RTN Newspaper - Costa Blanca North 16 - 22 February 2018 Issue 956

FREE!

For daily news online www.rtnnewspaper.com

COSTA BLANCA NORTH

16th - 22nd Feb

Innovation in back surgery THE Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Denia Hospital has incorporated a new technique that replaces previous major surgery.

Patients being treated for lumbar disc hernias and other related conditions can now experience a procedure that is unique within the Valencian Community, and practised in very few other hospitals across Spain.

The new technique consists of access to the lumbar canal by a small camera for which only an 18-millimetre incision is required. Patients are expected to be able to undergo the surgery as an outpatient and thus free up beds that would’ve been required after previous operations for this test.

Concussion victim knocked down AN elderly woman has suffered a fractured skull after being hit by a car in Benidorm.

What lead to the incident is unknown, but the 82-year-old victim also suffered concussion before being attended to by paramedics and transferred to the Marina Baixa Hospital in Villajoyosa.

Calpe cheese linked to meningitis alert

By Darren Parmenter PUBLIC health authorities in Calpe have withdrawn a batch of cheeses that contain the risk of contracting meningitis.

A shipment of cheese seized yesterday being distributed by Ohian Txiki Koop, may have contained the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes that is suspected to be behind a case of meningitis detected in Madrid.

The person affected developed symptoms of the disease after eating some of the confiscated cheese.

The varieties of cheese affected are Gutizia, raw sheep milk cheese, Txuria, soft cheese from raw sheep’s milk and Beltza, lactic cheese-curd

of raw sheep’s milk.

According to sources, health inspectors had discovered a batch of the suspected cheese in a hotel’s restaurant in Calpe which had been distributed in Alicante and originating from Madrid.

At first, the initial withdrawal of these cheeses only affect-

Typical Basque sheep milk cheese.

ed Madrid, Cataluña and the Basque Countr y where they were first distributed but it was later realised that some had found their way into the Alicante Province.

The alarm was raised when a 39-year-old man in Madrid was admitted into hospital in the Spanish capital suffering from the symptoms of meningitis.

Consumers are asked to check their fridges and larders and if they have any of the brands listed above, they should return them to the point of purchase immediately and not eat the cheese.

Issue 956

INSIDE THIS WEEK ...

NEW LAWS SET TO REDUCE ‘BOAT PARKS’

P3 THE HUNGRY NEED CHUMS

P8 ELDERLY PASSENGERS ENDURE UP TO 20 HOURS FLIGHT DELAY

P16

2

16th - 22nd February

Road tragedy speeds council into action Photo by Javea.com

by Dave Bennett THE RTN reported back in early Januar y (RTN 952) on an accident at a pedest r i a n c ro s s i n g i n Jave a that saw a Russian woman and her dog being killed as they crossed the busy Avenida Juan Carlos I. The City Council has already acted in the aftermath of the tragic deaths a n d h a s i n s t a l l e d fo u r speed bumps between three crossings along that stretch of road. In addition, road signs warning of the control measures have been erected to warn approaching drivers.

Despite the good intentions of the municipality, the speed bumps have already caused some consternation on many social m e d i a p l a t fo r m s , w i t h some seeing the restrictions as being harmful to car suspensions.

ADOPTA dogs find some new homes BENISSA was the centre of the first ever ADOPTA Festival held last Sunday.

The event was regarded as a great experience for all who attended, with one of the positive results being four of the 10 abandoned puppies being put on show managed to find a new home.

It also spotlighted the work done by the AKIRA and the ADOPTA Bernia-Benissa associations.

The day was very much a family affair with attractions and games for the children and a catering van and a bar for the adults to enjoy as they watched a dog show.

The winner will feature on the promotional material for Benissa’s dog beach.

The Russians have been!

REACTION: Council install speed bumps... but is it enough?

The maximum permitted speed along the affecte d s e c t i o n o f ro a d i s 30kph, although it’s not u n co m m o n to s e e s o m e drivers far exceeding that limit.

Local residents, whilst welcoming the new speed bumps, still say that not enough is being done to make the road safer. T he y continue to complain about the poor

lighting which often cuts out during heavy rain, as well as the cars that continue to double park near to pedestrian crossings, thus reducing visibility.

RUSSIAN ship Shtandart spent a day moored at the Marina del Denia during its journey from Cartagena to Tarragona. It spent all day in the port and attracted a number of visitors keen to capture this replica of a ship that was first built in 1703 under the orders of Russian tsar Peter the Great and became the lead ship of the Baltic Fleet.

It may only be a copy, but it’s highly regarded as being one of the jewels of the Russian Navy.

Built in 1994, it is used both as a training ship and a museum. It’s 34.5 metres long and has a crew of 30, made up of young people taking part in an education trip.

16th - 22nd February Photo credit: Xabia.org

New laws set to reduce ‘boat parks’ The problem is a particular issue in areas such as Cala de la Sardinera which can attract hundreds of boats choosing the beautiful location as a temporary home in the busy summer season.

The consultation process involving interested professional par ties was launched on Januar y 23, and has closed this week, pushing the button for the

public meetings to get underway.

Should the new regulations come into force next year, it won’t just be ‘parking’ that will be controlled.

It will include guidelines on the regeneration of beaches, define future fishing rights - both professional and recreationaland establish measures aimed at preventing vessels from interfering with

Trapped car crash woman refuses hospital A RESIDENT of Pego - a woman believed to be aged 60 to 70-years-old - has been injured in a traffic accident near the Marjal, at the junction between the CV-678 and the CV-728.

According to reports, she was driving her car when it left the road, overturned and hit a wall before coming to a halt and leaving the woman trapped inside.

Three fire engines were sent to the scene to help with the rescue of the woman who was treated at the Pego health centre, as she refused to be taken to hospital.

POPULAR: Javea’s Cala de la Sardinera in the busy season.

PEOPLE planning to drop anchor on their small boats off part of the busy northern Costa Blanca will shortly be facing restrictions.

The Ministry of Environment has declared its intention to control the amount of boats which use the natural bay between the Arenal de Javea and the Cap D’Or de Moraira due to recent overcrowding issues.

3

sea creatures. It will also bring in tougher penalties for anyone caught making illegal discharges from both land or sea.

This particular coastal section has been highlighted as being one of great natural value containing a number of protected species that the environment ministry now wish to continue to protect for future generations.

Major school investments announced AFTER 20 years of being taught in prefabricated classrooms, pupils in the IES Garcia Berlanga in Sant Joan d’Alacant will say a fond farewell to them.

This follows the announcement that the municipality will benefit from an investment of € 10 million from the Valencian government to expand and reform the secondary school.

This latest investment comes after it was revealed that the area will get an additional € 7 million to renovate the Lo Romero School.

4

16th - 22nd February

Security cameras and alarms no deterrent to robbers JuanBanjo Wikimedia

by Mark Rogers THE recent wave of robber ies in Javea has continued with two more bars suffering from attacks.

O n t h i s o cc a s i o n , t h e robbers - who have caused a g re at d e a l o f a l a r m throug hout the municipality - have stolen cash registers.

In the early hours of l a s t S at u rd ay m o r n i n g , two businesses in Javea, one of them in the Plaza de La Marina Alta and ano t h e r i n f ro n t o f t h e h e a l t h ce n t re h a d t h e i r doors broken down, and s aw t h e t h i e ve s m a k e their way straight to the cash tills.

During both robberies, they showed no regard for t h e fa c t t h at b o t h b a r s had security cameras operating and alar ms that were set off.

A cco rd i n g to re p o r t s , the first attack took place

European joint effort works NATIONAL POLICE operating in Benidorm have arrested a fugitive on the run from Poland in the city.

Thanks to a series of international agencies working together, the 57-year-old man from the Netherlands, was detained after fleeing from Polish justice where he was wanted for drug crimes. He faces a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment.

The man, allegedly part of a criminal network dedicated to trafficking large quantities of marihuana, was traced to a Benidorm hotel.

New osprey chicks expected soon CRIME WAVE: Two overnight robberies in the Plaza de la Marina area.

at 3.30am after a neighb o u r w a s awo k e n b y a loud noise, caused by the t h i e ve s u s i n g t h e s to n e base of an umbrella found on a nearby patio.

Despite the bar having armoured glass that was

18 millimetres thick, the thieves still managed to get in and rip out the till... which contained just €80.

Realising they hadn’t got enough money from the first raid; they then

picked on another bar close by. This time, they c u t t h ro u g h t h e m e t a l gr ills and stole the cash re g i s te r, b u t w e re o b ser ved by CCT V cameras for the second time in one night.

THE project to reintroduce the osprey is already flying high in the Marina Alta.

Before this summer, the first newly born chicks are expected to arrive in the area of Les Planes close to the cliffs of Cape Sant Antoni.

It is believed that this particular species of bird always returns to the place where they are born, and it’s hoped that if this is the case a number will shortly be arriving back ready to nest and breed. This would mean seeing the species in the area again since it became extinct in 1981.

16th - 22nd February

Hundreds mourn tourism pioneer LOCAL people of all nationalities said their own fond farewells at the funeral of Roc Gregori in Alfas del Pi. Gregori, who was recognised from far and wide as being a pioneer of the promotion of tourism on the Costa Blanca, passed away the day before.

Hundreds of mourners, including the mayor of Benidorm, Toni Perez, filled the parish church of San Jose to overflowing, such was the esteem he was held in. Former mayors of Benidorm Manuel Catalan Chana and Manuel Perez Fenoll - also paid their last respects to the man who had such a great influence on the way the Costa Blanca tourist hotspot is today.

THE new Poble Nou de Benitachell cultural centre will have a seating capacity for more than 300 people.

The architectural firm tasked with creating a building that will become both a great cultural and social part of the town, has already finished the plans that include a giant latticework on the facade that reflects the maritime tradition of the municipality.

The unique design also makes reference to and is inspired by scales on fish and fishing nets.

Benidorm promotes transport policy cooperation TA K I N G i t s i n s p i rat i o n from similar schemes in other parts of Spain, B enidor m has proposed the setting up of a regional transport consortium.

The move is aimed principally at mana g ing the inter-urban bus ser v ice that links the main towns i n t h e re g i o n a n d a l s o serves other popular destinations such as the Villajoyosa hospital.

The nine towns that a re e nv i s a g e d to m a k e u p a ny future consortium a re , a p a r t f r o m Benidorm, A l te a , A l fa s del Pi, L a Nucia , Po l o p , C a l l o s a d ’e n Sarria, Finestrat, Relleu and Villajoyosa.

At the moment, the trans-

port ser vice operating in the Marina Baixa is cove re d b y t wo b u s com p a nies - ALSA and Llorente Bus - as a result of a conce s s i o n aw a rd e d b y t h e Valencian government.

I t ’s a l s o u n d e r s to o d that the current contract has been extended for at least a couple more years.

Benidorm City Council has pointed out that mun i c i p a l i t i e s w i t h m o re

than 50,000 inhabitants like Benidorm - would, under the new proposals, be able to tender for its own public transport systems and thus pull away from Valencian control.

T h i s wo u l d a l s o m e a n that the popular tourist city could then promote its own regional consort i u m to e x p a n d i n to

neighbouring municipalities.

The new plans would allow the municipalities to have all the decision-making with respect to the number of bus lines, the timetables, location of bus stops and the setting of fares which is currently in the control of Valencia.

LOCAL CONTROL: Bus routes and fares could be decided locally.

Photo by Llorente Bus Wikimedia

Extra seating capacity for new cultural centre

5

6

16th - 22nd February

We want our people back! based on the use of utilities etc, but official numbers from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE﴿ suggest there are 3,000 fewer. This means that for every person ‘missing,’ the municipality receive €200 less from central government and therefore puts extra strain on the provision of local services.

Savills Aguirre Newman YouTube

FOLLOWING the release of official data that showed the municipality of L’Alfas del Pi had lost 3,000 people from their padrón, they have since set the legal machine in process to get them back.

According to the figures held by the council, a total of 21,964 live in the area which is

Commercial centre in jobs boost

Social programmes get extra funds DENIA City Council has received a significant cash injection from central government to develop a number of programmes aimed at different social groups.

A total of €2,283,760 - an increase of 13 per cent compared to last year - will be shared around the municipality. Social services will get €640,480, and day centres for the elderly will benefit from a grant of €1,420,690. The amount spent on people with special needs increases to €116,890.

EXPANSION: 19 extra stores bring 200 employment opportunities.

by Mark Rogers AROUND 200 new jobs will be created after the ex tension to the O utlet Stores Commercial Centre in San Vicente del Raspeig is completed.

The expansion plans will see the current area increase its retail capacity by 40 per cent to 1 2 , 0 0 0 m 2 a n d i t ’s e x p e c te d t h at t h e n e w f a cilities will be inaugurated in time for this summer.

After being closed for more than five years, work started on the renovation of the commercial premises last October, and an additional 19 new shops and stores will be built creating the extra employment opportunities.

T he mayor of San Vicente del R aspeig , Jesus V i l l a r, s p e a k i n g t o t h e Spanish media said: “News like this can only benefit the municipality, not only because of the

improvements to the local economy, but attracting more people from the sur rounding areas. But most important of all are the extra jobs created.”

Outlet Stores manager, Andres Enciso, explained that there are a number of new retail brands that have chosen San Vicent del Raspeig as their home. These include Guess, Geox, Hunk e m ö l l e r, L a m fo rd a n d t h e A m e r i c a n fo o t w e a r firm Skechers.

16th - 22nd February

Fight against gender violence gets a boost

Station trees removed without permission T HE four large trees that have been taken down at the Benissa TRAM station were done so without permission.

T he B enissa Council is “astonished” and has clarified that they hadn’t been advised that the trees, that gave so much natural shade at the station and part of its heritage, were going to be pulled up.

After the trees were cut down last week, social networks were alive with people condemning the decision of train company FGV to remove them as part of the ongoing programme of renovation work on Line 9 of the TRAM between Calpe and Teulada.

T he o f f i c i a l re a s o n for their felling after being part of the station furniture for more than 70 years was that they would have interfered with the ne w lower platforms.

Photo credit: RTN

WORKING in full collaboration with the National Police, Benidorm City Council has set up a dedicated unit to fight the increase in violence against women.

Made up of just two people, they will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to attend any reported cases of gender violence, regardless of whether it is one of their work or rest days.

They will both be given specialised training and will be working hand in hand with the equality department, a service that is currently staffed by a psychologist, a social worker and a lawyer who offers legal advice to victims. In 2017, this unit assisted more than 100 women.

The councillor responsible for security in Benidorm, Lorenzo Martinez, explained that the initiative fulfils a commitment made by the municipality to join a system of monitoring and preventing cases of gender violence.

Commenting on the announcement to the Spanish media, Councillor for Equality Paquita Ripoll stressed that “the implementation of this unit will significantly improve communication and coordination in the continual fight against gender violence, especially in regard to issuing restraining orders and other judicial actions.”

7

ICONIC: The trees at Benissa station are no more.

Their long roots have also taken its toll and due to the size of them, it was impossible to replant them.

Benissa Council has expressed its regret that they

were not, as a courtesy, told of the plans and have since a g re e d wit h t h e F G V t h e obligation to report any future similar situations well in advance. They state that

many of the trees in the area are old and have special characteristics and any future plans for cutting other such trees should be kept to a minimum.

8

16th - 22nd February

It fits! TRAM station buses pass access tests Photo credit: AdriMarfar Wikimedia

by Dave Bennett AFTER all the work and the money invested in the upgrading of the new TRAM station in Denia, the last thing needed would be if the buses serving the transport hub couldn’t be accommodated.

But those fears have now been answered following a series of tests on the newly constructed bus bays outside the station.

Denia City Council has stated that “even the largest of the buses that make up the different fleets operating in the municipality have been able to enter the station, park and depart without any problems.”

Bus access had been one of the biggest concerns of opposition councillors and residents alike, and in response the governing coalition council of the PSPV and Compromis commissioned a number of tests

STOCKING UP: The ladies of CHUMS.

The hungry need CHUMS ON BOARD: ALSA’s biggest buses easily accommodated in new parking zones.

that were carried out on the new bus station on Calle Jose Moncho Ferrer.

The largest available bus operated by ALSA was used

in the tests and passed ‘more than satisfactorily.’

The extra programme of works needed to completely refurbish the Denia TRAM

station will cost €25,000, with the bill being footed from the municipal budget; a measure passed at a recent council meeting.

CHUMS (friends of charity) recently went with Joanne and Mary from Alfaz del Pi Social Services and bought over €500 worth of food for Alfaz del Pi food bank.

CHUMS are a small fully registered group that socialise three times a month and raise money for charity and also have occasional outings.

I f yo u w o u l d l i ke mo re i n f o rmat i o n o r would like to join them please ring Marilyn on 965 864 394.

10

16th - 22nd February

Popular post on Facebook this week reaching 4,090 people with 76 reactions and comments.

‘British expats to be given right to vote’ Stephen Hooper To all expats, you all moved away for a better life, why should someone living in another country be allowed to vote with what goes on in a country that you left, I personally don’t want anybody voting on any issues that have nothing to do with a country they don’t live in.

PEOPLE travelling from Denia to the smallest of the Balearic Islands - Formentera - will need official permission to take their cars or motorbikes with them from next year.

A special permit will need to be applied for from the regional authorities, and the measures are being brought in to reduce the vehicle numbers that increase during the peak summer season.

As from summer 2019, it won’t be possible to drive straight from the ferry unless the vehicle’s owner has the official permit.

Figures show that in high season, Formentera has around 47,000 residents made up of those that live on the island full-time, tourists with holiday

Photo credit: Jacek Zarzycki YouTube

HAVE YOUR SAY

Vehicle restrictions planned for Formentera

PERMITS: Less cars on Formentera from summer 2019.

homes and apartments and the extra seasonal workers in the hospitality industry.

Not only does the population quadruple in that time, the number of cars on the small island also rises to over 30,000. There simply isn’t enough space for them all, and it’s been calculated that if every car used the island’s roads at the same time they would have less than a metre each.

Such restrictions are being considered at any time of the year and not just in the busy summer period.

There are around 10,000 vehicles belonging to residents and a similar number registered to car-hire companies all year round.

Isobel Brown When the British government stops taking tax from expats then expats will stop wanting to vote, but the UK cannot have it all their own way.

People who pay tax in the UK but live outside it should be entitled to vote in the UK and they also have family living in the UK.

@RTNNewspaper Most liked posts from this week • British man saved by concerned neighbour

• Benidorm-bound elderly passengers endure up to 20-hour flight delay • RTN reader John Sharples’ Donald Trump’s bad hair day poem • Police smash drug smuggling ring in Alicante

In Total 17,837 people reached 7,481 reactions

rtnnewspaper.com Send us your comments on Facebook, Twitter and on our website. Or if you prefer you can email our editor directly: admin@rtnnewsgroup.com

News & Views from the North & South Costa Blanca & Costa de Sol

All adverts must be prepaid whether they are placed at our offices, by email or fax, or via our sales team. The advertisers full name, address and ID number must be supplied (not for publication).

RTN does not accept any responsibility for claims made by advertisers, either in advertisements or advertorials, nor can it be held responsible for any inaccuracies, errors, or the nonappearance of advertisements or advertorials. This publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors as a result of poor quality artwork or logos supplied by advertisers and no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by any error or inaccuracy or non-appearance of an advertisement or advertorial. Every effort will be made to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of articles and advertisements in this publication, however the publisher does not accept responsibility for claims or opinions in the same. The publisher does not accept responsibility for opinions expressed by readers in the ‘Mailbox’ section of this newspaper. Reproduction of any part of this newspaper without the consent of the publishers is prohibited.E:&O.E. All rights reserved/Todos los derechos reservados Edita : RTN Publishing and Media SL

• General Enquires:

951 386 161

• Deadlines Adverts: copy changes, classifieds and editorial Copy: Tuesday 5pm for following Friday’s edition.

Deposito Legal : South A-853-1999 North: A-134-2004 Costa del Sol MA-630-2017

Customer service If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our service you can call us or write to: EURO WEEKLY NEWS MEDIA SA Avda Ramon y Cajal 54. Edf River Playa, local 2. 29640 Fuengirola - Málaga

951 386 161

www.rtnnewspaper.com

• €2 million tourismt investment following Corvera Airport opening • Enquiries sales@rtnnewspaper.com accounts@ewnmediagroup.com

• Editorial newsdesk.rtn@rtnnewspaper.com

• International Enquiries marketing@rtnnewspaper.com

• Distribution distribution@rtnnewspaper.com

• Complaints complaints@rtnnewspaper.com

16th - 22nd February

Arrested in the pursuit of power

Savings to council electric bills announced OVER the next two years, the municipality of San Joan d’Alacant is planning to save €200,000 on electricity bills. The original tender price was set at just over €601,000 per annum, but the bid for the two-year contract submitted by electricity company Iberdrola came in at €495,000, representing a 28 per cent drop on the bid price.

Back in October last year, the responsibility for supplying the municipality’s lighting became the responsibility of the town hall, which often resulted in the street lamps being switched off to save money.

City centre boat service sailing high Ferrocarril Ibérico - YouTube

TWO Spanish nationals have been arrested in Benidorm by Local Police in the act of trying to connect the public electricity supply to their own homes.

The couple were surprised as they carried out their crimes on Tuesday afternoon in broad daylight during a routine police patrol.

Police noticed a van parked close to Avenida Comunidad Valenciana on the old N-332 and close to the popular nightclub zone. At first, they assumed the van had broken down but then noticed the two arrested men - brothers aged 30 and 32 - were trying to hide something under the van.

They then detected that the box on a lamppost located just a few metres away had been tampered with. As they looked closer, they discovered around 300 metres of cable with plugs attached, and they later admitted that they’d tried to link it to their property.

The matter is now in the hands of electricity company Iberdrola who are considering what action to take, as none of the brothers has a formal contract with them.

11

EDUCATIONAL: La Panseta increases passenger numbers by over 13 per cent.

THE number of passengers using the ‘La Panseta’ boat service that links the city centre of Denia with the nearby Balearia Por t area has increased to 250,000.

Since the ser vice was launched back in 2013, around 680,000 passengers have enjoyed the short trip that has helped to decongest the seafront of Denia.

In 2017, the boat made a total of 17,500 journeys between its two points - an increase of 28 per cent - and carried 13.4 per cent more people.

The boat - measuring 12 metres long and with a capacity for 60 people, is powered exclusively by solar energy thanks to the 18 solar panels installed.

A par t from being a vital transport link within the city,

La Panseta has also provided both a cultural and educational platfor m. T he Fundacio Balearia regularly organises a number of visits from schoolchildren during which the history of the port and the city of Denia itself is discovered.

Throughout 2017, 11 such educational trips took place on the La Panseta that involved around 1,000 students.

12

16th - 22nd February

Third school requested by La Nucia

Alicante is proud host of annual tech meeting ALICANTE has hosted the annual meeting of the company that is the technological brains behind the Volvo Ocean Race. More than 250 technicians from the UK, India, Sweden, Germany, USA and France took part in the event at the Hotel Melia organised

by HCL Technologies, and is the official IT service provider for the prestigious round-the-world event.

The meeting is held every year by HCL to allow its teams from all over the world to better plan their contribution and impact into the European markets.

Choosing Alicante as the venue for such an important get-together is a major boost for the Costa Blanca city and the organisers have already been invited to return over the next few years.

Photo by Google Maps

MAYOR of La Nucia, Bernabe Cano, along with other members of the City Council have met with education officials in Alicante to ask for another school to be built in the municipality.

Help to construct another school in La Nucia, as well as an additional social centre, has been requested to be able to cope with the current levels of overcrowding in the existing two schools.

According to sources, the council has already submitted a full report to justify their requests.

Now what are the dogs going to do!

by Darren Parmenter AROUND 17 lampposts located in the city of Sant Joan d’Alacant have needed to be replaced due to r u s t . T h e p ro b l e m s h ave n ’ t b e e n c a u s e d b y poor weather or by natural ageing but by dogs doing what they have to do.

At a cost to the municipality of €20,000 the new street lamps are expected to be in place by Easter and will be located in La Rambla, Avenida Benidorm, Avenida Creuetes and along Calles L a Luna, Doctor Severo Ochoa, Doctor Marañón, Busot, Ramón de Campoamor, Ensenada, La Huer ta and Camino del Realet.

Also, and to prevent future corrosion, the bases of the lampposts will be t re ate d w i t h a s p e c i a l

QUICK STOP: San Vicente del Raspeig to spend €20,000 on replacement lamp posts

p a i n t t h at s to p s r u s t forming.

The lampposts most severely affected so far have already been removed in case they fall over; such is the state of the metal, and

to prevent other accidents to pedestr i ans from exposed cables.

S p e a k i n g to S p a n i s h m e d i a , C o u n c i l l o r E va Delgado asked for collaboration and understanding

from the residents of the m u n i c i p a l i t y t h at t a k e t h e i r d o g s fo r a w a l k . “ With more civilised behaviour,” she said, “this expense could have been easily avoided.”

13

16th - 22nd February

Fake passports and IDs detected at AlicanteElche Airport HAUL: The 24 kilos of cocaine on display after drugs raid.

Dock worker key to drugs operation in Costa Blanca

by Steve Collins AFTER several weeks of investigation, National Police in Alicante have dismantled an organisation allegedly dedicated to drug trafficking.

Five people were arrested in Valencia - three men and two women aged between 28 and 49 who were part of a criminal gang suspected of importing large quantities of cocaine from South America.

The investigation was started by a specialist drugs section of the National Police in Elche back in November last year when they received intelligence to suggest an individual was dealing in large scale trafficking in the Alicante, Albacete, Valencia

and Murcia provinces. Following a few weeks of investigation the police realised they were dealing with a professional organisation as they looked at their modus operandi. It was found that they picked up the drugs from a set point and then transported it in a number of complex secret compartments in vehicles to avoid detection.

Police were then led to homes in the Valencia Province where they discovered 24 kilograms of narcotics and â‚Ź120,000 in cash. In addition, sophisticated weighing equipment and a number of high-end cars were found on various premises.

Among those arrested is a port worker with a history of drug trafficking from Valencia that allegedly allowed the illegal entry of the substances in the first instance.

Photo credit: @airportchambery Twitter

Photo credit: National Police

TWO passengers have been detained at Alicante-Elche Airport after being found to be using fake documents.

The latest arrests take the total number to five that have being caught at the airport in less than a week with tampered identification papers.

The latest incident involved two Albanian men - aged 21 and 30 who were discovered with fake ID as they tried to board a flight to Edinburgh. National Police officers were on duty in passport control when the two handed over Italian ID cards.

Close examination of the cards discovered that one of the digits that made up the printed number on them

CHECKS: Five people arrested with fake travel documents (File image).

could have been tampered with. The men were then stopped from boarding their flight and taken to the airport’s police station where the documents were confirmed as being false.

Additional investigations verified that both ID cards had been stolen in Italy.

Some days earlier three others were arrested - a couple from Georgia and their teenage son - as they tried to leave Spain on a flight to Dublin. When their passports were checked, a number of irregularities were noticed before determining that they were all forged.

14

16th - 22nd February

City centre blaze melts utensils

Keeping the people safe AN app has been created to enable residents living in Ondara to have a direct link with their town hall. This will enable them to report any incidents on their streets and also allow them to send suggestions to the local mayor and other elected councillors.

The app, called OndaraConnecta has been developed by Gandisoft SL and been in operation since January 24. During the first 24 hours of being launched, more than 150 people had already downloaded the app.

Photo credit: AntonioEspinosa Wikimedia

FOUR firefighters based in Benidorm were called to extinguish a blaze that broke out in Calle Benidorm. The cause of the fire is unknown and appears to have started in the property’s kitchen. Such was the heat generated that windows were blown out and a number of melted kitchen utensils were found on the floor once the fire was put out after just over an hour.

Bless you! Parishioners donate €120,000 for church restoration

by Carol Palmer OVER the next few months, the iconic ‘fortress church’ in the old town of Villajoyosa will be getting a new roof.

During the period of construction, that will see the entire roof replaced, the church will be closed to visitors.

Work has already begun, and apart from the roof - that needs a number of new tiles - a series of structural reinforcements will be carried out to relieve some of the stress on vaults below that have seen signs of damage in recent times.

The total budget for the work has been set at €160,000 of which €25,000 has been given by the Orihuela-Alicante Bishopric and €15,000 from the Alicante provincial government.

The remainder, €120,000 (75 per cent of the total) has come from donations made by the faithful parishioners that go to Mass ever y Sunday or others who simply wanted to con-

NEW ROOF: Villajoyosa’s iconic church rebuilding project begins.

tribute to the conservation and restoration of this valuable building.

The parish priest has thanked the churchgoers for their incredible generosity and because of the amount raised has been able to carry out a more ambitious

restoration project than originally envisaged.

T he licence to be g in construction was approved by the Villajoyosa City Council at the end of Januar y and was delayed due to the number of different departments involved in

making the decision.

Even though the doors will remain closed until the work has been completed, the church will be open for previously booked wedding ceremonies and for the forthcoming Holy Week at the end of March.

16th - 22nd February

Julio back to top of the parks Photo by MoS 810 Wikimedia

JULIO IGLESIAS gets a facelift. The world famous Spanish singer may well be 75years-old, but it’s the popular area in Benidorm named after him that’s getting the work done.

Ahead of a new season of entertainment and different events held in this open air concert area, the Julio Iglesias Auditorium has undergone a major sprucing-up, and after two months is almost complete.

The internal area has been totally transformed with the original paving being removed and replaced by a lighter colour. It was starting to look old, dirty and neglected and so the renovation has given the area a new lease of life and a better outlook for the statue of the great man himself, situated in the Parque L’Aiguera.

15

Dog’s rescue went well in the end A DOG that had fallen 10 metres into an old open well in the Cami de Vivens de Xixona had to be rescued by firefighters from San Vicente del Raspeig.

The dog’s owners, a young couple visiting from Campello, raised the alarm after their dog who was walking along with them, rushed towards the wall that surrounded the well and fell through the opening.

It took the dog’s rescuers almost 90 minutes to catch the distressed pet.

Elderly to benefit from theatre scheme

ICON: Benidorm’s favourite son oversees renovations.

Although born in Madrid, Julio Iglesias is forever associated with the tourist hot spot when he won the 1968 Benidorm International Song Festival which put him and the

city on the map.

The open-air theatre area that bears his name has a capacity for around 5,000 people and was designed by architect Ricardo Bofill. The cost of the

renovation work has cost around €48,000.

Apart from the regular concerts, the park area is a popular tourist attraction and a walking zone for the locals.

A NEW project has been launched in Javea to enable elderly people to attend performances at the Escola de Teatre accompanied by volunteers.

The initiative is aimed at older people who have difficulties going to the theatre on their own, such as those who have no transport or have mobility issues.

A group of volunteers will be assigned to pick people up and accompany them during the various performances.

16

16th - 22nd February

Elderly passengers endure up to 20 hours flight delay

by Darren Parmenter AROUND 200 passengers travelling to Benidorm for a h o l i d ay w e re m a d e to wait for 13 hours in Gran Canaria Airport.

T ho s e a f fe c te d b y t h e delay were aged between

65 and 85 and part of one of the holidays organised by specialist pensioner travel organisers Imserso.

Many of those affected b y t h e d e l ay d e s c r i b e d their experiences to the Spanish media, with one of them saying it was “a

long nightmare.” One 80year-old traveller who was stuck in the airport’s departure lounge said: “It’s not fair what they’ve put u s o l d p e o p l e t h ro u g h .

Mo s t o f u s a re o ve r 8 0 , and we were looking forward to a pleasant trip to

begin our holiday.”

The majority of the passengers - residents of Gran Canaria - ended up waiting for between 10 and 12 hours before boarding the Evelop charter flight that is usually hired by national carrier Iberia. However, around 30 pensioners that

came from Lanzarote and Fuerteventura to meet up with the rest of their travelling companions arrived earlier overnight and were at the airport for as long as 20 hours.

T he 200 wear y and elderly holidaymakers finally arrived at their destina-

tion in Benidorm at 2am, and apar t from immediate l y m a k i n g c l a i m s against the delay some also discovered that their luggage had been damaged en route.

T h e d e l ay w a s c a u s e d d u e to a te c h n i c a l i s s u e with the aircraft.

Photo by Trevor Mulkerrins Flickr

GROUNDED: Evelop Airline flight delayed for 13 hours in Gran Canaria (File image).

18

SPOTLIGHT ON MORAIRA

16th - 22nd February

A faint at the wheel

The young arm of the law ONE of the younger residents of Teulada Moraira has been selected to take part in the competition for ‘Young Tax Professional of the Year’.

Pablo Vinogradov Llobel is a young law student who has been specialising in tax and related law during his studies and will be put through a series of tests and challenges in the role as a prosecutor, and will be expected to present a case on tax law.

During the first phase, participants will be judged by ‘EY Abogados’, and the winner will get a full-time contract with the law firm, and they will fly off to Orlando in Florida for international training. They will also represent Spain in the next stage of the competition.

Ayuntamiento de Teulada Moraira

A DRIVER crashed his car into a wall after fainting.

The man - of an unknown foreign nationality was driving along the CV-746 on the road that links Moraira to Calpe, when he appeared to lose control of his vehicle. Firefighters from Benissa and paramedics from SAMU worked together to get the trapped man out of his car, but he then fainted again. He was taken to the local health centre by ambulance for further treatment.

The crash caused a number of delays to local traffic which was under the control of both the Local Police and the Guardia Civil until the scene was cleared.

The future’s fibre optic for all

by Darren Parmenter CARLOS LINARES, mayor of Teulad a Moraira , has announced that the council has given its authorisation to two companies to begin the installation of fibre optic cables.

T h e re w i l l b e t h re e stages, beginning with the centre of Teulada and followed by Moraira, with the rural areas being completed last.

Fibre optics is a te chn i q u e t h at a l l o w s h i g h speed internet and improves the reception for those with digital reception.

In addition, it also enables the municipality to install more CCTV securit y a n d t ra f f i c c o n t ro l c a m e ra s a t s t ra t e g i c p o i n t s a c ro s s t h e a re a , a n d t o a l l o w fo r e x t ra

HIGH SPEED: Faster internet connections coming soon.

WiFi in public spaces.

L i n a re s e m p h a s i s e d that it was ver y important for the council to get

the fibre optic cables installed as quickly as possible to enable the munici p a l i t y t o i m p ro v e , n o t

only the competitiveness for local businesses, but greater internet access for all.

16th - 22nd February

19

Queen Sofia of Spain visits Alicante food bank

Photo credit: Echiner Wikimedia

DENIA: Due to receive almost half of the total government grants for 2018.

Local councils get share of multi-million grants NINE municipalities across the province of Alicante will get a share of €37 million of central government funds.

The announcement was made by representatives of the Valencian Community who said that of the 19 grants (totalling almost €69 million) due to be made; nine of them will directly benefit those in the Alicante Province.

Speaking to Spanish media, the spokespeople said the objective of the fund is to help local councils that have run into particular financial difficulties and to help pay off long-term loans, many of which have been subjected to legal action.

This injection of funds will ease some of the

financial burdens of the affected municipalities and will allow them to have cash available to pay suppliers and spend it on local projects.

Denia will be receiving the lion’s share of the allocation of funds, with just over €18 millon and almost half of what the Alicante Province will receive.

The Vega Baja sees most municipalities benefiting, with Bigastro getting just over €5.1 million, Cox €2.8 million, Daya Nueva €116,074 and Daya Vieja €150,117.

Meanwhile, in the Marina Baixa region, La Nucia has been given a grant of €6.2 million and at the other end of the scale, Beniloba will receive a modest €15,764.

ALICANTE had a royal visitor last week when Queen Sofia paid a visit to the main food bank in the city.

It’s been an interest of Her Majesty for some time, and Doña Sofia has previously met with the heads of the charity to learn more about their work and some of their future plans.

The central food bank in Alicante currently distributes a range of staple foods among 33,000 people throughout the province.

During the visit, the Queen met and thanked many of the workers at the food bank, especially since the vast majority of them are volunteers.

The Reina Sofia Foundation has been working with food banks since 2012, supporting its work by financing a number of projects and sourcing donations of food from a range of private companies.

Photo Credit: @ bancalimentos Twitter

by Darren Parmenter

QUEEN SOFIA: Visited Alicante food bank.

20

SPOTLIGHT ON CALPE

16th - 22nd February

Photo by Younique Sylwia YouTube

Photos reveal start of building works?

GUARDIA CIVIL in Calpe have been sent a number of photographs taken by a local ecology Cultural Association (ACEC) in connection with some digging that is currently taking place close to an area of archaeological interest.

The area in question is within the Roman site of Banys de la Reina, and despite Mayor Cesar Sanchez stating that the council would not be giving a building licence; the images taken appear to reveal that work has already been started.

Neighbours are keeping a keen watch on the developments, fearing that a part of the city’s historical heritage will be destroyed forever.

Calpe attracts the Belgian tourist market CALPE has been represented at the annual ‘Salon de Vacances’ holiday fair in Brussels. The municipality has been represented at the exhibition for the past 30 years and has proved a profitable venture. Over the years, the Calpe tourism department - headed by Jan Ban Parijs has received numerous requests from Belgian nationals looking for information on both summer holidays and long-term rental opportunities in winter, particularly from young families.

BACKDROP: Calpe becomes famous for an X-rated reason.

No sex please... this is Calpe!

THE attraction of the iconic rock - the Penyal d’Ifac de Calpe - is often the subject

of many photographs and films and does nothing other than promote the popular Costa Blanca tourist spot.

However, it’s recently been discovered that a pornographic film has been made in the area and has been posted across the internet.

The recording lasts for just over 13 minutes and features a couple of real actors who are posing as tourists to the area and making the movie appear like an ama-

teur home movie.

The couple are seen having sex with the northern coast of Calpe in the background, and it’s believed the film was shot on one of the popular hiking paths en route to the summit.

It is understood that no permission had been granted for this video to be recorded, although such authorisation for this kind of film would never take place anyway.

The producer of the film

that has uploaded the video could face a fine of up to a maximum of €600. The two ‘stars’ of the film have been featured in a number of similar videos recorded in public places that have also been viewed on the internet thousands of times.

Back in 2012, a production company filmed a porn film in the campus of the University of Alicante, and others have been known to have been captured in Barcelona and Madrid.

22

16th - 22nd February Photo Credit: YouTube ISCOWP108

Warning: this column contains nuts by Barry Duke

SO this guy - let’s call him Cecil - walks into his local FonesAreUs branch and tells an assistant that the Samsung he bought just a week before isn’t working properly.

“Let’s see,” says the assistant. He then notices a big brown lump stuck to the rear.

When Cecil explains that it’s cow dung he goes “ugh!” and pitches it back at the client.

The assistant surmises that it had accidentally fallen into a heap of soft and smelly dung in a pasture full of cattle.

“Oh no,” says Cecil, “I deliberately smeared it with dung to protect me from radiation.” The assistant decides he’s dealing with a lunatic, sends Cecil packing and dashes to the washroom to scrub his hands.

Did this really happen? No. But well it might have, because there is a fellow in India called Shankar Lal who is into something called ‘cowpathy’, a belief that everything that comes out of a cow has magical qualities.

In 2016, Lal held out his manure-anointed mobile phone to astonished press photogra-

phers saying: “Cow is our mother. Its excreta and urine are nectar and have the power to save humans from any disease including cancer." He then invited several of his followers to show their dung-smeared mobiles to the press.

The Indian Express report about Lal’s campaign to have Indians follow his example, confirmed that cockamamie notions have a special appeal for people who will unquestionably accept any foolish ideas thrown at them by those who claim special knowledge, especially when it’s derived from religious or mystical sources.

Which brings me round to another nut-job, a South African doctor named Mike Davidson, who now lives in the UK. Davidson’s mission in life is to make gay people straight via an organisation called the Core Issues Trust (CIT).

Despite the fact that all reputable studies over many decades have shown that one’s sexual orientation cannot be changed, Davidson remains committed to his ridiculous cause. A week or so ago he loudly groused that a film just released by CIT, showing that ‘gay-to-straight’ conversion can work through the power of prayer, had been banned by the Vue cinema in London after it realised that it was homophobic garbage, pure and simple.

An outraged Davidson said that people had travelled from across the globe to London to see Voices of the Silenced: Experts, Evidences and Ideologies, and that the banning was the result of ‘bullying’ by LGBT activists.

SHANKAR LAL: With his adapted mobile phone.

His claim that people were champing at the bit to see the movie suggested that thousands were interested in it, but this simply wasn’t the case. The number was a pathetic 126, a sure indication that rational folk have far more important things to agonise over than the sexual orientation of their fellow humans.

Davidson denies that the film is about curing gays. It was merely created to secure the rights of individuals to rid themselves of ‘unwanted homosexual feelings’.

Which raises some not-so-stupid questions: would the CIT help people overcome unwanted heterosexual feelings, or cure people of being left-handed? Some are unhappy about being too short or too tall. Some want blue rather than brown eyes. Can CIT ‘cure’

those characteristics? Of course not, so why target gays? Short answer: hogwash written eons ago in religious tomes by ignorant goatherders Back in 2012, a video called Sexually Frustrated - aimed at showing how preposterous gay cure therapy really is - was posted on YouTube. It shows Graham calling Straight Arrow Counselling and asking whether it could help make him gay.

He said he’s frustrated that gay men are getting far more sex than he is. He also wants to become attracted to “large hairy men with beards, as there are way more of them around than super-fit gymnasium gays”.

The therapist insists that this cannot be done. “You’re not homosexual. It’s not in your nature, it’s not who you are,” she said.

Advertising Feature THERE is without question a unique shop and tapas bar in Calpe which offers some of the finest caviar and much more, at prices that everyone can afford.

Caviarshops is the official representative of two of the largest Scandinavian companies involved in salmon farming and production of salmon caviar as well as smoked salmon.

In addition, the company offers a complete range of the traditional and legendary caviar obtained from sturgeon, as well as versions from other fish.

The family behind this business moved from St Petersburg to Calpe nearly nine years ago and have two children aged six and 11, who are being brought up steeped in the Spanish way of life, as well as being educated in one of the best international schools in the Costa Blanca.

As St Petersburg is relatively close to the borders of Finland, and one of the owners is a great fisherman, he has for many years had the opportunity to see for himself how natural and environmen-

The taste of northern Europe at Caviarshops Calpe

CAVIARSHOPS CALPE: A gastro bar and popular shop.

tally friendly fish, from that country, has been.

The shop itself offers a wide range of caviar-based products as well as some smoked and preserved fish, with deliveries initially being made from Murcia to Valencia, but now they have expanded

their business to supply customers in all parts of Spain via courier.

With a representative in Madrid and a growing number of wholesale customers in hotels and restaurants, this Calpe company is becoming a major force in all

matters caviar, and is proud to be offering such a wide range of healthy Scandinavian fish products which are gluten free, ecologically sound and have no additives and preservatives.

Owners Kirill (who is a passionate angler) and Victoria took the business to a new dimension when they opened a gastro tapas bar last October, to let people in

the town discover the wide range of great handmade tapas, pinchos and canapes.

The couple love to chat about their homeland in Russia as well as Kirill’s favourite fishing experiences, and with customers from all over Europe dropping in to enjoy a drink and a snack, this is fast becoming a meeting place for a range of different nationalities who soon become friends.

There is also a choice of salads, pancakes, sandwiches and salmon dishes, with some fantastic wines which have been chosen specifically to complement the hot and cold food.

Here is a chance to enjoy an almost unique experience in Spain, to explore the taste of real salmon and sturgeon caviar, as well as slightly salted salmon and trout from Finland.

Enjoy the gastro bar at Calle la Niña, 7a, (local 40), 03710, Calpe, email info@caviarshops.com visit the website www.caviarshops.com or call one of the multilingual telephone numbers which the owners operate +34 722 431 477 English, +34 661 063 960 Spanish or +7 921 934 02 11 Russian.

24

16th - 22nd February Credit: SLaMNHSF T Wikipedia

When lunatics run the asylum by Michael Walsh

keyboardcosmetics@gmail.com ALL countries face the dilemma of how best to deal with the mentally and physically handicapped, born as a consequence of hereditary defects. Until quite recent times it was government policy to reduce the problem by state enforced sterilisation.

The United States was the first country to use compulsory sterilisation programmes for the purpose of weeding out the feeble minded. This was US policy for the first half of the 20th century. A number of American states used enforced sterilisation programmes until the 1970’s.

In all, 65,000 individuals scattered across 33 states were affected, but the true figure is likely to be much higher.

Mass graves have since been discov-

ered in the vicinity of America’s mental institutions. This practice inspired other countries to follow the American example.

Britain was one of many nations that made use of state enforced sterilisation programmes to rid society of its mentally and physically disadvantaged. These practices were adopted by British dominions like Canada, whose policy was applied until the 1970’s. As recently as 2015 Australia was placed in the UN dock for enforced sterilisation of women with disabilities.

Winston Churchill was an ardent champion of government controlled enforced sterilisation programmes. In a letter to Lord Asquith, dated December 1910, the lawmaker wrote of his passion.

“The unnatural and increasingly rapid growth of the feeble-minded and insane classes, coupled as it is with a steady restriction among all the thrifty, energetic and superior stocks, constitutes a national and race danger which it is impossible to exaggerate.”

Winston Churchill’s Mental Deficiency

BETHLEM ROYAL HOSPITAL: Sucessor to Bedlem.

Act (1913) defined four types of societal problem; idiots, imbeciles, the feebleminded and moral defectives.

In Britain, institutional separation of the mentally retarded or deranged has been replaced by the introduction of what is known as care in the community.

The government pocketed millions when it sold off the nation’s mental hospitals and institutions. It made further savings by making tens of thousands of medical and ancillary staff redundant. In this way government abdicates responsibility for those for whom it bears responsibility.

Care in the community has proved to be an unmitigated disaster, as have the

state registered care homes provided for the nation’s unfortunate children.

The latter have been described as part of a supply chain to meet the needs of those whom Winston Churchill dismissed as moral defectives. Yet to be revealed are the accounts of distressed parents who have gone to terrifying lengths to avoid their children being taken from them and placed in care homes.

Perhaps this will bring about a better understanding of why Britain, the US and some European nations are in a frightful mess. The inmates are certainly running the asylum for their own purposes.

Advertising Feature IF you are looking to buy, rent or sell a luxury property in Spain then you would be well advised to consider using a specialist agency such as Brilliant Real Estate.

They are based in Moraira but can boast an enviable list of high quality buildings, not just in the Costa Blanca hot spots such as Altea, Benidorm, Benissa, Calpe, Denia, Javea or Moraira, but they also pick up some fantastic homes in Ibiza, Mallorca and Marbella.

Brilliant Real Estate is currently the only agent in Moraira who use a purchasing agreement, which means that you pay a fixed fee beforehand and if you buy one of the properties offered by them, then this fee is repaid.

Their team of experienced agents can help with whatever you need, providing you with a customised solution to your real estate needs and can converse with you in English, Dutch, French, German and Russian, whilst having a superb knowledge of the Spanish market and way of doing things.

It is important to ensure that you comply with all of the legal requirements involved in purchasing or selling a property, and this

The agent to visit if you want to buy, sell or rent a great property

LOCAL EXPERTS: Expect a brilliant service from this real estate agent. is where their years of committed work within the Spanish market will be of inestimable assistance to the new buyer, as this agency will be able to give good advice all the way through the transaction.

They can even recommend a trusted independent lawyer, as well as help to arrange a survey of the property and the obtaining of a Tinsa valuation, which is necessary if you are looking for a

mortgage as 80 per cent of lenders look to rely on this type of report.

For those looking for larger investments, Brilliant Real Estate can offer a wide range of new build and pre-owned property, which could be ideal for long or short-term rental investments and they can explain the latest rules involved in registering tourist accommodation.

But that’s not all, there is also a wide portfolio of commercial property on offer as either an investment or for those looking to set up their own business in Spain.

Discretion is just one of the many admirable services offered

by Brilliant Real Estate whose management incorporate the best of European business methods to supply a professional and friendly service.

Call in to find out more about the properties available, or if you wish to sell or rent your property out, at the Brilliant Real Estate office in Avda Madrid 2, 03724, Moraira or call them on +34 681 645 919 or +34 865 528 149, visit their fascinating website https://bril liant-realestate.com or their busy Facebook page at bril liant.real.estate.spain.

16th - 22nd February

Peter’s odd and curious world

by Peter F. Purvey

AS this may be the first of a monthly column, perhaps I should introduce myself.

I was born with a passionate interest in all things old, especially old coins. My Grandfather was the same, he collected everything, much to my Grandmother’s dismay.

His gift of a number of Georgian and Victorian coins was the spur that became a lifetime interest, eventually becoming my profession.

Archaeology, astronomy, the cosmos, evolution, the history of the human race, in fact anything I hear, see or read that piques my interest or curiosity I like to note down. So, to start this month off here’s a small random selection.

ET, a visitor from another world, arrived and departed. First spotted by the PanStarrs telescope on Hawaii last October, the asteroid’s speed between 60 and 80,000 mph and its odd trajectory, excluded its origin being within our Solar System.

An interstellar visitor, long expected, it was the first to be identified. Its long cigarshape was unlike any other known asteroid.

Old Spanish bones Over 1,600 bones found in a cave in

Central Spain, (Burgos) have revealed the oldest known DNA from a member of the Homo genus.

These people lived approximately 430,000 years ago, confirming to experts they were the ancestors of the Neanderthals, recently established as members of Homo sapiens, after suffering a bad press for so long.

A seriously damaged skull was thought,

jokingly, to be the result of a Spanish ‘domestic incident’.

We should take note!

Plague, the dreaded disease that decimated the population of Britain and western Europe in the mid-14th and 17th centuries, has been identified from ancient bones as being in Europe as long ago as the late Stone Age. The deadly bacterium possibly entering during a period of mass migration from the east. So rats were not to blame,

25

people were.

Early in my career I came across a bronze coin, reading Cleopatra. Turning it over there was the rather unflattering portrait of a woman, diademed as Venus, the Goddess of Love, but strangely, bearing no resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor.

She was shown holding her new-born infant and behind her right shoulder, a knife. The baby, born in 44 BC was named Caesarion (little Caesar) as his father was Julius Caesar. The coin was struck in Cyprus, and clearly intended to commemorate the event.

I was intrigued. I discovered that a legend spread through the Roman world that Cleopatra’s physician had used a knife to remove the infant from the womb, a procedure well known in ancient times, but one which saved the baby but caused the death of the mother. Hence the portrait, the infant and the knife.

The persistence of this legend has lent its name to this particular method of birth.

Modern gynaecologists poo-poo this as there are no records of a successful Caesarean birth before the mid-19th century.

But ancient medicinal texts dating to 1,600 BC show that surgeons knew that certain herbs ground to a paste and secured over a wound reduced bacterial infection.

So who knows? There are many strange things left to discover in this world.

ELIABETH TAYLOR: More beautiful than the Cleopatra coin.

Exclusive Report

by Darren Parmenter

Local politics wasn’t left outside...at first Photo credit: RTN

AROUND 200 residents of Urbanisation La Marina came along to one of a ser ies of meetings along the Costa Blanca organised by the British Consul to gain a little more infor mation on how Brexit is likely to affect them in the future.

Br itish Consul for Alicante Sarah-Jane Morris was welcomed by local councillor Paulino Herrero, along with the mayor of San Fulgencio Carlos Ramirez, who was greeted with a series of boos and jeers from a small number who took this public opportunity to express their views on his continuing tenure in the post.

Also on the top table was Richard Hill from the Brexpats in Spain organisation, and between him and Sarah-Jane Morris, they explained the current state of play in the Brexit negotiations, concentrating on those aspects that would most likely apply to UK citizens living in the EU. “For those wishing to continue to be resident in Spain after the UK leave the EU, they should ensure that they are registered on the local padron and take up formal residency of the countr y,”

British Consul and her team address San Fulgencio

said the British consul, reiterating the advice g iven since the 2016 Referendum. “People should also continue to look at the official sources of information on all aspects of Brexit and that’s on the www.gov.uk website, she continued. “If it’s not listed on there, then it ’s not been agreed.”

Most of those present were re-

tirees and so were relieved to hear the British consul state that those living legally in Spain at the time the UK leaves the EU would not have their current healthcare ar rangements affected. T hey would also continue to receive any annual state pension increases.

Richard Hill from Brexpats in Spain explained that one of their

INFORMATION: British Consul Sarah-Jane Morris (centre) with other members of the British Consulate in Alicante and Richard Hill from Brexpats in Spain (second from right). roles is to “dispel the propaganda and misinformation that is nothing more than scaremongering.”

He said that they are “fighting for the fairest deal for all UK citizens living in the EU, without trying to reverse the decision taken in June 2016.”

T hey are focusing much of their current campaign by aiming to get the accords on healthcare arrangements and pension increases that have already been part of the Brexit negotiations, ring-fenced in the event of a future ‘no-deal’ scenario.

During the question and an-

swer session that followed, the subject of work permits postBrexit was raised. Sarah- Jane Morris said that if they satisfied the residency conditions of the withdrawal agreement - legally living in Spain on the date the UK leaves the EU - then the understanding is that no work permits would be needed.

The situation may be different for those coming to work in the EU after Brexit.

With almost as many UK citizens living in San Fulgencio as there are Spanish, the subject of future voting rights was raised.

As things stand, UK citizens will not be allowed to vote at the next May 2019 municipal elections unless there is a bilateral agreement between the UK and Spain or comes within any agreed transition period...which hasn’t been agreed as yet.

26

16th - 22nd February Photo Credit: Andrew Mayovskyy Shutterstock

This mortal coil SOMEBODY used the expression ‘shuffling off

by Colin Bird this mortal coil’ recently, The opinions published then, shortly after, it in Colin’s weekly column cropped up in a book I are not necessarily was reading. representative of those We all know pretty of the publishers, much what it means and advertisers or newspaper I have heard it a million sponsors. times before, but I wondered where such an odd expression came from. ly commensurate with adHad I paid better attention vancing years, and is partly at school I would have due to the desire for knowlknown, because as with so edge and partly, I suspect, many sayings and idioms out of sheer panic because that we use today, it was prethe robed figure carrying a dictable that this was yet anscythe is lurking close by. other pearl of wisdom that The only certainty during dripped off the pen of old Will our worldly stopover is that at Shakespeare, and is part of some point we all go the the ‘To be or not to be’ monosame way, and yet for most logue from Hamlet. it’s the one thing in life that I have always been fasciwe find hardest to accept. nated by the question: what It is sometimes difficult to happens after we peg it and differentiate between what is there something else bewe want to believe because it yond this life? And unlike yet gives us comfort, and what is another Status Quo farewell a firmly held belief, instilled tour, does the end really through faith or pure gut feelmean the end? ing. And as Woody Allen The desire for answers on once said: “It’s not that I’m this subject is not surprisingafraid to die, I just don’t want

to be there when it happens.”

There cannot be many people who, during their lifetime, have not experienced unexplained goings on, indicating that something otherworldly is afoot. Things like deja vu, prophetic dreams and near death experiences.

My late Mum always kept an array of small pot plants on her window sills, including a Christmas cactus. I’m not sure how old this thing was, but I remember it sitting in its designated spot seemingly forever.

It always looked healthy enough, but to my Mother’s perpetual disappointment, it never flowered; not throughout the designated season or at any other time during the year.

Then after her passing, and on the morning of her funeral, we came downstairs to find it a mass of crimson flowers, even though this was in June.

The message could not

THE GRIM REAPER: Visits us all eventually.

have been clearer and it was the only time during that whole stressful period that

my old Dad lost it, with a mixture of tears of joy and sadness.

Cracking the code IT was recently revealed that a secret code used by Spanish King Ferdinand II and his top military commander more than 500 years ago had been cracked by the Spanish National Intelligence Centre (CNI).

The special code reportedly contained more than 200 unique characters, but no one had been able to decipher the meaning of the letters for hundreds of years, as the table used by the king to create the code had been lost.

The Army Museum in Toledo provided the CNI with two letters, which dated from the time of the second French invasion of Naples (controlled by the Spanish at the time) to help them decipher the meaning of the symbols.

The achievement, which was described by Spanish media as solving ‘one of the great mysteries in the history of Spain’, has led me to thinking: What if there’s a secret code embedded in the tweets of US President Donald Trump that’s es-

caping us all as we scoff at their nonsensical content?

Will historians in 500 years time unveil the true meaning behind ‘covfefe’?

Could the infamous wall - still to be built between Mexico and the US - actually be referring to something entirely more sinister?

Perhaps the existence of a parallel universe, existing alongside our own, that has yet to be revealed.

In that context, the tweet: ‘The wall, which is already under construction in the form of new renovation of old and existing fences and walls, will continue to be built’ would perhaps make more sense.

After all, who knows the kind of secret information Trump is privy to and forbidden to let out. This would give even the most secretive of people twitchy fingers. It must be driving him crazy, hence: ‘Are we living in Nazi Germany’?

Let’s just hope we crack the code before he pushes the ‘Little Rocket Man’ too far …

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Are his tweets really a secret code?

16th - 22nd February

27

legal

Q A

We cannot find a house that suits our specific needs, so we are thinking of building our own house. What do we need to do ?

Many people do this and believe that it is an easy option. It can be but please check the following before you commit to purchasing the land.

by IGNACIO PELLICER MOLLÁ & PEDRO HEREDIA ORTIZ

LAWYERS

Is the land classed as building land?

Are there local building regulations and restrictions in place?

Who owns the land?

Does the plot have electricity and water supplies?

Do not make any payment without your lawyer doing all the due diligences for your own peace of mind.

Tuesday 20th February

Wednesday 21st February

12.00hrs - BENIDORM Centro Social la Taretta, Ave. Ciudad Real 6, Rincón de Lois

12.00hrs - ALFAS DEL PI Forum Mare Nostrum,Calle del Pintxo 2

16.00hrs - JÁVEA Casa de Cultura, Placa de Baix

15.00hrs - TEULADA-MORAIRA Edificio Espai la Senieta Av. de Madrid 15, 03725 Moraira

At Pellicer & Heredia we can help you with all the legal aspects of building your own home, and if you’re not in Spain we can do all the paperwork on your behalf. For more information on this or any other legal matter please contact us by email info@pellicerheredia.com or by telephone 965 480 737

16th - 22nd February

29

money

by Tom Woods THE European Parliament has chosen Irish candidate Philip Lane ahead of Spain’s Luis De Guindos for the post of European Central Bank (ECB) Vice President.

A statement by Roberto Gualtieri, Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) said: “Yesterday ECON members held informal exchanges of views with the two candidates for the position as the next ECB Vice-President.

“Both candidates made a

good presentation. The majority of the political groups considered Governor Lane’s performance more convincing. Some groups expressed reservations for Minister De Guindos’ appointment.”

However, the European Parliament’s decision is not binding because the appointment is ultimately made at government level, where Mr De Guindos enjoys more support.

The final decision will be taken by the Eurozone’s 19 national governments and is scheduled for Monday at a

meeting in Brussels.

The victor will join the ECB’s six-member Executive Board in June after Portugal’s Vitor Constancio steps down, and will help to manage its extraordinary monetary stimulus.

Several nations including Portugal, Malta and Slovakia have already declared their support for Mr de Guindos, while none have signalled an intention to vote for Lane.

Compared together, the two candidates for the ECB’s second-highest post come from very different back-

Photo by European Central Bank

EU lawmakers find Irish candidate Lane ‘more convincing’ President of the ECB Mario Draghi in centre and Mr Lane to his left. grounds. Mr de Guindos would be an unusual choice, as Eurozone finance chiefs have never before selected one for their own for the sixmember Executive Board.

He defended his credentials in the parliament hearing arguing that he’s never run in an election and that serving in government shouldn’t be an obstacle.

Mr Lane earned his eco-

nomics doctorate at Harvard University, becoming assistant professor of economics and international affairs at Colombia University before returning to teach at Trinity College in Dublin.

He became Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland in 2015, joining the General Council of the European Central Bank as a result.

Both candidates stood firm-

ly behind ECB President Mario Draghi’s handling of the financial crisis, and were optimistic about the future of the Eurozone.

Mr Gualtieri added in his statement that the ECON Committee “regrets that no female candidates have been put forward, as requested, and calls for a more gender balanced representation in the ECB.”

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

Breakfast Winter Olympics BBC News at One BBC London News Doctors The Coroner Escape to the Country Get Away for Winter Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Animals with Cameras Death in Paradise BBC News at Ten BBC London News Question Time Drugs Map of Britain

7:00am Winter Olympics 10:15am Animal Park Easter Special 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Heir Hunters 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm Winter Olympics 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great American Railroad Journeys 8:00pm Winter Olympics 9:00pm Sea Cities Sunderland 10:00pm Generation Gifted 11:00pm The Mash Report 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Dragons' Den 1:15am Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl

Peppa Pig Shimmer and Shine Floogals Digby Dragon Rusty Rivets Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Mofy The Wright Stuff GPs: Behind Closed Doors 5 News Lunchtime Cowboy Builders Home and Away Neighbours NCIS: Conspiracy to Murder A Husband's Confession 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Wonderful World of Puppies

5:15am Texas Blood 7:00am It Had to be You 8:30am Mune: Guardian of the Moon Young forest faun Mune unexpectedly finds himself embarking on an epic quest to reclaim the sun from the ruler of the underworld. Fantasy animation.

10:05am Honey 3: Dare to Dance 11:50am Baywatch 2:05pm After the Reality 3:50pm Mune: Guardian of the Moon 5:30pm Honey 3: Dare to Dance 7:20pm After the Reality 9:00pm Baywatch 11:10pm Mean Dreams 1:00am Monster Hunt

5:45am How I Met Your Mother 7:00am Couples Come Dine with Me 7:55am The Goldbergs 8:25am Melissa and Joey 8:55am Melissa and Joey 9:25am Melissa and Joey 9:55am The Goldbergs 10:30am The Goldbergs 11:00am The Goldbergs 11:30am The Goldbergs 12:00pm The Goldbergs 12:30pm Toy Story That Time Forgot 1:00pm Casper 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Big Bang Theory 4:00pm The Big Bang Theory 4:30pm The Big Bang Theory 5:00pm The Big Bang Theory 5:30pm The Big Bang Theory 6:00pm The Big Bang Theory 6:30pm The Big Bang Theory 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory

11:05am Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:35am Make You Laugh Out Loud 12:05pm Police Interceptors 1:00pm Police Interceptors 2:00pm The A-Team 3:00pm The A-Team 4:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

5:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

6:00pm Rich House, Poor House 7:00pm The Wonderful of Puppies 8:00pm Cruising with Jane McDonald 9:00pm World's Most Luxurious Cruise Ship 9:55pm 5 News The latest news coverage.

10:00pm Football on 5 The Championship.

4:55am Monster Hunt 7:00am Mune: Guardian of the Moon 8:30am Honey 3: Dare to Dance 10:15am After the Reality 11:50am Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 1:20pm Fast and Furious 8 3:45pm Mune: Guardian of the Moon 5:20pm Baywatch Beloved lifeguard chief Dwayne Johnson must team up with cocky new recruit Zac Efron to take down a drugdealing villain 7:30pm Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 9:00pm Fast and Furious 8 11:20pm Baywatch 1:30am It Had to be You 3:00am Mean Dreams

5:50am How I Met Your Mother 6:15am Rude(Ish) Tube 7:00am Hollyoaks Omnibus 9:25am Coach Trip 9:55am Coach Trip 10:30am Coach Trip 11:00am Coach Trip 11:30am Coach Trip 12:00pm The Goldbergs 12:30pm The Goldbergs 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm Toy Story Toons 2:15pm The Big Bang Theory 2:45pm The Big Bang Theory 3:15pm The Big Bang Theory 3:45pm The Big Bang Theory 4:15pm The Big Bang Theory 4:45pm The Big Bang Theory 5:15pm The Big Bang Theory 5:45pm The Big Bang Theory 6:15pm The Big Bang Theory

5:45am 6:10am 6:35am 7:00am 11:00am

4:50am After the Reality 6:30am Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Special 7:00am The Great Wall: Special 7:30am Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 8:55am Special 9:25am Baywatch 11:35am Jarhead 3: The Siege 1:20pm Fast and Furious 8 3:50pm Mune: Guardian of the Moon 5:25pm Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 6:50pm Baywatch 9:00pm Fast and Furious 8 11:20pm Jarhead 3: The Siege 1:05am Mean Dreams

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 James Martin's American Adventure 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 Plastic: Can You Live Without it? Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm The Cruise 10:00pm Children Who Kill 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London

7:00am Hollyoaks 8:00am Coach Trip 8:30am How I Met Your Mother 9:00am Baby Daddy 10:00am Melissa and Joey 11:00am How I Met Your Mother 12:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1:00pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm 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 Celebs Go Dating 11:00pm The Inbetweeners 11:35pm The Inbetweeners 12:05am The Big Bang Theory 12:35am The Big Bang Theory

5:00am 7:00am 10:25am 10:30am

Teleshopping CITV ITV News Saturday Morning with James Martin The Hungry Sailors ITV News and Weather Dancing on Ice Best Walks with a View with Julia Bradbury Celebrity Catchphrase Tipping Point The Chase ITV News and Weather Local News and Weather Take Me Out The Voice UK Through the Keyhole ITV News and Weather

ITV Nightscreen CITV ITV News Love Your Garden Peston on Sunday The Martin Lewis Money Show The Voice UK ITV News and Weather The Harbour The Cruise What Would Your Kid Do? Britain's Brightest Family Tipping Point ITV News and Weather Local News and Weather The Chase Dancing on Ice

8:35am 8:50am 9:05am 9:20am 9:35am 9:55am 10:05am 10:15am 12:15pm 1:10pm 1:15pm 2:15pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 2:45pm 3:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 5:45pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 8:45pm

SPFL Greatest Games La Liga Show EFL Matters EFL Midweek Goals: Leagues 1 & La Liga Icons La Liga Icons: Falcao La Liga Show EFL Matters EFL Midweek Goals: Leagues 1 & Football's Greatest Teams Scottish Cup Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Preview SPFL Matters EFL Matters La Liga Show La Liga Icons La Liga Greatest Games

SATURDAY 4:00am 7:00am 11:00am 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:10pm 2:15pm 5:30pm 6:25pm 6:35pm 6:40pm 6:45pm 7:25pm 8:15pm 9:20pm 10:10pm 11:10pm 11:25pm 11:30pm 12:35am 1:20am

Winter Olympics Breakfast Winter Olympics Football Focus BBC News Weather Winter Olympics Final Score BBC News Regional News Weather And They're Off...For Sport Relief Pointless All Together Now Casualty Troy BBC News Weather Match of the Day: Live at the Apollo Winter Olympics

5:20am BBC News 7:00am Winter Olympics 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm The Hairy Bikers' Comfort Food 1:00pm Winter Olympics 2:15pm Trust Me, I'm a Doctor 2:45pm The Third Man 4:30pm Nigel Slater's Middle East: Turkey 5:30pm Tom Kerridge's Lose Weight for Good 6:00pm Dragons' Den 7:00pm Hugh's Wild West 8:00pm Winter Olympics 9:00pm David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities 9:30pm Dad's Army 10:00pm QI XL 10:45pm Imagine...

12:00am Young Frankenstein 1:40am The Producers

12:25pm 1:25pm 1:30pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:20pm 7:30pm 9:00pm 10:30pm 11:30pm

9:30am 10:00am 10:15am 10:30am 11:00am 12:30pm 1:00pm 3:30pm 6:00pm 6:15pm 8:30pm 8:40pm 10:45pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am

Football's Greatest Teams Scottish Cup Greatest Games Scottish Cup Greatest Games SPFL Matters Soccer A.M. SPFL Matters Football Gillette Soccer Saturday Gillette Soccer Saturday Live Irish League Cup Final La Liga Greatest Games Football La Liga Highlights: Barcelona Ronaldo 20 Years of El Clasico La Liga Highlights: Barcelona

SUNDAY 4:00am 7:00am 8:55am 10:00am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:00pm 1:10pm 1:15pm 4:35pm 7:05pm 7:20pm 7:25pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

Winter Olympics Breakfast Match of the Day The Andrew Marr Show The Big Questions Homes Under the Hammer BBC News Weather for the Week Ahead Winter Olympics Match of the Day Live BBC News Regional News Weather The latest weather information.

Countryfile Hold the Sunset Call the Midwife

3:50am 7:00am 10:00am 1:15pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:16pm 5:15pm 5:25pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am 1:05am

BBC News Winter Olympics Winter Olympics Saturday Kitchen Best Bites A Vicar's Life The Crane Gang South Korea: Earth's Hidden Wilderness Lifeline Songs of Praise Back in Time for Tea New York: America's Busiest City Winter Olympics Today at the Games.

Dragons' Den Life and Death Row The Mash Report Live at the Apollo Cleverman Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

4:50am 7:00am 10:25am 10:30am 11:00am 12:00pm 12:25pm 1:55pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:30pm 5:45pm 6:00pm 7:00pm

11:35am 12:25pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 3:15pm 5:45pm 8:05pm 8:10pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

House Doctor Divine Designs Wildlife SOS Milkshake!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Football on 5 The Championship.

Football on 5 Goal Rush.

Make You Laugh Out Loud Justin and the Knights of Valour P.S. I Love You Something's Gotta Give 5 News Greatest Celebrity Wind-Ups Ever!

Caught in the Act When Comedy Goes Horribly Wrong

9:15am La Liga Greatest Games 9:30am EFL Goals: League One and League Two 10:00am Scottish Cup Greatest Games 10:15am Scottish Cup Greatest Games 10:30am Sunday Supplement 12:00pm EFL Rivalries: East Anglian Derby 12:30pm Football 3:00pm Football 5:15pm Football 8:00pm EFL Goals: League One and League Two 8:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:40pm Football 10:45pm La Liga Highlights: Barcelona 11:00pm EFL Goals: League One and League Two

16th - 22nd February

31

RTN Life EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

by Darren Parmenter IF you’ve been out and about in either the early hours of the morning or after dark in the town of Busot in the Alicante Province recently, then you might have caught a glimpse of a very dedicated runner in training.

Local singer Tony Francis is preparing hard to run his 10th London Marathon, to be held on Sunday April 22, but this year he has an even bigger and more personal reason to raise money for charity.

Last year, his young Grandson Beau was born partially deaf and blind and so Tony who has raised many thousands of pounds over the years for other charities such as the Salvation Army and the Star & Garter Home - is running for the charity SENSE. As Tony told the RTN: “SENSE has given so much support to our Grandson, and it’s an organisation that has become very close to the hearts of my wife Margaret and I. Running the London Marathon to raise as much money as possible to give

It makes SENSE for marathon man to run for his Grandson FUNDRAISER: Tony has no problem running marathons or his own show to raise funds for a special charity and a special grandson.

Photo credit: Tony Francis

something back is worth all the hard work that goes into training.”

He won’t be alone running around the famous London landmarks as this year he’ll be accompanied by his son Noel, who is Beau’s Father, and making this special event a real family affair.

Tony Francis is a wellknown performer in the Ali-

cante region and always takes the opportunity of promoting the work of SENSE at his gigs. He has already raised more than £9,000 (€10,500) as a result of the generosity of his fans and supporters.

Tony’s music hero and inspiration was his own Father, and he began his own singing career as part of a double act

with him, called The Two Generations.

“When he died around 20 years ago I initially gave up the singing,” said Tony, “but my family and friends said that my Dad wouldn’t have wanted me to stop and so I went back on the circuit.”

Over the years, he’s supported household names such as Cannon & Ball and Bobby Davro and now performs regularly in both Costa Blanca North and South.

Now living in Spain for 14 years, he was born in Dublin - not that you’d know it from talking with him - although as Tony admits himself, even

when you’ve travelled around the world to places such as Australia, Turkey and Menorca and met so many different people, the Irish brogue is always there somewhere.

As well as his music, Tony’s passion for running has also followed him to Spain too, as he’s taken part in both the Campello and Benidorm half marathons in recent years.

If you’d like to support Tony and his family in their fund raising efforts for SENSE, then please go to http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TonyFrancis http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TonyFrancis.

MONDAY 4:00am 7:00am 10:15am 2:00pm 2:30pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 11:45pm 12:15am 1:05am

Winter Olympics Breakfast Winter Olympics BBC News Regional News Doctors The Coroner Escape to the Country Get Away for Winter Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show Match of the Day Live BBC News Regional News Weather Have I Got Old News for You The Graham Norton Show Winter Olympics

4:55am BBC News 7:00am Winter Olympics 10:15am Animal Park Summer Special 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Bargain Hunt Eric Knowles is at the helm as the hunt for bargains heads to Lincoln.

1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Winter Olympics 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Winter Olympics Today at the Games.

9:00pm Only Connect 9:30pm University Challenge 10:00pm Collateral 11:00pm Two Doors Down 11:30pm Newsnight 12:10am Weather 12:15am Horizon 1:15am Odyssey

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 3:00pm James Martin's American Adventure 4:00pm Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Local News and Weather 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm The Martin Lewis Money Show 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Marcella 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:45pm Boarding Schools: The Secret Shame: Exposure

Baby Daddy Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey How I Met Your Mother 11:30am How I Met Your Mother 12:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 12:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 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 Brooklyn Nine-Nine 5:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 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

5:35am Royal Recipes 6:20am Weather for the Week Ahead 6:25am BBC News 7:00am Winter Olympics 10:15am Animal Park Summer Special 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Bargain Hunt 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Winter Olympics 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Winter Olympics 9:00pm Back in Time for Tea 10:00pm Flatpack Empire 11:00pm Mum 11:25pm The Archiveologists 11:30pm Newsnight 12:10am Weather 12:15am Generation Gifted 1:15am Generation Gifted

4:55am ITV Nightscreen 6:05am The Jeremy Kyle Show 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 Regional News and Weather 3:00pm James Martin's American Adventure 4:00pm Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm 100 Year Old Driving School

9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am

9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am

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

Divine Designs Wildlife SOS Milkshake!

The Wright Stuff GPs: Behind Closed Doors 5 News Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

Access Home and Away Neighbours Ncis: Conspiracy to Murder Final Recourse 5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Aviva Premiership Rugby Highlights The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door The X Files When Gameshows Go Horribly Wrong

4:50am It Had to be You 6:30am Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Special Sky Movies takes a behind-the-scenes look at the latest trip into JK Rowling's wizarding world.

7:00am Mune: Guardian of the Moon 8:40am Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 10:15am Fast and Furious 8 12:35pm Roxxy 2:25pm Honey 3: Dare to Dance 4:05pm Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 5:35pm Mune: Guardian of the Moon 7:15pm Jarhead 3: The Siege 9:00pm Fast and Furious 8 11:20pm Roxxy 1:15am Jarhead 3: The Siege 3:00am It Had to be You

8:30am Football Countdowns 9:00am Football's Greatest 9:30am Football's Greatest Teams 10:00am La Liga Highlights: Real Madrid 10:15am La Liga Highlights: Barcelona 10:30am Football 12:35pm Football 2:40pm Football 4:45pm La Liga Icons 5:00pm League Cup Final 2008 6:00pm League Cup Final 2012 7:00pm League Cup Final 2013 8:00pm Soccer A.M. 8:30pm Football 11:00pm The Debate - Live 12:00am SPFL Round Up 2017/18 12:15am SPFL Greatest Games 12:30am Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits

Shimmer and Shine Floogals Digby Dragon Rusty Rivets Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Mofy The Wright Stuff GPs: Behind Closed Doors 5 News Lunchtime Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

Home and Away Neighbours Ncis: Conspiracy to Murder Deadly Departure 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight World Rally Championship 2018

4:40am After the Reality 6:30am The Great Wall: Special 7:00am Top Ten Show, the 2018 7:15am Special 7:45am Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 9:20am Roxxy 11:15am Fast and Furious 8 1:45pm Killing Hasselhoff 3:25pm Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 5:00pm Special 5:30pm Jarhead 3: The Siege 7:10pm Roxxy 9:00pm Fast and Furious 8 11:20pm Killing Hasselhoff 1:00am Jarhead 3: The Siege 2:45am After the Reality 4:30am It Had to be You

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

TUESDAY 4:00am 7:00am 10:15am 2:00pm 2:30pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 11:45pm

Winter Olympics Breakfast Winter Olympics BBC News Regional News Doctors The Coroner Escape to the Country Get Away for Winter Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show EastEnders Holby City Shetland BBC News Regional News Weather Plastic Surgery Capital of the World

11:30am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm

Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory

8:50am 9:05am 9:20am 9:35am 9:55am 10:05am 10:15am 12:15pm 1:10pm 1:15pm 2:15pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

1:00pm 1:15pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:45pm 3:00pm 3:15pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm

Revista de la Liga Eredivisie Football's Greatest One2eleven SPFL Greatest Games SPFL Round Up 2017/18 SPFL Greatest Games Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits La Liga Icons La Liga Icons: Falcao SPFL Round Up 2017/18 SPFL Greatest Games Soccer A.M. - The Best Bits Eredivisie League Cup Final 2013 League Cup Final 2014

34

16th - 22nd February

WEDNESDAY 5:00am 7:00am 10:15am 2:00pm 2:30pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

Winter Olympics Breakfast Winter Olympics BBC News Regional News Doctors The Coroner Escape to the Country Get Away for Winter Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show

7:00am Winter Olympics 10:15am Animal Park Summer Special 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Bargain Hunt 12:30pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Winter Olympics 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Winter Olympics Today at the Games.

9:00pm Tom Kerridge's Lose Weight for Good 9:30pm Trust Me, I'm a Doctor

4:50am 6:05am

ITV Nightscreen The Jeremy Kyle Show 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 Regional News and Weather 3:00pm James Martin's American Adventure 4:00pm Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point

9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am

Baby Daddy Baby Daddy Melissa and Joey Melissa and Joey How I Met Your Mother 11:30am How I Met Your Mother 12:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 12:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 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

9:20am 9:35am 9:55am

Digby Dragon Rusty Rivets Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:05am Mofy 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm Cowboy Builders 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm Ncis: Conspiracy to Murder 4:15pm A Housekeeper's Revenge 6:00pm 5 News at 5

4:30am It Had to be You 6:10am Top Ten Show, the 2018 6:30am Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 7:00am Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 8:35am Special 9:05am Killing Hasselhoff 10:30am Roxxy 12:20pm Fast and Furious 8 2:40pm It Had to be You 4:05pm Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 5:30pm Special: Sky Movies 6:00pm Jarhead 3: The Siege 7:35pm Killing Hasselhoff

9:30am Football's Greatest Teams 10:00am Scottish Cup Greatest Games 10:15am Scottish Cup Greatest Games 10:30am La Liga Greatest Games 10:45am La Liga Greatest Games 11:00am Revista de la Liga 11:30am La Liga World 12:00pm One2eleven 12:30pm SPFL Greatest Games 1:00pm Revista de la Liga 1:30pm La Liga World

4:50am ITV Nightscreen 6:05am The Jeremy Kyle Show 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 James Martin's American Adventure 4:00pm Tenable

9:00am Baby Daddy 10:00am Melissa and Joey 11:00am How I Met Your Mother 12:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1:00pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm Melissa and Joey 4:00pm Baby Daddy 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Coach Trip 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory

8:35am 8:50am 9:05am 9:20am 9:35am 9:55am

5:00am It Had to be You 6:30am The Great Wall: Special 7:00am After the Reality 8:40am Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 10:05am Roxxy 12:00pm Fast and Furious 8 2:25pm Freehold 4:00pm Dive Olly Dive and the Octopus Rescue 5:30pm Monster Family: Special 6:00pm Killing Hasselhoff 7:25pm Jarhead 3: The Siege

2:00pm League Cup Final 2014 3:00pm Caraboa Cup Highlights 3:30pm Caraboa Cup Highlights 4:00pm League Cup Final 2015 5:00pm Caraboa Cup Highlights 5:30pm Caraboa Cup Highlights 6:00pm League Cup Final 2016 7:00pm Caraboa Cup

THURSDAY 5:00am 7:00am 10:15am 2:00pm 2:30pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm

Winter Olympics Breakfast Winter Olympics BBC News at One BBC London News Doctors The Coroner Escape to the Country Get Away for Winter Antiques Road Trip Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News

5:00am BBC News 7:00am Winter Olympics 10:15am Animal Park Summer Special 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Bargain Hunt 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Winter Olympics 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Winter Olympics 9:00pm Sea Cities - Bristol 10:00pm Girls on the Edge

10:05am 10:15am 12:15pm 1:10pm 1:15pm 2:15pm 2:45pm

Peppa Pig Shimmer and Shine Floogals Digby Dragon Rusty Rivets Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom Mofy The Wright Stuff GPs: Behind Closed Doors 5 News Lunchtime Cowboy Builders Home and Away Neighbours

talk to us

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

RTN welcomes Readers’ views for publication in its Letters to the Editor section. All letters by email or post should carry the writer’́s address, and contact number, though only the name and town will be published.

Email letters to admin.rtn@ewnmediagroup.com with your full name and address

this week weather FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU Feb 16 Feb 17 Feb 18 Feb 19 Feb 20 Feb 21 Feb 22 19º/9ºC 21º/9ºC 16º/10ºC 15º/8ºC 17º/8ºC 16º/8ºC 15º/7ºC Clouds and sun

Clouds and sun

Clouds and sun

Rain

Clouds and sun

Clouds and sun

Sunny

36

16th - 22nd February

Puzzles Code Breaker

Play on Words OR OR 0

Kenny Corris I For Readings, Consultations and Castings email: kennycorris@hotmailcom / www.kennycorris.net Mobile: 686 361 594 / Tel: 965 878 424

TUNE TUNE TELLER TUNE TUNE

Answers: Double or nothing.

Fortune teller.

Give somebody the benefit of the doubt this week, because you may have misjudged them somewhat. Go against your instincts if you have to, since nevertheless you do know that for sure something just doesn’t add up; leaving you to be barking up the wrong tree! A definitive Mars squares up to an ebullient Neptune midweek.

Word Wheel The goal of a word wheel puzzle is to create as many words possible with the letters in the word wheel. You can only use each letter once and every word must have the letter in the centre of the wheel.

Can you find the 9 letter word?

A double whammy this week sees Venus brushing up to Ceres and conjuncting Neptune. This forms a corner that suggests that finance is an issue with you right now, and something has to be done to boost income and minimalise expenditure. While you’re at it, check out for minor errors on any bills, as this caution will benefit you!

As Mercury slides into Pisces there comes a suitable time for you to splash the cash on something worthwhile. Invest in your happiness and future planning by rewarding yourself with something you’ve not only worked hard for; but which you really do deserve. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not before time either.

Just after the Solar Eclipse, and as many planets move into Pisces, you are both optimistic and prepared for changes that you know very well are on the cards right now. Eclipses are especially poignant to those ruled by the Moon. Time to prioritise on that which you know will bring you all the favourable results you crave.

Planet Mercury enters Pisces this week, and is closely followed by the Sun. Everything turns towards your own sensitivity, and indeed, this is a time of emotional pressure on a profound level. Whatever you do, keep your feet on the ground, and leave no stone unturned looking for the true desires that are flooding through.

The entry of the Sun into Pisces sees the beginning of a time whereby you are clearly shown the direction forward you have to take. Nothing has to be left to chance and you will receive the spiritual gifts that you may use to better plan the more immediate future. Take pressure off and look within to see how you can best adapt to it.

Squaring up to recent events, within a hot bed of mere gossip, comes some sage and friendly advice you would be foolish not to take on board right now. You are wilfully stubborn and clutching at straws, but you do not seem to see both sides of the coin right now. Mercury sextiles Saturn and this allows you to stall things for awhile.

Whilst others seem to have taken the wrong end of the stick you have been quick to denounce their actions rather than to breathe clarity into a cloudy, hostile situation. In hindsight you would never have got involved in the first place, but now why is it only you who is implicated? Mars intensifies any action through Neptune.

With Jupiter en route to a dalliance with Dwarf planet Kora, the time comes to spill the beans on a secret that now has to be disclosed. You have been tolerant and very accepting, but now that you stand accused, it is high time to tell the truth of the matter; even though somebody else will no longer benefit by your covering up.

Saturn takes on Ceres and the result is a return to basics and back to routine. There is something strong and reassuring about the sheer rhythm of life right now, and wisely you are leaving all your options well and truly open.

Looking back, whatever disturbed this pattern of your life is thankfully no longer a problem anyway!

Somebody desperately needs your assistance right now, but they are held back by stubborn pride, and won’t ask for your help in any way. Fleeting energies of a departing Mercury have closed recent channels of communication, but it’s clear that your suspicions are aroused and you should act accordingly.

As Mercury enters midweek, it is closely followed by the Sun making a similar entry. The Piscean can be dreamy and romantic, but they are fully competent and discerning in their thoughtful actions too! Being in touch with your innermost feelings right now is the right thing to do and telling it just like it is will diffuse complications.

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 18 represents K and 26 represents T, so fill in K every time the figure 18 appears and T every time the figure 26 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’s Postbag Kenny, my Mother is in her late eighties and showing signs of moving on. She has old family values and is very concerned that she is going to go to Heaven. I know that you call it the Spirit World, but what can I say to her?

Gail U. Hi Gail. I, amongst other Spiritualists, call it the Spirit World because it is the holding station for souls departed from an Earthly life. Heaven is a territory for Christians on passing over, so it is not correct to use such a termination as many of my readers and clients are from other faiths; and because I do not wish to cause them any distress. Assure your dear Mother that since she has lived a good life, as a good person she will enter the Heaven that she seeks. I hope that she finds the peace that she deserves on that final journey when the time comes!

Kenny Corris

Don't forget to email or message me with your Postbag Questions!. Check out my new website: www.kennycorris.net

For Birthday Celebrants If it’s Your Birthday This Week: Don’t let anything stand in your way now you are cleared for the abundant changes you have to make. Things are very different now and the Cosmos this Astrological year, is able to reward those who can help themselves!

The 9 letter word is:

Kakuro Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

16th - 22nd February

More Puzzles Cryptyc

Across 1 Tick cop off in driver’s seat (7) 5 So the cover is firm (5) 8 Smoothes out in the middle of elevenses (5) 9 It obstructs gunners in a boat (7) 10 Former currency, mostly, for French chemist (7) 11 One of the musketeers has to go off (5) 12 Canter around in a hypnotic state (6) 14 University more certain of lender (6) 17 Avoid commercial in the evening (5) 19 Today learn about some glands (7) 22 Grease around any short rope (7) 23 Improve footwear around the beginning of September (5) 24 Some musty leather elegance (5) 25 A number of workers are lessees (7)

English - Spanish

Futoshiki

Down 1 Sing like a bird and sound inexpensive (5) 2 Church, if not then, a football team (7) 3 From past experience, stick (5) 4 A sleeveless tunic, thanks to poet (6) 5 Hair highlights for unsteady skaters (7) 6 Drain away 50 each (5) 7 Actor’s assistant’s bureau (7) 12 Tell sir about the framework (7) 13 Brave about carpet burn (7) 15 Manage to continue making capital in Burma (7) 16 Behind counter spot French sex-symbol (6) 18 Upset the start of a nice new office yearbook (5) 20 Did not finish dressing bird (5) 21 Biblical refugee, American flower (5)

Fill in the squares so that each digit from 1 to 6 occurs exactly once in each row and column. Greater-than and less-than signs indicate the relationship of the two adjacent squares. There is only one solution, and you can find it without guessing.

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

Across 2 Enchufes (eléctrico) (5) 6 Mouth (of person, animal, bottle) (4) 7 Árbol (4) 8 To be born (5) 9 Último (final) (4) 10 Abbot (4) 11 Delantal (5) 12 Hervir (agua, leche) (4) 13 Puerta (de jardín, ciudad) (4) 14 Key (door) (5)

15 Candle (4) 16 Strange (person, event, behaviour, feeling) (4) 17 Fregaderos (5) Down 1 Hearts (9) 2 Screens (cinema or computer) (9) 3 Incierto (9) 4 Extraños (9) 5 Forward (in position) (9)

Quick

Across 1 Gives up for money (5) 4 Remains (5) 8 Close interaction (7) 9 Make fun of playfully (5) 10 Art stand (5) 11 Frees oneself from (7) 12 Begins (6) 14 Powerful (6) 18 Odd (7) 20 Squander (5) 22 Shows the way by going first (5) 23 Gets thinner (7) 24 Children's toys (2-3) 25 Outbuildings (5) Down 1 Confidential matters (7) 2 Gives temporarily (5) 3 Bright red (7) 4 Small sofa (6) 5 Room in the roof of a house (5) 6 Liquid preparation for washing hair (7) 7 Appears to be (5) 13 Prior to a specified or implied time (7) 15 In the direction of (7) 16 Conjectures (7) 17 Racket sport (6) 18 Separate into parts or portions (5) 19 Offensively curious or inquisitive (5) 21 Kitchen appliance used for cooking food (5)

37

Word Ladder Can you by changing 1 letter at a time, get from the first word to the last word in the given number of moves?

GOLD 1 2 3 4

SEAL

Sudoku

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

38

16th - 22nd February

Indefinite time in the past Basic Spanish for everyday needs

by Jane Cronin

FOR a few weeks we have been looking at a verb tense which, for convenience, we have called the ‘recent past’ tense. In English this is made up of ‘have/has + past participle’ and in Spanish we use the appropriate form of ‘haber + past participle’.

An example of the ‘recent past’ use in English would be: ‘I have written the first part of this article’.

This is something I ‘have done’ recently, and which is affecting the present in some way, as opposed to something I ‘did’ at a specific time in the past, as in ‘last week I wrote an article’.

One of the sentences we used previously as an example of this tense was: ‘¿Has estado en Inglaterra?’ meaning: ‘Have you been to England?’ Now if you think about it, this sentence could refer to two different time frames. We could use it to refer to the recent past.

For example if we were speaking to an English neighbour we hadn’t seen for a couple of weeks and wondered where

they had got to recently.

On the other hand, imagine you were chatting to a Spanish person and telling them where you came from.

If you then asked: ‘Have you been to England?’ you would not be enquiring about whether they had visited England recently, you would be asking if they had ever been to England in their lives. If the answer was just ‘yes’, you would still have no idea whether this visit occurred this year, last year or 20 years ago.

The only difference we sometimes make when asking this kind of question is to add the word ‘ever’.

This underlines the idea of ‘any time in the past’, without changing the tense used. We might well use this question in our conversations with Spanish people we are getting to know. The way to say ‘ever’ in Spanish is ‘alguna vez’ (any time).

So ‘Have you been to England? - ‘¿Has estado en Inglaterra?’ could also be ‘Have you ever been to England?’ - ‘¿Has estado alguna vez en Inglaterra?’. We can now see clearly that the ‘recent past’ tense can also be used to talk about ‘indefinite’ times in the past; experiences in the past in which no reference is made to exactly when they occurred.

Here are some more examples in English and Spanish. The words ‘ever’ and ‘alguna vez’ are not obligatory and sometimes sound better in one language than the other.

¿Has visto la película Gone with the Wind?

Have you ever seen the film Gone with the Wind?

To which we might reply: ‘Sí, la he visto’ or ‘No, no la he visto nunca’ or ‘Sí, la he visto muchas veces’ (I have seen it many times) or ‘No me acuerdo’ (I don’t remember - although that would be unlikely I think!) Incidentally, if you really want to ask this question, it might be useful to know that the Spanish translation is ‘Lo que el viento se llevo’.

Has cantado alguna vez en publico?

Have you ever sung in public?

‘Si, he cantado en publico, en un bar Karaoke en Playa Flamenca.’ Just giving you some suggestions here. ¿Has conocido alguna vez a una persona famosa?

Have you ever met a famous person?

‘Si, mi padre era actor de Shakespeare.’

Now, I’m getting silly. See you next week!

Many Brits may have cold feet

by Michael Cano AFTER changing the law on a number of occasions and promising to do something about it, there now appears to be a wish to give all UK expatriates the right to vote in General Elections.

This was a fairly important p l a n k i n D a v i d C a m e r o n ’s s u c cessful election campaign but as soon as he came to power he seemed to forget all about it and certainly used the excuse that it would be too cumbersome to change the law quickly.

When he then decided to hold the Referendum, all of those expatriates who had become disenfranchised simply had to let those who were allowed the vote to decide their future for them.

Following the departure of David Cameron, there was a snap election which also those who

had been out of the UK for more than 15 years were barred from taking part in.

There seems to be quite a strong call for a review of the Brexit decision as many people feel that the negotiations are not going as well as they had hoped and expected.

Whilst understandably, many feel that the die is cast and the decision shouldn’t be based on a ‘best of three’ competition, clearly pro-Brexiteers like Boris Johnson are getting a little worried about which way the tide is turning and they are warning the nation that things would be even worse should Brexit not take place.

Time will tell but it does seem that a significant number of those who voted to leave or weren’t allowed to have a say in their future are now worried about the eventual outcome.

16th - 22nd February

39

health Which detox is right?

THERE are many types of detox available promoting a variety of health benefits, although most of them contain some standard elements.

Whichever detox you choose, the first thing to do is lighten up your toxin load.

Eliminate alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, refined sugars and saturated fats, all of which act as toxins in the body and are obstacles to the healing process.

Some believe the detox can be taken to the next level by minimising the use of chemical cleaners and chemical based healthcare products like shampoos.

Natural alternatives can be used instead.

Stress can have a hugely adverse impact on the body, triggering stress hormones and contributing to excess toxins in the system; it is important during a detox to keep your mind calm and in a stress-free environment.

Practices such as yoga and meditation are simple and effective at reducing stress by bringing your body and mind into harmony. There are hundreds of detox programmes, recipes and regimes depending on your needs.

Many programmes follow a seven-day schedule because it takes a few days to properly cleanse the blood.

An example of a detox routine may include fasting on liquids for two days, followed by a carefully planned five-day detox diet to allow the digestive system to rest.

Some popular detox regimes are as follows: 1. Simple fruit and veggie detox 2. Smoothie cleanse 3. Juice cleanse 4. Sugar detox 5. Hypoallergenic detox

Advertising Feature

Clinica Britannia Calpe DR KARAN SUD, British dental surgeon within Clinica Britannia has just newly taken over the practice and has a lot of new affordable treatments available.

Their speciality is one visit tooth replacement which can be done to a high aesthetic level and with no damage to adjacent teeth...

At Britannia Dental they are able to provide this at very affordable prices starting from €350 per tooth and with no impressions needed or temporary restoration...

Another advantage is no need for an injection. With this type of treatment the procedure can be completed in one appointment.

All work comes with a threeyear guarantee....

Clinica Britannia offers all patients a free consultation to see if this would be a suitable low cost treatment to replace any missing teeth.

I want to refresh my look!

TOOTH REPLACEMENT: With no damage to adjacent teeth.

E mail them on britannia.calpe@gmail.com, call 965 837 553 or visit Avenida Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor (Not Ground Floor) Piso 1D, E-03710 Calpe (Alicante).

NO matter what age, the skin always has some periods where it loses energy, feels dry and grey, and you get the feeling that something needs to be done. Also the skin will lose elastin, and small lines starts to appear in the face.

Restylane Skinboosters is a filler treatment which improves skin hydration, firmness and luminosity, through micro-injections of a very soft hyaluronic acid filler into the skin. Skinboosters will make you feel great about your skin again.

After a few treatments, you’ll find that your skin will become smoother, more radiant, and more elastic. The skin of your face, hands, neck and décolletage can be improved. The results can make a world of difference to the way you feel about your skin.

Skinboosters is Hyaluronic acid that is a natural molecule that is in our skin. It gives our skin the plumpness and hydration associated with youthful, healthy skin.

However, over time, our skin loses collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid, and it becomes drier, rougher and less elastic.

Restylane Skinboosters reverse the skin ageing process by reintroducing hyaluronic acid into the skin.

Once injected, the water-loving hyaluronic acid molecules start to absorb water up to 200 times its weight and swell, bringing about profound hydration to the skin from inside out. With dramatically improved hydration, the skin looks plumper, brighter, and more youthful.

For more information, call for a free consultation at Derma Clinic Spain.

Also follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see our new treatments and monthly offers.

Derma Clinic Spain are located at Camino del Pincho 2,1, 03580, L’Alfaz del Pi, Alicante For more information call 674 255 579 or email info@dermaclinicspain.com. Alternatively see their Facebook page facebook.com/DermaClinicSpain

40

16th - 22nd February

food & drink This week Celebrity & Master Chef Steven Saunders, proprietor of The Little Geranium in La Cala sweetens things up with a delicious chocolate dessert that is irresistible and easily created at home.

Steven Saunders FMCGB The Little Geranium La Cala de Mijas & Marbella www.thelittlegeranium.com OVER the last few weeks I have been writing recipes for Valentine’s focusing on mostly main dishes, and so this week I want to share a story about one of my alltime favourite chocolate puddings.

The first time I ever cooked a fondant was in a restaurant where I was chef/patron and it was my first ever head chef’s position. I took it from the oven, checked it and dressed it and sent it. But inside I was concerned that it might not

A chocolate pudding fit for a Prince run enough from the centre, and the whole point of this pud is the gooey, runny centre otherwise you may as well serve a chocolate sponge!

When the waitress came into the kitchen I asked her if T5 was ok (the fondant table) She said I don’t really know, they are moving it around their plates a lot, I’m not sure that they are enjoying it. So with my fingers crossed I approached the table and asked “Is everything ok with the chocolate fondant?”

This Canadian speaking lady said, “Honey it’s not the chocolate fondant that’s the problem, it’s the last 23

years of marriage!”

Every time I turn one out I think of that lady. Much later on I cooked them for Prince Charles at a London charity event. My daughter was serving at the event and I asked her to check on the desserts.

Knowing all my stories she came back to the kitchen and said “Dad they said ‘nothing wrong with the fondants it’s the last two weeks of marriage’!”

(Prince Charles and Camilla had recently been wed).

I laughed out loud and the chefs looked at me in a way that said … It’s not that funny, but they didn’t know the story!

You can email Steven your questions or enquiries to: steven@thelittlegeranium.com • Steven Saunders FMCGB - The Little Geranium La Cala de Mijas & Marbella • www.thelittlegeranium.com.

42

16th - 22nd February

home & garden IF you have grown a few vegetables in your garden or in pots on your terrace or balcony, you have probably grown tomatoes.

They are by far the most popular of items grown for the kitchen at home. I could call a tomato a vegetable and be legally correct but botanically wrong as it is a fruit.

This is an example of the tax office defying botanical science to ensure a healthier budget.

Tomatoes are used in the kitchen, in most cases, with vegetables, so it is legally classified by use rather than what it grows as.

Whatever you may wish to call it, the plump produce of the tomato plant is a delight to grow and add to salads, pizza, paella, sandwiches and so many more forms of culinary art.

From mini cherry sprays to beefeater giants there is a tomato for every occasion. I have grown golden, pear-shaped, roman, pink, Siberian, early, late and lots in between.

Some years I grow too many, which is great for friends and neighbours, and other years not

Credit: Karlostype Shutterstock

Growing tomatoes

A TASTY TREAT: Healthy tomatoes. quite enough. Each season is different with too much or too little rain, early and late frost, overcast skies or scorching sun.

If your tomatoes haven’t done

well this year don’t give up, as next year could be a bumper crop.

We can help them along with well composted soil mix and regu-

lar watering to ensure constant soil moisture, add appropriate nutrients during the different growth pe-

riods, put in structural support to keep the tomatoes elevated off the ground and maximise light exposure, while minimising sun scorching. Prune lateral growth and tips that may interfere with the form you need the plants to grow and check regularly for pests and diseases that may need action taken.

This takes a lot of work and commitment to do well, but usually improves the quality of the crop enormously.

A gardener wanting to grow abundant tomatoes may need skills in meteorology, structural engineering, soil science, infirmity management and plant nutrition to perfect their crop, but I have seen bountiful crops grown, albeit not always the best quality, at ‘fin de la semana’ weekend hideaways with the least of consideration or care.

The main secret seems to be to plant loads of seedlings at the traditional time in mid - late spring, in manured soil, water profusely at planting and just leave them to grow. After that water when you can and harvest when ready.

Tomatoes are not usually so expensive to buy in season, but nothing is more precious than your own flavoursome, garden fresh queens of the garden.

Weeping fig plant ONE of the more popular container plants in warm to temperate climates, and a favourite in the Mediterranean region is the Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina).

It is a very strong growing plant but unfortunately it must be kept in a container unless you have a place that can maintain a 30-metre high and up to 40 metres wide tree with roots so strong they can lift up pavement and strangle underground pipes.

This strength however is why it is so good in a container. It has the ability to grow in adverse conditions of minimal water and direct sun for long periods without expiring. It does have its limitation though which, when understood, allow it to grow happily on your porch, terrace or balcony providing its bright green dense foliage reminiscent of a tropical jungle environment.

Its most basic need is to have an appropriate soil mixture that permits free drainage of water while having the capacity to retain moisture in the mix. A good

potting mixture with an equal part by volume of pine bark mixed with it can be a good blend. Stones can be used instead of pine bark but as they don’t retain moisture the container will need more regular watering.

Light is also an important issue. They will tolerate full sun when established, but do well in light shade as a house plant. If you move them from a very light position to one of low light they will most likely lose many leaves but generally recover.

Loss of leaves indicates a change of environment for the Weeping Fig but usually they reboot once a balanced environment for them is re-established.

Watering ideally requires that the container is drenched and then allowed to become touch dry before re-watering. The plant is tolerant of variations of this, but if it becomes too dry it may shed its leaves to reflect the degree of dryness and if too constantly wet it may develop fungal problems in the roots that can cripple the plant’s vitality.

16th - 22nd February

43

pets

How to keep your cat healthy and happy

SIMPLE STEPS: Training doesn’t have to be tough.

House-train your puppy

TRAINING your puppy doesn’t have to be a tough, messy ordeal, it can be pretty easy with a simple system.

Always be consistent and follow the same schedule to instil a routine.

Teach your dog how to live in isolation so they don’t panic and wreak havoc when you leave the house.

Schedule potty breaks evenly to create a pattern they will follow independently in adulthood.

Clean any mess instantly so that your puppy never associates inside with dirtiness.

Finally remain calm and composed when any inevitable mistakes happen to prevent aggressive behaviour.

CATS can be very similar to us. Those of you cat parents know that, while it is nice to be around loving family and friends, you also value your independence.

Once you have gained the trust of a cat, you have a friend for life. A happy and healthy cat will reward you with affection. By following these five basic tips, you should have a healthy and happy cat.

1. Cat naps Cats sleep between 13 and 16 hours a day. They like having a warm and comfortable place to curl up in, even if that is on your bed or in an open linen closet.

2. You are what you eat applies to cats too Poor nutrition leads to health problems.

Look for cat food that lists meat as the first ingredient. Cats must have meat in their diets.

3. Good grooming While cats groom themselves it is im-

PET FRIENDS: A happy cat will reward you with affection. portant to brush them. Make it a ritual.

4. Cats like clean litter boxes Ever notice that as soon as you clean the litter box, they want to use it? Use a dust-free litter that’s free of harmful chemicals, additives and synthetic scents.

5. Playtime Cats love to hunt and play. Playtime is when you bond, and cats get a lot of mental stimulation and exercise from playing.

Spending time with your cat benefits both of you.

44

16th - 22nd February

AIRPORT PARKING

CARPENTRY

INSURANCE

www.dragonreforms.com Tel 966 807 098. Free quotes given. (256718)

TV & SATELLITE

www.dragonreforms.com Tel 966 807 098. Free quotes given. (246715)

www.dragonreforms.com Tel 966 807 098. Free quotes given. (256718)

INSURANCE

BUILDING SERVICES www.dragonreforms.com Tel 966 807 098. Free quotes given. (256718)

BENEFICIAL INSURANCE SERVICES. Car, Home, Business, Travel, Life, Funeral, all insurances available. Policies in English.

BEST rates, covers & service. Immediate quotes. Tel 961 129 215 / 622 275 561, (whatsapp) info@benefi cialinsuranceinspain.com or visit www.beneficialin suranceinspain.com for online quote. (259023)

PLUMBERS

www.dragonreforms.com Tel 966 807 098. Free quotes given. (256718)

DAMP

ELECTRICIAN

PLUMBING

METAL WORKS MOBILE WELDING SERVICE Gates, rejas, railings etx. Made to measure or repaired. Free quotes. No job too small. Calpe. Made to measure or repaired onsite. Call Dave 965 834 869 or 616 173 699 (257061)

SKYLINE SATELLITE EXPERTS IN REPAIRS, SERVICE CALLS OR ADVICE ON uk AND International tv installations 965 838 225 info@skyli nesat.com SPECIALIST IN COMMUNITY AND APARTMENT INSTALLATIONS, and Solutions, no dish, no problem.

Satellite and TV accessories available 965 838 225 info@skylinesat.com (254325)

POOLS

PETS CHARITY

BUILDERS

SITUATIONS VACANT REMOVALS & STORAGE

COLUMNIST

PETS

SITUATIONS VACANT

45

16th - 22nd February SITUATIONS VACANT

TV & SATELLITE

Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Wordwheel ab ae an ar as at ba na ta abb abo abs ane ant arb are

ars art ate ban bar bas bat boa bra ear eat era eta nab nae oar

Cryptic

oat oba ora ran ras rat sab sae san sat sea tab tae tan tao tar

Codebreaker tas tea abbe abet abos aeon aero anes ante ants arbs ares arse arts ates babe

bane bans barb bare barn bars base bast bate bats bean bear beat beta boar boas

boat bora bota brae bran bras brat earn ears east eats eras etas etna nabe nabs

naos near neat nota oars oast oats obas osar rant rase rate rato rats roan rota

sabe sane sate sear seat sera seta soar soba sora stab star stoa tabs tans taos

Quick

tare tarn taro tars tear teas toea tora tsar abbes abbot abets abort aeons antes antre

arose arson aster atone babes banes barbe barbs bares barns baron baser bason baste bates baton

beano beans bears beast beats betas boars boart boast boats boras botas braes brans brant brats

earns etnas nabes nabob nares nates nears neats oaten oater orate rants rates ratos resat roans

roast rotas saber sabot sabre saner santo snare sonar sorta stane stare stoae taber tabes tabor

tares tarns taros tears toeas toras trans trona abbots aborts absent absorb antres arseno astern atoner

atones banter barbes barbet barest barons barton baster batons beanos boarts boater borane borate boreas brants

breast earbob nabber nabobs oaters orates ornate osetra rabbet reason rebato senora sterna tabers tabors tronas

atoners banters barbets baronet boaster boaters boranes borates nabbers noreast rabbets rebatos reboant santero senator sorbate

stabber treason baronets baseborn absorbent

Kakuro

Word Ladder YARD LARD LORD LOAD LOAF (LEAD) LEAF or YARD HARD HERD HEAD LEAD LEAF

Sudoku

English-Spanish

Futoshiki

46

16th - 22nd February

motoring

Bike to the future

YAMAHA BIKES: The new YZ65 will be available from May.

YAMAHA’S range of winning YZ race bikes has been one of the most dominant forces in motocross competition for five decades.

Since the brand won its first MX World Championship back in 1973, Yamaha YZs have claimed victory in every major international category. By racing and winning at the highest level, the company has gained extensive experience in dirt bike design, enabling Yamaha’s engineers to develop a groundbreaking engine and chassis technologies for the YZ models.

Yamaha has long believed in making off-road riding accessible to riders of every age, from pre-school upwards.

In fact the company was one of the first manufacturers to develop purpose-built motocross and leisure models for the youth market.

Today Yamaha offers one of the most comprehensive lines of offroad motorcycles that are designed for everyone, from complete beginners through to experienced professionals.

The 2018 launch of the all-new

YZ65, sees one of the most exciting and technologically advanced youth race bikes seen for many years.

Featuring an all-new engine and chassis, and benefiting from YZ450F-inspired styling, the YZ65 reaffirms Yamaha’s total commitment to the youth motocross scene.

By starting out with some of the best equipment, YZ65 riders will be able to achieve their real potential on the racetrack.

Also, with Yamaha’s bLU cRU rider support programme, riders can kick-start their careers and progress through the ranks to reach the pinnacle of motocross racing.

The YZ65 is driven by a newly designed 65cc liquid-cooled powerplant that benefits from a race-developed crankcase reed valve system, ensuring instant throttle response across the entire powerband.

Its exhaust port is equipped with a mechanical Yamaha Power Valve System (YPVS) that gives a smooth power delivery, and helps

to optimise torque output for stronger performance at low to mid rpm.

A slick-shifting six-speed transmission gives the YZ65 rider the ability to perform to the maximum on different circuits.

This is one of the most durable and reliable models in the category, boasting a high-capacity, but compact radiator, with optimised hose routing to deliver maximum cooling efficiency, even in the toughest racing conditions.

Light and stable handling is ensured by an all-new double cradle frame with a detachable aluminium subframe, and lightweight aluminium swingarm.

The monocross rear suspension system prevents bottoming out on the roughest circuits, enabling the rider to maintain full control.

Overall, the YZ65 is designed to be the complete package that delivers race winning engine performance with agile handling and class-leading durability.

The Yamaha YZ65 will be available at Yamaha dealers starting in May 2018.

16th - 22nd February

47

sport

Photo by Sr Donbuche Wikimedia

Valldigna Golf Society

Stableford competition at Escorpion Club de Golf THIS was the match of shall we, shan’t we make it but after becoming an expert on the best online weather forecasts, not to mention their man on the ground it was on and we were not disappointed.

What a day we had, 18 of them decided to brave the elements and take on the course which by the way was in immaculate condition and as tricky as ever.

Those lakes are definitely strategically placed to collect any balls slightly off course, but despite this some very good scores were recorded.

The golfing gods were also kind to them and they were only bathed in liquid sunshine about 10 minutes from the end of the round. It will be obvious from the report that

A GREAT DAY: All of those who enjoyed the competition.

this in no way affected anyone’s game. The winner spoke after the match and said “he had never played like that in his life before.” Nevertheless those who know are sure that he will get some stick for some time to come.

The game was so well received, with people saying it was the best course they had played on this

side of the Costas, that they may try and get another booked there as a warm up for the match against Edetania in October.

All in all, it would be fair to say that a great day was had by all.

Monday’s winners were: First place went to Keith White with an outstanding 43 points off 24, second place with a brilliant 40

Pago Golf Society latest match THE competitors arrived at Oliva Nova last Tuesday in temperatures of below two degrees to find the course closed due to heavy frost.

After a two-hour wait 36 players went out to play for the Pego Putter.

The format was Bogey, probably the least popular among the Society members!

The club welcomed three guests, Douglas Emson, Pete Jackson, Tony Pearce and Duncan Alison.

The winners were as follows: Ist winning the Pego Putter, all square playing off 13 was Terry Moore 2nd was Brendan Young -1 playing off 21 3rd was Michel Grin -1 playing off 10 4th was Paul Trigwell 2 playing off 24 5th was Celia Cronin 2 playing off 20 6th -3 Andrew Brown playing off 25 The guest prize was

WINNERS: Celia and Michel.

won by Pete Jackson -2.

Nearest the pin second shot on hole 5 was Michel Grin 1m 26 and on hole 16 Pete Jackson 2m 85.

Balls in the Water total was 96, correctly guessed by Barry Levett.

They had one Match Play result, John Guest beat Simon Fox 2 up.

Due to a combination of a late start and playing

Bogey, very few people were in the Club House for the prize-giving.

Next week they have a Singles Stableford Competition and if you would like to play, subject to handicap, contact Penny Barden on pegohandi capsec@gmail.com “I know I am getting better at golf because I am hitting fewer spectators,” Gerald R Ford.

points off 11 went to Steve Conley and third place with a very respectable 37 points off 27 went to Trevor Nash.

Nearest the Pins on Masia Course Hole 6 went to Hans Benzler and Hole 8 went to Steve Conley.

Nearest the Pins on Lagos Course Hole 3 went to John Nordlokken, Hole 5 went to Chris Yates and Hole 8 went to Chris Vickers.

The Longest Drive off the Blue Tee on Hole 9 went to John Nordlokken and off the Yellow Tee on Hole 6 went to Mike Clarkson.

If you want to join them for a game, they usually play every second Tuesday at La Galiana, so email valldignagolfsoc@hotmail.c om or call Don on 609 681 715 or Peter on 642 460 415 for more information.

SUBBUTEO: A game of skill, not chance.

Subbuteo Club in Javea THE Subbuteo Club in Javea continues to organise tournaments and there is a club section in Colegio Arenal which was started last October.

Quite a few children are participating, but sadly they report that the club only has a limited number of adults. One of the reasons for this is that nobody from the English community has joined the club yet, despite the popularity of the game in the UK. A couple of Scottish people are playing regularly with them, but no English players have emerged and as the club is supported by the town hall, the organisers are anxious to see the group expand and flourish.

Anyone who is interested in joining the club is invited to send an e-mail giving their details to the organisers at subbuteo.marina@gmail.com.