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YOUR ENGLISH - SPANISH NEWSPAPER - FORMERLY
January 25 - February 1 2007
VALENCIA - ALICANTE - MURCIA
No 195
The CB Friday
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INSIDE
NADAL CRASHES OUT - SEE PAGE 40
HOLIDAY SEASON IS
SET TO GET LONGER
HOTELIERS and expats with villas to let
are expecting a bumper holiday season
this year.
The National Meterological Institute reports that the past 12 months in Alicante
have been the hottest since 1950.
On average temperatures were 2.6 degrees warmer than usual but Pedreguer
and Torrevieja residents enjoyed temperatures topping three degrees higher
than expected.
These towns basked in 20ºC or more for
more than half the year meaning tourists
were able to enjoy a long, hot Spanish
summer.
If the trend continues, property experts
predict the peak tourist season in Spain
could widen bringing a welcome boost in
rental yields as travellers would be prepared to come to the tourist towns for longer
periods during the year.
A Benidorm Tourist Information Office
spokesman said: “What most want in a
holiday are beaches and hot weather.”
Last July Benidorm witnessed a record
number of tourists and August enjoyed
a record 90 per cent occupancy in the
town’s hotels.
Holidaymakers filled the beaches of the
town and in Torrevieja as late as early
November, making the most of the warm
temperatures. Also hotels in Alicante had
a 100% occupancy last August. With more
hot days last year than 30 years ago.
The likelihood of more good weather this
year is welcome news for the region’s
tourism industry bringing a boost to villa and apartment rentals, and the many
tourist attractions across Valencia, Alicante and Murcia.
ON HIGH: Millions will enjoy Valencia’s sights, like the Oceanogràfic, top, and the America’s Cup, below
Taking top spot
MADRID will be playing second fiddle to Valencia this year, thanks to
its staging of the prestigious America’s Cup yacht race this year.
It is also predicted tourism will bring a massive 1,300 million euros into
Valencia’s coffers this year, largely thanks to the top-flight race.
During a visit to Valencia, industry minister Joan Clos said that, for
the first time in history, Madrid will take second place in international
importance to Valencia this year.
Tourism experts predict the city will play host to two million visitors
this year, each spending an average of 650 euros during their stay.
Followers of the America’s Cup will also put about 130 euros a day into
Valencia’s coffers, 40 per cent more than the average sightseer.
Next year Alicante is hoping to bask in yachting glory by hosting the
2008 Volvo Ocean round-the-world yacht race.
news P2• letters P10 • travel P25 • cars P28 • sports P36
NATIONAL NEWS
Page 2
January 26 - February 1 2007
Cruz wins Oscar nomination
SPANISH film director Pedro
Almodóvar brushed aside personal disappointment at the
failure of his Volver to get an
Oscar nomination, and instead
praised his leading actress Penélope Cruz, who did.
Cruz, from Madrid, received
the first nomination of her
career for her role as Raimunda, a mother with a teenaged
daughter and deadbeat husband on a council estate, in
Almodóvar’s movie about mothers and daughters, adultery
and incest.
Almodóvar said: “If I’d had
to choose between the two nominations, that of Penélope
or best foreign language film,
then there’d have been no doubt.”
He said: “Volver has received a
swathe of international prizes,
Blind driver
A BLIND Spanish man
caught in a radar trap driving 100mph has been allowed to keep his disability
pension after proving he
could not see.
Benefit officials tried to
strip the allowance from
Domingo Merino after he
was caught doing 154km/h
(98mph) near Barcelona.
He faced having to repay
a 540,000€ insurance payment for the loss of his sight in a car accident in 1996.
But a Barcelona court threw
out the claims after Merino
explained he had wanted to
drive one more time.
He said he had persuaded
his wife to sit beside him
telling where to steer as he
travelled along a straight
stretch of road.
taken almost 80 million dollars at the box office whereas
despite starring in 35 films
Penélope’s career is only just
beginning in the United States,
even though if she has proved
herself in Europe.
“Everything she did in front of
the camera breathed reality.”
Cruz said she was really delighted with her nomination, but
gave Almodóvar much of the
credit.
She said: “This nomination
is more his than mine. All of
this is about what he has done
with me. His generosity as a
director is impressive - he’s
one of my best friends.” Cruz,
who has starred in three of
Almodóvar’s films, said: “It
still hasn’t sunk in and it will
take a few days to do so.”
Almodóvar has already picked
sor of an honorary Oscar and
this is the eighth time he has
been nominated for a real one.
Clint Eastwood is in the running for best director for Letters from Iwo Jima, which has
been nominated for best motion picture along with Babel,
The Queen, The Departed and
Little Miss Sunshine.
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat,
which caused such a fuss in
the United States, is in line to
pick up the adapted screenplay
award.
It follows the normal style of
the Oscar nominators for ignoring top comedy performances
and Baron Cohen has missed
out on a best actor nomination.
Helen Mirren is the bookies’
favourite at 1-12 to take the best
actress award.
CRUZ: Oscar nominee
Open verdict on island’s
death fall holidaymaker
A CORONER has challenged a verdict by Spanish authorities that a young Dorset woman, who fell to her
death while on holiday in
Ibiza, committed suicide.
Lisa Bundy, 21, suffered
massive head injuries in
the fall from a third floor
window in San Antonio,
and died instantly in June
last year.
Spanish authorities found
that the medical assistant
had jumped.
But at an inquest in Bour-
AROUND THE COSTA BLANCA THIS WEEK
FRIDAY
RAIN
52F
11ºC
SATURDAY
LIGHT RAIN
53ºF
12ºC
SUNDAY
LIGHT RAIN
57ºF
14ºC
MONDAY
FEW SHOWERS
57ºF
14ºC
SHOWERS
59ºF
15ºC
WEDNESDAY SCATTERED SHOWERS
62ºF
17ºC
THURSDAY
64ºF
18ºC
MOSTLY SUNNY
nemouth on Wednesday, Coroner Sheriff Payne said he
had no idea why they decided that.
The inquest was told that
Ms Bundy, of Malan Close,
Poole, had been out drinking with two friends, all
colleagues at Poole Hospita, until the early hours of
June 4.
Later that night, Manuel
Núñez Sebillano, a porter at
the Marvel Complex where
the women were staying,
heard a bang and found Ms
Bundy outside having fallen
from a window left open in
the heat.
He told Spanish authorities
in a statement that Ms Bundy was a bit strange, as if
she was tired of living.
Her friend Kimberly Devlin
told the inquest: “We were
planning what we were going to do the next day.
“She wanted to get on with
her job and was telling me
about all the courses she
had been offered.”
Mr Payne said: “The Spanish
authorities have come to the
conclusion that she jumped
out of this window.”
Her father Shaun Bundy
said: “She was too happy-golucky a child.”
Mr Payne said: “There was
no evidence before me to
indicate that she committed
suicide.
“I have no idea why the Spanish authorities decided to
class her death in that manner.”
An open verdict was recorded.
Briton found dead on Tenerife coast
WEATHER
TUESDAY
up an Oscar for best foreign
language film, receiving the accolade in 2000 for All About My
Mother which starred Cruz.
He also won the best original
screenplay award in 2003 for
Talk to Her.
Volver won the best screenplay
prize at last year’s Cannes Film
Festival.
Challenging Cruz for the best
actress award are Britain’s
Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and
Kate Winslet.
Dench stars in Notes on a Scandal, Mirren in The Queen and
Winslet in Little Children.
Peter O’Toole has been nominated for best actor for his role
in Venus.
He plays an aging actor who
falls in love with a very young
woman.
O’Toole already is the posses-
THE body of a British man has been recovered from the coast of Tenerife.
Police on the Canary Islands have named
him as 47-year-old Lee Fitzgerald, who was
from Cuckfield in West Sussex. They said he
had been missing for four days.
Reports indicate that Mr Fitzgerald’s body
was fully clothed when it was found off Playa de Las Américas, and that there were no
signs of violence.
Police believe he probably fell from rocks
near the beach.
Trial date
THE trial of 29 suspects implicated in the March 2004
Madrid train bombings will
open on February 15.
The rush-hour attacks on
commuter trains killed 191
people.
Seven of the suspects, who
are mostly Moroccans, will
face charges of murder
and belonging to a terrorist
group.
The others face charges including collaboration with
a terrorist group and handling explosives.
Some 1,900 people were
injured in the bombings.
Many of them lost limbs.
Three members of the
banned Basque separatist
group ETA, Henri Parot,
Gorka Vidal and Izkur Badillo, will be called as witnesses by the defence.
Seven top suspects, including the alleged mastermind, Tunisian Serhane
ben Abdelmajid Fakhet,
died in an explosion at a
flat in Madrid in April 2004
as police were closing in on
them.
How to contact us
Think Press S.L. C.I.F. B/54152202
Editor
Berni Walker
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T-59-07
ISSN (applied for)
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Tel/fax: (+34) 96 646 24 60 / 96 646 24 61 Mobile (+34) 627 596 439 · Ctra. Cabo La Nao, C.C Arenal, first floor, Local 18 y 19 · 03730 JÁVEA - ALICANTE
NATIONAL NEWS
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 3
Carmen will not be moved Bullying victim forced out
AN octogenarian refuses
to leave her Madrid palace
which has been commandered to build council houses.
Carmen Martín has lived
in the former palace of the
Duchess of Sueca in the Plaza del Duque de Alba for 30
years.
She has no electricity but
says she does not need it as
she has a lantern and torch
and the sun shines through
the windows in the morning.
She said: “They’ve offered
me flats, but they’re small
and horrible.
“I’m going to stay here until
they offer me something decent.”.
Since it was built in 1791,
it has been a school for the
children of King Carlos III,
a residence for the Duchess
of Sueca, a college of huma-
nities, a Guardia Civil headquarters and was finally
converted into residential
properties.
Carmen’s father, a mechanic, was a good friend of the
Duke and Duchess of Sueca
and never charged the Duke
for work he carried out on
his car.
The Duke gave him an apartment in the palace, which
is where Carmen was born.
A BULLYING victim has
been forced to leave home
to escape classmates who
have persecuted him since
he was three.
The 17-year-old, from Sant
Vicent dels Horts (Barcelona) has changed schools numerous times but still has to
put up with insults, spitting,
threats and violence.
Recently, a classmate threa-
tened him in the street with
a knife and another boy appeared on television saying
if he could kill the youth he
would.
Threats have reached his
brother, mother and grandmother.
The victim’s family asked
for a private tutor after a
psychologist’s report recommended this but said
Youths
stoned
police
Children
hurt in
shooting
A SHOOT-OUT in a church
left two young girls injured.
Last Saturday a man fired shots at the door of an
Evangelist church in the
Las Tres Mil Viviendas
neighbourhood in Sevilla
where a service was being
held.
Two girls, aged four and six,
were taken to the Virgen del
Rocío Hospital where pieces of shot from a hunting
gun were pulled out of their
legs, backs and muscles.
The pellets had only penetrated the skin’s surface,
and discharged the children
two hours later.
Witnesses described the
gunman as local and aged
between 25 and 30.
They believe he was searching for his partner after
an argument.
No arrests have been made.
High and dry
PASSENGERS booked on
a Spanish ferry route have
been left stranded after all
sailings were cancelled until April.
Acciona Trasmediterránea
which runs a freight and
passenger service from Portsmouth to Bilbao, is diverting its ship, the Fortuny, to
another of its routes.
In an e-mail to customers,
Tomás
Fernández,
the
freight line manager for AT,
said: “We regret to inform
you that, due to operational
reasons, we shall cancel our
sailings from Bilbao/Portsmouth up to the second half
of April.”
Last year the Fortuny was
unable to leave Portsmouth
after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency found health and safety faults.
the process was excessively
slow.
The boy’s parents have sent
him to live in another part
of Catalunya.
He will enrol in a school there to finish his bachillerato,
the Spanish equivalent of
A-levels.
The family says they blame
the school for not monitoring the situation.
DEATH SCENE: The Picos de Europa where the couple died
Holiday tragedy as
Picos walkers died
A HIKING holiday turned
to tragedy when two British
tourists died after initially
surviving a 60m (200ft) fall
down a mountainside in a
blizzard.
Katherine Stokes, 29, and
her partner Robert Rippengal, 39, were caught up
in the storm and lost their
way in the Picos de Europa
mountains in Cantabria.
After their fall the couple,
who were equipped with
climbing equipment, took
shelter on the 1,500m-high
mountain by digging themselves a snowhole to try to
keep warm.
Mr Rippengal, from Cambridge, alerted rescuers by
calling his business partner, Richard Landen, on
his mobile phone and asked
him to call the guesthouse
where the couple had been
staying.
Mr Landen did this and Spanish police were alerted.
A helicopter was sent but
the mission was hindered
by severe weather.
The couple were not found
until 24 hours later, by which time Mr Rippengal, the
commercial director of the
green energy company Econergy, was already dead and
Miss Stokes, a conservation
worker from Southampton,
was critically ill.
She was found covered in
snow, bleeding heavily and
suffering from hypothermia.
A
Southampton inquest
heard that the pair were experienced hill walkers.
Coroner Keith Wiseman
read a report that had been
prepared by the Spanish police that said that the pair
were walking in the mountain range last February
when severe weather set in.
The blizzard forced them
to stray from a recognised
pathway and they plunged
200ft down the mountain.
The police helicopter eventually spotted a pair of snow
shoes and a rucksack but it
was not until later that the
rescuers discovered the
couple at the bottom of a
ravine.
They managed to airlift
Miss Stokes to a local hospital but she died from a combination of shock, haemorrhaging and hypothermia.
The bad weather prevented
the rescue team from airlifting Mr Rippengal’s body
off the mountainside.
Mr Wiseman recorded a verdict of accidental death on
Miss Stokes.
He said: “It seems to be one
of those tragic situations
when natural conditions
took over and caused the
couple to deviate from the
path. This led them to fall.”
YOUNG Spaniards stoned
police in a town outside
Madrid after fighting Latin
American gang members
they blame for beatings,
murders and rapes in and
around the capital.
Rioters used text messages
to summon 1,000 Spanish
youths to Alcorcón on Sunday after a fight between
Spaniards and Latino gang
members the previous day
led to multiple stabbings.
The
youths
rampaged
through Alcorcón looking
for Latin Americans and
shouting “Latin Kings out.
We are going to kill them”.
Police came under a hail of
stones and responded with
rubber bullets.
Nine people were arrested,
six of them under the age
of 18.
Brit held
in swoop
A NOTTINGHAM man was
among four Britons and a
Dutchman held in Spain
after police smashed a gang
allegedly smuggling cannabis worth 9.9m euros into
the UK and Holland.
Paul Murphy, 49, was arrested on the Costa del
Sol.
The police made a series of
raids in Marbella, Fuengirola and Mijas.
A Foreign Office spokesman said the department
was aware of the case.
He said that consular support was being offered to
the Britons.
Characters on the streets
I’VE met a varied set of personalities in Madrid.
The city certainly holds surprises. The people
that have left the most profound mark are those
who I pass almost on a daily basis, en-route to my
‘day job’: the homeless.
I live in a barrio with a mix of artists, writers
and performers, and so we don’t tend to have too
many street dwellers. But I only have to walk to
the centre of Madrid and the story changes.
I’m not from a city, nor have I spent much time
living in cities. So, it affects me greatly to see
these poor people on the street. On my first weekend trip to Madrid, I was rather tipsy one evening, and completely lost. I walked past the same
group of homeless people so many times that my
conscience was killing me and I gave them all the
money I had – which was quite a few notes, but
after another hour of walking I did start to wish
I had money for a taxi!
I’ve adopted a couple of homeless guys and
give them a few coins every week. One is an
old guy with chocolate skin and a huge white
afro. He’s always sitting on the window ledge
of MacDonald’s. He doesn’t ask for money, he
doesn’t display a card telling his sob story – he
just sits watching the world go by, and now and
again people stop and chat to him.
If you give him money he looks at you with such
sincerity and gratefulness. You wonder how you
could complain about anything, when this man
can be so happy to receive 50 céntimos.
My perceptions of the homeless before I had
seen them in the flesh, were that they were
mainly drug addicts, or were suffering from psychological problems. Maybe I’m wrong about the
homeless people I see every day, but they don’t
seem to be raving alcoholics or addicts. A survey by the INE (National Institute of Statistics)
in Spain says that 30 per cent of the homeless
abstain and have never used drugs. It suggests
10 per cent consume high or excessive amounts
of alcohol, and that there is a greater frequency
of abstinence or light drinking among women.
Many homeless in Madrid have physical disabilities. My second adoptee has no legs. He does
speak out, and he does have a card explaining
his wife has passed away. That is his story. He is
extremely grateful and seems genuinely touched
when anyone gives him money.
If you visit Madrid, by all means do the tourist
trail but try not to miss the other sights that
might not be so pleasing. Carrying around a pocket of loose change to give to these people costs
you practically nothing, and it will make a huge
difference to their day.
Kirsty Tuxford
k.tuxford @ thinkspain.com
LOCAL NEWS
Page 4
January 26 - February 1 2007
Fires started in
squatter protest
Residents
get together
RESIDENTS have founded
the new Neighbourhood Association in Jalón.
They want to set up a new
model for sustainable urban
development in which the
resident can participate.
They claim that at present
local politics is done behind
the residents’ backs without
any meetings to inform the
public. Therefore they want
to create an atmosphere of
openness and participation,
where decisions arise from
a consensus to the public
and the neighbours of the
community.
The first project will be to
open an office, a point of
contact and advice for the
public.
NEW MODEL: For Jalón
Two accused
of OAP abuse
A COUPLE from the Orihuela Costa have been arrested on suspicion of theft
and violence towards two
elderly people.
A 40-year-old Spanish woman and her husband, 44, a
Spanish national originally
from Zaire, worked as gardeners and cleaners, and
carried out general maintenance to the alleged victims’ home on the urbanisation Los Balcones, near
Torrevieja, for five years.
However,
investigations
suggest they did no work
and that they were gradually relieving the elderly
couple of their valuables
and money.
Enma, 86, has been bedridden for three years and
her husband Antonio, 71,
suffers from ‘hoarding
syndrome’, a condition
where the patient becomes
a recluse, neglects personal
hygiene, saves money excessively believing him or
herself to be impoverished,
and hoards unnecessary objects in the house.
Guardia Civil officers say
Antonio had respiratory
problems due the massive
quantities of household
rubbish. He also had a
drink problem.
Neither Enma nor Antonio
ate or washed themselves
as they were unable to carry
out basic daily activities.
Officers say the accused parties beat their charges and
kicked them in the head until they agreed to open the
safe where they kept 40,000
euros in cash.
The suspects were arrested
on Saturday after a neighbour, Raúl Pineda, reported
the poor state of the elderly
couple to the police.
Raúl says he was the only
person who brought food to
the couple as their employees did not do so.
The Guardia Civil heard
the alleged offenders used
to get Antonio drunk so he
would take them to the bank
and draw money out.
The suspects are being
held in custody pending
trial. Pilar de la Horadada council is finding
residential care for the
couple.
ARSONISTS have set fire to a number of rubbish bins in protest at police action against alleged squatters.
At least 11 containers were set alight in the
Benimaclet area of Valencia at the weekend,
according to police.
Graffiti in support of the squatter movement
was scrawled on walls.
This follows on from a police operation last
Thursday when police arrested three people
accused of being behind the illegal occupation of a building in C/ de la Reina.
They are also suspected of starting fires early
on Wednesday morning, which damaged a
truck, 12 cars and several containers near Valencia port.
The trouble started at around 02.45hrs when
six rubbish bins were set fire on the calles Ernesto Anastasio, Maestro Valls, Francisco de
Bellvís and Marino Albesa.
Local and national police have mounted a
joint operation to step up security in the area
to prevent any further acts of vandalism over
the next few days.
Buyers caught in
Internet car scam
TWO men who sold vehicles with false
documentation via the Internet have
been arrested by National Police after
a three month investigation by Alicante police and Madrid Central District
police force.
A man from Elda raised the alarm.
The duped man had purchased a stolen BMW 330 CD with false documents
from the couple, after it was advertised
on the internet.
Police were able to verify that its documentation had been falsified after being stolen and traced the couple.
They discovered that other similar vehicles had been sold this way.
All had been stolen from Madrid, Gandia, Pamplona and Elche.
The couple’s ‘modus operandi’ was to
steal a vehicle then locate a similar
model, usually parked in a street and
take down its registration number.
They would then go to the traffic headquarters and ask for vehicle data which
they used to make personal documentation of the holder of the vehicle.
They then advertised the cars at a
cheap price on the Internet.
Buyers did not realise there was anything wrong until there was a mechanical problem or when putting it
through an ITV test when it became
apparent that the VIN number had
been changed.
After the extensive investigation police arrested a Peruvian man, 23 and
his accomplice, a Spaniard, 20, as they
left one of the addresses they used on
the Internet.
Police found extensive copying and
scanning equipment when they
searched the forgers’ addresses.
Residents applaud sewage plant
WORK is due to start on a new sewage
plant for Mazarrón this month.
The 8,000-square-metre plant will
be built in the Cabezo de la Fuente
A cut above
SURGEONS at Alicante
General
Hospital
performed a record 78 kidney
transplants last year, up by
eight on 2005.
It is the highest number
since the hospital was first
recognised as a transplant
centre in 1988. Since then it
has performed 945 kidney
transplants. Doctors said
only 4.6 per cent of relatives refuse to donate family members’ organs.
area of Juan Rodríguez, as pictured
above.
Water from the plant will be used to
irrigate the fields.
The estimated cost amounts to 1.9
million euros and will be paid by the
region of Murcia.
It has been welcomed by residents.
Life is not so sweet
SWEETS, cakes and sugary
drinks will be banned from
the Murcia Region’s schools
in a new health ministry incentive.
School dinner menus will
feature more fruit and vegetables with machines selling drinks, chocolate crisps
being taken out from April.
Regional health ministers
say this is part of a move to
cut down on child obesity,
which affects 16 per cent of
all minors.
Primary and secondary
schools and sixth form colleges, public and private,
will be affected as well as
language academies, music
schools and leisure centres
where most pupils are under 18.
Obesity in youngsters is
becoming a health problem
throughout Spain.
Boogie night
EXITE FM radio station
is hosting its first cabaret
night at the Asturias Restaurant in Torrevieja.
Nick Gold, Dan ‘The Man’
David and Kay-C will be
providing
the
entertainment
on
Saturday January 27 from
20.00hrs.
Tickets cost 10 euros and
there is dancing to the
Exite FM Boogie Nite’s
Roadshow.
False ID
man let off
AN Alicante judge has stated that it is not a crime for
immigrants to work with a
false identity, because they
are doing so in order to survive.
Judge Miguel Herrero let
off a Nigerian immigrant,
after prosecutors demanded
a fifteen-month prison term
and 10 years’ expulsion
from Spain after he used a
friend’s papers to access the
workplace.
The judge’s decision is ‘extremely important’, state legal sources, as it is the first
case of its kind. At present,
under Spanish law, immigrants without residence
permits are not legally allowed to work.
The judge said the civil
code should be interpreted
according to the social reality of the times.
He said: “One of characteristics today is the increase in economic inequality within poor countries,
which has caused phenomenal migration like we have
never seen before.”
There are between 25,000
–30,000 immigrant workers
in the Alicante province
who lack a residence permit, according to conservative estimates.
At least 15 people were arrested in the Alicante province last year for using false
documentation to access
the work place.
Voting time
JUDGES will be flying into
Alicante to decide who wins
the accolade of the European Museum of the Year.
The European Museum
Forum meets in the city in
May to consider the overall
winner and which buildings will receive special
commendations.
Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum is on the
shortlist just 14 months after opening.
Museum head Steph Mastoris will be visiting Alicante
with an object of his choice
which he feels sums up the
spirit of the attraction. He
will have to give a 10-minute presentation about the
artefact and his museum.
LOCAL NEWS
January 26 - February 1 2007
Toxic fumes
soar above
safety level
AIR pollution in Murcia is
dangerously high, says a
worrying report from green
association Ecologistas en
Acción.
Every three days, air pollution levels soar above the
maximum level considered
safe for human health.
They point the finger mainly at motorbikes and mopeds.
The
most-contaminated
part of the city is the northern end, where there are a
number of shopping centres.
Dangerous chemicals including nitrogen dioxide,
tropospheric ozone, sulphur dioxide and benzene
are though to be present in
the air.
In high levels, these can
cause damage to the lung
cells, emphisaema, hallucinations, taquicardia, headaches, asthma, bronchitis
and loss of consciousness.
Last year alone, 16,000 people around Spain died from
conditions caused by atmospheric pollution.
In 2006, levels of toxic gases
in the air went beyond the
safe level for a total of 115
days.
The maximum, without significantly harming people’s
health, is 35 days.
Ecologistas en Acción has
complained that instead
of building bicycle lanes,
the city council is planning
to construct more underground car parks to keep
pollution off the streets.
Tall order
A LUXURY hotel will
dominate Valencia’s skyline when it opens for
business in March in
time for the Fallas fiesta.
The Hilton will be the
tallest hotel in the city at
112-metres high, four metres more than the Torre
de Francia which until
now has been the city’s
tallest building.
It consists of two parts,
one with 14 storeys and
the other one with 29 storeys. It has 304 rooms,
including 35 suites, and
have Broadband Internet
access.
The Hilton group picked
Avenida de las Cortes for
its location, which is the
same street where Valencia CF’s new football stadium will be built.
The hotel’s general director Manuel Ávila said
that Valencia was chosen
because it is an up-andcoming city that has a
lot to offer and attracts
more and more business
and tourism.
Page 5
Dangerous drivers
face 4 years in jail
DANGEROUS drivers in Murcia could
face jail in a radical new move by the
regional department of traffic.
Those who drive erratically, too fast,
or fail to respect the rules of the road
will also be placed on a blacklist being
drawn up by the Dirección General de
Tráfico (DGT).
Regional traffic boss Francisco Jiménez says the aim is to get aggressive
motorists off the road.
Those who have lost a significant number of points from their licences since
the system was introduced are already
being tracked by the ministry.
About five per cent are under scrutiny,
estimates Jiménez.
Likening the carnage on Spain’s roads
to domestic violence, Jiménez brands
aggressive driving as ‘road violence’.
About 4,000 people die every year and
25,000 are injured on the country’s
highways.
“It’s as though there’s a war in Spain
every year,” comments Jiménez.
The Penal Code is considering prison
sentences of up to four years for death
by careless driving.
However Jiménez said: “Dangerous
driving and careless driving are two
different things. We want to send to
prison those dangerous motorists who
drive with a blatant disregard for others’ lives.”
He said countries such as the UK,
Sweden, Finland and Denmark have
a much lower serious accident rate,
because they have much tighter laws
against dangerous drivers.
Further north, Valencian roads will
have a further seven speed cameras
from March in a bid to slow down drivers.
Six locations have already been decided, the seventh place is still being
determined.
The new boxes will be fitted with alarm
sensors that make it impossible to manipulate or vandalise the cameras,
since five of the eight existing cameras
have been vandalised already.
AIRING: Johnny Vegas, right, stars in comedy about Benidorm
Expats getting switched
on to Vegas in Benidorm
BRITISH expats have been eagerly
awaiting the start of a television comedy about the popular Costa Blanca
seaside town of Benidorm starring Johnny Vegas.
ITV started airing the new six-part comedy Benidorm yesterday.
It tells of the experiences of some British couples during a fortnight in the
holiday town.
ITV’s entertainment director Paul
Jackson said: “Benidorm is a holiday
experience that we all have had, where you spend 14 days trying to avoid
Battle to save tanker
ALICANTE specialists have
been flown out to help with
the major salvage operation
after a tanker with 38,000
tonnes of carbon fuels and
600 tonnes of oil aboard
ran aground in the Bay of
Cádiz.
Salvage teams from Alicante, Almería and Galicia
were working to try to refloat the American-owned
tanker Ocean Globe after it
foundered late on Monday
night. Four tugs were working from the early hours
to try to move the tanker,
which measures 185m long
and 30 wide.
So far all efforts to move the
boat and avoid a potential
spillage have failed.
Experts said there was no
great risk of the tanker
sinking.
The priority is to extract the
600 tonnes of fuel in case the
situation deteriorated.
Vandals
desecrate
cemetery
THUGS broke into El
Verger’s
cemetery
last
week, desecrating graves
and pulling out headstones.
Police believe they intended
to steal jewels or other
valuable
objects.
They
targeted
seven
graves,
although police confirmed
that nothing has been
stolen.
However, several headstones had been damaged
by the hooligans, it was
confirmed.
Neighbours and relatives of
the deceased spoke of their
disgust and shock.
The cemetery was cordoned
off
while
the
police
conducted
a
thorough
search of the site.
The incident has now
been linked to two house
burglaries in the same
area last week. Police are
also looking into whether
the incident is linked to
a similar incident in a
cemetery in Beniflá, la
Safor, in December.
Police
said
that
the
proximity of the two areas
and the modus operandi of
the hooligans reinforces
the belief that the same
criminals carried out the
two attacks.
Earlier this week, police
said they had arrested two
men in connection with the
El Verger cemetery abuse
and house burglaries.
The 24 and 25-year-old men
from Russia and from the
Ukraine lived in a caravan.
Police have stressed that
the case remains open, as
they believe there were
more people involved in the
cemetery incident.
More flights
taking off
the couple who sat behind you on the
coach.”
The series was filmed at the Sol Pelícano hotel in the town last October.
Many holidaymakers and expats can
be seen as ‘extras’ sunbathing in the
hotel or drinking in the nearby bars.
Cops deny drug charge
FOUR policemen accused of
drug-dealing claimed they
were only selling Viagra, a
court has revealed.
The Guardia Civil officers
stood trial on Monday in the
provincial court of Murcia.
They are accused of bringing drugs into the country
via the coast.
Investigations, which have
been running for two years,
suggest that they were helping smugglers bring their
haul ashore under cover in
exchange for a fee.
National Police tapped a
number of telephone conversations in which they
claim the officers were talking about importing illegal
substances.
However, the accused parties say they were referring
to Viagra.
If found guilty, the officers
could face a total of 34 years
in prison.
CANADIAN airline Transat will be the first to connect Valencia directly with
Montreal. The flights will
be available from May to
October.
The planes Airbus 310 will
be coming from Málaga
and take eight hours until
they land in Montreal. Take
off time is every Sunday
at 14:45 hrs local Spanish
time. On their return route
they will first fly to Málaga
and then to Valencia.
The airline’s commercial
representative in Spain Bcn
Airlines, will offer the tickets from 340 euros on the
website
www.airtransat.
com.
This is the first step to
opening Valencia airport
to more direct transatlantic
flights, which is thanks to
the runway extension.
Page 6
It’s surprising how many people, when they come to
Spain to live, are unaware that we have a winter. Arriving with suitcases full of bikinis and flip-flops, having
donated their woolly jumpers to Oxfam, they are in for
a shock when they experience January and February
for the first time.
However, call it global warming, but just lately we’ve
been packing our woolly jumpers away in the loft and
enjoying the uncharacteristic – for this time of year
- sunshine. Indeed, over the last five years or so, the
dreaded gotas frías have become less frequent and temperatures in the low twenties more common.
For environmentalists, this spells disaster – poles melting, droughts, the sea reclaiming the land with a vengeance. Farmers, too, are reaching crisis point. The lack
of rain and resulting poor crop means they are barely
living hand to mouth.
Yet for those in the tourist industry, longer summers
and warm winters see them rubbing their hands together with glee. As our front page suggests, Northern
Europeans fed up with wind and rain are more likely to
travel here for some respite.
Valencia is becoming the place to be seen for many of
these holidaymakers – not just for the warmer climes,
but because of the shopping, nightlife and – as if we
could forget – this year’s America’s Cup, which is expected to bring in wads of lovely lolly that, we hope,
will be spend on handy things like better roads and
more parking spaces in the airport.
However, sometimes the best travelling adventures
come from those unplanned trips to places you don’t
imagine will have anything more inspiring than a
couple of houses and a church. Stumbling by accident
upon Carcaixent – whilst on a journey from Tavernes
to Alzira for reasons totally unconnected with tourism
– I was in for a surprise. Full of palaces, stately homes
and a spectacular Baroque monastery-turned-restaurant, surrounded by unspoilt countryside, it is hard
to understand why it is ignored by most travel guidebooks on the Valencia province. So, if you’re bored this
weekend, hop in the car and take a trip. You’ll find out
more on pages 25-27.
Unspoilt areas are becoming thinner on the ground
these days, so it is wise to enjoy them whilst they still
exist. Dénia residents say parts of their area, once
picturesque countryside and dramatic views, are now
sinking under the weight of a sea of duplexes and
villas. At the end of his tether, the town’s somewhat
unconventional leader of green party Els Verds, Toni
Roderic, decided it was time for revenge. To let the
over-ambitious town planners see what it felt like, the
demonstrators did a little building themselves – with
hilarious results. You’ll see the full story on pages 12
and 13.
Enjoy the sun this week, if it puts in an appearance
(unless you live in the north of Spain, where the weather is more conducive to skiing than catching a tan) and
gloat a bit when you think of all the people you left behind in your mother country shivering their socks off.
s.kett@thinkspain.com
Neighbours stop
workers in their tracks
NEIGHBOURS have turned watchdog to prevent work starting on Dénia’s proposed desalination plant.
Last week a building company was stopped when it tried
to set foot on to the plot of land where the socialist party
wants to build the plant.
It is claimed the company did not have permission from either the landowner or town hall.
Representatives drove to the plot in La Giralda where the
environment ministry wants to build the water plant.
They arrived with specialist machinery to take samples to
analyse the land.
The neighbours stopped them and alerted police.
They said it is the fourth company bidding for the tender to
build the plant has tried to get access to the land.
However a company spokesman said it had been given the
plans by the environment ministry and assumed the land
was owned by Acuamed, the firm behind the project.
The neighbourhood association is outraged that the ministry is handing out plans of private land.
The best spot for the desalination plant is still being thrashed out with the town hall.
An Els Verds spokesman condemned the move.
Dénia water councillor Juan Collado said he wanted to take
action against the company for trespassing on private land,
without a town hall permit and before a decision on the
plant has been taken.
In December’s town hall meeting all parties, except the
ruling socialists, appealed to the environment ministry to
build the desalination plant outside the town’s municipal
boundaries.
LOCAL NEWS
January 26 - February 1 2007
Homeseekers’ killers’
appeal turned down
A NORTH Wales couple’s murderers
have had their convictions and sentences upheld by Spain’s Supreme Court.
Anthony and Linda O’Malley, of Denbighshire, were house-hunting in the
province of Alicante when they were
kidnapped, tortured and killed by Venezuelan brothers-in-law.
Jorge Real Sierra and José Antonio Velázquez González received jail sentences of more than 100 years last May.
Mr O’Malley’s brother Bernard, who
lives in Cheshire, said: “At last it is all
over and we can now get on with our
lives.
“Even last year after the verdict and
sentences it still dragged on because
of the appeal. But now it’s finished.”
Mr and Mrs O’Malley, who were originally from Liverpool, were kidnapped
when they went to view a house in Alcoy.
They were imprisoned and bound and
gagged in the cellar of the house which
the Venezuelans had rented.
Both men were jailed for 54 years and
six months for first degree murder,
kidnapping, extortion, stealing the
couple’s hire car, falsifying an official
document and misappropriation.
The pair launched an appeal against
both their convictions and sentence.
But Spain’s Supreme Court upheld the
convictions.
Ecclestone is blowing
cold on Valencia race
FORMULA One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has dampened
suggestions that Valencia has
moved closer to hosting a Grand
Prix after McLaren’s successful
launch-day street parade earlier this month.
Valencia councillors were geared up to building a F1 race
track around the centre of the
city and the marina with its
luxury yachts.
However in a recent interview
Mr Ecclestone said: “We have a
race in Spain already. Valencia’s
suitability as a Grand Prix venue
has nothing to do with what went
on at the McLaren launch.”
No other country boasts two
Grand Prix tracks, however
this does not deter Spain from
being the first.
Mr Ecclestone said “Either the
place is good or it isn’t - and we
still have to see.”
More than 250,000 fans turned
out to watch world champion
Fernando Alonso, from Asturias in Spain, unveil his new
McLaren and race it around the
streets by the impressive City
of Arts and Sciences.
Whistle-blower receives death threats Drug arrests
A SOCIALIST town councillor Pascual
Codina who reported alleged bribes for a
renewal of Jávea’s rubbish collection has
complained of receiving death threats on
his mobile phone.
“Look after yourself in the new year. Your
conscience will not let you live, traitors die
from treachery,” was the message he received on January 4.
Last December, he reported to the Guardia
Civil that he was offered money by the company FCC, which holds the contract for the
municipal rubbish collection.
The alleged bribe was to persuade him to
vote for a 10-year renewal of the contract
with FCC.
The company is accused of trying to bribe
him at a lunch at the Club Náutico in Jávea
and the conversation is believed to have
been recorded.
Now, Codina has gone back to the Guardia
Civil to report death threats and other intimidating behaviour.
He said that many would have preferred to
take the money and run. He is proud to be
honest and to have reported the incident.
His conscience is calm, because he started
to clean the name of Jávea and defend the
town’s reputation.
Codina also pointed out that no official political initiative has been formed to investigate the case, to resolve the corruption scandal and to give the contract to a different
company.
The socialist party has suggested giving the
contract temporarily to the water company
Amjasa, since it has have the tools to collect
the rubbish.
FCC employees have complained that they
do not have the brooms and brushes to do
the job and neighbours have complained
that streets are dirty and full of rubbish.
Town hall members have said it is likely
that Cepsa will get the new contract. However the case is virtually in limbo until the
courts in Dénia have decided.
New evidence against ex-Pego mayor
A FRESH scandal has rocked Pego amid
claims the ex-mayor, Carlos Pascual, who
is about to serve six years in prison for crimes against the environment, could face a
further six years for allegedly punching the
town’s police chief in the face.
Pascual is accused of branding the town’s
police force inept, useless and stupid after
graffiti sprung up across the town with
hate-words against him in January 2001.
Pascual, who was mayor at the time, is accused of calling the police chief ‘the most useless of the lot’ before punching him in his
face. The policeman fell backwards down a
flight of stairs suffering a fractured finger.
He needed a neck-brace and was 141 days
off sick.
If he is found guilty, the public prosecution’s
office is asking for a 3.5-year sentence for
attacking a public worker and a further 18
months for causing injuries, as well as a
12,000-euro fine.
Pascual has asked that the courts suspend
his current prison term on humanitarian
and health grounds.
FIVE Britons and one Dutchman have been arrested
in a police crackdown on
a hashish-trafficking gang
in southern and eastern
Spain, the interior ministry
has announced.
Police said the gang was
preparing to move two tons
of hashish from a warehouse in Benissa.
Two firearms, seven highpowered cars, jewellery and
money in euros and sterling
were seized in the raids.
Police said they have arrested five men and one woman.
The probe began following
the killing of a British citizen in Marbella last July.
Students visit
TOURISM studies pupils
from a Newcastle college
travelled to Benidorm this
week to learn more about
how the town caters for holidaymakers.
Five tutors and 75 students
attended a seminar in the
town hall of the popular
tourist destination.
Newcastle College is the largest in northern England
and has more than 40,000
students and 1,000 tutors.
LOCAL NEWS
Page 7
M
a
iz
Ib
or
ai
ra
January 26 - February 1 2007
SAIL AWAY: Crews are racing to see who can reach Ibiza first after leaving Moraira marina on Wednesday
Competitors setting sail for party island
THIRTY boats have set sail from Moraira marina for a 300-mile race.
The annual Moraira Grefusa Trophy regatta
started on Wednesday, with the boats heading for Grosa Island, off Murcia, and then to
Housey,
housey
HUNDREDS
of
people
crammed into the Palacio
de Congresos in Alicante
last week to witness a housing lottery draw in which 46
lucky people win a low-cost
house in the city.
Nearly 4,000 people from Alicante took part in the lottery, designed to help those
most in need.
Families, individuals and
people with disabilities
were encouraged to enter.
Only those whose income
is between 10,000 and 30,000
euros a year could take part
in the scheme.
The houses cost a maximum of 150,000 euros.
One winner, Ángel María
García, 29, said: “This is
better than the Christmas
lottery. We work in a warehouse. We’ve been living
with our parents for years,
and now finally we can become independent.”
Others said: “Next time
we’ll be luckier.”
Syringe threat
A WOMAN was threatened
with a syringe by two men
who stole her handbag in
the street.
She was walking with her
son in Santomera, Murcia,
last week, when a young
man pushed a needle into
her neck and demanded
that she get down on her
knees.
He then ordered her to
hand over her bag, police
were told.
A 25-year-old Moroccan has
been arrested. Police also
seized a fake handgun, balaclava, kitchen knife and a
number of stolen goods.
Formentera and Ibiza. The regatta has been
organised by the Club Náutico of Moraira
and the 30 boats must be at least nine metres
long.
The winner will take the trophy and 3,000
euros in prize money. The runner up will receive 2,000 euros and the third prize is 1,000
euros.
The prizes will be given out in a gala dinner
at the Club Náutico on Saturday February 3.
Lawyer mum left
to languish in jail
A VALENCIAN lawyer faces a future
languishing in an American state
prison in a desperate bid to protect her
daughter.
María José Carrascosa has spent the
past two months in a New Jersey jail,
accused of kidnapping her daughter
and not handing her over to her legal
father.
In turn she has accused her former
lover of bigamy, poisoning and fraud.
In December 1998 Sra Carrascosa met
Peter Innes online in an Internet chatroom.
After a three-month whirlwind romance, they married and Sra Carrascosa moved to New Jersey.
In that August, when she found out
she was pregnant, they had already applied for her US residency.
She claimed that, by this time, Mr
Innes was already verbally and mentally abusing her but she kept quiet for
the sake of their child.
In April 2001 she applied for a visa
at the immigration services as a vic-
tim of domestic violence, which was
granted temporarily.
At the beginning of 2004, Mr Innes left
the mutual home. At the end of that
year Sra Cassascosa decided to return
to her home town of Valencia where,
one year later, she started court proceedings against her husband.
She accused him of trying to poison
her, bigamy, falsifying documents and
fraud. Her marriage was nullified at
the courts in Valencia.
In the meantime, Mr Innes divorced
his Spanish wife and won custody of
his and Sra Carrascosa’s six-year-old
daughter.
She was summoned to the States to
hand over the daughter but she appeared in court without her.
She said“I have to protect my little girl.
She does not want to live with her father. I left her with her grandparents,
since that was the decision of the
Spanish courts.”
She argues that Mr Innes cannot claim
custody for the girl, that their mar-
riage was nullified and there cannot
be a divorce because Mr Innes never
divorced his first wife.
However the US judge has said he could
jail the mother for 40 years if she does
not hand over her daughter.
On November 21 Sra Carrascosa was
detained and put into prison until the
conflictive case between the American
and Spanish law is decided.
Sra Carrascosa’s lawyer said that it is
impossible to appeal against the verdict of the Valencian court.
His client is now in a delicate medical
condition. It is argued that, due to the
poisoning, two thirds of her pancreas
and her spleen had to be removed and
she is now infertile.
Sra Carrascosa has appealed to the
Spanish embassy in Washington and
to the Spanish government in Madrid
to intervene. Her lawyer has held talks
with Spanish embassy staff.
Her case is next due to be held in the
US courts on February 8 with a second
hearing on February 28.
Weevil threatens to exterminate trees
A PEST capable of wiping out thousands of palm trees
has been found in Dénia.
The red palm weevil was seen in a Canary palm tree in
a chalet in Las Ranas.
Agricultural experts and residents are alarmed as
the bug could potentially wipe out thousands of palm
trees, such as these pictured, in the entire Marina
Alta.
One expert said: “Although we have now destroyed
the tree, there is definitely more than one tree that has
been affected, since we found an open cocoon without
the adult inside which tells us it has moved on to another species.”
They will be keeping a close eye on trees for signs of
weevils in the next few days.
There is no treatment available to exterminate the
pest.
Town runs
up debts for
four years
GANDIA has debts of
800,000 euros from 436 unpaid bills, some dating back
to 2003.
The massive shortfall was
declared by the socialist
party at the town hall’s last
meeting.
It is common for local authorities to pay bills up to
two years late due to unforeseen expenses or costs that
were not calculated into the
annual budget.
However,
three-years-old
bills are not justified.
The conservative opposition criticised the leading
party for bad planning, filing and book-keeping.
Usually invoices have to be
presented twice a year, in
April and November.
Last year, only the first half’s
figures were revealed,which
amounted to 727,000 euros.
Now, many months later the
bills for last year’s extraordinary costs have been presented, together with other
invoices from earlier years.
Javier Soldevila of the opposition party accused the
socialists of trying to manipulate the figures to create a good impression before the elections.
Sloping off
YOUNGSTERS from Mazarrón can sign up to take
part in a ski trip to the Sierra Nevada on February 2 to
4, organised by the town’s
youth department.
The cost of the trip is 190
euros for students and unemployed, and 225 for others. It includes the bus to
Mazarrón, half-board and
lodging in a three-star hotel, ski classes and hire of
skis, boards and boots.
For more information call
Informajoven on 96 859 45
01.
Speed drops
THE average speed of
motorway drivers has
fallen from 138km/hour
to 130km/hour in one
year, after high-profile
traffic campaigns and the
introduction of the new
points-based driving licence system.
Although the traffic department said it was
pleased with the results,
it said it will aim to decrease drivers’ speed
even further.
It will be installing another 17 traffic radars
around the region, to add
to the present eight.
A traffic campaign has
cut deaths on the roads
but the figure across
Spain is still quite high.
www. javea . com
LOCAL NEWS
Page 8
Thousands
opt to die
with dignity
THOUSANDS of residents
in the Comunidad Valenciana have signed a ‘living
will’ to say what should
happen to their organs if
they lose possession of all
their faculties.
The region introduced the
Document of the Last Will
in 2005. Already 3,371 people have signed one.
It aims to help people deal
with serious illness or
death in a dignified way
when they still are capable
of making a decision on
their own lives.
It is not a carte blanche for
euthanasia but, on the contrary it is like a will which
helps to respect life.
It tells medics what to do
in case of a condition that
prevents the patient voicing his or her opinion. It
can include personal values or medical conditions
that help doctors in their
treatment, a legal representative who can take decisions on their behalf or
with regards to organ donations.
Anybody can sign the Document of the Last Will in
a public notary or at any
health centre. They have to
have a passport or identity
card and three independent
witnesses.
It can be cancelled or
amended at any time.
Brussels threat
to orange farms
THE presidents of the Comunidad Valenciana
and the Murcia Region have joined forces to defend the rights of citrus farmers in Spain.
Production of citrus goods outside the country
has shot up in the past year to 18 million tonnes,
which has flooded the European market and
forced many Spanish producers out of business.
PIPPED: Fight to save Spanish fruit
Now Brussels is planning to reform citrus production in Europe, which will damage growers
in the two regions.
Valencian regional government president Francisco Camps and Murcia regional president
Ramón Luis Valcárcel called on Spain’s president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, to defend the
interest of their citrus producers.
They are demanding that producers in Europe
hold off planting new crops, as well as supporting setting up a global citrus recovery plan.
This would allow producers to adapt to demand,
as well as fund farmers in crisis.
They are also demanding more rigorous health
controls in Third World countries, which would
guarantee an adequate level of food hygiene.
Camps said: “Citrus production gives prosperity
to the Comunidad Valenciana and to Spain, and it
must continue giving prosperity in the future.”
WIND UP: The way forward
Wind farmed to
provide energy
Man rapes
woman, 80
AN 80-year-old woman has
been raped on the doorstep
of her own home in Torrevieja.
She was just about to unlock her front door after
returning home when the
rapist struck.
There were no witnesses
and little is known about
the crime. However Guardia Civil officers believe the
aggressor may have intended to rob the victim.
They have not ruled out
linking it to similar attacks
in the Vega Baixa area recently.
Numerous women have
reported being sexually
assaulted by men on their
doorstep.
Police are investigating
whether they are dealing
with a serial rapist.
Building threat
FEARS are being raised
that a crumbling building
could collapse on Dénia’s
main shopping street.
Health authorities are demanding that the old health
centre on Marqués de Campo be demolished over fears
regarding safety.
A report on the building
has revealed that its internal rooms are in such a bad
state of repair that they are
not fit for any use.
Health authorities have
called on Dénia’s town
council to agree to demolish the centre. It also asked
the council to find another
area where a new health
centre can be built.
January 26 - February 1 2007
BUILDING UP: Workers in action at the Dénia sanctuary through the summer
Dog home opens after revamp
A SANCTUARY for abandoned or abused dogs
will be hosting an open day to celebrate its revamped home.
Dénia APAD dogs’ home was forced to close its
doors last summer following a long-running dispute with the town council over its use of land on
the industrial estate.
The local authority finally relented and offered
to donate cash towards the works and supplied
council workers to build new kennels, drains and
walls.
It is now ready for business and will be celebrating with an open day on Sunday, January 28, from
12.00hrs with a bar, food, mini rastro market,
tombola and live music from Tony Rivers and his
talented son Anthony.
Visitors are welcome to visit the dogs and puppies during the afternoon.
They are also invited to bring their own dog with
them.
APAD is on Dénia’s Poligon industrial estate,
next to the ecopark.
Schools in crisis
ABOUT 70,000 children have moved with their families to the Comunidad Valenciana, causing major
problems for schools.
Further schools have had to be built and existing ones
extended or repaired.
However this cannot happen overnight as plans have
to be approved before work can start. In the meantime
18,944 pupils have been taught in temporary prefabricated classrooms for up to 16 to 18 months.
Other schools have had to introduce a shift system.
Some children come to class in the morning while others study in the afternoon.
Some of the delays are caused by private owners who
do not want to sell their land to the town halls.
For the past three years 224 schools have been built
and 63 are under construction now, half of them in
the Alicante province alone.
A budget of six million euros has been allocated for
the new facilities.
This will mean 150 temporary classrooms can disappear and nearly half the schools can end their shift
system.
WIND power is set to generate 30 per cent of
Alicante’s energy needs by 2010, according to the
regional government.
The ministry of infrastructures has stated that
850 gigawatts of energy will be produced by 11
wind farms planned in 18 municipals in the Medio and Alto Vinalopó and L’Alcoià.
This will produce enough energy to serve 240,000
houses and will help to balance the region’s energy deficit.
Eventually, 67 wind farms will be set up around
the Comunidad Valenciana, producing enough
energy to supply 80 per cent of homes. The wind
farms will help global warming by cutting emission of 2.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every
year, equivalent of burning 140 million trees.
Carlos Arribas, spokesperson for Ecologists in Action said: “We support the regional government’s
wind farm plan, although it has acted foolishly by
designing the farms and deciding on their location
without consulting any environmental expert.”
The regional government hopes that works on the
first of five wind farms in Alicante province will
start this year.
Investment in the Alicante wind farms is expected to be 300 million euros, and will create 3,300
jobs.
On the trial of Radio station still on air
lonesome pine
A DÉNIA man has compared himself
to Don Quijote over his fight to save
three pine trees.
A judge has ordered Axel Hainese
to uproot and transplant the trees
because they are affecting his neighbour’s health and do not comply with
the legal property boundaries.
However, Dénia town council has said
that this cannot be done because it is
against town planning regulations.
Sr Hainese now faces the prosect of
a council fine of 3,000 euros if he removes them - or a possible fine or be
jailed by the judge if he does not.
Sr Haines said: “I am like Don Quijote
that I do not know who I am fighting.”
The judge has given him just five days
to remove the trees.
A RADIO station has escaped a censure bid by
members of the Partido Popular party.
Eight members of the Independent Initiative and
conservative town council member Eduardo Síscar filed a motion to dismiss the director of Radio
Pego, César Monzonís at the beginning of January.
They accused the station of foul play over its political coverage.
Two of the affronted members of the radio station, Pego’s mayor Carmelo Ortolà and the councillor José Pascual García, who are both PP members, did not sign the motion.
The mayor said the radio reports were normal
critical political commentary.
Sr Monzonís said that as long as he is the director of Radio Pego there will be freedom of expression and respect for the constitution.
In a special meeting on Tuesday it was agreed
that the radio station should come under town
hall control with its running costs coming out of
the local authority budget.
Sr Monzonís remains as director.
January 26 - February 1 2007
GEORGE BUSH
Bush curbs
gas guzzlers
US president George W Bush has
called for Americans to slash their
petrol consumption by a fifth over
the next 10 years.
The annual State of the Union
address — the first he has had to
make to a Democrat-dominated
Congress — was overshadowed
by the war in Iraq, which helped
sweep the Republicans from power on Capitol Hill in November.
Mr Bush said he was ready to cooperate with his opponents, to
work through our differences, and
achieve big things for the American people.
The most eye-catching initiative
was pm energy — an issue which
has already galvanised Democrats
in the new Congress to table Bills
for limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
His plan to cut petrol use by 20 per
cent over the next decade would be
the equivalent of replacing three
quarters of the oil currently imported from the Middle East.
Mr Bush said that this would not
only help secure America’s energy
supplies against hostile regimes
but also reduce carbon emissions.
Putin meets
Indian PM
RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin has flown to India for talks on
multi-billion dollar arms and energy contracts.
Mr Putin will meet prime minister Manmohan Singh and other
Indian leaders during his two-day
trip.
The two countries have already
signed two deals on the production
and joint development of aircraft
and fighter plane engines.
Now Russia is also offering to
build four nuclear power reactors
in India.
The two countries have had close
links since Soviet times.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Air strike chaos
to hit passengers
THOUSANDS of airline passengers face two days of misery after
talks broke down to avert a strike
by BA cabin crew from Tuesday.
Hundreds of flights are expected
to be cancelled ahead of the walkout by thousands of workers as
a result of the dispute over sickness absence, pay and staffing.
The breakdown of the talks between BA and the Transport and
General Workers’ Union led to
bitter recriminations.
BA accused the union of failing to
respond to its proposals while the
union accused it of failing to hear
the voice of common sense.
BA’s chief executive Willie Walsh
said: “We have put forward a solution on pay as part of our upcom-
ing wage round. The T&G has rejected our position out of hand.”
The union, whose members include about 11,000 of BA’s 14,000
cabin crew, laid the blame for the
collapse of the talks firmly at the
airline’s door.
Deputy general secretary, Jack
Dromey, said: “We are dismayed
and saddened that BA failed to
grasp this genuine opportunity.
“This is a sad day for passengers
and cabin crew alike.”
The strike was due to last three
days but was reduced to two by
the union as a gesture of goodwill
and to allow more time for talks.
Cabin crew have complained that
a new regime on sickness pay, introduced 18 months ago, means
they are forced to work when they
are ill.
BA insists the measures were
needed to cut high levels of sickness absence.
It said staff now take an average
of 12 days off sick each year, reduced from 22 days before the new
rules were brought in.
Starter pay rates for crew members are also a problem.
As well as next week’s strike, 72hour walkouts are due to begin on
Monday February 5 and Monday
February 12.
Customers concerned about their
travel plans can call the airline’s
free telephone number 0800 727
800 or visit the ba.com website.
Page 9
Thirsty snakes
plague Sydney
SYDNEY residents are being
plagued by snakes who are venturing further into urban areas in
search of water.
The ambulance service has issued
a warning about increasing numbers of snakes west of the city.
It said it has received reports of a
significant increase in juvenile tiger snakes in the Blue Mountains
and Lithgow.
The service also says there has
been an increase in the number of
bites over the past few days.
It says people should walk away
from snakes and if someone is bitten, bandage the limb or put pressure on the bite, restrict movement and call for an ambulance.
A 16-year-old boy died in a Sydney
hospital last week after being bitten by an eastern brown.
He was trekking in a bush reserve
at Whalan, in Sydney’s west, and
collapsed unconscious, suffering
a heart attack once he emerged
from the bush on to a cricket
field.
Experts have warned that Australia’s long drought is forcing
snakes out of hiding and into urban areas this summer in search
of moisture.
Residents are urged to give all
snakes a very wide berth.
Virus rife on
luxury liner
Diver tells of horror of being
swallowed alive in shark’s jaw
A LUCKY Australian diver kept
his cool when half his body was
inside the mouth of a great white
shark. Fellow divers said the
shark grabbed Eric Nerhus by the
head.
From his hospital bed, Mr Nerhus
said that half his body was in the
shark’s mouth.
He estimates he was in there for
bing at it with a chisel he had
been using to harvest shellfish.
Mr Nerhus was wearing a weighted vest lined with lead, and believes that helped protect him.
Nonetheless, once out of the water, he was rushed to a hospital
with severe cuts to his head, torso
and arm. He will remain there for
several days.
about two minutes. A cool Mr
Nerhus said he felt for the shark’s
eyes and poked his fingers in
them.
He said: “The shark reacted by
opening its mouth and I just tried
to wriggle out.”
Once free, he said the 10-foot-long
shark was still trying to bite him
but he managed to escape by jab-
MORE than 300 passengers and
crew aboard the Queen Elizabeth
2, which is heading for Auckland
next month, have been struck
down by a highly-contagious
stomach virus.
About 276 of the 1,652 travellers
on board contracted a suspected
stomach flu in recent days, US
health officials said on Wednesday after the world-famous cruise
ship docked in San Francisco.
The others affected were crew
members.
US health officials boarded the
Queen Elizabeth 2 in Acapulco,
Mexico on Friday to investigate
the outbreak. Its crew responded
with increased cleaning and disinfection measures.
A Cunard Line spokesman in an
email to Reuters said all but six
passengers sickened during the
outbreak have recovered.
They are believed to be suffering
from norovirus, which is very
contagious and infection is common this time of year.
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LETTERS
Page 10
Letters
January 26 - February 1 2007
Get in touch with
by email: editor@thinkspain.com or by post to Letters to the
editor; Centro Comercial La Teulera 12-14, Avda. Rey Juan Carlos I, 61-63, 03727, Jalón/Xaló, Alicante
Moraira/Essex
January 19, 2007
Dear All
As you read this I may well be in the
teeth of one of the gales, snowstorms
or downpours so favoured by England.
But as my dear brother used to say to
me ‘There’s more to life than a sunny
day’. And my life may be lived in rain
and cold but I am not made out of sugar
and I dare say I will survive.
My decision to leave Spain after nearly
14 years has been very hard to make.
There is so much that I shall miss – the
obvious things like the sun on the sea,
the blossom, the mountains and that
special clarity of light. But I also shall
be listening for the musical lilt of a
Spanish voice and longing to smell that
heady combination of cologne, coffee,
cigarettes and floor polish that is so
Spanish. I’ll miss clean loos, tiled floors
and fiesta days in the middle of the
week. But most of all I shall miss the
dear friends I have made over my years
here. The friends I have made through
the mothers I met at my daughter’s
school who have helped me through
more crises than we can count, the
colleagues at the newspaper where we
have sweated blood and tears to bring
out what we always knew to be the best
paper around and all the other friends
I have made along the way.
As my daughter and I head into a new
life, where I am engaged to be married
to Peter and she is about to start at
her first English school, I hope that
we are taking some of the intangible
‘Spanishness’ with us that we have
picked up. (I know that’s not a word,
Samantha!)
Thank you to all of you and the very
best of luck to ThinkSPAIN|today
– long may it reign!
Adiós
Molly Warwick
Xàtiva
January 22, 2007
In last week’s ThinkSPAIN|today you
ran two news stories about unwanted
pregnancies.
In one case, a couple from Elche
sued after the woman fell pregnant
following the man’s vasectomy, and
they could be awarded 90,000€ for the
emotional trauma involved and the
cost of bringing up the baby.
The second story was about an 11year-old girl in Molina del Segura who
became pregnant after her mother’s
lover repeatedly raped her, which he
did with the mother’s help.
She could be awarded 60,000€ for the
emotional trauma involved and the
cost of bringing up the baby.
It begs the question which of the two
cases involves the greatest emotional
trauma. A child whose trust in those
who should have shown her nothing
but love and care, and therefore in
the human race as a whole, has been
damaged beyond repair and she is
faced with bringing up a baby before
she has even hit her teens, let alone
finished school, with only the support
of the social services.
The Elche couple, whilst the pregnancy
was unplanned and caused the
inevitable skirmish when the man
believed his partner had had an affair,
will love their son no matter what –
even if they could be financially hardpressed as a result – and they have
each other to help them through this
difficult situation. The 11-year-old girl
has no-one - family or friends – to give
her emotional support.
This, to me, represents a total
miscarriage of justice.
Colin Moore
Santa Pola
You recently published a letter by Millie
Harper whose frenetic UK lifestyle,
which she left behind to move to Spain,
was described with all the dry wit of
a best-selling novel and won the praise
of another reader the following week.
It was, in fact, a brilliant letter, and
totally summed up the way of life most
of us wanted to escape from when we
decided to head south. I even wondered
if it was really Helen Fielding or Marian
Keyes writing under a pseudonym, it
was so funny and readable.
Yet, does Millie really believe that
life is so different in Spain? The
school-runs, the supermarket queues,
the traffic jams, the high taxes and
property prices in relation to earnings,
are exactly the same in any western
European country.
Moving abroad does not mean you will
escape any of life’s annoyances, or
the trials of attempting to juggle work
with life outside of it. Spain is not a
utopia – nowhere is; every country has
its problems.
When you move overseas, the daily
grind does not suddenly become easier
– it is exactly the same but in a different
country. There are cultural differences,
but traffic jams and school runs exist
wherever you choose to settle, and
whatever country you live in a day is
only ever 24 hours long.
Spain is a lovely country to live in, it is
true; but the UK is also a pleasant place
to live.
Neither country is either heaven or
hell; neither one is good nor bad – they
are simply different. And the main
reason we all came here (apart from the
better weather, of course) is because of
that difference.
Suzanne MacAuley
Castelló de Rugat
I was absolutely horrified to read Rachael Loxston’s story about a woman
who had bought her property in Ontinyent, not realising that a huge road
was planned to be built right through
the middle of her land. She got a solicitor but, as she did not tell him to carry out searches to find out if any such
plans were in place before buying the
property, the solicitor did not do so and
she now has to live with the nightmare
of noise and dust, and lose most of her
garden. She is only lucky insofar as she
has not lost her entire house.
I still cannot get my head around how
anyone can call themselves a lawyer if
they expect the client to tell them what
to do! How is anyone to know – even a
native Spanish person – what extensive
searches and checks are needed when
they buy a property? The whole point of getting a legal representative is
that they should take all the legal headaches and questions off the buyer’s
hands. You don’t ring up an insurance
company to get a quote for cover for
your car and have to rate your own premium. You don’t go to the doctor having read through medical textbooks
and diagnosed your own illness.
Is it just laziness? Aren’t they afraid of
professional negligence claims?
I do know what I’m talking about – I
was a legal executive for 15 years specialising in conveyancing before I moved to Spain to retire early. I simply
wouldn’t have dared not do all the land
registry searches unless the client told
me to – I’d be too frightened of being
sued, and my own conscience wouldn’t
have allowed me to neglect such an
important area, potentially causing someone to lose their life savings and be
left homeless.
Anne Paget
i
Tel. 96 286 59 04
C/ Magistrat Català, 31
Gandia
climagan@hotmail.com
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NEWS FEATURE
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 11
N
obody is safe from prying eyes – be
they in the form of hidden speed
traps, CCTV cameras in public or
at work, or market research companies
who somehow manage to find you even
if you live on a desert island under an
assumed name.
Less savoury types can see what you’re
up to by hacking your computer or
raiding your letter box, and we are
always reminded to dispose very carefully of sensitive documentation such
as bank statements and card receipts.
By going through our bins, such apparently harmless household rubbish can
leave us vulnerable to identity thieves,
credit-card cloning experts, and the
town council.
Yes, that’s right, the town council. Being
on the padrón helps, but a more foolproof way to find out who we are, where
we live and whether or not we had a
takeaway pizza last night is by looking
through our bin-bags.
Ana Belén discovered this to her cost
– a cost of 60 euros, in fact – when she
was fined for leaving a bag of rubbish
outside a skip.
This in itself is irritating, unnecessary
and unfair (many town councils empty
the wheelie-bins every night without
fail, so the offending bag would not have
been there long), but to add insult to
injury, Cartagena town council wrote
to her after identifying her thanks to
bank documents they found in her rubbish bag.
Ana Belén explains that to find her
details they would have needed to open
the sack and rummage through her
household waste.
“I can’t understand how it’s legal to
open up someone’s rubbish bag and go
through it to get hold of your details and
that there’s nothing I can do to stop it,”
she storms.
“I’m the one who takes out the rubbish
every night and I know I wouldn’t leave
it outside of the skip anyway.”
She went to the town hall to check it
wasn’t a practical joke someone was
playing on her, where she was shown
photographs of the bag and a recomposition of the torn-up bank documents
they had used to identify her husband
and find her address.
“But nothing to prove it was me who put
the rubbish out, or left the bag on the
street,” she observes.
“These days everyone gets letters at
home that are not theirs, and the postman is not obliged to return them to
the sender unless they are sent by
registered post.
“I’d like to know if, every time
the postman gets the wrong
address and the person who
receives mail not for them tears
it up and puts it in a bin-bag outside the skip, whether that person
We’ve wheelie bin unfairly treated, says Ana Belén
Be careful what you put out with the rubbish…
“How did they
know it was me?”
TEXT: SAMANTHA KETT
Big Brother has
eyes everywhere
Ana Belén: “I can’t understand how it
can be legal”
would also receive a fine like mine,” Ana
Belén says, indignantly.
She says she has also seen people rummaging through containers in her neighbourhood and leaving bin-bags that do
not interest them on the ground.
“So how can they know it was me who
left it there?”
Naturally, Ana Belén appealed against
the fine and has written repeatedly to the
council to try to get it revoked. However,
she has never received a reply, let alone
a satisfactory one, and has had to stump
up the cash to avoid interest accumulat-
ing on it.
“I did so under protest, though, because
I know I’m right. They don’t give you
any choice and in cases like this, the
public is defenceless,” she says despondently.
Cartagena Town Hall, however, categorically justifies its actions and stands by
the 60-euro fine.
“There is a municipal rule that
states that rubbish should
be put inside the skip. The
woman was fined because
she left the bag outside
it,” says a spokeswoman.
“Normally, we wouldn’t do
so as a matter of course,
Numerous cases have been reported in the
past of councils taking their municipal cleanup campaigns just a little too far. In Valencia
two years ago during a drive to keep the city
tidy, fines of between 40 and 60 euros were
handed out to a builder who left two pallets
in a doorway, and a number of people who
shook their rugs outside their doors or left
washing on their line between midnight and
07.00 hrs, meaning that it dripped onto the
pavement.
Slightly more justifiable were the sanctions
but when someone breaches the rules and
we see it by chance, yes.”
Concerning the worrying aspect of council workers raiding people’s rubbish
and sellotaping torn-up bank statements
together, the town hall – when asked
if they considered this legal and fair
– declared, “we don’t know, it could be
illegal and probably shouldn’t be done,
but we have to make sure people comply
with our rules and we did this in order to
enforce the law.”
The message is clear – be careful what
you throw away, and where you throw it.
Big Brother has eyes everywhere. Even
in our old tin cans and used toilet-roll
holders.
Valencia city council levied on dog-owners
who did not clean up after their pets, and the
young man who was fined for answering the
call of nature in a drain in the early hours of
the morning. His mitigation of ‘I couldn’t hold
on any longer’ did not help his case.
The crazy arm of the law reaches beyond
keeping the streets tidy, too. Recently, a Barcelona man found himself facing legal action
for ‘invading the privacy’ of four people living in his house. These four people, who had
made the official complaint, are squatters.
NEWS FEATURE
Page 12
January 26 - February 1 2007
It’s payback time for the town planners who are
burying our countryside in concrete…
Take that!
TEXT: SAMANTHA KETT PHOTOS: DÉNIA TOWN HALL
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Toni Roderic does battle with greedy developers
T
o say that natives and
foreign residents alike
resent seeing our
countryside buried under
mounds of concrete is like
pointing out that it gets a
bit warm here in August.
Not all of us moved to
Spain for impressive views
alone, but to destroy the
natural landscape of this
beautiful country by constructing a sea of duplexes
under the slogan ‘holidays
all year round’, build villa
complexes where farmers
once made their living and
tear pine-forests down to
install ugly resorts sold to
unwitting expatriates is
not only sacrilegious, but
dangerous.
When the population of a
town or village becomes
too large for its infrastructure to handle, water and
electricity become a luxury,
crime is impossible to keep
tabs on and the community
fragments.
Fortunately, some political parties share the same
thoughts as the majority
of residents who are tired
of their view being marred
by forests of cranes or
hearing that yet another of
their neighbours has been
burgled or forced to hand
over a chunk of their life
savings to finance a new development.
Dénia’s left-wing green party coalition Els Verds-Esquerra Unida has decided
that enough is enough – no
more pussyfooting around,
collecting petitions and reasoning with town planners.
This week, they gave the
rest of the council a taste
of their own medicine.
Politics with a
difference
Chaos reigned in the town
hall on Wednesday when
Els Verds-Esquerra Unida
became developers for the
day. Councillors who tried
to go out for lunch couldn’t
leave the building, and
their view of the dramatic,
verdant Montgó mountain
was obscured – by a towering wall of polystyrene
blocks.
“Annoying, isn’t it?” was
the first line of the manifesto read out after the party’s
work of art was completed.
Revenge is
sweet
More than just an act of
protest, the polystyrene
‘development’ is themed
around a spoof suspense
film dreamed up by the
green warriors.
Toni Roderic, leader of Els
Verds, explains the set for
the party’s box-office action
thriller, Pepe Soez: Invasió
en Denidorm. The evil character behind the dastardly
deed is Pepe Soez (a wordplay on the combination of
PP and PSOE), a terrifying
‘brick monster’ who has
been gobbling up the coastline for years. Now, the
people of ‘Denidorm’ have
decided to fight back and
stop their town from being
massacred at the hands of
this feared creature, by giving him an inkling of what
it feels like to be hemmed in
by blocks.
NEWS FEATURE
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 13
Live the dream
7.80 %
‘Annoying, isn’t it?’ reads the slogan above the entrance to the polystyrene urbanisation
More viable
alternatives
“We’re tired of drawing attention to these atrocities
that they’re committing
with words, so we’ve had to
resort to action,” explains
Roderic.
“A town full to bursting
with cranes and buildings
that have eaten up the
beach, and with no green
areas, is no longer attractive from a tourism point
of view – and, in case anyone has forgotten, that’s
precisely what a large part
of Dénia’s population lives
off.”
Amongst the proposals
put forward by Els VerdsEsquerra Unida are the
much more sensible suggestions of using existing, disused plots of land
within the main hub of the
town, and reforming old
and abandoned properties
with the sponsorship of local businesses rather than
tearing them down and
building new estates in the
surrounding countryside.
Words are not
enough
A polystyrene urbanisation outside the town hall
may appear a novel idea,
but those who have seen Roderic in action before know
that he does not limit his
politician’s role to pushing
paper around a desk.
Dressing in a diving suit
and snorkel in December,
he went onto the street and
publicly demanded that
works on Dénia’s indoor
swimming pool – due to
be completed last March
– were laid to rest.
More recently, he wrote an
emotional letter to a judge
that apparently came from
three trees due to be cut
down because they were
spoiling someone’s view,
pleading for mercy.
Yet his unconventional approach shows that reason
and logic is not always the
answer to resolving longstanding conflict – sometimes the extreme or downright zany is the only way
to make those who wield
the power listen to alternatives.
stopped short at brown paper and masking tape, but
the site brought in hordes
of reporters who would
normally turn up at the
opening of an envelope.
They limited the redecoration to bed-sheets hanging
from the windows covered
trees, the ongoing destruction of the east coast at the
hands of over-ambitious
developers will continue to
be a blot on the landscape.
And if it carries on much
longer, there will be no
trees left anyway.
To arrange a no
obligation consultation with your
local OFS
adviser call:
Not just in the
Comunidad
Valenciana
Parents and teachers at a
Murcia school were equally loathe to let destructive
development plans ruin
their quality of life. When
councillors in Espinardo
announced that a slice
of the Colegio Pedro Pérez Abadía’s playing field
would be taken away to
build a hotel and leisure
resort, all those connected
with the school decided
to show local authorities
what they thought of the
idea.
The next morning, the entire building was wrapped
up like a parcel.
Pictures
reveal
they
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in slogans denouncing the
fact that if the plans went
ahead, pupils could be left
vulnerable as there would
be little control over their
safety with a hotel and
sports centre in the back
garden.
Yet until town planners begin to see the wood for the
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NEWS FEATURE
Page 14
L
ast week, a leading Spanish
national daily carried out an
opinion poll on which leader
they think won the recent heated
parliamentary debate on the future of ETA.
In the one corner we had the socialist president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, wounded by the
latest ETA bomb outrage that
shattered his hopes of a permanent ceasefire.
In the opposing corner, we have
Partido Popular opposition leader, Mariano Rajoy, beating down
the beleaguered president with a
barrage of insults and a blunt refusal to cooperate with Zapatero
by rejecting his repeated invitation to join in a united political
stance against the Basque protagonists.
According to the poll, the majority sided with the president, with
41.9 per cent believing that he
had won the argument and 32.1
per cent thinking Rajoy gained
the victory. However, public support for Zapatero has significantly dwindled since the December
bombings.
In the special plenary session Rajoy hurled aggressive insults at
the premier regarding his ‘incompetence’ over his handling of the
ETA ceasefire, particularly attacking his overconfident address to
the nation about the success of
the ceasefire just two days before
the Barajas bombings. Zapatero
obviously did not foresee what
was going to happen and has now
said that he made a ‘clear mistake’ to pin so much hope on the
nine-month-long ceasefire.
Rajoy also attacked the premier
for not admitting his errors of
judgement (which Zapatero did
persistently before his parliament) and his lack of proposal for
a new direction with ETA. Zapatero responded by repeatedly inviting all political parties to unite
in their stance against terrorism,
but failed to outline an effective
future policy regarding the terrorists after declaring the ceasefire
null and void.
Rajoy, like his predecessor José
María Aznar leads the conservative Partido Popular on a firm antiETA basis. So much so, that this
belief which permeates all party
ethos led to it accusing ETA of
the 2004 Madrid bombings, a belief so strong that it is still clung
to today, despite overwhelming
evidence that the assault was the
work of Al-Qaeda. But still, Rajoy
and his cronies follow an adherence to this belief with all the
misguided zeal of a conspiracy
theorist and which cost the party
the general election just two days
later, when voters - shocked at the
shrouding of the truth - turned to
Zapatero’s socialists.
Still the Partido Popular bang on
about ETA. One thing that they
cannot be accused of is that they
do not lack conviction. They refuse to have any truck with ‘a pack
of murderers’ and relentlessly
jeered at the president throughout his parliamentary address.
On their side are many Spaniards
who resent and detest the ETA
group responsible for the 840 deaths since their inception in the
1970s.
Zapatero, on the other hand is a
modern politician, and is far removed from the traditionalism
of the Partido Popular whose
conservative origins stem back
to the dictatorship of Franco. He
has arguably brought much needed reforms to Spain, campaigning against domestic violence
against women and legalising gay
marriages, which inevitably has
attracted criticism from the Catholic church and the right wing
traditionalists. It is likely that he
believes in the art of dialogue and
begun the peace process thinking
that he had the support of his public.
He says of the ceasefire “I did
what most Spaniards wanted, to
try and use the truce to end the
violence.” He wasn’t the first politician to do this either. Talks in
1989 and 1999 went nowhere, but
because the band had not launched a civilian attack since May
2003, he felt the time was right
to reinitiate dialogue. Throughout the agreed ceasefire the
Partido Popular did not support
the peace plan but the motion
was passed through parliament,
that dialogue would begin on the
condition that violence was not
used by ETA. Now Zapatero’s hopes and those of the nation have
seemingly been reduced to ashes,
Rajoy is seizing his moment and
enjoying greater public support
than he had before the bombings,
which had continued to diminish
against that of Zapatero.
After the bombs which killed two
Ecuadorians, Zapatero seemed
initially reluctant to end the ceasefire and was probably waiting
January 26 - February 1 2007
Above, PP leader Mariano Rajoy. Bottom lefttalks between Zapatero and Rajoy are less amicable
nowadays
As the future of ETA dominates politics, the
divide between Spain’s two main parties is
wider than ever
Zapatero
vs Rajoy
TEXT AND PHOTOS: RACHAEL LOXSTON
for a public condemnation of the
act from Batasuna, the outlawed
political wing of ETA. That didn’t
happen. Zapatero further drew
criticism by not visiting the bomb
site until five days later. It all seemed to little, too late. Also a series
of discoveries of bomb-making
equipment in the Basque territories added to sound the death knell of the so-called peace process.
If we draw parallels with the
similar peace process initiated
between the UK government and
the IRA in the 1980s, there were
many false starts, namely the
huge bomb that was planted in
London’s Docklands, which ended a 17-month period of ceasefire in 1997, and later the Omagh
bombings of 1998, which killed 29
people. Agreements were thrashed out in attempts to call on the
IRA to dump arms and agreed
power-sharing with Sinn Fein,
the political wing of the IRA.
Zapatero has similarly called for
court trials of known ETA terrorists to try and weed out the
threat of violence, which – let’s
face it - is now greatly diminished
since its heyday of bloodthirsty
brutality in the 1970s.
However, it was an even sadder
twist of fate that the 9/11 bombings in 2001 secured the effective end of IRA violence due to
America’s new stance against
world terrorism. Terrorism which has been exercised by Islamic
fundamentalists and radicals that
network across the globe, which
somehow makes the covert activities of ETA seem almost moribund.
Again, Rajoy’s tough ‘law and order’ stance would include a similar fight against the Islamic threat
and support for America, who Zapatero upset when he withdrew
Spanish troops from Iraq (again,
with majority public support.)
So, what is Zapatero to do? While
he seemingly dithers, Rajoy has
beaten the president by drawing
up his own proposals on how to
deal with the terrorists. He wants
to ensure their total exclusion
from Spanish politics leading to
their eventual collapse.
NEWS FEATURE
January 26 - February 1 2007
In a press conference last Wednesday, Rajoy proposed to outlaw
the PCTV, the Basque communist
party. Like Batasuna, with whom
they are linked, they did not condemn the attacks either. He wants
Batasuna to be officially declared
illegal by the European court, and
that all measures are taken to prevent them becoming a legal party.
The resolution for peace makes
no sense, he declared, as all the
terms have been broken by ETA
and the Congress resolution in
May 2005 - which authorised the
government to begin peace talks
- needs to be debated again.
Rajoy does have his supporters
and does speak for the large numbers of people who have taken to
the streets in protest against the
attacks over the last few weeks.
One thing he will not do is su-
Page 15
pport Zapatero, some say for his
own political agenda. Both face a
general election next year and it
seems that ETA will dominate the
party politics leading up to this.
The president remains convinced
that the political unity of all the
parties will remain the key ingredient for fighting ETA.
It seems he has won round one,
but Rajoy has since made a comeback scoring points by at least
offering a plan of action, making
him seem decisive against the
president whose admitted overconfidence in the peace process
has left him floundering, and in
a situation where the subject is
becoming a political bone to fight
over, while the Spanish population sincerely pray for an end to
the violence.
An etarra is arrested, above. Terrorist attack on December 30
destroyed the car park and claimed two lives (left)
Who are ETA?
ETA began as a student resistance
movement in 1959 which opposed
Franco’s oppressive dictatorship
and embraced a Marxist/Leninist ideology.
The group sought political independence for the seven Basque
regions of northern Spain and
south-west France in the face of
a banned language, suppressed
culture and the imprisonment
and torture of intellectuals who
opposed Franco’s regime.
After the dictator’s death in 1975,
the two million Basque population were given Home Rule. In
fact, out of all of Spain, the Basque territory enjoys more autonomy than any other region. It
has its own parliament and police force; it controls its own education system, and collects its own
taxes.
However, hardliners have kept up
the fight, if it can be called that,
for full independence.
Since the group’s inception it has
been responsible for 900 deaths
and numerous kidnaps, which
have included members of the
Guardia Civil and politicians.
Their bloody methods have alienated them from the majority
of Spaniards, and even Basque
people themselves have renounced their violence.
However, 95 per cent of Basque
people support the defending of
the region’s political aspirations,
albeit without resorting to violence. They also favour greater
grace from the Spanish government for the 500 prisoners charged in connection with terrorist
activities aimed at Basque independence.
Some commentators believe they
are almost a spent force. Their recent record of terrorism is much
less than the average of 100 murders they were responsible for in
the 1970s. The Partido Popular,
however, think are a force merely
lying in wait.
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 16
Pets
HOMES WANTED
What are our four-legged friends saying?
To
really
understand
what your faithful doggy
companion
is
saying
needs a little practice and
patience, because like us
humans, they are able to
communicate. They speak
their own language not
just by barking, but by
using their eyes, ears and
tails. It is also possible to
know how they are feeling
by looking at their general
stance.
A confident dog stands tall
with its tail up and pricked
ears, looking directly at
you. A fearful, or concerned
doggy will lower its stance,
drop its head and tuck
his tail under its body.
Sometimes it will turn its
head away from you and
show the whites of its eyes,
usually accompanied by a
growling sound. Growling
is usually a warning and
if a dog barks, it is trying
to distance itself from the
source of fear especially
if it is fenced in, cornered
or on a lead. Dogs often
growl when they are upset
and it is often best not to
approach them as they are
preparing to bite, especially
if they are showing their
teeth. This kind of fearful
growling means that they
are too upset to bark and
lots of things can upset
them, but usually it is when
something they possess
or their territory is being
threatened.
This can be a problem when
you have toddler children
fascinated by the bone
your pet dog is chewing.
Dogs are possessive and
territorial and will guard
their
possessions
and
territory.
Sometimes
you will see a dog lying
down with a ball or bone
balanced between its paws,
which is a sign that the dog
sees the ball as his.
If they raise their hackles
they are not necessarily
being aggressive, but are
on high alert. Some dogs
will raise their hackles
more than others.
When a dog barks it can
be for a whole number of
reasons - joy, excitement,
fear or as a warning. Some
dogs nuisance bark but the
main aim is that barking
gets attention, and boy do
dogs love attention! Every
little whine or growl means
something. Sometimes it
can be asking for food or
asking to go out. Usually a
dog will look at the object
of its desire, such as the
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door to be let out or his food
bowl when it is hungry and
then at you, as if asking
you to do something.
My old dog would often sit
next to me and keep pawing
me, which meant that she
wanted to be my friend.
Sometimes dogs will do
this with other dogs and it
is usually an invitation to
play.
When playing it is usually
easy to see which is the
dominant dog. It is usually
the one that hooks his
chin on top of the other
dog, places its paw on it or
stands taller. Sometimes a
dog that rolls on its back is
deemed to be submissive,
but many confident dogs do
this and usually it is a sign
of reassurance, that they
are not a threat and won´t
harm you. Sometimes it is
because they want their
tummy tickled. It is both
a reassuring and playful
gesture. When a dog really
wants to play it will arch its
hindquarters into the air
usually accompanied by
little growls and whines.
When a dog is frightened
it will cower and hide,
usually under a table
or bed. Its head will be
lowered and they will be
very reluctant to come
back out. I had a dog (the
same one who used to paw
me on the sofa,) who did
this when human voices
were raised and had to be
coaxed back out from her
hidey hole.
I would give reassuring
and calm signals that all
was well, such as looking
away from the dog and not
approaching it directly
as this makes them more
scared.
So it really is quite easy
to understand dogs and
although they are all
unique, they all speak a
similar language which
unfortunately many people
can misread.
Joe
Joe is a 3 year old terrier mix. He is a
really cute little guy who looks at you
as if you were the only person in the
whole world that mattered to him. He
is polite and quiet and will adore you
Weka
Weka is a podenco mix, 2.5 yrs old.
She has a lovely nature, is extremely
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if you choose to give him a fresh start.
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January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 17
Children
Raffle helps Malawi charity
Basketball success
The Preparatory Department at The Lady
Elizabeth School have recently formed a
basketball team.
They have won their first two matches
against other local schools. Congratulations
to them and their trainer, Señora Caravaca.
The squad comprises, from back left:
Oliver, Sebastián, Daniel, Max, Natasha,
Alejandro, Krish, Henry, Bart and Tigi with
Walt, the team mascot.
Working for the Red Cross
Pictured are the two winners of a recent prize
draw held at The Lady Elizabeth Preparatory
School, in aid of SOS Malawi.
Taylor Brown won the first prize - Zomba (the
name of a town in Malawi) the dalmation.
Alex Mitchell is a very
determined young man. He
is a pupil in Year 11 at The
Lady Elizabeth School and
will take his IGCSE exams
later this year. However, he
still finds the time to think
of others.
In December he organised
a bake sale at the school
which raised 115€ for the
Teulada Red Cross. Alex
delivered the cheque to the
charity himself and is to be
congratulated on his exceptional efforts.
Kevin Holka won the second prize - a
doll from Malawi, called Mai Chimwemne
(Mrs Happiness) and her baby Chikondi
(Love).
The draw raised 285 Euros.
International twinning project
A ground-breaking international twinning initiative
gets under way this month
to forge closer educational
links between local education authorities in the
South West and their counterparts in eight provinces of Andalucía in Spain.
Launceston Primary is one
of the schools taking part.
The two-year local authority twinning, brokered
by Comenius South West,
aspires to link primary and
secondary schools in the two
Educational
Rainbow Nursery
LOCATED IN JÁVEA
regions, plus the higher and
adult education sectors.
A key aim is to foster the
teaching and learning of
Spanish in the West Country
and English in Andalucía.
The educational project seeks
to promote intercultural
understanding and facilitate
the exchange of ideas.
“Spanish is the fastest growing language in Cornwall
and the signing of this
agreement will help young
people experience Spain and
Spanish directly for them-
XIC
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• 3 months - 5 years •
647
233
647 057
057 233
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· English Curriculum
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For more information: Tel. 96 647 17 85
info@xabia-international-college.com
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THE LADY ELIZABETH SCHOOL
est.1987
AN INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION IN A MODERN EUROPE
A wide range of AS and A level programmes. Spanish Curriculum
Preparatory School, Jávea
Tel/fax 96 579 02 52
e-mail:
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Senior School, Llíber
Tel. 96 573 19 60
Fax 96 573 25 77
e-mail:
info@theladyelizabethschool.com
www.theladyelizabethschool.com
selves,” said Terry Lello,
Cornwall County Council’s
lead member for children,
young people and families.
“We hope it will also help
to promote Cornwall in
Andalucía and provide a
framework for many exciting joint projects in the
future.”
Comenius South West,
based at the University
of the West of England in
Bristol, works to promote
a greater capability in languages.
Valerie Jean
Stage School Jávea
Ballet ∙ Tap ∙ Jazz ∙ Funky Street
Children, join our exciting new
musical theatre class now for
our Summer Extravaganza!
Tel. Val: 667 989 430
Lucy: 677 313 201
‘THE FIRS’
PRIMARY SCHOOL
JÁVEA
Offering:
National Curriculum
(Nursery to Y6)
The Ragged Child
Music by David Nield. Book & lyrics by Jeremy James Taylor and Frank Whately
We invite all those who enjoy the performing arts,
and are 11 – 16 years of age, to our
audition on Sunday 3rd February at 2pm
At Calle José Antonio, 18 - Benitachell
Small Classes
High Standards
Structured Teaching
Attention to Individual
Needs
Good Discipline
Excellent Facilities
This is a moving and dramatic play with music set in Victorian times,
great fun to perform in and a real challenge! Rehearsals start in
February leading to 3 performances at the beginning of June.
If you accept a part we will ask you to join Stage Door Performing
Arts. We shall be rehearsing on Thursday evenings and then
Sunday afternoons also from March.
96 647 29 29
If you are interested to know more then please call us,
Ann or Mike Martin, on telephone numbers:
La Guardia 125 · Costa Nova, Jávea
666 969 948 / 680 673 871
www.firsprimary.com
mail@firsprimary.com
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Ltd.
ADVERTISING
Page 18
January 26 - February 1 2007
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FOOD AND DRINK
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 19
My ‘Sherry’ amor...
Southern Spain, namely the region around
the town of Jerez is the home of Sherry. This
staple Christmas tipple beloved of sweet little old ladies everywhere, is made principally from the Palomino and Pedro Ximénez
(PX) grapes, with a splash of Moscatel. The
grapes are harvested and fermented in the
same as wine, but there are in contact with
air for a prolonged period of time. Some
will simply oxidise, whereas some develop
a coating of flor, which is a thick layer of
yeast, on the surface. This yeast imparts a
distinctive flavour.
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site of Fino), and it may be used as the base
for medium or sweet Sherry. It may also be
sold dry (Oloroso Seco).
Medium: The most common medium sherry is a sweetened Amontillado, but they may
also be created from Oloroso wines.
Sweet: At their best these are made from
Oloroso wines, sweetened with PX. In modern
times they are just as likely to be poor Finos
sweetened up with some Moscatel. Sweet
Sherries made from just PX can be astounding. At the sweet end of the spectrum we also
have the cream and brown Sherries.
NEPALI-INDIAN RESTAURANT
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Keeping to traditions
Dry: Fino is the most commonly seen dry
Sherry, a flor wine generally intended for
drinking young. Manzanilla is a light style
of Fino from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a
small fishing village on the Mediterranean
coast. Amontillado is a wine left in cask
until the flor has died and sunk to the bottom, the wine then darkening and taking
on a more nutty character. Wines that are
halfway between the Fino and Amontillado
stages may be termed Fino Amontillado
or Manzanilla Pasada. Oloroso is a wine,
which did not grow the flor yeast (the oppo-
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here?
The wines then pass through a solera system, with a tier of barrels containing wine
of differing ages, with the oldest at the bottom and youngest at the top. The wine in the
lowest barrel is drawn off and bottled, and
each barrel is topped up with wine from the
one above. This maintains a steady stream
of wine of similar character year after year,
and explains why sherry is almost never
vintage dated.
Sherries come in a number of styles. These
can broadly be divided into dry, medium or
sweet.
TANDOORI AND THALIES SPECIALITIES
MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE
DISCOVER THE REAL NEPAL
IN THE VERY HEART OF JÁVEA PORT
Also take away !
Free bottle of wine with every takeaway meal over 30 €
OPEN 7 DAYS!
Tuesday at lunchtime closed
Avda. Rey Jaime I, nº 8 - Jávea Port
For reservations call 96 579 33 31
ISO 9001:2000 Certificate
Member of Eurotoques
European Cuisine Association
ART EXHIBITION
EASY PARKING
Tel. 96 285 61 52
(Next to Yacht Marina)
OLIVA BEACH
HOTEL L’ESTACIÓ
BOCAIRENT
Parc de L’Estació, s/n • 46880 Bocairent • Valencia - Spain
Where History meets Nature
Tel. +34 96 235 00 00 • Fax +34 96 235 00 30
www.hotelestacio.com • e-mail reservas@hotelestacio.com
FOOD AND DRINK
Page 20
January 26 - February 1 2007
Spinach, despite its physical resemblance to leafy greens such as lettuce or kale, is actually not related to either. It is a
member of the Chenopodiaceae family, which also contains beets, chard, quinoa, and the Mexican herb epazote. There are
three main types of spinach: Savoy, which is usually dark green and has crinkled leaves, Semi-Savoy, which is a hybrid
and has partially crinkled leaves, and flat-leaf, which (unsurprisingly) has flat leaves. The flat leaf variety is the easiest to
clean, and consequently, it is often used to make manufactured spinach products.
Spinach is good for you
The Health Benefits of
Spinach
Baked Oysters and Spinach
INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 pounds fresh spinach, rinsed well and left
wet
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
large pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup fine dried bread crumbs
2lb fresh oysters
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried
PREPARATION
Steam the spinach over moderate heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.
Drain the spinach, refresh under cold water, squeeze dry,
and chop finely.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large pan, heat half
the butter, add the onion, and sauté over moderate heat
for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the spinach, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cream. Stir
well and cook over moderate heat for about 2 minutes,
stirring in a few breadcrumbs, if necessary, to thicken
the mixture.
Add the oysters and dill and stir well.
Spoon the mixture into a well-buttered baking dish,
sprinkle the top with bread crumbs, dot with the remaining butter, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the top
is golden brown.
Will serve six people.
Spinach is a dietary powerhouse, full of vitamins and
minerals. In particular, spinach contains significant
amounts of vitamins A, C, K, and folate (which is
essential for pregnant women), as well as the minerals manganese and magnesium. It is also extremely
high in antioxidants called carotenoids.
The health benefits are particularly impressive when
you consider that spinach contains only seven calories
per cup (when raw).
To get the greatest nutritional benefit from regular
spinach consumption, it is best to alternate between
eating it raw and cooked.
Ricotta and Spinach Filling
for Fresh Pasta Recipe
Ways to Prepare Spinach
10 ounces spinach, cleaned and trimmed
It is important to wash spinach in several changes of
water, as the leaves of the Savoy and Semi-Savoy varieties tend to trap sand, dirt and grit.
Raw spinach is a perfect leafy base for salads, whether
on it’s own or blended with other greens.
Steaming and sautéing are both excellent ways to prepare cooked spinach.
As with most vegetables, boiling spinach should be
avoided because it significantly reduces the nutritional content.
Roast Beef Wrap Recipe
This is a delicious low calorie recipe, but even if you
are not dieting or not, wraps are all the rage these days.
They are fast and easy to make and a healthy option
for the whole family. For more fibre, substitute with
wholewheat tortillas.
INGREDIENTS
1-1/4 cup reduced-fat
cream cheese
4 flour tortillas (9 to 10
inches in diameter)
1/2 red onion, sliced
4 spinach leaves
8 ounces roast beef, sliced
PREPARATION
INGREDIENTS
1 egg
1 cup of Ricotta cheese, preferably fresh, drained
for a few minutes in a fine strainer
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
PREPARATION
Plunge the spinach into boiling salted water; remove it
30 seconds later.
Drain, cool, and chop finely.
Combine the spinach with the remaining ingredients;
taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Use to fill the pasta immediately, or refrigerate for up to
a day before using.
SPINACH FILLING FOR FRESH PASTA
This is also good made with chard. Omit the Ricotta.
After cooking and chopping the spinach, heat 2 tbsp butter or olive oil in a large pan with 1 tsp minced garlic.
When the garlic softens, stir in the spinach.
Season with salt and pepper, then cool and stir in the egg,
Parmesan, and nutmeg.
For each wrap, spread a small amount of the cream cheese
over the surface of a tortilla.
A couple of Tbsp of minced prosciutto or pancetta cooled
along with the garlic is great in this dish, for non-vegetarians.
Layer the red onion, spinach, and roast beef on top.
Enough to fill about 50 to 60 ravioli shapes
EL CALDERO
HOSTAL CHESTE
RESTAURANT
Open for lunch & dinner. We specialise in rice dishes,
gazpacho (sailor-style), stone cooked meat and fish from
the bay. Open everyday. Impressive sea views, terrace.
Large wine cellar.
RESTAURANT/ROTISSERIE
La meua família
Air-conditioned bedrooms with en-suite and TV.
Cafeteria and restaurant
C/Godelleta, 19 · Tel. 687 417 215 · Fax: 96 251 29 74
Daily menu: €14.50
Daily menu €7.50
À la carte dinners and
weekend meals
Meat and roasts our
specialities
C/Acequia, 26 B · 46380 CHESTE (Valencia)
Daily menu from € 7.00
20 different ‘tapas’ to choose from.
Order rice dishes, our speciality
Opening hours: from 07.00 h. to 24.00 h.
Sundays closed
Avda. Mediterráneo, 92.
(by the sea, between Jávea Port and Arenal).
Tel. 96 646 32 48
C/ Manuel López Varela, 4
(corner with Avda. dels Furs)
46160 LLÍRIA (València)
Tel. 96 279 87 79
HOTEL *** - RESTAURANT
font salada
Ctra. Nac. 332, Km 210
961196009
626308233
OLIVA
Situated among 43,000 m 2 of orange fields
-
Mediterranean cuisine in an amazing place
-
www.fontsalada.com
FOOD AND DRINK
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 21
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Do you fancy a trip to Mexico with a
stopover in Cuba? Who does not – but
maybe it is not easy to arrange. So
a trip to Restaurante Guantanamera
could be an option.
Enchiladas with succulent chicken,
crunchy vegetables or freshly-roasted
pork or chili-con-carne for those who like
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Cuban lager could be on the menu.
After dinner let yourself be spoilt with
Caribbean music in a tropical atmosphere and treat yourself to a mojito with
fresh mint, or a Cuba Libre with dark
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This cosy restaurant in Dénia sets the
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pictures from La Habana and Caribbean
musical instruments.
Bring a good appetite; the dishes are
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the menu of the day is only 8.50 euros.
Make sure you try the salads; they are
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As soon as you walk through the door you
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Carretera Las Marinas, km. 2.6
Urb. Alcazaba, Dénia
Tel. 96 643 14 83
Open daily
9 till 16 hrs
and
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Valentine’s Menu 2007
on Saturday 10th and 17th February
Pea soup with mussels in curry
Canneloni with Norwegian lobster in a saffron sauce
Foie roll in Pedro Ximénez wine sauce
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Sorbet
Veal sirloin in red wine and pink pepper
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Drinks: Wine, beer, soft drinks, mineral water and coffee
DOUBLE BEDROOM + DINNER + SPA €180 per couple (I.V.A. included)
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Live music
we are just starting
ADVERTISING
Creative Mediterrean Cuisine
The new restaurant in Dénia
Page 22
January 26 - February 1 2007
Restaurante
Monte Corona
Menu
37 € + V.A.T.
(7 courses)
Gallega
We specialise in
Galician tapas
Newly Refurbished and
Spanish and English cuisine
Menu del día € 8
Tuesday... Quiz Night
Sunday Lunch our speciality
All the Galician flavours in Alzira
Typical Galician dishes
and much more...
Fish, seafood, octopus...
Tel. 96 281 75 39
Romantic atmosphere
Opening Hours
1.30 - 3.30 p.m.
and 7.30 -11 p.m.
Carrer la Mar 7 - DÉNIA
Tel. 96 578 16 29
OPEN
Xàtiva
RESTAURANTE- MARISQUERÍA
SUNDAYS CLOSED
Villalonga
Avda. Hispanidad, 4 • Tel. 96 241 24 51
46600 ALZIRA
Opening hours: 13 to 16 and 20 to 24 hrs.
Monte
Corona
Ador
CV60
Gandia
C/ Roble, 1, Monte Corona Urbanisation · ADOR 46724 · (Valencia)
Hostal-Restaurante Cristina
3
MENU FROM ONLY € 9
COURSE MENU INCL. GLASS OF WINE OR BEER
Tel. 96 642 31 58 for RESERVATIONS or info. Find us just below Dénia Castle in Hostal Cristina
Avda. del Cid, 5 - 03700 DÉNIA ∙ info@hostal-cristina.com www.hostal-cristina.com
Encantados de Conocerle...
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HOTEL
January 26 - February 1 2007
ADVERTISING
Page 23
TRAVEL
Page 24
January 26 - February 1 2007
United States of America
The power of dreams
The United States of
America is a world
in itself, a wealth of
culture and a variety
of natural landscapes
all within one giant
country. Each one of
its states goes beyond
the cinema legends,
with natural paradises such as Alaska and
dreamlike cities such
as New York, and also
a multitude of people
and cultures all united by the blind faith
of their own ideals.
In addition to the interest and the beauty
of its many monuments and attractions, such as the capital
city of Washington,
the
Contemporary
Art Museum of New
York, the Golden Gate
of San Francisco, the
Old Spanish Missions of California, the
fun of Florida and the
captivating
rhythm
of New Orleans, the
USA’s real treasure
is its majestic natural
scenery – probably
the most spectacular
in the world, it is an
immense natural backdrop that searches
patiently for its place
amongst the contemporary legends in the
country of dreams
and opportunities.
Without doubt, it is
the great forgotten
land of intrepid explorers, a hidden gem
just waiting to be discovered. The USA’s
natural
landscapes
are not limited to Yosemite, Yellowstone or
the Grand Canyon but
to immense treasures
like Mount McKinley
in Alaska, the Grand
Teton in Wyoming,
the Bryce Canyon in
Utah and the National
Glacier Park in Montana.
New York, a symbol
of freedom
Manhattan, the Big
Apple, the fruit of
Eden and the tree
of good and bad. A
strange hall of illusions and the land of
opportunities. A place that continually
emanates an aura of
the great market where everything has its
price and anything is
possible - anyone with
a little bit of luck
can become the star
of Wall Street, or, if
things go wrong, become disgraced on top
of a strange ‘bonfire
of vanity’.
All the expressions
and emotions that
life can generate are
found in New York.
They are seen in
the taxi-drivers, the
blacks of the Bronx
and the Hispanics of
Harlem; in the triumphant laughter of the
ou-of-date
‘yuppies’
and the dreams of
workers in Queens; in
the wishes and desires
of European tourists,
all seeking a bargain. With no morals,
ethics or scruples, in
the Big Apple everyone and everything
lives in a strange and
different way. Someone once wrote that if
Freud were still alive, he wouldn’t talk
about sex but about
the Manhattan libido,
about the legend, the
dream, the ongoing
neverending show of
this island. New York
encompasses the good
and the bad, and even
the roads are surfaced
with its own, individual identity – a great
theatre in a world
where only its legend
will survive. Nobody
can resist the temptation to take a bite of
the apple, at least once
in their lives.
Customs and documentation
European Union citizens need a valid passport, a return ticket
and to fill in a form on
entering the country.
If they plan to stay
more than 90 days,
they need a visa.
Climate
New York has a very
unstable climate. Its
summers tend to be
warm with a high level of damp, and its
winters are very cold,
damp and sometimes,
snowy. The city’s climate is best in spring
and autumn; however,
you can visit New
York at any time of
the year, given that
there is air-conditioning and central heating almost everywhere.
Time difference
New York is four
hours behind Spain
all year round, given
that the clocks change
at the same time as in
Spain to save energy.
Languages spoken
The official language
in the USA is English,
however you should
have no problem practising your Spanish if
you wish to as many
people speak it in
New York, Chicago,
Orlando, Miami, in
the states bordering
on Mexico and in big
cities with a high
Hispanic population
such as Los Angeles
and San Francisco. In
New York, Italian and
NEW YORK
DEPARTURE FROM VALENCIA
ON MARCH, 10 ONLY
Cabrera
The Barclay Intercontinental
Luxury
DISCOUNT
WITH THIS ADVERT WHEN
BOOKING YOUR
HOLIDAYS IN ANY OF
OUR OFFICES
Name and surname:
Address:
Town:
Telephone:
E-mail:
1.620
days
Currency, denomination and exchange rate
The US dollar is made
up of 100 cents. One
cent is called a ‘penny’; five a ‘nickel’;
10 a ‘dime’, and 25
a ‘quarter’. You can
still find 50-cent, or
‘half-dollar’,
pieces
and one-dollar coins. Otherwise, notes
come in one, five, ten,
20, 50 and 100 dollars,
all of which are the
same colour and size.
At the time of going to
press, one US dollar is
79 euro cents (US$1.27
to the euro).
Religion
Due to the enormous
level of immigration
in the United States,
most religions can be
found - in New York
alone, there are more
than
3,000
faiths.
However, the majority
of the population is
Christian, either Protestant or Catholic.
We also refund you
1%
of your card expenses
6 - month
interest - free
payment
Accommodation only
Province:
Postal code:
9
Chinese are also common.
Send us your e-mail address to
incentivosalc@halcon-viajes.es
and you will get information
about our special offers.
TRAVEL
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 25
The countryside around Carcaixent is unspoilt and untouched by mass development
Carcaixent
Stately homes and spectacular countryside
PHOTOS: CARCAIXENT TOWN HALL
Contrary to what coastal dwellers
often believe, there is indeed
civilisation between the Valldigna
and Valencia. Yet, as much of it is
overlooked by European tourists and
day-trippers from elsewhere in the
region, it is easy to forget.
by Samantha Kett
N
ext time you are on
your way to Valencia airport, set off a
few hours early and head
inland to uncover some
of the buried treasures
off the beaten track in the
province.
In the heart of the Júcar
valley and at the end of
a disused railtrack that
used to run to Dénia in the
times of the raisin trade,
back in the 19th century,
Carcagente – or Carcaixent in valenciano, its official title – is a picturesque
hideaway whose traces of
Roman and Mediaeval Islamic civilisation remain
intact.
Despite being surrounded by rice-fields, orange
groves and mulberry
trees and accessible only
by a CV-road, Carcaixent
is close to the dynamic,
modern city of Alzira and
has an increasingly cosmopolitan population, as
evidenced by the British
school on the outskirts
which in fact has pupils of
numerous nationalities,
given that six per cent of
the town’s headcount comprises foreigners.
In fact, Carcaixent has
always attracted visitors
from afar, as it sits on the
pilgrims’ route to Santiago de Compostela, known
as the Vía Augusta.
A glance at the town itself
reveals Moorish houses
with blue-tiled domes, typical of the Valencian region, contrasting sharply
with the chimneys of silk
and linen factories which
were set up decades ago
but still provide employment for many local people.
Although, like most towns
in the province of Valencia, Carcaixent started
out life as a Moorish farm-
The singularly misnamed Almacén de la Ribera is in fact a basílica-style church
stead, Roman remains
have been dug up in the
area, revealing that its
history goes back more
than a millennia before
the Islamic invaders set
up camp.
Nowadays, with two monasteries, a palace, four
impressive churches and
numerous stately homes
dating back to the 19th
and 20th centuries, not to
mention miles of peaceful, green countryside,
Carcaixent – despite being just 30 minutes north
of Gandia – is a fascinating hidden corner of the
region with more than
enough attractions to
keep the curious visitor
entertained for several
days.
As there is no shortage of casas rurales in
and around Carcaixent,
should you live just a little
too far away to get the best
out of it in a day, there is
no excuse not to escape
the crowds of the coast
and make a weekend getaway out of it.
WHAT TO SEE
Monasterio de
Aigües Vives
Nestling in the centre of
the Valle de Aigües Vives,
which lies on the edge
of the CV-50 (TavernesAlzira road), the monastery of the same name is
a spectacular work of art.
Its magnificence seems
incongruous with its loca-
Hotel
Vernisa
In the heart of
Monumental Xàtiva.
Restaurant
All rooms with en-suite bathroom,
air conditioning, Satellite T.V
C/ Académico Maravall, 1 - 46800 Xàtiva
Tel. 96 227 10 11 - Fax 96 228 13 65
e-mail hvernisa@servidex.com
Visit our website
www. hotelvernisa.com
TRAVEL
Page 26
tion, on the edge of a town
of just 21,000 inhabitants.
Although the first stone
was laid in 13th century,
work did not really begin
on the monastery for another 300 years and took
a further two centuries to
complete. The stunning
Baroque complex, with
its numerous chapels and
adjoining church, was
abandoned in 1835 during
the period known as the
desamortización (during
which all land and property considered ‘non-productive’ in an economic
sense was auctioned off,
amongst other reasons, to
settle public debts).
Recently, however, the
building has been carefully restored and is now
open to the public as a restaurant and hotel.
Carcaixent’s other monastery, the Corpus Christi,
was not so fortunate. Of
the splendid Baroque-Neoclassic complex, which
dates back to the mid-17th
century, only the church
remains.
often known as the Palacio de la Marqueseta, was
built in 1780 and no detail
was spared – elaborate
frescoes adorn the walls
and ceilings; intricatelydesigned tiles decorate
most of the rooms, particularly the spacious kitchen. Now no longer inhabited, it is used for various
public functions.
The
Marqueseta
who
gave the palace its name
was the daughter of the
Marqués de la Calzada, a
well-known local celebrity in 18th-century Carcaixent and owner of one
of the many magnificent
mansions on C/ Santiago
Apóstol, the road that continues to see the passage
of pilgrims on the way to
Galicia. Like the others,
it is built in a typicallyValencian version of the
modernist style and traces of pilgrims’ footsteps
remain inside.
Stately homes
From the turn-of-the-century basílica-style church
confusingly named El Almacén de Ribera, to the
15th-century Gothic parish
church of the Asunción
with its statue of St James
the Apostle on horseback
– another reminder of the
Once a playground for the
rich and famous, it is no
surprise that Carcaixent
has plenty of impressive
houses that once belonged
to members of the aristocracy. The palace of the
Marqués de Montortal,
Churches and ‘disappearing villages’
January 26 - February 1 2007
A stunning example of Baroque architecture, the Aigües Vives monastery is now a hotel and restaurant
pilgrimage – Carcaixent
has numerous places of
worship that are worth a
visit to appreciate their
stunning architecture.
The oldest in the municipality is the chapel of San
Roque de Ternils, dat-
ing back to the 13th century. Declared a National
Artistic Monument by
the central government,
the Gothic-Romanesque
church is located in the
now-defunct village of
Ternils, which gave the
building its name. During
the Middle Ages, what is
now Carcaixent was the
largest of a group of hamlets bunched together,
built by the Moors and
with a population that
lived off the land. Eventually, these hamlets merged
into Carcaixent itself and
dropped their names.
Also within the ‘disappearing village’ of Ternils, the
Templo de la Asunción,
with its multi-coloured
tiled dome and rectangular bell-tower, was first
constructed in 1434 but
was rebuilt 300 years later
after it burned down. This
explains why the architecture has a heavy Baroque
leaning as opposed to the
Gothic architecture that
one would expect from
this era.
Another town that was
wiped off the face of the
Earth by progress and
development was Cogul-
The Cloister of the Aigües Vives monastery
lada, the parish church of
which now falls within the
boundaries of Carcaixent.
Built in the 16th and 17th
centuries, it has recently
been restored to its former
glory.
WHAT TO DO
Join in the party
A good time to visit Carcaixent is on October 16
for the local fiestas in honour of the town’s patron
saint, la Mare de Déu de
Aigües Vives, who shares
TRAVEL
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 27
A train used to run from Carcaixent to Dénia, during
the heyday of the latter’s raisin trade
Carcaixent: a picturesque town with beautiful monuments
her name with the valley
and has a chapel dedicated to her in the Asunción
temple.
A progressive town in
terms of equal opportunities, Carcaixent has both a
male and a female patron
saint – two days before the
Mare de Déu de Aigües
Vives festival, the townspeople pay homage to San
Bonifacio Mártir.
behind you. Turn uphill
after the first curve and
continue along a gravelled path through orange
groves on the edge of an
abyss, in the folds of the
Agulles mountain. Long-
er still is a footpath from
Barraca that starts at the
old fountain and takes the
walker along a cliff-edge,
through scrubland and
onto the Montot peak.
Further routes, of differ-
ing lengths, start from
and finish at the Aigües
Vives monastery, meaning
that you can sit down for a
well-earned slap-up meal
after traipsing around the
countryside with a back-
pack and binoculars.
In contrast to much of the
remaining countryside on
the coast of the province
of Valencia, the Valle de
Aigües Vives is completely
unspoilt, with not a villa
in sight but a patchwork
of citrus orchards, pine
forest and uncultivated
heath unfolding before
you as far as the eye can
see.
Carcaixent and its surroundings remain relatively untouched by the
mass-development mania
that is slowly eating away
at the countryside closer
to the sea, so it is easy to
forget that it is within
easy reach of Alzira and
Gandia and just fifteen
minutes from Tavernes’
extensive beaches. Close
enough to the action, but
far enough away that you
can pretend you are in
another part of Spain altogether.
Next time there is nothing on TV and you fancy
exploring more of the region, put Carcaixent at the
top of your list.
Explore the
countryside
If your feet are not covered in blisters after strolling around Carcaixent’s
wealth of monuments and
following the fiesta parades, a walk in the Valle
de Aigües Vives will blow
away the cobwebs.
Sharply-descending
ravines, steep rock-faces and
towering peaks, the valley
is surrounded by pinecovered cliffs that form a
boundary wall separating
it from the countryside
beyond.
For serious hikers, the
best route is from the
nearby village of Barraca
d’Aigües Vives, a quaint
mountainside municipality that lives off the citrus
trade, following the main
road in the direction of
the Valldigna with Alzira
Carcaixent has a number of green, peaceful and attractive parks and gardens
·
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levels.
Courses for all ages and
info@ociodenia.com
·
Tel. 678 351 323
·
SPORT´S CLASSES
minitenis
tenis
pádel
ACTIVE TOURISM
hiking
barranquismo
canyoning
rock climbing
SPORT´S PROGRAMS FOR URBANIZATIONS
pádel
tenis
MOTOR
Page 28
January 26 - February 1 2007
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FSH, never used......................................€27,999
03 MERCEDES
E270
CDi AUTO, S/Roof,
CDx6, Xenons, in silver met, black cloth, as
new, exceptional, we must be mad at.....€27,999
03 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 2.7 CRD
LAREDO met sage. Host of extras diesel
auto,
6xCD,
alloys........................€27,999
8/03 CHRYSLER GRAND VOYAGER 3.3 LX
“Warner Bros Edition”, silver............€26,999
03/05 LANDROVER DISCOVERY 7 SEATER,
one owner, 23,000kms = 13,000 miles, in met.
blue automatic, 1/2 grey hide, 2x sunroofs, CD,
alloys, FSH, towbar, fab unit 4.0V8.......€24,999
02 CHRYSLER VOYAGER 3.3 LX AUTO 7
seater in silver, grey hide, CD, DVD with roof TV
screen, alloys, electric rear doors............€19,999
July 04 FORD GALAXY 1.9 TDDI 115 BHP TREND
7 seater, met. cava, Front & rear A/C.......€19,999
April 04 FORD MONDEO 2.0 TDCi 130 BHP GHIA X
AUTOMATIC, 5 door, silver, hide...........€18,999
01/06 MERCEDES A160
AVANTGUARD
AUTOMATIC, silver, 1/2 hide, FSH, climate,
alloys, CD.................................................€15,999
03 MERCEDES S55 AMG 500 BHP, black cherry/
cream hide................................................ €79,999
9/03 MERCEDES ML 55 AMG AUTO, met. green
fully loaded incl. Command nav..........€44,999
03/06 MERCEDES E500 AVANTGARDE AUTO,
total spec, silver, black hide, 1/2 price at...€29,999
98 DESIGNO MERCEDES SL 500 blue, vanilla cream hide, panoramic roof..............€29,999
03 MERCEDES E270 CDi AUTO, met. blue
black, pale grey hide, host of extras.........€29,999
04 CHRYSLER GRAND VOYAGER AUTO 3.3 LX,
navy/grey hide, DVD, E/rear doors.............€27,999
New RENAULT MEGANE GRAND SCENIC
AUTO 2 LITRE, extras inc, climate, CD, centre arm rest, in met. black, save 6,000 euros.
0 kms, ready to go at only...................€22,000
01/06 MERCEDES C320 V6 ELEGANCE AUTO,
met. blue black, pale silver grey hide, climate, CD, alloys, FSH, compare price......€19,999
04 NISSAN TERRANO 3.0Di, SPORT, A/C, PAS,
alloys, silver, as new, LWB, 7 seater...€19,999
98/06 MERCEDES 230K AUTO SLK SPORTS, electric blue, high spec, incl. hide, CD, alloys.....€19,999
04 HYUNDAI SANTA FE CRDi, silver......€19,999
July 04 FORD GALAXY 1.9 TDDi 115 BHP TREND,
7 seater, met. silver, F+R A/C..........€19,999
01 HONDA S2000 SPORTS, met. silver, red
hide, A/C, low kms............................€19,999
Nov. 01 BMW 530 SE AUTO, climate, CD,
alloys, met. green/cream hide.............€19,999
05 PEUGEOT 307 CABRIO in met. violet with
silver grey hide, climate, alloys, CD, “special
order car”, stunning like its one previous lady
owner, has to be seen, very special.........19.999€
02 MERCEDES C SPORTS COUPE C220 CDi,
climate + CD, silver.................................€19,999
April 04 FORD MONDEO 2.0TDCi 130 BHP GHIA X
AUTOMATIC, 5 door, met. silver, hide.........€18,999
02 BMW 525D AUTO EST, met. Avis blue, alloys, CD
compare price, as new, this is special, FSH...€17,999
02 AUDI A6 2.4 MULTITRONIC auto, 86km,
FSH, met. grey, alloys + CD, as new.......€17,999
17/12/01 (02 mod) NISSAN XTRAIL 2.0
5 door comfort in met. red, A/C, CD, leather
trim, 78kms = 50,000 miles. FSH...........€16,999
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9/02 HYUNDAI COUPE 2.7 GLS (full), silver,
black hide, climate, alloys, 30,000 kms FSH
inc. sun roof, ABS, plus much more.....€15,999
May 05 FORD FOCUS C/MAX 1.6TDi 110BHP,
A/C, CD, met. grey, silver or blue................€15,999
05 FORD FOCUS AUTO EST, A/C, CD, PAS,
claret, ice blue, grey silver...................€14,795
05 FORD FOCUS TDCi EST, A/C, PAS,
CD, met. grey or blue...................€13,999
03 NEW SHAPE SCENIC PRIVILEGE in met
cava, host of extras, has to be seen.......€13,999
05/05 FORD FOCUS 1.6 TREND, AUTO, A/C,
CD, jeans blue, new shape..............€13,999
05/05 FORD FOCUS 1.6 TREND, AUTO, A/C,
CD, met. grey pearl, new shape..............€13,999
11/01 MG ZT-T 190 BHP, A/C, PAS, alloys,
met. electric blue, Nav + TV................€12,999
05 FORD FOCUS 1.6 HATCH, A/C, PAS,
CD, silver, compare price.................€12,995
05/05 FORD FUSION 1.4 TDCi TREND, A/C,
CD, met. grey, low kms..........................€11,999
04 HYUNDAI MATRIX CRD GLS, silver, A/C,
PAS, alloys, etc. Test drive now..........€11,999
05/05 FORD FUSION 1.4 TDCi TREND,
A/C, CD, silver. Low kms..............€11,999
02 NISSAN PRIMERA 1.8 TECHNICA, A/C,
PAS, alloys, 39,000kms, FSH, silver....€11,999
04 FORD FOCUS AUTO, A/C, PAS,
CD,
silver...................................€11,999
27/10/04 FORD FOCUS 5dr AUTOS, CD....€11,999
03 CHRYSLER SEBRING 2.7 LX AUTO,
silver, 1/2 hide, 1/2 suede, auto, climate, CD,
alloys, low kms, compare price..........€11,999
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04 FORD FIESTA 1.4
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PAS, met. cava. totally as new.....€10,999
04 FORD FOCUS AUTOMATIC, 5 door, A/C, PAS,
CD, compare price, diamond white.....€10,650
03 FIAT STILO 120 BHP TDi, silver, A/C....€9,999
02 RENAULT SCENIC DCI FAIRWAY, 1/2 hide,
A/C, met. blue or met. sage, only........€9,999
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May 05 FORD FOCUS C/MAX 1.6 TDi 110
BHP, A/C, CD, silver, blue or claret.........€15,999
05 FORD FOCUS AUTO EST, A/C, CD, PAS,
claret, ice blue, grey silver.................€14,795
05 New Shape FORD FOCUS TDCi EST,
CD, A/C, met. silver............................€13,999
03
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climate, CD..........................................€13,999
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02/05 LANDROVER DISCOVERY V8 HSE
AUTOMATIC, every extra, met. claret...€19,999
July 04 FORD GALAXY 1.9 TDDi 115 BHP
TREND, 7 seater, met. silver, front + rear,
A/C.....................................................€19,999
05 JEEP CHEROKEE 2.4 SPORT JEEP
10k, silver, A/C, PAS, CD, alloys........€19,999
April 04 FORD MONDEO 2.0 TDCi 130 BHP
GHIA X AUTO, 5 door, silver, hide.....€18,999
Nov 01 CHRYSLER VOYAGER 3.8 LE,
7 seater, silver/silver hide............€16,999
May 05 FORD FOCUS C/MAX 1.6TDi 110
BHP, A/C, CD, silver, grey and blue....€15,999
02 CHEVROLET 3.4 TRANSPORTER AUTO,
7 seater, in met. black over gold, silver grey
hide, climate & alloys, nav TV, CD.....€14,999
Nov. 01 “00 model” CHRYSLER VOYAGER 3.8
LE AUTO, silver grey hide, climate.....€14,999
05 FORD FOCUS AUTO EST, A/C, CD, PAS,
claret, ice blue, grey silver................€14,795
04 CITROËN PICASSO HDi, silver, climate,
6xCD, totally as new.......................€13,999
05 FORD FOCUS TDCi EST, A/C, PAS, CD,
met. claret, new shape, as new......€13,999
05 FORD MONDEO 2.0 16V GHIA, blue...€12,999
03 RENAULT MEGANE 1.9 DCi new shape,
silver, fabulous value for money.......€12,999
01 BMW 525, A/C, PAS, alloys, met. silver, ice
blue, compare price, this is a gift at...€12,999
05/05 FORD FUSION 1.4 TDCi TREND, A/C,
CD, silver or met. blue, low kms...........€12,999
05 FORD FOCUS 1.6 5 door, 9,000kms,
A/C,
CD,
silver..........................€12,999
10/04 FORD FOCUS 5 dr AUTOS, CD....€11,999
04 FOCUS AUTOMATIC, 5 door, A/C, PAS,
CD, met. various, compare prices........€11,999
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01/05 BMW X5 4.4 fully loaded, silver, black hide,
Nav, sun roof, 18” alloys........................€29,999
04 RENAULT GRAND ESPACE V6 DCi AUTO,
very special, factory warranty, 1/2 price....€29,999
05 JEEP CHEROKEE RENEGADE CRD, silver, host of extras, high spec...................€28,999
01 BMW 3.0 PETROL AUTO, met. petrol blue/
cream hide, CD, alloys, very special......€26,999
02 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 2.7 CRD
AUTO, silver, grey hide..........................€24,999
July 04 FORD GALAXY 1.9 TDDi 115 BHP
TREND, 7 seater, met. cava, F+R, A/C.....€19,999
April 04 FORD MONDEO 2.0 TDCi 130 BHP GHIA
X AUTO, 5 door, silver, hide, very special...€18,999
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May 05 FORD FOCUS C/MAX 1.6 TDi 110 BHP,
A/C, CD, silver..................................€15,999
02 VW PASSAT 1.8 T ESTATE AUTOMATIC
trendline, climate, alloys, CD, ABS, PAS, FSH,
84 kms, finished in met emerald..........€14,999
02 FORD GALAXY 115BHP TDi, 7 seater, A/C, PAS, CD, met, navy.........€14,999
05 FORD FOCUS AUTO EST, A/C, CD, PAS,
claret, ice blue, grey silver...............€14,795
April 05 FORD FOCUS 1.6 TDCi EST, A/C,
CD, met. aquarius, silver, navy...............€13,999
05/05 FORD FOCUS 1.6 TREND, AUTO, A/C,
CD met. grey, silver, blue..............€13,999
05 VW POLO TDi m. magic black, A/C, PAS..€12,999
05 FORD FOCUS 1.6 5 door, 9,000kms, A/C,
CD, silver, fab buy..................................€12,999
03 RENAULT MEGANE AUTO (new shape),
met. golden onyx, climate, CD.........€12,999
97 BMW Z3 CABRIO, A/C, PAS, CD, alloys,
hide, met blue........................................€12,999
05
FORD FUSION TDCi S, choice, A/C,
PAS, CD, met....................................€11,999
03 PEUGEOT 206 HDi XS EST, A/C, CD
alloys, met. ice blue............................€11,999
04 FORD FOCUS AUTO, CD, A/C, silver,
PAS....................................................€11,999
04 RENAULT CLIO 1.4 16vV PACK, m. black, auto,
climate, PAS, alloys, 5 dr, 19.000km, gift....€10,999
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January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 29
Likeable and capable
T
he for and against 4X4
debate is being argued
out everywhere at the
moment. It is currently as hot
topic for us brits as the gun
debate is in the USA. However
this column is not the place to
discuss such issues. I welcome
choice and am delighted that we
have so many varied different
vehicles to choose from.
The new Santa Fe is obviously
bigger than before, big enough
now to sustain a seven-seater
option. It looks crisper, too, not
least because it has lost those
pre-dented flanks that always
made the old Santa Fe look as
if its next stop was the repair
shop. This is one
of those 4x4s
and body
wo
rk
Sp
ra
g
y in
not really intended for life off
the road but able to handle the
odd outbreak of rough stuff.
You can have it with a 2.2-litre
turbodiesel engine or a 2.7-litre
V6, the latter with an automatic transmission with just four
gears.
The inside is light and modern.
The optional third-row seats,
which cost an extra 999 euros
but are cramped for adults,
have their own curtain airbags
and air-conditioning unit, the
sun-visors extend to fill gaps
in their shading ability, and
there’s a wide-angle interior
mirror to let parents see what
their children are up to in the
back. There’s also an integrated
stereo system.
But inside, we find more hard
plastic surfaces (doors, windscreen pillars) than you would
expect in a car with such socialclimbing ambitions, and in the
higher CDX trim level the vertically grained “wood” is clearly
fake for all its rich gloss. The
lower trim level is called GSI,
incidentally.
Other disappointing features
are that the remote central locking buttons live in a separate
fob rather than being built into
the key, that not even the driver’s
door window has an automatic
one-prod-for-up function, and
that the flexible “hamm o ck ”
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wheels actually to slither. You
can lock the multi-plate clutch
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surfaces, too.
But the turbodiesel is smooth, relaxed and responsive. It’s
certainly better to drive than
the jittery X3, but to regard it
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Audi is wrong. It is however
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that bridges the gap between
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seats are reclined, reducing the
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The “torque on demand” fourwheel drive system diverts up
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Page 30
find
right
car
January 26 - February 1 2007
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LEGAL AND FINANCE
January 26 - February 1 2007
Who’s got the
purse strings?
Political battle over CAM reveals depth
of rift within Valencian PP
by Ian Perrins
I
t is said that politicians make
strange bedfellows.
However, last week when it
was announced that an agreement had been reached over the
line-up for the board of directors
of the Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo (CAM) savings bank
between the Valencian branch
of the Partido Popular, still controlled by Eduardo Zaplana, and
the socialist PSV-PSOE party,
it seemed as though the fragile
unity of the regional party had
been blown apart.
The official sector of the party
- the one controlled by regional
and party president, Francisco
Camps, had been left out of a
deal they thought they had already closed with the socialists.
This internal crisis is, needless
to say, having a negative impact
on the bank and its customers in
what is a text-book example of
the increasing politicisation of
the savings bank sector of the
banking industry.
Since Sr Zaplana gave up the regional presidency, which he left
in the hands of Mr Camps whom
he himself had named as his
successor, there has been a noticeable decline in the cohesion
of the party which governs the
region’s main institutions. Za-
DEADLINE
FOR ALL
SPORT COPY
14.00 HRS
WEDNESDAY
planistas and campistas spurn
few opportunities to air their
differences in public and any issue will do. While Sr Camps has
managed to exert control in the
provinces of Valencia and Castellón - albeit with the controversial support of Carlos Fabra
- the shutters remain in place in
the region’s southernmost province where, acting through the
president of the Diputación de
Alicante (the provincial council), José Joaquín Ripoll, Zaplana continues to exert his influence despite the best efforts of
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regional party directors.
Hitherto, the battlegrounds have
been the party’s candidate for
the mayorship of Alicante, for
the presidency of the Diputación
and even internal training procedures. And now it has finally
reached the CAM.
The Valencian savings bank sector is more than a financial institution - it is one of the keys to
power in the region. Controlling
major players goes much further
than financial decision-making
and as is, sadly, often the case,
speculation about the wisdom of
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Independent
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Page 31
apparently politically-motivated
decisions to invest in one or
another of the region’s leading
companies is the bread and butter of business and political observers. To control the CAM is
to control an important flow of
finance that neither Sr Camps
nor Sr Zaplana is prepared to
yield to the other.
The campistas seemed to have
won the first skirmish when
they signed a global pact with
the PSOE over the make-up of
the boards of the region’s three
main savings banks (cajas de
ahorros) - Bancaja, CAM and
Caixa Ontinyent.
Regional Economy
minister,
Gerard Camps declared that the
war was over, confident that he
had managed to wrest control
from the former regional president. Backed by the Murcian
branch of the party, their intention was to keep Vicente Sala in
place as president for a couple
of years prior to the eventual
succession of current provincial
vice-president, Modesto Crespo.
Meanwhile, Zaplana’s supporters had not been sitting around
with their arms folded. The proposal sidelined the man they had
earmarked for the post, current
vice-president Armando Sala,
who is a close friend of the party’s parliamentary spokesman
in Madrid. The Alicante branch
of the party resolved to put out
feelers to the socialists and offered the provincial Territory
department to Jesús Navarro,
a local businessman with close
ties to regional party secretary,
Joan Ignasi Pla. It seemed to be
an offer that cannot be refused,
from the socialists’ point of view
as, not only were they improving
their standing on the provincial
council, but also widening the
rift in the PP just five months
before regional and municipal
elections.
The day the pact was announced
the regional party split in two.
Gerardo Camps accused the socialists of breaking their word,
apparently oblivious to the fact
that they had formed a pact with
the minister’s own party. So now
there are two lists of political
appointees to the saving bank’s
board of directors.
Camps declared that all agreements over the region’s major
savings banks were now broken
just hours before the Bancaja’s
general assembly, where there
was only one list of candidates,
but the opportunity to punish
the PSOE by tampering with it
to their detriment. To his credit,
Bancaja president, José Luis Olivas, distanced himself from the
crisis, resisted political pressure
to change the composition of his
board, and the original list of directors was endorsed.
Any solution to the problem is
bound to be complex, and the
campista faction is apparently
trying to remedy the situation
with a tripartite pact. However,
the zaplanistas have control of
the board, which is made up of
twenty directors, ten of whom
are politically-appointed, and
are likely to have their way.
This will probably mean that
Vicente Sala’s contract will not
be renewed, and Roberto López
Abad is unlikely to continue as
general director.
The PSOE have indicated a complete willingness to continue
negotiations, but will not accept
any proposal worse than the one
already on the table. Meanwhile
there is a certain feeling of triumph among the ranks of Zaplana’s supporters, who believe the
battle to have been won and are
looking to score further victories over electoral nominations.
Whatever the eventual outcome
may be, the incident has affected
the image of the CAM and the
rest of the savings bank sector
which will face an uphill battle
to convince existing and potential new customers that their
money is being invested for
sound financial, and not politically-motivated, reasons.
RAYMUNDO - HOPMAN - VILLAMOR
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Are you thinking of buying a home in Spain? This can be easy and
involve low risk as long as you remember that not all charges are
shown in the Property Registries. Please beware about the
implications of actual/future Development Plans, penalties
for building infringements or development charges. Ask your
independent Lawyer to include these aspects in the pre-purchase
“legal checking”.
- Wills, Inheritance, Probate.
- State/Local Government
Litigation.
- Civil and Criminal
Litigation.
- NIE, Residencia, Fiscal
Insurance, etc.
If any doubt please, fax your query and we will reply at no cost.
Connie Raymundo
Solicitor
Alicante – C/ Navas, 19, 4th floor - 03001
Tel. (00 34) 96 520 77 19 – Fax (00 34) 96 521 87 94. e-mail Connie_sp@ono.com
Conveyancing
Tax Advice and Representation
Wills and Probate / Inheritance
Company Formations
Tenancy Agreements
Legal Translations
Divorce
C/ Díana, 16, 1º - 03700 Dénia
(Alicante) Spain
Tel (+34) 96 642 61 85
Mob (+34) 677 204 355
Fax (+34) 96 578 44 71
E-mail: info@white-baos.com
www.white-baos.com
Page 32
BUSINESS AND FINANCE
January 26 - February 1 2007
LEGAL AND FINANCE
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 33
Renting a property in Spain
If you are more interested in renting a property rather than
buying then watch out for a few pitfalls.
Length of
contract
Normally a rental contract
between landlord and tenant is signed for a year. If
there are no further specifications on the validity
of a contract, then it is
automatically renewed for
another year at the end of
each year for a maximum
of five years.
By law the tenant has got
the chance to terminate
the contract at any time
giving 30 days notice.
However, it is a lot more
difficult for the landlord
to get rid of the tenant.
He has to renew the contract each year for up to
five years. The only way to
get the tenants out before
the end of this period is a
clause in the contract that
allows him to move into
the property personally
and use it as his home.
After five years, both parties can resolve the tenancy. The landlord only
needs to give 30 days notice.
If no party wants to ter-
flation rate. The landlord
has to communicate the
adjustment in writing
and starting with the following month the tenant
has to make the according
payment.
If the landlord refurbishes the property and improves its quality considerably then he can raise
the rent by 20%, but not
more.
minate the tenancy, then
the contract is automatically for another year up
to eight years in total. The
difference is that the landlord and the tenant now
only need to give 30 days
notice to terminate the relationship.
Deposit
The deposit is payable with
the signing of the rental
contract. It is equivalent
to one month rent and covers any damage the tenant
does to the property while
he lives in it. At the end
of the tenancy agreement
it is to be returned. If the
landlord does not return
it, the tenant can charge
interest until the money is
returned. After five years
of tenancy the landlord
can adjust the deposit to
the current rent.
Utility bills and
other expenses
Monthly rent
The rent is agreed between
landlord and tenant. There
are no legal guidelines on
the amount. It is to be paid
within the first seven days
of a calendar month. If it
is not specified how the
payment is to be made,
then the tenant has to pay
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Unless the contract states
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has to pay the expenses for
the upkeep of the property. Small repairs, however,
have to be covered by the
tenant. In case of major
repair work that extends
over more than twenty
days, the tenant has the
right to reduce the rent.
With regards to the utility bills it is the reverse;
if there is no separate
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LEGAL
Page 34
January 26 - February 1 2007
ASK THE EXPERT...
If you have a problem concerning a legal matter, pensions, investments or general finance then write to one of our experts here at advice@thinkspain.com
Mark
Davies
investment expert
Q
. I have been considering investing
in stock marketbased investments but,
because of the gains over
the past three years, I feel
that I should wait and see.
What is your opinion?
A
. There is always
an element of risk
when considering
stock market-type investments, and with hindsight,
we would have all mortgaged our houses and invested heavily in equities
in March 2003. However,
because of the preceding
years of stock market losses, many people waited on
the sidelines and now feel
they may have missed the
boat.
Clearly the decision to invest lies with individual
investors; although, deciding that now is not the time
to invest simply because
returns have been good in
the past three years is not a
very clever way of making
investment decisions.
It is important for investors to remember that the
growth in share prices has
been driven by rising company profits and dividends.
Rising profitability has,
in most cases, more than
outpaced share price rises,
which means that share
prices are by some measures cheaper today than
before the recovery started
in 2003.
Despite rising profits, investment conditions are
different today and investment selections need to
take account of our current position in the cycle,
adjusting portfolios and
identifying
undervalued
and new investment opportunities. One example of a
new opportunity presented
by the changing cycle is a
German commercial property company quoted on
the London stock market.
I bought shares in this by
placement in November for
1€ per share. The shares are
currently trading at 1.20€ - a
20 per cent gain in less than
three months.
While I am naturally
pleased with this growth
and may consider taking
some profits, what is important is that this opportunity
was identified by my colleagues in London, based
on the fundamentals of the
opportunity in its niche,
rather than simply looking
at market levels and trying
to judge where the top may
be. By keeping abreast of
changing conditions, professional managers are able
to identify good risk-adjusted opportunities and adjust
portfolios accordingly. For
example, we believe that UK
commercial property outside of London is overvalued, and correspondingly
we are seeking better riskadjusted investments in
other markets and/or asset
types for our investors.
My advice to cautious investors considering stock
market-based investments
is that good investment opportunities are available,
and to remember that you
don’t have to jump in with
both feet. Why not test the
water with a percentage of
your capital and see how
the selected investments
perform? Any good quality investment firm will
be pleased and able to facilitate this approach; at
Brooks Macdonald, for example, we routinely phase
investments on behalf of
investors; buying when opportunities arise.
In the
meantime, our investors
earn 5.125 per cent on their
sterling deposits.
Whether or not an individual should invest their
capital in market-type investments will depend on a
wide range factors, not least
of which is personal preference. However, at this time,
I believe for those seeking
or requiring the longerterm benefits of marketbased investing, now is still
a good time to buy provided
they have access to good
quality research and impartial advice.
Mark Davies can be contacted at Brooks MacDonald Asset Management.
See advert in this section
for details.
Stephen
Ward
pensions expert
Q
. Although I have
lived in Spain for
many years I have
a substantial UK-defined
contribution
pension
fund. It will soon be necessary for me to start taking benefit - I have two
adult children, but as I
am a widow I have no financial dependants. Is
there any way that I can
‘pass on’ some part of
my pension fund to benefit my children, both of
whom are working in the
UK?
A
.
Until
Gordon
Brown’s announcement in the recent
prebudget report, which
effectively scuppered the
possibility of transferring
‘leftover pension funds’ to
other family members, in
particular on death after
the age 75, this would have
Marc
White
legal expert
Q
A
. When do I need to
submit my 2006 UK
tax return?
.You have until January 31 to deliver your
2006 UK tax return
to HM Revenue & Customs,
so if you have a problem,
contact me or someone else
as soon as possible.
Despite all the fuss in the
UK press and on the TV,
this is the real deadline for
submitting your 2005/06
return and failure to do so
will result in the statutory
£100 late filing penalty be-
Nothing in this or any previous edition of the publication known as ‘thinkSPAIN/ today’ constitutes financial, investment, legal or other form
of advice. All of Think Press SL, that is company’s owners and employees together with any third parties contracted by Think Press SL assume no responsibility whatsoever for any information contained in this publication and disclaim all liability in respect of such information.
Think Press SL is not responsible for the content of any article, text or advertisement published in this edition, or content which a reader
may be able to access from reading any such article, text or advertisement.
Pla Carretero
Law Firm
Property Law
Conveyancing
Commercial
Law
Crime
Personal
Injury
Family Law
Wills, Trust &
Probate
Debts
Recovery
C/ Sertorio, 2 - Esc. A - Pta. 3
Edificio Adumar 2
03730 Jávea (Alicante)
Litigation
Tel. 96 579 68 02
Fax 96 579 67 96
Mobile 620 261 314
www.Jávea-solicitors.com
albertopla@iurismedia.com
been a relatively straightforward question to answer.
However, from that date, the
imposition of a tax charge
of up to 82 per cent on such
funds means that we need to
be a little more creative.
The solution, I believe, lies
in the ability for you to
make what are known as
‘third party contributions’.
In other words, as your
children are UK residents
and working in the UK - and
thus have relevant UK earnings - you may make contributions into their pension
arrangements.
The answer is possibly to
take more income from
your pension fund value
than you actually need to
support your day-to-day
standard of living, and then
to use the surplus income
to make contributions into
the pension funds of your
children.
ing levied.
I cannot prepare the Tax
Return myself although
I work with a firm of accountants who have offices
throughout the UK and I
would be pleased to assist
where possible.
Many readers will have
property in the UK which
is let to tenants and which
generates a rental income.
Others may be running a
UK-based business or be
employed by a UK company.
The process of submitting
UK returns has been greatly simplified in recent years
and the on-line submission
of the return makes life
much easier.
Advice from a UK-qualified
and practicing accountant
may be of benefit to a great
many people, although the
difficulty is often that most
UK-based financial institutions and professional
Although you are a resident
here in Spain, these contributions would be made net
of UK base-rate income tax
– so, for example, a £1,000
(1,515€ at the time of going
to press) contribution to the
pension arrangement of
one of your children would
result in your having to
write a cheque for just £780
(1,182€). The remaining £220
(333€) would be credited by
the UK taxman as the basicrate tax relief entitlement
for the child.
If it were the case that your
child happened to be a higher-rate (40 per cent) taxpayer, astonishingly, your child
will be able to claim a further £180 (273€) of income
tax relief through their
self-assessment tax return.
This is not a well-known
‘loophole’, but for now is a
perfectly legitimate way of
shifting part of your pension fund to your children.
There are no tax implications whatsoever other than
those I have indicated above
- which are, of course, positive ones.
Stephen Ward can be contacted personally at Premier Financial Solutions
(UK) Ltd. See advert in
this section for details.
firms will not speak to you
unless you can provide
them with proof of identity
(certified copy of your passport and certified copy of a
utility bill). I am able, as an
English solicitor, to certify
these documents if needed.
There is still time to submit
your return and avoid the
late filing penalty, although
you will need to move quickly. The UK Revenue’s site is
www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa/ and
is relatively user-friendly.
I hope the above is useful, and please feel free to
give either myself or Carlos Baos a call on 96 642
61 85, or send an email to
info@white-baos.com if you
wish to discuss the above or
any other issue.
© White & Baos 2006
Marc White LL.B. (English
solicitor) C/ Diana 16, 1º,
03700 Dénia. See advert in
this section for further information.
January 26 - February 1 2007
LEGAL
Page 35
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 36
SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT
CLEBRATING: the junior trophy winners
CHAMPION: Toby Christey-Clover with runner-up Alex Oak-Rhind and George Pay
Trophy time at Escuela de Golf
TOBY Christey-Clover won
the Player of the Year title
at the Jávea Escuela de Golf
annual junior prize day.
More than 100 prizes were
awarded.
Toby 12, received his trophy
from the reigning champion
Leticia Ras-Andérica.
Toby battled to the end of
the year against Alex OakRhind, his closest and most
determined rival, but managed to take the title in a
dramatic finish in the very
last competition.
The Best Etiquette title
went to Preena Desai and
the Most Improved Player
of the year was Luke Curtis
who shaved 24 shots off his
handicap.
In the younger categories Kieran Sisson, 8, and
Carmello Vicens, 4, won
personal
achievement
awards while Adam Choi, 4,
won most improved beginner and Abbie Jones, 5, won
best newcomer beginner.
Siân Gwyther, 6, passed
her Grade 1 Golf with an
Albatross pass, the highest achievement possible at
Grade 1 level.
Trophy winners
Toby Christey-Clover Player of the
Year, Lowest Putting Average in
Advanced, LES Team Gold, Alex
Oak-Rhind Champions League
premiership second place, LES
Team Gold, Team Chipping
Prize, Guy Parfitt Champions
League Advanced First Place,
Harley
Trinder
Champions
League Advanced Second Place,
Hannah
Ogilvie
Champions
League Intermediates First Place,
Chipping Trophy Intermediates,
Preena Desai Champions League
Intermediates Second Place,
Best Etiquette Trophy, XIC Team
Silver, Max Stenberg Champions
League Par 3 First, Par 3 Team
Individual High, Putting Trophy
Foundation,
Sarah
Ogilvie
Champions League Par 3 Second,
Chipping Trophy Foundation,
LES Par 3 Team Gold, Leticia
Ras-Andérica Team Individual
High Score, Low Gross Score Par
3, LES Team Gold, Jamie Moran
Endeavour Trophy Intermediates,
Putting Trophy Intermediates, XIC
Team Silver, Kurt Cox Endeavour
Trophy Advanced, Putting Trophy
Advanced, Louis Curtis Endeavour
Trophy Beginners, Putting Trophy
Beginners, Grade 2 Certificate
with Eagle Pass, George Pay
Low Gross Score Medal Round,
LES Team Gold, Second Place
Endeavour, Team Chipping Prize,
Luke Curtis Most Improved Player
Trophy, LES Team Gold, Danny
Honour Best Newcomer, XIC
Team Silver, Natasha Fear Team
Individual Achieve Award, Second
Place Most Improved Player,
Thomas Colville Chipping Trophy
Advanced, Second Place Best
Newcomer, Davina Desai Player
of the Week Trophy, Second Place
Most Improved Player, Grade 2
Certificate with Birdie Pass, Lewis
Watson Team Chipping Trophy
Advanced Individual Achievement
Award, Grade 2 Certificate with
Birdie Pass, Siân Gwyther Chipping
Trophy Beginners, LES Team
Gold Par 3, Grade 1 Certificate
with Albatross Pass, Harry
Hatcher Longest Drive Beginners,
Second Place Endeavour, Grade 1
Certificate with Eagle Pass, Elliot
Marshall Most Improved Player
Intermediates, Henry Cadogan
Best Newcomer Advanced, Kelly
Morris Player of the Week Trophy,
Tom McKinstry Most Improved
Player Foundation, James FraserCurrie Best Newcomer Foundation,
Thomas Littler Endeavour Trophy
Foundation, Michael Bracket
Longest
Drive
Foundation,
Matthew Colville Personal Achieve
Award, Fiorella Badin Personal
Achieve Award, Kieran Sisson
Personal Achieve Award, Abbie
Jones Best Newcomer Beginners,
Grade 2 Certificate with Eagle Pass,
Adam Choi Most Improved Player
Beginners, Grade 2 Certificate with
Birdie Pass, Ella Baish Personal
Achievement, Grade 1 Certificate
with Pass, Carmello Vicens
Personal Achievement, Grade 1
Certificate with Birdie Pass, Paul
Thurston LES Team Gold, Fitness
Gold Medal.
Ben and Loretta at the
Escuela de Golf, (behind the
Arenal in Jávea) offer junior and adult golf classes
for all abilities from beginner to advanced. Junior
group lessons run most
days of the week and students play Sundays in tournaments at local courses.
Individual adult tuition is
available and Ladies group
lessons are on Mondays and
Thursdays with tournaments once a month.
If you are interested in golf
coaching please drop in and
talk to Ben or Loretta or
contact them on 680 528 658.
THE WINNERS: The prize winners line up
Ladies still lead Coma drops out
RUMOURS Wildcats and
Buster’s Babes chalked
up wins in this week’s
Torrevieja Ladies Darts
League, Wildcats beating
Sportsman’s Ladies 6 - 3 and
Buster’s Babes hammering
Molly’s Dollies 8 - 1.
Sportsmans Ladies still
head the table from
Rumours Wildcats.
Hot shots: 140 Diane Dane
(Sportsmans Ladies), 140
Pat Rafferty (Sportsmans
Ladies), 140 Diane Dane
(Sportsmans
Ladies),
140
Shirley
Edwards
(Sportsmans Ladies).
The semi-finals for the
Diana Lloyd Memorial
Shield are on February 13
between Buster’s Babes
and Rumours Wildcats
and Black Dog Bitches and
Sportsman’s Ladies.
We have two bars recruiting for next season, one
in the Mar Azul area of
Torrevieja and the other is
on La Siesta.
If you live in or near these
areas and would like to join
one of these teams please
let me know on the number
below.
Alternatively, if you are
interested in playing ladies
darts, and would like to join
a team in the league nearer to where you live, or
you may want to get a team
together in your local bar,
please contact Pam Horton
on 96 571 00 66.
SPAIN’S Marc Coma, who
was leading the motorcycle
standings in the Dakar Rally, crashed during Friday’s
13th stage and went out of
the race.
He was leading the overall
motorcycle standings by
52 minutes with two stages
left.
Coma lost his bearings
34km into the 458km stage
from Mali to Senegal but
crashed taking a parallel
route.
Spain’s Carlos Sainz won
the car race with France’s
Stephane Peterhansel second to maintain the overall
lead.
KTM rider Coma injured
his head when crashing and
had to be helicoptered to
safety by rescuers.
Rally
organisers
said:
“Coma did not lose consciousness and was able to
speak with team manager
Jordi Arcarons, before being transported to Dakar to
undergo further examinations.”
The defending champion
had gone into the day’s stage
with a huge lead over Frenchman Cyril Despres, the 2005
winner, with just one 225km
timed stage remaining in
Senegal on Saturday before
a 16km special around the
Lac Rose on Sunday.
The rally was won by Peterhansel with Sainz finishing
ninth overall.
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 37
SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT
AROUND THE GOLF SOCIETIES
PEGO Golf Society members found the wind blowing at 25 kph when they visited
Alicante this week.
To professional golfers the wind appears to make little difference but Pego’s 40 members
found the wind frightening as they played in a temperature of 10˚C.
The results reflect the windy conditions:
Division One: 1 John Costigan with 35 points off 12.6, 2 Ed Wallace 32 off 10.1, 3 Steve
Patton 32 off 15.7.
Division Two: 1 Gordon Weston 33 points off 21.5, 2 Peter Brown 30 points off 21.3, 3 John
Newnham 30 points off 21.7.
The nearest the pins were won by John Olliffe and Manny Carlin. Mike Holloway and
Adrian Thomson won the Twos.
Already 38 golfers have registered for next week at Oliva Nova, if the course greens have
been opened.
In the match play competition, the results were: Christine beat Kevin 2 and 1, Brian West
beat Ann 2 and 1, Bruce Clench beat Steve 1 hole, Ed Wallace beat Bob Marsden 5 and 4,
John Costigan beat Steve Patton 5 and 3 Ron Webb and Carl Walker drew, Manny and John
Newnham drew and Alan Jamieson beat the secretary 3 and 2.
The meeting at Oliva Nova on Monday has a tee off at 10.32 hrs so be at the clubhouse 09.30
hrs for registration.
BLUE Lagoon Society members travelled north to Alicante for their first competition of
2007. Some very good scores were returned as the result lists will show.
Adjustments have been made to some handicaps.
The winner was John Robinson with 45 points, second was Nigel Cawthra with 35 and
third George Faulkner, 34.
Best front nine: Terry Hampson 22 points, best back nine Patrick Tye 19 on countback.
Nearest the pins: Joe Savage and George Faulkner, Longest drive: Nigel Cawthra.
There was a good turnout at the first annual meeting of the society.
The February meeting is on February 5 and members who have their subs outstanding are
reminded that they still have time to play. New members are welcome to join us at these
meetings which start at 18.00 hrs.
If you would like more information about the society, call Tony Wolff, president on 966 791
160 or George Faulkner, secretary on 966 764 230 or 659 691 550.
EUROGOLF nearly had a full house with 110 players for the monthly Stableford incorporating the President’s Putter.
In superb conditions it was surprising that so few players broke par but nothing seemed to
bother Geoff Evans who, with a score of 39 points (on handicap), was the winner of both
the Monthly Stableford and a brand new putter.
Gold Category: 1 Steve Yoxall 37 points on handicap, 2 Phil Newnes 37, 3 Mike Poulter 36
on handicap, 4 Fred Rea 36.
Silver Category: 1 Geoff Evans 39 on handicap, 2 Marie Thompson 39, 3 Bruce Leckey 36
on handicap, 4 Mike Harris 36.
Bronze Category: 1 Janet Tocker 36, 2 Lynn Harris 34, Petra van Dorp 33 on handicap, 4
Sandy Holland 33
Best front nine: Terry Sayers 19; best back nine: John Parker 20. Best guest: Mick Young
42.
Nearest the pins: Fred Rea, Alan Robson, Mike Box, David Lewis. Winner of the best second shot at Hole 12 was Mick Young.
Last week we played in the Vega Baja league and had a first. We drew the match two games
each and ended up having the same overall points so we only got one bonus point.
It moves us into second place.
TOFFS had a whitewash over Happy Wanderers which has moved them off the bottom
of the league so next week’s game is vitally important as there are not that many points
separating second place from the rest.
MARINA Alta visited El Plantió, one of the toughest courses to score well on and another full complement played one
of the fastest improving courses in the area.
The Twos competition was won by Vic Evans with his 2 on
hole 9.
All four short holes had prizes for men and ladies and were
won by David Kitson, Alister Catchpole, Tony Stevens, Noel
Eastwell, Julia Castello, Julie Eastwell, Christine Nixon
and Donna Green.
The prize for the most blobs for the men went to Alister Catchpole while Julie Eastwell took the honour for the ladies.
The prizes for the best scores on the par threes went to
Brenda Walker and Tony Stevens.
David Kitson and Brenda Walker took the prizes for the best
scores on the five hardest holes on the course.
The main competition saw some good scores and the best
was by Noel Eastwell who scored 38 points to win Division
A from Allan McManus who scored 35.
Division B was won by John Humphrey who scored 36 to
pip Kevin Keady by one.
On Monday we visit Alicante Golf for our usual start time
of 10.00 hrs, members are reminded that green fees must be
paid to the treasurer by 09.30 hrs each Monday.
Those who have not yet put their names on the start sheet
should contact Noel Eastwell on 96 587 40 17 or 639 730 891 or
attend the draw for playing partners this Saturday at The
Terracotta Bar in Calpe at 13.00 hrs.
ORBA Warblers played a team accumulator alongside an
individual Stableford at Oliva.
The winning team was One Young One, made up of Bryan
Mears, Dave Skinner, Bill Parsons and Pete Nicholson who
scored 121 and beat the Captain’s Crusaders of captain
Arthur Sullivan, vice captain John Feek, John Redmond
and Len Bailey who notched 107 points.
The individual Stableford Category One went to Roy Jones
with 37 points off 11.9 from Pete Nicholson with the same
score off a handicap of 18.
In Category Two Barbara Pollitt shot with 38 points off
22.5. She was followed by Karsten Wright with 37 points.
Nearest the pins were Norman Howell, and Karsten Wright
who also holed his putt for a two. Fran Shrubsole also made
a two.
The next meeting is at El Bosque on January 30, meet 09.45
hrs for a 10.30 hrs first tee.
THE Las Ramblas competitions on Monday and Wednesday were both single
Stablefords.
Conditions were cool on
Monday and Sue Golding
won with 34 points.
Lindsay Forbes and Brian
Dent were second and third
with 33, Lindsay pipping
Brian on a count back.
Conditions were lovely on
Wednesday but this was not
reflected in the scoring which was poor with 31 points
being the best score.
There were no twos in the
Twos Club.
Results: Category One: 1
Doug Wright 31 (on count
back), 2 Nick Campbell 31,
3 Ken Robertson 29.
Category Two: 1 Barbara Hitchings 31 (on count
back), 2 Donna Adcock 31, 3
Tony Brooks 29.
On Friday we again played in absolutely gorgeous
conditions and the competition, a 6x6x6, was won by
Tom Hardie, Joe Rothery,
Olga Haubner and John
McCloy.
JALÓN Valley visited Don
Cayo and Alan Dembina
and Jim Gillies, won the
Texas Scramble.
They scored 57 points to finish three clear of runnersup Stuart Taylor and David
Cannon.
Three teams managed 49
points.
Details of the Quiz night
will appear in the February
newsletter.
THE WORLD OF BOWLS
THE Jávea Green Winter League team welcomed Quesada and what a game it was.
Three of the teams managed runaway wins
running up a shot difference of more than
70 points between them.
Sheri’s team faced a more difficult contest
keeping the scores neck and neck throughout the match. Going into the 18th end
they were one point ahead. Keeping their
nerve they were able to secure the victory
giving the team a full 10 points.
Quartz were away to Finca Guila and David
Sackman was hoping for four points. They
managed to win on one rink but still have an
eight point advantage over El Cid Swords,
although the Swords have a game in hand.
Opal and Onyx faced each other.
Opal managed six points against Onyx last
time they met and this time secured eight
and a 22 shot difference.
GREENLANDS Winter Leaguers had a
hard fixture away to Benitachell and
the BBC did not let them down.
A very good side on their own turf, they
are hard to beat; and so it turned out
but the team was able to force the draw
for five points each and Greenlands remain in contention.
The Southern League Green team is
maintaining its New Year improvement
by battling away to better scores.
This week they had two matches.
They beat Emerald Isle Sapphires achieving a tough 8 - 6 victory.
They then beat Quesada by the same
score.
The Yellows beat Emerald Isle Jets 10 - 4
and are now top of the league.
EILEEN Grady and Linda Richards still
lead Benitachell Bowls Club’s Winter Wapinschaw.
Eileen has a maximum of 24 points and has
not lost a match while Linda has lost one
and has 22.
In the Winter League the BBC team drew 5
- 5 with Greenlands which improves the league position.
In the Northern League Lions beat Tigers 6
- 4 and Jaguars won 8 - 2 against El Cid Scimitars.
This means that Tigers are in the lead with
93 points, Jaguars fourth with 92 and Lions
fifth with 91.
In the Winter Fours Wickers World remain
top by shot difference from Traders, who
also have 12 points.
Jersey Royals lost but with 10 points are still in the running.
WWW.PERETOESTATES.COM
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 38
SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT
Creditable draw
for plucky Dénia
WHEN Dénia played La Safor
in November in Dénia I thought the referee looked familiar.
We lost the game for various
reasons, one of which was
a hotly disputed penalty try.
When the referee drank with
the La Safor players after the
game and left with them I
suddenly remem bered where
I had seen him.
He helps to run the Gandia
Sevens.
On Saturday he was running
the line for La Safor in Gandia, offering plenty of advice
to the referee, clearly supporting the home team and even
putting his flag to signal a
successful La Safor attempt at
goal which clearly missed.
Luckily the referee was less
biased but it was one of the
few decisions the referee got
right all game.
Dénia, fresh from victory,
arrived in Gandia full of confidence but from the start it
was clear that confidence was
not enough.
A host of mistakes and penalties in the first 10 minutes
saw the home side dominate
possession and territory.
A yellow card against Roberto for a debatable high tackle
summed up Dénia’s inability
to carry out the basics.
The Dénia scrum and line out
was decidedly off colour and
the loose saw more players
from both sides offside than
onside.
The referee took centre stage
and both sides became frustrated.
A converted try and a penalty saw La Safor 10 - 0 ahead at
half time.
Dénia played better in the
second half, a few changes
up front helping the cause,
but neither side found any
rhythm as the whistle just
kept blowing and blowing.
A late flurry from Dénia saw
Julian crash over for a try
converted by Lee and then
Joe added a crucial penalty to
level the scores at 10 - 10.
La Safor had an opportunity
to steal the match with the
last kick of the game but the
kick was closer to the corner
flag than the posts. Pretty
much summed up the game.
Dénia RC: Adam, Nico, Pato,
Juan, Dale, Xabi, Roberto,
Dirk, Julian, Lee, Eddie, Nigel, Yovanny, Joe, Leo, Beni,
Tim, Pescata, José, Miguel,
Adrián.
OFFENSIVE: Dénia attack against La Safor
Dénia host junior tournament
THE weekend sees Dénia Rugby Club host its fourth annual tournament.
Several hundred children aged between six and 14 from
Dénia, Santboiana (Barcelona), Cullera, La Vila, CAU and
Tecnidex (both Valencia) will take part.
The action starts on Saturday at 14.00 hrs and lasts until
21.00 hrs and on Sunday from 10.00 hrs to 14.00 hrs culminating with a huge barbecue.
La Vila heroes sweep
past hapless Barça
LA VILA maintained their
superb form with a crushing 56 - 0 away victory over
Hospitalet Barcelona.
The team again played very
well with the defence superb and the three quarters
always very dangerous.
The team started the game
expecting strong opposition
from Barcelona team and
knowing how important
were the points if they wanted to keep in first position.
But Barcelona only made
a fight of it for the first 20
minutes and La Vila ran in
eight tries from Agustín Gómez, Ángel Díaz, Frederic
Gonzales, Alberto Jimenez,
Gabriel Stuparu, Pablo Pereyra, Iván Agudo and Andrés Villegas.
On Sunday La Vila face Mallorca Ponent, who are third
in the league, at 12.00 hrs.
The new covered stand will
be finished and open for the
public.
The under 14, under 16 and
under 18 teams are away on
Saturday against Valencia
Polytecnic and the bus will
leave Vila train station at
08.00 hrs.
The under 12 and under 10
teams play in Dénia, against
Santboi Barcelona and Dénia and the bus leaves Vila
train station at 13.00 hrs.
Anyone wishing to come
along will find the ground is
situated at Carretera Pantano, Villajoyosa.
Take AP-7 exit no 66 (Villajoyosa). At the first roundabout head for the mountain.
It is about 1 km from Motorway exit no 66.
Or take the Villajoyosa bypass, and take the middle
exit, at the first roundabout,
bare right towards the motorway entrance and at the
second roundabout bare left
towards the mountain.
For more information phone Jason on 659 674 768 or
Ignacio 608 068 208.
Please come along and support this event.
The Infantiles (under 15s) continue in second place with a
win 47 - 7 win over bottom side Helios CAU.
The under 11s and under 9s played in a tournament with
Alzira in Cullera, both winning and losing a game.
Training for all these age groups is Tuesday and Friday
at 19.00 hrs.
New players of all ages are welcome.
Elche look doomed Atlético
are fined
after heavy defeat
ELCHE drew first blood with a kick and chase by Brian
Rogers with the pack driving Brian over for the try, putting
Elche 5 - 0 up.
With Elche holding their own they decided to start throwing it away with some very sloppy tackling as they went
in at half time 20 - 5 down, with Sant Cugat taking every
opportunity to put the points on the board.
The beginning of the second half saw Francisco Javier yellow carded but it was costly for Elche as Sant Cugat made
the extra man count quickly running in three tries during
the time he was off.
Elche leaked more points, resulting in a 54 - 5 defeat.
It looks like the inevitable will happen for Elche, relegation, with two more home games and away games to the
top two teams.
The Cadetes beat Alicante University at home 14 - 12, while
the Juveniles lost 0 - 69 to Tatami.
Elche are away to FC Barcelona B on Sunday and the next
home game is against UE Sanboiana B. Training is on
Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9-11 for the Seniors and
Juveniles, and 8-10 for the Cadetes, Infantiles and the
Alevines at the Cuidad Deportiva Municpal.
Privacy & exclusivity, fun and excitement, you’ll find them all on a
private skippered yacht charter with La Buscana. We specialize in a
fully crewed yacht charter on our Bavaria 38, which is equipped to the
very high standard of luxury and safety. All our excursions can be
tailored to the needs of individual parties. Your skipper has extensive
local knowledge of the local area and the islands of Ibiza & Formentera,
invaluable when it comes to selecting the best anchorages as well as
recommending places to visit.
RESERVATIONS
Tel. 696 451 201
Fax: 96 640 41 73
e-mail: milesturner@vibesa.com
ATLÉTICO de Madrid has
been fined for crowd trouble
from Saturday’s stormy league game with Osasuna.
The Spanish federation also
warned Atlético that the
Vicente Calderón Stadium
would be closed if it happened again.
Atlético supporters made
monkey noises at Osasuna’s
Cameroon striker Achille
Webo during the game.
Referee Vicente Lizondo
Cortés also reported that
one of his assistants was
hit by two batteries thrown
from the crowd. Other projectiles were hurled on to
the field.
Atlético won 1-0, while
Osasuna had four players
sent off in the final stages.
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 39
SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT
Valuable point for Torry
Novelda 0 FC Torrevieja 0
TACKLED: Meijide is beaten by a defender
WITH Novelda in sixth place and Riquelme, who was
unceremoniously sacked by Torry last season, in charge
an exciting confrontation was expected.
Nothing could have been further from the truth.
In the first half the hosts looked nervous and produced
little in the way of goal efforts and were apprehensive in
building up any effective attacks.
In fact the visitors should have been 2-0 ahead by half
time had Soriano put away two clear chances.
The frustration of the 300 travelling Torry supporters
was evident.
Torry kicked off knowing that Riquelme was desperate
to win at all costs and with another player and Torry
favourite, Aurelio, in goal they took the game initially
to the hosts.
Torry continued to pressure the Novelda goal for the
next 20 minutes, and at one point, you wondered how
long it would be before Torry scored.
The first clear chance came to the visitors as Soriano
went through but lost the ball and missed a golden opportunity.
With 10 minutes of the first half left Soriano was again
put through but again failed to capitalise on the chance.
In the second half Novelda came out fighting and applied pressure on the Torry goal but the defence held
firm, thwarting every attempt thrown at them.
But with 11 minutes left and when Soriano was replaced
by Polanco, Torry started to mount their own counter
attacks, and Iván Nuevo was unlucky when a shot was
deflected by him and was heading for goal, but Aurelio
saved.
A creditable draw to Torry as the defence was seriously
tested in the second half and they came away with a
point which, on paper is a good result, but you can’t help
feeling that we should have taken three points by half
time and then shut the door in the second half.
Torry squad; Iván Vidal, Roberto Carlos, Santivilla,
Héctor, Domínguez, Nico, Meijide, Manrique, Iván
Nuevo, Higuera, Soriano, Subs; Pablo, Corcoles, Polanco, Jorge, Borja
Next week Torry are at home to fourth-placed Ontinyent, kick-off 17.00 hrs at the Vicente García.
For information on Torry contact their website,
www.fctorrevieja.com
Danger looms
for sad Jávea
UD Benissa 2 CD Jávea 0
NINE games and two and a
half months have now passed
since CD Jávea last sampled
the sweet taste of victory.
Just five points separates the
rojiblancos from the unthinkable and new coach Kenny
Brown will need to work hard
with his players to lift them
for the home game against
Pinoso CF on Sunday.
On this performance, the relegation zone is looking too
close for comfort, especially
as those teams who had just
a few weeks ago been firmly
ensconced in the drop zone
are beginning to notch up
important points to lift themselves away from the bottom.
Kenny Brown was forced to
watch the game from the sidelines as his paperwork was
still to be processed by the
Valencia FA.
It took just a few minutes
for the hosts to declare their
intentions and they hit the
bar with the Jávea defence
looking horrifically static.
The rojiblancos swept forward
but the end product remained
elusive.
Almost on the stroke of halftime Benissa thought they
had opened the scoring when
they sprinted through the
static defence and placed
the ball past the advancing
Aurelio.
The ball hit the post and
rebounded back into the grateful arms of the goalkeeper.
The hosts took the game to
their opponents straight from
the whistle and on 78 minutes were rewarded for their
constant pressure with a goal,
although it was through a comedy of errors in the defence
which ultimately allowed
them to take the lead.
Five minutes later they doubled their advantage after
another mix-up between
keeper Aurelio and his defensive line allowed Benissa to
sneak in and fire a low shot
past the stranded keeper into
the net.
DOWNCAST: Skipper José Luis contemplates defeat in the local derby against Benissa. Photo: Fay
Hughes
Altea happy to go home with point
Orihuela B 0 UD Altea 0
FOR the second week running Altea
headed south to face high-flying opposition and would emerge with a creditable point to place the team first in the
league, writes Matthew Bell.
The fans hoped for a repeat of the goalfest in September when seven goals
were scored and Altea missed three
penalties.
The home side started quicker, sending
in crosses to test Altea ‘keeper Tomás.
Both played creative football and as
the half wore on Altea came more and
more into the game.
Ten minutes later the visitors saw Miguel Ángel shave the post with a flying
header.
Altea started the second half like startled rabbits with Nene firing just wide
(49mins). On 60 minutes a free kick
caused pandemonium but the Orihuela goalkeeper claimed the ball.
For every Altea attack there was a riposte and Bazaga cleared a shot from
off the line (75 mins). Pepe Such charged on to a Miramar pass 10 minutes
later but was unable to repeat the heroics of the week before, and the points were shared.
The result was fair for two equally matched sides.
The derby at home to Polop looms large on Sunday, kick off 16.00 hrs.
England in Barcelona
ENGLAND’S Euro 2008
Group E qualifier against
Andorra will be played in
Barcelona.
The match is at Espanyol’s
Olympic Stadium on March
28, four days after England
travel to play Israel.
England, who won the home
match against Andorra 5-0,
are third in the group, three
points behind leaders Croa-
tia and one behind Russia.
Andorra had asked UEFA
for permission to stage the
match in Spain as their
home stadium holds less
than 2,000 people.
The last time England played the Pyrannean principality very few fans were
able to see the game but
Barcelona should attract a
large contingent of fans.
www.portzgen-dowen.es
January 26 - February 1 2007
Page 40
SPORT SPORT SPORT SPORT sport@thinkspain.com
Pereiro asked to explain why he tested positive
Madrid shirts
REAL Madrid is to sign
the most lucrative jersey
sponsorship agreement in
soccer, countering forecasts
that the departure of David
Beckham would dent sales.
The world’s biggest club by
revenue has lined up a successor to Benq Corp., the
Taiwanese company whose German mobile-phone
unit began liquidation proceedings this month, Real
President Ramon Calderon
said.
for whoever needs to apologise to
me.
“I used Ventolín because the International Cycling Union allowed me to do so.”
Pereiro’s team Caisse d’Epargne
said: “Óscar received two letters
from the AFLD (French anti-doping body) in October and November.
“He had the documents but he
forgot to respond to the agency, it
is carelessness.”
NADAL OUT
FERNANDO González blew away second seed Rafael
Nadal to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final at the
Australian Open.
The powerful Chilean dominated from the outset,
winning 6 - 2 6 - 4 6 - 3 to set up a clash with Germany’s
Tommy Haas, who earlier beat Nikolay Davydenko.
Nadal was below par, contributing 21 errors and just
14 winners, but he was ultimately undone by the
awesome shotmaking of an inspired opponent.
González needed just over two hours to complete the
best win of his career.
He said: “I am playing great tennis, I can do more
things on the court, that makes me very happy.
“I have been in the (Grand Slam) quarter-finals a few
times and I’ve never won a match, but today I played
really unbelievable tennis and I hope to continue this
way.”
The 26-year-old will meet Haas in the second semi-final in Melbourne today.
If he carries his current form into that match, González is a good bet to reach his maiden Grand Slam
final.
Nadal was so frustrated that the umpire had to warn
the 20-year-old about his language.
And at 2-1 in the third set, the Spaniard left the court
for treatment to an apparent groin injury but González was unmoved.
A dazzling forehand return earned him the crucial
break and there was no going back for Nadal, who
is still without a title since the French Open in June
last year.
Nadal, the conqueror of Britain’s Andy Murray in
the previous round, had had high hopes of lifting
another Grand Slam but it was not to be.
Switzerland’s world number one Roger Federer produced a phenomenal performance as he blew away
Andy Roddick 6 - 4 6 - 0 6 - 2 to reach the Australian
Open final.
Roddick came into the match in confident mood, but
after taking a 4 - 3 lead in the first set, the American
was virtually a spectator.
Federer reeled off 15 of the next 17 games, hitting 45
winners compared to just 12 errors.
The defending champion needed less than an hour
and a half to reach the final.
He said: “I was really worried going into this match
he had been playing so well.
“I played incredibly well.
“I had one of those days where everything worked.
“It’s just unreal, I’m shocked myself, I don’t know
what to say.”
Federer’s virtuoso display left a packed Rod Laver
Arena stunned.
They had arrived expecting a close match between
Federer who had been out of sorts in his quarter-final
win over Tommy Robredo, and a resurgent Roddick. DEFEATED: A despondent Nadal rues his defeat in Melbourne
Premiership and La Liga look like fights to the finish
ARSENE
Wenger’s
Arsenal
youngsters are on course for a
Carling Cup Final showdown
with José Mourinho’s troubled
Chelsea.
The Gunners came back from
a two goal deficit to draw their
first leg semi-final tie against
neighbours Spurs, thanks to a
brace from Julio Baptista to add
to his four against Liverpool in
the quarter-final.
Chelsea won their second leg
against Wycombe Wanderers 4
- 0 with two goals each from Andriy Shevchenko and Frank Lampard.
Arsenal are on a roll, having
beaten Manchester United at the
weekend and the title race is now
wide open with Liverpool and the
Gunners back in contention.
At the bottom Charlton gained
a welcome win at Portsmouth
to raise hopes of escaping the
drop.
Barcelona lost the chance to
open up a three point gap in La
Liga when they were held 1 - 1
on Wednesday by struggling Real
Betis and will be hoping for better fortune at home to Celta this
weekend.
Valencia are next up for Betis,
when Real Madrid travel to Villarreal and second placed Sevilla
are at Levante. Only four points
separate the top four and like the
Premiership it looks like being a
fight to the finish in La Liga.
Issue No: 195
SPAIN’S Carlos Sainz was
overall the fastest driver in
the Paris-Dakar Rally but it
was a case of so near, yet so
far.
He had won five stages but
faced electronics problems
that took him back seven
hours and into ninth place.
The French star driver
Stéphane Peterhansel who
started his racing career on
a motorbike, won his third
title behind the wheel of a
car.
And to make things even
more perfect, title holder
Luc Alphand – also in a
Mitsubishi – finished second and Hiroshi Masuoka
completed his 20th Dakar in
fifth position.
However, the triumphant
series of Mitsubishi is tarnished by the absence of
stage victories for the team
in this year’s rally.
Volkswagen managed to get
10 out of 14 stage victories,
half of them by Sainz.
After Sainz and his team
mate De Villiers were taken
out by fire in the engine and
electronics problem, it was
an easy ride to the podium
for the Mitsubishi drivers
Peterhansel and Luc Alphand, the defending champion.
Peterhansel started his racing career in 1980 on a motor bike.
He won his first prize 11
years later on a Yamaha.
He repeated his success
story another five times in
1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998.
Then he changed to four
wheels and continued his
line of success, won his first
title in 2002 in the UAE Desert Challenge, came third
in the Dakar Rally in 2004,
and twice took the gold metal home in 2004 and 2005.
these documents. Each time, there has been no response.
“It seems Pereiro has lost track
of the doctor who filled out his
forms.”
Pereiro denies any doping allegations, and has vowed to clear his
name.
He said: “I’ll send a fax with the
paperwork requested by the French anti-doping agency and then a
certified letter.
“Once this is cleared up, I’ll wait
Valid only with a purchased newspaper
Fastest
but still
a loser
French anti-doping president Pierre Bordry said: “He must explain
himself, prove his innocence.
“He has received three letters but
he won’t answer. This rider tested
positive two times.
“On each occasion, he indicated
that he had been given therapeutic authorisation to use it. There
was therefore no reason to sanction him.
“Since September 2006, we have
asked him by letter to hand over
Client Token
PEREIRO: Asked to explain
TOUR de France runner-up,
Spain’s Óscar Pereiro has been
asked by anti-doping officials why
he tested positive for salbutamol
in last year’s race.
The Galician tested positive
twice, but says the authorities
had granted him a waiver to take
an asthma medication.
Pereiro had until yesterday to
provide the necessary documentation, after which he will face
disciplinary action.