RTN Newspaper – Costa del Sol 15 - 21 September 2017 Issue 020

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Issue 020

15th-21st September 2017

Reporting The News

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There but for the Grace of God The scene where the death took place

by Michael Cano A NUMBER of adults and children were sitting outside a kiosk in Benalmadena on October 17 last year when a car ploughed into them.

Five adults and a two-year-old were

seriously injured whilst a sixth person, a Ukrainian mother aged 35 who was there with her five-year-old daughter was killed outright.

It is understood that the mother who died had originally intended to go to a different park with her child

but was persuaded that it would be better to make her way to the Avenida Estrella del Mar as she could sit by the kiosk and watch her little girl in the playground.

Continued on page

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Reporting The News

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WEATHER IN BRIEF

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€35m debt reduction BENALMADENA COUNCIL has reduced its debt by tens of millions of Euros.

The town’s Mayor, Victor Navas, said the body had managed to lower its debt by €35 million to €91 million and predicts the figure will be at around 40 per cent of that number in 2019 “at the rate we are going.”

Navas added the council has now been able to change payment structures with its existing lenders, “something hitherto unthinkable with the debt level.” He explained, “the idea is to continue lowering the average payment period to suppliers so that we are a council which inspires confidence despite the many difficulties we have encountered.”

Not everyone is convinced, however, with the opposing Partido Popular (PP) saying they left the council with a €23 million surplus in 2015 and that recent savings were only due to cuts made by the current council to public services.

Meanwhile, Mijas Council has had a similarly successful economic year, creating a €30 million surplus and saving enough funds to pass on tax breaks to its residents.

The underspend has allowed the council to lower taxes in Mijas from 2018, as revealed in last week’s RTN, at a cost of around €5 million to the munici-

Photo credit: Pexels

by Richard Johnson

Benalmadena council balance their budget

pality. According to the town’s Mayor, Juan Carlos Maldonado, “the money will revert back to the people of Mijas who will be able to feel the results of the town hall’s sound financial situation in their pockets.”

As of next year, property tax (IBI) will be reduced from 0.508 per cent of a property’s value to 0.44826 per cent, while capital gains tax (Plusvalia), tax on some vehicles, inheritance tax and administrative fees will be lowered.

Capital gains tax will be lowered to

22 per cent, while inheritance tax will soon only apply to houses worth more than €100,000; double the previous amount of €50,000. Fees for auctions, contracts, administrative forms and competitions will also be waived if they are under €6.

Non-polluting vehicles, including electric and solar cars, will receive a 75 per cent tax reduction from next year, while vehicles which minimise pollution, including hybrid vehicles, will see a 50 per cent reduction.

Health protest HEALTH unions have protested outside Malaga’s Carlos Haya Hospital over plans to increase working hours.

Several unions have met outside the building to protest a proposed 37.5 hour working week and demand a return to 35 hours.

The Andalucian Medical Union (SMA), the Union of Nursing Technicians (SAE), the Andalucian Union of Loggers (SACECO) and

the Andalucian Federation of Senior Sanitary Technicians (FATE) have all criticised Spain’s central government over proposed increased hours.

A spokesman claimed weeks of “37.5 hours meant major job destruction in health professions and generated a high deficit of professionals in some areas, worsening the service provided to citizens.”

Continued from front page Police who attended the scene arrested a 44-year-old gardener from Churriana who when tested was found to have three times the permitted amount of alcohol in his blood stream and had allegedly almost caused two earlier accidents prior to losing control of his Peugeot 206.

According to the prosecutor in this case, investigations have shown that he nearly ran over a pedestrian on a zebra crossing before swerving into the path of another car on a roundabout and then having lost control, mounted the pavement.

Reconstructions suggest that the car was travelling at 80 kmh in a 30kmh area when it smashed into the innocent families enjoying a quiet day next to a child’s playground.

The case is now in court and the driver of the car, a repeat offender, is facing eight separate charges with the most serious

being death by reckless driving which carries a sentence of four years imprisonment, a six year driving ban and loss of his licence.

In addition, his insurance company is likely to be instructed to pay out €370,000 in compensation to the family of the woman who died and those who were injured.

The devastated husband Salvador Cubiles has started a petition on Change.org asking for support for his suggestion that a special plaque be erected by the Benalmadena Council at the site of the death of his wife Alona.

So far the appeal has collected 1,030 signatures but he is desperate to boost this to 3,500 and anyone who wants to respect the wishes of this bereaved husband who now has to care for his young daughter without her mother should visit www.change.org and type in Alona in the search engine.

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€70,000 shopping budget

Homes of the rich and famous

Carnero, Navas and Gonzalez: present the scheme

by Sally Underwood BENALMADENA’S Council is handing up thousands of Euros in aid to small businesses.

Councillor Javier Carnero, Victor Navas, the mayor of Benalmadena, Víctor Navas, and the president of ACEB, Rosa María Gonzalez, have reported on the funding, which is hoped will imrprove the competitiveness of small businesses.

The €2.3 million overall budget will help businesses fund vital investments, including signage, lighting, decking, air conditioning and CCTV systems.

Councillor Carnero explained the move would bring a host of advantages, "such as increased sales and pedestrian traffic in the municipality,

improvement of the city centre, and creating a pleasant, safe and accessible environment for consumers and visitors to the municipality.”

Javier Carnero also explained another fund for small businesses had been approved this month from which owners can request aid of up to €21,000 for projects involving digital modernisation and business expansion. The project has a budget of €3.9 million and is available until the end of 2018.

The mayor of Benalmadena praised the Councillor for Commerce, Bernardo Jimenez, for his work, which he said, "has been essential and decisive.” He also explained the importance of this initiative, "thanks to which we can revitalise and modernise all the commer-

cial spaces in the historical centres of the municipality so they can compete with large areas."

He added the town hall would always support small businesses, explaining, "we cannot forget that it is one of the main elements that energises our economy, as well as creating jobs.” He added, thanks to the funding, “we will be able to access subsidies lines for new technologies, energy efficiency, customer loyalty resources, management expenses, security, etc."

There are currently 40 other areas eligible for the funding in Andalucia, of which eight are in Malaga province.

Others are located in Alora, Ronda, Nerja, Malaga city, Antequera, Marbella and Cruz del Humilladero.

Back to school HUNDREDS of children have been welcomed back to their school in Benalmadena by a local councillor.

Elena Galan, Councillor for Education helped kick of the new term at the El Tomillar school, where she was met by director Antonio Gallardo.

Councillor Galan explained, "in Benalmadena we have a total of 5,079 students enrolled in the seven CEIP schools of the municipality, as well as 488 schoolchildren at the Maravillas College.”

She added, "this year the student

body has grown and consequently the ratio (of pupils to teachers) is high", unlike other municipalities, where student enrolment has stagnated.

Councillor Galan explained she has therefore asked the Junta de Andalucia for "the construction of a new school centre" in the municipality.

She concluded, "within our obligations we continue to work to improve schools. We have made a series of reforms, so that the academic year will run as normally as possible.”

Councillor Galan: visits El Tomillar

SECOND HOMES in Marbella are the most expensive in Andalucia, it has been revealed.

According to a study

by Fotocasa, the average price per square metre of a second house in Marbella is €2,583, while the Spanish average is €1,707.97 per square metre.

Beatriz Toribio, an employee at Fotocasa, explained, "the housing market is registering levels of activity that we have not seen for ten years as a result of improvement in the economy and employment, as well as a return of confidence in the sector. As a result of all this, prices are rising, although they do so at a very different rate according to the area of the country.”

She claimed though that despite large growth in sales, mortgages and house prices, the real estate sector is growing at levels much lower than in its heyday with Andalucia remaining the ninth most economical place to buy a house in Spain.

Marbella’s glamour at-

tracted a wave of burglaries this summer when police were forced to bring down a criminal group accused of burgling more than 20 houses in the area.

The gang, who were forcing their way into homes, were brought to justice after police identified three members, arresting two Algerian men, aged 22 and 41, for robbery using force, car theft, crimes against road safety and assaulting a police officer. The investigation remains open as officers try to find the third member.

The police have now recovered several of the stolen items and returned them to their owners after beginning their investigation in July when a spate of burglaries in which jewellery, money, handbags and glasses were stolen, was reported in residential areas of Marbella.

Police say the gang each had a specific role, including a look-out, with others forcing entry into the properties. On being found, officers say one of the gang tried to run over an agent.

6

by Sally Underwood THE MALAGA BAR ASSOCIATION is meeting to discuss rising immigration levels.

The group has appointed a panel of experts to analyse the situation and “make proposals to the relevant administrations, as the situation is increasingly worrying,” according to one lawyer, Francisco Javier Lara.

Mr Lara said the association will “from now on work to coordinate” with other towns which also attract immigrants, including Cadiz, Almeria and Granada. He explained he was also looking in to liaising with bodies in Italy and Morocco to create "a kind of congress of the Mediterranean" and address "this phenomenon, how the situation is and

what it takes the means and legislation to make a proposal to administrations, including Europe.”

Since July, the Malaga Bar Association has put emphasis on helping foreigners who arrive in Spain by boat, since many of them claim asylum. Around 300 lawyers have now received training in immigration law to deal with the influx of cases.

Meanwhile, the association has also complained about a plague of mice infesting the courts in Torremolinos. A worker recorded images of the creatures wandering the building’s corridors before the video was shared on social media

by Francisco Javier Lara.

Many of the courts’ archives are said to be “unrecoverable” after two outbreaks of the rodents earlier this

Photo credit: Wikimedia

Immigration levels rise Irish Naval personnel from the LÉ Eithne rescuing migrants as part of Operation Triton year, which were both treated by pest controllers. The oldest building, which is located at Avenida Palma de Mallorca number 24, is said to be in the worst condition,

Abuse of trust

A MAN has been sentenced to nine years in prison for abusing his partner’s daughter, aged 12.

The convicted man was jailed by the Malaga Provincial Court after molesting the girl when

she asked to go to the park with friends.

According to media reports, the pair were alone in their home when the girl approached her mother’s part-

ner. The man told the girl he “had to get something out of it” and told her she could not go unless she first did what he asked and forcing her to perform a sex act on him.

with a bad smell and problems with leaks and damp.

Mr Javier Lara has now written to the Junta de Andalucia demanding the premises be improved after

the infestation and highlighting the problems posed by transferring detainees between three courts located in different buildings on Avenida Palma de Mallorca.

Date rape A 38-YEAR-OLD man has been sentenced to three years in prison for sexually assaulting a friend. The man had been for dinner with the girl in Malaga city before molesting her. The convicted, who is no longer allowed to go within 500 metres of his victim for the next 10 years, was convicted of sexual assault by penetration and has also been ordered to pay damages to his victim.

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by Jemima Roberts FUENGIROLA COUNCIL has decided to abandon a design competition to choose a poster for its Feria Rosario.

Members of dance schools and local clubs will now choose a winner from three new proposals put forward by council workers after an initial public contest was supposedly hacked.

The town’s council last month launched a criminal investigation after unearthing electoral fraud in which around 741 “irregular” votes were cast, with one NIE number being used to make 338 votes.

The election was cancelled after computer technicians detected “a series of irregularities that can only be classified as very serious and a fraudulent use of the system,” suggesting their system had been hacked.

In June, a public contest was put together to choose a poster for the feria, with a prize of €3,750 up for grabs. Thirty works were submitted, but the jury, made up of municipal workers, decided not to award a prize, believing none of the works met the competition’s requirements. A public outcry followed, forcing the council to put the contest to a vote on their website in which only registered voters in Fuengriola could cast a ballot using their NIE number.

Only one vote per person was allowed but the competition’s second phase IT workers found an impossibly high number of votes had been cast, revealing “fraud and a violation of the system by several individuals.” Mayor Mula explained, “we cannot determine what posters the irregular votes have gone to.”

She added, "people who are not registered have been able to vote for a poster, some-

Photo credit: Wikimedia

Poster contest cancelled over hacking scandal Fuengirola Town Hall Malaga thing which should have been impossible. It is unfortunate that people who have voted honestly, meeting the requirements, have been disadvantaged by those people who have chosen to violate the system, I suppose to try to get the prize.”

The council has now submitted evidence, including identity numbers and IP addresses to a court to ascertain whether a crime has

been committed.

Mayor Mula said the jury will now decide what becomes of the competition, describing the situation as “very delicate.” She concluded, "this situation brings me great sadness because there are people who have put their own interests over those of the town for something as important as the Feria Rosario.

I hope justice will now be dealt swiftly.”

10

Have your Say!

Strike fireman face prosecution

Our most discussed post this week is “No bail for drunk-drugged N-322 cyclist-killer” which has so far reached over 10,500 people and been shared over 20 times with more than 60 comments.

Patricia Marsh

“A great decision made by the judge, why should she be allowed bail she has destroyed 3 families & also maimed others”

Jennifer Charlesworth “Yes lock her up and throw away the key.”

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Our most liked posts from this week No bail for drunkdrugged N-322 cyclistkiller Red Cross to rescue as cerebral palsy boy’s wheelchair stolen Refugees homes

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Deadly disease spreads as far as the Marina Alta

In Total 13,152 People reached 3,920 Post engagements

rtnnewspaper.com The most popular article on our website is “Returning Marbella to its former glory” with a comment suggesting what the council should be doing

Jim McAllister “ ... perhaps the Mayor could start on the simple aesthetic issues around Marbella like keeping the pavements free from two meter high weeds that grow out of them so we can walk on them at least ... “

SIXTY firefighters face criminal prosecution after ignoring five blazes while on strike.

The Malaga prosecutor’s office has referred the matter to a judge who will now decide whether the workers are guilty of abandoning their office, a matter punishable by up to two years’ suspension from work and fines.

According to reports, on June 27 five fires broke out simultaneously around the province. Sixtyone firemen were all called and asked to come to work but only one turned up. Twelve said they could not because of child care or doctor’s appointments, three said they were out of the area, one refused to go, two were on leave and the other 42 did not pick up their phones or return the call.

In the end, Provincial firefighters and Infoca workers were left to tackle the blazes in La Corta, Campanillas, Asperones, Monte Dorado and Atabal.

A court will now decide whether the men broke the “minimum services” conditions of their strike terms, in which, "in the event of an extraordinary situation (fire in buildings, activation of the Emergency Plan or any other incident), it may be necessary to take up the nec-

Photo credit: pixabay

by Sally Underwood

ACCUSED: Did they break the “minimum services” conditions of their strike terms, “in the event of an extraordinary situation...” essary personnel reinforcements to deal with such situation.”

The controversy is not the first to hit firefighters in Malaga province in the last month. Mijas Council are preparing to hand over a fire station it had been using to Fuengirola Council within the month, it has been announced.

Following a protracted legal wrangling, Mijas Council is preparing to hand back a fire station to Fuengirola after using it for several years.

The dispute looked set to reach eviction proceedings until Ana Mula, Fuengirola’s Mayor, wrote

Flood danger EMASA has warned one of Malaga’s underground pipes risks flooding the city.

Antonio Talon, the company’s project manager, claimed a “strong downpour” could see the city’s historic centre flooded. The company has now revealed proposals to improve drainage in a series of works costing €150 million. The project would include extending and diverting pipes, creating rainwater storage, reforestation and adapting underwater streams.

Meanwhile, it has emerged Emasa water bills will rise to meet the costs of a €130.7 million bill to improve the city’s water supply and sanitation works.

Malaga’s Mayor, Francisco de la Torre, explained “there is no other way out,” after it emerged no European funds were available to pick up the tab, before saying he had asked opposing political parties to use “strategic vision” and help approve the measure after claims party Ciudadnos was “sharply against” the proposal.”

De la Torre added once the measure was passed, “residents will be informed about what works will be done and when they would begin.” He explained if prices were raised they would be done so incrementally over a period of 20 years, eventually reaching around 20 cents per cubic metre of water.

A similar system was put in place between 1992 and 2009 when bills were raised to finance 136 infrastructure projects.

to her Mijas counterpart, Juan Carlos Maldonado, saying her council would vacate the building, which is located in Mijas.

Fuengirola’s firefighters had been using the building for several years but have since built one within their own municipality, prompting Mijas Council to ask for the site back, eventually resorting to legal threats. According to media reports, Mijas’ request “was denied by former mayor and now Partido Popular member, Esperanza Oña, and by the current mayor, Ana Mula.”

Fuengirola Council took the issue to court, requesting the build-

ing be gifted as payment for €4.5 million worth of services its says have been provided by its firemen.

The court sided with Mijas Council who say they then made numerous written and verbal requests to Ana Mula, asking her to vacate the building, including a formal request on September 14, 2016.

Four months later, Ana Mula wrote back saying she would return the building but claiming she and Mayor Maldonado have “different interpretations” of the ruling but will hand back the property on the proviso a document is signed clarifying the agreement.

Gun fight breaks out at Marbella nightclub FIVE people have been arrested after shots were fired at a nightclub in Marbella, leaving four wounded.

Local Police in Estepona have found the burned-out vehicle belonging to the shooter after the incident at the Casa Masa club on Calle Victor O’hayon Taplero. One

of those injured remains in intensive care after being shot in the chest and stomach, while three others remain in hospital with bullet wounds to their legs or stomachs.

The National Police are now investigating what caused the incident, which took place at around 9pm.

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Sexist adverts banned Photo credit: Wikimedia

by Richard Johnson TORREMOLINOS COUNCIL has banned sexist advertising throughout the municipality.

The council has become the first in the province to create specific legislation prohibiting advertising which objectifies women after agreeing an initiative with the University of Malaga, women’s groups and other political parties.

Adverts using gender stereotypes, presenting women’s bodies as objects or suggesting beauty is a marker of success, will now be removed. The same will be true for any advertisements suggesting women’s goals are limited to domestic or aesthetic standards, as well as those that use derogatory language towards women or suggest inferiority.

Maria del Carmen Moreno, a coordinator at the Andalucian Women’s Institute, said she is pleased with the council’s efforts, which will see advertisers sanctioned for breaching the new rules.

The news comes after a plane flying a banner with the words “Comeme toerhigo” next to a picture of a naked woman with the word “censored” across her passed over beaches in Malaga over the summer.

The campaign, which was labelled “sexist” by Velez Malaga Council, saw

BANNED Sexist advertising has now been banned throughout Torremolinos the banner flown over thousands of bathers on beaches in Malaga, Cadiz and Alicante. Media reports say members of the press received anonymous calls minutes before the stunt, giving them time to rush to the beach to see the banner.

They added the company responsible is registered in Belize, a tax haven and that a young man was used to arrange the initial advertising space in the Torre del Mar carpark, paying €80, although he has denies being involved.

Meanwhile, last month, Encarnacion Cortes, Benalmadena’s Councillor for Tourism and Beaches, has publicly condemned a series of degrading

and personal comments left on her Facebook page.

The pregnant politician has been joined by several feminist groups in expressing her disgust at the criticism she has received, which has included comments about her body shape.

Councillor Cortes said she has been called a “bonbon”, an “almond shaped woman,” and “big and fat.” More worryingly, she added another social media user had said “the pregnancy and the heat should shut her up,” while someone else appeared to attack her for having morning sickness, saying he had been a father “three time and I have never had vomiting or cravings.”

Prosecutors demand 12 years over stabbing A MAN in Malaga faces a jury trial for stabbing his roommate to death.

The alleged killer could face 12 years in prison after knifing his victim in the stomach up to six times following an argument in 2014. The man underwent surgery in hospital but died of complications from his injuries four and a half months later.

Prosecutors are now

seeking a jail sentence as well as €100,000 in compensation to each of the victim’s children.

The deceased died on November 9 in 2014 from multiorgan failure brought on by the stabbing and exacerbated by his poor health, according to prosecutors. They now accuse his alleged killer of murder and the man is due to be tried on October 2.

12

‘Intoxicated’ children hospitalised after eating sweets

by Jemima Roberts TWO CHILDREN and an adult were taken to hospital after becoming ill from sweets they found outside a football pitch.

A 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy have now been discharged from the Materno Infantil Hospital after eating the treats on Benalmadena’s Avenida de la Constitucion and apparently became intoxicated.

Health workers were called out to assist the children at around 7pm and the National Police are now investigating where the sweets came from and what they contained.

In July it was announced The Guardia Civil’s Nature Protection Service (Seprona) is investigating the appearance of pesticides disguised as dog treats in Torremolinos.

Police have warned dog and cat owners the poison, which has been strategically placed in areas frequented by animals, could be lethal and also poses a threat to children. The officers

also warned the crime carries a fine of up to €300,000 and up to two years in prison.

Two of the pesticides used, Aldicarb and Carbofuran, are banned by the European Union due to the danger they pose to public health, according to the Ministry for the Environment, while Torremolinos Council has warned the colourful chemical which comes in a powder form could look like candy to children.

Aldicarb, which has been banned since 2007, is described as a “deadly weapon” by animal activists as it stops the respiratory system, while carbofuran is one of the deadliest pesticides and can kill a bird with a single grain.

The authorities recommend anyone finding a poisoned animal to not touch it and instead call the police or Seprona and ask for the area to be cleaned in case of further poison. The Ministry of the Environment has also collaborated with Seprona to launch the Andalucian Strategy Against Poison (EAV) to raise “social awareness and encourage the

prevention of poison use as well as promoting police action.”

Mayor rejects plans for new floodpreventing bridge EXPERTS looking for flood solutions in the Guadalhorce region have suggested building a new bridge to absorb water as the current one is in a state of disrepair.

The new project was estimated to cost around €60 million so the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, urged the Andalusian Government to consider cleaning up the existing bridge instead. De la Torre claims that several openings in the bridge are blocked and cleaning them out would cost the region much less money and still help protect against heavy rainfall.

The mayor hasn’t ruled out building a new bridge altogether, but stated that it made more sense as a short term solution to clean up the bridge that is already there.

There are also proposals to install storm tanks in several of Malaga’s streams in order to prevent flooding in periods of heavy rainfall. These expensive tanks, which are already being developed in Barcelona and Seville, would be installed in the streams and offshoots of the Guadalmedina River to help prevent the devastating floods that strike the surrounding region every decade.

14

Court backlog

by Richard Johnson THOUSANDS of people have submitted over floor clause mortgages since June, leading to significant court delays.

Just one court in Malaga city was assigned to deal with the banking claims from across the entire province, however, and has now received 2000 cases, double the amount expected.

After a European Court of Justice ruling last December, people who believe they were sold a floor clause mortgage have been able to claim the money back. Lawyers, prosecutors and judges had voted unanimously against forcing one court to deal with so many claims. It now seems their concerns were well-founded as the court has since received twice the expected annual amount in just two months.

According to one judge, Jose Maria Paez,”unless more resources are allocated, it

will be very difficult to process this number of demands without incurring big delays.”

Belen Rincon, a lawyer specialising in bank claims, explained claimants have been forced to take their cases to court after banks have been reluctant to pay out.

He claimed as a result, “it is estimated that the limit of cases that can be treated by a standard court a year is 1,700 or 1,800; after that it collapses.”

He added this will affect how long it takes to deal with each case, explaining, “taking into account that in two other courts, which have four judges, they are looking at settling claims in 2021, it is clear that claimants will have to be patient.” He added banks are taking advantage of the backlog and offering smaller compensation packages for early settlement, explaining, “many consumers end up accepting even though it is unfair because they cannot afford to continue paying the interest for four more years more.”

DELAYED: One court received double the amount of cases expected A second specialist court to deal with these claims is planned for Malaga but no date has yet been announced. Jose Maria Paez believes at least another four may be necessary to deal with the weight of cases.

Floor clauses were the fixed interest rates

hidden by banks in the small print of mortgage contracts . The European Court of Justice ruled in December last year that Spanish banks must pay back the money they made from consumers, the bill for which is expected to run to billions of Euros.

Brave new world TORREMOLINOS is set to build on its reputation for innovation.

It comes after the holiday favourite hosted the first strategic meeting of the eight Spanish pioneer tourist towns selected at this year’s World Travel Market event in London.

Presenting the meeting, Mayor Jose Ortiz said that the group was formed in order

to “reconvert” these “mature” destinations into modern, sustainable resorts.

“We have left geographical borders and political colours behind to focus on what unites us: the challenges of an industry in the middle of renewal.”

The other municipalities included in the scheme are San Bartolome de Tirajana (Gran Canaria), Benidorm (Ali-

cante), Calvia (Mallorca), Lloret de Mar (Cataluña), Salou (Tarragona), Adeje and Arona (both Tenerife).

Benidorm’s mayor, Antonio Perez, said: “When you travel quickly you have to go alone, but to go far you have to be accompanied.”

All present announced calls for grants and specific funding for tourist towns.

15

Suspected sex attacker may still be teaching

by Jemoma Roberts A MUSIC teacher who allegedly sexually assaulted an 8-year-old pupil could still be teaching, it has been claimed.

According to media reports, the 35year-old man, who was arrested on September 4 in Fuengirola, could have been transferred to another school after his suspension. The Ministry of Education has reportedly so far not responded to requests for information on the teacher’s whereabouts.

National Police are now analysing the man’s mobile phone and computer after the girl’s mother claimed he touched her daughter when alone in a classroom together one day, before showing her pornographic videos and threatening to kill her if she told anyone.

A psychologist was brought in to listen to the girl and believed her story, leading to the man’s arrest. The teacher denies the allegations and was released on bail with an order preventing him from contacting the girl.

The National Police’s Family and Woman Unit are keeping their investigation open in case any further children come forward.

The news comes after Malaga police arrested a 31-year-old man allegedly be-

hind four sexual assaults in Fuengirola between May and July. Malaga police have reported sex attacker behind four assaults in Fuengirola had a girlfriend.

According to police, investigators considered the attacker, who used a screwdriver to threaten his victims before assaulting them, be a “sexual predator,” who was likely to escalate his violence after allegedly trying to force one of the girls into his van.

Following detailed physical descriptions from the victims, police have revealed they looked at hundreds of CCTV

images from the areas of each of the attacks, eventually finding a van registration number and locating the man.

Officers then showed a photograph of the suspect to his four victims, who all positively identified him.

The man, whose name has not been released by the police, has since been jailed without bail and will now stay in prison until his trial. Police have revealed he is an electrician and body-builder from a well-known local family, and was previously denounced in 2009 for allegedly assaulting a disabled woman.

Taken by storm

A TOTAL of seven towns across Malaga province have requested funds totalling €7.5 million from the Spanish government in order to repair damages caused by bad weather.

But according to local media reports they may be forced to wait two years before receiving the cash.

The municipalities involved are Alhaurin de la Torre, Torremolinos, Igualeja, Pujerra, Juzcar, Cortes de la Frontera and Sayalonga.

Alhaurin has applied for the most money after the council requested €3.5 mil-

lion to cover 82 separate jobs, most of which have already been completed.

Torremolinos has requested €330,000 to carry out repairs to the Aldeamar development in the Los Alamos neighbourhood, which was badly flooded after a local stream became blocked last December.

Sayalonga has asked for €21,700 to repair roads affected by landslides, while the remaining towns are all in the Genal Valley which was hit by the worst storm locals had experienced since 1989.

€7m unspent

ACCORDING to media reports, Malaga City Council has not yet spent the millions of Euros it put aside for investments in 2016.

The council reportedly allocated the money for specific projects in its 2016 budget but, due to a series of bureaucratic hurdle, has as yet been unable to use the funds.

Projects including a new public square in Tabacalera and turning Gibralfaro into a park have not yet begun, while important house building still remains unstarted. More than €4 million was put aside for building 115 homes throughout the city and remain at the contracting stage.

16

€23.7m housing boom Photo credit: Wikimedia

by Sally Underwood REAL ESTATE company Quabit is to invest millions in building 674 homes in Mijas.

Around 79,000 square metres of land will be used to construct residential and commercial buildings in the Las Lomas del Flamenco area.

The plot will house 147 detached family homes, 91 other family properties and 436 residential homes in an apartment block. It is thought the majority of buyers will be secondhome owners and foreigners.

It comes after Mijas Council announced it expects to receive hundreds of millions of Euros of investment from Britons buying up property locally in the 10 years following Brexit.

Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mijas’ Mayor explained, “this council team has managed to instil confidence in British buyers to come and spend their money in our municipality.”

He added the first €10 million has already hit Mijas, explaining, “the number of licences for building work in Mijas is growing and this real estate development reveals the confidence the town generates.”

Mijas is also attracting substantial investment in its hotel industry. Juan Carlos Maldonado recently announced the council has approved a building permit to refurbish luxury hotel, Byblos, with works beginning after the summer.

Maldonado commented, “the deadlines are being met and, if everything continues to go to plan, once the summer season ends, this

Mijas council planning on major housing investment

tourist attraction will have a green light to start refurbishments.” He added, “Byblos is a year-round quality attraction which draws in crowds in the golfing sector and most importantly boosts our town’s economy and generates employment.”

The hotel is located on a plot of 50,873 square meters in the Mijas Golf urbanisation, offering sports equipment rental, a private green, hotel and small public green. Works will include

adding 300 parking spaces below ground and 230 rooms.

The hotel’s spa takes up an impressive 5,293 square metres, the hotel 35,424, the private green 15,056 and the private sports area 1,915 square metres, with costs expected to reach €60 million to buy and refurbish the huge space. The investment will involve employing 200 staff directly, and 500 others indirectly.

Export growth MALAGA province has increased its exports by 19.2 per cent in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year.

The growth is almost double that of the national average and equates to international sales totalling €1,144 million. Exports now outweigh imports by €75 million, placing Malaga province second in the highest number of exports in Andalucia.

Subtropical fruits are one of the region’s most popular exports, with mangoes and avocadoes topping the list. Cultivation of the waterthirsty fruits has more than doubled in the past 10 years, leading to problems with water shortages and irrigation.

18

Benalmadena regatta Photo credit: Pixabay

Beach installation

Viking boat wins at the Benalmadena Regatta (Stock Photo)

by Richard Johnson TWENTY-TWO sailboats have taken part in a race organised by Benalmadena Marina.

The regatta, which was taking place for the first time since 1997, was won by Viking, a boat based in the marina and captained by Enrique Gonzalez.

The vessel was victorious after two days of sailing in varied weather and sea conditions with winds measuring between 12 and 20 knots and a swell of up to two metres.

The awards ceremony, held yesterday at the Nautical Centre of the Benalmadena Marina, was attended by Manuel J. Jimenez, manager of the Port, accompanied by J.A. Macias, President of the Yacht Club, Nacho Ruiz, director of the Business Development Unit of the Costa del Sol Tourism Board, and Gerardo Gomez, representing BMW Automotor. The group congratulated the participants on the event, describing the race as “successful.”

The first day of racing took place on a 9.9-mile coastal circuit which several

of the competitors managed to complete up to four times, covering a total of 39.60 miles. At the end of the first day Viking placed first, followed by Filu and Cabo Negro.

On Sunday, on a course measuring 4 miles and north winds that reached 16 knots, some of the competitors managed to complete the circuit up to 6 times, covering a total of 24 miles in conditions which allowed entrants to perform much as they had the previous day, with Viking coming first in its category again.

TODAY (Friday) is the last chance to visit a temporary library open on La Salida beach in San Pedro Alcantara.

The collection, which is open from noon to 7pm, is named the Ludoteca del Mar (sea library), and will return again next summer between June and September.

Earlier this month, the deputy mayor of San Pedro Alcantara, Rafael Piña, and the council’s head of Culture, Gema Midon, visited the collection.

Midon explained the book display, which has also been installed on La Bajadilla beach in Marbella, "is a pioneering project,” which will become “a permanent installation that can be used by groups or educational centres for cultural projects.”

She explained Ludoteca del Mar, "is especially aimed at the youngest, although it is open to the general public with the aim of continuing to bring culture to residents."

She added next summer the library will be open between June 15 and September 15.

Rafael Piña and Gema Midon visit the library

20

Taken for fools The $7 billion US-backed overthrow of Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014 was not universally popular. Donbass, Ukraine’s most productive province, declared Unilateral Independence (UDI). Today, Ukraine is the poorest country in Europe and its Kiev regime Europe’s most unpopular.

The expansionist NATO was denied Crimea when 96.77% of electors chose to annul their forced marriage to Ukraine and return to Russia. The U.S had drooled over the prospect of occupying Crimea and incandescent at the naval province being snatched from under their noses.

Revenge sanctions imposed on Russia by 2016 had cost the EU $60 billion in lost trade. Russia smiled and took their shopping basket to alternative suitors.

U.S and EU sanctimonious twaddle over Crimea is gut-wrenching. According to Global Research the U.S aka NATO since 1945 has brought conflict to 37 nations leading to the deaths of 30 million people. Again, as the refugee crisis is wholly the responsibility of NATO we are reminded of the adage, with friends like NATO who needs enemies.

Ousting so-called dictatorships and making the world safe for democracy is Western hypocrisy of the first order.

by

Michael Walsh

keyboardcosmetics@ gmail.com

Washington DC is currently allied with 30 authoritarian regimes.

Every photo opportunity of Western leaders in the company of elected Russian President Vladimir Putin shows sullen expressions. It is claimed that American antipathy towards Russia is a resumption of the Cold War. By contrast, stock photographs depict Soviet dictator, Nikita Khrushchev hosting NKVD delegates during their visit to one of the state’s 476 slave plantations. The total death toll of the Gulag Archipelago is estimated at 70 million martyrs. Most victims were transported in Western built railway stock or road vehicles. No sanctions then.

The most prominent of the Khrushchev hosted delegation is Genrikh Yagoda. The head of the NKVD was authoritatively said to be responsible for the deaths of 10 million of those Trotsky dismissed as ´White Negroes´.

Again in contrast to excessively formal events at which Western leaders glare at President Putin, AP photos show Western leaders embracing the Soviet Union’s most blood-soaked tyrants. In my cache of Press (PA) photos are pictures of Nikita Khrushchev being wined and dined by British Prime Minister Harold McMillan and on another occasion Harold Wilson. Many more photographs were taken at Brit-

ish and American soirees.

In high spirits, due no doubt to their being stuffed with spirits, are revealed U.S Presidents and UK Prime Ministers, also Henry Kissinger, grinning like the oafs they are as they smooch with Soviet tyrants Josef Sta-

lin, Nikita Khrushchev, Nicolai Bulganin and Leonid Brezhnev.

Yes, a return to the Cold War would indeed be welcome. Imagine, press photographs of Merkel, May and Macron having a knees up with President Putin.

Affluence before freedom by

Colin Bird

WHY HAS life become so complicated within the thrall of the EU? How have we learned to make better livings, but not better lives, and why is it that materially, we are constantly dissatisfied and always expect more.

How much is enough?

I look back at old black and white photographs of my parents and remember how happy they were in spite of their constant struggle to maintain a reasonable standard of living, and the ever present worry of losing work days through sickness, or being able to put in sufficient overtime to provide good Christmases and a summer break by the sea.

Of course it is right that we have moved on from those days and that living standards have risen, but there is a happy medium between a comfortable life style and rapacious materialism. A line in the sand if you will, that has been crossed at the expense of contentment and true happiness.

Perhaps the dictionary definition of poverty needs to be

revised: ‘The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support.’

Adated description that does not reflect modern society’s view.

The ‘essential’ car in the drive; Sky TV; a new suite of furniture; having a few nights at the pub every week, and puffing through a pack or two of cigarettes every day etc all are deemed to be everyone’s right, even if it has to be provided by others.

And yet the genuinely helpless and needy are often ignored.

Rights before responsibility - the twenty first century EU inspired mindset, and the fundamental difference between generations.

And yet although we have added years to our life span, how much real living do we put into those years?

We seem to have lost sight of traditional values and scoff at the simple pleasures that if we open our minds, are all around us. Pleasures that in effect are denied the very young because the priority is to eliminate childhood as we knew it, and provide them with the perceived high tech essentials, designed to engender gratitude by way of future votes.

Keeping ourselves in the hands of a clique of unelected and unaccountable decision makers – often those with dubious pasts –seems therefore to be an acceptable price to pay for an

increasing number of people.

But to paraphrase the great American, Benjamin Franklin: Those who would sacrifice freedom for security, deserve neither and will lose both.

22

The way I see it...

Harvey Mann

his own words Bill Speakman said “It was hand to hand; there was not even time to pull back the bolt on my rifle”.

On his own initiative Private Speakman repeatedly counter charged the enemy hurling dozens of grenades ‘I picked up handfuls of grenades and as it was a freezing cold November. I pulled the pins and tossed them, they bounced all over the place causing a lot of damage, when I ran out of grenades I started to pick up beer bottles and throw them”.

A citation to Bill Speakmans action says, During the assault, Private Speakman was hit in the leg, however he held back the enemy giving time for injured Borderers to be evacuated.

Bill Speakman had joined the Black Watch, and served in Germany, Italy and Hong Kong before joining the fighting in Korea.

“His bravery, without a second thought of his own life being in danger, he beat off the attack by the Chinese almost with his bare hands” said colleagues at the time.

Later Bill sold his Victoria Cross to a highly prized medal to a collector, and gave a replica of the medal and nine other medals to the South Korea’s Minister of Patriots and veteran affairs Pak Sung- Choon, during a visit with other veterans from the Korean war.

His final wish is to have his ashes sprinkled over South Korea, “As it is a country that I love, so deeply”.

So, what is happening at the moment between North Korea and the rest of the countries of the world who have voiced their displeasure of Kim Jung Un rocket tests and his latest testing of what has been described as an H-bomb.

If you are like me are biting you're nails and wondering when the radio that you are listening to, or TV programme that you are watching is going to be interrupted by a News flash announcing the outbreak of a war between North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan and the U.S.A. As the tension mounted with Kim Jung Un and Donald Trump hurling schoolboy taunts at each other, and childlike jibes such as, I’ve got a big-

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

by

On September 21 2017, Bill Speakman will raise a glass with fellow friends, some wearing scarlet and others blue uniforms, nicknamed the scarlet and blues, they are all colleagues at the Royal Chelsea hospital and home for military pensioners in London, the toast will be happy birthday Bill, celebrate Bill’s 90th Birthday.

So who is Bill Speakman? You may well ask, Bill was born in Altrincham Cheshire on September 21 1927.

In 1945, Bill Speakman joined the Black Watch, and served in Germany, Italy and Hong Kong. Five years after Bill joined, North Korea lead by Kim Ill Sung attacked Seoul, South Korea on June 25 1950. Bill, then a private had been shipped out to join in an allied forces defence of the Southern Korean Peninsula from the grandfather of the present despot leader Kim Jung Un. Private Bill Speakman, - Big Bill as he is known - is a war hero, his heroism was emblazoned all over the newspapers and radio, for his gallantry and for his bravery. Speakman had the VC pinned onto his chest after heroically defending his colleagues, by a young Queen Elizabeth, this was the first time the Queen was to present the Victoria Cross.

I was just a lad of twelve and had been taken to the cinema (or flicks as we called them in those days) by my mother, in those days they had two films and in between the films they showed Pathé News. It was always in black and white, and better than News at 10 now.

The whole 30 minutes segment on Pathé was dedicated to the towering figure of Bill Speakman who was returning from Korea. Bill was a big man 6 feet 6 inches in his stocking feet and built like a powerful front row forward.

Speakman’s heroic deeds made him famous, as after being injured in the leg during a 15 hour mortar barrage attack from Chinese artillery fire that engulfed his colleagues of the King’s own Scottish borderers on the afternoon of November 4 1951, this prior to a human wave of Chinese infantry who overran the Borderers position, in

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Bill Speakman will celebrate his 90th birthday ger stick than you, or sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me, the Billy Bunters of this playground fiasco must be taken to the headmaster, resulting in both the snotty nosed kids being given some whacks on the backside with a cane.

Who is capable of this act? Of calming the situation, the UN? Not a chance, The United States UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has said “He (Kim Jung Un) is begging for war, and that Washington patience with him is running out”.

The rest of the worlds Ambassadors have not been much help in making sanctions stick against North Korea, than the bunch of idiots that are running the E.U. even Putin has said “it is time to stop talking, as whatever sanctions you impose on North Korea will not change their destiny” (in so many words), as Kim Jung Un threatens further tests this is according to his North Korean UN Ambassador, who said in the UN “You can expect further more

packages of gifts”.

China are the main problem although they are unhappy with what Kim Jung Un is doing, they did support North Korea during the early 50’s by fighting alongside Kim’s Grandfather, and are slightly reluctant to enforce more sanctions.

I’m pleased to say that things have so far remained a little quiet but is this the peace before the storm, is Kim planning something stupid? He has threatened to launch some rockets towards the US base military base on the island of Guam, if he did this Donald Trump, who has been equally quiet of recent, will have no alternative but to retaliate.

I do hope that Big Bill Speakman enjoys his glass of bubbly and celebrates his 90th birthday in peace and quiet, he was a hero to a 12-year-old boy, me, after all if ever a person deserves peace and quiet, Victoria Cross hero Bill Speakman does.

23

No need to paint with Andura GIVE your home the ultimate spring clean with Andura Abroad No Need To Paint system.

Every home owner on the Costas is aware of the continual struggle to upkeep and retain the fresh, clean appearance of the exterior of their Mediterranean home, but with Andura, this spring clean is one that will last for years.

Thanks to the Andura Abroad No Need To Paint system, repetitive house painting is a thing of the past, as this specialist exterior wall coating lasts up to 10 times longer than any ordinary paint.

The system has been in place since 1979 and has been on the Costa Blanca in Spain for 25 years, transforming the exterior appearance of thousands of homes.

Andura wall coatings offer numerous benefits over standard exterior paints. The coating is made from a flexible resin allowing it to expand and contract with the building, preventing cracks and blisters. It is 10 times thicker than paint offering an unrivalled coverage and resists strong sunlight and UV rays. The coating creates an impenetrable barrier which prevents any water getting into the fabric of the building, but also allows internal moisture to escape. It prevents mould and fungus and also acts as an insulator to the building. As well as vastly improving the appearance of your property it also adds value.

The coating comes in a standard range of 12 colours and the professional team will offer the best service possible working on your home until it is completed. The service begins with the walls being cleaned to remove dirt and loose paint and surface imperfections are carefully treated. Doors and windows are masked up and plants and lawns are fully protected by tarpaulins before the primer and coating is applied.

Andura Abroad No Need To Paint is so confident of the long lasting finish you will obtain, they offer a 15 year guarantee and an insurance backed guarantee is available.

Promotional homes are currently wanted across the Costa Blanca. For nearly 20 years the company has successfully used the open house/open day promotional homes concept to promote the products and services they offer as the home owner enjoys substantial discounts on the normal cost of the Andura coating.

So for more information or to arrange a free on site survey and assessment, contact the team today.

No Need To Paint

Calle Cristo del Mar 29 Javea Port, Calle de la Goleta 6. Denia Grupo San Roque Los Dolores, Callosa de Segura Alhaurin Business Centre, Avda Constitucion 11 Alhaurin el Grande, 2912 Malaga Tel: 659 692 540 Visit: www.noneedtopaint.com Email: contact@noneedtopaint.com

24

Getting hitched, Gibraltar style by

Barry Duke

A few months back, in one of my first columns for RTN, I announced that I was planning to marry my long-term partner, Marcus Robinson – and on Tuesday, September 5, the knot was tied at the registry office in Gibraltar.

I explained that the principle reason for my decision was to ensure our relationship would be recognised by all relevant authorities in the event of some life-changing development in either of our lives.

Married partners, for example, have immediate access to all relationship entitlements, protections and responsibilities.

A marriage certificate also allows married partners to easily prove their legal rights if challenged, for example in emergency situations. The ability to quickly and easily prove one’s relationship status is particularly important for same-sex partners because prejudice against gay relationships can mean legal rights are denied.

Friends and relatives were delighted that we planned to be hitched, but all seemed puzzled as why we chose Gibraltar. The answer is simple: it was by far the easiest option.

I would have liked to have married in the UK as we are both British citizens, but to do so we would have had to provide proof of living there; council tax bills and so forth. Having lived in Spain for almost seven years, we were unable to do so.

Spain was the next option, but the complexities of doing so beggar belief.

Plus, I was given to understand that, in

THE HAPPY COUPLE: Barry and Marcus tie the knot our part of Spain – the Costa Blanca – the waiting time is around 17 months.

After someone suggested Gibraltar, I made contact with a company called Sweet Gibraltar Weddings who were able to provide a basic package, including all legal fees, for under £500. All we needed in the way of paperwork was our birth certificates, passports, and proof of having stayed for at least one night in the British Overseas Territory.

My main concern, of course, was whether our marriage would be recognised in Spain. Yes, but with the proviso

that the marriage certificates were specially certified. Registry office officials did that for an additional fee of £60.

At this point I would like to thank Chamaine Cruz, of Sweet Gibraltar Weddings, for the highly professional manner in which her company dealt with our wedding; the registry office staff who treated us with the utmost courtesy and respect, and seven friends and family who came from Spain and the UK to celebrate the event.

Heartfelt thanks too to Mark Seargeant, of Company Bar in Benidorm

This is the third of an eight-part mini-serialisation written by author James Hartley specially for RTN readers.

Costa del Sol, a lone shark swimming the human seas along the Spanish coast, is investigating the mid-air theft of a top Hollywood Producer´s jewels. by

James Hartley

BIO James Hartley is an author and teacher who spends his time between Torre del Mar and Madrid.

He was born near Liverpool in 1973 but has lived most of his life abroad, in Scotland, Singapore, Syria and Thailand, among other places. This year The Invisible Hand, the first novel in a new series for Young Adults about children who get mixed up in the plots of Shakespeare´s plays was published. The second book, Cold Fire, based on Romeo and Juliet, will be published soon. He has also just published a book about Napoleon´s exile and death on St Helena, The Napoleon Diaries. James lives in Madrid with his wife Ana and their children Carmen, 8, and Matthew, 6.

Old Town, for driving us to Gibraltar.

I should point out that registrars in Gibraltar are not obliged to carry out same-sex weddings if it runs against their religious beliefs. On 26 October 2016, the Civil Marriage Amendment Bill 2016 was passed in the Gibraltar Pariament with unanimous support from all 15 members present during the vote.

An amendment to remove a controversial part of the bill, which allowed deputy registrars to opt out of conducting same-sex marriages, was defeated 11 to 4 with only some of the Opposition MPs voting in favour. The law now requires that, in circumstances where a deputy registrar does not agree to officiate a same-sex marriage, an alternative registrar must be assigned to conduct the marriage.

The bill received royal assent on 1 November and took effect on 15 December 2016. The first same-sex marriage in Gibraltar was performed the following day.

The funniest moment of our trip occurred in La Línea de la Concepción, the Spanish town closest to the Gibraltar border. Marcus, Mark and I stayed there for one night before the border crossing, and Mark asked the manager of our budget hotel, Hostal Paris, whether there were any gay bars in the town. He reacted with total shock, and – astonishingly – declared that “there are no homosexuals in La Linea.”

In fact, the two closest gay bars to the town are in Marbella, about 73km away.

exclusive

Reporting The News

PART 3

The Costa del Sol Adventures Stopping halfway up the mountainside under the merciless, mid-morning sun, Costa turned to look back at the blue grin of the ocean. He had boltholes everywhere down there, from Marbella to Denia. That hazy coast was his world.

Another hour´s climb and he reached the spot where Sánchez said the man had come down. It was bare and exposed, rock patches poking from the scrub like dirty kneecaps. Costa found tip-toe boot marks and strands of black cotton snagged on a bush and realised what had happened: the thief had landed and bounced.

He searched the brittle, dry foliage until he found, balled up and half-buried, a parachute.

“Bingo!”

There were no signs of a struggle. No blood. No treasure.

The heat was intense, like dragon´s breath; the sun seemed too close.

Costa, panting hard, looked about, saw broken twigs and followed the route his man must have taken. He found afresh cigarette butt and a keyring label which read, ´Michelangelo´.

There was nothing else. A shadow eagle gyred silently in the bright emptiness above.

Below, fifty metres steep scrabble away, Costa saw the end of a cul-de-sac which led towards a clump of white-roofed houses.Further beyond, in the haze, lay Velez-Malagaand the sea-front blocks of Torre del Mar. Costa clawed his way back up the mountainside on all fours like an ape, dripping sweat.

Reachinghis bike, mildly dizzy, he spotted a dark backpack squashed into the middle of a bush. He noticed a logo through the thorns: one of Levy´s films Sánchez had mentioned.

The thief wasn´t alone, Costa realised immediately.Two people fell from the sky this morning.

illustrations by Ben Hartley

26

money

Spanish watchdog fines Facebook €1.2m Photo credit Pixabay

The Spanish Data Protection Agency said on Monday that it has slapped Facebook with a fine of €1.2 million for failing to prevent its users' data being accessed by advertisers.

Facebook has collected personal data from its users in Spain without obtaining their "unequivocal consent" and without informing them how such information would be used, the agency said in a statement.

"Facebook collects data on ideology, sex, religious beliefs, personal tastes or navigation

Prosecutors to investigate Chinese bank

SPAIN has launched an investigation into the European management of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) in Luxembourg as part of an investigation into the alleged laundering of hundreds of millions of euros through its Madrid branch.

It was revealed in July that Spanish prosecutors were poised to explore the role of ICBC Luxembourg in the alleged money laundering scheme following the arrest of seven ICBC executives in Madrid in February last year, including branch manager Liu Wei and the general manager of the bank’s European division, Liu Gang.

The Spanish High Court said on Monday it had approved a request from the anti-corruption prosecutor’s

office to investigate ICBC’s European headquarters for the alleged crime of money laundering.

High Court judge Ismael Moreno ruled that ICBC’s Europe board must name a representative and a lawyer to be summoned to appear before the court.

“ICBC Luxembourg was aware at the time of the way ICBC Spain was operating, and the Luxembourg headquarters provided it with internal audit services,” the ruling said.

The Luxembourg unit of ICBC holds the lender’s European Union bank licence and is responsible for supervising the Madrid branch.

According to the court ruling, ICBC Europe could face a fine, asset seizures or dissolution if found guilty.

HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU: The personal data was collected without consent

without clearly informing about the use and purpose that it will give them," the statement said.

The agency said Facebook's privacy policy "contains generic and unclear terms" and it "does not adequately collect the consent of either its users or nonusers, which constitutes a serious infringement" of data protection rules.

The agency said Facebook did not remove the personal data which it collects from its data base even when a user requests this.

It said it fined the company €600,000 for a very serious violation of the country's data protection rules and €300,000 each for two serious violations.

The total fine is small in the context of the company which posted advertising revenues of €7.8 billion in the second quarter, mainly from mobile video ad sales.

28

learn spanish

Adjectives describing people Basic Spanish for everyday needs by

Jane Cronin

Well having spent some time talking about adjectives and how they agree with nouns, it would perhaps be nice learn a few more of them. So here are some more adjectives that generally describe people.

Remember that those which end in “o” will change to “a” in the feminine, and they will all take “s” for plural.

Something that is very interesting, but rather difficult to explain, is that adjectives that describe people contain all sorts of cultural nuances and personality types which mean that they are not absolutely identical in meaning.

Take for example the last word in the list “serio” which translates as “serious”. This word also contains the idea of reliability and trustworthiness. I remember once slightly taking offence at someone who said that the English were “serios” and started to insist that we did in fact have a sense of humour, until it was explained to me that this was a compliment meaning that the English were reliable and trustworthy!

My favourite adjective is “antipático”.

It is a word that doesn’t exist in English but perfectly describes certain individuals. Be careful with its opposite “simpatico”. It does not mean “sympathetic” but “nice”, which isn’t quite the same thing. The word

Alto Gordo Guapo/guapa Listo Simpático Cariñoso Viejo Mayor Timido Gracioso

tall fat handsome/ pretty clever nice affectionate old elderly shy funny

“mayor” has a range of meanings including “greater”, “elder” and what we would call “over the age of consent”.

When describing a person though, it is simply a more polite way of saying “old”.

Another tricky, but interesting, point is to realize that these adjectives alter slightly in meaning in a sentence depending on which verb “to be” is used with them – either “ser” or “estar”.

Without complicating life too much – I’ll try and illustrate this with the word

short thin ugly

Tonto Antipático Sincero Joven Tranquilo Abierto Serio

silly not nice honest young calm outgoing serious

“tranquilo”. If I say of a person “es tranquilo” I mean he is a calm person, that is, he has a calm personality.

However, if I say “está tranquilo” I am not describing a personality, but just how someone is at the moment – he is in a quiet state of mind right now.

Here’s another example: you may say of a woman “es guapa” she is pretty.

However, if someone just happens to be looking good one day you can say “está guapa”. We would in fact say in

How can you be your own stalker?

Your stalker is everywhere. Your stalker knows everything. But the real problem is that your stalker is you.

Sarah Havenant discovers - when an old friend points it out - that there are two Facebook profiles in her name.

One, she recognizes: it is hers. The other, she has never seen. But everything in it is accurate. Recent photos of her and her friends, her and her husband, her and her kids. Even of her new kitchen. A photo has even been taken inside her house.

She is bemused, angry, and worried.

Who was able to do this? Any why?

But this, it soon turns out, is just the be-

Bajo Delgado Feo

ginning. It is only now - almost as though someone has been watching, waiting for her to find the profile - that her problems really start…

This is a strange, sinister and disturbing psychological thriller set in Maine, and is a perfect and timely reminder of what can go wrong when so much information is posted on social media in today’s world and the ease with which cyberstalking can take place.

English “she’s looking good” that is, on this particular occasion.

As you may imagine there are lots of details and finer points here. If you find it too complicated to understand then don’t worry about it for now, put it on the backburner for later on in your studies. However, if you can grasp this point about the use of adjectives with “ser” and “estar” you will find that it opens up all sorts of interesting new ideas and ways of saying things!

29

30

television

15th-21st September

friday

BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Council House Crackdown 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Dom on the Spot 12:45pm Thief Trackers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm The Boss 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Garden Rescue 5:30pm Celebrity Money for Nothing 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Celebrity MasterChef 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Comedy Playhouse 12:05am Room 101

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am Council House Crackdown 8:15am Garden Rescue 9:00am Gardeners’ World 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm For What It’s Worth 2:45pm Coast 3:00pm Glorious Gardens

From Above 3:45pm Who Do You Think You Are? 4:45pm Great British Railway

Journeys 5:15pm Human Planet 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Richard Osman’s

House of Games 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm This Farming Life 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm Only Connect 10:00pm Gardeners’ World 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Dragons’ Den

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Teach My Pet to Do That 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Cold Feet 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm Tonight at the

London Palladium

7:00am Countdown 7:45am King of Queens 8:10am King of Queens 8:35am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:25am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:55am Frasier 10:25am Formula 1 Singapore

Grand Prix Practice 1 Live 12:05pm Coast v Country 1:05pm Channel 4 News 1:10pm A Place in the Sun 1:40pm Countdown 2:25pm Formula 1 Singapore

Grand Prix Practice 2 Live 4:05pm Cheap Cheap Cheap 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Crystal Maze 10:00pm Gogglebox 11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats

Does Countdown 12:05am Married to a Celebrity:

The Survival Guide

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!

1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm The Mentalist 4:15pm Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Secrets of the National Trust

with Alan Titchmarsh 9:00pm Celebrity Five Go

Motorhoming 10:00pm Cruising with Jane McDonald 11:00pm Maurice Gibb:

In Life and Death 12:05am The Greatest Ever

Pop Families

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Coach Trip 8:00am Made in Chelsea 9:00am Melissa and Joey 9:30am Melissa and Joey 10:00am 2 Broke Girls 10:30am 2 Broke Girls 11:00am Baby Daddy 11:30am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 12:30pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm 2 Broke Girls 5:30pm 2 Broke Girls 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Coach Trip 9:00pm Mirror Mirror 11:00pm Celebs Go Dating 12:05am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Hawaii Five-0 8:00am Hawaii Five-0 9:00am Monkey Life 9:30am Monkey Life 10:00am The Dog Whisperer 11:00am Nothing to Declare 11:30am Border Security 12:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00pm Hawaii Five-0 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm Supergirl 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm Futurama 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm Zoo 11:00pm The Force: North East 12:00am Ross Kemp

CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:00am Childrens TV 11:55am Animals Make You

Laugh Out Loud 2 12:20pm Columbo: Grand Deceptions 2:15pm Columbo: Murder, Smoke

and Shadows 4:10pm Nightmare Tenants,

Slum Landlords 5:10pm The Nightmare Neighbour

Next Door 6:10pm The Nightmare Neighbour

Next Door 7:05pm Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!

8:00pm Can’t Pay Special:

Big Family Bust-Up 9:00pm The Great Fire: In Real Time 9:55pm 5 News Weekend 10:00pm Football on 5 11:00pm Football on 5 11:30pm The NCIS Movie: Legend 1:05am Cricket on 5

7:00am Couples Come Dine with Me 7:50am Couples Come Dine with Me 8:50am Coach Trip 9:25am Coach Trip 9:55am Coach Trip 10:25am Coach Trip 10:55am Coach Trip 11:30am Robots 1:15pm Rude(Ish) Tube Shorts 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Goldbergs 2:30pm The Goldbergs 3:00pm Streetmate 3:30pm Streetmate 4:00pm Don’t Tell the Bride 5:00pm The Great British Bake Off 6:15pm The Great British Bake Off:

An Extra Slice 7:05pm The Big Bang Theory 7:35pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:35pm The Big Bang Theory 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Bad Teacher 11:50pm Naked Attraction 12:55am Celebs Go Dating

7:00am Ashley Banjo 8:00am Modern Family 8:30am Modern Family 9:00am F1 Show 9:30am Soccer Am Best Bits 10:00am Premier League

Prediction Show 10:30am Premier League

Preview Show 11:00am Soccer A.M. 12:30pm The Next Jamie Vardy 1:30pm What’s Up TV 2:00pm Funniest Moments 3:00pm Gillette Soccer Saturday 6:15pm Barclays Premier League 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm Modern Family 8:00pm Modern Family 8:30pm Modern Family 9:00pm A League of Their Own 10:00pm Stella 11:00pm Green Zone 1:15am Hawaii Five-0

SATURDAY BBC1

BBC2

7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm The Hairy Bikers’

Comfort Food 1:00pm Football Focus 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm PDC Champions League

of Darts 5:30pm Final Score 6:25pm BBC News 6:35pm BBC London News 6:40pm Len Goodman’s

Partners in Rhyme 7:10pm Pointless 8:00pm Even Better Than

the Real Thing 9:00pm Who Dares Wins 9:45pm Casualty 10:35pm Mrs. Brown’s Boys 11:05pm BBC News 11:25pm Match of the Day 12:55am People Just Do Nothing

7:00am The NFL Show 7:30am How We Won the War 8:00am My Favourite Wife 9:25am Talking Pictures 10:05am Hotel Reserve 11:30am Railways of the Great War with Michael Portillo

12:00pm Coast 1:00pm Len and Ainsley’s

Big Food Adventure 1:45pm Triathlon World Series Grand

Final: Rotterdam 6:15pm The Big Family

Cooking Showdown 7:15pm Dad’s Army 7:45pm PDC Champions League

of Darts 11:15pm The A-Z of Later...

with Jools Holland:

From Adele to ZZ Top 12:45am The White Countess

ITV1 7:00am Sooty 7:10am Grizzly Tales for

Gruesome Kids 7:35am Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures 8:00am Mission Employable 8:05am Oddbods 8:10am The Oddbods Show 8:20am Super 4 8:30am Scrambled!

8:35am The Tom and Jerry Show 8:50am Fangbone 9:10am The Powerpuff Girls 9:30am Star Wars:

The Yoda Chronicles 10:05am Adventure Time 10:25am Saturday Morning

with James Martin 12:20pm The Hungry Sailors 1:20pm ITV News 1:25pm The X Factor 2:30pm ITV Racing:

Live from Doncaster 5:00pm Bean 6:35pm ITV News London 6:45pm ITV News 7:00pm The Family Chase 8:00pm Cannonball!

9:00pm The X Factor 10:15pm The Jonathan Ross Show 11:20pm ITV News 11:35pm The Nutty Professor

CHANNEL 4 7:10am Motorsport 7:40am Triathlon 8:05am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:30am The Big Bang Theory 11:00am The Big Bang Theory 11:25am The Big Bang Theory 11:55am Formula 1 Singapore

Practice 3 Live 1:25pm F1 Meets... Jackie Stewart 1:55pm Formula 1 Singapore

Grand Prix Qualifying Live 4:45pm World’s Most Expensive Cars 5:45pm A Place in the Sun 6:35pm Location, Location, Location 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Dunkirk 9:00pm WWII’s Great Escapes 10:00pm Super 8 12:20am The Mortal Instruments:

City of Bones

Eamonn What to watch... and Ruth:

Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix Live Sunday, Channel 4, 1.35pm

Join Steve Jones, David Coulthard, Mark Webber and Eddie Jordan as they present live coverage from the Singapore Grand Prix.

Doc Martin

Wednesday, ITV1, 10pm

Martin Clunes stars as the grumpy GP in the picturesque village of Portwenn in Cornwall.

Seven Year Itch Thursday, Channel 5, 11pm

Eamonn and Ruth investigate different ways to add some zing back into a relationship.

31

SUNDAY BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:00am Breakfast 8:30am Match of the Day 10:00am The Andrew Marr Show 11:00am Sunday Morning Live 12:00pm Sunday Politics 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm Fake or Fortune?

3:15pm Money for Nothing 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Points of View 5:00pm Songs of Praise 5:35pm How to Stay Young 6:35pm Invictus:

Battle to the Start Line 7:35pm BBC News 7:50pm BBC London News 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Fake or Fortune?

10:00pm Strike 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm Match of the Day 2 12:30am Fugitives

7:05am Great British Garden Revival

7:35am Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures 8:00am Mission Employable 8:05am Oddbods 8:10am The Oddbods Show 8:20am Super 4 8:30am Scrambled!

8:35am The Tom and Jerry Show 8:50am Mr. Bean 9:10am Ben 10 9:30am Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!

Mystery 101 10:05am Adventure Time 10:25am ITV News 10:30am James Martin’s

French Adventure 10:55am Problem Child 12:30pm Robson Green’s Coastal Lives 1:30pm ITV News 1:40pm Bear Grylls Survival School 2:10pm Catchphrase 2:50pm The X Factor 4:00pm Never Say Never Again 6:35pm Victoria 7:35pm ITV News London 7:45pm ITV News 8:00pm Tipping Point 9:00pm The X Factor 10:00pm Victoria 11:05pm ITV News 11:20pm Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories 12:20am Liar

6:55am Last Man Standing 7:20am Last Man Standing 7:40am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:05am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Frasier 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Sunday Brunch 1:00pm Formula 1 1:35pm Formula 1 Singapore

Grand Prix Live 4:10pm Formula 1 5:15pm The Crystal Maze 6:15pm The Great British Bake Off 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Amazing Spaces:

Shed of the Year 9:00pm Speed with Guy Martin 10:00pm Electric Dreams 11:10pm Lee Mack 12:05am Slumdog Millionaire

7:00am Childrens TV

7:00am Kevin Can Wait 7:25am Couples Come Dine with Me 8:20am Couples Come Dine with Me 9:25am Hollyoaks Omnibus 12:00pm Don’t Tell the Bride 1:00pm Streetmate 1:30pm My Hotter Half 2:05pm My Hotter Half 2:40pm Confessions of a Teenage

Drama Queen 4:25pm The Goldbergs 5:00pm The Goldbergs 5:30pm The Goldbergs 6:00pm The Big Bang Theory 6:30pm The Big Bang Theory 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:30pm The Big Bang Theory 9:00pm Home Alone 11:00pm Naked Attraction 12:05am Gogglebox

7:00am The Hour of Power 8:00am Duck Quacks Don’t Echo 8:30am Futurama 9:00am Futurama 9:30am Futurama 10:00am Futurama 10:30am Futurama 11:00am WWE Raw 12:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Duck Quacks Don’t Echo 10:00pm The Last Ship 11:00pm The Force: North East 12:00am Zoo

8:05am Gardeners’ World 9:05am The Beechgrove Garden 9:35am Countryfile 10:30am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:00pm Lorraine’s Fast,

Fresh and Easy Food

12:30pm My Life on a Plate 1:15pm MOTD2 Extra 2:00pm PDC Champions League

of Darts

5:30pm Tribes, Predators and Me 6:30pm Top Gear 7:30pm PDC Champions League

of Darts

11:00pm Risk 12:25am The Devil’s Double

11:40am Football on 5 12:30pm Football on 5 1:00pm Police Interceptors 2:00pm Police Interceptors 3:00pm Police Interceptors 4:00pm Open Season 5:45pm Annie 6:45pm 5 News 6:50pm Annie 8:05pm Before They Were Stars 9:00pm Aviva Premiership

Rugby Highlights

9:55pm 5 News Weekend 10:00pm How Magic Changed TV 12:05am When Magic Goes

Horribly Wrong

MONDAY BBC1 7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Fake Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Dom on the Spot 12:45pm Thief Trackers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm The Boss 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Garden Rescue 5:30pm Celebrity Money for Nothing 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Rellik 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Professor Green:

Is it Time to Legalise Weed?

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am Council House Crackdown 8:15am Garden Rescue 9:00am The Big Family

Cooking Showdown 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm For What It’s Worth 2:45pm £100k House:

Tricks of the Trade 3:45pm Who Do You Think You Are? 4:45pm Great British Railway

Journeys 5:15pm Human Planet 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Richard Osman’s

House of Games 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Upstart Crow 10:00pm Horizon 11:00pm W1A 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am The Search for a New Earth

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Countrywise 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Liar 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm 100 Year Old Driving School 12:45am The Jonathan Ross Show

7:00am Countdown 7:45am King of Queens 8:10am King of Queens 8:35am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay’s Kitchen

Nightmares USA 12:00pm Coast v Country 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm French Collection 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Cheap Cheap Cheap 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Jamie’s Quick and Easy Food 9:30pm Superfoods: The Real Story 10:00pm The Undateables 11:00pm First Dates 12:05am The Wedding Day

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!

1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm The Mentalist 4:15pm Seduced by Lies 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm FIA World Rally

Championship 9:00pm Police Interceptors 10:00pm Paddington Station 24/7 11:00pm Caught in the Act:

Dumb Builders 12:05am Drive Angry

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Coach Trip 8:00am Made in Chelsea 9:00am Melissa and Joey 10:00am 2 Broke Girls 11:00am Baby Daddy 11:30am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 12:30pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm 2 Broke Girls 5:30pm 2 Broke Girls 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm All Star Driving School 9:00pm Mirror Mirror 11:00pm Celebs Go Dating 12:05am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Hawaii Five-0 8:00am Road Wars 9:00am Monkey Life 9:30am Monkey Life 10:00am The Dog Whisperer 11:00am It’s Me or the Dog 12:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00pm Hawaii Five-0 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm Supergirl 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm Futurama 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm Wanted 12:10am Karl Pilkington:

The Moaning of Life

TUESDAY BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Fake Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Dom on the Spot 12:45pm Thief Trackers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm The Boss 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Garden Rescue 5:30pm Celebrity Money for Nothing 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Doctor Foster 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Panorama 12:30am Ambulance

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am Fake Britain 8:15am Garden Rescue 9:00am Fake or Fortune?

10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm The Super League Show 2:45pm For What It’s Worth 3:30pm The Daily Politics 4:30pm Hairy Bakers 4:45pm Great British Railway

Journeys 5:15pm Human Planet 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Richard Osman’s

House of Games 7:30pm Match of the Day Live 10:00pm Saving Lives at Sea 11:00pm Quacks 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am NFL

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Save Money 9:00pm Robson Green’s

Coastal Lives 9:30pm Call the Cleaners 10:00pm 100 Year Old Driving

School 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:40pm Safe House

7:00am Countdown 7:45am King of Queens 8:10am King of Queens 8:35am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay’s Kitchen

Nightmares USA 12:00pm Coast v Country 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm French Collection 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Cheap Cheap Cheap 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Great British Bake Off 10:15pm Celebrity Island

with Bear Grylls 11:20pm Gogglebox 12:25am Britain’s Benefit Tenants

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can’t Pay?

We’ll Take it Away!

1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm The Mentalist 4:15pm Garage Sale Mystery:

The Deadly Room 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Tony Robinson:

Coast to Coast 9:00pm The Dog Rescuers

with Alan Davies 10:00pm Alaska: A Year in the Wild 11:00pm The Hotel Inspector:

Checking in, Checking Out 12:05am Cruising with

Jane McDonald

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Rude(Ish) Tube 8:00am Made in Chelsea 9:00am Melissa and Joey 10:00am 2 Broke Girls 11:00am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 12:30pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm 2 Broke Girls 5:30pm 2 Broke Girls 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm All Star Driving School 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Tattoo Fixers 11:00pm Celebs Go Dating 12:10am My Hotter Half

7:00am Road Wars 8:00am Road Wars 9:00am Monkey Life 9:30am Monkey Life 10:00am The Dog Whisperer 11:00am It’s Me or the Dog 12:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00pm Hawaii Five-0 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm Supergirl 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm Futurama 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm A League of Their Own 10:00pm Micky Flanagan 11:00pm A League of Their Own:

US Road Trip 12:00am The Last Ship

32

wednesday CHANNEL 4

BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Fake Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Dom on the Spot 12:45pm Thief Trackers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm The Boss 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Garden Rescue 5:30pm Celebrity Money for Nothing 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Rip Off Britain 9:00pm Celebrity MasterChef 10:00pm How to Stay Young 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm A Question of Sport 12:15am Live From the BBC

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am Fake Britain 8:15am Garden Rescue 9:00am World’s Busiest Cities 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Coast 2:30pm £100k House:

Tricks of the Trade 3:30pm Cycling 5:45pm Great British Railway

Journeys 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Richard Osman’s

House of Games 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm This Farming Life 9:00pm World’s Busiest Cities 10:00pm The Detectives 11:00pm Famalam 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Giselle

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:25pm Party Political Broadcast

by the Liberal Democrats 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Bad Move 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Doc Martin 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:40pm Paragon 12:35am Goodwood Revival

BBC1

BBC2

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Fake Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Dom on the Spot 12:45pm Thief Trackers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 1:38pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm The Boss 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Garden Rescue 5:30pm Celebrity Money for Nothing 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Without Limits: Vietnam 10:00pm Ambulance 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Question Time 12:45am This Week

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am Fake Britain 8:15am Garden Rescue 9:00am Nadiya’s British Food

Adventure 9:30am Great British Menu 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm For What It’s Worth 2:45pm £100k House:

Tricks of the Trade 3:45pm Who Do You Think You Are? 4:45pm Great British Railway

Journeys 5:15pm Human Planet 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Richard Osman’s

House of Games 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm This Farming Life 9:00pm The Big Family Cooking

Showdown 10:00pm Tribes, Predators and Me 11:00pm The Premier League Show 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am The Detectives

CHANNEL 5

7:00am Countdown 7:45am King of Queens 8:10am King of Queens 8:35am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay’s Kitchen

Nightmares USA 12:00pm Coast v Country 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm French Collection 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Cheap Cheap Cheap 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Location, Location, Location 10:00pm Grand Designs 11:00pm Back 11:35pm Fugitives 12:35am Educating Greater

Manchester

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!

1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:20pm The Mentalist 4:15pm My Mother’s Secret 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Nightmare Neighbour

Next Door 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!

11:00pm Undercover Benefits Cheat 11:35pm Football on 5 1:05am Caught in the Act:

Dumb Builders

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm The Jewel Raiders: Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm James Martin’s

French Adventure 10:00pm Safe House 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:40pm Sports Life Stories 12:40am Bear Grylls: Mission Survive

7:00am Countdown 7:45am King of Queens 8:10am King of Queens 8:35am King of Queens 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay’s Kitchen

Nightmares USA 12:00pm Coast v Country 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm French Collection 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Cheap Cheap Cheap 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Supervet 10:00pm Educating Greater

Manchester 11:00pm The Great British Bake Off:

An Extra Slice 11:50pm The Undateables 12:55am Gogglebox

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!

1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm The Mentalist 4:15pm My Husband is Missing 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm Nightmare Tenants,

Slum Landlords 10:00pm Gypsy Kids: Our Secret World 11:00pm Eamonn and Ruth:

Seven Year Itch 12:05am Celebrity Five

Go Motorhoming

E4

SKY1

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Rude(Ish) Tube 8:00am Made in Chelsea 9:00am Melissa and Joey 10:00am 2 Broke Girls 11:00am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm 2 Broke Girls 5:30pm 2 Broke Girls 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm All Star Driving School 9:00pm My Hotter Half 9:35pm My Hotter Half 10:00pm Don’t Tell the Bride 11:00pm Celebs Go Dating 12:10am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Hawaii Five-0 8:00am Hawaii Five-0 9:00am Monkey Life 9:30am Monkey Life 10:00am The Dog Whisperer 11:00am It’s Me or the Dog 12:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00pm Hawaii Five-0 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm Supergirl 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm Futurama 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Freddie Down Under 10:00pm Stella 11:00pm Colony 12:00am Air Ambulance

thursday

What cheek!

AMBER DOWDING, the stunning star of The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE), has been pictured flashing her bottom at a party in Marbella.

The 24-year-old reality TV star went knicker-free in a white, Grecian-style dress while filming for the hit show. The blonde beauty showed plenty of leg in the floor length gown which was slashed up the side to the waist. With gold glitter on her legs and side, the star was photographed kissing on-again, off-again boyfriend, Chris Clark, aged 23.

Also enjoying the pool party was 23-year-old costar Yazmin Oukhellou. The brunette wowed in a gold cut-out bikini as she snuggled up to boyfriend James Lock, aged 30. Yazmin jetted into Marbella Airport last month to film scenes for the show following corrective surgery to her nose in Turkey in July after an accident left her with a “small bump.”

E4

Sky1

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Rude(Ish) Tube 8:00am Charmed 9:00am Melissa and Joey 10:00am 2 Broke Girls 11:00am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm 2 Broke Girls 5:30pm 2 Broke Girls 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm All Star Driving School 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm Kevin Can Wait 10:00pm Body Fixers 11:00pm Celebs Go Dating 12:00am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Hawaii Five-0 8:00am Road Wars 9:00am Monkey Life 9:30am Monkey Life 10:00am The Dog Whisperer 11:00am It’s Me or the Dog 12:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00pm Hawaii Five-0 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 4:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm Futurama 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Duck Quacks Don’t Echo 10:00pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm The Russell Howard Hour 12:00am Freddie Fries

Rooney girl enjoys the sun WAYNE ROONEY’S “kiss and cuddle” girl, Laura Simpson, has been photographed in Marbella.

The 29-year-old mother-of-one has fled the UK in the midst of a media storm to enjoy the Spanish sun. The former lettings agent was snapped strolling along a beach wearing a nude bandeau top and snakeskin bikini bottoms after insisting her night with the Everton footballer was just “harmless fun.”

The Everton player, aged 31, is said to have flirted with Miss Simpson at a pub in Cheshire before drunkenly driving her car home. The fatherof-three was then reportedly pulled over by police at around 2am for having a missing brake light before being

breathalysed and arrested.

Rooney’s 31-year-old wife, who is pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, was enjoying time away in the sun with her three sons when the news broke. The fashion designer reportedly cut her holiday short, taking a private jet home to confront her husband.

Now back in the UK, Colleen is said to have left her €6 million marital home in Prestbury,

Cheshire, and moved into her parents’ house in Liverpool. She has since been photographed without her wedding ring and, according to media reports, Wayne now faces losing half of his €80 million fortune if Colleen now files for divorce.

33

Life

Photo credit: www.rhondarosskendrick.com

A tremendous singer in her own right

By Michael Cano OFTEN children of famous people bask in their limelight and obtain second hand celebrity status but this is not the case of Rhonda Ross, daughter of soul diva Diana Ross.

Diana had entered into a relationship with the Berry Gordy boss of Tamla Motown and was pregnant with Rhonda her first child when she married another music executive

Robert Silberstein who chose to raise Rhonda as his own.

Not content to simply live her life as the daughter of a superstar she became an actress, appearing in a number of films and US TV programmes, being nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award.

After spending some years running a real estate company and marrying jazz musician Rodney Kendrick, she

gravitated naturally to music and actually opened for her mother’s In the Name of Love tour in 2013.

Rhonda released her first album In Case You Didn’t Know in 2016 and as part of a European tour which has taken her with her husband to France, Germany and Switzerland, the pair will be playing for the first time at the Jimmy Glass Jazz Bar in Sevilla as part of its 25th Anniversary Celebrations on

Tuesday September 26.

She will be supported by a quartet consisting of husband Rodney playing piano as well as established musicians on saxophone, double bass and drums.

This is an opportunity for lovers of jazz and sweet vocals to make the relatively short journey to see a sensational singer and tight band making a very rare performance in Spain.

34

what’s on

Everyone’s favourite 1980’s songs

By Michael Cano TWO West End producers Vikki HollandBowyer and Greg Stevenson are visiting the Costa del Sol to discuss bringing their Abba Reunion and Carpenters shows to Spain.

This duo is responsible for the 80’s Mania show which has been touring the UK for nine years and pays tribute to no less than 28 different artists with Vicki and Greg being supported by an ensemble of musicians and dancers.

As voice impersonators, the pair front the show, singing in the style of many of the artists who found fame in the 1980s with Vikki singing some of the greatest hits from such artists as Cyndi Lauper, Alison Moyet, Nena and Kim Wilde whilst Greg is known for his covers of Adam Ant, the J Geils Band, Duran Duran and Tony Hadley.

The main show sees a number of high performance dance numbers, with a full light show and many costume changes but the couple often perform a scaled down version of 80s Mania as the 80s Reunion Disco Party and they will be appearing in three venues along the Costa next week.

They have their own specially recorded backing tracks (they aren’t karaoke artists) and will dress the part, although there won’t be as many costume changes as they would undertake in the main show.

Audiences are encouraged to dress in

80s style whilst the duo performs some 25 different numbers and they certainly hope that there will be plenty of couples making it on to the dance floor to bop along to the music.

For details of their performances please visit www.costadeldisco.com.

Changing names AFTER six years performing as the ParaSol Singers, the Estepona and Manilva based choir has changed its name to CantoLibre.

The new name means Free Singing in Spanish and “reflects the choir’s spirit and repertoire,” according to the group which will now be performing a range of music from classical to pop, as well as Christmas songs in both English and Spanish.

The choir has performed at many local venues and says it “is pleased to share our love of singing with, and contribute to, the local community.” The group are now rehearsing our repertoire for

their coming series of Christmas 2017 concerts.

Although the choir’s common language is English, they have many nationalities in the group and say they always welcome new members, explaining, “the only requirements are enthusiasm for singing and a commitment to regular rehearsals.

Ability to read music is not required.”

The group rehearse on Wednesday evenings at a venue between Sabinillas and Estepona. For more information please email mikeandjackiej@btinternet.com or call 692 558 041.

A message from Diabetic Support Group Dear Friends, THIS year we are promoting Diabetes Awareness, and we invite you to any of our meetings so that you can become familiar with ways to keep clear of this condition, or learn how to easily live with it.

After a very hot summer and an even hotter September it will be a relief when it gets cooler!

Now we are back in full force from Friday September 29 at Hogar del Jubilado, C/ Blanca Paloma 4, Fuengirola running from10.30 am to about 1pm.

I do hope you will try to come along to the meeting

as it is only by coming to the meetings that you can either help new members or discuss your condition with like-minded people.

One of our members Mercy is a retired nurse and she is happy to do the HBA1c whenever she is there and when Finola cannot attend.

This month we hope to have another interesting speaker for you and also an update on work which Diabetes UK has been doing.

During November we have World Diabetes Day. To mark this event we hope to organise a few things to make the public

aware of diabetes and to also possibly organise a short educational course with guest speakers.

This will consist of one or two days and I would be grateful if you could let me know if you are interested in attending.

The venue will be in the Mijas Costa - Fuengirola area. We hope we may be able to get a few sponsors to cover our costs and enable us to offer it to our members at a very keen price.

Anne Bowles annediabetics@gmail.com Mobile: +34 607 879 450 lacaladiabeticsupportgroup. com

36

Last Weeks Solutions on page 44

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 3 represents Q and 23 represents X, so fill in Q every time the figure 3 appears and X every time the figure 23 appears.

Now using your knowledge of the English language work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Code Breaker

Horoscopes and Puzzles

Kenny’s Mystical Postbag Kenny, I am getting strange feelings in my home. It is a new build so it can’t have any ghosts of the past, but the energies do seem to be changing all around me!

Carmen P.D. Carmen, you can experience the energies of the past even in a newly built home. It depends greatly on what was on the land before your home was built. You are probably also tuning into energies that you were unable to access before. This suggests that your own powers of perception are also increasing. It may help to wash the floors of the house with a bunch of fresh mint steeped into a bucket of cold water overnight.

Sprinkle a line of salt across all entrances of the home too. Walk barefoot and declare that this is your home and that nothing is going to change that! Then let me know how you do, and I will give you further instructions should they be needed!

If It’s Your Birthday This Week Time was when you were unable to see clearly your way ahead. Now things are getting better, it is time to allow fate to see you safely through an Astrological year of change and re-adjustment.

Mercury comes to the rescue this week, as spreading the word really does help things along. Conjuncting with Mars at the start of a busy week, Mercury inspires you with the skill of saying the right thing at the right time; thus making everybody happy and relieving you of some of the onus of responsibility too!

Favourable aspects of both Saturn and Neptune bring a new aspect to the Venus sextile of Jupiter this week. Generally bringing good fortune, ease and comfort to the table, you are in the right frame of mind to evaluate the current situation and make magic, as you are so enabled to do. Making a difference to others is high on the agenda!

Somebody appears to have lost the plot.

They are certainly not supporting you this time around, or appreciating that you have gone out on a limb just to smooth things over. You are in an ebullient mood, and nothing should be raining on your parade; but at least now you know exactly just who your real friends really are!

Call it telepathy, but this week you finally hear a message that is being sent to you subtly, and yet you receive it loud and clear. Others are somewhat afraid of asking you something directly, as a straitforward approach would always be your preference. See if you can kill two birds with one stone right now, and have an end of all this!

Venus enters this week. Love is all around and especially in your acts of good intention, which serve to have an influential effect just where they are needed right now. Making the difference and lending your support embraces all the positive actions that you generally do so well, whilst highlighting whatever now needs to come next.

Congratulations for having a stab at what you have to deal with right now. This is a time to get your life back in order, especially since for you there are some new openings out there in the horizon. You are very much a creature of habit, just that the same old, same old, is what is really preventing you from moving on right now.

Mercury is in opposition to Neptune this week. You are sorely tempted to spill the beans, because what you know and keep secret, greatly affects somebody you have developed much respect for. Hard to keep silent, but do you really want to be the bearer of bad news? Sadly, you won’t get any thanks if you stick your neck out right now.

Ceres squares up to Uranus this week, thus expanding the need for innovation and change within your own personal parameters. Ceres sets the standard and emphasises subtly the timetable involved in this call for change. Uranus remains in place to see that you take on that which you now need to do, regardless of your past.

It seems that you take a step forward and then a couple of steps back. Progress is what is needed and it is painfully slow. Emphasise your priorities this week and start to ask for just what it is you really need right now.

Times have changed, you have changed, but until you see things differently there will be a few hurdles to jump over!

The Full Corn Moon is imminent, and it is time to harvest that which you have sown and nurtured. This week, however, centres on the New Moon which heralds a week of activity and preparation. The entry of Venus brings a fresh outlook on life in general, and is the spur that sees you tackling domestic issues hands on, with tenderness.

The conjunction with Mars sees you leaping to defend, as ever protecting those who have problems supporting themselves.

Mercury spreads the message, very strongly, that you are determined this time, and not to be messed with; not now that you have a bee in your bonnet, and there is work to do.

You get the backing you need too.

Neptune is overshadowed by the current Mercury opposition, and yet this Cosmic process has led to you taking stock, as you are inching towards the many changes that need to come to bring you some much needed peace of mind. Something you dread will not be as bad as it seems when it comes to it, and may just work for you!

Cryptic Crossword

37 ACROSS

DOWN

1 Stone encountered in hasty scramble (8)

2 Child caught on a Spanish island (7)

6 Scrooge’s comment before a holiday starts?

3 Subject of article — Simeon’s heart (5)

(3)

4 Cathy’s new boats (6)

9 Musical heroine joining Laurie in a song (5)

5 Deposit collected for a cut of meat (7)

10 Old murderer holding suitable officer (7) 11 Present flower (7) 12 Roman date to take in Caesar’s second thoughts (5) 13 Worthless attempt to hug tree (6) 15 Sex object in Germany briefly (6) 19 Expert in garden centre didn’t linger (5)

6 Support for a couple (5) 7 Crew members from Yarmouth and Sheringham (5) 8 Lucky charm Mark found on racecourse (6) 14 Fish a theologian steeped in wine (7) 16 Conceive, having new pram due (5,2)

21 Right animals? Wrong’uns! (7)

17 Journey to get quarters in lodge (6)

23 Escape trouble during fight (4,3)

18 Nectar ordered for islander (6)

24 No crazy wanderer (5)

19 Artist’s club in African capital (5)

25 Boat from Portugal (3)

20 Many fish hold on (5)

26 Prize in college for flowers (8)

22 Garment cut in pieces (5)

Quick Crossword ACROSS 1 Hearsay (6) 4 Be present (6) 8 Go red (5) 9 South London cricket ground (3,4) 10 Sauce (7) 11 Nativity (5) 12 Dissimilar (9) 17 Tall building (5) 19 Breathe (7) 21 Omitted (4,3) 22 God-fearing (5) 23 Dead body (6) 24 Voice box (6)

Art Quiz 1 In 1914 Georges Braque painted his most famous piece “Man with a…”? Violin, Guitar, Piano, Drum 2 In 1929 Dali painted a picture entitled “The Engima of…..”? Desire, Persistence, Memory, Love 3 In 1929 Robert Delaunay painted “Triomphe De….? Paris, Cannes, Berlin, Nantes 4 In 1939 Marc Chagall produced a painting based on which Shakespeare play? Romeo and Juliet, Merchant of Venice, A Midsummers Nights Dream, Tale of Two Cities 5 In the name of LS Lowry what does the S stand for? Simon, Samuel, Stanley, Stephen 6 In the name of the art group COBRA, which of the following cities is not mentioned? Copenhagen, Brussels, Oslo, Amsterdam 7 In the name of the painter MC Esher, what does the C stand for? Corningstone, Cornvert, Cornelis, Cornelius 8 In what century did Ford Maddox Brown live? 20th, 17th, 18th, 19th 9 In what country was Ford Maddox Brown born? England, France, America, Italy 10 In what country was Francisco Goya born? Italy, Spain, Germany, France

DOWN 1 Reprimand (6) 2 On horseback (7) 3 Yes, slangily (2-3) 5 Quiver (7) 6 Young eel (5) 7 Oracle site (6) 9 Highly confidential (3,6) 13 Extremely angry (7) 14 Story in three parts (7) 15 Sloping script (6) 16 Thomas Hardy country (6) 18 Thin crisp biscuit (5) 20 Brown pigment (5)

Word Wheel

There is 1x9 letter word and 88 others!

Make as many 3 or more letter words as you can using any letter combination just once and you must use the central letter in every word!

Fill the grid so every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9

38

advertising feature

Optica Machin

A new era of Transition lenses Light- adaptive lenses – also known as photochromics – are entering a brand new era. Whilst fashion now dictates brighter coloured frames with colourful lenses, Transitions Optical, the makers of the most famous light-adaptive lenses, have launched a new collection of styledriven colours for those demanding a new, stylish and sophisticated final product.

Two new Transition products were launched in May this year. Firstly the new Style Colours lenses, which are available in Sapphire, Amber, Emerald and Amethyst.

They darken to produce statement tones that will enhance both a matching frame colour or provide a very stylish dramatic contrast.

Worn indoors the experience is that of wearing normal glasses, with a clear, high-quality lens. The tone changes quickly outside providing immediate UV protection

with the trendy tinted coloration, chic and comfortable to wear whether gently faded (a popular look for summer) or at their darkest when the glasses transform ‘magically’ into shades.

Secondly Transitions Extractive Flash to Mirror lenses, a combination of Transitions technology and a mirror finish. Style comfort and visual protection, which allows you to follow the fashion trend and look after your eyes.

Indoors they have a slight tint and once outside change to a mirrored sunglass lens.

Available in a variety of colours, the choices are endless.

To launch these new lenses, we are including them in our LOVE YOUR EYES Summer offer which is only running until 30th September 2017.

This gives 25% off all complete prescription sunglasses when you purchase

a frame of 99€ or more. (excluding other offers).

For more information or to book an appointment contact us at info@opticamachin.com, by phone on 952 80 68 13, or pop in to discuss the options with us.

13-year-old girl saves EIGHT lives donating organs

A TEENAGER who died from a brain aneurysm has helped a record number of people, including five children, through organ donation.

Jemima Layzell, who died aged 13 in 2012, donated her heart, pancreas, lungs, small bowel and liver.

That meant Jemima - of Somerset in the UK - helped eight people.

Her unique status has only just been recognised after NHS Blood & Transplant checked historical donor records for Organ Donation Week 2017.

Jemima’s parents said she was clever, compassionate and creative – and would’ve been very proud of her legacy.

Sophy and Harvey Layzell said they knew Jemima was willing to be a donor because they had spoken about it a couple of weeks before her death, after someone they knew had died.

Jemima’s heart, small bowel and pancreas were transplanted into three different people – and two people received her kidneys.

Her liver was split and transplanted into a further two people and both her lungs were

transplanted into one patient.

NHS Blood & Transplant said no other donor had helped as many people - normally, a donation results in 2.6 transplants and eight was very unusual.

Sophy and Harvey are now encouraging parents to talk about organ donation.

“Every parent’s instinct is to say no, as we are programmed to protect out child. It’s only with prior knowledge of Jemima’s agreement that we could say yes. Jemima was lovely – clever, funny, compassionate and creative – and we feel sure she would be very proud of her legacy.”

Sophy, Harvey and Jemima’s sister Amelia run The Jemima Layzell Trust, which helps young people with brain injuries and promotes organ donation.

NHS Blood & Transplant said hundreds of people are still dying unnecessarily while waiting for a transplant as too many families say no.

The organisation said that last year 457 people died waiting for a transplant, including 14 children.

There are currently 6,414 people on the transplant waiting list.

Beauty tip

Fixing a broken nail with a tea bag Nothing ruins a manicure like a weak or chipped nail. At last, those days are over because there's an oh-so-simple trick to fix that pesky nail tear in a snap.

Here's what you need: a tea bag, tweezers, scissors, clear nail polish, and a nail buffer.

1. After thoroughly cleaning your hands and removing any polish from your nails, cut a small piece off of the tea bag, making sure it's big enough to cover your nail.

2. After you've gotten the size just right, apply a coat of clear nail polish, and—with nails still wet—use tweezers to apply the tea bag patch onto the brittle nail. In seconds, you'll notice the tea bag is already barely noticeable.

3. Next, apply a second coat of clear polish and give it a few minutes to dry.

4. As a last step, buff the nail to smooth the surface. At this point, you shouldn't be able to see or feel the tea bag and your nails are ready for a coat of polish.

39

health

Big breakfasts help weight loss

How can I protect my sight?

Photo credit: Wikimedia

One thing many people do is skip breakfast in order to lower calorie intake.

While this may seem like a good idea to lose weight, research proves otherwise.

In fact, eating a big breakfast followed by smaller meals throughout the day is the best method for weight loss.

A new study in The Journal of Nutrition investigated the relation between meal frequency and timing and changes in body mass index (BMI).

The study found that "eating less frequently, no snacking, consuming breakfast and eating the largest meal in the morning may be effective methods for preventing long-term weight gain."

Ask the Optician

IMPORTANT: Perhaps not such a big meal to begin the day...

“When you eat your meal matters," says Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner. "The best way to eat for energy and weight is to eat a big breakfast, smaller lunch and light dinner because it mimics our days' activities."

Blatner explains that people are typically most active in the beginning of the day and so need the most fuel then.

They slow down as the day progresses, and by dinnertime they need less fuel.

"But it’s not just about eating anything in the morning," she cautions.

"It’s important to pick nutrient-dense foods to fuel your day right."

Height, waist and prostate risks A NEW study suggest that the larger a man, the greater his risk of getting and dying from aggressive prostate cancer.

Researchers found that every additional 4 inches of height increased a man’s chances of being diagnosed with highrisk prostate cancer by 21 per cent, and their odds of dying from prostate cancer by 17 per cent.

The same held true regarding the size of a man’s waist. Every 4-inch increase in waist circumference increased the odds of developing aggressive prostate cancer by 13 per cent and the risk of dying from prostate cancer by 18 per cent.

“I definitely think these results encourage men to have a healthy weight, and to have more public health policies that prevent obesity,” said lead researcher Aurora Perez-Cornago, a nutritional epidemiologist with the Oxford University.

Perez-Cornago and her colleagues came to their conclusions based on data from nearly 142,000 men in eight European countries who participated in a largescale study of cancer and nutrition.

Among these men, just over 7,000 developed prostate cancer during an average 14 years of follow-up, including 728 diagnosed with aggressive cancer and 1,388 with advanced-stage cancer.

Of those diagnosed, 934 died from their cancer.

Previous studies have suggested a potential link between prostate cancer

and a man’s height or weight, but this is the first to assess whether those factors influence the risk of being diagnosed with either a slow-growing or aggressive cancer, Perez-Cornago said.

Height by itself was not linked to a man’s overall risk of developing prostate cancer, nor was it associated with risk of being diagnosed with low- or intermediategrade prostate cancer, researchers said.

However, height did influence a man’s risk of being diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and of dying from prostate cancer.

Similarly, body-mass index and waist circumference both were shown to directly predict risk of developing high-grade prostate cancer.

The study only found an association between height, weight and aggressive prostate cancer risk; it couldn’t prove a cause-and-effect link.

In this column we wanted to give six important pieces of advice on how to protect your sight, as this is one of the most important questions.

Get your eyes tested regularly – every year for children, over 70s and people with family history of eye complaints and every two years for those with no issues Eat a healthy diet – A diet full of the following foods has been shown to help reduce the occurrence of Age-related Macular Degeneration; chicken, saffron, dark green leafy vegetables, peppers, broccoli, pumpkin, yams, squash and sweet potatoes, apricots and citrus fruits, sardines and nuts.

Wear safety goggles when undertaking DIY - There are more than 20,000 eye accidents every year and some of these can result in blindness.

Protect your eyes from the sun - You should also protect your eyes from the sun with the right sunglasses. When buying sunglasses, always look out for the CE kite mark and ensure that your sunglasses are marked UV400. Cheaper glasses not bearing these marks will not provide adequate protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Know the signs – Being aware of the symptoms of these common conditions will help you identify them quickly.

Take action - Don’t delay in seeking professional help if you do notice any changes, the quicker any condition is identified the easier it is to treat.

Specsavers Opticas are raising money for the ONCE Foundation for the Deaf and Blind until the end of the year and asking for a donation of just 1€ for a comprehensive eye test. Visit www.specsavers.es to find your nearest store and book your eye test.

40

food & drink

Try these recipes to impress friends and family.

Fruited curry chicken salad This is a great starter to serve any time of the year.

Courgette lasagna A great twist on an Italian classic. s ient d e r f Ing d bee

n grou onion und er o p e 1 pp d pepp p cho een bell u c s t r o ½ g rr ed ca pped p cho ely chopp inced u c ½ p fin ic, m e ¼ cu oves garl ato sauc l m c o o 2 n t a n g a oz) c dried ore il 5 1 ( 1 on bas ried aspo 1/4ste on d ½ te o p s o t ta wise into a e r t e p ½ h ep lengt nd p salt a es, sliced s strip e gett hick cour s nch t age chee ium i d e 5m ott c n p e t u ese 1c , bea a che 1 egg ozzarell eese ch dm esan edde p shr ted Parm u c ¾ p gra ¼ cu

Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 1 hour

Ingredients 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cooked and diced 1 stalk celery, chopped ½ onion, chopped 1 small apple - peeled, cored and chopped 1/3 cup golden raisins 1/3 cup seedless green grapes, halved ½ cup chopped toasted pecans 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper ½ teaspoon curry powder ¾ cup mayonnaise

Directions

In a large salad bowl combine the chicken, celery, onion, apple, raisins, grapes, pecans, pepper, curry powder and mayonnaise. Mix all together, tossing to coat.

Salad is ready to serve!

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

2. In a frying pan over a medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly brown. Drain juices. Mix the onion, green bell pepper, carrots, garlic, and tomato sauce into the skillet. Season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

3. In the bottom of the prepared baking dish, layer half the courgette strips. In a bowl, beat together the cottage cheese and egg, and spread over the courgettes. Scoop half the beef mixture over the cottage cheese and egg mixture, and sprinkle with half the mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining courgettes, beef mixture, and mozzarella. Top with Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow to sit 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Rum bananas

Preparation time – 5 minutes Cooking time – 15 minutes Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, 2/3 cup dark brown sugar 3½ tablespoons rum 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3 bananas, peeled and sliced lengthwise and crosswise, ¼ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, 1 pint vanilla ice cream

Method

In a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar, rum, vanilla and cinnamon. When mixture begins to bubble, place bananas and walnuts in pan. Cook until bananas are hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve at once over vanilla ice cream.

41

home & garden

Bougainvilleas everywhere ALMOST every garden in Spain has one, and if you do in your garden how do you keep and care for it?

1. Water sparingly. Bougainvillea plants weaken with too much watering, ending up with all leaf growth in place of flowers. On the other hand, letting the soil dry out will cause the plant to get stressed out. Find a happy medium - water enough to keep the soil damp, but not so much that you leave the plant waterlogged.

It is important to let the top 2 to 3 inches of soil dry out before watering. To check, stick a finger into the soil up to your knuckle. If the soil is dry to this point, then it is time to water.

2. Fertilise regularly. Feed the plant a fertiliser every few months to keep the flowers blooming. Fertilising too frequently can cause the plant to grow quite vigorously, so if you find that it's getting too

large, cut back on fertiliser.

Most bougainvillea gardeners go with a 1:1:1 or a 2:1:2 fertiliser for regular fertilising, not the high-phosphate fertiliser used at planting. Organic or slow-release fertilisers work best. Be sure to fertilise at least once a year, at the beginning of spring, to help the season's growth get underway.

3. Prune the bougainvillea.

Bougainvillea plants are prolific growers and need good pruning to force blooming and retain a pretty shape. After the bougainvillea has finished blooming for the season, cut it back by a few inches. This will promote healthy growth in the spring. Wear gloves when pruning bougainvillea. Some people can get a skin rash from pruning bougainvillea,

similar to that from poison ivy.

This is caused by the sap, not the leaves or stems.

4. Train the bougainvillea.

Bougainvillea plants need support to cover a wall, fence, or other area. If you'd like the plant to grow in a certain vertical spot, you can hang rows of wire or string against the surface that you want covered.

Tuck the bougainvillea branches behind these guidance supports at regular intervals. Keep a close eye on growth and adjust as necessary until the bougainvillea starts covering the wall or other surface.

Refresh your rug You’ve accepted that autumn is upon us and have taken your rugs out of storage, it’s time to fluff them back up to their prime look. Brushing and vacuuming may be enough for barely flattened rugs, but deep dents need more attention. Try RTN’s vinegar and water remedy: 1. Spray the affected rug areas with vinegar and water. Mix equal parts of water and vinegar in a spray bottle. Make sure to cover the whole area with liquid, but don't saturate the rug so that it’s soaking wet.

2. Let the cleaner sit on the carpet for 10-30 minutes.

Give the mixture time to work on the fibres of the rug. Give it at least ten minutes, or wait about half an hour for deep impressions. Vinegar is often used as a cleaning solution, so the area you spray may end up cleaner than the rest of your rug.

3. Blot up the liquid with a towel. Grab a clean, white towel and gently press it into the wet rug. Blot the rug until the majority of the liquid has been soaked up. Don’t press too hard or you’ll flatten the rug out again.

4. Scrape the rug with the edge of a spoon. Hold a spoon so the edge is against the area of rug you’re fluffing. Pressing the spoon into the rug, scrape it across it in straight lines. This will cause the rug fibres to spring up straight again.

Allow the rug to dry before you walk or put anything on it.

A messy kitchen could be the reason you’re putting on weight Photo credit thestressedmom

Have you ever considered that neglecting your chores could be part of the reason why you’re putting on weight?

According to research, people with a messy kitchen consume more calories than those with a tidy one.

"The notion that places - such as cluttered offices or disorganized homes - can be modified to help us control our food intake is becoming an important solution in helping us become slimmer by design," said Brian Wansink of Cornell University about the study.

"It's important to know whether a food environment can actually cause you to, unknowingly, overeat," Wansink said.

Setting out to examine how clutter affects how much food people consume, researchers enlisted the help of 100 women. Next, they created two kitchens, one messy and one tidy.

"We brought 100 people into [the] kitchens — just one at a time," Wanskin said.

Each participant was given a writing task; some of the tasks were designed to make the women feel stressed and others to make them feel in control.

All of the women were given snacks (crackers, carrots and cookies) and

MOTIVATION: Does the research motivate you to do the dishes? told to eat as much as they want.

Participants who wrote about a time they felt out of control while in the messy kitchen ate twice as many cookies as the women in the tidy kitchen, however, there was no difference in consumption of the crackers and carrots.

Backing up the notion that our environment can affect how much we eat, Jane McCartney, a British psychologist says open plan kitchens aren’t doing people any favours either.

"Being able to close the door on food is useful," she told the British press.

Although renovating isn’t always an

option, Jane offers some advice.

"When you go into the kitchen to put the kettle on, then leave – don’t hang around waiting for it to boil – it’s danger time," she said.

"When you get up to stretch your legs and clear your head it can all too easily turn into a stroll to the biscuit tin."

42

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46

motoring

Fabialous Monte Carlo THE CITY of Monte Carlo has had a long association with motorsport, ever since the Monaco Grand Prix was founded in 1929 using the city streets as part of the challenging circuit.

A circuit that has seen some of Britain’s finest racing drivers clinching victory such as Graham Hill and more recently Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

Why am I talking about this famous French Formula One race? Because I happen to be behind the wheel of a Skoda Fabia… Monte Carlo. It’s a racy little number that reminds me of a plush bachelor pad, as I cast my eyes over the striped seats. There’s definitely a hint of sportiness about this five-door family hatchback.

There’s a liberal smattering of leather on the gearstick, handbrake and steering wheel. But somehow it’s more staid than a typical hot hatch.

Yes, it’ll reach 60mph from standstill in under 11 seconds and will go on to over 110mph. But such figures can be found in a plethora of similar vehicles. This is more of a design statement than a blisteringly fast GTi, greatly helped in my opinion by the classic meteor grey finish and contrasting black radiator grille and wing mirrors. While lovers of the old vRS might be disappointed by the performance its efficiency might compensate. It’s a real pleasure to just sit and admire the colour which is offset extremely well by its 16” Italia black alloy wheels. It’s generally comfortable to drive too, with a good driving position although I find there is a lack of

lumbar support on the driver’s seat. I am a fan of panoramic glass roofs and I am delighted to see one in the Fabia; it really does lift the levels of light in the cabin. It is good to see a traditional handbrake instead of an electric switch, which so many manufacturers seem to prefer these days. And a five speed manual gearbox.

I do question whether six speeds are actually necessary. Skoda clearly doesn’t think so. The Monte Carlo is a responsive little mover, the gearbox is decisive and the brakes are decent. I am surprised that on a vehicle of this price that the wing mirrors are not power folding and that there are not electric rear windows but luxuries do include heated front seats and touchscreen navigation. After hard driving there is a distinctive ‘click clicking’ sound from the car as it cools down, which I haven’t heard so clearly from a car before. Valves or brakepads I suspect. The quiet raspy note to the exhaust is certainly attractive.

At the end of the day this is a well made, good quality hatchback that has had an injection of understated character. It generally goes by unnoticed from the outside world and does not prevent an erratic driver of a white Mercedes Benz van from undercutting me on the motorway.

During my research I note that Chevrolet

Tim Saunders Motoring journalist www.testdrives.biz

named its coupe Monte Carlo between 1970 and 1988 and from 1995 to 2007. It was clearly successful for Chevy and I am sure Fabia Monte Carlo prices from: €12,700 Skoda is hoping to 1.0 TSI, 110CV, 0-60mph: 9.8 secs replicate this with its DSG 7 speed Auto Economy: 4.6 l / 100 km own smaller more Petrol, 3 cylinder.

Power: 81 kW / 110CV perfectly formed Top speed: 196 km/h Emissions: 106 g/km version.

Watch the video at www.testdrives.biz

At a glance

Volkswagen E-Golf powers into showrooms It’s the all-electric car that looks like a regular Volkswagen Golf. Since its launch in 2014 the e-Golf has been at the forefront of the German manufacturer’s electric vehicle offering.

In its latest guise the zero emission e-Golf has new battery technology, revised styling and a host of connectivity features both in the car and in the customer’s hand via their mobile smartphone.

Volkswagen has enhanced the efficiency of the zero emission e-Golf and the result is a real driving range increase of 50 per cent compared to the outgoing model. A range of 186 miles is quoted from the official New European Driving Cycle, while with driving style and other parameters considered the range is effectively 124 miles. This is achieved thanks

to an increase in the energy capacity of the e-Golf’s lithium-ion battery from 24.2 kWh to 35.8 kWh. Power is increased to 100 kW, or 136 PS. This is up 15 kW in comparison to the previous generation eGolf. That means the performance figures are improved too, with the 0 to 62 mph time now 9.6 seconds and a top speed, where the law permits, of 93 mph. Torque is boosted from 270 Nm to 290 Nm. As before, drive is via a single-speed gearbox.

That 124-mile range ensures the eGolf is practical for the vast majority of commuter journeys. When the e-

Golf needs charging the battery can go from empty to 80 per cent full in just 45 minutes when a 40 kW DC rapid charger connection is used.

Alternatively, charging from empty to full from a wallbox charging takes approximately 5 hours 20 minutes, which opens the opportunity to charge the car conveniently during the working day or overnight.

For more details on the e-Golf and on the comprehensive Golf range – together with brochures and pricing – and to use Volkswagen’s online configurator, please visit www.volkswagen.co.uk

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sport

BRITAIN’S Lewis Hamilton now holds the record for the most pole positions in Formula 1 history, having qualified first on 69 occasions. Michael Schumacher is second with 68 and Ayrton Senna third with 65.

Senna holds the record for the most consecutive poles; when he qualified in first place eight Grand Prix in a row from the 1988 Spanish Grand Prix to the 1989 United States Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel is the youngest person to lead the grid, when he was 21 years, 72 days old when qualifying for the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. The oldest person to qualify in pole was Nino Farina, who at the time of the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix was 47 years, 79 days old.

As at the 2017 Italian Grand Prix, to date 98 drivers have been on pole position in the 969 Formula 1 Grand Prix since the first World Championship race, the 1950 British Grand Prix. From 2014 onwards the driver who achieves the most pole positions in a season is awarded the Pole Trophy which has so far been

won by Nico Rosberg (2015) and Lewis Hamilton (2016).

Out of 969 completed Grand Prix, the driver that has qualified on pole position has gone on to win the race 407 times.

TOP TEN POLE MEN 1. Lewis Hamilton – United Kingdom - 69 2. Michael Schumacher – Germany - 68 3. Ayrton Senna – Brazil - 65 4. Sebastian Vettel – Germany - 48 5. Jim Clark - United Kingdom - 33 5. Alain Prost – France - 33 7. Nigel Mansell - United Kingdom - 32 8. Nico Rosberg – Germany - 30 9. Juan Manuel Fangio – Argentina - 29 10. Mika Häkkinen – Finland – 26

WELL AHEAD: Hamilton likely to remain top pole man for the foreseeable future.

Hodgson returns to the Palace

CRYSTAL PALACE have appointed former England manager Roy Hodgson as their new boss following the dismissal of Frank de Boer.

De Boer departed on Monday, only 77 days into a three-year contract, after Palace became the first team in England’s top division to lose their opening four league fixtures without scoring since Preston 93 years ago.

Hodgson, who was also approached when Sam Allardyce was appointed to succeed Alan Pardew at Palace in December, takes on his first managerial role since resigning from the England post after Euro 2016.

The 70-year-old last worked in the Premier League with West Brom in 2012 before leaving to become England manager.

Between his time at Fulham and West Brom, Hodgson had an unsuccessful spell at Liverpool that lasted only six months.

Born in Croydon, Hodgson spent three years on Palace’s books as a young defender in the 1960s before leaving without making an appearance.

He told the official Palace website: “This is very much the club of my boyhood, and I remember in my youth watching the club from the terraces at the Holmesdale Road end which gave me such fond memories.

“In those days I had dreams of playing for the team, then as a coach you think about coaching the team, and a lot has happened in between times.

“It is very rewarding to find myself here now, in different times, as the Palace manager at a club that I have always loved and admired with a huge potential.

“We are the club of south London, with an enormously large fanbase. The ambitions here are realistic, there is an enormous potential for growth and I hope we can achieve our goals.”

Photo credit: Wikpedia

Lewis Hamilton – top Sir Mo aims to become of the poles marathon man

BRITAIN’S Sir Mo Farah will run in the 2018 London Marathon next April in his first event over the distance since switching his focus to road racing.

The four-time Olympic champion, 34, retired from competing on the track earlier this year and won the Great North Run for a fourth successive time at the weekend.

“I can’t wait to start a new adventure, starting with the world’s greatest marathon,” said Farah.

“The London Marathon is my home race and it is so special to me.”

It will be the third time that Farah has competed in the London Marathon after he took part in the event in 2013 and 2014 but on both

occasions never finished the course.

Farah won the 10,000m at the World Championships in London in August - his sixth world gold - before losing his 5,000m crown to Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris. He then won his final British track race - the 3,000m at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting - and was also first in the last track race of his career at the Diamond League event in Zurich.

“When I decided to concentrate solely on the roads from 2018 I knew that I wanted this to be my first marathon,” added Farah.

“The London Marathon has been a great supporter of me over the years.”

It’s third time lucky for Paris THE CITIES of Paris and Los Angeles have been named as hosts of the 2024 and 2028 summer Games respectively by the International Olympic Committee. For Paris, it’s the third time lucky in recent years having missed out to Beijing in 2008 and to London in 2012 and the 2024 games will mark 100 years since the French capital last hosted the event.

In the case of Los Angeles, it’s the third time they’ve hosted the summer games after doing so in 1932 and 1984.

Paris and Los Angeles had been the only two candidates for the 2024 Games after Hamburg, Rome and Budapest withdrew from the race.

The Californian city were keen to stage the earlier Games because of its readiness to host while Paris said its prospective site for the Games would not be available for redevelopment after 2024.

IOC President Thomas Bach said the votes

for both cities were “unanimous”.

2024 In Paris, the famous Olympic rings were wheeled into position in front of the Eiffel Tower before this week’s announcement, and those behind the bid made the most of one of the world’s most famous landmarks – let alone in France – in their logo.

When the action gets underway in seven years time it will be the scene for the triathlon, marathon and open-water swimming.

The athletics will take place at the Stade de France, which staged football’s 1998 World Cup final and Euro 2016 final, while the gardens of former royal palace Versailles will host the equestrian events eventing, showjumping and dressage.

2028 The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which hosted

athletics at the 1932 and 1984 Games, is planned to have the same role for 2028.

Games organisers plan to use Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy’s StarHub Centre for rugby and modern pentathlon events, while using the popular Santa Monica beach for volleyball.