euro weekly news - costa blanca south 16 - 22 january 2014 issue 1489

BUSINESSES and residentsare up in arms over plans toclose off two roads at theLa Zenia roundabout.

They have drawn up apetition to object to thescheme, which they say willmake it hard for locals andcustomers to reachbusinesses and severalurbanisations.

Interested parties haveuntil Monday to registertheir objections.

Within days of the newsbreaking that the Ministeriode Fomento - the depart-ment for development andinfrastructure - wanted toclose Calle Maestro Torralbaand Calle Alhambra, whichlead to several businessesand urbanisations, a crisismeeting was called atPaddys Point.

Owner Hazel Connorsaid: It will cut off all the

businesses, making themless accessible and issimply going to escalate thevolume of traffic on theother road. Its crazy.

She added that even themanager of the Consumsupermarket wassupporting their petition asclosure of Calle MaestroTorralba would preventdelivery lorries reaching thestore.

Concerned groups andindividuals held a meetingwith Councillor for the

Coast, Martina Scheurer,who stressed that

Turn to Page 4

16 - 22 JANUARY 2014 WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COMISSUE NO. 1489

Projectsparalysed

NEARLY a dozen majorprojects, with budgetstotalling an estimated73.4 million, havebeen paralysed inAlicante. Defaults andlack of funds are said tobe mainly to blame.

Hurt in blazeA WOMAN wasinjured in a housefire in Santa Eulaliade Murcia. Fourteenfirefighters weresent to the scene andneighbouring pro-perties evacuated.

Jobs foundELCHE created morejobs than any othermunicipality in theValencian Communityin 2013, with 2,314fewer jobless than ayear ago.

FRONT EXTRAEWN

EWNGETS IT.com

Businesses in uproarover road closures

THE Health Ministry has banned requests fororgan or tissue donations for specific patients.

The National Transplant Organisation haspointed out that the law already existed butthat the ministry has now made it completelyclear.

The aim is to control information and preventcampaigns which explicitly request donationsfor a particular patient, whether they comefrom foundations or relatives. More importantlyit aims to prevent requests for donations fromcompanies and organisations seeking to profit,

and the use of false, misleading or erroneousinformation.

To launch a campaign to request a donation,authorisation must be requested from theregional government or from the NationalTransplant Organisation.

NEWSEWN 16 - 22 January 2014 / Costa Blanca South www.euroweeklynews.com2

THIS WEEK IN

EWN

News1 - 20

Finance23 - 28

Letters29

Leapy Lee39

Daily TV

Health &Beauty50 - 51

Time out53 - 56

Classifieds75 - 77

Sport79 - 80

Health Ministry bans campaigns seeking donors

Thu 30Fri 32 Sat 34

Sun 36Mon 38Tues 40

Wed 42

Sports city isan attraction

TRAINING: Future athletes in the making at Torreviejas Sports City.

THE number of visitors and users ofTorreviejas Sports City nearly doubledin 2013 over the previous year, andexpectations are even higher for 2014.

Last year 6,156 athletes trained atthe 300,000 square metre complex,1,801 of whom were internationalvisitors, mainly from Northern Europe.

A total of 40 different teams andclubs chose the facilities as their newtraining and sports camp in 2013according to councillor for Sport, Luis

Mara Pizana. Accompanied by head ofthe Sports Tourism Unit, FranciscoJavier Lpez, at the FITUR tourism fairin Madrid, he said the aim was tofurther develop the Sports City as aunique brand in the national andinternational market for sportstourism.

In doing so, the destination ofTorrevieja could be positioned withinglobal sports tourism as a benchmarkof quality, service and excellence.

N Saturday, the simultaneous chimingof 25 church bells in Toledo willannounce the start of the Greco 2014year.

The year will include a set of unique events tocommemorate 400 years since the death of thefamous painter from Crete, who lived in Toledoprior to his death on April 7, 1614, and left thecity a legacy of paintings which has inspiredartists ever since.

One hundred people will coordinate the bells ofthe 25 churches in a unique symphony directedby Valencian musician Llorenc Barber, thePresident of the El Greco 2014 Board, GregorioMaraon, announced.

It has taken three years and 15 million toorganise the activities and exhibitions organisedin Toledo, Madrid and Valladolid focusing on the

artist, whichhope to attractapproximately onemillion visitors.

They include two exhibitions in the city, the firststarting on March 14 with 80 works of art fromthe worlds main collections, and the second onSeptember 8, which will focus on how the artistworked.

There will be another exhibition at the NationalSculpture Museum in Valladolid from June 5, andfrom June 24, at the Prado Museum, Madrid, anexhibition will focus on the influence El Greco hadon modern painting.

The presentation of the complete programmeof activities was held at the Prado Museum.

For more information, visitwww.elgreco2014.com.

Foreigner frenzyA TOTAL of 107,492 peoplewere registered on the padronof Torrevieja as of January 1,2014. Over half, 53.1 per cent,were foreign residents.

Wine salesTHE sale of wines from Jumillaincreased 14 per cent lastyear, with around 24 millionbottles sold by wineries thatfall under the DenominacionOrigin (DO) of Jumilla.

Instagram compA MOBILE photographycompetition is being launchedin Torrevieja to run alongsidetheir Carnival fiestas. Entrantscan be made from February 1- March 1 via Instagram, usingthe hashtag#carnavaldetorrevieja2014.

Youth expoTORREVIEJAS thirdExpoJuventud will take placeon March 27 - 28 at theInternational MusicAuditorium.

Rugby trainingMEMBERS of the OxfordUniversity rugby team havevisited Torreviejas Sports Cityfor training sessions withtrainer Richard Draper.

Vision of colourARTIST Carlos Vera hasopened his new exhibitionMy Vision of Colour inTorreviejas Vista Alegreexhibition centre. It is onuntil February 2.

Bounced offA FOUR-YEAR-OLD boy wastaken to Murcias La Arrixacahospital in a serious conditionafter strong winds blew himoff a bouncy castle. His friendwas also blown off but onlysuffered from bruising.

Going naturalNATURAL GAS CEGAS is toinvest more than 370,000 inAlgorfa to build a 2.5kmnetwork to bring natural gasenergy source to more than190 homes and businesses..

AENA and its subsidiary AenaAeropuertos has been fined morethan 900,000 by the NationalCommission for Markets andCompetition (CNMC), the Spanishequivalent of the MonopoliesCommission, following aninvestigation into price fixing.

The investigation looked atforbidden practices which hinder

free market competition into the carrental sector.

Eleven car rental companies havealso been fined a total of 2.2million for taking part in the samepractices at airports all over Spain.Alicante-Elche and Murcia wereamong the airports named in thelist.

The Commission found that

commercially sensitive informationwas exchanged by car rentalcompanies at the airports with thenecessary collaboration of Aenaover a period of 13 years up toSeptember 2012. This is treated bythe CNMC as a very serious offence.

Among the rental companiesfined are Hertz (519,000) andEuropcar (over 830,000).

And finally...A BARCELONA company director has beensentenced to three-and-a-half-years in prison foraccessing the e-mails of two employees andtelling his superiors that they were homosexuals.He told his superiors that the men wereinfirm.

I dont know of any law that hasnt beenmodified during parliamentary procedures,otherwise it would be a decree, Minister of Justice, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon,regarding the draft abortion law, which he saidwould have some improvements.

per cent of internet users in Spain areon Facebook, according to yearly data

released by the social networking site, whichclaims to have 1.19 billion users worldwide.Facebook has 12 million daily users in Spainand 18 million monthly users.

58

NEWS 16 - 22 January 2014 / Costa Blanca Southwww.euroweeklynews.com 3EWN

ewswatchN

Quote of the Week

Car rental price fixers...Toy store raidedTWO Toys R Us storeswere raided by burglarsduring the Three Kingsfiestas. Two men broke intothe safe in Sant JoandAlacant, but weredisturbed by security guardsin the Elche store.

Street lightingLOS ALCAZARES has initiateda new contract for streetlighting which the councilclaims will save them300,000 a year by usingenergy saving light bulbs.

Ravine cleanedORIHUELAS La Aparecidaravine has been cleaned bya team formed by the hiringof those registered asunemployed.

Money savingORIHUELA is planning tosave up to 300,000 a yearon electricity bills in publicbuildings after hiring acompany dedicated to theenergy certification ofbuildings in accordancewith regulations and the

aid of European funding.

Child abuseA COUPLE are beingquestioned over allegedmistreatment of their baby.The seven-month old infantwas taken to La Arrixacahospital in Murcia where thedoctor raised the alarm.

Reading awardTHE public library of SanJavier has received the Awardfor Reading, granted by theMinistry of Culture, thelibrarys values and cam-paigns to promote reading.

Number of the week

TOLEDO: The painter lived in the city until his death.

Its the yearof El Greco

O


Cartagenahouse fire

FIREFIGHTERS attendeda fire at a property inAvenida Nueva Carta-gena, Cartagena. The fireis believed to havestarted in a clothes dryer.There was no one in thehouse at the time.

Murcia RTATWO people wereinjured in a trafficaccident on the A-30in Murcia, close tothe Makro shoppingcentre. The two weretaken to hospitalsuffering fromwhiplash and facialinjuries.

Fewer deathsTHERE were only threedeaths from trafficaccidents in Alicante in2013, five fewer than in2012.

NEWS EXTRA

A DRINK-DRIVING campaigncarried out at the start of theyear by police in Murcia, saw3,305 breath tests carried out.Of these, 73 (2.26 per cent)were positive.

One driver was arrestedfollowing a traffic accident afterdriving under the influence ofalcohol. The accident happenedin Campos del Rio, close to theaccess roundabout for the

RM-15. The driver and soleoccupant of the car were unhurtbut the driver was six times overthe legal limit for alcohol.

The offence of driving underthe influence of alcohol at rates

higher than 0.60 milligrams ispunishable with imprisonmentof three to six months, a fine,community service of up to 90days or a driving ban of up tofour years.

Drink driver in accident

FORTY people have been arrested aspart of a doping racket acrossAlicante and Valencia. Those arrestedare accused of distributingperformance-enhancing drugs inamateur gyms across the provinces.

Two operations were carried out bythe National Police in collaborationwith the Spanish Agency for HealthProtection in Sport, and housesearches found more than 200,000doses of performance-enhancingdrugs, 1.7 kilos of speed, 600marihuana plants, two guns and fakecash in a home in Vergel, Alicante,

During 2013, the National Policeintensified its fight against thesesubstances and carried out over 100investigations, resulting in the arrestof 178 people.

Doping gang40 arrested

From Front Pagethe plans had not come from Orihuela

Town Hall but from the ministry,who claim the area is a black spotwith 44 accidents in the last twoyears. With residents, lawyers andadministrators present, theyrefuted this figure and called formore evidence to back it up and fora more detailed report.

The councillor denied that thepublic notice about the plans wasposted on Christmas Eve deliberatelyto limit the time available forresidents to lodge their objections.

The town hall intends to suggest that theroads be made one way rather than beclosed completely.

Anger overroad closures

CONCERN: Residents and businesses meet withcouncillors to discuss the ministrys plans. Inset: PLANS: Two roads off La Zeniaroundabout may face closure.


THE couple alleging an assault by securityguards in Torrevieja have returned totheir native France.

The two were on holiday in the area

with their two children, aged five and 13,over the Christmas period and wereshopping when one of the security alarmswas set off as they left the store.

Security guards checkedtheir bags and asked themto go to a private room forfurther searches wherenothing was found.

They then proceeded tospit on them, restrainthem and beat them infront of their two children,with the eldest childrecording the attack on hismobile phone.

Security guardsattack shoppers

LOCAL POLICE in Orihuelaarrested two men forhaving a marihuanaplantation in a home on theOrihuela Costa.

The two brothers weretravelling in a car whenthey spotted a policecontrol point. Seeing thepolice, they stopped the carabruptly and one ran offwith a bag in his hand.

Noticing the smell ofmarihuana in the car, policemade chase in pursuit ofthe man who had fled.

He was caught near aproperty reported anony-mously to police as possiblyhaving drugs inside.

Marihuana grownon Orihuela Costa


THE motion of censure which wouldhave brought about the departure ofthe present government in Orihuelaand the arrival of a Popular Party -Centro Liberal Renovador (CLR)government was not put to the vote at

the special plenary meeting.It was blocked by the co-presidency,

comprising the most senior and mostjunior councillors, who considered thatthe two CLR councillors, Pedro Manceboand Juan Ignacio Lopez Bas,

whose votes were necessary to provide amajority for the motion, were notauthorised to sign because of theirexpulsion by the Coalition CLR-CLARO onDecember 26. Like the two councillors,

Bob Houliston and Asuncion

Mayoral, expelled from the CLR-CLAROgroup by Pedro Mancebo in 2011 and2012 respectively, the two councillorsexpelled from the Coalition on December26 no longer belong to the politicalformation they were elected on, and assuch they cannot vote in a motion ofcensure to bring down the government.

The co-presidents of the councilmeeting, Bob Houliston (C.L.A.R.O.) andCarolina Gracia (Socialist Party) plus theSecretary General justified their decisionto block the vote on the motion onstrictly legal grounds.

No change of government forOrihuela as motion blocked

Car fire sparksexplosion alert

THE quick action of firefighters in Mula,Murcia, prevented a car fire spreading andcausing a potential explosion.

The Audi 100 was reported as being onfire in the city, but sparked alarm whenemergency services arrived to find it parkedjust metres from Repsol Butano gas bottles.

Live war shell found inSan Bartoleme home

A SHELL from the Spanish Civil Warhas been found in a private housein the village of San Bartolome.

Orihuelas Local Police were onroutine patrol in the area when aneighbour said they had an oldbullet in their garage and askedwhat they could do with it. Officersentered the property and found theobject, which appeared to beartillery ammunition from aroundthe time of the Civil War. Officers

contacted the Guardia CivilBomb Disposal Team whoverified it was a shell from the1930s. It was live and capableof causing serious damage.

It was wrapped inprotective casing andremoved from the house.

LIVE: Shell from Civil Warcould have caused a lot ofdestruction.


HOSPITALS across the Valencia Regioncarried out a total of 410 transplantsduring 2013 - two per cent more thanthe previous year.

Regional Minister of Health, ManuelLlombart, noted that last year theregion achieved record figures inkidney transplants, with 237operations carried out, made possible

by living and deceased donors.Transplant operations have

increased in part thanks to theimprovement in the maintenance andpreservation of organs and donorprogrammes.

There are currently around 500patients on transplant waiting lists, some320 of them waiting for a kidney.

THE number of illegalimmigrants enteringMurcia last year wasthe lowest recordedsince 2008.

A total of 167immigrants weredetained off thecoastline in 2013; a

fall of 74.8 per centcompared to 2008when 663 attemptedto enter the province.Just 16 boats weredetected last year, adecline of the 77 seenin 2008.

The regions figures

fell thanks in part tothe installation of avigilance system in2009 which uses anetwork of radarslocated along thecoast which workalongside customsand Guardia Civil.

410 transplantsachieved in 2013

Illegal immigrantnumbers are down


Entrepreneurschool inElche enjoysstrong yearELCHES School ofIndustrial Organisation(EOI) trained more than300 people in its firstyear; exceeding itsexpectations.

Working withEuropean Funds, theschool offers coursesand training for thoselooking at setting uptheir own business, or toenable them to adapttheir profession to thecurrent economicsituation.

Study moveTHE University ofAlicante (UA) hasupdated its agreementwith the ErasmusCharter, allowingstudents to move andstudy at other uni-versities across Europe.

Computer labA COMPUTER lab is tobe developed withinRojales Municipallibrary, to promote theuse of technology andcommunication amongcitizens of all ages.

THE equivalent of 1,079.10 perinhabitant will be spent on the MurciaHealth Service during 2014.

This is a 3.6 per cent increase on2013, but is still below the nationalaverage for health for the year.

According to the Federation ofAssociations for the Defence of thePublic Health Service (FADSP)

Murcias figure is the fourthlowest in Spain. TheValencian Community fallsbehind Murcia (1,079),with the Balearics andAndalucia at the bottom .

The highest amount is tobe spent in the BasqueCountry with a budget of1,541.70 per person.

FADSP warn the amountof money for the healthservice is insufficient.

Below average healthspend for Murcia people

Palm weevil preventionPRUNING of Torreviejas palm trees is underway to prevent thespread of the red palm weevil, which can prove to be fatal to thetrees.

Councillor for Parks and Gardens, Carmen Gmez Candel, saidpruning will continue until the end of February according toguidelines set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food forthe control and eradication of the red palm weevil.

NEWS EXTRA


Cruising inAlicante

ALICANTES Port isexpecting to receive 18cruise liners before the endof June, bringing 32,234tourists; representing 75per cent of all cruisepassengers in 2013.

Italian showsFOOTWEAR companiesfrom Elche and Elda arein Italy presenting theirnew autumn-wintercollections at the ExpoRiva Schuh in Riva delGarda.

NEWS EXTRA

THE maximum family incomethreshold for universityscholarships has been

increased by 10 per cent. Thisyear the regional governmenthas increased the amount of

state aid given to students to16.9 million with more than35,000 students receiving

grants; one in three in theuniversity system.

The new income thresholdsfor a family of one member is15,839, for two members,27,073 for three; 36,744; forfour, 43,846; for five,47,778.

The regional councillor forEducation, Maria Jose Catalastressed the set changes are toserve a larger number ofapplicants and the Govern-ment shows strong support forhelping college students,especially those with fewereconomic resources to continuetheir higher education on anequal basis as other students.

7.5m for education WORK and improvements totalling nearly7.5 million were concluded on numerouseducational centres across the Murcia Regionin the third quarter of 2013.

Thirty-three programmes of work werecarried out from building new nurseries tobetter health facilities and electricalinstallations and the provision of newinfrastructure.

Uni scholarships accessible

THE process to demolish sixillegal houses on Tabarca Islandhas begun.

Workers have visited theproperties to try and access thehouses but were either refused orthe owners were not present.

Licences for the houses wereinitially granted in 1999, but werethen annulled at a later date.

Six houses tobe demolished


Habaneracommittee

THE organising committeefor the commemorative60th anniversary of theHabanera and Polyphonycontest in Torrevieja hasbeen appointed.

Flipper comp TORREVIEJAS Olympicsized swimming poolhas hosted the FirstFederated Control withSwimming Fins eventwith the participationof over 150 swimmersfrom four clubs in theprovince using flippers.

Market digARCHAEOLOGISTS areworking in Elches Plaza dela Fruita ahead of thebuilding of the new CentralMarket, which is standardprocedure in areas withhistorical background.

NEWS EXTRA

THE numbers of passengerstravelling through San Javierairport grew by 31.5 per cent lastmonth, the second consecutivemonth of passenger increases.

In December, 28,603passengers used the airport,which confirmed the upwardtrend that began in November,when it grew by 14.3 per cent.

Alicante-Elche airport also saw arise last month of 16.5 per cent.

A total of 187.3 millionpassengers passed throughairports in the Aena network

from January to December2013, representing a fall of 3.5per cent according to 2012figures released by the airportmanager.

More passengers for San Javier

ELCHES new mammogramscanner arrives on Mondayand will take around fivedays to install.

Specialist radiographerswill work in the publichealth system in two shiftsto begin using the newmammography technologyto help in the preventionand early detection ofbreast cancer.

Around 90 mammo-grams a day can be carriedout using the new machinewhich has been introducedafter a fault on the previousone. Its break down inSeptember has delayed thetesting of around 4,000women.

Newscanner

FOG patches descended lastweek as Alicante provincehad a very strange start tothe year in terms of itsweather.

There were dayscomprising temperaturesreaching highs of 24 degreesand lows of zero degrees.

The unusual weatherbrought dangerous andspooky fog banks alongcoastal areas forming scenesmore reminiscent to aCharles Dickens Londonimage than the usual CostaBlanca's sunny beaches.

No incidents or accidentswere reported and therewere no changes in air trafficat Alicante-Elche airport.

Sunshinethen fog THE winner of Torreviejas

Christmas campaign has beenannounced.

The winning ticket, drawn inthe town hall, belongs to MaraSocorro Najar Guirao who winsvouchers totalling almost 7,000to spend in shops and services inthe city.

The campaign, organised bythe Association of Small andMedium Retailers (APYMECO)along with the city of Torrevieja,through its Department ofCommerce saw 35,000 ticketsdistributed to nearly 70employers participating in thiscampaign to ensure localshopping.

Winner announced

LUCKY CALL: Mayor EduardoDoln calls winner Mara.


Music coursefor adults

A MUSIC course foradults is available inTorrevieja for those whowould like to learn toread music and play aninstrument. All levelsare welcome, with thecourse costing 40.Call: 606 215 409 oremail for [email protected]

Strictly socialmembers

THE Strictly SocialClub welcomes newmembers. They meettwice on the secondand fourth Wed-nesday of the monthat the New AsturiasRestaurant, PuntaPrima. Please callBrian on 678 807159 for moreinformation.

NEWS EXTRA Singerswanted tojoin choir

CANTABILE female voicechoir is looking for newmembers.

The choir is a sociablegroup of around 24 ladieswho take their musicseriously and rehearseevery Friday from 3-5pmat La Siesta Church withMusical Director, JenniferMorton.

Their repertoire variesfrom religious andclassical to traditional,folk and popular songsand Jennifer producestraining CDs to help theladies learn the music.

They perform at leasttwo major concerts eachyear and help raisemoney for various localcharities.

For more informationcall Jennifer on 966 796866 or email [email protected] orfeel free to pop along torehearsals.

SOME 3 million will be investedto renew the projection hall atMadrid Planetarium.

This is thanks to an agreementreached with bank La Caixassocial branch, by Madrid Mayor,Ana Botella.

The aim of the agreement isfor both La Caixa and the cityhall to collaborate in divulgingknowledge and promotingscientific vocation.

The activities on offer at theplanetarium, opened in 1986,

will be increased, and there willbe more conferences, publicastronomy events, exhibitionsand workshops.

The centre receivesapproximately 150,000 visitorsper year.

FOOTLIGHTS YouthTheatre Group is bringingits production of WestSide Story to Torrevieja

on Saturday February 22at the Teatro Municipal.Inspired by Shakes-peares Romeo and Juliet,

it tells the story of NewYork rival street gangsthe Jets and the Sharks.

This is the second time

Torrevieja Costa LionsClub has been associatedwith the Footlights YouthTheatre Group. Last yearthe theatre sold out inadvance, for theirperformance of Cats theMusical. All profits fromthis performance will bedonated by the Lions toReach Out in Torrevieja;a charity which providesfor needy and homelesspeople of Torrevieja.

Tickets are now on saleat 12 and are expectedto sell out quickly for theone night only show.Purchase from theatrebox office from 6-8pmTuesday to Friday or viawww.instanticket.es.

3 million investment for planetarium

West Side in Torrevieja

NEW 10 notes will come intocirculation on September 23.

The new notes will be harder toforge and last longer, according toYves Mersch, a member of theEuropean Central Banks ExecutiveCommittee.

New 5 notes came intocirculation in May 2013, more than10 years after the euro was firstintroduced. The European CentralBank has said that all notes will bechanged in ascending order.

The new notes have a hologramand a watermark with the image ofEuropa, a character from Greekmythology, and they have aprotective coat which will makethem stronger, so that they have tobe replaced less frequently, whichwill reduce costs and the impact onthe environment.

They will have a number, thecolour of which changes fromemerald green to dark blue as thenote is turned.

New 10 notes this year


Export ofmelonsincreasedMURCIAS melons provedpopular overseas.

The Region produced223,668 tonnes of the fruitin 2013 and exported 87per cent of that total. Thevalue of these exportsexceeded 133 million lastyear. In the last 10 yearsthe Spanish melon exportsincreased by 19 per cent,while Murcias were up 58per cent.

Murcias melons weresold in 2013 in 16 countriesof the European Union withFrance, Germany, UK andthe Netherlands, receiving84 per cent of exports.

STUCK for something to impress theone you love on Valentines Day?

Look no further, Vivaquartet isoffering you the chance toserenade your loved one with a

romantic song and they can evendeliver a red rose, chocolates anda card. If you live within a 30 kmradius of Los Alczares and youwould like to mark Valentines Day

with something different, just getin touch and they will do the rest.Prices start at 25.

Call 607 550 717 or [email protected].

FOLLOWING on from Stagestrucksrecent success with the pantomimeJack and the Beanstalk, the theatregroup proudly announce their nextproduction will be Ancient Grease.

Many people have seen the showbefore and have asked to see it againso it is back by popular demand andfor new audiences if you loved Grease,Stagestruck say you will absolutelylove Ancient Grease.

The company would like to extend awarm welcome to anyone who wouldlike to join the cast.

They have parts for all ages andauditions will be held on Tuesday at11am and next Thursday at 6.30pm.

For more information on the show orthe auditions call Stella on 965 076700.

Valentines Day with a difference

Stagestrucks nextshow auditioning

STAGESTRUCK: Join the fun with theirnext show.

MABS Cancer SupportGroup, which reliesentirely on donations,has praised localcommunities for theircontinued supportduring 2013, includingthree local bars thathave been raising fundsthroughout the year:The Arches, LosAlcazares, Time OutSports Bar in San Javier,and Diamantes Restau-rant at El Mojon.

Two MABS volunteers,Val and Malcolm Vickery,run a book stall at TheArches every Saturdaymorning and have builtup a regular following ofcustomers.

With books selling foronly one euro each,the total raisedfor the yearwas anincredible7,068 euros.Wendy Grant,FundraisingCo-Ordinator forMABS, presented AliChaplin, owner of TheArches, with a

Certificate ofAppreciation, and

thanked Ali forallowing MABS to

use herpremises andfor raising somuch money.

At Time OutSports Bar in

San Javier,owners Gary and

Sue Greenaway haveheld raffles at some oftheir event evenings,and Race Afternoons aswell as having a bookstall, and raised 1,002euros in 2013. JanetBell, Area Co-Ordinatorfor MABS, presentedSue and Gary with aCertificate of Appre-ciation.

The Ladies Lunch Clubat Diamantes Restaurantraised 1,382 euros forMABS during the year.Diamantes owner, KarlaFuller, presented JanetBell, Area Co-Ordinator,MABS, with a cheque,and said; MABS is sucha worthwhile charity andwe have customers who

have been helped bythem, so I am delightedwe have been able tohelp, and will continuedoing so this year.

MABS Cancer SupportGroup helps anyoneaffected by cancer, andcan help with coun-

selling, driving patientsto hospital, translating,and caring.

There is a 24 hrhelpline available.

For information call693 275 779. Forevents information,call 634 362 826.


THE CampoverdeTheatre Group willstage its annualpantomime at the Casade Cultura, San Miguelde Salinas, on Friday 7,Saturday 8, andSunday 9 February.This years productionwill be The Adventuresof Robinson Crusoe.

SMILE Charity Group is to hold acharity fundraising Rock n Roll eventon Wednesday, January 22, 2014 atthe Restaurante El Alto de Dolores,featuring Woody & the Peckers.

The Groups Norman Love saidprevious such events have been soldout, and have raised considerablesums for charity. He hopes everyonewill give their support this time round.

Smile charity fundraiser

RobinsonCrusoe

Local bars do it forMABS support group!

Karla Fuller, owner of Diamantes presenting Janet Bell with a cheque.

Janet Bell, Area Co-Ordinator presenting Sue andGary Greenaway, Time Out Sports Bar with theirCertificate.

MABS helps

anyoneaffected

by cancer


Cartagenatours

ENGLISH tours aroundCartagena take place thenext three Saturdays from11am. Booking for thethree-hour tours arerequired; call 650 017 327.

Help needed K9 animal charity islooking for newvolunteers and peoplewilling to adopt orfoster the growingnumber of dogs andcats in their care. Call600 84 54 20 or visitwww.k9club.es.

Free walkON Saturday San Pedrodel Pinatar is hosting afree, family-friendly walkaround the Regional Park,starting at 11am in theVisitors Centre. Partici-pation is free.

NEWS EXTRA

TWENTY-FIVE years ago,Iigo and Nieves had ababy boy born withEpidermolisis Bullosa (EB),known as butterfly skinas it was as fragile as abutterflys wing.

In intensive care for fivemonths, his parentstravelled to the UK wherethey met the President ofDEBRA UK, a specialistcharity for ButterflyChildren who provided

them with informationand support. After fiveyears of struggling theycreated DEBRA Spain, tosupport other families intheir situation.

Now, having celebratedthe charitys 20thanniversary last year,when a butterfly baby isborn, a team of twonurses, a psychologist anda social worker fromDEBRA Spain, travels to

the hospital wherever thebaby is in Spain to provideinformation and assis-tance both to the familyand the medical team.

From that momentonwards, the ButterflyChildren Charity is alwaysthere by their sideproviding social andmedical care, informationand emotional support.

Key to DEBRA Spainsdevelopment has been

DEBRA Spain; 20 years of caringcharity shops like the onesin Pueblo Bravo and LaMarina. They havecontributed and helpedprogrammes and servicesavailable for Butterfly

Children and their familiesin Spain, such as theRespite Home in Marbella,National Family Meetingand the Outreach project.

Visit www.debra.es.

THE Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre inRojales has gone global; their story hasrecently been featured in Australiannewspaper The Brisbane Courier.

The charity was wondering why they hadstarted receiving donations and requests forFaiths Diary and their DVD The Story So Farfrom the other side of the world when theydiscovered a piece had been written by thecharitys supporter, Australian Koren Helbig.

www.easyhorsecare.net or 965 967 033.

Charity goesdown under

THE BEGINNING: Sue Weedingwith Lucero, first horse rescued.


Appreciationcertificate

TIME OUT Sports Bar inSan Javier last year raised1,002 through events forMABS Mar Menor cancersupport group and werepresented with aCertificate of Appreciationby the charity.

Busy bookstallA BOOKSTALL run bytwo MABS Mar Menorvolunteers raised over7,000 last year for thecancer charity byselling books everySaturday for just 1 atThe Arches, LosAlcazares.

Fiesta funFIFTY beneficiariesattended a party at theAge Concern Centre, LaSiesta, for the Three Kingsfiesta. Entertainment wasby Jan Davidson.

NEWS EXTRA

A LADIES lunch club,hosted by DiamantesRestaurant in ElMojon, has beenraising money for thecancer support charityMABS Mar Menor.

In 2013, the groupsmonthly raffles raiseda total of 1,382.

Karla Fuller, ownerof Diamantes Restau-rant, presented thecheque to Janet Bell,Area Co-ordinator forMABS, saying: MABSis such a worthwhilecharity and we havecustomers who havebeen helped by themso I am delighted wehave been able tohelp, and willcontinue doing so thisyear.

Lunchladies

do it forMABS

Review byJiminy Cricket

THE Rojales PantoGroup performed SnowWhite to a packed houseat the School of Music inLos Montesinos.

The group had justdays to rehearse hastily-revised parts and linesafter the tragic loss ofone of the leadingladies, but in trueshowbiz spirit, theycarried on anddedicated Snow Whiteto their friend and fellowperformer.

Chamberlain Potts(Thelma Judson)opened the show,reminding us all how eviland bossy the wickedqueen was. This wascertainly the case, asthe evil queen (MichelleMartin) stepped outonto the stage and intrue panto style, wasgreeted with manyhisses and boos.

The slave in the mirror(Christine Smith) spokein a cleverly writtenrhyme and also had toquickly step into the partof Ingles, one of theidiotic tailors, and did avery admirable job of it,considering the tragiccircumstances.

The other tailor,Cortes (Pam Derbyshire)played her part with

much enthusiasm, andtogether they made avery credible comedyduo.

Dame Nanny MaryMcPhee (Barry Cox)really camped it upwhilst India Martin andTina Sinclair playedSnow White and herprince, Plain Rupert,with the seven dwarfsplayed by students from

Footwork Dance.All this came together

with cleverly writtensongs performed by anenthusiastic chorus. Theshow wasnt without itsfaults; there were a fewtechnical hitches andlines missed but thegroup ad-libbed theirway out of it and theaudience went awaythoroughly entertained.

All hail Snow White

CURTAIN CALL: Snow White and her prince with some of the dwarfs.


GUARDIA CIVIL have dismantleda criminal organisation whichoffered false work contracts inexchange for money.

Throughout Spain, 408 peoplehave been charged and 14arrested in the operation whichwas carried out in almost 30

cities, including Malaga,Algeciras, Granada, Valencia,Alicante, Murcia, Castellon, andthe island of Mallorca.

Those charged include peoplewho paid for the contracts,knowing they were false, in

order to obtainunemployment benefits,residency permits and lessstrict prison regimes.

Guardia Civil, SocialSecurity, work inspectors andthe tax agency collaborated inthe operation.

The gangs leader was basedin Jerez de la Frontera andcreated phantom companies,most of which had drug addictswith extensive criminal recordsnamed as sole administrators.They were given money inexchange for allowing theirname to be put on officialdocuments. Some members ofstaff at the Social SecurityTreasury were involved in thefraud.

The 10 companies hadnumerous employees on theirpayroll but did not pay taxes,Social Security or other fees,which led to the suppositionthat they had no activity orincome, suggesting they werecreated solely to register falseemployees.

The network, and especiallythe leader, obtained largequantities of money paid bythe workers which wassupposedly to cover SocialSecurity, taxes, etc. This costthe administration 2.6million.

Police charge 408 people inbogus work contract enquiry

THE Alhambra Palace in Granadareceived 2.3 million visitors in2013, its best year ever.

This was 2.42 per cent morevisitors than in 2012, helping theArab fortress and palacecomplex retain its position asSpains most visited monument,and the main tourist attraction inAndalucia.

Takings amounted to 27million, thanks to an average of

1,325 per day to the Alhambra.The results for 2013 were

presented by the DirectorGeneral of the Alhambra andGeneralife Board, Maria del MarVillafranca, having beencollected by their SustainabilityLaboratory.

Taking into account thevisitors who accessed theAlhambra not to see themonument, but to attend one of

the cultural events held there,the numbers rise to 3,244,847people.

Sixty-one per cent ofindividual visitors were Spanish,aged between 26 and 50, withuniversity studies and aprofessional job. Meanwhile theaverage visitor with a tour wasfrom the EU (31 per cent), over50, with higher education andretired.

Newfocus inMarta

murder POLICE are checking thelocation of mobile phonesbelonging to MiguelCarcao, the confessedkiller of Sevilla teenager,Marta del Castillo.

The aim is to establishwhether there is any link tothe Finca Majaloba, in LaRinconada, Sevilla, wherein his last confession, theseventh to date, heclaimed she was buried.

Marta, 17, went missingon January 24, 2009.

A search of the propertywith ground-penetratingradar last summer showedthat trenches had beendug in the area.

Once the corn had beenharvested a more in-depthsearch was undertaken,but any signs of recentdigging coincided with thelaying of a pipeline.

He had previously givenseveral different versionsabout where the body wasdumped including theGuadalquivir River, arubbish dump, and twolocations on the outskirtsof Sevilla.

Police have asked forinformation from theGuadalquivir WaterDepartment aboutchannels in the area.

The Alhambras best yearRECORD YEAR: Granadas Alhambra Place.

Super hairA CIRCUS star with superhuman hair used her

famed locks to pull a four-tonne car in Eastbourne,East Sussex, using a hook woven into her hair.

Running redTHE mystery of a stream in Northamptonshire that

turned blood red was solved after the EnvironmentAgency found an ink spillage.

Zombie emergencyAN emergency call about a bloody axe attack sent

North Yorkshire police to the scene only to discover itwas a group of young film-makers shooting a zombiemovie.

High maintenanceMARGARET THATCHERS hairdo took

major efforts to perfect, with the late British primeminister having her bouffant reworked every threedays on average, records show.

Fairytale weddingA COUPLE painted themselves green and dressed

as characters from the Shrek film to get married andraise funds for charity in the West Midlands.

Cautious grocerBRITISH grocer J Sainsbury reported its best

Christmas ever but warned that consumers werelikely to spend less in the early part of 2014.

Avoiding jailGOVERNMENT figures for 2012, revealed by a

parliamentary question, show that 53 per cent ofpaedophiles who abused children younger than 13were not jailed.

EWN 16 - 22 January 2014 / Costa Blanca South18 www.euroweeklynews.com

Smugglersmistake

POLICE recovered 140kilos of cocaine which hadbeen shipped in bananacrates by accident to Aldisupermarkets in Germany.Smugglers called it alogistical mistake.

Doggie dinerGERMANYS first

restaurant for dogs and catsopened in Berlin over thefestive holidays, drawingcriticism that the luxuryeatery for furry friends isdecadent.

Coming outFORMER Germaninternational footballer

Thomas Hitzlspergerhas revealed he isgay. The 31-year-old told a German

newspaper thatcoming out was a long anddifficult process.

Dream closerA TEENAGE refugee from

Syria is closer to his dream ofstudying in Germany thanksto an online campaign wheredonors can pledge moneytowards his fees to study IT.

War crimeGERMAN prosecutors

have charged an 88-year-oldformer soldier over the Nazisworst atrocity on French soil,the 1944 massacre in thevillage of Oradour-sur-Glane.

Still delayedBERLINS delayed

international airport will notopen this year, the citysmayor said, dispelling hopesthe troubled venture couldpartially begin handlingflights in 2014.

Loud UFOAN unidentified flying

object which ruined travelplans for passengers atBremen airport looked like aplane but was much louder,according to witnesses.

Friendly matchRUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin roped in his

Belarussian counterpart for a friendly matchagainst former ice hockey champions at the hostcity of the Winter Olympics, Sochi.

Adoption banRUSSIAS highest court has reportedly issued

a memo that appears to prohibit all adoptions tocountries that recognise same-sex marriage.

Long legsAN 18-year-old trainee lawyer from Siberia

has won the title of Miss Longest Legs inRussia with her 106cm legs in anational beauty contest.

Beer exportsAN independent craft

brewery in Perthshire,Scotland, Inveralmond,has signed a major dealto export four of its mostpopular beers to Russia.

Liquids bannedRUSSIAS state aviation watchdog has

banned carry-on liquids for flights at all of thecountrys airports ahead of next months WinterOlympics.

Trawler heldTHE Russian Foreign ministry demanded

explanations from Senegal over the detention ofa trawler suspected of illegal fishing, despiteinspections failing to find any violations.

Restrictions liftedRUSSIA and Armenia have agreed to

remove all airline restrictions on routesbetween the two countries thisyear according to Russias

Federal Air TransportAgency, Rosaviatsia.

Priestunaware

NORWAY - AGerman priest on trialin Norway for havingsex with a 15-year-oldgirl claimed he did notknow the countrys legalage of consent washigher than Germanys.

Anthem boobSWEDEN - A review

show accidentally used arendition of the nationalanthem performed by aSwedish Nazi group toaccompany images ofUS president BarackObama.

Devil centreDENMARK -

Copenhagen Zoo hopesto become a centre ofexcellence in TasmanianDevil handling with aschool where staff fromother European zooscan receive training.

Frozen solidNORWAY - An elk

was found frozen solidin a lake near Bodo innorthern Norway, afterthe ice apparentlycracked beneath it as itwas trying to cross.

Mystery giftSWEDEN - A charity

in southern Sweden isrejoicing at thekindness of a strangerwho left a one millionkronor gift in a milk jarused to collectdonations.

Better offDENMARK - Women

who have occasionalalcoholic drink duringpregnancy have childrenwho are better adjustedthan offspring of thosewho abstain, Danishresearch suggests.

SCANDINAVIANPRESS

GE R M A NPR E S S

EUROPEAN PRESS

Stories making headlines in Europe

B R I T I S H P R E S S

R U S S I A N P R E S S

SCOTTISH BEER:Exported to Russia.

SHREK: A charitable way to get married.


HS09

320FUJI-HIYASU

SPECIAL OFFERS

C/ San Luis 61 03181 Torrevieja Tel. 96 679 98 15 Mv. 687 23 45 02 www.reliable-clima.com [email protected]

FFFFFFRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE IIIIIINNNNNNSSSSSSSTTTTTTAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAATTTTTTTIIIIIIIOOOOOOONNNNNNN +++++ MMMMMMMAAAAAAAIIIIIIINNNNNNNTTTTTTTEEEEEEENNNNNNNAAAAAAANNNNNNNCCCCCCCEEEEEEE CCCCCCCOOOOOOONNNNNNNTTTTTTTRRRRRRRAAAAAAACCCCCCCTTTTTT FFFFFFOOOOOOORRRRRR 222222 YYYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRRSSSSSSFREE INSTALLATION + MAINTENANCE CONTRACT FOR 2 YEARS

THE Interior Ministrys Head ofCommunications, Albert Gimeno, hasresigned after releasing information whichcompromised an operation against ETAsprisoners front.

His resignation was accepted after hispress office gave details of a Guardia Civil

operation against the prisoners front, theonly remaining operative arm of theterrorist organisation ETA, before it hadoccurred.

It sent a press release to the mediaadvising that several people, includinglawyers, had been arrested in the Basque

Country and Navarra, although the numberof people and their names were notrevealed. It was also published on Twitter.

Twenty-five minutes later, after realisingthe mistake, another press release wassent to rectify the situation, and it wasremoved from Twitter.

The officers involved inthe operation complainedthat it affected the resultbecause the detaineeshad time to destroy orhide evidence.

Eight people werearrested, and although ameeting which was beingheld is believed to havebeen broken up, no-onewas able to flee becausethey were already undersurveillance.

Police unions havedemanded an explanationand complained that theInterior Ministry wasmore interested inpolitical victory than ingiving proper information.

A WOMAN, 44, was fined 200for crossing the road inAlgeciras, Cadiz, when thetraffic lights were against her.

According to a report in localSpanish daily, Diario Sur, theuniversity professor and formersocialist councillor in MalagaCity, was looking for a dutychemist while visiting her in-laws in Algeciras.

She was talking to herhusband on the phone, as hewas giving her instructions onhow to find a chemist, butclaims she looked both ways,and despite the lights beingred, as there were no vehiclesin sight, she crossed the road.

However, she was spotted bya Local Police officer who finedher on the spot. The fine wasas much as if she had beendriving while talking on thephone, failing to observe a stopsign, or not wearing a helmeton a motorbike. She does notplan to appeal the fine, butsays she considers it excessive.

Jaywalkerfined200

Interior Ministry compromisesanti-terrorist operation

NATIONAL POLICE haveasked for assistance inlocating a man, 24,sentenced to 29 yearsin prison for murder.

In 2010, Jose ManuelGarcia Barata killed ataxi driver in Salamancawhen he shot thepassenger he wascarrying in a settling ofscores related to drugtrafficking. He fired fiveshots, one of which hitthe driver.

He was free while the

trial was held anddisappeared beforebeing sentenced. Hemay be accompanied byhis wife and three-year-old son and carryingforged documents.

He has dark, baldinghair, which he may haveshaved, a round faceand scars above his lefteyebrow.

Any information canbe sent [email protected] orcall 915 822 516.

Help police to find killer

ON THE RUN: Jose Manuel Garcia Barata.

Pervert apprehendedA MAN has been sentenced to twoyears in prison for sexually molesting asleeping woman in SArenal. Inaddition, he was given a 3,000 finepayable to the victim for personaldamages.

Acquaintance theftTWO women have been arrested byNational Police for two thefts, one inwhich they stole jewellery from afriend after she dropped it off forcleaning. The victim identified thewomen, captured on camera, asacquaintances.

Fire dramaAN early morning short circuit on CalleAlfonso el Sabio in Palma started ahouse fire while the tenant slept.Waking up coughing, he called for helpand locked himself in the bedroomuntil firefighters arrived.

Multiple bustsA MAN, aged 43, was arrested forrobbing the same Palma house in SonRapinya four different times. When theowner finally discovered him andcalled the police, they apprehendedthe man, who confessed to the thefts.

Laptops raidedIN a night raid, 18 laptops were stolenfrom the Secondary EducationInstitute (IES) in Sineu. With no signsof forced entry, Guardia Civil officerssuspect the culprits of having insideknowledge of the units securityequipment.

Tourist promotionLOCAL business-owners are promotingthe Axarquia as a tourist destination atthe Vakantiebeurs Tourism and TradeFair, which is being held in Utrecht(Holland) until Sunday.

Buy localTHE Salobrea Trade Department andthe local business-owners association(ACESA) have launched a campaign toencourage people to buy from localshops during the sales period.

RoadworksVELEZ-MALAGA COUNCIL is to spend1.6 million to widen the Camino deTorrox road, which links the townscentre with La Caleta de Velez area.

Forgotten townNERJA COUNCIL is to ask the regionalgovernment to withdraw fromcirculation a cultural leaflet from whichthe town has been omitted.

Pooches adoptedSIXTY-FIVE dogs were adopted inMotril during an adoption campaignlaunched in the town at Christmas.

Rustlers caughtGUARDIA CIVIL arrested three peoplefor allegedly stealing pigs from a farmin Farajan, near Ronda. A pig wasfound dead in their car.

Hiking problemsTWO families with children who got

lost in the mountains of Alhaurin de laTorre while hiking had to be rescuedby Guardia Civil.

Briton detainedA BRITISH resident of Coin wasarrested after allegedly perpetratingan armed robbery at a tobacconists inAlhaurin el Grande and stealing 600.

Bar burglariesA MAN has been sentenced to twoyears and eight months in prison forbreaking into several bars inFuengirola on the same day in 2008, tosteal cash, alcohol and other items.

Royal threatTHE Saudi Arabian Royal Family hadthreatened to stop coming to Marbellaif plans for skyscrapers, now scrapped,went ahead.

Flight savedAIR EUROPA has stepped in to takeover the threatened Almeria to Sevillaflight route from Air Nostrum. Thecompany began the route yesterday(Wednesday) offering two flights a dayfrom Monday to Friday.

Four in hospitalFOUR women hurt in a car crash weretaken to Torrecardenas Hospital inAlmeria City after two cars collided inthe Avenida del Mediterraneo in theearly hours of Sunday morning. Noneof the injuries was life-threatening.

New guideTHE new tourist guide for the firstquarter of 2014 is available for touristsvisiting Almeria City. The tourism officeis situated in Plaza Vieja and the guidedetails all activities until March 30.

Donor tributeOFFICIALS in Garrucha have unveileda monument in the town as a tribute toall the people who give blood in thetown.

Fruity factsBETWEEN January and October 2013,61 companies operating in the citrusfruit industry in Almeria Provinceexported almost 3.8 million kilos oforanges, mandarins and lemons.

Mast crashA LIGHT aircraft that crashed in Castallalast March was trying to avoid a 43.5-metre communications mast, an officialenquiry found. All three occupants werekilled in the accident.

Minor scareFIREMEN were called to the SmurfitKappa cardboard factory in San Vicenteafter a forklift caught fire outside thebuilding. The blaze was smotheredbefore it could spread.

Census shrinksTHE birth-rate plummeted in Alcoy with559 deaths but only 428 births last year.The inland industrial towns populationof 60,125 is the lowest since 1996.

Favours askedDESPITE changes in the Coastal Law,Villajoyosa and Denia still have buildingsclose to the shoreline at risk ofdemolition. They have now applied tothe national government for exemption.

MALLORCA

AXARQUIA

COSTA DEL SOL

COSTA DE ALMERA

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

NEWS DESKEWN 16 - 22 January 2014 / Costa Blanca South www.euroweeklynews.com20

ews from our editionsWith six editions and read by more than half a million people, EWN is Spains largest

free local English-language newspaper

N

AFTER five years of decline, the five fish markets of Almeria Province aremaking a recovery.

Almeria, Adra, Garrucha, Carboneras and Roquetas have seen animprovement in value and volume, according to the last computerisedcatch report for the year 2012.

The 263 fishing boats in Almeria Province landed 10,908 tonnes of fishand seafood compared to 7,689 tonnes in the previous year, representinga 40 per cent increase. The five ports have a list of 390 buyers for fresh fishby auction method, with 961 fishermen and other workers linked to thefishing trade, according to figures.

The port with the highest income per boat was the capital with 88,000followed by Garrucha, 52,000, Adra 51,000, Carboneras 17,000, andRoquetas 9,000.

RECOVERY: Fish stocks along Almerias coastline.

Almerias fishstocks recover

BETWEEN 6 and 7 per cent ofSpaniards are compulsive buyers.

Specialists at the HospitalUniversitario in Bellvitge(Barcelona) found that males andfemales are equally affected by thedisorder, aggravated by the ease ofbuying over the internet. A typicalpatient is around 40-years-old andhas been in the grip of the

syndrome for six years. Onaverage, he or she has debts ofmore than 25,000.

The influence of publicity andmaterialism viewed as an indicatorof social success are partlyresponsible, maintained Dr. SusanaJimenez. Patients often regardedtheir purchases as providing asense of identity, she added.

Online compulsive buyers

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 16 - 22 January 2014 / Costa Blanca Southwww.euroweeklynews.com 23EWN

inanceA EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION // WWW.EWNBUSINESS.COMF STAT OF WEEKWIND farms generated 21.1 percent of the countrys electricitylast year, compared with 21 percent produced by nuclear powerstations. Greenhouse gasemissions fell by 23 per cent.

Down toearthIBERIA had 16 percent fewer passengersin 2013, but reportedimproved second andthird quarter results.IAG, created throughBAs 2011 merger withIberia, attracted 23 percent more passengerslast year.

Gas deficitSPAINS gas sectorexpects to earn2.983 billion thisyear but this willcover only 88 percent of its 3.796billion outgoings,producing an 813million shortfall.

FOREIGN investment inSpains sovereign debtgrew by almost 21billion in November.

Holdings rose to273.172 billion, thehighest figure since2011 according toSpains Treasury.

Forty per cent ofSpanish bonds and billsare now in foreignhands, an increase of 3percentage points onOctober and a return tothe investment levels ofmid-2012.

The improvement wasprompted by liquidityprovided by the principalcentral banks, comple-mented by demand for ahigh-yield debt offering.

This has worked in thefavour of eurozoneeconomies like Spains,

analysts explained.Increased confidence

notwithstanding, theforeign holding ofroughly 40 per cent inSpains sovereign debtfalls short of the 54.8per cent recorded in2010.

In that year, Spanishbanks held just 12 percent of the debt, but theflow of cheap creditfrom the EuropeanCentral Bank has turnedthe banking sector intoone of the Treasurysbest clients.

By the first quarter of2013, banks held 33.8per cent of all the debtin circulation, thelargest amount since theTreasury began topublish their results in1995.

On the fast trackRAILWAYS OPERATOR Renfe has justfinished a record year, principally due tothe AVE.

Spains 1,900 kilometres of high speedtrack is the most extensive in Europe. In2013, 25 million passengers used the AVEand long distance trains, a rise of 13.38per cent, the highest number everrecorded. The European Commission is

not entirely impressed with the AVEsnationwide performance, nonetheless.

The number of passengers using someAVE stations is really unsatisfactory saidcommissioner for Transport, Siim Kallaswhen pressed by MEP Ramon Tremosa, ofthe Catalan nationalist party CiU.

Money was squandered on constructingsome AVE stations, Tremosa argued.

Railways have a record year

usinessBextraForeign moneyis flooding in

&business

legal

OSINAR

EF/FL

IKR

SPEED: AVE trains lead the way.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWN 16 - 22 January 2014 / Costa Blanca South www.euroweeklynews.com24

British Sky Broa Gr... 833.75 -5.00 -0.60 181.03BT Group PLC 385.30 2.00 0.52 762.31Bunzl PLC 1412.50 -8.00 -0.56 29.15Burberry Group PLC 1463.50 -9.00 -0.61 82.43Capita PLC 1041.00 -2.00 -0.19 59.57Carnival PLC 2583.00 31.00 1.21 76.84Centrica PLC 330.50 -0.04 -0.01 685.11

Most AdvancedIntercept Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 445.83 169.96 / + 61.61%Retrophin, Inc. $ 11.49 3.60 / + 45.63%Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. $ 14.25 4.45 / + 45.41%Endocyte, Inc. $ 14.02 3.12 / +28.62%VisionChina Media, Inc. $ 24.42 5.09 / + 26.33%Francesca's Holdings Corporation $ 22.50 4.42 / + 24.45%Perceptron, Inc. $ 16.57 3.14 / + 23.38%American Pacific Corporation $ 46.48 7.36 / + 18.81%Ballard Power Systems, Inc. $ 2.46 0.38 / + 18.27%Immunomedics, Inc. $ 6.10 0.92 / + 17.76%AtriCure, Inc. $ 22.13 3.12 / +16.41%Life Partners Holdings Inc $ 2.42 0.30 / + 14.15%China T Faith Wi Commu Tech Limited $ 2.16 0.26 / + 13.68%

Most DeclinedMannKind Corporation $ 5.92 1.16 / - 16.38%Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. $ 2.88 0.55 / - 16.03%Bazaarvoice, Inc. $ 7.04 1.21 / - 14.67%Sears Holdings Corporation $ 36.71 5.86 / - 13.77%YRC Worldwide, Inc. $ 13.58 2.09 / - 13.34%Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 65.77 7.98 / - 10.82%USA Technologies, Inc. $ 2.14 0.22 / - 9.32%Inteliquent, Inc. $ 10.19 1.03 / - 9.18%Ambarella, Inc. $ 29.31 2.86 / - 8.89%

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 136.18 -0.27 -0.20% 3.3MAXP American Express Co 88.55 -0.33 -0.37% 2.9MT AT&T Inc 33.62 +0.08 +0.24% 25.4MBA Boeing Co 141.90 -0.23 -0.16% 4.5MCAT Caterpillar Inc 90.51 +0.80 +0.89% 5.4MCVX Chevron Corp 121.01 -2.28 -1.85% 8.1MCSCO Cisco Systems Inc 22.22 +0.13 +0.59% 30.3MDD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co 63.54 -0.40 -0.63% 3.8MXOM Exxon Mobil Corp 100.52 +0.76 +0.76% 10.5MGE General Electric Co 26.96 -0.26 -0.96% 38.9MGS Goldman Sachs Group Inc 178.39 +0.99 +0.56% 2.5MHD Home Depot Inc 82.01 +0.44 +0.54% 5.0MINTC Intel Corp 25.53 +0.22 +0.87% 30.6MIBM International Business Machine... 187.26 -0.12 -0.06% 4.0MJNJ Johnson & Johnson 94.74 +0.01 +0.01% 6.7MJPM JPMorgan Chase and Co 58.49 -0.27 -0.46% 12.7MMCD McDonald's Corp 95.80 +0.34 +0.36% 5.5MMRK Merck & Co Inc 49.88 +0.36 +0.73% 8.2MMSFT Microsoft Corp 36.04 +0.51 +1.44% 40.6MNKE Nike Inc 76.92 -0.17 -0.22% 2.6MPFE Pfizer Inc 30.69 -0.24 -0.78% 21.7MPG Procter & Gamble Co 80.30 -0.12 -0.15% 8.5MKO The Coca-Cola Co 40.13 +0.40 +1.01% 13.3MTRV Travelers Companies Inc 87.49 -0.19 -0.22% 1.9MUTX United Technologies Corp 113.83 +0.12 +0.11% 2.2MUNH UnitedHealth Group Inc 74.70 -1.38 -1.81% 6.6MVZ Verizon Communications Inc 47.75 +0.25 +0.53% 11.5MV Visa Inc 221.13 -0.78 -0.35% 1.6MWMT Wal-Mart Stores Inc 78.04 -0.05 -0.06% 5.2MDIS Walt Disney Co 75.39 +0.49 +0.65% 6.3M

Coca-Cola HBC AG 1794.00 -1.00 -0.06 4.43Compass Group PLC 953.50 0.88 0.09 182.37CRH PLC 1626.50 6.00 0.37 109.94Diageo PLC 1980.00 1.50 0.08 453.39easyJet PLC 1661.00 12.00 0.73 145.83Experian PLC 1126.50 20.00 1.81 310.32Fresnillo PLC 687.25 8.68 1.28 122.43G4S PLC 247.40 -3.37 -1.34 721.32GKN PLC 392.35 7.70 2.00 826.62GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1590.75 -7.50 -0.47 482.22Glencore Xstrata PLC 318.55 -0.35 -0.11 2,402.79Hammerson PLC 508.00 0.00 0.00 175.56Hargreaves La PLC 1461.50 -17.48 -1.18 95.24HSBC Holdings PLC 677.35 1.70 0.25 3,492.91IMI PLC 1560.00 -3.00 -0.19 108.33Imperial Tobacco G PLC 2215.50 -1.00 -0.05 174.29InterContinental H... 1979.00 -2.00 -0.10 118.67International C ... 431.05 3.30 0.77 1,066.52Intertek Group PLC 3070.50 18.00 0.59 20.04ITV PLC 203.90 4.40 2.21 1,923.79Johnson Matthey PLC 3345.00 35.00 1.06 29.21Kingfisher PLC 389.15 -0.33 -0.08 372.49Land Securities G PLC 993.50 5.50 0.56 47.86Legal & General GPLC 228.30 0.00 0.00 833.73Lloyds Banking G PLC 84.40 1.35 1.63 29,622.09London Stock Ex G... 1799.50 2.65 0.15 32.88Marks & Spencer G PLC 470.60 1.80 0.38 1,041.17Meggitt PLC 536.00 3.00 0.56 25.09Melrose Industries PLC 304.70 -0.18 -0.06 91.33Mondi PLC 1009.00 7.00 0.70 55.22National Grid PLC 776.50 -5.17 -0.66 219.91Next PLC 6152.50 -5.00 -0.08 19.09Old Mutual PLC 193.90 0.00 0.00 497.95Pearson PLC 1311.50 -10.00 -0.76 107.87Persimmon PLC 1345.00 -9.60 -0.71 140.18Petrofac Ltd 1246.50 4.00 0.32 136.49Prudential PLC 1375.00 -1.00 -0.07 237.76Randgold Resources Ltd 3726.50 12.00 0.32 48.14Reckitt Benckiser G PLC 4628.50 -50.00 -1.07 65.90Reed Elsevier PLC 905.50 -2.50 -0.28 179.10Resolution Ltd 354.30 1.02 0.29 70.69REXAM PLC 500.50 -1.36 -0.27 39.14Rio Tinto PLC 3163.25 23.00 0.73 688.82Rolls-Royce H PLC 1246.50 8.00 0.65 239.22Royal Bank of S Grou... 364.30 7.30 2.05 1,416.88Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2305.50 -2.50 -0.11 626.98Royal Mail PLC 583.25 0.18 0.03 286.19RSA Insurance G PLC 98.90 0.59 0.60 2,381.27SABMiller PLC 2998.25 3.50 0.12 101.73Sage Group (The) PLC 400.45 -0.10 -0.02 50.76Sainsbury (J) PLC 349.90 4.00 1.16 1,574.90Schroders PLC 2640.50 12.62 0.48 18.54Severn Trent PLC 1661.00 -11.00 -0.66 90.95Shire PLC 2897.50 -16.00 -0.55 75.16Smith & Nephew PLC 876.50 -4.74 -0.54 82.88Smiths Group PLC 1490.00 0.00 0.00 28.32Sports Direct I... 748.75 -8.00 -1.06 84.97SSE PLC 1354.00 -10.28 -0.75 415.88Standard Ch PLC 1293.50 7.50 0.58 872.68Standard Life PLC 378.25 1.50 0.40 404.66Tate & Lyle PLC 773.75 -1.50 -0.19 208.44Tesco PLC 325.03 3.25 1.01 3,449.05Travis Perkins PLC 1889.00 5.00 0.27 20.24TUI Travel PLC 416.55 2.10 0.51 216.91Tullow Oil PLC 897.75 -12.00 -1.32 840.45Unilever PLC 2392.00 4.00 0.17 427.70United Utilities Group 658.00 -1.89 -0.29 95.03Vodafone Group PLC 233.30 -1.38 -0.59 9,148.73Weir Group PLC 2103.50 14.00 0.67 68.25Whitbread PLC 3866.00 -12.00 -0.31 62.76William Hill PLC 379.80 -2.87 -0.75 608.26Wm Morrison Sprmrkets 244.15 8.00 3.39 9,533.60Wolseley PLC 3433.00 4.00 0.12 20.28WPP PLC 1361.00 -3.00 -0.22 168.48

NASDAQCLOSING PRICES JANUARY 13

DOW JONESCLOSING PRICES JANUARY 13

Aberdeen Asset Ma PLC 464.95 9.80 2.15 1,094.24Admiral Group PLC 1332.00 -4.56 -0.34 73.76Aggreko PLC 1730.50 15.63 0.91 29.29AMEC PLC 1097.50 18.72 1.73 648.02Anglo American PLC 1260.00 10.50 0.84 297.40Antofagasta PLC 788.50 6.00 0.77 216.90ARM Holdings PLC 984.00 11.50 1.18 352.30Ashtead Group PLC 810.50 -1.50 -0.18 111.56Associated B F PLC 2585.00 -6.00 -0.23 47.42AstraZeneca PLC 3641.00 -11.16 -0.31 256.76Aviva PLC 476.70 6.64 1.41 1,549.43Babcock Inte Group... 1390.00 -1.00 -0.07 30.69BAE Systems PLC 432.50 -1.50 -0.35 453.46Barclays PLC 290.00 6.29 2.22 12,657.79BG Group PLC 1318.50 -1.02 -0.08 178.27BHP Billiton PLC 1783.00 2.50 0.14 821.29BP PLC 493.53 -3.15 -0.63 2,639.65British Amer T PLC 3067.75 -16.50 -0.53 351.88British Land Co PLC 643.25 4.50 0.70 219.92

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 JANUARY 13

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

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

United States $......................................................1.36604Japan Yen ...........................................................141.306Switzerland Francs................................................1.23404Denmark Kroner ....................................................7.46233Norway Kroner.......................................................8.38397

0.83111 1.20320Units per

currencies direct

currenciesdirect.com/la-zenia Tel: +34 965 994 830

COME DIRECT TO US AND START SAVING MONEY NOW- See our advert on page 27

SPAIN is leading the way asconsumer and industryconfidence continues togrow about the future.

In December theEconomic Sentiment

Indicator (ESI) increasedby 1.6 points in the euroarea (to 100.0) and 1.4points in the EU (to 103.5).Sentiment in the euro areais thus back to its long-term

average for the first timesince July 2011.

In the EU, the averagehad already been passedin September.

In the euro area, themarked improvementresulted from risingconfidence amongconsumers, as well asmanagers in services,retail trade, constructionand, to a lesser extent,industry. Economicsentiment improved inthree of the five largesteconomies, namely Spain(+4.0), Italy (+2.3) andthe Netherlands (+1.5),while remaining virtuallyunchanged in Germanyand France (both +0.3).

Industry confidenceincreased moderately(+0.5), driven by morepositive assessments ofthe current level of overallorder books and thestocks of finishedproducts, which were

somewhat counter-balanced bydeteriorating productionexpectations.

Of the surveyquestions notincluded in theconfidence indicator,managers assess-ment of the currentlevel of export orderbooks remainedunchanged, while itworsened in thecase of pastproduction.

Services confi-dence rose (+1.1) as aresult of significantlyimproved assessments ofthe past business situationand past demand, whichcontrasted with slightlydeteriorating demandexpectations. Consumerconfidence picked up(+1.8), thanks to moreoptimistic views ofhouseholds on the futuregeneral economic situation,their unemploymentexpectations and, to alesser extent, their savingsover the next 12 months.

Consumers opinionsabout the future financial

situation of their house-holds remained broadlyunchanged. Retail tradeconfidence increasedsubstantially (+2.7), drivenby managers surgingoptimism about the futurebusiness situation and, to alesser extent, improvingappraisals of the presentbusiness situation and thevolume of stocks.

Also sentiment inconstruction improvedsignificantly (+3.6), fuelled

by managers improvedappraisal of order booksand less pessimisticemployment expectations.Financial services confi-dence (not included in theESI) increased by 2.0points, driven by animproved assessment ofpast demand, whichmore than outweighedmanagers grimmerviews on the pastbusiness situation anddemand expecta-tions.

In the wider EU,the improvement in senti-ment was only slightly lesspronounced than in theeuro area (+1.4). On asector basis, developmentsin the EU deviated from theeuro area in so far asindustry confidenceremained unchanged andthe surge in sentiment washigher in retail trade, whilelower in construction.

On a country basis, themain reason for the slightlyweaker improvement insentiment was a virtuallyunchanged confidence levelin the largest non-euro areaEU economy, the UK (-0.1).

Confidence rising amongst consumers

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 16 - 22 January 2014 / Costa Blanca Southwww.euroweeklynews.com 25EWN

JAPANESE electronics giant Toshiba isjoining forces with Spanish power providerFenosa to test its latest battery powerstorage systems to even out electricitysupply.

With 21.1 per cent of Spains electricitynow supplied by wind turbines, and withsolar power and other sources making therenewable electricity production capacity inSpain 49.1 per cent of the total, the bigproblem is what to do when the wind is notblowing or the sun not shining.

Traditionally that meant coal or oilburning power stations had to be kept onstandby to produce electricity when thewind dropped or at peak times.

Energy storage systems have beendeveloped, but at varying degrees ofefficiency and expense.

Toshiba hopes that its latest generationtransportable lithium-ion Battery EnergyStorage System (BESS) will help provide anefficient, reliable and stable powerdistribution network.

The programme was launched in

December 2013 and will run for five years.It is supported by Japans New Energy andIndustrial Technology Developmentorganisation (NEDO), under its programmefor Development of Large Scale EnergyStorage System with High Safety and CostCompetitiveness.

The demonstration will initially be locatedat the Alcala de Henares distributionsubstation in the suburbs of Madrid, but it

is planned to carry out demonstrations atseveral sites to fully assess various casestudies.

The scope of the testing programme willinclude the evaluation of the BESSs

effectiveness in managing the electricsupply at specific sites with seasonal ortemporary high electricity demand.

Fenosa manages electrical power supplywith seasonal and occasional electricaldemand fluctuation. In addition, the rapidincrease of renewable energy anddistributed generation will demand moreflexibility in the electric system. For thoseapplications, storage technologies are thepromising solution that can be integrated inthe different electrical systems.

Through the demonstration programme,Fenosa and Toshiba aim to demonstratethe BESS solutions that will contribute tothe establishment of highly reliablemetropolitan distribution networks that canensure stable electric power supply forthose with large amounts of renewableenergy sources .

Helping developenergy solutions

BUSINESS EXTRA

Hema arrivingNETHERLANDS chainHema will open shops inSpain and the UK duringthe first six months ofthis year. It has notrevealed were theSpanish stores will belocated.

Still buyingMEXICOS SigmaAlimentos owns 45per cent of SpainsCampofrio followingits ShuanghuiInternational deal. Ithas acquired 547,391more shares since theDecember transactionand will continuebuying, a spokesmansaid.

MALLORCA LocalGovernment hasdecided that the moneyrecovered in corruptioncases should bedestined for socialpolicies.

The motion waspresented by thesocialist party, andproposed that anymoney recovered thanksto sentences incorruption cases shouldbe used to promotesocial policies whichimprove the resourcesand quality of life of theneediest members ofthe society.

The conservativePartido Popular agreedto the proposal, whichthey say is in line withtheir plans to help theislands neediestcitizens.

It is estimated thatthe Mallorca Councilcould receive some 15million in the comingmonths from suchcases.

Social policydirty money

WIND TURBINES: Now supply 21.1 per cent of Spains electricity.

EU: On a sector basis,industry confidenceremained unchanged.

SPAIN saves money on windy days, according to the Wind Business Association. The sector reports that 2013 was, in general, a good year for generating energy

thanks to the wind, with a production of 49.5 TWh in the first 11 months, 16.1 per centmore than the same period in 2012.

However, the anticyclone which passed through Spain in December led to a fall inproduction and a rise in prices on the electric market. That month, 15.4 per cent ofenergy needs were covered by wind production, and the average market price was80/MWh. The windiest month was November, when 6,471GWh were produced andthe least windy month was July, covering 13.4 per cent of demand.

When the wind blows

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWN 16 - 22 January 2014 / Costa Blanca South www.euroweeklynews.com26

BUSINESS EXTRA

Not payingTHE Panama Canalrejected a proposal that itpay $1 billion to continuework on expanding thewaterway, and warned thebuilding consortium behindthe project, led by Spanishbuilder Sacyr, it could bringin others to finish the job.

Cafe closureCAFES and restaurants atthe Ifema fairground inMadrid may remain closedfrom January 22 to 24,while Spains mostimportant tourism fair,FITUR, is being held, if astrike by union ComisionesObreras goes ahead.

8m coinsTWO of the USAs rarestcoins, a 1787 golddoubloon and a 1913 fivecent piece sold for almost8 million during anauction in Orlando, Florida.The doubloon was firstminted in the US.

A. In theory, yes.However, take your copyof the form to your townhall and make sure theyknow you have de-registered the vehicle.

This is because they issuethe municipal tax bills.Someone at Traficoshould have steered youto the right window in thefirst place. In You and the

Law in Spain, on pages327-328, you can find outabout the form.

Bank account emptied for taxQ. I was very upset to discover that mybank account was empty. The bank toldme that the account was embargoedand I had no previous warning. TheTraffic Department had placed theembargo for unpaid vehicle tax on a carwhich I had sold several years before to

a local mechanic. He had promised to handle the paperwork but he had notdone it. The Town Hall kept issuing the tax bills to the name of the registeredowner, which continued to be me. Since I did not have a standing paymentorder at the bank, I had received no notification. At the Malaga trafficdepartment, several people were not very helpful.Finally a friend told me that there is indeed a formto de-register the car without any papers. The nexttime I went to Trafico, I simply asked the guardwhere I should go. He pointed to a window withonly two people in line. They gave me the form, asort of sworn declaration. I filled it in, presented it,and they said that was all that needed to be done.Is this true?

G G (Costa del Sol)

Send your questions for David Searl through lawyers Ubeda-Retana & Associates in Fuengirola [email protected], or call 952-667090

You and theLaw in SpainBy David Searl

EIGHTY per cent of Spanish youths areconvinced that they will have to dependupon their families in the future.

A study carried out amongst 1,000 youngmen and women between 18 and 24 bythe Reina Sofia Centre for Adolescence andYouth shows that they are pessimisticabout their future.

Amongst the so-called lost generationwho studied to prepare for the future butnow find themselves without work amidstthe financial crisis, 60 per cent think itunlikely they will find or keep a job thatthey like within the next three years.

Fifty per cent see the chance ofbecoming financially self-sufficient, renting

or buying a house or having a family asvery difficult.

Most of them are overwhelmed by afeeling of self-sacrifice, saying that they willhave to live off their parents, without thechance of becoming independent or havingtheir own children in the future.

According to experts, many arefrustrated, because they have made aneffort to prepare themselves, but havefound that this doesnt guarantee they willfind a good job.

More than 80 per cent of them believethat Spain will be in the same situation orworse off than it is now within a yearstime.

A lost generationPREPARATION: Doesnt guarantee that a good job will be found.

Modern technology isntalways that supportiveWHEN was the last timeyou looked somebody inthe eyes? If todaysmodern technology hasanything to do with it, itsprobably been a while.

At the train stationrecently a gang of us satwaiting for our carriage toarrive. For 20 minutesthere was completehuman silence in thestation (the stations TVwas blaring of course!) aseach and every passengergave themselves a soreneck endlessly glaringdown at their smartphone.

Have you also noticedhow any spontaneousdoubt within a conversa-tion is immediately shutdown with the words letsGoogle it and see? Evenlittle children no longerseem to be interested intoys, but rather their

parents mobile phones. Technology is a good

thing; but like everythingelse in the world its bestenjoyed in moderation.The amount of moneyspent these days ongadgets is incredible and alot of the time the gadgetswe flock to buy arecompletely unnecessary.

For example, Microsofthas launched a smart bra

to try and stop womeneating too much. Thatsright - rather than justmaking a stern conscien-

tious effort to go on a dietand stick to it, apparentlynowadays it is necessaryto splash out on high-tech

bras to achieve a slimmerfigure. The new fancy brais embedded withphysiological sensors thatmonitor a womans heartactivity to measure stresslevels and combatemotional eating.

The sensors can send analert to the wearerssmartphone, which thenflashes a warning to helpthe wearer step away fromthe fridge and make betterdiet decisions.

It does seem a little far-fetched in order to resistthe cookie jar a womanneeds to be equipped witha high-tech bra that cantalk to the smartphone inher pocket. It seems a lotto invest in, surely plain-and-simple will power canachieve the same resultswithout fleecing yoursavings account!

JanePlunkett

A look at finance for females

[email protected]

Loose change

HUMAN SILENCE:Everyone prefers to use their smartphone.

Just not theplace I fellin love withAS we all know, many expatBrits have decided to moveback to the UK since the crisisbegan.

We assume that this is mainlyfor economic reasons andhomesickness, but I wonder ifthere is another underlyingreason how Spain itself haschanged.

Because the Spain we movedto 10 years ago is virtuallyunrecognisable.

Part of our decision to comeand live here permanently wasto enjoy the laid-back lifestyleand laissez-faire attitude to life,but so much of that has nowgone.

Apart from the fact that theSpanish taxman is out tosqueeze us for every centimo as in the declaration ofworldwide assets so muchelse has changed, notnecessarily for the better.

No doubt much is down toEuro regulation, but we nowhave things like the smokingban, which is soon to befollowed by an e-cigarette ban,intensified ITV checks on thecar, the intimidating GuardiaCivil Trafico, etc, etc.

I wonder if any of your otherreaders agree?

John Edwards, Denia(Alicante)

A better wayREGARDING the recent articleabout a pro-abortion collectivepainting graffiti on the justiceministers house in Nerja (Issue1488), I would like to say that,although I agree with theircause, in no way do I agreewith their action.

If it is about defending theright for women to makechoices about thecircumstances in which theygive birth, there are better waysto do it.

Covering the house of amember of the governmentwith graffiti and, what is worse,insulting the Christian faith bymocking its symbols, does littlefavour to women.

Instead of giving biological,ethical or even religious

reasons, those who want toabolish abortion would turn tothese acts to defend theirposition, claiming whoever goesagainst them is a radical.

Abortion is too important anissue for disrespectful actionwhich, despite the initialintention, makes people focuson other things.

Its about time for both pro-and anti-abortion groups to sitdown and discuss the topic inorder to reach an agreementwhich would result in a law thatlasts more than a governmentsterm in office.

John Westgate,Torremolinos, (Malaga)

What crisis?ITS good to see that theSpanish reportedly intend tospend more in the sales thisyear.

Although they wont spend asmuch as before the start of thefinancial crisis, it will help toboost the economy.

However, is it just me, or doesit seem that some people havenever really stopped spending?Or maybe I just didnt pay asmuch attention before.

Almost every weekend I go toa local mall to do my groceryshopping in the supermarket,but all of the boutiques seem tobe swarming with people; theycome out loaded down withshopping bags, and they thengo for a meal in one of therestaurants in the mall.

Admittedly its quieter onweekdays, except for theevenings, but Im talking about

a normal area, not somewherelike Puerto Banus.

It seems that while thefinancial crisis has hit somepeople so hard they are forcedto go to charities for help,others seem unaware of itsexistence.

Not only that, but despite theconstant reports of falling birth-rates in Spain, there seem to bepeople with young children andbabies everywhere.

Great news, but it makes mewonder how it is possible, andwhat will become of them in thefuture if the current climatedoes not improve.

Jane Standish, Fuengirola(Malaga)

Sad farewellI WAS much saddened onhearing of the passing ofcolumnist Jim Collins. The EWNhas a reputation for goodcommunicative writers and Jimwas certainly one of the best.

He had a cynical eye on the

European Union. Jim refused tobe taken in by the duplicity ofthat unelected cabal and itswinsome, worrisome ways.

International finance is a hotpotato. It and the EuropeanCentral Banks smoke andmirrors is designed to confusewe ordinary plebeians. Not withthe likes of Jim Collins around.He showed us the EUmagicians tricks.

Enjoy those beautifulmeadows, Jim, where you nowsing to lyres. Death is the starlitstrip between thecompanionship of yesterdayand the reunion of tomorrow.

Mike Walsh (By email)

Gas chargesI SAW on your website an articleentitled What can we expectfrom 2014. You refer to butanegas bottles remaining at the setprice of 17.50.

Do you know if it is legal foroutlets to sell butanos at a higherprice? My local petrol station inPizarra charges 19.10, while atthe other local petrol station it is18.50. Friends who live in thenearby town of Cartama only paythe official price of 17.50. By thetime I drive further afield forcheaper gas bottles, I have spentthe difference in petrol!

I dont understand these hugedifferences and have been led tounderstand that they can only besold at the official price. However,arguing with the employees at thelocal petrol station gets menowhere; they say that is theprice that they charge. Full stop.

Also a big thank you to theEuro Weekly for keeping usinformed with so much local newsand handy tips.

Jane Peopleton, Pizarra(Malaga)

Film help wantedI AM a writer living in Roquetasand trying to make contact withfilm-makers in the region.

Despite letters and emails tovarious people in the culturaloffice at Almeria and Roquetas,not a single one has replied.

Can you help?John Gardner

Editors note: Over to you,readers...

WHEN YOU WRITE

All letters, whether by email orpost, should carry the writerspostal address, NIE and contactnumber though only the nameand town will be published.

Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed

earlier correspondence can see allletters posted on:

www.euroweeklynews.com

OPINION & COMMENT 16 - 22 January 2014 / Costa Blanca Southwww.euroweeklynews.com 29EWN

The views expressed and opinions given in Letters are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. They accept no responsibility for accuracy of information, errors, omissions orstatements, and reject claims arising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.

[email protected] for Your Say should be emailed to [email protected], posted to Euro Weekly News, C/Moscatel 10,

P-62, Polgono Industrial, Arroyo de la Miel, 29631 Benalmadena, Mlaga, Spain or faxed to 0034 952 440 887

Photographs for possible publication should be sent by email with a full caption to: [email protected]

We stopped for a coffee at the Hotel Lake Vinuela. This was the serene scenethat greeted us from the lawn.

By David Worboys, Nerja (Malaga)

7:00am Emmerdale7:25am Coronation Street7:55am You've Been Framed!8:25am You've Been Framed!8:45am The Jeremy Kyle Show USA9:30am Dinner Date10:30am The Real Housewives ofDC11:30am The Real Housewives ofOrange County12:30pm The MillionaireMatchmaker1:30pm Emmerdale2:00pm CoronationStreet2:30pm You've BeenFramed!3:00pm The JeremyKyle Show4:05pm The Jeremy KyleShow5:10pm The Real Housewives ofOrange County6:05pm The MillionaireMatchmaker7:00pm Dinner Date8:00pm You've Been Framed!8:30pm You've Been Framed!9:00pm Two and a Half Men9:30pm Two and a Half Men10:00pm Tricked11:00pm Fake Reaction11:50pm The Sweetest Thing1:40am Two and a Half Men

6:50am Kirstie's Vintage Gems7:00am Baking Mad with EricLanlard7:25am Countdown8:10am Will and Grace8:35am Will and Grace9:00am Everybody LovesRaymond9:30am Everybody LovesRaymond10:00am Frasier10:30am Frasier11:00am The Secret MillionaireAustralia12:00pm Building the Dream1:00pm Channel 4 NewsSummary1:05pm Come Dine with Me1:35pm Come Dine with Me2:05pm Come Dine with Me2:40pm Come Dine with Me3:10pm A Place in the Sun4:10pm Countdown5:00pm Deal or No Deal6:00pm Come Dine with Me7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm Supersize v Superskinny10:00pm The Undateables11:00pm What Happens in SunnyBeach...12:05am 24 Hours in A and E1:10am One Born Every Minute2:05am Random Acts

7:00am This is BBC Two7:05am Homes Under the Hammer8:05am The Sheriffs are Coming8:50am Real Lives Reunited9:20am Paul Hollywood's Pies andPuds10:05am Tudor Monastery Farm11:05am Kangaroo Dundee11:35am HARDtalk12:00pm BBC News12:30pm BBC World News1:00pm The Daily Politics2:00pm Masters Snooker7:00pm Eggheads7:30pm Great British RailwayJourneys8:00pm Masters Snooker9:00pm The Great Sport Relief BakeOff10:00pm Wild Brazil11:00pm Charlie Brooker's WeeklyWipe11:30pm Newsnight12:20am Masters Snooker Highlights1:10am Masters Snooker Extra3:10am Iceland Foods: Life in theFreezer Cabinet4:10am This is BBC Two

7:00am Breakfast10:15am Wanted Down Under11:00am Homes Under theHammer12:00pm The Sheriffs areComing12:45pm Real Lives Reunited1:15pm Bargain Hunt2:00pm BBC News at One2:30pm BBC London News2:45pm Doctors3:15pm Father Brown4:00pm Perfection4:45pm Escape to the Country5:30pm Antiques Road Trip6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News at Six7:30pm BBC London News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm EastEnders9:00pm Hidden Kingdoms10:00pm Silent Witness11:00pm BBC News at Ten11:25pm BBC London News11:35pm Question Time12:35am This Week1:20am Skiing Weatherview1:25am BBC News

7:00am Daybreak9:30am Lorraine10:25am The Jeremy KyleShow11:30am This Morning12:25pm ITV News12:30pm This Morning1:30pm Loose Women2:30pm ITV News andWeather3:00pm All Star Mr and Mrs4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal5:00pm Britain's Best Bakery6:00pm The Chase7:00pm ITV News London7:30pm ITV News and Weather8:00pm Emmerdale8:30pm Tonight9:00pm Emmerdale9:30pm Birds of a Feather10:00pm Benidorm11:00pm ITV News at Ten andWeather11:35pm Weight Loss Ward12:35am The Late Debate1:05am Jackpot2474:00am Tonight4:25am ITV Nightscreen

ITV2/

07amBBC3/

BBC4/

BBC2/ CH4/

8:00pm World News Today8:30pm Top of the Pops

9:00pm Ever Decreasing Circles9:30pm Ever Decreasing Circles

10:00pm Treasures of AncientEgypt

11:00pm Lost Land of theVolcano

12:00am Stories From the DarkEarth: Meet the Ancestors

Revisited1:00am Top of the Pops

1:40am Ever Decreasing Circles2:10am Ever Decreasing Circles

2:40am Lost Land of theVolcano

3:40am Treasures of AncientEgypt

THURSDAY TVwww.eu

euro weekly news - costa blanca south 16 - 22 january 2014 issue 1489

Documents