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YOUR ENGLISH - SPANISH NEWSPAPER - FORMERLY
VALENCIA - ALICANTE - MURCIA
April 13 - April 19 2007
INSIDE
By Cornelia Muller
A lucky Murcia woman has earned a place in the record books for winning 26 million euros, the highest amount ever won in
Spain.
The winner, María del Carmen Manresa, 49,
is married to a plumber and they live with
their two children in a house about five kilometres outside of Murcia.
She always buys her lottery ticket in the same
shop, whose owner leaked the news that the
winning ticket had been bought in there.
The news that a local person had become a
multi-millionaire overnight soon became the
talk of the town.
The lottery shop was quickly filled with curious people who came in from the streets
and nearby shops and found it difficult to
believe that someone close by had won the
lottery but it was not them.
It took several days to find the lucky lady;
however, she does not want to speak to the
press.
Her son told a reporter from a local paper
that his mother was not at home and that
she was not interested in making any statements. He said she did not want to change
her lifestyle or buy a new house or car.
He said she had gone to a procession of the
spring fiestas in the centre of Murcia.
María seems to have gone into hiding since
her big win as her friends said she had not
joined them for coffee, as she normally does,
and her neighbours also have not seen her
for days.
She has now become, not only one of the luckiest women in Murcia, but also one of the
most envied.
Many of her neighbours have mixed feelings
about living next to a millionaire but unable
to share in the financial blessing. Some muttered that the lucky winner should donate
a healthy share of the money to people in
need. It remains to be seen what María del
Carmen is going to do with it.
No 206
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SPAIN
CHAMPIONS ADMIRE WORLD’S OLDEST RACE
THE DUEL: Carl Lewis v Mike Marsh with the America’s Cup trophy
Six sporting heroes have visited Valencia
Port to give their backing to the prestigious America’s Cup yacht race.
On Wednesday, to mark the duelling nature of the cup, Valencia hosted a series
of other duels involving some of the top
sportsmen in the world.
American track and field legend Carl
Lewis faced rival American Mike Marsh
on a 100 metre track alongside the canal
leading from Port America’s Cup to the
race area.
Spanish golfing hero Sergio García had
a ‘hole in one’ duel with compatriot José
Manuel Lara.
Then Valencia FC goalkeeper Santiago
Cañizares faced penalty shots from Pedja
Mijatovic, a former Champions League
©ACM 2007/Photo: Vicent Bosch
hero and currently Real Madrid’s sporting director.
Carl Lewis said: “I think the America’s
Cup is incredible and that this time is going to be very impressive.”
José Manuel Lara, who was born in Valencia, said: “Events like the America’s Cup
put Valencia on the map.”
●America’s Cup latest - see the Guide
news P2 • opinion P20 • travel P26 • finance P29• sports P36
2
NATIONAL NEWS
Cops break up
drugs network
The Guardia Civil have broken up a network of drug
smugglers which brought
large quantities of cannabis into Spain on the Vejer
de la Frontera coast near
Cádiz.
Operation Espuma started
at the beginning of February and so far has seized 1.2
tonnes of the drug.
Police have also confiscated
four vehicles and a boat.
Three people are being held
in jail.
In the final phase of the investigation, nine properties
were searched this week in
Vejer and Barbate and a further 10 arrests were made.
Mickey Mouse
to the rescue
INEM, the Spanish employment agency has decided
that 100 jobs it has on offer
at Disneyland Paris will be
offered to the jobless in Alicante.
The posts will be allocated
on April 24 and 25 and offer a wage of 1,254 euros a
month for a 35-hour working week.
INEM is making the offer
through the EURES, European Employment Services
system, which stimulates
the movement of workers
between the member states
of the European Union.
To apply the workers have
to be 18 and from any EU
member state.
Priests carry
on as normal
The three priests of the San
Carlos Borromeo parish in
Madrid, Enrique de Castro,
Pepe Díaz and Javier Baeza, carried out their Easter
Sunday service as normal.
They were defying the closure order on their church
from the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, Antonio
Rouco Varela.
More than 250 parishioners turned out in support,
joined by well known TV
personality Gran Wyoming
and actors Guillermo Toledo and Alberto San Juan.
At the end of the service
the parishioners applauded
the priests.
SPAIN
Stones set up
Spain dates
The Rolling Stones have announced the dates of this
year’s Spanish tour.
The band will play the same
venues which were cancelled last summer because
of Mick Jagger’s throat
problems.
Jagger gave the details of
the new concerts in an Internet press conference
and the Spanish gigs are
as follows: Barcelona, San
Sebastián, Madrid and El
Ejido in Almería on June 21,
23, 28 and 30 respectively.
Tickets for the El Ejido concert are now on sale at www.
ticktackticket.com
Jagger said: “We want to return to Spain, it’s a fantastic place to perform.”
Jagger
also
apologised
again for the cancellation
of the concerts last year.
They bring the Bigger Bang
Tour, which has already
become the most profitable
tour in history, bringing in
more than 328 million euros
and already overtaking U2’s
Vertigo tour.
WRINKLY ROCKERS: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
Global warming
to hit Spain hard
Minister warns of dangers
facing the country in future
Spain’s
Environment
Minister Arturo Gonzalo
Aizpiri has asked the government to approve a 40 per
cent expansion of the country’s protected areas.
Sr Gonzalo Aizpiri said that
global warming will affect
Spain badly in the future.
He told a news conference,
quoting a new United Nations report on the impact
of climate change: “Global
warming is a fact ... and
Spain and southern Europe
will be the worst affected in
the short term by the phenomenon that is directly
linked to the atmospheric
emission of greenhouse
gases.”
At the same news conference, José Manuel Mareno,
a Spanish ecology professor, said that ecosystems in
the Mediterranean region
will be among those hardest
hit by global warming.
He said the region is the
most vulnerable in the
world.
A report released by the
United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change in Brussels projected that by 2070 between 16
and 44 million Europeans
would have water shortages, as the region’s rivers
may lose up to 80 per cent of
their summer volume.
The panel of experts, which
included Mareno, worked
through the night fine-tuning a major report that
claims climate change is already having an impact on
the natural world.
As the final version of the
report was drawn up, several delegations, including those from the United
States, Saudi Arabia, China
and Spain, asked for it to reflect less certainty than the
draft did.
Richard Klein of the Stockholm Environment Insti-
Museum for
old palace
tute said: “The report says
quite clearly that climate
change is happening and
it is having effects on ecosystems and society, with
particularly bad effects on
developing countries.”
He said the
region is the
most vulnerable
in the world
Málaga is to become home
to a new Carmen ThyssenBornemisza Museum.
More than 350 works, dating mostly from the 19th
century are to be shown in
the Villalón Palace in the
city once the building has
been restored.
The paintings will be loaned
free to the city for 15 years.
The building was visited
personally by Sra Thyssen
in December, and is owned
by the city council.
It is about 500 metres away
from the city’s Picasso Museum.
Almost half of the works,
which concentrate on 225
Spanish and 133 Andalucian subjects, have not been
shown before and include
works by Zurbarán and Sorolla, among others.
The museum will open in
2010 when the restoration
of the building is complete.
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Berni Walker
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SPAIN
April 13- April 19 2007
Escaped croc found alive and well
A Nile crocodile which escaped from a crocodile farm
in Jerez, Cádiz province on
Sunday, has been recaptured
and returned to the farm.
The croc was found by officers of the Guardia Civil
nature protection branch,
Seprona.
The Guardia were called
out, started to search and
three hours later the beast
was caught with the help of
a farm employee.
It was found lying on the
banks of a stream, which
further downstream flows
through the Dehesa de las
Yeguas in Puerto Real,
which is an area which is
popular for family outings
at weekends.
The Jerez farm has 1,300
Nile crocodiles on its land,
a species which can grow as
long as six metres.
This caught croc was 1.5
metres long.
TOOTHY SPECIMEN: A Nile crocodile like the one that escaped
Car crash mystery of
death of millionaire
Businessman who sacked 2,500
by text wanted for tax debts
A multimillionaire businessman who sacked 2,500
employees of his no-win nofee compensation firm by
text message has died in a
car crash in Spain.
Mark Langford, 42, who left
England after his company
collapsed in 2003 with debts
of £100 million, was killed
when his hire car left the A7 motorway near Marbella
on Monday.
No one else was in the car
and no other vehicle was
involved.
Mr Langford had died hours
after the accident after being taken to the emergency
unit of Costa del Sol hospital.
Police said there was no alcohol in his system at the
time of the crash.
A police spokeswoman said:
“A report is being prepared
and will be sent to the magistrate.”
Mr Langford’s company,
The Accident Group, helped
develop the no-win, no-fee
system in the United Kingdom and became the country’s biggest injury claims
specialist with offices in
Manchester, Birmingham
and Liverpool.
Its slogan was: “Where
there’s blame there’s a
claim”, and a year before
its collapse the firm posted
profits of £17 million.
When the firm closed the
staff were sent a text message that read: “Urgent.
Unfortunately salaries not
paid. Please do not contact
office. Full details to follow
later ...”
A later message asked
employees to ring a voice
message from the administrators, PricewaterhouseCoopers.
It said: “All staff who are
being retained will be contacted. If you have not been
spoken to, you are therefore
being made redundant with
immediate effect.”
Staff were not paid redundancy before the company
was liquidated in 2004.
After the collapse, an
employment
tribunal
condemned senior management for cynically manipulating staff.
Directors, who included Mr
Langford’s wife, Deborah,
had paid themselves some
£11.8m in dividends.
Mr Langford continued to
live a luxury lifestyle in
Spain while the Inland Revenue pursued him for £4.1
million of unpaid taxes.
In December 2005 the Langfords had their assets frozen, and in recent months
their luxurious lifestyle
had begun to look increasingly tattered.
Row growing over scheme for Police seize gang in
series of searches
Ceuta-Gib helicopter flights
Francisco González, the representative for the Government in Ceuta has criticised the Madrid government
after the rejection of a planned Ceuta to Gibraltar helicopter route.
Reports claim that Gibraltar will not veto the route.
González was reported as
saying that there were no
technical reasons why such
a route could not be established.
Officials in Ceuta have attacked the government which,
it is claimed, want an Algeciras to Ceuta route.
It is this, they say, that is
stopping the setting up of
the Ceuta to Gibraltar route
that Socialist senator Salvador de La Encina said could
be set up by 2008.
Spain says there are politicial issues such as taxes in
Ceuta to be sorted out before a route between Ceuta
and Gibraltar can be established.
A National Police operation
against organised violent
crime has netted six members of what is believed to
be a much larger organisation.
They carried out robberies
in homes and warehouses
in Málaga, Sevilla and Cádiz provinces in Andalucía.
The six suspects taken into
custody last weekend belonged to two different groups
of the organisation.
They are from Serbia-Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania and police searched
properties in Torremolinos,
Benalmádena and Marbella.
NATIONAL NEWS
Mountaineer
is found dead
A mountaineer who went
missing in the Pyrenees
mountains in Navarra on
Sunday has been found
dead.
He has been identified as Sever Uriarte Otazua, 28, from
Amorebieta, in Vizcaya.
His body was discovered on
Monday morning by a rescue team from France, 200
metres from the summit of
the Pico de Orhi.
Sr Uriarte disappeared
shortly before 20.00 hrs on
Sunday, when he became separated from the other four
members of his climbing
team.
His body was brought down
from the mountains by the
Guardia Civil rescue team,
GREIM.
They and firemen from
Pamplona, Burguete and
Navascuás, together with
officers from the Navarra
regional police force took
part in the search operation.
A helicopter from the Navarra government provided
support from the air.
Police shot at
in bar attack
Two hooded men, both Spaniards, raided a bar in the
Los Boliches area of Fuengirola and fled during a
shoot out with the police.
One of them was detained
after a chase across the
town, but the other managed to make his escape.
One of the policemen had
his leg grazed by a bullet.
The police have found a
grey Audi car used which
they believe was used by
the thieves.
Road deaths in
small decline
A total of 106 people died on
the roads of Spain over the
Easter Week break.
Last year there were 110
deaths in the same period.
The traffic authority, DGT,
says it is disappointed.
Traffic chief, Pepe Navarro,
admitted that this year’s
campaign had failed.
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4
REGIONAL NEWS
COMUNITAT VALENCIANA
Doctor’s appointments
via Bancaja cashpoints
Announcement of new
measure coincides with
doctors’ strike
B.Chulvi&S.Walker
As the elections draw
near, doctors in Valencia
are upping the tempo of
their protests to show local
people that they need more
personnel and more professional resources. One of
their main demands is to
be able to spend more time
with each patient, which in
turn means more doctors
on the team. Health minister, Rafael Blasco, also
seems keen to put forward
new ideas in the run up to
the election. On the same
day as 2000 doctors staged
a strike, he presented a new
and original idea to the media: in a joint venture with
Bancaja, from next June,
patients will be able to
make an appointment with
their doctor via cashpoint
machines.
According to Rafael Blasco & José Luis Olivas, Bancaja’s president, this initiative is “a first in Europe and
brings a number of benefits
to patients in the Comuni-
dad, since they will be able
to request an appointment
with their doctor by simply typing in their SIP card
number into the cashpoint
machine, whether they are
Bancaja clients or not.”
The first phase will see
the system introduced in
just 40 cashpoint machines
and at a later date it will
be extended to all 966 Bancaja cashpoints across the
Comunitat.
Clear priorities
Doctors do not, however,
have the same priorities
as the Health Ministry.
“Whereas the government
seems concerned only with
propaganda, medical professionals want all the money currently being spent on
publicity and deals like this
one to be spent on employing more GPs and more paediatricians, which would
result in a much higher
level of service to patients,”
explained Juan Benedicto,
member of SIMAP an independent doctors’ trade union involved in this strike.
Benedicto complains that
COLLABORATION: Health minister, Rafael Blasco and José Luis Olivas, president of Bancaja
the number of patients allocated to each doctor is excessive and “as any patient
can see, in an ideal world
doctors would be seeing just
three patients every 15 minutes, not five as is currently
the case, or even seven in
the worst cases.”
Encarna Llinares
(PSPV-PSOE) replies
“We promise
to employ 387
more family
doctors”
“The neglect of the public health
service has now reached unsustainable
proportions,” claims the PSPV-PSOE
health secretary, Encarna Llinares.
“Camps has not built a single new
health centre which wasn’t already
included in previous budgets and when
it comes to general practitioners de-
mands, he just passes the buck.” “The
PSPV-PSOE promises to draw up a plan
to improve primary care, with the immediate employment of 387 family doctors so that no GP has more than 1,400
patients to care for and is therefore
able to spend ten minutes with each
one,” says Encarna Llinares.
Doctors demand to spend
more time with patients
Trade unionists claim
that 70% of GPs in the Comunitat Valenciana came
out on strike, whereas the
Generalitat claims that the
strike had less than 10% support.
The trade unions claim
that the Generalitat is including other hospital staff
like nurses and auxiliaries
in its calculations, as they
were also called to strike by
the CCOO union. The truth is that last Tuesday saw
four different strikes, three
by doctors and another, the
CCOO one, by other health
workers.
The strike was not only
called by the medical trade
unions, but also by a group
of non-trade union organisations under the umbrella title of ‘Plataforma 10
Minutos’.
This national
organisation was formed
in Zaragoza in the year
2000 and demands that GPs
have at least ten minutes
with each patient. ‘Plataforma 10 Minutos’ claims
that “compared with every
other developed European
country Spain spends less
on primary care and its GPs
spend less time with their
patients”. Doctors are asking for annual increases
of 20% in the primary care
budget, so that in five years
time it accounts for 24-25%
of the total healthcare budget. Primary care currently
gets only 15% of the healthcare spend.
GPs are also demanding
a maximum of 25 appointments per day, with an average time of ten minutes
per patient and no more
than two home-visits a day.
They also want to secure
adequate time during working hours to spend on training, teaching, research,
preventative medicine and
community work. To avoid
“wasting” time writing out
prescriptions, GPs are de-
manding a system of repeat
prescriptions so that the
chronically ill do not have
to go to their health centre
every time they need medicine.
As far as reform in the
workplace is concerned,
GPs are demanding salaries that reflect the quality
of their work and also the
increased workload that
extra patients have brought
about. They also want renumeration for work done
outside of normal working
hours.
Doctors also want to force the Generalitat to comply with legislation designed to prevent illness and
accidents in the workplace
by ensuring that they have
a working environment
that minimises the risks
of chronic physical or psychological overload, with
particular attention being
paid to pregnant women
and those who have special
needs due to age or illness.
COMUNITAT VALENCIANA
REGIONAL NEWS
5
Zapatero and Camps row
over major investments
Government announces
another extension to
Valencia airport
B.Chulvi&S.Walker
Disagreement between
Spain’s president, Rodríguez Zapatero (PSOE) and the
Francisco Camps (PP) president of the Generalitat Valenciana, over the region’s
infrastructure, overshadowed Zapatero’s recent visit
to Valencia. Zapatero came
to Valencia to officially
open the new airport extension, which was carried out
with the America’s Cup in
mind, but which is already
too small for the volume of
traffic going through the
city’s airport.
During the official opening ceremony, the president
of the central government,
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, announced that the
second phase of the extension would begin this year
and would be finished in
2011. Zapatero toured the
airport’s new facilities, accompanied by the leaders of
the PP in Valencia, Francisco Camps, president of the
Generalitat, and Valencia’s
lady mayoress, Rita Barberá. Zapatero also spent
time at the America’s Cup,
with Ignasi Pla and Carmen
Alborch amongst other socialist candidates for the
Generalitat Valenciana.
In answer to the Valencian PP’s attacks on central government, Zapatero
maintained that “between
2005 and 2007, with the
socialists in power in Madrid, the government had
invested 5.1 billion euros in
the Comunitat Valenciana,
double the amount spent on
infrastructure by the Partido Popular in the previous four years.”
Zapatero assured his audience that the planned investment would allow the
AVE high speed train to
reach the Comunitat Valenciana by 2010 and reminded
them that when he took office in April 2004, only 1,5%
of the work in the AVE
budget had been carried out
and 96km were under construction. “Now,” said Zapatero, “527 km of AVE have
been built and the MadridValencia-Alicante section
is 85% complete.” Zapatero
pointed out there were now
2,000 more police officers
keeping Valencia safe than
there were in 2004.
CONFLICT: Zapatero and Rita Barberá arguing during the airport’s official opening
Francisco Camps
More money and more water
Francisco Camps (PP) has a very different view of the situation and feels
that Valencia has been discriminated
against. Camps pointed out that “the
Comunitat Valenciana has grown
considerably and there are now many
more people living in this region.”
He added that, “this fact needs to be
recognised by central government,
which needs to ensure that we receive
sufficient funds to finance our citizens’
basic services like health and education.”
The president of the Generalitat
was referring to the huge population
increase seen in the region over the
past few years – a million more people
according to a census by the National
Institute of Statistics – and the need to
reform the finance system for autonomous regions, which was set up some
FIGHTING TALK: Camps and Zapatero
years ago following Eduardo Zaplana’s
model. Amongst other infrastructures,
Camps asked central government, and
in particular the Ministry of the Environment, to authorise a much-needed
extension to Valencia’s port area,
reminding Zapatero that the Comunitat
Valenciana leads the way in container
transport.
Camps also repeated his call for excess water from the river Ebro to be
rerouted to the Mediterranean basins,
like the Comunitat Valenciana, where
there is a chronic water shortage. In
reply to this repeated demand, Zapatero assured the Valencian PP that the
AGUA programme “would bring the
Comunitat Valenciana all the water it
needed: 500 cubic hectometres per annum, as opposed to the 300 promised by
the rerouting programme”.
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6
LOCAL NEWS
L’HORTA
CAMP DE MORVEDRE
Alboraia gives go ahead for
green land development
Residents and ecologist
protest in council meeting
over mayor’s decision
A. Gil&A.Elgar
Residents from Alboraia,
Valencia, have protested
against the mayor’s decision to reclassify an area of
protected land within the
municipality and give it to
a property developer to relocate a commercial centre.
Mayor Manuel Álvaro
signed an agreement with
developers Alcampo e Inmochán, allowing them to
move the shopping centre
to a stretch of countryside
on the other side of the motorway. A second project
was approved to build 1,000
luxury villas and an inland
marina on the existing site
of the shopping mall.
Yet in protest over the
decision, residents from
la Huerta de Vera have set
up a movement – ‘Salvem
L’Horta Vera-Alboraia’ – to
defend the ecological value
of the cultivated area, the
only huerta near Valencia,
currently being used for
chufa (tiger nut) production
to make Valencia’s famous
drink horchata. In addition, the mayor has been
strongly criticised for signing the agreement without
actually possessing the
lands, although he insists
that he had finalised a deal
with more than 30 farmers,
agreeing to buy the lands.
Consuelo Jarabe, president of the platform has
stated, on the other hand,
that most affected farmers
are not willing to sell their
lands. Most are young people who have chosen to follow a career in farming.
Yet if the PP government
is re-elected in Alboraia,
they could see their land
expropriated anyway. Furthermore, it has been revealed that the town council
faces a 100-million euro bill
if it fails to grant the lands
to Alcampo, as this would
breach an earlier deal. However, ‘Salvem L’Horta VeraAlboraia’ is confident that
the agreement is worthless,
as planning permission did
not go on public display,
which it was obliged to do.
UNDER THREAT: The green land near Valencia that will disappear if things continue like now
Valencia new zoo Bioparc
will open one year late
Protest against poverty with
human sign in Malvarrosa
Valencia’s new zoo Bioparc will open to the public
this September, almost one
year later than originally
planned. In spite of the set
back, it is still planned that
Valencia’s Mayoress, Rita
Barberá, will go ahead with
opening the zoo’s magnificent newly built entrance
bridge, which crosses the
Parque de Cabecera. The
bridge, which cost 2.5 million-euros to build, is 150m
long. The firm in charge of
building Bioparc has stated
that school children have
already started visiting so
that the animals can get
used to the public during
their acclimatization period. The zoo’s 800-vehicle car
park is now open.
Platform Pobreza Cero
(Zero Poverty) has organised a march to be held on
June 1 to protest against
poverty whilst remembering the objectives of the
United Nations Millennium
agreement on poverty targets, which must be reached
before 2015.
The organisation plans to
gather 2,000 people on Malvarrosa beach to make a
massive human sign showing ‘Zero Poverty’.
The march will coincide
with the final regattas of
the America’s Cup, which
will gather some of the
richest people together in
Valencia’s port.
ORANGUTANG: Waiting for a new home
POVERTY FIGHT: Zero poverty activists
www. javea . co m
L’HORTA
LOCAL NEWS
CAMP DE MORVEDRE
7
Fruit and veg will star at
Prada’s market party
A. Gil&A.Elgar
Italian fashion house
Prada is to hold a party in
Valencia’s central market
this Sunday, April 15, to celebrate its sponsorship of
Italian yachting team Luna
Rossa, who will take part
in the America’s Cup to be
held in the city this summer. Nearly 1,500 guests
will be attending the event,
among whom famous stars
including Brad Pitt and
Demi Moore are expected to
make an appearance. Prada
has paid 10,000 euros to hire
the recently refurbished
building for the event, and
will be paying for additional cleaning and security, as
well as spending thousands
on setting up and decorating the inside and outside
of the market. Prada accessories such as bags and
shoes will be hung from rafters and up to thirty-three
stalls have even been ‘hired’
to give colour to the party.
Organisers have asked
FASHIONABLE TOMATOES: Valencia’s central market will stage a shoes, accessories and vegetable party
the owners of these stalls
to decorate them with the
best products they have and
serve guests anything they
want. In addition to paying for the costs of goods
consumed,
stallholders
will earn an additional 300
euros. Well-known Basque
chef Juan Mari Arzak will
be in charge of catering.
The chef will prepare cold
dishes, mainly seafood as
well as cured tuna, cold
meats, cheeses and fruit.
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8
LOCAL NEWS
Employment
Job help for
deaf people
Companies in Oliva are
making a determined effort
to help deaf people enter
the job market.
A conference organised by
the Federación de Asociación de Empresarios last
week discussed the difficulties disabled people, in
particular the hard of hearing, have in finding employment.
They want to see small and
medium–sized firms making a concerted effort to
help disabled people into
work.
Some of the difficulties incapacitated people have in
securing employment include problems in obtaining qualifications.
Fiestas
Semana
Santa is a hit
La Safor and La Ribera came
alive over the weekend with
thousands of people taking
to the streets for the Easter
processions.
Hotels were fully-booked
with travellers coming to
see the sombre, but emotive
parade marking the crucifixion of Christ on Good
Friday.
Even the rain did not affect
the turnout of residents
and tourists, although the
Vía Crucis (‘way of the
cross’) at daybreak was cancelled in most towns due to
the downpour.
The parades involve hundreds of participants.
Legal
Neighbours
barking mad
A dog-owner has been told
to move his pets from his
back yard because they are
too noisy.
The Provincial Court of
Valencia has ordered an Alfauir man to move his ten
dogs, which live outdoors
and roam loose, because
their barking ‘exceeds the
level of intensity that a person can tolerate’.
Public nuisance action was
taken by a neighbour.
The defendant also has
three hens, seven falcons,
two cats and a mule, which
the plaintiff called to be removed from the yard.
However, the defendant has
been allowed to keep the
other animals in the farmyard as they do not ‘cause
noise or produce intolerable smells’, says the court.
The owners say their animals are kept in perfect hygienic conditions, in good
health and are well-fed.
LA SAFOR
RIBERA ALTA
RIBERA BAJA
Domestic violence
doubles in Gandia
Abuse cases up by 93
per cent in past year
Victims are increasingly
younger, figures reveal
Samantha Kett
Domestic violence in
La Safor has spiralled out
of control in the past 12
months.
In 2006, the number of
cases reported rose by a
whopping 93 per cent in the
district capital, Gandia.
The previous year saw
152 victims approach the
authorities, a number that
has grown by 294.
This does not include
those cases that remain behind closed doors.
Many victims are afraid
to report violence in the
home for fear of reprisals, or being left homeless
where they are economically dependant on their
partners.
Others do not recognise
the seriousness of the situation and blame themselves.
Frequently, abused partners fall into the trap of believing profuse apologies or
promises to ‘change’.
N
As a result, the total of
domestic violence victims
recorded does not necessarily reflect the real figure.
However, the councillor
for social welfare in Gandia, Paloma Calderón, says
the rise in number of cases
may be that more victims
– the majority of whom are
women – are coming forward and reporting their
situation.
With greater efforts being
made to support those living with violent partners,
including police protection, counselling and ‘safe
houses’, women are more
inclined to speak out rather
than suffer in silence.
The highest number of
cases is seen in women in
their thirties, who make up
31 per cent of the total.
Women in their forties
and older account for nearly
a quarter of the total, while
the under-26 age-group represents 19 per cent of all
cases reported.
Calderón reveals victims
Who are the victims?
Not just an immigration issue? Nine in 10 abuse cases
in Spain involve native women, but in Gandia nearly half
of all victims are foreign
On the increase: The rise in the total number of cases
recorded may be because more women are willing to report their situation
Women of a certain age: Victims are most prolific in
their thirties, although a quarter are aged 41 and over
and 19 per cent are under 26
Victims of a trend: Many men cannot handle women’s
new-found independence, says Paloma Calderón
RISING ABUSE: Domestic violence victims are getting younger
are becoming younger, and
attributes this to violence
in society and the media.
The
councillor
says
many men find women’s
new-found independence
difficult to deal with, feeling emasculated by their
girlfriends’ and wives’ desire to pursue a career and
an identity of their own.
Foreign women account
for 43 per cent of domestic
violence victims in Gandia,
says Calderón, although in
Spain as a whole only one
in 10 cases involve immigrants.
Calderón explains that
More women
are speaking out
and refusing to
suffer in silence
in some foreign women’s
countries of origin, wives
are expected to be submissive and domestic violence
is considered less serious.
On arrival in Spain, they
begin to see that such behaviour is not the norm and
that women have greater
freedom, she says.
During the past few years
phone calls have increased
from victims of domestic violence and sufferers of the
eating disorders, anorexia
and bulimia nervosa.
Most calls are made on
Monday, as people generally
feel more low after feeling
isolated at the weekend.
Immigrants make 21 per
cent of the calls, who usually complain of feeling
socially isolated and homesick.
Monastery will be One in five children ‘obese’
protected by law
The Santa María de la Valldigna monastery in Simat
will benefit from a new law
protecting its future.
Members of the regional
government, the Generalitat Valenciana, say the
monastery’s restoration and
preservation will be taken
seriously.
Additionally, they will not
have to wait for funding
from the central government to be able to carry out
the necessary works as and
when the need arises.
The monastery, founded by
King Jaume II in the 13th
century, is one of La Safor’s
greatest tourist attractions.
Its Baroque ceiling and the
grounds, now populated by
orange groves, are some of
its finer points.
Along with the monastery,
the nearby chapel of la
Xara built inside a former
mosque, will also enjoy official protection.
The news has been welcomed by the people of Simat.
Childhood obesity is reaching crisis levels in the Ribera Alta, says the World
Health Organisation.
A shocking 23 per cent of
girls aged 11 and 22.2 per cent
of boys are overweight.
Paediatricians at the Hospital de la Ribera reveal that
12 per cent of boys and 7.5
per cent of girls are clinically obese.
Even 11.5 per cent of sixyear-old boys are obese, and
the same percentage again
are overweight. The situation for girls is little better,
with 9.6 per cent clinically
obese and 18 per cent above
the recommended weight
for their age and height.
The World Health Organisation calls childhood obesity
the ‘world epidemic of the
21st century’.
Children who are severely
overweight run a serious
risk of suffering cardiovascular disorders as adults
such as high blood pressure;
diabetes, and even heart attacks.
Alzira’s hospital says it is vital to raise awareness about
the need to prevent and treat
obesity, and teach healthy
eating habits in schools, at
home and in health centres.
In parts of Spain – including Murcia – and other EU
countries, the sale of fattening snacks and sugary
drinks has been banned in
schools.
Last year in La Ribera, a
campaign, called Niñ@s en
movimiento, was launched
in schools to promote a
more health-conscious attitude among children.
“It is essential that children
know what they are eating.
Their figure and their energy levels are determined
by the food they consume,”
state the organisers.
MARINA ALTA
Marina Alta provides
worst health service
Nikki Luxford
Marina Alta patients are
receiving poor health care
for their money, figures
show.
Residents should be
treated with a minimum
waiting time and doctors
should give 10 minutes to
each patient to attend to
them in the correct medical way.
In one council area of
Spain there are cases of
discrimination in the medical services, this occurring
in Marina Alta.
The figures gathered
in Dénia’s health centre
reveal that the Marina Alta
provides the least personal
care as well being overload-
ed with patients due to an
increase in resident numbers in the summer.
Dénia’s case is the only
one of its kind in Spain
commented a member of
la Junta de Personal who
had up-to-date information
at hand.
It is the only town in the
Comunitat Valenciana that
does not have two health
centres for more than 40,000
registered residents and
the only tourist town in the
region that does not offer
auxiliary care to summer
tourists, when the population rises to 140,000.
The medical staff recently went on strike to call for
a 10 minute minimum consultation per patient.
Their action also pro-
vided evidence of a lack of
patient care and the overloading of patients when
medical staff numbers are
not increased.
The Marina Alta also
invests the least capita per
person for health centres.
Jávea
paediatrician
María Luisa Lucas said:
“Last summer, of the three
paediatricians in Jávea, I
was left on my own due to
one taking a holiday and
the other resigning.”
Lucas had 1,200 children
in her care to attend to and
could not begin to guess
the number she dealt with
during the summer tourist
season.
The centre has the capacity to deal with 2,000 potential patients.
Artur Royo, president of
Junta de Personal del Area
13 said that this week’s
strike may also be repeated
on Thursday May 10.
Those involved in the
strike explained that it was
not aimed at one particular
health body or area as each
council district has different medical facilities.
They said that the problems experienced by the
Marina Alta are also prevalent in other regions.
Dénia is expected to have
an increase of 300 patients
and 20 per cent increase in
tourists on last year.
Patients have been complaining for years that
it is impossible to get an
appointment to see a doctor
at Dénia’s only health centre. Many find it easier to
seek private help instead.
Dénia has only
one health
centre
for 40,000
patients
for both public and goods
transport.
It is expected that the fishing fleet will remain in its
current spot. The nearby
ferries will then move to the
new port.
Some estate agents are
expecting the new port to
bring another boom in property prices. It will make the
town attractive to people
hoping to catch a ferry to
the Balearic Islands as well
as providing another attractive place for visitors to
wine and dine by the Mediterranean.
It will lie alongside Dénia
Marina, which is home to a
number of large yachts and
pleasure boats, as well as
top restaurants and cafés.
A hotel is due to open at the
end of the marina within
the next few months.
9
Desalination
Calpe agrees
to water plan
Calpe’s conservative PP
council has announced the
go-ahead to a new desalination plant, despite the regional government having
ordered work on Torrevieja’s desalination plant to
be stopped on grounds of
environmental damage. It
means that Calpe will now
have three plants.
The town’s PSI leader, Antonio Romera, said: “We
are not able to depend exclusively on water from inland areas. Water from the
River Girona, where much
of Calpe’s drinking water
comes from, is running at
dangerously low levels at
present.”
Culture
Teulada puts
on a carnival
Residents
and
tourists
will be able to enjoy music
concerts, bull running, religious acts and fireworks
during Teulada’s Sant Vicent Ferrer town fiestas,
which started yesterday.
They will continue until
April 22. At 22.00 hrs tonight, the town’s fiesta
queen will be crowned, and
the evening will culminate
with the Chicago Orchestra playing into the small
hours. For more information on the events, visit
www.teulada-moraira.org.
Ferry terminal due Winner snaps up 1,000 euros
to open next year
Dénia’s new port terminal
building is to open next
year, according to the head
of ports and coasts, Vicente
Dómine.
The new building, which
will cost 12 million euros
to build, will place Dénia
at the top of the maritime
league, allowing the port
to handle up to 600,000 passengers a year and 6,000 on
busy days.
The new port building,
which will be parallel to the
new dock, will be three-storeys high, will have checkin and sales desks, as well
as a restaurant and café,
among other services.
It is expected to appeal to
the town’s tourists as well
as ferry passengers heading for Ibiza.
The new dock will accommodate
ferry
services,
LOCAL NEWS
Fiesta
Easter show
goes ahead
IN THE FRAME: The winners show off their photographs
Teulada has held a special
ceremony to announce the
winner of its photographic
competition.
Teulada resident Miquel
Ángel Noguera picked up
first prize for his collection
of photos in Teulada’s 23rd
photography competition,
scooping a 1,000-euro win-
ning prize. His prints, portraying Marina Alta culture,
was a hit with the judges,
who included Teulada’s culture councillor.
Pego residents celebrated
in spectacular style on
Easter Monday, after heavy
rain had forced several processions to be cancelled the
previous week.
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10
LOCAL NEWS
Terrorism
Waging war
on terrorism
Councillors in Benidorm
voted to wage war on terrorism last week.
Representatives
of
the
right-wing PP and left-wing
PSPV-PSOE unanimously
approved a motion to fight
against the violence that
has cost the lives of millions all over the globe.
Every year on March 11,
European Day for Victims
of Terrorism, they propose
to pay homage to those who
lost their lives or were injured in the Madrid train
bombing. Both parties want
to push public powers to ensure ‘the voice of terrorism
victims is heard and acted
upon’.
Politics
New kid on
the BLOC
The face of Callosa council’s sponsorship of distance-learning university
UNED will be BLOC spokesman Vicent Llobell.
On March 29, PP spokesman and electoral candidate Batiste Saval said the
councillor for education
should represent the local
authority instead.
The PSPV-PSOE, the party
that governs in coalition
with El BLOC, says this
comment represented the
PP’s internal crisis.
Environment
Expensive
rubbish
La Vila Joiosa has been
fined 18,000 euros for illegal
dumping of rubbish. The
regional ministry of land
and housing classed the offence as ‘severe’. It filled the
Hierro María mine with refuse without permission.
MARINA BAIXA
Mass development
depends on elections
Mayors of six towns have
approved building plans
Populations will spiral out
of control, opposition fears
Sergi Castillo and
Samantha Kett
The fate of thousands of
new properties lies in the
hands of elections in Marina Baixa towns.
Development
plans
worth millions of euros are
afoot in the majority of the
district’s 18 municipalities,
but could be scuppered if
the opposition takes up the
hotseat.
Building work was given
the green light by the par-
N
ties in power and seconded
by the respective councils’
town
planning
departments.
Yet the opposition in
La Vila Joiosa, Altea, La
Nucía, Orxeta, Relleu and
Finestrat in particular are
against plans for around
50,000 properties and other
development projects in the
pipeline.
In L’Alfàs del Pi, where
the PP is in power, a town
plan involving 7,000 new
houses was suspended in
December because of prob-
Key points
A multi-million industry: Planned developments will
net promoters and builders six-figure sums
Disproportionate: Towns like Relleu and Orxeta, which
have just 1,000 inhabitants, could grow 20-fold if development plans are approved
Against residents’ wishes: Finestrat’s PP leader says
building plans were passed ‘behind residents’ backs’ and
4,000 inhabitants in La Vila Joiosa have signed a petition
against radical a building project
Hanging in the balance: May’s election results will determine whether 50,000 houses will be built
CASTING VOTE: The electorate will decide on future developments
lems with reclassifying the
necessary land.
However, a change in
government could revive
the issue.
A town plan in La Vila
Joiosa proposes to multiply the headcount by five.
Nearly 26,000 houses are
on the cards and 4,000 residents have signed a petition
against the radical development proposal.
If the PSPV comes into
power, electoral candidate
Gaspar Lloret says the proposals for the concrete jungle will be scrapped.
In Finestrat, around
8,000 new houses are on the
cards. Electoral candidate
Honrato Algado (PP) says
the plans were passed ‘behind residents’ backs’.
Nearby Relleu and Orxeta
have given the green light
to development projects
that will multiply their populations, currently around
1,000 each, by 20.
The mayors of both municipalities, PP and socialist
respectively, have attempted
to justify this over-building
by calling it ‘progress’.
Relleu and
Orxeta could
multiply by 20 if
plans proceed
Yet the opposition in
both towns used the term
‘progress’ when rejecting
the plans for a total of 20,000
properties.
Overdevelopment
continues to be a bone of contention for the Comunitat
Valenciana.
With the huge number of
new housing estates, often
with golf courses, in the
pipeline, house prices are
rising out of control and
unspoilt stretches of countryside are diminishing.
The region’s
development policies have come
under fire by the European
Commission, and a number
of fact-finding missions
have been made to Spain’s
east coast to investigate the
matter.
Parents panic as schoolboy catches meningitis
A meningitis outbreak has
caused panic among parents in a Benidorm primary
school.
Children at the Bautista Lledó
centre have been checked by
healthcare workers as a pre-
cautionary measure.
A four-year-old boy was
struck by the disease last
week, confirm sources from
the school.
Medical workers from the
town’s health centre imme-
diately attended the scene
to ensure that the illness
did not spread to other children.
Paediatricians and epidemilogy experts visited
the school this week.
They gave all second-year
pupils at the centre preventative treatment and
ensured parents were informed at every stage.
The ministry of health believes this is an isolated
case and have called for parents and teachers to remain
calm.
Symptoms include a high fever, sometimes with chills,
severe headache, nausea
and a sensitivity to light.
www.ellis.com.es
We take care 24/7
MARINA BAIXA
Raw sewage used
to water courses
LOCAL NEWS
11
Live the dream
Hotel blames problems with
its water treatment plant
Council fears illness and infection risk among golfers
Samantha Kett
Raw sewage is reportedly
being used to water luxury
golf courses in the Benidorm area, according to the
town council.
Local authorities heard
that the well-known fivestar hotel complex had been
storing waste water from
the buildings in a deposit
on the grounds to re-use for
irrigating the courses and
the resort’s gardens.
They suspect that the
deposit, one of the lakes in
the centre of one of the golf
courses, also catches rainwater which, along with
residual water from the
hotels, is not treated before
use.
Sources from the hotel
firm say this move was in
response to an ‘immediate’ problem with the local
sewage plant and that they
are seeking a solution to resolve the matter. They say
they have their own system
available to water its golf
courses with second-hand
water.
The water travels to the
lake in the centre of the
golf course from the hotel
which, instead of filtering out the sewage into the
drainage network, channels
it to a sewage plant on the
complex itself.
After being treated at
the plant, the water is then
being re-used for the golf
course.
Water alleged
to be highly
unsightly
7.80 %
TEE OFF: Golfers may be at risk from sewage
However, the plant reportedly broke down some
two months ago, despite
which the water continues
to be used.
Councillors say the water contains plastic bottles,
condoms and sanitary towels, and is highly unsightly.
They are concerned that
this practice could lead to
infections and illnesses
amongst those using the
golf course or living and
working nearby.
The hotel’s management
has been ordered to repair
the plant immediately or
temporarily connect itself
up to the mains drainage to
filter out the residue from
the water.
To arrange a no
obligation consultation with your
local OFS
adviser call:
Rain ruins Benidorm wine festival
14 houses proves a hit with tourists
Building works and heavy
rain are being blamed for
houses falling down in
Altea. Fourteen families
had to be evacuated when
cracks started to appear in
their homes in the Puntal
block on C/ Calvario.
Nearby works on councilsubsidised homes, known
as Viviendas de Protección
Oficial have been partly
blamed for the incident.
A huge chasm has opened
up in the C/ Calvario, forcing police to close the road
and stop pedestrians from
passing through.
Torrential rain has also
caused land movement,
which exacerbated the
problem.
Councillor for development,
Jacinto Mulet, explains the
street is built on what used
to be farm land, meaning
the rain caused it to sink.
Between C/ Calvario and
neighbouring C/ Santa Teresa, where the VPO properties are under construction, is a drop in level of
some eight metres.
Twelve families in the
Puntal apartment block returned to their homes yesterday. The other two families are being temporarily
re-housed by the council.
Wine lovers downed the finest that the Comunitat Valencia and wider Spain has
to offer at a special event.
Benidorm’s first-ever wine
fair, held on Saturday, was a
roaring success.
Part of a series of events
organised throughout the
year to raise funds for
the Festejos Mayores, the
town’s main festival that
takes place in November,
the wine fair attracted a
huge turnout.
Thousands of residents
and tourists turned up to
the event, which was held
on the Paseo Colón opposite
the Parque de Elche.
Jávea-Richard Morris
For six euros, they were
able to buy a ticket allowing them to taste six glasses
of wine in order to gain a
flavour for the wares of the
bodegas taking part.
About 30 wine-sellers joined
in from Marina Baixa as
well as other parts of Alicante province and beyond.
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12
LOCAL NEWS
Environment
Square given
a makeover
The mayor of Crevillente,
César Augusto Asencio, has
inaugurated the remodelled
garden square in the town’s
El Realengo district. The
square has a rest area opposite the town hall, children’s play areas, a public
square, formal gardens and
a pedestrianised area.
During
his
inaugural
speech, the mayor pointed
out that the suggestions of
local people had been taken
into account in an effort to
preserve the district’s agricultural and traditional
character.
The town hall is planning
to erect some kind of a tribute to the square’s designer,
José Luis Fernández del
Amo.
Training
Council wins
top marks
Santa Pola Town Hall has
been awarded a gold medal
by the International School
of Protocol for its co-operation and constant support
in training the school’s
students. School director,
Concepción Alhama, said
the excellent relationship
between the two institutions has been of most benefit to second and third year
students.
During their placements,
students are trained and
put what they have learned
into practice while getting
first hand experience.
Crime
Couple beaten
An elderly couple aged 72
and 76 were being treated in
Elche Hospital on Friday after being beaten up in their
home in Crevillente.
ALTO, MEDIO Y BAJO VINALOPÓ
Masts
hidden
in trees
Phone transmitters have to
resemble palms, council says
Esperanza Blanc
and G Lennon
Elche town council has
ruled that mobile phone
masts should resemble
palm trees. Although most
of them are installed on
the tops of privately-owned
buildings, significant numbers of free-standing masts
are in open spaces on the
outskirts of the town which
have an important visual
impact, especially in the
case of Elche and its unique
skyline.
N
The council has decided
they should now be disguised as palm trees, eight
to 10 metres tall. Made of
steel, the trunks are topped
with 20 palm leaves, which
serve as antennae, and are
perfect in every detail. At a
distance, it is almost impossible to pick them out from
a clump of real trees.
Council spokesman, Alejandro Pérez, said the ruling applies to all mobile
phone operators, who have
two years to replace all existing masts with the new
model.
Debate about its impact
Complaints from residents: Over the past few years,
several residents’ and parents’ associations in Elche
have protested against the proximity of the masts and
the potential health risks.
Research: The World Health Organisation has no evidence to prove that mobile phone masts are dangerous.
However, health experts indicate that it is better to have
a larger number of low power masts.
IN DISGUISE: Masts are hidden in palm trees, inset, details close up
The council has ordered
the removal of 16 masts
that have hitherto been
protected under legislation
passed in 2002, and which
must be removed within
months.
In 2002, Elche council
passed what was described
as the toughest mobile
phone legislation in Europe, that was contested by
several mobile phone operators in Valencia’s Supreme
Tribunal. This banned the
Minister visits road project
Regional
infrastructure
minister, José Ramón García Antón, paid a visit last
week to see how the roadwidening project on the Dolores freeway was progressing.
During his visit, the minister said the work is now
almost finished and that
the road markings would
be painted after the Easter
holidays. He also said the
newly-widened road ‘will
create a new alternative to
cross the Vega Baja area’.
The works started in 2001
and were supposed to have
been completed within 53
months. Sr García said that
the delay had been caused
by the complexity of working in a heavily developed
and industrial area.
The work has consisted of a
dual carriageway with nine
illuminated roundabouts.
installation of masts in areas such as parks, palm tree
plantations and protected
buildings. It also established
a 100 metre safety cordon
around sensitive areas such
as schools and health centres. The most controversial
measure was a limit on the
maximum power that was
100 lower than the national
limit. It also obliged companies to apply for an operating licence for each mast
prior to its installation.
In September 2005 the Supreme Tribunal ruled in favour of the companies that
had complained the legislation was too demanding.
The court removed the power limit on the grounds the
state ruling should apply as
well as the need to apply for
operating licences.
Now, the council has approved plans for 33 masts
by Orange and 26 for Telefónica.
Showing diversity
‘Gazing at ice’ is the title
of an exhibition of photos
of children with Down’s
Syndrome by Guillermo
Rueda which can be seen
at Elche’s Archaeology and
History Museum. Rueda’s
aim is to highlight the role
people with Down’s have in
SAN FULGENCIO AND URBANISATIONS
Local Police in San Fulgencio and
Urbanisations
There are two Local Police squads that Doña Trinidad
Martínez Andrés has set up in San Fulgencio and
Urbanisations. One for the town centre in 2004 and the
other for the surrounding urbanisations in 2005.
She has increased the number of human and material
resources in the Local Police force to a total of 32 agents,
3 officials, 4 cars and 2 motorbikes.
modern society. The photos
capture the crystal gaze of
the protagonists as they go
about their everyday lives.
The exhibition is organised
to coincide with the National Congress for Attention to
Diversity and is being held
in Elche from May 3-6.
VEGA BAJA
Historic schooner
gets ready to set sail
Politicians have been arguing
for years over ship’s future
Vessel starred on British
television in the 1970s
Alicia Negre and
Alex Elgar
Troubled schooner Pascual Flores could be up and
running by June, according
to the ship’s engineers.
They said all that is needed is to waterproof the boat
before it is ready to sail.
To this day, the schooner,
which dates from 1918, continues to be one of the most
controversial boats ever to
have sailed from Torrevieja
and has caused ongoing
debate between the government and members of the
opposition for years.
Last week, the town’s
mayor, Pedro A. Hernández
Mateo (PP), accompanied
by the town’s culture councillor, Eduardo Dolón, visited the boat.
Mateo said: “The works
are in an advanced state and
will be completed in June.
The vessel will become the
insignia boat of the Comunitat Valenciana and a real
sign of the identity of the
city of Torrevieja.”
Completion of the boat
could put an end to a long
period of confrontation between the council and the
opposition.
Torrevieja’s local opposition, represented by the
Izquierda Unida (IU), Los
Verdes (LV), and the socialists (PSOE), have strongly
attacked the restauration
project.
Spokesperson for the
town’s socialists, Manuel
Vera, called the project ‘The
Hernández Mateo theme
park’. Few doubt whether
the boat has been restored
or whether it has been competely reproduced.
Actual investment in the
boat remains something
of a mystery. In the latest
town budget, the council
approved a 1.6 million-euro
investment in the boat, the
fourth time the council has
injected money into the
boat’s restauration since it
was recovered from Bristol,
England, in 2000. The socialists believe that more than
started on the first floor,
where three boys had been
playing. They were the first
to leave the building, warning residents to leave as the
fire quickly took hold.
Although there were no
serious injuries, one child
had to be taken to hospital
13
Development
Coast homes
cause outcry
Orihuela’s
conservative
Partido Popular (PP) party
rejected calls this week
by the socialists (PSOE)
to abandon plans to build
1,500 houses in Cala de la
Mosca on Orihuela’s coastline, taking advantage of
their absolute majority in
the council.
The houses will be built in
the last area of virgin land
on the Orihuela coastline.
It is for this reason along
with the proximity of the
bay to a place of community
interest (LIC), namely the
Cabo Roig, that the project
has caused such an outcry.
Most opposition members
have protested to the town’s
councillor for urbanism,
Eva Ortiz, against its environmental impact.
Culture
Global choirs
enjoy contest
ON SHOW: Pascual Flores is undergoing a major revamp
four million euros have
been invested in the boat.
Pascual Flores is 33m
long and 7m in width. It was
built in Torrevieja by shipbuilding master Antonio
Marí El Temporal as a fruit
schooner, one of many built
in ports all over Europe in
the middle of the 20th century, eventually ousted by
motorised ships and road
transport.
In the 1920s, the Pascual
Flores made several trips
to the Caribbean, and even
featured in the Spanish film
La Última Luna. During the
Second World War she was
used as a German ammunition barge and received
her first engine. In 1975, she
was purchased and brought
to England for commercial
charter work by entrepreneur Peter Gregson.
She appeared in various
episodes of the BBC TV series The Onedin Line. Later
in the 70s, the boat was
given to a charitable trust
in Bristol who provided
sailing training among the
city’s young.
Due to difficulties in obtaining grants for modernising the boat, the owners
offered back to Torrevieja,
where she had been built.
Torrevieja town council
plans to convert the boat
into a floating museum,
which will complement its
submarine museum.
Families evacuated during fire Top tennis event
Residents in a four-storey apartment block were
forced to flee when a fire
broke out.
About 20 people had to be
evacuated on Sunday in
Torrevieja after their building went up in flames.
The fire is believed to have
LOCAL NEWS
for smoke inhalation and a
mild panic attack.
The cause of the fire has yet
to be determined.
Police are investigating and
would be interested to talk
to the children who first
discovered the blaze and
warned the other residents.
From April 14 to 22, Pilar de
la Horadada’s tennis club
will be hosting the V Obralia International Junior
Tennis Competition, considered to be the best junior
tennis event in Spain.
A total of 286 children of 49
nationalities will be taking
part in the event this year,
and Murcia tennis pro Nicolás Almagro will be making
an appearance.
For more information, call
the club on: 650 492 018 or
visit the official website at
www.clubtenishoradada.
com.
SAN FULGENCIO AND URBANISATIONS
Local Police in San Fulgencio and
Urbanisations
There are two Local Police squads that Doña Trinidad
Martínez Andrés has set up in San Fulgencio and
Urbanisations. One for the town centre in 2004 and the
other for the surrounding urbanisations in 2005.
She has increased the number of human and material
resources in the Local Police force to a total of 32 agents,
3 officials, 4 cars and 2 motorbikes.
Choirs from around Spain,
Venezuela, Mexico, Italy,
Ukraine and Lithuania will
be participating in Torrevieja’s International choir
competition this week, the
21st year the event has been
celebrated.
For the first time, the festival will take place in the
town’s
teatro-auditorio.
The event concludes this
Sunday April 15. For more
information, contact Torrevieja’s tourist information
on: 965 70 34 33.
Police
Mystery death
The Guardia Civil are investigating the death of a 52-year
old Belgian woman, whose
body was found in a house
on the Becisa urbanisation
in Torrevieja on Monday.
14
REGIONAL NEWS
MURCIA
Centre being built
for disabled people
Construction for a new
health and leisure centre
for disabled people has been
started in Churra.
It will have 80 residential rooms and 20 for half
board. The new building,
which will replace the existing one, has health facilities and seven surgeries on
the ground floor for physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and
psychological and medical treatment, as well as
a sports hall, a swimming
pool and a garden area.
It is expected the new centre will have the most up-todate equipment to help disabled people keep mobile.
Specially-adapted
swimming pools are extremely
important for people with
physical disabilities. Moving about in the water helps
them to strengthen muscles
even if they do not have the
use of their legs or arms, or
have very limited use.
The new centre will also
have experienced staff to
run it.
Thousands enjoy
Murcia festivity
Daniel Vidal and
Cornelia Muller
Thousands of visitors
and residents have taken to
Murcia’s streets to enjoy its
festivities.
Since last Saturday Murcia has ben in a big party
mood. The spring fiestas
will continue until this Sunday. More than 80 activities
including bull-running, live
music, traditional processions, exhibitions, theatre
shows, workshops for children and traditional dance
are on the programme.
This year the route of the
funeral of the sardine on
Saturday has been changed.
It will start from the Avenida San Juan de la Cruz, and
finish on the Avenida Rector José Loustau. On April,
9, people marched through
the streets, whistled loudly
and read out the pitocrónica,
a satirical speech on recent
events in town which was
backed up by loud whistling, the Spanish word for
whistling is pitar.
On Wednesday, the mayor, Miguel Ángel Cámara,
presented Mr Fish and Mrs
Sardine. The guests of honour this year are the president of the football club,
Real Murcia; and a journalist from the paper La Opinión who will lead the cheering crowd in fancy dresses
this week. Throughout the
entire fiesta people can eat
and drink as much as they
like in fiesta tents.
Towns take pride
in clean beaches
FLYING THE FLAG: Beaches want blue flags
The coastal villages San
Pedro del Pinatar, Los Alcázares, San Javier, Cartagena, Mazarrón and Águilas
have applied at the environmental and consumer association, an international
NGO, to include 40 beaches
and two ports in the list
of clean and high-quality
beaches.
In all they have been asking
for 45 blue flags for the clean
beaches.
Thousands find jobs
More than 14,000 people in
Murcia have found a new
job thanks to an initiative
that was started in 1995. The
city had made special agree-
ments with companies to
offer apprenticeships and
re-training for unemployed
people to bring them back
into the labour market.
Murcia bids to lure
business people
Murcia is aiming to attract
business people into its city.
The town hall will allocate
45,000 euros to promote the
city as an attractive place
for conferences, congresses
and business meetings. It
signed an agreement with
the association of organisers of congresses which was
founded in 1998 and consists
of members of the town
hall, and representatives of
the private and public sector, such as travel agencies,
or marketing agencies.
LA HUERTA DE MURCIA
Election campaigns
starting in earnest
Last chance for residents to
check they have a right to vote
Daniel Vidal
and Cornelia Muller
On Monday the election
campaign for the new town
halls and regional parliaments officially started.
For the next 54 days, meet-
N
ings can be held to win the
votes of the people. Apart
from the Spanish nationals,
also people from any of the
member states of the European Union and Norway
have the right to take part
in the elections, however,
they must have registered
PP closes candidate list
In the middle of the Easter week, the Popular Party
closed its list of candidates for the regional assembly.
The most interesting candidates are for the constituency
of Murcia are:
 the public prosecutor, Manuel Campos,
 the former rector of the university of Murcia, José
Ballesta,
 the director of the museum Salzillo, María Teresa
Marín,
 as well as the top candidate of the former vice president of the government in Valcárcel, Antonio Gómez
Fayrén. Before he left the political scene for personal reasons in 2003, he was also labour minister and president
of the region.
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NO AGE LIMIT.
EVERYONE ACCEPTED
their desire to vote prior
and be added to the electoral roll.
On May 27, when the people go to the polls, mayors
and councillors of 45 towns
in Murcia will be elected.
On the same day people can
vote for representatives in
the regional parliaments.
Between April 9 and 16,
anybody, Spanish as well
as foreign, who has registered their right to vote,
can check the electoral rolls
to see if their details have
been included correctly, and
ask for them to be corrected
if necessary. The enquiries
cannot be made over the
phone, people have to go to
the town hall in person to
check the data and to ask
for any correction.
It is necessary to present
a document of identification, passport or residence
card.
An employee of the town
15
Health
More victims
of winter flu
More than 12,250 have
caught the flu between September last year and this
March compared to the
same period last year when
only 3,668 people caught flu.
However this year’s figure
are no cause for concern.
In the previous winter 8,700
people had to be treated and
in 2004 20,836 people suffered from the flu.
This year the first cases
were registered later than
in other years. For the first
six weeks the number of ill
people increased continuously. With the second half
of February, the number of
people that fell ill started to
decrease again.
The majority of people taken ill were between 20 and
39 years old.
Disease
Warning
to travellers
Health centres have distributed 10,000 leaflets explaining contagious illnesses and
pointing out preventative
measures for people travelling to exotic countries.
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ELECTION TIME: All change at the town hall
hall will access the data
on a computer. Opening
hours are Monday to Friday, 09.00hrs–13.30hrs and
17.00hrs–20.00hrs and on
Saturday 09.00hrs–13.00hrs.
According to official data
45,327 people from some of
the 26 member states of the
EU are registered in the Region of Murcia. Three years
earlier it was 13,082.
They all have the right to
vote and be included in the
electoral roll, if they have
expressed their desire in
writing. For the elections in
2003, only 2,558 people registered their right to vote.
According to the National
Institute of Statistics, for
this year’s election 8,500
people have registered.
Foreign residents who do
not come from a European
country and therefore do
not have the right to vote
went out into the street to
demonstrate and demand
their right to vote. Their
motto was ‘aquí vivo, aquí
voto, por una ciudadanía
plena,’ I live here and I vote
here, for full citizenship.
LOCAL NEWS
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16
LOCAL NEWS
Transport
Take the train
to win a prize
The association El Labradorcico has open the 21st
‘traveller of the year’ competition for Águilas. Until
the end of November, 10,
anybody travelling by train
to and from Águilas can
hand in their used ticket at
the local train station and
participate in a draw. The
winners will receive prizes
between 150 and 1,200 euros
and two train tickets for a
journey within Spain.
One of the ideas behind the
contest is to show the public that trains are a serious
means of communication.
Politicians also hope to be
able to improve the service
between Águilas and Murcia if they can show that
many people use the train.
The same association has
also opened the first national contest ‘Mi amigo el
tren’ - My friend, the train.
Anybody wishing to write
a story on a train journey,
can hand it in before April
27, and participate in the
prize draw.
Crime
Demand for
more police
About 2,500 neighbours in
Alhama have signed a petition demanding more security in their home town.
The initiative was started
by Francisco Coca.
More and more people feel
insecure due to the number
of robberies and break-ins
in urbanisations and rural
homes, as well as assaults.
Thefts of and from cars
have increased a lot too.
The residents are asking
for more police presence
in the streets, and more security in areas such as supermarkets, public parking
areas and spot checks on
identities.
ALTO GUADALENTÍN
BAJO GUADALENTÍN
Bins go underground
to boost town’s image
One of the most important
investment projects this year
Containers will be placed
at strategic points in Lorca
José Andúgar and
Cornelia Muller
The main clearing company of Lorca, Limusa, has
started to install underground bins to dispose of
the rubbish in a less obtrusive way to improve the image of the town.
The prefabricated containers will be placed at
N
strategic points of the city
to collect the different kinds
of rubbish. They will be
placed on the streets Granero, General Eytier, Alfonso
X El Sabio and Abad de los
Arcos, the market square
and on the squares El Negrito and Alcolea, as well as
the gate San Ginés.
Each concrete unit will
cost between 200 and 320
euros. In a street like Gra-
Why recycle?
IRREPLACEABLE: Most of what is thrown away is
made from products that are running out or cannot be
replaced quickly enough because of the amount we consume. Many materials have a value and can be reused.
ECONOMICAL: Making new goods out of recycled material saves energy. For example, making new aluminium
cans from recycled ones uses 20 times less energy than
making cans from the raw material.
ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY: Reducing what we
use and recycling materials lessens the need to dig up or
mine new raw materials, which often damages the surrounding environment.
GOING UNDERGROUND: These bins are being replaced
nero the expenses amount
to 1,200 euros, or on Alcolea
7,000 euros.
The works for underground bins will also start
on the streets Santiago,
Nogalte and Floridablanca.
The steel containers that
are now in use will be removed and the new underground bins will only have
the one-metre-high holes
above ground to throw in
the rubbish.
The cleaning company
announced that this is one
of the most important investment projects this year.
There will be separate bins
for household rubbish, plastics, paper and glass.
The underground containers are considered to
be more hygenic and less
Statue unveiled in memory of apostle
Government
Secretary for
health centre
Lorca health centre needs
more administrative personnel, it has been agreed.
The town hall in Lorca has
applied with the regional
health council to approve
an additional administrative secretary in special
isolation units in La Parroquia, Almendricos and
Ramonete, since there is no
computer available to administer the data.
They will assist the medical
personnel in their work.
The councillor for health,
Marisol Sánchez Jódar, said
their duties will include the
update of the database and
the smooth running of the
centres.
IN MEMORY: The mayoress said the statue of Santiago helps keep his legend alive
A bronze statue has been
erected in the port in honour of the apostle Santiago
who first arrived in Spain
in Cartagena. The statue is
three metres high and was
created by the local sculptor Juan José Quirós Illán,
who has his studio in Santa
Lucía, the area adjacent to
the port. Next to it is a 15metre-high steel cross that
was created by Andrés Martínez. At night it is illuminated.
The town hall of Cartagena
and the Murcia region paid
144,000 euros for it.
The fishermen who watched
this week’s unveiling and
live close to the port said
they are proud of it. The
mayoress, Pilar Barreiro,
who was also present, said
that thanks to the statue
the legend has become alive
again.
According to legend the
apostle set foot on Spanish
soil in 35BC to bring Chris-
tianity to Spain.
According to legend the
apostle came to Spain twice,
once to Cartagena and the
second time to Santiago de
Compostela in Galicia.
The second time he came to
Spain, it was for his remains
to be buried in the cathedral
in Santiago de Compostela.
unsightly than the big steel
ones used at the moment.
New bins will help to improve the look of the town
Work starts
on school
The first stone has been laid
down for the new primary
school Sagrado Corazón in
Puerto Lumbreras.
The councillor for education, Juan Ramón Medina,
and the mayor, Pedro Antonio Sánchez, took part in
the ceremony.
It will cost about five million euros and construction
will take two years. The regional government will cover the entire investment.
The school will have seven
preschool halls and 20 classrooms for primary school
children, as well as a dining
hall, a kitchen, a gym, a library, laboratories, a sports
hall and an open sports
area with 800 square metres
each.
The school will have room
for 450 pupils. The total
surface will be 3,946 square
metres over three levels on
a plot of 15,000 square metres.
The current primary school
with the same name is 50
years old and 500 metres
away from the new one,
which will soon be able to
accommodate the growing
number of children.
MAR MENOR
CAMPO CARTAGENA
US ambassador gives
blessing to GE sale
Reassurance that high-tech
production plant is safe
José Andúgar and
Cornelia Muller
The American ambassador in Spain, Eduardo
Aguirre, visited the Región
de Murcia a few days ago
and declared that to him the
sale of the plant of the multinational General Electric
in Cartagena is not a problem.
In fact he felt it was quite
the opposite, it is an opportunity.
After a meeting with the
regional president, Ramón
Luis Valcárcel, Aguirre felt
well informed about GE’s
sales strategy, one of the
most important companies
in the area and known for
its excellence.
He said the owners are
looking for the highest bid
and it is most likely that a
company with a similar or
even higher rating will buy
the plant.
In a meeting with representatives of the institute
for public works and other
business men Aguirre said
he was keen to learn more
about the economic development in Murcia and that he
would pass the information
on to his embassy.
He added that this was
only a visit to collate information.
He said: “We know that
the agricultural sector in
Murcia is very strong, since
its produce is already exported into the US but there
are immense possibilities
in other areas, such as tourism, culture or technology.”
Another stop of his tour
was a visit to Cartagena. He
expressed his trust to the
mayor, Pilar Barreiro, that
the future of the high-tech
LOCAL NEWS
17
Development
Promenade
to get revamp
The promenade in Santiago de La Ribera, San Javier, will soon be lit up with
street lamps and have new
water and sewage pipes for
the nine beach bars which
will open in the summer.
Health
Machine to
spot eye fault
Torre Pacheco health centre
has bought a retinograph,
specialist equipment to detect eye injuries caused by
diabetes. A programme to
stop smoking will be introduced, as well as a service
to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
Economy
BACKING PLANS: Eduardo Aguirre puts his trust in the mayor Pilar Barreiro
production plant for plastics
of General Electrics is safe.
Already in 2005, exports
into the United States
reached 250 million euros.
The councillor for industry and environment, Benito Mercader, pointed out
that the trade relations between the Región de Murcia
to the United States could
become even closer with an
exchange of knowledge and
new products in the sector
of new information technologies and renewable energy.
Water-based energy use,
as well as desalination
plants, solar and photovoltaic energy are very important in this context.
Aguirre also met the mayor of Murcia on his tour.
Bill discount
Pensioners and large families in La Unión can apply
for a discount of 20 to 25 per
cent on water bills with the
company Unión de Servicios Municipales.
18
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Abuse
Glitter wants
sentence cut
Pop singer Gary Glitter
wants another reduction of
his three-year child molestation sentence in Vietnam.
Glitter, 62, real name Paul
Francis Gadd, was convicted of the sexual abuse of
two Vietnamese girls in
March 2006.
A court cut his term by
three months under a national amnesty in February
and he is due for release in
August 2008.
Glitter’s lawyer, Le Thanh
Kinh, said he plans to submit a request for another
six-month reduction.
He will make the request
during an amnesty to mark
Liberation Day on April 30.
Glitter has been behind
bars since November 2005
and was found guilty in
March last year of committing obscene acts with two
girls aged 10 and 11 from
the southern coastal city of
Vung Tau.
Under Vietnamese law, Glitter must serve at least half
his term, including time
in custody before his trial,
meaning his earliest possible release date would be
this May.
Crime
South African
farmer jailed
Water returns to sea
that turned to desert
The Kazakhstan government
has secured a huge loan
The money will be used to
build a second dam
By Sarah Farrell
and Bill Beckett
The Kazakhstan government has secured a multimillion dollar loan from the
World Bank to help save the
Aral Sea.
The money will be used to
implement the second stage
of a project aimed at saving
the northern part of the
sea.
The United Nations has said
the disappearance of the
Aral is the world’s worst
man-made environmental
disaster.
The new project could mean
that at least part of the
Aral, once the world’s fourth largest inland sea, will be
saved.
The project aims to reverse
the disaster which has tur-
ned the sea into a desert.
In the 1970s when the USSR
government diverted two
main rivers feeding the
Aral to irrigate cotton
fields in Uzbekistan and
Kazakhstan and starved
of water, the sea began to
shrink.
The desert spread, changing the climate, destroying the economy and the
ecosystem, killing species
STRANDED: Abandoned ships in what was once the Aral Sea
By the 1990s
only a quarter
of the Aral Sea
was left
It did not solve the problem
entirely because on the Uzbekistan side of the border,
the southern part of the sea
is still shrinking.
In Kazakhstan officials say
40 per cent of the sea has already returned.
Using the 126 million dollars
Smith’s baby’s dad
named after tests
A South African farmer has
been jailed for 20 years for
killing Zimbabwean farm
worker Jealous Dube, who
he said he had mistaken for
a baboon.
The judge dismissed Jewell Crossberg’s claim that
he had fired shots to scare
off baboons on his farm in
Limpopo Province, which
borders Zimbabwe.
The farmer was also found
guilty of attempting to
murder four other workers
he had accused of laziness.
Crossberg told the court: “I
really, really, really didn’t
mean to shoot anyone
dead.”
Crossberg was refused permission to appeal.
Environment
and forcing thousands of
people to leave the area.
By the 1990s only a quarter
of the Aral Sea was left, but
recently using a $68m loan
from the World Bank, the
Kazakh government built a
dam that split the sea into
two parts.
in which they tried to prove
they fathered the child.
Dannielynn could inherit
millions if her mother’s
estate wins a legal battle
over a previous husband’s
legacy.
Mr Birkhead told reporters
he planned to buy new toys
for his daughter.
DNA tests have revealed
that Larry Birkhead, a former boyfriend of the late
Playboy model, Anna Nicole Smith, fathered her baby
daughter, Dannielynn.
Ms Smith’s partner and
lawyer, Howard Stern, is
one of two other men who
have now lost a court case
Ms Smith died aged 39 of an
accidental overdose of sleeping pills
in a Florida hotel on February 8.
She lived in the Bahamas for the last
months of her life and was buried
there.
SALMA HAYEK: Latino film company
Emergency
aid increased
Hayek company to
make Latino films
Emergency aid supplies are
being stepped up to thousands of people stranded
after a tsunami struck the
Solomon Islands.
At least 20 people were killed and several thousand
are homeless after the huge
wave destroyed towns and
villages. Helicopters have
made the first drops of aid
but food, shelter and medicines are all said to be in
short supply.
Salma Hayek, the Mexicanborn actress, has formed a
production company which
aims to promote films with
Latino themes and talent to
a mass audience.
The star of Frida is working in partnership with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
She will be the chief executive of Ventanazul, which
will release between two
and four films per year.
Hayek, 40, said the deal was
an amazing opportunity to
draw upon the entire range
of ways the Latin world can
contribute to the film industry, with films which appealed to everyone.
She is an executive producer of the comedy Ugly
Betty, which was adapted
from a Colombian telenovela, in addition to her role
on the show as a magazine
editor.
Australia plans to
double its troops
Australia plans to almost
double its troop numbers in
Afghanistan by next year
amid warnings that the Taleban insurgency shows no
sign of weakening.
Prime
Minister
John
Howard said without an extra effort, the fight against
the militants would not be
won.
He warned the country to
prepare for casualties.
Six Canadian soldiers died
at the weekend in the worst
single incident for the
NATO-led force since 2005.
Australia currently has
some 550 soldiers in Afghanistan and Mr Howard said
the extra troops would include 300 special forces.
He said: “We’re not losing
the war but we will not win
it without renewed and increased effort.”
loan from the World Bank it
is planned to build a second
dam which it is hoped will
bring the water back to the
deserted port of Heralsk.
Communities in the area
are already feeling the impact as fishermen have returned to their boats.
Bishops warn
of uprising
Zimbabwe’s Roman Catholic bishops have warned of
a mass uprising unless free
elections are held, in a letter pinned up in churches
across the country.
The letter said: “Many
people in Zimbabwe are angry, and their anger is now
erupting into open revolt.”
Individual bishops have
previously criticised President Robert Mugabe, a
Catholic, but this is the
strongest joint attack on his
government.
Zimbabwe’s nine Roman
Catholic bishops also called
for a national day of prayer
tomorrow.
Last month, a prayer meeting attended by opposition
leaders and activists was
broken up by police, leaving
two people dead.
Mr Mugabe said they had
deserved their beatings for
ignoring police warnings
that the meeting was illegal.
The AP news agency reported that large crowds of
people gathered to read the
letter on Easter Sunday at
the Catholic cathedral in
Harare.
Last month the outspokesn
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, called for Zimbabweans
to take to the streets in
order to tell Mr Mugabe to
step down.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
19
Bomb blasts
rock Algeria
Parliamentary polls will
take place next month
Algerian Prime Minister
Abdelaziz Belkhadem says
parliamentary polls will
take place as planned next
month in spite of two bombings in the capital.
At least 23 people were killed and 162 hurt in the suicide attacks, one of which
targeted Mr Belkhadem’s
office.
Mr Belkhadem, who was
not in his office at the time
of the blast, said the bombers wanted to take Algeria
back to the years of hardship.
A person claiming to be a
spokesman for al-Qaeda
said it organised the attack
but there has been no verification of the claim.
The official APS agency,
quoting the Algerian authorities, said at least 12 people
were killed and 118 injured
in the attack on the prime
minister’s office.
According to the agency,
11 people were killed and
44 injured in the second
attack, on a police station
in the eastern district of
Bab Ezzouar.
The violence in Algiers comes a day after the authorities in neighbouring Morocco said they had foiled
a plot to target foreign and
strategic interests by suicide bombers.
Three suspects blew themselves up after being pursued by the authorities, and
a fourth was shot dead by
police.
It also follows clashes with
militants in Tunisia earlier
this year.
Violent attacks have been
increasing in Algeria since the main Islamist rebel
group, the Salafist Group
for Preaching and Combat
(GSPC), changed its name to
the al-Qaeda Organisation
in the Islamic Maghreb in
January.
Al-Jazeera TV said this
was the group that had
claimed responsibility for
Wednesday’s violence.
Government staff were injured by flying glass and debris, which spread up to 300
metres from the blasts.
The latest scenes of blood
on the streets of Algiers
will revive memories of the
civil strife that lasted for a
decade and left an estimated 150,000 people dead.
Slovenian battles piranhas
and crocs in Amazon swim
Woman loses battle to use
embryos fertilised by her ex
A Slovenian man has battled piranhas, crocodiles
and exhaustion to become
the first person to swim the
entire length of the River
Amazon.
Martin Strel, 52, completed
the 5,265-km (3,272-mile)
An English woman left infertile after cancer therapy has lost her fight to use
embryos fertilised by an
ex-partner.
Natallie Evans, from Trowbridge,
Wiltshire,
and
Howard Johnston began
marathon in 66 days when
he neared Belem, 2,440km
north of Río de Janeiro.
Mr Strel was suffering dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea
and sunstroke as he neared
the end.
He has previously comple-
ted swims the whole length
of the Yangtze in China,
the Mississippi in the United States and the Danube
through Europe.
Mr Strel completed the
swim four days ahead of
schedule.
IVF treatment in 2001 but
he withdrew consent for
the embryos to be used after
they split up.
She turned to the European
courts after exhausting the
United Kingdom’s
legal
process.
Ms Evans, 35, said she was
distraught after the Grand
Chamber of the European
Court ruling, but Mr Johnston said common sense had
prevailed.
She and Mr Johnston split
up in 2002.
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20
_ Editorial&Opinion
@
Centro Comercial La Teulera 12-14
Avda. Rey Juan Carlos I. 61-63
03727 Jalón (Alicante)
Tel. 96 648 08 14
Fax 96 648 02 66
E-mail [email protected]
Ignasi Mora writer from La Vall de Gallinera
Beware the false
prophets of doom
Spain’s environment issues a dire warning about the effects
that so-called global warming will have on the country.
For those of us who have been enduring continuous rain for
days these words sound somewhat ironic especially as the
debate surrounding the phenomenon is far from over.
No doubt the Victorians who endured hideously cold winters in the 19th century talked about the return of the Ice
Age but it did not happen, as we well know.
Advice to governments about global warming comes from a
committee of the United Nations and as it has the incentive
of keeping itself in work and wages it is fairly obvious that
it will push the Doomsday scenario as far as is credible.
This means that its advice will be as much political as it is
possibly scientific.
This is not to say that we should not continue to do as much
as possible to reduce greenhouse gases and use as much
renewable energy as possible but we should also be wary
of the global warning Cassandras and their prophecies of
doom.
Lucky for some
A lady from Murcia has scooped 26 million-odd euros on the
lottery and good luck to her.
Wisely she has gone to ground away from the begging letters and the advice of the well and not-so-well meaning.
No doubt those who offer advice are also players of the lottery. After all, it is almost Spain’s national sport as there
are so many different outlets on which to spend money.
The Murcia lady’s luck came in but for one group of people
it ran out at the Mestalla stadium on Tuesday when Chelsea
knocked Valencia out of the Champions’ League but like
losing lottery players they will try and try again.
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Reader help sought
Sometimes events can
stifle your sense of humour.
I find it hard to raise a smile
about political activity that
destroys the achievements
of a civilised democracy and
evokes the sinister and stifling mood of authoritarian
societies. I am referring to
the decision of the regional
Valencian government (PP)
to prevent us from receiving
programmes broadcast by
the Catalan TV3 channel.
In an increasingly global
world, that someone is capable of giving the order to
stop us from watching a media channel from a neighbouring region is scarier
than it is amusing.
To understand the seriousness of this decision, I must
explain straight away that
TV3 is the only TV station
that broadcasts solely in
the native language of the
Catalan and Valencian regions, and that the booster
stations that enable us to
receive the signal have been
funded with public money
for the last twenty years.
Naturally, the reasons given
by Sr Camps’ government to
cut the connection are technical... and this is supposed
to be the 21st century! Unbelievable. For those of us who
believe that the preservation
of local skills is compatible
with industrial growth, that
protecting the environment
is compatible with material
progress, that minority languages can exist alongside
super-languages, it chills
our hearts to think that behind the ridiculous technical excuses lurks a desire to
exterminate a language. A
language that is spoken by
around nine million people,
that is treasured, cultivated
and passed on to our children.
“Huerto de Yvancos” is a large mansion built at the beginning of the 19th
century. It is located in one of the oldest fincas in Énova, in Valencia province, only 50 km to Valencia and 8 km to Xàtiva, Alzira or Carcaixent.
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Valencia - Albacete free motorway, Exit 861
(Alzira - La Pobla Llarga)
In what seems to be a premeditated attack, the regional government has chosen a day and a place to cut
transmission that are symbolically important to the
Valencian people. The place
is Gandia, the Mondúver
mountain, in the la Safor
area that was home to the
most important Valencian
authors of our own Golden
Age (the 15th century). The
date is the 25th April, which
coincides with the three
hundredth anniversary of
the Battle of Almansa, the
final act in a dynastic dispute that resulted in the
withdrawal of Valencia’s
regional identity. The sheer
arrogance of the Partido
Popular - no other word can
describe the choice of that
date - will, no doubt, provoke some kind of public
response.
Faced with such a situation,
I apologise to the readers,
for not only losing my customary sense of humour,
but putting on my funeral
face. A funeral for a language and a funeral for the
most essential of democratic principles. After all, we
are also talking about the
building of an anachronistic communication barrier
between two neighbouring
regions. And we are also
talking about an unhealthy
isolation in which all public media channels in the
region are clearly under regional government control.
We are in the same situation
as those unfortunate women who feel so oppressed by
their partners and can find
no solution to brute force,
are unsuccessful in seeking
help to escape their hellish
downward spiral, and who
may even resort to murder.
I am asking you the reader
for help, if only to tell others
about the agression we are
suffering in this small European territory. After all,
preserving diversity, plurality and all the other achievements of a democratic society, is the responsibility of
all of us.
EDITORIAL & OPINION
Berta Chulvi journalist from Valencia
What makes us happy?
I was going to write about
the proposed Political Party
Finance Bill, which is currently being debated in the
House of Congress, and
which, if passed, will have
a profound effect on life
in Spain as it will mean
that parties can no longer
receive anonymous donations. In case you did not
know, it is normal practice
in this country for certain
companies to donate money
in exchange for political
‘favours’. Until now, these
donations have always been
secret and therefore uncontrollable. The new law,
which has the support of all
political parties except the
Partido Popular, will enable
the public to know which
local companies are funding which candidates and
understand why, following
the elections, one urbanisation plan (PAI) is approved
or why it is impossible to
get the council to take action against noisy bars or
discos that fail to comply
with nocturnal noise pollution legislation.
But no. I am not going to
write about this because
just as I was about to start,
I remembered what somebody told me the other day
-and she was being serious
when she said: “the British
aren’t interested in such
things because they’ve
come to Spain to be happy.”
I was amazed, not only by
the massive generalisation
but also because the person
who said it is British. It is
strange that while it is not
Ruut Veenhoven
politically correct to use
stereotypes to talk about
‘women’ or ‘arabs,’ it is to
talk about the ‘British’. No
one would ever dare to say
“women are not interested
in politics because the only
thing they want is to be
happy.” I have spent half
my working life trying to
put an end to the stereotyping of the minority groups
who are the victims of society in Spain, the UK and
Switzerland, and I know
how difficult it is to do
away with prejudice, and
how easy it is for the minority group in question
(in this case the British) to
interiorise the image that
has been created for them.
What is certain is that reality then demonstrates how
wrong these generalisations can be.
The truth is that I had already forgotten the comment when it came to mind
as I was reading in a Sunday supplement a series
of surveys undertaken to
determine what makes people happy. You would be
amazed to learn just how
much research is being
carried out at universities
in Europe and the USA to
determine what makes people happy. Some of the most
interesting is being done by
the sociologist, Ruut Veenhoven, at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam (Holland). This professor has
been gathering data in 120
countries since 1980 and has
created a World Database of
Happiness. Examples of the
type of questions asked in
the research would be: If
you had to rate your life on
a happiness scale of one to
ten, what score would you
give it? I bet that you would
never guess which country comes top according
to Veenhoven’s research?
Denmark, with a score of
8.2 out of ten. Spain’s score
of 6.9 is, perhaps surprisingly, slighter lower than
the UK’s score of 7.1. Bottom of the list are countries
such as Tanzania (3.2). The
research goes some way towards exploding the myth
linking climate and happiness: happiness levels are
higher in cold countries
with relatively few hours of
daylight. Veenhoven’s explanation is partly biological and partly cultural: “Human beings are not made to
work in hot climates. What
is more, living in a cold climate encourages men and
women to work alongside
each other, encouraging the
development of an egalitarian culture, and people are
happier living in egalitarian
societies than hierarchies,”
explains the Dutch sociolo-
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gist. Therefore, happiness
means working in a cold climate and sharing your life,
on an equal footing, with
an interesting companion.
Now I understand the comment about British people
in Spain. Simplifications
apart, Denmark came top in
an OCDE report evaluating
educational systems in developed countries, and now
it seems, and it does not
surprise me at all, that the
country with the best educated children should also
be the country where the
adults are happiest. It just
makes me wonder what
Danish journalists think.
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22
NEWS FEATURE
Valencia sets film industry pace
By Bill Beckett
V
alencia is fighting a
battle with Eastern
Europe and it is one
that it looks like winning.
The battleground is the film
industry.
More and more film companies are moving out of the
traditional venues such as
Hollywood and are looking
to Europe to produce their
films.
And this is where Valencia
comes in.
The Comunitat offers some
of the best incentives to be
found in the world to companies wishing to film in
the Comunitat and, on top
of that, it also offers some
of the best facilities.
It has risen to the challenge
posed by eastern European
countries like the Czech
Republic which played
host to the latest Bond film,
Casino Royale which was
shot in Prague’s Barrandov
Studios and on locations
throughout the country.
The Czech’s are now hoping to attract the next
Bond film.
Recently Spain offered tax
breaks for films made in
the country and while that
is not yet enshrined in Law
the Comunitat Valenciana
has stepped in with a cash
incentive programme of
non-returnable grants of
5.4 million euros a film.
The only conditions are
that companies must film
for three weeks in the Comunitat, including two at
Alicante’s new Ciudad de la
Luz studios.
All films receive an automatic 12 per cent of money
spent in the region and
some may receive an extra
six per cent.
Another bonus is that 90
per cent of the grant is
paid during the production
– an obvious help with cash
flow.
José Luis Olaizola, director at studio manager at
Producciones Aguamarga,
said: “The six per cent depends on the production’s
media, economic and industrial impact.”
Two of the prime movers
of Spain’s Golden Age of
Horror, Jacinto Molina and
Carlos Aured are working
together after a lapse of 34
years, to film La Gaviota
(The Seagull) on the Valencia coast.
It is a tale of beautiful vampire women who can transform themselves into birds.
Molina, stage name Paul
Naschy, who wrote the
script, plays a small-time
conman who rips off the
rich with phony seances,
Tarot readings and fortune
telling until he comes face
to face with the bloodsuckers and has to try to beat
the menace.
Compared to the UK, which
requires British cast and
crew before qualifying for
tax credits, Valencia has no
such demands.
Shoots must take on a Valencia partner but that does
not have to be a co-producer: Valencia-based service
companies, executive and
associate producers also
are eligible and incentives
are channeled through the
local partner.
On a film-by-pic film basis the grants far surpass
Spain’s central government
subsidies for local films
and because of this Valencia can expect a cavalcade
of technical talent moving
to Alicante to partner in local production and service
deals.
This is exactly what Ciudad
de la Luz needs.
It was designed by Los Angeles architect Gary Bastien with no expense spared, from dainty dressing
rooms to electricity grids
stretching under backlots.
The studios have already
hosted Asterix at the Olympic Games, Jean-Jacques
Annaud’s His Majesty Minor and Manolete starring
Penélope Cruz and Adrien
Brody, which tells the story
of the life and death of
THE NAME’S BOND: Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
Manolete, perhaps Spain’s
most famous bullfighter.
Valencia lacks veteran technical talent.
Madrid-based Kingdom of
Heaven co-producer Denise
O’Dell said: “Any incentive
is good. When the studio’s
got infrastructure – fantastic craftsmen, etc. – the
12 -18 per cent will work
well.”
With the incentives and
the state-of-the-art studios
available, not to mention
the briliant and evocative
settings for filming in the
interior of the Comunitat
Valenciana surely cannot
fail in its ambition to become one of the film capitals
of the world as the moguls
of Hollywood look for where they can cut costs and
still produce great films.
And this is not to mention
the glut of local film talent that is available in the
country.
BULLFIGHT SAGA: A scene from Manolete
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NEWS FEATURE
23
A ghostly galleon resurrected
Spain and the UK are
digging up history and
going for gold
By Samantha Kett
O
n a stormy night,
more than three
hundred years ago,
a royal mission ended in
tragedy. Having navigated
the tempestuous waters of
the Bay of Biscay, the angry
waves of the eastern Atlantic and entering the millpond waters of the Mediterranean, the final stretch
of the long voyage, the ship
went down and took 560
crew members with it.
Those millpond waters
erupted in a deathly aquatic explosion from which the
terrified sailors on board
the HMS Sussex would never escape.
Only two survived the
wreckage. The remainder
washed up on the coasts of
Gibraltar and Málaga. Rescue forces found the captain
in his nightshirt.
Our only testimony of this
maritime carnage came
from the two Muslims who,
by virtue of miracle and
fervent prayer, managed to
swim ashore. They said that
such was the force of the
gale hitting the vessel faceon that the mast was ripped
clear of the hull. With no
steering and no windbreak,
the tragic finale of the HMS
Sussex’s first and only voyage was inexorable.
Fortunately, in many ways,
for those on board, the furious deluge that swallowed
the craft whole did its worst
at night, when the majority
– including the Admiral at
the helm – were sleeping.
Most would have known little of their last few hours
on Earth.
Along with the sailors who
would never see home turf
again, a cargo of gold and
silver worth 3,300 million
euros has been languishing
on the sea bed, a kilometre
below the surface of the
Strait of Gibraltar, since
February 19, 1694 – just two
days after the ship set sail.
Those 560 lives could never be recovered, but now,
centuries later, there is a
chance that the vessel’s precious cargo might.
Charged by the crown with
delivering the gold to the
Duke of Savoy, in an attempt to bring to an end
the war of the Habsburgs
against King Louis XIV of
France, Admiral Francis
Wheeler and his crew set
off on that fateful February
morning, little knowing
that this would be their last
voyage. The Duke, an ally of
the British, never received
his gold and was paid off by
the French instead, switching sides. The result of the
war could have been very
different if the Sussex had
not gone down to the east
of the rock, at the mercy of
the infamous Levante (east
wind) which nowadays has
more fame amongst windsurfers in nearby Tarifa.
Most of Europe had clubbed
together to stop the French
from usurping more territory on the continent, with
England, Sweden, Holland,
Spain, Austria and some
states in Germany attempting to beat them back. In a
war that lasted nine years
– ending in 1697 – the key to
success was to persuade the
Duke of Savoy to join forces
with them.
Savoy, then a large state
in what is now made up of
Monaco, and part of northwestern Italy and southeastern France, was hugely
powerful and would have
considerable influence over
the outcome of France’s
quest. The Duke had been
offered a considerable bribe
by the French crown, which
King William III of England
was keen to counter.
The HMS Sussex’s cargo
upped the stakes considerably, but the money never
reached the Duke’s hands.
A second attempt to ship
gold and silver to him
reached the Savoy shores
too late, and the Duke accepted France’s bribe instead, defecting to the enemy camp.
It was not until 1995 that
maritime historians began
to show an interest in the
sunken galleon and its ten
HMS SUSSEX: When the ship went down near Gibraltar in 1694, only two crew members survived – but
governments and treasure-hunters believe the gold is still among the wreckage
tonnes of precious metal.
Florida-based company Odyssey Marine Exploration
was determined to locate
the ship that has never yet
achieved much international renown despite meeting
a sticky end off the south
coast of Spain, being far
less acclaimed than other
famous shipwrecks.
Researchers, commissioned
by Odyssey, left no stone
unturned
and
scoured
through archives in England, France, Holland and
the USA in their quest for
clues. Three years later, the
search began.
Like the proverbial needle
in a haystack, locating the
HMS Sussex was no easy
task, although Odyssey did
manage to uncover airline
engines, shrapnel from offtarget bombs and even a
Phoenician shipwreck covered by ceramic amphorae
and dating back to around
400 BC.
Odyssey’s
ship-seeking
technology was some of the
most advanced of its kind
used to date – effectively,
a robot in a cage known
as a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) which, once
freed from its confines, can
roam around the sea-bed
on tracks similar to that of
a war tank or swim using
the aid of propellers, taking pictures en route which
are transmitted back to
the ship from which it is
dropped.
Five years ago and almost
on the anniversary of the
galleon’s demise, it was the
discovery of a cannon, not
far from where Wheeler’s
vessel went down, that led
the explorers to believe
they were on the right
track.
Spanish and French warships mainly used cannons made of bronze, and
this was not. It lay in a
mass of demolished timber half-submerged into
the sea-bed, but the treasure is likely to be even
further down, experts say.
The Duke’s counter-bribe
would probably have been
stored in the very bowels
of the ship, underneath
layers of gravel and barrels containing salted meat
to provide sustenance for
the crew.
To this end, the ROV will
have to filch through the
rotting wreckage to be
able to penetrate the hold,
a move which is likely to
fire up marine archaeologists who feel it prudent to
wait until more thorough,
technologically-advanced
exploration
techniques
can be developed. Yet neither Odyssey nor the UK
are prepared to wait to get
their hands on the gold.
A landmark agreement
was signed between the
treasure-hunters and the
British government, mean-
ing that if this really is the
80-gun warship destined
for the court of the Duke
of Savoy, the gold and silver
found will be divided between the two parties.
tive aspect of the mission,
exploring the vestiges of
the HMS Sussex will be a
golden opportunity to open
up a lost chapter of European maritime history.
Spain’s government was
less impressed with the
idea at first. The HMS
Sussex sank off the
coast of Andalucía, meaning
that Zapatero’s
cabinet
considered
the
wreck
and
its contents
should
remain in the
country.
H o w e v e r,
three weeks
ago, the powers that be finally relented.
Spain had finally
allowed itself to be
persuaded to permit
the search of the ship’s
remains, but the regional
government of Andalucía
continued to hinder the
process.
At the end of March,
though, the Junta de Andalucía reached an agreement
with the UK Ministry of
Defence, meaning the two
parties will jointly choose
a team of archaeologists to
examine the wreck.
A dream that has united
and divided two continents and three countries
for more than a decade is
about to be realised and,
quite aside from the lucra-
VITTORIO AMADEO II:
The Duke of Savoy never
received his precious
cargo
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IN ITS FORMER GLORY: A model of the ill-fated HMS Sussex
24
NEWS FEATURE
Plastic’s not so fantastic
Convenience comes at a price
By Sarah Farrell
E
very person in Spain
will get through an
average of six plastic bags a week.
Each time they are in a supermarket, they will pick
up about four bags. That
does not even take into account the number of goods
they have bought wrapped
in plastic, from toilet rolls
to four apples in a tray.
Luckily in Spain it is not
as bad as in England where
even an individual cucumber or pepper is shrinkwrapped.
Here, in the supermarkets
and the vegetable markets,
it is still possible to buy vegetables loose.
This is down to Spain’s culture where shoppers want
to see, feel or smell the produce before they buy it.
It is also possible to buy
olive oil and wine straight from the barrel, so old
bottles can be washed and
refilled.
Unfortunately some Spanish supermarkets are now
pre-packaging fruit and
vegetables as they find it
more convenient for transporting.
However all that plastic is
clogging up the world’s landfill sites.
The stark reality is that a
plastic bag takes one second to manufacture, is in
use for just 20 minutes and
takes 100 to 400 years to degrade naturally.
About 500 thousand million
bags are used throughout
the world every year, which
equates to 16,000 a second.
Plastic bags are given away
in huge quantities by the
supermarkets and department stores every day.
Although they are given
away free, they do come at
a high cost to the environment and mankind.
As consumers, we tend to
forget we could avoid this
cost - and extra waste - by
bringing our own bag.
Some countries are launching drives to cut the use
of plastic bags by introducing a charge for them.
A tax on plastic shopping
bags in the Republic of
Ireland since 2002 has cut
their use by more than 90
per cent and raised millions of euros in revenue, the
government says.
The tax of 15 cents per
bag was introduced in an
attempt to curb litter, and
the improvement had been
immediate. The number of
bags used has fallen by one
billion a year.
The environment department said the millions of
euros in extra revenue raised would be spent on environmental projects.
In the USA, San Francisco
city leaders have approved
a ban on plastic grocery
bags following weeks of lobbying on both sides from
environmentalists and a
supermarket trade group.
The law requires large markets and stores to give customers only a choice among
bags made of paper that
can be recycled, plastic that
breaks down easily enough
to be made into compost, or
reusable cloth.
The measure is designed to
OVER-PACKAGED: Many products are wrapped in plastic
rid the city of petroleumbased plastic bags, which
have been blamed for litter
and clogged landfills.
In Denmark, packaging
based on natural products
such as corn starch is being pioneered so that food
will be sold in edible containers.
In Germany the supermarkets have three separate
One plastic bag
takes a second to
make but up to
400 years to degrade naturally
recycling bins in which to
throw away the plastic, paper or metal packaging of
products.
The Italians, like many Spaniards, will go to the wine
wholesalers or bodegas to
refill their empties from
vats instead of buying more
bottles.
The EU strategy on the prevention and recycling of
waste said: “All material
placed on the market is des-
N
tined to become waste at
one time or another, and
every production process
generates some form of
waste.
“At present, 49 per cent of
EU municipal waste is disposed of through landfill, 18
per cent is incinerated and
33 per cent is recycled or
composted.
“However, despite progress made in recycling and
incineration, the amount
of landfilled waste has not
decreased because waste
production continues to increase.”
THINK NATURAL: use woven bags
Doing your bit:
● Boycott produce which has excess packaging and individual portions. Tell the
supermarket or department store why you are not buying it.
● Take your own reusable bag when you go shopping. In Spain, think about buying
one of the Rolster shopping trolleys.
● Look for produce which is made of recycled plastic or glass.
● Always reduce, reuse or recycle.
● Buy in bulk whenever possible.
● Use the local markets where you can buy fruit and vegetable loose and the meat is
wrapped in paper.
● Give plastic bags a second lease of life by using them as binliners or reusing them
at the shops.
IN THE BAG: Families use dozens of carriers a week
NEWS FEATURE
25
Parkinson’s – an illness
that is becoming younger
By Cornelia Muller
“
I can’t get Parkinson’s, I am too young”. The bad
news is, this sentence may be wrong now. A recent study of the Parkinson’s Association in Valencia has revealed that 11,000 people suffer Parkinson’s in the Comunitat Valenciana. A third of these
people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s before they
have reached their 65th birthday. The good news is,
though, there is help and treatment to keep it under
control and to keep enjoying life.
P
arkinson’s used to
be an oldie’s illness,
and in many cases it
did not really matter when
they were a little frail or
forget
something.
But
when younger people suffer from it, it is a lot more
serious. In the Comunitat
Valenciana, 1,100 are below
50 years of age and 550 are
younger than 45 when they
are diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This was revealed in
a recent survey that was
published this week on the
occasion of International
Parkinson’s Day.
A team of American researchers examined the projected population growth in
the five largest countries in
Western Europe (France,
Spain, Germany, the United
Kingdom, and Italy) and
the 10 most populous nations worldwide (China, India, Indonesia, the United
States, Brazil, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nigeria, Japan, and Russia). They then
projected the prevalence of
the disease by age group
in each country. Their research estimates that the
number of individuals with
Parkinson’s disease in these
15 countries will grow from
4.1 to 8.7 million by the year
2030. The majority of the
cases will break out in Asia
and not in Europe and the
US.
Notwithstanding the place
people fall ill, it still affects
their everyday life. If you
cannot join your family for
a day out, it is sad, but as
soon as you have to give up
driving or even your job, it
is difficult to cope with the
illness.
Symptoms and treatment
The first symptoms can easily be misinterpreted: slight
trembling of the hands,
numbness of a leg so that
people start dragging it a
little, or less facial expression because the muscles do
not respond as easily. Only
people with advanced cases
are confused, or forgetful
or suffer from dementia.
In any case, a visit to the
doctor can identify if you
feel bad because you have
a hangover or work too
hard or if there is a more
Research for Parkinson’s
serious reason. There are
currently no blood or laboratory tests that have been
proven to help in diagnosing PD. Therefore the diagnosis is based on medical
history and a neurological
examination. The disease
can be difficult to diagnose
accurately.
Early signs and symptoms
of PD may sometimes be
dismissed as the effects of
normal ageing.
Members of the Parkinson’s association in Valen-
cia say that it is imperative
not to be frightened by the
illness. Especially when
Parkinson’s diagnosed at an
early stage, people can continue their lives virtually
as normal, stay in their jobs
and do what they used to do
with friends and family. It
is suggested, however, that
you start to practise a moderate form of sport, go for
walks or take up dancing, if
you have an office-based job.
On the other hand, if you
work physically, keep those
grey cells active, start doing crosswords or puzzles
or learn something new
that stimulates the mind.
And make sure your diet is
healthy.
The survey also mentions
that smokers and people
who drink a large amount
of coffee are less often diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
This does not suggest that
smoking is good for you,
but why not have the odd
fag with your mid morning
coffee ...
In more advanced cases,
people can alleviate the
symptoms with special
speech therapies, visits
to the physiotherapist or
medication. This will keep
dementia at bay for a long
time. Surgical intervention
sounds revolutionary to the
outsider, but the hospitals
in Valencia and Alicante
have been practising it for
some years now. Electrodes
are placed in some points
N
of the brain to stimulate its
functions.
Causes
Parkinson’s is an idiopathic illness, this is to say, its
causes are not known. It was
first documented in 1817 by
the British physician James
Parkinson. The underlying
biochemical changes in the
brain were not identified
until the 1950s largely due
to the work of Swedish scientist Arvid Carlsson, who
later went on to win a Nobel
Prize for his work.
Now scientists are still trying to find an explanation
for the illness. There are
members of the scientific
society who suggest it may
be related to contaminated
drinking water, pesticides
or exposure to welding metals like manganese or iron.
People who have had a head
injury or a serious head
trauma are also more prone
to Parkinson’s disease.
If you are looking for advice contact:
● ASOCIACIÓN PARKINSON ALICANTE
C / Andrómeda, 26 B • 03007 Alicante
Tel. 626 562 040 - 656 676 871
● ASOCIACIÓN PARKINSON GANDÍA-SAFOR
Jaume I, 11-bajo • 46701 Gandía (Valencia)
Tel. 96 295 09 54
[email protected].
● ASOCIACIÓN ON-OFF PARKINSON DE LA
REGIÓN DE MURCIA
C/ Clementes 15, bajo • 30002 MURCIA
Tel/fax: 968 344 991 [email protected]
● ASOCIACIÓN PARKINSON VALENCIA
C/ Chiva, 10 Bajo Izda • 46018 Valencia
Tel. 96 382 46 14 / Fax: 96 384 18 29
[email protected]
Parkinson’s does not only affect the elderly
26
TRAVEL
Menorca: an island
retreat
By Samantha Kett
N
ot the obvious choice for holidaymakers heading
for the Balearic Islands, Menorca is frequently
overlooked as a travel destination. It is likely that
those of us who have been there did so as a result of a
cheap package deal in a travel agent’s window when we
were desperate for some sun. However, there is more to
Menorca than good weather (although it has plenty of
that, too). Samantha Kett shows us a taste of what we
have been missing.
If Ibiza is the club capital
and Mallorca is about shopping and chic, Menorca is
the answer for people who
wish to get off the beaten track and savour the
silence. Of course, anywhere which has quality
beaches and ten months
of sun per year cannot
totally avoid the influx of
sea-and-sangría seekers,
but among the Balearics
it is the one island which
has least felt the impact
of tourism, mainly due
to its government’s strict
control of development.
Along approximately onethird of the coastline, a
series of purpose-built
resorts has sprung up
in recent years, such as
S’Algar, Cala Galdana and
Cala’n Forcat, but rest of
Menorca is a haven of
natural parks, deserted
coves, quaint villages
and cobbled streets. Also,
the good news is that the
island is only 35 miles
(56km) long and all bus
MENORCA: Escape the masses
routes lead to the capital, Mahón, so it is still
possible to enjoy the real
Menorca if you are based
in a resort.
Having witnessed the
passage of
Talayots,
Romans, Greeks and
Moors, Menorca was later
invaded by the Brits and
the Dutch. We don’t mean
the package tourists – this
was in 1708 when troops
came to the island on the
pretext of protecting it for
the then successor to the
throne, Archduke Carlos
UNESCO
declared the
entire island
as an official
nature reserve
more than a
decade ago, so it
is not short of
unspoilt scenery
and wildlife
N
At a glance
Getting there:
Menorca’s airport is in Mahón, although flights from Spain
can cost a fortune.
You may be able to find a good deal through Iberia,
however, especially out of season.
Alternatively, Baleària and Iscomar ferries travel from
Dénia to Menorca.
of Asturias. However, the
British ended up governing for a further century
until Menorca was handed back to the Spanish in
1802. Curiously, there is
little to mark their presence on the island, whilst
other cultures that came
and went have left their
stamp. The pre-talayots
left a T-shaped monument known as a Taula,
whose origin and purpose
has baffled historians
and archeologists alike.
The Moorish influence is
seen in Ciutadella cathedral’s bell tower and
Santa Àgueda’s ruined
castle, and the Romans
allegedly gave Menorca
its name, which comes
from Balearis Minor – it
is, in fact, the smallest of
the Balearics’ populated
islands.
Hotel
Vernisa
In the heart of
Monumental Xàtiva.
Restaurant
All rooms with en-suite bathroom,
air conditioning, Satellite T.V
C/ Académico Maravall, 1 - 46800 Xàtiva
Tel. 96 227 10 11 - Fax 96 228 13 65
e-mail [email protected]
Visit our website
www. hotelvernisa.com
Cavalleria beach
Nobody could say that
Menorca is doted with
well-known
historic
monuments or buildings,
which perhaps adds to
its almost naïve charm.
It is rare to see cameraclicking masses gathered
around tourist attractions. However, there is
a wealth of interesting
and unusual archeological features which are
worth the detour such as
the Naveta d’Es Tudons,
a two-storey, two-chamber
stone construction which
used to serve as a funeral
parlour more than a thousand years ago.
Legend has it that two
men, in love with the
same woman, decided to
compete for her in a building competition. One constructed the naveta, the
other a well. Seconds
TRAVEL
27
It is rare to see
camera-clicking
masses gathered
around tourist
attractions
before the naveta-builder
had placed the last stone
on his creation, the wellbuilder pipped him at
the post. (The naveta is,
indeed, missing a stone).
Also, take a trip to the
talayot archeological dig,
Talati de Dalt (on the
Mahón-Alaior road) and
Sa Penya de s’Indio near
the village of Mercadal - a
rock formation so-named
because of its peculiar
shape, that of a red Indian
complete with plumage.
More than 40 per cent of
Menorca’s land is government-protected and
Ciutadella
the islanders are particularly passionate about its
conservation and environmental preservation.
UNESCO declared the
entire island as an official
nature reserve more than
a decade ago, so it is not
short of unspoilt scenery
and wildlife. The natural park of S’Albufera
des Grau with its lake
and watermeadows is
home to various species
of aquatic and migratory
birds and is a beautiful,
peaceful
paradise-onearth. Despite being one
of the most important in
southern Europe, it is little-known to the masses
and therefore an ideal
retreat for travellers seeking tranquillity.
Menorca has no less than
eighteen zones declared
as Natural Areas of
Special Interest, which
include not only parks
but also forests, caves,
rivers, deserted beaches
(many of which are great
for snorkelling) such as
Favaritx bay with its
strange, lunar landscape,
and mountains – for
example Monte Toro near
Mercadal from which you
can enjoy some of the
best views of the whole
island.
Once you have toured
the island, try some of
its delectable cuisine. No
two areas of Spain have
the same traditional
dishes, and Menorca is
no exception. There are
over 600 recipes unique
to the island, and it is the
birthplace of mayonnaise
– or mahonesa, taking its
name from the island’s
capital, Mahón (Maó in
Catalan). Stuffed courgettes, lobster stew, and
a variety of rice dishes
make up its staple diet,
and it is also well-known
for its almond sauce (often
served on meatballs). Fish
and seafood are, of course,
abundant, given its 200km
of coastline.
Perhaps Menorca is best
known for its drinks
– forget sangría and San
Miguel, this island is
famous for Xoriguer gin
and its home-produced
brands of aperitifs come
in every possible flavour
– strawberry, chocolate,
cherry and apricot among
numerous others includ-
ing the popular hierbas,
which is made with herbs,
but sweet in taste. Be sure
to ask for a Pomada in
a local bar – the island’s
traditional tipple, a herby,
lemony liqueur served
with gaseosa or lemonade,
it tastes like an up-market
Fanta but is highly potent,
so you will not need too
many. Locals drink it by
the bucketload during the
fiestas of Sant Joan on
June 23 and 24.
Overall, Menorca is the
perfect holiday destination
for rural tourism, peace
and quiet and getting close
to nature – without having
to sacrifice sunbathing,
since wherever you are on
the island, you are never
more than a stone’s throw
from a beach.
Shopping
You will be disappointed
if you hope to find a Corte
Inglés or classy boutiques,
although in Mahón you
will be surprised at what
you find in small shops
(Calvin Klein, Chipie
and Pepe Jeans are
sometimes found hidden
in the railings, and there
are the usual high street
stores such as Amichi and
Mango). Leather goods,
particularly shoes, are
plentiful and extremely
N
high quality – you can buy
these cheap direct from
the factory. Ceramics,
embroidery,
palm-leaf
and
raffia
creations,
Lladró and Nao figurines
are ideal souvenirs to
take home with you as
is the locally-produced
honey and Mahón cheese,
which is available in
many different stages of
maturity.
At a glance
Where to stay:
Bed and breakfast in a three-star hotel on the coast ranges
from 25-80 euros pppn depending upon the season (be
aware that very few are open between November and
March) although in rural hotels, this can increase to
between 80-180 euros pppn.
The cheapest (although nevertheless high quality)
accommodation I found was Hotel Playa Grande in
Ciutadella (a very pleasant, non-touristy town) – a double
room in the winter is about 27 euros and at its most
expensive, in August, around 50 euros.
DEPARTURE HOURS
Regular line
and
Boat
Trips
Unspoilt beaches, peace and tranquillity
11 h
12 h
13 h
14 h
15 h
16 h
17 h
18 h
28
TRAVEL
Marvellous Murcia
By Alex Elgar
M
urcia, in the region of the same name, is some 75km
south of Alicante and 30 kilometres inland from
the Costa Cálida. Lying in the River Segura valley and
sheltered by the Carrascoy, Cresta del Gallo and Pila
mountain ranges, the town enjoys nearly year-round
sunshine, and some of the highest temperatures in the
region, with annual averages of 17.5ºC.
Murcia, a stunning, cosmopolitan and bustling
city, lies at a crossroads
of cultures and routes
and is steeped in history. Surrounded by fields
growing flowers and
fruits, it has earned the
title ‘Market Garden City
of Europe’. Today, its dozens of historical sites,
monuments, bars, restaurants, good shops and
Mediterranean feel make
Murcia a popular one- or
two-day destination for
tourists.
A little history
Murcia was founded in
825 AD by Abderraman II,
and was at the time covered in marsh grasses and
stagnant water. During
this period, intense commercial relations between
these ancient Iberian
tribes and the Phoenicians
and Greeks commenced,
which can help explain
the city’s present agriculture-based and seafaring economy. Later on,
the area was occupied by
the Moors, who set up an
advanced system of irrigation on the land, which
helped transform Murcia
into a huge crop growing area. Today, Moorish
influence is still apparent in the city, and can be
seen around the towns in
the Arab walls, remnants
The city’s main
Cathedral Santa
María stands in
the centre of the
old town, and is
one of the city’s
most impressive
buildings
of old Moorish market
lanes, bath houses as well
as influences in the local
cuisine.
Murcia today
Open plazas, dozens of
terraced cafés, shops,
flowers and sunshine
mix with grand cathedrals, theatres, churches,
universities and music
schools – the perfect recipe for a great day out.
Today, many tourists bypass the city and head
for IKEA or Mothercare,
which is a shame considering that Murcia makes
an ideal one-day destination. In fact, the city has
so much to offer that you’ll
be hard-pressed to see all
the sites in one day – that
is if you wish to soak in
The Cathedral Square
the atmosphere and enjoy
the slow-paced feel of the
historic old town centre,
much of which is now
pedestrianised.
same name, was opened in
1990 when the artist was
82 years old. The museum
houses works by other
famous artists such as
Fortuna spa
Lying just thirty minutes drive
north west of Murcia is the
ancient spa town of Fortuna,
which houses one of the oldest
thermal spa resorts in Spain, and
has been popular for decades.
During the war, the resort was
used as an army hospital, before
falling into a state of disrepair. It
was renovated to its present glory
in the 90s. Visit www.luana.es for
more information.
What to see and
do
San Bartolomé Church
in one of the many restaurants, such as a plate
of mussels in the town’s
famous mussel bar ‘La
Mejillonera’ – the perfect
Divided in two by the
River Segura, there is
plenty to see and do in
Murcia, the capital of the
region. Its best-known
sites include the beautiful baroque cathedral,
the Almudí Palace and
Monteagudo Castle (where
the Arab influence can be
appreciated), the Malecón
Gardens, the Verónicas
market, the University of
Murcia and the Museum
Ramón Gaya.
A trip to Murcia starts in
the old town. Park your
car near the river and
cross into Plaza Cardenal
Belluga, which houses the
city’s cathedral – one of
the most stunning plazas
in Murcia. Have a beer or
coffee, or sample some of
the exquisite local cuisine
pick-me-up on a warm
afternoon.
The city’s main Cathedral
Santa María stands in the
centre of the old town,
and is one of the city’s
most impressive buildings. Bishop Pedrosa laid
the foundation stone of
the cathedral in 1388,
and at the time, no one
could have predicted that
it would take four centuries to complete – which
explains the widely differing styles of architecture. However, the most
beautiful admired jewel
of the collection is the
West Façade, which dates
to 1736, work of sculptor
and architect Jaime Bort,
and has been catalogued
a work of art of international baroque.
The Ramón Gaya museum
in the Plaza Catalina, dedicated to the artist of the
Vázquez and Rembrandt,
and is definitely worth a
visit.
No visit to Murcia should
be complete without a
walk along the city’s
Malecón, a delightful
walkway along the river,
with views of the city and
the surrounding market
garden area and away to
N
the mountain chains that
embrace the city on either
side.
Food
Proximity to the sea, fertile surroundings and
Arabic influence have all
played their part in creating the sumptuous cuisine of Murcia of today.
Stews, salads, hot and cold
tapas such as zarangollo
– stewed courgettes, potatoes and onions scrambled with eggs, as well as
fried broad beans with
chunks of cured ham,
pickled sardines, salted
fish and cooked meats,
crushed olives, chard
stems with pine-nuts are
all commonly found in the
city’s many restaurants.
A good meal wouldn’t be
complete without a good
Spanish wine. And the
Murcia region with its
fertile lands is producing
better wines year after
year: today the region is
becoming a strong competitor in the wine industry both at home and
abroad.
Practical advice
How to get there
Take the AP-7 from Alicante towards Murcia. As with many
Spanish towns, signing to the old town seems to disappear once in the city, but head for signs to El Corte Inglés
or the Cathedral, which are both right in the heart of the
casco antiguo, the historic city centre.
Further information
For more information on Murcia and its tourist attractions,
visit the town’s tourist office at www.murciaturistica.es or
call: 968 35 70 06
LEGAL AND FINANCE
ASKtheexpert...
Manuel Martín legal expert
Q
I have two properties in the UK. We
are thinking of selling
one and moving out
to Spain and buying a
house without a mortgage.
Would you recommend
this? Also I have been
told by a number of
people that I should
not take my money
over there as I will not
be able to get it back
out of Spain if I wish to
leave. Is this true?
A
As far as the first
question
is
concerned, you can either
buy a property in Spain
without borrowing money,
or alternatively take out a
mortgage for part of the
purchase price, keeping
the proceeds of the sale
of the UK property and
investing them.
In respect to the second
query, it is totally untrue
that you will not be able
to transfer your funds
back to the UK if you ever
decide to. There are no
restrictions on exporting
or
importing
funds
through
the
banking
system, other than a court
order ruling the contrary.
The only warning here is
that you need to get a low
cost bank to handle your
funds on arrival, as they
likely to take a good bite
on non-resident money
Nothing in this or any previous edition of the publication known as thinkSPAIN/today constitutes financial,
investment, legal or other form of advice. All of Think Press SL, that is the company’s owners and employees together with any third parties contracted by Think Press SL assume no responsibility whatsoever for
any information contained in this publication and disclaim all liability in respect of such information. Think
Press SL is not responsible for the content of any article, text or advertisement published in this edition, or
content which a reader may be able to access from reading any such article, text or advertisement.
Marc White legal expert
transfer operations. When
you are introduced by a
lawyer, you are more likely
to obtain cheaper rates,
for money transfers and
indeed any other banking
transactions.
Q
My father, who is
living in the US
and is an American
citizen, would like to
empower a relative in
Alicante, Spain to sell
a plot of land on his
behalf. What is/are the
correct form/s that he
may need? Thanks.
A
The answer to your
question is yes. This
can be done in two ways:
(1) The normal procedure is to issue a power
of attorney in both
languages
(English/
Spanish) before a Notary
Public in your area.
After doing this, the document must be legalised
(apostille or legalisation
certificate attached to
the document confirming that the signature,
seal or stamp on the document is genuine).
The Notary Public will
inform you about this
fact.
(2) Another choice is
to visit your closest
Spanish consulate in
the United States, where
the Consul can issue the
power of attorney.
Although it is possible to
empower anyone to sell
your property, the normal
thing is to empower the
lawyer who will act on
your behalf. A lawyer will
ensure your father’s interests are fully protected in
the sale of his property.
Manuel Martín, Spanish lawyer, can be contacted
at C/ Castaños 22, 5ºB, E-03001 Alicante. Tel.
(0034) 965 16 16 06; Fax. (0034) 965 21 71 11; Mobile.
(0034) 635 54 51 42. Email: mbmartin@abogados.
de. Take a look at www.spanish-lawyers.info.
Q
At
what
point
should I pay ten
per cent of the purchase price when buying a property?
A
It is commonly the
case that a purchaser
will be asked to pay ten
per cent in advance of
completing the purchase
of a Spanish property.
This
is
sometimes
referred to in English as
‘exchange of contracts’
and, by using that term,
the British buyer draws
comfort from the fact that
the purchase is proceeding in the same way as it
would ‘at home’. This is
not necessarily the case,
however, and it is only
with an understanding of
the two systems that one
can understand the differences.
In the UK, the purchaser
will transfer the purchase
money to his or her solicitor. Once the solicitor is
satisfied that everything
is in place, exchange of
contracts will take place,
at which point a deposit
of, say, five or ten per cent
will be transferred to the
vendor’s solicitor.
The receiving solicitor must hold on to this
money until completion
of the purchase, at which
point the balance of the
purchase money will be
transferred directly to
the vendor’s solicitor. The
protection afforded to the
buyer is that the deposit
is held by the vendor’s
lawyer, who simply cannot release it until everything is finalised.
A purchaser in Spain, however, will often be asked to
pay ten per cent directly
to the vendor when the
offered price is accepted
to secure the sale.
It goes without saying that
there is an inherent risk
in doing so. I have come
across an instance where
a non-resident vendor has
taken multiple deposits of
ten per cent, sold to one of
the parties and then disappeared. Advising the buyers who have lost out will
not be straightforward.
In general, make sure
that you take independ-
ent legal advice and,
wherever possible, proceed straight to completion without paying ten
per cent. That is, after all,
what Spanish people tend
to do. This may not make
you terribly popular, but
the risks are minimised
significantly.
There is never an appropriate moment to pay
ten per cent to a vendor,
although you should at
least ensure that all of
the legal checks have
come back clear before
doing so.
I hope the above is useful, and please feel free
to give either myself or
Carlos Baos a call on 96
642 61 85, or send an email
to [email protected]
if you wish to discuss the
above or any other issue.
Marc White LL.B. (English solicitor).
See advert in this section for further contact details.
© White & Baos 2007 – All rights reserved.
SOLICITORS IN VALENCIA
www.lapiedraandco.com
· Property conveyancing · Wills and Inheritances
· Civil and Criminal Law Litigation · Family Law
C/ Doctor Romagosa, 11- 4º. Valencia 46002
Tel. 34 96 3509090 Fax. 34 96 3529696
e-mail: [email protected]
find the
right
health
at
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A S O C I A D O S
ABOGADOS & ENGLISH SOLICITORS
29
Independent
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Conveyancing
Tax Advice and Representation
Wills and Probate / Inheritance
Company Formations
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C/ Díana, 16, 1º - 03700 Dénia
(Alicante) Spain
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Mob (+34) 677 204 355
Fax (+34) 96 578 44 71
www.white-baos.com
LEGAL AND FINANCE
30
ASKtheexpert...
Nothing in this or any previous edition of the publication known as thinkSPAIN/today constitutes financial,
investment, legal or other form of advice. All of Think Press SL, that is the company’s owners and employees together with any third parties contracted by Think Press SL assume no responsibility whatsoever for
any information contained in this publication and disclaim all liability in respect of such information. Think
Press SL is not responsible for the content of any article, text or advertisement published in this edition, or
content which a reader may be able to access from reading any such article, text or advertisement.
Stephen Ward pensions expert
Q
I moved to Spain a
few years ago and
have recently reviewed
my UK pension policies,
having passed the milestone of my 50th birthday. Having always been
self-employed I have no
company scheme benefits to fall back, but
in retirement will need
to rely on my pension
policies and other savings. All of these pension arrangements are
with well-known names
and ‘with profits’.
How can I find out the
current value of these
polices and whether I
need to change anything?
A
There are various
types of with-profits
pension policies. Some have
a guaranteed cash value as
a ‘selected retirement age’,
which has bonuses added to
it from time to time.
Other, generally older, policies have a guaranteed minimum income, again at a set
age to which bonuses are
once again added. Although
you will have been receiving annual bonus notices,
it can be quite difficult to
work out from these what
the arrangements are actually worth.
The best way to find out
is to contact the insurance
companies in question and
to ask them for the current
fund value and transfer
value.
Usually these figures will
be different. Sometimes the
transfer value will be less
than the fund value because
of charges, on other occasions the transfer value will
be greater than the fund
DO YOU KNOW YOUR PENSION RIGHTS?
FEEL LOST IN AMAZE OF INFORMATION?
We can arrange and maximise
the benefits of the changes
value because of terminal
bonuses. The fund value is
what would be paid out if
you were to die immediately, and the transfer value is
what is available to provide
benefits now or to be transferred to another arrangement.
A with-profits policy is
almost inevitably going
to disappoint. These have
been hit big-time in terms
of the eventual pension
benefits you can expect.
This is because of falling
bonuses arising from lower
stock market returns,
and because of the lower
amount of pension annuity
you are able to buy from a
given amount of fund than
was the case, say, 10 years
ago. The bonuses you are
currently enjoying could
be anything from zero to,
perhaps, 4.5 per cent a year,
but across the board you
will presently be achieving
investment returns on your
fund that are, in all probability, significantly less than
you could obtain if those
funds were on deposit.
Quite simply, this is a form
of investment that does
not work any more. Unless
you do something about
this you are going to end
up almost inevitably with
a very disappointing outcome as and when the time
comes that you need to take
benefit from these policies.
You need to take some professional advice about how
to deal with these policies,
which will almost inevitably result in your being
advised to transfer into
different investment funds
managed by one or more
different providers.
RAYMUNDO - HOPMAN - VILLAMOR
ENGLISH-SPANISH SOLICITORS
- Property Conveyancing.
Today’s advice
- Land Laws and Zoning
Problems.
Are you thinking of buying a home in Spain? This can be easy and
involve low risk as long as you remember that not all charges are
shown in the Property Registries. Please beware about the
implications of actual/future Development Plans, penalties
for building infringements or development charges. Ask your
independent Lawyer to include these aspects in the pre-purchase
“legal checking”.
- Wills, Inheritance, Probate.
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Litigation.
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Litigation.
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Insurance, etc.
If any doubt please, fax your query and we will reply at no cost.
Connie Raymundo
Solicitor
Alicante – C/ Navas, 19, 4th floor - 03001
Tel. (00 34) 96 520 77 19 – Fax (00 34) 96 521 87 94. e-mail [email protected]
Centro Comercial Kristal Mar, Locale 22C • 03724 - Moraira
Telephone: 659 579 265
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[email protected]
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LEGAL AND FINANCE
31
Ryanair’s ‘original’ sales
campaign annoys Iberia
With us, you have no costs for choosing the loan that suits you best, in fact
you have a lawyer at your service consulting you till the end of the process, for free.
CRUDE OIL soars to historic high.
✓ Property Sales & Purchases
✓ Contracts
✓ Mortgages
✓ Accounting & Taxation
Crude oil prices shot up last
week to an all-time high,
peaking at 64 US dollars a
barrel.
The highest seen in six
months, this soar in price is
attributed to the tensions in
Iran and the fear that this
could affect world gasoil
supply.
This widespread panic has
been highlighted by rumours that the UK may attempt to rescue 15 members
of the navy who have been
arrested in the Persian
Gulf, and also of a possible
attack on a US ship by Irani
forces.
Despite this, the current
price continues to be some
three per cent lower than
this time last year.
“First consulting FREE legal advice”
Oil prices rocket over Iran tensions
TRUST IN OUR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES...
rón at a total cost of 55,000
euros.
These were handed out to a
number of workers, mainly
journalists.
The cost was split into
seven bills, three of which
the current ministry has
refused to pay.
They say they cannot support such an extravagant
gesture.
Civil servants involved in
expenses
administration
have accused Zaplana of extortionate spending, including taking the department’s
funds for personal use and
for hiring private jets.
However, the ministry refused to comment on the
matter.
✓ Accidents
✓ Legal Separations
✓ Companies
✓ Inheritance
✓ Traffic Accidents
BURJ DUBAI: The tallest
building.
Bills to the tune of 23,000
euros for turrón allegedly
purchased by a central
government minister have
caused a stir.
The ministry of work has
refused to pay the invoices
for the almond-based Christmas confectionary ordered
by leader of the right-wing
PP, Eduardo Zaplana.
They say they cannot find
any receipts or other documentation justifying this
expense or proving that it
was made.
Turrones Picó received a
special order for Christmas
2003 from the then ministry
of work, which was under
Eduardo Zaplana at the
time, for four tonnes of tur-
Ryanair plans to expand
its operations in Spain in
the near future, aiming
to transport nine million
passengers per year. This
could lead to the creation
of 9,000 new jobs.
✓ Civil Action
✓ C. Administrative
✓ Labour Proceedings
✓ Criminal Procedure
✓ Breach of Duty
The second-highest building
in the world will go up in Korea within six years.
The 620-metre-high, 150-storey block is due to be constructed in Yongsan, in the
centre of Seoul and should
be finished by 2013.
It will be the tallest building
on Earth after Burj Dubai,
a hotel block of 830 metres
that is under construction
in the Middle Eastern city
and will be open to the public next year.
Seoul’s new building, the
brainchild of the southern
Korean railway network,
will be turned into an international business complex.
Until Burj Dubai is finished,
the world’s highest building
remains Taipei 101, which
stands at 508 metres tall.
Zaplana’s sweet tooth
According to the press, Iberia is not the only company
taking legal action against
Ryanair. British Airways
and German airline Lufthansa are said to have done
so for similar reasons, but
the low-cost firm says the
cases were thrown out.
www.afiservices.com
World’s
second-tallest
towerblock
the action is ‘absolute madness’.
According to Ryanair, Iberia has ‘no grounds’ to sue
the Irish airline as it ‘has
no cause to do so’.
In a press conference, European sales director Sinead Finn declared that
Ryanair’s tactic had been
no different to any other
‘original’ marketing campaign.
The aim of the exercise
was for people to ‘see for
themselves’ that flying
with Ryanair is ‘much better than flying with Iberia’. Finn commented on
‘problems experienced by
passengers’ during a strike
last year at Barcelona’s El
Prat airport.
Tel. (+34) 96 646 24 60 / 96 646 24 61 Mobile (+34) 605 866 123· Ctra. Cabo La Nao, C.C Arenal, first floor, Local 17 · 03730 JÁVEA - ALICANTE
IN TROUBLE: Ryanair calls action ‘absurd’.
Ryanair’s
controversial
behaviour last year has finally landed them in hot
water with Iberia, a leading
Spanish newspaper claims.
In September, the Irelandbased low-cost airline reportedly launched a campaign offering free flight
tickets to anyone who
was prepared to stand in
Barcelona’s Plaça de Catalunya carrying a banner
slamming Iberia.
Ryanair now faces anticompetition action to the
tune of two million euros,
sources say.
The budget flight group
is said to be furious at
what they call an ‘absurd’
amount of money being
sought by Iberia and say
32
LEGAL AND FINANCE
Help is at hand with
annual tax declaration
S
hortly, all those living in or with any funds in Spain
will need to make their annual tax declarations, or
Declaración de la Renta. The recommended route is
to speak to a gestor, who will carry out the procedure for
you for a price of around 30 euros and tell you which documentation you need to bring.
If you are more confident
about the process, however,
you can make your declaration by text message.
Send a message to 5025,
comprising the word RENTA, followed by a space and
your receipt (justificante)
number followed by another space and your NIE
number.
The justificante is a number
that appears on the form
that you receive from your
company at the end of the
financial year confirming
how much tax you have
paid.
Another method of making
the declaration is via the
TV satellite package, TDT
(Televisión Digital Terrestre) using your remote
control. You should press
your NIE number into the
remote control and then
PAPERWORK: Everybody hates it
the number in box 681 on
your previous declaration.
This will pass directly to
the Agencia Tributaria,
which is the body responsible for handling tax affairs.
Channels TVE, Telecinco
La Sexta and La Cuatro
have all incorporated the
service into their systems.
Also, the declaration can be
effected on the Internet by
logging onto www.aeat.com
– the Agencia Tributaria’s
website – and downloading
a form in PDF format.
Otherwise, you can carry
out your declaration by telephone – on 901 121 224 for
a 24-hour automated telephone line, or 901 200 345 to
speak to a staff member.
If your declaration is fairly
simple – you own and live
in one property and work
for one company – you can
head straight for Hacienda,
Spain’s answer to the Inland Revenue, taking the
certificate of tax paid from
your employer together
with any other supporting
information (statements of
mortgage, loan, or pension
payments made over the
A COMPLICATED MATTER: Most of us need help with our declarations
year; any evidence to prove
you have children or a dependent partner or family
member with you, and so
on).
In some cases, the declaration is voluntary although
always recommended in
case you receive a tax refund, and to provide proof
of your payments made
throughout
the
years
should you one day be
called upon to produce
them, such as when obtaining a sick pension.
However, the declaration is
compulsory for those who
have worked for more than
one company during the
tax year or who have obtained income from assets,
like property, exceeding
1,000 euros a year.
Disabled workers given raw Massive job cull in leading
deal, says UGT
banking firm
Companies in the Alicante
province are failing to comply with disability employment law, claims a leading
union.
The Law of Social Integration for the Disabled requires that two per cent of staff in companies with 50 or
more on the payroll should
be disabled. In management
positions, this figure should
rise to three per cent.
This translates to a total of
80,000 people with incapacities in work throughout
Spain as a whole, yet only
11,500 of this group have
been able to secure jobs.
When formerly able-bodied
people become disabled,
half of them have to give up
their usual employment.
Although there are no concrete statistics for each
company, the overall figures
for the Alicante province
reveal that the 2,866 employment contracts handed out
last year to disabled people
represent only 0.47 per cent
of the total.
This year, that figure has
fallen to 0.18 per cent, according to Spain’s general
workers’ union, UGT.
Disabled people also suffer
discrimination at work,
particularly women, despite the law’s requirement
for their full integration
in the job market. Nearly
double the number of di-
SPAIN’S SHAME: Bottom in EU for jobs for disabled
sabled men, compared to
disabled women, are in employment.
Between 2005 and 2006, the
number of disabled people
on the dole rose by 30 per
cent.
UGT says Spain is at the
bottom of the list in the EU
for incorporating disabled
people. Only 13.1 per cent of
disabled people are employed nationwide, compared
to the European average of
24.3 per cent.
France comes top with 36.8
per cent of its disabled population in work.
Radical cost-cutting plans
in a global financial services firm will see a whopping 17,000 employees propping up the dole queue. The
shock news that USA-based
Citigroup was to slash five
per cent of its workforce in
an attempt to save around
1.45 billion euros comes as
a surprise, given that the
groups profits rose by seven
per cent last year. However,
Citigroup revealed that its
operating costs shot up to 15
per cent in 2006. The group,
better known as being the
umbrella company of Citibank, employs 11,500 people
in the UK of whom 9,000 are
in its Canary Wharf office
in central London. Most
of the job-cuts will take
place outside the USA and
concentrating on various
levels of management. The
redundancies will take place immediately and the last
of the 17,000 employees facing the axe will have been
laid off by the end of 2007.
Despite this radical job
cull to cut costs, a leading
banking analyst has speculated whether the financial
empire is heading in the
right direction. The key to
growth, the analyst states,
is innovation, and questions whether the cost-cutting
exercise will in fact influence Citigroup’s ability to do
so.
TROUBLED TIMES: Five per cent of workforce to lose
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34
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
LEGAL AND FINANCE
35
Home loans at any old age
You are never too old to buy
a property with a mortgage.
Even at 102 years of age
By Samantha Kett
A dream come true. This
is what buying a home has
become for almost anyone
under 40 in most of western Europe.
Although banks and building societies are becoming
more generous with the
length of mortgage terms,
few people are attracted by
the idea of having to live
to a ripe old age until the
roof over their heads truly
belong to them, or paying
off the loan out of their
meagre pension fund.
Spare a thought, then, for
a British homebuyer who
will have to live to 127 to
pay off his mortgage.
Thirty-somethings
in
Spain and elsewhere in
Europe who fear time is
slipping away to gain a
foothold on the property
ladder can take comfort in
the fact that you are, apparently, never too old to
buy a house.
Even just a decade ago, it
would be unthinkable for a
bank to offer a mortgage to
a pensioner. It was not entirely unheard of, but applicants or their financial
advisors had to pull numerous strings to justify
their case.
Yet now, anyone up to 75
can take out loans to buy a
new property, and in comparison to customers of a
number of smaller building societies, are mere
spring chickens.
What possesses a person
aged 102 to buy a property?
More to the point, which
bank in the world would
offer said buyer a 25-year
mortgage?
The answer to the second
question could be the Woolwich, or the Bristol & West,
among others that have no
age-limit on their homeloan applications, but the
customer’s broker will
not disclose which entity
signed on the dotted line,
nor the mortgage-holder’s
name, due to reasons concerning client confidentiality.
What IFA Jonathan Moore,
of Mortgages for Business,
can in fact reveal is that
the 102-year-old man has
purchased a property to
let in East Sussex. As one
of the UK’s most expensive
areas to invest in bricks
and mortar, the mortgage
totals £200,000 (roughly
300,000€) and, even though
it is on an interest-only basis, will cost the client £958
(about 1,390€) per calendar
month. He hopes to make
these payments out of the
rental income, said a recent report in British national daily, The Times.
As it is unlikely the pensioner will make a regular
income from renting his
new property, his decision
is almost certainly for investment purposes.
It is difficult to imagine
why somebody aged more
than a century should feel
the need to save up for the
long-term future, although
it could be argued that
this is a way of providing
an inheritance for one’s
children,
grandchildren
or, more likely than not,
great-grandchildren.
As long as the property has
tenants in it constantly, the
mortgage will be paid even
after the mortgage-holder
in question’s death and a
solid investment will give
his beneficiaries a headstart in life.
Vera, a Times reader from
Kettering, wrote to the paper expressing her opinion
on the subject.
“There is highly unlikely
to be any risk to the lender.
If and when the guy dies,
the property will be sold
or mortgage paid off if the
loan was secured by life insurance.
“Buy-to-let mortgages do
not have a high loan-to-value ratio, thereby leaving
the lenders with a reasonable margin to allow for
drops in property prices.”
That is, of course, if property prices drop. There
are plenty of analysts who
predict a fall in home values in the UK, Spain and
many other western European countries – the bubble, which has been slowly
gathering more hot air
since the turn of the millennium, cannot stay inflated forever. Despite this,
Jonathan Moore is confident that there is no sign
of that at the moment.
What nobody has mentioned is that, although
property prices may continue to soar out of everyone’s reach for evermore,
interest rates could well do
the same. Spain, like most
of the Eurozone, uses the
continental interest rate –
the Euribor – as a base for
its mortgage repayments
and a recession or boom
in any one of the relevant
member states could have
a dramatic effect on all the
others, positive or negative. As for the UK, analysts reveal that an interest rate of 10 per cent – not
greatly lower than during
the economic collapse of
Are you signing your life away?
the late 1980s – is needed to
bring the property boom
under control.
loan taken out today will
be peanuts in comparison
by then.
This does not seem to put
off many retirees from taking out buy-to-let mortgages for income, long-term
investment or to ensure
an inheritance for their
descendents. The Times
reveals that Richard Stone,
75, of North London, owns
10 houses that are rented
out to tenants and has recently taken out a mortgage of £120,000 (about
175,000€). Having retired
in the last two decades
from a stressful career as
a schoolteacher, it beggars
belief why Stone should
want to take on yet more
hassle rather than enjoying his autumn years free
from exercise books and
trying to control 25 screaming children.
Banks are becoming more
willing to offer loans of up
to half a century, given the
historic good record that
property investment has.
This is fortunate, because
it is the only way most
first-time buyers will ever
be able to leave their parents’ nest.
soul-destroying. In Spain,
a recent and rather pointed
publicity campaign featuring popular cartoon characters The Simpsons slams
50-year mortgages and declares. ‘If you buy at these
prices, you are mortgaging your grandchildren’.
The poster shows Maggie,
dummy in mouth, signing
a mortgage application for
her grandfather.
However, experts have
called it madness and the
thought of taking out a
mortgage that you will
still be paying in old age is
terrifying, not to mention
Most people cannot even
picture where they will be
in 50 years’ time, if they
are even still alive. Yet we
are all living longer, there
is a high probability that
Investment in bricks and
mortar, though, has always
seemed solid. A Norfolk
couple in their late 40s
commented, at their silver wedding anniversary
party in 1999, that their
first-ever 25-year mortgage
would have come to an end
that day and the two-bedroom terraced house they
paid £6,000 (9,000€) for in
1974 would finally have
been theirs. Eight years
on, that property is possibly worth twenty times
what they purchased it for.
This proves that even what
appears to be an unfeasibly-long mortgage term is
not necessarily, since 25,
30, or 40 years from now, a
FIFTY-YEAR LOANS: The Simpsons tell it like it is
a mortgage of this length
can be paid off many years
before the term is up.
And the unnamed property
investor from East Sussex
has seen this length of time
pass twice over with room
to spare – and still has a
mortgage to pay off, and
a bank willing to lend it
to him. Perhaps, although
it appears, prima facie,
somewhat rash, the fact
that even at 102 years of
age it is possible to secure
a mortgage is comforting
to those who fear they will
never have a home of their
own.
36
SPORT
SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT
SPORTS McLaren one-two
SHORTS
Back with bang
MARCUS Trescothick made
an astonishing return to action with an innings of 256
off 117 balls for Somerset in
a friendly against Devon.
The England opener hit 19
sixes and 25 fours at Taunton to help his side pile up
502 for 4 off 50 overs.
Devon’s Robert Dawson
said: “It was phenomenal
batting. We dropped him on
70 and then he went absolutely beserk.”
End of an era
WEST Indies captain Brian
Lara has confirmed his retirement from one-day internationals after the World
Cup.
Tuesday’s loss to South
Africa all but eliminated
the West Indies from the
tournament and the 37year-old said it would be the
end of his one-day career.
He said: “I honestly feel my
game is over and we should
give it to one of the young
players.”
Maradona home
ARGENTINA football icon
Diego Maradona has left
hospital following two weeks of treatment for acute
hepatitis related to alcohol
abuse.
Maradona left a Buenos Aires clinic on Tuesday.
The 46-year-old still faces a
long road to full recovery,
his personal doctor said.
Maradona, who led Argentina to victory in the 1986
World Cup, has battled cocaine addiction and obesity.
Coleman out
PREMIERSHIP club Fulham have sacked manager Chris Coleman and
his assistant Steve Kean.
Northern Ireland manager
Lawrie Sánchez will take
over on a caretaker basis
for the remainder of the
season.
The Cottagers lie four points above the drop zone
after a seven-game winless
streak, but the sacking still
comes as a surprise.
A club statement said: “It is
disappointing that the club
has no alternative but to
part company.”
Broken bone
JOE Calzaghe fractured a
bone against Peter Manfredo Jr on Saturday night.
The WBO super middleweight won his 20th defence
against the American with
a three rounds win.
sets up F1 season
WORLD champion Fernando Alonso secured his first
victory for McLaren as he
scored a determined win in
the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Alonso, from Oviedo, went
to the top of the title race,
leading home team-mate
Lewis Hamilton for a McLaren one-two and their first
win since Japan in 2005.
Hamilton, 22, from Hertfordshire, held off a late
charge from Ferrari’s Kimi
Raikkonen.
The other Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, blew his chances when he slid off trying
to pass Hamilton on lap six
and finished fifth.
Alonso said: “It is absolutely fantastic and a wonderful
surprise.
“The team has done a lot of
work on the car but we ne-
ver expected to be that competitive.”
Alonso had rounded Massa
at the first turn and Hamilton rounded both Ferraris
from fourth on the grid.
Massa, who took pole, passed Hamilton on lap three,
who then came round the
outside to move back to second.
Massa’s challenge ended
when he tried to move beyond Hamilton again but
skidded on to the grass and
slid back to fifth.
Raikonnen made it a thrilling climax to the race as
he chased down Hamilton.
He reduced the gap between
his Ferrari and Hamilton
to 0.8 seconds on the last
lap but ran out of time as
Hamilton crossed the line
second.
Hamilton said: “That was
the most difficult race I have
ever had.
“I had Kimi hunting me
down for most of the race.”
Alonso and Hamilton’s
feat in Malaysia saw them
complete McLaren’s first
one-two since the Brazilian
Grand Prix in 2005.
Raikkonen had to settle for
third which saw him slide
two points behind Alonso in
the drivers’ standings.
He said: “I was happy to get
some points but disappointed at the end.
“All weekend we’ve had problems so it was just one of
those weekends.
“I got close to Lewis but
didn’t have the same speed
as Felipe and couldn’t challenge him.”
Nick Heidfeld was fourth.
WINNER: Fernando Alonso had first win of season
Greg quits as GB
stroll to fine win
GREG Rusedski and Jamie
Murray won Saturday’s Davis Cup doubles to secure
victory for Great Britain
over the Netherlands in Birmingham.
The British pair beat Robin
Haase and Rogier Wassen 6
- 1 3 - 6 6 - 3 7 - 6 (7 - 5) to give
them an uncatchable 3 - 0
lead in the best-of-five tie.
On Sunday Tim Henman
won and Andy Murray lost
to give GB a 4 - 1 victory.
Great Britain will now have
a play-off against Croatia
in September for a place in
the elite World Group of 16
nations.
They will be without Rusedski, who announced his
retirement after his win.
Rusedski, 33, said: “It was a
proud moment considering
this was going to be my last
match.”
“I’m officially retiring on a
win today. I’m retired now,
I can enjoy life like everybody else. Now it’s time to
move on.”
Rusedski was playing in the
Davis Cup for the 13th year.
Jamie Murray said: “I loved
it, every single minute of
it, from the first shot to the
last.”
Croatia are one of the har-
dest teams Great Britain
could have drawn, with
world number eight Ivan
Ljubicic and number 13 Mario Ancic in their line-up.
The winners of the eight
play-off games from September 21 - 23 go through to
the top tier of the competition.
Team captain John Lloyd
said his team faced a stiff
challenge, but coming to
Britain would be awkward
for the opposition.
He said: “It is the hardest
draw - looking at world rankings and stuff - but I’d back
our guys against anyone in
the world.
“It could have been easier
but it’s a home draw and I’m
taking the view that if you
get a home draw to get back
into the World Group it’s a
good draw.
“If we get into the World
Group we’ll have to play teams like Croatia anyway and
we’re going to be ready.”
The United States beat a
Spanish team weakened by
the absence of Rafael Nadal
and will play Sweden in the
semi-finals.
Sweden beat Argentina,
Germany ousted Belgium
and Russia won against
Superbikes
at Cheste
SUPERBIKE racing comes
to Cheste, near Valencia
this weekend with the Ricardo Tormo circuit staging the fourth world Superbike trial, which starts
today.
Riders taking part will be
Troy Bayliss who won the
last Superbike grand prix
at Valencia, Britain’s James Topseland, Troy Corser and Max Biaggi.
Sàmniards Rubén Xaus
and Fonse Nieto will also
be taking part.
There will be Superbike,
Supersport,
Superstock
1000 and Superstock 600 races and training sessions.
Grandstand tickets are 50
euros and to the rest of the
circuit, 30 euros.
Salvage bid
GREAT SERVANT: Rusedski played 13 years
of Davis Cup tennis
France. With Nadal home
resting a sore foot the United States took a 2 - 0 lead on
Friday when Roddick beat
Fernando Verdasco and
James Blake beat Tommy
Robredo. Sunday’s singles
matches against Spain were
meaningless. The Bryan
brothers won the doubles
against Feliciano López and
Fernando Verdasco.
A EUROPEAN Rugby Cup
meeting is to try to salvage next season’s Heineken
Cup.
France and England’s top
clubs have voted to boycott the competition because
the Premiership clubs have
not been granted a shareholding in it.
The shareholders and board
of ERC will attend the meeting in Dublin.
Premier Rugby chief Mark
McCafferty will put forward
a proposal for an expanded
competition, with the number of teams increased from
24 to 36.
The Heineken Cup contract
is due to end this season.
WWW.PERETOESTATES.COM
SPORT
37
Two in a row for Gillian
FOR the second month in
a row Gillian Wright took
the gold medal on the Short
Course at Oliva Nova Golf.
Gillian’s short game was
outstanding as she birdied
two and parred four of the 15
holes tournament.
Deryn Colville was delighted
to take the silver medal missing out on first place by two
shots.
The golf professional and co
owner of the Escuela de Golf
in Jávea, Loretta Christey-
ADULT CLASS: Golf School winners
Vázquez goes
CELTA de Vigo have sacked their manager Fernando Vázquez.
He said he was surprised
by the decision which he
was not expecting.
He has been at the club
for two and a half seasons, but now the La Liga
club is third from the bottom of the table.
Chappell out
GREG Chappell has resigned as India coach following their disastrous World
Cup campaign in the West
Indies.
India failed to qualify for
the Super 8s after losing to
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
in the group stage.
Chappell, whose contract
expired at the end of May,
said he was quitting for family and personal reasons.
Ravi Shastri has been appointed in his place on a temporary basis.
Another win
NICOLE Cooke of Wales
continued her remarkable start to the season by
claiming the second stage of the Womens’ World
Cycling Cup with victory
in Belgium.
Cooke, who started her
title defence by winning
in Australia last month,
edged out Kazakhstan’s
Zoulfia Zabirova for the
Tour of Flanders title.
Sprint charges
FORMER 100m world record-holder Tim Montgomery pleaded guilty to
charges related to a $5m
fraud and money-laundering scheme in the US.
Montgomery, 32, won gold
in the 2000 Olympics, but a
doping scandal ended his
career in 2005.
He ran 100m in 9.78 seconds
to break the world record in
2002.
Clover said: “It is brilliant to
see so many adults taking up
the game of golf and enjoying
themselves in a friendly but
challenging environment.
“One of our new-to-golf
ladies Louise Groom played
a fantastic round to come
fourth at Oliva considering
it was her first time on the
course and she will definitely
go on to become an excellent
player in future.
“Many of our adults are
already players but are gai-
ning real satisfaction from
the group lessons where we
encourage not only an improvement in skills and techniques but also in understanding how to put together a
planned and well executed
round of golf.”
The adults attend group golf
lessons once or twice a week
with Loretta at L’Àncora in
Jávea.
Ben and Loretta at the
Escuela de Golf, (behind the
Arenal in Jávea) offer junior
Elche host Ba-Baas
Richard
Haywood
looks back over Elche
RFC’s season.
THE Division Three season
got off to the best possible
start with a tightly-fought
win over Alicante.
But how fortunes can change and with a succession
of long-term injuries on an
already thin squad Elche
became the whipping boys
of the division and points
against would often have
put the England cricket
team’s totals to shame.
Once the club had acknowledged that we were
clearly punching above our
weight a more positive attitude was born and a shift in
fortunes began.
With the new attitude came
the realisation that certain
things in the club had to
change and this coincided
with the arrival of Garry
Holland who became one of
the first Brits at the club.
After a spell previously at
another local club, at almost
50 and with his best playing days a dim and distant memory this fanatical
rugby man and fervent
Northampton Saints supporter has become a major contributor to the resurrection
of Elche RFC.
With his tireless work,
enthusiasm and commitment to training Garry
has lured many players to
the club including player/
coach Mike Cornell, an exprofessional from Bury St
Edmonds.
With his vast contact list
Garry has also managed
to arrange several fixtures
with touring UK sides this
summer and has helped to
forge strong ties with other
clubs on the Costa.
Another major positive has
been the support of the
Elche Ayuntamiento who
have backed us in spite of a
woeful season on the pitch.
They continued to believe
in us and the Town Hall has
pledged funding for a new
clubhouse, which will play
a huge role in moving the
club forwards.
Probably the biggest positive for Elche this year and
something which would
have been impossible and
without the backing from
Elche Town Hall is the
hosting of the Barbarians
v Spain at Elche’s Estadio
Martínez Valero football
ground on May 23.
Coupled with major sponsorship from Guinness, who
are the official drinks sponsors, and the hope of a sellout 44,000 crowd the event is
set to become one the greatest rugby events ever in the
south of Spain.
This is a major coup for
a small club like ours and
with the pain of relegation
well behind us we are all
looking forward to new and
brighter things.
Anyone who would like to
reserve tickets or is interested in advertising in the
Match Programme please
contact Garry on 618 048 532
or Stuart on 647 618 463.
It’s amazing what a positive
attitude can do – last week
in the new summer friendly league the club even
managed a win – the first
since the beginning of the
season!
We’ll all be at stand 113 at
the This Is Spain Exhibition
in Los Montesinos so come
to meet us, have a chat, buy
your Barbarians tickets and
have a beer on us.
On April 21 Elche join
Dénia in another round
robin tournament with the
visiting UK veterans team,
Havant Vets and the following weekend Elche Vets
host another round robin
event with Dénia Vets
against touring veterans
side Dings Crusaders from
Bristol.
Alicante Cup to test youngsters
DÉNIA Rugby Club were hosts to
Wanstead Under 18s from England
and Dunvant Under 16s from Wales.
This was the first time that Dénia had
fielded a side, the Juveniles-Under 19s,
in this age group.
Both games were played in great spirit, well refereed by local man Ian Coltman, and both visiting teams clearly
enjoyed their trip to Spain.
Wanstead won 12 - 7 in a close fought
encounter where the last ditch defence
of both sides regularly thwarted try
scoring opportunities.
Dunvant also won 31 - 21 in a more
open attacking contest but both games
showed the large crowd how entertaining rugby can be without the pressure of the League.
This weekend sees the start of the Alicante Cup with Dénia Infantiles (Under 15s) and Cadetes (Under 17s) in ac-
tion against Elche in Dénia tomorrow
from17.00 hrs.
There is also another Juveniles (Under
19s) game this weekend against Dings
Crusaders from Bristol but please
check for the day and time.
More players in all age groups are needed so please come along and see what
Dénia Rugby Club can offer.
We have recruited four new players on
the back of the Juvenile games.
More success for racer William
IN a weekend when Britain’s
Lewis Hamilton again stunned
the world of Formula One the
Costa’s 16-year-old newcomer
Englishman, William Zollo,
from Benidoleig, continued his
run of track success.
Racing his 140 mph Reynard
Formula Ford single-seater at
Mallory Park, Leicester, on Easter Monday, William twice won
trophies.
He reached the podium with
hard fought second and third
places from his two races.
William said: “I had never raced
here before and was really only
trying to learn the circuit.
“On the way I qualified for my
international racing licence.”
William has only been racing
cars since last October.
In only nine events since then he
has been placed in the top three
five times including two wins.
This weekend he is racing at
Oulton Park and Silverstone.
and adult golf classes for
all abilities from beginner
to advanced. Junior group
lessons run most days of
the week and students play
Sundays in tournaments
at local courses. Individual
adult tuition is available and
Adult group coaching sessions are on Monday mornings
and Thursday afternoons
with tournaments once a
month. Please call Loretta on
680 528 658 for more information.
La Vila
face the
biggest
test yet
LA Vila face their toughest
test of the season on Sunday when they tackle Gaztedi Basque Country.
At stake is a place in next
season’s Spanish Honour
Division B, the second highest level of Spanish rugby.
The return match of the
play offs is on April 22 at
12.00 hrs at La Vila’s Carretera Pantano, Villajoyosa
ground.
Club president Ignacio Davila said: “It is a very important game for the club
so come along and support
the team.
“Admission is free.”
If La Vila win this first playoff test they will then have
to play two more play-off
games on April 29 and May
6 before clinching a place
in Division Honour B.
On Saturday La Vila under
17s played Dunvant from
Wales and went down 7 - 15
against a very strong side.
The under 17s need to win
their last match of the season tomorrow at home at
12.00 hrs to Tavernes to be
sure to qualify for the Spanish championship with
the best 16 teams from all
over the country.
Next year the club is organising a second team.
Ignacio said: “We need
players or ex-players who
want to play rugby.
“There is not so much pressure as there is in National
League rugby because we
will only play locally.
“If you want to join the
club, please call us.”
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38
SPORT
Masters winner in giant leap
SURPRISE MASTER: Zach Johnson
Tom sets
the pace
LAS Ramblas played a
6x6x6 which was won with
93 points by Geoff Biggerstaff, Fred Wright, Tom Hardie and Brian Dent.
At La Finca there was a Stableford competition which
was also the first round of
the club championship.
Tom Hardie had the round
of the day with 41 points.
Others attracting attention were Tony Brooks(39
pts), Steve Golding(38 pts),
Mick Brentnall & Sue
Golding(both 37 pts).
Category One: 1 Tom Hardie 41, 2 Norman Page 35, 3
Peter Jenkinson 34.
Category Two: 1 Tony Brooks 39, 2 Steve Golding
38, 3 Mick Brentnall 37 on
countback.
Twos Club: Nick Campbell,
Tom Hardie and Peter Jenkinson.
Friday’s competition was a
two ball Betterball and four
teams scored 47 points.
This was not good enough
to beat the 49 by Lindsay
Forbes and John McCloy.
The runners-up on a count
back with 47 were John Silverosa and Mike Mahony.
The best news is that Roy
Hitchings is back after his
illness in Goa. He is tired
but feeling well.
Doug Wright
ZACH Johnson’s United States Masters victory at Augusta has seen him
climb from 56th to 15th in the world
rankings.
Jackson, 31, was the lowest-placed
winner of the title since the rankings
started in 1986.
He scored a three-under-par 69 for a
one-over total of 289, the joint highest
winning score in Masters history.
Two shots back were the South African
pair Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbati-
ni, who also shot 69s, and the pre-tournament favourite, Tiger Woods.
England’s Justin Rose finished in a tie
for fifth on four over with American
Jerry Kelly.
Now the fourth-highest American on
the list, behind Woods, Jim Furyk (2)
and Phil Mickelson (4).
Henrik Stenson of Sweden, sixth, is
the leading European and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington is 10th.
Paul Casey of England is on 13, one
ahead of Spain’s Sergio García.
Luke Donald is a further place back,
while Justin Rose has gone up to 26th,
two places behind Swindon’s David
Howell.
Colin Montgomerie is 29th, one ahead
of Ian Poulter and Spain’s José Olazábal lies in 35th place while the next
Spanish player, at 62, is Miguel Jiménez.
Lee Westwood is 59th while Darren
Clarkje languishes at 71st.
Neil on course for
a teaching career
SAN Javier’s vice-captain,
Neil Robinson, has taken
a step further to fulfill his
dream of teaching golf professionally.
At La Serena it was originally a medal but to allow
others to play it became an
either a medal or Stableford.
Neil has to prove he can
play to a good standard and
in the medal competition,
playing off six, recorded a
gross 76 net 70 to finish two
under par.
In second place was Bob
Marksman with a net 75 and
third was Les Carr net 78.
The stableford players were
not in categories for this
game so it was an open competition, players off seven
were up against some of our
28 plus handicappers.
The winner was a 28 handicapper, Brian Goodbourn
with 34 on countback from
Alan Ross (19.5). Third place
went to Paul Richards with
31.
The best guest was Len Biggins with 30.
NOT even a free coach to
Alicante could entice more
than 32 San Javier players
out for this game.
Alicante is always a good
day out but perhaps it was
a bit close to our last game
and 50€ is still a bit expensive for a round of golf twice
in a week.
Nevertheless we left the Escuela de Golf in San Javier
at 07.45 hrs to make sure we
arrived time for our first tee
at 10.00 hrs.
Miscommunication had the
course giving us a first tee
of 10.51 hrs.
After a short negotiation we
managed to begin at 10.30
hrs.
The competition was a
Stableford in three categories and there were four
nearest the pin prizes.
Alicante San Juan course is
undergoing some refurbish-
ments of their greens and
although there were four
temporary greens it did not
detract from the enjoyment
of playing there.
Results: Category One: Alex
McLennan, 2 Chris Tudor, 3
Paul Richards.
Category
Two:
Alan
Boggess, 2 Geoff Green, 3
George Payne.
Category Three: Mick
Hardy, 2 Joyce Armstrong,
3 Steve Millgate.
Best guest was Roy Moore
and the nearest the pins winners were Bob Gallard, Anne
Hobbs, Barry Butterworth,
and Roy Moore.
Bob Gallard
IT was another busy week
for Marina Alta with the
first quiz night in Jalón.
On Monday the society paid
its first visit to Bonalba.
The course was not in as
good condition as recently
and there is work needed
on the tees to get the course
back to the top of the pile
but it remains a severe test.
The consistent rain did not
let up all day and several
failed to finish 18 holes for
the second game in three.
The twos competition winners were David Kitson,
Lyn Rees and Chris Green.
The nearest the pins were
Dave Reynolds, Lyn Rees,
Phil Gardner and David
Kitson.
Best score was by Allan
McManus with 38 which
saw him take first prize in
Division A and second was
David Kitson with 31.
Division B saw Julie Eastwell score 33 to win from
Dianne Fraser, 31.
On Monday we have a start
at 09.15 hrs at Alenda Golf.
Players should arrive and
pay their green fees by 08.30
hrs at the latest.
Anyone wishing to join us
for the day should contact
Noel Eastwell on 96 587 40
17 or 639 730 891.
Good turn-outs
Bob wins it
EUROGOLF Society played
nine holes at La Marquesa
where 102 played the Stableford.
Front Nine Gold Category:
1 Bob Buckeridge 21 on
handicap, 2 Mike Box 21. 3
David Stewart 21.
Silver Category: Keith Bayliss 20 , 2 Ray Porter 18 on
handicap, 3 Alan Albon 18.
Bronze Category: Joyce
Pohl 19, Carol Jackson 18, 3
Lulu Wood 16.
Best guest, front nine Catherine Cattell, 19, back
nine, Paula Fearn, 24.
Nearest the pin was Eamonn Device.
Marina Alta
were busy
EVERYONE A WINNER: The Pego Society victors
Pego sample El Bosque delights
PEGO took 32 members to El Bosque
where they played a Stableford.
Results: Division One: 1 Manny Carlin
37 off 13, 2 Adrian Thomson with 34
off 11.2, 3 Steve Patton 33 off 16.1.
Division Two: 1 Brian West 32 off 19.7,
2 Gordon Weston 31 off 20.4, 3 Stephen
Joyce 31 off 28.
Nearest the pins were Alan Craig, Jim
Gillies and Norman Cunliffe.
Only one two was recorded by our
overseas member David Wild, who
won a triple rollover of €72 euros.
Matchplay results: Manny Carlin beat
Paul Richardson 4 and 2, Carl Walker
beat Dan Gibbs 4 and 3 and Dave
Collins beat Alan Jamieson 4 and 2.
The next golf meeting is at La Sella
on Monday. Guests welcome subject to
space and a handicap certificate.
First tee time is 08.32 hrs so please be
at the Clubhouse for 07.45 hrs.
If you want to reserve a buggy for any
Society day call Barry Eaton on 620
172 604.
If you require any information with
regard to the Society please contact
Mike Tomkins on 680 39 38 31, Monday
to Friday 10.00 hrs – 18.00 hrs.
JALÓN Valley had good
turn-outs on both days at
Don Cayo.
On Monday they played a
Four Ball Stableford Yellow
Ball, won by Alan Barwick,
Alan Dembina, Ken Oliver
and Rob Lintern.
Second were Dave Moore,
Dave Monk, Mal Brewer
and John Mayers.
Rob Lintern took the prize
for the highest individual
scorer with a fine 43 points.
On Wednesday they played
a Hidden Pairs competition which turned out to
be a very close affair with
Paul Darragh and Ray Stevens, who scored a joint 68,
taking first place by one point from Alan Dembina and
Dave Moore.
www.portzgen-dowen.es
SPORT
39
Migue saves the day Way open for Bayern Hargreaves sale
DÉNIA maintained their top-ofthe-table position with a hardearned point against Castellón
B on Good Friday.
The Marina Alta runaway leaders have leading scorer Migue
to thank for the draw as he netted his 24th goal of the season
with a firm header.
Migue is now joint leading scorer in Division Three of the league with Álvaro Ordoñez from
L’Alcúdia.
At the beginning of the match
both teams tried to dominate the
centre of the field but neither
seemed to have a clear strategy.
Castellón created the first chance but Dénia cleared and then
Dénia’s first opportunity came
from a Juan Carlos header.
Castellón went ahead in the 26th
minute when César Ramón beat
Paco with a firm header.
Dénia maintained their its game
plan and Castellón began to concede territory and in the second
half dominated the midfield.
They missed a number of chances before Migue came to the
rescue and salvaged the point.
OWEN HARGREAVES
BAYERN Munich president Franz
Beckenbauer has admitted England midfielder Owen Hargreaves
could be sold to Manchester United
this summer.
The Bundesliga giants have so far
refused to grant the 26-year-old’s
wish to leave for Old Trafford.
But Beckenbauer, speaking on German television, said: “If it is right
there is an offer of 25-30m euros
(£17-20m), then I would seriously
consider it.
“I think the board also think this
way to satisfy the needs of the player.”
Hargreaves has been a long-standing United target and the player
has expressed a desire to play in
England.
Bayern refused to deal with the
Premiership leaders and suggested Hargreaves should honour the
new four-year contract he signed
last summer.
But a United bid of up to £20m
could be enough to get their man
this summer.
Hargreaves said: “I will sit down
with Bayern and we will discuss
how my future looks.”
Coach under fire as Torry slump
Burjassot 4 FC Torrevieja 0
OUT OF POSITION: Polanco battles in vain
Winners
GREENLANDS
Bowling
Club Championships produced exciting finals.
Results: Mens Plate Bill Pain
2 Geoff Kidney, Ladies Plate
Beryl Norris, 2 Penny Tomkins, Mens Singles Allen
Bowen 2 Stan Veith, Ladies
Singles Lynn Greenland 2
Jenny Bowman, Mens Pairs
Norman Withers and Les
Styring, 2 Dave Greenland
and Noel Cork, Ladies Pairs
Avril Toozer and Betty Crane, 2 Freda Wilson and Jan
Westall, Mixed Pairs Brian
and Jan Pocock, 2 Les and
Beryl Styring, Mixed Triples Peter and Betty Crane
and Graham Watt, 2 Averil
and Derek Toozer and Bill
Pain, Mixed Rinks Mel
Brown,Brian Tomlin, Kevin
Bell and Jenny Bowman, 2
Allen Bowen, Sue Cooper,
Barry Latham and Graham
Watt, Over 65 Beryl Norris
2 Albert Jackson, Under 65
Gerry Linley, 2 Bill Pain,
Handicap Singles
Klaus
Ansorge, 2 Peter Tomkins.
The trophies were presented at the Dinner-Dance.
TORREVIEJA suffered their
heaviest defeat in many
years to a side who had lost
their last two games and
considered themselves out
of contention, writes Andy
Hermida.
It is no surprise that someone this season was going to
net a handful of goals, but
this was not a defeat, it was
an embarrassment.
We were so ineffective in
the second half that I was
holding a conversation with
the Burjassot keeper.
The embarrassment was
such that the players could
not look up to the Torry faithful as they walked off.
Rojo has apologised and has
accepted full responsibility
but it is not enough because for months we have been
complaining we should have
bought a striker in January.
Instead we bought two defenders and now we are paying the price as he persists
with a 4-4-1-1 formation with
Soriano leading the attack.
Strikers are those players
who are blessed with mad-
ness, get in there where it
hurts, have an instinct for
goal and can hold on to the
ball until help arrives.
Soriano is not one of these.
We have a good defence and
a reasonable midfield, but
they can do nothing when
there is only Soriano in
attack.
The side was devoid of
ideas, lacked imagination,
kept giving the ball away
and looked like a relegation
side not one pushing for the
play-offs.
Torry keeper Iván Vidal was
man of the match and had
it not been for his superb
saves the score could have
been doubled.
The manager’s first substitution was to replace Polanco, the only player able to
cross the ball over the first
defender and replaced him
with Corcoles.
Soriano should have been
replaced as he looked out of
his depth.
He always has been in that
position and it is not fair on
the lad as he is a midfielder.
Finca finish mid-table
FINCA Guila Northern League team drew the curtain
down on league bowling for
the season by entertaining
Benitachell Bowls Club Jaguars.
The standard of bowling on
display was impressive and
the quality has improved.
The game was heading for
an 8 - 2 defeat until five shots
on the last two ends gave the
Tony James trio a draw, and
made the match shots level.
It meant a 6 - 4 reversal.
Mid-table for Finca Guila
but with a good foundation
for new captain to build on.
A 6 - 4 reversal was the same
result at Albir Pandas where we managed two draws, a
win and a loss, going down
66 - 74.
An 18 - 11 win by Norman
Vickers, Mervyn Pinches
and Geoff Corduroy was the
highlight.
The annual Open Triples
was washed out by continuous rain.
On Easter Sunday there was
the Easter Bonnet parade
and the winners were Eileen Wilkinson and Barry
Stokes.
On Friday next at Forum
Mare Nostrum, Alfaz we
have an evening of darts,
cribbage and the like with
a pie and a pint to follow
and April 26 there is a walk
through the Pinos Laberinto and the iris gardens followed by lunch in the Jalón
Valley.
Polanco is an attacker so we
put Polanco in midfield and
Soriano at centre forward.
What is it that the manager
does not understand?
Rojo’s devotion to negative
football is why we are struggling and we should be certain of the play-offs by now,
had we adopted the right
formation of 4-4-2 at home.
In the games against Elche,
Crevillente and Alicante we
should have taken nine points but took only three.
We had several free kicks
just outside the box but not
one went over the first defender and at times we had
only two players in the goal
area.
The first half was negative and boring and we kept
looking at the bar, far more
interesting.
In the second half we were
ripped apart by a side that
was determined to win.
They knew that we were
there for the taking, and
opened the scoring direct
from the kick-off through
Amarillo.
Attacked: Boss Rojo
Barbosa made no mistake
from close range in the 62nd
minute and added a third in
the 82nd minute.
The fourth was scored by
substitute Israel, 17, from
the youth squad making his
first appearance.
By this time I had lost the
will to live and it was a long
drive home in the pouring
rain and lightning.
Torry entertain Oliva on
Sunday at home at the Vicente García stadium which they have to win as the
following week they face
Villarreal away.
Make a unique gift, give the best,
give our wine
Weddings,
Christenings
Business Presents
One point short of league title
THE Jávea Green Bowls
Club Quartz team have
moved nearer the Northern
League title.
Seven
points
against
Benitachell Tigers would
have sealed it but Tigers
did not make life that easy
for the Jávea team. Quartz
started off badly but eventually secured a six points
win, one short of their target.
With all of their home fixtu-
res completed Quartz have
not lost a match at Fortress
Jávea for nearly two years.
The team have played 25 of
their 26 fixtures and have
won 21, drawn one and lost
three and the team have a
positive shot difference of
510, more than 200 shots
better than their nearest
rivals.
The Opal squad were at
home to El Cid Sabres and
disappointingly gained only
two points but with one
more match to play a third
place finish is still possible.
Due to the previous bad
weather, Onyx had to play
two matches this week.
Wednesday saw them at
Calpe where they came
away with a superb 8-2
victory and the following
day they were at home to
Benitachell BC Lions where
they took four points from a
very strong Lions side.
Personalised Gifts From
Bodegues Simón de Monfort
Tel. 96 579 43 95 • Mobile 606 344 775
e-mail: [email protected]
Xàbia
40
SPORT
America’s Cup to stage spectacular parade
CHALLENGER: BMW Oracle Racing, leading contender
JÁVEA’S David Ferrer
withdrew from this week’s
Valencia Open after being
forced to miss Spain’s Davis
Cup tie against the United
States.
Murcian Nicolás Almagro
has reached the last 16 as
have Spain’s Juan Carlos
Ferrero, Iván Navarro Pastor, Marcel Granollers-Pujol, Sebastián Ventura and
Alberto Martín, who plays
Ferrero.
The championship runs until the end of the week with
the final on Sunday.
PREMIERSHIP
TRIO IN SEMIS
CHELSEA, Manchester United and Liverpool have battled
their way through to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Spain’s last representative, Valencia, were the victims of a
superb second half fight back by Chelsea who overcame going a goal behind to a superb Fernando Morientes strike.
Andriy Shevchenko brought the tie level and in the very
last minute beat the remarkable Santiago Cañizares to win
the match 3 - 2 on aggregate.
Minutes before Cañizares had brought off a save that equalled Gordon Banks’s from Pelé in the 1970 World Cup.
Valencia had dominated the first half but Jose Mourinho
substitutions transformed the match with Joe Cole causing
problems for the home defence, which was not helped by
some of the most eccentric refereeing you could ever wish
to see by the Greek official who realistically should never be
allowed near a match of this importance.
He administered six yellow cards, two to Chelsea and four
to Valencia, whose victims included skipper David Albelda
who is probably still wondering what he did to offend.
Chelsea now face Liverpool who beat PSV Eindhoven 1 - 0 to
add to their 3 - 1 win in Holland last week.
The goal at Anfield came from the inevitable Peter Crouch
who cannot stop scoring since he returned to the side after
suffering a broken nose.
He has now scored five goals in his last four appearances.
PSV has Dirk Marcellis sent off in the 65th minute and
three minutes later Crouch scored from close range to seal
the tie.
Manchester United turned on the style in a fashion never
before seen at this stage of the championship, thrashing AC
Roma 7 - 1 at Old Trafford to rub out the 2 - 1 defeat at the
Olympic Stadium a week earlier.
United were three up in the first 19 minutes and from then
on it was a matter of just how many they would score.
It was a remarkable performance that was rightly hailed by
boss Sir Alex Ferguson as one of his team’s best ever.
Their opponents in the semis will be AC Milan who beat
Bayern Munich 2 - 0 to complete a 4 - 2 aggregate victory.
Milan went ahead with a Seedorf goal in the 27th minute
and four minutes later Seedorf backheeled into the path of
Filippo Inzaghi who beat Oliver Kahn easily.
Issue No: 206
Ferrer out
Alinghi will be the last boat in the parade
and will display the America’s Cup on her
bow.
Each boat will be accompanied by a firework
display and music that will represent the
individual competing countries.
IN VAIN: Fernando Morientes could not bring victory
AC Milan were only allowed in to the competition after winning an appeal against expulsion after the Italian Serie A refereeing scandal.
The semi-finals are Manchester United v AC Milan on Tuesday, April 24 and Chelsea v Liverpool the following day.
The return legs are Liverpool v Chelsea on May 1 and AC Milan v Manchester United on
May 2. All games kick off at 19-45 hrs BST.
UEFA are investigating crowd trouble at Tuesday’s Old Trafford game.
Valid only with a purchased newspaper
ENGLAND
limped to
victory over Bangladesh
to keep their hopes of reaching the World Cup semifinals alive.
After bowling out Bangladesh on a pacy wicket for 143
it should have been a romp
in the park for the vastly
more experienced England
but once again the batsmen
struggled to find any fluency and form.
They reached their target
for the loss of six wickets
and it was thanks to yet
another gritty performance from wicketkeeper Paul
Nixon that they did so with
4 . 1 overs to spare.
Skipper Michael Vaughan
top-scored with 30 and Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood, who was not out,
and Andrew Flintoff each
scored 23.
But it was Nixon’s 20 not
out that was the key in a
stand of 37.
Earlier Monty Panesar and
Sajid Mahmood has each
taken three wickets as the
Bangladeshis
struggled
against pace and spin.
THE DEFENDER: Alinghi
Client Token
England’s
uphill
struggle
ONE of the America’s Cup’s most spectacular events takes place tomorrow in Valencia.
It is the long-awaited offcial opening boat
parade for the 32nd staging of the Cup, the
oldest sporting trophy in the world.
The 12 boats will sail along the Port
America’s Cup canal in a unique display of
colour, light, music and fireworks.
The event, which represents the true
countdown to the Cup Match between the
defender, Swiss yacht Alinghi, and whoever
comes out on top of the series of races to
decide who will challenge in the Cup Match
that begins on June 23.
The parade will be open to the public and
will last about 45 minutes.
It starts at 21.30 hrs and the 12 teams will
make their way along the canal one by one,
sailing past the four 50 metres monuments
that have been built in the new port to symbolise the event.
Each of the monuments symbolises one
of the four elements - water, which is the
event’s stage, air, for the wind that powers
the boats, earth, which marks the universal
character of the America’s Cup and fire,
which represents the heat of the battle.

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Transcription

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