Sporty kidscompete

THIRTY Almeria schoolsare participating inthe Millennium SportsGames during Marchand April. Some schoolshave already com-peted in Almeria Cityand the remainderwill be heading toPurchena on April 9.

Sorbas roadsFIVE paths measur-ing 2,492 metres inSorbas are to getsome care and at-tention thanks to apayout by the Juntade Andalucia re-gional govern-ments municipalroad plan 2014. Thebudget has beenset at 6 million.

Martial arts GUADIX has playedhost to the 13thedition of the AlmeriaTaekwondo Open.Forty-five athletestook part in the com-petition, which drewspectators from acrossthe province.

FRONT EXTRAEWN

ISSUE NO. 1549 TRUST WE DO!our advertisers 12 - 18 MARCH 2015 WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM

THE number of unem-ployed people in AlmeriaProvince rose slightly by0.18 per cent in February.

The figure is an increaseof 136 people compared tothe previous month. Com-pared to February 2014,however, it is a drop of2.97 per cent whichequates to 2,347 people.

Historically, the provinceusually sees an increase inunemployment figures inFebruary, but the figure isstill 136 people fewer thanin February 2006.

Male unemployment fellby 254 men and rose by390 women, with menmaking up 49.5 per centand women 50.5 per cent.

In January and February26.96 million wasspent on combatingunemployment, bene-fiting 39,239 people.

Slight risein joblessfiguresIT was a ful l house in

Albox for a meet ingbetween the Junta deAndalucia regional gov-ernment Minister forPlanning, Marie JesusSerrano, and residentsof the AlmanzoraValley, affected by theillegal homes issue.

Organised by AUANAlmanzora, which cam-paigns to bring aboutthe legal isat ion ofhomes in Andalucia cur-rently considered to be i l legal , the ministersaid work on the matterwas ongoing. Sheadded that she couldnot confirm changes toland zoning would bedone before the up-coming local elections.

AUANs Pres ident,Maura Hi l len, sa id i twas a matter of greatimportance to thosepresent that th is

change came about inadvance of the munici-pal elections.

Meanwhi le, the PPparty in Albox are un-happy that the PSOEare using the issue ofi l legal houses to winvotes. They said:Where were the PSOEwhen the houses in

Cantoria were demol-ished and where werethey when Mr and MrsPrior s house was de-molished in Vera? ThePP expressed their re-spect and sol idar i tywith all owners of ille-gal homes but they be-lieve that it is up to theJunta de Andalucia to

solve the problem bythrowing out the POTA(Territorial Plan).

They concluded bysaying that MauraHillen, as President ofAUAN, should maintaina posit ion of pol i t ica limpartiality.

More on illegal homesissue: Page 8

Political football

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera2 www.euroweeklynews.com

INDEXNews 1 - 34

Finance 35 - 40

Leapy Lee 41

Daily TV 48

Time Out 54 - 55

Letters 56

Health & Beauty 61 - 63

Food 65 - 69

Albox 70 - 75

Property 78 - 79

Homes & Gardens 81

Classifieds 82 - 84

Motoring 85 - 86

Sport 87 - 88

COUNCILLORS Mari Paz Bonet, Alonso Soler,Isabel Paredes and Bernado Simon haveresigned from the council in Garrucha andthe Partido Popular (PP).

This leaves the towns mayor ruling in aminority. According to the councillors, thedecision was motivated by a host of reasonsincluding differences in working methods asa team as well as undemocratic activities byAlmeria Provinces PP.

The councillors have waived all job rolesand responsibilities, with immediate effect,as well as all privileges associated with thepositions, including offices, mobile phonesand salaries. They have suggested that themayor uses the money saved to pay a num-ber of sports monitors in the town who havebeen without payment.

The councillors wish to thank Garruchasresidents for their support over the years.

Council crisisTIME TO GO: Four councillors resign from Garrucha Council.

POLICE have arrested two peopleaccused of fraud after cashingtwo cheques stolen from achurch.

They were taken from a drawerin the church of San Antonio dePadua in the Havana neighbour-hood of Ciudad Jardin. Allegedly,the cheques were stolen by a per-son the police called the Brain

who then forged signatures andpassed them to the two people tocash for 8,700. The Brain hasfled with part of the booty toStockholm in Sweden.

The investigation began in Feb-ruary 2015 when the parishannounced the cheques as miss-ing. Four or five days previouslythe cheques were presented at a

bank. Bank staff, concerned aboutthe validity of the two cheques,worth 4,350 each, contacted theparish to see if the priest hadauthorised the transaction. Thisraised the alarm at the church,prompting checks.

Police then went on to arrest21-year-old MA and 28-year-oldJJA on suspicion of theft.

Junta fundingALMERIA town councils areto receive 19,833,559 fromthe Junta de Andalucia tohire unemployed people incommunity projects. Theamount was announced byJunta representative AdrianaValverde.

Poster releasedPULPI Town Hall has un-veiled the new poster for theupcoming Holy Week. BlackBass from Pulpi was respon-sible for the design whichfeatures a weeping Virgendel Carmen. Events beginMarch 20.

German VeraFOLLOWING a similar meet-ing with Brits in Vera, thetown council has met withmembers of the Germancommunity. The meetingwas to address needs andconcerns and to hear ideas.

Velez BlancoVELEZ BLANCO has markedInternational Womens Daywith several events in townfor the female population.Events included a workshopaimed at boosting femalevalues and a castle visit.

Junta helpTHE Junta has helped makelife easier for a disabledhomeowner in Velez Blancoby carrying out improve-ments on the ground floor ofher home. The lady has asevere degenerative disease

Almeria walkingTHE province has launchedits hiking trails for 2015 with65 routes and trails plannedwhich is expected to see5,000 participants. The sea-son kicks off with Laroya.Registration is 5 or 15.

Chirivel improvementsTHE province of Almeria hasannounced improvements tothe town of Chirivel. Projectsplanned include a municipalwarehouse and a multipur-pose centre.

ewswatchNChurch cheque thefts

Oria videoMINISTER of Justice, Emiliode Llera, has condemned thecontroversial video showingyoung men tied up at Oriasyouth centre. He described itas a montage from someonewho had spurious motives.

Four yearsALMERIAS criminal court hassentenced a mother anddaughter to four years inprison for attacking a securityguard after they were stoppedin their attempt to shoplift froman El Puche supermarket.

Fifteen daysDISGRUNTLED marble work-ers in Fines have beenpromised a compromise withregards to unpaid wages. Thecompromise from the Junta isto be carried out within 15days

Huercal roadsWORK is currently being car-ried out on various roads inHuercal Overa. Mayor of Huer-cal Overa, Domingo Fernan-dez, and councillor for Dis-tricts, Emilio Perez, visited thework to check progress.

Barcelona thievesA MARRIED couple fromBarcelona have been arrestedin El Ejido for stealing elec-tronic goods from a shoppingcentre. The stolen goods wereworth in excess of 2,400.

Drug traffickingA COURT has suggested fouryears in prison for two womenwho were caught by policewhile trying to smuggle heroinand cocaine. The Hungarianand the Russian were caughtwith 75.5 grams of drugs.

NEWS 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera 3EWNTRUST our advertisers WE DO!

It would be good for democracy if theHead of State was voted in rather thaninheriting the title and I think King FelipeVI would be likely to win an election ashe is very popular, Podemos anti-austeritypolitical party leader Pablo Iglesias said duringan interview.

Quote of the Week

A GRANADA family has gathered more than65,000 signatures in a week in support ofNicolas and Inmaculada, a Granada couplethat was given a 21-month jail sentenceand a 3,000 fine after neighbours com-plained about their dogs barking.

is the amount the Span-ish House of Commonsspent on buying and re-

pairing iPads in the last three months of 2014. TheHouse provides every representative with an iPadas they are considered necessary for their work.

23,500And finally...Number of the week

PEOPLE in Cervera in Lleida, Catalua, take to thestage once a year at Lent to put on what is believedto be the oldest religious play in Europe.

The play, a six-hour-long stunning representationof the Passion of Christ, is believed to have startedin 1481 as notes found in the regional archivesdetail payment for building a stage for the play inthat year.

At the end of the 15th century it was a custom forreligious representations of the story of Christ to beput on inside Cerveras Santa Maria church, andnotes have also been found from rehearsals for theplay in 1534 when almost all the parts were playedby priests.

The Council of Trent (1545-1563), one of theRoman Catholic Churchs most important ecumeni-cal councils, banned all non-liturgy events fromchurches, forcing the traditional plays to move out-

side to the Plaza de la Sebolleria square next door.Citizens continued with their traditional represen-

tations for many years, eventually moving insidetheatres, until the start of the Spanish Civil Warbrought performances to an end.

In 1940, the people of Cervera decided to recoverthe tradition and staged a modernised version ofthe Passion at the Teatro Principal for Lent.

On March 12, 1967, the performances moved tothe Gran Teatro de la Pasion de Cervera, with spacefor 2,200 spectators.

Tourism Minister of Spain Manuel Fraga declaredthe performances of public interest in 1969, and theplays, which have been enhanced with modernsound and lighting effects, stage extensions andcostumes copying traditional apparel, have been aconstant success ever since with shows held everySunday during Lent.

Getting passionateabout Christ at Lent

PASSION OF CHRIST: Believed to be the oldest religious play in Europe.

OFFICERS from theGuardia Civi l havedetained three people inOperacion Imprudente(Operation Reckless)after an incident ended

the life of a worker.A worker was perched

on the top of a 14 metrehigh power l ine on theAL-2301 in Nijar whenhe suffered an electric

shock which threw himto the ground. The in-juries sustained causedhis death.

The Guardia Civil offi-cers began an investiga-

t ion which analysedhealth and safety regula-t ions and any lack ofobservance of such. Theinvestigation includedthe analysis of the net-work, operation and dis-tribution of stations, sub-stations and power lines,direction of current, thedifferent lines of tensionin the area and the pro-tocols of the companyresponsible for the main-tenance contract.

The result of the com-plex and laborious inves-tigations revealed thatthe deceased had failedto t ie a harness to thepole and had not estab-l ished the presence ofvoltage.

His team was arrestedand charged with reck-less homicide and acrime against workersrights by means of grossnegligence because theydidnt stop the workerfrom climbing the polewithout the correct safe-ty measures in place.

For ty-n ine-year-o ldMBD from Almeria City,41-year-old AM from ElEj ido and 35-year-oldJMPP from Roquetas deMar have al l beenpassed to the Court ofInstruction in Almeria forprocessing. The officershave not ruled out fur-ther arrests.

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com4

Operation Reckless

GUARDIA CIVIL officers have arrest-ed two individuals for suspectedtheft and a third for allegedly receiv-ing stolen goods.

The officers arrested 19-year-oldAET and 35-year-old AEM on suspi-cion of thefts from a private dwellingin the town of La Mojonera. Themen are alleged to have stolen twotelevision sets, two mobile phonesand a piggy bank containing cash.

The police were alerted to a rob-bery in progress when the owner ofthe property surprised the thieveswhile they robbed his home. Theofficers also received a description ofa vehicle at the scene. Officers wereable to trace the vehicle which inturn led them to the stolen itemsand the suspected thieves. Theinvestigation also led them to a third

person who had taken possession ofone of the televisions. The othertelevision was found concealed inbushes.

The detainees, along with thecase details, have been passed tothe magistrates court for pro-cessing.

La Mojonera thieves arrested

TELEVISION SETS: Stolen along with mobile phones and some cash.

OULD it be that the coldwinter winds of the crisisare finally behind us? Darewe look ahead to a newand revitalised Spanish

lifestyle?It may simply be that Spring is

knocking on the door, and the daysare getting longer which gives us atthe EWN a skip in our steps and thewarm reassuring feeling that 2015 isgoing to be the turning point.

We suspect it may also have some-thing to do with the fact that thehousing market is showing promisingsigns of growth for the first time in10 years. Or maybe that the unem-ployment figures are at the lowestthey have been for the last three.

But everywhere you turn thereseems evidence that subconsciouslypeople can feel the wind of change,although they may be nervous to ad-mit it so as not to bring a curse on it.

The golf courses have been mani-cured. The tennis courts have beenpainted, and the beaches are clean.The hotels have made the beds, andthe town hall steps have beenscrubbed. Semana Santa (Easterweek) is on the doorstep, and thetourist season nearly upon us.

Whatever the reason for this elatedspirit, its time to Spring clean! Outwith the old and in with the new.Start that new business, build thatextension, buy that new bikini, andlook forward to a bright new Spain.

C

Our ViewThere is definitelyspring in the air

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

NEWS 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera 5EWNTRUST our advertisers WE DO!

More bottlebanks

THE 48 municipalitiesof Almeria are to get172 new glass recy-cling bins in additionto the 484 already inplace. The installa-tions form part of aninitiative by Almeriaswaste managementconsortium.

Saving lives HUERCAL DEALMERIA is holdingfree health work-shops at the townhall. The remainingdates are March 19and 26 from 10amuntil noon. Thesessions focus onbasic lifesavingtechniques.

Green lightALMERIA ProvincialCouncil has given thegreen light to worksin five areas totallingmore than 3.2 mil-l ion. The works arefocused primarily inthe more rural areasof Almeria.

New kitVIATOR Council hasdelivered brand newsportswear to two localathletes, Maria JoseRueda Castillo andIndalecio NavarroTorres, ahead of theirimminent appearanceat the AndaluciaSurfcasting champi-onships.

Racing recordTHE eighth editionof Alboxs CarreraNocturan smashedits attendancerecords, accordingto the town hall.It announced that275 runners tookpart in the racethrough the streetsof Albox afterdark at the end ofFebruary.

NEWS EXTRA

THE Guardia Civil has been celebratingtwo shooting championships and anOlympic trap competition.

The championships began on Tuesday

March 10 and end tomorrow, FridayMarch 13, during the afternoon.

This is the 21st sports shooting cham-pionship, the 27th instinctive shooting

championship and thefirst Olympic trap. Theevents have been organ-ised by the Guardia Civiland the town of Gador,where the events are be-ing held.

The championships arethe first step in the selec-tion process for a nation-al team which will go onto represent the GuardiaCivil in competitionswhich see civilians, andthe military competeagainst each other at na-tional and internationallevel.

The competitions alltake place at the shoot-ing range in GadorsMediterranean Gamescentre from 11.30am oneach of the four days.

Guardia Civil ontarget inGador

WORK has just begun on the Boulevard Pescaderia inAlmeria City with a budget of 120,000.

The restoration work involves cleaning the floor ofthe boulevard, removing rubbish and debris. There arealso schedules set to renew the greenery along theentire stretch.

The reforestation of the area will be using elementsand species of flora already present in the area. Anumber of stone walls are being constructed to encasethe greenery and to keep it secure.

According to Almeria City Council, the work is ex-pected to last eight weeks. It comes as part of an aes-thetics initiative to establish parks, cycle lanes, pavingand leisure spaces around the citys core.

Boulevard worksget under way

ALMERIA City Council has added five new buses to itsfleet, including a new caterpillar bus for the universityroute, bringing the number to three.

The new articulated vehicle is 18 metres long withcapacity for 109 passengers. It is destined for the uni-versity line where demand and density has been in-creasing rapidly. The route also covers the town hallso will benefit council workers and visitors.

The announcement of the new buses was made byAlmerias mayor, Luis Rogelio Rodriguez-Comendador,during his visit to view the five new vehicles. He spokeof the advanced technology of the vehicles and added:The municipality is committed to renew and mod-ernise the fleet vehicles. He reiterated the subsidiesavailable to pensioners and the disabled.

City bus fleetincreases

Luis Rogelio Rodriguez-Comendador (second left)welcomed the new buses to the Almeria fleet.

COUNCILLOR for Equalityin Almeria, Carolina Lafita,has announced the finalnumber of women andchildren who participatedin the third edition of theRace for Women.

This year has exceededall expectations, saidLafita. We have achievedthe challenge we had setof reaching 2,000 partici-pants. In fact, the figurewas far exceeded because

we reached 2,136. Therefore, we can

announce this third edi-tion of the race to be asuccess.

A total of 1,612 womenand 524 children joinedthe race which encom-passed a circuit throughthe city centre. Therewere three distance choic-

es to run, ranging from2,000 metres (one lap) to5,000 metres (three laps).

Mayor of Almeria, LuisRogelio Rodriguez-Comendador, also addedhis support. He said: Wehave been overwhelmedby the race, proving thatonce again when we plansomething, we get it.

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com6

Poison alert POISONED meat is re-portedly being left inareas where peoplewalk their dogs aroundArboleas. The authori-have been advised ofthe incidents.

RBL MojacarMOJACAR branch ofthe Royal BritishLegion next meetson March 19 at theartisan centre in thepueblo at 11.15amand welcomeseveryone, whetherex-services or not.

Wacky eventBAR LA PLAZA VIL-LARICOS is hosting aWacky Races event onSaturday May 16 toraise funds for localcharities. Call 950 467590 to enter or sponsora team.

NEWS EXTRA

LOCAL POLICE officershave arrested two Ro-manian women who areaccused of deceiving androbbing elderly peopleoutside banks.

The two women werewanted by seven courtsacross Spain and hadoutstanding warrants fortheir arrest. The two arealleged to have ap-proached their elderlyvictims claiming to bepart of a charity organi-sation and asking for do-nations. The police al-lege that if donationswere not forthcomingthe two women, aged 20and 25, used the time topickpocket wallets.

FIREFIGHTERS evacuated an El Ejidobuilding after a fire broke out.

The blaze, in a third-floor property onEl Ejido Boulevard, began at 5am onSaturday March 7. There were no casu-

alties, although a five-year-old child wastreated for smoke inhalation at thescene and recovered quickly.

Residents were able to return to theirhomes shortly afterwards.

Race reaches milestone

Fire scare in El Ejido

Targetingthe elderly

RACE FOR WOMEN: Numbers exceeded expectations.

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com8

CAMPAIGNERS for com-pensation for peoplewho in good faithbought illegal Spanishhomes have seen whatthey cal led a goldenopportunity snuffedout in the Senate.

Members of the Par-t ido Popular (PP),meeting in the SenateJustice Commission toreview a series of pro-posed amendments tothe Criminal Code, vot-ed against all amend-ments submitted byother political parties.This included a PSOEproposal to guaranteecompensation prior todemolit ion to thosewho unknowingly pur-chased illegal proper-ties.

A spokesperson forAUAN, an association

representing Britons inAlmeria affected by theissue of illegal housesin Spain, said:

The procedure fordeal ing with amend-ments to the CriminalCode is not yet con-cluded and the Senateis due to vote on March12. However, given theattitude of the PP andgiven that the PP has amajority in the Senateit is unlikely that thisamendment will now beapproved. This is ablow for the vict imswho need justice nowand a lost opportunity.

AUAN continued: Itseems that there is alack of understandingof the impact of demoli-tions without prior com-pensation to purchasersin good faith. Not only

with respect to the vio-lat ion of the humanrights, the fundamentalrights and the constitu-tional rights of the indi-vidual, but also theeconomic impact onsociety as a whole withregard to the reputationof Spain abroad and theconfidence

From AUANs pointof view, we continue toencourage al l thosewho work towards leg-is lat ion that is morejust for all citizens. Wealways have a l i tt lehope but we are alwaysprepared to face disap-pointment. Today is aday of disappointment.However, we wil l notgive up and will contin-ue to work for what webelieve in and we be-lieve in justice.

Disappointmentfor campaigners

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com10

Boat rescuesCALMER weatherbrings a rise in immi-grant attempts toreach Spain by boat.Emergency serviceshave rescued 68 peo-ple from two boats offAlmerias coastline.

UGT robberyPOLICE are investi-gating a break-in atthe UGT headquar-ters on Calle JavierSanz in the provin-cial capital. Equip-ment and cash weretaken.

NEWS EXTRA

TWO more men have been added to the10 suspects arrested in connection withthe burning to death of a man in CallePisces in Villablanca, Almeria in Novem-ber 2014.

The man died in what is suspected tobe a drug trafficking gang attack. Within48 hours of the incident, the police hadarrested four men and four women in

an operatrion which stretched acrossthe province.

Three of those arrested have beenidentified as alleged participants in arobbery in Cadiz where more than150,000 was stolen.

The burning victim was of foreigndescent and approximately 40 years ofage.

AT just 11 years old, OsaiaReding has been selectedto participate in the Euro-pean Junior FreestyleKitesurf championships tobe held at Saint Pierre laMer in the South of Francefrom April 10 to 13.

She will be in competingin the ladies nine to 19-year-old category.

Last year, Osaia partici-pated in the Junior WorldKitesurf Championship(PKRA) in San PerePescador, Catalonia,where she was theyoungest competitor andwas placed third in theworld in the 11 to 14 cate-gory. This is her first par-ticipation in a European

championship so thestakes and hopes are evenhigher. Her excitementand enthusiasm leads herto practise her favouritesport of kitesurfing off thebeaches of Mojacar, oppo-site the Hotel Indalo,

whenever the wind blows.The town hall in Mojacar

is proud to support theyoung athlete by beingone of her sponsors, as itdid last year when shecompeted in the WorldChampionships.

Mojacar kitesurfertakes on Europe

MAYOR of Huercal Overa,Domingo Fernandez, hasbeen visiting new busi-nesses in the town whichhave benefited fromstart-up subsidies.

Over the coming weeksthe mayor and Councillorfor Employment, MonicaNavaro, are visiting the40 entrepreneurs who re-ceived subsidies in thelatest round to see howtheir new ventures areprogressing. In total, 80new businesses havebeen launched withthe subsidies, creating

approximately 100 jobs.The initiative continues

throughout 2015 with a

third call and 100,000of aid available to entre-preneurs.

New business inHuercal Overa

Domingo Fernandez (left) with one the beneficiariesof the start-up subsidies.

HIGH HOPES: Osaia enters European championships.

Two more added to CallePisces investigation

SOL Supermercado and their customers inAlbox have helped local food banks.

The supermarket arranged a collectionbox for dried and canned foodstuffs whichcustomers have generously been fillingover the last few months. Vera and DistrictLions Club have organised its distributionto local food banks which are providinghelp to those people who are struggling inthe current economic climate.

Sol Supermercado will continue to collectgoods in the coming months.

In appreciation of the valuable workdone, Sandie Tinkham, President of Veraand District Lions Club, presented theladies of Sol Supermercado and their cus-tomers with a Certificate of Appreciation.

Vera and District Lions Club works withinthe local community helping groups, chari-ties and individuals as need arises.

NEWS 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera 11EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

A WOMAN has been admitted toTorrecardenas Hospital with stab woundsin her back, allegedly administered byher 24-year-old sister.

Police officers from Gador and Huercalrushed to the scene and arrested the 24-

year old while emergency services caredfor the victim. The incident occurred onthe street at a little after 3pm on Satur-day March 7 in Alhabia, 30 kilometresfrom Almeria City.

The victims condition remains stable.

Sister wars in the street

Sol supermercadolends a hand

APRRECIATION: Lions President SandieTinkham thanks Sol Supermercado.

NEWS 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera 13EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

Park opensTHE 20,000-square-metre Parque de laEstacion has finallyopened in Almeria ftereight months of work.It is situated betweenthe Ronda road andSierra de Alhamillastreet.

Gitano treesAPPROXIMATELY100 gypsy residentsof the Pampaniconeighbourhood of ElEjido have beenplanting trees toimprove the areasimage.

ITV stationVEIASA has beenawarded the construc-tion of a new ITV in-spection centre in LasTres Villas. It will havecapacity to carry out14,000 annual checks.

NEWS EXTRA

SOME tomato typeshave lost 50 per cent oftheir value in the last 15days, according to datafrom Asaja Almeria.

Asaja (the associationof young farmers) indi-cated that the averagedrop in pr ices was 26per cent, with the price

paid to farmers only0.30 a ki logram. AnAsaja spokesman said:Right now farmers areselling at below produc-

tion costs, losing an av-erage of 0.10 per kilo-gram. The vine tomatofell 50 per cent in pricein just 15 days, and injust the last week thisvar iety lost 31.8 percent, depreciat ing to0.14.

Emergency meetingsare now taking place toaddress the cl imate ofunrest that is sweepingthrough Almeria. Mean-while, Moroccan supplyhas increased by 8 percent since January 2015,indicating that the pricedrop is not due to anexcess of supply in themarket.

Francisco Vargas,president of Asaja, con-cluded: Temperatureswill rise and, consideringthe results weve beengetting in all our horti-cultural products, we arefacing the worst resultsin recent years and itwill be difficult for farm-ers to sustain this loss ofincome.

MORE than 20 womenhave taken part in acourse in Huercal Overato learn e-commerceand boost their busi-nesses using the powerof the internet.

The course, whichwas hosted by the townhall, is part of an initia-tive to promote genderequality as driven by theprovincial council. Mayorof Huercal Overa,Domingo Fernandez,said: The initiative hasbeen well received.Trade is a mainstay ofour town and traders

are seeking new tech-nologies and tools as apositive measure tofurther promote their

businesses and sales.More courses are

planned for the rest ofMarch.

Tomato prices plummet

Women on courseto boost business

E-COMMERCE: Using the internet to boost sales.

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com14

Desert trailTHE second edition of theTabernas Ultra Desert Trailis to be held on March 21and 22. The success of lastyear has been blown awaythis year because 2014s186 participants has grownto 800.

Sewage worksHUERCAL DE ALMERIA hascompleted the sewageworks on Calle Golondrinaand part of Calle Ruiseor.The work puts an end tothe numerous leaks thathad been plaguing thearea for years.

Pechina jobsTHE municipality of Pechi-na has announced employ-ment offers in the townwith a large increase dur-ing March. Twenty fourpeople have been offeredfull time contracts of 35hours for one month.

NEWS EXTRA

NATIONAL POLICE officers havearrested two people smugglersresponsible for transporting immi-

grants from Algeria to Spain.The two were intercepted just

off the coast of Almeria with 22

other immigrants, including twominors, in late 2014. The inflat-able boat, six feet long by two

feet wide and powered by an out-board engine, was spotted by theprovincial maritime service nine

nautical miles off theMojacar coastline.

After months of re-search, the police wereable to ascertain the full in-volvement of the two citi-zens in the managementand coordination of a crim-inal group dedicated to thesmuggling of foreignersfrom the Algerian coast toAlmeria shores.

Of the two individuals,one was already identifiedin an investigation in 2013as the leader of a group of10 people dedicated tosmuggling of immigrantsby boat.

The police were able toestablish the two men hadcharged between 500 and800 per person to smug-gle them into Spain. Whenthe boat was intercepted,the two smugglers instruct-ed the passengers what tosay to the authorities inorder to avoid detection.

Two smugglers arrested

MOJACAR fans watching TheVoice on BBC1 were thrilled tosee 26-year-old Sheena McHughfrom Coalville in Leicestershirego through to the next round inthe singing competition.

Euro Weekly News readers willremember that Sheena was cho-sen by Spectrum FM to sing theirMojacar song to promote theCosta Almeria.

Sheena was paired with HollyBarry for their stage battle, andWill.i.am chose Aretha FranklinsSisters are doin i t for them-selves for the two girls to sing.

Sheena was concerned aboutthe song choice. Speaking toWill.i.am, Sheenas mentor forthe competition, ahead of thebattle, she said: It takes away

the good parts of my voice.Will.i.am responded harshly:

Sink or swim. It s a batt le.Youre not supposed to be com-fortable in a battle

But when the two girls took tothe stage, Sheena forgot hermisgivings and belted out theclassic soul number with gustoand passion.

Rita Ora loved the perfor-mance and added: Theresnothing better than seeing twofemales actually supporting eachother.

It was Wills decision that mat-tered though and he kept thegirls on tenterhooks before heenthused: Sheena - tonight youshined, and put her through tothe next round.

Mojacar singer goes through tonext round of BBC1s The Voice

SHEENA: Through to next round.

THE Museo de Almeriais currently hosting pho-tographs from the win-

ners and runners up ofthe recent AndalucianInstitute of Youth (IAJ)

photography competi-tion.

Director of the IAJ,Raul Pera les, andAl f redo Vald iv ia f romthe Junta inauguratedthe exhibition which canbe visited from 9am to7.30pm Monday toSaturday and 9am to3.30pm at weekendsand on fiestas.

Among the worksthat compr ise theexhibition are samplesfrom Mar ia F lorenc iaRojas, an Argent in iangir l based in Malaga,and Ana Mar ia Poncefrom Granada.

The two girls won firstand second pr izesrespectively.

Other notable inclu-sions are from SevillasMar ia Cr is t ina A lde-huela, Madr id s EvaFuentes and AlmeriasMaria Estela Garcia.

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com16

AS part of International Womens Daythe mayor of Almeria, Luis RogelioRodriguez Comendador, spent time with260 women, examining handcrafts andskills that are as alive today as they everwere.

The mayor met with the ladies at EgoSport Centre in the provincial capital tosee firsthand some of the traditional arti-san products still being made using oldtechniques around Almeria.

The mayor said: We wish to thank allthese women for their effort in keepingthese traditions alive despite the techno-logical and digital age in which we nowlive. It is very difficult to interest theyounger generations in these traditionsso thanks to these women, the bobbinlace craft and macram are still a realitytoday. The meeting was attended byseveral womens organisations to pro-mote gender equality.

Photography winnersexhibition now on

Old traditionsare kept alive

HANDCRAFTS: Some women still practice bobbin lace and macram.

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com18

IN a week that has seenthe IS terrorist recruiterSamira Yerou apprehendedas soon as she toucheddown at Barcelona airport,it would appear that theSpanish anti-terroristforces were back in actionon Tuesday in Ceuta withthe capture of another twoJihadists in a dawn raid.

A statement from theMinistry of the Interior saidthe two Moroccan menarrested this morning haveSpanish nationality, andare part of an active terror-ist cell of which four other

members were arrestedback in January.

They also added thatthese men were preparedand poised to launch anattack on Spanish soil.

Seeing as the two pairsof brothers arrested inJanuary were described asfitting the same profile asthe Kouachi brothers(responsible for the attackon the Charlie Hebdooffices on January 7 inParis) it looks like theproactive fight against ter-rorism is very much on theball!

ONCE came up with a ticketdesign to help promote gen-der equality to coincide withInternationals Womens Dayand under the banner, Equali-ty Benefits Everyone.

F ive and a hal f mi l l ion

coupons were issued for thesweepstakes, as announcedin a meeting with representa-tives from ONCE.

Deputy genera l managerfor ONCE, Patrico Carceles,and Andalucia delegate for

ONCE, Cr is tobal Mart inez,presented an image of thenew coupon to the ministerfor Health and Social Policy atthe Junta de Andalucia, JoseMaria Sanchez Rubio, and thehead of the Andalucian Insti-

tute of Youth, Carmen Cuello.The coupon recognises the

value of womens struggle forequal i ty , d isp lays ONCEscommitment to equality andserves as a platform for thewhole of soc iety, sa id

Patricia Carceles.Sanchez Rubio thanked

ONCE and added: Thisinvites us to conduct a jointreflection that should lead toact ion to achieve a fa i rersociety.

Security forcesare on the ball

ONCE promotes gender equality

AS part of the roadimprovement plan, Alme-ria Provincial Council isto make investments ofover 6mil l ion for im-provements to ruralroads across 63 munici-palities, benefiting morethan 400,000 squaremetres of tarmac.

Counci l PresidentGabriel Amat highlightedthe commitment of thecouncil to rural areas inthe province and

stressed that these roadsserved to provide accessto farms and ranchers.It is a work which onone hand aims to im-prove the safety of dri-vers on them, while thelocal economy of the 63municipalities will also beenergised, he said.

Roads in Sorbas wil lreceive a total invest-ment of around110,000, with Amatannouncing that thecontract has beensigned, awarding thework to the company,

Eiffage InfraestructurasSA, who wil l pave f iverural roads over a totalof 2,492 metres. It willrepair and return themto their previous stateafter they were affectedby the heavy rains thatbattered the area a fewmonths ago in the Sierrade los Filabres and theAlmanzora Valley.

The roads wil l retaintheir existing layout andwidth, but gutterswil l be added to heldwith surface rainflow.

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com20

ALMOST half of those killedon Almerias roads in trafficaccidents in 2014 were notwearing a seatbelt.

According to data provid-ed by Provincial TrafficAlmeria, 44.4 per cent ofpeople killed on the roadswho should have beenwearing seatbelts, werenot. Coincidentally, all ofthose killed without wear-ing restraints were alldrivers.

Seatbelts are the most

effective safety device in avehicle and reduces by halfthe chances of someonedying in a road traffic acci-dent.

The death toll of thosetravelling without a seat-belt in the province ofAlmeria is higher than inthe whole country, whichstands at 22 per cent.

A total of 2,193 peoplewere fined last year in theprovince for not wearingseatbelts.

A MAN has d iedwhi ls t cav ing inAlmeria.

The 42-year-o ldwas in the GeodaCave in the munic i-pality of Pulpi, whichhouses a unique rockformat ion and ispopular with cavingenthus iasts f romaround Europe.

The man is be-lieved to have fallendown a crevice.

Half of fatalities werenot wearing seatbelts

Man diescaving in

Pupli

6m for ruralroad repairs

EXPAT and Spanish communitiesjoined forces to support a localcancer charity with a sponsoredwalk.

Seventy walkers went on a12.5-kilometre hike in Lubrinand in so doing showed the highesteem that MACS (Mojacar

Against Cancer Support) is heldby Spaniards and expatriatesalike.

The community spirit was feltfrom beginning to end and asense of commitment prevailedfor a service which so manypeople may need now or in the

future, said organisers.Amigos de Lubrin and MACS

would like to thank Lubrin may-or, Domingo Ramos Camacho,who participated in the walk andprovided access to many extrafacilities, and to Ana from thetourist office and town hall.

Thanks go also to: Amador whoopened Bar la Tasca for theevent; event initiator and leaderMike Moran, and providers offood, drink and cooking, JuanManas and Maria, Peter,Joaquina from Spar, David, FranCook and Geoff; Karen for

posters and networking;Olive Properties for a largedonation, and Sophia Well-ness Centre for support.

MACS, a registered chari-ty, offers help and supportto people with cancer andto their carers. Amigos ofLubrin were very happy togive 950 to this worthycause.

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com22

Greenhouse photosA GROUP of greenhouses inAlmeria is the subject of anaerial photography series byGerman photographer Bern-hard Lang. The complex coversaround 350 square kilometre,the worlds largest.

Farming museumA FARMHOUSE in Andaraxpark is to be turned into amuseum. The hope is that itwill become a referencepoint for new generationson how Almeria farmingworked in the 1930s, 40sand 50s before the firstgreenhouses appeared.

New binsEL EJIDO is installing 150 newwaste containers (100 for thecollection of municipal solidwaste, 25 for paper and card-board and 25 for the collectionof light packaging) to replacebins damaged, vandalised ordeteriorated over time.

NEWS EXTRA

ALMERIAS Mayor, Luis RogeliaRodriguez-Comendador, has listeda number of projects he plans toinitiate, should he remain in powerafter the May elections.

The mayor said he intends to

further improve the city with pro-jects like the elimination of thelevel crossing at El Puche, rehabili-tation of the former headquartersof the Local Police, which willaccommodate the new municipal

library, and development of theopen spaces in the mouth of theAndarax. Work will continue onthe airport expressway, the mainentry and exit to the city from thearea of Almeria Levante.

Mayor plans big improvements

Amigos walk for MACS

PHOTOG

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READY FOR THE OFF: Seventy walkers took part. ON THE ROAD: Route covered 12.5 kilometres in Lubrin.

EWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera24 NEWSwww.euroweeklynews.com

POLICE in Premia de Mar,Barcelona, have caught aninternational Viagra traf-ficking gang which soldmore than 150,000 tabletsa month.

Mossos dEsquadra po-lice force sources declared

that a 53-year-old manand a 35-year-old womanfrom Pakistan and India re-spectively had been arrest-ed for illegal drug traffick-ing, smuggling andbelonging to a criminalgang.

Police intercepted deliv-eries of more than 400,000tablets.

TOWN HALLS and munici-palities across the regionhave marked InternationalWomens Day.

In Adra, more than 700people attended the Galaof Women, organised bythe town hall, providing anight of tributes and reflec-tions.

Councillor for Women,Alicia Heras, read the man-ifesto of support forwomen, supported by allassociations in the townand focused on full equalityof rights.

Heras said: Despite themany accomplishmentsthat have been achieved,there are still several in-equalities, such as accessand permanence in thelabour market, wage dis-crimination, low participa-

tion and representation ofwomen in positions ofresponsibility.

The councillor added:Only when women partici-pate actively and equally inall sectors of public andprivate life, can we have afairer society.

Mayor Enrique Hernandothanked the women ofAdra for making the townwhat it is today. He paidtribute to local women fortheir work with 40 repre-sentatives of variousgroups and associationstaking to the stage to sup-port the two women beinghonoured. They wereMatilde Vargas Campoy,from the Partnership for aBetter Life, and CarmelaCuellar by the Associationof Women in Adra.

ALMERIA is to add 10firefighters to its ranks.

Mayor Luis RogelioRodr iguez-Comen-dador, speaking at theFirefighters Patron Saintcelebrations, made theannouncement as hepledged to improve theprovision of facilities forthe body of firefightersin the capital in orderto greater manage thesafety of the city.

The budget has alsorisen this year meaningthat the acquisition ofanother fire engine willbe possible in the au-tumn and further in-vestments will be madeto improve existingequipment. All this isfurther proof that weare fulfilling the com-mitments made to theprofessionals of thisbody, the mayor said.

Last year 1,087 inter-ventions were recordedwith crews attending566 fires, 153 rescuesand 368 technical assis-tances like home in-spections, flooding andgas leak inspections.

Viagra traffickinggang arrested

Adra recognisesits valued women

More cashfor Almeriafire crews

12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera 25EWNNEWS www.euroweeklynews.com

A MAN has been sentenced to sixyears in prison by the ProvincialCourt of Almeria for helping illegalimmigrants enter the country.

The Algerian citizen, aged 33,was skippering a boat with 10people on board; charging each ofthem 800 for the journey from

the coast of Oran, Algeria to theSpanish coastline.

The dinghy boat was 4.3m longand 1.5m wide and did not have

any security or safetymeasures on board withthe court saying the manhad put the occupants atdanger. He was convict-ed as the perpetrator ofa crime against the rightsof foreign nationals.

The boat was locatedby the Maritime Serviceof the Guardia Civi l inMay last year sai l ingaround three nauticalmiles south-east of MesaRoldan.

The occupants weretaken to the port ofAlmeria, where theywere treated by the Im-mediate Response TeamEmergency (ERIE) RedCross humanitarian aidteam.

Man jailed for six yearsfor aiding immigrants

THE Albox stretch of the Alman-zora motorway is due to be com-pleted by May.

The Minister of Public Works andHousing of the Junta de Andaluciaregional government, Maria JesusSerrano, visited the works to checktheir current status and complica-tions of this infrastructure.

Technicians reported thatdrainage and signalling need to

be carried out and the final layerof tarmac applied.

Serrano said the new section ofmotorway was vital to the peopleof Almanzora and Albox becauseit is an obstacle to traffic, roadsafety and socio-economic devel-opment of the area. The infra-structure will benefit people livingin 28 municipalities, with morethan 70,000 inhabitants.

Albox motorwaysection to be

completed by May

EWN 12 -18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera28 NEWSwww.euroweeklynews.com

TIJOLAS unemployed people are towork to improve public spaces.

Territorial Delegate of Economy, Inno-vation, Science and Employment,Adriana Valverde, held a meeting withMayor of Tijola, Mario Padilla, to devel-op projects under a range of schemesto help recruit young unemployed peo-ple aged 18-29, to carry out works andservices of municipal interest.

Tijola has now hired 54 youngsters torefresh urban public spaces in the townand maintain gardens and parks as wellas cleaning and security work in the

streets and neighbourhoods.Valverde also highlighted the recent

approval by the Governing Council ofthe Decree Law on urgent measures topromote employability measures, stabili-ty in employment and promoting self-employment.

The Andalucian Government is to allo-cate more than 422 million to furtherpromote employment programmes andAlmeria Province will have 19.8 millionto carry out projects of social and com-munity interest in municipalities whichmay hire unemployed youth.

More employmentfor Tijolas young

Land change MODIFICATION of the Gen-eral Urban Plan (PGOU) hasbeen approved by the fullcouncil in El Ejido to changethe classification of land onthe road to Almerimar andthe Bahia of San Miguel.

The change has been ap-proved so that greenhousescan be installed on the land.

Almeria man arrestedin drug-gang bust

A MAN has been arrested in Almeria accused ofbeing part of an international network of drugtraffickers.

He was one of 24 individuals arrested as policedismantled the gang dedicated to drug traffickingbased in Melilla with branches in different Spanishprovinces, including Almeria, and countries suchas Holland and Germany.

EWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera30 NEWSwww.euroweeklynews.com

SPANISH residents con-cern about corruption andfraud has decreased, ac-cording to a report by theCentre for SociologicalInvestigations (CIS).

The study conducted inFebruary shows that it wasa concern mentioned by48.5 per cent of people in-terviewed, as opposed to55.5 per cent in Januaryand 60 per cent in Decem-ber.

Even though corruptionstill sits in second positionof Spanish citizens biggestworries, it has dropped bymore than 15 points sinceNovember of 2014, when itsat at 63.8 per cent.

The study was createdthrough 2,500 intervieweescarried out between Febru-ary 2 and 11 and showsthat the main concern con-tinues to be unemploy-ment (78.6 per cent).

Amongst unemployedpeople, 49.4 per centthought it unlikely theywould find a job this year,while in January the figurewas 51.3 per cent.

According to the report,optimism levels regardingthe financial situation havegrown, with a 2 per centincrease of people whothink that things will getbetter within the next year.

Financial problems arethe third most mentionedconcern (24.9 per cent)and fourth position went tothe political class and par-ties (20.1 per cent).

Concern about health-care has increased by 2per cent, to 12.1 per cent.

Worries over social prob-lems also increased by 7per cent and education bymore than 2 per cent.

Survey measureslevel of concerns

SPANISH PEOPLE: Concern over corruption decreased.

12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera 31EWNNEWS www.euroweeklynews.com

THOUSANDS of peopletook to the streetsacross Spain on SundayMarch 8, to call forequality betweenwomen and men tomark InternationalWomens Day.

In Madrid, thousandsjoined a protest marchcalled by more than 40womens groups whichfilled the streets of theheart of the capital city.

During the march,which travelled alongCalle Alcala from thePlaza de Cibeles to thePuerta del Sol, womenchanted feminist slogansand brandished posters

demanding equal rightsand pay and protestingagainst violence.

Speeches given at theprotest, which manyMadrid politicians at-tended, blamed contin-ued cases of gender vio-lence on lack ofbudgeting to fight theproblem and demandedfree legal abortions forall.

The upcoming local,regional and generalelections are an oppor-tunity for women to takepart and exercise theirrights, feminist groupsstated.

Citizens in Valencia

also marched for trueequality between menand women. Equal payfor equal work and theright to abort were themain subjects at themarch, organised byCoordinadora Feministagroup.

Gabriela Moriana,spokeswoman for thegroup, said: Womenhave come out todaybecause where equalityand gender violence areconcerned we are goingbackwards. Not onlyhave we failed to reachthe point we should beat, were actually gettingfurther from it.

Women ofSpain demand

equality

HOW much distanceshould be kept betweenthe car in front? Driversneed to be prepared forthe car in front of themto stop, slow down orperform any manoeuvre.The condition of the roadand the speed play a fac-tor.

Under normal drivingconditions, a commonmethod is to use thethree-second rule todetermine an adequatefollowing distance.

If the road is wet, icy,with bends or visibility isreduced, then the follow-ing distance needs to beincreased allowing youand the car in front moreroom to stop.

At a speed of 30 mpha vehicle needs 25metres to stop safely.And at 68 mph, that dis-tance increases to 103metres or the equivalentof a football pitch.

Safe driving distanceeven in traffic

Even in built up trafficits good driving to leavea space between youand the vehicle in front.If the car in front breaks

down, you need enoughspace to mirror, signaland manoeuvre around itsafely. If you getbumped from behind,leaving a gap may saveyour vehicle from collid-ing with the one in front.

Keeping right unlessovertaking

Vehicles should keepright on roads with twolanes or more, unlessovertaking. In built upareas, with two or morelanes, drivers should takethe lane which bestserves their destination.

This lane should not bechanged unless overtak-ing, stopping, unloadingor turning off. In allinstances, drivers shouldnot block or hinder thenormal flow of trafficfrom behind.

OvertakingOvertaking is a poten-

tially hazardous man-oeuvre and must neverbe done on a bend, inlimited visibility, onpedestrian crossings, onapproaches to crossroadsor intersections, or intunnels. When overtak-ing a cyclist, drivers must

leave a minimum gap of1.5 metres between theirvehicle and the cyclist, atall times. Overtaking onthe right hand side isprohibited in Spain.

Negotiating round-abouts

On approaching aroundabout, take noticeof all the informationavailable such as trafficsigns, traffic lights andlane markings, which candirect you to the correctlane depending on yourexit. As a general rule, itis usually safest to keepto the right lane until youneed to exit the round-about. Signal before theexit you intend to takeand use your mirrors toensure there is no onebehind who will beinconvenienced by yourturning off.

We hope the informa-tion provided in this arti-cle is of interest.

If you would like tocontact Lnea Directaplease call 902 123 309.

More information onLnea Directa online atwww.lineadirecta.com.

Keeping asafe driving

distance

For more information, Call 902 123 309

Advertising Feature

SAFE DRIVING: Drivers need to be

prepared for the carin front of them to

stop suddenly.

CYCLISTS should not only wear a helmetregardless of age, but also be registeredand have mandatory liability insurance.

These measures are proposed by theDepartment for road safety at the Insti-tute for International Political Science inMadrid in a recently released report.

The institute states that Spainsleniency towards cyclists is contributingto creating risky situations in cities andtowns. The reason for this is that cyclistsare practically never held liable for thetraffic accidents they cause

Cyclists should therefore hold amandatory liability insurance, given that

they create certain safety risks forpedestrians and other road users,according to the researchers behind thereport.

The Institute believes it should also bepossible for the police, and othersinvolved in a bike accident, to identifycyclists via a visible licence plate.

NEWSEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com32

THE Public ProsecutorsOffice attached to theSpanish Supreme Court isagainst DNA tests beingcarried out on the formerking of Spain.

The prosecutors officesupported the appealpresented by former KingJuan Carlos lawyersagainst the admission tocourt of a paternitysuit by Belgian womanJeanne Sartiau, Europa

Press has reported.The office insists that

the case should not betaken any further than asuit based on court hear-ing laws, stating: Underno circumstances shouldthe suit be accepted if noproof is provided.

The fact that a differ-ent version to that pre-sented at the courts wasgiven on a television pro-gramme by the woman,

who claims to be KingJuan Carlos illegitimatedaughter, was also men-tioned in the statement.

The Supreme Courtagreed in January to hearthe case, ignoring thePublic Prosecutors argu-ments that the proof pro-vided and the existenceof a relationship betweenthe former head of stateand the womans motherwere not credible.

THE price of a bombona, the tradi-t ional orange butane gas bott leused in many Spanish homes, hasfallen by 9.7 per cent in Spain.

The government announced thatthe price of 12.5 kilo bottles, a typi-cal sight for anyone living or visitingSpain, will be 15.80 for March and

April, and may see further reduc-tions in May and June, due to a newformula used to calculate prices forl iquid gases derived from petrol-eum.

Although that is the official price,there may be variations as commis-sion is paid to delivery men.

Gas bottle users set to save

Public Prosecutoropposes DNA tests

Cyclistsmay

be madeto have

insurance

SAFETY RISK: Insurance for cyclists.

Marihuana raidsTWO marihuana plantations found inMurcia were using electricity illegally fromthe national grid causing power cuts in thearea. Five people have been arrested.

Art conA MAN tricked art dealers in Murcia intogiving him a number of paintings, promis-ing to pay for them later. He gave falsepersonal details at several establishmentsin the city.

Police problemsTHE opposition IU party of Almoradi hascriticised the ruling PP party for a lack ofpolice, saying that the 13,000 spentrecently on overtime could have employednew officers.

Police raidsA POLICE clamp down on drugs in TorrePacheco saw numerous inspections andsearches taking place at pubs and clubs inthe town. More than 100 people werequestioned and 11 were arrested for beingin Spain illegally.

Sporting activityA NEW multi-sports facility has opened inPozo Aledo, San Javier, following aninvestment of 35,000 from the town hall.

Landmarks lostBENIDORM lost control of its Castilloand Tossal after the governmentdelayed designating them culturalassets (BICs). Located inside the mar-itime demarcation line, they are now theCoastal Authoritys responsibility.

Birthday boyTHE first Asian rhinoceros ever born inSpain recently celebrated its third birth-day in Benidorms Terra Natura. Itskeepers presented the rhino, namedSusto, with fruit and branches shapedliked the number three.

Fast reactionA BEAGLE that ate sausages laced withneedles in Cabo de las Huertas (AlicanteCity) was saved because its owner im-mediately saw what happened. TheGuardia Civil are now investigating.

Toys boostNATIONAL sales of Alicante-produced toysrose last year for the first time since 2011

with a 3.2 per cent increase and 984.67million turnover. Exports jumped 6.7 percent to 454.46 million.

Marina overhaulTHE regional government invited tendersfor a 3 million contract to remodel CalpesPuerto Blanco marina. The revamp speci-fies 110 moorings for 15-metre boats,reinforcing the breakwater and dredging.

Better imageTHE run-up to the Andalucian elections onMarch 22 will be a much tidier affair thisyear in Marbella as social media and elec-tronic noticeboards have officially replacedposters and glue as the way to share elec-toral propaganda.

Quiet pleaseAS of next July, developers in Malaga Cityapplying for first occupation licences will

have to prove that the properties are suffi-ciently soundproofed as part of a cityscheme to fight acoustic contaminationand improve citizens quality of life.

Players welcomeMORE than 4,200 national and inter-national sportsmen from 92 differentteams spent time training in Benal-madena in 2014 and generated almost1 million in income for the area.

Fugitive caughtA BRITISH man wanted by UK authori-ties for burglary has been arrested inFuengirola. The 28-year old fugitive iswanted for burglary and suspected ofbeing involved in a number of break-insin 2013-2014.

Community workNINETY-THREE people have so far madethe most of a regulation which came intoeffect in Mijas last July allowing locals to

do voluntary community work instead ofpaying fines for minor offences.

English lessons AN English course for tourism purposeshas been launched by Almuecar Council,earmarked at workers in tourism fieldssuch as commerce and hotel industry tohelp them improve their services.

Walking for equalityMORE than 800 people took part in Ner-jas fifth edition Walk for Equality cele-brated last Saturday (March 8). EqualityCouncillor, Gema Garcia stressed:Women do not want to have more rightsthan men, but not fewer either.

Charity race FOR the second consecutive year, Rinconde la Victoria will participate in the charityrace In Real Time, which will take placeon March 15. It will simultaneously takeplace in other places such as Madrid,Valencia and Ethiopia.

Certified poolTHE Spanish Swimming Federation hascertified Torre del Mars municipal pool,which is now allowed to host nationalswimming, synchronised swimming andwater polo competitions.

Cycling victory JAEN runner Manuel Beltran won thefifth edition of the City of Almuecarcycling race, celebrated last Sunday(March 8), which drew a total of 220 cy-clists from all corners of Andalucia.

Equality parade MORE than 200 people paraded aroundPalma streets last Sunday (March 8) toshow their support towards genderequality on the occasion of the Interna-tional Womens Day.

Man injured A MECHANIC was severely injured in Pal-ma after the trailer he was working on fellon his thorax, causing a cardiac arrest.The 36-year-old man was taken to Son Es-pases hospital where he remains critical.

Restricted parking MANACOR Council is looking to approve anew regulation to limit parking space inthe Cala Varques beach area to reducetraffic congestion and improve safety incase of an emergency.

AXARQUIA

COSTA DEL SOL

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

MALLORCA

NEWS DESKEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com34

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

A FORGOTTEN Villajoyosa path is nowa hiking route with magnificent seaviews.

The 18-kilometre Ruta del Cantalstarts out from the La Ermita districtand crosses the countryside to the ElCantal ridge.

We have recovered an area ofgreat beauty with this route, de-clared Vil lajoyosas council lor forSports, Pedro Ramis. Collaboration

from the Sendes i Muntanyes walkingclub has been fundamental, he said.

The walk is long, but not difficultand because it starts near the AP-7exit and the N-332 it will be easilyaccessible to out-of-town walkers andhikers.

We are very satisfied, Ramisadded. We always work with theclubs and when Vileros work together,we get good results.

For more local news from our regions see www.euroweeklynews.com EWN top for all the news from Spain.

NOW USED: New use for an old path.

New route forLa Vila hikers

THE taxman is on the tailof big spenders at ElCorte Ingles.

In 2008 the NationalOffice of Fraud Investiga-tion (Onif) attached tothe tax authority, Hacien-da, requested details ofclients who racked up30,000 a year or moreon El Corte Ingles cards.

The department storewas given a month tosupply the names andaddresses of these cus-tomers as well as theircard numbers and bankdetails. Failing to complywould be considered anoffence, Onif warned.

The department storeobjected and appealed tothe High Court, which in2012 sided with Hacien-da.

El Corte Ingles againappealed, this time to theSupreme Court which hasonce more taken the taxauthoritys part.

The Supreme Courttook the same line that itapplied to 4B credit cardsby ruling that a dutyexists to provide informa-tion and collaborationwhenever required byHacienda.

There have been atleast 10 similar rulings inrecent years, obligingbanks and credit cardcompanies to supplyinformation even whenusers are not underinvestigation. This hasincluded itemised recordsof users spending andnot merely a final balancefigure.

FERROVIAL secured a 1 billion con-tract to construct part of the 25-kilometre Thames Tideway tunnel.

Together with Laing ORourke,Ferrovial will build the middle sectionof the 5.77 billion tunnel beneathcentral London.

The BAM and Balfour consortiumwas allocated the western section ofthe tunnel, while a consortium head-ed by French company Vinci, wil l

build the eastern zone.The new sewer will tackle over-

flows from the capitals existing 19thcentury system that spills millions oftons of sewage into the river eachyear.

The contract due to be signed thissummer underlines Ferrovials pres-ence in the UK, currently the con-struction, services and concessionarygroups principal market.

Big UK contract for Ferrovial

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com 35EWN

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

Not our fault

BANKIAS customer careservice received 48,298complaints from cus-tomers last year. Thepart-nationalised banksettled 11,903 cases inthe clients favour andrefused to investigate afurther 2,396 complaints.

Not nowTHIS is not themoment to increasetaxes, said Financeminister CristobalMontoro. He wasresponding to callsfrom European think-tank and monitoringagency OECD to bringin more green taxes.

usinessBextra

legal&

Departmentstore has to tell

ZARA boss Amancio Ortegaslipped to fourth place on the2015 Forbes Rich List.

For the second year runningMicrosofts Bill Gates, estimatedto be worth $79.2 billion(71.64 billion), headed the list.

Mexican magnate Carlos Slimwith $77.1 billion (69.74 bil-lion) came next, followed by US

investor Warren Buffetts for-tune of $72.7 billion (65.76billion)

The Inditex chiefs $64.5 bil-l ion (58.34 bill ion) wealthgrew last year by only $500million although Forbes point-ed out that this was largelycaused by depreciation of theeuro.

Forbes l ists 21 Spaniardswho boast a combined wealthof $116.3 billion (105.20 bil-lion). Five others - FranciscoJose Riberas Mera, Juan MariaRiberas Mera, Leopoldo delPino, Isidoro Alvarez, JoseMaria Aristain and EnriqueBauelos - lost their placesthis year.

STAT OF WEEKbusiness DEFENCE exports fell by 24.3 percent to 1.37 billion in the firsthalf of 2014 compared with

1.82 billion in 2013. The gov-ernment suspended 15 licences

to sell anti-riot equipment toVenezuela.

Ortegas fortune drops

BILL GATES: Again top of the Forbes Rich List for 2015.

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FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com36

British Amrcn Tobacco 3,784.00 -41.50 -1.08 71,311.60

British Land Co 824.00 -15.50 -1.85 8,560.95

BT Group 455.00 -4.20 -0.91 37,402.46

Bunzl 1,864.00 -17.00 -0.90 6,295.88

Burberry Group 1,857.00 -30.00 -1.59 8,390.37

Capita Group (The) 1,191.00 -18.00 -1.49 8,001.89

Carnival 3,014.50 -17.50 -0.58 6,549.62

Most AdvancedCellular Dynamics International, Inc. $ 6.61 0.99 17.62%Celladon Corporation $ 24 2.54 11.84%Digirad Corporation $ 4.88 0.48 10.91%Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 6.12 0.59 10.67%Diamond Foods, Inc. $ 30.34 2.86 10.41%Calithera Biosciences, Inc. $ 14.67 1.36 10.22%Finisar Corporation $ 22.23 1.90 9.35%Retrophin, Inc. $ 15.37 1.31 9.32%Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. $ 18.40 1.46 8.62%3X Inverse Gold ETN Velocityshares $ 78.7556 6.0356 8.30%Barclays Inverse US Treasury Composite $ 36.401 2.761 8.21%

Most DeclinedEnergy Recovery, Inc. $ 2.79 0.47 14.42%Hurco Companies, Inc. $ 29.71 4.86 14.06%Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. $ 7.10 0.91 11.36%Gulf Island Fabrication, Inc. $ 12.85 1.60 11.07%Tuniu Corporation $ 12.63 1.54 10.87%Meru Networks, Inc. $ 2.36 0.27 10.27%Royal Gold, Inc. $ 63.03 6.13 8.86%Curis, Inc. $ 3.04 0.29 8.71%Caesars Acquisition Company $ 6.58 0.62 8.61%Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. $ 6.05 0.54 8.19%VelocityShares 3x Long Gold ETN $ 10.5299 0.9301 8.12%

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 164.36 -3.21 -1.92% 2.1MAXP American Express 80.31 -0.84 -1.04% 6.5MT AT&T 33.48 -0.52 -1.53% 39.8MBA Boeing 153.12 -1.35 -0.87% 3.6MCAT Caterpillar 80.06 -1.45 -1.78% 7.9MCVX Chevron 103.55 -1.18 -1.13% 7.2MCSCO Cisco 28.93 -0.375 -1.28% 27.0MKO Coca-Cola 41.52 -0.88 -2.08% 18.2MDIS Disney 103.82 -1.21 -1.15% 5.7MDD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co 78.14 -0.18 -0.23% 7.6MXOM Exxon Mobil 85.63 -1.11 -1.28% 16.1MGE General Electric 25.42 -0.40 -1.55% 32.3MGS Goldman Sachs 186.91 -3.17 -1.67% 4.1MHD Home Depot 114.45 -1.46 -1.26% 5.2MIBM IBM 158.50 -2.68 -1.66% 4.5MINTC Intel 33.19 -0.54 -1.60% 32.4MJNJ Johnson & Johnson 100.11 -2.41 -2.35% 9.3MJPM JPMorgan Chase 60.89 -1.11 -1.79% 22.7MMCD McDonald's 97.13 -1.98 -2.00% 9.7MMRK Merck 56.84 -1.14 -1.97% 11.1MMSFT Microsoft 42.36 -0.75 -1.74% 36.2MNKE Nike 96.91 -1.55 -1.57% 3.6MPFE Pfizer 33.97 -0.50 -1.45% 39.9MPG Procter & Gamble 82.66 -1.97 -2.33% 11.3MTRV Travelers Companies Inc 105.80 -1.80 -1.67% 2.2MUTX United Technologies 119.43 -1.36 -1.13% 3.7MUNH UnitedHealth 112.88 -1.91 -1.66% 3.2MVZ Verizon 48.29 -0.63 -1.29% 15.6MV Visa 269.34 -4.79 -1.75% 2.9MWMT Wal-Mart 82.59 -0.98 -1.17% 5.7M

Centrica 241.95 -0.05 -0.02 12,024.74Coca-Cola HBC 1,153.00 -2.00 -0.17 4,208.52Compass Group 1,154.00 -15.00 -1.28 19,494.82CRH 1,772.00 -25.00 -1.39 14,642.17Diageo 1,911.75 -16.75 -0.87 48,509.45Direct Line Insurance 340.00 -1.70 -0.50 5,125.50Dixons Carphone 437.60 0.20 0.05 5,035.47easyJet 1,668.00 -12.00 -0.71 6,673.10Experian 1,177.50 -9.50 -0.80 11,749.89Fresnillo 699.50 1.00 0.14 5,147.20Friends Life Group 422.60 -6.90 -1.61 6,051.88G4S 297.30 2.00 0.68 4,581.86GKN 360.20 -1.20 -0.33 6,001.16GlaxoSmithKline 1,544.75 -15.25 -0.98 75,874.99Glencore 291.80 2.30 0.79 37,905.53Hammerson 657.50 -10.00 -1.50 5,235.17Hargreaves Lansdown 1,164.00 -6.00 -0.51 5,549.53HSBC Holdings 569.60 1.60 0.28 109,148.63Imperial Tobacco Group 3,203.00 -17.00 -0.53 30,818.33InterContinental Hotels 2,639.50 -21.50 -0.81 6,283.08International Consldtd Air 545.75 -4.25 -0.77 11,213.94Intertek Group 2,571.00 -15.00 -0.58 4,172.82Intu Properties 342.50 -5.50 -1.58 4,582.60ITV 248.00 1.50 0.61 9,938.66Johnson Matthey 3,355.00 -32.00 -0.94 6,940.56Kingfisher 355.50 -7.90 -2.17 8,542.73Land Securities Group 1,236.50 -28.50 -2.25 10,000.23Legal & General Group 279.50 -1.10 -0.39 16,673.45Lloyds Banking Group ORD 80.95 -0.48 -0.59 58,119.63London Stock Exchange 2,439.00 4.00 0.16 8,448.39Marks & Spencer Group 502.75 -8.25 -1.61 8,356.15Meggitt 559.50 2.50 0.45 4,455.69Mondi 1,332.50 -14.50 -1.08 4,946.73Morrison (Wm) Sprmrkts 206.10 0.10 0.05 4,810.27National Grid 863.20 -2.30 -0.27 32,544.90Next 7,497.50 -32.50 -0.43 11,511.38Old Mutual 225.10 -2.00 -0.88 11,142.82Pearson 1,443.50 -6.50 -0.45 11,888.30Persimmon 1,722.00 -26.00 -1.49 5,356.93Prudential 1,658.75 -12.75 -0.76 42,920.44Randgold Resources 4,638.00 57.00 1.24 4,244.84Reckitt Benckiser Group 5,775.00 -25.00 -0.43 41,623.96Reed Elsevier 1,127.50 -9.50 -0.84 12,888.65Rio Tinto 2,895.00 -22.50 -0.77 41,257.72Rolls-Royce Group 992.75 5.75 0.58 18,485.42Royal Bank of Scotland 376.60 0.50 0.13 23,942.13Royal Dutch Shell 2,016.75 -13.25 -0.65 79,090.12Royal Dutch Shell 2,124.75 -15.25 -0.71 52,224.79Royal Mail 425.15 0.15 0.04 4,250.00RSA Insurance Group 411.65 -6.35 -1.52 4,244.74SABMiller 3,705.75 -35.25 -0.94 60,371.83Sage Group (The) 486.00 -5.40 -1.10 5,291.33Sainsbury (J) 276.70 0.10 0.04 5,294.71Schroders 3,103.00 -48.00 -1.52 7,121.97Severn Trent 2,007.00 -24.00 -1.18 4,866.94Shire 5,212.50 -22.50 -0.43 30,888.47Sky 986.50 -9.50 -0.95 17,121.41Smith & Nephew 1,127.50 -16.50 -1.44 10,226.95Smiths Group 1,183.00 4.00 0.34 4,654.16Sports Direct Internatnl 681.75 0.25 0.04 4,078.54SSE 1,517.00 -1.00 -0.07 14,982.25St James's Place 936.00 -9.00 -0.95 4,908.78Standard Chartered 1,035.50 11.50 1.12 25,320.36Standard Life 442.25 -2.75 -0.62 10,654.96Taylor Wimpey 147.80 -1.50 -1.00 4,857.42Tesco 240.90 -1.60 -0.66 19,698.25Travis Perkins 1,994.00 -16.00 -0.80 4,998.93TUI AG 1,151.00 -12.00 -1.03 N/ATullow Oil 355.05 1.85 0.52 3,216.46Unilever 2,840.50 -30.50 -1.06 36,848.12United Utilities Group 911.50 -13.50 -1.46 6,307.47Vodafone Group 217.80 -2.10 -0.95 58,294.44Weir Group 1,820.00 7.00 0.39 3,868.60Whitbread 5,245.00 -60.00 -1.13 9,627.32Wolseley 4,062.00 -28.00 -0.68 10,636.01WPP Group 1,533.00 -8.00 -0.52 20,272.50

NASDAQCLOSING PRICES MARCH 9

DOW JONESCLOSING PRICES MARCH 9

3i Group 491.10 -5.90 -1.19 4,832.01

Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 454.10 -4.90 -1.07 6,112.11

Admiral Group 1,490.50 -24.50 -1.62 4,222.15

Aggreko 1,585.00 -13.00 -0.81 4,092.77

Anglo American 1,134.00 -2.00 -0.18 15,866.19

Antofagasta 747.00 -1.00 -0.13 7,374.21

ARM Holdings 1,180.50 -10.50 -0.88 16,725.31

Ashtead Group 1,101.00 -17.00 -1.52 5,627.39

Associated British Foods 3,098.50 -30.50 -0.97 24,771.49

AstraZeneca 4,382.00 -33.50 -0.76 55,777.41

Aviva 553.50 -9.50 -1.69 16,618.58

Babcock International 970.00 0.50 0.05 4,868.80

BAE Systems 530.50 -6.50 -1.21 16,934.27

Barclays 264.65 -0.35 -0.13 43,725.78

Barratt Developments 510.75 -8.25 -1.59 5,148.26

BG Group 926.75 -4.35 -0.47 31,790.37

BHP Billiton 1,544.25 -6.25 -0.40 32,747.67

BP 445.78 -1.22 -0.27 81,536.42

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 MARCH 9

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 ................................................................1.08868Japan yen...............................................................131.445Switzerland franc ...............................................1.07140Denmark kroner.................................................7.45256Norway kroner...................................................8.59526

0.72098 1.38699Units per

MAKE THE MOST OFYOUR MONEY WITH US

See our advert on page 39

currenciesdirect.com/mojacar Tel: +34 950 478 914

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almerawww.euroweeklynews.com 37EWN

PROFESSIONAL writing services arenot something many make use ofdespite their importance to business.Proven, a single spelling mistake on awebsites home page will reduce salesby 50 per cent. It suggests professionalsloppiness and possible fraud.

Although there is a pressing need forboth translators and copywriters inMediterranean Spain, there is littledemand for either of these services. Imay be wrong but I put this down tobusinesses here being more laid backthan their northern European counter-parts. There is perhaps a shortage ofhard-nosed business professionals.

Translating is of course the simple

conversion of say English to Spanish orRussian. The translation will be a faith-ful copy of the original content. Like forlike is rarely good. Russians who trans-late into English are fine at grammarbut the results fail to communicate in a

way we are comfortable with. It iswooden and written in bureaucracy-speak. Russian businesses tend tofavour copywriters whose first lan-guage is English.

Copy-writing is a creative trade inwhich there is a need for word empa-thy. The copywriter takes uninspiringcontent and sexes it up: You sell thesteak, the copywriter sells the sizzle.

Fees charged for either services canbe modest or challenging. Like muchelse in life you get what you pay for.Many translators are doing it on theside. They have only their time to con-sider. These translators are inappropri-ate for such as legal and official docu-

ments that require a notarys stamp.The copywriter is rarely paid his true

worth. He or she takes your product onits blank sheet of paper and creativelyspins a web of enticement to attract in-terest and buyers. Their fees are oftenhigh.

So they should be. You see anadvert; he sees many hours of inspiredconcentration. Their job is to createmasterpieces out of a basic sales pitch.The true business professional doesnot count the cost of the investment ashe expects returns to be far higher.

A good copywriter can quadruplesales.

You cannot put a price on that.

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

www.michaelwalsh.es 966 786 932

Talking shop

Copy writing and translations

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com38

Does he need to file a Tax Return?

A. Yes, you need to declare for Span-ish income tax. There really is no set fig-ure below which you do not need todeclare. It is in your own best interest todeclare each year. Keep in mind thatdeclaring for tax and paying tax are twodifferent things.

First, as you say, after you apply yourexemptions from Spanish income tax,including your deduction for being over65, you will not owe any tax, so the TaxAgency will return to you any amounts

withheld by the bank. Even if this is nowa very small amount. You may also havea reduction for your mortgage payments.This reduction was cancelled in 2013, butthose who obtained their mortgages ear-lier are still entitled to it.

Secondly, if you later wish to sell yourMadrid property, you will find you canescape Spanish capital gains tax entirelyon any profit you make. This is becauseyou are over 65, the property has beenyour primary residence for three years,and you are a tax resident of Spain. Youcan obtain a certificate from the TaxAgency that you are tax resident even ifyou do not declare, but it is better to pre-sent three years of tax declarations.

OUR jobs may fall under theword work, but that doesntmean that we have to be miser-able while doing them! Just to-day at the Health Centre Inoticed that the receptioniststhat take the appointments al-ways have long sour faces onthem. Granted, their jobs aredetailed and somewhat tediousat times, but being gloomywhile working isnt helping mat-ters! I am not asking that theyjump around and sing like theyare in a Broadway musical, butcracking a smile now and thenwouldnt hurt.

Find the right attitude:Just because someone pays

you to do something does notmean you cant enjoy it or atleast use the experience tohelp you get a job that youwill enjoy.

Given that most of us spendmore waking time workingthan we do anything else,

putting in some effort to makeour work gratifying for us toowill have lasting implications,both in and out of the office.

A bad attitude breeds a badworking environment, so beingmore cheerful can only makework a more pleasant place to

spend time. Acknowledge stress: If work for you is a pain,

then its a good idea to try andfigure out what it is thatscausing tension in your job.Maybe you can change theway you operate to ease the

stress. But, if this is not possi-ble, then just acknowledge thestress and let yourself under-stand that you cant changethings, so you just have toaccept things as they are andnot get extra aggravated.

Whether you are dismayedby your role, or your produc-tivity, sometimes even justallowing yourself to acknowl-edge the flaws can be veryfreeing. You can only start towork on the problems afteryou admit them.

Plan ahead: Think about what you want

out of your job? Do you wantmore responsibility at work?Or less? Are you thinkingabout going off on your own?Start writing down your goalsso that you have a clearer ideaof where your career might betaking you. Sometimes atough job can be a great train-ing ground for future ventures.An ideal stepping stone, soenjoy every moment.

JanePlunkett

A look at finance for females

jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

Loose change

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

Q. Do I still need to do a yearly tax return? I havelived here for 11 years and always filed a Spanishincome tax return. Each year I have received a refundbecause my income is modest and the bank had with-held Spanish tax on the interest payments they madeto me on my capital. I own half a property in Madridwith my former partner. The Spanish rates, IBI, arepaid every year, and there is a mortgage on the proper-ty of 90,000. It is my resident prop-

erty, which I have owned since 2011. I am an officialresident and a pensioner, 67 years old. My English oldage pension is basic, around 10,000 per year, and Ihave savings of about 25,000 in the bank at a ridicu-lously low rate of interest. I am not married. So, do Istill need to make a return? If not, do I need to tell thetax office that I no longer need to send in a return?

Can you advise? B.P. (Madrid)

You and theLaw in SpainBy David Searl

Foreign affairsCONSTRUCTION and services groupOHL hopes to duplicate turnover to 8billion between now and 2020. It haspresented to Spains stock market regu-lator CNMV a strategic action plan cen-tring on the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile,Peru, Colombia, Spain and the Czech Re-public which generate 85 per cent ofOHLs business.

Tower dealABERTIS agreed to buy a 90 per centstake in Italian company Wind Teleco-municazioni for 693 million. This willraise cash for Winds Russian parentcompany while Abertis, which also hasinterests in toll roads and broadcasting,will become Europes leading operator oftelecommunications towers once thedeal goes through.

No comebackTWO former Telefonica executives whoeach paid more than 1 million tax onstock options under 1999 legislationwere refused compensation although thelaw was revoked as unconstitutional.They were told the Constitutional Tri-bunal made it clear that cases like theirswith a final ruling would not be reviewed.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Are you the grumpy boots at work?RIGHT ATTITUDE:Make your work

a happy place.

OPINION & COMMENT 41EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

NCE again I was in-terested to see thenew series of politi-

cian rappers put out by Skynews this week.

These heavily manipulatedadverts, somewhat irreveren-tly, portray our esteemedleaders as twitching enter-tainers informing us they arebringing down the deficit andso on.

To my mind, by presentingthese highly technical im-ages, the media moguls haveactually shown us all just howmuch they can in fact meddlewith any of the informationthey gather before deliveringit to its unsuspecting viewers.Its all very well to make theirtechnically tweaked twitchers

appear humorous (The onethat presented a completelydifferent Queens speechsome years ago I found par-ticularly funny), however thepractice can also be extremelymisleading, and indeed dan-gerous.

Some years ago, when theMurdoch media turncoatswere scurrying around toappease their bosss newmate Tony Blair I had causeto be watching Sky around6am. They put out what was

obviously the first airing ofan interview with Blair,

who was then leaderof the opposition. Iforget thegist of thei n t e r -

view,

but this obviously uneditedpiece actually made Blair lookeven worse than whats ername who runs the currentGreen party. It was so laugh-ingly bad, I actually got thenspouse Pauline out of bed (nom e a nfeat!)t o

watch it when it came aroundagain. We duly waited in bat-ed anticipation for its next air-ing.

Finally on it came. Well.Frankly it was like a differentinterview all together.

In the interim period of thetwo broadcasts, the bulls...boffins had hacked and honedthe piece to such an extent,that his eloquence and witshone through like a war de-liverance of Winston Churchill.(Thanks Sky news, you nearlyled to fisticuffs between mean er indoors!)

Far from coming over as acomplete idiot, Blair lookedunreservedly like a completely

acceptable leader of thefuture. The media

has an enormous power tomanipulate and influence thepublic. Consequently it is hon-our-bound to retain the high-est standards of responsibility,truth and integrity.

So do us a favour all youwags in the cutting and edit-ing rooms, keep it light.

Wouldnt like Twitter and allyour social media rivals outthere to make you all out tobe the power mad moronsmany of you actually are,would we!

One thing they cant controlis the sub-titles for the deaf.Lovely one this week whichinterpreted Zimbabwe asSimm of Way. Now thatswhat I call really manipulatingthe truth.

By the way. Has anyoneever seen Andy Murray looksmart in anything!?

Keep the faith.Love Leapy

leapylee2002@gmail.com

O

LEAPY LEESAYS ITOTHERS THINK IT

12 - 18 March 2015/ Costa de Almera

Watch out for the media manipulators

360B

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TONY BLAIR:Looked like

a completelyacceptable

future leader.

TV LISTINGEWN 12 - 18 March 2015 / Costa de Almera www.euroweeklynews.com48

6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News7:30pm Regional News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm Inside Out9:00pm EastEnders9:30pm Panorama10:00pm New Tricks11:00pm BBC News11:25pm Regional News11:40pm Weather11:45pm Have I Got a Bit More OldNews for You12:30am Live at the Apollo

6:15pm Put Your Money WhereYour Mouth Is7:00pm Two Tribes7:30pm Eggheads8:00pm Top Gear9:00pm University Challenge9:30pm Only Connect10:00pm Kew on a Plate11:00pm House of Fools11:30pm 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 More Tales FromNorthumberland with RobsonGreen9:30pm Coronation Street10:00pm Arthur and George11:00pm ITV News at Ten andWeather11:40pm The Jonathan Ross Show12:45am A Great WelshAdventure with Griff Rhys Jones

5:00pm Come Dine with Me6:00pm Four in a Bed6:30pm Coach Trip7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News8:30pm Dispatches9:00pm Food Unwrapped10:00pm Britain's Benefit Tenants11:00pm Raised by Wolves11:30pm 8 Out of 10 Cats DoesCountdown12:35am 24 Hours in A and E

6:00pm 5 News at 56:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Home and Away7:30pm 5 News Tonight8:00pm The Gadget Show9:00pm Police Interceptors10:00pm Gotham10:55pm Gotham11:50pm Outbreak2:15am Super Casino

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 Hawaii Five-0

BBC ONE

BBC TWO

ITV

CH4

CH5

SKY1

5:30pm Put Your Money WhereYour Mouth Is6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News at Six7:30pm BBC London News8:00pm Comic Relief - Face theFunny11:00pm BBC News at Ten11:25pm BBC London News11:40pm Comic Relief - Face theFunny2:00am Comic Relief - Making itFunny for Money

5:45pm Hi-De-Hi!6:15pm Flog It!7:00pm Two Tribes7:30pm Eggheads8:00pm A Cook Abroad9:00pm Mastermind9:30pm Gardeners' World10:00pm Quelle Catastrophe!France with Robert Peston11:00pm The Great Comic ReliefBake Off11:40pm Newsnight12:10am Artsnight

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 ICC Cricket World CupHighlights12:40am 10,000 BC

6:00pm Four in a Bed6:30pm Coach Trip7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm The Million Pound Drop10:00pm Gogglebox11:00pm Kick-Ass1:20am Cheltenham FestivalHighlights

6:00pm 5 News at 56:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Home and Away7:30pm 5 News Tonight8:00pm The Gadget Show9:00pm Angry Brits: Caught onCamera10:00pm NCIS: New Orleans11:00pm NCIS11:55pm Law and Order: SpecialVictims Unit12:50am True Crimes: The First 72Hours

6:00pm The Simpsons6:30pm Futurama7:00pm Futurama7:30pm The Simpsons8:00pm 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 UK9:30pm The National Lottery10:20pm Casualty11:10pm BBC News11:25pm Weather11:30pm Match of the Day12:50am The Football LeagueShow

4:30pm The Great British SewingBee5:30pm Final Score6:15pm Flog It!7:00pm Gardeners World7:30pm Afghanistan: A Service ofCommemoration8:30pm How We Got to Now withSteve Johnson9:30pm Dad's Army10:00pm Hockney11:45pm Enigma1:40am Puppet on a Chain

5:05pm Off Their Rockers5:35pm Big Star's Little Star6:35pm Local News and Weather6:45pm ITV News and Weather7:00pm You've Been Framed!8:00pm Saturday Night Takeaway9:20pm You're Back in the Room10:20pm The Jonathan Ross Show11:20pm ITV News and Weather11:40pm Mercury Rising1:40am Jackpot 247

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 News8:05pm The Restoration Man9:00pm The World's WeirdestWeather10:00pm Bridesmaids12:30am True Lies 3:00am TheMillion Pound Drop 3:55amHollyoaks Omnibus

4:45pm Benefits Britain: Life on theDole5:40pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors6:40pm The Nightmare NeighbourNext Door7:30pm Can't Pay? We'll Take itAway!8:20pm Police Interceptors9:15pm 5 News Weekend9:20pm NCIS10:15pm NCIS11:10pm CSI: Crime SceneInvestigation12:05am Law and Order: SpecialVictims Unit

5:00pm Modern Family5:30pm Modern Family6:00pm Modern Family6:30pm Modern Family7:00pm Modern Family7:30pm The Simpsons8:00pm The Holidaymakers9:00pm Hawaii Five-010:00pm Lethal Weapon 212:15am Karl Pilkington: TheMoaning of Life

BBC ONE

BBC TWO

ITV

CH4

CH5

SKY1

6:00pm Songs of Praise6:30pm BBC News & RegionalNews6:50pm Weather6:55pm The Big Painting Challenge7:50pm Countryfile8:45pm The Voice UK10:00pm Poldark11:00pm BBC News11:20pm Regional News11:25pm Weather11:30pm Match of the Day 212:40am Comic Relief: The BestBits

4:05pm Hi-De-Hi!4:35pm Flog It!5:35pm Galapagos6:35pm Super Cars v Used Cars:The Trade Off7:35pm Pompidou8:00pm Comic Relief: The Best Bits9:00pm Top Gear10:00pm Dragons' Den11:05pm Bluestone 4211:35pm The Revolution Will beTelevised12:05am Bu