A DISORIENTED one-year-old babydolphin which ended up strandedon a Palma beach was rescuedclose to death. It was taken to thePortals aquarium to recover.

***A DOG was rescued unharmedfrom a sixth-floor flat in Calle

Vall d’Argent in Palma when itwas gutted by fire.

***A MEMORIAL gravestone dedicatedto the 22 local victims – 18 from

Montuiri and four fromCampos – of FranciscoFranco’s regime has beenknocked down.

***MAO COUNCIL’S phonebills have gone down 38per cent under a‘rationalisation plan’.

3 - 9 JANUARY 2013ISSUE NO. 1435 WWW.EUROWEEKLYNEWS.ES

A NEW YEAR alert has gone out over anongoing online UK tax scam!

For while email seasonal greetings andcards were being exchanged bythousands of expat families in Spain,fraudsters were once more circulatingmessages purporting to be from the UKtax authorities to trick expatriates intorevealing their bank details.

What Costa del Sol resident RitaArnold thought might be a tax rebatebonus has since been confirmed as ahuge scam.

She received an email that lookedtotally authentic from what she thoughtwere the tax authorities stating that shewas owed £300 (€372).

They requested she fill in a form withher account number, how much moneywas in her credit card account, and alsopasswords.

Clearly had she provided the details asrequested, instead of receiving a £300

(€372) payment to her account, shewould have found it rifled by the scamoriginators.

Mrs Arnold decided to check the emailwith her lawyer son and he immediatelyidentified it as a fraud.

She is not the only British expatriate tohave received such scam attempts.

Six months ago Siobhan Hutton* ofBenalmadena received an emailseemingly carrying an HM Revenue andCustoms letterhead with the subject‘Unclaimed Tax Refund Notification’.

But something did not seem quiteright with the email, even though at firstglance it appeared authentic.

So Mrs Hutton phoned the British taxauthorities with regard to the possible£239.41 (€300) rebate.

And she was immediately warned itwas a scam.

“They asked me to forward the email Turn to Page 5

A New Year scam alert

FLASHBACK: Shoppers out seeking bargains atlast year’s winter sales.

All geared-up forthe winter sales

TRADERS are nowgearing up hoping fora business bonanzawhen the annualwinter sales open onMonday. Shoppersable to splash the

cash - or with plans tohit their credit cards -will find manybargains, withdiscounts of up to 70per cent.

Shops hope - Page 3

Expat discovers tax rebate a fraud

A DECREE allowingbusinesses to hold sales allyear round could sound thedeath knell for many smalland medium-sized shops.

That is the worry ofBartolomeu Servera,President of the Federationof Balearic TradingEntrepreneurs (AFEDECO).

He said: “I do notunderstand why they haveto touch the things thatwork.” He believesliberalisation “will onlybenefit the four or five bigbusinesses and will bringdown even more small andmedium-sized ones.”

The Balearic Governmentpassed the decree tocomply with nationalregulations.

Salesworry

FRONT EXTRA

Baby dolphin beach rescue

3 - 9 January 2013EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

2Mallorca

Radio, TVjobs saved

AFTER 15 hours ofnegotiations betweenCBM and IB3 Radio andTelevision, the plannedlay-off affecting 34 IB3workers was reducedto 16 staff.

Lucky townES MERCADAL resid-ents are €90,000richer from theChristmas lottery.Locals had bought900 winning ticketseach worth €100, inthe El Gordo (the FatOne) draw.

Poor gradesJUST 1 per cent ofholiday companies onIbiza, 5 per cent inMallorca and 8 per centin Menorca have theSICTED certificate fortourism quality.

NEWS EXTRA

MORTGAGES: The average value is also still falling.

Home loans arestill decreasingTHE NUMBER of new mortgages signedin the Baleares fell by a third in October.

Just 586 home loans were agreed inOctober 2012, a 33.7 per cent dropcompared to the same period in 2011.And that was also a 20.7 per cent dropcompared to the previous month.

According to figures by the NationalStatistics Institute (INE), only La Rioja(66.4 per cent), Navarra (40.7 per cent)and Galicia (34 per cent) suffered biggerfalls in mortgage approvals between

October 2011 and 2012,That compares to an average fall in

Spain for the same period of 14.4 percent to 19,105, the 30th consecutivemonth approvals had fallen. NationallySeptember was worse with a 32.2 percent drop.

The average mortgage value inOctober 2012 was €100,665, a 4.9 percent drop compared to October 2011and a 1.7 per cent drop compared to theprevious month.

NEWS3 - 9 January 2013 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

A MAN, 61, was arrested at Sevilla Airport uponarrival on a flight from Brazil, after police detected11 kilos of cocaine in his luggage.

It was hidden in a sound system which officersnoticed was unusually heavy. ‘and finally...

SHE should say sorry moreoften and acceptresponsibility’

Jaime Lissavetzky, Socialist oppositionspokesman in Madrid City Hall referringto the mayor, Ana Botella (pictured),and the Madrid Arena tragedy.

is the maximum price of abutane gas bottle, which will

remain the same in 2013, while electricity billswill increase by 3 per cent, the Ministry ofIndustry, Energy and Tourism has announced.

Number of the week

€16.1

EWN ishelpingto saveplanet

ALL 135,000 copies ofthe Euro Weekly Newsare from this weekonwards being printedon recycled newsprint.

In keeping withmany major publishinghouses, EWN has nowswitched to the use ofrecycled paper, addingto increasing globalefforts to furthersafeguard the environ-ment by reducing theamount of trees felledto produce paper of allforms.

Changing to recycledpaper has in no wayaffected the quality ofprinting, or picturereproduction, withmany readers notnoticing recent trialscarried out prior to thenow complete fullswitch.

Maddocks’ Viewon Life - Page 29

OUNG and old throughoutSpain will flock to see theThree Kings on Saturday

evening.This is the highlight of the local

non-expatriate festive celebrationsas the Three Kings - the Three WiseMen in UK Christian tradition - theirpages and cartoon characters,accompanied by floats and music,parade through villages, towns andcities.

And annually, wide-eyed childrenlook on as symbolically the Kingsdistribute thousands of sweets toonlookers, with some youngsterseven holding opened umbrellas tocatch the goodies as the floats pass.

Traditionally Spanish childrenbelieve that the Kings - Melchior,Gaspar and Balthasar - deliverpresents on January 5 night, leavingtheir shoes on window sills to befilled with gifts which they haveasked for.

Those who have not behaved mightexpect to find a sack of ‘coal’,

represented by black,sugary sweets,

which can befound inmany shops.

OnJanuary 6

morning,when the

children receive

Shops hope for sales cash-inSHOPS throughout Spain are hoping to cash inwhen the winter sales start on Monday.

But many traders predict a similar pattern tobuying as last January’s sales when shoppersgenerally sought bargains at leading High Streetbrands - including Zara and Mango - while manysmaller local traders found it difficult to attractextra business.

Discounts ranging from 20 per cent in somestores up to half-price buys, and even 70 per centoff some items, can be found, and some shopseven put up the sales stickers immediately afterChristmas.

One Costa del Sol commercial centre tradersaid she had started her sales offers early “tocatch business before the Christmas visitors andtourists returned home.”

And Dunnes Stores, an Irish brand with outletson the Costa del Sol and Axarquia, began smallreductions before Christmas “to encouragecustomers to part with their last bit of cash,”explained Beatriz Garcia.

“And on Monday, our main sales of up to 50 percent will take effect. The past week has been alittle quiet. It seems as though people are waitingfor the sales before spending any more. We

predict the sales to boom as they did last year.”Meanwhile, Zara shop assistant Maria Gonzales

said she and colleagues expect next Monday’stwo-month-long sales to be similar to those ayear ago. “We should be very busy, especiallywith most of our customers in the 16-35 agebracket.”

But Pepe Torres from a nationwide electricalstore was not too optimistic. “Family budgetscontinue to be hard hit. While some will havesaved to make one-off buys, in general we do notexpect business levels to be the same as thegood old days five or six years ago,” he said.

Y

Three Kings...bearing giftsand ‘naughty’ black sweets

SMILING KING: Letters to ponder from children. Rosco deReyes (left).

their presents, many families enjoy thetraditional ‘Roscon de Reyes’, a large, ring-shaped cake, filled with cream and covered withcandied fruit, representing the Kings’ crowns.

NATU

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Quote of the week

Cleanmoney

A PALMA City Council cleanergot a surprise when he wascleaning the streets with awater jet. As he blasted theground banknotes totalling€6,970 were washed out of anenvelope. The cash has sincebeen returned to its owner.

No more beerPALMANOVA Guardia Civilarrested a 40-year-oldGerman man for allegedlyhitting a Santa Ponça barowner after being told thebar was closing.

Tribute ride BIKING buddies of a marriedcouple who died after theirmotorbike collided with acampervan in Palma’ss’Aranjassa area rode theirbikes to the accident spot topay homage to the deceased.

Rape remandA PALMA judge has remandedin custody a 35-year-oldSantanyi man accused ofraping and robbing a womanat knifepoint at a Palma busstop in the early hours ofDecember 24.

THE average €872.46pension that retiredBalearic citizens receivedlast month is €83 (8.7per cent) less than the€955.41 nationalaverage.

Happy endingA SEVENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD womansuffering fromAlzheimer’s whodisappeared fromFelanitx was found byGuardia Civil on theoutskirts of the town.

Pensionwoes

3 - 9 January 2013EWN4Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com

By Linda HallGUILLERMO GUAL, a 68-year-old manfrom Mallorca, died in the CostaConcordia disaster, the Spanishembassy has confirmed.

He was found wearing his life-jacket, trapped in a cabin in the

submerged part of the ship, which ranaground off the Italian island of Gigliolast Friday.

Gual was travelling with his nieceand nephew Ana and Juan - who owna Can Pastilla bar - accompanied bytheir four children and two friends.

His wife, youngest son anddaughter, together with a friend,managed to leave the ship in alifeboat, Juan told reporters lastSunday as the family awaited news ofTio Guillermo.

Nevertheless, when Ana saw thatthe rest of the Mallorquinparty were still aboard thesinking Costa Concordiashe had to be restrainedfrom leaving the lifeboat.

Even though theremaining males shouldhave been able to look afterthemselves, Ana knew TioGuillermo, who had learn-ing difficulties, was not.

Hours later, when sherang Juan to tell him sheand the children were safe,he and the others decidedamidst the confusion andbad organisation, their onlyoption was to jump fromthe heavily listing ship.

Once in the water theyrealised that Tio Guillermowas not with them, but hadno way of knowing whetherhe was elsewhere in thewater or had changed hismind at the last moment.

Throughout Sunday theyhoped for news but by 9pmthey knew the worst andlearnt that their uncle’sbody had been found byrescue teams.

The captain FrancescoSchettino, who left theCosta Concordia soon afterit ran aground, wasarrested with the firstofficer, accused ofmanslaughter andabandoning ship.

Schettino had made anunauthorised manoeuvreprior to the tragedy, saidthe cruise company.

The Costa Concordia wasonly 150 metres from shorewhen it ran aground.

Cruise tragedyCRUISE SHIP DISASTER: Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy on Friday.

JANUARY

NEWS

WOMEN in Spain derive more happinessfrom family and friends than their malecounterparts.

In addition, teenagers are generallyhappier than their parents, with 71 percent satisfied with life opposed to 66 percent aged 40 or older.

Retail therapy is confirmed as afemale phenomenon with 25 per centsurveyed shopping when they needcheering up. Only 10 per cent of menmade the same admission.

These findings are part of aHappiness Index designed byComplutense University of Madrid forthe Coca Cola Happiness Institute inSpain.

The barometer surveyed 12,500consumers in 16 countries: Argentina,Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China,France, Italy, Mexico, Philippines,Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain,Turkey, the UK and United States.

The three happiest are Mexico,

Philippines and Argentina. Nationallyin Spain, the happiest people live inAsturias, La Rioja and Navarra and theunhappiest in Castilla-La Mancha,Castilla-Leon and the Basque Country.

The people who have provided theSpanish with the most happinessinclude footballer Lionel Messi, tennisstar Rafael Nadal, Colombian singerShakira, the Duchess of Alba, FormulaOne driver Fernando Alonso andactress Penelope Cruz.

Women are happier than men!

19 - 25 January 2012 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

Protest against ‘cruelty’ABOUT 20 AnimaNaturalactivists participated inthe protest march inPalma de Mallorca to raiseawareness of the ‘cruelty’of bullfighting.

Dog stolen

Driving drunkTHREE people werearrested for drunkdriving in Mallorca and26 were fined out of819 who werebreathalysed duringcontrols over theweekend.

Breaching order

Animals blessedHUNDREDS of animals allover the island wereblessed this week as partof the traditional SaintAnthony festivities. He isthe patron saint ofanimals. Students ofMadre Alberta infantand primary schoolcelebrated the SantAntoni festival.

Paying parkingTHE blue parkingzones in Calvia willonce again bechargeable as of April,according to the townhall.

Business centre

ewswatchN

Do British men leavedirty habitsbehind in

CLEAN UNDIES:More important

to ladies itseems.

January 19 Issue 1385

THE big freeze is due toreach Mallorca tomorrow(Friday).

This weekend will be‘one of the coldest inrecent years’ on theisland, according to theState Metrological Agency(AEMET).

Snowfall could reach asfar down as sea level fromtomorrow .

Friday is expected to bethe coldest day with awind chill factor of -8C insome places, includingPalma de Mallorca.

Charity ‘Age UK’ haswarned people - especiallythe elderly - to wrap upwarm, as every wintercold spells lead to death.

Between Friday andSaturday maximumtemperatures are notexpected to exceed 6C.

On Saturday andSunday temperaturescould plummet to belowzero in parts of the island,including Palma deMallorca, and as much as-4C in Lluc.

Wind chill factor couldreach -5C on Saturdayand -3C on Sunday.

By Sunday, tempera-tures should start risinggradually with minimum

temperatures above zeroand maximum up to 8Cand by Monday minimumtemperatures will bearound 3C and maximum10C and the rain shouldhave stopped.

There are hundreds,possibly thousands, ofelderly expatriates livinginland in the Balearics

which are vulnerable.

Elderly at riskMichelle Mitchell, charity

director general at Age UKsaid: “Low temperaturesraise blood pressurewhich puts people at agreater risk of heartattacks and strokes aswell as increasing thelikelihood and severity offlu and other respiratoryproblems.”

People are advised tocheck local weatherforecasts on the radio orvia the internet, these canbe seen in English onSpain’s met office websitewww.aemet.es (click onthe word ‘welcome’ on thetop right).

Wrap up! Mallorca set for the big freeze this weekend

THE BIG CHILL: Temperatures are expected toreach as low as -8C in some places in Mallorca.

FEBRUARY

NEWS

SPANAIR’S closure on Friday may havecome as much as a surprise to them as totheir passengers.

In the weeks leading up to the closure,their business continued as usual. Lastweek employees had attended a coursein Palma de Mallorca.

Various pilots had also recently gonefor training in the USA.

Two days before closure the airline

announced two new routes fromBarcelona to Moscow and Beirut thissummer.

Customers were also able to bookflights right up until 6pm on Friday.

“I went online to book a flight around4.30pm and there was no indication thatthe airline would be closing in a fewhours,” Michelle Burgos from Palma deMallorca told EWN.

“I have now been told we must buyflights with a different airline and claimthe money back we paid to Spanair.”

“I think it is disgraceful that they dothis,” she said.

“Now of course they have all themoney from people who bought ticketssitting in their bank account until it isclaimed back, which could take a while.”

• Grounded Page 15

Airline’s closure was a surprise

2 - 8 February 2012 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

2011 sales dropby €46 millionTURNOVER fell by €46

Giving trainingDURING 2011, 183people were given workorientation training in

Traffickersconvicted

TEN members of a druggroup were given acombined 46-year prisonsentence for traffickingcocaine and hashish inMallorca between 2008and 2009. The majorityof them are Nigerian andMoroccan. The drugswere brought onto theisland via postalpackages or by usingdrug mules. They were

ewswatchN

A double celebrationf Pi é d Sh ki

February 2 Issue 1387

RETROSPECTIVE 2012Look back on

NEWS3 - 9 January 2013 EWN 5www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

From Front Pageto phishing@hmrc. gsi.gov.uk so

that the matter could beinvestigated further.

“They told me they never makecontact by email, which imme-diately alerted me that it wasclearly a total fraud and scam.”

A pensioner, Mrs Hutton hasbeen in Spain for the last nineyears, and lives in semi-retirement.

Sadly, her husband Reginaldrecently died, but this has not puta stop to the scam attempts totrick her.

“Since last August I havereceived four or five more emails,

advising that I still have time toclaim the rebate due to me,” shesaid days after Christmas.

“The original, and allsubsequent correspondence, atfirst glance looks authentic, and isin generally good English, thoughthere were minor errors in them,including ‘receiving’ incorrectlyspelt twice.

“No doubt the scam attemptswill continue throughout 2013.

“All expatriates should be verycautious and not be tricked,” MrsHutton added.

*Name changed upon requestto retain privacy.

Expat tax scam alert

MALLORCA band Cap pelaheld a free concert at theChristmas market in Palma’sPuerto Portals marina.

The market, which endson Monday, offers a wideselection of products soldat Swedish and Austrian-style wooden stalls.

Participating restaurantsare Tristan, Wellies, Ritzi,Duke, Can Punta and Thail’Elephant, as well as LaMadeleine’s French bakeryproducts and Alarcon &Scholz’ crepes. Ornament

products are available fromVeri 5 Aromas and InteriorHouse Mallorca.

The market also has acharity stand including the

Baleares Multiple SclerosisAssociation (ABDEM), theBamba Project, the VicenteFerrer Foundation and SOSAnimal.

Free concert atPalma’s marina

MARKET: Offers a wide selection of products.

3 - 9 January 2013EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

6Mallorca

MALLORCA has proved it has one ofthe best beaches in the world.

Puerto Alcudia made it intoTripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice ‘Top 25Beach Destinations in the World’, in25th spot.

The top three beach destinationsare Providenciales, a little Caribbeanisland, Palm/Eagle Beach in Arubaand Tulum in Mexico.

Meanwhile, in the ‘Top 10 BeachDestinations in Europe’, PuertoAlcudia was the first of five Spanishbeaches that made the list.

It came third behind two Turkishbeaches, Oludeniz and Icmeler.

“Velvety white sand stretches alongfive miles of gentle waters,” it stateson the website where it recommendsgoing “for a quiet stroll around the

quaint beach-side fishing village orswim or snorkel in the electric-bluesea.

“Parts of the beach are a bitbreezier, attracting windsurfers andparagliders galore. Interesting shopsand ancient Roman ruins add toAlcudia’s allure.”

Benidorm in Alicante came fifth andthree Canary Islandsbeaches claimed thethree final slots.

Playa del Ingles inGran Canaria cameeighth, followed byCorralejo in Fuerte-ventura and Puerto delCarmen in Lanzarote inninth and 10th position.

TripAdvisor’s annualawards are determinedaccording to ratingsgiven by millions ofglobal travellers in theirreviews on thewebsite.

Local beach votedin world best list

LIFE’S A BEACH: Puerto Alcudia is Spain’s best, Europe’sthird best and the world’s 25th best beach for 2012.

MARCH

NEWS

WOMEN from around the island will begathering today (Thursday March 8) tocelebrate the 101st InternationalWomen’s Day. The event will take place at The

Lindner Hotel in Bendinat. The eventwhich will start at 10am features somecelebrated public speakers who willpresent on a wide range of subjects,

including internationally acclaimedevolutionary biologist ElisabetSahtouris; Marga Prohens Rigo(pictured) who is one of the youngestmembers of the Balearic Parliament.She will be talking about promotingthe entrepreneurial spirit in youngpeople, and Jamie Catto, a foundermember of the supergroup Faithless

who will bespeaking aboutcreativity. Otherelements of the day will includeopportunities to network and makenew contacts, a buffet lunch and avaried programme of events whichinclude live performances, free yogasessions, and more.

International Women’s Day

8 -14 March 2012

EWN 3

www.euroweeklynews.com

Mallorca

Fewer birdsregistered

THE 11,089 water birds of52 different speciesregistered in the protecteds’Albufera Nature Park thisyear is less than the 14 8

Rocking line-upMALLORCA ROCKS havereleased their line

Soller trainanniversary

CELEBRATIONS tomark the 100thanniversary of theSóller train begin inPalma de Mallorcatomorrow (Friday). CanPrunera museum willopen an exhibitiondedicated to the trainand its hist

ewswatchN

March 8 Issue 1392

RETROSPECTIVE 2012Look back on

APRIL

NEWS19 - 25 April 2012 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

MORE than 50 people took to Palma deMallorca’s streets to protest against theprivatisation of the healthcare systemand the budget cuts.

The march ended in Plaza España infront of the Ministry of Health, Familyand Social Welfare, where a manifestowas read out.

Among those attending werepoliticians including Fina Santiago from

the socialist PSM-IV-ExM coalition, DavidAbril, leader of the Green partyIniciativeVerds and co-ordinator of theEU party, Manel Carmona.

The protest was called by the networkagainst the privatisation of healthcare(RAAS).

“We are fighting for our rights,” MariaJose Espases from RAAS told EuropaPress. It is necessary for healthcare to

continue to be supported throughtaxpayers’ money, believes anotherRAAS member, Rafael Berlanga.

Other measures criticised include thenew requirement to pay €10 for a healthcard, and it ‘isn’t even an intelligentcard’, said Berlanga. “If we do not dosomething now, then health, educationand social services will fall into the handsof the capitalist market,” he added.

Healthcare privatisation protest

Wrong way

driverA 28-YEAR-OLD German

woman was arrested after

allegedly driving the wrong

way down a road in Can

Valero Industrial Park in

Palma de Mallorca, causing

a traffic accident in which a

54-year-old man and his

son, 16, were injured. She

refused to take a breath

test, but officers say she

showed signs of being

under the influence of

alcohol.

Red Cross

VP diesTHE vice-president of

the Balearic Red Cross

died last week at Son

Llatzer Hospital in

Palma de Mallorca.

Josep Bonnin Fortesa

was born in 1953, and

was a Red Cross

volunteer for 38 years.

He had been the vice

president since 2010.

Self-defence

THE 36-year-oldColombian whoallegedly murderedher ex-boyfriend inIbiza, claims shewas defendingherself from sexualassault.

5-island swim

ewswatchN

Shopping nightMORE than 30 Mangoclothing stores acrossSpain are holding aspecial ‘Shopping Night’tonight (Thursday),offering 20 per centdiscounts.

The store in Palma deMallorca is among thoseparticipating.

As of 7pm shopperscan enjoy Malibu, havetheir make-up done byMAC professionals anddance to the sounds ofLos 40 Principales.

Protests fail to silencesinger Joaquin, 63

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April 19 Issue 1398

A BRITISH man died afterfalling from the stairwell ata Magalluf hotel.

Adam Atkinson fromCastleford in West York-shire was staying at thethree-star Hotel Martiniqueon Calle es Tirso de Molinaand is believed to havecelebrated his 20thbirthday last Wednesday.

On his Facebook pagethe following day hewrote: “I’m never drinkingagain … until Mondaywhen we’re en route toMagalluf,” the YorkshireEvening Post reported.

The tragedy happenedshortly after 3am onTuesday while he wasreportedly climbing up the

stairwell, reaching thethird floor, before fallingand injuring his head.

He was taken to SanEspases Hospital in Palmade Mallorca where he diedfrom head injuries threehours later.

Friend Becky Leonardwrote on her Facebook:“RIP Adam Atkinson. Love

you and you’re alwaysgonna be in our hearts.”

Beth Wilfordcommented on Facebook:“He was one of thefunniest people I’ve evermet, It’s true that theyreally do take the best.Thinking of his family andfriends at such an awfultime.”

British man in Magalluf death fall

3 - 9 January 2013EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

8Mallorca

CHARLOTTE FARIS wasthe third UK tourist to bekilled in a fall from a hotelbalcony in Mallorca in thepast three weeks.

The 23-year-old fellfrom a balcony at thethree-star Teix Hotel inMagalluf in the early hoursof Saturday morning, justhours after checking-in.

She was not ‘balconing’said people working at thehotel.

Her death followedthose of Benjamin Harper,28, who died on April 20after falling from the fifthfloor of the four-star HotelAntillas in Magaluf, and ofAdam Atkinson, 20, whofell from the third floor ofthe Hotel Martinique onApril 17.

Another British holiday-maker was injured in a fall

in Palma in the early hoursof Saturday and a fifthwas seriously injured in abalcony fall in Lloret deMar in early April.

The death toll in the lastmonth is the same as thewhole of last year’s whenat least a dozen UKtourists fell from hotelbalconies and three died.

In response to this, the

head of the UK Consulatefor the Balearic Islandssaid British tourists needto ‘improve theirbehaviour overseas’.

“There are lots of drinkand drug related issuesthat wouldn’t happen ifpeople were sober andperhaps a bit morerelaxed,” said BritishConsul Paul Abrey, whosejob it is to tell parentstheir child has been hurtor killed.

Meanwhile, the Foreignand CommonwealthOffice (FCO) is nowlooking into their latestadvice on balcony safety.

There is a Europeanstandard height thatbalconies must meet andthe FCO warns that fallsare not always covered byholiday insurance.

MAY

NEWS

DEVA PREMAL and Miten areperforming at Trui Teatre, in Palma deMallorca tomorrow (Friday) at 8.30pm.

Their sound is a blend of song, mantraand meditation, transcending musicalboundaries bringing togethertraditional Indian music and modernsong writing. Deva Premal and Mitenhave released a string of albums withinternational sales of more than one

million, and their concerts receive ravereviews. Fans include rock icon Cher

and His Holiness, The Dalai Lama who,after hearing them perform, exclaimed:“Beautiful music, beautiful...!”

This concert is part of their 2012world tour and is their first visit toMallorca. They’re accompanied by theNepalese Bansuri master Manose andspecial guest Maneesh de Moor. Anevening in Mallorca certainly not to bemissed.

A musical evening in Mallorca 10 - 16 May 2012 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

Dogs caughtTWO dogs that allegedlykilled 35 sheep andlambs in Son Serverawere captured byofficials after an eight-day search. Neither ofthem were chipped.

Reducing finesA PROGRAMME thatallows people toattend variouscourses to help themavoid getting fined inthe future, inexchange forcancelling or reducingfines incurred for notfulfilling municipal

ewswatchN

Police carsdamaged

A ‘DRUNK’ driver was arrestedafter he crashed into two NationalPolice cars parked on the Paseo deMallorca in front of theheadquarters in Palma after having

CONCERT: Deva Premal and Miten.

May 10 Issue 1401

RETROSPECTIVE 2012Look back on

Balcony death fallis third in 3 weeks

A SUMMER School programme hasbeen organised by Palma Aquariumfor the first time.

It starts Monday and will takeplace weekdays between 9am and3pm for children aged three to 12.

Theprogramme includes classes on themarine world, activities withanimals, beach games, recyclingworkshops and various otheractivities and sports.

Aquariumschool

SUMMER FUN: Children learning about the marine world.

THE former president of the MallorcaCouncil, Maria Antonia Munar, has beensentenced to five and a half years in prisonby Palma Provincial Court.

Munar was found guilty of embezzlementand breach of trust, governmental fraud,documents falsification and negotiationsforbidden to government employees.

The ex-president was charged along withanother six individuals for granting twoillegal subsidies of €120,000 each to thetelevision production company Video Ubetween 2004 and 2005.

Her then right-hand man, ex-vice-president, Miquel Nadal, received a lessersentence of two years and seven monthsafter admitting to using public funds to pay

Video U along withMunar. The courtbelieved hisstatement thatMunar gave him€300,000 theday before theybought half ofthe productioncompany.

Munarrefused toadmit tosuch crimes

and even argued there was ‘not one pieceof evidence’ to convict her.

She said: “Not only was there lack ofproof of my involvement in the crimes forwhich I’ve been convicted, but I was forcedto prove my innocence by discrediting theaccusatory testimonies against me.”

She announced her intention to appeal tothe High Court due to what she considersan injustice. “For many years we’ve foughtfor a just society and a democracy thatrespects the constitutional rights of allcitizens. To convict someone withoutevidence, or without considering evidence,is unfit for a modern country.”

SENTENCED: Maria Antonia Munar tofive and a half years in prison.

Prison sentence forformer president Munar

JULY

NEWS

A SWISS tourist fell 30 metres into a

steep embankment upon being struck by

a car in El Toro.

The tourist, a woman aged 58, was

rushed to the hospital but she did not

sustain any serious injuries.

The incident occurred when the driver

lost control of the vehicle on the highway

that runs from El Toro to Port Adriano.

According to the driver, she turned

around to tend to one of her two children

sitting in the back seat. She did not realise

that she was drifting off the road until her

car went up on the pavement and hit the

guardrail.

The tourist was walking along the

pavement on her way to the beach, when

she was hit and fell down the

embankment. She fell 30 metres before

stopping.

If it had not been for a pine tree that

halted the car, it would also have been in

danger of falling over the precipice.

The driver did not even realise she had

struck a pedestrian until witnesses

informed her. Police and emergency

services arrived on the scene.

The mother of two explained her

distraction to police. She tested negative

in a breath test.

Swiss tourist falls 30 metres19 - 25 July 2012

EWN 3

www.euroweekl

ynews.com

Mallorca

Post success

for touristsSWISS POST boasted

its leadership in postal

service for tourists in

Mallorca after

expanding its network

of letter boxes across

the island. Swiss Post

personnel collect the

labelled postcards and

send them to their

Madrid headquarters

where they are

distributed worldwide.

Water spillA SPILLAGE of

20,000 tons of

purified water

occurred at the sa

Marjal beach in Son

Servera. The City

Hall spoke out

against the company

in charge of the

water, Tragsa, for

not advising them

sooner. Samples of

the water are being

tested for

contamination.

Palm plague ONLY 33 per cent, or 18

53 of Mallorca’sf

ewswatchN

Buildingburnsdown

AN ABANDONED three-story

building in the Gerreria

neighbourhood caught fire.

Four fire fighting units arrived

at the site on Calle Travesia de

Ballester after receiving a call

at 10.30pm. They were

concerned the building was in

danger of collapsing.

Sailing awayh n glamour

PHO

TOS:

CA

TWA

LKER

/ SH

UTT

ERST

OC

K.C

OM

designs are feeling the pinch, but Mango (inset) are flying the flag.

July 19 Issue 1411

MALLORCA’S ‘big-gest’ commercialcentre could open in2014.

Carrefour Propertyhas reportedlyreceived approvalfrom the BalearicGovernment for alicence to constructthe €120 millioncentre in Coll d’enRabassa near Palmade Mallorca’s SonSan Joan airport.

The next step is topresent the requestfor the constructionlicence to the townhall, which will bedone after thesummer holidays.

The more than65,000m2 complexwill house various

fashion brands, high-end restaurants andrecreation, amongothers and offer2,600 parking spots.

The new centre willcreate 5,000 jobs,according to thecompany.

Of these, 1,500 will

be during theconstruction periodand then once it isopen, it will offer1,500 direct jobs and2,000 indirect.

This commercialcomplex is set tobecome the largestin Mallorca andreceive more than12million visitors ayear.

The project hasbeen designed byarchitects BroadwayMalyan and is said tobe ‘ultra modern’, thedesign of which willbe released in theautumn after therequest for theconstruction licencehas been presentedat Palma’s Town Hall.

Plans for Mallorca’sbiggest shopping mallnow received approval

AUGUST

NEWS

By Amanda Surber

FEWER travellers have passed throughBaleares airports and seaports this year,but July showed a possible positivechange for the better.

Son Sant Joan airport registered a totalof 23,811 flights in July, 0.8 per cent lessthan in July 2011; however, the hub stillserved 1 per cent more passengers, or

3,435,936 according to Aena. In fact, thethree Balearic airports in Palma, Mahon,and Ibiza had the most travellers thanany other month of July in their history.

However, broadening the spectrum andconsidering data between January andJuly, the airports operated 6.5 per centfewer flights and the overall number oftravellers dropped by 2.5 per cent.

Tourists who travel by sea to the

Balearic Islands also fell by 10.93 percent during the first half of 2012compared to January through June oflast year.

Cruise lines also delivered 31.61 percent fewer passengers during the sameperiod, but in June alone, 648,451passengers passed through the ports, a6.78 per cent drop since June 2011,according to the Ministry of Public Works.

Fewer travellers by air and by sea

9 - 15 August 2012 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

Supermarkethold-up

A MAN and a womanwere arrested afterallegedly holding up asupermarket in Ibizawith a gun. They madeoff with €400.

Cliff fall A 17-YEAR-OLDwoman was saved byMaritime Rescueafter she reportedlyfell into the sea froma cliff in Cala Varquesin Manacor.

No turtlesTHE MarinelandFoundation and theBalearic Governmenthas reportedly decidedto suspend thetraditional summerreleasing of turtles onthe Island of Cabrera tosave money

ewswatchN

Employeesalariesunpaid

SALARIES have gone unpaid formonths to some employees inthe Mallorca hospitality sectordespite it being high touristseason.

21 burglariesFOUR men were arrested inSa Pobla in connection withburglaries of 21 private

August 9 Issue 1414

JUNE

NEWS

SIX people were arrested on larcenycharges. They are allegedly part of anorganised gang that stole items fromvehicles in tourist areas in Mallorca.The main areas targeted wereEstellencs, Deia, Benyalbufar, Alcudia,Puerto Pollença, Escorca and Valldemosa.Investigations into the gang’s activitiesbegan more than three months ago.Three of the detainees were found in Port

de Andratx and Deia. Two of them arewomen, aged 52 and 32; the third a 32-year-old man.The other three – two men and awoman aged between 32 and 45 - werearrested later the same day. Two of thewomen are believed to have been incharge of where to carry out the robberies.The third woman would keep a look outand let other members of the gang know

if there were any police nearby. One ofthe men was in charge of logistics andhiding the stolen items.Another man from Senegal wouldallegedly receive the stolen items and sellthem on the internet.Two laptops, seven iPhones, five othersmart phones, three hard discs, a ReflexSony camera, as well as tools used toopen vehicles were seized.

Six arrested for alleged theft from cars

21 - 27 June 2012

EWN 3

www.euroweeklynews.com

Mallorca

Familybusted

A FAMILY of fiveMoroccans wasarrested in Inca forallegedly selling drugsfrom their home. Fourof them were men, ofwhich one was aminor. Nineteen bagsof marijuana readyfor sale, €1,631 incash and a mobilephone were seized.

17 detainedONE of the 17people arrested aspart of a group thatallegedly arranged‘illegal’ marriagesbetween Spaniards

ewswatchN

Receivingmobile

A 24-YEAR-OLD man wasarrested in Pollença forallegedly receiving a stolensmart phone that wasreported stolen in a burglarylast month.

Shop liftingA MAN and woman in their40’s were arrested inSanta Marga itJune 21 Issue 1407

SO, the world didn’t endthen.

We didn’t have someenormous explosion, earth-quakes or tsunamis. Aliens(as far we know anyway)didn’t show up to take usaway. It wasn’t the end. Butperhaps it was the beginningof another chapter.

Life in Mallorca has beengetting increasingly difficultfor a lot of people that Iknow, my own familyincluded.

We are all feeling theeffects of the financial crisisand the downturn has amarked effect, not just on ourbank balances, but on howwe interact with each other,and how we treat our nearestand dearest.

We’ve seen people movingback to the UK, some withpublic goodbyes, and somedoing the proverbial ‘runner’.I am sure for a lot of people itwas the sensible thing to do,

I just don’tthink that Icould do it.

I know howthe feeling ofnot being incontrol of yourlife can lead todepression; it can lead tomarriages breaking down,families falling apart, andworse.

My good friend, my yogateacher, Kevin and I, and therest of our class did a littleritual last week as part of our‘end of term’. Firstly we wrotedown on a piece of paperwhat we would like to get ridof in our lives. (On anotherpiece of paper I wrote downwhat I would like to keep orget in my life and I put itaway somewhere safe).

And then we said a prayerto whoever or whatever webelieved in. As it was a yogaclass we did a chant to one ofthe Hindu gods, but I don’tthink it matters what you do.

Then we lit a candle andburnt the pieces of paper withthe things that we wanted toget rid of until they were justdust. (I had to make sure I

didn’t accidentally burn theone I wanted to keep!) Wedidn’t tell each other whatwas on the paper just kept itto ourselves.

I didn’t think much more ofit, but I watched to see ifthings would start to changein my life. The very next dayI had a windfall, I got a newclient and I got paid inadvance for something else.Sssh, I’m not saying what wason my piece of paper. But it’sworking. Slowly. I know, itmight be superstition but bysetting an intention youcannot deny, you do focus onclearing your obstacles andgetting to where you want tobe.

So there is my suggestionfor the new cycle, the NewYear. Set your goals, makeyour wishes, and then keepheading for them, step bystep every day. Do the ritualif you like, write your lists,make your vision boards,whatever works for you.

Just don’t give up. Don’tstop trying! Here’s to 2013,and to renewal. I hope yourwishes are realised.

www.familymattersmallorca.com

The end of the world as we know it

YOGA LESSON: Set your goals and don’t give up.

3 - 9 January 2013 EWN 9www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

Family Matters

Vicki Mcleod

Mallorca

By Frank AndersonTHE organisers of two bullfights inMallorca this summer have been fined€6,001 each for allowing children to

attend the events.An animal rights

party filmed theevents andproduced videosshowing childrenof all ages,including somethat appeared tobe toddlers.

Underlegislation

introduced six years ago, those under theage of 16 are not allowed to attendbullfights in the Balearics, which makes itone of the few Spanish regions to imposesuch a restriction.

Following a complaint made by thePartido Animalista (Pacma) and threeother animal rights organisations, theBalearic tourism and territory ministryhas fined the organisers of both bullfightsbecause they did not apply the ban onchildren at a bullfight in Alcudia on July22 and one in Palma on August 9.

The fines are at the lowest end of thescale as the maximum would have been€60,000 and a six-month suspension.

3 - 9 January 2013EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

10Mallorca

RETROSPECTIVE 2012Look back on

EXPATRIATES and other EU-nationals residing in the Balearicsbenefit from a 50 per cent discountfor inland Spanish flights. Now theGovernment has saidthis aid will be limited,starting in 2013.

According to the newGeneral Budget Law(Ley General dePresupuestos Gener-ales), the discountshare for eligible ticketswill be kept on thecurrent 50 per cent. But,contrary to the currentsituation (the discountis applied to all tickets,regardless of the price),the news is an average ticket pricewill be set, so the discount will beapplied upon this amount, on anyflight. The figure is still pending forMinisterial ruling.

Secretary General for Transport-ation, Carmen Libero said that,having the current economicclimate, “it is not normal” that

expensive flight tickets of up to €550are paid by the Government. “Thismeans we are not doing things well.Airlines work in a free market, so

they may put the pricesthey think fit, but theState needs to knowwhat to subsidy withthe citizens’ money.”

According to Libero’sfigures, the averageticket price forBalearics-inland Spainflights is €70. Althoughthis was not reported asthe definitive figure, itcan be a guidance of theGovernment’s plans.Should this be

confirmed, €35 would be thediscount applied to all tickets.

The average price limit will differfrom the Balearics to the CanaryIslands, as well as Ceuta and Melilla.

Flights between island destina-tions will keep the current 25 percent discount, but also applying thenew rules.

OCTOBER

NEWS11 - 17 October 2012 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

Floral aidSOLLER’S botanicalgarden will keepreceivinggovernmental aid forpreservation, Presidentof Mallorca CouncilMaria Salom said.

Lot to seeTHE 17th TheatreFestival in Manacorwill host more than 15performances fromthis Saturday untilDecember 17.

Car tragedyA MAN aged 40 diedafter he accidentallydrove his car off akerb and against a

ewswatchNPool party!

A COVERED swimming poolhas opened in Port dePollensa, featuring activitiesfor the elderly, the childrenand pregnant women. Call971 865 212.

Cruise drop THERE were 537,000 cruisevisitors in the Balearics lastJuly, 31.2 per cent less thanthe same period in 2011,latest figures by NationalPorts Authority said.

Baby revivedA ONE-MONTH babychoking to death was savedby two police officers inPalma, using the Heimlichmanoeuvre.

Minor theftSIX Romanians were held ina Civil Guard raid accused

German woman’s body foundTHE body of a German woman missing since August14 has been found buried in her garden.

Gisele Von Stein, aged 66, was reported missingby her daughter on September 28.

Gisele lived in Canyamel, in the municipality ofCapdepera and her partner, Axel Albert, aged 62and also German, had reportedly left forSingapore.

He returned to the island a few days ago and

declared that Gisele had gone on a trip with somefriends and had not come back.

However, a neighbour reported to the GuardiaCivil that Axel had found the woman’s body andburied her in the garden.

The body was finally found yesterday(Wednesday) and it is reported that Axel told theGuardia Civil he buried her because he was afraidthey would charge him with murder.

October 11 Issue 1423

Expats boosted byflight costs

NOVEMBER

NEWS

8 - 14 November 2012

EWN 3

www.euroweeklynews.com

Mallorca

SPAIN blocked Yves Mersch’s appointment to the

European Central Bank (ECB), claiming this

prevents a woman’s presence on the board until

2016. The sentiment is admirably

gender-aware but Finance Minister

Luis de Guindos gave the game

away by commenting that Mersch is

‘unsuitable’. And so he is, to Spain at

least, who no longer has anyone on the ECB

board. There is more than one way of saying “So

there!”

CATALUÑA’S independence-seeking president Artur

Mas was apparently disappointed by his recent visit to

Moscow. He was courteously received but offered no

high-level meetings. What

did he expect? Mas’s

independence credo is

unlikely to win him new

friends in Russia, which never

did back Kosovan independence. And Moscow now has

too many problems with some of its own autonomous

regions to want to start messing with someone else’s.

Chilly reception Tit for tat

EWN CommentScans waitRADIOLOGISTS at Son

Espases hospital have

claimed that patients

have to wait up to a

year for a CT scan.

They also claimed that

four years ago, the

wait was no more

than three months.

PP warningANTONI Pastor, the

maverick mayor of

Manacor, who was

expelled from the PP

in August, has said he

won’t return to the

party and that it will

suffer electoral

consequences because

of Balearic president

José Ramón Bauzà ’s

policies marginalising

the Catalan language.

ewswatchN

Fashion policeLOCAL police in the Balearics

will be provided with new

uniforms. Councils will have up

to four years to introduce the

all-navy outfits, which will be

the same for all forces across

the island.

Country lifeVISITORS to Mallorca are

heading inland in greater

numbers, with those choosing

to stay in rural accommodation

growing by 29 per cent in

September. Campsites suffered

a 13 per cent decline, while

resort apartments were down

by 1.5 per cent.

Mum jailedMÓNICA Juanatey has been

sentenced to the maximum 20

years for the murder of her

nine-year-old son, Cé sar.

Juanatey drowned the boy in

th bathtub placed his body in

November 8 Issue 1427

MILLIONS of NorthAmerican TV viewers werestunned by the beauty ofMallorca when a top realityshow featured the island.

The Amazing Racefollows teams around theworld who have challengesto surmount.

Sunday night’s episode,which was watched byabout 10 million viewers inthe US and a further twomillion in Canada, wasadvertising gold for theisland.

It featured the city wallsaround Palma Cathedral,Bellver Castle, PalmaBullring, the CampanetCaves, the windmills at SaPobla and the tennis centreof Manacor.

Some viewers tweetedtheir impressions ofMallorca, with all wowed bythe island’s ‘beauty’,‘coolness’ and ‘fun’.

One viewer, Courtney NíDuinnín, tweeted: “Theyare in Mallorca on AmazingRace. No fair; what afreakin awesome place!!!”

Megan Schneider said:“Seeing the beautiful islandof Mallorca on AmazingRace last night was prettycool... makes me miss it SOmuch!”

Cherie Michaux said:“Devils, strange but lookslike fun Mallorca.”

Filming of the show tookplace in June, with Mallorcaglistening in the earlysummer sun.

This is the 21st season ofThe Amazing Race, whichhas a cult following in theUS and Canada. Touristchiefs will be hoping itraises the profile of theisland in both countries.

Island is a reality show hit

PALMA is stepping up itsfight against noisy pubs,bars and restaurants.

Those in the Sa Guerrerianeighbourhood could beforced to close at midnightin winter, and 12.30am insummer, as opposed to2.30am and 3am at present.

The earlier closing wouldsee a local law being appliedwith a ruling that the zone is‘acoustically polluted’. If thislaw is enforced, no moreopening licences will be

granted by the city hall tobars in the area.

Under local law, the levelof decibels allowed shouldnot be surpassed on morethan 11 days a year. Thishas been reported in anarea comprising Galera,Corderia, Quartera and Pesde la Farina streets.

City hall representativefor Palma City Centre, JoanPau Reus, said that bar and

pub owners in the area hadbeen repeatedly notifiedabout noise levels.

Reports on the situationwill be available for onemonth for public consult-ation, and following that, itwill take two months toresolve any public concernsand comments.

If everything goes toplan, the new closing hourswould start in February.

LAST CALL: Drinking at Sa Guerreria set to be limited.

Last orders! Time iscalled on noisy bars

SEPTEMBER

NEWS

CHARITIES and non-governmentorganisations (NGOs) are feeling thepinch to the tune of more than €70million.

And this is all the fault of some regionalgovernments and at least 46 town hallsthat have failed so far to hand outpayments, as promised, for various aidprojects. While Andalucia owes awhopping €33 million in promised help,Cataluña has €13.5 million outstanding.

The CONGD, which co-ordinatesdonations, has now complained about thenon-payment to the nationalombudswoman, Soledad Becerril. Bothautonomous governments recognise thedelay, which they blame on lack of funds.Castilla-La Mancha and the ValencianCommunity owe a further €8.6 millionand €6 million. The organisation is being‘totally strangled’, according to theCONGD’s Pilar Molina. Payments are five

years late in some cases, putting 80 NGOsand more than 100 development plans atrisk. Groups which have alreadyadvanced €33 million for projects do notknow when the money will arrive. “Wepaid punctually until 2011,” protestedEnrique Pablo Centella, director generalof Andalucia’s overseas aid programme.“If the Junta has delayed payments, thisis due to cash problems affecting all areasand not only development aid,” he said

The not so charitable debt of €70m 27 September - 3 October 2012 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

Help forhikers

A SAFETY monitoringprogramme for hikershas been launchedby 112 Balearicemergency services onhttp://t.co/YzlfmmIb

Extra adviceTECHNICAL entre-preneurs aged 18-30can seek professionaladvice throughPalma City Hall’sYUZZ project.

Quite a findARCHAEOLOGICAL sitesdating back centuries tothe Muslim period have

ewswatchN

Drug round-up by

Civil GuardA DRUG distribution networkinvolving 12 people in theBalearics, Valencia, Murcia,and Italy, has beendismantled by the CivilGuard

September 27 Issue 1419

Bullfight organisersfined over children

PALMA BULLRING: Children were filmed at bullfights.

REALITY TV: Chippendalefriends Jaymes, left, andJames must find TheDevil at D’Alt Murda.DECEMBER

NEWS6 - 12 December 2012 EWN 3www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

Wine prizeA MALLORCAN winehas been awarded agold medal at the 12thMundusVini Grand Prixin Germany. The EsPujol de Marí a red wassingled out from 6,019wines tried by judgesfrom 44 countries.

Fine sandsA MAN who built an18sqm sandcastle onAlbertcutx beach inPollenç a has beenfined €2,163.64 forbuilding it without apermit.

Green light

ewswatchNFiremen fined

for jeering TWO firemen who jeered BalearicPresident José Ramón Bauzàduring his visit to the town for theDijous Bo fiesta are to be fined bythe central government’sdelegation to the islands.

Penny droppedA PHONE booth mechanic hasbeen arrested on suspicion ofmanipulating a booth in Artàso that he could siphon off upto €900 for himself. Thephone company becamesuspicious and used markedcoins to catch him out.

Mountain dangerTHE Serra de Tramuntanaranks as Spain’s second mostdangerous mountain range,with more than 100 accidentsso far this year Only the

Dole queue gets longerin highest increase yet MORE than 9,000 peoplejoined the dole queue in theBalearics last month, anincrease of 10.6 per cent.

The figures released by theSpanish Ministry ofEmployment and SocialSecurity show that there are96,337 unemployed in theBalearics, which is 1 per cent

lower than in November of lastyear.

However, jobless figures inSpain show dramaticdivergences depending onwhich public body publishesthem. For example, the figuresfor October from the ministryshowed 87,151 jobless in theislands but the national

statistics institute said thatthere were 122,600 signingon.

The 10.6 per cent monthlyincrease is the highest of anySpanish region. The secondregion, La Rioja, had a rise ofjust 4 per cent. Only oneregion saw unemployment fall,Valencia, by half a per cent.

December 6 Issue 1431

3 - 9 January 2013 EWN 13www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

inance, business& legalinance, business& legalFF14.4 per cent fewer mortgages

were granted in Spain inOctober this year than the

same month last year,amounting to 19,105,

according to the NationalInstitute of Statistics.

Stat of week

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

Vineyards needto box clever

CHEERS: Spanish vineyards need to closely monitor their export markets.

SIX out of 10 Spanish women say they havebeen unfaithful to their partners following aChristmas work or New Year party.

In a recent study - not just reflecting onparties this festive season - but also in previousyears, 57 per cent of men admitted seasonalinfidelity, with 42 per cent blaming alcohol.

When it came to the women, 84 per cent saidtheir actions were due to alcohol.

Also, 94 per cent of men and 98 per cent ofwomen claimed to have fantasies aboutcolleagues.

While the figures will surprise many, it shouldbe noted they were gathered from a websitespecialising in extra-marital relationships withmore than 800,000 users in Spain and 16million throughout the world.

PARTY TIME: But justbeware of colleagues.

Guilty secrets of office parties

FORGET the Christmas cheer that festivesales annually bring to Spanish wineproducers globally.

National producers exporting to theUK may have to reassess their long-termmarketing strategies following a reportthat shows just how price sensitive

British consumers are becoming.The traditional stigma against wine in

a box or with a screw-top cap islessening as UK tipplers decide that priceis more important than a cork.

As many as four in 10 wine usersagreed that wine in a box or a pouch is

equally as good qualityas bottled wine.

Just a quarter of wineusers thought of boxedwine as inferior.

Meanwhile, screwtops are even less of anissue for wine lovers,with just 17 per centclaiming not to trustscrew cap quality wine.

Chris Wisson, of glocalmedia analysts Mintel,said: “Recent yearshave seen many winedrinkers reappraisingtheir perceptions anduse of wine in differingformats and packagingstyles.

“Boxed wine has theadded advantage of thewine keeping longer,allowing more flexibleusage and encouragingmoderate drinking.”

2013 hope forproperty firms

WHILE real estate willremain a difficult businessthroughout 2013, somehopeful signs are beingreported.

Some firms on the CostaBlanca have in recentweeks reported encour-aging sales, and now afirm has revealed it feels2012 could be the lastyear for price falls inMarbella.

“The only peoplereducing house prices onthe Costa del Sol right noware the banks with their

less-than-favourable re-possession stock anddevelopers who haveproperties that literallynobody wishes to buy,” saidNick Stuart, a Marbella-based real estate companydirector.

Stuart, of Spanish HotProperties, was also quotedas adding: “The Belgians,Dutch, Russians andScandinavians are hot onMarbella as they realisethat prices are at theirlowest and representincredible value for money.”

THE EU summit a fewweeks ago focused mainlyupon the structure andmanagement of a bankingfinancial regulator tocontrol, in the firstinstance, the eurozone’snational banks.

The aim is to form theminto a single entity thatwould, in theory,mean that everyeurozone bankwould, at least inpart, be respon-sible for the fiscalintegrity of all. If,say, the Bank of Francefound itself moving into adanger zone, theregulator would ensurethat the entire eurozonewould act to protect it.

A good idea perhaps,but one riddled withpitfalls. Germany, sus-picious of anything thatsmells even faintly of‘debt mutualisation’ hasalready expressed doubts,and this plan, raisingBerlin’s hackles as it does,appears to reek quitestrongly.

Britain is alreadythreatening to veto theentire project unless itincludes inviolate clausesthat will protect the Cityof London’s status asan independent Europeanfinancial hub, thusraising the blood-pressureof Christian Noyer,Governor of the Banquede France.

As a respected financialcorrespondent puts it: “MrNoyer appears to be moreconcerned with under-mining the City of Londonthan anything else.”

Clearly, urgentmeasures are required ifthe eurozone is to bestabilised.

There is growingevidence of economicrecovery in the USA,China and even in Britain,where car production andsales worldwide are up 15per cent on those of ayear ago, in contrast toFrance, where bothRenault and Citroén havecrashed 19 per cent.

Both companies havemade efforts to turn thesefigures around, but havingconcentrated for so longon the European internalmarkets, they have failedto recognise thechanging, and perhaps

more demanding, require-ments of overseascustomers.

In an article publishedin the Daily Telegraph onDecember 17, ProfessorKlaus Schwab, ExecutiveChairman of the WorldEconomic Forum, laudedthe ‘success’ of the euro,stating that “it hasprovided major economicrewards, and increasedtrade within the eurozoneand the more tightlyintegrated Europeanfinancial markets.”

It makes one wonder ifthese experts ever botherto see how othereconomies are doing.

Would the USA havebecome one of the richestand most powerfulnations in the world if ithad closed its frontiers,leaving the separatestates to trade only withone another?

Would China haveachieved the super-economy status it nowenjoys if it hadconcentrated its effortstowards developing onlyits home market?

Of course not; and yetEuropean economistsseem to be, even now,promoting the EU’sinternal market, almost tothe exclusion ofeverything else.

The European problemlies of course in the drearfact that the euro was,and still is, a politicalproject. It is said that‘nothing is so bad thatpolitical tinkering can’tmake it worse’, and yet,unfortunately for theordinary people of the EU,politicians continue tofumble and ‘tweak’,attempting, more in hopethan expectation, to savethe euro.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWNwww.euroweeklynews.com14

Q. I HAVE seen several alarming adverts from Spanishtax consultants and others which state that the SpanishTax Agency can now take money directly from the bankaccounts of people who have not paid their taxes. I thinkthis refers mainly to non-resident property owners andthey refer to December 31 as a deadline. In my own smallbuilding I know several non-resident owners who say theyhave owned their property for years and have never paidany taxes at all. Can you clear this up?

M O (Costa del Sol)

A. YES, we can. First,Hacienda, which is properlyknown as the Tax Agency,can indeed take money frombank accounts. They havealways been able to do this, but only after variousnotifications to pay, leading finally to the seizure andembargo of assets. There is no deadline of December 31,except that another year has passed.

Nevertheless, we have a real situation here. Theseadverts refer to a series of letters which the Tax Agencyis now sending out. There are three in the series. The firstletter simply states that the recipient is a non-residentproperty owner and that there is no record of his payingthe non-resident property owner’s tax. The second letterdescribes in detail the total tax owed, and the third letteroffers a payment plan.

If a non-resident property owner who has never filed aform 210, formerly 214, declaring for Non-ResidentProperty Owner’s Imputed Income Tax, receives the firstletter, then they have been found out. They will receivethe second letter, and the third letter. If all the letters areignored, the Tax Agency will proceed to seize their assets.

At the law office I work with, several owners have comein after receiving the first letter. Our advice is always totalk with the Tax Agency and pay what you owe, thesooner the better.

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

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

3 - 9 January 2013Mallorca

Ignore taxman’s cashdemands at your peril DEPARTMENT store John Lewis

shrugged off the economic crisiswith a record festive period, taking£157.8 million (€192 million) in theweek up to Christmas, 26.5 percent up on a year ago.

£ £ £

BRITONS suffered the biggest fall intheir finances in seven months inDecember with a third ofrespondents to a survey by MarkitHousehold Finance saying their

economic situation had worsened.

£ £ £

BRITAIN moved up to sixth in theglobal economic league tableduring 2012, overtaking Brazil. The

value of the UK’s national outputovertook that of Latin America’sbiggest economy following a fall inthe value of the Brazilian currency,the real, a study by the Centre forEconomic and Business Researchfound.

£ £ £

BIG companies paid £21 billion(€25.6 billion) in corporation tax in2011/2012, down 21 per cent in 10years.

B ritish usinessriefs

A truly festive fling for John Lewis!

By David Searl

You and theLaw in Spain

MONEY MARKET: UK Government looking to safeguardCity of London’s status as European financial hub.

Jim Collins

Costa Blanca

Introspective Europe shouldlook to rest of the world

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL3 - 9 January 2013 EWN 15www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

inheritance tax, you need to seekadvice to establish the best wayforward.

Whether or not you are a UKdomicile, it may be possible to loweryour inheritance tax liability withcareful planning and professionaladvice.

Life assurance policiesApproved single premium life

assurance policies, in which you canhold your choice of investmentassets, provide tax advantages inmany European countries. Taxationin the UK is also favourable.

If you are non-UK resident andlater return to the UK, you might beable to take advantage of ‘timeapportionment relief ’. This is aunique tax break which only appliesto life assurance policies. With this

relief, you will only be liable to taxon the portion of the gain thatrelates to UK residence. The portionof the gain relating to non-UKresidence is entirely tax free in theUK. This can be more advantageousthan capital gains tax where you willbe assessed on the whole gain if youare UK resident when you dispose ofthe asset even though you may havebeen non-UK resident for a largeportion of the time you held theasset.

Dependent on individualcircumstance, there are also otherways to structure life assurancepolicies so that they are not only taxefficient in the country in which youare currently living but also onceyou have returned to the UK.

When will your UK residencestart?

Your UK residence will notnecessarily start the day you arriveback in the UK to live. UK tax lawdoes not have split tax years, so thestrict legal treatment is that you are

resident for the entire UK tax year ofarrival. There is, however, an ExtraStatutory Concession which canpermit split year treatment forcertain types of income and capitalgains, and under the new StatutoryResidence Test, due to apply from6th April 2013, the split yeartreatment will become statutory.

So if you arrive, let us say, on 31stMarch in a given tax year, you arelikely to be considered tax residentfrom that date.

It is possible to be UK resident atthe same time as being resident inanother country.

If you buy or rent property foryour use in the UK before you leaveSpain, to use as a base while visitingthe UK while planning your return,HMRC could decide that yourresidence started earlier than youbelieve it did.

Unfortunately you cannot askHMRC for a ruling. It will notnormally engage in suchcorrespondence, and the most it

may do is confirm you will betested. HMRC can investigate yourtax returns several years after youstart filing them and disagree withyour start date at that point.

This system does not provide anycertainty, so you need to takeprofessional tax advice before you goand after you arrive to avoid anysurprises down the line.

Since carrying out the necessaryarrangements may take time it isnever too early to start planning fora return to the UK, even if you donot have any immediate plans.Contact an international tax andwealth management advisory firmlike Blevins Franks to find out whatoptions would be available to you.Blevins Franks has decades ofexperience advising British peoplemoving from the UK to Spain andvice versa on their tax planning andwealth management.

The tax rates, scope and reliefs maychange. Any statements concerningtaxation are based upon ourunderstanding of current taxationlaws and practices which are subject tochange. Tax information has beensummarised; an individual shouldtake personalised advice.

To keep in touch with the latestdevelopments in the offshore world,check out the latest news on ourwebsite www.blevinsfranks.com

If you are a British expatriateplanning to return to the UK, inorder to lower your UK taxliabilities it is important to seekadvice and start planning before youleave Spain.

Last week I discussed income andcapital gains tax, this week I look atUK inheritance tax, life assurancepolicies and when your UKresidence starts.

UK Inheritance tax UK inheritance tax is based on

domicile, not residence and so manyexpatriates remain liable because oftheir UK domicile. If you establish adomicile of choice outside the UKyou should escape UK inheritancetax, but this only applies if you havethe intention to live in that countryfor the rest of your life.

Domicile is all about intention.To establish a domicile of choice inSpain you must intend to live herepermanently or indefinitely - i.e.have no intention of ever returningto the UK. If you do return, HMRevenue & Customs (HMRC) canargue that you never lost your UKdomicile of origin as you could nothave had an intention of neverreturning to the UK (even if yougenuinely didn’t at the time).

If you have any structures set upon the basis that you had a domicileof choice outside the UK, and wantto be sure your estate will notunexpectedly be liable for UK

by Bill Blevins, FinancialCorrespondent, Blevins Franks

Returning To Blighty? MakeSure You PlanAhead. Part 2

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWNwww.euroweeklynews.com16 3 - 9 January 2013

Mallorca

British Sky Broad Gr 773.00 -7.50 -0.96 272.56

BT Group PLC 235.65 -1.94 -0.82 1,340.39

Bunzl PLC 1009.00 -7.00 -0.69 28.91

Burberry Group PLC 1236.00 3.00 0.24 83.44

Capita PLC 761.50 -7.50 -0.98 501.12

Capital Shppng Cntrs Gr 361.05 -1.80 -0.50 106.45

Carnival PLC 2391.00 -3.00 -0.13 37.94

Centrica PLC 337.95 -1.14 -0.34 493.13

Compass Group PLC 728.25 -1.50 -0.21 136.33

CRH PLC 1250.00 3.00 0.24 270.43

Most AdvancedBCD Semiconductor Manufacturing Limited $ 7.41 3.43 / +86.18% Enphase Energy, Inc. $ 3.51 0.48 / +15.84% Regulus Therapeutics Inc. $ 5.72 0.54 / +10.42% Southcoast Financial Corporation $ 4.76 0.4246 / +9.79% Deckers Outdoor Corporation $ 38.11 3.23 / +9.26% Misonix, INC $ 7.26 0.58 / +8.68% First Security Group, Inc. $ 2.26 0.18 / +8.65% ATA Inc. $ 6.24 0.38 / +6.48% The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. $ 11.47 0.66 / +6.11%

Most DeclinedEdwards Group Limited $ 5.82 0.72 / -11.01% Lakes Entertainment, Inc. $ 2.84 0.30 / -9.55% Mannatech, Incorporated $ 5.52 0.57 / -9.36% Morgans Hotel Group Co. $ 5.31 0.54 / -9.23% Caesars Entertainment Corporation $ 6.72 0.6207 / -8.46% Jefferson Bancshares, Inc. $ 2.48 0.21 / -7.81% GenMark Diagnostics, Inc. $ 8.77 0.68 / -7.20% Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $ 27.78 2.12 / -7.09% MGP Ingredients, Inc. $ 3.41 0.26 / -7.08%

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

MMM 3M Co 92.64 -0.43 -0.46% 2.4MAA Alcoa Inc 8.62 -0.11 -1.26% 16.4MAXP American Express Co 56.69 -0.44 -0.77% 5.3MT AT&T Inc 33.66 -0.12 -0.36% 24.2MBAC Bank of America Corp 11.47 -0.07 -0.61% 210.4MBA Boeing Co 75.83 -0.19 -0.25% 4.0MCAT Caterpillar Inc 87.66 -0.01 -0.01% 4.0MCVX Chevron Corp 108.52 +0.06 +0.06% 5.5MCSCO Cisco Systems Inc 19.65 -0.27 -1.36% 35.3MDD E. I. du Pont de Nemours and C... 45.07 -0.02 -0.04% 6.4MXOM Exxon Mobil Corp 86.86 -0.21 -0.24% 14.3MGE General Electric Co 20.69 -0.08 -0.39% 38.4MHPQ Hewlett-Packard Co 14.04 -0.08 -0.57% 16.1MHD Home Depot Inc 61.07 -0.07 -0.11% 7.2MINTC Intel Corp 20.51 -0.14 -0.68% 31.7MIBM International Business Machine... 192.71 +0.76 +0.40% 4.0MJNJ Johnson & Johnson 70.09 -0.08 -0.11% 10.7MJPM JPMorgan Chase and Co 43.63 -0.33 -0.75% 19.6MMCD McDonald's Corp 88.72 -0.02 -0.02% 4.6MMRK Merck & Co Inc 41.20 -0.14 -0.34% 11.4MMSFT Microsoft Corp 26.96 +0.10 +0.37% 39.4M

Croda International PLC 2373.00 8.00 0.34 21.29

Diageo PLC 1816.00 6.50 0.36 290.60

Eurasian Natl Resources 286.80 -2.80 -0.97 492.87

EVRAZ PLC 256.35 -3.20 -1.23 749.60

Experian PLC 991.75 -0.50 -0.05 188.55

Fresnillo PLC 1888.50 5.00 0.27 35.88

G4S PLC 257.90 -1.71 -0.66 107.81

GKN PLC 231.35 -0.80 -0.34 278.58

GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1353.50 5.00 0.37 569.24

Glencore Intrntnl PLC 357.10 -1.00 -0.28 1,990.66

Hammerson PLC 496.30 -2.00 -0.40 112.30

Hargreaves Lansdown 680.50 -4.00 -0.58 105.14

HSBC Holdings PLC 650.90 -1.20 -0.18 1,426.75

IMI PLC 1099.00 3.86 0.35 68.24

Imperial Tobacco Gr PLC 2374.50 -7.00 -0.29 161.81

InterContinental Hotels 1701.00 -0.50 -0.03 82.63

International Consldtd ... 184.60 -3.50 -1.86 560.18

Intertek Group PLC 3143.00 -7.00 -0.22 21.03

ITV PLC 106.35 -0.50 -0.47 971.89

Johnson Matthey PLC 2375.00 2.27 0.10 12.78

Kazakhmys PLC 777.50 0.50 0.06 119.00

Kingfisher PLC 283.60 -1.10 -0.39 376.39

Land Securities Grp PLC 825.00 0.00 0.00 203.59

Legal & General Grp PLC 146.55 -0.80 -0.54 890.84

Lloyds Banking Grp PLC 49.29 0.18 0.37 16,870.84

Marks & Spencer Grp PLC 388.70 0.20 0.05 444.42

Meggitt PLC 386.05 -3.08 -0.79 78.71

Melrose Industries PLC 230.15 -0.50 -0.22 210.78

National Grid PLC 701.75 -3.00 -0.43 455.28

Next PLC 3724.00 -10.00 -0.27 22.00

Old Mutual PLC 178.70 0.06 0.03 908.17

Pearson PLC 1197.00 0.41 0.03 173.73

Petrofac Ltd 1645.50 -8.00 -0.48 68.88

Polymetal Intrntnl PLC 1179.50 -10.00 -0.84 22.81

Prudential PLC 869.00 -8.00 -0.91 426.50

Randgold Resources Ltd 6075.00 -15.00 -0.25 45.10

Reckitt Benckiser PLC 3904.00 9.00 0.23 90.59

Reed Elsevier PLC 640.25 -2.00 -0.31 266.14

Resolution Ltd 248.35 -3.55 -1.41 142.47

REXAM PLC 438.50 -1.80 -0.41 70.42

Rio Tinto PLC 3544.00 1.65 0.05 599.45

Rolls-Royce Holdings 883.75 -3.00 -0.34 190.19

Royal Bank of Scot Gr 325.00 0.95 0.29 1,489.24

Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2217.00 10.00 0.45 221.83

RSA Insurance Grp PLC 126.60 -0.96 -0.75 929.66

SABMiller PLC 2864.00 24.50 0.86 224.54

Sage Group (The) PLC 296.60 -0.30 -0.10 185.46

Sainsbury (J) PLC 347.20 0.25 0.07 240.17

Schroders PLC 1712.50 1.05 0.06 20.88

Serco Group PLC 538.25 -4.00 -0.74 37.17

Severn Trent PLC 1585.50 -10.88 -0.68 70.11

Shire PLC 1906.00 9.58 0.51 189.97

Smith & Nephew PLC 688.25 0.70 0.10 87.69

Smiths Group PLC 1193.50 -5.00 -0.42 34.52

SSE PLC 1438.00 -5.55 -0.38 120.17

Standard Chartered PLC 1581.50 -0.60 -0.04 254.53

Standard Life PLC 336.70 -1.08 -0.32 345.09

Tate & Lyle PLC 773.50 2.10 0.27 52.98

Tesco PLC 337.68 1.65 0.49 1,430.57

TUI Travel PLC 284.40 -1.90 -0.66 335.92

Tullow Oil PLC 1268.00 -2.46 -0.19 176.49

Unilever PLC 2390.00 -4.88 -0.20 202.47

United Utilities Grp PLC 672.50 -4.50 -0.66 269.56

Vedanta Resources PLC 1162.00 -9.00 -0.77 62.39

Vodafone Group PLC 156.42 0.35 0.22 9,816.32

Weir Group PLC 1886.00 -6.00 -0.32 56.01

Whitbread PLC 2467.50 -3.18 -0.13 13.54

Wm Morrison Sprmrkts 262.85 1.68 0.64 1,012.77

Wolseley PLC 2894.00 -28.00 -0.96 72.67

Wood Group (John) PLC 740.75 -5.00 -0.67 70.75

WPP PLC 893.25 1.00 0.11 156.93

Xstrata PLC 1071.25 -1.00 -0.09 472.20

NASDAQCLOSING PRICES DECEMBER 28

DOW JONESCLOSING PRICES DECEMBER 28

Aberdeen Asset Mngmnt 368.70 3.00 0.82 346.89

Admiral Group PLC 1178.50 -20.85 -1.74 78.20

Aggreko PLC 1738.00 -12.50 -0.71 91.64

AMEC PLC 1019.00 -0.34 -0.03 103.18

Anglo American PLC 1917.75 -3.50 -0.18 247.30

Antofagasta PLC 1357.00 6.00 0.44 109.82

ARM Holdings PLC 773.50 4.65 0.61 167.69

Associated Brit Foods 1577.00 5.00 0.32 76.97

AstraZeneca PLC 2931.25 5.00 0.17 115.34

Aviva PLC 378.35 -2.40 -0.63 1,173.81

Babcock Intrntnl Grp 979.50 6.00 0.62 61.53

BAE Systems PLC 340.95 -2.39 -0.70 576.49

Barclays PLC 263.55 -1.70 -0.64 6,601.01

BG Group PLC 1008.50 1.00 0.10 595.20

BHP Billiton PLC 2159.75 2.88 0.13 641.17

BP PLC 428.07 -0.45 -0.11 2,077.41

British Amn Tobacco PLC 3127.50 4.50 0.14 291.71

British Land Co PLC 569.50 -2.00 -0.35 108.66

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

LONDON - FTSE 100CLOSING PRICES DECEMBER 28

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

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

United States $......................................................1.31734Japan Yen ¥ ...........................................................113.626Switzerland Francs................................................1.20851Denmark Kroner ....................................................7.46039Norway Kroner.......................................................7.37050

0.81586

CURRENCIES

1.22161Units per €

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL3 - 9 January 2013 EWN 17www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

GB IZ

LOBAL

Amazon topsAMAZON has been votedthe best US website foronline shopping for theeighth year running.

Sales soarDAIMLER, the world’sbiggest truck maker,saw global sales of itssix brands - Mercedes-Benz, Fuso, Freight-liner, Western Star,Thomas Built Buses,and BharatBenz - rise to424,000 vehicles from January-November.

Ford investsFORD plans to invest morethan $773 million (€583million) on new equipmentand updated facilities in sixfactories in the UnitedStates as part of a plan toinvest $6.2 billion (€4.67billion) in US plants by 2015.

CORREOS plans to sellnewspapers from its 2,300offices throughout Spain.

The Spanish post officenetwork will sell papers,office equipment,stationery goods andcomputer equipment.

The company haspresented a plan which isto be completed within1,500 days, and aims toincrease the commercialcapacity of its offices andmake them the ‘bestprovider of physical andelectronic communicationservices on the Spanishmarket’.

The measures it plansinclude providing postalservices at ‘competitive’prices and promotingcourier and online services.

The president, JavierCuesta, presented theproject before the Ministryof Public Works and the TaxMinistry.

New plansfor postal

service THE Spanish luxury sector hasended 2012 with €4.79 billion insales.

This is 15 per cent more than in2011, when the sector sold 20 percent more than the previous year

thanks to many products being soldinternationally.

The upward trend is expected tocontinue in 2013, with afurther 15 per centimprovement.

Forty per cent of themoney made by Spanishluxury product companiesis thanks to internationalsales.

However, 55 per cent oftourists visiting Spainpurchase internationalbrands which can beacquired here at lowerprices and many can alsoget them tax-free.

Meanwhile, according toconsultants Bain andCompany, Spanish clientsbuy fewer products but ofbetter quality.

The favourite productsare those related to foodand beauty.

Most luxury products aresold in Barcelona (32 percent) and Madrid (27 percent), followed by Marbella,Ibiza and Mallorca,according to Luxury Spain.

Luxury sector on the rise

COSTA DEL SOL based PLCAdvertising and MarketingAgency Managing DirectorPhilip Langley proudlyholds the Expatriate Agencyof the Year Award hereceived at the Euro WeeklyNews (EWN) Annual Partyheld in Mijas.

Also pictured is SeniorAccount Director VanessaAlvarez.

After being presented withthe award by EWN PublishersMichel and Steven Euesden,Philip commented: “We workhard year round to meetclients’ objectives, whichmeans much planning, a highlevel of creativity and truededication, so to win thisagainst such strongcompetition is the cherry on

the cake to our exceptionalyear!”

Winning ways for PLC

WINNING SMILES: Philip and Vanessa.

THE price of seafoodproducts rose sharplyover the Christmasperiod.

Products includingeels, sea bream andoysters rose as much as30 per cent, according tothe User and ConsumerOrganisation, OCU.

The report was basedon prices at Alcampo,Carrefour, Eroski,Mercadona, municipalmarkets and other stores

in Madrid and Barcelonain November, earlyDecember and onDecember 21.

It showed that toavoid high prices,products should ideallybe purchased 15 daysbefore the start of theChristmas period.

Baby eels cost €1,660per kilo in November,whereas by the end ofDecember they had risento €1,775, while sea

bream rose from €30.12per kilo to €38.81 andoysters from €24.53 fora dozen to €31.48.

Other fish, includingbass and hake also roseconsiderably, as didsuckling lamb,barnacles, langoustines,purple cabbage andpullets.

The price of clams,beef, pineapple andIberian ham fell overChristmas.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGALEWNwww.euroweeklynews.com18 3 - 9 January 2013

Mallorca

IN our house over the lastmonth we set ourselves achallenge to try and buySpanish, or European, ifpossible. Boy, has it beenhard!

First off we needed tobuy a fan heater for thebathroom. Every model inour price range came fromChina. And in the end wecouldn’t stand shivering inthe shower any longer andsettled on a Chineseheater.

Next was a form ofheating for the sitting-room. We wanted a gasheater and once againnearly every one wasmade in the People’sRepublic of China. Only bychance on the way to thecashier did we spot aheater made in Italy. Itwas a little moreexpensive, but the delightof finding something made

inEurope wasenough to make us buy it.

Next were Christmaspresents. My husbandneeded a leather mes-senger bag for his iPad andbits and bobs because hecycles. Lots of nice andreasonably priced bags are

available online, but whatabout in Spain? Not achance!

Numerous shops Ientered could supply abag, but at triple the costof those online.

Also, while the leather

was nice, for some reasonthe bags couldn’t be madewith the same secure zip-up inside pockets andquality lining. Not wantingto make it any easier forpickpockets, I was forced

to buy online, rather thanlocally.

Then came the task ofbuying Christmas toys forall the kids in the family.The biggest problem isthat anything made locallyis much more expensivethan what’s availableonline.

A lovely toyshop near ussells beautiful, old-fashioned toys includingquality picnic baskets forlittle girls and lovely,handmade wooden toys.They are to die for, but soare the prices. And while Iwould love to support thisshop, I just can’t afford to.

So once again the toyscame from Amazon andafter opening all thepackages, guess what?Made in China!

At least the food we ateover Christmas was locallysourced.

Pay moreMERCADONA will pay€0.01 per litre more tothe 2,000 plus Spanishfarmers who supply theirstores with milk.

Bank dealBANCO SANTANDERhas sold the CanalejasComplex where itsheadquarters werelocated in Madrid tothe Villar Mirconstruction groupfor €215 million.

Salary riseTHE Spanish Ministry ofEmployment hasproposed increasing theminimum salary by 0.6per cent in 2013 to€645.3.

Share surgeSTOCKS of Spain’s majorcosmetic surgerycompanies, CorporacionDermoestetica, surgedby 16 per cent afterannouncing it wasleaving the stockexchange.

Tourism upSPAIN received morethan 55 millionforeign touristsbetween January andNovember 2012,which was 2.9 percent more than forthe same period in2011.

BUSINESS

IZHard work trying to buy localin a Chinese dominated world

THE financial crisis is hittingSpanish golf hard, with the numberof PGA professional tournamentsplummeting to just the SpanishOpen.

In 2011, Spain hosted sevenEuropean Tour tournaments.

But now in deep recession, puttingup enough prize money to attractgolf’s big names is an unaffordableluxury, said Javier Gervas, CEO ofMatchGolf, which promoted theformer Iberdrola and CastelloEuropean Tour events.

Tourist boards that oncebankrolled tournaments andcompanies that providedsponsorship either no longer havethe money to do so or do not wantto be seen spending it on golf whenSpaniards are so hard up, he added.

Seafood prices soaredas Christmas neared

SEAFOOD DISHES: Prices of fresh fish shot up.

Loosechange

Jane Plunkett

A look at finance for females

jane.plunkett@euroweeklynews.com

TOO EXPENSIVE:Locally madewooden toys

to die for.

Financial crisis puts golf in a bunker...

YET again I have been rejected.After my fantasy of a romantic

Christmas Day liaison had beenfirmly dashed by Crispin, Iexcitedly asked him to put asideNew Year’s Eve for just him andme. But he turned me down.

While I accepted him spendingChristmas with his parents,

sharing the entire festive periodwith family seemed far-fetchedseeing as from what I had

gathered recently he is a socialbutterfly throughout more normaltimes. If he was as committed to

‘us’ as I am, surely he would havemade more effort to see me andspend time with me.

Christmas and New Year havealways been a time for lovedones... and in my book I wantedto be among his loved ones onNew Year’s Eve, and not oncemore left on the touchline with

room only for his parents. Anyway, having sat alone at

home on Christmas Day, to cheermyself up, I decided to go outwith the girls on New Year’s Eve,many of them returning to thecoast for the Christmas period,and many of whom I had partlyneglected after Crispin first

bounced into my life.I wanted to take my

wandering mind off him andenjoy myself. That’s whatNew Year’s Eve is all about.

So in true Marbella style,five of us donned oursparkliest frocks, skyscraperLouboutins, longest lashes,and drank Champagne.

Some of my favouritemoments have been spentwith my girlfriends.

There was the night we allwatched British rap-starTinie Tempah in a PuertoBanus club and then tried tosneak into his VIP area.

And the countless hoursgossiping about our latestmale encounters, gigglingabout our conquests.

Plus, of course, thehopping from Louis Vuittonto Dior, and from Hermes toD&G, overladen withshopping bags filled with thelatest styles and planningwhen next to show them off.

Meeting Crispin wasanother highlight, althoughNew Year’s Eve wasn’t thetime to reflect on that.

Instead as thecelebrations wore on, we alldrunkenly stumbled thenight away, until the finaldestination brought a senseof familiarity over me.

For there, in the car park,was Crispin’s Porsche.

If he was supposedlyspending the evening withhis family, why was his car inPuerto Banus?

My heart raced as Isheepishly entered thediscotheque, unsure of whatI would encounter.

Limited space means...more anon.

XPAT EXTRAWEEKLY ROUND-UP OF REGULAR AND OCCASIONAL TOPICS

LETTERS

LEAPY

HEALTH & BEAUTY

FOOD

TIME OUT

HOMES & GARDENS

PETS

TV

As I see it...Ana Jefferson-Smith takes an irreverent look at life as asingleton expat in Spain

E

Splendidisolation

CATALUÑA President ArturMas is obsessed with goingahead with hisindependence plans. Ifevery Catalan shared thisobsession he would havewon the November regionalelections with an overallmajority. Instead he andthe CiU party lost seats.

There is a message here,but Mas either does nothear it or prefers to ignoreit. Instead of heeding theelectorate he is listening toa delirious inner voice.

A healthyattitude

THE Constitutional Tribunal(TC) validated the BasqueRegion’s refusal to cancelillegal immigrants’ healthcards.

Humanitarian motivesapart, assuring them ofhealthcare will help checkthe spread of thecontagious and infectiousdiseases that immigrantsoften bring with them, saidthe TC. Health Minister AnaMato does not see it thisway and intends to appeal,demonstrating yet againthat politicians only acceptverdicts that they dictatethemselves.

COMMENT

A SOUTH PACIFICisland, shown on marinecharts and world mapsas well as on GoogleEarth and Google Mapsfor at least a decadedoes not exist.Australian scientistswent to inspect thesupposedly sizeable stripof land midway betweenAustralia and NewCaledonia but foundonly ocean.

***CHINA’s rich are payingup to £200,000(€245,000) for rare

bottles of whisky at TheJohnnie Walker Housethat has opened inTiananmen Square inBeijing.

***AN American dentalassistant - fired forthreatening her boss’smarriage after his wifecomplained about hisinfatuation for her - haslost her discriminationlawsuit.

***US

PLANE engineers havebeen using sacks ofpotatoes as stand-ins forpassengers while wor-king to eliminate in-flightwireless signal weakspots as their watercontent and chemistryabsorb and reflect radiowave signals much thesame way as the humanbody does.

***TWO South Africans

have been arrested for‘borrowing’ a corpse andcreating a fake woman inorder to complete a$11,000 (€8,300) lifeinsurance scam payout.

***RANDI ZUCKERBERG,the sister of Facebookco-founder Mark, hastripped up on the socialnetwork’s privacysettings, displaying afamily photo showingMark in a kitchen withfamily members to thepublic, and not asintended just for friends.

Island vanishes into thin air JUST FANCY THAT...

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

Driving to an unsure conclusion...

EWN now printed on recycled newsprint

3 - 9 January 2013 EWN 21www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

THE EURO WEEKLY NEWS has contacted some of themany expatriates’ associations in Spain, in order to knowfirst-hand their opinions and experiences about themunicipal register (padron). Since most of those whoreplied are established residents in Spain, we expect theirthoughts will be of great help for newcomers.

1) What is your personal experience with thepadron?

It is very easy to register with the padron in Coin. Therewas some confusion as to whether you had to re-registerevery now and then. We have since found out that it isdone every two years; or if you move or if you need tomake some major purchase such as a house or car. It is amatter of taking your passport, house deeds if you havethem and residence certificate and all is completed in thetown hall’s front office, generally in a matter of minutes.

- Jo Taylor, Chairman, TheRoyal British Legion, Coin

(Malaga).2) Why did you register?We had made every effort to

become as ‘legal’ as possible oncewe had decided to live here inSpain. Registration was a simpleprocess.

- Michael Rushbrook, TheRoyal British Legion, El Campello

(Alicante).Civic duty. It enables the town hall to qualify for more

money for local services.- Richard Rogers, Public Relations Officer, The Royal

British Legion, Marbella (Malaga).

3) How has it helped you being in the ‘padron’?By being able to vote. - Frederick Wallis, Vice president of the International

Theatre Studio, San Pedro de Alcantara (Malaga).Provides eligibility for: healthcare, car purchase,

transfer of English to Spanish driving licences, establishing‘domestic’ and ‘fiscal’ residency, registering for town hallSpanish language lessons, membership of our association,Imserso (Spanish Government subsidised holidays).

- Michael and Penelope Elliott, Pensioners Association,Los Montesinos (Alicante).

I can cast my vote at certain elections, I have access toa doctor when I need to and if we have wildfires, there arefiremen to help us. I am also ensuring my future – asshould my health deteriorate and I need help – being onthe padron ensures that I can at least apply.

- Margery Taylor, Chairman, The Royal British Legion,Mijas (Malaga).

4) Where did you get the information about the‘padron’ from?

The original information came from the town hall but weare glad to see that the Euro Weekly is promoting thepadron.

- Mary Le Corney, District Secretary The Royal BritishLegion, Torremolinos (Malaga).

Our information comes in the main from the media, suchas the Euro Weekly.

- Ken Davis, Chairman, The Royal British Legion,Zurgena (Almeria).

5) Does your association co-operate in any way topromote the ‘padron’ among foreign residents?How?

We give frequent reminders to our members to ensurethey and their neighbours are registered on the padron, asthis enables the local council to obtain maximum benefitsfrom central and regional government as well as to makepurchases or register for a SIP card.

- Helen Tudor, Secretary Neighbourhood Watch, VecinosCooperando, Rojales (Alicante).

We at the RBL strongly recommend that all shouldregister themselves on their local padron and have giventhe reasons why. I would like to say there are still manyexpats who have been here for many years and still notregistered.

- Bill Raford, The Royal British Legion, Algarrobo Costa(Malaga).

JUST because Santa hasbeen it doesn’t mean thereare no toys left to buy.

The Spanish traditionallygive gifts on Three KingsDay (Epiphany), so mostSpanish families will begathering together onSunday.

Although the first rule forany good present-buyer isto sort it out in advance,some of us still have anephew or a cousin forwhom we still have to buy alast minute present.

So, what to buy? In Alicante, there is the

Toy Technological Institute(AIJU), a non-govern-mental foundation that hasgiven expert guidance ontoys since 1985.

It runs tests on toysbefore they are marketedby their manufacturers tomake sure they meet allsafety measures requiredby EU laws.

AIJU’s staff includesexperts on child educationand psychology.

During the year morethan 15,000 children visitits headquarters to have aday-long play. Also, morethan 7,000 volunteerfamilies co-operate with theinstitute.

The AIJU publishes a freeannual guide reporting on awide selection of toys, 140this year.

All of them have passedtheir quality and safetytests, many manufacturedby Spanish companies.

The AIJU also carriesout extensive marketresearch to find out themain trends.

Children like toysthey can play withanywhere; they alsolike unexpected feat-ures to surprise them.

Toys based ontechnology gadgets arepopular. Handicraftsand toys like doctorkits, sewing, cooking, andDIY are also in fashion.

Read AIJU 2013 guide at:www.guiadeljuguete.com.

3 - 9 January 2013EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

22Mallorca

Expat associationsshare their padron

experience

GOOD ADVICE: The Royal British Legion is one ofthe expat associations encouraging foreigners tosign on the padron.

QUESTION: MY wife and I obtained a padroncertificate each for residence purposes inNovember 2010. We had registered with thepadron when we purchased our property inOctober 2005 using our NIE. Do we require to

re-register and if so at what period of time?Answer: You may indeed need to confirm your

registration. Our advice is that you get in touch with yourtown hall’s padron office or foreign residents departmentto confirm that. As for the period of time, confirmation is

done every five years if you are EU residents andregistered with your Certificate of Residence. But if youare non-EU residents, then it is every two years. For EUnon-residents who used their passport, it is also twoyears.

Life inSpain

By Raul Candela

A weekly focus aimedat keeping expatriate readersinformed on various aspects of Life in Spain

Send your questions to: raul@euroweeklynews.comQ A

ND

A

Last minute presents?

PLAYTIME: Enjoy the look on his face.

A rough guide fortoy buyers:

THE following 10 tips are based onsuggestions by the Spanish toy store

chain Imaginarium. 1. Buy the toy as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the toy you thought of maybe sold out.

2. Make a list. It helps withplanning expenses and making sureeveryone is remembered.3. Buy quality and safety. Look for

quality seals and recommended ageson the box.

4. Go with the child, if possible. It isthe best way to get what they want.

5. Look for Special Discount days. Askthe store staff if any sales are coming up.

6. Tell the rest of the family which toyyou bought. It avoids repetition.

7. Buy online. It can save a lot of time.But check delivery is not too slow.

8. Buy educational toys.9. Keep the receipt and check the

store is able to replace the toy or refundthe money.

10. Ask for advice. Staff at the toystores can help you decide.

Source: shutterstock.

AREYOUFED UPwith the hassle of organising your regularpayments from the UKto Spain?Relax with a more convenient wayof making regular transfers fromthe UK to Spain.Whether you need to send funds to pay a mortgage in Spain, or transfer private

pension funds to cover your living expenses, our Regular Payment Plan is a

convenient and efficient way making regular transfers. It is fully automated but

with the flexibility for you to set your own payment schedule. Payments are

made from your UK bank account by direct debit, which we arrange on your

behalf. The euros are transferred into your Spanish bank account, on the day

you arrange with us. We send you notification of each transfer.

In the meantime, simply enjoy more time to relax.

If you want to hear more, call us on +34 902 887 243or contact mallorca@moneycorp.comPlease quote Euro Weekly News Mallorca

your

say

eu

row

eekl

ynew

s.co

m@

posted toEuro Week-

ly News, C/Moscatel10, P-62, Polígono

Industrial,Arroyo de

la Miel,29630Benal-

madena,Málaga,Spain

or faxed to0034 952440 887

Letters forYour Sayshould beemailed toyoursay@

euroweeklynews.com,

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 claims arising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.

Airport helperfar from being a lady MY wife and I recently had to meetelderly neighbours returning toSpain from the UK.

Due to the husband’s difficulty inwalking distances, he requestedairport wheelchair assistance whenbooking his flight.

The couple were last off theplane, by which time an airportemployee was waiting impatientlywith a wheelchair.

Once the man sat in thewheelchair he was quickly whiskedaway, with his wife, also in her 70s,left with both her husband’s and herown hand luggage to manage.

She soon lost sight of them andwas left to guess where they hadgone.

By the time she caught up, thewheelchair helper was hassling mywife and I to find out where wewere parked, saying: “My shiftfinished three minutes ago. I wantto get home.”

She seemed determined to makeus feel guilty, and while en route toour vehicle continued to make rudeand snide comments.

N J, Mijas Costa (Malaga)

Ungodly change!EACH year I make an effort to go tochurch with my wife at Easter andChristmas.

After checking on the ChristmasDay service at La Cala Church andnoting in advance outside on aboard on December 22nd that theservice was scheduled for 1pm, wearrived at around 12.45pm for theservice, but discovered the churchwas locked.

On re-checking the notice board,it was evident the original timing of1pm had been crossed out andchanged to noon.

Instead, the 1pm service wasindicated as being at Calahonda,and while we had a car andmanaged to re-route, not allchurchgoers would have been in thesame position.

Also, from the number of peoplearriving at the Calahonda servicemidway through, I suspect manyothers found themselves scrabblingaround.

Xmas Worshipper, El Faro(Malaga)

Religious woeI MAKE a point of lighting a candle inchurch over Christmas.

Imagine my disappointment when,on a visit to Malaga two daysbeforehand, I was barred fromentering the cathedral unless I paidthe full tour entrance fee.

Having toured the cathedral in thesummer - a very impressive building- I had only a desire to enter, light acandle, and briefly pray, but anofficial said this was not possible.

Entrance was only for visitors whopaid the full price of a ticket.

M Haddon,Torremolinos (Malaga)

Help yourselfWE all have a duty to look afterourselves and it is naive to putblame on the medical professionwhen things go wrong, (LettersIssue 1433).

If a person spends years over-

indulging with the wrong food anddrink, and sits for hours every day,the body is bound to start breakingdown somewhere. Knee joints,vertebrae, shoulders, they all needto be kept moving and, apart fromhousework, walking is one of thebest exercises a person can do.

S P Kelly, Los Gallardos (Almeria)

Rubbish issueI FEEL that as a boat owner I mustcomment on your article (Rubbishwashed up at Javea, Issue 1433EWN Costa Blanca North).

I have always found that boatersare amongst the mostenvironmentally-conscious people aswe get troubled enough by fouledpropellers and blocked water intakeswithout adding to the problem.

Tidal streams and winds bringashore rubbish that is discardedworldwide by the general public.

Plastic is the world’s biggestoffender; an island of rubbish knownas the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’more than three miles deep and sixtimes the size of England is alreadyestablished in the Pacific Ocean.

Ted Milsom (by email)

Hospital thanksIN reply to the letter (Issue 1433)about healthcare problems. In June

I was operated on at the HospitalCosta del Sol (Marbella) where Iwas the recipient of a new knee.

I can only say the treatment Ireceived and am still receiving byway of follow-up has been fantastic.

Maybe it is a language problem asa large number of English peoplehave no Spanish. I am by no meansfluent but every single person Ihave seen has been helpful andefficient.

Elizabeth Church, Estepona(Malaga)

Pension rightRE UK winter fuel payments (Issue1432), not every pensioner lives inMalaga.

I personally have lived severalplaces in Spain and love it all, butbelieve me it is very, very cold inwinter North of Granada.

I worked from the age of 14 to 62and paid for my pension, such as itis. If the powers-that-be paid adecent pension then they wouldn’thave to give a winter allowance. Nomatter where I choose to live, I amentitled to the pension I paid for.

Jean Ray, Turre (Almeria)

Cash raisedAS we start a new year I would liketo update readers as to what ‘HELP’achieved in 2012.

We have bought 1,800 litres ofmilk which is being distributed to 60needy families in Almoradi (VegaBaja, Alicante). And 35 San Miguelfamilies are being given a box offruit and vegetables, a box oftoiletries and washing products, abox of dry goods and meat or fishvouchers.

We have also contributed half thecost of school books to Almoradiand San Miguel underprivilegedchildren and made a donation ofequipment to ‘Reach Out’ charity inTorrevieja.

On top of that more than €500was raised from a raffle anddonations at a recent event atPortico Mar with thanks to many fortheir donations to the raffle and allthe participants and volunteers.

Ron (President) HELP Vega Baja(Alicante)

Editor’s note: HELP is acharity that gives assistance ona wide range of subjects frompaperwork to hospital visits inthe Costa Blanca area aroundTorrevieja.

ettersLBy John Seymour of Marbella (Malaga)

SSnnaappppeedd!!

“Christmas morning I went for a walk at the Refugio de Juanarabove Marbella. I took this snap. Shame I didn’t wait longer asthe sun came out just as I got back home!”

All letters, whether by email orpost, should carry the writer’spostal address, NIE and contactnumber though only the name andtown will be published.

Letters may also be edited. Readers who have missed earlier

correspondence can see all lettersposted on:

www.euroweeklynews.com

WHEN YOU WRITE

Photographs for possible

publication should be sent by

email with a full caption to:

photonews@euroweeklynews.com

www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

OPINION & COMMENT 3 - 9 January 2013EWN24

AT the time of writing,thousands of peoplewill be wondering

why I’m even bothering!I know, I know, so what’s

new about that? Cheeky!I’m actually talking aboutthe people who believe theworld will come to an endtomorrow.

Due to the yuletideholidays all columnscribblers need to presenttheir copy at an earlierdate. This means tomorrowwill be December 21, theday literally hundreds ofthousands of supposedlysane human beings willtuck their heads betweentheir legs and kiss the worldgoodbye. If you’re readingthis, of course, then yetanother loony load of sadidiots will all be wonderingwhat actually didn’t hitthem? (If you’re not…!)Seriously, what is wrongwith these people?

This latest bunch are thebelievers of the Mayancalendar, which has been inexistence for thousands ofyears and goes out of printpermanently tomorrow,presumably along with the

demise of the planet (andI’ve bought a ticket for ElGordo. There’s optimismfor you!).

Hundreds of thousandsacross the world will havewoken up in the morning,firmly convinced it wouldbe their last day on earth.Is that depressing or what?Actually I don’t find it allthat funny. These cultsoften have truly disastrousends.

Among others, Wacko,Hale Bopp and the Jonescults resulted in massmurder and suicides.

How do vast numbers ofthe human race allowthemselves to becomebrainwashed by thesepeople, who seem to pluck

some strange idea out ofthin air and turn it into abelief that makes peopleoften hand over all theirworldly possessions andblindly follow them, oftenliterally to the death?

I wish I knew. I’d love tobe able to spin a story thatmade people delighted togive me all their readies.Don’t worry, I’m working onit. I’ve actually had somestrange premonitions about

the next leap year.Who better to save you allfrom disaster than yourstruly in my namesake year?All donations and worldlygoods gratefully received.Get ready for the deluge,chaps! Dream on, Leapy.

Hopefully, you’re allperusing this in the relativesafety of a planet still in onepiece. Let’s hope this yearis a better one for all.Somehow I’m afraid Idoubt it. Never mind.

Positive thinking is whatwe need. Feel secure in theknowledge that a wholenew bunch of X Factorcontestants are out therejust waiting to entertainyou. Makes it all seemworthwhile.

Amazin’, ennit?

Happy New Year to allKeep the Faith

Love LeapyLeapylee2002@gmail.com

Resolutionsgo digitalNEARLY half of NewYear’s resolutions areabout setting health-related goals, and thereare plenty of apps tohelp people achievethem. iPhone app-lications ‘5K Runner’helps people to runfive kilometres com-fortably in eightweeks, and ‘Food-ucate’ helps shop-pers make healthierpurchases by scan-ning barcodes andgetting an insightinto how healthy theproduct is.

Dating flopA MASS dating event- South Korea’s‘Battle of the Singles’- organised on Face-book fizzled out withthousands of lovelornmen turning up, butvery few women.More than 36,000people signed up.

END COLUMN

Sad cults getit wrong againand again

LEAPY LEESAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT LOONY: Doomsday merchants.

3 - 9 January 2013EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

26Mallorca

OPINION & COMMENT

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THURSDAY JANUARY 03 WEDNESDAY JANUARY 09FRIDAY JANUARY 04 SATURDAY JANUARY 05 SUNDAY JANUARY 06 MONDAY JANUARY 07 TUESDAY JANUARY 08

10:00pm - SUNDAY

The Iron LadyDirector Phyllida Lloyd's biopic re-counting the life, rise and fall of formerPrime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

CH4

Meryl Streep

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CAPRICORN(December 22 - January 20)A loss of patience with a situationshows this week but is not to youradvantage. Whatever you feel, be subtle in yourapproach. Try to see your position clearly andthe result will be that you realise you havemore control than you thought.

AQUARIUS(January 21 - February 19)A feeling that you should totally commityourself to something or someone thisweek should be avoided. You will come upagainst a brick wall if a situation is forced. Timeis all that is required to see things change forthe better.

PISCES(February 20 - March 20)There may not be enough time to doeverything you want, so why can't youjust reorganise your life so there is?Not as easy as it sounds, Pisces, unless you

learn the magic word: no. Know your limits andstick to them.

ARIES(March 21 - April 20)Extra pressures at work leave youfeeling less than energetic. Checkon your health and don't go overboard

with the physical activities. Set out to becomemore active, socially, and maximise onrelaxation. you?

TAURUS(April 21 - May 21)Social activities are likely to changeat the last minute. If energy levels are

not as high as normal, use this week forplanning. With holidays in mind, the summerseems far away but maybe a weekend trip willfill the gap.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)Although health should be good,energy may be a little low. A bit of amystery surrounds a close friend and youropinion may be sought. Hold fire until all thefacts are known and you are sure a personhas been honest with you because someonemay try to keep you in the dark to get theright answer. .

CANCER(June 22 - July 23)The temptation to run round like aheadless chicken is strong this week.There seem to be so many demands on yourtime that things become confusing. Be sureyou are getting enough rest because this timeof the year can be fraught for you.

LEO(July 24 - August 23)A situation could becomecomplicated if you do not planahead. With a little thought andplanning, matters can be kept simple which isalways desirable. Be choosy about thecompany you keep because a bad charactercould taint by association.

VIRGO(August 24 - September 23)A lost cause tries to demand yourattention, but you must try to see thesituation for what it is. Sentimentality shouldnot come into business or be allowed toupset your home life.

LIBRA(September 24 - October 23)Ruts are awful things to get into buteven more difficult to get out of.Being cosy is one thing, but gettingbogged down, mentally and physically, isanother. All you need is to keep your optimismalive and use your imagination.

SCORPIO(October 24 - November 22)Are you suffering from winter blues?Although it is a common feeling atthis time of the year, keep optimistic.There is so much to look forward to, in fact,that you are spoilt for choice.

SAGITTARIUS(November 23 - December 21)Recent events have perhaps left agap in your social life that is hard tofill. Patience is needed because itwould be foolish to rush into something new ifyour heart is involved. Concentrating on workand other people will alleviate any loneliness.This may seem a short-term solution but it is allthat is needed for now.

AN English internationalauthor who recently became aresident of Benalmadena on theCosta del Sol has released herfirst book.

Shirley Amy’s The WinningWay to Quit Smoking uses arevolutionary protocol derivedfrom a natural and holisticfoundation.

It incorporates healthscience, and embracescomplementary andnutritional therapywith an accent onbiological regulationand the intrinsic healing of themind, body and soul.

It is designed to slowly and

systematicallychange smokersinto non-smokers inaround sixmonths withoutthe need fornicotinereplacementproducts andanti-smokingdrugs, which is

perfect for all those New Yearresolutions.

Nacho Duato, bornJanuary 8, 1957. He is aSpanish modern ballet

dancer and choreographer. He was theartistic director of the National SpanishDance Company from 1990 to 2010. Heis currently the artistic director of the

ballet at Moscows̓ Mikhailovsky Theatre.

IF ITʼS YOURBIRTHDAY THIS

WEEK: The desire to find

an ideal mate bringsan edge to the

months ahead. It isalmost as though you

are daring fate totempt you.

Word ladder

Move from thestart word (COAT) tothe end word (RACK)in the same numberof steps as there are

rungs on the WordLadder. You must on-ly change one letter

at a time.

COAT

RACK

When 22-year-old drug dealerChris (Hirsch) has his stash ofdrugs stolen from him by hismother, he has to come up with $6,000 quick, orhe’s dead. Desperate, he goes to see his father,Ansel (Hayden Church), and lays out the plan.Chris’s mother has a life insurance policy. EnterDetective ‘Killer’ Joe Cooper, a hired hit man,who will get rid of her - for an upfront fee - thatChris and Ansel can’t pay. Just as Joe is about toleave, he spots Dottie (Temple), Chris’s innocentyounger sister. Joe makes Chris an offer, he’llkeep Dottie as sexual collateral until the moneyis collected and his fee can be paid.1h43 Director: William Friedkin Starring:Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, JunoTemple, Thomas Haden Church

COATCOOTROOTROOKROCKRACK

1. ROALD AMUNDSEN, 2. TREVOR FRANCIS, 3. IT’S ALL OVER NOW,4. SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS, 5. SUB-FOURMINUTE MILE by Roger Bannister, 6. MARY MAGDALENE, 7. GRANDNATIONAL, 8. SPUTNIK I, 9. DONALD DEWAR, 10. BRIGHTON

1. Which Norwegian explorer was the first to traversethe Northwest Passage and, in 1911, the first to reachthe South Pole?2. Who, in February 1979, became the first soccerplayer to be transferred within the UK for a fee of over£1,000,000?3. According to the Guinness Book of Hit Singles, whatwas the title of the Rolling Stones’ first British numberone hit single?4. The Norwegian diplomat Trygve Lie was the firstperson to hold which position?5. Which sporting first occurred at the Iffley RoadTrack, Oxford, on May 6, 1954?6. According to the Bible (John 20 and Mark 16:9), whowas the first to see Jesus after his Resurrection?7. Which famous horse race, first (officially) run in1839, was won by Lottery ridden by Jem Mason?8. What was the name of the world’s first orbitingsatellite, which was launched by the USSR in October1957?9. What was the name of the first First Minister ofScotland at the head of the Labour-Liberal Democratcoalition in 1999?10. In which south coast resort was Britain’s first nudistbeach established in August 1979?

Average: 20Good: 26

Very good: 37Excellent: 46

ambo, bake, bare, bark, barm, beak,beam, bear, bema, berk, berm, boar,book, boom, boor, bore, brae, kerb,oboe, robe, amber, baker, brake,break, bream, broke, brook, broom,embar, ombre, booker, boomer,embark, bookmark, BOOKMAKER

How manyEnglish

words offour lettersor more canyou makefrom the

nine lettersin our

Nonagrampuzzle? Each

letter maybe used onlyonce (unless

the letterappears

twice). Eachword MUSTCONTAIN

THE CENTRELETTER (inthis case G)and there

must be ATLEAST ONE

NINELETTERWORD.Plurals,

vulgarities orproper

nouns arenot allowed.

Non

agra

m

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

TARGET:

10-star quizTime

BOOKSbooks@euroweeklynews.com

Killer JoeMystery and suspense, comedy

NEW ON DVD

HOW TO PLAY Fill the grid so that every row,every column and every 3X3 box contains thedigits 1-9. There’s no maths involved. You solvethe puzzle with reasoning and logic.

LAST W

EEK

’S S

OLU

TIO

N

SU DOKU

• What do you call abear with no teeth?A gummy bear.• Why did the manwith one hand crossthe road?To get to the second-handshop.• I’ve always wanted to bea doctor but I’ve neverhad the patience.

Just joking

OutFIRST QUIZ OF 2013

Natural way to stop smoking

56ourtars

YS

Time

Saturday December 29

1

15

29

8

25

44

BONUS BALL LUCKY STARS

32

Friday December 28

17

49

24

2627

53

IRISH LOTTO EURO MILLIONS

7

1

47

211

19

REINTEGRO

812

Saturday December 29

2

21

3

38

7 10

LA PRIMITIVA EL GORDO DELA PRIMITIVA

Sunday December 30

REINTEGRO

Saturday December 29 Saturday December 29

12

30

36

12

THUNDERBALL

35

38

UK THUNDERBALL

UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

6 8

3731

40 48

36

BONUS BALL

LOTT

ERY

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EWN 29Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com

3 - 9 January 2013

CrosswordsSponsored by

Across7 Cooking instructions: pierce

bananas (6)8 Plundered devastated Toledo (6)9 Being in April, if everything is OK (4)10 Sounds like this princess is timid

when it comes to facing a tribe ofIndians (8)

11 Wren set off for action movie (7)13 Guide one through the story line

(5)15 Fast, first class railway sprite (5)17 Twelve inch high chaps used as

servants (7)20 Iʼm done, so change the game (8)21 To incite a dog is naughty (4)22 Partly taking the reins in this place

(6)23 Actorʼs remarks not for B teams (6)

Down1 Catty remarks from your lifeline (6)2 Excavation belongs to me (4)3 Piggy comes from gym class and

gets a couple of hundred a yearback (7)

4 Football team in the dumps (5)5 Nationalist opposition leader against

the Spanish is Middle Easternauthor (8)

6 Shelter is on late broadcast (4-2)12 Insects are, perhaps, emitters (8)14 Lassie from Sirius? (3,4)16 Shore bird at cove flying

around (6)18 Paint two women (6)19 Illegal stash of meat cut for

roasting (5)21 The way I walk gets an immense

titter at first (4)

Across1 Fabric used for clothing, chairs,

sails or tents (6)5 Look for (6)8 Slim (4)9 Aromatic bark used as a spice

(8)10 Sweat (8)11 Rush (4)12 Area (6)14 Penalise (6)16 Overtake (4)18 Infatuated (8)20 Convinced (8)21 Simmer (4)22 Calm (6)

23 Horse barn (6)

Down2 Accomplish (7)3 Goddess of love (5)4 Department (7)5 From that time (5)6 Desert (7)7 Irritable (5)13 Hearten (7)14 Own (7)15 Particular (7)17 On oneʼs own (5)18 Backhander (5)19 Shinbone (5)

CRYPTIC

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

CRYPTIC Across:1 Workload, 7 Flute,8 Nostalgia, 9 Sow, 10 Herb,11 Wet rot, 13 Gimlet,14 Lanark, 17 Purdah, 18Wasp, 20 Leo, 22 Astronaut,23 Nippy, 24 Teaspoon. Down: 1 Wench, 2 Rostrum,3 Lead, 4 Angles, 5 Quest,6 Network, 7 Fairway,12 Hearsay, 13 Gallant,15 Arapaho, 16 Castle, 17Poppy, 19 Piton, 21 Eons.

QUICK - Across: 1 Twisted,5 Bliss, 8 Baked, 9 Startle,10 Obstinate, 12 Gap, 13Smudge, 14 Escape, 17 Lea,18 Senseless, 20 Amiable, 21Trade, 23 Abhor, 24 Torment. Down: 1 Taboo, 2 Irk,3 Tidying, 4 Dismal, 5 Brave,6 Integrate, 7 Steeple,11 Squeamish, 13 Sultana, 15Sweater, 16 Insert, 18 Sober,19 Spent, 22 Ape.

ENGLISH - SPANISHAcross: 1 Book, 3 Blind,8 England, 9 Tea, 10 Ruler,11 Broma, 12 Oro, 13Ciruela, 14 Goose, 15 Sopa. Down: 1 Beetroot,2 Orgulloso, 4 Ladybird,5 Nitrogeno, 6 Fabricas,7 Calabaza.

QUICK

Funagram

FUNAGRAM SOLUTION1. SESAME STREET2. MATT DAWSON

Play on Words

Answers: Four poster, Cut back

1.Unscramble the name of a famouschildren’s television programme, firstbroadcast in 1969 (two words):SEES TEAMSTER2. Unscramble the name of a retiredEnglish rugby union player:TWO MAD ANTS

Discipline is the bridgebetween goals andaccomplishment.’‘

Jim Rohn (1930-2009) Americanentrepreneur, author and

motivational speaker.

Quote

Across1 Soup (thick) (4)3 Hierbas (5)6 Cebolla (5)8 Pears (5)10 Nail (on finger, toe) (3)11 Serious (problem,danger, illness, mistake)(5)12 Baile (pieza, arte) (5)13 Mar (3)14 Hoja (de papel) (5)

15 Sudor (transpiración)(5)16 Heat (warmth) (5)17 To fall (4)

Down1 Esponjas (7)2 Spring (season) (9)4 Swords (7)5 Aubergine (9)7 Our (7)9 Más dulce (7)

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

ENGLISH - SPANISH

Co d e B r e a k e rEach number in

the CodeBreaker gridrepresents a

different letterof the alphabet.

In this week’spuzzle, 20

represents J and21 representsW, so fill in J

every time thefigure 20

appears and Wevery time the

figure 21appears. Now,

using yourknowledge of

the Englishlanguage, work

out whichletters should

go in themissing squares.As you discoverthe letters, fill

in other squareswith the samenumber in themain grid and

the controlgrid.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

1 Longer, 2 Dinner, 3 Wilder, 4 Borrow, 5 Noises,6 Shrunk, 7 Metres, 8 Wheels, 9 Booths, 10 Mellow,11 Barest, 12 Writhe, 13 Taller, 14 Lusted, 15 Patrol,16 Mortar, 17 Either, 18 Sparks, 19 Hasten.

The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlockingcells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be writtenCLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (BELLOW) and one letter in four

other cells are given as clues.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

H e x a g r a m

AGREES

ANGERS

BEARDS

BELLOW (10)

BREAST

CHARMS

CHOSEN

EVENTS

GAITER

GREASE

LETTER

MILLET

PATROL

PLEDGE

SPIRES

STATUE

TWEEDS

WELLED

WRITER

TUC

3 - 9 January 2013EWNwww.euroweeklynews.com

30Mallorca

IT always mystifies me how Ican pay a small fortune for aminuscule room in a trendy hotelin London and feel less at homethan in my own home!

I dislike the fauxenvironmental concern of:‘Washing towels wastes waterand is bad for the environment.’It also costs hotels megabuckswhich I’m sure is their mainconcern. Just come out and bestraight with us about it!

Also hotels which are whollyinflexible regarding check-in,check-out times. Surely in thiscomputer age they couldmanage/match the short stayerwith the longer stayer? Howabout paying by the hour? Andno, not what you’re thinking!

But most basic of all, please, acomfortable bed! Who wants toend up ram-rod stiff after acouple of nights? And if there isa pillow menu, a pillow from it

shouldn’t be something I shouldhave to beg reception for, is it?Trust me, it’s invariably missionimpossible.

Then there are the curtains. Areasonable night’s sleep meansnot being woken up in themorning by light streaming in at6am. So, please, providecurtains that do their job first,and are snazzy second.

Cushions are another bugbear.I counted 15 in one hotel room.Hoteliers who put cushions on

beds should be smothered withthem. As should those whodescribe their place as ‘Boutique’simply because they’ve putpebble-filled jam-jars inbathrooms, towels twisted into‘swans’ on beds and original,ahem, ‘artwork’ on walls.

Then there are the satellite/TV remote controls whichrequire a PhD in technology tooperate. Shower mixers whichare so clever they’re a nightmareto switch on. First, there’s somemassive shower head in theceiling you can’t adjust and as

soon as you do manage toswitch the thing on, it’s eitherfreezing cold, or scalding hot,but never warm!

Not to mention tea-makingfacilities which are tucked awayin a low-lying drawer, need to beplugged in somewhere else,filled under a mixer-tap in thebathroom and come with tiny-portioned coffee, sugar andcurdled milk.

These are just a few practicalissues I’d be really grateful if anyhoteliers amongst you out therecould consider in 2013.

Think about it from the client’sperspective! Okay, rant over!

Nora Johnson’s thrillers SoulStealer & The De ClerambaultCode (www.nora-johnson. com)from Amazon inpaperback/eBook (€0.89;£0.77)and iBookstore. Profits toCudeca.

BreakingViews

NORA JOHNSON

Nora, who has lived on the Costa del Sol for anumber of years, is the author of psychological

suspense and crime thrillers. To comment on anyof the issues raised in Nora’s column, go to

www.euroweeklynews.com/columnists/nora-johnson

Mystery of soulless hotels that leaves me feeling cold

HOTEL ROOMS: Can be lacking in character.

EWN 2013 NATIONAL HOLIDAY GUIDE

#

Spain January 1: New YearJanuary 6: Three KingsMarch 29: Good FridayMay 1: Labour DayAugust 15: Assumption DayOctober 12: National DayNovember 1: All Saints DayDecember 6: Constitution DayDecember 25: Christmas Day

United KingdomJanuary 1: New YearJanuary 2: 2nd January (Scotland)March 18: St Patrick’s Day (Northern Ireland)March 29: Good FridayApril 1: Easter MondayMay 6: Early May Bank HolidayMay 27: Spring Bank HolidayJuly 12: Orangemen’s Day (Northern Ireland)August 5: Summer Bank Holiday (Scotland)August 26: Summer Bank HolidayDecember 2: St Andrew’s Day (Scotland)December 25: Christmas DayDecember 26: Boxing Day

GermanyJanuary 1: New YearMarch 29: Good FridayApril 1: Easter MondayMay 1: Labour DayMay 9: Ascension DayMay 20: Whit MondayOctober 3: German Unity DayDecember 25: Christmas DayDecember 26: Boxing Day

NorwayJanuary 1: New YearMarch 24: Palm SundayMarch 28: Maundy ThursdayMarch 29: Good FridayMarch 31: Easter SundayApril 1: Easter MondayMay 1: Labour DayMay 9: Ascension DayMay 17: Constitution DayMay 19: Whit SundayMay 20: Whit MondayDecember 25: Christmas DayDecember 26: Boxing Day

SwedenJanuary 1: New YearJanuary 6: EpiphanyMarch 29: Good FridayMarch 31: Easter SundayApril 1: Easter MondayMay 1: Labour DayMay 9: Ascension DayMay 19: PentecostJune 6: National DayJune 22: Midsummer DayNovember 2: All Saints DayDecember 25: Christmas DayDecember 26: Boxing Day

DenmarkJanuary 1: New Year March 28: Maundy ThursdayMarch 29: Good FridayMarch 31: Easter SundayApril 1: Easter MondayApril 26: Common Prayer DayMay 9: Ascension DayMay 19: Whit SundayMay 20: Whit MondayJune 5: Constitution DayDecember 25: Christmas DayDecember 26: Boxing Day

In addition in many nations when a holiday falls on a Sunday the following day becomes a day off.

A potted guide to the main national holidaysin Spain and the European nations from

where many of our readers originate.

CUT

OU

T

AN easy eye test can helpmeasure how fast multiplesclerosis (MS) isprogressing.

Researchers performedscans on 164 MS patientswhich measured thethickness of the lining atthe back of the eye. Theyfound that patients withthinning of the retina hadboth earlier and moreactive forms of thedisease.

MS affects nerves in thebrain and spinal cord,causing problems withmuscle movement,balance and vision. Manysufferers have periodswhere symptoms are mild,followed by flare-ups,making monitoring of thedisease difficult fordoctors.

It is hoped this newscan, called OpticalCoherence Tomography

(OCT) could be helpful inevaluating the progressionof the condition.

HEALTH & BEAUTY3 - 9 January 2013 EWN 31Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com Visit www.ewnlifestyle.com for more reading

USING Facebook could make you more likely to eatunhealthy snacks.

That’s the finding by researchers from ColumbiaUniversity and the University of Pittsburgh (USA)who say that regular contact with friends on thesocial network site left users with higher levels ofself-esteem but lower levels of self-control. They

found that people were more likely to snack onunhealthy food once they had logged off,particularly if they had been chatting withclose friends.

The team usedfive experimentson the behaviourof Facebookusers to see how

it affected themwhen they were

offline.The studies suggested

there was a linkbetween the use ofthe website and poorself-control overwhat they ate andhow much money

they spent,particularly when

socialising with closefriends.

Unhealthy snackslinked to Facebook

SELF-CONTROL: Poor after using social network site.

WANTING a largefamily? Well, whensearching for yourperfect baby-makingmate, first count thenumber of brothershe has.

Scientists say thegreater the number ofmale siblings yourpartner has, the morefertile he is likely tobe.

The findings werepublished in the AsianJournal of Andrology.

Fertilebrothers

EASY TEST: New eye scan helps to evaluate progression of MS.

MS eyescan test

RESEARCHERS in the UK and the USA aredoubting the effectiveness of sleeping pills,saying insomniacs may get more help frompsychological treatments.

They carried out a study using sleeping pillsand another dummy drug which had nomedical benefits for helping sleeplessness.The research found that the placebo effectproduced around 50 per cent of the benefits,with the active ingredient in the sleeping pillsmaking up the rest.

They conclude that psychological treatmentwould be just as beneficial for sufferers andwould not have any of the side-effects relatedto sleeping pills such as memory loss andbalance problems.

Sleeping pillsnot effective?

TRYING to think of acommon set of newyear resolutions for

the EWN readership is noteasy as some have largeand others small properties,some have long maturedgardens and others are juststarting to develop newgardens and of course somelive in apartments withsmall storage balconies orelegant roof top gardens.However we hope thefollowing makes sense:

• Aim to make allspaces more usable,productive and enjoyable.

• Be adventurous butcautious with yourplantings. Adventurous inrecognising that anenormous range offlowering and evergreenplants and trees, fruit,vegetables and herbs canbe grown in all situations inSpain.

• Cautious in focussing onplanting mainly drought andfrost resistant plants tominimise the cost of losses.

• Recognise that in allgardens the predominantcolours will be the multitudeof green tints and hues soadd to the assortment ofleaf colours for interest.

For ideas for new colourschemes read the chapteron ‘Painting with plants’ inour book ‘Your Garden inSpain – From planning toplanting and maintenance’.

• Finally go eco and avoidusing potentially dangerouschemical gardeningproducts.

• Start to grow a fewvegetables even if only inlarge size builders’ bucketsor window boxes or on agrowing table. Theillustrations in ‘Apartment

Gardening MediterraneanStyle’ and ‘Growing HealthyVegetables in Spain’ willgive you plenty of ideas.

• Add some additionalfruit trees bushes or plantsfor fresh seasonal fruitsranging from peaches toredcurrants and straw-berries.

• Get out and enjoy thefirst sunny days of the newyear and progress theannual winter clean up andcutback early to create aneat garden and giveplants plenty of timeto bud up for springand summer.

• If you don’t haveroom for a veggie plottake on an allotment.

• Encourage thenext generations to takean interest in nature andgardens beyond growingcannabis. From what wehave heard when runningquestion and answer standsat villagef a i r s

and flower festivals manyyoungsters are experts atthat and the skills are thereto grow healthier crops.

Whatever your new yearplans for the garden enjoythem to the full this year.

(c) Clodagh and DickHandscombe

www.gardenspain.comJanuary 2013

GardensOMESH &

Sponsored by

For more information about the sponsorgo to www.lineadirecta.com

3 - 9 January 2013 EWN 33www.euroweeklynews.com Mallorca

Plan a colourful garden for 2013.

Some possible NewYear resolutions forgardeners By Clodagh and Dick

HandscombeSpain’s best known gardeningauthors who have lived andgardened in Spain for 25 years.www.gardeninginspain.com

GardeningCorner

THE key to buying easilyre-saleable property lies inmaking sure that a propertyhas as few obstacles aspossible for potential futurebuyers. By obstacles, Imean serious things thatwould put people offbuying and that, unlikethe colour of the wallsor type of furnishings,cannot be changed.

Let me illustratewhat I mean, by takingan example of, say: a villa.Imagine our villa is on apopular, high densityforeigner-owned estate,situated on a hillside withlovely views of the sea.

The pool is at the bottomof the property and the villahas been cut into thehillside.

It has two bedrooms,dedicated parking atroadside level and some 10or so steps down to the villaentrance. It is reasonablynew and in good conditionwith the nearest village afive-10 minute drive awayalong a well-made roadthat snakes down to thebottom of the estate.

The villa is being sold fora price within your budgetand is, in fact, a reasonablycommon type of villa foundin many areas along thecoastline of Spain.

So, what are obviousobstacles to a future buyer?

Well, firstly, many stepsup or down to the entranceof a villa are a minus andare likely to put off anyoneold or infirm or someonewith very young children orgrandchildren. Secondly, atwo-bedroom villa willrarely be sufficient for

anyone considering buyingthe villa for full-time life inSpain, whether a Spaniardor international buyer.

Thirdly, because the villais on a high densityforeigner-owned estate(quite far from a village)any prospective buyers arelikely to be only foreignersnot Spanish. Fourth, thesnake-like road will put offsome drivers, particularlyolder drivers unused tocontinental driving.

What does this mean?It means the potential

number of buyers for thisvilla is probably quite small.Indeed, you may be leftlooking for a buyer who isfrom outside of Spain andwho is reasonably fit, hasno small children (orgrandchildren), who is aconfident driver (as well astheir partner) and whowants the villa only forholiday use. Clearly, that

wouldnot be

easy!By comparison imagine,

for example, buying analmost identical villa thatlacks steps to the entrance.All of a sudden, the villa willbe suitable for many olderpeople, those who havesome infirmity and anyonewith young children.

The obstacles to findingbuyers who are notnervous drivers and whoare Spanish have not beenremoved but at least youwill have the chance ofselling to a much widerrange of buyers thanbefore.

My point, of course, isthat buying aproperty should

always be about re-saleability and that, for

a wise buyer, is aboutassessing a propertycarefully (and objectively)to ensure the maximumnumber of future buyerswill find it desirable.

Of course, it is importantthat a property looks lovelybut that is often verysubjective and not the mostimportant element. Buyerswill almost certainly tend tochoose safety and ease oflife over everything else…

PROPERTY 3 - 9 January 2013EWN

Mallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com

34

The secret to buyingre-saleable property

RE-SALEABILITY: Choosea property that willattract the widest rangeof future potentialbuyers.

Nick Snelling

Web master www.culturespain.comand author of 5 books including:

‘How to Buy Spanish Property andMove to Spain – Safely’ and ‘The

Laptop Entrepreneur’

CLASSIFIEDSMallorcawww.euroweeklynews.com

36 3 - 9 January 2013

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THE bar of safety inSpanish cars has beenraised during the last fiveyears. However, there is stilla notable gap between the

safety equipment of higherand lower segments.

In this sense, Germanyhas been identified as themost advanced country in

Europe in terms of carprotection systems.

These are some of themain findings in a report bythe Fundacion Mapfre’s

Instituto de Seguridad Vial,a traffic safety researchinstitute dependent oninsurance company Mapfre.

Thereport

analyses how vehicle safetysystems have evolvedbetween 2006 and 2011.

“Car producers havemade great efforts toenhance safety in the lastfew years to introduce asmany technological innov-ations as possible withlower costs,” the reportstates. However, it alsoreminds buyers theyshould request moreinformation about safetybefore buying a vehicle.The report compares

three best-seller car models(Renault Clio, VolkswagenGolf, Ford Mondeo) in threedifferent segments. It triesto prove the differences inserial safety equipment of asame car model dependingon the EU market. Ingeneral terms, theconclusion is that whetherin Spain, France, Germanyor Britain, cars have similarfeatures.

However, significantdifferences have beenfound in equipment forlower car segments, suchas the Electronic

Stabilisation Programme(ESP), Traction ControlSystem (TCS) andElectronic BrakeforceDistribution (EBD). Thesefeatures are more commonin Germany than in theother three countries.

For example, in a samelow-segment model, theEBD is scarcely found inSpain, France and Britain,while it is present 80 percent of the times inGerman models, the reportfound.

Another finding is thatlower-segment cars - whichare the best-seller models -have a significant safetygap compared to highersegment models. The Isofixinternational standard forattachment points for childsafety seats in passengercars, for instance, is morerarely found the smaller thecar is.

In A-segment cars - thesmallest of all - Isofix canbe found in 60 per cent ofthem. ESP and TCS do notreach 20 per cent of thecases.

MANCHESTER Unitedmanager Sir AlexFerguson took possessionof an extended rangeelectric vehicle, theChevrolet Volt. Sir BobbyCharlton was given aCaptiva.

It was part of the club’spartnership agreementwith the global carmanufacturer.

The Volt can travel upto 80 kilometres gas andemission free – andvirtually silent – before

the on-board generatorkicks in to add a further500 kilometres ofextended range.

“I think the Volt is

absolutely phenomenal. Afriend of mine drove onein the States and keptgoing on and on about it,so when I had the

opportunity I said ‘yeahI’m going to try itbecause it’s the car of thefuture, really.’ “I’m verypleased with it,” Sir Alexsaid.

The Chevrolet Volt isavailable in Europe’slargest automobilemarkets at a base price of€38,425. It won theprestigious European Carof the Year 2012,amongst others.

Chevrolet will becomethe club’s shirt sponsorbeginning with the2014/2015 season.

€306 million investment inSunderland production plan

RED DEVILS: Sir Alex Ferguson (left) and Sir Bobby Charlton with their new cars,the Chevrolet Volt and Chevrolet Captiva respectively.

Christmas comesearly for Sir AlexFerguson

INFINITI, the car brand of NissanMotor, confirmed it will manufacturevehicles in Europe from Nissan’sproduction base in Sunderland, UK.

The announcement represents asubstantial investment of around £250million (€306 million) and is expectedto create a further 1,000 jobs atSunderland and across the country.

“This milestone, our first premiumproduct to be manufactured atSunderland, reconfirms our commit-ment to UK manufacturing and theongoing success of the plant, which ismoving up the value chain,” ColinDodge, Nissan Motor Executive VicePresident, stated.

“Just as important, the new Infiniti,is being developed with help from our

London design centre and ourEuropean Technical Centre atCranfield,” he added.

Business Secretary Vince Cable said:“Sunderland will be the only place inthe world to make this new compact.”

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THIS weekend 32 teams will beparticipating in the third round ofthe FA Cup and, as always, there

will be a handful of surprises as manytop-line clubs play banana-skin tiesagainst inferior opponents.

There are four all-Premiershipencounters. Seven-time winners andholders Chelsea visit Southampton,Manchester United travel to West Ham,there’s a repeat of the Boxing Day

clash between QPR and WBA at LoftusRoad while Swansea play Arsenal atThe Emirates.

Potential giant-killing acts could beperformed by Brighton (at home toNewcastle), Bournemouth (v Wigan),Crawley Town (v Reading), possiblyBurton Albion at Leicester and Luton athome to Wolves.

And with Aston Villa conceding goalsleft, right and centre, they will certainlybe tested by Ipswich. Sunderland won’tfind it easy at Bolton, neither willNorwich at Peterborough nor Stoke atCrystal Palace, and I must wishHastings United, the lowest-ranked

team left in the tournament,good luck at Middlesbrough.

Elsewhere, Everton (vCheltenham), Liverpool (vMansfield), Manchester City (vWatford), Fulham (v Blackpool)and Tottenham (v Coventry)should all go through, but younever know; anything canhappen in the third round of theCup and invariably it does!

* Manchester United delivered another‘Fergie Time’ Boxing Day knockout to beatNewcastle 4-3. It was the ‘12 goals ofChristmas’ for Aston Villa who lost 8-0 atChelsea and 4-0 at home to Tottenham inthe space of five days (Gareth Balescored a hat-trick for Spurs). A goal byex-Manchester City star Adam Johnsongave Sunderland a late Christmaspresent-win over Roberto Mancini’s menand WBA have now attained their best half-

season points tallysince 1982.

* The big game inthe Championship overthe festive season sawleaders Cardiff beatCrystal Palace 2-1.Second-placed Hulldrew 0-0 withLeicester (5th) and

after losing 1-0 atsecond-placed

Middlesbrough, Blackburnsacked their manager Henning

Berg.* Sean O’Driscoll was also dismissed as manager of

Nottingham Forest just two hours after the Reds hadwhipped Leeds 4-2. It’s a precarious job, managing a

football team, unless yourname is Ferguson, Wengeror Moyes!

* Also last week, lowlyPeterborough stunnedWolves 3-0 at Molineux inthe Championship whileLeague Two strugglersBarnet caused an upset bywinning 1-0 at table-toppersGillingham.

* Former World Cup referee Graham Poll haseffectively told PL managers to ‘learn the

rules’ of the game and to stopblaming match officials! This

followed the remarks made byranting and raving Sir Alex

Ferguson after Newcastle wereawarded a ‘fair’ own-goal at OldTrafford on Boxing Day. I know he’s

71 but that’s no excuse.He’s been in football since he

was 16 and should know therules by now.

* Sri Lankan batsman KumarSangakkara has become the 11th batsman in cricket

history to score 11,000 Test runs, reaching the milestoneagainst Australia on Boxing Day. And in the same match,Australia’s captain Michael Clarke became his country’shighest run-maker in a calendar year, scoring 1,545 in 2012,to beat Ricky Ponting’s 2005 tally of 1,544. And staying withcricket, Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar has retired fromlimited over matches.

* Scot Colin Montgomery has emerged as favourite tocaptain Europe’s 2014 Ryder Cup team in his home country.

* Rafael Nadal, who hasn’t played a serious game oftennis since Wimbledon last June, had hoped to take partin a tournament in Abu Dhabi last week but withdrew dueto a stomach bug. However, he hasn’t ruled out playing inthe Australian Open later this month.

SHAKY COMEBACK:Rafael Nadal had towithdraw from Abu

Dhabi tournament dueto a stomach bug.

FA Cup shocks on the way as big names enter draw

Festive action

FA CUP: Upsets could happen inthe third round ties.

A former football player and the world’smost prolific author of football books(more than 100 published), Tony is alsothe sports reporter for Spectrum Radioand lives in the Cabrera mountains.

By Tony Matthews

SPORTS SCENE

Did you know?Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero ismarried to the daughter of Diego Maradona.

And Aguero’s striker-partner at The EtihadStadium, Mario Balotelli, once had a trial withBarcelona