euro weekly news - axarquia 26 february - 4 march 2015 issue 1547

26 FEBRUARY - 4 MARCH 2015 WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COMISSUE NO. 1547 TRUST WE DO!our advertisers

Counsellingservices

ALL foreign residentscan benefit from acounselling servicelaunched by MotrilCouncil, from Mondayto Thursday between8am and 2pm at theSocial ServicesDepartment in LaMatraquilla.

Picnic site A NEW picnic area iscurrently been builtat the sports centreCañada Vargas inthe Torrenuevadistrict of Motril.The works arebeing paid for byGranada ProvincialCouncil and CentralGovernment.

Access back ALMUÑECAR Councilhas undertaken acomprehensive plan ofaction to clear bushesand plants in thepublic area at Marinadel Este beach. Theirthick growth hadmade the siteimpassable.

FRONT EXTRAEWN

THE call has gone out to expatsto use their right to vote inlocal elections to help get anamendment passed in theSenate to guarantee protectionto people who bought ‘illegal’homes in good faith.

Homeowners groups inMalaga and Almeria say thatthe chances of the amendmentbeing passed are “currently50/50 at best” and that theproposed change to theCriminal Code is a “goldenopportunity” to take a stepforward.

The SOHA homeownersgroup in the Axarquia and itssister association AUAN inAlmeria are calling on allpolitical parties to support thechange to the code that wouldprovide compensation forowners who purchased illegalproperties in good faith beforedemolition.

“The amendment has beenproposed by the PSOE who arenot in the majority in centralgovernment and whilst wehave the support of someindividuals within the PP, thechances of this amendment

being passed are currently50/50 at best,” said MauraHillen of AUAN.

She added: “We are callingon all parties to support thischange for the common good.The municipal elections arecoming in which foreigners canvote. We may not get such anopportunity again.”

The call from SOHA and AUANcomes following the demolitionof several illegal homes in Spainbought by foreign buyers who

were unaware of any problemsat the time of purchase. AUANestimates there are around300,000 illegal homes inSouthern Spain alone.

“The normal practice is thatthe promoter is given a smallfine for building an illegalhouse, whilst the person whospent their life savings on thehouse sees it demolished with atheoretical order ofcompensation that neveractually happens,” said Gerardo

Vazquez, lawyer on behalf ofthe associations.

“In reality, the victim receivesthe greatest punishment andthis cannot be right. Certainly,the environment must beprotected, but the end does notjustify the means if you violate aperson’s fundamental right toinviolability of the home, theirhuman right to property andtheir constitutional right todecent housing.

“The protection of theenvironment must be applied ina proportionate way and reachits limit when it affects humanrights. The solution is simple,first compensate and thendemolish,” Vazquez pointed out.

The proposed amendment hasalso received the backing ofassociations across Spain,including the AndalucianConfederation for PlanningLegalisation (CALU).

“AUAN, SOHA and the otherassociations have spent manyyears trying to resolve theseproblems and this is a goldenopportunity to take animportant step forward,” addedVazquez.

A ‘golden opportunity’for illegal homeowners

NEWSEWN 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical www.euroweeklynews.com2

INDEXNews 1 - 16

Finance 19 - 24

Leapy Lee 25

Daily TV 26

Time Out 28 - 29

Letters 30

Health & Beauty 36 - 37

H&G/Pets 39

Services 42 - 44

Classifieds 45 - 46

Motoring 47

Sport 48

AN investigation has beenlaunched into the death of adolphin found on Nerja’sCalahonda Beach, beneaththe Balcon de Europa.

An environmental healthunit examined the animal onthe spot and then alertedCREMA, a Nerja organisationwho care for endangeredsea creatures, who took the

dolphin to their facilities inorder to analyse it.

The CREMA experts arecurrently investigating itsdeath, but they believe theanimal had parasites on itstail, so an infection couldhave been the cause.

The dead dolphin weighed115kg and was 180centimetres in length.

It is the second deaddolphin found in the regionin the space of one week,after another was found ona beach in Rincon de laVictoria on February 15.

Between 40 and 70 seacreatures are rescued everyyear in Malaga, according toJuan Jose Castillo, one of thevets from CREMA.

Vets investigatedeath of dolphin

CALAHONDA BEACH: The death of the dolphin is currently being investigated.

NERJA mayor, Jose Alberto Armijo,will request that the Junta deAndalucia regional governmentextends the Malaga to Fuengirolatrain line to Maro, in the east, andManilva, in the west.

Mayors of several Axarquia andEastern Costa del Sol towns hadalready complained as they wantedthe future plans for a Marbellaextension to the line to also include

towns in the other direction at leastas far as Nerja.

Armijo will present a motionrequesting the Junta de Andaluciato allocate a budget for a Marodistrict to Manilva extension.

Head of the PP conservativeparty in Nerja, Jose Miguel Garcia,explained that the motion wouldalso request that the DevelopmentMinistry consider this project within

the study that is currently beingcarried out on the potential for thecoastal train, and include it in theEuropean Union investment plan.

Garcia claimed that the extensioncould not be limited to reachingMarbella and added: “It has toreach Maro, the Nerja Caves andManilva. The government has tostop discriminating againstMalaga’s eastern coast.”

Photo show A PHOTOGRAPHY exhibitionby Paulino Martinez Morehas been inaugurated at theCasa Condesa de TorreIsabel (Motril) and will beopen until March 14. It isentitled ‘60’ and wasconceived to celebrate thephotographer’s 60thbirthday.

Padel competition VELEZ-MALAGA will host aPadel Competition betweenMarch 2 and 8. Registrationscan be made until February28 by calling 676 59 45 83.

Andalucia Day FRIGILIANA will startcelebrations for AndaluciaDay at 11am at the Parquede Andalucia, with a flaghoisting ceremonyaccompanied by a perfor-mance by the town band.

Illegal dumpster THE Andalucian Party ofMotril has presented amotion requesting thecouncil to clear up the illegalrubbish dumps located inthe areas of Nacla and theCamino del Canal.

Cinema students ARCHIDONA MayorFrancisco Jimenez delivereddiplomas to students of localcinema workshops at TorcalMunicipal Theatre Hall torecognise their efforts.

Aid for dependants VELEZ-MALAGA Council hasoffered a total of 103 newplaces for the senior citizenremote assistance service.Candidates must be over 65,registered on the padronand live alone for most ofthe day.

Forest fire A FOREST fire in themountain range of Cazulas,Otivar (Costa Tropical) hasburnt more than 20hectares. The fire started onTuesday (February 24) ataround 9.30pm.

ewswatchNCoastal train row rumbles on

New ‘riprap’A NEW riprap has beenconstructed in Almijara(Nerja). The new structurewill channel excess rainwaterto the Chillar River.

Oh my goat!THE Larios centre in MalagaCity is celebrating theChinese New Year with anexhibition of art based on thegoat, which can be seen untilMarch 7, and a wide range ofChinese-related activities.

Hiking route MORE than 50 hikersparticipated in Almuñecar’shiking route called ‘AlmuñecarMachu Pichu’. The nextexcursion is scheduled forMarch 8 and will traverse theCahorros de Monachil.

Financial help MALAGA Provincial Council hasapproved a budget of€342,000 to carry outimprovements in five towns,including the Axarquia villagesof Moclinejo, Benamargosaand Archez.

Frigiliana concert NERJA-BORN singer NuriaFergo will perform inFrigiliana tomorrow (FridayFebruary 27) at 9.30pm inthe Centro de Usos Multiples.seating capacity is reached.

Learning award THE Education and CultureDepartment of Nerja will helppublic school Fuente del Badento obtain the title of ‘LearningCommunity’, given to centreswhich allow families, volun-teers and associations to parti-cipate in children’s education.

NEWS 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical 3EWNTRUST our advertisers WE DO!

‘Quote of the Week And finally...Number of the week

F you haven’t heard of Juzcar, atypical white Andalucian village 22kilometres from Ronda, you’reobviously not a smurf fan. The village

was chosen in 2011 by Sony to launch thepremiere of the Smurfs Movie, and 4,000 litres ofpaint turned the village buildings a shockinglybright shade of blue. Overnight, the sleepy villagewent from receiving 300 tourists a year to anestimated 80,000 in just six months.

Although Sony offered to repaint the villagewhite in December 2011, the villagers voted tokeep it blue and watched in awe as thousands offans and curious tourists continued to appear tohave a look.

Now the ‘pueblo pitufo’ (smurf village) hasdecided it needs to do a little more work toencourage the visitors to keep on coming, andhas created a project to turn locals into smurfs.

A €15,000 budget has been put in place to takeon an artistic director to train volunteers up asactors and provide costumes and props for‘pitufo’ (smurf) shows, which have proved apopular attraction at the weekends.

Lessons and rehearsals are about to begin forlocal volunteers of all ages, and the council hopesthe street shows and other new activities will beready by May 30.

Juzcar Mayor David Fernandez announced thatthe local smurfs, who are to receive diplomasafter completing their lessons, will also be goingon tour with shows planned in Ubrique, Marbella,Malaga City and other towns.

Along with face painting, a smurf themedmarket, blue manicures, personalised smurfbaseball cap painting and smurf-meals, the newimproved shows are bound to give the young andyoung-at-heart an unforgettable visit.

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Smurf village turninglocal volunteers blue

JUZCAR: Andalucia’s famous ‘smurf’ village.

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We kiss against discrimination, racism andhomophobia, to condemn these acts thatare seen too often within companies,society and public life,’ said Jose Lebaniegos,a Madrid Metro ticket inspector who attended aprotest kissing session against homophobia inMadrid.

TWO brothers from Girona tried to swindle anArab sheik by selling him a forged Goya paintingfor 1.7 million Swiss Francs (€1.58 million), onlyto discover they had been paid in photocopiedbills. The brothers, who were conned when theybought the fake painting, thought they couldrecoup their losses by swindling the sheik.

is the estimated numberof packets of illegalcigarettes that were

being smuggled into Spain each week from Gibraltarby a well-organised smuggling gang that has nowbeen busted by police.

150,000

NEWSEWN 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical4 www.euroweeklynews.com

T’S extremely worrying anddistressing to see youngpeople from all around theglobe deciding to maketheir way to Syria to join

the ranks of IS. Just this week, four people were

arrested in Spain suspected ofrecruiting for the terrorist group,and many of us are praying thatthe three teenaged girls fromBritain, who are believed to havetravelled to Syria, are safe andwell.

When you’re 15 years old, you donot have the sufficient level ofmaturity and life experience tomake a decision as life-changing asrunning off to a war zone, and itremains to be seen just why theychose to do so.

IS recruiters are using socialmedia sites to help indoctrinateimpressionable young people totheir cause, and the situation once

again highlights one of the dangersthat the internet can create.

The majority of people in theworld would like to see everyreligion, race and creed living life inpeace, as John Lennon put it, butunfortunately – in reality – life isnot that simple.

While we, in the relative safety ofour democratic comfort in theWest, baulk at the barbarity of lifein places like Syria and Iraq atpresent, others are drawn to thecause because of misguided beliefsand values.

No regime, be it democratic orotherwise, can be viewed with anydegree of respect or integrity whenthey freely behead people on filmfor not agreeing with their religionor values. IS and other groups suchas Al Qaeda and Boko Haram haveshown the world that intolerance isone of the greatest evils this planetfaces.

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Our ViewFacing up to evil

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

Car fireA VEHICLE burst intoflames on February 19near the petrol stationin La Paloma,Almuñecar. The firecaused a cloud ofsmoke, alarmingpassing drivers.

Work safety VELEZ-MALAGACouncil has trainedmore than 2,803people on safety inthe workplace sinceMarch 2012. Itprovides training toan average of 600workers per year.

Soprano sings A CONCERT will beheld on Friday 27 at8pm in the Casa de laCultura, Almuñecar,featuring Mayca Teba,a Zarzuela Sopranosinger, with theMunicipal Music Band.

NERJA’S scenery regularly attractsthe attention of international moviecreators, and this time it is aBollywood production rolling up toshoot in the town.

The setting on this occasion is theBalcon de Europa (Europe’s Balcony)for a movie titled ‘Jili’. Several musicscenes are to be recorded at the

location and surrounding areas, saidthe head of the town’s Developmentdepartment, Bernardo Pozuelo.

The filming took place on Tuesday(February 24), and was organised byproduction company UV Creations,which has already shot several otherscenes in different corners ofAndalucia. Actor Gopichand and

actress Rashi Khanna play the leadsin the film and the choreography is bywell-known dancer, Raju Sundaram.

It is not the first time that theBollywood industry has visited Nerja,as in 2012 musical scenes wererecorded at the Balcon de Europa,Calle Los Huertos and BurrianaBeach.

AN AXARQUIA social clubhas had to close its doorsafter six years of activitiesand fundraising as itcannot find people toform a committee to keepit going.

Retiring Chairman ofthe Lake Vinuela SocialClub, Pat Burns, said thatit was “sad and a realshame” that the club hashad to be wound up,despite the fact that themore than 60 memberswant it to remainfunctioning.

“The problem is that wehave really goodmembership but none ofthe members are in aposition to [join the]committee,” Mr Burns toldthe EWN.

“Officers that had heldpositions on thecommittee stood downand there were nomembers prepared totake up these roles,despite the fact that 60members wanted the clubto remain open.

“During the past 12

months, the club hasraised and donated over€1,600 to six localcharities, includingCudeca and helpingimpoverished families inVinuela at Christmas.

“The Lake VinuelaSocial Club started life asa branch of the BritishLegion and became asocial club in 2009.”

Mr Burns said that themembers enjoy the socialaspect of the club butmost people don’t havethe time to get involvedon the committee.

“What might happen isthat people will carry onmeeting on a Thursdaybut just without acommittee,” he said. “It’sa very sad occasion butthere was nothing else wecould do. I feel sorry forpeople who have run it inthe past that we cannotfind anyone to keep itgoing.”

The Lake Vinuela SocialClub was wound up at anextraordinary meetingheld last week.

NEWS EXTRA

Scenery brings Bollywood to Nerja’s Balcon

HAPPY DAYS: Members of Lake Vinuela Social Clubenjoy a picnic.

Socialclub shutsup shop


Urban raceTHE 14th edition ofArchidona’s Urban Race‘Andalucian Day’ will beheld on February 28 at11am from Paseo de laVictoria. Those interestedcan register at www.dorsalchip.es and up to 15minutes before the race.

Sports success ALMUÑECAR tabletennis player LuciaLopez won the bronzemedal at the NationalTournament 2015 heldin Valladolid for thesecond year in a row.

Family advice A FAMILY planning work-shop has been launched inArchidona’s HealthcareCentre to provide informa-tion to families and coupleswho request it on issueslike parenting and sexualbehaviour.

NEWS EXTRA

ANDALUCIANS aregearing up to celebratetheir official day.

The Dia de Andalucia(Day of Andalucia) is aregional holiday that

marks the anniversary ofthe referendum held onFebruary 28, 1980, todecide whether or not theregion should become anautonomous community.

Towns celebrate theday with a variety ofactivities, as well as thetraditional hoisting of thegreen and whiteAndalucian flag.

Salobreña’s celebrationswill start with a parade at11am, led by the townband. After that, the firstedition of the craftsmarket called D’artesarniawill be held.

At noon, Mayor GonzaloFernandez Pulido willdeliver a speech in Parquede la Fuente where theAndalucian flag will beraised and the regionalanthem performed. Thiswill be followed by aflamenco performance.

Almuñecar will also startcelebrations at 11am atthe roundabout on

A day of national pride

FLAMENCO: Part of the traditional festivities.

Avenida Juan Carlos I, withthe traditional flag hoistingceremony. Events willfollow at Parque El Majuelo,with a concert featuring the

municipal band and a‘Traditional Games Fair’aimed at involving childrenin the Andalucian spirit ofpride.

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VISITOR numbers at San MiguelCastle and the Museum ofAlmuñecar have increased by 20per cent in the last two years.

In 2014, more than 45,000visits were registered at thesetwo attractions, according to the

head of the culture department,Olga Ruano.

She added that the resultswere in part due to action takenby the council to promote thetown’s monuments andarchaeological heritage.

Ruano said the figures were arecord for the town and added:“In fact, only in January, thenumber of visits doubledcompared to the same month in2014, from 1,588 to 3,015visitors who were able to

enjoy our heritage.” The municipal coffers

benefited by approximately€120,000 from the sale oftickets to historic attractions,which Ruano said went toshow their positive financial

impact for the area. The council is also considering

undertaking renovation work onthe Museo Claves, as only 3,000visitors were registered in 2014,despite the great investment itrepresented.

Museum visitor numbers multiply

STUDENTS from the Institute ofTechnology Tralee in Ireland have visitedNerja to learn about tourism seasonality.

They met Tourism DevelopmentCouncillor Sandra Jimena to gatherinformation about the measures the

town is taking to reduce tourismseasonality by promoting festivals andcarnival events. Their study consists ofcomparing the measures taken by theirown home-town in Kerry and thoseemployed in Andalucia.

USEFUL INFORMATION: Irish students learn about Nerja’s tourism strategy.

Comparing tourism strategies

CONSTRUCTION work onRincon de la Victoria’s firstindoor pool will start in twomonths.

After more than six years of

paperwork, two potentiallocations and three failed publictenders, Rincon de la VictoriaCouncil has given the green lightto an agreement with public

company Tragsa, which belongsto the Agriculture, Food andEnvironment Ministry.

Mayor Francisco Saladoexplained that the pool project

was now awaiting the ministry’sapproval and once received, theconstruction work could begin.

“We reckon the work will beable to start in about two

months,” said the mayor,who said the agreementwith a public companyallowed the council toreduce the equipmentbudget by 12 per cent, atotal of €500,000.

This means that thepool’s total budget will be€3.8 million instead of theoriginal €4.3 million.

The new facilities willhave a total surface areaof 18,350 square metres,of which 4,895 will beearmarked for the con-struction of culturalpremises, and 2,117 forparking spaces.

There will be a six-lanepool, 25 metres in length,a gym, spa, three indoorsports areas and a café.


Children’s show TOMORROW (February27) children in Archidonaare welcome to enjoy aperformance by companyPiruletas. It will take placeat the Jose Luis MirandaRoldan auditorium at 6pm.Tickets are €6 on the door.

Vital talk A CONFERENCE onHyperactivity Disorderin children was held inAlmuñecar to raiseawareness of thecondition, as it isestimated that 5 percent of children in Spainsuffer from it.

Everyday EnglishTWENTY Motril tourismstaff and taxi drivers are toreceive free Englishcourses as well as manualswith English phrases theywill be able to use ineveryday situations.

NEWS EXTRA

TRAFFIC will be diverted in Motrilbetween the Camino de PatriaBridge up to the Carretera de laCelulosa, due to renovation work.

The interruption to traffic

started last Monday (February 23),and pedestrian access will also beblocked. It is expected that normalaccess will be resumed after abouta month, during which time work

on the last phase of the Centre ofTourism Development will becarried out. An alternate route willbe available through the Alboranindustrial site.

Green light for Rincon de laVictoria’s first indoor pool

Traffic and pedestrian diversions

WORK has started at Almuñecar’s San Sebastianchapel, which is set to undergo a comprehensiveprogramme of renovations.

Architectural barriers which made it difficult forpeople with physical disabilities to access the buildingwill be eliminated and a ramp constructed.

In addition, and to improve safety, a new balustradewill be built and the pavement outside the chapelrenovated. The appearance of the area surrounding thechapel will be improved, as well as the façade.

Chapel facelift

NEW LOOK: San Sebastian chapel to be spruced up.

VANDALS have stolen andkilled more than a dozenanimals at the Parque dela Fuente in Salobreña,allegedly using adangerous breed of dog.

Since the municipalparks are locked during

the night, it is believedthat the perpetratorsbroke in through thefence and then smashedthe locks on the cageswhere the animals arekept.

They stole rabbits,

chickens and guinea pigsamongst other animalsand it is believed thatthey used dangerousdogs to kill some andseverely injure others,according to Local Policeinformation.

The perpetrators alsostole some of the toolskept at the smallmunicipal warehouse.

“Material damages arenot important, but thecruelty of these actsshows the worst of thehuman condition,” saidthe town’s environmentcouncillor, MartinValenzuela.

Local Police arecurrently conducting aninvestigation andtogether with CouncillorValenzuela they haveappealed for citizens’ co-operation in helping toidentify the perpetratorsof these crimes.


A 21-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested for allegedlyattacking the driver of a car in Motril.

The incident took place in Calle Lisboa, in theVista Alegre district, according to a statementreleased by Councillor for Safety, ManuelBallesteros.

Local Police officers, who were patrolling the areaat the time, caught two people wearing black hoodsred-handed as they were hitting a car driverthrough the vehicle’s window with a blunt object.

Both fled the scene when they noticed the police.After a short chase, the officers found one suspecthiding behind a car, and he was taken into custody. The investigation continues.

Vandals use dogs toslaughter animals

Assault suspectarrested in Motril


Free food courseA FREE food handling coursehas been launched byAlmuñecar’s Council aimedat unemployed residents.Those interested inparticipating have untilMarch 5 to register at thetown hall.

Air ambulances MALAGA airport was usedfor 1,026 air ambulanceflights in 2014. These flightsallow organs for transplantsand wounded or ill people tobe safely transported toother airports.

NEWS EXTRA

ANYONE who would like toparticipate in Velez-Malaga’ssecond, hugely popular Bike Dayhas until March 11 to sign up.

Last year’s edition involved

3,000 cyclists, according toSports councillor Mr Lupiañez,who unveiled some changes tothe event, to be held on March15 from 11.30am.

Last year’s six-kilometre routehas been extended and thedeparture point changed.

“In Velez-Malaga, cyclists willdepart from the Paseo de

Andalucia and in Torre del Mar,from the Promenade (near thesports courts), to finish togetherat the Juan Carlos I fairground,”said the councillor.

He added that theSecond Bike Day was afestivity more than acompetition, and therewould be gifts, a bike raffle,and prizes for the oldestbiker, the best costumeand the most unique bike.

Registration can be doneat the Casa del Deporte,the town hall, the Velez-Malaga indoor pool, andthe Torre del Mar municipalpool.

Celebrating pedal power

MOTRIL celebrates its Sports Dayon Saturday, February 28.

Events kick off at 10am with aroute for participants to followcovering the Avenida NuestraSeñora de la Cabeza in LasExplandas to the town’s Port.

Participants will receive acommemorative t-shirt and a drinkafter completing the itinerary.

There will be an open house atall town sports facilities, includingthe sports centre, pool facilities,padel and tennis courts, while inthe Plaza de la Coronacion therewill be a demonstration of aerobicsports and popular games.

Sports councillor Jose GarciaFuente presented the activitiesscheduled for the celebration and

explained that the Sports Day wasconceived to promote physicalactivity amongst residents.

During the afternoon, there willbe a rhythmic gymnasticsdemonstration by the students ofthe municipal sports school.

Mr Garcia said the Andalucianflag will be hoisted at the start, tocommemorate Andalucia Day.

Motril ready for sports day celebration


Hash haul TWO 29-year-old menhave been arrested inVelez-Malaga for allegedlytrafficking drugs. NationalPolice dismantled a mari-huana greenhouse inIznate and confiscated 89cannabis plants.

No licenceMALAGA police carryingout routine documentchecks arrested a 39-year-old driver who hadlost his licence fordrinking and driving yetcontinued to drive.

Gang busted NATIONAL POLICE inTorrox have dismantled acriminal gang whichallegedly committed 15burglaries using the ram-raiding technique. Threemen have been arrested asa result and items valuedat €273,000 confiscated.

NEWS EXTRA

NERJA is recycling more thanever before with 169,608 kilos ofplastic containers collected inthe town in 2014.

This figure is a 14 per centincrease on 2013, according to

Francisco Zurita Escobar, headof the Malaga Provincial CouncilEnvironmental ServicesDepartment.

Zurita added that the numberof rubbish bins has been

increased in the town and thatthe council had launchedcampaigns to encouragerecycling in schools around thetown, including Narixa, JoaquinHerrera and Virgen del Mal.

Nerja was recently chosen asthe setting for an advert toencourage recycling in theprovince of Malaga. It was shotat Calahonda Beach and theBalcon de Europa.

Nerja’s recycling success leads to astarring role in TV advertisement

BRITONS living in Spain are being urgedto sign an online petition to safeguardtheir right to vote in any referendum onstaying in or out of the EU.

Alan Thomas, a Briton living in France,decided it was unfair that any referendumin Britain may exclude some of those whowould be most affected by it - thosepeople who have been living in the EU formore than 15 years.

At the moment people who have livedoutside the UK for that period of time losetheir right to vote in the UK.

This is an issue that has been becominga hot topic as the British General

Election approaches.There has been legislation proposed

that would remove the time restriction,but crucially that legislation may not bepassed, if ever brought forward, untilafter an in-or-out referendum on EUmembership.

So Alan has set up the e-petition on theUK government website calling for allBritish passport holders to be given theright to vote in any such referendum,regardless of how long they have livedabroad and is urging British residents inSpain to go online to sign it.

The full text of his petition reads:

‘It has been proposed that legislationwill be introduced to remove the 15-yearlimitation on non-residents being able toregister to vote in UK elections andreferenda. Should a motion be tabled inParliament to hold a referendum on EUmembership, before such legislation ispassed, this petition requests that allBritish passport holders meeting thequalifying criteria who are resident in theEU outside the UK be able to register topartake in any such referendum.’

To sign the petition visit: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/74848.

Safeguard right to vote


Popular site THE official website forreservations to visit theCaminito del Rey (King’sWalkway) was over-whelmed with visits assoon as the reservationoption was activated.

Flamenco flair ALGARROBO willcelebrate AndaluciaDay (February 28) witha flamenco perfor-mance. The show willtake place at 6pm inParque de la Escalerilla.

Spot checksTHE Junta de Andaluciaregional government’sConsumer and Industryinspection services areconcentrating onMalaga’s petrol stationsto ensure that low-cost,unstaffed stations inparticular meetregulations.

NEWS EXTRA

THE contract for improving CalleBalandro in La Herradura (Almuñecar)has been awarded and work is due tostart shortly.

The street, located in the Espinardistrict, will be renovated with abudget of more than €56,000,announced the deputy mayor, JuanJose Ruiz Joya.

Joya explained that the streets

around the area were constructedapproximately 40 years ago, and thatthey had never undergoneimprovement work, acquiringsignificant damage, with their watersupply and sewage systems becomingobsolete.

The plans are to completely repaveand level Calle Balandro, as well asundertaking a comprehensive

upgrade of the wastewater disposal anddrainage systems,amongst otherimprovements.

The deputy mayor saidthat the work is expectedto be completed in amaximum period of threemonths and has beenawarded to localcompany, BarberoJimenez.

Once the work in CalleBalandros is finished,more in Calle Fragata isexpected to begin shortlyafterwards.

Roadworks setfor La Herradura

FRIGILIANA will host a market on Saturday (February28) for crafted goods and rare food products.

The event is organised by the local tradersassociation together with the town council and will takeplace in Plaza de las Tres Culturas from 11am.

A wide variety of products made by artisans and localbusinesses will be displayed, as well as others from allcorners of Malaga.

The traders association has also prepared specialmenus at affordable prices to make the visit toFrigiliana even more enjoyable for tourists.

Frigiliana hostsartisan market


A NEW website has beenlaunched by MotrilCouncil to enhance thetown’s profile as a touristdestination.

Mayor Luisa GarciaChamorro and Jose Carlos

Alvarez, head of Alzago,the company thatdesigned the new site,have presented the newmunicipal tourismwebsite, an initiative thatseeks to include new

technologies andinformation accessibilityin the industry.

“The new website willunify all that Motril offerstourism-wise, in Spanish,English, French andGerman,” said the mayor.

“It will be very usefulfor the user as it includesgeographic references toall resources, using areally appealing visualinterface with a large

number of high resolutionpictures, short texts and afocus on destinationpromotion.”

The website can bevisited at www.motrilturismo.com.

Amongst its mainfeatures are informationon gastronomy, planningtrips, beaches and thingsto do around the town,with a calendar includingthe town’s events.

Motril showcased onnew council website

TOURIST WEBSITE: Motril’s attractions are highlighted.

CONSTRUCTION work on a new museum in Velez-Malagahas been put out to public tender.

Former Hospital San Juan de Dios is the site chosen forthe new museum.

Work will involve renovating the current structure andalso cover the redevelopment of Calle Princesa (Torre delMar) and Camino de Algarrobo.

The three projects will cost more than €2 million. “These works are significantly important for our town,

and long-awaited by residents,” said Mayor FranciscoDelgado Bonilla.

The construction of the town’s new museum will have abudget of €1.2 million, and it is expected to be completedin a period of 11 months.

More than 1,700 items will be displayed in the facility,including archaeological objects, documents and pictures,both from private collections and public museums.

“If a resident has an object they think is worthy of beingexhibited at the museum, we will be open to analysing itand placing it amongst the rest of the collection. Themuseum seeks to highlight some of the most importantperiods of our town, such as the Catholic Monarchs’conquest of the town, the Phoenician colonisation, theRoman era, etc,” said the mayor.

Bids invited fornew museum

THE falling value ofVenezuela’s bolivar hashit Telefonica once more.

The oil producer’sdevalued currency hascost the company €7.45billion over the last fiveyears and the Spanishmultinational has nowdecided to reduce thevalue of its Venezuelanassets.

Telefonica announcedthat henceforth boththese and income will bevalued at 50 bolivars tothe dollar instead of theprevious 12. Even thiscould be considered over-priced as a black marketdollar fetched 118bolivars at the beginningof February, insiders said.

US companies likeKimberly Clark have

already adopted the sameexchange rate or, likeFord and Pepsi Cola,intend to do so. BBVA andMapfre have been lesscourageous and are stillvaluing assets at 12bolivars to the dollar.

The move will writedown its Venezuelanassets by €2.84 billion,Telefonica said, anamount that includesretained profits nowestimated at €1.23 billionthat it has been barredfrom repatriating toSpain.

Its Venezuela resultsfor last year will beadjusted to the newexchange rate, reducingits gross profit by €915million and net profit by€399 million.

TWO hedge funds have investedin Spain’s airports operatorAENA.

London-based TCI acquired a6.67 per cent stake for €580million and the US fund, Fidelity,bought 1.3 per cent for €120million. Morgan Stanley, one ofthe banks that managed theflotation, controls 3.62 per cent.

Some institutional Spanish

investors like Ferrovial andGrupo Alba dropped out whenAENA was partly-privatisedearlier this month when the €58initial public offering price (IPO)exceeded the price they werecommitted to paying.

Shares rose by 20 per cent onthe first day of trading, however,making an €800 million profit forthe big investors.

Hedge funds fly to AENA

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropicalwww.euroweeklynews.com 19EWN

inanceA EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION // WWW.EWNBUSINESS.COMF

Portuguesebid

CAIXABANK, which owns44 per cent of Portuguesebank BPI, launched atakeover bid. Three-quarters of BPI share-holders must first agree toreverse rules that restrictCaixabank’s voting rightsto 20 per cent.

Orange alertORANGE ESPAÑA’s2014 earnings of€3.87 billion were 4.4per cent less than in2013 although mobilecontracts increased by455,000. Pre-taxprofits of €958 millionwere 7.8 per centdown.

usinessBextra

legal&

Telefonica bitesthe bolivar bullet

ECONOMY minister Luis de Guindos andFinance minister Cristobal Montoro donot always see eye to eye.

They disagreed over raising thevalue-added tax IVA, for instance, withDe Guindos for and Montoro against.

They now differ over futurecompensation for small investors wholaunched lawsuits after losing theirsavings through Bankia’s flawed 2011

flotation. The bank is now partly nationalised,

with De Guindos in favour of limitingBankia’s compensation liability to 38 percent. The remainder would come fromthe bank’s parent company BFA, whichis 100 per cent government-owned.

Montoro, whose ministry controlsSpain’s Hacienda or Treasury, isdetermined that taxpayers should not

have to foot the Bankia bill.The Bank of Spain has yet to make a

pronouncement, but Bankia itself isuneasy, sources revealed. If it has tocompensate all losses arising from theflotation, this will drag down shareprices, they said.

STAT OF WEEKbusiness HACIENDA received €12.32billion in taxes last year, making2014 a record year. Thanks toHacienda’s onslaught againstfiscal fraud and despite staff

cuts, each employee collected anaverage of €479,000.

Ministerial tug-of-war over Bankia

PROTEST: Bankia shareholdersdemanding compensation.

LAVE

UDE

LPA

ÍSVA

LENC

IÀLA

MAR

EA

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWN 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical www.euroweeklynews.com20

British Am Tobacco 3,676.75 20.75 0.57 68,319.70

British Land Co 826.00 8.50 1.04 8,402.88

BT Group 444.50 3.30 0.75 35,545.37

Bunzl 1,962.00 34.00 1.76 6,406.34

Burberry Group 1,921.00 13.00 0.68 8,448.17

Capita Group (The) 1,176.00 5.00 0.43 7,687.51

Carnival 2,880.00 5.00 0.17 6,350.89

Most AdvancedEgalet Corporation $ 14.50 3.29 ▲ 29.35%Sizmek Inc. $ 7.87 1.07 ▲ 15.74%CafePress Inc. $ 3.73 0.39 ▲ 11.68%ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 8.06 0.79 ▲ 10.87%Cross Country Healthcare, Inc. $ 12.19 1.12 ▲ 10.12%Hingham Institution for Savings $ 100.75 9.20 ▲ 10.05%ProQR Therapeutics N.V. $ 18.97 1.72 ▲ 9.97%Allied Motion Technologies, Inc. $ 26.89 2.39 ▲ 9.76%CyberArk Software Ltd. $ 70.35 6.07 ▲ 9.44%Hudson Global, Inc. $ 2.58 0.22 ▲ 9.32%MedAssets, Inc. $ 19.73 1.54 ▲ 8.47%

Most DeclinedNoodles & Company $ 18.90 8.84 ▼ 31.87%Rocket Fuel Inc. $ 10.82 3.95 ▼ 26.74%Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 33.68 5.30 ▼ 13.60%TrueCar, Inc. $ 17.95 2.82 ▼ 13.58%BioTelemetry, Inc. $ 9.51 1.24 ▼ 11.53%NMI Holdings Inc $ 7.54 0.87 ▼ 10.34%Universal Electronics Inc. $ 57.51 6.41 ▼ 10.03%VisionChina Media, Inc. $ 14.42 1.58 ▼ 9.88%Famous Dave's of America, Inc. $ 28.53 2.57 ▼ 8.26%Bel Fuse Inc. $ 19.51 1.68 ▼ 7.93%Planar Systems, Inc. $ 6.07 0.51 ▼ 7.75%

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 168.12 +1.03 +0.62% 2.4MAXP American Express Co 79.83 +1.43 +1.82% 11.3MT AT&T Inc 34.08 -0.01 -0.03% 21.3MBA Boeing Co 158.31 +4.56 +2.97% 9.4MCAT Caterpillar Inc 84.44 +1.14 +1.37% 6.0MCVX Chevron Corp 108.60 +0.25 +0.23% 7.6MCSCO Cisco Systems Inc 29.61 +0.30 +1.02% 26.0MKO The Coca-Cola Co 41.97 -0.14 -0.33% 16.0MDIS Walt Disney Co 104.55 +0.66 +0.64% 5.2MDD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co 76.67 +0.59 +0.78% 3.9MXOM Exxon Mobil Corp 89.92 +0.48 +0.54% 16.0MGE General Electric Co 25.21 +0.20 +0.80% 39.9MGS Goldman Sachs Group Inc 191.51 +2.40 +1.27% 2.3MHD Home Depot Inc 112.24 +1.30 +1.17% 7.3MIBM International Business Machine... 163.65 -0.24 -0.15% 3.4MMMM 3M Co 168.12 +1.03 +0.62% 2.4MAXP American Express Co 79.83 +1.43 +1.82% 11.3MT AT&T Inc 34.08 -0.01 -0.03% 21.3MBA Boeing Co 158.31 +4.56 +2.97% 9.4MCAT Caterpillar Inc 84.44 +1.14 +1.37% 6.0MCVX Chevron Corp 108.60 +0.25 +0.23% 7.6MCSCO Cisco Systems Inc 29.61 +0.30 +1.02% 26.0MKO The Coca-Cola Co 41.97 -0.14 -0.33% 16.0MDIS Walt Disney Co 104.55 +0.66 +0.64% 5.2MDD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co 76.67 +0.59 +0.78% 3.9MXOM Exxon Mobil Corp 89.92 +0.48 +0.54% 16.0MGE General Electric Co 25.21 +0.20 +0.80% 39.9MGS Goldman Sachs Group Inc 191.51 +2.40 +1.27% 2.3MHD Home Depot Inc 112.24 +1.30 +1.17% 7.3MIBM International Business Machine... 163.65 -0.24 -0.15% 3.4M

Centrica 250.25 -1.85 -0.73 12,789.95Coca-Cola HBC 1,125.00 -7.00 -0.62 4,099.21Compass Group 1,142.50 8.50 0.75 18,794.41CRH 1,844.00 9.00 0.49 14,939.58Diageo 1,895.25 9.25 0.49 47,422.80Direct Line Insurance 329.40 1.90 0.58 4,860.00Dixons Carphone 443.50 2.50 0.57 5,086.70easyJet 1,759.50 7.50 0.43 7,068.32Experian 1,195.50 5.50 0.46 11,824.13Fresnillo 808.75 -18.25 -2.21 6,167.80Friends Life Group 418.55 1.45 0.35 5,897.59G4S 285.75 1.85 0.65 4,391.01GKN 386.85 3.85 1.01 6,317.49GlaxoSmithKline 1,530.50 0.50 0.03 74,269.94Glencore 291.48 -0.62 -0.21 37,189.32Hammerson 670.50 5.50 0.83 5,270.46Hargreaves Lansdown 1,070.50 4.50 0.42 4,987.46HSBC Holdings 586.30 -18.90 -3.12 115,759.04Imperial Tobacco Group 3,117.00 17.00 0.55 29,593.25InterContinental Hotels 2,548.50 15.50 0.61 6,028.07International Consldtd Air 555.00 4.00 0.73 11,494.29Intertek Group 2,520.00 -27.00 -1.06 4,076.81Intu Properties 364.80 2.40 0.66 4,811.07ITV 233.85 0.75 0.32 9,420.56Johnson Matthey 3,478.50 -2.50 -0.07 7,045.07Kingfisher 341.35 0.05 0.01 8,188.94Land Securities Group 1,241.00 11.00 0.89 9,735.40Legal & General Group 275.70 2.40 0.88 16,224.82Lloyds Banking Group 78.97 0.99 1.27 55,250.41London Stock Exchange 2,490.50 29.50 1.20 8,507.37Marks & Spencer Group 500.25 2.55 0.51 8,134.57Meggitt 569.75 -3.25 -0.57 4,539.68Mondi 1,274.50 3.50 0.28 4,658.45Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts 188.55 -0.95 -0.50 4,368.94National Grid 892.10 -6.90 -0.77 33,483.08Next 7,355.00 30.00 0.41 11,255.32Old Mutual 218.30 0.00 0.00 10,733.12Pearson 1,411.00 20.00 1.44 11,486.56Persimmon 1,704.50 10.50 0.62 5,237.41Prudential 1,617.50 13.50 0.84 41,315.58Randgold Resources 4,943.50 -71.50 -1.43 4,646.99Reckitt Benckiser Group 5,712.50 27.50 0.48 40,978.07Reed Elsevier 1,194.50 12.50 1.06 13,359.08Rio Tinto 3,190.00 -47.50 -1.47 45,596.32Rolls-Royce Group 952.00 -4.00 -0.42 18,054.65Royal Bank of Scotland 399.00 1.50 0.38 25,215.31Royal Dutch Shell 2,123.00 -4.00 -0.19 82,226.45Royal Dutch Shell 2,205.50 -0.50 -0.02 53,586.54Royal Mail 425.15 1.25 0.29 4,285.50RSA Insurance Group 454.85 2.85 0.63 4,591.52SABMiller 3,588.25 -11.25 -0.31 57,859.16Sage Group (The) 475.25 3.65 0.77 5,086.20Sainsbury (J) 271.70 0.10 0.04 5,144.45Schroders 3,056.00 35.00 1.16 6,780.67Severn Trent 2,053.00 4.00 0.20 4,874.13Shire 5,112.50 47.50 0.94 30,342.69Sky 964.50 7.00 0.73 16,455.29Smith & Nephew 1,180.50 5.50 0.47 10,602.42Smiths Group 1,191.50 -0.50 -0.04 4,689.68Sports Direct Internatnl 702.00 3.00 0.43 4,139.88SSE 1,531.50 4.50 0.29 15,140.27St James's Place 900.00 3.00 0.33 4,703.60Standard Chartered 959.15 -14.35 -1.47 23,912.16Standard Life 424.50 4.90 1.17 9,776.23Taylor Wimpey 146.15 0.85 0.58 4,701.25Tesco 242.13 1.53 0.64 19,489.49Travis Perkins 2,024.00 8.00 0.40 5,011.37TUI AG 1,191.00 1.00 0.08 N/ATullow Oil 398.65 -8.65 -2.12 3,630.81Unilever 2,820.50 20.50 0.73 36,026.70United Utilities Group 947.00 1.00 0.11 6,413.16Vodafone Group 234.15 1.75 0.75 60,653.78Weir Group 1,890.00 -21.00 -1.10 3,975.29Whitbread 5,042.50 32.50 0.65 9,119.19Wolseley 4,011.00 12.00 0.30 10,322.65WPP Group 1,528.00 10.00 0.66 19,825.21

NASDAQCLOSING PRICES FEBRUARY 23

DOW JONESCLOSING PRICES FEBRUARY 23

3i Group 487.70 5.50 1.14 4,651.17

Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 471.50 4.10 0.88 6,130.75

Admiral Group 1,470.50 7.50 0.51 4,073.05

Aggreko 1,690.00 3.00 0.18 4,300.23

Anglo American 1,224.50 -22.00 -1.76 17,081.29

Antofagasta 744.50 -9.00 -1.19 7,379.14

ARM Holdings 1,120.50 4.50 0.40 15,419.31

Ashtead Group 1,142.00 12.00 1.06 5,685.27

Associated Brit Foods 3,046.50 10.50 0.35 24,217.31

AstraZeneca 4,472.50 59.00 1.34 56,004.79

Aviva 549.25 2.75 0.50 16,242.23

Babcock International 1,019.00 7.00 0.69 5,010.67

BAE Systems 532.75 2.75 0.52 16,603.15

Barclays 263.20 1.70 0.65 43,037.72

Barratt Developments 505.50 5.00 1.00 4,930.53

BG Group 972.55 1.15 0.12 32,510.78

BHP Billiton 1,555.75 -25.25 -1.60 33,239.79

BP 446.23 -0.47 -0.11 81,323.00

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 FEBRUARY 23

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

US dollar..................................................................1.13360Japan yen ...............................................................135.160Switzerland franc................................................1.07165Denmark kroner.................................................7.45754Norway kroner ....................................................8.57913

0.73719 1.35648Units per €

MAKE THE MOST OFYOUR MONEY WITH US

See our advert on page 23

currenciesdirect.com/marbella • Tel: +34 952 906 581

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropicalwww.euroweeklynews.com 21EWN

PRODUCT reviews are one of themost effective forms of localnewspaper advertising.

Basically, these are couched likeeditorial, and, in small print, you willsee that it is flagged up as anadvertising feature or similar.

The content will be a synopsis ofyour company’s product or service.Product reviews are a balancebetween a news story, that youcannot purchase, and a conventionaladvertisement that you can and dobuy.

Advertising features are perfectlylegitimate and part of newspaper lifeas long as newspapers have been

published. The trick is to get yourcompany’s message over so thatreaders are tempted to take aninterest in your business or itsproducts.

The larger companies engage

professional copywriters to write,submit and manage their advertising.Copywriting agencies’ fees arenotoriously high. But, if what they dois recoverable through extra salesthey are, of course, worth theinvestment.

If you are in touch with anewspaper writer you might be luckyenough to get them to do one for you.The going fee is usually about €60 fora small advertising feature. Don’tquote me; as with all else in life,advertising copywriters are perfectlyentitled to charge as they wish.

If you wish to do your own copythen remember to stick to the five W

principles of editorial writing. Yourcontent must cover what (product),why (the benefits of using it), who(who it benefits), where (your contactdetails) and when (now as it is aspecial offer etc.).

There is another expressioncommon to selling: KISS. (Keep itSimple, Simon). A trick often used isto pour out your thoughts and thentake the blue pencil to it; bring itdown to size.

The most common mistake is towrite far more than is necessary. Togive you an idea of size, this columnis roughly 350 words in length. Aimfor 200 words.

Mike WalshMike Walsh was for 20 years RegionalAssessment Manager for the Guildof Master Craftsmen, Britain’sbiggest quality assurancebody for businesses.

www.michaelwalsh.es • 966 786 932

Talking shop

How to write a product review

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWN 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical www.euroweeklynews.com22

Can they embargo rental income?

A. Yes, you can obtain a court orderagainst any assets or income that thedebtor has in Spain. In fact, I amsurprised that your lawyer has notalready advised the community to takethis step. If you have a court ruling thatthe debtors must pay, the next logicalstep is to locate any assets they have inSpain and proceed to seize them for thedebt. This would include bank accounts,property, and rental income, whichever isthe most convenient and effective.

If the debtor is not a resident of Spain,with other property here, his only asset inthe country is the apartment he owns. Inthe first place, the court can order thetenants to pay the rental on the flatdirectly to the court, for final payment tothe community. If seizing the apartmentto sell at auction is the last resort, this ismore complicated.

The court may inform the mortgageprovider that legal action is being takenagainst the mortgage holder, especially ifthe flat itself is being seized. After all, thebank has a financial interest in theproperty. The fact that the property is in‘negative equity’ does not influence any ofthese proceedings.

CARS - they most certainlyare luxury items and forsome, even an extension oftheir personality.

Typically… driving a Volvoinsinuates you’re aresponsible and somewhatboring person. A big 4x4driven on city streets screams“I am the centre of the world,now move out of my way,”while a dainty little vintagecar lets the world know you’rehip and trendy and most likelyown a lot of Apple products.

So what does it mean toride a cycle then? What doesit say about a person? Well I’lltell you what - it implies that

they’re a smart cookie,because by choosing a bicycleover a car it’s possible to savea heck of a lot of money.

Add up the average costs ofowning a car. First there is

the purchase price, which canbe well into the thousands ortens of thousands, dependingon the car. Then there’spetrol, insurance, parking andmaintenance. It certainly

does all add up! Then incomparison there is thehumble bicycle, which will setyou back a microscopicfraction of the cost of a car.

I used to drive a car, but forthe last five years I have beenusing a bicycle as my mode oftransport. And I love it. Mybike cost me €295 and sincethen I have probably spent anextra €50 on punctures orother bits of minormaintenance. I don’t need tobuy petrol, pay for a parkingspace or fork out forexpensive insurance. It really

has saved me a fortune. To go shopping, simply

attach a basket onto the backof your bike to carry thegroceries. To transport asmall child, it’s the samething, but rather than abasket, attach a child’s seat.While older kids can havetheir own bike and cyclealongside you!

In the south of Spain theweather is fantastic most ofthe year and riding a bike isreally fun and it’s also greatexercise. It can be fastergetting around the city on abicycle too, with bikes beingable to cut through placeswhere cars just can’t go.

For anyone struggling topay bills or save money, Ihighly recommending ditchingfour wheels for two. It’ll saveyou a fortune and you’ll besurprised by just how muchnicer it is to cycle rather thanpollute your way around thetown.

JanePlunkett

A look at finance for females

[email protected]

Loose changeRiding a bike

is fun andit’s also

great exercise

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola at [email protected], or call 952 667 090.

Q. I read your article regarding community debtorswho cannot be denied use of the swimming pool. We area community on the Costa Blanca with the same problemof non-paying debtors.

In our case we have debtors who let their propertiesand therefore receive rents. However these owners donot pay the community fees. We have taken court actionand obtained judgements against them but still they donot pay and it seems they have no

intention of paying. I was advised that, if an owner doesnot pay the fees, then the mortgage provider must beadvised and action may be taken by them. A further issueis that the downturn in property values has put theseapartments into ‘negative equity.’ One owner hassuggested that we may be able to insist that any rentspaid by the tenants should be paid to us, the Community,and not to the non-paying owners.

Can you advise? K.G. (Costa Blanca)

You and theLaw in SpainBy David Searl

Debt-riddenSPAIN finished 2014 with a public debtof €1,034 billion, 7 per cent more thanin 2013 when this stood at €966.18billion. The debt is the equivalent of 97per cent of last year’s GDP of €1,064billion and is the highest it has been inmore than a century.

New marketsFAGOR CNA, new owners of the long-established Mondragon cooperative,will take on hundreds of workersbefore the summer. CNA, which hasopened new markets in Russia,Eastern Europe, Argentina and Brazil,acquired all Fagor household appliancemanufacturing lines in San Sebastianafter the firm filed for bankruptcy in2013.

High fliersRYANAIR flew 1.53 million passengersin Spain last month, 24 per cent morethan in 2014. Having made peace withthe unions, budget airline IberiaExpress experienced its first-everJanuary without labour conflict andwith a 26 per cent increase in businessclimbed two places in the rankings to262,953 passengers.

BUSINESS EXTRA

MONEY SAVER: Ditch four wheels for two.

Get on your bike and save a bomb

OPINION & COMMENT 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical 25EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

T the time ofwriting, the news isfull of three moreyoung girls, all

Muslims, who have allegedlybecome ‘radicalised’ and leftBritain to join up with the ISmovement in Syria.

Disturbing? Possibly.Worrying? Not at all. If theseyoung people, or anyone elsefor that matter, thinks theywould be happier living in aculture that suits their beliefsand outlook more than theenvironment they are living in,I suggest they should begiven every encouragementpossible, even to the extent ofpaying their air fares.

Rather they all left for good,than to stay and turn theirfrustrations against the people

they presumably considerenemies of their beliefs.

I would go even further. Iwould set up a Government-run helpline, well-funded andequipped with people whoused a little common sense (asopposed to the do-gooders’ PCbrigade). This departmentcould act rather like EstherRantzen’s ChildLine. Anyonewho feels they would like to

leave and join one of thesemovements, could ring anony-mously, state their case andbe given advice andcounselling.

If they still truly wanted toleave, and weren’t underage,they could then be given everyassistance to pursue theirambitions. We could probablyget rid of scores of potentialterrorist threats in this way.

The only stipulation that wouldhave to be made, of course, isthat once their decision hadbeen made, they would havetheir passports franked toexpire one week after theirdeparture, making any changeof heart and desire to returnvirtually impossible.

What about the parents andfamily, you may ask? Well,unfortunately, as upsetting as

it may be, something has beenmissed in their upbringing.Something has occurred thathas made them feel theywould be happier away fromtheir home environment. Thefact that those close to themhave either not spotted it, ordone nothing about it is, I’mafraid, simply unfortunate.

I’m sure there are manycountries they could arrangeto travel to and visit theirabsconded loved ones in thefuture, so it’s not exactly apermanent loss. Dream on,Leapy, dream on.

I see the Greeks have beengiven another ‘stay’ to resolvetheir debt problems. If theycough up, or straighten outtheir position in the next fourmonths, ya can come aroundand smash every piece ofcrockery in my kitchen!

Keep the faithLove Leapy

[email protected] leapylee.co.uk

A

LEAPY LEESAYS ITOTHERS THINK IT

TAKING-OFF: Those who want to leave UK and join IS should be given every encouragement.

Give radicals a ticket out

TV LISTINGEWN 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical www.euroweeklynews.com26

6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News7:30pm Regional News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm Inside Out9:00pm EastEnders9:30pm Panorama10:00pm Crimewatch11:00pm BBC News11:25pm Regional News11:40pm Weather11:45pm Crimewatch11:55pm Waterloo Road12:50am The Graham Norton Show

5:45pm Hi-De-Hi!6:15pm Flog It!7:00pm Two Tribes7:30pm Eggheads8:00pm Top Gear9:00pm University Challenge9:30pm Only Connect10:00pm A Cook Abroad11:00pm Let's Play Darts forComic Relief11:30pm Newsnight12:15am Weather

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5:00pm Come Dine with Me6:00pm Four in a Bed6:30pm Coach Trip7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm Dispatches9:30pm Food Unwrapped10:00pm NHS: £2 Billion a Week andCounting11:00pm My Baggy Body12:00am 24 Hours in A and E

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6:00pm The Simpsons6:30pm Futurama7:00pm Futurama7:30pm The Simpsons8:00pm The Simpsons8:30pm The Simpsons9:00pm The Holidaymakers10:00pm Moone Boy10:30pm Arrow11:30pm Critical12:30am Futurama

BBC ONE

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ITV

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SKY1

5:30pm Put Your Money WhereYour Mouth Is6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News at Six7:30pm BBC London News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm A Question of Sport9:00pm EastEnders9:30pm Room 10110:00pm The Musketeers11:00pm BBC News at Ten11:25pm BBC London News11:35pm The Graham Norton Show12:25am Would I Lie to You?

5:45pm Hi-De-Hi!6:15pm Flog It!7:00pm Two Tribes7:30pm Eggheads8:00pm Wanted in Paradise9:00pm Mastermind9:30pm Britain's SupermarketRevolution: What's in it for Us?10:00pm Italy Unpacked11:00pm QI11:30pm Newsnight12:05am Doubt 1:40am QuestionTime

5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats6:00pm The Chase7:00pm ITV News London7:30pm ITV News and Weather8:00pm Emmerdale8:30pm Coronation Street9:00pm Barging Round Britainwith John Sergeant9:30pm Coronation Street10:00pm Bear Grylls: MissionSurvive11:00pm ITV News at Ten andWeather11:40pm The 40 Year Old Virgin1:50am Jackpot247

6:00pm Four in a Bed6:30pm The Simpsons7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm The Million Pound Drop10:00pm Gogglebox11:00pm The Last Leg12:05am Catastrophe

6:00pm 5 News at 56:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Home and Away7:30pm 5 News Tonight8:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take itAway!9:00pm Angry Brits: Caught onCamera10:00pm NCIS: New Orleans11:00pm NCIS11:55pm Law and Order: SpecialVictims Unit12:55am Access

5:00pm Futurama5:30pm Futurama6:00pm The Simpsons6:30pm Futurama7:00pm Futurama7:30pm The Simpsons8:30pm The Simpsons9:00pm Flintoff: Lord of the Fries10:00pm Stella11:00pm Quiz Nights12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

BBC ONE

BBC TWO

ITV

CH4

CH5

SKY1

Friday5:30pm Six Nations Rugby Union7:55pm BBC News8:05pm Regional News8:10pm Weather8:15pm The Voice UK10:15pm Casualty11:05pm The National Lottery Live11:15pm BBC News11:28pm Weather11:30pm Match of the Day12:55am The Football LeagueShow

5:30pm Final Score6:30pm The Wonder of Animals7:00pm The Great British Sewing Bee8:00pm Flog It!8:45pm How We Got to Now withSteve Johnson9:45pm Dad's Army10:15pm Reginald D Hunter's Songsof the South11:15pm James Brown12:55am Brooklyn's Finest

4:35pm Doc Martin5:35pm Big Star's Little Star6:35pm Local News and Weather6:45pm ITV News and Weather7:00pm You've Been Framed!8:00pm Saturday Night Takeaway9:25pm Take Me Out10:40pm The Jonathan Ross Show11:35pm ITV News and Weather11:50pm Boxing1:30am Jackpot 247 4:00am TheJeremy Kyle Show USA

5:15pm Come Dine with Me5:45pm Come Dine with Me6:15pm Come Dine with Me6:45pm Come Dine with Me7:15pm The Simpsons7:40pm Channel 4 News8:00pm Homes by the Sea9:00pm The World's WeirdestWeather10:00pm Cuban Fury11:55pm Runaway Jury2:25am The Last Leg 3:20amHollyoaks Omnibus 5:30am TheSupervet

3:25pm Rio Bravo6:10pm 5 News6:15pm Columbo: By Dawn's EarlyLight8:10pm NCIS9:05pm NCIS10:00pm CSI: Crime SceneInvestigation11:00pm Law and Order: SpecialVictims Unit11:55pm Law and Order12:50am True Crimes: The First 72Hours

3:00pm Inside RAF Brize Norton4:00pm David AttenboroughConquest of the Skies5:00pm The Simpsons5:30pm Modern Family6:00pm Modern Family6:30pm Modern Family7:00pm Modern Family7:30pm The Simpsons8:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles9:00pm Hawaii Five-010:00pm Batman Begins12:40am Hawaii Five-0

BBC ONE

BBC TWO

ITV

CH4

CH5

SKY1

3:00pm My Chinese New Year3:30pm Six Nations Rugby Union6:00pm Songs of Praise6:35pm BBC News6:50pm Regional News6:55pm Weather7:00pm The Big Painting Challenge8:00pm Countryfile9:00pm Call the Midwife10:00pm The Casual Vacancy11:00pm BBC News11:20pm Regional News11:25pm Weather11:30pm Match of the Day 212:35am The League Cup Show

3:15pm Three Up, Two Down3:45pm Hi-De-Hi!4:15pm Flog It!5:00pm Speed Dreams: The FastestPlace on Earth6:00pm The Tuxedo7:30pm Pompidou8:00pm The Fifteen Billion PoundRailway9:00pm Top Gear10:00pm Let's Play Darts for ComicRelief10:50pm Cosmopolis12:30am Genghis Khan 2:30amCountryfile

3:40pm Tipping Point4:40pm A View to a Kill7:05pm Local News and Weather7:15pm ITV News and Weather7:30pm Celebrity Chase8:30pm Off Their Rockers9:00pm All Star Family Fortunes10:00pm Mr Selfridge11:00pm ITV News and Weather11:15pm ICC Cricket World CupHighlights12:15am Bear Grylls: MissionSurvive

3:00pm The Big Bang Theory3:30pm The Wizard of Oz5:30pm Location, Location,Location6:35pm Channel 4 News7:05pm A Place in the Sun: WinterSun8:00pm Four Rooms9:00pm The Auction House10:00pm Indian Summers11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats DoesCountdown12:05am Twilight

4:00pm Arthur and The Invisibles5:45pm 3 Men and a Little Lady7:45pm 5 News7:50pm Ghost Rider10:00pm Total Recall12:15am Twelve Monkeys

4:00pm Modern Family4:30pm Modern Family5:00pm Modern Family5:30pm Modern Family6:00pm The Simpsons6:30pm The Simpsons7:00pm About a Boy8:00pm Modern Family8:30pm Modern Family9:00pm The Flash10:00pm Hawaii Five-011:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

BBC ONE

BBC TWO

ITV

CH4

CH5

SKY1

4:45pm Escape to the Country5:30pm Put Your Money Where YourMouth Is6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News7:30pm Regional News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm EastEnders9:00pm Holby City10:00pm The Gift11:00pm BBC News11:25pm Regional News11:40pm Weather11:45pm No Place to Call Home12:45am Cemetery Junction

5:15pm Three Up, Two Down5:45pm Hi-De-Hi!6:15pm Flog It!7:00pm Two Tribes7:30pm Eggheads8:00pm Wanted in Paradise9:00pm Natural World10:00pm Horizon11:00pm Let's Play Darts for ComicRelief11:30pm Newsnight12:15am Weather

5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats6:00pm The Chase7:00pm Local News and Weather7:30pm ITV News and Weather8:00pm Emmerdale8:30pm River Monsters9:00pm Bargain Fever Britain10:00pm Exposure11:00pm ITV News at Ten andWeather11:40pm On Assignment12:10am Benidorm

5:00pm Come Dine with Me6:00pm Four in a Bed6:30pm Coach Trip7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm Mary Portas: SecretShopper10:00pm The Romanians areComing11:00pm Drugs Live: Cannabis onTrial12:35am Don't Look Down

6:00pm 5 News6:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Home and Away7:30pm 5 News8:00pm Police Interceptors9:00pm Costa Del Casualty10:00pm Killer Psychopaths11:00pm Chicago PD12:00am Jack the Ripper: NewSuspect

5:00pm Futurama5:30pm Futurama6:00pm The Simpsons6:30pm Futurama7:00pm Futurama7:30pm The Simpsons8:00pm The Simpsons8:30pm The Simpsons9:00pm The Flash10:00pm Critical11:00pm Ross Kemp: ExtremeWorld12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

BBC ONE

BBC TWO

ITV

CH4

CH5

SKY1

5:30pm Put Your Money WhereYour Mouth Is6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News7:30pm Regional News8:00pm The One Show9:00pm The Great Comic ReliefBake Off10:00pm The People's Strictly forComic Relief11:00pm BBC News11:25pm Regional News11:40pm Weather11:45pm Match of the Day1:15am Three Fugitives

6:15pm Flog It!7:00pm Two Tribes7:30pm Eggheads8:00pm Wanted in Paradise9:00pm Suffragettes Forever! TheStory of Women and Power10:00pm This World11:00pm Let's Play Darts forComic Relief11:30pm Newsnight12:15am Weather

5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats6:00pm The Chase7:00pm Local News and Weather7:30pm ITV News and Weather8:00pm Emmerdale8:30pm Coronation Street9:00pm Big Star's Little Star10:00pm DCI Banks11:00pm ITV News at Ten andWeather11:45pm Pop Gold12:40am Spandau Ballet

4:00pm Deal or No Deal5:00pm Come Dine with Me6:00pm Four in a Bed6:30pm Coach Trip7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm Location, Location,Location10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E11:00pm Being Bi-Polar12:00am My Tattoo Addiction

6:00pm 5 News6:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Home and Away7:30pm 5 News8:00pm Cowboy Builders9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors10:00pm My Violent Child11:00pm Farage Fans and UKIPLovers12:00am Benefits Britain: Life onthe Dole

4:00pm Modern Family4:30pm Modern Family5:00pm Futurama5:30pm Futurama6:00pm The Simpsons6:30pm Futurama7:00pm Futurama7:30pm The Simpsons8:00pm The Simpsons8:30pm The Simpsons9:00pm Modern Family9:30pm Modern Family10:00pm Batman Begins12:40am Stella

BBC ONE

BBC TWO

ITV

CH4

CH5

SKY1

Tuesday Wednesday4:45pm Escape to the Country5:30pm Put Your Money Where YourMouth Is6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News at Six7:30pm BBC London News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm EastEnders9:00pm DIY SOS The Big Build10:00pm Death in Paradise11:00pm BBC News at Ten11:25pm BBC London News11:45pm Question Time12:45am This Week

5:15pm Three Up, Two Down5:45pm Hi-De-Hi!6:15pm Flog It!7:00pm Two Tribes7:30pm Eggheads8:00pm Wanted in Paradise9:00pm The Great British SewingBee10:00pm Reinventing the Royals11:00pm Charlie Brooker's WeeklyWipe11:30pm Newsnight12:20am A Cook Abroad

5:00pm 1000 Heartbeats6:00pm The Chase7:00pm ITV News London7:15pm ITV News and Weather7:45pm Emmerdale8:45pm UEFA Europa League Live11:10pm ITV News at Ten andWeather11:55pm The Great War: ThePeople's Story12:55am River Monsters

3:10pm Countdown4:00pm Deal or No Deal5:00pm Come Dine with Me6:00pm Four in a Bed6:30pm The Simpsons7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm Location, Location,Location10:00pm Cucumber11:00pm Gogglebox12:05am The Romanians areComing

6:00pm 5 News at 56:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Home and Away7:30pm 5 News Tonight8:00pm The Classic Car Show9:00pm Benefits Britain: Life on theDole10:00pm Britain's Biggest PrimarySchool11:00pm The Mentalist11:55pm Castle12:55am Access

6:00pm The Simpsons6:30pm Futurama7:00pm Futurama7:30pm The Simpsons8:00pm The Simpsons8:30pm The Simpsons9:00pm Arrow10:00pm Ross Kemp: ExtremeWorld11:00pm Quiz Nights12:00am NCIS: Los Angeles

BBC ONE

BBC TWO

ITV

CH4

CH5

SKY1

Thursday Saturday Sunday Monday

PISCES(February 20 - March 20)So far as your work or business lifeis concerned, those in authority mayseek to see things done their way. Wherethey seem to pay lip service to your needs,that is all it is talk.

ARIES(March 21 - April 20)Putting yourself first is necessary atthe moment. There is so muchhappening this week that you may betempted to run yourself ragged trying to doit all yourself.

TAURUS(April 21 - May 21)You should bear in mind that youare the best one to decide whatyou want, when you want it and howyou will go about getting it.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)You know where you are goingand who with, but there is thisone unresolved thought in yourmind. It is just a thought, isn't it? Oris it more? This is something only you cananswer. Be prepared this week to takeadvice and ask questions.

CANCER(June 22 - July 23)You are still looking more tothe past than to the future, butnow it seems that circumstances areurging you to move ahead at more of apace.

LEO(July 24 - August 23)What you truly want in life is nowbecoming clear to you. Not for youthe fuzzy ideas of the past. Now, yourealise that, if you do not give a stronglead, then others will lead you.

VIRGO(August 24 - September 23)With your self-confidence on ahigh note, you are ready to sing thesong of your future. There will be highs andlows but that is what makes life interestingand exciting.

LIBRA(September 24 - October 23)Where you see things failing to goyour way, it may seem that others arebeing unfair. It is unlikely to be that simple.Perhaps you have given the impression of notbeing particularly caring.

SCORPIO(October 24 -November 22)Judgment may be impaired thisweek and it would be advisable toget second and even third opinions.

SAGITTARIUS(November 23 -December 21)This week be prepared tobe forthright when it comes to acertain difficult situation. Thisinvolves someone trying to get youto make a decision you are eithernot sure of or against.

CAPRICORN(December 22 -January 20)Are you being pushed into acorner? There is no need to respondwith aggression, but a smooth andfast move is required to avoid this.

AQUARIUS(January 21 - February 19)You are looking to havingeverything your own way,which may not be entirely out of thequestion. The only sticking pointcould be that you are not even willingto be sharp with someone who hasbeen far from straight with you.

Visit the stars, for detai ls on our expanded range

of serviceswww.fiduciarywealth.eu

our tarsSY

Move from the start word (SOFT) to the endword (CELL) in the same number of steps asthere are rungs on the Word Ladder. Youmust only change one letter at a time.

CELL SOFTSOOTCOOTCOLT

CELTCELL

Average: 10Good: 13

Very good: 19Excellent: 23

How many English words of fourletters or more can you makefrom the nine letters in our

Nonagram puzzle? Each lettermay be used only once (unlessthe letter appears twice). Each

word MUST CONTAIN THECENTRE LETTER (in this case C)

and there must be AT LEASTONE NINE LETTER WORD.

Plurals, vulgarities or propernouns are not allowed.

TARGET:

S Sun, Cl Clear, Fog, C Cloud, Sh Showers,

Sn Snow, Th Thunder

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

CROSSWORDSEWN 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical www.euroweeklynews.com28

Word Ladder

Nonagram

cape, cava, cave, cite, epic, pace, pact, pica, tact, vice, apace, attic, civet, evict,tacet, tacit, vatic, active, capita, caveat, tipcat, vacate, captive, activate, capitate,CAPTIVATE

SOFT

1. Actor Jim Backus provided thevoice for which short-sighted,wealthy, short-statured retireecartoon character? 2. Released in 1937 and based ona fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm,what was the title of the first full-length animated feature film andthe earliest in the Walt DisneyAnimated Classics series? 3. Usually depicted wearing ashort polka-dotted dress with amatching bow and white gloves,what is the name of MickyMouse’s girlfriend? 4. What is the title of the fictionalanimated television series that isregularly watched by Bart and LisaSimpson? 5. Which British pop group wasnamed after the two bumblingdetectives in Hergé’s comic stripThe Adventures of Tintin? 6. Which cartoon character wasportrayed as the ‘fastest mouse inall Mexico’?7. Which cartoon character’strademark was his tone deaf andinaccurate rendition of Oh MyDarling, Clementine? 8. Which famous cartoon duo wonseven Academy Awards (Oscars)between 1943 and 1953?

1. MR MAGOO, 2. SNOW WHITE AND THESEVEN DWARFS, 3. MINNIE MOUSE, 4. THEITCHY AND SCRATCHY SHOW, 5.THOMPSON TWINS, 6. SPEEDY GONZALES,7. HUCKLEBERRY HOUND, 8. TOM ANDJERRY.

Sudoku

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Fill the grid so that every row,every column and every 3X3 boxcontains the digits 1-9. There’sno maths involved. You solve thepuzzle with reasoning and logic.

8-Star Quiz

Saturday February 21 Friday February 20 Saturday February 21 Sunday February 22Saturday February 21 Saturday February 21

1 24

BONUS BALL THUNDERBALL BONUS BALL LUCKY STARS REINTEGRO REINTEGRO

38

9

27 48

36

IRISH LOTTO LA PRIMITIVAEL GORDO DELA PRIMITIVA

UK THUNDERBALL

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY EURO MILLIONS

LOTTERY

12 28

41

27

39 45

25

9 14

37

12

24 40

7 9

3 2618

3129

14

5 177

3429

8

4 1410

4637

4 7

THAT’S ALL FOLKS!

Fri -Sat -Sun -

18 8 Sh15 8 S18 10 Cl

MAX MIN

Mon -Tues -Wed -

18 11 S19 11 C18 11 C

MAX MIN

Alicante TODAY: CLOUDY MAX 19C, MIN 9C

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

18 11 Cl17 11 S18 13 S

Mon -Tues -Wed -

19 13 S19 12 C20 12 S

Almeria TODAY: CLEAR MAX 19C, MIN 12C

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

14 7 Sh16 8 S17 9 Cl

Mon -Tues -Wed -

18 10 S18 9 Cl19 9 Cl

BarcelonaTODAY: SHOWERS MAX 14C, MIN 10C

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

18 10 Sh17 10 S18 12 Cl

Mon -Tues -Wed -

21 12 S20 12 C19 12 S

Benidorm TODAY: CLEAR MAX 19C, MIN 11C

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

14 4 Sh16 6 Cl18 7 C

Mon -Tues -Wed -

19 8 S19 9 Cl19 7 Cl

Madrid TODAY: CLOUDY MAX 17C, MIN 6C

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

21 11 S20 8 S21 11 S

Mon -Tues -Wed -

21 11 S20 12 S19 12 Cl

MalagaTODAY: SUNNY MAX 22C, MIN 11C

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

16 6 Sh14 5 C16 7 C

Mon -Tues -Wed -

17 8 Cl17 7 C17 7 C

MallorcaTODAY: SHOWERS MAX 14C, MIN 7C

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

21 10 Sh21 8 S22 9 Cl

Mon -Tues -Wed -

23 10 S23 11 C22 11 S

Murcia TODAY: SUNNY MAX 23C, MIN 11C

Axarquía weatherfor next 7 days

TRUSTWE DO!

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After leaving his youngdaughter Cassandra inthe back of his car while he pops into adiner, Matthew returns to find she hasvanished without a trace. Her unsolvedkidnapping destroys his relationship with hiswife, but eight years later a series of eventsoccur that indicate she may still be alive.Detectives discover recent images ofCassandra online, and as a suspect in hisdaughter’s disappearance, Matthew takesmatters into his own hands to ensure hisdaughter’s safe return.Starring Ryan Reynolds, RosarioDawson and Mireille Enos. Run time 112 minutes. Rated R.

MAD

DOCK

S’ V

IEW

ONLI

FETODAY

TODAY

TOMORROW

CASABERMEJA

ARCHIDONA

VELEZ-MALAGA

MALAGA

NERJA

R DE LA VICTORIA

CASABERMEJA

ARCHIDONA

VELEZ-MALAGA

MALAGA

NERJA

R DE LA VICTORIA

Across1 Talk with (8)5/24 Genuine (4,4)9 Outlive (7)10 Skinflint (5)11 Humiliation (5)12 Card game similar to

rummy (7)13 Fortified wine (6)15 Compositions (6)18 Equivocating (7)20 Low waterlogged ground (5)22 Appearance (5)23 White ant (7)24 See 525 Worried and uneasy (8)

Down1 Expenditures (5)2 Give a running commentary

(7)3 Superior group (5)4 Communication by word of

mouth (6)6 Fertile area in a desert (5)7 Unpaid overdue debt (7)8 Corrects (6)13 Principal law-enforcement

officer in a county (7)14 Destroyed physically or

morally (6)16 Extreme greed for material

wealth (7)

17 Mild and refined in manners

(6)

19 Give officially as a payment

or prize (5)

20 Proud stiff pompous gait (5)

21 News medium (5)

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 10represents G and 23 represents Q, so fill in G every time the figure 10 appears and Q every time the figure 23

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.

Code Breaker

Crosswords SPONSORED BYF o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t t h e s p o n s o r g o t o w w w . l i n e a d i r e c t a . c o m

CROSSWORDS 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropicalwww.euroweeklynews.com 29EWN

Across1 Secret dress rehearsal version of

trays (7)4 Trials for important matches (5)7 The right fish and the means to

catch them (5)9 Arranged taverns’ helper (7)10 Make plans for a railhead on the

mountains (7)11 Crime is the result when

clergyman loses his head (5)12 You and I, Al deserted a wooded

area of southeast England (5)14 The dog for a pugilist (5)19 Shaky house-building materials?

(5)21 Calm down, silly sausage! (7)23 Closest set ran frantically (7)24 Turn away from a green (5)25 Point ties out on locations (5)26 For a change, respect the royal

staff (7)

Down1 Form of water around river or

what may flow into it (6)2 Quintessentially in German town

(5)3 Method of making tea messy? (6)4 Mad? Not Dora, it's just wind (7)

5 Scrapes vehicle aboard the ship(5)

6 Industrial actions where there isno action (3-3)

8 Weird peer I encountered inside(5)

13 Enlists fresh minds (7)15 Some surfer, a serious wipe

out! (5)16 Perfumes made from many

nests (6)17 Religions reorganise a shift (6)18 Intelligent leader embraces a

tender nature (6)20 Cook in the right oven (5)22 Criticise tablet (5)

LAST WEEK’SSOLUTIONSCRYPTICAcross: 1 Sorrow, 4 Berate, 9 Opera, 10 Okapi, 11 Rites, 12 Eremite, 13 Scales, 15 Assess, 19 Peerage, 21 Agate, 23 Shade, 24 China, 25 Sheath,26 Career.

Down: 1 Spheres, 2 Roost, 3 Oversee, 5 Erode, 6 Avarice, 7 Exile, 8 Cadet, 14 Acetate, 16 Stamina,17 Slender, 18 Leach,19 Pests, 20 Agent, 22 Abate.

QUICK Across: 1 Pets, 3 Passages, 9 Soldier,10 Again, 11 Upset, 12 Splash, 14 Errors, 16 Eraser, 19 Barber, 21 Snaps, 24 Reign, 25 Shelter, 26 Pleasing, 27 Urge.

Down: 1 Pastures, 2 Tales, 4 Arrest, 5 Small, 6 Glasses, 7 Send, 8 Litter, 13 Preserve, 15 Realise,17 Rushes, 18 Prison,20 Banks, 22 After, 23 Crop.

ENGLISH-SPANISHAcross: 1 Casas, 4 Primo, 7 Ahi, 8 Ahijado, 9 Shed, 10 Gansos, 14 Storage, 16 Ace, 17 Agria, 18 Aisle.

Down: 1 Coats, 2 Shine, 3 Scar, 4 Primavera, 5 Ida, 6 Oro, 11 Swans, 12 Siete, 13 Raza, 14 Sea, 15 Oar.

FUNAGRAM SOLUTION: OSCAR WILDE, SANDOWN PARK


QuickCryptic

Funagram

Hexagram

ALTERS

ARROWS

BANKER

BREACH

BUTLER (10)

DEALER

HEALER

HURLED

KINDER

MELLOW

MODELS

PIERCE

REGARD

RESENT

RESTED

SALUTE

SINGLE

TALLER

THENCE

The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at theedges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. Theword in cell 10 (BUTLER) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

1 Robots, 2 Thence, 3 Barrel, 4 Minded, 5 Holder, 6 Borrow, 7 Yonder, 8 Elders, 9 Render, 10 Yellow, 11 Others, 12 Shadow,13 Killer, 14 Crease, 15 Solder, 16 Monkey, 17 Shred, 18 Inlaid, 19 Seeing


Unscramble the name of a famous Irish writer and poet: LOWSIDECAR

Unscramble the name of a famous British horse racing course(two words): NO DARK PAWNS

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

English - Spanish

Across1 Tallas (de ropas) (5)3 Stamp (postage stamp) (5)5/3D Sopa de guisantes (3,4)7 Nautical (7)9 Tienda (4)10 Tía (4)14 Pride (satisfaction) (7)15/14D Salir del sistema (3,3)16 Late (after usual time) (5)17 To open (5)

Down1 Toads (5)2 Hijos (4)3 See 5 Across4 Gold (metal, commodity, currency) (3)6 Entre (5)8 Equal (5)11 Tigre (5)12 Azul (4)13 Wedding (4)14 See 15 Across

Bilateral pact -please stopmoaning!LEAPY LEE says he’s sick ofdebating about Islam. Assomeone who lived in variousMuslim countries for 20 years,I’m sick of reading Leapy’sconstant distortion of life there.

All right, he lived for eightyears in Saudi Arabia, a countrywhich is about as typical of theMuslim world as the deepestrecesses of the US Bible Beltare of Christian culture.

The restrictions he suffered inSaudi are simply not enforcedelsewhere and most Muslimsare embarrassed by Saudiattitudes, even if theyreluctantly have to defer tothem for economic reasons.

The rest of Leapy’s article is amoan which only amounts tosaying that Britain, like the restof the world, has irrevocablychanged.

Of course that does notmean that British Muslimsshould murder British soldiersor go off to fight for the Jihad,but then only a tiny minorityever think of going to suchextremes.

On the other hand, we willsee more extreme conduct if wepersist in seeing Muslims as thestereotypes that Leapy keepson presenting.

Here’s an offer, Leapy: stopyour moaning and I’ll lay offtoo!

Bill Campbell (by email)

Big dealI HAVE just received notificationthat I will receive an ageaddition of £0.25 with mypension from April 2015.Actually I was 80 years old inFebruary 2014.

I remember my motherreceiving the same amountwhen she was 80 in 1989 andeven then it wouldn’t buy asmall loaf. It’s unbelievable that26 years on the amount is thesame.

But we are only pensionerswho worked and paid into thesystem.

M Caldwell, Benitachell(Alicante)

Get it togetherCHRIS TAYLOR’S compli-mentary comments on theexemplary quality of the EuroWeekly News’ writers is to bepraised and I would like tomake a suggestion that willhopefully copper-fasten them.

As we have been sufferingnorth-easterly mini-gales sinceearly January, I have (as anold-timer sorely in need ofexercise) found it difficult tocontinually chase and finallyretrieve the pages that blowaway.

So how about investing in acouple of staples?

Jim Clancy (by email)

Gobsmacked I WAS so pleased to see thatsomebody had at lasthighlighted the issue of whyfootballers feel compelled tospit at every conceivableopportunity.

Before a free kick, after a freekick, immediately before theycome on to the field as asubstitute, straight awayafterwards and incessantlyduring the game. It is adisgusting habit which is pickedup frequently when players arefeatured in close-up.

Apart from being a healthhazard and a bad example foryoung kids who mimic thebehaviour of their idols, whowould want to fall over on a

football pitch? And it’s not onlythe players; managerspatrolling their technical areasare often seen spitting and,occasionally, referees.

What on earth is it all about?Do these people spit all overtheir dining room carpets?

Ken Turner, San Fulgencio(Alicante)

Hatchet jobI ORDERED via Teletienda-tv ajuice extractor which was dulydelivered.

To my consternation both theinstruction manual and therecipes were in German, whichI do not speak. Also, there wasno accompanying guarantee.

I immediately sent an emailrequesting instructions in eitherSpanish or English andeventually received a replysaying that this was notpossible and asking if I wouldlike to cancel the order.

I replied in the affirmativeand it was arranged that theywould collect the machine and Iwould receive a refund.

Instead I received an emailrequesting that I destroy thejuice extractor (quite a largemachine!), take a photograph

and send it by email to showthat this had been done. Theywould then make the refund.

I replied that I could notpossibly do this as I am 83years old, live alone, cannotwalk as I am waiting for a hipoperation and in any case donot have the strength todestroy the machine.

Nor do I know how to takeand email a photo. This emailwas ignored and they againasked me to destroy themachine, but to date they havenot responded to my replyrepeating that this wasimpossible.

As the goods were ordered inSpain, am I being unreasonablein expecting instructions to bein Spanish (or English as it is anAmerican product) or that theproduct should carry aguarantee? What do readersthink?

Elma Thompson, Torrox Costa (Malaga)

Hands offPLANS to close San Javierairport in Murcia when the newfacility at Corvera opens are atravesty.

San Javier is a perfect airport

in every way, except for the lackof flights, particularly in thewinter. This will not change justbecause a massive new wasteof money has opened; cut yourlosses, turn it into a factory orsomething useful.

Leave our airport alone, it’sours and I for one would notuse Corvera.

Sylvia Fleck (via Euro WeeklyNews website)

Help at handCONGRATULATIONS on yourexcellent publication, anabsolute must for everyThursday.

We wonder if readers canadvise us on a problem we arehaving regarding our Non-Resident tax in Benidorm?

We are, of course, registeredon the padron and pay all ourSUMA bills promptly and withoutdelay.

For the past two years wehave used the services of asolicitor to pay the Non-Resident tax at a cost of €80-plus for what seems a 10-minute job.

We were told that we can dealwith this issue ourselves andsave some cash into thebargain.

Being able to speakreasonable Spanish we venturedto Hacienda for a statement ofany amounts owing for 2014-2015, which we could take toour bank and pay.

We were told very brusquelyand with great bureaucraticindifference and contempt thatwe had to do it via the Internet:“Internet. Internet. Nocomprende?”

We downloaded the relevantforms and using past years’information tried to fill them in.We had to admit defeat afterseveral hours!

Surely Hacienda should beable to provide with one clickthe amount we are due to payand give us that information totake to our bank?

Or was it because we wentwithin 20 minutes of the officeclosing time that the very rudeclerk could just not be botheredto help us in case we delayedhis knocking-off time?

We look forward to hopefullyreceiving some very interestingcomments.

Rita and Michael Stimson,Benidorm (Alicante)

WHEN YOU WRITEAll letters, whether by email orpost, should carry the writer’spostal address, NIE and contactnumber though only the nameand town will be published.

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MY gran always knows when the weather is going toturn cold because her cats snuggle up together likethis, instead of fighting.

Alberto (by email)

www.euroweeklynews.com30 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa TropicalEWN OPINION & COMMENT

OPINION & COMMENT 26 February - 4 March 2015/ Axarquía - Costa Tropical 31EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

ESTERN Euro-peans are wakingup to the fact thatthey have been

betrayed by a Brussels elitewhose allegiance is toWashington DC.

Equally gut-wrenching, theirsabotage of the European Union’seconomy and security has playedout to Russia’s advantage.

Since 1945, US foreign policyhas lurched from one débâcle toanother. An independent thinktank estimates that Americanimperialism has led to the deathsof an estimated 20 to 30 millionpeople.

A Greek government ministerwas recently quoted as saying:“The EU and US pose a fargreater threat to Europe than theSoviet Union ever did.” LeadingSerbian king-maker Vojislav Seleljsaid: “Serbia will never join theEU as it is due for collapseanyway.”

The mindset that claims USalliance adds to European securityand prosperity doesn’t holdwater. During the Americaninspired sanctions, which bringsimmense hardship to Europeans,trade between America andRussia has increased significantly.

Washington DC did admit to

investing $7 billion (€6.14 billion)in Europe; these were the costsincurred in their overthrow ofUkraine’s legitimate government.I have family and friends through-out Ukraine. I cannot begin to tellyou how they suffer as a directconsequence of US policy.

The US had no interest inUkraine other than its owncorporate and destabilising geo-political anti-Russian ambitions. Itis ruinous for Ukraine, buttomorrow we could all share thesame fate if America gets itsdollar-saving war with Russia.

Thanks to US policy andBrussels collaboration, Ukraine,Europe’s largest country, hasbeen completely destroyedeconomically and militarily.Abandoned by the EU and US,neither of which can afford to

rescue it, all Ukraine’s essentialtrade ties with neighbouringRussian are severed.

The fighting in East Ukraine,which German intelligence revealshas cost the lives of 50,000Ukrainians, has worked toRussia’s advantage. Russian

President Vladimir Putin, a farsmarter statesman than Obamacould ever aspire to be, againbetters his Western critics.

Scratching around for evidenceof Russian invasion, Westernmainstream media repeatedlymake fools of themselves. They’ll

get used to it. Mainstream media,the government's bullhorn, isforced to use fraudulentphotographs to falsely allege aRussian presence in Ukraine.

It was never in Russia’sinterests to physically intervene inUkraine. To leave the self-proclaimed independent republicsto their own devices was actuallyto the advantage of Russia.

Today, Kiev’s skinhead regime,backed by Washington DC andBrussels, has yet another bigproblem. Ukraine’s disputedNovorussia, whose five millionpopulation is largely Ukrainian-Russian, is de facto independent,a humiliation and thorn in the sideof Kiev and, like Crimea,irrecoverable.

Kiev cannot survive whilst atwar with an antagonisticrebellious Novorussia that it haslost anyway. Neither can Kievsurvive without this mostproductive and prosperousUkrainian region.

Game, set and match. Anothersuccess for Russia that, atWestern Europe’s expense, nowturns to far more productiveeastern markets.

Keep this article; I have justwritten tomorrow’s obituary onWestern Europe.

The enemy withinMike WalshMike, based in MediterraneanSpain, is an internationaljournalist, author andprofessional writer.

UKRAINE: Has been destroyed economically and militarily.

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EWN32 www.euroweeklynews.com26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical OPINION & COMMENT

GLOBELINK has found more and more ofits customers are turning to cruiseholidays. They need have no worriesabout insurance cover as Globelinkensures they are covered under theterms of its standard travel insurancepolicy.

With 1.76 million people expected totake an ocean cruise holiday this year,according to the UK’s Passenger ShippingAssociation (PSA), more people than everbefore are settling on the cruise option -2 per cent more than last year, anddouble the numbers of a decade ago.

That is no surprise considering theexceptional value cruises offer, withaccommodation, meals andentertainment all included in thepackage. And all of that with a minimumof packing and unpacking, as yet anotherexciting destination sails into view...

Once seen as the preserve of maturetravellers who liked to dress for dinnerevery night, the customer profile haschanged significantly. These days theaverage passenger is under 55 and thereare almost as many cruise types as thereare kinds of passenger. Adult-onlycruises offer the ultimate in sophisticated

getaways, while others cater for all thefamily, from Playstation-mad childrenwith energy to burn, through togranddads who want to sharpen up theirputting skills, or get expert tuition onhow to work their iPads.

Mainstream cruises now provideclasses on everything from history,

antiques or painting to salsa dancing orthe art of chocolate-making. Whateveryour interest, you’re sure to findsomething that floats your boat.

Even with the best planning, though,the unexpected can happen. A missedtransfer, and the ship leaves without you.A cruise that has to be cut short when aclose relative falls ill back home. Wisetravellers take out travel insurance cover,but even they can be caught out. UnlikeGlobelink, some insurers exclude cruisesfrom their standard travel insurancepolicies - which means you could end uppaying a hefty premium for adequatecoverage before you go.

Remember, if you live in Spain yourtravel insurance might be invalid if it doesnot cover the entire duration of yourreturn trip from the date you leave Spainuntil the date you arrive back in Spain.

For an instant quote and to arrangecover securely online, enabling you to

print your policy documentsimmediately, visit

www.globelink.co.uk or you cantelephone Globelink on 00 44 1353

699082 or their Spanish links line on966 265 000 or 951 242 434.

Advertising feature

More and more people are cruising

FLOAT YOUR BOAT: Globelink include cruises in their travel insurance policies

David DeversonGLOBELINKINTERNATIONALInsurance [email protected]

YPICAL, now myiPod has gonewrong! Havingwritten about the

unreliability of modern daytechnology - or at least thefact that gadgets are simplynot built to last these days -yet another piece of highpriced gear is giving me a hardtime.

In fairness, I’m not surewhether it’s the iPod itself orthe docking station where itsits and sings to me when I’mhappy, and in the mood for abit of José Feliciano or CatStevens.

Conversely, when I’m feelingsluggish and I turn up thevolume for the full blown BlackSabbath experience to blastout the cobwebs and ear wax.And if I’m really brassed off,some Leapy Lee is alwaysguaranteed to lift my spirits.(Mine’s a large Havana Club onthe rocks Leapy)

But in any event, iPod ordocking station, it was not re-energising as it should.

I found that it would chargequite happily if I connected itto my computer overnight, sothat’s what I started to do. Butnot for long, because the other

morning I found that all 8,700tracks had disappeared.

I thought my wife wasmarvellous. She is just notused to seeing me blubbinglike a baby, balanced on ourwindow sill in my underwearand threatening to jump. Butshe managed to talk me downby means of a mug of tea anda packet of Jaffa Cakes.Alright, it was the downstairslounge window, but that’s notthe point - you could inflictsome nasty damage bydropping three feet into a potof cacti.

But I needn’t have worried,because on closer inspection, Ifound for some reason knownonly to the rebellious machine,it had uploaded all my musiconto the computer. Phew!

I love my iPod when it’s

behaving - it is convenient andcompact, but I’m sorry, I stillrecall those far off days of

vinyl recordings with dewyeyed rapture.

There was something

exciting and yes, romantic,about travelling into town on aSaturday to purchase the

newly released 45, orthe latest long player(they weren’t calledalbums then). And thebest part was, you got tohear them before youbought.

You simply made yourselection from the packedrecord shelves, took it tothe desk where it would beplaced on a turntable, thenyou would be directed tobooth four or whatever to

sample yourprospectivepurchase.

Vinyl may havebeen fragile,

scratched easily and proneto warping, but I miss thesheer adventure of buyingrecords and those fab LPsleeves that were often worksof art in their own right.

And yes - I still favour flaredtrousers.

Colin BirdEach week, Colin brings hisslightly off-the-wall view of theworld to the pages of EWN in hisown irreverent style.

T Oh for the long playing record!

MODERN TECHNOLOGY: Fine when it’s working well.

OPINION & COMMENT 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical 33EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

SANDRA FIELD from Consultus Care, “Iuse SKYPE quite often as you can see theperson that you are talking to and I likethat. I also use my mobile phone to callthe UK because that seems to work outcheaper than my landline would youbelieve. For work I use the mobile phoneand email mostly, WhatsApp getsoccasionally used if the Spanishaddress or email is a bit tricky.

Lamia Walker fromHousesitMatch said “I really loveWhatsApp for the speed andconvenience of staying in touch withpeople all over the world for freefrom my mobile phone. It’s agreat way to stay connectedespecially with our pet sitterswherever they are. Theysend me pictures of the petsthey are looking after.We’ve even started acompetition for the best

photos of Pet Antics - it’s quick and fun.”For our new bride Heidi Price, modern,

quick forms of communication have beengreat for her to share photos and thanksto her nearest and dearest following herbig day: “Facebook remains my preferredform of online communication and wasreally useful on my wedding day forsharing thoughts and photos with absentfriends. I do use WhatsApp to send theodd photo and quick messages, but donot rely on it half as much as Facebook.”

Alfredo Millá Ferrero, ManagingPartner at Sonneil Homes and More,which operates across the Spanishcoastline from the Costa Brava,throughout the Costa Blanca and down tothe Costa del Sol, said advances intechnology and the introduction ofprogrammes such as WhatsApp, hasmade business so much easier andquicker: “For personal communication it isstill nice to receive a letter, but with thedynamics of living today, everything is soquick and instant, so WhatsApp makes iteasy to keep in touch with people youmay have lost touch with. It is easy tosend a quick message to let them knowyou are thinking of them and to say hi.”

How do you keep in touch?In recent news 98 per cent of Smartphones in Spain have a messaging

application such as WhatsApp which seems to be the favoured appamong expats to keep in touch with loved ones back home. Do you useit or do you prefer to speak to someone either on the phone or face to

face? Perhaps you still prefer to use the post?

LAMIA: Lovesthe speed and

convenience.

ALFREDO: WhatsAppoffers a quick way ofkeeping in touch withpeople you may have

lost contact with.

STREET TALKHEIDI: Facebook is her preferred choice ofcommunication.

SANDRA: Prefers to use Skype asyou can see who you are talking to.

HE top 10 packagingtricks employed bysupermarkets to temptcustomers are

misleading and confusingaccording to a recent Whichreport.

Tactics include tiny portionsizes making products seemhealthier; own-label productscopying the packaging ofinternational brands; poor-valuegift sets in which the cost ofindividual items is the same, andoversized packaging that looks asif you’re getting a lot until youopen it to find one third emptyspace. Then you clock the catch-all: ‘This product is sold byweight, not by volume.’

But the problem’s much biggerthan a few packaging tricks.Supermarkets in the UK are

having a really tough time.Sainsbury’s reported its worstChristmas for a decade and iscutting 500 jobs. Morrisonsannounced 400 job-losses, theclosure of 10 loss-making storesand sacked its CEO.

Tesco, reeling from a series ofprofit warnings and that ‘blackhole’ in its accounts, is cutting10,000 jobs, closing 43 stores and

has shelved plans to open 49superstores.

Basically, the ‘Big Four’ aresuffering from falling sales aseveryone’s buying more cheaplyelsewhere. People don’t want‘Loyalty cards,’ ‘points’ on somevague scheme where 50,000points equal 50p or BOGOF (buyone, get one free). Especially soon perishable goods - unfair to

singles or the elderly whosefamilies have flown the nest andthe ‘free’ item likely to go mouldybefore it can be consumed. Theywant quality, but lower prices.

Well, I have a few tips forsupermarkets. Please stopconstantly moving everythingeverywhere all the time to forcethe shopper to walk around moreof the store. You know where

everything is, but your customersdon’t. Can you also stop doingthose annoying two for £5 (wheneach item costs £2.47individually) type tricks?

And generally can you pleasetry to treat your customers with amodicum of respect rather thantrying to wheedle a bit moremoney out of them?

Aldi and Lidl aren’t toeveryone’s taste but, nowaccounting for over 10 per cent ofBritain’s grocery sales, they’rescaring the living daylights out ofthe Big Four. Maybe it’s becausethey don’t have Two for Ones orstuff endlessly moving aisles? Justquality items at honest priceswhich strangely may be whatmost people want when they’reshopping. To misquote Tesco,‘Every Lidl’ helps.

Nora Johnson’s thrillers‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’

‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The DeClerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available fromAmazon in paperback/eBook(€0.89;£0.79) and iBookstore.

Profits to Cudeca.

A Costa del Sol resident fora number of years, Nora isthe author of psychologicalsuspense and crimethrillers. To comment on any of the issuesraised in her column, go towww.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/nora-johnson

Nora JohnsonBreaking Views

Time for the ‘big four’ to BOGOF?

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SUPERMARKET TIP: Best to have quality items at honest prices, which is what most people want.

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A new comfort zoneIF Spain’s monarchy is relatively austere,the same cannot be said of the CCOOunion’s bank division, now called Comfia.

The change of name clearly put Comfiain another comfort zone as it spent€14.06 million between 2008 and 2012on ‘journeys and meetings.’ This includedannual bills of ‘tens of thousands ofeuros’ on steaks and seafood, thosestaples of Spanish jollies, as well asexpensive restaurants.

Is that what those workers had in mindwhen they first organised CCOO in the60s and were often imprisoned for it?

Surface tensionTOMAS GOMEZ was until very recentlythe PSOE socialists’ leader in Madridand candidate for the regionalpresidency.

He is mixed up in a finance scandaldating back to his time as mayor of theMadrid suburb of Parla, enough in itselffor his removal. Unforgivably he also

led the PSOE to its worst-ever Madriddefeat in 2011.

Now the party’s national secretarygeneral Pedro Sanchez has booted himout, succeeding where the formersocialist president Jose Luis RodriguezZapatero, and his successor AlfredoPerez Rubalcaba both failed.

Whether this is enough to regainMadrid remains to be seen, as theparty’s different currents producestormy seas there. This is where the PPhas the advantage because its surfaceis seldom ruffled: whatever happens inits Calle Genova headquarters stays inCalle Genova.

Come hitherTHE PP national government headed byMariano Rajoy is saving its heavyartillery for Podemos.

The newly-formed party is its closestrival for the upcoming electionsaccording to some surveys, whichdisquiets Rajoy, who believes in and ismore comfortable with the two-partysystem.

He want Podemos out of the wayinstead of splitting the vote, but thestrategy is risky and could backfire.Discrediting Podemos is more likely topush voters towards the PSOE insteadof luring them to the PP.

Cassandra NashA weekly look

- and not entirely impartial reaction - to the Spanish political scene

THE Spanish are not monarchist by vocation. Those who remember thetransition to democracy after Franco’s death and the failed 1981 coup - whichrecently celebrated its 34th anniversary - will always be grateful to JuanCarlos I.

His son Felipe benefits from that gratitude and, mindful of it, he recentlycut his salary by 20 per cent to €234,204 a year. It’s still a fortune but modestcompared with other European monarchs and not a bad gesture during timesof need. There were some grumbles because the savings went to otherPalace allocations but robbing Peter to pay Paul is a time-honoured way ofbalancing the books without raiding the moneybox.

KING FELIPE: Recently cut his salary by 20 per cent.

Every little helps

EWN34 www.euroweeklynews.com26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical OPINION & COMMENT

EWN 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical www.euroweeklynews.com36 HEALTH & BEAUTY

TO READ MORE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.EWNLIFESTYLE.COMHealth & beauty TRUSTWE DO!

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An early night and I’mready for another day

STILL getting back to an evenkeel after the tragic death ofAngus on February 8.

Family and friends have had arough time coming to terms withhis untimely departure. By theend of last week I was totallydrained and in desperate needof sleep. My next chemo sessionwas booked for February 18 andwith such a lack of sleep andirregular meal times, coupledwith extreme stress andsadness, I was wonderingwhether my blood tests wouldbe up to scratch.

So into my car I got and droveto the hospital and had my bloodtest done. Those of you whoread my blog will recognise thepattern. Then off for breakfastand then a three-hour wait tosee the oncologist. She

cheerfully greeted me and askedme how I was. Well, that was aquestion!

I replied I was fine despiteeverything! I asked after my testresults and she said everythingwas fine and my immune systemwas doing really well. Miraclesnever cease as I was halfexpecting her to say that I wouldnot be able to have thetreatment due to some dive inmy results. Luckily for me, thiswasn’t the case.

I was hooked up for blastingnumber five. Joy of joys, MaríaJesús the nurse, an utter star,got the line in first time! Thiswas the first in the next cycle oftreatment, so Rosa, the chemonurse, came and gave me a chatabout the possible side-effects. Isay ‘possible’ because they areworst case scenarios. Frankly, Ipay very little attention to themand that way they don’t affectme.

Who wants their eyelashes tofall out, their nails to blacken,nausea, muscular aches andpains, streaming eyes and red-raw eye sockets? Correct,nobody! So best put it to theback of your mind! A quick pitstop for a very late lunch withmy lovely Pepi and then it was

back home to do the football runand cook dinner. No rest for thewicked! I got the few bits andbobs and medicines that Ideemed necessary andhunkered down for the night.

I slept well and have had noside-effects at all today andhave managed to do lots of jobsaround the house. I find keepingbusy is the best medicine. I havealso answered a great deal ofcorrespondence. The emails andtexts keep coming. A specialthanks to Marilo and Kevin fortheir kind comments last week.My love goes to them as I fearthey are going through a similarprocess as me. Good luck andchin up!

Later I collected Oliver andgreeted him with a roastchicken, his favourite, so all wasgood. Izzie arrived and got stuckinto her books… she is such aswat, but I’m grateful as I havenever had to push her to study,a little star.

Once all our jobs had beendone we went down to thevillage to meet friends and theboys played football. Alwaysgood to let off steam for boththe big and little people!

An early night for me and Ilive to fight another day

19th February

EricaRussellWatson:My journey – and I’m driving

MANY know that theMediterranean diet isgood for the heart, butresearch has shown it isalso good for the bones.

It would appear thatjust two years of usingolive oil rather than lesshealthy fats maypreserve or even buildbone in older people.

The MediterraneanDiet is thought toimprove heart healthbecause it is high infruit, vegetables, fish,nuts, whole grains and‘healthy’ fats such asthose in olive oil, whilelow in red meat and

dairy products.But a study shows

people eating more oliveoil had higher levels ofthe hormone osteocalcinin their blood - a markerlinked to better bonestrength.

Mediterranean coun-tries have lower rates ofosteoporosis comparedwith Northern Europeannations, and thereforetraditionally better hearthealth.

However, that hasbeen changing as dietstoo have changed withmore saturated fatsbeing consumed.

Diet for buildingstronger bones

WHEN people think of bacteria they often think badthoughts.

But ‘good’ bacteria are essential for people’s well-being. In fact, the billions that live in the human gut areessential for the immune system, and the same is truefor the bacteria that exist on the skin.

The beneficial bugs on the surface of the skin work tomaintain moisture and radiance and fight the badbacteria which cause redness, sensitivity, spots andother infections.

What’s more, good bacteria penetrate the deeperlevels to repair skin DNA and build wrinkle-preventingcollagen, so increasing them can help combat wrinkles,sagging and pigmentation, restoring your complexion’syouthful plumpness and glow, studies suggest.

When bacteria isgood for your skin

CHILDREN’S daytime napsshould stop at the age of two.

Researchers say newevidence shows that childrenwho take an afternoon napover the age of two don’t getsuch good quality night-timesleep.

Researchers analysed datafrom 26 studies to find outwhat impact daytime sleepshad on a child’s night-timesleep quality up to the age offive years old.

They found some evidenceindicating that napping

beyond the age of twoincreases the amount of timeit takes for a child to fallasleep at night and shortensthe overall amount of sleep,but the findings on the impactof napping on behaviour anddevelopment are not clear.

No napping during theday for the little ones

NAPS: Stop children having a good night’s sleep.

HEALTH & BEAUTY 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropicalwww.euroweeklynews.com 37EWN

www . e u r owe e k l y n ew s . c omSPANIARDS con-sume twice themaximum recom-mended dailyamount of salt.

Advice from theWorld HealthOrganisation (WHO)states that no morethan five grammesof salt should beeaten each day. TheSpanish Society ofHypertension-Spanish League forthe fight againsthypertension, hasrevealed thatSpaniards consumean average of 10grammes daily.

Salt intake isnecessary for thebody as it controlsthe amount of waterthat regulates fluidsand helps transmitnerve impulses.However, excess saltcannot be removedand accumulates inthe blood attractingwater and increasingthe volume ofcirculating blood,causing the heart towork harder leadingto higher bloodpressure.

Spaniardsput too

much salton their

food

Mobile phone addiction linkedto emotional instability

DO you find yourself constantlyplaying with your phone andchecking for updates? If so,you may be depressed, sayscientists.

A new study claims thatpeople who can’t put downtheir mobile phones are moreprone to moodiness andtemperamental behaviour after

they found a link betweenphone addiction and emotionalinstability. Scientists from theBaylor University in Waco,Texas, USA, said individualswho relentlessly check theirphone may be trying toimprove how they feelemotionally.

Researchers had 346

participants take part in theirstudy, aged between 19 and 24.

They assessed theirpersonalities and level ofmobile phone addiction byanalysing their answers to adetailed questionnaire. As wellas emotional instability, theresearchers found that thoseconstantly on their phone also

struggled to focus on onething.

The average smartphone user is believed tolook at their handset around150 times a day and a newapp called Moment canmonitor phone usage to trackhow much an individual usestheir phone and where.

HOW well you canbalance could give aninsight into your overallgeneral health.

A study has found thatbeing unable to standon one leg for morethan 20 seconds waslinked to an increasedrisk of a ‘silent’ stroke.

This condition occurswhen there are tinybleeds in the brain thatdon’t cause symptoms,but which raise the riskof both full-blown strokeand dementia.

The UK’s MedicalResearch Council found

that 53-year-olds whocould stand on one legfor 10 seconds with theireyes closed were themost likely to be fit andwell in 13 years’ time.

However, those whocould only manage afew seconds were threetimes as likely to diebefore the age of 66.

There are some thingsyou can do to improveyour balance systemand keep it workingwell:

• Try marching on thespot to strengthen theco-ordination between

your body and your eyemovement.

• Swap shoes duringthe day, this can helpkeep the balancesensors in your feet andlegs.

• Watch your bloodpressure as high bloodpressure can lead to tinyarteries in the brainhardening, which canlead to balance issues.

• Go for a swim orplay bowls as gentleexercise helps preservebalance and bothimprove hand-eye-bodyco-ordination.

Standing on one legkeeps you young

y nine o’clock in themorning, Spanishtime, I was half-man,half-marinade. I was

completely pickled. My hair hadturned a dark velvet and myclothes were spattered bloodred. I gave off theunmistakable bouquet ofblackcurrants and bakedplums with maybe just ahint of cinnamon.

I was engaged in close-contact hand-to-handfighting of the most enjoyablekind.

A man pressed a water pistolto the side of my head and askedif I liked ‘Rioja.’ Before I couldanswer he said “Hasta la vista,baby!” and shot me at point blankrange. ‘Tempranillo’ grape juicetrickled from my nostrils.

‘La Battala dos Vinos’ or ‘Battleof Wines’ takes place every StPedro’s Day (June 29th) in Haro,the capital of the Rioja wine-making region of Spain. The towndates back to the 10th centuryand derives from a shanty townwhich grew up around a light-house on the Turon river and theRio Ebro. The main attractions arethe parish church of SantoTomas, the baroque ‘Our lady ofla Vega’ basilica and the neo-classical town hall.

The town is famous for itsbodegas and winehouses like ‘LaRioja Alta,’ ‘Muga’ and ‘Roda.’ ‘LaHerradura’ (the horseshoe) is therecommended route for a tapasand tippling crawl.

Northern Spain’s War of Wines,which lasts three hours andstarted in 1906, commemorates a10th century property disputebetween Haro and theneighbouring village of Miranda.

Over four thousand were involvedin the mayhem last year.

Torrents of red wine pouredpast us as we trudged up ‘La CalleNavarre’ to the clifftop battlefieldof Biliblio. Returning from thefront, battle-stained survivorsstaggered by, their weaponsemptied, their compulsory whiteshirts crimson. Some stopped tobe sick by the roadside. The rockslooked like they had been used byfiring squads.

In the old days, the ‘guerreros’used to arrive by foot and horse.Now they come by car, caravanand tractor. Modern technologyhas improved weaponry.

Today, everything from fireextinguishers and pump-actionhigh-velocity ‘Supersoakers’ cap-able of shooting a half a bottle ofplonk in five seconds to waterpistols, buckets and farmingpesticide sprays are used in themayhem. Everyone carries theirown personal ‘bota’ or leather

wineboot.

Everyone knows how to usetheir boot. It is every man andwoman for himself.

The ‘Jarrilleros,’ as the localscall themselves because of theirjam-making heritage, are bornwith their boots in their hands.They are great marksmen. Theycan hit a moving target at eightyards, firing from the hip with anancient shepherd’s wine gourd.They are masters at boot-to-bootcombat.

Fifty thousand litres of winewere fired last year. Mostly, itseemed at me.

The local council provides fourlitres per person. Most bring theirown ammunition in the form of‘Don Simon’ supermarket plonk.Some prefer watered-down‘Valdepenas’ from La Mancha. Itcauses greater and morestubborn staining. They don’twaste the ‘Roda 1 1995 Reserva.’

“It’s a fiesta intergalacticos,”

said one winewarrior. He worea pair of weldingglasses and wetook sheltertogether near thefifth centuryhermitage of SanFelices, the patronsaint of Haro.

He reloaded hisboot from a large

Coke bottle.“Pamplona is cosmo-

politan and touristy. It ishow you say…

He paused to give himselftime to be erudite.

“Pants!“This is local. The Bunol tomato

fest is too big. Our battle is morepersonal. It is the ultimate wet t-shirt contest!”

It was the last thing he saidbefore a braless woman shot himstraight between the eyes.

Vineyard owner Felix Alonso is82 and battle-hardened. He ledthe way from the tiny churchoverlooking the two rivers.Around every corner we wereambushed. Snipers picked us off.Our friend, teacher EdouradoAlegria, was caught in thecrossfire of expertly squirtedGranache. He did not have achance and was drenched.

We carried on down themountainside to complete thetraditional circuit. Thinking wehad reached safety, we werestrafed by a battalion of youthsarmed with ‘las bocas de lassulfatadoras,’sprays usedon vines.

‘Charanga’ bands played localfolk songs like ‘La Estanquera’(‘The Tobacco Seller’) and ‘Morosy Cristianos’ (‘Moors andChristians’). In the woods, ourfellow fighters made themselvesbean stews and barbecuedpiquillo red peppers with redchorizo sausages and blackmorcilla chitterlings.

The Battle of Wine spares no-one. Even your allies turn againstyou. I had gone into battle withPedro Ortega, who owns the‘Senorio’ hotel in nearby Brinas.We ate our lunch below thebattlefield. It was snail stewfollowed by potato hash Spanishomelettes.

“These are thegood moments inlife,” said Pedro.“Food, drink andmany, many happypeople.”

Then, raising hisboot and squeezinggently, he shotme in themouth.

Then heoffered mesome cherries,picked thatmorning.

“War is a finething. Is it not,amigo?”

The War of the RosésBattlegrounds make the best bars. Wars make the best parties.

B

Kevin is an ex-professionalcricketer and the former chiefstaff writer of PUNCH. He is theUK's most publishedtravel writer. Hiswork appearsworldwide. He oncewent to Vienna anddressed up as Mozart.

Kevin PilleyPilley’s Planet

BLOOD RED:With a bouquetof blackcurrants.

For more info about the War of Wine (La Batalla del Vino) on June 27, contact [email protected]/www.wine-fight.comwww.vueling.com fly from Malaga and Sevilla. Fares start at €44.00.

OPINION & COMMENTEWN 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical www.euroweeklynews.com38

HOMES & PETS 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropicalwww.euroweeklynews.com 39EWN

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gardens&H ets P

AT last a sunny day aftertwo weeks of generallydrizzly weather with anoccasional heavy downpour, and more sun ispromised for the next 10days, so it is now a goodtime to think about plantingflowering trees.

There are numerous tochoose from, for theirflowers, shade, architect-ural shapes and varyingheights. They can also beplanted as integral parts ofboundary hedges to framethe best views beyond thegarden and hide the worst.

The benefits include thewide variety of seasonalflowerings possible fromearly spring to late autumn.

Most flowering trees aredeciduous and thereforeprovide summer shade andallow the winter sun toshine through the skeletonof branches during thewinter.

Well planted in enrichedsoil they can grow relativelyfast, and once establishedmost are fairly frost anddrought resistant.

The wide range of leaf,flower, fruit and barkcolours and textures willbrighten up the garden andadd interest.

However there can be afew problems as well.Flowering seasons areoften short and fallenleaves, dead flowers, fruitand broken twigs need tobe swept up especially afterstrong winds and storms.

Some may seem smallwhen taken home from thegarden centre, but they can

become too large for theirsituation unless trimmedevery couple of years. Andvigorous roots canundermine the founda-tions of buildings, pathsand boundary walls.

Heavy heads can snapfrom thin young trunksunless the trees are wellstaked for some years afterplanting.

In general the soil needsare the same as for smallerperennial plants and shrubs- reasonably fertile, rich inhumus, water retaining andfree draining. It is of benefitto work in a littleTerraCottem moistureretaining gel into thebottom of planting holes tohelp roots grow contin-uously in the first fewyears.

Popular trees include:Early floweringAlmonds, Acasias, Cersis

the Judas trees that flowerfor Easter, Poinsettias,Laburnum and Tamarix.

Summer floweringAlbizias, Bauhinas - the

orchid trees, Caesalpinias,Chorisias, Jacarandas,Justicias, Lagerstroemias,Melia Azedarachs,Parkinsonias, and Robinias.

Autumn floweringArbutus, Bauhinas,

Hibiscus Matabilis andJusticias.

Fruiting trees withwonderful blossom displayscan also be regarded asearly flowering trees.Especially impressive arepeaches, apricots andpears.

More information aboutflowering trees and manyother groups of plants likelyto be of interest in yourgarden will be found in PartFour of ‘Your Garden inSpain’.

© Dick Handscombewww.gardenspain.com

Dick Handscombe

By Spain’s best knownexpatriate gardening authorliving in Spain for 25 years.

GardeningCorner

Time to plant trees

FLOWERING TREES: Lots to choose from.

WE have had two bitches,both spayed, one for fiveyears, aged about sevennow, and the other for 16months from the age offour months. They havealways got along, andplayed very well together.

But out of the blue onSaturday evening, the olderone attacked the youngerin the house. We got themapart and they did onlyslight damage to eachother (cuts and scratcheson the ears). The followingday they were very wary ofeach other, but by Mondayeverything seemed to havebeen forgotten and theywere playing again.

However, last night the

younger one attacked theolder one. We managed toget them apart sooner withno damage done (exceptfor my husband who seemsto have come off theworst).

This morning they areplaying again. I really don’tknow what has happened.There does not appear tobe any warning they justsuddenly go for each other.

Do you have anysuggestions.?

SusanHello Susan. Your

problem is common wherefemales are concerned.

As the younger one getsolder she will by naturechallenge the older one asa matter of hierarchy.

Often the fighting iswhen someone in thefamily is present and theybecome jealous. Shoutingonly edges them on.

Quite often it is better torehome one of the dogsotherwise the injuries canbecome nasty and costly.

I am aware you lovethem and emotionally it is akiller, I had the exact sameproblem and rehomed theyounger one.

Regards, David

Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10 thru 11.Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm(San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fmCosta Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza)104.6fm,(Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm

David THE Dogman

Bitches are fighting

FIGHTING: Sometimes better to rehome one of the dogs.

© EWN MEDIA GROUPPROPERTY TRUST

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HIGH-FLYING corporatetravellers form a poten-tially lucrative base ofcustomers, with interestin buying a ‘businesshome’ abroad increasing.

The Global BusinessTravel AssociationFoundation forecasts thatcorporate travel willincrease across Spain, theUK, France, Germany andItaly by 6.6 per cent thisyear, based on last year’sincrease of 4.9 per cent.

A Spanish propertydeveloper based in the UKplans to jump on thattrend, marketing secondhomes in Spain forbusiness people who

often travel to the samearea for work, and whoaren’t keen on living outof hotel rooms.

They see new inter-national trade with Spain’srecovering economy,combined with thestrength of sterlingagainst the euro, lowSpanish property pricesand corporate travellers’yearning for homecomforts, as the idealopportunity to suggestinvesting in a home ratherthan spending on tem-porary accommodation.

A ‘business home’ couldalso prove a sensible,long-term investment.

More business travellersinvest in permanent base

EWN 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical40 www.euroweeklynews.com PROPERTY

THE financial crisis has broughtabout new ways of making endsmeet, some of which had beforeseemed unthinkable or been seenas strange foreign customs.

One such idea is that ofcapsule-accommodation, whichmany in Spain had seen ondocumentaries about Japan andfound rather a strange andclaustrophobic idea.

Yet three such establishmentsin the northern city of Barcelonaare proving they are not quite asbad as they may seem, with notonly tourists and short-termvisitors pouring in the doors butalso people who set up home.

Sergi, a 22-year-old from thecity, has been living in one of the2.5 by 0.9 by 1.4 metre capsulesfor the last two months.

He explained that he initiallywent to a capsule-hostel becausehe was unemployed and unableto afford larger accommodationbut later decided to stay on.

“Now I have found a job but Ilike it here, the atmosphere isgreat and the staff members feellike family” Sergi explained.

While other shared-accommodation may providemore space, Sergi found therewas far more privacy in the

capsules, and as opposed totraditional bunk-beds theyprovided a bed-side shelf, lampand sockets.

Breakfast was included in theprice and residents had access tokitchen facilities.

Hostel Box manager Javier

Velat explained that compared tothe €350 per month a room in aflat or €650 per month a wholeflat can cost, capsules areavailable on long-term offers for€240.

“At the moment we havepeople from Barcelona or Italy

that work here and also foreignstudents that have been here forfour or five months. When theacademic year starts we tend tohave Erasmus students stayinghere while they look for a flat.Some end up staying all year andbecome part of the family,” Velatexplained.

Those that spend shorterperiods of time at the hostelsinclude families, who can rententire rooms with between fourand 14 individual capsules inside,and travelling salesmen.

Velat opened the first capsulehostel in the city two years ago,and explained that although theoriginal idea was copied fromcapsules in Japan, these areslightly different as access isthrough a curtain on one side.

Now the 32-year-old entre-preneur is thinking of takingcapsule hostels to Madrid andother European cities as they gainpopularity day-by-day.

OSAKA: Japanese capsule hotels provided the inspiration.

Vinc

ent S

t. Th

omas

/ Sh

utte

rsto

ck.co

m

Living in a capsule in Barcelonais not quite as bad as it seems

ONE firm of financial experts hasthrown out the caution with whichmost analysts are couching talk of aproperty recovery in Spain andpredicted a fast and dramatic revival.

Presenting his report on Spanisheconomic perspectives, Ignacio de laTorre of financial advisory companyArcano, said: “The recovery of theSpanish property market will takeplace sooner than many forecast,and with higher and quicker pricerises than the market expects.”

De la Torre’s report, which isgenerating a lot of heat in theSpanish press, says there are two

errors driving the consensus thatany recovery will be tentative.

The crisis has left a glut of around600,000 unsold properties, whichmany insist will continue to holddown prices. But De la Torre saysthe most important factor whenconsidering housing stock surplus islocation.

“When you look at the distributionof this excess housing supply, hugediscrepancies can be seen with animportant concentration in regionsthat contribute less than a third ofthe GDP, while in autonomousregions such as Madrid, Catalonia

and the Basque Country, whichaccount for 43 per cent of GDP,supply is below its historic average,”he insists.

The other tenet dismissed by De laTorre is the belief that low householdincomes stand in the way of theproperty market’s recuperation.

He instead points to historicallylow interest rates, the injection ofliquidity from the European CentralBank, and the fact that “a quarter ofthe market is in hands of foreignbuyers with considerably higherincomes” as more significant factorslikely to push prices up.

Fast and strong pricerecovery is forecast

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SPONSORED BYotoring For best rates in motorinsurance call: 952 89 33 80M

WHO needs a driver? Volvothinks they could soon be a thingof the past as it presents its‘complete system solution’ thatmakes it possible to integrateself-driving cars into real traffic -with ordinary people in thedriver’s seat.

“We are entering unchartedterritory in the field ofautonomous driving,” said DrPeter Mertens, Senior Vice Presi-dent Research and Developmentof Volvo Car Group.

“Taking the exciting step to apublic pilot, with the ambition toenable ordinary people to sitbehind the wheel in normaltraffic on public roads, has neverbeen done before.”

Volvo Cars is moving rapidlytowards the aim of placing 100self-driving cars in the hands ofcustomers on selected roads

around Gothenburg by 2017.The public pilot, one-of-a-kindcollaboration between legis-lators, transport authorities, amajor city and a vehiclemanufacturer, is a centralcomponent of Volvo Cars’ planto achieve sustainable mobilityand ensure a crash-free future.

Based on an extensiveanalysis of potential technicalfaults, Volvo Cars has designeda complete production-viableautonomous driving system. Thekey to making this unprece-dented leap is a complexnetwork of sensors, cloud-basedpositioning systems andintelligent braking andsteering technologies.

“Autonomousdriving will

fundamentally change the waywe look at driving. In the future,you will be able to choosebetween autonomous and activedriving,” explained Dr Mertens.“This transforms everydaycommuting from lost time toquality time, opening up newopportunities for work andpleasure.”

Volvo Cars’ Autopilot system isdesigned to be reliable enoughto allow the car to take overevery aspect of driving inautonomous mode. The tech-nology advances a crucial stepbeyond the automotive systems

demonstrated so far since itincludes fault-tolerant systems.

“It is relatively easy to buildand demonstrate a self-drivingconcept vehicle, but if you wantto create an impact in the realworld, you have to design andproduce a complete system thatwill be safe, robust and afford-able for ordinary customers,”said Dr Erik Coelingh, TechnicalSpecialist at Volvo Cars.

“The main challenge is todesign an Autopilot that is robustfor traffic scenarios as well as fortechnical faults that may occur.It cannot be expected that thedriver is ready to suddenlyintervene in a critical situation.

“Making this complex

system 99 per cent reliable is notgood enough. You need to getmuch closer to 100 per centbefore you can let self-drivingcars mix with other road users inreal-life traffic,” Coelingh said.“Here, we have a similarapproach to that of the aircraftindustry. Our fail-operationalarchitecture includes backupsystems that will ensure thatAutopilot will continue to func-tion safely, also if an element ofthe system were to becomedisabled.”

The complete technologysolution shall handle even themost complicated scenarios,from smooth commuting toheavy traffic and emergencies.

SELF-DRIVE: Volvo presents its ‘complete system solution’.

THE new Leon ST CUPRA is aunique combination of topperformance, style and utility, claimthe Spanish manufacturers.

Acceleration from zero to100km/h being just 6.0 secondscombined with 1,470 litres of loadspace in the estate car go someway to back that claim up.

Among journalists and customersalike, the SEAT Leon CUPRA ismuch admired as a Sport Coupéand as a five-door. In the trademedia across Europe, the CUPRAimmediately became a consistentwinner in comparison tests withowners said to love its design.

Jürgen Stackmann, President ofSEAT SA said: “The new Leon STCUPRA is the perfect complementto our high-performance model

line-up. The combination of refinedperformance and expressivedynamics with relaxed long-distance comfort and compellingutility make it utterly unique.

“The Leon ST CUPRA shows theSEAT brand values at their best. Weare proud of the technicalexcellence and quality it conveys.”

A concentrated package of hi-tech guarantees the performance ofthe car. At the top is the 2.0 TSIengine with dual injection andvariable camshaft timing.Depending on the version, itdelivers an output of 195kW/265 PSor 206kW/280 PS.

The DCC dynamic chassis control,the front differential lock, theprogressive steering, the CUPRADrive Profile and the standard-fit

full-LED headlamps are furtherexamples of its state-of-the-arttechnologies.

The sportiness of the Leon STCUPRA can be further enhancedwith the optional PerformancePack. It includes a high-performance four piston Brembobrake system with 370 x 32mmperforated front discs, exclusive 19”rims (with a choice of Black orOrange) with Michelin Pilot SportCup 2 tyres and side trim strips.

Dr Matthias Rabe, Vice Presidentfor Research and Development,said: “We have invested a greatdeal in the fine details to ensure theLeon CUPRA has the same ride andthe same athleticism in its estateform – but with plenty of additionalutility.”

A speedy and spacious family car

Self-driving cars a reality

By James Warren

WHILE the MotoGPseason is still a few weeksaway, the WorldSuperbike season kickedoff for the first round atPhilip Island in Australia.In a field packed full ofBrits and a very specialwildcard appearance, it allshaped up to be a specialweekend of racing.

The big news of theweekend was that the

legend Troy Bayliss wasmaking a sensationalreturn to racing, replacingthe injured DavideGiugliano in the Aruba.itDucati team. It was hisfirst competitive WSBKrace since 2008, where hepicked up his third titlewith the samemanufacturer.

Kawasaki’s JonathanRea would start from poleafter a dramaticSuperpole session that

saw him take pole fromWelshman Chaz Davies by0.026 seconds.

Race one proved to bejust as spectacular withthe front three tradingplaces throughout thewhole race.

The victory went to theUlsterman Rea after anepic last lap battle withHaslam, taking the victoryby just 0.039 seconds.The podium was an allBritish affair with Daviestaking third on the Ducati.

Reigning WorldChampion Tom Sykescame home in sixthposition and fellow BritAlex Lowes, who hadshown blistering pacethroughout warm-up, hada nightmare weekend,suffering technical issues

aboard the Suzuki thatwould see him finish ninthin race one and a DNF inrace two.

Race two took off whererace one finished, with thesame three fighting for thevictory throughout. Victoryspoils, however, went toLeon Haslam after draftingRea over the finish line totake the win by 0.001seconds, denying Rea asuperb double win on hisKawasaki debut.

Troy Bayliss would havean emotional weekend,finishing 13th and 16threspectively but sufferingfrom tyre issues allweekend, the hightemperatures of the PhilipIsland tarmac provingtricky for the Ducati’sPirelli rubber.

SPORTEWN www.euroweeklynews.com48 26 February - 4 March 2015 / Axarquía - Costa Tropical

S Axarquía’s best guide to local sportport

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TROY BAYLISS: Sensational but emotional return.

Troy

_Bay

liss_

SBK_

2006

World Superbike kicks off in Oz

Clarke to lead EuropeDarren Clarke will captain

Europe in next year’s Ryder Cup.

euro weekly news - axarquia 26 february - 4 march 2015 issue 1547

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