RTN Newspaper - Costa Blanca North 20 – 26 April 2018 Issue 965Reporting the News - FREE English New

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COSTA BLANCA NORTH

20th - 26th April

Fake documents were ‘extraordinary quality’

By Darren Parmenter A 37-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested after being found to have a fake passport.

He was detained followi n g b e i n g ro u t i n e l y stopped by the National Police at the T R A M station in Benidorm.

Dancing on the street LOCAL POLICE in Javea have launched a probe after a video of two young women dancing on top of a moving car went viral on Facebook.

Footage shows the girls in various precarious positions - on one leg or performing a handstand - while the car is being driven along Calle Virgen de los Ángeles.

The street in question, a built-up area, contains several tight bends in quick succession.

Javea police have passed the video that was filmed by the driver following behind, to a judge and investigations are underway.

The counterfeit docum e n t i s u n d e r s to o d to come from the Czech Republic and the authorit i e s , s p e a k i n g to t h e Spanish media , said the fake was of an ‘extraordinary quality.’

Because the passport w a s s o co nv i n c i n g , t h e man had been living in nearby Villajoyosa for two years after allegedly deceiving the authorities in both the Czech Republic and Malta where he previously lived.

He even convinced the Spanish authorities as they issued him with an NIE based on the validity of the Czech passport when he first entered Spain.

The man was stopped when travelling on the TRAM bet w e e n A l i c a n te a n d Benidorm, and asked

Credit: Krokodyl Wikimedia

b y t h e Nat i o n a l Po l i ce officer to show him his ticket and his ID. Even though the man apparently showed no signs of being nervous or elusive, he raised suspicions and the police believed that his Czech Republic paperw o r k w a s a fo r g e r y d e spite him having a le gal Spanish NIE. Further investigations d i s co ve re d t h at a ve r y t h i n s h e e t o f p a p e r, a l most impossible to detect, had been stuck over the real and original data of the person whose passport had been stolen.

Speaking to the Spanish m e d i a , o f f i c i a l s o u rce s s t ate t h at s u c h e x p e r t counterfeiting work could cost up to €10,000 on the black market.

Czech Republic passport.

Issue 965

INSIDE THIS WEEK ...

Raising money for 10-year-old Nigel Watson

P2 ‘New’ rough sleepers on the increase

P4 Following in the footsteps of the Lost Legion

P40

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20th - 26th April

Raising money for 10-year-old Nigel Photo credit: Lisa Yates

by Darren Parmenter MORE than 500 people filled a large corner of Consum Square in Urbanisation La Marina last Tuesday afternoon at the first of a number of fundraising events in aid of popular local boy, 10year-old Nigel Watson. It’s understood that more than €2,000 was raised.

Nigel has been recently diagnosed with a malignant Brains te m G l i o m a , a t u m o u r t h at starts in the brain or spinal cord t i s s u e a n d t y p i c a l l y s p re a d s throughout the nervous system.

It was when changes in Nigel’s behaviour were noticed by his mother Jackie and his school in San Fulgencio back in February this year that he was taken to the doctor.

A s Ja c k i e to l d t h e RT N : “Nigel’s left eye began to twitch and his right eye was turning inwards. His left hand also started b e co m i n g n u m b a n d h e o f te n

SUPPORT: Crowds turn out to raise money for ‘brave’ Nigel. d ro p p e d h i s p e n c i l s at s c h o o l where they also noticed he was becoming ver y unsteady on his feet.”

After getting the heartbreaki n g n e w s t h at N i g e l h a d a t u mour, he was referred to the Alic a n te G e n e ra l h o s p i t a l fo r

further tests and investigations.

The results were even more devastating. “The scan showed Nigel had the malignant tumour. I just cried for the rest of the day,” said Jackie.

Nigel is presently undergoing a course of radiotherapy every day

for six weeks with the aim of destroying the tumour, but in the meantime the family have been investigating proton beam therapy treatment which is available in both the USA and Canada.

With the cost of the treatment and the associated costs being prohibitive, a number of local p e o p l e a n d b u s i n e s s e s ve r y quickly rallied around to organise a ser ies of events to tr y to h e l p ra i s e t h e e s t i m ate d €100,000 needed.

B e ve r l e y Yate s f ro m J ’s R e s t a u ra n t , o r g a n i s e r o f t h e big gest event so far which featured popular Phil Collins tribute Rob Lewis, told the RTN. “I can’t emphasise how great the day was. When young Nigel himself bravely came and spoke on t h e m i c ro p h o n e a n d t h a n k e d everyone, there wasn’t a dry eye on the square.”

I f yo u w o u l d l i k e to d o n ate something, no matter how small visit www.gofundme.com/nigelsbrain-stem-glioma-treatment.

Bank gang mastermind arrested ELEVEN people have been arrested as part of a coordinated operation by the National Police in connection with a series of armed robberies that took place in Alicante and Murcia provinces.

They were a well-organised group led by, in the words of the National Police, a “dangerous individual” who had three arrest warrants out on him... two of which were for previous armed robberies.

During the raids that resulted with the arrest of the gang, three vehicles believed to have been used in the robberies were found along with an expensive motorbike complete with fake number plates, four guns, a stash of ammunition, and €7,000 in cash.

Because those involved in these robberies were possibly armed and dangerous, when their homes were raided members of the specially trained GOES team were on hand to help their counterparts.

Of the 11 people arrested which included two women - four have already been sent to prison.

20th - 26th April

More time to fight the forest fires Photo credit: RTN

DESTROYED: Firefighters to get longer support from the air.

by Darren Parmenter IN readiness for the next forest fire season, the Spanish government have issued a change to how they are fought... b u t i t ’s n o t b e e n w e l comed in all quarters.

The change means that the aerial firefighters can now smother the wildfires more effectively by being legally allowed to work up to three consecutive hours as opposed to the current two.

The change announced in the Official State Bulletin (BOE) comes in the wake of 2017 being one of the worst years for forest fires - many of which affected the Costa Blanca - since 2010.

However, according to the Official College of Pil o t s ( C OPAC ) , t h e a m e ndment do es no t go far enough. “This is a partial and transitional measure,” says a spokesman for COPAC. “We believe a complete revision of the legislation is necessary. “ T he current legislation is ambiguous, out of date and has little to do with the reality of aerial firefighting operations, either with regard to

safety or putting out the fire.”

According to provisional data from the Ministr y of Agriculture, there were almost 800 forest fires in Spain last year and during the summer alone, fire destroyed almost 105,000 hectares of forest in Doñana, Valencia, Galicia and Asturias.

For the past four years, C O PA C h a s b e e n c o m plaining about the twohour rule, which applied

to air tankers refilling from airfields, but not to those refilling from sources nearby.

“Statistically, most forest fires last for three hours and the first hours of tackling them are the most effective,” says the spokesman.

“There have been cases in which the fire has had to be abandoned to comply with the le g islation and has then taken longer to put out when work has resumed.”

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20th - 26th April

Local minor surgery scheme expansion THE Department of Health wants to increase the number of minor surgery procedures that can take place in all centres across the Alicante Province.

There is currently a pilot scheme being undertaken in parts of the province such as Alicante City, San Juan and Elda and it’s hoped to be expanded even further. The ultimate goal is that every health centre has a team of doctors and back-up medical staff who can perform small interventions, especially dermatology.

One of the main benefits of this programme is to reduce waiting lists and to keep hospital operating theatres free for more major and emergency operations.

Other than skin conditions that require a form of surgery, the most common operation which local GPs carry out is the treatment of ingrown toenails.

Francisco Ortiz, a family doctor operating out of a health centre in San Vicente, said that such interventions “only require local anaesthetic and are performed on superficial tissue which entails less risk and can be completed quickly.”

Dr Ortiz said that such a scheme will also ease potential stresses on the patient. “Instead of sending them to a hospital, they can go to their own local health centre and will know the medical personnel who will be carrying out their operations,” he said.

Minor surgery procedures began to be implemented in health centres some years ago, but the onset of the financial crisis and the pressures on family doctors have prevented expansion.

Local health centres in Campoamor, San Vicente del Raspeig and Monforte are likely to be next on the list for such minor operations to be carried out.

‘New’ rough sleepers on the increase OVER 40 per cent of people living on the streets of A licante h ave o n l y b e g u n to d o s o l e s s than one year ago.

According to data collected by REAPSHA (Attention to Homeless People of Alicante) as part of a European movement aimed at eradicating homelessness in 2020, 43.2 per cent (83 from the 195 people recorded as sleeping rough) started their new ‘life’ in the last 12 months.

A s a re s u l t , R E A P S H A h av e said that the resources available i n A l i c a n t e C i t y t o p re v e n t a person from being forced into abandoning their homes and s p e n d i n g t h e i r d ay s o n t h e streets are ‘insufficient.’

The study was carried out by 200 volunteers who walked the streets of the city last November.

Speaking to the Spanish media, spokesperson for REAPSHA Fidel Romero said: “The figures show us that the issue of homelessness is very dynamic. We’re noticing a different kind of person who would have led a life on

HOMELESSNESS: A major problem in Alicante.

the streets hundre ds of years ago. Now, they spend a number of years alternating between life on and off the streets.”

Romero is also surprised that the Alicante figures for ‘recent’ rough sleepers are higher than those of Valencia (at 26 per cent).

Inter vie ws car r ied out with the homeless in Alicante showed almost 20 per cent have lived rough for more than five years... while 71 per cent said they would be willing to start a programme that would help them to get off the streets.

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20th - 26th April Photo credit: Alpha Flickr

STOMACH PAINS: Two people hospitalised after eating hotel’s mussels.

Food poisoning linked to mussels ON top of the original 39 cases of food poisoning reported at a hotel in Javea, the Ministry of Health has confirmed that another 12 cases have been detected.

The original outbreak affecting almost 40 holidaymakers staying at a hotel on the popular Arenal beach is believed to be due to people eating mussels.

According to Spanish media, the AECSAN (Spanish Agenc y for Consumption, Food Safety and Nutrition) was notified by the hotel after following standard procedures in such cases of suspected food poisoning. They

also said that only two of the guests required treatment in hospital.

One was discharged only a few hours after going to the local A&E with pains in their stomach; the other stayed in for two days before release.

It is understood that all those who were taken ill are recovering well and since the initial outbreak , no extra cases have been reported.

T he 39 patients, all of whom are said to be pensioners, had been staying at the so-far-unidentified hotel over the Easter weekend, with the incident only recently being made public.

A cco rd i n g to A E C S A N , the offending mussels were caught in the sea off Galicia in the north-western part of Spain; packaged on January 19 with a use-by-date of Januar y 2020 and produced especially for freezing.

They have only been distributed in the Comunidad Valenciana and in Navarra, a n d a s a re s u l t o f A E C S A N ’ w s re c a l l , a re b e i n g taken off sale.

A nyo n e w h o b e l i e ve s t h e y m ay h ave t h e s e at home should avoid eating them and re tur n them to where they were bought.

Industrial estate changes DENIA Town Council has asked for almost €300,000 to invest in the local industrial estate.

The aim will be to modernise the area and improve and increase the water pressure.

Part of the work will see the installation of a network of fire hydrants, currently non-existent. In addition, new street lighting and signposts in the Madrigueres will be erected.

Councillor Maria Josep Ripoll said the objective is to “improve safety.”

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20th - 26th April

WhatsApp with the internet?

Photo credit: Pixabay

A GROUP of elderly people signed up to attend a course on learning the ins-and-outs of social media and communication by computer in Alicante have seen the lessons cancelled... because the internet isn’t available!

The mature students have been waiting since February for the lines to be installed in the building for them to be able to start the class.

The course ‘Technologies for information and Communication’ was planned to last from February 27 until May 15, but the classes have now been postponed without a date in mind to resume. Those that enrolled were told that they would be informed when the internet is fixed... but they’re still waiting.

As one of the affected students, Maria Jose Serrano, said: “A social networking course for retired people cancelled because the internet isn’t working! I demand that this surreal scenario

City adds to its deafblind crossings

NOT ONLINE: Internet course cancelled because of no internet.

is sorted out immediately.”

One of the other students, speaking to the Spanish media, said that the teacher was at the first three classes but without the network there was no means for the lessons

to take place.

Despite their disappointments, the group have retained a sense of humour at the ironic situation and have kept in touch via a WhatsApp group named ‘Without Internet 2018’

They have been told by a representative from the Alicante City Council that “the course has been suspended for the time being and the students will be informed when the internet is restored.”

BENIDORM has added a number of new sets of traffic lights especially for deafblind pedestrians. This takes the total to 108 push button crossings across the city.

As reported in previous editions of the RTN, Benidorm will be hosting an International Deafblind Conference in June of this year, and the installation of the latest 36 specially adapted crossing points only adds to the commitment the city has toward assisting people with such issues.

The new devices are located on Calles Tomas Ortuño, Ondulada and Urano; the intersection of Avenidas Communidad Europea, Europa and Comunidad Valenciana, and the junction of Avenida de Europa and Calle Gerona.

Benidorm’s mayor, Toni Perez, said that the new devices had been installed after collaborating with the local director of the Spanish National Blind Organisation (ONCE), Carlos Carrazoni, and local councillors Jose Ramon Gonzalez de Zarate and Angela Llorca. “It’s important that we work closely with ONCE,” said Perez. “They guide us and show us exactly where to install such devices because there is a need to improve the universal mobility.”

For his part, the director of ONCE said that the council “have taken on board our suggestions, especially in the areas that had more difficult access points.” Carrazoni also added that “such initiatives improve the quality of life and allow deafblind citizens to move around the city like any other person without having to overcome obstacles.”

20th - 26th April

In the swim CAMPELLO’S latest plenary council meeting has approved a motion to extend the tender period for companies interested in managing the municipality’s indoor swimming pool.

This follows a number of queries being raised by those who have already expressed interested in taking over the complex. The extension of the deadline has been put into place to resolve those issues.

The concession to run the pool is for 12 years - with the option to extend for a further three - and will require an investment of €600,000 by the successful bidder.

Brit area pub blaze FIREFIGHTERS based in Benidorm have been called out to a fire in a basement of a pub in the city centre.

Two fire engines and their crews took around 45 minutes to extinguish the fire in Calle Lepanto... part of the busy area of the Rincon de Loix popular with British tourists, at around 7.15pm on Sunday evening.

According to Spanish media, the people living in the block and in the pub at the time left the building on their own accord before the emergency services arrived.

Fire brigade get the buzz FIREFIGHTERS were called to remove a beehive which was found along the old San Juan road from San Vicente del Raspeig.

The large swarm was discovered at ground level on a wall and the fire brigade, with the help of three students who knew how to deal with such an incident, managed to bring in a special box with a queen bee to attract the others.

As this was known to take some time, the box was securely cordoned off until it was filled with the rogue insects.

AN 87-year-old man has been rescued from the sea in Benidorm off the Playa Levante.

The alarm was raised when the swimmer was seen to be struggling in the water and lifeguards rushed in to rescue him and bring him back to the shore close to the Torrejo building.

The man showed symp-

Octogenarian swimmer rescued

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toms of partial drowning and the lifeguards - with the assistance of paramedics who were also alerted - attended to him for more than an hour before he was stabilised.

Because of his age, the decision was taken to transfer him to the hospital in Villajoyosa to continue his treatment and recovery.

20th - 26th April

EXAMPLE: Liverpool couple fined for fake illness claims.

Holiday sick scam action

by Steve Collins FOLLOWING the announcement that the UK government will fix the legal costs that can be claimed in package holiday sickness claims, travel agent organisation ABTA has given its own reaction to the policy.

In a statement, Chief Executive of ABTA Mark Tanzer said: “False sickness claims have been costing the travel industry tens of millions of pounds and damaging British tourists’ reputation abroad.

“Since 2013 legal fees for personal injury claims which occurred in the UK have been capped, which is why in partnership with claims management companies, firms of solicitors have been targeting customers who have taken an overseas all-inclusive package holiday.

This has contributed to a 500 per cent increase

in sickness claims at a time when actual incidents reported by customers in resort have either remained stable or declined.

“We are pleased that the Ministry of Justice has responded to the concerns and evidence raised by ABTA and our members, by taking firm action on this issue. Closing the legal loophole before the summer should lead to a reduction in the number of false claims.

“We encourage the government to keep this matter under review and continue to pursue a ban on cold calling by claims management companies in relation to sickness claims.”

The action follows a number of fake claims over a number of years which culminated in a £15,000 fine being handed down last month to a couple from Liverpool (Chelsea Devine, 21, and Jamie Melling, 22,) who each claimed £2,500 in compensation after claiming food poisoning.

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20th - 26th April

HAVE YOUR SAY

Benidorm draft plans to crackdown on ‘drunken and bad behaviour’

IN the latest of a number of similar incidents along the Costa Blanca, a four-metre long pilot whale has been discovered on a beach.

This time, it was on the beach of Arenales del Sol along from Alicante and close to El Altet and, according to reports, the whale had been spotted approaching and then leaving the area in the days leading up to it being found.

Marine experts believe that after dying at sea it was some

Photo credit: Tony Hisgett Flickr

Popular post on Facebook reaching 21,354 with 86 reactions:

Distraught locals find beached whale

INJURIES: Dead pilot whale probably in the area some days earlier.

two days later when it was taken by the tide toward the shore.

Both locals and tourists to the area were visibly upset to come across the lifeless body of the animal which is understood to have suffered some injuries, was bleeding from the mouth, and suffered a significant amount of cracked skin caused by the waves.

Its remains were left in the premises of the cleaning company Urbaser who had the task of removing the body.

Second dock fire

Denise McMechan: About time!

Terrie Grant: Great news,hope it works

ONE person was injured as a result of a fire aboard a catamaran located in the Alicante port.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Monday morning and six firefighters from the specialist SPEIS service were at the scene in minutes.

According to reports, several workers in the area had to be treated for the effects of smoke inhalation, although only the person suffering a number of burns was later taken to hospital for further treatment.

Ronnie Chivers: It’s not before time why should we have to put up with it just because they get away with it in the UK. Lock them up for their whole stay and charge them hotel rates.

@RTNNewspaper Most liked posts from this week • Whale found dead with 29 kilos of plastic in stomach in Costa Blanca

• Group arrested for bringing counterfeit money into Spain • Bogus holiday sickness claim clampdown planned by UK government • Expat family in Spain launch €100,000 appeal for 10-year-old with brain tumour

In Total 35,249 people reached 11,447 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@rtnnewspaper.com

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

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20th - 26th April

Petrol stations filling up the town SAN VICENTE DEL RASPEIG’S council has decided to suspend any more petrol stations being built in the municipality.

The plan still needs to be approved at the next plenary council meeting, but in any case the suspension cannot last longer than two years.

The proposal was made by the Department of Urban Development and while the twoyear time period is in operation, new by-laws will be set up to regulate where future petrol stations can be located in the neighbourhood.

Mayor of San Vicente del Raspeig, Marilo Jorda, explained that the suspension of awarding any licences for the present “is necessary so we can take note of the national regulations and to meet both the needs and concerns of our citizens at the same time.”

According to the Spanish

Rock festival causes complaints Photo credit: Luis Miguel Sanchez Wikimedia

by Darren Parmenter

REGULATIONS: Two year wait for any future petrol stations in San Vicente del Raspeig. media, the new regulations will look at incorporating three basic points.

They are the distances between petrol being sold and residential property; the distance between one petrol station and the next nearest; and finally, the regulation of other

types of businesses that take place in the petrol station complexes such as supermarkets, cafes etc.

What was also highlighted were the number of activities carried out, such as car washing facilities and loading and unloading of gas cylinders,

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which many local people regularly complain about because of the noise and disruption caused.

Currently, San Vicente del Raspeig is home to a total of 14 petrol stations, a number that the town planners consider as being “more than enough”.

SAN VICENTE DEL RASPEIG Council has been bombarded with complaints from local residents in the aftermath of a rock concert held over the weekend.

As soon as the municipality offices opened on Monday morning people began reporting not only what they considered as excess noise emanating from the Marearock Festival which went on until 6am on Saturday, but the amount of rubbish that was left behind. Paper, cans, and broken bottles were strewn across not only where the open air festival was staged, but in the surrounding roads, parks and even in children’s playgrounds.

However, the Councillor for Youth, Javier Martinez, instead spoke of the advantages of holding the festival in San Vicente del Raspeig and said that assuming the event will be put out to tender, the event will be repeated next year in the same place.

Councillor Martinez believes that such a high number of people attending the festival more than compensated the inconvenience caused. “If all those 6,000 people attending spent €2 each on tobacco, then local business has benefitted,” he said.

At the same time, he stressed that the amount of rubbish in the area at 6am was understandable as the cleaning team didn’t enter the area until 9am.

Speaking to the local Spanish media, the councillor said that the cost of staging the Marearock Festival was €10,000, which was separate from the asyet-unknown costs of providing police reinforcements and extra cleaning services.

Questions will also be asked in the next plenary council meeting by the opposition PP party whether the number attending the event exceeded the per-

20th - 26th April

The Italian job

Photo credit: Guardia Civil

ADVANCE: Fakers spent the counterfeit cash aware it couldn’t be checked.

by Darren Parmenter TWO men in Alicante and a third in Barcelona have been arrested by the National Police in connection with introducing counterfeit money to Spain from Italy.

One of those arrested was taken by surprise the moment he left a parcel company when he was caught carrying a package that had been sent from Naples. There was €4,600 in fake banknotes in the package.

It has also been revealed that

a fourth member of the alleged group was already serving a prison sentence in Tarragona from where he managed to instruct the others.

The investigation began in June last year when the National Police detected several counterfeit bills, of Italian origin, in the towns of Tudela and Zaragoza.

Initial enquiries uncovered the existence of a group dedicated to bringing in the fake €50 notes from Italy.

An Italian citizen was in

charge of transporting the counterfeit currency, either on his own during visits to Spain from Naples or via the postal system made by his own son.

A total of €5,050 made up of €50 and €100 notes were found among €4,535 of legitimate money.

During the investigations, it was also found that most of the fake money had been used in shops and businesses that were known in advance didn’t possess any means of checking their veracity.

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SPOTLIGHT ON MORAIRA

20th - 26th April

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Teulada-Moraira

U3A ‘chicas’ continue to lunch PA R T o f t h e M o r a i r a - Te u l a d a U 3 A , ‘ L a s Chicas Que Comen’ (Ladies who Lunch) enjoyed another lovely monthly meal... this time at the Masia Sant Jaume restaurant in Benissa and some 30 girls gathered to enjoy an afternoon of great company and good food.

The group are now entering their fifth year of eating and drinking their way through various restaurants in Moraira and the surrounding areas.

At least 10 people present attended the first ever meeting of Las Chicas, which was started up by group leader Lynn Clark.

After a welcoming glass of cava and a canapé, the group gathered in the restaurant and were presented with a selection of sharing starters, a choice of main courses and a dessert.

Everyone enjoyed a lovely selection of food and the noise levels indicated the chicas were certainly having a good time chatting to each other.

The group leader Lynn Clarke thanked the restaurant staff and was in turn thanked for all her hard work.

WINNERS: Mercedes Martin (left) and Jose Luis Chaparro revealed as the latest literary stars.

Let me tell you a Teulada story...

WINNER S of the four th local short stor y contest in Teulada have been an-

n o u n ce d . F i r s t p l a ce i n the special category - for those born, registered or living in the municipality - w a s M e rce d e s M a r t i n ; whereas the winner of the general categor y is Jose Luis Chaparro from Badajoz.

The winner of the general category gets a €200 book voucher with the local category champion rece i v i n g o n e fo r € 1 0 0 . . . both can be used in any of the stat ioner y shops or

bookshops in the municipality.

Submitted from parts of Spain and South America, a total of 20 short stories took par t in the contest with the subject of ‘C h r i s t m a s i n Te u l a d a M o ra i ra ’, a s i g n i f i c a n t n u m b e r co m i n g f ro m yo u n g w r i te r s a n d s t u d e n t s f ro m t h e l o c a l school in Teulada.

The next and fifth short story competition has already been announced.

This time the theme is Moraira’s Saint’s Day with a closing date for submitt i n g e n t r i e s o f M ay 2 5 .

They can be sent by em a i l to f p a @ te u l a d a m o raira.org and the prizes on offer are the same as before.

The short story contest i s m e a n t to s t i m u l ate writing and reading, discover hidden talent for lite rat u re a n d e n co u ra g e imagination among people of all ages.

Runners galore at the Corremundos FOR yet another year the Corremundos Athletic Club in Teulada-Moraira will be hosting the annual running event on Saturday.

This is the 16th time the race has been held and has been organised by the town council and the fiesta committee.

The event was announced by the mayor of Calpe, Carlos Linares, accompanied by councillor

for Sport Mario Font, and will feature races of all distances - from 80m to 1,000m - for all levels and ages. The children’s races start at 4pm with the adults coming under the starting pistol from 6.30pm.

There is still time to register to take part in the event at the following websites: www.somesport.com or www.teuladamoraira.org.

20th - 26th April

First of many beach improvements Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela

UNDER COVER: New pergola visited by Luisa Bone (left).

ORIHUELA Councillor Luisa Bone has announced a full refurbishment of the promenade which runs along the beach at Punta Prima.

The pavement was in a very poor state of repair with a handful of loose slabs, and containing a pergola with only half the beams in place which had steadily deteriorated due to years of wear and tear. The balustrade was also broken in a number of places.

Councillor Bone said “We from the Municipal Department of Beaches felt it necessary to renovate this viewpoint, because it was possible to turn it into one of the most beautiful enclaves of our coast, where we can sit down and

enjoy the wonderful view.

“The work consisted of firstly the demolition of the old building. Then the ground was prepared for the construction of a 24-metre long and four-metre wide pergola made of white wood, with a cover consisting of planks which are separated from each other and thus allow for shadow effects,” continued the councillor.

In addition, she added that the wood was placed in such as way as to create a wave effect, perfect for its seaside location. Four modern grey benches have also been installed which match the pillars of the new pergola.

Finally, Councillor Bone said that the cost of the works cost a total of €37,458.

19

20th - 26th April

21

Letters best unopened by Michael Walsh

keyboardcosmetics@gmail.com I HAD long wanted to go through the family’s old letters; the debris of half-forgotten times.

If I had been reluctant to do so it was because Memory Lane is more emotionally potholed than a Latvian farm track. Hesitantly, I paused before picking up a bundle of letters penned by my late father.

Dad passed away in 2021 and my calendar marked today’s date as 2053. He and my stepmother had lived their last days on Spain’s Mediterranean Riviera. I preferred living in Paraguay as it has kept its old values; securities and anyway is far removed from geopolitical fault lines.

With heaving heart I read dad’s letters. The eternal optimist, his lines told of how good the weath-

er was compared with the climate of his native England.

The happy until death couple enjoyed café society, the company of dear friends, and dad and his wife also travelled a fair bit.

Dad’s lines seemed to grin as he wrote about their having won the lottery of life.

This pleased me greatly. Having been born during the catastrophic Second World

War he often told of an austerity that few can imagine.

Admittedly, all wasn’t well in Europe in 2018. In one letter I asked him about repression but his follow-up had dismissed my fears.

“As long as you keep your thoughts to yourself, which applies to everyone, especially the professionals,

life is just an aquarium and we are content with our lot.”

His letters sometimes touched upon issues such as Europe being overrun by non-Europeans, a refugee crisis and a stand-off between Russia and the western powers. Sardonically, he said that each NATO war turned the refugee taps on.

Credit: Matthias G. Ziegler Shutterstock

CLOSED CASE: Not always a good idea to open it.

Dad had expressed concern that the United States was in debt to the tune of $21 trillion. The then euro was unstable and a number of EU states were unable to repay or refinance their government’s debts.

“Yes, there is a massive imbalance to the advantage of Russia and China. No longer self-sufficient we have lost our former supremacy. But, to be honest, son, it is all a bit over my head.”

Being something of a history buff I knew that in such circumstances war was always inevitable. But, I kept my thoughts to myself. Why trouble my parents with what they didn’t wish to hear.

Then in 2018 the West had tried shooting its way out of the corner. Outgunned and outmanoeuvred the United States and the EU had been left desolate.

There were no rich pickings for the vultures that afterwards overran Europe. Placing the packet of letters back in their box I knew I shouldn’t have opened it in the first case.

Mike Walsh’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the publishers advertisers or sponsors.

22

SPOTLIGHT ON CALPE

20th - 26th April

vv

Cosmo’s coming home

TODAY ’S (Friday) plenary council meeting in Calpe is due to discuss the renovation of a building in the old town and turning it into a 21st century tourist office.

T he municipal-owned building located on Car rer de la Lliber tat will be part of the scheme to revitalise Calpe, and the building proj e c t w i l l re ce i ve a s i g n i f i c a n t amount of the costs from the European Regional Development Fund.

Mixing traditional face-to-face information with a wealth of modern technology available through a series of interactive computers, the project will create a new tourist information centre that will be open 24/7.

Thanks to the available EU funding, the entire tourist information s e r v i ce w i l l b e com p l e te l y m o d ernised and include state-of-the-art virtual offices.

T h e p ro j e c t i s p a r t o f a w i d e r ‘Smar t Tourist Destination Plan’ which was approved by the Calpe Town Council in 2017 and will in-

Photo credit: Jorghe Van Hecke Wikimedia

CALPE’S town council has authorised at the last plenar y council m e e t i n g a re q u e s t f ro m t h e A l i c a n te Highways Authority to install the fig ure m ade by A nd re u A l faro - ‘Cosmo 62’ - on the main roundabout.

The planned new s i te i s v e r y c l o s e to w h e re h e w a s o r i g i nally located during t h e 1 9 7 0 ’s a n d i n to the ‘80’s.

The sculpture, comp o s e d b y A l fa ro i n 1960, was owned by Jose Huget and was installed near to the petrol station on the northern access road to Calpe.

S o m e ye a r s l ate r, ‘Cosmos 62’ was sold to the Institut Valencia d’Art Modern and moved to Valencia.

Tourism for the 21st century

VIRTUAL: The revitalisation of Calpe continues. vo l ve to t a l i nve s t m e n t o f €6,134,522, 50 per cent of which will come from EU funds.

O t h e r p ro j e c t s e nv i s a g e d i n the municipality which can be completed due to the extra funding

include an increase in cycle lanes and investments in public transport.

Lessons in animal welfare CALPE’S Maite Boronat Occupational

Centre has this week welcomed representa-

tives from the La Nucia Animal Protectorate.

The secretary of the animal welfare organisation Engelien Steenbruggen joined collaborator Raphaela Fischer and brought with them Luna... an injured puppy who had been taken in by the protectorate until he recovers.

They took the opportunity to explain to the centre’s users the work the Animal Protectorate does and the importance of finding new and loving homes for the stray and abandoned pets.

Plans are being made to allow a return visit to the organisation in La Nucia.

20th - 26th April

25

money Spain’s in the money Photo credit: World Economic Forum Wikimedia

THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered a more optimistic outlook for Spain’s economic growth for both this year and in to 2019.

Led by Christine Lagarde, the IMF forecasts the national economy will grow by 2.8 per cent over this year - up from its previous predictions of 2.4 per cent - and 2.2 per cent next year, an increase from those former expectations of 2.1 per cent.

This means Spain will continue to be the fastest-growing economy across the Eurozone, which is also expected to achieve healthy growth this year.

However, the good news comes with a warning. Despite Spain’s growth being the greatest in the Eurozone, the FMI’s Global Economic Perspectives report reveals that the country may have peaked last year and may begin to slow down progressively.

“In Spain, growth is expected to slow from the 3.1 per cent seen in 2017 to 2.8 per cent in 2018 and 2.2 per cent

in 2019, with economic activity slowing down, albeit less so than calculations at the beginning of 2018 appeared to show,” the report says.

The FMI’s forecasts are slightly more optimistic than those of Spain’s government, which expects growth of 2.7 per cent this year, and while the healthy growth is likely unemployment rates in the country are still the second highest in the Eurozone.

Largarde’s team predicts however that jobless figures will continue to fall, dropping to 15.5 per cent over 2018 and to 14.8 per cent in 2019, compared with the 17.2 per cent level at the end of last year.

OPTIMISTIC: IMF’s Christine Lagarde with a mainly positive outlook for Spain.

Arrests expose lack of card security OFFICERS from the Guardia Civil have arrested a gang of thieves in Alicante allegedly involved in a credit card scam.

A total of eight people were originally sought by the authorities but six of them are believed to have fled the country once they realised they were being hunted. Nevertheless, the two presumed gang leaders - a 32-year-old Romanian and a 38-year-old Slovenian have been detained.

Their modus operandi was the same and has exposed some basic security failings in a number of businesses, especially supermarkets.

A member of the team would stand close to an unsuspecting customer - usually a woman or an elderly person in a checkout - and watch them type in their PIN code when using a card to pay. With some of the machines not having the protection tab that prevents prying eyes to see the number; it makes it easier for potential thieves to see them.

After they’d seen and noted the numbers, the victims were then followed into a car park and once distracted had their bag or wallet stolen which contained the credit or bank cards.

According to a report from the Guardia Civil, the gang were able to use the cards to get money and goods to the value of €32,000 as a result of 71 crimes.

26

20th - 26th April

Basic Spanish for everyday needs

by Jane Cronin

I HAVE been asked many times to teach people the ‘little words’ in Spanish. However, tackling ‘little words’ as a subject in itself this is much easier said than done for several reasons.

Firstly, many ‘little words’ have multiple meanings depending on the context which means that secondly, it is not possible to find a single translation for them out of context and thirdly, even if we do manage to explain and translate them, they rarely stick in our minds - you’ve guessed it - unless we learn them in a context.

Having said all of that, I now propose to write a summary of just one group of little words, namely single-word ‘prepositions’, and give at least some examples in context to give us a basic idea of each one. I will leave the translations up to you - I have tried to keep them simple.

Let’s start with one of the most common words in the language, that single letter ‘a’.

This has multiple meanings which include ideas related to place, time, manner, distance and price etc. Here are a few examples: Mañana iré a Zaragoza. Tengo mi clase a las seis y media. Lo hago a mi manera. Está a cien metros. Los vendo a cinco euros cada uno.

Equally, if not more, common is the

Just a few little words preposition ‘de’. This can refer to possession, origin, material amongst other things el coche de Juan; Nuria es de Alicante; las sábanas son de algodón.

Another two-letter preposition is ‘en’.

Again this is mainly, but not exclusively, used to refer to place and time. Here are two examples: Mi marido está en casa; lo leí en dos minutos.

Then we have a pair of opposites: ‘con’ and ‘sin - with and without. ‘Con’ refers to company, instrument and manner. If you have no idea what that means, here are the examples: Trabajo con Pedro; corto la tarta con un cuchillo; me lo dijo con mucha alegría. ‘Sin’ on the other hand merely refers to ‘lack’ - una camiseta sin mangas; un rebelde sin causa.

Two words that are sometimes confused, although they are fundamentally different are ‘hasta’ and ‘hacia’. ‘Hasta’ refers to a specific limit of space, time and quantity, for example: Caminé hasta el centro del pueblo; hasta ahora no le he visto, tengo hasta diez camisas distintas. Hasta is often used with ‘desde’ as in: ‘París hasta Dakar, desde mañana hasta el viernes que viene’.

‘Hacia’ however means a little more vaguely ‘towards, or ‘in the direction of’ so ‘caminé hacia el centro del pueblo’, means that I walked in that direction, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that I actually arrived.

A word already referred to is ‘desde’ usually translated as ‘since’ or ‘from’. It can refer to both time and place, as in ‘desde Alicante hasta Madrid’ or ‘desde las siete hasta las nueve de la tarde’. A word which

refers only to concepts of time is ‘durante’. This is directly connected to the idea of ‘duration. ‘He estado enferma durante toda la semana.

‘Entre’ is a word that we usually translate as ‘between’ in terms of either time or place, but we shouldn’t forget can also mean ‘among’ or ‘amongst. ‘Albacete está entre Alicante y Madrid’; ‘estás entre amigos’.

Another tricky pair of prepositions is ‘por’ and ‘para’. I have actually produced a video tutorial on my website www.janecronin.eu about the use of these two words. However, here are some brief indicators. Both have multiple meanings with ‘para’ expressing objectives, destination, direction and use, for example: ‘Voy a Murcia para comprar un sofá’; ‘el cuchillo es para cortar’, ‘el tren va para Barcelona’, ‘el regalo es para mi madre’. ‘Por expresses duration, cause or motive, price, exchange and means.Here is a simple example of each one: ‘Estuve en Londres por dos semanas’; ‘llegué tarde por el tráfico’ (because of); ‘lo compré por diez euros’; ‘contéstame por email’.

There are quite a few more of these prepositions, but we’ll look at just one more - ‘sobre’. Just like all the others, sobre can mean a number of things, though as a preposition mainly ‘about, ‘around’, ‘on’ or ‘over’. ‘Nos vemos sobre las dos’ (about two o’clock). ‘Estamos hablando sobre el problema’. El florero está sobre la mesa.

A reader writes Hello Ms Cronin, I FOLLOW your Spanish page every week in the RTN and I refer to the edition dated April 6 - 12 for ‘Open questions in third person.’

It is the English grammar to which I refer, where you mention questions about a third person.

You wrote ‘How many children have you got?’ and ‘How many children has Pedro got?’

Surely they should read ‘How many children do you have?’ and ‘How many children does Pedro have?’

I’m sorry but ‘GOT’ is a pet hate of mine as I was taught never to use it if at all avoidable.

Kind regards, Ron Sheldon, San Luis.

Jane Cronin replies Hello Ron, THANK you very much for your comment about my Spanish article. I’m glad that you find it useful.

As you are aware, my intention is not to teach English but Spanish and I prefer to use forms that are used in everyday speech. In British English I think it is quite common to say ‘Have you got?’ as an alternative to ‘Do you have?’ and I don’t think it is regarded as grammatically incorrect. In American English it is true that they only use the ‘Do you have?’ form.

I understand what you mean about the sound of the word ‘got’ and certainly things expressions like ‘I got’ as opposed to ‘I bought’ or ‘I collected’ etc could represent a limitation of vocabulary, but phrases such as ‘I’ve got a new car’ or ‘Have you got any money?’ to my ears at least, do not sound incorrect.

Sorry to offend your ears! As I said at the beginning, my main intention is to help people use everyday Spanish by comparing it with everyday English usage.

With kind regards, Jane

28

20th - 26th April

by Barry Duke

“YOUR life,” said my friend Tom, “reads like a soap opera.” “Yeah,” I replied morosely “one scripted in a padded cell by someone who’s taken too many hallucinogens and thinks he’s Franz Kafka… or maybe Frank Zappa.”

I had just filled him in on the latest twist in the saga over my passport which went missing last May. Readers may remember my ‘Gatwick airport ate my passport’ piece. If not, here’s a quick recap: I was due to fly back to Spain and was putting my suitcase on the

My passport flew to Greece, I didn’t checking-in belt when an over-zealous assistant, assuming I was a fragile crumbly in need of assistance, seized the case to re-align it and in the process knocked my passport out of my hand.

The moment I realised it was gone, I informed another assistant, whose atti-

tude suggested I was several baubles short of a Christmas tree and had inadvertently put it in my case.

After I convinced him that I would never do something as stupid as that, an alert was issued, but the passport was never found. Clearly it had disappeared into Gatwick’s north terminal’s luggage conveyor system.

The airline refused to let me board with an encapsulated copy of the passport which I always keep in my wallet along with my Spanish residencia certificate and, in an off-hand manner, said I would have to wait for my suitcase to be returned to me. It came back SIX HOURS later! Only after a week of being marooned in the UK could I get home with a new passport.

I wrote to complain to easyJet and demand compensation for expenses, loss of income and stress. After they ignored two letters, I made an official demand for compensation through the UK’s Centre for Effective Dispute

Resolution (CEDR).

Only then did I get an e-mail from easyJet, apologising for not having responded to my letters.

Someone called Thomas, from the laughably named customer services department, said how sorry he was about my experience but …

“With regards to this issue, when a customer books a flight with us, or any other airline, all baggage becomes the responsibility of the airport… easyJet as well as all other airlines, pay the airport for the use of their facilities, these include baggage handling as well as security processes in place at all airports… this is not only to give a fair and consistent standard throughout the airport, but also to ensure the security of all passengers and visitors to the airport.”

The airline flatly refused my claim and said it was up to me to take up the matter with Gatwick.

Then something utterly bizarre happened. I recently received a telephone call from a London woman who told me that she had my passport. She’d found it in an

outer pocket of her suitcase when she returned from a holiday in Greece.

So, my passport was never actually LOST. It was found by some imbecile working in the baggage area who, instead of handing it to the authorities, simply tucked it into a stranger’s luggage without thinking what grief this might cause.

This was a cut and dried case of dereliction of duty. So much for ‘ensuring the security of all passengers and visitors to the airport.’

I then received a notification from the CEDR that easyJet could not be held responsible for the mishandling of my passport, but it should have allowed me to board the flight with the documentation I had. They awarded me €250.00 in compensation which I’ve yet to receive.

I have now written to Gatwick to demand the rest of the compensation I believe is owed to me, and if they try to stonewall me I will make another claim through the CEDR. Hopefully this matter will finally be put to rest before I die of old age.

20th - 26th April

29

Helping children in Senegal to lead a better life Credit: Formación Senegal

THE charity Formación Senegal provides schools and vocational training for African children and young people in the Louga region of Senegal, a rural area of the African Sahel with difficult geosocial conditions.

“We build, coordinate and support educational projects and any initiative related to training”, explained the president of Formación Senegal, Toni Zamorano.

To contribute to the education and learning development of these African children and young people, it is often necessary to correct problems with their sight. Specsavers Opticas in Javea and Calpe has been doing its bit towards this cause since 2016. So far, they have donated approximately 600 pairs of glasses as part of the ‘Empresas con Corazón’ initiative.

Zamorano pointed out that “the glasses are being given to people in the Louga region of Senegal. As an NGO, we send containers of humanitarian material, so we have our own logistics for the shipments. Together with the local area coordinators we distribute the glasses to people who need them the most.”

Mike Stone, Director of Specsavers Opticas in Javea and Calpe explained; “We have been collecting glasses since opening in 2006, however our long-term collaborator stopped supporting the cause and we didn’t want the donations of

GIVE GENEROUSLY: The gift of sight will make life better for these children.

glasses to go to waste.

“A chance comment from an employee of the Javea store, who was close friends with one of the charity organisers, has led to forging this new partnership. It will be great to see and hear firsthand, the results of how our customers’ kind donations will help people in Senegal.”

The charity focuses on the two fundamental issues in West Africa, health and education, in order to improve the lives of people in this region.

Formación Senegal does not have public funding, so its funding comes from private companies who are aware of the importance of supporting charitable projects.

“We are working hard to raise the awareness of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the benefits it can have for the business and the world at large. ‘Empresas con Corazón’ (Companies with Heart) is made up of companies committed to working together on specific projects with tangible outcomes which will have longterm benefits for the people of Senegal.

“Any contribution, of any kind, is welcome, and 100 per cent of donations go straight to the projects,” commented Zamorano.

To learn more about Formación Senegal, visit their website www.formacionsenegal.org or to donate glasses for this project visit Specsavers Opticas in Javea or Calpe www.specsavers.es.

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Match of the Day Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights 9:30am London Marathon 3:00pm BBC News 3:10pm Weather for the Week Ahead 3:15pm Sunday Politics 4:30pm Songs of Praise 5:05pm B.O.B's Big Break 5:15pm Madagascar 6:35pm BBC News 6:50pm Regional News 6:55pm Weather 7:00pm The Big Painting Challenge 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow 10:00pm The Woman in White 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm Regional News

7:35am Countryfile 8:30am Beechgrove Garden 9:00am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 10:00am The Andrew Marr Show 11:00am Snooker 1:15pm MOTD2 Extra 2:00pm Gardeners' World 3:00pm London Marathon 2018 3:30pm Snooker 7:00pm Nature's Biggest Beasts 8:00pm London Marathon Highlights 9:00pm Britain's Biggest War Ship 10:00pm My Year with the Tribe 11:00pm Famalam 11:25pm Joe Lycett: That's the Way A-ha A-ha

9:25am 9:30am 10:25am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:20pm

11:30am 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:15pm 2:15pm 3:15pm 6:45pm 9:55pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:40am

6:30am 7:00am 9:00am 10:25am 12:05pm 1:50pm 3:35pm 5:40pm 7:15pm 9:00pm 10:40pm 12:25am

2:30am 4:15am

Ready Player One: Special Moana: Special Just Charlie Batman: The Killing Joke The Dark Tower Gifted Rough Night Alien: Covenant The House Gifted The Dark Tower Rough Night Alien: Covenant The crew of a damaged colony ship discover a seemingly hospitable planet and go in for a closer look The House Growing Up Smith

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of RTN.

20th - 26th April

31

Fly the flag and help those in need THE St George’s Day fundraiser at Almafra Campsite in Alfaz del Pi next Monday is now in its fifth year and getting bigger and better every year.

Last year over 500 people attended this great day with many flying over from the UK to celebrate with friends.

This particular celebration started when one of the organiser’s 40th birthday celebrations happened to be on A p r i l 2 3 ( S t G e o r g e ’s D a y ) and all guests were asked to wear red and white. As it w a s s u c h a g r e a t d a y, a group of friends decided to turn it into a fundraiser to help the local food bank in Alfaz del Pi. They continue to help the volunteers at the food bank but also donate some of the funds raised to various other good causes.

Entrance is €5 and tickets can be purchased from Almafra Campsite in advance or you can pay on the day at the door.

BENIDORM TOM: Just one of the musical attractions.

All tickets are numbered to include entrance into the raffle.

Doors open at 12pm and the entertainment on the

day will be: 12.30pm to 1pm - Jenny Wren 1.15pm to 1.45pm - Blues Brothers

U3A Vall del Pop: Constitution amendments THIS paper has been advised that a specially assembled sub-committee has spent considerable time in reviewing and updating the U3A Vall del Pop Constitution, to bring it fully in line with the present needs and operation of the group.

This was issued by email recently to all members, who

Mike Walsh and Russia THE naivety of the recent comments on Mike Walsh’s articles is staggering, as is his misplaced faith in ‘so many of the world's leading nations, headed by the United States.’

Let's see: that would include Donald Duck Trump and from another of the world's leading nations, ‘off the cuff’ Boris Johnson. Phew!

Charlie Dowling, Orihuela Costa.

then had the opportunity to propose their own amendments, in writing to the secretary, by April 8.

A definitive version, detailing all the changes and amendments, was then reissued on April 12, to permit all members time to fully consider it before the extraordinary meeting, which is scheduled for the earlier starting time of 10am on Thursday May 5, at which date members will be asked to vote on each amendment in order for the new Constitution to be approved.

It is important that all members read and consider the amendments and satisfy themselves as to the correct-

ness and necessity for the changes, as revisions to the constitution are not made every year and a sound working basis needs to be established to allow the group to move forward.

Members will need to attend the meeting to participate in the discussion and in the final vote for acceptance or rejection of each item, but if you cannot attend please prepare a proxy voting form, which was included in the documents issued by email on April 12 and give this to another member, who is attending.

For more information on the U3A go to http://u3 avalldelpop.com.

1.45pm to 2.30pm - Benidorm Tom (Tom Jones tribute) 2.45pm to 3.30pm - Sister Act 3.45pm to 4.30pm - The Fanat-

ics (Motown tribute) 4.45pm to 5.30pm - Still to be confirmed 6pm to 7pm - Ron on the Rocks

MONDAY 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Heir Hunters 12:45pm The Housing Enforcers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm 800 Words 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Flipping Profit 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Nightmare Pets SOS 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm DIY SOS the Big Build 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm Regional News

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

Flog It! Heir Hunters Health Hugh's Wild West Victoria Derbyshire Snooker The Daily Politics Snooker Eggheads Britain in Bloom The Secret Helpers Only Connect University Challenge Secret Agent Selection : Ww2 QI Newsnight Weather Snooker Snooker Countryfile My Dad, the Peace Deal and Me Murder, Mystery and My Family This is BBC Two

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 Judge Rinder 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 Coronation Street 9:00pm Give it a Year 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Info not available 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm Regional News and Weather 11:45pm Info not available 12:45am The Investigator: A British Crime Story

9:00am How I Met Your Mother 9:30am How I Met Your Mother 10:00am New Girl 11:00am 2 Broke Girls 12:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1:00pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm How I Met Your Mother 3:30pm How I Met Your Mother 4:00pm New Girl 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm Young Sheldon 10:00pm Made in Chelsea 11:00pm Don't Tell the Bride Ireland

7:00am Milkshake!

10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

1:10pm 5 News 1:15pm The Gadget Show 2:10pm Access 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Social Nightmare 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Moto GP Highlights 9:00pm Police Interceptors 10:00pm Paddington Station 24/7 11:00pm Fergie v Wenger: The Feud 12:00am Criminals Caught on Camera 1:00am America's Toughest Prisons 2:00am Super Casino

4:15am 6:15am

This is BBC Two Flog It! Heir Hunters The Super League Show Sea Cities Victoria Derbyshire Snooker The Daily Politics Snooker Eggheads Britain in Bloom Antiques Road Trip Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge Hospital Cunk on Britain Newsnight Weather Snooker Snooker MasterChef Secret Agent Selection: WW2

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 Judge Rinder 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 Devon and Cornwall Cops 9:00pm This Time Next Year 10:00pm Last Laugh in Vegas 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm Regional News and Weather

11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm

7:00am Milkshake!

10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

1:10pm 5 News 1:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2:10pm Access 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Secrets of Eden 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Autumn in Loch Lomond 9:00pm The Yorkshire Vet 10:00pm Ben Nevis: The Venemous Mountain 11:00pm Disastrous TV: When Television Goes Wrong

6:10am Top Ten Show, the 2018 6:30am Moana: Special 7:00am Sky 8:50am Batman: The Killing Joke 10:15am Rough Night 12:05pm The Dark Tower 1:45pm Broken Vows 3:25pm Gifted 5:10pm The Wizard - An American Wrestler 7:20pm The Dark Tower 9:00pm Rough Night Things get badly out of hand when five college friends reunite for a wild bachelorette weekend 10:45pm Broken Vows 12:20am The Wizard - An American Wrestler 2:30am Gifted

6:30am 7:00am 9:00am 10:45am 11:00am 1:10pm 3:00pm 4:55pm 6:50pm 9:00pm 10:40pm

12:25am 2:10am

Growing Up Smith Top Ten Show, the 2018 The Great Wall: Special Gifted The House Top Ten Show, the 2018 The Wizard - An American Wrestler The Dark Tower Rough Night Gifted The Wizard - An American Wrestler The Dark Tower Rough Night Things get badly out of hand when five college friends reunite for a wild bachelorette weekend.

The House Just Charlie

10:30am La Liga Greatest Games 11:00am Info not available 1:05pm Info not available 3:10pm Info not available 5:15pm La Liga Icons 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm Info not available 7:15pm Info not available 7:30pm Football's Greatest 8:00pm Soccer A.M. 8:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:40pm La Liga Icons 8:55pm Info not available 11:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18 11:15pm SPFL Greatest Games 11:30pm MLS Round Up Show

TUESDAY 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Heir Hunters 12:45pm The Housing Enforcers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm 800 Words 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Flipping Profit 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm The Split 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm Regional News

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

3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm

2 Broke Girls 2 Broke Girls Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother New Girl New Girl Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Extreme Cake Makers The Big Bang Theory

5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:15pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Revista de la Liga 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18 7:15pm SPFL Greatest Games 7:30pm MLS Round Up Show 8:00pm Eredivisie 9:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18 9:15pm SPFL Greatest Games 9:30pm MLS Round Up Show 10:00pm Eredivisie 11:00pm Revista de la Liga

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of RTN.

20th - 26th April

by Colin Bird

THE subject of mental health; its recognition and treatment, has been at the forefront of much discussion in the media over the last 12 months and rightly so.

But there are signs already that the momentum is lessening and that the media may be looking for the next hobby horse to get its teeth into.

A close friend of mine in the 70’s was a manic depressive, which in line with today’s politically correct need for readjustment, is now called bipolar disorder.

Of the six of us who hung out together, he was the best looking; had a good income as an engineering draftsman, and was popular with everyone. In other words he pretty much had everything a young man in his 20’s could wish for.

The other side of him, when it raised its ugly face, was a deep depression that could sometimes engulf him so quickly, that from a laughing, joking, life and soul of the party, he could become morose and withdrawn.

To his credit, whenever this hap-

The black dog Credit: Marcos Mesa Sam Wordley Shutterstock

The opinions published in Colin’s weekly column are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or newspaper sponsors.

33

THE BLACK DOG: That is depression.

pened he immediately disappeared, not wishing to inflict himself on the rest of us. One minute he could be dancing with an attractive female, and the next making for the door.

Depression was not understood and we could never comprehend how someone with so much going for him

could possibly get himself into such a state, and at times we told him so. It was bewildering, but understanding can be painful.

Depression is nothing to be ashamed of, but the toughest barrier is first admitting it to yourself, then later finding the courage to explain it to others.

Putting simple things off until another time and encountering an invisible barrier that is as solid as a brick wall when trying to put into effect important projects; waking in the early hours of the morning with the hard stone of dread lying in the pit of the stomach for no apparent reason: these are things that only the sufferer experiences and because they make no logical sense, are kept to themselves.

On the face of it they can still be the usual happy, affable individuals that everyone expects and have come to know, but sometimes this is simply a cover for a seething irrational mass of anxiety.

Occasionally the mask slips, and manifests itself by way of short temper and rudeness.

Aggressive self-opinionation is also a trait, but this is only an over compensation for self-doubt.

It is important that people begin to recognise what depression really means and they try to look beyond the mask.

Understanding leads to discussion and discussion is a vital part of therapy.

34

20th - 26th April

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

Play on Words

Answers: Poetry in motion.

Close quarters.

You have every right to be confused as things haven’t improved lately, and you have the uncertainty of not knowing where exactly you stand. The Mars conjunction with Pluto brings power to your elbow, but also delays your current reaction until it is appropriate to act. Keep cool and follow through when the time is right.

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?

The entry of the Sun brings a true blessing straight from the heart; leading up to the entry of Venus into Gemini on the 24th.

This action activates finances, so ask for whatever you want; since a charming Venus together with a persuasive Gemini can see you charming your way into the receipt of financial rewards and rich blessings.

Venus boosts your energies and this has an uplifting effect on your activities this week. This is a great time to be social, plan and enjoy going out. Aspects focus on love, friendship and even marriage too. This is a time to ask, with no fear of rebuff or refusal, for just what exactly it is that you really want to happen this time around.

Your career is the focus this week, and for sure you will need the cooperation of others. Your sign is highly influenced by eclipses just now. After the Lunar Eclipse in your house of Home and Family a relationship, that was going off track, steadies and takes on new levels. Be careful that Mercury is retrograde until the 24th!

The great influence of your planetary leader, the Sun transmutes the actions brought about by two impending eclipses, and the stern influences of an ebullient Uranus right now. Travel is strongly indicated as major transformations see you taking a brief respite, and getting the chance of a breath of fresh air, just to blow away the cobwebs.

With Pluto, Mars and Saturn in your house of creativity; and Pluto in hard angle to the Sun in Taurus it is fortunate that all three planets are in Capricorn, an Earth sign like yours.

However watch over finances, and tap into funds only if you need to, as an unexpected expense may cost you dearly, though, truly, it will be money well spent!

Health has been impacted by problems experienced on the home domestic front; but this week you will note a genuine difference, with an increased energy and a positive and inspiring environment to boot after the retrograde of Mercury. The trine of Ceres means that valuable time could be wasted if you don’t immediately get things right.

Annoying hitches pop up when the Sun moves into your opposing sign of Taurus, forming an oppositional energy but sharpening your response and allowing you to learn from what transpires. Mars is in Capricorn which helps to lighten the load and tells those who would actively oppose you that you are not to be messed with in any way.

Time to make some positive changes in some areas of your life. Venus in Taurus creates very different conditions that may appear to be right for you; but relationships may take a tumble, especially if you are put into a situation whereby you must pick sides. Have the courage to face problems, however small they seem.

Be very careful what you sign up for right now. Capricorns love to find ways of helping others, but be careful that you are not biting off more than you can chew this week. Your intuition and spiritual energies are much heightened and may take you out of your comfort zone, but understand that any transformations are fully supported by love.

After the Sun conjuncts Uranus it’s time to be both bold and forward. Be ambitious and lucky because it is all out there.

What you do right now is part of a ripple effect that allows you the benefit of the doubt and gets you noticed for all the very best of reasons. Mars sextiles Jupiter to bring you rewards that help you see reason right now.

You are motivated by your creativity and your service to others.

Lately you haven’t exactly found your calling, but you seem to be gravitating to dreams of pastures new. Be as flexible as you can be. Somehow you are being shown alternatives, but whatever you do, now that Mars joins forces with Jupiter, ramp up that energy!

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 10 represents X and 21 represents K, so fill in X every time the figure 10 appears and K every time the figure 21 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 I am looking forward to meeting you at the forthcoming Mind Body and Soul Fair on April 5, hosted by the Alfaz Spiritual Foundation at the Forum Mare Nostrum, Camino del Pintxo 2, Alfaz del Pi from 10am to 4pm.

Readers of RTN can make advanced bookings for readings which are €25 for twenty minutes.

Please contact Kenny directly on 686 361 594 or by email: kennycorris@hotmail.com.

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 Slow down and tune in. The hectic does you no favour whatsoever, and it takes a cool and contemplating mind to tune into the actions of a compensating Cosmos this Astrological year.

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.

20th - 26th April

More Puzzles Cryptic

Across 1 Chopper about to take off with revolutionary leader (7) 5 Follow the path (5) 8 It concerns Adam’s wife and the bailiff (5) 9 Unconventional start in passage (7) 10 Occurrence in Monica Seles’s day (4) 11 French boarding houses appreciated by the retired (8) 13 Public school admitting us, somewhere in London (6) 15 Sore when I wait on Her Majesty (6) 18 Old cabinetmaker as throne maker (8) 19 Temptation found in Cuba, Italy and France (4) 22 Greek wine, some clarets in Athens (7) 23 Nothing going right sweetheart (5) 24 Wheel covers made from pretty resilient stuff (5) 25 Keeps making chess move (7)

English - Spanish

Futoshiki

Down 1 Small boat from County Clare, possibly (7) 2 Vessels taking sheep over river (5) 3 See six points (4) 4 On the contrary, her art is moving (6) 5 US truck driver meets art work (8) 6 Take off nasty scab on poor Don (7) 7 Biblical refugee, American flower (5) 12 Not a sign of legal representatives (8) 14 Place of refuge lets her wander (7) 16 Quick replies for lab equipment (7) 17 Nothing found in reconditioned iMacs but a coloured pattern (6) 18 Dispute about right to get fish (5) 20 An incus is part of a Roman villa (5) 21 It’s a positive sign, as well (4)

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 1 Remolacha (8) 6 Swedish (f) (5) 8 Hielo (3) 9 Something (4) 11 Air (4) 13 Tintas (para escribir) (4) 14 To pray (say prayers) (4) 16 Grifo (de agua)

(3) 17 Nail (metal) (5) 19 Season (period of the year) (8) Down 1 Enough (8) 2 Ojo (3) 3 Royal (4) 4 Cebolla (5) 5 Cucharilla (8)

7 To fall (4) 10 Chica (4) 12 Cuerdas (gruesas) (5) 15 Minutes (of a meeting) (4) 18 There (near you) (3)

Quick

Across 7 Exclusive right (11) 8 Fisherman (6) 9 Full supply (6) 10 Made afraid (6) 12 Real (6) 13 Firearm (3) 14 Dissimilar (6) 16 Public building for gambling and entertainment (6) 18 Capital of Austria (6) 20 Drink made of beer and lemonade (6) 22 Wife or widow of a marquis (11) Down 1 Not shut (4) 2 Hawker (6) 3 Slang term for jail sentence (8) 4 Stinging insect (4) 5 Turn aside (6) 6 Hold back (8) 11 Establishes or strengthens as with new evidence or facts (8) 12 Forebear (8) 15 Disregard (6) 17 Apportions (6) 19 Feel physical pain (4) 21 Twilight (4)

35

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?

FAKE 1 2 3 4

COOK

Sudoku

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

36

20th - 26th April

More Puzzles Irregular Soduku Wordsearch:

Wizards of Waverly Place

DOWN 1. 2 down times 6 down 2. 5 across plus reversed 6 down 3. 5 across squared 6. Its digits total five

OSCAR

NIEMEYER,

7.

SESAME

STEIN II, 5. OSCAR DE LA HOYA, 6.

CAR PISTORIUS, 4. OSCAR HAMMER1. OSCAR WILDE, 2. CHELSEA, 3. OSAnswers

Not a lot of people know that... the origin of the name Oscar for the Academy Awards, is disputed. One biography of Bette Davis claims that she named the Oscar after her first husband, band leader Harmon Oscar Nelson. Another claimed the origin is that the Academy's Executive Secretary, Margaret Herrick, first saw the award in 1931 and made reference to the statuette's reminding her of her

Quiz

THE OSCARS

STREET,

7. Which long-running American children’s television series features the character Oscar the Grouch?

8. Which play by Neil Simon (later a television series) featured the characters Oscar Madison, a slovenly, recently divorced sportswriter and Felix Ungar, a fastidious, hypochondriac news-writer?

9. Which US mockumentary-style television series that aired on NBC from March 2005 to May 2013 featured the character Oscar Martinez played by Cuban actor Oscar Nunez?

10. With which instrument would you principally associate the Canadian-born musician Oscar Peterson?

8. THE ODD COUPLE, 9. THE OFFICE,

1. Fingal O’Flahertie Wills were the middle names of which prolific Irish writer, born in Dublin in October 1854?

2. For which London football club did Brazilian international Oscar (full name Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior) make 131 appearances between 2012 and 2016?

3. What is the name of the, since disgraced, South African athlete who, at the 2012 Summer Olympics, became the first double-leg amputee to participate in the Olympics?

4. What was the name of the American librettist and theatrical producer who is best known for his collaborations with Richard Rodgers, which included Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music?

5. Which boxer, born in Los Angeles on February 4, 1973, won 10 world titles in six different weight classes, including the lineal championship in three weight classes?

6. Which Brazilian architect, an early exponent of modernist architecture in Latin America, designed the main public buildings of Brasilia?

ACROSS 1. 1 down plus a half of 5 across 4. See 7 across 5. See 3 down 7. 4 across squared

10. PIANO

Cross Figure

WAVERLY SUB STATION SELENA GOMEZ DISNEY WIZARDS ALEX JUSTIN MAX HARPER JERRY UNCLE KELBO ZEKE COMPETITION RUSSO LAIR WAND FAMILY

20th - 26th April

More Puzzles Giant Crossword ACROSS 1 Symphony, e.g.

5 Sing like Bing 10 Pampers product 16 Mensa stats 19 Scheme 20 Big artery 21 Flowery 22 Almond, e.g.

23 31day period honoring TV's Joy? [actor] 25 Greek letters 26 With 47Down, Christmas evergreen 27 Fall back into illness 28 Place with a lot of refusedisposal chambers? [swimmer] 30 Old space station 31 Slash 32 Ovine noise 34 And others, in a list 35 Brutes of fantasy 36 Smears gunk on rugged mountain ranges? [hockey player] 40 Shows up 41 Sequence in heredity 42 Robber, e.g.

43 Bat hangout 46 Finals, e.g.

48 Sevenfigure income earned in a Nebraska city? [actor] 54 Scheme 57 DVD 59 Little barks 60 "The King " 61 Guilty feeling 64 One doing penance 68 Olympic speed skater Eric 70 Ethyl ender 71 Prohibition of quick insights? [investor]

74 Suffix with journal 75 Item in a file cabinet 77 Ideal conditions 78 Imply 80 Field of study 81 Sikorsky of aviation 83 Dir. from N.D. to La. 85 "Not goes by ..."

86 Promise to marry a cute marsupial? [painter] 91 Novelist Hermann 94 Waikiki necklaces 95 Rene of "Get Shorty" 97 Poland's Lech 101 Sounded like a kitten 105 Palecolored wall paneling for a room? [writer] 107 Final, e.g.

108 2004 Chevy debut 111 Storm center 112 Demolition stuff 113 cone (icy treat) 114 Products applied to backoftheneck sunburns? [actor] 117 City in northcentral California 119 Adding result 120 "Finally!"

121 "C" grade ... or what eight answers in this puzzle have?

124 Draw upon 125 Fix, as Fido 126 Lessplayed half of a 45 127 Morales of movies 128 As stated in 129 Lorne of "Bonanza" 130 A bit off 131 Oldtime comic Ed DOWN 1 Sphere

2 Childishly silly 3 Herald, as a new era 4 Shut tightly 5 College locales 6 Perches 7 Sarah Jewett 8 Hitter Mel 9 "I'll pass" 10 One capful, perhaps 11 Oftenpurple flowers 12 Major worry 13 Argentine plain 14 Web biz 15 Relax 16 Apprise 17 Apple or pear relative 18 Emphasis 24 Flower cluster 28 Ricochet 29 Animal park 30 Soup enhancer 32 Apiary insect 33 Guthrie with a guitar 37 Saying 38 In that case 39 "Mr. St. Nick" actress Ortiz 40 Animator's frame 43 terrier 44 Roadie's tote 45 Hindu trinity member 47 See 26Across 49 Wolflike carnivores 50 China's Chou En 51 "And how!"

52 Ukrainian port city 53 Fifteen times six 54 Quicktobuild home 55 Poe maiden 56 Brunch fare 58 Line of Applecomputers

62 Actress Dawn Chong 63 Elfish sort 65 "Tsk tsk!"

66 Kabuki sash 67 "Platoon" site, in brief 69 Ovum 72 Black crows 73 "Point taken" 76 Patriotic women's gp.

79 Some Scots 82 F followers 84 Program 87 Unoriginal 88 Actress Meyers 89 Swift sleds 90 Palefaced 92 Hoodwinks 93 South Carolina river 96 Holy Mlle.

98 Euphoria 99 Desert of the southwest U.S. 100 Z (total) 101 Botch the job 102 Pretext 103 Not as cold 104 Big bird 105 Relax 106 Disagreeing 108 Following 109 Think a lot of 110 Tickle pink 115 Snake tooth 116 To be, to Voltaire 117 1,502, in old Rome 118 Duck variety 121 Exec's deg.

122 Suffix with journal 123 Cousin

37

Boggled How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules?

• The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

• Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms.

• No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice.

• No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

TARGET • Average: 14 • Good: 20 • Very good: 29 • Excellent: 37 SCORING 4 letters: 1 point 5 letters: 2 points 6 letters: 3 points 7 letters: 5 points 8 or more letters: 11 points

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

• Average: 7 • Good: 9 • Very good: 13 • Excellent: 17

38

20th - 26th April

WEDNESDAY 3:15pm 4:00pm 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm

800 Words Escape to the Country Flipping Profit Flog It! Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show Watchdog Live Britain's Fat Fight with Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall BBC News Regional News Weather

7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm

10:55pm 11:30pm 12:10am 12:15am 1:05am 3:05am 4:05am

Eggheads Britain in Bloom Antiques Road Trip Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge The Assassination of Gianni Versace American Crime Story Live at the Apollo Newsnight Weather Snooker Snooker MasterChef Pilgrimage: The Road to Santiago

7:00pm

Britain in Bloom Antiques Road Trip Super Fast Falcon Civilisations Match of the Day Newsnight World Championship Snooker Highlights World Championship Snooker - Extra MasterChef The Secret Helpers Murder, Mystery and My Family This is BBC Two

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm

7:25pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm

Regional News and Weather Party Election Broadcast ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Britain's Brightest Family Coronation Street Benidorm ITV News at Ten and Weather Regional News and Weather UEFA Champions League Highlights

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:05am 12:35am 1:05am 2:10am 3:10am 4:05am

The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Extreme Cake Makers The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory Timeless Naked Attraction The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory First Dates Tattoo Fixers Gogglebox The Goldbergs

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm

5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Police Interceptors GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm Me and My Addiction 11:30pm My Extreme Ocd Life 12:35am Extraordinary People 1:30am Fail Army 2:00am Super Casino 4:10am GPs: Behind Closed Doors

4:30am 6:30am

Sky The Great Wall: Special 7:00am Growing Up Smith 9:00am Ready Player One: Special 9:30am Rough Night 11:30am Broken Vows 1:15pm The Dark Tower 3:05pm The Wizard - An American Wrestler 5:15pm Gifted 7:10pm Rough Night 9:00pm The Dark Tower 10:45pm Sheikh Jackson 12:30am Broken Vows 2:15am Sky

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Extreme Cake Makers The Big Bang Theory Young Sheldon Brooklyn Nine-Nine Derry Girls The Inbetweeners The Windsors The Big Bang Theory

6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm

6:30am 7:00am 9:00am 11:00am

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

La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games Football Years Football Countdowns Revista de la Liga La Liga World Football's Greatest Football's Greatest Revista de la Liga La Liga World Football's Greatest Football's Greatest Eredivisie La Liga Icons

THURSDAY 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

Flipping Profit Flog It! Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders The Truth About Obesity Ambulance BBC News at Ten BBC London News Question Time This Week

7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am 1:05am 3:05am 3:35am 4:35am 5:20am

10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:45am 1:20am

The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Tonight Emmerdale Paul O'grady: For the Love of Dogs Harold Shipman ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London UEFA Europa League Highlights Play to the Whistle Lethal Weapon

5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:35pm 12:10am

Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 9:00pm Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords 10:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

11:00pm Michael Portillo: Our Housing Crisis Who’s to Blame?

12:30am Where There's Blame, There's a Claim

11:30am 1:20pm 3:15pm 3:35pm 5:30pm 7:10pm 9:00pm 10:45pm 12:40am 2:35am

Moana: Special Growing Up Smith Gifted Ready Player One: Special The Dark Tower Palm Swings Top Ten Show, the 2018 Rough Night Broken Vows Gifted The Dark Tower Palm Swings Rough Night Sheikh Jackson

5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm Championship Season Review 8:00pm EFL Matters 8:30pm EFL Greatest Games 9:00pm Football Years 9:30pm EFL Matters 10:00pm Championship Season Review 11:00pm EFL Matters 11:30pm La Liga Show 12:00am La Liga Icons 12:15am La Liga Icons

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20th - 26th April

39

health

How to treat hair loss THINNING hair isn’t a problem only men face. Given today’s lifestyles, and the associated stress, women too are beginning to show all signs of hair loss and thinning; enough to warrant concern.

The medical term for the condition is alopecia, and it starts with thinning of hair, patchy hair loss and eventually balding. Instead of wringing your hands, and crying over why it happened, have you considered treating it?

Whether you’ve just noticed a thinning hairline or you’re constantly wearing a baseball hat to hide your bald spot, a lot of people, both men and women, are experiencing the problem of hair loss.

While there are products designed to fight hair loss, it can sometimes be hard to tell which methods to trust and which to toss.

One hard truth: Hair loss is mostly out of your control. “Baldness comes down to your genes,” says Dr Sergiu Vieru at Derma Clinic Spain. “If you have these genes, there are some very good treatments which can make your hair stronger and healthier.

Starting from the inside, maintaining hair health by eating well and using the right products - combined with medical-grade treatments - can really work all together to help you have a fuller, thicker head of hair. Protein-rich foods, healthy fats and vitamin B, can make the hair that you still have look thicker and shinier.

There are some very good treatments which address the hair loss problem. One of them is using stem cells to regrow hair. Stem cell therapy treatment is very efficient. It is a non-surgical therapy to stimulate and regrow hair follicles. Stem cells which are present in the middle of the follicle ensure the continuous supply of cells. Thus, it helps in multiplying hair cells at a fast pace, treating hair loss or baldness.

Mesotherapy is another alternative treatment which helps promoting hair growth. This treatment is a non-invasive and non-surgical cosmetic hair restoration procedure which has been steadily gaining in popularity.

For hair restoration treatments, the mesotherapy solution is injected into the scalp, and contains a special combination of minerals, amino acids, vitamins, nucleic acids and co-enzymes, specifically tailored according to the patient’s unique requirements.

Both mesotherapy and stem cell therapy are treatments considered safe with usually no side effects or allergic reactions. For further questions regarding this treatment, don’t hesitate to contact us at Derma Clinic Spain, for a free consultation regarding your treatment.

Derma Clinic Spain are located at Camino del Pincho 2, 03580, L’Alfaz del Pi, Alicante.

For more information call 674 255 579 or email info@dermaclinicspain.com. Alternatively see our Facebook page facebook.com/DermaClinicSpain.

Spain’s ‘cheap’ GPs heading for the UK SPANISH doctors are headed to the UK to fill surgery shortages.

Britain’s largest general practice recruitment firm plans to hire 1,000 doctors over the next four years from across Europe, mainly Romania, Hungary, Portugal and Spain, to ease the shortage of family GPs. They will be loaned out to understaffed surgeries on long-term contracts and will cost far less than UK-trained GPs. The NHS also announced it is launching a pilot scheme which will bring doctors from Poland, Romania, Spain and Italy to fill practices in Lincolnshire. Up to 25 GPs will arrive within the next six months and if the strategy is successful, neighbouring areas will adopt the same scheme.

It comes as more GPs are retiring early in their 50’s and not being replaced by younger trainees.

Despite the need for more doctors, the idea has raised safety concerns as the General Medical Council (GMC) cannot check basic competency of doctors from the EU as this would impede their ‘freedom of movement’ rights.

The watchdog can test their English language skills and all European doctors will have six months of training to improve their English and kno- wledge of the NHS. Ministers have promised to train more UKborn doctors, but they will not start coming through for another 10 years and they are needed now.

At Britannia Dental this week we are promoting fibre-fixed retainers AFTER spending so much money on orthodontic treatment you are then usually required to wear a removable retainer every night or a fixed metal wire is placed on the back of the teeth to maintain the teeth in their new aligned position.

It is far from convenient having to carry and wear the retainer and it is usually a constant expense as over time they do wear and need to be replaced.

The other issue lies with compliance and adults as well as children commonly forget to wear the device, the outcome of this is can be a relapse of the teeth, unfortunately resulting in the teeth moving back to their original position.

A metal wire is a fixed alternative which is usually quite bulky and unsightly.

At Britannia Dental we can provide you with a near invisible solution which is also very subtle and smooth.

A tooth-coloured fibre wire which is almost flat is fixed to the back of the teeth, the results are a very comfortable and almost invisible permanent fixed retainer.

The fibre retainer, we feel, is the only solution worthy of being placed on your new and improved smile.

Email us 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).

40

20th - 26th April

Following in the footsteps of the lost legion Credit: Ayuntamiento de Villajoyosa

FESTUM ALONIS (in Latin, “the party of Allon”) is a Roman festival that is held annually thanks to an agreement between the Villajoyosa Council and the Cultural Association Hispania Romana, the best known Roman historical recreation society in Spain.

This event faithfully recreates a Roman military camp in different parts of the town in recognition of the fact that, a Roman camp was installed in the centre of the current Villajoyosa during the Sertorian War which lasted from 80BC to 72BC. Festum Alonis pays special attention to civilian, not just military life and each year the public is shown aspects of daily life in Roman times highlighting social classes, trades, and women’s lives.

This important event will have its headquarters in the military camp (castra), next to the Roman Funerary Tower of Sant Josep, a key monument of Roman Hispania.

The event will start on Saturday with special visits dedicated to the wreck of the Bou Ferrer and the

RE-ENACTMENT: Visitors can immerse themselves in ancient Rome.

Roman City in Vilamuseu at 10am and 11am. At 12.30pm the expert writer on Roman culture Néstor F Marqués, who will attend all of the activities this year, will be at the Vilamuseu to sign copies of his book A year in Ancient Rome.

Public guided tours in Spanish, Valencian and English to the Torre de Sant Josep and the camp will

take place from 5pm to 8pm and visitors will become involved in the frenetic activity of a camp during the preparations for the later Cantabrian Wars (29-19 BC), which led to the creation of the VIIII Hispana legion, the famous “lost legion,” in northern Spain.

Festum Alonis is the first major event in the annual calendar of the

Hispania Romana Cultural Association and will be attended by attended by re-enactors from all over Spain.

A couple who were married in a Roman ceremony during Festum Alonis IV in 2015 are now the parents of a child who will receive the Roman equivalent of a baptism during the event.

On Sunday morning from 11am to 12.30pm the mood will change as the organisation looks at the treatment of death in Ancient Rome, and by the mouth of the Torres river there will be the representation of the rites of the deceased and then a funeral procession accompanied by ancient music to the Tower of Sant Josep.

Peter’s odd and curious world by Peter F Purvey

NOT a lot last month piqued my curiosity, except one intriguing, but not altogether surprising story about the killer whale in an aquarium in Antibes, France trying to mimic human speech.

It can now say the name of its keeper, Amy, hello and bye-bye and count to three, it’s also very good at blowing raspberries! These aquatic mammals are not orcas (whales) but the largest member of dolphins which seem to have some affinity or empathy with human beings.

Over the years numerous people on the point of drowning have reported being pushed to shallow water by a friendly dolphin. In the third century BC the city of Tarentum in Sicily struck a small silver coin depicting a boy riding on the back of a dolphin.

Their brains are almost the size of ours and as we all came from the sea originally, perhaps dolphins are one of our far distant ancestors. The most successful of all species to imitate us is the African grey parrot, some of which have a surprising vocab-

JOINT MASTERS: Of the Calpe Hunt King Alfonso XIII and King Edward VII.

ulary despite not having a voice box like us.

I was taken with the story of mice and (old) rats. It seems that a Frenchman, Paul Bert, in the mid 1800’s actually sewed together young mice onto old rats so that the blood mingled.

Sure enough, the old rats became rejuvenated, more frisky and alert. Recently a lab-

oratory in America has repeated the experiment successfully injecting young mouse blood into old rats. Could it work with human beings?

Astronomers tell us that an asteroid the size of a double decker bus passed between the earth and moon on Friday February 10 at a distance of 63,000 km (39,000

miles, but one, 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) across will pass earth much closer in 2029, get ready to duck!

This month’s story comes from just a few weeks after we moved into our new home here in Calpe.

A friend in the art auction business in London rang to say that a painting called ‘The Royal Calpe Hunt’, by George Cole (1810-1883) was coming up for sale the following week and suggested I should bid for it.

It depicted the start of a hunt with the men in scarlet jackets and women in voluminous skirts riding side-saddle. I couldn’t believe there was fox hunting anywhere in Calpe!

No Google back then to help but I did have an old atlas published around 1850 divided between ancient and modern times. Sure enough, nothing where Calpe ought to have been, but Gibraltar, yes, was called Calpe!

The hunt was established in 1812 when a pair of English foxhounds were sent to Gibraltar. The hunt took place just across the border into Spain. The master most closely associated with it was Pablo Larios, Marquis of Marzales. Initially, mostly civilian membership, this changed when officers of the Gibraltar Garrison joined. Why ‘Royal’? In 1906 King Edward VII and King Alfonso XIII of Spain became joint Patrons.

The hunt continued until1939.

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20th - 26th April

home & garden THE spring flowers that grace the landscape at this time of year in areas where there has been good winter rain are a marvel to behold.

There is a plethora of colours and forms of flowers from tiny scarlet pimpernel to various types of the prominent chrysanthemum family.

Poppies are beautiful in full flower An outstanding flower which catches the eye, especially when dominating a field, and which is very symbolic for many people, is the poppy.

Poppies have a short-lived flower but produce new ones consecutively to give the appearance of flowering for a long period during spring.

The typically red common poppy is normally an annual plant of less than a metre in height but if you are cultivating poppies there is a wide range of different colours, sizes and forms available.

They make a great container plant to add colour to a

balcony or terrace and in the garden they will brighten up an area where you visit frequently.

I have the wild varieties coming up in my vegetable garden but I let them stay and brighten up the garden during the establishment of the summer vegetable crops until the vegetables need more space.

The true poppies are papaver species, of which there

are over 70, but other families including the blue meconopsis, plumed macleaya and tree romneya also have poppy as a common name.

As a cultivated plant the Iceland poppy is a favourite with many gardeners. It lasts for a couple of years so there is not the need to replant each year and the range of different coloured flowers is extensive.

The seed of poppies is Credit: Matthias G. Ziegler Shutterstock

A BURST OF COLOUR: Poppies of different hues.

very small and grows best when sprinkled on a cultivated soil surface or a potting mix, with only a fine coating of mix to cover them or just press them into the soil in early winter and spring.

They sprout naturally in fields which have been cultivated or disturbed because they need to be near the surface exposed to some light to germinate, so don’t bury the seed.

The association of the poppy with remembrance is that it grew so prolifically in areas of soil disturbance after military activities and burials in the natural soil.

They can be transplanted but do better grown from seed in their chosen spot.

They grow very quickly, emerging one to two weeks from planting the seed, and can start flowering within weeks.

They don’t need much care to grow other than to maintain moisture if they are grown in a good soil mix. A light liquid feed may help if they are not performing so well.

Grow them in a place with plenty of sunlight.

20th - 26th April

pets

Budgies for beginners IF you’re looking for something different to t h e t y p i c a l f u r r y, f o u r legged pet, and birds have always been your thing, you might like to consider budgies.

The small, colourful birds are quite easy to look after and make great pets for all ages, in fact they are the most widely domesticated bird in the world.

Budgies can be found in a variety of colours and have varied personalities so look around for one that you click with.

Cocks tend to be chirpier and easier to hand train and if you’re thinking of having a pair but don’t want them breeding, two cocks

usually get on better than two hens.

To k e e p t h e m h a p p y and healthy they need a complete diet so shop around for ready-mixed food and check ingredients carefully. You can also give seed bars and honey balls as treats but never give your budgie avocado, lettuce, potato, sweets or chocolate as they can be harmful.

If handled from a young age your new feathered friend will tame up very well but

you will need to be patient and introduce stroking gradually, first with a blunt stick through the bars of the cage to avoid pecks, When picking up a budgie (once used to being stroked), always use your palm to cover the wings and gently hold at the neck between your index and middle fingers.

Move slowly and calmly and try not to stress the bird or it will bite! Never try to catch a

Twin suspicions are confirmed THE first ever scientifically confirmed case of identical twin puppies has been reported by a vet in South Africa.

Delivered by caesarean by Kurt de Cramer at the Rant en Dal animal hospital in Mogale City, the Irish wolfhound puppies were the first to be proved, through genetic analysis, to be identical (monozygotic) twins after the surprised vet, said he found the two dogs attached to the same placenta, something he had never seen before.

The litter also included five more puppies, each with its own placenta as is

usually the case.

Although there had been suspicions that identical twin dogs were possible for many years, this is the first time it has been scientifically confirmed.

Named Cullen and Romulus, the pupp i e s a c t u a l l y h a v e s l i g h t l y d i ff e r e n t markings, however the shared placenta and blood tests proved they were the result of splitting of a single fertilised egg.

The news was revealed recently in a study on the pair by several scientists published in Reproduction in Domestic Animals veterinary journal.

flying budgie as this can cause unintended harm.

CHIRPY CHUMS: Budgies come in various colours.

43

44

20th - 26th April

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45

20th - 26th April SPANISH COURSES

Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Wordwheel ag ah al an at ay ga ha la na ta ya

Codebreaker ago alt ant any gal gan gat gay goa hag hao hat

Cryptic

hay lag lah lat lay nag nah nay oat tag tan tao

yag yah agly agon ahoy alto gaol gath ghat gnat goal goat

Quick

halo halt hang hant hoya hyla lang lath loan lota nota oath

tang than toga tola yang yoga agony along altho anglo atony gloat

goaty halon hoagy hogan lathy loath logan lotah notal onlay talon tango

tangy tolan tonal tonga yahoo galoot lagoon otalgy tangly anthology

GORY GORE FORE FORM FIRM FILM

Giant

English-Spanish

Irregular Sudoku

Word Ladder

Cross Figure

Futoshiki

Sudoku Nonagram cent cere cert cite coin coir cone core corn cote icon nice once otic rice torc cento citer conte crone eject erect nicer niece recon recti recto terce tonic trice center centre citron coiner cornet cretin encore entice erotic inject noetic notice recent recite reject tenrec tierce coterie ejector enteric enticer rejoice ejection erection injector neoteric REJECTION

Kakuro

Boggled oven ovule ovine ever aery love levy levier levin lube lune vole viol venin view vine vino vinery oyer year yare yore rayon rein renin renown rowen ennui union inner oreo owner bevy benne buoy bunion bane banner nine none neon wive wine winner wino winey winery were wore annul anion anon hone honey

46

20th - 26th April

motoring New MINI models set to dazzle China A FRESH line of MINIS are hot off the factory floor and heading to Beijing for their Asian premiere at Auto China 2018.

Upgrades on the MINI three-door, MINI five-door and the MINI Convertible offer a unique combination of enjoyment, premium quality and individual style.

More than 1,600 exhibitors from across the world will meet in Beijing to present their latest models, and all the technological innovations that will inevitably be included.

The new and improved MINIS are now sportier and more attractive than ever, with stylish design modifications.

There are additional equipment features, customisation options and innovative digital services on offer.

The MINI five-door was the first of the current generation to be introduced and embodies the creative use of space in a modern way.

It boasts extra leg and headroom in the rear, improved luggage space and 161 millimetres of extended body length.

All the models feature a black trim around their LED headlights, with the tail lights designed on a distinct Union Jack motif.

Customisation options include a piano black exterior, alloy wheels

and a chester leather trim available in malt brown.

The control system now contains a touchscreen function for the display and the MINI Connected system holds an array of state-of-the-art digital services.

Auto China began in 1990 and takes place every two years at the huge International Exhibition Centre in Beijing.

More than 800,000 visitors are expected to attend the event, which will take place from Wednesday until May 4.

Credit: BMW GROUP

MINI MAGIC: The new fivedoor model combines functionality and finesse.

Third of vehicles on road illegal ONE in every three vehicles in the Alicante Province is on the road illegally... because they don’t have a valid ITV (Spanish MOT) certificate.

The highest numbers of the estimated 30 per cent on the roads are vans, motorbikes and mopeds as well as a number of cars that are known to stay on minor roads to avoid detection.

The Spanish ‘traffico’ department have begun to develop a number of ways to flush out the offenders by using cameras to recognise vehicles without the appropriate ITV sticker that must be prominently displayed at all times.

As well as not having an up-to-date ITV certificate, many of these vehicles are also uninsured and thus an accident with a vehicle not covered can lead to a number of consequences for both parties.

The number of vehicles believed to be without an ITV is based on the number registered in the Alicante area when compared to the amount of inspections carried out. An average total of 218,000 should be subjected to the ITV test... in reality only 150,000 attend.

Data from the Provincial Traffic Department shows 1.3 million vehicles registered in Alicante made up of 978,000 cars, 179,000 vans and lorries, 144,000 motorbikes, with the rest made up by buses, coaches, tractors and trailers.

With tighter emissions rules coming into force from June this year, it’s estimated that 72,000 diesel cars risk leaving the road because of them... assuming they go to the test centre in the first place.

20th - 26th April

47

sport Credit: Ayuntamiento de Benissa

VISIT TO VALENCIA: The young visitors with the team.

Benissa basketball RECENTLY, the Benissa Basketball Club organised a tour to Valencia to watch a match between CB Claret, and Spar Gran Canaria, in group B of the Women’s Basketball League.

Twenty-five young people joined in the visit which took place as the Benissa club attempts to expand its contacts and also learn from those who are playing at a higher level.

During the visit the group of young people had the opportunity to photograph themselves and speak to the players at the University of Valencia pavilion.

The directors of the Benissa club took advantage of the visit to invite the Valencians to use the facilities of Palau Sant Pere and to organise a basketball campus during the summer of 2019.

Bridge keeps the mind alert JEAN COOKE is the latest life member at Javea Bridge Club.

Jean, at 90 years old, is an enthusiastic player and has been playing for several years. She is a great example of the benefit of regular mental exercise to help you stay alert. Unfortunately, following a fall she was unable to get to the club for several weeks.

She was welcomed back last week with a round of applause, and further congratulations as she was presented with flowers and her life member certificate by former president Pat Ford.

By way of celebration, savoury and sweet nibbles were served after the tournament and enjoyed by all.

JEAN COOKE: Pleased to be back and playing.

Javea Bridge Club is located in Av e n i d a d e P a r i s - b e t w e e n Javea Park’s bars and shops and the Casa de Vino bodega. There is ample parking on the streets nearby and in the Javea park car park.

Regular duplicate bridge sess i o n s a r e h e l d e v e r y M o n d a y, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 2.45pm to 6.45pm, while bridge with supper sessions take

place every two to three months.

Visitors are always welcome, and the club offers a partner finding service when needed. Lessons are offered for those who want to learn the fascinating game of bridge.

For further information email pat@javeabridgeclub.com call 966 463 671 during club opening hours or visit www.javeabridge club.com.