ISSUE NO. 1558 14 - 20 May 2015 YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COMMALLORCA

The major airports of the Balearics handled arecord number of passengers in April, with a to-tal of nearly 1.75 million people travellingthrough the likes of Palma de Mallorca.

The exact number of 1,741,570 travellers andtourists passing through the gates, denotes an in-crease of 2.4 per cent year-on-year, and crowns

a 13-month steady rise in passenger numbers.AENA, the Spanish aviation body, said air-

craft movements had also increased by 2 percent over the period adding an extra 13,943flights. In a breakdown of the figures, the studyalso showed that a 7.1 per cent increase in na-tional flights was registered, as well as the factthat 1,272,238 passengers were from interna-tional destinations.

By Steve Walsh

Balearic airportsbreaking records

NEWS14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN2

THE Sorrento ship, whichcaught on fire on April 28off the coast of Mallorca hasbeen towed to Sagunto Portin Valencia.

The boat has been dockedin Valencia for a period ofone week, and it is expectedto remain in the port for atleast seven more days.

Upon its arrival, expertstaff proceeded to open itsfront ramp and air out theship.

Company in charge of theship, the Naviera Grimaldi,said that all evidences indi-cate the fire was caused by ashort-circuit in one of thecars transported on the maindeck.

The boat contains a totalof 753 kilos of fuel insideand 123 vehicles, which areexpected to be unloaded

during the next few days, aswell as contaminating liq-uids that will not be extract-

ed at the port, which consid-erably reduces environmen-tal risks.

The Valencian Port Au-thorities assured that there isno risk of an oil discharge.

Fire-wrecked ship is towedto the port of ValenciaEVIDENCE shows fire was caused by a short-circuit in one of the carsBy Maria José Fernandez

A MOTORCYCLE withtwo people on board crashedon the Andratx-Estellencsroad and left at least one ofthem in critical condition.

According to the SAMU,the crash at 11.45am on

Friday, led to a fall of fivemetres. While the emer-gency services attended theaccident, the injured partyhad to be airlifted by theGuardia Civil helicopter toEspases.

A 27-YEAR-OLD English man has sustained severe injuriesafter falling from a first floor balcony of a hotel in Magaluf.

According to the emergency services, the fall took place ataround 6.50am last Friday at the TRH hotel, located in CalleMartin Ros Garcia. The man remains hospitalised at the SonEspases hospital at the time of going to press.

English manfights for life

Motorcyclist critical

FUNDS of €150,000 havebeen given by the SpanishCentral Government to repairthe damage caused by heavywinds and strong rains.

The Agriculture, Food andEnvironment Ministry hascommitted to ensuring beach-es and seafront promenadesare ready for the summer.

Beaches to be fixed SORRENTO: Caught fire off the coast of Mallorca at the end of April.

LOCAL NEWS

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3NEWS 14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

Man jailed Molested four children

A PALMA court has sen-tenced a young mentallydisabled man to be admit-ted to a special re-educa-tion institution for sixyears after molesting chil-dren when working as avolunteer in a free-timeclub.

Pleasure boats Rental increase

A TOTAL of 187 pleasureboats for rent have beenregistered in the BalearicIslands during the fourfirst months of 2015,which is a 55.8 per centincrease in April, com-pared to the same monthof 2014.

Corruption case Employee arrested

A PALMA Council em-ployee was arrested onTuesday (May 12) in con-nection with a police cor-ruption and bribery caseinvolving businessownersand politicians.

Fewer users Underground fall

PALMA’S undergroundservice has seen a 4 percent fall in the number ofpassengers in March,compared to the samemonth of 2014,. A total of121,000 passengers werecarried.

Tourist trainEight-year contract

A CONTRACT for thetourist mini-train of CanPicafort has been award-ed for an annual price of€20,100. Winning bidderwas Carrilets Turistics deCatalunya, which willhave ownership of theservice for eight years.

Clean-up Branches piling up

THE ecological groupGOB has asked the re-gional government to dis-pose of prunings that havebeen piled up since Marchafter felling works inCastellitx (Algaida). Theyclaim it represents a firehazard and complicatesaccess to the area.

FEATURED NEWS

JOSE CASTRO, the judge incharge of the Noos corruptioncase, has said €2.1 million is tobe seized from the shell compa-ny Aizoon, which belongs tothe Duchess and Duke of Pal-ma. The decision was taken af-

ter the Duchess of Palma,Cristina de Borbon and hus-band Iñaki Urdangarin, whowill also see €13.6 millionseized, failed to pay the civil re-sponsibility bail imposed onthem back in December, which

amounted to €2.7 million outof which the King’s sister hasalready paid €587,413.

The funds were already lo-cated in a Palma Court deposit,and will now be withdrawn.

On May 4, the duchess was

asked to present a list of proper-ties to be seized in order to paythe bail although a few days lat-er, her lawyers presented a doc-ument asking the judge to re-duce the €2.1 million bail to€449,525, which they claimed

was the maximum amount thejudge could ask according tolaw.

The couple also agreed withthe judge to allocate at least€2.3 million obtained from thesale of a rural property.

Almost €16m seized in Noos case

Spanish artist PabloPicasso breaks recordsCUBIST painting was part of a series of works created in 1954-55

MALAGA-BORN Pablo Picassowould have hardly believed his eyesif he could have witnessed his‘Women of Algiers’ become themost expensive painting ever to sellat auction, going for $160 million(€142.1m) at Christ ie’s in NewYork.

Eleven minutes of protracted bid-ding from telephone buyers herald-ed the f inal sale, for much morethan its pre-sale estimate of $140million.

However, the final price includingcommission of just over 12 per cent,saw the anonymous bidder having topay $179.3 million (€159.25m).

The sale also featured Alberto Gi-acometti’s life-size sculpture ‘Point-ing Man’, which set its own record.It is now the most expensive sculp-ture sold at auction, after going for$141.3 million (€125.5m).

Previously, the Bri ts held theworld record for a painting sold atauction, with the famous’ThreeStudies of Lucian Freud’ by FrancisBacon, which sold for $142.2 mil-lion (€126,48m) in 2013.

Philip Hoffman, founder and CEOof the Fine Art Fund Group said ofPicasso’s work: “This is an ab-solutely blockbuster picture, it’s oneof the most exciting pictures thatwe’ve seen on the market for 10years.”

By Steve Walsh

VIBRANT: Women of Algiers is a cubist depiction of nude courtesans.

flick

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We’ve done everythingpossible for the

Spaniards in Nepal,”

said Interior Minister JorgeFernandez Diaz, after wel-

coming home experts who hadbeen to the country where six

Spaniards are still missing.

Quote of the Week

$179.3m is the amount an

anonymous bidderhad to pay (including

commission) to be-come the owner of

Picasso’s ‘Women ofAlgiers’, at Christie’sin New York, the mostever paid for a paint-

ing at auction.

Hospital restSeats €5 a night

HOSPITALS in Cataluña areintroducing new pay-to-reclineseats for companions to sleep onovernight. Prepaid cards priced at€5 per night or €20 for fivenights must be used to recline theseats, sparking complaints fromsome users who claim themeasure is discriminatory.

NEWS14 - 20 May 2015/ Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN4

INDEXNews 1 - 19

Featured News 3

News Desk 18

European Press 20

Russian Press 21

Finance 23 - 29

Stocks 24

Street Talk 30

Leapy 30

Nora Johnson 31

Our View 33

Colin Bird 33

Mike Walsh 33

Daily TV 34

Letters 36

Time Out 38 - 39

Health & Beauty 40

Food 42

Homes & Gardens 43

Property 44 - 45

Pets 46

Classifieds 48 - 49

Boats 50 - 51

Motoring 54

Sport 56

STRIKES planned to be carriedout by staff members ofSoller’s tram services havebeen called off after havingcome to an agreement with thecompany’s management.

The strikes, which were totake place on May 18 and 25and again on June 4, 9 18 and23, had been conceived to high-light issues arising from the im-plementation of the new ‘Com-pany Collective BargainingAgreement,’ which rail unionsUGT and CCOO claimed couldaffect 100 employees of theSoller train services.

Even though earlier meetingshad been unfruitful, more re-cent negotiations had lead to anew Collective Agreementwhich is expected to put an endto conflict between manage-ment and employees.

In a statement, trade unionsexplained that after seven unin-terrupted hours of negotiations,

the board of directors havecommitted to create an Em-ployment Plan in which thosemembers of staff with a perma-nent seasonal contract will be-come regular permanent work-ers, once other permanentworkers have retired.

This agreement is to be inforce for at least three years.

On May 4, the employeescarried out a single strike daywhich was estimated to haveleft 2,000 passengers withouttrain or tram services, whichwere not resumed until 5pm.

Soller train employees calloff several full day strikes PLAN has been created to provide members of staff with permanent contracts

SOLLER TRAM: One of the most popular attractions.

THE number of new companies created inthe Balearic Islands in March increased by9 per cent, if compared with the samemonth of 2014. A total of 365 companieswere created during March, according to

the data provided by the National StatisticsInstitute (INE). In addition, the informationdisplays that only 60 companies were dis-solved in the third month of the year, whichtranslates into a decrease of 18.9 per cent.

The creation of these 365 companies lefta total of €9.4 million in revenue for the Is-lands. In National terms, the increase regis-tered in March reached 4 per cent, a total of9,903 new businesses.

Balearics showing a business boom

By Maria José Fernandez

2,000number of passen-gers who were leftat the stations due

to earlier strike

5NEWS 14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

Chimp found dead Child isinjured A 7-YEAR-OLD boy sus-tained minor injuries to hisfoot last week after he wasrun over by a car in Aveni-da Alcudia (Inca). The boyreportedly rushed into theroad unexpectedly.

Sea deathJAKOB Rieder, a 79-year-old German touristwho went missing in thearea of Cala Ratjada inCapdepera on Wednes-day (May 6) was founddead in the sea a day lat-er.

NEWS EXTRA

ADAN escaped from the Sa Coma safari zooBy Maria José Fernandez

ADAN, one of two chim-panzees that escaped from theSafari Zoo in Sa Coma, wasfound dead at the Sant Llorençde Cardassar water treatmentplant.

The animal was found onMay 7 around 7.15am inside awaste water deposit by staff ofthe plant, according to a state-ment released by Guardia Civil.

A large number of officersand volunteers had been search-ing for him since Monday(May 4), after the animal es-caped due to a failure in the

electrical system of his cage. He was able to flee the facili-

ties together with another fe-male chimpanzee called Eva,who was shot, sparking outrage

amongst animal rights associa-tions such as AnimaNaturalisand citizens.

Several groups denouncedthe animal’s death.

CHIMPS: Volunteers had been searching for them.

PALMA Local Police havebeen targeting Looky Lookymen.

They have increased theirpresence in several city centre

streets since last Friday (May 8)in an attempt to curb the activi-ties of illegal street traders.

Authorities explained that theincrease has to do with a largernumber of street vendors thatgather in these areas during the

summer season and stressedthat, if caught, they will initiatedisciplinary proceedings.

Seven people have alreadybeen reported for illegal tradingand crimes against industrialproperty.

NEWS14 - 20 May 2015/ Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN6

POLICE have increased their presence

Illegal street trading

By Maria José Fernandez

LOOKY LOOKIES: Have been targeted by police for illegal trading.

Rural aidTHE Balearic Islands willreceive a total of €2.6 mil-lion to be spent on rural de-velopment projects, paidfor by the Spanish CentralGovernment.

Fire out A FOREST fire was ex-tinguished in the CampPla (Algaida) on Sunday(May 10). According tothe Balearic Nature Insti-tute (Ibanat) a hectarewas burnt down.

Bad driverAN INTOXICATED drivercrashed against three othervehicles parked in the areaof Can Barbera Bridge inPalma de Mallorca lastSunday. No one was in-jured, said the Port Police.

150 hikers A TOTAL of 150 people of12 nationalities took partlast weekend in the first‘Bungypump’ hiking routecelebrated in Can Picafort.

NEWS EXTRA

9NEWS 14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.com EWN

www.pangeasculptures.esLife size hand crafted

limited edition African Sculptures On Exhibition at Our Offices Tel 971 230 590 • Mob 680 160 366

Email lyns@j-mac.es Calle Aguila 1 Local 7, Son Ferrer Calvia

Mallorca 07181

LOW-COST flight company Ryanair pre-sented yesterday (Wednesday, May 13) itswinter schedule for 2015, which includesthree new routes for the Palma de Mallorcaairport.

The new cities connected with Palma willbe Berlin (three flights per week), Birming-ham (two f l ights per week) and Malaga(three flights per week), totalling 14 routesfrom the Son Sant Joan airport.

To celebrate the new schedule’s presenta-

tion in Palma de Mallorca, the Irish-basedcompany has made available flights from aprice of €19.99 for June of 2015. Thesecheap tickets can be purchased until Sun-day, May 17.

“With a total of 14 routes to the Island,we have foreseen the transport of three mil-lion passengers, which are expected to gen-erate 3,000 job positions at Palma airport,”said Ryanair Sales and Marketing Managerin Spain, Jose Espartero.

Three new low-costroutes added for winter 3,000 airport job positions will be generated

RYANAIR: Will now fly to Berlin, Birmingham and Malaga from Palma.

POPE FRANCIS has given thegreen light for the canonisationdecree of Mallorca-born friarJunipero Serra Ferrar, despitecomplaints by some indigenousCalifornians and Mallorcan citi-zens.

Back in January, a petitionwas created asking the Pope toreconsider his decision tocanonise Junipero Serra, say-ing: “Pope Francis is coming toWashington, DC, to canoniseJunipero Serra as a saint. It isimperative he is enlightened tounderstand that Father Serrawas responsible for the decep-tion, exploitation, oppression,enslavement and genocide ofthousands of indigenous Cali-fornians, ultimately resulting inthe largest ethnic cleansing in

North America.” The petition, which can be

found at http://www.petitions.moveon.org/sign/urge-pope-francis-to/, has currently beensigned by almost 6,000 people,from the US, Spain and othercountries.

Junipero Serra was bornin Petra in 1713 and found-ed several churchesthroughout California,where he died in 1784.He was popularly knownas the Apostle of Cali-fornia.

He is to become thefirst Hispanic saint ofthe US and is the onlynon-North American fig-

ure with a statue in the USCapitol.

The canonisation event is totake place on September 23 inWashington.

NEWS14 - 20 May 2015/ Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN10

Canonisation dispute By Maria Jose Fernandez

POPE to canonise Balearics-born friar despite genocide accusations

THE Balearic Islands has beenrated amongst the autonomouscommunities in Spain with a

higher level of early schoolleaving, according to a report.

As many as 30 per cent of

youths between 18 and 24years old do not have sec-ondary education qualifica-tions, while the average na-tional level currently sits at21.2 per cent, approximatelytwice as high as the Europeanobjective set for Spain.

The data was released on theEducation Excellence Rankingby Professionals for Ethics,which also points out the widegap between autonomous com-munities, with regions register-ing rates below 10 per cent,such as Cantabria.

A third drop out early

JUNIPERO SERRA:his statue in SantaBarbara (US)

Flickr by Wally Gobetz

THE HIMSS, a global, non-profit organisation focusedon improving health carethrough information technol-ogy, has awarded the SonEspases hospital in Palmawith a level six accredita-

tion. “This prestigious prize re-

flects the high quality of theSon Espases hospital,” reada statement released by theBalearic Islands regionalGovernment.

The award was received bythe Sub-director of Informa-

tion services of the Hospital,Antonio Moragues in anevent celebrated in Riga(Latvia), in an event that hadthe participation of the PrimeMinister of Latvia, GuntisBelvis, as well as head ofHIMSS, Stephen Liever.

The use of informationtechnologies in the field ofmedicines aims at increasingthe safety of the patient at alllevels.

The electronic medicalrecord Cerner Millennium ofthe Son Espases hospital isable of integrating all condi-tions experienced by eachpatient as well as informa-tion on checkups, surgicaltreatments, medication takenand others.

NEWS14 - 20 May 2015/ Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN12

Son Espases awardfor tech excellence

By Maria José Fernandez

AIMED at increasing safety of patients at all levelsLOCAL POLICE in Palmahave rescued a total of 52dogs that were living in dirtin a property of the CampRedo district.

The dogs, locked inside a15-square-metre room, werehanded over to the animalshelter in Son Reus, accord-ing to the information re-leased by the town council.

Local Police started in-vestigating following sever-al reports made by neigh-bours who complainedabout dirt, noise and badsmells.

The owner of the proper-ty ignored several requestsfrom the police by tele-phone and in writing to car-ry out an inspection, so au-thorities were forced to askfor an injunction.

“Once they confirmed theexistence of more than 50dogs of all ages and breeds,in a very small space, and asthe owner did not have anyhealth documents for theanimals or a permit to keepthem in the facilities, LocalPolice took the decision toremove them,” said thecouncil in a statement.

The animals will stay inthe centre for a period ofeight days to receive med-ical treatment and will beput up for adoption afterthat.

52 dogsrescued

Son Espases Hospital: Using technology to improve treatments.

NEWS14 - 20 May 2015/ Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN14

Music night THE Symphonic Band ofthe Professional MusicConservatory of Mallorcawill host a concert at 7pmin the Auditorium of Alcud-ia. Tickets €5 at the door.

Nepal helpA FUNDRAISING eventwas held last Saturday(May 9) in Biniali (Sen-celles) to raise funds forthe Nepal earthquake vic-tims. All proceeds will beused to pay for medicalstaff, food, water andtents in the affected area.

NEWS EXTRA

MIGUEL BOSE has announced he will be giving aconcert in Palma de Mallorca this summer as part ofhis Amo Tour.

The singer has let slip that the concerts, one ofwhich will be coming to the city’s bullring onJuly 4, will be impressive displays of tech-nologies including giant screens, roboticlights and a special stage.

Bose, whose tour begins today in Mexico,said that all his hits are in the repertory, in-cluding the best of his latest record Amo.

THE registration period to par-ticipate in Palma de Mallorca’s11th ‘International FamilyDay’ on May 15, is now open.

The Regional Governmentof the Balearics has organiseda great variety of activitiesboth for adults and children.

Those interested will have tosend an email before May 15 toserveidefamilia@dgmenors.caib.es, with name, telephonenumber and email address.

The morning events areaimed at adults and the after-noons are for the children.

Palma venuefor Bose tourBy Eleanor Hawkins

CONCERT will have special stage

Family Day event

14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN16 NEWS

WHEN asked about the fi-nancial cr is is , 37.1 percent of Balearic residentsthink that the situation forthe Islands is worse thanfour years ago, accordingto a report.

The biggest number ofrespondents thought thatthings had got worse,while 32.7 per cent ofthose interviewed thoughtthat the situation had re-mained the same, and an-other 2 .1 per cent saidthat the s i tuat ion was

much worse than in 2011The s tudy, created by

the Sociological Investi-gation Centre (CIS), wascarried out through inter-views conducted with1,200 residents of theBalearic Islands.

A total of 33.8 per centconsidered the manage-ment of the regional gov-ernment by the PP conser-vat ive par ty has beenmediocre, 30.5 per centthought i t had been badand 14.9 per cent said ithad been very bad.

It’s worseBy Maria José Fernandez

RESIDENTS are still worrying THE Balearic Islands’ distribution com-panies are forecasting an ‘exceptional’year in terms of volume of business.

The expected increased number oftourists has pushed distribution compa-nies Acciona-Transmediterranea andBalearia to expand their fleets to face thenew demand predicted for the next fewmonths.

“Predictions are really positive as weare expecting an increase ranging be-tween 4 and 8 per cent in the volume ofbusiness,” said head of the DistributionCompany Association (ADED), Bar-tomeu Servera. “Orders of all sorts ofproducts from hotels, bars, cafes, restau-rants, etc, have been significantly in-creasing. Mallorca is expecting to ex-ceed by far the €1,180 million inrevenue registered last year.”

Distribution companies rejoicing

EXPANSION: Companies are receiving increased orders of all sorts of products.

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NEWS14 - 20 May 2015/Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN18

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

Alcazaba has to be closedfor essential wall repairs

NEWS FROM OUR FIVE OTHER REGIONS

THE regional government stepped in quickly to stabilise the south wall of theAlcazaba.

The Moorish citadel had to close temporarily owing to falling masonry at the end oflast week. This is currently the only access to the Alcazaba now that restoration workon Meson Gitano has cut off the other entrance.

Scaffolding was set up on the damaged section of wall which was covered withsafety netting to protect the access ramp and the road skirting the hillside.

Workmen began on Monday afternoon to replace the same pieces of fallen masonrywhenever technically feasible. Where this is not possible, similar materials are beingused and the dried-out mortaring replaced with more breathable material.

If all goes according to plan, the work should be completed today, Thursday, theJunta’s Education, Culture and Sports department announced.LA ALCAZABA: Is now in need of some TLC.

COSTA DEL SOL

Empty spacesONE thousand and eigh-teen places for three yearolds will remain empty atMalaga Province infantschools in the 2015-2016academic year as just17,647 applications havebeen received, the educa-tion board has reported.

OperatorsgaloreMORE than 50 tour oper-ators from 18 differentcountries will be takingpart in the 10th Euroal In-ternational Tourism Showworkshop in Torremolinoson June 3-5.

SlappersentencedA CHEMIST from Ron-da has been fined €180and ordered to pay €450in damages by a Malagaprovincial court for slap-ping a customer twiceduring an argument aboutdogs.

More lemonsLEMON production inthe province of Malagawas up by an estimated 10per cent, the AgricultureBoard reported at thelaunch of a new websiteon lemons and grapefruit.

More flightsNORWEGIAN Airlineshas announced it will beexpanding its Malaga-Costa del Sol fleet thissummer to include fouraircraft providing a totalof 170 flights per week to18 destinations.

Poorly paidMALAGA’S College ofDoctors has reported thatdoctors in Andalucia arethe worst paid in Spainand joined trade unionsSindicato Medico, Comi-siones Obreras and UGTto demand salary increas-es.

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

Fiesta programmeJAVEA Town Hall has released theprogramme for the Fogueres de SantJoan 2015, one of the biggest fiestason the town’s calendar, held SaturdayJune 13 to Wednesday June 24.

Thrifty mayorTHE PP mayor of Ondara, Ximo Fer-rando is re-using his election postersfrom 2011 in a bid to save €2,500 onprinting for 2015 - part of his ‘spendless and do more’ policy.

Heat waveTEMPERATURES in the ValenciaRegion are expected to rise to morethan 40 degrees before the weekendaccording to AEMET, although theheat will be tempered by a lightbreeze.

Ladder investmentTHE Fire Department in Valencia hasinvested €1 million in a ladder thatcan be extended to reach 42m inheight with a section that can be artic-ulated to form a walkway.

Fake dentistA MAN who performed dental workon horses’ teeth without a formal vet-erinary qualification has been reportedto the courts by the Valencian Collegeof Veterinary Surgeons.

COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Business boomINDUSTRIAL production in theValencia Region has risen 8.3 percent in March compared to the samemonth of 2014. This increase is thethird largest in the country behindAsturias and La Rioja.

Animal lessonsA GROUP of children in Elcheraised awareness about animal careand public spaces as part of a pro-ject within the municipality that hasseen hundreds of children learnabout the responsibilities of owningdogs and cats.

Hotel buyout FRENCH group B&B Hotels hasacquired two three-star Holiday InnExpress hotels in Valencia and Ali-cante cities.

Legal concernsELCHE Council has reiterated that“everything is legal” with the instal-lation of the temporary market onAvenida de Valencia following sev-eral complaints.

Rail investment PLANS are in place to improve theSpanish commuter railway networkin the Alicante to Murcia stretchwith an investment of €87.2 mil-

AXARQUÍA

Tourism promotion AS many as 50 travel agents of onlinesite OcioHoteles visited Almuñecar tolearn about its tourism offers. Theyhad the chance to follow a route de-signed by the town’s tourism depart-ment to promote Almuñecar.

Padel excellence ALMUÑECAR padel player CristinaTorrecillas was crowned winner of theNational Circuit Sub 23 second chal-lenge, celebrated in Cordoba.

Charity race ALMOST 1,000 runners participatedin Velez-Malaga’s 6k Charity UrbanRace. Proceeds were donated to theAxarquia Association for People withSpecial Needs.

Council negotiations A COMPANY specialised in thereparation, maintenance and renting ofprivate jets is currently holding talkswith Velez-Malaga Council to installnew headquarters and a pilot school atthe town’s industrial park.

New cemetery THE construction works and manage-ment of the new cemetery of Torroxhave been awarded to the only bidderwho presented a project.

COSTA DE ALMERÍA

Road works aheadONE lane of the AL-610 road will in-termittently close for maintenance andrepairs, the provincial Traffic Authori-ty announced. It reopens on June 9.

Sport growthFORTY per cent more El Ejido resi-dents practise sport than four yearsago. “Despite budget reductions andausterity we have provided municipalfacilities for a growing number of peo-ple,” the town hall said.

Lost and foundFIFTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD AngelJoaquin Ortega who disappeared fromhis Almeria City home, was found sixdays later in Abla. He seemed well,just ‘rather disorientated,’ sources said.

Walk and rideTHE pedestrian and cycle lane con-necting La Atalaya with the centre ofHuercal-Overa is nearing completion.Work was carried out through theDiputacion’s agricultural developmentand employment programme (PFEA).

Hoist the flagALMERIA CITY’S fishing boats areflying the yellow and black ‘I livefrom the sea’ flag. They, and otherfleets, are protesting at the Administra-tion’s treatment of the sector.

FALLING stonework replaced on damaged section of wall

By Linda Hall

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HOTEL construction worksin the Balearics generatedand recycled a total of 50,000tonnes of rubble between Oc-tober of 2014 and April.

The figure is double theamount recycled in the previ-

ous season, when an agree-ment was signed by the HotelFederation of Mallorca(FEHM) and recycling com-pany MAC to ensure the cor-rect handling of rubble pro-duced in construction.

19NEWS 14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

MALLORCA ProvincialCouncil’s UrbanismDepartment has initiatedworks to establish asystem of rainwatercollection points at thePlaça dels Hostals (SantaMaria).

The project is expectedto resolve floodingproblems which oftenaffect the area after heavyrainfall.

With a total cost of€205,461, the works areexpected to be completedin two months, accordingto the council.

Plans are to performworks on a stretch of 325metres of the square aswell as in Calle SaMatança.

Other areas have alreadyundergone similar works,including streets BatleGabriel Bibiloni and BatlePere Jaume Pons, at a costof €276,114.

THREE Bolivian men havebeen arrested by National Po-lice in Palma after allegedlybeating up a fellow countrymanwho had to be hospitalised.

The incident took place onSaturday (May 9) at 6.30am, atthe front door of a popularnightclub on the Son Castelloindustrial site.

Several witnesses alerted po-lice to a fight in which, they re-

ported, stones, sticks and otherblunt objects were being used.

Upon their arrival, officersfound the three main suspectsattempting to flee the scene in avehicle. The three Bolivianmen, aged 32, 29 and 28, weretaken into custody.

The 37-year-old victim wastaken to the Son Espases hospi-tal in a critical condition.

Police are currently investi-gating the reasons behind thefight.

Three held forbrutal attackBy Maria Jose Fernandez

THE victim was left in a critical condition

A whole lot of rubble

No morefloods atPlaça delsHostals

THIEVES have used playgroundclimbing frames and ladders to breakinto a private home in HeatonMersey and steal £20,000 worth ofvaluables.

UK obesityTHE World Health Organisation has

warned that rising obesity will see 74per cent of men and 64 per cent ofwomen in the UK overweight by theyear 2030.

Stunt compensationFIFTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD RAF

Flight Sergeant Frans Bekker hasbeen ordered to pay £4,000 in com-pensation to a woman whose back hebroke when he jumped on her froman escalator handrail in Holborn sta-tion, London.

No idea ACCORDING to a recent survey

more than half of the UK’s younger gen-eration have no idea that VE Day marksthe anniversary of the end of the SecondWorld War in Europe.

Civilised boardersLEADING UK public school head-

master Sir Anthony Seldon has said thathe believes state secondary schools

should allow board-ers to help createa ‘civilising’ at-mosphere.

Left alone A MOTHER from

Prescot, Liverpool is beingheld in custody after she al-

legedly abandoned her baby in aSouthport amusement arcadetoilet.

EUROPEAN PRESS

NEWS14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN20

More peopleNORWAY: THE population

of Norway reached 5,165,800on January 1 2015, with 9.9per cent - or 512,000 - holdingforeign citizenship, accordingto Statistics Norway.

Fishy exports NORWAY: Minister of

Fisheries Elisabeth Aspakerhas confirmed that more than1.3 million tonnes of seafoodare sent from Norway to theEU annually, equivalent to170 fully loaded semi-trailersevery day of the year.

Student rise NORWAY: A total of

272,000 students were en-rolled in higher education inNorway or abroad for2014/15, representing an in-crease of 3,400 students.Women accounted for thewhole of this increase.

Best passport SWEDEN: The Swedish

passport has been ranked bestin the world, based on thenumber of countries Swedescan visit without a visa, shar-ing the top spot with the UKand Finland.

Waste notSWEDEN: Of the 4.4 mil-

lion tons of household wasteSweden produces each year,2.2 million tons are convert-ed into energy through an in-cineration process calledwaste-to-energy, or WTE.

Warming upSWEDEN: Homes in

Kiruna, Sweden’s coldestnorthern city, are to be warmedby surplus heat generated byits largest employer, the min-ing company LKAB.

No cash DENMARK: The Danish

government has proposed get-ting rid of the obligation forselected retailers to acceptpayment in cash, moving thecountry closer to a ‘cashlesseconomy.’

Sneaky playground thieves

AMSTERDAM, once synonymouswith sex and drugs is striving tochange its image to be more celebrat-ed for its art, theatre and music. Thecity is also seeking internationalrecognition for its annual Hollandfestival.

Taxis deregulatedTRANSPORT Minister Wilma Mans-

veld has announced deregulation of theDutch taxi sector. The Uberpop privatevehicle taxi service will still remainillegal.

Arson suspect caughtA 20-YEAR-OLD man from The

Hague was arrested in relation to an ar-son attack in Marthal, Rotterdam. CCTVimages were used to identify and appre-hend the suspect.

Lightning kills TWO people were killed in Amers-

foort when lightning struck the city. Theyhad sheltered under trees when the strikehit. Medics failed to resuscitate thevictims.

Terror suspectsarrested

THREE men and onewoman have been arrested inGermany on suspicion offounding a far-right group andobtaining explosives.

Town struck BUTZOW was hit by a

tornado that injured 31people and destroyedbuildings. Roofs werestripped of tiles with thecost estimated to run intomillions of euros.

False twin A MAN was

arrested inDarmstadt, Hesse,

for pretending tobe his twin after being

questioned by traffic police.

BMW profits RECORD sales of SUVs

have helped BMW reportbooming first quarterprofits. The company basedin Frankfurt recorded a 21per cent rise in operatingprofits.

No debt relief GERMAN Finance

Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble,at a conference in Berlin,stated that Greece was notdemanding further debt relief.He refuted the IMF’s warningof further financial support.

Cocaine foundBANANA boxes being

delivered to Aldi werefound to contain 386kilograms of cocaine. Thedrugs were found in 14stores around Berlin. Noarrests have been made.

Call for aid MARKUS SOEDER

has called on the Germangovernment to double itsrefugee aid effort, statingthat the area required €2billion to cope with theinflux.

ONCE known for sex and drugs, now wants to celebrate the arts.

Amsterdam changing its image

GERMAN

PRESS

SCANDINAVIAN

PRESS

BRITISHPRESS

CLIMBING FRAMES and ladders were used to break in.

DUTCHPRESS

Van Gogh soldL’ALLÉE des Alyscamps,

painted in Arles in 1888 by Vin-cent Van Gogh and said to be cre-ated in his most fertile period, hasbeen sold for €60 million in NewYork.

Costly royal THE Queen and the Duke

of Edinburgh’s Aprilvisit to Sheffield is es-timated to have cost the local council £30,000,£8,088 of which wasspent on barriersand highway clo-sures. Another£5,113 wasspent onmeals andrefresh-ments.

THEQUEEN:VisitedSheffield.

AMSTERDAM: Changing.

Shaun Jeffers / Shutterstock.com

A FIRE on board submarinethe Orel, in dry dock atSeverodvinsk, was started by aspark from welding. Therewere no reported casualties andthe fire was put out quickly.

New tankTHE Armata tank made its

debut at Russia’s biggest evermilitary parade in Moscow,marking the 70th anniversaryof victory over Germany inWW2.

Vodka sales fall RUSSIA’S vodka sales are

in decline by 12 per cent fromlast year. The governmentcrackdown on drinking, polit-ical tension and the collapseof oil prices are blamed forthe decrease.

Found guiltyEX-DEFENCE Ministry

official Yevgenia Vasilyevahas been found guilty of em-bezzlement charges. Prose-cutors have asked for a sus-pended eight-year sentence.

Job lossesRUSSIAN recruiters an-

ticipate a second wave of re-dundancies before the sum-mer, with as many as one inthree employees in danger oflosing their jobs or facing acut in working hours or ben-efits.

Russian bikers MOTORCYCLE club

members The Night Wolves

are retracing the route fromRussia to Berlin that the So-viet Army took in WW2.President Putin is a friend ofthe club’s leader.

Riviera resort YALTA, on the Crimean

coastline, has established it-self as the Russian Riviera. Ithas 250 days of sunshine ayear and is well known as ahealth spa.

Pentagon decisionTHE Pentagon has

considered stopping routineintercepts ofRussianaircraft off theAlaskacoast

due to limited deterrencevalue.

Mortgages riseTHE number of mortgages

issued in Russia surged tomore than one million lastyear despite the economicslowdown.

Costly settlementTHE ex-wife of Russia’s

wealthiest man, VladimirPotanin, is suing for half ofhis business empire, whichincludes mining giant NorilskNickel and conglomerate In-terros.

Frigate hold upA SENIOR Russian ship-

building official has saidthat Russian military ship-building is being stalled byUkraine’s refusal to deliverengine turbines to drive anew class of Russian navalfrigates.

RUSSIAN PRESS

DRY DOCK: The fire was put out quickly.

Crimea wineexpansion

THE state-run Massan-dra winery in the Crimea isplanning to expand for thefirst time in 20 years usingprivate investment.

21NEWS 14 - 20 May 2015 /Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

Submarine fireA SPARK was thought to have started the on board blaze

Cord

on P

ress

WINERY: Expanding.

insurance companies. They will haveto determine the residence of eachcustomer and collect data on theirassets and income to be forwarded tothe tax authorities in the customer’scountry of residence.

This is quite different toinformation exchange on requestbilateral agreements, and furtherreaching. There, tax authorities ask forinformation on people’s financialassets when they suspect them of tax

evasion. Now they will receiveinformation on everyone, every year,regardless of how compliant or not thetaxpayer is.

By comparing the data receivedwith tax returns, the authorities candetect where income or theunderlying assets have not beendeclared. This will include many caseswhere they had no previousindications that the taxpayer was notcompliant.

This is expected to provide taxauthorities around the world withdetails of assets worth billions heldabroad.

Financial information will start tobe collected in 2016, for the firsttransmissions in 2017. Fifty eightjurisdictions have committed to beready then. This includes Spain, therest of the EU, Isle of Man, Jersey,Guernsey, Gibraltar, Cayman Islands,Iceland, Liechtenstein, San Marino,Argentina and South Africa.

A further 35 jurisdictions will startin 2018. This includes Australia,Brazil, Brunei, China, Hong Kong,Monaco, Russia, Singapore, UnitedArab Emirates and Switzerland.

In Europe, the Common ReportingStandard will be implementedthrough the Administrative Co-operation Directive.

The revised version of this Directivewas adopted in December 2014. Itprovides for automatic informationsharing on interest, dividends andother investment income, accountbalances, sales proceeds from financialassets, income from employment,directors’ fees, life insurance, pensionsand property.

This new global exchange ofinformation will be an invaluable toolfor the Spanish tax authorities. It willhelp them not only compare data withtax returns, but also with Form 720where residents have to declare theiroverseas assets. The penalties for

undeclared assets can be very costly, soit is important that you declareeverything correctly.

This loss of financial privacy is asignificant change and affectseveryone who lives in one country andhas assets in another.

One thing that has not changed,though, and this is that everyindividual has the right to structuretheir assets in a tax efficient manner. Itis important to only use arrangementswhich are compliant in Spain, but it isalso important to protect your wealth,for yourself and your heirs, wherepossible. It is possible to takeadvantage of legitimate opportunitiesto protect your assets from variousSpanish taxes. You need to beinformed on developments and takespecialist advice.

To keep in touch with the latestdevelopments in the offshoreworld, check out our websitewww.blevinsfranks.com.

There has been talk about this for years.You may have seen our articles coveringdevelopments, with the EU, UK, G5,G20, Organisation for EconomicCooperation and Development(OECD) and the US all havingsomething to say on the matter, andvarious action being proposed or taken.

It is important to realise however thatthis is not just talk; and events haveaccelerated in the last year or so.Automatic exchange of tax informationwill soon become a reality. And oneaffecting most corners of the globe.There is no hiding place.

The new automatic exchange ofinformation for tax purposes will followthe Common Reporting Standard,developed by the OECD. Almost 100countries have committed so far.

The Standard provides for annualautomatic exchange between govern-ments of financial account information.The information to be exchangedincludes -

• account balances• interest • dividends• sales proceeds from financial

assetsThis covers accounts held by

individuals and entities like trusts.The financial institutions that need to

report include banks, custodians, certaincollective investment vehicles and certain

By Peter Worthington,Senior Partner, Blevins

Franks

Exchange Of Information AndThe End Of Financial Privacy

FINANCE14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN22

By Jason BaileyTHE GDP rise of 0.9 per cent in thefirst financial quarter of 2015 has putSpain at the head of the Eurozone re-covery.

Output is rising at three times therate of Britain and 18 times that of theUS in the same period.

The Spanish economy has exceededexpectations forecast by the Bank ofSpain, which suggested a growth of 0.8

per cent for the first quarter.One of the reasons for the significant

rise has been attributed to reforms Spaincarried out in 2012 in the labour sector.

Despite having the second highestunemployment rate in the Eurozone,

there are still month onmonth reductions in the

numbers who are registering unem-ployed.

The economic situation is not allgood news though. Spain has been indeflation for 10 months and the fact theanti-austerity party Podemos is grow-ing in support means the coming elec-tion may not provide a clear winner.

RODRIGO RATO: Arrested over unexplained income.

FINANCEbusiness & legal

23Mallorca EWN14 - 20 May 2015

INFLATION in the Eurozone was flat in April after four months of contracting prices.

A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 7 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION // WWW.EWNBUSINESS.COM

LONDON - FTSE 100 DOW JONES NASDAQ+0.34% +1.49% +1.30%CLOSING PRICES MAY 11

IBEX 35 -0.33%

Tax credits THE EU is investigating the legalityof Spanish use of tax credits to in-flate its banks’ capital.

The EU competition commission-er, Margrethe Vestager, has sent aletter to Spain, and other Europeancountries, requesting information re-garding deferred tax asset instru-ments. The purpose of deferred taxassets is to absorb the effect of creditlosses on defaulted loans.

A Spanish economy ministryspokesman stated that the use of thescheme cannot be considered stateaid as it is available to any Spanishcompany regardless of its sector.

IT has long been felt Spanishpublic officials use their posi-tion to financially benefitthemselves and their friends.

After the temporary arrestof Rodrigo Rato, former PP fi-nance minister and ex-head ofthe IMF, it seems that the prac-tice is still alive.

Despite being hailed as theeconomic architect of theSpanish boom in the early2000s, Rato has been arrestedby police investigating his un-explained income. Rato hadalready been investigated forthe misuse of company credit

cards when he was chairmanof Bankia, which under hiscontrol required a €22 billionrescue package in 2012.

The combination of corruptpublic administration andcronyism have been blamedfor the slow, drawn-out recov-ery of Spain. A paper byManuel Garcia-Santana fromUniversité Libre de Bruxelleshas highlighted ‘bad’ compa-nies grew faster than goodones. It also noted productivi-ty falls were greater when thegovernment was involved withawarding business contracts.

Corruption crippling

Good saleINDITEX owner AmancioOrtega has sold a building inBerlin for €300 million toBanif, a subsidiary of San-tander.

Repsol results OIL company Repsol hasclosed the first quarter witha profit of €761 million, acut of 5.7 per cent over thesame period of 2014.

Banks close LOW interest rates andfalling margins are expectedto force Spanish banks intofurther branch closures,pushing the industry back 35years in terms of employ-ment.

Illegal useACCORDING to the latestsurvey by IPSOS, 47.6 percent of tobacco used by con-sumers in Cadiz is illegal,prompting tax investigationsat retail level.

SPAIN has taken top spot in a list of the mosttourist-friendly countries in the world.

According to the World Economic Fo-rum’s Travel & Tourism CompetitivenessReport, Spain was the best when a variety offactors including business environment, cul-tural resources, business travel, air transportinfrastructure and health and safety were

taken into account. France, Germany and the USA made up the

next three on the list with the UK coming infifth.

The country for tourists to avoid, accordingto the Forum, is Chad.

That is thought to be the least tourism friend-ly country in the world.

Spain is tops for tourism

BUSINESS EXTRA

times fastergrowth thanUS.

Quote of the WeekOne in five unemployed and 10 per cent of employees inSpain admit to having received ‘black’ cash in their

salaries. General Director of Infojobs, Jaume Gurt

GDP rise assisted by labour reformsas economy exceeds expectations

STAT OF WEEK

CLOSING PRICES MAY 11CLOSING PRICES MAY 11CLOSING PRICES MAY 11

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MMM 3M 160.60 +1.99 +1.25% 2.0MAXP American Express 78.98 +0.55 +0.70% 7.2MAAPL Apple 127.62 +2.36 +1.88% 55.6MBA Boeing 145.46 +3.97 +2.81% 7.1MCAT Caterpillar 87.31 +0.88 +1.02% 3.6MCVX Chevron 108.65 +1.08 +1.00% 7.1MCSCO Cisco 29.23 +0.425 +1.48% 22.6MKO Coca-Cola 40.98 +0.28 +0.69% 11.1MDIS Disney 110.11 +0.85 +0.78% 6.3MDD E I du Pont de Nemours and Co 75.28 +1.95 +2.66% 6.6MXOM Exxon Mobil 88.26 +1.39 +1.59% 11.4MGE General Electric 27.36 +0.32 +1.18% 37.2MGS Goldman Sachs 200.50 +3.11 +1.58% 3.2MHD Home Depot 112.47 +2.43 +2.21% 6.4MIBM IBM 172.68 +1.69 +0.99% 3.1MINTC Intel 32.80 +0.55 +1.72% 26.9MJNJ Johnson & Johnson 101.47 +1.81 +1.82% 7.5MJPM JPMorgan Chase 65.49 +0.99 +1.53% 16.8MMCD McDonald's 98.23 +1.45 +1.50% 7.5MMRK Merck 60.74 +0.44 +0.73% 10.1MMSFT Microsoft 47.75 +1.05 +2.25% 35.4MNKE Nike 102.44 +0.99 +0.98% 2.8MPFE Pfizer 34.02 +0.44 +1.31% 20.4MPG Procter & Gamble 80.96 +0.76 +0.95% 6.9MTRV Travelers Companies Inc 103.73 +1.15 +1.12% 1.4MUTX United Technologies 118.43 +2.39 +2.06% 3.7MUNH UnitedHealth 115.68 +0.92 +0.80% 3.1MVZ Verizon 50.14 +0.41 +0.82% 13.3MV Visa 69.47 +2.89 +4.34% 18.4MWMT Wal-Mart 78.53 +0.50 +0.64% 5.3M

Kingfisher 373.90 4.90 1.33 8,234.90Land Securities Group 1,277.00 14.00 1.11 9,581.32Legal & General Group 269.75 0.75 0.28 15,569.27Lloyds Banking Group ORD 86.60 -0.25 -0.29 58,619.25London Stock Exchange 2,555.00 2.00 0.08 8,354.93Marks & Spencer Group 567.25 3.75 0.67 8,988.83Meggitt 523.50 -3.50 -0.66 4,101.24Merlin Entertainments 457.75 1.75 0.38 4,501.03Mondi 1,344.50 -2.50 -0.19 6,409.31Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets 185.70 4.70 2.60 4,130.77National Grid 908.85 2.95 0.33 32,538.31Next 7,460.00 30.00 0.40 11,175.06Old Mutual 233.95 -0.15 -0.06 11,275.72Pearson 1,324.50 7.50 0.57 10,737.55Persimmon 1,778.00 32.00 1.83 5,067.11Prudential 1,652.00 4.50 0.27 41,018.95Randgold Resources 4,797.50 33.50 0.70 4,433.30Reckitt Benckiser Group 5,867.50 22.50 0.38 40,806.37Reed Elsevier 1,098.50 4.50 0.41 12,076.66Rio Tinto 3,053.00 54.50 1.82 41,814.40Rolls-Royce Group 1,023.50 -6.50 -0.63 18,735.66Royal Bank of Scotland Grp 354.35 1.95 0.55 21,372.58Royal Dutch Shell 2,078.00 6.00 0.29 79,566.37Royal Dutch Shell 2,112.25 16.25 0.78 50,467.69Royal Mail 485.85 6.95 1.45 4,745.00RSA Insurance Group 434.85 1.15 0.27 4,340.51SABMiller 3,605.00 6.00 0.17 57,072.21Sage Group (The) 563.75 20.25 3.73 5,672.15Sainsbury (J) 282.45 4.45 1.60 5,126.67Schroders 3,353.50 33.50 1.01 7,334.43Severn Trent 2,157.00 6.00 0.28 4,924.81Shire 5,340.00 10.00 0.19 30,757.22Sky 1,077.50 -3.50 -0.32 18,341.91Smith & Nephew 1,144.00 2.00 0.18 10,043.10Smiths Group 1,163.50 1.50 0.13 4,433.35Sports Direct International 657.00 3.00 0.46 3,740.41SSE 1,644.00 -3.00 -0.18 15,531.28St James's Place 954.50 -8.00 -0.83 4,686.12Standard Chartered 1,055.50 2.00 0.19 25,610.29Standard Life 476.75 1.65 0.35 9,177.92Taylor Wimpey 179.70 4.00 2.28 5,400.75Tesco 234.23 5.38 2.35 18,171.14Travis Perkins 2,144.00 4.00 0.19 5,135.68TUI AG 1,265.00 18.00 1.44 7,068.57Unilever 2,880.50 -13.50 -0.47 36,398.91United Utilities Group 1,004.50 5.00 0.50 6,484.76Vodafone Group 235.28 1.98 0.85 61,454.90Weir Group 1,913.50 32.50 1.73 3,971.02Whitbread 5,267.50 -7.50 -0.14 9,304.51Wolseley 3,977.50 2.50 0.06 10,333.12WPP Group 1,549.50 7.50 0.49 19,711.28

Most AdvancedChina Gerui Advanced Materials Group Limited $ 2.79 0.96 ▲ 52.46%Calithera Biosciences, Inc. $ 13.87 4.35 ▲ 45.69%aTyr Pharma, Inc. $ 19.27 4.32 ▲ 28.90%Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 37.23 7.04 ▲ 23.32%LoJack Corporation $ 3.03 0.52 ▲ 20.72%Stamps.com Inc. $ 73.05 12.38 ▲ 20.41%SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. $ 31.10 4.71 ▲ 17.85%ServiceSource International, Inc. $ 4.35 0.60 ▲ 16%Relypsa, Inc. $ 34.54 4.60 ▲ 15.36%Paylocity Holding Corporation $ 32.75 4.26 ▲ 14.95%Alcobra Ltd. $ 6.35 0.75 ▲ 13.39%

Most DeclinedFluidigm Corporation $ 26.95 10.48 ▼ 28.00%Planar Systems, Inc. $ 4.75 1.44 ▼ 23.26%Qumu Corporation $ 10.03 2.89 ▼ 22.37%BioScrip, Inc. $ 3.63 0.78 ▼ 17.69%bebe stores, inc. $ 2.91 0.51 ▼ 14.91%EnerNOC, Inc. $ 10.07 1.66 ▼ 14.15%Pozen, Inc. $ 6.83 1.11 ▼ 13.98%Matrix Service Company $ 18.56 2.97 ▼ 13.79%The KEYW Holding Corporation $ 7.66 1.05 ▼ 12.06%pSivida Corp. $ 3.93 0.47 ▼ 10.68%Monster Beverage Corporation $ 128.47 15.02 ▼ 10.47%

CCOMPANYOMPANY PPRICERICE((PP)) CCHANGEHANGE((PP)) % C% CHGHG.. NNETET VVOLOL

DOW JONESCLOSING PRICES MAY 11

3i Group 512.00 9.50 1.89 4,758.22Aberdeen Asset Management 450.05 -1.75 -0.39 5,929.68Admiral Group 1,520.00 -3.00 -0.20 4,175.46Aggreko 1,664.00 13.00 0.79 4,126.07Anglo American 1,142.00 26.50 2.38 15,518.27Antofagasta 797.50 7.50 0.95 7,699.54ARM Holdings 1,150.00 4.00 0.35 16,020.28Ashtead Group 1,176.00 13.00 1.12 5,738.12Associated British Foods 2,916.00 -12.00 -0.41 22,491.46AstraZeneca 4,575.50 43.50 0.96 55,682.52Aviva 541.25 -3.25 -0.60 21,319.45Babcock International Group 1,102.00 19.00 1.75 4,971.75BAE Systems 512.75 3.25 0.64 15,742.77Barclays 259.23 1.18 0.46 41,608.17Barratt Developments 557.50 8.00 1.46 5,088.91BG Group 1,199.00 8.50 0.71 40,087.20BHP Billiton 1,590.75 30.25 1.94 32,483.66BP 465.85 4.55 0.99 83,468.33British American Tobacco 3,637.75 -2.25 -0.06 66,661.37British Land Co 849.25 7.25 0.86 8,266.23BT Group 469.88 0.23 0.05 37,934.52Bunzl 1,912.00 1.00 0.05 6,244.04Burberry Group 1,783.00 3.00 0.17 7,729.65Capita Group (The) 1,244.50 6.50 0.53 7,702.46Carnival 3,110.00 17.00 0.55 6,507.38Centrica 279.05 0.85 0.31 12,792.26Coca-Cola HBC 1,440.00 25.00 1.77 5,064.80Compass Group 1,184.00 4.00 0.34 19,236.45CRH 1,874.00 -17.00 -0.90 15,123.88Diageo 1,794.25 3.25 0.18 44,678.76Direct Line Insurance Group 324.60 2.60 0.81 4,761.00Dixons Carphone 456.20 5.70 1.27 5,034.19easyJet 1,881.00 21.00 1.13 7,233.16Experian 1,169.00 13.00 1.12 11,217.81Fresnillo 719.50 13.00 1.84 5,187.73G4S 294.80 1.00 0.34 4,428.25GKN 358.10 -0.10 -0.03 5,724.40GlaxoSmithKline 1,478.75 0.25 0.02 70,408.31Glencore 309.20 6.60 2.18 39,671.95Hammerson 676.50 2.50 0.37 5,086.25Hargreaves Lansdown 1,220.50 7.50 0.62 5,478.38Hikma Pharmaceuticals 2,047.00 37.00 1.84 3,907.99HSBC Holdings 636.70 -4.40 -0.69 121,611.12Imperial Tobacco Group 3,323.00 26.00 0.79 30,674.76InterContinental Hotels Grp 2,786.50 -33.50 -1.19 6,514.48International Consolidated Air 573.75 1.25 0.22 11,459.04Intertek Group 2,669.00 19.00 0.72 4,216.38Intu Properties 342.50 -1.20 -0.35 4,415.44ITV 263.80 3.10 1.19 10,164.44Johnson Matthey 3,365.00 13.00 0.39 6,641.38

CCOMPANYOMPANY PPRICERICE((PP)) CCHANGEHANGE((PP)) % C% CHGHG.. NNETET VVOLOL

COMPANY PRICE CHANGE NET / %

US dollar .....................................................................1.11663Japan yen ................................................................133.925Switzerland franc ................................................1.03896Denmark kroner...................................................7.46249Norway kroner.....................................................8.42207

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currenciesdirect.com/mallorca • Tel: +34 687 906 226

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL14 - 20 May 2015 /Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN26

THE sun is set to keep on shining onAndalucia for the next few months andas we pack away the winter jumpersand cosy socks, it’s now time to set upthe terrace or garden and take cookingoutside.

Whether it’s you personally, yourother half, a son or a daughter that’s incharge of flipping sausages and makingsure the steaks aren’t overcooked - anessential item this spring and summer isa good barbecue. The Flamenco in-spired apron is obviously optional.

But rather than throw money at thefirst shiny new gadget you see, it’s im-portant to first research what barbecueis best for you and your friends or fami-ly. Prices for barbecues range fromaround €10 to more than €3,000, de-pending on the size, the number of fea-tures it boasts and the quality of its con-struction. But according to experts theprice tag alone is not a guarantee ofquality.

Top barbecue experts advise feelingthe product and if one is considerablyheavier than another it means it is madewith better steel. Porcelain-coated char-coal barbecues are said to be good, asthey tend to offer better resistance toheat and scratches and are harder wear-ing. It’s also apparently important to

have a lid for your barbecue so it can beused as an oven to cook your food.

You do not have to spend a fortune orpay extra for a brand name, but don’twaste your money on disposable barbe-cues - these tend to heat far too quicklyand can end up burning the meat youare cooking. And if you’re going to

spend good money on a nice cut ofmeat or a delicate fish then be sure notto put the product directly over flames,as this only blackens the outside of thefood leaving the inside raw. The cook-ing of meat or fish should only be donewhen the flames have subsided and thecharcoal has gone white.

Invest in summer with a good BBQLoose changeJane PlunkettA look at finance for femalesjane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

BARBECUE FUN: Before you buy, research what is best for you and your family.

Fine threat EU authorities have recom-mended Spain be fined al-most €19 million for manip-ulating economic statistics. Itis the first time they haveused their increased powersof oversight on national gov-ernments.

Confident signIN a sign of strengtheningmarket confidence Spainhad negative interest rateson its medium-term debt,three years after the coun-try came close to a bailout.

Election surge UK investors saw shareprices surge following the un-expected news the Conserva-tive political party had won aclear parliamentary majorityin the general election.

Output upSPANISH industrial produc-tion rose more than expectedlast month according to offi-cial data. The National In-stitue of Statistics said pro-duction rose 2.9 per cent inApril compared to a 0.9 percent rise in March.

BUSINESS EXTRA

MOST people reject, even resent the sugges-tion that they would make a good salesperson.

The reality is that everyone, whether theylike it or not, is a salesperson. When as a smallchild you resorted to guile to get your own way,you were selling yourself. There was never aday in your life when you didn’t sell yourself,an idea, a suggestion.

When you got into a scrape you tried the‘gift of the gab’ to get you out of it. When youfell in love you sold yourself to the person youhoped would respond. Whenever you applied

for a job you worked hard at selling yourself. Forget sales courses unless selling them is

your line of business. Sure, I picked up helpfultips from helpful books, for which I am grate-ful. Some hints and guidance over time helpedto increase my commissions. However, thetruth is that you can make a salesman better butyou cannot make a salesperson out of someonewho is uncomfortable in a salesman’s job.

Over the years I interviewed scores of job

applicants. These included the hard-bitten foot-in-the door stereotype salesmen. As their ap-proach was confrontational they were neversuccessful. To them selling was a matter of get-ting the better of a victim. I would rather washsheets in a brothel.

I have to confess, when I interviewed aprospective salesperson, I was clueless at pre-dicting their success or lack of it. The most out-standing salesperson I had the good fortune toemploy was no one’s idea of a salesman.

How I groaned when Fred arrived at the in-terview. Fred was the sweetest natured andmost inoffensive man I ever met. I imagine hehad never killed a fly. I gave him a start simplybecause I didn’t have the heart to say no to him.Fred was by far the best salesman I ever had.You know why? No one else had the heart tosay no to him either. What a winning strategy.

Fred was the best salesman ever 27FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL 14 - 20 May 2015 /Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

Talking shop Mike Walsh

Mike Walsh was for 20 years Regional AssessmentManager for the Guild of Master Craftsmen, Britain’sbiggest quality assurance body for businesses. www.michaelwalsh.es • 966 786 932

SELLING: Everyone is a salesperson.

Fred was thesweetest

natured and most inoffensive man.No one had the heart

to say no to him.

By Steve Walsh

SPAIN’S financial guruswatched closely as the Greekfinance minister had to raidemergency reserves in its hold-ing account at the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) in orderto meet its €750 million pay-ment deadline.

On Monday, Yanis Varo-ufakis was in Brussels for talkswith his Eurozone counter-parts, where he toldEuronews.com in an interviewthat the heavily-indebted coun-try would come up with thecash.

The outcome of this meetingis seen as hugely important toSpain as it could affect confi-dence in the euro and Euro-zone economies.

With Spain having postedbetter than expected growth,the last thing the financial

community in the countrywants is more euro uncer-tainty.

Encouragingly for Spain,Varoufakis said: “Our stan-dard answer is that Greecewill always meet its obliga-tions to its creditors andobviously we are go-ing to do this.”

Reportedly, Varoufakismanaged to find €650

million towards thepayment by tap-ping into Greece’sholding accountwith the IMF,according to anu n n a m e dsource withinthe Greek gov-ernment.Greece could

decide to hold areferendum on any

possible agree-

ment with its creditors. Wolfgang Schauble, the

German finance minister, hint-ed that Berlin would back sucha move in an apparent shift instance.

“If the Greek governmentwants to have a referendum,then let it hold a referendum,”he said.

“Maybe it would be the rightstep so that the Greek peoplecould decide whether it isready to accept what is neces-sary, or whether it wants some-thing different,” Schaubleadded.

ALTERNATIVE lending maybe on the rise in Spain, Ger-many, France, and the UK, butthere is still a role for traditionallenders, according to RonaldFuchs, head of real estatefinance at German insurerAllianz.

Allianz Real Estate viewstraditional lenders not ascompetition but as a platformfor co-operation, Fuchs toldPropertyEU.com at a debtfinance investment briefingheld at UBS in Frankfurt.

“As a strategic concept, wesee more in partnerships be-tween insurance companies andlenders. This could take differ-ent forms including a horizontaldivision of the risk. There iscompetition from alternativelenders from the UK in theFrench and German market, butthey are not a replacement forbanks and they will not over-take them.”

While the share of non-bankreal estate lenders has risenstrongly in the UK in the pasttwo to three years, traditionallenders remain a force to con-tend with, Fuchs said. “We areinterested in exploring whetherthere is a way of using bothsources for the benefit of theclient,” he explained.

Allianz Real Estate has donelittle lending in Germany in thepast 12 months, Fuchs reported.“That’s not because we don’tlike it because of the fundamen-tals. We haven’t seen the rightrisk-return profile and havetherefore decided to investmore in other European juris-dictions like Spain, Austria andthe Netherlands. We have aglobal budget and that needs tobe sustainable on a long-termbasis. It doesn’t need to be fedby local business,” he added.

Allianz eyestraditionallenders

Greece raids reserves at theIMF to meet its debt deadline

was the amount Athenshad to pay back

€750m

IN BRUSSELS:Yanis

Varoufakis,Greece’sFinance

Minister.

BRITISH expatriates in Spainwho invest in UK stocks andshares received a boost, whenthe British stock market surged.This followed the news thatPrime Minister DavidCameron’s Conservatives hadunexpectedly gained an overallmajority and won the generalelection, giving the party anoth-er five years in power.

It has given expat investors adouble gain as the pound re-mains strong against the euro at€1.39 to the pound at the timeof going to press.

As the election news hit thecity, the blue-chip FTSE 100 In-dex rose 2.2 per cent to7,038.96 points by 1.44pmGMT, almost reaching therecord high of 7,122.74 pointsof last month. It headed for itsbiggest one-day percentage gainsince early January.

The FTSE 250 Mid-cap In-dex rose 2.7 per cent to set an

all-time high as the election re-sults came through and theConservatives secured an over-all majority, overturning pollpredictions of a hung parlia-ment.

Many investors had backedthe Conservatives over the op-position, centre-left Labour Par-ty, which had promised toughregulation of industries such asbanking, utilities, real estate andgambling, which could have hitthe profits of companies inthose sectors.

Robert Parkes, director of eq-uity strategy at HSBC Bank

said: “We are seeing a relief ral-ly in some domestically focusednames, with utilities, real estate,transport and banks having apretty good day. But the politi-cal uncertainty isn’t going to goaway. We have now got a refer-endum of Britain’s EU member-ship on the horizon.”

The FTSE 100 Volatility In-dex fell 21.8 per cent to 12.98,the lowest since July.

Boost for expat investorsin UK stocks and shares

THE Organisation for Economic Co-operationand Development (OECD) has welcomed aSpanish anti-corruption legislative package.

The laws recently approved by the SpanishParliament in order to fight corruption and pro-mote both integrity and transparency in politicalactivities and institutions were also aimed at de-mocratic regeneration.

The measures include two new laws regulat-ing the financing of political parties and theconduct of senior officials in the Spanish publicadministration, as well as some adjustment inthe penal code to better tackle these issues.

The OECD has identified the fight againstcorruption as critical to restoring the trust of cit-izens in public institutions. It said it is encour-aging the Spanish authorities to proceed to aprompt and effective implementation and en-forcement of this ‘promising’ legislation.

PRIME MINISTER David Cameron has named Greg Hands asChief Secretary to the Treasury, giving him a key role in the gov-ernment’s reinvented push to cut expenditure and bring down thebudget deficit.

Hands, who was previously an aide to Finance Minister GeorgeOsborne, replaces Danny Alexander, whose Liberal Democratsparty was a coalition partner in Cameron’s first government but isnow in opposition after suffering big losses in the May 7 election.

The election re-sult has given ex-

pat investors adouble gain asthe pound re-mains strong

against the euro

Hands gets treasury job

Spain approves anti-corruption package.

Fighting corruption

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN28

SUSAN WORTHINGTON of theSpectrum IFA Group feels that Inter-national Schools open up moredoors. She told us, “The quality oflife here is better and I believe it issafer in a lot of ways more than theUK. My grandson was born inFrance but is now here in Spain, aswe all prefer to live here.

“I have been here for 21 years andso all the children have been to theInternational schools which I thinkopens up lots more doors tothem. The education systemhas been good for my family.

“I have no complaints eitherabout the hospitals or medicalcare but fortunately none of ushas suffered much illness but Iam happy to be a mum in Spain

definitely.”A sentiment echoed by Joanne

Greenwood of Webb’s Removalswho said, “I feel more comfortable.My daughter is at school here inMallorca and I find the system verydifferent to when I was at school.

“I still think there should be a lev-el of respect for the teachers as itnow seems a very informal way ofteaching and I don’t think that is

a good thing. The private educationseems to be a better choice for achild here. The social life with kidsis great and I feel more comfortablefor my kids to play out on anevening. The medical system is fan-tastic, quick, efficient and very cus-tomer friendly so that is a big plusfor Spain.”

Krista Hyer

from the Cancer Support Groupadded, “The schoolchildren speaktwo languages,” and continued tosay, “Although the lifestyle here isgood for families, being in Mallorca,the schools teach Catalan in theclassroom and Spanish in the play-ground, so children speak two lan-guages at school which some find

difficult.

“If they are young they have morechance of picking that up. The med-ical care is brilliant though, I can’tfault that at all. I have been livinghere for the past 14 years and have agrandchild, so I am happy with themedical care you receive.”

Lindsay Magill of Air Condition-ing & Electrical Installations Mallor-ca, is happy that there are less re-strictions and tells us, “We broughtour child here when she was one, Ihave two children one 12 and onefive-year-old, and I am happy withthe education although it is harderwith the lessons and projects beingin Catalan. “

“My kids are now bilingual sothey have a good lifestyle.”

Which is best place to be a mum? SPAIN has been ranked in seventh place amongst the best countries in which to be a mother. Norway was the best. However, the UK

came in at 24th. Do you think Spain is a better place to be a mother or the UK?

STREET TALK YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

Joanne Greenwoodwith her daughter.

Krista Hyer (middle).

Susan Worthington (left).

OPINION & COMMENT14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN30

YOU know the main reason the Labour partywas routed in the election? Because, in theirusual bitter arrogance, they completely under-estimated the intelligence of the British public.

Theirs was a campaign full of gimmicks,denials and downright lies. From the pink vanand travelling dais, their ludicrous promises instone, to the twittering insults and interviewwith the moronic Brand person, they endeav-ored to trick the voters into thinking their left-wing policies were the only way to save a so-ciety that actually didn’t need saving at all.

By contrast, Cameron conducted an utterlydignified and straightforward campaign,which included, to my mind quite correctly,refusing to be sucked into a gimmicky debate,which would have resulted in him becomingthe brunt of a bunch of wannabees placinghim and his party in a firing line of negativity.

In the end the results, despite theso-called polls (which need

to be put under some severe scrutiny) finishedup exactly where they should have been. The

party that has rescued thecountry from the

chaos of left-wing manage-ment finishedup the clear

victors. The par-

ty, whichgot into pow-

er simply be-cause it had

picked up a fewseats, was severely

ousted, and a bunchof out of touch, in-

competent throwbacks,were utterly humiliated

and sent scuttling for cov-er, hopefully for generations

to come.The only party I do feel was

hard done by is UKIP,which, despite

picking up millions of votes, only managed toobtain one seat. Perhaps the whole votingprocess should be looked at before the nextelection.

I was also gratified to see the SNP pick upthe Scottish vote, basically because there is al-so now stiff opposition in place should theyendeavour to ride roughshod over any policiesput forward by the Conservatives.

Subsequently they are free to concentrate onpurely Scottish agendas, practise their belovedindependence and not constantly seek to recre-ate the Battle of Bannockburn in the Housesof the British Parliament. Mind how ye go!

One other thing that did strike me about the‘campaign of clutter’ presented by Labour wasthe utterly intentional silence and non partici-pation of the unions. On the surface, that is. Inreality, mark my words, with their usual devi-ous agendas and underhanded methods, theywere laying in wait, ready to raise their uglyheads and strike chaos among the British pub-lic with all the stealth of the snakes in thegrass they undoubtedly are. Well tough titty!

Let us all now look forward to a time ofprosperity and good common sense for the

Labour’s campaign of clutterLEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT

THE party lost because it completely underestimated the intelligence of the British public

Despite thes o - c a l l e dp o l l s . . . t h e

party that hasrescued the countryfrom the chaos of left-wing management fin-ished up the clearvictors.

Frederic Legrand - COMEO / Shutterstock.com

IN CONTROL:PM DavidCameron isexactly wherehe should be.

31OPINION & COMMENT 14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

TWO bits of news, one maybe moresurprising than the other.

Benidorm is applying for Unescoworld heritage status! This wouldplace the resort alongside sites suchas the Great Wall of China, Stone-henge and the Pyramids of Giza.

Now, Benidorm’s a far more inter-esting place than it’s given credit for.Formerly a fishing village, it was apioneer of high-rise holidays nearthe sea primarily aimed at the resi-dents of major Spanish cities, thoughnaturally it attracts a wide range ofother nationalities too. It’s got greatpromenades, sandy beaches andgood restaurants in the old town.

This isn’t the first timeBenidorm’s been portrayed as a

world heritage site. In 2008, aFrench professor championed thehigh-rise resort as the ‘Dubai of Eu-rope’. Benidorm is undoubtedly asuccessful example of one kind ofmass tourism. Does this make it aheritage site? I’m not convinced.

And the other less surprisingnews? That teenagers, beingteenagers, are replacing old forms of‘text speak’ for emojis (cartoon-likepictures illustrating electronic mes-sages) and new code words. Fleek(looking good) is popular as is FO-

MO (fear of missing out) and Bae (aromantic term of endearment). Andmy response? TGUOD (they’ll growup one day!). This, then, togetherwith the proposal to allow studentsto use Google in exams! Since kidsare already geniuses at Googlingthings, the temptation must now be:why bother to learn anything at all?

Some claim that the skin-deep,fly-leaf skimming nature of the in-ternet is already a major problem.The speed of news development viasocial networks means we knowmore, learn little and remember evenless. We live now in such a very easyenvironment in which to tell a lieand then move on - a trick masteredby recent political spin doctors.

And Plato complained that writingwould destroy memory! Or was thatArchimedes? I can’t remember …

Nora Johnson’s thrillers Land-scape of Lies, Retribution, SoulStealer, The De Clerambault Code(www.nora-johnson.com) availablefrom Amazon. Profits to Cudeca.

Benidorm goes after Unesco andteenagers now prefer using emojis! Nora JohnsonBreaking ViewsNora is the author of popular psychological suspense andcrime thrillers and a free-lance journalist. To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, goto www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/nora-johnson

Phili

p La

nge

/ Shu

tters

tock

.com

World heritagestatus would

place the resortalongside sites such as

the Great Wall of China.

BENIDORM: A vibrant holiday destination for many.

OPINION & COMMENT14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN32

IN a bid to reduce the number of speedingmotorists on the roads and therefore subse-quently reducing the number of speed relat-ed incidents, the DGT has published a list ofmobile radar speed traps on the roads of As-turias and Castilla y Leon. That is a new de-parture for Spain.

The DGT already publishes national in-formation on the location of fixed speedcameras, information which is also avail-able on some mobile devices such as GPSunits, which are legal to own as the infor-mation has already been published.

However, the law prohibits the use of de-

vices which advise drivers of mobile radartraps, so the fact that mobile speed traps inAsturias and Castilla y Leon has been pub-lished is pretty unique.

The measure forms part of an overallplan of transparency to ensure drivers re-spect speed limits on the road. The informa-tion published for the two areas is for themonth of May and it is expected that it willspread to other areas where speed checksare intensified.

To see the locations of fixed camerasaround the country, visit www.dgt.es/es/el-trafico/control-de-velocidad/

For more news and articles visit www.n332.es or search N332 on Facebook.

First, there is nochange in the decla-

ration of UK Civil Servicepensions for the Spanishtax declaration you makein May and June. This dec-laration is for the tax year2014 and the new treatydid not go into effect untilJanuary 1, 2015, so thechanges will apply to nextyear’s for 2015.

The main change is thatall UK persons resident inSpain who receive UK Civ-il Service or other govern-ment pensions will from thenext declaration have todeclare the amount of these

pensions on their Spanishincome tax form. Thesegovernment pensions arenot OAP pensions. Theyinclude Civil Service andmunicipal jobs as well. Un-til this year, these pensions‘did not exist’ for the Span-ish tax agency.

The taxpayer will list hisCivil Service pension alongwith any other income hehas, such as his old-agepension, on his tax decla-

ration. Because Spain hasa sliding scale of percent-ages on income, this totalthen draws tax at 21 percent, or 25 per cent or 31per cent, depending on theamount.

The amount of the gov-ernment pension is then de-ducted from the total in-come, but the remainingamount is taxed at thehigher rate given by thesliding scale. So you arenot taxed directly on theCivil Service income, butyou wind up paying moreanyway because of thehigher percentage.

UK Civil Service pensions must be declared in 2016

David SearlYou and the Law in Spain

I read your article about changesin the treatment of Civil Service pen-

sions for this year’s ‘Renta’ (Spanish in-come tax) exercise. I telephoned the tax of-fice in Valencia and was told that, unless Inow had Spanish nationality, the change

would not apply. I read the official state bul-letin which seems to confirm this but am stillconfused.

She also emailed me a copy of the BOE,the official state bulletin,

M C (Costa Blanca)

LEGALLY SPEAKING

SPEED TRAPS: DGT publishes list of locations.

Speed traps listed AS part of a new series, we feature some common driving questions, theanswers to which are kindly provided by members of the Guardia Civilbased in Torrevieja, Costa Blanca, who set up the N332 website and Face-book page to help break down barriers.

THE European Union floun-ders and founders as a result ofits anti-Russian stance.

Distracted, few seem to givea thought as to what happens ifthe US is bested in its battle toremain top dog in world mar-kets.

European Union Foreignand Defence policies are asjoined with Washington DC asare Siamese twins. As if suchvulnerability isn’t enough thereis a growing likelihood ofAmerica’s economy going intotailspin.

When I first prophesied thedollar’s collapse there wereguffaws. Only the short-sightedare laughing now. Many insid-ers no longer debate whetherthis will happen or not. Thetopic has moved on to when itwill happen and what the con-

sequences will be. The UStrade deficit in March explod-ed. Against expectations therewas a teeth-grinding $41.7bndeficit; the worst result since2008.

Russia, forging alliance withChina, knowing the tables areturning in its favour, accumu-lates gold, peacefully expandsits economy, forms staggering

trade alliances, whilst watchinghow the US gets out of thisone. EU sanctions pushed Rus-sia into China’s arms. Idiots.

Mainstream media, quick togloat when the rouble sinks, isquiet now it has bounced back.Russia has the economic cush-ion, the gold reserves, itsBRICS trade base, the self suf-ficiency to come out tops. Rus-

sia’s $600bn debt is 33 timessmaller than that of the US and23 times smaller than the EU.

Americans are out of money.Its cities are in a state of socialdisintegration.

Today, we are fast approach-ing the uncomfortable conse-quences of Western economies.This is where the peoples of theEuropean Union’s 28 nations

awaken to the fact the UnitedStates is the European Union.EU banks are so enmeshedwith Wall Street their survivalin such a scenario is highly un-likely.

Should the US dollar col-lapse these nations will discov-er they are orphans. Theireconomies in tatters and tradewith Russia dismantled. De-fenceless and without a coher-ent foreign policy, the Euro-pean Bloc will splinter fast.

There is already a breakingof ranks. Iceland has discon-nected and has an independentbanking system. Finland hasOption B ready in the event ofthe Euro collapse.

Nations like Greece, Bulgar-ia, Hungary, the Czech Repub-lic and others are already giv-ing the finger to Brussels andcutting deals with Russia.Spain looks to Latin Americafor survival. Expect an ‘everyman to himself’ scramble toreach the reception deskat the Russian orphanage.Pragmatism suggests theyhave little choice.

Collapsing into complete chaos

33OPINION & COMMENT 14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

I AM building myself an outside barready for summer.

That’s to say a good friend, whosegrasp of all things practical is a billiontimes more evolved than mine, is build-ing it for me.

But fair dos, I am helping signifi-cantly with the construction process - Ipass him screws; hold the step laddersteady; shout encouragement and drinkmugs of coffee. It’s amazing howquickly things progress when there isclose cooperation such as this.

But I have to fess up and say thatanything to do with DIY has alwaysbeen as alien to me as a good melody isto Morrissey. The same goes for any-thing to do with computers. Just as I getto grips with one new supa dupa ma-chine, it is made virtually obsolete by asuparer duparer piece of kit appearingon the market, and I have to get the six-year-old from next door to explain it tome. It’s humiliating.

It’s something I have never under-stood, because my dear old Dad was awhizz at all these things... well notcomputers of course; in his day it wasquill and parchment, and an abacus.

But he would always be sawing andhammering and making useful things inwood in his little shed in the garden, ormaking scale models of Sunderland

flying boats or Spanish galleons, aswell as knocking out the odd watercolour painting to hang on the wall.

He was no George Hepplewhite or

John Constable, but he could prettymuch put his hand to anything creative.

In my first year at secondary school,woodwork was part of the syllabus andwith a father like mine, it was reason-able to assume I would have been ableto master the craft fairly easily. No!

In the first week of the new schoolyear in September, we were given thetask of making a simple teapot stand,

but I was still planing and sandingthat darn thing as we were preparing

to break up for the Christmas holidays.The woodwork master was so exasper-ated with me, that he binned my pathet-ic and rapidly shrinking effort, andmuch to my shame and in front of mytittering pals, he knocked one up for mein 15 minutes flat.

I duly presented the article to myparents as all my own work, not havingthe nerve to tell them that my classmates were already working on dining-room suites and ocean-going yachts.

At least I am accomplished in the artthat will put my bar to good use.

WITH the UK general elec-tions done and dusted, don’tput your pen away yet. TheSpanish election campaignsare just getting into top gear.

For the registered votershere in Spain, now is the timeall your local politicians comeout of the woodwork andplaster their posters and ban-ners throughout your streets.

They will be telling youhow they have improved lifein the town with incentivessuch as the local highwaysand byways, and by increas-ing safety and road condi-tions.

In a last-ditch attempt togain your vote by promisingyou the world, the brightlycoloured banners and publici-ty posters will be litteringlamp posts, and lighting uplitter bins on all major roads.

So, while you are drivingaround your town admiringall the different smiling politi-cal faces beaming down atyou, it might escape your no-tice you are actually payingmore attention to them, thanwatching the safe new dis-traction free road you are justabout to have an accident on.

If we are not to become‘Just another statistic’ in thepoliticians’ campaigns againstroad accidents, it would bebest to ignore the politicianswatching you, and watch theroad instead.

Watchthe roadinsteadof me!

WOODWORK: It was reasonable to assume I could master the craft.

OUR VIEW

www.euroweeklynews.com

Colin BirdA weekly lookEach week, Colin brings his slightly off-the-wall view of theworld to the pages of EWN in his own irreverent style.

If only I were a carpenter

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

ELECTIONS: Coming near.

FEW seem to have thought what will happen if the US is beaten as top dog in world markets.

Mike WalshMike, based in Mediterranean Spain, isan international journalist, author andprofessional writer.

Now we want to

hear your news.

EU SANCTIONS: Pushed Russia into China’s arms.

I have to confess and say that

anything to dowith DIY has always been alien to me.

14MAY

15MAY

16MAY

17MAY

18MAY

19MAY

20MAY

5:30pm Flog It!6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News at Six7:30pm BBC London News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm EastEnders9:00pm Watchdog10:00pm Shark11:00pm BBC News at Ten11:30pm BBC London News11:45pm Question Time

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TV LISTING14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN34

FRIDAY

THURSDAY

6:15pm Antiques Roadshow7:00pm Eggheads7:30pm Beat the Brain8:00pm Antiques Road Trip9:00pm Mary Berry's Absolute

Favourites9:30pm Gardeners' World10:00pm Britain's Greatest

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5:50pm Songs of Praise6:35pm Chelsea Flower Show7:35pm BBC News7:50pm Regional News7:55pm Weather8:00pm Countryfile9:00pm Antiques Roadshow10:00pm Jonathan Strange

and Mr Norrell11:00pm BBC News11:20pm Regional News

SUNDAY1:00pm Scott of the Antarctic2:45pm Rugby League Challenge

Cup5:30pm Triathlon World

Series7:00pm Hotel India8:00pm A Very British Airline9:00pm Demolition10:00pm The Detectives11:00pm Made in Dagenham12:45am Hideous Kinky

3:30pm The Simpsons4:00pm The Parent Trap6:35pm A Place in the Sun7:30pm Channel 4 News8:00pm Speed with Guy Martin9:00pm For the Love of Cars10:00pm Grayson Perry's

Dream House11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats

Does Countdown12:05am Jimmy Carr

6:40pm The Great Escape9:50pm 5 News10:00pm Big Brother11:00pm The Rock1:40am Bangkok Dangerous3:30am Super Casino5:00am House Doctor

Home improvement series that works its magic on neglected homes.

4:30pm Ford Super Sunday8:00pm Sky Sports Originals9:00pm Goals on Sunday10:00pm Sky Sports Originals11:00pm Ford Football Special12:30am The Sunday Supplement2:00am Goals on Sunday3:00am Ford Football Special4:30am The Sunday

3:45pm All Star Family Fortunes4:50pm Midsomer Murders6:50pm Ninja Warrior UK7:45pm Local News and Weather8:00pm ITV News and Weather8:15pm Celebrity Squares9:00pm Sunday Night at the

Palladium10:00pm Home Fires11:05pm ITV News and Weather11:15pm Perspectives

7:00pm BBC News7:30pm Regional News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm Chelsea Flower Show9:00pm EastEnders9:30pm Panorama10:00pm New Tricks11:00pm BBC News11:25pm Regional News11:40pm Weather11:45pm Have I Got a Bit

MONDAY5:15pm 'Allo, 'Allo!5:45pm Just Good Friends6:15pm Antiques Roadshow7:00pm Eggheads8:00pm Antiques Road Trip9:00pm RHS Chelsea Flower Show10:00pm The Detectives

Interrogation.11:00pm Episodes11:30pm Newsnight12:15am Weather

3:10pm Countdown4:00pm Deal or No Deal5:00pm Posh Pawnbrokers6:00pm Couples Come Dine

with Me7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm Damned Designs10:00pm Benefits Street12:00am The Island with Bear Grylls

6:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Car Crash TV7:30pm 5 News8:00pm The Gadget Show9:00pm World's Angriest:

Caught on Camera10:00pm Gotham11:00pm Big Brother12:00am Big Brother's Bigger

Bit on the Side1:30am Jackass

4:30pm Fantasy Football Club Highlights

5:00pm The Premier League Years7:00pm Soccer A.M. - The

Best Bits8:00pm Ford Monday Night Football12:00am Sky Sports Originals1:00am Fantasy Football

Club Highlights1:30am MNF Highlights4:00am Soccer A.M.

5:00pm Tipping Point6:00pm The Paul O'Grady Show7:00pm Local News and Weather7:30pm ITV News and Weather8:00pm Emmerdale8:30pm Coronation Street9:00pm Wild Ireland9:30pm Coronation Street10:00pm Scammers11:00pm ITV News at Ten and

Weather

7:00pm BBC News7:30pm Regional News8:00pm The One Show8:30pm EastEnders9:00pm Holby City10:00pm 24 Hours in the Past11:00pm BBC News11:30pm Regional News11:40pm Weather11:45pm The Dog Factory12:45am The Resident

TUESDAY5:45pm Just Good Friends6:15pm Antiques Roadshow7:00pm Eggheads7:30pm Beat the Brain8:00pm Antiques Road Trip9:00pm RHS Chelsea Flower Show10:00pm The Detectives11:00pm Later Live... with

Jools Holland11:30pm Newsnight12:15am Weather

5:00pm Posh Pawnbrokers6:00pm Couples Come Dine

with Me7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm Kirstie and Phil's

Love it or List it10:00pm No Offence11:00pm Benefits Street12:00am The Island with Bear Grylls

4:15pm The Good Mother6:00pm 5 News at 56:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Car Crash TV7:30pm 5 News Tonight8:00pm Police Interceptors9:00pm The Dog Rescuers10:00pm Blinging Up Baby:

You Won't Believe it!11:00pm Big Brother12:00am Big Brother's Bit on the Side

8:00pm Fantasy Football Club Highlights

8:30pm Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits

9:30pm FL72: Play-Off Final Highlights

10:30pm Barclays Premier League Review

11:30pm Fantasy Football Club Highlights

12:00am Football Gold

5:00pm Tipping Point6:00pm The Paul O'Grady Show7:00pm Local News and Weather7:30pm ITV News and Weather8:00pm Emmerdale8:30pm Tonight9:00pm Midsomer Murders11:00pm ITV News at Ten and

Weather11:40pm Benidorm12:10am The Big Fish Off

5:30pm Flog It!6:15pm Pointless7:00pm BBC News7:30pm Regional News8:00pm The One Show9:00pm Inspector George Gently10:30pm Peter Kay's Car Share11:00pm BBC News11:30pm Regional News11:40pm Weather11:45pm A Question of Sport12:15am Robot and Frank

WEDNESDAY4:45pm Are You Being Served?5:15pm 'Allo, 'Allo!5:45pm Just Good Friends6:15pm Antiques Roadshow7:00pm Eggheads7:30pm Beat the Brain8:00pm Antiques Road Trip9:00pm RHS Chelsea Flower Show10:00pm Horizon11:00pm QI11:30pm Newsnight12:15am Weather

4:00pm Deal or No Deal5:00pm Posh Pawnbrokers6:00pm Couples Come Dine

with Me7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm The World's Most

Expensive Food10:00pm The Island with Bear Grylls11:00pm The Job Centre12:00am Bodyshockers

3:15pm NCIS4:15pm A Surrogate's Terror6:00pm 5 News at 56:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Car Crash TV7:30pm 5 News Tonight8:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors9:00pm Dogs Make You

Laugh Out Loud10:00pm Benefits Britain: Big

Families Special11:00pm Big Brother

2:00pm The Premier League Years4:00pm Soccer A.M. - The

Best Bits5:00pm The Premier League Years7:00pm Boots 'n' All8:00pm Football Gold8:15pm Football Gold8:30pm Football11:15pm Football Gold11:30pm Boots 'n' All12:30am FL72: Play-Off Final

Highlights

5:00pm Tipping Point6:00pm The Paul O'Grady Show7:00pm Local News and Weather7:30pm ITV News and Weather8:00pm Emmerdale8:30pm Coronation Street9:00pm Give a Pet a Home10:00pm Newzoids10:30pm The Delivery Man11:00pm ITV News at Ten and

Weather11:40pm Come on Down!

4:00pm Premier League Legends4:30pm Sky Sports Years5:30pm Boots 'n' All6:30pm Barclays Premier

League World7:00pm Ringside8:00pm Premier League Darts

201511:00pm Ringside12:00am Barclays Premier

League World

6:00pm 5 News at 56:30pm Neighbours7:00pm Car Crash TV7:30pm 5 News Tonight8:00pm World War II in Colour9:00pm The Last Days of...

Guy Fawkes10:00pm The Hotel Inspector11:00pm Big Brother12:00am Big Brother's Bit on

the Side

2:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun

3:00pm Channel 4 Racing5:00pm Posh Pawnbrokers6:00pm Couples Come Dine with Me7:00pm The Simpsons7:30pm Hollyoaks8:00pm Channel 4 News9:00pm Born Naughty?10:00pm The Island with Bear 11:00pm The Secret World of Tinder

EUR By and large the pan-Euroland economic sta-

tistics came in better than expected and higherthan the previous month. That was certainly trueof the purchasing managers’ index readings.They indicated faster growth in the private sec-tor, both for manufacturing and services.

The UK and US data were less compelling,with two of the three UK PMIs falling short ofexpectations. It left a nagging concern that nei-ther of those central banks will be in any hurry toincrease interest rates.

But in the end sterling pulled a totally unex-pected rabbit out of its hat when the incumbentConservative government was able to scrape to-gether an overall majority - albeit a narrow one -in Thursday’s general election. That result madethe pound the week’s top-performing major cur-rency, taking a net cent and a quarter off the eu-ro. The US dollar and the euro were unchangedagainst one another.

USD The US and UK economic statistics were not

much to write home about. In both countriesmore of the data missed the mark than beat it.By and large the pan-Euroland economic statis-

tics came in better than expected: The purchas-ing managers’ index readings indicated fastergrowth in the private sector, both for manufac-turing and services.

Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve chairperson,did the dollar no favours when she commentedthat bond and share prices are “generally quitehigh.” Investors inferred that the Fed might hes-itate to send them lower by raising interest rates.

But in the end sterling pulled a totally unex-pected rabbit out of its hat when the incumbentConservative government was able to scrape to-gether a majority in Thursday’s general election.That result made the pound the week’s top-per-forming major currency, taking a net cent and ahalf off the dollar. The US dollar, the euro andthe Canadian dollar were unchanged against oneanother.

CADOn the basis that they were almost all better

than expected, the Canadian economic statisticswere positive for the Loonie. By the same to-ken, the majority of the US and UK ecostatswere disappointing and therefore unhelpful totheir respective currencies.

During most of the week sterling was on the

defensive, not only because of concerns aboutthe UK economy but also because of the upcom-ing election. On Thursday night that negativesentiment underwent a dramatic reversal.

In the end sterling pulled a totally unexpectedrabbit out of its hat when the incumbent Conser-vative government was able to scrape together amajority in Thursday’s general election. Thatresult made the pound the week’s top-perform-ing major currency, taking a net two and a quar-ter cents off the Canadian dollar. The Loonie,

the US dollar and the euro were unchangedagainst one another.

AUDThe Australian economic statistics were not

compellingly bullish for the Aussie but theywere uncontroversial. There was a healthy in-crease in the number of building permits, factorygate prices picked up and the loss of 3k jobs inApril was too small to be scary.

Investors initially marked down the Aussiewhen the Reserve Bank of Australia cut itsbenchmark interest rate from 2.25 per c ent to 2per cent. However, there was a rapid rethink af-ter they scanned the central bank’s statement. Itscomments on the economy were more upbeatthan of late and investors inferred that rateswould go no lower.

Sterling pulled a totally unexpected rabbit outof its hat when the Conservative party scraped to-gether a majority in Thursday’s general election.That result made the pound the week’s top-per-forming major currency, taking a net cent and ahalf off the Australian dollar. The Aussie added aquarter of a US cent and a third of a euro cent.

902887243mallorca@moneycorp.com

Commentary by Moneycorp

Euro unchangedAdvertising Feature

She can be contacted onTel: +34 902 887 243

Mobile: +34 687 932 472Email:mallorca@moneycorp.com

ClarisseMusselwhite

is Moneycorp’s Account Manager for Mallorca

35OPINION & COMMENT 14 - 20 May 2015 /Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

I WAS very interested to read the ar-ticle ‘Avoid being a victim of fraud’,written by Jane Plunkett (Issue1554).

It is exactly what happened to meearly in January, when a letter ar-rived from what purported to be theelectricity company saying ‘techni-cians’ would be visiting. Once in thehome, one distracted me and the oth-er stole valuables, in what was anelaborate scam.

I am an elderly person and whatthey took were items precious to me.

I would hope other victims wouldfind their insurance company treat-ing them fairly. I have been with myinsurance company for a number ofyears and my cover included rob-bery, but I was refused a claim asthey said it was robbery without vio-lence.

So it would seem unless I waswilling to be assaulted, I had noclaim. I would like to point out I am89 years old, 4ft 10in tall. So youcan imagine what chance I wouldstand.

JS, Fuengirola (Malaga)

Shocking billsHAVE any of your readers everbeen billed by Iberdrola electricitycompany for a meter that was not in-stalled on their property; in otherwords, someone else’s meter?

Iberdrola started billing me for ameter that they allege was installedon the outside of my property in Oli-va on June 25, 2014, but no new me-ter has ever been installed.

The original meter is inside and isstill working as it should. I am cur-rently unable to return to Spain be-cause of ongoing health problemsand despite dozens of emails andtelephone calls to Iberdrola they arestill taking hundreds of euros frommy bank account and seemingly fob-bing me off.

It would be an extremely simplematter for an Iberdrola employee tovisit the exterior of my property (asmall townhouse with a frontage ofapproximately four metres wide)and see for themselves that there is

no meter installed outside and at thesame time see exactly whose proper-ty the allegedly installed meter isconnected to. Then perhaps theycould give me a refund of the moneythat they are stealing from me.

Kevin Curzon (viawww.euroweeklynews.com)

The wrong sexMY son, who is 22, has lived inBenidorm for four years. For threeof those he has worked in three bars;one cash in hand and the last two oncontract - or so he thought.

When he tried to get the unem-ployment money to help him duringthe winter it turned out his contractswere not worth the paper they werewritten on!

To make things worse my son,who speaks Spanish and English,has been looking for work as a wait-er, but in spite of emails to 80 barshe has had no luck. Despite havingreferences and good word of mouthreports, and also doing unpaid freework for a well-known Spanishtheme park, he has not heard a thingback from anyone.

What is going on in Benidormnow is that bars only seem to wantwomen staff, which is discrimina-tion. When you go inside with yourCV they say: “Sorry we want agirl/woman.” This has happenedwith at least 25 bars which are Eng-lish, as well as Spanish bars, and itshould not be allowed. There are notmany 22-year-olds who want towork nowadays but how manyknock-backs can you keep gettingbecause you’re not a woman?

Paul, Benidorm (Alicante)

I don’t believe it! I CANNOT believe that a reportpublished last week in a Costa delSol newspaper (EWN all editions Is-sue 1557) didn’t cause an absolutefurore of public indignation.

Poor old Leapy bleating on abouta war that finished 70 years ago, asthough the current population ofGermany are all personally responsi-ble.

If we want to revisit history howabout the Irish Famine? (Grain con-tinued to be exported while one mil-lion men, women and childrenstarved); the Boer War? (Who in-

vented concentration camps?); theAboriginal genocide in Australia?;the slave trade? Fire bombing Dres-den? (25,000 civilian deaths in twonights). Oh dear! We did all thosebut never mind, the Germans weremuch worse.

We should always remember. Myown father came out at Dunkirk andwas later evacuated from Burmawith bits of Japanese mortar shrap-nel in his chest. The purpose of re-membrance is to avoid the samemistakes again, although I’m notsure we can rely on the currentbunch of career politicians to dothat.

Respect the two-minute silence,honour the fallen, but get over theblame game.

Peter Thompson, Torrox (Malaga)

Disgraceful articleI’VE just read Leapy Lee’s dis-graceful article. How dare he be soopinionated on a subject he knowsnothing about!

Were you actually there? Did youactually live through the times oftorture and fear bestowed upon the

German nation by the Nazi party?I think not. Laying the blame on

the entire German nation and de-manding that generations later theystill ought to apologise for the ac-tions of a crazy demented few andcontinue to feel guilty is outrageous.

Perhaps Leapy would like to per-sonally shoulder the blame for theinvention of concentration camps bythe British in Nova Scotia back inthe 1700s? Or the occupation of In-dia, or more recently the invasion ofIraq?

No? How strange. Keep your de-luded thoughts to yourself. How youcan be given column inches in thispublication is beyond understanding.

Mrs M Fullerton (by email)

No UK voteI HAVE lived with my wife inSouthern Spain for 21 years. Wehave residencia and are on thepadron. We received our votingcards to vote in the May 24 electionsin our local town of Fuengirola.

Yet despite still paying UK taxes,my wife and I were not allowed to votein the UK election as we have livedoverseas for more than 15 years.

Roy and Christine Hayhurst,Fuengirola (Malaga)

Titter ye not REGARDING previous correspon-dence on giving children inappropri-ate names, you would have thoughtthat with the surname Mycock theparents of a school friend of minewould have considered calling herPatricia a very bad mistake!!

Alan Lowe (By email)

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 or statements, and reject claimsarising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.

A scam to be aware of, butinsurance no help at all…

LETTERS Letters for Your Say should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments straight on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com

All letters, whether by email or post,should carry the writer’s postal address,

NIE and contact number though only thename and town will be published.

Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed earlier corre-

spondence can see all letters posted on:

www.euroweeklynews.com

Photographs for possible publication should be sent by email with a full caption to: photonews@euroweeklynews.com

WHEN YOU WRITE

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

The smell was even more vibrant than the vision! This stall in a Granada market made acolourful display.

John Walsh, Torrevieja (Alicante)

OPINION & COMMENT14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN36

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)Someone very special could come into yourlife. You must, however, be at the ball to meetthe prince. This opportunity for happiness isnot going to jump up and bite you. A phonecall could be the start of it all. Acceptinvitations and get out and about. Be aware ofwhat is going on so that you can be in the rightplace at the right time.

CANCER(June 22 - July 23)What is the reason that you are being heldback? Are you sure that you are, in reality,being held back at all? These are not trickquestions. Being honest with your answersthis week will lift a cloud from your horizon.

LEO(July 24 - August 23)With high energy you are seeking to get asmuch done as possible in a small amount oftime. Rather than go at it ‘hammer and tongs’,it could be easier. Let someone help you out.

VIRGO(August 24 - September 23)You are freer than you imagine. Yourimagination is letting you down a bit at themoment. Not for some time haveopportunities been throwing themselves at youlike this.

LIBRA(September 24 - October 23)Give others the benefit of the doubt and yourinfinite patience this week. Situations willchange from minute to minute. It would be awaste of energy to take anything at face value.

SCORPIO(October 24 - November 22)Although you are only too aware that you arecapable of great good when you put your mindto it, it would be wise to bide your time thisweek. You may not realise that you areexpending too much energy until your wearyhead hits the pillow. Be kind to your body.Some things that are taken for granted shouldnot be so.

SAGITTARIUS(November 23 - December 21)It may seem that everyone wants your attention

at the moment. There are times when youwould like nothing more than to go away andclear your mind. This is not only possible butessential. You need some quiet moments. Evena day away can renew your spirits and energy.

CAPRICORN(December 22 - January 20)So strong have been the practicalconsiderations of late that you have been in abad position. You need to live more for the‘now’ and less for the ‘tomorrow’. Of course,life should be a mixture of both but sometimesit all gets a bit jumbled. Getting a few hourspeace and quiet on your own may be all thatyou need. Getting enough sleep is alsoimportant in this situation.

AQUARIUS(January 21 - February 19)Putting all of your eggs in one basket is rarely

to be advised. It should particularly be avoidedthis week. For the sake of speed and ease it willbe tempting to take short cuts and makedecisions that are bland. These will, of theirnature, not be of the ‘good’ or ‘great’categories. You are capable of better.

PISCES(February 20 - March 20)How you feel about someone will changedramatically during the week. This willsurprise you. Thinking about it logically,though, you have been missing the point forsome time. Someone who you always thoughtof as a friend turns out to be much more. Howyou deal with this is very much an individualthing.

ARIES(March 21 - April 20)With your engine revving and the road aheadclear, a sense of great freedom is with you.There are those for whom this week is achance to really make headway. For some,though, it is an irksome task. The differenceis that some of you are taking a negativeattitude. Make sure that yours is positive andyou will have a chance to make realprogress.

1. Sir Christopher WREN, 2. Clarice MSTARLING, 3. Don PARTRIDGE, 4.MAGPIE, 5. JAY Leno, 6. Jonathan SWIFT.

Average: 18Good: 23

Very good: 34Excellent: 41

TARGET:

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONarvo aver derv deva dove even ever nave neve nova oven over rave rovevane veer vend vent vert veto vote avert drove evade event evert nervenever novae ovate overt raved raven reave revet roved trave trove vanedverde voted voter advent advert devote evader nerved tavern vendervendor vented venter vetoed vetoer averted overate overeat ravenedverdant veteran endeavor renovate RENOVATED

1. Following the Great Fire of London(1666), which English architect was re-sponsible for the design of the new StPaul’s Cathedral (1675–1711) and manyof the city’s churches? 2. What is the name of the protagonist ofthe novels The Silence of the Lambs andHannibal by Thomas Harris, played byJodie Foster and Julianne Moore in thefilm adaptations? 3. What was the name of the ‘busker’who achieved unexpected commercialsuccess in the UK in the late 1960s withthe songs Rosie and Blue Eyes? 4. What was the title of the British ‘mag-azine format’ children’s television pro-gramme shown on ITV from July 1968 toJune 1980, which was intended to com-pete with the BBC’s Blue Peter? 5. Which American comedian was thehost of NBC’s The Tonight Show from1992 to 2009? 6. Which Anglo-Irish writer’s best

known work was Gulliver’s Travels(1726), a satire on human society in theform of a fantastic tale of travels in imag-inary lands?

TIMEEURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREA

38 14 - 20 May 2015 / MallorcaEWN www.euroweeklynews.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM SPONSORED BY

6-Star Quiz BIRDS OF AFEATHER

How many Englishwords of four

letters or more canyou make from thenine letters in ourNonagram puzzle?Each letter may be

used only once(unless the letterappears twice).

Each word MUSTCONTAIN THE

CENTRE LETTER(in this case B) andthere must be ATLEAST ONE NINELETTER WORD.

Plurals, vulgaritiesor proper nounsare not allowed.

Nonagram

Wanting to put things rightwith someone close is a good

instinct to have. It would certainly give you peace of mind. Indeed, this should be a quiet andpeaceful week and one that is long overdue. Being successful in business is only one partof success. The light is dawning that what you have always wanted has changed.

YOURSTARS

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21)

IRISH LOTTO EURO MILLIONS LA PRIMITIVA EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA

UK THUNDERBALL

UK NATIONALLOTTERY

BONUS BALL THUNDERBALL BONUS BALL LUCKY STARS REINTEGRO REINTEGRO

S Sun, Cl Clear, F Fog, C Cloudy,

Sh Showers, Sn Snow, Th Thunder

Fri -Sat -Sun -

22 16 S24 16 S25 17 S

MAX MIN

Mon -Tues -Wed -

25 17 S26 18 S26 18 S

MAX MIN

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

23 17 S22 16 S25 17 S

Mon -Tues -Wed -

26 18 S27 18 S25 18 S

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

25 15 S25 16 S24 16 S

Mon -Tues -Wed -

25 17 S24 17 S23 17 S

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

24 9 Cl27 12 Cl29 13 S

Mon -Tues -Wed -

32 15 S32 16 S29 13 Cl

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

27 17 S24 16 S26 17 S

Mon -Tues -Wed -

27 17 S26 17 S27 18 S

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

23 14 S25 14 S25 14 S

Mon -Tues -Wed -

27 14 S28 15 S27 16 S

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE Mallorcaweather

LOTT

ERY

Saturday May 9

5

for next 7 days

Fill the grid so thatevery row, everycolumn and every3X3 box containsthe digits 1-9.There’s no mathsinvolved. You solvethe puzzle withreasoning and logic.

Sudoku

BACK

Move from thestart word(TOOK) to theend word (NOTE)in the same num-ber of steps asthere are rungson the Word Lad-der. You must on-ly change oneletter at a time.

TOOKTOOTTORTTORETOTENOTEor

TOOKBOOKBONKBONENONENOTE

TOOK

NOTE

Word Ladder

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

24 17 S26 17 S26 18 S

Mon -Tues -Wed -

27 18 S27 19 S26 19 S

MAX MIN MAX MIN

Fri -Sat -Sun -

27 17 S29 16 S28 16 S

Mon -Tues -Wed -

28 16 S30 18 S30 18 S

Alicante TODAY: SUNNY MAX 26C, MIN 22C

MadridTODAY: SUNNY MAX 34C, MIN 19C

AlmeriaTODAY: SUNNY MAX 26C, MIN 15C

MalagaTODAY: SUNNY MAX 26C, MIN 18C

Barcelona TODAY: CLEAR MAX 23C, MIN 17C

Mallorca TODAY: SUNNY MAX 29C, MIN 16C

BenidormTODAY: SUNNY MAX 26C, MIN 19C

MurciaTODAY: SUNNY MAX 32C, MIN 17C

‘OKAY WE WON - NOW WHO CAN REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS WE PROMISEDEVERYBODY AS WE STOOD ON THEIR DOORSTEP?’

Visit the stars, for detai ls on our expanded range

of serviceswww.fiduciarywealth.eu

17 22

31 40 48

18 10 45 3 10 4 2 0

Saturday May 9 Saturday May 9 Friday May 8 Saturday May 9 Sunday May 10

9 12 13

19 36

2 5 13

17 32 34

7 14 19

47 49

6 20 30

36 41 49

7 22 23

26 38

LAST

WEE

K’S

SO

LUTI

ON

TOMORROW

POLLENÇA

CALA MILLOR INCACALVIA

ANDRATXPALMA

MAGALLUFLLUCMAJOR

CALA d’OR

ALCUDIAPOLLENÇA

CALA MILLOR INCACALVIA

ANDRATXPALMA

LLUCMAJOR

CALA d’OR

ALCUDIA

MAGALLUF

TODAY

Across1 Religious orders (5)4 Glass vessel (6)9 Alluring beauty (7)10 White heron (5)11 Simple (4)12 More unpleasant (7)13/18 Circus tent (3,3)14 Thought (4)16 Border (4)18 See 1320 Shorten (7)21 Completely unclothed (4)24 Relating to birds (5)25 Surprise suddenly (7)26 Indicator (6)27 Agreement details (5)

Down1 Small seal (6)2 State of extreme disorder (5)3 Footwear (4)5 Pass beyond limits (8)6 Revolving (7)7 Complete (6)8 Not correct (5)13 Large and brightly coloured

neckerchief (8)

15 Special loved one (7)17 Annoy continually or

chronically (6)18 Mock or make fun of

playfully (5)19 Alcove (6)22 Theatrical performer (5)23 Lure (4)

English - Spanish

Across1 Transaction includes black fur (5)3 Temporary job for a thespian (6)6 Sees it relates to (7)8 One diamond and a heart, love, it’s

a rocky state! (5)10 Jewellery contains some sheep

(3)11 Tessie O’Shea, the Welsh

entertainer, reveals cover (7)12 Well-known for being given food

to swallow before noon (5)13 Be contemptuous of sulphur put

on cereal (5)18 Upset when it’s in an entrance (7)20 He is a Turkish commander -

whichever way you look at it (3)21 Trunk or tangled roots (5)22 Nuclear submarine I’d put in river

(7)23 They are cold-blooded and

calculating! (6)24 Bleat about the board (5)

Down1 County with a fringe on top? (6)2 Peer with an honour’s place for a

stud (7)

3 Help class I study in (6)4 String trio start on Burgundy perhaps

(5)5 Arrive Thursday for the space

traveller (5)7 Terrible danger that is right for a

soldier (9)9 Substitute a fantastic real tent (9)

14 An uproar after half a dance byan old Roman racer (7)

15 Hates wrong speed (5)16 Matches one in underwear (6)17 Broken tablet for engagement (6)19 An opening, so it’s said, for love

(5)

CRYPTIC

7 Career, 8 Onager, 9 Bali,10 Prepared, 11 Aspired,13 Began, 15 James,17 Feasted, 20 Steerage,21 Scab, 23 Reside,24 Stereo.

1 Saga, 2 Gemini,3 Dripped, 4 Boxer,5 Madame, 6 Serenade,12 Startled, 14 Release,16 Eyelid, 18 System,19 Jaded, 22 Amen.

QUICK

1 Underpants,7 Octopus, 8 Staid,10 Earwig, 11 Thanks,13 Cravat, 15 Sparse,16 Amazed, 17 Fitter,20 Samba, 22 Precise,23 Advertised.

1 Utter, 2 Duplicate,3 Rose, 4 Ass,5 Trainer, 6 Lower class,9 Dishearten,12 Happiness, 14 Alarmed,18 Tried, 19 Spot,21 Ate.

ENGLISH-SPANISH

1 Peace, 3 Estar, 6 Arma,7 Atraco, 9 Breakfast,12 Aunque, 13 Nada,14 Acera, 15 Nieta.

1 Pray, 2 Almirante, 3 Estufa,4 Translate, 5 Roof, 8 Basura,10 Raza, 11 Papa.

ADMIRE (10)

AWAITS

BUSHES

ELDERS

HOUSES

KISSES

MASSED

MENIAL

METRES

RAILED

RATHER

RESENT

RIOTED

ROARED

SEARED

SERIES

STEEDS

TRADES

WHEELS

The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of

interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in thewords must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10

(ADMIRE) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Across1 Chándal (9)8 Spider (5)9 Grano (de cereales) (5)11 Wool (4)12 House (4)14 Cat (domestic) (4)16 Lago (4)19 Temprano (5)21 Smooth (skin) (5)22 Direcciones (9)

Down2 Carreteras (5)3 Carbón (4)4 Señal (de aviso) (4)5 Departure (3)6 Relojes (de pulsera) (7)7 To shrink (7)10 Trapo (3)13 Todo (en su totalidad) (3)15 Despierto (no dormido) (5)17 Yesterday (4)18 Those (4)20 Rojo (color) (3)

3914 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca EWNwww.euroweeklynews.comOUT FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COM

SPONSORED BYAK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

Hexagram

Crossword Enjoy filling in the following puzzlesand check the answers in next week’s edition

LAST WEEK’SSOLUTIONS

Across:Code Breaker

Cryptic

Quick

The clues are mixed, some cluesare in Spanish and some are inEnglish.

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 11represents Y and 24 represents M, so fill in Y every time the figure 11 appears and M every time the figure 24appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missingsquares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and thecontrol grid.

page

1 Steeds, 2 Seared, 3 Reeled, 4 Purred,5 Leered, 6 Scared, 7 Spears, 8 Veered,9 Peaked, 10 Severe, 11 Arouse,12 Settle, 13 Speeds, 14 Galley,15 Metres, 16 Disuse, 17 Filter,18 Aspire, 19 Normal

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Down:

Across:

Down:

Across:

Down:

40 MallorcaEWN 14 - 20 May 2015

TO READ MOREV I S I T O U R W E B S I T E W W W . E W N L I F E S T Y L E . C O MHEALTH B E A U T Y &

I am playing awaiting game now

8thMay

IT is so good to know, nowthat I have finally come outthe other side of mychemotherapy, that I won’tbe going back next Wednes-day. I am just starting to feel bet-ter.

No more white tongue, achymuscles or insatiable thirst. I amleft however with very dry skinand puffy eyes.

I collected my blood analysisfrom my doctor and noticed the‘neomarcadores’ or tumourmarkers were higher than theyshould be. As all this is new tome, I shall await the verdict ofmy oncologist before reading toomuch into it.

Tumour markers are used tohelp diagnose cancer, predict apatient’s response to certain can-

cer therapies, check a patient’sresponse to treatment, or deter-mine whether cancer has re-turned.

I imagine that as I still have ra-diotherapy to go, the jury is out.One concerning thing was the

type of CAT scan that my oncol-ogist sent me for, just a simplescan of my torso and without anycontrast. A close friend of minewho is an oncologist in the pri-

vate sector was pretty outragedby this and is trying to interveneto change the scan to one withcontrast to better highlight anyareas of concern and of my ab-domen as well as the torso. Weshall see what happens.

May 20 is the day I sit downwith my oncologist and look atthe scan results in conjunctionwith the blood tests. I supposewe should have a clearer pictureof how I have responded tochemo and what type of oral hor-mone treatment they will decideto give me.

As I have said in my previousblog, I am playing a waitinggame at the moment. I still donot have a date to start my radio-therapy. So on that note I won’twrite any more because I sin-cerely don’t have much else toreport.

The end of chemo hasstrangely been a bit of an anti-cl imax for me so I prefer tocatch up with you next weekwhen, hopefully, I will feel a lit-tle more cheerful.

THE end of chemo has strangely been a bit of an anti-climax

EricaRussellWatson:

My journey – and I’m driving

Once I meet withmy oncologistand we look atthe scan resultsin conjunctionwith the bloodtests, we shouldhave a clearerpicture of whattype of oralhormonetreatment Ishould receive.

IF you want to eat health-ily and keep off thepounds, then maybe youshould make a shoppinglist.

That is the message from a study of1,300 overweight and obese peoplewhich found those who regularlymade grocery lists tended to choosehealthier food and had lower bodyweight.

Lead author of the study, which wascarried out in Pittsburgh, USA, Tama-ra Dubowitz, said: “We don’t know

whether peoplewho are healthier pay

more attention to their weight andwhat they eat are also people who domore planning, or if people who domore planning are more able to avoidimpulse purchases and the less healthyoptions at the supermarket.”

She added that the study did notshow that people who made lists werehealthier, just that there was a link be-tween the two.

Make a list toeat healthily

By Gemma Quinn Make ashopping

list.

42 MallorcaEWN 14 - 20 May 2015

TO READ MOREVISIT WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.COM/FEATURES/RESTAURANTSF O O DD R I N K &

MAY continues to be Mad! I sup-pose I should know by now thatthis is not the month to try to haveeven one day off, and certainly notorganise a 10th wedding anniver-sary party in the midst of it all.

But I clearly did not receive thememo and so that’s exactly what Iam doing. Next weekend I shall becelebrating 10 Long Years of mar-riage to my best friend, partner,husband, and work colleague.

We have been through so manydifferent experiences in the pastdecade, from having a baby, set-ting up a business and watching itcrash down, buying a house, set-ting up another business, econom-ic crisis, happy and sad times, andso we’re going to be celebratingthat.

It’s fitting that it’s in the middleof so many different events, justanother ride on the rollercoaster.

In the past three days we’ve hadthe Crew and Concierge Mad Hat-ters Party at Es Baluard, the SonAmar premiere for its new 2015show, a 24-hour radiothon at Ra-dio One Mallorca, and Europe

Day. And I went to every singleone of them. There’s dedicationfor you.

Next up is a product launch atMood for a new range of bean-bags, a free financial seminar or-

ganised by two financial advisorsfrom the St James Place groupcovering some very interesting fi-nancial advice for us at Real ClubNautico on Friday morning at11am (RSVP to t im.mcadam@

sjpp.co.uk), the Pirates CharityPremiere and then a photo shootfor a friend’s daughter.

That’s all in the next four days!Come say hi if you’re at one ofthese events! This is one of the

things I love about Mallorcathough, its busyness and intensityin the season and then its calmnessand those long quiet winter Sun-day afternoons where you havethree choices of what you can do:nothing, go for a walk or havelunch.

But by this Sunday night it willbe a tough choice between crash-ing out on the sofa or making itupstairs to my bed.

Decisions, decisions. www.familymatters

mallorca.com

Vicki McLeod

Family Matters

SPAIN is one of the few countrieswhere the bar and restaurant ownersdon’t mark up their wines as much asothers, and this is why it is a greatway to experiment while dining out.The most popular wines in Spain areRioja and Ribera del Duero and youwill quite easily find them in most ofthe restaurants around.

La Rioja is a region in the north ofSpain just south of the Basque Coun-try and the grape is native to Spainwhich is called Tempranillo, and de-rives from the word ‘Temprano’meaning early (the grapes are ripeearlier than most).

Rioja is perfect with many dishes,so they are well worth a sip with anaccompanying dish, this is whereyour restaurant can advise you on agood choice. The Ribera del Duero

comes from a stretch along the riverDuero in Castilla-Leon and the grapesused are Cabernet Sauvignon andTempranillo which make a smoothtasting wine. The ideal temperaturefor a red wine to be served is 25ºCand 40ºC and just be cold to thetouch.

You don’t have to be a wine snob toenjoy wine as it has become more andmore popular as a drink that actuallyworks its magic when flavours com-plement food you are eating, just likeother combinations like cake withcoffee or cheese with Christmas cake.It’s a marriage made in the mouth!

Another popular red wine is Mar-ques de Caceres which lends itself to

many cheese dishes or sea bass. Ifyou have a chance to select this in arestaurant, it may well become yourregular tipple.

Merlot is another good choicewhich is a wine that is suppliedto restaurants and bars be-cause it is perfect withfood. Some housewines are cheaper be-cause they are de-signed to be drunk ontheir own and so thepreparation time ismuch shorter and hencethat reflects on the price,not the quality. Spain has somuch to offer and with cen-

turies of wine making we are fortu-nate to live right on the doorstep ofsome very fine wines.

- Popular Wines -

Spanish Wines

Spanish wine and food, amarriage made in the mouth!

By this Sundaynight it willbe a toughchoice betweencrashing outon the sofaor makingit upstairsto my bed.

Decisions,decisions.

The madness of May continues

ROLLERCOASTER: The ups and downs of life.

4314 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca EWNwww.euroweeklynews.comHOMESG A R D E N

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SPONSOR GO TO WWW.LINEADIRECTA.COMSPONSORED BY&

ALTHOUGH most Mediter-ranean climate zones of Spainhad a little spring rain, it wasnot enough to build up reservesin the water tables of manygardens and agricultural areas.So at present it would be wiseto assume we may well experi-

ence another dry spell.Fortunately gardens in

which soils were improved be-fore making plantings are suf-fering little and watering sys-tems need not yet be used orturned up high. This includedthe wise use of a little Terra-Cottem water storing soil im-prover at the base of planting

holes and roots. The base ofcuttings were planted deep,plantings were mainly droughtresistant plants, deepmulchings were then made andclose plantings ensured that allthe surface of soils andmulchings were in continuousshade.

Year by year notice is beingtaken of such practical and sen-sible approaches to Mediter-

ranean gardening and fewerand fewer plants such as north-ern European-style annuals arebeing planted. For those thathave yet to take such steps, thebook ‘How to use less water inyour garden’ and its new sistertranslation into Spanish ‘Comousar menos agua en tu jardin’are now both available inex-pensively from Amazon BooksUK and Es.

Unfortunately the wateringthat does need to be done ismade more difficult by lowwater pressures caused bythose property owners whoempty their swimming poolseach spring to clean and thenrefill them, rather than takingsteps to keep their pools cleanthroughout the year, and alsogrit in main distribution waterpipes blocking the filters in-

stalled before water meters. In some areas even more

havoc is being caused by thecutting back on the mainte-nance of the pumps used to ex-tract water from bore holes thathas occurred during the eco-nomic recession.

Not far from us, 100 housesand a dozen large chickenfarms have been without waterfor a week while the spare

pump which broke down someyears ago is now urgently re-paired to replace the pump thatbroke down last week.

Fortunately those that live ina house built more than 30years ago are not bothered bysuch happenings as they havelarge storage tanks under thehouse or adjacent terrace tostore rain water or mains water.Some were built wisely with ayear’s water capacity. It wouldmake sense to reintroduce thispractice, especially if globalwarming is to continue. I men-tion ‘is to continue’ as there arenow books being published towarn us of the new tendencytowards global cooling.

Might our grandchildren seethe start of the mini ice age likethat which affected Spain fromaround 1450 until 1850 and en-abled the ice houses one findsin the inland valleys along theCostas to be used as communalfridges and deep freezers?

I notice that it is now lightoutside so I’m off to do a littlewatering before the pressuredrops from more pool fillings.

© Dick Handscombewww.gardenspain.com

May 2015

Dick Handscombe

Gardening CornerBy Spain’s best known expatriate garden-ing author living in Spain for 25 years.

Renewed spring droughts cancause problems for your garden WATERING can be made difficult by low water pressures and grit in mains pipes

MAINS WATER: Older houses have large storage tanks available.

There arenow fewerEuropean-style annualsbeing plantedin gardens.

AS spring turns to summerthe annual display of rosesreaches its peak and nearlyevery village garden in Spainis alive with their colour.Climbing roses, which givemaximum blooms per plant,are traditionally grown upwalls or alongfences andrailings, butanother inter-esting wayof supportingthem is by us-

ing a tree.With careful planning and

physical direction, roseplants and bushes can betrained to use the most intri-cate forms, or nooks andcrannies to give a spectaculareffect.

The end results can be de-lightful, but it can take three

or more years to reach apoint where you are hap-py, it depends on your

vision and expec-tations.

By Steve Walsh

Support your localroses with planningROSES can be trained to use intricate forms

BANKIA is to sel l off aportfolio of residential andcommercial properties in itspossession with a value of

€4.8 billion, the financialpress is reporting.

Spain’s fourth largestbank is putting up for sale

residential properties worth€3.3 billion, with the restof the package made up bycommercial property andland, according to a CreditSuisse Group document ,says the Bloomberg finan-cial news agency.

Bankia’s sale is a re-sponse to improvements inthe market, particularly therecovering levels of interna-tional investment.

Patricio Palomar, head ofalternative investment at es-tate agents CBRE Group inSpain, told Bloomberg:“The risk perception of thecountry has fallen so much,and the expectation of re-covery in the property sec-tor is so high comparedwith neighbouring coun-tries, that there are many in-vestors searching for a l lkinds of real estate prod-ucts.”

Previous reports have for-cast a steadily rising com-mercial property sector.

www.euroweeklynews.com

44 MallorcaEWN 14 - 20 May 2015

TO READ MOREV I S I T O U R W E B S I T E W W W . E U R O W E E K L Y N E W S . C O Mwww.euroweeklynews.com

PROPERTY

Bankia plans vast sale PACKAGE: Bankia is selling €4.8 billion of properties.

Spanishhomes fairis biggerthan ever

THE SIMA Spanish propertyexhibition held in Madrid lastweekend, from May 7 to 10,was the biggest of its kind yet.

The fair’s 120 exhibitorswere spread over the hugehalls of the Feria de Madrid,where extra space had to bebooked as more agencies thananticipated clamoured to takepart.

The director of the event or-ganisers, Eloy Bohúa, said therecord numbers of exhibitorswas an indicator of the positiveoutlook in the property market.

“The general improvementin the economy is clearly no-ticeable,” he said, pointing tothe “exhibition area increasingby 20 per cent over that of2014 and the percentage ofpromotions at the show for thefirst time also being higherthan any of the precedingyears, reaching 40 per cent ofthe total.”

Most of the participatingpromoters of residential prop-erty represented the Madridarea, at just over 50 per cent ofexhibitors, and there was also astrong presence of agencies of-fering holiday homes.

After Madrid, Alicante wasthe most well representedarea, followed by Murcia andMalaga.

Bohúa also pointed to thepresence of mortgage lendersat this year’s fair as anotherexample of an improving out-look. Although financers hadbeen at the exhibition in recentyears, their main aim had beento sell on their recovered prop-erties.

“But now,” Bohúa said,“they are also competing forthe credit and this is somethingpositive for the visitor.”

SIMA showexpands

120the number of exhibitors atSIMA fair

Prices start to rise for resales

THE price of second-hand homes in Spain rose 1.1per cent month-on-month in April. This turnedround seven months in a row of falls, according toproperty portal fotocasa.es together with the IEBusiness School. On average second-hand housingcost €1,636 per square metre, an increase quarter-on-quarter of 0.4 per cent in April, compared withJanuary 2015. The 0.4 per cent rise is said to heraldthe stabilisation of property prices in Spain.

SECOND-HAND homes increase in value month-on-month

STABILISATION: Prices rise after seven months of falls.

By Dilip Kuner

45PROPERTY 14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

Top tips to enhance your homeYOUR private or communal gardens will set the stage for your property

AS a surveyor and property invest-ment advisor, I would like to sharesome top tips with you, which willincrease the value of your property.

Improve your property’s kerb-side appeal

Your private or communal gar-dens will set the stage for your prop-erty and it is a proven fact thatspending money on landscaping pri-vate or communal gardens will giveyou a big return on investment andsignificantly increase the value ofyour property.

I have many years of experienceshowing properties to investors andbadly maintained gardens have actu-ally put them off. This is bad news ifyou spend all your improvement

budget on your property and nothingon your garden. I’m not suggestingthat you put on a Chateau de Ver-sailles musical fountain show inyour garden but there are some im-

portant things you should do tostart increasing the value of yourproperty.

The objective of landscapingyour garden is to enhance the look

of your property and not to hide itfrom view or block any attractiveviews.

Trees planted close to your prop-erty are not good news, they could

be blocking natural light and ob-scure your views, and roots coulddamage foundations or drainagepipes. Trees blocking views shouldbe removed or trimmed back.

You could replace dense treeswith palms, they look better will notblock your views.

With all tree replacements, firstcheck with the local authorities onwhat you can and cannot do andkeep your neighbours informed.

Any bushes, hedges and shrubsplanted close to the property shouldbe trimmed back.

Patios and terraces should bewell maintained and broken tiles re-placed. Outdoor lighting can createan attractive evening ambience.Add security lights.

Your pool should be clean andwell maintained.

Ensure entrances, walls andfences are well maintained to a highstandard.

JohnGraham The property expert

OUTSIDE SPACE: Make sure it is well maintained and attractive to prospective buyers.

46 MallorcaEWN 14 - 20 May 2015

www.euroweeklynews.com

PETSSPONSORED BY

PAGE

THESE 10 commandments for pet ownerscontain many truths. It is well worth read-ing.

1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years.Any separation from you will be verypainful.

2. Give me time to understand what youwant from me. Do not break my spirit withyour temper, though I will always forgiveyou. Your patience and understanding willteach me more quickly those things youwant me to learn.

3. Have me spayed or neutered.4. Treat me kindly, my beloved friend,

for no heart in all the world is more grate-ful for your kindness than mine. Don’t beangry with me for long, and don’t lock meup as punishment. After all, you have yourjob, your friends, your entertainment. Ihave only you.

5. Speak to me often. Even if I don’t un-derstand all your words, I understand yourvoice when it’s speaking to me.

6. Please take me inside when it’s coldand wet. I’m a domestic animal and am nolonger accustomed to the bitter elements. Iask for little more than your gentle handspetting me. Keep my bowl filled withclean water; I cannot tell you when I’mthirsty. Feed me good food so that I maystay well, to romp and play and do yourbidding, to be by your side, and standready, willing and able to share with youmy life.

7. Don’t hit me. Remember, I have teeththat could easily crush the bones in your

hand, but I choose not to bite you.8. Before you scold me for being lazy or

uncooperative, ask yourself if somethingmight be bothering me.

9. Take care of me when I get old. Youwill grow old too.

10. When I am very old, when I nolonger enjoy good health, please do notmake heroic efforts to keep me going. I amnot having fun. Just see to it that my trust-ing life is taken gently. And be with me onthat difficult journey when it is time to saygoodbye.

Thou shalt not scold…pet owners read below

IT can be a real bind findingsomeone suitable to care forolder pets. Miles and May-hew are no exception, theyare the much loved CockerSpaniels belonging to Anneand Danny who came overto live in Spain when theyretired five years ago. Nowthe dogs are rather frail andin need of considerate com-panions when Anne andDanny travel.

Miles who suffers fromrheumatism in the back legswill need occasional med-ication and a watchful eyeto make sure he is manag-ing the stairs to the garden.Mayhew is a little hard ofhearing and can be a littledistressed for a day or sowhen things change in thehome. But eventually they

settle in to a routine withtheir sitters and life resumesits leisurely pace.

Anne and Danny mean-while can leave their muchloved dogs in the capablecare of experienced sitters.They find their sitters onlineat HouseSitMatch.com.They make the effort to getto know their sitters firstand once they have checkedreferences they ask them toarrive a day early so thedogs can get used to themand vice versa. Easy!

Register now for yourFree 60 Day Trial and se-cure your Free Easy Guideto Housesitting.

To find a pet-sitter go towww.HousesitMatch.com orcall Lamia on +44 (0)1865521508.

Some friendlycaring dog sitters Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10am to 11am

Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm(San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fmCosta Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm,(Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm

David THE Dogman

By Lamia Walker of HouseSitMatch

TEN commandments that contain many truths

TALK TO ME: I understand your voice when it’s speaking to me.

SITTERS: Best to visit dogs before hand.

THEY are mankind’s loyalcompanions. But according to anew study, dogs could be a seri-ous risk to our lives.

Vets have warned that manypeople are overlooking the po-tentially deadly diseases wecould catch from our pets.

Tuberculosis, if dogs comeinto contact with an infectedcow, (for instance) they can de-velop tuberculosis and pass iton to you.

Roundworms on the otherhand, if contaminated with

roundworm eggs, can grow upto 14 inches long in canineguts.

Once inside the human body,they can cause serious internaldamage and even blindness.

Roundworm look likecooked spaghetti. ‘You know ifyour dog has them because theywill be vomiting or you will seethe worms.’

Tapeworms are just plain re-volting.

Some varieties grow 30ftlong inside your intestines and

live for 20 years. In people, thetapeworm causes cysts on theliver, lungs orbrain.

So don’t let your dog lick yourface.

READ on and you may never let your pet lick your face again

How your beloved dog couldgive you a killer disease

DOG LICKS: Could be a serious risk to our health.

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4914 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWNCLASSIFIEDS

AFTER the great success of thePalma International Boat Showwith a record 40,000 partici-pants, the nautical industryseems to be sailing into recov-ery.

Between January and Aprilof 2015, a total of 1,217 plea-sure boats have been registered,which translates into an in-crease of 15.41 per cent if com-pared with the same period ofthe past year (1,057).

The full consolidation of a

four-month positive trend hasbeen accredited by experts asthe most important fact.

“It is good news. DuringApril, a great amount of trans-actions are closed in prepara-tions for the nautical season,and the fact the registrationshave increased this year alsomeans commercialisation is ex-periencing positive results.

This means bigger chancesof creating employment andimproving productivity of thenautical sector which, in a lessdirect way, will also boost other

economical sectors related totourism,” said Carlos Sanloren-zo, General Secretary of ANEN(National Association of Nauti-cal Businesses).

Boats smaller than eight me-tres have also seen an increaseby 15.5 per cent within the peri-od, with 1,076 registrations asopposed to those of 2014 (932).They continue to be the mostrequested by customers, with amarket quota of 88.4 per cent.

Boats between eight and 12metres have also registered an11.6 per cent increase and thosebetween 12 and 16 metres sawa 6.5 per cent growth.

The Balearics were rated asleaders of the market during thefirst four months of 2015, withan increase in registrations of55.83 per cent (187 as opposedto 120 in 2014) and a marketquota of 15.37 per cent.

Barcelona was placed in sec-ond position with a growth of38.14 per cent (134 crafts) andMalaga was third with an in-crease of 6.6 per cent (81).

BOATS 14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN50

Industry looks positiveBALEARICS were rated as leaders of the market during the first four months of 2015By Maria José Fernandez

PLEASURE BOATS: An increase in registration shows positive results.

51BOATS 14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com EWN

OPINION & COMMENT14 - 20 May 2015 / Mallorca www.euroweeklynews.comEWN52

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IT’S hayfever season and many people findthat it affects the eyes, in some cases makingthem water, in other cases making them dry,itchy and sore.

We get a lot of questions at this time of yearabout the topic, so here are some of the mostfrequently asked questions for you.

How does hayfever affect the eyes?Hayfever can cause conjunctivitis under-

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How can I stop my eyes watering and be-ing sore during hayfever season?

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Can I still wear contact lenses duringhayfever season?

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Why am I gettingblurred vision withcontact lenses duringhayfever season?

For hayfever suffer-ers, the eyes can reactagainst a contact lens,or the deposits on alens. The underside ofthe top eyelid thengets inflamed, and de-velops papillae (raisedred bumps). These

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Ask the Optician - How can I stophayfever from affecting my eyes?ANDRÉS ROMÁN ROMERO, Store Director, Specsavers Opticas Santa Ponsa

If your eyesare sore or

red, andyou are expe-riencing dis-comfort visityour nearestSpecsavers.

EYE DROPS: Contact lens wearers may have to revert to glasses during treatment.

www.euroweeklynews.com

MOTORING54 14 - 20 May 2015 / MallorcaEWN www.euroweeklynews.com

SPONSORED BYFOR BEST RATES IN MOTOR INSURANCE CALL: 952 89 33 80

A SIGN that the worldeconomy is starting to boomis the increase in sales ofhigh-end cars.

This is seen at companieslike Porsche, which has be-gun the year 2015 success-fully - with growth in deliv-eries, revenue and profit inthe first quarter.

From the beginning ofJanuary to the end ofMarch, the sports car manu-facturer delivered 51,102new vehicles, which is 32per cent more than the sameperiod last year.

Revenue in the first threemonths of 2015 increased

29 per centto €5.08 bil-lion, and oper-at ing prof i t sur-passed the prior year figureby 10 per cent and reached€765 million.

The number of employeesalso grew 12 per cent to

22,945 employees. Matthias Müller, Chair-

man of the Executive Boardat Porsche AG said thesports car manufacturerwould stay on course for asuccessful business year in2015.

One of the biggest fac-tors behind the r ise insales is the move awayfrom its traditional smallsports cars.

The sales success ofthe new compact SUV

Macan, described byPorsche as ‘ thesports car of theSUV segment ,which was intro-duced last year, isdriving sales.

Other highlightsare new versionsof existing models.

They include theGT vehicles - the 911

GT3 RS and CaymanGT4 - as well as the BoxsterSpyder and the PanameraExclusive.

“Our successful vehiclestrategy lets us satisfy thewishes of many customers,”said Müller.

Motoring shorts

DRIVING and parking fineswent up 80 per cent duringSpain’s financial crisis years,three-quarters of which wereissued by town halls, says astudy by Linea Directa.

Between the years 2000and 2006, a total of 16 mil-lion fines were handed out,compared to nearly double,(29 million) from 2007 to2013 inclusive.

And today, town councilsissue a total of 26 million ayear, according to most re-cent figures.

ClarksonQuote of theWeek

By Dilip Kuner

PORSCHE is moving away from its traditional small sports cars

Growth in deliveries, revenueand first quarter profits

Some might say... On the Lotus Elise

This car is more fun than the entire French Air Force crashing into afireworks factory’

The salessuccess of thenew compact

SUVMacan intro-

duced last year is driving sales.

80 per centrise in fines

32%more new vehicles delivered in

the first three months of theyear compared to last.

Trying out the new third generationSkoda Superb with clever touchesA TEST drive of the new third generationSuperb, and the lower-powered 220PSmodel, in ‘Laurin & Klement’ trim provedthe car’s abilities. Here is a superb piece ofengineering, (pun intended).

It has clever touches such as a boot thatwill open if you wave your foot under thebumper. Superbs can be specified with anAudi Quattro-style 4x4 transmission anda slick direct-shift gearbox.

The full list price is more than€25,000 for a 1.6 TDI105hp version, but excel-lent deals can be had.

CLEVER TOUCHES: A waveof the foot will open theboot.

THE German car giant Volk-swagen announced that it’s toinvest a huge 4.2 billion Eu-ros into two of its factories inSpain. Martorell inBarcelona, and the Navarraplant will benefit from thecash injection between 2015and 2019, in what is beinghailed as “the largest industri-al investment ever made inSpain.” In a meeting betweenSpanish PM Mariano Rajoy,and the VW Global sales VPJavier Garcia Sanz, said,“These factories are amongthe best in the group.”

VW invests€4.2 billionin Spain

THE eagerly awaited last day ofthe Baleares Girls Rugby Leaguefinally arrived, having been post-poned a couple of times for vari-ous reasons.

Son Roca, the home pitch ofShamrock RC, was the venue ona hot, sunny, Sunday morning.The stands were full of support-ers eager to watch the matchesand see who would finally lift thetrophies.

Teams from El Toro RC, RCPonent, Bahia RC and hosts,Shamrock RC took part in theclosely fought tournament.

The toughest and closest matchwas between main rivals for firstplace, El Toro RC and RC Ponentwho have both been on top of theleague at various times through-out the season.

This time it was RC Ponentwho took the win and the title ofchampions for the 2014-2015season. El Toro RC was a de-served second and Bahia RC tookthird.

It is amazing to look at the im-

provement in play and fitnessfrom all the girls teams and theincreased numbers joining inconsidering that only two yearsago there were only a handful ofgirls playing rugby on the is-lands.

All the players are looking for-ward to next season with the pos-sibility of new teams to join inthe league.

El Toro RC veterans vBabarians

A friendly match betweenthese two veterans teamstook place on Saturday af-ternoon in Son Caliu. Joinedby eight visiting Englishplayers, the score was irrel-evant as the main aim wasto gain experience and havea fun time. 

Andy Murray destroyedRafael Nadal in the final ofthe Madrid Open - yes hebattered the Spaniard 6-3, 6-2 to win his 10th Masters ti-tle and register his first overNadal on clay.

Andy winsSPORTS IN BRIEF

Nico Rosberg ’comfortably’won last Sunday’s SpanishGrand Prix, his first victoryof 2015. Lewis Hamiltonwas second with SebastianVettel third. This was the24th consecutive race where-by a Mercedes driver hasstood on the podium.

Nico’s 1st

After last weekend’sBTCC meeting at ThruxtonPark, Gordon Shedden (114pts) leads the driver’s cham-pionship from Colin Turk-ington (106).

BTCC

Baleares Girls League finalBy Lynda Demangeat

AT LAST the eagerly awaited day arrived, having been postponed a couple of times previously

56 MallorcaEWN 14 - 20 May 2015

TO READ MOREwww.euroweeklynews.com

SPORTThe PGA Championship in Flori-da was won by home favourite

Rickie Fowler.

M a l l o r c a ’ s b e s t g u i d e t o l o c a l s p o r t

Andrew Strauss is England’s new Director of Cricket, appointed after

coach Peter Moores was sacked.

MARINA BRAVO, SHAMROCK RC, RC PONENT,

RC PONENT (above): Winners of the title.