ISSUE NO. 1694
21 - 27 December 2017
No white Christmas A MILD Christmas is forecast for the majority of Spain. An official from national weather office, AEMET said that while temperatures will be cool at night, there is almost no chance of heavy rainfall before the festive period. Scattered showers are expected in central and northern Spain plus the Canary Islands, but Mediterranean parts of the country - including Alicante, Malaga and Almeria - will bask in daytime highs of 1721°C. The dry conditions are being driven by the return of an anticyclonic weather system off Portugal, which is blocking the entry of Atlantic fronts.
COSTA BLANCA SAMARITANS were invited by Iceland, Torrevieja to come and do some bag packing for its customers. In two days, around €540 was raised and Iceland’s customers certainly appreciated the help. We have all felt alone on occasions and more often than not these times pass as we make adjustments to our lives and circumstances. But this is not the case for everyone. If left unchecked, feelings of loneliness can lead to increasing isolation and depression.
COSTA BLANCA SOUTH
YOUR PAPER, YOUR VOICE, YOUR OPINION
Guardia Brazil? Police foil international plot By Harrison Jones Torrevieja’s Guardia Civil took part in a sneaky online operation to uncover a false ‘virtual kidnapping’ taking place on another continent, according to Spanish media. A Guardamar del Segura resident, aged 60, contacted police to say that whilst on a video call, his friend has been rung by a gang in Brazil claiming to have taken the lady’s family hostage. During a lengthy conversation, strangers told the victim they had kidnapped her daughter, son-inlaw and three granddaughters - all of whom live in Brazil - and asked for money for their release. The victim’s friend told police to come to his house to witness the phone conversation that the woman, 72, was having. The supposed hostage takers were trying to extract around €2,000 from the woman, who had been told to cut the video call off, but had
RUNG OUT: Police communicated via written notes while the woman was on the phone. only disabled the sound. After threatening to harm the family, the gang extracted card details from their elderly victim. Once police arrived, they began communicating with the woman through a series of written signs, despite the hostage takers claiming to be monitoring the phones and devices in her home. The supposed captors took turns in talking during the marathon conversation and even impersonated victims at one stage, according to Spanish press.
Meanwhile, police were communicating with the lady and were simultaneously in touch with the Spanish embassy in Brazil, allowing information to be shared with Brazilian police. Within 11 hours, authorities had located the family and confirmed they were completely unharmed. The ‘virtual kidnapping’ technique is not uncommon in Brazil. The Brazilian authorities are continuing their investigations.
A listening ear for Christmas
the work of Samaritans In Spain please go to www.samar itansinspain.com and follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Email pat@samaritansin spain.com or call FREE on 900 525 100.
THESE inspirational people keep a vital service running every single day of the year when many others are closed. For more information about
INSPIRATIONAL: The Costa Blanca Samaritans.
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