RTN Newspaper - Costa Blanca South 21 - 27 July 2017 Issue 926

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Issue 926

Massive drop in Alicante rural crime

by Glenn Scott INCREASED presence of the Guardia Civil and a tougher policy has seen a reduction of 35% in the amount of robberies in the rural area of Alicante.

Up until the end of June, 200 crimes in the campo were registered, showing an exact figure of a 35.3% decrease compared to the same period in 2016 when 253 were reported.

Overall in the Valencian Community rural offences have decreased 36.1%, from 1,926 in 2016 to 1,231 in 2017. In addition, 277 crimes have been solved, resulting in the arrest of 338 people in the process.

Castellón leads the reduction, followed by Alicante (figures above) and Valencia. In the province of Castellón, from January to June 2017, 120 crimes were recorded - a decrease of 52.6% over the previous year. In València there were 911 registered rural crimes, demonstrating a 33.2% drop from 2016.

Credit for this drop has been placed

in the increased collaboration between the Guardia Civil and the local agricultural organisations to identify the main areas prone to rural thefts and to encourage more reporting of the crimes.

Under the supervision of the authorities in Alicante, ‘Operation Spica’ has resulted in the arrest of three people, per-

petrators of a series of robberies with force on country houses. A total of 28 criminal acts have been confirmed as a result, recovering a television, a watch, two pairs of glasses and other miscellaneous tools with an approximate value of €3,000. Police also impounded the vehicles used in the crimes.

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by Glenn Scott IF EVER there was proof that keeping a regular eye out for the neighbours bears fruit, a lady who is probably alive thanks to the concern shown by hers will support that claim.

It was last Saturday that the Guardia Civil in Almoradí received a call from some local residents in Ciudad Quesada, Rojales, worried that they hadn’t seen their 56-year-old American neighbour for two days and feared that something bad had happened to her.

When they arrived, local officers An-

tonio José and Juan Antonio, without knowing the eventual urgency of the situation didn’t hesitate to climb over a two-metre high fence to enable them to get into the garden. They then peered through a window and saw the woman sitting on a sofa appearing to be unconscious. They forcibly removed the mosquito nets and the shutter and promptly gained access to the property where they found the woman with dried blood in her mouth and hardly breathing.

They began resuscitation procedures and allowed the woman to retain some vital signs of life until the

medical team arrived.

When the paramedic team got there, they managed to stabilize the woman, initially with assisting with her breathing and later inducing the coma for later transfer to the Torrevieja Hospital. The doctor who attended the scene complemented the professional and rapid action of the Guardia Civil, as thanks to them the patient, despite her being found in a very poorly state, didn’t suffer a cardiac arrest only issues associated with her diabetes.

The woman is still in hospital and in a stable and improving condition.

WEATHER IN BRIEF

FRI July 21st

SAT July 22nd

SUN July 23rd

MON July 24th

TUE July 25th

WED July 26th

THU July 27th

29º

30º

32º

34º

33º

27º

31º

/22ºC

Mostly sunny and pleasant

/23ºC

Partly Sunny and nice

/25ºC

Sunny and some clouds

/25ºC

Sunny and very warm

/19ºC

Mostly Sunny

/21ºC

Warm some showers

/21ºC

Plenty of sun

3

No drive when you arrive

by Glenn Scott BETWEEN 60 and 70 people recently arrived at the Alicante-Elche Airport on a flight from Copenhagen had to wait for non-existent taxis or buses.

This latest incident has only exacerbated the situation which has been evident since the beginning of the busy tourist season once people have passed through arrivals and looking to make their own way to their final destination.

On the recent night in question, aircraft from Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, Trondheim Edinburgh, Helsinki and Sofia joined the flight from Copenhagen arriving after midnight – the time

State employment to increase Following an agreement with trade unions in Spain, the central government has announced their plan to create 15,000 to 20,000 public sector jobs. Around 7,000 positions will be created within the country’s Civil Service and the justice system will see an additional 3,360 jobs.

According to a report in El Mundo, the remaining 4,000+ jobs will be assigned to the tax authorities and social security departments.

The majority of the new jobs are due to in 2018 and 2019.

when the local bus service into Alicante City stops and with a lack of official and licensed taxis that are permitted to operate from the airport – and caused a tailback of passengers on the arrivals concourse. As one of the frustrated arrivals commented, one of the issues was that the Elche drivers were complaining that those from outside the province were dropping people off and then taking fares that should have been theirs...but not there to take them.

Negotiations for an increase in the number of licenses being awarded by Elche have been going on for several months and it’s hoped that this situation will soon be resolved. A draft of the

new regional law is looking to establish a maximum of one taxi per 1,000 inhabitants but takes into account that Elche must be regarded as a special case as the town city includes the airport with the associated extra traffic that generates.

In the meantime and in an attempt to alleviate some of the current problems, drivers that are off duty will be permitted to operate between 10.00pm and up to two hours after the last flight has landed overnight.

The local authorities are being pressurised into awarding a further 20 taxi licenses, and to consider extending the bus service overnight during the summer season.

The perfect boss The owner of Red7, a travel company which specialises in stag and hen do’s, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary by taking his the entire workforce to the Costa del Sol. Managing director Ian Lucas, who founded the Brighton-based company and organised the trip, treated all 42 of his hard working staff to four-star accommodation, Michelin-starred cuisine and VIP nightlife.

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New taxi rank for Ciudad Quesada With the impending renovation of the Avenida de las Naciones in Ciudad Quesada, the local PADER political party in Rojales has requested the relocation of the main taxi rank.

by Glenn Scott The suggestion is for it to be moved to Plaza Blanca which would allow the construction of a much welcomed shaded area with seating for those awaiting their transport.

Specifically, the location proposed by PADER is the corner of the Avenida Costa Azul with Calle Blanca. "Due to the current location of the rank, it’s impossible to provide a canopy that protects both the waiting taxis and the passengers,” said PADER spokesman, Desiderio Aráez. He explained that the existing stop only includes a basic sign in a space reserved for only four taxis, and even that meant the vehicles had to park up on the pavement sometimes.

In view of this the mayor, Antonio Pérez, has been requested to commission the nec-

essary studies and technical reports to assess the possibility of the new taxi base before the road renovations begin, scheduled for next year.

The cost of the road improvements on the Avenida de las Naciones will require an investment of €494,510 of which €357,310 will be borne by the Alicante regional government and the rest by the Rojales municipal council.

Torrevieja Euromillions joy One lucky resident of Torrevieja scooped a major prize in Tuesday’s Euromillions draw. Nobody held a ticket with the top category of winnings – five numbers plus two stars – but there were four second level winners of five plus one, one of which was purchased in Torrevieja.

The numbers drawn were 1, 25, 27, 41 and 45 with the accompanying stars being 5 & 7. The local winner picked up €148,215.26 for their €2.50 stake money.

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8th March 19 days MSC Divina from Miami to Valencia

27th Sept 8 days Costa Pacifica from Valencia

6th Oct 8 days MSC Meraviglia from Barcelona

17th Aug 8 days MSC Splendida from Valencia

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22nd Dec 8 days MSC Meraviglia from Barcelona

5

Dangerous ‘boom’ block in San Miguel

by Glenn Scott AN ABANDONED building in the town of San Miguel de Salinas is causing concern to a group of residents. They have reported the deteriorating empty block to the Town Hall and have warned them of the dangers to children and others which have been exacerbated due to the amount of vandalism.

According to locals, a child was cut to such a severe level due to the broken glass in one of the entrance doors to the building that they were collected by a passing car and taken to the nearby Health Centre.

The offending building, which has never been occupied despite being finished for over eight years, has been described as a ‘corpse’ left over from the boom days of the property market. It has attracted the local youth population who have taken over the space and used it for a regular meeting place.

Apart from the state of the building becoming a danger, there have been occasions when some of the children and teenagers have thrown stones at passing traffic and pedestrians alike.

Spain’s growth boost from IMF The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it is raising the growth forecast for Spain in 2017 to 3.1 per cent, due to improved levels of consumption, investment and exports amid a surging post-crisis recovery. The revised figure is 0.5 percentage points higher than the IMF's previous forecast in April. In the latest assessment released by the IMF on Tuesday, said more needs to be done to reform the banking industry despite recent improvements. It also warned that high-levels of public debt and unemployment remain a concern. The Spanish government recently revised its GDP growth forecast for this year from 2.7 to 3 per cent. The country emerged from recession in late 2013 and is now one of the European Union's fastest-growing economies although its jobless rate of nearly 19 per cent remains the EU's second-highest after Greece.

Trump targets Spanish olives US President Donald Trump has found something else to target: the defenceless Spanish olive.

Department of Commerce announced it would investigate imports of ripe olives produced in Spain to determine whether they benefit from unfair subsidies which allow them to be sold below market price on the other side of the Atlantic.

Duties could be slapped on imports of the fruit if it’s found to be the case.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said “a full and fair assessment of the facts” would be carried out. But he warned that if rules are being broken, his department “will act swiftly to halt any unfair trade practices.”

6

Guardamar beach tragedy

by Glenn Scott A married Spanish couple of 39 and 48-years-old drowned off the coast of Guardamar on Wednesday morning. It happened off the Playa Tossals, close to one of the banks of the River Segura and while the red flag was flying in the area due to the prevailing strong winds and sea currents.

The couple from Alguazas in Murcia were on holiday with their two children, aged 11 and 16 and a 14-year old, and staying at the nearby Marjal campsite between Guardamar and La Marina. The children were taken into the care of social services whilst relatives were contacted to collect them after the ordeal. It’s also not been reported whether the children were on the beach with their parents at the time they drowned.

The mayor of Alguazas, Blas Ruipérez, has confirmed the deceased couple were from his municipality and has taken the decision not to identify them at this stage. He is also in the process of deciding if any official mourning will take place in the small town.

The tragedy unfolded on the beach around 10.00am but little is known as to what happened to the couple as, according the authorities members of the emergency services (SAMU) said that the couple had probably been dead for some time.

Guardamar’s mayor, José Luis Saez, explained that this part of the beach, favoured by naturists, doesn’t possess any of the usual monitoring lifeguards or associated rescue services.

Murcian nurse arrested for stealing drugs from hospital A 42-year-old Spanish nurse was arrested by the Policia National on suspicion of stealing drugs from a Murcian hospital at which they worked. The stolen drugs were 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

The investigation began in mid-May, when the San Andres District Commissary received a report from the city hospital regarding 50 missing vials.

The vials had been stored in an area where access is restricted exclusively to hospital personnel. Officers verified that it was an ‘inside job’ - the thief would have been perfectly aware of the hospital protocols.

Researchers requested a report on the effects of the drugs as well as whether quantities could have been taken for personal consumption.

The report concluded that the quantity of drugs taken and the short time frame in which they went missing meant that they had not been taken for personal consumption.

The investigation, which led to the ultimate arrest was carried out by officers of the District Commissary of San Andrés and the Higher Chief of the Policia National of the Region of Murcia.

Kidnap attempt fails NATIONAL POLICE in Alicante have arrested a man who was attempting to kidnap a young woman in Cabo de las Huertas.

The man apparently approached the 15-year old girl pretending to be lost and asked for an address. As he did so, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into his car nearby, but she managed to escape after a while due to an oversight by her attempted captor.

She was in the car with her abductor until they reached the beach area of San Juan.

At this point, despite her being paralysed with fear, she waited until the car slowed right down and she managed to escape and raise the alarm with her parents.

Her father called 091 immediately and a rapid response vehicle was despatched to find the vehicle and the driver as soon as possible after the girl had given them a very detailed description.

Within 24 hours, the alleged abductor – a 32-year-old man - had been traced to the nearby town of Muchamiel and subsequently arrested.

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Siesta revolution within ten years

Motorway coach inferno

NINETEEN passengers and the driver on a coach to AlicanteElche Airport had a lucky escape when it burst into flames.

It was just before 9.00am on Monday morning when the vehicle was travelling on the A-70 motorway between San Vicente del Raspeig and Alicante and approaching the roundabout where the exit to the University of Alicante is located.

Initially, the coach driver attempted to put out the small fire – as it was at first – with an extinguisher after he noticed smoke coming from the front of the vehicle, but it began to overwhelm him and the passengers left the coach in an orderly manner without panic, although one was treated for shock at the scene. Within a short while, the whole coach had been completely burned out and destroyed, and included the luggage and personal effects of those onboard. It hasn’t been revealed where the passengers en route to the airport had originally boarded the coach.

by Glenn Scott For many decades, campaigners in Spain have complained that the average Spaniard’s habit of keeping extremely late hours and taking exceptionally long lunch breaks was making everyday life harder for citizens.

However, all that may be about to change in the near future as over 100 professional bodies in Catalonia have signed up to a plan to change the daily routine in the region by 2025, shortening the accustomed three-hour lunch break so that members of staff can finish work earlier in the evening.

Such a radical change would dramatically alter the traditional customs of the average man and woman on the street, and controversially, it could drive a wedge between Catalonia and the rest of Spain, where the national government already supports similar changes but as yet hasn’t formally agreed any implementation for such a move.

Whatever and whenever it happens, it certainly won’t be the end of the siesta as the Spanish tradition of the afternoon nap probably, if the truth was known, died out many years ago.

After starting work between 8.00am and 9.00am workers find

themselves growing in hunger having to wait for lunch which, in some establishments, can happen as late as 1.30 or 2.30pm. With some probably seeing it as a kind of compensation for the delay, they stay away for up to three hours of a multi-course lunch – seen as the most important meal of the day in Spain – and maybe a stop at one of the growing ‘nap bars’.

Many stores and businesses still close down until the late afternoon, before a final burst of work between 5.30 and 8.00pm before heading home at an hour when most people in other countries are cleaning up their dinner.

8

11 protestors removed from Barcelona flight

by Tahnee Wright A group of 11 passengers who forced a two-and-a-half-hour delay of a flight between Barcelona and Dakar by protesting the deportation of a Senegalese man on-board, were taken off the plane and are now considering legal action.

There were 172 passengers scheduled to depart on low-cost airline Vueling’s flight VY7888 from Barcelona–El Prat Airport to Leopold Sedar Senghor International Airport last Saturday.

But a handcuffed Senegalese man was seated at the back of the plane accompanied by two border guards.

The Senegalese national was reportedly stopped earlier at passport control at Barcelona El Prat airport.

He was refused entry to Spain once it was discovered that he had no visa, work permit or any other documents enabling him to stay.

‘I don’t want to go back, I am ill,’ shouted the deportee, according to the Spanish press.

A commotion ensued, with several passengers leaving their seats and enquiring about the man. Their enquiries morphed into an impromptu protest…

‘Many people are standing up to stop this flight of shame,’ a protester posted to social media at the time.

With the plane unable to depart while passengers refused to take their seats, several of the other passengers began to challenge the protesters, before police arrived ordering all the passengers to disembark.

A Spanish journalist, Anna Palou, tweeted a video clip showing the protest on the budget airline jet.

The clip showed several passengers blocking the aisle and bore the message in Catalan: ‘We have succeeded! Flight of deportation stopped. Now the authorities are coming to take the person away! Solidarity is our best weapon!’

But in fact, the opposite was happening.

A repeat boarding was announced, with everyone, including the Senegalese man being boarded, apart from the eleven passengers who started the protest.

The plane departed, causing a 150-minute delay in one direction and an overnight delay on the return flight, forcing the company to provide food vouchers and hotel accommodation for affected passengers.

On Monday, the 11 protesters held a press conference in Barcelona demanding an ‘explanation’ for their treatment and accusing the airline of violating the human rights of the deportee.

Vuelta a Espana waves goodbye to podium girls

The 2017 Vuelta a Espana will replace 'podium girls' with men and women in tasteful attire, according to the Spanish press.

Following the lead of the Tour Down Under and several other events, race organiser Unipublic will make the Spanish three-week race the first of the three Grand Tours to move on from a practice that has faced increasing criticism in recent years, with some considering it an archaic tradition.

‘We are sensitive to the social and media debate that has been generated in recent months about the presence of hostesses of the podiums,’ Javier Guillen, director of Unipublic, told the Spanish press. ‘ ‘In Australia, the presence of the podium girls has already been done away with, the same as in other races in Spain. We are not able to ignore these concerns and therefore we will incorporate some changes in the upcoming Vuelta. We are going to make a few adjustments. We are still working on it. What we do will always be with elegance.’

According to the Spanish press, the Vuelta may also do away with kisses from female podium hostesses.

‘We are still analysing possibilities. What we decide will be seen at the start of the Vuelta a Espana in Nimes on August 19,’ Guillen said.

Although Unipublic is owned by Tour de France organisers ASO, according to the report, no such changes are in store for either the Tour or the Giro d'Italia at the moment.

‘At the moment, legal routes are being studied and we are looking at how to proceed against Vueling. So far, no company official has contacted these people,’ said Andres Garcia Berrio, their legal counsel, who is known for his pro-migrant legal campaigns. Berrio claimed that the 11 face fines of between €45,000 and €90,000.

Vueling, headquartered in Barcelona, responded by saying that the passengers face no fines, are not blacklisted, can buy new tickets to Dakar and are entitled to file a complaint demanding compensation for being taken off the plane if they so wish.

33 injured in Madrid roller coaster collision

33 people, including six children under 10-years-old, were injured in a roller coaster collision in Madrid last weekend.

Emergency services reported 27 people needed hospital treatment for minor injuries when two roller coaster cars collided last Sunday on the ‘Tren de la Mina’ at Madrid’s Parque de Atracciones theme park.

One car, which had just completed the loop, failed to stop and hit the back of another car which was waiting to leave. Riders on the roller coaster - reaches a height of 17.5 metres and travels at a maximum speed of 35mph - can wear virtual reality goggles during the ride to heighten their experience, so riders in the approaching car wouldn't have seen the static car ahead of them.

Emergency services spokeswoman Carmen Camacho told the Spanish press that none of the injuries appeared to be serious. She said that the riders were treated for back, neck and stomach pains.

Representatives from Parque de Atracciones – one of Spain’s oldest theme parks - told the Spanish press that the roller coaster had passed a daily safety inspection that morning.

10

Spanish FA president arrested on corruption charges

Photo credit: Atlantico.net

by Tahnee Wright Spanish Football Federation President Angel Maria Villar and his son were arrested earlier this week as part of an anti-corruption investigation.

They were detained as police raided offices the Spanish Football Federation offices in Madrid.

The office of the state prosecutor in charge of anti-corruption said they suspect Villar, who is FIFA's senior vicepresident and a UEFA vice-president, of having arranged matches for Spain's national team that led to business deals that benefited his son.

The other three men who were arrested were Juan Padron, the federation's vice-president of economic affairs, and the president and the secretary of the regional federation for Tenerife.

Police said the five men were arrested on charges of improper management, misappropriation of funds, corruption and falsifying documents as part of a probe into the finances of the federations. The raids were carried out by the Guardia Civil's anti-corruption unit as part of an operation called "SOULE." Villar, 67, has been head of Spain's football federation for nearly 30 years.

The former Athletic Bilbao player

oversaw the Spanish national team's wins at the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.

His son, Gorka, worked for South American football body CONMEBOL as legal director and director general until July 2016.

Inigo Mendez de Vigo, Spain’s minister of education, culture and sport, told national television moments after the raids that ‘in Spain the laws are enforced, the laws are the same for all, and nobody, nobody is above the law.’

UEFA said it was aware of the reports but declined to comment.

20 years for Brit who beat wife to death with walking stick British pensioner Charlie Bevill-Warcup has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for beating his wife to death with a walking stick in Ciudad Quesada, Rojales.

Bevill-Warcup, 78, from Hull was found guilty of killing Rosemary Broadwell at their Costa Blanca home on September 14, 2014 and dumping her body before reporting her missing and keeping up the pretence for six months.

Rosemary’s decomposing remains were found in a shallow grave in nearby Algorfa on March 9, 2015 after BevillWarcup was arrested and confessed to the crime.

He protested his innocence in front of a jury at a court in Elche during a trial earlier this month.

State prosecutors and a prosecutor acting on behalf of Rosemary’s family demanded Bevill-Warcup be convicted of murder and sentenced to up to 20 years in jail. He was found guilty of the lesser charge of homicide under Spanish law.

Rosemary, who was 76 at the time of her death and also from Hull, is understood to have been attacked in the kitchen of the couple’s home.

Bevill-Warcup confessed to the crime after his arrest and showed detectives where he had buried her.

Jurors heard he pretended to search for Rosemary the day after killing her before putting her body in the boot of his Seat Cordoba car and driving it to the spot where he buried her. He reported her missing three days later, telling officers she had vanished after he dropped her off at a cashpoint and sparking the police investigation which eventually led to his arrest.

He is believed to have told a court where he was first questioned in a private hearing after his arrest that he was drunk when he attacked Rosemary.

Rosemary’s daughter Cheryl Webster was in Spain appealing for information on her mum’s whereabouts when she received the news her body had been found.

Jurors decided Bevill-Warcup’s fate on a 7-2 majority verdict and dismissed claims his behaviour was influenced by alcohol or a mental disorder.

It is not yet clear if his lawyer will appeal.

12

Former Spanish banker found dead with gunshot wound to chest

by Tahnee Wright A former chairman of one of the country’s largest banks was found dead on Wednesday with a gunshot wound to the chest, Guardia Civil said.

The body of Miguel Blesa, 69, who has links to senior members of Spain's governing Popular Party, was found beside a car at a private estate in Villanueva del Rey in the southern province of Cordoba.

The Spanish press said his death appeared to be suicide but Guardia Civil refused to confirm.

Blesa was having breakfast with friends at the hunting estate and left the table to move his car.

His friends described hearing a gunshot moments later.

Guardia Civil said an autopsy would be required to determine the exact cause of the death.

The former head of the now defunct Caja Madrid savings bank was awaiting the result of an appeal to a six-year prison sentence for misusing corporate credit cards issued by Bankia SA, another defunct bank.

Blesa was accused of setting up the so-called ‘black cards’ scheme which allowed him and over 60 other executives of the two lenders to buy

jewels, holidays and expensive clothes.

He was found guilty of having misappropriated €435,000.

Among those who were also convicted over the affair was Rato, who chaired Bankia for two years until just before it was bailed out in 2012.

Rato was sentenced to four and a half years in jail.

Blesa, who is close to former prime minister Jose Maria Aznar, chaired Caja Madrid, one of the country’s top saving banks, between 1996 and 2010.

In 2011, the bank was merged with seven other domestic savings institutions to form Bankia, which later had to be nationalized and bailed out for €18 billion.

Blesa in 2013 became the first prominent banker to go behind bars since the start of Spain's financial crisis.

He was jailed as part of a

probe into Caja Madrid's purchase in 2008 at an inflated price of the City National Bank of Florida, but was released a few days later after that case was dropped.

21-year-old Brit raped at Spanish music festival A 21-year-old British woman was raped on a beach close to FIB music festival in Benicassim last weekend.

The victim was found at around 1.00am on Saturday on Torreon beach, in the resort town just one hour north of Valencia. She was discovered in a disorientated state by a group of young people who called the police.

The woman was taken to Castellon General Hospital where her injuries were treated.

She was unable to provide many details about her attacker and told Guardia Civil officers she does not remember the attack clearly. The Spanish press reported that detectives had been unable to draw up a photofit of the suspect because the victim’s memory was affected by alcohol, but they are examining her clothes and the beach for forensic evidence.

Local officials stressed the attack did not take place within the festival grounds and denied it was linked.

Benicassim Ayuntamiento said it was not clear if the victim had been at the music festival or was simply on holiday in the area. Record numbers of police were on patrol during the festival, which featured acts including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Liam Gallagher, Kasabian and Stormzy.

Some 50,000 fans a day, around half of whom are British, attend the four-day festival.

Police upped their numbers by 30 per cent this year amid concerns about potential terror attacks.

24 feb - 2 march 2017

BBC signs first ever female Doctor Who

by Tahnee Wright The lead role in British sci-fi television series ‘Doctor Who’ will be played by a woman for the first time in its more than 50-year history, the BBC said last Sunday.

After much speculation over the role, Britain's public broadcaster said 35-year-old British actress Jodie Whittaker, who starred in the award-winning television crime drama series ‘Broadchurch’, will play the 13th Doctor.

The news was announced in a one-minute video clip broadcast on television after the Wimbledon tennis men's final match, showing the actress walking through a forest wearing a long coat and hiding her face with a hood until the final moment.

‘I always knew I wanted the Thirteenth Doctor to be a woman and we're thrilled to have secured our number one choice. Her audition for The Doctor simply blew us all away. Jodie is an in-demand, funny, inspiring, super-smart force of nature and will bring loads of wit, strength and warmth to the role,’ Chris Chibnall, the show's new Head Writer and Executive Producer told Reuters.

The Doctor, who travels through time in what from the outside appears to be a blue police telephone box, has the ability to regenerate, allowing a number of actors to play the role since the series was first broadcast in 1963.

Whittaker will replace Peter Capaldi, who took on the role in 2013 amid an increasing clamour that it should go to a woman. His final episode will be the 2017 Christmas

special. Previous doctors include Tom Baker, Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant.

Whittaker told Reuters it was ‘completely overwhelming’ to be taking on the role and she wanted to tell fans of the series ‘not to be scared’ by her gender.

‘As an actor, as a human, as someone who wants to continually push themselves and challenge themselves and not be boxed in by what you're told you can and can't be. It feels incredible,’ she said.

‘This is a really exciting time, and Doctor Who represents everything that's exciting about change. The fans have lived through so many changes and this is only a new, different one, not a fearful one.’

Brits life expectancy increase stalls

After more than 100 years of advances, life expectancy in Britain has all but stopped rising, a leading professor of public health told Reuters on Tuesday.

Until 2010, life expectancy at birth was rising by one year every five years for women, and by one year every three and a half years for men.

But since 2010, the average rate of increase has halved and in 2013-15 it was near zero, a report by the Institute of Health Equity found.

Its author, Michael Marmot, professor of public health at University College London, said the findings were historically unusual, and worrying.

‘What we had expected over time - this relentless increase in life expectancy, (and) improvement in health - has stalled,’ he told BBC radio.

The average life expectancy for men born in 2010 was 78.7 years, rising to 79.6 years by 2015, whilst female life expectancy increased from 82.6 to 83.1 years over the same period.

Life expectancy has grown decade-on-decade since 1890, although there have been occasional annual drops, notably in the First and Second World Wars.

Marmot did not establish a direct cause for the levelling-off, but said it was ‘entirely possible’ that there was a link with austerity policies that have seen per capita healthcare spending fall in real terms since 2010, along with a rise in dementia cases.

He suggested that an annual 1.1 per cent increase for spending on the National Health Service was not enough to cope with the demands posed by an ageing population, amongst whom rates of dementia have been increasing since 2002.

Dementia is now the most common cause of death in women aged 80 and over and in men aged 85 and over.

‘If you compare our NHS spending with other European countries, miserly is not a bad description of it. And it will damage the quality of life particularly for older people with dementia and other social care needs,’ Marmot said.

15

16

Let’s get married

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by Staff Reporter The Guardia Civil have arrested 28 people and are investigating a further 11 after a sham marriage operation attracting ‘mostly Moroccan men’ was uncovered in Almeria.

The unusual surge of marriages in Roquetas de Mar led the Guardia Civil to launch ‘Operation FLEK’, which discovered an organisation dedicated to arranging the visamotivated marriages.

Eight of those arrested had ‘clearly defined roles’ in the organisation, involving recruiting immigrants, finding empty addresses for registration and advising the ‘couples’.

A statement published by the Guardia Civil on July 17 revealed the business ‘attracted mostly Moroccan men in an administrative situation of irregular residency in the European Union and those who suggested the option of regularising their situation and acquiring a residency permit by acting as the fraudulent partner of a woman, usually much older in

age, Spanish or EU resident.’

The foreigners who sought the illegal marriage paid the organisation between €3,000 and €4,500, with the woman who became the ‘wife’ receiving a sum of between €1,000 and €2,000 and the rest of the money being shared between the organisation’s members.

Suspicions were raised when couples attended marriage interviews and the nonEU citizen could not speak Spanish while their EU partner could not speak Arabic.

Investigators could not understand how two people were ‘unable to communicate between themselves effectively’, needing to speak via an interpreter despite allegedly living together for several months.

Operation FLEK found information suggesting this sham marriage operation had been underway since 2015 and that eight fake couples had been married since September 2016.

Further research revealed there were suspicions of fraud in Almeria over 100 fake couples since 2010.

Netflix signs for second original series from Spain Netflix has revealed plans for its second ‘Netflix original’ Spanish series, ‘Elite’, which focuses on teens at an elite private school in Spain.

The drama is scheduled for a worldwide premiere on Netflix in 2019.

Elite boasts one of the most successful writing teams in Spain’s current TV landscape - Carlos Montero (‘Physical or Chemical’) and Dario Madrona (‘Genesis’), who also cocreated the hit ‘The Protected’.

Zeta Producciones will produce the eight-episode first season entirely in 4K and heading up the project will be producer Francisco Ramos - who worked on box-office hits ‘I Want You’ and ‘Three Metres Above Heaven’.

‘We [are] excited about working with such important writers and producers within the Spanish industry on a very different kind of teen thriller that will cross borders and affect audiences globally,’ Erik Barmack, vp original series at Netflix told The Hollywood Reporter.

Elite tells the story of teens admitted into Spain’s most elite private school only to find three students from underprivileged families admitted when their public school crumbles because of an earthquake.

Tensions run high and culminate in a murder. But who committed the crime?

‘Making a series for teens is very exciting because it is a time of life in which everything is transcendent. We are thrilled to work on a series about desire and the need to fit into a society where everything seems perfect, but where everything can go wrong,’ Ramos told The Hollywood Reporter.

The murder mystery follows the success of Spain’s first Netflix original series, ‘Cable Girls’ – set in 1920s Madrid, the story of four women from different backgrounds newly hired as operators for a phone company as they manage romance, friendship and the modern workplace.

Netflix recently said the second season of Cable Girls would premiere in December.

18

There are delays... and then there are delays At this time of the year, may it be due to the extra flights for the holiday season, the annual strikes by air traffic controllers or as in the case of a tyre blow-out at Gatwick Airport, delays of an hour or three are sadly the norm. But what about 38 hours?

This was the fate of 150 passengers aboard a Primera Air flight between Sweden and Spain last weekend.

The original itinerary showed the flight was planned to leave Arlanda Airport in Stockholm and due to arrive at Alicante-Elche Airport at midday on Sunday. Instead, it eventually landed at 01.50hrs in the early hours of Tuesday...some 38 hours late.

The delay was caused by a fault on the plane and Primera Air couldn’t either repair the problem or find a replacement. It wasn’t just the 150 on board the incoming flight that were disrupted. Those booked on the outbound flight from Alicante-Elche to Sweden were similarly delayed for the same number of hours and found themselves having to return to their hotels or their homes before finally boarding.

Local Police praised as Spanish sanctuary rescues 140th equine

by Staff Reporter Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre has applauded Almoradi police officers for their prompt action in rescuing a young donkey stallion found abandoned on the city’s streets last week.

‘We can't praise Almoradi police enough for acting swiftly yet again to save this animal,’ said Easy Horse Care CoFounder Sue Weeding. ‘Their quick action is evidence that our work to build relationships with local authorities and improve animal welfare practices here in Spain is slowly but surely paying off.’

Rescued on July 7, the donkey has no identification tags and his history is therefore unknown.

‘We believe he's quite young, he's very hungry and he has cruel scarring across his nose from wearing a too-tight halter for far too long,’ Sue said.

‘We do know that many owners often don't want stallions because they can't do anything with them. We suspect he's been tied up all his life for this reason – hence the scarring on his nose – and then simply dumped to get rid of him.’

Under the centre’s responsible equine ownership policy, the donkey, who has been named Cesar, and will be castrated as soon as weather cools enough to allow the operation to be conducted safely. Currently, the summer heat means the risk of fly-borne infection is too high.

Cesar is the 140th equine saved by the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre since 2008, with Sue and Rod Weeding currently caring for 106 horses, ponies and donkeys at their Rojales sanctuary.

The latest rescue came as Rod finished digging the trench for the next section of a 218-metre secure boundary wall being built to protect the rescued animals following a spate of break-ins at the sanctuary. Rod, aged 68, was forced to dig the knee-deep trench by hand after the centre’s aging digger broke down.

Generous supporters have so far contributed more than €18,500 to fund the wall’s construction, but the Weedings called for further donations to raise the final €1500 needed to ensure the project can be completed. Donations can be made at: easyhorsecare.net/donate/support-our-fence-fundraiser.

While Cesar awaits his operation in autumn, he’ll be comfortably stabled at the centre and given the care and attention he deserves. Anyone interested in sponsoring Cesar can contribute to his ongoing wellbeing at: http://www.easyhorsecare.net/donate/sponsor-a-horse.

The non-profit Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre relies entire-

ly on donations to fund its important animal welfare work.

Those interested in volunteering at the rescue centre or in the charity shops can call Sue on 652 021 980.

The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, located just outside Rojales at Partido Lo Garriga, 59, opens to the public on the first Sunday of every month between 1.00pm and 4.00pm.

Free horse tours run throughout the afternoon and refreshments are available in the café. For more details and directions, please visit www.easyhorsecare.net.

APAH Dog Show suffers in the heat

by Staff Reporter First it was the rain that ruined APAH's Summer Fair, and then on Sunday 9 July at the Carpa Municipal in Pilar de la Horadada, it was the extreme heat that got to everyone. It was the first time the charity had held the annual dog show in a summer month, and organisers have said already that it will definitely be the last!

The concept was a good one in the belief that being held undercover would benefit all those involved - both dogs and humans. However it was unbelievably hot with many people choosing to stay away, so much so that the usual amount of

people who can be guaranteed to turn up to support APAH, was reduced to a quarter.

Nevertheless, the organisers of APAH want to offer an enormous amount of thanks and gratitude to the people who did come to support them; especially those that managed to hold out right to the very end. It was hard going for the volunteers and the stall holders to keep working, and for the dogs, their owners and spectators so it is amazing to be able to announce that despite everything against them €1,017 was raised on the day. Such an amount was totally unexpected and APAH was naturally delighted with the result. The charity has promised faithfully that next year, the annual dog show will be earlier

Footwork takes centre stage in Los Montesinos

19

or later in the year, but certainly not during the summer.

The Best in Show was won by Spencer, a wonderful rescue dog belonging to a lovely couple who came along to have a stall, and ended up going home with a champion! On the day itself, there may have only been one winner of the trophy, but every dog there is a winner, because unlike some, they are all in loving homes with owners who care.

Nobody should lose sight of the fact that there are many dogs (and cats) that are not so lucky. Many are in living hell, neglected, abused or abandoned, and those lucky ones who have been rescued by APAH, will benefit from the money raised at the show.

Classic car and motorbike meet A classic American car and motorbike meet will take place at the Mercadillo Del Toro in Pilar de la Horadada on Sunday July 30.

There will be a BBQ, food and drinks, a music show, a children’s play area and many market stalls – promising an enjoyable day out for all the family.

For more information, contact George – 698 658 703 or Graham – 966 789 396 / 689 762 990.

Gates will open from 11.00am.

At the end of June, the students of Footwork Dance completed their International Society of Teachers (ISTD) examinations, in Tap, Modern and Jazz dance discipline, with the youngest entrant being just 5-years-old and the oldest a remarkable and sprightly 75, proving that you’re never too old (or young) to enjoy the world of dance.

The examiner Miss Rogers was flown over from ISTD headquarters in the UK and they will be reporting back shortly with the results.

Examinations over, it was time for the students to show their skills at the 21st Los Montesinos Cultural Week celebrations. The students delighted the capacity audience with a varied programme of well executed dance routines, including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, lyrical, acrobatic and aerobic dance, with the young and charming 2-year-olds stealing the show, followed closely by a very energetic Can-Can which saw all the students participating.

There is no rest for the Footwork team, and you can see their next exciting show, ‘Summer Dance’ this Sunday 23 July 7.30pm at the Casa de Cultura y Musica in Los Montesinos. Tickets are €7 and are available from the Dance Studio, Kennedys in Los Montesinos or by contacting Erica on 662 003 823. Donations will be made to the underprivileged of Los Montesinos.

20

Basic Spanish for everyday needs by

Jane Cronin

More negatives and questions I like talking but I need to work.

Can I eat and drink as well?

Your homework last week was to translate these two sentences into Spanish, so here are the answers: Me gusta hablar pero necesito trabajar. ¿Puedo comer y beber también?

If you are a fairly elementary student of Spanish and managed to do that correctly – well you’ve achieved a lot! Also it means you’ve been paying attention to what I’ve told you, which is always nice for me. For those of you who might not have got it quite right, the most typical mistake is to mistranslate “talking” – remember that “talking” is treated like “to talk” after “me gusta”.

“Me gusta hablar” (I like to talk – I like talking).

Also last lesson I promised you some more of those lovely verbs to give you more scope in what you can say. Remember that at the moment we are not making any changes to the verbs we are learning – we are keeping them in their basic or infinitive form and learning ways we can fit them into sentences just as they are.

Also, just a quick reminder that these infinitive forms in Spanish always end in –ar, -er or –ir. There are no exceptions to this rule.

So with all that said – here are some more: ANDAR – to walk, CERRAR – to close, COMPRAR – to buy, ESCUCHAR - to listen, ESTAR – to be (how or where),

FIRMAR – to sign, VISITAR - to visit.

CORRER – to run, HACER – to make/to do, LEER – to read, TENER – to have, VER – to watch/to see.

CONDUCIR – to drive, ESCRIBIR – to write, IR – to go, SALIR – to go out.

There you go, sixteen new verbs. Incidentally, if you want to commit these to memory the best way to do it is in a relaxed and repetitive way. Here’s a suggestion to help you. Write them down in a list, the Spanish words on the left and their English translations on the right. Sit down for about 10 or 15 minutes in a quiet, comfortable place where you’re not going to be disturbed, turn off the infernal mobile phone, put the cat in another room and ignore your other half for a while!

Maybe put some favourite music on in the background.

Then read the Spanish words slowly out loud, one after the other, whilst silently noticing their translations as you go down the list. Do this once or maybe twice a day, but without putting yourself under any pressure to memorise. After a few times you will find that the words start to stick in your mind, mainly because you are relaxed as you are learning them.

Well, without further ado, I think we should start

seeing what new sentences we can make. I’ll do some examples with their translations, and then some in English and Spanish for you to have a think about before the next lesson. You might need to do a small amount of research for some of the extra words.

Voy a andar a la playa.

I’m going to walk to the beach. ¿Puedo cerrar la puerta?

Can I close the door?

No necesito comprar más.

I don’t need to buy (any) more.

Me gusta escuchar música.

I like listening to music. ¿Vas a estar aquí mucho tiempo?

Are you going to be here for long?

Translate into English No puedo firmar hoy ¿Quieres visitar a tu amigo?

No necesito correr.

Me gusta hacer los deberes.

No voy a leer todo el libro.

Translate into Spanish Do you want to have a lot of money?

I like watching the news.

I can’t drink and drive.

Are you going to write a letter?

I need to go to the chemist.

Book Review Gilded Cage

by Vic James

What if your country was ruled by an elite class of people with special gifts and magical abilities? And what if the commoners --- everyone else --- had to sacrifice 10 years of their lives in forced servitude, or slavery, in order to gain their citizenship and keep their nation’s productivity moving along?

In Vic James’ fabulous GILDED CAGE, that’s exactly what’s happening. Britain and much of the world (except for France, which held a revolution, and the Union States of America, which forbids slavery) are ruled by the Equals. None of the commoners actually know what the Equals’ powers are; they only see them in glossy celebrity magazines or in photos of their grand estates. But their powers are enough to keep the Skilless in their places, serving out their 10-year servitudes as required by the Slavedays Compact. Families are generally separated as one or the other of them leaves to work in the factory towns. And the slavery always leaves its mark, sometimes in personalities that are irrevocably changed or when serious injury removes one’s ability to work or even live. But one girl has devised a plan that will keep her family together and safe.

Author Vic James has created the most original, compelling and fascinating story and characters in this outstanding fantasy debut. Readers are transported back and forth from the depressing squalor of Millmoor, to the golden estate of Kyneston, and learn all about the lives of those who populate them and the choices and decisions that will impact them all in ways they can’t imagine. Don’t miss GILDED CAGE. You won’t be able to put it down, and then you’ll desperately hope for a sequel. info@bookworldpuertobanus.com www@bookworldpuertobanus.com | 952 816 084

Sponsored by Bookworld Puerto España Banus

21

The TV ratings war by

Michael Walsh

keyboardcosmetics@ gmail.com

Speaking off the record a CNN anchor was honest perhaps for the first time in his life.

Conceding that the broadcaster’s anti-Russian rhetoric was b******* he explained that its purpose was to boost ratings.

Well, I suppose it makes a change from celebrity or royalty trivia the purpose of which is to distract

us from the many real issues and challenges facing us.

I have a strategy to boost TV ratings that is guaranteed to get nations glued to their screens. The ingenious plan is to honestly debate issues that actually affect viewers. To add spice to televised dialogue we can select presenters who aren’t media appointees.

Why not also allow participation by audiences that haven’t previously been screened to exclude real dissent.

As I am the one with the pen in my hand let me suggest three of my hot topics. Nigel Farage is in the chair and on his panel squirm Foreign Office and Financial Affairs government ministers.

Sharing the panel is a European Union Commissioner who didn’t elect to appear. As he has no idea what election means does it matter.

Finally, why not toss in a media corporate head. Those who make up the debating panel can be adjusted according to topic.

Top of my agenda is why the EU sticks to anti-Russian sanctions that have cost EU nations €60.2 billion in lost trade. You made your bed you lie on it: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: “Russia will not participate in any talks concerning conditions for lifting sanctions.”

Trade blockades damage EU economies, divert trade to rivals, and help Russia to achieve self-sufficiency.

Sanctions backfired and failed in their purpose. The Russian economy expands faster than does that of the EU and Crimea is still Russian in accordance with the free will of Crimean people.

If wretched panellists were robustly interrogated by a presenter who isn’t a placeman, if quizzed by a randomly selected audience, the debate would be a much looked forward to ratings-booster.

Why not afterwards debate further topics. On my agenda would be disastrous NATO-inflamed refugee crisis. According to a UN report conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria put 20.9 million refugees on the road most of which lead to the countries that caused the exodus.

Finally, I want honest debate and searching questions relating to the earnings and assets of politicians. If single mums waiting on restaurant tables are required to detail their paltry tips why not the same searching standards for passengers on parliamentary gravy trains.

Every dog has its day and readers will have their suggestions too. If so we can be sure TV ratings will smash records. The solution to the ratings chasing dilemma can be summed up in a single word, honesty. Broadcasters, look it up.

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The way I see it… by

Harvey Mann

Have you ever thought why the European Union are so unhappy about Britain wanting to leave the E.U? It’s a little like being a member of an organisation that originally started up in Italy, and once you’re in, you’re in so they believe, if you want to leave you are taken around the corner and given a bit of ungentlemanly mistreatment, a bit of mudsling, the odd kicking and the occasional slap this appears to be happening to us at the moment but to a slightly lesser extent.

Isn’t it rather curious this huge organisation with massive trading deals and resources are giving little old Britain such a hard job of leaving.

In 1972, I voted for Britain to join the Eurozone, it seemed a good idea at the time, we were promised good trading deals and we were told it would improve our farming, industry and other exports.

Eventually as we are all well aware, we have lost control of our human rights laws, which were the best in the world, now our judges are overruled by either Brussels or Strasburg, the immigration problem has driven several of the members to breaking point in the last decade or so.

I will ask the question again. Why is the E.U. so unhappy that Britain wants to leave? And why don’t they just let us walk away? if they believe that they are so strong and everything in the garden are coming up roses. For a little while now I have been questioning my vote at the referendum, I voted OUT, I have waivered occasionally like other supporters of OUT may have done.

I have spent the last few months looking and researching the many possibilities for the reason why the E.U is throwing up all the problems that are threatening our resolve to leave, getting over the hurdles that could take up to three years before we can leave.

Many so-called experts have told us it will be disastrous for Britain if we leave while other so-called experts believe that Britain can forge ahead with great success.

Alan Greenspan once the world’s most powerful former central banker agreed to an interview by Nick O’Connor f r o m Southbank Investment research, Greenspan words predicts the demise of the European Union.

Alan Greenspan

“There’s one thing that bothers me, considerably, which nobody makes any mention of. There is in the European Central Bank (ECB) a mechanism as it exists out of necessity where the (ECB) is made up of European, Euro area, and then there’s Target 2. Target 2 at this particular stage is turning out to be an extraordinary large transfer from the Bundesbank essentially to Italy and Greece and more recently the (ECB), this means the Bundesbank is lending money in big numbers we’re talking 7,800 billion Euros, this cannot go on indefinitely at some point somebody’s got to move Greece out, Greece is in the (ECB) by accident or fraud?

They came in under false pretences, as the Greek numbers were all wrong if the true figures had been known Greece would not have been able to join, nonetheless they were allowed to stay, this was a terrible mistake.

The Greek savings rate is -20% you cannot run an economy on -20% savings rate. Something is going to happen, my view is that it is going to be Greece and conceivably Italy could go, the funny part of it that the second largest contributor to the net flow in lending to Spain and Italy is Luxembourg, with their steel and banking system.

While to total assets of the (ECB) continue to go straight up, but what would happen if there is a default in the Euro? In the US if there was a default on the Dollar the US treasury would step in and bail out the problem, so far there is not a comparable vehicle with the (ECB) if there was a default on the Euro would the (ECB) be able to step in?

whiz kid, being American he was probably not in favour of Europe joining together matching the strength of America.

Recently the Deutsche bank were fined by the US Department of Justice for miss-selling mortgages before the last financial crisis, the fine was $14 billion however the bank has only $10 billion to cover its self.

In France, recently they had a banking stress test, BNP Paribas and Societe Generale two of the six biggest in Europe, were found to have capital shortfalls to survive a future crisis of 10 billion Euros and 13 billion respectively.

Greenspan continues, I’m very worried. Mario Draghi is a very good guy, is he just talking when he said we will do whatever is required, as his promise to flood the market with freshly printed Euros until everybody leaves him alone, at some point somebody is going to say I don’t want to accept Euros. He says there are two ways the Euro can disappear, the first is the internal demand within the Eurozone as the majority of people need to pay their taxes. Marine Le Pen has proposed a creation of a new basket of currencies a kind of shadow Euro, France could then reinstate the Franc and peg its currency to the basket. Another mechanism would be the external demand falling, seeing the structural problems will never be resolved and ditching the Euro, if nobody wants The Euro, Draghi may as well print monopoly money at that point he would be out of ammo.

Greenspan continues by saying it is Italy and Greece as potential flashpoints in the next European crisis, and clearly the endgame is a crisis in which the (ECB) becomes powerless after some other countries outside the E.U will not accept Euros any longer.

So, what of these claims

by Greenspan, you could say that he is a dinosaur, for some time no longer in the exalted position however he was a banking

P.S. As I finished writing this column, Athanasios Vamvakidis of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, says that the single currency block has been falling apart for 20 years. Mr Vamvakidis formally with the International Monetary fund for 13 years, says that Germany has failed to redistribute wealth on a permanent basis to the poorer countries in the Eurozone, i.e. Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain and agrees with the former Governor of the Bank of England Lord Mervyn King that the one size fits all currency The Euro is doomed.

In May Spain saw its Banco Popular share price drop 25% in one morning and needed to raise 2.5 billion Euros, after claiming that they had one of the best savings reserve in Europe.

In Britain at the moment borrowing has reached huge proportions and Mark Carney the head of the Bank of England, has warned British banks to keep a firm eye on lending as it is believed that there would be many defaulters especially if the bank rate is raised.

I would not accuse any of the banks, be it Germany, Spain, Italy or Greece of lying or misleading anybody, but does Greenspan’s voice of doom for the European Union have sought of resounding message?

In France people were taken to the guillotine in a hand cart, and the crowd would shout out “there are off to hell in a hand cart” IN or OUT of the Union I hope all us British see Heaven.

Lord Mervyn King

25

by

Colin Bird

Another one bites the dust

One of the more upsetting aspects of getting older is that we hear increasingly of past acquaintances going toes up.

It’s even more distressing when it involves close friends and especially when it is totally unexpected.

Snuffing It; Assuming Room Temperature; Meeting the Kennedys, Buying the Farm - they are all terms for that inevitable event that will overtake us all, and are a light hearted and sometimes tasteless way to cope with our fear of the unknown.

My own philosophy is simply that if death was good enough for the likes of Churchill, Gandhi, Lennon and Red Rum, then it’s good enough for me.

What is important though is how we remember those we have lost.

Just eight weeks ago a large group of us were enjoying our biennial ’Bermuda’ reunion in the beautiful Cotswolds, and then yesterday news reached me that one of our number has tragically died in Boston following surgery.

It’s hard to take in when the memories are so fresh. We had four days and nights of eating, drinking and reminiscing over past times amid much laughter and silliness. And now the awful confirmation that life is extremely tenuous.

It really does reinforce the notion, though one we often fail to follow, that each hour and each day should be lived to the full.

Our friend was known to everyone as Prunes. Not his real name obviously, but a handle he acquired as a boy when misjudging the height of a barbed wire fence he was jumping over.

I leave the rest to the imagination.

Happily, he assured us, no permanent damage was inflicted, but the name stuck nevertheless.

He was a character, with an acerbic manner and was sharp and witty in a dead pan sort of way. What you saw was exactly what you got and there was no suffering fools gladly.

When meeting him for the first time, it was hard to determine whether he liked you or not, and a feeling that he was perhaps secretly laughing at your uncertainty.

Rum was mostly his drink of choice, but he also enjoyed Canadian Club whisky, and in ordering this at the bar, he would ask for a Maybelline and water.

Asked why he referred to it as that, he replied that it was because the more of them he drank, the better the ladies looked.

Rest in peace Prunes and don’t give the angels a hard time.

Bacon works of art recovered

OFFICERS from the Spanish police are believed to have recovered paintings by artist Francis Bacon, stolen from a Madrid gallery in an infamous heist.

With a combined value of £23m, a total of five works of art were stolen from a country house in a prosperous area of the Spanish capital back in June 2015.

According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, police now have three of the paintings in their custody after a two-year investigation, which has resulted in ten men being arrested; seven back in 2016 and a further three in January of this year.

The late Francis Bacon had left the stolen works to a personal friend, 59-year-old Jose Capelo, in his will and it was from his property that they were stolen just over two years ago.

Police sources said those detained had been more than helpful in the operation to recover the paintings adding: "We are very hopeful to locate the other two stolen paintings." The investigation continues and remains highly confidential.

26

money

State pension age to rise to 68 earlier than planned In a government proposal on Wednesday, it was announced Britain's state pension age should rise to 68 earlier than previously planned, meaning people born between 1970 and 1978 will need to work an extra year before being able to retire.

Britain's current state pension age is 65, but is scheduled to rise steadily to 68 over the coming decades.

Welfare minister David Gauke told parliament on Wednesday that he had accepted the recommendations of a review that an increase in the state pension age to 68 should take effect between 2037 and 2039, rather than 2044-2046 as earlier planned.

He added that existing plans to raise the retirement age to 66 and 67 remained unchanged. ‘As life expectancy continues to rise and the number of people in receipt of State Pension increases, we need to ensure that we have a fair and sustainable system that is reflective of modern life and protected for future generations,’ Gauke said.

The changes will need to be approved by parliament before they take effect.

legal

27

Becoming a Spanish National by

IGNACIO PELLICER MOLLĂ & PEDRO HEREDIA ORTIZ

LAWYERS

Q A

Can I apply to be a Spanish national.

Even with Brexit?

YES - A British national can apply for Spanish nationality in the 4 following cases: 1. Spanish nationality from the moment of their birth. These include: - having a Spanish birth-father or birth-mother - born in Spain if one of their parents was born in Spain - those born in Spain of foreign parents if the legislation in their country of origin does not give the child any nationality - those born in Spain to unknown parents 2. Spanish nationality by residence Any foreigner who has resided in Spain legally and continuously for at least 10 years can apply. However, there are certain exceptions 3. Spanish nationality by choice is a valid option for those who: - are or have been subject to the parental authority of a Spaniard - whose father / mother was of Spanish origin and born in Spain.

- whose determination of parentage or birth in Spain takes place after becoming of age - who have been adopted after becoming of age 4. Spanish nationality for possession of state

If you have any further questions about this or any other legal matter, please do not hesitate to contact us; we have a team of experts standing by to assist you in any way we can. Call 965 480 737 or email info@pellicerheredia.com Videos at www.pellicerheredia.com

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television

21st-27th July

friday 21st July

BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Right on the Money 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Neighbourhood Blues 12:45pm Rip Off Britain 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Red Rock 3:30pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm Money for Nothing 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm Celebrity Mastermind 8:30pm Thief Trackers 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Still Open All Hours 10:00pm Peter Kay’s Comedy Shuffle 10:30pm Mrs. Brown’s Boys 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm Not Going Out 12:05am You Again

7:00am The TV That Made Me 7:30am Right on the Money 8:15am Bargain Hunt 9:00am Natural World 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 2:00pm Two Tribes 2:30pm A Taste of Britain 3:15pm Caravanner of the Year 4:15pm Nature’s Miracle Babies 5:15pm Natural World 6:15pm Antiques Road Trip 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Letterbox 8:00pm Yorkshire Wolds Way 8:30pm The RHS Hampton Court

Palace Flower Show 9:00pm Golf 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Top of the Lake

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 David Dickinson’s

Name Your Price 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 Secret World of Posh Pets 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Benidorm 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:40pm Joanna Lumley’s India 12:40am Tipping Point

7:00am Countdown 7:45am Will and Grace 8:10am Will and Grace 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Frasier 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Undercover Boss USA 12:00pm A Place in the Sun:

Winter Sun 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Posh Pawnbrokers 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm The Question Jury 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm World Para Athletics

Championships London 2017 11:00pm The Last Leg 12:05am Naked Attraction

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm House Doctor 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Big Brother 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:20pm NCIS 4:20pm Killer Instinct: From the Files

of Agent Candice DeLong 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Blind Date 8:55pm Legally Blonde 9:55pm 5 News 10:00pm Legally Blonde 11:00pm Big Brother: Live Eviction 12:30am Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Rude(Ish) Tube 7:55am Made in Chelsea 9:00am Rules of Engagement 10:00am Melissa and Joey 11:00am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm New Girl 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm Black-Ish 5:30pm Black-Ish 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 The Goldbergs 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Salt 12:00am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Road Wars 8:00am Hawaii Five-0 9:00am Zoo Tales 9:30am Road Wars 10:00am It’s Me or the Dog 11:00am Sanctuary 12:00pm Sanctuary 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 5:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 6:00pm Stargate Atlantis 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Modern Family 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm Zoo 11:00pm Con-Air

SATURDAY 22nd July BBC1

BBC2

7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm Nadiya’s British Food Adventure

1:00pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:10pm Weather 2:15pm Athletics 3:15pm Escape to the Country 4:00pm Flog It! 4:30pm Kung Fu Panda:

The Kaboom of Doom 5:50pm Shrek The Third 7:15pm BBC News 7:25pm Regional News 7:30pm Weather 7:35pm Pointless 8:25pm Pitch Battle 10:00pm Casualty 10:50pm BBC News 11:05pm Weather 11:10pm Would I Lie to You? 11:40pm Eagle Eye

7:25am 7:45am 8:10am 9:35am 11:00am

12:00pm 1:00pm

2:00pm 3:50pm 4:20pm 5:20pm 5:50pm 6:50pm

7:50pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 11:00pm

12:00am 12:45am

The Deep The Deep Herbie Rides Again Megamind Monty Halls’ Great Irish Escape Homes Under the Hammer Nigel and Adam’s Farm Kitchen Becoming Jane My Friend Jane Behind Closed Doors University Challenge Gardeners’ World The Sweet Makers: A Tudor Treat BBC Proms Extra Dad’s Army Golf Performance Live: Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere QI XL Cosmopolis

CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:20am Velo Wales 8:15am Hayfisher 2017

Motorsport Output 8:40am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:05am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Frasier 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am The Big Bang Theory 11:35am The Big Bang Theory 12:00pm The Big Bang Theory 12:30pm The Simpsons 1:00pm The Simpsons 1:30pm The Simpsons 2:00pm Four in a Bed 2:30pm Four in a Bed 3:00pm Four in a Bed 3:30pm Four in a Bed 4:00pm Four in a Bed 4:30pm A Place in the Sun:

Winter Sun 5:30pm Big House, Little House 6:30pm Kirstie and Phil’s

Love it or List it 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm World Para Athletics

Championships London 2017 11:00pm Fast and Furious 6 1:30am Ramsay

CHANNEL 4

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

Laugh Out Loud 12:20pm Police Interceptors 1:20pm Police Interceptors 2:20pm Bargain Loving Brits

in the Sun 3:15pm Bargain Loving Brits

in the Sun 4:15pm The Nightmare Neighbour

Next Door 5:15pm The Nightmare Neighbour

Next Door 6:10pm 5 News 6:15pm Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!

7:10pm Can’t Pay? We’ll Take it Away!

8:00pm Blind Date 9:00pm Named and Shamed 10:00pm Big Brother 11:00pm 20 Moments That

Shocked Comedy 12:25am Fail Army

7:00am How I Met Your Mother 7:25am How I Met Your Mother 7:50am Couples Come Dine with Me 8:50am Couples Come Dine with Me 10:00am How I Met Your Mother 10:30am How I Met Your Mother 11:00am How I Met Your Mother 11:30am How I Met Your Mother 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 12:30pm The Goldbergs 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm Space Chimps 2:

Zartog Strikes Back 3:40pm Rude(Ish) Tube Shorts 4:00pm The Goldbergs 4:30pm The Goldbergs 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 Speed 12:20am Gogglebox

7:00am Ashley Banjo’s

Secret Street Crew 8:00am Ashley Banjo’s

Secret Street Crew 9:00am Football’s Funniest Moments 9:30am F1 Show 10:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 11:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 3:00pm Dogs: An Amazing

Animal Family 4:00pm It’s Me or the Dog 4:30pm It’s Me or the Dog 5:00pm It’s Me or the Dog 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm Modern Family 8:00pm Sports Funniest Moments 9:00pm Duck Quacks Don’t Echo 10:00pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Karl Pilkington:

The Moaning of Life 12:00am A League of Their Own

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:20am Last Man Standing

7:00am Childrens TV 11:50am Pets Make You

Laugh Out Loud 12:15pm Police Interceptors 1:10pm Police Interceptors 2:10pm Police Interceptors 3:10pm Little Nicky 4:45pm Legally Blonde 5:50pm 5 News 5:55pm Legally Blonde 6:35pm Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 8:10pm Funniest Cutest Kittens Ever 9:00pm Big Brother 9:55pm 5 News Weekend 10:00pm Whitney and Bobby:

Addicted to Love 11:50pm Whitney Houston:

Her Greatest Hits 12:50am Omg:

My Midlife Plastic Crisis

7:00am Kevin Can Wait 7:30am Couples Come Dine with Me 8:30am Couples Come Dine with Me 9:30am Hollyoaks Omnibus 12:00pm Astro Boy 2:00pm New Girl 2:30pm New Girl 3:00pm The Goldbergs 3:30pm The Goldbergs 4:00pm The Goldbergs 4:30pm The Goldbergs 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 Fantastic Four 11:00pm Sinister 1:10am Rude Tube

7:00am The Hour of Power 8:00am Futurama 8:30am Futurama 9:00am Futurama 9:30am Futurama 10:00am Futurama 10:30am Football’s Funniest Moments 11:00am Drone Racing 2017 12:00pm Drone Racing 2017 1:00pm WWE Raw 2:00pm It’s Me or the Dog 2:30pm It’s Me or the Dog 3:00pm It’s Me or the Dog 3:30pm It’s Me or the Dog 4:00pm It’s Me or the Dog 4:30pm Duck Quacks Don’t Echo 5:00pm Modern Family 5:30pm Modern Family 6:00pm Modern Family 6:30pm Modern Family 7:00pm Modern Family 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Dogs:

An Amazing Animal Family 10:00pm Ross Kemp: Extreme World 11:00pm The Force: North East 12:00am Zoo

ITV1 7:00am CITV 9:25am ITV News 9:30am Weekend 10:25am The Home Game 11:25am The Voice Kids Final 1:10pm ITV News and Weather 1:25pm Arsenal v Chelsea Live 3:55pm Tipping Point 5:00pm The Chase 6:00pm Little Big Shots USA 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:10pm ITV News and Weather 7:20pm You’ve Been Framed!

8:20pm Catchphrase 9:00pm The Hobbit:

An Unexpected Journey

12:15am ITV News and Weather 12:35am The Chase

SUNDAY 23rd July BBC1 7:00am Breakfast 10:00am The Andrew Marr Show 11:00am Sunday Morning Live 12:00pm Homes Under the Hammer 1:00pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm Escape to the Country 3:15pm Money for Nothing 4:00pm Oz: The Great and Powerful 6:00pm Lifeline 6:10pm Songs of Praise 6:45pm Pointless 7:30pm BBC News 7:50pm BBC London News 8:00pm Wild Alaska Live 9:00pm Countryfile 10:00pm Poldark 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm Miranda Hart:

My, What I Call, Live Show 12:30am Gambit

BBC2 7:15am A to Z of TV Gardening 8:00am The Instant Gardener 8:45am Gardeners’ World 9:45am The Beechgrove Garden 10:15am Countryfile 11:15am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:45pm Nigel Slater: Eating Together 1:15pm The Hairy Bikers’

Best of British

2:00pm Diving 3:30pm Wanted Down Under 4:15pm Natural World 5:15pm Flog It! 6:00pm Swimming 8:00pm Inside the Factory 9:00pm Golf 11:00pm Maps to the Stars 12:45am The Skin I Live In

ITV1 7:00am Childrens TV 9:25am ITV News 9:30am Weekend 10:25am Wild Animal Reunions 11:20am Judge Rinder 12:20pm Love Your Garden 1:20pm James Martin’s

French Adventure 1:50pm ITV News 1:55pm Rebound 2:55pm Tipping Point 3:55pm Bear Grylls Survival School 4:25pm Octopussy 7:00pm ITV News London 7:10pm ITV News 7:30pm The Chase Celebrity Special 8:30pm Harry Potter

and the Goblet of Fire 11:20pm ITV News 11:40pm Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories 12:40am Take Me Out

7:45am Last Man Standing 8:10am Last Man Standing 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Sunday Brunch 1:30pm Eat the Week with Iceland 2:30pm Eragon 4:35pm The Restoration Man 5:35pm Homes by the Sea 6:35pm Channel 4 News 7:00pm World Para Athletics

Championships London 2017

8:30pm UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 11:00pm The Handmaid’s Tale 12:05am Kingdom of Heaven

31

television

21st-27th July

MONDAY 24th July BBC1

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Wild UK 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Food: Truth or Scare 12:45pm Rip Off Britain 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Red Rock 3:30pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm Money for Nothing 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The Farmers’ Country

Showdown 8:30pm Jodi’s Lovely Letters 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm DIY SOS The Big Build 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Peter Kay’s Comedy Shuffle 12:15am Have I Got a Bit More

Old News for You

Sky1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

E4

7:00am The TV That Made Me 7:30am Right on the Money 8:15am Bargain Hunt 9:00am Great British Menu 9:30am Great British Menu 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 2:00pm Athletics 3:00pm Two Tribes 3:30pm The Best Dishes Ever 4:00pm This Wild Life 4:30pm Super Senses:

The Secret Power of Animals 5:30pm Swimming 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Letterbox 8:00pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm University Challenge 9:30pm Nadiya’s British

Food Adventure 10:00pm Ripper Street 11:00pm Normal for Norfolk 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am The Mash Report

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 Tenable 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 Call the Cleaners 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Diana, Our Mother:

Her Life and Legacy 11:30pm ITV News 12:00am ITV News London 12:15am Killer Women

with Piers Morgan

7:00am Countdown 7:45am Will and Grace 8:10am Will and Grace 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Frasier 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Undercover Boss USA 12:00pm The Simpsons 12:30pm The Simpsons 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Posh Pawn 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm The Question Jury 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 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 Bear About the House: Living with My Supersized Pet

10:00pm 999: What’s Your Emergency?

11:00pm Britain’s Benefit Tenants 12:00am 60 Days in Jail

7:00am Childrens TV

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Rude(Ish) Tube 8:00am Made in Chelsea 9:00am Melissa and Joey 9:30am Melissa and Joey 10:00am Black-Ish 10:30am Black-Ish 11:00am Baby Daddy 11:30am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 12:30pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm Black-Ish 5:30pm Black-Ish 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Coach Trip 9:00pm The Day After Tomorrow 11:25pm Naked Attraction 12:25am The Big Bang Theory

7:00am Road Wars 8:00am Road Wars 9:00am Attenborough 11:00am The Making of...

12:00pm Funniest Moments 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm MacGyver 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm The Flash 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm The Simpsons 10:00pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Micky Flanagan

Thinking Aloud 12:00am Modern Family 12:30am Modern Family

10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm The Yorkshire Vet 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Big Brother 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm Ncis: Murder in the Family 4:15pm The Killing Game 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Car Crash TV 9:00pm King Tut’s Tomb:

The Hidden Chamber

10:00pm Traffic Cops Special 11:00pm Big Brother 12:05am Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

Pick of the Week Diana, Our Mother:

Her Life and Legacy Monday 24th July, 10pm, ITV1 TUESDAY 25th July BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Wild UK 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Food: Truth or Scare 12:45pm Rip Off Britain 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Red Rock 3:30pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm Money for Nothing 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The Farmers’ Country

Showdown 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm In The Dark 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm New Tricks 12:45am Jodi’s Lovely Letters

7:00am The TV That Made Me 7:30am Wild UK 8:15am Bargain Hunt 9:00am Great British Menu 9:30am Great British Menu 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 2:00pm The Super League Show 2:45pm A Taste of Britain 3:30pm The Best Dishes Ever 4:00pm This Wild Life 4:30pm Super Senses:

The Secret Power of Animals 5:30pm Swimming 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Letterbox 8:00pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Inside the Factory 10:00pm Addicted Parents:

Last Chance to Keep My Children 11:00pm Detectorists 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Cleverman

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 Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 9:00pm Midsomer Murders 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:40pm Davina Mccall:

Life at the Extreme 12:40am Play to the Whistle

7:00am Countdown 7:45am Will and Grace 8:10am Will and Grace 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Frasier 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Undercover Boss USA 12:00pm The Simpsons 12:30pm The Simpsons 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Posh Pawn 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm The Question Jury 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 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 Craft It Yourself 10:00pm Excluded at Seven 11:00pm First Dates 12:05am Young and Promising

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm The Yorkshire Vet 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Big Brother 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS: Murder in the Family 4:15pm A Daughter’s Nightmare 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Nightmare

Neighbour Next Door 9:00pm The Dog Rescuers

with Alan Davies 10:00pm The Hotel Inspector 11:00pm Big Brother 12:05am Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Coach Trip 8:00am Made in Chelsea 9:00am Melissa and Joey 10:00am Black-Ish 11:00am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm Black-Ish 5:30pm Black-Ish 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Coach Trip 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Tattoo Fixers on Holiday 11:00pm 8 Out of 10 Cats 11:50pm The Big Bang Theory 12:20am The Big Bang Theory 12:50am Gogglebox

7:00am The Flash 8:00am The Flash 9:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 10:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 11:00am Hawaii Five-0 12:00pm MacGyver 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm MacGyver 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm The Flash 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm A League of Their Own 10:00pm Crocodile Dundee 12:00am Modern Family 12:30am Modern Family

32

24 feb - 2 march 2017

television

21st-27th July

wednesday 26th July CHANNEL 5

E4

Sky1

7:00am Countdown 7:45am Will and Grace 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Frasier 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Undercover Boss USA 12:00pm The Simpsons 12:30pm The Simpsons 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Posh Pawn 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm The Question Jury 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 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 Tried and Tasted:

The Ultimate Shopping List 9:30pm Food Unwrapped 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm The Windsors 11:35pm Fargo 12:35am 999: What’s Your Emergency?

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm The Yorkshire Vet 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Big Brother 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS: Crisis Point 4:15pm Who Killed My Husband?

6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Traffic Cops Special 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm The Dirty Dancing Story 11:30pm Big Brother 12:30am Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Coach Trip 8:00am Made in Chelsea 9:00am Melissa and Joey 10:00am Black-Ish 11:00am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 3:30pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm Black-Ish 5:30pm Black-Ish 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Coach Trip 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Don’t Tell the Bride 11:00pm The Change-Up

7:00am The Flash 8:00am The Flash 9:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 10:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 11:00am Hawaii Five-0 12:00pm MacGyver 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm MacGyver 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm The Flash 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Freddie Fries Again 10:00pm Colony 11:00pm Ross Kemp: Extreme World 12:00am Modern Family 12:30am Modern Family

CHANNEL 4

BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Wild UK 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Food: Truth or Scare 12:45pm Rip Off Britain 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Red Rock 3:30pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm Money for Nothing 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The Farmers’ Country

Showdown 8:30pm Fugitives 9:00pm Wild Alaska Live 10:00pm A Prescription for Murder?

11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Room 101 12:25am Supermarket Shopping

Secrets

7:00am The TV That Made Me 7:30am Wild UK 8:15am Bargain Hunt 9:00am Great British Menu 9:30am Great British Menu 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 2:00pm Lifeline 2:10pm Countryfile 2:15pm Two Tribes 2:45pm A Taste of Britain 3:30pm The Best Dishes Ever 4:00pm This Wild Life 4:30pm Super Senses:

The Secret Power of Animals 5:30pm Swimming 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Letterbox 8:00pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm The Sweet Makers:

A Georgian Treat 10:00pm Against the Law 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Cleverman

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 Tenable 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 Love Your Garden 10:00pm Long Lost Family 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:40pm Mafia Women

with Trevor Mcdonald 12:40am River Monsters

thursday 27th July BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

E4

7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Wild UK 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Food: Truth or Scare 12:45pm Rip Off Britain 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Red Rock 3:30pm Escape to the Country 4:30pm Money for Nothing 5:15pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The Farmers’ Country

Showdown 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Watchdog Live 10:00pm Who Do You Think You Are? 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm One Deadly Weekend

in America

7:00am The TV That Made Me 7:30am Wild UK 8:15am Bargain Hunt 9:00am Great British Menu 9:30am Great British Menu 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 2:00pm Countryfile 2:15pm Two Tribes 2:45pm A Taste of Britain 3:30pm The Best Dishes Ever 4:00pm This Wild Life 4:30pm Hive Alive 5:30pm Natural World 6:15pm Antiques Roadshow 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Letterbox 8:00pm Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm 10 Puppies and Us 10:00pm Top of the Lake 11:00pm The Mash Report 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Cleverman

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 Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Eat, Shop, Save 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm James Martin’s

French Adventure 10:00pm Inside the

London Fire Brigade 11:00pm ITV News and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:40pm Tonight at the

London Palladium 12:40am Devon and Cornwall Cops

7:00am Countdown 7:45am Will and Grace 8:10am Will and Grace 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Frasier 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Undercover Boss USA 12:00pm The Simpsons 12:30pm The Simpsons 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Posh Pawn 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm The Question Jury 5:00pm A Place in the Sun 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:30pm UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 11:00pm Gogglebox 12:05am Real, Fake or Unknown

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm The Yorkshire Vet 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Big Brother 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:20pm NCIS: Murder in the Family 4:20pm A Woman Deceived 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Cricket on 5:

England v South Africa 9:00pm Nightmare Tenants,

Slum Landlords 10:00pm Joanna Dennehy:

Killing for Kicks 11:30pm Big Brother 12:30am Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

7:00am Hollyoaks 7:30am Coach Trip 8:00am Made in Chelsea 9:00am Melissa and Joey 10:00am Black-Ish 11:00am Baby Daddy 12:00pm How I Met Your Mother 1:00pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 4:30pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm Black-Ish 5:30pm Black-Ish 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Coach Trip 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm Kevin Can Wait 10:00pm New Girl 10:30pm New Girl 11:00pm The Inbetweeners 11:30pm The Inbetweeners 12:00am The Big Bang Theory

Sky1 7:00am The Flash 8:00am The Flash 9:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 10:00am NCIS: Los Angeles 11:00am Hawaii Five-0 12:00pm MacGyver 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm MacGyver 5:00pm The Flash 6:00pm The Flash 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Duck Quacks Don’t Echo 10:00pm Dogs: An Amazing

Animal Family 11:00pm A League of Their Own 12:00am Modern Family 12:30am Modern Family 1:00am A League of Their Own

Last weeks puzzle answers (Issue 925)

Cryptic Solution

Easy Solution

Soduku Solution

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General Quiz Solution

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Codebreaker Solution

1 Stork 2 Lion 3 Compass 4 Hop 5 Insulin 6 Ice hockey 7 Tannin (or Tannic acid) 8 Italy 9 750 10 Justice of the Peace

34

Horoscopes and Puzzles

POSTBAG

Code Breaker

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 7 represents C and 11 represents Z, so fill in C every time the figure 7 appears and Z every time the figure 11 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.

Kenny, my husband has a dream and he is being chased. He does not know who chases him, but he wakes up sweating and anxious and cannot get back to sleep afterwards.

Pat T. Pat, re-occurring dreams are distressing enough, without the being chased too. Such dreams also seem to come full on and are visually clear and colourful too. Usually there is anxiety or stress involved somewhere along the line, and this is represented as the chaser that pursues. However calm your husband is, his subconscious is dealing with things that need to be got out in the open. A great way of dealing with this is to stop running in the dream and to look directly at who is chasing you. It helps to back this with dialogue so that any little niggle can be ironed out before it does any further damage. Once you have ever controlled such a dream, anxiety goes and a peaceful sleep is the desired and deserved reward.

If It’s Your Birthday This Week

Fight fire with fire and let your full intentions be known to all whom it concerns. Grace comes from a delicate understanding of who is boss right now, and taking tight hold of the reins once more!

Whatever you do don’t stop doing it this week, you are resolute and prepared to go all out and help someone who needs your tenderness and your expertise. As Mercury trines with Venus this week, finally the penny drops, and you will find it a breeze to bring everything back to basics once more. All this has shown you how adaptable you really are!

Your planetary leader, the Sun arrives and heralds with it investigation and elimination, as you seek the truth about a situation that is veering in an awkward direction. View any conflict as a means of bringing things back once more to shared responsibilities.

Somebody who needs to talk to you reacts with anger, and then it seems to kick off once again!

For goodness sake don’t just jump in there! You are fully prepared not to get the thanks you deserve, but above all, right now, let sleeping dogs lie. This is not the time for any decision, especially since in your current mood you may be barking up the wrong tree! A subtle approach is needed as tempers are frayed enough, and peace solutions!

The Cosmos rewards those who keep their faith, and although things haven’t been easy of late, there are blue skies out there and the future is out there for you to rightfully claim for yourself. This isn’t selfish at all, since what you have you share!

Venus opposes Saturn which affects the second house of determination and power through the guise of loving care.

Someone has gotten hold of the wrong end of the stick somehow, as your intentions are designed to smooth things over and not to ruffle feathers in any way.

The Mercury ingress allows for channels of communication to be opened, but does not allow for those who deliberately twist what you say, and who seek to gain from deceit and lies!

A period of minor irritating changes to schedules as plans too may be scuppered.

Don’t worry because the alternatives that come your way are better than that you have planned and organised. It is hard to make everybody happy but this time around take a stab at making yourself happy too! It’s not selfish but it is highly addictive nevertheless!

One foot forward and two steps back! What exactly is going on with you right now? The conjunction of the radiant Sun with doleful Mars does its best to bring back elements of the past you would rather forget right now. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing, whereas dealing with the past is a door that obviously needs to be well and truly closed!

Your strong sense of justice comes to you because as a cardinal sign, with Saturn exalted, you are motivated to hard work and positive purpose. Saturn is currently in opposition to Venus, and it is an affair of the heart that has brought you to your present emotive state. It will be hard, but it is best to wait and see what’s coming next, just in case!

Your strong and stubborn streak has seen you take control of a situation that others appear to have walked away from. The double whammy with your planetary leader brings about a squaring with the Sun, in Leo, and a trine with Mercury this week.

Unfinished business is just what it says, so let others fight over what they wish and take no part in it!

Moon power comes to a head and this would be a time to share your innermost magic with others. You are kind and thoughtful, and it is time to reward fully those people who have helped you on this your journey of life. Sure you will find a way, but make it easy on yourself and see what you can do now as a celebration brings people together again.

It’s been a long time since you connected with yourself. Just lately your schedule has been such that you are at sixes and sevens, and it is high time that you took a breather away from it all! Though your balance is steady, now comes the time to look within, and you might just find that you actually do like what you find there, for a change!

Time was when you would have done things a little differently, but with you, compromise isn’t a word when applied to your working energies. You have been working from within and your soul energy now comes to guide you through the minefield ahead. O.K. you will survive but whatever you do, do remember there is no second best!

Cryptic Crossword

35

Across

Down

1 Newly-wed holding flower in restaurant

2 Old soldier - or cadet being trained (7)

(5,4)

3 Pole gets allowed outside some time before

8 Left port, carrying full cargo (5)

Easter (4)

9 Male in lather replaced such underwear? (7)

4 Disconcert rodent with title it lost (6)

10 Sportsmen who are paid for writing? Not quite (4) 11 A lean cop busted a notorious gangster (2,6) 13 Bonuses for actors in crowd scenes (6) 14 Audible river quarter (6) 17 An instrument Edward desecrated (8) 19 Security group getting nothing for so long

5 Surgeon who’s on the switchboard? (8) 6 Magazine articles held by William Morris (4) 7 Bird table - or hut that’s rebuilt (10) 8 Insincere support provided by civil peers (3,7) 12 Falls that can impair one’s vision (8) 15 Cultivating fruit? Good! (7)

(4)

16 Epistle from landlord? (6)

21 Fruit that makes dog rave (7)

18 Monster one may read about in Mother

22 Move the work period (5)

Goose (4)

23 Birds a sailor throws around (9)

20 Wine from the East Indies? (4)

Quick Crossword Across 1. Pail (6) 4. Collect (4,2) 8. Smouldering fragment of wood or coal (5) 9. Store of weapons (7) 10. Make right (7) 11. Serious (5) 12. Retaliation (3,3,3) 17. Drained of colour (5) 19. Obtain (7) 21. Old war vehicle (7) 22. Wrong (5) 23. Part of the eye (6) 24. Actually (6)

General Quiz 1 Rudolfensis, Habilis, Erectus, and Heidelbergensis are early genetic relatives of: Bears; Dogs; Deer; or Humans?

2 The Indian-Asian regional numbering system/unit of 100,000, shown as 1,00,000, e.g., for the Rupee currency is the: Dakh; Lakh; Sakh; or Wakh?

3 Hebrew for instruction/teaching, the central reference/books of Judaism is The: Knesset; Torah; Halakhah; or Menorah?

4 What corporation became (by 21st C) the world’s largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines, and motorbikes?

5 What popular US casino game is named from French ‘toad’, referring to the crouched squatting stance street origins?

6 Secale Cereale is the botanical name for what grass/grain used in black bread and whiskey?

7 Self-proclaimed mystic/holy man Grigori Rasputin (1869-1916) significantly influenced the rule of which nation?

8 Nephrite, mined since 6000BC, is the most common ore of what important stone, especially in SE Asia?

9 The only undefeated undisputed boxing heavyweight world champion was: Rocky Marciano; Joe Louis; Muhammad Ali; or Lennox Lewis?

10 Born 1942, Englishman Glyn Johns’ 2014 autobiography Sound Man is about his world-renowned life in: Music; Supersonic aviation; Ear surgery; or Lighthouse keeping?

Down 1. Whitening chemical (6) 2. Floor-show (7) 3. Spooky (5) 5. Perception (2,5) 6. East African country (5) 7. Filch (6) 9. Space traveller (9) 13. Stress (7) 14. Of little importance (7) 15. Fourth sign of the zodiac (6) 16. Largest of the Channel Islands (6) 18. Core (5) 20. Tremble (5)

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

36

people

MAGNETS Children’s Holiday Club 2017 For the fourteenth year running, Steve and IreneMaria Campbell will be leading MAGNETS, a Holiday Club for children from four years and over at La Siesta Church, Calle Granados, opposite the Aquapark Flamingo in La Siesta Urbanisation.

Founded in 2004 with only three sisters in attendance, the Club has grown over the years with well over 250 children having participated.

Beginning at 10.30am on Thursday July 27 and continuing every Thursday until August 24, the two-hour programme sees the children take part in activities which reflects the name of the Club: Memory verses; Arts and crafts; Games; New people to meet; Eats; Talk on a Bible story; and Singing.

The theme this year is Follow Me, looking at the story of Peter the big fisherman.

Steve and Irene-Maria always love to see new faces along with the familiar ones of the many children that return to the Club year on year.

The Club is free to attend and prizes are given out to each child.

For more information, contact Steve and Irene-Maria on 966 702 980 or 609 388 682.

Summer sing-along with Crescendo

This year’s summer sing-along with Crescendo was held at Bar El Paraiso in June where the choir meet every Friday morning to rehearse.

Supporting the RAF family The Costa Blanca Branch of the Royal Air Forces Association is based in Torrevieja.

In Spain, two other branches exist – the North Costa Blanca Branch in Denia and the Costa Del Sol Branch in Benalmadena.

The Costa Blanca Branch is a registered charity in Spain whose main aim is the welfare of ex-RAF personnel and their dependents, being members of the RAFA or not.

To fund welfare activities, the Costa Blanca Branch participates in fundraising events across the Costa Blanca, including social events and raffles.

RAFA has over 63,500 members worldwide, all of whom contribute to fundraising, enabling help to be given to over 40,000 ex-RAF personnel and their dependents.

If you would like to join in or to re-activate your membership, get in touch with the Chairman on 692 505 916, email rafacbchairman@gmail.com or for welfare issues get in touch with the Honorary Welfare Officer on 615 048 892, email rafacbwelfare@gmail.com.

Monthly meetings are held at Bar El Paraiso, Urb. Jardin del Mar (close to Carrefour), Torrevieja on the Thursday Tuesday of each month from 2.30pm. Many members will arrive early to the meetings and enjoy lunch in the restaurant.

You can find out more about the branch and its activities and the Royal Air Forces Association in general by checking out the website - www.rafa.org.uk/costa-blanca/.

The money from ticket sales and a raffle at the summer sing-along and the Christmas sing-along enable the choir to pay their expenses and overheads for the year so that all monies raised at other concerts can be donated directly to charity.

It would, however, not be a Crescendo concert without some money being given to a good cause, so people were asked to donate their small change to DEBRA the butterfly children – which raised €80.

As usual, the concert featured a variety of songs in even more languages than usual. The non-Dutch choir members managed to master enough Dutch to sing the chorus of ‘Het kleine cafe aan de haven’ while Theo sang the verses.

Another new language was Portuguese with the catchy tune ‘Balaio’. John sang the popular ‘Copacabana’, again with the choir joining in the chorus. As always, an enjoyable time was had by all!

Crescendo is now on its summer break but start rehearsing again for the winter concerts on September 8 at Bar El Paraiso, Urb. Jardin del Mar (close to Carrefour), Torrevieja.

Everyone is invited along to listen or join in and new members are always welcome (especially men!) For all choir news and updates, check out www.crescendo-choir.com.

37

food & drink Cooking in the heat is something that most of us dread so why not sit back and enjoy the summer while dinner cooks itself with these easy slow cooker recipes.

Slow cooker lemon garlic chicken

Preparation Time – 15 minutes Cooking Time – 3 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup water 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon chicken gravy granules 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. In a bowl, mix the oregano, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture into chicken. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Brown chicken in butter for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Place chicken in a slow cooker.

2. In the same frying pan, mix the water, lemon juice, garlic,

and granules. Bring the mixture to boil. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.

3. Cover, and cook on High for 3 hours, or Low for 6 hours.

Add the parsley to the slow cooker 15 to 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.

Slow cooker pepper steak Preparation Time – 20 minutes Cooking Time – 4 hours and 10 minutes

Ingredients 2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips garlic powder to taste 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cube beef stock 1/4 cup hot water 1 tablespoon cornflour

1/2 cup chopped onion 2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 teaspoon salt

Method 1. Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips.

Transfer to a slow cooker.

2. Mix stock cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornflour until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.

38

24 feb - 2 march 2017

health

Men’s health

Blood pressure explained

Make Sunday your funday Monday and morning are two fairly innocent words individually, but linked together they are probably the worst two words in the English language, instantly instilling hatred and dread into most of us.

Most people start thinking about Monday morning, sometime on Sunday afternoon and start preparing mind and body in readiness, whereas others carry on with their hedonistic weekend up until the moment they awake bleary eyed, already late for work, on the first day of the working week.

Shaleena Anand, a mindfulness and meditation coach and founder of the WIIDLO mentoring service has these tips to solve the Sunday/Fear, Monday/Blues conundrum.

Learn to breathe properly

Typically, blood pressure increases with age.

Risk of high blood pressure begins to climb when men hit age 45, although it can occur in younger men. Obesity or a family history of high blood pressure also increases risk.

What is high blood pressure?

Blood pumping through the circulatory system is under pressure, much like the water in the pipes of a house. And just as too much water pressure can damage pipes and faucets, high blood pressure can spell trouble. Hypertension occurs when the force exerted against artery walls is abnormally high.

Over time, the increased pressure can cause a wide range of problems. Small bulges, called aneurysms, may form in blood vessels. The heart can become enlarged, increasing the danger of heart failure.

Damage to blood vessels in the kidneys can cause them to fail. Because tiny blood vessels in the eyes are especially vulnerable to damage, hypertension can lead to vision problems and even blindness.

In some patients, high blood pressure is related to other medical problems or can be a side effect of certain drugs. This form of the disease is called secondary hypertension, because it happens secondary to other medical conditions.

High blood pressure is usually diagnosed using the familiar blood pressure test that involves a cuff wrapped around the upper arm. The cuff is inflated and then sensors measure the pressure of blood beating against the arteries.

Blood pressure is measured using two numbers - systolic and diastolic pressure. Systolic, the upper number, is the pressure when the heart is beating.

Diastolic, the lower number, is the pressure between beats. Normal blood pressure is considered to be anything below 120/80. Prehypertension is defined as a systolic reading between 120 and 139 and a diastolic reading between 80 and 89. Hypertension is defined as blood pressure of 140/90 or higher. For people over age 60, high blood pressure is defined as 150/90 or higher.

It might sound obvious, but breathing is the best way to de-stress and prepare yourself for a week of meetings and battling that inbox.

It is so simple, yet we so often forget to take time to stop, step back and breathe deeply.

The human body can live for three weeks without food, three days without water but not a second without oxygen, proving just how important breath is and Just a few minutes of deep breathing every two hours can significantly reduce stress. Start every Sunday and see how long you can keep it up throughout the week.

Go to bed earlier on Sunday night Turn off Netflix and crawl under the duvet earlier on Sunday nights and if you have to leave your house for work at 7am, try waking up at 5am a few days per week, to go for a run, do some meditation, make a big breakfast, read a book.

Enjoy this personal time, so by the time you leave for work, you’ve already included some positive experiences in your day.

Prepare your meals in advance

Find yourself always reaching for that takeaway panini and chocolate bar on a Monday come midday?

You’re not alone. No matter how busy your weekend is, take time on Sunday to prepare meals for the next five days. Meal prepping with help you look and feel good, as well as being a great way to save extra cash, as ultimately what you feed your body affects your mood. Choose energy-releasing foods and ensure you are getting the right vitamins, essential to lowering stress levels.

Practise meditation

Meditation has been practised for thousands of years and is a proven way to reduce stress and promote happiness.

Happy people are 31 per cent more productive and three times more creative than their unhappy counterparts, according to a study by the American Psychological Association.

There are plenty of options and you can take part in meditation classes or sign up for online guided meditation sessions.

Simple acts such as remembering everything you are grateful for when you wake up in the morning can make a big difference.

Do this every time you feel stress building up inside. It’s hard to feel stress or anger while feeling grateful.

Just a regular 10-minute walk can help relieve anxiety and depression, according to a study by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Taking a walk in nature allows your body to release good endorphins and results in you having more energy than before you exercised.

Get your blood pumping with exercise It’s tempting to just cuddle up on the sofa with a cup of tea on a Sunday afternoon, but it actually might be worth tugging those trainers on instead.

Start the new week feeling revitalised by going for a walk every Sunday.

Transform your workspace We often associate our place of work with stress and anxiety, which means we anchor those feelings on the room we work in and the people we work around, so bring in tools to brighten up your workplace. Change your laptop background to a beautiful sunset or a personal picture, print it out and keep it in your pocket.

Use a photo you have taken to strengthen the neurological association between yourself and that place. There are lots of exercises you can do to create the association of freedom in your mind before the grind of Monday-to-Friday kicks in again.

24 feb - 2 march 2017

39

health

Dementia kills - but Beauty tips survey reveals Brits don't Summer hair know the disease is fatal problem hacks Sweaty hair Prevent sweat wrecking your fringe or down-do by applying some roll-on deodorant to your hairline (the soap-looking bar kind works best). You can also prevent your hair getting ridiculously sweaty while using a hairdryer by applying a swipe of deodorant to the back of your neck. Genius.

Fried frizzy hair Stranded without serum? A small amount of hand cream smoothed through your hair will treat your frazzled summer frizz.

Static hair There's nothing worse than static mucking up your summer locks. A quick rub with a tumble dryer sheet will instantly return your hair to normal - and will make it smell dreamy, too.

Three uses for avocados (besides guacamole!)

New research has revealed that 38 per cent of the UK population are most concerned about developing dementia in the future. The recent YouGov survey, commissioned by award winning brain clinic Re:Cognition Health, has revealed that 49 per cent of those questioned don’t realise that dementia is fatal, despite it being the leading cause of death in England and Wales.

The survey of 2049 UK adults was commissioned to determine how much the British public know about dementia and its symptoms.

Despite more people (38 per cent) fearing they may develop dementia, compared to cancer (26 per cent) and heart disease (6 per cent), many (11 per cent) aren’t sure of what the symptoms of dementia are at all, apart from memory loss, with (81 per cent) of Brits thinking difficulty remembering recent events is a symptom of dementia.

62 per cent of those surveyed know that dementia can cause unexpected and uncharacteristic anger, but 68 per cent didn’t realise that Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia can cause inappropriate sexual behaviour such as making inappropriate remarks.

Alarmingly, it was revealed that 11 per cent of Britons are unsure of what the symptoms of dementia are at all, however, it is reassuring to discover that 87 per cent believe early detection of Alzheimer’s Disease and other causes of dementia can make a difference to the future health of the individual.

Dr Emer MacSweeney, CEO and Medical Director of Re:Cognition Health says: ‘Early intervention and accurate diagnosis of the specific cause of a person’s cognitive decline are key to ensuring the individual receives access to the

correct and best treatment, at the earliest possible stage, before their symptoms have progressed to those of dementia.

In order to receive an early diagnosis, it is essential to recognise symptoms as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this survey highlights that the general public is not yet sufficiently well informed; there is a massive lack of awareness.’

Early symptoms of cognitive impairment which may lead to dementia include: Short term memory loss Repeatedly asking the same questions Changes in behaviour - unexpected/uncharacteristic anger and changes in mood Confusion Getting lost in a familiar environment Forgetting words/problems with speech and language Loss of sense of direction/disorientation Difficulty in performing everyday (seemingly normal) tasks Misplacing items Difficulty making decisions and planning Issues with balancing and spatial awareness Becoming passive and disinterested Problems with calculation ‘If you or a loved one are experiencing one of more of these early symptoms, I advise you, strongly, to seek prompt medical advice. An early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease and other causes of cognitive impairment, leading eventually to symptoms of dementia, will give you the chance to change your quality of life and eventual outcome, for the individual and their families,’ adds Dr MacSweeney.

Moisturise skin The natural oils in an avocado can penetrate deep into the skin, helping to soften and hydrate dry and flaky patches. Simply spread it across your body, leave on for 10 to 15 minutes, shower or bathe in lukewarm water and pat dry.

Soothe and nourish dry facial skin You’ve got to be extra careful these days and read the ingredients labels on beauty products. Steer clear of all the junk with a DIY facial mask made out of avocado, raw honey and yogurt to slough away dead skin cells and restore a more youthful glow to your face.

Repair damaged and parched hair A brilliant spin on this do-ityourself facial is an avocado, olive oil and egg hair mask. Sure, it’s sticky, but you won’t regret slathering it on when you end up with super smooth and luminous strands.

40

home and garden

Hanging around looking beautiful

by Andy Mansell FOR me, summer holidays always started with a journey across The Solent to stay with family on the Isle of Wight, which at that time in the 1990’s seemed quaintly old fashioned, twenty years behind the rest of the UK. My family lived in Ventnor, on the South of the island, sitting at the foot of St Boniface, in its own micro-climate.

With the best sunshine record in the UK, the small town’s botanical gardens were full of exotic plants and flowers.

I was always struck by the hanging baskets that brought colour to every corner of Ventnor, in particular one tea room, which every year managed to surpass its previous efforts, with it’ vibrant displays.

Hanging baskets have gone out of fashion a little over the years, but they are a fabulous way of bringing height to your garden or terrace and quite easy to look after.

Many flowers suitable for hanging baskets are pendulous, top heavy, or creeping, which makes them look lovely when displayed from a container at eye level or higher.

Here are some tips on the right flowers to include in your hanging baskets to create your own piece of the Isle of Wight in the sun.

Begonias: For those who don’t have the right climate to grow fussy fuchsias, begonias can act as a plant double. The half-hardy Begonia boliviensis has the same tubular, pendulous flowers as fuchsias, but can handle the heat and humidity of Southern summers.

Black Eye Susan Vine: Not many vines flourish in a hanging basket, but thunbergia has the right combination of exuberance and restraint that makes it a showy container plant.

The annual vines will scramble up the chains of the hanging basket as well as spill over the sides, sporting one-inch flowers in white and gold shades.

Fuchsia: Although fuchsia plants do tend to wither in summer weather, you can look for one of the more heat tolerant varieties like ‘Astoria,’ ‘Jupiter,’ or ‘Surprise.’

A little fuss will prolong the beauty of fuchsias in hanging baskets: the plants respond well to daily misting, regular fertilizing, and diligent deadheading.

Lantana: The vibrant flower clusters of lantana provide reliable tropical color for a long growing season, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.

Choose a small weeping variety for your hanging baskets like the yellow and white ‘Patriot Popcorn’ or the yellow, pink, and orange ‘Patriot Rainbow.’

Lobelia: It’s best to think of lobelia erinus as a seasonal plant for early spring, as it thrives in moderate temperatures.

Your hanging basket will be covered with a mass of electric blue flowers and contrasting white throats that appeal to butterflies.

At the end of June, don’t waste any time trying to coddle the plants; replace them with million bells, lantana, or another heatloving plant.

Million Bells: This cousin of the petunia won’t tucker out when the

temperatures rise. Million bells produce little or no seed and don’t require deadheading to stay in bloom.

All they need is moist soil and a full day of sun to keep your hanging baskets vibrant.

Pelargonium: You may know these by the more common name of geranium, but pelargoniums are annuals, while true geraniums are hardy perennials. The bold texture, bright colors, and trailing habit of pelargoniums make them ideal for hanging baskets. Deadheading is necessary to keep the plants blooming until frost.

Petunia: Petunias have always been a classic favorite for hanging baskets, but some gardeners have given up on them after struggling with plants bedraggled by disease and rainstorms.

Try millifloras which bloom continuously without the need for pinching, or multifloras, which perform in hot, wet summers.

Portaluca: Place portulaca, or moss rose, in a site where it will receive sun for most of the day. When the plant sits in shade, its flowers will close up.

Pair moss rose with other heat-loving, drought tolerant plants like wandering Jew, which will provide color between blooming cycles.

Sweet Alyssum: Sitting near a sweet alyssum hanging basket is like being in the presence of a fragrant cloud. These flowers have a strong honey scent that attracts butterflies and bees.

The appealing trailing habit of sweet alyssum can turn shaggy as the season progresses, so don’t be afraid to reinvigorate it with a summer haircut.

41 All Major Credit Cards Accepted - 0.42€ per word + IVA 0.55€ for printed and online versions

Book your advert now 952 561 245

email: sales@ewnmediagroup.com

Classifieds&Services builders

architect 254863

251843

structural

surveys

Mark Paddon BSc Hons. MCIOB. CAAT.

Property buyer’s surveys and expert defects diagnosis

962 807 247 653 733 066 www.surveyorscostablanca.com for sale

ALARMS

ALARMS & CCTV: All types, quality systems, very reasonable, guaranteed. Tel: 966 797 370 / 662 243 099 bathrooms

For all bathroom conversions contact 698 320 434 (254876) boating

Jet Ski Sea -Doo Bombardier GTX 4 Tec , limited edition, 2003, 90 hours, UK reg.

2500€ no offers , contact wrightnicola50@gmail.com tel 0034 642 218 938 (918)

house clearance

QUICK SILVER INFLATABLE 380 WITH MARINER 25HP AND ROAD TRAILER. IN GOOD CONDITION, BOAT OWNED FROM NEW. EASY TO LAUNCH. NEW BOAT FORCES SALE. PILAR DE LA HORADADA. 1000€ ONO. +447785583155 (252203)

locksmith

BUILDING SERVICES

Security UNION

253304

J & J PAINTERS. Inside outside - clean - fast - low cost. Torrevieja - Orihuela Costa and surrounding areas.

Tel: 650 363 159 ALL types of construction services, reforms, reconstruction: kitchens, bathrooms, roofs, tiling, floors, plasterboard, bricklaying, plumbing & facades. Reasonable Prices.

Torrevieja & surrounding areas. Call 672 929 913 any time BUSINESS FOR SALE

Unique Business Opportunity.

Due to retirement our outlet

U.K.Supplies Direct in Mazarron is for sale. Selling branded products. JML/Vax/ Swan/Morphy Richards/Pifco/ Breville plus many more. The new owner will have exclusivity on all these products throughout the Costa Calida.

There is room to increase the volume of sales via the Internet as yet untouched in the whole of Spain. All serious inquiries to uksuppliesdirect@yahoo.co.uk (240973) CARAVANS

WE BUY, sell & transport all makes of static caravans 630 055 418 Elsyd7@hotmail.com CHARITIES/CHURCHES

LA SIESTA EVANGELICAL CHURCH on Urbanisation La Siesta, Torrevieja is a friendly, English speaking Church. We hold services each Sunday and everyone is welcome.

Our 11.00 am Services are held every 2nd and 4th Sunday in the month (and 11.00 am on the 5th Sunday, if this applies.) On the 1st and 3rd Sunday’s our Services are at 9.30 am. Our choir sings at our 11.00 am Services and there is also a Sunday School, called Stepping Stones, on these Sundays.

We welcome residents, visitors and children.

For more information see our website www. lasiestaevangelicalchurch.org or telephone Pastor Keith on 666 180 108.

ROUNDABOUT CHARITY SHOP. We are now into summer and very soon we will be feeling the heat! It is time therefore for another visit to the shop where you might find a bargain or two. Choose from the clothing selection, jewellery, household goods, books or bric a brac. There is usually something there for everyone --- but not always. Charitable donations have recently been made to The Alzheimers Centre, Cancer Research and The Amigos Ambulance Service. We still need your help with donations etc.

Please keep them coming in!

We are situated on Avenida Del Furs close to the Fountain Roundabout and immediate left by Don Colchon bed shop.

THE ROYAL NAVAL ASSOCIATION, Torrevieja Branch, meet at 17.00 on the first Wednesday of each month at the Restaurante El Paraiso, Urb. Jardin del Mar 3 (behind Carrefour), Torrevieja. Contact Paul Edwards, Chairman 618 644 934 or Margaret Forshaw, Secretary 966 921 996.

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Orihuela Costa - covering from Punta Prima to San Javier.

The branch meets at Olympia restaurant, Mil Palmeras on 3rd Thursday of each month at 19.00 - 19.30pm. More info can be found on branch website www.orihuelacostarbl. co.uk.

experience are very welcome.

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION Gran Alacant & La Marina Branch meets First Monday of the month 18:00 at “La Taberna next to Monte & Mar Restaurant & Bowls Club, Plaza Mayor (MASA Square) Gran Alacant. granalacant.secretary@gmail. com CHIMNEY SWEEP

PROFESSIONAL CHIMNEY SWEEP. Family Business established over 60 years.

660 478 881 computers

THE ANGLICAN CHURCH, La Fustera. For more info: contact Frank Bentley on 966 495 188 CANCER SUPPORT GROUP (MABS) MURCIA/MAR MENOR Help and support is just a phone call away, Avda Rio Nalón, Tel: 693 275 779 TORREVIEJA Christian Fellowship (TCF) is an English speaking lively church located at Avenida de las Valencianas 68, Torrevieja 03183. Residents and holidaymakers are welcome to attend our services with communion and ‘kids church’ each Sunday at 10.30am.

We have a Fellowship Meeting (Bible Study) each Wednesday at 6.00pm. For further information see our website www.tcf-Spain.org or tel 966 700 391.

TORREVIEJA STROKE SUPPORT GROUP meets each Friday 2.45pm to 5pm in The Annex, (behind Age Concern Centre), Calle Paganini, Urb. La Siesta. Our aim is to support stroke survivors and their carers by a range of facilities from speech therapy, rehabilitation exercise, group discussion etc. For info: Louie 966 718 964 or 965 071 920, e-mail: strokesupportgroup@ hotmail.com Donations and further voluntary helpers are needed and guest speakers with relevant knowledge or

253631

DAMP

www.dryzone-espana. com - We are the longest established Damp Proofing company in Spain. We can cure Rising Damp, leaking Flat Roof or Terrace problems quickly & safely. We can make your Underbuild Dry. Villa Paint Due! We can protect your villa & stop PENETRATING DAMP with a Protective Coating. Call us for a survey now; Tel: 634 322 672 ELECTRICIAN

MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (250677) INSURANCE & iNVESTMENTS

SOS <http://www. sosinsuranceinspain.com> Insurance in Spain. Best prices available. CALL US FIRST for all your insurance needs, including best deals on Funeral plans. Buildings and contents cover from just 82 euros per year and cars from 120 euros. Tel 966 787 123 / 622 275 561 / 686 116 297 / email info@ sosinsuranceinspain.com

42

24 feb - 2 march 2017

INTERNET

GET YOUR business noticed online! Make sure that expats in Spain can find your product, service, restaurant, bar or shop. Contact Spain’s newest and brightest online directory TODAY. Call 952 561 245 or email mark.w@ euroweeklynews.com for more details.

METALWORK

MOBILE Metal Work Any welding or plasma cutting work carried out. For a free quote call 639 487 503 www.eriksmetalwork.com.

ALL METAL WORK UNDERTAKEN. Costa Calida. stan@eriksmetalwork.com.

636 050 008.

MEETING POINT

VERY YOUNG AT HEART 60YR Old Gentleman WLTM Fun Loving Lady for Serious/Lasting Relationship – Martin 966 392 845/447793 564 156 MOTORING

WE ARE currently the market leader in our country in the sale of direct car, motorbike, home and company fleet insurance. Since we started out in 1995, our philosophy has always been to offer an excellent service with the best prices in the market. For the most competitive quotes in English, call Linea Directa on 902 123 309.

PERGOLA COVERS

TAILOR made, durable canvas, sails, umbrella, spa and BBQ covers. Mazarron based, and at Procomobel Market, Guardamar Saturday mornings.

667 879 399 krugercanopies@yahoo.co.uk PET CHARITIES

EASYHORSE CARE RESCUE CENTRE. We aim to rescue HORSES. If you would like to DONATE please call 965 967 033 or sales@easyhorsecare.

net www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue 652 021 980 PLUMBING

MR FIXIT. For all your electrical, plumbing, general & appliance & boiler repairs. No call out charge. 698 320 434 (250677) POOLS

POOL MAINTENANCE

260 or 0044 751 918 6355 email van.man@hotmail. co.uk UK-SPAIN-IRELAND. Removals with the personal touch. Pets carried with care 965 696 750 / 0044 (0) 7447 918 589 e-mail chrisyounge73979@aol.com SATELLITE AND TV

Repairs, Spares and Leak

SALES REP REQUIRED for

Testing. Call 965 725 565 /

distribution company. Part

676 945 360

time, one day per week.

www.pooltechspain.com

Torrevieja / Orihuela Costa

(251524)

areas. Would suit active retired person.

PROPERTY FOR SALE

CIUDAD QUESEDA Villa 500m2 plot, 4 double bedrooms, large bathroom and shower room. Large Balcony, Cloakroom, lounge dinner, large kitchen (white goods included). Oil central heating though out. Double glazed conservatory, car port. 10x8 solar heated pool. Screened BBQ area, plus much more seeing is believing. 340,000€. Contact 688 486 752 private sale REMOVAL SERVICES

UK - SPAIN - UK. Masses of experience. New clean vehicles running weekly.

Fully insured with RSA. Genuinely CARING service. 1 CBM to ANY size move! ONLINE QUOTE!! www.bmceuropean.com Tel: 951 242 430 or UK 08456 443 784 please FIND US ON FACEBOOK! (253763) REMOVALS AND STORAGE

MAN AND VAN UK - Spain. 2 vans travelling twice a month, Murcia - North / South UK. Storage in Spain. Tel 610 846

Job: Optical dispenser Skill required: Experience in Optics, with good customer service skills, ideally fluent in German, English and Spanish (German nationality would be preferred as the role will be working with German clients) Please send Cvs to Martin Blake at dir.santaponca@ st.uk.specsavers.com

Call 600 061 202.

DO YOU CARE? If so, why

not join our team of carers who work in the UK. Earn

SITUATIONS VACANT

from £952 - £1,456 for 2 253703

weeks. Good written/spoken English, British or EU Passport

TELECOMS

FED UP PAYING TOO MUCH FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE CALLS? THEN CONTACT TELITEC TODAY. CALLS TO SPAIN 7C PER MINUTE INCLUDING MOBILES. CALLS TO UK 5.3C PER MINUTE. NO MONTHLY FEES, NO CONTRACT. WWW.TELITEC. COM TEL: 902 889 070 (0) WANTED

DIESEL car LHD and motorhome right or LHD wanted.Cash waiting Tel 650 722 905 WANTED Quad Bike and Jet Ski. Call 650 722 905 (247257) RECORDS & CDs WANTED. Pop, Rock, Jazz, Blues. Top cash paid. Henry 630 665 363 WANTED Cars, vans, caravans, 4 X 4’s British Spanish 600 781 873 ibuyanycar@hotmail.com XXX RELAXATION

required. Contact Sandra on

Readers of a sensitive

658 965 204 or email s.field@

disposition may find some

consultuscare.com

FIELD SALES positions

Sophie elegante, sexy, slim naughty lady, home/hotel visit.3 Languages spoken.

Also private Villamartin apartment. 693 357 526 (251838)

ENJOY Veronica´s exciting full 1 hour massage.

Fully qualified. For an appointment call 679 292 678 FRIENDLY MATURE ENGLISH lady offers massage plus escort service in a comfortable apartment. New to Alicante area. Call Vicky on 691 842 737 for further information.

VIAGRA, cialis, kamagra

of the advertisements in this

all areas 604 385 476.

section offensive.

Viagra4you19@gmail.com

available. Must have own transport, English and Spanish preferred, but

not essential, must have local knowledge of the area and be smart and

presentable. Applications

by email with full CV should be sent to recruitment@ euroweeklynews.com.

SWIMMING POOLS

WOODEN POOLS LIMITED. Manufacturers & installers of wooden above ground pools.

Take the plunge with one of the above ground pools.

Best of all “No Planning Permission Required” Tel: 634 322 672. Phone or email for a FREE COLOUR BROCHURE & PRICE LIST NOW. www.woodenpools.limited info@woodenpools.limited

ELECTRICAL REPAIRS

254841

TRANSPORT

254944

43

24 feb - 2 march 2017

248138

DUKE

Duke is a very gentle and to start with shy young man, about 2 years old, who was found on a busy road in Playa Flamenca. He was bought into K9 incredibly emaciated and very weak. He is a lovely young man who will be a very close companion. Duke can be nervous of men but will quickly overcome this with some TLC. He loves other dogs. He has been neutered. Duke really is a little gem with beautiful deep brown eyes which you could drown in.

Duke has a Passport so he is ready to travel !

Call K9 600 845 420

APAH - Boris

Boris is a cat that thinks he’s a dog. Rescued off the street with a horrendous facial abscess, he is all healed up now and needs a home where he will be the only cat. Boris follows people around asking to be fussed, but he doesn’t like the company of other cats. He would be a fantastic companion for someone who has time to spend with him.

254710

To meet Boris Call: 630 422 563 or 616 210 850

REX Rex is a 6 month old Chihuahua x Spaniel and weighs just 4.5 kilos. He is great with other dogs, cats and children. Rex is fully vaccinated and is a happy, healthy little boy Call: 645 469 253 www.petsinspain.com info@petsinspain.com

ARAMIS

Meet Aramis, a beautiful ginger and white young man about 2 years old. He has a brother, Athos, who is all ginger and slightly shyer. Both boys would make ideal outdoor cats as they are excellent hunters. After keeping them in a “ shelter “ for 10 days they could be let out to roam free provided they are fed regularly and have a warm bed in their shelter. In time they would allow you to stroke them, indeed they would love it, and purr very contently.

K9 600 845 420.

44

24 feb - 2 march 2017

motoring

Aston Martin Valkyrie SINCE THE first reveal of the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar in July 2016, Aston Martin, Red Bull Advanced Technologies and project partner AF Racing have been working intensively to further develop the Valkyrie’s aerodynamics, body styling and cockpit packaging.

The teardropshaped cockpit’s upper body surfaces and lower tub contours follow the envelope of space available between the huge full length Venturi tunnels that run either side of the cockpit floor. Drawing huge quantities of air beneath the car to feed the rear diffuser, these tunnels are the key to generating the Aston Martin Valkyrie’s extraordinary levels of downforce while keeping the upper body surfaces free from additional aerodynamic devices that would spoil the purity of the styling.

To maximise interior space the seats are mounted directly to the tub, with occupants adopting a reclined ‘feet-up’ position reminiscent of today’s Formula One and Le Mans Prototype race cars, ensuring driver and passenger are extremely safe, perfectly supported and feel completely at one with the car. A four-point harness comes as standard, while an optional sixpoint harness will be offered for those who intend to do more track driving.

2015 FIAT 500 1.2 SPORT air-con, CD/radio with USB & Aux plug-in, city steering, 56,000kms

2015 NISSAN NOTE 1.5DCi 90 TEKNA In silver metallic 40,000kms Cruise control USB plug in and more

9,995€

2015 HYUNDAI i10 1.1 ADVANCE air-con, CD/radio with USB & Aux plug-in, cruise control, 19,500kms 2015 SKODA FABIA 1.0i JUNIOR one owner car, climate control, USB plug-in with Bluetooth, 40,000kms

9,500€ 8,495€

8,500€

2014 VW POLO TSi air-con, CD/radio with USB & aux plug-in, alloy wheels, 41,000kms

8,995€

2014FORD FIESTA 1.25 TREND in black 52,000kms Climate control, USB media music system

8,495€

2,800€

2010 VESPA 125cc SUPERSPORT immaculate condition in Rosso Ferrari, 17,000kms, FSH, guarantee & transfer 2006 RENAULT CLIO 1.5 DCi 5 door, air-con, FSH, 100,000kms 2004 FORD FOCUS 1.6i TREND air-con, CD/radio, perfect holiday home car 2003 FORD MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE finished in Gleaming black. Very clean motor, ready for summer 1999 FORD MUSTANG 3.8L V6 AUTOMATIC 35th anniversary edition, Crystal white with special 19” alloys 1997 CEVROLET CAMERO 3.8V6 finished in arctic white paintwork with 18”alloys Targa top!!

SOLD

1,995€ 12,995€ 8,995€ 6,995€

1994 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STi ACROPOLIS edition, no 20 of 100 hand-built cars, 68,000miles

14,995€

1992 PORSCHE 944 CABRIO FSH, electric blue metallic

1970 CHEVROLET CHEVELLE 502 SS 8.2 V8, restored in 1996 & only done 7,500 miles since

14,995€ POA

motoring

24 feb - 2 march 2017

Mercedes celebrate More drivers plug-in Instagram success to hybrid cars The @MercedesBenz_de channel has passed the two million followers mark, making it the most successful German-speaking automotive channel. More than ten million fans follow the global account @MercedesBenz. It is the automotive channel with the most interactions in the world. Over and above this, according to a current study by analysis company T4Media, with over 143 million likes and comments in the first half of 2017 it was the most interactive brand channel of all the Interbrand 100 brands. The new milestones in its long-standing commitment to the social web are being celebrated by the Stuttgart automotive manufacturer with a special "thank you" to its fans.

Hundreds of photos which people from all over the world have posted on Instagram to demonstrate their affinity with the star brand can be seen as a video animation on the advertising and media spaces of the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin in the coming two weeks.

"Mercedes-Benz is the world's leading automotive brand on social media, including Instagram," stated Dr Jens Thiemer, Vice President Marketing Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars. "Our success is based on attractive content and a systematic multi-channel strategy. We concentrate on working with influencers and on curating user-generated content in order to delight our followers and fans with relevant posts and a first-class brand presence." Communication via social media is hugely important with regard to brand rejuvenation, a policy which Mercedes-Benz has been successfully pursuing in recent years. As a result, the large global online community is becoming younger and the company is reaching new target groups, filling them with enthusiasm for the brand and its products.

The success on Instagram demonstrates that MercedesBenz has its finger on the pulse of users all over the world. The channels are supported by a small creative network of photographers and videographers, who ensure that as much content as possible that the fans really want to see is generated. The visually driven, multifaceted content created predominantly comes from the fans of the brand: 95 percent of all photos and videos are generated by them, with only five percent being posted by Mercedes-Benz.

45

The future for the UK’s roads looks greener than ever with UK car buyers registering more electric and plug-in hybrid cars during the first half of 2017 than in any previous six-monthly period. More than 22,400 plug-in models were registered between January and June 2017, a rise of 14.3% on 2016 and 53.8% up on the same period in 2015.

June exceeded all previous non-plate-change months with 4,405 new plug-in models sold during the month (33% up on June 2016). Demand from private buyers has driven growth with 44.9% more consumers opting for plug-in hybrid and electric power between January and June 2017, compared to the same period last year.

UK Transport Minister Jesse Norman, said: “It is great to see that electric and plug-in hybrid cars are helping more UK motorists to cut fuel costs and emissions.

The total number of plug-in cars on our roads is at record levels, with the latest figures showing that there are now over 100,000 plug-in cars and vans registered in the UK. “The UK is a world leader in tackling climate change and the Government is committed to supporting the transition to a low carbon economy and improving air quality. Our aim is that nearly all cars and vans on our roads are zero emission by 2050.”

The fully-electric Nissan LEAF was the UK’s best selling plug-in car in the first six months of 2017, while BMW’s plug-in hybrid 3-Series saloon was one of the year’s biggest growers, rising 79.9% following its launch last year.

46

sport

Torrevieja tennis champ on his way to glory at the Sparkassen Open

By Donna Gee Four years ago, the legendary Boris Becker took a peek at a promising young tennis talent of German extraction and asserted that Nicola Kuhn was ‘a better player than I was at his age.’

Becker remains the only unseeded play to win the Wimbledon men's singles - an astounding feat he accomplished at the age of 17. However, tennis has changed so much since 1985 that nobody realistically expects Herr Becker's 1985 cruise to glory ever to be repeated.

Apart that is, from blond six-footer Kuhn, the Spanishreared son of a German father and Russian mother, who last week achieved the next best thing by winning a major ATP Challenger title at the age of just 17 years and three months.

That's four months younger than Becker was when he beat Kevin Curren in that memorable SW19 final 32 years ago.

And what's more, the unseeded Kuhn was the youngest player in the €127,000 Sparkassen Open draw and had to battle through the qualifying tournament to join a first-round field that included eight of the world's Top 100 players.

Few people expected the Torrevieja teenager to reach the first-round proper, let alone advance to the later stages.

But last Saturday, an enraptured German crowd saluted the unlikely champion, who at number 501 in the world, was the lowest-ranked player in the tournament.

On his seven-match glory run, Kuhn even had the audacity to see off Slovakian star Jozef Kovalik, whose recent successes include a victory over Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic at the Chennai ATP 250 tournament.

Th only disappointment is that his moment of glory was dimmed by the retirement of opponent Viktor Galovic through injury in the final set. But Kuhn, after losing the first set 6-2, was already in a winning position at 4-2 in the decider when Galovic conceded defeat.

The 32-man line-up at Braunschweig traditionally includes several players who exited early from the Wimbledon main draw - and this year was no different, with Andy Murray's second-round victim Dustin Brown among the more familiar names in the draw.

Kid Kuhn - playing in only his second Challenger tournament - found himself face to face with at least one player TWICE his age as he battled to tame experienced professionals seven and eight years his senior.

Kuhn's hopes seemed to be over when he trailed 0-4 in the deciding set against Kovalik in the quarter-final. But remarkably, he managed to break back twice and squeeze out a nail-biting 8-6 win in the tie-break.

‘This has been the best week of my life, that's for sure,’ insisted Nico, who won his first ITF Futures tournament in Hungary only last month.

‘I always wanted to play in an event like this at a young age but I certainly didn't expect to come through the qualifiers and then win the entire tournament!

‘My original goal for this year was to make the ATP Top 200 but with that now in sight it would be great to have some success perhaps in an ATP 250 tournament.

‘My preparations for Braunschweig were really good particularly from the fitness side. I played some great tennis and was also mentally very tough throughout the tournament.’

Nico, started every round in Germany as underdog against experienced pros aged between 22 and 34, whose average ranking was more than 300 places above his own ATP status.

The 125 ranking points he receives for winning the tournament lifted him 259 places to number 242 in the world rankings this week. And he'll no doubt savour that achievement just as much as he will enjoy spending his €18,290 winners' cheque.

For the record, Kuhn's astonishing week-long run to today's (Saturday) final against 26-year-old Galovic went like this...

Qualifying 1st round - bye; Qualifying 2nd round: Beat Julian Onken (Germany, ATP rank 791) 6-4 6-3 Qualifying 3rd round: Beat Michael Linzer (Austria, ATP 275) 6-3 6-3 First round: Beat Goncalo Oliveira (Portugal, ATP 277) 6-4 6-2 Second round: Beat Carlos Berlocq (Argentina, ATP 80) 6-4 7-5 Quarter-final: Beat Jozef Kovalik (Croatia, ATP 159) 7-6 5-7 7-6 Semi-final: Beat Marco Fucsovics (Hungary ATP 109) 7-5 4-6 6-4 Final: Beat Viktor Galovic (Croatia, ATP 491) 2-6, 7-5,4-2 RETIRED. FINAL WORD on kid Kuhn from losing finalist Galovic: ‘Yeah, at his age I was at home playing PlayStation’. www.donnagee.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/nicolakuhntennis

Med Bar Golf Society, El Raso The latest instalment of the Individual Stableford took place last Wednesday and the merry throng made their way to Altorreal; albeit some earlier than others!

With the sun was blazing down as early as 8.30am, plenty of liquids were needed as the temperature reached 39ºC on the course during the afternoon. As everyone trundled off the 18th green and made their way to the more than welcome 19th hole for more, albeit different but nevertheless welcome liquids, everyone agreed it was it was a hard day’s work on the course.

Even though it was his birthday, head of committee Andrew Drinkall, received the thanks of all involved for all his hard work in setting the day up which saw one very lucky - no, make that talented – member Andy Trefry cleaning up and winning four prizes.

The results were: Gold division and overall winner was birthday boy Andrew Drinkall with Andy Trefly taking the runner-up spot.

Silver division winner was Robert Scott; runner-up roger Clarke Nearest the pin on par 3: Paul Owen hole 5, Buck Taylor hole 8, Andy Trefry hole 17 Nearest the pin in 2 on a par 4: Paul Owen Longest drive on hole 18: Mark Threfall Nearest the pin in 3 on a par 5: Andy Trefry Everyone returned after the very enjoyable day to the Med Bar & Bistro in El Raso where family and friends joined the golferes and all had a good time thank in no small way to the buffet provided by Steve and his staff.

The next outing for the Med Bar Golf Society, El Raso is on Tuesday 25th July at Font de Llop and is the official yearly blind pair’s competition.

Anyone wishing to join the society is welcome and can either be contacted by e-mail at: medbargolf2016@gmail.com or pop into the bar where all details can be left.

24 feb - 2 march 2017

sport

47

Tennis fan meets his game, set & match TO QUOTE the four-time Grand Slam Winner Kim Clijsters herself during the unexpected interruption to her game during the recent Wimbledon fortnight: “We’re breaking all the rules of the Club here!” Yes, they were, but nobody really minded.

Picture the scene. You’re just about to serve during a professional tennis match held at the world’s greatest tennis venue when you start getting coaching from the stands. Not from your own team but from a heckler! When Chris Quinn decided to give Clijsters advice on serving, he probably didn’t expect her to invite him onto the court to try and accept one of her serves. And Clijsters probably didn’t expect Quinn to accept her invite onto the court, but to don a tennis skirt and top so he met the court’s dress code.

Granted, the women’s invitation doubles tournament isn’t among the most serious of the fortnight, but what happened has never been seen before on the luscious green turf. Clijsters, from Belgium, was getting ready to serve when Quinn shouted from the stands that Clijsters should serve a body shot, a serve that is aimed to hit the receiver in the body.

“You said body?” Clijsters, half-laughing, said to Quinn, “Why don’t you go there?” She then indicated to where her opponent was standing across the court.

To the crowd’s delight and amusement, Quinn ran down the stands and hopped onto the court rather fleet of foot despite his, should we say, bulk. Clijsters’ opponent gladly handed over her racquet and Clijsters grabbed some spare tennis attire from her bag for Quinn to slip on over his clothes, although as she screamed out herself, the skirt only just managed to get over his knees.

Quinn was probably expecting the body shot, but Clijsters served an easy shot that Quinn actually returned. Apparently, Quinn the heckler is a captain of a tennis club just outside of Dublin. Later, Quinn and Clijsters exchanged messages on Twitter, showing that the entire event was done in good spirits.

Gunners banged up with food poisoning A SICKNESS bug believed to be food poisoning has been slowly making its way through the Arsenal football squad during their pre-season tour and exhibition trip of the Far East Sead Kolasinac was physically sick on the pitch and had to leave the field during the 3-2 penalty shootout win over Bayern Munich at the Shanghai Stadium, and both Per Mertesacker and Olivier Giroud were unable to play a single minute. Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey both felt sick, but managed a few minutes on the pitch after coming off the bench.

Arsenal FC Manager Arsene Wenger said: “We have a virus in the camp.

The doctor thinks it is food poisoning.

Mertesacker and Giroud were sick.

Kolasinac was sick. Theo Walcott and Aaron have had a little bit of food poisoning as well. I don’t know what they ate. If you ask me is it an ideal way to prepare physically, I say certainly not.”

There is a school of thought that the sudden and dramatic change in the climate which saw the Gunners transferring from Australia to China might have contributed to some of the health problems running through the side.

The next fixture on the list is tomorrow (Saturday) when they take on their London rivals Chelsea at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing.

Wenger was asked for his thoughts if the very long flights across the world combined with the changes in time zones and the weather is worth the hassle in the name of friendly matches.

“It is a good question.

Unfortunately sometimes I give bad answers to good questions, but if you ask me if it is ideal physically to prepare, I say certainly not,” Wenger answered. “Does it have other advantages? Yes, because we can meet fans all over the world. The bonding in the team is easier as well because we live together for two weeks. So on that front it can be very positive, but the real answer will be given by the way we start in the championship.”

La Liga fixtures delayed due to probe

The Spanish football federation has pushed back a draw for the upcoming football league calendar until today (Friday) following the arrest of its president.

According to a message on their official Twitter account, the draw to decide fixtures for the first and second divisions, originally scheduled for yesterday, will now take place today at 12:30pm at the federation’s headquarters.

The federation postponed the scheduled meeting for 24 hours in the wake of the arrest of Angel Maria Villar in a major anti-corruption probe.

His son Gorka along with federation vice-president and financial chief Juan Padron were also held in connection with the probe, which notably focuses on allegations of skimming profits from international matches.

Earlier on Wednesday, the head of Spain’s government sports council, Jose Ramon Lete, had said the draw would go ahead despite the arrests and cancelled meetings.

“The draw, which is a purely administrative act, will take place.”

The 2017/18 first division season will begin the weekend of August 19-20 and end on May 20, 2018.