RTN Newspaper - Costa Blanca North 18 - 24 May 2018 Issue 969

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COSTA BLANCA NORTH

18th - 24th May

Environment ship ahoy!

Issue 969

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ALL ABOARD: The Patriarch arrived off the coast of Albir.

RESIDENTS and visitors to the beach in Albir were treated to the majesty of the yacht Patriarch arriving off the coast.

The vessel - containing five French teenagers with behavioural problems together with four crew - is part of an international initiative for the protection of the Mediterranean islands. The stop in Albir is part of a

tour lasting four months that will take in Mallorca, Tunisia and Sicily, and teach the teenagers navigation skills and environmental issues.

The French teenagers mixed with students of the IES L’Arabi who all mucked in together to clean the ship after being given a guided tour.

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by John Smith

been the case with Prince Philip and his official duties.

Already the Commonwealth leaders have indicated that should the Queen decide to step down, they are likely to welcome Prince Charles as the new Head of the Commonwealth.

In family businesses, it is not unusual for older directors to step back and hand over the reins of power to younger directors, so there has been much speculation about the possible abdication of the Queen, in a manner similar to the Spanish Royal Family.

Under the complicated rules governing the British monarchy, there would be constitutional problems with this possible option as whilst she may abdicate from the throne, there is no current option for her to give up her position as head of the Church of England.

This means that whilst Prince Charles could become Prince Regent, he could not be crowned as the new monarch

Credit: @HRHHenryWindsor Twitter

THE royal wedding tomorrow (Saturday) will bring a number of people together as they celebrate the marriage of the ‘spare’ and a mixed-race commoner.

Prince Harry is still sixth in line for the throne and in royal parlance two children of the first in line or indeed of the reigning monarch are referred to as ‘the heir and the spare’ in case there should be any unfortunate accident.

This decade has shown a remarkable change in society all over the world and the fact that Harry is allowed to take Meghan Markle as his wife after Prince William also married outside of the aristocracy shows that there has been a massive sea change in the world view of the Royal Family.

Realistically things are going to change even further as with Her Majesty now 92 and Prince Philip 97, there will be changes either enforced through death or by retirement as has already

Hopefully the future is bright for the Royal Family

WEDDING CAKE: A layer of the cake produced by Clair Ptak.

and has to become head of the Church of England. The only reason that George VI was able to hold his coronation was because his brother Edward VIII abdicated before his own coronation and never became head of the church.

As people celebrate this latest wedding, let’s hope that it is a long and happy one for the new couple who give every impression that they will be able to cope with the modern media circus that surrounds them.

Sadly three of the Queen’s four children have been divorced although in the case of Anne and Charles, they appear to have settled more happily with their new partners.

There are going to be some major changes in the structure of the Royal Family in the near future and as we head towards the uncertainty of Brexit. We have to hope that the burden will not be too great and that either Charles or William are able to take over the position seamlessly.

Robbed yet again

ROBBED: The indebted disabled person centre was targeted again THE director of a centre for intellectually disabled people has released an emotive letter to thieves after a drink machine was robbed for the second time in one month.

Doble Amor ’s (Double L ove) dire ctor Luis Alfonso Muñoz Saiz said he didn’t exp e c t t h e l e t t e r t o c h a n g e t h e ro b b e r s ’ morals.

Instead, he pleaded for them to “leave us alone once and for all” and to take their crimes elsewhere.

One of their drinks machines was overturned and its money removed from inside, in the latest incident.

T hieves repor tedly used gloves which made it almost impossible to track them

down.

Even though the thieves didn’t steal a large sum, the crime affects “those who least deserve it but who need it most,” according to Doble Amor.

T he ro b b e r y force d M u ñ oz to a s k for their town subsidy ahead of time. T hey have a mounting debt with the local government due to late payments.

Doble Amor provides a ser vice to hund re d s o f d i s a b l e d u s e r s , m a i n l y f ro m Benidorm but also from Marina Baixa.

The small amount the vending machines generate goes towards small purchases and providing a small weekly reward for the centre-goers.

18th - 24th May Photo credit: Stan ley YouTube

EXTENSION: Buses will still link Calpe station (pictured) with Denia.

From a TRAM to a bus

by Darren Parmenter TRAM operators Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGV) have awarded a new contract for the temporary bus service that covers the stretch of Line 9 of the train between Calpe and Denia while it remains closed for works.

The bus service has been extended until the end of

this year as it appears that the original deadline for the completion of the renovation work is unlikely to be met.

The contract, at a cost of €611,325, has been awarded to Calp-Denia U T E 2018 which will provide the link until December, but according to a report in the Spanish press it is expected to be extended into the new year.

Four buses will be used to cover the 32 daily trips between Calpe and Denia and all stops in between, with the possibility of increasing their number at the weekend and during the summer months.

Previously, the service was operated by Autocares Vista Alegre from October 2016 until April 2018 at a total cost of just over €900,000.

Schools witness ‘accident’ simulation AROUND 300 schoolchildren from the IES Bernat de Sarrià and the Colegio Nuestra Señora de los Dolores took part in an accident simulation incident at the Benidorm Children’s Traffic Park.

The simulation involved a dozen officers of the Local Police in Benidorm, along with firefighters from the Marina Baixa division, Red Cross and the Civil Protection Force.

The mayor of Benidorm Toni Perez, Councillor Jose Ramon Gonzalez de Zarate and heads of police in Alfaz del Pi, Callosa, Polop and La Nucia also attended.

Motorway crossing mystery A 35-YEAR-OLD man was seriously injured when crossing the AP-7 in Benidorm this week.

The pedestrian was hit by a lorr y around 5am, and at this stage it is not known why he was trying to cross the motorway... although it’s not so busy at that time of the day.

A medical team from the Urgent Medical Assistance Service (SAMU) was called and stabilised the man at the scene from where he was taken to Alicante General hospital with multiple injuries.

The accident created was filmed from the air by a drone - so that technology could be tested too - and featured a pedestrian being knocked down on a zebra crossing looking at their mobile phone and wearing headphones.

To emphasise safety issues, the person was ‘hit’ by a cyclist not wearing a helmet and also listening to music at the time.

These types of drills are periodically carried out in the Traffic Park and enable all the emergency services to adequately practise new drills away from the public roads.

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Baby in San Juan car accident life-threatening.

The incident happened when one of the cars lost control for no known reason on Avenida Remigio Soler, hit another car and ended up on its roof.

Nine firefighters from Alicante backed up two Local Police units and paramedics already at the scene who combined forces to assist those involved.

Always remember the keys...

FIREFIGHTERS based in Benidorm were called out to rescue two young children who became trapped in a car in Altea... but not due to any serious accident.

According to reports in the Spanish media, the incident occurred when a women closed the door of her car without realising she’d left the keys and her children inside.

Witnesses said that the visibly shaken and distraught woman phoned for the emergency services as soon as she realised what she’d done. When the fire brigade arrived, one of the officers noticed a small opening in one of the windows into which he slipped a rope and managed to expertly open the door. The relief on the faces of the children and the mother was palpable.

Photo credit: Facebook

TWO children and a baby were among the four people slightly injured following a car accident in Playa San Juan involving two vehicles... one of which overturned as a result.

The three children were taken to hospital to treat what were described as ‘very mild’ injuries, whereas a 38-year-old woman had multiple injuries that are not seen as

Hospital extension in Marina Baixa

by David Bennett A F T E R m o re t h a n t wo ye a r s o f planning and negotiations, the Valencian Government now has the plot of land needed to expand the Marina Baixa hospital in Villajoyosa.

T h e p l a n i s t o b e g i n t h e p ro gramme of works on the 22,000m2 site in early 2019, and the local people will finally get the bigger hospital they ’ve been requesting for many years.

The official document was signed by the Minister of Finance, Vicente Soler, and passed on to the Villajoyosa Town Council to enable the tender process to be put into place.

T he ex pansion of the Mar ina Baixa hospital - which has operated for more than 30 years - will see an ex tra 66 beds taking the total up to 336.

It will also feature the areas of medical treatment which see the m o s t n e e d s u c h a s R a d i o l o g y,

AWAITED: Extension to Marina Baixa hospital will bring an extra 66 beds.

Paediatrics, Gynaecological and Obstetrics, all of which will get t h e i r o w n d e d i c a t e d o p e ra t i n g theatres.

The total cost for the building

works has been estimated at €12.3 million, and if ever ything goes to plan should see its first patients using the new facilities in 2022.

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18th - 24th May Credit: Ayuntamiento de Javea

ILLEGAL DUMPERS: Will be taken to task.

Watch out!

Don’t be an illegal dumper

by Darren Parmenter JAVEA’S Environment Department will be hiring a special ‘vigilante’ to monitor the points within the municipality where people are permitted to dump their garden waste.

The purpose is to stop the increasing number of occasions where people are discarding such rubbish and

causing local eyesores in the process.

The monitor will make a number of sur prise and unannounced visits to the 20 ‘green’ collection points distributed throughout Javea in an attempt to catch offenders in the act of dumping, especially those that continually offend.

The municipality is the first to admit that the selfish and uncivil behaviour of a

few, damage the look of the area for everyone and equally results in extra costs that need to be borne from the public purse.

The situation is particularly frustrating given that Javea is one of the areas with the largest number of dedicated areas to dump green waste, as well as an organised schedule of door-to-door collection services for all different kinds of rubbish.

Busy afternoon for firefighters TWO separate incidents in the Marina Baixa region needed the attention of the local fire brigade at almost the same time.

The first fire was in a fourstorey house in Villajoyosa and is believed to have started on the first floor from a faulty washing machine, belonging to a 65-yearold man living on his own.

Three fire engines were sent to the scene and their quick work avoided a more serious incident.

Shortly after, two of the fire engins were sent to Altea to attend a broken gas pipe under a pavement, and be on hand in case the leak led to serious consequences.

It was later repaired by gas engineers.

A modern Finestrat approved AT a recent plenary meeting of the town council in Finestrat, it unanimously agreed to a request by the Valencian Institute of Business Competitiveness (IVACE) for €780,000 to carry out modernisation of the commercial area.

According to the Spanish media, the money will be spent on installing fibre optics in areas still not fitted with such tech-

nology, a new CCTV system and new road signage.

Plans also include a dedicated bus lane and improved access points to the TRAM railway system.

In addition, roundabouts and surrounding areas will see some new landscaping carried out, as well as increased fire hydrants and better street lighting.

18th - 24th May Photo credit: Guardia Civil

FORGED: Medication purchased to make a profit from drug addicts.

Fake prescription scam dismantled

by Darren Parmenter GUARDIA CIVIL in Alicante have arrested 10 people - nine Spanish men and one woman between the ages of 34 and 58 - in connection with a series of fake prescriptions and alleged drug trafficking.

They have been detained in San Juan de Alicante and Cartagena and relate to an investigation that began in Muchamiel when one of the ar-

rested tried to buy anti-anxiety medication with a false prescription.

The alarm bells fully began to ring when it was discovered that a number of individuals bought several boxes of the identical brand of medication in local chemists around the same time.

In total 58 chemists were visited in five days. It is alleged that having paid just €2 for the drugs, they then resold them on to addicts for €25.

As a result of the investigation, it’s believed that the group are responsible for 100 crimes of forgery, four thefts, endangering public health by supplying drugs, and the offence of belonging to a criminal group.

According to reports in the Spanish media the anxiolytic drugs, when mixed with others such as hashish and marihuana, can become a dangerous cocktail called ‘karkubi’ which can lead to hallucinations.

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The force carries on for cancer JUS T a week after the people of Benidorm had the force with them to celebrate ‘Star Wars Day’ (May the fourth), many once again donned costumes of their favourite film hero es only this time in the fight against childhood cancer.

In association with a number of local organisations, the city council organised a number of fundraising and awareness events that saw

many por trayals of Darth Vader, Chewbacca and R2D2 among others.

Throughout Sunday, the event held at the Guillermo Amor Spor t City featured a football tour nament , bounc y castles, children’s workshops and a giant paella all backed with music from the S tar Wars soundtrack performed by the L a Nova Music Society.

Pine forest blaze AROUND four hectares of trees have been destroyed following a fire that broke out in the Vall d’Alcala, Serra Foradada at the weekend.

Several teams of firefighters spent the night in the area working to at first extinguish the blaze and then damp it down before declaring the zone, made up essentially of pine trees, safe again.

The fire was put out with the help of a series of aerial sorties that deposited water collected from nearby sources.

Photo credit: GazD67 YouTube

Maritime history in port

SILLY SEASON: Benidorm cracking down on loutish behaviour.

Enjoy, respect and behave AS the summer tourist season is about to fully get under way, Benidorm has beg un its campaig n to stop drunken tourists and aimed at the increasing number of hen and stag parties arriving in the city who tend to ar r ive at this time of the year.

T hey are concentrating their e ffor ts around the popular pubs along the

P laya L evante and Calle Gerona, and want to put an end to the anti-social behaviour on the streets.

Although the association of enter tainment venues (OCIOBAL) insist that they are only ‘sporadic’ events, the city council, businesspeople, and the Visit Benidorm Foundation have already put up a number of warning posters in English

featuring slogans such as ‘enjoy and respect’.

The message is that there is no room in the city for anti-social and disrespectful behaviour.

People will also notice more police officers patrolling the streets from a Thursday to Sunday and, in the short-term, there will be five more police officers monitoring the beaches.

A LARGE number of schoolchildren and members of the public have been pleased to visit the port of Denia and see the replica of the Nao Victoria in all its splendour.

It’s the same ship that briefly visited Torrevieja further down the coast last month.

The original Nao Victoria sailed around the world from Sevilla on August 10, 1519 before returning over three years later on September 8, 1522.

Sadly, because of scurvy, most of the crew died before completing the voyage.

The replica ship recreated the journey in 2004, and this time took just under eight months.

18th - 24th May

THREE men have been arrested in Alicante in possession of around 200 kilos of allegedly stolen copper cable.

However, the trio - aged 22, 28 and 40 - said that they had been given the cable by a friend.

The men were only discovered after the Local Police took a call from a number of residents reporting a column of smoke in the area. Two patrols with four officers turned up and found the men in a clearing burning an electric cable in an attempt to extract the copper piping.

In addition to the copper already extracted, a further 40 metres of cable was found in a vehicle.

Unable to prove that the copper was their property, together with the suspicion that it had been stolen, the three men were arrested.

According to a report in the Spanish media, it was also later discovered that the van which contained all the copper cable was also uninsured.

Drug dog earns its treat

by David Bennett THE Canine Unit of the Local Police in Alicante have arrested a passenger in the Alicante bus station found in possession of a sig nificant amount of hashish.

Around 100 bulbs of the drug were found in a suitcase belong ing to a 59- ye ar-old Spanish woman travelling on one of the longest bus routes in Spain between Algeciras and Barcelona.

The stash was found during a ro utine check by one of the unit ’s do gs , Xena , when the bus stopped for a short while.

The dog was given access to

the luggage hold of the bus as p a r t o f a re g ul a r s e r ie s o f checks carried out at the station to prevent drug trafficking , its consumption and its possession.

O n e p a r t i c u l a r s u i tc a s e caught the dog’s attention and its owner was quickly identified.

T he dr ugs were already wrapped up and sealed in three separate packages, each containing a number of smaller portions of the hashish which were subsequently confiscated.

TRAVELLING HEAVY: Sniffer dog finds consignment of hashish during routine search.

Photo Credit: Policia Local Alicante

Cops catch the copper thieves

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Midnight fire alarm in town hall f l ames but a considerable amount of smoke.

As a result, some of the firefighters d o n n e d s p e c i a l b re a t h i n g a p p a ra t u s a n d t h e r m a l i m a g i n g c a m e ra s to e n sure there was nobody inside.

The smoke was cleared and after an hour the scene was declared safe. It is understood that the cause of the smoke was an electrical fault.

Help with water bills in La Nucia FAMILIES in the municipality of La Nucia who are struggling financially will be able to apply for a subsidy to pay their water bills.

The town council has allocated a total of €40,000 to cover the initiative which will pay a maximum of €150 per household.

Those eligible to apply include

the unemployed, the over 65’s and large families so the final amount awarded will depend on their annual income.

In 2017, 202 families benefitted from a similar grant, with 161 receiving the maximum of €150. The closing date for applications is Friday June 1.

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Finestrat

FIREFIGHTERS had a midnight alarm call to attend a fire which had broken o u t i n t h e m o d e r n B e n i d o r m To w n Hall building.

L arge amounts of smoke were seen billowing from a second f loor window which is understood to contain the sociology and statistics department.

Once inside the building , the fire brigade discovered that there were no

Training and advice for youth

PRIORITY: Mayor of Finestrat Juan Francisco Perez hopes new centre will open next year.

The budget for their latest of the new CIJ opening its

By Carol Palmer project is around €200,000, doors at the start of 2019. and the mayor of Finestrat, The priority of this centre, FINESTRAT Town Council Juan Francisco Perez, conthe first one designed excluhas announced that it will firmed that offices, study sively for the training of the completely reform the old and training rooms will be younger population of cinema building on Carrer constructed.

Finestrat, will be to organise Fonteta.

If everything goes to plan, a number of activities and They plan to turn it into the tender process will be courses that will advise on an information and training put into place within a coufuture careers and find them centre (CIJ) dedicated for ple of months, with the aim employment if needed. the use of young people.

The council first acquired the building many years ago before carrying out repairs to the roof and the ground floor.

Six weeks for new public park

THE first phase of adaptation of the Tossals de Ondara public park has already got underway at a cost of €60,000. The deadline to finish the work is six weeks and it is being paid for and organised by the Alicante Provincial Council.

Once completed, the park will see a number of changes to its current appearance through landscaping projects to the improvement of the pedestrian pavements and access points.

The four main access paths will converge in the centre of the park, and trees will be planted along the sides to provide both a natural environment and shade.

As the works began, Mayor Jose Ramiro accompanied by Councillors Francisco Giner and Pedro Picornell who are responsible for urban development and parks respectively - visited the site to chat with the engineers and workmen.

New public lighting will also be installed, as well as new benches, tables, litter bins and a water fountain. One area of the park will in future be the location of the Ondara Day Centre.

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HAVE YOUR SAY

A popular post on Facebook reaching 2,313 people with 72 reactions “Man wanted for armed robberies in UK arrested in Spain”

EU reject regeneration project... again

by Darren Parmenter FOR the second consecutive year, the European Union (EU) has left San Vicente del Raspeig out of the European aid Strategy for Sustainable and Integrated Urban Development (EDUSI) scheme.

As such, the municipality has lost out on the €20 million requested that would have helped with regeneration projects in the local neighbourhoods of Tubo, Manchegos, Montoyos and Santa Isabel, which many see as the most in need of work.

These areas were specifically highlighted by the town council in their submission after concluding that they were suffering from depopulation caused by high rates of unemployment, empty housing and a concentration of elderly people.

And so back in November 2017, a total of €20 million was requested to revitalise the zone from Calle Alicante in the west of the town towards the old cement factory.

Despite the obvious disappointment at losing out, Councillor Marilo Jorda said: “We

COMPETITION: San Vicente miss out on €20 million.

are eighth on the waiting list which isn’t bad considering the huge competition there’s been

for the subsidies. It won’t stop us continuing to source EU help.”

Patricia Marsh It’s good the police are doing their job here, but once he gets back to England he will wait for the judicial system to take course so he’ll escape to somewhere else.

Josephine Lockwood Keep up the good work!

@RTNNewspaper Most liked posts from this week

• Safety first for Benidorm theme park • Mijas Council proposes hospital location • Man wanted for armed robberies in UK arrested in Spain

In Total 17,451 people reached 7,595 reactions

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• Council to tighten up motorhome ‘camping’ laws in Costa Blanca • Plastic bags conundrum for charity shops

Island gets a spring clean ALIC ANTE’S city council has joined in with a European campaign to clean up the island of Tabarca.

C e l e b r a t i n g ‘ L e t ’s Clean Up Europe Day ’, a total of 198 volunteers armed with large plastic sacks and gloves spent the entire morning clearing up the waste scattered across the area.

The volunteers of all ages were joined by members of other l o c a l e nv i ro n m e n t a l organisations and the GEA Scout Group.

Also helping out was Environment Councillor Israel Cortes who highlighted the importance of ‘raising awareness about this environmental problem in order to change people’s habits and their future treatment of our beaches.’

After a hard morning’s work, those taking par t were given a tour taking in the histor y of the island t h at i n c l u d e d a v i s i t to the new museum.

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18th - 24th May

New bridge for the gap

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Putting their stamp on the area THE Correos (Post Office) in Teulada and Moraira has begun to place two different postmarks on all mail sent from certain offices.

They are dedicated to the walled city of Teulada and the Castell de Moraira.

The unique postmarks have been designed by local people so that both ordinary customers and dedicated philatelists alike can promote their local areas far and wide across Spain and beyond.

The Teulada image is franked from the office in Calle Alicante 52; the Moraira stamp is available from Calle Marjaleta.

Storms blamed for river pong REINFORCEMENT: The iconic viaduct will be replaced in September.

JUST when users of the TRAM train service between Calpe and Denia are getting more than used to disruption of their journeys, passengers further south will be experiencing their share in September... but only for 20 days.

The refurbishing of the bridge that crosses the Barranc d’Aigues will require the TRAM service to be cut in the stretch between Campello and Villajoyosa. To maintain the service, ownSPAIN’S Directorate General o f Tr a ff i c ( D G T ) i n A l i c a n t e has announced that close to 1,000 fines have been handed out to motorists on ‘safe routes’ especially for cyclists in and around Campello.

The municipality has one of the five official cycle areas au-

ers FGV will put on a bus service connecting Cala Piteres and Venta Lanuza.

T h e M i n i s t r y o f Tra n s p o r t i n Madrid is investing €3 million in the project ensuring there are no unforeseen events. The service will only be affected for three weeks.

The work only affects Line 1 of the TRAM network which links Alicante with Benidorm, and this is the principal reason that September has been

chosen to undertake the works as the service attracts an enormous amount of tourists during the busy summer months.

T h e re b u i l d w i l l s e e t h e c u r re n t metal base replaced by a new one, reinforced by a concrete upper slab and brings it into line with current structural and safety regulations.

The original metal viaduct was built between 1912 and 1914.

STAGNANT water in the Rio Gerona in Denia is believed to be behind bad smells in the area and the amount of dead fish being discovered.

Local people living near to the mouth of the river have reported their concerns to the SEPRONA division of the Guardia Civil, and such is the condition of the area close to Els Poblets that many can no longer open their windows, due to the stench.

It’s alleged that most of the problems have been caused as a result of the storms over the winter with the river becoming blocked with plants and gravel.

This has reduced the amount of oxygen levels in the river and affected the fish accordingly.

As the warmer weather approaches, another consequence is the proliferation of mosquitoes to add to the locals’ woes.

Drivers fined on cycle routes thorised by the DGT, and was launched last summer after a number of accidents which claimed 15 lives between 2016 and 2017.

Drivers were charged with 687 cases of speeding above the set limit of 70kph, 100 for drink-driving and a further 41 being under the influence of drugs.

The Alicane Province has 45 kilometres of special protection for cyclists located between Fonts de l’Algar and Coll de Rates; the A7, Maigmo

and Agost; Biar and Villena; and Castalla and Ibi. Since the new plan began last year, there have been 141 accidents on Alicante Province roads, but only three on the dedicated cycle routes, which have justified the initiative.

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Moraira International Music Festival ON Sunday June 10 the 14th Moraira International Music Festival will take place on the open air stage, by the castle, starting at 6pm as part of the Moors and Christians Fiesta.

Those appearing in what promises to be an exciting evening will be: Naked Keys This is a voice and piano duo consisting of (Niamh O’Sheehan) and (Christian Pearl). Pure acoustic - ready and raw featuring songs from Katie Melua, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen and many more. An eclectic mix.

A tribute to Abba Job and Jolande from Match, Stella from Jazzify, and Anthony from Acoustic Moon bring you a tribute to ABBA, featuring all your favourite ABBA songs.

After Midnight - Soul/Rock/Blues band ‘After Midnight’ has been going strong for over 23 years and their leader, vocalist Paul McKie, perfectly combines the musical creativity of the band with his own friendly, confident vocal style and captivating bilingual stage performance.

Intermezzo Opera Fusion Duo With its unsurpassed versatility, the Duo Intermezzo is able to interpret a variety of styles, characterised by a fusion between opera and pop, opera fusion, Latin jazz, in

THE LADIES OF CAPRICE: Are ready to enthral.

Caprice, let the song begin

PAISLEY PARK: One band amongst seven who will be entertaining. a beautiful performance.

Paisley Park - Rock/Blues band Paisley Park are a very formidable Rock/Blues band that consists of Andy and Debi Price of ‘The View’ - together with Enrico (drums) and Christian (keyboards), plus guest singer Janette Galbraith.

The Blues Brothers Experience After their ‘storming’ performance last

year, The Blues Brothers Experience return with their unique interpretation based on the great movie of the 80’s. Probably the most energetic show you will see this year.

Swag - Soul, Funk, Disco band SWAG - featuring Xanda Laguna are perhaps the Costa Blanca’s finest Soul, Funk, Disco band. Awesome energy, amazing performance, great party band.

WITH their next concert fast approaching, Caprice ladies choir are putting the finishing touches to their repertoire.

They are more than ready to entertain their audience with a programme of popular songs for a summer evening at The Anglican Church, La Fustera on Thursday June 7 at 7.30pm.

The concert, entitled ‘Summertime’ includes songs such as Don’t rain on my parade the theme song from the Vicar of Dibley, The Lord is my Shepherd and the poignant See you again from Fast and Furious 7, all sung in three-part harmony.

The performance will be helping to raise funds for the Costa Blanca Anglican Chaplaincy.

Tickets cost €10 and are available from Margaret & Elena’s Card and Bookshop, Galerias Mar Azul, 9 Gabriel Miro, Calpe, from choir members, or by contacting musical director Aileen on 696 514 613 or by email at aileen@capriceladieschoir.com.

For further information about Caprice, check the choir’s website www.capriceladieschoir.com.

18

18th - 24th May

Same time next year... perhaps

To grow or not to grow Photo credit: Max Pixel

SEVERAL other municipalities in the Marina Alta region have, for the second year in a row, lost out in the distribution of funds from the European Union (EDUSI).

In the same year that Calpe secured €3 million from Brussels, Denia, Javea, Teulada and Benissa - which together have a population exceeding 90,000 inhabitants - have to wait for at least another year to receive the all-important subsidies.

If they were successful, Denia had planned to spend the money in their fight against social inclusion and to help those in the municipality in poverty.

I t ’s u n d e r s t o o d t h a t J a v e a only just missed out, gaining 69 out of the minimum of 76 points nedeed to qualify. They would have begun their plans for a ‘friendly city’ for 2022.

B e n i s s a a n d Te u l a d a w e r e both hoping to be able to carry out an ambitious pedestrianisation plan... but not this time around.

A STUDY into the quality of soil in the Mar ina A lta re g ion and its ability or other wise to produce wine has shown mixed results. T here are both positives and negatives.

And those are the conclusions of the Regulatory Council of the Alicante Denomination of Origin of the soils which confirms that the area ‘presents adequate conditions for the growing of vines but needs the addition of organic matter and fer tilisation to have the perfect crop.’

The project has been promoted by the Miguel Hernandez University and the study took place in Jalon, A lcalali, Llber, G a t a , B e n i s s a , Te u l a d a , Pe d r e g u e r , D e n i a , J e s u s Po b r e and Javea.

Even within the same municipality and the same piece of land, there is an enormous difference in the quality of the soils which ref lects the potenti al of a g reat a g r icultural diversity.

One of the downsides of the findings was the amount of clay in the soil which although it may allow water retention and the ass o ci ate d nutr ients , also means the area can be easily waterlog ged and attract fungi.

DIFFERENCES: Soil quality varies in areas used for vineyards.

Petrol station helps to fill up DENIA’S Raquel Paya School has been presented with a cheque for €3,340 as a result of the recent Solidarity Race held in April.

Around 800 people took part in the day to raise funds and awareness of the special education centre, a day that is a regular part of the Marina Alta calendar. The amount raised came from registration fees to take part in the race, donations from local businesses and a cheque for €500 coming from a petrol station in Denia.

‘Tank’ mystery deepens T H E De p a r t m e n t o f Historical Heritage in Villajoyosa has restored an old water tank that for many has become a mystery.

Experts are trying to u nve i l t h e h i s to r y o f this very rare structure, which is known to have e x i s te d i n 1 8 4 7 w h e n there was a mill nearby.

However, it is believed that it dates back many years before then and investigations continue.

In recent weeks, the walls and buttresses of the structure have been f u l l y c l e a n e d a n d re stored after par t of it was found to be deteriorating very quickly.

The restorations have been carried out using a slightly different colour of mortar than the original as it’s obligatory in t h i s k i n d o f wo r k s to distinguish the new work from the old.

18th - 24th May

19

U3A always ready to help VALL DEL POP U3A supported Jalon Valley Help at their May Fayre both physically in marking out the pitches and in running a 1960/70’s pub-style skittle alley.

The skittle alley was kindly loaned to them by El Cid, who obviously have a lot more to offer than good food and bowls.

Using three bowls, if you knocked down all the pins your name went into a raffle for a meal voucher from El Cid or second prize of a beer kit with eight different beers and glasses.

Stewart Beattie and Ann Martin helped throughout the event and much fun, and possibly some

memories of youthful attempts at bar skittles, was enjoyed by the many participants. The first prize was won by Ann Catterall, who was, by chance, a U3A member.

For further information on U3A Vall del Pop check their website http://u3avalldelpop.com.

Jumping to make a difference SOME people will go to great lengths to fundraise for a charity. Nick Coleman and Ollie Pegrum from Hamiltons in Moraira are going to great heights for their chosen charity Cancer Care Javea, when they jump from an aircraft for the buzz but more importantly to raise funds for the charity.

This will happen on Sunday June 10 over Castellon

so please give generously to support these two brave (but mad) men.

Collection tins will be in Hamiltons of London offices in both Moraira and Javea, both Cancer Care shops in Javea Park, both Gold Rush shops in Javea and Benidorm or you can make a donation via Paypal to Nick7coleman@hotmail.com.

BOUTIQUE SPRING EVENT: From Grant a Wish.

Grant a Wish spring event THE stylish Grant a Wish boutique in Plaza de la Constitucion, Javea, warmly invites all its friends and supporters to a fabulous Spring Event on Thursday May 31.

Far from being a run-ofthe-mill charity shop, they are showcasing some wonderful original artwork by local artists, priced from €40 to €550, a wide selection of very attractive and affordable fashion jewellery plus a small selection of unique clothes by designer Jody Bell, as well as

all their regular stock.

W hy not come and join them for a glass of Cava and some nibbles and see what takes your fancy. Don’t forget Thursday is also market day in Javea - lots to see and do!

At the same time, the shop is pleased to announce their new opening hours which are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 9.30am to 1.30pm, and Tuesday and Friday 5pm to 7pm.

They are no longer open on Saturdays.

20

18th - 24th May

Fluttering with pride

FIGURES contained in a recently released report from tourism business group Exceltur, show a slowdown in the amount of Costa Blanca hotel reservations for the summer and have begun to r ing a number of small alar m bells already at this stage of the season.

Exceltur is made up principally of Spanish hotel companies and related associations, and they have warned that this season - and specifically for 2019 the recent growth in the sector will begin to slow down.

After two years during which tour ism grew at around 5 per ce n t p e r ye a r, t h i s ye a r ’s i n crease will be a more moderate 3.4 per cent.

The predicted decrease is due in some way to both Turkey and Eg ypt recovering in the region of 1.2 million tourists following a m i x t u re o f i s s u e s i n b o t h countries affecting visitor numbers.

Isabel Gonzalez, president of the Provincial A ssociation of Hotels of Alicante, is cautious but maintains a degree of optimism for the 2019 summer season. “ We have had three ver y good years and it is normal to enter a phase of moderation.”

Alarm bells for Costa tourism Photo credit: Diego Delso Wikimedia

ACROSS the entire coastal area of the Alicante Province, municipalities were delighted at the number of prestigious blue flags awarded to their beaches ahead of the forthcoming summer season.

In fact, Alicante Province took 68 of the 133 blue flags in the Valencian Community alone. As reported in last week’s RTN (Issue 968), Torrevieja has been able to recover one of its previously ‘lost’ flags for Cabo Cervera. Others added to the 2018 list in the province are Cala Cerrada and Mil Palmeras in Orihuela, and the beach of Puerto de Pilar de la Horadada.

In total, Spain has a total of 696 blue flags that will begin to flutter with pride in June, relating to 590 beaches and is an increase on the 684 awarded last year.

The information was released in Madrid by the Association of Environmental and Consumer Education (ADEAC) - the Spanish section of the European Federation of Environmental Education - which ensures that its beaches and marinas maintain the first place in this world ranking.

Further down the coast, the Murcia Region has increased the number of blue flags awarded to its beaches to six from last year’s four.

by Rob Murray

DECREASE: Recent visitor numbers set to fall... slightly.

22

SPOTLIGHT ON CALPE

18th - 24th May

vv

30 days to object to parking laws

Photo credit: Ayuntamiento de Calpe

IN the week following the announcement that Calpe Town Council has planned to regulate the number of hours that caravans and motorhomes can park up in the municipality, the motion has been initially approved.

There is now a 30day period which allows an individual or organisation to make any formal disagreement with the decision.

It was also announced at the same plenary meeting that approval has been given to a programme of works to complete section 6 of the J road in the municipality. The total budget is €1.6 million.

Food and business fair in town FIRA CALPE, the food and business exhibition, will be taking place for the 10th year from May 24 to May 27 in the Plaza Mayor. It promises to be bigger than ever with more exhibitors than in the previous years.

Among the stands are 17 restaurants, cafeterias and cocktail bars and 11 other shops that will have their p ro d uc t s o n d i s p l ay a nd for sale.

P re s i d e n t o f t h e 2 0 1 8 Festival Commission, Jose Malagon, said: “Both the hotel and commercial sectors are ver y power ful in Calpe, with a quality that we want to continue to offer to all visitors to the region.”

S e v e ra l o f t h e b a r a n d restaurant owners will offe r a g re ate r n u m b e r o f t a p a s - b e t w e e n fo u r o r five per stall - and they w i l l b e o n s a l e f ro m b e tween €1 and €4. The Fisherman’s Guild will also be at t h e fa i r a n d p ro u d to p re s e n t i t s o w n u n i q u e p ro d u c t - Pe i x d e C a l p made with seafood, octopus and sausage.

As well as the food and the businesses on display, there will be a number of

PRESENTATION: Calpe to show off the best of local business again.

demonstrations, children’s entertainment and an exhibition of hybrid vehicles.

Football fans won’t be d i s a p p o i n te d a s a l a r g e screen will be showing the final of the Champions L eag ue on Saturd ay May

26 between Real Madr id and Liverpool.

The fair opens on Thursd ay M ay 2 4 at 7 p m , a n d it’s hoped to attract even more than the 12,000 that visited over four days last year.

Return of the Cosmos 62 THE ‘Cosmos 62’ sculpture is getting closer and closer to returning to Calpe.

Councillor Ana Sala has recently been in Valencia to meet with the curator of the Valencia Institute of Modern Art (IVAM), Josep Salvador, in order to confirm the arrangements to bring it ‘home’ to its originally planned location.

The IVAM was planning to exhibit the sculpture as part of an indoor garden, but they have agreed to it being exhibited in Calpe as envisaged by the sculptor Andreu Alfaro.

In return, Calpe will give two sculptures to the IVAM to replace the Cosmos 62.

18th - 24th May

legal

Your questions answered Q

Can I refuse to accept an inheritance? If so, who would inherit my part?

A

Yes‌ Depending on the last Will and Testament and the applicable law of the inheritance, the property and assets could be distributed among the other heirs or they could be divided among the children of the person who renounces the inheritance. They, like the person who renounced the inheritance, are also entitled to reject it.

Q A Q A

When and where should I renounce the right to inherit?

In Spain you can do so in front of the Public Notary.

Are there other cases where you may lose an inheritance?

There are cases of an inheritance that is difficult to deal with as a result of the debts of one of the co-heirs, since the creditors will make things more difficult for all the beneficiaries. If there were many debts, you might not be able to inherit anything.

You also may lose your inheritance if the deceased’s Will was improperly drawn up or the Will was not clearly in your favour.

Q

How I can avoid these problems in the future for my heirs?

A

Always seek legal advice before making your last Will and Testament (Spanish Will or international Will). In addition, it is advisable to do a study to minimise inheritance taxes payable by the heirs (implication of residency of people involved).

Your lawyer can help you with all these steps to protect the future of your loved ones.

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

Videos at www.pellicerheredia.com

23

18th - 24th May

money Housing market set for significant growth Credit: Abimages Shutterstock

ACCORDING to a set of figures produced by financial analysts from Caixabank, the housing market in Spain is set to see an average growth of 18 per cent over the course of 2018.

The information has been produced by the bank’s sales division Servihabitat, and says that there are a number of underlying factors that cause such optimism. These include demand, easier mortgages, and the fact that new developments are getting faster approval for their construction.

The autonomous regions of Madrid, Cataluña and Andalucia are expected to show the highest increases which mirror similar results from 2017.

Servihabitat’s study also reveals that new builds are losing ground to second-hand homes in terms of sales, with the latter accounting for more than three-quarters of the market.

Other notable details in the report show that 70 per cent of residential homes sold during 2017 were priced at less than €150,000,

ON THE MOVE: Fewer empty new properties on the market. and just over 30 per cent of homes that changed hands measured between 30m2 and 90m2, meaning that the smaller apartments were those most likely to sell.

When 2018 closes, Servihabitat says that a

total of 61,300 new homes started to have been built across Spain will be completed.

It also predicts that the number of newlyconstructed homes that will be empty and still up for sale will have fallen to around 243,000.

25

2018 tax declarations are up EVEN at this early stage, more than 120,000 residents in the Alicante Province have had an income tax rebate as part of the annual tax declaration.

So far, the Spanish Tax Agency has paid out more than €69 million which, compared to the same point during last year’s exercise, is almost 33 per cent more.

Over 200,000 have made their declarations so far, and according to a report in the Spanish media, the Tax Agency believes the increase in people at this point in the cycle is due to two new methods which enable the annual declarations to be made.

One is a mobile phone application and the other is by calling a dedicated telephone number and after supplying some details, completing the task that way. This has resulted in 40,000 more people declaring than this time in 2017.

Nationally across Spain, around six million taxpayers have submitted their returns and accounts, 15 per cent more than the corresponding period 12 months ago.

Tax declarations can all be submitted online, by phone, by app or through people’s financial representatives until July 2... or until June 27 if a rebate is to be made.

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26

18th - 24th May

by Barry Duke

Drag queens have you in their sights light his personality flaws. Being an inarticulate egomaniac with a narcissistic personality disorder, a vulgar buffoon and a consummate liar are but a few.

Furthermore, I said, you have to accept that Trump has a massive following among hordes of halfwits who also say stupid things in funny voices, and most of these are white evangelical Christians who adore him for granting them licence to trumpet their intolerance in a way no other president ever has.

He’s even encouraged these god-besotted maggots to infiltrate every sector of his administration where they are shamelessly spreading toxic messages of hate aimed at feminists, the LGBT community, Muslims, Jews, atheists and all others who don’t share their ‘Christian’ values.

“You don’t need to live in the States to get riled by these wicked imbeciles,” I added, pointing out that I went ballistic recently when I read that a pastor in California, Michael Webber, had caused a stampede in a cinema. He started screeching biblical baloney at the end of a movie. As the lights were still down, people anticipated yet another mass shooting, and some

Credit: Pixabay

LONDON is not Kansas, Mr Trump.

I don’t believe many will disagree when I say that the President of the United States - a man with fewer brain cells than teeth - is one of the most annoying creatures on the planet.

He gets on my nerves more than any other public figure I know, not just for his incessant, idiotic tweets but for his voice - a voice the Washington Post described in 2016 as being ‘somewhere between a squawk and a scream’.

A while back I met a young gay American who told me that he and his husband were planning to get out of the US and resettle in Europe because they could no longer bear listening to Trump’s inane jabbering. “It’s grating on us to such an extent that we’re actually getting ill,” the man said.

I replied that getting out of America wouldn’t be much help as Trump probably gets as much attention from foreign media as he does on his own turf, although much of the coverage he gets outside the US serves mainly to high-

Donald, duck!

UNPOPULAR: Many people are not enamoured by President Trump. were hurt in the rush to leave.

The lunatic was charged with a misdemeanour. And guess what?

He played the victim card. He complained that ‘there was a period of time in America where standing up to preach the Gospel would have been met with applause.’

I was so angry that I sent an

email to his Truth & Triumph Ministries saying “there was a period of time in America when hanging black people from trees would have been met with applause.”

“That’s just it,” said the Yank glumly, “the crazies have taken over the asylum and we just can’t live with it any more. At least out-

side the US we’ll feel less threatened as a gay couple, and we’ll have the satisfaction of joining the ranks of those who plan to protest against Trump’s visit to Britain in July.”

I was chuffed to learn that, as part of the ‘March of Millions’ scheduled to coincide with the visit there will be around 1,000 drag queens. An extravagance of Manchester drag artists, including Liquorice Black, Violet Blonde, Cheddar Gorgeous, and Anna Phylactic have organised a robust LGBT response to the visit in solidarity with gay and trans communities in the US affected by the Trump administration’s rollback of equality gains under Obama.

Organisers say that Trump’s attacks on gays, women, Mexicans and Muslims sets a bad precedent for other leaders across the globe.

In the year since Trump took office, countries like Azerbaijan, Egypt, and Russia have cracked down on their queer and trans communities.

More than 100 gay men were rounded up in Chechnya - and at least four were murdered.

More than 30,000 people are expected to turn out to vent their anger when the deranged monster comes to the UK to paw at ‘The Great and The Good.’

My fervent wish is that a great many more than that number will rally on the day - Friday the 13th and make it absolutely clear to Trump that he’s not in Kansas now.

28

18th - 24th May

Slavery in my lifetime

by Michael Walsh

Credit: National Archives Wikimedia

keyboardcosmetics@gmail.com IT is commonly thought that the buying and selling of human beings, who are used as their owner wishes, is a thing of the past.

However, slavery has been far more widespread in our lifetime than at any time in antiquity. Inconvenient history it might be but during my lifetime millions of surrendered prisoners of war were bartered and enslaved by the Soviets, Americans, British and French allies just as were 17th century Africans.

In clear defiance of the Geneva Convention, Article 57, Britain made use of German captives until 1948. Pressure from the International Red Cross (IRC) and public indignation left Westminster little choice but to finally return the captives to their home countries.

Using pillaged German trains and UK / US lend-lease rail rolling stock the Soviets vacuumed up millions of men, women and children from all corners of Europe.

Until the 1960’s these unfortunates disappeared into the Soviet

YALTA: Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin.

Union’s Gulag slave camps or were used as free labour to build canals, dams, infrastructure, invested in by the great corporations of America.

These wretches were described by Leon Trotsky as ‘White Negroes’.

Petrograd December 1917.

Nations in my lifetime were also enslaved and bartered as freely as

were human beings. In February 1945, the leaders of the Soviet Union, Britain and United States, gathered at Yalta in Crimea.

The notorious Yalta Agreement sealed the fate of 21 democratic nations. Ironically, one of those nations who surrendered to Stalin’s brutal regime was Poland, for

whose territorial integrity Britain had declared war on September 3, 1939.

Albert L Weeks, researcher and author of Russia’s life-saver: lendlease aid to the USSR in the Second World War, described the Soviet Union as ‘a regime as brutal as their Nazi enemy’. It is little wonder

therefore that the most shameful document in history is rarely referred to.

I cringe as I picture dwarfish exbank robber and tyrant Joe Stalin looking on as Britain’s unelected Winston Churchill signs over the territories, resources and human rights of the peoples of 21 nations.

President Roosevelt, whose election pledge was to keep America out of the war, then adds his moniker. Finally, Joe Stalin, the greatest killer in human history smugly adds his name to the document from hell.

Britain celebrates the end of the Second World War in Europe on May 8 but for 21 countries the war and occupation was to last another 45 years.

Churchill and Roosevelt submitted to Soviet occupation of 21 nations including half of Germany, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Albania, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Moldavia, Kirghizstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Czechoslovakia.

Churchill, when asked if history would think kindly of him, replied; “of course, for I will write it.”

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

Cutting edge sponsor for APROP

AN INITIAL DONATION OF €250: From left to right: Hollie (holding little Bella), Kelly, Michelle, Marie and Sue Lundgren from APROP. KELLY, the owner of Vu Salon in Javea has been so moved by the plight of the animal refuge charity APROP (Associacio Protectora D’Animals De Pego) that she has committed to raising €1,000 in the lead up to Christmas 2018.

This undertaking is very much in line with the business ethics of her salon. The professional range of products used at Vu Salon are Paul Mitchell which guarantee to be noncruelty with no animal testing.

This has been the Paul Mitchell pledge since 1980 and nearly 40 years on that pledge for our furry friends remains the driving force of Paul Mitchell and of course Vu Salon.

A number of fundraising activities will be staged at Vu Salon during the remainder of 2018.

For further information please email Kelly at info@vusa lonjavea.com and for more information about APROP,

please email suederek@li ve.co.uk.

Stop press: On Monday July 9, Vu Salon will be hosting their charity Pink Lady Day. Fifty per cent of all revenue will be donated to APROP, with a full range of hair and beauty services being on offer as well as pink fizz, pink cupcakes, pink raffle and the attendance of two new members of the Vu Salon team who will be on duty for one day only (ask for more information at the salon!)

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9:00am Walking Out 10:50am Anon: Special 11:20am Anon Stylish sci-fi thriller about a troubled near-future detective investigating a series of mysterious murders.

1:15pm Atomic Blonde 3:20pm Shot Caller 5:30pm Walking Out 7:15pm Anon 9:00pm Atomic Blonde 11:00pm Shot Caller

10:45am Beechgrove Garden 11:15am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:45pm Spring Kitchen with Tom Kerridge 1:30pm Great Manchester Run 3:30pm Info not available 4:30pm Garden Rescue 5:15pm Flog It! 6:00pm Great Manchester Run Highlights 7:00pm Pangolins - The World's Most Wanted Animal 8:00pm Million Pound Menu 9:00pm Info not available 10:00pm Burma with Simon Reeve 11:00pm Atlanta 11:20pm Atlanta 11:45pm Later Weekend with Jools Holland

9:30am 10:25am 11:00am 12:00pm 1:15pm

11:30am Naughty Dogs Make You Laugh Out Loud 12:20pm Naughty Toddlers Make You Laugh Out Loud 1:20pm Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud 2:20pm Garfield 3:55pm Batteries Not Included 5:00pm 5 News 5:05pm Batteries Not Included 6:05pm The Lego Movie 8:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

9:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away!

9:55pm 5 News Weekend 10:00pm Top of the Box: 1985 with Matthew Kelly 12:00am Role Models 2:05am Super Casino

7:00am Top Ten Show, the 2018 7:15am Basmati Blues 9:05am Anon: Special 9:35am Anon 11:20am Walking Out 1:00pm Atomic Blonde 3:00pm Jungle 5:00pm Anon 6:50pm Shot Caller 9:00pm Atomic Blonde Stylish spy thriller starring Charlize Theron as an MI6 agent despatched to a chaotic, paranoiaridden Berlin just before the fall of the Wall.

11:00pm Jungle 1:00am Shot Caller 3:05am Annabelle: Creation 5:05am Basmati Blues

3:30pm 4:30pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:05am 1:35am

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

10:50am 12:45pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 5:10pm 7:10pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:45am 2:40am 4:30am

Avengers: Infinity War Special Rampage: Special Basmati Blues All About the Money Three luckless friends travel to Colombia and hatch a dangerous plan to capture a notorious drug kingpin and claim the $25 million reward.

Walking Out Atomic Blonde Anon: Special Anon Annabelle: Creation Walking Out Atomic Blonde Anon Annabelle: Creation Rise of the Footsoldier 3 Miss Hokusai

7:30am World Cup of Pool 11:30am Live ATP 1000: Rome 2:55pm Live RL One Day Cup The Royal London One-Day Cup continues as Durham meet Yorkshire at Emirates Riverside.

8:30pm Live EFL Play-Off Semi-Final 11:00pm Live PGA Tour Golf Day two of the AT&T Byron Nelson at the Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, Texas.

1:00am Sky Sports News All the news from the Premier League and beyond 2:00am Sky Sports News 3:00am Sky Sports News 4:00am Sky Sports News

SATURDAY 7:00am Breakfast 10:00am Royal Wedding: Live Coverage 3:00pm F.A. Cup Live 4:50pm BBC News The latest national and international news stories, followed by Weather.

5:00pm BBC London 5:05pm Weather 5:10pm Match of the Day Live 6:00pm FA Cup Final Coverage of the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.

8:40pm Pointless 9:30pm Casualty 10:20pm Info not available 11:20pm BBC News 11:35pm Weather 11:40pm Match of the Day

4:30pm 5:30pm 6:30pm 7:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 12:50am 2:30am

Frasier Frasier Frasier The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons Come Dine with Me A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun Location, Location, Location The Secret Life of the Zoo Channel 4 News Titanic: The New Evidence The Martian Sinister 2 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA

11:45am 12:45pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 4:00pm 5:40pm 5:45pm 7:30pm 8:20pm 9:20pm 10:20pm 11:20pm 1:00am

9:00am 9:30am

11:15am 11:20am 11:25am 11:30am 1:15pm 3:45pm 6:15pm 8:15pm 11:00pm 12:00am

Good Morning Sports Fans Rugby League North Queensland Cowboys meet South Sydney Rabbitohs at 1300SMILES Stadium in the NRL. Super League Greatest Games Super League Greatest Games Super League Greatest Games Rugby League Live Rugby League Live Scottish Cup Final Super League Magic Weekend Super League Magic Weekend Live PGA Tour Golf Sky Sports News

SUNDAY 12:00pm 1:15pm 2:00pm 2:10pm 2:15pm 3:05pm 3:20pm 3:55pm 5:35pm 6:35pm 6:50pm 6:55pm 7:00pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 11:25pm

Sunday Politics Bargain Hunt BBC News Weather for the Week Ahead To be Announced Points of View Songs of Praise To be Announced Britain's Best Home Cook BBC News Regional News Weather The Chelsea Flower Show Countryfile Antiques Roadshow To be Announced BBC News Regional News Weather

2:15pm 2:25pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 7:45pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 11:20pm 12:20am

Zoe Ball on Sunday Countrywise Peston on Sunday Britain's Got Talent Britain's Got More Talent ITV Lunchtime News Ninja Warrior UK Paul O'grady: For the Love of Dogs Change Your Tune Tipping Point The Chase: Celebrity Special Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule ITV Evening News ITV News London Little Big Shots Midsomer Murders ITV News Peston on Sunday This Time Next Year

10:00am Frasier 10:30am Sunday Brunch 1:30pm Bake Off: The Professionals 2:30pm The Simpsons 2:55pm The Simpsons 3:20pm The Simpsons 3:45pm Cheaper by the Dozen 2 5:30pm Location, Location, Location 6:30pm Grand Designs 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Christmas at the Chateau 9:00pm Bake Off: The Professionals 10:00pm Info not available 11:00pm Gogglebox 12:00am First Dates 1:00am Info not available 3:00am Meet the Markles 3:55am Info not available

7:00am 8:00am 9:50am 11:30am 12:00pm

4:00pm

6:15pm 8:30pm 12:00am

Sky Sports News Live NRL World Cup of Pool Sports Sunday Indian Premier League Delhi Daredevils take on Mumbai Indians at Feroz Shah Kotla in the VIVO IPL. Delhi Super League Magic Weekend Magic Weekend continues as Wakefield Trinity take on Huddersfield Giants at St James' Park.

Super League Magic Weekend Live PGA Tour Golf Sky Sports News

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.

18th - 24th May

RTN Life

Farewell to Peter Beechey THE Aircrew Association has been alive on the Costa Blanca since 1988, a creditable 30 years.

It was founded here as a new branch of what was then a thriving global organisation, with branches in all parts of the world and its founder was Peter Beechey.

He realised that there were, like him, many other former service aircrew living on the Costa Blanca who would enjoy the aim of the association which is ‘to foster comradeship amongst those who, having been awarded an official flying badge, have qualified to operate military aircraft and are serving or have served as military aircrew in the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom or those nations which are allies of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth.’

From its early beginnings the branch has been extremely popular and membership has been vibrant for many years.

Peter, a former wartime and

PETER BEECHEY: During his flying years.

post-war RAF pilot introduced many initiatives to the branch and was a leading light until, over recent years, he became

less able to sustain his previous active participation.

Sadly, Peter died peacefully on Wednesday May 2 at his

home in Javea where he and his wife of 70 years, Eileen, had lived for more than 30 years Peter’s funeral and celebration of his life was held at the Javea Crematorium on the following Tuesday and was attended by fellow aircrew members, members of the Royal Air Forces Association, MABS and other friends and neighbours.

They were privileged to join in a moving service conducted by father Marcus Ronchetti, the honorary chaplain to the Aircrew Association.

The eulogy was given by Henry Horth, president of the association and Max Maxwell, chairman, read messages from Peter’s family. Following the service, Eileen hosted a reception in the comfortable environs of Javea Golf Club.

The results of Peter’s vision in forming the association have been enjoyed and appreciated by numerous members and their guests over many years.

31

MONDAY 7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Ill Gotten Gains 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Info not available 12:45pm Info not available 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm The Doctor Blake Mysteries 4:15pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm The Chelsea Flower Show 5:30pm Hardball 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm The Chelsea Flower Show 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Peter Kay's Car Share 10:30pm Info not available

7:00am Flog It! 7:30am Ill Gotten Gains 8:15am Royal Recipes Wedding Special 9:00am Info not available 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 12:30pm The Week in Parliament 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Perfection 2:45pm Going Back, Giving Back 3:30pm Digging for Britain 4:30pm Victorian Farm 5:30pm Street Auction 6:15pm Antiques Road Trip 7:00pm Eggheads Repeats 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Back to the Land with Kate Humble 9:00pm The RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 10:00pm Info not available

8:00pm Beyond 100 Days The latest national and international news, exploring the day's events from a global perspective.

8:30pm Civilisations Stories 9:00pm Code-Breakers: Bletchley Park's Lost Heroes 10:00pm Royal Wives at War 11:00pm Castles: Britain's Fortified History 12:00am The Secret Life of the Motorway Documentary series which celebrates the birth of motorways and hails the achievements of those behind the 'road revolution'.

1:00am Clydebuilt: The Ships That Made the Commonwealth 2:00am Kew's Forgotten Queen

9:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm Undercover Boss USA 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Coast v Country 2:05pm Posh Pawn 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm A Place in the Sun 5:00pm The £100k Drop 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Buy it Now 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm The Political Slot 9:00pm Jamie's Quick and Easy Food 9:30pm Tricks of the Restaurant Trade 10:00pm 24 Hours in Police Custody

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 The Yorkshire Vet Casebook 4:20pm Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm World's Fastest Train 9:00pm Police Interceptors 10:00pm Paddington Station 24/7 11:00pm Cocaine: Addicted Britain 12:05am Criminals Caught on Camera

9:00am

11:30am 1:30pm 2:30pm 2:55pm

9:30am 10:00am 10:35am 11:05am

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 The Yorkshire Vet Casebook 4:15pm Cradle Swapping 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Britain by Bike with Larry and George Lamb 9:00pm The Yorkshire Vet 10:00pm Intercity 125: The Train That Saved Britain's Railways

4:40am 6:30am 7:00am 8:40am

10:20am 10:50am 12:50pm 2:45pm 3:00pm 5:00pm 7:00pm 9:00pm 10:45pm 12:40am 2:25am

Anon Avengers: Infinity War Part. 1: Special Everything, Everything Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Youngster Greg hatches a plot to reroute a family road trip towards a videogame convention.

Anon: Special Basmati Blues Anon Top Ten Show, the 2018 Annabelle: Creation The Stolen Basmati Blues Anon Annabelle: Creation Rise of the Footsoldier Anon

9:00am Football's Greatest 9:30am Football's Greatest Teams 10:00am To be Announced 10:30am La Liga Greatest Games 10:45am La Liga Greatest Games 11:00am La Liga 2017/18 1:05pm La Liga 2017/18 3:10pm La Liga 2017/18 5:15pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm La Liga Icons 6:15pm La Liga: The Story of Las Palmas 7:30pm Info not available 8:00pm Soccer A.M. 8:30pm Live EFL Play-Off Semi-Final 11:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18

The Stolen Basmati Blues All About the Money Anon Annabelle: Creation Young orphan Linda (Ouija: Origin of Evil's Lulu Wilson) finds herself drawn to a creepy porcelain doll that seems to have evil in its cold, dead eyes... Horror prequel.

Anon: Special Basmati Blues All About the Money Anon Annabelle: Creation Rise of the Footsoldier Girl Flu Anon: Special Anon

2:00pm La Liga Icons 2:30pm Revista de la Liga 3:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18 3:15pm SPFL Greatest Games 3:30pm MLS Round Up Show 4:00pm Info not available 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Info not available 6:30pm Revista de la Liga 7:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18 7:15pm SPFL Greatest Games 7:30pm MLS Round Up Show 8:00pm To be Announced 8:30pm Live EFL Play-Off Semi-Final

TUESDAY 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm A1: Britain's Longest Road 12:45pm The Housing Enforcers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm The Doctor Blake Mysteries 4:15pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Royal Recipes 5:30pm Hardball 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

Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Perfection 2:45pm Going Back, Giving Back 3:30pm Digging for Britain 4:30pm Tudor Monastery Farm 5:30pm Street Auction 6:15pm Antiques Road Trip 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great Continental Railway Journeys 8:00pm Back to the Land with Kate Humble 9:00pm Pangolins - The World's Most Wanted Animal 10:00pm Nigeria's Stolen Daughters

3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm

This Morning Loose Women ITV Lunchtime News Regional News and Weather Judge Rinder's Crime Stories Dickinson's Real Deal Tipping Point The Chase Regional News and Weather ITV Evening News Emmerdale Devon and Cornwall Cops This Time Next Year Innocent ITV News at Ten and Weather Regional News and Weather Regional Programmes

12:00pm 1:00pm 1:05pm 2:05pm 3:10pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

Frasier Frasier Frasier Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA Undercover Boss USA Channel 4 News Coast v Country Posh Pawnbrokers Countdown A Place in the Sun The £100k Drop Four in a Bed Buy it Now The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News The Secret Life of 5 Year Olds The Windsors Royal Wedding Special Meet the Markles First Dates

7:00am 8:50am 10:50am 12:40pm 2:35pm

4:40pm 5:10pm 7:10pm 9:00pm 10:45pm 12:40am 2:25am 4:05am 4:35am

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.

18th - 24th May

33

Some first person singular changes Basic Spanish for everyday needs

by Jane Cronin

WE are still looking through the various changes that are made to verbs in the present tense. We are on ‘standard’ verbs, and last week we tackled the ‘-er’ group, with our basic example of the verb ‘comer’ meaning ‘to eat’.

Como Comes Come

Comemos Coméis Comen

The important thing to remember is that the ‘root’ of the verb remains the same; in this case ‘com’ and the endings follow a strict pattern to indicate the person who eats. These changes are always laid out in a group of six (first, second and third person singular, first, second and third person plural) and we call this pattern a ‘conjugation’.

The last thing we commented on was that there are a few of these standard ‘er’ verbs that make a slight alteration to the first person singular form. This does not mean that they are ‘irregular’, because they obey all the other rules exactly, they just have this one little idiosyncrasy and there is usually a good reason for it as well.

Now we’re going to look at four of these and attempt to explain them. If the explanation doesn’t mean a lot to you, you’ve always got the option of just learning the verb form in the spirit of acceptance ‘that’s how they say it, just that’s how I have to say it too’. I just prefer to explain the reasons if I can because it might help some people to make sense of them.

The first two are ‘caer ’ (to fall) and ‘hacer’ (to do or to make). These are standard verbs and follow the pattern we learnt last week, that is adding endings on to the roots ‘ca’ and ‘hac’. In the first person singular though they change to caigo (I fall) and hago (I do, I make).

Both these changes are to do with ease of speech. ‘Cao’ on it’s own would be hard to get across (especially when you’re falling!) and in the case of ‘hacer’

there is an issue to do with the sound change to the letter ‘c’ before the ending ‘o’. As we go forward we will see that quite a few first person verb changes involve the letter ‘g’ in its harder form and this is an easy sound to make.

Another change is ‘I see’ which according to our rules should be ‘vo’, but it isn’t.

‘I see’ is in fact veo. If you are around Spanish children at all, or English children in Spanish schools, you can play the Spanish version of ‘I spy with my little eye’ with them (it’s a really good game for learning new vocabulary!) The game starts ‘Veo, veo’ ‘¿Qué ves?’ (I see, I see.

What do you see?) You can ask them to teach you the rest of the game, and it might help you to remember I see ‘veo’.

Lastly we are going to look at a first person singular form that is totally regular in speech, but has to make a spelling

adjustment so we can read it correctly. This is the verb ‘coger ’ which means ‘to pick up’ which, you will realise, is pronounced with that throaty Scottish ‘ch’ sound.

Again we have a pronunciation problem here caused by the letter ‘g’ being followed by an ‘o’ in the first person. If we were to write ‘cogo’ it would then read incorrectly, so to preserve the sound of the word we have to spell it ‘cojo’. Now when we read it, it sounds completely regular, along with the rest of the verb changes.

I hope all of that made sense. If it didn’t just remember ‘caigo’ (I fall), ‘hago’ (I do, I make), ‘veo’ (I see) and ‘cojo’ (I pick up) and that I told you these minor blips on the landscape of standard ‘-er’ verbs.

Stick with it, we’re on to ‘-ir’ verbs next week!

Water, water everywhere, but...

THERE are currently 12 cities that are in danger of running out of drinking water, with Cape Town the most urgent case.

Others include Beijing, Cairo, Moscow, Miami, Tokyo and also London. (This I find hard to believe!)

The lonely frog Romeo, a Bolivian 10-yearold Sehuencas frog, is believed by conservationists to be the last of his line. He has been calling for a female to mate with for the last nine years without success. He now has an appeal on a dating website that says ‘looking for my Juliet’.

An advertising gimmick?

Elton Musk’s red roadster (with dummy driver) which was recently carried into space will likely stay there for millions of years. Experts consider the chance that it might hit Earth or

Credit: Gibraltar Museum

by Peter F Purvey

Venus in the next million years is very low.

Life after death Scientists say that some of our cells continue to function after death and that some germs actually become more active. (Surely bacteria continues to function otherwise we wouldn’t end up as a skeleton.)

More old bones In South Africa, a number of bones that have taken 20 years of careful chipping to free them from the limestone block in which they were fossilised, have been revealed to be the oldest and most complete example of humankind and estimated to be around 3.5 million years old, fractionally older than the famous Lucy at 3.2 million years.

This month’s story asks, ‘who are we’?

We are all human beings, Homo sapiens, are we not? Are you sure?

Genomics is proving to be most enlightening in uncovering our antecedents. Only a year or so ago experts were astonished to discover that between 1.5 and 3 per cent of

NANA: The image of the Neanderthal woman whose skull was discovered in Gibraltar.

our DNA came from the Neanderthals, always regarded as a separate species and therefore unable to breed with humans.

It appears that we are also related to at least four other

species, our own and the Neanderthal DNA is also found in human remains from South Siberia, south-east China, India and Australia. These are all thought to be evidence of Homo sapiens out-

side Africa living some 80,000 years ago or earlier.

Strange though it may seem, we also appear to be related to a group of small chimp-like people living on the island of Flores in south-east Asia whose origins may go back over 700,000 years.

All these people have the tell-tale ‘out of Africa’ gene which betrays Africa as their origin, some of whom may have left as long as two to three million years ago.

Strangely, there appears to be evidence of a tribe living on the plains of central Africa about 200,000 years ago who do not have the tell-tale signs that are found in all other Africans but still show that genomic link to ourselves; where did they come from?

Many experts think there may be other Homo sapiens whose remains have yet to be uncovered. It would seem that on our long ‘out of Africa’ journey to inhabit the whole world, it’s all down to whom we met, fancied, and bred with along the way.

We really are a mongrel species with our genes shared with more than half the population of the world.

34

18th - 24th May

WEDNESDAY 2:30pm 2:45pm 3:15pm

Regional News Doctors The Doctor Blake Mysteries 4:15pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm The Chelsea Flower Show 5:30pm Hardball 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The Chelsea Flower Show 9:00pm Watchdog Live 10:00pm Info not available 11:00pm BBC News

3:30pm

Ray Mears Goes Walkabout 4:30pm Victorian Farm 5:30pm Street Auction 6:15pm Antiques Road Trip 7:00pm Eggheads Repeats 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Back to the Land with Kate Humble 9:00pm The RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 10:00pm Love in the Countryside 11:00pm Detectorists 11:30pm Newsnight

3:00pm

Judge Rinder's Crime Stories 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 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 Britain's Busiest Airport - Heathrow 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm A&E Live 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather 11:30pm ITV News London

1:05pm 2:05pm 3:10pm 4:00pm

Coast v Country Posh Pawn Countdown A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 5:00pm The £100k Dro 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Buy it Now 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm The Political Slot 9:00pm The Secret Life of the Zoo 10:00pm 24 Hours in a and e 11:00pm Carry on Brussels 12:00am Gogglebox

1:15pm

GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm To be Announced 4:15pm My Mother's Secret 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm Rich House, Poor House 11:00pm The Sex Business: Working the

7:00am 8:50am 11:00am 12:50pm 3:00pm

Walking Out Jungle The Perfect Match Atomic Blonde Shot Caller Gritty prison thriller following a family man drawn into an unfamiliar criminal underworld following a fatal road accident.

5:10pm Jungle 7:15pm The Perfect Match 9:00pm Atomic Blonde 11:00pm The Battleship Island

10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Premier League Daily 12:00pm Sky Sports Daily 1:00pm Sky Sports News 2:00pm Sky Sports News 3:00pm Sky Sports News 4:00pm Indian Premier League 8:30pm Sky Sports Tonight 9:00pm Sky Sports Tonight 10:00pm Sky Sports Tonight 11:00pm Sky Sports News at Ten 12:00am Sky Sports News 1:00am Sky Sports News

2:45pm 3:20pm

5:05am 7:00am 8:50am 10:35am 12:45pm 2:50pm 5:00pm 6:50pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 1:00am 3:10am 5:40am

8:00am

THURSDAY 4:45pm

Rhs Chelsea Flower Show 2018 5:30pm Hardball 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Britain's Best Home Cook 10:00pm Ambulance 11:00pm BBC News at Ten 11:30pm BBC London News

3:30pm

Ray Mears Goes Walkabout 4:30pm Victorian Pharmacy 5:30pm Street Auction 6:15pm Antiques Road Trip 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Back to the Land with Kate Humble 9:00pm Rhs Chelsea Flower Show 2018 10:00pm Million Pound Menu 11:00pm The League of Gentlemen 11:30pm Newsnight

3:00pm

Judge Rinder's Crime Stories 4:00pm Dickinson's Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs 10:00pm A&E Live 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather

12:50pm Coast v Country 1:50pm Posh Pawn 2:55pm Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Practice 2 Live 5:00pm The £100k Drop 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Buy it Now 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 8:55pm The Political Slot 9:00pm Kirstie and Phil's Love it or List it 10:00pm Humans 11:00pm First Dates

Neighbours Celebrity Five Go Motorhoming 4:20pm Killer Switch 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Cricket on 5: England v Pakistan 9:00pm Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords 10:00pm The Trouble with M&S 11:00pm Murdered by My Daughter

Basmati Blues The Perfect Match Walking Out Shot Caller Atomic Blonde Jungle The Perfect Match Shot Caller Atomic Blonde Patient Seven Jungle The Battleship Island Top Ten Show, the 2018

Good Morning Sports Fans 9:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 10:00am Good Morning Sports Fans 11:00am Cricket 8:00pm Cricket 8:30pm Live Super League 11:30pm Live PGA Tour Golf 1:00am Europeantour Highlights 2:00am Sky Sports News 3:00am Sky Sports News 4:00am Sky Sports News 5:00am Sky Sports News

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this week weather FRI

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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.

36

18th - 24th May Across

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

1 2 3 4

Cryptic

Down 1 Fresh bread is cooked (7) 2 Doctor has a small aircraft (5) 3 Nobleman might feel pier shake (4,4) 5 Blades appearing when people have a row (4) 6 Presume serum is destroyed (7) 7 It’s metal crime, reportedly (5) 8 Fashionable to be covered in fat? That’s hard to see (5) 13 Average fashion cost (8) 15 Failure to snare legislator (7) 17 Small pieces of furniture for farm buildings (7) 18 Rubbery stuff of recent times (5) 19 They secure money for the government, so we hear (5) 21 Stick nothing in boat (5) 22 Bermuda dollar contains part of a wall (4)

GIFT Weekly Stars

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

Aries. Venus dallies with Mars and all, it would seem, is not fair in either love and war right now. Like it or hate it there is a lesson to be learned somewhere along the line of your current good intention. If others are trying your patience right now then don’t give them the benefit of the doubt, but do make it clear that you are not to be messed with!

Libra. Ceres squares up to Jupiter bringing timbre and respect wherever it is due.

After a face-off recently you are not in combative mood but what you desire is worth fighting for in anyone’s books. Ceres brings rhythm into a troubled patch and Jupiter is ready with all the answers brought about by an ebullient and snappy change of heart.

Taurus. In sextile with Uranus, planet of innovation, Venus directs attention this week as a subterfuge that allows you a well-deserved breathing space. Feeling under pressure is normal under current circumstances but what’s on offer right now may seem to be good to be true, but it could so easily be the icing on the cake, if you just let it be.

Scorpio. Driven by good motive it is sure that you are known to go to all lengths to make things just and fair, for all concerned. A current focus has seen someone suffer for no reason and you are leaving no stone unturned in your quest for the truth. Ceres, in anticipation of the verdict, aligns with Neptune to activate clarity and turn the tide.

Gemini. The resplendent entry of the Sun allows you to see things in a new light this week, but do not be fooled by what exactly is going on right now, and keep your finger on the pulse.

Take time to see things as they really are, and not what they could be, before you make a final decision that you could later live to regret, for good reason.

Sagitarius. You seem to have turned a very important page recently, and the agenda for the future looks more inviting in every way.

The Mercury opposition with Jupiter sees that the true message you need to send gets the reception that it needs, and sees to it that nobody takes your true interpretation for granted this time around.

Cancer. The entry of Venus brings you love in many guises this week. You need stability in a relationship, and this means the answers to questions you have not previously dared to ask. Loving yourself right now would be an advantage, but it shouldn’t be just an option in the current scheme of things, if you are worth it!

Capricorn. This is a time to take a welldeserved break and to charge your mojo!

Seeing things around you from a distance would be both relaxing and beneficial for all concerned and it will give you the break you need right now too. The Cosmos backs the temerity of Mercury with the wisdom of a nonjudgmental, but sage Saturn.

Leo. A loophole looms and you would be foolish not to take advantage by striking out while the iron is hot! As someone who is generally not afraid of the spotlight, what comes next is illuminating your talents and showing you a way ahead well within your current grasp. As the Sun trines Mars at the end of a busy week, all will be revealed.

Aquarius. You are in two minds this week, and unsure what direction to take in the midst of current conflict. Yes, you have been sorely tested as of late, but the fight goes on, though quite where it leads you is anathema. See that you get the chance to have your say and do not hold back. Venus sextiles Uranus and you’ll love the change!

Virgo. Mercury opposes Jupiter and sextiles Neptune this week and it seems as if turning your back on things makes everything alright. Think again. With fortune in the balance you cannot either turn you back on rich rewards or wait until finances really do go belly up! Going against the grain brings you nothing, amidst a sea of promise.

Pisces. Throwing yourself in the deep end, it is only a matter of time before you bounce back on all levels. Time was when fate intervened, whenever they could, to spread a little magic around. Now you are rather more in control of the situations that previously held you back. Neptune actions both Jupiter and Neptune, enlisting back up! v

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Code Breaker

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 1 represents Z and 22 represents B, so fill in Z every time the figure 1 appears and B every time the figure 22 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.

Play on Words

Answers: Long lost friend (pal).

Throw in the towel.

Puzzles Page

POSE

1 Corporal revised by lido (6) 4 Improves barracks around the street (6) 9 Distant from pedalo off the coast (5) 10 Scottish town’s tune has dire arrangement (7) 11 Broad squadron leader is in tears (8) 12 Five hundred sick, Herb? (4) 14 Animator Sidney’s upset (6) 16 From and to Kensington for souvenirs (6) 19 Voice quality begins to offend nearly everybody (4) 20 Naval ice breaker in Spanish city (8) 23 Company chief ordered to get a small house (7) 24 Withdraw yearbook, it has a letter missing (5) 25 Father’s address is now in a closer Monaco villa (6) 26 Prevents the desert crumbling (6)

18th - 24th May

Across 2 Annoy continually or chronically (6) 5 Second letter of Greek alphabet (4) 6 Eyeball membrane (6) 7 Weapons (4) 8 See 1 Down 11 Fewer (4) 13 African country (6) 14 Dreary (4) 15 Long for (6)

Quick

Down 1/8 Rough, tight embrace (4,3) 2 Rough (5) 3 Dry (4) 4 Plays for time (6) 7 Ludicrous (6) 9 Open space in a wood (5) 10 Go across or through (4) 12 Counterfeit or pretence (4)

Across 1 Dump (hovel) (9) 8 Hueso (4) 9 Courgette (9) 10 Botella (6) 13 Suitcase (6) 15 Seaweed (5) 16 To owe (5) 17 Peludo (5) 18 Guante (5) 21 Raffle (draw) (6)

22 Mirror (6) 25 Amusing (9) 26 Yesterday (4) 27 Locutor (entre programas, en anuncios) (9) Down 2 Used (stamp, syringe) (5) 3 Corazón (5) 4 Viajar (6)

5 Language (6) 6 Ama de casa (9) 7 Alemania (7) 11 Stools (seats) (9) 12 Grande (5) 14 Cenizas (5) 16 Recogedor (7) 19 Lotion (6) 20 Poison (6) 23 Python (5) 24 Juez (5)

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

Kenny’s Postbag Kenny, Why do you talk about the Spirit World when we were very happy calling it Heaven?

Amy C. You may be happy calling it Heaven, Amy, but then maybe that’s because you are a Christian? My Jewish and Muslim clients and readers, amongst many others, could be greatly offended by the word Heaven. The Spirit World is internationally accepted as the holding station for those who have crossed over. Heaven exists to accommodate those of the Christian Faith, and I do not wish to cause any distress to those who are not free to enter.

Kenny Corris Don't forget to email or message me with your Postbag Questions!.

Check out my new website: www.kennycorris.net

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.

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For Birthday Celebrants The Cosmos rewards enterprise and supports talent, and you thrive on both!

As a decision nears be sure you have both feet firmly on the ground this time around.

Sudoku

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 9 letter word is:

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

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18th - 24th May

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

Credit: U.S. Navy photo Scott A. Raegen

AS ‘un motor de bomberos’ raced past me in Torrevieja yesterday, siren blaring; it brought back to me with uncomfortable clarity a time when I was indirectly responsible for not one, but two blazing infernos that needed the intervention of the fire services.

The first was an office block in Reading where we were undertaking extensive roof renovations.

We had taken all the necessary precautions with our propane burners as prescribed by the 1960’s version of health and safety, but as I was eating my Spam and Branston sandwiches during a pause for lunch, I noticed wisps of smoke appearing from beneath the fascia board.

Moreover, it was happening along the full length of the building, which was give or take, the size of the Wembley pitch.

I alerted my workmates before careering down the ladder and into the reception area to sound the alarm, where I was horrified to see the ceiling boards buckling from the heat in the roof space above.

Crowds began to gather as the build-

Confessions of an arsonist US NAVAL FIREFIGHTERS: At work.

ing was evacuated and the big red lorries and a fleet of police cars began to arrive, along with the gentlemen from the press; all of which I observed discreetly from a nearby cafe.

I’m a modest bloke and was happy for my colleagues to have their pictures taken for the local papers.

The second occasion was on a military barracks on the US Air Force base at the Kindley Field complex in Bermuda.

A large container of very hot bitumen had suddenly ignited on its way up from the ground in the hoist. I had to either have it lowered, or continue hauling it to the roof post-haste, where I hoped (and

prayed) I would be able to deal with it.

I decided on option two and continued hauling. And praying.

Bitumen expands when it burns, so upon reaching the roof it spilled over, and quickly spread like a fiery blanket.

I dropped through one of the open hatches and yelled “Fire!” to the off-duty personnel. The smell of pot and the volume of heavy rock music were overpowering and I might as well have not bothered in view of the non-reaction from the stoned guardians of the free world.

Amazingly, after the natty red American fire engines arrived and the crews had piled out of their wagons and set about their pre-rehearsed tasks, the base fire chief, grinning broadly, pumped my hand and thanked me profusely.

It appeared that all those guys ever did was practise boring simulations and drills, and ‘moi’ had actually provided them with a real live fire.

I thought they were going to present me with a medal.

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18th - 24th May

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eating chocolate to ease period pains A SWISS chocolatier has claimed to have created a chocolate bar that will h e l p t o r e l i e v e a n d e a s e w o m e n ’s menstrual cramps.

T h e ‘ F r a u e n m o n d ’ b a r, m e a n i n g ‘women’s moon’ was developed by the Chocolate with Love company.

They said the chocolate contains 60 per cent cocoa and 17 specially selected herbs from the Swiss mountains which can produce a calming e ff e c t a n d s o o t h e t h e a c h e s a n d p a i n s s u ff e r e d m o n t h l y b y m a n y women.

Included in the ingredients is magnesium, but experts claim the magnesium content of any dark chocolate could help ease cramps.

If, for some reason, treating yourself to a little bit of chocolate isn’t your favourite pastime, there are other ways to ease period pains.

Exercise may be the last thing you fancy, but even a brisk walk can release enough endor-

phins to counteract the prostaglandins which are the hormone-like substances in pain and inflammation.

Try applying heat as it helps relax the muscles and drink chamomile tea as studies have found it to contain pain-relieving properties. Ginger is also believed to help ease menstrual cramps by lowering the levels of prostaglandins. It can also help fight fatigue often associated with premenstrual syndrome.

CHOCOLATE BAR: That will help ease menstrual cramps.

British children top poll for lack of exercise BRITISH children are amongst the worst in the world for physical activity.

That’s the finding from an international study of 38 countries.

England, Scotland and Wales came low in the activity rankings with the report stating that just 15 per cent of girls aged 11-15 in England and 22 per cent of boys carried out the one hour of moderate-intensity activity a day as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

The study was presented to the International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health in Thailand, as British health experts warned that children were losing out on exercise and more should be done to encourage sport and physical activity and get youngsters away from computer screens and their sedentary lifestyle.

The grades of activity were based on indicators including active play, overall physical activity, organised sport participation, sedentary behaviour, family and peers, school, community and the built environment as well as government strategies and investments.

The international congress also set a target of reducing sedentary behaviour around the world by 10 per cent over the next nine years.

CHILDREN: Losing out on exercise.

Beware of unqualified dieticians IN Spain, the figure of a dietitian or nutritionist is not recognised within the public health system unlike other European countries.

As a result, the number of people claiming to be trained professionals is on the rise. President of the General Council of Nutritionists-Dietitians and Association of Nutritionists-Dietitians of Valencia, Alma Palau, claims that 70 per cent of

dieticians who appear on websites are fraudulent without proper qualificat i o n s : ‘ We a r e n o t d i s pensers of fad diets, we are professionals involved in improving global health and disease prevention, based on scientific evidence.’

Palau said this area of professionals are amongst the most unknown and yet ‘are the most involved in non-congenital disease prevention through healt-

hy eating habits.’

The president claimed that if you Google dieticians, of the top 100, she predicts around only 23 would have the correct professional qualifications.

In the case of the Valencia Region, there are 500 registered professionals and three universities where the degree of Human Nutrition and Dietetics is taught, recognised by the public health system.

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18th - 24th May

What can I do about wrinkles?

WRINKLES are a natural part of the ageing process. As people get older, their skin gets thinner, drier, and less elastic, and less able to protect itself from damage.

This leads to wrinkles, creases, and lines on the skin. The first wrinkles to appear on a person’s face tend to occur as a result of facial expressions.

Also sun damage, smoking, dehydration, some medications, and environmental and genetic factors affect when and where people will develop wrinkles. Most wrinkles tend to appear in the parts of the body which receive the most sun exposure, especially the face and neck, the back of the hands, and the arms.

The two main types of wrinkles are surface lines and deep furrows.

These days, women and a surprising number of men are seeking ways to turn back the clock without going under the knife. “People have always wanted to look as young as they feel,” says Dr Sergiu Vieru our dermatologist at Derma Clinic Spain.

But you don’t necessarily want anyone to know that you did a little something. “Technology has improved tremendously with these new procedures,” adds Dr Vieru. “They’re quick - you see results, if not right away, then within a few days.

And the risk of any kind of serious complication is far lower than with surgery.”

What can you do? No solution is right for everyone. Depending on your skin type, lifestyle habits and overall health, not to mention budget and amount of time and discomfort you’re willing to accept, Derma Clinic Spain can outline the best options for you. Overall, “the most effective options are procedures that are long-lasting, have minimal downtime and give patient’s natural looking results,” adds Dr Vieru.

For more information about anti-wrinkle treatments, come for a free consultation at Derma Clinic Spain.

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

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

More women are missing smear tests than before THE number of women going for a smear test is at an all-time low.

In the UK, since the 1980’s women aged between 25 and 65 are invited to a smear test every three to five years, but new figures show that younger women particularly are missing their screening.

Figures from NHS Digital for this year showed that 31 per cent of women aged between 25 and 49 had missed their test, a rise from the 24 per cent in 2011. Their data also reported that almost a quarter of women had not had a test in the past five years which is the worst rate since records began in 1997.

Smear tests are vital to detecting cervical cancer, which is often known as the ‘silent killer’ as there are so few symptoms. As the number of those going for tests falls, the number of diagnoses is increasing with around 3,200 new cases a year being reported in the UK and more than half occur in women under the age of 45.

The fall comes after years of highlighted awareness of the disease, particularly following the death of TV reality

star Jade Goody.

The celebrity, who rose to fame following her appearance on Big Brother, made her diagnosis public in August 2008 and in February 2009 her diagnosis was terminal.

Her openness in talking about cervical cancer brought it to the forefront of the minds of many young women and between 20082009, it is believed that

more than 400,000 women in England went and got tested. Known as the ‘Jade Goody Effect’ it lasted some years but women are now ignoring their appointments and not going for screening.

Many are calling on doctors to make the smear tests more accessible for women with many reluctant to take time off work or book a day’s holiday as appointments only

fall within working hours.

Women in Spain are advised to contact their medical centre if they have not had a smear test for a number of years.

The smear test is very quick and involves taking a sample of cells from the cervix which will be examined for any changes, allowing them to be detected before they become cancer cells.

SMEAR TEST: Is vital in detecting cervical cancer.

A positive outlook can be good for your health A NEGATIVE attitude could be reflected in your health.

A c c o r d i n g t o a F i n n i s h s t u d y, p e s s i m i s m a p peared to be a strong risk factor in coronary heart disease (CHD). Researchers studied 2,267 Finnish men and women over 11 years and found that the 121 people who died of heart disease had a gloomier approach to life than the rest and had been more pessimistic at the start of the study than the others.

It is believed that this pessimism is linked to stress and the stress increases blood sugar levels and blood pressure which can lead to heart damage and disease.

This is one of a few studies highlighting the relationship between pessimism and mortality from

CHD, but there have been numerous studies over the years stressing how optimism can improve your health.

An American study evaluated 839 people in the early 1960’s, performing tests for optimism and p e s s i m i s m . I n t h o s e a n a l y s e d 3 0 y e a r s l a t e r, tests show that optimism was linked to longevity.

Dutch studies have reported similar results.

In one, the researchers assessed over 500 men for their optimism who were free of cardiovascular disease and cancer in 1985. Over the next 15 years, the researchers reported that those who were more positive were 55 per cent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than the pessimists, even after traditional cardiovascular risk factors were taken into account.

18th - 24th May

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home & garden Asparagus season in full swing THE asparagus season is upon us. Asparagus has been a natural food source in Europe for thousands of year as far east as Egypt.

Those who love wild-growing asparagus will no doubt be out on the lookout for patches of the prickly plant to risk plucking the slender new shoots for making traditional Spanish omelettes and various other recipes. Some people even eat them raw, as apparently was the case with the ancient Roman manner of eating asparagus.

Not everyone likes the naturally occurring green asparagus shoots from the wild as the taste is rather strong. Cultivated white asparagus is normally a much thicker cultivar which is blanched by mounding up the soil around the plant as the new shoots emerge. The blanching makes the taste much milder and more agreeable to many, although it still has the distinctive asparagus taste.

To minimise the discomfort of searching through the prickles and to maximise the harvest encourage the wild asparagus to grow naturally along the walls of your property by cutting back everything else and leaving them to grow as a hedge.

They are mature after several years, I cut back to the ground about one third of plants in March and another third in May, leaving about a third of the plants to just grow naturally for the year. The next year I cut the row or section left growing naturally the year before in March and the section from the previous March is then cut in May and the third section is left to recuperate.

Espalier, a space-saving art THERE are so many different opportunities to garden in the Mediterranean that the keen gardener may find that they don’t have enough space for all the plants they would like to have growing.

Nothing tastes better than fresh fruit from your own garden but a fruit tree can take up a lot of space and usually has more fruit than necessary when mature.

Fruit trees are therefore often a lower priority in the garden unless you have a big garden area and the time to maintain it.

A proficient gardener doesn’t let this drive him up the wall though, instead he will train the fruit trees or other space-taking ornamental plants up the wall using the art of espalier.

Espalier makes a tree twodimensional by training it to grow against a wall or support by selectively pruning all but the desired branches to form the pattern required to fit the space selected for it to grow. The tree is allowed to

grow up and across but not out from the wall.

It is an ancient garden art form used by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans that has been well-used in Europe for centuries. It requires some skill and understanding of the nature of the trees growth patterns and of pruning so you may need to do some research, but it is worth the effort to be able to grow trees in this way.

As the trees are more controlled, fruit trees often have bigger and better fruit than standard trees as the energy from the roots is supplied to fewer fruits.

Unless you obtain a tree already prepared to be planted as an espalier, you will need to start with a maiden tree of one year old with no side-branching or with branching in the appropriate places. This is to ensure that it will have branching that aligns with the supports provided on the wall or structure that they are to grow on.

Typically the central trunk

will have branching growing horizontally on both sides at the same height and there would be three to five such branching from the trunk at about 30-40 cm distance

apart up the trunk.

Branches need to be tied to the wall or support wires to maintain the integrity of the design for supporting the weight, including the fruit.

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18th - 24th May

pets

Let mothers do their jobs IF your cat has had kittens and you’ve been lucky enough to find homes for them, it may be very tempting to get them to their new home as soon as possible.

Vets recommend that newborn kittens are allowed to stay with their mothers for at least eight weeks, preferably 10, to allow mums to do their full job and avoid serious problems in the future for the youngsters.

Kittens taken from their mothers too early may suffer from stunted growth and frequent illness. A cat’s milk provides all the nutrients and antibodies they will need.

Mothers play a vital role in developing their offspring’s characters and teaching

correct behaviour.

A kitten taken from its mother and litter mates too soon may be aggressive and quick to bite or scratch. They may also find it hard to learn basic things like grooming themselves.

MOTHER: A cat’s milk provides all nutrients needed.

Obligatory dog classes abolished SWITZERLAND, which in 2008 brought in a law forcing dog owners to take obligatory training courses following a series of violent attacks by dogs, has decided to abolish the laws as it failed to prove effective.

The decision, made by parliament in September, has now been confirmed by the Federal Council.

Pusher of the motion and representative of the Liberal Radical Party, Ruedi Noser said: “the courses were too expensive, caused administrative overload and their impact has not been proved.”

The number of incidents such as dog bites has not reduced and there has been no difference noted between dog owners who took the courses and those who didn’t.

Those who defend the courses, however, argued during debates that there has been a drastic drop in ‘dramatic violence’ caused by dogs over the last few years. “It’s true there are no statistics but we can see there is a link,” said Socialist Party member of the Federal Council Alain Berset.

Optional courses for first-time dog owners will continue to be held as many owners welcomed them, as did all vets.

Dog Marleys want reggae A NEW study carried out in Scotland by the SPCA and the University of Glasgow has revealed that reggae and soft rock are the preferred sounds of dogs in shelters.

Heart monitors were used on shelter dogs to keep track of their stress levels while different musical genres, including Motown, pop, soft rock, classical and reggae were piped through the kennels.

Although in a similar way to humans the results showed that different dogs preferred different musical styles, hinting that hounds have their own tastes for more than just lamb chops, reggae came top of the list for reducing stress levels.

Professor Nell Evans said: “Overall, the response to different genres was mixed highlighting the possibility that our canine friends have their own individual preferences. That being said, reggae and soft rock showed the highest positive changes in behaviour.”

18th - 24th May AIRPORT PARKING

INSURANCE

PAINTER /DECORATOR

TV & SATELLITE

SITUATIONS VACANT

HILLIER’S PAINTERS & Decorators. Covering the Costa Blanca & inland, 35yrs established. www.hillierpaintersanddecorators.com.

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CLEANING SERVICES A1 SPECIALIST CLEANING. Carpets, upholstery, 15 years’ experience 965 058 177/ 697 511 071 marc@barnaclebills.co.uk www.britishbusinesspa gesinspain.es (251406)

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REMOVALS & STORAGE

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METAL WORKS MOBILE WELDING SERVICE Gates, rejas, railings etc. Made to measure or repaired. Free quotes. No job too small. Calpe. Made to measure or repaired onsite. Call Dave 965 834 869 or 616 173 699 (278310)

MOTORING

BUGBUSTERS BENIDORM: Fully Legal Costa Blanca Pest Control Company. EST 1994. For all pest problems, commercial and domestic. Call Lois Clark 619 054 939/96 686 5204. bugbuster slois@hotmail.com.

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18th - 24th May

SPANISH COURSES

MISCELLANEOUS

SITUATIONS VACANT

HOME & GARDEN

Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Wordwheel

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18th - 24th May

45

motoring

New ITV test prepares to hit the road ITV TESTS for private vehicles in Spain are set to undergo some major changes from Sunday.

A previous statement from the Spanish government said that the MOT equivalent will be ‘more demanding’ to detect cases of manipulation, with a particular focus on emissions.

The move is based on the EU directive 2014/45 and will see more robust computer technology introduced to gather a range of data.

Information from vehicles’ switchboards will also be recorded to ensure they are not hiding faults or manipulating the system in any way.

The authorities are particularly concerned about illegal emissions and security systems, and until now only the engine, airbag and anti-lock braking system were checked.

Greater scrutiny will be brought to bear on pollution from exhaust pipes, especially nitrous oxide.

Previously, particle filters have been easy to manipulate for those wishing to bend the rules to save money.

The hardening of the rules will particularly affect vehicles that are more than 10 years old, with those that are diesel-fuelled in the spotlight.

There are at least 750,000 vehicles registered in Malaga, and at

Credit: Revelados/Shutterstock

ROAD RULES: The changes will make manipulation more difficult. least 30 per cent are more than 10 years old (much higher than the European average).

A further change is planned that will see the second inspection of vehicles take place in a differ-

ent centre to the first one.

However, rental cars will only have to pass the Technical Inspection of Vehicles every four years, instead of every two years as is the case at the moment.

The new regulations will also see ITV centres equipped with a system of controls that will robustly track distance covered.

Inspectors will no longer have to use paper and pens, they will be able to

record and access all data digitally.

Although it will depend on each autonomous community, it will be possible to buy a car abroad and bring it to Spain without needing to pass the ITV if the vehicle is new and fully certified in its country of origin.

All those that pass the inspection after Sunday are obligated to present their documentation proving ownership of their vehicles, and the date of registration.

Such documents include the ITV card, the vehicle registration certificate, a receipt of insurance, and the driver ID. Furthermore, the old letter notifications of ITV expiry dates will be replaced by new technologies, making communication easier.

As a result, deadline warnings will come via WhatsApp, email, SMS, or through the ITV app.

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18th - 24th May

motoring

Porsche accused of lying about emissions PORSCHE is accused of fixing emissions in a move which is reported to have cost the United Kingdom (UK) government €3.44 million.

They drove the Cayman R models o ff i n s e c o n d g e a r d u r i n g t e s t i n g t o lower its CO2 emission readings.

It fixed the vehicle’s UK emissions level at 221g/km,while the same model has a 228g/km rating in mainland Europe.

The alleged trick means owners pay road tax according to the UK’s ‘band K’ bracket paying €360 instead of €618.

This is how much they would pay if the car was bracketed according to its European emissions reading.

The alleged fixing emerged in 2011 after 51-year-old John Cieslik crashed his Cayman R. He sued the German motoring giant on the grounds that a manufacturing defect had sparked the collision.

Porsche paid Cieslik off in February that year.

But in preparation for a legal battle he had discovered information about the alleged emissions bracket fixing after approaching the UK’s Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA).

The VCA is in charge of certifying

vehicle emissions in the UK and initially refused to reveal Porsche’s emissions data.

But a freedom of information tribunal in 2015 forced Porsche to own up to the emissions mismatch.

Porsche executive Steven Laux said during the hearing the differ-

ence in CO2 emission readings between the UK and rest of Europe models is down to contrasting taxation regimes in the two locations.

Porsche told British media it was not able to comment due to ‘ongoing’ legal proceedings’.

TRICKED: Drivers allegedly started the car in second gear.

‘ Supersonic’ tube travel Photo credits BMW Group

A DESIGN company owned by BMW has created a prototype passenger capsule for the world’s first functioning hyperloop system.

Hyperloops propel pods through giant tubes which eliminate air resistance enabling breathtaking speeds.

Dubai’s pioneering shuttle could reach almost supersonic speeds of up to 1,080km/h, meaning commuters could be buzzed from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in just 12 minutes.

The journey takes about an hour by car.

Virgin Hyperloop One head up the project with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

And Designworks - a BMW subsidiary based in California - masterminded the hyperloop’s pod.

Its studio design director Johannes Lampela said: “With the Virgin Hyperloop One design, we wanted to create a new visual expression for a new mode of public transportation.”

The team’s key design challenge was to overcome the lack of windows with a comfortable and engaging interior.

The absence of natural light meant commuters could feel restricted, so designers set out to make an ‘uplifting sensory experience.’

VACCUUM TRAVEL: The capsule’s design had to overcome darkness.

They did this by installing personally-controlled light, digital displays, and premium comfort seating.

First class ticket holders will be able to adjust the brightness and light colours from blue to pink.

Arabic patterns inspired designers who were set on mixing Middle Eastern cultural references with a progressive feel.

The design recently made its world premiere as part of United Arab Emirates Innovation Month at City Walk Dubai.

It was the first time a large public audience had ever seen a full-sized prototype of the futuristic transportation mode.

The hyperloop term was first used to describe a Tesla and Space-X project, two companies owned by maverick billionaire Elon Musk.

18th - 24th May

47

sport Moraira-Teulada U3A hosts International football matches LAST week members of t h e M o r a i r a - Te u l a d a U 3 A Wa l k i n g F o o t b a l l Team hosted their third International event at the La Senieta, sports area in Moraira.

Two teams had travelled from Widnes in the UK to join in matches with six local Spanish teams making up the two leagues of four.

Playing for two trophies, the Sponsors Net Connect team, featuring Moraira U3A players,

surpassed all expectations to reach the final for the Silver Salva.

U n f o r t u n a t e l y, t h e y were unable to maintain their semi-final momentum and went down 4-1 to a very good Widnes Whites visiting team.

The main event of the day was the Moraira U3A Cup. This was intended to be an Over 6 0 ’s t o u r n a m e n t , b u t Bob Nix eventually assembled a Moraira U3A Over 65’s team.

The initial league programme threw together two local Moraira teams.

The young A against the Over 65’s.

As expected, the A team had the majority of possession but Nick Connor and Derek Earl scored two long range goals for the Over 65’s to force a draw and a penalty shootout.

The star of last year’s International Event final penalty shootout, goalkeeper Alan Gibb,

starred again by saving the penalties to win the match for the Over 65’s.

In the final, which was watched by more than 100 spectators, the Over 65’s played a highly competitive match against the Lo Crispen team (named after an infamous tavern local to the team).

Derek Earl scored another glorious goal for the U3A Over 65’s who were winning almost to the final goal, when only

GAME ON: The game in action.

seconds before the final whistle The Lo Crispen team scored to draw level.

In the resulting penalty shootout Alan Gibb starred again scoring the final goal which won the cup for the Moraira

U3A Over 65 Pensioners.

The big win of the day was the tremendous goodwill and spirit created between the two visiting guest teams and their hosts in MorairaTeulada U3A.

Pego Golf Society Stableford Competition

NO BOTTLES: But plenty of winners.

Montgo Golf Society MAY 11 saw Montgo playing a Stableford competition sponsored by Anne Kitson and Peter Gardiner. The prizes varied on that week from the usual bottles of booze as winners were presented with tokens for the practice range which at least one nondrinker thought made a nice change Also veering away from the norm prizes were awarded separately to the first three ladies and gentlemen.

The top three spots for the gents was decided on countback as all three had 35 points. So the gent with the best back nine was Geoff Wilcox in first place, Michel Grin

took second and Russ Peters came in third.

Maintaining her excellent quality of golf Sally Cottrell led the field with 37 points. In second place Susie Snelling, also on fine form, had 36 points and Gerian Van Ooijen took third with 34 points.

And finally a reminder to all players that dignity on a golf course should be maintained at all times. Particularly when leaving a bunker. Please try not to resort to crawling out on all fours as one lady player had to this week. Sadly there was no photographic evidence as this may well have won the society photo competition.

MEMBERS of the Pego Golf Society enjoyed a morning of warm sunshine and gentle breezes to play golf.

They were playing a Stableford competition, and the 41 members, were joined by two guests, Jason Webb, and an old member John Snelling who revisited. The competition itself was played with two divisions for handicap Nearest the pin at Hole No 5 with their second shot was Martin Gates

PEGO GOLF SOCIETY: The happy winners. with 2.12 metres, and at Hole No 16, nearest the pin was Malcolm Wise with 1.78 metres.

There was only one member with a two and that was Colin Foster at the third hole.

The Balls in the Water competition, was won today by Liz Grin, and the amount of balls in the water that week was 110.

Next week, they do not have a game, due to the course being hollow tined.

In the competition, the results for Division 1 were as follows:1st Place Terry Moore 37 Points playing off 11.2 Handicap 2nd Place Terry Oram 36 Points playing off 15.6 Handicap 3rd Place Dave O’Connor 36 Points playing off 16.2 Handicap Results for Division 2 were as follows 1st Place Barry Carter 36 Points playing off 19.0 Handicap 2nd Place John Evans 35 Points playing off 20.2 Handicap 3rd Place Elizabeth Grin 32 Points playing off 27.8 Handicap

Albir Vets Soccer Tournament LOOKING for an alternative to the Royal Wedding tomorrow (Saturday)? Getting fidg e t y w a i t i n g t o s e e t h e FA Cup or Scottish Cup Final?

There is an alternative and it’s free!

The Albir Vets are welcoming Bexton FC from Cheshire along with other local Costa Blanca teams to their inaugural veterans tournament.

I t a l l k i c k s o ff a t 11 a m a t the AstroTurf pitch at Calle

Sant Javier which is just behind Mercadona in Albir.

As well as having the chance to support your local Costa Blanca team there will also a Penalty Prize Competition on the day that is open

to all comers.

That particular competition begins around 1.20pm with its final scheduled for 2.30pm. That means you will have plenty of time afterwards to get in front of a TV

to see how the professionals do it.

So put that date into your diary and watch some good, unpaid players performing in the Corinthian spirit for the love of the beautiful game.