns. Themoney was however neverinvested, and was insteaddiverted to support their ownlifestyles. They owned luxuryvillas in the area and had anactive social life there.

It is believed that 70 Britishresidents in Mallorca weredefrauded out of 10 million.Most of them were retired,with many of them handingover their life savings. Theamounts lost ranged between11,000 and 223,000.

The investigation was carriedout by the UKs Senior FraudOffice, after receivingcomplaints from investors inNovember 2009.

In March Texan financierAllen Stanford was convictedby a US court of orchestratinga $7 billion Ponzi scheme.Again, he had promisedinvestors high returns, but

30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 23Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

by Bill Blevins, Financial

Correspondent,

Blevins Franks

Protecting Your Investments

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almera

24

British American Tbcc 3302.50 -22.00 0.00 2,033.99

British Land Co PLC 530.50 0.00 0.00 1,264.32

British Sky Broad Gr 750.00 6.00 0.00 1,390.72

BT Group PLC 215.10 -1.60 0.00 12,132.70

Bunzl PLC 1082.00 8.00 0.00 442.25

Burberry Group PLC 1322.50 -15.00 0.00 697.10

Capita PLC 682.50 3.00 0.00 470.55

Capital Shopping Cntrs 306.10 -0.10 0.00 683.92

Carnival PLC 2134.00 -30.00 0.00 326.94

Most AdvancedDragonWave Inc $ 2.6709 0.4309 / +19.24% Ubiquiti Networks, Inc. $ 10.558 1.568 / +17.44% Aruba Networks, Inc. $ 19.35 2.43 / +14.36% Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. $ 9.86 1.22 / +14.12% QuickLogic Corporation $ 2.33 0.24 / +11.48% Geron Corporation $ 2.29 0.22 / +10.63% Oncothyreon Inc. $ 4.82 0.45 / +10.30% Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. $ 4.365 0.395 / +9.95% Tranzyme, Inc. $ 4.37 0.38 / +9.52% Crocs, Inc. $ 17.65 1.34 / +8.22% Computer Programs and Systems, Inc. $ 50.62 3.83 / +8.19% Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. $ 10.79 0.71 / +7.04% MICROS Systems, Inc. $ 51.59 3.38 / +7.01%

Most DeclinedAutodesk, Inc. $ 30.12 5.59 / -15.65% Porter Bancorp, Inc. $ 2.0126 0.1974 / -8.93% Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. $ 3.13 0.29 / -8.48% P & F Industries, Inc. $ 5.33 0.45 / -7.79% Shoe Carnival, Inc. $ 22.56 1.82 / -7.47% Stratasys, Inc. $ 62.50 5.02 / -7.43% RRSat Global Communications Network Ltd. $ 5.10 0.40 / -7.27% Deswell Industries, Inc. $ 2.59 0.20 / -7.17% rue21, inc. $ 26.81 2.06 / -7.14% EMCORE Corporation $ 4.90 0.34 / -6.49% Zumiez Inc. $ 31.51 1.93 / -5.77% School Specialty, Inc. $ 2.65 0.16 / -5.69%

CCOO MM PPAA NN YY PPRR II CC EE (( PP )) CCHH AA NN GG EE (( PP )) %% CCHH GG.. NNEE TT VVOO LL UU MM EE

MMM 3M Co 92.83 +0.85 +0.92% 1.9MAA Alcoa Inc 8.63 0.00 0.00% 10.4MAXP American Express Co 57.49 +1.07 +1.90% 4.2MT AT&T Inc 36.95 +0.39 +1.07% 23.2MBAC Bank of America Corp 8.16 +0.01 +0.12% 88.8MBA Boeing Co 71.09 +0.73 +1.04% 5.4MCAT Caterpillar Inc 87.47 -0.16 -0.18% 5.0MCVX Chevron Corp 112.01 +0.72 +0.65% 3.5MCSCO Cisco Systems Inc 19.20 +0.075 +0.39% 32.4MDD E. I. du Pont de Nemours and C... 50.35 +0.11 +0.22% 2.7MXOM Exxon Mobil Corp 88.05 +0.74 +0.85% 9.8MGE General Electric Co 20.80 +0.16 +0.78% 29.3MHPQ Hewlett-Packard Co 17.58 -0.055 -0.31% 22.1MHD Home Depot Inc 56.96 +0.41 +0.73% 5.8MINTC Intel Corp 24.91 -0.13 -0.52% 45.2MIBM International Business Machine... 197.77 +2.07 +1.06% 2.6MJNJ Johnson & Johnson 67.60 -0.14 -0.21% 11.3MJPM JPMorgan Chase and Co 37.17 -0.06 -0.16% 20.0MKFT Kraft Foods Inc 41.87 +0.59 +1.44% 12.1MMCD McDonald's Corp 88.92 +0.67 +0.76% 3.5MMRK Merck & Co Inc 43.12 +0.32 +0.75% 10.2MMSFT Microsoft Corp 30.56 +0.305 +1.01% 23.0MPFE Pfizer Inc 24.01 +0.27 +1.14% 23.1MPG Procter & Gamble Co 67.02 +0.34 +0.51% 8.6MKO The Coca-Cola Co 38.47 +0.36 +0.94% 9.3MTRV Travelers Companies Inc 65.40 +0.60 +0.93% 1.7MUTX United Technologies Corp 80.08 +0.88 +1.11% 3.3MVZ Verizon Communications Inc 43.17 +0.92 +2.18% 12.8MWMT Wal-Mart Stores Inc 72.11 +0.55 +0.77% 5.2MDIS Walt Disney Co 49.56 +0.39 +0.79% 5.8M

Centrica PLC 323.00 4.20 0.00 6,363.34

Compass Group PLC 745.00 4.00 0.00 2,306.27

CRH PLC 1140.00 12.00 0.00 2,152.21

Croda International PLC 2295.00 3.00 0.00 228.55

Diageo PLC 1705.00 15.50 0.00 3,393.99

Eurasian Nat Resources 377.50 -12.60 0.00 3,766.55

EVRAZ PLC 259.50 -7.80 0.00 3,274.29

Experian PLC 935.00 -3.50 0.00 1,027.15

Fresnillo PLC 1620.00 -4.00 0.00 535.88

G4S PLC 252.75 0.40 0.00 1,966.46

GKN PLC 222.00 -3.80 0.00 3,715.60

GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1459.50 10.00 0.00 6,613.12

Glencore Int PLC 362.12 0.85 0.00 16,347.28

Hammerson PLC 518.50 1.50 0.00 1,008.09

Hargreaves Lansdown 575.75 6.00 0.00 323.99

HSBC Holdings PLC 552.50 -2.10 0.00 13,258.49

ICAP PLC 325.00 -0.20 0.00 1,088.15

IMI PLC 890.00 -4.00 0.00 663.34

Imperial Tobacco Group 2462.50 18.00 0.00 1,682.85

InterContinental Hotels 1640.00 6.00 0.00 553.90

International Consldtd 159.00 -1.50 0.00 6,848.18

Intertek Group PLC 2738.00 14.00 0.00 181.15

ITV PLC 77.38 0.25 0.00 5,840.62

Johnson Matthey PLC 2180.50 9.00 0.00 399.31

Kazakhmys PLC 635.00 -20.00 0.00 2,539.66

Kingfisher PLC 285.50 2.80 0.00 5,785.34

Land Securities Group 799.00 -5.00 0.00 2,186.53

Legal & General Group 127.50 -0.30 0.00 12,089.13

Lloyds Banking Group PLC 34.12 -0.06 0.00 88,395.68

Marks & Spencer Grp 372.50 15.20 0.00 13,384.98

Meggitt PLC 376.85 -3.60 0.00 1,268.03

Morrison Supermarkets 287.50 1.50 0.00 4,888.03

National Grid PLC 693.00 4.50 0.00 4,373.45

Next PLC 3178.50 0.00 0.00 360.86

Old Mutual PLC 145.00 -1.20 0.00 5,808.14

Pearson PLC 1217.50 5.00 0.00 1,090.20

Pennon Group PLC 621.00 0.00 0.00 715.35

Petrofac Ltd 1490.50 -25.00 0.00 717.97

Polymetal Intnal PLC 980.00 2.50 0.00 401.27

Prudential PLC 804.00 1.00 0.00 3,984.31

Randgold Resources Ltd 5631.50 -30.00 0.00 206.45

Reckitt Benckiser Group 3588.00 53.00 0.00 1,315.41

Reed Elsevier PLC 555.00 2.50 0.00 2,288.89

Resolution Ltd 235.00 -1.80 0.00 2,023.76

REXAM PLC 420.00 -2.70 0.00 4,973.32

Rio Tinto PLC 2894.50 -47.00 0.00 6,923.28

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 850.00 -4.00 0.00 2,227.42

Royal Bank of Scotland 227.50 -5.00 0.00 8,899.91

Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2305.00 6.00 0.00 1,621.17

RSA Insurance Group PLC 112.50 0.10 0.00 6,729.31

SABMiller PLC 2812.50 13.50 0.00 919.47

Sage Group (The) PLC 298.50 -2.60 0.00 2,719.78

Sainsbury (J) PLC 322.60 0.30 0.00 3,719.66

Schroders PLC 1370.50 -4.00 0.00 143.35

Serco Group PLC 575.75 2.50 0.00 533.99

Severn Trent PLC 1858.50 10.00 0.00 316.72

Shire PLC 1950.00 19.00 0.00 771.42

Smith & Nephew PLC 654.50 10.00 0.00 1,704.30

Smiths Group PLC 1041.50 -4.00 0.00 431.33

SSE PLC 1340.00 8.00 0.00 1,545.76

Standard Chartered PLC 1410.00 18.50 0.00 2,724.61

Standard Life PLC 252.50 -0.30 0.00 5,896.02

Tate & Lyle PLC 655.00 3.00 0.00 758.77

Tesco PLC 340.75 1.00 0.00 15,889.40

Tullow Oil PLC 1385.00 -26.00 0.00 1,648.48

Unilever PLC 2285.50 26.00 0.00 1,407.61

United Utilities Grp PLC 722.00 3.50 0.00 1,710.83

Vedanta Resources PLC 963.50 -16.00 0.00 1,024.43

Vodafone Group PLC 185.50 0.65 0.00 37,817.84

Weir Group PLC 1710.50 -48.00 0.00 1,019.68

Whitbread PLC 2039.00 9.00 0.00 280.43

Wolseley PLC 2505.00 -18.00 0.00 1,066.50

WPP PLC 825.00 -8.50 0.00 5,302.26

Xstrata PLC 925.50 1.10 0.00 7,690.97

NASDAQCLOSING PRICES AUGUST 28

DOW JONESCLOSING PRICES AUGUST 28

Aberdeen Asset PLC 273.25 -0.60 0.00 781.00

Admiral Group PLC 1077.50 -2.00 0.00 178.67

Aggreko PLC 2276.00 25.00 0.00 327.14

AMEC PLC 1045.00 -8.00 0.00 785.56

Anglo American PLC 1930.00 -56.50 0.00 3,584.36

Antofagasta PLC 1124.50 -17.00 0.00 1,531.94

ARM Holdings PLC 569.50 -1.00 0.00 1,905.17

Ashmore Group PLC 323.55 -15.00 0.00 1,767.28

Associated British Foods 1245.50 14.00 0.00 597.73

AstraZeneca PLC 2949.00 22.00 0.00 1,254.00

Aviva PLC 326.50 0.10 0.00 8,275.15

Babcock Int Group... 839.00 1.50 0.00 605.19

BAE SYSTEMS PLC 311.00 2.30 0.00 4,983.07

Barclays PLC 186.50 -3.80 0.00 51,764.53

BG Group PLC 1308.50 -4.50 0.00 3,169.31

BHP Billiton PLC 1948.00 -27.50 0.00 6,396.49

BP PLC 445.25 -0.90 0.00 11,828.58

CCOO MM PPAA NN YY PPRR II CC EE (( PP )) CCHH AA NN GG EE (( PP )) %% CCHH GG.. NNEE TT VVOO LL UU MM EE

LONDON - FTSE 100CLOSING PRICES AUGUST 28

www.euroweeklynews.com

CCOO MM PPAA NN YY PPRR II CC EE (( PP )) CCHH AA NN GG EE %% CCHH GG.. VVOO LL UU MM EE

CCOO MM PPAA NN YY PPRR II CC EE CCHH AA NN GG EE NNEE TT // %%CCOO MM PPAA NN YY PPRR II CC EE CCHH AA NN GG EE %%CCHH AA NN GG EE VVOO LL UU MM EE

United States $..................................................... 1.25276Japan Yen .......................................................... 98.6003Switzerland Francs............................................... 1.20090Denmark Kroner ................................................... 7.44806Norway Kroner...................................................... 7.29225

0.79153

CURR

ENCIE

S1.26336

Units per

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 25www.euroweeklynews.com Costa de Almera

902 024 365 or +34 91 484 81 81lloydsbankinternational.es

**A 20 monthly fee will apply if the average monthly balance is below 2,500.Lloyds Bank International, S.A.U., with registered ofces at Serrano 90, 5 planta, 28006, Madrid, Spain, Trade Registry of Madrid, T. 6799, Book 0, Folio. 108, Sec. 8, Page M-110714, 1st Entry, N.I.F. (Tax Identication Number) A-80481765.

THE CURRENT ACCOUNT WITH A WORLD OF BENEFITS.

3.00 %T.A.E.*during the rst three months** T.A.E. (Tasa Anual Equivalente corresponds to Annual Interest Rate. Effective Interest Rate 2.9596% for the rst three months, on balances up to a maximum of 500,000, with all amounts above said limit accruing no interest. From the fourth month remuneration will be based on tired rates depending on the balance you hold. As of today these rates are from 0% to 1,50% T.A.E. (1.4898% Effective Interest Rate). The applicable rates for each tier are available on www. lloydsbankinternational.es.Interest paid monthly.

Making your day-to-day banking easy and providing a helping hand with lifes other practicalities.

Enjoy your Premier Account for free if you keep a minimum average monthly balance of 2,500** and get unlimited Spanish direct debit payments, a debit card and chequebook, and global travel insurance for you and your family all free of charge.

Visit your local branch in: Valencia, Denia, Calpe, Guardamar, Torrevieja, La Zenia, Los Alczares or Mazarrn.

Are you brave enoughto ring some changes?

HOW do we take control of our finances? Often it can be all about throwing someweight around a little bitand actually making adifference.

Most people want to bedebt free and therefore tryto start saving a littlesomething for a rainy day.Its something frequentlyat the back of the mind,but unfortunately takingthe proper active steps iswhat holds a lot back.

Like most things in life,facing up to a (financial)problem and making aconscious effort to rectifymatters is what canensure a return to thepath of prosperity.

Whether its paying off acredit card or making adifference in the world,making a change can behard when there are billsto pay or there is littletime to dedicate to aworthy cause.

A new online petition siteis a perfect example of how facing up toa difficult matter can make a bigdifference.

Change.org is a global online petitionsite that allows the public to bring matters

close to their hearts to awider audience in the hopeof changing the way thingsare done.

A young lady using theAmerican version of thepetition site managed toget Bank of America toditch a $5 debit card feeafter 300,000 peoplesigned her petition againstthe bank fee.

A disabled woman inSpain has posted a petition

against any reform tonational abortion laws,believing that it shouldalways be a womanspersonal decision. She hasreceived almost 122,000signatures.

Change.org adds 15,000new campaigns frompeople in 175 countriesevery month, with at leastone project claimingsuccess each day. So, like

personal finance, to make achange just be brave enough to takethe necessary steps to make adifference.

Loosechange

Jane Plunkett

A look at finance for females

jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

SAVING: A consciouseffort is needed.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

26

Sweet successfor HersheysHERSHEYS, the USchocolate company,expects international salesto increase 20 per cent by2017 thanks to availabilityof Reeses Peanut ButterCups in Japan.

Phone firstAN INTEL Mintsmartphone priced at$550 (438) by Russiasmobile service operator,Megafon, is the first inRussia to use the AtomZ2460 chip.

Pricey claimUS BIOTECH giantMonsanto must pay$250,000 (199,000) forwhat a Brazilian judgecalled abusive andmisleading propagandaconcerning an advert forgenetically modified soy.

G LOBALBIZ Spanish able to teach a lessonto the Chinese over breakfast

WHEN it comes to breakfast in Spain, pancon tomate (tomato on toast with olive oil),pan con aceite (olive oil on toast) andchurros - especially in winter - are all-timefavourites.

And not only with the nationals, butequally with thousands of expatriates...though some do remain true to the fullEnglish!

In Mallorca, as well as to a lesser degreeon mainland Spain, many like a savourystart to the day, including ensaimada.

And, of course, when it comes tobreakfast out - a daily way of life formillions of workers in Spain from bankers tobuilders, from shop assistants to gardeners- it isnt rare to see a fairly early morningcoffee being served along with anaccompanying small brandy.

But, according to a new survey, when itcomes to breakfast and eating out, then thethe Chinese are slow starters.

For only one in five urban consumers eatat fast-food restaurants between 4 and11am, as opposed to a massive 75 per centat lunchtimes.

With the total number of foreign fast-foodoutlets in China set to break the 50,000mark this year - up from 48,477 in 2011and 36,037 in 2006 - and 44 per cent of

Chinese consumers planning to spend moreon fast-food in the coming year, thepotential for the sector is clear.

Tan Heng Hong, Senior China Research

Analyst at Mintel, the global supplier ofconsumer, product and medical intelligence,with offices worldwide including in London,says: More has to be done to unlockopportunities in the breakfast market whereusage is the lowest.

Following a recent survey by Mintel, herevealed that despite having the upperhand in quality, safety and service: Foreignfast-food still has much work to do inflavour, affordability, health and variety inorder to compete more effectively againstChinese fast-food, which has the largestshare of the fast-food sector.

Research also shows an interestinggender divide when it comes to foreign fast-food. More women (71 per cent) claim toeat at foreign fast-food restaurants thanmen (66 per cent).

Additionally while a quarter of all womeneat at fast-food restaurants when there is apromotion including meal vouchers orcoupons, only 19 per cent of men seek suchspecial deals.

To increase traffic among women,promotions such as vouchers and couponscan be a useful marketing tool. Women areinterested in deals because they enjoy thethrill of not paying full price for an item,said Hong.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Many Spanisheat breakfast out.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 27www.euroweeklynews.com Costa de Almera

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 30 August - 5 September 2012EWNCosta de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

28

Alicante TODAY: SUNNY, MAX 29C, MIN 23CFri - 28 23 S/Sh Mon - 28 21 S/ShSat -27 23 S Tues - 28 21 SSun - 27 22 S/Sh Wed - 29 23 S

Almeria TODAY: SUNNY MAX 27C, MIN 22CFri - 27 21 S Mon - 26 22 SSat - 26 21 S Tues - 26 22 S Sun - 26 21 S Wed - 25 22 S

Barcelona TODAY: SUNNY MAX 28C MIN 22CFri - 25 21 S/Sh Mon - 27 22 SSat - 26 21 C Tues - 27 22 SSun - 26 21 C Wed - 28 22 S

Benidorm TODAY: SUNNY, MAX 31C, MIN 24CFri - 28 23 S/Sh Mon - 28 21 S/ShSat - 28 23 S/Sh Tues - 28 21 SSun - 28 22 S/Sh Wed - 30 23 S

Madrid TODAY: SUNNY MAX 32C, MIN 14CFri - 31 14 S Mon - 32 17 SSat - 32 14 S Tues - 32 17 SSun - 31 16 C Wed - 34 17 S

Malaga TODAY: SUNNY, MAX 32C, MIN 23CFri - 28 22 S Mon - 27 21 SSat - 27 21 S Tues - 27 21 SSun - 27 21 S Wed - 27 21 S

Mallorca TODAY: SUNNY, MAX 32C, MIN 21CFri - 27 20 S Mon - 29 19 S/ShSat - 26 19 S Tues - 29 19 SSun -26 19 S Wed - 31 19 S

Murcia TODAY: SUNNY, MAX 33C, MIN 22CFri - 28 21 S Mon - 30 19 S/Sh Sat - 29 21 S Tues - 31 19 SSun - 29 20 S/Sh Wed - 32 21 S

30 August - 5 September 2012 EWN 29Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

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Were your parents musical?Not really, though they appreciated

music and art. My grandfather was aflautist at Naples Opera House.

Did you always want tobe a pianist?

Since a child, I have beenmoved by the magic soundof a piano. I started playingwhen 11 and gave my firstconcert aged 13.

Globally, where haveyou performed?

USA, Canada, South America,Russia, Japan and in several Europeancountries. I have performed in Mallorca(1986), for national Spanish radio andtelevision (1997-98) and Valencia(2000).

Achievements?International merit mentions from

Pianist Vincent hits theright notes worldwide!

various European countries and nominatedHonorary Citizen of Osaka (Japan),

founding promoter of Greek theatreevents and European music film

festivals.Career highlight?Performing at the

Leningrad PhilharmonicHall in St Petersburg(Russia), the mythicalCarnegie Hall in New York

and with major orchestrasand noted conductors in the

USA, Canada and Japan.Future?Four live CD recordings of Rachmaninoff

as well as Schumann, Brahms and Scriabinand a double CD with Chopin works. Theywill be released gradually during 2013 and2014. Also, potential 2013 concerts inMallorca and Valencia.

Concert pianist and music professor Vincent Russo has performed all over theworld, recorded nine CDs and spends his time between Spain, Italy andSwitzerland. Nicole Hallett reports.

Vital Statistics

Age: 54 Born: New York In Spain: 16 years Spanish base: Mallorca Marital status: Single Speaks fluently: English,Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Frenchand Russian Best thing about Spain:Warm, cheerful attitude Worst: Unpunctuality Hobbies: ResearchingGreek/theatre history, 17th centuryFlemish and Dutch art history,psychoanalysis

A HOSPITAL in Lliria(Valencia) has neveropened since buildingfinished in 2009.Castellon airport - theValencian Communityagain - opened lastyear but has neverreceived a singlepassenger.

Who knows, if the

second had not beenbuilt, perhaps the firstwould be functioning.Public money andmegalomania are amarriage made inheaven for spendthriftadministrations. Andhell for those at thereceiving end ofspending cuts.

Pie in the sky

SPAIN is apparently disinclined to extraditeHerve Falciani, a former HSBC employee whorevealed details of 24,000 Swiss accounts tothe French tax authorities.Arrested in Barcelona, he iswanted by Switzerland forbreaching bankconfidentiality - not anoffence in this country.Some governments havealready acted on hisinformation and this includesSpain, who collared Santanderpresident Emilio Botin. Falcianodeserves a medal, not extradition.

Banking on secrecy

EWN COMMENT

Emilio Botin.

Read the full interview on www.euroweeklynews.com/features/interviews

OPINION & COMMENT

Waste collectorsmean bleary-eyestarts to the day WHILE I love living in Spain,enjoying all that the weather andculture have to offer, I do have a pethate; the rubbish collectors pitchingup just as I am about to drift off tosleep or waking me up.

They are so noisy, between thevehicle and the tipping of thecontainers and the workersshouting, it is impossible to ignore.

I have to wake up early in themorning and as a result of this acouple of days a week I amexhausted at work, not having hadthe required hours of sleep.

I understand the reason, as this isthe least busy time on the roads,but I wish they could do it a bitearlier.

Nicole Hauschild, Mijas Costa(Malaga)

Looking abroadI WAS shocked to read that despitethe 24.6 per cent unemployment inSpain, the Employment Ministry stillhad to advertise some jobs abroadbecause no-one in Spain wantsthem (Issue 1415).

Here in Spain these benefits onlylast for a short time.

Surely people not working inSpain and who have no other sourceof income should be willing to doalmost any job.

I read all the time that the varioustown halls offer work trainingprogrammes.

Michelle Tremble, Almeria

FURTHER to L Grinyers letter TravelAlert (Issue 1414), I too had a similarexperience this year at Palma de

Mallorcas airport and a low-cost, no-frills airline.

We were notified whilst waiting onthe bus to take us to the airplane thatmy suitcase had had an accident.

Upon arrival back in the UK weheaded to make our claim. Mysuitcase was mangled - made to looklike a bus had gone over it and cutdown one side.

Five items were missing, includingan iPod, a mobile phone charger, apair of sandals, an expensive ladyshaver and a little case of goldjewellery.

While I understand the terms andconditions of airlines regarding placing

valuable items in suitcases and thataccidents can happen, for five items tohave gone missing does smell liketheft to me.

L Bloom, Palma de Mallorca

Dumbing downI WAS intrigued by your article (Issue1414) which pointed out that British

expats in Spain are frequentlycriticised for knowing little abouttheir chosen new homeland.In a British survey it revealed that

many nationals living in the UK areclueless about their own country andparticularly in the field of geography.

This should come as no surprise toanyone acquainted with currentmethods of teaching and the dumbingdown of modern examinations.

While the Spanish state systemfocuses on using the memory,acquiring knowledge and regularlytesting students, the UK system hasmoved towards verbal reasoningexams, questions with multiple choiceanswers and project work.

Peter Sanderson, Estepona(Malaga)

Reality of tipsIN regards to the Loose Changearticle by Jane Plunkett in the financesection (Issue 1412), while it may betrue many people are not sure howmuch to tip in restaurants and we allhave to watch the pennies these days,and that in some places staff may notdepend on tips, on the Costa Blanca itis very different. Here many dependon their tips to make ends meet.

This is because while they are paidaround the minimum wage - currently5.02 an hour - for a 40-hour week, inmany cases staff work anything up to

70 hours or more.Even with such poor

pay most arecourteous,professional andskilled.

C J Cotrelle,La Nucia (Alicante)

BenidormboostIT was good to seethat Benidorm airedon CNBC in the USA(Costa Blanca North,Issue 1415).

Regardless of thenews itself, thishopefully will put thename in peoplesminds when thinkingof a destination anddrive tourism more.

Sarah Simons,Benidorm (Alicante)

Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com

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