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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

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Prominent psychiatrist abuses trust The prosecution of Sevilla has opened proceedings for alleged sexual abuse against prominent psychiatrist Javier Criado Fernandez, a senior brother of one of the most famous of Sevilla religious brotherhoods – the Passion

FOOD & FINE DINING The humble sardine

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Official complaint made to the College of Physicians naming Javier Criado Fernandez

HE six patients, all women have made a formal complaint to the Medical College claiming sexual and psychological abuse, accusing Javier Criado of “lewd fondling and sex without consent” in both his office and his home. This abuse “has led to years of suffering, pain, fear of rejection, misunderstanding and embarrassment” claimed the alleged victims. The claims also state the mistreatment has been going on for the last 20 years. According to the complaint, Javier Criado,

Hero cops save new-born baby dumped in trash T

TRAVEL

The world of wine tourism in Croatia

SPORT

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Prince Harry’s Invictus Games head to USA Page 100

WO Spanish police officers have rescued a weekold baby from a submerged rubbish container after a dog walker heard his cries for help. The unnamed man who notified the emergency services was passing a children’s play area in Mejorada del Campo, near Madrid, at 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday when he heard the tot’s wails. Spain’s Civil Guard officers arrived on the scene but were initially unable to locate the infant because he’d gone The two hero officers with the little baby boy (credit: Twitter/Guardia Civil) silent, they contacted the waste collection workers, thrown away. who raised the container above the ground “#HappyWednesday for Carlos and Andrés, and both the dog walker and officers trawled two Guardia Civil officers who have rescued through the trash, until eventually finding the this baby from a rubbish container in Madrid”, youngster. He’d been stuffed inside a rucksack, the Guardia Civil tweeted. which had then been placed into a bin bag and

‘abused his position as a doctor, a superior and a person of authority’. He submitted his patients ‘to constant therapies where they were asked to continually talk about themselves and their sex lives’. All the women tell the same story and explain how he would lock the door after they entered his premises and were abused either on the sofa or the floor. Some of the affected women claim to have been hypnotized and all of them report there was no improvement in their underlying condition, despite him prescribing medicines. ‘He never made any diagnosis of the patient’s problem, never informed the patient and made no medical records’ it states.

ACTION A spokesman for the complainant, the lawyer Manuel Seco, confirmed that the facts have also been brought to the attention of the Archbishop of Sevilla, asking him to take action over the matter because the defendant is the head of an important brotherhood penance of Seville, - the Passion. They have called on the prelate, as the visible head of the Church in Sevilla, to adopt opportune measures against the senior brother and they indicate ‘it has been extraordinarily difficult to tell our children, parents or husbands of what we were going through’. The group have opened an email for more testimonies victimsjaviercriado@gmail.com

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NEWS

The most efficient government in the world has been announced... and you’ll be shocked

HE World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual Global Competitiveness Report evaluates the efficiency of 144 of the world’s governments on measures including the wastefulness of government spending, burden of regulation, and transparency of policymaking to produce an overall global ranking. And, according to the report, Qatar is a model of efficient government for 2014 – 2015. The oil-rich Gulf state, which discriminates

The efficiency of government has a significant bearing on a country’s competitiveness and economic growth. Excessive bureaucracy and regulation, a lack of transparency, and inadequate legal frameworks all impose additional costs on business and impede expansion against women and prohibits free speech, is currently at the centre of a major Swiss corruption investigation into FIFA’s decision to award it the 2022 football World Cup,

has somehow managed to finish top of a league table. Only last week the, Swiss federal prosecutors announced they had uncovered evidence of 28 acts of possible money laundering linked to the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, won by Russia and Qatar respectively. The investigation into how the tournaments were awarded is ongoing, with both countries denying any wrongdoing.

spending”. When Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani came to power in 2013, Amnesty International’s stated that migrant workers were regularly being “exploited and abused”, while women faced “discrimination and violence”. “Freedom of expression remained strictly controlled and the press routinely exercised self-censorship,”raising concern about new “cybercrimes” law which made it illegal to disseminate “false” news online – or information deemed harmful to Qatar’s social values.

QUESTIONABLE

Above: Qatar skyline and right, Qatar Crown Prince, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who came to power in 2013

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Dr David Roberts, an expert in Gulf international relations and security at King’s College London who lived in Qatar for more than four years, said the country’s strong showing in the table was “hard to fathom” even if its questionable human rights record was set aside. “I don’t know what they were trying to measure, but in no meaningful sense have they derived a sensible conclusion that Qatar is the most efficient government in the world” he said. It was ranked just ahead of Singapore, followed by Finland, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand. Rwanda had the seventh most efficient government in the world, with the blog explaining that this “strong showing” was thanks to the country’s “low level of waste in government

WEF’s lead economist Margareta Drzeniek-Hanouz

The WEF’s lead economist Margareta Drzeniek-Hanouz insisted that Qatar was worthy of its ranking as it had scored well across the different indicators. At the other end of the scale, Venezuela has the least efficient government, with Italy and Argentina ranked in second and third places.

TWO NEW TRIALS OF EBOLA VACCINES BEGIN IN EUROPE AND AFRICA T

WO new Ebola vaccine trials began on Wednesday with volunteers in Britain, France and Senegal getting “prime-boost” immunisations developed by Bavarian Nordic, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson. The development the vaccines was accelerated in response to vast outbreaks of Ebola in West Africa, where at least 11,200 people have died so far in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. “The current Ebola outbreak has reinforced that speed of response is crucial,” said Egeruan Babatunde Imoukhuede, who is coordinating one of the trials in Senegal. “Outbreak diseases spread quickly, so any vaccination approach must be able to keep up.” Data from the World Health Organization show there were 30 confirmed cases of Ebola in West Africa in the week to July 5.In Liberia, which had been declared Ebola-free in May, a sixth new case was confirmed this week in what health officials fear is a new wave of the outbreak. While the number of Ebola cases has dropped sharply in recent months, researchers said the flare-up in Liberia underlines the need to push ahead with developing potential vaccines that may help control this and future outbreaks.

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NEWS

HE Greek government has caved in to the pressure of its creditors. It signed up for tough economic reforms in exchange for a new bailout worth between 82 and 86 billion euros. But not much has changed for the Greeks. The banks are still closed, the country is still on the brink of economic collapse and its future within the Eurozone remains uncertain. To make matters worse a lot of work has to be done before it gets any real rescue money.

SO WHAT ARE THE NEXT POLITICAL STEPS?

HARSH TIMES:

The deal that Greece has finally ended up with is worse than the one it rejected for months

The all-night summit ended with an agreement, but more approvals are needed. The deal is the first step in a process that will likely take weeks. First there are some key political decisions to be made across Europe. Greece has to swiftly pass a series of new laws. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has to ask Parliament to pass the first few almost immediately, including pension cuts and higher taxes. Assuming that happens, Greek lawmakers have another week, until 22nd July, to enact another batch of economic changes. These include adopting European Union rules on how to manage banks in crisis, and do a major overhaul to make Greece’s civil courts faster and more efficient. Meanwhile, the deal must be endorsed by national parliaments in several other Eurozone countries, including Germany, Finland and Portugal.

SO WHEN WILL GREECE START GETTING BAILOUT MONEY? Greece is so close to collapse it needs some financial help ASAP. The Eurozone finance ministers are already back at work to figure out a “bridge financing” plan – the cash Greece needs to make immediate payments. Greece missed making a 456 million euro payment to the IMF on Monday bringing the total it owes the IMF to 2 billion euros. The document agreed to Monday morning estimates Greece needs 7 billion euros by next Monday (20th July) and another 5 billion euros in August. That money would come from the European bailout fund. Also, a decision has to be made when to reopen the banks. The European Central Bank, which has been propping them up for months, could restart money flows and help Greek banks reopen -but only if it’s convinced the reform process is progressing. The ECB said after the negotiations that it was not ready to do so yet.

THE DEAL The bailout agreement also calls for tough austerity measures -- some tougher than Greece has previously been asked to endure. For instance, the Greek government agreed to transfer up to 50 billion euros worth of Greek assets to an independent fund that will raise money from privatization. According to the document, 25 billion euros from this fund will be poured into the banks, 12.5 billion euros will be used to pay off debt, and the remaining 12.5 billion euros will be used to boost the economy through investment. The fund will be based in Greece and run by the Greeks, but with supervision from European authorities. Tsipras also agreed to push for broader economic reforms. Greece’s pensions system will be reformed in order to make it more sustainable. The country spends more on pensions as a proportion of its economy than any country

in the European Union -- more than double that of some, such as Slovakia, Estonia and Ireland. The new agreement asks for higher standard retirement age to 67. The current standard is 65 -- but the complex Greek pen-

sion gives a high proportion of workers the option to retire much earlier than that. That too has to change as part of the reform. Some benefits given to the poorest pensioners on top of their pensions will also be cut. Greece will also have to reform its tax system to make it more efficient. The government had to give in on some of the key battlegrounds of the last few months, and agreed to raise the VAT on restaurants and other items to the top rate of 23%, and committed to abolishing the lower VAT rate on Greek islands popular with tourists. It is also going to raise corporation tax to 28%. Under the new deal, Tsipras also signed up to new budget targets in line with those of other European countries, and even more spending cuts. This new deal will be difficult to swallow for Greek voters, who were promised the exact opposite by their government. Tsipras will now have to implement the opposite of many things he had promised his voters in January and in June. But then again, Greece needs a lot of money very fast if it wants to stay in the euro.

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GENERAL NEWS

Bird flu confirmed A

CASE of H7N7 avian flu has been confirmed at a poultry farm in Lancashire, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said. A temporary control zone imposed at the affected farm has now been replaced by a 10km surveillance zone and an inner 3km protection zone, and all birds at the farm will be culled to limit the risk of disease spreading, DEFRA have said.

NE in four youths is jobless as unemployment across 17 nations in the single currency reaches record high Young people are bearing the brunt of Europe’s jobs crisis, it was confirmed, as unemployment across the Eurozone soared to a record high. Nearly one in four 16 to 24-year-olds across the 17 nations in the single currency is now out of work, according to monthly figures published by the EU’s data office, Eurostat. The latest 95,000 rise in April took the overall jobless count to a record 19.38 million people, or 12.2 per cent, and puts unemployment on course to breach the 20 million mark by the end of the year.

LOW RISK The risk to public health is very low, according to Public Health England, and the Food Standards Agency has said there is no food safety risk for consumers. Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens said: “Final tests results have confirmed a case of avian flu at a farm in Lancashire. “Restrictions put in place last week will continue and the humane culling of all birds at the site is progressing. These actions are part of our tried and tested approach to dealing with previous outbreaks”. Public Health England has confirmed that the risk to public health from this strain is very low. An investigation into the case is ongoing.

RECORD The figures come against the backdrop of a Eurozone mired in its longest recession since the launch of the single currency in 1999. They also prompted fresh criticism of the austerity strategy being pursued by struggling southern European states, with one in four people out of work in Spain and Greece. Young people are suffering the most, with 3.62 million out of work across the single currency bloc – 24.4 per cent of under-25s, a figure up 188,000 on a year earlier over half of those under 25 in Greece and Spain are not in work, compared to more than 40 per cent in Italy. By contrast in Germany – unemployment stands at a much lower 5.4 per cent

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and just 7.4 per cent among under-25s. In contrast with the Eurozone’s jobless figures, the US economy has been growing steadily since emerging from recession in 2009 and its unemployment rate fell to 7.5

per cent in April. The jobless rate in the UK is also at a much lower level of 7.8 per cent, although workers have suffered real-terms pay cuts as salaries fail to keep up with the rate of inflation.

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UK NEWS

BRUM -

Location of the Future

IRMINGHAM has become the only city in Europe to be named a Location of the Future by Site Selection, a global inward investment magazine. Location consultants and foreign direct investment (FDI) specialists from across the world were surveyed for the rankings. They

were asked where companies will be locating ten years from now. Birmingham was recognised alongside investment hotspots including Ireland and Germany in Western Europe - with the region praised for its high quality infrastructure, affordability, education provision and skilled workforce. Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City

Council, said: “A decade of investment into Birmingham is now coming to fruition. Schemes including the £600 million transformation of New Street station are about to finish, while projects such as HS2 are moving forward quickly. “Birmingham’s new infrastructure and accessibility has turned the city into a highly competitive investment

JK ROWLING TAKES DOWN TWITTER TROLLS JK

ROWLING is using her Twitter account to take down vile online trolls one by one. The Harry Potter author sent a heartfelt message to a paralysed artist who was attacked by a nasty troll who said he ‘deserved to suffer’. Henry Fraser is paralysed from the shoulders down. Six years ago, while on holiday in Portugal,he misjudged the depth of the water and dived into the sea, damaging his spinal cord. Now he is unable to move his arms and legs, but that hasn’t stopped him becoming a talented artist - only now he paints using his mouth. He’s painted everyone from David Beckham to Harry Potter, but when his work when viral a few weeks ago he received nasty comments from online trolls. One such troll, known only as Laura, sent an email telling him her “deserved” to be paralysed and “should have died” for being so “stupid”.

The artist promptly tweeted the vile message. “Woke up to this email,” Fraser tweeted on Tuesday, adding, “All I can achieve now will be because of the motivation you have given me, thank you Laura.” Before long the 23-year-old had a response from JK Rowling herself, she clearly liked the Harry Potter artwork he’d tweeted recently. “Fate shoved you through an unexpected door and you lit the way for others. I wonder how Laura would fare on the other side?” she wrote. Fraser thanked her for her reply and she responded: “Truth. Fate could come for any of us, at any time. The imbeciles, who don’t know that, cave fastest when it happens. Big love X” Rowling is known for her epic takedowns on Twitter. Last weekend she tweeted an amazing put down when a Twitter user trolled Serena Williams following her victory in the women’s Wimbledon final (pictured left).

destination, which has been recognised by industry experts across the world.”

INVESTMENT The respondents also identified the industries expected to attract investment in Western Europe. Several mirrored Birmingham’s priority sectors for FDI - including automotive, tech, manufacturing, financial services and life sciences. Wouter Schuitemaker, investment director at inward investment agency Business Birmingham, said: “Our strategy to attract inward investment has always targeted sectors that will create the greatest economic impact and employment for Birmingham. “Initiatives such as the city’s economic zones provide facilities and support tailored to industries with very specific needs in areas such as connectivity, infrastructure and recruitment. “This approach has enabled us to entice more companies here than ever before - and establish Birmingham’s international standing in sectors including advanced engineering, digital media and financial services.”

Top: the new Library of Birmingham takes shape and (above) “The Bull” in the Birmingham Bull Ring Centre

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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

Despite the crisis there are 178,000 millionaires in Spain Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

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LOCAL AND REST OF SPAIN NEWS

Is Marbella missing the money from big-spending Russians?

THEIR home country slides toward its first recession since 2009 after a slump in oil prices and the ruble, Russians at home and abroad are feeling the pinch. “Russian businessmen in Marbella now have to remind their wives that they have a budget when shopping at Christian Dior,” said French socialite Olivia Valere, in an interview with Bloomberg. “They’ve had to rein in expenses and, in some ways it has been a humbling experience.” The economy of the world’s largest energy exporter shrank 2.2 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier and is forecast to keep contracting through 2015 as the weaker currency and soaring prices erode consumer spending power. Coupled with sanctions on Russia, the effect is rippling out and being felt in places such as Puerto Banus, Marbel-

la’s marina and luxury shopping district. Don’t get me wrong, wealthy Russians are still making money but in rubles, and with the crippling exchange rate, when spending in euros it means everything is twice as expensive. The ruble has fallen 23 percent against the euro in the past year; so obviously this currency landslide has left many of Marbella’s Russian community in a state of shock.

SAVIOURS Once hailed as the saviours of the Spanish property market Russian investors are now beginning to turn their backs on Spain with many now trying to offload their properties. Russians accounted for 7.5 percent of all Spanish house purchases by foreigners in 2014 compared with 9.6 percent in 2012, according to the property registrar’s office. In addition, the number of Russians visitors to Spain has

dropped more than 28 percent in the first four months of 2015 compared with the same period a year ago, according to the Industry and Tourism Ministry.

SMALL TOWN FIGHTS FOOD WASTE T HE residents of Galdakao, Spain, have tackled food waste in a highly unconventional and creative way. On April 30th, the Association of Volunteers of Galdakao, led by Álvaro Saiz, installed a refrigerator on the side of a public street. This “Solidarity Fridge,” or frigorífico solidario, is a place where anyone can leave leftover food or take it home to eat. Saiz makes it very clear that this fridge is not meant exclusively for the hungry or needy of the community; rather, its purpose is to combat food waste and to find a use for food that would otherwise get thrown out. “This isn’t charity. It’s about making use of food that would otherwise end up in the bin,” he told The Guardian Newspaper. “It doesn’t matter who takes it. Julio Iglesias could stop by and take the food. At the end of the day it’s about recovering the value of food products and fighting against waste.” The Solidarity Fridge has salvaged an estimated 200 to 300 kilograms (440 to 660

lbs) in its first two months of operation. Individuals and local restaurants have contributed foods such as lentils, tortillas, ice cream, smoothies, and meat skewers, all labelled with the date they were left in the fridge. There are a few rules about what cannot be donated – no raw meat, seafood, or eggs, or anything past its expiry date. Homemade food is fine, as long as it has a label stating when it was made. The idea is to donate food that you would want to eat yourself.

APPEALING

Volunteers check the fridge daily to make sure the contents are appropriate and, despite having had hundreds of different foods donated and taken away, the volunteers have not had to throw anything away and there have been no acts of vandalism to date. This is a wonderful idea that has resonated greatly with people. It’s appealing for being such an accessible and tangible way of combatting food waste; you can actually see the food going in and disappearing. The Guardian also reported that “Saiz has received phone calls from communities across the country – and from as far as Bolivia – from people interested in setting up similar operations.” The community of Murcia, 400 miles south of Galdakao, has set up its own Solidarity Fridge since learning of its success. Now I’m wondering how I could make something like this work in my own community, although I’d have to figure out how and where to keep a public fridge through The ingenious “Solidarity Fridge” is located on a public street, the depths of snowy winter. where anyone can donate or take leftover food.

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LOCAL AND REST OF SPAIN NEWS

RYANAIR LAUNCHES PETITION TO BAN STRIKES T

HE Controversial CEO of Ryanair, Michael O’ Leary has always been highly critical of European policies governing airspace, demanding, for example, a unified set of regulations for the whole continent. “We need more changes, we need competition in all areas, to break the monopoly of air traffic controllers.” Said Michael in an interview with EL PAÍS Newspaper last year Now O’Leary wants to put his threat into practice. Last week, the day before French controllers were due to return to the picket lines, the Irish carrier launched an online petition to try to force the European Commission to introduce an EU-wide ban on such stoppages, like the ones already in place in the US and Italy, where controllers’ rights to strike are very limited.

PRESSURE The website www.keepeuropesskiesopen.com is hoping to collect a million signatures from customers in order to put pressure on Brussels. “We want to prevent Europe’s consumers from having their travel plans and holidays cancelled by tiny groups of Air Traffic Control unions going on strike and closing the skies over Europe,” says the low-cost airline. The move comes as Spanish air traffic controllers announced further strikes to be held on July 11, 12, 25 and 26 to follow last month’s stoppages, which were called to protest disciplinary action against 61 controllers over their involvement in a wildcat stoppage that resulted in the complete closure of Spanish airspace in 2010. If the EC fails to meet its demand for a ban on strikes, Ryanair also has an alternative: to allow controllers from other countries to take charge of air traffic outside their borders. The petition, which only asks for the name, surname and the country of signers, can be signed as many times as a person wants, and users do not even need to supply a real country.

SPANISH WOMAN ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF RECRUITING PRE-TEEN GIRLS TO JOIN ISIS

PANISH police have arrested a woman suspected of recruiting pre-teen girls and teenagers to send to areas controlled by the Islamic State armed group in Syria. An Interior Ministry statement said the woman, a Spaniard, was arrested in the city of Arrecife on the Canary Island of Lanzarote. Separately, the ministry said Civil Guard police arrested an Algerian-born man wanted on terrorism charges by Belgium, where he previously resided. The man, whose name was not released, is a suspected member of the Islamic State group and had fought in Syria. He was arrested in Barcelona airport while waiting for a connecting flight, after flying from Algeria. The ministry said the woman in Arrecife maintained contact with Islamic State militants in Syria, including a facilitator who gave her orders for recruiting girls and arranging their travel to Syria. Authorities did not specify how many people the woman was suspected of recruiting but said police have been investigating her since 2014 in a probe overseen by the National Court in Madrid. Spain has arrested dozens of suspected jihadi militants and recruiters in recent years. Last week, the ministry said police arrested two men in Ma-

ADRID’S tribute to former conservative British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher looks under threat, less than a year after its grand opening. Manuela Carmena (left), the new leftwing mayor of Madrid has proposed changing the name of a Madrid square named after the Iron Lady. The city’s new left-wing council, headed by Mayor Manuela Carmena, is looking to rename the square after pressure from one of her coalition partners, left-wing protest party, Podemos. Podemos argue that a public space should not “carry the name of the Iron Lady who enslaved the workers’ movement”, according to Spanish daily El Confidencial. The party also argued that the square - the first named after the former Conservative Prime Minister - was inaugurated by former conservative mayor, Ana Botella, who “was not elected by anyone”. Botella was never voted in as mayor of Madrid, rather ascending to the position

drid for alleged collaboration with Kurdish groups fighting in Syria and Iraq.The two are suspected of having been trained to use arms and explosives and fight guerrilla warfare. The ministry said their actions affected Spain’s national interests. The ministry said it hoped to dissuade other militants from enlisting and possibly falling into the hands of the Islamic State group, which could use them for propaganda.

MAGGIE’S ON HER WAY OUT! in 2003 when Mayor Alberto RuizGallardón resigned from his position to become justice minister. When Thatcher died in 2013, Botella set the ball rolling to name a Madrid square after the woman she described as a “pioneer” and an “inspiration”. Madrid previously a traditional stronghold of conservatism, was brought home to roost when a drubbing at the local elections brought an end to the Popular Party’s 24-year rule and catapulted former communist judge Manuela Carmena to the top position at city hall. Carmena has taken little time to shake things up, giving up many of the privileges associated with the position of mayor. She has cut her salary and re-

fused to use the chauffeur-driven car that comes with the position, instead opting to take the metro with thousands of other Madrileños. Carmena has also given up City Hall’s official box at Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring, as well as its VIP box at the city’s opera. While it has not yet been decided who will replace Margaret Thatcher, so far suggestions include Serbian American inventor and engineer Nikola Tesla.

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LOCAL AND REST OF SPAIN NEWS

When Religion meets Politics

ERESA Forcades is a feminist who’s been reprimanded by the Vatican for supporting abortion rights. She’s a Benedictine nun in a country where the Catholic Church has historically sided with fascists. And she’s hugely popular. Her Twitter account has nearly 35,000 followers and her YouTube videos, in which she explains the ills of “big pharma” and global capitalism in the patient and soothing tones for which she has become known, have been viewed by hundreds of thousands. Forcades has emerged as one of the leaders of Europe’s new left wing. At the height of Spain’s economic crisis, she started a new political movement, ‘Proces Constituent a Catalunya’, which calls on the Spanish government to leave the Eurozone, nationalize all banks and energy sectors, provide payments for parents who stay at home and ondemand abortion and finally grant freedom to Catalonia — the wealthy, northeast region of Spain from which Forcades hails. Born in 1966 to a middle-class atheist family in Catalonia, Forcades went to medical school in Barcelona and then did her residency at a hospital in Buffalo, N.Y. She eventually went on to get a master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School and a Ph.D. in public health.

“It was something that touched me very deeply - one of those experiences that are impossible to explain” But in the summer of 1995, while looking for a quiet place to study for her U.S. medical board exams she visited Sant Benet monastery. It was a life-changing experience. Two years later, after getting an MA in divinity at Harvard, she entered the monastery more permanently, having taken her holy vows. “That’s how I arrived in July 1995 at what is now my home, not with the intention to become a nun, but the intention to prepare for my medical boards in the United States,” she says, laughing. Forcades describes her experience of reading the Bible for the first time as ‘a commotion’. “It was something that touched me very deeply — one of those experiences that are impossible to explain,” she says. Two years after arriving at the Sant Benet Monastery in Monserrat, she took her vows to become a Benedictine nun. Since then, she has lived at the same monastery, practic-

favour of the independence of my country, because I do believe that for true democracy to be real or possible, you need small political units,” she says, offering the example of the U.S., in which many powers are devolved to the state rather than federal level. “I want to avoid what unfortunately has been so prevalent for the Catalans. We complain to our local government, the Catalan government, and the local government says, ‘Yeah, you are right, but you know what? It’s Madrid’s fault.’ OK, so we go to Madrid, and Madrid says, ‘Yes, you’re right, but you know what? It’s Brussels’ fault,’ “she says “I don’t like growing huge empire like structures that are removed from the people.”

RESISTANCE

It’s easy to find Teresa Forcades in the crowd she’s the one wearing a nun’s habit. Sister Forcades is Spain’s most famous living nun. She’s a medical doctor with a master’s degree from Harvard ing medicine, singing and praying at church services several times a day and combining her passion for God with her passion for social justice. Today, Forcades has temporarily left her religious life to lead a joint candidacy in the elections to the Catalan Parliament, announced for September 27th. A period of exclaustration was granted by the Vatican meaning Sister Forcades can spend up to 3 years outside of the convent or monastery.

Flag-flying during the Catalan National Day

Her role in the political arena is to voice that independence is the only opportunity for Catalan society to escape from what, she describes as “the stifling orthodoxies of today’s neoliberal society”.

Forcades, faces resistance not just from a government in Madrid which has said that there is no legal basis for a referendum in Catalonia, but also from the fact that many supporters of independence are deeply conservative, starting with breakaway premier Artur Mas. “It is true that the nationalists are more conservative but they are the ones who have brought people to the streets,” she said. “The desire for social justice on the part of some might help to create a majority for independence, while there are more conservative supporters of independence who might join our process”.

PROMINENT She has become one of the most prominent faces of the secessionist movement in Catalonia, which seeks to break away from Spain and form its own country in Europe. “I am in

But is Ms Forcades, who has appeared in public recently without her trademark black-andwhite wimple (above), sure she is not going to be tempted by the prospect of power and influence and stay down from the mountain? “Life is open-ended,” she said. “I don’t have the ability to predict the future. But I feel attached to the monastery - I feel I belong there. I am very happy that the sisters agreed to let me do this for three years. We are ready in this country for a major change and I am ready to play a part in it.”

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LOCAL AND REST OF SPAIN NEWS

Hunt for Britain’s MOST WANTED hits the Costas

13-FOOT-HIGH digital screen broadcasting the faces of 18 of Britain’s Most Wanted fugitives is on tour around British ex-pat hot spots in Spain, with British crime fighting agencies hoping the scheme will flush out the country’s Most Wanted criminals.

It’s the latest push by crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to track down the 18 remaining individuals wanted as part of Operation Captura. The fugitives are wanted by UK law enforcement agencies in connection with crimes

including murder, rape, indecent assault of a child and drug trafficking. And they are believed to be hiding among British communities in popular ex-pat areas - including Benidorm, Malaga and Puerto Banus. The digital screen, attached to the back of a van, will be touring these areas and parking

OPERATION CAPTURA

outside nightclubs, bars, British supermarkets and restaurants. Crimestoppers hopes that going directly to potential locations of the criminals and putting their faces in plain sight will help to flush them out. “This is something that we have never done before, but we believe that broadcasting these fugitives’ faces right in their back yards will not only encourage the public to speak up but show these individuals that there really is nowhere to hide,” said Roger Critchell, Director of Operations for Crimestoppers, in a statement. “There will be no avoiding the faces on this screen – they’ll be broadcast in all the popular ex-pat areas. I would urge anyone who recognises any of those faces to contact Crimestoppers anonymously. We don’t take personal details and you won’t have to give a statement or go to court. Many of these fugitives are currently living a life of leisure funded by serious crime. They cannot be allowed to hide forever; They must be brought to justice. Do the right thing and help us find them.”

APPREHENDED

Spain’s unemployment drops for fifth month in a row

HE number of registered unemployed fell in Spain for the fifth consecutive month in June, although the drop was less than forecast. Jobless claims declined last month by 94,727 or 2.25% to 4.12 million, the labour ministry said in a statement. Although the figures were hailed as positive by the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy, analysts warned that the drop in unemployment was not as strong as expected and that most of the newly employed

were on short-term contracts arising as retailers, restaurants and other service providers bolster their staff for the busy summer tourist season. Spain continues to battle one of the highest jobless rates in Europe, only Greece had a higher jobless rate, of 25.6 percent for March (the latest data available), with unemployment serving to blight Spain’s road to recovery. The number of people without work fell across all sectors except for agriculture and in every region.

Captura, a multi-agency initiative between Crimestoppers, the NCA and Spanish authorities, is now in its ninth year. Its aim is to track down British fugitives believed to be hiding among ex-pat communities in the Spanish Costas. To date, 68 out of 86 wanted individuals have been apprehended. A fresh appeal in March this year saw three fugitives captured within a matter of weeks. Convicted killer Shane Walford, 38, from Coventry, was detained in the Canary Islands in March - just days after the appeal. Paul Monk, 54, from Romford, Essex was arrested in April at his home in Alicante, Spain. He was wanted for drugs offences. Jason McDonald, 37, originally from Bristol, was picked up by police at an apartment in Amsterdam hours later. He was also wanted for drugs offences. Information given to Crimestoppers can help locate the fugitives on the Captura list. For those people calling from Spain there is a special freephone Spanish number 900 555 111 which will be answered in the UK by Crimestoppers’ call agents. A translation service is available upon request. People can also pass on information anonymously via the Crimestoppers number 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org Information provided by Crimestoppers and the National Crime Agency.

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reasures from Spanish galleon that sank in Florida in 1622 going to auction. A solid gold chain and an intricate gold-and-enamel spoon are among items pulled from the wreckage of a 400-year-old Spanish galleon that will be auctioned off next month. Nuestra Senora de Atocha (Our Lady of Atocha) went down in a violent hurricane in 1622 near the Florida Keys laden with New World gold while en-route to Spain. It was among a fleet of nine ships that were lost at sea; hundreds of people perished, including nobility who brought along their personal jewels. Treasure hunter Mel Fisher searched 16 years for it before discovering the Atocha motherlode in 1985. What he found was the stuff of legends - 40 tons of silver and gold, fine Colombian emeralds and over 1,000 silver bars. On August 5th, Guernsey’s Auction House, New York, will auction 40 select items from the doomed ship. They represent some of Mel and Dorothy Fisher’s favourite pieces, said their daughter, Taffi Fisher. Mel Fisher died in 1998; his wife, Dorothy, died in 2009. They include two spectacular gold chains. One, called a “money chain,” has big links the size of a thumbnail and extends past the waist. Fisher wore it on the “Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” soon after the ship’s discovery.

Sunken treasure

RESIDENTS of the rural town of Valle de Abdalajís, have threatened once again to take matters into their own hands following the failure of the water company Aguas de los Verdiales who still after two years of promises have failed to connect a water supply to the towns homes even though the meters were installed over six months ago. The owners of around 40 homes and a number of farms have been without water for over decade. Last year they threatened to launch a new sitin at the town hall due to the promised work stalling in the final phase, but called off the action after the Junta de Andalucía officials agreed to finish the project and approved to channel water from El Torcal in Antequera.

BULLION In the Colonial era, the Spanish king placed a 20 per cent tariff on gold bullion called the Royal Fifth. But if the gold was turned into jewellery, the tax was forgiven. Each link of the “money chain” is of equal size and weight and could be twisted off and used as formal currency. It could bring $90,000 to $120,000. The other chain features ornate carved links that come down to the knees - a favourite of Dorothy Fisher. It could sell for $40,000 to $50,000. “It’s real high-carat gold. … Purer than any gold you’d buy in a store today,” she said. Other highlights include an intricate gold spoon of Peruvian and Spanish origin. It’s believed to have been used during Communion by priests who sailed to the Americas to convert the natives to Christianity, said Taffi Fisher. The spoon’s black enamel neck is decorated with scrolling flora and birds and a carved masculine face flanked by condors, a symbol of royalty among the Inca people. It’s estimated to bring $160,000 to $180,000. Also up for auction is the Bezoar Stone, which was believed to remove poisons and

Water protestors threaten hungerstrike

toxins from liquids. The pendant, about the size of an egg, is encased in a gold mounting with four arms grasping the stone. It was meant to hang from a chain so it could easily be dipped into a cup; when the stone colour changed, it signified no toxins were present. The piece is actually not a stone, but an organic mass taken from a two-stomached animal like a llama or goat. Today, it is highly valued by the Chinese for medicinal reasons. Its pre-sale estimate is $28,000-$35,000. The Guernsey’s sale also will offer about 100 silver coins from the Atocha sister ship, the Santa Margarita, ranging from $1,000 to many thousands depending on condition, said Guernsey’s president Arlan Ettinger. A portion of the auction proceeds will benefit the Michael Abt Jr. Have a Heart Foundation, which provides defibrillators to schools nationwide. For more information: www.guernseys.com

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A gold crucifix with inlaid Colombian emerald jewels

Bezoar Stone, which was believed to remove poisons and toxins from liquids

*Based on a bank exchange rate comparison as at 01/07/15

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W Issue

THE TEN MOST REPRESSIVE POINTS OF SPAIN’S GAG LAW

TS many detractors complain that the new “gag law” introduced earlier this month hark back to the repressive days of the Franco regime. The controversial public security law dubbed the Ley Mordaza or “gag law” introduced earlier this month limits the right of freedom of speech too curbing the right to peacefully protest with fines imposed on anyone breaking these rules ranging between €100 and €600,000. Here we take a look at some of the more repressive points of the new law: 1) FINES FOR PROTESTING Under the new law, anyone who organizes or takes part in an “unauthorized protest” could be fined between €30,000 and €600,000 if the protest takes part near institutions such as the Spanish parliament. 2) DISRUPTING PUBLIC EVENTS Disrupting events such as public speeches, sports events or religious ceremonies could face fines of between €600 and €300,000. 3) BOTELLÓN The Spanish tradition of getting together with mates for outdoor drinking sessions looks to be officially

over – drinking in public will be hit with fines of €600 under the new law. And teenagers won’t escape – Parents will be held responsible for their offspring’s’ fines. 4) SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVISM Using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to call on people to protest will be fined under the new law, an attempt to put paid to the spontaneous protests that have proved very powerful in building the indignado movement. 5) PHOTOGRAPHING POLICE People will be fined for taking unauthorized photographs of the police, a measure introduced with the argument that being publically identified could put officers and their families in danger. 6) SMOKING WEED It puts an end to the laissez faire attitude that has seen Spain become a nation with one of the largest pot smoking populations in Europe. But from now on lighting up a joint in bars or on public transport could result in a fine of between €600 and €30,000. 7) LEAVING FURNITURE IN THE STREET It is a tradi-

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tion that has existed in Spain long before the current upcycling trend but from now on dumping unwanted furniture in the street could come with a penalty. Those caught obstructing streets with old furniture, cars or other unwanted items will be fined.

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8) TRYING TO STOP AN EVICTION People trying to stop an eviction from taking place could be fined between €600 and €300,000. The number of evictions in Spain has skyrocketed since the beginning of the economic crisis. 9) NOT HAVING YOUR ID Spaniards who are asked to show their ID card and do not have it on their person could be in trouble under the new law. If they cannot immediately locate it at home and have failed to report it missing, they are liable to be fined. 10) DISRESPECTING A POLICE OFFICER Showing a “lack of respect” to those in uniform or failing to assist security forces in the prevention of public disturbances could result in an individual fine of between €600 and €30,000.

©Photograph: Ernest H. Brooks II, « Blue in Profile », Edition Fifty Fathoms 2008

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Marbella policemen face court over T accusations of manslaughter F

Barcelona says tourists are worse than poverty OURISTS are a bigger problem for the inhabitants of Barcelona than poverty, according to a new poll, reflecting growing tensions as officials crack down on the numerous and at times misbehaving tourists. The poll by the Barcelona City Hall last Friday showed that tourism was the third biggest problem named by survey respondents. To the question of what was Barcelona’s most serious problem, 5.3 percent of respondents said tourism, on par with politics (5.5 percent) and above poverty (5.1 percent).

OUR police officers are accused of grossly negligent manslaughter and failing in their duty to provide help resulting in the death of a Belgium citizen. The prosecution which is being brought by the family of the deceased, Lieve Franz Her-

man de Wilde, who was 44 when he died, have demanded a total of seven years in prison for the four local policemen. The prosecutor however only accuses one of the four officers of grossly negligent manslaughter, and is therefore only seeking a custodial sentence of two years in prison.

Eight pensioners killed in fire at Spanish care home E

IGHT elderly people have died in a fire that ripped through a care home near Zaragoza in north-eastern Spain in the early hours of Sunday. Twelve other people were injured, two of them seriously, in the blaze in the small town of Cuarte de Huerva, the spokesman for the regional government of Aragon said. The fire broke out at around 1 a.m. (2300 GMT) at the Sante Fe old people’s home. Police are still trying to find out what started it, he added. One of the injured was a carer.

A fire broked out at the Santa Fe old people’s home in Cuarte de Huerva, 6km from Zaragoza,

The prosecutor concludes that the other three agents only intervened in the arrest and it is unclear if they used excessive force, so they request the case against them to be archived. The prosecutor explained that the agents had to use enough force given the physical corpulence of De Wilde, who is affirmed of being in a state of physical and mental aggression having taken cocaine and alcohol. The versions from the agents and the family are contradictory. The police agents claim that on the day in question they received an alert of a person naked apart from pyjama trousers who was in the street in an agitated state. The family denies this and claims at 2.30pm on February 6th 2006; Def Wilde was walking to the beach wearing only trousers. After his swim he went towards the stairs on the promenade to return home, then on a zebra crossing he met the Local Police, who, without any explanation, violently grabbed his arms and reduced him to the ground, he resisted because he didn’t understand why he had been arrested.

HOSTILE The arresting officers on the scene say Def Wilde was hostile from the start and that they had to use force to sustain him. The agents were then helped by two passers-by, until the rest of the accused Police arrived. According to the prosecutor, one who had stopped to help put his knees on the back of the man who was lying face down on the ground and then pulled his neck back covering his mouth and nose with his hands, although this apparently unwanted aggression was not linked to the cause of death which was ‘agitated delirium’ after his excessive use of cocaine and alcohol. However, the family obtained a second autopsy, and sustain the forensics established the cause of death was by suffocation by the nose and mouth being blocked, and not caused by the level of drugs found in his system. The case will be heard in the Málaga Provincial Court on November 3rd after nine years of judicial process.

The biggest problem for Barcelonians was overwhelmingly unemployment and working conditions at 31.9 percent while traffic came in second at 5.5 percent of responses. Barcelona saw record numbers of tourists last year and has struggled with tensions between vacationers and locals who say the city is losing its “essence” as tourist shops replace traditional stores. This year the city banned large tourist groups from accessing the iconic La Boqueria market to address complaints of overcrowding and the new left-wing mayor Ada Colau recently suspended the issuance of new licenses for tourist accommodation for a year. Survey respondents seemed to approve of Colau and her actions, with 52 percent saying they had a positive view of the city administration and Colau herself receiving the best rating of other local politicians. Although Barcelonians may see tourists as an increasing headache, holidaymakers are a major part of the city’s livelihood. Tourism makes up 14 percent of Barcelona’s economy and creates around 120,000 jobs. A recent report also showed that sightseers seem to be keeping the city’s cultural hubs alive, according to newspaper La Vanguardia. Three-quarters of all Barcelona museum-goers last year were foreign visitors while only 10 percent come from the city itself. For the famous Picasso Museum, the differences are even more drastic with more than 93 percent of its visitors coming from abroad.

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CANNABIS CLUB BREAKS THE LAW!

T is illegal to traffic marijuana or smoke it in public in Spain, but people are allowed to grow plants for personal consumption and may even share the herb in private groups. This tolerance of shared consumption has given rise to so-called cannabis clubs, many in the north and in Barcelona, which has been called the “Amsterdam of southern Europe”. The Supreme Court decision on Wednesday was the first time the court had ruled on the subject of marijuana collectives. The court said that the club in Bilbao had committed a crime against public health because the group’s “structure and functioning exceeded the philosophy” of shared consumption. The Bilbao organization had been operating as a cooperative with 290 partners and had been producing a large amount of cannabis, thus going beyond the concept of shared consumption, according to reports published in the newspaper El Pais. Court sources told the newspaper that the ruling may not necessarily apply to other cannabis clubs because of the Bilbao group’s specific structure, but lower court judges have asked in the past for clarification on the clubs, meaning the ruling will have some in-

fluence. The Supreme Court did say that it felt the debate about the legality of such clubs “for now remains settled”. The prosecution had also accused the Bilbao club of being a criminal group, but the court rejected this charge. The court said that because there had been confusion about whether smoking clubs are legal, this would lessen the sentence against those running the Bilbao club, and that their sentence would help “determine updates to the doctrine of shared consumption”. Spain has the highest number of marijuana smokers across the whole of Europe. A poll taken last December showed that more than half of all Spaniards wanted cannabis to be fully legalized.

One dead, six injured in hot air balloon accident T

RAGEDY struck the European Balloon Festival in Spain on Sunday, when a balloon pilot died while saving the rest of his passengers during a crash. The 51-year-old pilot died while the other six passengers were left injured during the last day of the European Balloon Festival in Igualada near Barcelona. The Balloon Festival reported on Twitter that the pilot had been able to save the rest of the passengers by performing a landing manoeuvre. The mayor Igualada told broadcaster TV-3 that the accident had occurred due to “random circumstances”, explaining that the balloon had been in good condition and the weather had been optimal for hot air balloons. According to local newspaper La Informacion, the accident occurred while the driver was trying to land the balloon and it bumped into an embankment, causing several people to fall out

of the basket. While trying to stabilize the balloon, the driver had been hanging from a rope outside the basket and when the passengers fell out, the loss in weight caused the balloon to soar higher and the driver to ultimately fall from a great height. One of the passengers is in serious condition while the others suffered less serious injuries.

CONDOLENCES The mayor insisted that all drivers in the festival were “very prepared with a lot of experience” and that the circumstances that led to the accident are still under investigation. The European Balloon Festival organizers stated that this was the first accident in the nearly 20-year history of the fest. Organizers expressed their “deepest condolences” to the family of the pilot on Twitter.

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TOWN PUTS PIGEONS ON PILL

HE Catalan town of Badia del Vallès has announced that it is putting its pigeons on contraceptives in order to reduce the growing population. On a statement published on the town hall website it stated that: “Every morning, three automatic dispensers will scatter the required dosage to the pigeon population”. Each pigeon will be fed 10 grams of Ovistop,

Bakery set to be world’s first to deliver by drone C

URRUS & Co, a Spanish bakery located in the small Cantabrian town of Somo, northern Spain, could become the world’s first bakery to deliver its bread via drone, if their plans come true. “We have a great product and we want to bring it to the world,” said bakery manager Marina Albite. The bread shop released a video promoting their plans recently, and it has caused quite a buzz online.

The delivery service would detect the location of a client and send their order out in a canvas bag attached to a drone. But the bakery doesn’t yet have the go-ahead from the Spanish government to actually start the drone delivery service. Laws restrict the private use of drones and bakery boss Enrique Colsa has said that the company will start the project once the restrictions have been lifted, which he hopes will be in September. “When the government allow us, we will do it, that is the plan,” said Albite. “And we will be the first in the world to do it.” The Cantabrian bakery was inspired by bigger international companies that have also announced plans to deliver by drone. Amazon has been developing drones to use for lightweight commercial delivery and a Domino’s franchise in the UK has also tested sending steaming hot pizzas to customers via drone.

a product made of corn seeds covered in Nicarbazin, which acts as a contraceptive for the birds. The first dispenser has already been installed near the town’s Civil Guard headquarters, while the other two will be installed on school roofs next week. The pigeons will be put on the birth control pill from July until December, the high season for pigeon

breeding. The pill is touted as being highly effective by town hall sources, who project that 80 percent of Badia’s pigeon population will have been eliminated within four to five years. One pair of birds can produce 48 pigeons a year, which has led to an overpopulation of the species in the Catalan town.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

HE Canal Saint-Martin is considered one of the coolest parts of the French capital, drawing thousands of Parisians and tourists alike. It was immortalised in the films Amélie and Hotel du Nord. The iron bridges, shade tow paths and numerous bars and bistros make it the place to be for young and trendy locals, or “bobos” (bohemian but bourgeois) as they are known in Paris. But after a scorching heatwave saw the quays packed with revellers for several nights the canal now resembles a place more synonymous with dumpsters than hipsters. And residents have had enough.

JUNGLE A new blog and Facebook page, by the community to Canal Saint-Martin paints a sorry picture of one of the most picturesque Parisian neighbourhoods having been transformed into one big rubbish tip and outdoor urinal. In a series of Instagram posts published on the blog titled ‘Welcome to Canal Saint-Martin’, beer bottles litter the vomitstained pavement, while the ducks in the canal are forced to weave their way through cigarette butts and plastic packaging. “The canal is no picture postcard. It’s not Amélie or Hotel du Nord, it’s a jungle. One big rubbish bin,” a member of the Collectif du Canal Saint Martin said. “The situation now is serious. We have to walk through broken bottles, vomit, rubbish and urine every morning,” said the resident, who declined to give her name. “A nearby school caretaker cannot let pupils in the premises on a Monday morning until he has washed away all the urine.” The Collectif say they don’t want to ban people from having a drink or a picnic by the canal but are asking the revellers, most of who come from outside the area, to take responsibility for their mess. “These people just don’t have any respect for the neighbourhood. We don’t want it to be banned but something must be done.” Many residents have also taken to the Welcome to Canal Saint-Martin Facebook group to express their frustration.

Paris’s bohemian canal - now more tip than hip Picnickers and partygoers have turned Paris’s iconic Canal Saint-Martin into a rubbish dump and an outdoor toilet with frustrated residents launching a new social media campaign to highlight the problem.

“I’m more than fed up with these people who have a party in the evening and it’s us who endure it in the morning!” writes Corinne Arama.

One canal resident, Silvia from Spain, sums up the problem. “It’s disgusting. People come to drink and to eat and then just bugger off without cleaning up their mess,” she said. A few of the residents have even been forced to put up notices on their doors to stop people from urinating on them. One notice reads: “This door is the entrance to our building. Be nice and go and urinate elsewhere.” Local residents have been battling against the Town Hall in the local 10th arrondisse-

ment to do something about the problem for some time. Xavier Simonin, who is head of the mayor’s office in the 10th arrondissement, says the Town Hall has been aware of the problem for many years. “We need to clean more but also educate people more so they can be more respectful to the environ-

ment and the residents,” He said the problem had flared up recently due to the heatwave. “Every year there are more people and especially with the heatwave there has more than usual,” he said. “ He added that several measures had been taken by the council both to discourage

people from littering, including large signs along the canal encouraging partygoers to adopt a respectful attitude. Other measures include the installation of more urinals, bottle banks and bins, which are emptied four times a day and for the first time, there are also toilets.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

IS SAUDI PRINCE REALLY THE NEW BILL GATES? SAUDI Arabian businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal (pictured) has announced that he will donate his entire personal fortune of £20bn to charity. The billionaire nephew of King Abdullah is one of the richest men in the word and says he was inspired to hand over his wealth by fellow philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates. He said the funds would be used as a “living will” to foster cultural understanding, empower women, and provide vital disaster relief. “Philanthropy is a personal responsibility, which I embarked upon more than three decades ago and is an intrinsic part of my Islamic faith,” he said in a statement. His donation comes during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims are encouraged to help people less fortunate than

themselves. Bill Gates said Prince Alwaleed’s “generous commitment promises to significantly extend the great work that his foundation is already doing,” reports the Financial Times. Although considered a relatively progressive man in Saudi Arabia –he still remains a controversial figure to some. In 2012, Business Insider reported that sources close to the prince claimed Alwaleed had a team of dwarfs that he used as “court jesters” to entertain him. The news website also alleged that the prince set up a “dwarf-tossing” contest, in a scene reminiscent of that from “The Wolf of Wall street” promising money to whoever could throw them the furthest onto pillows.

Germany should ‘remember its history’ and cut Greek debt G ERMANY should follow the same approach that was shown towards the country after World War Two and cut Greece’s debt, a leading economist has said. Renowned economist Thomas Piketty has said that German conservatives are destroying Europe

with austerity, and slammed the country for ‘their appalling failure to remember history’. In 1953, creditors including Greece wrote off a chunk of West Germany’s reparation payments, after the country was left devastated by the effects of World War Two. The move, known as the London Agreement, is now

considered to be one of the most successful examples of international debt relief – and contributed to the beginning of what became later known as the German economic miracle. Speaking to German newspaper ZeitOnline, Mr Piketty said: ‘The younger generation of

Greeks carries no more responsibility for the mistakes of its elders than the younger generation of Germans did in the 1950s and 1960s. ‘We need to look ahead. Europe was founded on debt forgiveness and investment in the future. Not on the idea of endless penance. We need to remember this’.

PAY UP

EAST GERMANS FIND REALLIFE MONEY TREE WALKERS at a campsite in Mirow were surprised to find 50 euro notes raining down from a tree last weekend. Police have revealed that €200,000, all in €50 notes was found hanging from one of the branches. The money had been bundled up in a plastic bag hung over a branch. Although the bag had been closed with an elastic band, during the extreme heat that hit Germany last weekend – temperatures were in the high thirties – the band melted and the money started to fall out. A man, reportedly the owner of the campsite, has now reported to the police claiming that the money is his. There are rumours that the man had marital problems and that the find could also be connected to a fire at a house belonging to the same man which took place that same week. The finders of the cash are entitled to a three percent share of its total value – a total of €6,000. Or if the owner does not come forward within six months then they could keep the entire sum.

He added: ‘Germany really is the single best example of a country that, throughout its history, has never repaid its external debt. Neither after the First nor the Second World War. ‘However, it has frequently made other nations pay up, such as after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, when it demanded massive reparations from France and indeed received them. ‘The French state suffered for decades under this debt. The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.’ Mr Piketty calls are in line with those of the International Monetary Fund, who argued on last week that Greece needs substantial debt-relief alongside more than 60 billion euros in financing until the end of 2018.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

PAM PENS LETTER TO PUTIN

PRIMARK SET TO OPEN IN ITALY’S FASHION CAPITAL

Baywatch star Pamela Anderson has called on Vladimir Putin to bar a ship carrying whalemeat from passing through Russian waters, stranding it in Norway

HE Canada-born actress and animal rights activist has written a letter to the Russian president on behalf of anti-whaling campaigners Sea Shepherd, calling on him to prevent the Icelandic cargo vessel ‘Winter Bay’ from leaving Tromsø to take the Northeast passage through Russian waters. The ship is carrying more than 1,700 tons of whale meat from Iceland to Japan. The meat comes from fin whales, an endangered species with only about 100,000 individuals remaining worldwide. The International Whaling Commission has issued a moratorium on hunting the endangered Fin Whale, although Iceland and Japan have resumed hunting. In her letter to the Russian president, Anderson appealed to

their common interest in animal rights. ”I believe that we both share a mutual love for animals and a deep respect for nature and for this reason I would like to make a personal request to you, on behalf of endangered fin whales,” she wrote.

PROJECT

rying a cargo of endangered fin whale meat through Russian waters to Japan?” If Putin listens to Anderson’s request, it is likely that the ship will not reach Japan, as Winter Bay has not been able to transit the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal or go via Europe or Africa for fear of being stopped by the authorities.

FROM Giorgio Armani to Muccia Prada, Milan is home to some of the world’s most famous fashion designers. And now the UK’s bargain clothes chain, Primark, is planning its first foray in the city. The retailer will open its first store in Milan next summer, the company’s owner, Associated British Food (ABF), said last week. The store, which will be located in a new shopping centre, is among three planned for Italy. Primark has 280 stores in the UK and across other parts of Europe, including France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Italy foray is part of a wider international expansion, which includes a US launch in September. Primark, the UK’s biggest fashion chain by volume, has boomed thanks to its cheap clothes strategy.

Putin has launched a project to protect the Siberian Tiger, reversing a long-term decline in the number of the animals in Russia. Although whaling is illegal in Russia, Russian icebreakers have in the past assisted vessels carrying whale meat from Iceland to Japan. “At this moment there is a ship in Tromsø, Norway, called the Winter Bay,” Anderson wrote. “President Putin, you can stop this illegal transit by forbidding this vessel from car-

British multimillionaire brothers purchase a bit of Ibiza for € 35 million SOME weeks ago brothers David and Simon Reuben purchased from a local family, the Gallart Sans, three plots of land which total 144 hectares and nearly five kilometres of beach. The package includes the most fashionable beach bar on the island; the Sunset Ashram is a bar and restaurant and is the best vantage point to see the spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Reports say they are planning to build some 20 luxury bungalows near the chiringuito which would be offered at astronomically high prices. A petition against any possible development has been opened on the Purchasers David and Simon Reuben www.change.org website under the title ‘Ibiza says no the intentions of the brothers Rueben’ and so far has obtained 4,000 signatures. The Sunday Times, some years ago, reported the previous owners of the land had planning permission, but that had expired. The brothers will try to renew the permission.

DEVELOPMENT Local press reports the Sant Josep Town Hall, the municipality which covers the land, reported they had received no official information about the purchase, but they were not worried because ‘although they are millionaires, they have to comply with the law as everybody else. A local expert thinks if the development is as reported, just 20 one story buildings constructed for rent and not sale, and there is no intention to build any sort of tourism resort, the planning permission would probably be granted.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Man fined for sedating girlfriend so he could continue playing video games

Solar plane grounded by heat damage

A GERMAN court has fined a 23-yearold man after he admitted to giving his girlfriend a sedative so that he could keep playing video games with his friends. A court in Caxtrop-Rauxel, a town in eastern Germany, heard that the man’s (now ex) girlfriend had arrived home while he was playing games with his friend one night in August last year.

solar-powered plane has been grounded by damaged batteries for at least a few weeks after completing its record-breaking five-day journey from Japan to Hawaii. The Solar Impulse 2’s team said the batteries were over-insulated and became overheated on day one of the Japan-Hawaii leg. The team said today that it had monitored the situation throughout the flight but could not decrease the temperature.

Keen to keep playing after she came home, the man put sedative in her tea, causing her to sleep until midday the next day. He told the court: “I only put four or five drops into her tea.” Even when she awoke from her sleep and heading to work the next day, she said she was still nodding off from the effects of the drugs.The man admitted what he had done the day after the crime, and she told the court that he had been on drugs at the time something which contributed to their break-up a few days later.Ordering the man to pay a €500 fine, the judge said: “Your girlfriend slept long and deeply, which didn’t harm her, but his is certainly a premeditated bodily harm.” Speaking to the Westdeutche Allgemeine Zeitung, the man said he was now on a straighter path - off drugs for 10 months and soon beginning an apprenticeship.

The plane will not fly before the beginning of August as the team works to replace and repair damaged parts. The plane landed in Hawaii on July 3 after completing a 118-hour voyage which broke the record for the world’s longest non-stop solo flight. The Solar Impulse 2 is next headed to Phoenix as part of an aroundthe-world flight meant to highlight the importance of renewable energy.

DEUTSCHE BANK ‘FACES MONEY LAUNDERING PROBE’

S AUTHORITIES are investigating German banking giant Deutsche Bank over alleged money laundering in

Russia. The investigation centres’ on billions of dollars’ worth of transactions carried out by Deutsche Bank in Russia that New York state regulators believe may have been used to disguise money illegally moved out of Russia. The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) began the investigation of Deutsche Bank early this summer, sources claim. According to these sources, Russian clients unsuccessfully attempted to bribe a Deutsche Bank employee in Moscow in a bid

to hide the origin of their money. A Deutsche Bank spokeswoman said that Germany’s largest lender had placed on leave “a small number of individuals” in its Moscow office pending an internal review. “We are committed to participating in international efforts to detect and combat suspicious activities and we take strong action where we find evidence of misconduct,” she said.

PROBE Deutsche Bank has informed regulators at Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority and Germany’s BaFin of its internal probe into the Russian division’s transactions from 2011-2015.

New York investigators suspect securities bought in Moscow through Deutsche Bank were done in parallel with other Deutsche Bank trades in London in international currencies. The probe centre’s on whether these transactions, called “mirror trades,” permitted these clients to move large amounts of money out of Russia while hiding the source of the funds. In April, Deutsche Bank was fined $600 million (€546 million) by the DFS, part of fines totalling $2.5 billion (€2.2 billion euros) by US and British authorities for rigging Libor interest rates, used to peg millions of contracts around the world, in a multi-bank conspiracy.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

High-security fence to be erected at Calais lorry terminal B RITAIN is deploying two-anda-half miles of high-security fencing used during the Olympic Games and last year’s Nato summit in Wales to the Channel tunnel port in France in an attempt to reduce the number of illegal immigrants seeking to illegally board ferries and trucks bound for the UK. James Brokenshire, immigration minister, announced that two and a half miles of 9ft fencing — known as the National Barrier Asset — would be erected at the lorry terminal in Coquelles, near Calais. It should be in place by the end of July. He also said Britain is beefing up security in the hope of preventing jihadists from entering the UK after the beach massacre in Tunisia. The fence is one element of a broader push to step up border security between northern

France and the UK amid a growing migrant crisis in the area. More than 3,000 people, predominantly from Africa and the Middle East, are estimated to be living rough around Calais in what has become known as ‘jungle’ migrant camp, all waiting for a chance to cross into the UK.

DISRESPECT The additional fencing comes after Mr Brokenshire announced more resources for screening arrivals at Dover, as well as a 90-strong task force to tackle organised immigration crime in the Mediterranean. In the year to April, border authorities stopped 39,000 attempts by illegal migrants trying to cross the Channel, more than double the amount in the previous year.

National Barrier Asset ‘ Ring of Steel’ security fencing

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

JUDGE has trimmed more than $1m (£639,000) from the damages Pharrell Williams (pictured right) was ordered to pay after the Blurred Lines copyright trial. The case revolved around the question of whether Williams and his co-writer Robin Thicke had copied Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit Got To Give It Up. In March, a jury ruled that they had, and awarded Gaye’s family $7.3m in damages. But US District Judge John A. Kronstadt has now slashed that to $5.3m. The cut comprises a reduction in actual damages from $4m to just under $3.2m, and a drop in the profits that Williams has to turn over from about $1.6 million to about $358,000.

BLOCKED The judge also gave Gaye’s family a 50% cut of future earnings from the song, but rejected a request that would have temporarily blocked sales and performances of the track. Kronstadt’s ruling also refused a request by Thicke and Williams’ lawyers for a new trial. In March, jurors found that rapper TI, who received a song writing credit and a share of the royalties for his verse on Blurred Lines, did not commit copyright infringement - but Kronstadt ruled that other elements of the jury’s verdict mean he must be included in the judgment. He also found that found that Interscope Records, Universal Music Group and Star Trak Entertainment were liable. ‘Agree to disagree’

Pharrell wins $1m back in Blurred Lines case Song went to number one in the UK, while its X-rated video provoked controversy Gaye family lawyer Richard Busch said he was “thrilled” the court had affirmed the jury’s decision on copyright infringement. “As far as the reduction in damages, we are reviewing that, and the Court’s analysis on that issue, and will be discussing internally our options,” he added. Williams’ lawyer Howard King added: “While we certainly respect the diligence and care devoted by the court throughout these proceedings, we must agree to disagree on the conclusions. We look forward to exercising our further remedies and ultimately achieving clarity on the difference between inspiration and copyright infringement.”

AMATEUR ARCHAEOLOGIST FINDS NAZI GOLD HOARD A

MAN in northern Germany has found a €45,000 hoard of Nazi gold – but will only pocket a small portion of the sum. The dream of every treasure-hunter came true for Florian Bautsch last October when he found 217 Nazi-era gold coins in Lüneburg, the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported this week. Bausch – a certified metal detectorist – was exploring old burial mounds in the town south of Hamburg when he stumbled across the first gold piece. After a further search under the foliage uncovered nine more coins, Bautsch did a survey of the area and got in touch with local archaeologists. A two-week long excavation followed, unearthing a further 207 gold coins – with a material worth estimated at around €45,000. Archaeologists also found remnants of pasteboard with two seals bearing the swastika, imperial eagle and the stamp: “Reichsbank Berlin 244”. The find was exhibited in Lüneburg Museum on Tuesday – and caused considerable excitement among experts, according to Lüneburg archaeologist Edgar Ring.

‘A STROKE OF LUCK’ Despite the value of the coins coming to €45,000, Bautsch is only set to receive the relatively small sum of €2,500 as his finder’s reward – but explained his honesty by saying that the most important thing for him was furthering scientific knowledge.

Although similar finds have been made in the past, almost all have lacked archaeological context, with illegal metal detectorists often destroying crucial clues as to the coins’ origin. The fact this find was made by someone so well-informed was a stroke of luck, Lower Saxony state archaeologist Henning Haßmann told the SZ. It means the gold can be dated back to the time period immediately after the Second World War. The coins had originally been placed in two separate pouches, of which only the seals now remain. They were buried under about a metre of earth, around the foot of a tree – but were scattered around the area when the tree was later uprooted. Of the coins, 128 bore Belgian stamps, while 74 originated in France and 12 from Italy. The final three bore Austro-Hungarian stamps. All have a diameter of 21mm and weigh 6.45 grams, with an overall weight of 1.4kg, and most were minted between 1850 and 1910 – with the oldest dating back to 1831. Chemical analysis of the pasteboard remains and seals showed that the coins were likely packaged up sometime between 1940 and 1950. Ring said that he was certain the gold had belonged to the Nazi-era Reichsbank (central bank) and was a collection of stolen coins. According to Haßmann, the coins would have been produced as limited editions, to be used as investment pieces for banks and private investors.

Nominated for record of the year at the 2013 Grammys, Blurred Lines was a number one on both sides of the Atlantic and one of the biggest-selling songs of the year. Since its release, the track has earned nearly $16.5m (£10.5m) in profits, according to court documents, with Williams and Thicke making more than $5m each. At the trial, Williams contended that he was only trying to mimic the “feel” of Gaye’s music and insisted he did not use elements of his idol’s work. This ruling paves the way for the next phase of the showdown when Thicke and Williams are expected to take the dispute to an appeals court.

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focuses on

SOTOGRANDE AND SURROUNDING AREAS

Sponsored by

www.ibexinsure.com & 952 887 125

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Automation is our specialty! Our team can assist you at any stage with all your needs in home automation. We dedicate ourselves to provide the best quality installation from start to end. With years of experience using Crestron Automation products, we have completed many projects in La Zagaleta, Sierra Blanca, La Quinta and Sotogrande. We have also completed larger projects to provide community automation systems in Malibu, Puerto Banus and in Meisho hills, Sierra Blanca. Please feel free to visit our showroom for more information and a demonstration.

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Issue 03 July ADVERTORIAL 16 - 29, 2015

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ADVERTORIAL

COME AND GET TO KNOW US A LITTLE BETTER I BEX Insurance has 9 branches in Spain, 2 in Portugal and 1 in Gibraltar. Two of these shops are located on the Costa del Sol, one at the Commercial Centre at Benavista, Estepona and the other in the centre of Fuengirola. Ibex

Fi, Estepona office

Sam, Estepona office

Fi Slowgrove relocated from Hampshire to Spain over 13 years ago when her husband retired from the Royal Navy. She has been working in the insurance market since she first arrived. Initially with Datalink and then with Ibex. Samantha Campbell is the Manager of the Estepona office but previously worked at the Fuengirola office so has great knowledge of the Costa del Sol. She has lived in this area for 16 years with her family after relocating from the UK where she was the UK Sales Manager for a Telecoms company. When she arrived she started working in the Real Estate industry in Puerto Banus and after 8 years working in this business she specialised in luxury properties on the Costa del Sol. Donna Will joined Ibex in 2012 and previously worked 5 years for Staysure Insurance

has been looking after customers in these towns for almost 15 years. It was in 2006 when Ibex acquired Datalink Insurance Brokers and started to look after the insurance needs of the Datalink clients utilising the existing premises and employing the

Donna, Estepona office

Datalink staff. The offices continued to trade with a Datalink branding for 5 years before the business was transferred across to Ibex Insurance. New premises were found in both Estepona and Fuengirola from where Ibex has traded ever since.

Angela, Fuengirola office

as the Call Centre Manager. She has lived in Spain for the past 11 years.

joying life in this area and living the dream for many more years to come.

Angela Dawn Ovenden has been working for Ibex since November 2012. She loves her job and thinks working in the Insurance business is always interesting and a great industry to work in. She enjoys speaking with the general public on a day to day basis and over the years she has created a very friendly bond with our long standing policy holders.

Shauna Rogers has been on the Costa del Sol for nearly 30 years. After completing her degree in European Studies at UCC in Cork in 1998 she decided that she would settle in Malaga as she loves the lifestyle, culture, Spanish people and the climate! She thinks it is a great place to live, especially with 2 kids, as there are so many outdoor activities and sports to be enjoyed.

Prior to working for Ibex Insurance she worked for Euroweekly News, where she enjoyed the fast pace environment. She has lived in Spain for 6 and a half years and still feels sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s living the dream! Her personal life is also fast paced with 4 rescue dogs and a 5 year old step son whose needs are very demanding! She feels she made the right move settling in Spain and hopes to continue en-

She has worked in the insurance industry since 2001, when she was thrown in at the deep end in the claims department of Knights Insurance. However, it was an invaluable experience as it taught her the importance of getting a policy right form the start. Throughout the years, Shauna has dealt with most insurance products such as home, motor, business, community, travel, medical, life,

Shauna, Fuengirola office pet insurance, marine, public liability and funeral insurance. Her strongest conviction is that to make a happy client you must first understand their needs and then find them the best cover at an affordable price. She loves working at the Fuengirola office and enjoys getting out and about with different events and sponsorships so work is never dull! All of them are highly trained professionals who can provide quotes, issue new policies, renew existing policies and help you with a claim. They can offer car, motorbike and home insurance as well as boat, pet, travel, health, static homes, businesses, golf, communities, legal protection, professional indemnity, directors & officers & public liability. You can rest assured that they will offer you the right insurance and help you throughout the term of your policy.

Taking out an insurance policy with the cover you need is important so leave it to the experts and give Donna, Fi or Sam a call on 952 887 125 or Angela & Shauna on 952 581 561. As your local insurance broker Ibex can find the policy to meet your needs.

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DESI DEC

Extend your home into your your outdoor space with mo

VER recent years, there has been a growing demand for decking. Whether you are a sun-worshiper or just need some chill-out time, the best way and place to do so it is in the sun. It is not just the sun of course; decking can be a stunning addition to any garden and can really make somewhere feel like home. Garden decking is easy to set up and is a great way to make any garden look good. It gives you somewhere to go when you want to spend some time outside. There are so many different variations available in the market, with the most popular being slatted or parquet. - Slatted decking is the traditional choice that is laid at 90 degrees with a small gap between each piece. This is for draining and to enable the wood to move with the elements. - Parquet garden decking has become popular in larger projects and consists of square formations patterned together in parallel or checkerboard styles. Putting down the decking is easy, but takes some care in order to

ensure the decking is fitted properly and easy to maintain. Proper fitting is also important to ensure full durability and safety. Every garden is different so the choice people make is dependent on the size of the garden and personal preference. Decking can make such a great difference in look whilst being functional too.

QUALITY Finding quality garden decking is easy online and the benefit of using the web means that you can see all the options available to you and ensure that you are getting the highest quality from the best provider. You can also find the best for less online and make the most of the competition out there so now you can transform your garden into a place that you love spending time in at a fraction of the price. Decking does not take much maintenance either but keep an eye out for rusty fittings every now and again and replace them as required to get the most out of your decking.

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

Vivienda Las Palmeras · Arquitecto: Valentín de Madariaga · Installer: Moncada Aluminium · Fotografía: Claudio Curia

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An Infinite View Hi-Finity sliding door system from Reynaers Aluminium allows, thanks to its invisible aluminum profiles, truly impressive floor to ceiling glazed surfaces. Perfect harmony between the housing and the environment with a minimalist design that brings light and elegance.

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FOCUS ON HOMES

Island Style

NDIA Hicks, the daughter of famed interior designer David Hicks, has forged a design empire from her family’s enclave in the Bahamas. In her new book India Hicks: Island Style , she invites readers into her lush world. It offers never before seen family photographs, breath taking vistas of her island community, all new images of her home, Hibiscus Hill,

and irresistible behind the scenes stories. In eleven chapters, Hicks walks the reader through the basics of her look: the subtlety of island life, her inherited knack for ‘tablescaping’, the pleasure of porches, bedrooms as places of self-expression and the ”more is more” style of living with collections. From the understated entryway to the sunkissed terrace set up for entertaining, to the

kaleidoscope of exterior colours, to the quieter interior places, and from the swaying hammock in the back yard to the four poster beds in the guest house, handmade by a local craftsman, Hicks takes readers on a very intimate tour of the place she calls home. India Hicks: Islands Style By India Hicks published by Rizzoli www.rizzoliusa.com

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MONEY MATTERS

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GROWING number of Brits are buying properties overseas and it’s easy to see why. The rewards of buying a property abroad can be huge – warm weather, cheaper living costs (meaning salaries and pensions go a lot further), and the prospect of a better quality of life. Buying your new home overseas is a huge and exciting step, and possibly one of the largest purchases you will ever make. You want to make sure you know exactly where your money is going and that you’re getting the most out of it every step of the way. However, did you know that you can get up to 5% more on your international transfers and payments by using Currencies Direct instead of your bank?

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Is survival becoming easier for companies as the economic climate improves?

HE number of companies filing for bankruptcy proceedings in Spain during the first half of 2015 was 2,995 representing a decrease of 23% to the same period last year, while the number of companies dissolved also fell by 10% to 12,949, according to a report published by Informa D&B The same report reveals that in the month of June the number of bankruptcies was 486, also 23% lower, while there were 1,677 dissolutions (3% fewer that in May). The bankruptcy proceedings reported between January and June affected a total of 21,772 employees and were entered by companies with an aggregate turnover of close to 4,600 million euros, and again the figures seem to indicate a less hostile economic environment than 12 months previously as this figure is 35% lower than in 2014. The point is reinforced by the data for dissolutions, where the turnover of 9,300 million euros

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is 51% lower than a year ago and 39,562 employees were affected. Only in Aragon and the autonomous city of Melilla did the number of company bankruptcies rise, and in the three regions of Catalunya, Madrid and Valencia the total fell by 27% from 2,091 to 1,531 (over half of the total trend), a trend which is also evident in the figures for the month of June alone.

VIABILITY In terms of company dissolutions the figures rose again in the Autonomous Cities of Melilla and Ceuta and also in the Balearics, but elsewhere it appears that the viability of companies is improving as the economic environment becomes more conducive to business being conducted successfully. However, the construction sector is still relatively hazardous one in which to do business, during the first half of the year 905 construction companies filed for bankruptcy, and 3,459 companies ceased trading.

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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

British expats left with less choice in pension schemes investments

N the UK, the tax man, HM Revenue and Customs, has removed thousands of Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS) from its approved list. Globally, the number of schemes has fallen from around 3,800 to 663. Australia now (one of the world’s biggest providers of QROPS) has just one Qrop, the Local Government Superannuation Scheme, remaining on the list and more from other countries are expected to be removed soon. In Ireland the number of approved schemes has fallen from 797 to 56, in Switzerland they are down from 100 to just one, in Spain they are down from 16 to two and in South Africa they have been cut to seven from 29. Canada is expected to see a cull in the coming

British Expats are seeing the number of overseas pension schemes that they can use to move their investments abroad being cut back drastically. months. A QROPS is generally regarded as an attractive option for expats who want to invest their pension but are worried about the effect of currency swings on their payments. They offer tax advantages when drawing pension benefits and can be transferred upon death. Transferring a UK pension fund into a scheme can reduce taxation and avoid UK taxation as long as the pensioner remains

tax resident outside of the UK. But they are being affected by pension changes in the UK.

CURRENCY SWINGS Earlier this year HMRC wrote to overseas schemes that accept UK transfers warning that they must comply with the new pension freedom rules which came into force in April. Under the new rules, which allow savers to take their whole pension pot as cash, pen-

Bargain properties becoming scarce T he era of Spanish property bargain hunters is coming to an end, according to new figures, as the number of coastal resorts with rising prices continues to climb. A new report from valuations firm Tinsa highlights the widening spread of rising prices in Spain. Indeed, 35 resorts have seen values increase year-on-year in Q1 2015. A year ago, only four saw prices increase. In Javea, on the Costa Blanca, prices have surged 11.2 per cent. The average sales price there is now 1,658 euros per square metre. “All is not lost,” reassures Tinsa. “There are 29 locations spread across the Spanish coastline whose homes have lowered their prices by more than 10 per cent in the first three months of the year.” Indeed, Pallafruguell in Girona saw prices fall 16.9 per cent in the year to Q1 2015. Data from the General Council of Notaires also shows that prices fell 1.9 per cent in April nationally. Nonetheless, the market is changing. Sales rose 2 per cent in April, according to the Notaries.

DISRESPECT In Marbella, it appears that stock is now running out, with new projects beginning to pop up - and even developers keen to complete previously halted developments. The end of the property crisis has also been confirmed recently by the Bank of Spain and

the government has stated that the country’s economy is growing at its fastest rate since 2008 - close to 4 per cent in the first six months of 2015 compared with the same period last year. The Bank of Spain has predicted growth of 2.7 per cent in 2016.

Estate agency Lucas Fox has released a report to mark its 10-year anniversary, illustrating the changes in the market since 2005. Prices are now steadily beginning to rise, says the report, after falling from their 2007 peak and stabilising in 2014.

sion schemes must prohibit members from accessing their savings before the age of 55, unless the member is retiring early due to ill health; however, many overseas schemes allow under 55s to take some of their funds early in some circumstances, such is if they are suffering financial hardship. They are unlikely to change their rules to accommodate the UK requirements because this would disadvantage their local members.

SAVINGS Nigel Green, chief executive of DeVere Group, many of whose 80,000 clients have transferred their retirement savings into an HMRC-recognised QROPS, explained that while many QROPS which have been withdrawn from the list are highly regulated financial vehicles, they fail the UK’s pension age test. ‘They allow the early payment of benefits before the age of 55 and therefore, these funds do not meet all the stringent requirements needed to be recognised by HMRC as a QROPS,’ he said, adding that he is in favour of the move. ‘This measure further impedes funds being transferred to certain destinations with the sole aim of the pension holder then being able to withdraw a large proportion of the cash as a lump sum. This is not how QROPS were ever intended to be used. They are meant to provide an income in retirement for those living outside the UK,’ he pointed out. ‘HMRC’s stance on this issue and the deployment of more and more of its resources in the area is further evidence that QROPS are fully part of the retirement planning establishment, and that the overseas pension transfer market has fully come of age,’ he added. He also pointed out that ultimately it means that clients are even more protected, making QROPS, with all their enormous financial benefits for expat retirees, an even more attractive option. He added that it is likely that other jurisdictions will benefit from HMRC’s new list, including Malta, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar, which have amendments that meet the UK rules.

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ADVERTORIAL

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

FOCUS ON MONEY MATTERS

TELEFONICA BUYS LA LIGA TV RIGHTS FOR 600M €

ELEFÓNICA has agreed to pay €600m for the domestic rights to broadcast matches of all Spanish league teams including Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, as part of its efforts to push the pay-television market in its home country. The deal was announced by the Spanish telecoms group and the LFP professional league association on Friday. It is the first time Spain’s football league has sold the broadcasting rights for its top two divisions collectively, rather than each team being free to market its own rights.

YIELD The sale of TV rights for La Liga outside Spain is expected to yield another €600m, according to Javier Tebas, LFP president. Telefónica has been keen to boost Spain’s under-developed pay-per view sector and regards football as crucial to attract-

ing new subscribers. Less than a third of Spanish households have a pay-per view subscription, significantly below rates in the UK and France. Telefónica hopes that the ability to offer all matches on one platform will boost its paid-for Mov-

Spain improves outlook for joblessness and debt

HE Spanish government on Friday lowered its 2015 forecasts for unemployment and public debt, bolstering its claims of a surging economic recovery months ahead of a general election. The economy ministry said the Spanish economy would create more than 600,000 jobs this year and start to chip away from next year at its debt mountain. It said the overall jobless rate in 2015 would be 21.1 percent - one percentage point lower than its previous forecast, but still painfully high for ordinary Spaniards. It confirmed its new growth forecast for this year, which it has revised sharply upwards from 2.9 to 3.3 percent. That is more than twice the 1.5 percent average rate forecast by Brussels for the Eurozone - a striking recovery after onand-off recession in Spain between 2008 to 2013 that left millions of people out of work. “For the first time since the start of the crisis in 2008, the Spanish economy is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Economy Minister Luis de Guindos told a news conference. The governing Popular Party is now touting the recovery ahead of an election due

from November, in which it faces a tough challenge from new anti-austerity parties. Budget Minister Cristobal Montoro on Friday lowered the official forecast for Spain’s public debt to 98.9 percent of gross domestic product from a previous outlook of 100.3 percent. He said 2016 was likely to be “the first year in which we start, albeit modestly, to lower the burden of debt on GDP,” which he said will decline to 98.5 percent.

DEFICIT The average debt level across the countries of the Eurozone was 92.1 percent at the end of 2014, according to official data. The Spanish government’s forecast for the public deficit - a key indicator of financial stability that measures how much spending exceeds income - stands at 4.2 percent of GDP for this year. The government forecasts it will fall below the three percent level set by European treaties in 2016. The last official unemployment rate, for the first quarter of this year, was 23.78 percent. But the government forecast on Friday that this would dip just below the symbolic 20 percent level in 2016.

istar+ service, although competition rules mean it will also have to offer match rights to other providers. Spain’s top football clubs are among the most successful in the world, both on and off the pitch. According to an annual ranking by Deloitte, Real Madrid is the richest club in the world, with FC Barcelona occupying fourth place. Between them, the two Spanish teams have won four of the past seven Champions League titles, the most coveted club trophy in the game. In terms of TV revenues, however, Spain has long been in the shadow cast by the English Premier League. The Premier League announced in February that it had auctioned the domestic television rights to its games for £5bn for three seasons beginning in 2016, a 70 per cent rise on the previous £3bn deal.

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Spanish club Elche relegated for non-payment of taxes, wages

ELCHE have been relegated from La Liga because of unpaid debts to the tax authorities and Eibar will take their place in Spain’s top flight next season. Elche, who ended the season in 13th place, were punished for “very serious infractions” of Spain’s sports law and league rules and also fined just over €180,000 (£132,000). Based near Alicante in south-east Spain, Elche have already said they would appeal if they were relegated over their tax debts, which they have insisted are due to be settled in full by the end of July. The Basque club Eibar were playing in La Liga for the first time in 2014-15 and went down on the final day of the season after finishing 18th.

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FOCUS ON CASINO

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

COOKING UP MEMORIES WITH AGUSTÍN ROMÁN ADVERTORIAL

ASINO’S restaurant is well-known for its Mediterranean cuisine based on the quality of its products and service. With a focus of using seasonal ingredients to highlight quality and offer the most essential flavors of Mediterranean gastronomy Agustín Román, changes the menu 3 times a year. “We recommend many of the dishes with some of our favourites; sliced cured “Jamón Ibérico”, Salmon with garnish and cured Manchego cheese. We also have many meat and fish dishes plus a tantalizing selection of desserts”. A wide selections of wines and cava’s are readily available. The maître d’, Gerard Val-llaura, is a great sommelier who carefully selects the best wines from Spain

and around the world. Together, Agustín and Gerard make a perfect professional team and run the restaurant successfully. During the summer time, the restaurant is open everyday from 9:30pm to 3.30am and snacks are also served until the Casino closes at 05:00am. The menu is available in five languages: Spanish, English, French, German and Russian. The Casino Marbella Restaurant (close to Puerto Banús) also offers a Tasting Menu and Special Menus for groups. Don’t forget to book your table! Phone : 952 81 40 00. Visit www.casinomarbella.com to read the complete menu. Please note that it is necessary to bring your National Identification Card (DNI), Passport or Driver’s Licence to enter the Casino.

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FOCUS ON CASINO

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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015 ADVERTORIAL

SO MUCH TO WIN A

TRIP to Casino Marbella is an absolute must when you visit the Costa del Sol, offering a chance to relax in an exclusive atmosphere where you can enjoy an art exhibition, have a drink and sample a delicious selection of gastronomical delights. Situated in Puerto Banús, Casino Marbella hosts its famous Jackpot Paradise, with more than 100 latest technology Slot Machines, an Exhibition Hall, a Restaurant, two Bars and three Gaming Rooms. In this unique and exclusive environment, Casino Marbella is a place where visitors can enjoy the most attractive nights in elegance and ambience, starting the evening with an exquisite dinner, before trying their luck at the Slot Machines or at the game tables. PRIZES In its main room, Casino Marbella offers the visitor the most traditional games: Black Jack, Stud Poker, American Roulette; while in the Slot Machines Area clients will find games from the traditional roller machines to the most advanced technology machines with tactile screens offering games such as Bingo and Keno - or the last arrivals like Roulette and Electronic Texas Hold’em Poker. It is also possible to take part in the best accumulated prizes in Jackpots. Casino Marbella organises many Poker Tournaments during the year, the most famous is the MARBELLA CLASSIC POKER, which has become a league this year with six rounds and an exciting final. Winners are awarded with big cash prizes and free entries to international tournaments. This kind of event will bring to Marbella well known international players as well as make the Casino a reference point in the International Poker field. Casino Marbella Restaurant has always been known for its refined gastronomic offerings. Its wide choice of international cuisine together with a special care for quality service, have contributed to making it a renowned night spot in Marbella.

TODAY’S YOUR LUCKY DAY... COME AND TRY YOUR LUCK Present this ticket for entry to the Casino and a gift! It is necesary to bring your National Identification Card (DNI), Passport or Driver’s Licence to enter the Casino

Code: WW3

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ADVERTORIAL

MORE THAN JUST LUCK

VERYDAY, from midday onwards, the Jackpot Paradise opens its doors. It is an area with more than one hundred slot machines with a modern design by the architect and designer Juli Capella from Barcelona. He has created a new space focusing on fun and entertainment that houses the latest technology in gaming machines. As it is the main Casino at the Costa del Sol, Jackpot Paradise includes ten of the latest technologies in gaming machines from Atronic and Keno Party. This new installation has converted the Casino into the perfect place for leisure, for entertainment and gives the gamer the chance to earn great prizes. In fact, last June one of the prizes reached â&#x201A;Ź63,000, from Keno machine. JACKPOTS With 8 jackpots in the room, the Casino gives all the clients an uncomparable area to enjoy. More than â&#x201A;Ź500,000 has been won in Jackpots during the last six months. Besides mixing gaming and gastronomy, you can try the full Jackpot Experience which includes entrance to the casino, a drink, a snack and a bonus for gaming, every day Also, if you want to get more fun, you can Join the Paradise Slot Club. you will enjoy all the advantages of a very special club in which you always win: luxury dinners, tickets to the best shows, golf tournaments and loads more exclusive gifts await you, just for using this card. Every month you will have a special party and a slot tournament where you can win more points and have even more fun. Come and join the club.

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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

The Ultimate Lifestyle Experience Health, Body & Mind If you are seeking a unique atmosphere of Wellness & Fitness and a fulfilling country club experience with a friendly, intimate, active lifestyle surrounded by beautiful nature and breathtaking views then you have found the perfect place at Benahavis Hills Country Club

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SPA CENTER

Interested in joining? Complementary Day Pass with use of all of our facilities! Our facilities include : SPA with heated indoor pool, jacuzzi, steam and sauna. Fitness & Gym studio fully fitted with the latest Cybex equipment and an open air relaxation terrace. We offer various activities as yoga, pilates, aqua wellness and more. Enjoy the lounge area by the outdoor pool and our openair Hills cafĂŠ with its ocean breezes and stunning views of the Mediterranean! Benahavis Hills Style is designed for you. This is your time. This is your place. Start Your Dream, Wellness & Wellbeing Journeyâ&#x20AC;Ś Limited introductory membership opportunities are available now! For more information contact us: 0034 952 856 171

www.benahavishills.com

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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015 ADVERTORIAL

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

FOCUS ON HEALTH & BEAUTY

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HEIR commitment to improving the lives of their patients is based upon two fundamental philosophies; one to provide a highly qualified team of professionals and technical staff and two to ensure the facilities are not just warm and welcoming but also provide the most advanced medical equipment & treatments. The facility itself looks more like a 5* star hotel than that of a hospital, there are 20 individual rooms each equipped with every facility imaginable with private bathrooms, terraces offering spectacular sea & mountain views a children’s play area, VIP parking and a cafeteria.

The only private hospital in Andalucía with a water birth unit 20 years ago, Hospital Ceram a specialist fertility services opened its doors in Marbella with the sole aim of helping women and couples to conceive.

More like a 5* star hotel room than a hospital

This year the hospital unveiled a brand new water birth service, Ceram is the only private hospital within Andalucia to offer rooms with birthing pools. These intimate and welcoming environments help reduce the trauma of birth for both mother & baby. Water births have become increasingly popular across Europe. During water immersion in labor, women get into a tub or pool of warm water during the first stage of labour, before the baby is born, the mother will remain in the water during the pushing phase and actual birth of the baby. The baby is then brought to the surface of the water after it is born.

IMMERSION Giving birth in water allows spontaneous movement of the mother so she can move her body freely to the position that her baby dictates. The effect of buoyance that warm water immersion provides also helps to reduce pain. The birthing pools are Ceram also contain a chromotherapy systems (colour system) which help further the mothers feeling of relaxation. As in any birth the parents receive the best care and advise from a team of qualified midwifes, gynaecologists and

paediatricians. This unique service has earned Hospital Ceram recognitions from Centro Mi Matrona as a key collaborating hospital, the institute said

“Both the women and couple are the center of attention during the delivery. Hospital Ceram provides a calm and relaxed atmosphere with a dedicated team for each family. Hospital Ceram brings an innovation that will definately make a difference when talking about deliveries”

INTERNATIONAL Apart from this exclusive and specialised service, the hospital has a 24-hour emergencies for adults and children, 4 operating theatres, a recovery unit, X-rays and a well known Fertility unit. All specialities are covered, and an international patient programme team have granted Hospital Ceram with a worldwide award on excellent patient care for five consecutive years. Hospital Ceram, with all its specialist, innovative technologies is a hospital that continues to surprise doctors and patients who visit it, Marbella is very lucky to have such an institute on its doorstep.

Hospital Ceram, Calle Maestra Doña Carola, 8, Marbella | 0034 629 394 934 | www.hospitalceram.com | hospital@hospitalceram.com

74 - WEEKEND WORLD Feature by Annabel Milnes-Smith

ARBELLA Cosmetic High Care Clinic, located in the heart of Nueva Andalucía Marbella, operates from the same premises as Marbella-Medical- andDental.com, regarded by expats and residents as one of the finest fully licensed Clinics for Primary Medical, Surgical, Dental and Ophthalmology care on the Costa del Sol. After expanding last year, with a brand new venture “Marbella Cosmetic”, now offer a concept they have named ´Cosmetic Fusion´, a multi treatment program to achieve the goal the patient requests.

FOCUS ON HEALTH & BEAUTY

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

5 STAR CARE Marbella Cosmetic High Care Group, the Newest 5 Star Fully Licensed Cosmetic Clinic on the Costa del Sol, offering a full range of cosmetic beauty treatments from non-invasive treatments to invasive surgery Dr. Ernest Guillem M.B.B.S. (Lond.), the longest standing English trained, fully qualified, practicing Doctor on the Costa del Sol West and founder of ´MarbellaMedical-and-Dental.com´ trading since 2006, has introduced this innovative cosmetic care concept to the Costa del Sol, with his business partner and cofounder Ms. Janet Barnes. Dr. Guillem elaborates, “For the last thirty nine years, I have not only been involved in primary health care, but also in hospital in-patient care. During this time, I have had the co-operation of Dr. Maruenda, who specialises in ophthalmological services and Dr. Karl Rosenvold and Dr. Guus Kraaijeveld who undertake all dental services. “In 2006, I included in my list of services,aesthetic medicine in the form of hyluronic Acid facial enhancement fillers, botulinium injections and Lipo Laser treatments and I have been carrying these out uninterrupted for the last eight years . Following a number of visits to London, Marbella Cosmetic HC decided to extend their aesthetic services to include the complete Invasix Inmode Platform and the Invasix Radio Frequency assisted Liposuction which is carried out as an out- patient treatment, PDO Mini Thread Face Lifting and Regenerative Therapy and. We exclusively acquired these latest sophisticated machines which provide the following:

Treatments all produced from the ‘Inmode’ platform Diolaze Laser Hair Removal Lumecca Intense Pulse Light (IPL) therapy for skin rejuvenation, pigmentation spot removal and thread vein treatment. Forma and Forma Plus for Facial Skin & Body skin tightening Fractora, Fractional Ablation RF Skin Treatment for more aggressive treatment resurfacing including active acne, acne scars, eye bags wrinkles and deeper thread veins. Body FX for body contouring.

Treatments all produced from the Bodytite platform Body Tite, Neck Tite, Face Tite, Cellutite and Radio Frequency assisted Liposuction.

FOCUS ON HEALTH & BEAUTY

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015 1. Non Invasive treatments include:

Form, Forma Plus, Diolaze, Lumecca and Body FX all part of the Invasix Inmode Platform. Cryotherapy where skin lesions are frozen

2. Minimally invasive treatments include: Botox ´Botullinium´ A Treatment Hyperhidrosis treating this medical condition of excessive perspiration. Dermal Fillers include Lip Enhancement Sculptra Collagen PDO Mini Thread Face Lifting and Regenerative Therapy PLA Silhouette Soft cone face and neck Lifting Fractora - This is a treatment to restore and rejuvenate your skin. It improves skin complexion by tightening the skin, reducing or eliminating sagging lower eyelids, jowls and superficial dermal lines caused by smoking. This treatment can also significantly improve acne scars, tighten and remove lines from the décolleté area and is also a useful treatment for veins in the face and legs.

3. Surgical Invasive In-Hospital treatments include: Varicose Veins Surgery Surgical Face / Neck Lift Breast reduction or Augmentation Rhinoplasty: Nasal remodelling Blepharoplasty: Removal of Excessive skin from upper and/or lower eye lids. Upper & Lower Tummy Tuck Gluteal Enhancement: Bottom remodelling

“Marbella Cosmetic is different to most other local Cosmetic Clinics because of its underlying working philosophy”

BEFORE & AFTERS

Fractora - 4TX Photo courtesy of Dr. Ahn

Fractora Photo courtesy of Dr. G Lask

Dr. Guillem who is one of the founders of Marbella Cosmetic is a convinced believer in multi-treatment therapy to reach the desired goal. This he has called “Cosmetic Fusion”. Dr. Guillem is at the moment the longest standing British trained fully qualified practicing practitioner working on the Costa del Sol west. He has been in practice in Spain since 1983 and expanded his interests into Cosmetic Medicine since 2006. When speaking to Dr. Guillem he told us that patient s should be in a position whereby they decide how they want to look. “This can be achieved by supplying with ample information of the different treatments available. In most cases it is best to use more than one form of therapy to achieve the end result desired. Surgical procedures under General Anesthesia may be necessary in some cases but many can now be achieved using non- invasive and minimally invasive procedures. Aesthetic Medicine is not a one off event. In the past patients were put to sleep and on recovering from the general anesthetic the end result was irretrievable.

Fractora Firm - 6 sesions, 45 mJ Fractora Photo courtesy of S. Mulholland Photo courtesy of Dr. G Lask

TiteFX Photo courtesy of Dr. Stephen Mulholland

Plus - 6 sessions Photo courtesy of J. Shaoul, MD

Now patients are awake and aware of their treatments as they are carried out which will probably be administered in a number of sessions. The end result is therefore achieved gradually with the patient being in full control of the situation. This new approach brings into play another factor which was not being considered in the past that of maintenance. This issue has been applied to hair care. We attend our hair dressers regularly in order to keep our hair in good condition; likewise we ought to attend our aesthetic therapist in order to maintain the quality of our skin and our looks. Marbella Cosmetic provide an extensive range of treatments which will help you to, first attain your target look, whatever it may be and secondly maintain it so that you do not revert to what you looked like before you started on your chosen therapy. With age, sun damage, cigarette smoking and other environmental factors we all lose body fat, Collagen Elastin and Hyaluronic acid and with the assistance of gravity everything tends to drop and travel south. With this in mind we at Marbella Cosmetic can help you to delay this journey south and keep body contours in their place.”

TiteFX: 6 weekly sessions, TiteFX: Before 6 weekly treatments 40-45 W 3 months after last treatment Photo courtesy of S. Mulholland Photo courtesy of S. Mulholland

Dr. Guillem operates from his surgery in Nueva Andalucía Marbella together with his experienced nurse Rachel, his Aesthetician Kristi Practice Manager Vivian and receptionisist Katrina. Marbella Cosmetic has now managed to place themselves amongst the forefront runners of the Aesthetic industry in Marbella.

MARBELLA COSMETIC HIGH CARE GROUP, EDIF.EL TRIANGULO, CALLE DEL CALIFA 16, S/N PUERTA BJ, NUEVA ANDALUCIA, MALAGA 29660

TEL: + 34 952 929246/952 813515 for a complimentary consultation or for further information log on to www.marbellacosmetic.com

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focuses on

FOOD & FINE DINING

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FOCUS ON FOOD & FINE DINING

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

The spice of life “ To share a relaxed meal with friends or colleagues is one of life’s little pleasures” NO two people in the country will agree on the exact recipe of a favourite dish. Recipes are handed down from generation to generation, verbally in the kitchen and are closely guarded secrets in most cases, but all agree, a dish is well cooked when the spices blend into the well cooked meat. The spices should not have disparate flavour, or taste raw. No one spice should over-power the other and be so intrusive as to completely hide the true taste of the vegetable or meat dish being cooked. It should help

Open Tuesday-Sunday : Lunch: 13:00 -16:00 and Dinner 19:00 For reservations or take away orders please call 951 27 82 86 Urb: Guadalmansa, Edif Saliñas, Local 6, CN 340 KM 163 – 164, Estepona

maintain and enhance the character of the dish, give it colour and fragrance and leave you wanting more!. Spice Village situated on the New Golden Mile, prides itself on offering the most exotic and delicious dishes from India in a warm relaxed atmosphere. Our food is freshly made to order, so whether you prefer mild dishes such as Chicken Korma, Chicken Tikka Masala or a fiery Vindaloo or Phal dish we can ensure you’ll find the right curry to suit tantalise your taste buds..

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

ne of the summer’s greatest pleasures in Spain is eating fresh sardines, roasted on a fire in the salt air at the seaside. The sardines which are known locally as ‘el Espeto are speared on skewers stuck into the sand in front of the flames and grilled until crackly. The aroma is irresistible, tantalizing. Even the sound is captivating, the slow spitting of the fish oil, the cracking of the wood, and the continual stoking of the wood embers. Accompanied by icy, cold beer and chunks of fresh bread to absorb the drips, sardines make a memorable meal, to be followed by a plunge in the sea and a siesta on the warm sand.

LUXURY Spanish humourist and commentator on life, Julio Camba, once wrote “that sardines would be considered luxury food if they only cost more”. Grilling sardines on an open fire has been around since Pheonician times. The Pheonicians and later the Romans took advantage of their larger fishing boats and often grilled themselves a quick meal while still at sea. The small fire was built within the boat itself and the fish was carefully grilled over the hot embers Although you can find Sardines all year long, it is said that they have a special taste from ‘Virgin to Virgin’– this means that from the 16th of July celebration of the “Vírgen del Carmen “until the 8th of September the celebration of the “Vírgen de la Victoria”, they are aplenty. Local legend states that sardines are only eaten during those months that do not include an “r” in their names: from May to August. Whether this is true, what is clear is that the summer months are ideal for enjoying these skewers, because in this period the sardines are a little fatter, which increases their delicious flavour.

Sardines and grilling them - the facts • An espeto is usually made up of six sardines to a single bamboo spit. • The best ones to grill are the mid-sized ones. • The ice buckets the sardines are kept in aren’t just for keeping the fish fresh. The cold ‘hardens’ the meat making the skewering easier. • Salt at least 30mins before cooking. • For added flavour, place branches of fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary, bay or fennel on the embers. • Espetos are cooked over a wood fire. Olive wood is traditionally used, which also adds to the flavour. • Sardines pack an impressive nutritional punch. They are exceptionally high in Omega 3 and low in calories. A single serving contains 23 grams of protein and only 200 calories. They also boast impressive levels of vitamin B and iron. • As sardines sit fairly low on the food chain, they contain very little mercury and PCBs, making them an ideal choice for children and pregnant women. • Sardines aren’t just local – they’re sustainable. Sardines are a very robust species and being seasonal spawners their population bounces back regularly.

FOCUS ON FOOD & FINE DINING

The unwitting star of many a Spanish summer

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Demand for NonAlcohol Wine is increasing O

NE of the hottest areas in the drinking world right now is alcohol-free tipples. Worldwide sales of non-alcoholic wine has increase by 80 percent in the last five years, according to analysts Mintel Traditionalists may say the term non-alcoholic could refer to any beverage free of alcohol. But wineries have been using the term to describe wines that have almost all of the alcohol removed. Non-alcoholic and dealcoholized are used interchangeably, when referring to wines. Dealcoholized wines begin life as grapes, just like any other wine. As the grapes ferment, the sugar turns into carbon dioxide and alcohol. The process of removing the alcohol is slightly different at each vineyard. Some use heat or gravity or remove the alcohol and most of the water. This reduces the wine to syrup which is reconstituted into wine. Some wineries use water to reconstitute and others use grape juice or grape concentrate. While each process is individual to the vineyard, the outcome is the same: a product that looks and taste like traditional wine, but has less than one-half of one percent of alcohol. An added benefit to the removal of alcohol is the removal of around one-third of the calories. This means that those who are watching their weight can indulge in an occasional glass and not feel guilty. The beneficial properties often associated with red wine can also be found in the non-alcoholic version, as well. Recent studies have shown powerful antioxidants in red wine can reduce risks of heart disease in some people. These same antioxidants, call catechins, are also found in non-alcoholic red wine.

AVAILABILITY Dealcoholized wines are readily available at your local supermarkets or online. The varieties include: White Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Merlot, Premium Red, Premium White, Sparkling Brut and Spumante. Carl Jung, a winery in Germany, has been making non-alcoholic wines for decades. It sells primarily over the Internet, but is expanding rapidly. The winery produces White, Red, Rose, Merlot, Riesling, White Sparkling and Peach Sparkling. While some wine connoisseurs may turn their noses up at non-alcoholic wines, don’t let them sway you from trying them. Any wine, alcohol-laden or dealcoholized, will taste different to everyone. The only real way to find out if these wines are for you is to go ahead, take a sip!

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FOCUS ON FOOD & FINE DINING

Someone in Los Angeles definitely has the munchies

RANCE is great at a lot of food-related stuff, fine wine, delicious cheeses & champagne. But doughnuts? No, we didn’t think so either. Clearly we are missing something because someone in Los Angele has placed an order for one million doughnuts—not with Dunkin’ Donuts, Krispy Kreme nor any other homegrown, ring-slinging establishment, but from France. According to French newspaper Le Figaro, the unidentified Los Angeles customer placed the gargantuan order with French industrial bakery firm Berlidon earlier this month. Apparently he or she settled on the Gard region bakery after it was recommended to them by another client in Las Vegas. It is thought to be a record doughnut order from the US. Speaking to the newspaper, Berlidon’s general manager Luc Jeanierre said that the customer may have chosen to place their order with his firm over one closer to home because “there are not many industrial bakeries like ours. In addition, we offer a smaller than standard sized doughnut purposefully geared towards the American market.” The 200-person bakery exports 85 percent of its products and is noted for beignets, a type of deep-fried choux pastry. Sadly Jeanierre didn’t say whether the mystery customer gave any indication as to what their one mill order was for, nor even the type of doughnuts they chose.

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Paris in Marbs

ARIS Hilton returns to Marbella on the 23rd July where she will play a DJ set at the exclusive Olivia Valere nightclub. Paris’ first appearance at the club last year was well received by fans who took thousands of photos that adorned social media sites for days after the event. Paris will then head to Ibiza to take up her position as resident DJ at the islands infamous Amnesia nightclub for the summer. Aside from DJ-ing every Wednesday at Amnesias “Foam and Diamonds” party the star will be launching a pop up shop on the clubs premises, which will stock items from her handbag and accessories line.

Jeremy Clarkson ‘sad’ over last Top Gear lap

T’S the end of an era as Top Gear’s former host drove around the famous track for the final time. Jeremy Clarkson has revealed he felt a “bit sad” as he drove his final lap on the Top Gear track.

FOCUS ON CELEBRITY

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

50 CENT BANKRUPT: Rapper broke after being ordered to pay £3.2 million over sex tap 50

CENT (Fiddy) has filed for bankruptcy just days after being ordered to pay out millions over a sex tape. The rapper, real name Curtis James Jackson III, filed legal documents on Monday in the US Bankruptcy Court in Hartford, Connecticut. The papers come just three days after he was ordered to pay £3.2million to Lavonia Leviston. A jury decided the ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ rapper had intentionally acquired a sex tape she had made with her boyfriend, which he posted online without her permission in 2009. The rapper has been ordered to show proof of his income and worth so that the jury can deliberate.

AWARDS

The former host of BBC’s motoring programme took to the show’s famous track in Surrey for charity, and admitted to feeling a pang of emotions as he completed the ride. The 55-year-old presenter added: “2 good things about the last lap. It raised a load of cash for a good cause. And I did the motherf***** of all tail slides through Chicago.” Before he did his drive, he asked his Twitter fans which car he should pick for his last lap, posting a photo of him posing alongside two Ferraris and a Mercedes. Jeremy received support from racing driver Marino Franchitti and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason for his spin. The star was dropped from Top Gear in March after a fracas with show producer Oisin Tymon over a hotel meal. There have been rumours he would host a rival show alongside his co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May.The trio’s last episode together aired on BBC Two on June 28. Chris Evans will step into Jeremy’s shoes for the new series of Top Gear, and will be joined by two new sidekicks.

The music star, businessman and actor, reported in court papers that he has assets and debts in the range of $10m to $50m (£6.5m- £32m). Fiddy has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won several awards, including 13 Billboard Music Awards, a Grammy, six World Music Awards, three American Music Awards and four BET Awards. He went on to pursue a career as an actor, appearing in the semi-autobiographical film ‘Get Rich Or Die Tryin’ in 2005. He also had many other successful business interests including clothes, boxing, drinks and mining. His stake in VitaminWater reportedly netted him tens of millions of dollars when Coca-Cola bought the drinks brand in 2007. According to reports in the US at the time, the star was thought to have walked away with a figure somewhere between $60 million and $100 million in the deal. A lawyer for the star said his client’s business operations would continue. “Mr Jackson’s business interests will continue unaffected in the ordinary course during the pendency of the Chapter 11 case,’’ the lawyer said in a statement. It added: “This filing for personal bankruptcy protection permits Mr Jackson to continue his involvement with various business interests and continue his work as an entertainer.” Meanwhile, the rapper doesn’t seem too bothered by his financial status, declaring on Instagram that it’s been his best year ever.

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

FOCUS ON CELEBRITY

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MR & MRS 3

eter Andre has married his fiancée Emily Macdonagh. The couple, who have a daughter together – 17 month old Amelia, married at Mamhead House in Exeter on Saturday 11th July. Considered one of the finest in England the magnificent property sits within a 166 acre estate that also boasts a castle and Italian sty sunken garden.

The pair had originally spoken of a 2016 wedding following Peters’ proposal after the birth of their daughter in 2014, but hinted at the change of plan in interviews earlier this year. According to various reports Peter provided some of the occasion’s entertainment by serenading his new wife with a medley of his hits plus a song he had written especially for her.

Comeback?

egendary girl group The Spice Girls are planning a reunion next year to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the release of their debut single Wannabe. Melanie Chisholm aka Mel C or Sporty Spice has been quoted in a recent interview as saying “I’m not sure what yet but we are planning—we will get together and do something.” Details are being kept secret but it is thought that they will perform a special one-off set at Glastonbury, Isle of White or V festival. The anniversary may also see a repackaged Greatest Hits album with previously unheard tracks. Wannabe was released in 1996 and reached number one in 37 countries turning the girls into overnight superstars. They went on to secure another nine number ones and sold a massive 85 million albums around the world. They were last professionally seen together as a group in 2012 on two separate occasions: the London Olympics ceremony performance and at the launch of West End musical, Viva Forever.

MR & MRS? M

ILA Kunis appears to have confirmed her marriage to Ashton Kutcher in a recent interview. There has been speculation for some time that the couple, who are parents to 9 month old Wyatt, are married. When asked recently if she was married on The James Corden Show she coyly replied maybe. But it is an interview given over a month ago in which she refers to Ashton as her husband no less than three times. The couple held a lavish weekend long party at their ranch last week with many speculating that they were tying the knot then, but it now seems this may have been a party to celebrate their wedding which had happened weeks before.

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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

PET CORNER ALL DOG OWNERS MUST REGISTER PET IRRESPECTIVE OF SIZE OR BREED 1. In most regions in Spain the Ayuntomento require all dog owners to register their pet. Ask for the application form it is free to register. 2. Pet owners are obliged to keep pets in good hygienic sanitary conditions. The owner is responsible for any damage or injury caused to people, objects or public areas. 3. You are not allowed to abandon pets in the streets or on any close premises. 4. All pets are obliged by law to be registered in the Municipal Registry (Registro Municipal de Animales de Compania del Ayuntamiento) Owners must keep and show to the Authorities when required this Registration Certificate and the yearly anti-rabies treatment certificate. 5. In public places all dogs need to be on a leash and dogs over 20 kg, require a muzzle as well. 6. Dog fouling is not allowed on streets, sidewalks or other public area’s. Should this occur the owner must have a plastic bag to collect the excrements. 7. It is absolutely forbidden to feed any animal on the streets or to leave food or any container to the same end. 8. All dogs must be michrochiped. Pet Owners ignoring these laws based on the current legal system can be prosecuted under the disciplinary proceedings following the Ley 11/2003 de 24 de Noviembre, de Proteccion de Animales.

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WE INVITE READERS’ COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS ON DOGS AND CATS. PLEASE SEND THEM TO: info@simplymedia-group.com

Feline frolicks

AVE you ever watched your cat exercise? Perhaps your kitty’s exercise regimen consists of a mad dash around the house - a furry bullet dashing from room to room. Or possibly it’s jumping up on horizontal (and even vertical) surfaces, tearing up the carpets and furniture, or attacking your feet in the middle of the night. Or maybe it’s stalking or pawing at some moving critter, like a fly or a lizard.

ORGANISED PLAY Exercise is as important to your cat as it is to you. Young cats as well as healthy adult cats need periods of exercise. Even our senior pets need regular exercise to maintain their health and well-being. We all know that exercise affects us both physically and mentally. The same is true for your cat. Your kitty can become depressed if not sufficiently stimulated. He may keep you awake at night if he does not receive enough stimulation during the day. Cats are wonderful athletes, but they generally like to exercise for brief periods only. A vigorous playtime at night may help you both get some sleep. Organised play is important and one of the best ways to spend quality time with your pet. Play stimulates your cat mentally. When kittens play together they pick up social skills and self-sufficiency. They refine their stalking and pouncing, as well as coordination and timing required to make a kill. They learn about their environment by ex-

ploring and climbing, and they find the best spots to hide in and lie in wait for their victims. Adult cats, too, enjoy toys that allow them to simulate natural stalking and hunting activity. Commercially available toys are often inviting, but your kitty would probably be happy with anything that he can chase or pounce on. Here are a few things you can try: n Roll a table-tennis ball across the floor. Sit back and watch as your kitty chases, stalks and swats the ball. n Wad up a piece of paper, attach an old tie around it so that you can drag the paper around the floor. Soon your cat will launch an attack. n Get a tall scratching post, preferably one with “branches,” that your cat can run up and down. Scratching posts assist your cat to flex his muscles and to shed old claw sheaths. n Provide a large paper bag or cardboard box for your cat to explore. n You can also buy elaborate gymnasiums for cats, which your cat might climb and explore.

PRECAUTIONS n Never use string or yarn as a toy. Although your cat may enjoy them, these items can be deadly if swallowed and a portion becomes stuck around the tongue or in the intestinal tract.

FINES Animal Protection Law Minor infractions from 75 to 500€ Major infractions from 501 to 2000€ Serious infractions from 2,001 to 30,000€ Dangerous Dogs Minor Fines from 150 to 300€ Major Fines from 300 to 2,404€ Serious Fins from 2,404 to 15,025€ In case of failure to comply to fines disciplinary proceedings will be passed to the courts.

n Putting your cat outside is not a particularly good way to encourage exercise. Peter Neville the respected Feline behaviouist says ‘In general, the most important thing you can do to prolong the life of your cat (in addition to kitten vaccinations) is to keep your cat indoors or confined within a controlled out-of-doors area’. This keeps your kitty safe from injury, animals attacks, and the spread of deadly infectious diseases from stray cats. n Daily exercise or playtime is recommended unless there is a medical problem and your veterinarian has instructed you to limit your cat’s activity.

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EEKEND

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MOTORS

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

FOCUS ON MOTORS

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Designs revealed for brand new Sunseeker 116 Yacht to launch in 2016 S UNSEEKER International has released the first exclusive CGI images of the eagerly anticipated new 116 Yacht currently under production in Dorset, UK. The stunning next generation superyacht is set for launch in Spring 2016. Its elegant lines, open plan layout and stylish interiors showcase the new design direction that Sunseeker’s next generation of 100ft+ models will take. It also underlines the group’s commitment to bringing more exciting new products to market, and continuing to invest in cutting edge technical and design innovation. The new release of the 116 Yacht (and 131 Yacht) underlines Sunseeker’s commitment to bringing more exciting new products to market The 116 Yacht shares the proven engineering platform of the hugely popular 115 Sport Yacht, but brings a spectacularly reimagined new deck and superstructure design. The new images give a tantalising first glimpse of the rakish looks and unique design layout that make this the ultimate boat for entertaining in style.

ENTERTAINMENT In keeping with that theme, the foredeck has been developed into a whole entertainment area of its own, with a new ‘Club’ concept and the option of a large hot tub. The flybridge itself boasts a huge retractable sunroof and an exceptionally generous seating and dining area, with space for a wet bar, sun-loungers, companion helm seating, and standard hot tub. An electronically operated carbon fibre gull-wing door also provides easy access for crew from the wheelhouse to the exterior side deck. The 116 Yacht foredeck has been developed into a whole entertainment area of its own, with a new ‘Club’ concept and the option of a large hot tub. Inside, the 116 Yacht’s most eye-catching new design features include larger and lower windows in the full beam master stateroom, creating bigger, brighter owner’s accom-

modation affording maximum privacy. Full height glass in the saloon also combines with sleek cut away deck bulwarks to flood the living accommodation with natural daylight, bringing an astonishing sense of size and space to the interior for a yacht of its length. The new Sunseeker 116 Yacht has an astonishing sense of size and space to the interior for a yacht of its length The aft cockpit lounge area, bar and bathing platform is designed with a sociable ‘Beach Club’ feel in mind. Extra touches like the platform level seating and hidden platform shower give it everything owners and their guests need to relax and enjoy the water in style and comfort. The stern garage has plenty of room for a large tender and two jet skis. The aft cockpit lounge area, bar and bathing platform is designed with a sociable ‘Beach Club’ feel in mind Based on the classic Sunseeker deep-V hull, the 116 Yacht still has performance at its heart, whether cruising at 16-18 knots or

sprinting at up to 26 knots (depending on engine option). Standard guest configuration is for ten guests in five cabins, with up to five crew, but this can be flexed depending on the layout and options selected. Sean Robertson, Sales Director at Sunseeker International said: “Sunseeker prides itself on producing the world’s finest luxury performance motor yachts, and the new 116 Yacht achieves that goal in stunning fashion. Its striking lines and more open plan layout hint at the new design direction that will influence our new crop of 100ft+ models, but it remains quintessentially and unmistakeably a Sunseeker. Like all our next wave of superyachts, every element of the 116’s design and layout can be individually tailored through our unique ‘Bespoke’ service, which we’ve developed to meet the needs of all our discerning customers around the globe. As the second of two larger models we have set for launch in early 2016, it really highlights our commitment to keep investing in exciting new models which lead the way in technical and design innovation; providing our customers with the best possible choice within their chosen size range.”

www.sunseeker.com

FOCUS ON MOTORS

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Don’t flipflop and drive! IT’S tempting to pop down to the shops in your flip flops but don’t do it! The Guardia Civil have issued a reminder for all those in the holiday spirit that driving in flip flops or slipon shoes is not only downright dangerous, but could lead to a fine if it is deemed to be contributing factor in a road accident.

Frankfurt motor show 2015 preview T

As tempting as it as it may seem, feet can easily slip on the pedals or become entangled, so only shoes with an enclosed structure which securely envelop the foot should be worn when driving. This also relates to driving barefoot and in high-heels. The penalty for driving in footwear not considered to be adequate is €200.00 should the penalty is imposed. Reglamento General de Circulacion, article 3.1 does not specifically describe the type of footwear considered to be adequate, but it is generally applied to relate to ‘negligent or dangerous’ driving. If you have been involved in an accident and are found to be wearing inappropriate footwear then this is the article by which you will be sanctioned

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

HE 2015 Frankfurt motor show opens its doors on 17 September with new model launches expected from the likes of Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. The Frankfurt show is already shaping up to be full of exciting new metal with several new unveilings expected. Audi A4 - The fifth-generation A4 goes on sale in the UK this November, with new engines and evolutionary styling. Bentley Bentayga - After months of spy shots, Bentley will finally pull the wraps off its £130,000 luxury SUV in Frankfurt. BMW 7 Series - BMW’s range-topper will go on sale in October and features a heavily reworked and lightweight chassis. A plug-in hybrid variant is scheduled for 2016. Ferrari 488 GTS Spider - Rumours are circulating that Ferrari will unveil its opentopped variant of the 660bhp 488 GTB at September’s show. Jaguar F-Pace - We’ve caught glimpses of Jaguar’s SUV in its role as Team Sky’s support car, but Frankfurt will mark its official public debut. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupé - Mercedes has already confirmed that its threedoor variant of the latest C-Class will make its debut in Frankfurt before going on sale at the end of the year. Vauxhall Astra - Vauxhall’s new Astra will

New cars from Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz and many more will be seen at the September show

go on sale soon after its Frankfurt debut, with prices starting from £15,295. Volkswagen Tiguan concept - VW’s

second-generation Tiguan SUV will be previewed by a thinly disguised concept car in Frankfurt.

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

MADE WITHOUT A MIDDLE GROUND

FOCUS ON MOTORS

Introducing the All-New 2015 Acura TLX You can’t build a car by consensus. Not when your goal is to engineer a more intuitive and onvolving experience for the driver. With available features like Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™, a new 290-hp direct-injection i-VTEC® V-6 engine, and a 9-speed automatic transmission, the TLX is engineered to performance standards that put the driver first and convention second.

TLX IT’S THAT KIND OF THRILL TLX shown with optional eqiuipment. ©Acura 2014. Acura, TLX i-VTEC, Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, and the stylized “A” logo are trademarks of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

WEEKEND WORLD - 89

acura.com/TLX

your funds doesn’t have to be a complicated process. Banks

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July 16 - 29, 2015

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01/07/2015 15:51

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

EEKEND

WORLD

focuses on

TRAVEL

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ROATIA is a nation of islands. More than a thousand isles, keys and peninsulas dot the aquamarine waters along its Adriatic shores. It’s also a land of vineyards, with more than 300 geographically defined wine districts corralled into an area roughly the size of the state of West Virginia. Indeed, since winning a clutch of awards at the Decanter World Wine Awards Croatia has put itself firmly on the map for wine tourism. A few years ago, the task of naming a “wine tour” operator in Croatia would have resulted in much head scratching and conjecturing. But in recent years wine awareness in Croatia has awakened and more travel agencies have seized the opportunity to link wine tourism to the larger tourism package – or as a stand-alone offering. Croatia’s 2 primary wine regions, Primorska Hrvatska (“coastal Croatia”) and Kontinentalna Hrvatska (“continental Croatia”), are divided into a total of 12 sub-regions, themselves further divided into smaller vinogorje (literally, “wine hills”), which spread northeast from the radiant shores of the Dalmatian Coast to the sprawling floodplains of the Danube River. (It was in one of these vinogorje that the origin of California’s beloved zinfandel grape was ultimately discovered.) The main point of entry for air travellers into Croatia is Zagreb Airport, just outside the capital city. Spend a couple days wandering Zagreb’s old cobblestone streets and you’ll eventually find yourself at Vinoteka Bornstein, at Kaptol 19, where an outrageous selection of rare Croatian wines and truffle products are housed in a cavernous 19thcentury vaulted brick cellar. Chat with the shop’s gregarious owner before embarking south to begin your tour. There’s little doubt that Croatia’s wine regions offer an impressive mix of maritime wonderment and inland rusticity. Here are 5 of the best places to visit while you’re here.

FOCUS ON TRAVEL

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

The world of wine tourism in Croatia France and Italy are the usual destinations if you want a trip to a wine-growing region, but Croatia’s inland regions have a lot to offer wine lovers.

verduzzo flourish in Istria’s hillside vineyards. Terrano, a varietal with denominazione di origine controllata (“controlled designation of origin”) protection in Italy’s Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, is grown here, on the western edge of peninsula, in red clay soils similar to northern Italy’s terra rossa (“red earth”). One of the truest expressions of Istarski teran (as Terrano is known locally) comes fromCoronica Winery, just outside the port town of Umag, where winemaker Moreno Coronica crafts organically grown grapes into a red wine of extraordinary character. Coronica also produces gorgeous whites, which are exceedingly fresh and exceptionally floral, from an indigenous strain of the malvasia grape called Istarska malvazija.

Slavonia

Central and South Dalmatia: Birthplace of Zinfandel Get your bearings in the southernmost subregion -- Central and South Dalmatia (Srednja i Južna Dalmacija), where many of Croatia’s best (and most expensive) wines are made. The area comprises several well-regarded vinogorje, such as Kastela, where zinfandel’s ancestor, Crljenak Kaštelanski, was ultimately discovered, and Dingac, where the best Plavac Mali (an offspring of zinfandel) is grown. On the Peljesac peninsula, winemaker Frano Milos makes some of Croatia’s most revered wines; unsurprisingly, tour buses frequently line up to visit his vineyards and winery. The islands of Korcula and Hvar, which produce

the cult varietals grk andbogdanuša, respectively, are also part of Central and South Dalmatia, and the cities of Split and Dubrovnik have become regular stopovers for cruise ships traversing the Adriatic Sea between Italy and Greece.

North Dalmatia While often overlooked in favor of its glamorous neighbor to the south, North Dalmatia (Sjeverna Dalmacija) boasts a profound beauty all its own. Stretching from the old coastal town of Zadar to just north of Split, the sub-region is famous for the Babić grape, a native Croatian varietal that produces inky red wine of considerable tannin and strength. Premium quality Babić comes from terraced vineyards near the shores of Primosten, where generation after generation have carved dry-stone clusters of small rectangular plots into the rocky, improbably vinebearing landscape that juts steeply from the Adriatic. A few miles inland, near the small town of Skradin, the Bibic family has been making wine from indigenous Croatian vines for nearly 5 centuries!

Istria Examine the wine and cuisine of Istria and it becomes clear that this peninsula, the largest in the Adriatic Sea, was once part of neighboring Italy, from the early to mid-20th century. The Italian language is commonly heard in town squares, and moscato, trebbiano and

Unlike Croatia’s coastal wine areas, which Harbor sunny beaches and warm maritime climates, the far northeastern subregion of Slavonia is characterized by cool continental weather and a divergence of geographical features. Slavonia’s undulating hills and peak mountain summits give way to sprawling plains and fertile river basins. (The region is bordered by 3 large rivers: the Danube, the Drava and the Sava.) This is the epicenter of Croatia’s most widely planted vine, the native Graševina, which produces dry, fresh, lightly aromatic white wines. Winemakers here absorb the influence of their Austrian neighbors to the north, crafting beautifully floral gewürztraminer and jammy, full-bodied zweigelt. Krauthaker Vineyards and Winery in the town of Kutjevo, at the foot of mount Krndija, grows a dizzying medley of both native Croatian vines and international varieties, like chardonnay and Sivi Pinot, the Croatian version of pinot gris.

Plešivica The cool rolling hills of Plesivica are seated 30 miles west of Zagreb. This northwest subregion, which shares a border with the nation of Slovenia, is blanketed with a mosaic of churches and Alpine-style houses that dot the hillsides. Tomislav Tomac, a local winemaker whose family has produced wine near the ancient town of Jastrebarsko for more than 200 years, grows riesling, chardonnay and native vines along steep, rocky slopes that are typical of Plešivica. The winery specializes in sparkling wines, some of which are made in the méthode champenoise (the traditional way of making champagne and sparkling wine). Since 2007 Tomac has been aging some of his still wines in clay amphora -- large ceramic fermentation vessels that are buried underground, which lend an oxidized, sherry-like quality to the wines.

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

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CELEBRATING THE DEAD… WELL NEARLY! T HE Fiesta of Near Death Experiences is an annual event held on July 29th every year in the small town of Las Nieves – or As Neves, as it’s known in the native Galician. Galicia is, in many ways, a quirky part of Spain’s north west – with wonderful coastlines and many strange customs that own as much to their pre-Christian origins as to Christianity. Pilgrimages have a deep history in this part of Spain. Santiago de Compostela is the capital of Galicia. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the city’s cathedral and a leading Catholic pilgrimage route which originated in the 9th century. The city’s Old Town has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since1985, and it is definitely worth a visit. In the province of Pontevedra, near the border with Portugal, Las Nieves more than doubles its population of just over 4,000 each year as people come to pay their respects to the ‘Saint of Death’. The basic premise of the Fiesta of Near Death Experience is that, originally local people but now increasingly those from outside the town as well, give their thanks to the Saint after surviving a close brush with death during the previous twelve months. A procession of family and friends of

The Fiesta de Santa Marta de Ribarteme doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as The Fiesta of Near Death Experiences, does it?

chanting of ‘Virgin Santa Marta, star of the north, we bring you those who saw death’, the parade winds its melancholy way. By about midday, the mournful cortège reaches the tiny granite church dedicated to the Saint, where they proceed inside for a mass. As the festival has grown in popularity there are now far too many people attending to all to enter the church, so the service is broadcast on loudspeakers to those crammed together outside.

CELEBRATION

the ‘celebrants’ then makes its way through the streets of the town, all dressed appropriately for funerals. This might be bizarre enough for most tastes but they also have to carry their ‘escapee’ in his or her own coffin. Even more surreal is the vision of those in the

parade without family or friends who struggle along carrying their own coffin. The unconventional pilgrimage is led by the effigy of Santa Marta – in Biblical terms she is Martha, the sister of Lazarus who was brought back from the dead by Jesus. To the

After the service, the image of Saint Marta is carried to the town cemetery and then the atmosphere really starts to become celebratory and loud. You’ll have plenty of opportunity of listening to people telling their interesting encounters with ‘the dark mansion called Death’ – which probably become more colourful as the day progresses. If you want to attend, then Galicia is a lovely part of Spain at the end of July – with rainfall usually not too dissimilar to that of Cornwall. There are airports at la Coruña, Vigo and Santiago – although there’s also the option of flying to Porto and taking the attractive drive up from northern Portugal

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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

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W TEASERS... 1

Sudoku is one of the most popular puzzle games of all time. The goal of Sudoku is to fill a 9×9 grid with numbers so that each row, column and 3×3 section contain all of the digits between 1 and 9. As a logic puzzle, Sudoku is also an excellent brain game. If you play Sudoku regluarly, you will soon start to see improvements in your concentration and overall brain power.

40 Actor Clark

1 Clippety-__

45 Sit-up targets, for short

19 Sentry

41 Twofold

21 Leg joint

43 Hit hard

24 “__ well that ends well”

44 Feet-to-scalp measurement

50 Metal bar

25 Seymour or Pauley

46 Knight’s spear

51 Brother of JFK

26 Overly proper

54 Accumulating

27 External

57 “Old King __ was a merry...”

28 Scoundrels

15 Comic strip Viking 16 Toothpaste holder

47 __ times; constantly

58 Dope

29 Dethrones; vanquishes

59 Goof up

30 Belly button

18 Not qualified to participate

60 “__ in a Manger”

32 Actor Garrett

61 Applaud

20 Elders: Abbr.

62 __-talk; flatter

33 __ the ball; bowl clumsily

21 Beer barrels

63 Inquires

35 Small child

17 Usually dry streambed

37 Miscalculates

22 Racer Bobby 23 Virile

DOWN

25 Coughing spell

1 Dairy animals

26 Combined

2 Dishonest one

28 __ City, NV

3 Cutlass maker

31 Russia’s dollar

4 Fraternity letter

32 Tasteless

5 Protect

34 Dyer’s tub

6 Spicy

36 “__ what it is”

7 Grows gray

37 Wear away 38 Flock of quail

8 “I’ve Got a __ in Kalamazoo”

39 Singer Tormé

9 __ Lanka

40 Snatches

10 Beekeeper’s risks

41 Shortstop Jeter 42 Prize

11 Chicago team 12 Capable

5 9

13 Brewed drink

14 Thomas Kinkade’s paintings

44 Move quickly

46 Fido’s tether

ACROSS

10 Crusty wound covering

5 Mates for does

SUDOKU

21 23

8 5

3 1

47 Current letters 48 Wrench or saw 49 Actor Alan

50 Ceremony 52 Criticism; opposition

6 5

53 Isles off Florida 55 ABC rival 56 In __; being dragged along 57 Pres. Arthur’s monogram

38 Mrs. Truman

Solution to puzzle from issue 2

6 1

7 3

9 6 3 2

5 9

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

WEEKEND WORLD - 97

W EIRD W ORLD

Russia

Police officers in Moscow were shocked after going under cover in a hair salon to investigate reports of drug dealing, only to be offered a haircut from a naked stylist. The £50 haircut was said to be so popular that cus-

tomers queued down the street. Also available is a more expensive option in which both client and stylist are naked for £100. One client explained, ‘Once you get inside you get met by a girl with big breasts who offers you

USA

CODEWORD Codewords are like crossword puzzles - but have no clues! Instead, every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number, the same number representing the same letter throughout the puzzle. All you have to do is decide which letter is represented by which number! To start you off, we reveal the codes for two or three letters. 14

P 1 O

11 19

L 1 O

P O

L L

O O

P L

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1

WORD BLOCK From the 9-letter grid, find words of 4 letters or more. Words must contain the middle letter, and there is at least one nine-letter word. Target: 30 words

a cup of coffee and flirts with you. The lights are turned down and they then start to talk about what services they can offer. ‘They do pedicures and manicures as well as the haircuts. The longer you end up sitting there the more you pay’. Any claims of prostitution are strongly refuted by the manager.

A Californian woman has survived a three day ordeal during which she got lost on a remote mountainside, was attacked by bees, gave birth and started a forest fire! Amber Pangborn of Oroville, California tried to make her way to her parents house, near the Plumas National Forest, after realising she was in the early stages of labour only to get lost and subsequently run out of fuel. With no reception for her mobile phone and only three apples to survive on, she gave birth alone. After two days without being found and having to protect her new born from swarms of bees she believes were attracted to her placenta, desperate Pangborn started a fire in the hope of it being noticed and allowing her to be rescued. The fire quickly grew to over 1000 sq meters but luckily no one was injured and the plan worked as a U.S. Forest Service helicopter crew responding to the fire spotted the car containing the mother and new born, and sent a fire truck which took the pair to hospital for treatment.

An eerie noise has been heard throughout areas of rural Cornwall and Lincolnshire recently, scared locals have reported a ghostly sound similar to creaking floorboards in the countryside. But there has been no need to call The Ghostbusters as the noise has been found to be coming from Cauliflowers.

U S

O N O

I P O

Argentina

Two Argentinian pilots have been fired for inviting a playboy model into the cockpit of their plane and letting her fly the commercial aircraft. Austral Líneas Aéreas, a domestic Argentinian carrier have also announced that as well as firing the pilots the model, Victoria Xipolitakis (pictured) will be banned from flying with the airline for 5 years. In addition to

this Austral announced forthcoming criminal proceedings against the three “for putting the flight’s safety at risk.” There were 36 passengers on the Embraer jet, who may also take legal action. Xipolitakis has apologised on twitter after 6 videos filmed within the cockpit during the flight show her taking the controls of the plane for part of the take off.

Solution to Wordblock puzzzle from is Bue 2 Picketing - pecking - picking - piecing - ticking - citing - ignite - kiting - pieing - piking - tieing Peking - eking - genic - genii - genip - icing - piing - tinge - gent - gink - gite - king - peng - ping - ting

Solution to Spot the Difference from issue 2

Farmers say the sudden rise in night time temperatures after a particularly cold June is causing the cauliflowers to grow a massive 3cm per day. The noise known as “the cauliflower creak” is caused by the white florets rubbing against each other as they fight for space during the huge growth spurt; growers are expecting it to be the sweetest crop for 25 years.

India

mentioned her strange habit that doctors ordered further tests including a CT scan that showed the mammoth hairball. She is now expected to make a full recovery and will be offered counselling.

Doctors in India have removed a massive 5 foot hairball from a 15 year-old girls stomach after she was diagnosed with the condition Trichotillomania also known as Rapunzel syndrome. Suffers of the psychological disorder have uncontrollable urges to pull and sometimes eat hair. Kavita Kumari had been swallowing single strands of hair for the last year but the teenager’s addiction became so severe that she would not just eat her own hair but also pick up other people’s hair strands she would found lying around. She even plucked hair of her classmates at school and eat it. Her parents had taken her to hospital on many occasions with stomach pain and poor appetite but it was only when they

Solution to puzzle from issue 2 1

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

98 - WEEKEND WORLD

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Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

100 - WEEKEND WORLD

SPORT NEWS

Rory McIlroy on road to recovery as he walks without crutches

HILE most of the top golfers in the world are playing their final practice round at St Andrews ahead of The Open, the world’s number 1 golfer Rory McIlroy continues his rehab from an ankle injury at the Virgin Active Health Club just outside his home town of Holywood. McIlroy withdrew from the open last week after he announced that he had damages ankle ligaments whilst playing a friendly game of football with some friends. While the world’s top golfers are making their final preparations at St Andrews for The Open Championship which gets underway tomorrow - it will be missing the world number one who is recovering in Co Down. Prince Harry with the Wheelchair Basketball team from the 2014 games

Last week McIlroy took to social media to tell his fans that he had ruptured a ligament in his ankle while playing football with friends and posted a photo of himself in a cast boot with crutches but it appears his recovering is going well as yesterday (July15th) the Holywood golfer was walking without crutches with just an ankle support brace on the injured ankle as he left the Virgin Active Health Club. While initially remaining optimistic about his injury and the prospects of taking part in the Open Championship at St Andrews as he was working hard to get back having already started rehab - just two days later he confirmed he was withdrawing. When he made the decision to withdraw from the competition he posted a photo of himself watching Wimbledon with his food strapped up. He said: “After much consideration, I have decided not to play in the Open Championship at St. Andrews. “I’m taking a long term view of this injury and, although rehab is progressing well, I want to come back to tournament play when I feel 100% healthy and 100% competitive. “Thank you for all your support and best wishes. I hope to be back on the course as soon as I can.” Last year Rory McIlroy led from start to finish when The Open returned to Royal Liverpool.

Prince Harry’s Invictus Games heading to the USA: Orlando, Florida to host second event

RINCE Harry has announced that the second Invictus Games will be held May 8-12, 2016, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Invictus Games is the only international adaptive sporting event for injured active duty and veteran service members, it uses the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of all those who serve their country as well as their families and caregivers. The word Invictus means “unconquered.” It embodies the fighting spirit of the wounded service personnel who are on the journey to recovery. Generations have drawn on the words of William Ernest Henley’s 1878 poem “Invictus” for strength during times of adversity. “I am the master of my fate,” wrote Henley, himself an amputee. The Invictus Games Orlando 2016 will bring together more than 400 competitors from up to 14 nations to compete in 10 sports – archery, cycling, indoor rowing, sitting volleyball, swimming, track and field, triathlon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and

don in 2014, including one gold. McIntosh was also the MVP for a celebrity wheelchair rugby match that included Prince Harry. Following a visit to the U.S.-based Warrior Games, Prince Harry was inspired to create an expanded international version and founded the first Invictus Games hosted in London in 2014.

INFRASTRUCTURE

wheelchair tennis. “The power of sports and competition has proven to me that I am still the same person I was before injury. No matter what comes I will face that adversity and come out on top, Unconquered,” said U.S. Army Sergeant Ryan McIntosh, a winner of three medals in Lon-

The Invictus Games Foundation awarded the 2016 Games to Orlando because of the area’s great tourism infrastructure and Disney’s outstanding sporting facilities. The Orlando area also has a large veteran population and is home to the Orlando VA Medical Centre, which serves over 90,000 veterans. “I am absolutely delighted to announce that the United States has taken up the challenge and will host the next Invictus Games near Orlando, Florida,” said Prince Harry. “I can’t wait to see the American public supporting these inspirational men and women at the next Games. And what better place to host such a great family event than Orlando.” www.invictusgames2016.com

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

WEEKEND WORLD - 101

SPORT NEWS

‘There’s life in me yet’

says Tiger Woods T

IGER Woods says that age and injuries have failed to diminish his will to win and that more major titles are still possible as he approaches his 40th birthday. Speaking ahead of his fifth British Open at St Andrews, the former world number one has spoken of hard times and the increasingly distant good times in his golf career. Questioned at his pre-tournament press conference Woods stated that; “I feel like my body is finally healed up from the (back) surgery last year. You know, they say it takes you about four-to-six months to get back, but I’ve heard a lot of guys on tour who have had the surgery and other athletes say it takes over a year to get back. I think those guys were there probably closer to being right, it’s been a full year for me to get back.” Woods feels that time is on his side as he continues his quest to add to the 14 major title wins he has and close the gap on the all-

time record of 18 held by Jack Nicklaus. But his last win in a Grand Slam event came over seven years ago at the US Open, his last win in a British Open was at Hoylake at 2006 and his last at St Andrews was in 2005. Injuries and changes to his swing pattern have dominated his game for the last two years reaching a nadir this year when he clocked up career-worst scores on the PGA Tour and in the US Open, where he missed the cut, and a best finish of tied 17th in the Masters.

FAVOURITE But St Andrews and the Old Course (below) could, he feels, hold the key to helping him return to former glories. It’s his favourite course anywhere and if there is one place that can inspire him to revive his flagging fortunes - alongside Augusta National - it is St Andrews.

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

102 - WEEKEND WORLD

SPORT NEWS

ASILLAS had two years left on his contract, but the highlyanticipated transfer is seen as an historic turning point for the club who are reported to be trying to recruit Manchester United’s 24-year-old Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea in a bid to rejuvenate after finishing second in La Liga last season behind Barcelona, who also won the Champions League title. Casillas joined Real’s youth academy aged just nine in 1990 and has won 19 trophies during his 16 seasons as a professional. “Iker is leaving, but his legacy is here forever. His attitude and actions in the 725 games he played in the jersey shine a light on the path for those who dream of being part of this team,” A statement from the club said.

‘SAINT IKER’ In 2010 Casillas made front pages worldwide in a photograph of him raising the World Cup in South Africa after leading Spain to the title for the first time.But last summer the image was of a dejected Casillas on his knees as a rout by the Netherlands helped dump Spain out of the World Cup in Brazil. With Madrid, Casillas had enchanted the Bernabeu Stadium for years with his catlike reflexes, gravity-defying saves and fearless one-on-ones, earning the nickname “Saint Iker” from fans. A World Cup winner and two-time European champion with Spain, Casillas had clinched five Spanish titles, three Champions League trophies and two King’s Cup crowns since making his first-team debut with Real Madrid in 1999.

THANK YOU Casillas had fallen out of favour during Jose Mourinho’s reign at Real but returned to the side after the Portuguese left for Chelsea, winning the Champions League for a third time in 2014. “Thank you Iker, for everything you have done. Thank you for being a symbol of the best in our history. You are going but we will

End of an era: Casillas to leave Real Madrid Real Madrid’s emblematic captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas is set to leave the club for FC Porto after 25 years during which he won everything in the game with the Spanish giants never forget that you’ll always belong to the heart of Real Madrid,” the club statement added. Porto, coached by former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Julen Lopetegui, will com-

pete in next season’s Champions League after finishing runners-up to Benfica in the 2014-15 Portuguese season. Lopetugui already has six Spaniards in his squad and both his assistant coaches are Spanish.

A tearful Casillas announces his departure from Real Madrid

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

WEEKEND WORLD - 103

SPORT NEWS

“I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO PROVE” CARL FROCH ENDS A GLITTERING BOXING CAREER F

OUR-time world super middleweight champion Carl Froch has announced he is retiring from boxing. Nicknamed The Cobra, Froch twice won the WBC title, as well as the WBA and IBF belts, during a highly successful career. Froch won 33 of his 35 fights, with 24 of those coming by knock-out. He defeated arch-rival George Groves in a Wembley Stadium re-match which turned out to be his final fight in May of last year. Froch, who will now add his expertise to Sky Sports’ boxing coverage, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what I have achieved in boxing but now is the right moment to hang up my gloves. I turned 38 last week. My joints and bones are aching. If the desire was there, I could fight again but there’s nothing motivating me.I have nothing left to prove and my legacy speaks for itself. Nothing can replace the thrill of stepping into the ring.” Froch first revealed he was thinking about quitting last June, after his rematch with Groves in front of 80,000 people at Wembley. They had originally fought in November 2013 when Froch won via a controversial

ninth-round stoppage. The former English, British and Commonwealth champion wanted to secure bouts in Las Vegas and his hometown of Nottingham before stopping. But a clash with Mexican Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in Vegas in March fell through after Froch suffered an elbow injury, and talks over potential bouts against 50-year-old Bernard Hopkins and Kazakhstan’s Gennady Golovkin did not lead to fights. Froch’s only defeats in his 13-year professional career came against Mikkel Kessler in 2010 and American Andre Ward in 2011, although he beat the Dane in a 2013 rematch. After losing to Kessler, he regained the WBC belt with a points win over Arthur Abraham in 2010, before adding the IBF and WBA titles later in his career. Froch vacated his IBF belt in February, saying that a bout against mandatory challenger James DeGale did not make “financial or business sense” and “would not get me out of bed”. Froch has confirmed he will now work as a boxing pundit for Sky Sports.

Tour hit by first doping case in three years A cloud hung over the start of the eighth stage of the Tour de France in Rennes on Saturday following the first positive doping case in three years

TALIAN Luca Paolini was withdrawn from the Tour by his Katusha team on Friday night after the International Cycling Union (UCI) informed the Russian outfit of the 38-year-old testing positive for cocaine. It was the first doping case during the world’s most prestigious cycling race since Frank Schleck returned a positive reading for a diuretic in 2012. The Katusha Team expressed their surprise by the result, which was given following Tuesday’s fourth stage, as cocaine in itself is not a performance-enhancer. “We’re very surprised because cocaine is not a substance that improves performance,” team spokesman Philippe Maertens said at a news conference. The news somewhat overshadowed Mark Cavendish’s first stage win in almost two years on the Tour and 26th in total, taking

Mark Cavendish ends two-year wait for Tour win with a well-timed burst on stage seven

B him into sole possession of third place on the all-time list behind five time Tour winners Eddy Merckx (34) and Bernard Hinault (28).

RITISH sprinter proves there is life in his legs yet as he claims victory in seventh stage of the Tour de France. Questions had been raised about Mark Cavendish‘s form in this year’s Tour de France, but last week he finally quietened his critics with his first win in the 2015 edition in stage seven to Fougères. The sprinter came off the wheels of the Katusha train leading for Alexander Kristoff and held off André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) and Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo). The stage win is his 26th in the race, and his first since stage 13 of the 2013 Tour.“I just wanted to wait today, not hit out early today,” Cavendish said. “You can see when I wait, I’ve got the speed.” Cavendish dedicated today’s to Tony Martin, who had earlier in the week broken his collarbone Cavendish has 13 wins this year ahead of the Tour, but none in the top tier of World Tour events. Last year’s Tour de France ended with a crash on day one, which has meant a long wait to stand on the podium of the world’s biggest race. “I’m really happy after two years to win again,” he said. Certainly, this was a huge moment for the 30 year-old; delivering under what was arguably the greatest pressure of his career, with his contract up for renewal at the end of the year and his critics circling, ready to pronounce him finished. Cavendish has once again proved himself

Issue 03 July 16 - 29, 2015

104 - WEEKEND WORLD

SPORT NEWS

Double trouble

EEKEND

WORLD

Manchester United ‘make €45m Sergio Ramos bid while Real Madrid hold out for DOUBLE that amount’

ANCHESTER United have made a fresh bid to sign Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos by offering €45million but reports in Spain suggest Madrid are holding out for double that amount. United saw their bid of £28.6million rejected last month as Louis van Gaal continues in his efforts to bring world class experience into his squad following the clubs return to the Champions League next season. But, according to Spanish newspaper AS, €45million will once again be rebuffed as Real Madrid slap an eye watering valuation

of €90million on the Spanish international and, following the sale of club legend Iker Casillas – who is a close friend of Sergio Ramos – to Porto this week, Real president Florentino Perez did his best to deter any interest from United. ‘There are players on contract that the club does not want to let go and are not going to leave,’ he said. Determined to get their man, the Old Trafford outfit are reportedly willing to open the cheque book and offer the 29-year-old a whopping €11million-per-season for five years.

Sergio Ramos (main picture). Above: Real prsident Florentino Perez and Manager Louis van Gaal

German Grand Prix will return in 2016

ORMULA One will return to Germany in 2016 after a hiatus this year, according to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. The German Grand Prix was due to take place this weekend but was dropped in March after it ran into financial difficulty and was left off the calendar for the first time since 1960. It appeared last week on a provisional F1 calendar for next year but doubts still surrounded whether the organisers could raise the estimated £14m hosting fee. The uncertainty has now been put to rest. “There is an impact on Mercedes from losing the German Grand Prix but, as much as it is a shame that we can’t show and display our cars in front of our fans and Daimler colleagues, we will be there next

year. Hockenheim was scheduled for next year and there is no doubt it is going to happen. It is sure,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolf. Since 2007 the location of the race has alternated between two storied tracks – the Hockenheimring and Nürburgring.

ATTENDANCE Around 45,000 fans came to see the event at the Nürburgring in 2013 and 52,000 fans were in attendance last year at Hockenheim. In contrast, around 140,000 spectators visited the British Grand Prix at Silverstone two weeks ago which shows what the race organisers in Germany were up against. In 2013, Ecclestone, the head of Formula One,

gave the Nürburgring an additional boost when he agreed to waive the hosting fee for the race and instead took the revenue from ticket sales. But even this could not stop the event from going into debt. The Nürburgring ran into difficulty after taking out a £240m loan in 2009 which was used to fund construction of an on-site shopping centre, hotel and amusement park. The new facilities were not as popular as hoped and the circuit struggled to make debt repayments. The Nürburgring was put up for sale in May 2013 and control was eventually sold to a Russian billionaire, Viktor Kharitonin. However, he failed to get the race back on track and a rescue attempt by Ecclestone, Mercedes and Hockenheim also hit the buffers.