Euro Weekly News - Costa Blanca North 22 - 28 December 2016 Issue 1642

ISSUE NO. 1642

22 - 28 December 2016

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

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YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION

SEE COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE FLOODS PAGES 10 & 11

Weather cheer!

By Simon Firth Following the unseasonably bad weather in southern Spain things are looking brighter for the Christmas weekend.

Weather forecasters expect little rain and certainly no huge storms.

This good news follows the tragic deaths of five people as waves of up to four metres and winds of force seven and eight battered coastal areas for the second time in a

month.

The death toll over the two weekends of heavy rain this month stands at seven.

The bad weather led to absolute havoc in many communities as rivers overflowed or burst their banks and many

people found their homes under feet of water.

Commercially the weather has also cast an unseasonal cloud over what for many is the busiest time of the year.

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Life-changing day!

THIS is the time of year to bring your loved ones close and let one another know how much you mean to each other. It’s the same for our family, the Euro Weekly family. Our readers and clients help complete our very own circle of affection and appreciation. So at this time of year we’d like to send our greetings to you and yours, and wish you the very best of Christmas tidings and may you enjoy a peaceful and prosperous new year. From all of us at the Euro Weekly family, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LOCAL NEWS

Local is best

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THE 1641 (December 15 - 21) issue of the Costa Blanca North Euro Weekly News contained no less than 67 local news items, demonstrating once again our dedication and commitment to delivering the news that matters most to you, our readers, in each of our six editions. Nobody does it better!

Community news VISITORS to the EWN website may have noticed our new ‘Community News’ section, currently stuffed full of Christmas news from all the local clubs, charities, theatre and church groups. Going

forwards it will feature all the latest from the Spanish expat community, and submissions (which will also appear in the paper, space permitting) can be sent to commu nity@euroweek lynews.com.

By John Smith TODAY (Thursday December 22) is the day that can change the lives of potentially thousands in Spain forever.

With up to €2.44 billion of prize money on the table, the Spanish National Lottery, nicknamed El Gordo, has won a reputation over decades for spreading fame and fortune in life-changing doses.

Throughout today millions will be watching it live on television and checking online to see if they are among the winners, with villages, office syndicates, clubs and associations plus bars often jointly buying tickets.

Twenty children from San Ildefonso School (11 boys and nine girls aged from nine to 13) will today sing out the numbers as the various prizes are drawn with the top prize guaranteeing €4 million for a full ticket or €400,000 for a tenth.

This Christmas lottery has been organized every year since 1812 by an arm of the Spanish Government now called Loterías y Apuestas del Estado and has been so popular that the draw even continued during the Civil War years.

Nowadays even the government benefits, keeping 30 per cent of the total ticket spend and additionally charging a ‘profit tax’ on winnings over €2,500.

EL GORDO: Has spread fame and fortune.

There is only a limited range of numbers, but more than one ticket with the same number is offered for sale and most of the outlets only have two or three different numbers which means that there could be say 500 big winners within the same town.

Although referred to as El Gordo by al-

most everyone, it only applies to the top prize and the correct name for the Government Christmas Lottery is ‘El Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad’ sometimes shortened to ‘Lotería de Navidad.’

To check if you are a winner of one of the 17 prizes, visit www.laloteriadenavi dad.com.

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FEATURED NEWS

“Our lives have new direction”

DR ORQUIN: Graduated with flying colours last year and is now in his first year of residency at Vinaros hospital.

AS many people go about their daily lives today ( T h u r sd a y 2 2 ) , mu c h o f S p ain is glued to the television or radio hopefully clutching their lottery tickets as the children of San Ildefonso sing out the seemingly endless numbers for the El Gordo Christmas draw.

Others will be listening out for another number, one given to them in a cause that could see them exchange their €10 donations for an apartment.

The property in question will be going to the holder of the chosen lottery number and was donated by journalist and radio presenter Javier Cardenas.

The reason? He had been told the moving story of Mara, a 13-year-old girl with a rare illness called Idic15 syndrome, and her father.

As described in our previous article, Mara’s Va l e n c i a n f a t h e r, M ig u e l A n g e l Orquin Gonzalez, decided after losing his job during the recession to attend Valencia’s Faculty of Medicine.

After six years of hard work, Dr Orquin graduated with flying colours last year and is now in his first year of residency at Vinaros

hospital and Benicarlo health centre.

Yet the doctor has a goal which is both personal and professional and goes much further than treating coughs and colds: to spend his life researching and working towards a cure, or at least better treatment, for Idic15.

Hope is at the forefront as Dr Orquin seeks the funds to allow his investigations to continue.

In his second year at the university, the determined father proposed investigation hypotheses to the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology which surprised and caught the attention of the professors. The need for €123,000 in funding to continue investigations along these lines discovered by Cardenas during an interview - led to the fundraising campaign which will today culminate in somebody winning a flat.

Yet whoever wins the property, and an

€8,000 cash prize to redecorate it to suit their taste, will not be the only winner today. The real winners are Mara and her family and others who suffer the effects of this little-known genetic syndrome.

In the face of the doctors who claimed nothing could be done, this campaign to improve the lives of those with Idic15, could prove otherwise.

It’s far too easy to read about this type of case and put it aside, with no consideration for the fact that we’re reading about real people with real lives, who struggle on a daily basis to cope with the effects of crippling conditions.

Yet Dr Orquin and Mara are far from just names on a hospital list and for her father, M a ra is e ve rything. It m ay have been a long, hard slog but it has been more than worth it to try and improve his daughter’s future, the doctor told EWN: “It’s been a complicated path, with short term goals and a lot of effort. First an exam, then a term completed, then another exam… then suddenly you look back and realise you’ve really run a marathon, one tough, tiring step at a time, but we’ve reached the finish line.

“At the end of the day, your case is at home and the love you feel for your daughter pushes you to keep digging and investigating. From the very start of my studies I was excited to be learning about human genetics, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that the authorities had abandoned us to fate,” he explained.

Hope is at the forefront as Dr Orquin continues to seek the remaining funds required to allow his investigations to continue. In the meantime, he hopes his hypothesis on improving cell function will remain as his ‘little legacy’ to families which, like his, share their lives with children born with Idic15. Children, he explained, who battle every moment of every day against biological barriers most of us cannot even imagine, yet teach us life lessons along the way.

“Every day I learn something from Mara and she learns something from me. I hate speaking of disabilities because Mara has managed to completely modify her surroundings and all these modifications have been good for our family, she has given our lives new direction and a clear goal,” this loving father ends by saying.

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INDEX News 1 - 37

Featured News 3

Our View 6

Indoor Market 14

European Press 38

Finance 41 - 46

Stocks 42

Leapy Lee 47

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Wettest for decades From Front page

In the north of the region a man died in Castellon when his car was swept away in a flash flood and overturned.

In another incident a man tried to get into his car in Finestrat and was captured on camera as the witness urged him to abandon his vehicle and save himself.

But the force of the water running down the main street eventually dragged the man to the sea.

Two police officers tried to keep the man in view but he could not be saved.

Emergency workers were called to try to reach a man in a flooded cave near Xativa Castle in Valencia.

When they got to him he had suffered a serious head injury and also hyperthermia. Despite the efforts of medics he died in

RIO PALANCIA, SAGUNTO: Many of the rivers overflowed or burst their banks.

Lluis Alcanyis Hospital.

The civic authorities ordered the closure of hundreds of schools and colleges while people were urged to stay at home.

The President of the Valencia Region, Ximo Puig, appealed to people not to travel

on the region’s roads.

Snr Puig and his opposite number, Pedro Antonio Sánchez, the President of the Murcia Region, were phoned

by King Felipe VI, who expressed his sympathy for the victims of the floods.

The emergency services revealed they had received more than 3,000 calls to the 112 helpline.

Aemet, the Spanish Meteorological Agency, has described this month as the wettest December on record since 1989.

Daily TV 48, 50, 52, 54,

56, 58, 60

Time Out 62 - 63

Letters 64

Health & Beauty 65 - 70

Social Scene 72 - 75

Property 76 - 77

Home & Gardens 80 - 81

Pets 82 - 83

Services 84 - 87

Classifieds 88 - 90

Motoring 91 - 93 Sport 94 - 95

Pativel give and take UNTOUCHED land on the Cap Blanca seafront in Altea may be developed.

According to the regional government’s Territorial Action Plan for Green Coastal Infrastructure (Pativel), it will be possible to build a hotel here. The same Pativel regulations also contemplate protecting a 200-metre strip from the shore for use as green routes. “This is fundamental in a zone used by so many pedestrians,” said Altea’s Town Planning councillor Imma Orozco.

“Pativel is regulating the Valencian Community’s unbuilt coastal land to protect it from the massive development of the past,” explained Orozco.

Cap Blanc is unprogrammed urban land where there are already numerous one-family properties.

The new Pativel norms are in line with Altea Council’s plans to revise the existing General Urban Development Plan (PGOU) which regarded Cap Blanc as a

priority zone for protection.

“Pativel no longer regards Cap Blanc as a protected space although the land would be principally designated for hotels,” continued Orozco, In contrast Pativel classes the Algar rivermouth on the other side of Altea as a maximum protection zone, the councillor said. “Existing buildings will be allowed to remain and public infrastructure created where justified.”

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Crime at bay Battling over BENITACHELL’S crime rate has risen this year.

According to statistics quoted by Javier S oliv e r e s, C o m m a n d er o f th e J av ea Guardia Civil post, 138 crimes were committed in Benitachell this year, compared with 107 in 2015.

The rise was due to the increase in the summer population, Solivares said during a meeting of the local Security Committee whose members included Benitachell mayor Josep Femenia and Public Safety councillor Dirk Rheindorf as well as Guardia Civil, National Police and Local Police officers.

Despite this rise, infractions were stemmed by rapid police intervention, the Commander told committee members.

Seven people were detained in Benitachell in 2015 but thanks to successful investigations into crimes that centred principally on theft and robbery, 30 arr e s t s w e r e m a d e t h i s y e a r, S o l i v a r e s said.

Benitachell’s mayor urged all the law enforcement bodies to continue their pres en t lin e s of pre ve nting a nd s olving crimes.

“We can never lower our guard,” Femenia said. “We know that you are doing a great job and that we are on the right path but we don’t want to stray from it.”

The lower incidence of gender violence was also encouraging, he continued. At present the Local Police are monitoring nine low-risk victims, he revealed.

Row looming over airport’s leaky roof ALICANTE airport’s leaking roof is under repair.

The airport, now named Alicante-Elche, cost €267 million to build and was inaugurated in March 2011. The flat sections of the partly-vaulted roof have posed problems since October 2012, when water first seeped through the roof after a period of heavy rain.

What at first appeared to be a minor problem that could be easily dealt with has gradually got worse over the last four years and required a radical solution, airport sources said.

Spain’s airports authority, Aena, is carrying

out the work which will cost an estimated €940,000 but has put the matter in the hands of its lawyers. The leaks are the result of construction defects and the company responsible for the roof should foot the bill, Aena claims.

The repairs, contracted to the Catalan company Acsa, are expected to continue until next summer but will not affect air traffic or the day-to-day running of the airport.

Only netting attached under the roof to prevent materials or a tool falling below provides a clue to the work that is being carried out high above.

birth certificate

By Caroline Tyszka THE Denia Civil Registry has refused to register the birth of a baby because the parents are both women.

Brenda Kelleher and Maria Jose Torres, who married in 2007 and have two other children, have triggered a bureaucratic nightmare since the birth of their son at the Denia Marina Salud hospital earlier in the year.

The family, who live in Benidoleig need a health card (SIP) for the baby but have only been granted a temporary 15day one having to return to the social security department to see if they have found a solution to the problem when it expires.

Brenda, who gave birth to their son Lennon, is an Irish national but has the same difficulty registering the birth in her home country as Ireland also does not recognise two mothers.

Jose Maria Zaragoaá, of the Civil Registry has demanded that the mothers provide an assisted reproduction report arguing that the recognition of the two mothers was not based on a biological connection.

The two mothers have ap-

NO SOLUTION: As yet to obtaining a birth certificate for their baby.

No heterosexual couple is asked to prove how their child was conceived.” pealed to the General Directorate of Registries and Notaries, saying that no heterosexual couple is asked to prove how their child was conceived and that they are being discriminated against.

The family are being supported by LGBTI groups who are drafting a bill of equality and non-discrimination which explicitly recognises the affiliation of the two mothers.

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NEWS

Dog owners ordered to wash it off A NEW Alcoy by-law bans dogs from cocking their legs on walls or street furniture.

City hall introduced the new regulation to contribute to improving streets and in-

stallations, according to Public Works and Services councillor Jordi Martinez.

The latter were very deteriorated, he explained. “We want to prevent them from getting worse,” added Martinez.

H e w e nt on to re c ommend t hat dog owners instead encourage their pets to use one of the city’s 5,000 drain gratings or trees.

The new by-law contemplates fines for

i gnor i ng t he new r egul at i on al t hough councillors approved a Partido Popular amendment waiving sanctions for owners who carry a bottle of water with them to wash away the offending urine.

Illegal seller cons pensioner

By Caroline Tyszka GUARDIA CIVIL have arrested a Spanish man for stealing from an elderly woman whilst in her home,

and warn others to be vigilant.

The man, aged 34 and from El Altet, had made several phone calls to the 78year-old lady in Villajoyosa

claiming to be an official representative of a company selling specialised pillows.

Having received several calls over many days the woman relented and agreed

OUR VIEW

Season’s greetings THIS will be the last edition of Euro Weekly News to be published before Christmas and all of the EWN family would like to wish our family of readers and advertisers the very best for Christmas and the New Year.

2016 has been strange with Brexit which whilst pleasing many has also caused worry for expats, especially those who are of advanced years and fixed income from UK pensions.

The good news is the initial dip in sterling against the euro after the Brexit result has been reversed in parts although exchange rates are fragile and can drop if the news is bad.

What has become clear in hindsight is on both sides of the Brexit argument there was a huge amount of misleading information and

scaremongering but 2017 will hopefully see some positive information about the rights of expats in Spain and also EU residents in the UK. By all accounts, the Spanish authorities want to make transition easy for people living and indeed visiting Spain as their contribution to the Spanish economy is so important.

Many older British residents remember living quite comfortably in Spain before Britain joined the EEC and we will certainly continue to work within the community and publish Spain’s favourite English language newspaper.

Wishing you every happiness in the coming year and we look forward to continuing to be an important part of the expat family within our adopted homeland.

Now we want to hear your views.

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION www.euroweeklynews.com

to an appointment in her home with the hope of buying a pillow that reportedly took the pains away from the neck and back.

Once in the property the man gained the homeowner’s confidence and proceeded to steal €600 from her purse.

When the man had left and the elderly resident noticed the theft she contact the po-

Always check the credentials of a person who you are inviting into your home.” lice but could only provide them with limited details.

With the sparse information officers launched an investigation and through diligent research tracked down the accused and made their arrest. Guardia Civil charged the man with theft.

Officers are now warning people, particularly the elderly, to be on their guard and to always check the credentials of a person who you are inviting into your home.

They have not ruled out the possibility that this man has conned others out of money and urge anyone who feels they have fallen victim to such a crime to contact any officer or call 062.

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IBI increase in Villajoyosa RESIDENTS in Villajoyosa may see a rise in their property taxes as the council attempts to recover losses in government funding. The town finance committee has proposed an urgent increase in the IBI from 0.54 per cent to 0.587 percent.

Councillor for Finance Joan Lloret detailed that the measure was necessary as a consequence of the reduction of up to 8 per cent of cadastral value from central government, but stressed that the measure would not currently affect residents who will still pay

exactly the same.

The opposing Popular Party have complained that this announcement is in direct opposition to what the town’s mayor Andreu Verdú promised when seeking election, which was a reduction in the IBI to 0.4 per cent.

Jaime Lloret from the PP said: “The promise of Verdú has turned out to be an electoral scam to all residents, who see that not only has the IBI not lowered to 0.4 per cent but a year after approving a derisive fall of 0.01 he now wants to raise it by 0.05.”

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Brussels meets without Theresa May BREXIT PAGE

By John Smith

WHILST there was a summit of EU leaders taking place in Brussels on December 15, there was one obvious absentee from a discussion on Brexit and that was British Prime Minister Theresa May.

firms its decision to leave the Union.

The imaginatively named Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis has indicated that he expects a smooth exit, even though he hasn’t quite agreed any strategy with his cabinet colleagues and didn’t expect to be able to reveal plans in detail before February 2017 at the earliest.

This admittance that the government really doesn’t know how to proceed but is confident of success overlooks the fact that it is one against 27 and each of the 27 may well expect to have its own national criteria

Union pean : Euro Credit Photo

The EU continues to make it clear that it will not enter into any advance negotiations unless and until Britain invokes Article 50.”

It is assumed that it would be unacceptable for her to be party to the plans of the other 27 members although they of course won’t come to any decision until such time as Britain formally con-

THERESA MAY: Frozen out of the Brexit discussion.

as well as a Federal criteria when negotiating.

Such a view appears to be backed up by the British Ambassador to the European Union Sir Ivan Rogers who according to the BBC has warned the government that the feedback he is getting from representatives of the other EU members is that it could take up to 10 years to negotiate the deal and it could then be vetoed by one or more members.

The EU continues to make it clear that it will not enter into any advance negotiations unless and until Britain invokes Article 50 but in the meantime will be appointing a leader for the negotiating team shortly.

At the moment, despite optimism on the part of those who wanted to see Britain leave the Union, there seems to be more negative than positive news but once the government reveals its final policy then perhaps the future will appear more certain.

One body that has moved both speedily and without any need to negotiate is the lexicographers of the Oxford English Dictionary who has now embraced and defined the word Brexit for their latest edition describing it as “the (proposed) withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union, and the political process associated with it. Sometimes used specifically with reference to the referendum held in the UK on June 23, 2016, in which a majority of voters favoured withdrawal from the EU.”

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Darkness descends on local streets

By Caroline Tyszka CLOSE to a town centre streets are kept in the dark because rats ate through the wiring several years ago.

The Villajoyosa Council

Running around wild WILD boar are homing in on Calpe.

They have been spotted drinking at the edge of the Les Salines salt lakes and they rampage through urbanisation gardens where they eat everything they can find.

They usually come down into the town via the El Quiso and Pou Roig gullies, crossing roads including the N332, where a 12-strong herd recently caused a traffic accident.

The wild boars’ increasing presence prompted PSPV Oppositon councillor Santos Pastor to ask what the town hall planned to do about the “constant comings and goings of these wild animals.”

Environment councillor Carole Saunders expressed concern and agreed that the boar were destroying gardens: “They’ve eaten all my plants,” she admitted.

The problem goes back three years, Saunders said: “We have been asking Seprona to allow a cull since then.”

It is obligatory to obtain official permission to hunt down the boar and officers from the Guardia Civil’s nature protection unit are also required to be present, the councillor explained.

The Guardia Civil’s nature protection unit only has two officers covering the Marina Alta, the councillor continued.

“They are needed to hunt down boar in Pedreguer and Teulada where they are destroying crops,” Saunders said.

have defended the ongoing problem regarding the lack of street lights in the Paraíso area of the popular resort, saying that they were aware of the issues, but have been working on a solution to try

and fix the problems.

Neighbours have spent several months badgering the council - using social network and other means - to have an immediate solution to replace the faulty street lighting with

working lights, saying that “that is what we pay for out of our taxes.”

A neighbourhood spokesperson said: “as you pass the petrol station the whole area is in darkness, we do not understand

how this can be possible, that people are expected to walk on the road - as there are no footpaths - and risk their lives with traffic and personal safety.”

The council are seeking a resolution to the problem,

which is believed to have been caused by rodents eating through the wiring. They are now looking into budgetary funding and evaluating financial possibilities to fix or replace the lighting.

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WEATHER NUMBERS

3,112 404 l/m2 29 Emergency calls received

of rainfall recorded in Beniarres

years since the Rio Segura last overflowed

5 5 70

people dead

major rivers burst banks

Municipalities with schools closed

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FLOODIN

Avalanche of water

By Matt Ford THE strong winds and extreme rainfall that lashed the Valencian coastline last weekend provoked a raft of incidents, with emergency services receiving over 3,000 calls.

Several tributaries of the Rio Jucar, particularly the Rio Clariano in Ontinyent and Rio Albaida near Bellus, threatened to break their banks. The Beniarres and Bellus dams became so swollen that their floodgates were opened on Monday, resulting in some spectacular video footage that was widely shared on social media.

In Muro de Alcoi a series of sinkholes opened, leaving eight families unable to leave their homes, while in Javea 10 people were evacuated from a block of flats on Carretera del Pla due to the rising Rio Gorgos.

A further 10 residents were ordered to leave their homes near the mouth of the Rio Girona in Denia, and many residents in nearby Els Poblets barricaded their doors as the river rose ominously on Sunday.

The Girona also caused problems in Orba, El Verger and Beniarbeig, where it broke its banks and flooded

Rio Segura.

the old football field.

Callosa d’En Sarria Town Hall closed access to the recreational site Les Fonts del Algar after the boiling Rio Algar flooded the picnic area.

Coastal zones suffered significant damage, with sand barriers put in place on a number of beaches in order to stop the raging sea reaching roads and houses.

In Benidorm, a number of streets were closed by police on Saturday as parked vehicles became slowly submerged, while 89 caravans were also removed from a camp site as a precautionary measure.

Roads were affected throughout the region, with some still remaining closed on Tuesday.

Rio Algar.

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Dam and blast Betera.

Xativa.

ONE positive outcome of the extreme weather is that the downpour has replenished local dams after an intense period of drought.

Professor Jorge Olcina, director of the Climatology lab at the University of Alicante (UA) said: “In general, this precipitation is very good for the southeast region, which was undergoing one of the driest years in the last few decades.

“Unfortunately, what also happened is that our land is no longer prepared to withstand this type of rain, and in the last 20 years too many people have decided to build things in dry river beds, which prevents them from

draining normally.

“That said, just three rainy episodes in November and December have literally saved the pluviometric year.”

The outcome is less positive for the agricultural sector, however, and the Valencian Farmers’ Association has estimated damages totalling at least €172 million in the wake of the storm.

The torrential rain and fierce winds ruined citrus and olive groves, persimmons, vegetables and livestock facilities.

Around 40 per cent of the mandarin crop is expected to have been lost, with many thrown to

DOWNPOUR: Caused damage.

the floor by the wind and others suffering from excess moisture.

Oranges were also heavily damaged, with economic losses of an estimated €90 for these two fruits alone.

In the Vinalopo comarca, more than half of the table grape harvest has been wiped out, leaving vineyard owners tearing their hair out since their ‘special agricultural insurance’ does not cover the losses.

The grapes were about to be picked in readiness for New Year’s Eve, when the Spanish traditionally scoff 12 of them at the stroke of midnight.

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Flood crisis help coming THE president of Valencia has announced he will approve new measures to help fix the damage done to the Costa Blanca in the recent torrential rains.

Ximo Puig said that regional government will ratify the measures on Friday December 23 at a special session.

They take the form of an urgent request for financial aid from the national government in Madrid.

He has spoken with business and community leaders across the Costa Blanca to get a sense of the scale of the devastation.

Municipalities across the region will have 30 days to estimate the damage done locally to infrastructure and other public services.

Whether the aid request is granted by Madrid and how long the money takes to arrive is another story, but the Costa Blanca has the support of King Felipe VI. The King called Puig to ask how the crisis was being handled and to offer his thoughts to victims.

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NEWS

Red light for Rudolf Tsui

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By Linda Hall FATHER CHRISTMAS had to abandon his sleigh when he visited Alicante City’s Europea and La Mar Salada school.

Instead he used a boatshaped carnival float after Marisol Moreno, city hall’s Animal Protection councillor, vetoed the four reindeer hired to pull Papa Noel’s sleigh.

Cantabria-based Ruben Matanza who puts on events using animals, said afterwards that after receiving a verbal goahead from the Animal Protection department, Moreno withheld permission.

“She told me over the phone

NO SHOW: Reindeer had to stay at home. that animals are banned in Alicante City and by-laws only permit activities to promote

adopting cats and dogs,” Matanza continued.

Despite explaining that no cruelty was involved and the reindeer would teach the children about the importance of nature, Moreno was adamant.

Matanza might be a very good person and do everything correctly, but she would not allow him to come to Alicante with animals, the councillor said.

Luis Barcala, spokesman for the Partido Popular in opposition at city hall, asked what would go next: “Christmas trees? Poinsettias?” he wanted to know. “Worst of all, we Alicantinos know this won’t be the last time that city hall puts its foot in it this Christmas.”

Marihuana discovered GUARDIA CIVIL officers have arrested three people and dismantled a marihuana plantation in Altea.

Officers launched their investigation when it was noticed that the rural location seemed to have a lot of unusual activity.

The crop, estimated to have a street value of €200,000, consisted of approximately 100 plants and 40 kilograms of cannabis already prepared for sale.

Three Spanish men were arrested during the operation, two of them at the plantation and the third was the land owner, all residents of Alfaz del Pi, Polop and Altea.

They were charged with growing marihuana and illegal use of electricity.

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Dolphin therapy success THE Aqualandia-Mundomar Foundation has completed its 16th season of dolphin-assisted therapy at

the Mundomar Nature Park.

In 2016 the foundation helped 214 children, bringing the total amount to over 4,000 in the 16 year period.

This year’s programme ran for 25 weeks with children between the ages of five and 15 from around the world benefiting from the therapy treatment.

The scheme helps patients suffering from conditions such as autism, Down syndrome, spina bifida and cerebral palsy improve their cognitive abilities and their concentration skills. Each child received six sessions with the dolphins supervised by a physiotherapist trained specifically in dolphin therapy.

Improvements for mobility access

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WORK UNDERWAY: Replacing road surfaces.

WORK is well underway to improve the mobility access in one Costa Blanca resort, with council workers replacing road surfaces and pavement access points.

The Benidorm Council have tasked their workers with improving the La Cala area so that pushchairs and wheelchairs have better movement when crossing from pavements to roads.

Councillor José Ramón González de Zárate said: “The works that are taking place are in the most damaged areas and will give a major leap in accessibility and mobility throughout the neighbourhood.”

The extensive works have and will include the expanding of the width of pavements, provide more crossing points with lowered pavements and re-tarmacking poorly surfaced roads.

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22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Photo credit: Generalitat Valenciana

NEWS

CULTURAL CENTRE: Ximo Puig and Benidorm mayor Toni Perez (fourth and fifth right) inspect plans.

Compromise for cultural centre

By Linda Hall THE Generalitat pledged €12 million for the first phase of Benidorm’s Cultural Centre. Antonio Rodes, director general of the publicly-owned Valencian Community Themed Projects Society (SPTCV) which is responsible for large projects, confirmed the investment after announcing that there would be no second phase.

Earlier, the Hosbec hoteliers’ association Antonio Mayor criticised the Generalitat’s priorities. “In recent years the regional government has put all its eggs in one basket with Valencia City,” Mayor said.

Meanwhile, he continued, there was no money for the cultural centre which would put Benidorm at the heart of the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences

New centre for water innovation BENIDORM is set to become a leader in the innovation and technology of water management next year with a new logistics and research centre.

The centre will be provided and operated by Hidraqua who currently manage the water and sewerage in the region.

The announcement came from the company’s regional director Miguel Angel Benito who detailed that the centre, due to be operational within the first six months of 2017, would be “an icon in innovation, technology, water and the environment with nothing similar throughout Spain.”

The state of the art centre will allow members of the public to visit and see how the company is working towards better water management and creating sustainable systems for the future.

and Exhibitions (MICE) industry.

In response, Rodes declared the SPTCV would restart the project which was halted more than five years ago: “It will go ahead, come what may.”

The half-finished centre on one of Benidorm’s remaining prime sites will include two municipal conservatoires for music and dance, a 550-capacity function room, a cafeteria and communal areas.

Rodes recognised the SPTCV proposal was only a partial solution but said the present regional government was not responsible for the cultural centre’s problems, the money that was wasted on it or the promises that were broken. “Instead it has come up with a solution, however limited that might be, which requires a great deal of financial effort.”

Revitalising Alcoy town THE Alcoy Town Council have announced a new collective of businesses and residents to help decide how to best spend €250,000 on promoting the old town area.

The Mesa Del Centro, composed of shopkeepers, residents and councillors will be responsible for deciding how to allocate the investment.

Councillor Vanessa Molto said: “This forum will be able to look at everything from urban to promotional activities, debating and deciding together if it is a good way of boosting visitors to the old town area of Alcoy.”

The Department of Commerce has set a total budget for 2017 of €365,750 representing an extraordinary increase of 367 percent from the previous year.

Included in this budget are also funds of €20,000 for commercial activities and €50,000 for the trade action plan.

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NEWS

Advertising feature

The importance of wording on a Purchase and Sale contract! Penalty clause vs ‘Arras Penitenciales’ DEAR readers, Today we would like to discuss how important the wording is on contracts we sign when selling or buying a property.

From the initial reservation through to the deed or escritura, it is essential to make sure the wording of the contract protects our rights.

We often receive queries about the possibility of cancelling a purchase contract, by either buyer or seller, because one of the parties no longer wishes to continue.

All would depend on whether the deposit has been paid as a penalty clause/deposit, or instead as ‘arras penitenciales’ or penitential deposit.

Criminal arras/deposit or penalty clauses are an agreed penalty for the party that does not fulfil the contract; they must compensate the other. However, it does not allow any one of the parties to terminate the contract unilaterally, there must always be an agreement by the second party to cancel the contract, otherwise they could still enforce the agreement.

On the other hand, the arras ‘penitenciales’ or penitential deposits, are those by which the parties agree the possibility of unilaterally terminating the deposit agreement, reservation or purchase contract, in doing so paying an amount without the other party being able to force the fulfilment of the contract, as foreseen in Article 1454 of the Spanish Civil Code.

For example, if in a contract it is stated ‘The parties agree that in case of breach of the contract the seller must compensate the buyer paying double the money back.

In case of a breach by the buyer, he will lose the amount paid.”

This is a penalty clause, it agrees the compensation in case of breach, but this clause does not entitle any of the parties to terminate the contract unilaterally. The other party can always force the agreement to be fulfilled.

If instead, in a contract it says something like ‘The parties agree under Article 1454 of the Civil Code, that any party may unilaterally terminate the contract. If

it is rescinded by the buyer, he will lose the money paid, and if it is the seller, he must return double the money received.’

In this case this is a penitential deposit, and therefore, any of the parties can unilaterally terminate the contract signed, by providing the compensation agreed in it.

Although both clauses have similar wording, their legal effects are very different. It is vital when buying or selling, to review the wording of each document before signing, getting the advice of a legal expert, in order to make sure our rights and interests are protected. If you’re buying or selling a property in Spain, please contact us.

The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues.

Carlos Baos (Lawyer), Spanish Law firm solicitor attorney barrister. Alicante, Denia, Costa Blanca Marina Alta.

White & Baos 2016 – All rights reserved.

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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NEWS

‘Treat for Christmas’ success THE expat community has generously donated hundreds of sweets, chocolates and biscuits to the 2016 treat for Christmas campaign.

As people have been making their final preparations for Christmas they were asked to spare a thought for those less fortunate and buy a little something extra when doing their shopping.

The donations were divided equally between the Alfaz del Pi food bank and the Busy Bees Charity, who support local children’s homes, with the intention of ensuring that everyone has a

little something special at this festive time.

Caroline Tyszka, the organiser of the campaign, thanked the local businesses around the area - Winnies Bar in La Cala; Giving4Giving in La Nucia; Hepburns Salon in Benidorm; AJL Mechanics in Villajoyosa; Amigos bar in Alfaz del Pi and The Pineapple bar in Albir - who all helped to facilitate the collection and encourage their customers to participate.

“The response was overwhelming,” she said, “for example when I went to collect the box from the La Nucia Giving4Giving charity they also presented me with a shopping trolley full of lovely goodies.”

A donation of 40 euros by Cool FM to Winnies bar meant that their box was overflowing, and a very generous donation from Lois Clark ensured that many families and children benefited from the treats in

Gary from Giving4Giving

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GENEROUS DONATIONS: A trolley full of goodies. the build up to Christmas day.

Caroline said: “It is impossible to express how amazing everyone has been,

the wonderful thing about the expat community is that they always rally round and go the extra mile for so many local causes.”

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NEWS EXTRA

Restoration of park BENIDORM’S Aiguera amphitheatre and its two accesses are being repaved during the first phase of park restoration. The €60,000 improvements should be completed by late December.

Testing time NOVICE drivers in Alicante Province wait up to four weeks to take driving tests. Too few examiners and their month-long strike last year are responsible for the backlog.

Foreign venture SOME 245 Spanish doctors applied to practise outside Spain in 2016. Overall, 3,200 doctors left the country this year, 9.7 per cent more than in 2015.

A Christmas greetings tree

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NEWS

Sharing in the traditional spirit

By Linda Hall PUPILS at primary schools in Altea and Altea la Vieja made a Christmas tree for each town.

Instead of pine needles and branches, the trees were created from Christmas cards that the children had made themselves at school.

In Altea la Vieja a four-metre high tree was put up in the Centro Cultural while Altea’s six-metre tree was set up in Plaza de la Paz. “It was very rewarding to see how so many children took part and watch as the tree took shape thanks to the towns’ state schools,” said Education councillor Vicenta Perez as she thanked the Altea la Vieja, La Olla, Blanquinal, Les Rotes and Garganes schools for their hard work.

SINGING ALONG: In the market.

THE Costa Blanca’s foreign and Spanish communities already enjoy good relations, but Christmas brings them especially close.

This was particularly noticeable in Benitachell recently when White Voices, the choir from the Christian Fellowship church sang Christmas carols outside the local market. The traditional songs were familiar to the town’s many British residents, but less so to Benitachell mayor, Josep Femenia, who sang along with the help of a song sheet.

ALTEA TREE: Up it goes!

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Christmas Jumper Day celebrations PUPILS at Elians British School donned their festive jumpers to raise funds for Unicef.

Almost all of the primary school pupils including the babies took part and many of the teachers also joined in.

Every jumper wearer donated €1 to the charity, raising over €360.

Organised by Save the Children, Christmas Jumper Day involves school, nurseries, businesses or any other groups and individuals getting together in their favourite festive threads to raise money for the charity, who work to improve children’s lives both in the UK and internationally.

The charity’s aim is that every child born on this planet feels healthy and happy in the early years of their lives. They aim to reduce the millions of children around the world dying before the age of five due to easily preventable diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Everyone got into the spirit this year, politicians, movie stars and even the Welsh town of Cardigan – who temporarily renamed the town ‘Jumper’ to mark the day.

Pupils at Elians were told about the charity’s work and how the money would go to help less fortunate children around the world.

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NEWS

Advertising feature

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IN ENGLISH The new exclusive service from Línea Directa is entirely in English.

If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 900 123 026 More information on Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

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Rock in the New Year DENIA rock choir wish everyone a Happy Christmas, and invite you to join them to sing in the New Year on Thursday, January 12, at the Hostal Loreto in Denia.

This fun group is a

great place to make new friends, and meets each Thursday between 67.30pm, with each session costing €3.

They are due to celebrate their second anniversary at the end of January.

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COMMUNITY

Children enjoy a Harley Christmas THANKS to the success of the Free Spirits Harley Davidson Enthusiasts Club 2017 Charity Biker Babe Calendar, two local children’s charities will be celebrating this Christmas with a little less stress on their purse strings. All 600 of the calendars have now been sold and with a total revenue generated of €6,040, to be shared equally between Make A Smile and the Gandia Preventorio Children’s Home.

The calendar was also unique in that it entered those who purchased a calendar into a free Christmas draw with a total of over €600 worth of prizes on offer. The draw to find the winners took place on Friday 9 and the details of the winners are as follows: 1st prize - ticket number 0385 Geordie and Amanda Gee 2nd prize - ticket number 0383 Tanya Farrow 3rd prize - ticket number 0617 Dudley and Carol Davies 4th prize - ticket number 0635 Javier Vidal Peter Emmett, Outgoing President of

FREE SPIRITS: Celebrating the first year of the newly formed group.

Free Spirits HD biker group would like to both congratulate the winners, but also express sincere thanks to sponsors who covered the total cost of producing the calendar and of course those who purchased one.

Free Spirits group members and friends

assembled on Sunday for their Christmas party on the terrace of Restaurant La Cumbre, where everyone celebrated the first and very successful year of the newly formed biker group. For further information, please contact freespiritshd@gmail.com.

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COMMUNITY

Festive celebration ‘a la Vicente’ style AT 5.30pm on Boxing Day, Monday December 26, the Church of Pedreguer will welcome Professor Vicente Giner, who will play a selection of Christmas works from the Christmas Oratory by JS Bach, fragments of the Concerto Grosso de Corelli, and also improvisations and variations on well-known Christmas carols on the organ.

Vicente Giner has invited the well-known cabaret artist

Josef Wermuth, who will read his own Swiss stories about Santa Claus. Ilse Kübler will read an appropriate Christmas story and an introduction to the New Year, all of which will be in German.

At the end of the concert, there will be Austrian sweets and all the audience will be encouraged to sing the joyful song ‘Silent Night’ under the lights of the Christmas tree.

Tickets cost €12 and are

available from Proakustik Denia on Calle Diana, on the corner of Chabas park, which is open Monday to Friday from 9am until 2pm.

They may also be purchased from the ticket office on the day of the concert. For information and reservations call 965 788 840 or email in fo@konzertfreunde.com.

Do not forget to bring cushions for the seats, it’s winter!

Church services at Christmas THE Church of England here in Spain celebrates the wonderful Christmas story with services in all seven regular Sunday worship centres up and down the northern Costa Blanca.

The first service of Christmas Day is the traditional midnight mass, starting at 11:30pm on December 24 in the beautiful Ermita, on the Jesus Pobre Road out of Javea.

On Christmas day communion services will be held at each of our churches at our regular Sunday service times: Albir 9.45am, Javea 9.45am, Calpe 10.30am, Denia 11.45am, El Campello, Gandia and La Fustera, 12 noon.

For more information visit www. costablan ca-anglicanchaplaincy.org/. See www.c-of-etorrevieja.com/ for southern Costa Blanca.

COMMUNITY

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Festive hats and shop, shop, shop U3A VALL DEL POP asked members to wear their festive hats for the General and Christmas Meeting in Murla on December 8. Many responded with a Father Xmas hat, a few reindeers and a red nose but some had gone to great lengths to decorate their creations with tinsel, holly and a Christmas tree!

These creations were displayed and judged by the members with the four winning creations by Anna Cameron, Ann Williams, Sue Harvey and John Wardle.

Thanks to all members who participated!

On Tuesday December 14 the group arranged a ‘Shop Till You Drop’ trip to Valencia. Some 50 members braved the cold wet morning and in a short time they were dropped in a sunny Valencia near El Cortes Ingles to begin their shopping challenge.

The group scattered in every direction, not wishing to lose any time, but first fortification with coffee – for the husbands this was to be a long day!

The shops had their best Christmas displays from bags, dresses and coats to hun-

HATS OFF: Members with their Christmas hat creations. dreds and hundreds of electrical gadgets and toys for children – but Father Christmas in his grotto was nowhere to be seen – has he finally been superseded by mobile phones and Facebook, etc?

After seven hours, and loaded with

parcels, the shoppers gratefully boarded the coach, spent physically and financially and ready to drop.

Visit http://u3avalldelpop.com for further details. New members are always welcome – come and join at the first 2017 meeting.

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U3A Vall del Pop donate to Jalon Valley Help THE U3A Vall Del Pop Casual Choir used the occasion of their Christmas General Meeting, on December 8, to present to Jalon Valley Help a donation of €450 which had been raised through sales of the Casual Choir’s Beatles CD. Elaine Horton, the President of Jalon Valley Help, who received the donation, praised the Casual Choir for the quality of their performances throughout 2016 and for the joy their concerts gave to all who attended.

She was impressed by the quality of the recording and singing on the Beatles CD and thanked David Rohl, the Casual Choir’s musical director, for his efforts and to the choir members for their singing and willingness to give concerts throughout the year.

Elaine said Jalon Valley Help would be upgrading their wheelchair equipment in 2017, for lighter and ‘faster’ chairs, and thanked U3A Vall del Pop for their continued support.

A raffle at the Christmas meeting raised a further €200, which the members proposed should be donated to the Red Cross.

U3A Vall del Pop usually holds its General Meetings on the first Thursday of the month at the Polivalent Centre, Murla. However, the meeting in January 2017 is being held on January 12. See the website http://u3avalldelpop.com/ for further details.

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COMMUNITY

Clear skies for mountain walks THE Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers enjoyed clear skies and sunshine on a strenuous ridge climb to the summit of Segaria. In addition to the challenge of the walk they were rewarded with both stunning inland and coastal views.

Other walks on the same day proved popular with both experienced and less experienced walkers - a moderate circuit from Calpe

to Olta returning in time for lunch, a moderate walk around Segaria and a strenuous trail on good tracks from Castell de Castells on the flanks of Aixorta with an optional scramble up to Serella Castle.

This friendly international group hopes that you will come and join them, and share their love of walking in the beautiful mountains of the Costa Blanca.

Full details of all their walks,

including walk grades, length, duration and start points are on the programme which can be viewed or downloaded from their website www.cbmwalk ers.org.

The website also includes a wealth of information on mountain walking which is of particular interest to those who may be new to this exhilarating pastime.

STUNNING VIEWS: On the strenuous ridge climb.

COMMUNITY

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Christmas festivities for local Masons

By Caroline Tyszka ON Saturday December 10, Masons from local Lodge Arenal Deportiva 65 celebrated the start of Christmas with their annual carol service.

This took place at Le Goumand restaurant at Jesus Pobre where almost 60 Masons, their wives and guests arrived to start their Christmas festivities in style. Those who had attended before knew they were in for a great evening!

Arriving at 7pm they were greeted with cava and almost immediately broke into song with the first carols of the evening. At 8pm they began an excellent dinner interspersed with more carols.

The meal was largely game and cooked in the French style by the staff of Le Gourmand who looked after all in their inimitable style.

A charity raffle was held which raised a total of ₏360 which will be increased by other charity events held over the forthcoming year. The total will then be divided equally between the Raquel Paya special needs school in Denia and El Preventorio children’s home in Gandia.

Both charities having been supported by the Lodge for several years.

After this another bout of carols was sung led by WBro Glyn Walters, the Immediate Past Master of the Lodge and WBro Ray Guise-Smith, the Charity Steward.

As the evening progressed the method of singing the carols became more complicated with each of the six tables taking one verse each, sometimes more, culminating in a riotous version of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Some managed to finish on the correct verse and at the right time (but not many!), while others even managed to sing to the correct tune! All in all, a fantastic evening enjoyed by all.

Should you be interested in Freemasonry please contact prensa@glpvalencia.com for more information.

CHRISTMAS FUN: For the Masons and their guests.

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15 - 21 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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ALFAZ DEL PI / Associations’ enriching role in town ALFAZ mayor Vicente Arques recently met representatives from the town’s clubs and associations. There are roughly 150 different groups in Alfaz and Albir and as well as wishing to convey the season’s greetings, Arques also wanted to introduce next year’s theme of 2017, Any Saludable.

“Thanks to your work Alfaz del Pi’s social fabric sets an example for the rest of Europe,” Arques said during the meeting at the Albir social centre.

The mayor encouraged the local associations to support the 2017 Any Saludable programme of events and activities that draws attention to Alfaz as a healthy place to live.

“Its first class infrastructure and services go far beyond healthcare and residences for the elderly,” Arques said.

“Health also includes intangible aspects like the Albir beach’s 30 uninterrupted years of Blue Flags and the social involvement of our numerous associations.”

A village of contentment

By Caroline Tyszka COSTA BLANCA resident Jackie Troughton has built a spiritual village out of Lego which has enthralled the young and old.

Jackie, a founder member of the Alfaz del Pi Spiritual Church and a published author moved from Hampshire to Spain almost 30 years ago to enjoy the climate and relaxed way of life.

Inspired to build the village having seen a documentary about the company on the television, she said “I thought that it would be quite fun to create something of my own so I went to a few toy shops and started to build, with the Spiritual theme coming to me in a message.”

Jackie, aged 85, (she said we could tell you) built the friendly miniature town over the summer months and first displayed it at the church’s mind and body spirits fair in November.

Hoping to make people

JACKIE TROUGHTON: With the Lego village creation. more aware of the church, based at the Forum Mare Nostrum in Alfaz del Pi, where

Jackie also resides, the village went on display again last week during the Christmas car-

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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/ ALBIR

t in Lego ol service with many attracted to one particular feature, and Jackie’s favourite piece.

Entitled ‘Melody the dragon with a beautiful singing voice cared for by her keeper Shield,’ Jackie said “it’s my pride and joy showing a simple gesture of love and kindness.”

At the service Jackie read a story about the village and its inhabitants, bringing the plastic bricks to life in the minds of many.

The village is packed with character and messages of thoughtfulness and she now has plans to expand her creation by adding a church and other features, which is where Euro Weekly News readers may be able to help.

If anyone has any old Lego lying around and would like to donate it to Jackie so she can continue to add to her ‘village of contentment’ they can drop it at the Forum marked for her attention, Camino del Pincho, nº 2 Alfaz del Pi, 03580, Alicante, telephone 966 878 400.

NEWS

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22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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TEULADA MORAIRA

NEWS

A batty endeavour

By Linda Hall THE Cova de les Rates Penades cave on the Moraira coast is a haven for bats and has been a protected area since 2004.

Officials and experts from the national, regional and local governments were recently taken there by boat to inspect the cave prior to introducing conservation measures.

The visit was arranged by the Environment Ministry’s Wild Life Service which is currently carrying out a national programme to protect bats and their habitats. Its plans for the Cova de les Rates Penades include closing off the cave mouth and putting up notices that explain the importance of bats and the need to protect them.

The authorities also plan to

MEASURING UP: Cave mouth will be closed off. take a census of the Cova’s bats to establish their numbers

and the different breeds that live and breed there.

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JAVEA - XABIA

Looking forward

By Linda Hall THE Marina Alta might be experiencing heavy rain but Montgo is already looking ahead to fire prevention.

In September 2014 fire destroyed 444 hectares of land on Montgo and forestry brigades are currently clearing undergrowth and thinning pines on heavily-wooded

Montgo.

Joan Sala, president of the Montgo natural park’s board of governors, explained that this is not a new initiative and is carried out every five years.

“Nevertheless it is even more important following the horrific fires that recently affected the Marina Alta,” Sala told the local Spanish press.

It is essential to reduce the

density of vegetation on Montgo and trees up to three metres high are being removed to avoid a proliferation of adult pines, he continued.

On the Javea side of Montgo, which was also affected in 2014, thousands of pines that self-seeded after the fire were removed this summer to reduce density.

In order to create woodland

DENSE VEGETATION: Is being cleared to reduce the risk of future fires.

Help for flood evacuees THE Red Cross opened two temporary Marina Alta centres for residents with homes affected by the storms. A meeting was held at the organisation’s Operations Coordination Centre in Javea following warnings that the River Gorgos was on the point of overflowing its banks.

It was decided to open a temporary shelter at Javea Town Hall and another in the Pedro Pastor

Cultural Centre if families living near the river needed to be evacuated in the event of flooding.

In addition, centres manned by Red Cross emergency response teams in Orihuela and Almoradi were open to assist families threatened by the rapidly-rising River Segura. A family of four had to spend the night in the Orihuela shelter and three more people arrived the next day.

that is less vulnerable to fire, Javea’s municipal biologist Ignasis Ascort has far-reaching plans to gradually introduce native Mediterranean species like wild olives, holm oaks and mastic trees.

NEWS

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JAVEA Lucky grapes once again for Manel FOR the first time in seven years Manel Mir can watch television on New Year’s Eve. The 81-year-old is the only

occupant of a Javea apartment block where all the properties apart from his own belong to Spain’s ‘bad bank’ Sareb.

Manel fought for years for an electricity connection and has now won another battle. The Residents’ Community, headed

by Sareb, has installed a television antenna and lighting on the stairs, repaired the room where the electricity meters are kept and the lift is working again.

So Manel will line up his 12 grapes on December 31 as tradition requires and eat one as the clock in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol strikes midnight. “I’d got out of the habit but this year I’ll watch it on the TV,” he said.

Kind TAPIS donations

ROUNDABOUT RELIEF: Members present gifts and vouchers for the TAPIS Workshop.

By Linda Hall THE Roundabout Charity Shop in Javea recently made several Christmas donations to the TAPIS Workshop for the mentally-disabled.

Members of the charity visited TAPIS where they presented a vacuum cleaner, a printer, a cordless telephone and a microwave.

They also handed over two gift vouchers to spend in Javea shops to acquire the materials used by workshop members.

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- XABIA

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NEWS

Javea U3A Dine and Dance Original Charity Shop and Library

FESTIVE FUN: In smart suits and glitter frocks.

ALMOST 100 members of the Javea U3A Dine and Dance group got into the festive mood at their annual Christmas party at the Parador Hotel.

Organised by group leaders Pat and Eric Johnson, the evening included a slap-up threecourse meal complete with plenty of Christmas ‘spirit,’ a free raffle for everyone and mu-

sic provided by popular DJ Eric Taylor.

Members rose to the occasion by dressing up in their smart suits and glittery frocks to enjoy the fun – and certainly did not let the miserable weather outside dampen their spirits.

For details of regular Dine and Dance events and other U3A groups and activities, visit the website www.u3a.org.

DECEMBER 17 was a very special day for the children at the Raquel Paya School for children with special needs. With great excitement they awaited the arrival of Santa and his helpers and of course all the presents he had in that heavy bag.

This year the volunteers of The Original Charity Shop and Library were entertained by musicians playing Christmas carols, followed by a video showing some of the many activities which take place at the school during the year.

After the show each child was delighted to receive his or her very special gift from Santa and his helper. At the end of this delightful occasion everyone enjoyed some wine and tapas spe-

CATERING GIRLS: Served up wine and tapas. cially made by the catering girls.

Sincere thanks to everyone who made this possible: all the generous sponsors who donated raffle prizes or cash, all the shop’s clients who bought raffle tickets, staff who collected prizes, sold raffle tickets and helped to wrap the presents for

more than 60 children.

A list of winning raffle tickets is on display in the window of The Original Charity Shop on Avenida Fontana and in the Library in Javea Park. So don’t forget to check your tickets – you could be one of the lucky winners!

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GERMANY

Legalising cannabis

Hitler’s house

COPYRIGHT Bucchi Francesco.

DENMARK

COPENHAGEN is trying for a fourth time to get a trial programme allowing legal cannabis to be approved.

Each attempt has so far been rejected by the national government.

Rich and poor

Freedom award BREAKING the Silence, an Israeli organisation that shares soldiers’ stories of serving in the West Bank and Gaza, has received the Freedom Award in Copenhagen.

Peaceful demo MORE than 5,000 Danes took part in a peaceful candlelit demonstration in

TRYING AGAIN: To legalise cannabis in Copenhagen.

support of civilian victims affected by bombing in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Shot dead POLICE have shot and killed a man

who attacked them with a knife.

The incident occurred as officers were called to a late night noise complaint. When they tried to remove the man’s stereo he stabbed one of the officers.

Costly exit

Stop free lessons

Taxi protest

A NEW report has shown the ever increasing social divide in Germany with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

There are now more millionaires in the country but also the number heavily in debt has risen and 5.6 per cent of the population is officially classified as poor.

People’s train THE country’s first crowdfunded train has made its maiden voyage from Stuttgart to Berlin and even arrived five minutes early.

The one return service a day is operated by Berlin-based startup Locomore.

Mother’s murder A MOTHER is on trial for attempted murder after she allegedly threw her three children out of a window in western Germany. The youngsters, aged three, four and six at the time, all survived the 8m fall and now live with their father.

BELGIUM

FRANCE PRESIDENTIAL candidate, Marine Le Pen, from the French far-right National Front party has said she would stop free education for children of undocumented immigrants saying “play time is over.”

THE house where Adolf Hitler was born in Austria, close to the German border, is to be demolished and replaced with a new building.

The site has become a pilgrimage for neo-Naxis.

EUROPEAN PRESS

drivers protested at Charles de Gualle and Orly airports. Drivers were protesting their wages claiming they are earning just €3.75 an hour.

Tower closed THE Eiffel Tower was closed for a second day as workers took strike action over salaries and conditions leaving tourists disappointed. The attraction

has already lost about one million visitors this year compared to 2015.

Stronger security PARLIAMENT has voted to extend a national state of emergency until after next year’s elections. It means that the extra security measures in force since the Paris attacks in November 2015, will remain in place.

A HARD Brexit with the UK leaving the EU and not remaining a member of the single market, could cost Belgian businesses €1.6 billion in unexpected expenditure, according to figures from Belgium’s central bank.

No noise

Historical home A BELGIAN house built in 1964 in Tielt, has caught of the eye of The New York Times, which called it “a modernist masterpiece.” It was designed by the architect Georges Vandenbussche and in 2008, it was classified as a historical monument.

Airline acquisition

SWEDEN

NORWAY

A ZERO tolerance for planes that exceed noise levels risks forcing passenger carriers out of Brussels.

As a result, Flemish PM Geert Bourgeois has called on the Brussels Region to drop the strict noise rules or risk losing thousands of jobs.

Profits up

Chess champ

HOLLAND

SMALL companies are reporting a successful 2016 with profitability increasing across most industries and profits increasing by an average 15 per cent this year, according to a consultancy firm’s profitability barometer.

THE Norwegian Magnus Carlsen is the new World Chess Champion after he played to victory in New York, USA. This is his third World Champion win and it was a good birthday present for him coming on the same day as he celebrated turning 26.

Fewer unemployed

SOME passengers missed their flights and suffered traffic chaos as taxi

Terror tax MORE tax is to be levied on those suspected of financing terror activities with 100 paying so far. It is part of a collaboration between the Swedish tax agency and security police.

Syrian smuggling TWO men accused of smuggling approximately 170 Syrians from Milan in Italy to Sweden, have been convicted of human trafficking. A third received a suspended sentence.

Nursing shortage A SHORTAGE of nursing staff has resulted in hundreds of empty hospital beds at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

Patients are being sent home and operations postponed.

December gathering IN a bid to try and not offend anyone, a primary school in Stavanger has removed a festive hymn from its Christmas party and even renamed it a ‘December gathering.’

The principal of the school said this was because some people associate the word ‘Christmas’ with something Christian.

Smaller reindeer SANTA may have a struggle this year when delivering all those gifts as researchers say that reindeer on Norway’s Arctic Svalbard archipelago are becoming smaller due to climate change. The average weight of the reindeer has fallen from 55kg to 48kg.

UNEMPLOYMENT in the Netherlands has fallen to below 500,000 for the first time since March 2012. According to the national statistics office, in November, 499,000 people were officially listed as unemployed, which is around 5.6 per cent of the working population.

Lacking integration MORE needs to be done to improve integration in the Netherlands with claims the move made in 2013 for new arrivals to organise and pay for integration courses themselves is not working.

LUFTHANSA has acquired Brussels Airlines with a promise to invest €600 million in the company, for the renewal of its fleet of long-haul carriers.

Name change AMSTERDAM’S main football stadium, owned by the Ajax club, is likely to change its name to the Johan Cruijff stadium in honour of the former international player who died in March.

Shopping spree RETAIL sales have increased by 5.4 per cent this year compar ed t o t he sam e per i od l ast year.

Onl i ne sal es have al so i ncreased by almost 20 per cent in the Netherlands.

40

E W N 22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

NEWS

RUSSIAN PRESS

Power player

VLADIMIR PUTIN: Top trumps in the power stakes.

PRESIDENT Putin topped Forbes magazine’s world’s most powerful people list for 2016. It’s the third consecutive year he has won, this time beating Donald Trump and Angela Merkel to the top spot, due to the extensive impact of his political decisions across the world.

Olden times A SURVEY found that many Russians are harking back to the good old days of the Soviet Union with only 15 per cent believing things are better now. The ‘happiness’ quiz found that, while Russians are largely depressed about their conditions, west Europeans are quickly catching up.

Calendar chaos AN outspoken Russian politician has called on the country to celebrate Christmas on December 25 along with the West. Vladimir Zhirinovsky asked the State Duma ‘why not switch back?’ Russian Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas on January 7, following the Julian calendar.

cording to a Dutch court, despite Crimea now being a part of Russia. The court failed to recognise Moscow’s authority after the 2014 annexation of the territory, while the gold was on loan to an Amsterdam museum.

Show goes on RUSSIA will hold the 2018 World Cup according to Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, despite suggestions that doping allegations might see FIFA change its mind. A new report identified more

than 1,000 Russian athletes across 30 different Olympic sports accused of doping under a systematic state-sponsored regime.

Green card RUSSIAN politicians are considering launching the country’s very own ‘Green Card’ policy to attract skilled foreign citizens. It would follow America’s lottery-style system and help boost immigration levels. Only nationals of approved countries will be allowed to take part.

Advantageous spelling mistake SOPHISTICATED Russian hackers allegedly took advantage of a spelling mistake from an American bureaucrat to leak highly sensitive files in order to help Donald Trump get elected after the cheeky web wizards accessed Hillary Clinton’s private campaign information.

Blood and treasure SCYTHIAN treasures from the 4th century BC found in Crimea must be handed over to Ukraine ac-

WEB WIZARDS: Helped get Trump elected.

FINANCE

Costa Blanca North

22 - 28 December 2016

A EURO WEEKLY NEWS 6 PAGE SPECIAL SECTION // WWW.EWNBUSINESS.COM

British Airways threaten strike

By John Smith BRITISH AIRWAYS crew flying out of Heathrow Airport have overwhelmingly given a strike mandate to their union Unite after rejecting a 2 per cent pay offer and the strike is due to take place sometime after December 21.

Currently there is no confirmation of the actual dates or indeed the duration of the strike but to have made this decision so close to Christmas must be seen as very worrying for the management of the airline who Unite

Quote of the Week

£1.4 billion (€1.7 billion) is the amount of profit declared by the IAG group for the previous trading year.

BUSINESS EXTRA

Photo Credit: Timahaowemi Wikimedia

Saffron on the rebound

ZARA: Is the biggest brand of Inditex.

By John Smith INDITEX, the world’s largest retailer of clothes continues to go from strength to strength and has announced a profit of €16.4 billion, an 11 per cent rise over the nine month period to the end of October last year.

The owner of such diverse ranges as Zara (which is its biggest brand), Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Pull & Bear said that its best sellers this year have been military blazers, mi-

would like to see return to the negotiating table.

The major problem arises with regards to staff employed after 2010 who were enticed to join the flight crew of the airline with expected wages of between £21,000 (€25,000) and £25,000 (€30,000) when in reality their basic wages turned out to be £12,000 (€14,500) plus a £3 (€3.6) an hour flight bonus.

According to the union, staff are taking on second jobs, working whilst ill and many are suffering from depression and stress because

“Without reforms, the regional financing framework remains a risk for the achievement of fiscal targets.” Christine Lagarde, President of International Monetary Fund on Spanish economy

Inditex keeps making money

ni-skirts and velvet dresses and its online business is also continuing to attract new custom.

Ironically, although competitors appear to be facing a much tougher period, the shares in the company have fallen slightly but with its policy of not overstocking, turning round production quickly for popular styles and its continued expansion into new markets, the succesful group looks destined to continue to grow.

SPAIN is renowned for the use of saffron in many of its rice dishes but with the introduction of a usable ‘imitation’ and an increase in exports from Iran, the price dropped but Spain is now making a comeback in the market.

A fine mess A BARCELONA court has overturned a fine of €30,000 imposed by the regional government of Catalonia on Airbnb for advertising lodgings that did not have permits to accept paying guests arguing that Spanish law is currently inconclusive on the matter.

Victory pay NIGERIA’S victorious women’s football team protested outside parliament in Abuja over unpaid win bonuses on the day that the annual budget was to be debated.

They argue that they are owed win bonuses of €16,000 and plan to continue until paid.

Bank loses out in court case AFTER 13 years, a British couple who lost €227,000 paid to a Spanish developer in Marbella for a dream home that was never built due to planning irregularities, has been awarded the full amount by a court in Malaga.

41

1.62 million is the number of people unemployed in the UK at the end of October representing 4.8 per cent, which is an 11 year low.

STAT OF WEEK

business & legal

EWN

Banco Popular has been instructed to return the money which it received from the developer and should have been held in a special guaranteed account. The bank can appeal but may be hesitant as the award would only escalate if the appeal failed.

of their financial position which is particularly galling as the BA parent IAG saw its profits rise by 64 per cent in the last year.

With strikes being undertaken by BA staff, Post Office staff and members of rail unions, the government alleges that these are positively motivated and planned to cause major disruption to the public but in the case of the BA strike, their union Unite denies this and says that they are looking after their own long-term interests and those of their customers.

Trump hotel sues chef SPANISH celebrity chef José Andrés who is being sued for $10 million (€9.4 million) after pulling out of a deal to open a restaurant in a Trump hotel in Washington because of what he considered racist comments by the president elect has suggested that the case be cancelled and all legal fees likely to be paid by each side be donated to a US Veterans charity. Mr Trump’s response is now awaited.

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E W N 22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

LONDON - FTSE 100

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MONEY WITH US See our advert on opposite page

C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 19

PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) COMPANY 3i Group PLC 674.75 -5.50 Admiral Group PLC 1776.50 -5.00 Anglo American PLC 1113.50 -19.50 Antofagasta PLC 659.00 -11.00 Ashtead Group PLC 1602.50 -9.00 Associated British Foods PLC 2690.00 1.00 AstraZeneca PLC 4342.00 -59.50 Aviva PLC 474.35 -4.40 Babcock International Grp 946.25 -1.00 BAE Systems PLC 590.75 -1.00 Barclays PLC 225.90 -2.25 Barratt Developments PLC 458.85 1.50 BHP Billiton PLC 1283.00 -22.43 BP PLC 492.47 2.85 British American Tobacco PLC 4507.25 1.00 British Land Co PLC 634.50 5.50 BT Group PLC 367.52 0.55 Bunzl PLC 2070.00 -1.00 Burberry Group PLC 1487.00 -2.00 Capita PLC 494.60 4.20 Carnival PLC 3920.50 -147.00 Centrica PLC 230.35 0.20 Coca-Cola HBC AG 1658.50 1.00 Compass Group PLC 1420.00 4.00 CRH PLC 2686.50 -14.00 Croda International PLC 3187.50 -1.00 DCC PLC 5855.00 -10.00 Diageo PLC 2067.50 12.00 Direct Line Insurance Group... 356.40 -0.30 Dixons Carphone PLC 345.65 1.60 easyJet PLC 1047.00 3.00 Experian PLC 1509.00 -3.00 Fresnillo PLC 1100.50 -1.00 GKN PLC 329.05 -0.50 GlaxoSmithKline PLC 1521.75 -4.50 Glencore PLC 267.67 -0.80 Hammerson PLC 560.25 6.50 Hargreaves Lansdown PLC 1237.50 2.00 Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC 1800.50 10.93 HSBC Holdings PLC 658.85 -8.00 Imperial Brands PLC 3502.00 13.00 Informa PLC 671.50 0.50 InterContinental Hotels Gr 3510.00 5.00 International Consolidated 459.70 0.29 Intertek Group PLC 3324.50 -7.00 Intu Properties PLC 273.95 0.70 ITV PLC 196.45 0.40 Johnson Matthey PLC 3074.50 5.00 Kingfisher PLC 343.10 0.30 Land Securities Group PLC 1033.00 3.00

% CHG. -0.81 -0.28 -1.72 -1.64 -0.56 0.04 -1.35 -0.92 -0.11 -0.17 -0.99 0.33 -1.72 0.58 0.02 0.87 0.15 -0.05 -0.13 0.86 -3.61 0.09 0.06 0.28 -0.52 -0.03 -0.17 0.58 -0.08 0.46 0.29 -0.20 -0.09 -0.15 -0.29 -0.30 1.17 0.16 0.61 -1.20 0.37 0.07 0.14 0.06 -0.21 0.26 0.20 0.16 0.09 0.29

NET VOL 65.41 5.60 372.93 74.91 18.93 5.73 122.46 186.05 8.93 112.03 712.93 32.81 399.28 1,615.48 165.78 60.64 239.61 20.90 20.98 130.24 30.82 234.73 6.97 118.75 12.19 2.16 1.71 91.20 15.64 69.80 54.94 10.27 65.96 33.80 210.99 2,412.14 26.72 6.78 10.15 931.98 44.93 30.61 4.71 140.04 2.21 70.58 453.03 2.62 120.63 54.44

COMPANY PRICE(P) CHANGE(P) Legal & General Group PLC 242.50 -0.05 Lloyds Banking Group PLC 63.65 -0.12 London Stock Exchange Group...2821.50 16.00 Marks & Spencer Group PLC 355.70 0.76 Mediclinic International PLC 733.25 8.50 Merlin Entertainments PLC 436.85 -1.10 Micro Focus International PLC 2154.00 -5.00 Mondi PLC 1566.50 6.00 Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets PLC227.35 0.70 National Grid PLC 933.65 2.30 Next PLC 4952.50 0.00 Old Mutual PLC 197.50 -1.70 Paddy Power Betfair PLC 8617.50 10.00 Pearson PLC 821.50 -0.50 Persimmon PLC 1721.50 18.00 Polymetal International PLC 767.75 -7.00 Provident Financial PLC 2749.50 -2.00 Prudential PLC 1576.25 -7.00 Randgold Resources Ltd 5615.00 40.00 Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC 6634.00 21.00 RELX PLC 1395.00 5.00 Rio Tinto PLC 3040.00 -52.50 Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC 672.50 -2.50 Royal Bank of Scotland Grou... 227.05 -0.50 Royal Dutch Shell PLC 2290.00 1.00 Royal Mail PLC 451.30 -0.10 RSA Insurance Group PLC 568.00 -1.50 Sage Group (The) PLC 649.25 0.00 Sainsbury (J) PLC 250.00 0.07 Schroders PLC 2989.00 2.00 Severn Trent PLC 2191.00 8.00 Shire PLC 4590.00 -5.00 Sky PLC 991.50 0.50 Smith & Nephew PLC 1182.00 -1.00 Smiths Group PLC 1406.50 -5.00 SSE PLC 1517.50 1.00 Standard Chartered PLC 678.65 -6.40 Standard Life PLC 363.35 -2.30 St James's Place PLC 996.25 -3.00 Taylor Wimpey PLC 153.70 0.60 Tesco PLC 201.28 0.95 Travis Perkins PLC 1449.50 0.00 TUI AG 1109.50 0.00 Unilever PLC 3180.75 28.00 United Utilities Group PLC 886.50 6.50 Vodafone Group PLC 200.93 0.48 Whitbread PLC 3637.00 17.00 Wolseley PLC 4884.50 5.00 Worldpay Group PLC 269.40 0.87 WPP PLC 1782.00 1.00

% CHG. -0.02 -0.19 0.57 0.21 1.17 -0.25 -0.23 0.38 0.31 0.25 0.00 -0.85 0.12 -0.06 1.06 -0.90 -0.07 -0.44 0.72 0.32 0.36 -1.70 -0.37 -0.22 0.04 -0.02 -0.26 0.00 0.03 0.07 0.37 -0.11 0.05 -0.08 -0.35 0.07 -0.93 -0.63 -0.30 0.39 0.47 0.00 0.00 0.89 0.74 0.24 0.47 0.10 0.32 0.06

NET VOL 209.49 2,346.35 4.59 62.17 12.27 21.90 3.99 21.30 58.22 325.84 3.36 428.85 .89 36.05 27.58 29.59 4.32 49.59 51.01 52.30 50.20 156.48 46.60 227.09 181.69 53.61 18.42 24.87 95.55 1.69 9.47 23.50 131.16 36.94 14.54 23.35 208.93 148.76 13.44 182.28 376.30 1.55 33.49 67.91 31.00 1,102.90 4.14 8.96 58.27 66.20

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DOW JONES C LOSING P RICES D ECEMBER 19

COMPANY 3M AMERICAN EXPRESS APPLE BOEING CO CATERPILLAR CHEVRON CISCO SYSTEMS COCA-COLA DU PONT(EI) DE NMR EXXON MOBIL GENERAL ELECTRIC GOLDMAN SACHS HOME DEPOT IBM INTEL CORP J.P.MORGAN CHASE JOHNSON & JOHNSON MC DONALD'S CORP MERCK AND CO. NEW MICROSOFT NIKE PFIZER PROCTER AND GAMBLE TRAVELERS CIES UNITED TECHNOLOGIE UNITEDHEALTH GROUP VERIZON COMMS VISA WAL-MART STORES WALT DISNEY CO

PRICE CHANGE %CHANGE VOLUME 177,450 +0,81% 1,430 106M 75,0000 +0,08% 0,0600 68M 115,970 +0,13% 0,150 617M 154,500 +0,47% 0,730 95M 92,580 -2,06% -1,950 54M 118,08 +0,88% 1,03 223M 30,590 -0,13% -0,040 153M 41,74 +0,46% 0,19 179M 74,8600 -0,04% -0,0300 65M 91,18 +0,32% 0,29 376M 31,7500 +1,57% 0,4900 281M 238,90 -1,69% -4,10 95M 135,1100 -0,54% -0,7300 164M 166,73 -0,77% -1,29 158M 36,3100 -1,30% -0,4800 171M 84,9400 -1,23% -1,0600 304M 115,8800 -0,01% -0,0100 315M 123,2400 +0,72% 0,8800 102M 62,44 +0,11% 0,07 171M 62,300 -0,45% -0,280 484M 50,92 -0,72% -0,37 68M 32,8400 +0,27% 0,0900 198M 84,680 +0,00% 0,000 226M 121,60 +1,00% 1,20 34M 108,52 +0,36% 0,39 89M 163,94 +2,07% 3,32 155M 52,27 +0,89% 0,46 212M 78,35 -1,45% -1,15 145M 70,9800 -0,14% -0,1000 217M 103,9100 -0,46% -0,4800 165M

NASDAQ C LOSING P RICES

DECEMBER

19

COMPANY

PRICE

CHANGE NET / %

Most Advanced TiGenix Aptevo Therapeutics Inc. Egalet Corporation Flex Pharma, Inc. Versartis, Inc. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Unity Bancorp, Inc. StealthGas, Inc. Horizon Pharma plc VOXX International Corporation ChemoCentryx, Inc.

$ 14.01 $ 2.15 $ 7.89 $ 6.13 $ 14.85 $ 6.19 $ 16.70 $4 $ 16.44 $ 5.05 $ 8.99

2.31 ▲ 19.74% 0.32 ▲ 17.49% 0.88 ▲ 12.55% 0.67 ▲ 12.27% 1.55 ▲ 11.65% 0.62 ▲ 11.13% 1.65 ▲ 10.96% 0.38 ▲ 10.50% 1.51 ▲ 10.11% 0.45 ▲ 9.78% 0.77 ▲ 9.37%

$ 9.98 $ 45.08 $ 3.20 $ 3.18 $ 2.98 $ 12.40 $ 28.87 $ 3.9299 $ 34.85 $ 6.63 $ 2.60

2.85 ▼ 22.21% 10.86 ▼ 19.41% 0.68 ▼ 17.53% 0.32 ▼ 9.14% 0.2659 ▼ 8.19% 1.08 ▼ 8.01% 2.44 ▼ 7.79% 0.3265 ▼ 7.67% 2.85 ▼ 7.56% 0.54 ▼ 7.53% 0.20 ▼ 7.14%

Most Declined XBiotech Inc. Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Diana Containerships Inc. SORL Auto Parts, Inc. Vanguard Natural Resources LLC TerraForm Power, Inc. Fossil Group, Inc. Presbia PLC Natus Medical Incorporated Everspin Technologies, Inc. Kopin Corporation

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www.euroweeklynews.com

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

British gas pipelines set to be sold Photo Credit: Oxyman Wikimedia

By John Smith FORMED in 1990 and privatised in 1995, the National Grid not only controls the movement of electricity throughout the UK it also acts as the sole transporter of gas on behalf of all of the gas producing and marketing companies through its enormous network of gas pipelines.

Ofgem has been keeping a close eye on matters and will no doubt report any fears to the government before final approval is given.”

Now it has announced that it has accepted in principle an offer from a foreign consortium to sell 61 per cent of its holdings in the gas pipelines for £13.8 billion (€16.4 billion) in order to distribute part of the proceeds to shareholders, a small part to energy users and to invest the balance in faster and more profitable areas.

The main partners in the consortium are the Australian investment bank Macquarie (nicknamed the ‘Vampire Kangaroo’ for its alleged draining of the lifeblood of companies in which it invests), the China Investment Corporation (CIC), the Qatari Investment Author-

NATIONAL GRID: Is the sole transporter of gas. ity as well as fund managers Allianz.

The British government will need to consider whether this is an investment that it can possibly allow in view of its recent comments

concerning the owning of important British utility companies by foreign companies and governments which almost resulted in a major incident with China over the Hinkley Point C

nuclear power station.

Whilst Britain may be friendly with China at the moment their continued investment in the UK, particularly in utilities, could have a potentially negative effect on the country and Prime Minister Theresa May publicly stated that investment in critical infrastructure would be “scrutinised for the purposes of national security.”

Although not having made a definitive observation on the proposed sale, it is known that energy regulator Ofgem has been keeping a close eye on matters and will no doubt report any fears that it may have to the government before final approval for the deal which is planned to be completed in March of next year is given.

Unions are also worried about this proposed sale as they point to the activities of Macquarie in particular which purchased (with CIC) Thames Water which it allegedly used to syphon funds back to Australia whilst increasing both prices to consumers and company debt and after 10 years of ownership is now looking to get out by selling its majority shareholding.

Having as it does a complete monopoly on the distribution of gas, the National Grid has 82,000 miles of pipeline, which delivers gas to approximately 11 million households and businesses and the gas division employs more than 5,500 staff.

White Elephant discovered in South Atlantic

By John Smith

ipation of the opening of the airport in May of this year, but when Comair, a subsidiary of British Airways tried to land a commercial Boeing 737 on the runway they only just managed on their third attempt due to the problem of ‘wind shear’ which had been identified by Darwin.

The opening of the airport was postponed indefinitely as it then transpired that the Department for International Development (DfID) ignored a Met Office report produced in January 2015 which made it clear that there would be considerable difficulty in landing due to the problems with the wind and to make matters worse, DfID underwrote ‘profits’ for Comair which means that they will have to pay the airline £1.9 million (€2.25 million) a year for lost revenue.

One bit of good news has appeared on the horizon however as in early December an Embraer ERJ-190-100 jet aircraft, operated by Embraer Commercial Aviation as a non-commercial trial and demonstration flight, visited St Helena Airport and made a number of succesful landings in different wind conditions over a period of three days.

This aircraft type is one of a number of potential solutions to operating regular flights to St Helena and other aircraft have landed at the airport either as Air Ambulances refuelling or as tests by new aircraft being delivered to South America.

It is just possible that the airport will become a commercial reality rather than a white elephant which has been paid for by the British taxpayer, if the Embraer report is positive and an airline operating that aircraft type can be persuaded to fly regularly to St Helena.

Photo Credit: Paul Tyson Wikimedia

AS early as 1836 Charles Darwin noticed that winds across St Helena, the British Colony in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, were exceptionally strong, almost constant and often changed direction, but this information didn’t seem to occur to the British government when it authorised the spending of some £285 million (€340 million) on building what was meant to be a commercial airport on the remote island.

Currently an age-

ing vessel, the RMS St Helena potters along a route which takes it to three of the British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic, Ascension Island, St Helena and Tristan da Cunha with journey time from South Africa to St Helena taking at least four days depending on the weather.

The concept of an air strip on the island had been spoken about for years and was attractive to the 4,000 locals as it would not only make journey times to the outside world much quicker (and there is a large population of St Helenians in the UK) but would be likely to attract tourists who amongst other reasons would want to visit sites associated with Napoleon.

Money was spent locally to improve hotel facilities, buy boats and vehicles all in antic-

COMAIR FLIGHT: Landing at St Helena.

FINANCE, BUSINESS & LEGAL

www.euroweeklynews.com

Chaos over Greek pension payout

RELIEF SUSPENDED: After the Greek Government’s Christmas bonus decision.

By John Smith A DECISION taken by the Greek government to give hard hit Greek pensioners a Christmas bonus has resulted in eurozone lenders suspending a debt-relief plan as punishment.

According to the lenders, the decision to make a oneoff payment of €617 million to elderly Greeks was not in accordance with any existing agreements with the lenders and it had not been put to them for approval.

The European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the body that helps eurozone governments facing financial problems, has decided to review the payment.

In a statement it said “Following recent proposals by the Greek government to spend additional fiscal resources for pensions and VAT, our governing bodies have put their decisions temporarily on hold.”

The actual agreement was only reached in early December and would have seen an extension of time concerning the maturity of existing loans as well as freezing interest

rates on some of the country’s debts which would have made repayments on the €300 billion of debt more bearable.

Following recent proposals by the Greek government to spend additional fiscal resources our governing bodies have put their decisions temporarily on hold.”

Now however this decision to make the payment to pensioners and also to delay indefinitely increasing VAT in the Aegean Islands due to the financial burdens caused by the large numbers of migrants has meant that it may miss future targets which has spurred the German government in particular to demand the suspension of the proposed debt relief.

Germany is already the least favourite country of the Greek people and this decision has caused some splits within the eurozone membership with French Finance Minister Michel Sapin suggesting that the decision had

not been taken unanimously by the 19-member Eurozone.

“Individual statements are not the collective statements of the Eurogroup” Sapin told reporters when the decision was announced and even Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said that “the European Commission believes there is no reason for eurozone lenders to question a debt relief deal struck with Greece.”

To add to this, the International Monetary Fund is not convinced that the agreements which had been reached with the Greek government are likely to be workable and that regardless of what the eurozone lenders may consider sensible, it is possible that the Greek economy will not be able to recover from such crippling debts.

In the meantime the euro found itself under fire from the US dollar which hit a new 2016 high against the currency on December 15 and sterling also continues to hold its own against the euro after initial falls following the referendum.

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

EWN

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OPINION & COMMENT

www.euroweeklynews.com

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

EWN

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Foto Copyright Emi Cristea

Celebrate Christmas while you still can LEAPY LEE SAYS IT

OTHERS THINK IT JUST when you thought you’d heard it all, another gem pops up. Last week some jobsworth or other, decreed that we should no longer address our school children as ‘girls and boys!’ Apparently, they inform us, labelling youngsters in this fashion can be ‘upsetting to children who may have transgender leanings.’

This bright idea of course comes hot on the heels of not running in the playground and wearing goggles plus crash helmet to play conkers!

Of course, they haven’t managed to come up with any alternative titles for our poor beleaguered offspring.

What about ‘bits,’ ‘no bits’ and ‘assorted bits’? Or perhaps ‘he’s,’ ‘she’s’ and ‘maybe’s’ might fit the PC acceptable bill. The mind truly does boggle. Honestly, where do they find these people? More to the point, who pays their wages? (I know I know, silly question.)

BURNING BELGIUM: Another example of where complacency of the west has got us.

What I do find almost beyond comprehension is that adult people (persons) actually sit around tables

seriously discussing these ridiculous directives. Personally I think they have a great job. I could think up all

sorts of things to drive people (persons) around the bend. How about all of us wearing onesies and refer-

ring to each other as ‘IT’S’? Ah well. C’est la vie.

I see they are burning Christmas trees in Brussels. Belgium of course has the biggest Muslim population in Europe. For a number of years, their more radical leaders have been boasting Belgium would be the first country ‘to fall.’ I suppose the destruction of anything sacred to other religions is a natural progression. Yet another example of where the complacency of the west has got us. It’s all too late now of course. It was actually too late 20 years ago.

Ah well, let’s all wish each other a Merry Christmas, while it’s still considered acceptable and let us hope our future children will be allowed to do the same! (Don’t hold yer breath) Personally I’m off to Dublin for my Christmas sojourn. Can’t wait to see ‘em all. Bring on the black beer!

Have a good one. Remember whose birthday we are celebrating.

Always Keep the Faith Love Leapy leapylee2002@gmail.com

A Christmas Tale from Tuscany

By Dario Poli (part 2) GIOVANNI’S childhood friend was solidly impressive in a rough checked shirt and a rope holding up his corduroy trousers and wearing thick boots. Of medium height, he had fair wavy hair, ruddy complexion and steely grey penetrating eyes. His handshake, firm but gentle, was his calling card.

I sensed immediately this man was built by nature, blessed with an abundance of good health. Wiry and physically strong, a morally incorruptible individual, with genuine spirituality exuding from every pore in his body.

He grabbed the ropes, held and restrained the two excited mules. One particularly aggressive mule with his eyes on me, clearly intended to kick me as hard as he could, turning and twisting, to deliver the blow.

With Silvio still firmly holding them, they finally calmed down and he amiably conversed with us about the old times and mutual friends.

I asked him about local Christmas customs, and he told me about the little town of Castiglione, where at twilight, a man whose identity is known only to the priest, enters the vestry

and is closed inside the wardrobe. After Mass, the congregation leaves the church in procession and find the penitent (the same man who had been closed in the wardrobe) at the door dressed like Jesus Christ. The man leads the procession through the streets of the village wearing a hood to prevent anyone from recognising him and carrying a cross.

At the end of the procession the penitent is closed again inside the wardrobe and emerges unseen only late at night.

He invited us to enter the ninth century Church, of which he was the keeper. He released the mules and drove them away from the nervous visitors, then with a large metal key unlocked and pushed open wide the huge creaking doors.

Once inside, I was met with the pungent smell of incense and as my eyes gradually became accustomed to the darkness, I was able to pick out a white marble altar directly in front of me fully prepared for a Christmas Mass. The interior had been left exactly as it was, as the final celebration of Christmas.

There were a number of ornate pil-

lars supporting the wooden beamed roof, and beneath them were several rows of wooden benches for the villagers to occupy during past services.

Near one of the pillars a large beautiful crib had been built to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus and was totally illuminated like a stage spotlight, by a penetrating shaft of light emanating Ga rfa gn an a, vi lla ge of from a round stainedCe se ra na . glass window above.

With the exception of light were not at all disturbed by the arrival coming from the entrance, the rest of of worshippers from the animal kingthe church was in almost total darkdom. The touching and quite amazing ness. scene of two men, two mules, and a Giovanni and Silvio standing dog, gazing silently and reverently in silently beside the crib made the sign homage at the crib appeared to be the of the cross and prayed. most natural occurrence in the world.

The silence was broken by the Had I not seen this event with my echoing sound of hooves clip-clopown eyes, I would never have given ping on the stone floor. this story any credence.

The two mules and Silvio’s brown Leaving the church Giovanni and I hunting dog, entered the church and said our goodbyes and in silence calmly ambled down the aisle, then turned towards the path, engrossed in stood silently in front of the crib. our own private thoughts. Before deThe men deep in their meditations

scending, I turned and saw Silvio; his dog and the two mules, watching us depart framed by the magnificent mountains behind them.

Mentally thanking each one of them for sharing with me a little of their living time and giving me a rare glimpse of innocence.

The imagery of that special Christmas Eve holiday will be forever engraved in my memory and my heart.

THE END

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E W N 22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am 10:15am 11:00am 12:15pm 1:15pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 2:45pm 4:10pm 4:40pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:15am 1:15am 1:45am 1:50am

Breakfast Christmas City Christmas Kitchen Homes Under the Hammer Bargain Hunt BBC News at One BBC London News The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause The Nativity How to Train Your Dragon Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Celebrity Mastermind EastEnders Who Do You Think You Are? The Royle Family BBC News at Ten BBC London News Mrs. Brown’s Boys Katherine Jenkins: Home for Christmas Have I Got Old News for You Weather for the Week Ahead BBC News

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 Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Countrywise 10:00pm Extraordinary Weddings 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:40pm Shaun of the Dead 1:30am Jackpot247 4:00am Tonight 4:25am ITV Nightscreen Text-based information service.

Christmas City Bargain Hunt Coastal Path Great British Menu The Fox and the Child Robot Wars Money for Nothing Father of the Bride II Rick Stein’s Cornish Christmas This Farming Life World’s Sneakiest Animals Full Steam Ahead Back in Time for Christmas Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen The Cook Who Changed Our Lives University Challenge MasterChef: The Professionals Close to the Enemy QI Mock the Week Alpha Papa The Big Life Fix with Simon Reeve The Apprentice The Apprentice: You’re Hired

8:00pm Natural World 9:00pm Bridging the Gap 10:00pm Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream In the final episode, Simon Sebag Montefiore follows the Habsburgs to their dramatic demise 11:00pm The Fairytale Castles of King Ludwig II with Dan Cruickshank 12:00am The Search for the Lost Manuscript 1:00am Natural World 2:00am Bridging the Gap 3:00am Danielle De Niese: The Birth of an Opera 4:00am Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream 5:00am This is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

More depth, more range, more to stimulate the mind.

7:00am The Hot Desk 7:10am The Ellen DeGeneres Show 7:50am The Cube 8:45am Emmerdale 9:15am Coronation Street 9:45am You’ve Been Framed!

10:15am Ninja Warrior UK 11:15am See Spot Run 12:15pm FYI Daily 12:20pm See Spot Run 1:20pm Emmerdale 1:50pm Coronation Street 2:20pm You’ve Been Framed!

2:50pm The Ellen DeGeneres Show 3:40pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 4:45pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 5:50pm The Jeremy Kyle Show 6:50pm You’ve Been Framed!

7:20pm The Amazing SpiderMan 8:20pm FYI Daily 8:25pm The Amazing SpiderMan 10:00pm Educating Joey Essex 11:00pm Celebrity Juice 12:05am Family Guy 12:35am Family Guy 1:00am Family Guy

7:00am The Sign of Four A feature-length case for Conan Doyle’s celebrated detective.

9:00am Lewis 11:00am Clash of the Santas 1:00pm Lewis 2:55pm Agatha Christie’s Marple 5:00pm Carry on Cowboy 6:00pm FYI Daily 6:05pm Carry on Cowboy Saddle up for a fistful of double entendres in a western spoof starring the Carry On regulars.

6:55pm Long Lost Family 8:00pm Agatha Christie’s Marple 10:00pm Les Dawson Forever 11:00pm Lewis 1:00am Inspector Morse 3:05am Clash of the Santas 4:45am A Touch of Frost Feature-length drama with Detective Inspector Jack Frost.

7:00am 7:45am 8:30am 9:00am 9:30am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:15pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:05am 1:30am 2:30am 3:30am

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6:10am Countdown 6:55am King of Queens 7:45am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:35am Frasier 9:30am The Big Bang Theory 10:00am The Big Bang Theory 10:25am The Simpsons 10:55am The Simpsons 11:25am Space Chimps 1:00pm Channel 4 News Summary 1:05pm Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas 1:10pm Nothing Like the Holidays 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Coast v Country 5:00pm Deal or No Deal on Tour 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Secret Life of the Zoo at Christmas 10:00pm The World’s Most Expensive Toys 11:00pm Alan Carr’s 12 Stars of Christmas 12:05am Gogglebox 1:10am Father Ted

7:00am 7:55am 8:45am 9:45am 10:50am 11:55am 12:55pm 1:55pm 2:25pm 2:55pm 3:55pm 4:55pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:10pm 11:15pm 12:25am 1:30am 2:30am 2:35am 3:20am 4:10am 4:20am 5:15am

The Wine Show Classic Cars Quincy, M.E. Ironside The Professionals Goodwood Festival of Speed Cash Cowboys Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Minder Quincy, M.E. Ironside Minder Cash Cowboys Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Chase: Christmas Special Tomorrow Never Dies FYI Daily Tomorrow Never Dies Bundesliga Ronaldo FYI Daily Ronaldo 1966 - A Nation Remembers ITV4 Nightscreen Quincy, M.E. The Wine Show

9:05am 9:10am 9:30am 9:50am 10:05am 10:20am 10:25am 10:30am 10:55am 11:13am 11:30am 1:20pm 2:50pm 4:35pm 5:35pm 5:40pm 7:10pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:35pm 12:05am 1:25am

Wissper Peppa Pig Paw Patrol Toot the Tiny Tugboat Toby’s Travelling Circus Milkshake Monkey Milkshake! Bop Box Paw Patrol SpongeBob Squarepants SpongeBob Squarepants The Water Babies James and the Giant Peach A Christmas Story The Count of Monte Cristo Five News Update The Count of Monte Cristo All New Traffic Cops World’s Strongest Man 2016 Santa Makes You Laugh Out Loud The Peter Kay Story Peter Kay at the Comedy Store The Graham Norton Story Super Casino

1:35pm

X-Men Origins: Wolverine 3:35pm Taken 3 5:40pm The Goonies 7:45pm Déjà Vu 10:00pm X-Men Origins: Wolverine 11:50pm Taken 3 1:50am The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 3:50am Unbroken

7:30am Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny 9:10am Hitch 11:15am Top Five 1:00pm The Holiday 3:20pm Trainwreck 5:30pm Ghost Town 7:20pm The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again 9:00pm Trainwreck 11:10pm Ghost Town 1:00am Bad Santa 2:45am Superfast 4:30am Best Defense

THURSDAY TV

7:45am Hollyoaks 8:10am How I Met Your Mother 9:10am The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation 11:00am Melissa and Joey 11:30am Melissa and Joey 12:00pm Charmed 1:00pm Charmed 2:00pm The Goldbergs 2:30pm The Goldbergs 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Big Bang Theory 4:00pm Young and Hungry 4:30pm Young and Hungry 5:00pm How I Met Your Mother 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 Carjackers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Troy 11:00pm The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 1:20am The Big Bang Theory 1:50am The Big Bang Theory 2:15am Gogglebox 3:20am Rude Tube Christmas Cracker 2014

7:00am Football Gold 8:00am WWE SmackDown!

9:00am Premier League Legends 9:30am Premier League Legends 10:00am Barclays Premier League World 10:30am Premier League Legends 11:00am The Premier League Years 1:00pm Football’s Greatest Teams 1:30pm Premier League 100 Club 2:00pm Sporting Triumphs 3:00pm Football’s Greatest 4:00pm Sporting Records 4:30pm Sporting Greats 5:00pm Premier League Legends 5:30pm Premier League Legends 6:00pm Fantasy FC: Merse Meets Gazza 7:00pm Barclays Premier League World 7:30pm Sporting Records 8:00pm Live World Darts Championship 2017 12:00am Premier League Matchpack 12:30am NFL

7:00am The Young Messiah 9:00am Sky Movies 2017 Preview 9:30am Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 11:15am Rock the Kasbah 1:15pm Anti-Social 3:15pm The Top Ten Show 2016 Which movies are doing the best business at home and across the pond?

3:30pm Zoolander 2 Dim-witted supermodel Derek Zoolander must save the day when someone starts murdering pop stars.

5:15pm Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 7:00pm The Young Messiah 9:00pm Zoolander 2 10:45pm Anti-Social 12:45am Ma Ma 2:45am Lesson, the 4:30am Chastity Bites

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 9:30am 9:45am 10:00am 10:30am 11:30am 12:00pm 2:00pm 4:00pm

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:40pm 10:35pm 10:45pm 11:45pm 12:00am 1:00am

Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Boxing Gold Great Sporting Moments Great Sporting Moments Great Sporting Moments Cricket Classics Great Sporting Moments England’s Best Days England’s Best Days How the 2012 T20 World Cup Was Won Sporting Greats II Motorsport Mundial Fishing World Rugby Show The Masters Cup: Touch Tennis Rugby Gold Rugby Union Rugby Gold Time of Our Lives Spanish Gold Sky Sports Originals World Rugby Show

OPINION & COMMENT

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Advertising feature

Have yourself a merry little Christmas with our ultimate Christmas security and travel guide Christina Sharp GLOBELINK INTERNATIONAL christina@globelink.co.uk.

IT’S beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and with millions of us away over the holidays, read Globelink’s tips on a stress-free festive season.

Make a list and check it twice!

Make your travel checklist and check it as many times as it takes to ensure you are good to go well before you travel.

Keep essential documents handy so you can breeze through check-in and security.

Driving home for Christmas? (… or flying) Plan your route well in advance and check that nothing will scupper your well-laid plans, like scheduled closures, maintenance work, or even strike action.

Baby it’s cold outside!

Seems obvious, but check the weather at your destination in advance and pack accordingly. UK temperatures have varied between minus five and 17 degrees this month, so you never know!

Bring us some figgy pudding?

Your Christmas pudding may be a firm family favourite, but check that you are permitted to carry whatever item you plan to take if you are travelling by plane, or crossing country borders.

Don’t go crackers Even though crackers are a Christmas tradition, many airlines don’t allow Christmas crackers in your luggage. Also you cannot take party poppers, fireworks or sparklers.

Blue Christmas Nothing will give you the Christmas blues and dampen your spirit like an exorbitant excess baggage charge at the airport, so check your allowance and weigh luggage before leaving home. Also avoid pre-wrapping presents in case you’re selected for a security check.

Home alone?

Avoid worrying about your home security at Christmas while you’re away by taking a few straightforward steps to minimise risk, leaving you to enjoy your travels.

Start by cancelling any regular deliver-

ies, and arrange for the local postal service to hold your mail when you’re away.

This will avoid a pile of newspapers in the doorway, or a bulging mailbox which is a sure sign that nobody’s home.

Be discreet when discussing travel plans where others may overhear. Be especially careful on social media and avoid recording details on your voicemail.

Don’t close curtains or blinds in an attempt to make your home look less tempting. It’s likely to do the opposite.

Instead, move desirables (car keys, for instance) out of sight, and fit a timer switch on lights and radios. It’s not rocket science but it will deter casual observers and opportunists.

If you can, leave a key with a neighbour or friend who will clear away telltale post, open and close curtains and maybe park their car on your drive to give an ‘I’m home’ impression. Your neighbours could be invaluable in spotting suspicious behaviour in your absence.

Also avoid the unwanted surprise of burst pipes by setting your heating to automatically come on for short time periods, or if temperatures drop below zero.

And insulate any exposed outside pipes.

And finally, why not take snapshots of special value items, preferably in their normal surroundings; it could be useful evidence for your insurance company if you are unlucky enough to have a problem.

Lastly have a wonderful Christmas from Globelink and don’t forget a decent Travel Insurance policy for essential peace of mind.

Visit www.globelink.co.uk, or call (UK) +44 1353 699 082 or our Spanish link lines on 96 626 5000 or 95 124 2434.

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

EWN

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E W N 22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

Breakfast Christmas City Christmas Kitchen Homes Under the Hammer Bargain Hunt BBC News at One BBC London News Father Brown On Angel Wings Oz: The Great and Powerful Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Strictly Len Goodman EastEnders Citizen Khan Have I Got 2016 News for You Walliams and Friends BBC News at Ten BBC London News The Graham Norton Show Mrs. Brown’s Boys The NFL Show Signs Weather for the Week Ahead BBC News

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 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 12:00am ITV News 12:35am ITV News London 12:50am Paul O’Grady’s Favourite Fairy Tales 1:45am Jackpot247 4:00am ITV Nightscreen Text-based information service.

7:30am 8:15am 9:15am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:15pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 11:30pm 12:05am 1:05am

2:30am 3:30am 4:30am

Bargain Hunt Fern Britton Meets...

The Prince and Me Robot Wars Money for Nothing Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit Rick Stein’s Cornish Christmas This Farming Life World’s Sneakiest Animals Full Steam Ahead Porridge Inside the Christmas Factory University Challenge Wild Tales From the Village Saving Mr. Banks Mock the Week Close to the Enemy And Now for Something Completely Different Darcey Bussell Back in Time for Brixton This is BBC Two

7:00am You’ve Been Framed!

7:25am The Ellen DeGeneres Show 8:05am The Cube 9:00am Emmerdale 9:30am Emmerdale 10:00am You’ve Been Framed!

10:30am Ninja Warrior UK 11:30am Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure 12:30pm FYI Daily 12:35pm Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure 1:25pm Emmerdale 1:50pm Emmerdale 2:20pm You’ve Been Framed!

2:50pm All Star Family Fortunes 3:50pm Take Me Out 5:00pm Snow Dogs 6:00pm FYI Daily 6:05pm Snow Dogs 7:05pm You’ve Been Framed!

8:05pm Uncle Buck 9:05pm FYI Daily 9:10pm Uncle Buck 10:00pm Casino Royale 11:05pm FYI Daily 11:10pm Casino Royale 12:55am Family Guy

www.euroweeklynews.com

8:00pm Top of the Pops John Peel presents the weekly chart show first broadcast on 18 November 1982.

8:30pm Top of the Pops Peter Powell presents the weekly chart show, first broadcast on 2 December 1982. I 9:00pm Darcey Bussell 10:00pm The Old Grey Whistle Test 11:30pm The Joy of ABBA Between 1974 and 1982 ABBA plundered the Anglo-Saxon charts, but divided critical opinion.

12:30am Queens of Disco 1:30am Top of the Pops John Peel presents the weekly chart show first broadcast on 18 November 1982.

2:05am Top of the Pops 2:45am Darcey Bussell

7:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Frasier 8:25am Frasier 8:55am The Big Bang Theory 10:15am The Simpsons 10:45am The Simpsons 11:15am Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back 12:50pm Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas 1:10pm Miracle on 34th Street 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Coast v Country 5:00pm Deal or No Deal on Tour 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Food Unwrapped Does Christmas 10:00pm The Last Leg Christmas Special 11:00pm The Windsors Christmas Special 12:05am Alan Carr’s 12 Stars of Christmas 1:10am 8 Out of 10 Cats

7:00am You’re Only Young Twice 7:25am The Four Musketeers 8:30am FYI Daily 8:35am The Four Musketeers 9:35am Bertie and Elizabeth 11:35am Agatha Christie’s Marple 1:30pm Agatha Christie’s Marple 3:35pm A Christmas Carol 5:10pm Carry on Camping 6:10pm FYI Daily 6:15pm Carry on Camping 7:00pm Long Lost Family 8:00pm Agatha Christie’s Marple 10:00pm Murder on the Home Front 11:00pm Murder on the Home Front 12:05am Lewis 2:05am Wimbledon 3:05am FYI Daily 3:10am Wimbledon 3:40am A Christmas Carol 5:00am George and Mildred

7:00am The Wine Show 7:55am Goodwood Festival of Speed 8:45am Quincy, M.E. 9:45am Ironside 10:50am The Professionals 11:55am Goodwood Revival 12:55pm Cash Cowboys 1:55pm Pawn Stars 2:25pm Pawn Stars 2:50pm Minder 3:50pm Quincy, M.E. 4:55pm Ironside 6:00pm British Superbike Championship Review 2016 8:00pm Pawn Stars 9:00pm River Monsters 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm Inside Man 12:05am FYI Daily 12:10am Inside Man 1:40am The Specialist 2:40am FYI Daily 2:45am The Specialist 3:45am Ironside 4:35am The Wine Show 5:30am ITV4 Nightscreen 5:40am Cash Cowboys

9:00am 9:10am 9:35am 9:45am 10:05am

1:30am 2:15am

Wissper Peppa Pig Paw Patrol Toot the Tiny Tugboat Toby’s Travelling Circus SpongeBob Squarepants SpongeBob Squarepants World’s Strongest Man 2016 Christmas Cookies Snow Queen Jack and the Beanstalk Five Children and It A Christmas Star 5 News World’s Strongest Man 2016 Christmas with the Double Acts The Morecambe and Wise Story: Look Back in Laughter Morecambe and Wise Live! 1973 The Peter Kay Story Super Casino

7:00am Charmed 7:45am Hollyoaks 8:10am How I Met Your Mother 9:10am The Dog Who Saved the Holidays 11:00am Melissa and Joey 11:30am Melissa and Joey 12:00pm Charmed 1:00pm Charmed 2:00pm The Goldbergs 2:30pm The Goldbergs 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Big Bang Theory 4:00pm Young and Hungry 4:30pm Young and Hungry 5:00pm How I Met Your Mother 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 Carjackers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 12:20am Tattoo Fixers at Christmas 1:25am Gogglebox

7:00am 9:10am 11:20am 12:55pm 3:05pm 5:15pm 7:25pm 9:00pm 11:10pm 1:15am 3:20am 5:20am

Jurassic Park The Lost World Jurassic Park III Jurassic World Jurassic Park The Lost World Jurassic Park III Jurassic World San Andreas Run All Night Wild Wild West Rocky V

10:15am 12:10pm 1:45pm 3:35pm

Pixels Hot Pursuit Ride Along 2 The Bad Education Movie Pixels The Top Ten Show 2016 Hot Pursuit Ride Along 2 The Bad Education Movie Krampus The Interview

7:00am Rock the Kasbah 9:00am Sky Movies 2017 Preview 9:30am Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 11:15am The Young Messiah 1:15pm How to be Single A newly single young woman hits the Manhattan bar scene with the help of her hard-partying pal.

3:15pm The Top Ten Show 2016 3:30pm Zoolander 2 Dim-witted supermodel Derek Zoolander must save the day when someone starts murdering pop stars.

5:15pm The Young Messiah 7:15pm Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 9:00pm How to be Single 11:00pm Zoolander 2 12:45am Anti-Social

10:15am 10:33am 10:50am 11:45am 1:25pm 3:00pm 4:45pm 6:25pm 7:55pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

12:05am

5:15pm 7:10pm 7:25pm 9:00pm 10:45pm 12:25am 2:10am

FRIDAY TV

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:15am 11:30am 11:45am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 12:00am

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am 8:30am 9:00am 10:00am 10:30am 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:55pm 7:05pm 7:15pm 8:15pm 10:45pm 10:55pm 11:00pm 1:00am 3:00am 5:00am 5:30am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold WWE Main Event Barclays Premier League World Premier League Legends Boxing Gold Boxing Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Barclays Premier League World Premier League Match Pack Sporting Greats II Joe Hart: The Italian Job Live World Darts Championship 2017 Game Changers Gareth Bale: Year of the Dragon The Fantasy Football Club Barclays Premier League Preview

Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Fishing Boxing Gold NFL Highlights Motorsport Mundial Cricket’s Best Days Boxing Gold Boxing Gold Boxing Gold NFL Highlights Sporting Greats II Sporting Greats II NFL Highlights Rugby Union Rugby Gold Rugby Gold England Women’s Winter Tour Live Pro 12 Rugby Rugby Gold Football Gold Boxing Cricket’s Best Days Cricket’s Best Days Cricket’s Greatest Cricket’s Greatest

52

E W N 22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am 10:15am 11:00am 12:15pm 1:15pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 2:45pm 3:40pm 4:10pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:25pm 11:35pm 12:25am 12:55am 1:25am 3:05am

Breakfast Christmas City Christmas Kitchen Homes Under the Hammer Bargain Hunt BBC News at One BBC London News Father Brown On Angel Wings Oz: The Great and Powerful Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News Strictly Len Goodman EastEnders Citizen Khan Have I Got 2016 News for You Walliams and Friends BBC News at Ten BBC London News The Graham Norton Show Mrs. Brown’s Boys The NFL Show Signs Weather for the Week Ahead

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 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 12:00am ITV News 12:35am ITV News London 12:50am Paul O’Grady’s Favourite Fairy Tales 1:45am Jackpot247 Join the presenters live and play roulette on your telly. Join in now at Jackpot247.com.

7:30am 8:15am 9:15am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:15pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 11:30pm 12:05am 1:05am

2:30am 3:30am 4:30am

Bargain Hunt Fern Britton Meets...

The Prince and Me Robot Wars Money for Nothing Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit Rick Stein’s Cornish Christmas This Farming Life World’s Sneakiest Animals Full Steam Ahead Porridge Inside the Christmas Factory University Challenge Wild Tales From the Village Saving Mr. Banks Mock the Week Close to the Enemy And Now for Something Completely Different Darcey Bussell Back in Time for Brixton This is BBC Two

7:00am You’ve Been Framed!

7:25am The Ellen DeGeneres Show 8:05am The Cube 9:00am Emmerdale 9:30am Emmerdale 10:00am You’ve Been Framed!

10:30am Ninja Warrior UK 11:30am Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure 12:30pm FYI Daily 12:35pm Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure 1:25pm Emmerdale 1:50pm Emmerdale 2:20pm You’ve Been Framed!

2:50pm All Star Family Fortunes 3:50pm Take Me Out 5:00pm Snow Dogs 6:00pm FYI Daily 6:05pm Snow Dogs 7:05pm You’ve Been Framed!

7:35pm You’ve Been Framed!

8:05pm Uncle Buck 9:05pm FYI Daily 9:10pm Uncle Buck 10:00pm Casino Royale 11:05pm FYI Daily 11:10pm Casino Royale

8:00pm Top of the Pops John Peel presents the weekly chart show first broadcast on 18 November 1982.

8:30pm Top of the Pops Peter Powell presents the weekly chart show, first broadcast on 2 December 1982.

9:00pm Darcey Bussell 10:00pm The Old Grey Whistle Test 11:30pm The Joy of ABBA Between 1974 and 1982 ABBA plundered the Anglo-Saxon charts, but divided critical opinion.

12:30am Queens of Disco 1:30am Top of the Pops 2:05am Top of the Pops 2:45am Darcey Bussell 3:45am The Joy of ABBA 4:45am This is BBC Four

7:00am You’re Only Young Twice 7:25am The Four Musketeers 8:30am FYI Daily 8:35am The Four Musketeers 9:35am Bertie and Elizabeth 11:35am Agatha Christie’s Marple 1:30pm Agatha Christie’s Marple 3:35pm A Christmas Carol 5:10pm Carry on Camping 6:10pm FYI Daily 6:15pm Carry on Camping 7:00pm Long Lost Family 8:00pm Agatha Christie’s Marple 10:00pm Murder on the Home Front 11:00pm Murder on the Home Front 12:05am Lewis 2:05am Wimbledon 3:05am FYI Daily 3:10am Wimbledon Popular romcom from the makers of Notting Hill.

3:40am A Christmas Carol 5:00am George and Mildred

www.euroweeklynews.com

7:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 7:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:00am Frasier 8:25am Frasier 8:55am The Big Bang Theory 10:15am The Simpsons 11:15am Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back 12:50pm Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas 1:10pm Miracle on 34th Street 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Coast v Country 5:00pm Deal or No Deal on Tour 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Food Unwrapped Does Christmas 10:00pm The Last Leg Christmas Special 11:00pm The Windsors Christmas Special 12:05am Alan Carr’s 12 Stars of Christmas

8:45am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 9:00am Wissper 9:10am Peppa Pig 9:25am Peppa Pig 9:35am Paw Patrol 9:45am Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:05am Toby’s Travelling Circus 10:15am SpongeBob Squarepants 10:50am World’s Strongest Man 2016 11:45am Christmas Cookies 1:25pm Snow Queen 3:00pm Jack and the B eanstalk 4:45pm Five Children and It 6:25pm A Christmas Star 7:55pm 5 News 8:00pm World’s Strongest Man 2016 9:00pm Christmas with the Double Acts 10:00pm The Morecambe and Wise Story: Look Back in Laughter 12:05am Morecambe and Wise Live! 1973 1:30am The Peter Kay Story

7:00am Charmed 7:45am Hollyoaks 8:10am How I Met Your Mother 9:10am The Dog Who Saved the Holidays 11:00am Melissa and Joey 11:30am Melissa and Joey 12:00pm Charmed 1:00pm Charmed 2:00pm The Goldbergs 2:30pm The Goldbergs 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Big Bang Theory 4:00pm Young and Hungry 4:30pm Young and Hungry 5:00pm How I Met Your Mother 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 Carjackers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 12:20am Tattoo Fixers at Christmas 1:25am Gogglebox

7:00am The Wine Show 7:55am Goodwood Festival of Speed 8:45am Quincy, M.E. 9:45am Ironside 10:50am The Professionals 11:55am Goodwood Revival 12:55pm Cash Cowboys 1:55pm Pawn Stars 2:25pm Pawn Stars 2:50pm Minder 3:50pm Quincy, M.E. 4:55pm Ironside 6:00pm British Superbike Championship Review 2016 8:00pm Pawn Stars 9:00pm River Monsters 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm Inside Man 12:05am FYI Daily 12:10am Inside Man 1:40am The Specialist 2:40am FYI Daily 2:45am The Specialist 3:45am Ironside 4:35am The Wine Show 5:30am ITV4 Nightscreen 5:40am Cash Cowboys

7:00am 9:10am 11:20am 12:55pm 3:05pm 5:15pm 7:25pm 9:00pm 11:10pm 1:15am 3:20am 5:20am

Jurassic Park The Lost World Jurassic Park III Jurassic World Jurassic Park The Lost World Jurassic Park III Jurassic World San Andreas Run All Night Wild Wild West Rocky V

10:15am 12:10pm 1:45pm 3:35pm

Pixels Hot Pursuit Ride Along 2 The Bad Education Movie Pixels The Top Ten Show 2016 Hot Pursuit Ride Along 2 The Bad Education Movie Krampus The Interview

7:00am Rock the Kasbah 9:00am Sky Movies 2017 Preview 9:30am Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 11:15am The Young Messiah 1:15pm How to be Single A newly single young woman hits the Manhattan bar scene with the help of her hard-partying pal.

3:15pm The Top Ten Show 2016 3:30pm Zoolander 2 Dim-witted supermodel Derek Zoolander must save the day when someone starts murdering pop stars.

5:15pm The Young Messiah 7:15pm Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 9:00pm How to be Single 11:00pm Zoolander 2 12:45am Anti-Social

5:15pm 7:10pm 7:25pm 9:00pm 10:45pm 12:25am 2:10am

SATURDAY TV

7:00am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:15am 11:30am 11:45am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 12:00am

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am 8:30am 9:00am 10:00am 10:30am 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:55pm 7:05pm 7:15pm 8:15pm 10:45pm 10:55pm 11:00pm 1:00am 3:00am 5:00am 5:30am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold WWE Main Event Barclays Premier League World Premier League Legends Boxing Gold Boxing Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Barclays Premier League World Premier League Match Pack Sporting Greats II Joe Hart: The Italian Job Live World Darts Championship 2017 Game Changers Gareth Bale: Year of the Dragon The Fantasy Football Club Live World Darts Championship 2017 Barclays Premier League Preview

Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Fishing Boxing Gold NFL Highlights Motorsport Mundial Cricket’s Best Days Boxing Gold Boxing Gold Boxing Gold NFL Highlights Sporting Greats II Sporting Greats II NFL Highlights Rugby Union Rugby Gold Rugby Gold England Women’s Winter Tour Live Pro 12 Rugby Rugby Gold Football Gold Boxing Cricket’s Best Days Cricket’s Best Days Cricket’s Greatest Cricket’s Greatest

54

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www.euroweeklynews.com

SUNDAY TV

7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm A Christmas Carol 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm Winter: Earth’s Seasonal Secrets 3:15pm The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian 5:30pm Shrek the Halls 5:50pm The Penguins of Madagascar 7:15pm BBC News 7:25pm BBC London News 7:30pm Pointless 8:25pm Michael Mcintyre’s Big Christmas Show 9:25pm EastEnders 10:00pm David Walliams Celebrates Dame Shirley Bassey 11:05pm Peter Kay’s Christmas Comedy Shuffle 11:50pm The Vicar of Dibley 12:30am BBC News 12:45am Midnight Mass From St Chad’s Catholic Cathedral 2:00am Surviving Christmas

7:15am Mars Needs Moms 8:40am The NFL Show 9:10am Hans Christian Andersen 11:00am Robot Wars 12:00pm Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave 12:30pm Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen 1:00pm The Cook Who Changed Our Lives 2:00pm Splash 3:45pm Snow Chick: A Penguin’s Tale 4:45pm Gorilla Family and Me 5:45pm Gorilla Family and Me 6:45pm Carols from King’s 8:00pm Dad’s Army 9:00pm Alan Bennett’s Diaries 10:00pm The Lady in the Van 11:40pm The National Lottery Live 11:50pm Top of the Pops 2 1:20am Viva Las Vegas 2:40am Countryfile 3:40am Holby City 4:40am This is BBC Two

8:00pm All Aboard! The Sleigh Ride 10:00pm Top of the Pops 11:30pm Roy Orbison: One of the Lonely Ones 12:30am Steptoe and Son Classic comedy.

Albert and Harold plan a Christmas abroad - in their own inimitable style.

1:15am Top of the Pops John Peel presents the weekly chart show first broadcast on 18 November 1982.

1:50am Top of the Pops Peter Powell presents the weekly chart show, first broadcast on 2 December 1982.

2:25am Shirley Bassey at the BBC 3:25am Top of the Pops 4:55am This is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more.

7:15am Olive, the Other Reindeer 8:05am A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures 9:40am Father Christmas 10:10am Painting the Bear Hunt 10:15am Christmas Brunch 1:15pm Jamie’s Ultimate Christmas 2:15pm The Simpsons 2:45pm The Simpsons 3:15pm The Simpsons 3:45pm Scrooged 5:40pm Channel 4 News 5:45pm The Snowman 6:15pm The Snowman and the Snowdog 6:50pm The Muppet Christmas Carol 8:30pm We’re Going on a Bear Hunt 9:00pm Gogglesprogs Christmas Special 10:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 11:00pm Rude Tube Christmas Cracker 2016 12:00am Trigger Happy Christmas Special 12:30am The Inbetweeners

8:50am A Winnie and Wilbur Wintery Special 9:20am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 9:30am SpongeBob Squarepants 10:05am Doctor Zhivago 1:50pm The Vikings 4:05pm Jason and the Argonauts 5:05pm Five News Update 5:10pm Jason and the Argonauts 6:10pm Scrooge 7:10pm Five News Update 7:15pm Scrooge 7:55pm Andre Rieu in London 9:00pm The Yorkshire Vet at Christmas 10:00pm Eamonn and Ruth: A Million Pound Christmas 11:00pm Greatest Ever Christmas Movies 1:55am Scrooge 3:25am Super Casino 5:00am The Trafford Centre: Countdown to Christmas 5:50am House Doctor

7:00am Hollyoaks Omnibus 9:20am A Christmas Wedding Tail 11:10am All About Christmas Eve 12:55pm Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules 3:00pm Father Christmas 3:35pm Prep and Landing 4:00pm Prep and Landing 4:25pm The Big Bang Theory 5:00pm The Big Bang Theory 5:30pm The Big Bang Theory 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 The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm The Inbetweeners Movie 12:05am Gogglebox 1:05am Gogglebox 2:10am Rude Tube Christmas Cracker 2014 3:15am Rude Tube 4:20am Rude Tube 5:10am Made in Chelsea

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am 8:15am 8:30am 8:45am 9:00am 9:30am

8:10am Oddbods 8:25am Nerds and Monsters.

Molting Day 8:40am Nerds and Monsters.

Zanit-Clops 8:55am Horrid Henry 9:25am Weekend at Christmas 10:25am Thunderbirds are Go 10:50am The Chase 11:50am You’ve Been Framed!

12:20pm Despicable Me 2:20pm ITV News and Weather 2:30pm Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 5:20pm 101 Dalmatians 7:00pm ITV News London 7:15pm ITV News and Weather 7:30pm Blankety Blank 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Birds of a Feather 10:00pm Grantchester Christmas Special 11:30pm Through the Keyhole 12:30am ITV News and Weather 12:45am Christmas Carols on ITV

7:10am Emmerdale Omnibus 9:45am Coronation Street Omnibus 11:45am All Star Family Fortunes 12:50pm The Nation’s Favourite Disney Song 1:50pm Santa Paws II: The Santa Pups 2:50pm FYI Daily 2:55pm Santa Paws II: The Santa Pups 3:35pm Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas 4:35pm FYI Daily 4:40pm Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas 5:00pm The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol 5:25pm You’ve Been Framed!

6:30pm Catchphrase 7:30pm You’ve Been Framed!

7:55pm The Polar Express 8:55pm FYI Daily 9:00pm The Polar Express 10:00pm Quantum of Solace 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm Quantum of Solace 12:15am Family Guy

8:45am Clash of the Santas 10:35am Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 11:35am FYI Daily 11:40am Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 12:45pm Columbo: The Conspirators 2:50pm Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairy Tale.

(Biopic) 4:50pm The Sound of Music Live 7:30pm The Making of the Sound of Music Live 8:00pm Lewis 10:00pm It’ll be Alright on the Night 11:00pm Michael Flatley: A Night to Remember 12:00am The Suspicions of Mr Whicher 2:05am Inspector Morse 4:00am Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairy Tale.

(Biopic)

7:00am 7:10am 8:00am 8:55am 9:25am 9:55am 10:20am 10:50am 11:15am 11:40am 12:10pm 1:10pm 2:20pm 2:25pm 3:30pm 4:40pm 4:45pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:05pm 8:50pm 9:50pm 9:55pm 11:00pm 12:00am 12:05am 1:50am 2:50am 2:55am 4:00am

7:15am The Magnificent Seven 9:35am Spectre 12:15pm Fantastic Four 2:10pm Spider-Man 4:20pm Spider-Man 2 6:35pm Spider-Man 3 9:00pm Spectre 11:30pm The Dark Knight 2:05am Hitman: Agent 47 3:45am Jupiter Ascending 5:55am Lawrence of Arabia

9:00am 9:30am 11:15am 1:15pm 3:15pm 5:15pm

7:00am Sanzar Rugby 2016 Highlights 8:00am Sanzar Rugby 2016 Highlights 9:00am Sanzar Rugby 2016 Highlights 10:00am Sanzar Rugby 2016 Highlights 11:00am Sanzar Rugby 2016 Highlights 12:00pm Sanzar Rugby 2016 Highlights 1:00pm Rugby Union 2:00pm Live Championship Rugby 4:30pm Rugby Union 5:30pm Rugby Union 6:30pm Rugby Union 7:30pm Bermuda Classic Rugby 8:30pm Super Heroes 8:35pm Super Heroes 8:40pm Live Top 14 Rugby 10:35pm Rugby Super League 11:35pm 20 Years of Super League 12:35am Super League Qualifying 8’s Highlights

Sporting Funnies Bundesliga Bundesliga Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Pawn Stars The Searchers FYI Daily The Searchers The Horse Soldiers FYI Daily The Horse Soldiers Rio Bravo FYI Daily Rio Bravo Cannonball Run II FYI Daily Cannonball Run II The Devil’s Advocate FYI Daily The Devil’s Advocate Road FYI Daily Road Hell on Wheels

7:40am The Simpsons Movie 9:15am Sky Movies 2017 Preview 9:45am Dad’s Army 11:35am Vacation 1:20pm Ted 2 3:20pm Sisters 5:25pm Dad’s Army 7:15pm Vacation 9:00pm Ted 2 11:00pm Sisters 1:00am The Night Before 2:50am The Hangover 4:45am I-Spy

7:00pm 9:00pm

11:00pm

12:45am 2:45am 4:45am 5:15am

Moana: Special Zoolander 2 How to be Single Zootropolis The Young Messiah Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip Zootropolis How to be Single A newly single young woman hits the Manhattan bar scene with the help of her hard-partying pal.

Zoolander 2 Dim-witted supermodel Derek Zoolander must save the day when someone starts murdering pop stars.

Rock the Kasbah Anti-Social Sky Movies 2017 Preview Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

10:00am 11:00am 12:30pm 1:00pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 10:00pm 2:00am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Game Changers Premier League Preview 2016/17 The Fantasy Football Club Soccer A.M. Gareth Bale: Year of the Dragon Football Joe Hart: The Italian Job NFL - A Football Life NFL - A Football Life Live NFL Action from the NFL. Live NFL Action from the NFL. Live NFL-Cincinnati @ Houston Houston Texans face Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium in the NFL.

56

7:00am 10:00am 11:10am 12:30pm

E W N 22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

Breakfast Pirate Fairy Planes The Great Christmas Bake Off BBC News BBC London News Countryfile The Moonstone Brave The Gruffalo How to Train Your Dragon 2 BBC News BBC London News Revolting Rhymes The Great Christmas Bake Off EastEnders Still Open All Hours The Witness for the Prosecution Outnumbered BBC News Match of the Day Fleabag Fleabag Walliams and Friends Weather for the Week Ahead BBC News

7:15am Natural World 8:15am Nature's Weirdest Events 9:15am Around the World in 80 Days 1:40pm Dances with Wolves 4:30pm Victorian Bakers at Christmas 5:30pm Final Score 6:20pm West Side Stories The Making of a Classic 7:20pm University Challenge 7:50pm Dad's Army 8:30pm Nature's Weirdest Events 9:30pm Gordon Buchanan: Elephant Family and Me 10:30pm The Entire Universe Eric Idle persuades Professor Brian Cox to present a lecture on the birth of the entire universe 11:30pm Pride 1:25am Gospel Christmas 2:25am Tommy 4:10am Inside the Christmas Factory 5:10am This is BBC Two

8:00pm Britain's Pompeii 9:00pm Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2016: Supercharged - Fuelling the Future 10:00pm Bob Monkhouse: The Last Stand 11:00pm The Good Old Days Featuring Morecambe and Wise 12:00am Norman Wisdom: His Story 1:00am Doris Day: Virgin Territory 2:00am Darcey Bussell 3:00am Darcey Bussell's Looking for Audrey 4:00am Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2016: Supercharged - Fuelling the Future 5:00am This is BBC Four BBC Four is the BBC channel for people who want more. More depth, more range, more to stimulate the mind.

8:05am Despicable Me: Minion Madness 8:20am The Oddbods Show.

Alien Abduction 8:25am Max Steel 8:55am Adventure Time 9:20am Share a Story 9:25am Almost Naked Animals 9:55am Mr. Bean 10:25am The Flintstones 12:05pm Liar Liar 1:40pm Hilda Ogden's Last Ta-ra - A Tribute to Jean Alexander 2:40pm The Nation's Favourite Disney Song 3:40pm Sleeping Beauty 5:10pm Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 7:45pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm You've Been Framed!

9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Captain Philips 12:35am ITV News and Weather

7:00am The Hot Desk 7:10am I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!

8:00am You've Been Framed!

8:50am Emmerdale 9:55am Coronation Street 10:55am Yogi Bear 11:55am FYI Daily 12:00pm Yogi Bear 12:35pm The Smurfs 1:35pm FYI Daily 1:40pm The Smurfs 2:40pm Emmerdale 3:40pm Coronation Street 4:45pm Catchphrase 5:50pm Uncle Buck 6:50pm FYI Daily 6:55pm Uncle Buck 7:50pm Despicable Me: Minion Madness 8:05pm Despicable Me 9:05pm FYI Daily 9:10pm Despicable Me 10:00pm Love Actually 11:00pm FYI Daily 11:05pm Love Actually 12:40am Family Guy 1:15am Family Guy 1:45am Family Guy 2:15am Family Guy

7:00am Wycliffe 7:50am Anne of Green Gables...

9:35am On the Buses 10:40am FYI Daily 10:45am On the Buses 11:20am Holiday on the Buses 12:30pm FYI Daily 12:35pm Holiday on the Buses 1:10pm Mutiny on the Buses 2:15pm FYI Daily 2:20pm Mutiny on the Buses 3:00pm Agatha Christie's Marple 5:05pm Carry on Jack 6:10pm FYI Daily 6:15pm Carry on Jack 7:00pm Long Lost Family 8:00pm Agatha Christie's Marple 10:00pm An Audience with Victoria Wood 11:10pm Housewife 49 1:10am Something's Gotta Give 2:15am FYI Daily 2:20am Something's Gotta Give 3:35am The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

1:30pm 1:45pm 1:50pm 2:50pm 3:40pm 5:05pm 5:30pm 7:05pm 7:20pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:40pm 11:55pm 1:25am 1:55am 2:25am 2:55am 3:00am

www.euroweeklynews.com

9:00am 10:00am 11:40am 12:05pm 12:35pm 2:15pm 4:45pm 5:10pm

7:50pm

8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 12:10am 2:20am 3:20am 4:15am

The Morning Line Aliens in the Attic The Simpsons The Simpsons Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World Channel 4 Racing The Simpsons Christmas Eve The Chronicles Of Narnia, The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe Channel 4 News Includes sport and weather.

The World's Most Expensive Toys A Big Lego Christmas Big Fat Quiz of the Year Pitch Perfect Travel Man Celebrity First Dates Hollyoaks Omnibus Sienna visits Joel at church but is left frustrated when he doesn't acknowledge her advances.

7:50am Anne of Green Gables...

9:35am On the Buses 10:40am FYI Daily 10:45am On the Buses 11:20am Holiday on the Buses 12:30pm FYI Daily 12:35pm Holiday on the Buses 1:10pm Mutiny on the Buses 2:15pm FYI Daily A round-up of the latest entertainment news.

2:20pm Mutiny on the Buses 3:00pm Agatha Christie's Marple 5:05pm Carry on Jack 6:10pm FYI Daily 6:15pm Carry on Jack 7:00pm Long Lost Family 8:00pm Agatha Christie's Marple 10:00pm An Audience with Victoria Wood 11:10pm Housewife 49 1:10am Something's Gotta Give 2:15am FYI Daily 2:20am Something's Gotta Give

7:00am Lily's Driftwood Bay 7:10am Fireman Sam Fun with the friendly fireman and the villagers of Pontypandy.

7:20am Peppa Pig 7:25am Bob the Builder 7:35am Little Princess 7:55am Milkshake! Festive Fun! 8:00am Thomas and Friends 8:25am Noddy: Toyland Detective 8:45am Big Bash Cricket 12:15pm World's Strongest Man 2016 1:20pm Seven Brides for Seven Brothers 3:15pm West Side Story 6:20pm The Love Punch 8:00pm World's Strongest Man 2016 9:00pm Mega Builders 10:00pm Football on 5 11:00pm Football on 5 11:30pm Britain's Favourite Abba Songs 1:05am Muriel's Wedding 2:55am Super Casino

7:00am 8:55am 11:20am 1:05pm 3:20pm 5:30pm 7:35pm 10:00pm 12:15am 2:15am

Point Break Independence Day The Italian Job Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation Sherlock Holmes The Mummy Independence Day Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation Point Break John Wick

7:00am 27 Dresses 9:00am Sky Movies 2017 Preview 9:30am Magic Mike XXL 11:30am The Intern 1:35pm Grimsby 3:05pm Trainwreck 5:15pm Bridget Jones's Diary 7:00pm Magic Mike XXL 9:00pm The Intern 11:05pm Grimsby 12:35am Trainwreck 2:45am Office Space

7:00am The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation 8:40am The Dog Who Saved the Holidays 10:25am Father Christmas 11:00am Baby Daddy 11:30am The Goldbergs 12:00pm The Big Bang Theory 12:30pm The Big Bang Theory 12:55pm Big 3:00pm The Snowman 3:30pm The Snowman and the Snowdog 4:00pm The Big Bang Theory 4:30pm The Big Bang Theory 5:00pm The Big Bang Theory 5:30pm The Big Bang Theory 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Rude(Ish) Tube Shorts 8:15pm Jingle All the Way 10:00pm Made in Chelsea 11:00pm In Bed with Jamie at Christmas 11:35pm Tattoo Fixers at Christmas 12:40am Gogglebox 1:50am Naked Attraction 2:55am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am How to be Single 9:00am Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 10:45am Zootropolis 12:45pm The Jungle Book 2:45pm The Top Ten Show 2016 3:00pm Deadpool Marvel's wisecracking antihero plots revenge on the villain who left him hideously disfigured.

5:00pm Zootropolis 7:00pm The Jungle Book 9:00pm Deadpool 11:00pm How to be Single 1:00am Zoolander 2 2:45am Rock the Kasbah 4:45am Star Wars: Rogue One Special 5:15am Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

MONDAY TV

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am 8:15am 8:30am 8:45am 9:00am 9:15am 9:30am 9:45am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 12:30pm 1:00pm 4:00pm 6:00pm 8:30pm 11:00pm 12:00am 12:30am 1:00am 1:30am 2:00am 2:15am 5:45am

7:00am 7:10am 7:20am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am

9:00am 9:15am 9:25am 3:45pm 4:15pm 6:15pm 8:45pm 9:15pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 12:00am 2:00am 2:30am 3:00am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Sporting Triumphs Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold Gareth Bale: Year of the Dragon Joe Hart: Italian Job Soccer A.M. Gareth Bale: Year of the Dragon Football Gillette Soccer Special Football Football Nissan Match Choice Football Football Football Football Scottish Football Round Up Live NFL Sporting Triumphs

Cricket Gold Shorts Cricket Gold Shorts Cricket Gold Shorts Great Sporting Moments Great Sporting Moments Cricket New Zealand host Bangladesh in the first ODI of three at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

Sporting Triumphs Football Gold Cricket Tony Bellew: My Greatest Night Boxing Live Pro 12 Rugby Aj: Behind the Ropes Joshua's Crowning Night Info Not Available Fight of the Year Review 2016 Info Not Available Football Football Football

58

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Breakfast Match of the Day Gnomeo and Juliet The Furchester Hotel Cars 2 BBC News BBC London News The Moonstone Raiders of the Lost Ark The Gruffalo’s Child Mr Peabody and Sherman Pointless BBC News BBC London News Revolting Rhymes Celebrity Mastermind EastEnders Holby City The Witness for the Prosecution Walliams and Friend Christmas Special BBC News BBC London News Mrs. Brown’s Boys Outnumbered

10:15am This Farming Life 11:15am Money for Nothing 12:15pm The Password is Courage 2:05pm The Heroes of Telemark 4:15pm Nature’s Weirdest Events 5:00pm Inside the Factory: How Our Favourite Foods are Made 6:00pm Tribes, Predators and Me 7:00pm New Zealand: Earths Mythical Islands 8:00pm Dad’s Army 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Gordon Buchanan: Elephant Family and Me 10:00pm The Real Marigold on Tour 11:00pm Inside No 9 11:30pm Live at the Apollo 12:00am Insert Name Here 12:30am NFL 1:20am David Walliams Celebrates Dame Shirley Bassey 2:25am Planet Earth II 3:25am Who Do You Think You Are?

8:00pm The Ballet Master: Sir Peter Wright at 90 9:00pm Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2016: Supercharged - Fuelling the Future 10:00pm Time Commanders 11:00pm Rome’s Invisible City Alexander Armstrong explores the hidden underground treasures that made Rome the powerhouse of the ancient world, with the help of a team of experts using the latest in 3D scanning technology 12:00am Storyville Documentary. Three men travel together across Europe.

1:30am Time Commanders 2:30am Britain’s Pompeii 3:30am Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2016: Supercharged - Fuelling the Future 4:30am This is BBC Four

9:40am Nerds and Monsters. ZanitClops 9:55am Mr. Bean 10:25am The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas 12:05pm This Time Next Year 1:05pm Tipping Point 2:05pm ITV News and Weather 2:10pm Puppy Secrets: The First Six Months 3:10pm Happy Feet 5:10pm 50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments 6:40pm Fantastic Beasts and JK Rowling’s Wizarding World 7:40pm ITV News and Weather 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 11:30pm ITV News and Weather 11:45pm Pompeii with Michael Buerk 12:45am Rugby

7:00am The Hot Desk 7:10am The X Factor Winner’s Story 8:05am Britain’s Got More Talent 8:55am Emmerdale 9:25am Coronation Street 9:55am Coronation Street 10:25am You’ve Been Framed!

11:25am Small Soldiers 12:25pm FYI Daily 12:30pm Small Soldiers 1:40pm Emmerdale 2:10pm Coronation Street 2:40pm Coronation Street 3:10pm You’ve Been Framed!

3:40pm Inspector Gadget 4:40pm FYI Daily 4:45pm Inspector Gadget 5:25pm Sleeping Beauty 6:25pm FYI Daily 6:30pm Sleeping Beauty 7:05pm The Lion King 8:05pm FYI Daily 8:10pm The Lion King 9:00pm Skyfall 10:15pm FYI Daily 10:20pm Skyfall 11:55pm Family Guy 12:25am Family Guy

9:35am 10:15am 11:20am 11:25am 1:05pm 3:05pm

7:00am 8:35am 10:10am 11:25am 11:50am 1:30pm 1:40pm 1:50pm 2:35pm 4:25pm 4:50pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:20pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

11:40pm 11:55pm 12:00am 12:35am

5:05pm 6:10pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 10:00pm 12:00am 2:00am 3:45am 4:45am 4:50am

On the Buses Death on the Nile FYI Daily Death on the Nile Lewis Agatha Christie’s Marple That’s Carry on FYI Daily That’s Carry on Long Lost Family Doc Martin Foyle’s War Lewis If I Had You Santa Claus FYI Daily Santa Claus Festive fantasy adventure about a disillusioned elf who leaves the hard labour of Santa’s North Pole workshop for the bright lights of New York, where he ends up making toys for a scheming business magnate.

www.euroweeklynews.com

7:50am Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer 9:30am Magic in the Water 11:30am The Simpsons 12:00pm The Simpsons 12:30pm Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox star in director Sara Sugarman’s energetic Disney comedy.

2:15pm Channel 4 Racing 5:15pm Channel 4 News 5:20pm Stuart Little 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Posh Pawn at Christmas 9:00pm Amazing Spaces Snow Special 10:00pm This is Us 11:00pm Gogglebox 2016 12:35am 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 1:40am The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

7:00am The Professionals 7:50am The Goodwood Members’ Meeting 8:40am Cash Cowboys 9:30am Cash Cowboys 10:30am Cash Cowboys 11:35am Cash Cowboys 12:30pm Everything or Nothing: The Untold Stories of 007 1:30pm FYI Daily 1:35pm Everything or Nothing: The Untold Stories of 007 2:35pm Merry Christmas Mr Bean 3:05pm National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 4:05pm FYI Daily 4:10pm National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 5:10pm Dunkirk 6:10pm FYI Daily 6:15pm Dunkirk 7:55pm Mr. Bean 8:30pm Mr. Bean 9:00pm Rugby 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm The Devil’s Advocate 12:15am FYI Daily

7:50am Little Princess 8:05am Milkshake! Festive Fun! 8:10am Thomas and Friends 8:20am Noddy: Toyland Detective 8:35am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 8:50am Wissper 9:00am Peppa Pig 9:25am Paw Patrol 9:35am Football on 5 11:05am SpaceCamp 1:10pm Teen Wolf 3:00pm Harry and the Hendersons 5:10pm Labyrinth: David Bowie Tribute 6:10pm Five News Update 6:15pm Labyrinth: David Bowie Tribute 7:15pm Battlebots: World Championship 8:00pm World’s Strongest Man 2016 9:00pm There’s a Croc in My Kitchen 10:00pm Dirty Dancing 11:30pm 5 News 11:35pm Dirty Dancing 12:05am Greatest 80s Movies

7:00am 7:25am 9:05am 10:00am

4:30pm The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 6:30pm Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 9:00pm Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 11:30pm Terminator Genisys 1:40am Mad Max: Fury Road

7:00am Zootropolis 9:00am The Jungle Book 11:00am The Top Ten Show 2016 11:15am Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 12:50pm Deadpool 2:40pm Kung Fu Panda 3 4:25pm The Jungle Book 6:15pm Zootropolis 8:15pm Kung Fu Panda 3 10:00pm Deadpool Marvel’s wisecracking antihero plots revenge on the villain who left him hideously disfigured.

12:00am How to be Single A newly single young woman hits the Manhattan bar scene with the help of her hard-partying pal.

2:00am Anti-Social 4:00am Rock the Kasbah 5:50am Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip

9:45am 11:45am 1:35pm 3:25pm 5:25pm 7:10pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:45am 2:25am 4:05am

Grease Pixels Zoolander 2 Pitch Perfect 2 Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Pixels Pitch Perfect 2 Zoolander 2 Rush Hour 2 Road Trip: Beer Pong John Tucker Must Die

11:55am 12:00pm 12:35pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:55pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:55pm 12:55am

Hollyoaks Charmed The Big Bang Theory 12 Dates of Christmas Rude(Ish) Tube Shorts New Girl New Girl The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Goldbergs How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks We’re Going on a Bear Hunt The Crystal Maze Su2c Celebrity Special Tattoo Fixers Virtually Famous Rude Tube Christmas Cracker 2016 Gogglebox

TUESDAY TV

7:00am 7:30am 7:45am 8:00am 9:00am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 3:45pm 6:00pm 9:00pm 1:00am 1:30am 2:00am 2:30am 3:00am 5:00am 5:30am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold WWE SmackDown!

NFL Highlights Football Football Football Football Football Football Football Football Football Live World Darts Championship 2017 Football La Liga World Premier League Legends Premier League Legends The Premier League Years Football Football’s Greatest Teams A look at the phenomenal success enjoyed by Liverpool during the 70s and 80s.

8:00am Cricket Gold Shorts 8:10am Great Sporting Moments 8:25am Cricket 9:25am Cricket 3:45pm Live Pro 12 Rugby 6:15pm Sporting Records 6:45pm Super League Gold 7:00pm Sporting Records 7:30pm Rugby Union 8:30pm Sporting Records 9:00pm Elite League Speedway 2016 11:30pm Football 12:00am Cricket 1:00am England Women’s Winter Tour 2:00am Cricket’s Greatest 2:30am Cricket’s Greatest 3:00am Cricket’s Greatest 3:30am Cricket’s Greatest 4:00am Cricket’s Greatest Series profiling some of the greatest cricketers of all time.

4:30am Cricket’s Greatest 5:00am Sky Sports Years

60

E W N 22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

7:00am Breakfast 10:00am Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings 11:10am Justin’s House 11:30am Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit 12:50pm Bargain Hunt 1:40pm BBC News 1:50pm BBC London News 2:00pm The Moonstone 2:45pm Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 4:35pm Muppets Most Wanted 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:20pm BBC London News 7:30pm Antiques Roadshow 8:30pm Ethel and Ernest 10:00pm Jonathan Creek 11:30pm BBC News 11:40pm BBC London News 11:50pm Mrs. Brown’s Boys 12:25am Sport Relief 2016: The Final Score 1:25am Fleabag 1:50am Fleabag 2:20am Weather for the Week Ahead 2:25am BBC News

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home 12:15pm Bean 1:55pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:05pm ITV News London 2:15pm Puppy Secrets: The First Six Months 3:20pm Father of the Bride 5:25pm Paul O’Grady For the Love of Dogs at Christmas 6:30pm Blankety Blank 7:25pm ITV News London 7:40pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 11:10pm ITV News 11:25pm Jaws Steven Spielberg’s scary chiller about a coastal community plagued by a killer shark.

1:40am Jackpot247 Join the presenters live and play roulette on your telly. Join in now at Jackpot247.com.

7:40am Coastal Path 8:10am Great British Menu 8:40am Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo 10:20am This Farming Life 11:20am Money for Nothing 12:20pm The Alamo 2:25pm Up Periscope 4:15pm Nature’s Weirdest Events 5:00pm Inside the Factory 6:00pm Tribes, Predators and Me 7:00pm New Zealand: Earths Mythical Islands 8:00pm The Good Life 8:30pm University Challenge 9:00pm Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars 10:00pm Dragons’ Den 11:00pm Live at the Apollo 11:30pm The Real Marigold on Tour 12:30am Song for Marion 2:00am Alan Bennett’s Diaries 3:00am The Lady in the Van 4:40am This is BBC Two Highlights of programmes on BBC Two.

7:00am Planet’s Funniest Animals 7:20am Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 7:50am Ultimate You’ve Been Framed!

8:40am Emmerdale 9:10am Britain’s Got More Talent 10:05am Ninja Warrior UK 11:05am Catchphrase 11:50am See Spot Run 12:50pm FYI Daily 12:55pm See Spot Run 1:45pm Emmerdale 2:20pm You’ve Been Framed!

3:20pm Yogi Bear 4:20pm FYI Daily 4:25pm Yogi Bear 5:00pm Catchphrase 6:05pm 101 Dalmatians 7:05pm FYI Daily 7:10pm 101 Dalmatians 7:50pm Kindergarten Cop 8:50pm FYI Daily 8:55pm Kindergarten Cop 10:00pm Casino Royale 11:05pm FYI Daily 11:10pm Casino Royale 12:55am Family Guy 1:25am Family Guy 1:55am Family Guy

www.euroweeklynews.com

8:00pm The Mystery of Van Gogh’s Ear 9:00pm Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 2016: Supercharged - Fuelling the Future 10:00pm James May: The Christmas Reassembler 10:30pm Pop Quiz: The Comeback It was the Saturday night smash hit music quiz show that ran for four years between 1981 and 1984.

11:00pm Fleetwood Mac: Don’t Stop Profile of Fleetwood Mac, one of the biggest-selling bands of all time and still on the road.

12:00am The Everly Brothers: Harmonies From Heaven 1:00am Norman Wisdom: His Story 2:00am The Good Old Days Featuring Morecambe and Wise

7:40am 9:10am 10:50am 11:15am 11:45am 1:50pm 3:45pm 5:15pm 6:15pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

7:00am In Loving Memory 7:25am Holiday on the Buses 8:30am FYI Daily 8:35am Holiday on the Buses 9:10am Margery and Gladys 11:10am Sparkling Cyanide 1:10pm Lewis 3:05pm Agatha Christie’s Marple 5:10pm Carry on Cruising 6:10pm FYI Daily 6:15pm Carry on Cruising 7:00pm Lewis 8:55pm Les Dawson Forever 10:00pm Foyle’s War 12:00am Lewis 2:00am Sparkling Cyanide 3:45am Agatha A fictitious account of crime writer Agatha Christie’s unexplained 11-day disappearance in 1926.

4:45am FYI Daily 4:50am Agatha 5:25am Wycliffe Drama series about a Cornish police detective.

7:00am British Touring Car Crashes and Smashes 7:10am The Professionals 8:00am Minder 8:50am Quincy, M.E. 9:55am Ironside 11:00am The Professionals 12:00pm TT 2016 1:00pm TT 2016 2:05pm Classic TT Highlights 3:05pm Quincy, M.E. 4:10pm The Land That Time Forgot 5:10pm FYI Daily 5:15pm The Land That Time Forgot 6:00pm The Train Robbers 7:00pm FYI Daily 7:05pm The Train Robbers 8:05pm Pawn Stars 8:30pm Pawn Stars 9:00pm River Monsters 10:00pm The Kingdom 11:05pm FYI Daily 11:10pm The Kingdom 12:15am Awake 1:20am FYI Daily 1:25am Awake 2:00am Rugby 3:00am The Hand of God: 30 Years On 3:55am The Wine Show

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 2:00am 4:10am

California Man Dunston Checks In The Simpsons The Simpsons The Muppet Movie Vice Versa Stuart Little 2 A Big Lego Christmas Channel 4 News The Simpsons The Simpsons Hollyoaks Arrivals Arrivals is a refreshingly warm and intimate insight into the lives of some of the thousands of people travelling in today’s evershrinking world as they pass through the Heathrow airport arrivals halls.

What Britain Bought in 2016 24 Hours in A and E David Blaine Big Fat Quiz of the Year The Girl Who Played with Fire Gillette World Sport

8:50am Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 9:00am Wissper 9:15am Peppa Pig 9:35am Paw Patrol 9:45am Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:00am Toby’s Travelling Circus 10:15am Milkshake Monkey 10:20am SpongeBob Squarepants 10:38am SpongeBob Squarepants 10:55am World’s Strongest Man 2016 11:55am The African Queen 2:00pm The Glenn Miller Story 4:20pm Kelly’s Heroes 5:20pm Five News Update 5:25pm Kelly’s Heroes 7:10pm Battlebots: World Championship 8:00pm World’s Strongest Man 2016 9:00pm Kitten Rescuers at Christmas 10:00pm Most Shocking Celebrity Moments of 2016 1:05am Pete Burns: The Last Interview 2:05am Super Casino

7:50am 10:10am 12:30pm 3:00pm 5:00pm 6:40pm 9:00pm 11:35pm 1:35am 4:05am

Furious 7 Batman Begins The Dark Knight Ant-Man The Scorpion King Batman Begins The Dark Knight Ant-Man Furious 7 Max Payne

8:00am Mamma Mia! 10:00am The Wedding Ringer 11:50am My Best Friend’s Wedding 1:45pm Spy 3:50pm Vacation 5:35pm Hot Pursuit 7:15pm Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 9:00pm Spy 11:05pm Vacation 12:50am Entourage 2:40am Bad Santa 4:25am Year One

7:00am 7:25am 8:10am 9:05am 9:30am 10:00am 11:55am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:45am

7:30am 9:30am 11:30am 1:15pm 3:15pm 5:15pm 7:00pm

9:00pm 11:00pm 12:30am 2:30am

4:30am

WEDNESDAY TV

Hollyoaks Charmed Charmed The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Holiday in Handcuffs Rude(Ish) Tube Shorts Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas We’re Going on a Bear Hunt The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Goldbergs How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Carjackers The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Timeless Zombieland Scream Queens

7:00am 7:15am 7:30am 8:00am 9:00am 9:30am

Zootropolis How to be Single Kung Fu Panda 3 Zootropolis The Jungle Book Kung Fu Panda 3 Deadpool Marvel’s wisecracking antihero plots revenge on the villain who left him hideously disfigured.

The Jungle Book Long Way North Deadpool How to be Single A newly single young woman hits the Manhattan bar scene with the help of her hard-partying pal.

Rock the Kasbah Comedy about a washed-up music manager trying to help an Afghan teenager compete in a national talent show.

7:00am Englands Best Days 9:00am Great Sporting Moments 9:15am Cricket Gold 9:25am Cricket 5:30pm Cricket Gold 5:40pm Cricket Gold 5:50pm Cricket Gold 6:00pm England Women’s Winter Tour 7:00pm Jack Russell 7:30pm Alex Hales Record Breaker Watch Alex Hales’ record-breaking innings against Pakistan in the third ODI at Trent Bridge.

8:00pm England’s World Record 10:00pm Cricket Day three of the opening Test as South Africa face Sri Lanka at St George’s Park.

11:00pm Cricket New Zealand play Bangladesh in the second ODI of the series, held at Saxton Oval in Nelson.

10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:30pm 12:00am 12:30am 1:00am 1:30am 2:00am

Football Gold Football Gold Football Gold WWE Experience Football Premier League Legends Boxing Gold Football The Premier League Years Sporting Records Football Live World Darts Championship 2017 Football Sky Sports Originals Out of Contract Gareth Bale: Year of the Dragon Barclays Premier League World Football Barclays Premier League World Premier League 100 Club Premier League 100 Club Football Premier League Legends Premier League Legends

FEATURE

www.euroweeklynews.com

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

SEASON’S GREETINGS: From the Euro Weekly News’ Costa Blanca team.

What a swell party that was!

By Linda Hall ALICANTE Province was on orange alert and the population warned to stay indoors if possible. Only make essential journeys, Spain’s Met Office announced as monsoongrade rains drenched the coast for the third day running. The 20 or so people setting out for Euro Weekly News’ Christmas luncheon in Altea didn’t think twice.

The journey – short for some but a perilous trek for others - was definitely essential.

We knew a superb meal was waiting at Restaurante La Bussola in Cap Negret and were looking forward to a get-together with the team that brings out the Costa Blanca edition of the Euro Weekly News each week.

Coming in out of the wind and the rain into La Bussola’s comforting warmth we were greeted by Nicki Burgess, the Euro Weekly

News Operations Manager and Regional Manager, Ben Wickham. Like all the best lunch parties this started with a drink and a great deal of chat, laughter and mingling as we waited for stragglers who were battling the elements to get to La Bussola.

Some of the Euro Weekly News employees see each other regularly but others, especially the writers who work from home, know each other only through emails or as a voice on the other end of the phone.

By the time we were ready to sit down, everyone had put faces to voices as chat ranged from the inevitable ‘shop’ to catching up on Christmas plans and New Year hopes.

Anyone who works for a newspaper in any capacity knows a certain amount of panic and tension are inevitable to produce a newspaper each week, let alone six editions.

But for once there was no panic, no tension

as everyone concentrated on the serious business of eating lunch and having fun.

We waded through four courses chosen from a menu of classic Italian dishes that included Vitello Tonnato, Minestrone, pasta of every description including – according to one of the party – the best pesto she had ever eaten. More was to come with escalopes, Osso Bucco and a prawn and fish skewer that prompted a chorus of ‘Mmms!’ Was there room for more? No one could resist the panna cotta or tiramisu.

The food kept on arriving, the wine kept on flowing and there were some high jinks by the time the coffee and liqueurs arrived although it’s probably best not to mention what happened with the helium balloons…but you all know who you are!

Ben Wickham thanked everyone for coming. “You are all important,” he said, “You each play a vital role in ensuring the newspa-

per comes out each week.” Without the delivery drivers, the newspaper wouldn’t reach the public, he continued. Without salespeople there would be no advertisements, the lifeblood of the Euro Weekly News.

Without the office staff there would be chaos, he admitted. “And we need the writers too,” he added to general laughter, most of it from the writers.

This year had been a good one for the newspaper, Ben said, and predicted 2017 would be even better.

It was a challenge to bring news to thousands of readers from every corner of the Costa Blanca but one he knew everyone present was ready and eager to meet.

EWN

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62

E W N 22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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EURO WEEKLY’S SPACE FOR YOU TO TAKE A BREA

Word Ladder

MADDOCKS’ VIEW ON LIFE

Weather

for next 7 days

Alicante

Move from the start word PASS to the end word GIFT in the same number of steps as there are rungs on the Word Ladder.

You must only change one letter at a time.

PASS

TIME

www.euroweeklynews.com

TODAY:

Madrid

SUNNY MAX 17C, MIN 8C MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

MAX MIN

Mon - 17 10 C Tues - 16 10 Cl Wed - 16 10 C

17 9 S 17 9 S 17 9 S

Fri Sat Sun -

Almeria TODAY:

MAX 17C, MIN 8C

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 17 10 C Tues - 16 10 Cl Wed - 16 10 C

17 9 S 17 9 S 17 9 S

Solution PASS LASS (PAST) LAST LIST LIFT GIFT

YOUR STARS

‘WE ARE LATE - FORGET RUDOLPH I’M GOING TO CALL YOU USAIN - NOW BOLT!’

CAPRICORN

months you have found this to be true.

Hard work is not alien to you, but there is a point where you want to shout ‘enough’. It may be that business or home life needs some rearranging, or that someone is moving job and the routine is severely disrupted.

(December 22 - January20)

The enthusiasm of your bright Capricorn mind is also capable of making you restless. There are mixed feelings about being at or near home this week, with thoughts of more progress being possible elsewhere. Your need to make things better for those round you may not make you money but it can bring great joy.

Give of your time and talents generously.

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) When you are at home this week I would like you to consider how you view your surroundings. This is a good week to make changes and have discussions about future directions. It is assumed that those close are happy with the status quo, but this may not be the case. The things which you find irksome may also irritate them. Ask in a tactful and gentle way and you will be surprised at the outcome.

falls into place. Why, you wonder, have you worried so much about things which could not be changed? With this clarity of vision, the future seems so much brighter. Use your talents and advantages to the full in this sparkling seven days and beyond.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) There is so much in you that is determined and looking forward to a fresh start, but something that you are trying to get rid of, or give up, may be giving you more trouble than anticipated. Some things have to be done alone, or so you think, but others have gone through this before you so they are able to give support.

LEO (July 24 - August 23) Consider what is the most important thing to you at the moment? Is it wealth or social position? Your work, or how it may be possible to afford that new conservatory are minor considerations compared with your greatest asset which is your health.

This week, then, is all about boosting this valuable commodity and building its future. Worry, stress, overwork should be words not in your vocabulary.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) When it isn't possible to change something, often it is just as effective to rearrange it. That is the solution which comes to you this week. Instead of being frustrated at a delay, try changing the conditions or times. This may mean that you save money or delay a payment to your advantage.

We all have set ideas, whatever our age or circumstances.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Rarely has your mind been as sharp as it is at the moment. There have been some awkward and downright bad periods in the recent past, but this week everything

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) As a home-loving Libran, you are torn between making changes to your surroundings and getting some cash in on the business side. Apparently, it is not possible to do both because energy levels fluctuate. I have a proposition for you. Get business out of the way during the week and plan home activities for the weekend.

CANCER (June 22 - July 23) When we have long-standing friendships, these are often taken for granted and yet often we could make so much more of them. How long is it since you had a really deep conversation with your closest friends? What has changed in their attitudes and fortunes over the years?

How could you help each other to make better progress? Working together brings so much more forward movement and satisfaction.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) For all of the things that you want to do, there are three others that you wish to do. Maybe they are waiting for their own time to come. During the course of this week you will be thinking of what the future could hold, even though dealing with practical issues. While you are doing the ordinary tasks of the day, or thinking of how you can save money, also think about how to save your dreams.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Pat yourself on the back for all of your efforts of recent weeks. Looking back just a few months, would you have thought so much progress could be made? Because of your efforts, home life is enhanced and you are more appreciated. Give yourself a break at the weekend and do something with a loved one that you have not done together for some time. Think of the great times you had and relive them to warm your heart.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Is playing the waiting game really to your advantage? Your Sagittarian character naturally leads you to be optimistic, and why not? Even so, it won't hurt to hurry someone along rather than having them go at their own pace. Bear in mind that, in letting someone get away with sloppiness, you are doing them no favours at all.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) As the saying goes, ‘no one ever said it would be easy’. In the past few

IRISH LOTTO

Saturday December 17

Saturday December 17

2

11

18

7

20

25

32

40

54

27

41

45

BONUS BALL

BONUS BALL

8

35

EURO MILLIONS

LA PRIMITIVA

EL GORDO DE LA PRIMITIVA Sunday December 18

Tuesday November 13

Friday December 16

Saturday December 17

14

6

11

18

31

34

35

45

28 48

29 50

LUCKY STARS

2

8

10 41

30 45

LUCKY STARS

4

11

REINTEGRO

32

4

21

22 46

44 54

REINTEGRO

3

Mon - 16 9 Cl Tues - 16 9 Cl Wed - 16 8 C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 15 6 S Tues - 15 7 S Wed - 15 6 C

16 7 S 15 7 S 14 6 C

CLOUDY MAX 18C, MIN 8C

TODAY:

MAX MIN

MAX MIN

18 8 C 18 8 S 17 6 C

Mon - 18 6 C Tues - 17 7 S Wed - 17 7 C

Murcia

SUNNY MAX 19C, MIN 10C MAX MIN

S Sun,

MAX 17C, MIN 6C

MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 17 11 S Tues - 16 10 C Wed - 16 9 C

18 9 S 19 9 S 18 11 S

SUNNY

TODAY:

MAX MIN

Cl Clear,

Sh Showers,

F Fog, Sn Snow,

MAX MIN

18 6 S 18 7 S 17 6 S

Mon - 16 7 Cl Tues - 16 8 C Wed - 16 8 C

C Cloudy, Th Thunder

Nonagram

How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case B) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

TARGET: • Average: 8 • Good: 12 • Very good: 17 • Excellent: 21

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION acne acre cane cant care cart cent cere cert cran cure curt cute ecru narc race tact acute caner caret carte cater crane crate cruet cuter enact erect eruct nacre react recta tacet terce trace tract truce acuter canter careen center centre create curate cutter nectar recant recent tenrec tercet trance centare centaur crenate cuneate curette reenact uncrate truncate UTTERANCE

Sudoku

Fill the grid so that every row, every column and every 3X3 box contains the digits 1-9.

There’s no maths involved. You solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.

LOTTERY UK NATIONAL LOTTERY

MAX 16C, MIN 6C

Benidorm TODAY: Fri Sat Sun -

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

GIFT BACK

MAX MIN

17 8 S 18 8 S 17 8 S

Mallorca

CLEAR MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

Mon - 11 2 C Tues - 12 3 S Wed - 11 4 C

SUNNY MAX 18C, MIN 7C

TODAY:

Barcelona TODAY:

MAX MIN

13 3 S 12 2 C 11 2 C

Malaga

SUNNY MAX MIN

Fri Sat Sun -

CLOUDY MAX 13C, MIN 3C

TODAY:

OUT

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

www.euroweeklynews.com

AK, BE INFORMED AND ENJOY A CHALLENGE

page

Enjoy filling in the following puzzles and check the answers in next week’s edition

Code Breaker

Quick Across 1 Feel remorse (6) 4 Smooth fabric (5) 8 Small adhesive token stuck on a letter (5) 9 Post conveyed by planes (7) 10 Within a building (7) 11 First light of day (4) 12 Beer (3) 14 Range of food of a particular type (4) 15 Artificial source of visible illumination (4) 18 Colour like blood (3) 21 Listen (4) 23 Ceremonial dress (7) 25 News (7) 26 Sound of any kind (5) 27 Hoard (5) 28 Edible seed (6) Down 1 Characteristic of rural life (6) 2 Mother of your father or mother (7)

63

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Crossword

EWN

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 2 represents Q and 5 represents G, so fill in Q every time the figure 2 appears and G every time the figure 5 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.

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS CRYPTIC Across: 1 Turns, 4 Barium, 9 Replica, 10 Paces, 11 Apse, 12 Granite, 13 Rue, 14 Robe, 16 Sage, 18 Pie, 20 Restate, 21 Dent, 24 Strut, 25 Spanner, 26 Steven, 27 Exile.

Down: 1 Threat, 2 Ropes, 3 Skin, 5 Appraise, 6 Itching, 7 Master, 8 Barge, 13 Repartee, 15 Observe, 17 Trusts, 18 Pepsi, 19 Sterne, 22 Ennui, 23 Dame.

QUICK Across: 3 Boss (8) 4 Arrange in order (4) 5 Jewelled head wear (5) 6 Hosiery (6) 7 Latin American style of music (5) 13 Refined grace (8) 16 Thousand thousand (7)

English - Spanish

Down: 1 Cheap, 2 Profess, 3 Obey, 4 Reared, 5 False, 6 Defeats, 7 Bemused, 12 Narrate, 13 Contest, 15 Scarier, 16 Coarse, 17 Cynic, 19 Dodge, 21 Fine.

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

Across 1 Brazalete (6) 3 Heladas (6) 8 Trineos (5) 10 Chestnut (fruit) (7) 11 Emotion (7) 12 Dream (while asleep) (5) 13 Camello (5) 15 Goose (5) 20 Árboles (5) 22 Milagro (7) 24 Reunión (7) 25 Girls (young) (5) 26 Cocinas (aparatos) (6) 27 Precios (6)

ENGLISH-SPANISH Across:

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

Down 1 Cesto (6) 2 New (5) 4 Laughs (5) 5 Patinadores (7) 6 Estación (parte del año) (6) 7 Perfume (5) 9 Deslizarse (5) 14 Dressing (culinary) (7) 16 Delantal (5) 17 Sellos (6) 18 Friend (f) (5) 19 Banquetes (6) 21 Especia (5) 23 Brandy (5)

Hexagram

1 Cupboard, 7 Brave, 8 Exonerate, 9 See, 10 Peek, 11 Deduce, 13 Casual, 14 Versus, 17 Carrot, 18 Hard, 20 Try, 22 Terrified, 23 Seize, 24 Rehearse.

17 Snaps (6) 19 Put on clothes (5) 20 Father or mother (6) 22 Wireless (5) 24 Leg joint (4)

2 Right, 6 Raza, 7 Ojal, 8 Stair, 9 Damp, 10 Miel, 11 Bride, 12 Jefe, 13 Noon, 14 Roast, 15 Door, 16 Abad, 17 Years.

Down: 1 Camareros, 2 Raspberry, 3 Granizada, 4 Tormentas, 5 Cacerolas.

Cryptic The purpose of the Hexagram puzzle is to place the 19 six-letter words into the 19 cells. The letters at the edges of interlocking cells MUST BE THE SAME. The letters in the words must be written CLOCKWISE. The word in cell 10 (ADVENT) and one letter in four other cells are given as clues.

ADVENT (10) CARROT CEREAL DECEIT DETOUR ENTICE HARDEN INCOME INTENT IODINE

NOTICE ORIENT PARIAH POLITE ROUTED SKIMPY THEORY TRANCE VENDOR

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION 1 Abrupt 2 Bureau 3 Blanch 4 Resume 5 Blouse 6 Launch 7 Massif 8 Bobcat 9 Defray 10 Subset 11 Titian 12 Critic 13 Mastic 14 Tracer 15 Auntie 16 Select 17 Object 18 Legume 19 Spongy.

Across 1 Wise man chopped-up elm before excited choir (8) 5 Show Ruby around American capital (4) 9 Brags about clutches (5) 10 Drove back at pace to give information (7) 11 Some bottles of wine are stored next door (7) 12 Small beers for after Christmas events (5) 13 Support donkey and sit awkwardly (6) 15 Core gym is in shed for a change (6) 19 Chooses Portsmouth to host the game (5) 21 He levitates without this to improve (7) 23 Rubbish time to walk like a duck (7) 24 Are potentially about a foot past (5) 25 Fat little girl with tiny top (4) 26 Holds a rally in favour of experiments 4 Highly decorated in the Battle of Little (8) Big Horn, a terrific achievement (6) 6 Record allowed to include gold US Down decoration (7) 1 Name tag rewritten in red (7) 7 Follows eating programme and dies 2 Pack animal kept in cell a matter of with time inside (5) hours (5) 8 Lofty pursuits, a right stop-start (4) 3 Carelessly she lost lodging places (7) 14 Or in stage warehouse (7)

16 A gentle dance is beautiful (7) 17 Grassier Rastafarian land contains mountain ranges (7) 18 Finish even confused the queen (6) 19 First staff at the Esso station fills up (5) 20 Reportedly joined the rush (4) 22 Singers lost a production (5)

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LETTERS

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OPINION & COMMENT

YOUR PAPER - YOUR VOICE - YOUR OPINION

Letters for Your Say should be emailed to yoursay@euroweeklynews.com or make your comments straight on our website: www.euroweeklynews.com

Speaking another language Photographs for possible publication should be sent by email with a full caption to: photonews@euroweeklynews.com Foto Shutterstock riggsby

WELL done Mike Senker for bringing up the so-called celebrityspeak from programmes such as Strictly, X Factor and many more.

Not only do they smash it, they step up to the plate, put on their game face, don’t have an option of failure, winning means everything, ride the rollercoaster, relish the journey, use awesome armography, on and on and on.........

To endorse not that Grumpy, Mr Senker, STOP IT!!!!!

Philip, San Fulgencio.

Berlin heartache

Dump Trump THE world seems to be so angry with traditional politicians that we somehow think it’s a good thing to elect Donald Trump! I think Americans will come to see that their political system prevented a good man from doing as much as he would have liked! Barack Obama was a missed opportunity.

After Trump’s tweets does anybody think this bloke will get a second term? Not me, and I actually think he’s not all bad. If he gets through his first term without a military scrap with someone I’ll be amazed. Perhaps he’ll just divide up the world and let the bad guys have their bit as long as it doesn’t concern America too much.

Sally

Droned to death IF, like me you are a regular flyer, I urge you to consider the problem that is happening within our skies.

There are countless drones being allowed to fly amongst our planes, with frequent near misses. Without any regulation experts say there will soon be a major incident.

Please consider signing my epetition on www.gov.uk/petition-gov ernment. Anyone who is a UK resident can do this. It will take three minutes. Our security and safety is at risk so I am contacting people from all walks of life.

If we can get 100,000 clicks on this petition our MPs have to discuss the matter. We all need to do something before there is a serious accident in our skies. Please inform as many people as possible and consider the following: In the USA their airline security

Maybe it should be brought into schools too. For me, too many areas of Britain are made up of young and old who feel closer to altogether different cultures. Extend this oath and make it a part of daily school life as well. That seems to be the way forward to me.

Margaret, Almeria

FIFA fine for poppy teams ENGLAND, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have been fined by FIFA for wearing poppies as a mark of respect for the fallen and injured of conflict. The figure in England’s case is more than £35,000.

Is there anyone who thinks the actions of an organisation as corrupt as FIFA has shown itself to be can be defended? They could have taken the moral high ground

FAA brought in new drone rulings.

We need something similar. There are countless near misses reported every week despite having a recommended maximum height.

In April 2016 a passenger plane was hit. Pilots have expressed their serious concerns about these toys being unregistered.

Every week packages are dropped into our prisons and operators are never found.

No licences are required to operate these smaller drones.

Someone can film you or your children without your permission.

Most police forces do not have any procedures in place to deal with drone nuisance.

In the wrong hands they could be a serious threat to our security.

and insisted on levying the fine for rule breaking but made it a token. All sides would have been satisfied.

Wouldn’t FIFA have been seen as taking the heat out of a thorny issue and at the same time received much needed positive publicity f or a change? Instead, they again look like the corrupt overlords of world football.

David, Marbella

They should be treated in the same way as firearms Ann Paterson, Santa Pola

Stamp of disapproval TRILBY is truly fortunate to be buying his stamps for Britain from the Post Office in Calahonda as that branch must surely have the cheapest postal charges in Spain.

I cannot remember when I last paid less than 80 cents to send a ‘standard’ letter or card to England (‘standard’ being 14x9cm and 23.5x12cm, and less than 20gr according to the Correos website).

Since the beginning of 2016 the

price of a stamp to Britain has been 1.15€ (1.55€ for non-standard). I do hope his cards all reach the recipients safely!

Barbara Wicker, Torrox

Oath of allegiance MAKING every civil and public servant swear to uphold British values seems sensible to me and long overdue. Even if it doesn’t stop radicalism, it helps to make people aware our society is based on a belief in democracy, equality and being able to say what you want. The USA uses such an oath and it seems to be successful.

THE awful events in Berlin bring to mind the attack on shoppers in the French city of Nice. I know there is no way to be completely safe but perhaps it’s time to stop traffic coming into the centres of our big cities after rush hour.

But how do you stop the driver of a giant lorry who intends to kill and maim? There’d be almost no way to stop a 40 ton lorry especially one going at full speed. All we can do is express our sorrow and sympathy with the families of those who died in Berlin. How many more attacks will there be in Germany’s cities?

Jane, Costa del Sol

Flood damage SPARE a thought for the victims of the floods that have hit our area of Spain. Having just arrived from the UK I thought that we had it bad, not least because we always seem to react with such surprise when the water hits. But in Spain the infrastructure seems to be taking a hammering.

And officials make the right noises but will they actually pay up? I hope so for the sake of all those affected.

To have everything you own destroyed by water and this close to Christmas is awful. As one who has experienced it many years ago, I know how heartbreaking it can be.

Bill, Almeria

WHEN YOU WRITE All letters, whether by email or post, should carry the writer’s postal address, NIE and contact number though only the name and town will be published.

Letters may also be edited.

Readers who have missed earlier correspondence can see all letters posted on:

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The views expressed and opinions given in Letters are not necessarily those of the EWN publishers. They accept no responsibility for accuracy of information, errors, omissions or statements, and reject claims arising out of any action that a company or individual may take on the basis of information contained therein.

& Book in now for your New Year health checks

HEALTH BEAUTY

Costa Blanca North

22 - 28 December 2016

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Advertising feature

LAST January, Medcare’s British GP clinics in Benijofar and Alfaz del Pi o ff e r e d h a l f p rice N ew Year Health Checks. The demand was such that the practice is running the offer again this January, and is launching the campaign early so everyone can get booked in t o e n su r e t h a t y o u h a v e a healthy start to 2017.

Why are health checks needed and so important? “Tragically, too many people continue to die unnecessarily because disease is detected far too late for want of a few simple tests,” said Medcare’s Dr Hussain: “Many British expats on the Costa Blanca seem to be particularly vulnerable be-

cause of language barriers or not knowing what health screening is available meaning they are even less likely to attend for screening.”

Routine health checks and early diagnosis can stop some of the b ig g es t k illers from c la iming lives; including heart disease, prostate cancer, cervical cancer and breast cancer. Medcare is therefore urging everyone to see their GP to find out what screening is available.

Anyone who is not registered u n d er th e S p anis h s ys te m or prefers to see a private British GP can go to Medcare for health screening and take advantage of

Over the years our health checks have saved many lives as patients have discovered they have the early stages of diseases.” the half price offer throughout January.

The Medcare health check includes screening for cervical, breast, bowel and prostate cancer. Comprehensive blood tests will be performed and patients will be screened for many conditions, including diabetes, liver

and kidney disease, anaemia, infection, bowel cancer, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and thyroid problems. Patients will a ls o re cei ve a nut r i t i on and life s tyle r evi ew, ECG, BMI c he c k, ski n cancer and m ol e check, dental examination and osteopath body alignment check. “ Eve n i f you f eel wel l , you don’t know what is going on inside your body so health screening is essential for everyone,” stressed Dr Hussain: “Over the ye a rs our heal t h checks have saved many lives as patients have discovered they have the early stages of diseases. It is not easy finding out you have a l i f e-

threatening illness, but not finding out will almost certainly be a lot worse.”

Getting a health check could be the most important thing you do in 2017. Don’t waste time, visit your own GP or book your half-price Medcare Health Check for January by calling 966 860 258 or emailing doctors@med carespain.com. You could save more than just money.

Medcare Benijofar and Alfaz del Pi Call 966 860 258 Email: doctors@medcarespain.com Visit www.medcarespain.com

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

New meaning to biting your nails IT may have a strong online following, but we’re not sure the latest beauty trend will catch on; edible nails.

A nail artist from New Zealand has created edible nail art with the videos viewed on Instagram 57,000 times on the account ‘Nailed It NZ.’ They come complete with white, milk or dark chocolate and some are decorated with

icing and silver balls to create the looks.

The inspiration came from another nail trend this year which involves applying more than 100 coats of nail polish to create a hard lump on each nail.

Whilst some love the edible art, an on the go snack treat, others have criticised it and questioned the hygiene surrounding eating chocolate off your nails.

EDIBLE NAILS: Come complete with chocolate.

HEALTH & BEAUTY

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Advertising feature

Quality care at a price to suit all budgets FOR over 18 years Dr Chris Jones has been taking care of our teeth in the Alfaz del Pi area and that makes him one of the longest serving British dentists in the Costa Blanca.

Dr Jones trained in Sheffield and moved to Spain in 1998 working in another practice until moving across the road to Clinica Dental Alfaz del Pi in May 2012. He continually trains and updates his skills attested by the many certificates lining the walls of the clinic.

During this time he has built an enviable reputation by offering honest, reliable, quality care and treatment at prices that suit any budget.

While many think that dentistry work is expensive, Dr Jones answers: “I am a British dentist in Spain and charge Spanish prices and this is one of the reasons I have so many patients travelling from the UK and other countries for their dental work. Some private dentists in the UK charge £100 to sit in the chair but here it is just £8.”

Dr Chris Jones offers many different dental services and is able to treat patients with any problem from fillings to implants. He offers a consultation from 10€ and will explain any treatment that is needed but there is no obligation. Dr Jones will treat the individual problem and other treatment options can be discussed at a later date.

During this time Dr Jones has built an enviable reputation by offering honest, reliable, quality care and treatment at prices that suit any budget.”

DR JONES: One of the longest serving British dentists in the Costa Blanca.

The clinic also works closely with other dental specialists who also have impeccable reputations within their fields and anything can be arranged from general anaesthetic and sedation to surgery. Customer service is very important to the clinic and Dr Jones will help in any way including writing letters for insurance companies free of charge.

Dr Jones and his nurse are both aware of people’s fears of dentists and special care and understanding is given to nervous patients. They both speak English and Spanish so that everything is explained clearly and in your own language.

Clinica Dental Alfaz are open Monday to Thursday from 9.30am – 2pm and 4.30pm 8pm and Friday 9.30am – 4.30 pm and emergency appointments are available. Call 965 889 032 or 609 687 814 (emergency appointments) or visit www.facebook.com/ClinicaDentalAlfazDelPi.

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Have a flatter Ask The Doctor stomach this Pneumonia: to Christmas vaccinate or not?

Brought to you by

CHOOSE CAREFULLY: Try to go for healthier options.

WANT to stay looking trim this festive season, then try these tricks to avoid the bloat and keep a flatter stomach this December: Little and often That big over indulgent Christmas Day feast may be something you have been looking forward to for weeks but it can be hard for the body to digest and process all that food leading to excessive gas and bloating.

Eating smaller meals more regularly is a preferred option and means those festive buffets may not be as bad as you think if you keep returning for little nibbles every now and then.

Avoid the fizz We all like a glass of fizzy stuff at Christmas but the bubbles in prosecco and Champagne as well as beer and coke can end up in your stomach

leaving you dehydrated and bloated.

Get active As tempting as it is to slob around catching up on television viewing during your time off, try and stay active during the festive season. Enjoying a walk along the beach, even getting active with the family on Wii sports games, can help speed up a sluggish digestion and help ease IBS symptoms.

Choose carefully No one wants to turn down a party invite and the buffet at the office party can be hard to avoid but, you can make careful choices in what you eat.

Try and stay clear of pastry and fried foods and go for the healthier option of prawns, salmon and lean meat and indulge all you like in vegetables and fruit on offer.

Take time chewing your food to allow your digestive system time to work. This will also help you realise when you are full before you over indulge.

Hot water and lemon Try swapping that morning coffee for hot water and lemon to help wake up your digestive system. Peppermint and chamomile tea are also known for easing stomach problems.

SPECIALIST: Doctor Luis Perez Belmonte.

WHAT is the vaccination against pneumonia we’ve been hearing about recently?

The vaccination against pneumonia is an injection which prevents infection from pneumococcus, a bacteria which can cause serious infections. There are about 100 different varieties of pneumococcus, only a few of which can cause infections in human beings.

Who should have the vaccination?

The groups who are most vulnerable to this type of infection are children under the age of five, especially those under two, but it can also affect the elderly, especially those over 65 or who have conditions which make them prone to infections from this germ. Therefore, these groups are under increased risk of suffering an infection from this germ and should be vaccinated.

Is it expensive?

The Spanish health system covers the cost of vaccinations for people in the high-risk groups, so they do not have to pay for the injections. If you wish to have the vaccination outside the normal vaccination dates or are not in the high-risk groups, the price is approxi-

mately â‚Ź80 although this depends on the brand and the country.

How long do the effects last?

If you are correctly vaccinated the effect can last for many years. From the age of 65 onwards it is advisable to have a reminder dose to maintain coverage for years to come.

Is it efficient?

The vaccination is very efficient, as proved by many studies, although no vaccination is 100 per cent effective.

Does it have many side effects?

The most common side effects reported have been reactions at the injection site including swelling, redness, pain at the site of the injection and difficulty moving the arm. Others are: fatigue, joint pain, muscle pain, headaches, fever and vomiting among others. In very rare cases serious adverse effects may occur at a neurological level or affect the respiratory system.

Is it really worth having the injection?

It definitely is. Anyone who meets the vaccination criteria should most definitely be vaccinated against pneumococcus.

If you have any questions for Dr Perez Belmonte, please send them to: jefemedico@helicopterossanitarios.com

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HEALTH & BEAUTY

Go smart with your child’s toys STILL wondering what Santa can bring the little people in your life? Then think smart.

Experts say babies and toddlers should be stimulated as much as possible and the toys they receive play an important part in that. Even from babies, eager to learn about the world, every shape, colour and texture is new to them and toys act as a fascinating tool to help build motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It is also reported that in this stage black and white forms the largest stimulation in an infants brain that is continually developing.

As they reach the toddler stage toys such as shape sorters and building blocks are ideal for developing their imagination and teaching about colours and shapes and building the basics in life skills.

Equally, such toys can detect gaps in the development of infants as found by a university project.

A project carried out by several universities in Madrid has allowed the design of different toys, from rattles, balls or cube towers with built-in sensors that can serve as support in the early detection of gaps in the development of young children. This early detection is important because certain motor difficulties can be warning signs for other diseases related to poor motor development and developmental problems.

One toy used was a tower of cubes that had motion sensors in and is now pending a patent. It measures time, speed and

maximum acceleration of the blocks being moved when the tower is made. Analysis of this data allows experts to detect the possibility of some kind of problem or motor impairment in children.

The toy is currently being tested out in three nursery schools, one in Alcala de Henares and two in Madrid, with 60 children aged between two and six years of age.

The project has been funded by the State Programme of Research, Development and Innovation Challenges.

EARLY DETECTION: Toys are used to detect developmental gaps.

Enjoy life and live longer SIMPLY being happy and having fun could help you live longer.

Experts from University College London followed more than 9,000 people in their 50’s and 60’s in England and every two years between 2002 and 2006, they were asked about how much they enjoyed their life and daily activities.

Over the next seven years to 2013, 1,310 of the participants had passed away with many of them being those who had reported having no or little enjoyment in their daily lives when asked during the assessments.

Scientists believe that being happy reduces stress and anxiety hormones which can put pressure on the heart and lead to increased blood pressure.

Whilst the researchers said they could not conclude a direct biological link between happiness and mortality, they said their study did indicate a correlation.

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SCENE

Jammers take a Christmas break

By Caroline Tyszka THE last Sunday Alfaz 2. del Pi jam session for 2016 was on December 18, taking a break over Christmas, although musicians can still attend the Brew Rock jam sessions held on a Thursday.

Musicians from around the region have supported the Alfaz del Pi train station jam session since it opened in 2015.

Following the closure of a popular music bar two years ago many musicians missed the safe haven to just get together and play, irrespective of if they were musical legends or locals wanting to have fun.

In August 2015 Nicky Chapman, with the help of some of the local musicians, started up a jam session at the train station bar in Alfaz del Pi every Sunday 5 pm – 10 pm.

Within a very short period of time the Sunday musical extravaganza became known as the best place to gather for all the finest musicians to jam and play their hearts out.

1.

All nationalities join in (1) It’s all about the bass .. bout the bass (2) Local musicians Ray, Pete and Chris (3) Nicky said: “There have been a few famous musicians who have heard about the place and come along to enjoy playing with our house band. The audience are always amazed by the diversity, excitement and thrill of real live music again and just like a movement - it has got

bigger and expanded to another location with the same results.”

Nicky runs another jam session in Albir at the Brew Rock which has the same house band and also has a great

atmosphere. This is every Thursday 8pm until midnight.

The Sunday jam session has welcomed musicians such as Steff Nevers, the world renowned Country singer, Alan Warner from The Foundations and local Benidorm Legend Joey Dillan.

The next jam session at the train station bar will be on Sunday January 8. The Brew Rock Thursday sessions will continue through the festive season with January 5 being the last 3. one until the end of February, as the bar will be closed for renovation.

Nicky said: “Both the Jam sessions are such a great success now, I would like to thank not only the house band but all the musicians that come along and participate to make it such an enjoyable evening every week, not forgetting the supporters who come along and listen. Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2017 to all those that make these jams possible. Here’s looking forward to more and more great evenings of live music.”

OCIAL Burning the midnight oil OLIVA’S public library will open throughout the day between December 23 and January 26.

The only exceptions are Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and January 6 when the library closes. On December 24, 26, 31 and January 5 it will open from 9am until 2pm.

Apart from these days, the library remains open from 9am until 10pm so that students, especially those at university, have somewhere peaceful to prepare for their January exams over the holidays.

Once the municipal library closes, students who prefer to burn the midnight oil can use the Casa Jove youth centre. This will be open 10pm until 2am apart from December 24, 25, 26, 30, 31 and January 1.

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Photo credit: Alfaz town hall

SOCIAL SCENE

ALBIR FAIR: Raised almost €2,000 for charity.

All the fun of the fair fundraiser

By Linda Hall THE Christmas fair organised by Albir ’s Asociacion de Jubilados retirees’ association raised €1,750 for charity.

This was the fifth edition of the annual fair and, as in other years, the money will be donated to Alfaz’s Social Volunteers Associa t i o n wh i c h r u n s th e lo c a l F o o d Bank.

Stalls displayed and sold items handmade by the club members as well as books and second-hand articles in good condition.

There was carol singing, music, dancing, a

living Nativity Scene and to round off the e v en t, a gia nt pa e lla w hic h brought the day’s entire takings up to almost €2,000.

The fair was a celebration of the spirit of Christmas that brought out the local population’s most public-spirited side, said Marisa Cortes, the councillor who liaises with the town’s different groups and associations.

The association was founded in 2012 with a p p ro x ima te ly 450 me mbe rs w ho c ome from more than 12 different countries. It organises art, handicraft, petanca, gym, golf and computer classes throughout the year, together with fiestas and excursions.

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SOCIAL SCENE

Christmas charity cheer CALPE SCHOOL are proud to be participating in the ‘Un Juguete’ appeal for old toys at Christmas.

Un Juguete are based in Marbella and collect toys for under-privileged families in the surrounding area.

Years 4 and 5 at Calpe School wrote and delivered speeches to the rest of the primary school to ask for their help. They received donations between Monday December 12 and Wednesday 14 and have been overwhelmed by the generous response.

Further information about Un Juguete can be obtained from www.unjuguete.com.

OLD TOYS: Are collected for under-privileged families.

Fun sporting activities TEULADA-MORAIRA Town Hall is putting on varied sports activities for the young over the Christmas holidays.

The town hall’s Sports department is putting on Roller Ball, an Estacion Football Festival and Just Dance at the Pabellon Municipal sports centre on January 2. Xocabolas will be organised from 11.30am until 1.30pm.

On January 3 there will be a Skate+Scooter Circuit and

Paint-ball at the Moraira sports centre with Xocabolas from 11.30am until 1.30pm.

Activities, which are all free, will be held from 11.30am until 1.30pm and from 5 until 8pm.

Pre-registration is not necessary and although the programme is designed for the over-12s, younger children may attend if accompanied by an adult.

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PROPERTY www.euroweeklynews.com

Reduction in the rate of evictions THE amount of evictions in Spain between July and September this year represented a drop of 11.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2015.

The data released by the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) potentially represents another sign the country is making its

way out of the crisis. The CGPJ has indicated the amount of evictions carried out in the third quarter of the year - 9,094 - is the lowest number since the fourth quarter of 2007.

Every region in the country saw a decrease in evictions in the third quarter of the year in comparison to 2015.

SKI BREAKS: A popular alternative for Christmas.

Getting away this winter is slightly pricier

By Sam Croft WINTERTIME has arrived meaning many people are renting cottages and chalets so they can get away for a few days and enjoy some skiing.

Others might prefer relax-

ing by the fire with some hot chocolate and a good book.

In any case, these winter getaways are a popular alternative to the hustle and bustle of the city during the Christmas period.

Owing to this popularity, prices for rented residences have seen a slight increase this year, according to data released from real estate portal Pisos.com. The average price in 2016 for a chalet or cottage near a ski resort is €562 a week, a rise of 0.4 per cent compared to 2015.

However, the prices are 2.8 per cent lower than they were four years ago.

Winter rentals come in all shapes and sizes, and not surprisingly, in all price ranges. The survey by Pisos.com indicated the gap between the most expensive and cheapest weekly rate is €672. A handful of high-end chalets in the Pyrenees of Lleida cost the most, charging an average weekly price of €1,006.

Those looking for more of a bargain may want to head to Segovia, where the average weekly price is €372 a week, or to Fuentes de Invierno in Asturias (€387) or La Rioja (€394).

Miguel Angel Alemany, general director of Pisos.com said “residences at the foot of the ski slopes have recoved very well in recent years, but there are also many nearby municipalities where there are great opportunities at excellent prices.”

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FEATURE

Copyright TheFinalMiracle

Christmas is falling victim to politically correct obsession Nora Johnson

Breaking Views Nora is the author of popular psychological suspense and crime thrillers and a freelance journalist.

To comment on any of the issues raised in her column, go to www.euroweeklynews.com/3.0.15/nora-johnson

PARENTS have been told by academics to stop pretending Father Christmas is real in case the ‘lie’ damages relations with their children who might then question what else mum and dad are lying about.

What! First, no Father Christmas; next they’ll be telling us politicians tell the truth and do their ‘underpaid’ job for the love of serving their country!

Why do academics want to sweep away the myths and legends which are part of our cultural heritage? All part of childhood and growing up. How boring and unimaginative life would be without Father Christmas, the tooth fairy and fairy stories. What would children do without them? Obsess about video games, sexting, selfies?

There are more obvious ways to get

DIWALI LANTERNS: Embracing every culture except our own. children adjusted to the harsh realities of life than to take away their Christmas ‘magic.’ Why not start reintroducing a sense of competition in schools, competition they’ll face soon enough in business and job applications?

I’m also reminded here of a recent report that political correctness is crippling British culture to the extent that Christmas itself is at risk. Christmas trees have already been renamed ‘festive trees’ by some and Christmas itself

‘the winter holidays.’ Way back in 1998, Birmingham City Council already called it ‘Winterval.’

When my friend’s daughter was at primary school 10 years ago, she never painted a fireworks picture in Novem-

ber, made Halloween lanterns, took in a contribution for harvest festival or acted in a nativity play. All things I did at school. She did make a lantern for Diwali, fine in itself, but not as an alternative to Britain’s own traditions.

All these years we’ve been exhorted to celebrate diversity by embracing every culture except our own. Such a shame.

Ah, with all this talk of political correctness, it’s already beginning to feel like Christmas. And a sure sign Santa’s already having his sleigh valeted at Kwik Fit. As for me, not exactly a hard ‘BrXmas’ here but definitely no free movement of loads of in-laws - I’m too busy writing my latest thriller! HAPPY CHRISTMAS! Nora Johnson’s psychological/suspense crime thrillers ‘No Way Back,’ ‘Landscape of Lies,’ ‘Retribution,’ ‘Soul Stealer,’ ‘The De Clerambault Code’ (www.nora-johnson.com) available from Amazon in paperback/eBook (€0.99; £0.99) and iBookstore. All profits to Costa del Sol Cudeca cancer charity.

Big guns for a minor disturbance Cassandra Nash A weekly look - and not entirely impartial reaction to the Spanish political scene

THE Spanish are not overwhelmingly monarchist but have too much on their minds to start agitating for changes in this department.

But for Catalans who want independence, the monarchy symbolises unsympathetic central domination. This is particularly true of the CUP party, whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts thanks to its parliamentary support for the centre-right regional president Carles Puigdemont.

CUP is anti-everything except independence and its MPs are actively sup-

Carles Puigdemont.

porting party members hauled up before the Madrid National High Court for burning photos of the King.

By bringing out the big guns for a minor dis-

turbance the establishment is walking its usual route plagued with elephant traps and minefields. It doesn’t do the King many favours, either.

Kicking off the conversations SORAYA SAENZ DE SANTAMARIA, the national government’s vice-president recently paid her first visit as Minister of Territorial Administration to Cataluña.

The radiant politician (fillers, botox, surgery or hair extensions?) smiled broadly and reiterated the government’s promises of dialogue regarding Catalan independence. Saenz de Santamaria’s first meetings were with the

PSOE’s regional secretary Miquel Iceta and Ines Arrimadas of Ciudadanos, prompting the regional government’s spokeswoman Neus Munte to express ‘surprise’ that the minister should have preferred to meet the Opposition first. Not the best of starts, then.

Altogether now!

FIFTY-NINE PER CENT of Basques might want an independence referendum but centrists can stop rending their Madrid-manufactured garments.

The same poll found that only 31 per cent of the Basque population would back secession.

They might be anti-Constitutional but referendums are paradoxically the best way to ensure that Spain remains intact.

Discreetly keeping their distance PEDRO SANCHEZ is tenacious. No longer PSOE secretary general or an MP in the national parliament, he is popping up all over the place and if he has his way party members will again choose the next PSOE secretary general in primaries. This is how he rose to the top in 2014, a prelude to leading the party from bad results to worse.

So far Sanchez is holding meetings and visiting towns where he believes he’ll get a warm welcome from the membership. Meanwhile the few politicians who backed his ‘no means no’ diktat to prevent Mariano Rajoy from forming a government once more are discreetly distancing themselves from him. Everyone loves an underdog but nobody backs an outcast.

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HOMES

Go loco and grow cocoa THE Mediterranean climate allows for a wide range of plants to be grown. The restrictions of soil quality, water availability and the ability to create microclimates are really where gardening skills are required to make the most of the possibilities. It will require more planning and preparation and after care to maintain exotic plants but if you have the time it can be a great interest.

If you want to add some elements of exotic interest or reminders of home to your Mediterranean garden or balcony, it is possible to grow many temperate and various tropical plants. There are many gardens in Spain that, in addition to their almond, citrus and olive trees, have tropical avocados and bananas and yet also pears, apples and peaches of the temperate climates.

The secret to growing exotic plants successfully is to replicate the natural environment they come from as far as possible.

If you are really adventurous, there is a plant, with heavenly connotations for many people, that can add great interest to a garden. It is known as the food of the gods, recognised by the greek botanical genus name Theobroma which means god food. It is better known by its species name, cocoa. In the indigenous Mexican regional language of Nahuati it is known as xoclati, but to most of us it is known

Photo Credit: Dr. Morley Read shutterstock.

By Graeme Tyrrell

CHOCOLATE TREE: It is possible to grow your own with careful planning and care. for being the main flavour source of chocolate, the cocoa tree.

Cocoa beans from the tree were first introduced into Europe by the Spanish and their use soon spread as a sweet delicacy, with regional recipes developed to give us the vast range of delightful delicacies we have today.

The cocoa tree grows naturally as an under storey plant shaded by taller trees in rain forests but as it matures it can tolerate full sun. So a well shaded, sheltered spot in the garden is ideal. They are cold sensi-

tive below 8°C so the best place is next to a heated building or, if in a pot, it can be brought indoors in winter to a well lit location. They will tolerate cold below 8°C but may lose their leaves and be set back. Frost is likely to kill them.

Windy conditions are detrimental.

The soil required to grow them needs copious amounts of organic material of high fertility with regular addition of nutrients several times a year, as in a tropical forest environment. Ensure the soil stays moist all year through supplemen-

&

GARDENS

tary watering as necessary, like in a rainforest environment.

Flowers can appear throughout the year and the cocoa fruit is gradually harvested over several months.

The pod contains 30-40 bean seeds which you can separate from the pod to be dried in the sun. The cocoa bean is naturally bitter but when crushed into powder and a sweetener added, it reveals the exquisite taste of chocolate we all know.

So with careful planning and care, you can have your own chocolate tree.

Design trends for year ahead PINTEREST is a social media platform which has become increasingly popular with those looking for decorating inspiration. With this in mind, its insights team has analysed data from the last year to predict the interiors trends for 2017.

The colours of the year are likely to be navy and copper. Popularity of navy instead of black has increased by 80 per cent, Pinterest deduced, while that of copper instead of gold rose by 90 per cent.

The pattern everyone is expected to be mad about next year is marble, with companies quickly catching on and creating wallpaper and accessories with a marbled effect.

Hygge, a trend based on the Scandinavian style of cosy living, is set to stay in fashion with warm yet simple designs and rustic or farmhouse tones being the overall atmosphere to go for.

For accessories, Pinterest has forecast we will all be going for indoor vines, which has seen a 260 per cent increase in interest on the platform since September, and floating art.

HOMES & GARDENS

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Christmas cactus care

By Eleanor Hawkins CHRISTMAS cactus or Schlumbergera are cacti which originally come from Brazilian tropical rainforests, meaning they are a little different to other types of cactus. They are ideal for planting in hanging baskets as their stems and flowers tend to droop downwards.

This is the best time of the year to buy Schlumbergera as they are in flower and it’s easy to choose a plant with multiple shoots, a sign of strength and health.

In the warmer months they can be kept outside, however they hate direct sunlight and should be kept in a cool, shady spot.

Whereas most cacti store water, this is not the case for Christmas cacti, meaning they require more frequent watering (once per week in the summer and every 15 days the rest of the year).

Make sure though that the

earth is dry before watering and avoid waterlogging the pot as this can lead to mould.

To favour flowering add a phosphorous and potassium rich fertiliser to the water.

Common problems: Fungus or rotted stembases are a sign of excessive watering.

Reduce frequency of watering and cut off the damaged areas.

Flowers which fall off before opening are usually due to draughts or a lack of water.

Stems which lose their colour are a sign of a lack of light. Place the cactus in a lighter area, but not directly in the sun.

COOL CACTUS: Keep outside in summer in a shady spot.

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Puppies bought Daisy and Glossy have both from the internet

David THE Dogman Listen to David on TRE every Saturday 10am to 11am Costa del Sol (Gibraltar/Sotogrande) 98.7fm (San Roque to Calahonda) 91.9fm (Calahonda to Motril) 88.9, Costa Calida 92.7fm Costa Blanca (Torrevieja to Elche) 105.1fm (Elche to Calpe) 88.2fm, (Calpe to Gandia & Ibiza) 104.6fm, (Denia to Valencia) 95.3fm Mallorca 103.9fm

MORE people are buying pups online and sadly paying the price. Many puppies bought from such outlets, which are often used by puppy farmers, require long-term veterinary treatment or die before reaching six months.

Research carried out by the UK Kennel Club found one in three people may have bought from a puppy farm after sourc-

ing the animal through the internet, social media or newspaper adverts. This has increased from one in five last year.

The research found that a third of puppies bought from one of these outlets failed to experience overall good health; almost one in five puppies bought via social media or the internet died before six months of age; and 12 per cent of pups bought online or on social media ended up with serious health problems.

Meanwhile, 94 per cent of puppies bought direct from a breeder were reported as having good overall health.

The choice is obvious, especially when thinking about what’s best for your pet. Remember, you could be lumbered with a sick animal, and incur heavy fees from vets all because you didn’t do enough research to find out where your pet has come from and been.

made themselves at home

ANN a homeowner in Fuengirola Spain has found that in the seven years since living in this part of Spain she has attracted large numbers of stray cats. They simply turn up at the door looking for a caring hand and over the years she has crossed paths with a large number who simply move on after a few meals.

Daisy and Glossy, however, have stayed with her for four years now. They are fixtures in her home and don’t need a great deal of attention but she has grown very fond of them.

As a working lawyer with a base in the UK Ann still travels a great deal and worries about her cats when she is away from them. Her current trip is a long one and may stretch from three to six months.

She found HouseSitMatch online and registered. Within a couple of weeks we had found her an experienced housesitter in Gail. Ann has returned to the UK to take care of some urgent business leaving Gail in charge.

Gail sends Ann regular updates on the property and its feline residents. Gail in the meantime has three to six months free accommodation in a sunnier climate to her Scottish homeland. Both joined HouseSitMatch as standard members for the cost of only £35 per year!

RESIDENTS’ REPORT: Gail keeps Ann updated on the cats and the house.

Do you need a sitter? Get in touch. House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting, and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation!

Register as a house-sitter or homeowner now with a 20 per cent off introductory offer using code PERFECT20. To find a house pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com.

House-sitting can be a win-win for both parties, free house and pet-sitting and the experienced and checked sitters get free accommodation!

To find a pet-sitter go to www.HousesitMatch.com or call Lamia on 00 44 (0) 777 214 2742.

PETS

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The rats are sniffing out bombs and TB RATS get bad press. Ever since the Black Death they’ve been on virtually everyone’s bad list. That’s now being overturned thanks to the sense of smell of the African giant-pouched rat. Their sense of smell is so acute they’re being trained by Belgian charity APOPO to work in two very different worlds, those of TB and mine clearance.

From the age of four weeks they’re socialised to get used to people and trained to respond to a special click sound they associate with a food reward. After this they search for the target scent, either a TB infected tissue or the smell associated with explosives.

Amazingly mine detection rats can sniff out and search a 200 sq m area in 20 minutes. This would take humans about 25 hours. When it comes to TB, a rat can screen 100 samples in 20 minutes. The same would take a lab technician four days to complete.

The ability of the rats to sniff out explosives is badly needed. With mines generally activated by anything over 5kg, the rats have the big advantage in weighing only 1.5kg. So far none have been killed or injured.

If you would like to donate to APOPO visit https://support. apopo.org/en/sup port-us.

SMART RATS: Can sniff out TB and explosives.

22 - 28 December 2016/ Costa Blanca North

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MOBILE MECHANIC, region Denia - Javea. Call Autobastian. Tel 608 860 725 / email autobastian@gmail.com (242000)

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Change of guard

By Matthew Elliott GOOGLE has launched its first foray into the pioneering world of autonomous cars with the formal unveiling of new sister company Waymo, which is expected to whet its appetite for world domination with a self-driving taxi service.

Waymo says that drivers around the world clock up an incredible 10 trillion m i l e s e a c h y e a r, o n e o f those fantastically difficult to challenge numbers, and that it will make every one of those miles safer.

First step in the Google revolution will be a self-driving taxi fleet. It probably

w o n ’t b e s p a r i n g e x p a t s awkward conversations of payment moments in far flung corners of the world.

More likely the fleet will occupy the pristine streets of tech cities like San Francisco and Seattle, charging executives an arm and a leg for WiFi access on their way to meetings.

After the taxi fleet, the sky is the limit. The motoring world will be transformed beyond all recognition with the entrance of tech and software companies into the market, challenging the power players of Ford, Volkswagen etc, who has ruled the roost for a century.

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FOR BEST RATES IN MOTOR INSURANCE CALL: 952 89 33 80

Correct Porsche pronunciation AFTER almost a century in the motoring game, Porsche have become so irritated by constant mispronunciations of their deliberately hard to pronounce name that they’ve now released a video telling people exactly

how to say it.

Those who pronounce it as one syllable, dropping the ‘e’ at the end now have no excuse and will be accordingly humiliated at motoring galas and cocktail parties until the

end of time.

The 16 second video is in keeping with a strict German no nonsense approach and features a man voicing how exactly to say it phonetically on-screen... Por-she.

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MOTORING

Honda HR-V: compact SUV H O N D A’ S e n t r y i n t o t h e compact SUV market was a little later than most rivals, but the current HR-V underlines why it was certainly worth the wait.

Dynamic styling, generous levels of standard

equipment and class-leading interior space give the HR-V compelling appeal in a class already well served with the likes of the Nissan Q a s h q a i , S k o d a Ye t i a n d new Suzuki Vitara.

HR-V prices start at

£18,695 (€21,053) for an entry level S version which comes with alloy wheels, climate control, CD/DAB radio, Bluetooth, USB socket, cruise control with speed limiter, four power windows, and auto lights.

For many that will tick most of the must-have boxes.

There is a 1.5 litre petrol engine or 1.6 litre diesel, with manual and CVT options. My test model was t h e h i g h e r- s p e c S E N a v i model, priced in manual form at £23,050 (€25,956) and adding extra kit including larger 17” alloys, front and rear parking sensors, 7” touchscreen infotainment centre and driver assistance pack with lane departure, forward collision warning and traffic sign recognition.

It had the 130 hp 1.6 litre diesel unit with a 0-60 mph time of 10.2 seconds and top speed of 119 mph. Fuel economy is impressive at 68.9 mpg combined.

Visual styling is a good plus-point. Its more sporty stance and coupé appearance (it has four doors but the rear door handles are hidden to give a two-door look) give it a boost over less sleek rivals.

The dashboard is user friendly though is visually rather dull. Front and rear occupants get plenty of space and the load area is also good, 470 litres with the rear seats in use, and 1,553 litres with them folded. The seats fold flat easily and a minimal lip makes loading easier. There is also useful under-floor storage.

When it comes to the driving it establishes its credentials as soon as you m o v e o ff . S m o o t h q u i e t power delivery, light intuitive steering and nicely balanced suspension enable you to feel immediately at home, and confident you know just how the car is going to behave.

It has poised cornering with minimal body-tilt, and a very comfortable ride on all but the roughest road surfaces. My only minor criticism was that the carpets looked and felt a bit bargain-basement.

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SPORT

The Member’s Golf Society at La Finca AS the year draws to a close so do our monthly visits to this well liked course. It has been decided by the management of the Quara group that due to market forces they need to increase our green fees by almost 50 per cent! Of course this is not affordable for most members.

We, as a society, have played both La Finca and Villamartin every month for the last four and a half years and personally I have arranged other societies’ golf days at these venues for more than 15 years, so the time has come to move on.

For our 2017 season our competition calendar will present some new challenges to our members, new courses and courses they

haven’t played so often. I hope they take up these challenges with a new invigorated spirt and the society moves forward from strength to strength.

Our last day at La Finca was overcast but no wind. The course played long with most tees being moved back, probably due to the final of Miguel Angel Jimenez’s junior nation circuit being played this weekend.

Fittingly for my last game here I had the pleasure of one of our more senior members in my four ball. It could be due to such good company that I actually played some of my best golf in recent years, thank you Tom Jones (86 years young) you are always a pleasure to play with.

Results: NTP’s Hole 3 Joe Dean, Hole 6 Sverre Sonesen, Hole 13 Alex Goslan and Hole 16 Tove Roed. The ‘2’s’ pot contained €26 and there being no winners this week it will be carried over to La Marquesa. Best visitor was O Growe 22pts.

Bronze category: 3rd S Twentyman 30 pts, 2nd M Skipperud L/H 30 pts, 1st B Wylie 32 pts. Silver category; 3rd J Davidson 27 pts, 2nd A Kilnes L/H 27 pts, 1st J Hettrick 31 pts. Gold category; 3rd I Brown 33 pts, 2nd S Sonesen L/H 33 pts, 1st J Dean 35 pts.

For information about our Society visit www.tmgs.org, www.facebook.com/ TMGSGOLF or call the secretary on 661 524 10.

Orba Warblers results report THIRTY-FOUR Warblers and one guest played a stableford competition at La Sella sponsored by Jim Rodgers.

Results: Division one - 1st Glynn Braidley (Hcap 8.2) 37pts, 2nd Trevro Manning (Hcap 17.4) 33 pts on CB, 3rd Dave Knight (Hcap 9.3) 33pts.

Top gross prize was won by Steve Smith with 79 off of 4.7.

Division two - 1st Peter Gibson (Hcap 22.0) 30pts on

countback, 2nd Malcolm Robinson (Hcap 24.7) also with 30pts, 3rd Keith Tickner 28pts.

NTP winners were Glynn Braidley on hole 6 and Stafford Pemberton on hole 15. Two two’s were achieved by Glynn Braidley on hole 6 and David French on hole 15. Sheila Dindar won the longest drive on hole 11 for division two and Steve Smith for division one.

David French beat John

Daniels 4 & 2 in the semi-final singles match.

Football card winner was Roy Booth with Sheffield Wednesday.

Next game: Wednesday January 4 at Alenda, first tee 10.42am, arrive by 10am.

Guests welcome subject to availability and current handicap certificate. Contact dr.knight1207@googlemail. com or phone 634 307 407.

Team Grin are winners ON Friday December 16 Montgo Golf Society played a Christmas Texas Scramble at Oliva Nova sponsored by Gerian van Ooijen and Francien Knoops. The lovely festive prize table created much merriment as the winners chose their prizes.

In first place was the three-person team of Michel Grin, Liz Grin and Glenys Cuming with a net 63, just pushing the team of Peter Kneebone, John Day, Sally Cottrell and Linda Coe into second place with a net 64.8. In third place was Gerian van Ooijen, Francien Knoops, Peter Twine and Patrick Lynch with a net 65.5, There were nearest the pin prizes on all the par 3’s, with Sally Burrows taking the

3rd, Michel Grin the 6th, Peter Kneebone the 11th, and Lesley Pritchard the 16th.

The longest drive in the 7th went to Sally Cottrell for the ladies and Peter Kneebone for the men. The 2’s count resulted in a serious depletion of the society’s ball stock, with Peter Twine, Gerian van Ooijen, Lesley Pritchard, Michel Grin, and Peter Kneebone all making 2’s.

The society’s next event will be on Friday January 6, when they play a Better Ball Pairs competition at Oliva Nova. Guests are welcome, subject to availability and current handicap certificate, and should register by visiting www.montgogolfsociety.net and completing an online booking form.

Pego Golf Society turkey trot PEGO GOLF SOCIETY played for the first time in four weeks due to the unseasonable rain with 38 members playing for €50 to spend at Matthews the Butcher in Pedreguer. Players had only three clubs of their choice and a putter.

In three of the last five years, Bill Pike has won the Turkey Trot, so he was favourite and sure enough won it again.

Turkey Trot results: 1st Bill

Pike (slope H/C 18) 34 pts, 2nd Barry Levett (slope H/C 19) 32 pts, 3rd Derek Lindley (slope H/C 17) 32 pts, 4th John Snelling (slope H/C 13) 30 pts, 5th Simon Fox (slope H/C 17) 29 pts and 6th John Guest (slope H/C 13) 29 pts.

‘Balls in the Water’ was won by new Captain Malcolm Wise, with 78 balls. The prize carried forward from four weeks ago, so a handsome sum was donat-

ed to Los Hermanos of Gandia, the captain’s charity of choice.

Nearest the hole at hole 5 with their second shot was Peter Cornes with 1.45 metres, hole 16 was John Guest with 0.90 metres. The only ‘two’ was John Snelling at hole 16.

Robert Jenkins won the bottle of brandy donated by John Nicol for his birthday and Penny Barden won the fancy dress with her purple hair.

SPORT

22 - 28 December 2016 / Costa Blanca North

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Murray wins award for third time Tony Matthews International Sports A former player and now the world’s most prolific author of football books with almost 150 published since 1975, Tony is also the sports correspondent for Spectrum Radio and lives on La Pilica in the Sierra Cabrera Mountains overlooking Turre.

Costa de Almeria

THERE is always plenty of sporting action over the Festive period - enough for everyone to enjoy. And the 12 days of Christmas for 2016 is no different to any other with full programmes of outdoor sport including football, rugby and horse racing, plus the usual indoor events.

BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR Andy Murray was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year last Sunday and it was exboxer Lennox Lewis who presented him with the trophy in Miami. It is the third time the tennis star has won this prestigious annual award. Triathlete Alistair Brownlee was second with showjumper Nick Skelton third.

The Team of the Year award went to Leicester City whose

manager, Claudio Ranieri was voted Coach of the Year, while teenage Paralympic swimmer Ellie Robinson claimed the Young Sports Person of the Year prize, and deservedly so.

The ‘Unsung Hero’ award went to boxing coach Marcellus Baza; champion distance runner Ben Smith (bullied at school who went on to run 401 marathons in 401 days) won the ‘Helen Rollason’ award and the brilliant American swimmer, Michael Phelps was presented with a Lifetime Achievement award.

FOOTBALL In-form Chelsea, with a run of 11 successive Premiership wins (only Arsenal 14 and Manchester United 12 have better sequences) enter Christmas as PL leaders after successive victories over WBA (1-0) and Crystal Palace (1-0), Diego Costa scoring both goals!

Chasing Antonio Conte’s men are Manchester City (2-1 winners over Arsenal who suffered two defeats in the Northwest in five days after taking the lead), Liverpool (who met Everton in the Merseyside der-

by on Monday) and Spurs (recent 2-1 victors over Burnley).

Manchester United (after two hard-earned away wins at Crystal Palace and WBA) are sixth, while Southampton won the south coast derby, beating Bourne-mouth 3-1.

As we head towards Christmas, just three points (one win) separate the bottom four in the Premiership: Crystal Palace (17th), Sunderland (18th), Swansea (19th) and Hull City (20th).

Newcastle United (on 49 points), Brighton (48) and Reading (40) sit 1-2-3 in the Championship with Rotherham United at the bottom on 10 points out of a possible 66.

The top three in FL1 are Scunthorpe United (47 points), Sheffield United (44) and Bolton Wanderers (43) while Plymouth Argyle (44), Carlisle United (42) and Doncaster Rovers (42) hold the first three places in FL2, and table-toppers Celtic have an 11-point advantage over Glasgow rivals Rangers in the SPL. Last weekend, hot-shot Cristiano Ronaldo scored yet another hat-trick as Real Madrid beat

Kashima Antlers (Japan) 4-2 after extra-time to win the World Club Cup. Boxing Day fixtures include Arsenal-WBA, ChelseaBournemouth, Hull City-Manchester City, Leicester CityEverton, Liverpool-Stoke City, Manchester United-Sunderland and Southampton-Tottenham Hotspur in the PL; Brighton and Hove Albion-QPR, Derby County-Birmingham City (whose new manager is Gianfranco Zola) and Newcastle United-Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship; Bradford City-Scunthorpe United in FL1 and Crewe Alexandra-Carlisle United and Plymouth ArgyleWycombe Wanderers.

CRICKET England collapsed in their final innings losing six wickets for just 15 runs and handing India a 4-0 series win. Nair made 303 in a wonderful innings while KL Rahul became the ninth batsman in Test match history to be dismissed for 199.

India won by an innings and 75 runs. Geoffrey Boycott said England in Chennai had played “awful cricket.”

In the New Year, there are three One Day and T20 internationals between the two countries.

RUGBY UNION In last weekend’s European Champions Cup, there were wins for Leicester 18-16 v Munster; Connacht 20-18 v Wasps; Leinster 60-13 v Northampton and Exeter 20-12 in Bordeaux.

Ospreys 71-3 v Grenoble and Harlequins 75-3 v Timisoara, both recorded big wins in the European Challenge Cup. Tomorrow Northampton play Sale in the Aviva Premiership followed on Saturday

by Exeter-Leicester, SaracensNewcastle and Wasps-Bath on Saturday.

ROUNDUP Two-time Olympic equestrian show-jumping/dressage champion,

ANDY MURRAY: Won trophy for third time.

Valegro, ridden by Charlotte Dujardin, has been officially retired.

And in Formula One, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has hinted that he wants Valtteri Bottas to partner Lewis Hamilton next year, although some sources have also said that Wolff is a fan of the Aussie driver Daniel Ricciardo.

And to all readers everywhere, I wish you a very H a p p y Christmas and a prosperous New Year.