RTN Newspaper - Costa Blanca South 20 – 26 April 2018 Issue 965

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Bank gang members arrested

Issue 965

20th - 26th April

Raising money for 10-year-old Nigel

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, 10-year-old Nigel Watson.

It’s understood that more than €2,000 was raised.

Nigel has been recently diagnosed with a malignant Brainstem Glioma, a tumour that starts in the brain or spinal cord tissue and typically spreads 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.

As Jackie told the RTN: “Nigel’s left eye began to twitch and his right eye was turning inwards. His left hand also started becoming numb and he often dropped his pencils at

Photo credit: Lisa Yates

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, ammunition, and €7,000 in cash.

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

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SUPPORT: Crowds turn out to raise money for ‘brave’ Nigel. school where they also noticed been investigating proton beam he was becoming very unsteady therapy treatment which is available in both the USA and on his feet.”

Canada.

After getting the heartbreakWith the cost of the treating news that Nigel had a tument and the associated costs mour, he was referred to the Alicante General hospital for being prohibitive, a number of 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

local people and businesses very quickly rallied around to organise a series of events to try to help raise the estimated €100,000 needed.

Beverley Yates from J’s Restaurant, organiser of the biggest 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 the microphone and thanked everyone, there wasn’t a dry eye on the square.”

If you would like to donate something, no matter how small visit www.gofundme.com/nigelsbrain-stem-glioma-treatment.

INSIDE THIS WEEK ...

THE EARTH WON’T MOVE FOR YOU!

P10 SIKH PARADE DELIGHTS LOCALS

P14 CITY STREETS FILL WITH ANGRY PENSIONERS

P20

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20th - 26th April

OVER 40 per cent of people living on the streets of Alicante have only begun to do so less 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’

‘New’ rough sleepers on the increase in the last 12 months.

As a result, REAPSHA have said that the resources available in Alicante City to prevent a person from being

forced into abandoning their homes and spending their days on the 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 the streets hundreds 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).

Interviews carried 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.

HOMELESSNESS: A major problem in Alicante.

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.

20th - 26th April

Guardia Civil investigating child hanging A 12-YEAR-OLD boy has been found hanged in Murcia.

The youngster was discovered in the house where he lived with his family in a neighbourhood of Santa Barbara just after 9.30pm on Tuesday night.

The alarm was raised and paramedics first on the scene were initially able to revive the boy, but he eventually died at the Santa Lucia hospital in Cartagena.

Officers from the Guardia Civil are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and have taken statements from family members to try to clarify what happened.

The mayor of La Union, Pe-

TRAGIC EVENT: Child taken to Santa Lucia Hospital.

dro Lopez, spoke of the ‘shock and surprise’ that had swept the town after what had happened, especially given the age of the dead child.

Lopez went on to say that he didn’t personally know the family, as they lived in a part of the municipality where

once everyone knew each other, but now has a number of families from North Africa ‘who tend to keep themselves to themselves.’

According to the Spanish media, the boy is from a large family with a number of brothers and sisters.

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20th - 26th April

by Darren Parmenter

IN readiness for the next forest fire season, the Spanish government have issued a change to how they are fought... but it’s not been welcomed in all quarters.

The change means that the aerial firefighters can now smother the wildfires more effectively by being legally al-

More time to fight the forest fires lowed 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 Pilots (COPAC), the ame- ndment does not go far enough. “This is a Photo credit: RTN

DESTROYED: Firefighters to get longer support from the air.

partial and transitional measure,” says a spokesman for COPAC. “We believe a complete revision of the legislation is necessary.

“The 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 Ministry 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, COPAC has been complaining about the two-hour 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 legislation and has then taken longer to put out when work has resumed.”

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20th - 26th April

NATIONAL POLICE officers have arrested three men, and are looking for a fourth, after an alleged sexual assault on a 19-year-old South American girl in Alicante.

The attacks carried out by the group happened over last weekend in a house close to the seafront after the young girl went there with a 34year-old Algerian man who she had been drinking with at a nightclub in the port.

This man is the only one of the three detained to be sent directly to prison after being caught at the Alicante-Elche airport while attempting to flee to his country. The others arrested - aged 19 and 28 and understood to be brothers - were provisionally released.

All three denied having raped the young woman.

According to reports in the Spanish media, the woman met a man in the nightclub and she agreed to go home with him at the end of the night only if no sex was involved. The man agreed, but when she arrived at his house she was then raped by him and three others who were also there at the time.

The girl added that after the assault, she was taken out into the street by the man she met, where she desperately searched for a shop that was open to ask for help. Eventually she was able to raise the alarm and the National Police arrived at the scene.

Within hours, the police arrested the two brothers but the original man the girl had met had disappeared, only to be traced to the airport where he too was detained.

We arrange

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Orihuela

Three men deny ‘rape’ accusations

by Steve Collins ORIHUELA councillor Rafael Almagro has announced a number of contracts have been awarded to carr y out a series of repairs to the pavements and roads in the O r ihuela Costa. In addition, a programme of work is planned to restore the green areas and children’s playgrounds in the same area.

Another councillor, Juan Ignacio Lopez-Bas, said that the value of one of the contracts is for €570,091 and will take around fo ur months to complete. He also confirmed that another contract for repaving and asphalting for €500,000 is being put out to tender, and the areas covered by the first contract are the ones that have seen most complaints by the residents.

These are, in Campoamor: Avenida de las Adelfas, C/Jose Monroy, Rond a R amon de Campoamor, C/Miguel de Unamuno, C/ Ana Mª Matute , C/ San Juan de la Cr uz , C/Lope de Vega; in Los Dolses: Carre tera de Villamar tín; in Villamartín: Avenida de las Brisas and C/Richard Wagner; in Playa Flamenca c-2: C/ Salvador Dali; in La Zenia: C/ La Fuente and the seaside promenade; in C i tr us: C/ C lementina , C/Berna and Avenida de California; and in La Florida C/Escorpiones in PAU-20.

He said the company a g reed to

REPAIRS: Councillor Rafael Almagro announces new contracts.

Pavements and playgrounds to get a makeover surface more roads worth €109,507 and carry out another improvement worth €62,379.

The second contract includes gardening, repairs to the irrigation systems, children’s play equipment, fixing spor ting installat ions and

furniture, and will cost a little under €300,000.

In this case, the company awarded the tender also agreed to include more green areas worth €50,095 and supply extra play equipment and urban furniture worth €24,427.

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20th - 26th April FRENCH airline Transavia F ra n c e h a s l a u n c h e d i t s n e w s e r v i c e b e t w e e n Pa r i s - O r l y and Alicante-Elche airports.

The first f light arrived on Monday afternoon in Alicante and was greeted by the traditional arc of water sprayed by airport firefighters.

As reported by airport managers AENA , Transavia France will have f lights on Tuesdays,

Music for health ALICANTE General hospital was full of the sound of music at the weekend.

The hospital’s auditorium hosted a concert for children who are currently staying in the hospital as patients. Their families and friends were also invited to the free event.

The afternoon recital on Saturday was organised by the Association of Volunteers of the Alicante General hospital and featured the Helena Colina Foundation Children’s Orchestra whose musicians range from 14 months to 12 years old.

Life-saving delivery LOCAL bank Caja Rural have delivered two defibrillators to the town halls of Cox and Granja de Rocamora.

The bank’s president, Manuel Ruiz Escudero, stressed the continuing need for such pieces of equipment which are being used more and more to save people’s lives following a cardiac arrest.

The presentation of the medical kits took place at the Cox Town Hall and they will be placed in Local Police vehicles to enable officers, often first on the scene of an incident, to help in life-saving procedures if required.

Bonjour to new French route

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Fridays and Sundays, and adds to the other connections from Alicante-Elche airport to France: Bordeaux, M a r s e i l l e , Na n te s , Pa r i s Beauvais and Toulouse.

T h e re a re 3 5 5 , 0 0 0 av a i l able seats for the French tourists this summer, which re p re s e n t s a 3 6 . 4 p e r c e n t increase compared to last summer.

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20th - 26th April

Second dock fire in two months

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Cartagena

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 one person, suffering a number of burns, was later taken to hospital for further treatment.

The latest incident follows a similar fire which broke out on a luxury yacht moored up nearby.

PREPARED: Councillor Francisco Aznar (left) with those organising the Cartagena emergency support.

The earth won’t move for you!

by Darren Parmenter ON Monday there WILL be a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in the Murcia area... and that WILL be followed by another 5.7 in Cartagena the following day.

But don’t panic, nobody will feel a thing.

These will be the two locations of emergency disaster simulations next week carried out by the Militar y Emergency Unit (UME) with the aid of 3,500 participants across the country.

The major exercises were confirmed earlier this week by the commander of the UME, Demetrio Barrachina, at the official presentation of the ‘Joint Combine d E xercise 2018’ to be held between Murcia and Cartagena for a four day period at the end of this month.

Barrachina stressed that there was no

need for any alarm among the population, given the increase in the number of emergency services and military likely to be seen in the area throughout those days.

As this is a ‘level three’ simulation that will include ‘surprise elements’ for those involved, the exercise will test the ability to respond quickly and efficiently.

In addition to the Spanish A ir Force, Army and Navy taking part, troops from the United States and France and a number of international observers will also be part of the operation that is hoped to prepare for every possible outcome after such a ‘disaster’.

T he first ear thquake will happen at 8.35am on Monday, which will launch a total of between 800 and 1,000 separate simulated incidents such as searches and rescues in schools, a collapse of a hospital, and resulting floods or landslides.

Call the radar’s bluff...

NO... it’s not a hoax. Images circulating around social media were warning of the installation of a new speed radar close to the Tuesday market in La Manga.

The new construction caught the attention of drivers with many believing that it may be a fake.

However, the rumours have been confirmed by La Manga’s Local Police who said that a new control mechanism had indeed been put up with the objective of controlling and eventually punishing speeding drivers.

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20th - 26th April

HAVE YOUR SAY

Fines for Murcia’s drivers MORE than 232,000 traffic-related fines were handed out in the Murcia region during 2017.

According to information provided by the Murcia Provincial Traffic Authority, 180,000 were for speeding, 4,800 after being under the influence

of alcohol or drugs and 3,500 caught talking on their mobile phones.

The figures were announced by Murcia region’s Francisco Bernabe alongside the Director of Traffic Virgina Jerez after they took stock of the work of her department over the

last calendar year.

Bernabe drew attention to the 92 workers at the regional traffic authority (DGT) for the “extraordinary work they do” with more than one million ‘administrative actions’ in the year.

There are 867,000 drivers in the Murcia region, that includes the 22,000 new drivers who joined the list in 2017.

As a result of the fines issued, 632 driving licences were revoked due to the loss of points.

Trapped car driver rescued

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

FIREFIGHTERS answering a call-out to a car crash in Orihuela had to rescue the driver after the vehicle he was in left the road and ended upside down in an embankment.

When the fire brigade arrived at the scene they found a semi-conscious 30-year-old man trapped in his car.

According to reports the car had left the road as it passed through Orihuela at the roundabout close to the Ociopia shopping centre.

Benidorm draft plans to crack down on ‘drunken and bad behaviour’ Denise McMechan: About time!

Terrie Grant: Great news, hope it works 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

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20th - 26th April

Torrevieja encourages express deliveries Photo credit: Pixabay

HEALTH authorities in Torrevieja are on the lookout for breast milk donors.

They would also like to hear from lactating mothers who may be able to donate their milk to others who may need it.

A representative for the Torrevieja Health Service said: “In our country, there are many cases of newborn babies who for a variety of different reasons can’t be breastfed.

Considering that breast milk is the best food of all for babies, especially those who are premature, born underweight, or with a serious illness, donated supplies processed through a ‘milk bank’ are the best alternative in such cases.”

Just as many people donate blood to those in need, breastfeeding mothers can also donate their milk.

“If you’re breastfeeding your baby satisfactorily, are healthy, and lead a healthy lifestyle, you can be a milk donor,” continued the same sources.

There are, however, a number of restrictions to donors such as suffering from certain diseases or infections, or if they take drugs.

“Any mother interested in making

APPEAL: Mothers asked to donate breast milk for those in need.

the donation of breast milk can contact us by making an appointment with her midwife at their local health centre. During the same visit, they will be subjected to an interview to verify that they will be suitable donors,” explained supervisor Sergio

Amores.

Following a donation, the milk is processed in the Maternal Milk Bank of the Valencian Community and then distributed free of charge to any hospital in the province wherever a new baby needs it.

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Elderly women targeted by ‘electric’ thieves NATIONAL POLICE based in Cartagena have arrested five people accused of deceiving a number of mainly elderly women across the country.

They are believed to be behind at least a dozen robberies carried out in Cartagena, Elche, Castellon, Valencia and Zamora, where they stole jewellery and cash after gaining access to the homes posing as electricity meter checkers.

This brings to an end a well-organised and coordinated exercise which has been going on for the past two years. The alleged fraudsters were three men and two women from Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig and Villena. Three were immediately sent to prison without bail.

Cartagena’s National Police began their investigations last October after an 83-year-old woman was allegedly robbed by the bogus inspectors of €1,400 in cash and jewellery worth €12,000.

As enquiries progressed, it was discovered that the two women in custody were responsible for selecting the victims who were usually people over 80 years old, and such was their dedication in finding their victims that more than 6,000 telephone calls were made to arrange the bogus appointments.

After arranging the visit, the victim was informed that two men from electric company Iberdrola would turn up to repair the alleged faulty meter. Almost as soon as they arrived, the arrested woman would phone the victim to distract her while the men proceeded to rob the property.

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20th - 26th April

Sikh parade delights locals Photo credit: J Singh Wikimedia

COLOURFUL: A scene from a traditional Nagar Kirtan parade.

HUNDREDS of members of the local Sikh community

filled both the Alicante and Murcia provinces with colour as part of the annual ‘Nagar Kirtan’ celebrations.

The group gather every year in Torrevieja and the faithful followers of the Sikh religion parade through the streets of the community while singing holy hymns.

In addition, they hand out water, fruit juices and a selection of traditional Indian foods.

It’s estimated that around 1,000 people took part in the parades and related celebra-

tions which were organised by the NGO Asila and the Sikh Church.

The parade followed a route between the Casa Grande and the Paseo Vista Alegre, taking in some of the city’s main roads.

The Sikhs followed the bright and colourful float barefoot and with their heads covered as a sign of respect for their sacred book.

They distributed leaflets which explained about the fiesta, the traditions and their religion.

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

Smoking still a major killer Photo credit: Pixabay

THROUGHOUT the Murcia region it’s estimated that 2,750 people are still dying every year as a result of smoking.

Also, more than 16,000 are diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonar y disease (COPD) but it is believed that 43,800 more suffer from the condition and are unaware of it.

T he Murcian Health Ser vice (SMS) maintains its momentum to treat and prevent (COPD) through the regional strateg y on this disease, which this year has developed several new lines of work to ensure quality care for patients suffering from this condition.

One of these objectives is the early detection of COPD in smokers as well as a full training plan for the medical professionals working in this area of treatment, Managing Director of the SMS , Asensio Lopez, highlighted the figures and the initiatives at the close of the conference on ‘Reg ional Strateg y on COPD ’ held at the

CHRONIC: Initiatives to detect lung disease in smokers.

Reina Sofia hospital in Murcia.

Of the 16,200 people over the age of 40 diagnosed with COPD in the Murcia region, 13,000 are men.

How e ve r, t h e to t a l n u m b e r w i t h the condition - including those possibly undiagnosed - is an estimated 60,000 in the region alone.

20th - 26th April

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Preparing for the worst

by Darren Parmenter LOCAL POLICE in Rojales have undergone a series of shooting exercises to prepare them for possible real-life scenarios.

The firearms courses in both self-defence and citizen protection are undertaken at least twice per year in accordance with regulations put in place by the Valencian Community. Although in the case

of Rojales, they often have four.

This latest exercise which involved more than 30 members of the Local Police was witness by the Mayor of Rojales, Antonio Perez, and Police Chief, Iñaki Esparza, and saw a number of simulations carried out with live fire.

As well as dealing with crime situations, they also practised a number of routines where armed officers

Taxi cooperation APPROVAL has officially been given for the proposed ‘taxi-sharing’ scheme which will see drivers operating together in Torrevieja and Orihuela in order to improve the service.

The authorisation was announced by Councillor Begoña Cuartero who said that the new and streamlined service will be in operation for three months between June 16 and September 15.

As reported in RTN (issue 958) at the beginning of March, an agreement was signed between representatives of the taxi drivers from both areas, in an attempt to prevent long queues of tourists, especially in the peak summer season.

are often deployed to assist when other members of the emergency services are called out to accidents etc.

Antonio Perez described the exercises as “vital for the

day-to-day work of our local police forces, both for their safety and that of our citizens, since in their routine they sometimes face situations of maximum risk and

therefore must be prepared.”

Rojales are lucky to have their own firing range which can accommodate such tests and training, with several dedicated instructors who

run the courses.

Iñaki Esparza said this “makes our police some of the most prepared and highly qualified improving everyone’s safety and security.”

20th - 26th April

The Italian job

Photo credit: Guardia Civil

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

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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20th - 26th April Photo credit: @pensCCOO Twitter

by Darren Parmenter PENSIONERS from right across Spain took to the road again at the weekend in a number of major cities and towns, including in Alicante and Elche.

Sunday’s protests were the latest in a ser ies of marches organised since last September by the big gest unions in the countr y ; the L abourers ’ Commissions (CCOO) and General Workers' Union (UGT).

It’s believed that more than 100 demonstrations took place featuring tens of thousands of pensioners carrying placards and drawing attention to their plight.

T heir complaints are aimed at the cur rent PP government whose policy since they came to power at the end of 2011 has been to only raise the State pension by the legal minimum - 0.25 per cent every January 1.

Because of this, pensioners are somewhat poorer than they were almost seven years ago as the small increases have in no way

Slight injuries in ‘spectacular’ crash A 50-YEAR-OLD van driver from Elche was the only person involved in what was described by the emergency services as a ‘spectacular’ accident on the AP-7 motorway close to Catral.

The man suffered a number of injuries to a hand and was taken by ambulance to the Vega Baja hospital after being treated at the scene by paramedics.

The incident, which took place at 7pm during the start of the rush-hour, caused traffic hold ups of around 10 kilometres while the badly damaged vehicle was removed.

POORER: Unions backing pensioners’ plight.

City streets fill with angry pensioners kept pace with the country’s inflation rate or cost of living.

A major concern of the unions is that with the Madrid government having bor rowed so much from the reser ves , the y will eventually be emptied.

T he fear is that this will lead to payments not be-

ing guaranteed - or being severely reduced - for future pensioners.

As expected, the demonstration that took place in Madr id was the largest , with others reaching levels of 10,000 in Asturias and 8,000 hitting the streets in Toledo and Albacete. Similar turnouts were seen in

Valencia , A licante and Elche.

Health Minister Dolors Montserrat said that the 2018 State budget has provision for a 3 per cent rise for the lowest pensioners.

However, no increases appear to have been included for the majority... the middle-income pensioners.

Driving around for value ACCORDING to a study by online vehicle servicing company Autingo Repair, the Murcia region is among the top three cheapest communities to get repairs carried out.

Murcia joins Andalucia and Extremadura as the most economical in Spain... at the other end of the scale are Navarra, Cantabria and Madrid.

The results of the study showed that even in the case of the same vehicle and the same repair, the differences can be as high as €18.

They gave an example of the changing of a clutch which in Navarra returned a charge of €666, compared with €648 in Extremadura.

22

20th - 26th April

The black dog

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-

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.

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

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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.

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Stable and robust

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.

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

27

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.

28

20th - 26th April

RTN Life EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

by Darren Parmenter JOHN-PAUL JONES is known by many on the Benidorm entertainment scene, albeit under a series of different names.

One hour it’s Olly Murs, the next it’s Stephen Gately... or it might be a member of Westlife or a member of the inventively named ‘Steps Club 7’.

However, more audiences will be seeing the real JP in the future, given a boost by a number of appearances in the Benidorm TV series as the ‘stage singer ’ in the

The real John-Paul takes to the stage famous Neptune’s Bar; the latest of which was this week.

One of the most popular and in-demand entertainers in the area, JP recently spoke exclusively to the RTN. He was born in Portsmouth and admits to being “in my 30’s” although, even close up, he belies those years giving any 20-year-old a run for their money.

On leaving school, he worked in McDonald’s

where he proudly gained his five-stars. Any of his followers on social media will know that his connection with them hasn’t left him in Spain, with his particular love for their breakfasts!

His singing career began after seeing an advert in a Portsmouth newspaper looking for people to join a boy band.

From there he went to Butlin’s in Bognor.

Before I had the chance to ask him, JP quickly cut

across me. “And no, I wasn’t a Redcoat!”

John-Paul has been in Spain for 10 years, at first in Torrevieja, where he later became part of a singing duo. Deciding to go solo, he tried his fortune in Ben- idorm.

He was approached by the Benidorm TV series guru Derren Litten and made his debut last year showcasing his Olly Murs tribute... but for the current series, it’s the real JP on stage.

“It’s obviously a fantastic opportunity for me being involved with Benidorm,” said John-Paul, although there is only one downside. “When you

see me on the stage,” he explained, “it is being filmed at 8.30am. We have to be on set at 7am and when you’ve been working until 3am...”

John-Paul is always looking to broaden the range of songs he performs and continually seeks new material to test his vocal range.

He realises that personality is just as important as singing ability, and is something that was brought home to him when he auditioned for the X-Factor.

“The producers liked my audition but said I was like so many others,” he said.

John-Paul is a very levelheaded guy who seeks a different kind of fame. “I would rather have a similar career to someone like Joe Longthorne who continues to fill

theatres across the world because they have a loyal following,” he said.

As to the future, he is developing a new act for the Benidorm circuit and doesn’t rule out looking at a spell on the cruise ships.

“When I was younger,” he continued, “I wanted to be a singer, to work at night and to live in a hot country. I’m pleased that I’ve achieved those ambitions.”

It was a delight to meet JP during a break in his busy schedule and I discovered more about the real man behind the many stage personas. The only thing I failed to learn was whether there would be a series 11 of Benidorm. “I know,” he said, with the broadest of cheeky smiles, “but I ain’t telling you!”

You can catch JohnPaul Jones in a number of the famous Benidorm cabaret spots and in episodes eight and nine of the current series of Benidorm on ITV. Photo Credit: John-Paul Jones Facebook

JOHN-PAUL JONES: On stage at the Neptune.

20th - 26th April

by Glenn Scott

An early summer of Torrevieja fun Photo credit: IU Torrevieja

FROM now until the end of June, the young people in Torrevieja will have no excuse for what to do in their spare time.

Councillor Victor Ferrandez has announced the new spring and early summer programme at the Youth Information Centre (CIAJ) is now available. Included in the itinerary are 22 different activities such as training, recreation and culture for those aged between 14 and 35.

Ferrandez stressed the new ideas which can be enjoyed by all include a multi-activity gymkhana to be held in the Parque Natural on May 20 and a cultural visit to the fair in Granada over the weekend of June 1 to 3. Among others are ‘role playing’ games at the CMO centre on May 26 and 27.

The training courses are part of the National Youth Guarantee System and include hospitality and tourism at the

PROGRAMME: Councillor Victor Ferrandez announces three-month long series of events (File image).

CDT; a talk from the Torrevieja SERVEF employment and training of-

fice on Monday; the Chamber of Commerce qualification and employment programme (PICE); a first aid course; a YouTube training course; and courses in languages, cleaning swimming pools, home electrical maintenance and effective internet searches.

The fun programme comes to an end with the ‘Rock Against Cancer’ music festival and a FIFA football video game tournament which will coincide with this June’s World Cup in Russia.

For more information and to register for any of the activities, visit the CIAJ at Paseo Juan Aparicio 5, telephone 965 714 072 or email juventud@torre vieja.eu.

29

Market on the move IN response to a number of requests from both traders and users, the first steps to change the location of Orihuela’s Tuesday market have been taken.

Councillor Damasco Aparicio has signed the initial proposal to move it from the Los Huertos site to the Avenida Marques de Molins, and now has to wait for the approval of other departments within the municipality. If all are in favour, the market could move to its new location before the summer.

During the announcement of the proposal, Aparicio said that the chosen location is the most suitable because a total of 1,400 linear metres are needed to accommodate almost 200 market stalls.

In order to do this, the Marques de Molins will be used in both directions from the train station to the Oleza School, and a small section of Calle Luis Barcala. This will see the market returning to the Las Monserratinas area which was the historical location until nine years ago.

FRIDAY 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Heir Hunters 12:45pm Dom on the Spot 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London 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 at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Sounds Like Friday Night 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm The Button 10:00pm Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Home from Home 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:25pm BBC London News

9:00am Great Continental Railway Journeys 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Perfection 2:45pm Home Away From Home 3:30pm Going Back Giving Back 4:15pm Trust Me, I'm a Doctor 5:15pm Tigers About the House: What Happened Next 6:15pm Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Britain in Bloom 8:00pm Antiques Road Trip 9:00pm Gardeners' World 10:00pm The City and the City 11:00pm Episodes 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Front Row Late

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm ITV News London 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Love Your Garden 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Lethal Weapon 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm The Keith and Paddy Picture Show 12:15am Shaun of the Dead

7:00am Hollyoaks 8:00am Rules of Engagement 9:00am How I Met Your Mother 9:30am How I Met Your Mother 10:00am New Girl 10:30am New Girl 11:00am 2 Broke Girls 11:30am 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 4:00pm New Girl 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Alien: Resurrection 12:10am The Big Bang Theory

9:35am 9:55am 10:05am 10:15am 12:15pm 1:10pm 1:15pm

Thunderbirds are Go ITV News Zoe Ball on Saturday Saturday Morning with James Martin Who's Doing the Dishes?

The Hungry Sailors ITV Lunchtime News ITV Racing: Live From Ayr Paul O'grady: For the Love of Dogs The Chase ITV Evening News Regional News and Weather Ninja Warrior UK Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule Britain's Got Talent The Keith and Paddy Picture Show ITV News Private Benjamin

7:55am Couples Come Dine with Me 8:55am Made in Chelsea 9:55am Don't Tell the Bride Ireland 11:00am Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back 12:30pm The Goldbergs 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Goldbergs 2:30pm The Goldbergs 3:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 3:30pm Young Sheldon 4:00pm The Net 6:10pm Rude(Ish) Tube Shorts 6:30pm The Big Bang Theory 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:30pm The Big Bang Theory 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Red 2

11:25am 12:15pm 1:15pm 2:15pm 4:10pm

ITV News Zoe Ball on Sunday Love Your Garden Peston on Sunday Britain's Got Talent Britain's Got More Talent 2:20pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:25pm Britain's Brightest Family 2:55pm Nanny McPhee 5:00pm Change Your Tune 6:00pm The Chase: Celebrity Special 7:00pm Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule 7:30pm ITV Evening News 7:45pm Regional News and Weather 8:00pm Info not available 9:00pm The Durrells 10:00pm The Good Karma Hospital

10:20am Don't Tell the Bride Ireland 11:30am The Goldbergs 12:00pm The Goldbergs 12:30pm The Goldbergs 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Big Bang Theory 4:00pm The Big Bang Theory 4:30pm The Big Bang Theory 5:00pm The Big Bang Theory 5:30pm The Big Bang Theory 6:00pm The Big Bang Theory 6:30pm Young Sheldon 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm Snow White and the Huntsman 10:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 11:00pm The Inbetweeners

5:45am 6:10am 6:35am 7:00am 10:55am

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

4:30am 6:30am

Just Charlie Ready Player One: Special Growing Up Smith Wilson Sky Batman: The Killing Joke The Dark Tower Alien: Covenant The House Batman: The Killing Joke The Joker devises a plan to prove that one bad day can make anyone as insane as he is, setting his sights on Commissioner Gordon.

The Dark Tower Alien: Covenant The House Spacewalker Just Charlie

Digby Dragon Rusty Rivets Mofy The Wright Stuff Traffic Cops 5 News Lunchtime GPs: Behind Closed Doors Home and Away Neighbours NCIS Nightmare Nurse 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Gadget Show Britain's Great Cathedrals, with Tony Robinson Portillo's Hidden History of Britain Rivers of Blood: 50 Years on Paddington Station 24/7

9:00pm 10:40pm 12:45am 2:20am 4:40am

The Gadget Show Police Interceptors Police Interceptors Police Interceptors The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

The Yorkshire Vet Casebook The Dead Sea Treasure Map Mystery 5 News Football on 5 The Championship.

Football on 5 Goal Rush.

World's Deadliest Weather

4:40am Just Charlie 6:30am The Great Wall: Special 7:00am Sky 8:50am Growing Up Smith 10:40am The House 12:15pm Alien: Covenant 2:20pm Rough Night 4:10pm The Dark Tower 5:55pm Batman: The Killing Joke 7:25pm The House 9:00pm Rough Night Things get badly out of hand when five college friends reunite for a wild bachelorette weekend 10:45pm The Dark Tower 12:25am Alien: Covenant 2:35am Batman: The Killing Joke 4:05am Sky

8:30am

House Doctor Divine Designs Wildlife SOS Milkshake!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Football on 5 The Championship.

Football on 5 Goal Rush.

Britain's Greatest Bridges Police Interceptors Police Interceptors Dances with Wolves Pearl Harbour 5 News Diana to Meghan: Royal Wedding Secrets Big Wedding Brides Make You Laugh Out Loud

6:00am

7:45am SPFL Greatest Games 8:00am EFL Goals: Championship 8:30am EFL Goals: League One and League Two 9:00am Football's Greatest 9:30am EFL Goals: Championship 10:00am EFL Goals: League One and League Two 10:30am Sunday Supplement 12:00pm Info not available 2:00pm Info not available 4:00pm La Liga Greatest Games 4:10pm Info not available 6:15pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:25pm Info not available 8:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:40pm Info not available 10:45pm Football

7:00am 9:00am 10:40am 12:30pm 1:55pm 3:40pm 5:50pm 7:30pm

10:30am La Liga Greatest Games 11:00am La Liga Show 11:30am Football Years 12:00pm One2eleven 12:30pm SPFL Greatest Games 12:45pm SPFL Greatest Games 1:00pm La Liga Show 1:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 2:00pm La Liga Icons 3:00pm La Liga Show 3:30pm Football's Greatest 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm La Liga Preview 7:00pm SPFL Matters 7:30pm EFL Rivalries 8:00pm Football 11:15pm The Debate - Live

SATURDAY 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm The Hairy Bikers Asian Adventure 1:00pm Football Focus 2:00pm BBC News 2:10pm Weather 2:15pm The London Marathon: My Reason to Run 2:45pm Snooker 5:35pm BBC News 5:45pm Regional News 5:50pm Weather 5:55pm Match of the Day Live 8:15pm Pointless 9:00pm The Queen's Birthday Party 10:40pm Mrs. Brown's Boys 11:10pm BBC News 11:25pm Weather 11:30pm Match of the Day 12:00am Match of the Day: FA Cup Highlights

7:40am Naomi's Nightmares of Nature 8:10am The Pets Factor 8:30am Dengineers 9:00am Absolute Genius: Monster Builds 9:30am Beyond Bionic 10:00am Robot Wars 11:00am Snooker 1:00pm Wanted Down Under 1:30pm Trust Me, I'm a Doctor 2:30pm Britain's Biggest War Ship 3:30pm Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge 4:30pm Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge 5:30pm Final Score 6:15pm Money for Nothing 7:00pm Antiques Road Trip 8:00pm Snooker 9:00pm The Forest 9:30pm Dad's Army 10:00pm Imagine...

9:00am 9:25am 9:30am 10:25am 12:25pm 1:25pm 2:25pm 2:30pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:15pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:20pm 10:50pm 11:05pm

5:05pm 6:05pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 9:55pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm

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

Football's Greatest Teams Eredivisie Scottish Cup Greatest Games Scottish Cup Greatest Games SPFL Matters Soccer A.M. SPFL Matters Info not available Gillette Soccer Special Gillette Soccer Special Gillette Soccer Saturday Goals Express EFL Greatest Games EFL Greatest Games Football EFL Goals: Championship 20 Years of El Clasico

SUNDAY 8:35am 9:10am

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.

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.

32

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

this week weather FRI

SAT

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

April 20

April 21

April 22

April 23

April 24

April 25

April 26

19º/10ºC 19º/10ºC 19º/9ºC 21º/10ºC 22º/12ºC 21º/12ºC 24º/10ºC Brilliant sunshine

Brilliant sunshine

Partly sunny

Partly sunny

Brilliant sunshine

Cooler and a little rain

Brilliant sunshine

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.

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

35

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)

Sudoku

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

36

20th - 26th April

Fighting the curse that is cancer THE Quirónsalud Torrevieja hospital has set up a new generation sequencer continuing in line with work on personalised treatments for the fight against cancer.

‘Next Generation Sequencing’, allows doctors to know the behaviour of the tumour from DNA and RNA in patients who are resistant to conventional chemotherapy.

“We will be able to observe if there are genetic alterations of the DNA in all tumours. At present, 20 per cent of the patients tested have a mutated DNA and are treatable according to that mutation.

“As new drugs are introduced for different mutations, these figures shall grow,” said Dr. Antonio Brugarolas, Director of Oncology Platform at Quirónsalud Torrevieja hospital.

He also explained that their aim is not only to detect mutations which are treatable for providing appropriate treatment, but also to know how the cell reacts to these mutations.

We can see how the cell adapts and predict the most appropriate chemotherapy treatment for each tumour.

The new technique is performed simply though a biopsy for the patient, and results are obtained within two weeks. It also enables us to choose treatments based on costs, effects, administration method and patient preferences.

There are more expensive as well as cheaper drugs, there are oral or intravenous treatments, some induce hair fall and others do not.

That is to say, you can customise the selection of drugs, from those which

are sensitive, discarding those which are less effective.

Dr Brugarolas, says that this technique has to develop further, as there are still difficulties, as sometimes the tumour cannot be accessed directly without surgery, in others because the selected cells are dead.

About 600 genes are analysed with a single test and it is possible to predict which are the best drugs to fight this type of cancer.

The prediction based on the study of the genes, provides a better response rate than the one obtained with the conventional use of chemotherapy.

The doctor also said that “through RNA analysis, a patient’s response to chemotherapy treatment can be predicted by 70 per cent.”

NEW TECHNIQUE: Dr Antonio Brugarolas.

20th - 26th April

37

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

health

One in four suffer mental health issues ANXIETY is one of the most common mental disorders and one in four Spaniards will suffer a mental disorder at some point.

Despite this high number, Spain invests in mental health €5.5 per €100 of total health expenditure, to mental illness, lower than the EU average of €7. This results in a lack of resources and affects people with mental disorder.

Head of Psychiatry at the Gregorio Maranon Hospital in Madrid, Ceslo Arango, said much of the population will suffer from a minor mental disorder such as anxiety, but there are many cases which are much more serious such as schizophrenia, bipolar or autism spectrum disorder, among others, and they have a greater impact on those affected.

Arango, mourns the investment in mental health saying there should be more. He said there are many areas which are not being covered by low investment, such as the lack of preventive measures, shortage of resources for early intervention appropriate to the patient’s age, develo p m e n t assistance to children and adolescents or the lack of intermediate resources, such as hospitals and day

centres for these people.

He also wants to see more support in the workplace: “With support and supervision those with mental disorders could have access to a protected employment. The percentage of people with severe mental disorders working in Spain is much lower than in other countries and that makes them have a very low self-esteem.”

The President of the National Confederation of Mental Health, Nel A Gonzalez, believes the lack of resources ‘is very noticeable’ and notes because of the ‘meagre investment’ waiting lists for patients are ‘extraordinarily long.’

MENTAL HEALTH: Needs funding.

Spain’s ‘ cheap’ GPs heading for the UK S PA N I S H d o c t o r s a r e 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, H u n g a r y, P o r t u g a l a n d 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 re-

placed 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 UK-born doctors, but they will not start coming through for another 10 years and they are needed now.

NHS: Launching a pilot scheme.

Games give brain a boost NEXT time you tell the kids off for playing too many video games, just

think twice as playing could actually boost brainpower.

Simple pointers to get teeth sparkling YOUR smile is one of the first things people see when they meet you. Luckily, keeping your mouth healthy and fresh doesn’t need to cost you an arm and a leg.

Living in Spain, we all like a bit of red wine. And who doesn’t love a cup of black coffee? It’s important to remember if you regularly consume food and drinks that stain, your teeth will eventually pay the price.

That’s not to say you have to bin the wine or the coffee entirely; one can’t expect miracles, after all! But if you’re a big wine or coffee drinker, try to brush your teeth as often as possible to alleviate the adverse effects.

Of course, this isn’t always feasible.

However, there are exisiting foods which

have been shown to impove oral hygiene.

Firm and crisp foods like raw carrots, popcorn, and celery help clean teeth naturally.

If you don’t have the opportunity to brush your teeth after a meal, try capping the meal off with one of these tooth-friendly foods.

Meanwhile, gargling with apple vinegar has been shown to remove stains, whiten teeth, and kill bacteria. And as is so often the case, fruits are our friends: strawberries, lemon juice, and the insides of banana peels have been shown to have good results when it comes to whitening teeth.

Also the tried and tested brushing with baking soda once a week gives a natural dazzling smile.

Researchers have found that spending time in these virtual worlds can actually enhance your perception and attention skills, for people who play between one and five hours a week, being able to process visual information 5 per cent more accurately than those who don’t play at all.

The findings, from a study at Nottingham Trent University, suggest those who play video games are faster and more efficient at processing rapidly presented stimuli.

The news comes after years of video games receiving bad press with studies finding they led to obesity and other health risks, but now, a team of psychologists say they have found some ‘positive aspects.’

40

20th - 26th April

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.

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.

41

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

42

20th - 26th April

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20th - 26th April REMOVALS & STORAGE

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44

20th - 26th April

motoring BMW Group is to invest more than €10 million in a new Additive Manufacturing Campus in Oberschleissheim, Germany.

The facility will allow the company to continue developing its expertise in this field and Udo Hänle, Head of Production Integration, said: “Our new Additive Manufacturing Campus will concentrate the full spectrum of the BMW Group’s 3D printing expertise at a single location.

“This will allow us to test new technologies early on and continue developing our pioneering role.”

The campus will develop the very latest technologies in the industry and make them available within the BMW Group production network.

Much of the work carried out will focus on manufacturing parts for prototype construction, series production and customised solutions.

There will also be an interdisciplinary training and project area eg for development engineers.

Located in an existing

BMW makes ambitious €10 million 3D injection 6,000 square metre building, the campus will house up to 80 staff and over 30 industrial systems for metals and plastics.

There is no doubt that additive manufacturing has become an integral part of the BMW Group production system, and offers huge potential going forward.

Campus Director Jens Ertel said: “Our new facility will be a major milestone in additive manufacturing and the team will evaluate new and existing technologies in both plastics and metals printing, developing them to series maturity.

Our goal is to provide the optimum technology and process chain, be it for individual components, small production runs or even large-scale manufacturing.”

BMW Group became the

first carmaker to 3D-print a production run of several thousand metal parts, and most recently it has been used to generate a part for the BMW i8 Roadster.

The component in question is an aluminium alloy fixture in the tonneau cover for the soft-top, which is both lighter and more robust than its injection moulded predecessor.

Its bionic geometry is in-

NEW DIMENSION: 3D printing is revolutionising manufacturing.

spired by forms found in the natural environment and optimised for 3D printing.

BMW Group expects that with time, it will become possible to produce components directly where they are needed around the world, a truly groundbreaking vision.

20th - 26th April

45 Credit: Connel Shutterstock

motoring

Cars, cycles and people

by David Hudson SPAIN’S Interior Minister has been concerned with the number of deaths of cyclists and pedestrians.

The latest incident involved a car driven by a women under the influence of drugs which ploughed into a group of German cyclists killing one and seriously injuring several others. The TV showed her car with the windscreen totally smashed and the front so damaged that it looked like she had hit a lorry.

The number of cycle and pedestrian accidents over the last seven years has doubled. Tough laws and regular police checks have been introduced.

Greater authority has been given to councils to bring in laws and infrastructure for improved co-existence between road users, pedestrians and public transport.

Torrevieja announced that it will have 3,000 cycles for hire with three different cycle routes around the city. In this area there is a large difference on how councils treat this problem for instance Orihuela, unlike Torrevieja, does not have cyclists riding on and off pavements, riding the wrong way in streets or roundabouts or ignoring traffic lights.

Possibly due to the TV coverage cyclists are using flashing LED lights on their saddle stem in the day. The Jocca Company has produced a knapsack, a bag and a jacket which besides being reflective have LED indicators similar to the motorway signs with the indicators controlled by a pad that can be fixed to the handlebars.

Elche’s decisions on safety in the city area by improving the infrastructure and the co-existence between pedestrians and public transport got my interest. New lanes for people and cycles and on some roundabouts a lane was made for cyclists to ride across reducing the danger of cycling amongst traffic.

Some roads were closed to traffic and reduced speed limits. New laws include pedestrians and cyclists having a five-metre width with three-metre free space between pedestrians and cyclists. Also a 1.5-metre distance between pedestrians, cyclists and public transport with a maximum speed limit of 10kph.

The new laws include restrictions on using a mobile phone while cycling or riding without hands on the handlebars.

Cyclists must not occupy the centre of the lane, a problem that always hap-

pens when pedestrians and cyclist are in one area.

Classed as dangerous with a €200 fine is speeding on a cycle track in excess of 30kph, cycling in pedestrian areas, cycling dangerously and not leaving 1.5 metres between cycles and pedestrians, also vehicles not giving way to pedestrians at crossings or obstruction by vehicles and motorcycles in cycle lanes.

A €200 fine will be given to vehicles driven in a manner likely to cause danger to cycles. Vehicles that do not leave the correct distance behind cycles also parking vehicles causing a problem to cyclists. Finally opening a car door to cause a danger to other road users and not obeying the law at junctions.

This is an imaginative decision to address all road users making the roads safer. Now it is in the hands of the Local Police to carry this initiative out.

BE AWARE: All road users need to keep each other safe.

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.

Credit: BMW GROUP

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 sys-

tem 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.

MINI MAGIC: The new five-door 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.